CBN: eNaira No Threat to f inancial s tability ... Page 5
Wale igbintade
Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos High Court Sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, yesterday, sentenced the suspended Assistant Superintendent of Police, Drambi
Vandi, to death by hanging for the murder of a property lawyer, Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem. The court sentenced the ASP after finding him guilty of the murder of the pregnant lawyer. The court held that the prosecution
was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Harrison in her judgement held that ASP Vandi was guilty of murder stating, "You are to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. May God have mercy
on your soul."
Vandi had shot Mrs. Raheem dead in the presence of her husband while returning from church on Christmas Day last year at a Police checkpoint in Lagos. Mrs. Raheem, who was pregnant,
was fatally shot on Christmas day by the police officer attached to the Ajiwe police division in the Ajah area of the state.
Justice Harrison in her judgement held that it was only the convict that had the opportunity to commit the
crime even though no eyewitness saw him fire the shot. The court also held that the evidence of the 11 witnesses, who testified for the prosecution was
Deji elumoye and Onyebuchi
ezigbo in Abuja
The Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, has predicted that the country could become a key exporter of refined petroleum products from next year.
He also pointed out that save for the pronouncement by President Bola Tinubu that led to the removal of subsidy on petrol, the NNPC would have become bankrupt before the May 29th, 2023 deadline provided in the budget.
Kyari, who was the guest speaker at the ongoing PENGASSAN summit, said despite the prevailing challenges, the
country was already witnessing some positive outcome as a result of the subsidy removal.
For instance, Kyari said most construction companies had started moving back to sites as more resources became available to execute projects.
The GMD, who said what Nigeria needed presently was to adjust its realities, further declared: "Today, we import 100 per cent of our product. No resource-dependent country does this and that is why we must deliver on our mandate.
"So it will be done, and you will see. I don't want to speak about it. We are tired of speaking about it. But what we
Continued on page 25
L-R: Economic Adviser, United Nations Permanent Mission NY, Mr Tony Oweke; UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Mathias Schmale; President, Executive Board of United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP), Ambassador Martin Kimani; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Secretary to the State Government, Barr Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin and UN Resident Representative, Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Yahya, during a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina ... yesterday
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday clarified that contrary to speculations, its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), also known as the eNaira, doesn’t in any way constitute a threat to the country’s financial stability.
The central bank’s clarification came against the backdrop of news reports and analysis in some traditional and social media platforms, suggesting that the digital currency had the potential to distort financial stability.
However, in a statement, CBN Director, Corporate Communications, Dr. Isa AbdulMumin, said after carefully reviewing the reports, which appeared to have been syndicated, there seemed to be a lack of understanding of portions of the foreword, and some articles, in the CBN’s recently released “Economics of Digital Currencies: A Book of Readings”.
The CBN noted that a recurring
theme in the book was the interest of regulators, namely the apex bank, in the role of cryptocurrencies as speculative investments, and the potential threat they harbour for financial stability.
Pursuant to that, the articles in the book provided an in-depth understanding of CBDCs generally and the workings of the eNaira in particular, highlighting issues and challenges in implementation and adoption.
According to AbdulMumin, “One of the media reports speaks of ‘concerns about Nigeria's central bank digital currency, eNaira, indicating potential risks to financial stability despite its success in narrowing the country's financial inclusion gap’.
“The nexus implied is unconvincing. In the ordinary course of things, the CBN does not join issues on news commentary; however, we are constrained to clarify the reports to ensure that misunderstandings are not fostered."
He said, “The eNaira structure
continues to evolve and undergo modifications targeted at improving the user experience across all interfaces.
“We encourage Nigerians to embrace the technology for, amongst other things, greater financial inclusion.”
The central bank had as part of the eNaira enlightenment campaign,
explained that the digital currency was aimed at deepening the country’s payment system, and not to either replace or compete with existing banking brands.
Only recently, the apex bank approved the eNaira as a payment option for recipients of diaspora remittances.
The bank said the move was in
furtherance of efforts to liberalise the payout of diaspora remittance.
Essentially, the eNaira was unveiled on October 25, 2021, by former President Muhammadu Buhari in line with the CBN’s efforts to enhance the payment system and boost transactions.
Its launch was expected to propel the country’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) to rise by $29 billion in the next 10 years. Nigeria was the first country in Africa and one of the first in the world to introduce digital currency which differs from cryptocurrency in that while the former is regulated, the latter is not and poses risks to the global financial system.
The Senate Minority Whip, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, yesterday, called on the international oil companies (IOCs) and multinational corporations operating in Nigeria to put an end to gas flaring and
other practices to reduce the impact of climate change.
He said this in an interview at the end of the 2023 Global Parliamentarian Forum held on the sidelines of the ongoing Annual Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Marrakech, Morocco.
climate change, it is also ravaging Africa and there is no limitation to the effect.
“It's just like when you do directional drilling, you may be causing the problem here, while the effect will go viral to other places that do not have much in contributing to the problem.
“So I think all we need to do as far as this kind of gathering is concerned from the parliamentary arm is to make sure that we institute the proper legislative instrumentality to forestall everything that has to do with the devastations that manmade, mostly in Africa.”
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has called for an urgent international climate funding, stating that Nigeria and other African countries required an estimated N3 trillion by 2030 for climate mitigation and adaptation.
This was contained in the just-released UNCTAD’s report: 'Commodities and Development Report 2023' with the theme: "Inclusive Diversification and Energy Transition."
The report outlined how commodity-dependent developing countries like Nigeria could pursue inclusive economic diversification in the context of the global energy transition, noting that decades of over-reliance on exporting a few raw materials, including oil, copper, cacao and wheat, among others, has hindered these nations' growth and undermined their people's well-being.
"Many of these countries have untapped potential for renewables like solar and wind that could broaden their economic horizons and improve livelihoods.
"But the diversification process needs careful navigation to avoid worsening inequalities.
"The shift to renewables could leave these countries with vast fossil
fuel reserves stranded – including abandoned oil fields, plants and equipment – and this will affect the communities and people that depend on industries like gas and oil.
"Another risk is that the surge in demand for critical minerals like lithium and cobalt that are needed for green technologies could undermine diversification efforts in mineral-rich countries," it said.
Countries reliant on fossil fuel exports, the report observed, faced hurdles in the energy transition, adding that to limit global heating to 2°C, vast reserves – up to a third of the world's oil, half its natural gas and 80 per cent of its coal, must go unused.
It called on commodity-dependent developing countries to steer diversification efforts towards sectors with high potential to create jobs and boost income.
The report urged such countries to identify and promote priority sectors for diversification, align education to the skills needed and boost efforts to strategically attract foreign investment, as well as begin diversifying along lowemission paths to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce fossil fuel dependency.
Although commodity dependence is a global concern, UNCTAD noted that it affects developing countries
the most.
"Between 2019 and 2021, only 12 per cent of advanced economies, including Australia and Norway, were on the list, compared to a staggering 74 per cent of the world's least developed countries.
Representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Nwokocha, decried the adverse impact of gas flaring and other practices that are hurting the environment in the Niger Delta and other oil-producing states in the country. He revealed that the National Assembly was actively pursuing legislation aimed at ensuring that the highest international standards were followed by oil companies in the responsible extraction of natural resources within the country.
“So, the issue I am raising is a situation where like, we have gas flaring in Nigeria and some other factors that are man-made, what efforts are we making to eliminate all those factors that are man-made?”
He reiterated that the gas-flaring occurring in Rivers State and neighboring states was a result of the avoidance of best practices.
"A total of 29 out of the 32 nations classified as having low human development in 2021 were commodity dependent, according to the UN's Human Development Index," the UNCTAD report stated.
According to him: “The global Parliamentary forum is for us to compare notes and review all our practices over time. Now we are rounding up the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global practices. When it comes to
He added, “And I think we all need to work hard to make sure that we forestall every action that will lead to the devastation of our environment because we do not have any other place except our home. “Also, we do not have the technical know-how to tap the resources. All these advanced economies, what they do is they come around to tap these resources, now throwing into the winds, the best global practices of harvesting those natural resources.
Furthermore, he noted that oil companies that operate in the region have operations in other climes and adhere to best practices, arguing that in Nigeria, they maximise profit and ignore the environmental repercussions.
Responding to a question on if the legislature was working on a bill to tackle climate change effects to address the challenge, he said: “That is the essence of coming to these kinds of events because we are comparing notes and at the end of the day we are coming up with something stronger that can lift us from where we are to a greater height.”
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Interswitch, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies has disclosed that over N14.3 billion was lost to online financial fraud in 2022.
Business Development Manager, Financial Services Business, Interswitch, Chijioke Eze, disclosed this while speaking on the topic, "Fraud and Cyber Security Challenges in Nigeria," at a one-day Interswitch financial technology engagement with financial executives in Port Harcourt.
At the Port Harcourt edition of its TechConnect event, Interswitch
brought together industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders to explore the transformative impact of digital payments in the microfinance sector Delivering his paper, Eze said the frauds were done through point of sale (PoS) terminals and ATMs. He noted that, "43 percent of such fraud are caused by external factors, 31 per cent by internal factors while 26 per cent are caused by both external and internal factors."
In addition, he disclosed that 96 per cent of the fraud that happen were caused by weak control on the part of financial institutions.
According to Eze "Many companies have folded up because of
fraud and that is why it should be taken very serious. You need to take cyber security matters serious.
"Without the appropriate preventive, detective and remedial control strategies in place, business risk both fraud losses and reputational damage in 2023 and beyond.
“We need to be on top of security. Ninety-three per cent banking related fraud takes place online and N14.3 billion total fraud attempts made for 2022, of which N14.3billion was actually lost."
He called for adequate training for staff of financial institutions as part of strategies to tackling financial fraud.
In his keynote address, the Group Head, Financial Services Business, Digital Infrastructure and Managed Services of Interswitch, Tyoyila Aga, noted that digital payments innovation was big for the microfinance sector as it comes with opportunities for growth and ultimately, financial inclusion, hence the reason Interswitch was at the forefront of driving the growth of digital payments across the country and beyond.
Aga said, “We are excited to have come this far in propagating the good news around what digital payment innovation holds for our microfinance sector.
The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), yesterday lamented that Nigeria's tax expenditure policy and noted the development was capable of crippling the nation's economy.
The Director General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman and the Executive Secretary of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, made the submission at a two-day sensitisation and capacity-building workshop for National Assembly members in Abuja.
The workshop jointly organised by NILDS and CISLAC, was titled,
“Identifying and strengthening legislative pathways for reforming tax expenditure governance in Nigeria.”
The House of Representatives is currently probing a N14 trillion revenue which the country lost to tax incentives, waiver abuses by public institutions and companies.
The CISLAC boss said the Global Tax Expenditure Database 2020 report indicated that Nigeria had a tax expenditure of N5.84 trillion (3.8% of its GDP) which was just over 50 per cent of its 2020 budget.
He also said the federal government noted that the tax expenditures in 2021, amounted to N6.68 trillion approximately four per cent of the GDP.
Musa, said the tax expenditure in Nigeria was plagued with challenges including abuses observable to the Nigerian public.
He said, "Reports of indiscriminate waivers and concessionary approvals have contributed to questioning the bearing and economic sustainability of the initiative of government.
"The law regulating the granting of incentives places enormous discretionary powers to the executive arm of government.
"The governance of the incentive regime is also at best opaque and lacks the scrutiny necessary to guarantee transparency and accountability in the process leading to a situation where the supposed benefits are not optimised.
"The offer of these incentives, though put in place presumably for the purpose of growing the economy, is however not without associated costs.
"Recent studies have shown that these incentives are not seen by investors as key factors to attract inbound investments and tend to be injurious to the economies of implementing countries in the long run.
"This is as it is seen to reduce the propensity to generate needed resources for providing socio-economic services, encouraging local industrial revolution and gross domestic production, growth and national development."
Musa, however noted that the
A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), has called on the current president of the association to call out lawyers that breach rules of ethics of the profession by turning the media into a court of law over President Bola Tinubu’s alleged certificate forgery. Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last elections, Atiku Abubakar, has been challenging Tinubu’s victory at the February 25 poll and the verdict of the election tribunal upholding the outcome of the vote.
Atiku had alleged that Tinubu’s academic records were fraught with discrepancies and forgeries, as such, his request for the US court for the northern district of Illinois to compel Chicago State University (CSU) to release Tinubu’s academic records was subsequently granted.
To this end, the former vicepresident has applied to file the academic records as fresh evidence at the supreme court. However, there have been heated debates in the mainstream and social media onwhether or not Tinubu’s academic records were relevant to Atiku’s appeal and if the apex court
would admit the fresh evidence.
Against this backdrop, Agbakoba, in a statement yesterday, said he was ashamed to see lawyers on national television arguing and debating the merits or demerits of the allegations.
The senior lawyer expressed displeasure with what he described as the cacophony of discordant voices on Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar surrounding the
controversy over the CSU records. He warned that armchair lawyers were heating up Nigeria dangerously, urging people to keep their opinions and views to themselves while awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court.
His words: “The cacophony of discordant voices on Tinubu/ Atiku over the certificate matter is completely out of hand. This utter nonsense from armchair lawyers
is heating up Nigeria dangerously. Please, can we keep our opinions and views to ourselves, awaiting a decision of the Supreme Court?
“I am so ashamed to see lawyers on television arguing one way or the other on the merits or demerits of the Chicago State University matter. This is most unhelpful! I call out all media that tolerate this nonsense of adjudicating the CSU matter on TV and newspapers.
executive arm of government had kick-started its agenda with the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms.
He also said the 10th Assembly had reportedly launched over 50 probes into the alleged mismanagement of funds and other infractions by MDAs, directing either standing or ad hoc committees to carry out the exercise within a time frame.
He said, "This includes the recent House probe into the N14 trillion revenue loss to tax incentives, waiver abuses by public institutions and companies benefitting from such incentives on July 13, 2023.
"While we commend these efforts, they are yet to yield any significant prosecutorial actions and/or outcomes as the National Assembly lacks the constitutional power to prosecute erring officials.
"The constitutional provisions that make the implementation of the resolutions and recommendations made by parliament non-binding on the government, leaves it at their discretion to implement such recommendations.
"Our intervention is premised on the above, with the aim of complementing efforts towards improving the understanding and capacity of members of relevant legislative committees on the concept of Tax expenditure governance in Nigeria."
The DG NILDS said the workshop was carefully done to ensure that the legislature was kept abreast of the key leading issues in tax expenditure and to understand the role they play in the tax expenditure discourse.
Sulaiman, lamented that Nigeria has been confronted with a revenue
challenge amidst a rising debt profile despite the fact that all sectors of the economy required increased government funding to address lingering challenges.
He said tax expenditures offer an opportunity to fund national development.
Sulaiman, described tax expenditures as exclusions, deductions, credits, and net preferential rates in the federal tax system that cause government revenues to be lower than they would otherwise be for any given structure of tax rates.
He said, "While these exemptions are meant to encourage business growth, they may be viewed as alternatives to other policy instruments, such as spending or regulatory programmes.
"They are used to promote business growth, encourage job creation, and reduce the burden that tax producers place on consumers by transferring the “tax burden.”
"However, there are challenges. Tax expenditures are politically tempting as they may not be subject to regular scrutiny.
"In most cases, tax exemptions, for instance, are issued by policy statements.
"Overseeing such a space may, therefore, be cumbersome, as the benchmark for such oversights is not clearly provided for in a legislative framework.
"The debate over whether or not a legislature can oversee policy is another reason why tax expenditures can slide under the legislative lens.
"Issues around tax expenditures are not binary. It requires clear understanding and proper contextualisation and understanding.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) have expressed the need for the media to understand the issues surrounding mental health in order to act optimally in their role to assist in tackling its numerous challenges.
Both organisations gave the advice at the two-day training programme for journalists put together in collaboration with other UN agencies in Abuja, yesterday.
The training with the theme: “Celebrating the power of community kindness,” was put together to commemorate the World Mental Health Day (WMHD) celebrated
globally on October 10.
Speaking at the training, the WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi, described mental health as intrinsic and instrumental to the lives of all people as it could influence how they think, feel and act.
He said mental health disorders had increased and affected 15 per cent of working-age adults globally, noting that suicide contributed to death among 15-29 years old with up to 70 per cent of them living in low and middle income countries.
He said journalists by the nature of the jobs they do face tremendous amount of pressure, especially with lot of media outfits working for 24 hours and seven days a week.
He added that: “Given the
importance of the work you do, there’s a need to build your capacity on mental health.
“Therefore, various topics will be covered over the next two days, including what is mental health and why we all need to have good mental health.
“Mental health is universal human right, intersection between journalists and mental health, practical strategies to prevent and/or manage common mental health conditions, and how to empower you to report on mental health issues.”
He assured that WHO would always remain committed to building journalists capacity and to empower them on different aspects of health including strategies for managing
individual health.
On his part, the Director of UNIC, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, said the training became important to enable journalists understand proper ways to look after their mental health.
He said: “These days, we are so conscious about physical health, but now we should also learn a lot about our mental health.
“How we report about mental health issues requires capacity building, to help us understand how to keep ourselves and also report mental health.”
The National Coordinator, National Mental Health Programme, Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Dr Tunde Ojo, said the training was
designed to equip journalists with necessary tools to deal with mental health issues.
Ojo said it became imperative to understand one’s mental state, while discharging one’s duty, therefore the training was organised to promote mental wellbeing of journalists.
He added that: “Journalist can be quite vulnerable while discharging their duties and if neglected it can cause serious damage to one’s entire wellbeing.
“Journalist are exposed to lots of things daily that impact their mental health negatively; we want journalists to know how to cope with mental health, when to take break or even see a health expert when necessary.
L-R: Representative of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources,Busari Kamaru; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo; GM, Production (NLNG),Nnamdi Anowi, and MD/CEO (NLNG), Dr. Philip Mshelbila, during a visit of the minister’s to NLNG’s Train 7 construction site on Bonny Island…yesterday
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) yesterday, began the phase four of its consultation with stakeholders on regulations development, as mandated by Section 216 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
The meeting which was held with members of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), the Independent Petroleum Producers Association, Chief Executive Officers of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) as well as indigenous operators held in Abuja.
Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, who spoke on the occasion, said a novel regulation which would see the introduction of high ethical standards in upstream operations was being introduced.
Represented by the Executive Commissioner, Economic Regulation and Strategic Planning, Dr Kelechi Ofoegbu, the NUPRC boss noted that the new phase of public hearings on the making of regulations for the upstream will be divided into two segments.
The first segment, according to him, would witness discussions on Draft Upstream Commercial Operations Regulations 2023, which is meant to foster a business environment conducive for petroleum operations.
He explained that the best way to actualise this objective was by establishing a framework for the economic regulation of commercial
operations in upstream oil and gas ventures.
“This draft regulation proposes to establish the framework on the procedure and process for evaluation and approval of field development plans and annual work programme and budget approvals,” he stated.
The Draft Upstream Petroleum Development Contract Administration Regulations, Komolafe explained, prescribes the framework for the regulatory administration of petroleum development contracts relating to upstream petroleum operations.
Also listed for discussion was the Draft Upstream Revocation of Licences and Lease Regulations, which proposes to set out the framework for implementing the revocation provisions of the Act and for dealing with post revocation issues in a systematic manner.
On the Draft Petroleum Assignment of Interest Regulations 2023, the NUPRC head explained that it would elevate the provisions of the existing guidelines on divestment of interest to a regulation and by so doing, improving the rules to reflect current realities.
However, he pointed out that the second segment would consider the Draft Upstream Petroleum Code of Conduct & Compliance Regulations 2023.
“This is a novel regulation aimed at ensuring commitment by licensees, lessee and permit holders to maintain high ethical standard in the conduct of upstream petroleum operations.
“The regulation also establishes a framework for compliance and consequences for non-compliance which would ultimately create an enabling environment for industry to thrive.
“The code of conduct covers areas bordering on corporate governance, operational activities, and dispute resolutions,” the NUPRC chief executive noted.
Also, Komolafe explained that the Draft Nigerian Upstream Petroleum (Administrative Harmonisation) Regulations 2023 seeks to provide regulatory clarity on the implementation of the dual regulatory regime in the upstream. He explained that this was occasioned by the preservation of licences and leases granted under the Petroleum Act and not
converted under the PIA.
Besides, he listed the Draft Amendment to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development Regulations 2022, which would introduce certain amendments to the existing regulation on the implementation of the host community regime to further ease the administrative process.
In addition, he maintained that the regulation would provide regulatory clarity to the challenges that the implementation of the regime has thrown up in the last one year since the initial regulation was established.
“The process of formulating the above regulations has been a rigorous and strenuous exercise. They are products of critical thinking and evaluation, and hard work
by the commission's regulation development team.
“Despite this however, the process is not complete until the stakeholders' critical inputs are obtained, discussed, and incorporated, where necessary, in the regulations,” he stressed.
Komolafe stated that he was of the firm view that with the level of turnout a healthy, robust, and intellectual discussion on the regulations that meet best international standard and practice was assured. He further recalled that many regulations had already been gazetted and published to date between June 2022 and July 2023.
He listed them as: Petroleum Licensing Round Regulations, Domestic Gas Delivery Obligations Regulations, Conversion
and Renewal (Licenses and Lease) Regulations and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development Regulations. In addition, Komolafe said other documents gazetted included the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Measurement Regulations, Production Curtailment and Domestic Crude Oil Supply Obligation Regulations, Frontier Basin Exploration Fund Administration Regulations and Nigeria Upstream Decommissioning and Abandonment Regulations. Also listed were the Significant Crude Oil and Gas Discovery Regulations, Gas Flaring, Venting and Methane Emission (Prevention of Waste and Pollution) Regulations and Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Unitisation Regulations, while many others were ready for gazetting.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) yesterday disclosed that over 90 oil marketing companies have so far been licensed to import petroleum products.
However, this is despite the inability of the businessmen to access foreign exchange due to the illiquidity in the FX market,
Segun James
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide
Sanwo-Olu has mourned the passage of elder statesman and renowned corporate lawyer and philanthropist, Chief Christopher Oladipo Ogunbanjo who died at the weekend.
The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, expressed condolences to the Ogunbanjo family and the entire Erunwon community in Ijebu, Ogun State on the passing of the industrialist.
Sanwo-Olu said the death of Ogunbanjo, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated, was a colossal loss to the country and the legal profession and
an irreplaceable loss to the people of Ijebu and Ogun State.
He said Ogunbanjo's record of service as a celebrated legal luminary of repute, a renowned philanthropist and a leader of remarkable achievements in different business sectors, community service and philanthropy would remain indelible for generations to come.
"On behalf of the government and people of Lagos State, we celebrate the departure of a legend and celebrated corporate lawyer in Nigeria, Chief Christopher Oladipo Ogunbanjo, who contributed his quota to the legal profession and the economy of Nigeria during his lifetime.
"The legacies of Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, who died on Saturday a few months before his 100th birthday cannot be forgotten because of the positive impacts he made during his lifetime and his extraordinary life of service to humanity, his community and the nation.
“I commiserate with his family members, friends, associates, legal practitioners in Nigeria and the people of Eruwon in Ijebu, Ogun State over the death of the elder statesman. I pray for the repose of the soul of the late Chief Chris Ogunbanjo and that God grants the deceased family and loved ones the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss," the governor stated.
a situation that has effectively returned the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) as the sole importer of the fuels. The Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, made the disclosure in Abuja when he met with oil marketers in efforts meant to resolve the challenges faced in the importation and distribution of the liquids.
“We as regulators can continue to say the market is open for everybody and all those who have applied for license, over 90 marketing companies have got (licenses).
“We have given them access to all the required support that they needed in order to ensure there is a constant supply of products in the country,” he said.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), the NNPC, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), among others.
After the meeting, Ahmed stated that the oil marketers had pledged their support to the federal government in guaranteeing the availability of petroleum products to Nigerians at affordable prices.
“We had very robust discus-
sions and the oil marketers expressed their concerns and also areas where we can support both the marketers and transporters to ensure that there is flow of petrol products across the country.
“So, NNPC has assured of supply and also the marketers have expressed their concerns about the availability of foreign exchange in order to also import and sell at the price,” he stated.
He explained that the engagement was ongoing with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to give the marketers access to foreign exchange.
“We have been discussing with the government and you must have observed that a lot of work going on within the CBN in terms of their internal restructuring which will make available the dollar as soon as everything stabilises.
“We are also working towards improvement in crude oil production, which will bring more revenue into the country and then of course, boost our foreign reserves. These are all part of what we are all working on towards stabilising of the naira,” he stressed.
In his remarks, the Executive Vice President, Downstream, NNPC, Mr Dapo Segun assured of the commitment of the national oil company to make petroleum products available to all Nigerians, with ongoing discussions to support the marketers to be able to
make imports.
“NNPC will continue to shop for supply. Yes, we’ve had discussions with other industry players on the issues affecting the industry. We are looking at ways to resolve these issues. We at NNPC will continue to make sure that supply is there and we will also support the industry,” he stated.
Also speaking, the Chairman of DAPPMAN, Winifred Akpani, assured that there was adequate supply of the products and there was no need for Nigerians to panic.
“I think its a good opportunity that this meeting is holding today. We know there’s adequate supply of products. We have sufficient products in the country and we have sufficient products in our depot and most of us we have products in our stations.
“The government has promised to resolve some of the issues for us, bearing in mind that we just transited from regulated market to deregulated market.
“We expect some of these issues to come but the most important thing is the willingness of all of us as stakeholders to resolve the problem.
“We assure the entire country that there is sufficient product and we will do all within our means to make sure that people never suffer for paying a higher price,” she noted.
On Saturday, September 30, the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal gave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the March 18, 2023 governorship election a reality check, throwing out their frivolous and error-laden petition against Governor Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressives Congress (APC). In its unanimous judgment that lasted more than 11 hours, the tribunal struck out the petition for being “incompetent, defective, disjunctive and lacking merit.” The three members of the panel, headed by Justice Hamidu Kunaza, held that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of non-compliance,
overvoting, disenfranchisement of voters and corrupt practices during the polls. Said the panel: “On the whole, the petitioners have not successfully proved the allegation of noncompliance with the Electoral Act and have not discharged the burden of proof”. The panel made it clear that there was no direct evidence to prove that voters were disenfranchised, that none of the witnesses established the allegation of corrupt practices against Governor Abiodun, and that the petitioners failed to show that the governor was tried, arraigned and convicted in the United States. Said Justice Kunaza said, “I uphold the election of Dapo Abiodun as the duly elected governor of Ogun State in the March 18 election.” And then the petitioners shed hypocritical tears, bowed by shame and mired in their own malfeasance.
The judgment could not have gone the other way, because the petitioners turned the March 18 election, which they approached with desperation, into a joke in court, claiming that Governor Abiodun’s declaration as governor by INEC was merely purported. This, coming from a party whose vote buying antics were unmasked for all to see, and whose candidate is still on the run weeks after the federal government charged him with criminal conspiracy, vote buying and electoral subversion, was indeed strange. Details about the verve credit cards issued in the name of the candidate’s late mother, preloaded with N10,000 each and distributed to induce voters during the election, as well as the financial institutions that aided the crime, are all in the public domain, together with the testimonies of key witnesses and media reports of the arrests made during the election by security agencies. Vote buyers caught in their ignoble practice went to court to accuse Governor Abiodun of vote buying. They boasted to no end that the tribunal was going to ignore law and logic and award them undeserved victory, and came to court premises with song and dance, hoping to reap where they did not sow, a bunch of political marauders and pirates promoting the monetization of the
electoral process as a grand tactic. They claimed that they scored the majority of lawful votes after APC’s unlawful votes are deducted and their own excluded votes added, but they never proved the unlawful votes credited to Abiodun or the source of their excluded votes, even as the figures in the petition (63,015 and 35,228) conflicted with the figures in their witness’ report (62,998 and 34,368). Never in the history of election petitioning in the country has a tribunal been beset with such a load of junk, puerile arguments and tortured logic. For Governor Abiodun, all of this is no surprise. Throughout his political career, he has faced adversity. Nigerians cannot have forgotten the political landmines put in his way when he ran for governor in 2019. His posters were torn and his supporters, identified by their yellow vests, harassed and hounded. Even when he won election, he received no hand over notes, and the open-roof vehicle he used during inauguration was borrowed from another state. The challenges he has faced since March 18 are eerily similar to those he faced in 2019 when the then political establishment sought to change his destiny without success. The lesson, quite simply, is that anyone who wishes to triumph must face adversity. As they say, nothing good comes easy. If he had got a second term without adversity, many of those thanking God on his behalf now would not really have appreciated what God has done for him. Given what he faced before his first swearing in, many could be forgiven for believing that he would be allowed to govern in peace. But that was not the case. His predecessor, who declared him his arch enemy, started campaigns of calumny around the state, declaring that he (Abiodun) would not get a second term of office. Like he did in 2019, Ibikunle Amosun got a candidate installed in an opposition party, ADC, and kicked off frenetic campaigns across the state, vowing to unseat him (Abiodun) and calling him names.
As Amosun rode his rebel train, his major challenger in the March 18 2023 polls, as the nation would later discover through the charges preferred against him by the federal government, was perfecting plans to buy votes. As if that was not enough, former Governor Gbenga Daniel, a man whom he (Abiodun) had helped to secure a senatorial seat and support with all necessary logistics, made a 360 degrees turn against him at the governorship polls, canvassing support for the opposition in all Ijebu/Remo axis. Many people believed that Abiodun was finished; some appointees clandestinely worked against him. But he triumphed. And then came the tribunal war when the adversaries, deploying their huge financial war chest in service of political propaganda, and using hack and hired writers heavily mobilized with bribes, dominated the airwaves, proclaiming their ‘impending victory’ over the governor and his party. But at the eleventh hour, just as the timeline for dispensing with electoral petitions was about to end, the Ogun Election Petitions Tribunal delivered a landmark judgment that exposed the shenanigans of his adversaries. Anyone backed by God will always triumph, no matter the opposition.
The people of Ogun State know that their governor means well; they know that he means to change the face of development in the state, building infrastructure and attracting investments. The future promises to be exciting.
Akpagbo
writes through jacobakpagbo@aol.com
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria’s (HURIWA’s) position on the outcome of the recent ill-fated verdict of the Nasarawa State Governorship Petition Tribunal has no doubt further exposed the body for what it is.
Those who have followed HURIWA’s activities over the years know that the body is just hiding under human rights toga to advance its parochial, tribal, religious and other interests.
It’s not surprising, therefore, the organization sided the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State on the recent verdict of the governorship election petition tribunal, attacking Governor Abdullahi Sule and Justice Ibrahim Mashi, the fearless judge who rubbished the judgement of his two other colleagues in a very detailed dissenting ruling. In its usual characteristics,
raised eyebrows and questioned the judgement on religious ground, but on the point of law.
In their responses shortly after the judgement, the governor took the statesman’s route by appealing to his supporters to be calm and go about their normal business. He never condemned the judges even when it was glaring that the outcome of the ruling was against him. He rather said he would fight the injustice through proper and constitutional means up to the Supreme Court to protect his mandate.
His party also toed the same line, rejecting the tribunal’s outcome, while vowing to appeal the judgement. Now, who, between HURIWA, the PDP and Ombugadu, infused religion into what’s apparently a judicial matter?
And for Justice Mashi, why is Ombugadu, PDP and HURIWA worried about a dissenting judgement? This is not the first time spilt judgements are given, there are uncountable precedents to draw from. It’s obvious that the dissenting judgement has become the PDP and Ombugadu’s albatross looking at how it was lucidly presented with judicial facts.
HURIWA issued a statement alluding religious colouration in the minority judgement read by Justice Mashi.
In the statement, HURIWA alleged that “The twist in this political saga seems to arise from the fact that Ombugadu is the sole Christian among the candidates who vied for the position, while the others are Muslims.” The body claimed that the election result was a reflection of the collective will of Nasarawa State’s diverse population, which includes traditionalists, Christians and Muslims, who exercised their democratic right to vote without regard to religious affiliation.
It also alleged efforts by Governor Sule’s camp to influence the Court of Appeal and subsequently the Supreme Court in the event the case progresses to that level. Now, let’s take HURIWA’s accusations one after the other to enable the readers evaluate them and make informed judgement from the patently jaundiced and misinformed analogies.
The self-acclaimed human rights body’s allegation accusing Governor Sule and Justice Mashi of attempt to infuse religious dimensions into the matter is laughable and smacks of mischief. The tribunal consisted of three members out of which two are Christians and one a Muslim. The two judges who were of Christian faith, Justices Ezekiel Ajayi and Chiemelie Onaga gave David Ombugadu, also a Christian, the victory which many have described as a judicial robbery. Yet Governor Sule and his party, All Progressives Congress never
There are justifiable fears in the opposition’s camp that the Mashi position will end their victory dance at the appellate court. Come to think of it, if Ombugadu and his party are sure his supposed victory at the tribunal is watertight, why are they all over the place urging Sule to accept defeat and stop proceeding to the appeal court?
HURIWA should be informed that it is PDP and its governorship candidate that introduced religion into the politics of the state in the run up to the governorship election in the state and not Governor Sule and his party. The party ignored the need for religious balance when it made Ombugadu its governorship candidate, Labaran Maku, another Christian and Ombugadu’s kinsman, campaign director general, Mike Omeri, equally a Christian, Director of Publicity, while Francis Orogu, a Christian, is the chairman.
So, it is PDP, Ombugadu and his co-travellers who sowed the seed of religious discord from the very beginning and used the narratives to enhance their electoral fortune while ignoring the consequences of same on the state’s body polity.
HURIWA’s allegation suggesting that Gov Sule intends to influence the appeal court, and subsequently the Supreme Court in the event the case progresses to that level, even when the governor’s legal team is yet to formally file its case before the appeal court, is as absurd as it is laughable.
The election tribunal ruled that Dapo Abiodun was duly elected as governor, writes JACOB AKPAGBO
ON NASARAWA TRIBUNAL’S VERDICT
EMMANUEL ABIMIKU contends that HURIWA’s position is uninformed
Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com
All stakeholders must pay more attention to issues of mental health
It is difficult to disprove the position of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria that mental healthcare in our country is in a sorry state as people do not have appropriate information about the causes and treatment. As Nigerians therefore mark the 2023 World Mental Health Day with the theme, ‘Mental health is a universal human right’, we must understand that this is a major public health issue that deserves adequate attention, especially when these illnesses are neither incurable nor terminal. When understood and spotted on time, every Nigerian with mental health challenges can seek help before it reaches the extreme consequence of suicide.
This public health challenge is unfortunately on the rise in Nigeria because no commensurate plan has been put in place to address it. For instance, Nigeria has only about 150 psychiatrists to care for the population; that is one psychiatrist to 1.3 million Nigerians. It also has five mental health nurses to 100,000 Nigerians with only eight neuropsychiatric hospitals in the entire country. It is therefore no surprise that suicide is now a common phenomenon in Nigeria. From jumping into the lagoon to hanging self with rope or drinking poison, reports on suicide have moved from an occasional blip to a very disturbing trend in our country. Yet, persons who suffer from this disease can recover if they promptly seek help instead of allowing it to weigh them down.
According to scientists, mental health includes the emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing of people and they affect the way such affected individuals think, feel and behave. Medical scientists also attribute the cause of mental illness to three factors: biological, which include genes or brain chemistry; life experiences,
UWUGIAREN 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, 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
such as trauma or abuse; and family history. Sadly, the authorities in Nigeria are not paying attention to this malaise.
Available reports indicate that there were over 300 diagnosable mental illnesses in Nigeria. Since those who suffer from any of these illnesses can fully recover, they are encouraged to seek help immediately they notice the signs. Family members who notice signs of mental illness in their loved ones should also not trivialise it or pretend that all is well. That will be counterproductive. Instead, they should immediately assist the victims to get to the psychiatric hospital for treatment.
Early signs of mental illness include eating or sleeping too much or too little; pulling away from people and usual activities; having low or no energy; feeling numb or behaving as if nothing matters any longer; having unusual aches and pains; feeling helpless or hopeless; smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual. Others are: feeling unusually confused, forgetful, staying on edge, angry, worried, or scared; yelling or fighting with family and friends; experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships; having persistent thoughts and memories that you can’t get out of your head; thinking of harming yourself or others; and inability to perform daily tasks such as taking care of your kids or getting to work or school.
While we counsel that everyone can avoid a sudden degeneration into mental illness by seeking professional help when they perceive that it is necessary, it is obvious that Nigeria is not yet ready to address the issue of mental health. To make matters worse, no clearly defined mental health policy has been implemented.
We must do more to tackle the mental health challenge in the country.
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.
Assisting Nigerian inmates to be reformed is part of efforts to rehabilitate and not punish them in order to be re-integrated into the society upon completion of their sentence.
Such inmates, upon release, would not be looking for government work or even private individuals to assist them, but will be on their feet in order to excel from what they’re taught in correctional centres.
This is the task of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) and so all that inmates do behind bars is to correct them such that when they come out of custodian centres they’ll be on their own.
Other ways the NCS has provided tools for learning carpentry, fishery, pot making, piggery, farming, shoe-making, knitting for women, and re-integration programme to empower the inmates upon discharge.
One of such ways is musical -like choir and other music provided by non-governmental organizations like Hope Behind Bars Africa, who tutor inmates on music production.
Just recently, there was a launching of musical choir act for inmates of Suleja Custodian Centre by Choir Behind Bars as part of efforts to rehabilitate and reform them to be re-integrated into the
society upon completion of their sentence.
Since 2019 when the Nigerian Correctional Service Act was promulgated, it has provided several re-formational activities like Open University centre, GCE centres that inmates can take advantage of, including adult education classes where they can obtain even degree certificates. The NCS Comptroller General, Alh. Haliru Nababa, has also approved that starter packs be given inmates so that they can use to assist themselves. NCS has also provided an After Care Unit that follows the ex-inmates to ensure that the starter packs given to them are properly utilized. And they are monitored even after their release. Now you hardly find inmates coming back after their discharge.
This is therefore a call on the society, especially the ex-inmates family, not to stigmatize ex-inmates but encourage and give them second chance through re-integration in order to avoid allowing them to experience a second prison.
This will help reduce rate of crime in our society.
Ibrahim N. Idris, Controller of Corrections, Nigerian Correctional Service, FCT CommandWhen I read online that Jon Fosse had won the Nobel Prize for Literature, I googled him as I was not familiar with his work. There were of course a number of articles about him and his creative material but also the odds of him winning. This went as far back as 2013 when betting on him was suspended as the odds had dropped from 100-1 to 14-1. Is nothing sacrosanct? Aren’t there enough horses in the world for people to bet on or machines to sit in front of as you watch your money disappear? I don’t mind the odd flutter on some inevitably slow horse, but this is too much.
You’re on to a sure winner if you back the fact that gambling, despite the losses and social damage it creates, will last longer than you will.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, AustraliaMental health challenge is unfortunately on the rise in Nigeria because no commensurate plan has been put in place to address it
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 06Oct-2023, unless otherwise stated.
Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.
Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF.
Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.
NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.
‘There’s No Splinter Body in the NBA’ViCe Chairman Of The bOdy Of benCherS, aSiwajU SOlOmOn adegbOyega awOmOlO, San
Requirements for Proving Allegation of Providing False Information in INEC Form
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Mohbad: Police Names Prime Suspect
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'How can you retire as a Judicial Officer, and you have no home to go to? It doesn’t make sense.’- Nyesom Wike, CON, GSSRS, Lawyer, Life Bencher, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria
‘If you today secure Nigeria, deal with the issue of all revenue leakages, plus a bit of stability in it, I can tell you that you’ve stabilised your currency….Going around trying to bring foreign investors into an unsecured war torn area, does not work.’ - Peter Obi, 2023 Presidential Candidate, Labour Party
PROF MIKE OZEKHOME, CON, SAN, FCIArb,, PH.D. LLD Constitutional Democracy, means a system of government, in which political and governmental power, is defined, limited and shared by a grundnorm called the Constitution, which provides inbuilt checks and balances.
This column seeks to fiercely discuss constitutional, legal and political issues, with a view to strengthening, deepening and widening the plenitude and amplitude of democracy and good governance, without fear or favour.
The writer of this column, Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, is a Constitutional Lawyer, Human Rights Activist, Pro-Democracy Campaigner, Notary Public and Motivational Speaker. He co-founded the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Nigeria’s pioneer human rights league, on October 15, 1987, the Universal defenders of Democracy (UDD), in 1992, and with Chief Gani Fawehinmi and others in 1998, the Joint Action Committee of Nigeria (JACON), to push out the military. In his early days, he lectured at the University of Ife. Prof Ozekhome is an author of many books. He is also a Special Counsel at the International Criminal Court (ICC), at The Hague.
Society for Corporate Governance Conference Places Environmental Rights on Front Burner
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FG Facilitates Stakeholders’ Consultations for Collation of Nigeria’s Human Rights Report for UN
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‘There’s No Splinter Body in the NBA’
Nigeria: A Continuous Soap Opera
Nigeria and Nigerians, never seem to amaze me. We move from one saga to the other, like a television ‘soap’ series where there is always one plot or the other, and we seem to love spending precious man hours on unproductive issues, and even let them overshadow the more important things that we should be concentrating on, like the hardship that Nigerians have been passing through due to decades of institutional corruption, inefficiency and bad governance. When on October 1, people were sending me Happy 63rd Independence Day messages, I asked a couple of them what the greeting meant. What is happy or significant about our 63rd Independence Day? Tears filled my eyes when I thought of a country like South Korea that was in a pitiable condition at the time of our independence, but over this same period of time that we have wasted on nonsense, has transformed to a First World nation, and without any mineral resources to bolster their economy, I might add; or a place like Dubai which has become the tourist centre of the world in less than 30 years, possibly the number 1 that Nigerians, especially our politicians love to visit and also reside there, while Nigeria shamefully remains stagnant or even continues to regress, despite all the ‘goodies’ that God has endowed our country with. It is indeed, painful and thought provoking. What Nigerians want to see is traction and progress, in all spheres of our lives; we are excited and hopeful that our country will start to evolve to meet global best practices and the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in Chapter II of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended in 2023)(the Constitution), instead of the daily unfolding fruitless dramas that seem to be the norm these days.
Since we tend to drift from one drama to the other, as far as I’m concerned, it is safe to conclude that Nigeria left the ‘Scene’ of unimpeachable political candidates possibly since the time of our founding Fathers, and today, we have sunk so low that it is the norm for most of our so-called leaders to have one skeleton or the other in their cupboard. We haven’t forgotten the money laundering allegations levelled against the PDP Candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his wife in USA, and financial impropriety allegations levelled against him here in Nigeria, even by his former Principal, former President Obasanjo (though OBJ never seems to see much good in others); nor the issue of the Labour Party Candidate, Peter Obi and the Pandora Papers; nor have we forgotten how former President Buhari had issues with his WASC Certificate during the 2019 PEPT. Government officials who do not have allegations of financial impropriety levelled against them, are in the minority. Unfortunately and embarrassingly, the list of politicians and the skeletons in their cupboards seems to be endless, and so, I’m wondering why those who also have things to hide are trying to appear saintly, and casting stones on the ‘alleged suddenly lone sinner’, President Bola Tinubu! Or is it just the attitude of a spoiler, as we say in Yoruba: “Kaka ki eku ma je sese, afi se awadanu”, that is, “If I can’t have it, nobody else will have it, so, let us scatter it” This is definitely not to say that because most of our leaders are accused of something or the other, that I condone wrongdoing, No. I do not.
The present frenzy about the American court case centred on Chicago State University and President Bola Tinubu’s credentials, Case No. 1:23-cv-05099
In Re Application of Atiku Abubakar; Chicago State University, again evinces many facts, some of which I have always maintained, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record or Cacofonix (to those who don’t want to hear it), I will once again restate some of them: 1) Law and Morals are not the same. Sometimes they may intersect, in that, what is immoral may also be illegal, like Stealing, but many other times, many things that are immoral are either not unlawful, or are not caught within the sanction process of the law; 2) Law is not logic, and the administration of justice isn’t done by logic, or settled by emotions or in the court of public opinion - we have the Constitution (which obviously requires a total rejig), statutes (in the case of electoral matters, the Electoral Act 2022 (EA), our legal principles, rules of interpretation and good judicial precedent, as our tools; 3) The Law can be an ‘ass’, depending on which side you are on; 4) The Courts must start to award punitive costs, when Lawyers bring actions which constitute gross abuse of court process to clog up the court system; 5) The LPDC & LPPC should be more up and doing, in the discipline of Lawyers who engage in abuse of court process and inciting the public against the Judiciary/needlessly bringing the Judiciary into disrepute.
As usual, the Judiciary is the scapegoat, and has already been put on trial again. In fact, the Supreme Court has already been tried and convicted, if they do not admit the fresh evidence Alhaji Atiku’s legal
team seeks to introduce on appeal at the Supreme Court, or if they do not disqualify President Bola Tinubu, or if they do not overturn the 2023 Presidential election and call for a new one, possibly based on the new American court proceedings about his credentials, since it is obvious that the Presidential Election Petitions failed woefully on most grounds at the PEPT. But, as a Lawyer of 32 years standing who does nothing but study the law, day in day out, it is my duty to point out a few facts, since many of our learned colleagues have gone to town, turning the law on its head, to mislead the public.
Position of the Law: The Constitution, Electoral Act and Judicial Precedent Section 131 of the Constitution sets out the ‘qualifications for election to the office of President’, while Section 137 provides for disqualification for election to the office of President. This is self-explanatory. It means the conditions you have to meet in order to run for election to the office of President, or conditions, which if you don’t meet, you cannot run for office of the President. It seems to me that, from the wordings of those constitutional provisions and by virtue of the new Section 29(5) of the EA, matters that border on the qualification of a candidate to stand for elections or disqualification, are pre-election matters, as they are issues which come into play before the election, which by virtue of Section 285(9) of the Constitution and 29(5) of the EA must be filed by a co-aspirant of the same party at the Federal High Court not later than 14 days from the date of the occurrence of the event or decision complained of. This provision is clear and unambiguous. Section 285 (14)(a)-(c) of the Constitution then goes on to define pre-election matters, while Section 29(5) of the EA restricts to co-aspirants who participated in the Primaries, those who can institute proceedings in which they have reasonable grounds to believe that information provided to INEC by their fellow
aspirants in their Forms are false.
My first submission therefore, is that it is trite that matters bordering on qualification and disqualification of a candidate to run for election is a pre-election matter, which in the case of a candidate of XYZ Party, can only be instituted by another aspirant who ran in the XYZ Party Primaries for the same electoral position (not even any random member of XYZ Party), and not by a member of ABC Party who ran in the election against the candidate of the XYZ Party being complained of. This is a well settled principle of law, enunciated in a plethora of cases. In Akinlade & Anor v INEC & Ors (2019) LPELR-55090 (SC) per Ejembi Eko, JSC, the Supreme Court held that “…. the disqualification of a candidate on grounds of false information in his Form CF001 is a pre-election matter, by dint of Section 285 (14) of the Constitution”. Such action must be brought within 14 days of the occurrence of the event complained of, and “A cause of action extinguished and statute barred by operation of Section 285(9) of the Constitution remains extinguished, and cannot be reviewed subsequent in an election petition as a ground for questioning an election”.
It is therefore, strange that though this principle was also well enunciated by the Supreme Court in a past case concerning Alhaji Atiku Abubakar after the 2019 Presidential election, that is, Atiku Abubakar v INEC 2020 12 N.W.L.R. Part 1737 Page 37 where the Apex Court also made it clear that disqualification of a candidate on grounds of false information contained in his Form CF 001 or EC 9 (Affidavits in Support of Personal Particulars of Persons Seeking Election into Office) is a pre-election matter, ironically, he is the one that is harping on this matter which he not only appears not to have locus standi to bring, not being an APC Presidential Aspirant, but seems to be time/statute-barred.
I will not delve into the subject-matter of
the American case, since it has become ‘sub judice’ as whatever has resulted from the ‘Discovery and Inspection’ in it, has been sought to be presented to our the Supreme Court in the pending appeal. However, a pertinent question to ask is, whether the Supreme Court has the jurisdiction to admit fresh evidence.
Introduction of Fresh Evidence on Appeal
While it is possible for fresh evidence to be introduced on appeal with the leave of court, the conditions for such leave to be granted were restated in Williams & Anor v Adold/Stamm Intl (Nig) Ltd & Anor (2017) LPELR-41559(SC) per Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, JSC, the first condition being that the evidence sought to be adduced must be such that it couldn’t reasonably be obtained for use at the trial, or they were matters that occurred after judgement had been delivered. President Tinubu graduated from CSU in 1979. Alhaji Atiku even gave credit to late Gani Fawehinmi, GCON, SAN who died 14 years ago, for inspiring him to follow up the CSU matter, confirming that it is an old issue which the details could have been sought and obtained long ago. Section 29(3) & (4) of the EA mandates that INEC publish the personal particulars submitted by all candidates within seven days of receipt of same, and anyone can apply for a CTC of those documents which will be made available by INEC, upon payment of the prescribed fee for same. The details of the personal particulars of all candidates in the 2023 general elections, were available to the public since 2022.
Last week, I watched an interview on our Arise TV, in which a young learned colleague, also a PDP Spokesperson in discussing the CSU case cited the case of Hon. Hassan Saleh v Chris Abah & Ors (2017) LPELR-41914(SC) which he used to introduce the topic of forgery, which is obviously a criminal offence, even if one may try to cleverly restrict it to only a constitutional matter of Section 137(1)(j) of the Constitution. In the 2023 Machina/ Lawan case, though I respectfully disagreed with that decision, the Supreme Court looked beyond the Federal High Court’s Practice Directions that provides that pre-election matters should be commenced by Originating Summons, and the majority held that since there were contentious issues to be tried in the matter, the Petitioner should have come by way of Writ of Summons. In the same vein, the Apex Court can lift the veil of a constitutional matter which doubles as a criminal matter and decline it, since Section 232(2) of the Constitution, prevents the Supreme Court from assuming original jurisdiction in any criminal matter. This means that if we are to go by the fact that a party is claiming that a candidate forged any of his credentials or supporting documents, it appears that this is a matter that the Supreme Court may not have jurisdiction to entertain at first instance. It should have been a pre-election matter for trial at the Federal High Court. In Williams & Anor v Adold/Stamm Intl (Nig) Ltd & Anor (Supra), the Supreme Court held that for the sake of doing justice, it cannot confer on itself jurisdiction that the Constitution doesn’t confer on it. The Supreme Court is also not a trial court, and introduction of a fresh matter which requires proof beyond reasonable doubt and oral evidence, may breach a Respondent’s right to fair hearing which is guaranteed by Section 36(1) of the Constitution. In Chief Ikie Aghwarianovwe v Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor & 2 Ors SC/CV/614/2023 delivered on July 7, 2023, the Supreme Court listed the requirements that must be established, for false information under Section 29(5) & (6) of the EA. Proof beyond reasonable doubt, is definitely required.
Conclusion
I can only conclude that the American voyage of discovery and inspection embarked upon by Alhaji Atiku and his legal team, may be one that can only serve as a platform for public debate about morals, and at best, diminish the standing of a political opponent in the eyes of the public - in legal parlance, to bring the person into odium and opprobrium - nothing more.
As far as the law is concerned, the voyage appears not to have any merit - knowing that as the law stands today, it is trite that a political opponent in an opposing party does not have the locus standi to maintain an action based upon qualification against a rival in another party, nor can one bring an action that is statute/time barred.
Nevertheless, I think it may be time to review some of the relevant provisions of the EA, so that, in the end, it doesn’t appear as if people are allowed to profit from their alleged transgressions. Does it mean that if there is no bitter co-aspirant from the same party to challenge the issue of qualification on time, then a transgressor will get away with his/her sin, even if it may have been discovered after the little window provided ? Should issues of qualification and disqualification be allowed to be part of election petitions and open to opponents from other parties to raise, in order to give litigants the option to fire from all sides and fight from all available angles, instead of the restrictions placed by Section 29(5) of the EA? My dear colleagues, please, share your views on this issue.
“I can only conclude that the American voyage of discovery and inspection embarked upon by Alhaji Atiku and his legal team, may be one that can only serve as a platform for public debate about morals, and at best, diminish the standing of a political opponent in the eyes of the public - in legal parlance, to bring the person into odium and opprobrium - nothing more”
Facts
The Appellant and the 2nd Respondent contested the 1st Respondent’s primary election for nomination of its gubernatorial candidate for Delta State, ahead of the 2023 general elections. At the conclusion of the primary election, the 2nd Respondent emerged as winner of the election with 597 votes while the Appellant scored zero. The Appellant, who felt aggrieved with the outcome of the election, instituted an action (Suit No. FHC/R/ CS/32/2022 – CHIEF IKIE AGHWARIANOVWE v PDP & 9 ORS.), praying the court to disqualify the 1st Respondent from fielding any candidate in the Delta State gubernatorial election. The suit was dismissed by the trial court, and the appeal was also dismissed with costs of N9 million. The further appeal to the Supreme Court was subsequently discontinued.
In October 2022, the Appellant commenced another action, where he claimed, inter alia, that the 2nd Respondent was not qualified to contest for the office of Governor of Delta State, having provided false information in support of his constitutional requirements to contest for the office. The 1st and 2nd Respondent filed their Statement of Defence and Notices of Preliminary Objections, challenging the jurisdiction of the trial court on grounds that the suit was statute barred, constituted an abuse of court process and that the Appellant had no reasonable cause of action.
To establish his case, the Appellant called three witnesses from INEC, Ambrose Ali University and Delta State University, who testified on subpoena duces tecum, while he testified as PW4. The witnesses tendered certified true copies (CTC) of the 2nd Respondent’s Form CF001, his affidavit in support of personal particulars submitted to INEC in 2018 for the 2019 general elections when he contested for a seat in the Delta State House of Assembly (Exhibit P2A); CTC of the 2nd Respondent’s Form EC9, affidavit in support of his personal particulars submitted to INEC for the 2023 general elections (Exhibit P3A); CTC of the Ambrose Ali University Convocation Brochure (Exhibit P5); and CTC of the 2nd Respondent’s MSc certificate (Exhibit P9). The Appellant asserted that the 2nd Respondent was known by different variation of names in the documents submitted to INEC, and that the West African School Certificate (WASC) submitted along with his Form CF001 to INEC in 2018 had his date of birth as “November 12, 1979” while his other documents bear “19th June, 1963” as his date of birth. He posited that the 2nd Respondent, having answered “NO” to the question whether he had ever submitted a forged certificate to INEC in his Form EC9 submitted in 2022, had thereby provided false information and lied on oath as his WASC certificate with different date of birth was forged. He asserted further that the “Age Declaration” deposed to in 1982 and the “Affidavit as to Correction of Date of Birth” deposed to by the 2nd Respondent in 2003 cannot correct the date on his WASC, as the certificate was not issued by the 2nd Respondent. The disparity in the date the 2nd Respondent obtained his MSc, was also highlighted by the Appellant.
The 1st and 2nd Respondent, on their part, called witnesses to refute the allegations of the Appellant. They stated that there is no other person other than the 2nd Respondent laying claims to the certificates submitted to INEC by the 2nd Respondent, and that the names – “Francis” and “Oborevwon” were constant in all the credentials of the 2nd Respondent. They stated further that the date “November 12, 1979” on the 2nd Respondent’s WASC certificate was an error on the part of the examination body, and not the fault of the 2nd Respondent. He stated further that his MSc examinations were taken in 2009, but the certificate was issued in 2010.
At the close of trial, the court delivered its judgement holding that the suit was statute barred because the claims of the Appellant were in respect of documents submitted to INEC in 2018. The court held further that contrary to the claims of the Appellant that details of the 2nd Respondent was submitted to and published by INEC on 4th October 2022, the Appellant stated that the publication was done after delivery of judgement of the Court of Appeal. in respect of a suit filed by a certain David Edevbie. The court noted that the judgement was delivered on 29th August, 2022, and if the 2nd Respondent’s details were submitted to INEC within seven days thereof, the Appellant’s cause of action would have accrued on 19th September, 2022. Thus, the suit which was instituted on 13th October, 2022 was statute barred. His Lordship also held that the Appellant had no reasonable cause of action, as the cause of action accrued since 2018. The court held further that the suit
In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at abuja
On Friday, the 7th day of July, 2023
Before their lordships Mohammed Lawal Garba Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa adamu Jauro Tijjani abubakar emmanuel akomaye agim Justices, Supreme Court SC/CV/614/2023
Between Chief Ikie aghwarianovwe appellant and
1. Peoples democratic Party
2. Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwedor
3. Independent National electoral Commission respondents (Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Adamu Jauro, JSC)
was an abuse of court process, since the Appellant set out to achieve the same purpose as in Suit No. FHC/R/CS/32/2022 – to disqualify the 1st and 2nd Respondents from participating in the 2023 general elections. Deciding the suit on the merit, the court held that the Appellant failed to prove the allegation of supplying false information, or submitting forged certificate against the 2nd Respondent. The suit was thereby dismissed. The appeal to the Court of Appeal was unsuccessful. The Appellant filed a further appeal, to the Supreme Court.
Issues for Determination
1. Whether the Court of Appeal rightly affirmed the decision of the trial court upholding the Preliminary Objections of the 1st and 2nd Respondent.
2. Whether the Honourable Justices of the Court of Appeal were right in affirming the decision of the trial court, that the Appellant has not proved false information against the 2nd Respondent under Section 29(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act 2022.
Arguments
Submitting on the first issue, the Appellant posited that he did not state anywhere that his claim was in respect of events which occurred
“….. he must establish the following to succeed on such allegation: (i) the existence of a document in writing; (ii) that the document was forged; (iii) that the forgery was by the person being accused; (iv) that the party who made it knew that the document or writing was false; and (v) the party alleged intended the forged document to be acted upon as genuine….”
in 2018, and that the court erroneously used his evidence to prove his cause of action. He argued that the evidence of false declaration on oath in contention, is the answer “NO” to the question whether the 2nd Respondent has ever submitted a forged certificate to INEC, in his Form EC9 of 2022, not his date of birth in his WASC certificate attached to Form CF001 submitted to INEC in 2018. Relying on SALEH v ABAH (2017) 17 NWLR (PT. 1649) 515, the Appellant submitted that since the action was filed within fourteen days of the publication of the 2nd Respondent’s details, the action was not statute barred. The Appellant posited further, that the cause of action under Section 29(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, 2022 arises upon the publication of the name, particulars and documents of a candidate, and reference was made to publication of the 2nd Respondent’s details only in 2022. He argued that the publication was done on 4th October, 2022 and the action was filed on 13th October, 2022; hence, it was not statute barred. Arguing on the issue of abuse of court process, the Appellant stated that Suit No. FHC/R/CS/32/2022 was filed pursuant to Section 84(14) of the Electoral Act, while the suit resulting in the present appeal was filed pursuant to Section 29(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act. On issue two, the Appellant argued that he proved the 2nd Respondent submitted information which was false, but the court left the arena of false information to focus on forgery, which though related, is different.
The Respondents on their part submitted that by Section 285(9) of the Constitution, a pre-election matter must be filed not later than fourteen days from the occurrence of the event or action complained of. Since the Appellant’s suit was predicated on the event which occurred in 2018, the action was clearly statute barred. They submitted further that INEC did not publish the details of the 2nd Respondent on 4th October, 2022 as alleged by the Appellant. It was the names of candidates that were published on 4th October, 2022 under Section 32(1) of the Electoral Act, not
publication of their details under Section 29(3) of the Act. They argued that the suit was an abuse of court process, and that the court rightly found that the 2nd Respondent met the constitutional requirements to contest for the office of Governor.
Court’s Judgement and Rationale
Deciding the first issue, the Apex Court described an accrual of cause of action as the moment the action of the Defendant which the Plaintiff complains about in the suit takes place. The Supreme Court found that the Appellant’s complaint is that the 2nd Respondent’s Form EC9 contains false information, when he gave the answer “NO” in response to the question whether he had ever submitted a forged certificate to INEC. The false information alleged by the Appellant was that the 2nd Respondent’s WASC certificate submitted to INEC along with his Form CF001 in 2018, contains a date of birth different from his actual date of birth. Thus, the court must first consider whether the 2nd Respondent’s WASC certificate submitted in 2018 was forged, to determine if the 2nd Respondent provided false information by answering the said answer in the negative. The action of the Appellant is a pre-election matter which must be filed not later than 14 days from the date of occurrence of the event – Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution. It is visible to all that the action of the Appellant, which was instituted on 13th October, 2022, against a cause of action which accrued in 2018, was statute barred.
Distinguishing the authority of SALEH v ABAH relied on by the Appellant, the Supreme Court reiterated the trite principle of law that a case is only an authority for what it decides and principles of law established in any given case are only applicable and binding within the peculiar facts and circumstances of that case – ALIYU v NAMADI & ORS. (2023) LPELR-59742(SC).
The case of SALEH was decided before the fourth alteration to the Constitution and the provision of Section 285(9) of the Constitution, which provided for limitation period for filing a pre-election matter and forbade any election tribunal or court from declaring as winner of an election, a person who did not fully participate in all stages of the election. The Supreme Court, therefore, decided that the action was statute barred, and the courts lacked jurisdiction to entertain same.
Regarding the second issue, the court highlighted the provisions of Sections 177, 182(1)(j) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 29(5) & (6) of the Electoral Act relied on by the Appellant. Section 182(1)(j) only disqualifies a candidate who presented a forged certificate to INEC. Though the Appellant herein stated that he did not allege forgery against the 2nd Respondent, but that he provided false information given the date of birth on his WASC certificate, the court held that the Appellant can only reasonably maintain an action under Section 182(1) (j) if the candidate submitted a forged certificate to INEC. Assuming the Appellant relies solely on the information contained in the 2nd Respondent’s WASC certificate as false information, and thus, caught by Section 29(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act, his claim would still fail because he must establish the following to succeed on such allegation: (i) the existence of a document in writing; (ii) that the document was forged; (iii) that the forgery was by the person being accused; (iv) that the party who made it knew that the document or writing was false; and (v) the party alleged intended the forged document to be acted upon as genuine. … In addition, the false information must have been given by the candidate, with the aim to circumvent the constitutional requirements for the position being contested – AGI v PDP (2017) 17 NWLR (PT. 1595) 386. The Appellant failed to prove the requirements for establishing false information under Section 29(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act. By the way, the allegation is criminal in nature and must be established beyond reasonable doubt; this, the Appellant failed to do. The appeal was dismissed, with N6 million costs against the Appellant.
Appeal Dismissed.
Representation:
Dr Alex A. Izinyon, SAN with Bello K. Abu, Esq.; F.O. Izinyon, Esq.; Alex Izinyon II, Esq. and Kaiobari D. Oguru, Esq. for the Appellant.
Mr Ekeme Ohwovoriole, SAN; Mr Ayo Asala, SAN; with Marvin Omoregbe, Esq.; and Peace Kenoye, Esq. for the 1st Respondent.
Mr Damien D. Dodo, SAN with Emmanuel Ameh, Esq. and Justice Alili, Esq. for the 2nd Respondent. Wole Esan, Esq. with Babatunde Ige, Esq. and Comfort Iorkyase, Esq. for the 3rd Respondent.
Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR)An Affiliate of Babalakin & Co.
The Lagos Police Command has revealed what led to the death of popular singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba aka Mohbad. The Command has also revealed that the Auxiliary Nurse who treated the Singer, is a prime suspect in the Singer’s death.
The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Idowu Owohunwa, gave the update concerning the ongoing investigation into the Singer’s demise, during a press briefing on Friday afternoon.
The Police said that from the results of the autopsy and investigation carried out, the Singer died as a result of injuries
that he sustained during a fight with his friend, Primeboy. It was noted that Mohbad didn’t treat the injury, despite several pleas from his wife and other friends.
The Police further stated that when Mohbad finally got treatment, it was from an Auxiliary Nurse who was described as a quack. His body reacted negatively to the treatment, and it led to the deceased convulsing before he was confirmed dead.
The Nurse is mentioned as the prime suspect in the death of Mohbad, because she went beyond her limitations to administer drugs and injections that led to the eventual death of the Singer.
The Federal Government, last week in Lagos, continued stakeholders’ consultations across the six geo-political zones, to collate information for Nigeria’s National Report pertaining to the United Nations Fourth Cycle Universal Periodic Review.
In her welcome address to delegates at the South-West engagement session in Lagos, the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jeddy-Agba, represented at the event by the Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee, Princess F. Frank Chukwuani, called on stakeholders in the justice and human rights sector to participate in meaningful and productive consultations, in a bid to generate accurate and up to date information for the 4th Cycle of the United Nations Human Rights Universal Periodic Review of Nigeria (UPR).
She said: “Today's stakeholders' engagement is part of the work plan for collating information and useful data, from various stakeholders in the South Western geopolitical zone of the country. This is in line with the United Nations (UN) guidelines on national reporting, which stipulates that a country’s national report should be independent, objective, transparent, and inclusive. “Therefore I enjoin all stakeholders to please engage in meaningful and productive consultations in a bid to facilitate
an efficient, reliable and accurate data/information collation process for our National Report to the United Nations”.
“The IMC is tasked with the mandate of overseeing the preparation of Nigeria's National Report to the UNHRC, and has set in place modalities in the preparation of Nigeria's Report, among which are stakeholders' engagement throughout the six geo-political zones of the country. The consultations were convened by the Government, for purposes of collating information which will be used in the preparation of our national Report.
The event was attended by relevant stakeholders from the public sector (MDAs), Non-Governmental Organisations, and Civil Society Organisations in the South-West Zone, including members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, Lawyers from the State Ministries of Justice across the South-West zone, and other stakeholders knowledgeable on Human Rights issues. Stakeholders and participants alike, made valuable and meaningful contributions on the subject, especially regarding implementation of Government policies aimed at addressing the concerns raised in the UN recommendations to Nigeria during its 3rd Cycle review in 2018.
Mohbad’s father, Joseph Aloba, had previously said his son passed away after receiving an injection administered by the Auxiliary Nurse.
CP Owohunwa said “the Auxiliary Nurse administered multiple and highly potent injections, which triggered an immediate reaction that eventually occasioned the death of Mohbad”.
According to the CP, the injections, consisting of Tetanus
Toxoid, Paracetamol, and Ceftriaxone, were administered at Mohbad’s residence.
“At about 14:35hrs of 12th September, 2023, Miss Feyisayo, the Nurse, eventually arrived. Armed with one pack of Ceftriaxone injection, one Paracetamol injection…. several needles, and syringes”, he said.
“Miss Feyisayo administered the drugs….
“Mohbad started vomiting, while goosebumps appeared on
his face, Mohbad was reacting to the administered medications.
“Five suspects have so far been identified, arrested, detained, and interrogated on their alleged roles in the sequence of events that led to the death of the Singer”, the CP added.
On whether Naira Marley and Sam Larry were involved, the Police explained that both of them were not in the country at the time of the event that led to Mohbad’s death, as the location
stretched between Ikorodu and Lekki.
It would be recalled that the Lagos State Police Command, on Wednesday, placed a bounty of N1 million and declared Owodunni Ibrahim aka Primeboy wanted, following his failure to honour the Police invitation sent to him since the commencement of the investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of Singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
Nigeria is the first African country, to adopt the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The ISSB Standards build significantly from existing reporting frameworks and standards. At their core, the ISSB standards will enable investors and other capital market participants to make informed investment decisions, by providing information about companies’ sustainability-related risks and opportunities. This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria
(FRC), Ambassador Shuaibu Adamu Ahmed, at the 2023 Annual Corporate Governance Conference. Speaking under the theme “ESG and Corporate Governance: Aligning Strategies for Sustainable Success”, Amb. Ahmed, the Guest Speaker, said that the world of corporate governance has undergone tremendous change due to the emergence of Environmental, Social, and Governance, better known as ESG. He stressed that with the ESG, the Corporate Governance world has now taken a look at issues of the
environment, and labour, and has looked at social responsibility more seriously. He further disclosed that, a road map for the implementation of ESG in the Nigerian public sector will soon be launched.
Also speaking at the event, the Keynote Speaker, Dr Jackie Chimhanzi, noted that human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption are problems associated with Corporate Governance which ESG addresses, together with the present-day challenges.
Speaking earlier, the President
of the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria, Mr Muhammed K.A. Ahmad, stated that issues around environmental responsibility are no longer a thing of choice for corporate organisations, because it affects them.
Discussants at the event, Mark Hoffman, Mrs Chioma Afe, Ngozi Edozien, as well as Adebayo Amzat. The event was attended by the Director General/ CEO of the Institute of Directors, Alhaji Tijjani Borodo, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, and Ibrahim Dasok Arabi, amongst others.
In continuation of its commitment to safeguarding the nation, protecting citizens’ lives and property, and maintaining law and order, while recognising the increasing challenges posed by vehicular crimes, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has introduced a new digital central motor registry to enhance security.
A statement signed by Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, noted that over 60 years ago, the Central Motor Registry (CMR) was established as a fundamental tool for managing motor vehicle information. However, the evolution of vehicular crimes in the digital age demands a modernised and expanded approach. Consequently, the NPF has revitalised the CMR
by introducing digitalisation to align with the realities of contemporary policing.
The digitalisation of the Central Motor Registry (CMR) by the Nigeria Police Force, brings several significant advantages and benefits for the general public:
1. Enhanced Security: Citizens can have greater confidence in the security of their vehicles, with the digital CMR in place. The availability of accurate and real-time vehicle information will assist in preventing and quickly resolving vehicular crimes, ensuring that citizens’ valuable assets are protected.
2. Efficient Law Enforcement: The Police will be better equipped to enforce motor vehicle-related laws, including registration and licensing. This
will lead to safer roads and improved traffic management, ultimately benefiting all road users.
3. Crime Deterrence: The comprehensive database of motor vehicles, will act as a deterrent to potential criminals who might intend to use vehicles for illegal activities. The knowledge that law enforcement has access to accurate information, can discourage criminal behaviour.
4. Expedited Investigations: In cases involving accidents or disputes related to motor vehicles, the digital CMR will expedite investigations, providing swift resolutions and reducing inconvenience for citizens.
5. National Security: Maintaining accurate vehicular
information, significantly contributes to national security. It ensures that vehicles associated with criminal activities can be tracked and addressed promptly, bolstering overall security efforts.
The Nigeria Police Force, however, called upon all Nigerians to embrace this transformative initiative by enrolling their vehicles in the digital Central Motor Registry (CMR), that you actively participate in enhancing security and creating a safer environment for all.
“To begin, please visit [CMR Digital Registration](https:// cmris.npf.gov.ng) and register your vehicle today. Together, we can make our roads and communities safer for everyone”, the statement noted.
“We must acknowledge the continuing sacrifices, and the working conditions of our current Supreme Court Justices and other Judges in Nigeria….We appreciate the urgency in reviewing the remuneration of judicial officers which has not been done for over a decade, as an integral component of our judicial reforms….”Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN
Introduction
In the second part of this treatise, we examined the conceptual framework of the subject through the prism of the definitions of 'law' and 'national integration'. This week, we shall conclude that aspect of our discourse and move on to 'good governance'; we shall examine it's definitive markers, and explore how it differs from country to country. Read on.
National Integration (Continues)
Without much ado, national integration envisages a group of people achieve integration through consensus, social structure, and function in the society. The hurdles of national integration in Nigeria, cannot be settled without dialogue. We must all agree on the precepts of governance to follow, in order to attain integration. All this ruckus reminds me of a famous expression by the late Obafemi Awolowo, SAN, one of the progressive founders of the nation, that, ‘’Nigeria is not a nation, but a mere geographical expression.’’
(See: Awolowo, O. (1947). Path to Nigerian Freedom. London: Faber).
Good Governance
The term “good governance” was first used by donor agencies in the 1980s, by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. It is a "stick and carrot instrument" being used by the IMF for keeping in line errant developing countries, that must match their request for aid with good behaviour. This implies that countries with satisfactory records of good governance, could count on the IMF and the World Bank for aid. On the contrary, those countries that have performed poorly in good governance, must improve, to qualify for adequate support
(See: Bamgbose, A. (2005); Language and Good Governance. The Pointer, 5th September, 2005).
In the same vein, Salim Ahmed Salim, the former Secretary General of the former Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU), had emphasised quality leadership, sound management of the economy, a strong judicial system, an independent and responsible media, as good governance.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) classified governance into three - political, economic and administrative (UNDP 2001); and defines the term as “The exercise of economic, political, and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels. It comprises mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences” (See: UNDP Definitions of Governance from UNDP; Available at http:// unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/ documents/un/unpan022332.(accessed July 3, 2023).
Thus, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has identified the following as the major characteristics of good governance. (See: Emeh Ikechukwu, Eke Jeffrey, Onyemaechi Christopher Ugwuibe, Olise Charles Nnamdi ‘Good Governance: The Conceptual and Contextual Perspectives’).
These features are that good governance is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimised, the views of minorities are taken into consideration and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive, to the present and future needs of society.
The World Bank, defines governance as, the way “… power is exercised through a country’s economic, political, and social institutions”.
The concept of Good Governance is a relatively new concept, having entered the political lexicon in the 1970s and 1980s, as a large number of underdeveloped countries were struggling to deal with the political and economic problems which poor political leadership had generated for their countries (See: Odock C. N. (2006), Democracy and Good Governance. National Open University of Nigeria. ISBN: 978-058-458-7). By way of definition, we can say that good governance refers to a system of government based on good leadership, respect for the rule of law and due processes, the accountability of the political leadership to the electorate,
as well as transparency in the operations of government.
Some of the features adopted from the study above, to determine if a nation governed by the principles of democracy and good governance are; (i) In whose name, interest and authority does a ruling group claim to hold and exercise government power? (ii) Does the government accept or reject the functional distribution of power among different institutions in the society? (iii) How those in authority are selected for their positions? Are they chosen, in free and open elections, or are they selected otherwise? (iv) Does the government seek to dominate and control the totality of the political, economic and social life of the society, or does it accept the autonomous existence of other groups in the economic, social and political spheres? (v) Is there a recognisable link between the political, social and economic programmes pursued by the government and the expressed wishes of the people? (vi) Is the business of the government conducted in an open manner, or is it operated by some secret ruler? (vii) Does the government willingly accept criticism, or will it silence all contrary voices? (viii) How does the government treat the fundamental rights of its citizens?
According to Dr Palamagamba John Kabudi, “Good governance as a concept has steadily entrenched itself in the political and development discourse. It has permeated all sectors, and become part of the common shared principles and virtues of different countries in the world. It has attained universality as an indicator of adherence to democracy and the rule of law” (See: Good Governance.<http:// tanzania.fes; international.de/doc/ good;governance.pdf>(accessed July 4, 2023).
To Nkom, Good governance therefore
means the positive exercise of political power to attain positive societal goals and development, while bad governance could be taken to be synonymous with the negative exercise of political power, usually for the private, sectional or group interests of the key political actors (See: Nkom, S. A. (2000), “Culture, Empowerment and Local Government with Reference to North Western Nigeria” in Adedeji, A. and Ayo, B. (eds), People–Centred Democracy in Nigeria? pp. 73 – 85).
From the above definitions and concept of governance, it has become clear that, the true test of good governance is the degree to which it delivers on the promise of human rights; civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Conable is of the view that Good Governance is the exercise of power or authority, political, economic, administrative or otherwise to manage a country’s processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, excise, their legal rights and harmonise their differences. The UN Human Development Report pointed out that governance has two faces: first, the leadership which has responsibilities derived from the principles of effective governmental organisations. Second, the governed, that is the citizens, who are responsible for making relevant inputs to the socio-economic and political affairs of their society. In other words, governance is a relationship between rulers and the ruled, the State and society, and the Governors, and the governed. It is important that the two principal actors be as close as possible, to ensure the legitimacy, accountability, credibility and responsiveness of the rulers and that the effective participation, corruption and responsiveness of the ruled is achieved. An important aspect of the relationship within and between the two components of governance, is the change that usually occurs. For instance, laws regulating certain behaviour and activities may sometimes change. Where these changes become too frequent, without well thought out appraisals, instability results, and this may paralyse operations.
Various countries that are quite similar in terms of their natural resources and social structure, have shown strictly different performances in improving the welfare of their people. In countries, where there is corruption, poor control of public funds, lack of accountability, abuses of human rights and excessive military influence, development inevitably suffers.
Michaels states that, government is one of the actors in governance. Other actors, according to Regina .O. Arisi and Ukadike, O. J, involved in governance vary, depending on the level of government that is under discussion. In rural areas for example, other actors may include influential landlords, associations of peasant farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, research institutes, religious leaders, financial institutions, political parties, the military, etc. Similarly, Odion-Akhaine stated that formal government structures constitute one means by which decisions are arrived at and implemented. At the national level, informal decision-making structures such as “Kitchen Cabinets’’, or formal advisors may exist. In some rural areas, powerful families may make or influence decision-making. Such informal decision-making is often the result of corrupt practices, or leads to bad governance.
“Society cannot exist without law. Law is the bond of society: that which makes it, that which preserves it and keeps it together. It is, in fact, the essence of civil society”. (Joseph P. Bradley)
“At the national level, informal decision-making structures such as “Kitchen Cabinets’’, or formal advisors may exist. In some rural areas, powerful families may make or influence decision-making. Such informal decision-making is often the result of corrupt practices, or leads to bad governance”
Any registration procedure, is susceptible to potential abuses and ulterior motives. This is no different for trademark registration, which can be tainted by individuals seeking to exploit it in an unethical manner. Such (mis) conduct is often characterised as acting in bad faith. Defining bad faith is a difficult endeavour, but it has largely been determined by assessing the ‘wrongdoer’s’ actions in line with their state of mind.
Definition of Bad Faith in Trademark Applications
Bad faith, with regard to trademark applications, manifests when an application is carried out in a dishonest, improper, or deceitful way or with ulterior motives or similar intentions. An illustrative example, is when an applicant seeks to register a mark with no genuine intention of using it. Also, when the proposed mark is strikingly similar to an existing mark, aiming to take undue advantage of the reputation of the brand/company or to confuse its customers. Another common scenario is known as “Trademark Squatting”, where a third party deliberately files a trademark application for an existing trademark in a country where the original owner has yet to secure registration. Bad faith can also come into play, if a trademark applicant intends to tarnish or dilute the distinctive character of another trademark.
Determining the ‘well-foundedness’ of a trademark registration lies, to a great extent, in the applicant’s intention. This aspect will be examined in greater detail below.
In the UK, Section 3(6) of the UK Trademarks Act 1994 (TMA) provides that a trademark should not be registered "if or to the extent that the application is made in bad faith". Section 47(1) of the TMA further invalidates any trademark registered in breach of Section 3 TMA. Similarly, in Nigeria, Section 11 of the Trade Marks Act makes it unlawful to register any matter that is likely to deceive or cause confusion. In an early case addressing bad faith, Justice Lindsay in Gromax Plasticulture Ltd v Don and Low Nonwovens Ltd [1998] EWHC Patents 316, [1999] RPC 367, expressed that bad faith includes dealings that fall short of the standard of acceptable commercial behaviour observed by reasonable experienced individuals in the area being examined. He stated that such dealings should be construed by reference to the Act and material surrounding circumstances. More recently, the court in Swatch AG v Apple Inc [2021] EWHC 719 (Ch) articulated that determining bad faith requires an “assessment of those intentions against certain norms, in particular (i) what would be considered honest and fair behaviour by a business and (ii) the proper purpose of obtaining trademark protection.”
A notable example of bad faith played out in a recent case in the UK between two supermarket giants - Lidl v Tesco [2023] EWHC 873 (Ch). Lidl accused Tesco of attempting to take unfair advantage of its reputation, by using a similar mark for their Tesco Clubcard. These Clubcards were designed with a yellow circle on a blue background, which Lidl argued was similar to their wordless mark and main logo also sporting a yellow circle on a blue background. Lidl sued Tesco for trademark infringement, and won the
case. They relied on Section 10(3) of the UK TMA, which seeks to protect marks with a reputation. Tesco was held liable for trademark dilution and unfair advantage, because their actions were held to be detrimental to the distinctive character of Lidl’s mark, and capable of taking advantage of its repute.
Upon an examination of the Court’s ruling, it is noteworthy that the issue of bad faith did not arise at the time when Tesco was being accused of trademark infringement. This shows that proof of bad faith, especially in the eyes of the courts, may extend beyond ‘wrongdoing’ in a sense, to the intentions of the interested party at the time of registering the trademark. In the case of Sky Ltd & Ors v Skykick, UK Ltd & Anor (Rev 2) [2021] EWCA Civ 1121 (EWCA (Civ)), the court referencing another case (Case C-529/07 Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG v Franz Hauswirth GmbH [2010] Bus LR 443), established that the date for the assessment of bad faith was at the time of filing the application. It was on this premise that Tesco raised the counterclaim, questioning the inten-
tion behind Lidl’s registration of its Wordless Mark. They argued that the registrations were filed in bad faith, because there was no intention for use at the time of each application. Tesco prevailed on this point because Lidl could not provide evidence to rebut this argument, and prove its intention to use the mark at the time of its registration. Lidl attempted to provide evidence of ‘good faith’ and, Justice Smith had this to say, “The fact that a registered mark is later found to have been used as a component part of another mark, does not (without more), evidence the existence of the necessary subjective intention”. Thus, it was not merely enough for Lidl to prove good faith, but to show evidence of this intention for use at the time of registration.
Turning to the Nigerian context, the recent Domitilla case sheds light on the importance of intention behind trademark registration. In this case, a Respondent, Anne registered a Domitilla trademark in her name, without ownership of the movie production. She was also not a part of the cast or crew. Zeb Ejiro, the Producer and owner of the movie, successfully challenged her trademark on the basis of bad faith. The court held that the Respondent’s intention behind registering the trademark was exploitative, and so the act was deemed to have been done in bad faith, in breach of Section 11 of the Nigerian Trade Marks Act. Here again, we see the important reference to the intention behind the trademark registration. This is always assessed, taking into account all the relevant factors of the case. Although bad faith dealings may have nuanced manifestations, the intention always reveals itself. From the decisions examined above, one can infer that the reasoning of both courts
converged on the determination of bad faith. Of course, this would have to be up to them to determine based on the facts of each case, and keeping in mind the essential function of trademarks. The court in Sky Ltd v Skykick (Supra) stated that the dishonest state of mind presupposed by bad faith, must be understood in the context of trademark law which is the establishment of trade between parties who must be able to attract and retain customers by distinguishing its goods and services. The crucial takeaway from this is that, a trademark registration which extends beyond the intention of distinguishing between goods and services, possibly to secure a wider legal monopoly, may be indicative of an element of bad faith.
Conclusion
In all, the issue of bad faith in trademark registration is multifaceted and hinges on the intentions of the registrant, at the time of applying. The UK and Nigerian cases provide valuable insights into how courts evaluate and address this complex matter, within their respective frameworks. While the courts do their best in sifting through the laws and evidence presented by both parties, some of the work of combatting the prevalence of these bad-faith dealings, rests with the trademark owners. First, trademark applicants are advised to avoid dishonest intentions, when registering a trademark. Additionally, existing trademark owners with reputable marks are encouraged to go to any lengths required to register their marks with the relevant body, keep detailed records of such registration, and take the necessary steps for the protection of their mark. This can be through taking ample advantage of the objection period of a trademark application, for similar marks registered. Finally, aggrieved trademark owners seeking to take the matter to the courts, are encouraged to make a satisfactory case proving the existence of bad faith, because good faith is generally presumed, unless the contrary is proved.
Ayanfeoluwa Sanni, LLB, LLM
“In all, the issue of bad faith in trademark registration is multifaceted and hinges on the intentions of the registrant, at the time of applying”Ayanfeoluwa
Sanni
This article by Ayanfeoluwa Sanni, discusses bad faith in trademark applications, and additionally, examines two recent cases in the united Kingdom and Nigeria, to identify the convergence and divergence in the courts' approaches to bad faith in trademark registration
Some are of the view that the Nigerian legal profession, is over-regulated. It has several bodies and several layers of regulatory authorities, including the body of benchers, the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, Legal Practitioners’ disciplinary Committee, General Council of the bar and the Council of Legal education. but, despite all this, the profession perceptibly still seems to be in need of regulation. Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi encountered the Vice Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Asiwaju Solomon Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN last week, and he holds the strong view that the legal profession in Nigeria is not over-regulated. He also asserted that there is no rivalry between the Nba and the newly floated Law Society of Nigeria, while he recommends the creation of a Constitutional Court for Nigeria, to decongest the Supreme Court and to timeously dispose of election petition cases. as for the appalling salary of the nation’s judicial officers, the former attorney-General of Osun State, advocates an immediate upward review
You are the current Vice Chairman of the Body of Benchers. Despite its challenges, it has continued to play its statutory role in the Nigerian legal profession. To what extent should the profession be regulated, as some have complained that the profession is over-regulated with so many regulatory bodies. What is your view?
Regulation of the Legal Profession in Nigeria to confirm with the best practices globally, is mandatory and imperative. The Legal profession stands alone in all professions in the world. It is the only profession. whose members are
regarded as learned and honourable. It is the only profession that touches humanity from conception to the end of life, and even after death. For example, once a male egg is fertilised in the womb of the female, there is an obligation for everyone to respect the foetus, and not terminate it. It is illegal to remove foetus after it has become mature, and an issue of law arises concerning the right to life of the newborn baby.
So, throughout vagaries of life until old age when the man or woman passes on, law surrounds him/her. After death, law follows
“I do not see the Law Society of Nigeria, as a rival body to the NBA. Rather, a body that will complement the NBA. In the United Kingdom, South Africa, United States and other countries, there are more than one body of persons as Association of Lawyers”
him to the grave, as no one has the right to remove the body or any part of his/her body, without the prior consent of the deceased. His/ her words written down as a will, live on, and any alteration results in serious litigation.The properties left behind are also an issue of law, which can only be dealt with as the law dictates. In all these procedures, the Lawyer is at the centre. What caused the death, or how death took the man is a matter for Lawyers to resolve. The wealth of the nation, the international agreements and conventions are the burden of Lawyers. In modern times, when the world has become a global village and technology has broken the barrier of distance, language, colour, etc, the legal profession regulates almost all human affairs, so you need an all round, well trained Lawyer.
The profession, in my view, in this country, is not over-regulated because under the Legal Practitioners Act, the Body granted the right to regulate the practices of the law are the Body of Benchers and the
General Council of Bar. Admission to be a Legal Practitioner in Nigeria and cessation to be a Legal Practitioner, are responsibility of the Body of Benchers. The Legal Practitioner Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), is a Committee of the Body of Benchers who enforce discipline with power to remove the name of a Legal Practitioner, and sit in justice to enforce the Rules and Regulations guiding Legal Practitioners in Nigeria. The LPDC may suspend or inflict punishment it considers appropriate for erring Legal Practitioners.
I can testify that, the Body of Benchers is playing its statutory role. Every year, the Body admits well over 4,000 graduates of the Nigerian Law School, as Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court and enrolled to practice in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is an Association of Lawyers incorporated under Companies and Allied Matters Act. It is a creation of the Statute, but recognised by the Legal Practitioners Act as the Body of Legal Practitioners, with powers under its Constitution and Bye-Laws. The election of its officers is
guided by the provision of the Association’s Constitution. It is independent from all statutory bodies.
The Association which is over 120 years old, has, over the years fulfilled its obligation, responsibilities and expectation as a Body of Lawyers. The NBA is represented in General Council of the Bar, National Judicial Council, the Body of Benchers and many statutory bodies. It is expected that the NBA shall fully educate its members on Rules of Professional ethics, and bring to book all such Legal Practitioners who violate the Rules of Professional Conduct handed down by the General Council of the Bar.
There has been a running battle between the NBA and Body of Senior Advocates (BOSAN), both of which you belong to, over superiority and order of precedence. What are the real issues? How is it being resolved? Some believe that this rift may prove to be potentially divisive for the Bar, if it isn’t quickly resolved.
I will not agree with the view that, there were running battle between NBA and Body of Benchers (BOB). There is no basis for such thing. NBA is one member of the Body of Benchers. NBA by the regulation of the BOB, is allowed certain number of representatives. The Body of Benchers is guided by its regulation, rules and other traditions, that had evolved for over 60 years.
In the Body of Benchers, you have the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justices of the Supreme Court, President and Presiding Justices of the Court of Appeal Divisions, Chief Judges of the States and Federal Capital Territory, Federal High Court, President of National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Attorney-General of the Federation and Attorneys-General of 36 States of the Federation, and very reputable members of the Legal Profession. Members who have served meritoriously for a number of years, are made Life Benchers. That is why the Legal Practitioners Act, regards members of the Body as men and women of the highest distinction in the Legal profession.
What happened recently where the President of the NBA attempted to subordinate the Body under Nigerian Bar Association leadership, was very unfortunate and has never happened in the history of the Legal Profession in country. It was no doubt, as a result of lack of knowledge of the limitation of the rights of NBA in the Body.
The leadership of the Bar Association forgot that the tail does not wag the dog, but the dog wags the tail. In 1992, when the NBA ran into monumental crises whereby it was unable to conduct its election to elect its officers, the Associa-
tion virtually died. Consequently, conflicting orders were procured from various Courts concerning the management of the Association. The Association could not save itself, and the matter became a national embarrassment to Lawyers and Judges.
The Body of Benchers as the Fathers of the Legal Profession took over the management of the Association, and between 1996 and 1998, the Committee of Chairmen and Secretaries under the supervision of the Body reconciled all warring parties and eventually conducted election of officers, wherein in August 1998, Chief T.J Okpoko, SAN became the elected President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
When people are ignorant of history and the law, there must be infraction and erroneous decisions.
That was what happened recently.
The real issue has been what I referred to, and I am sure going forward, there will no longer be any issue between the Nigerian Bar Association and the Body of Benchers. The Bar Association cannot be so ambitious, as to wanting to control or override the Body of Benchers. It has never happened before, and I hope no such thing will happen again.
Everyone seems to know now their bounds and ancient landmarks, which cannot, and
must not be crossed.
The recently concluded Annual General Conference of the NBA ended with an inclusive AGM. There are accusations and counter- accusations of financial impropriety, with some calling for a comprehensive audit of the Association’s accounts and even investigations by the EFCC. As someone who rescued the NBA after the 1992 Port Harcourt imbroglio, how can we get the NBA working optimally as the voice of the voiceless masses.
What happened at the last Annual General Conference of the NBA, is most unfortunate. It has no precedence in the over 100 years of the Association. It was avoidable, it was not necessary, and it was an embarrassment to many of us who have sacrificed our lives, resources and time for the Association. In our time, we spent our money for the Association.
Regrettably, the matter is still trending on social media, and one really doesn’t know who to believe.
My advice is that, Lawyers need to pay greater attention to the quality of those who aspire to lead the most noble Association of largest number of Lawyers in Africa. The integrity and character evaluation, not popularity, should guide the hearts of members voting. The snag is that majority of members voting are very young Lawyers of less than five years at the Bar. They are in the majority, and the excitement cannot be closely controlled.
A splinter body, the Law Society of Nigeria has re-surfaced. Is it a rival body of the NBA? What level of legitimacy do they have?
Should Nigerian Lawyers consider joining such bodies?
I do not agree that a splinter body has been formed, with the Law Society of Nigeria. I know as a fact that the monopoly of the NBA has been challenged, many years even before 1996 to 1998. When we were involved
in reconciling feuding members of the Association, we found while we were going round the 47 branches, then all over Nigeria, that there were “Eastern Bar Association”, “Arewa Bar Association” and “Egbe Amofin Odua”, an Association of Yoruba Lawyers. I know these groups and many others still exist, and they do not threaten the primacy of the Nigerian Bar Association.
However, we need to be careful, misappropriation of funds of NBA can lead to underdevelopment.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria supports the formation of Associations, and freedom to be a member is guaranteed. I am aware that the Law Society of Nigeria, is sponsored by eminent and respectable members of the legal profession. The Promoters , I understand, have made efforts to register the Association with the Corporate Affairs Commission, like the Nigerian Bar Association. I do not have any opinion of members of the Body of Benchers on this development, but I know that time will tell.
I do not see the Law Society of Nigeria, as a rival body to the NBA. Rather, a body that will complement the NBA. In the United Kingdom, South Africa, United States and other countries, there are more than one body of persons as Association of Lawyers. They all play their required roles, in the society.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the grundnorm regulating rights to form and belong to Associations. So, anyone is free to belong to any Association of his/her choice. I believe the primary responsibility of any Lawyers’ Association is the promotion of the Rule of Law, and safeguarding the fundamental rights of citizens.
Given the controversies that followed the general elections this year which ended mostly in Petitions, what would be your recommendations for free, fair and rancour free elections in Nigeria?
I have consistently believed that politicians in the National Assembly
“Whereas, every cycle of elections, the number of cases filed as pre-election and post-election matters continue to increase astronomically, yet the number of Judges, the infrastructure of the Courts, the budget for the Judiciary and the attention to the welfare of Judicial Officers remains dormant and uncared for”
‘There’s No Splinter Body in the NBA’
Cont'd from page IX
and State Houses of Assembly have always altered the Constitution to suit their own convenience, hence, the various alterations on political processes with the time lines given to them, all without consideration for the other areas of public interest. These alterations brought upon the operation of the Judiciary, a very heavy burden as an arm of Government.
Many months before 2023 general election, the Electoral Act 2010 and the latter one of 2022 opened a floodgate of pre-election cases that must be completed within 180 days. The Courts had to abandon other cases in their dockets, to attend to them.
Then election petitions that follow the general election, must also be completed within 180 days from the date of the election.
Whereas, every cycle of elections, the number of cases filed as pre-election and post-election matters continue to increase astronomically, yet the number of Judges, the infrastructure of the Courts, the budget for the Judiciary and the attention to the welfare of Judicial Officers remains dormant and uncared for.
My view is that the solution to the problem of political cases taking over our courts, is creation of National Constitutional Court (NCC) whereby, all political and constitutional related matters go to the Constitutional Court. This will free the regular Court to face the interest of the majority of Nigerians, the business community and the economy of the country. The appeals against the decision of the Constitutional Court, will terminate at the Court of Appeal. Indeed, appeals to the Constitutional Appeal Court will be with the leave of the Court. Nigeria is blessed with sufficient Human Resources, to cope with the need of the court.
I recall when National Industrial Court of Nigeria was to be created. It was resisted. Today, we all know the National Industrial Court is a blessing to the country and her citizens.The election matters, will be within the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court.
Since 2022 January till today, most appeals in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have been put aside for the Courts to attend to political matters. These other causes affect the lives, businesses and well being of the majority of Nigerians. Indeed, the economy of this country is badly affected as many investors avoid Nigerian Judicial System due to undue delay. Most business agreements with foreign investors are deliberately saved for arbitration, or adjudication in Europe or other countries outside Nigeria.
The Supreme Court Bench is seriously depleted, with about 10 or 11 vacancies. Given the pressure and humongous volume of appeals that go to the Apex Court, why is there a delay in appointing new JSCs ?
Naturally, Judges must grow old and retire from the Bench. The reduced number of Justices of the Supreme Court, is a natural occurrence. There remain about 10 Justices of the Court, as at today.
Very soon appeals from decisions of the Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, will pour like rain into the dockets of the Supreme Court. Unless there is urgent attention to appointment of Justices, the cases will suffer delay, and many may not be decided within the 60 days stipulated by the Constitution. The Supreme Court of Nigeria, has the largest docket of cases in the Commonwealth.
How do we prevent every case ending up at the Supreme Court, especially interlocutory appeals?
It is at the Supreme Court that its Justices are over-burdened, unduly stressed and stretched by reason of the sheer number of appeals that end up there.
One is embarrassed that in
2023, the Supreme Court is still saddled with causes like landlord and tenancy, mere family disputes, land disputes from remotest villages, and such matters that ought never to get to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is a court of law, equity, justice and policy. Its decisions are final, and the workload of its Justices ought not to be over-stretched and abusive, as many have been.
In 2022/2023, the number of pre-election cases that went to the Court were in the region of 500. The Court was bound to attend to every case, as the right to be heard is a constitutional right.
The Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Courts in most Commonwealth countries and America, grant leave for any matter to be heard by the Court.
In 2014/2015, the National Assembly Constitutional Committee recommended the alteration of the Constitution, such that most appeals to the Supreme Court must be with the leave of the Court sitting in a filter session in Chambers, but, this was frustrated by the Executive arm of Government, which did not sign the proposed amendment to the law by the President.
I will support every alteration to the Constitution that limits appeals to the Supreme Court to matters of constitutional interpretation, life sentence, and fundamental right enforcement proceedings only. Other cases shall be terminated, at the Court of Appeal. As at today, there are appeals that have been at the Supreme Court since 2013/2014, including criminal appeals.
While we are considering this issue, it is important to refer to the remuneration and welfare of Judicial Officers, all over the country. It is unthinkable to know that the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria earns less than N500,000 per month. Yes, he lives in official quarters that he had been since 2012, and rides in an old Prado Jeep. What is that, to
the take home pay of members of the National Assembly and Ministers of the Federal Republic or Government? The Chief Justice earns less than the salary he earned, when he was appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2011. No annual increment, as is usually found in civil service structure.
There is no attention, paid to the health of judicial officers. Recently, death has dealt with some of best brains in the Judiciary, and no one cared. I know as a fact, as the Vice Chairman Body of Benchers, that the situation is bad and certainly intolerable. The Body of Benchers made good efforts by representation to the immediate past President, but, Federal bureaucracy frustrated meaningful decisions and increase in the salaries and remuneration of judicial officers before the tenure of the administration expired.
The Body of Benchers will not relent, and will soon take up this matter with the new President, with a view to securing better conditions of service and welfare packages for judicial officers all over the country.
What advice do you have for your brother Silk, the new AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, in his new national assignment?
Prince Lateef Olusunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, is a Life Bencher. He learnt at the feet of the Master. He is one of the finest gentlemen of the Inner Bar. He is cerebral, humble and diligent in his works. We have closely worked together as Lawyers, for over 30 years. Our common root is Aare Afe Babalola, SAN.
I want the AGF to keep the Government within the law, respect the rule of law, subject all Government decisions to the Constitution and the law.
Prince Fagbemi is a man, whom I know fears God, walks within His statute/commands, and is morally unblemished. I don’t need to advice him,š but pray that he succeeds in the office.
Thank you Sir.
“My view is that the solution to the problem of political cases taking over our courts, is creation of National Constitutional Court (NCC) whereby, all political and constitutional related matters go to the Constitutional Court….The Supreme Court of Nigeria, has the largest docket of cases in the Commonwealth”
‘There’s No Splinter Body in the NBA’
L-R: Chairman, Independence Golf Tournament Organising Committee, Mr. Ibrahim Babayo; Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe; and IBB Golf Club Captain, Dr. Banjo Obaleye, during the courtesy visit by the IBB Golf and Country Club team to Runsewe in Abuja…recently
L-R: Wife of the President of African Development Bank Group (AFDBG), Mrs. Grace Adesina; President, AFDBG, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina; and President of The Gambia, Mr. Adama Barrow, during the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia on Akinwumi Adesina by The Gambian president in the Gambia…recently
L-R: Business Development Manager, ECOWAS for Thunnes, Folake Egunjobi; Head of Payments, Access Bank Plc, Aminat Olatunji; Senior Vice President, Africa for Thunnes, Sandra Yao; and Group Head, Payments and Remittances, Funmilayo Afolabi, during the Access/Thunnes partnership ceremony held in Lagos…recently
L-R: Director of Press and Public Relations, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Eddy Megwa; Director, Human Resource Management, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed, NYSC Director-General, Brigadier-General Yushau Dogara Ahmed; and Director, Special Duties, NYSC, Alhaji Musa Abubakar, during the induction workshop/ training for the newly employed staff of the NYSC held in Nasarawa State Orientation Camp in Keffi… recently
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke (left), and Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (right), during the visit of the governor to the Ife monarch to celebrate the just concluded Olojo festival with him in Ile-Ife, Osun State...recently
L-R: Son of the celebrant, Mr. Temitope Olopade; wife of the celebrant, Mrs. Callista Olopade; daughter, Miss Tolulope Olopade; celebrant/Media Consultant, Ayodeji Olopade; and family member, Oluwayomi Olopade, at the 60th birthday anniversary of the celebrant held at Atan-Ota, Ogun State…recently PHOTO: eTOP UKUTT
L-R: Director of Finance Department, NDIC, Mr. Olalekan Dairo; Principal Manager, PENCOM, Mr. John Abazuwa; Head of Investments Supervision, PENCOM, Mr. Ibrahim Kangiwa; Asst Director, Finance Department, NDIC, Mrs. Olabisi Balogun; Director-General, Debt Management Office (DMO), Patience Oniha; Director of Registration, Exchanges, Market Infrastructure and Innovation, Security Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Abdulkabir Abbas; and Assistant Director, Financial Markets Department Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Mshelia Ibrahim, at the Investors’ Meeting for the 2023 Sovereign Sukuk Issuance organised by the DMO in Abuja… recently
Sierra Leonean inventor of “Democracy Day” in Nigeria and first director of communications at the ECOWAS, Adama Gaye says Africa is the platform to play without being seen as second class in world affairs. He spoke with Kuni Tyessi at the recent graduation ceremony of the third batch of students of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance, SPPG
As witness to the graduation ceremony of students of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) what do you think Nigerian should expect from the graduands judging from that fact that the nations politicking is still going through troubled waters?
This is something amazing and fantastic. This idea came out from Nigeria to address the question of leadership, a new type of leadership, value based leadership where people will retrain and reconnect with other people in order to understand the challenges of our continent. There are many, however, we have specific challenges and people who have been trained under the SPPD pipeline will come out fully with the knowledge, expertise, attitude, character and the competence to provide solutions and responses to the debate that we must engage in order to put Africa back on the right track. I am one of those that took the programme to be one of the first foreigners to have done so. I can testify that it was long overdue, and having been the first ever director of communications at the ECOWAS, and have travelled the length and breadth of the continent, the biggest challenge we face in Africa and we still face is to have the type of leaders that are able to put forward our countries and continent just like some leaders in the world have done. We have the intellect in Africa and we didn’t use it properly and this SPPG is providing that platform.
What makes the SPPG special when there are courses in the nation’s ivory towers that deal with politics, policy and governance?
This is completely different because it is non-conventional. It is broad, it’s not just about leadership and governance, but about all the issues that you need to know. Even on your personality, mental health, your behaviours and society; your understanding of what is happening in francophone Africa, regional integration and the free trade across Africa; about the type of leadership in the world, about the multiple challenges we face, technologies, the role of youth and women, and all the issues that makes possible, democratic development, progress and social harmony are addressed in the school. This is an all-encompassing programme. I’ve been lucky enough to attend great schools in the world- from oxford to Harvard, to London school of economics where these kinds of courses are taught theoretically. But in practical terms, this school provides the opportunity to produce leaders who in real life can help raise the quality of the debate and also ensure that the outcome of our history making process becomes very effective- otherwise, we will continue making wrong decisions and the outcome will continue to be negative.
The theme of the programme says- Renaissance Africa: ere of citizens shaping a new leadership model for good governance. So based on this, should Africans be hopeful for the best despite years of trying and failing, or what exactly should be their mindset?
That fact that citizens of Africa are taking on themselves to addressing the challenges of the continent is great in itself. My first visit to Abuja was in May or June 1991 when the International Conference Centre, ICC was inaugurated. Heads of states came and we had that conversation here. We learnt down the line that they were not practicing what they were preaching. We have also heard in 1999, Thabo Mbeki coming up with the mantra of African renaissance, but we saw also the limitation of that and it hasn’t worked in Africa. We must ensure that everyone is involved in a 360 degrees approach and everyone must
make an effort to participate. The type of citizen’s we have here are the geniuses of the continent, they’re talented in all sectors. I can guarantee you that the fact that we have the freedom to speak freely is changing the narrative of this continent and this is what is happening. If you take other examples in the continent, you’ll see that citizens are making a change. Look at what happened in Burkina Faso when Compore was ousted after 37 years of being in power. So citizens should play a role especially in this age of internet. If you go the china, this is a concept they use a lot. It’s called the Netizens- the citizens of the internet. They are capacitated by the internet and are part of the global world. It is now good to see that there are Africans that are now part of the new global technology and Africa is the platform to play without been seen as second class in world affairs. We have the capacity to stamp our position on African challenges and make the world think about how we want Africa to be seen and become.
I was taught from primary school that no matter how bad a system of democracy is, it’s always better than the best from of dictatorship.
On this continent, we’ve been witnessing waves of coups. Please react to this. Years back in 2003, I wrote that the military were coming back into Africa. Why? This is because in June 1999 at the OAU summit in Algiers, it was decided that the military will return to their barracks and civilians will take over the reins of the countries, but the deal was that the military will be in charge of military engineering projects, physical integrity of their territory and will give security to their countries and in exchange, the civilians will rule in a healthy manner by providing good governance, fighting corruption, helping people to work and then we all stay together. Unfortunately, the civilians were part of the deal. Many of them who came to power claiming to be democratic leaders quickly appeared to be autocratic and cleptocratic leaders and this is now the pact that we have was broken. Whatever we are facing now is this: people who are civilians will find a way of maneuvering and engaging in constitutional coups just to keep themselves in power. That is not possible. If that is allowed to happen, the true prospect of democratic management of our countries will be affected and this is unacceptable.
You are widely travelled and have seen what developed countries have done to be successful, what would you say Africa is missing and how can this be corrected?
With local government autonomy, dilapidated schools can be renovated and uniforms given for free and with the possibility of launch to encourage enrollment and full participation, classrooms will be refurbished, the poor will be assisted generally in the face of basic needs which are usually rights, especially for children. But as it is now, there is nothing of such. So my advice to the government at the center is to ensure autonomy for the local governments
Leadership is clearly part of the debate. We need to fix it. Inclusivity is part of it. Of course, when you don’t have a climate of peace, stability and security, no investment will come to your place. So, we have to be genuine. We know the challenges and we have to address it. I travel a lot around the world. I have met top leaders from Nelson Mandela to Thomas Sankara and others. I’ve met with Asian leaders and we have discussed. I’m sure we can address our problems if were genuine about it. The big problem is and unfortunately, the signals that we send, we don’t sustain them. For example, I was here in Nigeria in 1999 when the country transited to civilian rule. I was involved in it and handled the international communication under General Abdulsalami Abubakar and I was even the person who created the concept “Democracy Day”. If you go to the internet or papers, you’ll find that with my name. That time there was high hope for Nigeria because the country had at long last decided that it cannot become a stable country and harmonize a federal pact without people feeling that they are part of it. There was the perception that many people were sidelined and that power was controlled by a crop of only a few people. It was opening up and Obasanjo came to power. Unfortunately, despite all the talk about INEC, using technology for good governance, ensuring that elections are clean, the sad thing is that there are a lot of grudges and people are having the feeling that the democratic process and budget is always hijacked by interlocked forces that have an advantaged stake in it and do not want to allow it to flourish. So now we have two narratives competing- the old tradition of how democracy should work and the new top-down democracy which is the authoritarian democracy coming from countries of the global south like China, Turkey, North Korea, Brazil and the new approaches such as Russia. People in Africa are having the feeling that this is much better even though I don’t think so. It is another failed approach and we need to come up with our own full genuine understanding of what democracy entails. There are basic tenets we have to accept clearly and it is that we Africans have the human and natural resources as well as the geopolitical attraction. Africa has the capacity to become the new destination and leadership of the 21st century in the world.
Finally, what is your take-home from this meeting and how would you implement it as an individual in your country?
I always implement it in my life. I learnt something from a professor of Harvard, Bill George, who wrote a book- The True North. Toy need to follow your compass, your internal compass when it comes to your principles, your values and true norms, and you should stand by those. That’s the first thing and I think this aligns with the conference. People who are here share the same values and I find myself comfortable being here. What I am seeing now emerging from Africa is a calling by African society to have a new type of leaders that will make the difference. That is the first lesson I take from here. Secondly, we can form groups thinking alike and participate to do a new form of Pan Africanism that will make the difference in the 21st century and I think ultimately, because Africa is not being given a chance to show its real colours, we must now show the rest of the world that Africa is back and strong. Of course, we have to overcome the challenges and also those forces from outside that try to take advantage of our naivety in order to deprive us of the rights. We must be the ones taking the leadership of Africa and about how we see her role in the 21st century.
For the residents of Zango in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State, life is curiously brutish and savagely cruel with daily struggle for survival as a permanent feature due to lack of basic social amenities.
The community, located a few kilometres away from the Federal College of Education, Katsina, has over 100 family compounds with an estimated population of 3,000. Inhabitants of this community are predominantly farmers who produce crops like millet, sorghum, maize and soybeans.
When THISDAY visited the community recently, it was observed that the hardship being faced by residents of the community was akin to hell on earth due to the absence of basic infrastructure and social amenities. The people live like refugees in their ancestral homes with no sign of concern by the government. A distance of about two kilometres took 30 minutes to navigate. It was hard to access the community due to the erosion which has affected the road. There were potholes filled with water and a stream without a bridge cutting across the road.
The road to the community is a narrow path flagged on both sides by leafy shrubs. The second road connecting the community with Batagarawa town was also cut off by a stream, which makes it very cumbersome for residents to cross to the council headquarters for both academic and commercial activities whenever it rains.
Zango is a settlement with no health facility either owned by government or private; no school, potable water and electricity in spite of the economic and political contributions of the community to the state. 80 to 90 per cent of the houses in the community are built with mud.
In the community, expectant mothers and those in labour go through hell on earth due to lack of access to medical care and a nonmotorable road which has remained a nightmare for residents of the agrarian community for decades.
Women in labour cannot ride on a motorcycle, but in the Zango community, whenever a pregnant woman is in labour, she is being ridden on a motorcycle for about 30 minutes to the hospital in either Batagarawa or Katsina town due to lack of health facility in the community.
THISDAY checks revealed that these expectant mothers deliver their babies at home mostly assisted by traditional birth attendants and untrained family members because there is no health facility in the agrarian community. Findings further showed that the married women in the community depend solely on traditional birth attendants for childbirth. Thus, they don't even have antenatal care attendance record from either public or private health facilities.
Narrating their ordeal to THISDAY in an interview, a 54-year-old mother, Zulaihat Rabi'u, said: "We suffer so much here; if anyone is ill, they may die in the process of getting them to the hospital because we have to travel to Batagarawa or Katsina towns to access health care.
"The situation is more worrisome if a woman is in labour. For instance, at night, we will need to get some men that can accompany us to take the woman to the hospital on a motorcycle."
The mother of 13 further said: "At times, while we are trying to take the pregnant woman to the hospital, she may die on the way, so we have to turn around and bring her corpse back to the house for burial.
"Preferably, we use traditional birth attendants for childbirth in this community for fear of losing our pregnant women. You know, it is not good for a woman who is in labour to be ridden on a motorcycle to hospital."
Another woman, Hannatu Idris, narrated her experience when she had her fifth child, adding that she was also taken to Batagarawa hospital on a motorcycle.
According to her, "on the day I was in labour, I could not walk. It was a motorcycle that was used to carry me from here to the town (Batagarawa). On arriving at the hospital, I gave birth to a baby girl."
Lack of Portable Water
However, with a deep white sandy terrain, the community lacks access to potable water. The only source of water for drinking and cooking in the community is reservoirs trapped during the rainy season.
The only borehole in the community which was dug by the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority (SRRBDA) through the efforts of late Alhaji Abati Murtala, has been abandoned for over 10 years.
A mother of six, Zainab Khalid, echoed her pains about water scarcity, which she said remained a nightmare for residents, especially women and children.
She said their woes of water scarcity are further worsened by the difficulty in digging wells because of the loose sandy nature of the earth which makes it difficult to dig beyond four feet.
She said: "We don’t have water. We have to cope with storing water in clay pots, especially during the rainy season for our domestic use. We are asking for the government to help us. We are hopeless because our husbands had complained to those in authority but had no way out."
Another resident, Abubakar Mohammed, said due to lack of potable water they spent more treating water-borne diseases such as typhoid, malaria, worm infections, among others.
He said: "Some of the diseases commonly troubling our residents in this community are diarrhoea, typhoid fever and malaria. And I tell you these are on a high scale. And whether we like it or not, all of them can be traced to bad water.
"It is a huge task for us to get water for our daily household routine. You have come and you can see there is no borehole in this
community. We seriously have a major challenge of bad water in this community and we urgently need intervention to save our lives".
We're Neglected by Govt —Imam
The Imam of the community, Mohammed Bello, said that the government had neglected the community in terms of provision of social amenities and infrastructural facilities such as potable water, electricity, schools, hospitals, good roads and security.
Bello, who decried the challenges faced by the community, appealed to the local, state and federal governments as well as well-meaning individuals to help the community by drilling boreholes, constructing roads and building a hospital for them.
He observed that the provision of basic amenities such as potable water, hospital, school and electricity in the community would help to boost the standard of living of the citizens.
Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the Chairman of Batagarawa Local Government Area, Bala Garba and the member representing the local government in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Tukur Iliyasu on the plight of Zango residents, were futile.
Also, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bishir Gambo, promised to investigate why the community was yet to have a clinic and get back to our correspondent, but he did not as of press time.
However, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda had recently promised to build 361 functional healthcare facilities and water systems across the state before the end of his tenure.
Radda, who made the pledge while flagging off the distribution of 198 motorcycles to routine immunisation officers and ward focal persons, said repositioning the health sector remained his ultimate priority.
He had conducted a comprehensive needs assessment in the health sector and inaugurated two dialysis centres. He also increased the number of beds in the centres from two to 16 beds for effective and efficient healthcare delivery.
But while the psychological implications of the expectant mothers, children and other residents' experience in the Zango community can take ages to suppress, there is an urgent need for the government and philanthropists to provide basic social amenities to them.
Expectant mothers and other residents of Zango community in Batagarawa Local Government Area of Katsina State are going through 'hell' on earth due to lack of basic social amenities to ease their birthing journey, writes Francis Sardauna
Preferably, we use traditional birth attendants for childbirth in this community for fear of losing our pregnant women. You know, it is not good for a woman who is in labour to be ridden on a motorcycle to hospitalImam of the community, Mohammed Bello Hajiya Zulaihat Rabi'u
The leadership of the 10th Senate hurriedly amended its standing order last Tuesday following alleged plans by some aggrieved senators to stage an impeachment using all Progressives Congress first-timer Senators from Edo and Zamfara states as their arrowheads. Sunday Aborisade reports.
The Senate resumed plenary last Tuesday, after the Eid Malud and the 63rd Independence holidays and dissolved into a closed-door session where the business of the day was discussed.
Investigations by our Correspondent revealed that the senators during the executive session, deliberated on two amendments to their standing orders.The first was to stop first time senators from contesting the position of either the Senate President or the Deputy Senate President.
The second amendment was to create additional nine standing committees.
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the plenary when the chamber’s doors were thrown open, called on the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, to commence the business of the day.
Bamidele subsequently listed the two amendments. The first amendment, according to the Senate Leader, stipulates that any senator that is contesting for the position of the Senate President and Deputy Senate President, must have spent a minimum of one term in the Senate.
Akpabio subjected the motion to a voice vote at the Committee of the Whole and at the Plenary. He subsequently announced the amendments to the senate standing order after majority of the senators supported it, both at the Committee of the Whole and at plenary.
Bamidele while presenting the motion on amendment of the senate standing order explained that there were a number of rules that required amendment in order to give legislative support to more committees.
He also said the amendment notice had earlier been circulated to the senators in accordance with the existing Order 109 Rule 2 of the Senate standing orders.
The Senate then proceeded to also amend its rules to create additional committees.
Findings by our Correspondent among some Senators revealed that quite a number of them were not happy with the amendment and alleged that the action had sinister motives behind it.
The aggrived Senators during informal interactions with them last week, queried why Akpabio limited the amendment to the presiding officers alone instead of extending it to eight other leadership positions.
A Senator from the North West geo-political zone said, if the President and Deputy Senate President were not meant for the first time senators, in the same vein, all the principal officers’ positions should also be exclusively kept for Senators who have stayed in the Senate for more than one term.
The Senator maintained that the red chamber at the moment, needed “a pragmatic and dogged leader who can look into the eyes of President Bola Tinubu and tell him the bitter truth and not be a “rubber stamp” legisla-
tive arm of government that can not stand for the people who voted them into power.”
Another Senator also from the North West insisted that the current leadership of the Senate was afraid of impeachment with its style of leadership, which he claimed , was not fair and transparent to all concerned.
He vowed that the impeachment fever had already enveloped the chamber and that anything could happen any moment because a good number of senators are disenchanted with the current situation of things in the nation’s parliament.
According to him, “ Senator Akpabio and his team were already getting feedback that a Senator from Edo State (South-South) and another from Zamfara State have been projected for his possible replacement.
“That is why he engineered the motion via the mechanism of the Senate Leader, Senator Bamidele, to make it impossible for first time senators from aspiring to become either the Senate President or Deputy Senate President.
“I can’t tell you categorically that the amendments would not stop any move against the presiding officers when the time comes,” he added.
Another Senator from Imo State, who also spoke strictly on condition of anonymity, alleged that the Senate President was not resting on his oars and that he had started reaching out to a good number of first timer senators to appease them.
He alleged that the Senate President called a meeting of new senators that make up 70 per cent of
the 10th Senate, where he reportedly promised each of them a mouth-watering Zonal Intervention Projects running into several billions of naira if they agree to support his ongoing move to stop one of them from becoming the Senate President or Deputy Senate President.
He further alleged that Akpabio at the meeting, admitted that constitutionally, it was their right to aspire to any level, they wish to aspire.
One of the senators said, “The question now remains, where does Akpabio intend to get such an amount of billions? It was just to deceive the senators who are new to the Senate.
“Plans are in top gear for the emergence of a Senator from Edo State to become the next President of the 10th Senate.
“There is no way that a half-baked law targeted at some individuals will be allowed to fly. The new law should be wholesome and not one-sided or seen to stop some few vibrant senators from aspiring.
“If the new senators can’t be Senate President and Deputy Senate President, in the same vein, new senators shouldn’t occupy sensitive principal officers positions.
“It is an aberration that should not be condoned in ramifications,” the Senator added.
Another Senator said Akpabio had not deemed it fit to apologise to his colleagues who claimed that he embarrassed them by announcing publicly that an undisclosed amount of money had been sent to their accounts by the National Assembly to enable them to enjoy their long vacation.
He said, “Akpabio has been touching the Tiger’s tail in so many ways since he resumed office as the Senate President.
“During the ministers’ screening he told the senators on camera that the Clerk to the National Assembly had sent a token to their bank accounts.
“When he saw that the statement wasn’t
meant to be said in public, he withdrew it and cunningly said, the CNA had sent prayers to their email address. He had yet to apologise to us for the embarrassment up till now.
“Another wrong behavior of Akpabio was when the Senate was in a state of confusion with senators agitating against the confirmation of the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
“Akpabio in a state of dilemma left the impulse of his fellow senators and ran helplessly to the President of Nigeria to seek advice and receive Commandments from the presidency via the instructions of the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.
“This was a total affront to the 10th Senate, which shows that Akpabio is acting like a stooge and as someone holding power in proxy which is a misnomer and is unacceptable by senators of good conscience and upright will,” he added.
Under the Constitution, the eligibility for being a Senate President is clear. By Section 50 of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), every member of the Senate, who has taken oath of membership is eligible to be voted for as Senate President.
“Order 3 of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as Amended), however, has three categories of people that could be elected as Senate President.
A first timer was clearly empowered by Order 3 to contest for Senate Presidency alongside ranking members and those who came from the House of Representatives, prior to the Tuesdays amendment.
However, Chairman, Media and Public Affairs committee in the Senate, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, had consistently maintained that the Senate under the leadership of Akpabio was stable and unperturbed rumours
He had said: “Contrary to sponsored news report in some sections of the media that some unnamed Senators were allegedly ploting to impeach the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
“The reports were complete imaginations and sometimes laced with malice to achieve what Senators are yet to comprehend.
“The Senate had since moved on after the leadership contest. The plot to drag in Senators who initially did not support the emergence of the present leadership into a conspiracy that does not exist was uncharitable to the Senators.
“It is especially uncharitable for those Senators who initially did not support the emergence of the leadership, but who have all unanimously endorsed the Senator Akpabioled leadership.
“Continuing to link these Senators with one conspiracy or the other with barely disguised innuendo is rather unkind.
“We call on the Media not to give in to the conspiratorial tales and to please not give damage to the reputations that they have built over time,” he added.
A Senator from the North West geo-political zone said, if the President and Deputy Senate President were not meant for the first time senators, in the same vein, all the principal officers’ positions should also be exclusively kept for Senators who have stayed in the Senate for more than one term. The Senator maintained that the red chamber at the moment, needed “a pragmatic and dogged leader who can look into the eyes of President Bola Tinubu and tell him the bitter truth and not be a “rubber stamp” legislative arm of government that can not stand for the people who voted them into power.”Akpabio Bamidele Yari
In the last one four months, intrigues, betrayal and ambition have taken over the political atmosphere of Ondo State. Following the resumption of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu from his three-month medical leave from Germany on September 7, 2023, one of his actions was the sacking of the media aides of the state deputy governor and the transfer of the duties of his media crew to the state Ministry of Information and Orientation, indicating that their relationship had become sour.
Latest is the impeachment process against the embattled deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa by the state Assembly over alleged financial misappropriation bordering on the alleged approval of N300 million for the purchase of bulletproof SUV for himself.
The deputy governor was expected to react to the 14 allegations of gross misconduct level against him. A letter signed by 11 out of the 26 lawmakers accused Lucky Aiyedatiwa of “gross misconduct, abuse of office with actions likely to bring down Ondo State Government, financial recklessness, publication in print media by your media aides maligning the credibility of the Governor”, among others.
However, on September 25, the deputy governor asked an Akure high court to stop the House of Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment plans against him.
In Suit No. AK/348/2023 filed on his behalf by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebunoluwa Adegboruwa, the deputy governor asked for an order of the court to stop the state Assembly from initiating, continuing, or proceeding with the process of removing him from office.
On September 26, the State House of Assembly swiftly responded that the Federal High Court Injunction secured by the embattled Deputy Governor, would not in anyway affect the action of the State Assembly.
Basically, the House said the court could not stop the impeachment exercise as its action was protected by the Nigerian constitution against interference by courts.
Speaker of the Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, said the notice of allegation of gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor within seven days was presented to him and was signed by 11 out of the 26 members of the House which is more than one-third of the members of the House required to sign the impeachment notice under Section 188(2) of the Constitution.
“The impeachment notice contains 14 specific allegations of gross misconduct with detailed particulars to which the Deputy Governor is expected to react to not later than seven days from the day he was served. Hitherto, the House has refrained from publishing the allegations because of the need to accord the Deputy Governor the courtesy of being served with the notice, first.
“Having served the notice, and in view of the massive public interest in the subject matter, the House of Assembly has formally directed that its acknowledgement copy be released to the public. For the umpteenth time, the House wishes to assure the general public that it would strictly follow due process of law as outlined in
Section 188(1) – (9) of the Constitution.
“The House is not unaware of media reports that His Excellency, the Deputy Governor, has rushed to Court to stop the impeachment process. Media reports even claim he has secured an injunction from a certain Judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to halt the process. The House is shocked that rather than wait to be served with notice of the allegation of gross misconduct, and react to same as required by the Constitution, the Deputy Governor has been running from pillar to post and filing multiply suits in both at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court and the Ondo State High Courts in a bid to stop the legislative process.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the House is fully conscious of Section 188 (10) of the Constitution which clearly states that “No proceedings or determination of the panel or of the House of Assembly or any matter relating to such proceedings or determination shall be entertained or questioned in any court.”.
Citing the case of Abaribe V. Abia State House of Assembly (2022) 14 NWLR (Pt. 788) 466, the Speaker said the Court of Appeal emphatically stated that it was wrong for the Appellant to jump the gun by rushing to the Court to stop his impeachment process on the ground of alleged breach of fair hearing when the panel to investigate and hear him had not even been constituted.
He said the Court of Appeal restated that by the provision of Section 188 (10) of the Constitution, no court has the jurisdiction at that stage to interfere in the legislative proceedings for impeachment.
“Supreme Court has repeatedly restated that the Court can only intervene when the procedures for impeachment have been breached. In this case however, the Deputy Governor rushed to court even before the notice of impeachment was served on him. For the records, no procedures have been breached in any way.
“In view of these, the House has directed its team of lawyers to investigate the purported injunction secured by the Deputy Governor and report any judicial officer who might have abused his office in granting the unconstitutional ex-parte injunction to the appropriate institution for necessary disciplinary action”.
Unfortunately, the House equally went ahead to appeal the same Order of a Court of competent jurisdiction they initially discarded, disparaged and ignored.
In continuation of the crisis, on October 3, the Assembly, in a swipe, dragged a Federal High Court Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite before the National Judicial Council (NJC), for allegedly compromising his office and violating the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Specifically, the Assembly described an ex-parte granted by a federal High court in Abuja on 26th September, 2023, restraining the Assembly from impeaching the Ondo State Deputy Governor, as “unconstitutional and clearly malevolent”.
In a petition addressed to the Chairman, National Judicial Council (NJC) and signed by the Speaker of the House, Hon Olamide Oladiji, the Assembly accused Justice Emeka Nwite who granted the order for allegedly compromising his office and violating the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“As the Speaker of the 10th Ondo State House of Assembly, and on behalf of the entire members of the House of Assembly (hereinafter referred to as “ODHA”), I write your lordship to formally lodge a complaint against Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, for compromising his office and violating the extant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), ignoring judicial decisions of the appellate courts and extant Practice Directions and/or relevant Circulars of the Federal High Court, to grant an unconstitutional, clearly malevolent, and ostensibly procured ex parte order on 26th September, 2023 in Suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1294/2023 restraining ODHA as an arm of government from exercising its constitutional powers.
“As your lordship would observe, annexure ODHA contains 14 allegations, many of which relate to alleged financial improprieties running into hundreds of millions of naira.
My Lord, as a ranking member of ODHA and based on the benefit of a detailed legal advice
On October 3, 2023, the state assembly renewed its resolve to press ahead with Aiyedatiwa’s impeachment, thus ignoring desperate moves by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress to ward off Aiyedatiwa’s ouster from office.
Specifically, the Assembly issued a fresh directive to the state Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to “immediately” set up a seven-man panel to investigate Aiyedatiwa on the allegations levelled against him.
which the House has sought on the subject matter, I know as a fact that impeachment is a purely legislative affair.”
The Assembly noted that in spite of the provisions of the Constitution, the Deputy-Governor approached Justice Emeka Nwite with an ex parte application on 21st September, 2023, just a day after it received the notice of allegations of gross misconduct) against him at the plenary of the House, to procure an order to stop the legislative process of his impeachment.
The petition added, “My lord, as a Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite knows or ought to know that there are extant Circulars and Practice Directions prohibiting Federal High Court Judges from granting ex parte injunctions in political cases and/or taking cases that did not originate from their immediate judicial Divisions.”
The house, however, resolved that Hon. Justice Emeka Nwite should be investigated for alleged “abuse of ex parte injunction and/or his office to gratify the Ondo State Deputy-Governor, and if found liable, the National Judicial Council should mete out the appropriate sanction against him as required by the dictates of judicial fidelity and the protection of the rule of law and our nascent democracy.”
On October 3, 2023, the state assembly renewed its resolve to press ahead with Aiyedatiwa’s impeachment, thus ignoring desperate moves by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress to ward off Aiyedatiwa’s ouster from office.
Specifically, the Assembly issued a fresh directive to the state Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to “immediately” set up a seven-man panel to investigate Aiyedatiwa on the allegations levelled against him.
According to the House, this is as result of the alleged failure of the deputy governor, to respond to the notice of allegation of gross misconduct levelled against him within seven days.
In a swift reaction, on October 5, the state Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, called on the state Chief Judge, Olusegun Odusola, to disregard the request by the state Assembly to set up a seven-man panel to investigate the allegations against him.
A letter written on his behalf by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebunoluwa Adegboruwa, dated 5th October, 2023, justified that Section 188 (2) of the 1999 Constitution makes it mandatory that the holder of the office shall be served with the notice before the House of Assembly is conferred with jurisdiction to sit on the removal proceedings but the House is in flagrant violation of the section when it convened its plenary proceedings on September 20, 2023 before the holder of the office was served, in breach of the constitutional and fundamental right to fair hearing of his Client (the Deputy Governor).
Fidelis David writes that recent move by the all progressives Congress to resolve the political imbroglio between Ondo state deputy Governor, lucky aiyedatiwa and his principal, Oluwarotimi akeredolu, may not yield any positive result as the state House of assembly has directed the Chief Judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola, to constitute a panel to investigate the deputy governor.Aiyedatiwa Oladiji
Security concerns have been raised In Liberia following the deaths of at least two people in preelection violence. Political watchers say campaign messaging has deepened political divides and are calling on the national police to be more proactive during Tuesday’s presidential and legislative elections.
On the streets of Monrovia, university students chanted, “We want peace. Liberia is our only country; we want peace,” as they distributed peace-branded handbills to commuters, urging voters to desist from violence.
Grace Yeah Yeaney, a student leader at the University of Liberia, says the deaths of two people due to electoral violence in Lofa County on September 29 are alarming.
Liberia’s Peace Building Office, which develops policies for conflict resolution, says data collected around the country shows that campaign messaging has deepened political divides.
Edward Mulbah, the group’s executive director, says six of Liberia’s 15 counties are hot spots for potential violence.
This is the first time Liberia is running a national election without the support of international partners, including the United Nations and the ECOWAS security forces since the civil war ended in 2003. ECOWAS is the Economic Community of West African States.
Israeli warplanes hit the Gaza Strip with repeated airstrikes Monday, while the military said it mobilized an unprecedented number of reservists ahead of “going on the offensive” in response to a surprise attack Saturday by Hamas militants.
“We are fighting animals, and we will act accordingly,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told army commanders. At one point on Monday, Israel said it had attacked 130 Hamas targets in three hours.
In response, a Hamas military spokesman said its fighters would kill one of about 150 civilian hostages Hamas is holding any time Israel targets Gaza civilians without warning.
Gallant said in a video statement that Israel would implement a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting the Palestinian territory off from access to electricity, food, water and gas.
Israeli chief military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters that Israel had reestablished control of areas near Gaza that Hamas militants stormed in the incursion that began Saturday.
There were some areas of fighting early Monday, Hagari said, and that while the areas were under Israeli control, there were ongoing searches for Palestinian militants.
Governments around the world are scrambling to learn the whereabouts of their nationals in Israel and, in some cases, evacuate them amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Several foreigners were killed or taken hostage when Hamas fighters poured out of the Gaza Strip on Saturday and began attacking targets in Israel, most prominently the Tribe of Nova music festival, in which an estimated 260 people lost their lives.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the deaths of nine U.S. citizens on Monday. Thailand’s government said 12 Thai nationals have been killed and another 11 taken hostage by Hamas. Argentina confirmed four of its citizens were killed, while the BBC reported “more than 10” British nationals are feared dead or missing, although only two fatalities have been confirmed.
With most regular flights into and out of Israel’s main airports cancelled, governments are organizing charter flights to evacuate nationals who wish to leave the country.
Hungary evacuated 215 people from Israel on two planes overnight, and they landed safely in Budapest, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook post Monday morning.
The United States is sending its newest and most advanced aircraft carrier and a full carrier strike group to support Israel following a terror attack that killed hundreds of civilians.
In a statement Sunday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the US is
moving the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean Sea to “strengthen Department of Defense posture in the region to bolster regional deterrence efforts.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford and its more than 4,000 sailors were first deployed last year. Described by US Navy officials as “America’s biggest and baddest warship,” it boasts a redesigned flight deck that allows it to generate 30% more flights than any other U.S. carrier.
The Ford will be accompanied by a guided missile cruiser and five guided missile destroyers.
In addition, Austin said the USS is taking steps to augment U.S. Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the Middle East.
And he said the US will provide the Israeli military with additional equipment, resources and munitions, set to arrive in the coming days, something the Pentagon said Austin reiterated to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a call Sunday.
President Joe Biden met with top US officials Monday to discuss Washington’s response to an all-out war between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as officials confirmed that the U.S.-designated terrorist group holds Americans among the hostages they seized in a weekend attack on Israel.
Biden “directed his team to follow up on coordination with Israel on all aspects of the crisis and to continue their work with regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to take advantage in this situation,” the White House said in a note circulated to journalists, adding that Biden is speaking to close allies.
On Monday, US State Department officials said Americans are among the numerous hostages seized by Hamas militants as part of their multi-pronged Saturday attack.
Nine Americans are also among the dead, said spokesman Matthew Miller, who did not say how many Americans are held hostage.
On Monday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said 800 Israelis had been killed and more than 2,500 wounded. He echoed Palestinian health officials’ estimates that more than 500 Palestinians have been killed, adding that more than 3,000 have been wounded.
The number of hostages, Guterres said, numbered “over 100, possibly more,” including civilian women, children and the elderly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew parallels Monday between Hamas attacks on Israelis and Russian strikes on Ukrainians, calling them “equally evil.”
“And the Israelis themselves, the Israeli
journalists who were with us, in Ukraine, who were in Bucha, now say that they saw the same evil where Russia came. Equal evil. And there is only one difference: There is a terrorist organization that struck Israel, here there is a terrorist state that struck Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told participants at a NATO meeting via video link.
“The declared intentions are different, but the essence is the same. You see it. You see the same blood on the streets. The same shot civilian cars. These are the same bodies of tortured people,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Ukraine’s main intelligence directorate Monday accused Russian intelligence of conducting a campaign to discredit Kyiv.
Russia is seeking to reclaim its seat on the UN Human Rights Council after the General Assembly suspended it in April 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The Human Rights Council must be protected from misuse as a tool for settling political scores and from practice of double standards,” Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told attendees at a reception his mission held recently to mark their candidacy, according to remarks published on the mission’s website. “Those are tactics of certain states that proclaim themselves to be “human rights champions.”
In a vote of 93 in favour, 24 against and 58 countries abstaining, the General Assembly voted Russia off the HRC last year. At the same meeting, Russia announced it was resigning from the rights body. The Czech Republic replaced Russia on the council for the remainder of its term.
On Tuesday, the General Assembly will vote by secret ballot to elect 15 members for three-year terms to the 47-member Geneva-based rights body.
There is a risk for Moscow, as it is running against Albania and Bulgaria for only two available seats. Since it invaded Ukraine, the General Assembly has considered six resolutions related to Russia, and Moscow has lost them all — three by an overwhelming majority of votes.
Gabon’s military-appointed government says it will invest more than $10 million and distribute hundreds of luxury vehicles said to be part of ill-gotten wealth recovered from family and friends of ousted President Ali Bongo since the military junta took power about six weeks ago. The government says the money will be used to provide public social amenities such as water, electricity and education.
Gabon’s military junta says the government, appointed by transitional President General Brice Oligui Nguema, has begun consultations to determine how best to use the items recovered from state officials and business executives under the
rule of ousted President Ali Ben Bongo. Raymond Ndong Sima, Gabon’s prime minister, said Nguema instructed him to meet with all government ministers before investing ill-gotten wealth recovered by the military junta since it seized power on August 30. He said Nguema has launched an irreversible battle against impunity and corruption, and the military junta’s government wants to recover all ill-gotten wealth. On Monday, Sima said on Gabon state TV that the junta has recovered about $11.6 million and nearly 350 luxury vehicles over the past 45 days.
Nguema told Gabon’s state TV that he had issued guidelines on distributing the recovered vehicles.
Longtime environmental lawyer and antivaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he will run for president as an independent and drop his Democratic primary bid, adding a wrinkle to a 2024 race heading toward a likely rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Kennedy, a member of one of the most famous Democratic families in politics, was running a long-shot primary bid and had better favorability ratings among Republicans than Democrats. It’s unclear whether GOP support would translate to a general election when Kennedy would also be running against Trump. Allies of both Biden and Trump have sometimes questioned whether Kennedy would be a spoiler against their candidate.
Biden’s allies so far have dismissed Kennedy’s primary campaign as unserious. Asked for comment on his potential independent run, a Democratic National Committee spokesman responded with an eye roll emoji.
The Nobel economics prize was awarded Monday to Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard University, for research that has advanced the understanding of the gender gap in the labour market.
The announcement went a tiny step toward closing the Nobel committee’s gender gap: Goldin is just the third woman to win the prize out of 93 economics laureates.
She has studied 200 years of women’s participation in the workplace, showing that despite continued economic growth, women’s pay did not continuously catch up to men’s, and a divide still exists despite women gaining higher levels of education than men.
Goldin does not offer solutions, but her research allows policymakers to tackle the entrenched problem, said Randi Hjalmarsson, a prize committee member.
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Nigeria’s slow progress in metering power consumers in the country has continued, with a new report showing that over 57 per cent of Nigerians still remained in the estimated billing system at the end of December 2022.
The new document: “The 2022 Electricity Market Competition Report”, released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) also indicated that only 42.25 per cent of the over 12 million Distribution Companies’ (Discos) customers were supplied metering devices at the end of last year.
Despite the several policies and schemes to deepen meter
penetration as well billions of naira sunk into procuring the devices, Nigeria still continues to struggle with the challenge of accurately measuring the cost per unit of power consumed by its people.
Those without meters are therefore placed on estimated billing, which many customers believe is at the whims of the Discos, who bill them randomly. Estimated billing is largely perceived as a non-transparent method of assessing power consumed by customers.
However, the NERC data showed that about 2,558,617 additional end-use non-Maximum Demand (MD) meters had been installed, post-privatisation in 2013
to December 2022, including the replacement of faulty meters.
The majority of the meters, it said, were deployed under the schemes - Credited Advanced Payment for Metering Implementation (CAPMI), Meter Assets Provider (MAP) and National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) - which jointly accounted for 91.79 per cent of the meters installed during the period.
The ratio of metered customers to registered customers population, it added, indicated an average enduse customers’ metering status of 42.25 per cent.
“Only Ikeja, Eko, Abuja and Benin DisCos had metered more than 50 per cent of their registered
customers as at 31st December 2022.
“With 57.25 per cent of the end-use customers on estimated billing, collection losses due to customer apathy pose a serious challenge to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI),” it added.
According to the regulatory agency, in continuation of the efforts to intensify the rollout of meters, the commission had revised the MAP Regulations which provided a framework that allows for a smooth and concurrent implementation of both schemes in order to fast-track meters deployments.
Following the completion of Phase 0 of the NMMP, with rollout of about 1 million meters, the commission said it had
commenced engagement with relevant stakeholders to kick off Phase 1 of the NMMP, designed to get Central Bank financing to Discos to procure 4 million meters from local meter manufacturers and assemblers.
However, THISDAY gathered that that the scheme has now been stalled due to lack of funding from the CBN.
But, despite the failure of that phase, it would appear that the government has now moved on to the next phase after the challenge of funding encountered in phase one.
Last week, the federal government opened the bids for the phase two of the NMMP
which is to be funded from a $500 million World Bank loan, with 47 firms, both local and international, submitting bids for the procurement of 1.25 million electricity metering devices.
THISDAY learnt that the supply and installation of the smart meters is expected to be completed within 18 months.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Energy, Olu Verheijen, in her remarks, noted that the federal government was committed to ending electricity estimated billing throughout the country to reflect cost-reflective tariffs.
Peter Uzoho
With the return of the expensive subsidy payment on petrol imported into the country by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), some operators in the petroleum products marketing business have advised the federal government to explore the option of gradual subsidy removal to make the policy more manageable and
less painful.
Their suggestion came on the heels of the return of subsidy which President Bola Tinubu had abolished during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023. The policy action had led to the rise of petrol pump price in the country by over 200 per cent from the previous N185 per litre, to now between N580 and over N617 per litre, depending on the location.
The outrageous petrol price
following the subsidy removal also triggered inflation as other commodities and transportation witnessed sudden rises in prices with attendant adverse impact on most Nigerians struggling with poor purchasing power.
The return of subsidy in the petrol marketing system was not unexpected as the government and the NNPC had ruled out any further increase in petrol prices beyond the
current pump price, a position that negates market forces, which is normally driven by the principle of demand and supply.
Petrol landing cost follows the trend at the international market and oscillates according to the rise and fall of crude oil price, with other determining factors including the foreign exchange situation, inflation, interest rate, as well as other operational and
agency costs associated with the importation.
With the oil price currently hovering around $95 per barrel, industry experts believe that the current pump price of petrol should be in the region of N720 and above per litre, hence the return of subsidy payment for petrol.
But speaking to THISDAY in an exclusive chat, a former Chairman of the Major Oil Marketers
Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Managing Director of 11Plc, Mr. Tunji Oyebanji, advised government to explore the option of phased removal of subsidy.
He explained that with that method, the pump price of petrol will be adjusted in piecemeal from time to time until it gets to the actual market price.
Emmanuel Addeh in abuja
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has reacted to a story titled: “Lawmaker demands NEITI’s probe over missing $15 billion, N200 billion”, describing the report as misleading.
NEITI said it was not only misleading but also a mix-up of issues and misrepresentation of facts contained in its latest oil and gas industry report released at a public event held on the 18th September, 2021 in Abuja.
“The sum of $8.26 billion (and
not $15 billion as attributed to the lawmaker by the newspaper report) was the public disclosure by NEITI as potential collectible revenues due to Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as outstanding liabilities.
“In the same direction, the sum of N200 billion was another revelation by NEITI in the same report as funds expended on the repair of the nation’s refineries between 2020 and 2021 which we queried in the same report since the refineries are not working.
The federal government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have renewed commitment towards attaining food security.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator. Abubakar Kyari, made this known during a courtesy visit to his office by the Country Representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Nigeria (IFAD) Mrs. Dede Ekoue in Abuja.
The minister revealed that since 1985, IFAD had been Nigeria’s trusted partner for reducing rural poverty, pointing out that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was committed to his Renewed Hope Agenda to implement programmes and policies that would enhance food security, job creation and poverty eradication.
Kyari thanked IFAD for its support and opportunities presented to the country, noting that Nigeria is faced with challenges, expressing the Ministry’s openness for contributions and assistance to ensure food availability for the
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“The funds in questions and other crucial facts, information and data are contained in the recently released NEITI report,” it noted. For the avoidance of doubt, it stated that the core responsibility of NEITI is to release the information and data to the public while it is within the mandates of the legislator, the civil society and the citizens to use the disclosed information for advocacy and civic engagements.
NEITI said it was fully aware that the relevant committees of the National Assembly are
currently working closely with the organisation to address the findings and recommendations thrown up by the report.
“NEITI is not a revenue generating agency, has no powers under the law to either collect, keep custody or manage government revenues.
“Rather we support government to mobilise revenue for its development activities by beaming the searchlight on leakages, wastages and other areas through which government can optimise its revenue take from the country’s natural resources,” it said.
populace.
He also pointed out that four out of the eight point agenda of Mr. President was devoted to food security, hence the Ministry has a critical role to play to achieve the agenda.
Speaking further, he stated that the country’s yield was low due to insecurity, flood and climate change thus needs all assistance from International partners.
He stressed the need for capacity building in IFAD programmes with
a designed existing strategy that would ensure continuity.
In her remarks, the Country representative, IFAD, Mrs. Dede Ekoue, noted with delight, the cooperation of the Ministry with IFAD at different fora as well as the commitment of the country towards food security.
She recalled that Nigerian’s cooperation with IFAD dates back to 1985 with support to small holder farmers which gave rise to food security.
Ekoue noted that her visit was to renew the commitment of IFAD to food security, saying that IFAD had developed a new cooperation strategy that would guide its investment and cooperation. She rolled out many opportunities available to Nigeria to include; strengthening technology and mechanization, strengthening women participation, integration of animal husbandry, strengthening the private sector contributions to food systems among others.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Natural Oil & Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) has renewed the tenure of its National President, Mr Benneth Korie, for a fresh four years.
A statement from the umbrella organisation of oil and gas marketers, said Korie had effectively piloted the affairs of NOGASA for the past five years, stressing that it was a vote of confidence in the man’s leadership style.
“Chief Korie is a highly skilled leader whose well-honed style comes from his years and wealth of experience in every aspect of the Nigerian economy- particularly in the oil and gas industry.
“He is an oil magnate whose meteoric rise to fame is credited to his astute handling of a fastchanging business environment and a rapidly evolving economic terrain.
“The man is a downstream oil and
gas guru and a dean amongst highly placed captains of the industry,” the statement added.
According to NOGASA, from the beginning of the association, Korie had skilfully guided the growth, development and expansion of the group from its humble beginnings to a position of being a household name in the provision of quality services nationwide.
“Korie’s capacity covers every aspect of the supply chain and distribution of petroleum products in every nook and cranny of this nation. His encompassing influence goes beyond the industry and runs through he gamut of communications, finance, logistics welfare and conflict resolution,” it noted.
It further highlighted the massive support given him by the membership of NOGASA, explaining that he has led the group without compromising the high quality of service delivery expected by the consumers and end-users.
Gilbert Ekugbe
The African Development Bank Group and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) have signed a three-and-a-half year dual currency line of credit to drive local agricultural businesses in West Africa.
The agreement comprising $50 million and €50 million credit are expected to strengthen food security, economic growth, and employment generation.
The president and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EBID, Dr. George Agyekum Donkor and the African Development Bank Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure, and industrialisation, Solomon Quaynor, formalised the agreement during a signing ceremony at the African Development Bank’s Abidjan
headquarters.
Donkor said, “This credit facility illustrates EBID’s continued efforts to mobilise adequate resources to honour its commitment to the region’s transformation agenda through supporting and investing in key sectors, in this case, the agribusiness industry.”
The African Development Bank’s board of directors approved the dual currency line of credit for EBID early in 2023. The Africa Growing Together Fund, managed by the African Development Bank, will provide an additional $30 million in co-financing. AGTF is sponsored by the People’s Bank of China.
The three-and-a-half-year facility will enable EBID to offer direct financing to commercial banks and local businesses operating in the agriculture and soft commodity sector within its member states.
This aligns with EBID’s strategic aim to support local businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), local business cooperatives, and farmers in West Africa. The
Quaynor said, “This agreement underscores our strong commitment to harness the continent’s limited resources to deliver, with speed and at scale, quality investments to help address the ever increasing trade finance gap in Africa while working with strategic regional partners like EBID and - through you - local commercial banks.”
The partnership between EBID and the African Development Bank demonstrates the increasing cooperation among African Development Finance Institutions to bridge trade finance gaps and direct much-needed funds to economically challenged countries and sectors.
Housing and Urban Development
Minister, Ahmed Dangiwa, has called on Shelter Afrique’s shareholders to focus on strengthening the organisation for rapid and affordable housing delivery in Africa.
Dangiwa made the call in Algiers, Algeria, at the 2023 Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Shelter Afrique.
Shelter Afrique is a pan-African finance institution that supports the
development of housing and urban development on the continent.
It’s a partnership of 44 African governments, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Africa Reinsurance Corporation (Africa-Re).
The minister emphasised the importance of shareholders’ unity and commitment to the company’s mission to provide affordable housing solutions across Africa.
He highlighted the significance of the 2023 EGM and its role in
shaping Shelter Afrique’s future and commended the company’s leadership.
“Today, we are convening this EGM to discuss and take decisions on the pending matters. Through objective discussions, we are optimistic that we would conclude and approve the company’s revised Statutes. Doing so will mark a momentous milestone and would lay the foundation for a new, innovative, and impact-driven Shelter Afrique,” he said.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to delivering reliable and cleaner electricity to Nigerian people and businesses. We are embarking on reforms that will improve the performance of Distribution Companies (Discos) as we continue our trajectory to cost reflective tariffs.
“In the first step to fulfilling our campaign promise to end estimated billing, we are launching phase two of the ambitious national mass metering programme. The phase involves procuring 1.2 million prepaid meters, with the procurement process set to begin this month,” she stated.
The commission in the report , further stated that in pursuit of mitigating the risk of financing outside the electricity market, it made provision for the establishment of a Meter Acquisition Fund in the December 2022 Tariff Order to support the deployment of enduser meters.
‘’The fund, which is to be administered centrally by a Fund Manager approved by the commission, shall be used as securitisation for long-term financing for meter deployments to fast-track the closure of the end-users metering gap in the NESI,” it added.
Notwithstanding the progress in power generation, NERC noted that the industry constraints relating to inadequate gas supply, transmission constraints, limited distribution
network and commercial viability of Discos operation still pose major technical and operational challenges to the industry.
The report added that the current generation capacity remains lower than what is required to meet the estimated load demand of 17,556MWh/h as demand is expected to grow to 45,662MW by 2030.
But it noted that the reported power generation statistics do not include the off-grid and captive generation capacity.
The NERC report further stated that rich customers constitute the highest consumers of electricity in the country thus enjoying more of the subsidy provided in the sector.
Besides, it stated that the average price spent on electricity by Nigerians in 2022 was $0.14, per kilowatt and was relatively lower than the average electricity tariff in most West African countries.
The report said households’ connection showed that 79 per cent of the richest group and 68 per cent of the high income group were connected as compared to the poorest and low-income groups with 21 per cent and 41 per cent connection rates respectively.
“The current state of the Nigerian power sector characterised by tariff subsidy, mostly benefits the (relatively) rich as more rich people are connected and consume more electricity,” it said.
Oyebanji maintained that the gradual price adjustment approach will also make the prices bearable for Nigerians and the subsidy payment manageable to the government. He argued that government and the NNPC may have decided to keep petrol pump price still at its current rates despite the rising
crude oil prices and landing cost because the quantity NNPC was importing has reduced with the drop in demand.
Oyebanji argued that the amount of subsidy per litre had also reduced compared to when the product was being sold for N185 as the product is now sold for N600.
A former Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, and former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Prof. Ibe Kachikwu, recently spoke on a wide range of issues, including the removal of fuel subsidy, as well as the prospects and the limitations of the Petroleum Industry Act. He also addressed the privatisation of the NNPC Limited, amongst others. Excerpts:
Since the removal of fuel subsidy, the personal economy of a majority of Nigerians, has taken a very bad hit. Do you think the pump price of fuelwouldn’t have been this high if the nation’s refineries were working?
Ibelieve despite the emotional issues associated with fuel subsidy removal that it is the right thing to do and was long overdue. You will recall that in 2016 against the usual popular opinion, I championed and executed the repricing of refined petroleum products and indeed as at then removed the subsidy.
The Nigerian populace were very accommodating of my steps then because it stopped the fuel shortages almost instantly and I never had that issue till I left my office. More important, it dramatically transformed the balance sheet of federal income returns and probably was the singular act that saved the country from the looming financial crises the Government faced in 2015. However, we are here again because the price modulation policy that was part of the product repricing that we introduced ,that would have seen prices do a pendulum swing according to world crude pricing ,and the liberalisation of the importation of petroleum products away from the monopoly of NNPC that was to force price drop through competition, were not adhered to.
I think the subsidy removal policy of the current government is the right policy action. However, I would have counselled a co terminus and collective process that would have taken along sustainable palliatives along with the policy move. Our palliative approaches when this happened in 2016 were founded on three platforms.
One, focus on getting the refineries to work at all cost because that will ensure long term product delivery and stable pricing sustainability. In this it was and still will be important that government refineries are positioned to compete with private refineries and provide regulatory agencies with pricing data to check profiteering.
Two, liberalise the importation of refined product and allow NNPC compete with private sector for the supply and distribution market without any special preferences to NNPC that distorts the market. Three, provide soft palliatives through the established unions and associations that reach the truly subsidy impacted people. Where necessary, a fingerprinted or coupon model can be used at designated supervised filling stations for road transporters for a minimal period so there is transition softening.
Do you subscribe to views that direct powers should be delegated to the supervisory minister of petroleum resources and not held by the president?
On this, my views are influenced by my private sector leaning. Understandably therefore I have a different view with politicians. First, let me say that the issue here is not one of legality but adequacy. The President under an executive presidency is entitled and empowered by the constitution and practice to structure the government whichever way he wants and believes reflects his own focus and concerns ,so If a President decides to be a minister of petroleum in addition it is his call.
But that is where that argument ends. If you take the moral and efficiency compass, I would not advice a President to hold both portfolios or for that matter that of any other ministry either. The President is the primus interpares and under an executive presidency the Omega of his government. Petroleum is simply a commodity and I believe the supreme focus given it so far has been the problem with the sector. It is not different from other commodities, agricultural produce, minerals, and services.
I believe that ultimately the President is the fulcrum of all powers and approvals and holding on to Petroleum ministerial portfolio does disservice to the authority he has.
First, it creates a distraction. Second, it prevents the on seat minister of state from being able to run the sector.
Three, it creates room for presidential favouritism for close associates and prevents a fair playing ground in the industry.
Four, it prevents the President from being the needed appellate point if a minister reaches a wrong decision. Five,it chases away genuine global investors who see alarm bells in those arrangement.
Finally, it creates sectoral rascality and the agency heads who need to report out through the minister of state with day-to-day oversight of the ministry, prefer to bypass that channel. Ultimately experience has shown in the many decades of Nigeria’s experimentation with this model that the power gets usurped by presidential senior aides as the President cannot have the time for this role nor the supervision of the Ministry that goes with it. Interestingly ,at the time I was invited to serve, I also pointed this out to my boss. In his own case his initial intent of protecting the Ministry and me from the intrusion of politicians ,since I held a dual portfolio then was well intended. But it was
later to become a major problem for the sector. These are my personal views from many years of observation and participation but may not necessarily be a panacea for solution.
President Bola Tinubu, on assumption of office, had set up a committee to look into the issue of the petroleum industry regulators like the NMDPRA, NCDMB and NUPRC, with the possibility of merging them as one regulatory body. What will be the implication of that option?
I don’t want to comment on that because, to be honest with you, I have not seen the policy paper. One of the things I never do is just make sensational commentaries. I have not read the full policy statement to understand the objectives, so till I see it, I really cannot comment on that.
The NNPC has been privatised at the instance of the PIA, after it was initially unbundled during your time as minister. What do you see of the post-PIA NNPC, especially that some industry stakeholders still think the law contains certain inadequacies?
We – myself and my NNPC team – worked very hard towards the unbundling of NNPC. Under the said unbundling, the corporation was broken into new profit centres and the independent tracking of profit performance of each unit was emplaced. For example, PPMC was split into two departments; NGC was split into two; NPDC was made more independent with its own internal board; refineries were split into individual profit centres;head office overhang over the monetary control of units was restricted, and so on , and of course the monthly publishing of our corporate performance was introduced and remained till I left the position of GMD.
Of course, a lot of these dramatic changes many of which are still there today, thanks to my successors, were made possible by two factors.
First was the magnanimity of President Buhari who whilst I was NNPC GMD, gave me a lot of latitude to push reforms and supported my wholesome speed in doing this. Second was that the President very unprecedentedly allowed me to hold the positions of GMD and Minister of State Petroleum Resources for the period of 9 months.
This merger of oversight and authority allowed fast paced and bold reforms. It paid handsome dividend as we published a first month of profit for the Organisation in May of 2016, shortly before I was relieved of the position of GMD and continued as Minister of state for Petroleum and Chairman of NNPC board.
Needless to say that the unbundling framework came out of the identification of the gaps and problems that were militating against the ability
I cancelled the marine delivery of crude which was too expensive and convinced the contractor to direct his attention to reactivating the pipeline. He did a good job at his own cost and once the crude began to flow, he was then paid. This contractor now later turned out to be a very innovative and creative private sector contractor that was later to be patronized by my successors.
Our second approach was to seek foreign investors who were willing to invest in refinery revamp and management. Given the scandals associated with past TAMs, whether true or false, as I had no empirical data to judge, I decided to stay away from using further government funds for the rehabilitation of the refineries. We got positive pledges from China and Saudi Arabia, but these were not approved.
The problem usually is the rather emotional but illogical patrimony protectionism of many that keeps the refineries hostage. The fear each time that investors would take over a prized national asset, the refineries, even when they had been lying comatose for years. The protagonists of this position won the day and so we could not push through the offers by these investors.
The third approach then was to give Nigerian investors in joint venture with foreign investors opportunity to revamp and manage at their cost the refineries on a business model that did not pass on any equity in same to them ,but granted them long 10-year leases to recoup their investments. In 2017 and 2018, a lot of efforts were expended on that and surprisingly many bids were received by NNPC, and successful bids were chosen for the three refineries.
of NNPC to achieve its desired growth and performance trajectory. We called it the 20 fixes, representing the 20 focus areas and problem diagnostics that if handled would allow NNPC to reach its full potentials.
As to your second question relating to the PIA, let me say unequivocally that the passage of the Act was a milestone long overdue. Many experts before me worked on the multiple drafts and my team in the Ministry expended a lot of effort working with the various Senate committees under the Saraki led Senate to fine tune the final draft bill that was passed by that Assembly.
Unfortunately, that draft bill was rejected. An amended draft that made some changes to the rejected bill was then passed after I had ceased being the Minister of State and that draft was finally assented to by The President in 2021. In my speech at the NIPS conference in 2022, I gave kudos to my successor Timipre Sylvia for taking the law past the finish line. I joked then that he was a better politician than I was.
And truly so and he deserved the credit. Whilst the delays in passing the PIA lasted, I had done a book titled ‘Petroleum industry Bill; Getting To Yes’. I am following up with another book ‘Petroleum Industry Act; the missing link’, which should highlight the areas of the Act still needing a second look and possibly further amendment work by the National Assembly.
I can only say that my personal opinion was and still is that the earlier draft Bill which was not assented to by Mr. President was more revolutionary and would have addressed amongst many others the issue of NNPC’s supervisory control of JV assets, the organisational framework for the new NNPC Ltd and many more.
You championed the concept of collocation of refineries, suggesting that new refineries be licensed to be built around the existing ones to share facilities and make them viable. But eight years later, those refineries are still not functioning. How do you see this and what do you think is the way forward?
Like many people, I obviously feel frustrated that the refineries are not working. In my time, we did all we could but were limited by the politics of the moment. When we looked at the refineries, we started from the basics which was, how do we, without spending too much money ,get any of the refineries to offer partial production restart to help the then lingering fuel scarcity crises that we met upon assuming office?
For this, we charged NNPC skilful engineers to do their bit and they did, and Port Harcourt was streamed in December of 2015, with minimal expenditure and the work of internal NNPC team. We also looked at what was the main handicap of Port Harcourt, which was crude oil delivery limitations in the absence of a functional sabotaged Escravos pipeline.
I was not involved in the bid process as I was no longer the GMD, but I believe they were transparent, but again those were jettisoned as the management of NNPC decided to go with a preferred internally supervised turn around revamp at the corporation’s cost. Unfortunately, as per the time I left as Minister, that turn around had not brought back the refineries and was one of my sad frustrations upon exit. I want to believe that the present Management is fully focused on achieving this goal for Nigerians. Our last focus approach was to liberalise the refining opportunities and so we encouraged whole heartedly the Dangote refinery and the modular refineries, some of which are operating today, with the Dangote refinery still in focus. My attitude was to push private sector players to be another parallel engine for refinery capacity building. I am glad that at least on this front we made some progress.
Given your experience, do you think they can ever work?
Now on collocation model, the idea was to encourage some investors interested in modular refineries to collocate within NNPC refineries under an asset lease arrangement so they could share use of idle infrastructure and cut cost of starting their businesses. This would then generate income for our unprofitable refineries with which they could jumpstart the rehabilitation of our refineries free of government funding.
We did not get to have this take off before I left the GMD portfolio and I believe the idea was shelved thereafter. As to your question whether same is relevant still today, I do not know, as I do not have the requisite data or current business modelling to comment on this. But again, the situation has changed as NNPC is now private company registered under CAMA and only the shareholders, the government that is, and the board would determine if this model needs to be revisited.
When you were in office, Egina sailed from LADOL to its location offshore and local content mainstreaming began to move up, among other significant markers of your time. At the moment, who do you think are the people doing great and what exactly are they doing to keep these legacies alive?
Yes, I remain proud of those many legacies. I am grateful to President Buhari for the opportunity to serve and his magnanimity in inviting someone from the private sector who was not part of his campaign foot soldiers at the time and entrusting such portfolio to him. In terms of identifying those who have kept the legacies on there are many.
The truth is that there are many talented people in the very rungs of NNPC and the regulatory arms who carry multi decades of experience, training, and commitment to hard work. Many times, they go unsung and only the sensational items make the headlines. Working in the Ministry and parastatals can be arduous, stressful, and thankless, and sometimes the politics of hierarchical struggles does not ensure that the best make it to the top.
WACOT Limited, a member of Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, has awarded a total of 1,578 cocoa farmers in 28 communities in Osun State with up to N40,000 each for their commitment to sustainably producing the primary cash crop. This bonus was awarded to the farmers in addition to the payments made to them for the cocoa they delivered to the company as part of the outgrower programme initiative. The earned bonus was in recognition of the superior product quality the farmers delivered to WACOT, which surpassed the international standards of sustainable cocoa production. The standards include but are not limited to excluding child or forced labour, responsible use of fertilisers and pesticides, proper tree care, and preserving protected reserves.
The special quality bonus was distributed at the Cocoa
Farmers Premium Payment Award event held in Akeredolu Community, Osun State.
In her remarks, Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Manager of WACOT Limited, Yosola Onanuga, stated, “The award was given to the farmers based on their yield contribution to the outgrower programme initiative. The farmers were awarded between ₦30,000 to N40,000, while some got as high as ₦100,000 based on their sustainable cocoa production.”
She added, “We are shifting our cocoa specification to achieve a responsibly managed supply chain complying with the legal requirements of Nigeria and our cocoa export markets. We stand by our goal of promoting sustainable cocoa production through several sustainability initiatives with our partners.”
Chief Operating Officer of WACOT Limited., Bibhu Nanda, commented on the cash award, emphasizing that
they were well-deserved for farmers who have embraced sustainable cocoa production in line with WACOT’s vision and international best practices. He stated, “This funding from WACOT is intentional and will further motivate cocoa farmers to abandon harmful cultivation practices and adopt sustainable production. It underscores our commitment to sustainability and inclusivity as we work together towards profitability and growth optimization.”
The beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the award, enabling them to enhance production. One of the recipients, Francis Sunday, conveyed trust in the firm and called for continued support. “I have been supplying cocoa to WACOT for years, and they have consistently supported us. This award will significantly boost my yield. I urge other companies and even the government to do more to encourage people to join the farming business.
Medplus to Give Female Entrepreneur $30,000 Grant
Sunday Ehigiator
The company also disclosed plans to reach 30 communities across Nigeria offering free healthcare services as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme to assist individuals who cannot afford healthcare services considering its soaring cost.
Speaking with journalists at the company’s headquarters in Lagos, Medplus Managing Director, Joke Bakare, said the projects are in tandem with the theme for the company’s 30th anniversary celebration, ‘Built to Last’, aimed at inspiring
female entrepreneurs and supporting underprivileged communities.
She explained that the company would officially launch these programmes to the general public during its 13th anniversary celebration billed to take place on November 9, 2023.
According to her, the CSR programmes would cut across communities from all the geopolitical zones in Nigeria with a focus on giving people who may not be privileged access to basic health and wellness information, access them through their facility at no cost.
“We want to support and inspire women-led businesses. We have never really celebrated as a company. So, we thought that particularly for people just coming up, starting businesses, or almost giving up on their
businesses, this is like a reassurance to them, especially women in health, beauty and wellness.
“We are also launching a grant to women-led businesses with the theme ‘Built to Last’ which would empower one female entrepreneur to the tune of $30,000 with access to information and networking.
“This would be officially unveiled on our anniversary, November 9, 2023. For us, the event is not just a celebration of our 30-year journey; it is also a platform to empower other entrepreneurs to build extraordinary brands.
“To be considered for the grant, you need to have been in the business for at least two years. We want to give you access to our distribution and make you a partner in a lot of the things we sell.”
Experts Speak on Infrastructure Financing Options for Subnational Govts on Thursday
The webinar, according to DataPro’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr.Oladele Olaoye, will seek a roadmap for sustainable
infrastructure development at the subnational level through the capital market.
Speaking on Monday, at a press conference to announce the event, Adeoye said the webinar will host an interactive panel discussion involving the Director, UCML Capital, Mr. Egie Akpata: Managing Director, Africa Plus Partners, Mr. Adenirwn Ajakaiye; Chairman, Africa Infra Plus Fund, Mr. Ahmad Narula, among others, while the keynote speaker is the Managing Director, Nigeria
Mortgage Refinance Company, Mr. Kehinde Ogundimu.
“The 2023 International Rating Webinar will conclusively address the crucial role of credit rating agencies in evaluating the credit worthiness of sub national governments. It will also delve into discussing policies and frameworks that can enhance the fiscal responsibility of subnational governments along with exploring developmental finance options for subnational governments in infrastructural projects”, Adeoye stated.
PAL Pensions Wins Outstanding Technology-driven PFA Award
PAL Pensions has emerged the Marketing Edge “Outstanding Technology-Driven PFA of the Year.”
The Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards, was held recently, in Lagos. The Visionary Managing Director of PAL Pensions, Mr. Sa’ad Jijji, described the award as a resounding testament to PAL Pensions’ unwavering dedication to innovation and excellence within
the pensions industry, particularly in utilising technology to provide top-tier services that cater to the customer’s expectations, needs, and priorities.
He thanked the clients that have trusted the brand over the years and the dedicated PAL team, who continually push the boundaries of innovation and customer-centricity. According to him, “our commitment to harnessing technology to deliver top-notch pension services has set new industry standards.
This award validates our ongoing endeavours to utilise technology for more accessible, efficient, and customer-centric pension services.
PAL Pensions, he noted, has consistently pushed the boundaries of technological innovation, introducing user-friendly mobile application, self-service platform, retirement lifestyle calculator and an intuitive online portal that empowers customers to effortlessly monitor and manage their pension accounts.
OPEC
DAILY BASKET PRICE As At 29t H s epte M be R , 2023
KayodeTokede
Opening the new week, the stock market segment of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) yesterday rebounded by N355 billion on investors’ interest in BUA Cement Plc and 25 others.
About 10 per cent or N9.40 gain in BUA Cement stock to N103.40per share, lifted the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) by 646.76 basis points or 0.97 per cent to
close at 67,101.33 basis points from 66,454.57 basis points the closed for trading last week.
Also, market capitalisation gained N355 billion to close at N36.865 trillion from N36.510trillion the stock market opened for trading.
Accordingly, the stock market Month-to-Date and Year-to-Date returns advanced to 1.1per cent and 30.9per cent, respectively.
Performance across the sectors
was broadly positive as the NGX Industrial Goods added four per cent, NGX Insurance rose by 1.2per cent, NGX Consumer Goods added 0.8per cent and NGX Oil & Gas appreciated by 0.4per cent, while the NGX Banking index depreciated by 0.4per cent, a sole loser of the day. Investor sentiment, as measured by market breadth closed positive as 26 stocks advanced, while 23 declined. BUA Cement emerged
the highest price gainer of 10 per cent to close at N103.40, per share. Consolidated Hallmark Insurance followed with a gain of 9.80 per cent to close at N1.12, while Nigerian Breweries rose by 9.09 per cent to close at N42.00, per share.
John Holt increased by 8.11 per cent to close at N1.60, while SUNU Assurance appreciated 7.22 per cent to close at N1.04, per share. On the other side,
Prestige Assurance led the losers’ chart with 10 per cent to close at 45 kobo, per share. FTN Cocoa Processors followed with a decline of 8.33 per cent to close at N1.65, while NEIMETH International Pharmaceuticals shed 7.74 per cent to close at N1.55, per share. Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.00 per cent to close at 38 kobo, while eTranzact International down by 4.26 per cent to close at N9.00, per share.
The total volume traded dipped by 28.18 per cent to 268.664 million units, valued at N3.464 billion, and exchanged in 6,911 deals. Transactions in the shares of Associated Bus Company led the activity with 29.269 million shares worth N19.908 million. Access Holdings followed with account of 29.172 million shares valued at N465.977 million, while Oando traded 27.090 million shares valued at N252.976 million.
Ihad gotten tired of staying abroad, in a country built by others, with the sweat and blood of their own people, Black, White, Brown, and every color in between. My case is a peculiar one. I am a thorough-bred Benin boy, though born in Lagos. I did my Primary, Secondary and High School education out of 69 Igun Street, Benin City. That was the community where many of the bonds I have carried through life were formed and nurtured. I had first returned in 2007 to plant a business. Nigeria has a way of teaching you a lesson on how and how not to do business. I suffered immensely, but while it took a while to recover, I knew for certain that my fate was sealed. I belonged in the Nigerian landscape under the bright Nigerian skies, unyielding in its humidity, unrelenting in its bustling population that strives on—against the odds. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I belong, among my own people, with my people to be a part of the sculpting of the future, where that future begins with finding a formula that works for the short term, medium term and long term benefit of our people.
I met a man on the plane, a total stranger. As I made to sit next to him, I said to him, “we’re gonna be neighbors for the next 6 hours, so, we had better become friends. My name is Michael Ovienmhada. People call me O’meekey.”
He introduced himself by his first name. And so, as is usual with any two Nigerians in a conversation, everything quickly devolved into politics, intense politics. You can say what you may about the average Nigerian, one thing you cannot deny him is that patriotic zeal that burns through, seeking for solutions to problems that have defied solutions for 63 years, problems that have obvious solutions, but problems for which their solutions lie, in the mind of the average Nigerian in immediate gratification, the future be damned.
Therein lies the dilemma of a leader in the Nigerian landscape—- how to lay a foundation for the future whilst not turning a blind eye to the belly needs of the people—-the temptation to do things that will cause a leader to be loved by entrenched interests,
opinion molders in society versus doing things for the long term benefit of a larger proportion of the population therefore becomes the challenge, a major challenge for such a leader. A simple example comes to mind.
Let’s take a hypothetical man who has been in government since 1999 at the highest corridors of decision making at both State and National levels, who in these various positions was known to have been adequately compensated. He comes to the governor and says he wants to go abroad for medical attention and wants the governor to pay for it. In times past, this would have been a non-issue. Memo raised, memo approved, hail to the governor. The word spreads—- ‘The governor is very generous.’ The question that is not asked is—-‘With whose money?’
The governor cuts right through. He says to
himself, ‘I cannot in good conscience release so much money for the medical treatment of one man. What happens to the gate man who has the same medical issue but lives on a minimum wage of N40,000 a month? Does he not also deserve to be flown abroad at government expense? Is he less a human being, less a citizen than the honorable gentleman who has access to the governor, who has accumulated wealth in his previous forays in the corridors of power, but who has a continued sense of entitlement?’ And so, the governor says to the honorable gentleman, “I am sorry sir, but I cannot help you.” The man fumes and storms out.
The governor does not however, stop there. He calls in his aides and instructs them to create a Health Insurance Scheme, one which will not only benefit the honorable gentleman, but will also benefit the gate man. I will be picking up my card when I get to Benin.
I am thankful for the 6 hours of uninterrupted privilege I had to sit next to a man who in “normal” times, with the position he currently holds in Edo State government should have been sitting in First Class, but was in Economy Class with Yours Truly. It was in that context that I came to an understanding of the quality of the mind of the man whom he serves. Just before we landed in our beloved Lagos, I said to him, “Obaseki will only be loved by history because he believes in the basic philosophy of teaching a man how to fish versus giving a man fish.” We said our goodbyes.
As I jet-lagged through the night unable to sleep, I began to ruminate on the many issues my newly discovered friend and I had touched on. We discussed issues with the Deputy Governor, issues with Oshiomhole and how the Edo electorate rose up to the occasion to save Obaseki’s second term bid and I wondered what legacy the governor would be leaving behind after 8 years of an incredible, life changing, landscape transforming opportunity. Whilst it was clear from our conversation that he would be leaving behind great IT infrastructure
which would guarantee that the next Facebook creator comes from the hills of Kukuruku, it would not be a surprise that the next Elon Musk and Bill Gates might be coming from Ohordua and Iguobazuwa respectively. IT infrastructure is the new leveler in human affairs. A laptop in the hands of a 6-year old child in Auchi is just as good as a laptop in the hands of a 6-year old child in Osaka, Japan. They are now equals. His government has made sure of that as Optical Fibre Cables are being laid across Edo State. He added boastfully, “Edo State government is now 100 percent digitized—paperless. The quality of the Civil Service in Edo State is higher than any other in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
My friend however, conceded that they had not done well with roads. He wonders what magic the governor would be able to pull in the short time left. People want to see good roads. No one cares whether a road is State or Federal owned.
On Election 2024, I quizzed him if it was true that the governor had an anointed candidate. He hesitated. This is where I believe Obaseki can leave a legacy equal to or greater than his IT legacy. Let him throw it open, not to the man or woman with the deepest pocket, or to a trusted high achieving friend, but to debate. Let him change the dynamics—the way a candidate emerges from the party. The old extortionist approach of getting 100 aspirants to purchase forms who then go on to vie for the attention of 576 delegates otherwise known as kingmakers needs to change. These delegates are tin gods. They crouch like Tigers in the Savannah brushes, waiting for prey. When a moneybag without an agenda to change lives emerges, he must therefore come in with vengeance, great vengeance to loot our common patrimony. If a man has paid a delegate millions of Naira to get the nomination, no one can deny him the right to loot as well. Obaseki has the power to change all that.
Will he?
•Michael Ovienmhada is an author, inventor, poet, playwright, businessman, wannabe politician and public affairs commentator. omeekey@hotmail.com
This proposal provides a framework for the Federal Government to redesign and reorganize the public safety and security architecture in Nigeria. The existing public safety and security architecture in Nigeria, should be redesigned and reorganized based on the United States model of policing and public safety. This is an integrated approach to safety and security that will ensure optimal efficacy and consistency in incident response protocols, procedures, and emergency response time (ERT). In addition, it will promote interagency cooperation and eliminate rivalry.
Our great country is in a crisis caused by the state of insecurity in the past months and years, and we are yet to resolve the situation and the country is still suffering from the trauma. We must find the courage to reimagine better ways of handling public safety and security in Nigeria.
The Federal Government cannot continue to do things the old way, making investments in security and public safety without the bigger picture of what it would take to keep the Nigerian people safe. The sole purpose of this integrated approach is to protect our people from unintentional harm(safety) and intentional harm (security). It lays the foundation to enhance the overall safety and security in Nigeria. It will require collaborative effort between the Federal Government, state governments and agencies in the organized private sector.
We are confident that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can lay the groundwork very quickly within his first year in office, by having the courage to invest in results and not continue with policies which did not work in the past.
Every resident or citizen of Nigeria – no matter their social class or status, has a right to be safe in their home and throughout our great nation. Therefore, the recommendations in this proposal will:
• help build a public safety and critical response system that promotes not only the health and well-being of all citizens and residents of Nigeria but also prevent and interrupt violence, prevent crime and will be accountable to the government and people of Nigeria.
• Reduce the flow of sophisticated weapons illegally in circulation within Nigeria.
SCOPE AND MAGNITUDE OF PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS
The greatest challenge facing the country today is public safety and security. Nigeria faces the entire range of threats to its ever-increasing population. The scope and magnitude of the public safety threats to Nigeria are substantial and include:
• Domestic Terrorism
• Kidnappers
• Oil theft
• Fire disasters in commercial and residential areas
• Flood
• Street Gangs and Cults
• Financial crimes
• Armed Robbers
• Ritual Murderers
• Human Trafficking
• Sex crimes
• Drug Trafficking
• Fatal Vehicle Crashes
• Medical Emergencies
• Violent Criminals
• Epidemics
• Arson
• Herders-Farmers conflicts
All these threats pose daunting challenges that require the collaboration of the leadership at federal and state levels including the national and state assemblies, local governments, the criminal justice system, and the Federal Ministry of Interior (Homeland Security).
KEY PILLARS OF CREATING A SAFE AND SECURE NIGERIA
• Whole systems approach
• Economic security
• Transform the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice at state level.
• Decentralized law enforcement and policing
• Empower and regulate private security and protective companies.
• Road safety enforcement
• Rename and restructure Ministry of Interior
(Ministry of Homeland Security)
• Create the Ministry of Public Safety and Homeland Security at state level.
• Public Safety and Emergency Response Infrastructure.
Whole systems approach
This involves the collaboration and cooperation of interrelated and interdependent agencies at federal, state, and local levels, towards a unified goal. The overall goal of a systems approach is to foster and promote an environment of collaboration and information-sharing among the different agencies that make up the security architecture. Additionally, an integrated approach to safety and security will ensure optimal efficacy and consistency in incident response protocols, procedures, and emergency response time (ERT). The resulting partnerships across the agencies will support and enhance public safety and security in Nigeria. Interagency cooperation is imperative within an orderly environment of policies, procedures, training, and support infrastructure. In addition, safety and security and economic security are interrelated.
Economic Security
Each of the federating units/states must make an investment to ensure that every person in the state has the opportunity for economic security as the basis or foundation for safety and security. This includes:
• Building affordable housing
• Building homeless shelters
• Creating efficient and affordable public transportation.
• Quality medical and behavioral health services
• Living wage employment opportunities and job training.
• Access to capital
• Invest in pathways to home ownership and small business ownership.
Transform the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice at state level.
•The Department of Public Prosecutions at Federal and State levels should be fully responsible for
prosecutions for violations of federal and state laws, respectively.
•Hire more lawyers to beef up effectiveness and efficiency of the Department of Public Prosecutions at federal and state levels.
•Create a Criminal Justice Information System at federal and state levels.
Decentralized law enforcement and policing
The decentralization of policing and law enforcement by moving them to the concurrent list of the Nigerian constitution is important. A national police force is not compatible with state law enforcement agencies if the federal government decides to go this route. Consequently, a gradual phasing out of the Nigeria Police (NPF) is inevitable and the following new agencies need to be created at federal level:
• Directorate of Federal Investigations & Intelligence (DFII) – This agency should use the same model as the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
• Directorate of Firearms and Explosives Control- This agency should use the same model as the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The federating units should be able to set up state law enforcement agencies as needed. Part of this process must necessarily include a constitutional amendment to remove immunity for state governors and make the office of state attorney general and elective office. Details are outlined in a different presentation and include recommendations for the states, regulation, staffing, training standards and curriculum, equipment, and support infrastructure. Empower and regulate private security and protective companies.
Private security personnel need to know the law. They need to know what they are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do. Private security companies must be allowed to bear firearms with mandatory training and certification and recertification.
Vigilantes should no longer be allowed but people interested in security jobs must acquire the skills through training and certification. The state must therefore: • Set curriculum standards and licensing requirements for security training and licensing of security and protective companies in the state.
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) yesterday, raised its world oil demand forecasts for the medium and long term, stressing that $14 trillion of investment would be needed to meet the demand.
However, the view from OPEC, in its 2023 World Oil Outlook contrasted with that of other forecasters, including the International Energy Agency (IEA), that say demand might peak this decade.
"Recent developments have led the OPEC team to reassess just what each energy can deliver, with a focus on pragmatic and realistic options
and solutions.
"Calls to stop investments in new oil projects are misguided and could lead to energy and economic chaos, putting the required oil sector investment at $14 trillion out to 2045, up from $12.1 trillion estimated last year,” OPEC Secretary General, Haitham Al Ghais, said in the foreword to the report.
OPEC said it expects world oil demand to reach 116 million barrels a day (bpd) by 2045, around 6 million bpd higher than expected in last year's report, with growth led by China, India, other Asian nations, and Africa as well as the Middle East.
IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol, said last week global coal, oil and
natural gas consumption may peak before 2030, Reuters reported.
The IEA advised industrialised countries and in 2021 said investors should halt new oil investments if the world wants to reach net zero emissions by mid-century.
Speaking at the publication's launch in Riyadh, the capital of top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia, OPEC's Al Ghais cited pushback against net zero policies, and said climate action should not come at the cost of global energy security.
"Over the past year what is clear is that we have seen populations voice concerns about the costs and actual benefits of net zero targets.
"There are some who unfortu-
nately continue to push the extremely risky narrative of dismissing oil with talk of oil demand dropping by almost 25 million barrels a day by the year 2030," he added.
In the report, OPEC also raised its demand forecasts for the medium term to 2028, citing robust demand this year despite economic headwinds such as interest rate hikes. World demand in 2028 would reach 110.2 million bpd, OPEC said, up from 102 million bpd in 2023. It predicted oil use in 2027 would reach 109 million bpd, up from 106.9 million bpd estimated in 2022.
In 2020, OPEC made a shift when the pandemic hit oil demand, saying consumption would eventu-
wITH 50% C A pACITY, nlng Tr AI n 8 n o longer f e ASIB le, S AYS mSH el BI
time, that the company's 22 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) plant comprising Train 1 to 6 was still operating at roughly half of its capacity due to inadequate feed gas supply to the facility.
Mshelbila, attributed the gas supply inadequacy, which he said had persisted for some time, to the rampant oil theft which he said was impacting gas production and supply to the company.
The company had repeatedly expressed its frustration over its inability to operate at full capacity due to the feed gas supply shortages occasioned by the activities of oil thieves and pipeline vandalism that had caused a major drop in crude and gas production.
Most of the gas produced in
must achieve is that this country must be the next exporter of petroleum product.
"I strongly believe, now without giving you a chance so that you don't get angry again, that in 2024, this country will become a net exporter of petroleum product. The meaning of this is that we will have sufficient volumes in-country.
"When we refine locally, we do have advantages – creating wealth, creating taxes, and all forms of value chain, creating employment, and so on and so forth," he said.
With regard to transportation challenges arising from the removal of fuel subsidy, Kyari said there was need to fast-track the CNG initiative by embarking on mass conversion of fuel driven cars to CNG models.
He said the country should focus more on clean energyCNG driven transport system in the coming years, adding that the government was already working on bringing on a gas revolution in the country by putting in place gas pipeline infrastructure aimed at making CNG gas available to all parts of the country.
Another area of focus, Kyari said was the development of local refining capabilities.
Speaking on the vision for deregulation of the petroleum downstream sector, Kyari said one of the unintended outcomes of the policy on fuel subsidy was its crippling effect on the operations of the NNPC, which he said was forced to bear the cost of the subsidy not backed up by funds from the 2023 budget.
He said the policy decision to extend the fuel subsidy to May 29, 2023, was not backed with monetary allocation, which forced NNPC to stretch itself to its fullest and almost became bankrupt.
Recounting the issues that led to the eventual removal of fuel subsidy, Kyari said, "So by 17th of February, there was simply no legal basis, no legal provision to put subsidy on petroleum and that market should determine the price of petrol and that the state should
Nigeria come with crude oil during oil production.
NLNG had raised similar concern in August last year, when it disclosed that oil theft and pipeline vandalism had resulted to the company losing almost $7 billion in revenue from January to August 2022 due to gas supply constraints.
The company’s General Manager in charge of production at the time, Mr. Adeleye Falade, who disclosed this at a conference in Lagos, had said the company’s 22mtpa LNG plant’s production was at the time trending at 99.4 per cent year-to-date availability while utilisation hovered around 68 per cent.
Falade explained that the
take responsibility to ensure that consumers are protected from the price fluctuations.
“And of course, we are dealing with a very big country, over 200 million people in population. Huge issues around economic inclusion. And therefore, it became very obvious that it was not practicable to stop the placement of subsidy on PMS
"So the National Assembly, in its wisdom, decided that can we provide for financing until 30th of June 2023, so that we can now close that gap and then have the right conversation and get ready to ensure that we are addressing this appropriately.
“Obviously, budget is one thing. Funding is a different thing. And I can tell you, since 2022, when that provision was made, until the 29th of May, not a single naira was paid to the NNPC Limited as cost of subsidy.
“That means we were carrying it entirely on the balance sheet of the NNPC. We'll hold back fiscal revenues, taxes, royalties, including properties, and yet, because we are seeing values exceeding N400 billion in a month of subsidy. There was no way the fiscal obligations would cover for the subsidy.
"So we were heading towards what we can technically call bankruptcy of the NNPC, because we would have gone into negative cash flow.
“By the end of June 2023, we would have been in negative cash flow. What it simply meant was that the NNPC would have been bankrupt if that bold decision was not taken by Mr. President," he added.
On how to address the initial challenges accompanying deregulation of the petroleum downstream sector, the NNPC boss said going back on the policy was not an option but that efforts should be directed on how to deal with the impact on ordinary citizens.
According to him, the federal and state governments were already taking some measures to provide palliatives and address the transportation issues.
He said people would always cut corners as long as the market did not determine
data between the 99.4 per cent availability and the 68 per cent utilisation, which was equivalent to $7 billion revenue, was part of the effect of the critical oil and gas pipelines that were shut down due to insecurity at the facilities.
But in a statement yesterday by NLNG's Acting Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Mr. Yemi Adeyemi, Mshelbila explained that, “Today, the biggest challenge we have, one that poses a threat not only to our existing operations but also to our expansion plans, is feed gas supply.
"Trains 1 to 6 currently operate at roughly half their potential capacity, a situation that has persisted for some time. The main issue
the price of PMS, but revealed that as at today, the country did not have accurate record of fuel consumption due to the absence of requisite technical capabilities.
He also pointed out that Nigeria did not have accurate record of domestic fuel consumption as a result of cross-border smuggling, adding that the country hadwitnessed a drop of daily petrol evacuation from the depot by 30 per cent since the removal of the subsidy.
"I always say that we do not have very credible data on fuel consumption in this country. The reason is very simple. Technology, access, cross-border smuggling, and all the other segments of our system that are still not optimum cannot allow us to have a total idea and to fix number around our consumption,” he said.
He also debunked news making the rounds that the federal government had backed down on its complete removal of petrol subsidy, insisting that fuel subsidy was gone for good.
There had been media reports that the federal government had been paying subsidies on petrol so as to keep the pump price from skyrocketing beyond the current average of N619 per litre.
But responding to the issue for the first time, Kyari, while answering questions from reporters after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, said there was no subsidy whatsoever as the NNPCL was recovering full cost of petroleum products being imported.
He said foreign exchange (FX) issues have not allowed private companies to import petroleum products, with the national oil company presently being the sole importer of the product.
“We are the only company importing petrol into the country. None of them can do it today. For them, access to foreign exchange is difficult. We create foreign exchange (FX), therefore we have access to FX, while their access to FX is limited,” he told participants at the PENGASSAN summit.
But speaking to State House correspondents, Kyari explained
ally slow after years of predicting ever-increasing use. After that, it started raising forecasts again as oil use recovered.
While the 2022 version of OPEC's report anticipated global demand reaching a plateau after 2035, the latest sees oil use rising by another 1.6 million bpd in the last 10 years of the forecast period. OPEC now expects demand to be higher than it thought in 2019, before the pandemic.
“By 2045, there will be 2.6 billion vehicles on the world's roads, a billion more than in 2022. Over 72 per cent of them will be powered by a combustion engine despite electric vehicles being the fastest-growing segment,” the report said.
behind the challenge is crude oil theft which affects associated gas supply. The plant is half-full, not because we don’t have the capacity but because the feed gas is not there.
"We have aspiration for Train 8 but we cannot progress that work because we have no line of sight as to where that gas will come from.
“We believe that the gas can only come from deep water gas but the terms for that must be addressed. At present, the Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) that govern deep-water exploration do not offer commercially viable terms for producers."
He said the company's commitment to harnessing the immense
that fuel prices in Nigeria was determined by market forces and global oil prices, and there was no financial burden placed on the government or taxpayers due to subsidies.
His words: "No subsidy whatsoever. We are recovering our full cost from the products that we import. We sell to the market. We understand why the marketers are unable to import. We hope that they do it very quick and these are some of the interventions government is doing. There is no subsidy."
On the fuel scarcity that has been noticed in some states and Abuja at the weekend, the NNPCL boss blamed the development on a combination of factors, including bad roads, competition among marketers and foreign exchange challenges.
According to him, "We have seen in very few states pockets of very low queues. This is not unconnected with the road situation as we're seeing the number of blockades on our roads crossing products from the southern depots into the northern part of the country, and it takes them a much longer
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credible and convincing enough to convict the suspended police officer.
The court stated that although none of the eyewitnesses actually saw the defendant pull the trigger, but the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming.
The judge held that a defendant could be convicted when the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.
Justice Harrison held that, “The question in the mind of the court is did the prosecution proffer any additional evidence. The court finds that the ammunition of the other officers, who were on patrol with the defendant remained intact but two of the defendant's ammunition was missing.”
The court held that the defendant constituted itself as a ballistically pathologist without tendering a certificate to that effect, and therefore dismissed the evidence
potential of natural gas would not only restore Nigeria’s reputation as a major energy powerhouse but also propel the country towards a cleaner, greener future.
According to him, "With innovation, collaboration by a wide array of stakeholders, including the government, and unwavering determination, we can shape the energy landscape of tomorrow, driving economic prosperity, creating jobs, and mitigating environmental challenges through gas."
He said Nigeria must be deliberate in its desire to take opportunities offered by the energy transition, the recognition of gas as a transition fuel and the quest for clean energy to increase its gas investment and harvest the gains from gas.
Briefing the Minister on NLNG’s operations and business, Mshelbila stressed the need to overcome the challenges within Nigeria’s energy sector.
He stated that failure to address the root causes of these issues would perpetuate the country’s struggle with energy poverty and result in a significant loss of revenue from the monetisation of valuable resources.
He maintained that a pivotal starting point for remedying these industry challenges lay in a concentrated effort on the gas sector.
“As we embark on the journey to complete Train 7, we are on the precipice of achieving a remarkable milestone - a capacity of 30 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA).
“This accomplishment will not only position us as one of the largest single-site operations globally but potentially among the top three worldwide in terms of such capacity at a single site.
“It is an achievement that elevates Nigeria's standing, placing us among the top six nations in this crucial industry," the NLNG boss noted.
He, noted, however, that the world was evolving at an unprecedented pace, and that recent events, such as the Russian/ Ukraine conflict, have ushered in a wave of new developments in the LNG sector.
of the defendant as regards the bullet used.
“The court finds that the forensic expert and the medical doctor's evidence confirm the circumstantial evidence that the defendant had the opportunity to shoot the victim and that the victim was shot and died from the gunshot. Every eyewitness heard the loud noise and the passers-by shouted in Yoruba language (oti pa eyan) meaning you have killed someone,” the judged stated.
Besides, the court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond every reasonable doubt that there was overwhelming circumstantial evidence that it was the convict who shot the gun that killed the deceased.
“The death of the deceased was instantaneous. There is no other explanation, it was the gunshot that shattered the side glass and pierced the victim's chest. It was the
Mshelbila said the surge in activity underscored the robust demand for LNG, a demand recognised by nations worldwide as integral to the global energy transition.
"Considering these dynamic changes, our position in the rankings is likely to shift rapidly, as other countries make substantial investments in LNG production. This is why we believe it is important for us to conclude Train 7 and begin to look beyond that for further expansion," he added.
Responding, Ekpo said the federal government would continue to encourage engagements amongst stakeholders to resolve gas supply and security issues and restore plans to compete with peers in the world.
The minister stated that NLNG stood as a leading light to the Nigeria’s quest to become an energy-efficient country where clean energy, including gas, was utilised.
He stated further that all hands must be on the deck to stop the loss of revenue in the sector and missed opportunities, adding that the federal government was engaging with investors to tap into the huge gas reserves in Nigeria.
Ekpo stated: “The development of gas is something we should pursue vigorously. The present administration will do everything possible to address the issues.
“I am glad that the stakeholders in the sector, like NLNG, are not laidback. They are constantly seeking ways out of this issue. NLNG needs all the necessary encourage to expand. It is for the good of this country. We must be quick to make these gains in development for the benefit of our future generations,” he stated.
According to the statement, the minister, who was received by Mshelbila; the company's General Manager, Production, Nnamdi Anowi; General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Andy Odeh, and other management staff, took a tour of the Central Control Room (CCR), the plant complex and the Train 7 construction site.
defendant, who had an Ak-47 riffle whose ammunition was missing after the armourer counted it.
“Therefore, the defendant is found guilty of the one count charge and sentenced to death by hanging he should be hung until he dies,” Justice Harrison held.
The Lagos State government had arraigned Vandi before the court for allegedly shooting to death the 41-year-old pregnant lawyer at the Ajah under-bridge checkpoint on December 25, 2022.
Lagos State government, in a charge, dated December 28, 2022, and marked LD/20598c/22, alleged that Vandi killed Raheem contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
He was arraigned before the court on January 16, 2023, and Vandi pleaded not guilty to the one-count charge of murder, but the court then granted accelerated hearing on the case.
Air raid sirens blared in Israel's largest city, Tel Aviv, again yesterday morning as Palestinian militants fired more missiles at the Jewish state and the death toll on both sides soared to over 1,500, with at least 11 Americans among the dead. Explosions rang out as Israel's Iron Dome air defense system brought down some of the rockets, but there was no immediate word on how many might have slipped through, the CBS News reported.
The latest salvo of rockets, claimed by Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades military unit, came after Israel said it had struck hundreds of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip overnight and as four Israeli combat divisions were deployed to the country's south. Some 100,000 Israeli reservists were called up to fight as battles with Hamas militants continued.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said "fighter jets and helicopters, aircraft and artillery struck over 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip" Sunday night and Monday morning, claiming to have destroyed tunnels and at least seven "Hamas command centers" in the blockaded Palestinian territory. The IDF said it also struck a command center used by Islamic Jihad, another Iran-backed terror group based in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
"It's taking more time than we expected to get things back into a defensive security posture," Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told journalists Monday morning, acknowledging the ongoing battles in southern Israel three days after Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on the Jewish state.
An Israeli embassy spokesperson said Monday, the death toll had risen to at least 900 Israelis. Most were civilians. Another 2,150 were reported wounded. More than 250 of the dead were people who had been attending a music festival near the border with Gaza when gunmen attacked. At least 11 U.S. nationals were among the dead, President Biden said in a statement Monday afternoon. "It's heart wrenching. These families have been torn apart by inexcusable hatred and violence," Biden said.
An undetermined number of Americans remained missing.
Israel made it clear that it wants vengeance, and in the Gaza Strip, retribution was falling from the sky. The airstrikes had killed more than 687 people as of Monday, including at least 140 children, according to
the Gaza Ministry of Health. It said another 3,700 more were wounded in the strikes.
In the coming days, Israel is expected to launch a ground incursion into Gaza, a small, densely packed region sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and Israel to the north and east.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said yesterday, that he'd ordered a tightening of the Gaza blockade: "Nothing is allowed in or out. There will be no fuel, electricity or food supplies," he said in a statement. "We fight animals in human form and proceed accordingly."
CBS News reported that the Israeli airstrikes had been relentless since Saturday. While Israel insists it was targeting Hamas and other terror groups, it has long accused those militants of positioning both
The ActionAid Nigeria has expressed concern over the alert issued by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) about an impending flood in nine states.
NEMA had listed the states to include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa.
Owing to the alert by NEMA, Actionaid Nigeria in a statement signed by its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, noted that the development had already led to the displacement of communities, posing a significant risk of further devastation to crops and critical infrastructure.
The statement also revealed that the loss of 28 lives and the displacement of thousands underscored the urgent need for collective and concerted efforts to address this crisis.
ActionAid Nigeria expressed commitment to working alongside relevant agencies, the government, and affected communities to provide immediate relief, support, and rehabilitation efforts, imploring the affected states to urgently activate their emergency response plans to safeguard lives and property.
In the statement AAN called on both federal and state governments to collaborate with the national and state emergency management agencies to expedite the provi-
sion of essential relief materials, noting that this includes food, clean water, shelter, and medical supplies, ensuring that affected individuals and families receive timely support.
The organisation urged the government to address the immediate healthcare needs of those impacted, stating that it was imperative that medical teams and vital healthcare services be promptly deployed, with particular focus on vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
It also stressed the need to, “ensure that SEMA’s evacuation procedure is organised and wellcoordinated, guaranteeing the safety and well-being of all evacuees. Additionally, ensure seamless coordination among various emergency response agencies, NGOs, and community-based organisations. This collaborative effort is essential in optimising resources and providing effective assistance. A thorough assessment of the evolving impact on affected communities is crucial to guide response efforts effectively.
“Intensify public awareness campaigns through the National Orientation Agency. These campaigns should focus on educating citizens about safety measures, evacuation procedures, and preventive actions in flood-prone areas. Ensure accurate and up-to-date information is disseminated to affected communities, emphasis-
ing precautionary measures and available support services.
“Amidst the glaring negligence of erosion and disaster-prone zones across various states, despite significant allocations from the Ecology Fund, ActionAid Nigeria demands an immediate and comprehensive review of the fund utilisation, ensuring urgent deployment of the funds for immediate emergency response and prevention of future
disasters.”
It added: “We also call on our development partners to stand with us, working together with stakeholders to provide essential relief, rehabilitation, and resources to communities grappling with the impending flood disaster.
“Let's ensure no one is left behind during this urgent time. ActionAid Nigeria is fully prepared to collaborate in this critical mission.”
fighters and weapons in or near civilian infrastructure.
Houses, apartment buildings and mosques were all among the targets hit overnight, most of them without prior warning, al-Ghoul said.
"I could not sleep last night as the planes bombed the mosque nearby, causing casualties and breaking the windows of my house," Samar Alyan, who lives in the sprawling al-Shati refugee camp just west of Gaza City, told CBS News.
"We do not know what fate has in store for us," she said. "Israel retaliates on civilians."
The camp is home to some 150,000 refugees.
In the center of Gaza City, schools run by the U.N.'s humanitarian agency in the Palestinian territories, UNRWA, were full of displaced people looking for any safety they could find.
Israeli infrastructure minister
Israel Katz said in a tweet that he had "ordered to immediately cut off the water supply from Israel to Gaza," adding that "electricity and fuel were cut off yesterday" to the Palestinian territory, which is home to some two million people.
Israel has been locked in a cycle of violence with Palestinian militant groups for decades, but what happened on Saturday was unprecedented. Hundreds of Hamas militants broke through the steel and concrete barrier that Israel has used for decades to contain Palestinians inside Gaza.
They stormed into Israel by land,
sea and even on paragliders as waves of rockets — more than 3,000 of them — were unleashed on Israeli towns and cities.
The gunmen from the group, which has long been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israel, went on a rampage, slaughtering civilians in the streets, engaging Israeli security forces with deadly effect, and kidnapping hostages including women, children and the elderly.
Some of them were paraded through the streets of Gaza — human trophies that Hamas knows it could use as leverage against its enemy.
Israeli general says Hamas crossed "point of no return" with kidnappings
One of the captives is Noa Argamani, a university student who was hauled away on the back of a motorcycle as she screamed for help.
"She is an amazing person, a sweet child," her father Yaacov told CBS News. "I cannot believe it."
The shocked father said he wanted the Israeli government to rescue his daughter, but "only by peaceful measures."
"We need to act with sensitivity," he said. "They [Palestinians] also have mothers who are crying, the same as it is for us."
"Seems like Israel had no clue"
For many in Israel, the question burning yesterday morning was how the country's intelligence agencies could have failed to detect and disrupt planning for such a significant Hamas assault.
A technology expert and human capital development advocate, Mr. Charles Eze, has expressed worry over the large population of out-of-school pupils, currently put at N20 million.
Eze, while describing the situation as a big threat to the country's socioeconomic development, blamed the increase in crime and criminalities on lack of access to basic education. He spoke during the launch of the Charles Eze Development Foundation (CED), in Abuja. The foundation was established to provide empowerment programmes for the teaming out-of-School population in the country.
"I have seen firsthand and know
that some of us have witnessed the devastating effects of socio-capital infrastructure and its impact on having access to education, and healthcare, and how it promotes child labour and exploitation, youth restiveness, and involvement in social vices.
"This experience inspired me to launch a mission toward solving these problems," he explained.
He stated that when the country develops its youth, the society would have less of crime, youth restiveness and social vices.
According to him, the current unemployment rate in Nigeria, especially among the youth and university graduates, was a threat to the country's socio-economic development, adding that this group
constitute of the smartest and most talented young people on earth who can help drive Nigeria's economic growth through entrepreneurship and technology innovation.
Eze, who holds a Post Graduate Degree in Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning from the University of Texas, said the launch of the founding was the realisation of the passion he had since his teenage years about human and socio-capital development.
"Growing up, I always envisioned how kids around me would grow up to become what they wished. For some, this dream came to pass, while others could not make it beyond elementary education due to poverty, I watched some become orphaned at an early
stage of life, or even lose their lives to hit-and-run vehicles while hawking for their parents or guardians to raise their school fees.
"As an undergraduate and a young lecturer in tertiary institutions, I witnessed the challenges some students face to pay their school fees, and how non-payment or late payment impacts their academic progress.
“A similar situation applies to students from low-income and middle-income families enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in Nigeria today," he recalled. Eze, said his vision for the CED Foundation, "was to leverage it to empower the next generation of leaders through human and socio-economic development.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, adjourned further proceedings in the case filed by the Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa on Thursday, September 28, 2023, granting leave Aiyedatiwa to decide on whether to continue to sit on the case or not.
This followed the application of counsel to the Plaintiff, which was predicated on two grounds.
First in order to encourage the Reconciliation Committee set up by the National Chairman of the All-Progressives Congress and also to allow the Ondo State House of Assembly enough time to pursue its petition to the National Judicial Council, against the Judge.
But the Assembly has rejected Aiyedatiwa’s letter, urging the state Chief Judge, Olusegun Odusola, to disregard the request by the state Assembly to set up a seven-man panel to investigate the 14 allegations of gross misconduct level against him.
The Assembly through its lawyer, Femi Emodamori, explained that it was not part of the APC reconciliation and was only awaiting the ruling of today, Tuesday 10th October, 2023, before pushing forward with the impeachment process.
However, at yesterday’s proceedings, counsel to the Plaintiff
informed the Court that the National Chairman of the APC set up a Reconciliation Committee on 6th October 2023, to mediate on the dispute between some of the parties to the suit.
It was reasoned that the continuation of the court proceedings would antagonise the settlement efforts as the parties might not be willing to let go of their rigid positions.
Counsel to the Plaintiff further informed the Court that the House of Assembly wrote a petition to the National Judicial Council on 3rd October 2023, where it made very disparaging and uncomplimentary comments against the presiding judge.
He said the effect of the petition
to the NJC is that the House of Assembly has no confidence in the presiding judge and the same assembly cannot at the same time seek to argue any application before the same judge and thus, it will be good to await the action of the NJC on the said petition.
He applied that the petition should be served on all parties so that they couldrespond to it, while deprecating the unguarded utterances and actions of the Assembly.
Responding, counsel to the Ondo State Governor and the Chief Judge of Ondo State, informed the court that they were not parties to the settlement moves and that they would thus prefer that the court should go ahead with the case
and first determine the issue of its jurisdiction.
On its part, Counsel to the House of Assembly confirmed that a petition was written to the NJC but that he did not agree with the contents of the said petition as it seeks to undermine the integrity of the court.
He said he had advised the Assembly to withdraw the petition and a letter of withdrawal accompanied with a sworn affidavit was submitted to the NJC on 6th October 2023.
Counsel apologised to the Court for the misconduct of his clients and gave an undertaking that his clients will forthwith show utmost respect to the authority of the Court.
In response, counsel to the Plaintiff
informed the Court that since there is an admission of the petition to the NJC, the Court should direct that the petition and the letter of withdrawal should be sent to the court and all the parties.
After listening to the submissions of counsel, the Presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, advised the lawyers and the Nigerian Bar Association to do their best to protect the sanctity of the legal profession and to avoid temptations from politicians to disparage the judiciary.
He argued that if any party iwas dissatisfied with any decision of the Court, they should follow the appropriate channels laid down for remedy.
The judge then adjourned the
case to 16th October for ruling on the submissions made and to hear pending applications, if necessary.
Meanwhile, the Assembly, which denied being part of the APC plans to broker peace among the warring parties in the state, stated this in a letter titled: ‘Ondo Assembly, Not Part of APC Reconciliation.’
"I have read some grossly distorted and tendencious online reports about the proceedings of the Federal High Court, Abuja today 9th October, 2023 in the case instituted by the Ondo State Deputy Governor to stop his impeachment. Because of the huge public interest in the case, I feel obliged to correct the distortions.
As part of efforts to raise awareness for endometriosis and Adenomyosis diseases, a non-governmental organisation, Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Foundation, in partnership with Ondo State government yesterday, took a sensitisation campaign to over 600 secondary school students in Akure, the state capital.
The event which featured menstrual hygiene and endometriosis awareness lessons and distribution
of sanitary pads to the students was held at the Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Akure with the theme: "You are not alone."
Speaking, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Endometriosis and Adenomyosis Foundation, Mrs. Olabimpe Fapohunda-Dube, said it was important to create awareness to improve health outcomes for girls and women affected by endometriosis and Adenomyosis.
Olabimpe described endometriosis as a condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus
is found outside the uterus where it causes severe period pain except in asymptomatic people, which may cause scar tissue (adhesions) and cysts, stressing that increased awareness would help women reduce the risks of infertility and create a safer world where they can live a stigma-free life.
"Endometriosis affects women during their reproductive years. One out of 10 women may be affected. It is found in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, lining of the pelvic cavity, outer surface of the uterus,
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Ambassador of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Jon Tong Chol, has sought a partnership between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
Chol, during a courtesy call on the National Chairman of APC, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje, said though the administration of President Bola Tinubu took over at a difficult time, it was apparent that the new administration was making progress in the fields of national security and revival of economy.
The envoy noted that Nigeria
was now politically stable under the current administration Tinubu, adding that there was a need to exchange ideas between the two nations.
His words: "It is consistent stance of the Korean government to further strengthen bilateral ties with Nigeria. I see that Nigeria is now a politically stable country, and we see the achievements made in the fight against terrorists, such as Boko Haram and and also the separatist groups.
"We cannot achieve progress in nation building apart from securing peace of the country.
"The ruling political party of Korea which is the Workers’ Party
of Korea wishes to strengthen ties with your political party. So far, we have a sustained cooperation and collaboration between the parties. But we still lack some substance.
"The Workers’ Party of Korea prioritises expanding relations with the ruling party of Nigeria.
"The Workers’ Party of Korea has successfully led the Korean people to successfully build a socialist country without any derailment in guiding the popular masses.
"I believe some of you are aware of the development in the situation surrounding the Korean peninsula. We have won independence in 1945 from the colonial rule from
the imperialist Japan.”
Continuing, he said: “However, tragically, the Korean peninsula was divided into two by the outside forces. And the Northern part of the Korean peninsula, which is our country have faced constant military threat and has been sanctioned by the hostile forces.
“That's why our ruling party chose independent politics to build a self-reliance economy and self- defend national defense.
"That's why we rally the masses and formed major policies of the government, so the ruling party's committee makes the major decisions in the country.
bladder, bowel, vagina, cervix and other locations.
“In rare cases these endometrial cells have been found on the diaphragm and in the lungs. The stages of endometriosis are (Il-minimal, mild, IIl-moderate, and IV-severe).
"The symptoms of endometriosis include painful periods (chronic pelvic pain that radiates to the legs, lower back pain, pain during ovulation, pain with sexual intercourse or after sex, painful pelvic examination, painful bowel movement or urination); heavy periods (excessive bleeding with or without clots); irregular periods (intermenstrual bleeding); prolonged bleeding; bloating; infertility amongst others.”
Olabimpe, said she believes that through such coordinated effort, a difference would be made in students’ lives.
"It was my personal experience with endometriosis. I had a condition but didn't know what it was. It started at the age of 13 and it started with pain and I kept moving from one hospital to the other. So, it took about 16 years before I knew what was wrong," she added.
While explaining that Adenomyosis is a condition which occurs when the lining of the uterus grows deep into the walls of the uterus, Olabimpe called on government at all levels to always give the NGO support in form of access and funding to reach more girls across the country.
"We are targeting all the secondary schools in Ondo State because it is important everyone knows about it
because this will foster a supportive school environment for the students facing the challenges or similar challenges.
“We will continue to speak to the students, we will continue to engage them of better ways of proper disposal measures.
"Information, engaging them, assuring them and reassuring them, I think that's the way to go. We've been to 20 schools across the country. I am from Ondo and decided that its time to come here.
“We've met with over 200 students in the state so far and we want to do more, so that more people will get to know about this," she stressed.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Youth and Students Affairs, Mr. Muyiwa Ogunyemi, said the state government remains a genderfriendly state and has continued to enact a laws to support the girl child.
"The state government is a gender friendly state and even the first lady of the state had to lobby the state legislators to enact a law to support the girl child. “Government has been providing but we need to do more by collaborating with NGOs to ensure that girls schools are supported financially and materially in the State," she added.
Earlier, the Principal, Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School, Akure, Omobola Ojoge, appreciated the state government and the NGO for counting the school worthy for the awareness campaigns.
In an obvious move designed to contain his continuing image crisis, especially the unceasing Chicago State University certificate crisis, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, strengthened his Presidential Media Advisory Team, with the appointment of five new hands.
A release by the Media Adviser to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, stated that the new hands would serve in the Office of the President under the Media & Publicity Directorate with full respect for the tenets of
Nigeria's federal character principle and the supremacy of merit.
Those newly onboard included the ace public speaker and former Presidential candidate of Alliance for a New Nigeria (ANN), Mr Fela Durotoye as the Senior Special Assistant to the President — National Values & Social Justice.
Other appointees were former Deputy Editor of The Cable and publisher of public interest newspaper, The Link, Mr. Fredrick Nwabufo as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement) and Senate Correspondent of
Channels Television, Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Strategic Communications).
Also, on the team were the Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) pressure group, APC Rebirth, Mr. Aliyu Audu as the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs and Mr. Francis Adah Abah, Personal Assistant to the President on Special Duties.
Tinubu also approved the secondment of Mrs. Linda Nwabuwa Akhigbe to serve as the Communications Adviser to the President of
the ECOWAS Commission.
The president tasked the new appointees, who were serving in the Media & Publicity directorate to uphold the highest standards of decorum and decency in their engagements with all members of the public as they advanced his determined bid to renew the hope of Nigerians in a restructured economy and unified society that catered sufficiently to the needs of all, regardless of any differences.
Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in
the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has told President Bola Tinubu, that not even a thousand media aides could save his already sinking reputation.
Shaibu, in a statement yesterday reacted to the establishment of a new media directorate and the appointment of an additional five aides by the Tinubu administration.
Shaibu said the appointments were a confirmation of his September 18 statement, where he revealed that the Tinubu government was on the verge of unleashing a propaganda unit.
The Katsina State Police Command, has arrested 90 suspected rapists, 82 suspected kidnappers, 73 murder suspects across the state between June to September, 2023.
The command's Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, who disclosed this yesterday while briefing journalists, said the suspects were among the 1,005 arrested within the period under review.
Aliyu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the 1,005 suspected criminals were nabbed by operatives of the command in connection with 853 reported cases, adding that 395 cases were undergoing prosecution.
He said, "In the course of this campaign, a total number of fiftythree suspected armed robbers, eighty two suspected kidnappers, seventy-three murder suspects and ninety suspected rapists were arrested."
He added that 707 other suspects were arrested for various offences ranging from criminal force, cultism,
intimidation, being in possession of hard drugs, dried suspected to be Indian hemp, among others.
Aliyu said the command neutralised five suspected kidnappers, rescued 171 kidnapped victims and recovered four AK-47 rifles, six locally made guns and 517 live rounds of ammunition.
"We also recovered over 600 suspected rustled animals, 29 suspected stolen motor vehicles and motorcycles, 568 sachet of D5 tablets, 180 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
"Other items recovered from the suspects include 23 packets of Exzole tablets, 411 packets of rebozel tablets and five packs of Diezole tablets. Members of the Fourth Realm, I will like to acknowledge and appreciate your immense cooperation and partnership with the command."
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, yesterday, sought the collaboration, partnership and technical support for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from the European Union (EU) to enable
the police ecosystem to achieve its target of deploying global norms and best practices.
The minister made the call during a meeting with the European team led by the European Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Samuela Isopi, at the Ministry of Police Affairs in Abuja.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated that the technical support and partnership should be in the area of addressing policy gaps and capacity building that would boost the capacity of an existing and evolving Nigeria Police in the country.
She said the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration had eight components, including peace and security, noting that the ministry had targets and the need for collaboration with the EU in the area of reforms, capacity building and community policing, which would curb transnational crimes for collective achievements.
“What we are looking at is the community-based policing with intelligence-led and technologydriven. That is the face of every
As the 21st World Day Against the Death Penalty is marked around the world today, Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS), and The Inclusion Project (TIP), have called for an official moratorium and the abolition of the death penalty in Nigeria.
October 10 of every year is marked as World Day Against the Death Penalty, a day set aside every year
to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
The theme for the 2023 edition is, “The death penalty: an irreversible torture,” aimed at raising awareness of the inhuman living conditions of people sentenced to death and their physical and psychological sufferings that amount to torture.
HURILAWS and TIP in a joint statement signed by Collins Okeke on behalf of HURILAWS and Pamela Okoroigwe (TIP), noted that the 1999
police force globally, the path we like to go. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPO) has a lot of capacity in that area and if we work together, we will achieve a lot.
“I am seeking every support that can be for the ministry to achieve the renewed hope agenda, which has policing components and none of them can work without it. We are harmonising various police reforms that are in existence, analysing why they are not fully implemented and coming up with what we can achieve within 2-3 years,” she said.
Earlier, Ambassador Isopi, stated that the EU would continue to support all Nigeria’s relevant agencies involved in improving the coordination of policing in the areas of training and capacity building. She added that the European Union was collaboration with the Nigeria Police while noting that
they work together within the framework of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants.
"We have been doing capacity and supporting coordination at national, regional, and international levels," she said, even as she spoke of a new migration programme of EU that will be signed next week, stressing that the agreement was essential because it was a political tool to do more in other areas.
"We are preparing a new phase of our programme to end genderbased violence and we need your cooperation and support to work together. On transactional crimes, it is interesting that we can collaborate.
"We help to establish collaboration between Nigerian institutions and European entities and reaching out to the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPO) and the possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding,” she added.
Constitution guaranteed the right to life and respect for the dignity of the human person, including the right not to be subjected to torture, but the criminal justice system does otherwise.
The statement noted that it was the duty of the judge while delivering the death penalty under the country’s legal system to pronounce a death sentence and the manner in which the sentence would be carried out against anyone found guilty of the offence.
He said, “I warned on September 18 that the Tinubu government was getting frustrated after being exposed for their many lies and that they would set up a propaganda unit.
“Now they have established a media and publicity directorate. This brings to 20 the number of media advisers appointed by Tinubu. In fact, about three of these appointees hold the exact same portfolio.
“We understand the desperation by Tinubu’s government, which is currently facing a huge certificate forgery scandal and is about to be drowned by the files that the FBI will release regarding his heroin case in the United States.
“For a government that claims to be focused on fiscal discipline, it has appointed the largest number of non-statutory appointments. Isn’t it ironic that Tinubu has more media advisers than economic aides? It is obvious that he plans to use propaganda to rule. No wonder he has held only one cabinet meeting in five months.
“Tinubu and his lackeys must, however, understand that no matter the air freshener you use in spraying excreta, the stench can never go away. No amount of image laundering can save his sinking image,” he added.
Shaibu, however, said, “With the latest appointment, Tinubu now has over 20 media aides, the highest in the history of Nigeria. But propaganda can only go so far. Propaganda cannot put food on the table of the poor; it cannot make their infrastructure better; it cannot solve insecurity, and it definitely cannot bring in circumspect foreign investors.
“They can only, like the character, Squealer, in Animal Farm, succeed at increasing the quantities of food available to the community only on paper."
The Federal High Court, Abuja, last night, disqualified the governorshipcandidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, from contesting the November 11 election in Bayelsa State.
Justice Donatus Okorowo ruled that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of the state, would breach the 1999 constitution as amended
if allowed to contest again.
The judge also declared that Sylva was not qualified to run in the November poll because if he wins and is sworn in, he would spend more than eight years in office as governor of the state.
Citing the case of Marwa vs Nyako at the Supreme Court, Okorowo noted that the drafters of the country’s constitution stated that nobody should be voted for as
governor more than two times and that the parties to the suit agreed that Sylva was voted into office two times.
He further stated that the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Marwa vs Nyako that nobody can expand the constitution or its scope, stressing that, if Sylva was allowed to contest the next election, it meant a person could contest as many times as he wanted.
1,000 media aides can't save your reputation, says Shaibu
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, told the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, that the Army’s dedication to protecting the country has raised the citizens’ confidence.
Sanwo-Olu, who sought the Army’s cooperation in the area of traffic control and environmental enforcements, also hailed them for committing to the rules of engagement and professionalism in its peace mission across the country.
He said the Army had continued to live up to the expectations of their roles as provided by the constitution,
stressing that the sacrifice paid by soldiers to keep the territorial integrity and peace of the country would not go unappreciated.
The governor spoke when he received the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, at Lagos House in Marina, on a courtesy visit.
Lagbaja was in Lagos for the clearance of Unexploded Ordinance (UXO) at the 9 Brigade Military Cantonment, Ikeja.
The Army, the Governor said, had earned the citizens’ confidence and respect as a member of the nation’s armed forces, given its
Oyo State Governor, 'Seyi Makinde, yesterday, inaugurated an 11-member adhoc inter-ministerial committee on the harmonisation of various demands by labour unions in the state, even as he charged them to come up with homegrown solutions on issues bordering on workers' welfare in the state.
The governor, while performing the inauguration at the Executive Chamber, Agodi, Ibadan, also called on the members of the committee to be open-minded.
Tasking the committee, headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Olanike Adeyemo, he said they should also come up with a report on the modalities for the implementation of workers' demands.
The committee was given a six-week time frame to complete its assignment.
Makinde stated that his administration had been proactive in attending to the demands of labour unions and workers, a development he noted had promoted a cordial relationship and helped the government to deliver several development projects in the state.
The governor commended the labour leaders for their cooperation and sense of understanding, dating
back to 2019/2020, when the state successfully negotiated the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment and other modalities for workers' welfare.
According to him, the responsibility of attending to the welfare of the people should rest with states, as the implementation of labour agreements has always been more proactive in Oyo State compared to the federal level.
"Let me thank the labour leaders for coming to the table and I am optimistic that we can have our own home-grown solution. We have done this before in 2019,when we had a negotiation on minimum wage and consequential adjustment. We came together and Oyo State became one of the first states to actually reach a landing. That is the position till this recent crisis we are facing.
“In terms of the welfare of the workers in Oyo State, we have been very proactive as a state. The backlog of promotions and all sorts of arrears that we met were tackled headlong. With time, we have had cooperation from the labour union leaders and that has allowed the government to function properly and to go after the developmental activities that we are trying to carry out on behalf of the people of Oyo State.”
sense of commitment, dedication and patriotism.
“We are grateful to the Army and its men for their dedication to the country at this difficult time in different parts of the country. You have continued to uphold the constitution, maintain high integrity and stick to the best rules of engagement to protect the sovereignty of our country. The Army is well-respected by the citizens, given the commitment, dedication and sense of patriotism in discharging its statutory roles.
“The 2002 Ikeja bomb explosion was a trying moment for the Army, given the magnitude of the damage. But the event never weakened the resolve of the military.
“The Army has continued to live
time now.
"They have to reroute their trucks around many, many locations for them to be able to reach destinations and that created delays and some supply gaps. But that has been filled and we do not see any of such problems again.
"Secondly, because of the full deregulation that we have in this sector, marketers are now competing amongst themselves. So, you must have noticed some fuel stations will reduce price by two naira and three naira so customers will naturally run to the places,where you have that reduction in prices.
"That creates panic, because for those who don't know why they are doing it, they will think that there's something wrong happening, or there's an ominous sign of scarcity and people start queuing up in the fuel stations.
"Otherwise, there is no challenge. Supply is robust. We have over 1.4 billion litres of product in our hands, both marine and land. Also there are no issues around delivery of those products into the land. So, there is no fear, nothing to bother about.
"We are also happy that the market forces are now playing out and marketers are competing
up to their responsibilities provided by the constitution and the sacrifice paid by soldiers to keep the territorial integrity and peace of our country would not go unappreciated. Lagos State Government is committed to ensuring that the Army gets all the necessary support for your security operations,” Sanwo-Olu said. He assured the Army boss that his government would rebuild a military primary school in Orile demolished for the construction of Lagos-Badagry Expressway. He sought the cooperation of the military personnel in restoring sanity to the Lagos-Badagry corridor, where the State Government has been clearing illegal shanties built along the expressway.
Sanwo-Olu also appealed for
and of course, there are a few issues we're engaging them to resolve alongside other agencies of government and critical issues around access to foreign exchange.
"As you all know, government is doing so much to ensure supply of FX (foreign exchange) into the market. We know that this FX market will stabilise. Current I&E window is around N770.
"And we know that those inputs that are already happening, the inputs of government today will crystallise and also they will come to an equilibrium position in the FX market and this is a dream of this country.
"So, they will have a stable FX market, stable product market where the prices of product will also speak to prices of other commodities. And this is already manifesting and we think this is the economic revolution that this country needs."
In his remarks, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Simon Lalong, urged PENGASSAN members to use the opportunity of the summit to come up with ideas that would help drive the petroleum sector to greater heights.
He said the federal government would continue to drive
cooperation among military personnel in the ongoing enforcement across Lagos, including Okada ban enforcement, saying the ongoing enforcements were geared towards bringing sanity back to the state and preserving public assets.
“We have collective responsibility to keep Lagos safe for commercial activities. It is important to acknowledge the complementary effort of the 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in supporting our security architecture in Lagos, with OP Mesa operatives working with the police to ensure our safety. That synergy among all security agencies is all that is required to maintain security.”
Lagbaja used the occasion to express his appreciation for the “tremendous support” the people
measures that would bring succor to Nigerians and help bring relief and ensure industrial harmony.
One of the panel discussants at the summit, Mr. Peter Esele, a former PENGASSAN President, said there was need to shift the subsidy from fuel to transportation, healthcare and education so as to assuage the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
Esele, said there was doubt that the government had reintroduced fuel subsidy as the cost of the product did not move in line with market forces.
Another panelist, the national president of National Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman, spoke about the challenges being encountered by the sector following the removal of fuel subsidy, saying his members had experienced depletion of resources due to inflation.
Othman said there had been a significant reduction in the number of trucks nationwide from 50,000 to 30,000.
While welcoming participants at the summit, PENGASSAN President, Festus Osifo,expressed concern over the impact of the current economic policies on the salary of workers in the oil and gas sector, saying the body would be pushing for a review
and state government accorded to the Army units and formations.
He acknowledged the infrastructure renewal programme of the Lagos Government, stressing that improved infrastructure would go a long way in helping the military respond rapidly to security situations requiring quick interventions. He said military personnel would be major beneficiaries of the Lagos’ Blue and Red Line rail projects, as the trains would aid personnel’s commuting.
Lagbaja said his visit was to inform the governor about the Army’s activities to be conducted in Lagos, noting that the exercises were designed to further entrench the peace and stability we have enjoyed in Lagos.
of the salary of the workers in line with current realities.
Osifo also expressed worry over the impact of the current economic policies on the salary of workers in the oil and gas sector, saying the unification of the foreign exchange rates benefited only government and oil companies to the detriment of the workers.
He said the situation had necessitated a call for a salary benchmark for oil and gas workers, aligning with the instrument of trade of the oil and gas commodity.
"The model practiced in Angola, where legislation pegs workers' salaries in dollars and pays them the legal tender equivalent, is a testament to the possibilities of safeguarding the interests of workers amidst currency fluctuations.
“The floating of the naira in the official market has exacerbated the challenges faced by our members.
"We must explore innovative solutions to forestall financial losses to workers and prevent undue gains to companies, ensuring a fair and equitable environment for all. PENGASSAN will do all it can to push for this just and equitable distribution across its branches," he said.
adedayo a kinwale in a buja
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to contemplate manual transmission of the Bayelsa State governorship election
results slated for November 11.
The President of IYC Worldwide, Dr. Theophilus Alaye, stated this in a statement issued yesterday while reacting to a recent press conference organised by Bayelsa State Resident
igbawase Ukumba in Lafia
Nasarawa State citizens yesterday appealed to the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to stand up against Justice Ezekiel Ajayi’s tribunal judgment that sacked the state Governor, Abdullahi Sule.
Justice Ajayi in a split decision of two out of the three-man panel of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sacked Governor Sule and declared David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the state governorship election. However, citizens of Nasarawa
Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ofiong Efanga on his plan to adopt manual mode of transmission of the governorship election results.
He noted that there were no challenges recorded in the state during the 2023 election as the former (REC) adopted electronic mode of
transmission of results from the polling units — even from the remotest parts of the state.
To this end, Alaye called on the National Chairman
of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to advise Efanga not to contemplate manual transmission of results in the state.
State in their hundreds matched in major streets of Lafia yesterday for a peaceful demonstration to inform the world that they were not happy with the judgment.
Speaking to journalists during the peaceful protest, a youth leader in the state, Abdullahi Igbo, said citizens of the state were calling on the NBA as custodians of the rule of law to stand up against the judgment of Justice Ezekiel Ajayi.
According to Igbo, “The judgment is perverse and herculean without regard to evidence and the rules governing proceedings in Nigeria.
Okon Bassey inuyo
Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Akwa Ibom State chapter, has said the amended Traditional Council Law Cap 55 assented to by the state Governor, Mr. Umo Eno, was discriminatory and offensive in nature.
The CLO berated the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for passing the controversial law without consulting the country’s extant law.
Briefing journalists in Uyo, the state Chairman of the organisation, Godknows Njoku, said the bill
should have been declared null and void because of its inconsistencies.
He said the CLO rescinded its decision to join in legal action against the law because the governor has consistently told the traditional rulers to write to the government if they are not comfortable with the law.
The state TRC Law has generated controversies in the state after it was passed into law with various youths and women groups as well as traditional rulers from the minority ethnic groups, including Annnag, Oro, and others, opposing the law.
In recognition of its outstanding contributions to the manufacturing industry, innovation and youth empowerment, the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Ltd., has been awarded at this year’s edition of the ECOWAS Manufacturing Excellence Awards (EMEA) organised by Independent Newspapers, BusinessDay- Ghana and African Consolidated Analytical Limited.
The awards ceremony, which was held in Lagos saw NBC receive awards across three key categories including: “ECOWAS Soft Drink Manufacturing
Company of the Year,” and “ECOWAS Youth Empowerment Manufacturing Company of the Year,” underscoring the company’s commitment to job creation, skill development, and the empowerment of young Africans while fostering growth within the manufacturing industry. Additionally, the awards highlight NBC’s commitment to excellence in product quality, safety, and innovation to industry standards.
Furthermore, NBC’s Managing Director, Goran Sladic, was recognised as the Manufacturing CEO of the year.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), yesterday hinted that it recorded substantial reduction in the number of road traffic crashes (RTC), injuries and fatalities between January and September 2023.
The FRSC also achieved 22 per cent reduction in RTCs, 21.3 per cent
decrease in road injuries and 23.1 per cent reduction in road traffic deaths when compared with the same period in 2022.
According to the FRSC said that it recorded a total of 7830 road traffic crashes on its road traffic crash dashboard within the period under review against 10,039 in the same period in the
year 2022, which represented 22 per cent decrease.
In the same vein, from January to September 2023, the corps also achieved 21.3 per cent reduction in number of people rescued with injuries, having rescued a total of 22,580 in 2023 against 28,698 injured victims from January to September of the year 2022.
On the number of people killed, the corps also recorded significant reduction within the operational period.
According to the crash data report in the first nine months of the year 2023, the corps recorded a total of 3,730 fatalities as against 4,848 in the same period in 2022, representing 23.1 per cent reduction.
Francis sardauna in Katsina
Employees of the Katsina State Hotels Management Board yesterday held a peaceful protest against over four-month salary arrears and other entitlements owed them by the board.
The protesters, mostly men,
besieged the Government House in Katsina, chanting songs of solidarity and emotional tunes brandishing placards, and demanding their entitlements to be paid.
One of the protesters and staff of Katsina Motel, Ibrahim Isa, said they decided to embark on the protest to register their
grievances to the state Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, over the non-payment of their salaries for four months.
He said they have been going through hardship because of their unpaid salaries, adding that their children had been sent away from school over unpaid school fees
and other levies.
Isa said: “Our children are at home because we can no longer pay their school fees. The future of our children should not be gambled with. Our wives have left us because we can’t provide food for them and cater for their demands.”
Blessing ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has denied the allegation that its officials are aiding illegal oil bunkering in the state.
The state Commandant of NSCDC, Basil Igwebueze, stated this yesterday while listing the achievements of the Command since his assumption in office.
Igwebueze reiterated the commitment of the Command to curtailing the menace of oil theft
and pipeline vandalism, stressing that any officer caught aiding illegal oil bunkering activities in the state would be decisively dealt with.
Reading the riot act to officers serving in the Anti-vandal Unit, Marine Unit, Component
Commanders, and general duty officers, the commandant stressed that the Commandant-General of the corps, Dr. Ahmed Audi, has zero tolerance for any act that would denigrate or degrade the corporate image of the NSCDC across the country.
sunday aborisade in abuja
A group, The Alliance for Good Governance and Due Process, has faulted the alleged plan by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crime Commission (EFCC).
The group, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Mr. Ayelabola Hussain, said the alleged nomination, if it was true, would be a serious violation of the EFCC Act which was specific about the qualities and qualifications of persons
that should be the chairman of such an important commission.
Hussain claimed that in a democracy, the government should be wary of constitutional provisions, adding that nothing should be done to turn the EFCC into a lame duck commission just because some
powerful forces would prefer an unqualified person to run its affairs.
He said: “We have watched closely and monitored some of the decisions taken by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu since his inauguration on May 29, 2023.
adibe Emenyonu in benin-city
A Benin-city-based legal practitioner in Edo State, Olayiwola Afolabi, has appealed to the National Assembly to urgently intervene in the bill for a law seeking to establish
the Police Pension Board and remove the police from the contributory pension scheme which was passed by the immediate-past National Assembly.
Afolabi, who made the appeal in a letter he personally
signed and addressed to the Senate President, Goodwill Akpabio, in Abuja said after the passage of the bill into law, it was taken to then President Muhammadu Buhari for assent but it was not signed due to some reasons.
He said most security agencies have since pulled out of the contributory pension scheme leaving only the commissioner of police down to the least officer in the police force as members of the scheme.
Funmi Ogundare
A Professor of Economics at Lagos Business School, Professor Adi Bongo, has described the United States of America’s investor roadshow designed to expose investors to investment
opportunities and ecosystem in Nigeria as a poorly timed event. The programme, which is scheduled to hold from October 9 to October 13, is a partnership between the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) mission in Nigeria and
its Prosper Africa Initiatives, to strengthen trade relationship between Nigeria and USA and attract investment.
Bongo, who was a guest on ARISE News The Morning Show, said that the fact that the United States chose to host
the programme in Nigeria, is a big plus, but the country is not an attractive destination to investment due to government’s antecedents towards contracts and the challenge of President Tinubu’s administration reputation.
Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has found solutions to cover the absence of injured Taiwo
Awoniyi and Ola Aina ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming international friendly clashes against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique. Awoniyi who is Nottingham Forest star forward suffered a
significant groin injury blow that has sidelined him for a month. Aina on the other hand,sustained
an injury with no date certain yet when he will remain fitness to return for both club and country.
The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, yesterday received in his office in Abuja Nigeria's Men's Deaf football team after their participation at the 4th edition of the World Deaf Football Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Minister hailed the team for their outing as they made Nigeria proud.u
"I congratulate you all for representing Nigeria at the World Championships, as we made our first appearance since 2008 when this tournament started," the Minister said.
“In three previous editions, Nigeria was not represented, but for the first time ever, the Nigerian flag was hoisted at the Games courtesy of your hard work. This deserves that we appreciate and commend you,” observed the minister while receiving the contingent.
Senator Enoh added that sports remains the greatest tool for social inclusion, with its ability to engender diversity, equity and inclusion in the society.
The President of the Deaf Sports Federation, Alhaji Sulieman Saka
Dagbo, thanked the Minister for receiving the team, as it was the first time of being accorded such honour in spite of their past achievements at the continental and global level.
"We did not expect that a Minister would show up to receive us honourably, that has never happened before," he said. "With this honour, we will ensure that we perform even better in subsequent competitions."
Dagbo made a special request for the minister to provide accommodation, and allowances for the team, which was expeditely approved by
the Minister.
Coach of the team, Kamaldeen Banjo, noted that in spite of the team travelling with 13 players and two coaches, they gave their best shot in Kuala Lumpur. He thanked the Minister for the support provided while the team was away on international soil.
Nigeria ranked 11th out of 25 countries at the Games, after surpassing the group stages. The deaf Eagles exited the Championship gallantly after losing 2-0 to Ukraine in the Round of 16.
After seven days of brilliant chess display, the duo of FIDE Master, Bomo Kigigha and Deborah Quickpen have emerged champions of Nigerian chess championships for the next one year. Kigigha, a veteran of many international tournaments including the World Chess Olympiad, dominated the rest of the pack in the invitational section (Elite cadre) with 7.5 points.
The victory was the fourth win on the trot for the Bayelsa Stateborn FIDE Master who is ranked among the legends of the game in the country.
After a bad run at the start of the tournament with 0.5 out of three games, the dominant player went on a winning streak that and garnered enough strength to overcome the defending champion, Oluwafemi Balogun whom he defeated with better end-game positioning and with a pawn advantage.
“I was lucky to bounce back after the initial setbacks. I was able to retain my lines and played brilliant games which I won and going against the defending champion, Balogun was not an easy task but I was discipline with all my rhetoric and with a pawn advantage, I was better going into the end game,” Kigigha said.
In the Ladies section, Quickpen, a product of the National Youth Games also emerged as the best in the section.
The 11-year-old star thus became the youngest player to win the category as she bettered the record set over two decades ago by Oluwatobi Olatunji (now Oloruntola).
She will represent the country at next year’s African Championship at a venue yet to be decided by the African Chess Federation.
“I’m delighted to have attained this feat and it's just the beginning of my desire to play well and win many more tournaments both local and international.
Media Officer of the Super Eagles, Babafemi Raji posted yesterday on social media that replacements of the two players with real Sociedad forward, Sadiq Umar, who recently attracted interest from Manchester Unitedand Empoli defender Tyrone Ebuehi.
Despite Umar’s goal drought this season since his return from a lengthy injury spell, the Portuguese tactician sees him as the best solution to replace Awoniyi in the lineup for the friendlies.
Ebuehi has been putting in impressive performances for Empoli, making him a suitable replacement for the sidelined Ola Aina.
Also yesterday, Peseiro announced the replacement of Jamilu Collins with Chidozie Awazie.
While speculations from local media suggest that Bright OsayiSamuel and KAA Gent’s Jordan Torunarigha may not be fully fit for the upcoming matches, Torunarigha’s recent appearance for Gent against KRC Genk has eased Peseiro’s concerns ahead of the clash against Saudi Arabia.
The matches between Nigeria, Mozambique, and Saudi Arabia are scheduled to take place in Portugal on October 13th and 16th, 2023 respectively.
Lobi Stars Football Club of Makurdi have named Ugim Agagbe as new Chief Coach. The club also appointed a new team manager and a welfare manager.
According to the Vice Chairman of Lobi Stars FC, Dominic Iorfa, Agagbe is bringing to the job ad wealth of experience that is expected to take Lobi back to the summit of NPFL.
"Agagbe brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play,” Iorfa said yesterday.
“He has pledged to maintain the success of the club and to take the team to continental football next season.
Iorfa insisted that the changes had become inevitable following
the vacuum created after Coach Abubakar Bala left.
He added that Agagbe has had stint with the club in the past and is prepared to give his best to the club.
Agagbe is an indigenous Benue coach with a strong track record of developing players. He was in charge of the club's first two matches of the new NPFL season were the Lobi recorded a draw and a win against Heartland of Owerri and Sunshine Stars of Akure.
On why some of the management members of the team were changed, Iorfa alleged that some of them were involved in anti-club activities.
The Lobi Vice Chairman described all allegation made against him by a stakeholders group as false.
The Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has reiterated that his administration will continue to encourage youth participation and sports development to build a virile society.
The Governor stated this while playing host to the state’s contingent to the National Youth Games in Asaba, Delta State to a warm reception at the Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti.
The ceremony held in the conference hall of the Governor's office was well attended by top government functionaries including the Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, sport council officials and sports enthusiasts.
Governor Oyebanji who promised cash gifts to each member of the team praised them for not allowing the nottoo- pleasant experience of the
opening day to discourage them from putting in their best and winning medals for the state at the competition.
The Governor hinted that heads would roll in the state’s Sports Council over the poor treatment meted to the athletes in the just concluded National Youths Games in Asaba, Delta State.
Oyebanji said he was not happy about the report of the poor treatment given to the state’s athletes, pointed out how they were poorly kitted and badly treated at the camp could have been responsible for their low performance at the competition.
The Governor described this situation as embarrassment to the athletes, their parents, state and Ekiti people at home and in the diasporas. He however, apologised to all concerned.
“Amnesty International condemns the ‘final warning’ issued to @ ARISEtv by the FG through National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Targeting ARISE TV simply for doing their work sends the wrong message that; Nigerian authorities are not prepared to be held accountable. Nigerian authorities must stop the unrelenting quest to silence media organisations like @ ARISEtv which are crucial to ensuring independent and diverse media space in the country and fulfilling people’s right to information.”
--AmnestyInternationalcondemnsFG’splantogagARISETV.
abati1990@gmail.com
When in 1992, James Carville, Bill Clinton’s campaign strategist uttered the quip on television: “It’s the economy, stupid”, little could he have realized that he had pronounced a phrase that would reverberate beyond the United States and become a benchmark in other presidential campaign processes. Carville spoke in the context of the 1992 US Presidential campaign by the Democrats against incumbent President George H. W. Bush, that is Bush, the father. As a strategist for Bill Clinton, he merely played up the recession in the United States. He talked about change vs more of the same, the economy and healthcare. The phrase has caught on since then, not just in the United States but across the world and applied instructively to anything that is considered of high priority. Carville, now 78, in at least one interview is now wondering why President Biden’s approval ratings remain so low despite the fact that unemploy- ment in the United States is at an historic low and inflation is on a downward trend. The economy seems to be doing well under Biden, but it has not increased ratings. The paradox speaks to a certain disconnect, reasons for which may have to be sought elsewhere. What cannot be controverted however is that economic performance is directly linked to the people’s well-being, and the spread of prosperity. In the United States, many Presidents were punished for failing to get the economic framework right: Jimmy Carter, George W. H. Bush. The role of the economy in elections, and government’s performance would always be a major issue, and in that regard, James Carville may be rest assured that he has added a phrase into leadership and governance that may well ring true for all times. The state of the economy determines the people’s level of happiness, the opportunities that are available to them and their capacity for self-belief and actualization. Even in the United States, there is currently a raging debate about Bidenomics between the Republicans and the Democrats, coloured as expected, by partisan interests. The times keep changing but concerns about the economy remain crucial.
And that leads us to the relevant question here: how is the Nigerian economy faring under Tinubu, five months after the assumption of office? Are we better today than we were under President Muhammadu Buhari, the man who has been described as the perfect exemplification of the words “slow” and “clueless”. Nigerians oftentimes do not know what is good for them. They voted for the same man twice and kept him in office for eight years and there are millions out there who believed and may still believe that he was the best choice for Nigeria. I am worried, and for this reason, by the year 2035, Nigeria’s population would have increased to about 400 million. This may translate into an exponential increase in the population of stupid people who can be led by the nose by deceit and propaganda. It is the country that will suffer. In the 2023 general elections, then came along a certain Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the platform of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), who fought a valiant battle to win his party’s ticket, backed by the slogan that having made other persons king of Nigeria (notably Buhari), it was his turn to sit on the throne. He did not quite have the express support of the incumbent President, but in the end, he not only got the ticket, he won the election, with more than 8 million votes - one of the lowest margins since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999. The President’s campaigners sold the narrative that he turned Lagos around, increased Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), built infrastructure, and mastered political engineering. Reminded again and again, that Lagos is not Nigeria, Tinubu’s strategists told us not to worry. They talked about the possibility of hope being restored. So, today, we ask: how market? How is it going? Five months down the line. Our primary focus is the economy. Not enough attention is being paid to this very
important subject, at the moment, by the way, in part because there has been so much engrossment with politics and other matters. The pursuit of the controversy about President Tinubu’s credentials by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Atiku Abubakar in a foreign jurisdiction, has been the subject of attention in addition to concerns in the Southern part of the country about the controversial death of Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, in itself a very bad and needless distraction that should never have occurred. While distractions in politics and society may serve the sitting government well, nothing is taken away from the fact that the economy is tanking and the people are suffering. On top of it all, I have raised the alarm elsewhere that the President appears to be absent. The Presidency is not a job where the holder of the office can appear and disappear at will. He must be present, always. I have not seen Mr. President in any public capacity in one week, and I think Nigerians have a duty to ask after his whereabouts. If the American President disappears for three days from the news in America, even the stock exchange will be affected. I once wrote a piece referring to a book by Matthew Algeo titled “The President is a Sick Man”. The subject of the book was Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th American President who disappeared briefly to have a secret surgery at sea in July 1893 on a friend’s yacht. A journalist, E. J. Edwards exposed the President. Cleveland’s political career was built on the mantra: “Tell the truth”, but he failed at that moment to tell the truth, act honestly, about his own circumstances thus creating a conflict between politics, medicine and journalism. E.J. Edwards, the journalist was disgraced and dismissed as a liar but he was vindicated more than 20 years later when the truth came out. Cleveland disappeared for only five days to treat a cancerous tumour. Matthew Algeo’s book tells the full story. In contemporary times, if the American President were to disappear from public view for just two days, the American stock market would have issues. It is a measure of the kind of system that we run around here that Nigerians would not see their President for days and they would be comfortably obsessed with tittle-tattle. I have not seen my President since he returned from Paris and he made an appearance on October 1. No Federal Executive Council Meeting. Why? Three additional Ministers have been cleared by the Senate. They are yet to be sworn in. Why? The Niger Delta
Development Commission (NNDC) Board has been cleared by the Senate. Yet to be sworn in. Why? So, what’s next? Where is the President? This columnist hopes fervently that he will show up tomorrow at the Federal Executive Council Meeting, and not be represented again by his Deputy who has been more visible in action in recent times than his principal. This was how President Buhari once disappeared for more than seven months and we all accepted that anomaly, and simply moved on. It must not become a tradition in this country that a President can just disappear and show up at will. The Presidency of Nigeria is a full-time job, not a part-time assignment. What suffers with a President playing possum is the economy and the people’s welfare. It will be recalled that on May 29, 2023, the day the President assumed office, one of the major highlights of his speech was that fuel subsidy was gone. He promised to reform the economy and make Nigeria a major investment destination. He also promised to fix Nigeria’s foreign exchange crisis, and in that wise, the country’s dual exchange rate was abolished, the Naira was devalued, the then Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele was arrested and detained. All of those initial steps taken by the President have failed more or less, leaving Nigerians in greater difficulty. Five months later, Nigerians are still searching for the hope that they were promised. They are forlorn. The removal of fuel subsidy has moved the pump price of petrol (PMS) from N186 in May to over N500 and as high as N617 in July. What is quoted is the fact that there is no provision in the 2023 Appropriation Act for subsidy beyond June 1, 2023, and the fact that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) states that petroleum prices must be determined by market forces. Our neo-liberal economists praised these forces to high heavens. By August 2023, the landing cost of PMS had risen to about N720 per litre. The same government saying that fuel subsidy had gone has since been forced to provide subsidy. Please what happened to the market forces? The situation is likely to get worse with the on-going Israel-Hamas war, which has resulted in about a 4% jump in the spot price of Brent Crude and WTI. Nigeria imports finished products because all of its refineries are not working. Marketers have had to halt imports, resulting in queues at fuel stations in many parts of the country, and complaints by oil marketers about NNPCL monopoly. Could it be that the President did not understand the situation before he said subsidy was gone? Shouldn’t the President come clean and announce subsidy is back and his administration has had to reverse itself? We also need to know what is going on with the harmonization of the foreign exchange regime. Since the introduction of that policy, the Naira has been devalued by more than 40%, such that the biggest challenge that Nigeria faces today is how to save the Naira. If the Tinubu administration hoped to close the gap between the official and parallel windows, it has achieved the exact opposite and created more opportunities for arbitrage. The Naira today is almost N1, 000 to the dollar, and over N1, 250 to the pound sterling. It is rated among the lowest currencies in Africa. Everyone is groaning, including manufacturers and employers of Labour. Godwin Emefiele, former CBN Governor, was suspended and detained, an acting Governor, Folashodun Shonubi was appointed, later replaced by Yemi Cardoso as substantive Governor, yet Nigeria’s monetary policy remains chaotic. Virtually every post-Emefiele policy move under Shonubi’s inter- regnum failed. The standard excuse was that Nigeria was facing a supply of forex problem until we all found ourselves in a situation where nobody could function again and the entire economy was thrown into a dysfunctional mode. The CBN even said it was entering into an alliance with oil majors and Fintechs to assist with forex supply. It didn’t work. NNPCL, Nigeria’s oil and gas behemoth also waded in, with a crude oil for cash swap with
AFREXIM Bank. No result! Why should anyone expect any result in an unproductive economy? Countries earn forex by being productive. Nigeria is one vast consumption destination, a dumping ground.
It is therefore the reason no one should be surprised that in the recent Capital Importation Report, by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), it was disclosed that the country’s total capital importation dropped by 9.04% in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023, that is within six months, amounting to a drop of 32.90% year on year. In the report, 28 states of the Federation did not attract any foreign investment in six months, an alarming indication of the economic crisis at Nigeria’s sub-national levels. These states exist just to collect their shares from the monthly Federation Allocation Account. They lack the capacity to produce despite all that talk about how Nigeria is richly endowed and every state is flowing with resources. Petrol dollar which accounts for 40% of GDP, 98% of foreign exchange earnings, and 76% of country revenue has made everyone lazy and has turned crude oil into Nigeria’s biggest curse. The eight states that have received foreign investments according to the report are of varying value: Lagos – 69%, Federal Capital Territory – 28%, but a state like Ondo got just a meagre $200, 000. What is the matter with Ondo State, for example? Why would any foreigner invest there? This is a state that is bogged down by sheer irresponsibility, mindless politicking, absenteeism, physical and psychological, and a governance mind-set that belongs more to the paleolithic age. Those who claim to speak for the confusion in that state are so dumb and so poorly educated they merely misrepresent their own unimaginative narrative. Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of the APC and former Governor of Kano State, whose own state is as much a victim of bad politics, now says he wants to help resolve the infantile Governor vs Deputy Governor politics in Ondo State. How? We may again and again focus on the Federal Government, but what goes on at the sub-national level is enough to generate outrage, given the fact that it is the people who suffer from the reduction of governance to a circus.
Senator (Mrs) Remi Tinubu the First Lady of Nigeria has been quoted as saying that nobody should hold her husband responsible for Nigeria’s problems because he is not a magician, he is just a man who inherited the failures of past administrations. I have had cause to praise Mrs. Tinubu for her grace and elegance and the dignified manner in which she has supported her husband. But she must restrain herself from getting directly involved in core governance and policy issues. Otherwise, each time she jumps into the arena, she would have the likes of Garba Shehu giving her a back-hand slap to tell her to get back quickly to the famous other room as Shehu did rather impudently, recently. Nigerians voted for her husband, not her. She must learn to strike a balance. Besides, all the Tinubu sons and daughters trying to treat Nigeria and the Presidency like a family heirloom must back off, and stop pushing themselves in our faces. We have the Vice President, Kashim Shettima who is constitutionally empowered to act on the President’s behalf but even he must be sure of what he says. Going to Lokoja, Kogi state, the other day, to make empty promises with Ajaokuta Steel Company – to create 500, 000 jobs - is one of the most curious empty promises in recent times, based on complete lack of knowledge at the highest levels. VP, you can’t create 500, 000 jobs by merely talking about it at a political rally.
President Tinubu must show up and take charge, not episodically, or through hurriedly arranged photo-ops but every day of the week. He has been employed for the job. He must show up each time Nigerians check the attendance register, except otherwise determined by exceptional circumstances and even at that, we have the right to know.
