WEDNESDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2021 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

#EndSARS: Sanwo-Olu Brokers Truce with Youths, Promises Not to Give Up Belief in Them Delta to pay over N102m compensation to victims Amnesty International urges Buhari to fulfil promise of police reform

Segun James in Lagos and Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba With lessons drawn from the string of

violence that followed the youth-led nationwide protests against police brutality in October last year, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu,

yesterday, brokered a reconciliation with youths in the state, promising not to give up his belief in them. Youngsters across the state used

the opportunity of yesterday’s EidMaulud national holiday to come together to participate in a peace conference aimed at creating a com-

mon platform for conflict resolution. In Delta State, the government announced to pay a total of N102, 450, 000 to victims of police brutality

after accepting the report of a judicial panel of inquiry into reported cases Continued on page 10

Fidelity Bank Set to Issue $500m Unsecured Notes... Page 6 Wednesday 20 October, 2021 Vol 26. No 9690. Price: N250

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Buhari Rejoices with General Yakubu Gowon at 87 Says he's a visionary leader

Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari felicitated with former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon,

as he marked his 87th birthday on October 19, calling him a “visionary leader,” in a statement yesterday. The president, in a statement

by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, rejoiced with Gowon and his family on the grace for good health and strength

to keep serving. Buhari congratulated the former Head of State on the formidable role he had continued to play in the

development of the country. He said Gowon’s relentless advocacy for peace and unity, and his consistent voice of reason and wisdom in good

governance and democracy were legendary. The president noted, with Continued on page 10

Military Deploys Helicopter Gunships Against Bandits in Kaduna, Decimates 50 El-Rufai to troops: Let’s sustain momentum Says more bandits must be brought to bitter end John Shiklam in Kaduna and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Nigerian military, yesterday, pounded bandits in Kaduna forests with helicopter gunships, neutralising 50 and destroying many of their hideouts. The bombing runs were in response to a recent charge by President Muhammadu Buhari to the military to go after bandits and other criminal elements terrorising parts of the country. Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai hailed the renewed onslaught against banditry and kidnapping in the state. El-Rufai appealed to the security forces to sustain the momentum and bring more bandits to their “bitter end”. Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna State, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, who disclosed the airstrikes against bandit posiContinued on page 10

AFENIFERE WELCOMES TINUBU BACK HOME...

L-R: Chief Supo Sonibare; Oba Olaitan Oladipo; Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; his daughter, Shade and retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Tunji Alapini, during their visit to Tinubu in his Bourdillion residence, Ikoyi, Lagos... yesterday

Turkish President Erdogan Begins Two-day Visit to Nigeria... Page 5

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

NEWS

TRANSPORTATION ON THEIR MINDS…... L-R: Managing Director, OMAA Assembled in Nigeria Vehicles, Mr Chinedu Oguegbu; Director, Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration Department, Ministry of Transportation, Mrs Udu- Ejembi Mary; Minister of State for Transportation, Sen Gbemisola Saraki; and Managing Director BKG Exhibitions, Abuja Motor Fair, Mr Ifeanyi Agwu, during a meeting between Members of Abuja International Motor Fair and the Minister of State for Transportation in Abuja…recently

Barkindo Advocates Deployment of Technology to Tackle Carbon Emissions Insists current discussions based on emotions, not science

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Dr. Sanusi Barkindo, has advocated the deployment of modern technologies such as the Carbon Capture Utilisation Storage (CCUS) instead of pushing for a wholesale abandonment of fossil fuels. Speaking at the Annual Legal Workshop of the Energy Charter Secretariat (ECS) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), the OPEC chief noted that current conversations surrounding

the transition from hydrocarbons were being driven by emotions rather than science. Barkindo who spoke on the theme: “Update on National Climate Laws and Jurisprudence Evolution-Emissions Reduction, Energy Access and Energy Security,” said although there was clear science-based evidence, the entire climate change discussion had been reduced to who is for or against fossil fuels. Describing it as the ultimate false dichotomy, Barkindo stressed that it erroneously limits what options are available in reducing emissions,

noting that within the discussion, “we are seeing a tendency for emotion to overtake science, rationalism, empirical evidence or fact.” He argued that achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as some countries are now advocating, is not part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or the Paris Agreement, stating it is an extremely challenging goal, even for advanced economies. According to him, this further underlines the massive challenges for developing countries to reach

Makinde Commends Nigerian Air Force for Keeping Oyo Safe Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde has lauded the Nigerian Air Force for its unalloyed cooperation in keeping Oyo State safe, pledging that his administration would continue to work with the Force and other security agencies to fight insecurity in the state. The governor, who stated this while receiving the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Ikeja, Lagos, Air Vice Marshal Charles Ohwo, and his team, during a courtesy visit to his office, added that

the state has been enjoying a cordial relationship with the Air Force. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor equally reiterated his commitment to upgrading the Ibadan Airport, noting that plans were in top gear by the state government to extend the runway from the current 2.7 kilometres to 3.3 kilometres to enable bigger aircrafts to land. The governor added that his

Turkish President Erdogan Begins Two-day Visit to Nigeria Holds bilateral talks with Buhari today Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey yesterday began a two-day official visit to Nigeria and is being hosted in Abuja by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, the Turkish President who was being accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Emine Erdogan, was coming in from Angola, and was expected to depart to Togo at the end of his visit. The leaders of the two countries were expected to consider about two dozen Bilateral Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and they would authorise the signing of those

on which there is a concurrence. In addition to the bilateral discussions, President Erdogan would hold one-on-one meeting with President Buhari and he was expected to commission the Turkish Cultural Centre in Abuja while his wife, Emine, accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, would commission the Government Secondary School in Wuse 11, Abuja which was recently renovated by a Turkish aid organisation, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordinating Agency, TIKA. The statement added that Nigeria considers Turkey a close partner and sees this visit as a milestone in the bilateral relations between the two nations.

administration would continue to expand the footprints of the Nigerian Air Force in the state, adding that the Force would be well supported through a special support fund under his office in next year’s budget. He said: “We are happy with the cooperation that we have enjoyed from the Air Force in Oyo State. Thanks to Air Commodore S. Peter, who is a member of the Oyo State Security Council and who has always provided useful counsel; and, infact, we are having a meeting right after this courtesy visit. “We are excited that we are expanding the footprint of the Nigerian Air Force here with the planned Airforce Base and whenever the Chief of Air Staff is ready, we are ready to do the groundbreaking. "We just constituted the Oyo State Executive Council and we have a new Commissioner for Lands and Urban Planning, and one of his tasks is to ensure that compensation is paid for the land we are providing for the base. "Also, I have in our next year’s budget under my office, a special fund we can use to support this kind of programme." Makinde added that as part of his government's efforts to upgrade the Airport, all roads leading to the facility have been awarded for construction, noting that the government has equally awarded the contract for the building of a fuel dispensing facility in the Airport.

net zero emissions – many of whom are focused on such issues as energy access, living wages and supplying basic necessities. Barkindo said OPEC has continuously been a promoter of both sustainable development and efforts to combat climate change, with a focus on the need to utilise all solutions to reduce emissions and adapt to their impact, and at the same time ensure energy access for all. “The current turbulence in gas markets underscores the need for a diversified energy mix in a stable and equitable energy transition. We should have a holistic view of the energy sector, and not put all our eggs in one or two baskets. “The issue of affordability is very much linked to the scourge of energy poverty, which must be considered within the context of sustainable development and the UN SDGs, with SDG7 calling for universal and sustainable energy access. “Legislators and lawmakers need to be reminded that for billions, the day does not start by switching on a light, opening a refrigerator

or turning the ignition on a car. Access to affordable and reliable modern energy is a right not a privilege as resolved at the UN –in SDG7,” he maintained. He noted that the belief that the oil and gas industries should not be part of the energy future, that they should be consigned to the dustbin of history, and that the future was one that could be dominated by renewables and electric vehicles only, remains far-fetched. “We need to correct this misleading, evolving narrative. It is important to state clearly that the science does not tell us this, and the statistics related to the blight of energy poverty do not tell us this either. What the science and statistics tell us is that we need to reduce emissions and use energy more efficiently. “We need to show how the oil and gas industry can foster its resources and expertise and help unlock our carbon-free future, through its role as a powerful innovator in developing cleaner and more efficient technological solutions to help reduce emissions. “For example, carbon capture

utilisation and storage (CCUS) and blue hydrogen, as well in the promotion of the Circular Carbon Economy to improve overall environmental performance. “We need to continually highlight the importance of environmentally and economically effective policies and laws that are equitable and just, as well as fair and inclusive strategies that ensure no one is left behind,” he emphasised. In addition, he noted that the capacities and national circumstances of developing countries must be taken into account in all actions in order to not render countries already struggling even more besieged. The Nigerian-born OPEC helmsman pointed out that financing remains critical to reach any climate targets set in developing countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Barkindo argued that while there has been a lot of talk about financing renewable sources of energy from developed countries, so far a disappointing amount of pledges have been realised.

APC Group: How Buhari Unlocked $10bn Potential Investment in Oil Sector Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Legacy Awareness and Campaign, a voluntary think-tank group of the governing party has explained how President Muhammadu Buhari resolved a 12-year-old dispute surrounding Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118. This, according to the group, unlocked more than $10 billion of potential investment held up by the dispute. The group stated this in a statement issued yesterday, which was jointly signed by the party's youth leader, Mr. Ismail Ahmed; former spokesperson of the party, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu; Presidential aide, Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi and the Director General of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman. It noted that 40 years after Buhari was made the pioneer Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), between 1977 and 1978, he had once again spearheaded unparal-

leled reforms in the corporation he helped establish since assuming office in 2015. The group said under the President’s watch, since 2015, the national oil company has recorded some milestones. These they listed to include the published audited financial statements of NNPC for 2018, 2019 and 2020, saying this was the first published audited financial statements since the NNPC came into existence 43 years ago. The group noted that under Buhari's supervision, the NNPC commenced clearing the backlog of cash call arrears owed international oil companies (IOCs) inherited from previous administrations. This, according to the group, amounted to more than $5 billion. It added: "NNPC Completed the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) Phase 2, doubling its capacity to 2.2 billion cubic feet of gas. Commenced construction of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas pipeline, Nigeria’s

biggest-ever domestic gas pipeline project." Furthermore, it stated that the corporation also commenced the total revamp of the Port Harcourt refinery - yet another industry jinx being broken. It stated that the president also, "resolved a 12-year-old dispute surrounding OML 118, unlocking more than $10 billion of potential investment held up by the dispute. "Completed and commissioned an integrated gas handling facility at Oredo, Edo State, which, in addition to producing 84 million cubic feet (mmcf) per day of lean gas (for power generation), will be the largest onshore LPG plant in Nigeria, producing an estimated 330 tonnes per day." It noted that the corporation also co-invested with the private sector in the incorporation of a 600-million standard cubic feet (mscf) Gas Processing Plant in Imo State, a Biofuels Company in Ondo State, and a 10,000 tonnes per day Methanol Plant in Bayelsa State; among others.

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NEWS

REBUILDING FOR GREATNESS...

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left) taking a selﬁe picture with participants of the “Lagos Youth Symposium” Themed: “Rebuilding for Greatness” at De Blue Roof, LTV 8, Agidingbi, Ikeja ... yesterday

Fidelity Bank Set to Issue $500m Unsecured Notes James Emejo in Abuja Fidelity Bank Plc has said it is considering raising $500 million from the international debt capital market through the issuance of unsecured notes. A statement by its Company Secretary, Ezinwa Unuigboje yesterday, disclosed that the company intends to list the notes on the Irish Stock Exchange, adding that the proceeds would be used

for general corporate purposes, including supporting its trade finance business. It described the development as an interesting stride, “from a bank that has always set the bar when it comes to its leadership and is very well known for its stable management, positive investor relations and forward-thinking digital innovations.” It pointed out that in its almost 35 years of operations, Fidelity

has only had four chief executive officers, which it noted was a testament to stability of management and strong corporate governance. “The bank has consistently and sustainably grown its business based on a careful well-thought out strategy. This has not only contributed to its bottom line, but also guarantees the safety of its and depositors funds. “With the bank’s recent ISO 27001 certification on information

Oni, Senators Predict Victory over Bandits, Insurgents Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti A former governor of Ekiti State, Segun Oni, has said though the country was in dire need of purposeful leadership to overcome her economic and insecurity challenges, he, however predicted victory at the end of the day. Similarly, the Southern Senators Forum, has called for concerted efforts by all Nigerians for the country to overcome the the barrage of onslaughts by bandits and insurgents, who were killings, kidnapping and raping Nigerian citizens. Oni, in his message to Muslims yesterday, on the occasion of the Eid-el-Maulud, marking the birth of Prophet Mohammed, rejoiced with Muslim Ummah in Ekiti State, Nigeria and the world. "In the spirit of this special day bequeathed to mankind by the Almighty Allah (SAW), I pray that our nation shall be inspired to seek the rebirth of quality leadership, quality thinking and quality ideas. "In this season of politics, permit me to use the significance

of this celebration to urge the people and political stakeholders in the country to be conscientious, purposeful and deliberate in finding and supporting good leaders with proven track records at all levels, who will work selflessly and assiduously to salvage the country. "Our country is in dire need of quality leaderships at all levels of government, who can learn from the giant strides recorded by Prophet Muhammad to do something extraordinary in the remaking of Nigeria". The senators in their congratulatory message to Muslims, signed by their Chairman, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Secretary General, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, predicted Nigeria would be great if the citizens remained united and patriotic. The 51 Senators across party divides said with unity among Nigerians, masterminds of criminal activities would not only be defeated, but would be exterminated completely in the country. They said Nigerians have had enough of bloodsheds from insurgents and bandits, saying

time has come for all to unite in prayers and actions to tame the murderous gangs that were creating sorrow and anguish in the system. "We felicitate our Muslim ummah on the occasion of Eid-maulud, which symbolises the birth of Prophet Mohammed (SWT). It is worthy of note that celebrating the Prophet's birth signposted the fact that he lived a peaceful, purposeful, sacrificial and rewarding life, which makes him worth celebrating on yearly basis. "We want the Nigerian populace to learn from the life and time of Prophet Mohammed, who preached love, sacrifice, hopefulness, peaceful coexistence, unity, generosity, and these are the virtues all citizens, especially, every Muslim must imbibe for Nigeria to progress and develop. "No nation can progress without unity. Nigeria is one of the most religious nations in the world. We must live by the foundations that were laid as well as preaching of those we follow in our religious inclinations,” the statement stated.

security, Fidelity Bank is leading the industry with its commitment to provision of quality and secured services to investors and depositors across the country. “This certification continues to enable the bank prevent information security lapses and mitigate associated risks. As a customer-centered financial institution, the bank is ensuring the safety of depositors funds through a host of initiatives including Online Vulnerability Assessment, SSL encryption, second factor authentication, to mention a few. “Without a lot of fanfare and noise, Fidelity has become one of the best capitalised and safest banks in Nigeria,” it added. In addition, the bank has also continued to deploy a market-leading digital strategy encompassing not just mobile and online banking, but end-to-end digital products to better serve its customer base of over six million individuals and corporates, as well as to diversify its revenues. It noted that the diversification would further strengthen the bank’s balance sheet and increase the sustainability of its growth strategy.

According to the bank, a demonstration of its digital prowess was its recent award by Citigroup for excellent operational efficiency in foreign currency payments. “With a strong history of serving small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria, it didn’t come as a surprise when the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) also recently recognised Fidelity Bank as the performing financial institution with the highest disbursement to DBN-focused locations. “To further underscore the bank’s digital transformation initiatives, its chatbot Ivy was named in the KPMG Digital Channels Scorecard as the Best Chatbot of 2020,” it added. Furthermore, it pointed out that with only 10 months at the helms of Fidelity Bank, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, with the support of one of the strongest boards in the banking industry, was not only transforming the fortunes of the bank but also contributing to the Nigeria’s economic advancement. The bank recently announced its audited first half 2021 results with profit before tax of N20.6 billion for the period ended 30 June 2021. This represented about

72.4 per cent growth over the previous year despite the uncertain local and global economy. The Chairman of the Board of Fidelity Bank, Mustafa Chike-Obi is a well-known professional with footprints nationally and internationally- from Goldman Sachs to Bear Sterns and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, where he was the founding/pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Onyeali-Ikpe is one of the few female CEOs in the industry, a trend which is starting to rise. She is an industry veteran with over three decades of experience, including working for other banks such as Zenith Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, of whom she has been known to say, “they are our competitors but also our friends.” This is a refreshing approach in the sometimes over-aggressive banking industry. Her seven key imperatives of Accelerated Growth, Innovation, Brand Refresh, Performance Discipline, Digital Transformation, Service Excellence and Workforce Transformation are the strategic pillars for driving its business.

Two Monarchs Killed by Gunmen in Imo Uzodimma vows to fish out perpetrators Amby Uneze in Owerri Another round of killings continued in Imo state yesterday as two traditional rulers were killed by unknown gunmen at the council headquarters in Njaba local government. The affected monarchs were Eze E. A Duruebure, Obi one of Okwudor and Eze Sampson Osunwa of Ihebinowere autonomous community The monarchs were said to

have met their untimely death when the gunmen struck in the council headquarters where they were holding stakeholders' meeting and opened fire at them. THISDAY gathered that the traditional rulers were having a stakeholders meeting at Nnenasa, Njaba Local Government Area, when the hoodlums struck. As of the time of filing this report, the council headquarters was in a state of panic. The police spokesperson in the

state, Mike Abattam, said the two monarchs had been confirmed dead. In reaction, Governor Hope Uzodimma condemned the development, which he described as another dimension of killing in the state by trailing traditional rulers that were holding a meeting and murdered them. He promised to fish out the gunmen, saying his administration would not fold its arms and allow criminals to take over the state.

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NEWS

COURTESY VISIT TO GOVERNOR MAKINDE... L-R: Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Officer Commanding, Logistic Command, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria Air Force, Air Vice Marshall Charles Ohwo, and Commanding Officer, 671 Ibadan, Air Commodore, Simon Peter, during a courtesy visit to the Governor's Office at Ibadan…recently

Enugu Govt Trains 600 Women, Youths on Software, Wealth Creation Tech Courses The Enugu State Government has successfully trained 400 women in software Information Technology (IT) infusion programme and 200 young men in high powered, life altering and wealth creating technical courses at the newly established Enugu State Tech Hub Centres in the state. Speaking during the graduation ceremony of the first batch of the software IT infusion students at the Centre in Enugu, the state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Sir Obi Kama, explained that the programme would "empower the participants to build cuttingedge innovation that will solve real problems and also create a new wealth index for youths in the state." Kama disclosed that the IT infusion programme for women was in keeping with the state

Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi administration’s commitment to gender equality as well as its unrelenting and unequivocal passion for enhancing the capacity of youths of the state in IT innovations as a veritable vehicle for wealth creation, economic growth and self-reliance. The commissioner commended the management team of the Tech Hub Centres for its bold initiatives and great strides in partnering tech giants such as Microsoft and Tech 4 Dev, to launch the mega software infusion programme for the targeted audience. He pointed out that the programme was free and ran for four weeks, noting that the state Ministry of Science and Technology is proud of the commitment, energy and passion being displayed by the

Enugu Tech Hub in exceeding the expectations in its roadmap of infusing technology-driven innovations in the youths aimed at changing the innovation index of the state. Kama, who congratulated the graduands, urged the fresh students to remain steadfast and take full advantage of the programme to impart knowledge and "bring about the generation shift the government hopes to achieve before the end of 2022 in making Enugu State the hub for tech infusion, incubation and acceleration of tech startups in the South-east region." In her address, the Commissioner for Special Duties and the Focal Person, Enugu State Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Hon. Mrs. Mabel Agbo, revealed that the state Tech Hub Centres were not only designed to provide trainings

and technology solutions to the challenges confronting the society, but also to acquaint the beneficiaries with the necessary skills to be able to set up their

The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, Aminu Hassan has given reasons why a detachment of policemen sealed off the secretariat of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) in Calabar yesterday. The policemen who entered the secretariat located at Esu Utan, early yesterday, sent out everyone in the IPMAN office and stationed their men to be on guard. They also stopped some protesting members of IPMAN from gaining access to the facility. In a telephone interview moments after the police sealed the secretariat, the police commissioner said anti-cultism

and kidnapping squad were detailed to seal the place in order to enforce a judgment of the Supreme Court. "We are obeying a directive asking the anti-cultism and kidnapping squad to seal the office. We are enforcing Supreme Court judgment. "The person who won the court matter is to take over and one and will come and take over the state chapter of IPMAN," the commissioner said. Commenting on the development, the Chairman of IPMAN in the state, Robert Obi, said the sealing of the secretariat was condemnable, and accused the police of instigating crisis by their action. Obi said: "The police barricaded my office as you can

see. With all the court judgments available, they are disobeying these judgments. "The police are not prepared to look at the judgments and in Calabar, there is a restraining order on the police. What they are trying to do is to instigate crisis so that they can tag is criminals, set the state ablaze and arrest us. The judgment is with us and the directive of a senior police officer is not above that of the Supreme Court." Counsel to IPMAN, Daniel Mgbe, said sealing the secretariat by the police was unnecessary because the judgments of the Supreme Court, and the High Court had long been obeyed and implemented. He described the action of the police, which he said was

potential instead of indulging in unlawful activities and waiting endlessly for limited vacancies in both federal and state civil services.

Disguised Immigration CG Discovers High Touting, Hike in Passport Fees at Lagos Offices Michael Olugbode in Abuja The acting Comptroller General of Immigration, Isah Idris, has discovered a high prevalence of touts and hike in passport fees at Lagos Passport Offices during a sting operation he personally led. A statement yesterday by the spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Amos Okpu, said the Idris paid an unscheduled visit to the Alausa and Ikoyi Passport Offices in Lagos as part of sting

CP Gives Reasons for Sealing IPMAN Secretariat in C'River Bassey Inyang in Calabar

own technology hubs in their various communities. She, therefore, enjoined the youths of the state to utilise the Tech Hub Centres to realise their

based on the directive of a senior police officer, as illegal. IPMAN has been operating in factions, one led by Obasi Lawson, and the other by Chinedu Okoronkwo, since 2015. However, the Supreme Court had on December 14, 2018, in suit number SC/15/2018, declared that Alhaji Sanusi Abdu Fari, as Deputy National Chairman to Lawson should assume office as national president of IPMAN. Subsequent interpretation of the judgment of the Supreme Court by the Federal High Court Calabar on June 19, 2019, had stated that the judgment of the apex court recognised Fari as the legitimate person to assume the position of National President of IPMAN based on the 1997 constitution of the association.

operations to assess the quality of service delivery to members of the public at the Centres. The statement stated that the acting CG arrived the Alausa Passport Office Ikeja, at about 1100 hours and presented himself as a potential passport applicant. He moved round the premises unnoticed and was even attended to by some personnel. According to the statement, he also met with some touts within and around the premises, who made entreaties to assist him to procure passport. It noted that both the touts and some of the personnel, who offered to assist him gave exorbitant fees far beyond the official rates, with the acting CGI playing along with them and indeed some affirmed their readiness to assist him procure the passport within reasonable time provided he met their charges. Okpu’s statement said determined to have a good understanding of the extent of touting in the area, the acting CGI opted to follow one of the touts to her Business Centre located not far away from the passport office, and while there, the tout produced all manner of forms and requested the acting CGI to complete same so that the process could begin. The acting CGI, however, chose to see the process through by completing some of the forms and was thereafter asked to transfer the sum for the charges given him to an account number supplied

by the tout if he could not make cash payment. Satisfied with his findings at the Alausa Office, Idris proceeded to the Ikoyi Passport Centre, where the same experience played out. He afterwards left the premises unnoticed and proceeded to the Office of the Lagos State Command Comptroller on Alagbon Close, Ikoyi. Speaking there, the acting CGI noted that the visit was very insightful, stating, “It has enabled me to assess the quality of service delivery at the centres especially, against the backdrop of some public complaints about poor service delivery in some passport office locations. “We shall use this experience to deepen our reforms very urgently. I have seen some gaps that must be quickly addressed. I think that the passport appointment system we are about to introduce will take care of some of the gaps while a huge emphasis on consequence management shall be vigorously pursued.” He said none of the personnel found to have acted below expectation during the visit shall go unpunished, assuring that appropriate sanctions shall be applied. Idris had on assumption of office promised to deepen passport reform efforts, improve border security efforts and emplace measures for enhanced staff welfare.

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Rivers APC Crisis Deepens as Parallel Officials Emerge Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, seemed to have deepened, as the Senator Magnus Abe faction of the party yesterday inaugurated executives to man its affairs. The camp loyal to the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, had during their congress on Saturday, elected Emeka Bekee, as the party chairman. However, the Abe faction has also appointed its state officials, with Golden Chioma announced as the party chairman. Briefing journalists shortly after the inauguration at the party Freedom House, Port Harcourt, Chioma said there had been lots of comments about their recent state congress, which needed to

be addressed. He stated that they were "ready for battle" to occupy the Bricks House (Government House), Port Harcourt, in 2023, and that nobody could intimidate them. The chairman stressed that the era of wishing "happy birthdays" was over and that they had persons of impeccable character that could take the party to the desired height. "In the last 72 hours, our great party has been saddled with a lot of rift by a lot of mischief makers. We just want to clear the air, so that this press conference would settle all dust. “We held the ward congress; we held the local government congress and we also held the state congress. For the avoidance of doubt, all those whose names were mentioned this morning

bought forms, submitted forms. They are men of impeccable personalities and ladies of repute. "I stand as a duly elected Executive Chairman of APC in Rivers State. I also want to sound a note of warning that this party will no longer wish happy birthdays. We are leaving the era of birthdays for a political option, where we must take the Brick House. "We are the political party that is only known to contest election; we don’t want to be the second best. We want to be the best and we want to produce the next governor of Rivers State. "This state is very important to the Nigerian project. We cannot continue to be in the opposition. APC will rule Nigeria, APC will rule Rivers State." But Chris Finebone, the recently

elected publicity secretary of the Amaechi faction, stated that there was no parallel APC in the state. Finebone, who was reacting to the inauguration of Chioma as a factional chairman of the party, said, "There was no parallel congress in Rivers APC on Saturday. "What qualifies as parallel

University (LASU), Professor Wahab Ellias, said the theme of the event connoted a resilient city. Ellias stated that conflict remained endemic and part of the society’s makeup. Meanwhile, the announcement from Delta State came hours to the first anniversary of the #ENDSARS# protests that rocked the country in 2020, leading to the official dismantling of a unit of the Nigeria Police called Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Secretary to Delta State Government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah, revealed this in a statement in Asaba. Ukah said the decision to mitigate the pains suffered by some of the victims was based on the consideration of the report by the judicial panel of inquiry. The judicial panel, which was inaugurated by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in October 2020, received a total of 86 petitions for which it conducted public hearings in Asaba and Warri, with full legal representation for all parties. The statement said, “Delta State Government wishes to inform all Deltans and residents of the state that government has received and considered the Report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry that was constituted to receive and enquire into complaints of police brutality and related extra-judicial killings in the state. "It is worthy of mention that the panel was not able to make recommendations on the entire petitions received by it, as some of these petitions are currently pending in various courts in the state. Hence, making pronouncements on them would be subjudice. In addition, some of the petitions were struck out by the panel during the hearing sessions for various reasons. "More importantly, the panel was able to establish acts of police brutality in some cases, resulting in death or denial of personal liberty and accordingly awarded monetary compensation for the victims in these cases. “In the same vein, the panel upheld judgements earlier delivered by High Courts in the state for various cases of police brutality, which judgements have not been complied with till date, including payment of judgement debts associated with them. “The state government, having considered the panel’s recommendations in these two categories of cases, has accepted to pay the incidental claims recommended for the victims, amounting to the sum of N102,450,000.00 (One hundred and two million, four hundred and fifty thousand naira). This payment would be effected in due course.” Amnesty International, in a statement, called on Buhari to fulfil his promise of reforming the police. The organisation made the call in a statement titled, “Nigeria: No justice for victims of police brutality one year after #EndSARS protests.” It alleged that despite promises of reform, police impunity had continued in Nigeria. The statement by Director of

Amnesty International Nigeria, Ms. Osai Ojigho, said, “A year on, despite the gravity of these human rights violations, not a single member of the security forces has been prosecuted while judicial panels of inquiry set up to investigate abuses by officers have made little progress. “President Muhammadu Buhari must fulfil his promise of reforming the police to end the reign of impunity Nigerians have been protesting against for many years. Failure to bring to justice those suspected to be responsible for the torture and killings of #EndSARS protesters on 20 October 2020 is yet another indication that Nigerian authorities lack the political will to ensure accountability for these atrocities, and end police brutality.” Ojigho also stated, “Under the pretext of restoring order, horrific injuries were inflicted on hundreds

the emergence of Chief Emeka Bekee as the State Chairman with other officers for various positions. "As soon as we are inaugurated, we will get security agencies to go after any imposters right into their holes and fish them out to face the law. You just watch. They are impersonators," Finebone added.

Lawyer Seeks End to Ban of Ogogoro Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa A Niger Delta Lawyer, inventor and cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Azibaola Robert, has called on lawmakers in Bayelsa and other state National Assemblies to advocate for a lift on the ban on locally brewed gin popularly called ‘ogogoro.’

#ENDSARS: SANWO-OLU BROKERS TRUCE WITH YOUTHS, PROMISES NOT TO GIVE UP BELIEF IN THEM in the state. Amnesty International called on President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil the promise he made to reform the Nigeria Police, one year after the #EndSARS incident. Sanwo-Olu, who attended the peace forum, listened as the youths led conversation on how they could effectively channel their grievances to the authorities. The event themed, “Rebuilding for Greatness: Peaceful Conflict Resolution,” held at the LTV Blue Roof, in Ikeja. It was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Social Development and facilitated by the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Youth Matters, Saheed Akanbi. A seven-man discussion panel moderated by Mazi Sam Uche Anyamele, a filmmaker, set the tone for the governor’s response to various suggestions and ideas shared by youths at the event. With a commitment to peace pledged by the youth, the governor, who declared that the moment for true reconciliation had begun, said Lagos could now undergo a total healing process after last year's coordinated attacks on its assets, which also resulted in loss of lives and livelihoods. Sanwo-Olu said, “Today is a day of reconciliation and it is about our teeming youths. This is the moment to create a common ground and take ownership of our future. We have, indeed, assessed what we have passed through as a people; it’s now the moment to come together and build our lives together. “This event is about aggregating all the conversations of the millions of youths that have been represented here. All of us have agreed that, when we work together, we can build a resilient society we will truly be proud of. We will continue to build, engage and work with our young people. “I certainly will not give up on you as partners in progress and your ability to bring about positive changes.” The governor added, “I thank all the youths, who participate in this forum, for the valuable suggestions offered and the ideas shared. I’m taking full responsibility and ownership of all the feedback recommended for me here. All the points have been taken and I will continue to rely on them in the course of governance.” Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Hon. Segun Dawodu, said the state government recognised the youth as stakeholders in peace building and violence prevention. Dawodu stressed that the governor’s physical presence at the event was an indication of his commitment to addressing the issues faced by the youth. Represented by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Oluwagbemiga Aina, the commissioner said the aftermath of negative conflicts would never be beneficial to any society. The keynote speaker and Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State

congress is when the team sent by the APC CECPC conducted two congresses with inec and security agencies observing. There was no such thing that happened in Rivers State last Saturday. "The team from Abuja conducted the only congress that took place in Rivers State at the Polo Club, PH. That exercise saw

of people and at least 56 people were killed, among them dozens of young people lost their lives as Nigerian security forces used unnecessary and excessive force to disperse peaceful protesters across the country. “It is unacceptable that despite overwhelming evidence, the government continues to deny the use of live ammunition on protesters at Lekki tollgate exactly a year ago.” Amnesty International argued that investigative panels set up to look into police brutality had so far been marred by prolonged adjournments, intimidation of witnesses by police lawyers, and failure of police officers to appear as witnesses. It alleged that the panels failed to sit in some states, even as others went on indefinite breaks. It called on the authorities to put words into action and decisively end police impunity.

He equally called on both the federal and state governments to expunge the obnoxious law banning the local gin disclosing that if properly harnessed, the product could be a source of revenue income for both the locals and the governments. Speaking to journalists after what he said was his 14-day expedition into the deep forest, he said he was pained that local gin was still regarded as illicit gin and therefore outlawed in all states of the federation. While expressing concern over the ban placed many years ago by the colonial masters, Robert stated that alcoholic drinks brewed abroad were not different from the locally brewed ones, maintaining that the erroneous belief has hindered the growth of that industry in the country. Robert said he was sad when he found out that a man that had been brewing the product for 30 years but have tangible gain, only getting daily from the sales, said: “Kaikai (local gin) is a basic occupation of our people. How for God’s sake can Kaikai be labelled as illicit drink for 60 years. “People whose livelihood is to brew the local gin are arrested while those who deal on alcoholic

gins brewed abroad are treated as doing normal business. “People spend N50,000 to N60,000 for these foreign gins and do not do same for the local alcohol, there is no difference between the two, they are all mixtures of water, coloring, flavor and alcohol. “Those foreign drinks are local drinks of people elsewhere just like our own ‘Kaikai’ is brewed here, the only thing is that we have failed to identify the potentials of our own and act accordingly.” Speaking on his 14-day expedition into the deep forest, Robert said the adventure was a great experience in the sense that it was historic and hope that it continue next year until the world notice that there is potentials in the Niger Delta rain forest. "Seriously, I didn’t know we will be able to achieve it but we achieved it and we have been able to get serious documentation for TV and other agencies. "We are going to publish a major documentary out of it and put it on national and international television and push it through national geographic and I intend to do it annually so we have created the interests that we have been talking about," he added.

MILITARY DEPLOYS HELICOPTER GUNSHIPS AGAINST BANDITS IN KADUNA, DECIMATES 50 tions in a statement, said the criminals were neutralised during a combined ground and air assault in the Saulawa-Farin Ruwa axis of Birnin Gwari Local Government Area. Buhari had on Monday declared total war on bandits wreaking havoc in the country and declared that their days were numbered. The president, who was reacting to the killing, on Sunday, of over 30 people in Goronyo market, Sokoto State, by bandits, sent a tough warning to the criminals, declaring, "The clock of your ultimate destruction is ticking as you will no longer have a place to hide." Buhari stated, in a release by one of his spokesmen, Garba Shehu, "The days of the bandits are, indeed, numbered, because the military capabilities of our forces are being boosted by the acquisition and deployment of advanced equipment. "The bandits are living in the fool's paradise of invincibility, but reality will soon dawn on them harder than ever before. The bandits are currently under

desperate pressures, because of the intense and sustained air and ground operations against them in their hideouts by our security forces. "The cowardly attacks on innocent people by the bandits show a rearguard action of criminals under pressure. But they will have no place to hide and our gallant security forces will not relent in the current offensive to defeat these callous enemies of humanity." Competent security sources said the air assaults killed scores of bandits in Saukawa-Farin Ruwa Settlement. This was as Nigerian Army Headquarters said troops killed 24 insurgents in two attacks in the North-east and recovered weapons. The bandits in Kaduna, who rode on motorcycles, planned to ambush ground troops at Dogon Dawa and Damari communities in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state. But were eliminated in the course of their planning, a military statement claimed. The statement said, "In

BUHARI REJOICES WITH GENERAL YAKUBU GOWON AT 87 commendation and gratitude, the statesmanship of the Convener and National Chairman of “Nigeria Prays,” saying his vision for a greater country resonates in the programmes he instituted in the 1970s, like the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), creation of states, and the Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation project, which had become a reference for harmony. Buhari believed grace and fortune had continued to guide Gowon, as he started out as a career soldier, youngest military Chief of Staff, and youngest Head of State, before turning a Professor of Political Science and founder of the

Yakubu Gowon Centre, an organisation dedicated to good governance, infectious disease control, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. The president joined family, friends and Nigerians in praying for longer life for the former Head of State. Gowon is the oldest surviving former Nigerian leader. He rose to power following the July 1966 counter-coup that led to the overthrow and assassination of then the Head of State, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. Gowon ruled for almost nine years until his overthrow in the coup d'état of 1975 by Brigadier Murtala Mohammed.

continuation of the Kaduna State Multi-Agency Op, the NAF Air Component on 18 Oct 21, provided close air support to ground forces advancing from Dogon Dawa-Damari-Saulawa axis. “Extensive scan to avert any form of surprise attacks from bandits around the loc led to the interception of armed bandits on 5 x motorcycle 2nm east of Saulawa, staging for a possible ambush on advancing troops. With a good mind of judgment and sincerity of purpose, the helicopter gunship brought the miscreants to their unexpected doom with several precise strikes." The update affirmed, "After the neutrlisation of the bandits’ ambush party, armed bandits on about 50 x motorcycles were sighted fleeing towards Farin Ruwa and were struck effectively with weapons on board. Fleeing bandits within the surrounding forests were followed up and engaged by ground forces. “In maintaining presence for an effective annihilation of the bandits, a second helicopter gunship came overhead the location in dogged support of the ground forces. “Several armed bandits were seen scampering to safety in disarray under superior fire power from the ground and air forces, and were hit by the air asset overhead. This led to the effective annihilation of large number of armed bandits". Corroborating the military statement, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs said based on operational feedback to the state government by the Joint Operations Command, "Following extensive scans, bandits were spotted on five motorcycles, about 4km east of Saulawa, waiting to ambush the ground forces. They were

engaged vigorously by the helicopter gunship, and were wiped out. "After this, armed bandits on about 50 motorcycles were sighted fleeing towards Farin Ruwa, and were struck effectively by the gunship. Fleeing remnants were mopped up by ground forces. "A second helicopter gunship joined the operations, and many more fleeing bandits were neutralised by precise strikes. Assessment revealed that more than 50 bandits were neutralised during the joint operation." Aruwan said El-Rufai expressed satisfaction with the operational feedback and congratulated the ground troops and gunship crews. The governor "urged them to sustain the momentum and bring even more bandits to their bitter end," the statement said. In a related development, the Nigerian Army yesterday claimed troops killed 24 insurgents in two attacks in the North-east and recovered weapons. Commander of the anti-insurgency task force, Major General Christopher Musa, told Reuters that soldiers killed 16 Boko Haram insurgents a few kilometres from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. Musa said during the encounter with the insurgents, two gun trucks were seized and one was destroyed. Army spokesman, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed that late on Monday, troops from a joint Nigerian and Cameroonian operation also killed four ISWAP members, who attacked a forward army base in Borno. Another four suspected insurgents died when their truck mounted with anti-aircraft guns drove over an improvised explosive device, Nwachukwu said.

T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

WEDNESDAY, ͺ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

IMPORTANCE OF BREASTFEEDING... L-R: Medical Oﬃcer of Health, Ikosi -Isheri LCDA, Dr. Owoyele Wasiu Adekunle; Head, Corporate Communications, PR & Digital, TVC Communications, Mabel Aladenusi-Adeteye; Executive Chairman, Ikosi Isheri Local Council Development Area, Princess Samiat Abolanle Bada; Senior Lecturer, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Dr. Alero Roberts; Director, People Culture, Experience & Operations, TVC Communications, Kemi Shonubi; and Deputy Chief Financial Oﬃcer, TVC Communications, Victoria Ajayi, at the 2021 TVC Communications Child Health Day Symposium, themed; The Importance of Breastfeeding, Healthy Nutrition and Personal Hygiene in Local Communities, in Lagos... recently

PDP Consensus Option Fails in North-east, North-west, South-east Governors meet today to assess option Chuks Okocha in Abuja The national consensus option adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might have failed in the North-east, North-west and South-east as aspirants have refused to adopt the outcome of the micro zoning of offices by the governors of the party. To this end, the PDP governors have summoned an emergency meeting that will take place today to review the consensus option and also access the progress made so far ahead of the October 30 and 31 national convention of the party. Disagreements among aspirants have led to various members obtaining nomination and expression of interest forms from the party. At as yesterday, which was the last day for the submission of nomination forms, documents obtained by THISDAY showed that PDP members even obtained forms outside of areas where certain offices were micro-zoned to by the governors and other

stakeholders. For instance, former PDP governorship candidate in the 2019 election in Yobe State, Ambassador Iliya Damagun, on Monday, submitted his nomination form as the deputy national chairman from the north-east. Yesterday, wife of Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Maryam Inna, who is a former Minister of Women Affairs, obtained and also submitted her form, seeking election as the deputy national chairman. This, however, was contrary to the micro-zoning earlier announced by the three governors of the north-east zone In the same manner, the office of the PDP Youth Leader has been causing concerns in the north-west zone as three aspirants have submitted their nomination forms, claiming they were the anointed consensus aspirants from the office of the youth leader. At the party’s national secretariat yesterday, being the last day, Sani Usman Elkudan and two others submitted

their nomination forms for the office of youth leader. Usman Elkudan is being challenged by Mohammed Suleiman Kadeda. Both Kadeda and Usman hail from Kaduna State. In the South-east, the national vice chairman of the party in the zone, Ali Odefa, in a statement said, "For the avoidance of doubt, our leaders in considering the need for unity and collective interest of our great party as well as the task ahead of us and as we approach the

2023 general elections, have collectively and unanimously nominated the following outstanding party men in our zone for National Executive offices as follows: "National Secretary, Senator Sam Anyanwu (Sam Daddy), Imo State; National Auditor, Sir Obi Okechukwu FCA, Anambra State; Assistant National Treasurer, Ndubuisi Eneh, Enugu State; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Barr. Okechukwu Osuoha, Abia State", he stated. But at the PDP national

Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in November 6 election in Anambra State, Senator Andy Uba, yesterday, recalled how he was instrumental to the appointment of his rival and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Chukwuma Soludo as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), during former President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration. Uba, who was celebrating the number of politicians, who had left the opposition political parties to support him, also expressed confidence that more people would join his party before the election. Briefing select journalists in Lagos, Uba said he had helped more people within and outside the state than any of the

contenders in the race and that his grouse with Soludo was that he never used to help people. Soludo was CBN Governor between May 29, 2004 and May 29, 2009. "That's my problem with him. I asked him to hire people but he didn't. You can ask him, ask him today if there is anybody he has employed, helped in business or anything. Let him show you. Nobody in Anambra will say Soludo has helped me in anything but I have helped a lot. Is it in scholarships or business? Whether you are in Anambra or not, I have helped people," Uba said. On the unity of his party, Uba exhibited confidence that his party was leading in the state. "We are bringing people together in Anambra. Even the governor's ward chairman, deputy governor, left him. Everybody is coming to APC. So, everyone is voting for me,

In the South-west, agreement has not been reached on who becomes the deputy national chairman as stakeholders were yet to agree between Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Oladipo Olawale. Other consensus candidates that have submitted their nomination forms included Prof. Stella Effa Atoe (Cross River State) for the office of Women leader and Hon. Debo Ologunagba for the office of the National Publicity Secretary (Ondo State).

COVID-19: Kaduna Bars Unvaccinated Persons from Entering Govt Offices

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government has warned that from October 31, 2021, anyone who wishes to enter any of its offices must have been vaccinated and must comply

with Covid-19 protocol such as wearing face masks. In a statement, the government reiterated said the Ministry of Health has since commenced the vaccination of all civil servants which was expected to be completed by

Uba: I Was Instrumental to Soludo's Appointment as CBN Gov Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha

secretariat, Sam Ben Nwosu, a close associate of a former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, obtained and submitted a form for the office of national auditor, whereas the party has presented Obi Okechukwu as a national auditor consensus candidate. In the same manner, Barrister Okay Muo Aroh, picked and submitted forms as a candidate for national secretary. He is from Anambra State, whereas the PDP zoned the office to Imo State

because they have realised that the centre is the key. They don't know what the centre means. This is our own. You must open your hand and make sure you work with the centre. You can't compare Anambra to Imo or Ebonyi, because they go directly to the President. But the governor goes through the Chief of Staff for him to get to the President." He dismissed insinuations that the APC planned to rig the election, because they have the numbers. "We have the House of Reps members, senators, coming in, tell me how we can rig the election? How can you be in a party and they take your chairman, your deputy governor? He has not seen his deputy governor for 18 months," he said. Uba also debunked claims that he imported insecurity to scare other candidates, but criticised Governor Willie Obiano

for his inability to engage with the people to tackle insecurity in the state. "The governor does not engage. How can you now run a system without engaging people? He has not heard from them to find out what their problem is, how do we help you? Everything is about employment. They don't have money, no jobs, no vocational school. What do you expect them to do? They are living a different life. All is about jobs. If not, they will go into crime." Uba, however, expressed willingness to engage different people on the issue of security, particularly on the agitations by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Although he hinted at engaging with different people to address the need of the group, he didn't particularly state that he has been in contact with any of the members.

the end of October. The statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye stated that, "visitors to government offices will need to present their vaccination cards before they are allowed into government offices." The statement added that, "Given the limited supply of vaccines that are currently available, visitors that have not yet been vaccinated will in the interim be permitted entry upon presentation of evidence of registration with the state Ministry of Health for the purpose of vaccination." Adekeye said the, ‘’Commissioner of Health Dr. Amina Mohammed-Baloni has announced that residents are encouraged to register at the nearest primary health centre for Covid-19 vaccinations so that the relevant authorities can easily contact them as more Covid-19 vaccines become available.’’ Adekeye said the Kaduna State Government was constantly monitoring Covid-19 infections in the state and

reviewing the pattern of spread. "Based on these reviews, the State Covid-19 Taskforce has advised the government that the risk of mass infection by Covid-19 remains. "This necessitates that careful attention must be paid to continued enforcement of preventive measures and encouraging residents of Kaduna State to practice personal responsibility more consistently. ‘’This is in line with the FORWARD campaign launched last year to help citizens adopt preventive measures as the state reopened after months of lockdown". Adekeye urged residents to comply with the simple tests outlined in the "FORWARD campaign. "The campaign entails wearing Facemasks, observing physical distance, practicing respiratory hygiene, washing hands often with soap and water or using hand sanitizer, avoiding large gatherings, remaining indoors as much as possible and eat immunity-boosting diets," he added.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

COMMENT

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

JOURNEY TIITO THE DEPTHS OF TREASURE is a school of promise, writes Sonnie Ekwowusi

y journey last week to the Institute for Industrial Technology (IIT) (www.iit.edu.ng), Isheri-North Residential Scheme, Kosofe Government Area, off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, seemed like a journey to the depths of treasure. At a time when four out of every five young Nigerians you meet in the street have perfected plans to flee Nigeria to Canada, United States or United Kingdom in search of gainful employment and a new lease of life, journeying to the poor neigbourhood of Isheri-North Residential Scheme, Lagos last week and discovering IIT provided some relief. I remember visiting the IIT in company with a friend a couple of years ago when the institution was about taking off. But it was only last week that I came to appreciate the revolution ignited by IIT in the sphere of vocational training and technical education in Nigeria. Succinctly put, IIT provides the most sought-after high quality vocational training and requisite technical education to the Nigerian young in order to empower them and make them competent and employable in industries, company and society at large. IIT also offers multi-skilling technical programs to graduates of OND, HND, or BSc science and graduates of Engineering of our universities in order to impact relevant technical skills in a flexible and intense manner. This would enable them to improve their work productivity and in turn become relevant to the industries and companies in Nigeria. The wind blows where it wills and we can hardly tell where and when the wind will blow on us. Oftentimes most Nigerian young go abroad hunting for treasures unmindful that the most precious treasure can be found here in Nigeria. IIT stands in a world of its own at the desolate Isheri-North Residential Scheme. Most students of IIT, I gather, come from poor backgrounds. The school even offers scholarships to some deserving indigents students who cannot afford to pay the fees paid in the institution. IIT aims to empower these indigent young students, who are mostly in the age bracket of 17-21, with world class vocational training and technical education skills in order to make them employable in companies such as Nestle, Guinness, Cadbury, Nigerian Breweries, Tetra-Pak, and others. In fact, some companies partner with IIT in order to employ their students after graduation. This is not surprising. IIT is well-equipped with the latest technology and equipment for imparting technical education and vocational skills. I understand that the three-year Electro-mechanics program which IIT offers is modeled after the world renowned German Dual Training System that uses both the schools and the factory as avenues for learning. This ensures that the students appreciate the practical relevance of the concept being taught. Essentially IIT students are exposed to mechanical, electrical, electronics and automation technologies to equip them with relevant technical skills that the various industries need and crave for. Unarguably there is a paucity of competent and honest electricians, welders, vehicle mechanics, plumbers, tilers and others in this category in Nigeria. I don’t know about you but I must confess that several vehicle mechanics and electricians have defrauded me. For example, five years ago, an electrician I hired to repair my inverter ended up not only damaging the inverter but stealing all the batteries. Till date I am yet to encounter an honest vehicle mechanic who can competently repair my car. Most of the vehicle mechanics I come across are incompetent and dishonest. This is where IIT makes the difference. I

IIT IS WELL-EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND EQUIPMENT FOR IMPARTING TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND VOCATIONAL SKILLS

gather that many Nigerian companies in Ikeja, Lagos compete among themselves in poaching IIT graduates. Why? Because IIT graduates can be trusted to perform their duties well, at least to a reasonable extent. IIT graduates are well remunerated. Some earn more than university graduates in industries where they are employed. The IIT Director-General was kind enough to take me round the school premises. He showed me the school’s well-equipped weldinginstruction room. He explained that unlike the poor idea of welding which the average Nigerian has, IIT offers a uniquely professional welding course that actually equips the students after graduation to carry out professional welding work in any part of the world. Before departure, the Director-General explained that, aside from technical competence and prowess, what makes IIT graduates excel in industries is their ability to put into practice the work ethics inculcated in them. IIT was inspired by Saint Josemaria, the founder of Opus Dei, a personal prelature of the Catholic Church. Saint Josemaria, who was greatly concerned about helping the less privileged members of society, encouraged many people to set up institutions like the IIT in order to directly or indirectly improve the well-being of the poor as well as contribute to the manpower needs of society. Little wonder he penned in one of his best-selling books, Christ is Passing By, “A man or a society that does not react to suffering and injustice and makes no effort to alleviate them is still distant from the love of Christ’s heart. While Christians enjoy the fullest freedom in finding and applying various solutions to these problems, they should be united in having one and the same desire to serve mankind otherwise their Christianity will not be the word and life of Jesus: it will be a fraud, a deception of God and man” I left the premises of IIT feeling elated as if I had visited the depths of hidden treasure. We must invest in vocational training and technical education in Nigeria. If countries such as Italy, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and others have invested in technical and vocational education are now reaping enormous fruits from their investments, what stops Nigeria from following suit? Here in Nigeria we still lack the technical know-how to operate new equipment imported for our manufacturing industries because they are highlyautomated and contain complex technologies ranging from mechanical to electrical/electronics and information technology. A country that cannot produce competent artisans, technicians, motor mechanics, plumbers, electricians, bricklayers, welders, etc., cannot claim to be making progress. So we have no choice but to start training good technicians, electricians, artisans, electrical engineers and good motor mechanics too. Our cultural bias for white-collar and paper qualification has become a formidable obstacle to tackling the shortage of skillful manpower in Nigeria. Our 6-3-3-4 educational system originally designed to promote technical and vocational education has been perverted. Our idea of a University is completely flawed. Many of our tertiary institutions are busy churning out certificate-carrying graduates and nothing more. Our growing dependence on technology must be matched by a proportionate increase in the number of properly-trained, competent and highly-motivated technicians and engineers in order to design, install, maintain and adapt to the new technologies.

#ENDSARS AS ‘DARK NOTES ON OUR HISTORY’ Oludayo Tade urges the youths not to lose sight of struggles to get an egalitarian society

fter years of agonising over their brutality and killing by the (now disbanded) Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a tactical unit of the Nigeria Police formed in 1992 to fight robbery and other violent crimes, Nigerian youths organised themselves through a protest that was well coordinated and organised through deployment of technology, leadership and administrative sagacity. It was popularly known as the #ENDSARS protest. The protest was about holding the police institution to account for taking the youth and by extension Nigerians for a ride for a long time. They made this happen between October 8 and 20, 2021 starting in Lagos and spreading to other southern states while few states in Northern Nigeria joined. Their message was to end police brutality using the tactical unit of the police, SARS as the signpost of what a tactical unit ought not to be. They were not violent. They sang, cleaned the streets and raised money for the vulnerable they met on their way. In fact, they provided food for some traffic wardens who wanted to run away when they saw the protesters coming towards them. They were set out to repay evil for evil; their goal was different: they wanted justice and compensation for the victims of police brutality, effective governance system in Nigeria that would address problems of unemployment and poverty and also demanded enhanced welfare for the police. The protest was both online and offline with

thousands on ground and millions online globally holding the banner of sorosoke to raise their voices against the docility of their parents who belong to the ‘off-the-mic’ generation that allowed degeneration of the country into its comatose present. State sponsored thugs and infiltrators were identified and ejected the protest march. After delayed response from the State and attacks on peaceful protesters by sponsored state agents, the protesters became more organised in their resolve to get the state to listen. But the character of our state is one which does not listen to peaceful people or encourage democratic engagements. The Youth presented their demands through Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who ran to Abuja to present it to President Muhammadu Buhari. They insisted that their demands must be met before leaving the streets. Aso rock could not stomach such audacity to constituted authority. And on 20th of October, 2020 the ‘forces beyond our direct control’ shot at protesters at Lekki with many injured and many claimed to have died. They succeeded in getting SARS disbanded and off the road but SARS was a microcosm of the policing system and this explains why brutality and extortion have not abated. It is now a year after that protest and we seem not to have learnt anything or nothing seemed to have improved. A few days ago, a video trending showed a police officer assaulting a passenger with what Nigerians would call ‘dirty slap’ somewhere in Kogi State. They were led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police and extorted N25, 000 from their victim. Those who challenged them were threatened with death with a shameless police officer in the video going up and down

and shouting down on helpless Nigerians. Many of these cases still happen across the country on and off the streets. In my research on ENDSARS protests, participants shared the reasons for participating in the protest. Some had been direct victims while many knew those who had been victimised by police officers. Morenike is one of those who shared her experience with me. “My fiancée was almost arrested on his way from work because he had his laptop with him. His bag was seized and kept in their (Police) van while their boss looked on. He kept shouting and making lots of noise which attracted lots of persons. It was when they realised he was a lawyer he was given his bag and told to go. Also, while coming back from work he was making a video of SARS officers harassing some youths and his phone was seized from behind. They also went as far as putting him in their van and claimed they were taking him to the station. One of the officers wanted to unlock his phone to delete the videos and saw that he was a lawyer. They however made him transfer #10,000 before he was released.” Another person is Sanya who said police extorted money from his friend. “A friend of mine was once arrested just because he uses an I-phone and was ‘fresh’, even after they couldn’t prove he was into anything illegal. He still had to be bailed with N20k”. Gbemi is the third who shared what happened to her friend. “They (police/SARS) once told my friend that because she has big back side she has to be doing asewo (prostitute) work and be sleeping with yahoo boys because they’ll be the only ones able to pay fee of big girl like her and told her other friend to pull up her gown cause

they were not sure if she was putting on any panties!!!! They had to settle with 50k”. Since that brutal clampdown on Lekki protesters on October 20, 2020 protest, the victims of police brutality are yet to get justice. Twenty-eight states have submitted the report of their Panels of enquiry set up to probe cases of human rights abuses and brutality of the police to government for implementation. Lagos, the epicentre of the protest which suffered losses estimated at over N1trillion is yet to conclude its sittings. As this is delayed new persons become victims of police brutality and citizens continue to lose trust in government. It was Governor Sanwo-Olu while reacting to the infamous Lekki shooting said “this is the toughest night of our lives as forces beyond our direct control have moved to make dark notes in our history”. Till date, these dark notes are still boldly written with blood of over 70 persons who died during the ENDSARS protests crying out for justice. To what extent has government improved on the welfare of the police as demanded by the protesters? When will justice be served on the victims so that Nigerians can trust their government? Nigerians are crying for justice as forces beyond our control are allowed by the State to write dark notes in our history. Justice brings order and progress and injustice ushers disorder and stifles development. I celebrate the sorosoke generation urging them not to lose sight of future struggles to get an egalitarian Nigeria where the children of the masses will not be sidelined for not knowing somebody. Dr Tade, a sociologist sent this piece via dotad2003@yahoo.com

T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

EDITORIAL ENDSARS PROTESTS: ONEYEAR AFTER Most of the issues raised by the protesters are yet to be addressed

t a period when we expect a more collaborative form of engagement to prevent another breakdown of law and order, the war of words between the Lagos State Police Command and some organisers of last year’s youth-led EndSARS protest is unnecessary. At issue is a planned memorial event to mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting at Lekki Tollgate which triggered the violence in Lagos and across the country, including the loss of 23 police personnel and the destruction of more than 200 of their stations. The number of protesters reportedly killed and other innocent civilians is still left to conjectures, but several lives were lost. While the total value of property destroyed in Lagos has not been ascertained, it must be in hundreds of billions of Naira. Twenty parastatals, according to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser, Parastatals Monitoring Ofﬁce, Afolabi Ayantayo, “were affected in varying degrees”. In as much as we do not advocate a repeat of that tragedy, the authorities must THAT POLICEMEN INVOLVED understand that there are certain inalienable IN SUCH EGREGIOUS ACTS rights of citizenship LIKE TORTURE, EXTRAthat no government JUDICIAL KILLINGS AND can abridge. OTHER ABUSES WERE More troubling NEVER HELD TO ACCOUNT IS is that the issues of WHY THERE IS STILL MUCH remedies, redress ANGER IN THE STREETS and compensations for the injustice and humiliation suffered by victims of the police brutality that led to the protests are yet to be addressed. On the speciﬁc matter of police reform on which the original protest was premised, the federal government gave certain undertakings. Beyond mere pronouncements, nothing concrete has been done to address those issues. Meanwhile, following the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) that provoked the protests, victims and relations of victims appeared before the judicial commissions in many states to demand justice.

Letters to the Editor

Overall, the panels received about 2,500 petitions across the country. As expected, the petitions ranged from gross violations of human rights including indiscriminate arrests, illegal detentions, extortion, sexual and genderbased violence to torture and extra-judicial killings. Some of the testimonies at the hearing bear the hallmark of horrors and treatment best reserved for the medieval era. Testifying before the Lagos State Panel of Inquiry headed by Justice Doris Okuwobi , one of the witnesses, Okoye Agu, recounted how he was tortured in 2014 and had two of his teeth extracted by the disbanded SARS. A woman narrated how all her three sons were killed by SARS operatives. That policemen involved in such egregious acts like torture, extra-judicial killings and other abuses were never held to account is why there is still much anger in the streets.

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

T H I S D AY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGED ENGBE 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

s we have stated in the past, the challenges hampering the police from effectively discharging their constitutional responsibility to the public will continue to inhibit the force until they are addressed. Key of all the considerations is the proper vetting of prospective recruits, including their psychological state of mind to prevent the enlistment of criminals. Besides, the over centralised structure of the police is one of the reasons why policing is ineffective. There is an urgent need to review this structural weakness. But over and above all is the issue of welfare. The country needs ethical police that respect and protect civil rights. This requires proper training and adequate funding as well as improving the living condition of their personnel. The unfortunate events of last October should therefore be a wake-up call for those in authority to address the various issues that were so clearly articulated by the protesters. While we call on the Lagos State Police Command to handle whatever programme the EndSARS protesters organise today with professionalism and sensitivity, we also hope that reports from the states and the muchawaited federal government reform will help produce a more citizen-friendly police that is ﬁt for a democratic society.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to speciﬁc publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 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 (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

DEALING WITH HATE SPEECH

n June 1993 a new radio station called Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLMC) began broadcasting in Rwanda. The station was rowdy, and used street language - there were disc jockeys, pop music and phone-ins. Sometimes the announcers were drunk. It was designed to appeal to the unemployed, the delinquents and the gangs of thugs in the militia. “In a largely illiterate population, the radio station soon had a very large audience who found it immensely entertaining. ” This entertainment led to the slaughtering of 800,000 people with machete in 30 days. Soon enough this radio station consistently repeated messages to deliberately “troll,” incite and awaken a nefarious will to destroy and to cause the other party to be moved to anger to retaliate. In fact the word troll in fishing terminology means to constantly lead a fish along a baited line in other to catch the fish. This has become the order of the day in the world of social media and the internet. Everybody that cares to follow is being lead across this to elicit their reactions in a bit to denigrate and slander them, This has also snowballed into hate speech. In fact in the pot pourri of trolls, hate speech is a major component. This includes a great level of incitement, instigation and arrogant blackmail. Hate and beef takes over. A recent statistical analysis showed that women are the most affected group to be trolled. The Guardian of UK says over 40 percent comments on articles written by women are abusive ones. The stats though not empirical are even more dire in Nigeria as regulators interviewed say they have taken over 40 million statements on hate speech pronouncements online in the last 10 years. The recent political imbroglio in Nigeria has further heightened trolling among various groups and hateful speeches have become the order of the day. In fact the leader of the free world is not left out with his recent support of white supremacist and his slander of liberal news outlets as fake news. It is said that over 40% of his tweet has been slanderous or hateful speeches. The shocking part of this debate is that there are no local laws that adequately de-

fines what constitutes hate speech or trolls and how people involved could seek redress. The U.K. recently sent a stern warning but this might not be adequate. The definition of terms of what makes up hate speech is still not defined. However, in order to clamp down on hate speech the internet giants have to be able to effectively define it but let’s see how the giants define it. Facebook defines “hate speech” as “direct and serious attacks on any protected category of people based on their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or disease”. Twitter does not provide its own definition, but simply forbids to “publish or post direct, specific threats of violence against others.” YouTube website clearly says it does not permit hate speech, which it defines as “speech which attacks or demeans a group based on race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status and sexual orientation/gender identity.” Google makes a special mention on hate speech in its User Content and Conduct Policy: “Do not distribute content that promotes hatred or violence towards groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation/gender identity.” Hitherto that was the definition by the internet giants but I was excited when on May 2016, Facebook, Google and Twitter signed a code of conduct, announcing a set of standards for dealing with hate speech, including: A promise to review the majority of reports of illegal hate speech and remove the offending content within 24 hours; making users aware about what is banned by each company; training staff to let them better spot and respond to online hate speech. Furthermore, Germany’s justice minister Heiko Maas proposed fining social media up to €50m for not responding quickly enough to reports of illegal content or hate speech. (March 2017) Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com

FAKE JOBS FROM THE POLICE?

n Inspector of the Nigeria Police Force, serving at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, collected N200,000 from Mr. Sunday Maliki and offered him a fake appointment letter and a police identity card as a Spy Police Officer. The issue was reported at the Complaint Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja. Another officer, known as “Shehu” was assigned to investigate the issue and to ensure the refund of the money collected from the victim. But Shehu brought in another person to pay N200,000 for the same slot, knowing well that the job in question was fake. Thereafter, Shehu handed over the sum of N150,000 to the victim and asked him to let go of the remaining N50,000 balance. The investigation revealed that Shehu’s told the victim: “Some of the officers who benefited from the money cannot be approached now to refund it”. I have been following this issue with keen interest and I have more than enough evidence to prove that the inspector, Shehu, and other police officers are collecting money from the unemployed youth to offer them fake jobs. I am calling on the relevant authorities to act now to prevent other youths from being victims. Awunah Pius Terwase, Mpape, Abuja

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

Obaseki, ‘Old’ PDP: Days of the Long Knives While Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State is yet to recover fully from the bruises he sustained before his victory at the polls last year, Gabriel Emameh writes that the Edo Governor may be in for another protracted battle of wits, this time, in an unfamiliar territory.

Obaseki

t has been an internecine war of attrition since Governor Godwin Obaseki won the 2020 governorship election in Edo State. A silent war of distrust between Obaseki and some major decision makers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has escalated and the crisis rocking the party continues to deepen. Recently, there has been a deluge of allegations and counter allegations in the state chapter of the party, suggesting that there is a long battle ahead as some members of the ‘Old’ PDP in the state have resolved to fight to the end. But concerted efforts by some of these party faithful to maintain the existing leadership structure of the party have continued to meet counter onslaughts from Governor Godwin Obaseki, leaving the party is almost in tatters. Obaseki who bloodied Oshiomhole’s nose in his last days in the APC, appears not ready to negotiate his position as the leader of the PDP in Edo State with anyone. Given that he was once bitten, Obaseki has grown a thick skin to absolve any form of hostility. The Governor has found himself in an unfamiliar territory and he has currently locked horns with a faction of the PDP controlled by the party’s national Vice Chairman, South South, Chief Dan Osi Orbih. Obaseki has not had any respite since he fell out of favour with his erstwhile godfather, Adams Oshiomhole. He left his former party the All Progressive Congress (APC) fighting a battle of wits against his former allies to guarantee him a second term ticket, which eventually eluded him. No thanks to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who orchestrated his (Obaseki’s) ouster from the APC. Coming into the PDP, he was confronted with a credibility battle to secure the party’s ticket. However, through what some have described as an unholy marriage consummated by the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, Obaseki became the flag bearer of the party and eventually led it to victory last year. The victory once again gave the PDP an aura of power that it had missed since 2007 when the party’s candidate who became governor was sacked by an Appeal Court in Benin. This last minute twist that secured the PDP ticket for Obaseki left the party divided, while it also forced some of its key members like former Commissioner of Information of the state, Prince Kassim Afegbua and a host of others to work against the party in the last election in the state. Although Obaseki survived the worst battle of his political career after putting up a good fight against his former boss, Adams Oshiomhole at the last governorship election in the state, this time, he is fighting in an unfamiliar territory. With Orbih at the centre of it, it will take the Edo State Governor more than he has bargained for to beat the former at his game. Analysts believe that, like his former principal, Oshiomhole, the Edo state Governor might this time get his fingers burnt as there are clear indications that he is up against the constitution and

Orbih

Oshiomhole guidelines of the party. The crux of the matter is Obaseki’s recent attempt and insistence to dissolve the existing structure of the PDP across local governments and wards in the state, even when their tenure had not elapsed. There is a growing perception among some members of the party in the state that the Governor’s move was an attempt to plant his army of new entrant into the party’s structure and thereafter reward his deputy, Philip Shaibu for his loyalty with the party’s ticket for the 2024 gubernatorial race. The speculation has thrown up suspicious in some quarters and has stimulated distrust. While this has not been confirmed, the National Vice Chairman, South-south, of the PDP, Chief Dan Osi Orbih might be the latest to get his finger burnt as cracks in the party in the state took a dramatic twist last week when Obaseki supervised the ratification of his suspension and that of others. Recall that on May 8, Mr. Obaseki hosted a meeting of state party leaders at the Government House with the agenda of a proposed dissolution of PDP executives at all levels Following the proposal, the state party chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, and the state party secretary, Hillary Otsu, wrote a letter on behalf of the elected officials to the national body of the party. In the letter, the expanded state working committee of the party rejected the proposal by Mr. Obaseki to dissolve “a legitimately elected executive”. Though the move later forced him to call for truce and negotiation that would see the structure of the party split in favour of both warring faction. However, this still did not go down well with sundry party executives in the state. The Governor had recently sent a list of 11 commissioner nominees to the Edo State House of Assembly for confirmation, all of which were members of his new PDP. The appointment had come one year after he was elected.

Following this development, the State chairman of the party, Tony Aziegbemi, told THISDAY that there was nothing to be worried about as everything was in order. “It is the first list and others will come. There is nothing wrong with it. I am okey with it,” he said. Findings by THISDA reveal that the Governor had withheld the names of other nominees, who are supposedly the ‘old’ PDP faction for two reasons. One as a bargain chip and secondly, the failure on the part of the other side to come to terms on the issue of structure. Wielding the big stick Last week, the Edo State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party had ratified the suspension of Dan Orbih, a member of the House of Representatives representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama; State Secretary of the party, Hilary Otsu; the PDP Chairman in Oredo LGA, Oduwa Igbinosun, and the Chairman of PDP in Oredo Ward Four, Mr. Friday Enaruna. The suspension of Orbih and others was ratified by all PDP leaders across the 18 Local Government Areas and the three Senatorial Districts of the State, during an enlarged meeting of the leaders of the party which held in Benin City. They alleged that Orbih and others had become cogs in the wheel of the party’s fortune in the state. “All those that have refused to allow the party to grow are being suspended in the interest of the PDP,” said a party leaders, Nosa-Ehima who moved the motion for the ratification of the said suspension. On his part, Godwin Obaseki who monitored the procedure had earlier at the meeting sent a strong warning to all party members to shape in or ship out as he was ready to negotiate his position as the leader of the party with anyone. He said: “Last year, when we joined you, we started a movement that has never hap-

Last week, the Edo State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party had ratiﬁed the suspension of Dan Orbih, a member of the House of Representatives representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama; State Secretary of the party, Hilary Otsu; the PDP Chairman in Oredo LGA, Oduwa Igbinosun, and the Chairman of PDP in Oredo Ward Four, Mr. Friday Enaruna. The suspension of Orbih and others was ratiﬁed by all PDP leaders across the 18 Local Government Areas and the three Senatorial Districts of the State, during an enlarged meeting of the leaders of the party which held in Benin City. They alleged that Orbih and others had become cogs in the wheel of the party’s fortune in the state

Afegbua pened in Edo before not even in our politics. If we go for election today, we will win by 85 per cent. It means we don’t have meaningful opposition and if this is the situation, we should not create opposition inside. “I will not leave PDP. I am the leader of PDP and by the grace of God I will lead PDP well. Anybody that doesn’t want me to lead or want to accept my leadership will leave PDP for me, the Governor had warned. He continued: “We are here to stay and invest in PDP. I’m the governor to join PDP last and was made chairman of our e-registration process so why should I leave the party. We came to meet PDP as a solid party the only true party in this country while others are special purpose vehicles for elections. “I said come let us harmonize and the harmonization is to carry everybody along. We don’t need to lie in politics. Politics is a game of numbers. For one year I have been begging for us to harmonize. I went round when we wanted to make appointment and the number of application, we have is almost same with the petition we received, it shows we have not harmonized. “I call all of you leaders of the party to come to build a solid party. We won our election last year because of our cooperation. United will stand and divided will fall. We are in PDP now for over a year. “We can’t escape from harmonization if we want to go for National Convention. I have almost 300 to 400 political appointment I want to make. “People are greedy, politics is all about give and take. I appreciate PDP, we came we won we are not leaving PDP, will not accept any opposition within PDP, if you are not happy with my leadership, you can leave us. Let’s all harmonize. Some local governments have done their own while others are still far behind. Rubbish!, Says Orbih Over Suspension Meanwhile Chief Orbih, the National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, South-south, has described his suspension as rubbish, saying Obaseki cannot run the PDP in Edo State like APC. Chief Orbih said this during a telephone interview with THISDAY following the October 7 suspension carried out in his Edo North constituency. Orbih who had earlier declined speaking for the sake of peace said: “I don’t react to rubbish. PDP is not APC. It is rubbish and I will not react to it. Llike Oshiomhole did in 2016, Orbih spearheaded the campaign of Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu last year when the two men were technically denied ticket by the Oshiomhole led-APC. Even at their last-minute entry into the PDP, he was the man at the central of the controversies taking the shots from party members and other aspirants who were forced to step aside. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

POLITICS

2023 Election and Reemergence of CUPP

GOVERNANCE IN PHOTOS

Udora Orizu writes that after a one year sick leave, Mr. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, Spokesperson of the main opposition party alliance has reemerged on the plans he set before assuming office.

Ugochinyere

he 2023 general election season seems to have commenced following the reemergence of the country’s main opposition alliance, popularly known as the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). Created in July 2018, CUPP was the result of deliberations between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and over 40 other political parties who signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which they pledged to work together to unseat the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressive Congress (APC) government. Among the political parties in the coalition are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP), Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Better Nigeria Progressive Party, Democratic Alternative (DA), Democratic Peoples Party (DPC), Grand Democratic Party of Nigeria (GDPN), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), KOWA Party, Labour Party (LP), Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA), Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN). Others include: National Conscience Party (NCP), New Generation Party (NGP), National Unity Party (NUP), Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM), Peoples Alliance for National Development and Liberty (PANDEL), Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), People for Democratic Change (PDC) and Providence People’s Congress (PPC), Restoration Party of Nigeria (RPN), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), All Grassroots Alliance (AGA), National Interest Party (NIP), Nigeria Democratic Congress Party (NDCP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Young Democratic Party (YDP). While each of the political party retained its slogan, logo, and identity, their major decision was to field consensus candidates at the state and local government levels, as well as a single presidential candidate in 2019. It was with that understanding that all the parties involved buried their individual ambition for the interest of the group, to reduce vote-splitting and give PDP presidential candidate, their 2019 consensus candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, a better chance of defeating President Muhammadu Buhari. With the MoU also came the selection of the alliance’s national and states leaders. This led to the emergence of the National Chairman of Action Peoples Party (APP), Mr. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere as National Spokesman. Getting to Work The Spokesperson of CUPP never shied away from what he deemed ills and shortcomings of the Federal Government. As a vocal critic of Buhari’s administration, he commented frequently on any national issue that concerned the well being of the youths. He consistently expressed disappointment in the APC-led administration which he labelled a total failure and a huge joke. Ugochinyere stated that the government had destroyed the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians, highlighting that President Buhari failed to live above board

Slight Shake up in the Alliance The emergence of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, as the consensus presidential candidate of the alliance, led to a little shake up, as some of the parties in the coalition began singing discordant tunes. Atiku was announced as the joint presidential candidate of the CUPP by the Chairman of its Steering Committee, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former governor of Osun State, at a press briefing in Abuja. Ugochinyere, had then said that the decision to back Atiku was arrived at few hours after a closed door deliberation by members of the CUPP at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. Shortly after the announcement, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Grassroots Democratic Party of Nigeria (GDPN), and the Action Democratic Party (ADP) respectively disassociated themselves from the endorsement. Regardless of this, Atiku went ahead to meet with the leaders of political parties in the CUPP in Abuja, where they resolved to work together in the 2019 polls. Oyinlola told journalists at the meeting that the CUPP adopted the former Vice President because of his acceptability nationwide. In a statement CUPP said, “Over 41 political parties in attendance endorsed the decision which enjoyed majority support. The coalition arrived at the choice of Abubakar, after he towered high on the criteria used by the opposition in arriving at the decision. These include: national acceptability; financial capacity; spread of his political party; leadership capacity; international acceptability; experience; capacity to rebuild the economy; secure the country and unite all Nigerians.” Former CUPP Members Left the Coalition Out of Wrong Motive, Says Ugochinyere Reacting to the disassociation by some former members, Ugochinyere said that political parties that withdrew from the coalition after signing a MoU to back a consensus presidential candidate were driven by a wrong motive. Addressing complaints by the members who reasoned that the coalition was formed to support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on ARISE News, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, Ugochinyere said, “There was no agreement when we formed CUPP that the Vice President will come from another political party. Some leaders of the SDP nursed the ambition that its party would produce the Vice Presidential slot of the coalition. But if you go to the section 143 or thereabout, it says that the presidential candidate and the vice must belong to the same political party. The agreement was that among political parties, 45 at that moment, at the end of the day a presidential candidate from a particular party would be the consensus flag bearer. That was the agreement.” Speaking further, he noted that the withdrawal of some parties would not diminish the status of the CUPP. “When we went through that agreement, SDP was the secretary of selection committee, they were part of the process, they were one of those that drafted the criteria for which we nominated the consensus candidate and everybody participated and voted. You finished the process and a consensus candidate emerged, because you didn’t get what you were looking for, then you say that you are pulling out. It doesn’t diminish the status of CUPP.” Atiku’s loss and Forging Ahead of the Alliance However, despite their backing, massive support and campaigns, in February 2019, Buhari was re-elected having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states, to defeat 72 other candidates including Abubakar, who scored 11, 255,978 votes and won 17 states and the FCT, to place second. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

L-R: Senior Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Interventions, Dr. Mariam Masha; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Special Duties, Mr. Bangbose Martins;Lagos State First Lady, Dr. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Director General/ Chief Executive Oﬃcer, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu; and one of the Awardees from LASEMA, Mr. Olakunle Abiodun, during the presentation of awards at the Year 2021 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, with the theme: “Disaster Risk Governance – Reducing Disaster Vulnerability” held in Lagos recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

L-R: Chief Clement Ofuani, Olorogun David Edevbie (former Delta State Chief of Staﬀ) and Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay (former Delta State SSG and DG Warri, Uvwie Environs Development Agency) during a condolence visit to the later on the demise of his dear mother Madam Hannah Macaulay in Owhelogbo, Isoko North

Valentine Ozigbo, ﬂag-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2021 Anambra governorship election on November 6 with Mr. Innocent Idibia, better known as 2Baba (left), who was part of a delegation from the ‘Vote Not Fight: Election No Be War’ campaign, consisting of oﬃcials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), National Democratic Institute (NDI), rhe 2Baba Foundation, and the Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI)

L:R: Members of the House of Representatives, Olanrewaju Ibrahim (Ekiti North Constituency II); Sola Fatoba (Ekiti Centreal I), Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti South Constituency I); Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central Senatorial District); Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Zonal Publicity Secretary, APC, Hon Karounwi Oladapo; Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon Hakeem Jamiu and Member House of Representatives (Ekiti South Constituency II), Hon Femi Bamishile; at the recent All Progressives Congress (APC) state congress in AdoEkiti

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

FEATURES

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

#EndSARS Commemoration: In Search of Social Change, Justice Amid Violent Revolt The #EndSARS movement started off as a quest to get the presidency and the police hierarchy to dissolve the Special Anti Robbery Squad nationwide because of their acts of brutality, extra judicial killings and constant harrasment of citizens. The protest, which kicked off on October 8, 2020, started off in Lagos in trickles but gained momentum with the protesters even camping on the road to show their sheer will in ending the police unit. It soon spread to most parts of the country. However, on October 20, 2020, a clandestine shooting at the Lekki Tollgate soon changed the dynamics of the otherwise peaceful protest as it led to widespread violence, looting, deaths and unprecedented destruction of properties. One year after, Vanessa Obioha led a team of THISDAY reporters to explore the labyrinth of the #EndSARS protests and attendant repercussions in this special report to commemorate the anniversary of the watershed event

n the evening of October 20, 2020, videos and images of the alleged shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate flooded social media. Nigerian female disc jockey Obianuju Catherine Udeh, also known as DJ Switch, raised the alarm that armed men in military uniforms were shooting the protesters, who camped at the Lekki tollgate for over a week blocking access to the highbrow area of Lagos State. She supposedly streamed the happenings live and revealed Brig.-Gen. Francis Omata was the soldier in charge of the operation. The claim would later be debunked. DJ Switch further disclosed that the soldiers killed some protesters and carted away bodies to hide their culpability. Hours before the alleged killing, the Lagos State Government announced that there would be a curfew. Earlier scheduled for 4 pm, it was moved to 9 pm to allow people to return home safely. Within minutes, the internet exploded with ire and grief from Nigerians who deemed the attack unjust and inhumane. Some of the images and videos — later found to be unrelated to the event — looked like scenes from a spinechilling horror movie. International bodies and world leaders were urged on social media to sanction President Muhammadu Buhari's administration for human rights abuses.

SARS Notoriety Initially established in 1992 to investigate and curb criminal activities by the Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) divagated from its mandate. It became notorious for unlawful arrests, extortion, brutality and extrajudicial killings. However, the incident that sparked a nationwide protest was a misleading video by Prince Nicholas Makolomi on October 3, 2020. In the video, Makolomi claimed that a young man who jumped out of a police vehicle in Ughelli, Delta State, was killed by the police. Although he later verified his facts and realised that the man was not killed, the damage was already done as the narrative triggered protests against the police, particularly SARS, accused of various human rights violations in the past. By October 8, 2020, pockets of protests began spreading to other parts of the country. The unit was officially scrapped on October 11, 2020, by the then-Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, which many thought was long overdue. But the protests carried on, as protesters saw an opportunity to bring about the necessary change the country needed. What Led to #EndSARS Protests? Chiamaka Ozulumba EndSARS protests began as a call to end police brutality and extrajudicial killings that have become endemic in Nigeria. Harassment and unfair treatment by the police are rife, and it dates back to the military era when soldiers unlawfully arrested citizens and violated their rights. But how exactly did it start? On May 4, 2020, a 27-year-old 500 level Law student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University was shot dead in a beer parlour by police officers. A similar incident occurred on May 21, when a boy, an only son of his parents,

of the balcony incident, saying he jumped while trying to escape. The police command in Lagos did not respond to requests for comment on the case. After the months-long process concluded on May 11, a friend pushed Ekekwe's wheelchair out of the hearing room as his lawyer yelled after him to calm down and be grateful. His mother followed, clutching a pack of adult diapers for her 35-year-old son and sobbing over what she considered a paltry sum. "Is it for treatment? Is it for food? Is it for taking care of him?"

met his untimely death in the cruel hands of the police. He was heading home from work at around a few minutes past 8 pm when cops from the Nimo unit chased him until he was knocked down by a moving vehicle. He was said to have died from his injuries. Seventeen-year-old Tina Ezekwe, who was preparing to take her WAEC exams, was hit by a bullet from a reportedly drunk police officer, who shot to disperse a crowd gathered after he opened fire at a bus driver who had refused to bribe him on May 26, 2020. Tina died two days after the incident sparked a wave of social media campaigns for justice. On June 2, 2020, a policeman shot and killed a 20-year-old motorcycle rider in Adamawa for not paying a bribe of N100. A policeman killed a 27-year-old man in Imo for not wearing his face mask on July 9, 2020. Samson John was killed by the bullets of a police officer on October 3, 2020, who unleashed bullets on the people at a beer parlour in Abuja. On October 8, 2020, a young lady was shot in the mouth by a cop in Lagos for protesting against SARS and police brutality. These and more were some of the cases of police brutality in the country, which

culminated in the widespread #EndSARS protests that took place last year. SARS was notorious for its warped profiling of criminals. A young man with dreadlocks or a full beard was easily targeted as a criminal. They were harassed, arrested and sometimes left to rot in jail. Take the case of Ndukwe Ekekwe, who SARS officers arrested on February 16, 2018. He was accused of selling stolen goods at his shop at Alaba International Market by officers led by Haruna Hamisu, a police inspector. Appearing before the Lagos State judicial panel of inquiry on the #EndSARS protest, Ndukwe revealed that he was earlier detained and brutalised by policemen before the February 16 incident. He narrated how officers took him back to the store and pushed him from a second-floor balcony, leaving him paralysed from the waist down and struggling to make ends meet. For many victims, compensation is not enough for the horrors they faced in the hands of corrupt and notorious cops. Although the panel awarded him N7.5 million, Ndukwe protested that it was not enough. "I sold my land, all my property, my goods!" he shouted. During the hearings, the officer who led the operation disputed Ekekwe's account

EndSARS protests began as a call to end police brutality and extrajudicial killings that have become endemic in Nigeria. Harassment and unfair treatment by the police are rife, and it dates back to the military era when soldiers unlawfully arrested citizens and violated their rights

Demands Reiterating their demands, the protesters charged the presidency and police hierarchy to not just #EndSARS, but to also end police brutality and then institute police reforms from lower cadre policemen to the highest cadre. They also called for transparent prosecution of all the officers involved in the menace, both past and present, as well as ensure compensation of victims of police brutality. In their demands as articulated by Citizens Gavel Foundation against Social Justice, they lamented that despite several reforms announced by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, cases of abuse of citizens by SARS have increased without any steps taken by the police hierarchy to address the fundamental problem of impunity of the operatives. They further stated that SARS operatives promote extortion for self-enrichment and lawlessness, of which their non-adherence to the prescription of the law poses greater consequences for citizens. In their demands, the protesters first called for the total disbandment of SARS as a unit (which has been granted), just as they called for a list of all officers that have been found culpable in the past and transparent prosecution of such officers. They also demanded for justice for all victims who have suffered injustice in the past and a public enquiry on the activities of the unit in the past. In the long term, they also suggested the police hierarchy apply digital medium for tracking such cases with the police. Concessions by Government Some of the demands made like the disbandment of SARS have been fulfilled but some others have not been fully met like the prosecution of killer cops, the release of all protesters in detention and the total overhaul of the police force. The government further resolved to set up a judicial panel of inquiry as a follow up to dissolving SARS, just as each state government is to set up a Victims’ Support Fund, which the federal government will support. This they have done and while some states have paid claims to victims, others have not. Widespread Violence By the next day after the Lekki shooting, gangsters went berserk on the streets of Lagos, looting and attacking government and private institutions and facilities with impunity. It took the intervention of security agents to restore order. Following the alleged Lekki shooting, states were directed to set up a judicial panel to look into the matters that arose from the protests.

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

FEATURES A year after the alleged Lekki shooting, many questions still linger. Has there been any change in the attitude of the police? Was there a massacre at Lekki tollgate? What about arrested protesters? Are they still held in police cells and prisons? Have the landmark properties destroyed during the protests been rebuilt? What solutions have been put in place to forestall a recurrence? Was there a Massacre? One of the lingering questions that continue to trail the #EndSARS protest is whether soldiers killed protesters. The popular term bandied around to describe the incident was a 'massacre', which by Merriam Webster dictionary means the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty; a cruel or wanton murder, a wholesale slaughter of animals; and an act of complete destruction. DJ Switch has insisted she counted seven dead bodies carted away by the soldiers that stormed the tollgate. Appearing before the Lagos judicial panel, Chief Pathologist of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), John Obafunwa, said out of the 99 bodies deposited at Lagos morgue during the #EndSARS, three were from the Lekki tollgate. A forensic report by United Kingdom-based forensic expert, Dieye Willie-Harry, debunked claims that Nigerian soldiers shot at #EndSARS protesters with live high-velocity projectiles. The soldiers had on many occasions insisted they only fired blank bullets. Willie-Harry's forensic study showed that no live high-velocity projectiles were fired at the tollgate protesters on the specified day between the hours of 18.30 and 20.43 when the soldiers were on the ground. He, however, did not dismiss the possibility that military-grade ammunition might have been fired by gunmen yet to be identified. Panel Reports and Recommendations Ayodeji Ake Under the instruction of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led National Economic Council (NEC), states established Judicial Panels of Inquiry to investigate complaints against the Special Anti-Robbery Squads (SARS) and other police units. However, only 11 states: Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Rivers, have submitted reports of their respective panels, according to a statement by Osinbajo's spokesman Laolu Akande. Based on the recommendations by the panel, NEC said recently that it has resolved that "each State, in collaboration with the Federal Government, shall establish modalities for the settlement of all monetary compensations awarded by the panels. Already, as resolved by NEC, a number of states have set up Victims Compensation Funds, from which several victims have already received payments of sums awarded to them by the panels. “Council directed state governors to immediately forward copies of final reports of the panels to their Attorneys-General for prompt arraignment and prosecution of all indicted persons. Where incidents in the reports relate to matters of discipline, in addition to prosecution, NEC urged the Nigeria Police Force to take disciplinary action on the affected officers in line with the provisions of the Police Act 2020.” Repairs of Destroyed Landmark Properties Bunmi Fache For two days, hoodlums went on the rampage, looting and destroying private and public facilities following the Lekki tollgate shooting. Government parastatals, private businesses were looted and, in some cases, razed. The cost of the properties and infrastructure vandalised were not quickly estimated, but in Lagos, it was initially estimated that repairs would cost N1 trillion, according to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. Some of the properties and infrastructure destroyed include the burning of 27 BRT buses in the Oyingbo and Ojodu Berger areas of Lagos, defacing of the Lekki and Ikoyi tollgates, vandalisation of the Lekki Concession Company, destruction of 25 police stations, 20 patrol vehicles, three barracks and communication gadgets estimated to cost N10 billion. There was the desecration of Oba of Lagos' palace, attack on Television Continental, Max FM, The Nation Newspaper, Oriental Hotel, banks, shopping malls, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu mother's house, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), VIS and FRSC offices, Igbosere Court Complex, Ikoyi Prison among others.

in #EndSARS,” he said. When contacted, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association section on Public Interest and Development Law, Monday Ubani, said he was not aware of anyone still being held behind bars for participating in the #ENDSARS protest. According to him, everyone that was involved had regained freedom and gone home. “I know that there were tribunals set up by the various state governments. Some of them have reached favourable judgement and some have been dismissed. The Lagos tribunal is a bit peculiar because of the alleged deaths that took place at the tollgate. I don’t know if they would extend the tenure of the tribunal. But it is not ongoing.” Speaking on the reason for the delay in the conclusion of findings by the Lagos state Judiciary Panel on incidents of police brutality in the state, and what actually took place at Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020, he said the delay was caused by the large number of complaints received by the panel. “There were several violations. In fact, I submitted one and up till now, we have not finished the matter and I think it is up to three months. We had just recently been called for judgment. There are so many cases and that is why they have not been able to conclude. Lagos has the highest number of complaints.”

While private businesses have repaired the damages, not all public buildings have been renovated. For instance, the police station at Orile bus stop has yet to be rebuilt. However, the Admiralty Circle toll plaza on the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge and the Lekki toll plaza along the Lekki-Epe Expressway had been fixed. The governor established the Lagos State Rebuilding Trust Fund to drive reconstruction plans. In Ebonyi, however, where four police stations were destroyed, the governor pledged to repair only two of the stations. Enugu suffered a similar fate to Lagos, with buses, traffic lights, and bus shelters destroyed, the newly-built Nigeria Immigration Service office complex at Emene, the torching of the National Identity Management Commission office building, the Njodo Development Centre, and the Enugu North Local Government Council Secretariat’s security house. Also, the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus security house was vandalised; banks, ATM galleries, the CCB building, and business premises in the state capital did not escape the fire and fury of hoodlums. The state began the reconstruction of 194 bus shelters through the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority in the first round of the rebuild last year. For Cross River, repairs of federal and state properties destroyed, according to the Cross River State Policy Advocacy Committee, CRS-PAC, would take billions of naira and several months to fix. Facilities already repaired include the Water Parks Tinapa and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) office. Cases of Arrested Protesters Still in Custody Sunday Ehigiator Scores of people who participated in the #EndSARS protest were arrested. THISDAY findings revealed that over 300 persons arrested during and after the October 20, 2020, #EndSars protest, are still in custody at Kirikiri maximum prison even without trial.

Information gathered from various CSOs who have been engaging the government at various levels for the release of the protesters, revealed that among those still in custody are Kpanou Robert, Seyi Awobola, and Sunday Okoro. According to the information, Robert was arrested on October 22, 2020, on his way back from work as a tiller with his equipment, phones and money. “His case is still at Yaba Magistrate court, courtroom 4.” Awobola on the other hand was arrested on October 21, 2020. “He spent one month in Lion Building, Marina Police station before he was transferred to State Criminal Investigative Department (CID), Panti and detained for a month before being transferred to Ikeja Federal SARS. “From SARS back to Panti, then finally to Kirikiri maximum prison on January 9, 2021.” Also speaking in a Facebook post on October 13, 2021, Leader of the Revolution Now movement, Omoyele Sowore, revealed that another #EndSARS protester, Moyinoluwa Olowoyo, was still being held in custody by the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi and the state’s Attorney General, Olawale Fapohunda. According to him, Moyinoluwa Olowoyo a.k.a Gigabyte was “detained last year for weeks at the FCIID in Abuja for participating in #EndSARS, after we succeeded in getting him released, they kept hounding him because he wouldn't join their political gang. “He was arraigned again on trumpedup charges before a judge handpicked by Fayemi and Fapohunda. The judge remanded him in police custody until Friday. There was no reason to send him to detention at all. “Moyinoluwa is not a flight risk, he’s never jumped bail or missed any of his court dates but they are hell-bent on silencing him. “It is a shame that Fayemi and @ AGWalefapohunda are hellbent on silencing Moyinoluwa for participating

A year after the alleged Lekki shooting, many questions still linger. Has there been any change in the attitude of the police? Was there a massacre at Lekki tollgate? What about arrested protesters? Are they still held in police cells and prisons? Have the landmark properties destroyed during the protests been rebuilt? What solutions have been put in place to forestall a recurrence?

Marking Anniversary for #EndSARS Protests Vanessa Obioha Despite plans to mark the first anniversary of the #EndSARS protests, the Federal Government and security agents have sent a note of warning to protesters to desist from any planned public protests. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, chairing the National Economic Council (NEC) said that protesters should look for other options to mark the day. "While appreciating the role of lawful peaceful protests in the advancement of public discourse under democratic governance, the National Economic Council (NEC) strongly advise those planning public protests across the country to mark the anniversary of the #EndSARS, to consider other lawful alternative means of engagement. This is because of the current security situation across the country and the possibility of such protests being hijacked by armed hoodlums and other opportunistic criminals to cause mayhem at such protest events and venues. Council, therefore, urges the organisers to reconsider their plan." Similarly, the Lagos State Police Command, earlier warned that it will not tolerate any form of planned protests on the streets of Lagos. Musicians like Falz who was among the voices that spearheaded the protest online in an Instagram post condemned efforts by authorities to halt the anniversary, particularly after an event centre earlier scheduled as venue for the memoriam pulled out. "They killed innocent souls that were simply asking not to be killed or brutalized. A year later, no one has been punished yet for those heinous crimes. A supposed Police Commissioner ‘warned’ against citizens exercising their fundamental human rights. Yes, a Police Commissioner. A couple of well-meaning citizens decided to put together a summit to reflect on last year’s events and honour the lost souls. Event centre pulls out (Instructions from above)." He continued defiantly: "Best thing they could come up with is organizing “concerts” to try and distract us from remembering the real heroes in all of this. The people they murdered. What we will never do, however, is be quiet. We will never ever be silenced. Not today, not on the 20th, not ever." Determined to honour protesters who lost their lives during the protest, Falz announced on his Instagram that there will be a car procession at Lekki tollgate on October 20. “We’re rolling up in cars tomorrow to drive through the tollgate. We know their way, so a procession of cars is the safest option to minimize police harassment. “We will stay in our vehicles throughout. We have rides for people that need it. Each and every one’s safety is very important so please let’s move together.” Meanwhile, Rema, the Mavin Records signed artist, immortalised the protest by cutting off his dreads. He revealed this in an interview on an American radio station, where he said he has also been a victim of police brutality in Benin, Edo State.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

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

08056356325

O C T O B E R

S & P INDEX

1 2 , 2 0 2 1

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OBB

14.00%

CALL

INDEX LEVEL

565.29%

1/4 TO DATE

6.06%

N412.08/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

14.50%

1-MONTH

1-DAY

–0.11%

YEAR TO DATE

– 15.66%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.41%

FX Turnover on FMDQ Drops by 28.4% on Reduced CBN Interventions, Foreign Portfolio Investment

Darasimi Adebisi Following reduced interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and decline in foreign portfolio investment (FPI) net flows, total Foreign Exchange (FX) turnover on FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange declined by 28.4 per cent in the first eight months of 2021, data gathered by THISDAY revealed. Analysis of activity at the exchange showed that total FX turnover on FMDQ between January and August of this year stood at N34.42 trillion as against N48.1trillion recorded in

prior period under review. The breakdown revealed that a total FX turnover of N3.26trillion was traded at the I& E FX window, it increased to N4.29trillion in February. According to FMDQ’s monthly report, total FX market turnover in March 2021 was N5.07trillion or $12.35billion, representing a Month-on-Month (MoM) increase of 16.51 per cent (N4.29 trillion) from the turnover recorded in the previous month. For April, the data revealed that total FX market turnover was N5.11 trillion or $12.44billion, representing

a MoM increase of 0.73 per cent from turnover recorded in March 2021. FMDQ in its monthly report stated, “Total FX market turnover in May 2021 was N3.63trillion or $7.31billion, representing a MoM decrease of 41.24 per cent ($5.13billion) from the turnover recorded in April 2021 ($12.44billion). Total FX market turnover in June 2021 was N4.16trillion or $10.12billion, representing a MoM increase of 38.44 per cent ($2.81billion) from the turnover recorded in May 2021 ($7.31billion). “Total FX market turnover in

July 2021 was N5.14trillion or $12.50billion, representing a MoM increase of 23.52 per cent ($2.38billion) from the turnover recorded in June 2021 ($10.12billion). Total FX market turnover in August 2021 was N3.76trillion or $9.13billion, representing MoM decrease of 26.96 per cent ($3.37billion) from the turnover recorded in July 2021).” Besides, the monthly report by FMDQ revealed that turnover in the Fixed Income and Currencies (FIC) in the eight months under review also dropped by about 18 per cent to N123.28trillion compared

to N150.25trillion in eight months of 2020. The FIC comprises of foreign exchange, Treasury bills, OMO bills, CBN special bills, federal government of Nigeria bonds,, other bonds and money market. With the CBN adjustment in the foreign exchange market, the Naira at the Investors & Exporters Foreign exchange window (I & EFX) window has depreciated by an average of 4.43 per cent or N17.46 against the dollar in the eight months under review. Analysts attributed the decline

to low FX supply to the specialized investors and exports window and weak intervention by the apex bank, stressing that the FPI inflow also contributed. According to the Chief Economist/ Head, Investment Research, PanAfrican Capital Holdings, Moses Ojo, the decline in FX market turnover between January and August of 2021 was as a result of scarcity of foreign exchange. According to him: “CBN over the time keeps telling stakeholders of a Continued on page 26

NRC Resumes Cargo Movement from Lagos to Kano, Kaduna Dry Port Gilbert Nwogbe The Nigerian Railway Corporation has resumed movement of cargoes in containers to Kano and Kaduna Inland Dry Port. Managing Director of Inland Containers Nigeria Limited (ICNL), Ismail Yusuf who confirmed the resumption to journalists in Lagos said about forty containers have been moved in the first instance. He also said an additional forty empty containers have been returned through same mode to Lagos from the Kano and Kaduna Dry Port, which is a subsidiary company of ICNL Yusuf added that the movement by rail will contribute to cost reduction,

time saving and further ensure safety of the consignments being moved by rail. According to him, it will now cost half of what is presently spent on road haulage to move containers by rail. He added that ICNL is still in talks with NRC to deploy additional coaches to the port operation because his company has cargoes on ground to be moved. “As you know that Federal Government is encouraging the Nigerian Railway Corporation to ensure movement of cargo from the sea port to the hinterland and this is very critical to our Kano bonded terminal and Kaduna Inland Dry Port,

which is our subsidiary company. The management of ICNL and Kaduna Dry Port has led to the management of the railway corporation to discuss the modalities of how they can come back to life. We thank God that our request has been acceded to and this is the outcome of our discussion “It has been fruitful and the railway corporation had commenced movement of cargo from the sea port to the hinterland , that is to ICNL and Kaduna Dry Port. Presently, they have supplied us two rails for the last two weeks. We have moved about forty containers, and this will continue every fortnight until we attain maximum capacity. “The number of containers being

moved also depends on availability of locomotives, and as long as we have enough cargos to load. We have started from somewhere: from one to two rails, and from there we can increase it to four or five rails. We are talking with NRC on how we can increase the capacity to meet the yearnings of customers who want to use the services of the rail corporation. Time spent on the movement is a minimum of forty eight hours and maximum of seventy two” Yusuf said The NRC halted movement of containers by rail from Apapa ports last year for rehabilitation of the railway tracks Lagos Railway District Manager, Mr. Jerry Oche had in September

2020 said that that the suspension of the rail service is to pave way for the resumption of laying of tracks on the ongoing standard gauge rail project. He explained further that the period would also enable the contractor to meet up the December deadline to complete the project. According to Oche; “we have to stop the operation on Tuesday to enable our contractor handling the standard gauge to have access to the whole line because they are trying to meet the December handover date. They are also expected to rehabilitate the old narrow gauge and work on the new narrow gauge, the one entering the port and if we

continue to run trains, that will be difficult.” “The idea is for us to get a better service by the time we resume and the only way for us to get that is for us to shut down now. By the time we will be resuming, we expect to get a rehabilitated narrow gauge as well as a brand new standard gauge all entering the port. “Even if the standard gauge is not ready, definitely the narrow gauge is not going to be in the same condition we are leaving it now. It will be in a better form and issues of accident and derailment will be a thing of the past. So it is a sacrifice we all have to make, ”Oche said.

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT M O N D AY, O C T O B E R 1 8 , 2 0 2 1 FGN BONDS DESCRIPTION 10.296 FGNSB 13-NOV-2021 13.390 FGNSB 14-NOV-2021 9.091 FGNSB 11-DEC-2021 13.402 FGNSB 12-DEC-2021 7.144 FGNSB 15-JAN-2022

Price

Yield

BILLS Change (%)

MATURITY

OTC FX F U T U R E S

Discount Yield Change (%)

100.49

3.29

0.00

NTB 28-Oct-21

3.14

3.14 0.00

100.73

3.30

0.00

NTB 11-Nov-21

3.25

3.25 0.00

100.82

3.52

0.00

NTB 25-Nov-21

3.35

3.36 0.00

101.48

3.53

0.00

NTB 13-Jan-22

3.73

100.80

3.79

0.00

NTB 27-Jan-22

3.83

CONTRACT TENOR (MONTH) 1

Contract

Current Rate ($/₦)

NGUS OCT 27 2021 420.93

NGUS NOV 24 2021 422.38

NGUS DEC 29 2021 423.83

3.76 0.00

NGUS JAN 26 2022 425.28

3.87 0.00

NGUS FEB 23 2022 426.73

C Ps MATURITY

Discount Yield

Change (%)

CMBL CP XII 31OCT-21 CMBL CP XVII 15-NOV-21 FSDH CP III 16NOV-21 NBRP CP XIV 25NOV-21 PARP CP IA 26NOV-21

4.24

0.00

5.19

5.21

0.00

6.56

6.59

0.00

6.08

6.12

0.00

8.79

8.87

0.00

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Dozie: e-Naira will Create New Opportunities In this interview, the Chief Executive Officer/ Founder of Sparkle Nigeria, a mobile-first digital bank, Mr. Uzoma Dozie spoke on N1.3 billion ($3.1m) capital raised by a group of local investors for his firm, developments in FinTech. Nume Ekeghe presents the excerpts: Your ﬁrm recently raised $3.1 million can you elaborate more on what it would be used for? he Funds would be used for marketing, people, and infrastructure. On the marketing side, being that we launched a year ago and, in that time, we’ve actually allocated resources to building the platform, products and services and haven’t done anything in terms of spending to create an awareness. We are proud to say that we are recognised as one of the digital banks in Nigeria but not many people know about sparkle. So, we need to create awareness and enlighten people on Sparkle and why we are different and the segments we are actually focusing on. You find that most digital bank are focused on individuals but also have a small business proposition, which is really the exciting part, especially as anybody that wants to start a business can open a business account without actually going into a banking hall and would have access to non financial business support services that you do not find on any other app today, or any bank or banking position such as payroll, inventory and taxation. Also, we would spend on people; we are going to start lending in three months so we need to bring in more skills with senior and experienced people to manage our services. Finally, on infrastructure, we would invest in to help mitigate risks. Still on the recent funds raised by your firm, what prompted your firm to accept only local investor and why was it raised in dollars? First of all, we are building an ecosystem at Sparkle and, I’ve always believed that there’s different types of money, there’s money you can get money from anywhere but then there is money you can get people who have money to give as well as access to their network. I have worked in this industry for 20 years and I’ve made network and it would a shame if didn’t leverage on it We believe in diversity; this is a seed round and the next should be a series round invite other people and internationals. We raised the money in Naira and not in dollars.

as the regulators have hinted that it would be cheaper than existing bank charges? Technology disrupts and with technology, new opportunities new businesses have been created. Yes, there might be some changes in the way some organisations generate income but the E-naira would create new opportunities, new products and services that would ride on the back of them. An industry would now evolve around the E-naira to create new opportunities and new income streams also for banks and financial organisations that can leverage on this opportunity. This is another electrical no cash alternative, and the more choices they are, the higher the adoption by people that like choices.

On the Central Bank Bank’s E-naira, which would roll-out any moment from now, are there plans to adopt this digital currency by your ﬁrm?

Dozie If given that opportunity, we definitely will. I mean you only have to download our app and see what we have done with QR code payment from NIBBs (Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc). I think we probably have one of the most seamless and easy to use QR payment systems. I think, the more payment alternatives people have especially if they’re digital, the more you will see adoption and utilisation of digital and electronic payment. We’re definitely excited and we hope that will be one of the people that they choose for trail because I believe we have the capabilities, customers and probably have one of the best applications experience for QR payments. Still on E-naira, do you think it would disrupt bank proﬁts especially

Banking services are tilting more to digitisation and your ﬁrm is a frontrunner in this space, however some still feel comfortable in visiting brick and mortar branches. Do you have plans to set up physical branches? There is this expression, if you think big, start small, move fast. We have a big challenge and with big challenges are big opportunities. We have under banked Nigerians who are not getting proper banking services or who don’t understand how to get loans. You have over 30 million businesses that are underserved by banks. Banks actually have been very good at saving big corporates or individuals, but have not built solutions that leverage on technology to create solutions for small businesses. Are there plans to upgrade your banking license to enable your ﬁrm broaden your services? The license we have now allows us to do those things that millions and millions of people do not have access to. Now, if the licensing regime changes and then we can do other things or we feel that we need to increase our capital regardless we will. We believe that we don’t need foreign exchange license to help people’s business. We don’t need branches because what we have done is to partner with one of the big traditional so we don’t feel free to do that. We need to use our capital wisely to in building a strong system,

building products and services allow us to give them confidence to come into banking and I think our license allows us to do that. What will make us change our license is changing regulation or changing customer lifestyle. If we decide we want to go into physical location, we would look at our strategy. We are nimble, we’re mobile and so that we can change based on customer behavior. You mentioned earlier you plan to start giving loans in three months, can you tell us how competitive it would be compared to other digital banks as well as brick and mortar banks? I have worked in a traditional bank and they like to lend low I always thought that is because of lack of information or lack of data that those prices were high because you are pricing for the uncertainty. If we’re digital bank, we must leverage on data and what we would do is lend lower than what traditional banks are lending and lend faster than what digital banks. So, we would offer speed and better pricing compared to both; better than traditional digital banks. Also, it is about creating a better customer experience. Can you speak on the services Sparkle offers that set it apart from other digital banks? If I break it down to products and service, it would be very boring. Everybody lends, everybody sends money and everyone makes payment but for us it is how you do it. We have made access to information on accounts easier to in a bid to make decisions. Also, for people whom you don’t have their account details, all I have to do is raise a payment link and send to the person either through WhatsApp or text messages and they can access their funds without me getting their account details. We are also working with different partners to get loyalty points, which they can redeem with these partners. There is a lot on the ESUSU part and the way we would do our ESUSU would be sparkling like our name. Our mission is to make the world sparkle and that is by creating great customer experience and leveraging on technology. I have worked in traditional bank and fintech so I do understand the power of technology and I think when it comes to digital leadership, there are not many people who have done what we have done.

Fidelity Bank to Raise $500m Unsecured Notes from International Market Darasimi Adebisi The management of Fidel-

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Aviation Editor Chinedu Eze Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

ity Bank Plc has expressed decision to raise $500million capital from the international debt capital market through unsecured notes insurance. The Company Secretary, Fidelity Bank, Ezinwa Unuigboje in a statement on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) said the intended capital is to be listed on Irish Stock Exchange.

He noted that Nigerian’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has no objection to the transaction. According to his statement: “Fidelity bank is considering raising capital from the international debt capital market through an unsecured notes insurance, proceeds of which are intended to be used for

general corporate purposes including supporting its trade finance business. “The purposed aggregate offer size is $500million, due 2026, which will when issued rank parri passu, without preference among themselves, with all other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of the Bank.

“The company intends to list the Notes on the Irish Stock Exchange, with the expectation that the Notes will be traded on its regulated market. The Securities and Exchange Commission has confirmed that it has no objection to the Transaction. “In view of the foregoing, the Bank is pleased to

notify the Nigerian Exchange Limited of planned investors meetings with respect to the transaction scheduled to commence today October 18, 2021. “The final decision to issue the Notes will however be subject to finalising the necessary Transaction documentation and prevailing market conditions.”

FX TURNOVER ON FMDQ DROPS BY 28.4% ON REDUCED CBN INTERVENTIONS, FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT lot of backlogs of foreign investors who wanted to move out their funds and they couldn’t meet their demands due to scarcity. I think it is scarcity that makes it appear there was lower activities in the FMDQ foreign exchange market and FIC in the first eight months of 2021. It is the backlog that makes it appear there was low activities in the foreign exchange turnover of the FMDQ Exchange.” In a resent presentation, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council (EAC), Dr. Doyin Salami noted that the total foreign investment inflow into Nigeria remains low. According to him, “Investment inflows were $875million in 2021 Q2 – the lowest quarterly inflow since 2016 Q1. FDI inflow into Nigeria

has revived around $1billion in the last five years. FDI inflow in 2021Q2 was $78million, even lower than 2020Q2.” He highlighted that macroeconomic instability, policy inconsistency; inadequate infrastructure insecurity and tough business climate are the key hurdles Nigeria’s investment climate is facing. Meanwhile, THISDAY findings revealed that naira close at average of $/N411.49 in August 2021 from an average of $/N394.03 in January 2021. According to FMDQ monthly report: “Naira appreciated against the Dollar at the I&E FX Window, trading within a range of $/N350.27 and $/N415.95 in January 2021, and gaining 0.23 per cent ($/N0.90) to

close at an average of $/N394.03 in January 2021. The Naira depreciated against the dollar, losing 0.03 per cent ($/N0.11) to close at an average of $/n411.49 IN August from $/ N411/38 recorded in July 2021.” The Governor of the CBN, Godwin Emefiele had in February this year announced that naira has depreciated at the official market to N410 against the dollar. Emefiele said the drop in crude oil earnings and the associated reduction in foreign portfolio inflows significantly affected the supply of foreign exchange into Nigeria. He said, “In order to adjust for the decrease in the supply of foreign exchange, the naira depreciated at the official window

from N305/$ to N360/$ and now hovers around N410/$.’’ The apex bank in its economic report in April had explained that: “Despite the rebound in economic activities, the fragile recovery will keep the economy operating below full capacity. The emerging food supply shocks associated with the drag in production, due to insecurity situations across the country, combined with the speculations on increase in the price of PMS and electricity tariff, will continue to have knock-on pressures that will keep headline inflation above desired levels. “Inflation rate is nonetheless expected to continue to decelerate in the short-term. The outlook

for the external sector remains stable, albeit susceptible to further external shocks. This is premised on the expectation of sustained improvement in crude oil prices. The ongoing policy on diaspora remittances is expected to attract foreign exchange inflow. “Despite the optimism, downside risks to the outlook remains. Concerns over the emerging third wave of the COVID-19 in Europe and Asia could disrupt global supply chain and crude oil demand. In addition, vulnerability to foreign exchange pressure, rising inflation, insecurity across the country, infrastructure gap, and constrained fiscal space, remain a challenge.”

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

ECONOMY

Enhancing Credit Recovery Mechanism to Save Economy James Emejo writes that just as lack of access to credit could hamper business and retard economic growth, inability/refusal to pay back borrowed loans could adversely affect the economy and dissuade financial institutions from further lending to the real sector

here’s no doubt the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has done a lot to improve the lending regime in the banking and financial landscape in the country. Before now, the real sector particularly manufacturing as well as individuals and small businesses were practically denied access to credit facilities with the exception of multinationals and oil companies. Except for the latter, no other entities were adjudged by the banks to eligible for financing given their risks assessments. Agriculture even suffered the most in terms of credit neglect from the banking industry due to their summation that the sector was too risky to be entrusted with facilities. Coupled with the high interest rate regime and ridiculous safeguards in terms of collateral set before prospective borrowers, it would be concluded that the hope of accessing finance by businesses and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) from the banking system was like crying for the moon. But all that has changed now, at least so it appears. With current efforts by the apex bank aimed towards ensuring that banks performed their role of financing the economy and with several initiatives put in place to advance credit to the real sector, the business world has not been this rosy. The CBN had launched several policy interventions to improve lending to the real sector using monetary policy instruments including bank’s Cash Reserve Requirements (CRR), Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR), Global Standing Instructions (GSI) among others to encourage the banks to lend to sectors like agriculture which was hitherto forbidden for the banks. The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, recently noted that there had been marked improvement in lending to the real sector following the introduction of the LDR in 2019. According to him, industry gross credit increased by N6.63 trillion from N15.57 trillion at end-May, 2019 to N22.20 trillion at end-July, 2021adding that the credit growth was largely recorded in manufacturing, oil and gas and agriculture sectors. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic had enhanced credit delivery to the real sector through both fiscal and monetary policy interventions.

SUSTAINING RECOVERY

The CBN had been commanded over its interventions to sustain the recovery of output growth and address the downside risks to other external and domestic shocks to the economy. According to Emefiele, the CBN under its Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) had cumulatively released the sum of N798.09 billion to 3.9 million smallholder farmers

cultivating 4.9 million hectares of land across the country. Out of this for the 2021 wet season farming, the bank released the sum of N161.18 billion to 770,000 smallholder farmers cultivating seven commodities on 1.10 million hectares across the country. He said under its Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS), the CBN had supported 657 large-scale agricultural projects, to the tune of N708.39 billion, adding that to support MSMEs across the country, the bank disbursed N134.57 billion to 38,140 beneficiaries under the Agribusiness/Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS), and for the Targeted Credit Facility (TCF), the sum of N343.21 billion has been released to 726,198 beneficiaries, comprising 602,730 households and 123,468 Small and Medium Enterprises. Also, under the Real Sector Facility, the Bank released the sum of N1.00 trillion to 269 real sector projects, of which 140 are in light manufacturing, 71 in agro-based industry, 47 in services and 11 in mining. Equally, under the Healthcare Sector Intervention Facility (HSIF), N103.02 billion has been disbursed for 110 healthcare projects, of which 27 are pharmaceutical, 77 hospitals and 6 other healthcare service projects. The bank had also disbursed a total of N145.99 billion under its Non-Oil Export Stimulation Facility (NESF). In addition, under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), N41.06 billion had been disbursed to 10 DisCos, for the procurement and installation of 759,748 electricity meters while under the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilization Facility - 2 (NEMSF-2), the Bank had released the sum of N145.66 billion to 11 DisCos as loans to provide liquidity support and stimulate critical infrastructure investment to improve service delivery and collection efficiency. Also, in furtherance of its intervention in the energy sector, the CBN had disbursed N39.20 billion to six beneficiaries to improve gas-based infrastructure to support the federal government’s Auto-Gas Conversion Programme. However, one of the major concerns of the credit delivery programme in banking sector had been the credit recovery mechanism as majority of the loans extended to businesses in the past had gone bad and debtors in some cases deliberately refused to payback with the attendant implications on banks’ balance sheets and the economy in general. The CBN had regularly reminded beneficiaries that any credit they collect is not national cake but must be repaid.

REDUCING NPLs

Although analysts said this development if allowed to fester would not augur well for the economy in the long run,

as if would also increase the level of Non Performing Loans (NPLs). Nevertheless, Emefiele said the NPLs ratio at 5.4 per cent in July 2021, had improved compared with 5.7 per cent in June 2021. He said the CBN would work to sustain current efforts to bring NPLs below the 5.0 per cent prudential benchmark. However, speaking recently during an engagement with the judiciary, the CBN had lamented that recalcitrant debtors had exploited the non-prioritisation of credit recovery matters in the Nigerian judicial system to frustrate debt recovery efforts by financial institutions. He added that the CBN is currently informally engaging the key stakeholders in the judiciary to operationalise this provision. The CBN governor said the bank’s policy on Global Standing Instruction (GSI) and the special tribunal for loan recovery which was provided for in the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, would both accelerate credit recovery processes and enforcement of collateral rights, adding that these will also address the incidence of non-performing loans that had posed a great threat to the Nigerian financial system. Emefiele, at the workshop for judicial officers on recent reforms to enhance the resilience of the Nigerian banking and financial services sector – particularly the BOFIA 2020, said the special tribunal for the enforcement and recovery of eligible loans was introduced in the Act to accelerate credit recovery processes and enforcement of collateral rights.

we must consider two things...At what cost is that credit to small businesses? “The absorptive capacity of credit to the economy given multiple fiscal challenges will undoubtedly be low. That means that there is only so much credit that the economy can absorb to start growing and after that adding more credit doesn’t necessarily grow the economy any more.” Shelleng said, “Undoubtedly bank non-performing loans (NPLs) would increase and lead to a contracted credit supply, which would affect growth in the economy. “I would suggest that there needs to be more synergy between fiscal and monetary policy to help in boosting real sector as a driver of economic growth. Fiscal could spend on industrial hubs and infrastructure whilst monetary focuses on reducing interest rates to provide cheaper funding. There also needs to be greater sanctions for defaults. Bankruptcy laws should be taken more seriously and enforced.” Also speaking to THISDAY, Managing Director/Chief Executive, SD&D Capital Management Limited, Mr. Idakolo Gbolade, said the failure to repay loans would hamper economic activities, “which result to the situation we found ourselves about six years ago when bank were lending to the government through treasury bills and bonds because of attractive rates.” He said, “The economic downturn has affected the cash flow of some debtors to the extent that they have continuously failed on their repayment obligations to banks. While we have some debtors unwilling to pay back we also have some that are willing but unable to pay,”

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING EFFORT

GBOLADE SAID.

He also pointed out that BOFIA had further strengthened the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism (AML/ CFT) Framework by mandating regulated entities to comply with AML/CFT and cybersecurity regulations. However, analysts in separate interviews with THISDAY said unless addressed, the development could slow down loan disbursements by banks. They also called for greater sanctions for default adding that the bankruptcy laws should be taken more seriously and enforced. Managing Director/Chief Executive, Credent Investment Managers Limited, Mr. Ibrahim Shelleng, said businesses being faced with double-digit interest rates will undoubtedly struggle to make repayments given the current ailing economy and high inflation. He said, “Whilst increased credit to the real sector is a positive thing,

According to CBN policy on lending, which was upgraded and enforced after the last restructuring of banks due to bad loans, the CBN warned bank about lending without collateral and such lending must not exceed a certain threshold if it would be done at all. “I believe most of these loans are adequately collateralized and the banks have leverage to realise the collateral pledge for the loan. The major implication of these developments to the economy is that most banks would slow down on lending,” he said. He also noted that the CBN had given banks the approval to name and shame chronic debtors by publishing their names in the national newspapers and also undertake other appropriate measures for recovery, and hoped this could save the situation going forward. “The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) is also obligated by law to buy off this toxic loans from banks at a premium and pursue the debtors for negotiation, restructuring and repayment,” he added.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Fola Daniel: We Are on Right Track to Increasing Insurance Density in Nigeria Fola Daniel is the former Commissioner for insurance and currently the Managing Director FBS Reinsurance Company Limited. In this interview with Ebere Nwoji, he spoke on the insurance operators’ effort to achieve the tall dream of transformation into trillion Naira market, the effects of COVID19 pandemic on insurance business, prospects of the industry in the face of foreign investors’ interests among other issues, excerpts. on developing the industry without shirking its primary responsibility of protecting the insuring public.

Your target of transforming the insurance Industry to trillion-naira market is still a dream yet to be fully achieved as total premium of the industry as at 2020 business year was still N500bn can you suggest new ways of achieving this your initial Target. he trillion-naira goal remains achievable with the rapid fueling of the economy, focus on agriculture sector, the exploration of hitherto mineral resources and a growing population, the attainment of industry trillion naira will be a reality rather than a mirage.

We note that a lot has been done in the area of positive shift from N260bn where we were before the MDRI launch to present figure, but the trillion-naira Mark is yet to be achieved. What can be done to achieve this all-important mark? I believe that the regulator and all the industry players are more determined than before to take the industry to the trillion-naira size and is doable if all the stakeholders play their expected roles diligently. The potentials of the Nigerian insurance market are phenomenal, if viewed from the demography, economic resources, and other measurable parameters. The fundamentals are strong to support sustainable growth of the industry. Are you comfortable with the rate at which foreign investors are taking over indigenous investors’ stake in insurance companies. Is the development good, don’t you think it will encourage capital flight in the industry? The entry of foreign entrepreneurs into the Nigerian insurance industry is probably the best that can happen at this time of our insurance development. Apart from capital inflow, a new culture of insurance business is being brought to bear on our local industry, affording the insuring public the benefit of insurance practice as obtainable in advanced economies. Other benefits include, new product development, specialist manpower and deployment of information technology to drive the business process. The ensuing competition between the new entrants and incumbent industry players confer on consumers better services. How can Nigeria insurance sector shift from the present position of minimal contribution to the GDP to meaningful contribution? The minimal contribution of the insurance industry to the nation’s GDP at the moment, is a passing phase. With the reinvigoration of the industry through injection of foreign capital and expertise, financial inclusive products, environmentally sensitive and pocket friendly insurance covers, we are on the right track to increasing the insurance density in our clime. The biggest raw material for insurance growth is the middle class of the society. Our middle class is growing and so is their insurance needs. The Government focus on infrastructural development, Housing, small scale business empowerment, are veritable impetus to the growth of the insurance industry. It is envisaged that the growth will assume a geometrical progression. The Covid 19, no doubt affected every business worldwide including insurance. This is the first year after the pandemic, how can you assess the insurance industry performance in the post covid era what has been your experience in terms of business underwriting? The Covid 19 pandemic no doubt was the most impactful phenomenon worldwide in the recent times, whose negative effects remain with us to date. The year 2021 is the first full business year in most parts of the world, after its full-blown outbreak in the first quarter of 2020. It is assuming a new norm, and the emergence of a more deadlier Delta Variant at its heels. The insurance industry, as part of the global business took a direct hit. The pandemic distorted the basis of mortality rate in life insurance business and caused a significant reduction in non-life businesses

Daniel

“The role of reinsurers in the risk transfer mechanism chain is complementary, to aid a circle of risk spread through risk sharing. Sometimes these risks are not just shared within a geographical location but across international boundaries, thus reducing the impact of losses on a particular location.” owing to shutdowns, with the attendant reduction in insurable interests. It may be premature to talk about insurance in post covid era, as the pandemic remains with us, inspite of the development and application of vaccines worldwide. The insurance industry remains optimistic of a better future. As an insurance expert, what lessons have you learnt from the Covid experience that will drive a change in your business model? The covid-19 experience have taught us all that, the era of physical offices and mass movement of people may be over, rapidly being replaced by near new norm of virtual offices. The consequence of this disruption is a deployment of information technology (Insurtech) as a means of driving our business. Insurance industry in Nigeria has come a long way in the scheme of things of ﬁnancial services sector how do you view the industry at present. The insurance industry is happily gaining popular ascendance and increasing acceptability by the public. The Nigerian insurance industry apart from meeting its obligations to the insured at the height of the pandemic was at the forefront of corporate social responsibility, emerging as one of the highest donors to the COVID

relief funds launched by the Federal Government. The Insurance industry jettisons their individualistic outlook, rose as one body to make significant financial contribution to characteristic individual outlook. This gesture was not lost on President Muhammadu Buhari, who openly commended the insurance industry, for being a trailblazer in the committee of the financial services sector. In our objective view as journalists, you did a lot of groundwork for the growth and development of the insurance sector during your tenure as insurance commissioner using the medium-term plan MDRI. Can you draw a comparative analysis of where you left the industry and where it is now? In terms of growth and development? Are you comfortable with the speed of insurance penetration in the country can you set an agenda for operators on how to accelerate the penetration speed? The Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI) was a pathway to bridging the insurance gaps in Nigeria. It was designed to bring those hitherto excluded from insurance mechanism to the fold. We saw the need to create awareness of laws designed to protect ordinary people from the effects of the absence of insurance cover. Some of these insurances were statutory in nature, providing the citizens remedy in the event of the occurrence of mishaps. For instance, the occupier’s liability protects persons on properties from the effects of building collapse or fire outbreak. The motor third party insurance accords benefit beyond the supposed police check points pass. It secures unlimited financial compensation to victims of accidents/dependents caused by reckless drivers. The MDRI also served to enthrone financial inclusion through the creation of micro insurances for those in the lower rung of the society and takaful for our large Muslim populace. The expected end result of all these endeavors was the enhancement of access to insurance, and positioning the insurance industry as a significant contributor to the Nations GDP. I am happy to observe that the current regime in NAICOM is focused

Recapitalization has always been a controversial issue in the industry, but you surmounted this problem during your time and was able to successfully complete the exercise. Since then, several attempts to effect a fresh round of recapitalization has not seen success what is your advice going forward regarding the purported capital increase. Your advice sir is needed because given the current low capital base of the industry and other arms of the ﬁnancial services sector now mock some operators’ opposition to capital increase insurance industry. The recurring controversy surrounding recapitalization in the insurance industry, I would say is rather unfortunate and unnecessary. Every business needs a measure of capital for effective operations. There are two kinds of capitalization models in the insurance industry. The most pronounced in our clime is the statutory capital, requiring operators to have prescribed minimum to operate as insurers. This Capital requirements serves the twin purpose of enabling the operators to respond timely to claims settlement. On the other hand, it serves to attract only serious individual and corporate bodies to secure a license as insurers. Both are primarily aimed at protecting the insuring public against failures. In most other climes, risk-based capital are in vogue. This model is largely self-regulatory, compelling managers of insurance companies to inject capital on the scale of their risk appetite. The African environment is largely utilizing the prescriptive capital model. It is noteworthy however, that NAICOM is gearing towards risk-based capital, with the potential of downplaying the statutory capital, subject of misconception. The regulator is on the right path to enthroning international best practice to capitalization. Emerging risks in form of cyber risks, natural disasters and civil unrest is now becoming more popular than before due to their frequent occurrence but Nigerian insurers and reinsurers have not seen it as an area to give attention to. The result is that the insuring public is depending on foreign insurers despite the local content law. Can we hear your view on this? A number of relatively new risks in our environment are evolving at a significant rate. These risks include Cybercrime, Riots, Kidnapping and lately Terrorism. The Nigerian insurance industry in the last five years has progressively offered covers to these risks as part of innovation and demands. Twenty years ago, the incidence of kidnapping was an exception, but today it has sadly become near normal. Insurance is based on law of large numbers, to enable a scientific calculation of the probability of the risk manifesting. These large numbers of vices are tragically staring us in the face today. Terrorism is another insurance cover on our books, resulting from the occurrences in the last ten years, that fulfils the attributes of terrorism. All these insurance policies are in response to the exigencies of the moment. Reinsurance business in Nigeria seems to be such that operators’ kind of “eat from the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table”, when you look at how local underwriters cede business to local reinsurers. What is the main cause of this and how can we achieve improvement? The role of reinsurers in the risk transfer mechanism chain is complementary, to aid a circle of risk spread through risk sharing. Sometimes these risks are not just shared within a geographical location but across international boundaries, thus reducing the impact of losses on a particular location. Reinsurance serves as a cushion to possible shocks that an insurance company may face. It enables underwriters accept risks beyond their financial capacity. It is therefore inappropriate to ascribe master/servant relationship to their roles. They are necessarily complementary of one another.

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Ukadike: Port Congestion Remains a Challenge for Consumer Goods Companies Consumers have gone through a whirlwind over the past year, dealing with limited purchasing power as well as limited choices on the shelves and a pandemic. Fast moving consumer goods(FMCG) companies themselves seem to have faced a lot of challenges as well. All these have implications on the companies, their stocks and investors. The Consumer Goods Analyst at Vetiva Capital Management, Chinma Ukadike discussed some of these scenarios. Darasinmi Adebisi presents the excerpts: How has inﬂation affected consumers as well as producers within the consumer goods space? educed demand as individuals who used to bulk purchase, changed to buying when necessary. Individuals, who bought when necessary, looked to down trade brands, looking for cheaper, more affordable options and so on. Companies as well responded by offering value products, either through reduced Store-Keeping Units of existing products or outrightly introducing new products at lower prices. Although, some players were also able to increase prices to accommodate the increasing costs of production. Finally, many households simply deferred big-ticket purchases in response to lower income levels.

All that said, but of course, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t help? No, it didn’t. As with many sectors, (even though the consumer goods sector is more defensive than most), the slowdown in the economy severely impacted the sector; mainly from a reduction in income and consequently consumer purchasing power. We should also note that although the Pandemic hit severely across the entire sector, it affected subsectors in varying degrees.

the year. Given that the border closure was still in place last year, a lot of volume growth from increased market share, really pushed up their topline. This is coupled with the fact that food is really a necessity, and whilst quantity demanded may be reduced or quality scaled down on their scale of preference, people still have to eat. So far with the borders being reopened, what does that look like for local companies? Well, first, it means that they have to compete again with cheaper imported alternatives, especially in the food segment; and given the inflation being experienced in terms of production costs, that is quite a feat. However, for the sugar sub-sector, save for the possibility of unlicensed sugar seeping through the borders, there isn’t that much threat to them, given that they remain protected (under the National Sugar Master Plan) from imported refined sugar. On the other hand, it should be quite positive for local players in terms of exports. However, we are yet to see very strong indications of this.

Speciﬁcally, which sector was most affected? Clear cut, the most affected was the brewery sector, given their large exposure to sales from bars and lounges, the pandemic seemed to have the most direct impact here. Sales fell by 3.0 per cent on average across the sector (18 per cent including Golden Breweries), dragging profits as well. So far, the pace of growth has been encouraging, as revenue has rebounded 65 per cent year-to date.

You mentioned earlier, producers increasing prices amongst several strategies. This must have been very effective for margin? That would really have been the case right, but with galloping costs from several fronts, whilst volumes may have improved, given that FMCG products are already low-margin, margins were negatively impacted. So far this year however, margins have improved. For example, in the brewery sub-sector, margins have improved 7.0 per cent percentage points year-on-year on average.

But all, was any sub-sector unscathed? Largely, the sugar players and food producers still saw some growth within

So, do you think we would see prices increase next year? Definitely, as it is now, margins have

suffered significantly from increased costs and these costs are still rising, mostly because producers import raw materials and have to source for foreign exchange (FX) partly in the parallel markets due to FX sourcing limits. Furthermore, the Apapa port congestion remains a challenge. So, it follows that margins will continue to see a squeeze and I believe players will try to make up for that. Already, we are seeing some price increases here and there, however, players are trying not to rock the boat considerably and alarm consumers. How are companies dealing with their FX challenges? Many companies have been focused on the backward integration programme to improve local sourcing of raw materials. However, there’s only so much local sourcing that can be done especially considering the severe supply deficit for some materials like wheat and sugar. So, companies get what they can from the CBN and make up the difference mostly at the parallel market. So far this year, what has it been like for these companies especially in terms of proﬁts? Even though margins have been hugely impacted, volumes (which really drive profit in the FMCG sector) are on the rebound, following strategies like SKU re-sizing that players have implemented. Thus, volumes are also seeing an improvement. So far, year-to-date, profits have grown 60 per cent y/y from a slump of 76 per cent y/y in 2020. I believe last year, whilst some companies were able to still declare dividends, many of them were unable to match their previous payout ratio, what were the considerations?

A lot of things were unknown in 2020, companies were not sure if there was going to be a relapse into lockdown measures, which would have brought very severe consequences, and so, many of them had to try to shore up cash plus a lot of companies reported lower than expected profits which also impacted the amount of cash they had to spare for dividend purposes. How do you think that will play out this year? The outlook is definitely not as dire as last year’s, especially given that we expect these players to make better profits. However, we believe that many companies are still in a rebuilding phase and we may see them prioritize retaining profits. So, what subsectors do you think we should really be looking out for? Top on my mind is the food segment, especially the agro-allied players and the sugar producers (especially Flourmills and Dangote Sugar). However, like I mentioned before, we are also seeing some encouraging performances from some of the brewery players, so, companies like Nigeria Breweries (although their Q2’21 performance was not as expected) may be good to watch. Do you think we would see investors’ renewed interest in the consumer goods index? So far this year, investors have really favoured the oil & gas and industrial goods sectors, which is to be expected, given the huge gains in international oil prices. However, we believe investors remain wary of the FMCG sector and are cautiously waiting on the sidelines for a significant incentive. We may see investors reward some well performing stocks after the Q3’21 earnings are released, but other than that, we don’t expect to see a significant change in sentiment towards the index.

AXA Mansard Gets Regulatory Ali, NAFDAC Boss to Lead Approval for Share Capital Discourse On Proposed Increase, Declares Bonus Issue Excise Duty on Beverages Ebere Nwoji

AXA Mansard Insurance Plc, has secured regulatory approval to Increase Share Capital. Consequently the company at its recent Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) declared bonus issue to its shareholders’, The bonus issue the company said, would enable it increase its shares capital from N5.25 billion to N18.0 billion .The company consequently increased the number of outstanding shares from 10.5 billion to 36.0 billion. This increased number of outstanding shares is expected to lead to increased share register management cost, impact per-share metrics, and possible wide-ranging implications on future capital raising exercises. The Chief Finance Officer of the company, Mrs. Ngozi Ola-Israel,

said to manage the impact of the bonus share issuance, the company had implemented the second phase of the 2020 approved scheme after receiving the final sets of regulatory approvals which was a capital reconstruction through par value re-domination. She said this had led to an increase in the nominal value of shares from N0.50 to N2.00 per share and consequently, reduced the number of outstanding shares from 36 billion units to 9 billion units whilst maintaining the existing shareholding structure. According to Ola-Israel, the share reconstruction was completed on 27th September 2021 and the reconstructed shares had been credited to each shareholder’s account. “All shares continue to rank equally in all respects and continue to form a single class of ordinary

issued shares of AXA Mansard.We strive to provide shareholders with the best possible return on their investment while also ensuring that we fully optimise the number of shares in stock. She said the reconstruction done maintained the existing shareholding structure as well as the shareholder value of each of the company’s esteemed shareholders. Also, speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, of the company, Kunle Ahmed said, “We are grateful for the continuous support of our shareholders during this process. We assure you of our dedication to the company’s continued growth and profitability through the continual delivery of exceptional services to our customers. The fundamentals of the business remain extremely strong with an enviable financial capacity that supports our growth ambitions.”

As the federal government concludes plans to have the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) begin collection of excise duties on some products such as carbonated beverages, water, tiles, among others; MMS Plus newspaper is set to organize a business summit to deliberate on the policy. The event themed; “X-raying the Proposed Excise Duty Regime for Carbonated Beverages in a Recovering Economy,” is scheduled to take place on Tuesday November 9th, 2021 at the MMS International Image Centre in Festac, Lagos while Facebook and Zoom virtual connections will also be available. According to the organizers of the hybrid conference, a discourse on the subject has become pertinent following the reservations that greeted the proposed re-introduction of Excise Duty regime on beverages and other

sundry items by the Organized Private Sector (OPS). Some high profile personalities such as: the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hammed Ali (Rtd.); Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hon. Emmanuel Jime; Director General of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye. Others are: President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Engr. Mansur Ahmed; a trade expert with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Dr. Ikenna Nwosu; National President of Water Producers Association of Nigeria (WAPAN), Mr. Mackson Odiri Egberi and an ex-banker and CEO of Quiet Dimensions Limited, Mr. Ime Udoma; are expected panelists at the event.

Other panelists include: President, Association of Food,Beverage and Tobacco Employers(AFBTE), Engr. Patrick Anegbe; President,Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry(LCCI), Mrs. Toki Mabogunje; Executive Secretary, National Action Committee on African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA),Mr. Frank Anatogu. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (PCC), Otunba Kunle Folarin is expected to moderate the dialogue as a refined economist. Speaking ahead of the event, Editor-in-Chief of MMS Plus newspaper, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke stressed that it has become exigent for the Customs to embark on engagement of stakeholders to explain the inherent benefits of the policy.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Expert Urges Insurance, Pension Operators to Leverage on COVID19 Opportunities to Drive Growth Ebere Nwoji Operators in the Nigerian insurance and pension sectors have been advised to leverage the opportunities thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic to grow the sectors and contribute to the national economy. The operators were also charged on creativity and innovation in their products development and service delivery by focusing on meeting the needs of the people for enhanced financial capacity. A former Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Mrs. Folashade Onanuga, made the call while delivering the theme paper at the 2021 National Conference of the National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents (NAIPCO) The theme of the conference was: COVID-19 Impact

on Financial Inclusion: Opportunities for Insurance and Pension Sectors. Speaking at the conference, Onanuga said while the pandemic had caused severe disruptions, opportunities have also been created to grow customer base on account of the obvious fact that there is no real social security arrangement by government in the event of sudden and unexpected events and so citizens needed to make plans by themselves for wellness both in business and family life. According to her, “Economic shocks like sudden loss of job, illness or death can send people living just above the poverty line into abject poverty. The sudden and unforeseen calamities created by the pandemic have highlighted the need to plan for unforeseen circumstances and even early retirement.” To take advantage of these opportunities, Onanuga,

said the pensions and insurance industries must remain committed to the inclusive growth of the Nigerian economy, creating opportunities for lower income groups to be part of the broader financial system. She noted that financial inclusion could be achieved when adult Nigerians have access to affordable financial products and services that met their needs.

“Financial inclusion can only be achieved when financial transaction processes and documentations are transparent, simplified and seen as meeting needs of the people and at the same time being beneficial to the financial services sector,” she said. She said opportunities exist to increase insurance penetration and the customer base, both in the retail and

corporate segments of the market if the right moves were made. She noted that insurance penetration had remained at an average of 0.4 percent of GDP driven largely by a general lack of understanding and awareness of the benefits of insurance products, specifically amongst lowincome Nigerians. She added that finance operators needed to build

trust, noting that the banking sector had managed to bridge this gap to an extent. “Attempts have been made to improve the performance of the insurance industry through regulation and legislation – new capitalisation requirements have been announced and reviews of several key laws are being discussed to bring them up to current realities”, Onanuga added.

Lottery Commission Board Denies Accusing Minister of Interference Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The Chairman, Governing Board, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Fatai Ibikinle, has debunked report in some sections of the media accusing the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, of interfering in the operations of the commission. Ibikunle in a statement titled, “We Never Accuse Special Duties Minister Of Interfering In Lottery’s Commission Operations,” he personally signed and made available to THISDAY in Ibadan, said there is no iota of truth in the report, stating that there was never a time the Governing Board or any of its members whether privately or publicly accused the minister of any wrong doing. He maintained that the governing board under his leadership has great respect for Akume, insisting that the publication was

by mischief-makers out to strain the relationship between the board and the Minister. According to him, “The Governing Board under my chairmanship has profound respect for the office of the Minister and the person of Senator George Akume, a two term Governor of Benue State, a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an accomplished public servant, a successful business man and a flourishing politician that has distinguished himself, meritoriously in both the executive and legislative arms of government. “The false news story, clearly a hatchet job was planted by mischief makers to cause disaffection between the Governing Board and our highly respected Minister with the intent to destroy the excellent relationship existing between us and Senator George Akume. It has not worked and will never work.”

FCMB Relocates Aminu Kano Crescent Branch in Abuja First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has announced the relocation of its branch situated at Plot 112, Aminu Kano Crescent, opposite Shaif Plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja to 78, Aminu Kano Crescent, also in Wuse 2, Abuja. The branch, the bank said in a statement, will commence business in its new location effectively on Monday, 18th October 2021. It is equipped with the latest digital banking infrastructure, ensuring convenient, secure, and enjoyable financial transactions for customers in a relaxed and tranquil environment. Commenting on the relocation, Managing Director of the Bank, Mrs Yemisi Edun, said the new branch is more prominent, accessible and features enhanced design for improved customer experience on-site. Edun said, “the relocation of the branch offers us another opportunity to further optimise

our strategic expansion and digital transformation drive by deploying channels that enhance our customers’ experience at all touchpoints. We will continue to raise the bar in creating best-in-class service environments for our customers in line with our core values of professionalism and customer focus.” FCMB has over 200 branches across Nigeria. The Bank continues to deploy and offer cutting-edge financial solutions that satisfy the lifestyles of various segments of society. FCMB is a member of FCMB Group Plc, Nigeria’s leading and most diversified financial holding company with subsidiaries that are market leaders in their respective segments. The Bank has built a strong base in various sectors of the nation’s economy by consistently offering cutting-edge solutions to its customers across segments.

L-R:Winner,2021 Indomie Independence Day Award (IIDA) Social Bravery Category, Miss Favour Sunday; Group Corporate Communications and Event Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju; First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke SanwoOlu;Winner, 2021 IIDA Intellectual Bravery category, Master Joshua Agboola; First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun;Winner, 2021 IIDA Physical Bravery category, Master Elijah Daniel Emenka; and Chief Executive Officer, Dufil Prima ETOP UKUTT Foods Plc, Mr. Adhi Narto, at the 2021 IIDA event held in Lagos… recently

IBEDC Customers Groan in Kwara as Company Increases Tariffs Hammed Shittu in Ilorin Customers of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Kwara state and other states covered by the company have decried the sudden increase in their bills for the October, this year. The customers said that, the bill circulated last month was N58.39k and this month it has jumped into 60.39k. Reports from other states like Osun, Oyo, part of Ogun, Ekiti among others revealed that, the

management of the IBEDC has jumped up their tariffs from N58.39k to N50.39k. The increase it was gathered also affected those using prepaid meters in IIorin and other parts of the state. Speaking with our correspondent in Ilorin when they stormed the offices of newspapers office located at Murtala way, Ilorin, the spokesperson of the group, Aisat Bello berated the sudden increase in their bills for this month of October without notice. She said it is worrisome that

the company was just increased the bills without commensurate with the services being provided to them. She explained that, the company has failed to improve on their services and yet the company decided to jump up the bills for the customers. Bello added that, “the company also failed to realise the biting economic situations in Nigeria and this is uncalled for at this time around”. She noted that, the current situations in the country called for sober reflection from all stakeholders and

the company has not deemed it to consider the situation. While calling on the federal government to assist the people of the country on the attitude of the Electricity Distributions Companies in the country, Mrs. Bello maintained that, the decision of the IBEDC to increase their tariff without carrying their customers along should be investigated without further delay. She therefore called on the management of IBEDC to stop this kind of decision so as to prevent further attacks on their installations.

WIMBIZ To Celebrate 20 Years of Elevating Women in Nigeria, Africa Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) has announced plans to mark its 20 years of elevating women in Nigeria and Africa at an upcoming annual conference. The 2021 conference aptly themed “Celebrating Legacy”, has an interesting line-up of iconic events and legendary personalities to grace the week-long celebrations specially curated to spotlight the non-profit’s 20-year contribution to elevating the status of women in Nigeria and Africa. Chairpersons for the main conference billed for the 4th and 5th of November, 2021 are Chief Folake Solanke, CON- Nigeria’s first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria

(SAN) and the Chairman/Publisher of The Guardian Newspapers - Lady Maiden Alex Ibru, MFR. The Chairperson of the Executive Council WIMBIZ, Ngover IhyembeNwankwo at a recent briefing stated thus: “We are excited to reflect on the WIMBIZ story and our journey thus far, it has been an awesome run; but where do we go from here? “We are still very challenged. When we look at the numbers of representation, particularly in politics, we are still significantly underrepresented. So, on the one hand, we are celebrating progress, on the other hand, there is still a lot to be done. “We encourage everyone to join us so we work as a collective to

build a new narrative for women. The power is in our hands, she enthused. Speaking to the WIMBIZ legacy and its impact on the wider community, Executive Director, WIMBIZ, Hansatu Adegbite said: “WIMBIZ is focused on nation building and one person or group can’t build a nation, we all have a role to play in the development of our nation especially as it concerns gender parity and inclusivity.” Also confirmed for the Conference are Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Economist and Founder, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Atedo Peterside, CON; former Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria,

Ibukun Awosika, as well as Founder, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (now GTCo) and FATE Foundation, Fola Adeola. For the first time in the history of WIMBIZ, five pre-conference events will be rolled out to commemorate this 20th anniversary: Legends Ball, Art and Fashion Exhibition, Golf Tournament, Virtual Masterclasses and a special edition of its Big Sister (a corporate social responsibility programme). The 20th WIMBIZ Anniversary and Annual Conference will tell the stories of pacesetters and celebrate women who have shattered ceilings, overcome adversity, broken stereotypes, enabled empowerment and created opportunities for all.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INDUSTRY

Industrialisation and Attaining SDGs in Nigeria The last leg of the ceremonies that marked the 50th anniversary of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has brought to the fore the role of the manufacturing sector in achieving the objectives of the SDGs in the country, writes Dike Onwuamaeze and Oluchi Chibuzor

he Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) held a high-level conversation on industrialisation and sustainable development on October 7 with the theme: “Industrialisation – A Pathway to Achieving the SDGs.” The National President of MAN, Mr. Mansur Ahmed, said that the theme is premised on the urgent need for us as industrialists to examine and prioritise the nexus between industrialisation and sustainable development. The heading of SDG 9 as articulated by the United Nations in 2015 is industry, innovation, and infrastructure. It urged nations around the world to build resilient infrastructure, foster innovation, promote inclusiveness and sustainable industrialisation. The world apex organisation stated that the story of industrial development has changed economies and helped drive major changes in society. But it averred that without sustainable practices and infrastructure in place, economic growth has left vast sections of people behind. “For instance, more than 937 million of the world’s population in 2016 does not have access to electricity. For many lower-income countries, the existent infrastructure constraints affect firms’ productivity by around 40 per cent, “he said. The World Bank projected in 2020 that 95.7 million Nigerians would live below the poverty line in 2022. The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), reported in 2020 that 40.1 per cent of Nigerians (82.9 million people) were living below the poverty line while another 25.4 percent (52.6 million people) were vulnerable. The report further revealed that more than threequarters of the population in rural areas were either poor or vulnerable, yet even in urban areas— where the poverty headcount rate was far lower at 18.0 percent—around a quarter of the population would be vulnerable. To address these challenges and ensure that benefits arising from industrialization and economic growth were impact on the poor and the vulnerable, the MAN assembled some of the most prominent technocrats, scholars and industrial entrepreneurs to shed light on the subject. They include the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Organisation, Ms. Amina Mohammed; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; the Regional Director, Nigeria Regional Office Hub and UNIDO Representative to ECOWAS, Ambassador Jean Bakole; the Director General of Nigeria Conservation Foundation, Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano and the Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mr. Carl Cruz.

NIGERIA’S SDGS STORY

Mustapha gave a broad and detailed review of the country’s journey in the implementation of the SDGs and the role the manufacturing sector and the larger private sector would play to enhance its realisation. He traced the countries quest to become one of the world’s industrial nations to the dawn of Nigeria’s independence in the 1960s when Late Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa started discussions on developing a steel plant for the country. Unfortunately, this dream was cut short by military rude intervention in the country’s politics. However, the dream was revived in

the 1980s by late President Shehu Shagari, but was again frustrated by the interplay of international conspiracy aided by local collaborators that have ensured Nigeria does not develop capability in steel production. He noted that the conversation presented an opportunity to critically review issues inherent in Nigeria’s quest for industrialisation, identify innovative mechanisms for improving the current situation, and come out with a clear strategy as well as a roadmap on how to galvanise the manufacturing sector, with effective stakeholder involvement, to put Nigeria on the track of industrialisation. “This is not only for attaining the SDGs but most importantly to have a nation where growth is not only measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but focused on the whole spectrum of the Human Development Index (HDI),” Mustapha said. He acknowledged that SDGs are principally a wake-up call for the developing and lessindustrialised countries of the world, especially Nigeria since its goals would be enhanced by industrialisation. He, however, tasked the Nigerian industrialists to toward the green ideology in order to mitigate the growing effect of industrialization on climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels and other climate change inducing production and consumption habits and systems. “The Green ideology has given birth to three emerging concepts that are critical to achieving SDGs in recent times. They are green growth, green industry, and green economy. “Green growth is an alternative to the conventional economic model of resource exploitation, energy use, structural change, and a transition towards less capital and resourceintensive activities. “A green industry requires the application of Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) and Resource Efficiency & Cleaner Production (RECP). The concept is being driven by the United Nation Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) across Africa. Therefore, it is important that any industrialisation strives for Nigeria moving forward should embrace the IEE & RECP process, in that way the relevant SDGs would have been naturally taken up,” Mustapha said.

ENABLING ENVIRONMENT

He assured that government would continue to provide the necessary enabling environment for the private sector to engage in investments in industrialisation that would bring the necessary economic development of Nigeria. Nigeria needs more private sector participation to grow our infrastructural stock. “There is no doubt that industrialisation has been the singular most driving force for economic growth and development. The benefits of industrialisation are part of the various SDGs and with the new concepts of green growth, green industry, and green economy; no doubt industrialisation is a dependable pathway to achieving the sustainable development objectives. “At the moment, Nigeria is yet to make appreciable progress in its quest for industrialization

due to the various challenges which have been highlighted in this speech. It is, however, important for all the relevant sectors to come together and change this narrative for the better,” Mustapha said. In her contribution to the conversation, the Deputy-Secretary General of the United Nation, who participated virtually in the event, said that the United Nations would support Nigeria to harness its industrial capacity to contribute to the SDGs through jobs creation. Amina stated that inclusive and sustainable industrial development is important to achieving the SDGs. She enjoined Nigerian industrialists to promote sustainable industrial production through efficient use of resources in a manner that would promote the attainment of zero waste as stated in the 2030 agenda of the SDGs 7, 9, and 12. According to Amina, sustainable recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 “must be guided by the SDGs. The UN stands ready to support Nigeria in harnessing industry and making progress towards the goals. “The UN global compact is a special initiative of the Secretary-General dedicated to promoting sustainable business and can be a key partner in this process. The global compact had a local network in Nigeria, which would grow in the coming years. “Additionally, as part of the global compact new African strategy, a hub will be established in Abuja to support business across the continent in our joint effort to achieve the SDGs.”

ECO-FRIENDLY PRACTICES

For Professor Olaopa, no other theme would have been more appropriate than the one MAN has chosen on industrialisation that is done sustainably through a growth model that is rooted in ecofriendly practices. He said that any conversation on policy and business re-modeling meant to drive Nigeria on sustainable industrialisation must address the country’s consumption culture that depended mostly on things it does not produce. Olaopa said that Nigeria must focus on reconciling the discrepancy between Nigeria’s productive capacities and the country’s developmental consumerist culture, which Nigeria has been wallowing in since the advent of oil wealth in the 1970s. “This is the most significant and counterintuitive occurrence in Nigeria’s unfolding development. And in economic theory, under the principle of comparative advantage, a country ought to produce more and consume less of products for which it has a comparative advantage. “Whereas Nigeria remains the biggest economy in the region, it must as a matter of national survival, and with redoubled urgency, creatively confront and resolve our country’s high-consuming mono-cultural economic structure that is driven by what Alfred Marshall called ‘negative production’ - a weak productive capacity that ensures that in order to feed our growing consumption pattern and unproductive proclivities, the country imports what it possesses the capacity to produce.

“The point is that this economic culture is not sustainable and now that the global demand for crude oil is disappearing with a global accelerating shift to greater adoption of clean and environmentally-friendly technologies and industrial processes,” Olaopa said. Bankole, in his contribution, premised a successful industrialisation development that would meet the SDGs on the adoption of eco-friendly practices via access to energy, especially clean and renewable energy, adding that the country needed infrastructure development, value-added industrialisation, and empowerment of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in order to progress on achieving industrial sustainable development goals. He said that Nigeria is currently doing well in terms of infrastructural development that would enhance the emergence of a manufacturing sector that could produce what its people consumed.

CLEAN ENERGY

The UNIDO representative stated that access to affordable and clean energy is essential for industrialisation to thrive in the country, adding that the country could not make meaningful advances without embracing digitalisation. “We must think on how we can focus on science and technology and supporting research institutes to come up with innovative tools that can help address a number of issues in the manufacturing sector,” Bankole said. Orelope-Adefulire, SSA to the President on SDGs, said that three dimensions to ending poverty are economic, social and environmental. She said: “To make progress on SDG 1 and 2 on poverty and zero hunger, we have to make progress on SDG 8 and 9 on infrastructure, industry, and innovation.” She also said that Nigeria would continue to struggle on the provision of decent jobs and economic growth until the country diversified its economy from oil and gas. Adding to the debate on sustainable industrialization in Nigeria, the Director General of Nigeria Conservation Foundation, Dr. Muhtari Aminu-Kano, stated that industrialists should pay equal attention to economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability. “I think now there is growing recognition that businesses are actually standing on a three-legged stool. I think that it is important to balance that stool by looking at the other two legs-social and environmental aspects. They shall address two major evils, which are climate change and the loss of nature and biodiversity. I think that this recognition is very important,” Aminu-Kano said. The Managing Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mr. Carl Cruz, used the occasion to state that Nigerian industrial organisations are living up to the challenge of balancing the tripod of profitability, sustainability, and environmental protection. Cruz said: “As an industry, we have collaborated to develop recycling of plastics while more businesses are reducing their carbon footprint and are using solar energy in various parts of their operations. “The industry strongly believes that it is imperative to innovate and transit to blue eco-friendly models and no one will doubt this. There is a clear need for businesses to make a positive social impact in communities they operate in and while at the same time making financial sense with stakeholders, otherwise you would not have the planet in the very near future,” he said.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

EDUCATION Nigerians Don’t Need to Study Medicine Abroad, Says Diejomaoh, PAMO University VC Prof. Michael Diejomaoh is a renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist who has traversed the world either training or teaching medicine. As a professor since 1982, he has trained and mentored many residents in obstetrics and gynaecology both in Nigeria and overseas. He has also been involved in administering and running postgraduate training programmes for the postgraduate medical colleges in Nigeria and West Africa, where he also held the highest faculty positions. Diejomaoh has vast experience in university administration spanning many years. Little wonder he was specially headhunted from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kuwait University, Kuwait, to become the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, where he is currently putting the new institution on the world map. He speaks with Davidson Iriekpen on the progress the university has made in just four years of its existence

courses, you just employ a lecturer, and they are good to go. Now at Pamo, we teach in what we call a multimedia system. We teach with electronic backup. Slides are projected on the screen. Discussions would be between the students and lecturers taking them. So the lecturer interface with students is also expensive. Also, we have a classroom environment that must be very hygienic, and they are fully air-conditioned. These are all why medicine as a course costs higher than other courses. However, we are not the most expensive medical-related university in the country. We are in-between. We are comparably affordable. And one thing about Pamo university is that there is no break in our system. Even within the COVID-19 lockdown, we moved our classes online. So by the time they returned, they went on straight to the next part of their training and finished the year without any loss of time. So here, we guarantee uninterrupted training, good facilities and safety. we have enough measures here to ensure safety.

hat makes Pamo University of Medical Sciences unique and a destination of choice for admission seekers and parents? Pamo is a unique university. It’s a mono discipline university. It offers courses in medicine and medical sciences. This means that we train medical doctors on the one hand, and we are also training professionals who are new to medicine on the other hand. For example, we are training medical laboratory scientists, nursing scientists, radiographers, physiotherapists etc. These are all professionals hooked on various activities in healthcare. They have got basic degrees in sciences linked to medical healthcare, e.g. biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology. So it’s mono-discipline, all medically related. It’s unique that we don’t offer courses in other subject areas like arts and culture, engineering, social sciences, law, etc., that make up a big university. So, we are small in terms of courses, but we have been able to attract a lot of people who want to be in these medical-related areas. It’s been four years since the inception of the university. What are some of the progress made so far? The university has made tremendous progress in terms of academic development. It has also made progress in the area of infrastructure, staff recruitment and student admission. So these are the four areas we can look at. We can look at the growth of student population and staff recruitment, which is also in consonance with the growth of the student population. We can also look at the growth of physical facilities and improvement in the academic environment, which means recognition, successful accreditation, and progress in academic programmes. What is the current student population of the university? We started in 2018 with about 100 students. As of today, we have 520 students. That’s how far we’ve grown. And as I said, there are no other courses, except the few ones I mentioned earlier. And these courses could attract many more students. For example, we have grown most especially in what we call the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), which is for those who want to train to become doctors. That is where we have the highest student population. Next to this is nursing science, where we have quite a lot of applicants. Then following that is med-lab science. Then in the degree courses, we have pharmacology. Patronage is a little bit less, but it’s also increasing. It’s followed by chemistry, which has the lowest patronage. Radiography is still growing. In Physiotherapy, which is an area of science that does exercises for patients who have undergone surgery after an injury, we are yet to receive applications from students. And this course is a very good course, but for some reason, students don’t know about the course. I’m trying to push every year to get them interested. I’m certain that for the 2021/2022 admission year, we will admit more students for the physiotherapy programme. So right now, we started with 50 medical students that we admitted when we got approval from the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2017/2018. As of 2019/2020, the Medical Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) increased our student enrolment limit to 100, meaning

Prof. Diejomaoh that we can now admit 100 students into medicine. This type of achievement takes about 15 years for some universities that offer multi-courses. But we have achieved it in about three years. So we can now admit 100 students for medicine every year. We could admit about 50 for med-lab science, and we are yet to fill it up. Nursing was also increased from 50 to 75, and we are yet to fill it up. For radiography, 50 students have been approved for us. We are also yet to fill it up. Sadly, everybody wants to do medicine. That’s a major challenge. How affordable are these courses at Pamo University? Pamo University is in-between in terms of cost. Let me explain why these processes are expensive compared to other courses not science-related in other universities. Take medicine, for example. Every course in medicine has to be backed up by laboratory training for the students. Right from the first year when they do courses in physics, chemistry, and biology at 100 level, to the

other levels when they do anatomy, which involves them dissecting human beings, studying the body anatomy, and doing experiments to understand how the body and its chemistry works. These things require expensive equipment and expensive chemicals. So this is one aspect of why the school fee has to be higher than the standard school fees for other disciplines. Also, students in private universities, such as Pamo, are accommodated continuously, year-round. They are fed. We take care of their laundry, mobility, and security. We provide a 24 hours power supply each day. Water supply is provided round the clock etc. All these amenities involve a lot of money to run. Then market inflation is, on the other hand, and yet we have to feed the students at a reasonable quality and quantity of food. Then we also provide books. Teachers who do the training are expected to be paid. You have to employ lecturers, and also a laboratory scientist to work with a lecturer, and then buy equipment. All these are added together to make medical courses expensive. Whereas there are other

Our ultimate plan, with time, is to have an elective period to expose our students to vaccine training in a short period of two to three months, rotating between the US and a partnering university. That way, students can see what we call modern equipment being applied

With the quality Pamo provides, what’s your advice to those travelling abroad to study medicine? We can provide full medical training to all our students here at Pamo university. With Pamo, there is no need for any Nigerian to send their children overseas for training. They can equally receive that here in Pamo and even at a cheaper rate. Our ultimate plan, with time, is to have an elective period to expose our students to vaccine training in a short period of two to three months, rotating between the US and a partnering university. That way, students can see what we call modern equipment being applied. Medicine is very technological. So this is the future for us. And for our students here to go abroad, it’s not necessary. Students abroad pay a lot more unless they are on a scholarship. How updated are your curriculum and courses, and are they accredited? By arrangement, we used to update our curriculum from time to time, using NUC approved curriculum. By the way, let me tell you that all our courses have been given full accreditation by NUC. Anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology have all gotten full accreditation. Nursing science got a license up till 2026. Medicine has been accredited by the MDCN up to the final level, and so are other courses accredited by the related professional bodies. So we are accredited by NUC on one side, then the professional bodies on the other side. So we update the programmes according to NUC directives. And if we find something that will improve our students, we add it. For example, our students started going to hospitals from the first year of training, so they could get early exposure to the care of patients in the hospital. That’s an innovation which not all medical schools in Nigeria are doing; they wait until they are in the clinical years. So here, at 100 levels, our students are already exposed to patient care; they learn all they need to learn about every department within the hospital environment and how they operate. So, our students are well equipped, and we are up to date as a university. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

EDUCATION

Popoola: Public Interest in Running Universities Will Boost Accountability Prof. Labode Popoola is the Vice-Chancellor, Osun State University, Osogbo. In this interview with selected journalists, including Funmi Ogundare, the professor of Forest Economics and Sustainable Development, whose tenure will end on November 4, explained why society should be interested in how public universities are run and utilise resources to ensure accountability in the system. He said funding of education in the country should be taken seriously, among other issues. Excerpts:

ou have been vice-chancellor of Osun State University for the last ﬁve years. How would you describe your tenure so far? Well, it is like every other journey, you have the good, you have the bad, you even have the ugly. But all said and done. I want to believe that we are leaving behind a better university than we met it. I like talking frankly: I did not inherit a university in the real sense of it, and the records are there. The university I inherited was anything goes. Yes, the university in a name, but a university where academic culture was completely missing. A university where commercialisation of everything was the norm. A university where law and order was not a culture. A university where corruption was the order of the day. I guess it happens in many other universities, but the so-called autonomy that we have is like a veil, so the public does not see it. So it was really tough, very, very tough at the beginning, and of course, we are always reminded that trying to reform will always come with obstacles. And we really had the obstacles, and of course, we were always in the news, in the first one and half years; needless battles, but we overcame. And I want to give credit for this to the kind of principals that we had and still have. I had a visitor, the then Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, who understood what a university should be and gave us a free hand to run it. I also had a council, and I still have that council, which knows what a university should be and believed in the kind of serious reform that we needed to have, and I had their support. As tough as it was in the first 18 months, things moved on gradually because it was so bad that at a point in time, I wanted to resign and go back to the University of Ibadan (UI). But I recall some good members of council prevailed on me not to. I also recall that the visitor then, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola called me and said, ‘Labo, you are on a mission. You are not going anywhere.’ So that is what kept us going. Since 2018 November, when we had the peak of the madness, we have been at the cruising level, and it has been wonderful. Now we have what we can call a university. In what ways were you able to reform the university, and what issues did you address? You see, universities run on academic culture, integrity is one, selflessness is one, finesse, neutrality, accountability and openness; these are the culture that universities world over are known for. So anything outside of that will not be meaningful to someone like me. I believe that there are still people who think the same way that I do. So, we were able to instil that largely by resisting those who were against the reforms. You see, the turbulence was enough to frustrate any human being. As I said, we resisted them, but we also had the support of our principal, the council, and the visitor to the university. So yes, largely we are back, we are operating according to the rules and regulations of the university, the establishment laws of the university, the conditions of service at the university. So corruption has reduced drastically, because we have this credo, ‘we don’t give, we don’t take bribe here’, and that is exactly what it is, and we have means of knowing if it is happening. So largely, that reduced the cost of running the system, it reduced project cost, and we now have an efficient service delivery, we have quality delivery of projects. If you move round, you will find out that we have value for money. They did not come easy. That is the reality. Can you give us another example of

universities end up with. But like I said, we engaged them, we involved them in leadership training for three good years. We bring in people from outside, not even us. We bring in mothers, fathers, people who have seen it all and people who will understand their language. We went on retreat for a minimum of three days, so we all mingled as if we were mates. So that brought in some confidence that this is not we versus them. It is about all of us. So by the time we now got the constitution of the students’ union ready, we allowed them to think out the constitution, we went through it together, and they adopted it by themselves. Then we gave them a free hand to go and elect their leaders. And they elected their leaders without rancour. But one thing we also did was that we deliberately put in the constitution that anyone that will emerge as the president must be on the verge of first class. So the first president actually is a student in Electrical Engineering and clearly a first-class student. So it wasn’t a question of an all-comers affair. So the best amongst them were selected. So you cannot be a third class or somebody who is lagging in class and say you want to become a student union hero. It is already in their constitution, so it is not possible.

Prof. Popoola what used to be and what is obtainable now? Well, we had a situation where lateness to work and absenteeism were the order of the day and we applied the rules and regulations. That has also reduced. We had a university where students were very lawless. All you heard about UNIOSUN then were students in cultism, students who were involved in 419, Yahoo-Yahoo, we were always in the news. But, what we did was that we brought the leadership of the students, we selected some of them that we thought were reasonable and we engaged them for the whole of three years, giving them leadership training. We organised retreats on an annual basis for three good years to let them know the essence of leadership. That now culminated in the first-ever student union executive. This university never had one. They elected their own leaders and they are now in place and they are doing the job that an executive should be doing. They are enlightening the students, creating awareness and serving as a bridge between management and the students. But we also did something, we selected amongst the students, the troublesome ones after they graduated, one per campus, to now work with our students’ affairs division. So they were our eyes and ears on the six campuses. We engaged them. They were the ones

actually leading the crisis when I first came. So we called them to ourselves by the time they graduated and told them that now you are graduates, you will know the difference between being a student and being an employed graduate. We engaged them in our student’s affairs division, one par campus. So they understood the students better than we did and they are still there. We now have a student body that is very responsible. You hardly hear about crisis from our students. You hardly hear about some of these negative tendencies about our students. How important do you think student leadership is to the smooth running of the campus? The reality is that boys will always be boys, just like girls will always be girls. But unfortunately, student unionism, the way we knew it when we were in the university, is not the way it is now. They are involved in external politics. As a matter of fact, many of them see it as a springboard to join the larger society in politics. And so they like to play the hero even where there is no reason to do that. That is why we engaged them in leadership training. You see, if we had just succumbed to the quest for student union leadership, probably we would still end up with the same problem other

There is need for unionism in every system because of workers welfare and to checkmate the excesses of management

Your tenure will end on November 4. Do you feel fulﬁlled? Yes, largely fulfilled. But you know as much as possible I don’t like blowing my trumpet. I like people to say what they see or tell the story of how they feel. Because again it is not about me, I applied for this job. I wasn’t offered on a platter of gold. No. I applied for it, about 23 of us. I came first with a gap of about 30 points. So it means I put an assignment on my head and I had a vision and mission document. Every now and then, I go to that vision and mission document and ask, has this been done? Or has that been done? I want to say that over 90 per cent of things that I willingly wrote that I would do have been done. So if that is a measure of fulfilment, that is my description of it. Speaking of corruption in the system, has there ever been a time when you had sex for marks or buying grades issues? Again, the major one is actually still in court, so I will be very careful in the way I comment on it. I inherited a case of a lecturer. There was a video recording of the malfeasance between a lecturer and a female student. Whether money or marks transpired, I wouldn’t know. But it was scandalous, and the matter is still in court. The lecturer was dismissed, and there were similar others. But one good thing we did was we put in place a sexual harassment policy. Sexual harassment is not just about a male lecturer harassing a female student. It could be either way. So the policy clearly states what sexual harassment means and how we can detect same, and the penalties for same. So we took it very seriously, and every member of staff has a copy and the students also have copies of that. So, that actually also sends some jitters. We have not been having it. You see, you never can tell. You don’t know what happens outside the wall of the system. But the only recent report we had turned out to be a red herring. In fact, the student has just written a letter of apology. Because if we hear this sort of thing, we will investigate, and if you are found guilty, we apply the laws. so sexual harassment is actually taken very seriously because there is a policy on that. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

EDUCATION

YABATECH Rector: Poor Funding, Implementation Ruining Technical Education

Omokungbe Uchechukwu Nnaike

The Rector of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Obafemi Omokungbe, has regretted that most universities of technology established in the country are operating like conventional universities as a result of poor policy implementation and inadequate funding. In an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, he expressed the readiness of the polytechnic to attain the status of the university of education, saying if YABATECH transforms to a university, it will operate as a university of technology. He also bemoaned the marginalisation of polytechnics in the country through poor

funding, thus making them inferior and less attractive to prospective students. “This idea that everybody must go to university is not helping matters. In Canada, those that attend technical schools some earn more than PhD holders. We are not implementing the policy rightly. That is why we are having this problem. People see those who attend polytechnics as being inferior to those that attend university, and so parents won’t encourage their children to attend polytechnics.” Omokungbe stressed that polytechnics are supposed to be inventors, but the government will pump more money into universities than polytechnics and expect a miracle. “If the

country is doing well, you don’t expect to see graduates of polytechnic in the civil service. They are supposed to be in the industries to drive the economy.” “If the mandate given to polytechnics and universities are followed properly, there will be no need for any polytechnic graduate to start struggling for a job, and the employers of labour also know what they want. Now you will see somebody with HND Engineering struggling for a job in the civil service because we have bastardised the system, one way or the other, he will get a job there. But if we have done the right thing, the polytechnic graduate knows where to go.” He also blamed parents for the discrimination because they see university education as being superior to polytechnic. The rector also attributed the poor implementation of the 6-33-4 system of education to the apathy for technical colleges, adding that youths that are supposed to be in these colleges are now motorcycle and tricycle riders. “The point is that when you do JS3, and you cannot cope, you go into technical college and learn a skill. It doesn’t mean that you are a failure in life. That is where parents miss this. If at the end of JS3 it is recommended that the child should go to technical college, you will take the child to another secondary school to start SS1, and at the end of the day, the child will not be able to cope in the SS class. “That was how we bastardised that system. The 6-3-3-4 meant something. We need to go back to implement that policy well, then technical colleges will come into place,

and we will have artisans, then the polytechnics will give us technicians and technologists, the universities will give us engineers and then things will streamline,” he said. On the impact of COVID-19 on education, he said the college conducted lectures and examinations online and encouraged lecturers to acquire skills in that area. He announced that the institution had been granted a license to run an open and distance learning programme. Omokungbe said at inception in March 2018, infrastructures were in a state of decay, and to achieve his mission, his administration decided to focus on four areas: academic improvement and development; infrastructure development (Epe campus) and upgrading and refurbishing of existing structures at the main campus; the welfare of staff and students; and expansion/improvement of the internally generated revenue base of the college. The college also launched a N500 million endowment fund to boost its IGR and to do the things required to make the institution relevant. According to him, some of his achievements include stable academic calendar without internal strike; successful conduct of examination of part-time students within one week; acquisition of plagiarism detective software, Turnitin; procurement of 3,000 new mattresses for hostels; construction of hostels, classrooms and perimeter fencing at Epe Campus, repair of college roads for easy movement, full transmission of YABATECH Radio, among others.

AdCademy: Henley Business School Offers Free Postgraduate Diploma to Inductees In partnership with the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) AdCademy, Henley Business School is offering two free postgraduate diploma degrees worth $5,000 and 25 per cent discount to four of the newly inducted participants of the AdCademy masterclasses. The Dean of Henley Africa, Jon Foster-Pedley, at the Henley Business School (HBS) alumni induction ceremony, challenged

the inductees to design a good and simple approach to promote the Henley Business School postgraduate diploma courses to qualify for the prize. The virtual ceremony, held recently, witnessed the induction of participants from the two cohorts of the AdCademy masterclass programmes held this year. Speaking at the induction ceremony, AAAN President Steve Babaeko lauded the

AdCademy’s relationship with Henley Business School and the benefits of the partnership to students.Also, speaking on the benefits of joining the HBS Alumni community, Jean-Pierre Choulet, Vice Dean of Henley Africa, stated that the alumni community is geared towards championing humanity and provides access to over 84,000 people in over 200 countries, with access to diverse professionals, ranging from

business leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches and educators. In his remarks, Vice President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, Jenkins Alumona, thanked Henley Business School for the generous offer and urged participants to take advantage of the offer and invite family, friends, and colleagues to be a part of the upcoming AdCademy masterclasses.

Greensprings Wins BIEA 2021 STEM Ambassadors Award Greensprings School has won this year’s British International Education Association (BIEA) STEM competition after defeating 43 schools from 16 countries at the finals. The school’s STEM team won the competition by designing a sustainable food packaging material that replaces plastic packaging materials that are not biodegradable. Mr Lanre Oguntoye, one of the school’s STEM coaches, shared the details of the students’ project in the competition. “Based on the theme of BIEA 2021 International Youth

STEM Innovation Competition, which is ‘Repack to Restore Our World’, our STEM team proposed the use of modern technology to devise new and sustainable ways of packaging food to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced,” said Oguntoye. “The team was made up of Ayomide Hector-Olukoya, Mayomikun Soneye, Anjola Obasunloye, Damilola Adeosun and Seni Honponu-Wusu.” He added, “Their solution was centred around the use of coconut shells as a sustainable approach to repackaging food. The students gave impressive

presentations to the BIEA STEM judges and provided insightful answers to their technical questions. At the end of the finals, they were adjudged the winner of the competition.” Reacting to the award, the secondary school principal at the school’s Anthony campus, Mrs. Magdalene Okrikri, stated that the award is another attestation that the school is raising global problem solvers. “I am highly impressed that our students won this award. The idea was quite innovative, and our students communicated their idea very well. They also

answered all the questions from the judges with clarity and precision. This performance further strengthens the rationale for putting thinking skills at the heart of our curriculum, as it’s really helping the students to become global problem solvers,” she noted. As the winner of the competition, all members of the Greensprings STEM team have now been accepted into BIEA STEM Stars, an accreditation programme providing an opportunity for students to show schools, universities, and future employers their passion for STEM subjects.

Teacher’s DIARY KEHINDE OMORU

www.kayomoru.com

ADULTS LEARNING CHALLENGES

he topic being a very hot one, there is absolute need to dive further on it again. It is given that adult learning can be very difficult for many reasons viz: lack of time. Greenhorns who are adults often have full-time jobs, and sometimes children or other dependents that are relying on them. This, obviously will impact on their timing, as finding the time to continue learning very challenging. I did settle into my studies and it no longer felt like a punishment when on lecture day two our lecturer took us all on the journey to ‘soul-search’ why all of us age 45 upwards, were sat there at the University of Greenwich to discover the theoretical basis for and acquire the theoretical skills to mentor pre-registration students. In lecture one, 95 per cent of the class confessed that they were not keen to have returned to academic study. Reasons churned out for this include all manner of mid-life characteristics and challenges which include, child-care issues, forgetfulness, fatigue and tiredness loss of interest in strictly academic vigour, loss of source income within the period of study ends an unwelcomed reopening of a phase of human development (academic study) that most people felt that they were done with for good. And so this day in lecture 2, encouraged each other, associate student began to churn out why they were in study albeit unenthusiastically. By the end of the lesson, we had unveiled every reason that an adult learner would have, before they can enthuse about whatever you want to teach them. The knowledge of the following Andragogical bedrocks may help you to effectively teach your staff new vigorous skills especially ones that may task them, take up their time, engage their interest, cause them to make uncomfortable changes to their social life and home front, and could inadequately cause a loss of some income for them. Remember always that all adult learners: r /FFE UP IBWF TPNF DPOUSPM PWFS UIFJS MFBSOJOH As adults your learners are already handling responsibilities and making decision in their lives. Make your lessons enable them to learn what is important for them to know and beneficial to their living, r :PVS MFTTPOT PS JOTUSVDUJPOT NVTU JNQSPWF UIF skills they already know, make their work easier or doable, open them to better opportunities, be individualized in a way that is of practical benefits and bring results to them. r :PVS BEVMU MFBSOFS OFFET UP LOPX XIZ UIFZ are learning new ideas, concepts, methods, and see the link between what they already know and the new. r "MMPX B SPCVTU MFBSOJOH UJNF TQBO GPS ZPVS tutelage. Adults learn less quickly even though they learn more deeply. r *G QPTTJCMF GPSN B DMBTT PG UXP PS NPSF people with similar life experiences to create an atmosphere for discussion, sharing, interaction and solidarity. This way you will have more validation of your concepts with tried and trusted quality life experiences. r &OTVSF UIBU ZPVS MFTTPO XPVME JNQSPWF UIFJS job skills or help achieve your adult student to achieve their professional growth. r 3FNFNCFS UIBU ZPVS BEVMU MFBSOFS JT FODVNCFSFE with personal obligations and responsibilities to friends, work and community. Create a flexible schedule of learning, be accommodating of busy work-type. r 1SPKFDU UIF WBMVF PG ZPVS MFTTPO UP ZPVS BEVMU learner very quickly. Point out how it could help the secure learner very quickly. Point out how it could help them secure a better job, get a promotion, start a new career, improve a life-skill. r "CTPMVUF OFFE GPS TUVEFOU QFSTJTUFODF JO SFHVMBSMZ attending courses cum classes and completing a course of study is a critical factor for most adult education programmes. Lack of such persistence appears to be a characteristic of the system that is unaffected by attempts to remedy it. -Omoru is a freelance writer, education, health and social care advocate

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

EDUCATION

Delta Teacher Emerges 2021 Maltina Cultivate Innovator’s Mindset, Paciﬁc School Teacher of the Year Uchechukwu Nnaikei

A Technical Drawing teacher at James Hope College, Agbor, Delta State, Taiye Abanika, has been named the 2021 Maltina Teacher of the Year at the grand finale held on October at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. With his emergence as the winner of the seventh edition of the initiative, Abanika will receive a total cash prize of N6.5 million (N1.5 million immediately and N1 million annually for the next five years) from theNigerian BreweriesFelix Ohiwerei Trust Fund. Apart from the cash gift, he would also benefit from an all-expense paid capacity development training abroad; and a fully equipped computer laboratory or six-classroom block worth N20 million will be built for his school by the fund. Isaac Pev, a teacher with Government Day Secondary School, Yonko, Taraba State emerged the first runner-up winning a total of N1.5 million. Ngozi Ofordum of

Government Science and Technology College, Garki, Abuja emerged the second runner-up with a cash prize of N1,250.000, while other 30 teachers who emerged as state champions were also rewarded with N500, 000 each. Speaking at the event, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba lauded the company’s unwavering commitment to recognising and rewarding teachers through the initiative. He noted that the company’s support has contributed in motivating the teachers not only in expanding beyond borders, but also in reaching their full potential. In his remarks, the Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Hans Essaadi said the initiative was designed to recognise, celebrate and reward amazing men and women who through their daily work as teachers have contributed in building solid foundation for the society.

“A good teacher inspires hope, ignites the imagination, and instills a love of learning- literally shaping and changing lives. As individuals, a great part of who we are today, and what we have achieved in life, can be traced back to the education we received from our teachers,” Essaadi added. Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, thanked the company for the relentless effort and tenacity in celebrating exceptional teachers through the initiative, adding that such contribution would improve performance among the students and motivate teachers generally to take pride in the profession. In her remarks, the Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mrs. Sade Morgan, who lauded the contributions of teachers to shaping lives and grooming leaders, stated that this year ’s edition recorded

an impressive number of entries across the country, as the initiative received a total of 1,085 entries. While applauding the panel of judges for their transparency, professionalism, the rigour and the tenacity in determining the winners, Morgan noted that the calibre of the top 10 finalists including the eventual winner truly attests to the creativity and practicality that were adopted in the evaluation process for this year ’s edition. Speaking shortly after he was announced the winner, Abanika thanked Nigerian Breweries for restoring pride to the teaching profession by recognising and rewarding teachers through the initiative. Since inception, the initiative has produced seven winners: Rose Nkemdilim Obi, Anambra (2015), Imoh Essien, Akwa Ibom (2016), Felix Ariguzo, Delta State (2017), Olasunkanmi Opeifa, FCT (2018), Ezem Collins (2019), Oluwabunmi Anani (2020) and now Abanika Taiye (2021).

Graduates Told Uchechukwu Nnaike The graduating students of Pacific School, Akowonjo, Lagos, have been advised to cultivate the innovator’s mindset in all they do; to create something new and better from existing situations. The Chairman of the school’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Remi Omosowon, said this in his address titled ‘Navigating the Future with Confidence’, delivered at the valedictory service for the class of 2021 recently. He said they could become rich by scanning the environment to identify problems and provide solutions to them, adding, “you must move past the way things have always been done, We must look with fresh eyes at what we do and ask ‘is there a better way’? This question is the first step to a better future for all of us.” Citing the example of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who overcame all odds to become a movie star and the 38th Governor of California, USA, he advised them to have a clear vision and to go all out to achieve

Victory High School Old Students Celebrate 40th Anniversary Funmi Ogundare

L-R: A parent, Mrs. Sandra Ojo; Special Projects Manager, Kellogg, Adenike Owolabi; Kellogg’s brand ambassador, Funke Akindele-Bello; Mrs. Justina David; and Clementina OlorI, during the ﬁnal announcement of Kellogg’s Superstars Scholarship 3.0 on World Breakfast Day, held at Ikeja Cantonment, Lagos... recently ˝

YABATECH ASUP Condemns Assault on Member The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) chapter has decried the recent assault on one of its members, a Computer Science lecturer, by soldiers. The union also announced plans to build an ICT centre at the Epe Campus of the institution for the benefit of members. It said already, the management has allocated land for the project. Addressing journalists recently, the Chairman, Mr.

Olusegun Ajiboye, said the affected lecturer intervened when the soldiers were assaulting some students on campus, and the military men also manhandled him. He disclosed that the physical assault on the lecturer, who is also the Assistant Secretary of ASUP, led to the loss of a tooth and he had since received treatment at the hospital. He said the management of the college got across to the Commander, the soldiers were arrested and they agreed to settle the

hospital bill. According to him, staff, students and the soldiers had a cordial relationship before the incident which has never happened before, and he hoped the relationship continues. ‘’They are our friends, we go to their officers mess to eat. We live like neighbours. It is not good for soldiers to enter campus and beat staff or students.” He said the soldiers came for a different mission and while returning to the barracks, ‘’they saw

students taking pictures and the military men assumed the students took their pictures and they attempted to seize the phone.’’ On the proposed ICT centre, Ajiboye said the foundation will soon be laid. He also revealed that the branch will hold an international conference from November 16 to 17. He said promotion exercise is ongoing and members will soon receive their promotion letters, while the branch election will hold in December.

it, adding that their education at the school has equipped them for success. In his remarks, the guest speaker, Prof. Bankole Fagbohungbe, warned the graduands against acquiring wealth through illegal means, saying that most people who do that never live to enjoy their wealth. He urged them to live a guaranteed life by charting a career path for themselves and to develop certain attributes like intelligence, empathy, motivation, creativity, among others. The Principal of the school, Mrs. Chioma Ogunsola, advised the graduands to always seek and acquire knowledge; and to make friends with those who can challenge and influence them positively to greater heights. She also urged them to represent and protect the corporate identity and integrity of the school at all times as they move into the larger society. The event feature the recognition and presentation of prizes to outstanding graduating students in academics, character, as well as in extracurricular activities.

It was a nostalgic feeling at the 40th-anniversary reunion of the old students (Class of 81) of Victory High School, Ikeja, Lagos. The old boys and girls turned out gaily dressed for the early morning assembly in their school uniforms; white shirt on blue trousers for the men and white shirt on blue pinafore for the women. With the assistance of an old boy, the current head boy and head girl conducted the assembly and ensured the inspection of all by the old principal and proprietor of the school, Chief Christian Olaniyan. It was a sight to behold as they marched to their different classrooms for lectures, singing their old school songs. The assembly was part of a three-day programme to mark their 40 years of graduating from the school, grand finale award and recognition, as well as thanksgiving celebration. The proprietor of the school, Chief Christian Olaniyan, who recently clocked 92, told THISDAY that when the private school was taken over by the government in 1976 and returned in 2001, the management, with the support of the old students, had been running it on their own. “Some years ago, some old students donated a computer centre costing about N6 million. The class of 81 also came together to renovate the school and fixed air conditioners in the classrooms so that it could attract more students. I can’t stop them from doing what they want to do. As an

association, they have been meeting regularly to see what they can do for their alma mater,” he said. Earlier, he said though it has not been easy bringing people together as some will reason that they are yet to make it in life. He noted that the school was popular in those days in academics and games and sports, adding that the old students were proud. An ex-student and principal of the school, Mr. Jolayemi Odedele, who has been there since 2007, said since his appointment, he has been saddled with the responsibility of raising its standard. “When the school was managed by the government, students were still in school because they were not paying fees, and they were being eased out gradually. Now that fees are being paid on a moderate level, we needed to raise the facilities in the school, which prompted our appeal to old students to come in and help.” Academically, he said the school has been recording success over the years, especially in its WASSCE, adding that there are also well-trained teachers raising the students’ self-esteem. Odedele lamented its low students’ population due to the presence of other private schools around the community. He described the period when the school was taken over by the government when its quality and morals degenerated, adding that many of its Old Students didn’t want to associate themselves with it.

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

CITYSTRINGS

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

Day Jigawa Communities Stood Still for ex-Immigration CG, Babandede After 36 years in service, out of which he spent five years and four months as the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede recently bowed out of service as one of the longest reigning bosses of the agency. To honour their own, the Jigawa community organised a reception worthy of an illustrious son, Precious Ugwuzor reports

Babandede acknowledging crowd in Hadejia

Babandede receiving a plaque from the Chairman of Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Alhaji Shehu Sule Udi at the palace the Emir of Ringim

umble and unassuming but disciplined, the immediate past Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, the “digital CGI” as he is fondly called by contemporaries and subordinates in the service, ranked the first of the agency’s CGIs to be honoured with a pull-out parade. With many signature projects initiated and completed during his tenure, including but not limited to the multi-billion naira technology building, various forward operating bases, introduction of migrant electronic registration centres, model Passport Application Processing Centre (PAPC), and improved merit-based promotions and other welfare packages, for the first time in the history of the organisation, a comptroller general left office with officers having mixed feelings. But if the honour done to him by his colleagues, friends and well-wishers during the pull-out ceremony could be said to be great, the one that awaited him in his ancient hometown of Hadejia and the neighbouring Ringim community in Jigawa State could only be greater. Penultimate weekend, when he returned home on a thank you visit, the awaiting arms of his kinsmen was not only wide but also comforting. From the city of Kano, Nigeria’s Northern region’s commercial centre, to Hadejia and later to Ringim, the reception was befitting of an illustrious son, who was simply described by many as a worthy ambassador. Homecoming Regarded by many in public and private lives as a man of the people, the overwhelming turnouts in the two towns speak immensely of his personality and the faith he has in his beloved country and her people as echoed in his valedictory speeches. It is this spirit of togetherness and team building that made the Emirs of Hadejia and Ringim to throw the gates of their palaces open for him to wine and dine with them. Stop at Hadejia In the scorching sun of that day, from the expressway to the main road that lead to the palace of the Emir of Hadejia- Alhaji Dr Adamu Abubakar Maje Haruna, a mammoth crowd comprising the old and young who were dressed in different outfits, lined up to receive the former CGI. To avoid stampede, on a few occasions, Babandede had to halt the movement of the motorcade to honour the people. Donning various colours, waving their hands and the Nigerian flag, displaying huge banners with congratulatory messages alongside his

various groups and age grades who handed over the many plaques to the monarch for onward delivery to the illustrious son.

Pupils and well-wishers standing by the roadsides welcoming Babandede to Ringim community pictures were associations and groups including Hadejia Youth Volunteers’ Association, Hadejia Ina Mafita Initiative, Saleh Babandede Foundation, Youth Development Association Hadejia, among others. The multitude, on foot, motorcycles, tricycles, and vehicles, travelled all the way singing, dancing and chanting to his entry into the town. And as a respect for the stool, the first place of call was the Emir’s palace- a monumental building with its high walls and mighty gates, which was packed full of the locals who were eagerly waiting to welcome their own son who they said had made them proud on the national stage. Filled to the brim, the town became so swamped so much that it affected both human and vehicular movements, and it required the severity of security operatives and, the palace guards in particular, to maintain order as the joyous multitude chanted “Welcome CG.” The crowd soon thronged his father’s

home, Muhammad Babanded Sarkiki, who is also a district head with the chieftaincy title of Magaji Rabi n Hadejia. It was a notable reunion of a proud father and son. Award and Dinner Later in the evening, the retired CGI in company of his friends and associates was hosted to a befitting dinner at the palace square by the Emir of Hadejia. In attendance at this gathering included a former deputy governor of Jigawa State and now a senator representing Jigawa North-east Senatorial District, Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia; the state’s commissioner for lands, Alhaji Sagir Ahmad, among other digniatries. It was a noteworthy ceremony with less fanfare, yet no seat was empty and despite the hour of the night, the palace guards were busy with the locals who stood at the gate waiting to catch a glimpse of their illustrious son. The highlight of the night was the presentation of series of awards by

Encomiums poured from the compere about the former CGI’s exploits in public service and private life. True to type as a man of the people, the former CGI gave a discerning speech which earned him endless rounds of applause

Like Hadejia like Ringim No doubt, since the day before when Babandede’s entourage landed in Hadejia, the bells of celebration had been ringing in Ringim, the headquarters of Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State. And the grand reception was an evidence of the massive preparation to welcome someone they all described as an ambassador and benefactor to many. The two sides of the roads leading to the palace of the Emir, Alhaji Dr Saiyadi Abubakar Ringim, were men and women including little school children who lined up on each side of the road waving the Nigerian flag and chanting “Welcome CG.” The Emir’s palace entrance was decorated with a huge poster announcing the arrival of Muhammed Babandede under the aegis of Ringim Coalition Movement (RINCOM). The spacious front yard was again packed full of humans and vehicles hailing the man of the hour, a great son of the soil who had come to honour his roots. The Emir’s palace was filled to the brim with every nook and cranny occupied. Encomiums poured from the compere about the former CGI’s exploits in public service and private life. True to type as a man of the people, the former CGI gave a discerning speech which earned him endless rounds of applause. Then he took it a point further when he requested the history of the Emirates pointing to the frames of past emirs and other heroes resting on the valance in the palace. It earned him another resounding applause followed by a standing ovation with over a thousand flashlights from cameras as the compere stood by his side narrating the legacies of each heroic figure. Again, he was presented with another award by the LGA Chairman- Alhaji Shehu Sule Udi, as a proud ambassador of his people. Other dignatries who graced the two-day events included a retired former Deputy Comptroller General of Immigration, Nuradeen Garaham; retired assistant comptroller general, Bello; retired passport control officer for the Ikoyi Passport Officer, Mannir Yari; a professor of Mathematics from the Ahmadu Bello University, Garba Goje, among many others. Appreciation The honouree thanked the people for the honour and pledged his commitment not only to the development of Jigawa State but Nigeria, and indeed Africa as a whole. He thanked the Emirs and his friends and well-wishers for finding him worthy of the honour.

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

CRIME&SECURITY

Nigerian Navy Partners Italian, French Navies for Safer Gulf of Guinea

CRIME SITUATION REPORTS

COMPLIMENTARY SECURITIES: HOW EFFECTIVE IN FACE OF EMERGING SECURITY CHALLENGES The Western Naval Command recently played host to AND WAY FORWARD (PART 7) The security camera is one of the Italian and French Navies in Lagos. Chiemelie Ezeobi Gbolahan Samuel Moronfolu wonders of modern technology, which is used at homes as well as reports that beyond the diplomatic aspect of the port CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV) in offices. It has gained immense calls, it was targeted at curbing maritime illegality in as commonly called, is a security popularity as an effective security system that use analog cameras measure. the Gulf of Guinea waters May spark up legal Issues: There and have been around for years. They are still the most common type of camera installed in the field, experts say. Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) is a security system in which signals are not publicly transmitted instead they are monitored and archived for security purposes. It relies on cameras placed in strategic positions and monitoring of the camera’s foot.

Rear Admiral Gbassa with Italian Consul General to Nigeria, Mr Maurizio Busanelli

hen navies embark on port calls, it does two things- strengthens maritime security partnership and also oils the diplomatic/ bilateral relationship between the visitor and host nation. Recently, these two objectives were achieved when the Italian and French Navies respectively visited the Western Naval Command (WNC) of the Nigerian Navy (NN) in Apapa, Lagos. During the visit, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), WNC, Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa, said both navies would be collaborating with the NN to curb piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) waters. For the Italian Navy that first paid a courtesy call, the navy held a two-day exercise targeted at addressing the issues of maritime crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking among others with the deployment of air and water assets. Prior to the exercise, the FOC received the Italian delegation from the Italian Naval Ship ANTONIO MARCEGLIA, a Multi European Frigate deployed on maritime interdiction mission in the GoG. On the exercise the FOC said "Piracy, sea robbery and all forms of criminalities on the waterways are a threat to international trade, a threat to relations between nations and even a threat to life. It is in recognition of this that the Nigerian Navy, knowing the global nature and effect of this criminalities, collaborates with foreign allies to strategise in curbing such criminalities. “The history between our countries has been cordial and strong particularly in security within the context of the subregion and the Gulf of Guinea and your presence in Nigeria cannot be denied. The issues we have around the Gulf of Guinea in the negative sense constitutes a threat to international trade and the regional peace. We are glad to have the Italian Navy and French Navy collaborate with us to help us attend to and resolve these issues."

The FOC with French Consul General to Nigeria, Mrs Laurence Monmayrant He said the exercise will give the three navies insight about providing security within the maritime domain and particularly address the disturbing incidence of piracy and sea robbery within the maritime space. “We have a present concern in the Gulf of Guinea which if not well addressed, will affect your own economic interest in this part of the world. All efforts will be made to make sure that the criminalities in our waterways is reduced to the barest minimum and eventually eradicated." Hoping for more of such visits in the future, he said it trainings of personnel between the navies for the benefit of the participating nations, adding that "we hope that the relations we have established particularly in the area of security where our militaries train together from the tactical level to the operational level be sustained".

Reiterating, the Italian Consul General to Nigeria, Mr Maurizio Busanelli said the exercise was important because it would help to save lives and protect global trade growth. For the French Navy on the other hand, they visited with French Naval Ship Commandant DUCUING, a 93-metre long vessel with a crew of 105 and powerful intervention needs. French Consul General to Nigeria, Mrs Laurence Monmayrant also reiterated that the common goal was to fight against insecurity and criminal activities in the Gulf of Guinea in order to secure international trade on such a major maritime route. She said: "For over 30 years, the French Navy has been present on the African West coast as part of the Yaoundé Convention. “Since 2013, the Yaoundé Convention has moved on to a new dimension to deter criminal activities encountered in this maritime region such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, armed trafficking and even human trafficking. “This exercise includes different operations of interception of pirates, tracking of smugglers, rescue actions and even diving among other operations"

ADVANTAGES FOR CCTV Crime deterrence: Most criminals may have a rethink and decide not to perpetrate intended criminal activity after sighting security cameras installed in places their planned criminal activities are to be carried out for fear of being caught committing such crimes with later consequences. Increased safety: Having a camera on hand helps to ensure that if a crime does take place, you’ll have evidence of what occurred for proper investigation. This is especially helpful as the crime may happen at a time there might be nobody to witness and testify. Remote monitoring: You’ll still be able to keep an eye on your office or house through a camera to check if everything is alright even you are away. Cost-Effective: Once you purchase and set up your CCTV system, it doesn’t need much maintenance and requires very little reparations. Additionally, if you take care of your cameras, they can last for years, making them a long term solution. Gathering Evidence: Having cameras installed in strategic places comes in handy when you need to monitor actions and words of people or during an event. Modern security cameras are not only equipped with high-quality video capabilities, but audio as well. The clear images coupled with flawless sound makes them more efficient than ever at recording a series of happenings. Proper Decisions making: Footage from security cameras can help you make correct and fair decisions when settling disputes, both in domestic as well as professional scenarios. Whether it is dealing with a situation involving disagreements within your family, among your employees, or between a customer and your service staff, your doubts can be laid to rest with the help of your camera. DISADVANTAGES OF CCTV Privacy issues: Some people may object to being filmed 24/7 and it may damage the trust you have between family members or employees as they feel there’s existence of distrust on them. Double edge sword: Technology is a double-edged sword. While innovation and upgrades can have several benefits for us, they can also be used to cause trouble. The majority of us reap its advantages, but a few with vested interests continue to abuse it and make the lives of others miserable.

have been a few instances in the past where security cameras have stirred up controversies, especially in professional setups. There have been cases where employees have objected to being under constant surveillance without their permission and citing the ‘invasion of privacy’ as the reason. A few have also resorted to taking legal action against their employers in relation to this. Critics of security camera systems have taken offense to them being placed in offices and argued that doing so implies that the employer has either already assumed or is convinced that his employees are up to no good and will do something wrong which is why their activities need to be monitored and recorded. It Can be a Costly Affair: While dummy cameras may not be expensive, the real ones cost quite a fortune, depending on the features and the number of cameras and monitoring systems one buys. Getting them installed and their maintenance means additional costs. If you’re thinking of installing them yourself, lay that idea to rest unless you have good knowledge of wiring systems or you may end up damaging the cameras. They Can be Vulnerable: When we, as users of security cameras, try to keep ourselves updated on the latest in security systems, we should not forget that intruders and criminals are doing the same too. A smart intruder may be conscious of them and adopt strategies to get in or out undetected. Further, tech-savvy criminals might have understood the technology and worked out ways to disable/disconnect them from their power source. If your cameras are detected as fake/dummies, they can be utterly useless in any crime prevention. In worst cases, hackers can play havoc with your security camera system by using the Internet and use them to spy on you instead. This makes security cameras vulnerable to damage and/or misuse. Inability to Stop Theft: Cameras enable users to record footage for later viewing, and to help nab criminals, and receive justice from the law. They cannot, however, stop a crime when it is in progress. They do not alert neighbors or the police like an alarm system would. This means that you will incur losses even as you run to the court, make insurance claims and reorder stolen inventory, which may no longer make you feel absolutely safe and even cause you to lose faith in them. -Moronfolu is a seasoned security consultant with many years of security and policing experience. FELLOW, Fourth Estate Professional Society (FFPS), he has also partaken in peace keeping operations within and outside the country and has flair for general security education.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN DESK

COMPILED BY BAYO AKINLOYE

Haitian Kidnappers Demand $17m Ransom for Kidnapped Americans The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Haitian gang that claimed responsibility for abducting members of a U.S.-based missionary group is demanding $17 million for the missionaries’ release. According to the Journal, Haitian Justice Minister Liszt Quitel says the gang, which calls itself 400 Mawozo, has set a ransom of $1 million for each of the 16 Americans and one Canadian kidnapped last Saturday outside the capital Port-au-Prince while working for the Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries. The Journal quotes Minister Quitel as saying the group includes five children, ranging from eight months to 15 years of age. He says they are being held in a safe house in a Port-au-Prince suburb. Quitel says they are negotiating for the release of the 17 missionaries without paying any ransom, telling the Journal that “when we give them that money, that money is going to be used for more guns and more munitions.” The White House said Monday the FBI is working to find the missionaries and deliver them to safety.

Human Rights Activists Call for Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics Human rights activists called Tuesday for a boycott of next year’s Winter Olympics in Beijing because of China’s human right’s record. Rights groups have continually urged the International Olympic Committee to delay the games and relocate the event unless Beijing halts what the United States maintains is an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in China.

The IOC has steered away from the issue. IOC President Thomas Bach said the games must be respected as “politically neutral ground.” The rights advocates say about one million Uyghurs are being held in camps. Some accuse Beijing of torture, forced sterilization and forced labour. China denies mistreating Uyghurs.

Witnesses: Civilians Killed as Airstrikes Hit Tigray Capital Witnesses in Ethiopia’s Tigray region said at least two people were killed and several others were injured in two airstrikes Monday carried out by government forces on the regional capital, Mekelle. Residents who spoke to VOA’s Tigrigna Service said the airstrikes hit two areas: the Enderta district in the morning and the Adi Haki market, later in the day. The Ethiopian government initially denied launching the attacks, but the state-run Ethiopian Press Agency later acknowledged the airstrikes and said they targeted communications infrastructure. “Action [was taken] against media and equipment used by the TPLF [Tigray People’s Liberation Front] terrorists in Mekelle,” the press statement said. Dr. Cherinet Gebru works at Mekelle’s flagship Ayder Referral Hospital. He told VOA there were nine victims admitted Monday after the first airstrike. The doctor said the staff at the hospital is monitoring other victims

who survived. Gebremedhin Haylay, a Mekelle resident, said he was on his way to an area called Enda Gabriel, walking with friends when the airstrike hit the Adi Haki market. Another witness, who says he saw injured people in the area, Jemal Kedir, said the bombardment hit an area no more than 30 meters from the market.

China Names Ex-Xinjiang Security Chief as Tibet’s New Communist Party Chief Chinese state-run media says a highranking official sanctioned by the West for alleged human rights abuses in the country’s far northwestern Xinjiang province has been selected by the ruling Communist Party to oversee Tibet. Wang Junzheng is taking over the Tibetan portfolio after serving as deputy party secretary and security chief in the remote northwest territory. The 58-year-old Wang is one of several Chinese officials sanctioned by the United States, European Union, Britain and Canada for human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang province, a move that prompted retaliation from Beijing.

500 Years Later, Spain, Mexico Spar Over Conquest Five hundred years after Hernán Cortés conquered Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, a Spanish mayor is demanding the return of the conquistador’s remains to his birthplace because of what he says are anti-Spanish

sentiments in modern-day Mexico. Valentin Pozo Torres, mayor of Medellín, the village in western Spain’s Extremadura region where Cortés was born, sent a letter to the Mexican ambassador in Madrid expressing his “deep concern” about the “anti-Spanish drift” of the current Mexican government. Pozo, who represents the ruling Socialist Workers Party, said he feared that Cortés’ remains, which lie in Mexico, maybe desecrated and demanded “his repatriation to the people who saw him born.” Cortés was born in Medellín in 1485 and died in 1547, six years after returning to Spain. His remains were re-buried in Mexico City at his own wish. They lie in a chapel in an ancient hospital – the oldest in the Americas – that he founded and that is not generally accessible to tourists. The latest chapter of an ongoing dispute between the two countries revolves around their shared past.

Cameroon French Towns Create Militias to Fight English-speaking Separatists Cameroon’s French-speaking towns on the border with the English-speaking western regions are creating militias to stop separatist incursions. The militias say separatists are entering French-speaking towns to steal food and weapons for their movement or acting independently as armed criminals. On Monday, Cameroon’s military said it held several top security meetings

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

FOREIGN DESK in the capital, Yaounde, to examine the spillover of the separatist crisis from the English-speaking western regions to French-speaking areas. Cameroon’s defence minister Joseph Beti Assomo said the military will never allow fighters to transfer the peril they cause in the English-speaking Southwest and Northwest regions to French-speaking border localities. He said he is reinforcing the military presence and increasing financial and material means to stop the separatists from entering French-speaking towns and villages. Speaking on state radio, Assomo did not disclose the number of troops deployed to stop the separatists. The military says French-speaking regions infiltrated by separatists include Mbouda, Galim, Babadjou, Babisenge, Foumban, Foumbot and Bafoussam. Two of these places, Foumbot and Bafoussam, are large commercial areas. The military says at least 60 attacks by separatist fighters in French-speaking localities, with dozens of lives lost. On social media, separatist groups have denied that fighters are looting. But they acknowledge attacks on several military positions, saying that they do so to seize weapons. Rigobert Nchinda, a cattle rancher who relocated from Galim to Mbouda, said that suspected separatists seized five cows and money from him last week. Defense Minister Assomo said civilians should assist the military by reporting suspects and strangers in their localities.

Football Coach Fired for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine A top US college football coach has been fired for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Washington State University (WSU) sacked Nick Rolovich, its highest-paid employee, and four of his assistants for failing to meet a vaccine mandate. The mandate means all state workers in Washington have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or lose their jobs. Mr Rolovich, 42, who earned $3.1m (£2.25m) a year, had applied for a religious exemption from the mandate. But WSU’s Director of Athletics, Pat Chun, said the exemption had been refused. “This is a disheartening day for

Pakistan Blocks Indian Submarine f r o m E n t e r i n g I t s Wa t e r s Pakistan said Tuesday its naval forces had detected and blocked an Indian submarine from entering Pakistani territorial waters. A military statement alleged the incident took place last Saturday. “It is the third incident of its kind wherein an Indian Naval Submarine has been prematurely detected and tracked by PN (Pakistan Navy) long-range maritime patrol aircraft,” said the military’s media wing known as the InterServices Public Relations or ISPR. our football programme,” Mr Chun said. “Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and wellbeing of the young men in our team.” Mr Rolovich’s sacking marks the culmination of a three-month

There was no immediate response from neighbouring India to the Pakistani allegations. The two nuclear-armed South Asian nations routinely accuse the other’s military of committing border violations, but sea encounters are rare. Pakistan’s tensions with India remain high over the disputed Kashmir region. Both nations claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two of their three wars over the region since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

showdown between the coach and Washington’s Democratic Governor Jay Inslee.

North Korea Launches SLBM, Amid Fears of Korean Arms Race North Korea test-fired a submarine-

launched ballistic missile (SLBM) Tuesday, South Korea’s military reported, just a month after Seoul conducted its own SLBM test. South Korea’s military, which monitors North Korean launches, said the North fired a short-range ballistic missile, presumed to be an SLBM, from an area off its east coast at about 10:17 a.m. local time. According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the missile flew about 430-450 kilometres, reaching a maximum height of 60 kilometres. The timing of the launch is notable. Last month, South Korea became just the eighth country to test an SLBM successfully. Two days from now, South Korea will try to launch its first homegrown space rocket. South Korea is undertaking an ambitious defence modernization plan, including several new missiles, domestically produced fighter jets, and even plans for its first aircraft carrier. Analysts say that South Korea, which hosts over 28,000 U.S. troops, is trying to take more responsibility for its own defence and take a bigger role in regional affairs. However, North Korea has slammed the South Korean moves as provocative and destabilizing, even while vowing to continue its weapons testing.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 • T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY, ͺ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

THE ALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

How People are Making Millions on AirBnB

Between 2018 and 2019, I travelled around Africa and Asia. There is no part of Africa I have not been to. One of the things that shocked me on my travels was the astonishing levels of poverty I saw in Africa, and even more surprisingly, in Asia. I was moved by what I saw, and because of my hatred for poverty, I researched several ways by which one could spread mass prosperity. To God be the glory, the Internet is rich with such opportunities, and over the last few months, I have been teaching around the world about how people anywhere on Earth can use the Internet to escape poverty. And gone are the days when the Internet was only accessible to the rich. The Internet has been so democratised that a country like Nigeria now has more Internet-enabled smartphones than adult human beings. I have done tutorials on making money from YouTube, Quora, affiliate marketing, online forex trading, cryptocurrency, amazon kindle direct publishing, dropshipping, buying US-listed shares from Africa and obtaining startup capital from peer-to-peer lending, amongst others. Now, today I will be teaching on how to make millions via Airbnb. Now, what is Airbnb? It is a docile media real estate and hotelling-facilitating company that operates an online marketplace for travellers seeking an alternative to pricey hotel accommodations. Basically, they allow you short let or rent your home or a room or rooms in your home for a small fee. Not only do they facilitate this, but they help you through the process by providing you with services like cleaning, toiletry, and other support services that make your check-in and check-out, as well as the guest’s stay, as stress-free as possible. So how do you get involved? Simple. If you have a second home or spare rooms in the home you live in, you can list on Airbnb. Go on Airbnb dot com and sign up. Signing up is easy. You can sign up with your email address, phone number, Google account, Facebook profile, or Apple ID. And creating an Airbnb account is free and easy. You can also choose the option of downloading their mobile app and follow the instructions. And after you have signed up, you create a listing, which they make so easy for you. I mean, it is so easy, a ten-year-old could do it. Next, you want to list all the amenities in your property, such as a bathroom, toilet, access to a fully-serviced kitchen, a microwave oven and fridge, and other

modern conveniences that make your home more attractive should be listed. Then you may want to take good photos. You do not need to invite a professional photographer, though you could—however, most people who list on Airbnb upload excellent photos taken with their cellphones. And just like that, you are good to go.

Wisconsin, where I investigated the Airbnb phenomenon and especially how a young African named Joseph Nantomah is making millions of dollars annually from Airbnb. He is called the Black Mentor, a name that he copyrighted. He is one of my mentees and he invited me to Wisconsin to see with my eyes how easy it is to make millions from Airbnb. I went, I saw, and I was awed. Whereas he used to buy houses to flip them in the past, he now buys properties to list on Airbnb because he makes more money doing that. I would encourage those interested in learning more about operating an Airbnb business to contact him. And it is not just Airbnb. You could do several things on the Internet to kill poverty and enthrone prosperity in your life. There’s YouTube, Quora, Amazon Kindle Publishing, Instagram, Upwork, Affiliate Marketing, Survey Junkie, CashKarma, Problogger, Proofreadanywhere, Poshmark, Cryptocurrency, ArtFire, TikTok, Virtual PA, Flex jobs, Fiverr, Twitch and I could go on and on. The Internet is a gold mine. If nobody employs you, be smart and use your smartphone to engage yourself. If you are still unemployed and have read this (because you need a smartphone to read this), then you have deliberately chosen poverty over prosperity. Look at me. I slept last night and woke up this morning, and I made more money on the Internet during my sleep than most people make while they are awake. The money is there. Take it! I have taught on many of these opportunities, and I shall continue to do so, God sparing my life.

Reno’s Nuggets

Omokri and Nantomah, Airbnb millionaires in Wisconsin

Tribute To Mike Ozekhome (SAN) This past week, Chief Mike Ozekhome turned 64. I celebrate him as someone who is dear to me because of his love for Nigeria, and for liberty and justice. He has ably represented many Nigerians, of which I am one of them, and freed them from the clutches of an administration bent on destroying the freedoms that it met when it won an election by promising much and delivering little. My late father was a Justice of the Court of Appeals, so growing up

It does not matter if you live in a slum, like Ajegunle in Nigeria, or Amui Djor, in Ghana, or a ghetto-like Kibera in Kenya, you can still list on Airbnb. Obviously, your rates would be lower than the rates charged by those living in highbrow areas, but you still get paid. I recently returned from Milwaukee, in

under him, I met my fair share of brilliant legal minds. But permit me to say that one of the minds that sparkled and still sparkles the most is Chief Mike Ozekhome. Gani Fawehinmi, who was his mentor, would be proud of him, very unlike another fellow who served under Gani, but has now betrayed everything Gani stood for. Not Barrister Ozekhome. Happy birthday Mike. You are the best of the best and a cut above the rest. Ozekhome

Dear men, Instead of looking for a good wife that will wash your clothes, wash your plates and sweep your house, why not simply buy a washing machine, a dishwasher and a vacuum cleaner? Don’t just look for a good wife. Also, look for a good life! It shows a very deep-seated poverty mentality when your specs for a wife are things that can be done by modern electrical appliances. Gone are the days when women were expected to be naked, barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. Do catch up with the 21st Century! Leave BC (Before Christ) and join the rest of us in AD (After Death). #RenosNuggets #FreeLeahSharibu

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021

IMAGES

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

L-R: Chief Operating Officer, Eystone Development, Kosoko Sadiq; artist and Crooner of BareMic Music competition, Manito SoulPen; and Chief Executive Officer, Eystone Development, Hassan Ismail, at the official launch of Gemstone estate in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos...recently

L-R: President, Rotary Club of Ekpoma, Igor Aregbokhai; past Assistant Governor of the club, Nosa EdoOsagie; Assistant Governor, Ahmed Oshubogie; and past President Yekini Sadoh, during the installation ceremony of Igor Aregbokhai as president of the Rotary Club of Ekpoma held in Ekpoma, Edo State...recently

L-R: Member, 20th Anniversary Planning Committee, Adeniyi Adeboye; Chairman of the committee, Babajide Jacobs; members, BoT KCOB 2001 set, Usman Umar and Temitope Ogunsemo; Chairman, BoT, Moses Nasamu, and Exco member, Nwike Dungor, representing the president of KCOB 2001, during the foundation laying ceremony in Lagos...recently PHOTO: ABAYOMI AKINYELE

L-R: Head of Civil Service, Folashade Yemi Esan; Minister of State for Petroleum, Timpre Sylva; Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Mahmoud; and Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, at the inauguration of Presidential Monitory and Evaluation Council of the full Implementation of the Executive Order No 5 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja…recently PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

L-R: Members of the 87 set of Ikolaba High School Old Student Association, Mr. Kunle Osho, Ms. Taiwo Gbadamosi, Mr. Toro Adegbite, Mr. Bolaji Ganiyu, Mr. Kehinde Gbadamosi, Mr. Soji Adedokun, and Ms. Bose Ojelade, during the 40th anniversary of the school in Ibadan, Oyo State…recently

L-R: Desk Oﬃcer, TSB Makurdi, Mr. Cletus Ikyobo; Chief Compliance Oﬃcer, Trustfund Pensions Limited, Mr. Christopher Fakanlu; representative of Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited, Mr. Mr. Chuks Ogbatue; Head of Customer Support Services Department, Trustfund Pensions Limited, Mr. Anthony Nneghaat, at the 2021 Employers’ Forum organised by Trustfund Pensions Limited in conjunction with Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited in Abuja...recently

R-L: Chairman, Board of Trustees, Igbobi College Old Boys’ Association (ICOBA), Mr. Bode Thorpe; President, ICOBA, Mr. Olumuyiwa Kinoshi and General Secretary, ICOBA, Mr. Deji Balogun, during the Annual General Meeting of the Association held in Lagos...recently

L-R: Ex-Super Eagles footballer, Kanu Nwankwo; Managing Director, Lacasera, Chinedum Okereke; Player of the Year Award recipient, Suleiman Saleh of the University of Maiduguri; and Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Insurance Limited, Akinjide Orimolade, at the Higher Institution Football League Elite Awards event in Lagos…recently

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

#EndSARS Commemoration: Lagos Protesters Set to Defy Ban, Plan Car Procession Lagos police in show of force

Chiemelie Ezeobi Despite the order by the Lagos State Police Command banning all forms of street protest in commemoration of the one year anniversary of #EndSARS movement, the protesters have vowed to hold a car procession at Lekki Tollgate. According to the protesters, the decision to commemorate the anniversary at Lekki Tollgate was because it was the epicentre of a watershed moment in the nation’s history. Although the initial plan was to hold a memorial at the tollgate where protesters were shot at on October 20, 2020, that plan was shelved as the police command warned against such. The next move was to turn the protest into a hybrid event with the physical aspect held at an event centre on Lagos Island, a move that was again shelved after the centre reportedly called to cancel the event, alluding to threats from some persons. Not deterred, the organisers decided to turn the protest into

a car procession past the tollgate with flags and placards to mourn the lives of those lost in the aftermath of the widespread

violence that claimed lives and led to wanton destruction of properties. Meanwhile, the police

command held a show of force at the tollgate yesterday to show its determination to quell any form of protest whatsoever.

While warning intending protesters, the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu said the state could

not afford a repeat of the destruction brought about by hoodlums who hijacked the protest last year.

CICAN ANNUAL CONFERENCE…

L R: Chairman, Commerce and Industry Correspondent Association of Nigeria (CICAN), Mr. Frederick Idehai; Representative of the Executive Secretary, Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Ibe O Ibe; Director General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr. Jelani Aliyu; Minister of state for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Mariam Katagum and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Sector Matters, Mr. Francis Anatogu during the annual conference of CICAN in Abuja.. recently KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

How Army Restored Peace Bayelsa Imposes Curfew on Waterways, Bans 200hp Engine Boats to Trouble Zones in Kebbi, Says Gov Bagudu Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Ismail Adebayo in Birnin Kebbi The Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, yesterday commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Faruk Yahaya, over the military operations that flushed out the bandits that had prevented farmers from going to their farms in Danko Wasagu area of the state. The governor, while recalling how the Kebbi South was bedevilled by banditry in 2015 when the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Faruk Yahaya, paid him a courtesy call at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi, said peace has since returned to the hitherto troubled areas of the state with the assistance of the military. He said: “Danku Wasagu area

was before 2015 a no-go-area, but that is now a history. I can vividly remember when some years back we trekked over 11 kilometres into farmlands in that troubled area, with a view to celebrating the return of peace. “There are 255 political wards in the 21 local government areas of the state, and in all of them are massive agricultural activities going on. Credit must be given to my late Security Adviser, retired Maj.-General Muhammad Dan Hanne, and my Deputy, retired Col. Samaila Yombe, who literally relocated to Danko Wasagu then.” Bagudu commended the army for what he described as its relentless efforts in securing lives and property of the people of the state and the country in general.

Clean Up Niger Delta to Boost Economy, Group Urges FG Blessing Ibunge inPort Harcourt An International Organisation, Oilwatch has stated that the cleanup of polluted areas of the Niger Delta region will create more jobs for the youths as such will also boost the nation’s economy. Nnimmo Bassey, a member of international steering committee of Oilwatch, stated this on Tuesday, during his presentation at a conference organised by the group in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State. Speaking on the theme “Demanding real zero not net-zero”, Bassey stated the need for the government to stop oil exploration in the region and focus on remediation to sustain the future of the area. He lamented the destruction of biodiversity, blaming it on the expansion of fossil fuel extraction.

The environmentalist explained that oil exploration has not enriched the country, stating that since the past six decades of oil exploration in Nigeria, the country remains impoverished. “The world and Nigeria need to stop the use of fossil fuels. And in fact, nobody or country should go on looking for new oil, gas, or fuel reserves. “Scientists have told us that we can not afford to burn all the known reserves of fossil fuel right now if not the world is going to have a temperature that human beings can survive on. “The real solution is not net-zero, but not continuing to burn fossil fuel. That is the solution and we have been saying this for many years. Leave the oil in the ground if we are going to have the possibility of surviving as humans in the world.

Amid growing insecurity in the state waterways and as part of measures to curtail sea piracy, kidnapping and other criminal activities, the Bayelsa State Government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on its waterways. The curfew on water transportation, which took

immediate effect, is between 7p.m. and 6a.m. The government also imposed a ban on the use of 200- horsepower speed boats. These measures were announced last Monday evening at the end of the 12th state Security Council meeting presided by the state Governor, Douye Diri, at the Government House in Yenagoa.

Briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, the Special Adviser on Security Matters 1, Mr. Akpoebi Agberebi, said henceforth, no permit would be granted for the use of 200-horsepower engines, warning that violators will face the full weight of the law. He, however, said there would be concession for emergency movement during

the curfew hours, while also calling on Bayelsans to feel free to report perpetrators to the state security outfit, Operation Doo-Akpo, on its dedicated phone line 07006464644. Agberebi also said the council resolved that communities whose lands had been acquired by the state government should desist from any form of protests.

FG Embarksgateon N189m Road Project in UNIJOS to the Abuja Hostel at two-kilometer road project testing procedures to ensure Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The federal government has earmarked the sum of N189 million for the construction of a two-kilometer road in the University of Jos. The intervention, under the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMWH), was awarded for the construction and rehabilitation of the road linking the Naraguta Hostel

the permanent site of the university. The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this during the handover of the project site at the permanent site of the university. Fashola was represented by the Controller of Works, Plateau State, Mr. Usman Abubakar. He explained that the

comprised of bush clearing, discaffication of existing failed sections, patching of potholes, overlaying of the road, and construction of drainages and culverts, all to be completed within a space of three months. Fashola assured that standards would not be compromised as all materials that will be used would be subjected to the relevant

that quality is maintained. The Acting Vice-Chancellor of University of Jos, Professor Gray Ejikime, who doubles as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), expressed gratitude to the federal government for contributing to the growth and development of the institution and for also transforming and adding value to the face of the university.

End SARS: Women Group Commemorates with Launch of Youth Initiative Mary Nnah In honour of the peaceful End SARS protests, which took place exactly one year ago at the Lekki tollgate on October 20th 2020, against police brutality in Nigeria, a group of Nigerian women leaders, Alliance of Business and Professional Women (ABPW), is launching its Youth Connect Initiative, which will equip youths from underprivileged

communities with skills to provide gainful employment. Youth Connect Initiative, a transformational initiative, birthed on the first anniversary of an epochal event in the history of Nigeria, aims at supporting the Nigerian youths to create the Nigeria we all desire. According to the Chairman of the APBW Governance Board, Mrs. Toyin Sanni, the Youth Connect Initiative is

a most fitting way to turn a most painful memory into something good for the youths who, she said, have for decades been ignored, marginalised, oppressed and economically excluded. The initiative, she added, will be providing employability solutions to aid entrepreneurship and also provide employment opportunities, working with institutional partners. “Our ultimate goal is to

establish end to end job creation, creating a cadre of skilled and engaged youth with a strong sense of civic responsibilities”, Sanni noted. The project is designed to prepare unemployed young men and women from disadvantaged communities for the job market with an emphasis on technology, connecting them to job opportunities whilst inspiring them to undertake their civic responsibilities.

Don Calls for Private Sector’s Contribution in Actualising SDGs in 2030

Sunday Okobi

A Professor of Public Relations and Advertising with the Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU), Ogwa, Edo State, Ezekiel Shegun Asemah, has called for defined roles for the private sector and other stakeholders in actualising the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Asemah, who also teaches Mass Communication at the

University of Benin, stated this at the third Inaugural Lecture of the Samuel Adegboyega University (SAU), Ogwa, titled: ‘Corporate Social Responsibility in the 21st Century: Refocusing on Sustainable Development Through Stakeholders’ Approach’. He said governments at all levels needed the support of the private sector and other stakeholders in actualising the 2030 SDGs, noting that with the

Nigeria’s ‘population boom’, it would make managing poverty rate and the actualisation of SDGs in 2030 more difficult. Highlighting the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in attaining sustainable development in Nigeria, Asemah urged players in the private sector to design and implement their CSR programmes on a continuous basis to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.

The professor described the high rate of poverty in the country as alarming, adding that with the rising poverty indices, it might be difficult for Nigeria to meet the SDGs goals in 2030 without the support of stakeholders in the private sector. According to him, “The emerging concept of SDGs has important implication for organisations in the private sector in Nigeria.”

T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

Police Nab Suppliers of Fuel to Bandits in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano Operatives of the Nigerian Police, Kano State command have intercepted two suspected fuel dealers who supply petroleum products to bandits in neighbouring Katsina State. The suspects, who were apprehended in two J5 Vehicles by the Police in Fagge area of the state, found five fully loaded 25 litres Jerry cans of petroleum while heading towards Jibiya Local Government Area of Katsina State. THISDAY gathered that Jibiya and neighbouring villages have been parts of the zones in Katsina where activities of kidnappers and banditry had put normal life on hold. A statement issued to journalists by Police spokesman in Kano, Mr. Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, yesterday, disclosed that the suspects, one Musbahu Rabi’u, 31 years old and the driver of the vehicle, one Jamilu Abdullahi, 37 years old, both from Jibiya town in Katsina, had confessed their connection to fuel supply to unknown customers who regularly purchase the product at higher price in Jibiya. According to the statement, “ On the 15/10/2021 at about 1230 hours, a team of Policemen led by CSP Abubakar Hamma while on intelligence patrol at Fagge LGA, Kano State intercepted two (2) J5 Motor

Vehicles loaded with Food Stuffs. “On stop and search, five Jerry cans of 25 liters each filled with PMS put in an empty sack, disguised as bags of sugar, were recovered from one of the vehicles. Two suspects were arrested; one Musbahu Rabi’u, 31 years old, of Jibia

LGA, Katsina State and the driver of the J5 Motor vehicle, one Jamilu Abdullahi, 37 years old of Jibiya, Katsina State”. Haruna, a Deputy Superintendent of police (DSP) revealed that after preliminary investigation, one of the suspects, Jamilu confessed that, he once came

to Kano from Katsina to buy Petroleum in Jerry cans after which he transported it to Jibiya, Katsina State where he sold it at higher rate. Subsequently, the Police spokesman stressed that the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command has ordered a discreet investigation to

unravel the development. He pledged to charge the suspects to court upon completion of investigation. “The Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, Mr Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, better known as “Nagari-Nakowa” also urged the good people of the State to be watchful of

their immediate environment and report any suspicion to the nearest Police Station. The Police Commissioner warned owners of filling stations in Kano to desist from selling Petrol to unknown buyers in large quantities just as he cautioned them to report any suspicious buyers to the Police.

HAND WASHING DAY…

L-R: Assistant Brand Manager, Dettol, Mrs. Anuoluwa Odusanya; Student of LEA Wuse School, Zone 2 Abuja, Miss. Taiwo Olutoye; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack; Student, LEA Wuse School, Zone 2 Abuja, Master Praise Ikefe; and External Communication / Partnership Lead, Reckitt Sub-Saharan Africa, Mrs. Cassandra Uzo- Ogbugh, at the 2021 Global Hand Washing Day in Abuja… recently

Ghana-Nigeria Business Council Tambuwal Seeks Judiciary Intervention Fund Urges FG, N’Assembly to review salary package Appoints Executive Committee Onuminya call when the House of and even if it is not made by rehabilitation of the residences Innocent in Sokoto Dike Onwuamaeze The Ghana-Nigeria Business Council (GNBC) has constituted an executive committee as part of its strategy to promote investments, trade and enterprises in Ghana and Nigeria. The members of the newly established executive committee included the Founder and CEO of Ghanaian Londoners, Ms. Adwoa Agyemang; Partner, Business Development Manager at Unimas Microfinance Ghana Limited, Mr. Efosa Igiehon and the Managing Attorney of Nartey Law Firm, Mr. William D. Nartey who is also a dual qualified attorney licenced to practice law in the State of Georgia, United States of America and in the Republic of Ghana.

Other members of the executive council are the Managing Director of MediaReachOMD Ghana, Mr. Stephen Onaivi; the Awardwinning Presenter and Host of African Women’s Voices show on e.TV Ghana, Mrs. Eunice Tornyi, and the Executive Secretary of the GNBC, Ms. Nadia Takyiwaa-Mensah, The Chairman of the GNBC, Mr. Reginald Laryea, said: “For us, this is a key milestone for our council (GNBC) as we have made many strides since we relaunched our membership drive in November 2020. It is imperative for us to ensure we have the best people on board to realise the vision of the Ghana Nigeria Business Council and ensure that we are putting our best foot forward at every given opportunity.”

The Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has canvassed for Judiciary Intervention Fund (JIF). Tambuwal also appealed to the federal government, the National Assembly and the National Judiciary Council (NJC) to set up a JIF to cater for the judiciary. The governor made the

Representatives Committee on Judiciary visited him in his office in Sokoto. According to him, “It is worrisome that the salary package of the Justices has not been reviewed in the last 13 years. “This is not good enough. We have reviewed the salaries… I suppose the idea of an intervention fund to the judiciary,

way of a law, there should be an injunction to that effect...to revamp and turn around courts as well as provide for the welfare of the judiciary staff.” Observing that a lot of courts are dilapidated, a situation which drove his administration to renovate the state High Court, he pledged that the state government will also intervene institutionally in the

of Appeal Court Justices in the state capital “to make things better for them.” In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Muhammad Bello, Tambuwal was quoted as saying that these interventions will encourage the judiciary “to continue to dispense and discharge justice to the people of the state.”

CSCS Board Renews Jalo-Waziri’s Appointment as MD/CEO Goddy Egene The Board of Directors of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, has reappointed Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri as managing director/ chief executive officer (MD/CEO) for another term of five years, effective November , 2021. According to the company, the well-deserved reappointment comes after four successful years

of transformative leadership which has led to enhanced productivity and value creation at Nigeria’s premier and dominant capital market infrastructure. “In 2017, Mr. Jalo-Waziri took over from the interim CEO, Mr. Bola Adeeko, with a clear mandate to drive the next phase of CSCS’s strategic journey. Over the last four years, the company has seen a major boost

in its revenue base as well as built strong strategic alliances with other financial market entities across Africa. “With the oversight of the board and a fully dedicated management team, Jalo-Waziri led the growth of CSCS’s profit by 18 per cent CAGR and delivered a 20 per cent return on average equity in 2020 financial year, despite the COVID-19

pandemic. Jalo-Waziri and team have repositioned CSCS as a market-oriented and clientcentric organisation, which has proven effective in enhancing operational excellence, extracting efficiency gains and deepening stakeholder engagements, all of which are critical for the longterm sustainability of CSCS as a financial market infrastructure,” the company said in a statement.

permission The family warned those allegedly working in cahoots with the Ape family, who has been having a long-drawn litigation with them on the land since 1973 against appropriating any portion of land at the disputed area to anyone, until court disposes off the pending case before it.

Oke Ofin, comprises Surulere, Irewolede, Olorunda, Olorunsogo and other suburb satellite towns of Adebayo area of the Ado Ekiti metropolis. Addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the family’s spokesman, Alhaji Abdulazees Apempe, warned the landlords against having any dealing with Ape family pending the time

the case at the Appeal Court will be adjudicated upon. Apempe said the warning became imperative following attempt by Ape family and some landlords to allegedly allocate some portions of the lands in the area for certain group for commercial purposes, describing the move as illegal and contemptuous.

Thuggery: Zulum Reads Riot Land Dispute: Family Warns Landlords, Corporate Bodies against Trespass Act to Politicians, Youths Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

The Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has read a riot act to politicians in the state and warned that anyone found harbouring or sponsoring thugs would be dealt with. Zulum gave the warning on Monday at the Government House, Maiduguri while addressing leaders of political youth groups known as ECOMOG in Maiduguri, which was allegedly associated with thuggery. He said: “Any politician, no matter how highly placed he is, if found harbouring or sponsoring thugs, we will deal with him accordingly. This administration will not condone

any act of indiscipline.” Zulum had at different times in the past approved series of vocational jobs and empowerment programmes for the groups to make them have access to lawful means of livelihood. The governor was, however, unhappy that despite these various measures taken to get the youths out of thuggery, they still preferred political thuggery as a means of livelihood. He said: “Borno is the only place we have. We can’t allow few of you to destroy the state. I believe you are not the only people in Borno. We have over six million people in the state. We can’t allow you to continue terrorising the population. We can’t tolerate that anymore.

The Apempe family of Orereowu, Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, has warned the landlords of Oke Ofin, a section of Adebayo, Ado Ekiti metropolis against apportioning any land in the area to any individual or corporate organisation without

Covenant Holds Founder’s Day, Convocation Ceremony Funmi Ogundare The Covenant University, Sango, Ota, Ogun State, would hold its 16th convocation ceremony and celebrate the university’s 19th Founder’s Day from Thursday, October 21 through Sunday, October 24, 2021. The Registrar of Covenant University, Dr. Oluwasegun Omidiora, said that both

events were carefully tailored to celebrate the giant strides and accomplishments of the young university in the past 19 years and at the same time, herald the release of a new set of leaders into the nation, continent and the world at large. Omidiora said: “The Founder’s Day will feature a special university assembly, where exploits and notable feats

of the university will be reeled out, and outstanding members of faculty and staff celebrated. The forum will also serve to offer gratitude to God for the present state of the university and for what is expected in the years to come. “Whereas, the 16th convocation ceremony will begin on Thursday with hooding lectures across the

four colleges and the School of Postgraduate Studies of the university, the Founder’s Day celebration will commence with a special assembly to offer thanksgiving to God. These lectures will cover various revolutionary aspects of higher learning such as blended learning, entrepreneurship in the digital age, new media interventions, etc.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

EID-MAULUD..

As Muslims Mark Eid-Maulud, Leaders Call for Unity Our Correspondents Some state governors and other political leaders across the country yesterday congratulated the Muslim faithfuls as they celebrated Eid-El-Maulud, which marked the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). The leaders in separate statements stressed the need for unity and tolerance among Nigerians, even as they prayed for peace and love among Nigerians. Sanwo-Olu Urges Muslims to Emulate Prophet Mohammed In Lagos, the State Governor, Mr. Babajide SanwoOlu, in his goodwill message to commemorate the celebration of Maolud Nabiy yesterday asked Nigerians, particularly Muslims to emulate the life and good virtues of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, Governor Sanwo-Olu urged Lagosians and Muslims in particular to continue to tow the path of peace for the sustainable development of Lagos State. Governor Sanwo-Olu urged Nigerians to embrace peace, harmony and tolerance in line with the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), adding that Muslims should remain tolerant and continue to work in harmony with other religious denominations for a peaceful and violence-free society. He also advised Muslims to seize the opportunity of the celebration of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) to strengthen their love towards one another and make the society a better place by eschewing tendencies that could tamper with the unity and stability in the country. “I join millions of people around the world, to wish our Muslim brothers and sisters in Lagos State and in Nigeria happy Maolud Nabiy, which is the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). “Lagos is noted for religious harmony, therefore, I want to enjoin Muslims to continue to be tolerant of other religious denominations as they’ve always been in the State. The Muslim faithful in Lagos State should continue to live in peace and harmony with believers of other faiths,” he said. Obaseki Harps on Tolerance, Peaceful Coexistence On his part, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki called for tolerance and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians in the spirit of the Eid-El-Maulud celebrations. In a statement in commemoration of Eid-ElMaulud, the governor described the celebration as a time of deep reflection and soul-searching. He said: “I join our Muslim brothers and sisters in Edo State in celebrating the birth of Prophet Mohammed (S.A.W.) as we mark this year’s Eid-ElMaulud. The celebration is a time of deep reflection and soul-searching, especially with the challenges we currently face as a nation. The Eid-El-Maulud celebration offers us the opportunity to ponder on the importance of peaceful coexistence and tolerance. The prophet’s message of peace and good neighbourliness should inspire us all to see each other as partners in progress, regardless of religious, tribal, ethnic and political affiliations.” “Muslims constitute a major force for peace and progress wherever they are and have always upheld the import of the Prophet’s teachings,” he noted. Obaseki added: “The spirit of the Eid-El-Maulud celebration should guide us in working together and with a common drive to build strong coalitions that will entrench development and progress in our state.” He assured all that that his administration will remain committed to ensuring the welfare and peaceful co-existence of all residents. “Edo State will continue to consolidate on policies which foster religious harmony among members of different religious groups, as always,” he said. Emulate Shinning Virtues of Prophet Muhammad, Oyetola Tells Muslims Similarly, Osun Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, enjoined the Muslim faithful to use the opportunity of this celebration to reflect on the lessons and teachings of the Prophet, whom he said, led a life of service to Allah and humanity. Oyetola also urged them to emulate Prophet Muhammad’s shining virtues of love, compassion, tolerance and promotion of peaceful co-existence, noting that if they do this, the society will be much better. He also called on Muslims in Osun and all Nigerians to use this occasion to pray for the peace, stability, progress and development of Osun in particular and the country in general. Sule Urges for Reﬂection on Prophet Mohammad’s Qualities Also, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State urged Muslim ummah in the state to reflect on the many sterling qualities and exemplary life of the Prophet Mohammad (SAW).

RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE…

L-R: General Overseer, Christ Evangelical Church, Pastor. Yohana Buru and some Muslims during Eid-El Maulud celebration with Christians in Kaduna… yesterday Sule gave the urge in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Ibrahim Addra. According to the governor, “Prophet Mohammad (SAW) left behind lessons in compassion, honesty, obedience to Allah’s commandments and fairness to all manners of people, amongst others.” He therefore, called for tolerance and continuous love for one another as ingredients to peaceful coexistence which, according to the governor, “will invariably lay the foundation for the much desired development of the society.” The Nasarawa State chief security officer, however, insisted that citizens of the state must do all within their powers to sustain the prevailing peace in the state. This was even as he promised to continue to provide fair, inclusive and sincere leadership in the quest to reposition the state. Sule concluded by reminding people of the state to be vigilant and continue to observe the COVID-19 protocol as a way of checkmating the pandemic. Gombe Gov Enjoins Muslims to Draw Inspiration from Prophet Muhammad In his goodwill message, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe urged Muslims to use the occasion to draw lessons and inspiration from the virtues of service, peaceful co-existence and exemplary leadership of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ( SAW). Governor Inuwa also admonished the Muslim Ummah to imbibe the spirit of tolerance, humility, modesty and generosity as exemplified by the life and times Prophet Muhammad ( SAW). “As we commemorate this great and epochal day, I enjoin us to continue to demonstrate in our lives, what the noble messenger of Allah bequeathed to humanity in ethos, manners and relationships for the good of the society, “ he said. The governor sued for continued prayers for the peace, well-being and prosperity of the state and the nation at large. “The celebration of Maulud should also renew our faiths and increase our tempo in coming together as a people of common destiny to pray for unity, peace, progress and stability of our dear state and the nation for us to attain our aspirational growth and development,” he said. The governor urged both leaders and the led to give their best for the overall peace, unity, development and prosperity of the society. Governor Yahaya, who emphasized the need for tolerance among the diverse people of the state, regardless of their differences, urged them to continue to be law abiding and guard jealously the relative peace and tranquility Gombe State is enjoying by shunning all acts capable of jeopardizing same. Makinde Calls for Unity, Tolerance as Muslims Celebrate In the same vein, Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, stressed the need for Nigerians to embrace unity of purpose, virtues of kindness, humility, and peaceful co-existence exemplified by the Holy Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) be emulated. The governor explained that on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Maulud, which is observed annually by Muslims all over the world to mark the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Muslims must reflect on the life of selflessness and piety, which the Holy Prophet lived. Makinde said: “Peaceful co-existence is part of Islamic ethics taught by the life of Prophet Muhammad. As a leader in Medinah, he did not only live peacefully with others but was just to them irrespective of different tribal and religious affiliations. One of the teachings of Prophet

Muhammad is good neighbourliness, as neighbours remained the closest allies and being kind to them would bring about harmonious living.” The governor, while congratulating the Muslim Ummah on the celebration of the Holy Prophet’s birthday, also explained that the virtues of service and exemplary leadership as demonstrated by the Prophet Muhammed should be imbibed by all mankind. He commended the Muslim community in Oyo State for their continued support, peaceful co-existence, tolerance and support for his government, even as he urged them to use the occasion of the Holy Prophet’s birth to reflect on the essential lessons of his life. He also urged them to pray for the continued wellbeing of Oyo State and the nation in general. Stop Using Islam to Perpetrate Evil Niger Governor Advises Muslims Niger State Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, advised Muslims to stop using Islam to perpetrate evil saying Islam is a religion of peace. Bello, in his message to Muslims to mark this year’s Eid-el Maulud, the birth of prophet Mohammed, “regretted the attitude of some miscreants who use the religion of Islam as a facade to perpetrate heinous crimes” saying everything should be done to bring this to an end. “The Muslim Ummah must rise up against all those promoting violence and insecurity in the country” the governor said adding that: “only genuine love and an enduring social equilibrium can frustrate the spread of violent ideologies in the society.” The governor noted that “imbibing the spirit of love, patience, perseverance, humility, honesty, generosity and above all putting others first would guarantee peace, unity and Nigeria would be a better place to live in.” According to him, humanity is fast losing its essence because of the obvious disregard to religious teachings and practice, maintaining that “Prophet Muhammad and indeed Islam preaches peace, tolerance, unity and cohesion”. The governor restated his administration’s resolve to continue to execute people oriented projects in the state stressing that “the APC-led administration remains focused in its service delivery to the citizenry”. He then congratulated Muslim faithful for witnessing this year’s Eid-el Maulud celebration and prayed for unity and peaceful coexistence, progress and development of the state in particular and the country in general. In a similar message the Special Adviser Political and Strategy to the Governor Alhaji Nma Kolo admonished Muslims to continue to live in peace with one another and even members of other religions. Kolo in the message made available to newsmen noted the relative peace in hitter to bandits affected areas of the state and attributed this to the steps taken by the state government and the efforts of the security agency. He therefore, urged all peace loving people to continue to give absolute support to the government and the security agencies in order to permanently surmount insecurity in the state. Omo-Agege: Nigeria Needs Prayer To Overcome Its Challenges Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, also called on Nigerians to renew their faith in God and intensify prayers for the country to surmount its challenges. In his goodwill message, Omo-Agege urged Muslim faithful to use the occasion of the Holy Prophet’s birthday to deepen love, patience and

perseverance. While wishing the Muslim Ummah a happy Maulud Nabiyya celebration, the ranking Senator noted that the challenges facing the nation would better be confronted if such qualities were imbibed by all. He urged the Muslim community to use the occasion to reflect on the essential lessons of the prophet’s life and pray for sustained peace in the country. His words: “I call on Muslims to embrace the exemplary conduct of Prophet Muhammad so as to ensure the growth and development of the country. They should also imbibe peaceful co-existence with people of other faith”. FCT Minister Urges Residents to Embrace Patience, Tolerance The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, urged Muslims in the FCT to adhere to the cardinal principle of peace upon which the religion of Islam is built. The minister equally enjoined all Muslim faithful and other residents of the FCT to join Nigerians from across the country to reflect deeply on the role they can play individually and collectively to build a nation of which they can be proud. As the nation inches closer to increased political activities, the minister appealed to the residents to recognise that resorting to violence or promotion of anarchy has never, and will never resolve social or political variances. “Therefore, there is the need for us to imbibe the true meaning and virtues of sacrifice, patience, tolerance and fellowship in our relationships and dealings with fellow residents and all Nigerians,” he said. He also urged residents to always embrace dialogue in settling differences and reject attempts by unpatriotic individuals or groups to incite unrest which he said is always counter-productive. He reminded residents that the FCT was built on a foundation of unity and tolerance for all Nigerians, and emphasized that as residents, they are obliged to imbibe and practice these principles. AbdulRazaq Tasks Kwara Muslims on Legacies of Prophet Muhammad Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, also enjoined Muslim faithful in the state to reflect on the messages and character of Prophet Muhammad. Speaking in Ilorin yesterday at the annual commemoration of the birth anniversary of the Prophet, the governor urged Muslims to be their brother’s keeper, saying such will promote peace and sustainable development. The event was organised by the Kwara State Muslim Council under the headship of the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, cabinet members, Islamic scholars, religious organisations; and school children who did march-past. He said: “As we mark the anniversary of this epoch, I appeal to everyone to reflect on the message of the prophet. Especially important are what Allah and history recorded of the excellent character of the noble prophet. Let us strive to walk in the shadows of the prophet. “If we do this, peace and sustainable development will envelope our world. This is because we will see and treat ourselves as brothers and avoid things that can tear us apart, subjugate or hurt one another under whatever guise. “As an administration, we strive to be fair to every segment of the society in the belief that all of us are from Adam and Adam is from dust. We make no negative distinctions on the basis of faith or class. This is why our programmes executed with public funds are blind to political divides.”

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WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Goal Merchant, Onuachu, to Lose Genk’s Penalty Duty

Paul Onuachu...likely to be stripped of penalty role after missing the last four kicks

There are strong indications that Super Eagles forward, Paul Onuachu, might not be taking penalties for his team Racing Genk anymore after missing three of his last four for the club, the latest one being on Sunday in a 2-0 loss to Charleroi in the Belgium Jupiler Pro League. The Nigeria forward scored 11 goals last season from 12-yards but this season it has been a struggle With the hosts leading by a solitary goal scored in the 56th minute when Shamr Nicholson converted a Ryota Morioka pass, Genk were awarded a penalty with nine minutes to go. Onuachu failed to find the target but he was given a lifeline to make things right when the officials adjudged the goalkeeper had moved from his line early, but the Super Eagles forward still missed a second kick. It was a costly mistake as his team conceded a second goal in the 88th minute courtesy of Ali Gholizadeh. On September 26, the 27-year-old also missed his penalty, but it mattered less as Genk defeated RFC Seraing 3-0. Last season, he scored 11 penalties, however, after a recent miss, things are bound to change at the club. "Last year we applauded Paul for his penalties, he was almost a certainty of success. But now..." John van den Brom told Eleven Sports as quoted by Voetbal24.

Super Falcons, Ghana’s Black Queens Rekindle their Rivalry Olawale Ajimotokan

Nine-time African champions Nigeria are confident they can earn a good win on home ground today that will put them at relative advantage in their 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against Ghana’s Black Queens. Both fierce continental rivals will slug it out at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in the first leg of this fixture, which will eliminate one of the best teams in women football on the continent and render that team inactive for the next two-and-half years. The 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for Morocco in the summer of next year, will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 32-team FIFA World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, meaning that the team that loses out in the Ghana/ Nigeria fixture will be without meaningful shooting practice until the qualifiers for the 2024 AFCON finals are activated. The Super Falcons’ camp opened in Lagos ahead of the double quickfire with the Queens, with the return leg holding in Accra on Sunday. Already all the players invited for the clash are already in camp with Captain Asisat Oshoala, Rashidat Ajibade and Tony Payne the last three players to arrive camp as at Monday night. Goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi, defenders Onome Ebi,

Opeyemi Sunday, Ayomide Ojo, Oluwatosin Demehin, Akudo Ogbonna and Rafiat Imuran, midfielders Goodness Onyebuchi and Regina Otu, and forwards Vivian Ikechukwu and Gift Monday were amongst the early birds in camp. Coach Randy Waldrum said: “It is important for us to get a good win at home and then go to Accra and play like warriors. These are two battles that we must be ready for. The Super Falcons just have to be at the AFCON and the World Cup and they are ready to give these two matches their all.”

They have further scored 21 goals and conceded 17. The top position is occupied by Royale Union SG who have 22 points same as second-placed Club Brugge KV who have an inferior goal difference. KAS Eupen are in third with 20 points, the same as Antwerp who are a position lower. KV Mechelen are fifth with 19 points.

Ikpeazu Seeks Partnership with Top European Clubs for Enyimba FC Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogoin Umuahia Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has initiated plans to strike a partnership deal with top flight European clubs to assist Enyimba FC of Aba and other football clubs in the state to fully maximise their potentials to become formidable clubs at national, continental and global levels. He disclosed this yesterday in Aba, saying that it was the reason for his recent visit to Spain with his Rivers State counterparts, Governor Nyesom Wike. Ikpeazu said that he has his eyes on Barcelona FC of Spain and Paris St. Germain of France, noting that a deal with such reputable clubs would further his agenda of grassroots sports development in the state. Rivers State has already sealed a partnership deal with Real Madrid FC of Spain and during the visit with Ikpeazu, Governor Wike signed a ratification agreement at Real Madrid Sport City, Fuerzas Armadas avenue, Madrid Spain. Ikpeazu told journalists at his Aba lodge that the state has “officially invited" InteractSport, the consultants that brokered a

successful deal for Rivers State Goverernment, to explore the possibilities of hooking either Barcelona or Paris St Germain for Abia teams. He said that such a deal would leverage on "our intimidating presence in the NPFL with three successful clubs, and several amateur clubs as well as local football academies". “We are also committed to development of grassroots sports which will take off with over 300 boys and girls from the street and offer exciting opportunities to the next generation as we are already doing in the shoe and garment cluster,” he said. The Abia chief executive pointed out that a UK based academy, Brooks House, was already training three young Abia talents they discovered after the school sports programme organised by the state government. He also used the occasion to applaud Enyimba FC of Aba for their away victory over Diambars FC of Senegal in their CAF Confederation Cup first round tie, describing it as “an exhilarating birthday gift to me from Finidi George and his boys".

50 Teams Battle for Zonal Slots in 25 LGAs Z E N I T H / D E LTA P R I N C I PA L S ’ C U P

Asisat Oshoala...in town for Black Queens clash

Gov Makinde ‘Challenges’ Aruna to T’tennis Contest Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has thrown his cap into the ring to challenge Africa's highest rated table tennis star, Quadri Aruna to a contest on table. The Governor said this during a courtesy visit by the two-time Nigeria Open champion in Ibadan on Monday that being a former table tennis star, he is ready to challenge Aruna in a competitive match in near future while pleading the state commitment to youth development through sports. Makinde was particularly impressed with the grass to glory story of Aruna whom he described as a shining example for all youths in the state. “On behalf of the good people of Oyo State I want to thank you for making use of your God-given gift to bring glory to the state. You are indeed a good example

"He had already missed one and is now doing so twice. Three of his four penalties failed. We have to think about whether it is time to make someone else responsible for the penalties." In the league, Genk are placed eighth with 17 points from the 11 matches they have played. Five have been wins, with two ending in draws while four have been defeats.

of what one can do with God-given talent. When I was young I tried to play table tennis and I hope I can challenge you to a contest on table,” the governor said. “We will continue to support people like you and as part of our four pillars in Oyo, we believe we can help our youth to use their talents to generate resources. Oyo State is ready to partner you to produce more stars like you and we will be happy to do that with you,” he added. For Aruna, the efforts of the governor to revive the fortune of support should be supported by all and sundry. “I am particularly happy and excited with what your government has achieved in sport especially with the newlycommissioned Adamasingba Stadium and I believe we can continue to support our youth

to keep off vices through sports,” he said. The Rio 2016 quarterfinalist added: “I am ready to partner your government to produce more stars like Aruna which I believe abound in the state. My plan is to set up an academy where players can be groomed and mentored by me. But as an athlete, I also want young people desiring to take to sport not to abandon their education because I was able to combine sport with education and I am now armed with a degree.” The meeting held at the Governor’s office in Ibadan, the Secretary to Oyo State Government, Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun; Special Assistant on sports to the governor, Oluwatobi Oyewunmi and Director (Sports Administration), Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mrs. Olubisi Adegoke present at the ceremony.

The battle for places in the Delta Principals’ Cup competition for all secondary schools intensified from yesterday as the finals of the Local Government Areas preliminaries take centre stage between October 19 and Friday October 22with 50 teams competing for honours. A total of 25 teams are expected to emerge from the finals of the preliminaries of the grassroot developmental football competition sponsored by Zenith Bank Plc. Nine of the 25 Local Governments will decide their zonal qualifiers beginning from yesterday in various centres. Local Government finals will take place at Isoko North, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, Patani, Sapele, Ughelli North, Uvwie, Warri South and Warri South West. Other final matches will be decided on Thursday and Friday according to the fixtures released by the organizers. Commissioner for Secondary School Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, has expressed delight

over the standard of the tournament so far. Ezewu said: “We are happy that from the preliminaries, we have seen fireworks from all the sides. The players are eager to show their talents to the world and we are happy with the turn out overall. “This is an improvement on the past editions already. We expect more fireworks from the zonal stage of the competition but we are really happy things are turning out well in this edition. “We thank our sponsors, Zenith Bank for standing behind us to put smiles on the faces of these young lads.” The CEO of Hideaplus, organisers of the event, Tony Pemu, assured stakeholders that by weekend all the 25 zonal qualifiers would have emerged. “We are doing so much to make this event special but somehow the players have also raised their game to boost the competition. They have shown so much hunger and zeal to be among the best. We are excited,” Pemu said.

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SPORTS

Salah Fires Brace as Liverpool Maintain Top Spot Messi on scorer’s sheet as PSG beat RB Leipzig Mohamed Salah continued his superb goalscoring form as Liverpool made it three wins out of three in the group stage of the Champions League as they beat Spanish champions Atletico Madrid 3-2 in a game of constant drama. In a frantic, fantastic match in the Spanish capital between sides that were dazzling in attack but vulnerable at the back, the

Reds saw an early two-goal lead wiped out by Antoine Griezmann's double. The France forward was then shown a straight red card early in the second half, allowing the visitors to reassert their authority and snatch a big win through Salah's well-taken penalty, awarded for a clumsy barge on Diogo Jota by Mario Hermoso.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Jota almost turned villain, though, as his challenge on Jose Maria Gimenez resulted in a penalty being awarded - only for the referee to change his mind after being encouraged to view the incident on the pitchside monitor. Earlier, Salah had given the

Reds the lead when his low finish at the end of a weaving run found the net off the toe of James Milner before Naby Keita's brilliant volley doubled it. Elsewhere,Lionel Messi scored twice as Paris St-Germain came from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in the Champions League.

Kylian Mbappe put the hosts ahead, slamming into the bottom corner on the counter-attack. But Andre Silva and Nordi Mukiele scored from Angelino crosses to put the German side ahead. Messi had a shot tipped onto the post and tapped the rebound into an empty net - and then scored a Panenka penalty to win the game.

PSG won a penalty deep into injury time, but instead of Messi stepping up for a hat-trick, Mbappe took it instead - and skied it over the bar.

RESULTS C’Brugge PSG Atletico FC Porto Besiktas Ajax Inter Shakhtar

1-5 3-2 2-3 1-0 1-4 4-0 3-1 0-5

Man City RB Leipzig Liverpool AC Milan Sporting CP Dortmund FC Sheriff R’Madrid

TODAY Barca Benfica Man Utd Young Boys Salzburg Lille Chelsea Zenit

v v v v v v v v

Dynamo Kyiv B’Munich Atalanta Villarreal Wolfsburg Sevilla Malmoe Juventus

EUROPA Celtic 2-0 Ferencvaros

TODAY S’ Moscow v Leicester

Barca Condemned to Win Tonight, Says Koeman Mohamed Salah (centre) ﬁred a brace as Liverpool defeated Atletico 3-2 to remain at the top of Group B of the group stage of the Champions League...yesterday

100 B’ball Courts: Masai Ujiri Asks African Youths to Dream Big Vice-chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club Masai Ujiri and his foundation Giants of Africa have completed the first phase of multi years, 100-court investment in the infrastructure of basketball throughout Africa. This first phase saw the former D’Tigers star donating 10 courts to various schools and communities in different places in Africa. Masai who just returned to Toronto after the last stop with his team in Burkina Faso said the entire stretch of journey was all good. “Yes, I’m back to base and I can happily say it was good and worth all the work put in,” Masai said in a telephone conversation from Toronto. Before he boarded the flight to the North American city, the NBA top shot admonished Nigerian and indeed African youths to dream big and follow up their goals. Masai said, “It’s okay to dream and it’s very okay to dream big. We can start from somewhere and grow very big. That first step matters a lot. We have to visualize ourselves doing great things; chase the dream passionately with good discipline. “I dreamt of being an NBA star but I was never good enough for that level of competition. I

only managed to play in a few leagues in Europe and few times with D’Tigers but I used the opportunity to target the NBA in a different way. I started as a scout moving around the places but today I have moved up. “I keep telling these young ones that not everyone will end up as great basketball players but you can use this game and the exposure as a launch pad for other things. In these young ones I see doctors, engineers, great teachers and nurses.” The Toronto Raptors President said he is so proud to have Precious Achiuwa star now for the Raptors just few years of being a camper with the Giants of Africa. “You can see how the circle has been completed who would have thought that Precious would be in an NBA team about six after learning with other kids in Nigeria?” For the first phase in Nigeria Ijeshatedo Senior Secondary School, Ilupeju Junior Grammar School, Oworosonki Park and the Warriors Basketball courts were unveiled. The Warriors got an extra court for their junior team. The physical investment in the continent continues the Giants of Africa Foundation’s commitment to creating opportunity for youth in Africa through sports, and harnessing the power of the

next generation to propel the continent forward. Under the organization’s “Built Within” initiative, over 10 new court builds and refurbishments were unveiled across locations in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. The remaining will be unveiled in years to come, and will be strategically located in

underserved communities. The new courts were built in partnership with Sport Court International, LLC, a pioneer in the concept of backyard modular sports surfaces. MasterCard foundation is supporting this year’s efforts along with I AM GOLD, who will be contributing to this initiative over the coming years.

Barcelona will have to beat Dynamo Kiev to have any chance of reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League, coach Ronald Koeman said yesterday. After losing 3-0 to both Bayern Munich and Benfica, Barca sit bottom of Group E with two games against Kiev up next, the first at Camp Nou on Wednesday. Barcelona last went out in the Champions League group stage 21 years ago. "Tomorrow we are playing for our future in this Champions League," said Koeman. "After losing two games, we have to win to have a chance of going through. There is no other option." Koeman must decide whether to play Ansu Fati

from the start against Kiev, with a Clasico against Real Madrid to come on Sunday. Fati has lifted the mood at the club since returning from 11 months out through injury. He scored on his first game back against Levante last month and struck another goal in a 3-1 win over Valencia on Sunday. There have been concerns the 18-year-old could leave when his contract expires at the end of the season but Koeman said an agreement is now close. "The only thing I know is they are close to renewing Ansu Fati's contract," said Koeman. "This is very important news. We are talking about a young, high-quality player who has to shape the future of this club."

Sanusi in Action as Porto Edge AC Milan

Zaidu Sanusi...won with Porto last night

Super Eagles defender, Zaidu Sanusi, was in action as FC Porto edged our AC Milan 1-0 in their UEFA Champions League clash at the Estadio Do Dragao on Tuesday night. Sanusi replaced Brazil defender Wendell after the break. It was the Nigeria’s international’s second appearance for Porto in the competition this season. Colombia striker Luis Diaz netted the winning goal for Porto in the 65th minute. Elsewhere, Vinicius Junior scored two goals, including a brilliant solo effort, as Real Madrid thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 in the Champions League. An own goal by Sergiy Kryvtsov, who turned in a

Lucas Vazquez cross, gave Real a one-goal lead at the break. Vinicius scored twice in five minutes after the restart, sweeping in from close range before beating three players to add a brilliant third. Rodrygo swept in Vinicius' pass before Karim Benzema slid home late on. It was a superb second-half display by Real and in particular Vinicius, who continued his fine run of form this season. The 21-year-old has now scored seven goals in nine appearances for Real in all competitions - and these were his first in the Champions League this season. Victory means Real are second in Group D, level on six points with leaders FC Sheriff, who lost 3-1 at home to Inter Milan.

WEDNESDAY, ͺ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

SPORTS

Anthony Joshua Lands in the US, May Sack Coach The former heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua has been spotted in the United States as he begins his preparations for his rematch with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk.

According to Manchester Evening News, he looks to be following Tyson Fury’s lead as he tours American gyms following calls to sack his coaching team. He would appear to be trying

to get well ahead of the game ahead of his expected rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, which is protracted to go ahead around next year. The former heavyweight

champion will be aiming to claim back his titles after losing the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts to the Ukrainian. Usyk thoroughly outclassed his opponent at the Tottenham

Hotspur Stadium last month, leading to criticism for both Joshua and his corner, with some suggesting the 32-year-old needs to put together a new team. It is believed that part of his mission in the United States is potentially with the aim of finding a new coach. Fury went down the American route ahead of his second bout against Deontay Wilder, parting ways with Ben Davison after drawing with the Bronze Bomber in their first meeting. The Gypsy King went on to team up with SugarHill Steward from the Kronk Gym in Detroit, and together they went on to defeat Wilder twice and claim the WBC world title. Joshua looks as though he could be heading down a similar path, having been seen earlier this week alongside Joshua Buatsi in Virgil Hunter’s gym, while Ronald and Rashidi Ellis posted

pictures of AJ in Eddy Reynoso’s gym, where pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez is based. Joshua’s American tour may hint at him looking for a new coaching team ahead of his rematch with Usyk, particularly after claims made by Fury’s promoter Frank Warren. “Should he fight him (Usyk) again? If he does what he did last time, I don’t see him beating him. Even then, I think Usyk will get more out of that win than Joshua. “I just don’t see what Joshua can do any different to win that fight other than get rid of all the trainers around him and try to change what he’s doing. Will he do that?” Joshua’s plan will no doubt be revealed in the build-up to his rematch with Usyk, which is expected to go ahead next April after Fury’s other promoter Bob Arum let the news slip this week.

Murray Shows Quality in Edging Past France’s Tiafoe in Antwerp

Anthony Joshua...in search of a new Coach Ahead of rematch with Oleksandr Usyk

Solskjaer Dismisses Critics, Says Not Affected by Calls for his Sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that he is not affected by suggestions Manchester United need to change their manager in order to win the biggest trophies. Solskjaer, 48, was responding to former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher's comments on Sky Sports that United need a new manager to challenge for titles. "It doesn't affect me," Solskjaer said. "I believe in myself, as long as the club believes in me. I am pretty sure Jamie Carragher's opinion is not going to change that." Solskjaer has come under increasing pressure with his team lying fifth in the Premier League table after a 4-2 defeat at Leicester City on Saturday. The Norwegian added: "I have my values and way of managing. You see some of the comments but we have Liverpool on Sunday and Jamie is looking at these little things." The loss to Brendan Rodgers' Foxes at the weekend means United are on a run of two wins, one draw and four defeats in their last seven games in all competitions. "Every team will go through a period and we are in one now of poor form," said Solskjaer. "We know that and we know we need to improve. "As I have said so many times, the coaching staff we have are amazing, their attention to detail and the sessions they put on, I couldn't ask for more." United return to Champions

Britain's Andy Murray showed all of his quality and fight to edge past Frances Tiafoe in a thrilling European Open first-round match in Antwerp. Murray saved two match points before taking a second of his own to win 7-6 (7-2) 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (10-8) in a tense battle lasting three hours 45 minutes. The Scot, 34, came from two breaks down - and a set point - to win the opener before his American opponent hit back. Momentum fluctuated in the deciding tie-break but Murray edged home. From 8-7 down, he held his service points before sealing victory with a backhand dropshot which a scampering Tiafoe could only bat back into the net. In a mark of their mutual respect, the pair enjoyed a warm hug at the net before Murray stopped his postmatch interview to heartily clap his opponent off the court. Murray will play Argentine second seed Diego Schwartzman, who received a first-round bye, in the second round on Thursday. "I think that's the first time in my career I've played a 7-6 6-7 7-6. I don't think I've ever played a match like that," said Murray, who added he

would be glad to have a day off before his next match. "I think it's the longest threeset match I've played by a distance. I'm tired, obviously. "It was an unbelievable battle. He kept coming up with brilliant serves and great shots when I was getting chances. "I don't mind playing long matches but that was taking it to another level." The three-time Grand Slam champion has dropped to 172nd in the world after his points for winning this event in 2019- which came just nine months after he had major surgery to leave him with a metal hip - coming off the rankings. But Murray again showed against Tiafoe - a former Australian Open quarterfinalist now ranked 48th - why he still believes he can win more titles on the ATP Tour. After losing to German world number four Alexander Zverev in the Indian Wells third round, Murray showed his frustration at losing and said afterwards he felt his level was "50 or 60 in the world". Murray proved that in the victory against Tiafoe, serving particularly well throughout as he hit 21 aces and backed that up with a solid second serve.

Manchester United’s Manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo after one of the Red Devils’s poor run this season League action on Wednesday with a home game against group leaders Atalanta at 20:00 BST. Solskjaer's side sit third in Group F after they lost their opening game to Young Boys but came from behind to beat Villarreal with a late winner. "Of course it is not a gimmicky, jovial and happy camp," he said. "We are focussed and determined. You look at yourself and ask what you can do to help the team. "I have seen a reaction. Conceding four goals [against Leicester]

is a big eye-opener and we need to improve on different levels and on loads of detail. "Winning at home against Atalanta would be massive and a big boost." The Manchester Evening News this week reported that Solskjaer was privately unhappy the club didn't sign a midfielder in the summer - instead bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford. Ronaldo, who re-joined United for £12.8m from Juventus in August, has been criticised in

recent games for being a peripheral figure and misbalancing the team. However, Solskjaer was quick to praise the 36-year-old's contribution. He said: "Cristiano is a top player and we know what he can do. He is doing everything he can to help the team. "There are 11 players with different roles and responsibilities. We put a team out we think will win. We didn't beat Leicester so there is always criticism when you don't win."

Andy Murray...stretched at the European Open in Antwerp

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2021 • T H I S D AY

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

UT H

& RE A SO

Price: N250

MISSILE Ohanaeze to Buhari-led FG

“History shows that it is extremely difficult to have peace amidst injustice. Emphatically, we need not look elsewhere to know that IPOB is simply an exponent of Igbo collective sentiments and predicaments in our tortuous journey and an unquantifiable sacrifice for one Nigeria” ---Ohanaeze National Publicity Secretary, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, urging the federal government to produce the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu in court on October 21, to allay the fears on his health status.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

It’s not Yet Social Protection T

he federal government has proposed to spend N863 billion on social investments and poverty eradication in the next year budget. This represents 5.3% of the whole budget. About two months ago, the secretary to the same government, Boss Mustapha, declared: “This administration commits over N400bn annually on all National Social Investment Programmes of government aimed at empowering our people and lifting millions out of poverty,” The funds are devoted to micro – lending intervention, cash transfers, skill acquisition, enterprise and empowerment and school feeding programmes. With a proposal of N863 billion, it should be expected that the coverage of these programmes would be doubly expanded if the federal government could achieve its projection for social investments in the next year budget. However, only four months ago the government’s announcement that 10.2 million people were lifted out of poverty appeared to be contradictory to the World Bank data that the seven millions more Nigerians had been pushed below the poverty line about the same time. It is certainly a more serious matter than to say that this is a mere case of “different folks, different strokes.” This is because in another dimension, the quantitative disputes among the experts seemed to bear no relevance to the quality of life observable on the streets. Non-experts can only tell only the real stories of hunger, joblessness and squalor regardless of the official figures of misery. The point of divergence is as follows: while in measuring poverty some experts reckon with the volume of cash put into the pockets of people by way of social investments, others seem to be gauging poverty by the access to basic needs – food, potable water, healthcare, education and housing. The former is closer to the position of the federal government while the latter appears to be the position of the World Bank. However, there is a perspective that in terms of real impact there may be no substantial difference between the data pushed out by the federal government and that of the World Bank. The corollary of the above reflection is that Nigeria is still far from achieving social protection for the most vulnerable segment of the population despite the remarkable efforts at social investments. After all, you don’t talk of social protection in a system that is abysmally lacking in policies scientifically formulated and implemented for poverty reduction and against the risks arising from the disruption of incomes on which families depend. Women, children and those with disability are particularly affected when social vulnerability is heightened. As it is universally the case, the matter is worsened by the chilling impact of the socioeconomic disruptions caused by COVID-19. In other words, Nigeria is confronted with the huge challenge of social protection like many other countries. This much is captured in the World Social Protection Report 2020-22 with the theme: “Social Protection at the Crossroads- In Pursuit of a Better Future.” Significantly the document is the flagship report of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the United Nations agency responsible for the World of Work. For instance, one portion of the report that

Minister of Humanitarian Aﬀairs, Hajia Sadiya Farouk may interest policymakers and the public alike is this: “Countries are at a crossroads with regard to the trajectory of their social protection systems. If there is a silver lining to the crisis, it is the potent reminder it has provided of the critical importance of investing in social protection, yet many countries also face significant fiscal constraints. (The) report shows that nearly all countries, irrespective of their levels of development, have a choice whether to pursue a ‘high road’ strategy of investing in reinforcing their social protection systems or a ‘low-road’ strategy of minimalist provision, succumbing to fiscal pressures. Countries can use the policy window prised open by the pandemic and build on their crisis-response measures to strengthen their social protection systems and progressively close protection gaps in order to ensure that everyone is protected against both systemic shocks and ordinary life -cycle risks …” The import of the foregoing is simply that in many respects Nigeria can learn from the experiences of other economies. The anarchy that followed the peaceful #ENDSARS protests a year ago could partly be explained by the unmasking of the gross inequality in the Nigerian system by the coronavirus pandemic. The period of the lockdown exposed the extreme vulnerability of the poorest section of the society. Those who live on daily incomes were left with no incomes. Those without incomes even before the outbreak of the coronavirus found themselves in more desperate situations. Despite the palliatives from governments, private organisations and public-spirited individuals, hunger was manifest on the streets. Warehouses were looted and foodstuffs were gleefully “liberated” by hungry and angry folks. It is now little remembered that the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development was implementing the feeding aspect of the programme in poor homes even during the

lockdown. So apart from cash transfers, social protection would be achieved when the appropriate mix of socio-economic policies could result in massive job-creation, universal health coverage, access to quality public education among other elements of the common good. There seems to be a consensus now across the ideological spectrum that the worsening insecurity in the land is a consequences of deepening poverty of the majority of the people. It is a proof that physical security cannot be sustained in a socio-economic atmosphere devoid of social security. For decades, broadly progressive opinions have been raised in vain to establish the dialectical link between physical security and social security. For example, there is a link between the high population of children out of school and the ease with which terrorists and other criminals recruit their foot soldiers to wreak havoc on the society. Besides, the implementation agencies should be better institutionalised. Take a sample. There should be something to borrow from the Peoples Bank idea in implementing the empowerment and enterprise component of the policy. It is, therefore, welcome that Social Development Minister Sadiya Umar Farouk spoke last month about the efforts to review and restructure the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIPS). An example is the expansion of the Government Enterprise Programme (GEEP) and the N-Power. The number of the N-Power beneficiaries has been raised to one million. The GEEP is also being refocussed. TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni are being targeted exclusively at the helpless youths, disadvantaged women and peasant farmers. The GEEP 2.0 has also been restructured to provide soft loans and skill acquisition to additional one million beneficiaries. There are other innovations which would require partnership with other agencies in the health and education sectors so as to widen the coverage of the schemes. One of such is the National Social Investments Management System (NASIMS). A USSD short code *46665# is also being introduced improve communication in the system. Providing timely information to the beneficiaries is doubtless

“Apart from cash transfers, social protection would be achieved when an appropriate mix of socioeconomic policies could result in massive jobcreation, universal health coverage, access to quality public education among other elements of the common good”.

central to the success of the schemes. Yet in many informed quarters the output of the ministry may still appear as tokenism in the light of the massive poverty in the land. Even the camps of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are still plagued by hunger. The World Food Programme warned last week that unless a lifeline of $197 million is provided, about 4.4 million people may face starvation in the northeast of Nigeria by July next year. The structural deficiencies of the social investment programmes are traceable to its ambiguous origins as a policy. Important members of the administration initially treated the concept of social investments especially cash transfer with contempt. At the initial stage, the administration was seemingly ambivalent about the policy and this affected the implementation. It was only two years ago that the omnibus ministry was created and Hajia Farouk was appointed as the first minister. Doubtless the policy still suffers from severe disarticulation. The government should further explain the concept and operations to the people. After years of implementation, even public intellectuals still appear on television to either deny the existence of the programme or pooh-pooh it. The challenge of articulation is, therefore, quite clear in this regard. The government should engage not only with the beneficiaries, but also the larger public on the workings of the programmes in the search for improvement. Furthermore, there should be a more inclusive deployment of technology to make the implementation more efficient. Special consideration should be given to those in the rural areas. Above all, the implementation should be fraud-proof. The officials should be wary of those who may like to corrupt the process even at the lowest point of implementation. Honesty of purpose is the greatest asset the programme should aspire to acquire As attested to experts of various hue, social protection is undeniably central to any credible poverty reduction strategy and curbing inequality. That is why the worsening inequality in the system should be decisively addressed as part of the efforts towards economic development. To be sure, social security and other poverty reduction steps are veritable means of empowering the people to be real economic players. The man given N5, 000 a month would at least embark on some effective demand. This would be impossible without any income at all. Social protection should, therefore, be a yardstick for measuring the success of economic recovery beyond the abstract statistics of growth rates and Fitch ratings. Economic growth should not be viewed in isolation of the burgeoning inequality in the land. It is suggestible that our economic thinkers should reflect more on it. It would not been surprising if our ever cynical neo-liberals dismiss the budgetary allocation to social investments as another case of “throwing money at problems” or merely putting people on the dole. Such a facile proposition should be proved wrong by the right policy steps. The challenge before the Buhari administration is to tread the path of social protection by making well-structured and institutionalised social investments as part of its legacy.

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