FRIDAY 6TH NOVEMBER 2020 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

CBN Stress Test Reveals Banks’ Vulnerability to Economic Headwinds Obinna Chima A stress test conducted on 27 financial institutions under the regulation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has shown that even though the banking industry solvency and liquidity position are still robust, the industry may be

vulnerable under the severe scenario of sustained economic contraction. The CBN, in its half-year economic report as of June 2020, posted on its website yesterday, stated that it conducted top-down solvency and liquidity assessment of the banking industry in the

review period. The stress test was conducted on 22 commercial and five merchant banks to assess their resilience to systemic risks. “The stress test was conducted within the background of a sharp fall in oil prices, reduced

global demand for Nigeria’s oil products, decline in government revenue, unfavourable current account position and a fall in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “The result showed that under the severe scenario of a sustained significant contraction in GDP of 3.5

per cent in the third quarter of 2020, negative 4.0 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020 and negative 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2021, the banking industry CAR will fall to 11.19 per cent, 9.26 per cent and 8.30 per cent, respectively. “However, the severity

of the simulated GDP contraction may be contained by a combination of fiscal and monetary interventions,” the CBN stated The CBN, however, said one of its strategic policy thrusts over the next five years Continued on page 8

Courts Dismiss Trump’s Suits to Stop Further Counting... Page 5 Friday 6 November, 2020 Vol 25. No 9342. Price: N250

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Buhari Rallies Traditional Rulers to Pacify Youths Dispatches Gambari, others to states Govs move against restiveness, seek support for security personnel Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday enlisted the support of traditional rulers to forge a national approach towards tackling the grievances the youths presented to the federal government during the #EndSARS protests. He also mandated his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari,

to lead senior government officials to various parts of the country to engage stakeholders as part of the efforts to address the concerns raised by #EndSARS protesters. Besides, the 36 states’ governors have agreed to engage traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society organisations to Continued on page 8

Death Toll from Enugu Epidemic Rises to 40

Peter Uzoho

The epidemic ravaging Ette Uno and Umuopu communities of Enugu Ezike, in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State has killed 40 persons. The state Ministry of Health yesterday said it had collected

samples from patients and sent them to the National Reference Laboratory for investigation. The affected local government area shares boundary with Kogi State. A statement by the Commissioner for Health, Continued on page 8

ROYAL FATHERS AT THE VILLA... Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero; Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III; and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, during the meeting of the nation’s traditional rulers with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja…yesterday

NBA Raises Team to Probe Alleged Killings in Rivers Community...Page 6

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Courts Dismiss Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Suits to Stop Further Counting Wins appeal to observe Pennsylvania vote count

Martins IďŹ jeh in New Jersey, USA As the final results of Tuesday's United States presidential election are still being awaited in five states to decide who wins between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, two courts yesterday dismissed lawsuits by Trump seeking to truncate the process. While Judge of Chatham County Superior Court in Georgia, James Bass, dismissed a lawsuit by Trump asking him to declare that state laws on processing absentee ballots be used in Coastal County vote count, Judge Cynthia Stephens of a Michigan court dismissed a lawsuit asking that vote counting in the state is halted. But in Pennsylvania, a commonwealth court granted him access to closely observe vote count in the state following an appeal he filed earlier today on the restriction of access to the vote-counting area. Bass, while dismissing Trump's prayers during the one-hour hearing, did not provide an explanation for his decision. The county includes the heavily Democratic city of Savannah. The suit had raised concerns about 53 absentee ballots that poll observers said were not part of an original batch of ballots. County election officials testified that all 53 ballots had been received on time. Trump, however, got relief

in Pennsylvania following the commonwealth court's order that he be allowed to closely observe vote count in the state. In Michigan, Trump had told the court that the Republican Party does not have access to the handling of absentee ballots and that 'surprising' votes were been credited to the Democratic Party. But the judge said the lawsuit was filed late Wednesday afternoon - just hours before the last ballots were counted - and that the defendant, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was the wrong person to sue because she doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control the logistics of local ballot counting, even if she is the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief election officer. Democrat Joe Biden has won in Michigan, a state Trump won in 2016. The state has 16 Electoral College votes. The lawsuit claimed Benson, a Democrat, was allowing absentee ballots to be counted without teams of bipartisan observers as well as challengers. She was accused of undermining the constitutional right of all Michigan voters to participate in fair and lawful elections. Benson, through state attorneys, denied the allegations. Â The five states where final results are still being awaited are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania, which has 20 Electoral College votes, is one of the five states

APC Set for Nationwide Registration of New Members Receives registration materials Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) has received materials for the partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nationwide membership registration, update and revalidation to be conducted nationwide. The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and the Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mala Buni, while receiving the consignment yesterday in Abuja, said the membership registration, update and revalidation would be conducted across the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 119,973 polling units and 57, 000 voting points. Buni was accompanied by the Governor of Jigawa State, Mr. Abubakar Badaru; the Committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secretary, Senator John Akpan Udoudohen, among other senior party officials, during the handover ceremony. He stated: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As you can see, we just took delivery

of the first consignment of the registration materials for the exercise that will soon commence across the country. We have over 119, 000 polling units and 57, 000 voting points across the country. "As you can see, this is the membership register and we have the personal information slip that goes with the register as well. As I said, we have just taken first delivery and after taking all the stocks, then we will unveil the date, the timetable for the registration across the country. We are going to register, revalidate our existing membership register across the country.â&#x20AC;? It was not clear if the membership registration was part of the mandate of the committee when it took over from the Adams Oshiomholeled National Working Committee (NWC) of the party during an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party held in June.

where votes are still been counted. With 264 Electoral College votes in the bag, Biden needs only six more to emerge the 46thÂ president of the US. Trump is currently on 214 Electoral College votes and banks on Pennsylvania and the remaining four states to

win the contest. The court said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Upon review of arguments contained in the brief submitted by Donald Trump, the Philadelphia Country Board of Elections and the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, it is hereby ordered that the November 4 order of the

Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County denying appellantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oral motion to allow closer observation of the canvassing of ballots is reversed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Effective immediately, the court requires all candidates, watchers or candidate representatives be permitted to

be present for the canvassing process.â&#x20AC;? It, however, warned that while observing the process, social distancing and wearing of masks must be adhered to due to COVID-19 pandemic. In a tweet, Trump described the development as a big legal win for his election bid.

CONDOLENCE VISIT... Former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Olukayode Oyediran (left), and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, during the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s condolence visit to the former vice-chancellor on the death of his wife, Omotola (nee Awolowo), in Ibadanâ&#x20AC;Śyesterday

PSC Warns against Inciting Policemen to Avenge Attacks Lagos command vows to resist fresh protest Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Police Service Commission (PSC) yesterday warned against social media messages inciting policemen to engage in retaliatory activities against the public. The commission raised concerns about a social media message inciting police officers and men to go outside their rules of engagement in dealing with the public. There have been alleged cases of nocturnal meetings held by policemen in states mostly affected by the destruction of police infrastructure across the country to plot reprisals. THISDAY gathered that some of them were insisting that families of police personnel killed during the #EndSARS protests hijacked by hoodlums must be compensated while destroyed police stations must be repaired before they would resume duties in spite of morale-boosting trips and assurances by government and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu. The commission, in a statement, said the inciting message encouraging officers

and men of the force to take extra-judicial steps against civilians was inimical to the peace and security of the nation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This moment does not call for incitement but for a complete renewal of faith in the Nigerian project,â&#x20AC;? it said in a statement, adding: "The police are expected to conduct themselves with the highest degree of patriotism and in obedience with its rules of engagement. "The commission is doing its best to see that the welfare of the officers and men are enhanced and worthy of their sacrifice to the Nigerian nation." The PSC added that it was seeking to overhaul its logistics so that it will be equipped to discharge its constitutional responsibilities. "The policemen are enjoined to note that they are required to play a leading role in the search for peace and progress in the country," the commission said. The statement, signed by the spokesman of the commission, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, commiserated with the families of officers who lost their lives and wished those who were injured during the

crisis a quick recovery. Speaking during a recent visit to the FCT Police Command, the IG had charged police personnel to protect themselves if attacked. "No amount of assault will make us shy away from our responsibilities. Inasmuch as we are aware that the government is behind us. "So we will encourage you to be professional in performing your duties. We will encourage you to be civic but if anybody touches you, if anybody comes to assault you, you can also protect yourselves. So we are sending the message that we have a right to protect ourselves," he said.

Lagos Command Vow to Resist Fresh Protest Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has vowed to resist any planned protest, procession or gathering under any guise or nomenclature in the state, especially in the wake of the violence that rocked the nationwide #EndSARS protest. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, said the move was necessary because the state government and residents are yet to recover from the recent violence in

the state. In a statement yesterday by the state police spokesman, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, a Superintendent of Police (SP), Odumosu said the warning was based on intelligence report that another protest was in the offing. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The command wishes to inform the general public that based on intelligence gathering from relevant intelligence agencies, some unpatriotic elements or group of people have concluded plans to orchestrate another set of violence in the state in furtherance to the recent #EndSARS violence, which has been analysed as dangerous and counterproductive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Premised on this, the command, therefore, wishes to warn any individuals, group of students or any groups who might want to stage any form of protest, either "peaceful" or violent, or gathering whatsoever, to desist as the police and other security agencies will collectively and tactically resist any security threats or threats to public peace which might be triggered by protest or protesters in Lagos State.â&#x20AC;?

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NBA Raises Team to Probe Alleged Killings in Rivers Community Davidson Iriekpen The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) yesterday set up a factfinding team for Oyigbo in Rivers State following reports of alleged reprisal killing of suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by the military. The four-man team comprises NBA First Vice-President, Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins; two former Port-Harcourt branch chairmen, Mr. Victor FrankBriggs and Mr. Anthonia Osademe, and a former Ukwa branch Chairman, Mr. Chimaroke Elie. In a statement on his Twitter handle, NBA President, Mr. Olumide Akpata, said the team would visit Oyigbo and conduct an inquiry into the events in the area and the findings published. Following the killing of six soldiers and four policemen, along with the destruction

of court buildings during the #EndSARS protests, the Rivers State Government, on October 21, had imposed a 24-hour curfew on the Oyigbo Local Government Area. The state Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, accused IPOB, which is seeking independence for the South-east, of being responsible for the violence. Akpata said in the wake of the reports of extra-judicial killings and rights violations, he enquired about the situation from the chairmen of the Ukwa and Port Harcourt branches of the NBA (the two branches closest to Oyigbo). He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whilst the chairmen of the two branches expressed concern over the situation, they, however, informed me that they were yet to conduct an on-the-spot assessment owing to the curfew imposed on the area by the state government to forestall the breakdown of law and order. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In a separate telephone

Senate Seeks Upgrade of State House Clinic Says Buhari others should be treated locally Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs yesterday called for the upgrading of the State House Clinic to curb President Muhammadu Buhari and other top government officials from going abroad for medical treatment. Chairman of the committee, Senator Danjuma La'ah, said the committee would approve N1.3 billion for the upgrade of the State House Clinic to prepare it to attend to the medical needs of Buhari and others. According to him, upgrading the clinic will save the nation scarce resources being expended on the treatment of the president and other top officials in foreign hospitals. La'ah spoke yesterday in Abuja when the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Abuja, Mr. Tijani Umar, appeared before the committee to defend the 2021 budget estimate of the seat of government. La'ah said the N19.7 billion voted for the State House in the 2021 budget out of which N1.3 billion is for the upgrade of the State House Clinic, will be approved by the National Assembly. He stated that with the approval, there will be no basis for the president and other top government officials to go on overseas medical trips again. Speaking with journalists after the budget defence session, La'ah emphasised the need for the president to be treated in Nigeria rather than being moved out of the

country at every given time he is ill. He said: "Our president is not a man to be taken out anytime or anything that happens to him on sickness matter. He must attend our clinic here and we must make sure that we equip our hospital to the best of our ability so that any emergency will be first taken care of here before flying out if the need arises. "We've already approved N1.3 billion for State House Clinic. I want this thing done and I want the credit to go to the whole committee - leave a legacy for the State House, that the clinic we requested was done within the shortest time." He said his committee would monthly oversight the upgrading of the State House Clinic to ensure its completion within two years "Oversight will be done monthly, if all that is needed is provided and we will give two years to complete it," he added. Umar also told reporters that the clinic is not in comatose but it requires an upgrade. "We have realigned so many things and one of the fundamental challenges we have dealt with is the sustainable supply of drugs and consumables. Don't forget that this is derived from the budget and we have appealed to the committee to assist us with the presidential wing of the State House Clinic," he explained. The permanent secretary, however, said the N1.3 billion budgeted for the upgrade of the clinic would not be sufficient for the exercise.

conversation with the Governor of Rivers State, H. E. Nyesom Wike, he categorically denied ordering any such shooting as rumoured, but acknowledged clashes between men of the Nigerian military

and some suspected lPOB members in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The governor further explained that the curfew imposed on the area was borne out of necessity and

assured me that it would be lifted yesterday, November 3, 2020. I have now confirmed that the curfew has indeed been lifted and that residents of the area are now able to go about their lawful activities.â&#x20AC;?

Akpata reiterated the NBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position that respect for the fundamental rights of citizens is non-negotiable and can only be derogated from instances permitted by the constitution or other laws.

IN SOLIDARITY... Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai (left), and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during el-Rufaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solidarity visit to Sanwo-Olu over recent hoodlum attacks on Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śyesterday

Fire Guts Tank Farm in Lagos Chiemelie Ezeobi An OVH Energy (formerly Oando) storage facility, containing about 6,000 metric tonnes of petrol, located in Apapa, Lagos, was yesterday gutted by fire. To prevent the fire from spreading to other tank farms, no fewer than 20 fire tenders were deployed from both public and private emergency services. Although the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained as at press time, THISDAY gathered that the inferno started from a storage facility at the depot. Fire tenders were supplied from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal Fire Service and its state counterpart, Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), NIMASA, Total Plc, UBA and Mobil Plc, as well as 12 other tenders.

Confirming the development, LASEMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Director-General, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said emergency responders were deployed in the area to salvage the situation. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was a fire incident at the tank farm at Oando Depot in Ijora Badia. The agency activated its emergency response plan and all relevant stakeholders commenced appropriate measures to combat the flames and prevent secondary incidents.â&#x20AC;? Also confirming the incident, the South-west Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the fire was tackled by a combination of emergency services. He said the tank on fire had 6,000 metric tonnes of petrol trapped â&#x20AC;&#x153; and within the same vicinity, there are five

other tanks - one has aviation fuel and diesel while others are empty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All tankers have been shut down to suffocate and facilitate prompt fire-fighting. The situation is under control and no threat to life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had about 20 fire tenders from Federal Fire Service, State Fire, NPA, NNPC, NIMASA, Nigerian Navy, Julius Berger, LASEMA, NIPCO, AITEO Petroleum.â&#x20AC;? Also acting Head, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, said all emergency responders collaborated to contain the fire. She said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Immediately the incident was reported at 1235hours, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service Command and Control headquarters, deployed both its men and equipment to the scene of the fire outbreak.â&#x20AC;? Reacting, the oil company tweeting from OVH Energy-

Oando Licensee on Twitter also confirmed the incident. The statement said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We confirm reports on the fire incident, which took place at the OVH Energy, Terminal 1, at Apapa this afternoon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Preliminary information about the incident reveals that the fire emanated from a tank within the terminal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whilst an investigation has been launched to ascertain other details, we have a team of professional firefighters on the ground to manage the outbreak. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are happy to state that as at the time of this report, there are no casualties recorded. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety remains our priority at OVH Energy as we operate under high safety standards to curb incidences of fire outbreaks as well as other health and safety risks from happening at any of our stations.â&#x20AC;?

COVID-19: China Bars Nigerians, Others from Entering Country Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Chinese government has announced the temporary suspension of entry into China by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding visas or residence permits. The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria in a statement, however, said holders of diplomatic, service, courtesy or C visas

would not be affected. But it allowed foreigners visiting China for emergency needs to apply for visas at Chinese Embassy or Consulate. It stated: "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China has decided to temporarily suspend entry into China by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding visas or residence permits still valid at

the time of this announcement. The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria will no longer issue Certified Health Declaration Form for the above-mentioned personnel. "Entry by holders of diplomatic, service, courtesy or C visas will not be affected. Foreign nationals visiting China for emergency needs may apply for visas at Chinese Embassy or Consulate. Entry

by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria with visas issued after 3 November 2020 will not be affected. "The suspension is a temporary response necessitated by the current situation of COVID-19. The above-mentioned measures will be assessed in accordance with the evolving situation and any adjustment will be announced accordingly."

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PAGE EIGHT BUHARI RALLIES TRADITIONAL RULERS TO PACIFY YOUTHS support security personnel, promising to adopt the guidelines to be developed by the National Economic Council (NEC) sub-committee to reduce youth restiveness. Buhari urged traditional rulers nationwide to assist his administration in pacifying the protesting youths, saying he has heard their cries and is attending to their concerns. The president requested the support of the traditional rulers yesterday when he received a delegation of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Saâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ad Abubakar III, at the State House in Abuja. Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, told the royal fathers: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have heard the loud cries of our youth and children and we are attending to their concerns.â&#x20AC;? He, however, stressed: â&#x20AC;&#x153;To succeed in all of this, we would require your support and voice to help amplify the message. Your proximity to the people places you in a unique position to communicate and ensure that our response is targeted and impactful.â&#x20AC;? The president described the roles of the traditional rulers â&#x20AC;&#x153;as guardians of our traditional values and cultureâ&#x20AC;? and urged them not to compromise their neutrality â&#x20AC;&#x153;because this is what significantly confers on you your moral authority and legitimacy.â&#x20AC;? According to him, Gambari will lead senior government officials to various parts of the country â&#x20AC;&#x153;and directly

engage with you as part of this process. He will be reporting back to me on your various perspectives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to once again thank you for the role you all have played to calm down our youth with wisdom and authority. By instilling hope and keeping the peace, you have rendered the country great service.â&#x20AC;? While warning that â&#x20AC;&#x153;we cannot allow anybody or group to threaten the peace or sabotage these efforts,â&#x20AC;? the president said â&#x20AC;&#x153;strong, transparent efforts are underway to address those rogue elements of the Nigerian Police Force. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Simultaneously, the Nigerian Police Force will also undergo much-needed reform that covers welfare, working conditions, and code of conduct. That will usher in a more professional workforce,â&#x20AC;? he added. Buhari acknowledged the important role of the monarchs in maintaining peace and security in the country, and expressed delight at their visit â&#x20AC;&#x153;given all that has happened recently in our country.â&#x20AC;? While receiving the recommendations of the traditional rulers, he promised to study them and take appropriate action. Buhari had earlier drawn the attention of the delegation to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We find ourselves in very turbulent times, with a global health pandemic that has been incredibly challenging. Economies have been crippled as the

response to the pandemic has forced businesses to shut down or devise new means of transacting. For a country like ours, with a large informal economy, our citizens have been particularly hit,â&#x20AC;? he stated. He, however, added that his administration has â&#x20AC;&#x153;designed various schemes and taken many measures to soften the impact, despite our own revenue struggles as government,â&#x20AC;? while recognising that â&#x20AC;&#x153;more needs to be done to cater to our fellow citizens, not just those in the urban areas but also those in rural areas.â&#x20AC;? According to Buhari, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am also fully aware that our strong farming belts have been impacted by floods. While we have seen record levels of farm outputs and increased level of fertiliser utilisation, government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and its agencies, is working on how to help bring these farmers some relief.â&#x20AC;? The president also admitted the enormity of the challenges, saying that â&#x20AC;&#x153;there is no hiding place regarding how we should address insecurity concerns, youth unemployment, job creation, boosting industrialisation and preparing for a transition into a digital economy.â&#x20AC;? Remarks were made by the Sultan of Sokoto and the Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, while two foremost traditional rulers representing each geo-political zone also attended the meeting.

The 36 statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; governors have agreed to engage traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society organisations to support security personnel, promising to adopt the guidelines to be developed by the National Economic Council (NEC) sub-committee to reduce restiveness among the youth. This was one of the resolutions reached at a meeting of the governors as contained in a communiquĂŠ signed by the Chairman of Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. The governors said they deliberated on issues affecting the country, particularly on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout of the #EndSARS protests. They expressed concern that as a result of the #EndSARS protests and the violence that followed, most security personnel refused to return to their duty posts. The governors resolved to engage with traditional, religious and civil society organisations to drive a common agenda and generate the required support for security personnel who play a vital role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all Nigerians. They also resolved to "adapt at both the state and regional levels guidelines to be developed and issued by the National Economic

Council (NEC) Sub-committee on engagement to reduce restiveness among young people as it is clear that these agitations are attributable to social and economic inequality in the country." The governors also resolved to commend CACOVID for presenting the true situation of what transpired in the light of the unfortunate misperception that attended the distribution of palliatives at the state level. They resolved that the NGF chair should work with the CACOVID chairperson to address the media in addition to members speaking up in their local settings. The governors further resolved to educate the citizenry about the various palliatives provided by the states, including cash transfers, food items, medical supplies and tax incentives given to individual taxpayers and businesses. The governors resolved to direct their commissioners for finance to sign agreements with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to give effect to the principles and objectives of the programme in their states. They said the security situation in the country remains a priority agenda for them. The communiquĂŠ adopted the resolution for the NGF to partner with the Nigerian Stock Exchange to organise a virtual event on the 17th of November 2020 with the support of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) and other strategic partners in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure financing space.

It said the governors also received updates and presentations from the Chairman of the Northern Governorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Hon. Simon Lalong, who provided a brief on steps taken by the governors of the 19 northern states to address the fallout of the #EndSARS protests. The Vice-Chairman of the forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, provided an update on the work of the National Economic Council Sub-committee mandated to engage with youths, civil society organisations, religious, political and traditional leaders with the objective of framing a new security and stability architecture for the country. The Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who is chairman of the NGF SubCommittee interfacing with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 raised concerns about the current low testing numbers in the country, especially in the light of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases globally. The governors, the communiquĂŠ said, were urged to increase their testing capacity in all local governments to help prevent a second wave of the pandemic in the country flowing from imported cases from abroad. The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, also provided an update on the status of the World Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme.

Solomon Onu, stated that the communities had suspected a deity when the deaths began but now fear the existence of disease yet to be diagnosed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are suspecting some kind of diseases because with the way they are dying, it has come from Ete and Umuokpu and both have the same border with another,â&#x20AC;? a resident said. In a statement issued earlier on Wednesday, CINY lamented that health

authorities had not taken control of the situation as at the moment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We, therefore, seize this opportunity to urgently call on Igbo-Eze North Supervisory Councillor for Health, the Executive Chairman and Enugu State Ministry of Health to come to the rescue of our people whose lives are being threatened, to stem the spread before further deaths ensue,â&#x20AC;? the group said.

But in the statement issued yesterday, the commissioner stated that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been informed, explaining that the NCDC is collaborating with the Enugu State Ministry of Health at the LGA to investigate and control the disease. He assured the public that the ministry was on top of the situation and would keep them up to speed on the matter.

live and conduct economic activity/business, adding that some of its consequences might remain for a while. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be lasting consequences for employment, production cost and how economic agents engage resources, even under the best circumstances of early vaccine plus a cure,â&#x20AC;? Adamu added. According to him, the surest path to early economic recovery entails, amongst others, significant financial support to the health system to enable it to cope with the pandemic. He stated that the CBN is already leading the way with dedicated interventions in the health sector. He, however, called for the collaboration of the private sector and government at all levels. In his personal statement, the Deputy Governor, Economic Policy Directorate, Dr. Kingsley Isitua Obiora, noted that despite the persistence of the pandemic, the financial system has remained relatively stable and robust to withstand shocks. He also said credit to various sectors rose from N15.57 trillion to N19.33 trillion between May 2019 and August 2020.

Obiora explained: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This outcome reflects the continued implementation of the Loan-Deposit Ratio (LDR) Policy. In particular, the growth incredit was mainly directed to manufacturing (N866.27 billion), consumer credit (N527.65 billion), oil & gas (N477.65 billion), agriculture (N287.11 billion) and construction (N270.97 billion). â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to support the naira, we must also continue to build a Nigeria that meets the needs of all citizens.â&#x20AC;? Also, the Deputy Governor, Operations Directorate, CBN, Mr. Folashodun Shonubi, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Overall, the state of the economy requires that we must keep as many as possible economic agents active and promote the expansion of economic activities to create more employment and guarantee income. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the back of an inflationary pressure that is induced, largely, by temporary disruption to supply chain, one-off shocks and structural rigidity, I am certain that as we keep the engine of economic activities grinding, the cost reducing the effect of increased productivity and economies of scale will eventually, drive prices down.â&#x20AC;?

Govs Move against Youth Restiveness, Seek Support for Security Personnel

DEATH TOLL FROM ENUGU EPIDEMIC RISES TO 40 Dr. Emmanuel Obi, said the Rapid Response Team of the ministry visited the local government area and met with the LGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rapid Response Team, adding that on-thespot-check and outbreak investigation revealed a number of deaths from an illness with symptoms suggestive of a disease of public health importance. THISDAY gathered that the deaths were recorded from three communities, Umuokpu,

Ete and Ogwurugwu. The residents said victims were mostly youths, who usually reported weakness, fever and headache before passing on. Investigation revealed that no fewer than 40 residents have died in the past three weeks. The deaths started from Uni Ete, a village in Ete, which has a common boundary with Umuokpu, and spread to Ogwurugwu.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;My friend in Igogoro also told me about a lady who left Umuokpu and on reaching Igogoro, she started developing symptoms the same day and died,â&#x20AC;? a resident told The Cable. He added that there are rare cases of two people dying from the same community as â&#x20AC;&#x153;those dying are from different areas.â&#x20AC;? A resident and convener of Concerned Igbo-Eze North Youths (CINY), Mr.

CBN STRESS TEST REVEALS BANKSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VULNERABILITY TO ECONOMIC HEADWINDS (2019-2024) was to preserve financial stability through enhancement of its on-site and off-site supervision tools and processes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In contributing to the achievement of this strategic objective, the CBN has finalised the draft review of its framework and Dynamic Macroeconomic, and Top-down Stress Testing Tools in the review period. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Framework and the models aimed at complementing the existing Early Warning System Tools and enhancing the Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to proactively identify potential risks to the financial system as well as risks to individual banks,â&#x20AC;? it added.

CBN Seeks Speedy Implementation of Economic Sustainability Plan In a related development, the apex bank has advised the federal government to quicken the implementation of its Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP). A speedy implementation of the policy, the CBN said, will help in addressing the structural impediments to growth and job creation as well as improving the poor state of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

infrastructure. The Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability Directorate, CBN, Mrs. Aishah Ahmad, gave this advice in her personal statement at the September Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, a copy of which was obtained on the central bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website yesterday. In response to the severe economic consequences of the COVID-19, the federal government had in the first half of the year launched the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan, a 76page document that outlined measures to stimulate various sectors of the economy and to support the vulnerable. To Ahmad, for optimum benefits to the economy, monetary policy instruments can only compliment policies in other sectors of the economy to deliver broad-based economic prosperity. She stated those aspects of the plan, which seek to improve non-oil government revenue and reduce nonessential spending are vital and reinforce the importance of prioritising government expenditure to support social infrastructure, including but not limited to health, education and security, to help drive

economic growth prospects. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bank must support these fiscal efforts by sustaining its intervention policies particularly in the agricultural sector, which will be critical to strengthening output and curtail food inflation and COVID-19 monetary stimulus measures and other initiatives designed to channel credit to critical sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and small businesses,â&#x20AC;? she added. She said there was a need to continue to push for the implementation of the minimum Loan to Deposit Ratio Policy (LDR); vigilance over the banking sector to preserve its strength, resilience and capacity to support the economy; and support for Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) to mitigate their exposure to adverse impacts of the pandemic. In his contribution, the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, reiterated the need for sustained support of the real sector to stimulate aggregate supply and enhance job creation. According to him, given the ramifications of supply shock and food shortages for Gross Domestic Product and inflation outcomes, policy should aim to

resolve structural constraints. He said the CBN would continue to liaise with banks to restructure lending and grant forbearance to constrained economic units. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I note the dilemma created by the rising inflationary pressure and falling output and the trade-off inherent in policy options. I acknowledge the primacy of price and exchange rate stability and underscore the need to not lose sight of output stabilisation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I note that both inflation and exchange rate expectations are elevated in the short-term while the growth outlook is weakened by supply shocks and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 economic lockdown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given the GDP contraction in the 2020 second quarter, growth prospects remain frail for the remaining quarters of 2020. I expect that with the continued easing of restrictions, the economy will begin to recover in 2020 third quarter, though this may be incomplete even by year-end. Again, I favour measures to avert a recession or at least curtail its intensity,â&#x20AC;? Emefiele stated. On his part, the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services Directorate, CBN, Mr. Edward Lametek Adamu, said COVID -19 had altered the way people

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Lekki Shootings: Army to Appear before Lagos Panel Saturday Ejiofor Alike Indications emerged last night that the Nigerian Army has changed its earlier decision to shun the Lagos State Panel of Inquiry probing the alleged shooting of peaceful protesters by soldiers on October 20 at the Lekki tollgate. THISDAY gathered that the Nigerian Army has pledged to appear before the retired Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel on Saturday (tomorrow) to present its case. The spokesman for the Nigerian Army’s 81Division, Lagos, Major Osoba Olaniyi, had reportedly said that the army would not honour a summons from the panel as the army believed that it was not the

panel’s duty to invite the army. Olaniyi had insisted that the military would only appear before the panel if it received an invitation directly from the Lagos State Government, and not the panel. “If we receive a letter from the state, we will go. Are we not under civil authorities? Are we not part of Nigerians? Have you forgotten that we did not go there (Lekki tollgate) on our own?. “It is the state government that constituted that panel of inquiry. So, if anybody needs to get in touch with us to come, it is still the state, not the members,” Olaniyi had said. However, it was gathered from an official of the Lagos State government that the Army has

changed its position on the matter. THISDAY gathered that following the intervention of the state government and the military hierarchy in Abuja, the Nigerian Army will sent its team to the panel tomorrow. “The earlier decision of the military not to appear before the panel was a slap on the face of the Lagos State Government

that set up the panel, and by extension an act of insubordination against the federal government, which okayed the setting up of the panel nationwide. In order not to be seen as embarrassing the state government or flouting the authority of the federal government, it had to changed its mind after interventions from some quarters. Secondly, the army

has to clear its name in the face of increasing allegations of human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings. The army is facing a lot of negative publicity and the international community is also taking notes. So, it is in the best interest of the army to submit to the civil authority and clear its name,” the official explained. However, efforts made by

THISDAY to reach the Army’s spokesman to confirm this new position proved abortive. Human rights activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, had argued that the panels were duly constituted according to the law and that the governors did not breach the law by setting up judicial panels of inquiry in their respective states.

INEC to Engage Political Parties, CSOs on Outstanding By-elections Decries destruction of assets in EnDSARS protest Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commissions (INEC) yesterday said that it will on Tuesday, November 10 consult with political parties and members of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) before deciding on the date for the outstanding by-elections in eleven states. The electoral umpire has also decried what it described as the extensive damage to its local government offices and facilities during the recent nationwide protests, including the areas where the by-elections were scheduled to hold. The commission had in the wake of the civil unrest over the #EndSARS protests postponed the October 31 date for the outstanding bye-elecrions in eleven states. According to a statement issued yesterday by the National

National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom, Senator Bola Tinubu (left), and the Emir of Borgu Kingdom, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Muhammad Haliru Dantoro, Kitoro IV, during a visit to Tinubu at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence to sympathise with him over the destruction in Lagos...yesterday

Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, the commission met yesterday to further review the situation. The meeting also decided that “the commission will consult with political parties and civil Deji Elumoye in Abuja society organisations on Tuesday, November 10, 2020 and then The Minister of Finance, with the media and Inter-Agency Budget and National Consultative Committee on Planning, Mrs. Zainab Election Security (ICCES) on Ahmed yesterday debunked Wednesday, November 11, 2020. speculations that the federal “The commission will government was planing to thereafter meet again with increase the Value Added Tax the Resident Electoral (VAT) and other taxes in its Commissioners on Thursday, proposed Finance Bill. November 12, 2020 to decide on a date for the conduct of the by-elections,” he explained. Okoye said that the commission suffered extensive damage and vandalism of its local government offices and facilities, including the areas Sunday Ehigiator where the bye-elections are Kaduna State Governor, Malam scheduled to hold. Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday raised the alarm that Nigeria is almost reaching its maximum capacity to borrow, insisting that the country must be proactive in ramping up tax revenue collection. Delivering his keynote address our expenditure profile as Chief in Lagos yesterday at the 22nd Executive of our state and ask Annual Tax Conference of the ourselves, where can I cut the red tape; what can I do away with so as to increase the revenue of my state or even make available Seriki Adinoyi in Jos more money for my state. “What I have done till date is A total of 6,000 prospective that I have not purchased any corps members from various single official vehicle for myself, institutions higher learning across for any of my personal staff or the country will be mobilised any of my family members from for the 2020 National Youth the government purse. If you see Service Corps (NYSC) Batch ‘B’ me have a convoy of 10 vehicles, these are all vehicles I was using during my campaigns. “Governor Nasir el-Rufai joined me in one of my cars this morning and I can tell you that vehicle was one of the vehicles I used for my campaign; it is Alex Enumah in Abuja not brand new.” “So, I said to my people that, The federal government it is not a fanciful thing that yesterday said that the every governor must begin to proposed decentralisation buy brand new vehicles when of Correctional Service will you do not need to. So, all of accelerate desired reforms those millions have gone back as well as decongestion of into the treasury of the state and Correctional Service Centers we are using it to develop the across the country. state very well.” Attorney General of the

Sanwo-Olu Asks Govs to Shun Unnecessary Spending Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday charged his counterparts in other states to look into their expenditure profile and do away with unnecessary spending to increase state revenue for government to have more resources to meet the basic needs of the people. Speaking at the 22nd Annual Tax Conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) held in Lagos, SanwoOlu stressed the need for better utilisation of tax payers’ money by public office holders to build the trust of the citizens, adding that State executives must work toward having a better reform process. The governor, who disclosed that he is yet to use state resources to purchase any vehicle for himself since he assumed office as governor on May 29, 2019, said it is not necessarily fanciful that governors must buy brand new vehicles when there is no need for them. He said: “We need to look at

WE STAND WITH YOU…

FG: No Plan to Increase VAT, Others Says resurgence of pandemic may threaten budget She also raised the alarm that the resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, which has caused the oil price to decline in the international market, may affect the 2021 budget estimate of the federal government. Ahmed, who spoke while defending the Ministry’s

budget before the Senate Committee on Finance in Abuja, dismissed the claims of an imminent increase in VAT and other taxes in the proposed Finance Bill to be presented to the National Assembly soon. Ahmed said: “There will be no increase in VAT or any form of taxes because we see

2021 as a year of recovery – not only for government but businesses as well.” The Chairman of the committee, Senator Adeola Olamilekan, had asked the minister about the contingency plans the federal government has put in place to insulate the budget from the shocks of falling oil price.

Nigeria Reaching Maximum Borrowing Capacity, Says El-Rufai Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), with the theme ‘Taxation and economic competitiveness: Imperatives for national development,’ the governor decried low rate of tax collection in the country. He said” “Only a minority of Nigerians pay income tax, and the majority of this tiny minority are persons whose taxes are deducted at source, formal sector employees,

public servants and the like. “Perhaps as a result of colonial experience, we have been living in a country where paying taxes is treated as an illegitimate imposition. Voluntary compliance with the obligation to pay income tax remains a challenge.” According to him, many state governments and the federal government are not collecting as much tax as they should.

“The total internally generated revenues by states are currently less than one per cent of the GDP, despite the fact that Nigeria’s current fiscal federalism framework allows states and local governments to collect many taxes, levies and fees. “This low rate of internal revenue collection depresses public finances and hampers the ability to deliver social goods, services and physical infrastructure.

NYSC to Mobilise 6,000 Prospective Corps Members orientation exercise this month. Director General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Shaibu Ibrahim disclosed this in Jos, Plateau State capital, yesterday during a pre-orientation course workshop organised for stakeholders. He said, “We are prepared to

deploy 6,000 corps members to participate in the 2020 Batch B exercise. We have gone round the country to ensure that the camps are also ready. We are going to merge those who suspended their orientation in March to also participate for the

forthcoming National orientation exercise.” Ibrahim said that NYSC management had put in place all COVID-19 protocols in a bid to contain the pandemic so as to curtail community transmission in the camps across the country.

Malami: Decentralisation of Correctional Services will Accelerate Decongestion Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), who stated this at the opening of a three-day National Summit on Correctional Reforms in Nigeria, noted that the federal government in its bid to introduce lasting reforms and decongest Correctional Centres has so far released over 11,000

inmates across the country. This is coming as the Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has observed that for the reforms to be successful, focus should not be only on the legal aspect but should be encompassing as well as involving the private sector, particularly in empowering inmates with necessary skills

for life after detention. Speaking at the occasion, Malami, who noted that the event was the next phase of strategic efforts towards enduring reforms and decongest of Correctional Centers, said with the decentralisation of the service, states will be able to make meaningful contribution in that area.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

FERMA Alleges N11bn Budget Inflation by Finance, Work Ministries Udora Orizu in Abuja The Managing Director of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Mr. Nurudeen Rafindadi, yesterday alleged that the Ministries of Finance and Works and Housing were responsible for the inflation in their 2021 budget by over N11 billion. Rafindadi gave the indication when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on FERMA, chaired by Hon. Richard Femi Bamise, to defend the agency’s 2021 budget proposal. A member of the committee, Hon. Yusuf Gadgi, had asked the FERMA boss why their budget had a sudden increase of over N11 billion. The lawmaker said: “Earlier to this moment, we’re privileged to know your budget proposal to the ministry, which from the ministry to the National Assembly, the proposal changed from twenty something billion to thirty something billion. I

will respectfully want you to address that aspect. Are you in charge of FERMA, how come before the proposal got to the National Assembly it was increased upwards? “If it was increased, who is responsible for the increment with what you defended during your inter-ministerial defence? Coming to National Assembly, the amount of over N11 billion was increased in the proposal you have earlier submitted. We want that confirmation from you.’’ Responding, the FERMA boss said: ‘’Our proposal of budget as it is today is submitted to the federal ministry of works. And the reason is that FERMA is an agency under the supervision of the federal ministry of works. We’re represented at the cabinet by the minister of works. Our budget is in the envelope of the ministry, so the ministry is asked to submit their budget within that envelope, and it includes budgets of agencies under the ministry of which

FERMA is one of them. So, we got instructions to submit our budget through the ministry of works, and we submitted to them.

“And yes, it is true that we submit our budget to the ministry, what happens after is on the ministry-then ministry of budget and planning-until

subsequently it reaches the House of Representatives. We only know what was in our budget after submission. We’ve since gotten the budget

of FERMA as submitted to the National Assembly, and we’ve been analyzing the differences between the two budgets like you said.”

GRASSROOTS MOBILISATION…

L-R: Governor of Jigawa State, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar Badaru; Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and Yobe State Governor, Mr. Mai-Mala Buni; Secretary of the committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe; and Chief of Staff to Yobe State Governor, Mr. Abdulahi Gashua, during the handover of party’s membership registration, update and revalidation materials at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja…yesterday ENOCK REUBEN

House Rejects Aviation Budget over Military Kills Five Bandits, Loses One Soldier in Rescue Mission Late Submission Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives yesterday rejected the 2021 budget proposals of the Ministry of Aviation, ‘as the documents were submitted to the Committee on Aviation barely an hour to the budget defence session’. This is coming barely 72 hours after the House Committee asked the ministry to suspend the planned concession of the Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano International Airports, following the refusal of the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to appear before it to make clarifications on grey areas in the exercise. At the commencement of the budget defence by the

ministry, the Chairman of the Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, in his opening remarks, expressed concern that the budget documents were made available to lawmakers less than two hours to the meeting. According to him, ‘’Hon Minister, l don’t know how you expect us to continue this meeting since we just got your 2021 budget proposal this morning despite giving you over a week notice, so that we can read through and digest it before today. I am not blaming you for this but l must say that am disappointed in those who ought to have handled this, but failed to do their jobs. For us to do a proper job, we need time to read through.’’

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Troops of Operation Sahel Sanity yesterday destroyed five bandits during a fierce encounter with the criminals in Katsina State. During the encounter, unfortunately, one soldier was killed in an attempt to rescue a nursing mother earlier kidnapped by the bandits. Giving an update on the war against banditry, insurgency and

other criminalities in Abuja, Coordinator of the Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Major General John Enenche, said the fire-fight resulted in the death of five bandits. He said aggressive clearance operations embarked upon by the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji in the North-west region led to a decline in criminal activities in the zone.

According to him, “Troops of Operation Sahel Sanity reacted swiftly to a distress call about bandits who attacked Diskuru village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State. “The gallant troops engaged the criminals in a fierce fire-fight forcing them to withdraw in disarray while three bandits were neutralised by the troops as several others escaped with various degrees of gunshot

wounds.” Enenche stated that “during the exploitation phase, two additional bandits’ bodies were discovered on their withdrawal route. “Equally, three women and their infants earlier kidnapped by the bandits were rescued. Regrettably, one brave soldier paid the supreme price in an attempt to save one of the rescued nursing mothers in the heat of the encounter.”

Again, IG Blames Social Media for Escalated Violence The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, said social media was the greatest weapon used in escalating #EndSARS protests across the states of the federation. The IG disclosed this yesterday when he paid a courtesy visit to the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope

Uzodimma to ascertain the level of damage done to both public and private facilities during the #EndSARs protest. “I came specifically to visit vandalised property and to see the level of damage done to police facilities in Imo,” he said. He said the protest was not basically targeted at the Police

or SARS, but for hoodlums to loot and cause civil unrest in the country. He advised Nigerians not to allow the country to pass through the experience it had during the protest. He commended Police officers across the nation for their professional conduct during the protest.

“I can tell you that our men acted professionally during the protest, they have their guns, they were being killed, yet they respected human dignity. Abubakar said he would also address key stakeholders and police officers to encourage and boost their morale, which he said was low due to the protest.

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

instead of Monday, was delayed owing to huge debt owed by the examination body by state government. There was palpable anxiety among parents and examination candidates in Ekiti, on Wednesday, over their inability to access their results via online platform provided by the WAEC, which

fueled the insinuation that that state’s indebtedness to WAEC must have necessitated such. But in a letter dated November 5, 2020, and signed by the WAEC’s Branch Controller, Mr. Olajide Hakeem, for the Head of National Office, clarified that the government of Ekiti State was not in any way indebted to the

council. The letter addressed to the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Olabimpe Aderiye, reads: “On behalf of the national office and the entire WAEC, I hereby tender our unreserved apology for the delay that occurred in the release of the Ekiti State public schools’ results.

Again, Modupe Odele Asks Immigration to Release Her Passport WAEC Apologises to Ekiti over Delay in EndSARS Promoter, Modupe “Today is the 5th day that Odele, has again asked the Nigeria my passport is still being held Immigration Service (NIS) to after it was seized at the Lagos Release of 2020 Results release her passport. international airport. If there’s Disclosing this via her twitter handle, the #EndSARS promoter said they have not given any reason for seizing her passport except telling her that she was under investigation. According to her: “1st of November, I was stopped and my passport taken some minutes to boarding this flight. “No reason was given, other than ‘you are under investigation’ today is 5th of November, I still do not have my passport back neither have I been told what the investigation is about. “Holding on to my passport without giving me any reason for it is a breach of my constitutional right. I’ve not been informed of any investigation against me, I’m not running. I am here. Investigate. Ask me questions but do not continue to hold on to my passport with no reasons.

no no-fly list, that’s okay but why has my passport not being released yet? “What is so ironic is that as a kid, I grew up hearing stories like this of folks having passports seized with no reasons. They sounded like far away tales that could never happen to me you know. But look at where we are now. A few hours before I turned 31, it happened to me. Wild! “Stop tweeting about it. Why? So the world doesn’t see this ridiculous thing that is happening? “Common guys you can do better than this. What is this razz campaign in my mentions? So shameful. “Instead of rallying Muppets to carry on a discrediting campaign, respectfully ask your people to release my passport. Why this? So unnecessary.”

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has apologised to the Ekiti State Government over the delay in the release of the 2020 results of public schools. The council debunked the rumour that the results, which were released on Thursday

FG Seeks N’Assembly’s Approval for Issuance of N35bn Promissory Notes Udora Orizu in Abuja The federal government yesterday revealed plans to issue promissory notes worth N35.813 billion to 30 local contractors. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning,

Mrs. Zainab Ahmed disclosed this during the 2021 budget defence held by the House Committee on Aids, Loan and Debt Management. She explained that a list comprising of 30 contractors in the sum of N35,813,220,910.64 have been

verified by Presidential Initiative Continuous Audit (PICA) and recommended for the issuance of Promissory Note Programme for the consideration and approval by Federal Executive Council (FEC), after which it will be forwarded to the National Assembly for approval.

The minister further explained that from the list of the earlier verified contractors, the sum of N2,996,392,669.52 was approved for payment to 831 contractors in September, 2020, adding that the payment is ongoing at the moment.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

FG, Transcorp Sign Deal on Afam Power Plant Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government and the Transcorp Power Consortium have signed a share sale and purchase agreement in relation to Afam Power Plc and Afam III Fast Power Limited, which is expected to add 966 megawatts of electricity to the national grid. The deal was signed yesterday by the Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh and the Chairman of the Transcorp Group, Mr. Tony Elumelu, at brief ceremony in the State House, witnessed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is the Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP). The NCP had approved the privatisation of the Afam Power Plant at its meeting held on the August 22 and 23, 2017. Following the approval, a competitive bidding for the plant, involving 12 prospective investors, was held with Transcorp Power Consortium emerging the preferred bidder with a combined offer of N105billion. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Osinbajo said the event was a milestone in the

Nigerian government’s continued effort to accelerate reforms in the power sector. He said the acquisition of Afam Power Plc and Afam III Fast Power Limited by the Transcorp Power Consortium was the first of many new investments in the sector across the value chain from generation to distribution. Osinbajo said: “The Buhari administration’s goal is to eliminate the challenges in the power sector by improving liquidity in the market through a host of measures, including the recently announced national mass metering programme and the transition to a service-based tariff. “We need a power sector that can provide quality service to Nigerian consumers and sustain itself. The Afam Power Plc and the Afam III Fast Power Ltd have a combined capacity of almost 1,000MW. “The current usable and operational capacity of 240megawatts from Afam III and about 100megawatts from Afam Power PLC speaks of the opportunity that the transfer acquisition can bring.” He charged Transcorp

Power Consortium to take the opportunity of its ownership of the Afam Power Plant to raise the operations of the facility to its full capacity.

The vice president said government would expect the consortium to bring its experience and expertise in the Ughelli Power Plant, which it acquired

in 2013, to bear on Afam energy hub. Describing the Afam Power plant as an energy hub for Nigeria, Osinbajo said that it

is cluster that houses multiple power plants, including those owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), and Sahara Energy.

INTERVENTIONIST AGENCY TO THE RESCUE…

L-R: Director, Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Rivers State University (RSU), Prof. Bariyima Kiebel; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund), Mr. Kashim Imam; Member, Tetfund BoT, Senator Ganiyu Solomon; Acting Director, Physical Planning and Development, RSU, Mr. Benjamin Woke; Vice Chancellor, RSU, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule; Member Tetfund BoT, Mr. Uchenna Ufearoh; and Dean, Faculty of Engineering, RSU, Prof. Chris Ahiakwo, during the inspection of Tetfund-sponsored projects at RSU by Tetfund BoT in Port Harcourt…yesterday

Omo-Agege Insists on Use of 13% FAO: 9.8m FCT Residents, 16 States Face Hunger Derivation Fund for Development of Host Communities Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has insisted on the use of 13 per cent oil derivation funds for the development of oil-producing states. Omo-Agege, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Yomi Odunuga, made the remarks when he hosted a delegation of Oil and Gas Host Communities of Nigeria (HOSCON), led the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass in the Brass Kingdom and Chairman, Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, Chief Alfred Diete-Spiff. Specifically, he made a case for 100 per cent utilisation of the funds for oil-bearing communities, as against the practice where states release only 50 per cent of the money to development commissions in their states. The Delta Central lawmaker noted that since host communities bear the burden of environmental degradation from the oil industry,

it is only fair that all funds be channeled into the development of the affected areas. Omo-Agege who chairs the Senate Adhoc Committee on Constitution Review expressed regrets that the utilisation of the 13 per cent derivation funds has become a political tool in the hands of state governors in the region. He said the diversion of the money has contributed gravely to the underdevelopment of the region as the affected communities can hardly boast of having access to the basic necessities of life. Omo-Agege said: “I have been discussing this matter with Chief (Wellington) Okrika even before I became a senator. It is fair that the 13 percent derivation is meant to ameliorate the conditions of the people who are most impacted by oil exploration and exploitation. That is the only reason this fund was set aside as a consequence of your agitation which you led for so many years.

Kogi NLC Urges Gov to Sack Head of Service Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Kogi State Government to sack the state Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Deborah Ogunmola, who was said to have exceeded the required 35 years of service. The NLC also appealed to the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, to reappoint a new HoS to supervise the activities of civil servants in the state. The NLC leader in the state, Edoka, made this call while was speaking during the First Annual Regular Trade Group Council Meeting of Non Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, SUBEB, STE, and Post Primary Schools in Lokoja last Wednesday. The state chairman of the Congress said the state civil

servants can no longer be led by a retireed Head of Service. He explained that keeping the woman in service, “when she would have retired two years ago is a disservice to the qualified and hardworking staff, as her non-retirement has killed their ambitions of reaching the pinnacle of their careers.” Edoka pointed out that it was ironical for the HoS to jettison the same circular she signed, saying no civil servant would be given contract appointment, only to still be enjoying the same abnormality she sought to correct. According to him, “There are many permanent secretaries and other qualified civil servants who can do the job even better. Remaining in service after her expected years of retirement is a disservice to the civil service.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), an agency of the United Nations yesterday disclosed that over 9.8 million residents in 16 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were suffering from hunger. FAO stated this in its October/November 2020 Cadre Harmonise Analysis

for 16 States and the FCT, which was presented to stakeholders in Abuja. The report stated that Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Benue, Gombe, Taraba, Katsina and Jigawa states were struggling with food insecurity and malnutrition. It listed Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger and the

FCT as other locations in Nigeria where residents suffered hunger. In his presentation of the report in Abuja, the FAO Representative in Nigeria and the ECOWAS, Mr. Fred Kafeero, noted that based on findings by his organisation, it was important and urgent for government to intervene in

these states and the FCT. “The presentation of the results of the October/ November 2020 Cadre Harmonise analysis for the 16 states and the FCT is such an important stage in determining our next actions and effective response in ensuring food security and nutrition in the country,” he said.

N’Assembly Pledges Budgetary Allocation to Rebuild NPA Head Office Eromosele Abiodun The National Assembly yesterday in Lagos pledged its support to the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in its efforts to rebuild the damaged NPA infrastructures from recent attack and vandalism by hoodlums. Speaking during a visit by the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committees on Ports and Harbour, the

legislators assured NPA of their cooperation in budgetary amendments to accommodate cost of repairs and replacements Addressing journalists, Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Danjuma Goje, assured the NPA of cooperation to ensure that its operation is not affected. Represented by a member of the committee, Senator Tolu Odebiyi, he said: “We are here on behalf of the Senate to extend

our sympathy and commiserate with the NPA. We have seen the extensive damage that has been done. We also talked with them to see what alternative measures will be put in place to make sure that there is no disruption of operations because the NPA is the economic lifeline of the country.” On his part, Chairman of the House Committee on Ports and Harbour, Hon. Garuba Datti Muhammed, decried the huge

damage done to the NPA head office in Lagos, stressing that what happened was share criminality “We are here to assess the extent of the damage that was caused by hoodlums and arsonists. We have gone round and seen the extent of the damage to the building and cars. As a National Assembly, we will cooperate with the NPA to assist them to rebuild this building.”

Alleged Blasphemy: Again, Kano Popular Singer Remanded Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The popular Kano singer, Naziru Ahmad, also known as ‘Sarkin Waka,’ has again been remanded at a correctional centre following his inability to meet the bail condition granted him by a Magistrate Court in Kano State. Counsel to the singer, Tajudeen Abdullahi, who

confirmed the development yesterday in Kano, said they are currently trying to secure his bail. “We are now trying to persuade him to review the conditions in order for us to secure his bail. “We tried even with the present situation, but we realised that some government agents

are blocking it, and we are trying to see how we can sort it out now,” the counsel said. Ahmad was arraigned by the Kano State Censorship Board for allegedly releasing two uncensored and unlicenced songs titled: ‘Gidan Sarauta’ and ‘Sai Hakuri’ before the court last Wednesday where he was granted bail for N1 million.

Part of the bail conditions is that the two sureties must be his biological father or relations, and a Wakilin Gabas, Arewa or Kudu of Kano or in the alternative, a Hisbah Commander in any of the 44 local government areas of the state, while the sureties must also deposit their international passports with the court.

FG to Resume Oil Exploration in Lake Chad Basin Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The federal government last Wednesday said the crude oil exploration in the Lake Chad Basin will commence soon. The oil exploration in the area was suspended by the Nigerian Government in July 2017 after suspected members of Boko Haram sect attacked a team of geological engineers from the University of Maiduguri who were engaged by Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation

(NNPC) to carry out a survey of the Lake Chad region in Borno State towards the commencement of oil exploration. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, while addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting in Maiduguri with the military and chief executive officers in the oil sector, said the area is now peaceful enough to commence the oil exploration. Sylvia said the relative peace in Borno State and the Lake Chad

basin informed the decision to move in for exploration and drilling activities in the oil rich region. According to him, “We are here to thank the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army for the great job they continue to perform in the North-east region. We believe that without their gallant activities here, we in Abuja would not be living safely. Having thanked the army, we also want to start exploration and drilling activities here because

we believe that there is relative peace in the area. “As you may know, we have found crude oil in Gombe State, and we believe that there is a lot of oil to be found in the Lake Chad Basin. We have seen a lot of prospects in the Chad Basin, and we want to commence exploration and drilling activities there, and that is why we are collaborating with the Nigerian army to ensure that security is provided for activities to commence very soon.”

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S DAY

NEWS

Policeman Killed My Sister on Eve of NYSC Passing out, Lady Tells Panel The Independent Investigative Panel (IPP) on human rights violations by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other Units of the Nigeria Police Force set up by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) heard yesterday how a 23-year old

graduate, Miss Linda Igwetu from Anambra State, was allegedly killed extra-judicially by a policeman in Abuja. The deceased’s elder sister, Miss Chineye Igwetu, who momentarily betrayed emotion while presenting a petition before the panel, gave details

SARS Killed My Husband, Told Me to Marry Another Man, Woman Tells Tribunal David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The wife of a victim of Special Anti-Robbery Squad’s (SARS) brutality, Mrs. Chidinmma Precious Edozieuno, has recounted to the Anambra Judicial Panel (AJP) on the activities of the SARS how men of the squad took away her husband in 2017 and told her to kiss him goodbye. Edozieuno, who petitioned the panel and appeared for testimony, prayed the panel to give her reasonable compensation for the loss of her husband and properties. She told journalists in an interview that her husband, a businessman who lived in Benin Republic, Mr. Johnson Edozienu, had returned to Nigeria to visit her and her newborn baby when he was taken away by the SARS

officials. “We were in our house in Awka that fateful day in August 2017 when some gunmen broke into our house and took my husband. They also took away almost all our household properties and told me to go and marry another man that this one is as good as dead. “They said my husband was a kidnapper. I did not even know where they came from, and at first, I didn’t even know they were policemen. “With the help of a friend, who is a police officer, we started looking for my husband. He took me around many police stations to know if they had him, but none of them had him. We went to Awkuzu SARS office where I saw three of the men who came and arrested my husband.

Ekiti Judicial Panel Receives 22 Petitions as Hearing Begins Shot EKSU student’s case brought before panel Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Chairman of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up to investigate police brutality by the operatives of the disbanded Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) in Ekiti State, Justice Cornelius Akintayo, has disclosed that it has received 22 petitions from the members of the public. The panel held its inaugural sitting on November 2, 2020, in Ado Ekiti, the state capital. Akintayo appealed to the petitioners to assemble their witnesses so that all the matters pending before the panel can be heard timely. Meanwhile, all the 22 cases were mentioned yesterday before

the panel. The panel also heard the case of one Daramola Abiodun Olusola, a native of Ire Ekiti, who lived at Lane 3, Owode quarters in Ado Ekiti, and whose car was allegedly vandalised by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protest on October 19, 2020, in the capital city. Giving the graphic details of his experience, Daramola said: “On that day, I wanted to make some purchases; and as I drove out in my 505 car, I met some protesters at Dallimore junction, who barricaded the road behaving ill-mannered. =“I then packed my car by the roadside and trekked to Okesa market. By the time I came back, my car had been vandalised.

NUJ Asks Police to Unmask Hoodlums Who Shot Journalist in Kogi Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja The National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Chris Iziguzo, has appealed to the Kogi State Police Command to unmask the unknown gunmen who shot the State Correspondent of the Sun Newspaper, Mr. Emmanuel Adeyemi, on Monday, October 26, 2020 in Lokoja. Iziguzo made this call during the grand finale of 2020 Press Week of the Kogi State Council of the NUJ, in Lokoja, where he stated that shooting, killings and intimidation of journalists

are unacceptable and should not be swept under carpet. He urged the police to be alive to their responsibilities and bring the current deplorable security situation under control. The president of the NUJ strongly condemned the ugly trend and said that it is happening under the current democratic experiment, insisting that democracy could not thrive without a free press. He also pointed out that destroying a free and robust media would amount to destroying the current democratic experience in the country.

of how a policeman, identified as Inspector Benjamin Peters of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, allegedly shot her sister on the night of July 3, 2018 around the Ceddi Plaza bridge in Abuja. Chineye said: “On July 3, 2018 the deceased went out after work to celebrate her passing out from the National Youth Service, which was supposed to be the next day. “Prior to her death, she was

living with me and worked at Outsource Global Company, Mabushi (Abuja). Her working hours were between 1pm and 11pm everyday.” Chineye said her late sister sent her a WhatsApp message around 10.22p.m on July 3, 2018 informing her she was going out with her colleagues in the office – Mr. Tobi and Mr. Arafat – to have drinks and also celebrate her conclusion of her NYSC scheme.

The complainant said she became uncomfortable when her sister, who has a key to their apartment, did not return at 2am. “At about 4.35a.m, I got a distress call from unknown number and it was Mr. Bamidele Tobi asking me to come quickly to Garki Hospital that something happened on their way home from Ceddi Plaza. “I got to the hospital and

was informed that my sister was shot by Inspector Benjamin Peters. “Mr. Tobi narrated that on their way home, while driving, he heard a loud sound, and thinking that it was his tyre. “He said my late sister tapped him from the back seat that something hit her below her breast. He said when they (Mr. Tobi and Arafat) looked back, they say my sister panting and drenched in her blood.

ALL EYES ON HIGHER RETURNS…

L-R: Executive Director, C&I Leasing Plc, Mr. Alex Mbakogu; Company Secretary, Mr. Mbanugo Udense: Chairman , Mr. Henry Okolo; and the Managing Director, Mr. Andrew Otike-Odibi, at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the company in Lagos...yesterday SUNDAY ADIGUN

I Haven’t Seen My Son Since 2011, Father Tells Edo Panel Two of the 27 victims that submitted petitions at the Edo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry for victims of human rights abuses by operatives of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), have testified in Benin City, the state capital. An officer of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Isaac Edoh, said he was yet to know if his son, Baba, was dead or alive after brutalisation by policemen in Edo State. Edoh, an indigene of Benue State, said he saw his son last in the custody of the Edo Police Command in 2011. He disclosed he was studying English Literature at the Usman

Dan Fodio University, Sokoto before SARS operatives arrested him. The distraught father stated that in June 2011, he received an anonymous call from Edo State Criminal Investigation Department that his son was arrested along the Benin-Auchi Road in Edo for alleged kidnapping. He noted that he immediately took permission from his superiors in Lagos and rushed to Benin only to find him lying in a pool of blood due to torture and assault by the investigating police officers. Edoh said: “I tried speaking with my son but the officers

on duty prevented me, despite knowing that the suspect in their custody is my son. “The next day, I visited the police station but I discovered that the name of my son was not on any of the records of the detainees in the cell. “I immediately contacted the officer in charge of kidnapping section of the police formation, who informed me that my son was not in their custody. I was informed that he was one of the suspects paraded in national television on June 4, 2011. “I was told that armed robbers struck and shot my son while the police were conducting further investigation in Auchi,

Edo North senatorial district but none of the police officers sustained injury. “The only person they claimed died was my son. Since his acclaimed death, the police have refused to release his body. “I later filed a suit at the Edo State High Court in Benin for abuse of my son’s fundamental human rights. I got favourable judgment but the police appealed the case on the basis of identity conflict. “The Court of Appeal urged us to return to the High Court for retrial. Since then, I have been demoralised and I do not know whether my son is alive or dead. All I want is justice.”

Group Asks Panel to Stop Probe of Lekki Shootings Says Lagos gov has a case to answer The Lagos Emancipation Project (LEP) has asked the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS and related Abuses to stop probe into the October 20 Lekki Toll Gate shootings. The group, led by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Babatunde Fashanu, said they would go to court to restrain the panel. In a pre-action notice, dated November 3, 2020 and addressed to the chairman

of the panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi, the group contended that since “it had been established that the soldiers who allegedly opened fire on #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate were invited by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, it would be unfair for the same governor to set up a panel to probe the incident and then take actions on its report.” It added: “It is our belief that the person or authority

who invited the military to the scene to take action against peaceful protesters is neck-deep in whatever transpired there and its aftermath and is, at least, one of the dramatis personae to answer for it. “By our reckoning, the panel is to sit and submit its report to the Governor of Lagos State, who is empowered to act on it by virtue of the provisions of the Tribunals of Inquiry Law of Lagos State. Having regard to the fact that the governor to be

reported to and who is to take action on the report seems to have a case to answer in the matter and he is not allowed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to act in his own cause, we hereby request that you avoid sitting or hearing any matter on the Lekki Tollgate incident in the proceedings of the judicial panel so that it can be looked at by some other authority who would not have to report to the governor”, the notice read in part.

during the #EndSARs protest. “I came specifically to visit vandalised property and to see the level of damage done to police facilities in Imo,” he said. He said the protest was not basically targeted at the Police or SARS, but for hoodlums to loot and cause civil unrest in the country. He advised Nigerians not to allow the country to pass

through the experience it had during the protest. He commended Police officers across the nation for their professional conduct during the protest. “I can tell you that our men acted professionally during the protest, they have their guns, they were being killed, yet they respected human dignity. Abubakar said he would also

address key stakeholders and police officers to encourage and boost their morale, which he said was low due to the protest. He said he would strengthen community policing and partner relevant stakeholders in achieving the aim. Uzodimma in his remarks said police officers paid a huge sacrifice for the nation during the protest.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S DAY

NEWS

Tragedy as Unknown Gunmen Shot Trader Dead in Ekiti Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Tragedy struck in Dalimore area of Ado Ekiti metropolis when a young trader, Mr.

Olanrewaju Oladapo, was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Wednesday night. The deceased specialised in the sale of recharge cards and

Attack on Media is Attack on Democracy, Says Lagos Commissioner

Lagos State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Sam Egube, has expressed dismay over the level of destruction visited on Television Continental (TVC) by hoodlums in the wake of the #EndSARS protest across the country, stressing that an attack on the media is an attack on democracy. Egube said the attack on TVC or any other media house at this time or any time was an attack on the nation’s democracy, considering the role they played in the restoration of civil rule. The commissioner spoke yesterday at the premises of TVC when he led frontline leaders and people of Southsouth origin in Lagos on an on-the-spot assessment of the level of damage on the media

house and to commiserate with the staff and management of the outfit. He assured that the people of the South-south region who are peaceful by nature will do whatever is needed to be done to back the media house to bounce back as soon as possible. Egube said the attack was a setback for a nation like Nigeria still struggling to put infrastructure in place and is not what nation building is about. “We are a large group in Lagos and we believe that through our South South network, if we speak to our people and our people speak to their neighbours and are able to communicate proper behavior and through proper channels, then some of these things will be eradicated in future.

consumables at Dallimore area of Ado Ekiti. It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 9.45p.m. when the trader was returning home. One of the residents of the area, who identified himself as Olatunji, revealed that the assailants trailed the deceased to his house behind Jone Jane

Hospital, Dalimore, Ado Ekiti, where he was ambushed and killed at the main entrance. The deceased’s valuables and money were said to have been carted away by the gun wielding killers. “The deceased had just packed into the house few months ago after he felt unsafe in his former apartment.

“We are deeply saddened by the incident and we call on the security agents to fish out the perpetrators. He was a young, enterprising, diligent and respectful man, who had been robbed several times in his former house,” Olatunji said. When contacted, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP. Sunday Abutu, confirmed

the incident. Abutu said: “Yes, he was reportedly shot dead by unknown gunmen while returning home from his shop at about 9:45pm on Wednesday. “His body had been evacuated and deposited in the mortuary. Meanwhile, preliminary investigation is ongoing for possible arrest of the culprits.”

NEW DEALS WITH HOST COMMUNITIES…

L-R: Chief Resident Engineer, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. MO. Komolafe; Julius Berger’s Head of Operations on the LSE Project, Mr. Olaf Thamm; and Traffic Coordinator, LSE, Mr. Solace Orlu, after a stakeholders’ meeting convened to address complaints arising from the construction works in Aseese community on the Lagos-Shagamu expressway, in Ogun State…recently

Obasanjo: How Atiku’s Ohakim: Court Issues Notice of Committal Alliance with Ekwueme to Police Officers, Others Collapsed in 2003 Notice of Committal to Prison and the Commissioner of Police, Ohakim, on September 10, Amby Uneze in Owerri to DCP. Kolo Yusuf and SP. Mr. Tuesday Osayemo, all of 2020, secured a restraining order

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday revealed that the alliance between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme during the 2003 presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) collapsed after Ekwueme was defeated at the poll. Obasanjo said this yesterday in Ibadan at the public presentation of ‘Amazing Grace’, a biography of former Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala. Obasanjo, who was the chairman of the occasion at the book launch, gave the explanation to correct an aspect of the book where the author claimed that Atiku backed down before the primary poll. Obasanjo said, “Again, Atiku did not back down as you claimed until Ekwueme was defeated at the primary of PDP

in 2003 as Atiku’s agreement with Ekwueme was to be Ekwueme’s running mate and Ekwueme, as President, spending three years and resigning for Atiku to complete the fourth year and then for Atiku to contest election in his own right in 2007. “It was after the result of the primary that Atiku backed down, if you put it that way, it was when there was no other choice.” Obasanjo also faulted the roles played by Alao-Akala in the failure of the South-west to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives, which Hon. Aminu Tambuwal eventually won. He said Alao-Akala first proposed Hon. Ajibola Muraina and he, Obasanjo, and others accepted him but said AlaoAkala later began to lobby for Hon. Mulikat Akande, who was eventually defeated by Tambuwal.

Ortom Proposes Budget of N132.5bn for 2021 George Okoh in Makurdi The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday proposed N132.5 billion for the 2021 fiscal year. The governor also presented to the state House of Assembly, a supplementary Appropriation Bill of N20billion for the 2020 fiscal year. On the budget christened: ‘2021 Budget of Resilience’, the governor said the revised estimate figure of the budget represents an increase of N23.7 billion which constitutes 18 per cent from the revised year 2020 revenue estimates.

According to him, “The budget estimate is based on some assumptions such as: that the benchmark of crude oil price remains $40 per barrel and oil production at 1.86 million barrels per day, and the revenue accruals will improve with respect to the statutory allocations and the Value Added Tax (VAT). “Other assumptions are that the exchange rate of N379 to the dollar will remain stable; inflation rate remains 11.95 percent, and revenue sharing formula holds steady or improves with respect to the Statutory Allocation and VAT distribution to the states.”

An Imo State High Court (ISHC), has moved to commit certain police officers and a woman to prison for disobeying court order concerning the former Governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim. Justice V.I. Onyeka of the ISHC 13 on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, issued a Show Cause

Mohammed Yusuf, both of whom were members of the disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) unit in Abuja that was known as the Special Tactical Squad (STS). Others that were included in the committal notice include Mr. Stanley Nwodo, Mr. Orji Kanu

whom are of the Prosecution Section of Nigeria Police Headquarters, Abuja. Also facing committal to prison is one Ms. Chinyere Amuchienwa-Igwegbe, who is the nominal complainant in the originating matter that led to the notice of committal.

or injunction against the Nigeria Police Force, these named officers and Amuchienwa-Igwegbe on an application for enforcement of his fundamental rights. THISDAY gathered from judiciary sources that the order was duly served on all the parties.

ASUU after Me for Opposing Academic Rascality, Corruption, Says FUOYE VC Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

The Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FOUYE), Prof. Kayode Soremekun, has said the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Akure Zone, has been having a running battle with him because he was vehemently opposed to the culture of academic rascality and corruption in the institution.

Soremekun said his administration has dealt decisively with rascally acts like sex-for-mark, certificate racketeering, introduction of obnoxious fees and all actions that can cause decay in the system, since he assumed office four years ago. A statement made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday by the Deputy Director,

Corporate Services, Mr. Yinka Ademuyiwa, explained that the vice chancellor was reacting to allegations leveled against him by the ASUU Coordinator, Akure Zone, Prof. Olu Olu Olufayo . Olufayo at a press conference last week alleged that Soremekun was plotting to make unqualified Don as his successor, encouraging illegal promotion of cronies, allowing

payment of double salaries to cronies, playing ethnic card and treating lecturers like slaves. But Soremekun debunked the claims and stated that no efforts would be spared to ensure that all academic staff conform to the rules guiding good conduct in the academic setting, saying he won’t allow any group to dent the image of the institution.

Zulum Seeks Egypt’s Assistance in Training of Borno Lecturers The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, who was on tour to Egypt, has requested the partnership to train lecturers in the state’s tertiary institutions and preachers, when he visited the World Organisation of Al-Azhar Graduates in Cairo, Egypt.

A statement issued yesterday by the governor’s spokesman, Mallam Isa Gusau, said Zulum, as part of his tour of the North African country for collaboration from universities in the country, last Wednesday also called for the re-opening of Al-Azhar

Institute in Maiduguri, the opening of Arabic Centre and establishment of a branch of the World Organisation for Al-Azhar Graduates in Borno State. The governor, who was also at the Ain Shams University in Cairo, where he met with

the president of the university, had discussion centering on collaboration between the university and Borno State in the area of medical studies ahead of the planned establishment of a Teaching Hospital for Borno State University.

Ayade Proposes Budget of N277bn for 2021 Bassey Inyang in Calabar

The Governor of Cross River State, Professor Ben Ayade, yesterday presented the state’s 2021 Appropriation Bill estimated at N277 billion to the State House of Assembly for consideration. The bill, which was tagged the “Budget of Blush and

Bliss,” allocated N192.5 billion, representing 67 percent of the entire budget, for recurrent expenditure while N88, 196,500, 00 representing 33 percent was earmarked for capital expenditure. Ayade explained that he set aside 67 percent of the total estimate for recurrent expenditure in order to meet the immediate

and physical needs of Cross Riverians in the aftermath of the COVID-19 and EndSARS conflagrations. He said: “I decided along with my executive council after due consultation that the budget of this year will focus more on the humanitarian perspective. “We have decided to shift

focus from infrastructure, from big projects and refocus on the people. So this is the people’s budget, and for the first time we are shifting from infrastructure, from major projects, from all the big dreams and projects that can actually create opportunity to focus on the very essence of existence, hunger and poverty.”

T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; Í´Ë&#x153; 2020

COMMENT

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

#ENDSARS: WHAT SHOULD WE NOW EXPECT?

The state should enter into formal and genuine discussion with youth groups across the country, writes Adewale Kupoluyi

he devastation meted out to the nation following outrage by youths and young people over the excesses of personnel of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is yet to abate. The monumental loss of lives and property as a result of the uprising is worrisome. The situation in the country can simply be described as graveyard silence despite spirited attempts by the federal and state governments to douse the tension. These efforts at restoring peace and tranquility may be yielding fruit to some extent, but the reality is that the many contentious and unresolved matters warranting the crisis are yet to be addressed and this should be a source of concern to any patriotic citizen. No doubt, the angry youths have expressed their displeasure over the state of affairs in their country and this has been done at a great cost. The message is loud and clear that the current generation of youths are conscious of what is happening and are restless in calling for quick change towards a better nation. With what the various governments have offered so far, can we say that our youths are satisfied? I doubt it. The reason is that the underlying problems plaguing the country have consistently accumulated over the years and are largely responsible for what we are witnessing today as bad governance. The expectations of the aggrieved youth are beyond any quick-fix approach and reeling out palliative measures and interventions that are unsustainable. Apart from the criminality perpetrated by unidentified thugs and miscreants that took advantage of the protests to wreak havoc by looting, stealing, and vandalising public and private property, genuine demonstrators have been mature, enthusiastic, and been able to coordinate their grievance with a minimal casualty. Unfortunately, what we saw at the end of the day is violence that was largely fuelled by the reported shooting of protesters by security men at the Lekki Toll Plaza, Lagos. Perhaps, this was the biggest mistake to have been committed under the present circumstances. What should now be done? The state should enter into formal and genuine discussion with youth groups across the country on why they should sheathe their sword and embrace genuine dialogue. In doing this, the activities of interlopers should be checked, especially youth organisations, who are ferociously trying to reap from the prevailing situation on the premise that they are affiliated with the protesters. This claim is untrue and the government should be wary of such opportunist groups lurking around. The mediatory role of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in this regard is timely by bringing the aggrieved parties to the negotiating table using the mechanism of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). In its usual and critical role of promoting national peace, security and the rule of law, the NBA should work with relevant stakeholders to develop an acceptable, right framework and structure â&#x20AC;&#x153;with clear timelines and deliverablesâ&#x20AC;?. As many credible and intelligent youths and young persons should, as much as possible, be invited to the discussion table devoid of the same elements that had stifled national cohesion such as greed, nepotism, ethnic, political, and religious sentiments. The next assignment to accomplish is putting the necessary machinery in place to reform the entire NPF. What does this entail? Practical reforms must involve real transformation that allows only qualified candidates to be recruited into the police. The minimum entry qualification for the exercise should be the university degree or its equivalent, to allow for the engagement

AT THE DISCUSSION TABLE TO BE FACILITATED BY NBA AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, CRITICAL ISSUES BORDERING ON THE EMERGENCE OF A PEOPLE-ORIENTED CONSTITUTION, FISCAL FEDERALISM, STATE POLICE, DEVOLUTION OF POWERS, FEDERAL CHARACTER/LOPSIDED APPOINTMENTS â&#x20AC;Ś SHOULD BE TOPMOST ON THE LIST OF NATIONAL MATTERS TO BE DISCUSSED

of only intellectually-sound candidates. The deployment of police officers to very important persons (VIPs) should stop. This does not only deprive the force of the needed manpower to fight crime, it creates unnecessary social imbalance and class segregation among citizens. I keep wondering what qualifies Yahoo Boys, pastors, and family members of politicians to be assigned police security details? In the course of guarding the crops of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;special citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the police officers are exposed to affluence and the squandering of public resources. The police officers in turn transfer anger and frustration to civilians in their daily interactions because of such opulence. Adequate local and international training and retraining should be given to policemen on how to carry out their duties effectively and with utmost civility like their foreign counterparts. It is in Nigeria that police officers brandish their guns and threaten to shoot people with impunity. After all, we see how police officers work in other countries with decency and diligence. The existing training environment, curricula and rigour only encourage the breeding of hostile, inhuman, and uncultured officers as exemplified by SARS and other operatives. The remuneration and the condition of service should be significantly improved, as the existing salary structure is too meagre to sustain our policemen. This poor pay could be accountable for why bribery and corrupt practices are common in NPF and discouraging passionate candidates from joining the force. Sadly, most police stations and barracks are poorly equipped and dilapidated for the officers to develop good state of mind and comportment at work, just as erring police officers should not be spared the rod, but given the deserved penalties promptly. The shielding of culprits from punishment should no longer be allowed in the force. This is to serve as a deterrent and instill discipline while outstanding officers should be adequately rewarded for their call to duty, among others. Again, at the discussion table to be facilitated by NBA and other stakeholders, critical issues bordering on the emergence of a people-oriented constitution, fiscal federalism, state police, devolution of powers, reduction in the cost of governance, federal character/lopsided appointments, women empowerment, and active youth inclusion in governance should be topmost on the list of national matters to be discussed. As this goes on, the government should desist from threatening the youths and dishing out inflammatory statements that could cause more damage. The arrest of alleged looters should not be manipulated to witch-haunt perceived political opponents or arrow-heads of the protests. What the angry youths simply need are words of encouragement and assurances that their needs would be taken care of and that better days are coming, which the last presidential speech failed to capture. This should be backed up with a clear line of actions and commitments showing that those at the helm of affairs are sincerely ready to restructure the nation towards a just, fair, and equitable Nigeria. Under a better arrangement, no citizen should be made second class or inferior in his/her country as the present configuration allows. National resources and endowments should be distributed to all devoid of the age-long domination by the tiny but powerful clique that enjoys the status quo and would rather resist change.

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WISDOM AND STATESMANSHIP: BUHARIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MASTERSTROKE

Stephen M. Lampe outlines what President Buhari should do to leave a credible legacy

t is now June 2022 and the national trepidation is finally over. It all started about 20 months ago as #EndSARS. Who would have thought that it would lead to a truly new Nigeria and catapult President Muhammadu Buhari from the run-of-the-mill group of visionless African leaders to the rarefied rank of people who made the Black race proud; the small group that includes the likes of Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama. The phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;Muhammadu Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Masterstrokeâ&#x20AC;? (MBM) is now on many lips around the world. Why did Muhammadu Buhari act? The end of his second term is on the horizon and reality dawned on him that he would have no credible legacy after years as head of government. He reflected on his years as Military Head of State (1983-1985) and as the civilian President since 2015. He has become a well-recognized leader of the Fulani people in West Africa. But the assessment of him as leader of the most populous black population in the whole world has been poor and, in many quarters, even derisive. That perception saddened him, and he realized that it misrepresented the Fulani people as incompetent leaders. He decided that he had to create a legacy. A strong stable and progressive Nigeria that would be the pride of black people around the world was a mission he had to pursue, especially as such a country would also be beneficial to the entire Fulani ethnic people wherever they may be. The president realized that the forces of globalization had become such that one could no longer ignore the rest of the world. The global concern for the Chibok girls demonstrated this before and the world-wide and high-profile support for #EndSARS confirmed

that it was no longer wise to look at the world through a narrow ethnic lens. Advice from trusted foreign friends, such as Archbishop Justin Welby, provided further impetus. Finally, COVID-19, which had hit the president â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;close to homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; underscored the futility and transience of power and wealth. The urgent necessity to pursue a lasting legacy of a united, stable, truly Federal Republic of Nigeria became his passion. What did he do? After a lack-luster beginning at trying to manage the #EndSARS crisis, President Buhari got inspired and the busiest time of his life began. He consulted widely and, in many cases, intimately. He held meetings with past Heads of State (civilian and military), leaders and prominent members of the National Assembly, irrespective of political party, and conferred with State Governors individually and in small groups. Senior leaders of the security agencies were represented at most meetings. He consulted individual leaders of political parties and had sessions with speakers of the various State Assemblies. He arranged meetings with trade union leaders, many civil society organizations, social media influencers as well as prominent musicians, actors/actresses and other cultural personalities. His many senior aides had never had to work so hard and so humbly. Among their assigned tasks was to provide summaries of past constitutional review conferences. A most significant recognition of the president was that a piecemeal approach would not do. A holistic approach to the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenges had to be developed. And it was developed. COVID-19 had reduced the demand for the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crude oil and oil prices had plunged throughout the world. Further borrowing,

external or internal, was out of the question as existing debt was becoming increasingly difficult to service. Yet the holistic approach to resolve our national challenges, save the country from anarchy and collapse, and create his desired legacy would require ample financial resources. A solution immediately suggested itself: resources had to be reallocated and be better managed. Here then were the elements of the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s masterstroke. First, he stated explicitly and emphatically that governments and their agencies at all levels must respect the rights of individuals to exercise their God-given free will provided that in doing so, they do not interfere with the rights of other fellow citizens to exercise their own free will. This is the fundamental basis for human rights. Therefore, the government would unequivocally protect individual rights of speech, peaceful assembly, and non-violent protests. SARS was, of course, disbanded. It would not be replaced; neither would analogous police units be established. And as the major function of any government is to protect the citizens from internal enemies (criminals of various types), there would be no question of defunding the police. On the contrary, the required police reforms would call for much increased budget allocation and its disbursement would be carefully and consistently monitored. Policemen would never again have to buy their uniforms, shoes, etc., nor resort to personal resources to perform official assignments. An even more significant reform arose from the recognition that crimes are committed locally and are best tackled locally. In addition to the Federal Police System, States would be free to establish their own police services. A community policing strategy would be

promoted. The strategy would be such that would ensure that policemen live within their communities and not sequestered in barracks. Arising from the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s consultations was the general acknowledgement that allocations to political offices and political office holders were excessive in absolute and comparative terms, even if the state of the economy were not so dire. It was unconscionable that the budget allocations to the National Assembly exceeded by far the combined federal budgets for Education and Health. Salaries and allowances of political office holders would henceforth bear a relationship to the national minimum wage; the appropriate ratios would be determined at federal, state, and local government levels. In effect, the salaries and allowances of the Presidency as well as of its political staff would be slashed considerably; so, would those of members of the National Assembly, the State Assemblies, and Local Governments. The remunerations of state governors and their political appointees would be similarly slashed. It was also thought unconscionable that the offices of state governors and deputy governors were made pensionable and with perquisites that only the wealthiest billionaires can afford. State assemblies were urged to abrogate laws on pensions and remunerations for past governors and deputy governors. It was agreed that for reasons of national security and in line with international best practices, the offices of president and vice president would remain pensionable. r %S -BNQF XBT B $PMVNOJTU .JMMFOOJVN 8JTEPN GPS 5IF (VBSEJBO BOE $PNFU BOE JT UIF BVUIPS PG #VJMEJOH 'VUVSF 4PDJFUJFT UIF 4QJSJUVBM 1SJODJQMFT

T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; Í´Ë&#x153; 2020

EDITORIAL

COVID-19 AND SCHOOLS IN SESSION Schools should adhere strictly to the safety protocols

hens. After almost seven months at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both private and public schools in Nigeria have since resumed classes. The resumption of academic activities is subject to strict adherence to the safety protocols enunciated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the Covid-19. But the enduring lesson of the moment is that prevention is better than cure. This implies that the adherence and strict observance of the Covid-19 protocols is very important. Besides, the recent case where no fewer than 181 students and staff tested positive for coronavirus at a private boarding school in Lagos indicates the need for continued vigilance. Before the THE PROTOCOLS ADDRESS decision to CONSIDERATIONS THAT resume academic works at variMAY HELP TEACHERS ous schools, it AND STUDENTS TO AVOID was agreed COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION that both the OF COVID-19 proprietors and proprietresses of private schools and administrators of public schools must adhere to the safety protocols. For all schools, regardless of specific exposure risks, it is always a good practice to frequently ensure that students wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. And when soap and running water are unavailable, the students are expected to use an alcohol-based hand rub with at least 60 per cent alcohol. Apart from constant washing of hands, pupils and students alike as well as their teachers should avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. Though, this is not novel, it has always been part of school curriculum that students must always be neat. School authorities must ensure a good practice of maintaining social distancing. This would ensure that there is always a good respiratory etiquette, including

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covering coughs and sneezes. The students and teachers alike should avoid close contact with people who are sick, and when confirmed that any student is sick, the person(s) should be advised to stay at home. In addition, the school authorities should enforce the wearing of face masks by both students and teachers as well as other school staff. There are no hard and fast rules to the adherence of both the NCDC and the PTF protocols on Covid-19. It has been there in the schools as they constitute part of hygiene and elementary sciences. The only difference now is that adherence has become more rigid for the overall health of both the students and teachers. These NCDC and the PTF protocols are intended to help prevent school exposure to acute respiratory illnesses, including Covid-19. The protocols also address considerations that may help teachers and students to avoid community transmission of Covid-19. These are necessary as there is no clinical verifiable vaccines that cure the pandemic at the moment. It is particularly important to avoid a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic which is trending in some of the developed countries. As President Buhari rightly said recently, our economy is too fragile to withstand the rigour of another shutdown. Thus the various school management boards including the NCDC and the PTF should ensure that there is effective monitoring committees with sanctions for school authorities that fell short in strict adherence of the Covid-19 protocols. When in July the federal government directed that schools should put their facilities in order for reopening, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba announced the prerequisite conditions that must be met. These included the decontamination of school premises, hand-washing facilities, body temperature checks, ensuring social and physical distancing in classes and other necessary protocols to protect public health. While all that may have been done, if there is any lesson from the Covid-19 in Nigeria, it is that government at all levels should begin dealing with how to revamp the education sector in line with global trends.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to speciďŹ c 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.

#ENDSARS: WHY FCT YOUTHS MUST EMBRACE PEACE

he recent ENDSARS demonstrations in the FCT and other parts of the country which was hijacked by hoodlums and other criminal elements to attack and vandalize government establishments as well as privately-owned properties and businesses is one ugly incident that no well-meaning Nigerian would want to experience again in a hurry. As it happened, while youths around the country were engaging in peaceful protests to demand for an end to police brutality as well as the reform of the security agencies, some hoodlums among the youth population took advantage of the situation to launch devastating attacks on government and privately-owned businesses and properties. In the end, several storage facilities and warehouses belonging to government and private businesses in several parts of the FCT and other parts of the country were vandalized, looted and set ablaze by the rampaging youths, leading to the loss of billions of Naira worth of goods and properties, destruction of means of livelihood and the regrettable loss of lives of other Nigerians. Much as the intention of the protesting youths and the call for an end to police brutality is quite noble and commendable, the same cannot be said about the activities of the hoodlums who have brought untold hardship to other Nigerians. For instance, the estimated cost of the losses suffered by private business owners and government in the FCT have been set at billions of Naira. The means of livelihood of most Nigerians in the areas most affected by the unrest have also been destroyed leaving them in ruins.

As the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello confirmed when he carried out an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas in the FCT alongside the traditional rulers and FCT Security Taskforce, the fate of several businesses in the affected areas are now hanging in the balance and would require urgent intervention by government to ensure that they do not completely collapse. In Apo District, for instance, several car stands belonging to businessmen were set ablaze while warehouses at the Idu Industrial Estate, the commercial nerve centre of the FCT were vandalized, looted and destroyed. The FCT Grain reserve which also housed farm inputs meant for distribution to the FCT farmers have also been completely looted. This begs the question, in whose interest are these rampaging hoodlums carrying out these attacks? Certainly, it cannot be the interest of the Nigerian youths whose means of livelihood have now being destroyed, rendering them jobless. Again, the public institutions that have been vandalized, the police outposts, the hospitals, the schools, the banks, the grain reserves, are these not all facilities established to serve members of the communities, majority of whom are the youths? Who then would suffer the consequences? Another angle to this unrest is the fact that widespread social discontent as was witnessed recently during the ENDSARS demonstrations, is one that is capable of snowballing into large scale breakdown of law and order, which could eventually leave us with even bigger problems, if not well managed. A country like Nigeria that is already experiencing cracks along ethnic and religious fault lines surely cannot afford to have situations that would widen these cracks.

Much as there are numerous reasons to be angry and discontented as a Nigerian youth, there is need however for the youths to exercise restraint and abandon whatever ruinous path that they may have been instigated into by external forces. The youths spoke very loudly and clearly during the peaceful protests and their messages have been heard by government as have been attested to by various officials of the government. The government has also begun to show more responsibility towards the plight of the youths with the recent disbursement of N30,000 grant to artisans in the country, among other efforts. The next best option now is to begin to dialogue with the government to see how the demands made by the youths during the protests could be met. Continued acts of destruction and vandalism by the youths would only lead to the loss of goodwill which could defeat the purpose that the peaceful protests were set to achieve. Again, all well-meaning Nigerians, including the traditional institutions, the religious bodies, government officials and even youth leaders are calling on the youths to embrace the path of peace and dialogue. The youths must now listen to these wise counsels as it is only under an atmosphere of peace that any meaningful development could be achieved. The youths in the FCT must also resist any attempts by external forces to influence them into taking up arms against the state, private businesses or government institutions in the FCT. r%BOMBEJ "LJMV "OHXB #BLP ,BCVTB %JTUSJDU "CVKB

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

POLITICS

Email: nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

Understanding the Destructive and Constructive Capacities of Our Youths Magnus onyibe, an alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Massachusetts, USA and a former cabinet member of Delta State dissects the multiple implications of the ENDSARS campaigns

othing illustrates the constructive and equally destructive capacity of our youths more than the fall outs of the #EndSARS

protests. And education makes the difference between the creatively and positively charged ones and the destructively and the negatively charged ones. Allow me explain: The educated ones are the highly organized protesters that decided to take their frustrations with the killer, SARS (which stands for Special Anti Fraud Squad) out to the streets via peaceful protest march to attract the attention and empathy of the authorities; and their destructive counterparts are the illiterate ones that, after twelve days , seized the initiative from the educated ones to vent their spleen on society , who they are holding responsible for their plight. I have always been bewildered by the aptness of the wisecrack that was imbued in me as child by my parents via constant verbalization. It goes thus: “The Difference Between The Doctor in the Hospital and the Cleaner is education” I mean nothing illustrates the conventional wisdom above, more than the incident of EndSARS protesters-as exemplified by the educated who were so organized to raise their own money, feed protesters , provide health care emergencies to the injured, offer philanthropic help to the indigent-prostatic legs for one legged lady and working capital for a woman roasting corn on the roadside, repair damaged vehicles and hire body guards to prevent the ruffians from infiltrating their ranks with the aim of hijacking the protests. On the flip side was the violent and illiterate rioters. The agenda of this category was to destroy every good thing on their path as locust worms would do in a farm or be as destructive and disruptive as the pandemic like coronavirus, Ebola and SARS-the virus would harm the human body and destroy life. The dilemma is that both categories of youths are our children and future leaders. In my earlier piece on the calamity of #EndSARS, published on the 19th of October in main stream media and online platforms titled “Nigeria, A President, His Glory And Violent Policing.” l dwelt briefly on how the savings from the end of the economically debilitating fuel subsidies regime that gulped trillions of naira annually can be converted into free education policy that would give every Nigerian access to education up to secondary school level. It needs no reemphasis that education which is a production input for development remains the flagship of the numerous achievements of the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo’s public service record . Investing in education in the form of free education is quite unlike granting subsidy for consumption, which subsidizing petroleum products importation is all about, and therefore a wasteful exercise that has reportedly been gulping an average of presumably a trillion naira annually in the past 20 years . Let’s just imagine how many kids and youths would have been educated with twenty (20) trillion naira in the past twenty years of the return of multi party democracy in Nigeria. As most of us are already aware , education is the main reason Indians, or people of Indian origin , are more in the number of people serving as chief executive officers, CEOs , chief technical officers , CTOs or chief operating officers, COOs in Fortune 500 companies around the world. The Microsoft founder, Bill Gates has counseled Nigerian government and

Nigerians on how we can harness our enormous human capital potentials based on the survey by the Goalkeeper Report indicating that about 60% of our population is comprised of youths demography . But most of our youths remain uneducated and unskilled . And its needless detaining or boring us with the statistics of the alarming number of out of school children in our country, or the reasons for such an avoidable malady .

However , surface it to say that it is the negative aspects of the youth bulge that bears down on us as a nation, whenever violence is unleashed on society by members of that demography who are in the brigands side of the equation . At the same time, it is the positive aspects facilitated by education that is the reason , amongst others , the pair of Ezra Olubi and Shola Akinlade, Nigerian duo who are educated youths, faced with similar hindrances in

Presenting Fayemi as a Fine Leader in Trying Times Segun Dipe, Senior, Special Assistant to Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State on Public Communications writes on his principal’s ability to acquit himself creditably in the face of challenges

n today’s Nigeria, there is an omnipresent culture of bluster and bravado lurking around. It’s a game of pretence, and false promises. Many are laying claims to knowing what is wrong and how to resolve it. It’s the mindset of “I will give enough to look like I am performing above expectations whilst secretly cruising my way to the next role.” It is apparent that some leaders are only showing the tip of their performance iceberg, being content to sit on the fence, nod furiously and give every indication of leading the change. Yet there are others who are naturally able to give 100 per cent of all of their time, irrespective of their position and irrespective of the crisis they are confronted with. They have an intrinsic ability to put the best of themselves forward, sometimes knowing full well that this won’t be rewarded in the short term or may never be rewarded. What it does show though, is the difference between bravery and bravado. Dr. John Kayode Fayemi represents the latter. Back to back, as the governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, he has found himself in the middle of the nuances of leading in crisis moments. Again and again, he has displayed some rear leadership virtues in handling such crisis of monumental proportion to the

chagrin of his detractors. When the sea is not calm and going with the flow is not an option, Fayemi has constantly stepped up to take command. While some would wait for the storm to pass before coming out to show their superhuman bravado, Fayemi has consistently thrown himself into the storm, so much that even those who should know better and commend him for what he is doing have continued to throw arrows at him, trying to shoot him down and praying that he goes down with one or all of the crises. Back to back, testy times keep visiting Nigeria this year. First the economic condition went on a downward trend and the governors had to engage the federal government in ensuring that the governance arrangement of all federation-funded investments recognize state governments as shareholders in the distribution of proceeds and decision making. Fayemi as the NGF Chair was at the forefront, and people wondered how he was able to wear the breastplate, despite his perceived affinity with the Presidency. This was followed by the security challenge, heightened by the farmers and herders at each other ’s neck, killing and kidnapping the innocent people. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

life like all the other youths in Nigeria , yet they were able to be the founders of PAYSTACK -a unique payment system which was recently acquired for a whopping $200m by a USA based firm, STRIPE. I would argue that what has been laid bare by the #EndSARS youth protests is that the much talked about youth bulge is not a hype. It is real and it is like a knife that cuts both ways. While the positive manifestations are far and in between- like the emergence of the founders of PAYSTACK that has held Nigeria aloft in the world of technology, l actually read the about the deal in AngelList, a weekly software engineering high-tech magazine out of San Francisco, California, USA; the negative aspects of the youth bulge also manifests in the activities of the ‘nefarious ambassadors’ such as those who ran rampage across Nigeria with animus intentions of breaking into jail houses to release prisoners , burn down police stations, kill officers & men of the police force , and cart away their weapons as well as set ablaze court houses with the intention of destroying their criminal records. What the above narrative suggests is that in the milieu of anomie triggered by #EndSARS protests , even the destructions that happened had a pattern. The corollary to the aforementioned hardened criminal elements are the very hungry folks who just wanted food and had to break into identified warehouses to take away without authorization , the CA-COVID and COVID-19 palliatives that they felt (wrongly or rightly ) belong to them. This latter group, comprises of the uneducated or half educated , who are left behind by a society that made no provision for those who failed to get into the development train of the 21st century. Worse still, owing to the negative effect of coronavirus on our economy,whereby foreign exchange treasury is fast depleting; and it is even struggling to provide livelihood for the well educated as reflected by the millions of university educated but unemployed youths; how can such a fragile economy that’s bucking under the weight of huge public spending and dwindling income accommodate the uneducated, unskilled, and therefore unproductive youths now threatening the peace of our country? The driving force behind religious insurgency , terrorism and banditry in the north also being perpetrated by the youths can not be distanced or divorced from the challenge of lack of education and skill by the burgeoning youth population out there in the northern parts of our country. Another striking thing is that the generation Z is certainly not lazy, but ingenious. They can be actually be constituted into a critical national asset, if government creates enabling environment for them to bloom. Bill Gate’s proposition on how to harness the potentials of our impressive youth population comes to mind and it is crying for adoption by the authorities as it has been established that our youths are potentially priceless national assets . l’m so bullish about the chutzpah of our youths, that l urge the authorities to give them a chance to participate in governance, as public servants and also compete in bidding for government business like other contractors. There are lots of youthpreneurs in our society who are bursting in the seams with good ideas. But they have no access to good contracts, credit and mentorship. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020

PERSPECTIVE

INEC’s Yakubu Makes History

The Rise of NigerianAmericans in American Democracy Chido Nwangwu, Publisher, USAfricaonline.com focuses on the rising proﬁle of Nigerian-Americans in the politics of the United States of America

he November 3, 2020 presidential and congressional elections in the United States continue to show aspects of the beauty of its recent democratic traditions. Especially the opportunity it gives to recent immigrants — required to be citizens of the United States regardless of where they come from — to compete in the civic battle of ideas. Alongside many other candidates, 12 Nigerian-Americans and African immigrants joined in making history. One such person is Dr. Adeoye ‘Oye’ Owolewa. In practical ways, the November 3, 2020 electoral achievements of Adeoye Owolewa, Esther Agbaje, Nnamdi Chukwuocha, Yomi Faparusi, Ngozi Akubuike, Benjamin Osemenam, Yinka Faleti, Paul Akinjo, Adewunmi Kuforiji, April Ademiluyi and other Africans validate why I respect America as the world’s most diverse, most creative and competitive market. Regardless of your adversity, ethnicity, race, religion, gender or orientation, it offers immigrants endless opportunities; almost. Yes; almost. Again, God bless America! Owolewa earned a doctorate degree in Pharmacology from the Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. This remarkable personality campaigned on the platform of the Democratic Party. He was elected as a shadow member of the United States Federal House of Representatives from the District of Columbia. Otherwise popularly known as Washington DC. Washington DC does not have full statehood; therefore their congressional delegation lack full voting power. They can contribute to debates and enjoy a number of privileges but the fundamental issue of representation through voting on congressional enactments has been and remains a difficult and contentious problem. Fundamentally, the issue for the residents of the district, as they asked for hundreds of years: why should the predominantly AfricanAmerican metropolis pay taxes without the power of basic representation through votes that are worthy of being counted in Congress? It is a shame and an injustice. It has to

be corrected, soon. Remarkably, it is an issue of interest for the new “shadow” delegate-congressman who won an impressive number of 164,026 votes. He has, consistently, advocated through his TaxFreeDC website and organization that to fight against DC’s taxation without representation “our money belongs here for DC priorities instead of going to a government that fails to recognize us.” On November 4, 2020, when it was certain he won, Dr. Owolewa, enthusiastically informed his social media followers: Looks like we did it! I want to thank everyone, from family and close friends to DC residents. Because of your contributions and sacrifices, I stand before you as America’s first Nigerian-American congressman. In this role, I’m going to fight for DC statehood and bring our values to the lawmaking process. While today is the day for some celebration, the hard work also follows. “Again, thanks so much for everything. I wouldn’t be here without y’all.” When he is sworn in January 2021, he will make history by becoming the first person with direct and contemporary Nigerian roots elected to the US Congress. According to the Washington Informer: District voters elect one shadow representative and two shadow senators to lobby Congress on D.C. becoming the 51st state. The District is officially represented in the Congress by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), who has no final vote on the House floor. The District has no representation in the U.S. Senate. Norton has a bill — The Washington, D.C. Admission Act of 2019 — that would make the District a state. The bill has 224 co-sponsors, enough to pass the House chamber. In the Senate, there are 35 supporters for a companion bill authored by Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.).” Why does this matter? To put it in simple political language and business terminology, it’s a big deal! Direct communication and access to the world’s most influential congressional assembly — within realistic considerations and limitations. But imagine Owolewa, as a legislator highlighting the points being made by the youth across Nigeria to the world. Hopefully, the young, brilliant and charismatic politician should not forget his primary constituency: the people of the District of Columbia. It is my position that while he should not ignore important and critical issues in his parents’ homeland Nigeria, his primary focus should be on the realities and empowerment opportunities for the constituency he represents! Why is this important? We need him to go further on upwards on the trajectory of political power and productive representation.

Lagos-based journalist, Felix Oboagwina sets a work agenda for the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who has been reappointed for an unprecedented second tenure

akubu may just be the man for this season to build INEC into a 21st Century institution. In the general clamour for reducing the cost of governance due to present harsh economic realities, Nigerians want to see the commission take cost-cutting measures. Professor Mahmood Yakubu achieved a new national record when he received President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement for a second term as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). By the President rolling over the tenure of Yakubu as INEC boss for another five years, the former Professor of Political History and International Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy becomes the first head of an electoral agency to achieve tenure elongation in post-Independence Nigeria. All his 11 predecessors served just one term. Thus, of all the country’s 12 electoral chairmen since independence, Yakubu becomes the first to serve two terms, having been appointed by Buhari in 2015 to succeed Professor Attahiru Jega. This would not be the first time Yakubu would be cracking records. In the University of Sokoto (now Usmanu Danfodiyo University) where he obtained his first degree, this Bauchi-born AcademicTechnocrat owns the exclusive glory of being the first Northerner to obtain a First-Class in History in the school. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious Oxford and Cambridge universities. Born in 1962 at Bauchi, Yakubu had served as the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, a position to which he had been appointed by President Umar Yar’Adua. He would later work as Assistant Secretary of Finance and Administration at the 2014 National Conference organised by President Goodluck Jonathan. Although he may not share Professor Jega’s Ivory-Tower popularity, the eloquent erudition of Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the dignified ambience of Justice Victor Ovie-Whiskey, nor the international clout of Professor Maurice Iwu, Professor Yakubu has unquestionably carved his imprint into the country’s electoral process. On his watch, INEC conducted the very controversial 2019 elections. Under him too, the commission witnessed two questionable appointments. Towards the last presidential election, the commission had appointed an INEC National Commissioner who happens to be a relation of the President, Hajiya Amina BalaZakari, to head the Collation Centre for the presidential election. She had acted as the commission’s Chairman in the transition period between Jega’s exit and Yakubu’s appointment; but the President never presented her name for the mandatory Senate confirmation. Zakari’s new appointment as collation director came across as insensitive and improper and a clear case of nepotism. Opposition parties smelt a rat. However, Yakubu did not budge. Another INEC appointment happened last month that quickly stirred up controversy. The President announced Ms. Lauretta Onochie, his Special Assistant on Social Media, as a National Commissioner with the electoral body. This appointment led to an uproar from the civil society as well as political parties that immediately demanded its revocation. Officially, Yakubu has yet to speak on the matter publicly. At some point, critics dubbed Yakubu “Mr. Inconclusive,” an annotation to the spate of hung elections that INEC under him conducted with results delayed

beyond the electoral cycle. It began with the first governorship elections Yakubu organised in Bayelsa and Kogi in 2016 that the commission ruled inconclusive. Suspicions were rife that in such keenly contested polls, INEC had deliberately suspended the conclusion of elections and the announcement of results to afford the ruling party breathing space to resuscitate its chances in the unfinished elections. This scenario played out in Osun State in September 2018, when the PDP candidate led the poll, but at the conclusion of the rescheduled inconclusive election, INEC declared the APC rival overall winner. In 2019, for the first time in the country’s electoral journey, the general polls witnessed a further rash of inconclusive governorship elections. This affected seven states. Ironically, apart from Plateau and Kano, all the others were states where the opposition had held incumbent governorship. They included: Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Benue, Kano, Plateau, Rivers and Kano. Defending the incident, Yakubu told media executives, “First, what is an inconclusive election? It’s an election in which a winner has not emerged at first ballot; that is essentially what it is. So now you mobilise and remedy the problem and make a declaration... There are two sections of the Electoral Act that we need to focus on. The first one is Section 26, which says, ‘In the event of violence or natural disaster, INEC should not proceed with an election; and if the total number of registered persons in the place affected is more than the margin of lead where you have conducted the election, then don’t make a declaration until you go back and complete the election.’ Section 53 of the Electoral Act is very clear, in the event of over-voting; INEC is prohibited by law from making a declaration. The law says, Don’t make return until you go back to those polling units and you conduct election where the number of registered voters will make a difference to the margin of lead. I’m yet to hear any Nigerian say this commission has declared any election inconclusive outside the law.” Although the era of hung elections cast a slur on his credential as a stooge of the ruling party, the INEC Chairman soon got a chance to demonstrate that he could maintain a principled and objective stand on his national assignment. In the governorship elections of Zamfara and Rivers states where intra-party squabbles prevented APC from posting candidates within the statutory timeframe, he chose to stand by the law. Insisting on maintaining due process, INEC refused to accept APC’s late filing for the two states. The party sought redress in court, but it lost all the way to the Supreme Court that endorsed the commission’s stand. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ NOVEMBER 6, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 1% 1.25 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

1% 2% 3%

O C T O B E R S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

3 0 , 2 0 2 0

743.18 % -0.26 % 18.59 %

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 18.59 % YEAR TO DATE 54.46 %

EXCHANGE RATE N379/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes Passenger Demand Low in Sept.

NPA COUNTS LOSSES

R-L: Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman; Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Onari Brown; Board Member, Abdulwahab Adesina, and Board Chairman, Chief Akin Ricketts, during the inspection of NPA Headquarters that was attacked by unknown persons in Lagos...recently

Aviation Minister Explains Why Nigerian Airlines Fail Chinedu Eze The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has identified poor business plan, high cost of maintenance, choice of operational equipment, high interest on loans and poor corporate governance as some factors responsible for the failure of Nigerian airlines. Nigerian airlines have average of 10 years lifespan and many of them have gone under in the past 20 years. Some of them include Triax, Okada, ADC Airlines, Chanchangi, Oriental Airlines, Al Barka, Kabo, Sosoliso, Bellview and Afrijet, among others. The minister said if the cost of operation is low, cost of tickets would be lower and more people would travel by air. The minister said most Nigerian airlines have poor

AVIATION business plan and this include their administrative system, choice of aircraft, choice of routes, choice of manpower and financial management. On the choice of aircraft, he said because the average distance between two cities in Nigeria is about one hour, Nigerian airlines should acquire small body aircraft that are new and less costly to maintain. These types of airlines consume less fuel and also break-even at 50 per cent load factor. He said some poor critical decisions made by the management of the airlines led to their demise because airlines operate on a very low profit margin, but they generate high revenue. Owing to this, some owners misapply the funds and then fail

to pay for aircraft maintenance, pay for fuel, pay for overheads and charges and then fail to pay the workers. The minister also said airlines borrow short-term loans at high interest rate of about 25 per cent, adding that because they operate at very low profit margin they find it difficult to cope and pay back these loans. Due to this, the federal government has advanced plans to arrange a system whereby airlines can access credit facility at long-term, single digit interest rate. On corporate governance, the minister said many of Nigerian carriers run a one man management system where the owner of the company call the shorts without following procedures and processes and without engaging professionals

experienced in the industry to make critical decisions on the operation of the airlines. On aircraft maintenance, the minister said Nigerian carriers pay hugely to maintain their aircraft overseas because there is no major maintenance facility in Nigeria and the ones located in Morocco, Ethiopia and Egypt are too busy that they rarely have space for Nigerian carriers; so Nigerian airlines ferry their aircraft overseas in the US, or Europe where they wait for slot and still pay for accommodation and parking fees while waiting for their turn to take in their aircraft for maintenance. According to the minister, it is because of the critical need of having a maintenance facility in Nigeria that the Continued on page 22

FG Urged to Tap Maritime Potential for Economic Diversification Eromosele Abiodun As the world transition from oil to other sources of energy and with many countries proposing ban on use of fossil fuels, the federal government has been admonished to tap into its huge maritime potential for economic diversification. The Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, made the call in Abuja when he delivered a paper at the National Defence College (NDC). The nation’s maritime sector, he stated, offers Nigeria a bounteous substitute in the country’s economic diversification drive. The lecture titled: “Maritime Security and National Development in Nigeria: The Role of NIMASA,” was for NDC Course 29 participants. Jamoh said maritime had

MARITIME enormous potential to drive sustainable development in Nigeria, with huge investment opportunities in shipbuilding and repairs, offshore/floating spare parts sales and maintenance, freshwater bunkering and supply, dredging, and inland waterways transportation. While stressing that about 75 per cent of all Gulf of Guineabound cargo are destined for Nigeria, he said if properly harnessed, maritime could give the country 30 times more than the revenue from oil. According to him, oil contributes about 70 per cent of government revenue and nearly 90 per cent of foreign exchange earnings in Nigeria. But Nigeria is trying to move away from the near total dependence on oil. “Judging by a simple mari-

time resource mapping, and also research by reputable local and international organisations, it is clear that our marine environment can give us annually 30 times more than what we get from oil. There is boundless opportunity for investment in the sector, given the right conditions.” The DG decried the effect of maritime security issues on Nigeria and enumerated steps taken by the country to tackle the problem. “These include the promotion of worthy maritime governance system, maritime infrastructure development, and investment in maritime security. He said the fiscal and monetary interventions by government, recent arrangements for better management of the NIMASA modular floating dock, and stakeholder support systems were part of efforts to enthrone good governance in

the sector, “Jamoh stated. On security and infrastructure development, he highlighted the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project, and the various fleet expansion and shipbuilding plans as measures to ensure a conducive environment for investment in the maritime industry. “We are tackling the security issues in our waters, and we know that the international community is concerned, and the stakeholders are mindful of our efforts. “Those who do business in our maritime environment want to make sure that when they arrive Nigeria safely, they are also able to leave Nigeria safely. “NIMASA, being the country’s Designated Authority (DA) for Continued on page 22

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that passenger demand in September remained highly depressed. Total demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was72.8percentbelowSeptember2019levels(onlyslightlyimproved overthe75.2%year-to-yeardeclinerecordedinAugust).Capacitywas also down 63 per cent compared to a year ago and load factor fell 21.8 percentage points to 60.1 per cent. International passenger demand in September plunged 88.8 per cent compared to September 2019, basically unchanged from the 88.5 per centdeclinerecordedinAugust.Capacityplummeted78.9percentand loadfactorwithered38.2percentagepointsto43.5percent.Domestic demandinSeptemberwasdown43.3percentcomparedtotheprevious year,improvedfroma50.7percentdeclineinAugust.Comparedto2019, capacity fell 33.3 per cent and the load factor dropped 12.4 percentage points to 69.9 per cent. “We have hit a wall in the industry’s recovery. A resurgence in COVID-19 outbreaks--particularlyinEuropeandtheUS--combinedwithgovernments’ relianceonthebluntinstrumentofquarantineintheabsenceofglobally aligned testing regimes, has halted momentum toward re-opening borders to travel. “Although domestic markets are doing better, this is primarily owing to improvementsinChinaandRussia.Anddomestictraﬃcrepresentsjusta bitmorethanathirdoftotaltraﬃc,soitisnotenoughtosustainageneral recovery,” said IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.

Ethiopian Prepares for Vaccine Distribution

Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services has announced its readiness for thedistributionofpotentialCOVID-19vaccineacrossAfricaandtherest of the world when it is ready. Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services was instrumental in facilitating the flow of medical supplies including PPEs acrosstheglobeinsupportofthefightagainsttheCOVID-19pandemicby deployingitsstate-of-the-artcargoterminal,whichisthelargestinAfrica withannualcapacityofaroundonemilliontonsandcompartmentalized temperature controlled cold storage facilities. Commenting on Ethiopian’s preparation for the vaccine distribution, Ethiopian Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam remarked, “Ethiopian PharmaWingwillrepeatitsremarkableandgloballyrecognisedsuccess in leading the fast delivery of PPE few months ago with similar delivery speed, professional handling and maintaining the cool chain during the forthcoming global distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccine. “We are the major cargo partners of WHO, WFP donor governments andphilanthropistsinfacilitatingtheflowofessentialmedicalsupplies owingtoourmassivecargofacilityincludingourPharmaWing,ourlarge dedicated freighter fleet and well trained manpower. As the world prepares to welcome COVID-19 vaccine, we will be at the forefront to further discharge our responsibility in the distribution of the vaccine across the globe.”

‘UK Aviation Needs Govt’s Support’

Britain’s airports and airlines need urgent support to survive the, “very bleak future,” posed by a new lockdown in England, the boss of one of the country’s biggest airport groups has said. Reuters reported that very low levels of travel in recent months have put airlines and airports under renewed financial strain after they were effectivelyshutduringBritain’sfirstlockdown,andtheynowfaceanother month without income during its second. “An urgent package of support must materialise,” said Manchester Airport Group’s (MAG) chief executive Charlie Cornish in a statement. HesaidthenewlockdownforEnglandthatstartedyesterdayandwhich bans international leisure travel, will make parts of the aviation sector unsustainable. Beforethepandemic,Britainhadathrivingaviationsector.Airtransport andrelatedsupplychainactivityplustouristarrivalssupported1.6million jobs and accounted for 4.5% of UK GDP according to an IATA study. But more than 20,000 jobs have now been lost at UK airlines like British Airways and easyJet, and Heathrow, once the busiest airport in Europe, has lost its crown to Paris. Industry executives blamed the UK government’s 14-day quarantine rules,andthecomparativelyslowadoptionofallowingtestingtoreplace the need for isolation, for exacerbating the pain. IndustrybodiesAirlinesUKandtheAirportOperatorsAssociationcalled onthegovernmenttobringinbusinessratesreliefforairports,waivethe airpassengerdutytax,andquicklybringinatestingregimetosavejobs.

“Why are airlines dying in Nigeria? Over 100 had died in the last few years. The environment is too harsh for airline business” Managing Director, Overland Airways,

Captain Edward Boyo

T H I S D AY Ëž NOVEMBER 6, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD AVIATION MINISTER EXPLAINS WHY NIGERIAN AIRLINES FAIL federal government decided to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, saying if the cost of operation is low for the airlines, the cost of air tickets would also be affordable to average Nigerians to travel by air. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The lower the charges the better for the aviation business because it will bring down the cost of tickets. But airports must be run and run for profits. For example, Overland Airways has been operating for a long time because they operate aircraft that are cheaper to maintain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since I became Minister I have approved every request made by airlines to import aircraft but if you look at their business plan you see they make bad decisions that lead to their failure. For example, Aero Contractors has been operating for almost 60 years but at a point they changed their business plan and started having challenges. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) could be held responsible to some extent because they approve these business plans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So the funding of airlines is a problem because of the high interest rate on loans. Twenty five per cent interest rate is very high. Source of funding is very important and that is why we have reached an advanced stage for funding for the aviation industry,â&#x20AC;? the minister said.

FG URGED TO TAP MARITIME POTENTIAL FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION the implementation of maritime regulations, has taken steps to create the right atmosphere for investment in the maritime sector, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jamoh added. The NIMASA boss identified the steps to include the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pivotal role in the recent intensification of collaboration and teamwork among maritime agencies; strengthening of cooperation between NIMASA and the security agencies, particularly, in the area of information sharing; establishment of a Maritime Intelligence Unit; proposed Maritime Security Strategy Document; the proposed Maritime Security Committee; and enactment of the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act 2019.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

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Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x; Ă¤Ă? (Aviation) Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x2013;Ă? Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x2DC; (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x2019; (Energy) Reporters

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NEWS

Ugwala Advises FG to Prioritise Public Safety, Boost Awareness Stories by Eromosele Abiodun In a bid to address the incessant deaths resulting from lack of public safety measures in the country, a safety expert, Mr. Julius Ugwala, has urged the federal government to prioritise safety measures across various sectors of the economy. Ugwala, who is also Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chief Diving Inspector Elect, was speaking during an interview on Maritime TV on the topic, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prioritising Public Safetyâ&#x20AC;?. He lamented that most of the disasters that lead to the loss of lives and properties in Nigeria could have been avoided. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Public safety is actually essential to everyone irrespective of your place of work. It is essential if you work in the oil sector, other aspects of shipping and it is also essential at home. We should all endeavour to be careful because one personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mistake could endanger a great number of people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For instance, if someone is storing several gallons of fuel in his apartment close to you; you should be concerned for your safety irrespective of your relationship with him or her. A possible fire outbreak from such activity could lead to the loss of several lives and you might be a victim. These are issues of public safety but it is sad that no one discusses these issues at the presidential level,â&#x20AC;? he said. According to him, the recent #ENDSARS protest which was hijacked by hoodlums was another example of lack

of preventive measures for public safety in the country. Speaking on the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s port sector, he described the issue of empty containers frequently falling on roads as a major public safety challenge yet to be addressed by the government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you look at trucks laden with containers traversing the country, there obviously is a need to improve their operations with regards to how they convey the containers. There is a need to improve the safety measures because such containers have killed innocent

citizens in their vehicles and pedestrians. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a country, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a programme to check this menace and there is no measure to safeguard Nigerian citizens. These accidents occur almost daily in port cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, yet there is no procedure to curb them, even though they are preventable,â&#x20AC;?he stated. Noting that Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has stipulated standards for trucks doing business at the ports, he called for serious enforcement of the

standards. Ugwala also stressed that digitalization should also be exploited to improve public safety with regards safeguarding crucial documents and data. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the documents allegedly stolen at NPA could breach the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safety or the positions of some individuals at NPA. We are in a digital world and things need to be done in a digital manner. Public safety cuts across board, from the police to oil and gas sector to other aspects of leadership. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The recent development

where we saw masses going through a small door to access COVID-19 palliatives, also showed another dimension of threats to public safety. People died during the stampede yet others were climbing the dead bodies just to access the food items. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high time we become more proactive in this country and think ahead as we develop policies, organise the work environment as well as our homes and way of living. We should always do our best to eliminate the threats to public safety, â&#x20AC;&#x153;he added.

Marina

SIFAXâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Subsidiaries Get ISO Quality Certification The SIFAX Group has announced that its subsidiaries have received the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO 9001:2015) certificates for quality management system. The company in a statement said the three subsidiaries are: Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, SIFAX Shipping Company Limited and SIFAX Nigeria Limited. ISO 9001 is an international

standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organisations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements At the formal presentation of the certificates to SIFAX Group, CEO, West Sealand International Security Services Limited, Ope Bashorun, the project consultants,

said the high operational standards the companies subscribe to made the ISO audit exercise an interesting one for his team and the road to certification less stressful. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the 21st century workplace, standards are becoming a differentiation factor. The competitiveness of the business environment and the need to deliver quality makes them more imperative for any business that

has a long-term vision. We are delighted to have worked with you all through the stages and we are convinced the certification will positively impact service delivery.â&#x20AC;? In his response, GMD, SIFAX Group, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, said the drive of becoming a globally-compliant company and the need to constantly evolve motivated the certification project.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;SIFAX Group is a company that wants to measure up to international quality standards. By this, we are demonstrating to all our customers, regulatory agencies and other stakeholders our resolve to deliver quality service,â&#x20AC;?he noted. Oyinloye further assured that the company would maintain the high standards that qualified the subsidiaries for the certification.

Experts Call for Review of Insurance, Pension Investment Legislations Ebere Nwoji Operators in the real sector as well as the insurance and pension sectors have called for urgent review of legislations guiding investments in various sectors of the economy in order to allow real sector operators have access to long-term funds. The operators who spoke at the 2020 national conference of the National Association of Insurance and Pension Correspondents (NAIPCO) held in Lagos on Wednesday, noted that currently, some legislations on investment in Nigeria do not favour investments in most sectors of the economy. The Director General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, while speaking on the theme: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Promoting Bankable Investments Portfolio for Insurance and Pension Sectors,â&#x20AC;? said bankable investment portfolio has become a general economic challenge

facing Nigerian banking system. He noted that insurance and pension funds are larger sources of long-term fund but are not available for real sector investment, whereas funds from financial system which is short-term in nature are the only available fund for them. He, however, noted that the tight regulation in investment of pension fund somehow saved the sector during crash in capital market investment. He said key issues to put into consideration in investing pension funds in the real sector includes safety of the investment, returns on investment, liquidity of the investment especially for insurance funds because of payment of claims which may arise ant time. He noted that the N11.35 trillion pension funds as at August this year means a lot in Nigeria investment market if there is right kind of investment environment and regulation.

He said there was need for government to put in place a unified exchange rate to encourage diaspora remittances. Also speaking, the Chairman, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, (NSITF), Mr. Austin Enajemo-Isere, said there was urgent need to consider alternative strategies to retool the economy for survival and growth even as he called for the review of the Pension Reform Act (PRA) to enable those in real sector have access to insurance and Pension fund to finance their operations. Enajemo-Isere, who was the chairman at the conference, identified the effect of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic and wanton destruction of life and properties across the country in the wake of the #EndSARS protest that was hijacked by hoodlums, among many others on the economy and noted that the impact of these crisis have resulted into the Nation GDP

declining from a growth of 2.2 percent in 2019 to about -4 percent by year end. He said as a result of this, the government, private sector institutions and individuals have continued to search for economic survival strategies to change the narratives and create new normal. The NSITF boss, advocated for a deliberate policy by the authorities, in addition to what is currently obtainable, directly or through moral suasion to invest Insurance and Pension Fund in sectors such as Manufacturing, Agriculture and Aviation among others with an inbuilt safety net. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In furtherance to the foregoing, the current restrictive nature of insurance and pension funds investment outlets calls for review of the legislations guiding investment of insurance and pension fund. The yelling and plea from the Organised Private sector of Nigeria (OPSN)

to create more access to investible funds deserves attention. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is worthy to note and be reminded that insurance and pension funds are subject to regulatory guidelines as provided in section 25 of the Insurance Act 2003 as amended and Sect 86 of the PRA 2014, for the purpose of safety and Returns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, a consideration for review of these legislations to enable some special and real sectors of the economy have access to insurance and pension fund to finance their operations, will be most beneficial to the growth and development of the Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Macroeconomic activities. A deliberate policy by the authorities, in addition to what is currently obtainable, directly or through moral suasion to invest insurance and pension fund in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and aviation, etc with an inbuilt safety net, will be a welcome development,â&#x20AC;? he suggested.

T H I S D AY Ëž Í´Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

NEWS

CIPPON Seeks Transparency in N2.9bn Printing Contracts Stories by Chinedu Eze The Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON) has requested the Bureau of Public Procurement to make public, the names of the group of printers that would be executing the N2.9 billion contracts for the printing of sensitive and non-sensitive examination materials as approved by the Federal Executive Council recently. Commending the federal government over the initiative, the CIPPON President, Mr. Olugbemi Malomo, said awarding the contracts to Nigerian printers was in tandem with the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 32-page post Covid- 19 priority document that Nigerian print-

ing jobs should remain in the country and for printing jobs to be allocated to only printers registered by the Institute. Malomo, added that the contract approval could not have come at a better time than now, when a lot of capacity in the industry are lying fallow due to the effect of the Covid-19 and the fact that every year, over N1 trillion is taken out of the printing and graphics communication industry to develop capacity of other countries by executing Nigerian government jobs in those countries. In a bid to ensure that the aforementioned demands are met, the institute has sent a letter to the Bureau of Public Procurement to make public the names of the group of

eight printers executing the contracts. This is for the institute to ascertain that the contract would be executed in Nigeria and to ensure the printers are registered practitioners as stipulated in the Printers Act 24 of 2007, section 23 (b) which states that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Council ensures that no firm or partnership shall practice as printers in Nigeria unless it is registered by the Council.â&#x20AC;? Malomo, also expressed the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gratitude to the government for responding to their yearnings by including printing and allied industry in the post COVID -19 Palliative Committee, describing this as a sign of good things to come for the printing industry in Nigeria.

Emirates Begins Daily Flights to Lagos Emirates has announced an increase to its four times a week service to Lagos to a daily flight. This initiative became effective since November 1, 2020. The expanded schedule of daily services offers enhanced connectivity for Nigerian customers to Emiratesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; growing destination network via Dubai of close to 100 destinations. With this, customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Dubai is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which endorses Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comprehensive and effective

measures to ensure guest health and safety. To ensure the safety of travelers, visitors, and the community, COVID-19 PCR tests taken within 96 hours of travel are mandatory for passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE). Nigerian travelers can now travel with confidence thanks to the free cover on COVID-19 related medical expenses should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until December 31st, 2020 and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey. This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit

from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination. The free, global cover for COVID-19 related costs is further complemented by the comprehensive set of measures that Emirates has put in place at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers. Emirates has also revised its booking policies to offer customers more flexibility and confidence to plan their travel.

Qatar Partners IATA on ClimateCare Qatar Airways has announced the official launch of its carbon offset programme. The airlineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passengers now have the opportunity to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions associated with their journey at the point of booking. Qatar Airwaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; carbon offset programme is built on a partnership with the International Air Transport Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (IATA) Carbon Offset Programme, providing its customers with the assurance that the credits bought to offset these emissions are from projects delivering independently verified carbon reductions as well as wider environmental and social benefits. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are pleased to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions associated with their journeys with us. As an environmentally responsible airline, our modern fleet of technologically advanced aircraft, together with our fuel-efficiency programme, combine to optimise aircraft performance and reduce the environmental impact of flying. Our customers can now help to further minimise their environmental footprint by

opting to contribute to our carbon offset programme.â&#x20AC;? On his part, IATAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Director General and CEO, Mr. Alexandre de Juniac, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are delighted to welcome Qatar Airways to the IATA Carbon Offset Programme. Their commitment underlines our industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s determination to reduce our impact on the environment while allowing Qatar Airwaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; customers the opportunity to lessen the environmental impact of their own travel. There is no alternative to aviation when it comes to long distance travel and carbon offsetting is an immediate, direct and pragmatic means of limiting the impact of climate change.â&#x20AC;? Customers can opt in to Qatar Airwaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; carbon offset programme when purchasing tickets through the Qatar Airways website and mobile application. Booking information, including information regarding the carbon offset programme, is available in multiple languages including Arabic, Chinese (classic), Chinese (traditional), Croatian, Czech, English, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrai-

nian, and Vietnamese. Emissions would be offset with climate and sustainable development expert ClimateCare, through the Fatanpur Wind Farm project in India. This project has installed wind turbine generators (WTGs) with a combined output of 108 MW to generate and supply clean electricity to the Indian National Grid. The project consists of 54 wind turbines, installed in and around the villages of Taluk Dewas, Tonkkhurd and Tarana Taluk in the Dewas and Ujjain districts of Madhya Pradesh. The turbines displace electricity generated from fossil fuel sources from the Indian grid, reducing the overall carbon intensity and leading to emissions reductions. This project avoids 210,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. ClimateCare Director of Partnerships, Mr. Robert Stevens, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are pleased to be working alongside Qatar Airways and IATA to retire high quality, independently verified carbon credits on behalf of Qatar Airwaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; customers who want to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their flights.

Path to Focus Aviation Sector Chinedu Eze The amendment of the Acts guiding aviation agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) is aimed at modernising operations of these agencies. It also aims to eliminate conflicting provisos and to update the regulation to be in tandem with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). But the public hearing organised by Senate which lasted from October 2nd to 4th, 2020 created the opportunity for brainstorming, airing of new ideas and provided a substrate for umbrage among people and organistations with conflicting interest Matters bordering on taxes, charges and debts ignited arguments that had to be tamed by the wisdom and experience of the former Director General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren. Presenters at the hearing hauled allegations on airlines on the first day of sitting, which reinforced endless disagreements between the airlines and the agencies over issues concerning debts and operational environment. In his speech that calmed the fraying nerves, Demuren spoke about the need to amend the acts that guide the agencies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of us have worked together in the past to achieve this, we have tried in the past and all of us have witnessed it here. But we are going higher; we must not lose this opportunity. Never before have we had Minister of Aviation as an aviator. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We never had Permanent Secretary as an aviator - two of them are together now, so they know what we are talking about and they can move forward. We have to support this so that we can move forward. If there are areas to be highlighted let us explain it so that they can know what we are talking about. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be fighting ourselves right now we need to move forward.â&#x20AC;? Despite the grouse of the agencies over the airlines and some stakeholders who accused the airlines of being embroiled in debts and not deserving interventions funds, Demuren painted the realities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to talk about the airlines. I believe the airlines are burning but airlines must help themselves. And I believe the Minister mentioned it when weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re discussing this.

We need strong airlines. When we look at Ethiopian Airlines, many years ago Ethiopian airlines could not even compete with Okada Air, see where they are today. We need to support our domestic airlines. They need to be strong for us, without the airlines we are dead. They are the ones that operate all over Nigeria

Demuren Airlines borrowing money at high interest rate of 25 per cent is a killer. You cannot make money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The minister said he will get single digit interest rate so we should embrace that. Now, when it comes to forex, foreign airlines get forex but Nigerian airlines donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get forex. We should open a window to make sure that we can also let them get their own forex. They have to buy their spare parts, they have to train their people; these are the things I think we should do to make the airlines strong. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need strong airlines. When we look at Ethiopian Airlines, many years ago Ethiopian airlines could not even compete with Okada Air, see where they are today. We need to support our domestic airlines. They need to be strong for us, without the airlines we are dead. They are the ones that operate all over Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We wanted to beg the Minister to do more but you as airlines must have corporate governance, you must pay your bills. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t collect money and you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay, if you do that abroad, they will sanction you. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In many occasions (when I was Director General) theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve held the airlines, I did have to run back to the Minister to come and assist. I think it is important that we all agree that we need to support our airlines, they need to be strong for us and we will continue to support them in that area. Without a strong Nigerian airline, there is nothing we are doing,â&#x20AC;? Demuren said. On regulation, the former Director General of NCAA said that before Nigeria secured Category 1 Safety Status from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the organisation complained that many aviation agencies function as regulators, but the Nigerian government had to assure the FAA officials that the country had only one regulator, NCAA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One thing has been on my mind, and that is the first thing that you did. ICAO complained, FAA complained, we could not get Category 1, we could not pass ICAO audit because they said there are too many agencies that function as regulators in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now, that is what this has done, we are making Nigerian aviation great, there is only one regulator and for goodness sake, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support a strong regulator which can talk on behalf of the industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This regulator can tell the Minister that he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t agree with policy or that policy, but we can do it this way, that is how we should move. I think this is very, very important, we should not lose this opportunity. We have aviator a Minister and a perm sec, and also a captain as the Director General, we should work together,â&#x20AC;? Demuren said.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ NOVEMBER 6, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Revisiting the National Carrier Debate Chinedu Eze reexamines issues around the federal government’s plan to float a national airline

his is not a great time for the air transport industry globally. The aviation industry is one of the economic sectors devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which effect is still being felt as some countries of the world walk reluctantly into the second phase of the pandemic. COVID-19 has not only devastated the aviation industry, but it has also redefined it and has made it compulsory for total overhaul of the sector because of its impact, which has led to loss of billions of dollars and millions of jobs. Countries all over the world are making attempts to save their airlines; airlines themselves are restructuring decisively, trimming down their workforce and resting their airplanes which operational cost could dig big holes in their finances. That is why Qantas, Australian carrier, decided to rest its Airbus 380 and other airlines have also decided to retire their Boeing 747 and A380 because of their high operational costs. Lufthansa announced in April that it was grounding five of its 32 B747s and 14 A380s, saying the move was related to their higher environmental and economic footprint. The Economic Times Magazine has reported that airlines have started retiring their Boeing 747s and Airbus A380s, noting that British Airways had retired its B747, “as the coronavirus pandemic forces it to cut back operations and cut costs.” “BA’s announcement follows moves by a number of other airlines that have retired their B747s and their Airbus A380, another jumbo-sized four-engine jet made by Boeing’s European rival. The fact the planes have four engines means they consume more fuel, which means they can cost more to operate and cause more pollution if not full,” the magazine reported. BBC reported on Sunday that US airlines have laid off thousands of workers despite the support funds given to them by their government. “US airlines have begun laying off thousands of workers after the efforts to negotiate a new economic relief plan in Congress stalled. American Airlines says it shedding 19,000 workers and United Airlines 13,000. “The carriers - badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic - say they are ready to reverse the decisions if more financing is found. The airlines have received billions of dollars from the federal government,” BBC News reported. National Carrier It is in the face of above realities that the federal government insisted that it is floating a national carrier from its obviously lean resources and at a time the aviation industry is struggling to survive and most airlines are floundering. Domestic airlines are in urgent need for bailout to survive, aviation agencies are struggling to sustain their services under severe financial situation and needed support from government. But on Monday the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika announced that government had given the airlines N4 billion and other aviation businesses N1 billion palliative. Many industry observers commended government for this but some others said that the intervention is too little too late. The federal government has disclosed it planned to float Nigeria Air, among other aviation critical projects by 2021. The projects got N78b in 2021 budget. Growth and High Cost of Operation Some industry stakeholders said Nigeria, like many African countries are floating a national carrier in order to take advantage of the growing passenger traffic in the continent. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that the continent will see 274 million air passengers by 2036. So the region needs more airports and viable airlines. But according to the popular German medium DW news, establishing a national carrier in Africa faces large hurdles, because the fact is that national carriers in Africa are costly to run. “According to IATA projections, African airlines will lose $100 million this year and most state-owned flag carriers in the region are losing money. Ethiopian Airlines is subSaharan Africa’s only profitable large state-owned airline. Carrying 11 million passengers in 2017,

When Air Peace evacuated Nigerians from South Africa

it serves over a hundred destinations on all five continents. South African Airways, one of the continent’s biggest airlines, has been making massive losses since 2011 and has only survived thanks to huge government bailouts,” DW News reported. Lean Resources Many industry stakeholders are of the view that the federal government should not embark on establishing a national carrier now, considering government’s lean resources. Many say that national carrier must be efficiently managed to be successful and there is no indication that that could be achieved knowing the level of corruption in Nigeria and how government businesses are managed in the country. Some also consider national carrier project as outmoded and not in tandem with modern realities, noting also that in all national carrier projects in Africa, none is profitable except Ethiopia Airlines and those still sustaining their operation, like Egypt Air, Air Maroc, Kenya Airways are buoyed by tourism, which is not well developed in Nigeria yet. Defenceweb, Africa’s leading defence news portal analysed the African market and noted that South Africa and Nigeria have robust domestic air transport market. In Nigeria the domestic market needs government support to strengthen the airlines, not to establish a national carrier. Defenceweb reported that on 21 October, The International Road Federation in support of the Southern African Transport Conference hosted its fourth and final webinar for 2020 on the impact COVID-19 has had on African aviation, aviation technology developments and the evolving state of the Africa’s flight industry. The Managing Director of ZA Logics, an aviation logistics company based in Africa, Ogaga Udjo, presented a paper on the evolving state of African aviation. He noted that before COVID-19, “The global airline industry enjoyed 11 years of consecutive profits, strongly driven by performance in North America”. He stated that African aviation had an expected available seat kilometre (ASK) growth of 3.8 per cent, revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) growth of 4.9 per cent and profitability of a $200 million loss for 2020, similar to 2019. COVID-19 obviously changed these forecasts. Udjo added that the African aviation industry supports $56 billion per annum in economic activity and 6.2 million jobs. “In 2019, 35 per cent of passengers who touched down in Africa were on international travel, 25 per cent intra-Africa and 40 per cent domestic. “These percentages vary: Morocco had 77

percent intercontinental, Angola 38 per cent, and Kenya 25 per cent with South Africa and Nigeria at 17 per cent and 18 per cent. Domestic travel for South Africa and Nigeria is much higher at 70 per cent, as well as Kenya at 46 per cent. This is due to the maturity of their aviation industry,” Udjo observed. Reviewing Decision on National Carrier Udjo’s observation indicates that despite the challenges faced by Nigerian domestic carriers, they have maintained robust service and sustained domestic air travel over the years. So what many in the industry argue is that government should support these airlines instead of floating a national carrier with precarious future clouded in uncertainty. The CEO of Top Brass Aviation Limited, Captain Roland Iyayi said he is not against the decision of the federal government to float a national carrier and cannot comment on it because the structure of the planned carrier is not known and expressed the hope that government should establish a carrier that would be different from what is currently obtained. In other words, the new airline should have a different template from the current domestic carriers and will also not operate like domestic airlines. “The structure of the new planned airline is not yet known, but it will not make sense if it will operate like domestic airlines. We don’t have all the facts so I won’t comment on it. “But to me, the issue of a national carrier is archaic idea because a lot of countries have outgrown that. The United States never had a national carrier. British Airways was privatised by former Prime Minister, Margret Thatcher and it is owned by various interests and groups,” Iyayi said. He advocated that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should introduce a new licencing regime for airlines where there should be three levels of licencing determined by the kind of operation an airline wishes to embark on. For example, an airline that wants to operate turboprops to secondary airports would have category 3 licence and the one that wants to operate international destinations would have category 1 licence. “NCAA has a role to play in this. If you licence airlines at different levels they will know what to do and this can change the dynamics. This is not rocket science but I don’t think it is good idea to establish a national carrier. “The industry should take a new dimension to take cognizance of new realities. So my view is to empower domestic airlines that have capacity and make them flag carriers. So government should empower domestic

airlines and restructure the airline licensing process,” Iyayi added. Support for Domestic Airlines During the public hearing on the review of Civil Aviation Act by the Senate in Abuja on Monday, there were various views expressed by industry stakeholders over the operations of domestic airlines. Some harped on the debts owed by the operators, while others insisted that the airlines needed more support from government in order to survive. There was emphasis on supporting existing carriers to make them strong airlines and with such strong airlines; Nigeria may not need a national carrier. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi during the hearing canvassed for bailout fund for the airlines; otherwise they would go under. Adeyemi also excoriated the decision by the federal government to give the airlines N4 billion and N1 billion to other businesses in the aviation industry, as disclosed by Sirika, stressing that it was too little to do anything for the operators, adding that the fortunes of airlines globally have degenerated because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Nigerian carriers are not left out. He noted that other countries have paid huge bailout funds to their airlines in other to sustain their operations and retain their manpower. Adeyemi warned that if the challenges of the indigenous airlines were not urgently addressed by the government, most of the carriers may close shop very soon and called on Sirika, to use his good offices to ensure improved approval of palliative funds to the carriers. “Let’s look at the cost of spare parts for the airlines and duties that they perform. Though, we might argue that the business is a private one, but it is centred on safety. The N4 billion approved for the airlines by the federal government is too little to make any impact on the operations of the airlines. “If you want to keep the airlines in business and you don’t want them to start cutting corners, there is need to look at the airlines with a view to giving them substantive supports. If they start cutting corners, that will be worse for the industry. We may not be professionals in the sector, but we know how some of the airlines outside the country operate,” Senator Adeyemi said. National carrier may not be the priority now for the federal government, knowing the perlous state the aviation industry is globally. Government should strengthen the airlines in order for them to retain their workforce and also carry out their critical responsibility of taking people from place to place.

T H I S D AY ˾ NOVEMBER 6, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

The Attack on NPA Building Eromosele Abiodun writesthat the damaged done to NPA headquarters by hoodlums who latched on the #ENDSARS protest will take a long time to fix given the current financial situation of the country

Bala-Usman conducting newsmen around burnt staﬀ busses

n Saturday, October 3, 2020, a viral message broadcast on social media suggested men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) had gunned down a Nigerian youth, snatched his car, and sped off with it. The person who recorded the video was heard screaming at anyone watching the video to see what had transpired. As the video spread on Social media, the hashtag #ENDSARS started to garner momentum as more young people demanded an end to the police unit that has for years brutalised young Nigerians. As a matter of fact, the #EndSARS movement dates back to 2017, where Nigerian youths used the hashtag to share their experiences on violence and assault perpetrated by the defunct SARS. However, the movement only revived in early October, after a video emerged of police officers thought to be members of the SARS unit, allegedly killing an unarmed young man. This prompted Nigerian youths to troop to Twitter, calling on the federal government for police reform with the hashtag, #EndSARS, #Endpolicebrutality, and many more. The hashtag trended continuously on Twitter as Nigerian youths aired their pain and experiences online. As a result, Nigerian youths embarked on a peaceful protest tagged #EndSARS to demand the disbandment of the SARS unit, as well as, other reforms in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). However, what started out as a peaceful demonstration by thousands of youths, degenerated into chaos after the protests were hijacked by hoodlums. The hijacked protest was then characterised by the heavy presence of security personnel on the streets of Lagos, mob attacks on security personnel, killings, and vandalism of public and private properties. It took a violent turn following the shooting of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Tollgate. With massive unemployment and economic hardship in the country, restive youths and hooligans seized the opportunity to vent their anger at the elite leading to massive destruction and looting of public and private properties. Across 20 states of the federation, public and private properties worth billions of naira were destroyed. Lagos state, a very important economic hub was the worst hit. THISDAY checks revealed that 62 people were killed nationwide in the protests against the now-dissolved police SARS, which metamorphosed into agitation for improved governance in addition to justice for victims of police brutality. Although official valuation of properties destroyed has not been released, there are estimates that over N1 trillion may be required to rebuild public and private property destroyed by hoodlums in Lagos state alone. Official figures accessed by THISDAY showed that 51 of those killed are civilians while 11 others were policemen. The long list of destroyed public and private property in Lagos are: Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Secretariat; Palace of the Oba of Lagos; Lagos High Court, Igbosere; Oyingbo BRT Terminus; Ojodu Berger BRT Terminus; Vehicle Inspection Office, Ojodu Berger; Lagos State Public

Burnt section of Marina head oﬃce Works Corporation, Ojodu Berger; Lagos City Hall and Circle Mall, Lekki; numerous luxury shops in Surulere, The Nation Newspaper, TVC and Shoprite Lekki. The state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, said 27 of the destroyed BRT vehicles cost $200,000 each, while 57 of them cost $100,000 each, all totalling about N3.9 billion. According to the police, the 25 stations burnt in Lagos are Orile, Amukoko, Layeni, Ilasamaja, Ikotun, Ajah, Igando, Elemoro, Makinde, Onipanu, Ebute Ero, Pen-Cinema, Isokoko, Alade, Cele, Igbo Elerin, Shibiri, Gbagada, Onilekere, Makoko, Daleko, Asahun, Makinyo, Amuwo-Odofin, Anti-Kidnapping, Surulere. Other police stations that were vandalised but not burnt were Ojo, Ojodu, Mowo, PPL and Morogbo. NPA Count Loses Latching on the Lekki tollgate shooting on October 20, 2020,hoodlums numbering over 300stormed the head office of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at 8:42 am on Wednesday October 21, 2020. The hoodlums were said to have gained access into the premises from the outer Broad Street wing brandishing, daggers, sticks and cutlasses. After attacking, disarming and chasing the security personnel on duty out of the headquarters premises, the attackers proceeded to burn and vandalise several vehicles belonging to the authority and some members of staff. They thereafter set an entire wing of the office building on fire. Upon knowledge of the attack, officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces were invited and deployed in the premises. They successfully dispersed the hoodlums and reclaimed possession of the premises following which the NPA’s firemen were able to gain access into the building and put out the raging fire. But before that could be done, serious damage had been done. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ NOVEMBER 6, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Shote: Pandemic Has Fast-tracked Adoption of Digital Solutions The Head of Cash Management at Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Ojinika Shote, in this interview speaks on the evolution of cash management for corporates operating in Nigeria, and the role this service plays in achieving business as well as social, economic and environmental impact. Oluchi Chibuzor brings the excerpts:

s a key component of financial stability, cash management has continued to evolve. Can you explain the concept of cash management and expatiate on its evolution in Nigeria and how has it impacted the Nigerian economy? Cash management is the effective planning, monitoring and management of an organisation’s liquid or near liquid resources. Being a treasury management function, it entails day to day cash control, ensuring the organisation has enough cash/liquid resources to meet short-term obligations in the applicable currencies, having an efficient bank account structure that facilitates easy and secure payments and quicker collection of receivables. The cash management space continues to evolve and remain a critical aspect of transactional banking with technological and process advancement. The landscape has evolved significantly over the last decade. We have seen a transition from physical cash solutions, use of cheques and automated clearing house solutions to faster and safer cash management solutions using digital channels for delivery of these solutions, for electronic payments and collections, instant payments and automated reconciliation for business purposes. This transition has gradually reduced the risk associated with cash which organisations have had to bear over time and while these risks are not eliminated, they are being reduced to more manageable levels. Nigeria is a trailblazer in Africa, setting high standards especially in the area of payment solutions. The introduction of Instant Payments and NIBSS Automated Payments (NAPs) payment gateways by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has propelled us as one of the foremost markets with regards to payments in Africa. This has supported greater efficiency in our clients’ business operations by availing instant/near-instant transactions – both single and bulk. Organisations’ value chains are also transforming into a more digital experience and this is particularly favourable to treasurers who continuously seek ways to optimise capital through efficient management of cashflows and information. Overseeing cash management for corporates means administering daily inflow and outflow of monies based on the corporates’ business needs. Can you highlight these needs for both local and international corporates operating in Nigeria and what solutions banks are providing in this respect? When it comes to running any successful business, whether local or international, cash flow is key. An organisation may be profitable but without cash resources available to run its daily operations, it will not survive for long. The role of the corporate treasurer has transformed from a traditional cash management function to one that is significantly more visible, as a strategic partner to the business and involved in corporate strategy; and the bank is dedicated to delivering suitable and customised solutions to enable treasurers achieve their objectives in a secure and cost-efficient manner. Among the many needs of the corporate treasurer today, effective payment and collection solutions to facilitate cash flow for operations are key. Banks offer a range of solutions that meet this need and with technology, requests have extended to customised solutions integrable to the organisation’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to aid customer validation and reconciliation. In addition, since most organisations are multi-banked, and considering the peculiarities of organisations’ route to market, it necessitates that industry aggregators with bank agnostic solutions such as Ebills Pay and NIBSS Pay powered by NIBSS are leveraged to provide a robust service to the client. Payment solutions have involved organisations signing up to bank’s corporate electronic channels for

It is our honour to be the banking partner that supported the WHO and the Federal Government of Nigeria in achieving this remarkable feat, despite complexities around logistics, planning and managing operations at the grassroots level. With respect to WHO’s efforts concerning the eradication of wild polio in Nigeria, can you summarise the geographical spread of the solution provided by Stanbic IBTC Bank to WHO and the beneﬁciary size? Our participation in the project commenced as a physical cash payment solution to WHO beneficiaries across all 36 States of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). These payments covered the most remote local government areas in these states. The Bank worked with WHO to determine central payment hubs closest to each Local Government Area (LGA) across each state. In terms of geographic spread and to put it in perspective, WHO was confident that in order to fully eradicate the wild polio virus from Nigeria, they had to operate in all LGAs across Nigeria which is precisely the coverage area that this solution was able to deliver to. The beneficiary size on a yearly basis is over 1.5 million beneficiaries. In line with our client promise, we stayed close to the client and were able to migrate to more automated payment solutions with the use of our Mobile Money wallets and bank accounts. Using these solutions, we can reach beneficiaries in very remote locations where terrain or security was an issue, whilst cutting down operational costs on the project.

Shote

payments including salaries, vendor payments, tax and cross border payments using different payment gateways – Automated Clearing House (ACH), NIBSS Instant Pay (NIP), Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS), NIBSS Automated Payment System (NAPS) all available to support the different payment types. While banks continually upgrade their technology to cater to evolving client needs, banks also deploy technologies such as Application Programming Interface (APIs) and other forms of connectivity to integrate directly into client’s ERP for direct transmission of banking transactions. The bank is also able to support treasurers’ liquidity management requirements by recommending appropriate account structures and tailored liquidity management solutions using sweeping and target balancing products among others, to maximise returns on idle balances while ensuring sufficient liquidity when required. Organisations require useful information and actionable insights to support cashflow forecasting, business planning and strategic decision making. Banks provide useful data points and analytics that equip the organisation to identify and take advantage of new business opportunities.

As Head of Cash Management at Stanbic IBTC Bank, your team enables corporate clients attain their business’ cash management goals. What are the implications of successful delivery, both to the organisations and the economy? It is rewarding to see how our advisory and solutions drive efficiency in our clients’ operations towards achieving their strategic imperatives. With each successful delivery to our clients come the fulfilment of a promise made as a committed partner that supports them towards attaining their objectives. Our approach is purely client-centric one where we seek to understand the client’s pain-points and resolve them leveraging technology-based solutions. The focus of each client request is customer satisfaction and the opportunity to partner with them to arrive at a customised solution that will make a difference in their business and value chain. A successful and thriving organisation contributes and supports the growth of the Nigerian economy by its direct contribution to Gross Dometic Product (GDP), also through the ecosystem, it supports as an anchor. The more the organisation demands the adoption of digital practices and solutions across its ecosystem and value chain, the faster the rate of digital adoption and financial inclusion.

The cash management space continues to evolve and remain a critical aspect of transactional banking with technological and process advancement. The landscape has evolved signiﬁcantly over the last decade

Do you see any correlation between proper cash management for organisations and Social, Economic and Environmental (SEE) impact? How has cash management contributed in this area? Stanbic IBTC is committed to supporting sustainable business in Nigeria. Our banking principles provide a framework for ensuring that we create the future of banking by aligning our strategy and business with the vision for a better society. This is evident in our partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the Direct Disbursement Mechanism (DDM), a payment project to support volunteers, mostly indigenes of the rural communities who participate in the implementation of the polio vaccination rounds that take place across the Nation. Without stipends successfully paid to these volunteers, the DDM project would have been threatened and this amazing milestone of achieving a Polio-Free-Status would have not been met.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a rise in the use of digital transfers powered by ﬁntechs. How has digitisation affected cash management in Nigeria? The pandemic has fast-tracked the adoption of digital solutions by organisations. We have seen a faster uptake of solutions and less resistance from those who hitherto were not yet ready to go digital. In the last five years, the bulk of electronic transfers happening in the corporate landscape has been powered by industry aggregators such as NIBSS and Interswitch. The progress described around FinTech is a welcome evolution within the financial markets space. More corporates are requesting for information around their value chain as well as seeking to outsource some back-office operations such as receipting. The work done by some of these FinTechs have added value in this regard. Stanbic IBTC’s approach is to collaborate with the FinTechs to deliver well-rounded solutions to our esteemed clients. The pandemic impacted the economy severely, causing a standstill in some sectors. How were banks able to meet the cash management needs of their local and international clients across various locations in Nigeria during the lockdown? During the lockdown period, banks were deemed as essential services by the Presidential Task Force. A strategic selection of our branches remained open to customers to support their banking transactions during the lockdown; as expected, most customers also leveraged our bouquet of electronic solutions to meet their cash management needs. However, we undoubtedly noticed the impact of the pandemic in changing the perspective of previously hesitant clients to adopt digital solutions and the reliance on electronic channels for banking transactions. This was imperative for business continuity and organisations already on the digital journey felt a much lower impact than those that were yet to begin. Stanbic IBTC Bank remains a strategic partner to its clients on different stages of their digital journey and we continue to work hard on the implementation of our digital strategy which is aligned to relieving the pain points currently faced by customers, retail and corporates alike.

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 08038901925

Tina Ndidi Ugo: How COVID -19 Lockdown Broadened My Horizons

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Tina Ndidi Ugo: How COVID -19 Lockdown Broadened My Horizons Her dream has always been to set up multiple businesses to enable her to have multiple streams of income. During the COVID-19 lockdown, it became obvious that people were more interested in buying items to make their home stay more comfortable. That was when Ms. Tina Ndidi Ugo, a certified fashion designer, interior designer, travel

industry. We eventually became unofficial business partners at some point before her demise.

hat was it like at the beginning? D I D I Creations w a s launched in 2012, while DIDI Creations Kids was launched in 2016. At the beginning, I knew I wanted to build a global fashion brand that would outlive me so I gave it my all. DIDI CREATIONS was berthed in my bedroom shortly after my graduation from Edgehill Business School; where I was awarded a Master of Business Administration in 2011. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always loved the fashion industry while growing up and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still fascinated by fashion till date. So upon my graduation, I was torn between getting a job in the financial sector or setting up my own business. I decided to settle for the latter and the rest is history today. I followed all the steps required to start up a fashion business. What inspired you to go into the fashion and bag designing business? To be honest, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll say the fashion industry was inevitable and innate for me as I always believed I had something to offer because of my creativity. I had been told times without number by strangers, friends and family that I was quite creative whenever I was seen in any of my designed custom made sample pieces, hence, I decided to pull the bull by the horn and made up my mind to start designing as a means of livelihood. I started designing clothing, bags, shoes and accessories as a result of my fetish for these fashion pieces. My personal love and preference for genuine leather and statement fashion pieces was also a huge factor. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so passionate about fashion and style, to the extent that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a collector of most fashion items and accessories. What were you doing before this and what was the experience like? Prior to launching my brands, I worked with three different corporate sectors (Insurance, Aviation and Publishing sectors) between 2002 and 2005. I kept changing jobs every year as there was no real job satisfaction, however Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll forever be grateful for some of the professional experiences I gathered while at my 9-5 jobs, because they helped prepare me. I quit the corporate world in 2005 to pursue my Entrepreneurial dream. This saw me setting up my first business (BLACK Cashmere Ventures) in 2005. I have set up a few other businesses afterwards, including DIDI Creations Limited, DIDI Deluxe Services Limited, DIDI Deluxe Travel Limited and POP UP Nigeria Limited. What are some of the challenges encountered? One of the biggest challenges is production and quality control. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had quite a number of devastating experiences with manufacturers and Artisans in Italy, Nigeria, Ghana and China. Logistics is also another challenge, especially for those pieces we manufacture in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Finally, getting the products out there on the shelves of major departmental stores; because no matter how good your

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compare when you started doing this and now, what has changed? When I started, my retail outlets/stockists and clientele base were mainly in the UK and Nigeria. Whereas now, apart from those two, we do have a presence and clientele across the globe including the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, Singapore, Holland etc. In what ways has being an entrepreneur changed your lifestyle? Being an entrepreneur has made me become a workaholic, as I work round the clock. What are some of the changes that you would like to see in the sector? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll like to see African Fashion dominate the global fashion scene. I foresee this happening in the near future. What are some of the lessons that you have learnt? Based on experience over the years, I have learnt to do more market research and product testing before going into full production for new lines and collections.

Ugo

product or service is, it needs to be visible and people need to be aware it exists. Would you say the business is lucrative? The fashion industry is very capital intensive but can be quite lucrative if you get it right or have a big break. How has the COVID-19 pandemic era impacted on your business? When the lockdown started as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, it became apparent we were living in uncertain times, and it will be a while before weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to return to complete normality like we used to know. Running a business is time consuming so I decided to make most of my time during the lockdown by planning, strategising and promoting my online businesses. I knew recession was unavoidable in the near future and needed to have multiple streams of income. Few weeks after the lockdown, I noticed a surge in sales with my fabric store (DIDI TEXTILES BOUTIQUE); this made me start researching online for other items with a high demand. I discovered people were ordering a lot of household items and lounge wears, generally, items that made home stay comfortable. Right now, people have more time to shop online than ever. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the perfect opportunity to get creative with new ways to deliver value to both my existing and potential clients. Plus, the ideas that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m able to get off the ground while I have free time can continue to provide extra revenue for years to come. This made me decide to diversify with the launching of my two new brands -DIDI DELUXE HOME and VVIP LINGERIE. What are some memorable moments in your life and career? My most memorable moment in life was

my pregnancy journey and giving birth to my daughter. Words canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t explain my feelings when I saw her for the first time. The day I officially launched DIDI CREATIONS eight years ago remains fresh in my memory also. One of my memorable highlights after launching would be when I had my first live interview in 2013 bduring the Womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hour on BBC radio 4 discussing African Fashion prior to my first runway showcase in London. Another was when I took my first bow on the stage as a Fashion designer during Africa Fashion Week London 2013 (Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken several other bows over the years in London, New York, Kenya and Lagos). In 2016, I opened the show at Africa Fashion Week London and took a bow with my 7 months old daughter; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say that experience and moment was priceless for me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also cherished being featured in almost all the major fashion magazines in the UK, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria over the years; including British Vogue, Elle, Tatler, Harper â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bazaar, Glamour, Glam Africa, Pride, Genevieve magazine, TW magazine, Working Moms, Complete fashion and several others. I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget in a hurry the brand exposure I got when my brand was chosen alongside 29 other British brands by the UK Department for International Trade in 2017 to have our products retailed in a major mall in Paris for a whole month. Finally, all the awards I have received over the years inspire and motivate me to work harder. Who do you consider as the greatest influence in your life and career? My late mum was my greatest influence and role model. She was such a hard working beautiful woman and serial entrepreneur, so I grew up emulating her. In her lifetime, she ventured into the beauty sector, food sector and fashion

What are some of the things that you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do in the name of fashion? Style for me is a way of saying who I am without uttering a word. Style radiates in everything one does not necessarily only in fashion. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t follow a fashion trend if it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t align with my personal style. Tell us about the things that you treasure most in life? I treasure my daughter, family, peace, sanity, time and happiness. How do you relax? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an avid lover of nature so I relax by watching and capturing the sunrise, seaside, birds, clouds formations and sunsets. Who are your role models? I admire innovators and hope I can invent something new in my lifetime. Where do you hope to see your business in the next few years? I hope to see my business expand into new markets and also have a main stake in the sector. If you had to advise young people who want to go into the sector, what would you tell them? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll let them know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very capital intensive sector. Hence, anyone venturing into it needs to have the will to persevere and passion to continue when the chips are down. What are some of the other things that occupy your time? Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say, I literally work round the clock. Apart from being a hands-on mom to my daughter, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m also a certified travel consultant, business coach, an amateur photographer, freelance web developer, Freelance Graphic designer, blogger and vlogger. All of the above keep me on my toes daily.

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Leisure Courts Set to Roll out AďŹ&#x20AC;ordable Houses in Lagos Stories by Mary Nnah There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the common man in Lagos, and Nigeria as a whole, as a reputable real estate company, Leisure Courts, has designed plans to massively roll out low-cost houses with affordable flexible payment options for Nigerians in selected areas in Lagos. Speaking during the official commissioning of its Lagos office recently, the Managing Director, Leisure Court and Super Structures Limited, SegunAbolaji, said Leisure Courts which has been in Abuja for a while has decided to open a branch in Lagos to contribute its own quota in solving the high housing deficit in the state. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leisure Court is a household name in the Real Estate Industry and we are a group of seasoned professionals in the Real Estate sector and a team of builders, engineers, and architects providing excellent housing solutions and services. â&#x20AC;&#x153; These are what I have done very effectively in the past and we feel it is the best if we extend a hand of fellowship to those in Lagos and help solve more housing problems.â&#x20AC;? Abolaji who said that he sees Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s housing deficit issues as an opportunity to solve problems, and create affordable houses for ordinary Nigerians who dream of having their own homes, noted, â&#x20AC;?our target cuts across all classes of life ranging from the high to

Leisure Court MD, Segun Abolaji

the low ends of the economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have luxury apartments that we want to embark on and we also have affordable housing. Our target is even the lower cadre of the economy and you know there has been a campaign for affordable housing in Nigeria and we feel we can contribute our own quota to the economy.â&#x20AC;? Expressing the view that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a huge housing deficit in Nigeria and the private sector appears to be playing a key role in providing housing, he said however that when we talk about affordable housing, it is relative because what one person can afford may not be affordable to another person. He added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but generally we are looking at something that everybody can afford. This is why I talked about cutting across all sectors of the economy, from the high ranking members of the society to the

low as civil servants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have different packages, we have luxury homes, we have those that can go as low as N15 million and we have mortgage facilities for civil servants and those in the organised private sector.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We as professionals have been contributing our own quota and we believe the issue of scarcity or deficit for us is an opportunity to do more and that is what we have been doing and we will continue to do more.â&#x20AC;? Speaking on how the government can contribute in achieving affordable houses in Nigeria, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The areas where I think the government can contribute are enormous. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Government can subsidise the cost of materials and make lands available to developers. In a situation where developers acquire land for a very exorbitant price, there is no way the price of a house will be affordable.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Government needs to also provide infrastructure. If you look at Lagos for example, you will find out that many estate firms have their sites in areas that are not accessible. Most times they have to contribute money to make the road accessible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In other climes, you find infrastructures on ground, you just move in your material and equipment and continue to construct.â&#x20AC;? He expressed the hope that in the next five to 10 years, Leisure Courts will be one of the biggest stakeholders in Lagos as it is starting with four sites, two on the mainland, in Ogudu GRA and Alaka Estate in Surulere and two sites on the Island, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we have a mind of moving to other states. Although we have landed properties all over the country, we want to take this one step at a time.â&#x20AC;?

Royal Electronics Group Launches New Product Royal Electronics Group recently unveiled the Royal elâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Picasso 3HP floor standing air conditioner, as the latest addition to its line of premium A/Cs. Built to make meaningful innovations and create an awesome cooling experience for everyone, the new Royal elâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Picasso A/C is packed with advanced features, which include digital inverter technology to help save up to 70 per cent on energy costs, Wi-Fi function to control the device on the go, extra long-distance air supply to cool big rooms

faster, smart sleep mode for sustained optimal temperatures for a restful sleep, and much more features to give you the ultimate experience in aircon technology. Head of Sales Operations of the company, Mr. Raja Rajesh, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are excited to launch the new elâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Picasso A/C from Royal Electronics and build on the success of the Royal Burj Khalifa A/C. Our mission is to continue to offer the vital innovations that people love in consumer electronics. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We know that Nigerians want home appliances that

Yinka Rythmz Explains Drama in his Musical Video US-based Nigeria musician, Yinka Quadri Hazzan popularly known as Yinka Rythmz has disclosed the reason why there are lots of drama in his soon to be released musical video titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;More Than Somebodyâ&#x20AC;?. The Apase of West Coast said it is to showcase the emotion attached to the message in the song. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The More Than Somebody (MTS), project theme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Album in a movieâ&#x20AC;? which simply states that I am showcasing the action, the life and the emotions that is attached to the composition of the song. â&#x20AC;&#x153; I am simply trying to showcase the life behind the composition of the songs in addition to the situations, struggles, challenges and the

Yinka Rythmz

victory that every individual could face in their daily life.â&#x20AC;? The Pharmacist-cum-musician speaking further on the dramas behind the video said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Life... my story, struggles, music, testimonies, challenges, setback, accomplishments, delays, perspectives, limitations and mostly my faith which could be found in every individuals lifeâ&#x20AC;?, adding that the album unveiling was going to happen very soon.

perform excellently, and make their daily lives easier. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to continue to deliver on those needs with the latest Royal elâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Picasso air conditioner.â&#x20AC;? Marketed and distributed by SIMS Nigeria Limited, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number one distributor of consumer electronics in Nigeria, the Royal elâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Picasso A/C combines the latest technology, energy efficiency and a stylish design to deliver the best experience in A/C technology. Royal Electronics remains committed to offering the

latest technology, sleek and energy efficient solutions for the ultimate peace of mind in consumer electronics to Nigerians. the world, and growing into the leading brand in Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Electronic industry. Innovation represents our core value along with value for money, durability, and awesome after sales services. It requires creativity. This is why Royal appliances are specially designed to meet customer demands, by combining innovation, technology, and design.

Paulline Tallen to Grace Celebration Of MMS UN Generation Amazons The Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen is set to grace the upcoming MMS Woman of Fortune Hall of Fame (WoFHoF) Initiative as the Special Guest of Honour. As the United Nations marks its 75 years anniversary with a search for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Third Paradiseâ&#x20AC;?- a new world where humanity and sustainable development are the concerns of mankind, MMS WoFHoF Initiative marks its 2020 MMS Hall of Famersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Day and the UN anniversary with the event themed; â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Third Paradise: A New Thinking On WomenAnd Humanityâ&#x20AC;?. Some womendescribedbytheorganisers as a bevy of beauty and brain with exceptional intelligence will be celebrated as MMS UN GenerationAmazons cast in the mould of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Third Paradiseâ&#x20AC;?

Ambassadors and decorated as agents of sustainability. The event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at Golden Gate Restaurant, Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos by 2pm. Other eminent personalities to attend the event include: the Chairperson, Nigerian Shipowners Forum, Mrs. Margaret Orakwusi who would play the role of Chief Host and Chairperson, Lagos branch of the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), Mrs. Philomena Nneji, as chairperson of the occasion. The programme would also feature a guest lecture by the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs/ Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada.

Femi Fowora Announces N500m to Combat Mental Illness Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Olufemi Fowora has announced plans for an NGO in the memory of his late father, Otunba (Amb.) Emmanuel Olufemi Fowora. The foundation will provide N500 million towards combating the scourge of mental illness in Nigerian. Recounting his battle with Olufemi Fowora. mental illness, Fowora said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;People erroneously assume that because you are well-to-do you cannot be depressed. My reality was very different and for over two years I felt the full wrath of depression. It was impossible to socialise, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t earn any income throughout the period and I was plagued with unspeakable dark thoughts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One in four Nigerians â&#x20AC;&#x201C; about 50 million people in total â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is suffering from at least one form of mental illness and I have found that in Nigeria, it is very difficult to get the requisite help. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At present, there are only eight federal neuropsychiatric hospitals in the country, and while some non-profit organisations are doing their best to provide help to affected persons, there is still a huge gap to be filledâ&#x20AC;?, he noted. While Fowora hopes that in the near future the government will commit more resources to ensure Nigerians are afforded the much-needed access to care, he commends the effort of kind citizens who have set up laudable initiatives and structures to provide support to those battling with mental illness. Fowora went further to call upon other well-meaning individuals and organisations to contribute towards making the Nigerian society safer and healthier for all, adding,â&#x20AC;&#x153;To kick start this vision, I have committed N50 million in my personal capacity and I look forward to celebrating the impact of our collective effort across Nigerian communities.â&#x20AC;?

CCIN to Screen 200 Men for Cancer Control Cancer Initiative Nigeria (CCIN), a non-governmental organisation, has concluded arrangements to screen 200 high risk men for the quantitative Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) as part of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts to mark the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Movemberâ&#x20AC;? Male Cancer Awareness Campaign. The Movember Awareness Campaign is a global annual November Initiative to create awareness and raise funds for men-related health issues such as mental illness, suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancers. Speaking on the initiative, the President and Co-founder of CCIN, Sunday Okutachi noted that, whilst cancer has gradually emerged as a formidable disease in Nigeria, CCIN is determined to make a difference. One area is to promote early detection of cancer in men. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This year, we are screening at least 200 high risk men for prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) at selected locations in the country free of charge as a way of support and to emphasize the importance of early detection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are calling on well-meaning Nigerians to support our mission and be part of the solution to defeating cancer in our country. We also invite both genders to be physically active for the fundraising event. Not only will the commitment raise the much-needed funds, it will also generate life-changing conversations,â&#x20AC;? he noted. Decrying the alarming rate of cancer cases in the country, he noted that â&#x20AC;&#x153;with over 100,000 new cancer cases and over 70,000 deaths reported in 2018 by Globocan, cancer has emerged as a major public health emergency in Nigeria and all hands must be on deck to fight it.â&#x20AC;? According to him, Nigeria currently has very few comprehensive cancer treatment centers, and these centers still need a lot of work in getting equipped and to meet the international standards of a decent cancer treatment facility, adding that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we at CCIN are advocating for improvements to these facilities as time goes onâ&#x20AC;?.

...AndThe Enemies Submitted Begins on Saturday The Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement has concluded plan to hold its biennial two-day power packed programme tagged, â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;ŚAnd The Enemies Submittedâ&#x20AC;?, scheduled to take place from Saturday 7 to Sunday 8, November, 2020 at the Chosen Revival Ground, Along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, by Ijesha-Bus Stop, Lagos by 8am daily. A press release signed by the ministryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Public Relation Officer, Pastor Louis Chidi, stated, â&#x20AC;&#x153;there is no doubt that the hues and cries of this year which spanned from the pandemic occasioned by COVID-19 with its attendant economic upset, and the youth protest that went haywire and degenerated to looting and destruction are so deafening that many thought that devil our arch enemy has taken control of the affairs of men.â&#x20AC;? The present time is time for God to deliver His people and cause their enemies to submit. It does not matter how strong your enemy may be, our assurance is that God has set aside the two days to intervene in the affairs of His people, and deliver them from all forms of bondages which they have been subjected to by their enemies.â&#x20AC;? The programme will be presided over by the icon of revival evangelism, Pastor Lazarus Muoka and free transport arrangement has been made by the ministry to convey participants to the venue from any location within the Lagos metropolitan city. Most importantly provision has been made for a digitalised security measure that will address any breach of order.

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E-TRENDS

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

â&#x20AC;ŚYour weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

MTN Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Star Gets New International Partners, Unveils Hosts, Judges Stories by Vanessa Obioha

MTN Nigeria is raising the bar with its latest music reality project,Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Star. It announced recently that it sealed partnerships with Berklee College of Music â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the largest independent college of contemporary music and performing arts in the world â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and Henley Business School, alongside Afrinolly as technical partner. What this means is that members of the Berklee community will serve in various capacities on the project, and the winner of the music reality project will record their debut single at the Power Station at BerkleeNYC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excited to work with MTN and Afrinolly Creative Hub on the Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Star Project,â&#x20AC;? says Berklee President Roger H. Brown.â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a great opportunity for artists from the vibrant Nigerian music scene to get advice and mentorship from Berkleeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledgeable professors while broadening awareness of Berklee in the region through MTNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large audience. We look forward to hearing all of the talents and welcoming the winner to the Power Station at BerkleeNYC.â&#x20AC;?

Grammy winner Malik Yusef will serve as judge

Members of the Henley Business community will provide entrepreneurial training and coaching to contestants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Henley is proud to be an international Business School, with 80,000 alumni from over 150 countries. We have a special relationship with Africa - over 6,000 alumni are

Mr Dutch Welcomes Baby Boy Nigerian Afro-Cyborg singer, Mr Dutch has welcomed a bouncing baby boy in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 2, 2020, with his second baby mama, a South African chef and actress named Sunell Hughes. The baby was born in Johannesburg,â&#x20AC;&#x153;My king has arrived,â&#x20AC;?he said gleefully in a recent chat.â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have already given him a name. He is to be known as King Lunar Kelechi Ukpabi. He is my ďŹ rst son and I am so happy God gave me my heir apparent.â&#x20AC;? Baby King is Mr Dutchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second child. His ďŹ rst child, a daughter named Briathi Uchechi Ukpabi was born August 25, 2015, by his ďŹ rst baby mama, Athi Mgoqo, singer and actress, also a South African national. Born Bright Ukpabi, the songwriter and producer, is the owner of his record label known as Dutch Dreams Records and the top dog of his management company, Mr Dutch Empire. He began the year 2020 on a high note with a song dedicated to lovers on St.Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day titled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Keys To My Heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. According to him, he will be releasing a remix of the single on December 11, 2020.

Mr Dutch and his new baby

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The remix project featuresTeni, Kidi from Ghana, Lava Lava from Tanzania and KLY from South Africa. It is a prelude to my EP and album taggedâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Keys to my Heart Afriqueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; dropping early next year,â&#x20AC;?he said. His other hits include â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Antidoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Better Soupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eno Finishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; featuring Burna Boy.

from Africa, and we are proud to have ďŹ ve Alumni Chapters in Africa,â&#x20AC;? says Professor John Board, Dean of Henley Business School, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not only is Henley one of the top business schools graduating nearly 1,000 students per year, we have run programmes in 15 other countries in the continent.The partnership with Afrinolly Creative Hub in Nigeria is a very important step to our ambition to build the people, who build the businesses, that build Africa.â&#x20AC;? MTN Nigeria createdYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Star earlier in the year to search,discover,nurture and launch music talents in the young Nigerian community.Due to the unprecedented COVID-19, the show was put on hold.Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Star returned with digital auditions late August and over 9,000 contestants submitted entries for the project. However, only the top 13 contestants will make it to the hub for the competition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This project goes beyond discovering talent in the Nigerian entertainment industry. MTN Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Star is a conduit for capacity building within the creative industry, empowering the contestants and industry with the relevant practical knowledge to compete on a global

scale. We are thankful for partners such as the Berklee College of Music who share this vision,â&#x20AC;?emphasises the Acting Chief Marketing OfďŹ cer, MTN Nigeria, Anthony Obi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is time for Nigerian Music to take its rightful place in the global community,â&#x20AC;?says CEO of Afrinolly Chike Maduegbuna.â&#x20AC;&#x153;With partners like MTN and Berklee, Afrinolly Creative Hub is excited to bring our technical expertise into the discovery of emerging music talents, cultivating and helping them grow. I am excited that Berklee College of Music is here to help us launch them on to a global stage.â&#x20AC;? The company also revealed that the live shows will begin on November 15 and run till December 13, 2020. Hilda Baci andTobi Bakre were unveiled as the hosts, while the three judges are popular Nigerian musicians Banky W and Omawumi, and American spoken word poet, six-time Grammy award winner, actor and producer MalikYusef. Winner of theYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ello Star will be rewarded an apartment with an in-built studio, a Honda CRV car, a recording deal and N5 million cash prize.

ForVictimsof#EndSARSProtest,PrinceAyo ManuelCallsforGlobalVigil A US-based Nigerian musician and peace activist, Prince Ayo Manuel Ajisebutu has called for a global vigil for victims of the infamous Lekki shooting. In a recent statement, the activist invited the global community to join Nigerians all over the world to observe a candlelight vigil in honour of all lives lost as a result of the well-intentioned #EndSARS protest on November 15. Before the nationwide protest, Ajisebutu was among those who called for peace,having sensed a volatile omen. He urged the citizens to embrace love as the only virtue that can save Nigeria from possible genocide. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We should come together as a united human race to honour these brave youths that were asking their government to protect and care for them. Unfortunately, the same military that was supposed to protect them reportedly took their lives. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s come together and stand with their families, for their pain is our pain. When one of us is hurting we all feel it because we are all connected,â&#x20AC;? said Ajisebutu. He added that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;the candlelight vigil

Prince Ayo Manuel Ajisebutu

for the untimely death of the protesters also symbolizes light of hope for all Nigerians. It signiďŹ es a rebirth of Nigeria: a new nation that will allow its youths to grow and prosper, a new nation that seeks equal rights and justice for all, a new nation that is not run on tribal and religious sentiments. Indeed, the united youths of Nigeria have already displayed in all their actions, that a new nation that unites and cares for its citizens is possible. I urge you all to be part of the change.

Wizkidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Made in Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is Positioned for Global Audience Iyke Bede

After teasing fans with the release of his fourth studio album for months, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popular Afro-pop artiste Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid ďŹ nally released â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Made in Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to streaming platforms on Thursday, October 29. The projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial release date was delayed as a show of solidarity with Nigerian youths who protested police brutality at the hands of the scrapped Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a specialist unit of the Nigerian Police. The 14-track album was dedicated to every Nigerian citizen. Projecting his support, Wizkid dons a ring emblazoned with the Nigerian ďŹ&#x201A;ag on the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cover. What the cover art also reveals is the sonic textures that describe the body of work. Opting for beige (desert sand), the singer poses with his head tilted to one side, and palm placed on his face. His fashion choice was a serene monochrome tone that reveals the simplicity and reďŹ ned taste; modernity and comfort.

Wizkid.

From the get-go, one can deduce that the album is a channel where Wizkid projects a calmer version of his personality.Withâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Made in Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, his sounds are produced with live performances in mind, rather than being just radio-ready to top charts. Although a bit of disappointment for his fans who worship him

for his rousing choruses and upbeat sounds that deďŹ ne his nascent days, it just might be growth he needs to lengthen his career. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Recklessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is the album opener, a track steeped in the marinade of jazzy inďŹ&#x201A;uences. And just like it, the remaining tracks on the album are rendered at a medium tempo pace.It gives off a feel that all the tracks were fabricated from the same music building block, but only nuanced by themes, genres, instrumentation, and lyricism. Due to the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s calm tone, it is hard to pick a favourite. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, it is harder to internalize any particular tune. The lines were blurred between tracks through likeness. Amid this lack of panache to help individual tracks stand out, listening to the album in its entirety is not a boring experience. Even though he fails at showing versatility in sound, his choice at the creative level can easily be forgiven. A high point for the album remains his choice for collaborators. Handpicking Damian Marley, Skepta, Ella Mai, H.E.R., Burna Boy,Terri, and Tems,

each collaborator seamlessly introduces their musical styles without compromising in any form to ďŹ t in. This sheer brilliance helped evince emotions on themes such as lust, love, self-love, and commitment. The big question now remains: doesâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Made in Lagosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sound anything like Lagos? With Lagos as the entertainment nucleus of West Africa, it is credited as the home planet for afrobeat, and afrobeats sounds.Though Wizkid explores the genre greatly, his intentions were more than that: the singer has eyes focused on the international audience. The album structure easily eases foreign listeners into the genre.The album is an invitation passed to them, but not necessarily a collectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s item that will be sought after by local listeners. Also, his choice for collaborations afďŹ rms this effort to take a good portion of the international streaming numbers. It was made in Lagos for international export. Above all, this project shows the growth of his artistry and a better understanding of the global music industry to maximize gains.

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Submission for the 93RD Academy Awards International Feature Film Resumes The Nigeria OfďŹ cial Selection Committee (For the Academy AwardsÂŽ IFF Submissions) NOSC previously known as the Nigeria Oscars Selection Committee, hereby announces the reopening of the submission portal for the 93rd Academy Awards from Thursday October 29, 2020, to Tuesday, November 3, 2020. This is due to the fact that after several stages of screening of ďŹ lms received for selection, including basic technicality checks by the committee, and the unavailability of the required supportingdocuments (Streaming distribution or video on demand agreements) by the ďŹ lmmakers,some of the submissions received by NOSC are yet to meet all eligibility rules. For the 93rdAcademy Awards only, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic; country selected ďŹ lms that had a theatrical release but are initially made available through reputable commercial streaming distribution service or video on demand may qualify for awards consideration in the IFF category. However, documentation would need to be provided government mandated theatre closure dates, theatrical previously planned theatrical release and streaming/ VOD agreement. NOSC is faced with a shot list in which some of the ďŹ lms are without or pending theatrical censorship, Streaming distribution or video on demand agreements and other supporting documents as required by the Academy. The committee has worked tirelessly to ensure that the ďŹ lm, which will be representing the country at the 93rd Academy Awards in the International Feature Film Category,would have to meet all eligibility rules and technical requirements to enable

Anyaene-Abonyi

the ďŹ lm compete with other entries in the category. Also, with the approval of Nigerian pidgin by the Academy as a non-English recording dialogue in ďŹ lms, this would further allow entries from more ďŹ lmmakers and provide creatives the opportunity to showcase their art. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The year has been a very peculiar one,

and no one was prepared for what we are currently witnessing. From the lockdown due to the pandemic to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;new normalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of social distancing, activities and events previously scheduled have either been cancelled, suspended, or slowed down, and Nollywood was not left out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The committee had a tough choice to make between the risk of not submitting

a ďŹ lm for the 93rdAcademy Awards or to reopen the submission portal, butafter critical deliberation, the committee has decided to reopen the portal to provide ďŹ lmmakers an extended time to submit their work and their supporting documents. The aim is to have a well-rounded and worthy representation at the Oscars.â&#x20AC;? We also believe that this is fair to everyone, especially in recognition of the peculiar challenges the world has faced this yearâ&#x20AC;?, Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi opined. Film stakeholders and the public should note that the reopening of the portal is an exception to the rule because of the peculiarities of the current circumstances we have found ourselves in. Hence, ďŹ lmmakers are expected to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations guiding movie submissions and ensure to submit within the stipulated time. NOSC concluded with an advice to ďŹ lmmakers, that whatever art they are creating or intending to create for the International Feature Film Category should be a deliberate and intentional act right from the pre-production, PostProduction, and Distribution stage of the movie towards the IFF Category in the Academy Awards. The eligibility rules and technical requirements are available on the NOSC and Academy websites to guide everyone. An international ďŹ lm is deďŹ ned as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the United States of America and its territory with a predominantly (more than 50 per cent) non-English dialogue track. Animated and documentary feature ďŹ lms are permitted. For ďŹ lm submission, visit https://thenosc. org/ and for further enquiries, please email info@thenosc.org.

Schneider Electric Introduces New Digital Solutions for Energy Efficiency In its commitment to helping its customers adapt to the new normal and gear towards energy transition, French energy management giant, Schneider Electric, has introduced three innovative solutions that will improve energy efficiency and sustainability for its customers and partners. The new digital solutions, which were introduced to about 2,000 customers and partners recently, at its virtual Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa 2020, were connected breakers, along with building and machine advisors to enable predictive maintenance on equipment through remote monitoring. In his keynote address, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Schneider Electric, JeanPascal Tricoire, said that digitisation brings far greater efficiency at lower cost in energy use, as the world adapts to the new normal occasioned by COVID-19 global pandemic

and moves towards energy transition. Tricoire noted the disruption digital has caused in the way people live their lives and with their environment, adding that it can enable people to bridge progress and sustainability. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we are adapting to the new normal and learning new ways to live, we all see that digitising is the solution to accelerate. It makes remote and collaborative operations possible and strengthens resiliency by allowing us to better understand, anticipate and adapt with agility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It brings a far greater efficiency, at a much lower cost and with a much faster implementation in energy use and operational process, and enables a step change in sustainability with everything we do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Digital has disrupted the way we live together. It is now disrupting the way we live with our environment and can enable

us bridge progress and sustainability for all.â&#x20AC;? Focusing on how big industry including grid, oil and gas, and transportation can approach the New Electric World while still meeting business goals, and what they can do today, the Executive VP, Power Systems and Services, Frederic Godemel said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As caretakers of the planet, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on the wrong path. But all is not lost. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still possible to reverse the trend. The New Electric World describes a set of criteria we must achieve: decarbonising demand and generation, and improving energy efficiency. â&#x20AC;&#x153; Also speaking, the President, Middle East and Africa for Schneider Electric, Caspar Herzberg said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;2020 has underlined the need for industry to move faster. â&#x20AC;&#x153; Digitisation is the way forward for business continuity. The skills and technologies exist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is for us, today, to accelerate that shift, and be prepared to work with a new mindset where

we make the most of everything digital to support our physical operations.â&#x20AC;? Earlier in her welcome address, the VP Marketing at Schneider Electric, Firdaus Shariff, said with rapid changes taking place in the world, companies need to respond quickly and responsibly. She said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the world changing at an exceptional pace, companies today must respond quickly and responsibly. I am a firm believer that with every crisis comes the opportunity of innovation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After years of meeting in person with customers and partners around the world, we at Schneider Electric are taking digital commitment to the next level. We have been able to engage with 300,000 customers and partners through digital event in the first half of 2020. And we are just getting started. Today we have an audience of 1000 people connected from more than 30 countries.â&#x20AC;?

Nigeria, Jamaica to Mark 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with Direct Flights Vanessa Obioha In commemoration of five decades of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Jamaica, a leading tour operator, Nigerians Travel Too based in Lagos and the UK partnered the Jamaican High Commission in Abuja to launch direct flights from Nigeria to the Caribbean country. Usually, Nigerians travelling to the island nation connect through Europe or the US. The new coordinated flights will save travellers the stress and uncertainties of connecting flights as they can now fly directly from Lagos to Montego Bay. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a historic and unique opportunity, as part of our 50th-anniversary celebrations,

to reconnect with family and friends from Nigeria, Jamaica, the Caribbean and other parts of the world, in a world-class tourist destination,â&#x20AC;? said Jamaicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Esmond Reid. The first historic flight will leave Lagos on December 21, and return on December 28. A second rotation will take place from December 30 to January 6, 2021. Each flight will last for just over 11 hours and relieves the traveller of the stress of securing transit visas via Europe or the US. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trusted international carrier, Air Peace, will facilitate each trip with its elegant Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The direct flight is a celebration of the cultural, educational,

industrial and economic relationship between the two countries. It is a reflection of the creative fusion of the Nigerian and Jamaican history and culture, which both partners have dubbed the Nai-Jamaica Project. To this effect, a dedicated website www. nai-jamaica.com has been launched, to showcase the range of travel and business opportunities that are available. Travelers are promised an unforgettable experience as each trip has been meticulously planned to deliver comfort and luxury at very affordable rates, irrespective of their class. To ensure the health safety of tourists as a result of the global pandemic, Jamaica

has developed special COVID-19 protocols for the tourism sector. These are designed to protect and enhance the tourism experience for visitors and workers in the industry. Jamaica has won many international travel and tourism awards. As home to reggae icons like Bob Marley, athlete Usain Bolt, and other attractive adventures, the country attracted about 4.3 million visitors in 2019, out of which 1.6 million were cruise passengers. With the upcoming flights, handcrafted holiday experiences and multiple travel packages have been designed with each visitor in mind to make the Christmas and New Year celebration a memorable one. Bookings will, however, close on November 20.

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ART WEEKEND

â&#x20AC;ŚFor pure art enthusiasts

Lagos Fringe 2020 Set to Defy the Odds With its exotic mix of lined-up events, the Lagos Fringe team has defied the odds of this period to organise an outdoor festival of arts at Freedom Park this November, writes Yinka Olatunbosun Breath-taking performances, experimental work, exhibitions and an array of training opportunities await visitors at one of the largest outdoor festivals in West Africa. Scheduled to hold from November 17 to 22, Lagos Fringe is indeed an ice-breaker for the performing arts scene that had been on hiatus since the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. Now in its third year, the Lagos Fringe Festival offers a hybrid programme of virtual and live interactions with social distancing measures in place. For six days, participants and partners will collaborate in this annual multidisciplinary arts celebration. As usual, the festival is familyfriendly, appealing to students, children, professionals, artists, art institutions, expatriates as well as international guests. The Festival Producer, Brenda Fashugba in her remarks during a recent press briefing assured the public that the festival would adhere strictly to Covid-19 directives. There will be an enforcement of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no mask no entryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rule for all festival attendees at the physical venue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will also be a vibrant arts market on display throughout the festival period; short film screenings and feedback sessions where film makers will be on ground to engage with the audience to share their processes and motivation,â&#x20AC;? she revealed. Highlights of this year include a music concert followed by a brilliant fireworks display to light up the night to set the mood for the holiday season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Another highlight is the street food fiesta where there will be food stalls of all types showcasing

Book cover Scene from a play at Lagos Fringe

delicious dishes and tasty treats. Some festival goers will learn tips of the trade with live cooking demonstrations and discover hidden food secrets. Just to mention though, that all our festival events will be presented with health and safety protocols intact such as; limiting the number of audience allowed to each show, Audience and guests will be required to have their temperature checked before entering the space. Face masks and shields must be worn at all times and if they do not have, one will be provided at the gate,â&#x20AC;? she further disclosed. The Festival Director, Lagos Fringe, Kenneth Uphopho who is also the General Secretary, Guild Of Theatre Directors remarked that this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival, in the light of the pandemic, will contribute to the positive messaging to the artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; communities about devising very practical ways to still earn our living by adapting to our new realities while Covid-19 rages. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As you know, we are alternative in our approach with special focus on the multi-disciplinary medium of expressions and our mantra is OPEN ACCESS. We are a platform for all kinds of work, not

just theatre. The theme we have adopted, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Recreating the Futureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was inspired by the experiences of the recent times where everything has changed from a level of systemic growth to an unknown variable in just a few months. I mean with all thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happened or still happening globally and digitally as well as the innovative ways we have adapted, it only reinforces our intention to present this artistic celebration of the Lagos Fringe as a symbol of our continued resilience especially within the creative communities,â&#x20AC;? he said. The festival partners for this edition include Goethe Institut, Freedom Park and Orijin with support from the United States Consulate General. Lagos Fringe has grown in the number of performances, as well as in the size of participants and audience engagement since its launch in 2018. In November 2018 and 2019, the festival held for eight days and six days respectively, featuring over 156 shows in about 21 venues with a combined attendance of over 5500 people. The Lagos Fringe hashtag has over 85 million impressions on social media.

ASIRI Magazine kicks oďŹ&#x20AC; Digital Campaign Project with Iconic Images Yinka Olatunbosun ASIRI Magazine has announced a digital campaign that parades rare archival images of the past across its social media platforms namely Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Beginning from November 2 to December 2, the global audience will relish the vignettes of Nigerian history. Called the Vintage Nigeria Digital Campaign (A Nigeria at 60 Archival Celebration of the Past Times) a Collection of Rare Archival Images, the project is organized by ASIRI Magazine in partnership with the Rockefeller Archive Center/Ford Foundation with support from the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB). â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has always been about using history as an educational tool to further educate and improve the mental strength of the people and the world in general. The essence of the campaign is to further reinforce our digital vault of Nigerian history documents and Images,â&#x20AC;? said OludĂ molĂĄ Adebowale, Creative Director and Founder of ASIRI Magazine.

Adebowale said that the campaign boasts of over 50 rare images that were given by the Rockefeller Archive Center and that the images were chosen by the timeline and the narrative they represent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be at the archive physically to handpick the images, we needed to work with the archivist at the center in providing images that best capture the Nigeria story,â&#x20AC;? he added. While also responding to questions about the campaign, Bilikiss AdebiyiAbiola, Director General of LASRAB said the aim of the partnership is to raise awareness on the importance of vibrant archives in documenting national history, with the hope that collaboration on various initiatives will ultimately promote the rich cultural heritage of Lagos State and Nigeria in general. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the past, LASRAB has coordinated trips to various foreign institutions that have rare historical documents in their possession in order to ensure that those documents are retrieved and are in the possession of the State Government. We will continue to build on our efforts to ensure that all rare documents are

eventually retrieved. We are also making significant efforts to retrieve rare documents in the hands of local citizens who may not be aware of the importance of such documents. We will be launching a public awareness campaign soon to promote this initiative,â&#x20AC;? Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola rounded off. The campaign is curated by ace curator and archivist Oludamola Adebowale who has curated quite a number of high profile exhibitions for Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi; Prof. Wole Soyinka; Africa Drum Festival 2019; the British Council and many more. The digital campaign is an opportunity to share great archival images on Nigerian history that are not in the public domain. All images for the digital Campaign are courtesy of the Rockefeller Archive Center and Ford Foundation. The Images supplied by the center are images in their collections focused mainly on the works funded by either the Rockefeller or Ford Foundations. ASIRI Magazine is Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premium digital portal for everything Nigerian history, culture and arts.

A Book for the School of Life Yinka Olatunbosun If you are in search of an inspirational book this season by a Nigerian author, you may want to try Mr Somi Urantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Contradictions: Lessons from the School of Life.â&#x20AC;? Like the writer â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Date With Failure: The Art of Art of Standing Up Again,â&#x20AC;? this new literary effort breaks the author â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 16-year break from book publishing. It is common knowledge that the process of book publishing in Nigeria is as difficult as passing a camel through the eye of the needle. In spite of these challenges, Uranta took a bold step- collecting materials for this book. His interlude on the literary scene may be connected to his aspiration for higher studies at the University of Lagos. Still, those years were not devoid of moments of self-interrogation and self-conversations. In the end, he examined some of the questions that life, inadvertently, throws at a deep thinker. Between his time as Chief Executive Officer, Somi Steam Car and his bookworm moments, he wrote several pages that would later form a body of human wisdom made by lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s varied experiences. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After pausing to ponder through all the questions that arose from the former and attempting to proffer answers

to them, eventually leading to more unanswered questions, I decided to share my thoughts with regards to the paradoxes, endless contradictions which seem to be the reality of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chequered mortal existence,â&#x20AC;? he began. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For example, how does one resolve the intrinsic contradictions in the widely acceptable, yet erroneous lines that â&#x20AC;&#x153;life is not a bed of roses, while in reality, life could actually be likened to a bed of roses, because when you see a bed of roses, looking so alluring and beautiful on the surface, just beneath the blooming and alluring surface are thorns. It is these thorns that actually give impetus to the external beauty that captivates the passers-by.â&#x20AC;? Uranta added that everyday experiences come either as lessons or blessings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Depending on which comes first, we must prepare for the other, for they follow one another, like the night, the day. â&#x20AC;&#x153; The book is quite instructive and makes an interesting read, equipping the reader-like a guide does to a tourist- in order to navigate better through lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vicissitudes. The book, published by SPW Publishing and Company has its forward written by Professor Chedozie Okoro of the Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos, Akoka.

The Return Of Affordable Art Online Affordable Art Online has announced the launch of its online art gallery to showcase a diverse range of emerging artists to nurture and solidify their presence and practice towards becoming well-established artists. The aim is to make art accessible and create a hub for discovering exciting and socially-engaged artists working in Nigeria, Africa and the diaspora. In doing so, the organisers hope to contribute to the growing interest in Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contemporary art market. Affordable Art Online also features a gift shop, limited edition posters and prints, and art advisory services tailored to meet the needs of discerning clients. Affordable Art Online launches with over 20 emerging and midcareer artists working across

painting, sculpture and photography form. The platform can be accessed from 4 November 2020. As creativity in Nigeria continues to flourish, Affordable Art Online offers a unique platform to appreciate and showcase emerging artists from Nigeria and Africa at large. Our further mission is to make art more affordable and accessible to a larger audience worldwide. Affordable Art Online invites patrons to recognize the ability of art in creating a better understanding of life. Art is life, helping us make sense of the world. Therefore, in the light of the recent global pandemic and issues that shook the world, Affordable Art Online is focused on showing how artistic expressions inspire, offer positivity and solace while providing a platform to purchase budget-friendly art.

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ENTREPRENEUR

Making Business Future-Fit; The New Marketing Realities Facing Business after COVID-19 Andisa Ntsubane

he year 2020 will be remembered as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Year of the Great Pauseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It has been a period in which perceptions changed, boundaries moved, and businesses shifted on their traditional, comfortable foundations. Brands have been left battling with the reality that the unexpected had indeed happened and leading companies in Africa have lost an estimated US $ 60 billion off the value of their brand equity according to the recent Top 150 Most Valuable Brands in Africa report by Brand Finance As normality slowly returns, marketers are left with the certainty that although a new dawn is breaking, they have a scant three months to begin recovering lost ground. They have to compensate for the time when business was paused, and marketing investments were pulled back. While getting to grips with these hard-short-term facts, those at the heart of marketing will also be acknowledging that significant, permanent shifts have occurred in the ground below their feet. There can be no denying that the COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the dire economic and social challenges that the continent faces. There has never been a more opportune moment than this to accelerate the Shared Value Agenda and engage on how there can be an increase in the introduction of business models that address social issues. The path ahead will be challenging to navigate because it means that brands will have to move decisively to regain customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; trust in the roles that they play within communities, countries, and the continent at large. After all, our brands are our promises to the markets. To move forward, we will have to emphasise the positive influence that brands can have on people and societies. Those that lead and prosper will deliver tangible value and help to resolve cultural and social tensions in society. This means that brands need to be connected and responsive to the lived experiences of people. Brands must understand and be connected to the anxieties that people face. Above all, they need to be the agents helping to re-energise people and contribute towards creating a sense of optimism about the future. These actions will become necessary because there has been a profound shift amongst our customers, our communities, and the continent at large as a consequence of this watershed moment Traditional, disconnected, overt sales messages have been relegated to the past. People now expect their brands to have a purpose. More significantly, as we move towards a brighter future, people will support brands that were perceived to have done something positive when times were tough. Pushed aside will be those brands that have not realised that relating to their customers is not about making promises; it is now about tangible actions that deliver on the business strategy and brand promise. Ultimately, brand leaders have to learn the lesson that although times change, the things that matter, seldom do. This means connecting to the things that people care about, to what they value and hold dear. Families, relationships and wanting the best for your children as well as a brighter future will always remain fundamental concerns. The brands that understand these needs and cater to them will be brands that succeed. Brands have to be able to demonstrate that businesses do not just look at making profits or for economic opportunities. This new approach will also involve understanding societal issues and

Ntsubane

then building business models that help address these issues. The key is to simultaneously achieve economic and societal value and help move the business and customers forward. Creativity will play a central role in the transition from frivolous or hardsell messaging to a more concerned, empathetic and understanding brand

There can be no denying that the COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the dire economic and social challenges that the continent faces. There has never been a more opportune moment than this to accelerate the Shared Value Agenda and engage on how there can be an increase in the introduction of business models that address social issues

persona. There has never been a better time for brands to deliver on their purpose. Now is the time to deliver on what we say. Covid-19 has been the perfect opportunity for brands to practice what they preach. Disruption is becoming increasingly important. In these times if you are not disrupting your industry and yourself, you will be left behind. Strategies must not be built on the principle of being developed to last, but rather to accommodate transformation. The world is changing around us, and we have to construct models that help our brands respond to the everchanging demands of the external environment. Medium-term five-year business plans and strategies will inevitably become a feature of the past as timelines shorten. We will increasingly find ourselves living in a world where agility and responsiveness will become the watchwords. Brands and businesses being responsive will require moving beyond just hearing consumers. There is a plethora of databases and social media listening tools available, but we must ask whether we are really listening, engaging and responding to our customers. Consumers today recognise authenticity and true purpose, and both are going to be critical ingredients for building brands in the post pandemic

world. Meaning brands will now have to act more like people. A few ways we can activate the change are: r 1MBZ PVS QBSU 4IPX VQ BOE VTF all resources and creativity to build a better world. r "DU UPHFUIFS "T UIF XJTF "GSJDBO saying goes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go togetherâ&#x20AC;?. Recognise the strength in collaboration, to truly help people requires working in solidarity with likeminded entities. r 4PMWF JOTUFBE PG TFMMJOH #F NPSF comforting and less promotional. It is about finding meaningful solutions to problems people are facing. r #F IVNBO 4IPX FNQBUIZ GPS UIF contemporary situation while retaining brand relevance. People are reassured by positive actions and communications. As purpose is put to the test in the midst of the global pandemic, marketers who have not been able to translate their brand promise into actions and drive meaningful connections with consumers through presence and differentiated positioning might have missed the biggest opportunity. r/UTVCBOF JT UIF *OUFSJN $IJFG .BSLFUJOH 0GGJDFS 0ME .VUVBM -JNJUFE

T H I S D AY Ëž Í´Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Okundola Bamgboye: Goneâ&#x20AC;Ś But Not Forgotten Iyke Bede s noted by Scottish poet Thomas Campbell, â&#x20AC;&#x153;To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.â&#x20AC;? Undoubtedly, when we leave the face of the earth to rest beneath it, our voices, through deeds, continues to resonate through people in our lives. Campbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quote poignantly highlights this in the life led by the late Okundola Bamgboye, as one to be memorialised. On the raucous Saturday of October 10, 2020, that saw protesters take to major streets of Lagos to protest police brutality at the hands of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the sad news of Okundola Bamgboyeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demise from a long-standing illness was announced. The distressing news cataclysmically cast a cloud of gloom over his family, relatives, friends, and colleagues who fondly addressed him by the sobriquet Dola (Dollar, $). The marketing and communications expert who bagged his bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in social science from reputable universities in London (Middlesex and Goldsmith respectively), had since worked in the capacity of marketing and sponsorship manager at telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria since 2003, after his return from the United Kingdom. With his sudden departure came the realisation that he no longer would be seen each morning making his way up the elevator with a broad smile and his evergreen can-do spirit. It marked the last time anyone would hold a meaningful conversation with him; the last he would attend a board meeting providing ideas that will propel the visions of the organisation. While his death translates to an enormous loss in various ramifications, his legacy yet keeps him animated in the hearts of those he came across during his lifetime. Tall, dark, with an incomparable charisma, friends and colleagues effortlessly sang loud of his warm, welcoming spirit in their tribute to him. For one, his kind and altruistic nature was fondly remembered by close colleague Ifeoluwa Oyeyipo, manager, youth segment. Her testimonial of him was filled with fond memories of their time together. She recalled his kind mannered approach in dealing with others even when it may be overlooked as less impactful in their lives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dola, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Baba Deeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, Dolaâ&#x20AC;Ś almost every car that drove by the Lekki toll gate had someone in it that called out your name as we stood by during the first MTN Season of Surprises, where we gave free access to cars. It was amazing how you laughed and joked with friends, acquaintances and strangers on that day and you said something like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;just make them happy, you never can tell if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having a bad day and how much impact you would have on them by just bringing a smile to their face.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Oyeyipo continued: â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was Dola, my darling Baba Dee, you made each person feel special & loved. You brought light, life and laughter everywhere you went. Your warm hugs, the forehead kisses, your words of wisdom were cherished by me and many others. Your death is a rude shock and a painful exit, it has made the world just lose some warmth and get darker. Yet a part of me hears your voice laughing and saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ife to le, weep not, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m fine, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy over here, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to be here.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I can imagine the Angels, together with Jesus and God all laughing right now, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cos [sic] Dola is sure cracking them up.â&#x20AC;? For a man of his stature and position in a male dominated workplace, Dola doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily take advantage of privilege that comes with it. Instead of being proud and arrogant, he views life through a different lens: he approaches everyone around him as equals, understanding the vital role each person plays. To him, it is not about the strongest link, it is the proper management of the weakest link in the chain that helps attain set goals. Oladapo Olawale, assistant manager, masterbrand attests of his humble ways. In his tribute he specifically pointed out this virtue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a man youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have loved to continue being friends with through his 60s, 70s and beyond. You just pictured the future with a Dola in it and you looked forward to those moments. There was never a dull moment in any atmosphere he breathed. He related with presidents, governors and everyone else just

Bamgboye

the same way regardless.â&#x20AC;? he said. He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was never a different person from meeting rooms, to his desk, to events and even presidential villas. What a man... his love for his family and devotion to it was everything. I still remember our last convo [sic] on the phone that went on for about 30mins, less than 24hours before you slept the last. You said you had just 18 months left and this is some project youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to leave a legacy, another mark with. Still looking at our last chat on September 27. Even on the Sunday you chatted me up to look at a document you shared, you said you were in Port Harcourt City (PHC) for a funeral. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So when I got a message from a friend, at a brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wedding yesterday, asking if it was true [that] Dola was no more, I thought it was a rude joke. And then a call, and another call got me uneasy. I went out to call back and couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go back in again. He had all the effects to make him a Nigerian full of himself, but he was more down to earth than anyone Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever met. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen him give his ATM card and password to more than one person in my presence and I was in utter shock, and he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even whisper the four-digit number. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind of trust he had. The innocence of a child. This remains unbelievable, but once again, reminds us just how fickle life is. 2020 has been too much of a traumatic year and I just hope itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dollarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has crashed and left a lesson on how life should be lived - live it and love it because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a gift you may never have back. RIP my dearest friend, brother and confidant... Still hurts.â&#x20AC;? Whether it be in the workplace, social setting, or just a moment with a close friend, Dola shows he understands what the other party is going through, especially during tough times. His empathetic/sympathetic nature has helped him relate on a personal level with most of his colleagues. Case in point, when Dola consoled Shadrach Akano a core products analyst, at a time of great loss. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passage is truly heart-wrenching for many of us.â&#x20AC;? Akano said expressing his loss of his dear friend and colleague. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember in January 2018 when I lost a friend who passed in his sleep and was in the rest room sobbing. Then, Dola just barged-in, in his usual way, we

greeted and Dola connected to my mood. He asked if I was fine and I told him about what happened to the friend. After sympathizing, Dola would say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aburo, see my prayer is when I will die, I prefer to sleep and not wake up rather than being taken from one hospital to another.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It was shocking for me as a young guy. And when the news broke, I took solace in God and remembered his words. He is in a better place and smiling at every one of us. Rest in peace baba D! I love you, sir.â&#x20AC;? Akano concluded. For Joseph Endy Ogbuka, assistant manager, youth segment, it was Dolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dependability that drew them close to each other â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dee for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dollarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?, Ogbuka fondly said repeating the phrase as many times as he could. Dola in a calm voice would often respond, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can call my name, call my name, but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wear it out.â&#x20AC;? Shortly after hearing of Dolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, Ogbuka, heartbroken, penned his tribute saying: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ahhh, words fail me so! My dear friend and brother has left us so... Peacefully he lived, his departure, just as so... a star has fallen, if you know, you know so... Our relationship was indeed special, and so was everyone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s testimonial. He found a unique way to relate with every individual from the high to the lower class; connecting was normal. I remember some of our Kodak moments. I remember how weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d drive around just to seize the moment. Every moment with him was such a golden moment. With â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dollarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, there was never, ever a dull moment. His family, to him, was like a taste of fresh wine. Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;was sweet to hear him count his blessings from the grapevine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He always told us about them to inspire us to tow the same line because he understood that family was above all divine. Oh, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dollarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;! I wish you stayed back for mankind. I wish my tears could bring you back beyond my mind Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never be another â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dollarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, you were one of a kind A rare gem; another, who could find? He never looked like someone who could pass away. His death is a reminder that eternity is just a tick away. Live your life fully, but live ready, day by day, because no man knows when the Almighty will take us away. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll miss you big bro, this is a hard one

to chew. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep strong, hoping one day again to meet you. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep your flag flying.â&#x20AC;? Ogbuka concluded. Just like he is committed to his work life to attain endless possibilities, outside that, Dola has a social life, and a vibrant one at that. Filled with exuberance, he is easily the life of any gathering. A close friend, Funso Aina, Senior Manager, External Relations, tags Dola an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;incurable optimistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, and further proceeds describing him as a larger than life humanist. In his eulogy, Aina acknowledges that Dolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absence created a vacuum, one that cannot be easily filled. Mirroring Ainaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bewilderment over Dolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loss, Ivor Ekpe, seasoned communications consultant, penned an ode remarking the life and times of Dola: â&#x20AC;&#x153;GOODNIGHT... Guardian of Our Cool â&#x20AC;&#x153;A tough 24 hours this has been, and an entire generation is still struggling to process our loss. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You need to understand something: this guy right here, harboured the youth and history of an entire generation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You need to understand, that while many rushed to become adults, to brag about growing up, to leave confined to memory all that which illustrated and possibly explained our â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;growing up yearsâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; this guy right here stored and represented it all. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When our kids wonder and ask if we were ever Cool, we simply point over there... â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who? Uncle $?â&#x20AC;? They would ask. Yes, Uncle $. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dola was there. He was Us! To the end, he showed what we were, who we were and how we were. He was the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Guardian of Our Coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Surprises [for] the outpouring of love, cries and prayers, because each one of us who grew up with him, knew him, or simply came across him in this journey called life, has something special and memorable about our times with him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dola was there for everyone. He would dance for your new-born, he would Bury your dead, he would light up your gathering, and he would always ask after your own... he was there for everyone. You didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to ask. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So much so that, the rich will remember him as would the Poor, as would the streets and the cities and the places... the old, the young, the upper-class, the middle-class, the lower-class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Were we ever Cool? Hell yeah! It may not seem so, as we turn old and grey and pretend to be grown up, but just take a look back at OKUNDOLA AGBOOLA BAMGBOYE ... he is our History. The History of Our Cool. â&#x20AC;&#x153;God bless and keep you brethren... until the next Urban Disturbance. I am betting Our darling black star is prepping your welcome party! #Goodmorning.â&#x20AC;? Although gone now, Adewolu Adene still is in awe of Dolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uncomplicated approach to life:â&#x20AC;&#x153;[It is] amazing how there are so many videos of Dola lighting up a room with his love of life and people.â&#x20AC;? Adene reminisced. He continued: â&#x20AC;&#x153;An awesome gentleman who also knew his way around the streets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a people person. He never took himself or life too seriously. I was always blown away by his warmth towards the ladies at the front desk and the security folk. Dola knew their names, and boy did they love him back. what a guy. May God grant him eternal rest.â&#x20AC;? These tributes and many more from colleagues like Ezekiel Bamigboye, Winifred Umerah, Foyinsola Oyebola, Odunayo Sanya, Ify Kagho, Bunmi Marinho, Akinwale Richard, Rabi Adetoro, Vivian Omorogbe, Lara Akinbodunse, Njide, Paul Onu, Onome Ovuewhorie, Olanike Jagun, Dawny, Precious Minimah, Olabopo Odiachi, Peter Kajovo, Olufunmilayo Jegede, Tayo George, Uzezi Emenyawhore, and Sabina; and friends like Mosope Afolabi, Yetunde Allen, Ladi Tade, TJ Jinadu, Kayoed Khalidson, Olaniyan Fatimoh, T. Willy, Biodun Owoyele, Khan Abili, Trudy, Nkiru Asika, Fyneray Mbata, Dipo Onasanya, Oluremi Adekoya, Sola Aiyepeku, Tunde Tabi, Prince Lanre Bale, Ajo Balogun, Kweku Adebayo Tandoh, Oyinkasola Isiorho, Larinde Williams amongst others, only goes to show his simple, yet impactful life. He leaves behind at the age of 58 a lovely wife (Ochee), a son (Bidemi), and two daughters (Ayoade and Ayodola). No doubt a tragic loss. However, the legacy he leaves behind is inextinguishable. The memories, priceless.

37 T H I S D AY Ëž Í´Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

METRO

â&#x20AC;ŚYour city life in print

After Two Decades, St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Parish, Completes, Dedicates Church St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Church, Maza-Maza recently dedicated its first modern church building, which also marked a beautiful end to the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 24 years of struggle and journey out of the swamp, Peace Obi reports

he declaration of The Preacher in Ecclesiastes 7:8 that better is the end of a thing than its beginning rightly paints the experience of worshippers of St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Church, Maza-Maza, Lagos, who had its first modern church building dedicated on October 18, 2020. The journey of building a befitting place of worship kicked off about 24 years ago. However, the acquired land - swampy in nature- had posed a tough challenge; so much that resources, knowledge and expertise mobilised would often seem grossly insufficient. The project lingered for over two decades. St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Church, Maza-Maza, located in Amuwo Odofin Local Government is one of the parishes under Kirikiri Archdeaconry of Lagos Diocese. St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church was founded on January 21, 1996. It was planted by the then Vicar of St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Church, Kirikiri, late Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Canon Olayitan Ononoye of blessed memory, who also gifted the church with a plot of land. Christened then â&#x20AC;&#x153;Church on The Rockâ&#x20AC;?, St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church took off at the private property of a parishioner, Mrs. Josephine Ejilibe. The love, unity and brotherliness members shared soon became a major attraction to visitors and even people around in joining the church. The growth in its membership gave rise to the need for a bigger space. Thus, its journey into building a bigger and better place of worship started with a make-shift that was rooted deep into the depth of swampy land. The church since then has been struggling to build a suitable place of worship. This was largely owing to the peculiar challenge posed by the swampy land it acquired for this purpose. Despite its predicament, Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence was greatly felt especially as its meetings were accompanied with signs and wonders, further making its need for a suitable place of worship inevitable. The church with unflinching courage embraced its challenge against the popular view that it quits and get a dry land instead. Though its journey to erecting a befitting structure from the 14-feet swampy land was tough, the church maintained a slow but steady drive to its target. Its resolve to remain in the environment was said to be based on the determination to fulfil the divine purpose being a beacon of light in the area as well as to serve as a place of refuge for people who seek God within the environs and beyond. Painstakingly, the church pursued its vision and tirelessly committed unquantifiable resources towards achieving the desired result. Finally, the church building was completed and dedicated on October 18, 2020 by the Diocesan Bishop of Lagos and Missioner, Rt. Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Dr. Humphery Bamisebi Olumakaaiye, signaling an end to a long torturous journey. It was a remarkable day for friends, wellwishers and worshippers at St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Church, Maza-Maza as they rolled out the drums in celebration of their uncommon feat. To many, the dedication of the church was a celebration of tenacity, resilience and unwavering faith. Obviously, the sound of the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimate victory was heard in both far and distant lands. Hence, the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedication attracted both friends and naysayers. Those who left when the going was tough came around to catch a glimpse of the new St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, Maza-

The new church building

Third from left: Dean Emeritus of Church of Nigeria, Most. Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d, Dr. Ephraim Ademowo; Diocesan Bishop of Lagos and Missioner, Rt. Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Dr. Humphery Bamisebi Olumakaaiye; Chancellor, Lagos Diocese, Hon. Justice, Mrs. Adedayo Oyebanji; and Vicar, St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anglican Church, Maza-Maza, Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d. Chukwudi Anasiudu during the dedication of the church in Lagos, recently

Maza. Clergymen within and outside the diocese suspended every other engagement to join in the celebration. Worthy of note was the atypical presence of the Dean Emeritus of Church of Nigeria, Most. Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d, Dr. Ephraim Ademowo. In his message, the Diocesan Bishop of Lagos and Missioner, Rt. Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Dr. Humphery Bamisebi Olumakaaiye appreciated God for the parishioners and everyone who had contributed to making the journey out of the swamp a success. He thanked God for enabling the church to raise the banner of victory despite all odds. Commending the Vicar of the church, Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Chukwudi Anasiudu, the Bishop noted that God used the man of God who happens to be the fourth priest to serve the church to bring Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promises to full manifestation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to sincerely appreciate the vicar of this church and his amiable wife. We want to thank God for you for this great and wonderful work that you have done. In fact, the vicar of this church is a spiritual bulldozer, indomitable and a dependable servant of God. I can see that you have taste and you have demonstrated it in the completion of this church building â&#x20AC;&#x201C; furnishing the church to taste. The Lord will honour you, bless you, increase you in Jesus Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name,â&#x20AC;? the Bishop prayed. Going down the memory lane, The Missioner and Diocesan Bishop of Lagos Diocese stated that St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, Maza-Maza, was founded 24 years ago, precisely on the 21st of January, 1996. He said since then, the church has been inundated with the onerous task of building a befitting place of worship. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where we are now was a 14 feet depth of water and swampy in nature. Before the coming of the present vicar, the church had managed to erect a makeshift structure for a

place of worship.â&#x20AC;? He said that Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Anasiudu arrived as the fourth vicar of St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church on August 1, 2014. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adding that the vicar had expressed shock over what he met on the ground and said that he never thought that a church like this could be in Lagos. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, in less than six years, you all can see that God has turned trash to treasure and ashes to beauty. I want to appreciate this man of God for demonstrating the fulfillment of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promises.â&#x20AC;? In a message titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Divine Enlargementâ&#x20AC;?, the Bishop said that enlargement comes with responsibilities, adding that it is not enough to say â&#x20AC;&#x153;God, enlarge my coast, beautify my lifeâ&#x20AC;?. According to him, Christians must be ready and willing to take up the attendant responsibility. Speaking on the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in governance and national development, he noted that the church has been sustaining the country, stressing that every time the church gathers, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we give worshipers hope, assuring them that there is light at the end of the tunnel. So, the church has been playing a significant role in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The peace we enjoy today is because the church of God has been very active in nationbuilding. Here, the presence of this church has transformed the whole environment. This place was more or less filled with shanties but the presence of St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church has opened up the environment. Many buildings are coming up and will definitely bring more benefits to this community. This is just the beginning of good things this church will attract to this communityâ&#x20AC;?. The church on the occasion of its dedication was further empowered as the Deed of Dedication was read and the certificate handed over to the vicar of the church.

Making the pronouncement, the diocesan legal luminaries, led by the Chancellor, Hon. Justice, Mrs. Adedayo Oyebanji said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We join Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faithful throughout the world to rejoice that a new church has been built and completed at St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Church, Maza-Maza in Kirikiri Archdeaconry within our diocese and jurisdictionâ&#x20AC;Ś â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whereas the Vicar of the church, Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Chukwudi Anasiudu has worked and mobilized Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people towards the completion and dedication of this building for the worship of the Almighty God to serve for the morning and evening prayers; consecration of the Holy Eucharist, baptism, confirmation, wedding and other services. And whereas, we are delighted to so dedicate this building.â&#x20AC;? In a final affirmation, the His Lordship declared, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We, the Rt. Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Humphrey Bamisebi Olumakaye, the Diocesan Bishop of Lagos Diocese, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, by divine permission, hereby dedicate this same building and set it apart for worship and godly uses. I hereby decree and pronounce that it (the church building) is so set apart forever in the name of the father, son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!â&#x20AC;? The vicar of the church, Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Chukwudi Anasiudu in his remarks, appreciated God for grace and speed of transformation he has granted the church. Stressing his shock at the state of the church on resumption of office on the August 1, 2014, Anasiudu said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had never been to any Anglican Church in the Diocese of Lagos in such a deplorable condition. It was an eyesore. The bushes surrounding the church building structure was scary. Various species of snakes and other reptiles were regular visitors to the church.â&#x20AC;? Welcoming his guests to the dedication of the new church building comprising of a hall on the ground floor, church auditorium on the first floor and gallery, the vicar on a note joy said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing; then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us: whereof we are glad. Psalms 126:1-3. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Lord has turned again our captivity just within five years and five months, having spent 18 years and seven months of her existence in the most despicable condition. But now, to the glory of God, the story has changed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What was once best described as ashes, the Lord has beautified and made it a sought-after (Hephzibah). The Lord has indeed lifted us out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He has set our feet on solid ground, making our footsteps firm and secured. To Him be the gloryâ&#x20AC;? He appreciated and celebrated the grace and anointing of God in the lives of his predecessors as well as the works God used them to accomplish while they served. They include Venerable Christian Ilekanachi, Late Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Christian Ibeawuchi and Revâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Canon Paul Chikaodili and prayed that their â&#x20AC;&#x153;labour of love will never go unrewarded. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I also appreciate Mrs. Phina Ejilibe (Eagle Mummy). I have to single you out and publicly thank you for all your sacrifices. You were instrumental to the planting of this parish and you also donated a plot of land to the church. Not just that, you housed the church free of charge until they were able to put up a makeshift place of worship in their own land.â&#x20AC;?

T H I S D AY Ëž Í´Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

POLSCOPE

ĂĄĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D;ĂŁ Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă ĂĄĂ&#x153;Ă&#x201C; Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x17D;ĂŁË&#x203A;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă ĂĄĂ&#x153;Ă&#x201C;ĚśĂ&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă?Ë&#x203A;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014;Ë&#x153; Í¸Î&#x20AC;Í¸Í˝ ÍťÍ¸Íž Î ÍťÍ˝Íž

The Futility of Judicial Panels

have very little faith in judicial panels. Reason? They hardly lead anywhere. Oftentimes, they succeed in confirming what everybody had known or suspected before the panel was set up. That is where its essence ends. At other times when government wants to be extra-formal, they toy with the idea of issuing a white paper after the panel has submitted its report. Again, White Papers are what they are: white paper, filled with powerless black ink. Running through the records, I cannot readily know of any major national issue that was decisively dealt with because a judicial panel said so. Check. Can you find any? In a way, Judicial panels are more or less like political tools used by those in authority to either haunt their perceived enemies or play to the gallery. The latter applies to the setting up of the Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission, aka Oputa Panel, in1999; ditto the Panel of Enquiry on the Lekki Tollgate shootings by the military on October 20,2020, set up by Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Just as the Oputa panel ended up in sheer political smoke, so shall the Sanwo-Olu panel be. Often times, such panels are set up under a euphoric atmosphere, essentially to sell the impression that government is concerned about the issue about which the panel is set up. And as always, the mere setting up of the panels seem to have a magical effect in calming the nerves of the people who believe that somehow, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the government is working on the matterâ&#x20AC;? . But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the work begins and ends. I will cite five examples from federal panels of enquiry and one from a state panel of enquiry. On May 29, 1999 former President Olusegun Obasanjo had become a civilian president. Given his past and the way he got elected, he needed to hit the ground running. And one way he thought this will be quickly appreciated was by setting up the Oputa panel, especially as it will expose the atrocities of the late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha, his principal tormentor. So, the Oputa panel gained lots of media traction at the time. The sitting sessions and the revelations thereof seized the headlines for months. But what did the panel achieve aside mere revelations? Nothing, I dare say. We were told of how MKO Abiola drank tea in the afternoon ,and began convulsing and died.The attempt to probe into how the June 12 (1993) election was annulled was futile. Gen Ibrahim Babangida, the chief culprit, refused to show up at the panel. Nobody could compel him. And that was the end of the matter. The panel wound up and submitted its report. Till today, we did not hear anything out of that panel again,

Sanwo-Olu

as its report continue to gather dust in some cartons or shelves in the presidency. Another example is the panel set up to probe then Vice President Atiku Abubakar by his principal, same Olusegun Obasanjo. The duo had fallen out and were fighting each other dirty. An EFCC investigation had indicted Atiku in 2007. Obasanjo did not want Atiku to run for the presidential election in April that year, since Atiku frustrated the success of the third term bid He forwarded the EFCC report to the senate with the intent of gettingAtiku impeached wherein heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d lose his immunity and then he would be arraigned and thus declared unfit to run for the presidential election. True to prediction, the senate indicted Atiku of diverting $145 million to companies where he (Atiku) had interest. The Senate panel thus ruled that Atiku was unfit to run for the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidency. Determined to run, Atiku approached the court and after all the judicial slalom race, the court ruled that only the court of competent jurisdiction has the powers to indict anybody in the eye of the law. That ruling poopoohed the senateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indictment. Atiku went ahead to run for that election, even though the court ruling came few days or so to the election. That ruling has thus established the fact that whatever any panel says or does is subject to the affirmation of the court of law. Let me cite two more recent panels of enquiry: the Justice Ayo Salami panel that investigated the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, and the Senate public hearing that reviewed the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). So, on the Ayo Salami panel, Magu was said to have grossly abused his office. The Minister

of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami had petitioned the presidency on the alleged gross abuses perpetrated by Magu, whereupon Magu was arrested and detained for ten days. While in detention, so much was being released to support the alleged atrocious acts of the former EFCC chair. The allegations were as wild as they were strange. The nation was shocked. He was being tried in a secret panel sitting in Aso Rocks. But when Magu had access to the media, he refuted all the allegations and challenged his accusers to prove their allegations. All these were in July this year. More than three months after the Salami panel has wound up and submitted (?) its report, the nation is yet in the dark. Magu remains suspended. His sins (if any) are held inchoate. Judicial panels? They take us nowhere. I cite the last one being that of the NDDC. In the same last July, the senate organized a public hearing on the activities of the NDDC board. The revelations were reeky. The senate, nay the entire nation (save Akpabio and co) were up in arms against a ruinous and reckless board that was spending public funds with a valueless spirit. Every page of the books smelt of filth and fraud. The revelations from the principal players like former MD of the NDDC, Joi Nunieh, the sitting MD, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei etc., were vexatiously putrescent, what with Pondeiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fainting drama. Everybody was aghast that such brazen sleaze could take place in a government that claims to tolerate no corruption. But here we are, almost four months after the â&#x20AC;&#x153;great revelationsâ&#x20AC;?, nothing has happened to those who mismanaged our commonwealth so criminally. In fact, the sitting MD is still in office, spending public funds still.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as if nothing happened. So what was the outcome of all the hoopla that followed the public hearing. What has the presidency done on the reports? Little wonder some people say judicial panels are â&#x20AC;&#x153;burial groundâ&#x20AC;? of issues of public concern. My last reference is the panel of enquiry set up in 2015 by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to probe his predecessor, Rt Hon Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, who had fallen out with him. Gov Wike had accused his former boss of having mismanaged the proceeds of the sales of some major assets of the state. Amaechi had published the books of the state showing the details of the proceeds, how they were utilized etc. But not unexpectedly, the judicial panel returned a verdict of guilt against Amaechi. Like Babangida,Amaechi had refused to show up at the panel. So, at the end of the day, the verdict remained what it was: a lip deep indictment. It did not stop President Muhammadu Buhari from appointing and re-appointing Amaechi as Transportation minister, who in turn had gone ahead to maximally perform in developing and growing the transportation infrastructure in the country. In the ongoing Lekki tollgate panel of enquiry, I cannot preempt the outcome of the finding. But the fact that it is already dogged by tons of controversy like the Nigerian Army refusing to respond to summon by the panel, Gov Babajide SanwoOlu first saying there were no fatalities, then later agreeing one, two persons were killed to saying the powers that brought the soldiers were beyond him to eventual admission that he takes responsibility for all the violence that took place, the army (81 Division) admitting that it was invited by the Lagos State government, whereas, the Justice minister, Abubakar Malami, says those who shot at peaceful protesters on Tuesday October 20, 2020 may have been hoodlums who merely wore army uniforms; and the claim by the LCC that the camera stopped recording at 8pm on the day the soldiers invaded the protest groundâ&#x20AC;Ś , all go to show that it is a panel that may lead us nowhere, what with the fact that it would last for six months! I can almost bet with my career that by the end of the year, Nigerians would be focusing on several other matters and not on the same Lekki tollgate shootings. Meanwhile, we are just being entertained by the nerve-wracking revelations of how savagely brutal the SARS men were. In all, it does appear like Panels of enquiry are not only opportunities for creating job for retired judges, they are indeed mere tools in the hands of politicians and rulers to satisfy narrow interests. Would the Lekki tollgate shooting panel be different? We wait!

The Thrown-Out Trump As at Wednesday night, the outcomeof the American election was yet foggy. But there were heartwarming indications that the bully called Donal Trump was on his way out of the White House. Joe Biden had garnered 248 to Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 214 in the Electoral College. Biden would need 270 to win. As at

Wednesday night, he looked nearer Victory than Trump. I pray it so happens to shame those religious fanatics who were matching in support for Trump in Onitsha and Owerri. Such weird fanaticism for one who called you a shit-hole country, one who solely stood against your sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ngozi Okonjo_Iwealaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bid for the

WTO job. Trump deserves just one thing: Be thrown away to save the world from his reckless presidency. It is interesting that he had declared himself winner long before all the votes got counted. What a desecration of an ancient tradition. Away with the foul-mouthed Bully.

Canticlesâ&#x20AC;Ś.

Regulating Social Mediaâ&#x20AC;ŚAn Uphill Task

id you hear that the northern governors met and endorsed the move to regulate social media operations in Nigeria? Yes, I am not surprised. Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they claim also that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;EndSARS protests were aimed at toppling the Buhari administration? Didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they also even say they need SARS, the dreaded and disbanded police unit? It is worrisome that the northern governors are almost always wanting to prove that we are not one country. But they say they are patriots. Tell that to the marines. With such patriots, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need traitors. They argue, like establishmentarians, that social media has been grossly abused. That unless there is a check on how it is being used, it could cause much greater problem to the country in the nearest future. So they posit that the regulation move is aimed at rescuing the nation from the precipice of destruction and socio-economic upheaval. Go and tell them, the greater threat to nationhood and collective peace is bad governance as manifested in nepotismâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;wherein all plum jobs and appointments are given to people from only section of the country; lacking in foresightâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;wherein hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians graduate from the universities every year but there is not a single plan of how to get them employed; that the issue of prolonged insecurity caused by the commerce involved in the business of ďŹ ghting Boko Haram is a bigger threat to national peace than whatever the use of Whatsapp and Facebook is put. Tell them that the cancer called corruption is what has shrunk us as a people like this, 60 years after, not Twitter or Telegram My friend, tell them that the troubles posed by the menace of Fulani herdsmen who kill, rape and kidnap unarmed people at will is a far greater source of danger than Twitter and Instagram posts. Tell them thatâ&#x20AC;Ś (cuts in) Enough! Am I your messenger? Look, we must admit that some of the messages that are tweaked, spinned, edited and shared on social media have indeed misled many people to taking divisive actions that could threaten the unity of this country. Indeed, those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wish this country well, always capitalize on the platform of social media to spread either fake news or sow evil seed in the minds of the gullible. You got it: â&#x20AC;&#x153;in the minds of the gullibleâ&#x20AC;?. How many Nigerians are gullible?

Trump

No, I think the question should be, How many Nigerians are not gullible? You know that many of these ill-posts, be they

Lai Mohammed

videos, pictures or comments, go virile as soon as it contains elements of rebellion, division, hate speech, inflammation and violent plans. And that is why the federal government is saying, they will not shot down social media altogether like countries like Egypt etc., but that its use will be regulated to ensure that those who deliberately spread fake news and raise false alarms that could cause a breach of public peace, are either prevented from doing so, or they are made to account for their flippancy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all bunkum. Have you asked yourself, how indeed, the Federal Government would be able to censor the people in the use of the social media? Do they have the requisite technology and expertise? Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you see it will further lead to the waste of scarce resources when they begin to hire foreign consultants to block the assess of Nigerians to the outside world? I need you to agree with me that there are extreme cases of abuse in the use of social media. It is not only social media that has been abused in this country. Many politicians have abused their privileged positions and ofďŹ ces at the detriment of the rest of us. So have we banned or regulated public ofďŹ ce? Look, always remember that water kills, but everybody still drinks water. So what are you implying? I am telling you that doing anything against free ďŹ&#x201A;ow of information will not only be difďŹ cult, it will trigger problems far greater and more toxic than the one it is aimed at solving. Ask yourself how the government will stop Nigerians in the Diaspora from sharing information at their disposal to Nigerians at home? How? Just how? And do you know there are people who do legitimate business and earn income using the social media? Such legitimate and enterprising users of the social media will have nothing to fear. The regulation proposed will not hurt their business interests. It is a Brought-in-Dead idea. It cannot and wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work here. They should concentrate on instituting good governance and upholding the ethos of justice and fairness everywhere. That is the solution, not strangulation of social media.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY Ëž Í´Ë&#x153; 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

GTBank Gets CBNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Approval-in-principle for HoldCo Structure Obinna Chima Guaranty Trust Bank Plc yesterday disclosed that it has obtained an approval-in-principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to commence the formal process of reorganising its bank into a holding company (HoldCo). The bank disclosed this in a notice obtained on the Nigerian Stock Exchange website, which was signed by its Company Secretary, Erhi Obebeduo. The reorganisation would be implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement between the bank and its shareholders pursuant to the companies and Allied Matters Act, adding that it has also obtained the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;noobjectionâ&#x20AC;? from the Securities

and Exchange Commission with respect to the proposed scheme. The bank explained: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under the restructuring, it is proposed that the issued shares in the bank be exchanged on a one-for-one basis for the shares in the financial holding company. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) are also proposed to be exchanged on a one-for-one basis for new GDRs to be issued by the financial holding company.â&#x20AC;? It explained further that it board of directors made the decision to embark on the restructuring following a comprehensive strategic evaluation of the operating and competitive environment of the Nigerian banking sector in the near term.

The board expects that the financial HoldCo would have greater strategic flexibility to adapt to future business opportunities as well as market and regulatory changes that is currently the case. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The financial holding company will be regulated by the CBN as an Other Financial Institution and listed on the official list of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Concurrently, the bank will be delisted from the official list of the NSE and the LSE, and re-registered as a private limited liability company under the relevant provisions of the Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corporate legislation. GTBank will continue to be subject to the full suite of CBN banking regulations,â&#x20AC;? it stated.

FG Urged to Develop Innovative Ways in Growing Tax Revenue Ugo Aliogo The Group Head of Tax, Nestoil, Stanley Ezekobe, has advised the federal government to prioritise transaction-based taxes such as Value Added Tax (VAT). Ezekobe, who disclosed this recently at a virtual media roundtable organised by the Nestoil Group said while other forms of tax such as company income tax, are important, transaction-based taxes hold the key to government meeting its revenue target for the 2021 budget of Economic Recovery and Resilience. Speaking on the topic, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Maxi-

mising Government Revenue through Effective Taxationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said there was need for the tax authorities to seek innovative ways of bringing more people into the tax bracket. He said the informal sector, where most Nigerians play is either heavily under taxed or not taxed at all. According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the ways to bring the informal sector into the tax bracket is to make the presentation of a tax card a pre-requisite for Nigerians to enjoy specific services from government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Government needs to also

identify key local figures in their different communities that will greatly assist it in identifying and collecting taxes on its behalf. This community initiative is crucial if the tax net is to be significantly expanded. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Political leaders must show transparency in how tax revenues are used to meet the needs of the people. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;For tax revenue to grow, the government must maximise tax collection, maximise the use of what has been collected and in order to be fully effective, they need to be accountable to those whom they have collected the revenue from in the first place.â&#x20AC;?

Orange- One Finance Woos Customers With Bespoke Financial Services Orange- One Finance Limited has unveiled a potpourri of investment products to Nigerians, to meet their diverse financial needs. Managing Director of OrangeOne Finance, Iyobosa Iyamu, listed six financial products on offer by the company, to meet the needs of its growing clientele base. They include, among others - Personal loan, Asset Finance, Working Capital Loan and Invoice Discounting Facility. Others are Local Purchase Order (LPO) Financing and Contract Finance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do engage our customersindividuals as well as SMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in building a beneficial relationship that helps us partner with them in achieving their financial and business goals,â&#x20AC;? Iyamu said. The Orange-One boss disclosed that the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal loan which ranges between N500, 000 and N4 million was targeted at meeting urgent needs

of customers. The loan which is payable in a space of one year, is available to professionals in the banking sector or blue chip/multinational organisations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This category of loans is secured by proof of employment and may not require collateral but will require a guarantor(s) depending on the amount,â&#x20AC;? she said. The Asset Finance product of the company is an extended rental agreement where the asset financed belongs to the financier until the lease has been fully paid down through monthly lease payments. The client is required to make an equity contribution of at least 30 percent of the value of the asset to be purchased while the financier pays the balance. The tenure for asset finance is 12 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 24 months. Iyamu said her companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s working capital facility is a loan that can be used to enhance

business operations and increase the profitability of small and medium scale enterprises. This loan is available for businesses that have been in operation for at least 2 years. Meanwhile, she noted that the current needs of the business and its ability to repay after enhancement of operating capital are critically evaluated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While the business cash flow projections are important the historical assessment is equally critical for this category of loans. Businesses that keep records and bank proceeds stand a higher chance of accessing working capital/bridge finance to take the business to the next level. The tenure for this is usually 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 12 months.â&#x20AC;? Iyamu added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With our Invoice Discounting facility, we provide instant access to cash based on receivables of the organization.

TechnoServe Urges SMEs to Adopt Micronutrient Index Model Oluchi Chibuzor TechnoServe Nigeria has urged operators of small and mediumscale enterprises (SMEs) in the food industry to adopt the Micronutrient Fortification Index (MFI) model. This, it stated, was because FMI serves as an innovative mechanism to support the food industry in self-regulating the improvement of fortification compliance alongside the existing regulatory regime.

Delivering a presentation on FMI at the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST) 44th annual conference, TechnoServeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead consultant for MFI, Mr. Ike IIegbune, said â&#x20AC;&#x153;The MFI is a proactive measure to increase food fortification compliance in the country.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;MFI helps in de-risking companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exposure to failures in maintaining both regulatory and best-practice standards in fortification compliance as well as overall quality managementâ&#x20AC;?,

adding that it helps businesses integrate effectiveness from strategic governance, to production and to consumer satisfaction,â&#x20AC;? he ad The index is made up of three important components which include the self-assessment tools, industry intelligence, periodic independent testing as self-assessment driven approach, was developed in conjunction with industry partners and the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JULY 2020 Money Supply (M3)

36,822,751.47

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

3,476,121.25

Money Supply (M2)

33,346,630.22

-- Quasi Money

120,764,479.02

-- Narrow Money (M1)

12,582,151.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,002,026.89

---- Demand Deposits

10,580,124.31

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,637,137.23

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

29,185,614.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

39,711,115.95

---- Credit to Government (Net)

19,521,851.08

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-130,189,264.87

--Other Assets Net

3,472,017.70

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,421,827.07

--Currency in Circulation

2,395,917.03

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,025,910.04 317,234.17

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? Ě&#x2039;

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month Inter-Bank Call Rate

March 2018 15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ě&#x2039; ÍŻÍąĎą

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ë&#x153; Í˛ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $39.09 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $38.44 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

T H I S D AY Ëž Í´Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Stockbrokers Urged to Uphold High Ethical Standards Goddy Egene As the stock market continues to witness more patronage stockbrokers have been urged to uphold the highest level of ethical standards in order to sustain the positive performance in the market. The President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. Olatunde Amolegbe, gave the charge at the investiture of seven

Fellows and induction of 59 Associate members as part of the 2020 conference which ended in Lagos, yesterday. He stressed the need for them to uphold the highest level of ethical standard as demanded by the dictum- â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;my word is my bond.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Omolegbe told the stockbrokers in particular and the general public that the scope of stockbroking, or the skill content

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

of chartered stockbrokers goes far beyond the traditional and popular securitiestrading activity typically associated with them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stockbrokers are all round investment experts. The institute has also made it possible for our students to specialise in specific areas of the profession if they so desire. So, our young entrants today canchoose to focus on fixed income dealing, commodity trading, custodianship, equity dealing, or financial advisory services.

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

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They of course, still have the option of combining everything and becoming omnibus stockbrokers. CIS is fully recognised by our counterparts worldwide. Our working agreements with the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, United Kingdom (CISI UK) and the Association of Certified International Investment Analysts (ACIIA) ensure that our members can practice in more than 35 countries around the world,â&#x20AC;? the CIS boss explained.

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

Amolegbe restated that finding solutions to Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic problems was at the heart of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference objective, adding that Nigerian stockbrokers had skills and competencies that positioned them to assist the government in providing solution to funding infrastructure deficit. According to him, the conference, themed: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Navigating through the storms-re-energising the economy through the capital

O F

market,â&#x20AC;? was very productive in terms of intellectual content. â&#x20AC;&#x153; At the conference we discussed the rebirth of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and its implications for the capital market ecosystem. We talked about alternative investments, the ongoing demutualisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, also infrastructure and deficit funding, with emphasis on how to bridge the gap using the Nigerian capital market. Meanwhile, the

0 5 / 1 1 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

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QUANTITY TRADED

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

NASD Plc Boss Lists Benefits of Alternative Investments

Goddy Egene

The Managing Director, NASD

Plc, Mr. Bola Ajomale, has said that alternative investments have many benefits that investors

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return. An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

should take advantage of. Apart from equities, there are other alternative investments such as

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 04Nov-2020, unless otherwise stated.

private equity, private debt, real estate, commodities, collectibles and structured products among

others. According to him, these investments have benefits such as

portfolio diversification, low stock market correlation and hedge against inflation among others.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors. Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return. NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 1.01 1.03 13.02% ACAP Income Funds 0.85 0.85 11.15% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.62% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.74 3.86 52.60% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 0.46% Anchoria Equity Fund 120.32 120.74 15.28% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.46 1.46 21.92% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 17.12 17.64 11.79% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 383.30 394.86 10.96% ARM Ethical Fund 32.69 33.68 12.42% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.16 1.17 16.34% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.13 12.98% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.34% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 115.28 116.09 19.98% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.06% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.30 2.30 23.51% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.19 2.22 44.79% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.81% Paramount Equity Fund 14.21 14.48 13.58% Women's Investment Fund 124.91 126.21 13.22% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.27% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 123.96 124.52 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 136.61 137.70 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 103.59 103.59 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.06% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.10 1.11 18.37% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.75 1.75 31.67% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 2.24% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 1.46% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,188.08 1,204.03 7.23% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Halal Fund 109.68 109.69 9.68% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.12% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 117.18 117.58 3.98% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 117.18 117.58 3.46% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 140.21 142.41 7.75% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,444.08 3,481.10 13.01% Coral Income Fund 3,213.58 3,213.58 4.70% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 3.39% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.80% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 125.26 125.75 16.44%

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.50% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.63 2.69 20.48% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 7.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 154.09 154.95 7.53% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ﬁncon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.31 1.33 16.43% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,130.33 1,130.33 8.77% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.48 1.50 20.36% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.77 11.86 4.74% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 2.44% PACAM Equity Fund 1.32 1.33 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.87 111.18 SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 131.08 133.81 3.73% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 8.10% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 20.59% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 5.90% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 18.33% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 6.97% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 22.46% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.25% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 14.58% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.22 1.22 4.72% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 110.30 110.30 5.84% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.31 1.33 9.85% United Capital Bond Fund 1.87 1.87 8.12% United Capital Equity Fund 0.77 0.79 9.12% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.36% United Capital Eurobond Fund 115.61 115.61 5.79% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.04 1.05 -0.57% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 11.36 11.77 11.87% Zenith Ethical Fund 12.90 13.01 10.95% Zenith Income Fund 24.61 24.61 8.31% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.40%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

126.41

12.27%

53.51

2.80%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.45 108.76 81.18

10.55 108.76 82.67

24.44% 13.91% 8.05%

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

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

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Grifﬁn 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.80 5.45 14.49 1.00 13.55 233.93

3.84 5.53 14.59 1.00 13.75 235.93

10.92% -7.76% 18.96% 2.55% 30.17% 22.43%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.71

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ THISDAY

INTERNATIONAL

US Election: European Observer Accuses Trump of Abuse of Office The head of an international observer mission to the US elections accused Donald Trump on Thursday of a “gross abuse of office” after the president alleged he was being cheated and demanded that vote counting be halted. “The most disturbing thing was that with presidential fanfare of the White House, that is, with all the insignia of power, the American commander-in-chief called for an end to the count because of his purported victory,” Michael Link from the told the German daily Stuttgarter Zeitung. “That was a gross abuse of office,” he said, adding that

Trump’s “claims of manipulation are baseless”. Link, who works for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, warned that Trump’s repeated false allegations of fraud could have far-reaching consequences. “The major concern is that the US will not be able put back into the bottle the genie that Trump has let out. “Even if he were to admit defeat and hand over office properly, his supporters, incited by rhetoric, may see violence as a legitimate tool because they no longer feel democratically represented,” said Link. And that is “a danger that

goes far beyond election day,” added the mission chief of the OSCE, which monitors elections throughout Western nations and the former Soviet Union.

On Wednesday, the mission already released a statement saying that there was no basis to Trump’s claims of cheating, and that Tuesday’s vote was

“competitive and well managed.” Trump, 74, has claimed victory unilaterally before counting in key battleground states has concluded.

He has also made clear he would not accept the reported results, issuing unprecedented complaints — unsupported by any evidence — of fraud.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mocks US Democracy Iran’s supreme leader has mocked the rancorous aftermath of election day in the United States, saying that the vote has exposed the reality of US democracy. Well over 24 hours after the last polling stations closed in the US state of Alaska, the battle for the White House remains undecided. US President Donald Trump has caused disquiet among even leaders of his own Republican Party by flatly alleging fraud, while his Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s campaign team has accused the incumbent of seeking to deny the electoral rights of tens of thousands of postal voters. “What a spectacle!” supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted late Wednesday. “One says this is the most

CHANGE OF NAME I, Formally known and addressed as Miss BLESSING NNENNA OKORIE, now wish to be known as MRS BLESSING NNENNA EDEH. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. I, formally known and addressed as YAKUBU ABUDULRAMAN, now wish to be known and addressed as YAKUBU ABUDULRAMAN EDIBO . All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note. I, formally known and addressed as CYNTHIA NNEKA ETU, now wish to be known and addressed as SOMUAH NNEKA CYNTHIA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note. I, formally known and addressed as CYNTHIA NNEKA ETU, now wish to be known and addressed as SOMUAH NNEKA CYNTHIA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note. I, formally known and addressed as MISS COMFORT EDET AKPAN, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS COMFORT ISIDORE EKPEMFRE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note. I, formally known and addressed as EZE ANNESTINA ADAKU, now wish to be known and addressed as OSITADINMA ANNESTINA ADAKU CHIKA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

fraudulent election in US history. Who says that? The president who is currently in office. “His rival says Trump intends to rig the election! This is how #USElections & US democracy are.” The deepening polarisation of US politics since Trump’s surprise election victory four years ago has drawn expressions of concern even from Western allies, with Germany warning of a “very explosive situation” in the aftermath of the poll. Despite US allegations that Tehran sought to use social media to influence voters in the run-up to polling day, Iran’s leadership has publicly insisted it favours neither candidate, despite their sharply divergent policies towards Tehran. Trump has led a campaign of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic republic, pulling Washington out of a multilateral deal on Iran’s nuclear programme and reimposing crippling unilateral sanctions.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formally known and addressed as MISS OLUWATOMILOLA TEMITOPE FASIDI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. OLUWATOMILOLA TEMITOPE OMOTAYO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formally known and addressed as SAMAKO FYALIWOMDAH MIKE, now wish to be known and addressed as SAMAKO FYALIWOMDAH. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note. I formerlly known and addressed as NDUDI CHRISTIAN CHISOM, now wished to me known and addressed as NDUDIRIM CHRISTIAN CHISOM and my Dob was wrongly written as 18/O9/2OOO, instead of 18/O9/2OO1. All my former documents remain valid, the general public should please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to notify the general public that SUCCESS NWAKAEGO OBIAJURU and NWAKAEGO SUCCESS OMENMA is same and the same person, and now wish to be known as SUCCESS NWAKAEGO OBIAJURU. All former documents remain valid. General public take note. I, MIKAIL LUKMAN MORONFOLA, my name was wrongly written as MIKAIL LAWAL MORONFOLA, instead of MIKAIL LUKMAN MORONFOLA, henceforth my correct name is MIKAIL LUKMAN MORONFOLA. All my former documents remain valid, the general public should please take note.

DEAL SEALED...

The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ben Llewellyn-Jones (left) and Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between a UK-based company, Konexa Energy and the state government in Abeokuta… Wednesday

UN Calls Special General Assembly Session on COVID-19 Pandemic UN Secretary-General, Antonio GuterresPanel L to R: Mr. Antonio Guterres, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the seventieth session of the General Assembly. Ms. Catherine Pollard, Under SecretaryGeneral for General Assembly and Conference Management The UN General Assembly moved Thursday to hold a special session focused on international coordination in response to the coronavirus pandemic from December 3-4 in New York. Discussed since June, the

meeting is intended to bring together heads of state and government according to a resolution adopted by 150 of the 193 General Assembly members. No country voted against the measure, while the US, Israel and Armenia abstained. Leaders will be able to submit five-minute prerecorded statements to be broadcast in the General Assembly Hall. The clips will be played after short introductions from representatives physically present in the room, according to the resolution — a format similar to that of

the annual General Assembly meeting in September. In-person appearances by world leaders are unlikely, given New York state’s required 14-day quarantine period for international visitors. The United States has already indicated it is opposed to an expanded role for the World Health Organization in fighting the pandemic, a stance facing major Russia pushback. Germany, meanwhile, criticized the resolution as too vague, while Britain called for representation from non-governmental

organizations and other civil society groups. The 193 UN member nations have adopted four resolutions on the pandemic so far this year — on global solidarity, global access to medications and vaccines, coordination of global action, and a united response to worldwide health threats. The Security Council on the other hand, which has had to navigate Chinese-American tensions over the virus, has only adopted one resolution on the pandemic, calling for the cessation of global conflicts in the interest of fighting Covid-19.

Kosovo President Resigns to Face War Crimes Court Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci, resigned Thursday to face an indictment from a war crimes court in The Hague, a dramatic downfall for a man who has loomed over the former Serbian province for more than a decade. The 52-year-old said he would step down to “protect the integrity” of the presidency after the court confirmed an indictment against him dating back to the 1990s conflict with Serbia, when Thaci was political chief of Kosovo’s rebel army. “I will cooperate closely with justice. I believe in truth, reconciliation and the future

of our country and society,” he said at a press conference in the capital Pristina. Thaci, a former premier who has been president since 2016, has long insisted on his innocence over a war that many Kosovars consider a “just” struggle for their independence from Serbian oppression. Kosovo’s majority ethnic Albanian population suffered heavily during the conflict that claimed 13,000 lives and ended only after a NATO bombing forced Serb troops to withdraw from the province. Serbian military and police officials were later convicted

by international justice of war crimes. But rebel leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)– many of whom have gone on to dominate politics — have also been accused of revenge attacks on Serbs, Roma and ethnic Albanian rivals during and after the war. In June, prosecutors from the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) accused Thaci and others of being “criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders” in addition to other crimes including enforced disappearance of people, persecution, and torture.

Thaci did not say Thursday which specific charges in the indictment had been confirmed. Prosecutors declined an AFP request for comment. The president’s closest political ally, Kadri Veseli, also said Thursday an indictment against him had been confirmed by the court and that he would go to The Hague. Set up with EU-backing five years ago, the KSC operates under Kosovo law but is based in the Netherlands to protect witnesses from intimidation in a society where former rebel commanders are hugely influential.

Paris Bans Takeaway, Delivery of Food and Drinks after 10p.m. Paris police on Thursday banned takeaway and delivery sale of food and drinks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., a week into France’s second coronavirus lockdown. Businesses offering delivery, takeaway, and alcohol sales at night were generating trips and gatherings that had to

be limited due to the health situation, the city’s chief of police Didier Lallement said in a statement published on Twitter. France has recorded daily coronavirus infection numbers ranging between 35,641 and 52,518 over the past week, as it faces a fierce second wave

of the virus that is putting hospitals under renewed pressure. There have been 2,889 deaths of Covid-19 patients in the week of Wednesday, taking the national total death toll since March to 38,674. Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo earlier said she preferred to

trust economic players and citizens, and not to take too bureaucratic an approach. But, she told BFMTV television, “When there are players who don’t play the game and put the health of the greater number, obviously, at risk, then restrictions become necessary.’’

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

PDP Reconstitutes Niger Caretaker Committee Chuks Okocha in Abuja The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, has approved the reconstitution of the Niger State Caretaker

Committee of the PDP. A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said the action of the NWC was taken in pursuant to Sections 29 (2)(b) and 31(2)(e) of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended). Ologbondiyan said that

members of the newly reconstituted Niger State Caretaker Committee are Dr. Akilu Indabawa who will serve as its chairman. Other members of the committee are Hon. Timothy M. Jiya, Mr. Hussaini Garba,

Hon. Abbas Waziri, Hon. Adamu Etsu, M. Wanigi, Mr. Gambo Ladan, Mr. Hamisu Musa Jankaro, Mrs. Asabe Katcha and Hon. Shima Ayati, who will serve as member/ secretary. The new caretaker

committee, he said, is charged with the sole responsibility of running the affairs of the party in Niger State from November 5, 2020, until a new executive committee is elected, for a period not exceeding 90 days (three months).

The NWC enjoined all leaders and members of the PDP in Niger State to be guided accordingly and continue to work together in line with the manifesto of the party and visions of its founding fathers.

Marafa Faults Buni-led Committee, Says Zamfara APC Crisis Still Persists Deji Elumoye in Abuja A former member of the National Assembly, Senator Kabiru Marafa, has punctured the claim by the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the crisis rocking the Zamfara State chapter of the party has been resolved. The committee had at the end of its meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, claimed that the crises rocking the party in nine states namely Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Zamfara, Ondo and Oyo had been resolved. Marafa, a governorship aspirant of the party in the 2019 general election, in a reaction issued yesterday, however, said the committee has not done anything since its inception to resolve the crisis in the Zamfara State chapter of the party. The former federal legislator added that the two factions of the party still exist and operate parallel secretariat in Gusau,

the state capital and across the 14 local government areas of the state. According to him, the claim by the committee that Zamfara APC crisis had been resolved would only worsen the party’s problem in the state. “With this statement, the committee has deflated the trust and confidence reposed in it, by misleading the public with the claim that it has resolved the crises in the states mentioned. The committee has lost its integrity and its members should therefore resign or be sacked. “I pray that the committee is not on a mission to destroy the party completely. They have not done anything and have not contacted anybody; either by phone or letter, formally or informally. They are behaving as if Zamfara State does not exist and therefore doesn’t matter”. He stressed the commitment of his camp to fight for the rights of an average APC member in the state.

EFCC Arraigns Civil Servant over Alleged N1bn Fraud Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Staff with Disabilities’ Cooperative Society, Alhaji Iliasu Abdulrauf, for alleged N1, 126,156,000 fraud. Abdulrauf was arraigned before Justice S.C Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, Abuja, on a six-count charge of breach of trust. Count one of the charges read: “That you Alhaji Iliasu Abdulrauf, being the chairman Federal Civil Service Staff with the Disabilities Cooperative Society, sometimes between November 2017 and February 2018 in Abuja within the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the FCT with intent to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N508, 528,000 via your personal account No. 2076821282, domiciled with UBA and World Trade Multipurpose Cooperative Society’s account No. 1012195580, domiciled with UBA, from the Managing Director of Wanori Investment and Properties Limited under the false pretence of awarding contracts to establish a rehabilitation centre for persons living with disabilities, and that the said MD of Wanori Investment and Properties Limited was deceived into paying for corporate social responsibility and insurance

bond to enable his company access mobilisation for the contract. “These representations you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.” He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, prompting prosecution counsel, Steve Oduase, to ask the court for a trial date, and prayed that he be remanded in prison custody while the defence counsel pleaded with the court to grant him bail. Justice Oriji admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N20 million with two sureties, one of which must be a Grade Level 14 civil servant in the federal civil service while the other must be a responsible Nigerian citizen. The two sureties, the judge stated, must be resident in FCT, Abuja, with their residential addresses verified by the court registrar and the prosecuting counsel, adding that the defendant shall not travel out of the country without the permission of the court. In the event of the defendant being unable to satisfy the bail conditions, he shall be remanded in EFCC custody. The matter was adjourned till December 15, 2020 and January 25, 2021, for the commencement of trial.

SIXTEEN HEARTY CHEERS...

L - R: Company Secretary ,NIPCO Plc , Mr. Paul Chukwuma Obi ; Managing Director , Mr. Suresh Kumar ; Chairman ,Chief Bestman Anekwe; and Group Executive Director, Corporate Services, Mr. Abdulkadir Aminu; at the company’s 16th Annual General Meeting in Abuja...recently

COVID-19: US Donates $144,000 Equipment to Military, Civilian Medical Facilities Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The United States Department of Defence (DoD), through the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth $144,000 to support COVID-19 prevention in military and civilian medical facilities in Lagos, Kano, Akwa-Ibom, and Cross River states and the Federal Capital

Territory (FCT). The US Mission in Nigeria in a statement issued yesterday by its Information Officer/Press Attache, Ms Jeanne Clark, said the PPE handover to the Nigerian military took place at the 063 Nigerian Air Force Hospital (NAFH) in Abuja. It said the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Babangida

Hussaini, and the US Charge d’Affaires, Kathleen FitzGibbon, presided over the event. It also recalled that the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ohanire, inaugurated the 063 NAFH as a COVID-19 treatment centre in June 2020. The US noted that the Nigerian Ministry of Defence (NMOD) Health Implementation Programme

(MODHIP) serves as the implementation arm of the NMOD COVID-19 response and has worked with the Armed Forces COVID-19 committee, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme, and multiple US government agencies to support pandemic mitigation in Nigeria.

N392bn Debt: FG to Focus on Priority Projects, Says Fashola Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has disclosed that due to the burden of unpaid certificates totaling over N392 billion, the federal government would carefully select projects to execute in the 2021 budget, instead of starting new ones. A statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the ministry, Boade Akinola, noted that Fashola stated this during the 2021 budget defence of his ministry before the House of

Representatives Committee on Works, and reiterated that the budget would focus on road projects, especially those on routes A1-A9. Fashola explained to the committee that the disparity between the liabilities in unpaid certificates and the budgetary provisions over the years had compelled the ministry to prioritise its capital proposals in order to make appreciable impact. According to him, “Given the wide disparity between the liabilities in unpaid certificates in the total sum of N 392, 019,

827, 093.87 and the budgetary provisions over the years, it has become imperative that the ministry prioritised its 2021 capital proposals. “This is being done in order to make appreciable impact within the period of 2021 to 2023, which can be physically experienced by road users. The focus of the 2021 budget proposal of the ministry remains the completion of some priority road projects, especially those on routes A1-A9.” The minister stated that President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly emphasised on the need to focus the budget

on completion of projects, explaining that the ministry has given priority to 18 roads and bridges that have already attained some appreciable physical achievement for completion within a period of 12 to 15 months by December 2021. He noted that among the prioritised road projects are roads and bridges that lead to ports and major agricultural hubs across the six geo-political zones, pointing out that focus was also made on roads that attained 70 per cent completion.

$9.8m Fraud: Court to Rule on Admissibility of Evidence in Former NNPC GMD’s Trial Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The trial of former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Andrew Yakubu, continued yesterday before Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja with the court reserving ruling on admissibility of prosecution’s evidence till November 30, 2020. Yakubu was arraigned in 2017 before Justice

Mohammed on a sixcount charge of failure to make full disclosure of assets, money laundering and intent to avoid a lawful transaction, having unlawfully transported at various times to Kaduna an aggregate sum of $9,772,800 and £74,000. Appearing yesterday as defence witness, the defendant under crossexamination by prosecution counsel, M.S. Abubakar, denied knowledge of 10 bundles of 100 pieces of $100

bills, sealed in transparent cellophane and 30 pieces of such sealed bills of 10 bundles of $100 bills, allegedly found in his custody. He, however, agreed that sums of $9,772,800 and £74,000 found in his custody, which are subject of counts three and four belong to him; stating that a larger portion of the sums were gifts he received after he left office. In an affidavit he deposed to in the Supreme Court, Yakubu affirmed that the

sums, which are exhibits in his trial were deposited with the Kano branch of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). While prosecution counsel sought to tender the affidavit by virtue of the provisions of sections 85, 86 (i) and 88 of the Evidence Act, defence counsel Ahmed Raji (SAN), objected, arguing that it was not certified, being a public document. Justice Mohammed adjourned till November 30, 2020 for ruling on the admissibility of the affidavit.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

Port Harcourt ASUU Vows Not to Call off Strike Onungwe Obe in Yenagoa

The Port Harcourt Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday vowed that its members would not be cowed into returning to work despite the various antics the federal government adopted to blackmail them. The leadership of the union in the zone, which addressed a press conference in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, said that rather than show commitment to the implementation of the previous agreements it reached with the union on the funding of public universities in the country, the federal government was using the refusal of ASUU members to enroll in the

flawed Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) to blackmail lecturers to return to the classroom. Present at the press conference held at the Yenagoa campus of the Niger Delta University were the Coordinator of ASUU in Port Harcourt Zone, Comrade Uzo Onyebiama; the Chairperson of Federal University, Otuoke branch, Mr. Emmanuel Akpan; the Chairperson of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Endurance Joseph; the Chairperson of the Niger Delta University branch, Mr. Kingdom Tonbara; and the Chairperson of the University of Port Harcourt branch, Mr. Austen Sado, who all signed the text of the press conference.

While calling on parents and students to support ASUU in the struggle to redeem the university system, the union vowed that, “We remain in this struggle until all the issues in contention are adequately addressed.” They lamented that it was unfortunate that the federal government was trying to use the seizure of their salaries as a weapon to weaken their struggle for the betterment of the universities. They alleged that the IPPIS introduced by government has eroded the autonomy of the universities and placed the powers of the Governing Councils on the Accountant General of the Federation.

Gbajabiamila Reshuffles Aides, Gets Deputy Chief of Staff Udora Orizu in Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has appointed his former Special Adviser on Political Matters, Mr. Olanrewaju Smart, as his Deputy Chief of Staff. This came as the Speaker carried out a minor reshuffle of his team, and made a few new appointments. In a statement on the reshuffle issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre

Lasisi; Mr. Seun Odofin, who was the Special Adviser on Administration is now Special Adviser, Administration and Legislative Compliance, while Mr. Dubem Moghalu, the ex-Special Assistant on Policy/Research and Strategy is the Special Adviser on Policy/Research and Strategy. Also, Miss Tabia Princewill, who was the Special Assistant on Inter-Parliamentary is now the Special Assistant on Social Development and Events; while Ibrahim Hamza Baba, who was the Special Assistant on Internally

Displaced Persons (IDPs), is now the Special Assistant on Humanitarian Affairs. The Speaker also made three new appointments, namely: Mr. Dapo Oyewole as the Special Adviser, International Relations and Inter-Parliamentary; Mr. John Ameh, formerly of the Punch Newspaper, as the new Special Assistant on Media Research and Documentation, and Dr. Charles Omole as the Special Assistant on National Security and Intelligence Reform.

Nasarawa Youths Ask for Monthly Stipends Igbawase Ukumba inLafia A coalition of youth groups in Nasarawa State has asked for a monthly stipends from the state government to its enable members to offset their running cost and boost the activities of youth organisations in the state. The coalition made the demand

yesterday in a communique it issued at the end of a five-day programme it organised to commemorate the first National Youth Day celebration. The statement, which was read by the coalition’s Spokesperson and Chairman of the Nasarawa State Chapter of the Nigeria Youth Council (NYC), Mr. Idris Ojoko, demanded for adequate budgetary

allocation to the youth sector as well as efficient involvement of youths in its implementation. The statement reads in part: “That a bill for the establishment of a ‘Youth Development Commission’ be considered and passed into law to enable youths in Nasarawa State participate favourably in governance and decision making.

Court Releases Jang’s Travel Documents Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Plateau State High Court, yesterday granted the request of former state Governor, Senator Jonah Jang for the release of his travel documents to enable him travel for medical checkup in the United Arab Emirate (UAE). Jang, who was governor between 2007 and 2015, is

being prosecuted alongside Yusuf Pam, a former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) during his administration on 17-count. The offences bordering on criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public fund amounting to N6.3bn were allegedly committed

towards the end of his tenure. The documents were seized by the court at the commencement of the trial in 2018. Presiding Justice Christy Dabub, who ordered the court to release the documents, however said he must return before the adjourned date of February 16, 17, and 18, 2021.

Igwe Alex Nwokedi Passes On With a deep sense of loss and with gratitude to God for a life well lived, the Uthoko Na Eze Royal family, the Igwe-in Council, the ancient society of Ndi Alor, and the entire Achalla community in Anambra State, has announced the transition of His Majesty, Igwe Alex Ezeoba Nwokedi V, the Uthoko of Achalla. According to a statement issued by Ogbuefi Willie Nwokedi, on behalf of the Uthoko Na Eze family of Achalla, the sad event took place in Lagos on Monday, May 11, 2020, after a brief illness. Aged 84, the late Igwe Alex Nwokedi served as the Chairman of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers and also Chairman of the Nine Eastern States Council of Traditional Rulers.

He was a charismatic journalist and distinguished civil servant before ascending the throne of his forefathers, who served his country faithfully and conscientiously. He was Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to former the then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd) and also briefly served in the same role to the late former President Shehu Shagari. He had a stellar career in the power sector working for the National Electricity Power Authority (NEPA) and also distinguished himself in the oil industry as the Goup General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC. His board directorships include independent director of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and the Anambra

Broadcasting Service, among others. He is survived by his wife, Kofo Nwokedi, three children, eight grandchildren, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins and the Achalla community. He will be laid to rest on November 27, 2020, in Achalla, Anambra State.

Igwe Alex Nwokedi,

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Man and Human Development in Islam - 1

Spahic Omer/IslamiCity

Man, according to the Islamic message, is not a fallen being as the Christianity asserts. His existence on earth is not a sentence passed on to him by God on account of what transpired between Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden. On the contrary, man is a vicegerent on earth (khalifah) entrusted with the honourable task of inhabiting the earth in accordance with the divine guidance given to him. This terrestrial life to man serves as a platform either for elevating his status over that of angels, should he abide by the divinely prescribed rules and regulations, or for debasing his self lower than the rank of animals, should he turn away from truth and dazed and lost wander aimlessly amid the innumerable and awesome wonders of creation. Man is the crown of God’s act of creation. God created man by His own Hands and in His own image. (Sahih Muslim) For man and his principled assignment as vicegerent everything else on earth has been created, and to him and the expediency and services of his mission everything else has been subjected. God created man with the primordial natural disposition (fitrah) to thirst for and worship his Creator. God, therefore, knowing best the character of man, his needs and weaknesses, on sending Adam and Eve to the earth to assume their duty of vicegerency, revealed to them that He will never forsake them and their progeny. God promised that His guidance and signs will be coming to mankind to guide them and will perpetually stay with them, and “Whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”. (al-Baqarah, 38) “…Whosoever follows My guidance, will not lose his way, nor fall in misery”. (Ta Ha, 123) By God’s guidance and signs it is meant the religion of Islam which was preached by every prophet from Adam as the first messenger, to Muhammad (pbuh) as the last and seal of all messengers. God’s divine guidance enables man to remain strong, rational, content and responsible while on earth. It makes him capable of keeping up the focus of his undertakings on worshipping his Creator and Master in his every action, word and thought. God says in the Qur’an that He has created both Jinns and men only that they may worship and serve Him. (al-Dhariyat, 56) On the other hand, in the event of man’s rejection of God’s messages and guidance, the repercussions will be costly. The Qur’an says: “But those who reject Faith and belie Our Signs, they shall be Companions of the Fire; they shall abide therein”. (al-Baqarah, 39) “But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment”. (Ta Ha, 124) Furthermore, man is created as a social being endued with free will, passion and emotions, which could lead him either to the highest or drug him to the lowest ebb of creation. Humanity is but a big family with the same origin, mission and purpose. People have been divided into nations and tribes only to know each other, learn from each other, and cooperate at various levels in righteousness and piety, not that they may loathe each other, conspire against and exploit each other. They are to explore the universe and within a conceptual framework rendered to them by revelation try to make their existence on earth as convenient, meaningful and productive as possible, that is, to create and leave behind a virtuous legacy in the form of virtuous cultures and civilizations. However, no sooner does this universal equilibrium become impaired and vitiated, than man’s relationship with God, his peers and the whole of the environment starts to degenerate. God says about this: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)”. (alHujurat, 13) “And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colours: verily in that are Signs for those who know”. (al-Rum, 22) Islam with its unique tawhidic (God’s Oneness) worldview champions that Muslims are brothers to each other and their similitude is like a wall whose bricks enforce and rely on each other. They are like a solid cemented structure held together in unity and strength, each part

contributing strength in its own way, and the whole held together not like a mass, but like a living organism. Muslims are furthermore related to each other in such a way that if one of them (a part of an organic and formidable formation called the Ummah, Community) is troubled by a problem of any kind, the rest of the body parts will remain disturbed and restless until the matter became solved. (Sahih Muslim) Man, it follows, stands at the centre of all creation. He, likewise, stands at the centre of all his cultural and civilization legacies. They are all created by him and for him, and are meant only for him. The idea of man, therefore, is indicative of productivity, discovery, creative force and continuous cultural and civilizational evolutions and outputs. Not only for his own bequests, but also for the whole of the earth, is man responsible and will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment. Such are the profundity and scale of his earthly mission that if the earth is sustained and kept clean, healthy and intact, that would imply that man has lived up to the requirements of his noble mission. However, if the earth is dealt with irresponsibly and avariciously, resulting in it to become ravaged and uninhabitable, that would imply that man has betrayed his Creator and Master and the mission entrusted to him, and that he has been untrue to himself and his primordial inborn moral fibre. Indeed, it was due to all this that when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) migrated from Makkah to Madinah, aiming to create a dynamic prototype Islamic city and lay down the foundation of a first example of sustainable Islamic architecture, sustainable Islamic urban development and, by extension, sustainable Islamic culture and civilization, he focused first and foremost on human development. He taught that without adequate and holistic human development, no other development in a long and demanding community building process will genuinely prove successful. He also taught that society is an organization whose most basic and, at the same time, most significant configuration substance is its people or individuals. For that reason, a relationship between society and its substance and basic units or blocks is a causal one, the latter, namely individuals as the basic social units, being the cause, and society with its wide spectrum of tasks and aspirations, being the effect. This means that the health or the development of a society depends mainly on the health and development of its substance and basic units or blocks, that is, its people as human capital. An improvement in the minds and souls of individuals inevitably and proportionately leads to an improvement in society. Likewise, any degeneration in the minds and souls of individuals inescapably and proportionately leads to a degeneration of society. It stands to reason that the best method in diagnosing and remedying the ills of a society is by identifying the overall wellbeing and the contributions and roles of individuals as part of its focal interest, that is to say, the method that seeks out and deals with the root causes of a problem. For the reason of creating and nurturing human capital in the nascent city-state of Madinah the Prophet (pbuh) upon arriving disclosed to the assembled crowd some of the paths that invariably lead towards Jannah (Paradise) in the Hereafter, as well as towards individual and collective felicity in this world. The paths are: 1) implementing and spreading peace and concord wherever possible and by whatever lawful means; 2) sharing and compassion; 3) maintaining good relations with relatives (as well as with others); and 4) praying at night when everybody else is asleep. For the same reason the content of the Prophet’s sermon during the first Friday prayer (Jumu’ah) in Madinah -- as well as the contents of his other sermons at that juncture -- emphasized the importance of faith (iman), taking hold of the good and leaving the evil, brotherhood, sincerity, steadfastness, gratefulness for the blessing of Islam, the significance of helping one another in righteousness and piety and not in sin and rancour, the common cause of Muslims, and the like. Some of the underlying societal qualities and features of Islam, such as commitment to the established cause, justice, equality, and mutual understanding and cooperation, have also been demonstrated as early as during the exercise of determining the site of the Prophet’s mosque and the marking out of its boundaries. ...to be concluded

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Ë&#x153; ÍžË&#x153; ÍşÍ¸ÍşÍ¸ Ëž T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS Europa: Iheanachoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Double Seal Victory for Leicester City

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice as Leicester thrashed Braga 4-0 to make it three wins from three in this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Europa League. Iheanacho opened the scoring midway through the first half when he prodded in after playing a one-two with James Maddison. The two combined again before the break to almost score a second but this time Braga goalkeeper Matheus made a superb diving save to deny

Maddison. But Iheanacho got his and Leicesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second soon after the restart when his shot from the edge of the area took a heavy deflection to land in the back of the net. That prompted a dominant spell for the hosts, with Iheanacho going close to completing his hat-trick, but his shot was kept out by Matheus. A third for Leicester duly arrived with Iheanacho this time turning provider, squaring a pass

Olanrewaju Scores again as Sivasspor Beat Qarabag for First Win Olanrewaju Kayode scored again for Sivasspor in the Europa League as they beat visiting Qarabag 2-0 in Group I to record their first win last nigh It was Kayodeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third goal in three consecutive games in Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second-tier club competition. Kayode, who was brought on in the 59th minute, netted with two minutes left in the game to double the Turkish clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead. Sivasspor took the lead thanks to Caner Osmanpasa just 11 minutes into the encounter. The win saw Sivasspor occupy third position in the group on

three points. In Group D, Joe Aribo was in action while Leon Balogun was benched as 10-man Benfica forced Rangers to a 3-3 draw in Portugal. Aribo played for 69 minutes before making way for his replacement while former Manchester City defender Nicolas Otamendi was sent off with Benfica 1-0 up. An own goal by Connor Goldson in the 2nd minute put Benfica 1-0 up but Rangers equalised via another own goal on 24 minutes by Diogo Goncalves. Goals from Glen Kamara nd Alfredo Morelos on 24 and 51 minutes respectively, put Rangers 3-1 up.

for substitute Dennis Praet to tap in, and Maddison wrapped up a brilliant win when he forced his way through the defence before finishing. It was a comfortable night for the Foxes against a Braga side that are experienced European campaigners and had won their six previous games in all competitions. The victory continued Leicesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own good form, with five wins from their last five games having propelled them

to second in the Premier League, and top of Europa League Group G with nine points from nine. The Foxes are flying both domestically and in Europe this season and their form is all the more impressive considering they have several first team players out through, or recently returning from, injury. It is testament to Brendan Rodgersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; managerial ability that despite that he is managing to get the best out of his squad, with the players coming into the side

making important contributions. Iheanacho is one such player. The forward has made just three appearances for Leicester in the Premier League this season but has featured in all three of their Europa League games, scoring in both the games he has started. There was a touch of fortune about both his goals against Braga, with the ball rebounding to him from a save for the first, allowing him to prod into an empty net, and the second taking a significant deflection.

But it was just reward for an energetic and committed display that exemplified the spirit and determination in this Leicester squad. The Foxes are flying both domestically and in Europe this season and their form is all the more impressive considering they have several first team players out through, or recently returning from, injury. Leicester host Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday, 8 November (14:00 GMT)

Kelechi iheanacho (right) thanking God for his second goal in Leicester Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4-0 defeat of Braga in Europa League Group stage match last night

Family Launches Gofund Me Appeal for Oboh Rivers United, Lobi Stars Towards Saudi Ladies Tourney Open Gov Wike Cup

The second edition of Governor Wike Pre-Season Football Tournament kicks off today with continental campaigners, Rivers United and Lobi Stars slugging it out in the opening match. The draws for the pre-season tourney, which held at the conference room of the Rivers State Ministry of Sports, had in attendance members of the organising committee, representatives of clubs and sports journalists. In a brief remark, chairman of the organising committee, Bashir Badawiy stated that the tournament would be well organised to the admiration of all.

He commended all the participating clubs for their commitment and determination to put their respective teams in top shape for the upcoming season. Member of the organising committee in charge of Technical, Dennis Dima said the draws were made taking a lot of parameters into consideration. He assured of a fair tournament where all teams would be given a level playing field to fight for bragging rights. In Group A are Rivers United, Lobi Stars, Akwa United, Cynosure and Ottasolo FC.

Moshood Abiola, Surulere National Stadia to Partially Reopen Monday The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development will on Monday reopen the Velodrome, tennis courts, practice pitches and training tracks of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja from 7.00am to 5.00pm daily. The Stadium was closed as part of Covid--19 Prevention Protocols. Other facilities to be reopened are the Handball,

Volleyball and Basketball outdoors and indoor courts as well as the Gymnasium Hall. The Ministry will also reopen some facilities at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. These are the indoor sports hall, hockey pitch, tennis courts, swimming pool, astro (legacy) pitch, squash court, para lifting gymnasium and Ayonote Boxing Gymnasium.

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja A Gofundme appeal has been launched for Georgia Oboh to enable her attend the inaugural Aramco Saudi Ladies International Tournament on the Ladies European Tour (LET) from November 12 to 15. The fundraiser was launched on behalf of the

teenage professional golfer by her mother, Evelyn, who incidentally is also a golfer. Georgia, who is Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only active player on the LET, has a real possibility of making the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if she can finish on a high note at the Saudi International Ladies to be played over the King Abudulla Economic City. The appeal is designed

to enable her purchase tickets, pay caddie fees and upkeep in the couple of weeks in Saudi Arabia for two tournaments and also to play in the final event of the LET and restart the 2021 season training requirements. It will also sustain her Olympics aspiration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As you know, the year 2020 has been ravaged by Covid-19

and so our corporate sponsors have been unable to support the tournaments this year. Georgia has been able to play in eight events since after the resumption of play but has spent virtually all earnings on events and Covid testing kits,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Evelyn pleaded, stating the funds are needed urgently as the first event starts on November 12, 2020.

Valencia vs Real Madrid, Others Live on GOtv The 2020/21 LaLiga and Serie A seasons matches will continue this weekend as SuperSport broadcast live for GOtv subscribers from 6 to 8 November 2020. The top clash out of Spain this weekend sees Valencia host Real Madrid at Estadio de Mestalla on the evening of Sunday 8 November at 9:00pm live on SS LaLiga (channel 32), with Los Che hoping that the visit of the champions inspires them to a higher level of performance compared to the disappointing

results they have recorded so far in 2020-21. SuperSport remains the home of the legendary LaLiga leagues with English commentary. Another highlight of this round in LaLiga sees Barcelona host Real Betis on Saturday 7 November at 4:15pm, live on SS LaLiga (channel 32), with manager Ronald Koeman coming under increasing pressure. The Catalans have been inconsistent and unpredictable thus far, and a home win against the Verdiblancos is by no means

guaranteed. Other LaLiga fixtures for this weekend include Elche vs Celta Vigo on Friday at 9:00pm and on Saturday, Sevilla will face Osasuna at 6:30pm and Atletico Madrid vs Cadiz will air at 9pm. On Sunday, Real Sociedad vs Granada will air at 4:15pm, all live on SS LaLiga (channel 32). As far as Italy is concerned, the top clash this weekend sees Lazio host Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday 8 November at 12:30pm, live on SS GOtv Select 1 (channel 33).

Le Aquile looked like title contenders last season but fell away after lockdown while their form has been patchy so far in 2020-21. The weekend will also feature a black-and-blue striped derby when Atalanta host Internazionale in Bergamo, with La Dea hoping to get back to their best form at home, after succumbing to Sampdoria in their last domestic clash at the Gewiss Stadium. This match is scheduled to air at 3:00pm, live on SuperSport GOtv Select 1 (channel 33).

Two own Goals Help Arsenal Beat Norwegian Champions Molde Arsenal reached the halfway point of the Europa League group stage with a 100% winning record after benefiting from two own goals against reigning Norwegian champions Molde. For the second time in three Group B games, the Gunners had to come from behind

after Martin Ellingsen beat Bernd Leno from 25 yards following a superb pass by former Manchester United reserve player Magnus Wolff Eikrem. With no video assistant referee system in operation, Eddie Nketiah had what looked like a legal goal

disallowed for offside before Arsenal equalised at the end of the first half. Kristoffer Haugen put past his own keeper while trying to intercept Nketiahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pass to Joe Willock before Sead Kolasinac blazed a great chance over the bar. The Gunners took the lead when Molde substitute

Sheriff Sinyan turned Willockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pass across the six-yard area into his own net. Substitute Bukayo Saka picked out Pepe to make it 3-1 before Willock added a late fourth goal, Arsenal three points clear at the top of the group with three games remaining.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

Friday November 6, 2020

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Group to Lagos Govt “It is our belief that the person or authority who invited the military to the scene to take action against peaceful protesters is neck-deep in whatever transpired there and its aftermath and is, at least, one of the dramatis personae to answer for it.” – Lagos Emancipation Project threatening to sue if the State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS and related Abuses is not stopped.

OKEYIKECHUKWU

EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS

okey.ikechukwu@thisdaylive.com

Sustainability of Livelihoods Today T he Nigerian ecosystem, if we must call it one, is in trouble. It has been for a long time now. The foundations for our current troubles were not laid today. Decades ago, at the level of leadership, a few young Nigerians made murder a means of leadership change at the national level. In matters of state policy, personal preference and arbitrary discretion became a fundamental principle of state policy. In place of “National Development Plans” limited regime programmes, often designed to massage the ego of incumbents, became the norm. The story is not very different with the distribution of national resources. Allocation and ownership of oil wells in Nigeria today, for instance, does not rest on equity. If there are any clear and objective paradigms that run counter to cronyism, it must be a closely guarded secret. “Allocation” is the operative word here. And allocation is by a hegemonic political leadership, spanninig five decades. Beyond Nigeria, the global ecosystem is also in trouble. The world has been driven by consumption for about a century now. Unbalanced exploitation of natural resources, abuse of the environmental and the dictates of a few nations that place their interests above all else define humanity today. The promotion of despotic regimes that do not serve the interests of their nationals has been the business of some powerful nations. Outright overthrow of focused governments with good plans for their nationals and economic neocolonialism are the templates inflicted on the rest of the world by some powerful nations. We are seeing the negative multiplier effects of all these, of course. The current Nigerian situation is only a partial derivative of tge global environment. Bad leadership is a homegrown component of our own situation. We were already in a deep hole when the COVID-19 Pandemic struck. But we did not stop digging. In fact, we are still digging furiously. As the COVID-19 caught us, and the rest of the world, unprepared, it became one of the most significant “Moderator Variables” for humanity in the 21st century. Being a Moderator Variable, it changed our ability to function optimally at the individual, group, national and Multinational levels. It led to shutdowns, layoffs, collapse of local economies, collapse of national economies, collapse of the global economy, recalibration of agreements and contracts, overall reduction in per capita income, a damaged insurance industry, ruined incentive structure of airlines and reward based customer services, suspension of import dependent businesses, and the crippling of monocultural economies. In sum, COVID-19 and its aftermath deepened the crisis of a planet that has developed a modern environment and economy that is characterized by unsustainable livelihoods. Now that the usual means of securing

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong

the necessities of life are endangered everywhere, a form of natural selection is already taking place. Individuals, organizations and nations that cannot adapt to the new normal are on their way out of existence. Quietly, but inevitably, it will happen. The jobs and other activities that large sections of humanity use to support their existence have either gone under, are going under, or are billed to go under. Unstructured economies and badly governed polities, like ours, will be among the worse hit. The fine speeches of those who talk much about macro economic indices, instead of looking at the living conditions of their neighbours or even their cousins here in Nigeria, will not get us anywhere. Our consumption-driven and free-floating environment, wherein official state actors are spenders and not producers, is sure to create more troubles; going forward. Vulcanizers, bus conductors, most SMEs, and major manufacturers, are flat on their backs. Installed capacity is no longer a relevant variable in economic discussions

Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar

these days. Redesertification has taken over large swaths of Northern Nigeria. Every business that once seemed like it provided sure means of livelihood, skill sets that seemed to guarantee lasting means of livelihood and every business proposition that once seemed flawless, stand confounded today. So, unprecedented unemployment walks the land. The crisis in many places, especially in unstructured economies like ours, is that a larger population of economic actors do not know that not every means of livelihood is a business. Every business entity is an enterprise, but not every enterprise is a business. Businesses are structured, with organized efforts and activities; with a flow and KPI pattern that targets growth and sustainability. But enterprise, with poor business outlook may just be an ego-driven excursion in expenditures. Because ours is mercifully termed a developing economy, even flounders petiously with little prospect of early

Redesertiﬁcation has taken over large swaths of Northern Nigeria. Every business that once seemed like it provided sure means of livelihood, skill sets that seemed to guarantee lasting means of livelihood and every business proposition that once seemed ﬂawless, stand confounded today. So, unprecedented unemployment walks the land

recovery, we overlook the fact that we now have low birth rate of new businesses and high death-rates of old and new businesses. We overlook the fact that we have short life expectancy of serious businesses, due to a diseased and a stifling operating environment that guarantees malnutrition. Add low literacy rates, a generally underdeveloped human capital. Then think of low per capita income, overall low productivity and a higher percentage of the population living well below poverty line. Does it all sound very inspiring? Now, consider the prevailing poor social infrastructure, unstable policy and regulatory environment and lower rate of capital formation. It all boils down to one thing: if indeed Nigeria is a developing economy, then we must say that livelihoods are dysfunctional here. Because sustainable livelihood emerges at the point of intersection between sound policies, developed human capital, business opportunities and strategic management, the dysfunctionality of the Nigerian State promises very little that is exciting. It is time for us to review the impact of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDAN), the Bank of Industry (Boi) and similar organisations over the last 30 years. We should also consider abolishing the conditional cash transfer programme, which was recently in the news for not having paid some five hundred thousand supposed beneficiaries, since 2016. This new endeavour is a drain pipe that will create, and retain, a cesspool of idlers on the dole. We should do a costs benefits analysis of national expenditure on infrastructure and streamline the institutions of state. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the North East Development Commission (NEDC), the Diaspora Commission, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Niger Delta Ministry and related agencies should ideally be scrapped. National Planning Commission should do a forensic human capital audit for the nation. The aides of state governors should not be more than ten, working in a pool that meets weekly to give updates and review achievements in health, educations, infrastructure, security and youth activities. Above all, let it be said for the record and for the umpteenth time that the most unrealistic, irresponsible and unsustainable means of livelihood that Nigerians have now come to live with is the pay packet of lawmakers and the Security Votes of State Governors. Because insecurity has been growing simultaneously with the increase in the Security Votes of our governors, the challenge of sustainable livelihoods in Nigeria today, especially in the face of grinding poverty, may yet go beyond, #EndSARS and beyond #LootCovidPalliatives, to #TargetAllPast and PresenPublicHolders. Enough Said.

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