Buhari Seeks Better Deal from OPEC for Nigeria Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to consider the burden of Nigeria with a large number
of poor people when sharing oil production cuts. He also described the decision of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) to site the headquarters of the African Energy Investment
Corporation in Abuja as a welcome development. The president, while hosting the Secretary General of the APPO, Mr. Omar Farouk, a Nigerian, at the State House, Abuja, demanded a better deal from OPEC.
Buhari, in a statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, also spoke on challenges confronting Nigeria with its large population and huge infrastructure deficit. He urged the OPEC to put into consideration the burden
of Nigeria with “200 million poor people with severe deficit in infrastructure when sharing oil production cuts.” Nigeria had earlier called on OPEC to reconsider its production quotas under the crude output cut agreement
reached by the cartel and its allies. The federal government had submitted its request to OPEC for consideration ahead of full ministerial meetings Continued on page 10
Ehanire: Nigeria Loses $2bn Annually to Medical Tourism... Page 8 Friday 27 November, 2020 Vol 25. No 9363. Price: N250
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North-east Govs Demand Power to Prosecute Suspected Insurgents Seek law amendment for AGF to cede prosecutorial right Call for action to stem rape, youth unemployment Insecurity has made North the worst place to live in Nigeria, says Sultan DHQ foresees end to banditry Kingsley Nwezeh, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri and Daji Sani in Yola Northern leaders yesterday upped the ante in their quest for an end to the insecurity that has become rife in the region with a call for more measures to combat terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
The issue of security also dominated talks between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Algerian President's Special Envoy, Mr Sabri Boukadoum, yesterday in Abuja, with the president saying that there can't be development in an insecure country. At a meeting in Yola, the AdContinued on page 9
NERC: We Capped Estimated Billing to Protect Power Consumers
FG hands over Afam Power Plant to Transcorp Ndubuisi Francis, Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday stated that the federal government
introduced the capping order on estimated billing for unmetered customers to ensure fairness and parity with their metered counterparts. Commissioner in charge Continued on page 10
HISTORIC IFE TERRACOTTA RETURNS HOME... L-R: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama; the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. Harry van Dijk, at the handover of the repatriated Ife terracotta by Onyeama to Mohammed, in Abuja... yesterday
Buhari Pledges to Exceed 35% Target for Appointing Women into Key Positions...Page 5
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Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268
Buhari Pledges to Exceed 35% Target for Appointing Women into Key Positions
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday promised to exceed 35 per cent involvement of women in governance, saying the inclusion of more women in government will accelerate national development. The president, while hosting a women group led by the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, in Abuja, said his administration was committed to ending child marriage and boost girl-child education. A statement by the president's spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as saying that women have important roles to play in the overall development of Nigeria. According to him, women's participation in politics and governance requires improvement, with the observance of 35 per cent benchmark for women's participation as recommended in the National Gender Policy as the starting point. He said: “I truly understand that when equity becomes the guiding principle and women hold strategic leadership positions both in government and the private sector, not only will our development be accelerated, but also the diversity and richness in the quality of our policy design, engagement and execution will be improved. “I want to reassure you that this administration remains resolute to not only meet the 35 per cent National Gender Policy, but to exceed it across key decision making roles in government." According to him, the ongoing constitutional review in the National Assembly
provides yet another platform to evolve frameworks for the implementation of the National Gender Policy as well as the deployment of data for planning. ".. The ongoing constitutional review processes at all levels institutionalise accountability mechanisms and frameworks in the implementation of the National Gender Policy and the use of gender-disaggregated data for planning," he added. Buhari also narrated how women, including his wife, Aisha, mobilised voters to ensure victory for him in the 2015 presidential election. He added that "this administration is a beneficiary of the strong support of Nigerian women and I truly thank you all for the display of resilience throughout our journey." Buhari explained that he was also aware of the roles being played by the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs to advance the interests of both women and children in the country, saying such knowledge propelled his commitment to ensure the completion of the structure housing the ministry in Abuja. “I am aware of the importance of the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs as the national machinery for the advancement of women and children in the country. "This was my motivation in ensuring that the building, housing the ministry, was promptly completed and I commissioned it as the first project in the year 2020 as a manifestation of this administration’s recognition of women’s crucial role in national development," he stated.
Buhari who admitted that his government had not attained the 35 per cent benchmark for women's participation in governance as recommended in the National Gender Policy, added that the number of the current female appointees in the government represents the first step in strategic intervention for the inclusion of women. The president reaffirmed his commitment to end child marriage and boost girl-child education and empower
women across the country. He also expressed concern about the rising cases of rape and violence against women, particularly during the period of COVID-19 lockdown. He said the federal government's prompt intervention in the menace and its commitment to bring perpetrators of book, underscored its zero tolerance to the scourge. “I am delighted to note that government’s zero tolerance and declaring a state of
emergency regarding genderbased violence has placed Nigeria ahead in providing support for survivors and bringing perpetrators to book. “In addition, at the global level, we will show our firm commitment to bring an end to the exponential rise of violence against women and girls, by supporting the Chair of the African Union President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in his call for a treaty to end violence against women and girls at
the African Union summit in February 2021," he said. Tallen, in her remarks, thanked Buhari for the release of funds to complete the headquarters of the ministry, which she said was abandoned since 2013. She appreciated the president's prompt response to rape cases and violence against women during the lockdown as well as the interventions of governments and institutions at the federal and state levels.
YOU'RE OUR CHEERLEADER... L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari with the Minister of Women Aairs, Mrs. Paullen Tallen, being honoured for championing women's interest during a visit by a delegation of women, led by the minister, in Abuja... yesterday
Atiku, APC, PDP Trade Words over 2023, One-party State Claim Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday engaged in a verbal war over the ruling party's claim that Atiku is planning to purchase PDP ticket for 2023 and that the main opposition party is pushing Nigeria into a one-party state by forcing its members to join the ruling party. In a statement yesterday, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Yekini Nabena, said because the PDP is in crisis, it was not surprising that its members were defecting to the APC. He accused Atiku of planning to purchase the PDP ticket in 2023, alleging that he has already commenced the 2023 campaign by holding meetings in Dubai. But while Atiku has denied the allegation, the main opposition party fired back at the ruling party that “only unpatriotic, expired and
lily-livered individuals can seek to join a party like the APC that is synonymous with failure, nepotism, treasury looting, mindless stealing, corruption, falsehood, lies, capacity crisis, confusion, crass incompetence and which finds pleasure in foisting hardship and poverty on Nigerians.� The PDP also accused APC leaders of planning to change the name of the ruling party because of what they viewed as the abysmal performance of President Muhammadu Buhari. But the APC said it would be unfair to expect progressive-minded members of PDP to remain in the opposition party, which has failed woefully as the supposed 'main' opposition party in Nigeria. It said it was disheartening that the PDP is pushing Nigeria into a largely oneparty state, adding as a party that believes in democracy and progressive politics, the APC does not subscribe to a one-party state. APC challenged other
opposition political parties to take the place of the PDP because even as the governing party, it does recognise the importance of rigorous and intelligent interrogation of its policies and programmes by the opposition, which the PDP has woefully failed to do. APC said: "It is not surprising that progressiveminded members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been defecting en masse from the opposition party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent times. "For a party unable to run its secretariat, pay staff salaries and its leadership grappling with a crisis of confidence, it will be unfair to expect its progressiveminded members to remain in the PDP, which has failed woefully as the supposed 'main' opposition party in Nigeria." APC explained that it welcomes new and returning entrants who have come to work with the Buhari APCled administration to improve
the lives of Nigerians and better the country. However, the PDP fired back, saying that the prophecy of Chief Tony Momoh that the APC and its leaders would be stoned for failure has come to pass as Nigerians are already stoning them with words. It urged APC leaders to drop the idea of changing the name of the party in a bid to exonerate themselves from the failures of their party and the Buhari administration. In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said: "Our party is already aware of clandestine meetings being held by APC leaders following their realisation that the APC, as a political party, has failed as a platform for governance and managing of the broad diversity of our nation. "The APC leaders, who are already troubled by the post-President Buhari’s disastrous tenure in office, are planning to adopt a new name in order to beguile
Nigerians once again". The PDP said the efforts by APC leadership to deceive Nigerians again with showboating and false claims that opposition members are trooping into their party, will not save the APC from crashing. It added that only those who have lost relevance with the people, having betrayed their causes, that would seek accommodation in APC. It stated: "Which patriotic Nigerian can join the APC that has wilfully failed to secure our citizens from marauders, insurgents and bandits; a party under whose watch, the once happy and prosperous Nigerian citizens can no longer afford basic necessities of life to the extent that they now resort to suicide and slavery mission abroad as options?" The PDP described the APC as a party irredeemably balkanised, overweighed with the burden of failure and can no longer be a platform for any credible Nigerian with the intention to serve the people.
Atiku also debunked the allegation by the APC that he has initiated discussions on how to purchase the party's presidential election in 2023. He said neither the PDP nor himself has initiated discussions with anyone on a 2023 presidential run. According to him, it is the APC thst has busied itself talking about zoning and focusing on rigging the next election. Atiku, in a statement from his media aide, Mr. Paul Ibe, said the attacks on him has validated the assumption that the major reason the condition of living has been deplorable under the Buhari administration is on account of the fact that the party focuses more on playing petty politics than in governing. Atiku said it is preposterous that a political party, which has spent the past five-andhalf-years impoverishing Nigerians finds no time to address and apologise to Nigerians for the false promises of change that it made to the people.
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Ehanire: Nigeria Loses $2bn Annually to Medical Tourism James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, yesterday lamented that the country loses about $2 billion in foreign exchange annually to medical tourism. Ehanire, however, added that the federal government will partner the private sector in developing innovative strategies to provide healthcare access to all Nigerians as well as foster health workforce retention. The minister, at the inauguration of the Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory and Hospital complex, in Abuja, which is owned by the Limi Hospital Group,
described the facility as a laudable project in the specialty area of cardiac care and encourage more private sector investment, both independently and in partnership with the federal government. He urged the operators to also take advantage of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)'s N100 billion healthcare intervention loan facility to develop the sector. He said cardiac care is currently one of the most highly sought-after specialised health services in the world, quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO) which described cardiovascular diseases
as the major cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives or 31 per cent of all annual global death. He said: "In Nigeria, cardiovascular disease remains a great public health concern; the noncommunicable disease programme under the Federal Ministry of Health has reported that cardiovascular diseases are responsible for 11 per of the over 2 million non-communicable disease related deaths annually. The minister stated that the need for these services has been on the rise. He said: "This can be attributed to derailing
lifestyle habits by Nigerians, compounded with the dearth of cardiac care capacity; there is a limited availability of standard and functional cardiac centres with adequate human resources." However, the minister explained that a cardinal problem with retaining cardiac specialists has been the rising trend of health workforce migration, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We have witnessed deliberate actions by high income countries to attract health workers. Despite these issues, the private sector has continued to complement government
efforts to fill these gaps and stem threats of depreciation of available health services," he added. Ehanire said the COVID-19 pandemic had prompted global lockdowns, forcing countries to introduce solutions to basic socioeconomic and health problems. He said Nigerians who previously had sought specialised care abroad were compelled to seek medical attention in country. "The pandemic also triggered a realisation of the strength of health systems across the world; having thoroughly shaken even strong and resilient systems in Europe and America, hitherto popular medical tourism destinations. "Our health system, fragile to begin with, thankfully has been able to meet the challenge of both the pandemic response, and the increased demand for specialist care, so far. "The private sector has been a very instrumental
partner in this effort. We value the partnership and intend to build it up," he stated. Group Medical Director, Limi Hospitals, Dr. Iseko Iseko, said the hospital had successfully carried out over 70 minimally invasive interventional procedures between February and November. According to him, this lends credence to the fact that no one necessarily needs to travel abroad to access highly specialised healthcare. The Medical Director, Cardiocare, Dr. Oyindamola Awofisoye, said the facility would augment the ability of Nigerians to receive treatment for complex cardiovascular problems without having to travel abroad. He said: "Besides, many cardiovascular emergencies come without giving so much time for someone to be flown abroad alive– so this type of home-based solution we offer should be welcomed by all stakeholders."
AIB Releases Final Reports on Skybird, Kabo, Aero Flights’ Incidents Chinedu Eze
UNDER SCRUTINY... L-R: Senior Special Asisitant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Babajide Omoworare; Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairmanship nominee, Prof Mamood Yakubu and a nominee for INEC National Commissioner for North-west, Prof Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, during Yakubu's screening for his second term as INEC chairman yesterday in Abuja... yesterday julius atoi
INTERPOL Arrests Three Nigerians for Scamming Victims in 150 Countries 50,000 targeted victims identified Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The International Police (Interpol) and the Nigerian Police have teamed up to smash a Nigerian cybercrime gang that allegedly scammed governments and companies in 150 countries since 2007. A statement on the Interpol website yesterday said the year-long investigation code-named ‘Operation Falcon,’ resulted in the arrest of three Nigerian suspects in Lagos. The three suspects were arrested following a joint INTERPOL, Group-IB and Nigeria Police Force cybercrime investigation. It said the Nigerian nationals are believed to be members of a wider organised crime group responsible for distributing malware, carrying out phishing campaigns and extensive business email
compromise scams. The unnamed suspects are alleged to have developed phishing links, domains, and mass mailing campaigns in which they impersonated representatives of organisations and then used the campaigns to disseminate 26 malware programmes, spyware and remote access tools, including AgentTesla, Loki, Azorult, Spartan and the nanocore and Remcos Remote Access Trojans. "These programmes were used to infiltrate and monitor the systems of victim organisations and individuals, before launching scams and syphoning funds", it said. According to Group-IB, "the prolific gang is believed to have compromised government and private sector companies in more than 150 countries since
2017". Group-IB was also able to establish that the gang is divided into subgroups with a number of individuals still at large. While investigations are still ongoing, some 50,000 targeted victims have been identified so far. The year-long investigation, saw INTERPOL’s Cybercrime and Financial Crime units work closely with GroupIB to identify and locate threats, and ultimately, assist the Nigerian Police Force, via the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja, in taking swift action. Group-IB’s participation in the operation came under Project Gateway, a framework which enables INTERPOL to cooperate with private partners and receive threat data directly. INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Director, Mr. Craig Jones,
highlighted the outstanding cooperation between all those involved in the investigation and underlined the importance of public-private relationships in disrupting virtual crimes. “This group was running a well-established criminal business model. From infiltration to cashing in, they used a multitude of tools and techniques to generate maximum profits. "We look forward to seeing additional results from this operation,� he said. The statement noted that at a time of increased threat, members of the public, businesses and organisations are reminded to protect themselves from online scams by following the advice featured in INTERPOL’s #WashYourCyberHands, #OnlineCrimeIsRealCrime and #BECareful campaigns.
The Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) has released final reports on flights’ incidents involving Skybird Air, Kabo Air, Aero Contractors and two bulletins involving Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT). The agency gave a final report on a serious incident involving a Gulfstream G-IV aircraft owned and operated by Skybird Air Limited with nationality and registration marks 5N-BOD, which occurred at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on September 12, 2018. The Commissioner of AIB, Mr. Akin Olateru, at a press conference yesterday in Abuja, attributed the causal factor to delayed response by the crew to recognise that the ground spoilers and thrust reversers were locked out leading to the runway overrun. Safety recommendations were, however, issued to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and SkyBird Air Limited. On the incident involving a Boeing 747-200 aircraft owned and operated by Kabo Air Limited, which occurred at Sultan Abubakar Airport, Sokoto (DNSO), Sokoto State on October 4, 2013, Olateru attributed the incident to the unserviceable visual approach Slope Indicator (VASI) on runway 26 and the decision to land on
the non-precision runway 26 at night. A safety recommendation was also given to Kabo Air. On the incident involving a B737-500 aircraft owned and operated by Aero Contractors Company of Nigeria Limited, which occurred on Runway 18R, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos on April 9, 2016, the commissioner attributed the causal factor to excessive rudder application by the crew after touchdown. Three safety recommendations were issued to Aero Contractors Company and NCAA. For the incident involving a Tampico Club TB-9 aircraft owned and operated by Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), which occurred at Zaria Aerodrome, Kaduna State on December 10, 2013, Olateru recommended that “the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology should ensure that Flight Instructors emphasise to the student pilots the need for a go-round whenever excessive ballooning/ bouncing occurs during landing exercises.� For the incident involving a Tampico Club TB-9 aircraft owned and NCAT, which occurred at Zaria Aerodrome, Kaduna State on June 18, 2014, the commissioner recommended that NCAT include into its Flying School Procedure Manual requirements for mandatory occurrence reporting (MOR) by student pilots.
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PAGE NINE NORTH-EAST GOVS DEMAND POWER TO PROSECUTE SUSPECTED INSURGENTS amawa State capital, governors in the North-east demanded that the federal government should cede the power to prosecute suspected insurgents to states as the present system of relying on the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, for the prosecution of those arrested for terrorism is cumbersome. On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, expressed concern over the spate of insecurity in the North, saying that it has made the region the most unsafe place to live in Nigeria. However, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has assured the region that banditry and insurgency will soon end as defence authorities have stepped up both kinetic and non-kinetic operations to combat crimes. But despite the repeated claims by the federal government that terrorists have been degraded, a report by the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) has again ranked Nigeria the third most terrorised country in the world, with the number of deaths attributed to Boko Haram increasing by 25 per cent from 2018 to 2019. The Chairman, North-east Governors’ Forum and Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, at the opening of the meeting of the governors, canvassed an amendment to the law that invested sole authority on the AGF to prosecute terrorists. He said: “As we deliberate on the scourge of terrorism and terror groups within the Northeast, we need to fashion out ways of facilitating the prosecution of those charged with terrorism activities. “At the moment, the process is a bit cumbersome as all suspects charged with terrorism and terrorist-related offences have to be transferred to Abuja for prosecution, as only the Attorney-General of the Federation has the statutory powers to prosecute terrorists; according to the provisions of the anti-terrorism law. “We need to obtain prosecutorial fiat from the attorney-general to enable us to prosecute those charged with terrorism in our respective states, instead of referring them to Abuja.� He added that governors in the region need to take far-reaching measures to ensure that the incidence of house kidnapping as reported in some states, does not extend to the North-east. “As a result, inter-state road travel is becoming a virtual impossibility for the people, because of the palpable danger of abduction along most of the major roads. It is, therefore, a matter of strategic imperative for us to give considerable attention to how to deal effectively with the problem and give our people a sense of sufficient and sustainable protection whenever they travel out. “Unless we regard it as a matter of urgent priority, the phenomenon may escalate, as it is currently happening in some states, where there are persistent reports of innocent people being daringly kidnapped even within the safety of their homes. This is already happening in states like Kano and Kaduna. I hope the Committee of Attorneys-General, which has been given a special assignment on the issue, would come up with concrete and appropriate legal framework to deal with the phenomenon,� he added. Zulum stated that the most
alarming and worrisome challenge confronting the North-east remains the daunting issue of insecurity with the prolonged Boko Haram crisis. “There is, however, absolute need for us to seriously look into how to stimulate and renew the confidence and trust of our people in the ability of our security forces to contain the palpable threats, being posed by the continued presence of the insurgents. This is to ensure that our people are adequately protected and sufficiently guaranteed to open up and go about their normal socio-economic and business activities, without fear of being attacked or kidnapped or even forcefully being recruited by the insurgents. “Another frightfully shocking social problem, which, unfortunately, is becoming widespread in our sub-region, is that of rape. We must find a way of protecting our women and girls from the intolerable and aggressive demeanour of rapists. “While it is essential to embark on a massive enlightenment campaign on the dangers associated with rape, there is need also to domesticate the federal law against rape, in our respective states, based on the peculiarities and special circumstances of each state," he said. Zulum also expressed concern about emergent criminal activities like banditry and kidnapping in the North-east and called for concerted efforts to check the criminality. He said: “Another issue, which unquestionably needs to be urgently tackled is the almajiri phenomenon and its associated challenges, which are increasingly having a telling effect on the overall socio-economic development of the society. “Unless the almajiri system is completely overhauled along the lines of its original objectives, we may end up having to deal with an army of perhaps untrainable youths who inadvertently become vulnerable to the influence of social misfits like kidnappers and bandits and even terror groups like the Boko Haram insurgents. “It is a problem common to all of us and it needs both multidimensional and individually selective approach, based on the general and specific peculiarities of the system in each state.� Besides Zulum, other governors at the meeting were governors of Adamawa State, Hon. Ahmed Fintiri; Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed and Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya. Yobe and Taraba States were represented by the deputy governors, Alhaji Idi Barde Gubana and Mr. Haruna Manu, respectively.
Buhari: There Can't be Devt in Insecure Country The issue of security also dominated talks between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Algerian President's Special Envoy, Mr Sabri Boukadoum, yesterday in Abuja. The president, while hosting Boukadoum, who is his country's foreign affairs' minister, stressed the importance of security in national affairs, saying that there can't be development in an insecure country. Besides, the president, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, queried the legacy a leader would bequeath to the
next generation if he fails to guarantee his country's security. According to him, the onus lies on African leaders to secure their country. He said: "Unless you secure your environment, you can’t manage it well. We should all secure our countries because if we don’t, what do we then bequeath to the next generation? We can’t grow or develop in an insecure environment.� Buhari emphasised the need for peace, tranquility and security in African countries. The president noted that projects such as the Trans-Sahara road, international gas pipelines and other areas of economic cooperation would be given attention for the good of the people of Nigeria and Algeria. On his part, the special envoy, who described Nigeria as the pillar of Africa, said he brought messages from his president “so that we consult and see what we can do together.�
Insecurity Has Made North the Worst Place to Live in Nigeria, Says Sultan The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, has expressed concern over the spate of insecurity currently ravaging most parts of the North, turning the region the worst place to live in Nigeria. According to him, bandits are fast overrunning the North, carrying out their activities openly and moving from house to house unchecked. The Sultan, at the fourth quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, said yesterday that bandits now move about freely, armed with AK-47 rifles, without any challenge from the security agencies. He lamented that the North has become the worst place to live in Nigeria because of the "completely" collapsed security system. He said: "Security situation in northern Nigeria has assumed a worrisome situation, regretting that no strong media platform could report the story to the world. Few weeks ago, over 76 persons were killed in a community in Sokoto in a day. I was there alongside the governor to commiserate with the affected community. "Unfortunately, you don't hear these stories in the media because it's in the North. “We have accepted the fact that the North doesn’t have strong media to report the atrocities of these bandits. "People think the North is safe, but that assumption is not true. In fact, it's the worst place to be in this country. Because bandits go around in the villages, households and markets with their AK-47 and nobody is challenging them. They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed. These are facts I know because I am at the centre of it. "I am not only a traditional ruler; I am also a religious leader. So, I am in a better place to tell the story. I can speak for the North in this regard because I am fully aware of the security challenges there. We have to sincerely and seriously find solutions to the problem, otherwise, we will find ourselves soon, in a situation where we would lose sleep because of insecurity." The Sultan said as religious leaders, they are expected to promote peace, love, unity and
tolerance among their followers. According to him, their discussion at the close-door session of the meeting was meant to come up with suggestions for government on how to fight insecurity. He also spoke on the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), saying that the withdrawal of the security outfit may have resulted in increase in crime. "We heard people calling for the scrapping of SARs; the president scrapped SARS and the same people came saying they should bring the police back because there is insecurity everywhere. We cannot do without the police. “We cannot do without our security agencies; no matter how bad the agency is, there are still so many excellent people within that agency what we need to do is to fish out the bad elements from these agencies and then reform the agency and have a better force," he said. President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Dr. Samson Ayokunle Olasupo, in his remarks, said the recent increase in petrol price has added to the pain Nigerians are undergoing, adding that the federal government should quickly reverse the hike in fuel price and electricity tariff. "That's not what we send them to do for us. The decision, evidently, has added to our pains and they should reverse it as quickly as possible," he added. Ayokunle cautioned Nigerians against interpretation of the recent EndSARS protest ethnically or religiously, stating that doing so could be misleading and insincere. "As a man of God, I never see the EndSARS protest coming. It came to us all unaware. Initially, I thought that the protest was organised by bad boys in the society but when I began to see and read stories of police brutality, I was surprised and supported their actions. "But attributing the actions of the angry youths to a particular religion or ethnic group is insincere and unsafe. No religious group was exempted from the effect of the protest. The action was a spontaneous action that cannot be attributed to any religion or ethnic group," he stated. On his part, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Grace Ignatius Kaigama, expressed worry at the rate at which Christians and Muslims antagonise each other. "It is very worrisome that at the slightest feeling of provocation, we take to violence that leads to death and destruction. We use the social and conventional media today to deepen the wounds of distrust, suspicion and violence," he said.
SGF: FG is Addressing Youths’ Demand While speaking at meeting, the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, said despite all efforts, including the deployment of enormous resources, the country still faces insecurity. He said: “As you are aware, the president accepted all the demands made by the protesters. "The government has, in keeping with its promises, set in motion the machinery for the implementation of actionable aspects. There is no doubt that these protests tested the very fabrics of our sense of security,
respect for culture, tradition and governance down to the community levels". Mustapha urged NIREC to use its traditional and religious capacities to further escalate its outreach to all Nigerians, especially, the youth at the grassroots.
End Near for Banditry, Insurgency, Says DHQ Also yesterday, the Defence Headquarters said the menace of banditry and insurgency would soon be over as military authorities have stepped up both kinetic and non-kinetic operations to check criminality. It said the various operations against the criminals have continued to “progress satisfactorily�. Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, at a briefing on military operations yesterday in Abuja, gave no timeline for the defeat of the insurgents, but assured Nigerians that “it is no longer a hopeless situation.� He added that troops have sustained the onslaught against criminals in their various areas of operation. According to him, in Katsina State, the epicentre of the banditry, operatives of Department of State Services (DSS), Katsina State Command, arrested a couple, Usman Shehu and his wife Aisha Abubakar, of Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State. The suspects, he said, were intercepted at Abukur village conveying large cache of ammunition, including 14 magazines, 61 rounds of 9.6mm caliber ammunition and 399 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, to Katsina metropolis. He stated that in the Northwest zone, “troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI and other subsidiary operations have sustained various aggressive operations in the North-west zone of the country with tremendous successes. The gallant troops within the period carried out series of raids, aerial, ambushes, clearance operations and confidence building patrols.�
Again, Nigeria Ranked Third Most Terrorised Country in the World. Meanwhile, despite the repeated claims by the federal government that terrorists have been degraded, a report by the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) has again ranked Nigeria the third most terrorised country in the world. The report also put the number of deaths attributed to Boko Haram as rising by 25 per cent between 2018 and 2019. GTI’s latest report noted, however, that despite the rise in the number of casualties from Boko Haram attacks in the North-east, Nigeria is the second to record a fall in violent deaths after Afghanistan in 2019. GTI said 2,043 people died from “terrorism-related acts� in Nigeria in 2018 but only 1,245 deaths were recorded in 2019. In the overall, deaths from terrorism world over fell by 15.5 percent from 2018 to 2019." However, The Cable reported that the study ranked Nigeria the third most terrorised country in the world for the sixth consecutive time. “Nigeria had the second largest fall in total deaths, owing largely to a 72 per cent reduction in fatalities attributed to Fulani extremists.
“Despite this decrease, the number of deaths attributed to Boko Haram increased by 25 per cent from 2018 to 2019. “Renewed activity by Boko Haram in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Chad and Niger, remains a substantial threat to the region,� it stated. The report also said Boko Haram carried out 11 suicide bombings killing 68 people. “In 2019, Boko Haram carried out 11 suicide bombings causing 68 fatalities. Suicide bombings accounted for six per cent of all terror-related incidents by Boko Haram in 2019, marking an 89 per cent decline from their peak in 2017. “Boko Haram was responsible for Nigeria’s deadliest terrorist attack in 2019 when assailants attacked a funeral in Badu, Borno State. “At least 70 people were killed and 10 others were wounded in the attack and ensuing clash. The two main factions of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) and the followers of Abubakar Shekau, are both engaged in an insurgency campaign against the Nigerian government. “Violence by the two main factions of Boko Haram has taken a large toll on the civilian population, particularly in North-east Nigeria, where continued attacks have internally displaced more than two million people and caused a further 240,000 Nigerian refugees to flee to neighbouring countries,� it added. This year’s report ranked Nigeria, for the sixth consecutive time, since 2015, as the third country with the worst impact from terrorism, globally. Afghanistan is top on the list, followed by Iraq. Syria, Somalia, and Yemen are ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Others among the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism are Pakistan (seventh), India (eighth), Democratic Republic of the Congo (ninth), and Philippines (10th). “Despite an overall decline in terrorism, Boko Haram, Nigeria’s deadliest terrorist group, recorded an increase in terrorist activity mainly targeted at civilians. Terror-related deaths and incidents attributed to Boko Haram in Nigeria increased by 25 and 30 per cent respectively from the prior year.
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NGN NGN % 0.18 1.98 10 18.80 208.80 9.8 0.23 2.58 9.7 0.63 7.18 7.1 0.12 1.38 9.5 NGN % 0.02 0.24 7.6 0.02 0.25 7.4 0.36 5.89 5.7 UNIONBANK 0.30 5.50 5.1 FIDELITYBANK 0.14 2.60 5.1 HPE Nestle Nig Plc â‚Ś1,400.00 Volume: 257.555 million shares Value: N3.629 billion Deals: 5,407 As at yesterday 12/11/2020 See details on Page 35
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NEWS BUHARI SEEKS BETTER DEAL FROM OPEC FOR NIGERIA scheduled for November 30 and December 1. The country’s request was said to have been based on the classification of oil from the Chevron’s Agbami field, which produced around 140,000 barrels per day, as condensates Condensates are not considered as crude oil in OPEC’s production cuts agreement. OPEC and other non-OPEC countries led by Russia, had in May agreed to extend their output cut of 9.7 million
barrels per day. Nigeria had implemented only about 52 per cent of the designated output cut in May when it pumped 1.613 million barrels per day. According to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr, Timipreye Sylva, the difference between its reference production of 1.829 million barrels per day with its May 2020 production figures was 216,000 barrels per day. To comply fully, Nigeria needed to produce 1.412 million barrels per day but
condensates, which were about 400,000 barrels per day, would not be included. With these condensates, total daily production benchmark proposed by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in the 2021 spending estimates is 1.86m barrels per day. Meanwhile, Buhari also yesterday assured Farouk that Nigeria will pay for its share subscription in APPO. The statement added that the president was praised over the vision to set up APPO and the ratification of its charter
by Nigeria as far back as 1985 when he was a military head of state. Buhari said peculiarities of the challenges confronting African oil producers, made their coming together compelling under the APPO umbrella to share experiences together and collectively solve their problems. He said despite the growing clamour for a reduction in the use of fossil fuels, countries such as Nigeria need to produce more oil to feed the petro-chemical industry
and create jobs. "In his remarks, the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, informed the president that the proposed APPO Energy Investment Corporation to be sited in Abuja will start with $1 billion from the AFRO-EXIM Bank and is expected to bring employment and other benefits to Nigeria. "The Secretary General of APPO who was accompanied by Dr. Adedapo Odulaji, the OPEC Governor in Nigeria, conveyed the appreciation of
both the Congolese president and the prime minister for the president’s support in the relocation of the headquarters of the association to its chosen location, Brazzaville, the Congolese capital. "He expressed hope that members of the 16-member organisation will surmount the challenges posed by COVID-19 as well as that from receding fossil fuel use as a result of the climate change treaties signed by member states and other nations," the statement added.
government would not be taken for granted. He said Transcorp possesses the human and financial muscles to meet the expectations of the federal government and Nigerians. Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, has said that the Buhari administration remains committed to address the liquidity challenges adversely affecting the viability of the nation's power sector. The minister spoke yesterday while inaugurating the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Centre -Distribution Management System (SCADA-DMS) project at the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) headquarters, in Lagos. SCADA is a computer system in network operations that gathers real-time information, identifies loopholes or breaches in the network and transfers received data back to a central site for analysis and control. Mamman, who read Buhari’s address at the event, said the present government has noted with grave concern the increased fiscal burden on it, which was occasioned by the shortfall in electricity tariff which are no longer sustainable. He said the subsidy on electricity, which was being used to support tariff shortfalls, will no longer be extended and must be phased out to promote financial independence of the power sector. "My (Buhari’s) efforts, via the CBN's Power Assistance Fund (CBN PAF) targeted at supporting tariff shortfalls. Such interventions can no longer be extended and must be phased out to promote the sector's financial independence. "We are also aware that these tariff shortfall sit on Discos' books and impair their ability to raise capital and invest. "The federal government is working assiduously to address these financial and fiscal challenges through various programmes such as the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), the Siemens AG Power Project and the Work Bank Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), etc," he added. Buhari said the efforts by his administration were geared towards integrated resource planning in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). "We must ensure that there is an alignment of capacity and attraction of investments cross the generation, transmission and distribution components of the power sector's value chain," he said. Highlighting other efforts
by his administration to tackle the sector's challenges, Buhari stated that the Ministry of Power had launched its Central Data Management System, which is a digital platform of the Nigeria Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative that monitors power networks across the country. He added: "This initiative is part of our efforts to digitalise the Nigerian power sector using new innovative digital technologies and processes that will help address many of the key challenges that our power sector is facing today. "We recently launched the National Mass Metering Programme supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to urgently and immediately address the metering gap and eradicate estimated billing in the sector. "Under the initial phase of the Presidential Mass Metering Initiative of supporting the Discos with the much-needed financing for the bulk acquisition of 1,000,000 meters, the installation of which is at no cost to the consumers. "The deployment has already started in parts of Kano, Kaduna, Lagos and Abuja." The president, however, called on "valued customers of all Discos to desist from tampering with electricity meters", saying "this is not only on account of protecting the revenues of Discos but also related to the safety of customers as there have been reports of consumers losing their lives in the course of by-passing meters." Buhari reaffirmed the commitment of the federal government to ensuing that electricity gets to the homes and businesses of all Nigerians, whether underserved or unserved. According to him, in the area of off-grid electricity supply, the federal government recently unveiled the five million solar connections programme, through the CBN's Development Finance Department, adding that this is open for application. He said upon completion, the five million programme will expand energy access to 25 million individuals by providing five million new connections through the provision of solar home systems (SHS) or construction and operation of mini grids. Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of EKEDC, Mr. Charles Momoh, said the achievement by the Disco was a proof that "the federal government's power sector privatisation programme was a laudable decision, as it is transforming this sector and the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry."
NERC: WE CAPPED ESTIMATED BILLING TO PROTECT POWER CONSUMERS of Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Mr Dafe Akpeneye, said at a web conference organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) that since the Discos failed in their responsibility to meter customers, the only option was to resort to estimation. He spoke just as the federal government handed over the Afam Power Plant in Oyigbo Local Government of Rivers State to Transcorp Power Consortium, which emerged the preferred bidder of the power asset, with a bid offer of N105.3 billion. However, Akpeneye described the development as temporary, noting that no customer should pay more than their metered neighbours in the same vicinity and under a similar classification. He said: “The issue of estimated billing came about as a bridge to manage the interests of the utilities' interest of providing power and the customers' interest of paying for power. “Under an ideal situation, the meter is an assurance that the utility should get paid for what it delivers and the customer pays for what he consumes. But we have found ourselves in a situation whereby when the assets were handed over, metering wasn't a priority when the utilities were owned by the federal government. “And if you look at the Nigerian demographics, with the way the population is expanding, rapid urbanisation with new connections coming to the grid, the metering of these customers has become a problem. “One of the key requirements is for the Discos to bridge the metering gap because the problem we had to deal with was because of their inability to do that on time. We had to balance the fact that customers receive power without meter and devise a way to make sure customers have electricity without having a meter. “Therefore, the estimated billing methodology was introduced . But that was supposed to be temporary, certain things were not done. So, estimated billing became the number one consumer complaint in the industry.� The NERC stated that exiting the estimated billing regime is impossible for now, adding that since it is not practicable to meter everyone at once, the practice will continue for a while until the issues are resolved. “Because we realised that meters can't be rolled out for everyone, something had to be done to balance it out. Some measure of fair estimation had to be put in place. “The commission developed
the capping order. What this seeks to try to create is parity between metered customers and unmetered customers. So, we have someone who lives in a duplex in a certain part of town who is unmetered and we created a scenario whereby one who is unmetered does not pay more than the metered, so that they both pay almost the same thing,� he added. In his intervention, the Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex Okoh, said the privatisation of the power sector in Nigeria remains the most ambitious of its type in Africa. According to him, though the sector is not where it should be because of lack of investments, it has improved since it was handed over to private individuals to manage. He said: “South Africa has 4,904 kwh per capita while Nigeria has 300kwh per capita. Now for the biggest economy in Africa, that says a lot. “This sort of challenges prompted the bold decision to reform the power sector. So, in 2005, ESPRA was enacted and essentially was geared towards breaking the monopoly of NEPA. “It was also to make the sector attractive. That particular action led to the unbundling to Gencos, TCN and Discos. Prior to this , electricity was generally poor. We are talking 1,500mw across the value chain. “Post-privatisation, we have seen significant improvement and impact of privatisation of the power sector. We are just 10 years. “There are interventions that are currently going on to correct some of the shortcomings of the privatisation exercise. Let's not also forget that the power sector privatisation in Nigeria is perhaps the biggest privatisation programme in the continent of Africa. “Were we rather overambitious in this privatisation. I don't think so. Could we have taken a modulated approach to it? Maybe. But I think the decision was bold to address the lack of investment in the sector.� In his remarks, former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, said government must strive to draw private sector investment to ensure sustainable supply of power. He stated that with the right environment, the Discos can conveniently pay for power, as was shown by Eko and a few others at a point, adding that the bulk trading arrangement should be jettisoned once the Discos become credit worthy. FG Hands over Afam Power
Plant to Transcorp The federal government has handed over the Afam Power Plant in Oyigbo Local Government of Rivers State to Transcorp Power Consortium, which emerged the preferred bidder of the power asset, with a bid offer of N105.3 billion. President Muhammadu Buhari has also restated his commitment to address the liquidity challenges adversely affecting the viability of the nation's power sector. This is coming as the Group Chairman of Transcorp Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, has said that access to electricity is central to Nigeria’s economic growth. The handing over of the Afam Power Station followed the fulfilment of the requirement of the request for proposal (RfP) and approval granted by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) after Transcorp had paid 25 per cent of the bid amount (N26.325 billion), a condition precedent to the handing over. At the ceremony marking the final consummation of the transaction in Abuja yesterday, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh, said it was a significant milestone in the process of the privatisation of the last successor generation company of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and a culmination of several years of painstaking efforts by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and the BPE in the face of daunting challenges. Okoh added that sequel to the previous failed attempts to privatise Afam Power Plc and the approval granted by NCP for the recommencement of a new process, the bureau had commenced a free, fair and transparent competitive process of the privatisation of Afam Power Plc and Afam Three Fast Power Limited, which culminated in Transcorp Power Consortium emerging as the preferred bidder with a combined offer of N105,300,000,000. He stated that after negotiations, which were impacted, among others, by the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government, through the BPE signed the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement (SSPA) with Transcorp Power Consortium on November 5, 2020. He said: "In line with the requirements of the RfP and approval granted by the NCP, Transcorp Power Consortium paid 25 per cent (cash) of the bid amount today November 26, 2020, which was a condition precedent to the current activity of handing over. "Distinguished guests, I
must add that my emphasis on cash payment is to correct some misinformation in the media that purported that the Afam deal is a mere reconciliation of figures between the federal government and Transcorp. For the benefit of those who wish to know, this idea was never accepted by both the NCP and its several subcommittees. "However, with the payment of the money by Transcorp to the treasury today, we hope this unfounded and concocted information being fed to the public would stop." He added that the challenges facing the electricity sector in Nigeria are enormous, and it was convincing that the opportunities are far greater and certainly worth exploiting. He noted that the federal government has demonstrated commitment to create the enabling environment encourage private sector investors to take on these challenges and the opportunities therein to ensure quality and cost-effective service delivery to electricity consumers while also receiving adequate compensation. While congratulating Transcorp Consortium for emerging the winner, he thanked other bidders for their faith in the process, the government and economy despite the trying times. The challenge now, he stated, is for Transcorp Consortium to use its proven capacity and pedigree as demonstrated with Transcorp Ughelli Power Plant and Transcorp Hotel, Abuja to transform Afam Power into an exemplary utility company of reference. Okoh, who gave a synopsis of the power sector privatisation journey, said change did not come easy, adding that the reform is necessary for laying a solid foundation for sustainable electricity supply, loss and cost-reduction as well as service efficiency in the sector other ventures." In his remarks, Elumelu said the event was an epoch, adding that access to electricity is central to economic growth. Elumelu cited the contraction of the nation's gross domestic product in the third quarter by 3.6 per cent as part of the pitfalls of a poor power base. He noted that getting the power sector right is one of the elements needed to correct the negative economic trend. Elumelu, assured the people that Transcorp Power Consortium will improve the nation's power situation, create jobs and better the lot of its host communities. He added that the confidence reposed in the company by the federal
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NEWS
Senate: New Electoral Act Ready By March 2021 Postponement of 2019 elections my greatest challenge, says Yakubu Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate yesterday declared that a new Electoral Act, which will holistically address all issues affecting free and fair elections in the country would be ready by March next year. This was just as the INEC Chairmanship nominee, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu claimed it was painful postponing the 2919 general polls by one week. Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator Kabiru Gaya, made this disclosure yesterday when his committee screened Yakubu for reappointment as INEC Chairman. Gaya who spoke with journalists after the screening,
assured that the National Assembly would present a new Electoral Act to Nigerians before the end of March 2021. According to him, there was already a synergy between both chambers and that the amended legislation would be worked on by a joint committee of INEC of both chambers. He said arrangements had been concluded to conduct the Public Hearing on the Electoral Act amendments by December 9, 2020. “We are going ahead of that time. On the 9th of December, we are doing public hearing, so that we can fast track the passage of the electoral Act by March next year.” The former governor of Kano state also said the list of the four other nominees of Buhari as
Resident Electoral Commissioners, including a media aide of the President, Lauretta Onochie, has not been forwarded to his Committee. He said, “Those other REC nominees from the various states, as soon as we receive them, when the names come to our committee, we will work on them”. Speaking earlier while appearing before the committee, Yakubu said the postponement
of the 2019 general elections by one week was his most painful decision in his first tenure at the Asked by members of the Senate Committee for his most difficult challenge, the nominee said “it was having to postpone the 2019 general election for a week. It was a most painful decision.” He however told the lawmakers that INEC has since surmounted its logistics
challenges, citing the seamless conduct of Edo and Ondo states’ governorship elections. “But learning from that, we are working very fast to ensure that it doesn’t happen again as we approach 2023. We have learnt a lot and elections are getting better.” Yakubu said he was determined to ensure that the electoral process was transparent and credible in Nigeria to earn
the trust of the electorate. He tasked both chambers of the National Assembly to ensure speedy amendment of the Electoral Act. “We have to be open and transparent in the way we manage public trust. My hope and commitment is for Nigerians to believe that their votes will count. I want to see how the electoral process will benefit from the use of technology.
I Didn’t Divert Recovered Assets, Magu Tells Salami Panel Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has disclosed that he did not divert any recovered assets during his tenure. Magu stated this in his defence before the Justice Ayo Salami - led Judicial Commission of Enquiry probing his stewardship of the anti-graft agency. The Salami-led panel submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari last Friday and made some recommendations for the President’s necessary action. In the defence, which was sighted by THISDAY, Magu denied diverting any recovered asset nor converting them to personal use as alleged. “Not a dime of the recovered funds was converted to my personal use. I challenge my
accuser to produce evidence of such fraudulent conversion “While I cannot confirm the source of the figures quoted in paragraph 5(ii) where the commission was alleged to have under-reported the sum of N39,357,608,119.43, I am aware that by a letter dated March 24, 2017, Mr. President instructed me to forward the status of various recoveries the commission made from May, 2015 till the date of the letter,” he said. He explained before the panel how recovered assets were managed in line with the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004. He said the recovery modality in EFCC may seem complex to outsiders because of its complexity but to the managers within the system, it was not difficult to understand. “EFCC makes recovery to all victims of financial crimes.
One Killed as Robbers Attack Bank in Ondo Suspected kidnappers kill monarch
James Sowole in Akure One person was feared killed and several others injured yesterday when armed robbers attacked a branch of an old generation bank at Irele, the headquarters of Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State. This is coming as a First Class traditional ruler, the Olufon of Ifon in the state, Oba Israel Adewusi, was yesterday killed by suspected kidnappers. A source said the robbers numbering nine, arrived the bank at about 4:10pm, shooting sporadically to scare people. The source said the robbers, gained access into the banking hall, after destroying the security door with dynamites. The attackers were said to ha spent about 45 minutes in the bank and carted away undisclosed amount of money. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer,
Mr. Tee-Leo Ikoro confirmed the incident . “I am hearing it but the DPO (Divisional Police Officer) in the town is yet to give me the details”. He also confirmed that the robbers first attacked the police station in the town before attacking the bank. In another development, Ifon, the headquarters of Ose Local Government area of the state, was thrown into mourning following the killing of a first class traditional ruler, the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Israel Adewusi, by suspected kidnappers. The suspected gunmen were said to have attacked the monarch around Elegbeka on Ifon-Owo highway. A source however said the attackers were herdsmen that had been terrorising the area. The slain monarch was said to have earlier in the day attended the monthly meeting of the state council of Obas.
ANOTHER MEGA DEAL…
L-R: President/CEO of Transcorp Plc, Mr. Owen Omogiafo; member of National Assembly representing Rivers South East senatorial district, Senator Barry Mpigi; Group Chairman, Transcorp Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Director General of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh; Deputy Chairman of Senate Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Senator Adere Oriolowo; and member of House of Representatives, Hon. Chisom Promise Dike; at the handover ceremony of Afam Power Plc and Afam 3 Fast Power Limited by BPE to Transcorp Power in Abuja…yesterday
NERC Plans Another Electricity Tariffs Review Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Nigerians may experience another electricity tariffs increase by next month if the plan by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to carry out another review comes to fruition, THISDAY learnt last night. On September 1, NERC approved the take-off of the Service-Reflective tariff regime which saw some Nigerians pay as much as an additional 50 per cent price for electricity,
a move that was opposed by organised labour. However, a source at the commission, who preferred to remain anonymous, told THISDAY that the review does not necessarily mean a higher payment by consumers. The source noted that although a review has been scheduled, some other considerations might come into play, including political considerations as to the timing or the changes in the indices may be too minor to constitute any change in tariffs.
He said it may be deferred to the next round of minor review, which is done bi-annually. “Government may say ‘leave my people alone’ or we will take responsibility for any increase. In another instance, if it’s negligible, NERC can carry it over to the next circle of review. There’s a margin. If it’s not up to that level or margin it can’t be rolled over to the next review,” the source said. But in the document obtained yesterday titled: “Notice of The Bi-Annual Review of the 2020
Tariff Orders for Determination of Charges and Tariffs for Electricity Generation, Transmission and Distribution,” NERC noted that the review in December will take into consideration inflation rate, dollar exchange rate to naira as well as natural gas price. Although the document indicated that it was signed by the chairman, it however did not name him apparently because the tenure of Prof. James Momoh expired on 26 November, having clocked the statutory 70 years.
Nigeria Now Ungovernable, Says Afenifere James Sowole in Akure The Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has raised the alarm that the country has become ungovernable and therefore on the brink of collapse. The group raised the alarm yesterday at its monthly meeting held at the country home of its national leader Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, the Ondo State capital. It kicked against “the
constructing a rail line and about N30billion highway to connect with Fulanis in the Niger Republic with whom the Fulanis running Nigeria have a cultural kinship”. A communiqué issued and read to journalists by the groups National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin said that ” the truth is that the country had virtually become ungovernable and unless we restructure and restore Nigeria
to federalism, the country is on the brink of collapse and God should save us from the worst-case scenario. “And nobody should take this country on any childish ride; we should just implement the report of the 2014 conference now. “As Nigeria enters the worst recession in 33 years and the second in five years of Buhari, we are equally besieged by attendant poverty, hinged as well as insecurity
worsening across the land with kidnappers, armed robbers and bandits on the prowl and government helpless and unable to govern effectively”. On the # EndSARS protest, the group said that the “meeting reviewed the recent protests by young people against police brutality under the #ENDSARS movement and its unfortunate bloody resolution by the repressive Nigerian government.
Gowon: Allegation of Looting Nigeria’s Treasury is Baseless A former military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has described the allegation that he looted half of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as “rubbish”. A member of the United Kingdom parliament, Tom Tugendhat, had accused Gowon of looting Nigeria’s treasury when he left office. Speaking at the UK parliament
committee debate on a petition on the #EndSARS crisis, Tugendhat had urged the UK to call out corruption and use its powers to stop who profit from Nigeria’s wealth and hide it in foreign countries. But Tugendhat did not provide any evidence to support his claim. In reaction to the remark, Gowon told BBC: “I don’t know
where he got that rubbish from, I served Nigeria diligently and my records are there for all to see. “What the MP said was just mere ridicule and I don’t know as to where he cooked up such statement. I served Nigeria as much as I could and my achievements during those years are available to everyone. “I don’t want to talk over the matter since those who know
me very well say that the MP’s statement is nothing but a mere fallacy”. Gowon was Nigeria’s military head of state from 1966 to 1975, including during the time of the oil boom. After leaving power in 1975, Gowon went to the UK to study political science and international relations as an undergraduate at Warwick University.
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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
NEWS
Onyeama Hands over Repatriated 600-year-old Ife Artefact to Information Minister Olawale AjimotokaninAbuja The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has formally received the repatriated Ife Terracotta from his Foreign Affairs counterpart, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, in company of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. Harry van Dijk. While receiving the artifact in his office in Abuja yesterday, Mohammed said the return of the stolen Ife Terracotta marked a milestone in Nigeria’s efforts at pursuing the return of the country’s antiquities. He said the Ife Terracotta was smuggled from Nigeria through Ghana to The Netherlands in 2019 with a forged document. “It gives me profound joy to receive this very important
antiquity, an Ife Terracotta, which is dated to be at least 600 years old. I am even more delighted that our efforts at pursuing the return of Nigerian antiquities, which we launched last November, have started yielding fruits,” he said. He stressed that government’s resolve to seek the repatriation of the nation’s timeless and priceless artifacts was strengthened by President Muhammadu Buhari’s marching order for Nigeria to tap into tourism and other fields, where Nigeria has comparative advantages, in order to generate income for the nation and secure jobs for our youths. “One way of generating income for the country is if our cultural properties are exhibited around the world to a fee-paying audience, on the basis of proper agreement that acknowledges us as owners
and confers the right benefits on us. But this is not possible for as long as most of them adorn the museums and private collections of others, who describe them as their properties,” he said. The minister, who described the handing over of the artifact as a new beginning, said apart from the pecuniary benefits, the priceless objects wrought by the nation’s
forebears are unifying factors among the diverse cultures in the country. He said following the interception of the artifact by the Dutch Customs at Schiphol Airport in The Netherlands, Nigeria was invited to prove her case against the suspected smuggler, which the country did successfully, hence the return of the artifact. “Let me state here that Nigeria
believes in joint international efforts to put a stop to illicit export and import of cultural goods. The issue of cultural property should not be a ground of rancour and discord among nations. That is if nations choose to tow the path which the Kingdom of The Netherlands has chosen by insisting on justice, fairness and amity,” he said. In his remarks, Onyeama
thanked The Netherlands for the efficient and expeditious manner in which it deployed resources to identify, retrieve and repatriate the Ife Terracotta to Nigeria. Also speaking, Ambassador Dijk described the return of the artifact as a fitting gift to mark the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention on the Prevention of Illicit
Use Firearms for Self-defence, Not to Kill, IG Tells Officers The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has urged officers and men of the Force to use their firearms for self-defence, not to kill. Adamu, who arrived at Ogun Command Headquarters, Eleweran in a Police Chopper yesterday, also advised them to be professional always while performing their duties. The police IG was received by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, Ahmed Iliyasu, Deputy Inspector General, South-west, Leye Oyebade and Commissioner of Police Edward Ajogun. Addressing men and officers of the command, Adamu enjoined them to be “courageous, firm and professional” in discharging their duty. He assured they will not only enjoy health insurance while in active service but also in their retirements. He said: “Don’t be discouraged, come out in full
and perform your duties, nobody can do it, it is your constitutional responsibility and you must do it. No amount of intimidation can prevent us from doing our job. “Nobody can demoralise us, nobody can prevent or make us shy away from performing our duties. The responsibility of protecting lives and property is given to the police and you are licensed to carry arms. “We are encouraging you to go out there and perform your duties without fear or favour and without being afraid of any victimisation. “Be courageous, be civil and be calm and follow the procedures in performing your duties. “Your arms are supposed to be used to protect lives and property. Constitutionally when there is violence protest, the constitution allows you to use your firearm, when individuals or group of people are unlawful, you are allowed to use your firearm.
FG Reaches out to Niger Republic, US in Search for Maina Court rules today as EFCC opposes Ndume’s bail The federal government has reached out to Niger Republic and the United States of America in its efforts to execute the arrest warrant issued by a court in Abuja against an ex-Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, who is believed to have jumped bail. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed this in the counteraffidavit it filed against the bail application filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja by Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume. The court, before which Maina is being tried for money laundering had, on November 18 this year revoked the bail granted him and issued a bench warrant for his arrest. “The prosecution has obtained the bench warrant and it is making frantic efforts to execute it while enlisting the support of other security agencies in the country as well as some foreign governments, particularly the
Republic of Niger and the United States of America,” the EFCC said in the counter-affidavit. The commission urged the court to reject the bail application but Ndume, arguing that it was a ploy for him to evade the consequences of serving as a surety for a fleeing defendant and avoid meeting the condition set by the court for his release. The court, on November 23 ordered that Ndume, who stood surety for Maina, be remanded in prison pending when he is either able to produce the defendant or forfeit the N500million bail bond he signed, having failed to account for Maina’s whereabouts. Arguing the counter affidavit yesterday, shortly after Ndume’s lawyer, Mr. Marcel Oru moved the bail application, the prosecuting lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar argued that since Ndume has appealed the order for his remand, adding that he should await the decision of the Court of Appeal.
CELEBRATING A NEW CATCH…
L-R: President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; member of National Assembly representing Adamawa North senatorial district, Senator Elisha Ishaku Abbo; and the Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/ Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Mala Buni, when Abbo officially defected from the PDP to APC at the ruling party’s secretariat in Abuja… ENOCK REUBEN yesterday
Bakare, Ekpu Others Harp on Excellence as Shobanjo’s Biography is Unveiled Raheem Akingbolu Budding entrepreneurs and students have been urged to learn from the ‘grass to grace’ business life of Nigerian czar of Advertising, Biodun Shobanjo. Prominent Nigerians, including veteran journalist, Ray Ekpu; Pastor Tunde Bakare, and top industrialist, Chief Dele Fajemirokun, among others,
who took turn to eulogise Shobanjo at the unveiling of ‘The Will to Win: The Story of Biodun Shobanjo’, all admitted that what stands the subject matter out among his contemporaries are excellent approach to business and consistency. Ray Ekpu, a former editor of Newswatch, who reviewed the book, said it captures all
the sides of the coin as far as Shobanjo is concerned. With reference to the book, Ekpu touched on how Shobanjo conceived and established the Insight Communications and all its subsidiaries. He also made reference to what he described as the up-and-low moments in the business life of Shobanjo. In particular, the book
reviewer commended the author, Mr. Dotun Adekambi, a former business editor of The News Magazine, for going the extra mile to present a business book that is readers’ friendly. According to Ekpu, the author injected into the book many literary applications like allusions, styles and jokes to make it appealing to readers.
Court Sentences Three to Death for Kidnapping in A’Ibom Three persons have been sentenced to death by the Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo for kidnapping a four-yearold boy in Ikot Inyang Idung village, Uyo Local Government Area. The culprits are a 24-year-old Victor Etim Bassey, a native of Ikot Inyang Idung; 35-year-old Aniediong Ezekiel Thompson, from Ifa Ikot Akpan, both in
Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and 30-year-old Graduate of Accounting, Chika Okeke, a native of Eziaja village in Amoacha Local Government Area of Anambra State. In his judgment delivered yesterday, the Presiding Judge, Justice Okon Okon, found the three accused guilty of kidnapping, punishable by death under section one, subsection two of Akwa
Ibom State Internal Security and Enforcement Law, 2009. He said: “From the totality of the evidence of the prosecution witnesses and the confession of the accused persons in their statements to the police, it was not a lawful excuse that the child was taken away from his mother’s house.” Justice Okon held that the 1st accused, Victor Etim Bassey took away the child to the
second accused, Aniediong Ezekiel Thompson for monetary consideration, which they shared among themselves. The court said while Victor sold the four-year-old to Aniediong at N200,000, Aniediong in turn, resold him to Chika at N450,000 while Chika on her part, also sold the child to “one sister” who is now at large, at the sum of N550,000.
Osinbajo Seeks Private Sector Collaboration to End Open Defecation Udora Orizu in Abuja Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said the role of the private sector is critical in building a strong sanitation economy that will drive the sustenance of the results being achieved under the Clean Nigeria Campaign and bring an end to
open defecation. Osinbajo, who spoke at a ceremony organised to mark the first anniversary of ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign’, said the campaign would contribute to some of the key priority areas of the government, which include enhancing social inclusion and
poverty reduction; expanding business growth and quality healthcare to Nigerians. He said the initiative of the Organised Private Sector in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) tagged: ‘Flush it’, aimed at promoting private sector-led innovative financial strategies
in WASH, was a welcome development. Osinbajo also stated that to effectively mobilise the entire country towards ending open defecation, campaign ambassadors had been identified to support the national drive towards open defecation free status.
NJC Unveils Online Pension Verification, Enrollment Portals
Alex Enumah in Abuja
The National Judicial Council (NJC) in Abuja yesterday unveiled the online real time verification platform for retired federal judicial and some non-judicial officers on its payroll, as well as the online enrollment for retiring federal judiciary staff.
The Executive Secretary NJC, Ahmed Gambo Saleh, in an address at the official launch of the project, said the launch was a testimony to the fact that his dream for information technology-driven judiciary “is surely becoming a reality.” Represented by the NJC’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, the executive
secretary disclosed that the pension department of the NJC is not left out in his initiative as most of the processes and operations have been automated. The NJC boss said the apex judicial body had in the past few years championed a complete technological transformation of the court
systems and processes, placing more premium on audio-visual court sittings and e-filing of processes. Earlier, the Director of Pensions, NJC, Mrs. Georginia Obingene, said the initiative was aimed at improving the operational efficiency of the pensions department of the council.
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COMMENT
Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com
COVID-19: THE PTF COLLABORATION MODEL
Chido Nwakanma writes that the partnership between CACOVID and the federal government has helped tremendously in mitigating impact of the pandemic
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here is a long list of organizations and individuals that have been “supporting Nigeria’s emergency response to COVID-19�. Their assistance speaks to the various collaborations and partnerships behind the successful coordination and management of the country’s most significant health emergency in recent memory. On the exhaustive list include the United Nations, the European Union, Bill and Melinda Gates, Jack Ma Foundation, the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Nigerian Breweries, Nestle Nigeria, BUA Group, Dangote Foundation, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Tolaram Group, Me Cure Industries Limited, Flood Relief Fund, Tata Agro Chemicals, MTN Nigeria, Friesland Campina WAMCO. The support from donors, private sector, individuals both in Nigeria and outside of the country are too many to detail. However, this positive landscape of private and donor support to the COVID response was marred recently with controversy. Much drama attended the discovery of warehouses containing COVID-19 palliatives for citizens across several states in the wake of the #ENDSARS protests. Disgruntled citizens, hoodlums, and even security officials scrambled for palliatives while unscrupulous individuals engaged in vandalism of properties. These actions shocked well-meaning Nigerians, leading to many questions and many lessons for all parties. The key revelation was the unravelling of the collaboration model that secured the procurement and deployment of the palliatives in question. The Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) is a privatesector task force partnering with the federal government, through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF), with the sole aim of supporting Nigeria’s COVID-19 response. They are a shining star in that exhaustive list of support to Nigeria. CACOVID, following consultations with partners including the PTF, purchased food items and supplies for distribution by state governments to citizens. It was the public face of a synergy that has worked well since Nigeria began its COVID-19 response with the establishment of a collaboration model to drive the efforts. CACOVID garnered resources and expertise across industries to provide technical and operational support while funding and building advocacy through aggressive community-focused awareness campaigns. In alignment with the PTF, CACOVID was instrumental in the construction of isolation and treatment centres as well as supporting intensive care units and molecular testing laboratories across the country. Most recently, they supported the re-opening of the Lagos and Abuja international airports with the establishment of the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP – www. https://nitp.ncdc.gov.ng) responsible for channeling all international travellers through a protocol of mandatory PCR testing, registration, self-isolation and retesting upon arrival to Nigeria. CACOVID has worked
CACOVID HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE PTF TO DELIVER ITS PROGRAMMES THROUGH A COORDINATED APPROACH THAT IS AN EXEMPLAR OF BOTH GOVERNMENT-TO-PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIP
closely with the PTF to deliver its programmes through a coordinated approach that is an exemplar of both government-to-private sector partnership. PTF has replicated this model across the government and donor landscape. Through its Secretariat, it coordinates the efforts of the various MDAs and partners to avoid duplication of efforts and facilitate the seamless and targeting channelling of resources. It works closely with the donor community and multilateral organisations such as the World Health Organisation, the UK Cabinet Office, the World Bank and various agencies in the United Nations System. It got assistance on project management and governance from firms such as PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Nigeria Economic Summit Group, eHealth, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and many more. Another outcome of effective collaboration is the establishment of the COVID transparency trackers that foster the PTF’s mandated good governance and accountability frameworks. These are the Incidence and Response Tracker Dashboard developed by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group and the COVID-19 Resource Tracking Dashboard developed by the United Nations Development Programme. PTF deployed the Incidence and Response Tracker Dashboard in support of the National COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Pandemic Response Plan to publicize and track the resource requirements across all 36 states and the FCT. They also bridge gaps that exist in three critical priority areas – testing; treatment and isolation; and contact tracing and tracking. As a result of the PTF partnership model, the UN launched the One UN COVID-19 Response Basket Fund to complement efforts to mobilise resources in support of Nigeria’s pandemic response plan. The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 developed the program in partnership with the UN System. The Basket Fund serves as the centralized COVID-19 Financing and Investment Platform. Different stakeholders (including UN, other multilateral and bilateral donors, as well as private sector donors, foundations and philanthropists) channel their financial support to the multi-sectoral efforts of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Response. This enables transparency and accountability. Chairman of the PTF and the Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr Boss Mustapha credits the PTF successes to its broad-based collaborations within government and across the private sector and donor community. The PTF and its partners must continue and scale up the interventions in a transparent and proactive manner. They must also mitigate any gaps and failures within their partnership structures. Specifically, the collaboration with CACOVID and the state governments to ensure effective distribution of relief materials urgently and equitably to circumvent delays and provide much-needed economic support to the vulnerable.
WHO IS AFRAID OF SARAKI’S VISIT TO ILORIN?
Tunde Oba Alabi urges the Kwara State government to focus on the serious business of providing good governance
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ince the November 14 visit of immediate past Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki to his home town for the twin occasion of the eighth anniversary memorial prayer in honour of his late father, Dr. Abubakar Olusola Saraki who was Senate Leader in the Second Republic, and the 25th anniversary of the ascension to the throne of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu- Gambari, the Kwara State government and its agents have gone over-drive with propaganda, lies and fabrications targeted at downplaying the impact and success of the visit and its political implications. In fact, for the past one week, governance has been relegated to the second position in the priority of the state officials led by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. Their number one pre-occupation has been how to portray the Saraki visit to Ilorin as a non-event. Television programmes have been sponsored and targeted at Saraki. A sponsored article with the same intention was syndicated in many national newspapers on Sunday (Nov. 22). The article titled “Dissecting Senator Bukola Saraki’s Homecoming in Kwara� written by one Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak was filled with a lot of inaccuracies, outright falsehood and misinterpretations. The aim was to give the impression that the massive turn-out and open display of love and affection by the people to Saraki does not translate to any political rejuvenation and reinvigoration. The question is why are the Kwara State government and its agents so incensed about Saraki and his visit to Ilorin? The answers to this question will become apparent as I address in the following paragraphs the issues raised in the article under reference. Abdulrazak, ‘the writer’ claimed that the expression of support by a crowd amounts to nothing in politics. It will be good to know from Mr. Abdulrazak which politician will like a situation that he comes out on the street and people ignore him. What will this same writer have written if during Saraki’s visit to Ilorin the former Senate President did not have appreciable crowd to welcome him? The same government and its agents would have been advertising the political demise of Saraki. Abdulrazaq, the Governor, and his handlers
should know that his non-performance is what is inspiring the crowd to cheer Saraki. The incumbent governor has continued to show that he is not a man of his words. He lacked compassion and care for the people. That is why the common chant during Saraki’s visit is “O su wa�, (we are tired), “Idera de� (Comfort has come). The governor should check himself and be sure he is truly serving the people. Saraki who had served as Governor of Kwara State for eight years and Senator for another eight years representing Kwara Central decided to stay away from the state after he left office in June last year to avoid creating any distraction for the present administration. Saraki made it clear that it was good for the people of Kwara State to experience life under another political party. That was why he and his supporters decided not to challenge the results of the election in courts, despite knowing that more than half of the candidates fielded by the opposition party lack the required educational qualifications or submitted fraudulent certificates. The verdict delivered by the courts in the two cases filed by PDP members challenging the certificates submitted by their APC opponents which have resulted in the nullification of the election of the affected candidates showed why Saraki’s magnanimity should be appreciated. How does a politician standing up from his vehicle to greet his supporters and well wishers translate to ‘sense of entitlement’ and being a godfather? Some political neophytes and ignorant analysts now feel that the best way to blackmail a popular politician and paint him black is to label such a politician ‘Godfather’. Every political structure has a hierarchy and certain people whose voice matter in the decision- making process. If you like call them Godfather or whatever. From the US, Britain to Israel and even, South Africa, there are influential decision makers in every political process. Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Alexander Ocasio-Cortex, Tom Daschle, former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and George W. Bush were all influential leaders of the Democratic and Republican Parties in the US. In the UK, Jeremy Corbin, Sadiq Khan, Tony Blair, Theresa May, Gordon Brown and the rest of them are key decision makers in the UK. In Israel, General Aviv Kochavi, Avichi Mendel-
blit, who is current Attorney General and Ehud Olmert, former Vice Prime Minister, continue to determine what happens in the politics of the country. So, what is this fixation with labelling people Godfather just to make them look bad? It should be noted that while people like Alabi Olayemi Abdulrazak continued to fuel the narrative on Saraki dictating who got what in the state between 2003 and 2019, and raising the futile question of whether the Sarakis are the only ones in the state, they conveniently evade the more logical question of how many members of the Saraki family had been governor, senator, House of Representatives member, House of Assembly member, minister, commissioner, special adviser, special assistant, and the numerous other political positions that had been filled in the state in those years. Apart from Bukola who has served as governor and senator, and Gbemisola, who has served as senator —are the occupants of the numerous other positions not from some other Kwaran families not related remotely or directly with the Sarakis? Is it not an empty lie to claim that one man sitting in Ilorin determined and decided on the issue of who contested for various offices across the 16 LGAs on the platform of the party to which he belongs and yet those candidates won every elections for 16 years? The continuous attempt to make Saraki look bad sometimes inadvertently present him as a superman. Abdulrazak, the writer, and Abdulrazaq the governor, should know that today Kwara State have two ministers because of Bukola Saraki. The nominators in Abuja gave Kwara two ministers because they wanted to settle scores with Saraki. In doing so, they appointed Gbemisola as minister to spite Bukola. They forgot that blood is thicker than water. Today, Mr. Abdulrazak should go and ask his sponsors why is it that when APC wanted to appoint two ministers, they ensured a Saraki was one of them. If Saraki had left Kwara State for Abdulrahman since May 29, 2019 to govern without distraction, and after one and a half years, he paid one visit, only for the whole state to ignore the incumbent governor in other to welcome the former governor, does that not show that they have tasted another administration and
experienced the ugly outcome? Is it the fault of Saraki that Abdulrazaq assembled a cabinet of fourth-rate commissioners and inexperienced aides? Is it the fault of the former Senate President that those who conspired to deny him and his supporters electoral victory in 2019 failed to select competent people as replacements? If the Kwara governor feels that because of his own deficient educational qualification and inexperience in management, he decided to also choose people who are not better than him, who is to be blamed? Throughout the article under reference, the writer struggled without success to play down what he continuously referred to as “internal schism within the ruling party�. Any reasonable watcher of politics in Kwara State who is also familiar with the antecedent of the incumbent governor as a lone introvert should know that he cannot efficiently operate in an organised system. The governor is the single destabilising force in his party, the APC. He keeps struggling to supplant the APC State Executive committee and plots to replace them with his AA Group. He is up in arms with the party chairman and all the party leaders who helped him to emerge victorious in the last election. He does not see eye to eye with the two ministers from the state. He and the state’s representatives in the National Assembly are having uneasy relationship. Are all these the faults of Bukola Saraki? There is no doubt that Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has continued to be a divisive force not only in Kwara APC but in the state in general. The writer of the article mentioned that the traditional rulers were under pressure when Saraki was in power. He should go and have honest talk with the traditional rulers now. They will tell him they prefer that period than that of the one who disrespects them, treats them with levity and where a first class traditional ruler was openly referred to as “Bobo yi�. Under Saraki, the Emir of Ilorin was never under the daily threat of being dethroned. Today, the eminent traditional ruler celebrated his 25th anniversary on the throne and the governor who is an Ilorin man ignored him and did not attend any of the occasions associated with the celebration.
r"MBCJ XSPUF GSPN "EFXPMF &TUBUF *MPSJO
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EDITORIAL
BLOODY CULT WARS IN EDO Security agencies must do more to contain the menace
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he recent bloody war between rival cult groups in Benin City which led to the death of no fewer than 30 persons has once more brought to the fore the increasing menace of cultism in the country. These frequent violent clashes and criminality in the Edo State capital and environs have their roots in a fierce struggle for supremacy and control of spheres of influence. Unfortunately, in the latest madness, an Assistant Police Commissioner lost his life as a result of injuries sustained while two other senior police officers were reportedly injured in the attempt to tackle the criminals. We urge the police to get to the root causes of this depraved behavior that constitutes a threat to the entire country and bring the culprits to justice. For sure, cultism is CULT WARS AND GANG VIOLENCE HAVE EXACERBATED not new in Nigeria. For THE CLIMATE OF years, several LAWLESSNESS AND FEAR IN people have identified THE POLITY with one form of cultism or another either for personal protection or for the promotion of certain interests. But today, cultism has become almost like a status symbol, especially on our campuses where members kill sometimes for reasons as flimsy as being snubbed by a student of the opposite sex. From the campus of Yaba College of Technology to the streets of Mushin in Lagos, from Benue to Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Edo States, these criminal gangs operate without restraints. What’s more, their activities are no more restricted to campuses of institutions of higher learning as secondary school pupils are now being recruited into the fold. Only recently, men of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command arrested a student of West Itam Secondary School for allegedly killing his colleague during a cult clash between SS2 and SS3 pupils of the school.
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In 2015, some prominent Nigerians were among 67 suspected cultists arrested and quizzed in Benin by men of the special squad deployed in the state to curb cult activities. In the days preceding the deployment of the police team, some criminals said to be members of ‘Eiye’, ‘Black Axe’, ‘Buccaneers’, ‘Aiye’ and ‘Jurist’ confraternities had unleashed hell on the streets of Benin. The body count was 22 dead. The unwholesome activities of the miscreants then and now, have severely impacted commercial activities in the city as many shops, markets, banks, schools, and government offices were on different occasions hurriedly shut down as a precaution. Cult wars and gang violence have exacerbated the climate of lawlessness and fear in the polity. More worrying is that the menace has become so widespread that armed robbers, kidnappers, drug peddlers and other sundry miscreants are now being recruited into the fold. Across the states, cultists of various stripes act with impunity, killing, raping and maiming victims while causing widespread destruction. In the aftermath of the EndSARS protests, many residents of Ajah in Lagos have been raising the alarm over incessant cult-killings and robberies in their neighbourhood. Yet the authorities seem helpless in dealing with this crime. The security situation in Benin has particularly become dire since about 2,000 inmates were forcibly set free by hoodlums from the two correctional facilities during the EndSARS protest. Many of the escapees were reported to be cult members. Unfortunately, it appears our security outfits lack what it takes to address this nagging problem, even more so after the hoodlums burnt down many police stations and looted their armoury. And in the face of this incapacity, cult groups have continued to mutate. The perennial violent clashes by cult groups have gone on for too long in Edo. And until these criminals and their godfathers are fished out and prosecuted according to the laws of the land, residents of the state may have to brace up for more gang violence.
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PLYING THE KADUNA-ABUJA HIGHWAY...
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fortnight ago, dare devil kidnappers had a successful outing on the Kaduna - Abuja highway. These kidnappers stopped motorists, kidnapped victims and killed those who attempted to escape. According to the villagers who reside around the dangerous road, “the kidnappers had four successful operations with many passengers losing their lives and countless victims taken into the kidnappers’ den�. The return of the kidnappers on one of the nation’s busiest roads is unfortunate and sad. It has come at a time when people are calling on the authorities to bring to an end the abduction of helpless passengers plying the road on daily basis. The response of government on the Kaduna-Abuja road is not encouraging. Although, the government deployed some anti-robbery squad in some strategic positions which allayed fears among the people, their presence has failed to checkmate the activities of kidnappers. The government should go beyond stationing police officers in every one or two kilometers of the road. Instead, there is the need for the deployment of modern technology such as drone which will monitor the movement of these kidnappers and locate their hideouts. The audacity with which these kidnappers carry out their attacks and abduct their victims raised a fundamental question: Are Nigerians safe? If this road that links North- West states to the nation’s seat of power can be frequently attacked by kidnappers with relative ease, other roads in the country are no go areas. Even with the return of train transportation which proved effective and safe, the kidnappers often attack train stations, scare and whisk away many victims. Can we attribute the increased rate of kidnap-
ping activities to the recent EndSARS protest that demoralized our men in uniform and kept them off the roads? It appears that some police officers are yet to recover from the aftermath of the bloody #EndSARS protests that rocked the country. While the Kaduna-Abuja road was recently deserted by travellers due to the activities of kidnappers, so also is the Katsina - Zaria road when the bad news of abduction filtered into the air. The Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic community in Zaria was thrown into confusion and sadness. Kidnappers forcefully entered the staff quarters, fired shots into the air and abducted a lecturer. In ABU community, these kidnappers also kidnapped a lecturer with his wife. Nowadays, this has become the trending news both in social and conventional media. What is really happening with our intelligence gathering? The kidnappers who operate along Kaduna and Abuja road are usually spotted in Gadan malam mamman and Rijana axis. They have been operating there for long. In saner climes, these areas must have been combed and those making lives difficult for others arrested. However, the kidnappers are becoming more audacious, taking advantages of our fragile security network and operating with little resistance. It has become imperative for government to strengthen its intelligence gathering mechanism, adopt community policing and above all deploy modern security gadgets such as drone and helicopter for effective policing. Kidnapping is taking a dangerous dimension and government should move swiftly and contain it before it consumes the country. r*CSBIJN .VTUBQIB 1BNCFHVB ,BEVOB 4UBUF
PARDON ME, PLEASE!
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ith the Presidential pardoning of Michael Flynn, and previously a Turkey named Corn who will be the next to be pardoned? There could be family, friends, co-workers or technically every person in prison. The family option is not new as Bill Clinton pardoned his brother, Roger. The real question is who will or can pardon President Trump if they wish to? There is some doubt as to whether he could pardon himself and waiting for the incoming President Biden to issue pardons might be risky. President Trump could take a day off, by ‘illness’ and VP Pence could then fill in and pardon Trump. Of course, this is only a theoretical possibility and surely there is no need to pardon anyone else. r%FOOJT 'JU[HFSBME .FMCPVSOF "VTUSBMJB
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POLITICS
Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email: nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY
Umahi’s Defection and the Unfolding Game of Political Musical Chairs Magnus onyibe, an alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Massachusetts, USA and a former cabinet member of Delta state government carries out a detailed investigation on the Igbo quest to grab the presidency of Nigeria
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hat started as an act of defiance by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani in 2016 when he withdrew his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), before joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2017, and an unusual step taken in 2016 by Orji Uzo Kalu, former governor of Abia state , when he exited All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the APC, has now crystallized into a ‘bold step’ as President Muhammadu Buhari recently characterized the defection or cross-carpeting of David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi state from the main opposition party , PDP to the ruling party, APC. Ostensibly, unlike Orji Kalu who joined the APC to contend for the post of Deputy Senate President after the APC unseated the PDP and became the ruling party in 2015, Ken Nnamani defected because he was given a bloody nose by the PDP, a party on whose platform he served as Senate President between 2005 and 2007. And his loss of influence in PDP stems largely from the role that he played in ensuring that the third term agenda of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, as reported in the media, was scuttled in the National Assembly which he led. Having stepped on powerful toes, his path back to the senate was blocked by the powers that be in then ruling party, PDP. Now, political realignments in Nigeria’s political space is as old as the advent of party politics, so it’s not an anathema. Every republic since the first in 1963 to the current 9th Republic has had a fair share of carpet crossing in the South-west, Southeast8 and in the north. Jumping ship in politics is part of the so called horse trading which politics is all about. So it came to be that, arising from the fertile imagination of some politicians, and building upon the initiative of a former governor of Kaduna state, late Mallam Balarabe Musa, who was the first to promote the concept of coalition of opposition political parties against the ruling party, a political avalanche in 2013/2014 took place in Nigeria’s political landscape . That was when several governors and ex governors in lgboland joined forces with fellow politicians in then major opposition parties such as the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) , All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and part of APGA in a coalition to supplant the PDP which had been ruling at the centre for 16 successive years since Nigeria’s transition and transformation from military dictatorship into a multi party democracy in 1999. With Umahi’s defection last week , the game of political musical chairs is now on. Significantly, it dovetails or it is a presage of the comment by the late political activist and media entrepreneur, Mallam Isma’ila lsa Funtua, who before his passage in July this year had earlier in January, on ARISE Television stated that if the lgbos want to be the ethnic stock that produces Nigeria’s president in 2023 , “they should belong.” Of course it is not lost on most discerning Nigerians that the exhortation for the ‘lgbos to belong ‘is a sort of euphemism that our compatriots who occupy the eastern flank of our country should get out of their cocoon or bubble and sow their political seeds afar. It may be recalled that the charismatic political activist, Mallam Funtua, of blessed memory, was responding to the agitation of the easterners that an lgboman should succeed President Buhari in office when his second four years tenure ends in 2023. Remarkably, in that interview, the respected northern political leader, Mallam Funtua encouraged the lgbos to emulate the former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme,
(May his soul Rest In Peace) who reached out of his lgbo enclave by literarily building political bridges across the country from the west to the north. A feat or phenomenon that facilitated his emergence in 1979 as Vice President to Alhaji Shehu Shagari , the President of Nigeria in the Second Republic. Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi is the latest conscript or if you like, the most current to ‘see the light’ amongst lgbo politicians on the need to enlarge their coast. But if the motivation and ambition of Governor Umahi for joining the ruling APC is so that he woulda be the President or Vice Presidential candidate of the ruling party in 2023, he must be miscalculating because Ebonyi state does not have a significant population of the lgbos-only about three million and 1.5% of Nigeria’s population. Also governor Umahi appears not to posses the political followership to inspire the horde of voters which the ruling party craves. Who knows, Umahi may just end up being like Senator Orji Kalu who defected to the ruling party, APC in 2016 with the intention to clinch the coveted position
of Senate President of the 9th Assembly and unfortunately, perhaps to his greatest surprise ended up in jail. At best, Umahi can be like Pastor Tunde Bakare of Latter Rain Assembly Church who was propped up to serve as the running mate to candidate Buhari in 2011 as a ploy to garner the votes of Christians for the Muslim /Christian candidacy which political strategists had concluded was a winning formula and a sure path to the presidency of Nigeria for Buhari who had tried twice to weave his way to Aso Rock Villa and failed. Following the discovery that the strategy couldn’t yield the desired dividends, simply because, although Pastor Bakare and Latter Rain Assembly are both a Pastor and a Christian church respectively, they did not have enough clout to harness the Christian votes that the Buhari campaign needed. So the Buhari campaign decided to cast their fishing net farther into the sea of politics. Smarting from that disappointment, but obviously more determined to clinch the presidency in 2015, the Buhari campaign realigned and sought partnership with the
Tribute to Rawlings, Bàlàrabe Musa Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, 2019 presidential candidate of the Peoples Trust political party pays tribute to the departed former president of Ghana and Alhaji Balarabe Musa, former Governor of Kaduna State
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r.Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim described the late former President of the Republic of Ghana,Flt.Lt John Jerry Rawlings and former Governor of old Kaduna state, Alhaji Abdulkadir Bàlàrabe Musa, as great sons of Africa. Olawepo-Hashim recalled that while he was on exile in Ghana in 1989,late Rawlings was a good host who provided him with shelter. According to him, “I pay my tribute to two great sons of Africa who passed away in the last two days - Flt Lt John Jerry Rawlings ( rtd) former President of the Republic of Ghana and Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa ,former Governor of old Kaduna State.” “Both were distinguished in their love for Africa’s development and their belief and hope for positive change in Africa.” “I was a personal beneficiary of President’s Rawlings kindness and solidarity with the African course. in 1989.President
Rawlings provided accommodation and protection for hundreds of African Youth and students, fleeing persecution from their home governments in decent state guest houses through the office of the All African Students Union(AASU).” “AASU enjoyed diplomatic status in Ghana under his gpvernment .Africa has lost a good man.” “Bàlàrabe was a political icon and champion of ordinary Nigerians including the elite who truly desired a corruption free Nigeria.” “As the first democratically elected governor of Kaduna state, late Bàlàrabe Musa was quick in changing the fortunes of his dear state and had within a short span, achieved a developmental stride in old Kaduna state which was unprecedented.” “Bàlàrabe would be remembered for his fearless approach to issues of governance and his constant remarks against under the table deals which had made politicians at all levels to tread with caution.”
Pastor Enoch Adeboye led Redeem Church (the largest Christian denomination in Nigeria) and that’s how a senior pastor, Yemi Osinbajo an associate of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu , (who had served as Attorney General of Lagos state) was tapped for the role. In my estimation, unlike the 2015 episode, the 2023 presidential race, would be a different ball game. That much has been projected in my new book: “Isma’ila Isa Funtua: A Bridge Builder. The Chronicles of a Political Activist and the Jostle for Nigerian Presidency In 2023.” In a chapter titled “Decoding The Encoded Comments “Nigeria Is Not Turn By Turn Nigeria Ltd” and “The Presidency Should Be By Merit And Not The Place One Comes From, ” l made a case that since wisemen speak in riddles and parables, the comments needed deep scrutiny in order to decipher the real import . Then l proceeded to do so with facts and figures in the book. To the unsuspecting observer, it may sound naive , but Nigeria’s political space is gradually being constricted into a one party political system instead of multi party democracy that it was at inception in 1999 which is 21 years ago. The assertion above is reinforced by the claim by Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, that more governors from the main opposition party would defect to the ruling party. That is if the claim were to be taken seriously. It may be recalled that in an interview on national elevision, the Kogi state governor reportedly made the following comment. “I said it long ago, not today when the party (PDP) was going through some challenges; I did say that there are 10 governors from the opposition parties that will join APC. “We have seen one; one that is even as equal as 10, he has joined us, nine to go. Just mark my words; I don’t lie, I will never lie, and I will never deceive anybody,” Frankly, wise people know that statements by politicians are not to be taken seriously, but with a pinch of salt. And given the antecedents in other climes , particularly American politicians such as President Donald Trump and senate majority leader Mitch McConnell who are serial culprits in the art of double speaking and spinning of yarn, lying is not peculiar to Nigerian politicians. Talking about Governor Umahi’s defection from the PDP to the APC which his antagonists are characterizing as political macabre dance, he too appears to have mastered the art of deception as he is on record to have vehemently denied nursing any plan to defect to the ruling party, APC. According to media reports, Governor Umahi had in 2018 stated the following: “Mr. President or any APC person has never asked me to come to APC, and they will never ask me. And there is no reason for me to leave my party, PDP, of which I was the party chairman, deputy governor and now governor. “People that jump from one party to the other should examine their character, except if there is any problem within your party. As of today, till tomorrow, until Christ comes, there is no crisis in the PDP. Even if there is a need for me to leave the PDP, I can never leave the PDP to the kind of APC in Ebonyi State because with the kind of leaders in Ebonyi APC, leaders that have failed Ebonyi State, I can never be on the same political platform with them.” NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com
T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2020
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PERSPECTIVE
The National Assembly on Trial
Notes on Biden’s National Security Direction Chido Nwangwu, Founder of USAfrica multimedia networks gives a brids-eye view of American President-elect’s foreign and national security policy direction
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n Tuesday, November 24, 2020, the President-elect of the United States Joseph Biden left substantial indications regarding what could be the direction of his national security and foreign policy engagement with the rest of the world. Thankfully, after four years of what I would politely characterize as Mr. Trump’s quixotic indiscretions and crass impunity on the world stage, I believe that members of Biden’s team will follow a different national security outlook and a more collaborative agenda, away from the nativist insularity and supremacist arrogations of Trumpism. First, I’ll like to make a special emphasis that in the 21st-century, the battle over technological superiority and health security have become critical drivers of the diplomatic and international security chess moves, artfully known as the “games nations play.” As a matter of fact, there is a 596-page book of the same name that was first published in 1975 by John W. Spanier and Robert L. Wendzel on global power play and the shifting dynamics of the perception of power. Second, in political science and diplo-
Credibility, strength and purposes of the principal instruments and institutions implementing the national security interests draw from the composition and outlook of the key personnel directing the implementation of the government’s interest, or shall we say the national interests. Significantly, Biden instructed his nominees to restore America globally, its global leadership and its moral leadership, and will ensure that our service members, diplomats and intelligence professionals can do their jobs free of politics
macy, I do know that the critical element to look at in order to understand the likely direction and interests of most democratic governments could be drawn from their consistent pattern and pursuit of their fundamental and core national interests, especially economic advantages. Third, the worldview — known as weltanschauung in the German language — of the leader is very important in terms of operationalizing those “vital” national interests. This explains why two Republicans namely former/late president George H Bush and the outgoing president Donald Trump saw and engaged the world differently; even though they are from the same political party. The character and nuance and priorities of every president could be different. They are usually different; just as their circumstances in context. Fourth, credibility, strength and purposes of the principal instruments and institutions implementing the national security interests draw from the composition and outlook of the key personnel directing the implementation of the government’s interest, or shall we say the national interests. Significantly, Biden instructed his nominees to “restore America globally, its global leadership and its moral leadership, and will ensure that our service members, diplomats and intelligence professionals can do their jobs free of politics.” He picked Antony Blinken for Secretary of State. Blinken, a graduate of Harvard College Magna cum Laude and Columbia Law School, said, “We have to proceed with equal measures of humility and confidence. Humility because as the President-elect said, we can’t solve all the world’s problems alone. We need to be working with other countries, we need their cooperation and we need their partnership. But also confidence, because America at its best still has a greater ability than any other country on earth to bring others together to meet the challenges of our time.” The U.S Department of State profile of the cerebral Blinken notes he was confirmed by the Senate as Deputy Secretary of State on December 16, 2014; and has served as Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. During the first term of the Obama Administration, he was Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President. Mr. Blinken was a member of President Clinton’s National Security Council staff at the White House from 1994 to 2001. From 1999 to 2001, he was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs – President Clinton’s principal advisor for relations with the countries of Europe, the European Union and NATO. From 1994 through 1998, Mr. Blinken was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Speechwriting and then Strategic Planning, overseeing foreign policy planning, communications and speechwriting and serving as President Clinton’s chief foreign policy speechwriter. Linda Thomas-Greenfield who’s picked as ambassador to the United Nations said, joyfully: “My fellow career diplomats and public servants around the world, I want to say to you: America is back. Multilateralism is back. Diplomacy is back.”
Mon-Charles Egbo, Print Media Aide to the Senate President presents some of the highpoints that makes the legislature an important arm of government
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’m not here to defend the National Assembly but I’m here to encourage a debate on what the National Assembly means to us as a country or what our legislature means to us as a country and as a people. If you don’t like the set of members in the Ninth National Assembly, change all of us in 2023. Get better people but help support the system to function because that is your protection”. With the fore-going, the senate president, Ahmad Lawan, has challenged the Nigerian masses on the enormity of their powers. He has charged them to take due advantage of their democratic vantage positions to bring about the change that would lift them out of their present sociopolitical predicament He reminded them about exploiting their electoral powers to shape the future they desire. He bluntly asked them to stop complaining and look inward for self-rediscovery. In summary, he has placed the ball in the court of the Nigerian masses for national renaissance and economic salvation. So the choice to either score or bungle the opportunity is theirs. Equally, this is a timely and friendly warning to the legislators. This is a wake-up call to those who would not want to be changed at the fullness of time. So also, the legislators have a choice to make. It is common knowledge that of the three arms of government, the legislature practically reflects all that democracy holds for the people. It is indeed the essential ingredient for democracy. In connecting the people to governance, the legislature has three major responsibilities. It makes laws for order and good governance of the polity, for the people. The legislature monitors and supervises the other arms to ensure that the people are not shortchanged. And then, it represents the people by being their mouth piece as well as feeling their pulse regularly. So in representing, the legislature embodies the people’s overall aspirations, hopes and disappointments. As such, legislators are statutorily assessed within the context of these three roles. And that is exactly the message Lawan has passed on to the Nigerian masses ahead of 2023, in ensuring that the right people enjoy their mandate, going forward, that Nigeria may work again. Also writing on “In Search Of The Ideal Legislature”, Alan Ehrenhalt had noted that “it’s not too hard to define the qualities of an outstanding legislator. This is somebody with the brains to understand complex problems, the creativity to frame solutions, and the personal skill to build majorities in favor of the things he proposes…… The ideal legislature does all of them (the institutional functions) well, and keeps them in proper proportion……Members are listening to constituents, and solving people’s problems”. But of those functions, the one that is very critical to the people is the representational leg of the tripod. This invariably is the heartbeat of parliamentary relevance and effectiveness particularly in the third world countries. While the rest require cooperation or collaborative efforts to deliver, representative roles are purely individualistic, though requiring some elements of cooperation from the people exclusively in the area of information and idea sharing. Among others, individual legislators fight for government attentions in favour of their respective constituencies. They consciously seek for opportunities that would positively affect the people through developmental projects and life-enhancing programmes. However, it calls for doggedness and sacrifice to excel in this area. And that is why determined legislators on their own creatively put in place different mechanisms all towards uplifting the community of man, generally. Yet this representative duty is mostly neglected by the legislators. The reason is not far-fetched. There is disconnect between the people and the legislators. The people have apparently given up their inherent sovereignty. Both out of apathy and ignorance, the masses now unwittingly encourage their leaders to short-change them. By their actions and inaction, the citizens endorse and propagate bad governance. They have been pitiably intimidated into the neo-elitist mentality that demanding for accountability means attacking those in authority. The governed are today mindlessly divided among themselves instructively by the governments they choose for themselves. They rather complain and grumble, only to be placated momentarily and exploited
at every round of elections. There is now a vicious cycle. So succinctly, it is this whole gamut of pathetic trend that Lawan’s sermon is addressing. The gap has to be closed up. There is a dire need for truly participatory democracy where the people are the lords and masters in the business of governance. The representatives must recognize where the power truly resides. They have to show proven capacity for independent-mindedness and sound judgement in integrating all the conflicting and complex interests of the constituents. They must realize that a true test of integrity for those in public leadership largely lies in the consistency of their words and actions always. Hear Lawan again: “If you don’t like the set of members in the Ninth National Assembly, change all of us in 2023. Get better people but help support the system to function because that is your protection”. This homily can only come from a leader who is confident that he is an example of what he preaches, and also convinced that he is legitimate because he is walking on the side of the people. Ahmad Lawan has being in the legislature for over two decades consecutively and still counting, through the ballot, of course. So indeed, his record speaks for him. The prevailing mood among his constituents is that he is routinely- connected with them. His instituted periodic-but-regular interventionist engagements with his people has truly distinguished him as a leader with a difference. His commitment to positively touching lives and providing succor to the deserving constituents has greatly endeared him to his people. His people attest freely that their welfare and well-being are of serious concern to him. He is living out his conviction that economically-empowered, healthy and educated people translate to national development. He demonstrates that viable rural economy is a catalyst for national prosperity. These apparently are the very things he wishes for his colleagues. And quite remarkably, Ahmad Lawan as the president of the senate has not allowed both the attractions and distractions of the office stand on his way to delivering effective and responsive representations to his people. Ordinarily, the added responsibilities ought to have made his representative roles suffer neglect. But verifiably, because his politics is about sincere service to humanity, he is innately giving back to the society in different dimensions. It is certainly not about the advantages of the office. It is about disposition. It is his desire for the living standards of the masses to improve. It is his expectation for the people to actually have their powers and sovereignty restored to them. He envisions a new Nigeria where people-oriented politics giving rise to participatory and inclusive governance reign supreme. That is why he wants his colleagues to up their games so that they could enjoy the favourable verdict of the people and history. In short, Lawan is a model of what he wants his colleagues to copy and possibly surpass. And as such he has placed his cards on the table. In the end, the people upon evaluation should change any legislator that did not perform. They should be replaced with those who manifest the capacity and readiness to always seek for the best deals for the people. Nigeria today deserves a legislature that can protect the country and the people. After all in Lawan’s exhortation, that is “what our legislature means to us as a country and as a people”. So the die is cast! -Egbo is the print media aide to president of the senate
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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2020 •T H I S D AY
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T H I S D AY Ëž BER 27, 2020
BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT
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Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875
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Quick Takes
Emirates Oers Travel Protection Coverage
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
L–R: Chief Executive OďŹƒcer (CEO), Nigerian Stock Exchange, Mr. Oscar Onyema; President and Chairman of Governing Council, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Mr. Bode Ayeku; and Registrar/CEO, Mrs. Taiwo Ganiyat Olusesi, at the 2020 conference, luncheon and awards organised by ICSAN in Lagos‌recently
NPA to Clampdown on Bonded Terminals over Container ‘Stripping’ Eromosele Abiodun Following earlier threat by the port economic regulator, the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) to shutdown bonded terminals over illegal charges, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has accused some of the operators scattered around the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos of carrying out activities, which are not licensed. The NPA also warned that those who continue on that path would be shut down. While the shippers’ council threat of shutdown was predicated on complaints by customs agents, the NPA’s action which commenced this week was as a result of alleged stripping of containers that have exited the port. Speaking to newsmen in
MARITIME Lagos, the NPA’s Tin Can Island Port Traffic Manager, Mr. Peter Abiri, said many of the terminals were being used for illegal activities. The NPA action, he stated, was in response to cries by licensed Customs agents at the port, that the activities of the bonded terminals was the major cause of the traffic gridlock along the Tin Can Port corridor, especially as all the terminals now share a single access. Abiri said suspending the discharge of containers also known as “stripping� operations at the terminals would help clear the access roads of articulated trucks hindering free flow of traffic. He maintained that enforce-
ment of the exercise began from Wednesday. Abiri stated that resumption of stripping activities would only be reconsidered after the port access road has been cleared of all impediments. He stressed that any violation of the directive by the operators would result in the closure of the terminals, adding that the terminals were not originally licensed to do stripping but to operate as bonded terminals. According to Abiri, “Some of the bonded terminals that engage in stripping include; M.A.N Yard and Hannover Terminal, Dash Gold (Black gate), SocaTalmis and Wali Galibut at Abuja area of Tincan port.� The NSC recently warned all bonded terminals in the country to desist from charging shippers
and freight forwarders illegal fees and improve on efficient delivery and management of cargo or face total shutdown. The Executive Secretary / CEO of the NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, stated this during an on-the-spot assessment of Denca Terminal and Kachicares Bonded Terminal, both located within Amuwo-Odofin Lagos. Specifically, the NSC boss threatened to shut down Denca Bonded Terminal if it fails to return about N40 million illegal charges obtained under the guise of transfer and storage charges from Nigerian shippers and freight forwarders. Bello condemned the indiscriminate citing of bonded terminals and issuing of approvals by the Nigeria Customs Continued on page 22
NAEC: Import Duty Challenges Delaying Agency’s Projects Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), has lamented that customs-related tax exemption waivers were delaying some of its projects in the country. Owing to this, the agency said it has not been able to put to use items donated to Nigeria by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), its technical partner. Nigeria has been an IAEA member state since March 1968 with its focus area now on nuclear and radiation safety, food and agriculture, health and nutrition, water resources and environment as well as energy and industry. Speaking during the opening of a three-day national workshop for IAEA project counterparts on enhancing the effectiveness of the organisa-
AVIATION tion’s cooperation with Nigeria in Abuja, Acting Chairman of NAEC, Mr Mukhtar Ali, noted that the problem was slowing down several of the projects while the equipment were wasting away. “Permit me, at this juncture, to bring to your notice the customs-related challenges. The delays in obtaining tax exemption waivers for the agency-donated items meant for the execution of TC projects in the country is very prominent among these challenges. “The cause of these delays is multifaceted and it is mostly as a result of lack of proper understanding by project counterparts of the procedures for obtaining waivers, non-payment of requisite fees for waiver processing as well as poor
timing on initiating action for obtaining waivers,� he stated. He noted that within the framework of Nigeria’s technical cooperation with the IAEA, there are over 20 national, regional and interregional projects being implemented in the country in the areas of human health, agriculture, water resources, radiation as well as safety and environment. Mukhtar stressed that the technical cooperation programme remains the main channel through which the IAEA delivers its support to Nigeria, adding that through that cooperation, the international organisation gets to understand the needs of Nigeria. He noted that to ensure that the country derives optimal benefits from the implementation of all the projects in the country, NAEC was conducting the workshop to discuss the
progress and challenges associated with implementation. In his comments, an Assistant Director, NAEC and National Liaison Assistant, IAEA, Nigeria, Mr Awwal Bisallah, stated that since 2010 the two bodies had not had the opportunity of meeting to discuss challenges and areas of cooperation. “We saw some decline in the implementation of projects. There have been a lot of challenges. We have attributed this to lack of synergy between the office of the national liaison officer and project counterparts. “The benefit is for Nigeria and we shouldn’t allow Nigeria to lose. At the end of the day, we want to have an improved implementation of all IAEA projects and where we have bottlenecks, we can talk to government. Continued on page 22
Emiratescustomerscannowplantheirtravelsandflywithgreaterassurance and peace of mind, with the airline’s latest initiative to provide expanded, multi-risktravelcoverontopofitscurrentCOVID-19cover. Provided by Emirates at no additional cost to its customers, in partnership withAIGTravel,thecoverwasdesignedtoprovideallEmiratespassengers atrulyuniqueofferforstress-freeandhassle-freetravel. Emirates explained that the new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover would automatically apply to all Emirates tickets purchased from 1 December,andextendstoEmiratescodeshareflightsoperatedbypartner airlines,aslongastheticketnumberstartswith176. EmiratesChairman/ChiefExecutive,SheikhAhmedbinSaeedAlMaktoum said:“EmirateswasthefirstairlinetooffercomplimentaryglobalCOVID-19 coverfortravelersbackinJuly,andtheresponsefromourcustomershasbeen tremendouslyencouraging.“We’venotrestedonourlaurelsandinsteadcontinued tolookathowwecanofferourcustomersanevenbetterproposition.We’re verypleasedtobeabletonowprovidethisnewmulti-risktravelinsuranceand COVID-19cover,whichisanotherindustryfirst,toallourcustomers. “Weseeastrongappetitefortravelaroundtheworld,especiallyheadinginto thewinterholidaysaspeopleseekwarmerclimatesandfamilydestinations like Dubai. By launching this new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover, we aim to give our customers even more confidence in making their travelplansthiswinterandmovinginto2021.�
Connectivity Crisis Threatens Recovery
TheInternationalAirTransportAssociation(IATA)hasreleaseddatarevealingthat theCOVID-19crisishashadadevastatingimpactoninternationalconnectivity, shakinguptherankingsoftheworld’smostconnectedcities. “The dramatic shift in the connectivity rankings demonstrates the scale at whichtheworld’sconnectivityhasbeenre-orderedoverthelastmonths.But theimportantpointisthatrankingsdidnotshiftbecauseofanyimprovement inconnectivity. “Thatdeclinedoverallinallmarkets.Therankingsshiftedbecausethescaleof thedeclinewasgreaterforsomecitiesthanothers.Therearenowinners,just some players that suffered fewer injuries. In a short period of time we have undone a century of progress in bringing people together and connecting markets. “Themessagewemusttakefromthisstudyistheurgentneedtore-buildthe global air transport network,� said IATA’s SeniorVice President for Member ExternalRelations,SebastianMikosz. IATA’s76thAnnualGeneralMeetingcalledongovernmentstosafelyre-open bordersusingtesting.“Thesystematictestingoftravelersistheimmediate solutiontorebuildingtheconnectivitythatwehavelost.Thetechnologyexists. The guidelines for implementation have been developed. Now we need to implement,beforethedamagetotheglobalairtransportnetworkbecomes irreparable,�saidMikosz. Airtransportisamajorengineoftheglobaleconomy.Innormaltimessome 88 million jobs and $3.5 trillion in GDP is supported by aviation. More than half of this employment and economic value is at risk from the collapse in global air travel demand. “Governments must realize that there are major consequencesforpeoples’livesandlivelihoods.Atleast46millionjobssupported byairtransportareinperil.Andthestrengthoftheeconomicrecoveryfrom COVID-19willbeseverelycompromisedwithoutthesupportofafunctioning airtransportnetwork,�saidMikosz.
FCM Supports Orphanage Home
FCMTravelsSolutionsNigeria,aglobalprovideroftravelmanagementservices with presence in over 95 countries, has delighted children and employees oftheLionsVillageMotherlessBabiesHome,Lekki,Lagoswithdonations. Themotherlessbabies’homewhichishometoover57childrenwascreatedto providecareandprotectionforabandoned,abused,orphaned,andhomeless childrenrecoveredaroundLagosState,Nigeria. SpeakingofFCM’scontributiontotheorphanagehome,theHeadofBusiness, FCMTravelSolutions,Nigeria,AdejojuSikuadenotedthatthedonationwas incommemorationofthisyear’sWorldFoodDayandtoaswellcelebratethis year’sWorldChildren’sDay. “The year 2020 has been very eventful, the COVID-19 pandemic affected virtuallyeveryaspectofourlivesandsowehavedecidedtoreachouttothose whomayhavebeennegativelyimpactedbythis,�Adejojusaid. “OurvisittotheLionsVillageMotherlessBabyHomeisincommemoration oftheWorldFood’sDayandtheWorldChildren’sDaywhichwascelebrated recently. We are well aware that donations to orphanage homes and many other institutions that rely largely on support from the public may have dwindled drastically, hence, this has spurred us to action. Our donation is also a contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2whichistoachievezerohungerby2030,�Adejojuadded.
“I can categorically say that our airplanes are safe. The airplanes that are not safe have been grounded� Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA),
Captain Musa Nuhu
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BUSINESSWORLD NPA TO CLAMPDOWN ON BONDED TERMINALS OVER CONTAINER ‘STRIPPING’ Service (NCS), stressing that henceforth, the NSC would engage customs to ensure that it is consulted before bonded terminals are licensed. The NSC, he stated, had in July issued a circular, directing all seaport terminals and bonded terminals to stop charging shippers for transfer of cargoes from Apapa to bonded terminals. He said some of the bonded terminals were recalcitrant and were still collecting the money. “Presently, Denca Bonded Terminal has N42 million to refund to importers while Kachicares Terminal owes N3 million. Our circular which we issued in July 2020 would suffice for this exercise, there should be no transfer charges, if goods are stemmed from the seaport terminals, those who stemmed the goods are responsible for whatever cost, not the shipper, so between the seaport terminals and the bonded terminals, there must be an SOP or a memorandum of understanding, I think what has been happening so far is informal arrangements, we cannot afford to operate on informal arrangements,� he said. “The shipper cannot pay for what is not his responsibility, he has already nominated in the bill of laden where his consignments should be taken to, and transferring it to another terminal is the business of the terminal he nominated. “NSC believes in consultation, but if we found out that for whatever reason, the seaport terminals or the bonded terminal is charging the bills we have abolished, then we would be left with no option that to ensure that we seal off premises of such recalcitrant operators who have defied genuine orders from the council.�
NAEC: IMPORT DUTY CHALLENGES DELAYING AGENCY’S PROJECTS “We have a lot of equipment that have been donated under this framework, but we cannot move them to our universities for research and training because their are hitches around getting import duty certificates,� he said.
Group Business Editor
Obinna Chima
Capital Market Editor
Goddy Ogene
NEWS
Crisis Looms as Rail Contractor Demolishes Port Exit Gate Eromosele Abiodun Operations at the Apapa container terminal, operated by APM Terminals, were paralysed on Wednesday as the contractor handling the rail project at the Apapa port mobilised to site, blocked the truck exit gate and began demolition of structures in the terminal. The action of the Chinese rail project contractor has hampered Customs inspection, release and exit of containers at Nigeria’s busiest seaport. Experts said the demolition of structures including the terminal exit gate could compromise safety and security at the facility and is in breach of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code. Many importers and clearing agents were unable to conclude their transactions while loaded trucks were unable to exit the terminal. The blockade also made it impossible for empty trucks to enter the terminal to pick up containers for delivery to their owners. The situation has further compounded the Apapa gridlocks as trucks piled up on the port access road. “This is terrible. I have never
seen this kind of thing before in this port. There was no warning, no prior notice from the railway contractor. They just brought their heavy duty machines today and blocked everywhere. “Port operation has been stopped. It is a standstill. It is total chaos. Everywhere is
blocked,� Monday Ekanem, a clearing agent at the Apapa port, lamented. Another Customs agent blamed the rail project contractor for being insensitive to port operation and the economy, warning that the blockade of West Africa’s largest container terminal would have adverse
effect on Nigeria’s economy. “The rail project is a good idea, but the way the contractor is going about is very wrong. You don’t paralyse port operation. Trade must keep flowing, but it does not appear they understand this at all. Now they have mobilised to site without allowing us to make necessary
alternative arrangements for delivery of containers. “There is also no arrangement for how trucks will enter and exit the terminal. They do not know the implication of what they are doing. And no one knows how long this will last,� the agent, who identified himself as Mohammed said.
PROVIDING SUCCOUR
L-R: Assistant Manager, Digital Marketing & Public Relations, CHI Limited, Abel Oshevire; Secretary, Gidankwali Community Ojota, Abubakar Sahabo Abubakar, and Representative Saraki’s OďŹƒce Gidankwali Community Ojota, Alhaji Ibrahim Soja, during the ‘Hollandia Nurture A Child Initiative’ visit to provide nourishment to Children at Gidankwali Community, Ojota, Lagos‌recently
Sylva, Sanwo-Olu Upbeat about 8,400MT Techno Oil’s LPG Terminal Peter Uzoho The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva and the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu, have said the newly-inaugurated 8,400 metric tonnes Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) terminal built by Techno Oil Limited in Lagos State will significantly contribute to deepening the domestic utilization of LPG in the country. The multi-billion naira facility sited in Apapa, Lagos, which was described by the company as the largest and safest LPG terminal in West Africa, was recently inaugurated by the minister in company of the Lagos governor and other industry stakeholders. The minister who was
represented at the occasion by the Deputy Director, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Dr Musa Zagi, said such kind of project was important and necessary in deepening the usage of domestic gas in the country. “It gives me a great pleasure to be the guest of honour to formally commission the impressive 8,400 metric tonnes terminal built by Techno Oil at this auspicious event. “So this kind of project is therefore very important and necessary at this time because the lack of utilisation of this gas resources that our nation is blessed with is because of the lack of infrastructure and facilities such as this. With this, I think we are opening a new phase as a country and as a nation in trying to diversify
our economy,� Sylva said. He said with the Techno Oil’s LPG cylinder manufacturing plant of over five million per annum inaugurated last year by the vice president and this 8,400 metric tonnes of automated terminal, the company was no doubt set out to provide endto-end solution in the domestic LPG industry. “The commissioning of this facility is definitely a good contribution to the aspirations mentioned above, in addition to environmental protection, job and wealth creation by reducing de-forestation and greenhouse emissions and promoting domestic gas value chain development,� Sylva added. In his remarks, Sanwo-Olu, who was also represented at the
event by the state’s Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Olalere Odusote, congratulated Techno Oil on the commitment it had demonstrated in investing in the Nigerian gas sector and in the state. He said the terminal was expected to contribute significantly to the growth and expansion of LPG distribution and use in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. “First was the commissioning of its LPG cylinder manufacturing plant in June 2019 and today, the commissioning of its 8,400-ton capacity LPG Coastal Storage Terminal. This Terminal is expected to contribute significantly to the growth and expansion of LPG distribution and use in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. “Developments such as this
will help to promote and deepen domestic LPG utilisation across the state, consequently reducing the state’s carbon footprint and ultimately benefiting the people of Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole,� Sanwo-Olu said. The Chairman of Techno Oil Limited, Prof. Anya O. Anya, stressed that the investment in the facility showed Techno Oil’s effort at bridging the infrastructural gap hindering the penetration and adoption of LPG in Nigeria. On her part, the Group Managing Director of Techno Oil, Mrs Nkechi Obi, who thanked the minister and the governor for remaining the company’s valued partners, explained that the construction of the 8,400mt LPG terminal commenced in November 2016.
Minister Approves Waiver for Signage Businesses in FCT Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, has approved waiver on signage for business interests within the territory. He announced the concession at the official inauguration of bills’ distribution ceremony and roadshow organised by the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Adesola Olusade, said the decision became imperative following the economic downturn in the country occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic. “As part of support for the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises that are needed to catalyse the growth and the development of FCT. We have granted waiver to enterprises that have their signage and
billboard on their walls to enable them benefit from some of the concession of government for this period of COVID-19. “It’s a gesture of government to ensure that non-monetary palliative of COVID-19 gets to everyone. It will enable the beneficiaries plough back the revenue that would have been paid to government into their businesses, “ he said. He also called on the Area Councils to support DOAS effort
towards revenue generation, noting that it will serve the interests of all and boost the internally generated revenue of FCT, shared among all tiers of government in the territory. On his part, the DOAS Director, Babagana Adam, said although, the new policy has taken over 60 per cent of its revenue, businesses must be supported during the pandemic for them to thrive. He also explained that the
administration has extended waiver on mobile advertisement and large billboards on streets. “We have given about 30 per cent discount for those with bigger billboards because for the period April, May and June, there was a total lockdown, so when we are billing for the big sign board (third-party), we have deducted a whole quarter. As for banks and other key institutions in Abuja, we have also given the 50per cent discount,� Adam said.
Comms/e-Business Editor
Emma Okonji
Senior Correspondent
Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă— Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents
Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Ă—Ă—Ă‹Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă?Ă– ĂŽĂŽĂ?Ă’ (Energy) Reporters
Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă?Ă‘Ă’Ă? (Money Market) Ă™Ă?Ă‹ Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă’Ă&#x;ÙÑÓĂ? (ICT) Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ äÙÒÙ (Energy)
NEITI Commends Universal Energy for Audit Filling Compliance The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has commended Universal Energy Resources Limited (UERL), a subsidiary company of Savannah Energy, over its performance in terms of compliance and provision of requested industry data during the data collection exercise for the 2019 oil and gas audit.
According to NEITI, UERL was rated 100 per cent based on the two parameters for evaluation of participating companies: timeliness and completeness. “We write to express our appreciation for your cooperation with NEITI over time and specifically in the recently concluded data collection
exercise for the 2019 Oil and Gas audit,� NEITI wrote in a letter signed by its Executive Secretary, Waziri Adio and dated 14 October 2020. NEITI has produced the data submission compliance report for the oil and gas industry audit process since 2015. The current report ranks participating entities in terms
of compliance with the data submission requirements of the 2019 oil and gas audit process. In his comment, President/ Head of Regulatory Affairs, Savannah Energy, Bassey Umoh said: “We are pleased with the commendation from NEITI, a highly respected organisation, over our performance. “The letter from NEITI
underscores our commitment to transparency, compliance with industry regulations and excellence in our operations. Universal Energy Resources Limited will continue to operate ethically and with integrity.� UERL is a marginal field operator, operating the OML 14 located in Akwa Ibom State.
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BUSINESSWORLD
ANALYSIS
‘Why Lawmakers Proposed N50bn Bailout for Domestic Carriers’ The House Committee Chairman on Aviation, Hon. Nnoli Nnaji, who after a recent public hearing said the aviation industry was one of the most devastated as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and called on the federal government to support airlines with N50 billion to avert their collapse, provided more insights into the proposal by the lawmakers. Chinedu Eze brings the excerpts:
T
he just concluded public hearing on the amendment Bills for the review of some aspects of the civil aviation Acts has brought to the fore the impending crisis in the aviation industry which require urgent attention. The public hearing, which provided the platform for stakeholders, administrators, aviation agencies, airline operators and different interest groups and labour unions to speak on the problems of the industry was a revelation, which exposed the level of devastation the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought in the sector. The Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nnoli Nnaji after presiding over the proceedings, said the industry is in dire need of urgent intervention to save it from imminent collapse. He noted that during the lockdown the aviation agencies were starved of revenues, which have reverberating effects on their operations and because bills must be paid and salaries must also be paid, the agencies were fiscally left in a quandary. But the airlines seemed to be the most affected because while they put their aircraft into storage they still maintained them without also earning revenue and during the period of the lockdown, some of the aircraft in their fleet were due for checks. Without earning revenues the airlines literally coughed out funds to ferry the aircraft for maintenance. Airlines as Catalyst Nnaji stated, “There is no gain saying that aviation is the bedrock of the national economy. It is important to note that aviation industry is regarded as a strategic industry, not only for its potential for economic growth but also for its crucial role in national development and regional integration. “The most important contribution aviation makes to national economy is through its impact on the performance of other sectors and as a facilitator of their growth. “The industry is the tonic on which many other sectors depend on. Unfortunately, this vital sector that acts as stimulus to the rest of the sectors of the economy is facing extinction, the consequence of which will be very detrimental to the overall economy of the country if not squarely addressed immediately,� he added. THISDAY learnt that because of the difficulty in acquiring aircraft due to leasing hurdles put on Nigeria by lessors, airlines need huge funds to acquire their own aircraft, but it is difficult for the operators to access loans from banks, which offers the credit facility with stifling 25 per cent interest rate. This ensures that airlines may not operate profitably at the end of the day. The House Committee Chairman noted, “In 2019, the contribution of the aviation industry to the nation’s gross domestic product, (GDP) was put at N198.62 billion according to the release from the National Bureau for Statistics, (NBS). “In fact aviation was adjudged the fastest growing sector for the 2019 despite the harsh operating environment. This was projected to be surpassed in 2020 but for the advent of coronavirus pandemic which dealt a devastating blow on the industry. “Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the industry, especially the airlines were already crying for intervention from the government to help them surmount the various challenges confronting them. “The public hearing we held for the six aviation Bills between November 17 and 19 provided the ample opportunity for the indigenous airline operators to voice out their problems which we believe should
Nnaji
not be treated with levity if we must move the industry and the economy forward.� Challenges According to Nnaji, the operators listed the challenges, which they claimed have been crippling their operations as follows: non implementation of the Executive Order on Zero Customs duty and zero VAT on importation of commercial aircraft and aircraft spare parts; non-implementation of the Executive Order on the removal of VAT from air transportation; inability to access forex; high cost of capital and lack of single digit lending interest rate for airlines. Before the President Muhammadu Buhari administration took over governance in 2015, there was half-hearted implementation of waivers for the importation of aircraft and spares but the administration made the waiver permanent with the Executive Order and in addition to that, government also introduced zero VAT payment for the airlines. These waivers were supposed to help the airlines to survive and continue to carry out their service of taking people from place to place, but like in the past, concerned government agencies did not implement the Executive Order, so airlines have continued to pay for VAT and Customs duties against the wish of the federal government. Nnaji is canvassing for urgent financial deliverance of the airlines and he pointed out other challenges being faced by the domestic operators. For the airlines to survive they listed some amendments, which include replacement of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA’s) 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) with a fixed charge similar to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Passenger Service Charge (PSC). They also request for the abrogation of multiplicity of taxes, fees and charges; urgent review of NAICOM (National Insurance Commission) Act on aviation insurance and exceptional permission to grant the externalization of insurance placements for domestic airlines in the country on an exceptional basis in the interest of air transport safety due to inability of Nigerian Insurance Companies to cover aviation risks. The airlines also requested for the review of the multiple entries and multiple frequencies granted to foreign airlines and depletion
of the domestic airline market with loss of jobs. They also decried the unnecessary delays for weeks in clearing of AOG (Aircraft on Ground) spare parts for aircraft, high operating cost (continually rising cost of Jet-A1) and wanted the full implementation of the ease of doing business called on the House of Representatives to interface with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to review the over regulation of domestic airlines. The airlines also lamented over the inadequate night landing facilities in most of the airports, thereby affecting the operating hours of flight daily. “As parliament, we are going to look into these demands and more especially to find out why the Nigeria Custom Service would not respect the President’s Executive Order on duty exemption and other palliatives meant to lighten the burdens of the airlines. “The multiple entries policy for foreign airlines is equally an important concern raised by the operators, which must be looked into. “If developed countries could give bailouts in billions of dollars to airlines to cushion the impact of corona virus with all incentives at their disposal you can understand what our operators are going through without help. America, Canada, Brazil, Rwanda, Senegal, India, China, Korea, United Kingdom and several European countries all injected funds into the sector to support their local airlines and the service providers because they understand the importance of aviation in their national economies,â€? Nnaji said. Financial and Regulatory Support The House Committee Chairman explained that the International Civil Aviation Organisation, (ICAO) the global aviation watchdog had in the wake of the pandemic canvassed for continued financial and regulatory support, particularly financial relief that does not increase industry debt levels through direct cash injections, credit or loans and deferrals or discounts on user charges to support airlines over the restart and recovery period. However, only the following African countries; Rwanda, Senegal, CĂ´te d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and recently Cape Verde have responded adequately to this plea said ICAO Regional Director, Mr. Mohammad All Bakri in a recent publication of the International
Air Transport Association, (IATA) journal. Their actions according to ICAO have helped save thousands of jobs and will enable some airlines to restart and support the wider economies they serve in those countries. As early as May, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had called for aviation-specific financial relief measures from the government of Nigeria to address the severe impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the air transport sector. The global body said air transport was grounded as part of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Along with the direct impact on jobs and companies in aviation, related industries including tourism, hospitality and trade have been hit hard, adding that all play an essential role in creating jobs and powering economies. IATA noted that prior to the crisis, aviation contributed $1.7 billion to Nigeria’s GDP and supported 241,000 jobs. IATA estimates that the COVID-19 crisis puts 124,000 Nigerian jobs at risk and some $900 million of the country’s GDP. Nnaji said, “The IATA Regional Vice President for Africa and Middle East, Mr. Barry Kasambo in the same publication also acknowledged that the situation of airlines in Africa are worsening and urged that the measures are essential to minimize job losses and ensure that connectivity can be restored within the continent.� The Chairman, House Committee on Aviation also quoted Kasambo as saying, “We urge African governments and the development institutions which have committed funding to provide it urgently in a structure that does not weaken already stressed airline balance sheets, before it is too late.� Nnaji added, “Here in Nigeria, our indigenous airlines are faced with enormous challenges like high interest rate on loans, lack of maintenance facilities, high insurance premium, multiple taxation, disadvantageous policies and high cost of jet-A1, (aviation fuel) among others which make it near impossible for them, (local airlines,) to break even. We are not just talking about airlines alone, the service providers, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA!) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) and the rest are also having their own challenges. They need bailout funds to function optimally.� Infrastructure Nnaji noted that the aviation sector requires huge capital for infrastructural development, the remittances of 25 per cent of their internally generated revenues, (IGRs) should be retained for the next ten years to help the agencies upgrade their facilities, adding that the federal government’s N4 billion bailout to the airlines and some palliatives to the agencies (not yet released) was too small. “The airlines need at least N50 billion bailout funds to cushion the Coronavirus effect. We are requesting that other mechanisms should be introduced as a support to avert the collapse of the Aviation sector. “We intend to interact with the leadership of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Aviation on all the concerns raised by the operators and other sundry issues confronting the industry to see how we can address them to avert the collapse of the industry. It is important that the federal government urgently come to the aid of the operators by addressing these needs in the overall interest of the national economy and to relieve the airline operators’ of frustration and as well avert their threat of shutting down their operations due to lack of funds and hash operating environment,� Nnaji said.
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BUSINESSWORLD
INTERVIEW
Adewunmi: Freight Business Moving Online Post-Covid-19
Managing Director/CEO of PrimePort Logistics, a cargo service company, Mr. Femi Adewunmi in this interview says the coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the sub-sector; saying that cargo freighting will move online post COVID-19 and may lead to the phasing out of clearing agents. Chinedu Eze brings the excerpts:
H
ow has the coronavirus pandemic affected cargo freighting in Nigeria? This COVID-19 situation has really impacted on every aspect of our lives, every aspect of business; it has affected the world in an unexpected way. Now, two ways that I look at how it has affected the cargo business – one, I will say there is an international angle and two, there is a local angle. So, even if there is progress in Nigeria, the impact internationally will still affect the local and verse versa. This means we are so interdependent now and Nigeria is an importing country, we don’t do a lot of manufacturing, we don’t do a lot of local production of things, we are always importing things. We are heavily dependent on importation. So, as the international market is slowing, obviously there will be a slowdown in Nigeria. And also the impact on the oil industry is the one that is so painful. Because at the moment, Nigeria is looking at diversification but at this minute we are still heavily dependent on oil. The reality is that we have to still continue to depend on oil in the short term. So, when people are not consuming or moving around, then they are not consuming fuel, they are not using any energy, we are all just sitting at home. So it has been devastating for the oil industry and that obviously impacts on importation, especially in the South-south part of Nigeria where heavy oil and gas activities take place. And not only that; the additional dimension to it, which made it more impactful was that people could not even move around. So you have expatriates that were here before but had all gone back and we don’t know when they are ever going to come back. Because money follows people, so if people are no coming, money is not going to come. So even if everything is fine and there is still not much travelling, your economy will still not pick up because money follows people. So it has been devastating, and it has reduced the level of importation. If there is less activity, there will be less importation; more activity more importation. Let’s look at post-COVID, what are you looking at in terms of recovery? A lot of businesses are going to be moving online. So if we look at the cargo industry, we can put them into different categories. We have the people that provide infrastructure like the handling companies. The container terminal people, then you also have the operators, the clearing agents, the agencies that have a stake at the airport, and then you have the end users, the importers themselves, then you have the delivery aspect. So post-COVID, a lot of the operating processes will go online. So the future of the clearing agents is going to be completely changed and it is going to be also challenging because everything is now going to move online. Sooner or later you are going to be doing all your clearing online, so there will be no need for any agent. It will become possible that every end user can go online, log in or go into an app and process their importation. So you will not need agents anymore. And if that happens you lose volumes and jobs. It is already happening. Take for instance; CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) is all online now. Two, three years ago you needed a lawyer that must register with CAC. You can’t just go to any lawyer; they have to be registered with them. Today you can go online, search for your name and do everything yourself. Everything is going to end up there. So the future of the clearing agent, the operators are going to be completely different. So, we need to start looking at how we will start building capacity now. So you start training your people into using technology. How can
Now that you mentioned vested interest and process, to what extent do they constitute a hindrance? It does a lot, because you know airline is competing with handling company. Airline’s agenda is different from handling company, handling company is different from the Federal airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). FAAN will set its own rules and the other one will set its own rules, everybody has different kind of customers. Handling company is focusing on airline because they see them as their customers. Customs is seeing handling company keeping their cargo for them. So you have all these competing and contradictory vested interests, looking at different things, different KPIs (key performance indicators). Then you have the customer and nobody is focusing on them. And everybody needs to be focusing on them. So the processes are all geared towards each other’s interest not the customer’s interest. So that is why you find that things are slow, things are missing, things are delayed, that is why you find corruption and that is why you find all sorts of things. This is because everybody wants to own each part to be able to leverage to have vested interests. We have the equipment, what we have for now is okay. We can’t be comparing ourselves with the developed countries. So we need to be realistic. When people start expecting foreign standard, then I know straight away that they are looking for excuse to blame something else – their own failures. Most of the time it is n internal problem rather than external.
Adewunmi
you start deploying technology now so you will not be left behind? How will our job be different? Is it going to be more of financing, how you are going to be paying for those things? What role are we going to be playing in all these things? Is there going to be a portal where all the agents will be that will look like a market place? There will be integrated systems, so as the shipment is leaving UK, for example, it is already integrated into the Nigerian system. So there is already visibility. The way the terminal people make money before and startraising invoice is not going to be happening anymore. There is going to be integration, so as you are paying for your goods, you can pay for the terminal as well. Everything is all integrated, it becomes like an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) system. So life is going to change, technology is going to be the next order of the day. So smart companies and smart people will start looking three to five years ahead. The other thing COVID-19 is going to teach us is that you need to have structure. When things become difficult, it is the people that have structure that will survive. So all the people that don’t have structure, it will be more difficult, and those are the people that you see that are feeling the pain the most now. And what COVID-19 is saying now, post-COVID is that you need to start building structure, you need to have processes, and you need to have a structure in your business that can withstand some of these external forces. You need to start looking long-term rather than short-term. Some people had looked at things long-term in the past, so with this COVID-19 thing it will just be readjustment
you need to do. What is your evaluation of the facilities that enhance or facilitate cargo freighting at the airports and what facilities do you expect should be there to make it easier for you to move cargo? I am going to be very honest, there is nothing wrong per say with the infrastructure we currently have at the airports. Of course, you are right that it can be optimised. Of course, you are right that some of the equipment and some of the infrastructure are not for these things. You are very right to say that the capacity that we are meant to be doing when it was planned, those infrastructure are not what is being used for. We have more cargo now than we ever used to have. So there are a lot of infrastructural gaps, equipment gaps at the airport. But for me that is further down the line of problems. For me it is about process. For me it is about people, for me it is about vested interest, for me it is about best practice, for me it is about how we operate. Those are far more problems than the structural or equipment things of the airport. And people tend to point at the structural things because they don’t want to address the human factor challenge. The real problem is the human factor, they are the processes, they are the regulations, they are the policies; then the way they work, that is the real problem. That is the problem with volume, which is the problem with revenue but our people tend to point fingers at infrastructure. If you get those things right at least you will be optimising. We will not be at so much pain in the airport as we are today.
The other thing COVID-19 is going to teach us is that you need to have structure. When things become difficult, it is the people that have structure that will survive
Do you think that FAAN, Customs and other government agencies over charge their customers? Look, there is a blame culture in this industry. You go to this person they will say it is Customs. You go to Customs; they will say it is the other person. Everybody is blaming each other. The bottom line is that it is our processes. There is no problem with charges if they are transparent. When it comes to pricing or charges, there is more than one problem. One, I don’t know what I need to pay so I cannot plan. Two, it is too much for me. And three, terms at which I am to pay for the charges. Even if we can’t address charges, lets address transparency of the charges so that I can plan. If I know I am going to pay X amount but I already know it is visible, I can get it ahead of time. My next complain might be the charges but at least one problem is solved. And I will not have as much issue as when those three are the three forces against me. So I don’t see any problem with Customs; things are very standard if you comply with the law. Then Customs will not disturb anybody. People have taken bad practice as the norm, so when Customs are trying to do their job, people will be saying they are being difficult, that they are being over charged. Customs too is growing like the way everybody else is growing in the world. They are becoming better at their work; they are becoming more compliant, that is the way the world is going. So, when Customs is now putting its foot down you have to understand because they now have a better management, they now have anti-corruption mechanism, they now have ease of doing business, they are now doing their things better, you will now be complaining. For me I have an issue with people that complain. Do your own part, let’s all do our own part and then let’s see whether it works or not. From my own experience, we have been in this business for some time now; our success is based on us doing our own part. So I don’t see those problems that all these people are talking about.
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BUSINESSWORLD
MARITIME
Leading the Charge against Marine Pollution Eromosele Abiodun highlights efforts by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative, and United Nations Environment Programme to tackle marine pollution, which is a major obstacle to Nigeria’s quest for blue economy
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ollowing global economic turmoil and the increase call for governments across Africa to diversify their economies, there has been a steady rise across Africa in the attention given to the responsible use of the oceans to contribute to economic development. Experts believe the opportunities around Africa’s blue economies are enormous with significant potential to create jobs and improve livelihoods. Africa’s vast coastline hosts a maritime industry estimated at $1 trillion per year and this is only scratching the surface. Africa has 38 coastal states and a number of island states like Cape Verde, Sao TomĂŠ and Principe, Mauritius, Seychelles and the Comoros. Collectively African coastal and island states encompass vast ocean territories of an estimated 13 million km2. The Seychelles, for example, has 1.3 million square kms of ocean territory that remains largely underdeveloped. Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa (approximately 3 000 km) and claims ocean territory stretching about 120 km off shore. But what is often missing in debates are issues of governance and security. Five themes are particularly important to ensure both: safety and security, rule of law and transparency, respect for human rights, sustainable economic opportunity and human development. Experts believe many African countries are failing to ensure safe and secure conditions for those working and living off the oceans. Tracts of the sea off East, West and North Africa are often labelled lawless. Illegal fishing, sea piracy and armed robbery, drug and human smuggling have assumed staggering proportions. Capping this is the rise in illegal migration. For this to change, experts said diverse actors need to start cooperating across national boundaries to secure and use ocean territories. It has become common knowledge that individual states can do little on their own. The solution of cooperation is simple but difficult to sell to a critical mass of African governments that are often suspicious of collective agendas. Failure to ensure that ocean territories are secure promotes ungoverned spaces, which criminals exploit. At worst, neglected maritime spaces benefit insurgents and terrorists as is obvious in Libya, Somalia and Nigeria. Africa has had to contend with three volatile oceanic regions where criminality makes it impossible for countries to realise the potential of their oceans. These are the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Guinea and the waters of the Mediterranean to the north of Libya. A common denominator in the three hubs is that countries on these coasts have failed to make the areas safe. This has opened the door to criminal actors. Marine pollution But the greatest danger now is the alarming rate of marine pollution. Experts believe the health of marine ecosystem is on the decline as a result of anthropogenic waste that is discharged into coastal or marine environments, resulting from the human activities on land or at sea. They therefore warned that it is very critical that governments, global businesses and political leaders recognise the growing threats and urgently act to restore the marine environment to healthy state for economic development of Africa. Last week, Maritime expert and founder of the African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative (AFMESI), Dr. Felicia Mogo, called on Nigeria and other African countries to urgent tackle marine pollution so as to realise their blue economy ambition. Mogo made this call during the second AFMESI symposium themed: “Marine pollution prevention and control towards blue economy,â€? held in Lagos. Noting that pollution was one of the major limiting factors to the blue economy in Africa, Mogo also encouraged African countries to unify their positions and make contributions on the issue to the global regulatory bodies
Exhibition and Conference, Mr. Emeka Akabogu, stressed that it is high time to itemize deliberate actions that need to be taken and initiate actions to realize the potentials in the blue economy. His words: “We should begin to focus on how to translate the blue economy gains from the good theoretical realm into actionable terms to generate revenue. In the space of the last four years, there has been so much talk about the blue economy and its numerous potentials, thus, we must be able to translate this advocacy into businesses that benefit every Nigerians.� Akabogu, who is on the Advisory Board of AFMESI and an Honourary Secretary of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA), also reassured that addressing the menace of pollution would steer Nigeria in the right direction to harness the gains of a blue economy.
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such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). “The BASEL Convention is a global convention that advocates for preventing transboundary movements of hazardous waste, among others. For example, a country may claim to have the resources to manage this and it is investigated but some others, especially African nations may go for it because of poverty and lack of understanding. They take such waste and dump it in the oceans and seas; eventually, these end up as very toxic substances,� he said. Mogo, a former Director of Marine Environment Management at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), also called for more advocacies among African nations, their producing companies as well as communities in coastal areas. “When country A is signatory to a convention and country B that is the neighbour is not; it simply means you can dump that toxic material in my backyard, via the ocean. Nevertheless, the ocean does not know any political boundary; it’s a problem for everyone. “To address this as a continent, we should have one voice when we are defending or when we are negotiating or getting into this kind of convention on the global level. This problem of pollution is harming food production, destroying biodiversity and eroding the economic gains that should have been generated from the sector,� she posited. Also speaking at the symposium, the Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and Chairman of Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA), Mr. Matthieu Seguin, said that an alliance of with a shared concern for the environment has been formed adding that the alliance is collaborating with all stakeholders to build a sustainable recycling economy for food and beverage packaging waste. Seguin, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, FBRA, Agharese Onaghise, described the symposium as a great opportunity to reinforce commitment for a sustainable future, adding FBRA would partner with AFMESI to provide and implement lasting solutions to preventing and managing marine litters. “We believe in collaboration to address climate change concerns particularly as it concerns packaging waste and its effects in our land and marine space. As part of FBRA’s commitment to the marine clean up to promote climate change, FBRA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lagos State Government for a 3-year period to support the State program to clean up and prevent waste pollution and other packaging waste on inland waterways of Lagos. FBRA also purchased and provided 6 boats for this purpose, � he said. On his part, the Convener of the annual Oil Trading and Logistics Africa Downstream
Marine litter According to the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), plastics constitute about 95 per cent of marine litter found on coastlines, sea surface and the ocean floor. Also, an estimated 4.8 million to 12.7 million metric tonnes of plastic entered the ocean from land-based sources in 2010, and about 8 million metric tonnes has entered the oceans each year since then. It is estimated that between 1.15 million and 2.41 million metric tons of plastic trash currently flow from rivers into the oceans every year. The top 20 polluting rivers were mostly located in Asia and account for 67 per cent of the global total. Shipping, fishing, aquaculture, tourism and recreation are directly affected by plastic pollution. Marine plastic pollution is estimated to cause at least $13 billion annually in economic losses. In the same vein, a recent Greenpeace report found that the West African region loses about $2 billion to illegal fishing. “Most African countries are keenly aware of both the ocean’s potential as well as the threats to this potential. A number of initiatives point to this. These include: the African Union’s 2012 Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050 which recognises and encourages the importance of African countries paying greater attention to their maritime interests and the recently agreed LomĂŠ Charter – a continental effort to encourage and coordinate efforts by African states to attend to maritime security, safety and development,â€? the report stated. Others the report said are: “the YaoundĂŠ Code of Conduct for West Africa which maps out an inter-regional set of responsibility zones to oversee and facilitate responses to growing criminality in the Gulf of Guinea and an increase in the presence of international naval capabilities off the Horn of Africa to stem the piracy tide off Somalia. This was complemented by the Djibouti Code of Conduct that enabled East African intervention to counter piracy threats. The code has been extended to include other maritime crimes. “At national level the Seychelles’ government has set the tone with its explicit focus on the importance of the blue economy. A National Blue Economy Roadmap aims to advance economic diversification, unlock investments and address food security. Although the approach taken by the Seychelles seems obvious given its dependence on the surrounding oceans, the connection is just as important for Africa’s other 38 coastal states.â€? South Africa, the report pointed out, runs a host of maritime initiatives to tap into the blue economy. “The country recently adopted a policy – called Operation Phakisa aimed at four priority areas: marine transport and manufacturing, offshore oil and gas exploration, aquaculture and marine protection services,â€? it stated. AAMA Initiative Meanwhile, the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA) is responding to these challenges by putting
the crisis on the front burner. Last year 33 African maritime administrators under the auspices of AAMA gathered in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt to chart a new course on how to protect African marine environment. The theme of the conference was “Protecting the African Marine Environment so Support Sustainable Development.� The representatives of the following member administrations attended the conference: Mauritania, South Sudan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Comoros, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Benin, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Kenya, Guinea, Libya and Nigeria. Speaking at the conference, Chairman of the African Union (AU) and President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame called on African government to put measures in place to protect Africa’s rich marine resource and the environment because the continent already losses a whooping $42 billion (N15.12 trillion) annually to the devastating effect of climate change. Represented by the African Union Permanent Representative at the League of Arab States, Bouzahar Abdel Hamid, he said Africa must urgently take advantage of its maritime resource to grow its economy and ensure sustainable development. He said: “The theme of the 2018 Association of African Maritime Administrators (AAMA) conference, “Protecting Africa’s Marine Environment,� is apt considering that Africa loses a whooping $42 billion annually as a result of the devastating effect of climate change on its marine environment. The African Union Commission places importance on the blue economy as an option for the development of the African economy. The blue economy has been described as the new frontline of Africa’s renaissance. It is for that reason that the AU is working towards it being a cartelist of the growth of the African economy. “Moreover, by including maritime issues in the African agenda 2063, the AU commission has made a commitment to ensure that the blue economy remain a pillar of the drive to ensure that the African continent achieve its aspiration of sustained economic growth and development. Furthermore, it is our aspiration that by 2063 Africa should have the necessary infrastructures to support the expected growth of the maritime sector. The infrastructures should include high speed rail network, roads, shipping lines, sea and airports as well as advanced Information and Communications Technology and the digital economy. The African Heads of State and Governments have demonstrated a clear commitment that this becomes a reality, hence the signing of the African Continental Free Trade earlier this year.� Learning from Singapore Also speaking at the conference, the Chief Executive of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Mr. Andrew Tan, called on African governments to make strategic investment in container port infrastructure. “The strategic investment in container port infrastructure made by our founding leaders became the early foundation of Singapore’s economic growth story. It gave Singapore the first-mover advantage to ride the global wave of containerisation and subsequently to capture other growth opportunities in tandem with global developments. “Our long-term commitment to port infrastructure development continues to be a work-in-progress today. Following Tanjong Pagar, we continued to expand the City Terminals in Keppel and Brani (these are names of locations in Singapore). By the 1990s, we started construction of the Pasir Panjang Terminal. The construction of the Pasir Panjang Terminal is carried out in four phases. Pasir Panjang Terminal Phases 3 and 4 were completed earlier this year, bringing our total container handling capacity to 50 million TEUs,� he said.
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Ayo Sotinrin: We Envisage an Ondo that’ll Develop Rapidly
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Ayo Sotinrin: We Envisage an Ondo that’ll Develop Rapidly The Chief Executive Officer of SAO Capital, Ayo Sotinrin in this interview with MARY NNAH speaks on how his organisation has been working with the current administration in Ondo State, while also revealing that based on the economic reformation and infrastructural development plan, tenacity of the current government as well as accelerated mode of economic growth in the state, he envisages an Ondo that will rapidly develop in all dimensions
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ell us a bit about you and your role at SAO Group I’m the Group CEO of SAO Group. SAO group has a few portfolio companies under it. One is SAO Capital. It works like an investment bank. We provide financial advisory, capital market advisory and most importantly developmental advisory to state governments in Africa. SAO Capital as a socially impacted investment program company, social and impact comes first in everything we do, that is why we are not in the capital markets as stock workers we only do meaningful projects even in the capital market. When we raise capital, it is for social impactful projects. I am a fervent environmentalist. However, I have experience in the financial sector and also working with the government or you can call me an entrepreneur above all things. I got four degrees in total and counting. I have a degree in Environmental Conservation, which is my background from the University of Oxford. I also have an MSc in Engineering and Business Management. I have an NBA from Saïd Business School and I’ve been working for the government for a while. I used to work for the Environment Agency in the UK where I was part of the team that looked after the environmental affairs of the UK. I also worked for Tom Investment Bank in the UK. I moved back to Nigeria nine years ago when I was appointed Special Adviser on Environment to the Honourable Minister of State and FCT and one of the notable achievements then was the creation of a satellite and development agency, through executive order of President Jonathan. The second thing we achieved which was quite notable was the 450 million dollar Abuja urban integrated project and 350 million dollars was set aside for the urban renewal programme and infrastructure upgrade in the six area council of the six local governments of the FCT. And also to cut the menace of congestion in the FCT, we created a 100 million dollar bus rapid transit scheme which is the BRT scheme. After then, I also worked with many development organisations in Nigeria. I worked for the World Bank as a Senior Environmental specialist. I worked for the World Bank as a Senior Environmental specialist. I worked for DFID as a Senior Urban Development Consultant. I worked for many development organisations across the board. Currently, I work with many state governments, providing investment and development advisory services for them and also financial advisory. I have been working with the Ondo State government for a while and also working with the Kwara State government doing the same thing as well. Let’s talk about SAO Group. What is the organisation into? SAO group actually started in the UK thirteen years ago as SAO Technology. We used to provide technology services to the banking industry and it metamorphosed into SAO capital that started in Nigeria. It is a social capital investment advisory firm. Under advisory, we do a lot of advisory for governments by helping them plan and develop better. We also do a lot of infrastructural advisory and create a financial capital advisory where we do a lot of services as well. We are one of the leading development advisory firms within the Africa sphere, not
fact we want them to see these beautiful tarred roads. In the capital, we chose them based on economic benefits to the residents of the state. So, we focused on rural roads and we did a prioritisation of 500km worth of roads out of a thousand kilometres that was sort of surveyed and this was done over three to four months period and I’m proud to say that we’ve raised about 60 million dollars to do those roads. These are projects we believe will not only add to the social economic state of citizens but will also be a project that will be done diligently at all cost and delivered at time because the funders are very meticulous. Also, we realised that there’s a lot of erosion in Ondo state. One is the sea incursion in Ayetoro and we also have a lot of massive gully sites across the state. So, what we’ve done is to also go out there with all the documentation we’ve prepared to raise another 60 million dollars for erosion control for the sea incursion. So, when the water tide rises at Ayetoro, it washes up to a quarter of the community in recent years and this year, we also experienced that where people that lived 30 meters from the sea had their houses washed away. So, we actually have many projects and this is the first of its kind in Ondo state.
Sotinrin
just Nigeria. Part of SAO portfolio companies is also SAO agro. We do stuff in agro space. We are into investment in agrospace across the continents. We also do a lot of renewable energy projects (clean energy). We do a lot of solar projects. We are in the hydro space and we do anything that is typical clean power and gas as well. On the advisory arm on the infrastructure side, we do advisory on all things I’ve listed that we also do investment in. So, we crosspollinate between both. One of our biggest projects is being advisory to 1100 megawatt king line power which obviously is phasing into two - 5.550 megawatts, capital raised so far is 650million dollars for that particular project. You have been partnering the Ondo State government for a while now. Can you tell us how that came to being? It’s been about four years, even though the government had not spent four years in office. The reason why I said its four years is because immediately the governor won his election, he called a few of us and we told him what we believed is the best way to achieve his goal for the state and after competitive bid, we were selected to be the sole investment financial adviser to the Ondo State government and we’ve not done badly so far. What was the situation of the state before you began working with the state government based on your ďŹ ndings? When we started, we looked at how we would develop the state and we had to start with baseline study for what’s on ground when his Excellency took over office. We looked around; we saw in the infrastructure space, there were a lot of gaps. Ondo State has a lot of infrastructure but it wasn’t developed and it wasn’t the fault of the last administration that didn’t develop it. The reason it probably didn’t develop is because there was paucity of funds and for us, we focused on creating a parallel funding source through the budget of the state government because of our relationship and our extensive experience working with the international com-
munity and development financial institutions. So, after doing a diagnostic study to get the baseline of what is already on ground in terms of infrastructural development in terms of social amenities within the state, we came up with a wish list of projects and we did a prioritisation of those projects to select what we believe can be done short terms and also that we can do long term as well. After which, we prioritised them and we took on the projects with the most impact which is based on the needs of the people and those were the ones that we focused on and we went out to develop further and raised capital for. What has SAO been able to achieve in Ondo State so far? Initially, we thought of having two parallel strategies to governance. One approach is to raise the capital for developmental projects or social projects that are not complete income generating. The second thing is to have an economic development type project that will bring income to the state. So, for the first one, we identified the roads that were very key to economic development. I’m talking about rural roads that lead to farms, markets. We also identified major roads where you have huge traffic for people going in and out of the capital and also some very strategic locations within the state and also other social amenities that we thought the people needed and we’ve not done badly on that so far. On the second one which is an economic impact project that can actually bring revenue into the state, we also did a project study. On road projects, so many roads in Ondo state that actually need rehabilitation or total new construction and we focused on what would have the most impact and the one that has most impact is rural roads. In the city, you have better roads than rural roads. However, the people in the city are mostly civil servants that work for the government and get paid by the government. The percentage of the people living in the urban area as compared to the rural dwellers, there’s a margin disparity like 70 per cent to 30 per cent ratio. So, we chose these projects not based on the
How have you been able to raise funds for these projects and what are the ďŹ nancial implications to the state? You can’t develop a state without developing infrastructure and you can’t develop infrastructure without borrowing money. It’s not the act of borrowing money that is wrong, it’s the type of money that you borrow which actually can be right or wrong. What we’ve managed to do is to look at the proďŹ le of the state and look at a sort of ďŹ nancial instrument that we think is best for the state. When I say we raise money, raising money does not necessarily mean we raised money that attract interest rate alone; we applied what we call a blended financing method, where we make use of different financial capital where we talk about grant money from development financial institutions, if you can justify what you want to use the money for. A lot of philanthropic types of money as well. We’ve done a lot of fund raising as well which no one is expecting anything back and also the most important one which is the development financial institutions we’re talking about, we’ve raised money from them because we believe that they are the cheapest source of capital and they don’t really put a strain or heavy burden on the state because the money is being loaned as a sovereign loan to the federal government of Nigeria for the state. This sort of money is raised on the sovereignty of Nigeria as a country and they are the cheapest type of money anywhere in the world. They are called concessional loans. That is, an interest rate that ranges from 0.5 to 2 per cent plus if it’s denominated in dollars or in Euro. Also, what we are trying to do is the economic development project that will have a lot of benefits to the state. In other words, directly or indirectly, they would have been paid even before the moratorium period, if judiciously used which is why we don’t provide just financial advisory services to the government, we provide what I call development advisory service which encompasses all these things. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com
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DHL Africa eShop Delivers Black Friday Deals from Top Global Brands Stories by Mary Nnah Black Friday, the most famous sale season of the year is around the corner but while the big day is November 27, the US/UK retailers on the DHL Africa eShop App like Amazon have released their deals early. This strategy enables the retailers avoid shipping delays as well as provide a broader range of deals across the November sales period, ending on Monday 30, with Cyber Monday sales. The DHL Africa eShop, the App that gives shoppers direct access to 200+ US/UK stores, has an unprecedented amount of sales this year. Shoppers can delight in the knowledge that over 3 billion products are reported going on sale this year, this is a cumulation of inventory from top retailers like Amazon, Sports Direct, Macy’s, Hawes & Curtis, Best Buy, George At ASDA, Ralph Lauren and so many more options. Community Manager, Ngozi
DHL Africa eShop Delivers Black Friday Deals
Enelamah, said, discounts that shoppers can look out for include bestselling items like iPhones, Samsung and other smartphones, Amazon echo devices, sales on Adidas, Michael Kors and other fashion brands, projectors, security cameras, gaming consoles – just to list a few. To make the shopping experience easier, cheaper
and more enjoyable there is below a roundup of some of the best deals and biggest Black Friday discounts across major product categories that can be enjoyed today and all the way through Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Men’s Fashion; this includes men’s clothing, shoes, watches and accessories at fantastic discounts; women’s
Fashion – Save big on the latest trends and best brands in women’s clothing, shoes, bags and jewelry. Kids and Maternity Items – Get big deals on clothing, toys and books for the little one as well as maternity essentials Christmas Essentials – Make the most wonderful time of the year even more magical with delightful deals on Christmas dÊcor, gifts, hampers and more. There are so many Black Friday sales to enjoy on the DHL Africa eShop App. For just about everything you need, you will find a store and a bargain that matches your budget. Enelamah advised interested buyers to visit the DHL Africa eShop App now to start shopping and saving. The DHL Africa eShop App is an e-Commerce platform launched by DHLAfricainApril 2019. The App provides shoppers in 35African countries with direct access to shop on international retail sites in the US/UK and receive the items at their door inAfrica. Delivery is guaranteed via DHL Express.
Divine Children’s Home Celebrates First Graduate The 2020 edition of the Back to School Programme of Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs.) Martha Emmanuel, wife of Akwa Ibom State Governor was emotion packed as she welcomed one of her daughters, Bright Bassey, who recently completed her NYSC scheme after graduating from Law school. Bassey is the very first graduate from the First Lady’s foster home, Divine Children’s Home, Atan Offot, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Another landmark event during the occasion was the kitting of Master Destiny for a new academic session. Destiny was abandoned at an infant stage by his parents until Her Excellency through her pet project, Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Path-initiative (FEYReP) came to his rescue. Other children of the Home were also kitted by the governor’s wife for the new academic session with a charge for them to study hard. The First Lady admonished
Mrs. Martha Emmanuel (Left) proudly displaying Bassey’s certiďŹ cates
the children to refrain from all negative vices, stay obedient and determined to succeed, adding, “I am prepared to sponsor you all the way through any level of education so long as you remain level-headed and focused.� She encouraged them to be studious and hardworking in order for them to attain great height in life. She later presented school items to the children for the new academic
session. Commissioner for Ministry of Women Affair and Social Welfare, Dr. Ini Adiakpan in her goodwill message extolled the gestures of the first lady, stating that the lives of the children have changed for good. She also encouraged the children to make good use of the opportunity they have as this will guarantee a bright future for them. The coordinator of FEYReP,
Mrs. Ime Inyang, speaking earlier, said this year’s episode was a bumper package as the center celebrated their first graduate and the first day in school for Master Destiny, who three years ago was abandoned to die, but picked up and nurtured by the governor’s wife. She made known that the ‘Back to School’ project is an annual programme that caters to the educational needs of the children of the center in all levels of education. The forerunner of FEYReP stressed that the home accommodates not fewer than 200 children in a suitable ambience with dedicated caregivers and teachers that allow them to learn and grow well. Another beneficiary, Master Effiong Okon, expressed profound gratitude to her Excellency for painstakingly catering for their every need, not minding that they are not her biological children and pledged to make her proud.
Facebook Launches Nigerian SMB Success Stories Series Facebook has announced the start of its #FBSuccessStory campaign, aimed at spotlighting Nigerian entrepreneurs using Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to grow their business. The campaign, running for six weeks, is designed to celebrate, whilst inspiring future entrepreneurs, and highlight the tools available to scale their businesses. Facebook’s Head of Communications, Africa, Kezia Anim-Addo in a release made available to THISDAY, noted that Facebook is proud of the role that it has in enabling small and medium-sized businesses to grow and scale. “This campaign is a celebration of some of these Nigerian SMBs making an impact, both in Nigeria and beyond�, Anim-Addo said. The#FBSuccessStory campaign, which started on November 18th and would
Facebook Success Story campaign participant, Oluwatoyin Onigbanjo
be running till December 21st, 2020, will air exclusively on both BellaNaija and The Guardian TV as a special series showcasing four Nigerians that have experienced growth by using Facebook’s platforms and product offerings to overcome business challenges, connect to their target audiences, and achieve successes in their marketplaces. The four entrepreneurs
selected to feature in the campaign are: Tricia Ikponmwonba, founder of Tricia Biz, an online training and academy platform in Lagos, that provides affordable and quality business advisory service for micro, small and medium scale entrepreneurs. Tricia has used Instagram to reach and guide over 130,000 small and medium scale businesses in increasing their bottom lines in various industries worldwide. Oluwatoyin Onigbanjo, founder of Augustsecrets, an award-winning child nutrition brand in Nigeria that provides healthy, handmade cereals and snacks for babies and young children. Onigbanjo has been able to feed over 30,000 children with her products within the first 18 months. Through her use of Facebook paid advertising, she has been able to reach
customers across all the 36 states in Nigeria, including securing clients from Ghana, Canada, Cameroon, Gambia, and Nairobi. Gina Ehikodi, founder, Foodies and Spice, Nigeria’s foremost food and travel show. With the help of Facebook, Gina has been able to showcase and promote other food brands through her annual food festival called Foodaholic Festival. Through her use of video content and relevant food hashtags, she has gained a following of over 100,000 on Facebook and Instagram and has become a food influencer, with a large audience who look up to her for ideas on how to cook and also manage their food business and Samiah OyekanAhmed, a medical doctor turned entrepreneur and founder of The Gift Source. Head of Video Content,
Group Tasks Lagos on Citizen-driven Reforms A group of concerned Lagosians, has called on Lagos State government and Lagos residents in general, to focus on embarking on citizen –driven reforms in the state, that will prevent future anarchy and increase the trust of the citizens in their government. An “Open Letter to Lagos State Government Executive, Legislature and Judiciary�, signed by various members of the group, stated that it was time to pause and to reflect on the structural shortcomings in the way the city has been governed. These shortcomings, the group noted, have quenched its citizens’ resolve and determination to strive for the best as individuals and as communities. The backlash against public buildings (police stations, local governments, courts), during the recent EndSARS protest, the group noted, is a sign of the growing disaffection between these symbols of state power and ordinary citizens. The group noted further that future backlash can be avoided if Lagos State government embarks on a careful, citizens’ driven rebuilding agenda and if the Lagos Rebuild Trust Fund ensures that the rebuilding reflects the principles of neighbourhood inclusion and diversity and avoids a monotonous approach to the use of public buildings. Another way in which future backlash can be avoided, the group noted, is when the rebuilding process is driven by trusted and committed community members and not by party members and private sector contractors. The stated further that Lagos would avoid future rancor when every citizen has the chance to access any executive or administrative position in the Lagos State government apparatus based on merit, dedication and professional qualification; but independent of age, origin, wealth or party affiliation and when government – citizens’ relationship are in future driven by preventive and corrective strategies which will prevail over punitive measures. “Lagos is a city driven by its biggest resource – the people with their enterprise, creativity, determination and their intelligence to negotiate urban space in the most efficient ways�, it stated. “Their self-organisational strategies are refined by a government, which learns from the local processes and systems, integrates them into her institutions and policies; and supports her citizens by constantly improving service delivery for their well-being and peaceful co-existence.
African’sFirstGoldMedallist,Chioma Ajunwa,SupportsCampaigntoEndHunger In a bid to stop hunger in the society and at the same time curb crime by engaging youths in meaningful investments opportunities, first Olympic gold medalist in Africa and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Chioma Ajunwa, has threw her full weight behind the RichLife Africa Project, which aims to eradicate hunger in the land. Speaking during the official launch of the campaign to end hunger in Nigeria tagged, “Students against Hunger� organised by RicehLife Africa Project, Ajunwa said, “I want to let you all know that hunger can kill dreams; hunger can kill talents.� “Though I came from a poor family, the fact remains that if I was denied food, I would not have been a celebrity as per today. As at now, I am the first female Olympic gold medalist in Africa and an Assistant Commissioner of Police�, she added. She therefore called on the federal, state, local governments and all patriotic Nigerians to endeavour to identify with a project like “Students Against Hunger�. She specifically encouraged the Nigerian Police Force to join her in the campaign in order to curb crime amongst youths in the society by engaging in the RichLife Africa project. The Founder/CEO RichLife Africa Project Limited, Mr. Modestus Bernard said hunger has been causing havoc all over the world. “It is worthy to note that more than 60 percent of Nigerians, including you and I, wake up every morning with the primary concern of how to eat food. Out of this number, about 20 per cent will go back to bed hungry without food. We all understand what this portends to the affected individuals and to the society in general.� “This situation is fraught with great danger for our nation; it breeds high levels of insecurity, banditry, kidnapping, corruption and so on, culminating into social restiveness�, the RichLife boss said. He noted therefore that the RichLife Africa Project is obligated to respond to “this monster that has ravaged our citizens with a view to restoring our lost dignity.� To this end, RichLife has articulated a series of action plans aimed eradicating hunger in Nigeria within the next seven years with resultant effect on decimating poverty.
Founder CEO RichLife Africa Project, Modestus Bernard and Brand Ambassador, ACP Chioma Ajunwa (middle) anked by others during the event
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For the Love of Local Entertainment Stories by Vanessa Obioha
In two days, a new cooking and lifestyle show will debut on GOtv, the digital terrestrial television platform from MultiChoice Nigeria. Titled ‘Jollof With Me’, the show will feature media personality Nancy Isime hosting friends over a meal and some fun, light-hearted discussions. Viewers will learn new things about the guest through the conversations as well as the cocktail game that will see Isime make a cocktail that best describes the guest, her accuracy will be judged by the guest and viewers can catch all the fun and excitement on GOtv Channel 29 and Africa Magic Family. ‘Jollof With Me’ is one of the numerous ways MultiChoice is promoting Nigerian local content on its DTT platform. As aptly stated by the Chief Executive OfďŹ cer of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe during the annual MultiChoice Media Showcase held virtually this year, the company’s booming success lies in its investment in local entertainment. Its mantra is to go hyper-local, reaching subscribers with content that resonates with their lifestyle and culture. However, GOtv goes the extra mile. Its large vault does not only boast of content variety but comes with a premium tag. Shows that are ordinarily accessible to big spenders are available to middle and low-income earners. For as little as N2,460, one can subscribe to GOtv Jolli, and gain access to over 50 channels that offer the best in sports, news, entertainment and lifestyle. This affordability is what positions GOtv as a top-of-the-mind recall for many Nigerians
MultiChoice Nigeria CEO, John Ugbe
when it comes to local entertainment. This year particularly has seen the brand offering the best of local entertainment to subscribers despite the uncertainties that clouded the early days of the capricious coronavirus pandemic. From Big Brother Naija Lockdown season that shattered previous records of public votes with 900 million votes to the club-like show ‘Turn Up Friday’ and live party ‘Owambe
The MAMAs are Back and Reimagined After a four-year hiatus,ViacomCBS Networks Africa announced the return of MTV Africa Music Awards popularly known as the MAMAs.The award is expected to hold in Kampala, Uganda on February 20, 2021, and will feature new changes and surprises for lovers of African music. At the virtual unveiling, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the network Craig Paterson disclosed that the awards will hold virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that is yet to taper completely. “The pandemic made industries to radically push the boundaries of creativity and innovation to survive. And I think that’s never been more relevant than with the MAMAs and the way it is reimagined.� MondeTwala, also a SeniorVice President and General Manager of the network added that the power of the MAMAs“has always been its ability to inspire collaborations across borders�. He explained that the awards require partnerships and its collaboration with the Ugandan government is an opportunity to showcase the diverse talents of the youths
on the continent. Being the ďŹ rst time the awards will be held in the East African country, Ugandan Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Godfrey Kiwanda expressed enthusiasm that the choice of Uganda as the venue of the awards will boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and showcase it as a beautiful destination for tourists. Before the ofďŹ cial announcement, the organisers caused a frenzy with the cryptic M that has the country’s independence monument. On social media, the excitement was in epic proportions as many sought to demystify the buzz behind the letter. Only artistes who have released music from October 1, 2019, to October 1, 2020, are eligible to submit their works for review by the MAMAs Academy made up of independent judges. Some of the changes listed by the organisers include new award categories such as the Lockdown Digital Performances and the Generation Change Award dedicated to young people who are making an impact on society and their communities.
emPawa Africa Signs New Northern Artistes emPawa Africa, the talent incubation initiative designed to nurture and support budding African talents, is expanding its reach to the northern region. Owned by Nigerian singer and entrepreneur Mr Eazi, the platform recently signed northern musicians DJ Abba and Namenj. Having started his musical career in 2011, Kaduna singer and rapper DJ Abba has grown to become one of the most sought after artistes in the Northern part of Nigeria with hit songs like‘Su Baba Ne’and‘Yar Boko’. He won the Northern Nigeria Best Singer of
theYear Award in 2019 and clinched multiple City People Music Award nominations for Best Rap Artiste of theYear, Best Kannywood Hip-Hop Artist of theYear and Arewa Artiste of theYear. Namenj, who lives a nomadic lifestyle across Jos, Maiduguri and Kano, stepped into the limelight with his Hausa cover of Adekunle Gold’s‘Orente’in 2015. Discovered by Mr Eazi through the emPawa30 Artiste Talent Programme, he released his debut single,‘Rayuwata’in July 2020 with the visuals directed by the proliďŹ c Adasa Cookey.
Saturday’, the Pay-TV platform ensured that viewers stay entertained while on lockdown. The two music lifestyle shows are set to return this month with more party vibes and grooves for viewers to enjoy this festive period. Also during the lockdown period, it showed its unwavering commitment to entertaining Nigerians with the campaign ‘We DeyYour Side’. Subscribers were entitled to an upgrade in their respective packages saving up to 75
per cent. This afforded them the opportunity to watch the slew of Nollywood content available on Africa Magic Channels as well as upbeat Afrobeats music on music channels such as MTV Base Africa. Similar rewards are in the ofďŹ ng this festive season.The company recently announced a special price offer for the purchase of GOtv decoder, antenna and Jolli package for just N8,400, tagged GOtv Jolli Offerâ€? Beyond entertainment,GOtv which marked its presence in Nigeria in 2011, is very visible in the local sports entertainment sector. Through the GOtv Boxing Night, the brand has reignited a passion for the sports while placing African champions on the spotlight. For instance, the West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion,Rilwan‘Real One’ Oladosu in a recent report inTHISDAY expressed his enthusiasm that the African premier boxing show is returning for the 21st edition, happening today, Friday, November 27. It was scheduled earlier for April but due to the constraints of COVID-19, the show was postponed. Matches will be held under strict health guidelines at Rowe Park Sports Centre, Lagos and viewers can catch the heart racing actions on Super Sports Select 2. Arguably, the company which prides itself as a family-focused platform is geared to meet and exceed expectations of Nigerians in the TV entertainment landscape. Whether they are on GOtv Jolli package or GOtv Max package, the platform is guaranteeing nothing but doses of entertainment that suit their lifestyle. Simply put, they want you to‘love it’.
Will Burna Boy Finally Win a Grammy Award? The African Giant crooner was very conďŹ dent that he would win the coveted Grammy award this year when he was nominated in the Best World Music Album category, now known as Global Music Album last year. However, he lost the gold-plated gramophone trophy to the Beninese singer and songwriter Angelique Kidjo who nonetheless dedicated the award to him. On Tuesday, November 24 when the Grammy announced the nominees for the 2021 Grammys, Burna Boy was found on the list, making it the second time he is nominated in that category consecutively. His nomination expectedly triggered a frenzy onTwitter as his fans seized the opportunity to sing about his greatness. But the big question remains if he will be able to break the Grammy jinx that has gripped Nigeria for too long. Of course, Nigeria has her share of Grammy winners but none has solely won in this particular category. Femi Kuti has been nominated four times while his brother Seun Kuti, nominated once. The ďŹ rst Nigerian to have shared the award was the late veteran drummer and recording artist Babatunde Olatunji who was part of Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum projects that won the ďŹ rst award in 1992. ‘Twice asTall’ released this year is the ďŹ fth body of work from the artiste. Unlike‘African Giant’, ‘Twice As Tall’ featured many international artistes like Chris Martin, the lead singer of the UK band Coldplay; Naughty by Nature, SenegaleseYoussou N’Dour and was executive produced by American rapper and entertainment mogul Sean‘P.Diddy’Combs. Though it received raving reviews, it is yet to be known if it will fetch the trophy for Burna Boy who is up against great singers in that category.They include Antibalas, an American Afrobeat band that is modelled after Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s Africa 70 band;
Burna Boy gets another Grammy nomination
Brazilian-American singer Bebel Gilberto; British-Indian sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar; and the Malian band Tinariwen. Burna’s major threat may be Gilberto as Brazilians have dominated the category that recognises performers outside the United States and showcase non-European, indigenous inuences in their body of work since inception. Only a few African artistes like Kidjo and South African Ladysmith Black Mambazo have emerged winners in the category. Burna Boy also shares a nomination with BeyoncĂŠ whose‘Black is King’visual album is nominated in the Best Music Film category. The American singer’s ‘Brown Skin Girl’ featuring Wizkid is nominated in the Best MusicVideo category, equally fetching Wizkid a spot in that category. The Recording Academy, the organisation behind the Grammys has been under ďŹ re for its lack of diversity, particularly with women and people of colour for a while. In recent times, efforts have been made to project the Grammys as a diverse music event with its choice of nominees. However, pundits argue that Grammys diversity can only be tested by the eventual winners.
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Boomerang to Release Four New Made in Africa Tunes for Africa The festive season is a time for families and friends to come together, share special moments, and have tons of fun! This year is particularly unique as many have been living apart, and connecting with family and friends matters more than ever before. But,what’s a festive celebration across Africa without music and dance? On Friday, 4 December, Boomerang will release the last four songsfromthesecondeditionoftheBoomerang Tunes playlist, sung in English, Pidgin English, and Swahili. Kicking off the fun fest is Furaha!!!, a Swahili composition by Hugh Davidson and Nekoye Ommeh. Hugh and Nekoyeare both accomplished artists in their own right: For the last ďŹ fteen years, Hugh has been writing and recording music professionally and has also performed in and produced for bands during this time.“I had a blast! It’s really fun being more playful with music. There was also the added beneďŹ t on working on songs in isiZulu and isiXhosa, so I got to work on my language skills a bit more as well,â€? commentedHugh.NekoyeOmmehisaKenyan artist and academic who has showcased her work in different corners of the world and launched her debut album entitled ‘Baba Speaks’ in 2010. “These new Boomerang Tunes are really sweet and authentic, and it has been a whimsical experience creating
Boomerang Tunes for kids
them in conjunction with Boomerang in location-speciďŹ c languages, allowing more and more kids across Africa to play and learn in their mother tongue,â€?added Nekoye. On December 11 and 18, Boomerang will launch Best Friend (Nigerian Pidgin English) and Going to School(English), composed by African music sensation Zinnia Basame. Zinnia stated,“Working on the BoomerangTunes project felt like going back to kindergarten
and learning how to be a kid all over. It took me on a journey to the softest part of my heart, and that felt really nice. It was great working on it.â€? The‘Overload’hitmaker, who is of Cameroonian and Nigerian descent, is no stranger to the world of arts, coming from a musical family. Her mega-hit produced by Nigerian artist and vocal coach, Muno, has bagged ďŹ ve awards across the continent.
“Language is deďŹ nitely a compass when seeking to respectfully navigate different people and cultures, so yes I truly believe these are major steps in representing Africa’s diversity,â€?Muno says. To close off the festive marathon, and in the spirit of togetherness, My Big Family, composed by South African,Thendo Emmanuel Ramulondi, will launch on December 27. “Working on the songs was challenging, but exciting at the same time,â€?explainedThendo. “The challenging part was to put myself in a child’s shoes and to create something fun and happy in line with Boomerang’s vision. But knowing that the music I’m creating had the potential to make some children happy was fulďŹ lling.â€? The music bug hitThendo, who is an electrical engineer by trade,at the age of 10 when he was ďŹ rst introduced to keyboards. The versatileThendo now composes radio jingles and score music for storybook readings and has also become a household name in the South African gospel scene. Following the successful launch of the ďŹ rst four songs in isiZulu, isiXhosa and English in September, the new fun, playful, and easy to remember sing-along melodies,performed by local ďŹ ve to seven-year-old kids singing the tunes in their authentic languages, will be added to the playlist on Boomerang’sYouTube channel and website from Friday, 4 December.
Group Empowers School with Cash, Gift Chinazor Megbolu A wholly Indigenous organisation, Yellow Point Group (YPG), has empowered a private school with N1 million and one 55 inches UHD LG television on scholarship basis. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, YPG, Mrs. Vicky Yemisi Imasi during the presentation to Cheroland Schools, Ipaja-Ayobo in Lagos recently said the initiative is in line with the Social Developmental Goals (SDG) project towards helping the less privileged to go back to school. She explained the idea of street-2school was arranged by the Leadership in Health Safety and Education International Forum (LiHSEF), an arm of the organisation, which she keyed into.
“The board of LiHSEF and the school came up with the criteria. My own is that I have a passion to help and I trust the Secretariat to do the selection and gave me the number and I sent money to impact the lives of five children to start with and after that, we take it further. “Of course, it’s not only money. I know that the school will have needs one way or the other. We use to hear that some schools don’t have things like computers or laboratories. “So, in whatever way we can help, we will do that because no matter how rich you are, you can only live in one room, bed, drive only one car per time and all that,� she said. Imasi during the event, said internal value and benefits is important to her, which made her and organisation
to put premium on helping out the money and television to help ease of virtual learning for the school. According to her; “by the time I help five, 10, 100 children, to me, that’s internal value. It’s something you cannot just take away. It’s like when you learn something on your own, nobody can take it away from you. “So, when you give those children quality education, it stays with them for life and you have set them on a course to success and that remains priceless�. Meanwhile, the Proprietress, Cheroland Schools, Mrs. Esther Aroge while receiving the cheque said she was grateful and glad for what the organisation did, describing it as laudable. According to her; “I’m so glad and
happy. In fact, it’s beyond my imagination. It was an idea conceived a very long time ago and I am happy that God made it come to pass through Yellow Point for coming to the rescue of five children and LiHSEF for introducing us to Yellow Point. I am so grateful. “Amongst the kids, we have children that are being catered for in terms of uniforms, textbooks in fact, everything that they need to excel in the educational sector is being provided for them�. On challenges, she explained that it’s been difficult over the years until YPG came to their rescue. “It’s a private school that has been run like an non governmental organisation (NGO). We’re from the rural part of Lagos, Ipaja-Ayobo to
be precise. “We have a lot of children that could not afford to go to school. Some will come to school and later go back to hawk and still come back to school. “It’s been difficult and a lot of children have been on scholarship of the school. The school isn’t moving forward. We have teachers, rent to pay and a lot of things to take care of. “Getting sponsors to assist us was very difficult. So, we are grateful to LiHSEF for coming to our rescue,� Aroge said. Moreover, the Head-Girl, Cheroland Schools and a beneficiary, Miss Mariam Abdulakeem in a chat said she was so grateful for YPG to make them and the school management happy.
Festival of Surprises for Hon. Gentle Emelah at 54 Mary Nnah
The Bible passage Psalms 37: 23 says “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he is delighted in his way�and this is the story of Hon.Gentle Epilefa Emelah, the Honourable Commissioner for Education Bayelsa State who turned 54 on November 11, 2020 amidst lots of surprises. Emelah woke up to his regular routine in the morning when he was greeted with what could be likened to an ambush fromYenagoa Constituency 111 Women Prayer Group joined by the youths in Yenagoa Local Government Area led by Mrs. Ted Elemeforo, Hon. Caro Ogbara and Hon. Patience Ebiere Tamuno. The youths were led by Comrade Peres Ineife. The reverberating sounds of the drums being rolled out called the attention of Emelah as they approached closer with a birthday cake ready to celebrate him in a colorful manner. Shortly after the group exit, Emelah received yet another delegation from Christ
Hon Emelah
Embassy Fountain of Grace who also rolled out their own drums of celebrations for the celebrant. This got him dancing with joy.The delegation from the church was led by Deacon Bibi Alagha. Members of Mimshack Cell, Christ Embassy, Amarata,Yenagoa who rolled out drums and sounds all the way from Amarata in what could be likened to a rally, danced
down to Bay Bridge Kpansia where Emelah resides to celebrate with him. The need to quickly get prepared and attend to his ofďŹ cial assignments for the day, prompted him to quickly get ready and leave for his ofďŹ ce. However, on arrival at Education House, the corporate headquarters of the ministry situated at Ovom, Yenagoa, he was greeted with another set of surprises with leaders of the students bodies in the state led by Kenneth Jacob of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and his counterpart in the National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS), Comrade Solomon Bigbo. The student delegations from NANS and NUBSS gave the commissioner a grand welcome to his ofďŹ ce with drumming and singing to his amazement. This was followed with the cutting of the cake to mark the event. Done with the students at the conference room, Emelah in his usual manner walked into his ofďŹ ce
to resume duty for the day only to be greeted to sounds of a saxophonist and a crowd already waiting for him in his ofďŹ ce. Members of staff in his ofďŹ ce and some of his loyalists had organised a surprise birthday party for him. Amazed and dazzled at what he saw, the Bayelsa State Ministry helmsman could be seen smiling all the way as he was indeed overwhelmed at the crowd already waiting for him inside without his prior notice. Those present were stakeholders in the state among whom were the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Special Duties, Hon. Timothy Diekivie Itiedu; Commissioner for Assembly Service Commission, Hon. Godwin Worukumo; Chairman Okordia Zarama Biseni Cluster Board, Hon. Jerusalem Adikabue; former Rector, International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, Hon. SamuelTimi Johnson; Directors of the Ministry of Education, and the clergy. Other stakeholders from Yenagoa Local Government Area and well-wishers
also graced the occasion. Speaking on behalf of the staff of the ofďŹ ce of the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Tombra Eyeoyibo Johnson described Emelah as a “good bossâ€? who is humble and as such informed the reason for the honour done to him in return. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education Bayelsa State, Comrade Walton Liverpool in his remarks, described the celebrant as a true educationist, and a true gentleman loved by all. He noted that Emelah was not only a square peg in a square hole but also an asset to the ministry. The wife of the celebrant, Mrs. Patricia Emelah who described her husband as a caring and loving man who is slow to anger, also thanked the members of staff for honouring him. Former Commissioner for Information, Deacon Markson Fefegha extolled the virtues of Emelah whom he described as a jolly good fellow who always exhibits the fear of God in all his dealings.
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ART WEEKEND
‌For pure art enthusiasts
Heralding Smoke-free Nollywood Heralding Smoke-free Nollywood The campaign to end the use of tobacco in Nollywood was heightened recently when veterans as well as stakeholders in the creative industry unveiled a“No to Smoking Music Video,’ writes Yinka Olatunbosun
F
or many Nigerians, tobacco adverts have long disappeared from the television screens in adherence to broadcast regulations. But Nigerian cinema is a lair for dangerous substances as many Nollywood films still feature scenes of tobacco use. ‘King of Boys’, ‘Secret of That Woman,’ ‘Hausa Horror,’ ‘Lagos Real Fake Life,’ ‘Living in Bondage-Breaking Free,’ ‘Merry Men 2’ and ‘Nimbe’ are just a few examples of Nigerian movies that parade smoking characters typically to characterise a villain or a person of class. This disturbing trend had led to the #smokefreenollywood campaign launched by a non-governmental organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA). A media briefing to unveil the campaign video created by two rappers, Reflex and Zadok was held in Lagos last weekend. This came on the heels of a rap challenge for the smoke free Nollywood campaign last year where Reflex (Efe-mena Okugbena) and Zadok (Yinka Adeogun) emerged winner and first runner-up respectively. One of Nollywood’s veterans, Jide Alabi revealed why he supported the campaign. By personal choice, he doesn’t indulge in smoking or alcoholic intake. In his view, this campaign should be pushed to the stakeholders in the entertainment industry to desist from glamourising smoking. His views mirrored those of Tunji Bamishigbin, another seasoned actor who backs this campaign. To restate its commitment to the campaign, the Executive Director, CAPPA, Akinbode
Rappers for No-to- Smoking Music Video, Reex, Zadok and Executive Director, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi at the event
Oluwafemi spoke on the urgency of the campaign. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that movies and entertainment materials are the most veritable tools for the transfer of ideas and promotion of alternative lifestyles. The youths, generally impressionable are enticed by what they see and are initiated into using tobacco products through advertising and subliminal promotion of smoking scenes in movies, music videos and product placement. “The tobacco industry has a track record of giving misleading impression of tobacco use. Through movies and music videos, it
has continued to entice and addict young persons. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) which Nigeria is signatory to, and has ratified required parties to implement a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship,� he stated. In 2015, the National Tobacco Control Act was passed and the National Tobacco Control Regulations prohibits tobacco, advertising, promotion and sponsorships in movies and other forms of entertainment. The organisation is targeting influencers in the film industry in ensuring that Nigerian films comply with the WHO-FCTC and Ni-
Arts in Medicine Fellowship 2020/2021 Kicks off with Pan-African Experience
Yinka Olatunbosun
The Arts in Medicine Fellowship has launched its 2020/2021 programme in a virtual ceremony. This edition is unprecedented with its varied participants drawn from different parts of Africa. In the opening remarks at the inaugural ceremony to mark this Pan-African experience, the Founder, Executive Director, Arts in Medicine Fellowship, Kunle Adewale expressed his joy on the growth of this initiative which was founded in 2018 with support from the US Department of State in Washington DC and the US Mission to Nigeria. “Through art engagement, both virtual and physical, we have recorded an incredible impact of the arts on patient’s health, family members and health provider’s wellbeing across communities in Nigeria. We have hosted Global conferences, Music for Mental Health sessions, created murals, facilitated therapeutic art engagements in hospitals, healthcare centres, hospices and in the community. “Over 5000 people have benefited directly and indirectly from the impact of our programmes. Arts in Medicine Fellowship is currently the largest Arts in Health Network in Africa with 500 members. Our strength is in our diversity and the power of collaboration,’’ he revealed. For the 2020/2021 cohort, a shortlist of 200 fellows from Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Sudan, Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia and all over 26 states in Nigeria had been selected to learn the skills of integrating art into the healthcare system in Africa and beyond. “We believe this is possible through continuous engagement and collaboration with stakeholders such as government agencies, private and public sectors, diplomatic missions, educational and cultural institutions amongst others,’’ he further stated.
geria’s National Tobacco Control Act and its regulations. Some of the recommendations made by CAPPA for the film industry include securing adult rating for films with smoking scenes, displaying strong anti-smoking adverts in the opening montages of movies, showing anti-smoking health warnings, blurring tobacco-branded items in the background of movie scenes and the total ban of tobacco products placement. Laying a precedence in ridding the cinema of smoking scenes are Canada and India. To be sure, India’s Central Board of Film Certification also banned tobacco product
Yemisi Shyllon Museum Wins Award for Museum Opening of the Year Yinka Olatunbosun
An aerial shot of Arts in Medicine Fellowship Cohorts
Courses in this fellowship programme include Introduction to Arts in Health (Jeff Pufahl), Mental Health and Arts (Onyedikachi Ekwerike), Leadership in Arts and Health: Developing Art-based Interventions (Dominic Campbell), Design Thinking: Health Innovation (Dominic Campbell), Creative Practice for Wellbeing: Performance, Literary/ Visual Arts, Dance (Magda Kaczmarska), Visual Arts (Sarah Hinds), Mindfulness (Oyinda Fakeye) and Digital Arts (Kunle Adewale). Other aspects of the fellowship include fellows’ ideation, internship, report writing, alumni relation and mentoring which is sub-divided into peer-to-peer mentoring and professional mentoring. The peer-to-peer mentoring allows the fellows to be paired in a way that makes
it possible for an artist to learn from a healthcare worker and vice versa. In the keynote address delivered by Achenyo Idachaba-Obaro, she acknowledged the efficacy of art tools as therapy. “I was at a pediatric ward at UCH where I saw a young boy, bandaged from head to toe. We engaged him with music. The boy used one toe to move to the music and that demonstrated the power of music in the healing process,’’ she recounted. She marveled at the staggering figure of fellows for this season drawn from 13 countries and enjoined the cohorts to work with other fellows and healthcare providers to bring about a holistic experience for the patients and caregivers. She added that their collectively ability to influence, deliver and impact is determined by their hearts (motivation) and hands (action).
The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) has been awarded the Museum Opening of the Year 2020 by the Apollo Magazine, an international publication that specializes in the world of art across the globe. The award-winning museum, domiciled at the premises of the Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki was on the same shortlist as Aberdeen Art Gallery (reopened November 2019), The Box, Plymouth (opened September 2020), Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister und Skulpturensammlung bis 1800, Dresden (reopened February 2020) and KBR Museum, Brussels (opened September 2020). Named after Prince Yemisi Shyllon, an art collector and businessman, it began operations in 2019 with two exhibitions. The first shows the museum’s ground floor titled, “Making Matter� and highlights materiality and technology in Nigerian art. The second exhibition titled “Mirroring Man’’ explores society and politics as influences on Nigerian art and is showing on the museum’s top floor. Both exhibitions feature works donated to the museum by Prince Shyllon and others from the university collection, artists and private collectors. The museum’s director and designer, Dr. Jess Castellote revealed that the architecture of the museum follows the principles that inspired the design of all other buildings in the institution. The flexible space allows for the museum to change its display configuration according to changing curatorial demands. He further remarked that the university museum, YSMA, is primarily an educational resource at the service not only of the Pan-Atlantic University but also for the larger community. The museum will develop community educational programs for students of public schools as well as training programmes for art teachers.
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A Traditional Title for Tafa Balogun Chiamaka Ozulumba writes that Tafa Balogun, a former Inspector General of Police, was recently installed as the Oluomo of Igbominaland, in the ancient town of Ila-Orangun in Osun
A
ll first class Igbomina traditional rulers in Kwara and Osun states along with several eminent personalities converged on the ancient town of Ila-Orangun in Osun on Saturday to confer the traditional chieftaincy title of Oluomo of Igbominaland and award of excellence on a retired Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun. The event, which was in two parts at separate venues began at the palace of the Orangun of Ila, Alayeluwa, Oba Wahab Oyedotun, Bibire II, where the chieftaincy paraphernalia of Oluomo (Star Child) was given to Balogun, who was represented by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Adegoke Fayoade. While blessing Balogun’s title at the event attended by hundreds of the ex-IGP’s admirers, the Orangun of Ila said, “This title belongs to a powerful man.� He rejoiced with Balogun on the conferment of the Oluomo title and prayed that God would continue to strengthen the unity of Igbomina people in Osun and Kwara. “Ila and Igbomina rejoice with you. You will live long. God will not trouble you. You will know this time for good. And the land will know this time for good,� the Orangun of Ila said. Other traditional rulers took turns to pray for Balogun. They wished him fulfilment of his dreams and prayed that God should uplift him, because he has been a source of joy to the people. The traditional rulers and prominent personalities at the event explained why Balogun deserved the honor and award of excellence. Prince Gabriel Oyinlola, a 96-year-old retired Permanent Secretary in the old Western Region and the first President of a socio-cultural organization called Asepo Omo Igbomina, said, “The retired Inspector General of Police, Tafa Adebayo Balogun is a true patriot; a true son of Ila-Orangun, in the first instance, and of the whole of Igbomina in the second instance. “You can see all the first class Obas from Kwara and Osun states are here to honor him. It’s an honor that he deserves very much for all he has done for the physical development of both Kwara and Osun states; and also the development of human. He has been very helpful to very many people here in Osun State, and there in Kwara State. This is to let him know that we appreciate all he has done, and all that he will still be able to do for the Igbomina as a whole.� Oloyan of Oyan in Ilorin, Oba Kelani Adegeye said, “Before one can be honored as Oluomo, he has come a long way in performance. He’s Adesina for Igbominaland.� The Olomu of OmuAran, Oba Ibrahim Oladele Adeoti, who is the vice chairman, Irepodun traditional council, described Balogun as an illustrious son of Igbominaland, who deserves the honor being received because of his dedication to the course of Igbominaland and how he has been paving the way for the people. The Olupo of Ajase Ipo, Oba Sikiru Woleola, said, “This is called Asepo Igbomina. The Igbomina people occupy Osun and Kwara states. So, this is Asepo collective of Igbomina people in Nigeria. Igbomina is one of the existing kingdoms in Yoruba land. We are here to honor retired IGP Tafa Balogun as an illustrious son of Igbominaland and there will be awards to some community leaders.� Chief Douglas Adeyinka Oyinlola, the Obalotin of Ila, spoke more about Balogun’s sterling qualities and what he had done to put Ila-Orangun on the world map. He said, “We are celebrating Asepo Igbomina. Igbomina, as it is, is a section of Yoruba people with majority in Kwara and towns in Ila. All Igbomina Obas are around for the chieftaincy title, awards, and fundraising for the National secretariat ofAsepo Igbomina here. The Igbomina people spread to Kwara, and a number of them here like Ila-Orangun here, Oke Ila-Orangun, and Ora-Igbomina. Only three towns of Igbomina are in Osun State, the rest are in Kwara. “Tafa Balogun’s personality is colossal. So is his contributions to developments in Igbominaland. Because of his performances, we want to give him the traditional title of Oluomo of Igbominaland. “Sometime, we wanted one Igbomina House
DCP Adegoke Fayoade (left) presenting the chieftaincy beads of retired IG Tafa Balogun, who was installed as Oluomo of Igbominaland, to the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedotun as the monarch’s wife, Olori Abosede looks on
Former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun (Rtd)
in Kwara, around Iganmo, very close to Ilorin; the Kwara State governor, then, Saraki, did not want this to happen. But, when they fixed the date for the foundation laying of that building, Tafa gave order for the police to be there, and that was why we were able to build the foundation of that house. “Another thing, when the time came to open the house, the governor did not allow them to open it, Tafa gave order again. Only Orangun here was able to commission the house. “Now, we see Ila. And you see so many police officers around town with many Ila people in the Force by virtue of this Tafa. We have police college in our town now and not only Nigerians are training there, people are coming from all over the world to train. So, in the world map, our name is there by virtue of Tafa. He has been doing wonderful things for us here. That’s why we have all come together to confer on him the Oluomo of Igbominaland. In fact, he’s a round peg in a round hole. He really merits it.� The conferment of the Oluomo title was followed by another elaborate ceremony including N1billion fund raising session for the building of Igbomina House and other developmental projects. The venue was a huge hall at Ila Community Education Centre, Idi-Ogbagbara on
Kajola-Ajaba Road, Ila-Orangun, where there were representations for the former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande who was Father of the Day, with present governor, Adegboyega Oyetola and the deputy governor of Kwara State, Kayode Alabi as Special Guests of Honor. The spacious hall was packed. Local drummers and entertainers had a field day outside. Royalty mingled with the peasant, and people hugged like long-lost friends. It was like Christmas all over again. Chairmen of the occasion were Dr Deji Adeleke/Hon. Julius Fakeye, supported by Dr Bosede Oyedepo. The ceremony commenced with a prayer from the Chief Imam, Olanrewaju Central Mosque, Ilorin, Kwara State, Alhaji Salaudeen Quadri. The Chief launchers included the founder of Al-hikma University, Alhaji Abdulraheem Oladimeji, who is also the Asiwaju of Irese Land, Jagunmolu of Igbomina and Ekiti Land, and Arogundade of Lagos. Others are Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Prophet Peter Abiola Adebisi, the General Overseer, CMCM Worldwide; Dr Benjamin Iyiola Oyefara; a member of the National Assembly, Hon. Taofeek Ajilesoro; Bishop Felix Owolabi of Faith Triumphant
Church, Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The large turnout at the event was described as a testimony to the high level of respect and admiration which the traditional rulers and Igbomina people have for Balogun who was away in Europe. Balogun announced N2million donation at the event. He said in his goodwill message: “My joy is heightened today because this particular event has signaled a much-needed unification process that should bind our good people together. I recall that on 12th November, 2011, when I was made the Chairman of Igbomina Day in Esie, Kwara State. On that day, I called for unity among our people in Osun and Kwara states. I am glad to note that that clarion call is what we are witnessing today. “We will want this to be the beginning of the process that will be a permanent phenomenon. Therefore, all people associated with today’s occasion have written their names indelibly in Gold in the Chronicles of Igbomina history.� Other people who received awards at the event included Professor Deboye Oriade; the Chairman, Ajagunla Foundation, Chief Olubiyi Fadeyi; Prince Yemi Adeoye, Dr Benjamin Iyiola Oyefara, the APC Chairman in Kwara, Hon Bolarinwa Omolaja Bashir; Mr. Olufemi Julius Fakeye; Chief Solomon Olaoye; Chief Bisi AkandeAdeyemi, Chief PeterAdebayo Omolope Olorunnisola, Professor Joseph Olagunju; Dr Temitope Ilori; Dr Oludele Awodele; Hon. Justice Joseph Oyewole, Olaoluwa Osundina; Abiodun Afolabi; David Olapade; Otunba Remilekun Balogun; Alhaja Sarat Olarewaju; Alhaji S.A. Akerinla; Engr. Timothy Niyi Adebayo, High Chief Oladosu Adeyemi Ayobioloja, and Prince Gabriel Oyinlola. The traditional rulers who graced the occasion included the Orangun of Ila, Alayeluwa, Oba Wahab Oyedotun, Bibire II, Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Oba Sikiru Atanda Sanni, Woleola II, who is the Chairman of Igbomina and Ekiti Forum and the Chairman of Irepodun Local Government Traditional Council; Olomu-Efon II of Omu Aran, Oba Abdulraheem Oladele Adeoti Akolade Agboluaje; Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Omoniyi Asola Abolarin; Elese of Igbaja, Kwara State, Oba Ahmed Babalola Awumi the Arepo II and Chairman Ifelodun Local Government Traditional Council; Olusin of Isanlu-Isin, Oba Solomon Olugbenga Oloyede, who is the Chairman of Isin Local Government Traditional Council in Kwara State; Oba Sakariyawu Oladimeji, Orangun of Ika; Oba Yakubu Agboola Ibraimo Babalola, Elese of Ise Kingdom in Kwara; the Edigbon of Edemosi, Alayeluwa Oba Adeniji Olaniyan; the Odundun II, Akesin of Ora-Igbomina, Oba Samuel Oladoye Idowu, and the Asaooni of Ora-Igbomina, Oba Joshua Atolagbe. Other personalities and groups included the President of Asepo Omo Igbomina, Alhaji Adewara Toyin Lawal and other executive members, religious and spiritual leaders, hunters, traders, artisans, socio-cultural clubs and associations.
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POLSCOPE
åÓÞÒ ĂŽĂŽĂŁ ĂŽĂ“Ă ĂĄĂœĂ“ Ă?ĂŽĂŽĂŁË›Ă™ĂŽĂ“Ă ĂĄĂœĂ“ĚśĂžĂ’Ă“Ă?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ă™Ă—Ëœ ͸΀͸ͽ ͝͸͞ Π͝ͽ͞
Rail Development: Amaechi Pushes the Envelope
F
or fourteen hours last Monday, the Inspection team, led by the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi was traversing the distance between Lagos and Ibadan rail line, to assess the level, quality and pace of work done in the mega project of constructing rail line between both cities. The inspection team was pretty motley with all relevant stakeholders in tow. The Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Engineer Fidet Okhiria was there; so was the Board Chairman of the corporation, Alhaji Ibrahim Al Hassan Musa. The Director General of Budget, Pastor Ben Akhabueze was in the team and asked very valid questions. The Senate Committee Chairman of Rail transport as well as his House of Representatives counterpart formed the long inspection entourage. Relevant Lagos State government officials, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr MagdaleneAjani and media men all swelled the rank of the inspectors. From Ebute Metta train station where the inspection began, it was clear so much work had been done in the pursuit of the rail project. The Ebute Metta mega station looked great and verily modern. It competes with global standard. Some even described it as a mini-airport, what with the design, facilities, size and latent aesthetics. Close to the station are adjourning structures like the main Control Terminal for all the rail network in the country. That’s the station named after former Vice President, late Dr Alex Ekwueme. With all the tracks long laid, the ten train stations between Apapa and Ibadan are at various stages of completion. Much work has been done. Few months ago, the Transportation minister had announced that President Muhammadu Buhari’s New Year gift to Nigerians will be the train service between Lagos and Ibadan. That announcement looks like a commitment. Having committed the ministry, Amaechi is literally working the handle to ensure that the CCEC construction company, completes the task perfectly so the promise of commissioning it would be accomplished. So, both Amaechi and the CCEC appear to be under pressure to deliver at the stated time. In all the stations, work is ongoing. Much has been done, but much remains undone. The coach-production unit, for instance, sited at Kajola, Ogun State, where train coaches and wagons would be produced, is yet to take off. The Universities of Rail Transportation in Daura (in Katsina State) and Ubima (in Rivers State) remain prospective only on paper thus far. The minister while acknowledging secretly that “the contractors are trying�, he charges them to double their work pace, if need be, by working day and night, especially now that the rains are no more a barrier to continuous working. The contractors do not seem to understand the speed the minister wants them to work with. Many think the contractors could work faster and meet up with the deadline if and only if they hire more hands. Hiring more hands would mean spending more money. But are the Chinese wishing to spend
Amaechi
more money? In some stations like Agege in Lagos Alagbado, Kajola, in Ogun State, some communication equipment have been installed, but not the fittings. The minister who expressed satisfaction with the pace of work at the Ibadan station challenged the contractors to employ the same zeal and strategy that hastened the work in the Ibadan Station in the other station so the project can be delivered at the end of December. He stressed, several times, that “after the last inspection next month, we shall write to the President to give us a date in early January for the commissioning� It is remarkable that in all the ten stations, the minister asked critical questions that even queried the engineering decisions and concepts that were employed by the contractors. In many instances, the Managing Director and NRC Chairman, who are both engineers, agreed with the minister’s critical questions and viewpoints. There is no doubt that Amaechi is overtly committed to the railway projects across the country. He speaks of them with so much familiarity and zeal. The various train projects and the entire national rail network, their cost, their distances, their peculiarities are all at the finger tip of the minister. Perhaps no such devotion and conviction has been applied to any government project like the one Amaechi is exhibiting. The sheer exhaustion that follows the rounds of inspections is breathtaking. But Amaechi does it every month. In fact, he had threatened the contractors that after the December inspection,
he would practically relocate to Lagos and embark on a daily inspection until the President comes to commission the project in the first week of January. It is hardly debatable that the rail project is the flagship of the Buhari administration. It represents the most visible effort of the federal government to develop national infrastructure. And Amaechi is the poster boy with the outstanding devotion to the duty of delivering rail transportation across the country. Almost nothing else approximates the seriousness of the Buhari administration other than the rail construction. Amaechi explains that his commitment to the project is even more driven by the fact that soon as the entire nation is connected and interconnected with rail transportation, a lot of other ancillary problems would have been solved. The frequent damage of Nigerian roads would have been significantly minimized because the cargo trains would do most of the upcountry freighting, thus saving the roads from the heavy pounding by the trucks and tankers. An efficient rail network will indeed save, not only the roads, but the passengers. That argument seems to have also guided the controversial extension of the rail service to the Maradi region, in Niger Republic. The minister explained that the interest and determination to extend the train service is purely commercial and economic. According to him, our neighbouring countries are land–locked countries. That because of banditry, harassment from Customs etc, Nigeria is unable to take advantage of the shipping needs of such
neighbouring countries. And that countries like Ghana, Togo etc., have been taking advantage of the situation to boost their economy given the volume of trade from such countries. That the extension of the train service to Maradi would open a wide vista of business (shipping and freighting) opportunities for Nigeria. “Apart from the huge economic benefits, it will also create lots of job opportunities for Nigerians�, stressing that “ we did not marry from Niger. Our interest is purely economic�, Amaechi explained. Apart from cheaper fares, rail transportation ensures greater safety in terms of rare occurrences of accident. But more than that, the frequent cases of attacks by bandits and kidnappers on many of the nation’s highways, especially Abuja-Kaduna highway, would have been completely eliminated. But connecting all the ends of the nation with rail looks like an ambitious project. With barely three years to go, how far else can the administration go on this note? What is worse, the fund is not there. The huge indebtedness of the country to countries like China, is essentially in pursuit of the rail projects. Would China continue to fund the rail projects, even after the Buhari administration? Would the projects be abandoned at some point? Would Amaechi complete all the projects he has earmarked? Both his disposition and body language suggest that with more funds , he still can do much more before the Buhari tenure wraps up. Government should be a continuum, but too often, succeeding governments are rarely interested in continuing from where their predecessors stopped. It is one of the banes of leadership in Africa. Experts are agreed that there is nothing bad in borrowing. But it is even more gratifying when everybody can see and benefit from the proceeds of the borrowing. Unlike in the past when funds are borrowed and lavishly spent on elephant or intangible projects, Nigerians and indeed the world can see, feel and even measure what some of the borrowed monies have been used for. Great as the efforts have been, some Nigerians are also concerned that the minister’s attention has been overtly committed to the rail sector to the detriment of other means of transport like road, water and air. Hardly is anything said about road transportation, which is what yet takes many Nigerians from Point A to Point B. All things considered, the Buhari administration would have rekindled hope of a greater tomorrow for the country if and when the rail transportation is accomplished. The fact that even during the construction work, much job offers have been provided, stakeholders say even more job opportunities will be provided when the train service takes off fully, especially with the adjoining shops and stores attached to every train station. Already, the economy of the communities around the rail corridor has began to show great prospect, starting the with the increased cost of adjoining land. Fund and time will be twin determinants of how far Amaechi and his principal can go. Commissioning Lagos-Ibadan rail in early January will surely inspire hope and re-inforce government’s integrity. Nigeria waits.
Recession and other Troubles Long before the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released the second consecutive negative growth of the nation’s GDP, many Nigerians had begun to feel the impact of recession. Yes, economists are arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic triggered this round of recession. I cannot argue against this because of the crushing effect of the pandemic on small and medium-scale businesses in the country. With many jobs lost, companies closed, and businesses shut, it was only a matter of time for the statistics to bear witness that Nigerians are suffering, and dying gradually. I am no expert in economic matters. But how much expertise is required to feel the pinch, no, the sharp pierce? With inflation biting very hard and fierce, there is no home that does not feel the crunch, perhaps except those who feed fat from the treasury of government. Will the recession cause the political leaders to reduce the cost of governance? Or would the belt-tightening measures apply only to the ordinary man on the streets? Even though the economists say this is the worst recession in over 30 years, the Finance minister, Zainab Ahmed is optimistic that we shall soon be out of the recession, if not in the 4th quarter of this year, then in the first quarter of 2021, given the Economic Sustenance Programmes (ESP) of government, plus the efforts being made in Agriculture, cement production etc. But while we await this recovery, we are worried that the threat of sanctions from some powerful
Zainab
Lai Mohammed
countries like the United Kingdom could further lengthen our night of recession. UK parliamentarians which debated our fate following the alleged killings at the Lekki tollgate last month during the #EndSARS protests, promises to tighten the noose around our necks. Matters were not helped when the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed threatened to sanction CNN for airing a report that purportedly confirms that the soldiers indeed shot the protesters with live ammunition. The report riled government
and had been saying the report is fake. Mr Mohammed went ahead to write a lengthy letter to CNN poo-poohing the report. I think Mr Information minister merely worsened a bad case. The revelations by the army General at the Lagos panel does not quite agree with the position and storyline of the federal Government. Until the soldier testified under cross examination, the narrative had been that the soldiers fired only blank bullets. Even though the government does not agree that soldiers killed some persons at the
venue of the protest, insisting they fired into the air, they have refused to explain how live bullets fired into the sky killed people on the ground. Were those shot protesters living in the sky? And pray, how does Mohammed really want to sanction CNN? The best measure to address the anger triggered by the CNN report is for Lai Mohammed to release reliable and undoctored report (including video footages) of what happened at the Lekki tollgate on October 20. Any other effort is sheer political shenanigans. But if we have survived the violence that followed the peaceful #End SARS protests, and we have survived the lethal effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, what is the guaranty that our own internal insecurity will not send us to early graves? So, that’s another source of worry: the worsening state of insecurity in the country. From the recent abduction and killing of the APC Chairman in Nasarawa State, Mr Philip Shekwo, through the abduction of some nine ABU students and yet another abduction of some staff in the same ABU campus, abduction of policemen and even soldiers, down to the killing of some soldiers in Borno State by Boko Haram fighters, etc etc, the land is literally flowing with blood and disquiet. A nation struggling to invite foreign businesses and investments will work towards making the home front less warlike and more welcoming. But not with the daily report of killings in all corners of the land.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2020 • T H I S D AY
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BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE
Report: Companies Diverting Export Proceeds Obinna Chima A report by AZA Finance, an Africa-focused provider of currency trading solutions has attributed the pressure facing the naira on the parallel market to diversion of export proceeds away from the approved channels by a lot companies in the country. The naira fell to N487 to a dollar on the parallel market yesterday. According to AZA Finance, “Many companies and individuals are diverting export proceeds and remittances away from approved channels while directing unmet dollar demand to the parallel market. As dollar scarcity continues to linger, we foresee more pressure on the local currency. “Dollar demand pressure continues to weigh in from importers stocking up for Christmas sales.� Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele on Tuesday, stressed that the parallel market cannot be used to determine the true value of the country’s currency. He emphasised that the value of the naira can only be determined by forces of demand and supply, insisting that the parallel market rate is mainly for illicit activities and for persons using the dollar for bribery. Describing the black market as tainted, he said it only accounts for five per cent of total foreign exchange market share and can’t determine the worth of the naira. Reacting to questions from journalists during the MPC meeting that the naira may currently be overvalued according to some analysts, Emefiele expressed disappointment that analysts who ought to know chose to mislead Nigerians. Reacting to calls for further devaluation of the currency, Emefiele said Nigeria had depreciated its currency this year
by 28 per cent, describing it as “a whopping depreciation compared to depreciation in some countries.� He said: “And indeed, I heard some analysts talking about the parallel market, saying that the exchange rate is at N480. I want to say this that it is unfortunate and even unfair that even analysts who are supposed to know will play with numbers and begin to determine the exchange rate of our currency using parallel market rates. “For the information of everybody, parallel market, as we know and from the data that we have, is a shallow market in Nigeria with not more than five per cent of market share. “Parallel market, and quote me, is a tainted market in Nigeria – where people who desire to deal in illegal exchange transactions, including sourcing of FX cash for purpose of offering bribe, corruption, that is where they deal.�
MARKET INDICATORS
InfraCredit to Raise Fresh Capital The Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) has revealed plan to raise additional capital to fund critical projects in Nigeria. The unit of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority is looking to raise equity and debt capital next year and go into risk sharing with development finance institutions to boost its insurance guarantee capacity, its Chief Executive Officer, Chinua Azubike, told Bloomberg. He said: “You need access to funding to kick-start the economy.�
With Nigeria going through its second recession in four years, President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is seeking to expand investments to help stimulate recovery. InfraCredit was established to guarantee companies seeking to raise local currency debt for infrastructure development in Africa’s biggest crude producer. It plans to double its guarantee portfolio to N100 billion next year and probably exceed that when it raises additional capital of $30 million to $40 million, according to
the chief executive. The Lagos-based company is working on private-sector led telecommunications, health care and agriculture projects in addition to a government road infrastructure it plans to deliver next year, Azubike said. InfraCredit can help clients raise as much as 20-year funds in the local market, Azubike said. “In addition to our guarantee services, we work with our development partners to render technical assistance to companies to come up with bankable projects.�
Nigerian Emerges First African Vice President of ACCA Goddy Egene The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rubicola Consulting, Joseph Owolabi, has emerged vice president of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). The ACCA is the global professional accounting body with 227,000 members and 544,000 future members based in 176 countries. Owalabi was elected by the Global Council at its Annual Council meeting held recently. He will be part of a team that consists of Mark Millar as president and Orla Collins as deputy president. This is the first
time a black person (or someone of African descent) is appointed as ACCA’s VP. He has served on the Global Council for four years and on the ACCA International Assembly. Owolabi was born in Lagos and attended the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. Trained as a medical scientist, he was captivated by the world of business consulting. After a stint at Zenith Bank Plc, he joined PwC Nigeria where he qualified as a chartered accountant. He has since worked for three of the global Big4 accounting firms in Africa and Australia. Some of his significant contributions to the accounting profession include as pioneering the adoption of
International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) and non-financial reporting (sustainability and integrated reporting) across Africa and globally. He assisted with the issuance of the first Green Bond from an emerging market – which was issued by the federal government of Nigeria in 2017. Prior to establishing Rubicola Consulting, he was a Director with Deloitte Asia Pacific. Owolabi also holds a Masters of Art degree in leading Innovation and Change from the York St John University in the United Kingdom. He has attended executive education at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and at Harvard Business School.
Feyisitan-Ladimeji Appointed ED, Coronation Merchant Bank The Board of Directors of Coronation Merchant Bank Limited has announced the appointment of Funke Feyisitan-Ladimeji as an Executive Director of the Bank with effect from November 18, 2020, consequent to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Feyisitan-Ladimeji joined the bank from FBNQuest Merchant Bank where she spent eight years as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). Acording to a statement, before now, she was the Executive
Director/COO at JP Morgan. Feyisitan-Ladimeji has over 30 years’ experience managing a variety of banking businesses across markets and corporate finance businesses, across multiple jurisdictions in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), North America and Asia, and across multiple functional areas, including financial control, complex product accounting, technology, business operations and human capital in major financial institutions within and outside Nigeria.
She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales and holds a Master’s degree in Globalisation and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Queen Mary and Brunel Universities respectively. As the Executive Director, her remit will include compliance, information technology, centralised operations, customer service, global trade and administration functions. She will also be the bank’s executive compliance officer.
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
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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
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OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ Í°Íł Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $46.91 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $45.51 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
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GTBank Leads Banking Stocks with N1.04tn Market Capitalisation Goddy Egene Guaranty Trust Bank Plc’s market capitalisation hit N1.04 trillion as at yesterday to lead other banking stocks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). Zenith Bank Plc followed with N769.214 billion, while Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc with N470.339 billion held on to the third position. Access Bank Plc closed as the fourth most capitalised with N302
billion, while United Bank for Africa Plc ended with N282.145 billion. FBN Holdings Plc had a market capitalisation of N260.1 billion, just as Union Bank for Africa Plc printed at N160.164 billion. Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, and FCMB Holdings Plc had a market capitalisation of N119 billion,N75.334 billion, N64.557 billion. However, analysts said Stanbic IBTC should be more valuable due to its limited free
P R I C E S MAIN BOARD
F O R DEALS
float because its ownership is concentrated. “But more importantly, is its return on equity(ROE) which is the second highest among the banks after GTBank.And ROE is the ultimate measure of value creation,� the analysts said. GTBank recently reported a resilient results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, showing growth in most performance metrics. The bank recorded a net income of N188
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QUANTITY TRADED
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billion, up from N173 billion in the corresponding period of 2019. Net fee income stood at N33 billion, compared with N47 billion in 2019. Loan impairment charges soared by 267 per cent from N2.762 billion to N10.145 billion in 2020. GTBank ended the nine months with a profit before tax (PBT) of N167.352 billion as against N170.652 billion in 2019, and profit after tax of N142.283 billion compared with N146.989 billion in 2019. Commenting on
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the performance, the Managing Director/CEO of GTBank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, said: “Our third quarter (Q3) result is a reflection of how we have appropriately positioned our balance sheet to cope with current economic realities and the challenging business environment. It is also testament to the enduring loyalty of our customers, the hard work and dedication of our staff and the unwavering support we continue to enjoy from all our stakeholders
O F
in our drive to deliver best-in-class financial services and superior and sustainable returns.� Meanwhile, the market maintained its positive performance with the NSE All-Share Index gaining 0.10 per cent to close at 34,803.00, while market capitalisation added N17.8 billion to be at N18.2 trillion. Activity level declined as volume and value traded fell by 40.8 per cent and 48.9 per cent to 257.6 million shares and N3.5 billion respectively.
2 6 / 1 1 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
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MARKET NEWS
Jamodu Retires as Chairman of PZ Cussons Nigeria Goddy Egene
Nigeria Plc has announced the retirement of Chief Kola Jamodu as chairman effective December 11, 2020.
The Board of Directors of PZ Cussons 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
Jamodu joined PZ Cussons Group in 1974 and served in executive positions for 24 years rising to the
floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 25Nov-2020, unless otherwise stated.
position of chief executive officer of the company, a position he held until he retired in 1999.
He thereafter continued as a nonexecutive chairman of the board until 2001 when he was appointed as the
Honourable Minister of Industry of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a position he held until 2003.
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 157.75 159.30 27.94% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 0.78% Nigeria International Debt Fund 442.69 442.69 45.52% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 104.87 104.87 0.47% 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 1.04 1.05 15.17% ACAP Income Funds 0.85 0.85 11.31% 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 2.47% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.74 3.87 53.03% 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 1.03% Anchoria Equity Fund 130.24 130.70 21.74% 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 18.18 18.73 18.69% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 401.72 413.83 16.29% ARM Ethical Fund 33.73 34.75 15.99% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.20 1.21 20.44% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.14 13.22% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.22% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.31 2.31 22.36% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.22 2.26 52.71% 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 2.90% Paramount Equity Fund 15.66 16.06 25.57% Women's Investment Fund 130.96 132.38 18.73% 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 1.75% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 127.15 127.77 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 152.12 153.65 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 107.33 107.33 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 1.48% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.12 1.13 20.51% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.75 1.75 31.90% 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 1.10% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 1.57% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,192.51 1,209.82 7.67% 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 1,487.75 1,489.55 25.21% FBN Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Halal Fund 110.85 110.88 10.85% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.72% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.84 120.25 6.21% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 120.03 120.44 5.84% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 149.69 152.01 15.03% 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 3,602.26 3,647.25 18.29% Coral Income Fund 3,231.32 3,231.32 5.27% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 3.48% 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 N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A
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 1.96% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.82 2.88 28.98% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 7.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 155.85 156.77 8.78% 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 1.35 1.45 23.23% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,144.96 1,144.96 10.07% 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 1.60 1.63 29.84% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.08 12.17 7.24% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 2.36% PACAM Equity Fund 1.52 1.53 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.14 110.56 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 135.11 137.85 16.53% 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 8.55% 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 26.76% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 6.17% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 26.11% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 7.32% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 31.53% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.17% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 24.20% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.22 1.22 5.08% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 110.62 110.62 6.15% 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 1.38 1.41 15.57% United Capital Bond Fund 1.88 1.88 8.49% United Capital Equity Fund 0.86 0.89 22.02% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.96% United Capital Eurobond Fund 116.40 116.40 6.49% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.07 1.08 1.87% 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 12.17 12.60 19.83% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.55 13.69 16.64% Zenith Income Fund 24.85 24.85 9.39% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.00%
REITS NAV Per Share
Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund
Yield / T-Rtn
119.62
6.73%
53.51
2.80%
Bid Price
Offer Price
Yield / T-Rtn
11.64 118.38 89.99
11.74 118.38 90.66
38.14% 23.98% 19.13%
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
funds@vetiva.com Bid Price
Offer Price
Yield / T-Rtn
4.17
4.21
21.25%
Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund
5.74
5.82
-2.85%
Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund
16.03 1.00 16.47
16.13 1.00 16.67
33.14% 2.18% 57.99%
232.40
234.40
23.40%
NAV Per Share
Yield / T-Rtn
107.71
13.11%
Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund
Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund
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.
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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
24 HOURS...
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Widow of Slain Vendor Disowns Family over N500m Demand Udora OrizuinAbuja Mrs. Josephine Okereke, the wife of the newspaper vendor, the late Mr. Ifeanyi Okereke, who was killed by a security operative attached to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has disowned her husband’s family over their demand for N500million compensation. The family of the vendor,
through their lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, had in a letter dated November 23, 2020, and addressed to Gbajabiamila, demanded N500 million as compensation for their loss. But addressing journalists in Abuja, the widow said she was not aware neither did she give her consent to her husband’s family to make the demand. She urged Gbajabiamila to ignore the family and fulfill his
House Demands Details of NNPC Expenditure, JV Cash Calls, Others Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives’ Committees on Petroleum Upstream, Downstream and Gas Resources, yesterday asked the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to open up its books on various expenditures incurred on Joint Venture operation (JVC), pipeline maintenance, rehabilitation of refineries, among others. The lawmakers made the demand during the 2020 budget performance and 2021 budget defence of NNPC, which was presented by the Group Managing Director, Mr. Mele Kyari. In his intervention, Chairman, House Committee on Treaties,
Protocols and Agreements, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai demanded for details of all the expenditures incurred by the corporation. He maintained that most of the details on expenditure for refineries and pipeline rehabilitation are not projected at all, saying that the JVC is also at negative. In his response to Kyari who assured the National Assembly of transparency and accountability, said, ‘’On details of the gas project we have track of how much spent on all projects and we will provide all. “On details of pipeline security we have 5,000 kilometres of pipeline we have 13 fuel depots, apart from two pipeline, others are not active.
FG Resolves Enugu Disco, Geometric Power Feud Ndubuisi FrancisinAbuja The federal government has finally resolved the lingering tussle over the ownership of the Aba ringfenced area between Geometric Power and Interstate Electric, owners of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) with the signing of the Asset Sale Agreement (ASA) between the two companies. At the signing ceremony in Abuja, yesterday, the Director of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh said the ceremony marked a significant milestone in the process of the power sector reform given the long-drawn process of the transaction. He noted the challenges facing the electricity sector in Nigeria but
said the enormous and limitless opportunities in the sector were worth exploiting even as he said the Federal Government had demonstrated ample commitment by tirelessly working to create the enabling environment that would incentivise private sector investors. Okoh congratulated both parties for the agreement, which he described as “a win–win situation,” adding that their cooperation in making the required compromises which havd made the agreement possible. He tasked Geometric Power to transform Aba and Ariara Business units into a model distribution franchise by providing round-the-clock electricity supply and enabling the industrial hub to flourish.
promises to her and her two children. According to her, “the Speaker also made promises to take care of the welfare and the well-being of the immediate family of my late husband and to institute a Trust Fund in his name. We are just looking up to him for the fulfillment of his promises and not fighting the man. I got to know about the said N500million demand as compensation on the killing of my husband through the media; nobody told me before
embarking on that; the Speaker visited us and assured us that justice would be done which is what I am after and not monetary compensation. ‘’When I heard that my husband’s (family) are demanding an amount, I said, ‘Ah, but they came here and did not tell me that this is why they have been running around all this while.’ I was shocked. “How will they be demanding such an amount? I did not sleep throughout. The Speaker had already come to help these
children. If they are demanding this, how will the Speaker help these little children again? The rent at where I am living is almost expired. How will I cope with these children? Where will I stay with them? I am not in support of it. They did not even tell me. I did not even know. It was in the news that I heard it.’’ Also, the legal adviser to Newspaper Vendors Association, Mr. Wilfred Okoi said the steps taken by the speaker were highly commendable because there is no
vicarious liability to him. He urged Gbajabiamila not to be discouraged, but should go ahead and implement what he had said he would do for the family. Okoi said, ‘’The Speaker is not DSS (Department of State Services). The DSS deployed this trigger-happy security operative to join the convoy of the Speaker. So, steps must be taken for proper investigation and prosecution of the overzealous and trigger-happy DSS agent who killed this innocent and young man.”
AGRICULTURE ON THEIR MINDS…
L-R: United States Soya (USSOY) Consultant, Mr. Jamie Rixton; Director General, Premier Agribusiness Academy / Nigeria Soybean Excellence Centre, Mr. Toromade Francis; Potential Certified KSU USA Trainer in Poultry Management, Dr. Ogunbayo Festus Oluwole; and USSOY Consultant, Dr. Michael David, at the train-the-trainer workshop which was held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ibadan, Oyo State…recently
Navy Gets 19 New Rear Admirals, 24 Commodores, Others
Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Nigerian Navy Board has approved the promotions of 203 naval officers to various senior ranks in the Nigerian Navy. A breakdown of the promotions released yesterday showed that 122 lieutenant commanders were promoted to the rank of commander; 38 commanders were promoted to
navy captain; 24 captains to the flag rank of commodore and 19 commodores were promoted to the flag rank of rear admiral. A statement issued by Naval Headquarters, Abuja, said the newly promoted Rear Admirals are: Akano Adesope, Kennedy Egbuchulam, Nnamdi Muogilim, Aminu Hassan, Uduak Ibanga, Bamidele Oluwagbamila, Zakariyyah Muhammad,
Ibrahim Shettima, Idi Abbas, Mohammed Abdullahi, Istifanus Albara, Samson Bura, Olusola Oluwagbire, Mustapha Hassan, Patrick Nwatu, Habila Zakaria, Sulaiman El-Ladan, Baratuaipri Iyalla and Kohath Levi. The newly promoted Commodores are Mohammed Wabi, Abolade Ogunleye, Mustapha Braimah, Yusuf Idris, Muhsin Abba, Vincent
Gbaranwi, Madumom Ide, Suleiman Olorundare, Adedokun Siyanbade, Raheem Taofeek, Kabiru Tanimu, Johnson Adewoyin, Cajethan Aniaku, Anthony Kujoh, Abdulrahman Mohammed, Chinonyerem Oji, Adamu Yahaya, Chindo Yahaya, Kem Iheanacho, Jonathan Ajodo, Aminu Abdullahi, Usman Bala, Dickson Chigbata and Samuel Ogwu.
Again, UNILAG Postpones 2020/2021 Post-UTME Screening The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has postponed its 2020/2021 Post-UTME Screening exercise indefinitely. This was contained in a press statement issued yesterday and titled ‘2020/2021 post-UTME: Notice of postponement’. The university had earlier announced that the screening would hold between Monday,
November 30, and Saturday, December 12, 2020. “The University wishes to inform all prospective candidates of the 2020/2021 Post-UTME Screening exercise earlier slated for Monday, November 30 to Saturday, December 12, 2020, that the screening has been postponed. “New dates will be
communicated as soon as possible. Any inconvenience occasioned by this postponement is highly regretted.” The post-UTME was initially slated for Wednesday, November 18 to Thursday, December 3, 2020. It was later rescheduled to hold from Monday, November 30
to Saturday, December 12, 2020. UNILAG said the earlier postponement was as a result of a change in the date of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination of the National Examination Council. “The exercise was rescheduled following the rescheduling of the 2020 SSCE of NECO.
Ratifies Joint Council Memo to End Statelessness Air Peace Set to Begin Flights FEC (FEC) meeting that was held on which reiterated that the to include and protect stateless Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Wednesday, November 25, 2020, approval of the National populations by approving the to Makurdi and Abuja to Makurdi. The federal government has which was presided over by Action Plan (NAP) will NAP, while speaking on the Chinedu Eze Nigerian major carrier, Air Peace, has announced that it would commence flight operations to Makurdi, Benue State capital, from Lagos and Abuja on December 7, 2020. This is as the airline also billed to resume flights to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, from Lagos and Abuja on the said date. The airline’s spokesperson, Stanley Olisa, made this known in a statement. Olisa stated that the new connections would be operated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, noting that Makurdi has been on the airline’s radar for some time and is being launched to meet the air travel needs of Nigerians who connect Lagos
“It is our promise to interconnect every part of this country and foster economic relations between cities. Be assured that we are coming with more destinations. We are starting with Johannesburg, South Africa in December and India is also in the offing,” the airline spokesperson said. According to him, “The Makurdi route launch reflects Air Peace’s enduring commitment to creating more seamless connections and network options for its teeming customers across Nigeria, and we cannot relent in this regard.” He reiterated the commitment of the airline to giving its passengers a world-class flight experience, adding:
approved a joint council memo presented by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the Ministry of Interior to end statelessness in Nigeria. The approval was given at the Federal Executive Council
President Muhammadu Buhari. In a jointly processed presentation by the two ministries, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Mrs. Sadiya Umar Farouq, aligned with the submission earlier made by the Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola,
demonstrate Nigeria’s strong commitment to implementing the Abidjan Declaration of ECOWAS member states on the eradication of statelessness. Farouq noted that COVID-19 had worsened the plight of millions of stateless persons worldwide and called on Buhari
consequences of statelessness on National Security. She said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the critical need for greater inclusion and urgent resolution of situations which place individuals at risk of exclusion, including statelessness.
Bibi’s Appointment Set to Boost Tourism in Bauchi The Bauchi State Government has named Alhaji Abubakar Bibi as the Executive Secretary of Bauchi State Tourism Board (BSTB). The appointment, which has been approved by the State Governor Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has elicited excitement and anticipation among tourism stakeholders. The appointment of Bibi, an
experienced Aviation and Travel Professional, is widely seen as a major step by Gov Mohammed to reposition the tourism sector to generate revenue and jobs for Bauchi State, which is also known as the Pearl of Tourism. In a letter conveying news of the appointment, the Secretary to the State Government Mohammed Baba, said Alhaji Bibi was selected for his
“track record of sincerity, hard work, dedication, exemplary behavior and above all your wealth of experience and sense of responsibility.” Bauchi State is the home of the Yankari Game Reserve, one of Nigeria’s landmark tourism destinations and other tourist attractions. The BSTB is charged with managing all such destinations across the North Eastern
State. Stakeholders have welcomed Gov Mohammed’s choice of Alhaji Bibi, stressing that it would stimulate a long anticipated revival of tourism in the State. They see the appointment as part of Gov Mohammed’s policy of harnessing Bauchi’s tourism assets in his bid to grow and diversify the economy of the State.
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FRIDAYSPORTS
Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY
Sports Ministry, PTF Agree on Jan 3 Kick off Date for NSF in Benin City Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Barring any last minute change, the 20th National Sports Festival has been rescheduled to begin on January 3rd in Benin City. The new date is the outcome
of the meeting between the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Presidential Task force on Covid-19 yesterday evening. THISDAY learnt late yesterday that the new date for the much postponed festival
S’Eagles Captain, Musa, Plays Down Sheffield W’day Links Super Eagles Captain, Ahmed Musa, has played down reports linking him with a move to English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday, insisting he wants a return to top-flight football instead. Should the move go through, it will unite the player with the immediate past captain of the senior national team, John Mikel Obi, who is presently with another lower division side, Stoke City. The 28-year-old, who spent two seasons at Leicester City, is currently without a club having left Saudi side Al Nassr by mutual consent last month. “I don’t know where the story (potential move to Sheffield) is coming from because I don’t pay attention to rumours and gossip,� Musa told BBC Sport Africa. “With due respect to the club, I left Saudi Arabia to continue my career at the top level in Europe and that’s the ambition.� Musa scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists in 57 matches, helping Al Nassr, whom he joined from Leicester City in summer 2018, to the Saudi Pro League and Super Cup titles. The former VVV Venlo of Netherlands player achieved success in Russia with CSKA Moscow where he won three league titles and added three domestic cup titles, before switching to Leicester City for a club-record fee in July 2016. The pacey forward failed to establish himself with the Foxes scoring five goals in 33 matches,
with the highlight coming on loan at CSKA where he scored six times in 10 appearances at the Russian club - three times more than he managed in his 21 Premier League appearances, before his move to Asia. “For some reasons things didn’t actually work out there [at Leicester], but you can’t focus too much on the past,� he said. “I’d rather try to write a better story if another opportunity to play in the Premier League presents itself.� Musa has now been strongly linked with a return to the English Premier League and Russian giants CSKA Moscow, where he his highly revered for scoring 61 times and creating 33 assists in 184 games across two spells. Newspaper reports have also reported that Turkish giant clubs Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are interested in signing the Super Eagle. He refused to confirm or deny media reports in England, Russia and Turkey linking him with different top tier clubs. “It’s true that there is genuine interest from different clubs, but my agent Tony [Harris] is the one handling that,� he added. “He knows what I want and I also know I want to play at the highest level at this stage of my professional career. “I said when I left Saudi Arabia that my utmost desire is to challenge myself competitively at the top level both at club and national team level.
Europa: Pepe Redeems Himself as Arsenal Cruise into Knock out Stage Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe put himself back in manager Mikel Arteta’s good books with the opening goal in a 3-0 win at Molde on Thursday to all but assure his side’s place in the Europa League knockout stages. The Ivory Coast international, sent off for a head-butt on Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski and criticised by Arteta last weekend, produced a fine finish in the 50th minute, shortly after striking the crossbar with a superb curling effort. Arsenal, disappointing in a drab first half against the Norwegian side they beat 4-1 at home, doubled their lead five minutes later when Reiss
Nelson converted a precise low cross. The double setback knocked the stuffing out of Molde and Arsenal threatened to extend their advantage with Alexander Lacazette denied by home keeper Andreas Linde. Substitute Folarin Balogun, 19, made it 3-0 to the visitors with his first goal for the club, moments after coming on to silence the few home fans that were allowed inside the stadium. Arsenal’s win left them top of Group B with a maximum 12 points from four games, six clear of Molde. Rapid Vienna, who have three points, face Dundalk later.
was arrived at after a virtual meeting between the PTF, NCDC and the Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare. The festival which is expected to hold in adherence to provisions of the Covid-19 protocol will end on January 17. Speaking earlier at an Abuja SWAN forum event, the minister confirmed on-going talks with the PTF on Covid-19 on how to resolve the uncertainty surrounding the hosting of the National Sports Festival earlier to hold in March but was moved indefinitely due to Covid outbreak. Even the December 3, date
for start of the Festival was again postponed when both the host state Edo and the Sports Ministry could not agree on the modalities to host the ‘Nigerian Olympic.’ Dare confirmed at a seminar organised by the FCT Chapter of Sports Writer Association of Nigeria (SWAN) that he was to meet the National Coordinator PTF on Covid-19, Dr Sanni Aliyu also yesterday to argue against postponement of the sports festival. He added that he only received the letter on Wednesday from PTF notifying him of the postponement, while also
confirmed that before now both the ministry and the PTF had met on three occasions towards making sure the date was not overturned. “The National Sports Festival is our own Olympics. It has not been postponed indefinitely. We are just trying to decide on the date that we are sure for our athletes and the conditions put in place can be met and fulfilled. He said the decision to postpone the games indefinitely during the lockdown was taken by him and Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire along with President Muhammadu Buhari,
adding for the festival to go ahead, it must be approved by the President, through the Health Ministry and NCDC, all embedded under the PTF. He also disclosed the ministry is considering a new High Performance Centre to be located in the southern part of the country. He noted that only nine of the major equipment for the High Performance Centre in Abuja was delivered two years ago, while only 35 per cent of the equipment was paid upfront to the suppliers, who are insisting of outstanding payment before releasing the manuals and keys.
PRESIDENTIAL HONOUR FOR A LEGEND...
The casket of former Argentina football legend, Diego Armando Maradona lying in state at the Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires.... yesterday
Odusanya Targets Sixth Title at 52nd Asoju Oba Cup Femi Solaja With just three days to the 52nd annual Asoju Oba Table Tennis Cup, five-time women singles champion, Bose Odusanya, is upbeat about possibility of winning her sixth tittle when the event gets underway at the Molade Okoya –Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos. The annual event will start on November 30th till December 1st and all the players in the senior category are looking forward to the tournament after several months of lockdown since March.
Odusanya who has been unbeaten in the last five editions of the tournament however hailed the family of the late Molade Okoya-Thomas for agreeing to stage the event this year amid Covid-19 pandemic. “I am really looking forward to claiming the sixth title this year because I am in good shape for the tournament. I must also commend the family of Chief Okoya-Thomas for deciding to organize the championship this year because we had thought it would not hold again. “For us in Lagos, the tournament is an annual event
we are sure of competing in and that we are playing two events this year, I think we must be grateful to the family,� she said. Odusanya who will be leading the Lagos State women’s table tennis team to the National Sports Festival in Benin City, believes the tournament would also afford them the opportunity to test their strength against some of the best players in the state. Like Odusanya, men’s singles defending champion David Fayele is not ready to surrender the title this year having won the last two editions in 2018
and 2019 is sure of retaining the title. “I don’t see anyone stopping me again this year because I dominated the recent tournament organized for the return of sports in Lagos State and for me, I am fully ready to shield others from cuddling the trophy this year,� Fayele said. The southpaw lauded the organisers for keeping faith with the tournament despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual Asoju Oba Molade Okoya-Thomas is Nigeria’s oldest sporting event as the tournament has been staged annually uninterrupted since inception in 1968.
Boxers Talk Tough as GOtv Boxing Night 21 Holds Today A feast of explosive boxing action awaits fans across Africa, as GOtv Boxing Night 21 holds today at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Lagos. The event, which will be broadcast live on SuperSport Select 2 (channel 34) and DStv channel 209, will hold behind closed doors in line with Covid-19 safety protocols. Boxers billed for the seven scheduled bouts have been boasting ahead of the show. Policeman Prince “Lion� Nwoye, who is billed to take on West African Boxing Union (WABU) lightweight champion, Rilwan “Real One� Oladosu, has declared that
his opponent’s winning streak will end today. Oladosu, who is yet to taste defeat as a professional, defeated Nwoye in a closely contested bout at GOtv Boxing Night 15. Though he lost the fight, Nwoye managed to curtail the volume punching of the WABU champion and did not buckle, as his previous opponents had done, till the end of the eight-round bout. On the coming fight, Nwoye said he is confident of inflicting the first defeat on Oladosu, who he said was lucky the last time they met. “Things are different now. He will be defeated. He was
lucky the last time. He won’t be lucky this time. It is my turn to win and I’m confident of beating him and doing so very well,� said the policeman. Former African Boxing Union (ABU) light welterweight champion, Olaide “Fijaborn� Fijabi, has vowed to make his opponent, Dennis “The Range� Mbat, regret ever fighting him. Fijabi, who is returning to the ring after two years, said he is aiming to regain the continental title and later win the Commonwealth title. A similar boast was made by WABU welterweight champion, Rilwan “Baby
Face� Babatunde, who said he will use his opponent, Jubril “Terrible Olalekan, to warm up for his ABU title bid. The headline bout will see Habeeb “Ige� Oladeji take on Tunde “Turning Star� Olojede for the national bantamweight title. Other fights scheduled are the super featherweight clash between Sikiru “Omo Iya Eleja� Sogbesan and Kazeem “Delight� Oluwo; lightweight challenge clash between Lateef “Akins Jr� Akinola and Alaba “Elyblow� Omotola as well as light heavyweight duel between Cosmos “Awosika� David and Segun “Success� Olanrewaju.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27 2020 ˾ T H I S DAY
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WORLD OF ISLAM
24 HOURS...
Akinyemi Urges FG Not to Dismiss UK Parliament’s Threats An Islamic Thanksgiving
Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com
Eromosele Abiodun and Nume Ekeghe A former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has cautioned the federal government that the threat of sanction by the United Kingdom’s House of Commons should not be dismissed out of hand as has been indicated by recent comments that were attributed to the incumbent Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama. Akinyemi dropped the caution yesterday when he appeared on the Morning Show, a breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS Channel, a sister broadcast arm of THISDAY
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Newspapers. The former external affairs minister said that even though he rarely comments on activities of current cabinet ministers as a matter of principle, especially minster of foreign affairs where he once held a post, it is important to explain to Nigerians the seriousness of the threat from the House of Commons. He warned the government to take the resolution of the UK parliament serious because the Prime Minster usually does not go against the collective decision of the House of Commons. Akinyemi said: “If I was giving lectures to students in a university, I would point out that there are various inputs that confront decision makers on foreign policy or in any policy for that matter. And debate in the British parliament is a very important one. It is true that
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it is not the ultimate but God help a British Prime Minister who ignores the feelings on the floor of the Commons. “Many ministers have come to grief by taking a lackadaisical attitude towards the views of the parliament. So, I wouldn’t quite brush off quite likely the debate in the House of Commons.” He hoped that Nigeria would go back to parliamentary system of government where constant oppositions and debates ensured that policies of government were in the best interest of citizens. He said: “I think we should go back to the parliamentary system of government. At least the Prime Minister would face questions from the opposition weekly and you would know his point of view. You would know whether he is just reading from a script or he actually has been persuaded. And because the Prime Minister wouldn’t want to be made a fool of, he would have been briefed by officers in his office before coming in to parliament.
Gunmen Abduct Three Persons in Abuja as Police Rescue 19 Others Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed the abduction of three persons in Pei-leilei road along Kwali axis by unknown gunmen on Wednesday. However, the police said they rescued 19 persons from the kidnappers as they responded immediately to the situation that was brought to their attention through a distress call. The police said the 19 were rescued after a gun battle. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the command, Mariam Yusuf, in a statement issued yesterday said concerted efforts were being made to rescue the three victims who were taken into the bordering forest by the kidnappers. Yusuf said the rescue operation was conducted by a joint team of police operatives from the command who responded promptly to the occasion and engaged the heavily armed hoodlums in a fierce gun duel. The statement reads, “In a swift response to a distress call, the FCT Police Command rescued nineteen (19) persons from being kidnapped on Peileilei road along Kwali axis on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. “The successful rescue operation was conducted by a joint team of police operatives from the command who responded promptly to the occasion and engaged the heavily armed hoodlums in a fierce gun duel. “However, a concerted effort is being made to rescue the remaining three victims in the custody of the hoodlums who escaped into the bordering forest. “The command reassures members of the public of its unflinching commitment to deploy proactive crime-fighting measures to ensure the security of lives and property in FCT ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebration.”
Muzammil Siddiqi/IslamiCity Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and reject not Faith. (Quran 2:152) And remember! Your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): “If ye are grateful, I will add more (favors) unto you; but if ye show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed.” (Quran 14:7) We bestowed Wisdom on Luqman: “Show (thy) gratitude to Allah.” Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise. (Quran 31:12) The National Day of Thanksgiving in America is a beautiful holiday. It contains a good spirit and noble message. It is not a holiday of any particular religion. It is not a Christian or Jewish holiday but it has many deeply religious and spiritual meanings. America at thanksgiving is America at its best. It is unfortunate that like many other moral and spiritual things this holiday is also turned nowadays into too much indulgence and commercialism. It is important that we remember and remind others about the spirit of thanksgiving. The Quranic word for thanks is “shukr.” It is mentioned in the Quran many times. It is the quality of human beings and it is also the quality of Allah. According to scholars Shukr means: “It is the consideration of the favor and its acknowledgment. Shukr from the human means the recognition of the favor. Shukr from Allah means the reward and appreciation.” Shukr is a very important principle in Islam. It is a quality of the believers and it is a source of all goodness. Shukr is used in the Quran sometimes as equivalent to faith. The faithful are thankful people and the unfaithful are ungrateful people. Allah has described His Prophets and Messengers among those who were thankful people. Prophet Noah was a grateful servant of Allah (Quran 17:3). Prophet Abraham used to thank Allah for His many blessings (Quran 16:121). Prophet David and his family were told to be grateful to Allah (Quran 34:13). Allah told His Prophet Muhammad: Nay, but worship Allah, and be of those who give thanks. (Quran 39:66) Allah also promised: Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed as by writing. If any do desire a reward in this life, We shall give it to him; and if any do desire a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give it to him. And swiftly shall We reward those that who are thankful. (Quran 3:145)
In Islam thanksgiving is not only a particular religious act or service; it is the whole life. The whole life should be lived in obedience to our Ultimate Benefactor, Allah (swa). God has been good to us and so in our thankfulness we should worship Him, obey His commands and orders. Our daily prayers, our fasting during Ramadan, our Zakat and Hajj are all our acts of thanksgiving. We should do them not only as duties that must be performed but as our gratitude to our Lord and Creator. Furthermore we should remind ourselves that we are constantly under Allah’s favors and blessings. There are many special prayers that the Prophet (pbuh) taught us to keep us on the path of gratitude and thankfulness. When we eat, he told us that we should say: When the Prophet (pbuh) used to eat or drink, he used to say, “Thanks be to Allah Who gave us food and drink and made us Muslims.” (Al-Tirmidhi 3379) Whenever the Prophet (pbuh) put on any new dress, he would say its name ‘Amamah or shirt or shawl, then he would say, “O Allah, Thanks be to You, You gave me this to wear. I ask You to give me the good of this dress and the good for which it is made and I ask You to protect me from the evil of this dress and from the evil of that for which it is made.” (Al-Tirmidhi 1689) When the Prophet (pbuh) used to mount his camel going on a journey he used to say Allah Akbar (God is the greatest) three times and then he would say, “Glory to Him Who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to our Lord, surely, must we turn back!” (Quran 43:13) O Allah, we ask you this journey righteousness and piety and the deeds that are pleasing to you. O Allah, make this journey easy for us and shorten its distance. O Allah, You are the Companion in journey and You are the Guardian for the family (left behind). O Allah, We ask you to protect us from the exhaustion of journey, from bad scenes and from bad return to our property and family.” When he used to return he used to say, “Returning, repenting, worshiping and praising our Lord.” (Muslim 2392) Islam does not only teach us to thank Allah, but we are also told to thank our parents, our spouses, our friends, neighbors and all those who do any good to us. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Those who do not thank people, they do not thank Allah.” (Al-Tirmidhi 1878).
Giving Thanks Sadullah Khan/IslamiCity The Almighty says: “Remember Me, I remember you; Be thankful and not ungrateful.” [Qur’an 2:152]. There is an emphasis on God-consciousness and on Gratitude in this divine injunction. This makes us realize that: - Gratefulness is a matter of the heart and truly grateful people are more spiritually aware and are more likely to appreciate the interconnectedness of personal life to human interdependence. - True thankfulness to Allah means that we sincerely thank Him for his innumerable blessings; not by reminding others of what we have done in His Name. - Gratitude is indeed the spiritual activity of the sanctified heart of a humble person. Being thankful/grateful is an essential part of our faith and way of life. There are over seventy verses in the Qur’an pertaining to thankfulness. We must realize that as we journey through life we find ourselves in basically one of two situations; moments of ease for which we ought to be thankful, and moments of trials and tribulations through which we ought to patiently persevere. Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] therefore said: “How wonderful is the case of a Believer; If something good happens, he expresses gratitude; that is good for him - If adversity befalls him, he is patient and that too is good for him.” Thankfulness to the Creator There are basically four words in the Arabic language, which are used in varying degrees to signify thankfulness, adoration, and praise. These are shukr, thanaa’, madh, and hamd. Shukr expresses recognition of benefits, gratitude, and thankfulness for favors received. Thanaa’ denotes repetitive public acknowledgements. Madh means adoration. Hamd is neither pure madh (praise) for madh can be false; nor simply shukr (gratitude) but rather more than a combination of both. Hamdh implies admiration, sincere adoration, and
heartfelt gratitude, expressed with humility. Hamd can therefore not be directed towards any other than Allah. “The ultimate form of praiseworthy gratitude is due to Allah, Cherisher of all existence” [Qur’an 1:2] The concept of being grateful to Allah, is to realize and acknowledge that every kind of grace and favor is granted ultimately by Allah. In the Qur’an, [Qur’an 2:152] and [Qur’an 14:7] the opposite of shukr being grateful/thankful is defined by the term kufr disbelief, which is synonymous here with being ungrateful. This definition indicates the importance attached to being grateful and equates thankfulness to worship. “O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him you worship”. [Qur’an 2:172] The choice of a person in this world being grateful or ungrateful is explicitly considered a clear sign of faith or disbelief. “If you would calculate up the favors of Allah, never would you be able to enumerate them: Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Qur’an 16:18] Let alone counting up the favors of Allah, it is not conceivable to categorize them. Since there is no limit to the favors of Allah, a believer should unceasingly keep himself occupied with the remembrance of Allah and express his gratefulness to Him. Some people wait for special occasions only to render thanks to Allah; settlement of a major problem, recovering from a serious sickness, often before (but rarely after) exams ... However, if one reflects for a moment, he would instantly comprehend that he is always surrounded with infinite favors, at every moment, every minute, there is an uninterrupted flow of favors reaching him; life, good health, intelligence, consciousness, five senses, the air we breathe; in brief, everything that makes life possible is given to the human being as a ni’mah/favor and an amaanah/trust. In return for all these, a person is expected to serve Allah in gratitude. Those who are heedless of these favors and accordingly neglect to turn to Allah for expressing their gratefulness, only acknowledge the importance of these favors when they are deprived of them.
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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2020 • T H I S D AY
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Friday November 27, 2020
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Atiku to APC
“APC has failed woefully on all the major issues it campaigned against the PDP in 2015 from poverty to insecurity; joblessness and high cost of living; national unity to bad foreign image; human rights abuse to economic recessions – issues which if the APC was a serious political party, should be dispensing its energy in resolving. But rather than do that, the APC is prancing about feeling good that its stock of membership is upping, while the economic fortune of the country and its people keeps ebbing” – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar carpeting the ruling APC for abandoning governance for petty politics.
AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA
akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com
Igbo: For Whom the Bell Tolls Caveat emptor: No arguments and positions canvassed hereunder should be construed as preference for any other option than the expeditious return to true federalism going forward “The proposition for an Igbo president is likely to be the most consequential subject in the 2023 election year. If it comes about, there will be consequences for Nigeria and the Igbos. If not, the consequences will be even more dire. If the proposition fails, Nigeria will carry the moral burden of continuing as a nation sustained on systemic injustice. Fifty years after the end of our civil war, the estrangement of the people of the South-east from the mainstream of national political life is a national embarrassment” - Chidi Amuta
T
he Nigerian presidency (inclusive of the prime minister variant of the First Republic is a graveyard of group and individual ambitions- some, fatally so. First, save major General Muhammadu Buhari, none of the lot of Tafawa Balewa, Shehu Shagari, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan deliberately sought the office. It was Ahmadu Bello who drafted Tafawa Balewa and delegated the office of the prime minister to the latter. Under the parliamentary Westminster model, Bello was the prime minister designate by virtue of his position as the leader of the majority party, the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). Shehu Shagari was contesting for a Senate seat, before he was equally maneuvered to run for the presidency by a shadowy Northern power caucus. Olusegun Obasanjo followed suit when he was drafted by a remorseful Northern military establishment to wear the Nigerian political crown. Obasanjo, in turn, crowned Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan as president and vice president respectively. The workings of providence subsequently ensured the latter succeeded the former as Nigerian president. To the contrary, nearly all the self-willed contenders including Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Shehu Yar’Adua and Moshood Abiola were felled and the latter two traded their life to the bargain.The exception to the rule, Buhari, was first rendered physically prostrate and debilitated for the better part of his first term as president but more importantly is the attendant destruction and death of his reputation as a potential transformative Nigerian leader. He is on course to surpass Sani Abacha as personification of Nigerian leadership dysfunction.This personal tragedy is a fate worse than those who did not accomplish their objective. Failure to realise his presidential ambition would have assured Buhari immortality in the manner of the Awolowo precedent. He would have been similarly feted and celebrated as the best president Nigeria never had. What this antecedence and precedence suggest is that ascension to the top dog office in Nigeria is fraught and wedded to the quirk of providence. And that none of the names being speculated and bandied around in the media is likely
Buhari to make the final line and breast the tape. For that matter, if I was recruited to do a trend analysis and draw a country profile on Nigeria with a view to 2023 and on the evidence of contemporary ominous portent, I will begin by casting serious doubt on the capacity of Nigeria to get to 2023 in one piece let alone staging a stable election and transition. More than ever before, Nigeria is grappling with an escalating crisis of nationhood compounded by a destabilising economic distress bordering on the disastrous. Someone at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) recently bellowed the rude awakening that Nigeria now begs to sell a barrel of oil for nine dollars-which is probably less than the cost of production.The danger of economic despair and hopelessness is that it is individually self motivating and sets the stage for anachical implosion. A desperately hungry and hopeless Nigerian has no stake in the peace and stability of society. Of recent, Nigeria has witnessed intermittent intimations of this starvation induced compulsive disorder in the pervasive guerrilla insurgency ravaging the North and the general security breakdown. Saddled with this proximate perfect storm, what are the options available as palliatives and remedial gestures? Of essence is the ability of the leadership to inspire and mobilise the citizenry across board to commonly confront and overcome the adversity and crisis attendant on the natural course of human existence. This is the prescribed leadership skillset for Nigeria as with any other nation especially the young ones comprising groups with disparate cultural origins and orientation. Hence the question, what best serves the cause of national integration and political stability at this critical juncture? Is there a better option than the purposive gesture of healing the festering civil war wound and the attendant political marginalisation of the Igbo by the contrivance of an Igbo acceding to the Nigerian presidency in 2023? In my reckoning, any option to the contrary amounts to the elevation of abusive power politics over
the ideal of national unity and integration. 2023 presents an opportunity for Nigeria to subordinate realpolitik to the politics of ‘moral consequence’ without which no nation can long endure.The first America president, George Washington set the standard for the ideal of moral politics in the United States when he declined to serve beyond two terms of four-year tenure as president- a precedent that has subsisted as a foundational norm. He did more. He turned down the offer of becoming the king and pointed out the contradiction in the American rejection of the British monarchy only to adopt the same wrongdoing of monarchical rule. Several decades later, Abraham Lincoln reinforced the moral tone of American politics with the abolition of slavery and staked all in the pursuit of this noble objective. A more morally informed Nigerian nationalist president would seize this occasion as a teachable moment for all of us on the citizen requirement of altruism and self sacrifice.Think of what a selfless concession of political power would do to the moral fibre of Nigerian politics and the lesson it will serve for upcoming generations. It is a singular opportunity of disavowing the pernicious philosophy of might is right that crystallised as a national ideology at the conclusion of the civil war in 1970. From the counter coup of July 1966 to the end of the war in 1970, the Igbo subset of Nigerians were subjected to the height of unrelieved tragedy. If there was any account to be settled for the offence of January 15th 1966, the reprisal mutiny that followed in July of the same year was more than adequate
recompense.The pogroms that ensued thereafter was a genocidal victimisation that justified the recourse to secession. Fifty years later and the escalating crisis of the national question to the bargain, one of the few options left to assuage this crisis is a national nod to the notion of conceding the Nigerian presidency.’This is the essence of the politics of moral consequence whose ultimate aim is to avert the dire consequences of a nation sustained on systemic injustice’. The criminalisation of the Igbo on account of the civil war stands on an incurably wobbly premise. First, they were more of victim and certainly not the villain. Second is that both the Western and the Northern regions had loudly contemplated the same recourse. In the case of the latter, the contemplation was as vivid as the following account by Ahmadu Kurfi: “The original intention of the July 29 counter-coup leaders was to seize the reigns of government and then announce the secession of the Northern Region from the rest of the country. This was in line with the general mood of the people of the North whose clarion call during the May 29 disturbances in the North, which claimed many Igbo lives, was Araba or Aware (Hausa word for ‘secede’). Whatever extenuating circumstances that resulted in the presidency of Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan and Buhari holds true and valid in the reservation of the office for the South-east this time around and the remaining two zones of North-central and North-east thereafter. Haven thus fulfilled all righteousness it automatically lapses with the incumbency of the sixth zone.
The Return of Junaid Mohammed “First and foremost, argues Mohammed, my understanding of democracy is not about the postulation of people who talk about zoning or rotation in democracy. This is because zoning or rotationing is not in any way democratic. Democracy is at its finest when we talk about freedom of choice by the people. When you believe that power is just going to be rotational, then it means you also believe that power is going to be abused,” This postulation then begs the question. Why dont we equally throw recruitment into the Nigerian public service open to free market meritocracy? Why should we limit the principle of the freedom of choice to political choice alone? This was the same man threatening fire and brimstone were Buhari denied a second term-because zoning should not be jettisoned when it is the turn of the North. So why should we now jettison zoning when political equity suggests it should be the turn of the Igbo? Those who want to affect the posture of democracy purist had better begin with the 1999 Constitution. By the standards of democracy, the Nigerian constitution is an aberration, it was foisted
on Nigeria by a military dictatorship. Even at the level of realpolitik, it raises the question of the likely consequences of marginalising a regional subset of Nigeria ad infinitum. How much does the relative peace at the Niger Delta oil fields have to do with the fact Goodluck Jonathan was a Nigerian president? Absent Jonathan’s incumbency, how effective would we be in convincing the Niger Delta freedom fighters that they otherwise have a stake in the corporate stability of Nigeria? Structurally, Nigeria is not a level playing group and it was in acknowledgement of this imbalance that federalism became an imperative. It is the present operative and constitutional abrogation of this imperative that is at the root of the political iniquities to which remedy is sought by zoning. Until Nigeria is restored to true federalism, it will continue to require deliberate efforts of political palliatives to foster stability and sense of belonging. If the centre has become far more consequential than it should be in federalism (through the usurpation of the coordinate powers of the supposed second tier of government) then it requires the kind of mitigation that federalism renders superfluous.
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