TUESDAY 30TH NOVEMBER 2021 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

China Pledges One Billion Additional COVID-19 Vaccines for Nigeria, Other African Countries Promises $10bn investment in three years Omicron variant outbreak: WHO bemoans poor alert system, says new pandemic accord needed Aviation agencies vigilant, await FG’s directive NCDC harps on vaccination, adherence to protocols Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja, and Chinedu Eze in Lagos

As countries across the world continue to take measures to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, Chinese President

Xi Jinping yesterday said his country would offer another one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria and other African countries.

Jinping also promised to encourage Chinese companies to invest at least $10 billion in the continent over the next three years.

The pledge of additional vaccine doses on top of the nearly 200 million that China had supplied to the continent came as concerns

mounted over the spread of the new disease variant, which was Continued on page 10

Tuesday 30 November, 2021 Vol 26. No 9731. Price: N250

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COVID-19: Omicron Variant Yet to Be Detected in Nigeria, Says FG To issue travel guideline today Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja As countries across the world continued to take measures to prevent the spread of the new

COVID-19 variant, Omicron, Nigeria yesterday said there was currently no reported detection of the strain in the country. National COVID-19 Incident

Manager, Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad, stated this position yesterday in Abuja at a media briefing organised by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19.

Addressing journalists, Muhammad stressed that as of yesterday, there had not been any detected case, saying, “the PSC has continued to review our risk of this latest in-

formation and take every necessary step to stop it from being imported into the country. We have taken far-reaching proactive measures to minimise and mitigate this

possibility." The discovery last week by South Africa and Botswana of the more Continued on page 10

In Most Bestial, Horriﬁc Manner, IPOB Beheads, Cannibalises Two Police Ofﬁcers Their action is unacceptable, says FG NEF kicks against Kanu’s release

Olawale Ajimotokan and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A disturbing, hard to watch two minutes and eight seconds video of how the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the acclaimed security wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), celebrated the abduction and beheading of two out of three police officers, has surfaced online, causing shock and disbelief across the social space. The repulsive video, which was also seen by THISDAY, featured some young men, believed to be IPOB/ESN members, communicating in the Igbo language and surrounded two severed heads of the police officers, placed by a fire they set up as if being roasted, in a remote place. The brutish young men, who cannibalised the deceased, clowned and scorned them, even as they repeatedly stated that, one of the two killed looked like a “Fulani” from the look of his nose, the third officer was seen sitting on the floor with his fate unknown at the time Continued on page 10

PROJECTS INAUGURATION... L-R: Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri; Delta State Governor and host, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; the Asagba of Asaba, HRH, Prof. Chike Edozien and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN, when the Vice President paid a courtesy call on the monarch, during his visit to Delta State to inaugurate projects, including the Independent Power Project and the Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat Complex in Asaba, Delta State... yesterday

World Bank Hails Kogi's 2020 Audited Financial Statement... Page 8

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

NEWS

THESE ARE MY LEGACY PROJECTS... Vice President Yemi Osinbajo SAN (l) and Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa in a tete-a-tete, during the inauguration of the Independent Power Project and the Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat Complex in Asaba, Delta State...yesterday

IATF Generates $42.1bn Trade, Investment Deals Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The recently concluded second Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF 2021) generated a record $42.1 billion in trade and trade-related investment deals, according to the latest tally released yesterday by the IATF Advisory Council. The latest figures which captured additional data submitted by trade promotion agencies of Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa. Organised by African ExportImport Bank (Afreximbank), the African Union (AU) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, IATF 2021 saw $42.1 billion worth of trade and investment deals agreed during the event, which took place between November 15th and 21st in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This record value of trade and investment deals was the outcome of more than 500 business deals included during the rich and varied seven-day programme of business-to-business, business-togovernment and government-togovernment exchanges, exhibitions, trade and investment conference sessions. It also included other verticals, such as the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, the IATF Automotive Show and the African Union’s Youth Start-Up programme.

IATF 2021 surpassed its preset target of $40 billion in trade and investment deals, going well beyond the $32 billion in transactions closed during the first edition in Cairo, Egypt in 2018. The expected number of participants and exhibitors were also exceeded. Against a target of 1,100 exhibitors, IATF 2021 saw 1,161 exhibitors showcase their goods and services. While the organisers aimed for at least 10,000 participants, the event attracted over 30,000 participants with 11,828 people attending in person and over 27,000 participating virtually via the IATF virtual platform, bringing the total number of participants to around 39,000 from 128 countries around the world. The IATF 2021 which opened on November 15, at a ceremony was attended by seven African Heads of State and Government, was also marked by several major innovations, such as the first African Sub-Sovereign Governments Conference held on November 18, on the sidelines of the trade fair, as well as the first ever African Auto Show and Auto Forum. A former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Chairman of the IATF 2021 Advisory Council commended the outstanding performance while

congratulating the organisers and the host country for their tenacity. He said: “Despite the uncertain environment arising from the COVID-19 pandemic situation, IATF 2021 attracted exhibitors from 59 countries, of which 46 were African countries. Buyers, sellers and investors came physically and virtually from across Africa and beyond to connect and exchange trade, investment and market information. "We have effectively begun the process of building bridges for

a successful AfCFTA, less than a year after the commencement of trade under this agreement. “We congratulate the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the KwaZuluNatal Provincial Government, Afreximbank, the AU Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat, and thank them for the swift efforts made in record time to organise this historic event, which has resulted in the resounding success that we see today.” Commenting on the outcome

As part of efforts to support Nigeria’s Mines and Steel Development sector, the office of the past ruler of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), His Royal Highness, Sheikh Hamdan bin Khalifa, has pledged the sum of $2 billion to Nigeria. The donations according to Khalifa and Global Peace Ambassador, United Nations, Zulfiquar Ghadiyali, was to further cement the close trade and bilateral relationship that exists between the two countries. The Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah made the disclosure when he

delivered the, "Special Address" at the Dubai World Expo 2021, with the theme "Investment in the Nigerian Gold Sector: Opportunities in the Gold Value Chain" held in Abu Dhabi. Ogah, in a statement yesterday, noted that the Expo, with participants from over 200 countries, provided the opportunity to showcase the potentials of Nigerian minerals sector on Dubai soil with special emphasis on gold and other precious minerals abundant in Nigeria. The minister, who was honoured with the "Excellence in Public Service Award," by FIN-Africa-UAE Trade and Investment Forum Dubai, expressed gratitude to Khalifa

generated reflected the record participation, a well-thought-out platform, diversity and depth of goods and services showcased and a rich programme. “We thank the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government as well as our other partner institutions, donors, exhibitors, buyers and performers for their strong collaboration,” Oramah said.

Agrawal Appointed Twitter CEO, Dorsey Resigns Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s former chief technology officer has been announced as the new chief executive officer (CEO) and a member of the board of the company. This followed an announcement yesterday by Jack Dorsey, 45, who co-founded the company in 2006, that he was stepping down from his role as CEO. Dorsey’s announcement prompted wild swings in the social media platform’s share price. Posting on the social media platform, Sky News quoted him to have written, "finally time for me to leave", explaining in a statement from Twitter itself that it was, "because I believe the company is ready to move

on from its founders". Agrawal, said he was "honoured and humbled" by the appointment. “Deep gratitude for @jack and our entire team, and so much excitement for the future. Here’s the note I sent to the company. Thank you all for your trust and support,” the new CEO Twitted. Shares in the social media platform rose nine per cent on market opening on Monday morning following a report by CNBC that Dorsey was to leave his role. Trading was halted on the New York Stock Exchange after the spike, but shares resumed trading with a gain of more than 4.5 per cent ahead of where they started the day.

UAE Pledges $2bn to Support Nigeria’s Mining Sector Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

of the trade fair, the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, said the success of IATF 2021 was a proof that intra-African trade was taking root under the platform of the AfCFTA. "We are proud to be well on the way to consolidating an initiative that is already beginning to transform intra-African trade. IATF 2021 was enormously successful at all levels. “The $42.1 billion in trade and investment deals that were

over the amount he pledged for Nigeria’s sustainable development drive. According to him, "I must confess that there cannot be a better platform to showcase the Nigeria Gold sub-sector than on this platform with notable global organisations and investors, minerals beneficiation companies, global financial institutions, commodity trading companies, etc all in one event." The minister stressed that the need for the diversification of the economy had become more compelling now in the post COVID-19 era, adding that the federal government has established policies that would support sustainable development of Nigeria’s gold resources

and development, as well as consideration of general matters on gold Mining Administration and Incentives. He disclosed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was determined to consolidate on the gains of diversification as it forms the critical backbone of industrialisation. He assured of federal government's commitment to ensure appropriate deployment of the funds, when the agreement was signed. In his remarks, Ghadiyali said the amount pledged was to further cement the very close trade and bilateral relationship that exist between the two countries.

However the gains later fell away and the stock closed two per cent below its opening price. Dorsey will remain the chief executive of financial payments company, Square, which has a market capitalisation of over $98 billion (£73 billion) compared to Twitter's $38 billion (£28 billion). Dorsey faced ousting last year when Twitter stakeholder Paul Singer, the found of Elliott Management, publicly questioned his ability to run both companies at the same time. The investment firm eventually reached a deal with Twitter's management. “It is no surprise to see Jack Dorsey stepping down as chief executive of Twitter. There has been disquiet for some time among shareholders at Dorsey serving in that role and also at Square, the fintech payments company he co-founded, with Paul Singer – the head of the influential activist investor Elliott Management – having called in the recent past for him to step down at Twitter,” the report stated. Dorsey made peace with Singer on that occasion by giving Elliott and its ally, the private equity firm Silver lake, seats on the Twitter board. But ultimately the arrangement was unsustainable and given the comparative size of the two businesses, with Square valued at $97 billion and Twitter at just $37 billion, it was obvious which one he would opt for if made to choose between the two. Moreover, Square is becoming an infinitely more demanding business to manage, with Dorsey recently announcing plans for the company

to look into running an open-source Bitcoin mining system. Something had to give and just about the only significant obstacle to Mr Dorsey stepping down at Twitter was the need to find his successor. It seems that hurdle has now been cleared. Following the announcement, executives at Elliott said in a statement on the appointment of Agrawal and new chairman Bret Taylor that they were "confident that they are the right leaders for Twitter at this pivotal moment for the company". Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: ''Such has been the consternation surrounding Jack Dorsey's 'parttime' role as CEO of Twitter, that it's little surprise investors initially reacted positively to speculation that he was leaving the platform. "But the initial euphoria fizzled out, as the new pick for the driving seat, Parag Agrawal, the current chief technology officer, appeared to underwhelm investors. "The realisation of the mountain to scale and some disappointment that a Twitter outsider hasn't been brought in to offer fresh ideas, is likely to be behind the loss of initial gains." Agrawal is an engineer who worked his way up over the past decade to become the company’s technology chief. Agrawal had been Jack Dorsey’s closest partner in thinking about the future of the Twitter platform and decentralising social media, a former company executive told CNBC.

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NEWS

CELEBRATING STEADFAST COMMITMENT... L-R: Managing Director, Tuntise Investment Limited and winner of the Nigerian Institute of Mining & Geosciences (NIMG) Icon of Mining and Geosciences Award, Babatunde Alatise; Director of Research and Development, Naval Headquarters, Abuja, Rear Admiral B.E. Oluwagbamila; Chief Executive, CSR-in-Action and winner of the NIMG Women’s Role Model in Mining & Geosciences Award, Bekeme Masade-Olowola; Manager, External Communications & Innovation, Dami Vera-Cruz and Associate Consultant, representing CSR-in-Action for the NIMG Best Performing NGO in Mining & Geosciences Award, Elizabeth Odeniyi, at the First NIMG Annual Public Lecture, Investiture & Awards ceremony held in Abuja...recently

Osinbajo Inaugurates N13bn Delta Secretariat Complex, IPP Project Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday inaugurated the multi-billion naira Delta State Secretariat Complex named after the Asaba monarch, H.R.M, Prof. Chike Edozien. The vice president described the Civil Service as the arrowhead of government at any level. Osinbajo also described Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as a visionary leader and commended his administration for building such a worthy monument to enhance efficiency in the public service and for naming the stateof-the-art edifice, which would house 27 state ministries, after Nigeria's oldest professor and reigning monarch, Edozien. Also, the vice-president inaugurated the Asaba IPP (independent power project) established under a joint partnership with the Delta State Government and Bestanchury Power Solutions Nigeria Limited and Africa Plus Partners. "This is historic indeed, because the seat of the civil service of any arm of government anywhere in the world is usually one of the major monuments enshrining not just the power but also the splendour of the authority of government. “This imposing complex clearly meets this requirement. In due course, touch builders become historical monuments and the commissioning of this secretariat is special in two different ways. First the civil service and the people of Delta are today being presented with the state of the art functional and befitting secretariat after many years. "This is worthy of great celebration, but beyond that is the fact that it is, at the same time, immortalising one of the Nigeria's most illustrious sons, HRM Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba, Nigeria's oldest living professor in any discipline and an internationally renowned professor of medicine." He added: "More importantly, he is an outstanding bridgebuilder and patriot. He has played, and continues to play, an important role as a symbol

of unity in the state. “During his 30-year reign thus far, Asaba has changed dramatically, becoming the capital of the newly created Delta State in 1991, and has attracted people from far and wide that have come to seek their fortunes here. “His traditional leadership has ensured that the growth and increasing diversity of Asaba has proceeded without tension and antagonism among those who live here. "I believe that naming this building after Asagba, you are not just celebrating a highly respected deserving son of Delta State and Nigeria, you are also signalling a sort of excellence in public service that we wish to see incubated in this complex. “Perhaps, more importantly you are saying to a generation that is not even old enough to be employed into the service that integrity, diligence and service to community still pay. It is my hope that this place will be a symbol of unity and distinction." Osinbajo said he was delighted that Okowa has demonstrated responsible and visionary leadership in that his administration has consistently defied the economic downturn that had put much pressure on financial resources at all levels of government in Nigeria, executing worthy projects. "There is more for which Okowa deserves commendation. Despite dwindling revenue receipt and severe resource constraints across all levels of government, he has been able to provide funding for this project. "Also your recognition of the critical role of the public sector is notable, whether we are talking about a need for a more Internally Generated Revenue and greater tax efficiency, compensation for resource deficit or the management of the public health crisis such as the pandemic or even the drive for a more IGR, it is the capacity of the public sector that is invariably an issue,” he added. Welcoming the vice-president and the many personages and people, including the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri; Deputy Governor of Edo

State, Mr. Philip Shuaibu, Okowa thanked Osinbajo for his support and encouragement. Okowa said, "By now, many people will probably be wondering if the Vice-President has Delta roots. We have lost count of the number of times he has been here on official engagements. "I stand here today feeling very proud of this legacy project. Indeed, I am filled with a great sense of joy, satisfaction, fulfilment, and triumph. It was an arduous journey from the

time construction commenced on November 27, 2017, to this momentous occasion. As you would expect, constructing an edifice like this would task the ingenuity, resources, and patience of any government in the times we live in. "It was quite demanding and exacting, and there were times we were tempted to throw up our hands in despair, and even questioned the wisdom for embarking on a project of this magnitude. The turbulence

that has plagued the economy since 2017 was worsened with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing major financial disruptions during the construction process. “With the ministries in one central location, the state government will be saving hundreds of millions of naira that was spent annually in renting offices all over the capital city. Coordination and synergy among MDAs would be enhanced, leading to higher morale, better time management,

efficiency, and greater productivity. "This sprawling office complex occupies a total floor space of 45, 000 square metres. It is designed around five clusters with multiple floors, each cluster around a courtyard. This concept allows plenty of natural light and ventilation into the offices. “All the 27 ministries and their commissioners and permanent secretaries will be housed here, with the entire secretariat interconnected through a system of voice and data networks.”

NLC, PLAC Urge Buhari to Sign Amended Electoral Bill into Law CSOs back proposed legislation to set aside 107 NASS seats for women

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Policy and Legislative Advocacy Centre (PLAC) have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill recently passed by the two federal legislative chambers. Executive Director of PLAC, Mr. Clement Nwankwo urged the president to sign the new Electoral Act without much delay so as to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to plan well in advance for next General Election in 2023. Nwankwo who spoke at the civil society organisation's strategy session on constitution review process organised by PLAC with the support of the European Union in Abuja, yesterday, said there was enough time lag before the 2023 General Election if the president signs the bill now unlike in 2019, when his excuse was that it was too close the election. Also, in a statement signed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, the congress said majority of Nigerians had described the 2021 amendments of the Electoral Act as one of the most progressive enactments that Nigeria has had in a long time.

According to NLC the demand for the signing of the amended Electoral bill into law became necessary since its provisions would help strengthen democracy in the country. "The leadership of the Congress commends the House of Representatives and the Senate particularly the leadership of the National Assembly who stood rock solid behind the proposal for direct primaries for all political parties and rallied their colleagues in the House and the Senate to pass the bill into law. This is the proof of committed leadership and true statesmanship. "Majority of Nigerians have described the 2021 amendments of the Electoral Act as one of the most progressive enactments that Nigeria has had in a long time," he said. Wabba listed some of the major innovations in the bill to include the adoption of direct primaries for internal political parties’ contestations, accommodation of the use of technology in the conduct of general elections in Nigeria and the expansion of the powers of the INEC to develop guidelines as it deems fit to guide the deployment of technology during elections in Nigeria. Wabba, however, cautioned that a lot more needed to be

done in order to fully sanitise Nigeria’s challenged electioneering system especially building on the 2007-2011 electoral reforms which the NLC actively participated in. He said the electoral process must find ways of tackling the menace of, "godfatherism, ‘godmotherism’ and money politics which were the major concerns that necessitated the new law on direct primaries for all political parties." "We recommend that the National Assembly should expeditiously consider developing a bill for the establishment of Electoral Offences Commission to expedite the prosecution of politicians and their agents who indulge in vote for cash, election rigging and violence," he said. On the use of technology in our electoral law, NLC urged all stakeholders especially INEC to continue to constructively engage with the Nigerian people to ensure that the lessons from recent and remote deployment of technology during elections are not lost. Meanwhile, stakeholders who met in Abuja over proposal for constitutional review expressed support for the bill seeking to address the poor women representation in governance in Nigeria. The Equal Opportunity Bill

currently before the National Assembly Committee on constitution review, provides for the setting aside of additional one Senate seat per state and two new House of Representatives seats for the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Lead consultant to the House Representatives Committee on constitution review, Prof. Dakas Dakas said if granted and approved as law, women would be expected to vie exclusively for 37 Senate seats and 73 House Representatives seats across the country during the General Election. On her part, the Guest Speaker and the Dean of Law Faculty of the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus, Prof. Joy Ezeilo said there was need to urgently address the deplorable state of women participation in the governance of the country. According to her, Nigeria currently rates far below other African countries in the number of elected women legislators. She said: "The Global Gender Gap for 2020 published by the World Economic Forum rated Nigeria 146 out of about 153 countries it evaluated concerning women political empowerment focusing on women representation in governance," she said.

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IMF'S REGIONAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK... L-R: Chairman, Presidential Economic Council, Dr. Doyin Salami; Regional Representative, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Ari Aisen; Board Member, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mrs. Wonu Adetayo; CEO, NESG, Mr. ‘Laoye Jaiyeola and Board Member, NESG, Mr. Frank Aigbogun, at the public presentation of the Fall 2021 issue of the IMF's Regional Economic Outlook (REO) in Lagos…recently

MTN, Airtel, One Other Ready for 3.5GHz Spectrum Auction in December Pay N7.5bn each as initial deposit Emma Okonji Three telecoms operators, MTN, Airtel, and another company whose identity was not disclosed but simply described as a strategic company by those in the know, have indicated their interest to bid for the 3.5GHz spectrum auction on December 13, in preparation for 5G network rollout by next year. The operators were able to beat the deadline for the Expression of Interest (EoI) to

bid for the country’s 3.5GHz spectrum licence, which closed 5pm yesterday. According to the conditions for EoI set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), each interested operator was to pick up the form, fill it and submit on or before 5pm yesterday, accompanied with a non-refundable 10 per cent initial deposit of the reserve bid price, which NCC had fixed at $197.4 million (N75 billion).

There were initial fears that operators might back out of the auction process because of the perceived high reserve bid price of N75 billion. The development was revealed yesterday in Lagos, at a master-class organised by TetConsult for policy makers, regulators, operators and financial institutions, in preparation for a successful auction of the 3.5 GHz spectrum licence. It was gathered that the second and third operators paid yesterday.

THISDAY gathered that the third operator actually indicated interest with payment of N7.5 billion initial deposit, as at yesterday. According to the source, MTN had earlier indicated interest and paid the initial 10 per cent deposit, while Airtel and the other new operator paid just before the close of the EoI. Explaining the need for the master-class on 3.5GHz spectrum auction, CEO of TetConsult,

Amaechi: Transport Sector Critical for AfCFTA’s Success Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi has stressed the importance of an active transport sector towards the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. According to him, the sector and AfCTA are siamese twins that cannot do without another. The minister said these while delivering his keynote address at a conference titled: “The Role of Transportation on AfCFTA),” held in Abuja, yesterday. Amaechi, at the event organised by the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation in Abuja, said it was obvious that adequate transportation infrastructure could trigger a country’s economic progress by diversifying production, trade and export. He added: "Transportation provides the vehicle through which the major objective of AfCFTA thrives; that is, creating a single continental market for goods and services with free movement of businesses, persons and investments, promoting regional and continental integration, market access and resources reallocation across sectors and countries." He noted that transportation was cross-cutting and permeates many economic sectors, facilitates international trade, supports food security, delivers energy, enables industrial and infrastructural development. In addition, it generates employment and help in creating prosperity, thereby fulfilling critical economic as well as social

functions. According to him, "the transportation sector is the most critical in implementing trade facilitation, enhancing regional integration and key to every other AfCFTA Protocol. "Hence, the Nigerian government has embarked on huge transport infrastructure investment across the country to ensure efficiency in the transportation sector. These interventions include massive construction of roads, rail

lines with access roads, inland water ports, seaports, new terminals in existing ports, dry ports with access to rail and roads, inland container depots/freights all geared towards building a modern and efficient transportation system that guarantees sustainable socio-economic development of Nigeria, regional integration and trade liberalisation. "Therefore, the ministry has taken cognisance of the pivotal role transportation plays

in AfCFTA implementation and as such, is making concerted efforts in:Improving intermodal transportation and trade facilitation by linking major Seaport Ports in the country with rail lines.” Amaechi, who was represented by the Minister of State, Ministry of Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Ruqqayat Saraki, said the current administration would not leave any stone unturned in its efforts to transform the sector for the benefits of Nigerians.

and former Secretary General of Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Mr. Shola Taylor, who was one of the resource persons at the master-class, said it was designed to introduce the different types of spectrum auctions, and to examine the fundamentals of the auction type that the NCC was adopting for the 3.5GHz. According to Taylor, “Auctions have become one of the most transparent ways of selling spectrum, because it allows the government, the regulator, and the operators to have level playing field where things are clear in terms of what kind of spectrum is put out for sale, the licensing conditions, and the value of the spectrum licence.” The five days forum, which commenced yesterday in Lagos, was to look at the reserve auction price and benchmark it with spectrum auctions carried out in other parts of the world. It was also to look at possible bidding strategies for operators, and how the regulator, the operator and the federal government could have a successful auction of the 3.5GHz

spectrum that will turn out to be unbiased and free from any kind of litigations. On the part of the financial institutions, the forum also looked at what strategies the banks could deploy when operators asked for loans to finance the 3.5GHz spectrum rollout. Taylor warned that government should not use the occasion of the 3.5GHz spectrum sale to make so much money to the detriment of the operators. One of the resource persons, an expert on spectrum management and a former Director of Spectrum Management at NCC, Stephen Bello, took the participants on spectrum pricing, the value of spectrum, auction and auction designs, the fundamentals of the theory and practice of spectrum auctions, as well as key considerations in setting auction price. Ahead of preparations for 5G rollout in Nigeria in 2022, the NCC released the draft Information Memorandum (IM) for 3.5GHz spectrum auction last month that will facilitate 5G rollout across the country.

WorldBankHailsKogi's2020AuditedFinancialStatement The World Bank has commended the Government of Kogi State over the state’s 2020 audited financial statement. The multilateral institution was said to have described the financial report as a standard for transparency and accountability in the public sector. The bank was quoted in a statement to have made the commendation in a letter sent to the Accountant General of Kogi State, dated November 21, 2021. According to the statement, the letter, which was received by the State Accountant General on November 25, was signed by the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme (SFTAS) Task Team Leader, Nigeria Country Office, Western and Central African Region, Deborah Hannah Isser. The letter was titled: “Nigeria: Review of Kogi State Audited Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 for State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability

and Sustainability.” SFTAS is a $750 million programme to reward states for meeting any or all of nine indicators that demonstrate improvements in fiscal transparency, accountability and sustainability. The nine indicators were an offshoot of the previous Fiscal Sustainability Plan of the federal government where States were to be rewarded for meeting up to 22 targets. The World Bank had supported the federal government to incentivise the states to properly achieve the 22-point Fiscal Sustainability Plan, which has now been redesigned as the nine Disbursement Linked Indicators under SFTAS. The criteria to be achieved are improved financial reporting and budget reliability; increased openness and citizens’ engagement in the budget process; improved cash management and reduced revenue leakages through the implementation of

State Treasury Single Account (TSA); strengthened Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collection; biometric registration and Bank Verification Number (BVN) used to reduce payroll fraud. Others were improved procurement practices for increased transparency and value for money; strengthened public debt management and fiscal responsibility framework; improved clearance/reduction of the stock of domestic expenditure arrears; and improved debt sustainability. The SFTAS programme is part of efforts of the federal government to further enhance the transparency and accountability in the use of public resources through the implementation of the Open Government Partnership, which Nigeria signed to in July 2016. The World Bank in its letter to the Kogi State government commended the state for preparing its audited financial statements

in line with the accrual basis of the International Public Sector Accounting Standards. It added, “We note that Kogi State Audited Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 7020 has been uploaded on the state website as per the SFTAS’ eligibility criteria for FY21. “The Financial Statements were prepared on IPSAS accrual basis and the Auditor General of the State has issued an Audit Certificate with an unqualified (clean) Audit opinion on the GeneralPurpose Financial Statement (GPFS) and a Special Opinion on SFTAS Program Expenditure Framework during the period. “The bank has reviewed the Audited Financial Statements, and it is found acceptable for SFTAS Program Fiduciary assurance requirements.” According to the statement, the World Bank letter came about four months after it issued a letter commending Governor Yahaya Bello for good leadership and the

refund of a $4.63million surpluses under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP). In the letter of appreciation, titled, "Refund of Surplus Project Funds to the World Bank under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) (IDA Credits: 62770, 62780)", signed by its Regional Director, Shubham Chaudhuri, the Bretton Woods institution was quoted in the statement to have asserted that Bello’s action made it possible for the organisation to extend its projects to other states facing deficit funds and closing date of its projects. The latest World Bank letter is also coming about a month after the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) acknowledged the improvement of Kogi State on its ICAN’S Novel Accountability Index (ICAN AI). The institute said the state moved from 12th to seventh position in its 2019 assessments.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

TUESDAY, ͻ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

TEN CHINA PLEDGES ONE BILLION ADDITIONAL COVID-19 VACCINES FOR NIGERIA, OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES detected in South Africa. Though, the Nigerian government said there was no reported case of the Omicron strain in the country. But Nigeria’s aviation agencies said they were on alert to prevent the spread of the virus. That was as the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) urged Nigerians to ensure strict adherence to the proven public health and social measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus. In its own response, the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday said countries might have to reach a new agreement on ways to share information on pandemic outbreaks. WHO Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said this in his opening remarks at the Special Session of the World Health Assembly. Ghebreyesus noted that the emergence of the Omicron variant underlined how perilous and precarious the situation could be. In a speech given via video link at the opening of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Jinping said a China-Africa cross-border Yuan centre would be set up to provide African financial institutions a credit line of $10 billion. But he gave no further details. China's total imports from Africa, one of its key sources of crude oil

and mineral supply, would reach $300 billion in the next three years, the Chinese president said. He added that the two sides would cooperate in areas, such as health, digital innovation, trade promotion, and green development. The Omicron variant of the coronavirus carries a very high global risk of surges, WHO warned on Monday, as more countries reported cases, prompting border closures and reviving worries about the economic recovery from a two-year pandemic. Scientists have said it could take weeks to understand the severity of the new variant. Its emergence has caused a strong global reaction, with countries imposing travel curbs and other restrictions, worried that it could spread fast even in vaccinated populations. The Chinese leader said his country would donate 600 million vaccine doses directly, while a further 400 million doses would come from other sources, such as investments in production sites. Jinping’s promise came as part of a forum between China and African states with a focus on trade and security, which was held in the city of Diamniadio, near Senegal’s seaside capital, Dakar. “We must continue to fight together against COVID. We must prioritise the protection of

our people and close the vaccination gap,” Jinping told participants at the summit. Vaccination rates in Africa are low compared with the rest of the world, with many countries at the mercy of foreign donations due to the lack of local production facilities and prohibitive costs of mass purchases. Beijing invests heavily in Africa, and is the continent’s largest trading partner with direct trade worth more than $200 billion in 2019, according to the Chinese embassy in Dakar. Meanwhile, Ghebreyesus commended South Africa and Botswana for detecting, sequencing, and reporting the Omicron variant. "Indeed, Omicron demonstrates just why the world needs a new accord on pandemics: our current system disincentisises countries from alerting others to threats that will inevitably land on their shores," the WHO director general said. Ghebreyesus said COVID-19 had exposed and exacerbated fundamental weaknesses in the global architecture for pandemic preparedness and response. According to him, global health security is too important to be left to chance, goodwill, shifting geopolitical currents, or the vested interests of companies and shareholders "The best way we can address

them is with a legally binding agreement between nations; an accord forged from the recognition that we have no future but a common future,” he stated. "Then surely – surely – the time has come for countries to agree on a common, binding approach to a common threat that we cannot fully control nor prevent – a threat that comes from our relationship with nature itself," he added. WHO warned its 194 membernations that any surge in infections could have "severe consequences", but said no deaths linked to the Omicron variant had been reported so far. Ghebreyesus said Omicron's emergence showed how "perilous and precarious" the situation was and called on health ministers meeting in Geneva to pursue a new accord on pandemics.

Omicron COVID-19: Aviation Agencies on Alert, Await FG’s Directive

Despite announcing solidarity with South Africa over its travails following discovery of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in that country, Nigeria’s aviation authorities said they were on alert to prevent the spread of the virus. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) disclosed yesterday that it was

IN MOST BESTIAL, HORRIFIC MANNER, IPOB BEHEADS, CANNIBALISES TWO POLICE OFFICERS the video was released. But the federal government, which described the development as unacceptable, has vowed to bring to justice, the persons behind the gruesome murder of the two policemen. Also, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), yesterday, kicked against alleged plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to succumb to pressure and terminate the on-going trial of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu. However, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement yesterday, described the abduction of the three policemen and the killing of two of them, in the most horrific, barbaric and cannibalistic manner, as an unacceptable attack against the Nigerian state. He condemned the murder of two policemen, warning that those, who carried out the killings, videotaped their heinous act and circulated such would be apprehended and brought to justice. Mohammed identified the officers as ASP Francis Idoko (AP No. 154945); Inspector Emmanuel Akubo (AP No. 222336) and Inspector Rufai Adamu (AP. No. 285009), all serving officers of the Nigeria Police. According to him, they were abducted on November 27, 2021 by members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), acting on the instructions of their leader, Chinonso Okafor, otherwise known as Temple. ''Two of the officers, Inspectors Akubo and Adamu, were killed in the most gruesome manner and their decapitated bodies videotaped and circulated widely. The leader of the ESN team that killed the two officers is one 'Gentle'. ''Chinonso Okafor, the most influential commander of ESN in charge of Imo and Anambra States, as well as 'Gentle' and all those who perpetrated the abhorrent act will be made to face swift and sure justice,'' he said. While condemning the targeting and killing of security agents under any guise as a direct attack on the state that would not be tolerated, the minister said the continued attacks on security agents and agencies of government by ESN/IPOB ran contrary to calls in certain quarters for a political solution to the IPOB issue. He also queried why those making calling for political solution have yet to condemn the appalling murder of serving police officers. The minister, however, paid glowing tributes to the officers, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service to their fatherland,

as well as all security agents, who were serving the nation to the best of their ability in a most difficult moment. He further condoled with the families of the slain officers, praying that God to comfort and strengthen them. Meanwhile, NEF, while advising President Buhari not to yield to pressure to release Kanu, said granting such request could do more harm to the country. A group under the aegis of Highly Respected Igbo Greats, led by First Republic parliamentarian and Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, had recently met with the president at the State House, Abuja, where they demanded unconditional release of the IPOB leader. The president said their demand for unconditional release of Kanu was a difficult one, but he would consider the request of the respected Igbo leaders.

NEF Kicks against Kanu’s Release

But the Director of Publicity and Advocacy of NEF, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, in a statement yesterday said there were no safe, constructive or informed grounds for granting the request. According to him, "Northern Elders Forum has carefully studied the request of Igbo Elders for President Muhammadu Buhari to terminate the trial of Nnamdi Kanu and release him unconditionally. It has also noted President Buhari’s response, which both raised very weighty issues related to the request, and his commitment to consider it. "The forum notes that there are no safe, constructive or informed grounds for granting the request, and advises that President Buhari will do serious injury to a country already threatened by multiple challenges to its security and territorial integrity if he delays announcing the only responsible response, which is that the judicial process in the case of Kanu must be allowed to run its course." The forum alluded to a judicial decision to label bandits and kidnappers as terrorists, and recommended greater clarity in terms of the targets of this development. It added, "In any event, the forum cautions against profiling and targeting all Fulani as terrorists. Millions of law-abiding Fulani exist, who should be encouraged to stay on the side of the law, while those who have chosen to continue on the path of criminality should feel the full weight of the law." The forum further advised that

the national census planned for 2022 should be postponed until after the 2023 elections. It said the integrity and success of a sensitive and vital activity, such as census, would be compromised by destabilised and threatened communities and proximity to another sensitive activity, general election. While decrying the hardship under which the vast majority of the population lived, the forum noted that the increasing poverty level and widespread insecurity demanded that leaders should exercise extreme caution in taking economic and security-related decisions. It stressed that an increase in the price of fuel, in particular, would compound the already desperate condition of living of most Nigerians. NEF said it was important that decisions on this matter included consideration of the interests of the national economy, welfare of the citizens, and reactions of a hardpressed citizenry.

Kalu's Visit to Kanu

In a related development, Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, yesterday, visited Kanu, in the custody of the Department of State Services and advised him to be wary of some of his actions.

Kalu, in a statement personally signed, said the IPOB leader was in good health and under proper care. The former governor of Abia State, however, noted that he spoke with Kanu as a brother and told him the need to consider the consequences of certain actions that he would be taking. His words: “This afternoon, I visited my brother, Maazi Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody, Abuja. I met him in good health and care and we discussed as ‘Umunne’. “In 2001, when I was Governor, I made his father Eze Israel Okwu Kanu, the traditional ruler of Akwara Ukwu and since then the family has been very close to me. “I understand that Nnamdi has an insane number of people rooting for him back home and I encouraged him to consider the consequences of certain actions and utterances for the sake of the same people. “Even though my ideology and his ideology are totally different, God has made us brothers and we can’t run away from each other. I owe him and Nigerians good counselling, whether he and his family listen to me or not. I will continue to counsel him as I have always done in the past. What we need most is a peaceful and secured society.”

awaiting further directives from the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) to know the next action to take in the effort to prevent the new virus from coming to Nigeria. Spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, said all measures and directives usually came from the committee, which directed NCAA on what to enforce. Adurogboye said, “We are waiting for the Presidential Steering Committee to issue directives on ways to prevent the spread of the new variant to Nigeria. NCAA can only enforce the federal government directives.” General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, told THISDAY that while waiting for the directives from the Presidential Steering Committee, every FAAN official at the international airports had been kept on high alert. Yakubu said the agencies and Port Health officials had been given clear orders to ensure no passengers from the affected countries entered the country unscreened. She stated, “We are waiting for directive from the steering committee, but there have been a serious reinforcement at Port Health. All the airport managers are on high alert because this is a dangerous variant, which is deadly. “There will be an enforcement of all the protocols and procedures put in place for the COVID-19 already on ground. All the agencies concerned and Port Health, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, FAAN and others have all been put on notice to ensure no passenger comes into the country with this variant.”

NCDC Urges Nigerians to Vaccinate, Observe Protocols

In a related development, the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC urged Nigerians to ensure strict adherence to the public health and social measures put in place in view of the new COVID-19 variant. However, the disease control centre said the variant has so far not been detected in the country. In a statement issued by NCDC Director General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, the centre said, "We are aware of reports of a new COVID-19 variant – the B.1.1.529 lineage. This SARS-CoV-2 variant has now been designated a variant of concern (VOC) and named Omicron by WHO as advised by the independent Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE).” Considering the likelihood of increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant and its linkage to unmitigated community transmission, NCDC urged Nigerians to ensure strict adherence to the proven public health and social measures in

place. The measures are enforced by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC-COVID-19), through the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021. The NCDC boss said in order to reduce the risk of importation or spread of the Omicron variant in Nigeria, Nigerians should make use of the current opportunities to get vaccinated against COVID-19. He urged strict adherence to the public health and social measures, which include wearing of facemasks, especially in crowded settings, washing of hands regularly, physical distancing, and good ventilation. Others are avoiding travel to countries where there is a surge in COVID-19 cases or reported cases of the Omicron variant and avoiding all non-essential travels, both local and international. The centre said the virus was more likely to spread where people gathered without adhering to these measures. It appealed to business owners, religious leaders, and people in authority to take responsibility by ensuring people in their premises wore facemasks and adhered to physical distancing. "If you must travel, please, adhere to travel protocols instituted by the PSC-COVID-19, which are in place to prevent the risk of importation of the virus or its variants to Nigeria,” the statement said. The statement said WHO had also urged countries to enhance their surveillance and virus sequencing efforts to increase their understanding of the circulating variants. The Federal Ministry of Health and NCDC said they were monitoring emerging evidence on the new variant and its implication. Canada on Sunday said it had detected its first cases of the new Omicron strain of COVID-19 in two persons who arrived the country from Nigeria. But the federal government stated that the new variant had not yet been reported not in Nigeria. However, industry stakeholders observed that no airline flew directly from Nigeria to any destination in Canada. Therefore, it was expected that Canada would give details of where the two Nigerians connected their flight from after leaving Nigeria, and whether they spent some days in the country from where they connected heir flight to Canada. After South Africa announced the discovery of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, to the World Health Organisation (WHO), some countries banned flights from the African country. But Nigeria expressed solidarity with South Africa. The Nigerian government on Monday warned Western countries against discrimination against South Africa following travel restrictions imposed on Southern African countries in the aftermath of the new virus discovery.

COVID-19: OMICRON VARIANT YET TO BE DETECTED IN NIGERIA, SAYS FG infectious variant of COVID-19 elicited global concern. Muhammad said PSC would be issuing a travel guideline today to prevent the virus from spreading. The new travel guideline will require passengers arriving the country to do a PCR test 48 hours before departing. They would also do day two and day seven PCR tests on arrival while they will be required to self-isolate for seven days, he added. Muhammad explained: "Passengers that are outbound, going out of Nigeria, will be required to either show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or provide a negative PCR test taken 48 hours before departure. These conditions apply to diplomats as well. The measures will come into effect by Friday, 3rd of December, 2021." The Head of Technical Secretariat of PSC said the authority would ensure that there was enforcement on passengers who arrived and refused to take tests, through suspension of their passports and prosecution, or both. He added that PSC would step up surveillance at the ports of entry into the country, intensify testing

and contact tracing, and optimise sequencing capacity. Muhammad decried the promotion of vaccine nationalism, a pervasive inequality at the global level that made rich countries to be able to procure vaccines for their own citizens, through direct agreements with pharmaceutical companies, while low and middle countries lagged behind. He said this was one of the factors fuelling COVID-19 and the emergence of variants of concern, including Omicron. He warned that lack of vaccination in developing countries would provide a fertile ground for the virus to develop mutations, which will in turn threaten progress already recorded. Muhammad called on the developed countries to support efforts being made globally to ensure that there was equity and access to vaccines. The federal government also said it was reviewing the situation around the world and putting in place measures to curtail the effect of the new variant on the country. Speaking at the national briefing of the committee, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation

(SGF) and Chairman, PSC on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, urged Nigerians to exercise extra caution and vigilance in practice and enforcement of preventive measures. Mustapha stated, “As the DG WHO has just stated today, the emergence of the highly-mutated Omicron variant underlines just how perilous and precarious our situation is. South Africa and Botswana should be thanked for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant, not penalised.” He said both South Africa and Botswana should be commended for not hiding Omicron but revealing to WHO the outcome of their sequencing. Mustapha warned that other countries might in future choose to maintain silence, in the process putting the world at risk, instead of disclosing discovery of new outbreaks in order not to suffer liabilities, like the ones South Africa and Botswana are suffering. The SGF said PSC was aware of some travellers circumventing the travel protocols by providing fake COVID-19 test results, vowing, “The weight of the law is heavy and

will come hard on these people.” Mustapha said under the Vaccine Mandate that would come into effect fully on December 1, 2021, every federal government worker and, in essence, all Nigerians and residents were expected to get vaccination. He added: “With the developments around the world, people will not be able to travel without their verified vaccination cards.” The SGF also said the impasse on the Nigeria-UAE flights had been resolved in the interest of both parties. He said though this process had taken so long to pull through, with its ripple effects, everyone involved in getting the deal deserved plaudits. “A date for the commencement of flights between the two countries will be announced in due course,” he said. The SGF also said PSC’s nine months mandate extension would end on December 31. He said to effectively capture the core elements of the national response, a National Summit to end COVID-19 in 2022 and to strengthen Global Health Security was being planned to hold in Abuja 6-7 December.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Woman Ingests 80 Pellets of Cocaine to Raise N7m for IVF

Michael Olugbode inAbuja

A businesswoman Umrah (lesser Hajj) to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja after excreting 80 pellets of cocaine. The woman, 46-year-old Mrs. Adisa Olayinka, who claimed to have engaged on the enterprise to raise N7 million for an In Vitro fertilization (IVF) operation as she could no more bear the shame of being in a marriage for 28 years without a child, said she was introduced to the “deal” when she last visited Saudi Arabia for Lesser Hajj. According to the statement yesterday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, Olayinka was picked at the boarding/ screening area of the airport after she was suspected to have ingested hard drugs. She was subsequently taken into custody where she excreted 80 pellets of the illicit drug between Wednesday and Saturday, 27th November. The suspect, who was arrested at the boarding/screening area of the airport during an outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight

1418, claimed during interrogation that she saved N2.5million over a period of one year to buy the drugs in bits from six different people at Akala, Mushin area of Lagos State. The suspect further said she

was trading in clothes but had to borrow N1 million from three persons to make up the money used to buy the drugs, adding that she spent another N1 million to renew her passport, visa and buy return flight tickets.

Olayinka said she was encouraged to traffic the drugs by a woman she met during her last Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia in 2019. She added that she needed to raise N7 million for IVF treatment

due to pressure from people because she has been married for 28 years without a child due to fertility challenges. Meanwhile, another trafficker, Inusa Abdulrazaki was arrested with 101 wraps of Heroin

weighing 1.3 kilogrammes on Friday 19th November at Gate C -Departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos on his way to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.

SAFETY CONSCIOUS…

L-R: Go To Market Supply Chain Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Mr. Tobi Adeniyi; Business Manager, Oritsetimeyin Logistics Limited, Mr. Efeoghene Onosigbereohwo; Winner of the Overall Best Driver 2021, Oritsetimeyin Logistics Limited, Mr. Chinedu Okonkwo; Country Logistics Manager, Unilever Nigeria Plc., Mr. Jeremiah Aloko; and Safety, Health & Environment Manager Ghana-Nigeria, Unilever Nig Plc., Mrs. Rachael Ezembakwe at the Second the Edition of Unilever Nigeria Transporter’s Safety Week Awards Ceremony

Cross River, Anambra EFCC Arrests 60 at Yahoo Boys’ Awards Night Condole with Maduka over Wife’s Death Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has commiserated with the President of Coscharis Group, Cosmas Maduka, over the death of his wife, Mrs. Charity. Similarly, the Anambra State government has expressed shock over the passing away of Mrs. Maduka. In a condolence message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Christian Ita, Ayade said he received Mrs. Maduka’s untimely death with a profound sense of loss and shock. According to him, “I’m saddened and devastated by her departure not because she would have lived forever but because we never imagined she will be gone so soon. “I’m, however, consoled that she lived a life of service to God and humanity, for in the

words of Samuel Johnson, “it matters not how a man dies, but how he lives.” Ayade said Charity was a wonderful and rare source of wisdom, strength and wit which will be sorely missed by those who knew her. “As a diligent, hardworking and supportive wife, there is no doubt that she was an integral part of the success story that has become the Coscharis Group. Meanwhile, in a press release to mourn her, the Anambra State government through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, said that Mrs. Maduka was not just the wife of the chairman of one of Nigeria’s most successful businesses but the co-founder of the Coscharis conglomerate.

Operatives of the Lagos Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arrested 60 suspected internet fraudsters during an awards ceremony in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The commission, in a statement, said the event tagged “Peer Youths Awards”, was organised to reward high-level internet fraudsters. Items recovered from the

suspects at the point of arrest include exotic cars, electronic devices, laptop computers and mobile phones. It said the suspects will soon be charged to court. Meanwhile, the Kaduna Zonal Command of the commission yesterday arraigned one Daniel Dal before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court, Kaduna on one count charge bordering on employment scam. Daniel allegedly obtained

the sum of N1, 500,000 from his victim to secure a job for him with the Universal Basic Education Commission, which promise he failed to fulfil. Attempts by the victim to get a refund also failed. The charge reads: “That you, Daniel Dal sometimes between May 2019 and August 2020 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N 1, 470,000.00 only from Adamu Sule under a pretence

to secure a job for him with the Universal Basic Education Commission ( UBEC) which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offence Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (1) of the same Act”. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge, prompting the prosecuting counsel, P.C Onyeneho, to ask the court for a date for trial to commence.

Abiodun Wants DPO Redeployed over Fire Incident James Sowole inAbeokuta Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Governor, yesterday asked the Commissioner of Police (CP) for the Ogun State Command, Mr Lanre Bankole, to immediately redeploy the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Lafenwa, Abeokuta. The DPO, whose name was not disclosed, was alleged of

aiding and abetting crimes and criminality in and around the area, especially inside Lafenwa market and its environ. Abiodun also ordered the arrest of all miscreants allegedly involved in setting on fire of a petrol-laden tanker that led to the explosion on Sunday. Two persons were reportedly burnt to death when a petrol laden tanker overturned at Oju

Irin Lafenwa and spilled its content which flowed to the market area Abiodun gave the directives during an on-the-spot assessment of the scene of the fire incident. He said there were lot of reports against the DPO, stating that he was neither effective and efficient in carrying out his statutory duties of maintaining law and order in the area. “There are complaints against

the DPO here. I want that DPO investigated. I also want him removed from this place because this is not the first time that complaints have been lodged against him. “We have gotten several complaints against him about how he mismanages this place, particularly as it pertains to miscreants that come and disturb the traders.*

North-central PDP Demands to Produce President Gombe to Work with 2023: of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola the zone in during the PDP coming presidential primary Igbawase Ukumba in Laﬁa Saraki, emerges the zone’s sole presidential primaries of the election of the PDP, hence the Armed Forces on group’s chairman called for the The ABS Contact and Advocacy candidate in the forth coming party. presidential primary election He, however, lamented that endorsement of Bukola Saraki Committee of the Peoples Sustenance of Peace the coming up of multiple as the North Central Zone’s Democratic Party (PDP) of the PDP. Segun AwofadejiinBauchi

Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has said his will not relent in working in synergy with the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to maintain and reinforce the prevailing peace in Gombe State. The governor stated this yesterday when he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Gombe. He stressed the need for a symbiotic relation between Gombe State and the Nigerian Army to further promote peace and security in the State. Governor Yahaya lauded the key role of Nigerian armed

forces in peace building across the geopolitical zones of the federation. According to him, “I must admit that the presence of the Army gives us a great sense of security and stable mind because the greatest sacrifice that you made to even join the force means that you are there to protect Nigerians against all odds and at all cost; so we appreciate you and we shall continue to do so for what you are doing to the Federal Republic of Nigeria”. The Governor tasked the COAS to expedite action towards the relocation of the 301 Army barracks to its permanent site, stressing that while the military does its part, the State Government is equally providing substantial amount of support to see to the quick and easy movement of the Army base.

yesterday requested Nigerians to support the group’s quest for the North Central Zone of the country to produce the next president of Nigeria. The group equally called on people of the North-central Zone of the country to support it to ensure that the former president

Chairman of the group, Senator Iorwuese Hagher, made the call in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State, when he led the group on an advocacy visit to North-central geopolitical zone’s critical stakeholders of the PDP on the need for a sole presidential candidate for

aspirants during the 2019 presidential primary election of the PDP from the North-central geopolitical zone of the country was responsible for the edging of the zone during the contest. He therefore, cautioned against the repetition of the same thing in the forth

sole candidate. According to Hagher, “A presidential candidate from the zone can easily win the trust of the country, unite the country, build a cohesive country and virulently work on the security and economic problems.

JAMB Rakes in N141m in Seven Days from UTME Cashless Registration Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has declared that it generated N141.2 million between November 20 and November 26, 2021 through electronic transactions and stated that it would adopt cashless policy for 2022 Unified Tertiary

Matriculation Examination (UTME) registration. The examination explained that the N141.2 million were from e-facilities/ sales-N100,752,479, 2021; late registration- N30875438; consultancy services– N7,451,224 and PRC Service Charge-N2,167,865.00. The Spokesperson of the

JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said that with the adoption of the new system, JAMB would be collecting the approved N700 registration fee on behalf of the various Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres along with its UTME registration fees. Benjamin said that money due to each registration centre would be remitted to

relevant bank accounts on a weekly basis or any timeframe acceptable to the centre owners. He said that JAMB’s decision to go cashless in the UTME registration exercise would put an end to some of the fraudulent activities of some CBT centres, who charged candidates above stipulated fee.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

COMMENT

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

LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT NISS

The new graduates of NISS are equipped with leadership responsibilities, writes Afakriya A. Gadzama

s the 2021 set of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) graduates in two weeks time, it marks an important milestone indicating that the Institute has made tremendous progress in all facets of its mandate as stipulated in the Establishment Act at inception three years ago. The Institute was conceived to, among other things, bridge the gap in the chain of strategic institutions established to produce knowledgeable security intelligence and paramilitary practitioners with pedigree comparable to what obtains in other countries. The focus of the Institute is providing an avenue for bringing together course participants from different institutions in the national security establishment to exchange ideas on security challenges that have undermined effective synergy among security, intelligence and paramilitary organizations. This objective has become imperative in the light of the myriad of security challenges that have besieged the country in the last one decade. The harmonious working relationship between security stakeholders in the country at a time it is facing daring security challenges that threaten its sovereignty and the quest for unity and stable democracy were also major topics of discussion during the course. The relevance of the course cannot be overemphasized. Also central in the Institute’s mandate is addressing operational challenges and limitations, forging desirable working relationship among the various security agencies and the need for change in attitude in a changing security landscape, especially curbing excesses and incivility. Participants were therefore urged to turn a new leaf to an attitude consistent with contemporary operational practice and truthfulness in security undertakings. It is important to note that security practice, particularly efforts geared to addressing current security challenges, are characterized by conflicts in roles, envy and differences in doctrines and operational approaches. Participants during their 10- month stay in the Institute were accordingly taken through the fundamentals of interagency cooperation and collaboration in operations and intelligence sharing. This is in addition to discussing what governments expect from security agencies. This new concept of security is apparently more relevant to the current security challenges bedevilling the country. As a result, the participants are graduating better informed and equipped than when they came and of course getting acquainted with each other. In an effort to turnout well informed, confident and knowledgeable participants with the required competence and disposition, much time was spent on knowledge management and conduct expected of security operatives. Those graduating have also been taken through better management practices. The lectures on management and leadership in times of crisis were particularly noteworthy. As a critical component of the course, the participants immensely benefited from the experiences of former Service Chiefs, very experienced senior officers, new approaches in contemporary security management and their inter-action with their foreign counterparts. The Institute in the course of exposing participants to best practices in security management also took time to lecture them on tendencies and short comings that result in security failures in the country. Accordingly, the limitations of various security agencies in the discharge of their responsibilities in the country were frankly discussed during interactive sessions. They were also sensitized on imbibing the culture of truthful-

OTHER REVELATIONS IN THE COURSE OF RESEARCH BY THE INSTITUTE IS THAT NATIONAL SECURITY CHALLENGES SUCH AS THE INSURGENCY IN THE NORTH EAST, THE RESTIVENESS IN THE NIGER DELTA, THE ACTIVITIES OF LAWLESS HERDSMEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY … ARE COLLECTIVELY THE CONSEQUENCE OF POOR GOVERNANCE

ness, civility and integrity in security management. Expectedly, the ENDSARS riots were extensively examined by the course participants, leading to a consensus that the operations of nearly all security and related agencies need to be purged of excesses, unethical practices and shortcomings. The flip side is that some of the best brains and hands in the country can be found in security organizations in the country notwithstanding uninformed criticisms in some quarters. It was established during discussion sessions that the challenges of security management in the country include lack of appropriate working tools, inadequate manpower, uninspiring leadership and poor attitude to work. It is believed that the Nigerian security establishment will do better if given the right leadership, orientation and appropriate working tools. Above all, security agencies in the country need to be inculcated with the understanding that they are subservient to the people and not the other way round. The graduating participants were taken through best practices that will enhance performance and consistently urged to discard all old practices and sentiments that have proved unproductive and retrogressive. The Institute is accordingly in the forefront of promoting security without brutality and disrespect to human rights. It is in furtherance of this that respect for human rights is being considered a major component of lectures for the next course. Another rewarding experience for participants were the study tours to states and the overview of security challenges across the nation. The foreign study tours were of immense benefits to the participants and stakeholders because they gave comparative insights into the experiences of countries around the world. A critical area which constitutes very important topic of research that the participants were lectured on was the causes of insecurity in the country. The participants were extensively lectured on the pre-disposing causes of insecurity in the country. Among reasons identified were the underdeveloped nature of the country, ever growing population, leadership challenges and rancorous nature of politics. Although some people find it hard to appreciate, the failure of governments to meet the aspirations of the citizenry is emerging as one of the major causes of insecurity, failure of governance and leadership. Inability to properly manage growing restiveness is the result of failure to effectively manage the plight of the citizenry. The shortcomings of those in position of power were particularly alarming. It was also observed that the country’s large population of unemployed youths will be a major security challenge in the near future unless addressed. Other revelations in the course of research by the Institute is that national security challenges such as the insurgency in the North East, the restiveness in the Niger Delta, the activities of lawless herdsmen across the country and the menace of kidnapping, hostage taking and activities of armed bandits are collectively the consequence of poor governance and failure to positively impact the lives of people. Discrimination, marginalization and injustice were also identified as major causes of disaffection and expression of suppressed disaffection in the country. Other issues discussed as contemporary security challenges in the nation are the emergence of secessionist groups and sentiments and political malpractices.

Gadzama mni, OFR is Chairman, Board of Directors National Institute for Security Studies, Bwari, Abuja

WHEN THE PAST HAUNTS THE PRESENT Mohammed Hassan Lawan writes that the former governor of Gombe State is being paid in his own coin

ecent happenings in Gombe State, the Jewel in the Savannah, where a former governor of the state and senator representing Gombe Central, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, was allegedly attacked when he visited the state, point to one glaring but ruinous fact: that people often reap what they sow. Make no mistake about it; this piece is not to gloat over what had happened, not at all. It is to put things in their right perspective and remind those that may have forgotten how and when this kind of unfortunate scenario crept into Gombe and why it desperately wants to return now, albeit unsuccessfully. Since the unfortunate event of Friday, November 5, a lot has been written about Goje’s antecedents, scheming, all of which are a bitter part of the history of Gombe State. Truth be told, Goje, it was who schemed himself into what allegedly happened to him on November 5, and he should blame nobody for the fate that befell him. Rather than complain, he should find the most peaceful place in his abode and regurgitate his past with a view to making amends. The legacy he left in Gombe State is what no sane man born of a woman would want to leave behind. I, like many others, was taken aback, when after the orchestra staged by Goje and his co-travellers, he could summon the courage to accuse a man that the Gombe people have come to know and associate with anything peaceful, Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, of being the brain behind his self-inflicted ordeal. When he observed that his bare-faced lies against Governor Yahaya were not gaining traction, he

quickly turned to the governor’s security aides, the ADC and the Chief Security Officer, and accused them of personally attacking him. He did that through a petition he wrote to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and the country’s police chief, IGP Baba Alkali, where he made sundry allegations against the young and promising security officers, all in a futile attempt to tarnish their professional career. One thing with Goje is that he failed to understand that he has stopped being the governor of Gombe State for over a decade now, having left the stage on May 29, 2011. This same attitude of his, where he practically wants to lord himself over those that succeeded him in office as governor, was what made him sever his relationship with his former political godson, Ibrahim Dankwambo, who could not stomach his excesses. What he could not get away with under Dankwambo is what he thinks he could get away with under Yahaya. There can’t be two governors in a state at a time! The sooner Goje realizes that, the better for him. For those that may not know, what is at stake is the fact that Goje, at 69, an age that qualifies him as an elder, wants to swallow his vomit. On Sunday, December 8, 2019, less than six months into his third term in office as senator, Goje, during an event tagged ‘Goje Empowerment Programme’ held at the popular Pantami Stadium, Gombe, told the world that he would never contest for any political office in his life anymore. On that day, Goje mesmerized his listeners by saying: “I have had the rare opportunity of contesting and winning the seven elections conducted

by various national electoral commissions. In the Second Republic during the Shagari government as a very young man, I contested and won election into the then Bauchi State House of Assembly. In 1998, I also contested and won election as a Senator for Gombe Central Senatorial District under the defunct UNCP during the Abacha regime. I then in 2003 contested and won the Governorship election for Gombe State. I was re-elected in 2007. In 2011, 2015 and 2019, I contested and won the three elections for the Gombe Central Senatorial District. “Therefore, having contested and won all the seven elections in addition to being a minister for the country, | strongly believe that Allah (SWT) has been extremely kind to me. i believe not many Nigerians have been so lucky and blessed… “It is in the light of the foregoing and having reached an advanced age, I wish to formally inform you that I have decided not to contest any other election again. For the avoidance of doubt, I will not contest any election at all levels. “I believe that I need to give the younger ones the opportunity to also grow and showcase their God-given talent especially in this digital age.” He then promised to “continue to be an active card-carrying member of the APC and participate in all political activities at all levels except that I will not contest any election.” However, Goje is by every action ready to backtrack on that pledge he made when no one placed a gun on his head so to do. And that is what has made him to go searching for how to manipulate his way to recontest his Senate seat in 2023. For a supposed ‘Dattijo,’ the Hausa word for an elderly person, who boastfully told a crowd

that he would be out of the stage, to now come and play pranks on the same people, is, to put it mildly, utterly deceptive and shameful. In his latest fusillade, Goje alleged that he was attacked unprovoked by thugs. Really? Is it the same Goje that once terrorised the political space in Gombe that is now crying foul? Indeed, wonders, they say, shall never end. But I was glad when I came across an advertorial on some national dailies by the Gombe State Government and signed by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Julius Ishaya, who rightly placed Goje where he belongs. Chronicling Goje’s past, Ishaya said: “As a government, we are compelled to let the public have a retrospective look at some of his antecedents when he served as governor of Gombe State. The records speak for themselves! Many individuals, highly respected elders, traditional and religious leaders, business and political class, including the elites who at one time or the other were openly humiliated, harassed, witch-hunted, arrested, imprisoned or even forced to go on exile are alive and in a good position to bear testimony to Goje’s reign of terror between 2003 and 2011. No doubt, it was Danjuma Goje that invented the dreaded Kalare… “History will never forget when Goje ordered for the arrest of his predecessor in office, Abubakar Habu Hashidu in broad day light. The late Hashidu was arrested on trumped up charges, brought to court and was earmarked for imprisonment. Goje’s case is a classic example of when the past haunts the present. Lawan wrote from Gombe

T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

EDITORIAL CONTAINING THE AITEO OIL SPILLS The authorities must hasten their eﬀort to stop the ﬂow

ollowing the uncontrollable flow of oil that is fanning from a blowout in the facility of Santa Barbara Well 1 of Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company, operator of the NNPC/AITEO Joint Venture on OML 29, several communities in Niger Delta are now at serious risk. The cause of the blowout which started on 5th November is still being investigated but preliminary reports indicate equipment failure while officials of the company have not been able to contain the flow because of the high pressure believed to be lifethreatening. This same high pressure is the reason a committee the federal government set up to investigate the spew and cap the wellhead has been unable to access the site. The inaccessibility of the wellhead location is reportedly due to the hydrocarbon fumes that have saturated the atmosphere in the area. As things stand, it is imperative for the federal government to step in, beyond stopping Aiteo from continuing EXPERTS HAVE their work, which DESCRIBED THE SPILL cannot continue anyway. There is an AS A MAJOR DISASTER urgent need to invite THAT THREATENS ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE experts from around WETLANDS, KILLING FISH, the world that are familiar with this SHRIMPS, AND OTHER type of hazardous MARINE LIVES, AS WELL situation to help cap AS BIRDS the wellhead and contain the spill. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) comprising the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment, community representatives and Aiteo should consider the long-term impact of this tragic incident. Already, the oil spill has polluted the rivers and lakes in the communities, gravely affecting lives and livelihoods of the people. Sources of fresh water

Letters to the Editor

for drinking and cooking are contaminated. For many of the communities in Bayelsa and Rivers States, the situation is dire with a technical expert engaged by Ijaws in the Diaspora stating that “after 15-20 days of continuous ﬂow, the spill has already released a minimum of 150,000 – 200,000 barrels of toxic hydrocarbons into the sensitive mangrove ecosystem and possibly twice that much. Even by international standards, this constitutes a major hydrocarbon spill, and its impacts are likely to be serious, extensive and long lasting.”

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

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

here is already an emergency. People in the affected communities need immediate assistance to enable them cope in their polluted environment. Experts have described the spill as a major disaster that threatens ecologically sensitive wetlands, killing fish, shrimps, and other marine lives, as well as birds. But more disturbing is that of the livelihood of the people threatened as their main stay, which is commercial fishing will have to be put on hold for a long time. It is even said that the situation may cause displacement of some people, unless properly handled. NOSDRA has already instructed Aiteo to guarantee the future of its operations in the area by carrying out concrete actions to address the situation, which will include clean-up of impacted areas, remediation of spill site, as well as post-spill impact damage assessment. Aiteo says it is closely monitoring all activities related to the affected communities, viz. feeding, lighting, hygiene, drinking water and medical requirements with the help of local associations while also regularly monitoring the quality of air to ascertain the livability of the affected areas. However, before a clean-up of the immediate and extended areas impacted by the blowout, the pressing challenge is to stop the flow. It is also important to learn useful lessons that would ensure we do not have this sort of tragedy again. The responsibility for that rests with not only Aiteo but all the oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to speciﬁc publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

MINNA CITY CHORALE AND ORCHESTRA SOCIETY

ow do you define “civilisation?” Well, contrary to the principle of relativity in physics, it would seem that the idea of “civilisation” is an idea of absoluteness, and this is where the world of today finds itself in abysmal mess because the conceptualisation of “civilisation” is warped, thus we have strife, terror, hunger, pestilence, etc., to show for pursuits of “civilisation” as savages define it. I have drawn an informal “scale-of-civilisation” (known to me and me alone as the schedule of “Refined-Cultured-Sophisticated,” R-C-S, by which I judge on a scale of one to 10 how I perceive the other person’s “tastes and actions,” with “open defecation habits” not even qualified to have the unity assigned value, naturally). It is Sunday 28th November 2021 and my former student here at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Stephen Harrison (music director), invited me over once again for a scheduled two-hour performance by the Minna City Chorale and Orchestra Society, an event I have come to tag in my mind, “an evening of savouring civilisation in the midst of adversity.” The anchor of the evening, Akin Agbejule (isn’t this compere one heck of a speaker of the English Language? Minna got talents, uh?), unknowingly taught me a brief lesson in musicology when he remarked in passing that what was the Minna Chorale Society now has a catchy appendage, the “Orchestra Society” and that explained the presence of a cello on stage plus the “big brother of cello,” a man-sized cello-esque giant called “double bass” if I heard right (the thought-consciousness “orchestra pit” briefly flashed through my mind). At the end of any session of this Society I have attended, I always come away with the feeling that Nigerians “aren’t yet enjoying life, even the ‘big men’” but, with the right re-set buttons pushed down, we can do “merriment” and be “merry people”

though we should spare a thought for Leah Sharibu and those hapless Nigerians sharing her fate this moment. I always feel rotten that I could not do anything to assist this Society spread its wings, so to say, but it was “sweet music to my ears” when the Minna patron of this Society, Pastor Yerima El-Samaila (was he not the one my late best friend, Samuel Ekpeyong, recalled as Pastor Samande of the Faith Foundation Church in the early 1990s?) mentioned that Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s veep, is a keen and avid “fan” of this Society. Now, eh eh, I said it, I knew it in my heart, the one who can appreciate the productions of this Society is a “sophisticated dude.” Good news there by Pastor El-Samaila, plus the announcement that the veep’s 2021 “Christmassing” involves a performance by this Society by mid-December at Abuja. Oh, boy! Now, those “re-set buttons” are being pushed down so folks outside Minna may also be “merry” especially since “’tis the season to be merry, la la la la la la la la la.” Yeah, if one judges Minna town by its “culturisation or ‘life’ or happenings,” it’d be a surprise that a high-cultured orchestra group can be domiciled in Minna. But, thank God for Christianity and the grits that determined Christians possess to nurture and sustain “lively ideals” (like education, gospel music, folk music, entertainment, hospitality businesses, etc.) in the face of near-impossible odds. The Minna City Chorale and Orchestra Society is matured now to be a global travelling band, bringing succour, à la Africa free-spirited enthusiasm, to troubled souls around the world. My hunch about this Society’s great potential and sophistication has been vindicated by Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. The humble beginnings of this Society and the “humble-humblity” of Minna town was the reason for that nagging, “uh, really?” thing at the back of my mind. Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State

KING CANUTE COULDN’T STOP THE TIDE

ing Canute was a British ruler who was considered almost godly by his people, so in order to dispel this he sat at the edge of the ocean and commanded the waves to stop coming in. He got wet feet. The Australian government is going to try and stop the tidal wave of online abuse by trolls using social media. They will introduce legislation that will require Social Media companies to reveal the details of trolls so that those attacked can sue for defamation. If they won’t or can’t provide the information then the companies can be sued instead. Although the basic idea is good, to expose the hidden keyboard warriors, the reality isn’t so simple. Many people are able to use fake emails or spoof emails addresses as is shown daily by the emails I get from governments offering to give me massive amounts of money for a small fee. On the assumption that they then move to sue Instagram, Facebook or any of the other social media platforms it is unlikely the small individual will be able to match the legal resources of any massive company. It will be David versus Goliath again but without a slingshot being available and I think the government will get wet feet too. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021

POLITICS

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

Understanding the Bills to Fix our Broken Roads Udora Orizu examines the problems with Nigerian roads and the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the road bills passed by the National Assembly, as a sure path to ending the perennial woes over the nation’s federal roads

Buhari

ast October, the Senate finally took what many see as a major step towards arresting Nigeria’s worsening road infrastructure when it concurred two House of Representatives Bills, the Federal Roads Bill and the National Roads Fund Bill. Both Bills, which were sponsored by the Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, as the lead sponsor, and Hon. Ossai Nicholas as the co-sponsor, were passed by the House in December 2019. But the Bills started their initial legislative journey in the 8th Assembly when they were first passed by both chambers, but were not signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari. This necessitated their reintroduction in the current NASS by their initial sponsors. The state of the roads have been a matter of serious concern to the National Assembly in recent times. Last month also, the Senate passed a resolution urging the Federal Government to immediately declare a state of emergency on Nigerian roads. This came in the wake of the threats by Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to withdraw their services over the poor state of Nigerian roads and incalculable losses by their members. “We are going on nationwide strike because of the deplorable and shameful state of our highways. When a truck loads petrol in Lagos, the drivers spend five to six days to get to Abuja because of the shameful state of the roads. Tanker drivers have been going through harrowing situation and the increased rate of fire incidences involving petroleum tankers with accompanying massive destruction of lives and properties of our members and general public is enough,” Tayo Aboyeji, South-west Zonal Chairman of NUPENG, said. Also, the House of Representatives have severally called for action on Nigerian roads. The House has entertained at least two motions in the last two months calling out the federal executive on the state of the roads. In September, the House, vide a motion by Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka (APC, Ogun), urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to immediately mop up all available funds to begin emergency repairs on the roads and to develop an actionable plan to execute the repairs, pledging needed legislation support for such action plan. Likewise, vide another motion sponsored by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Okechukwu, which was also joined by the Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Whip of the House, Nkeiruka Onyejocha, House Spokesman, Benjamin Kalu and 37 others, the House called on the Federal Government to immediately commence reconstruction and repair works on many broken roads across the country. A National Problem Although each region appears to assess itself as the worse off, the sad reality is that from East to West, from North to South, the story is the same everywhere. From the Apapa,

Fashola

Lawan

which serves key national economic asset like the Nigerian ports, as well as, the Lagos-Badagary Road to the DamaturuMaiduguri Road and Kano-Maiduguri Road, Kano-Katsina Road, Abuja-Lokoja Road,Abuja-Minna Road, East-West Road in the Niger Delta, Onitsha-Owerri Road, Enugu-Port Harcourt Road, Ikot EkpeneUmuahia road; the story is the same. By the Nigerian constitution, the most a lawmaker can do is to get projects into the national budget and possibly lobby the executive headed by the President to have the roads awarded and funded. The other is to make laws for proper funding and governance of the roads. But Nigerians, out of the daily frustrations they face on the roads, are fond of blaming lawmakers over the poor state of their roads. Ironically, it is noteworthy that the state of the roads appear to have equally defied presidential powers. Lagos-Ibadan Road could not be fixed in Obasanjo’s eight-year presidency. Also, the federal roads connecting Abeokuta; from both Lagos and Ibadan are also not good testimonies. The East-West Road, which is the major artery road connecting the entire Niger Delta region did not fair differently for the nearly six years Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was President. In July this year, the youths of the Nigeria Delta occupied the road in a protest that lasted for days. In the same vein, the Yenogoa-Otuoke Road is equally anything but presidential. It’s the Model and Funding Asinine? Although government has continued to award road contracts, the funding has been very abysmal. During a recent 2022 budget defence session with the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the Ministry would need N7.4 trillion to complete ongoing

854 highways and bridge projects across the country. Not just that, government indebtedness to contractors had jumped from N392 billion in 2020 to N420.5 billion in 2021, according to him. Fashola, therefore called for embargo on new road contracts pending the funding and completion of the already awarded road projects. “We appropriate for a very token amount for a project of certain quantum, now once the award is done, the question of financing becomes a challenge. With the inflation and everything, there must come a time and I think that time is now. Mr. Chairman and honourable members, enough of new roads and new projects. “In view of the wide disparity between the actual 2022 indicative cost of execution of highway projects of N1,384,622,535,379.62 (N1.3 trillion) and the actual budget envelope of N282,636,433,510.69 (N282.6 billion), the prioritisation of funding in the 2022 budget becomes imperative in order to make an appreciable impact.” From Fashola’s insight, it is easily deducible that each annual capital budgetary allocation to the Ministry, which is usually less than N300 billion has never been enough to offset FG’s indebtedness to contractors, let alone service new contracts, which are approved almost on weekly basis by Federal Executive Council. Worse, the paltry budgetary allocations are hardly released to the tune of more than 50 per cent. The result is that road projects drag on forever with constructed portions dilapidating even while the contractor is still on site. It is noteworthy that the Federal Emergency Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), which is supposed to maintain the roads, is grossly underfunded. According to Senator Gershom Bassey, the actual releases to the agency from 2016-2020 stood at just about 17 per cent

By the Nigerian constitution, the most a lawmaker can do is to get projects into the national budget and possibly lobby the executive headed by the President to have the roads awarded and funded. The other is to make laws for proper funding and governance of the roads. But Nigerians, out of the daily frustrations they face on the roads, are fond of blaming lawmakers over the poor state of their roads. Ironically, it is noteworthy that the state of the roads appear to have equally deﬁed presidential powers

Okechukwu

of the required sum. In Search of Strategic Approaches The FG has not rested on its ores as it continues to search for strategic approaches to Nigeria’s road challenges. Out of the nearly 1,000 ongoing road projects in Nigeria, only three are guaranteed to succeed: Abuja-Kano Road, Lagos-Ibadan Road, and 2nd Nigeria Bridge. This is because they are funded from the National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Fund, not the annual budget. Also, Fashola recently told the House that his Ministry had identified some strategic road projects and scheduled them for completion between 2021 to 2023 relying on the Presidential Infrastructure Fund, Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, the Sovereign Sukuk Fund, Multilateral Loans among others. Following the threat by NUPENG to withdraw its services, the FG recently gave an approval for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to construct 21 roads totalling 1804.6 kilometres. They consist nine roads in the North-central, three in the North East, two in the North-west, two in the South-east, three in the South-south, and two in the South-west. Also in August this year, the FG announced the reintroduction of toll gates 18 years after they were scrapped by the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2003. Minister of Works and Housing said only 14.3 per cent of the roads across the country would be affected with vehicles paying between N150 and N500 per trip. However, experts and stakeholders believe that these measures are knee-jerk approaches, non-institutionalised, and unsustainable. They fear that unless these FG’s planned interventions flow from well thought out laws, Nigeria would still find itself in worse road situation after wasting stupendous amount on the roads. “Everybody appears to have become an expert in road matters. Take the 21 roads approved for the NNPC to construct. When did NNPC become expert in road construction or road procurement? After the construction, what happens next? What happens to maintenance and governance? “Also, how can we just wake up and hand roads over to the private sector like the telecom companies and the like to contract without appropriate laws? Who is going to ensure that Nigeria is not short-changed because for every additional kobo in terms of overpricing, it is Nigeria’s tax revenue that it frittered away. We need to sit down and institutionalise the much needed private sector involvement in our roads through laws and ensure that we get things right”, a development expert, Dr. Nnanna Ayim Udeh stated. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021

POLITICS

North Central Zone and 2023 Presidency Chuks Okocha in this report takes a critical look at the aspirations of the north central to produce the number seat in 2023.

he race for who succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 is hotting up. The various interested individuals are already making a serious bid. Different calculations, meetings, and strategies aimed at getting the number one seat are on top gear. However, the race may take a new turn with leaders of the North-central Zone across the various political parties coming together to make a collective bid for the Presidency. The North-central leaders are set to accentuate their campaign and agitation for the rest of the country to support their aspiration for justice, equity, and national unity. Towards realising this idea, top-level meetings are going on in Abuja, Jos, Makurdi, Lafia, Ilorin, Minna, and Lokoja. The campaign is also to be handled at different levels with members of the National Assembly from the zone, former members of the National Assembly, present and past governors from the Zone, Speakers of the state Houses of Assembly, retired generals, business people, and traditional rulers being co-opted to start working at various levels to sell the agenda to their colleagues, friends, and associates from the other zone. The leaders of the North-central zone and their people believe that this time around, their counterparts in the North-central and Northeast zones should support their agitation to produce the next President. They stated that their agitation is supported by historical facts, the principle of justice and equity as well as the concept of brotherhood. They argued that since 1960 when Nigeria became independent, the unity of the North has been achieved because the North-central solidly supports the Arewa oneness. They noted how leaders like Chief Sunday Awoniyi, S. B. Daniyan, Alh. Aliyu Makaman Bida, Alh. Ahman Pategi, and others stood solidly behind Sir Ahmadu Bello and ensured the Gamji tree provided cover for all northerners. They also noted that when the military took over, the North-central was the reason Nigeria did not break into pieces as an aftermath of the 1966 coup. The nation had to look up to a young officer of North-central origin, Col. Yakubu Gowon as the most acceptable officer to provide stability, lower the tension and assuage hurt feelings across board. Part of their position is that North-central lost a lot of its people who fought as Nigerian soldiers during the civil war and that is why it is said the people of the area made supreme sacrifices to hold the nation together. By extension, It is also said that the zone holds the key to the unity of Nigeria. The North-central leaders also noted that in the Second Republic, leaders from the North in

Olawepo-Hashim

the now-defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) promised a North-central leader, Dr. Joseph Sarwuan Tarka the presidency before the decision was changed at the last minute in favour of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. Tarka was also denied the Senate Presidency while the zone was also not able to get the Speakership of the House of Representatives zoned to it due to the exigency of satisfying the NPN/ Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) accord. Yet the North-central remained solidly in support of the NPN. In fact, the North-central played a key role in the political development of Nigeria such that the region hosted some of the landmark events in the country. It was in Gboko that Alhaji Shehu Shagari was nominated for his second term. Jos hosted the Action Group National Convention in 1962 which led to the Awolowo-Akintola feud. In the same Jos, Chief M. K. O. Abiola in 1983 and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 were nominated as presidential candidate of their respective parties. They also added that nobody has become the President of Nigeria without having strong showing or support in the North-central. From Shagari to Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari. “This our zone decides who becomes the President. We are tired of being kingmakers. We want to produce the King because we have numerously qualified, experienced and connected individuals.”

Saraki

They noted that as a multi-cultural, multireligious, and multi-ethnic region, the Northcentral remains better placed to unite the country as it represents a mini-Nigeria, a bridge between North and South. In the same way, the zone is also the food basket of the nation because of the rich land, its numerous mineral resources, industrious and friendly people. Before the discovery of oil in South-south zone in 1958, Nigeria depended on agricultural produce and solid minerals, both of which are abundant in the North-central zone. Now, that fossil oil is going out of fashion as a source of energy, the return to agriculture and mineral resources as sources of national wealth will place North Central back in its rightful place as the economic backbone of Nigeria. The neglect of agriculture and mineral resources buried in the soil of the North-central has deliberately impoverished the people of the region. A deliberate action by the rest of Nigeria to support a President from the Northcentral zone will help to conquer poverty and alleviate the suffering of the people. This may be the turning point that the country needs to wage war against poverty, create wealth and uplift the standard of living of Nigerians from all works of life. The North-central leaders are also claiming that it is the only zone that has neither produced a President nor Vice President since the advent of the country. This fact, they stated, placed them in a worse situation than that of the South-east which between 1979 - 1983 produced Vice President Alex Ekwueme. It is believed the North-central agitation was inspired by the success of the South-South zone which ended up producing a Vice President and President in Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

Jonathan served as Vice President for three years and as President for five years. According to a leader in the North-central zone, the success of the South-south in producing a President has imbued confidence, the spirit of nationalism, and patriotism in the people of the zone. “Lack of that confidence and sense of belonging are the problems of our people. It has led to low morale and complex issues in our people. This time around, we must give it all it takes. We must persuade the rest of the country to give one of our qualified brothers and sisters the chance to make a positive difference in our country. And we have many such qualified people from all the six states in the North-central - Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and the FCT.” The North-central leaders have called all the men and women in the zone qualified to be President to join the race in their respective political parties and provide solid backing for the North central agitation. “The plan is to ensure that two or at least one of the two leading political parties presents a presidential aspirant from our zone while the other parties also get ready to present presidential candidates who are from the Zone. Then you will see our people solidly coming out to persuade the rest of the country to vote for a Nigerian candidate from the North-central,” one of the leaders stated. The North-central leaders believe a candidate from the zone can easily win the trust of the rest of the country, unite the country, build a cohesive country and virulently work on the security and economic problems. A Nigerian President from the North-central has a point to prove. He needs to do so well to assure the rest of the country that they have not made a mistake and that they have just made a choice which they ought to have made all the while. The North-central leaders are working silently to ensure that the idea of a Nigerian President from the zone is acceptable to all and sundry from the zone and that it becomes a consensually accepted idea. The North-central leaders are set to start sending emissaries to all the other geo-political zones where they will meet other leaders and persuade them to help make the idea of a Nigerian from the North-central zone possible the way they did in 1999 when the entire country was made or persuaded to elect a Nigerian President from South-west. The gains of the unity, strength, and vigour built during that time show it was still the best since the return to democracy. There is no doubt that the North-central zone is serious about lobbying, persuading, and influencing the rest of the country to make 2023 a year for electing a North-central president.

Mass Resignation in Gombe APC Over Goje, Inuwa Feud Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that the face-oﬀ between Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and a former governor of the state, Senator Danjuma Goje continues to get messier

bout 80 per cent of ward executives of All Progressives Congress (APC) from Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area Gombe State, have resigned their position over Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje and Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya feud. The ward executives, which constitute about 80 per cent of the entire ward executives, announced the decision last Thursday after a stakeholders’ meeting. Addressing newsmen after the meeting, immediate past chairman of APC in Yamaltu/ Deba LGA, Alhaji Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the ward executives resigned from their respective offices in protest to the disrespect and ‘attack’ on Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje’s convoy, three weeks ago. He said the party leaders arrived at the decision after a stakeholders’ meeting of the party executives from the LGA. According to him, the executives condemned the attack and decided to align with the Senator considering the fatherly role he has been playing towards the development of the state and the country at large. He added that to well-meaning party members in the state, Senator Goje is the only recognized leader of the APC and deserve utmost respect considering the critical role he played in forming

Yahaya

Goje and nurturing the party. “In fact, it was the key role he played that culminated to the emergence of Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya as governor of the state and victory of the party across all levels. “Therefore, as political leaders of

APC in the 11 wards of Yamaltu/Deba LGA. We hereby affirm our support and loyalty to Senator Goje as the genuine and recognized leader of the APC in Gombe state,” he declared. The party chieftain added that the unmatched achievement of Senator Goje in the last 10 years through numerous constituency project that have

direct bearings on the lives of people, couldn’t be overemphasise. He added that Senator Goje has executed numerous projects in each and every 11 wards of Akko and Yamaltu/Deba LGAs, which constituted the Gombe Central Senatorial Districts. Each of the executives that resigned their position took turn to speak after appending their signature and announced their resolve to continue to support the Senator politically. Earlier in the month, the daughter of Goje, Hussaina resigned as the state’s Commissioner for Environment and Forest Resources, one day after suspected political thugs assaulted her father. Goje, a serving senator, has been in a running political battle with incumbent Governor Muhammadu Yahaya. Both men denied the rift until the public attack against Goje took their relationship into an unavoidable bad curve. Although Goje’s daughter attributed her resignation to “personal reasons,” which she refused to disclose, the timing of her exit from the Gombe executive council raised telling questions. The new twist of mass resignation is not only a pointer to the worsening relationship between the two political leaders in Gombe, but may herald more resignation in solidarity with Goje, while weakening Governor Yahaya.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOCUS Trials and Triumphs Of Amaju Pinnick At 51 How He has Transformed African Football His Huge Impact in Sports, Education, Poverty Alleviation Why President Buhari Honoured Him Inside His Catalogue of Awards For a man who challenged resolve with steely grit and exploited the arduous planes of ambition and toil till he encountered grandeur at the crossroads where wild contemplation and hard work morph into triumph, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, Chairman, the Nigerian Football Federation and member of the FIFA Executive Council, who clocks 51 on December 1, continues to turn excellence and humaneness into an art form. As far as business ideas and innovations are concerned, he turns nothing down, except the collar of his shirt, writes Lanre Alfred A MASTER OF HIS UNIVERSE

should be very proud. He (Pinnick) represents this country with pride. He represents African Football worldwide with pride,” Motsepe said in his appraisal of Pinnick’s stewardship.

ike an indefatigable mariner, Amaju Pinnick rides the storms, bolstered by a tenacious spirit and mulish resolve to excel and arrive with his dreams intact on pliant coasts. Today, that unyielding spirit of his has paid off. It has seen him through the teething and oft tumultuous stages of the cut-throat world of global football till he emerged unhurt and stronger in spirit and resolve like a champ. In the pursuit of glory, the Warri, Delta Stateborn football administrator learnt to thrive like a lily in unimaginable valleys. Like the daring mushroom that pierces the motionless eternity of earth, pushing clearly but obstinately, through faint form, till the hour of fertility strikes, Pinnick sought to flourish where many have cowed to defeat. Shedding doubts like ragged clothing, he tilled the thick darkness of the soil, on whose cliff the fair flower advances, till the flag of its whiteness defeated the contemptible famine of night, and from the motion of light, spills itself in astonished seeds. By dint of hard work, he honed his talent and schooled himself against the barrage of life’s hard knocks until his fortunate hour. There comes a time in every man’s metamorphosis when he arrives at the conviction that to give in to envy is to be ignorant; to imitate is to commit suicide; and that he must take himself for better or worse as a model of his fashioning; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn shall come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which he seeks to till. The moment Pinnick realized this fact, he became aware of the immense power residing within him. He attained that rare understanding that enhances a man’s capacity to accept that none but he can set a ceiling to what height he could reach and what glory he may achieve. This attainment in understanding was, however, not without pre-established harmony. Every faculty that constitutes his being came to accept that he was doomed for gloom if he, like most half-formed men, failed to fully express his God-given abilities. Thus, he simply chose to be unashamed of that divine idea, which he represents because God will not have his work made manifest by a coward, a man who feared his capacity to thrive, so argued Pinnick. In his attempt to thrive, genius ennobled him by complimenting his efforts; the proverbial muse befriended him thus, his evolution as an alpha of a man. Through global football politics’ turbulent tides and windstorms, the unyielding spirit, ingenuity and incorruptibility of Pinnick have paid off. Pinnick’s global influence in the footballing world has been acknowledged from quarters that matter; a fact which speaks volume of the transformative leadership he has brought to bear on football administration in Nigeria. His managerial acumen deployed to taking national football management from the doldrums to an efficiently run and profitable federation has elicited rave commendations from the high and the mighty. Accolades trailed Pinnick when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State received the President of the Federation International Football Association (FIFA), Gianni Infantino, and other distinguished guests, were welcomed to the state during the maiden Aisha Buhari Women’s Cup. At a dinner event tagged ‘Dinner With The Best of Corporate Nigeria’ in honour of Infantino and his CAF counterpart, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, Governor Sanwo-Olu had thought it the Aisha Buhari Women’s Cup was just going to be a competition; he admitted Lagos State got more than the hosting rights by having FIFA president to grace the occasion, underscoring Pinnick as a

ELECTION INTO FIFA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Pinnick global asset of Nigerian origin. “We just thought it we are going to have the competition. But when Pinnick told me that ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to get CAF President to come here.’ I said ‘That’s really good.’ He further said ‘Not only him, Gianni himself is going to come.’ I said ‘Wow!’ “For these two men to be under the same roof at the same time in Lagos, in the same, it is big. It is big. I cannot but thank you both enough. You have honoured us; and you have honoured us greatly. You have given us hope. You have given us belief that indeed, our strength is in our unity,” Sanwo-Olu impressively said Acknowledging the roll-call of the very important personalities and leaders of the Corporate Nigeria Pinnick brought together to grace the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu was full of adulations for Pinnick. According to him “It is only Pinnick that can do (bringing all biggest names in the business world under one roof). How he does it, I don’t know. To see all this happening, it means that Pinnick is such a good person for his whole colleagues in other federations to come and support us in this very unique occasion that we have started.” In the same vein, President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, did not mince words in thanking Pinnick. The very elated Africa’s richest billionaire did not hide his pride in Pinnick “doing a very great job.” Dangote narrated how Pinnick made him change his mind about a short vacation he was to embark on just attend the event because Pinnick made CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, who was referred to as Dangote’s brother. “Amaju, you are one person that can actually mobilise these kinds of people here. You are doing a great job, and we are very proud of you,” Dangote expressed. Dangote used the occasion to reiterate his readiness to renovate the Abuja National Stadium while also promised Infantino that the Nigerian football would have grown to

a higher level when next the FIFA President visits Nigeria. Highly captivated by Pinnick’s effort at attaining ninety per cent (90%) of the NFF funding, Dangote assured him further. “Amaju, what I want to assure you, you will reach may be 200 % of your funding,” he said. Charging the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and leaders of the Nigerian business community, Dangote pointed told Amaju that funds would be raised to support the NFF. “So Amaju, your job is done. And I assure both the CAF President and FIFA President will be very proud to have somebody like you. There is nobody that has turned NFF to this level like you. “You are the only person that I know can pester anybody and make sure that person delivers. Today alone, I got four phone calls from Amaju When he was at the airpost, he called me. When he received the FIFA President, he put him on the phone to be sure I would be here. So, thank you very much for all you have been doing. I can assure you, we will not leave you alone. We will continue to support you,” Dangote stated. Not left out in the encomiums showered on Amaju Pinnick was FIFA’s Infantino who eulogized the Delta-State born administration for his revolutionary feats of turning around Nigerian football, and making it enviable globally. “For the great Pinnick who is doing such a good job for Nigerian Football, I say ‘Congratulations!’ When we speak about football in Nigeria, it is not just for emotions or passion or art; it is even more than religion. Football is life in Nigeria and Africa,” Infantino said. CAF President, Motsepe, equally had glowing tributes for Pinnick. “The Nigerian national team has the potential to win the World Cup. And that must be the focus. Let me recognise my brothers, my family and people whom I said make me very proud and make all of us very proud. Pinnick, I think Nigerian Football

The startling lustre of gold ingot pales to the radiance of Pinnick. He is not your average human or football administrator. Some would liken him to a modern-day idol but he resolutely transcends the lure of hyperbolic praise. He affects the candour of a general and the passion of a poet as he embarks on a relentless mission to milk a life of bliss and makes the most of every opportunity presented to him by miserly fate. Last March, he was elected into the FIFA Executive Council, the highest decision-making organ in world football. Pinnick defeated Malawian FA president Walter Nyamilandu by 43 votes to eight during the CAF General Assembly held in Rabat, Morocco. He becomes the third Nigerian elected into the prestigious council after Oyo Orok Oyo (1980-1988) and Amos Adamu (2006-2010). Pinnick succeeded in his bid by his unusual approach to football administration and ability to identify and hatch practical solutions to daunting realities in the sector. No wonder President Muhammadu Buhari hailed him on his election saying, “By dint of hard work, dedication and consistency, Pinnick has proven to be an efficient football administrator and the world has taken notice of his competency skills by electing him into the FIFA Council and one of the Vice Presidents of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).” The President noted that this feat of enhanced visibility and prestige of Nigeria in the international community is coming on the heels of recent elections of other well qualified and endowed Nigerians into strategic leadership positions in international organisations. The President urged Pinnick to see his new assignment as an opportunity to enhance Nigeria’s reputation and identity as a football-loving country and optimally utilise the role of sports, through football, as a driving force to engender development, peace and stability at the regional and international levels. Similarly, Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, described Pinnick as an experienced football administrator whose wealth of experience and a passion for the game will set him aside in his new job. He affirmed his belief that Pinnick will make invaluable contributions that would see to the development of football in the world.

FROM PAUCITY TO PROFITABILITY… HOW NFF BECAME SOLVENT UNDER PINNICK Over the years, the NFF had depended solely on the government for funding. On assumption of office in 2014 for his first term, Pinnick averred that his target before leaving office was to make the NFF self-sufficient; a herculean task one would say. Indeed, funding had been the greatest challenge of previous NFF administrations. While the situation is not totally different for Pinnick, he has devised ingenious ways of sourcing funds. The federation has on its list of prominent sponsors industry giants like MTN with N500 million sponsorship deal, Air Peace with whom the NFF penned a four-year contract and another 4-year N400 million sponsorship deal with Premier Lotto popularly known as Baba Ijebu. Others are Revolution Plus Property, GAC Motors, Nike Sports, Peak Milk, Dettol and TVS. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED ARBITRATORS ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND INVESTITURE AWARDS CEREMONY 18TH - 20TH OF NOVEMBER 2021 The Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb) ( held her 2021 Annual Conference and Investiture Award Ceremony for the first time in the history of the institute, as a hybrid conference, from the 18th to 19th of November 2021. It was themed: Disruption and The New Normal in Arbitration/ADR- A Way Forward. The focus of the Conference was to provide a forum for users, experts and practitioners in arbitration and other ADRs across sectors in the African Continent and beyond, to discuss, share knowledge and proffer solutions from the aftermath of COVID 19 disruptions. Although the impact is felt differently among nations, the consequential effect on arbitration and other forms of ADR remains a thing of great concern. The presentations therefore showed that practitioners must continue to evolve ways of surmounting them and move the arbitration practice forward, despite the limitations. The disruption has created a new narrative and a new normal and the expectation is for a the more pragmatic approach of fashioning a way forward in order to adapt to the disruption and harness the benefits of the resultant changes. This 2021 hybrid conference sought to, amongst other things, propose a viable way forward in harnessing the benefits of the new normal for the arbitration and ADR community, with particular focus on the challenges of the African continent. The conference had over 200 delegates physically and over 150 delegates online with about 50 speakers from all over the world who participated in the annual conference. The Conference commenced with the welcome remarks by Sir Oladipo Opeseyi, SAN, FCArb, Chairman, 2021 Annual Conference Planning Committee, while the welcome address was delivered by Professor Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, incoming President and Chairman of Governing Council of the institute. The opening ceremony was graced by H.E. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, represented by the A Attorney General of Lagos State, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN and Honourable Justice Rita N. Pemu, Justice of the Court of Appeal, the key note address speaker. In total there were nine plenary sessions and 2 opening sessions. The following topics were deliberated upon during the two days conference: • Disruption and the New Normal in Arbitration/ ADR: A Way Forward • Digital Economy and Dispute Resolution • The Role of Arbitration/ADR in resolving Claimant Change and Clean Energy Disputes • Ethics and Integrity in Arbitration •The Challenge of Enforcement of Arbitral Awards in Sub-Sahara Africa • Fireside Conversation with Arbitration Experts • African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and Non-State Parties: Implications for Private Actors in Trade and Dispute Resolution • Conflict of Laws under Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and its Effect on Trade and Commerce • Young Arbitrators’ Network: Arbitration as a Career Drive for Young Arbitrators in the ADR Sphere The highlights of discussions surrounding the presentations in the various sessions were as follows: 1. The COVID 19 social distancing world has brought virtual meetings to the fore for many businesses and government organs including courts. The arbitration community and the ADR community in general is better equipped to take the stage and lead in the resolution of issues between disputing parties who are confined to their rooms because of the ban on international travels. 2. The arbitration community and the ADR community in general is also better equipped to lead in the resolution of commercial issues with its more efficient procedures and ease with which its procedures can be adopted to the virtual environment limited only by the consent of the parties. 3. Some advantages of virtual arbitration/ADR includes fast, flexible and cost effective. As many countries and business grapple with the harsh economic realities occasioned by the devastating effect of covid 19 on the economy, virtual arbitration/adr provides a versatile solution in the resolution of disputes. 4. The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement provides another opportunity and huge prospect for arbitration and other adr practitioners to take the centre stage and ensure dispute settlement among state parties are resolved with efficient, rule based transparent approach and promoting virtual proceeding is definitely the way to go despite the complexities of such cases. 5. NICArb’s global network and indeed that of other African countries means that it can develop and implement localised strategies for meeting these goals. Working collectively these countries can accomplish each of these strategies, aims and continue its rightful place as the world class certification and professional body for dispute avoidance and management. 6. The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts ff to make Lagos State a hub for arbitration processes both internationally and domestic . This will assist to guarantee investors that their investments are safe and guided by the rule of law and by so doing, boost investment and investor’s confidence. 7. Unlike litigation, arbitration presents a new frontier in today’s evolving world and this represents the future which Lagos State has embraced and as theme of the Conference shows, we are in the new normal which shows that potential technology is not destructive to the rule of law but an enabler to increase access to justice. 8. There is a need to understand the underlying concept of the digital economy and there are certain types of technology that go beyond the digital technology such as artificial intelligence, block chain, cloud computing and peak data. Those four things are changing the dynamics of the economy and dispute resolution must adapt to this change. 9. The future of Arbitration and the future of the world is remote, decentralised and digital. This means there is a fusion for in person and virtual experience referred to as a hybrid and that is the future of Arbitration proceedings.

10. The Rules applicable to arbitration in Nigeria needs to pay attention to digital evidence itself because when platforms for commercial activity changes and everything literally becomes digital, it would shape the future. From this point on, evidence and all that comes to the arbitration platform will change such as how to gather evidence, preserve evidence and present evidence. 11. The digital economy in Nigeria is underpinned by pillars, three of which are, a) Developmental realities- the rules that must be adapted to fit into the digital realities; b) Digital infrastructure - connectivity and apps which must be secure and this includes soft infrastructure such as digital identity, c) Digital capacity-ability to maximise the use of the digital infrastructure. 12. Developmental regulation(developing regulations on digital performance) also includes standards, practicing standards and cyber security standards amongst others which must be thought through in advance. Beyond regulations, is the physical infrastructure, meaning the solid infrastructure, connectivity, service infrastructure and the Apps that will be deployed to ensure that e-Arbitration and e-dispute resolution proceed without hitches. They must be secure, nimble and fit for purpose. 13. A comprehensive cybersecurity and data protection protocol is important for the proper use of Online Dispute Resolution. Parties must agree on what will be done with the data used during and after the arbitration proceedings. This agreement must also include what would happen if there is a security breach or a hack during the arbitration proceeding. 14. Transition to green economy with benefits in the fight against poverty is generally manageable without raising trade or investment concerns, just like environmental objectives could be achieved in other areas. While some trade rules could pose limits on climate policies, if carefully crafted they either don’t give rise to trade law concerns or can be defended based on their public policy objective. 15. Further research on the interaction between domestic climate measures and trade/investment rules is advised. So even if clean energy is not immediately possible it is important to note that clean energy is going to play a key role in future development. Therefore, ideally, trade and investment law and the management of disputes therein, should foster and not frustrate the transition to a low carbon economy. 16. Clean energy is a critical component or enabler that will facilitate human capital development, infrastructural development and productivity for the overall benefit of the economic community. Therefore, the resolution of disputes pertaining to clean energy in ECOWAS can be resolved in the manner specified hereunder namelya) Amicable settlement; or b) Where there is no amicable settlement, referral of the dispute can be made to the ECOWAS Court of Justice whose decision shall be final and shall not be subject to appeal. 17. If there is a failure to resolve the clean energy dispute in ECOWAS amicably, resolution of such dispute may embrace any of the following for a(outside the Community Court of Justice) which are a) the courts or administrative tribunals of contracting Member States; b) submission of dispute to International arbitration or conciliation; c) submission of dispute in appropriate case by an Investor to International Centre for Settlement of Dispute (ICSD); or submission to a sole arbitrator or adhoc arbitration tribunal under the Arbitration Rule of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL); or d) submission to arbitral proceedings under the Arbitration Institute of Stockholm, Chamber of Commerce; or e) submission to arbitral proceeding under the organization for the Harmonization of Trade Laws in Africa. 18. If the above commended methodologies in point 16 and 17 above are embraced by proven application of due process, it will engender confidence building on both the Investor and Contracting Party in terms of safety of their investments and hence act as catalyst for the promotion of investment in clean energy in ECOWAS. 19. Recourse to arbitration is on the rise as a prominent method of dispute resolution therefore, the right ethical conduct is becoming even more important than ever in ensuring fair and effective outcome as this will maintain the integrity of the system as well as confidence of the public in the process. 20. Ethics, character and integrity is the responsibility of everyone involved in the arbitration process, from the arbitrator to the party representatives, the arbitration secretaries/registrars and the disputing parties themselves. This will in addition, lessen the need to challenge the outcome of any arbitration award. 21. The key attributes that are expected in arbitration are independence, impartiality, confidentiality and confidence. a. For a partial arbitrator destroys the confidence in the system which has a ripple effect ff on society, competence requires that the arbitrator should only accept an appointment if he/she meets the professional qualification and any other requirements specified by the parties in the arbitration agreement (reasonable expectations inclusive); b. Independence presupposes a sense of self-awareness and self-assertion, meaning that here should not be a pre-disposition towards the party that appointed the arbitrator and, confidentiality which is an essential ingredient of arbitration and must be protected; c. Confidentiality includes issues surrounding, how to treat evidentiary materials, official decisions, and communications without violating secrets or divulging sensitive information obtained in the course of work. This imbues confidence which is the armor of arbitration. It preserves the integrity and fairness of the arbitral process. 22. Arbitrators, including party-appointed arbitrators, must be neutral, that is, independent and impartial, and comply with the same ethical standards. A high standard with respect to neutrality must be observed by Arbitrators unless otherwise stated by the parties’ agreement, the arbitration rules agreed to by the parties, or applicable laws.

23. It is recommended that there should be the establishment of specialized commercial courts populated by appropriately trained judges who are equipped with a fit-for-purpose functional digital court recording and operating system. This will go a long way to alleviating the delays encountered in the process of enforcement of arbitral awards in the Nigerian judicial system. 24. It is also recommended that the right of appeal in arbitration cases [especially in enforcement of awards] should be restricted in the same way that consent judgements require the leave of the court before an appeal can be filed against it. In considering the application for leave to appeal against a decision to enforce an award, the courts can exercise their discretion and thereby sieve out needless appeals. 25. This exercise will promote the overall objective of promoting arbitration by holding parties to their agreement to be bound by the arbitration award. It is recognised that restricting the right of appeal as recommended will require legislative reform in the form of a constitutional review and/or a review of the applicable law and rules but it is expedient for the development or arbitration and investor (both domestic and international) confidence in the Nigerian economy. 26. By its very origins, arbitration is a consensual process mutually agreed upon by the parties as the means of resolving any disputes that may arise. It would therefore be expected that voluntary compliance with an arbitral award ought to be the norm while incidents of enforcement by way of resort to court proceedings ought to be the exception rather than the rule. 27. There is a need for statutory reform to the ACA with the specific aim of narrowing the scope of courts’ intervention in the arbitration process. Even though the most recent arbitration statute in Nigeria, the Arbitration Law of Lagos State 2009, has attempted to address some of the challenges encountered in the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in Nigeria, it is only applicable in Lagos State. 28. Other recommendations on enforcement of arbitral awards are: a) The enactment of uniform rules of Court for arbitration across the country; b) Legislative action – limitation laws of states should be harmonised; c) Compulsory training in arbitration for lawyers and judges starting from Law School and making it compulsory continuing legal education for both lawyers and judges; d) Empower the arbitral Tribunal to enforce their awards via legislation. 29. Questions such as asking the arbitral secretary to ask witnesses to confirm if they are alone in the room and that they are not being coached or aided by anyone, offers some reassurance to the parties in virtual hearings. In addition, the use of 360-degree cameras can also be used to confirm the witnesses confirmation. 30. The AfCFTA protocol on Rules and Procedure on the settlement of Dispute contains mechanism for the resolution of interstate trade disputes to the exclusion of non-state actors such as traders, producers, importers, businesses and investors. This current position does not address the disputes that may arise from increased commercial activities resulting from the full implementation of the Free Trade Area Agreement. 31. The dispute settlement mechanism does not have conflict of Law implications which is necessary because AfCFTA is going to be a transborder/ transboundary trade arrangement within Africa. There are three questions that conflict of Law will address as private international law namely, the choice of Law, the choice of jurisdiction and the rules governing enforcement of judgement. 32. This approach to dispute settlement, whereby only state parties can sue under the Agreement and the fact that the Agreement has no conflict of laws provision, ignores the entities whose money and time and energy are at stake. This therefore leaves businesses and investors at the mercy of the political will of the members states or are even subjected to unnecessary situations that may not be favourable to non-state actor. 33. Another limitation to the AfCFTA dispute settlement mechanism, is that there is no provision addressing resolution of disputes relating to human right regulations in the course of trade in services or trade in goods. 34. The implication of these limitations in points 30, 31, 32 and 33 is the denial of justice on matters such as discrimination, denial to market access, which is likely to impact negatively on non-state actors. Non- state actors are better off ff where they have access to redress and access to justice 35. There are challenges for harmonization of trade laws under the AfCFTA but there are but there are great advantages. African States can join the international discussions to on the benefit of private international law arrangements. Harmonisation will provide guidelines for judges and increase flexibility and it will also reduce the risks created by uncertainty in the application of rules. 36. Young arbitrators are advised to write blog and articles to increase their visibility as visibility is key. Mentorship is another way of getting to desired goals as mentors can show them the way from their experiences. 37. Arbitrators need to develop expertise areas and the necessary skills involved such as developing technology skills, business development skills and project development. 38. As an arbitrator advocate, young practitioners need to be proactive when drafting agreements and be deliberate to insert arbitration clauses in such agreements. 39. Young practitioners are also advised to maintain a good relationship with previous employers , learn the process and give oneself the time to grow. They need to be involved in personal branding with a view to developing career prospects as an arbitrator. In addition taking up small responsibilities before aspiring for bigger ones and project oneself as a professional. 40. On how to build a career in arbitration, an arbitrator must be informed and stay informed. Information is an asset in the school of wisdom, develop oneself and be aware of happenings/ongoings in the arbitration space. They should know the duties of an arbitrators, consider specializing, they should actively connect, network and build their network as connecting with other arbitration practitioners as a strategy to consider in maintaining visibility.

For Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators Signed Professor Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, FCArb President/Chairman

Signed Shola Oshodi-John, FCArb Registrar/Chief Executive Oﬃcer

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021• T H I S DAY

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

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust): is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 26Nov-2021, unless otherwise stated.

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS

MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS

AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 164.87 166.31 1.85% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 9.04% Nigeria International Debt Fund 317.52 317.52 -16.83% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 99.80 100.85 -9.67% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.47% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.31 3.37 -3.95% 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 8.72% Anchoria Equity Fund 138.77 140.52 4.33% info@anchoriaam.com Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.14 1.14 -14.10% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 20.50 21.11 13.02% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 455.28 469.01 13.72% ARM Ethical Fund 39.70 40.90 17.78% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.07 1.08 -2.24% ARM Fixed Income Fund 0.99 0.99 -5.60% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.57% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 107.51 107.51 5.70% AVA GAM Fixed Income Naira Fund 1,056.62 1,056.62 5.66% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) N/A N/A N/A mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com ; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.03 1.03 4.97% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.08% Paramount Equity Fund 17.28 17.59 8.02% Women's Investment Fund 140.84 142.44 5.82% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.57% Cordros Milestone Fund 133.02 133.85 13.32% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 109.92 109.92 5.43% 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 N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 7.56% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 8.25% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,169.36 1,192.93 1.76% assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-assetmanagement-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.72% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.04 1.04 3.33% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.11 Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 104.20 FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price FBN Bond Fund 1,377.90 FBN Balanced Fund 173.90 FBN Halal Fund 114.73 FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Money Market Fund Legacy Debt Fund Legacy Equity Fund Legacy USD Bond Fund

121.93 149.33 Bid Price 1.00 3.99 1.73 1.20

1.11 10.24% 104.20 4.16% invest@fbnquest.com Offer Price 1,377.90 175.17 114.73 100.00

Yield / T-Rtn 11.43% 4.29% 9.24% 9.09%

121.93 4.01% 151.35 12.96% fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Offer Price 1.00 3.99 1.77 1.20

Yield / T-Rtn 7.19% 3.17% 13.87% 5.75%

FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral 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 7.78% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.89 2.95 1.16% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 155.31 155.59 -0.12% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.27 1.31 0.59% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.07 1.07 4.61% 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 1.50 1.52 9.72% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,151.73 1,151.73 7.94% 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 11.75 11.83 12.37% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.00% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 101.15 101.16 7.52% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 8.81% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM EuroBond Fund N/A N/A N/A SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 129.25 131.61 10.45% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.07 1.07 10.05% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,384.93 3,417.43 5.34% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 234.88 234.88 4.46% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.27 1.29 8.47% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 311.34 311.34 5.66% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 240.00 243.66 9.99% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.73% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,066.29 11,225.33 5.46% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.29 1.29 4.90% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 116.54 116.54 4.92% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 105.61 105.61 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.34 1.36 4.54% United Capital Bond Fund 1.94 1.94 6.14% United Capital Equity Fund 0.93 0.95 16.18% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.01% United Capital Eurobond Fund 121.73 121.73 6.31% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.08 1.10 6.25% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.07 1.07 6.97% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.08 13.15 10.04% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 14.56 14.71 19.27% Zenith Income Fund 24.76 24.76 3.17% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.31%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

124.98 54.20

10.62% 7.24%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.30 129.80 104.30 17.55 21.54

14.40 133.02 106.59 17.65 21.64

8.19% 7.94% 5.13% 0.00% 0.00%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.85 5.45 17.94 1.00 21.84 157.31

3.95 5.55 18.14 1.00 22.04 159.31

2.91% -4.08% 10.75% 5.69% 6.39% -15.24%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.28

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

LAWYER TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

UT H

& RE A S O

WEEKLY PULLOUT

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& RE A S O

HON. JUSTICE SAMUEL OMOTUNDE ILORI

Hon. Justice Ilori: A Judicial Titan Goes Home

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

IN THIS EDITION

LAWYER TUE SDAY, NOV

EMB ER 30, 202

LLOUT WEEKLY PU

TRU

TH &

RE A S

TRU

TH &

RE A S

Difference Between Accrual of Legal Right and Accrual of Right of Action

SAMUEL HON. JUSTICE RI OMOTUNDE ILO

Page IV

Ilori: e c i t s u J . n Ho itan T l a i c i d u J A Goes Home

Diamond Anniversary Lecture of OAU Law Faculty holds on Thursday

QUOTABLES ‘I support the extension of tenure to 75. If your age is your correct age, at 70 you are still strong. Judges mature with age…..If it goes on to 75, it will be better for the system. In the US, you retire when you want to retire; England is 75.’ - Olabode Rhodes-Vivour CFR, Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; Chairman, Body of Benchers ‘For this building collapse tragedy to be the last, there are certain things that certainly must happen. Most things lie first with how people employed at the sub-national level with responsibility for granting permits and monitoring compliance do their work, because urban planning and housing development control, are clearly sub-national responsibilities.’ - Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, Governor, Lagos State (2007-2015), Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Page V

Aruoture Pleads with Okowa to Pardon Inmates, to Decongest Correctional Centres Page V

LAWYER

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

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

#EndSARS Report: It’s Accountability, Stupid! Rejected Report o one said: “Well, I never!…...”, when the Federal Government rejected the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry's Report! I don't think anyone was particularly surprised or astounded by that outcome. Accepting the findings of the Panel, would be tantamount to admitting liability for what transpired at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020; and given the gravity of the offences alleged and contained in that Report - Murder, Manslaughter, Assault with intent to cause Grievous Bodily Harm, using unreasonable force on unarmed, peaceful Protesters, to mention but a few, anybody trying to escape liability would be foolish not to maintain a "Wrong and Strong" stance like Government has done. We all know that, no Nigerian Government has ever been accountable to the people. Our previous military regimes, were autocratic, despotic and a law unto themselves; and now, the civilian stratocratic autocratic democrats, particularly this APC administration, are trying to achieve more or less the same goal of non-accountability, not so subtly, I might add; and Section 6(6)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution) which ousts the jurisdiction of the courts when it comes to some form of accountability, that is, the provisions of Chapter II of the Constitution, the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy, furthers their cause. The security and welfare of the people, which is the responsibility of Government, Section 14(2)(b), is also contained in the said Chapter II of the Constitution. And, undoubtedly, Government didn’t fulfil their constitutional mandate to the #EndSARS Protesters in this regard, on October 20, 2020 at the Lekki Tollgate. But, it didn’t stop there. They not only failed to protect the Youths, they unleashed terror on them.

Conditions for Dispensing a Crowd Furthermore, Section 33 of the Constitution is also unequivocal about every person’s right to life, which can only be lawfully taken away under certain exceptions mentioned therein; and the Lekki Tollgate incident does not qualify as one of them (see Section 33 (2)(a-b) of the Constitution). Section 33(2)(c) permits the use of reasonable force where necessary, which may result in the loss of life, for the purpose of suppressing a riot, insurrection or mutiny. The online Cambridge Dictionary defines Riot thus: “An occasion when a large number of people behave in a noisy, violent, and uncontrolled way in public, often as a protest”; but, Youths sitting down on the ground, holding the Nigerian flag and singing the National anthem, as they did at the Lekki Tollgate, certainly do not fit into this definition. In fact, sitting on the ground signifies relaxation or surrender, and definitely not aggression. Yet, Government used deadly force on unarmed Youths sitting on the ground, despite their rights to freedom of thought and opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association, and movement (See Sections 34 (1)(a), 38(1), 39 (1), 40 and 41 of the Constitution). See also Section 45 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 for the definition of riot. See the case of Hassan v EFCC 2014 N.W.L.R Part 1389 Page 607 per Abiru, JCA. According to the online Collins Dictionary, Insurrection is defined as a “violent action that is taken by a large group of people against the rulers of their country, usually in order to remove them from office”, while Mutiny is an: “open rebellion against constituted authority, especially by seamen and soldiers against their officers”. It is obvious that the only thing that the Lekki Tollgate Protest had in common with any of the above-mentioned definitions of riot, insurrection and mutiny, is the large number of people that were there present! Beyond that, the gathering was neither violent, nor rebellious, nor a coup attempt. It was simply a well-coordinated and organised group expression of dissatisfaction against Police brutality against the Youths, and a demand for the reform of the Police and good governance. If it was anything violent or disorderly, surely the Lagos State Governor and the numerous dignitaries and people who were in attendance, would not have ventured to the Tollgate for obvious security reasons. The truth of the matter is, whether the Army fired live or blank bullets, either scenario is unacceptable. There are global best practices criteria for dispersing a crowd. First, the crowd must be an “unlawful assembly with the object

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive.com onikepob@yahoo.com Twitter: @TheAdvocate

The

Advocate “I discovered that, in many countries, the role of a Minister of Information is one that consists of disseminating censored information and propaganda. Our own dear Minister, has on numerous occasions, stretched this mandate a notch higher to outright falsehood” of committing violence”, or one that could potentially disturb public peace. The #EndSARS Protest which had gone on for a few days before the attack of October 20, was neither; globally, there was an attestation that it was a peaceful, orderly and interesting event. Second, there should be a court order to disperse an unlawful assembly. To the best of our knowledge, there was no legitimate court order to disperse the crowd, and any such order would have been illegitimate, since the condition precedent for granting it - violence and disorderliness, did not exist. And, third, pepper spray, tear gas and the like, are the instruments that are employed to disperse unlawful assemblies. See the case of Yusuf v Obasanjo 2005 18 N.W.L.R. Part 956 Page 96 per Salami, JCA. Report/White Paper We have had countless Inquiries and numerous White Papers, much less contentious than that of the Lagos State Police Brutality/#EndSARS Report, which never saw the light of day; how much more the incident on which this one is partly based upon, which some have escalated to a crime against humanity. On the other side of the coin, others like the Minister of Information (Disinformation), on behalf of Government, have dismissed the Report as being “Tales by Moonlight” - an insensitive insult to the dead, families who lost their dear ones on that fateful day, and to those who were injured. I’m certainly not holding my breath that a Report as controversial as this therefore, will be allowed to come into view. Even to charge the Officers responsible for any of deaths alleged, whether 99 or 9 deaths,

#EndSARS Anniversary March

would also be an admission of culpability on the part of the Federal Government/ Army/Police and Lagos State Government. As usual, the hope for accountability for this unfortunate incident, is once more bleak. The bottom line is that, a system that is run on little or no accountability, one that makes non-accountability a policy, especially on the part of its Government, is doomed and does not have any hope of success; and this is yet another reason why the Nigerian system has been set up for failure. African Women on Board On Friday, I was a Panel Discussant at the Project launch of ‘African Women on Board’ (AWB) themed ‘Safety in the Work Place’; and our own Panel topic was ‘Rule of Law: Consequences of no Consequences’ - there was a focus on sexual harassment in the work place, gender discrimination and so on. For me, the way the sexual harassment issue is handled in Nigeria, is just a microcosm of our warped society - again, no accountability and little or no consequences for sexual harassment, an unholy practice which is prevalent in our society as it is in many parts of the world. Possibly, if the BBC hadn’t done their exposé on sexual harassment in leading West African Universities, including Nigeria’s, people like Prof Richard Akindele of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, would never have been brought to justice for demanding for sex from Post Graduate student, Monica Osagie, to improve her grades. In 2018, he bagged a two year jail sentence for his offence. My submission at AWB was to the effect that, generally, Nigerians need a change

in mind set/transformation. Even though there are not really any laws in Nigeria providing for sexual harassment in the workplace like we have the Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Educational Institutions Act 2016, or the laws of New York, USA which make for example, inappropriate touching (in the work environment) a Class A misdemeanour attracting up to one year imprisonment upon conviction, I’m not sure how effective the enactment of a similar law for the Nigerian work place would be, because of the general lack of enforcement of most of our laws, and the non-accountability syndrome that has pervaded our society; and the fact that a little sexual harassment here and there, has never really been considered to be a big deal in Nigeria. There was mention of Senior Lawyers who travel with their female Juniors for cases and conferences out of town and book only one hotel room, meaning that they expect the females to sleep in the same room. At the recently concluded Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, the Nigerian Bar Association launched a Sexual Harassment Policy drafted by its Women’s Forum headed by Professor Yemisi Bamgbose, SAN. This is a step in the right direction. Enacting such a policy into law, and more importantly, ensuring that there is a clear process for reporting such incidents, and that the law is actually enforced, possibly by setting up an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission like there is in USA to channel such complaints to, may just help to curb sexual harassment. The case cited by one of the Discussants, Mrs Ejieke Maduka v Microsoft Nig. Ltd & Ors 2014 41 N.L.L.R Part 125 67 NIC, in which the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) found for the Applicant and awarded damages to her, in a sexual harassment case in which she lost her job because she didn’t succumb to the advances of her boss, is almost one in a million in Nigeria (see Section 254 of the Constitution for the jurisdiction of the NICN, particularly the Section 254(g) amendment which deals with sexual harassment). In most cases, those who make formal reports of sexual harassment in the work place, end up being victimised and sacked like Mrs Maduka, and they are not as fortunate as her to get justice; the victims become the victimised, and so, many are afraid to talk - they just grin and bear it in silence, especially because they need their jobs. They may also be blacklisted as ‘whistle blowers’, and find it difficult to secure any other employment. Sexual Harassers mostly go scot free in Nigeria, while their accusers are the ones who suffer! This is the same fate being suffered by the Youths, those who were traumatised, and the families of those who were allegedly killed at the Lekki Tollgate. For those who are cruel enough to assert that because families did not come out to complain that they lost any of their members, no one died at the Tollgate on October 20, my response is that those families obviously do not want to be hunted down and victimised like Kamsi Ochuko (Comrade Kamsi) who testified at the Lagos State Panel of Inquiry, and was brutally attacked and assaulted by unknown men recently. Conclusion How did Nigeria get to this? Where good is bad, bad is good or the norm, and telling the truth has become unfashionable? I discovered that, in many countries, the role of a Minister of Information is one that consists of disseminating censored information and propaganda. Our own dear Minister, has on numerous occasions, stretched this mandate a notch higher to outright falsehood, and the Lekki Tollgate incident seems to be a prime example, by simply denying that live bullets were shot at Lekki, without proffering any evidence to back this position. It is trite law that, he who asserts must prove. See the case of Mrs Betty Darego v A.G. Leventis (Nig.) LTD & 3 Ors CA/L/481/2011 LER [2015] per Nimpar, JCA. Though Section 6(6)(c) of the Constitution protects Government from accountability, it can be held responsible for its acts or omissions at the time of elections when the voters get the opportunity to vote non-performers out of office; unfortunately, again, Nigerians have mostly been denied and deprived of this opportunity to exact accountability from Politicians/Government and its Officials, as our elections are famous for being marred with malpractice and rigging the undeserving into office. The fact that Government does not have much regard for the rule of law, is yet another missed opportunity for accountability. Sadly, the odds just seem to be stacked against accountability in Nigeria.

IV LAW REPORT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 , 2021 • T H I S D AY

Difference Between Accrual of Legal Right and Accrual of Right of Action Facts The Appellants were elected as Councillors into the various Local Government Councils, in Ebonyi State. They served between 1999 to 2002, during which they continued to receive their salaries and some other entitlements and allowances. After the expiration of their tenure, they alleged that they were denied some entitlements and severance allowances, which they alleged were approved by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission as per Exhibits C & D in 2001. The said documents were subsequently certified in 2008. In 2002, the Law No. 5 of 2002 which effectively outlawed the payment to and the enjoyment by the Appellants of severance allowances, was passed by the Ebonyi State House of Assembly. The Appellants did not take any step to challenge Law No. 5, or to enforce their rights to the severance allowances. In 2010, another Policy Statement was issued by the Federal Government in Exhibit H, reiterating the Councillor’s entitlement to payment of severance allowances. Further to this, the Appellants filed an action at the High Court of Ebonyi State, claiming respectively against the Respondent, the severance allowances withheld since 2002 when their tenure elapsed. They also sought orders mandating the Ebonyi State Government to pay the salaries of their domestic staff, personal and special assistants, as well as accommodation, furniture and constituency allowances which they claimed they were entitled to, but were not paid for the three years they spent in office. The Respondent filed a Notice of Preliminary Objection challenging the competence of the suit, on the basis that it was statute barred having been filed after the five-year period after the accrual of the cause of action. They placed reliance on the provisions of Section 18 of the Limitation Law of Ebonyi State. After hearing arguments of counsel on both sides, the trial court sustained the Respondent’s Preliminary Objection, and struck out the suit for being statute barred. Dissatisfied, the Appellants appealed to the Court of Appeal, which court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the ruling of the trial court. As a last resort, the Appellants filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. Issue for Determination In resolving the appeal, the Supreme Court considered the following issue: Whether the Court of Appeal was right when it held that the cause of action clearly accrued in 2002 when the Appellants left office at the expiration of their tenure of office as Councillors, despite the intervening effects of Exhibits C, D and H, and thus, dismissed the Appellants’ appeal on the basis that the suit was statute barred. Arguments Counsel for the Appellants contended that accrual of rights is not the same thing as accrual of cause of action or right of action, and an unviolated right does not confer on the holder of the right, any right of action because there is no cause of action. He submitted that the rights that accrued to the Appellants remained with the Appellants unviolated, until they made the request for their entitlements in 2008 and the request was turned down, and the Appellants were then given the right to go to court, further to the cause of action. He cited DANGANA v GOVERNOR OF KWARA STATE & ANOR. (2001) 50 WRN PG. 40 at 41, on this point. Counsel argued further that the Limitation Act of Ebonyi State which limits action after five years has elapsed, is not applicable to the suit, as the Appellants were not aware of the existence of their rights to some of these entitlements

Honourable Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa, JSC In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 4th day of June, 2021 Before Their Lordships

Mary U. Peter-Odili John Inyang Okoro Ejembi Eko Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa Adamu Jauro Justices, Supreme Court SC.565/2015 Between 1. HON. FRANCIS ALUU OKO 2. HON. JOSEPH O. CHUKWU 3. HON. AMA O. UCHE (For themselves and on behalf of all Councillors of Ebonyi State who served for the period of 1999-2002 and whose certiﬁcates of return are hereto annexed)

APPELLANTS

And ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF EBONYI STATE

RESPONDENT

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa, JSC)

until 4th July, 2008 when Exhibits C and D were certified and made known to them. He argued therefore, that time could not have begun to run against them before they got full knowledge of what was offered thereto. In support of this, counsel cited JELI CO LTD v OWONIBOYS TECHNICAL SERVICES LTD (1995) 4 NWLR (Pt. 391) 534. Responding to the submissions above, counsel for the Respondent argued that the rights of the Appellants became ripe in 2002 when they left office, after the duties enabling them to earn the allowances had been performed and concluded. He argued that by 2010 when they instituted the action after their request for the said entitlements were rebuffed in 2002, the limitation law had operated to bar them from approaching the court as they had slept on their rights in this regard. Counsel for the Respondent submitted further that

“….. a right of action only accrues where the legal right has been violated. It is the infringement of that legal right, that is the cause of action which gives the holder the right of action, to activate the constitutional judicial powers of the court to enforce the legal right that has been violated”

the presence of Exhibits C, D made in 2001 but certified in 2008, did not whittle down the effect of Law No. 005 of 2002 which is to exempt the Appellants from severance allowances and other benefits as contained in the said law, and which was never challenged by the Appellants. Court’s Judgement and Rationale In its determination of this issue, the Court of Appeal distinguished accrual of rights from accrual of right of action or cause of action. The court referred to A-G, LAGOS STATE v A-G FEDERATION (2004) LPELR-SC 70/2004 in which legal right was defined as a right recognised by law and capable of being enforced by the Plaintiff; a right recognised and protected by a rule of law, the violation of which would be a legal wrong done to the interest of the Plaintiff, even though no action was taken. The implication is thus, that an unviolated right does not confer on the holder of the right, any right of action, because there is no cause of action. The court held that, on the other hand, a right of action only accrues where the legal right has been violated. It is the infringement of that legal right, that is the cause of action which gives the holder the right of action, to activate the constitutional judicial powers of the court to enforce the legal right that has been violated. In summary, a right of action is the right to bring a specific case to court, which right can only be

enforceable with the happening of certain events, and these events which must take place before the Claimant’s right of action is activated, is collectively referred to as cause of action. Explaining further, the Appellate Court held that, it is the duty of the beneficiary of that right to make moves to claim his right. When the move is made without success or a favourable response from the other party, there is nothing more to infer than that the refusal to respond is tantamount to denial. At this point, the cause of action has accrued, and is now enforceable through the instrumentality of a judicial process. For the purpose of limitation of an action, time begins to run from the time when there is in existence a person who can be sued, and all facts have happened which are material to be proved to entitle the Plaintiff to succeed; that is, time begins to run when the cause of action has accrued. HASSAN v ALIYU (2010) 17 NWLR (Pt. 1223) 547. The court held that it is not in doubt that the Appellants had rights to their salaries and other sundry allowances, since they performed their duties for three years. However, the proper time for the Appellants to have approached the court for any alleged non-payment of their entitlements, climaxed in 2002 when they left office. In this regard, the salaries and allowances of the Appellants’ domestic staff and assistants became ripe for enjoyment, at the end of each month of their three years in service; hence, the proper time for the Appellants to approach the court for each of the monthly entitlements, was at the end of each month. The Appellants’ accommodation, furniture and constituency allowances on the other hand, became due in piecemeal at the end of each year of their three years in office, and the proper time to approach the court was at the end of each year. The severance allowances on another hand, became due upon their vacation of office after their individual tenures expired in 2002. It follows therefore, that the last of these rights – the Severance Allowance – became ripe in 2002, when all the duties enabling them to earn the allowances had been performed and concluded. Furthermore, from the Statement of Claim, the Appellants had written to the Ebonyi State Government in 2002, after they left office to have the accrued entitlements paid. Their letter was however, rebuffed by the Respondents who went ahead to enact Law No. 005 of 2002, which exonerated the State from paying the severance package. Hence, the wrongful act of the Respondent which gave the Appellant their cause of action, is the failure of the former to pay the latter their earned entitlements. Still on the issue, the Apex Court found that, even if the Appellants were not aware of the existence of Exhibits C and D until they were certified and brought to their knowledge in 2008, they were certainly aware of their entitlements and the enactment and existence of Law No. 005 of 2002 by the Ebonyi State Government, that tried to block the payment of the severance package and other benefits thereunder. The knowledge notwithstanding, the Appellants failed to challenge the same to test its validity and enforce their rights to the said entitlements. They reclined and waited till 2010, more than eight years after the last of the alleged denials, at which time their right of action was statute barred before they approached the court for redress. Furthermore, the fact that Exhibits C and D were certified in 2008 did not alter the date of making them, that is, 2001, for the purpose of computation of time. Appeal Dismissed. Representation D.D. Dodo, SAN with others for the Appellants. Paul Awada, Esq. – Director, Civil Litigation, Ebonyi State for the Respondent. Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR)(An affiliate of Babalakin & Co.)

V NEWS

T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa

Mr Alade Williams

Prof Abiola Sanni

Diamond Anniversary Lecture of OAU Law Faculty holds on Thursday The Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife is set to hold a Public Lecture titled “Taxation and Fiscal Federalism: Imperative for National Development” on Thu rsday, December 2, 2021 at 11.00 am at the New Moot Court, Faculty of Law, OAU, Ile-Ife. This is part of the programme to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the OAU. The University popularly known as ‘Great Ife’ was founded in 1961 as the University of Ife, by the Regional Government of Western Nigeria. It became a Federal University in 1975 by virtue

of a Decree of the Federal Military Government, and was renamed Obafemi Awolowo University on May 12, 1987 in honour of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Premier of the Western Region. According to the Professor A.A. Adedeji, the Dean, Faculty of Law, OAU, the choice of Professor Abiola Sanni as the Guest Lecturer was hinged on his recognition as a thought leader in Nigeria on tax matters, an area in which he has distinguished himself over the years as a scholar of note with a passion for using the law as an instrument

CRWC Appoints New Managing Partner Chief Rotimi Williams Chambers (CRWC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Alade Williams, as the firm’s new Managing Partner. Alade Williams succeeds Mr Folarin Williams, who will be stepping down as Managing Partner in December 2021. Since joining the Firm in 2012, Alade has had a great impact on client service and the overall growth of the firm. He brings a wealth of knowledge and dynamism

into his new role, and has led and coordinated numerous projects on behalf of the Firm. Commenting on his appointment as Managing Partner, Alade said, “my vision is to grow the firm, and position it for new challenges. I intend to build on our reputation for quality service, and to ensure continued success for the firm, our clients, our Lawyers and all our stakeholders”.

of social engineering and nation building. Professor Abiola Sanni is a Fulbright Scholar. He is Professor of Law at the University of Lagos. He started his teaching career

in OAU in 1991 as a Junior Trainee Fellow, served as the Acting Head Department of Business Law in 1997, before he transferred his service to University of Lagos in 1999. He served as the

Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC) in 2016, and subsequently, as the Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC) in

2017, to implement the key recommendations of the Revised National Tax Policy. Prof Sanni will be sworn in as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on December 8, 2021.

Aruoture Pleads with Okowa to Pardon Inmates, to Decongest Correctional Centres Sylvester Idowu in Warri Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has been urged to decongest the overcrowded Correctional Centres in Delta State, by offering clemency to deserving inmates. The immediate past Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Warri Branch, Mr John Aruoture, made the appeal in a statement made available to journalists in Warri. He said the step was necessary not only to decongest the Centres, but to give a second chance to some of the inmates who have truly and genuinely repented, and are already role models even in the Centres. “Part of my practice involves the court-appointed pro bono Public defence of

some indigent Defendants, being tried for sundry criminal charges. “This aspect of my legal practice necessitates visits to some of the five custodial Centres of the Nigerian Correctional Service, located in Delta State. By virtue of these visits and resultant interviews of officials and prisoners, the need to decongest the overcrowded prisons and their overburdened facilities have become pertinent. “From available data, all over the nation, there are approximately 74,127 inmates in the nation’s Correctional Centres. About 52,226 are pre-trial inmates, 21,901 are convicts, with some of these convicts on death row. “While the Federal Government has embarked on the exercise of grant-

ing pardon/clemency to convicts of Federal crimes, our beloved Delta State also needs to carry out a similar exercise for convicts of State crimes. “This urgent need necessitated this passionate appeal to Your Excellency, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of Delta State. Excellency needs to create a careful balance between ascertaining the befitting inmates of the Correctional Centres that should be reintegrated into the society, and the need to keep the society safe. “However, there are inmates that have truly repented, and others who have spent so much time in the Correctional Centres and could be said to have duly paid for their crimes. “In addition, there are inmates who have become

sources of positive influence/role models in many positive ways, in the various Correctional Centres. “Some of these inmates have become Pastors and Imams etc. in the Correctional Centres, and have dedicated their lives to the service of God and humanity. “I humbly opine that such inmates may rightly be given a second chance, and a window of opportunity to be reintegrated into the society”, he pleaded. The Warri-based Lawyer, however, suggested that after release, the inmates should be given the mandate to report to an administrative body for a probation period of between six months and two years, until it is evident that they have truly turned a new leaf.

Yemisi Adelaja", she said. Responding to the tributes, a daughter of the deceased, Ms Oluwakemi Ilori, expressed gratitude on behalf of the family. "He lived a life that he thor-

oughly enjoyed. His life was an inspiration to us his children. My father would have succeeded in any profession that he chose. He was a very thorough, meticulous and brilliant.

Encomia as Justice Ilori Goes Home Steve Aya It was encomium, praises, and indeed, a celebration of life as the Lagos State Judiciary last Wednesday held an honorary Valedictory Court Session for the ninth Chief Judge of the State, late Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori, at the premises of the Ikeja High Court. Ilori, who passed away on October 12, 2021 was also the fourth Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, and the fifth Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. He became the ninth Chief Judge of Lagos State in 1997, and retired from the Bench on January 5, 1999. He was the first Chief Judge, to introduce the electronic recording of courtroom proceedings in Nigeria. Honouring Ilori, the then Governor of Lagos State, Mr

Babatunde Fashola, SAN on May 12, 2015 named the Magistrates Court in Ogba after him. He was the first former Chief Judge to be honoured by Lagos State, during his lifetime. Speaking, at the well attended event, the Lagos State Chief Judge, Kazeem Alogba who was represented by Justice Toyin Oyekan-Abdullahi, the Admin Judge of the Lagos Division of the Lagos State High Court, said that the late Ilori will be sorely missed by the legal community, especially past and present Judges of Lagos State. Justice Alogba further described the deceased, as a reformer and a very good mentor to the Judiciary. The Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, said Ilori had a stellar career at the Ministry of Justice where he served for 11 years. Onigbanjo who was also represented by Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, the Solicitor-

General and Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, also described Ilori's meritorious service as a Judge. "In his 16 years of service as a Judge, no one left his court with any doubt that they received substantial justice according to the law. "Under his leadership as the ninth Chief Judge of Lagos State, the Lagos Judiciary remained a pacesetter, with the introduction of verbatim court recording machines to enhance efficient justice delivery", the A-G said. A retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour representing the Body of Benchers at the occasion, said that the late Ilori was an accomplished Jurist. "I learnt a lot from him. I joined him at the Lagos High Court as a Judge, and he became the last Chief Judge of Lagos State of the last century. "While his Lordship was the

Chief Judge, he was a respected Jurist and administrator. One outstanding feature of his Lordship when presiding, was his calmness, patience, attention to detail of evidence and cases before him. "The Lagos State Law Reports are replete with his judgements. We celebrate a life well spent", Rhodes-Vivour said. A representative of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chief Mrs Abimbola Williams Akinjide, SAN described herself as former classmate of the deceased at the Nigerian Law School Class of 1964. She noted that Ilori had a distinguished 30-year career in public and private service, and was very active in legal practice after his retirement as a Judge. "He must have had law in his DNA; he fathered 11 children, five of whom read law, and two became Judges; Justice Olusola Williams and Justice

PHOTO NEWS

NBA President, Olumide Akpata delivering the Convocation Lecture at University of Benin on Thursday, November 25, 2021

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

0809 889 8888 SMS ONLY

The Imperatives of Leadership (Part 2) Introduction

elson Mandela once opined that it is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line, when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership. On this note we continue and conclude our discourse on the above issue, having started with transactional leadership last week. Transactional Leadership (Continues) Transactional leaders are concerned with processes, rather than forward-thinking ideas. These types of leaders focus on contingent reward (also known as contingent positive reinforcement), or contingent penalisation (also known as contingent negative reinforcement). Contingent rewards (such as praise) are given when the set goals are accomplished on-time, ahead of time, or to keep subordinates working at a good pace at different times throughout completion. Contingent punishments (such as suspensions) are given when performance quality or quantity falls below production standards or goals, and tasks are not met at all. Often, contingent punishments are handed down on a management-by-exception basis, in which the exception is something going wrong. Within management-by-exception, there are active and passive routes. Active management-by-exception means that the leader continually looks at each subordinate's performance, and makes changes to the subordinate's work to make corrections throughout the process. Passive management-by-exception leaders wait for issues to come up, before fixing the problems. With transactional leadership being applied to the lower-level needs and being more managerial in style, it is a foundation for transformational leadership which applies to higher-level needs. Traits of Good Leadership Leadership, whether transformational or transactional, is the most important ingredient to building a strong prosperous society. We have witnessed countries that have all the cards stacked against them, find ways to buck the odds and overcome the challenges of their situation to become great, thriving and prosperous places because they had great leaders. Veritable examples of countries with excellent leadership are Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and the other Asian Tigers. We have also witnessed countries with endless opportunities squander their assets and potential, because they lacked effective leadership. A perfect example, is Nigeria and Haiti. Nigeria was in the same position with Countries like Taiwan, Singapore, and even the UAE in the sixties. While those counties were able to navigate their way into prosperity as a result of good leadership, Nigeria has regressed as a result of the egocentric and narcissist nature of those who had called themselves our leaders. The excellent thing with good leadership is that, the places with great leaders tend to create more of them, because leadership is contagious and vice-versa. Great leaders raise the bar of their societies. They bring others into the fold, and create a culture of leadership. This is a good thing, because leadership is to societies as chocolate chips are to cookies: the more the better. Places with strong and widely shared leadership know how to work together and get things done, while places with only a few dedicated leaders see slower progress, and people often burn out. Leadership itself, goes beyond the rulership of a country. Leadership permeates the precinct of even micro-societies, communities and organisations. For instance, in an organisation, the importance of leadership in the management of an organisation, cannot be overemphasised. To get things done by people, management must supply leadership in the organisation. Managers must influence the team, for work accomplishment through leadership. The ability of the leadership to set a clear vision, means influencing employees to understand and accept the future state of the organisation. A unit of young soldiers, may not believe in a particular mission ordered by their commanding officer. A good leader will influence the soldiers to perform their duties,

Some Nigerian Leaders, Past and Present by explaining the vision and the importance of their role in the outcome. The soldiers will be more apt to follow. Motivating subordinates means to find out enough about their needs and wants, giving them what they need, and providing praise for a job well done. Being far from home, is lonely for a young soldier. A good leader knows this, and will communicate with his unit to learn more about their needs and wants. It may be as simple as giving the soldiers a sweet treat for their efforts. When guiding employees, a good organisational leadership defines their role in the work process, and provides them with tools needed to perform, participates in and rewards their efforts (beyond the contractual wages) along the way. A leader does not only supervise, but also plays a guiding role for the subordinates. Guidance here means instructing the subordinates the way they have to perform their work, effectively and efficiently. Leadership creates confidence through expressing the work efforts to the subordinates, explaining to them clearly, their role(s) and giving them guidelines to achieve the goals effectively. It is also important for a good leader to hear the employees, with regard to their complaints and problems. Good leadership knows that it cannot know everything that needs to be known, and will thus, find ways of expanding knowledge as needed; seeking diverse opinions to inform decision-making. Good leadership always displays good communication and listening skills; puts the society's interest over personal agenda; makes difficult decisions, and makes long-term plans for the benefit of the generality of the society as a whole. Poor leadership, on the other hand, focuses on individual agendas; is single-minded in decision-making; does not consider different ideas or perspectives; cannot take criticism; is not well informed; and does not plan beyond its tenure. Wither Leadership in Nigeria? The nature of governance in any given political system, is determined by the quality of leadership in power. Nigeria, a nation endowed with natural and human resources, still battles with crisis of leadership and governance after many years of independence. The socio-economic and political development of any country depends largely on the ability of its leadership to facilitate, entrench and sustain good governance. Importantly, good governance is a manifestation of committed, patriotic and disciplined leadership. Significantly, Nigeria is among the countries of the world endowed with natural and valuable resources, that are capable of improving socio-economic status and living standards of the citizenry. But, the

“Veritable examples of countries with excellent leadership are Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and the other Asian Tigers. We have also witnessed countries with endless opportunities squander their assets and potential, because they lacked effective leadership. A perfect example, is Nigeria and Haiti”

reverse has always been the case. The crop of leaders that have attained leadership position since independence, have in one way or the other, lacked vision; most of them have been engrossed with corruption and political bickering, leading to the enthronement of maladministration and mismanagement of public resources, and consequently, economic setback and abject poverty as the nation’s heritage. As a matter of fact, going by all the developmental parameters and performance indices, Nigerian leaders have failed; economically, macroeconomic stability, fiscal discipline, economic reforms, due process and relatively low inflation rates that the State could claim to have achieved, sit alongside weak business confidence, low growth, massive unemployment, and rising inequality between the rich and the poor. Nigeria may have the highest GDP in Africa, but ranks low on Human Development indices (HDI), while corruption, which every Government has always promised to eradicate at its inauguration, continues unabated. Nigeria and the Imperatives of Transformational Leadership Leadership in Nigeria can be improved, if the leadership of the country embraces transformational leadership values. Transformational leadership has core values of goals, visions, and the means to unite with followers to ensuring that such goals are achieved. It also takes the responsibility of ensuring that people are mobilised to participate in the process of change, and encourages a sense of collective action. Essentially, transformational leadership strives to make leaders out of the available followers. Such generated leaders are dispersed across sectors of economy, to ensure that the mission and visions of progress created at different centres of power are executed based on the needs of citizens, and that the latter are actively involved in goal implementation. With this, the transformational leader takes people beyond pre-occupation with basic needs and scraping by, as it is today in most parts of the country, and sets the pace for individual and national self-actualisation. As a matter of fact, transformational leaders work independently and courageously to make choices that are best for the country within the international system of economic, political and cultural interaction; lead the citizen to bring back quality and excellence to education, revitalise infrastructural facilities and modernise productive activity in agriculture and industry; insert skilled indigenous professionals and labour centre stage of building national development infrastructure. Transformational leadership is inward looking, and conscious of the benefits that its society can derive from the international environment. It takes the responsibility of the national or local problem, depending on the layer of leadership; deploys skill, knowledge imagination and energy to solutions to most problems, and assists followers to realise their hidden and untapped capabilities. The transformational leader is always physically present, to monitor projects at sites. He also receives report from subordinates, to ensure that policies and projects are implemented according to designs and specification. This style of

leadership relegates corruption to the background, and brings sanity, transparency and accountability to the fore. This is the legacy of transformation, left by transformational leaders in many countries of the World. Available evidence in the development literature on transformational leaders who have significantly reduced poverty in their respective countries during the past quarter century, does not generate any consistent conclusion regarding the factors that contributed to the successes. The leaders of the success stories in Chile, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, all demonstrated strong commitment to development, with clarity of vision and of goals. Nigeria can, through grooming its present and future leadership on the model of transformational leadership tenets, attain the height attained by these nations. Conclusion The challenge of leadership in Nigeria, particularly in the 21st century, has been generating concern among well-meaning citizens of this country. That Nigeria is yet to harness abundant human and material resources in her domain for development for the past 61 years of nationhood, has left much to be desired. As this issue has shown, inept and corrupt leadership affects not only service delivery to the Nigerian people. In view of this, the citizens of this country now need to strike a balance between the personality/qualifications of those who struggle to pilot the affairs of the country, the culture and democratic values of Nigeria as a nation. This is particularly important because, leadership must be able to assist and guide the society to embark on national self-discovery through inspiring and transformational leadership. The citizenry must insist on leaders that understand what it is to be in leadership, and not some opportunistic narcissistic individual or group of individuals who lack altruistic drives. To this end, leadership becomes of utmost imperative. Where counties without natural resources, but with good leadership have achieved much progress, Nigeria, with enormous natural resources can achieve even much more, where we have excellent leadership. Leadership, whether transformational or transactional, will be highly welcome in Nigeria; it is submitted that transformational leadership, with all its more altruistic characteristics, is the most appropriate for a country like Nigeria and for organisations within the Nigerian context. This is because; a leader who is worth his salt in a clime like Nigeria must be transformational in attitude, in policies and in delivery. Serious and Trivial “Things are happening in this profession o. I overheard a Lawyer today telling his client that the client is not a juristic person, because the client has no money to pay for his professional services. What does juristic person have to do with appearance fee? SOMEONE: A client that lacks capacity to pay professional fees, lacks capacity to sue and consequently, not a juristic person biko.” – Anonymous. THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”. (Warren Bennis)

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he 2021 Epiphany Azinge Foundation Colloquium themed “ECOWAS Treaty and State Sovereignty: Redefining Constitutional Parameters of Nationhood” held on November 11 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. Here are some of those, who participated in the event….. PHOTOS: JULIUS ATOI Board of Trustees of the Foundation, Resource Persons and Participants in a group photograph

Dr (Mrs) Valerie Azinge, SAN (left) and Dr Joey Azinge Founder, Epiphany Azinge Foundation, Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN (left) and Wife Dr (Mrs) Valerie Azinge, SAN

Amb Joe Keshi (left) and Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN Fr Anthony Azuwike (left) and Prof Paul Idornigie, SAN

Amb Ndubuisi Amala (left) and Dr Sesan Peter

Nigerian Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Amb Musa Nuhu (left) and Chukwuemeka Ire-Okoli

Avm Osita Obierika (left) and Dr Adoyi Matthew Omole

L-R: Amb Joe Keshi; Editor, THISDAY Lawyer, Onikepo Braithwaite; Prof Paul Idornigie, SAN and Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN

Prof Peter Akper, SAN (left) and Dr Mike Nwosu

Ogbeshi (Amb) Val I. Ogosi (left) and Dr Sam Amadi

Onikepo Braithwaite (left) and Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN

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Hon. Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori

Hon. Justice Ilori: A Judicial Titan Goes Home A valedictory court session was held last Wednesday, November 24, 2021, in honour of the 9th Chief Judge of Lagos State, Honourable Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori at the High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja. His Lordship who joined the Saints triumphant on October 12, 2021 at the age of 87, had an illustrious career. He also had an expansive Magistrate Court named after him, during his lifetime. He is here celebrated in Tribute by his daughter, Hon. Justice Olusola Williams (Rtd), Chief Mrs Abimbola Williams Akinjide, SAN, Hon. Justice Olabisi Akinlade and Olukayode Enitan, SAN. May the soul of the faithfully departed, rest in peace. Amen

Tribute to Our Dear Father Hon. Justice Olusola Williams (Rtd) Hon. Justice Ilori, the Family Man

addy was a responsible husband. I remember one time he travelled, and the DSTV subscription in the house had run out. He called me from London, to make sure I paid. He asked me to loan him the money...saying "Se o mo pe, nkan ti Mummy ma nwo niyèn." A few years ago, when I went visiting, I saw him cleaning Mummy's wound with methylated spirit or some other astringent. Interestingly, he called her a baby even as he winced. It is an open secret that, Daddy was the worst patient ever! He looked after his wife, and that taught us how to be responsible. Like Sister Titi said, we all had to do vacation jobs. We earned money which we were to save, and use for extras in University. We learnt a culture of saving, and providing for ourselves. A father to the Core, Daddy loved Children Fatherhood was his very essence. He fathered many, from his large heart. A man who had eleven biological children and fully adopted three children, but made no difference between us all. He had yet many more

children, some of whom were not his blood that he fathered and mentored. Only Daddy could have come up with the weird law that all his children, biological and non-biological, living under his roof had to come out to greet him when he came home from a hard day's work. We all had to rush out as soon as we heard him tooting his horn. I guess he just loved the medley of "Daddy è kaabò; as Sister Titi mentioned in her tribute. But, his rationale for the law was, "mo fè mò oye òmò ti mo bi!". It is so amazing how he had time for his children, in spite of such a heavy workload! He had to come home to judge cases like ..."The stolen fruit in the tree", between a Lagosian and a cunning Ijesha man! Daddy was a Disciplinarian Par Excellence He poured so much into us. His parenting style was wonderful, but we didn't realise it until much later. Daddy related to each one of us individually, personally, and knew us all well. He dealt with us individually...some of us ‘hummnn, koboko ya!’. Still, he knew when to stop the beating. I think I had withdrawal symptoms from the koboko! Someone like Ayo got a good talking to, that tamed him for days. Aboaba cut grass ‘so teyyy’! Sis Titi was facing the wall at home, on instruction given on the phone. Bimbo was seen as delicate, and never beaten. I think Gbenga as the last born child, also escaped the koboko. Daddy taught us with strict discipline

“We say thank you Daddy. We, your children, are grateful to you, and we are grateful to God for giving us such a great man as our father”

and hardship (which strengthened us), but never tried to break our spirit. Like Aunty Yemisi wrote, Daddy taught us to be able to hold our own any and every where, to ask questions and discuss issues. Of course, when he cared to, he demolished arguments; but, at other times he deflected issues with humour, or only dignified us with a hiss. Or he would come up with something like: "Are you trying to talk like a stupid girl?". We had to come together as "Igbimò"(alabe shekele), to plan our discussions and arguments with him. Our first resolution was not to use the "tush" title Daddy for him in our deliberations, because he was too old fashioned. We gave him the title "Baba". Daddy tried to resist that title sugbòn, "ihan igbimò jè". In ra mo hian Igbimò.... ki o ba dawò le o..o maa bò lube!" Unfortunately, we had a weak link...Ikèpò the Christian, who always repented and easily owned up when Daddy confronted us. Baba of life! He taught us never to have any sense of entitlement (guess that also helped a hardworking young man with many mouths to feed). Once he dropped Kemi and I at GCA and left. We looked at each other and said: "wòn o ma fun wa ni pocket money!" But, we knew it was not a right, and braced up for a 'lean' term. He sent us money a few days later...I guess after he received his salary. He was such a positive influence. He loved the legal profession, but Daddy never forced anyone to read law. He just expected us to be responsible and make wise choices, confident that he raised us right. Still he made law so exciting that Yemisi Kekere, Bosun, Gbenga, Mayowa and I, all read law. He was a Born Teacher We were made to play scrabble games, that turned into stern grammar lessons. I remember him saying something like: “It is a simple rule of English language that a 'q' is always followed by 'u'...so, what stupid word are you trying to

form??". Daddy taught us respect. He respected any and every one. There was no high or low with him. He gave every human being his or her due. Even his grandchildren and great grand daughter of nine years, carried on real and meaningful conversations with him. He was never rude, nor talked down on people. He was humble and very comfortable in his own skin. There was never any preparation to receive VIPs; all guests were welcomed with warmth. He respected his children as individuals, and never shut us down even from a young age. I remember once Daddy asked Tunde how much he had saved from his vacation job, and Tunde replied that his account was his personal and private business. Daddy nodded, and respected Tunde's position. The only problem was that when Tunde was going back to school and asked for money, Daddy reminded Tunde of the principle that everybody's money is their personal business! Daddy defined contentment. He was happy with his lot. He would never ask for favours. As Sope said, Daddy didn't live a flamboyant life. He testified that Daddy always said to him; ..."owo melo ni eniyan fè na?". He believed in Merit and Hard Work Daddy was an activist. He would not demand special treatment or fight for extra benefit, but he would fight to ensure people were treated fairly. He went out of his way to help family members, but God help us his children if we did not work hard to earn our due. If you told Daddy that you needed his clout, for example, seek assistance with school admission, he would ask..."Kini ki nse ti mo ba de bè? Se mo ma dòbalè fun lecturer ni, abi ki nkunlè?" "Abi ki nkawò sèhi tèri ba?". He taught us to work hard, and to strive. We were expected to get things by merit, not favour. He was so proud of Poju, our Òga Òlòpa. He would have been so happy for Yemisi Kekere as she then was, now Honourable Justice Adelaja. Daddy Abiyamò tootò, has not stopped looking after his children. Since he departed, we have been experiencing rains of blessings....knowing him, Daddy is shaking things in heaven.

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Hon. Justice Ilori: A Judicial Titan Goes Home He taught us to be Grateful Gratitude was a way of life with Daddy. He never took even us his children, for granted. In spite of the fact that he invested heavily in his children, he never demanded anything from us, or act as if being cared for in old age was his right. He thanked us for everything, apple, bread, books, Maltina, a day out..."Thank you my daughter". “Thank you for coming to visit me. You know if you hadn't come, I would just be alone here.” He taught us sacrificial parenting craftily...."You need N100? Look in my wardrobe, under that blue agbada you will see something wrapped in a towel, open the towel, you will see a nylon bag, look in it, you will see an envelope.... bring that envelope. Ah, there is only N120 in it! OK...You take N80, and I will take N40. You need money more than I do.” Baba! Incidentally, he suspiciously never had more than that N120 or such sum in his wardrobe! Daddy's sense of humour was superlative. Those nicknames he was famous for include: Kemi-Keminsin Sayo- shankolo or shashansa Sope- Somplicity Gbolabo who graduated from Bombo to Gbolie Anti Yemisi- O yemi gan gan Layiwola was Layiwola kenge kenge He could do Rhymes : "Mo wa Titi titi ase Titi ti wa ni titi!" Daddy lived a good life, though he had challenges like every human being and defied death so many times. His faith helped him to bear the loss of his daughter Lamide. He came out of one illness with an out of body experience, which strengthened and deepened his faith. He was undoubtedly Christian. Daddy taught us the way of Christ. He affirmed his faith so many times. He was so proud he obeyed God's charge to him in that after life experience..to let his children serve Him. As Gbolabo said: "Dad was a Christian and a believer, and he raised us all as such". He forgave easily, no matter how fierce his anger seemed. Most times, nobody else needed to intervene, but at other times, one of us children just needed to speak for the other, like Kemi fighting Daddy over his fight with Lanre. We say thank you Daddy. We, your children, are grateful to you, and we are grateful to God for giving us such a great man as our father. We thank God, for the heritage we have been gifted with. AN INDELIBLE NAME. Hon. Justice Olusola Williams (Rtd)

A Note of Comfort and Condolence to the Ilori Family Chief Mrs Abimbola Williams Akinjide, SAN In 1964 (May July), when I first met the Hon. Justice Ilori as a classmate in the three-month Law School Programme, there were others like him in that class who were destined for great heights: these include Hon. Justice Alfa Belgore (former Chief Justice of Nigeria), Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, SAN (former A.G. Federation), Hon. Justice Akinola Akintan of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Francis Owobiyi of the Lagos High Court, Mr. Dapo Fafiade, Chief Tobi Dafe, Chief Francis Ozomah of Niger Insurance Plc. Little did I know that our paths will cross again, on a closer family angle. It so happened that my aburo, T.E. Wiliams, SAN (Tokunbo), the youngest son of Chief and Mrs Rotimi Williams, married Justice Ilori’s second daughter Miss Olusola Ajibike Ilori, who through the grace of God became Hon. Justice O.A. Williams, and now the founder of the Institute of Paralegal Services (IOPS). The WILLIAMS and ILORI dynasties were increased by two pretty daughters of that marriage, Eniola and Damilola. Hon. Justice Ilori’s Sound Judgements There is no doubt that, Hon. Justice Ilori’s tenure in the Judiciary of Lagos State was a blessing in all respects. His illuminating and sound judgements in several areas of law, lent much to the administration of justice and the development of law overall. On several difficult and recondite issues of law, Hon. Justice Ilori always emerged as Socrates would. I saw this clearly first hand, whilst waiting for my turn to be heard in his court sometime in the 1980s. He had the difficult task, of dealing with the Estate of a particular famous religious leader. Counsel for the estate, a seasoned SAN, argued

Hon. Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori before Justice Ilori on the spiritual aspect of promotion of the lineage of the said religious leader, by the several children he fathered through relationships which seemed to be very unusual. I recall Justice Ilori in a boomerang voice ruling against the argument presented before him, that the entire proceedings be stayed and the matter be referred to the Attorney-General of Lagos State and the Department of Social Welfare for thorough investigation. This was indeed, social engineering; social justice! In the last years of his service in the Judiciary of Lagos State, the Almighty Father accorded him more grace and blessings, as the Chief Judge of the High Court of Lagos State. I had the privilege of working with him, as a member of the Judicial Service Commission of Lagos State. During his tenure, appreciable reforms were made in the Judiciary. The various appointments to the Bench under his watch were well screened, and turned out to produce Judges who are among the best in the Lagos State Judiciary. It is sad to say goodbye to my class mate, my in-law and a respected Chief Judge. The Ilori Family has lost a gem, indeed. “IPÈLÈ O, ÈYIN ANÒ WA”. I commend to our dear KEMI, SOLA and all their siblings, to hold on to the sweet memories of the noble and successful life of their patriarch. The Almighty Father will comfort and keep you all. I Pray that the soul of our departed Hon. Justice S.O. Ilori, will rest safely in the Lord. Chief (Mrs) Abimbola Williams Akinjide, SAN

Tribute to Hon. Justice Omotunde Ilori (the HCJ Emeritus) Hon. Justice Olabisi Akinlade

I met My Lord, a staunch member of Anglican Communion, at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Cathedral Church. However, I became close to him when he became the Hon. Chief Judge of Lagos State. His Positive Contributions to Administration of Justice in Lagos During My Lord’s tenure as the Chief Judge of Lagos State, he formed and chaired a Committee to improve the Administration of Criminal Justice in Lagos State, and I was the Secretary of the Committee. Other members of the Committee were the Controller of Prisons, Lagos State, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, the Director of Public Prosecutions, and other stakeholders in the Administration of Justice in Lagos State. My Lord exhibited exemplary leadership skills during the meetings of the Committee, as he always chaired the meetings in spite of his tight schedule as the HCJ; hence, the Commissioner of Police and the Head of

“My Lord exhibited exemplary leadership skills…. through My Lord’s efforts, a lot of reforms were made in the Administration of Criminal Justice in Lagos State……”

Prisons at the time, had no other choice than to attend the meetings where important decisions were taken to improve the Administration of Criminal Justice in Lagos State. I make bold to say that through My Lord’s efforts, a lot of reforms were made in the Administration of Criminal Justice in Lagos State at the time. For easy access to justice, Magistrate Courts were built in Kirikiri Correctional Centre, inmates awaiting trial that had spent longer time in prison than the maximum period of imprisonment prescribed for the offences committed by them were released, under-aged children kept in the prison were released, and legal advices were promptly written by law officers. The Committee was very effective throughout its lifespan because deadlines were given for events, different assignments were given to each stakeholder, and members were also encouraged to give updates of events and assignments given by My Lord. I personally gained a lot, from My Lord’s exemplary leadership skills. The Church Connection Apart from crossing My Lord’s path as the HCJ Emeritus, we became closer when my society in AVMCC, the Band of Mercy made My Lord our society’s Patron, and he instantly became my Daddy as I fondly called him. As our Patron, he took much interest in all members and had affection for our families. Indeed, he was a doting father to us all. Personally I will miss him; he was a brilliant jurist, a God fearing man, a good and caring father, a hardworking, diligent, honest Judge with zero tolerance for laziness and deceit. I commiserate with my sister, Hon. Justice Olusola Williams, and the entire Ilori family. I pray that the good Lord will comfort and uphold the entire Ilori family. May the soul of Hon. Justice Omotunde Ilori, through the mercy of the Lord, rest in perfect peace. Amen. Hon. Justice Olabisi Akinlade

Tribute to Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori, 9th Chief Judge of Lagos State Olukayode Enitan, SAN I first met My Lord, Hon. Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori (9th Chief Judge of Lagos State) as a very young Lawyer of less than two years at the Bar, through his friends who were my Principals Chief Adedeji Adefioye and Chief Duro Ajayi, with both of whom I cut my legal teeth in 1988/89. Professionally My Lord from that point was an object of tremendous fascination to me, due to his industry and brilliance, as well as his fatherly disposition in and out of the Courtroom. My Lord had the good fortune to have been everything a man could aspire for, as a pioneer staff of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice where he was Director of Public Prosecutions, Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, from where he then became the 9th Chief Judge of Lagos State. He shone brightly on the Bench, and the law reports

speak eloquently of his brilliance. After his retirement, My Lord blazed another trail by setting up Law Update Consultancy which became a Mecca for Litigants, Junior and Senior Counsel, as well as members of the Inner Bar who flocked thereto, to drink from the well of My Lord's brilliance and erudition up till weeks before his passing. Professionally, I had cause to do some work with him through Law Update Consultancy, unlike the atypical ‘oshomalo’ who seizes every opportunity to undermine others, My Lord never shortchanged me, but at all times ensured that my share of fees at 40% never stayed with him for more than it took the Client’s cheque to go through clearing. This was much unlike many others, with whom I cooperated with as a younger Counsel. Personally On a personal level His Lordship was a father and life mentor, who always had a word or two of wisdom and a bottle of wine available to share with me at each engagement, whether at home where it would often be, accompanied with either awo yimata, or with fried fish, or in his office where it got accompanied with peanuts or cashew nuts. One of the life lessons I learnt from My Lord and which I hold very dear to my heart, is an out of chance encounter I was privy to, between him and one of his numerous Aburos (younger brothers) whose name I cannot remember, but whom My Lord referred to as ‘Defi’ in his Ijesha dialect (it is very much possible that he is here) and some of you may know who he his. Apparently, ‘Defi’ was going to turn 50 that year, this was sometime between 2006-2007. ‘Defi’ came to inform My Lord of his imminent birthday, giving an explanation of his plans, and how he was getting old and intends to begin to put things together. My Lord laughed and said in his Ijesha dialect ; “Defi, alè ti lè (David it’s not yet night); he then broke it down using himself as an example, that it is not yet evening nor night at age 50, and how after his retiring from office as the 9th Chief Judge of Lagos State aged 65 he never saw himself as retired, but as having been given an opportunity to ‘refire’ and that this ‘refiring’ period enabled him to earn more income than he made from his over forty years in Public Service. He went on to encourage Defi, that the age he was approaching is the beginning of a fresh lease of life, which he should approach with new vigour and determination. I left him that day with that statement ringing in my head; “Alè ti lè”, and this informed my zeal to continue to pursue the quest to attain the epitome of my career as a legal Practitioner such that I remained undeterred when I was unable to succeed in the quest for Silk at past age 50, and ultimately attaining the rank at age 54. My Lord loved life, and lived well. He was a bon vivant! Thus, in remembrance of, and as a tribute to my Lord, I will urge that we all imbibe this statement which he epitomised, having by the special grace of God been able to ‘remain in harness’ even up till the very last week of his life; for indeed, until we depart this earth plane, ‘alè ti lè’. May the eternal soul of Late Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori (CJ Emeritus), rest in perfect peace. Amen.

Olukayode Enitan, SAN

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 • T H I S D AY

COVER IMAGES

L-R: Family of late Justice Samuel Omotunde Ilori, Justice Yemisi Adelaja; Mrs Mabel Olusola Obasanjo; Mrs Oluremi Ilori; Stella Ilori; Soopeolu Ilori and grandson, Benjamin Oviosu

L-R: Daughter, Justice Olusola Williams (Rtd); Son, Mr. Gbolabo Ilori and Nephew, Mr. Ayoola Oke Chairman, Body of Benchers, Hon. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, JSC (Rtd) (left) and Justice Adesola Oguntade, JSC (Rtd)

L-R: Former Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon Justice Ayo Philips; Justice Onigbanjo and Justice S.O. Ishola (Rtd)

L-R: Admin Judge, Ikeja, Justice Ipaye; Admin Judge, Lagos, Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi; Justice Nicol-Clay;; Justice Dada; Justice Adesanya; Justice Oyebanji; and Justice Jumoke Pedro

L-R: Chairman, Lagos NBA, Ikechukwu Uwanna; Mrs Mandy Asagba; and Chairman, Ikeja NBA, Bartholomew Aguegbodo

Retired Justices Jide Candide-Johnson (left), and Olaide Olayinka

L-R: Justice Oyekan-Abdullahi; Justice Nicol-Clay and Justice Dada

L-R: Justice Adenike Coker, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye and Justice Ronke Harrison

L-R: Past National Welfare Secretary NBA, Adesina Adegbite; Mandy Asagba; Dele Adesina, SAN; Norrison Quakers, SAN and Prince Dele Oloke

Justice Lawal-Akapo (left) and Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN

L-R: Justice Akinlade; Justice Ighile and Justice Opesanwo

PHOTOS: KOLAWOLE ALLI

30.11.2021

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FEATURES

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

Design Week Lagos: The Future of Creativity and Innovation in Nigeria The recently held Design Week Lagos themed 'Design Revolution' showcased the future of creativity and innovation in Nigeria just as it provided platform to promote creativity on architecture, industrial, interior, furniture, graphics design, and culture, Uzoma Mba reports

Manager, Sponsorship and Promotions, MTN Nigeria, Njide Ken-Odogwu; Friends and Team Members of Folasope Pinheiro (Winner, Design Kulture Student Competition), Seyi Oyesiku and Folarin Adefemi, and Mother of Folasope Pinheiro, Honourable Justice Yetunde Pinheiro, accepting the cash prize on his behalf, at the Design Kulture Student Competition Presentations, in Lagos

his year’s edition of Design Week Lagos themed “Design Revolution” has brought to fore the unique talent of the Nigerian creative space. Its third edition has provided a platform for the promotion of creativity and innovation across disciplines, including architecture, industrial design, interior design, furniture design, graphics design, and culture. It has also made Lagos and, by extension Nigeria, the centre of the regional and continental creative design with different statewide exhibitions and events that showcase the best design and a hint into what the future will bring. In 10 days, the hybrid event provided an opportunity for talents to be discovered, creativity to be showcased, and innovation to be explored. It set the stage for an opportunity to bridge the gap between technology and creativity, setting the standard for an industry that has the potential to revolutionise the art and culture space in Nigeria. Nigeria’s artistic history is a very rich one. From the famed Ori Olokun to the Benin Bronzes to the Igbo-Ukwu Bronzes to the ancient Kano City Walls, the wealth of creativity cannot be understated. Sadly, some of these tangible creations have been destroyed or taken away, while little is known about those who conceived and crafted them. The current crop of creative talents from Nigeria are harnessing their rich roots, blending them with contemporary and global styles in all creative disciplines to create unique designs. Design Week Lagos provided a much-needed avenue for these to be showcased and an opportunity for collaborators, enthusiasts, decision-makers in the industry, as well as buyers and collectors alike to be introduced to innovative designs and talented designers. Exhibitors for the Design Kulture Exhibition include Studio Lani, Nifemi Bello, Tosin Oshinowo, Olu Amoda, Damola Rufai, Tunde Owolabi, Aga Concept, Tekura, Osaru Alile, Titilailai, Demas Nwoko, Ozioma Onuzulike, Diseye Tantua, Belevence, and Mowarin Christian. A major highlight of the design week

Honourable Justice Yetunde Pinheiro speaking at the Design Kulture Student Competition Presentations, in Lagos

was the annual roundtable held by the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers where the design community of Africa discussed the IFI Education Policy. This series of events has done something uniquely important to the industry; it has centralised the gathering of established and aspiring creatives to cement the relevance of Nigeria and African contribution to the global creative industry.

For too long, the continent has occupied a nostalgic space, referenced as a once-upon-a-time progenitor of global creativity. In reality, the design industry in the continent never left; it rather did not get enough space at the table for global recognition. The 10-day event in Lagos has brought this to attention and has put the industry on the worldwide map. The success of Design Week Lagos further cements Nigeria’s soft power in

The success of Design Week Lagos further cements Nigeria’s soft power in the continent. With the abundance of designers and creatives getting the opportunity to take centre-stage and be rightfully recognised for their contribution to the industry, there is already a lot of benefit for the people and the country

the continent. With the abundance of designers and creatives getting the opportunity to take centre-stage and be rightfully recognised for their contribution to the industry, there is already a lot of benefit for the people and the country. From what has been seen in the 10-days city-wide event, new creatives are ready to take centre stage in the not too distant future. A crop of amazing designers showcased their works. The Design Kulture Student Competition, which was part of the programme, was a competition to showcase and reward Nigerian students with outstanding designs. The competition was won by a talented Nigerian student architect whose work titled Oja Oba incorporated Yoruba architectural design with modern aesthetics. This recognition and the opportunity that is given to young creatives to exhibit their work is a significant growth opportunity that would further encourage more young designers to continue to explore the creative design industry. Design Week has received a lot of support locally and internationally, which is a testament to its importance in forging a unique path for Nigerian design creatives to be This prospect and confidence in the lofty height already attained paved the way for a more defining Nigerian presence in the creative design global stage and necessitated MTN’s unwavering support for Design Lagos Week. As clearly explained by the Sponsorship and Promotions Manager, MTN Nigeria, Njide Ken-Odogwu, the support is due to the desire to encourage young artists to find a platform for creating innovative projects.: “MTN's decision to support Design Week Lagos is due to the scope of the project, which encompasses the broad spectrum of arts and culture, from architecture to interior design and fashion design. As a Nigerian company, we are passionate about African culture and are excited at any opportunity to brighten the lives of our customers. We hope that this competition will encourage young artists to find their voice in the arts and culture space leading to more innovative projects.”

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FEATURES

Olanipekun@ 70: Celebrating a Man Whose Watchword is Integrity Chinedu Raheem Ayodeji

nline and offline, the last one week has been about Chief Wole Olanipekun’s 70th year birthday and I understand why. On Thursday 18th of this month, which was Chief Olanipekun’s birthday, Nigerians woke up to various celebratory advertorial messages in honour of this Senior of Advocate of Nigeria in almost all the major newspapers. Those of us who are close to Chief Olanipekun and his life of hard work, service to humanity and love for Christ were not in any way surprised that Chief was being celebrated by all. Talk of any Nigerian today, whose life revolves around giving his best to Nigeria, humanity and the Church of God and Chief Olanipekun’s name will come to mind. Of course, Chief is not the first Lawyer in Nigeria to become a SAN or the first Lawyer to lead the Nigerian Bar Association but he is perhaps the only Lawyer whose contribution to humanity, education, health sector and other areas of human endeavour attracts almost the same attention as his commitment to Law. Whether as a Lawyer or not, Chief Olanipekun has not for any moment put anybody in doubt that his watchwords are ‘excellence’ and ‘integrity’. These two attributes constantly follow him like a northern star and they have become the cornerstone of his success story. No wonder, today, this legal icon is often mentioned in the same breath as other forensic advocates and titans like Chief F. R. A. Williams, SAN and Chief G. O. K. Ajayi, SAN, both of blessed memories. In a recent interview, Chief Olanipekun confirmed this when he stated emphatically that for a lawyer, what matters most is integrity: “Of the five courses being taught at the Nigerian Law School, there is no such course as “integrity”, although a discerning aspirant to the Bar will be able to decipher that it is the common vein that runs through all the learning that takes place there, to the effect that you must maintain your integrity; do not compromise your clients; and do not compromise the Judiciary. I do not believe in ‘talking’ to Judges in whatever context except talking to Judges through the instrumentality of robust and forensic advocacy. I believe in research; stay in your office; work! Woo them with your submissions!! That is your product, that is your brand, but it is unfortunate that in Nigeria today, corruption has crept into the profession. It is so regrettable.” Olanipekun had stated. Like many Nigerians, of course I cherish Chief Olanipekun’s exploits in Law but beyond Law, I cannot but marvel at his contribution to humanity, his commitment to human empowerment and his service to the body of Christ. It will interest many Nigerians that even as a Lawyer; Chief Olanipekun uses his Law to serve God and humanity. Looking back at how he started and where he is today, one can clearly see the hand of God in all his doings. This is a man, who at the beginning, because of parental influence, tried to run away from Law but God as the Author put His agents in place and His will was done. The rest, as they say, is history. Of course, Chief Olanipekun has told the story and retold it countless times; the story of how he veered into Law. It’s obvious there is a spiritual dimension, nay, a God-factor to his choosing the path of Law. It started as a tug of war between reading Law or Mass Communication, and a lot of factors militate against his decision to study Law. Now, as this elder statesman clocks 70, it is easy to note that Chief Olanipekun is perhaps one of the leading lights in the Law profession, who has not only raised the bar but has opened new chapters for practice. As admitted by many people who have come across Chief Olanipekun, more than any other person, he has set the pace in many areas in the legal field and unraveled unimaginable legal difficulties by cutting the Gordian nuts in many areas of the law. His exploits in election petitions, especially in the popular case of Inakoju v. Adeleke is often referred to as pacesetting. In the case which made it possible for Rasidi Ladoja to return to power after he was illegally impeached by the politicians loyal to the then Chief Lamidi Adedibu, now late, Chief Olanipekun became a Lawyer to watch. For the first time

Chief Olanipekun in Nigeria, the court agreed that the issue of impeachment of a governor can be looked at and overturned if it failed to strictly comply with the law as regards procedure. Former Oyo State Governor, Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja was a beneficiary of that legal breakthrough. He also led the team of lawyers who retrieved the mandate of former Governor Adams Oshiomole in Edo state, Olusegun Mimiko in Ondo and has led the legal team for three presidential election petitions and won in all. No lawyer in Nigeria has had such a rare opportunity or privilege. Besides, he played a vital role in the retrieval of Fayemi's mandate by constituting a solid legal team and acting in advisory capacity to them. Chief Olanipekun also did the unthinkable in 2007, when former President Olusegun Obasanjo unilaterally announced the sacking of the then Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, this Law titan challenged what he called a coup on the Constitution and got the Supreme Court to nullify such arbitrary use of power by saying Atiku couldn't be sacked so casually without recourse to the Constitution. He also saved Atiku like many others in the hands of the Code of Conduct in what appeared like mere persecution and victimisation. Succinctly speaking, Chief Olanipekun is a lawyer's lawyer any day because he is believed to be at home with law, its technical procedure and implications for the improvement of his teeming clients' cases. But like I have always said, Law is not the only thing that defines Chief Olanipekun. Olanipekun is a philanthropist and he is a man of God. In the last 10 years, he has been in the forefront of humanitarian services and philantropism. He has consistently invested in humanity through interventional projects in education, health, information technology and the Law Profession. This background is necessary to establish

the bond between Chief Olanipekun and humanity, especially services in the course of God and His Church. Before and after his call to the Bar, Olanipekun hasn’t only kept to his promise to always stand with Christ; he has remained steadfast in his determination to keep up the tempo in the Anglican family like his father. In practical terms, it is unlikely if there is any individual who has given back to community development than Chief Olanipekun in Nigeria. The first seed he sowed in this direction was at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Ikere in 2012, where Chief Olanipekun built, furnished and donated a modern vicarage named after Pa Isaac Olanipekun. In March 2014, he, in continuation and furtherance of his philanthropic initiatives and gestures, built and donated to the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikere Branch, a 350-capacity Bar Centre. He was back in the same church last year when he led the incumbent Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the then Primate and Archbishop Metropolitan of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Revd. (Dr.) Nicholas Okoh and six state governors to the inauguration and handing over of an ultramodern church auditorium, with world class facilities that can accommodate at least 1,700 worshipers, to complement the existing structure in the church. Today, the ancient church has suddenly become ‘the bride’ of the community. Earlier, in 2015, this legal luminary had built, equipped and donated to the State Specialist Hospital, Ikere, in November, 2015, an ultra-modern and state-of-the-art Amenity Ward (the Iya Aafin Bosede Olanipekun Amenity Ward), in memory of his beloved late mother, Bosede Olanipekun. He also procured for the Amenity Ward, a modern and fully equipped ambulance. Beyond the Church, Chief Olanipekun has in the last 13 years, intervened and

Whether as a Lawyer or not, Chief Olanipekun has not for any moment put anybody in doubt that his watchwords are ‘excellence’ and ‘integrity’. These two attributes constantly follow him like a northern star and they have become the cornerstone of his success story

contributed to Ikere Ekiti development, through various other legacy projects. They include New Cruise 92.7 FM, an ICT Centre within the premises of Amoye Grammar School, which was built to mark the school’s 50th anniversary in 2009. In 1996, he instituted the Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme for the purpose of awarding scholarships to brilliant, but indigent students and since then, the Scheme has, true to the intention of its primogenitor, produced numerous talented beneficiaries, some of whom are now doctors, lawyers, engineers, pharmacists, accountants, educationists and professionals in other fields. As Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Ibadan, he initiated and established another Scholarship Scheme to assist five students per session from each of the faculties of Law, Technology (Computer) and the College of Medicine. As part of his contributions to the provision of an enabling environment for learning, he built, equipped, furnished and donated a 420-seater Auditorium to the Faculty of Law of the University of Ibadan. In July 2011, he initiated an Endowment Fund for junior lawyers, particularly in the Lagos and Ilorin Branches of the NBA. Seven Junior Lawyers from the NBA, Ilorin Branch were beneficiaries of cars given to them by the Branch from the proceeds of the Endowment Fund, while over one hundred (100) Young Lawyers from the Lagos Branch were beneficiaries of lap-tops and flash drives distributed to them from the proceeds of the Endowment. In Oyo, Chief Wole Olanipekun and his dear wife, Princess Omolara, built, furnished and donated an ultra-modern Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge to Ajayi Crowther University. Also, on 20th August, 2019, he donated a 16-seater brand new Nissan Bus to the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikere Branch, Ekiti State. As the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ajayi Crowther University, he paid in September, 2019, the full tuition/fees of fifteen seminarians from affiliate seminaries of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) to pursue postgraduate studies at the University. Chief Wole Olanipekun, through his Foundation (Wole Olanipekun Foundation), at the occasion of its maiden award ceremony on 24th April, 2021, financially empowered 100 Widows/Aged persons (Widows and Aged Empowerment Programme) and 100 youths (SMEs/Youth Empowerment Programme) at his hometown, Ikere, Ekiti State. At the second edition of the Wole Olanipekun Foundation Award Ceremony, which took place on 9th October, 2021, Chief Wole Olanipekun, again, financially empowered 100 Widows/Aged persons and 100 youths at his nativity, Ikere, Ekiti State. A total of 400 beneficiaries have so far benefited from the Foundation. He was the Pro-Chancellor & Chairman of the Council, University of Ibadan between 2009 and 2013, and during which time he also doubled as the Chairman, Court of Governors of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan. Throughout his tenure in these two positions, he did not receive or collect a dime as allowance or even for transport reimbursement, rather, he not only gave all the allowances due to him back to the University, but also made available more funds to the University for the purpose of awarding scholarships to students. In November 2014, the Proprietor of Ajayi Crowther University, comprising all the Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in the Supra Diocesan Board West unanimously called upon Chief Wole Olanipekun to ‘come to the Anglican Church’s Macedonia, to help’; to assume office as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the 16-year old Anglican University – Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, with a charge that he should replicate the milestones previously achieved at the University of Ibadan, at the Anglican Church’s coveted University. He has since then assumed office as the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of ACU. To the Glory of God, the University is presently growing in leaps and bounds, to the satisfaction of not only the Proprietor, but also all and sundry. -Ayodeji wrote in from Lagos. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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30.11.2021

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Osinbajo Tasks Quantity FIABCI-Nigeria Holds First Surveyors to End Incessant Business Networking Meeting Building Collapse Fadekemi Ajakaiye

Bennett Oghifo

ice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has called on Quantity Surveyors in the country to urgently tackle the issue of building collapse. The Vice President stated this while giving his goodwill message at the 29th Biennial Conference/Election General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, (NIQS), held in Abuja recently. Osinbajo, represented in the event by the Minister of State, Power, Goddy JedyAgba, stated that building collapse was unacceptable occurrence, noted that as a pillar of investments in the construction industry, it was important for members of the NIQS to find a lasting solution to the issues responsible for building collapse. He said the theme of the event; “Climate Change and Global Disasters: Developing

Sustainable Infrastructure Amidst Declining Economic Resources”, was timely especially, coming on the heels of the recently concluded 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland. While insisting that there’s a link between increasing building collapses in Nigeria and Climate Change, he noted that the conference was an opportunity for robust conversation on appraising government’s efforts in addressing environmental challenges confronting the country. According to him, “as a body responsible for regulation and continuous enhancement of Quantity Surveying ethical standards and technical competence, I urge you as you discuss the weighty issues of Climate Change to beam sharp focus on the unacceptable occurances of frequent building collapses in the country.

As critical stakeholders in the construction industry, the NIQS must join hands with other professional bodies to frontally address this menace with a view to finding lasting solutions and save the nation the agony of damage to lives and properties that is associated with repeated building collapses.” The VP called on the body to continue to expand its areas of collaboration with relevant sectors to transfer outcomes of its Mandatory Continuing Professional Development into corporate and industrial use. “I commend your patriotism, hard work and sacrifices in fashioning out industry growth directions for our consideration and possible adoption in tackling the issues of extreme weather conditions such as increased temperature, variable rainfall, threatening drought and desertification especially in the northern part of the country, floods and loss of biodiversity among others.”

FIABCI, the International Real Estate Federation, Nigeria chapter held its first business networking meeting in Lagos recently. The President FIABCI-Nigeria, Mr Adeniji Adele stated that the purpose of the event was for FIABCI Nigeria chapter to showcase their best in the construction industry globally. “You have all been invited in recognition of the mutual passion that we share on the vision to make Nigeria a better place and happy nation to live and work,” he said. “We all know that in this age of digitalization, the essence of networking has become paramount and we all need to share knowledge on latest innovations in the industry across the globe, so as to stay abreast on the new models and technologies being used in construction industries globally, while we also work on how these innovations can be

introduced in our country, in order to boost the economy of the country,” he said. The World President FIABCI, Mr Jordi Ribo, stated that real estate is not a profession, or a sector of the economy, rather it is one of the pillars the society is raised on. “All economies and societies these days face economic challenges, the challenge of sustainable development in the 21st century, the priority of any country is not only growing just for the sake of it, and therefore, the aim of the business people should be something more than making money just for the sake of making money but it should be to create, to contribute, to build a stronger, more prosperous and more sustainable world”, he said. “One of the foundations of our society is to take our share of the world challenges and to try to be always part of the solution, this is the importance

of our organisation, FIABCI, the International real estate federation”, he said. Ribo stated that for 70 years, FIABCI has provided access and opportunities for real estate professionals interested in gaining knowledge, sharing information, and conducting international business with each other. Created in 1951 in Paris, FIABCI is represented in over 70 countries, through 47 international and multinational federations, more than 90 associations representing all professions of the real estate industry, developers and investors, asset managers, property managers, appraisers, and construction companies, real estate lawyers, and others, he said. “The work has changed, and our organisation is facing new challenges, where we should be proud of our history and accomplishment, there is more to be done for the guided future of our organisation,” he said.

Our Government Converts Liabilities to Assets, Says Sanwo-Olu Fadekemi Ajakaiye The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has stated that his administration converts liabilities to assets. He stated this recently during the commissioning of a multi-level car park and facility the state’s Ministry of Works built from a refuse dumpsite at Onikan, Lagos Island. “The new multilevel facility, which was conceived in the year 2013, was initially a dumpsite but now it will provide service to the primary social centres in the neighbourhood with parking needs,” he said. “We are committed to expanding and extending the reach of infrastructure to fastrack growth and development across the State,” he said. “Our administration has

completed several iconic projects and the multilevel car park facility been commissioned is another step towards the fulfilment of the Pillar ‘T’, which stands for Traffic management and transportation in our THEMES agenda. This is a major standpoint of our administration as Traffic management is a major driver of our economy,” he said. He stated that Lagos Island could be modestly referenced as one of the largest commercial corridors in the state, and therefore, a corresponding increase in commuting, especially, high volume of vehicular traffic including social activities, culminating in traffic gridlock and pressure along the corridor. “The multi-level facility building will service the stadium and other primary social centres

such as Island Club, Yoruba Tennis Club, Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, King George V Park, Police command recreational centre, as well as other facilities in the neighbourhood and fix the parking requirements generated by these centres,” he said. He stated that the commissioned facility has the capacity to accommodate 384 cars on five suspended floors, with offices for tickets and restrooms on each floor. “The 6th floor of the facility is a mixed-use multipurpose space consisting of two banquet halls that can be used as auditorium sitting almost 1,000 people and for ceremonial use to accommodate over 600 guests,” he said. He said some of its special features include, but not limited to, an automated ticketing system, water treatment plant,

fire alarm systems, CCTV for proper monitoring of vehicles parked, data network and 24/7 power supply, he said. “This multi-level car park

project is critical to enhancing the ability of businesses to effectively operate. The facility will be supported by efficient traffic management and an

Automated Fare Collection Service (AFCS) – that will offer an operable payment solution to prevent traffic dovetail into the main road,” he stated.

Gov. Sanwo-Olu at the commissioning of a multi-level car park and facility the state’s Ministry of Works built from a refuse dumpsite at Onikan, Lagos

FairMoney MFB, Holds Inaugural Value Seeds Secures Technology to Address Critical Challenges Investors Conference Fadekemi Ajakaiye Nigeria’s leading digital bank, FairMoney Microfinance Bank, held its investor’s conference recently at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. The event brought together fund managers, HNI’s, investors, fintech aggregators and Pension Fund Administrators to discuss the financial technology landscape in Nigeria, particularly its sustainability in years to come. The digital bank highlighted that they have disbursed over N71 billion in loans so far in 2021, more than double the amount in 2020 with a bid to drive financial inclusion in Nigeria.

The CEO and Co-Founder of FairMoney, Laurin Hainy highlighted that they successfully raised an equity round of over $40 million in April 2021, launched a N10 billion private note programme, received a microfinance bank licence from the CBN and obtained an Investment Grade Rating from Global Credit Ratings (GCR), all in one year. He further emphasized that “the conference was conceived to provide an avenue for capital market operators, investors, fintech players, and regulators to converge on financial inclusion solutions that drive growth and deep focus on our customers.”

Another highlight of the event was a panel session with industry experts like Sonnie Ayere; GMD/ CEO - DLM Capital Group, Bayo Rotimi; MD/CEO - Greenwich Merchant Bank, Nichole Yembra; Founder and Managing Partner - Chrysalis Capital, Yaw Mante; Head, Finance - FairMoney as panelist. The session was moderated by Seun Onayiga; Head Investment Banking, West Africa - Renaissance Capital. FairMoney was incorporated in 2017 with operations in Nigeria and India. In the past 4 years of operation, FairMoney MFB has grown its customer base to over 5 million users, and 1.9 million bank accounts.

A new ultra modern and fully automated seed condition line, commissioned recently by a Zaria-based agricultural company, Value Seeds is aiming to provide a lasting solution to Nigeria’s food security challenges and continuous importation of food items. With the move, current challenges experienced in the production of wheat, rice, maize and other critical grains would be addressed as the initiative will also catalyze farmers’ output thereby bridging existing gap in crop production in the country. While Nigeria is currently spending nothing less than $2 billion to import wheat alone,

President of Value Seeds, George Zangir link the challenges to lack of quality seed and adoption by farmers, adding that the new technology by the company would drastically address the seeds gap in the country. Coming on leeway provided by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa Syngenta Foundation, AECF, Central Bank of Nigeria and Sterling Bank, Zangir said the company availed seeds of improved varieties to more than one million farmers as a result of impact partnerships with farmer friendly organisations. Aiming to take quality seeds and inputs to ten million

smallholder farmers by 2035, he said: “2019 report by Access to Seeds Index ranked Value Seeds number one in Western and Central Africa. “2021 report released in September by the same organisation ranked us number five but still the best indigenous seed company in Western and Central Africa closely following the multinational seed companies.” The Germany technology - Petkus is expected to significantly revolutionise the agricultural sector in Nigeria, creating maximum yields for farmers and government to achieve projected goals in the sector, Zangir noted.

delivering excellent services across world-class brands. We have seen a huge rise in demand for digital and programmatic advertising

across Africa with Nigeria as a key market. We will continue to grow our presence to match our clients’ needs.”

Futuretech Strengthens Leadership Team Futuretech, a leading digital advertising technology firm has appointed Itohan Izugbokwe as country manager, to strengthen the

regional leadership team. Futuretech is known for bringing innovative digital advertising solutions to their clients and with the addition of

Itohan the company is set to match the growing demand for its solutions in Nigeria. Speaking on this develop-

ment, Boye Balogun, Futuretech CEO said, “We are pleased to welcome Itohan to the team with her wealth of experience in

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

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

08056356325

N O V E M B E R

S & P INDEX

2 9 , 2 0 2 1

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OBB

9.00%

CALL

INDEX LEVEL

564.02%

1/4 TO DATE

5.82%

N413.03/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

10.75%

1-MONTH

1-DAY

–0.17%

YEAR TO DATE

– 15.85%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.19%

With 86% Dominance, Nigeria Ramps Up Control of Oil Industry’s Top Management Positions

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Although the country’s overall local content in the oil and gas industry still stands at about 43 per cent, Nigerians now occupy up to 86 per cent of top management positions of all the companies operating in the sector, a report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), has indicated. The figure is part of the result of the industry audit carried out by the transparency initiative in its

most recent report, which intended to scope employment and gender distribution in the sector. For years, Nigerians were spectators and were rarely part of the management cadre in the oil and gas industry, with almost every position occupied by expatriates. However, the situation has improved markedly in the last decade or so, as local capacity development became a prominent issue in the country and Nigerians’ involvement in even the top management of the

International Oil Companies (IOCs) increased. But despite the fact that Nigeria still falls below par in local content participation, especially in the technical aspects of the sector, still having grown from just 3 per cent to about 43 per cent, the NEITI data stated in terms of management positions, the top, middle as well as the lower rung of the sector are now dominated by locals. The completed templates returned by the companies to NEITI in the

course of the survey further showed that for middle management, the number for Nigeria has also improved, hitting 91 per cent, while Nigerians in the lower cadre was 98 per cent. “In terms of nationals employed in top management, 86 per cent were Nigerian nationals and in middle and lower, the figures were 91 per cent and 98 per cent respectively. The returned templates did not report any employees as being physically challenged,” the NEITI data stated.

In addition, industry-wide, NEITI stressed that there exist a total of 12,056 employees of which 82 per cent were male and 18 per cent female, stating that of this distribution, the percentage of top management was 5 per cent, middle management was 33 per cent and 62 per cent were lower-level staff. Broken down further, of the top management in the oil and gas industry in the country, 78 per cent was male and 22 per cent was female, while in the middle and

lower management, 82 per cent was male and 18 per cent was female. According to the report, the addition of those statistics was prompted by the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard, which was introduced in 2019 and which involved the reporting of disaggregated employment by gender, company, and occupational level data for the extractive sector. It added that the report sought Continued on page 27

Africa Loses Maize Yield Worth $10bn to Fall Armyworm Annually, Says FAO Gilbert Ekugbe The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has stated that fall armyworm is estimated to cause Africa nearly $10 billion in annual maize yield losses. The United Nations food body also stated that the pest could also feed on up to 80 other crops if not

controlled. The Director General of FAO, Mr. Qu Dongyu, said at the 5th Steering Committee Meeting on Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control in Rome, said over 70 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Near East are reporting infestations of the pest, warning that fall armyworm knows no boundaries as it accelerates its

march across the planet. According to him, fall armyworm is predictable and manageable with large-scale damage preventable through consistent, strong and effective coordination at all levels. He said in 2016, only six African countries reported fall armyworm outside its native range, saying that in October this year, it was found to

FOOD NAME OF COMMODITY

MAIZE

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N9000

100KG ENUGU

N24000

100KG DELTA

N15000

100KG

ABIA

N14000

50KG

LAGOS

N13500

SIZE

have reached the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. The director-general, however, urged all stakeholders to scale up global response to fall armyworm, as the invasive pest continues to spread rapidly to new countries and territories, causing serious damage to food production and affecting millions of farmers across the globe.

COMMODITIES

PRICE

He noted that despite the worrying trend, he highlighted the significant progress made in the fight against the pest achieved by the Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control, a coordination mechanism he established in 2019 that covered Africa, the Near East and Asia-Pacific. He pointed out that the Global Action helps to link technical partners

T O D AY

to deliver science-based control solutions directly to farmers in the field where they are most needed. “Likewise, technical guidelines for fall armyworm prevention and preparedness from FAO and the International Plant Protection Convention are helping countries Continued on page 27

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

AGRICULTURE

Evaluating Agric Minister’s 83 Days in Ofﬁce It has been 10 weeks and 13 days since the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, took over the helm of affairs at the ministry, Gilbert Ekugbe takes a look at some of his achievements so far

t will be rather too early to place the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, on a scorecard, but this is extremely important in order to track his development to see if there will be any hope for the nation’s agricultural sector before he takes his bow at the expiration of the present administration in less than 18 months from now. Indeed, local and foreign investors who would want to invest in the sector would take into consideration some of federal government policies before committing their resources into the Nigerian economy. So far, there has been some glimpse of hope as the minister is taking proactive steps to transform the agricultural sector. Recently, the minister announced plans to recapitalise the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) with help from the African Development Bank (AfDB) as both parties have agreed to set up a task force team to develop a plan for accelerated implementation within the next 60 days. According to him, his mission is to examine ways Nigeria could enhance food production, lower food prices and create wealth. It is hoped that with the planned recapitalisation of the BOA, farmers and stakeholders in the industry would get the much needed funds to venture into food projects that would boost food production in the country. It is without doubts that a bank that would provide credit facilities to both small and large scale farmers and small businesses within rural areas need to be recapitalised to ensure the growing income of farmers and agricultural Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through commercialisation and access to better technologies, increasing resilience through climate smart production, risk diversification and access to financial tools President Muhammadu Buhari has always stated the need for Nigerians to consume what they produce in order to drive local production while also encouraging farmers to produce more. The minister in one of his early plans for the sector urged Nigerians to buy Nigerian produce to support farmers as the present administration’s diversification efforts is heavily hinged on agriculture. The minister in different fora has continued to promote food security, saying that Nigeria has what it takes to be food sufficient and be ranked among the world’s leading producer and exporter of food. “Buy Nigerian produce wherever you can because

that is the only way to support our own farmers so that they can continue to produce. We just find out that we can do that because during the border closure, there was sufficient rice. Even Mr. President eats the same rice. So, there is no reason why we cannot patronise our own farmers. Food security is everything and can make a difference. There is no reason why we cannot do this,” he said. Meanwhile, the National President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr. Kabir Ibrahim, in a chat with THISDAY, said that the minister is a persistent person who has been working hard on the blueprint of the things he needs to do to achieve a virile agricultural sector. “I think he is very tactical in improving the food system and the style he has adopted towards addressing the food system is quite acceptable. We have had issues with two former ministers of Agriculture and the investment into the sector today, judging from what the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other windows of credits, it is very surprising that we have high prices of food items especially during harvest, which means that a lot of things have gone wrong. I commend him because

in the last few weeks, he has been going round to seek collaboration to address the food situation. I have had interactions with him and I find him very attentive to what needs to be done. I believe he is taking his time to understand the whole situation and I think we should encourage him to do more and what I have seen, he will do a lot better than his predecessors,” he said. On his part, the Director General of Premier Agribusiness Academy (PAA), Mr. Toromade Francis, said it is too early to access the minister’s performance and advised him to surround himself with personnel who share his vision and mission to transforming the nation’s agricultural sector. Francis said: “For me, it is too early to access now. He may be strategic and when you are strategic, you will have to be practical. His strategy is good but it is the direction that matters. You must put square pegs in square holes. The main work is not the intention you have, but the main work is the implementation of who does what, where and how. If he is sentimental in his decision making, his good strategy and vision will flop,” he said. In his words: “The minister must be able

to hire people he can fire because immediately you hire people you cannot fire, you cannot succeed. He must look for the right people no matter their ethnicity, no matter their background. His focus must be on the results of what he wants to achieve. Nobody is interested in the process but the product. No matter how viable his plans are, if he has the wrong people around him his vision for the sector will be an exercise in futility.” He however harped on the need to evaluate the impacts of BOA, saying that he is yet to hear any farmer talk about the bank whose impact is not being felt by farmers and stakeholders in the industry. “There is a need to access what the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) is currently doing and evaluate the impacts they have on the agricultural sector. Do they really exist? The farmers will rather talk about the commercial banks and I am yet to see a farmer that talks about the BOA. I deal with 85 per cent of the major stakeholders in the industry and none has ever mentioned the BOA. “If we cannot feel it from the end user, then the work of the institution is questionable. Somebody needs to convince me on the relevance of BOA, because most of their jobs have been hijacked by the CBN,” he stressed.

‘Nigeria is Largest Producer of Rice, Sorghum in Africa’ Gilbert Ekugbe The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammad

Mahmood Abubakar, has stated that investment in the nation’s agricultural sector is paying off as Nigeria has become the largest producer of rice

Outspan Deepens Dairy Value Chain, Opens Milk Collection Centre Dike Onwuamaeze Outspan Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of OFI Dairy in Nigeria, has opened a new milk collection centre (MCC) in Kano in partnership with the Kano Dairy & Livestock Husbandry Cooperative Union (KADALCU) as part of its contribution to the development of dairy value chain in the country. It explained last week that the opening of the new collection centre is in line with the federal government’s policy of strengthening the agro value chain to reduce importation of agro produce that can be sourced locally. The latest milk collection centre, which is in Imawa, Kura Local Government Area, Kano State, is in pursuit of Outspan’s business goal that is meant to enable robust activities in the local dairy value chain through improved collection, preservation, distribution and offtaking of fresh milk produced by smallholder dairy farmers. Speaking during the official opening of the new milk collection centre, the National Sales Operations

Manager for OFI Dairy in Nigeria, Mr. Vipin Patel, said: “We are providing infrastructural support and market linkage for smallholder dairy farmers through the opening of milk collection centres. These efforts ensure that the quality of the fresh milk produced locally is preserved and the farmers can access a ready market for the off-taking of their produce.” The General Manager for OFI Dairy in Nigeria, Mr. Praveen Paulsamy, who spoke on the Outspan milk production value chain development effort in the country, said: “Our partnership with KADALCU borders on feed supplementation; pasture development, training on model dairy farming and support in milk collection and transportation. “The opening of the new milk collection centre is coming on the heels of our recent capacity development training engagement delivered by top dairy consultants to bring the Kano Dairy union members up to speed on modern dairy management, and an artificial insemination exercise carried out on local cattle to improve their reproductive quality.”

and sorghum in Africa and second largest producer of millet in Africa. Abubakar stated that Nigeria also currently occupied the first position in cassava and yam production globally, adding that the potentials in crops, livestock, horticulture, and fisheries sub-sectors are enormous. He made this disclosure during the launching of the Technical Working Documents and Debriefing of Outcomes of Socio-Economic Studies by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Abuja. He, however, stated that robust partnership and collaboration between the ministry and agriculture research institutions would fast-track development of agricultural value chains, improve the quality of seeds and enhance productivity.

According to him, the federal government is determined to fill the gap and consolidate on the achievements recorded and focus on productivity enhancement, institutional realignment, and private sector investment. “Expectations are to deploy improved varieties and associated technologies and support agribusiness undertaking in the country,” he said. Abubakar pointed out that the mandate of the ministry to take Nigeria to the promised land could only be achieved when researches are adaptive, focused to solving challenges and the need for entrepreneurs to take deliberate action to invest in the different agricultural value chains. He emphasised that ICRISAT

is recognised by the ministry in championing of sorghum, millet, and groundnut value chain development as well as climate-smart agricultural activities, including bio reclamation of degrading land and crop residue utilisation by livestock. “The ministry, therefore, requires your contribution and support towards delivering in these priorities areas. Only then will we be able to address the impact of the global health emergencies and high expectation of present administration in the agriculture sector,” he said. The minister stated that the drafting of the forthcoming National Agricultural and Technology Innovation Plan (NATIP) of the ministry will consider the scientific analysis and recommendations. He assured that the ministry

would continue to partner with the research institutes in the ongoing and new initiatives for the development of the agricultural value chains in the country. In his welcome remark, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, said that the launching of the seven technical working documents on the outcome of socio-economic studies by ICRISAT Nigeria is aimed at strengthening collaboration in developing the agricultural sector of the economy. In his remarks, the Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture Colleges and Research Institutes, Mr. Munir Babba Dan Agundi, lauded ICRISAT for giving policymakers important information to serve as guidelines in terms of policy formulation and decision making.

AFAN Seeks Consolidation of Nigeria’s Agriculture Promotion Policy Gilbert Ekugbe The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has called on the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, to consolidate the new Agriculture Promotion Policy (APP). In a chat with THISDAY, the AFAN president urged the minister to have a consolidated APP for 20212024 taking into consideration the input of agriculture stakeholders to make comments, observations and recommendations. He, however, expressed worries that a new APP might not be on the

cards due to the limited time the present administration has in office. In his words: “The APP is supposed to end in 2020, but our own advice is that the new APP should be consolidated so that we can have a consolidated APP for 2021-2024, but I believe that the government is looking at some works that have just began by the former minister of Agriculture which they call the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Plan (NATIP). I have read the document and it does not amount to a policy and there are many salient points that should be looked at and before you launch

any policy, you need to take it to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to look at and also to the National Assembly, but before all these, you also need the stakeholders’ buy in. the stakeholders must see what you have and make comments, observations and recommendations.” He added: “Since the present administration has limited time in office, it might not be easy for the minister to introduce a new policy, but my candid advice is that we should consolidate the APP because we are not able to do as much as we would have wanted because of the COVID-19

pandemic and of course the former minister was sacked because of underperformance and justice has not been done to the APP because if you look at the APP, it has what has brought agriculture to the front burner and it is what gave rise to the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) and if you look at the ABP, you will see that the programme needs to consolidated and expanded with a lot of stakeholder involvement.” He, however, lamented over the rising cost of food prices during a harvest season, saying that lots have gone under the underperforming Ministers.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Analysts Divided Over FG’s Proposed N2.4trn Payment to 40m Poor Nigerians

Peter Uzoho The latest move by the federal government to end petrol subsidy next year and introduce a monthly payment of N5,000 to cushion the effect of the action on 40 million poorest Nigerians has received dissenting views from economic and public policy analysts in the country. While the majority was unanimous in supporting the plan to remove the subsidy in 2022 , owing to its drain on the economy, some of the analysts, however kicked against the monthly palliative, which cumulates to N2.4 trillion in 12 months. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, had last week announced the government’s plan to jettison petrol subsidy payment to be replaced by the N5,000 while the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) also hinted that petrol could sell for between N320 and N340 per litre by February, 2022. However, some analysts have questioned the rationale and the economic sense in the federal government’s proposal, partly due to the lack of reliable database to determine the real poor Nigerians, the template to be used, as well as the absence of transparency and accountability. Speaking to THISDAY, Outcome Lead for Industry Restructuring at the Facility for Oil Sector Transformation (FOSTER), a DFIDfunded programme, Mr. Michael Faniran, who opposed the N5,000 palliative, said owing to the trust deficit between the government and the people, Nigerians do not believe the money would be transparently administered. Faniran said: “Owing to the trust deficit between government and the people, the populace do not believe the money will be transparently administered. Also, if the cost of the palliative is more than the subsidy we are trying to

remove, of what essence will it be? The National Assembly has equally raised the issue that the cost is not included in the 2022 budget, so where will government fund the allowance from? “I think government should look for better and more creative ways of cushioning the effects of subsidy than embarking on another

exercise which is very prone to corruption.” Also throwing his support behind the subsidy removal, the Chief Executive Officer of Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, advised that the transition needs to be strategically managed because of the political

PALM OIL

SIZE

STATE

Dike Onwuamaeze The Olam Group is focusing on research on developing appropriate wheat seeds that are suitable for Nigeria climatic conditions as a major step to improving the crop’s yield in the country. This was disclosed by the Managing Director of CFML, Mr. Ashish Pande, during a webinar on, “Rethinking Wheat Farming in Nigeria- Seeds, Research and Partnerships,” where he pointed out that Nigeria’s tropical climate is a limiting factor to the production of wheat in the country. Pande noted that wheat is typically

a temperate crop. He said: “Olam has been encouraging innovation on a larger scale. But the limiting factor is that Nigeria’s tropical climate is not conducive for wheat, which is a temperate crop. So the yield will become lesser. But the yields can be improved through seeds modification and by developing new varieties of seeds that are more conducive to Nigerian climate.” He stated that Olam’s focus is on, “charting novel, innovative paths that tick all the boxes in terms of providing suitable seed varieties, developing refined management processes and implementing trendy agronomic

He emphasised the need for more funding, more technical innovation and more capacity development for farmers in order to help countries limit its spread, mitigate damage and protect food security. Dongyu also highlighted the importance of developing migration monitoring and early warning systems as the next critical step in the fight against the pest. He said the Steering Committee for the Global Action on Fall Armyworm, which brought together

reported, NEITI recorded that total social expenditure was $896.891 million, with non-mandatory contribution of $81.297million (9.06 per cent) and mandatory contribution of $815.594 million (90.94 per cent). In the same vein, the report

PRICE

N21,000-24,000

NAME OF COMMODITY

RICE

SIZE

N21,000–N24,500

STATE

PRICE

100KG ABUJA N23,000–N25,000 50KG

OYO

N22,000-N25,000

PLATEAU N23,500-N25,000 (JOS)

50KG KWARA N24,000–N27,000 50KG

LAGOS N23,000–N26,500

50KG RIVERS N23,000–N26,500

25CL

EDO

25CL ABUJA

high-level decision-makers and strategic leaders to provide programmatic orientation and oversight of the implementation of the Global Action, review the key achievements that have been made in the two years since its inception, analysed the major challenges, and provided strategic inputs for implementation in 2022 and beyond. Between 2020 and 2021, some demonstration countries reported a yield loss range of between three and five percent, which is aligned

N17,000–N20,000 N19500- N25000

reiterated that the mandatory contributions consisted of the Niger Delta Development Commission’s (NDDC’s) 3 per cent levy of $721.275 million and Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB’s) 1 per cent levy of

COMMODITIES

50KG

IMO

practices in the local wheat value chain. This is in addition to working with and training smallholder wheat farmers while committing the right financial resources into the value chain developmental agenda.” Pande added that, “bridging the huge wheat production gap in the country is a journey. This stakeholder engagement is a step in the right direction. The deep investment we are making into developing suitable seed varieties for the Nigerian topography and utilising a community-based seed enterprise will manifest in outright development of the wheat farming sector in years to come.”

He recalled that the Olam Group, in collaboration with CFML, in October launched a N300 million (US $750,000) 10-year project to set up community seed enterprises for Nigerian farmers to increase their production of wheat. This wheat value chain project would strengthen agricultural production in northern Nigeria’s wheat farming belt and underlines Olam’s commitment to supporting the country’s goal of achieving selfsufficiency in food production The project would “trial new heat-tolerant varieties of wheat and improved agronomic practices using a participatory approach that directly

engages farmers. It will also engage at least 10 female farmers’ associations to become true drivers of change for their communities by training women to lead community-based seed enterprises. These enterprises will produce and make available high value seed to farmers in their local communities.” The Project Scientist/Senior Scientist, International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), Dr. Filippo Bassi, who is also a key partner in developing suitable seed varieties for the project, said the goal of Olam is to deliver over 200,000 tons of wheat worth $70 million while engaging/ training 50,000 farmers before 2030.

with the objectives set in the Global Action. “When fall armyworm is first detected, countries often see an average annual yield loss of between 10 and 20 per cent. Another achievement is improved pest management practices in a number of countries,” he added. In addition, two major guidelines on integrated pest management and prevention and preparedness were developed through the FAO coordination mechanism and

published in multiple languages. A series of training sessions were conducted at global, regional and national level engaging more than 9,000 participants. Major initiatives for the next year would include demonstration and extension of practical fall armyworm control technologies in farmers’ fields, a global action impact study, the development of technology evaluation protocols, and focus on resource mobilisation at regional and national levels.

WITH 86% DOMINANCE, NIGERIA RAMPS UP CONTROL OF OIL INDUSTRY’S TOP MANAGEMENT POSITIONS to present information on gender, occupational level, the locale of employees (indigenous to communities of operation, national or are expatriates), and information on physically challenged employees. In the document, as earlier

25CL IBADAN N18,000-N22,000 25CL

refining capacity, and attract more investors into the downstream petroleum sector. He said: “On the appropriation for the cash transfer, this can be resolved through engagement with the National Assembly. This should not be difficult given the rapport between the National Assembly and the executive”.

AFRICA LOSES MAIZE YIELD WORTH $10BN TO FALL ARMYWORM ANNUALLY, SAYS FAO to ensure the necessary mitigation measures,” he added. The director-general also pointed to many challenges that still need to be addressed in the sustainable management of fall armyworm, maintaining that COVID-19 related restrictions, economic downturn, limited capacities to test and scale-up the control solutions in some countries, and the lack of financial resources to expand the work to pilot countries, all hamper implementation of the Global Action.

25CL LAGOS N20,000-N25000 25CL

“This should be validated by key stakeholders including the labour unions and the civil society groups. It is important as well to validate the inclusiveness of the database,” he argued. He added that more enduring reforms would have to take place to ease transportation costs, build domestic petroleum

Olam Moves to Research on Wheat Seeds for Nigerian Climate

FOOD NAME OF COMMODITY

and social contexts. “The proposal on cash transfer to the vulnerable segments of the society is not a bad idea. It is essentially a transitional policy to mitigate immediate shocks. It also has a symbolic significance. But we need to be sure of the integrity of the database that contains the 40 million people.

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

COCOA

EDO

N17,000–N20,000

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) expended N341.295 billion. “The amount shows a reduction of 57 per cent (from 2018) in the amount spent by NNPC outside the budgetary process,” it said.

T O D AY SIZE

STATE

PRICE

N740,000

1 TON ONDO – N760,000 N730,000

1 TON OSUN – N750,000 1 TON

EDO

N720,000 – N740,000

N700,000 1 TON CROSS – N720,000 RIVER

50KG SOKOTO N11,500–N13,000 50KG

$94.319 million. For quasi-fiscal expenditure, which includes public social expenditure such as payments for social services, public infrastructure, fuel subsidies, outside of the national budgetary process, the report stated that

1 TON

AKURE SOUTH, ONDO

N730,000 — N755,000

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

ONIONS

100KG

IBADAN

N25,000

100KG

KANO

N10,000

100KG

BENUE

N27,000

100KG GOMBE

N12,000

100KG DELTA

N21,000

100KG LAGOS

N25,000

100KG ENUGU

N15,000

100KG

N29,000

ABIA

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

Insurance Penetration in Nigeria Among the Worst in Africa, Says SBG Kayode Tokede The Managing Director, SBG Insurance Brokers Limited, Lagos, Mr. Sammy Dalmeida, has lamented that insurance penetration in Nigeria is among the worst in Africa, calling on insurers to stir Nigerians’ interest in embracing the sector. Dalmeida also urged insurance brokers to explore “blue-ocean strategies” and digital technology to enhance their continued relevance and strategic positioning in the nation’s insurance market. Dameilda said this during a press briefing to announce the 20th anniversary celebrations of the firm. He said, “The growth of the market for insurance in Nigeria has been relatively limited. Our

insurance penetration ratio of 0.5% (computed as GPI as a percentage of GDP) ranks amongst the lowest in Africa. However, the low insurance penetration rate shows that there are abounding opportunities for the growth of the market. “But to achieve a positive transformation of Nigeria’s insurance market, operators would need to stimulate the appetite of Nigerians for insurance with the introduction of innovative products and digital disruption of traditional processes and practices.” He noted that brokers would continue to dominate the premium generation channels of the nation’s insurance market because of the expertise they brought to the development of the sector. Dalmeida, however, urged them to embrace what he called ocean-blue

strategies to up their game. “The ability of Brokers to explore blue-ocean strategies and introduce digital disruption to their business models will play a major role in determining their continued relevance and strategic positioning in the

market,” he said. Speaking on the activities lined up for the anniversary, Dalmeida said SBG would on December 1 endowed an academic prize for the best graduating student in insurance at the University of Lagos.

“The Annual Prize for the Best Graduating Student in Insurance is aimed at spurring insurance students to attain academic excellence. The N2.5m 10-year tenured endowment will result in the best graduating insurance student receiving N250,

000 each year for the next ten years. It is the company’s expectation that, by this CSR Project, it would be contributing to strengthening the quality of skilled insurance personnel in the industry,” he added.

Telcos Seek Regulator’s Intervention to Address Industry Issues Emma Okonji Telecommunications operators (Telcos), which include Value Added Service (VAS) providers, have stressed the need for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, to address all peculiar challenges rocking the boat of the telecoms industry, in order to protect the industry and its players. The operators who spoke at the ‘Talk To The Regulator Forum,’ organised by NCC in Lagos recently, said the telecoms environment was becoming tough to do business, and that such challenges emanate from the communities, the bigger operators, and most times from the regulator itself. Value Added Service (VAS) providers who were present at the forum, frowned at the revenue sharing formula between VAS providers and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and argued that the situation has forced many VAS providers to shut down business, because the MNOs are taking the larger revenue share, when in the real sense of it, the VAS providers are the ones providing the contents. Responding to industry complaints, the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management at the NCC, Adeleke Adewolu, said the issue between VAS providers and MNOs had lingered for too long and promised that NCC would seek further meeting to address the issue. “We will meet again with VAS

aggregators to discuss their specific needs in order to address them. Change is constant and we can see that in the disruptive nature of VAS operators that has further deepened digital transformation in Nigeria. “National policy on local content is something that the regulator must implement, and NCC has set up an office for development and implementation of the policy. NCC will collaborate with VAS operators to develop local content in the telecoms sector,” Adewolu said In his opening remarks, Adewolu said NCC would continue to consider consultation as a lifeblood of regulation, and that the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA, 2003) entrusted the NCC with powers and responsibilities for the regulation of both the technical and market-related aspects of telecoms infrastructure and services in Nigeria. “It is important to note that this particular ‘Talk to the Regulator’ session is being held at a crucial point in the evolution of the telecoms sector,” Adewolu further said. The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta who was represented at the forum by Adewolu, said NCC clearly understood the challenges of the industry, hence the need for the interaction, which he said, remained critical to industry growth and development. Danbatta however said the operators needed to step up their game and comply with industry regulations and standards in order to succeed in telecoms business.

Air Peace Boosts Operations with 2 New Airbus 320 Aircraft

Chinedu Eze

Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, has taken delivery of two Airbus 320s to boost its domestic and regional operations, especially as Yuletide approaches. The two 162-seater aircraft, with 12 Business Class seats and 150 Economy seats each, arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, late Thursday. Disclosing this to journalists, the Spokesperson of Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, said: “The two A320s will be deployed to boost both domestic and regional connectivity for our esteemed customers, as the Yuletide draws near”. He added that the new A320s would help the airline in its drive to meet the growing travel demand in the Nigerian and larger West African markets while it expects to take delivery of more Embraer 195-E2 airplanes.

According to Olisa: “Air Peace is committed to reducing the air travel burden of Nigerians and these new airplanes are a testament to this commitment”. Recently, Air Peace had assured the flying public of ample flights as it will be rolling out schedules for the festive period very soon, adding that more aircraft are coming in- both those on maintenance and a brand new Embraer 195-E2 jet. The airline had also revealed that it will be deploying its wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft to meet the increased demand characteristic of the festive period. Air Peace currently services 19 domestic routes, 6 regional routes and 2 international destinations, including Johannesburg, while it boasts of a varied fleet of 30 aircraft, the latest being four brand new 124-seat capacity Embraer 195-E2 jets.

PORT SECURITY STAKEHOLDERS…

L - R: Guest speaker, Dr. Abraham Nabohon Tomas; representative of the General Manager, Security, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Umar Mohammed; Commissioner of Police, Delta State, Ari Mohammed Ali; representative of the Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Gloria Anyasodo and a staff of NPA, Ahmad Yakubu Wanka, at the 2021 National Conference of Port Facility Security Officers Forum in Asaba, Delta State… recently

FG, Lagos Govt Optimistic as Centre Unveils 10MW Facility in Nigeria Emma Okonji The federal government, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Lagos State government have expressed optimism about the launch of 10 megawatt data centre facility in Nigeria by the Africa Data Centres, which held in Lagos at the weekend. Both the federal government and the Lagos State government said the launch would further diversify Nigeria’s economy and enhance her digital transformation agenda. The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba

Danbatta, who was represented by the Director, Licensing at NCC, Muhammed Babajika, said the facility launch in Lagos was a welcomed development and that the NCC would offer all the regulatory support that will make Africa Data Centres succeed and achieve its objectives in Nigeria. According to Danbatta, “The diversification of Nigeria’s economy is a key priority for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, and government therefore welcomes Africa Data Centre to Nigeria to further boost her diversification process. Growing the ICT sector

is a priority for government and we welcome Africa Data Centre to join government in further growing the sector.” Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm, said with the launch of the first data centre by the Africa Data Centres, called LOS1, the state government would look forward to seeing LOS2 and LOS3 shortly. CEO of Africa Data Centres, Stephane Duproz, described Nigeria as one of the company’s key markets, as there is a rapidly growing demand for data centres in the region, which is hungry

for digitisation, as organisations of every type and size in Africa accelerate their digital transformation journeys. Managing Director, Africa Data Centres, Wole Abu said the launch in Nigeria would drive positive competition and faster growth of the Nigerian economy. Giving further details of the operations of the new data facility, Duproz described the Lagos operations as a significant milestone for Africa Data Centres, as it shines the spotlight on the tremendous growth opportunity the company sees not only for its business in the region, but also for Africa as a whole.

Port Facility Security Ofﬁcers Bemoan Criminal Activities in GoG National Chairman of Ports Facility Security Officers Forum of Nigeria (PFSOFN), Ignatius Uche, has said that states in the Gulf of Guinea have lost billions of dollars due to sea piracy, armed robbery and other maritime criminal activities. He said criminal activities and attendant loss of billions of dollars have posed significant threats to the economy and national security of states that make up the Gulf of Guinea. Uche whose opening speech at the 2021 conference of PFSOFN at Asaba, Delta State was delivered by national vice chairman, Mrs, Gloria Ayika, added that the security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea states have impacted negatively on ports operations in Nigeria. He said firm and unwavering action was needed as frontline officers in ports facility security

so as to curb the threats and put them under control. He insisted that acts that tantamount to evasion of rules and regulations in ways that aid maritime criminal activities in whatever guise must be vigorously fought and brought to a standstill. Ayika, who is also the chairman of Niger Delta Maritime Security Area, said there are security challenges in the GoG states but the ports facility security officers are making deliberate efforts to improve their services at the ports. According to her, to improve the security services, there is need for collaboration, hence the gathering of all ports security officers to share intelligence, which would aid in mitigating security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea. She listed armed robbery, sea piracy, illegal fishing and

bunkering as some of the criminal activities, which are negatively impacting on ports operations in the GoG states. As part of success the body has made, she said the group has arrested some stowaways whom they handed over to different security agencies for prosecution. She commended the present leadership of NIMASA, which has helped in combating crime rate at the high seas. Director General of NIMASA, Bashir Jamoh, who was represented by Mrs. Gloria Anyasodo, Assistant Director of ISPS Code Implementation Unit, told the ports facility security officers that the Gulf of Guinea has enormous potentials with great maritime business opportunities. He encouraged the ports security officers to put in their best to curb maritime crime, noting that there

has been so much attacks on high seas. He said the agency has prosecuted over 20 criminals in relation to maritime crimes. He said the agency has carried out its mandate in line with international best standards, noting that NIMASA will continue to observe industry best practices. He added that the agency has made several proactive efforts to safeguard Nigeria waterways. The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, said it is not only the maritime sector that is faced with security challenges but the entire globe is battling with security challenges both on land and sea. The police chief who was represented by the Delta state commissioner of police, Ari Mohammed Ali, said businesses cannot thrive in any environment where there is security challenge.

FAAN Apprehends Staff, Immigration Ofﬁcial for Extortion The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced that it apprehended and suspended some of its officials caught extorting a passenger at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The agency disclosed in a statement signed by its spokesperson,

Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu that those apprehended, including Aviation Security (AVSEC), Customer Service and Nigeria Immigration Services personnel have been relieved of their On Duty Card (ODC). “In line with management’s determination to rid the nation’s airport of corrupt officials, the

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has apprehended and suspended some officials caught extorting a passenger at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. “The officials, who are staff of Aviation Security and Customer Service departments of the Author-

ity were immediately suspended, while the On Duty Card of their accomplice from the Nigeria Immigration Service has been withdrawn. “This action was taken to serve as deterrent to other bad eggs in the system that are bent on tarnishing the image of the nation.”

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

FG Inaugurates Committee on Petroleum Reﬁning Hub Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government has constituted a committee to draw up a policy on the establishment of a petroleum refining hub in the country. In his address at the ceremony,

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Nasir Gwarzo, stated that the inauguration of the committee was sequel to the recommendation of a “counter-strategy” team. He added the team comprised

Nigeria Has Adequate Local Capacity to Contain Oil Spills, Says NUPRC Peter Uzoho The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has debunked speculations that the country lacks capacity to contain oil spillages as witnessed in Nembe, Bayelsa State, insisting that there is adequate local oil spill containment capacity in Nigeria. NUPRC in response to a THISDAY’s enquiry, Head of Public Affairs of the organisation, Mr. Paul Osu, however, stated that the country may need to build more capability to “kill wells”, maintaining that Clean Nigeria Association (CNA) has enough oil spill containment capacity, as is being demonstrated at the site of the Nembe incident. Some communities in Nembe had recently been impacted by the leak from Aiteo Eastern Exploration Company (AEEPCO) Oil Mining Lease (OML 29) and the incident had been unabated for weeks, owing to alleged local capacity to contain it. Halliburton, a Houston-based firm’s Boots & Coots unit, was finally called in by Aiteo to contain the leak occurring in a non-producing well located in Nembe, Southern Bayelsa State. The Director General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Mr. Idris Musa, had said on a national television that it was discovered that Nigerian engineers could not stop the

Nembe spillage, a situation he said, compelled government to contact international oil companies to come and help stop the flow. He added that this caused some delay in addressing the situation, advising that going forward, Nigeria needed to develop local human capacity that could handle such disaster. However, the upstream commission in response to the alleged lack of local oil spillage containment capacity, stated that the CNA coalition had developed much expertise over the years. “There is adequate local capacity in oil spill containment. Clean Nigeria Associate (CNA) has enough capacity, and they are on site and have so far demonstrated that capacity. “Why they are still there on site is because the oil keeps flowing out from the reservoir and they keep recovering it as it is coming out. The capacity that we do not have locally is not in oil spill containment. It is the capacity to kill wells. This is a highly specialised service whose need rarely arises, maybe once in seven years in a given country. “So those with the technology in the United States have not seen the economic sense in setting up their base in Nigeria since they know they may never be needed for the next 10 years. Most countries call them in only when required, and that’s what Nigeria also is doing,” the NUPRC stated.

NERC Renews NBET’s Licence for Additional Three Years Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has renewed for three years the trading licence of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc following a review of the latter’s application and corporate business plan. The NBET was set up as an off-taker of bulk electricity distributed via the grid to consumers and its initial licence was for a 10-year period, which ended this November. The organisation undertakes the business of managing and trading in wholesale electricity as a bulk purchaser and bulk reseller of electricity and ancillary services pursuant to the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) 2005. Although, there has been no official statement from either NERC or NBET on the latest development, in September NERC commenced the process of renewing the resale licence of the bulk trade and started what it described as the stakeholder

engagement on the matter. NERC Chairman, Sanusi Garba, said the stakeholder engagement was being convened pursuant to sections 45 and 47 of the EPSRA and section 7 of the NERC Business Rules of the Commission Regulations, 2006. Garba recalled that the NERC issued a bulk electricity purchase and resale licence for the maximum statutory tenure of 10 years, to NBET on 15th November, 2011 following due consideration of sections 25(a) and 68(1)(2) of EPSRA. He explained that condition six of the terms and conditions of the licence authorised NBET to perform purchase of electricity from generation licencees, vesting or sale of electricity to distribution licensees deemed eligible and resale of electricity to eligible customers. A source at the NBET who preferred to remain anonymous confirmed the renewal of the licence to THISDAY, saying the development took place after the nationwide consultations carried out by NERC.

the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), defunct Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR), defunct Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), which he approved in October, 2020. Sylva added that the team, after wide deliberations and consultations with industry stakeholders came up with the principal recommendation for the constitution of a committee to draft a national policy for the establishment of a petroleum refining hub in Nigeria. The membership of the committee was drawn from the ministry of

petroleum resources, Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NURPC), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), NNPC Ltd as well as NCDMB. The 12-member committee has Gwarzo as Chairman; Director, Upstream, Ministry of Petroleum, Busari Kamoru, as Secretary and Director, Midstream/Special Duties, MPR, Mr. Martins Amaefule as member. Other members of the committee include NCDMB’s Halilu Abdulmalik as well as Onyerika Emeka , Apabiri Ojo and Lasisi Saheed from NMDPRA. The NURPC is represented on the

committee by Amos Oliver while NNPC Limited is represented by Mshelia Abdullahi. Other members from the ministry are: Dr. Kelechi Ofoegbu, Adamu Mathias and Olufemi Peters. Aside drafting the policy for the establishment of a petroleum refining hub in Nigeria, the minister listed the committee’s other terms of reference as preparing the scope of services required for engagement of a consultant and to prepare a draft memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the developed draft policy. In addition, the committee is to consider any other matter that will aid the successful establishment of

the proposed hub. Sylva stated that it was expected that the policy when developed would increase Nigeria’s domestic refining capacity and subsequently make the country a net exporter of petroleum products. Also speaking, Gwarzo said a lot was expected from the team, adding that the task before the committee was one of nation building aimed at changing the trajectory of the Nigerian petroleum industry. Gwarzo further assured the minister that the committee would deliver on the assignment given to them. The committee has six weeks from the date of inauguration to complete the assignment.

GRAND REUNION…

L-,R: Kingsley Oseghale, President, Lumen Christi Old Students Association (LUCOSA); Rt. Hon Omoregie OgbeideIhama, Member representing Oredo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives; Reverend Father Idahosa Amadasun, Rep of the Catholic Bishop of Uromi Diocese; Rev Sr Maria Okoyomon from the Sisters of Sacred Heart, Benin; Osita Chidoka, Former Minister of Aviation and Paul Usenbo, Immediate Past President, Lumen Christi Old Student’s Association during the Association’s 2021 Grand Reunion and Annual General Meeting in Benin… Saturday

OPEC: Release of Special Reserves May Worsen Coming Global Oil Surplus Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) expects that oil stockpiles released by consuming nations could massively swell the surplus in global markets. The projections from OPEC’s advisory body, the Economic Commission Board (ECB) hours before the group and its

allies meet to decide whether to increase production. Some delegates from OPEC and its partners have indicated they could cancel an output hike scheduled for January if inventories deployed by the United States and others overwhelm the market. The ECB’s projections would bolster the case of countries lobbying for such a pause.

The excess in world markets would expand by 1.1 million barrels a day in January and February to 2.3 million and 3.7 million a day, respectively, if 66 million barrels are injected over the two-month period, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg. President Joe Biden orchestrated the multi-national stockpile release announced

last Tuesday to calm raging gasoline prices after OPEC+ led by Saudi Arabia and Russia ignored calls to revive production more quickly. The 23-nation OPEC+ coalition is due to meet on Dec. 1 and 2 to decide whether to add 400,000 barrels a day in January as it continues to revive supplies halted during the pandemic.

Marketers Engage Government to Tackle LPG Crisis Peter Uzoho Gas marketers under the aegis of the Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA) are currently engaging with the agencies of the federal government to find ways of addressing the issues causing the skyrocketing prices Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the country. The President of NLPGA, Mr. Nuhu Yakubu, disclosed this at the association’s 11th International Conference and Exhibition held in Lagos with the theme: “Market Growth and Fiscal Regulations -Rethinking the LPG Supply Gaps Amid the Challenging Regulatory Environment”. “As an association, we are currently engaging with respective government agencies in addressing issues around LPG supply, particularly access to foreign exchange, value-added tax, levies, etc. We believe our efforts will

yield positive results in good time,” Yakubu said. He added that sustaining the growing adoption of LPG through sector-friendly policies and programmes would support economic growth that will yield jobs and wealth creation, explaining that it was the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in the LPG subsector to make it happen. He said that in line with the seventh item in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), deepening education on the role of diverse applicable uses of LPG was critical as the world aims to provide cleaner, reliable, sustainable and affordable energy sources for everyone by 2030. According to him, worthy of mention is the declaration of the “Decade of Gas” by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, with the support of President Muhammadu Buhari, which he said was a worthy policy

action. In a communique issued at the end of the event, experts noted that Nigeria has very huge gas reserves of over 200 trillion standard cubic feet (tscf) but that the current business environment has not been friendly. Consequently, the NLPGA urged the federal government to create an enabling environment capable of attracting and retaining massive investments into the LPG sector. The organisation said that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) should be implemented in a manner that will encourage massive domestic and foreign direct investments required to stimulate sustainable growth while creating many multiplier effects, including jobs for Nigerians. It added: “That such new investments are required to reduce Nigeria’s current dependence on imported LPG as well as meet rising future

demand based on increased population. That the government should be consistent in the conceptualisation and implementation of policies needed to ensure stability in the LPG sector. “That relevant stakeholders need to be involved and carried along in the process of taking new decisions to ensure successful implementation of PIA. That the imposition of the 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) has negatively affected the sector in many unintended ways and should be eliminated. “That the high prices of LPG have shifted the demand to firewood and charcoal, thus fuelling desertification and erosion with a very negative impact on the environment. That a package of new incentives should be introduced to stimulate investment, processing and utilisation of LPG in Nigeria in line with the nation’s Decade of Gas agenda.”

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ NOVEMBER 30, 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

UAE Pledges $2bn to Ensure Nigeria Mining Sector Growth, Sustainability Kasim Sumaina ÓØ ÌßÔË In a bid to ensure the development and growth of Nigeria’s Mines and Steel sector, the office of the former ruler of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hamdan bin Khalifa, has pledged the sum of $2 billion to Nigeria. The Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah made the disclosure when he delivered an address at the Dubai World Expo 2021, with the theme, “Investment in the Nigerian Gold Sector: Opportunities in the Gold Value Chain,” held in Abu Dhabi. According to Ogah, the Executive Director, Royal Office of Sheikh Hamdan bin Khalifa and Global Peace Ambassador, United Nations, Zulfiquar Ghadiyali, hinted that the donation was to further cement the very close trade and bilateral

relationship that exist between the two countries. Ogah noted that the Expo, with participants from over 200 countries, provided the opportunity to showcase the potentials of Nigerian minerals sector on Dubai soil with special emphasis on gold and other precious minerals abundant in Nigeria. The minister, who was honoured with the “Excellence In Public Service Award” by FIN-Africa-UAE Trade and Investment Forum Dubai, expressed gratitude to His Royal Highness, Sheikh Hamdan bin Khalifa, for the whooping sum of $2bn pledged to Nigeria for the country’s sustainable development drive. According to him, “I must confess that there cannot be a better platform to showcase the Nigeria Gold sub-sector than on this platform with notable global organizations and investors, minerals beneficiation companies, global

financial institutions, commodity trading companies etc all in one event.” He disclosed that the need for the diversification of the economy has become more compelling now in the post COVID-19 era, adding that the federal government has established policies that will support sustainable development of Nigeria’s gold resources and development, as well as consideration of general matters on gold Mining Administration and Incentives. He disclosed that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration is determined to consolidate on the gains of diversification as it forms the critical backbone of industrialization. He assured of federal government’s commitment to ensure appropriate deployment of the funds, when the Agreement is signed.

L-R: Chief Financial Oﬃcer, STL Trustees Limited,Oko Mba; Member, ICAN Governing Council, Seun Oderinde; MD/CEO, STL Trustees Limited, Funmi Ekundayo; MD/CEO, First Registrars & Investor Services Ltd, Bayo Olugbemi; Head, Trust Services/Legal, STL Trustees Limited, Akin Oni; Head, Business Development, STL Trustees Limited, Sade Ademokunwa and Senior Analyst, Business Development and Marketing, STL Trustees Limited, Olumide Kolawole at 2021 BAFI Awards ceremony held in Lagos... recently

Parthian Partners Redeems N20bn from 1st Commercial Paper Issuance Parthian Partners Limited (PPL) has announced that it has redeemed its inaugural public issue at maturity of its Series 1 Tranche A & B commercial paper under its N20 billion Issuance Programme. Parthian Partners Limited is rated Bbb (stable outlook) by Agusto & Co while its Commercial Paper Programme is rated A1- by DataPro. This, the company said, is an evidence of its good funding profile, improving profitability and support from the owners, as well as good capitalisation.

The N15billion Series 1 which was issued earlier this year on the FMDQ Exchange, matured on the 26th of November while the N5billion Series 2 matures on the 30th of December 2021. The issuance represents the first by an Inter-dealer brokerage firm in the Nigerian capital market on the FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited platform. Speaking on the completion, the group managing director of PPL, Oluseye Olusoga stated that the company is poised to entrench the leading position in the market.

He further said the firm also wanted a well developed relationship with its customers in the capital market as a responsible and dynamic issuer. He said, “On our inaugural issuance, institutional investors entrusted us as the premier interdealer broker in the domestic market. We are pleased to repay this trust and redeem our inaugural public issue at its maturity. We look to further entrench our market leading position and develop our relationship in the capital market as a responsible and dynamic issuer.”

NIFOR Reinforces Mandates to Optimally Develop Oil Palm Growers Sunday Ehigiator The National Institute for Forest Research (NIFOR) has said the oil palm growers were the priorities of the institute and as such, would not relent until the oil palm farmers attain their full potential. NIFOR Director General, Prof. Celestine Ikuenobe, who expressed the institute’s resolve at the executive meeting of Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) at NIFOR in Benin City, stressed the need for the group to continue to be organised so as to remain formidable in the value chain of oil palm in Nigeria and Africa. According to him, NIFOR, in its own effort, would ensure adequate provision of improved seedlings to OPGAN members for optimum yields of their oil

palm produces. Earlier at the meeting, OPGAN President, Mr. Joe Onyiuke, while giving account of stewardship of the executives under his leadership, noted OPGAN was in the forefront of revamping the oil palm ecosystem in the country. According to him, the association was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BoI), and a number of other development finance institutions (DFIs) with a view to attracting the muchneeded funding the grow and boost farm production and yield, repopulating or replacing the old trees with high yielding Tenera species developed by NIFOR. “Our members now have direct link to get supply of high yielding Tenera seedlings from NIFOR thereby cutting off the unscrupulous middle men that have adulterated

the market for a very long time in the past. We now have quality extension services and training from NIFOR unlike what use to happen in the past.” Besides, the President hinted on the association’s plan to embark on road show across the states “in order to show Nigerians to return back to oil palm production in order to change our lives for good.” “All civil servants are advised to join OPGAN and develop their own plantations as the surest retirement plan with 150per cent guarantee for better life after service,” he enjoined. Onyiuke disclosed OPGAN was also working with critical stakeholders to invest in mapping and creating geo-clusters across the states in order to build and develop a sustainable cooperatives among its members.

STL Trustees Named Trustee Company of The Year STL Trustees Limited has emerged as the Trustee of the Year in the 9th edition of the Businessday Banks’ and other Financial Institutions’ (BAFI) Awards. This is the fourth consecutive time STL Trustees will be recognized as Trustee of the year since the inception of the award category. The company was also adjudged the winner of the Family Governance and Wealth Structuring Company of the Year award. These latest BAFI awards are coming on the heels of some other awards and recognitions received by the Company in the course of the year including the “Africa Trustee Company of the Year” by Instinct Business at an

award ceremony which held in Accra, Ghana recently, “Innovative Trustee Company Of The Year” by Marketing Edge Publishing Company Limited and “NonInterest Trustees of the year” at the recently held 5thAfrican International Conference on Islamic Finance. BAFI Awards, regarded as the financial industry standard for excellence, is usually based on independent research and evaluation by carefully selected judges and researchers from BusinessDay Research and Intelligence Unit. Commenting on the awards, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of STL Trustees, Mrs. Funmi Ekundayo said: “We are super excited to be winning the Trustee of the Year award.

The award reflects our culture of consistently creating value for our esteemed clients and all our stakeholders. It is gratifying to note that STL Trustees has won this award back-to-back since its inception - this is the fourth time we are winning it. What the award does for us is that it keeps us on our toes to keep providing best in class professional services to our esteemed and ever supportive clients. So, we want to say a big thank you to BusinessDay for encouraging us and for keeping us on our toes to continue to innovate. We also thank our clients and partners for their continued trust and confidence in our brand.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

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

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͵

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zaﬁro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͱͮ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Investors Lose N19.49bn on Proﬁt-Taking in Presco, 20 Other Stocks Kayode Tokede Trading in the stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) commenced the week yesterday with negative sentiments amid investors profit-taking in Presco Plc and 20 others. Specifically, the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) dropped by 37.35 basis points or 0.09 per cent, to close at 43,270.94 basis points from 43,308.29 basis points.

Consequently, the overall market capitalisation value dropped by N19.49 billion to close at N22.579 trillion from N22.598 trillion the market opened for trading this week. Analysing by sectors, the Oil & Gas dropped by 0.6 per cent, Consumer Goods depreciated by 0.2 per cent, and Banking also down by 0.2 per cent indices declined while the Insurance gained 0.8 per cent index was the sole gainer of the day.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R

DEALS

As measured by market breadth, market sentiment was negative, as 21 stocks lost relative to 14 gainers. AIICO Insurance recorded the highest price gain of 8.57 per cent to close at 76 kobo, per share. LivingTrust Mortgage Bank followed with a gain 7.95 per cent to close at 95 kobo, while Veritas Kapital Assurance went up by 4.76 per cent to close at 22 kobo, per share. Associated Bus Company rose

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

by 3.03 per cent to close at 34 kobo, while Courteville Business Solutions gained 2.56 per cent to close at 40 kobo, per share. On the other hand,UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) led the losers’ chart by 9.92 per cent to close at N1.18, per share. UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust followed with a decline of 9.90 per cent to close at N4.55, while Consolidated Hallmark Insurance lost 7.27 per cent to

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

close at 51 kobo, per share. Regency Alliance Insurance lost 4.76 per cent to close at 40 kobo, while Wapic Insurance and International Breweries shed four per cent each to close at 48 kobo and N4.80 respectively, per share. The total volume of trades declined by 30.2 per cent to 213.126 million units, valued at N2.360 billion, and exchanged in 4,105 deals. Transactions in the shares of FCMB Group

O F

topped the activity chart with 58.454 million shares valued at N179.918 million. AIICO Insurance followed with 13.507 million shares worth N10.387 million, while Zenith Bank traded 12.778 million shares valued at N308.695 million. Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) traded 12.389 million shares valued at N309.673 million, while Access Bank transacted 10.903 million shares worth N98.519 million.

2 9 / 1 1 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

TUESDAY, ͻ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

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THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

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ŝŶĚĞǆ͘

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

ƟǀĞůǇ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϯ͘Ϯй͘

Ticker

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

1,863.78

-0.14%

950.00

0.0%

33.3%

74.50

0.0%

10.3%

-3.7%

24.95

-0.2%

6.8%

-22.9%

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zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂǇ͕ ƚŚĞ ĚŽŵĞƐƟĐ ĞƋƵŝƟĞƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ŬŝĐŬĞĚ Žī ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ ŽŶ Ă

zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂǇ͕ ƉƌŝĐĞ ŝŶ ŝŶ ,KEz&>KhZ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ŶŽƚĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ƵƉƟĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŽĮƚͲƚĂŬŝŶŐ /Ed Z t ;Ͳ ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ & E, ;нϬ͘ϳйͿ ďŽůͲ ϰ͘ϬйͿ͕ E/d, ;ͲϬ͘ϲйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ & E, ;ͲϬ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂƐ ƐƵĐŚ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚĞǆ ƐŚĞĚ ϵďƉƐ ƚŽ ϰϯ͕ϮϳϬ͘ϵϰ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůǇ͕ ƚŚĞ zd ƐƚĞƌĞĚ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůůͲ ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϳ͘ϱй ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƐŚĞĚ ^ŚĂƌĞ ŝŶĚĞǆ ƌŽƐĞ ďǇ േϭϵ͘ϱďŶ ƚŽ ƚŽ ϯϵ͕ϱϱϬ͘ϯϲ േϮϮ͘ϲƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚǇ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ϭϭďƉƐ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůǇ͕ zd ůŽƐƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŵͲ

ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϯϬ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϯϰ͘ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ƚŽ Ϯϭϯ͘ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ

ƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ͳϭ͘ϴй ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƌŽƐĞ ďǇ ĂŶĚ േϮ͘ϰďŶ͘ & D ;ϱϴ͘ϱŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ // K ;ϭϯ͘ϱŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ĂŶĚ EͲ

േϮϯ͘ϰďŶ ƚŽ േϮϬ͘ϲƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚǇ ǁĂƐ ŵŝǆĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ /d, ;ϭϮ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ůĞĚ ĂĐƟǀŝƚǇ ďǇ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁŚŝůĞ /ZͲ

ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďǇ Ϯϭ͘ϲй ƚŽ ϭϭϬ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ǀĂůƵĞ d > & ;േϲϳϵ͘ϴŵͿ͕ 'd K ;േϯϬϵ͘ϳŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ E/d, ;േϯϬϴ͘ϳŵͿ ůĞĚ

ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ďǇ ϴϴ͘ϱй ƚŽ േϯ͘ϭďŶ͘ dŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďǇ ǀĂůƵĞ͘ ďǇ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ dZ E^ KZW ;ϭϭ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ & E, ;ϭϭ͘ϭŵ

ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ĂŶĚ K E K ;ϳ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E ^d> ;േϮ͘ϮďŶͿ͕ DŝǆĞĚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ E' D ;േϭϰϱ͘ϬŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;േϭϯϰ͘ϴŵͿ ůĞĚ ďǇ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

ĐƌŽƐƐ ŽƵƌ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ŵŝǆĞĚ ĂůďĞͲ

ŝƚ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞůǇ ƐŬĞǁĞĚ ĂƐ ϯ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůŽƐƚ͕ ϭ ŝŶĚĞǆ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ͕ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ &ZͲ/ d ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŚĞ ĞĂƌŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚĞǆ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶĞƌ͕ ƵƉ ϴϮďƉƐ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶ

ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ŚƵŶƟŶŐ ŝŶ // K ;нϴ͘ϲйͿ ĂŶĚ s Z/d ^< W ;нϰ͘ϴйͿ͘ KŶ ƚŚĞ ŇŝƉ

ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ĂƐ ϰ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ůŽƐƚ͕ ϭ ŝŶĚĞǆ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ &ZͲ/ d ƐŝĚĞ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞǆ ůĞĚ ƚŚĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϱϲďƉƐ ŽŶ ĂĐͲ ŝŶĚĞǆ ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŽƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵͲ ĐŽƵŶƚ ŽĨ ƐĞůů ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ŽŶ K E K ;ͲϮ͘ϯйͿ͘ dƌĂŝůŝŶŐ͕ ƚŚĞ ĂŶŬŝŶŐ

1 Airtel Africa PLC 2 BUA Cement Plc 3 Guaranty Trust Holding Co PLC 4 Zenith Bank PLC 5 Dangote Cement PLC 6 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC 7 Nestle Nigeria PLC

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ tĂŶĞƐ ŝŶŐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ĨĞůů ďǇ Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϮďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůůͲ /ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďǇ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬ ŽīƐ ŝŶ K E K ;ͲϬ͘ϴйͿ͕ E/d, ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;ͲϬ͘ϮйͿ͘

ĂŶĚ dZ E^ ;нϯ͘ϬйͿ ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ǁŚŝůĞ hW ;Ͳϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ hWͲ

5.2x

P/BV

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

27.0%

86.4%

15.0%

3.5%

11.5%

14.7%

5.2%

0.8x

5.3%

-3.7%

19.1%

11.2%

35.8x

6.7x

-22.9%

24.8%

3.9%

3.8x

0.9x

12.0%

26.5% 30.5%

2.8%

-2.4%

20.9%

2.8%

3.3x

0.6x

12.4%

6.6%

14.3%

40.4%

16.7%

13.9x

5.4x

6.2%

7.2%

190.00

0.0%

5.2%

11.8%

179.2%

14.1%

13.7x

20.8x

5.6%

7.3%

1,395.00

0.0%

3.5%

-7.3%

106.8%

15.6%

27.1x

31.8x

4.3%

3.7%

25.00

0.0%

3.8%

18.8%

11.6%

8.4%

9.3x

1.0x

4.0%

10.7%

9.10

1.1%

2.9%

7.7%

17.0%

1.4%

2.6x

0.4x

9.4%

39.2%

8.00

-1.2%

2.4%

-7.5%

2.0x

0.4x

6.8%

49.7%

11.90

-0.8%

3.9%

66.4%

3.8%

18.0%

46.50

0.0%

1.6%

-17.0%

38.00

0.0%

1.9%

0.6%

10.6%

1.0%

5.6x

0.6x

-17.0%

5.3%

1.9%

42.9x

2.2x

2.3%

0.6%

15.4%

2.0%

8.7x

1.4x

10.8%

11.4%

-10.3%

-3.9% 4.5x

0.7x

5.6%

22.1%

4.80

-4.0%

1.2%

-19.3%

29.40

-0.3%

1.1%

13.1%

695.00

0.0%

1.7%

72.8%

3.4%

1.9%

16.0x

0.6x

6.3%

6.2%

0.9x

-11.9%

0.0%

19 Fidelity Bank PLC 20 Ecobank Transnational Inc 21 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 22 FCMB Group Plc

142.00

0.0%

1.2%

56.0%

38.8%

25.2%

9.7x

3.4x

5.3%

10.3%

2.51

-1.6%

0.7%

-0.4%

12.0%

1.1%

2.2x

0.3x

8.8%

45.1%

8.05

0.6%

0.9%

34.2%

1.5%

0.1%

26.6x

0.3x

16.45

0.0%

0.5%

-6.5%

3.00

3.8%

1.6x

9.1%

-1.6%

0.5%

-9.9%

23 Sterling Bank PLC 24 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 25 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

1.49

0.0%

0.3%

-27.0%

10.1%

0.9%

3.2x

0.3x

3.4%

14.15

0.0%

0.3%

-2.4%

21.3%

6.9%

13.3x

2.7x

2.8%

7.5%

0.96

0.0%

0.4%

6.7%

1.0%

27.9%

26 Presco PLC 27 Unilever Nigeria PLC 28 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC

87.80

-1.2%

0.3%

23.7%

13.85

0.0%

0.2%

-0.4%

6.00

-1.6%

0.2%

13.2%

29 United Capital PLC 30 Guinness Nigeria PLC

5.0%

3.6x 2.1x -1.3%

-0.8%

-1.1% 4.2%

9.80

0.0%

0.4%

108.1%

36.60

0.0%

0.4%

92.6%

8.1%

3.8%

13.0x

1.0x

1.3%

7.7%

7.75

0.0%

0.2%

32.5%

24.7%

7.5%

3.8x

0.9x

7.1%

26.2%

7.2%

1.1%

422.2x

0.8x 1.9%

20.3%

0.76

8.6%

0.3%

56.9%

58.3%

216.80

0.0%

0.3%

66.8%

2.2x

7.1%

0.2%

4.9x

24.80

0.0%

0.2%

40.7%

20.7%

2.5%

4.3x

0.8x

1.6%

23.1%

35 Wema Bank PLC 36 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

0.80

0.0%

0.1%

15.9%

13.7%

0.8%

3.8x

0.5x

5.0%

26.5%

1.0%

0.0%

7.1%

0.8%

5.5x

0.6x

5.2%

37 Oando PLC 38 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 39 Beta Glass PLC

4.90

-2.8%

0.2%

32.4%

14.5%

2.6%

2.1x

0.3x

4.7x

0.6x

40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

32.4%

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

-41.3%

-9.2%

52.95

0.0%

0.1%

-4.4%

14.8%

10.1%

5.38

0.0%

49.4%

P ric e

2.3x

-20.3% 2.0%

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg % -1.6%

A IIC O

0.76

8.6%

FCM B

58.5

VER IT A SKA P

0.22

4.8%

A IIC O

13.5

8.6%

Ă ŵŝǆĞĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŽĚĂǇ͛Ɛ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ

A B CTRA NS

0.34

3.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

12.8

-0.6%

C OUR T VILLE

0.40

2.6%

GT C O

12.4

-0.2%

UN IT YB N K

0.53

1.9%

A C C ESS

10.9

1.1%

VIT A F OA M

21.90

1.9%

UB A

9.5

-1.2%

C UT IX

2.81

1.8%

M B EN EF IT

9.3

0.0%

A C C ESS

9.10

1.1%

M C N IC H OLS

8.9

0.0%

UB N

4.85

1.0%

H ON YF LOUR

8.2

1.0%

H ON YF LOUR

4.00

1.0%

T R A N SC OR P

5.8

0.0%

;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ͕ ƐĞƩůŝŶŐ Ăƚ ϭ͘ϲǆ ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘ϯǆ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϰ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ

21.4%

0.9x T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T o p 10 G a i n e r s T ic k er

18.3% 47.4%

Z /d ;Ͳϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ,/W> ;Ͳϳ͘ϯйͿ ůĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ tĞ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďǇ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ

30.9%

1.1%

1.2x

ƟŽŶ ŝŶ E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͘

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĂŬ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͘

16.3%

2.0%

6.3%

17 11 PLC 18 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϲǆ ĨƌŽŵ Ϭ͘ϴǆ ĂƐ ϭϯ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůǇ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞǆ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶͲ ǁŚŝůĞ Ϯϭ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ // K ;нϴ͘ϲйͿ͕ ;нϰ͘ϴйͿ͕ Ğƌ͕ ƵƉ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ϭ͘ϴй ĚƌŝǀĞŶ ďǇ s Z/d ^< W ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂͲ

P/E

0.0%

14 International Brew eries PLC 15 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 16 SEPLAT Energy PLC

33 TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeri 34 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

ĂŶĚ D E^ Z ;ͲϮ͘ϮйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůǇ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬͲ

ROA

-0.6%

12 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŽĮƚͲƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ E/d, ;ͲϬ͘ϲйͿ͕ & E, ;ͲϬ͘ϴйͿ͕ /Ed Z t ;Ͳ ϭ͘Ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŽĮƚͲƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ E ^d> ;Ͳ

;Ͳϲ͘ϰйͿ͕

ROE

24.20

10 United Bank for Africa PLC 11 FBN Holdings Plc

Ğƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚ /ŶƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϰ͘ϲй ĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ŽŶƐƵŵĞƌ 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƐŚĞĚ ϮϯďƉƐ ĂŶĚ ϭϴďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ

>/E< ^^hZ

Price Change Index to Date

280.00

8 Lafarge Africa PLC 9 Access Bank PLC

31 Custodian and Allied Insurance 32 AIICO Insurance PLC

ϰ͘ϬйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ &>KhZD/>> ;ͲϬ͘ϯйͿ͘ ϵ͘ϭйͿ͕ hE/> s Z ;Ͳϯ͘ϱйͿ͕

Price Previous Current Change Price YTD Weighting Change

Current Price

ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ǁŚŝůĞ ϭϱ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ͘ DZ^ ;нϵ͘ϵйͿ͕ D zͲ T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s

< Z ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ ,KEz&>KhZ ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ǁŚŝůĞ dZ E^ ;Ͳϴ͘ϯйͿ͕ > ^ K ;Ͳϲ͘ϳйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ >/s Ͳ ^dK < ;Ͳϰ͘ϴйͿ ůĞĚ ůŽƐĞƌƐ͘ zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂǇ͕ ǁĞ ĞǆƉĞĐƚ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŵŝǆĞĚ͕ ĂƐ ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƐ ƐĞĂƐŽŶ ŐƌĂĚƵĂůůǇ ǁŝŶĚƐ ƵƉ͘

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

UP D C

1.18

-9.9%

A IR T ELA F R I

679.8

0.0%

UP D C R EIT

4.55

-9.9%

GT C O

309.7

-0.2%

C H IP LC

0.51

-7.3%

Z EN IT H B A N K

308.7

-0.6%

-4.8%

FCM B

179.9

-1.6%

-4.0%

A C C ESS

98.5

1.1%

UB A

76.3

-1.2%

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TUESDAY, ͻ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

SEA POWER FOR AFRICAN SYMPOSIUM... L-R: Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Francis Isaac; Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Christian Ezekobe and Chairman, Organising Committee, Sea Power for African Symposium 2021, Rear Admiral Joseph Akpan, during a press brieﬁng on the Committee’s Sea Power for African Symposium 2021 held in Abuja ...yesterday

Jos Prison Attack: Nine Killed, 262 Inmates Escaped, 10 Recaptured Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Sunday’s attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Jos, Plateau State, has left in its trail, nine deaths and 262 inmates, who succeeded in escaping from the facility. A statement from the correctional service has also confirmed that 10 out of those, who escaped were recaptured by security agents. According to the statement by spokesman of the Custodial Centre, Francis Enobore, one of the gunmen trapped in the facility, has been identified as one of those killed in the gun duel. The statement read in part: "The attackers, who stormed the Custodial Center at about 1720hrs on Sunday 28th November 2021, engaged the Nigerian Correctional Service(NCoS) armed squad personnel in a fierce gunbattle before

breaking into the yard. "Sadly, one of the NCoS Armed Squad personnel paid the supreme price in the encounter while nine inmates also lost their lives. Another staff of the Service was shot in the hand and six inmates were also injured in the attack. "Meanwhile, some of the attackers and a total of 262 inmates escaped in the melee beforè reinforcement could come from sister services. However, ten have so far been recaptured, leaving 252 at large." The statement further added: "The Controller-General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, condoled with the family and friends of the gallant officer, who paid the ultimate price in the encounter, promising that the death will not be in vain as all the perpetrators will be hunted and made to face the full wrath of the law." He thanked the officers and men

COVID-19: FG Begins Office-toOffice Vaccination for Dec Deadline Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Ahead of tomorrow’s deadline set for all civil servants to show proof of vaccination accessing their offices, the federal government, has commenced an office-to-office vaccination exercisein federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). This is as the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) said some 6,504,043 eligible persons had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria as at yesterday, Monday, November 29, 2021. Government also claimed that some 3,586,812 persons had been fully vaccinated with over 30 million doses of the vaccines at hand, while another 60 million doses would arrive before the first quarter of 2022. It, however, said no one had died as a result of taking COVID-19 vaccine. Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, who spoke at the media briefing of the Presidential Steering Com-

mittee on COVID-19 in Abuja, said as part of efforts to ease access to COVID-19 vaccines by government employees, the NPHCDA has also commenced office-to-office vaccination. "I would like to remind all federal government employees that starting from December 1st, 2021, they would be required to show evidence of being vaccinated against COVID-19, or a negative PCR result done within 72 hours before being allowed into their offices. "To further ease access to COVID-19 vaccines by government employees, we have also commenced office-to-office vaccination in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). "What this simply means is that employees, who are yet to be vaccinated will find a vaccination site around their offices to register and get vaccinated. This will help in preventing the excuse of having to leave their place of employment to a distant vaccination site," he said.

of other security agencies for their assistance in bringing the situation under control and assured members of the public that the safety of inmates, including their care and support, would continue to be a top priority in his administration. Giving the statistics, he said Jos Medium Security Custodial Centre as at the time of attack, had 1,060 inmates comprising 560 pre-trial detainees and 500 convicts. The state police command also said that nine fleeing inmates were arrested by the men of the force, while one voluntarily surrendered himself. The arrest was made during a stop and search operation carried out by the Police. Police Public Relations Officer in

the state, ASP Gabriel Ubah, said the stop-and-search on vehicles helped the police in making the arrest. He said despite the purported trapping of some assailants in the prison, there has been no arrest recorded as security agents said profiling of those in custody was ongoing, though the office holding the records of the JCC was set ablaze by the invaders. As at press time, officials of the Centre were still trying to ascertain the extent of damage to the facility, take a proper head counts of the inmates and positively identify the bodies. Meanwhile, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, has condemned the attack and described

it as unfortunate. The governor, however, praised the gallantry of officers and men of the Custodial Centre, who rose to the occasion to thwart the plans of the criminals whose mission was to facilitate the escape of inmates and also cause destruction to the facility. Lalong, in a statement, praised the quick reaction of other security agencies including the Police, Operation Safe Haven, DSS, NSCDC and Operation Rainbow, who responded swiftly to the situation and took charge of the general area, leading to entrapment of the assailants as well as arrest of fleeing inmates. Describing the event as one too

many in the nation's correctional system, Lalong said it was high time a wholistic approach was applied to bringing such attacks and jail breaks to an end in order to guarantee the safety of inmates, correctional officers, and the larger society from criminals, who choose to attack the very essence of Nigeria's legal system by disrupting law and order. He directed an immediate boosting of security measures around all Custodial facilities in the state, assuring them that the state government would work with the federal government in every way possible to ensure that all correctional facilities in the state were protected from such attacks.

Akpanudoedehe: APC Yet to Decide on Zoning Convention date needs NEC's ratification, says Lar Party’s youth movement seizes initiative, sacks Buni-led c’ttee Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Preparatory to the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention scheduled for February next year, National Secretary of the party, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, has said no decision has been reached on the zoning of various party positions. The Secretary also clarified that its national chairmanship position has not been zoned to the North Central zone as reported in some sections of the media. But the Media Director to Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff Campaign Organisation, Senator Victor Lar, has said despite the approval given by President Muhammadu Buhari for the party’s convention, there was still need for the party`s National Executive Committee (NEC) to meet and ratify the dates. In a related development, a group sentimental to the APC, Progress Youth Movement (PYM), yesterday, seized the initiative and announced the sack of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party, led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni. However, Akpanudoedehe while

speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, said the issue of zoning party positions was not part of the mandate of the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee. "I have the mandate to report whatever decision the CECPC takes and to the best of my knowledge, the committee has not discussed zoning. People are just flying what will favour their interest. All I know is that the caretaker committee has not discussed or reached a zoning decision." But Lar, who insisted NEC approval was key said the President lacked the constitutional power to call for the NEC meeting of the party. "Though, we had commended the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) for taking the initiative to meet with President Buhari on the need for the party's National Convention to be conducted. "The decision to hold the convention in February 2022, has to be taken by the party's NEC. The president does not have the constitutional powers to call for a meeting, neither do the governors elected on the party's platform. "It is only the party's NEC that

can take such decision as regards to when its national convention will hold. The February date must therefore be ratified by the party's NEC to make it constitutional," he maintained. On his part, addressing journalists after the inauguration of the PYM-CECPC, Chairman of the youth group, Mustapha Audu, said young men and women of repute had been carefully selected as members of the committee and mandated by all the well meaning young stakeholders of APC to plan and execute the convention before the end of February 2022. He stressed that the committee was aware of the plethora of issues within the party, stating that the party had a history of shying away from true reconciliation and in many cases, inflicting chastisement on members that should have been rewarded for their effort towards building the APC. To that extent, the group said it would set up a committee to help reconcile aggrieved members within the party. "It is clear that in the last couple of years of the party has been on a regressive course and it is necessary for all well meaning party members

to roll up our sleeves and do the needful to ensure that we correct the mistakes that have been made to ensure victory in 2023 for all stakeholders. "Right now, the previous CECPC (Buni-committee) is in violation of APC constitution and the Nigerian constitution. This new CECPC has resolved that constitutional lacuna. We are no longer unprepared for the 2023 general election," he said. Audu pointed that there were enough problems in the party, and that majority of the problems were caused by the governors of the party, noting that to fix the problems, young people must stand up and be brave to face the challenges and leaders will respond immediately the they knew things were better. "We are going to conduct the APC national convention and we are going to reconcile the APC and we are going to do it hand-in-hand with all our party leaders. We are not here to chastise any party leader, we are here to forge a way forward. This Caretaker committee sacked the Buni-led committee. So, the previous convention planning committee has been dissolved; they have been disbanded. They no longer represent APC members."

TUESDAY, ͻ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

INNOVATIVE SENATOR MUSA... L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; presenting the New Telegraph's Most Innovative Senator 2021 award to Senator Sani Musa, while Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, others look on at the New Telegraph Awards 2021 ceremony in Lagos ... recently

Ayu: Eight More Years of APC Will Cause Disaster, Breakup Says APC governors are the worst, chides Buni

Chuks Okocha in Abuja The National Chairman-elect of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, yesterday, lamented the failures of the present administration and said another four or eight years of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would spell doom for the country, including disaster and possible breakup. Speaking at a meeting with leaders of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ayu further said Somalia as a failed state was more secured than Nigeria, and described the APC governors as

the worst set that have nothing to showcase. The PDP chairman, however, tasked the opposition political parties to educate Nigerians on the failures of the present administration, and the need to remove the government democratically. "You have the duty to educate Nigerians that eight more years of this government will cause complete disaster for the country. It will lead to the breakup of this country and everything should be done to educate Nigerian to democratically remove this government because they are the biggest cancer affecting

Nigeria today at every level "What is it that APC as a government has done wrong for example? They are destroying the quality of life of this country; dividing our people by nepotism. They are borrowing money heavily, decreasing the lives of Nigerians and generations to come will be paying off those debts. "They are not investing that money in any productive venture. Insecurities are posing in this country because the level of poverty has increased. Nigeria has become the poverty headquarters. "Things have gone wrong and

it is the responsibility of every political party to point them out and provide alternative ways of tackling them. And I believe that if we join hands together, we will change this country to be better. "So, I charge all of you to strengthen Nigeria so that more voices will be speaking about that; it shouldn't just be PDP. We are a multi-party democracy, so, all of you have a responsibility to articulate those issues that are affecting our people. "Even their governors, if you look at their governors, they are the worst in this country. How can

Oil Price Rebounds as OPEC Defers Meetings, Studying New COVID-19 Strain Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja with agency report The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies have postponed their meetings that ought to have held yesterday, to tomorrow, giving them more time to assess the impact of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant on oil demand and prices, according to OPEC+ sources and documents. On the other hand, a joint ministerial monitoring committee would meet on Thursday instead of Tuesday when a policy decision would likely be announced. "We need more time to understand what this new variant is and if we need to overreact or not," one OPEC+ source told Reuters. Last Friday oil prices dropped together with other financial markets’ instruments by more than 10 per cent, their largest one-day drop since April 2020, as the new variant scared investors and added to concerns that a supply surplus could swell in the first quarter. But yesterday, oil rebounded from one of its biggest ever daily drops as traders assessed the

risks to global demand from the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and the potential response by OPEC and its allies. Precisely, in a major gain yesterday, Brent for January settlement rose 4.1 per cent to $75.67 a barrel as at 10:33 a.m. in London, while earlier on the day, prices rose as much as 5.2 per cent in intraday trade after ending 11.6 per cent lower on Friday. WTI for January delivery climbed 4.6 per cent to $71.28 a barrel. Brent rallied as much as 5.2 per cent, climbing along with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) as the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned the new strain could have severe consequences, while South Africa has said it appears to be more infectious, but with mild symptoms. To have a proper grasp of the impact of the new strain on the market, OPEC and its allies have now moved technical meetings in order to give themselves time to review the rout to Friday. The new variant has already prompted the United States, the European Union (EU), the

United Kingdom, and many other countries to ban flights from South Africa and other countries in the south of Africa where the Omicron strain was detected first. Japan and Israel closed off their borders to all foreign travellers, while a growing number of countries in Europe are reporting detected Omicron infections. OPEC+ is scheduled to gather later this week and decide on its output plan for January, with a pause in supply hikes on the cards, according to Morgan Stanley. OPEC is expected to take a cautious stance when it gathers this week. On its part, Morgan Stanley said the oil market expected that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus could dampen oil demand in coming weeks, slashing its Brent price forecast for the first quarter of 2022 to $82.50 a barrel from $95 per barrel expected earlier. According to Morgan Stanley’s note cited by Reuters, the oil market appears to be pricing in slower global demand due to the new variant, as well as continued concerns that the balance on the market would tip into a surplus

as soon as the first quarter of 2022. This week’s OPEC+ meeting may pause the monthly 400,000 bpd increase in production because the alliance has neither the capacity to do so, nor a reason to exacerbate an oversupply, Morgan Stanley added. Yet, oil prices could reach recent highs after the middle of 2022, the bank noted and raised its third quarter 2022 forecast to $90 per barrel Brent from $85 a barrel previously expected. “Brent prices rising above recent highs again is probably something from mid-2022 and beyond,” Morgan Stanley analysts said in the note. Before Friday, OPEC had already predicted the surplus would grow steeply after the United States and other major consumers decided to release oil stocks to help cool down prices. OPEC+ has been releasing 400,000 barrels per day of oil per month while winding down its record cuts from last year, when it curbed production by as much as 10 million bpd to address lower demand caused by the virus lockdowns.

a governor leave his state for years and stay stay in Abuja, because he is the national chairman of the political party, who is governing your state? That is how unserious they are," Ayu stated. He said that Politics in Nigeria should be about issues, and explained that those things that affect the lives of Nigerians should not just be about winning elections, adding: "That is why the PDP is trying to tackle those issues that are affecting ordinary Nigerians. And under my leadership, the party’s emphasis will be on issues, not just attacking personalities.

"You can see for yourself, our people cannot live a healthy quality of life. So I charge all of you to strengthen Nigeria so that more voices will be speaking about that it shouldn't just be PDP.", he added Earlier, CUPP spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, while congratulating Ayu on his election as PDP chairman, said, "We believe that once you are sworn-in, you will help to rebuild the coalition to make it more stronger this time around, so that together, all of us can work and ensure that the country gets the kind of leadership they deserve in 2023."

Gender-based Violence: Former AGF Calls for Specialisation in Adjudication Michael Olugbode and Alex Enumah in Abuja

A former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Adetokunbo Kayode, yesterday said specialisation of judges in various areas of adjudication would enhance the speed as well as efficiency of the nation's justice system. He stated this at the `First Moot Court Trial,’ organised by the Federal Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the European Union (EU) through the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) Program in Abuja. Kayode while stating that he was not an advocate of special court, said he would rather support specialisation in the different section of legal adjudication and for judges too to have specialities. According to him, for a seamless judicial system, there was need for judges with speciality in areas they are call to judge. "I don’t believe we should have a special court, because I am one those who believe all our courts should be specialised.

“Someone who is doing criminal cases, should be specialised in criminal cases, the same thing with commercial cases, same thing with offences involving persons. “We should have specialised judges, even lawyers too should be specialised. "The rule of evidence must change, even in commercial areas. And that is why we spent the whole time in court, going back and forth," he said. Also speaking, the current AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami, said the federal government would continue to train investigators and prosecutors to enhance their capacity in handling Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) related cases. Some of the areas for the capacity building, according to him, included evidence collection and storage, intelligence gathering and reporting, evidence analysis and chain of custody preservation. “The above highlighted are critical to a successful prosecution and conviction of (SGBV) offenders’’.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN DESK

COMPILED BY BAYO AKINLOYE

Pakistan Mob Burns Police Station in Bid to Lynch Blasphemy Suspect Authorities in northwestern Pakistan said Monday they had arrested around 30 people in connection with an overnight mob assault on a police station aimed at grabbing and lynching a mentally unstable detainee accused of insulting Islam. Witnesses and police said thousands of protesters stormed the police station in Charsadda, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Sunday evening and burned the facility along with several nearby security outposts after police refused to hand over the blasphemy suspect. The mob attack forced police officers to abandon the installation and flee to safety along with the detainee, district police chief Asif Bahadur Khan told reporters Monday. A video circulating on social media showed the police station burning. The alleged blasphemer was taken into police custody on charges he desecrated Islam’s holy book, the Quran. Russia: Latest Zircon Hypersonic Missile Test Successful Russia said Monday it had carried out another successful test of its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile as world powers race to develop advanced weaponry, AFP reports. Russia, the United States, France and China have all been experimenting with so-called hypersonic glide vehicles -- defined as reaching speeds of at least Mach 5. As part of “the completion of tests” of Russia’s hypersonic missile weapons, the Admiral Gorshkov warship launched a Zircon missile at a target in the Barents Sea at 400 kilometres, the defence ministry said. “The target was hit,” the ministry said, describing the test as successful. Russia’s latest Zircon test came after Western reports that a Chinese hypersonic glider test flight in July culminated in the mid-flight firing of a missile at more than five times the speed of sound over the South China Sea. Talks on Iran Nuclear Deal Resuming in Vienna Talks about reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed Monday in Vienna after a five-month break, and a new president took office in Iran for the first time. Like six previous rounds of negotiations, which began in April, the US is participating indirectly, similar to the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran will talk directly with the remaining signatories of the 2015 deal — Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany — with European diplomats shuttling back and forth to consult with the US side. At stake is the resumption of the agreement that brought limits to Iran’s nuclear program lasting between 10 and 15 years in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 during the administration of President Donald Trump, after which Iran began stepping away from its commitments. To date, Iran has exceeded its agreed limits on the amount of uranium it stockpiles, enriched uranium to higher levels and utilized more advanced centrifuges in its nuclear facilities.

Uganda Dismisses Report of Losing Airport to China Ugandan officials are rejecting reports that China could take control of the country’s only international airport because of a failure to honour a loan agreement. China’s embassy in Uganda also dismissed the report. But analysts note the loan deal could become a problem if Uganda ever has trouble paying it back. Local media reports had indicated that Uganda risked losing its only international airport to China over a $200 million loan to expand the facility. According to documents shared with local media, China rejected Uganda’s request to re-negotiate some clauses in the 2015 loan deal. This included a clause requiring Uganda’s civil aviation authority to set up an escrow account to hold its revenues. Under the clause, the revenues in this account cannot be spent by the aviation authority without approval from Beijing. Vianney Luggya, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson, told VOA that the Ugandan government had no intention of defaulting on loan repayments to China. “It is not true that Uganda is going to lose Entebbe International Airport in any way whatsoever,” said Luggya. The loan agreement also gives China’s Export-Import Bank oversight over monthly operating budgets for the airport. When VOA contacted the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, they said they were not able to comment and referred VOA to a statement they issued Sunday. Botswana’s Government Loses Bid to Overturn Homosexuality Ruling Botswana’s government has lost a bid to overturn a 2019 court ruling that decriminalised same-sex relations. Human rights groups have welcomed the decision, saying it opens the door to challenge what they say are other discriminatory laws in Botswana. The five judges on Botswana’s Court of Appeal were unanimous in upholding the June 2019 landmark decision which recognized homosexuality.

Court of Appeal president Ian Kirby said criminalizing same-sex activities violates the constitutional right of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender persons. He said the offending sections of the penal code have outlived their usefulness and only serve to encourage law enforcement agents to become keyhole peepers and intrude into the private space of citizens. The government wanted the 2019 court ruling overturned, arguing that the majority of people in the country did not agree with it. Representing the LGBTQ community, lawyer Tshiamo Rantao said the matter had been finally laid to rest.

coronavirus variant spreads, prompting an increasing number of countries to tighten their borders. “We are taking the step as an emergency precaution to prevent a worst-case scenario in Japan,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. He said the measure would take effect Tuesday. According to AP, the decision means Japan will restore border controls that it eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, international students, and workers. Kishida urged people to continue with mask-wearing and other basic anti-virus measures until further details of the new omicron variant are known. Many countries have moved to tighten their borders even as scientists Barbados to Become a Republic, warn it’s not clear if the new variant Replacing British Queen is more alarming than other versions Barbados is about to cut ties with the of the virus. British monarchy, but the legacy of a sometimes brutal colonial past and the Australian Research Finds Climate pandemic’s impact on tourism pose Change Behind Bushﬁre Surge major challenges for the Caribbean New research by Australia’s national island as it becomes the world’s newest science agency shows that climate republic, says AFP. change has driven a significant increase Famed for its beaches and love of in bushfires over the last three decades. cricket, Barbados will this week replace Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific its head of state, Queen Elizabeth and Industrial Research Organization, II, with her current representative, or CSIRO, has found an 800% rise in Governor-General Sandra Mason. the average annual area burned by Ceremonies on Monday evening bushfires in Australia since the 1990s. into Tuesday will include military Parts of the Australian continent are some parades and celebrations, as Mason of the world’s most fire-prone areas. is inaugurated as president, with The study said the “overwhelming Prince Charles — heir to the British factor” causing the spike had been throne — looking on. climate change. In a speech to be delivered at the There have been more extreme transition ceremony, Charles is due to heatwaves and a corresponding decrease focus on continued ties between the in rainfall in parts of the country. Since two countries. 1910, the research stated that Australia’s “As your constitutional status changes, mean temperature had increased by 1.4 it was important to me that I should join degrees Celsius. you to reaffirm those things which do The study also detailed how the annual not change. For example, the close and fire season has extended before and after trusted partnership between Barbados summer into autumn and winter, while and the United Kingdom as vital fire activity has increased in cooler and members of the Commonwealth,” warmer regions, including alpine forests stated an excerpt of his speech, as in Tasmania and tropical rainforests in released by the prince’s office. Queensland. Japan Bans Entry of Foreign Visitors Pep Canadell, the CSIRO’s chief climate as Omicron Spreads scientist, told the Australian Broadcasting Japan announced Monday it would Corp. that the world’s fire-prone regions suspend entry of all foreign visitors must be better prepared for the wildfire from around the world as a new threat.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

Two Killed as Armed Robbers Attack Bank in Ekiti Raheem Akingbolu and Victor Ogunje A policeman and a Special Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps, were shot dead yesterday evening when armed robbers attacked a branch of an old generation bank located in Aramoko Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government area of Ekiti State. This was the second time the bank would be robbed, having experienced similar attack in the year 2010. Eyewitness revealed to journalists in Ado Ekiti that the armed robbers, who entered the town via IgedeAdo Ekiti road got to the bank after the working hours and blew off the main door with explosive mechanism suspected to be dynamite to gain entry into the banking hall. The source added that before the gun-wielding robbers entered the bank, they opened fire on the police officer on guard while the Special Marshall, who was in his private vehicle ran into the barricade mounted by the armed robbers to prevent external forces from the axis and was shot in the process.

According to the eyewitness, the effect of the dynamite threw the town into pandemonium as houses and shops in the area were affected. After the operation, which

lasted for close to 30 minutes, the armed robbers escaped through newly constructed Erijiyan Ikogosi road. The Spokesman of the Ekiti State Police Command, Mr.

Sunday Abutu, confirmed that two persons were killed in the robbery attack. “It was an attempted robbery, but they were repelled. Even our men and officers of Rapid

Response Squad gave them a hot chase and recovered two vehicles they used for the operation. “The policeman they killed was outside the bank while the

FRSC special Marshall was also shot at a distance to the bank. “The police have swung into action and we will make sure that we get to the root of this matter”.

COURTESY VISIT…

Governor of Gombe State Muhammadu Inuwa (left) and Chief of Army Staﬀ, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya, during a courtesy visit by the COAS to the Governor in Gombe… yesterday

Police Minister Charges Communities in Edo Block Bad Benin-Sapele Road was because of deaths is a government, we have the Road Maintenance of the Federal Stakeholders to Shore Adibe Emenyonu inBeninCity protest in that axis of the road, the local government, we have the Roads Maintenance Agency There was chaos in several parts latest being the killing of a oil and gas commission, we have (FERMA) in Edo state, Ben of Benin City, capital of Edo young man by a truck that NDDC, we have commissioners Olisa is yet to be replied as at Up IGR the time of filing this report. State yesterday as residents of was driving against traffic to but nobody is listening to us.

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Dingyadi, yesterday charged stakeholders to evolve strategies to shore up Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) by leveraging on changing technologies. He made this known during a two-day stakeholders’ zonal conference on IGR tagged: “Strategies At Enhancing Internally Generated Revenue” in Abuja. The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Temitope Fashedemi, said fiscal resources were urgently needed to stimulate the economy and provide the necessary dividend of good governance, noting that leveraging on the fast pace of changing technology in the recognition recording accounts and reporting of revenue to block leakages, losses, and wastages. “There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria’s main source of forex and funding

the national budget remains crude oil export whose price is determined by externalists outside our control”. Dingyadi stated that the worldwide lockdown due to the ravaging pandemic had drastically reduced the global demand for oil which affected the economy. According to him,” there has been a drastic fall in capital importation both foreign portfolio investment due to uncertainty created by the pandemic. The usual remittances by Nigerians in Diaspora were also reduced and all these reduced the availability of FOREX in the country. According to him, “there has been a drastic fall in capital importation both foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio investment due to the uncertainty created by the pandemic. The usual remittances by Nigerians in diaspora were also reduced and all these reduced the availability of Forex in the country”.

2023: ‘Isoko Should Produce Next Gov in Delta’ Isoko ethnic nationality has in Isoko, Warri, Asaba, Port urged other tribes in Delta State to ensure that, for equity and fairness to take center stage in 2023, lsoko should be given the opportunity to produce the next governor of the state A pressure group, Equity Group of Isoko (EGI) in statement signed by the coordinator of the group, Deacon Mazno Ovadhe , said: “If there had been any gentleman agreement by politicians in the state in rotating governorshio position under Senatorial arrangement is oppressive without merit and equity.” Ovadhe said the group took the decision after a dialogue meeting among members based

Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja to urge other tribes to ensure that, they support Isoko governorship candidate. “We urge other tribes in our dear state to vote enmass for an lsoko candidate, irrespective of political party, “he said. They buttress their agitation on the premises that Urhobo has ruled two terms, Chief Ibru and Chief James Ibori, who is considered political god father in Delta State politics, especially in People’s Democratic Part (PDP). EGI also noted that, an Itsekiri man, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has ruled the state and lka man Dr Senator Ifeanyi Okowa is currently the governor of the state.

Ogheghe and other communities near the by-pass along Benin – Sapele road blocked the road for the fourth day, complaining about its bad state that has made it impassable. A resident in the area, Omo Osifo said the reason for the

avoid the bad spot. He said: “Why should the government not fix that road? We heard that the state government is saying it is a federal road but how does that affect us, we don’t know federal road, we know we are in Edo state where there

“If it is a federal road, Governor Obaseki should inform the federal government about it. How will you feel schools are writing examinations and your children are not able to go to school because of bad roads?” A message to the Head of

Meanwhile, bus drivers mostly those who ply the Benin-New Lagos road, withdrew their services over alleged extortion by personnel of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) and Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV).

Omo-Agege: I‘m Saddened By Herdsmen, Farmers’ Clashes Sylvester Idowu in Warri The Deputy President of the Senate (DSP), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege yesterday said he was disturbed by the activities of herdsmen allegedly invading farmlands and committing crimes across the country. He, however, pleaded with Nigerians and particularly his Urhobo kinsmen and women to exercise patience assuring that the federal government was seriously tackling the issue.

The Senator bared his mind while delivering a paper titled: “Challenges and Prospects of Urhobo Progress Union in Contemporary Times,” organised by the Urhobo Progress Union’s (UPU) at 90 Lecture, held at Urhobo Cultural Centre, Uvwiamuge-Agharo, Delta State. The lawmaker said: “Let me make some comments on security issues, especially farmers and herders’ clashes and kidnapping. I am particularly disturbed about activities of

herdsmen who are accused of invading farmlands and committing sundry crimes. “We need to find the best way for peaceful coexistence between farmers and herdsmen. I plead with our people that the current heated temperature in the Nigerian polity is commonplace in a developing society. “However, I urge our people to be patient as the government continues to grapple with this problem”, he added. Ahead of the 2023 elections in

Delta State, the Deputy President of the Senate urged Urhobos to be conscious and strategic, noting that in recent times, there had been considerable apprehension over attempts to short-change Delta Central Senatorial District in the rotation of the governorship of 2023. He commended the UPU over its strong opposition to the surreptitious and dangerous move to manipulate the process in the state against the Urhobo political interest.

‘Promoting Workplace Safety Must Start from EducationaltheInstitutions’ discourses of violence, discarded. The DVC also noted that Ugo Aliogo

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa, has stated that if the society truly desires to lay the foundations for safety in the workplace, it must start from educational institutions, “which would design curriculum that engages

including gender-based violence as well as educates the students.” She also stated that there was need to ensure that the educational contexts are designed to offer acculturation into a new culture as against enculturation into a prevalent culture that should be

Atsenuwa, who disclosed this at the Africa Women on Board (AWB) ‘Safety in The Workplace Initiative Launch’ organised by AWB, expressed displeasure that the educational system, including the legal educational system (which should do better), is fostering a culture of violence.

there is extremely hierarchical structure of relations in legal education between lecturers and students, and in the legal profession (between senior and junior lawyers), “there is also culture of silence on sexuality and sexual relationships as well as stigma arising from sexual victimisation.”

We will Overcome Insecurity, Says Dogara Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The immediate-past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has expressed optimism that Nigeria will soon overcome its security challenges. He said there was no nation on earth that has not been tried or tested, as every one of them had experienced moments of

national peril. Delivering a keynote address at the House of Justice Annual Summit in Kaduna on the theme: ‘Leadership, Governance and National Security’, at the weekend, Dogara urged Nigerians not to rest on their oars until the country overcome its challenges. He said: “These security challenges, as deeply

disconcerting as they are, are not strange. There is no nation on earth that has not been tried or tested. Everyone of them has come to moments of national peril. We can put an end to the moral vandalism that flows from all spots of bedlam across the face of the country. “No season last forever, therefore, this cup shall pass if we all do our bit, such as

we are doing at this summit, in order to keep the promise of this great country alive. For us to leave Nigeria, our country that we cherish and hold dear, to others to defend is not only cowardice, it is apostasy to the Nigerian creed. For those who think Nigeria has arrived at a dead end, let us disappoint them by turning the end into a bend. We can do it!”

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

Yuletide: Experts Warn of Increased Kidnap, Robbery Cases Two security experts, Chief Executive Officer, Background Check International (BCI), Kola Olugbodi and National Security Policy Analyst, Christopher Orji, have warned of imminent increase in the rate of Kidnap and robbery as Christmas and New Year celebrations draw near. The experts, who spoke at the weekly e-Discourse organised by leading Pan-Africa forum, Platforms Africa, also expressed concerns over the recent surge in ritual killings in hotels, as they offer personal security tips to lodgers and travellers during the Yuletide and beyond. A press release signed by Team Lead, Platforms Africa, Adeola Yusuf, organiser of the event Adeola Yusuf. Quoted Olugbodi, Africa’s leading background check expert, to have picked holes in the belief by an average African that it is only those who are well to do in the society that criminals target. “Kidnappers will pick a so called ordinary man, knowing that his extended family, friends, associates and even his community members would all rally together to pay N20 million ransom. “Things have seriously

changed these days. Insecurity has become an everyday affair. Yeah, I know that armed robbery incidence increases during the Christmas season because the guys that have plans to go spend the season in their country homes are the main targets.

“But the scenario now is that armed robbers have upgraded to kidnapping. They can make a whole year’s ‘gain’ by just picking a whole bus load of passengers. “An average African is religious and so philosophical. So we don’t pay so much

attention to personal security but the prevalent criminal situations in our countries have proved that those situations now happen randomly,” he said at the event moderated by Nairobi, Kenya-based veteran journalist, Kurian Musa. On his part, Comrade

Christopher Oji, an ex-president of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN), said that “crime rate is always on the rise between September and December because of pressure from family members.” Orji added that in order not to be seen as failures, people

commit crimes more when Christmas and New Year approach. “There is pressure from relatives. They don’t care how you make it but just get the money and you will be applauded. Not many have the ability to resist family pressure.

NIJ CONVOCATION…

L-R: Member of Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) Governing Council, Dr. Rotimi Oladele; Member, Alh. Garba Bello Kankaroﬁ; and former SA on Public Relations to former President Jonathan, Dr. Olusanya Awosan, during the Nigerian; Institute of Journalism (NIJ,) 6th Convocation Lecture, on Media, Security and Nation Building, held at NIJ Auditorium, Ogba, Lagos…yesterday

33 African Navies Converge FG Inaugurates Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road on Abuja over Maritime Security George Okoh in Makurdi

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Thirty three African Navies and Coast Guards and represtatives from six foreign partner Navies, notably, United States, Denmark and Portugal would converge on Abuja today under the auspices of the Sea Power for Africa Symposium (SPAS). The meeting is expected to address growing security concerns especially maritime security in Africa. Speaking at a media briefing to herald the event in Abuja, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Christian Ezekobe, said the need for shared solutions and a common approach to the continent’s maritime problems prompted the initiation of a Sea

Power for Africa Symposium (SPAS) by the Chiefs of Navies of Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa at the International Sea Power Symposium held at Rhode Island, United States in 2003. He said the event would be held virtually from Tuesday, November 21 to Thursday, December, 2021. Ezekobe said the primary objective of the event was to promote the integration of Africa’s maritime security surveillance structures in the context of a sustainable blue economy, based on a common understanding of the dynamics of maritime security threats in Africa. He said SPAS 2021 is expected to review the current hydrographic capacities of member states towards better ocean governance.

President Mohammedu Buhari yesterday inaugurated the N6.6 billion 24km Phases 1 and 2 Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road. The road from Vandeikya in Benue State runs through to Obudu in Cross Rivers State. The President, who was represented by the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affair, Senator George Akume, said that the road would impact the people of both

Benue and Cross Rivers State. He stated that the road project represented major investment in road transport infrastructure, which is the commitment of the president’s administration as a driver for economic growth and prosperity. He also said that the construction of the road is a visible and incontrovertible assets in proof of what Nigerians resources are invested in from a combination of earned and borrowed resources. In his speech, the Minister

of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the road construction is part of the desire by the federal government to construct roads across the country. Fashola said: “Precisely five days after the train of progressivism made a stop in Kebbi for a similar mission, it gives me distinct pleasure to bring the good tidings of the Federal Government of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari, to the people and government of Benue and Cross River State,

who will be impacted by the Vandeikya-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road Phases I and II that our President will hand over today. “After the handing over of the Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-KontagoraMakera Road last Thursday in Kebbi State, I am happy to reiterate that this is the second of many more project completed and handed over, which our country will experience in the next few weeks and months as we enter what I call a season of completion and impact.”

Court Strikes out Suit against Saraki’s Aides over Alleged N3.5bn Paris Loan Scam Wale Igbintade Reprieve came the way of three aides of former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, as a Federal High Court in Lagos held that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the 11-count charge filed against them over alleged N3.5billion Paris loan scam. Striking out the charge

filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Justice Akintayo Aluko held that the second amended charge filed by the EFCC was initiated in breach of the mandatory provision of Section 45 of the Federal High Court Act. The former Senate President’s aides are: Saraki’s Deputy Chief

of Staff, Gbenga Makanjuola; a cashier in the Senate president’s office, Kolawole Shittu; a former Managing Director of Societe Generale Bank, Robert Chidozie (now at large); a company, Melrose General Services Limited, and its Operations Manager, Obiora Amobi. They were arraigned before

the court in September 2019 on the alleged offences by the EFCC. The defendants were first arraigned before Justice Babs Kuewunmi, who is on transfer to another division of the court. Upon the transfer of Justice Kuewunmi, the defendants’ case file was transferred to Justice Akintayo Aluko.

recently concluded United Nations climate change summit, also known as Conference of the Parties (COP26) held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. The governor, who was the only sub-national leader / state governor from Nigeria to address the COP Summit on curbing greenhouse gas emissions in Nigeria through diversification of the economy to regulated

oil palm production, told world leaders that his administration has made remarkable progress in the sustainable development of oil palm in the state. According to him, “We have focused our efforts on the importance of integrating palm oil production with forest management, using integrated land use planning to systematically support better production of oil palm and land conservation.”

Obaseki explained to the audience that in pursuit of forest protection, a forest cover analysis was carried out in 2018 by his administration. Furthermore, he said significant measures have been put in place, including the land use planning and a product-protect-rehabilitate programme to ensure that oil palm production in particular, contributes to the restoration of degraded forest reserves in the state.

Cleanup: FG to Conduct Health Audit of Ogoni People COP 26: Obaseki Engages World Leaders on Palm Oil Production Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The federal government has announced that there will be an health audit of Ogoni people, to ascertain the needed interventions to be done in the area. The Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, disclosed this yesterday at a oneday stakeholders’ engagement programme on the cleanup of Ogoniland, held in Bori, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State. Ikeazor, who assured the people that the Ministry of Environment will continue to engage the people of Ogoni communities, disclosed that the youths of Ogoniland would be engaged on environmental surveillance of ongoing HYPREP cleanup sites. She appealed for collaboration with all stakeholders to make the cleanup project a success. “We will carry out a health

audit of Ogoni people, to ascertain the effect of prolong exposure to hydrocarbon on the people, in order to determine the kind of interventions that needs to be done. You call it security but I call it environmental surveillance. So we are going to engage Ogoni youths on environmental surveillance, to protect all the sites we’re cleaning. No one can protect the sites more than the people. The more we have our young people securing theses sites, the better for us. “For advertisements of contracts, i have made sure that due process will be followed. The bids will be open to all qualified Nigerians “We might have to look at other sites that are contaminated, so that ones we finished the cleanup, we know that we have finished every thing, not just cleaning the polluted sites that are under our scope while there are still other areas that are contaminated.

Sunday Okobi Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has reiterated his administration’s focus on integrating palm oil production with forest management. He noted that he would use integrated Land Use planning to systematically support better production of oil palm and conserve land in the state. Obaseki stated this at the

Abe Urges Nigerians to Support Passage of Electoral Act Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Former Representative of the Rivers South East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe, has urged Nigerians to support the passage of the Electoral Act by members of the National Assembly.

The former senator said that signing of the Electoral Act by President Muhammadu Buhari would end all short cuts to power and return power to the people. Abe made the call yesterday, during his courtesy visit to His Royal Highness, Mene Kadilo Kabari, at Barako in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.

He stressed that the process that was legislated for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to supervised direct primaries would reduce the cost of organising elections in Nigeria. Abe said: “Elections are not expensive; it is the behavior of people that destroyed the electoral

process in our country that has made elections become expensive. “This electoral Act, if signed by Mr. President will give Nigeria a new beginning and a new opportunities for Nigerians to actually reap the dividends of democracy because there would be no short cut to power anymore.”

TUESDAY, ͻ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

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

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Messi Wins Seventh Ballon d’Or Ronaldo hit out at award organisers Paris St-Germain and Argentina forward, Lionel Messi, won the Ballon d'Or - awarded to the best footballer of the year - for a record seventh time. Messi, 34, helped his country win the Copa America, his first international honour, and has scored 40 goals in 2021 - 28 for Barcelona, four for Paris St-Germain and eight for Argentina. While the Argentine great, Messi, had cause to celebrate a feat that will take generations to break, his main rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, released a furious statement few hours before the results were released hitting out at claims from Ballon d'Or chief Pascal Ferre that his career ambition was to finish with more awards than his rival Lionel Messi, after the forward finished sixth in the rankings. Ronaldo was absent from yesterday night's awards ceremony - run by publication France Football - and the Manchester United star sent out a lengthy retort to comments made by Ferre to the New York Timesthat he always had Messi in his sights amid their bitter rivalry to win the year gong. He ended up being beaten by the Argentine having missed out on a place in the top five. He had edged ahead of Gigi Donnarumma, Kylian Mbappe, Kevin de Bruyne and Mo Salah, but didn't have enough votes to win his sixth award. Ferre had said: “Ronaldo has only one ambition and that is to retire with more Ballon d'Or than Messi and I know because he told me.” But the player hit back at that claim, saying Ferre had used his name to promote his name, his publication and the ceremony - insisting he wins for himself and his clubs and that his career goals are to leave an impact on the game, win as many trophies as possible and leave an example to youngsters. “Today's outcome explains Pascal Ferre's statements last week, when he stated that I confided in him that my only ambition was to finish my

career with more Golden Balls than Lionel Messi,” he wrote on Instagram. Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski came second, Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho was third and Real Madrid's French striker Karim Benzema finished fourth. The Ballon d'Or is voted for by 180 journalists from around the world, although there was no award in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo (five wins) collected the award every year from 2008 to 2019, apart from in 2018 when Croatia midfielder Luka Modric won it. Messi had already won the trophy more times than any other player and his seventh success comes after wins in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019. Lewandowski, who scored 53 goals in all competitions in 2021 for Bayern, was awarded the 'Striker of the Year' prize, a new award that was only announced hours before the ceremony began. Paris St-Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma, who helped Italy win Euro 2020, won the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper, while Champions League winners Chelsea were named Club of the Year.

Lionel Messi with his seventh Ballon d’Or title...last night

With FIFAArab Tourney, Egypt Tipped to Edge Nigeria from Top-Five Femi Solaja Nigeria’s administrative competence may play Super Eagles out of Top Five of African standing and ultimately drop out of being seeded for the final 2022 FIFA World Cup Playoffs scheduled for March next year. Now, what may be Nigeria’s loss, may turn out the gain of Egypt. Although Nigeria is currently rated 36th in the World and 5th on the continent with 1478.78 points, Egypt’s Pharaohs who are 45th globally and 6th in Africa may leapfrog Super Eagles when they perform well in the FIFA Arab tournament starting in Doha,

A H E A D W O R L D C U P P L AYO F F S Qatar from tomorrow. The Egyptians are guaranteed of at least three matches at group phase of the Arab tournament at a time Nigeria is not faced with any match aside meaningless warm-up match before departure to AFCON in Cameroon. Nigeria will go head long with Egypt in the opening group match at AFCON before the draw for the playoffs. As at the last count, I6 Countries from across the Arab world

are participating in this FIFA. The event offers a great opportunity for competitors and spectators alike to experience the spirit of Qatar and the iconic stadiums that will host the World Cup in November 2022. Nigerian football fans were delighted that Super Eagles retained their fifth spot in November FIFA ranking which was a privileged to be seeded for the final qualifying match. But at the Extraordinary

General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) last Friday in Cairo ruled to retain the original format adopted for the play-off for the 2022 African World Cup qualifiers. The draw for the playoffs will be held during the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. Two dates for the draw are proposed – 22 or 26 January. The format will also be a two-leg format, contrary to speculations that CAF was considering a one leg format to be played in Doha. The seeded five teams will

Edo Sports Commission Felicitate with Shaibu on His Birthday The Chairman and staff of Edo State Sports Commission have extended warm felicitations to the Deputy Governor of the State, Comrade Phillip Shaibu on his birthday. In a message of congratulations to the Deputy Governor, issued by Nnamdi Okosieme, Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Barr. Godwin Dudu-Orumen wished the state's deputy helmsman long life and sound health as he reaches another milestone.

He said Comrade Shaibu's contribution to the development of sports in Edo State has gone a long way in helping to reposition Edo State as a leading destination for sports in the country. "We celebrate with you today and wish you the very best as you navigate this new phase on your journey through life. "We call God's bountiful blessings on you and pray for continued divine health for you," Dudu-Orumen said in the message.

Super Eagles....Top-Five spot ranking to guarantee seeding in playoﬀs threatened

start mission away from home and host opponents at home in the 2nd leg. Egypt, Algeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia won their respective groups to reach the final qualifying playoff phase for the 2022 World Cup. According to the qualifying system, the 10 teams will be divided into two pots based on their FIFA ranking and a draw will be conducted for the five ties that are scheduled for March 2021. On the current ranking released on 19 November, the top five in Africa include; Senegal, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Nigeria. Another ranking is expected to be released on 16 December ahead of the draw to be conducted in January. Nigeria being the fifth ranked appear to be the only one at risk of being overtaken. At the FIFA/Arab tournament, Egypt will square up against Lebanon tomorrow at the Al Thumana Stadium while Algeria will play Sudan. Three days later, Egypt will play Sudan before its group match on the 7th against Algeria at the Al Janoub Stadium. Already in the race for top five placement, Morocco overtook Tunisia for second position but none of the four top placed teams are threatened by those from sixth position above. The five winners will qualify for the World Cup.

TUESDAY, ͻ͸˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

SPORTS

Neymar Out of Action for Eight Weeks Paris St-Germain forward Neymar will be out for up to eight weeks after suffering ankle ligament damage, the French club have confirmed. The 29-year-old Brazil international was carried off on a stretcher in the last few minutes of Sunday's 3-1 away victory at Saint-Etienne. Neymar is set to miss seven PSG Ligue 1 matches and a Champions League tie. "The examinations carried out confirm Neymar suffered a sprained left ankle with ligament damage," said PSG. The club added that a further update would be made in 72

hours. Domestically, PSG are 12 points clear of second-placed Rennes, while in the Champions League they are guaranteed to finish second in Group A and advance to the last 16. PSG play Club Bruges at home on 7 December, before the tournament resumes in February. Ex-Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, 31, is set to return to training this week after missing the game against Saint-Etienne with a knee injury. However, he is expected to be absent for the home match against Nice on Wednesday.

‘FIFA Club World Cup Dates 'Disrespectful' to Africa’

Gianni Infantino...FIFA President

Neymar has been conﬁrmed to remain in the sidelines for up to eight weeks after injuring his ankle last weekend.

Man Utd Appoint Rangnick as Interim Manager Manchester United have named German Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the season, the Premier League club announced yesterday, eight days after sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Rangnick steps in to replace Solskjaer, who was removed after United's 4-1 defeat by Watford this month, their seventh loss in 13 games across all competitions which left them eighth in the Premier League standings. "Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the season, subject to work visa requirements. Following this period, Ralf and the club have agreed that he will continue in a consultancy role for a further two years," the club said in a statement. Former midfielder Michael Carrick, one of Solskjaer's assistants, took charge of the team for their Champions League victory at Villarreal last Tuesday, and oversaw the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday. Rangnick, who began coaching in the early 1980s, is a proponent of 'gegenpressing' – a style of football in which teams press high and use counter-pressing to win the ball back as soon as possible after losing it, rather than falling back to regroup. Ralf Rangnick has never managed outside of his native Germany, taking charge of five different teams in the German Bundesliga in his career. The last side he managed was RB Leipzig, winning promotion with them from 2. Bundesliga in 2015-16 before returning to the club for the 2018-19 top-flight season and leading them to third place. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left in

2013, Rangnick will be the seventh different manager to take charge of a game for Manchester United (including caretakers), with five of those six winning their first games in charge. The exception was Louis van Gaal in 2014. Rangnick has also managed in the UEFA Champions League, taking charge of 10 games with FC Schalke 04 in the 2005-06 and 2010-11 seasons – his last match in charge was against Manchester United in May 2011 in the second leg of that season’s semi-final, losing 4-1 at Old Trafford and 6-1 on aggregate. His 10 games in charge have seen 38 goals scored (20 for, 18 against, 3.8 per game), the third-highest ratio of any manager to take charge of 10 games in the competition.

Ralf Rangnick...formally seals switch to Man Utd until end of season

The new scheduling of the FIFA Club World Cup is "disrespectful" to Africa, according to former Egypt international Mido. The world governing body's tournament was set to take place in December but is now set to be held between February 3 to 12 in the United Arab Emirates after Japan pulled out as host because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The revised dates are set to clash with the culmination of the Africa Cup of Nations, which will see the continent's national champions crowned in the final on 6 February in Cameroon. "FIFA deciding to hold the Club World Cup while AFCON is going on is a sign of disrespect to African football," former Ajax and Tottenham striker Mido said on Twitter yesterday. "It wouldn't have been the case with the Euros or Copa America."

The Club World Cup sees the winners of the continental cups in FIFA's six confederations, along with the UAE league champions, compete to become world club champions. Al Ahly are Africa's representatives this season and could be without several players in the UAE depending on their respective countries' progress at the Nations Cup. The Egyptian giants, holders of the CAF Champions League will face CF Monterrey of Mexico when they enter the competition in the second round, which is likely to take place on the same day as the Nations Cup final. The winners of that match will face newly-crowned Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras in the Club World Cup semi-finals. Champions League holders Chelsea will play either Al Hilal, Al Jazira or Auckland City in the other last-four tie at the tournament.

Onome Ebi Dreams Falcons Revenge over Côte d’Ivoire Waldrum hails NFF as Falcons round off training Camp Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Veteran Super Falcons defender, Onome Ebi, has said that the nine-time African champions are determined to repay Côte d’Ivoire in their own coins when they take on the Ivorian ladies in the qualifiers for a place at next year’s Women’s AFCON. The Ivorians stopped Falcons from qualifying to play at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Egbe who spoke on behalf of the players, after Head Coach Randy Waldrum rounded up Falcons’ nine-day training camp in Abuja yesterday, said the pain of being eliminated from the qualifying series for the Tokyo Olympics by the Ivorians is yet to fully subside.

WOMEN’S AFCON QUALIFIER “I can tell you that we still nurse the pain of missing out of the Tokyo Olympics as a result of the loss to Cote d’Ivoire in the qualifying series. This time, we will repay them in their own coins. Personally, I want to play in the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup, and I know it is the same for my team mates.” Coach Waldrum who spoke earlier, thanked the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for its continued total support for the Super Falcons. “I am very delighted with the support the Federation has always given to the team; this has helped our work. I am happy we had this

training camp as we were able to see the home-based players and the overseas-based, and everyone bonded very well. It has been a marvelous experience and the joy among the players is palpable. “We will look to have periodic campings like this in order to be able to put forward the best of Nigeria women players for matches and championships at any time.” General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, who received the players and their officials at the NFF Secretariat, said the football –governing body will always ensure to provide the Falcons with the best conditions

to train and play friendly and competitive matches, in order to do the nation proud each time. “We will set aside resources to organise more of this type of camping so that we will always get the best from home and abroad and blend them to perform at optimal level when the need arises. “We are aware of the challenge that Cote d’Ivoire will pose when we confront them for a place at next year’s Women AFCON. We need players who are committed and are proud to dorn the country’s colours and will strive to deliver no matter the circumstances,” he noted. Injured forward Desire Oparanozie, of Dijon FC of France was replaced by Sweden-based

Anam Imo at the training camp. This year, the Super Falcons have played at the Turkish Women’s Cup in Antalya, participated at the USWNT Summer Series in the USA, had a training camp in Austria and played at the 1st Aisha Buhari Invitational Tournament. The Super Falcons will confront the Ivorians in a home-and-away final elimination fixture for the 12th Women AFCON slated for Morocco in the summer of next year. Both legs of the fixture will take place in the month of February. It is at the Women AFCON in Morocco that Africa’s flagbearers at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand will emerge.

Tuesday November 30, 2021

UT H

& RE A S O

Price: N250

MISSILE Reno Omokri to Garba Shehu “Garba Shehu, you said that, ‘Buhari deserves credit for tackling insecurity’. If you really believe that, then I challenge you to go to Bama in Borno, for a weekend, alone, without security. And I will pay you $50,000. But if even you believe my money is ‘blood money’, then do it because you believe ‘Buhari deserves credit for tackling insecurity”---Former Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, knocking Garba for his hypocritical claim.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

Omicron: Living With COVID-19 T

he world’s greatest fear about the coronavirus pandemic was confirmed last week with the discovery of a new mutation of the virus, known originally as the B.1.1.529, a development which reminded us strongly that the pandemic was far from over. More than 20 months after the virus was detected in Wuhan, China, the world has gone through many twists and turns, with lockdowns, travel restrictions, a global demand and supply crisis, the struggle to find a vaccine, and the politics of vaccine manufacturing and vaccination. By the middle of 2021, economies began to return to the path of recovery. Economists had also started thinking of better possibilities in the new year. But the emergence of a new coronavirus variant has sent shock waves around the world. Last Friday, currencies and markets plunged. Crude oil lost as much as $10 per barrel. The Dow Jones Average dropped 900 points. By yesterday, the Australian dollar, the Japanese yen and the Mexico peso had rebounded slightly but Omicron as the new variant has now been named clouds the economic outlook for the immediate future in many countries around the world. What comes next will be dictated by what scientists end up with as they buy time to understand the nature and transmissibility of this new mutant. What is certain is that economic uncertainty has risen. Economists have been compelled to be a bit humble with their scenario planning. Omicron is a major setback in the battle against COVID-19 and a dent to whatever progress may have been made so far. We face the prospect of a compromised Christmas season, and a long-running conversation about COVID-19. There is a ring of familiarity to it. We have been here before but the uncertainty is deeper this time around because of the threat of “vaccine escape”; that is a new strain of the virus which may evade immunity responses and prove to be resistant to existing vaccines. Omicron is said to be most likely more deadly than the Delta variant, with 30 or more mutations in the spike protein which raises the risk of immune evasion. Evolutionary virologists often talk about the infinite capacity of viruses to evolve, but the only consolation is that no virus can transform itself forever, it can only evolve until it reaches a genetic end-point. But who knows how much more havoc COVID-19 would cause before it reaches that end-point? Angelique Coetzee, the Chair of the South African Medical Association who alerted health officials to a certain variant with a “clinical picture that doesn’t fit Delta”, and who treated 30 patients has been quoted as saying the symptoms of Omicron are relatively mild. Whereas such statements may give hope, the truth is that no definitive scientific statement has been made yet on the latest variant. In South Africa, COVID positivity rate jumped from 3.6 % on Wednesday to 9.2% by Saturday. In the UK, Health Secretary, Sajid Javid says government is nowhere near imposing further restrictions. But the truth is that around the world, Omicron has sparked a chain of reactions. From Europe to Asia, to North America, travel restrictions have been re-introduced, stringent travel protocols have been imposed on travellers from certain parts of the world, especially Southern Africa where the strain was first reported in Botswana, and then later confirmed through genome sequencing by South African scientists. The new strain was brought to international attention by November 25. The unfortunate part of the Omicron saga so far would be the initial attempt to stigmatise the countries of Southern Africa and label B.1.1.529, an African variant. By weekend, one country after another including the United Kingdom and Israel had banned flights to and from six Southern African countries; South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. Israel added Mozambique, and then later banned travel from

COVID-19 various

all foreign countries. By Monday, Indonesia had surprisingly added Nigeria. The US had a list of eight countries. It added Malawi to the existing list of Southern African countries. Paraguay has restricted entry form 10 African countries. The push back from Africa was prompt and swift. South Africa protested an attempt by the international community to mischaracterize it for making information available to the global community. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has accused Western countries of discriminating against South Africa by imposing “scientifically unjustified” travel restrictions. Dr Matshisido Moeti, Africa WHO Regional Director added that the travel restrictions would place a “burden on lives and livelihoods.” President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akiwumi Adesina also spoke against stigmatization and called for vaccine equity as a more important target for the world. Malawi’s President, Lazarus Chakwera, has accused Western countries of “Afrophobia”. The attempt at stigmatization was brief, and perhaps, it died abor-ning. For a brief moment, however, attention was drawn to the politics of COVID-19 or perhaps the politicization of the international public health system. In 2020/2021, former US President Donald Trump insisted on referring to coronavirus as the China virus. The WHO eventually introduced the Greek alphabet classification of COVID variants of concern in order to eliminate stigma and emphasize the international character of the pandemic. Omicron is the fifth variant to take on a Greek alphabet identity. Alpha. Beta. Gamma. Delta. And now OMICRON. The conflict between man and pathogen is perhaps one of the most momentous events of the century. It has advertised not just the divisions in international politics, but also the inequities in the world. Developed countries have been able to vaccinate more than 60% of their populations – 64% in North America, 62% in Europe. They have excess vaccine doses. In

the UK, for example, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that children aged 12 -15 should be offered a second jab after their first. Adults over 18 can now get booster jabs. The gap between second doses and boosters has been reduced from six to three months. In comparison, low- and middle-income countries have not been able to vaccinate up to 10% of their populations. A combination of inadequate supply, infrastructural challenges, vaccine hesitancy, lack of syringes and other facilities, together with a new mutant strain is bound to put additional pressure on those vulnerable countries of the world. US top infectious diseases adviser and President Joe Biden can afford to tell their people not to panic, but the poorer countries of the world should panic. They have every reason to do so. This should be the focus of the emergent conversation. How can the world save its most vulnerable people? What should be the priorities for policy makers? What kind of new challenges is the world facing, and what is the best way to address those challenges for the benefit of the larger majority irrespective of geography, colour or faith? This is why in fact, it makes sense that a group of Nigerian virologists has been calling on the Nigerian government not to leave anything to chance. Amid the subtle labelling of South Africa as the source of Omicron, which it is not, Nigeria plays host to President Ramaphosa on his first state visit to the country. This is a demonstration of African Brotherhood, a strong element in the foreign policy process of many African countries. What is confusing, however, is that as of the time of this writing, the Nigerian managers of COVID-19 do not even know whether there is the Omicron variant in the country or not. About this same time, Nigeria has been included in a list of countries from which travel had been restricted by the Indonesian authorities. Similarly, the Ministry of Health in Ontario, Canada reported that three persons who had travelled to Canada through Nigeria have tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. What is the truth about Nigeria? Does anyone know? Why would Nigeria be mentioned in Indonesia and Canada in association with Omicron, and all that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) can tell us is that the agency is still busy with surveillance? Is there something that is known to Indonesia and Canada about us that we need to find out? Whatever the truth may be, Nigeria must like other countries take necessary precautions. The country has so far managed to survive every other strain of the virus. It is a miracle how Nigeria is not a hotbed of infections. On December 1, the Federal Government’s COVID mandate will come into effect in all Federal establishments. Federal workers who may not be vaccinated by that date are expected to stay away from work, or

get vaccinated immediately. Leaders around the world are treating Omicron with caution. They do not want to repeat past mistakes. Nigeria must not fold its arms. It is not impossible that the Omicron variant is already present in Nigeria. Vaccine makers – Moderna, Pfizer and BioNtech are racing against time to come up with Omicronspecific vaccines, but this could take weeks, if not months. No one knows. This moment calls for leadership. President Joe Biden stepped up to be counted yesterday when he took charge of the narrative in the United States and addressed the people. The key point for me in President Biden’s intervention is his submission that travel restrictions may slow down the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, but it may not prevent it. The surest protection still lies in vaccination. Which is why the main challenge is in getting the under-privileged parts of the world vaccinated. But where would the poor find the vaccines? The United States has no plans to fight COVID with shutdowns or lockdowns but with “more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more”. Can any of the poor countries say the same? If the new variant proves to be deadly, it is the poor that will bear the brunt. Nigeria recently launched a mass vaccination campaign that would be driven by private-public sector collaboration to get the vaccine to the people in all possible places including the market place. It is important to secure the buy-in of the sub-nationals, the level of government closer to the hinterlands where the majority of the people live. Nonetheless, the biggest challenge in Nigeria is what can best be described as the people’s COVID fatigue. In the early days of the pandemic, it was possible for the Nigerian government to impose nationwide lockdowns, restrictions of movement and compulsory use of masks in public places. Nightclubs, and restaurants were shut down in major cities and towns. Places of religious worship were required to follow strict COVID-19 protocols. I recall how in those days, even super markets observed social distancing rules. Only a specific number of persons were allowed on the shop floor at any time. Temperature checks were enforced and of course, the use of the mask was compulsory. But life has since returned to normal in Nigeria. Nobody cares anymore. Events centres are now filled to the brim every weekend. Those task forces in the Federal Capital Territory and in Lagos which used to monitor the space and enforce compliance have all been disbanded or have been downgraded. I hardly see anyone wearing a mask these days. The few who still wear the mask seem as if they are doing so to fulfil all righteousness. I have seen masks used as chin-guards, or as fashion items - those masks whose designs blend with the main attire, conveying the impression that the main consideration is not public health but the vanity of the mask wearer. Some people have different colours to match different attires. They now regard COVID-19 as a joke, a source of amusement. The minimum that a country like Nigeria can do is to urge a return to the general COVID protocols: wear a mask; wash your hands and observe social distancing, and get the people vaccinated. Nigeria is not doing enough to combat the virus. In one report, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) indicates that only five state governments are taking the COVID mass vaccination seriously: Ogun, Nasarawa, Oyo Osun, Ekiti. Lagos state shows up as No. 6 on the chart. Civil society groups have a responsibility to save the populace from the increasing threat of COVID-19. OMICRON should be a wake-up call, a reminder of how as human beings, we remain almost fatalistically, at the mercy of the vagaries of the environment and its many pathogens.

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