Vol. 39, No.

15,924
TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
www.guardian.ng
N250

Shell warns of economic Vaccine: Nigeria, others Ohanaeze Ndigbo Why we stopped
plunge if sabotage may lose out in scramble denies calling for construction of gas
persists in oil sector for 16.4m monkeypox Osinbajo’s impeachment development project in
NEWS PAGE 3 doses NEWS PAGE 4 NEWS PAGE 4 Imo, by Shell NEWS PAGE 7

Operational challenges hamper

5G deployment this month
• Spectrum trading could be on the card
• MTN may spend $28m on 127 new
sites, targets five cities before year end
• Mafab awaits NCC on UASL licence,
may acquire existing operator • Huawei
tasks govt on terrestrial fibre deployment
for better experiences • 13 African
countries in race for 5G deployment
• High cost of 5G phones could hinder
service delivery
By Adeyemi Adepetun, Assistant the telecoms industry, there
Editor, ComTech is room for spectrum trading
but subject to approval of the
F EW days to the deploy-
ment of the Fifth-Genera-
tion (5G) network in Nigeria,
Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC).
   In the new rule set by NCC Telecom infrastructure
investigations have shown
that the licensees, MTN Nige- for spectrum trading un-
ria and Mafab Communica- veiled last year, the Commis-
tions, may not be ready to sion said, to trade, a seller
deploy the service from Au- must have held the spec-
gust 24, as a result of linger- trum for a minimum of one
ing infrastructural and year, as against the previous
licensing challenges. requirement of two years.
   While MTN claims to have Both the seller and buyer
commenced importing must also have sound regu-
some of the equipment re- latory and financial standing
quired for the service rollout with the Commission for a
through its vendor, Huawei, minimum of three years
Mafab Communications’ consecutively prior to their
plan to roll out within the engagement.
specified date appears not   It should be noted that there
feasible due to some infra- had been cases of spectrum
structure challenges.  trading in the industry. For
      Up till the time of this re- instance, in 2010, Etisalat
port, Mafab had yet to an- purchased Alheri Mobile
nounce its deployment Services Limited, a fully-
plans, lending credence to owned subsidiary of the
speculations that the firm Dangote Group in Lagos. Al-
may warehouse the 3.5GHz heri Mobile is a holder of a 3G
spectrum licence and look licence for Nigeria. The ac-
for a buyer in the future to quisition enabled Etisalat
take it over at a premium. Nigeria to have access to full
   It should be noted that in CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 The five Abuja-Kaduna train victims with Mallam Tukur Mamu (middle), after their release by terrorists… yesterday,

Terrorists release five more Abuja-Kaduna Host communities warn

FG against re-issuing OML11
train victims, 35 still in captivity licence without consultation
NEWS PAGE 28
NEWS PAGE 6
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 2

www.guardian.ng
Soyinka, Falana back moves to impeach Buhari  • Adam Rainer was
From Charles Coffie Gyamfi, Abeokuta
N OBEL Laureate, Prof. Wole
Soyinka and a human
rights lawyer, Femi Falana,
yesterday, backed the move
by National Assembly mem-
bers to impeach President
Muhammadu Buhari over his
failure to end terrorism in the
country.
Members of the opposition
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) had, last week, given
President Buhari a six-week
ultimatum to end insecurity
or be impeached.
Supporting the move by the
lawmakers, Soyinka and
Falana submitted that Presi-
dent Buhari had failed in the
promises he made to Nigeri-
ans. They both spoke on Tues-
day in an interactive session,
WEATHER REPORT
Cloudy skies with intervals of sun-
shine are anticipated over the North-
ern region in the morning hours with
prospects of thunderstorms over
Adamawa, Yobe, Borno and Taraba.
Later in the afternoon/evening period,
thunderstorms are expected over
parts of Borno, Adamawa, Taraba,
Gombe, Bauchi and Kaduna.
Cloudy morning is expected over the
North central with rains over Plateau
and the Federal Capital Territory in the
morning. Later in the day, isolated
thunderstorm are expected over parts
of the Federal Capital Territory, Niger,
Panorama
SPOTLIGHT RANDOM FACTS TODAY IN HISTORY
the only person in
• 2021 - Japan
Long jumper, Ese Brume
organised to celebrate the Soyinka said: “A democracy like I do, someone who shares recorded history to won the first medal for
50th anniversary of Nigeria at the Tokyo 2020
indicates a contract, that is principles with my modera- have been both a
Abeokuta Club in Abeokuta, why the candidate puts on a tion, the same methodology Olympics. Brume’s 6.97m
Ogun State capital. manifesto and on the basis and perhaps the same posi-
dwarf and a giant At jump came just short of
Soyinka was the modera- of that manifesto, they are ei- tion, somebody whom I be- 18 he was 4’6”; at 50 0.3 of Germany’s Malaika
tor of the interactive ses- ther accepted or rejected.  lieve will moderate effectively he was 7’8” Mihambo’s 7.00m and
sion, which had Falana, “Very often, the grounds for as I have tried to do.  • In Armenia, chess is American Brittney Reese’s
Registrar of the Joint Ad- breach of contract, I think we “In any democracy, any pres- 6.97m. She was Nigeria’s
a mandatory part of only athlete in the jumps,
ministration and Matricula- all agree, is mis-governance ident or whatever is entitled
tion Board (JAMB), Prof. and one of the ways of break- to one vote. We are not saying
the school curricu- following disqualification
of Ruth Usoro by the Ath-
Ishaq Oloyede; a lawyer and ing this kind of contract we we should disenfranchise any lum for every student
chartered accountant, over the age of six letics Integrity Unit (AIU).
know even before the dura- one because they are on top
Gbenga Adeoye; a business- tion of a contract, is known of governance. They have • Malneirophrenia • 2020 - Nigeria
man, Ogo-Oluwa Bankole as impeachment.”  their right to campaign for Operatives of the Depart-
(noun): An irritable ment of State Services ar-
and the spokesman of elec- Soyinka also submitted that any candidate but there is
tricity distribution firms, the decision of the President nothing in any constitution
mood resulting from rested publisher of Sahara
Sunday Oduntan, as pan- to choose his successor that I know of in any demo- a bad night's sleep or Reporters and convener of
elists with the theme ‘Good shows that he has breached cratic constitution, which a nightmare Revolution Now protests,
Omoyele Sowore.
Governance or Mis-gover- the contract of democracy.  says the head of government • Steve Jobs was
nance: The Contract called “I am a moderator here should appoint his or her suc- adopted. His biologi- • 2016 - Nigeria
Democracy.’ today, If I want to go to the cessor. And this is a head of Islamic State (IS) terrorist
Soyinka in his submission toilet and I will be away for a
cal father was Abdul- group announced emer-
governance who is generally
argued that the President few minutes and I want to agreed, as having failed, hav- fattah Jandali, a gence of Abu Musab al-Bar-
should be impeached be- appoint somebody in my ing mis-governed to the point Syrian Muslim. nawi, who was previously
cause he had breached the place, I am likely to look for that impeachment is being • In Japan, three quar- spokesman of Boko Haram
contract of democracy. as the new leader of its
somebody who moderates considered.”  ters of men give all
deadly Nigerian affiliate.
their money to their • 2014 - China
wives and get
U.S. kills Al-Qaeda leader Al-Zawahiri in drone strike monthly allowance.
A 6.1 magnitude earth-
quake killed at least 617
A over the weekend. boots on the ground in
United States drone people and injured over
strike has killed Al “Justice has been delivered Afghanistan. • Muphry’s Law is
when you make a 2,400 in Yunnan, China.
Qaeda chief Ayman al-Za- and this terrorist leader is no “We are not aware of him
wahiri at a hideout in the more,” Biden said, adding ever leaving the safe house. grammar mistake • 2010 - Nigeria
Islamic police smashed
Afghan capital, President that he hoped Zawahiri’s We identified Zawahiri on while trying to cor- 80,000 bottles of beer in
Joe Biden said on Monday death would bring “closure” multiple occasions for sus- rect someone else's
the city of Kano to enforce
night, adding “justice had to families of the 3,000 peo- tained periods of time on the
been delivered” to the fami- ple killed in the United States balcony of where he was ulti-
grammar. a sharia law ban on con-
sumption of alcohol.
lies of the September 11, on 9/11. mately struck.” TODAY’S QUOTE
2001 attacks. A senior administration offi- According to the official, the • 2010 - Haiti
In a somber televised ad- cial said Zawahiri was on the president gave his green light Haitian-American music

Nasarawa, Benue, and Plateau.
Cloudy atmosphere is anticipated
over the Inland and Coastal cities of
the South with prospects of rains over
parts of Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom
and Bayelsa in the morning. Further
into the day, isolated rains are ex-
pected over parts of Oyo, Imo, Enugu,
Edo, Osun, Abia, Delta, Akwa Ibom,
Bayelsa, Cross River and Lagos.
... DAY 3019
OUR GIRLS
STILL
MISSING
‘‘
dress, Biden said he gave balcony of a house in Kabul for the strike on July 25 — as star Wyclef Jean (37) an-
when he was targeted with he was recovering in isola- Be humble for you are nounced his bid for presi-
the final go-ahead for the dent of the earthquake-
two Hellfire missiles, an hour tion from Covid-19. Biden said
high-precision strike that made of earth; be noble ravaged Haiti. A three-time
successfully targeted Za- after sunrise on July 31, and there were no civilian casual- Grammy award-winner,
wahiri in the Afghan capital that there had been no US ties in the operation. for you are made of stars.
Jean was a founding mem-
SERBIAN ber of the hip-hop trio The
Pantamireaffirms FG’s commitment to indigenous telecom content PROVERB Fugees and won wider
fame for his collaboration
T
HE Minister of the Com- Chairman of the Nigerian liance on foreign products. with pop star Shakira.
munications and Digital Communications Commis- He consequently warned Three things cannot be • 2005 - USA
Economy, Prof. Ali Ibrahim sion (NCC), Prof. Umar Dan- against importation of such hidden - the sun, the FBI raided the Maryland
Pantami, has reaffirmed
Federal Government’s de-
batta, who told the audience
that the Minister’s efforts
products like SIM cards that
can be produced in Nigeria. moon and the truth. residence of Nigerian Vice
President Atiku Abubakar
termination to reverse the and support has spurred the He also took a swipe at re- BUDDHA as part of a probe into
trend of importation of all Commission to take certain cent efforts to impose five whether a US congress-
types of telecommunica- steps that have yielded im- per cent Excise Duty on tele-
tions products, especially mediate results that were coms services in Nigeria, ar-
You must find the
courage to leave the table
man, William Jefferson
made payments to officials
where production in Nige- being showcased at the expo. guing that the Ministry, for a telecommunication
ria is possible.
Pantami, who spoke at the
Pantami emphasised that
government has put efforts
which oversees the industry
was not consulted and that
if respect is no longer
being served.
deal in West Africa.
first indigenous telecom towards the protection of the timing of such duty in a • 2005 - Iran
the telecom industry, which period of hardship as is
TENE Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
content expo at the Land- became President of Iran.
mark Centre in Lagos, got contributes impressively to being witnessed in Nigeria EDWARDS
He was the sixth President
immediate commendation the GDP, by insisting on the today was antithetical to the of Iran from 2005 to 2013.

from the Executive Vice drastic reduction in the re- growth of the industry.
Tope Templer Olaiya,
News Editor CROSS WORD PUZZLE
@TopeTempler
• ACROSS
1. Mass of gas in  space,  (4).
3. Physically  attractive,  (4).
5. Forbidding,  (5).
8. Former  spouse,  (2).
9. Cereal plant with edible seed,
(3).
10. Means  of  survival,  (5).
11. 22nd letter of Greek alphabet,
(3).
12. Actinium  symbol,  (2).
14. Wish  somebody  well,  (5).
17. Move  past,  (4).
18. Corrosive  substance,  (4).
Check page 30 for solution to the puzzle
”
• DOWN
1. Border town with Benin Re-
public, (4).
2. Change by decomposition,
(3).
3. Vehicle on rails, (3).
4. LGA in Akwa Ibom State, (4).
6. LGA in Rivers State,  (5).
7. Move head in agreement, (3).
10. Protective clothing, (3).
11. Small  piece  broken,  (4).
13. Pieces punched out, (4).
15. Line of sight, abbr., (3).
16. Body  of  salt  water,  (3).
© Olulana Olukayode
• 2004 - USA
The pedestal of the Statue
of Liberty reopened after
being closed since the Sep-
tember 11, 2001 attacks.
• 1964 - S/Africa
Lucky Dube was born. He
was a reggae musician and
Rastafarian. He recorded
22 albums in Zulu, English
and Afrikaans in a 25-year
period and was South
Africa's biggest-selling reg-
gae artist. Dube was mur-
dered in the Johannesburg
suburb of Rosettenville on
the evening of 18 Oct, 2007.
• 1960 - Niger
Niger gained independ-
ence from France. Hamani
Diori was president.
 TheGuardian Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
www.guardian.ng
Stay neutral in lead-up
to 2023 election,
Buhari tells diplomats
From Terhemba Daka, Abuja
P RESIDENT Muhammadu
Buhari has tasked diplo-
mats in Nigeria to monitor
political developments in the
lead-up to next year’s general
elections without breaching
professional ethics of non-in-
terference.
“As the drums of campaign
begin to rise, I urge you to be
guided by diplomatic prac-
tice to ensure that your activi-
ties remain within the limits
of your profession as you
monitor the build-up to the
elections and the conduct of
the general elections,” he said.
Buhari gave the advice while
receiving Letters of Credence
of Canadian High Commis-
sioner to Nigeria, Ambassa-
dor James Kingston Christoff
and Ambassador of Mexico to
Nigeria, Juan Alfred Miranda
Oritz, in Abuja, yesterday.
He noted that the country is
drawing closer to national
elections and candidates have
begun building consensus
within respective parties
preparatory to launching
campaigns.
He said: “The task before you
requires you, both, to build
on the successes of your pred-
ecessors and further make ef-
forts in expansion and
advancement of cordial bilat-
eral relations and coopera-
tion between Nigeria and
your respective countries.
Read the remaining story
on www.guardian.ng
Medical lab practitioners
seek inclusion in health
scheme as minister
warns purveyors of false
medical test results
From Collins Olayinka, Abuja
Ioperational
NCLUSION of medical labo-
ratories in development of
guidelines of Na-
tional Health Insurance Au-
thority (NHIA) will boost the
country’s preparedness in
tackling disease outbreaks.
National President of the
Guild of Medical Laboratory
Directors (GMLD), Dr.
Elochukwu Adibo, stated this
in Abuja, yesterday, at a scien-
tific conference and general
meeting of the guild.
He said the move will enable
members participate, get
more engaged and empow-
ered, like other private stake-
holders and service
providers.
Speaking on the theme of
the conference, ‘Genomic
revolution in healthcare: An
untapped goldmine for in-
vestors and private sector,’
Adibo said, if properly har-
nessed, the genomic indus-
try has the capacity to turn
around the economic for-
tune of Nigeria.
Read the remaining story
on www.guardian.ng
85% of Nigerian children suffer violent
discipline in schools, says UNICEF
From Kanayo Umeh, Abuja
U NITED Nations Chil-
dren’s Fund (UNICEF)
has said 85 per cent of Niger-
ian children between the
ages of one and 14 experi-
ence violent discipline in
schools, with nearly one in
three undergoing severe
physical punishment.
UNICEF Chief of Education,
Saadhna Panday-Soobrayan,
disclosed this in Abuja, yes-
terday, during a two-day ‘Na-
tional Awareness Creation
Meeting on Ending Corpo-
ral Punishment in Schools,’
organised by the Teachers
Registration Council of
Nigeria (TRCN), in collabora-
tion with UNICEF.
Panday-Soobrayan de-
scribed the discussion on
Managing Director/Chief Executive, Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), Ayodeji Joseph (left); Oniru of Iruland Kingdom,
Oba Omogbolahan Lawal; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Committee Chairman on Housing, Lagos House of Assembly, Rasheed
Makinde and Chief Executive, Brook Assets Resources Limited, Mrs. Lanre Shola during the official commissioning of Channel Point Apartments:
Two-blocks of 38 units of two and three bedroom flats, at Sinari Daranijo Street, Victoria Island in Lagos… yesterday.
Shell warns of economic plunge if sabotage persists in oil sector
From Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt
S(SPDC)
HELL Petroleum Develop-
ment Company of Nigeria
has warned that if oil
theft is not tackled urgently,
the country could, in the fu-
ture, be spending 50 per
cent of its yearly budget on
clean up.
The Head, Corporate Rela-
tions, Nigeria, Igo Weli, while
linking the current rise in
foreign exchange rates, high
cost of goods and services to
sabotage of oil facilities, said
unchecked illegal refining
would further crash the
economy and retard infra-
structural development.
Weli stated this in Port Har-
court, yesterday, during an
engagement on oil theft,
pipeline vandalism and ille-
gal refineries.
He said: “Spill is going on,
and if you want to clean it
News
ending corporal punish-
ment in schools as “difficult
and heartbreaking,” not-
ing, however, that the pres-
ence of participants at the
event was a testament to
Nigeria’s determination to
uphold every child’s right
to safety, well-being and
quality, inclusive education.
“Yesterday, we confronted
the harrowing reality. This
is a staggering statistic: one
that demands urgent ac-
tion and is indicative of a
crisis! Much of this violent
discipline takes place in the
form of corporal punish-
ment in the very institu-
tions that are entrusted to
keep children safe, develop
respect for human rights
and prepare them for life in
a society that promotes un-
up, it is going to cost a lot of
money. People should cre-
ate a link between actions
and impacts. If you break
pipes and the oil spills, and
government needs to clean
it, then the resources
needed for other infrastruc-
tural development, like
building of schools and hos-
pitals, would be channelled
into cleaning up a spill that
is avoidable.
“So, if the issue of oil theft
continues, the spills will be
horrible in the future and if
you want to clean them up,
you will have to allocate
about 50 per cent of the na-
tional budget.
“Consequently, there will
be no economic growth in
the nation, infrastructure
will be retarded, new ones
will not be built, old ones
will not be maintained,
schools will go on longer
derstanding, peace and con-
flict resolution through dia-
logue,” she said.
According to her, the per-
sistence of these practices
contradicts Nigeria’s Na-
tional Policy on Safety, Secu-
rity and Violence-Free
Schools, which commits to
zero-tolerance on threat to
life and property in schools.
Stressing that the impact
of corporal punishment on
children is devastating, Pan-
day-Soobrayan said chil-
dren are left with physical
and psychological wounds.
She said: “Physical punish-
ment causes not only pain,
sadness, fear, shame and
anger, but is also linked to
children’s hyperactivity to
stress, changes in brain
structure and function, and
strikes and hospitals will col-
lapse.”
This came as the company
announced that its Trans
Niger Pipeline, from Rivers
State to Bonny export termi-
nal, has been inoperative
since March 2022 as a result
of sabotage.
He said it makes no eco-
nomic sense to keep pump-
ing crude, asking: “How can
we pump 200 barrels while
only five gets to Bonny ter-
minal?”
He said Shell would only re-
open the facility when it has
confidence that it is secure.
Weli said Shell is doing so
much to protect its facilities
from oil thieves and vandals,
lamenting that 91 percent of
spills from its facilities were
caused by third party inter-
ference and sabotage.
“What we do in Nigeria to
protect our facilities, we
overloaded nervous, cardio-
vascular, and nutritional
systems. Spanking, just like
more severe abuse, is linked
to atypical brain function.
“The damage is not only
acute, affecting their learn-
ing in the current moment,
but also chronic. A large
body of research links phys-
ical punishment with long-
term disability or death;
mental ill-health; impaired
cognitive and socio-emo-
tional development; school
dropout and poorer aca-
demic and occupational
outcomes; increased antiso-
cial behaviour, aggression,
and criminal behaviour in
adulthood; and damaged
relationships through its in-
tergenerational transmis-
sion.”
don’t do in other countries
where we operate. We have
daily overflight with secu-
rity agents. We have detailed
engagements with them
and we were deploying
drones to monitor facilities.
The loss is higher. That is
why it is affecting the econ-
omy, the exchange rate and
every other aspect of the
economy.”
|3
CSO leaders hail FG’s
establishment of
council to implement
climate change Act
By Chinedum Uwaegbulam
LhaveEADERS of some civil soci-
ety organisations (CSOs)
lauded the Federal Gov-
ernment for commencing
implementation of the Cli-
mate Change Act, following
appointment of a Director
General (DG) to pilot affairs of
the National Council on Cli-
mate Change.
In recent weeks, the cam-
paigners had underscored
the need for the Federal Gov-
ernment to, as a matter of ur-
gency, set the ball rolling on
implementation of the Act
signed into law in November
2021 by President Muham-
madu Buhari.
Apparently bowing to pres-
sure, government, last week,
announced the appointment
of Dr. Salisu Dahiru as pio-
neer DG and Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of the Council.
In a reaction, President of
the Society for Planet and
Prosperity (SPP), who is also
Director of Centre for Cli-
mate Change and Develop-
ment (CCCD) at Alex
Ekwueme Federal University
Nigeria, Prof. Chukwumerije
Okereke, said he was de-
lighted that government had
listened to the message sent
by leaders of CSOs and non-
governmental organisations
to implement the Act.
Okereke, who led the Tech-
nical Committee set up by
the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Femi Gba-
jabiamila, to review the bill,
said he hoped the appoint-
ment of the new DG would
be quickly followed by inau-
guration of the Climate
Council and elaboration of
real policy measures to tackle
climate change and transi-
tion Nigeria to the green
economy.
National Coordinator,
Global Legislators Organisa-
tion for a Balanced Environ-
ment (GLOBE), Nigeria,
Nnaemeka Oruh, said: “I
would say that the coordi-
nated campaigns by civil so-
ciety, the media, youth
advocates, the international
community, especially the
British High Commission,
and of course, the National
Assembly, especially Repre-
sentative Sam Onuigbo,
played a critical role in this.
This is a win for Nigeria, and
an important step.”
Read the remaining story
on www.guardian.ng
4|
Alleged N109b theft:
HURIWA asks Buhari
to sanction RMAFC
officials
From Ernest Nzor, Abuja
F
and
OLLOWING the indict-
ment by the Economic
Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) of offi-
cials of the Revenue
Mobilisation Allocation and
Fiscal Commission (RMAFC)
in the alleged N109 billion
theft by suspended
Accountant-General of the
Federation (AGF), Ahmed
Idris, the Human Rights
Writers Association of
Nigeria (HURIWA) has called
on President Muhammadu
Buhari to either disband the
commission or suspend its
commissioners pending the
determination of the suit
instituted by the anti-graft
agency.
In a statement, yesterday, by
its National Coordinator,
Comrade Emmanuel
Onwubiko, the group regret-
ted that the Nigerian leader is
yet to take “immediate, open
and transparent measures to
order their arrest and imme-
diate disbandment of the
board or at least to suspend
all the indicted commission-
ers pending the outcome of
the prosecution initiated by
the anti-graft body. Does it
mean that because the offi-
cials are members of the rul-
ing All Progressives Congress
(APC), they are above the law
of the land in such a way that
they can’t be brought to book
for alleged bribe?”
HURIWA recalled that “EFCC
released fresh facts on how
the suspended AGF compro-
mised the Treasury Single
Account (TSA), Government
Integrated Financial
Management Information
System (GIFMIS), Integrated
Payroll and Personnel infor-
mation system (IPPIS) and
carted away billions of naira
belonging to the govern-
ment.”
Quoting a press release
made available to newsmen
by the anti-graft body, the
rights group stressed that
Idris and his co-defendants:
Godfrey Olusegun Akindele,
Mohammed Kudu Usman
are standing trial for the
N109 billion sum before
Justice A. O. Adeyemi Ajayi of
the Federal Capital Territory
High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
Besides, HURIWA cited
another EFCC statement that
said at the resumed trial of
the case on Thursday, July 28,
2022, “the Chief Investigative
Officer and Prosecution
Witness 1 (PW1), Chief
Superintendent of the EFCC,
CSE Hayatu Sulaiman
Ahmed, while being led in
evidence by the prosecuting
counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN),
told the court that the investi-
gations by the EFCC showed
that Idris, while in office,
compromised key units
under his care like the TSA,
GIFMIS and IPPIS that led to
loss of funds by the govern-
ment.”
News
Nigeria, others may lose out in scramble for 16.4m monkeypox doses
By Chukwuma Muanya
N IGERIA and other low-
income countries may
lose out, as scramble for
monkeypox vaccines beck-
ons, with 35 nations vying for
the 16.4 million doses that
exist so far, according to the
World Health Organisation
(WHO).
The agency’s Director of
Global HIV, Hepatitis and
Sexually Transmitted
Infections Programmes, Meg
Doherty, in a report first pub-
lished by The Guardian UK,
said there was “quite a possi-
Founder, Sure4U, Muhammad Babandede (left); Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo and Chairman,
Board of Trustees, Sure4U, Senator Usman Umar and others during the inauguration of Sure4U Rescue and
Resettlement Initiative in Abuja… yesterday.
NASENI, BPP partner to strengthen procurement processes
From Sodiq Omolaoye, Abuja
N ATIONAL Agency for
Science
Engineering Infrastructure
and
(NASENI) has promised to
ensure strict adherence to
procurement laws in the
award of contracts for effec-
tive service delivery.
The Executive Vice
Chairman/Chief Executive
Officer, Prof. Mohammed
Haruna, made the pledge,
yesterday, at the opening of a
four-day capacity-building
workshop on procurement
organised by the agency and
Bureau of Public
Procurement (BPP) in Abuja.
The event, with the theme,
“Strengthening procure-
Ohanaeze Ndigbo denies calling for Osinbajo’s impeachment
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
O
HANAEZE Ndigbo, yester-
day dismissed reports
that it called on the National
Assembly to include Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo in
the impeachment threat to
President Muhammadu
Buhari.
The National Publicity
Secretary, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia,
clarified: “We wish to inform
the general public that
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Worldwide has neither con-
www.guardian.ng
• 12 African nations move to end AIDS among children by 2030
ble risk” that the countries
bidding for supplies would
be high-income countries.
She said: “We’ll have to
watch out for this. Our
mantra has been and contin-
ues to be that we want equity.
If WHO needs to say that
louder and stronger for
those countries, who are not
getting access, we will con-
tinue to do that.
“We can’t have a monkeypox
response that’s only
responding to the UK,
ment processes in NASENI
system-wide”, had about 100
participants selected from
various departments of the
agency.
Represented by the
Coordinating Director,
Business and Planning
Development, Nonyem
Onyechi, the NASENI boss
said following due process in
procurement would see the
Federal Government getting
value for money spent on
projects.
He noted that procurement
officers are drivers and opera-
tors of the system, adding
that the agency would not
leave any stone unturned in
ensuring that the right thing
templated nor issued such a
reckless statement on the per-
son of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
“It is worth repeating that var-
ious eminent Igbo dignitaries
have appealed to such mis-
chief makers to appreciate
that Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Worldwide represents the his-
tory, emotions, collectivity,
spirituality, unity and
strength of the Igbo nation.
“We have severally appealed
to the social deviants that the
Igbo, all over the world, owe a
Canada and the United
States. We need a response
that also addresses what’s
happening in the DRC right
now and Nigeria, where
cases are going up.”
Doherty spoke at the
International AIDS confer-
ence in Montreal, Canada,
where Prof. Chris Beyrer
from Johns Hopkins
University noted at the week-
end that monkeypox was
another preventable pan-
demic, adding that the warn-
PHOTO: NAN
is done with the special fund
allocated to it.
According to him, with the
agency’s new status of being
supervised by the President,
extra care is needed for serv-
ice delivery.
Haruna said: “This training is
aimed at enhancing the
understanding of procure-
ment officers and other
selected officers of the agency.
“This is to ensure that extra
care is taken in carrying out
procurement activities in the
agency and also to update
concerned officers on the
need to follow procedures on
procurement laws in order to
get value for money spent on
any given project by the
profound emotional attach-
ment to their apex socio-cul-
tural organisation, the
Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Worldwide, and as such, our
sacred identity should not be
desecrated on the whims,
caprices and immediacies of
the uninitiated. The Igbo
have a unique socio-political
orientation and disposition.
They are republican, egalitari-
an, deliberative, liberal and
democratic.”
The body went on: “On the
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
ing signs were there five
years ago.
The don observed: “It turns
out that monkeypox
emerged out of its Central
African endemic zone into
West Africa in 2017, five years
ago, and the outbreak has
been ongoing for five years
with no urgency, no
response, no WHO engage-
ment around vaccines in
those countries.”
Beyrer, who is a member of
an ongoing Lancet commis-
sion on health and human
rights, added: “Now that it
has gone from six endemic
countries to 76, and is the
new emerging global health
threat in the wealthy world,
we have this sense of
urgency.”
Doherty, however, said dis-
cussions were due with
Japan, where another vac-
cine had been developed and
100 million doses of small-
pox vaccines existing, stat-
ing: “That’s probably the
least likely vaccine that most
countries want to be using at
this point in time due to
potential side effects.”
Latest WHO figures show
nearly 20,000 cases of mon-
keypox in 78 countries and
five deaths.
The data indicated that 98
per cent of the victims were
men who had sex with their
fellows.
IN a related development,
the Joint United Nations
Programme on AIDS
(UNAIDS), United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
Federal Government.
“The Federal Government,
via its agencies, awards con-
tracts through the procure-
ment processes and NASENI
is not an exception.
Therefore, adherence to the
Procurement Act 2007 is
very cardinal.
“Not to breach the Act,
NASENI contacted the BPP
for capacity-building, which
gave rise to this training in
NASENI system wide.
“The agency needs to con-
form to all procurement reg-
ulations and the Act, as this
training would increase the
knowledge and understand-
ing of the provisions of the
Act by participants.”
other hand, no person has a
right to wake up and issue a
far-reaching statement on
behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo
without consultations or a
form of consensus. Those
behind such acts are highly
ignorant of the damages they
cause to themselves and the
Igbo nation on a daily basis.
They are reminded that every
misconduct against the Igbo
pantheon has its correspon-
ding consequences.”
WHO and partners, yester-
day, inaugurated a new glob-
al alliance to end Human
Immuno-deficiency Virus
(HIV)/Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
among children by 2030.
Consequently, Nigeria and 11
others have joined the
alliance.
The list includes Angola,
Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire,
Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC), Kenya,
Mozambique and South
Africa.
The rest are Uganda, United
Republic of Tanzania,
Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The new Global Alliance for
Ending AIDS in Children by
2030 was announced by
leading figures at the
International AIDS
Conference taking place in
Montreal, Canada.
In addition to the United
Nations agencies, the
alliance includes civil society
movements, including the
Global Network of People liv-
ing with HIV, national gov-
ernments in the most affect-
ed countries and interna-
tional partners like the
United States President’s
Emergency Preparedness
Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
and Global Fund.
Life coaches respect
gender equality, elect
71% women into
executive committee
By Waliat Musa
L IFE Coaches Association Of
Nigeria (LCAN) has elected
more women to its executive
team, including the president
and vice president in deference
to calls for gender inclusive-
ness and equality.
Chairman of the association’s
2022 electoral committee, Sola
Oyegbade, made the
announcement, in a state-
ment, yesterday. 
Elected on July 31 in Lagos, the
new executives include
Omawumi Ogbe and Iniobong
Josiah, who emerged president
and vice president.  
Incorporated in 2006 by Dr.
Lanre Olusola, a change cata-
lyst, the body began opera-
tions fully in 2016.
The elections resulted in 71 per
cent of women being voted
into executive and leadership
positions.
Oyegbade said the association
ensured that “a lot went into
the planning to birth the new
leadership that would take
LCAN to higher heights.”
He added: “The result you all
see is a product of a deliberate
process intended to capture
equity and inclusiveness.
Women are no longer looking
from afar, but are playing
active roles in leadership
today.”
The new president, Ogbe, is a
certified coach, Neuro-
Linguistic Programming (NLP)
practitioner and Managing
Partner at GLG
Communications. She also
served as Head of Branding, PR
and Social Media in the outgo-
ing executive committee.
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
www.guardian.ng
Foundation, Rotary Club
of Palmgrove Estate offer
free eye screening
Club confirm 1,500 patients for
low cost cataract surgery
By Isaac Taiwo
T HE Indo Eye Care
Foundation, in collabora-
tion with Rotary Club of
Lagos Palmgrove Estate, has
completed free eye screen-
ing exercise in readiness for
cataract surgery next month.
The two-week screening
took place at Indo Eye Care
Foundation Centre.
According to the past
Assistant Governor, District
9110 and Past President,
Rotary Club of Lagos
Palmgrove Estate, Rotarian
Ramesh Biswal, the yearly
cataract surgery performed
by Indian doctors, which
used to take place at the
General Hospital in Marina,
Lagos, with the help of Lagos
State government, would
now take place at the well-
equipped Indo-Eye Care
Foundation Eye Care Centre
located at 3, Murtala
Muhammed International
Airport Road, 7 and 8 Bus
Stop.
Biswal, who said that the Eye
Care Centre was completed
with the support of mem-
bers of the Indian communi-
ty and notable Nigerians,
including the Publisher of
The Guardian, Maiden Alex-
Ibru; past President of Rotary
Club of Lagos Palmgrove
Estate, Dr. Alexander
Thomopulos, among others,
said: “We have screened
about 2,000 patients out of
which we have detected 900
confirmed patients for sur-
gery.
“Screened patients are also
drawn from Indo Temple in
Lekki, Rotary Club of Lagos
Island and other clubs in
District 9110 to make up our
target of 1,500 beneficiaries.
He said the cost of each sur-
gery would be at between
N50,000 and N70,000
instead of about N500,000
as charged in hospitals.”
Ogun will soon become
Nigeria’s Silicon Valley,
says Pantami
By Eniola Daniel
M INISTER
Communications and
Digital Economy,
of
Isa
Pantami, has said that Ogun
State will emerge Nigeria’s
Silicon Valley in the near
future.
Pantami gave the declara-
tion when he and members
of the Nigeria Computer
Society (NCS) paid a courtesy
call on Ogun State Governor,
Dapo Abiodun in Abeokuta.
In his remarks, President,
Nigeria Computer Society,
Prof. Simeon Sodiya, said the
visit was to intimate the gov-
ernor of the society’s interna-
tional conference holding in
Abeokuta, the state capital.
The governor said his
administration had put a
mechanism and infrastruc-
ture in place to enhance con-
ducive environment for
businesses to thrive.
News
Aregbesola’s loyalists want Osun APC restructured
From Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
M EMBERS of the All
Progressives Congress
(APC) in Osun State that are
loyal to former governor of
the state and incumbent
Minister of Interior, Rauf
Aregbesola, yesterday, held a
protest to demand for the
restructuring of the party,
following the loss of the
party in the July 16, 2022 gov-
ernorship election.
The APC members, who
trooped out in their hun-
dreds in Osogbo, also called
for the removal of the state
chairman of APC, Gboyega
Famodun, accusing him of
mismanaging the party and
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun (left); his mother, Victoria Abiodun; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; All Progressives Congress (APC) vice
presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima and former governor of the state, Olusegun Osoba, during the one-year memorial service for the late Pa
Emmanuel Adesanya Abiodun at St. James Anglican Church, Iperu-Remo… yesterday.
We will be equitable, just, inclusive, Shettima promises
By Eniola Daniel
T HE vice presidential can-
didate of the All
Progressives Congress (APC),
Senator Kashim Shettima,
has assured Nigerians that
when elected, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu’s administration
would be just, fair and inclu-
sive to all Nigerians, irrespec-
tive of tribal, religious and
political affiliations.
Shettima stated this, yester-
day, at the one year memorial
Makinde commends unity of purpose among security agencies in Oyo
From Rotimi Agboluaje, Ibadan
O YO State Governor, Seyi
Makinde, yesterday,
lauded the unity of purpose
among the security agencies
in the state, declaring that
many of the service com-
manders are performing like
magicians.
The governor, who stated
this, while hosting members
of the state’s security council
to a dinner in honour of the
newly-promoted and out-
going Director of
Department of State Services
(DSS) in the state, Mr. Agada
Alex, who retired from the
service.
The governor praised the
security agencies for their
unalloyed commitment and
dedication to duty, adding
that the out-going DSS direc-
tor made a mark and con-
• Urge removal of state party chairman
• It’s callous protesting after working for Adeleke, says Falodun
of being culpable in the elec-
toral defeat that Governor
Gboyega Oyetola suffered.
According to the protesting
members, mostly of The
Osun Progressives (TOP), a
faction of the party loyal to
Aregbesola, the APC under
Famodun is a ‘vehicle with
flat tyres,’ which cannot
deliver victory in the 2023
general elections.
The aggrieved APC mem-
bers, armed with banners
and placards with several
inscriptions, converged in
Osogbo from across the 30
local councils of the state,
service for Dr. Emmanuel
Abiodun, father of Ogun State
governor, Dapo Abiodun,
held at the St. James Anglican
Church, Iperu-Remo, Ikenne
Local Council of the state.
“We need to build a new
nation because the hope of
the black man is on Nigeria.
The onus is on us to secure
the future of our children yet
unborn.
“I want to assure Nigerians
that we are going to be just
• Says out-going DSS boss, others working like ‘magicians’
• Promises to prioritise human capacity devt for civil servants
tributed immensely to
improving the security of
the state.
I N his response, Agada
thanked Makinde for his
support to the security agen-
cies and his determination at
ensuring that the state is safe
and secure.
He said: “I want to say thank
you to all who contributed to
my success here. Wherever I
served, I took it as my state of
origin. I thank the governor
for being supportive because
there is no unhealthy rivalry
among the services. Our
interest is Nigeria.”
I N another development,
Makinde has declared that
his administration will con-
tinue to prioritise human
capacity development for
urged the dissolution of the
party leadership.
Spokesperson of the group,
Abosede Oluwaseun, while
addressing newsmen and
members of the public at dif-
ferent locations, said the
party needed to be restruc-
tured from unit, ward, local
council and state levels for it
to be united and formidable
ahead of the coming general
elections and urged the
national leadership of the
party to send an independ-
ent caretaker committee
devoid of any APC from the
South-West to oversee the
and fair to all Nigerians. We
are going to be all-inclusive
because no society can strive
on injustice. Ours will be all-
encompassing and all-
embracing government.
In his remarks, Governor
Abiodun urged Nigerians to
continue to pray to God to see
the nation through at these
difficult and trying times.
In his sermon, the Bishop of
Remo Diocese, Church of
Nigeria, Anglican
civil servants in the state to
ensure they stand shoulder
to shoulder with their coun-
terparts in other states.
The governor stated this, yes-
terday, while opening a six-
day human capacity build-
ing programme for senior
officers in the civil service of
Oyo State, organised by the
Ministry of Establishments
and Training, in collabora-
tion with Klover Harris
Innovative Solutions, held at
the Ibadan Business School,
Old Bodija, Ibadan.
The governor said: “For the
civil servants in Oyo State,
this training is not too sur-
prising because it actually
falls within what we prom-
ised the civil service. Gone are
the days when the state used
party.
M EANWHILE, Famodun,
in a statement by his
Media Adviser, Kola Olabisi,
in Osogbo, yesterday, con-
demned the protest, saying
that it was wicked, selfish,
misplaced and act of mock-
ery for Aregbesola’s loyalists
to demonstrate publicly
despite working against the
emergence of Oyetola in the
election.
Famodun insisted that it
was inconsiderate for the
supporters, who glaringly
worked against the success
of Oyetola at the polls, to
now be canvassing restruc-
turing of the party through a
sponsored protest.
Communion, the Most Rev.
Olusina Fape, urged
Nigerian leaders to live
impactful lives that people
will remember after their
demise.
The clergyman, who chided
the nation’s leaders for
embezzling the common-
wealth of the people,
implored them to have a
change of heart as there is
always retribution at the end
of the day.
to be in the back waters.
“You are the engine room of
whatever programme or
policies we want to imple-
ment. As an administration,
if you are not carried along
and you are not properly
trained and exposed, it
means we will be wasting
our time.
“I have given approval in
principle for Simeon Adebo
Training Centre to be reno-
vated to cut the cost of this
kind of training.”
Makinde equally charged
the participants to apply the
knowledge acquired from
the training programme to
their day-to-day activities at
work saying: “I want to say to
the participants that this
administration will contin-
ue to do its best. But to
whom much is given, much
is also expected.”
|5
Controller of Lagos
Prisons seeks LSSTF’s
support on CCTVs,
gadgets for safe custody
LSSTF boss urges relocation of
correctional centres
By Waliat Musa
T HE Lagos State Command
of the Nigerian
Correctional Service (NCS)
has requested the support of
the state government in pro-
vision of critical logistics and
equipment for safer custody
and to prevent occurrence of
prison breaks in the state.
Controller of Corrections,
B.R. Freedman, stated this
when he led a team of the
command on a courtesy visit
to Lagos State Security Trust
Fund (LSSTF).
Meanwhile, Executive
Secretary/CEO of the Fund,
Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, said
the Service should consider
relocating the correctional
centres to create more rooms
for inmates and also reduce
the risk/cost-related to logis-
tics and transportation of
inmates to the courts in far
locations.
Lagos State to benefit
from £15 million UKAID
climate action fund
By Bertram Nwannekanma
L AGOS State Government
has signed up to the £15
million UKAID climate
action implementation pro-
gramme aimed at support-
ing cities to accelerate imple-
mentation from their
Climate Action Plans (CAPs).
The state governor, Babajide
Sanwo-Olu, disclosed this in
Lagos, yesterday, while
declaring open the state’s
ninth international climate
change two-day summit,
with the theme, “Integrating
climate actions in Lagos
State Development:
Opportunities and Trade-
offs.”
Dons task Fed Govt on
challenges in
education sector
From Seye Olumide,
South-West Bureau Chief, Ibadan
A LEADING consultant
chest physician, Prof.
Gregory Efosa Erhabor and
Vice Chancellor of Bowen
University, Iwo, Prof. Joshua
Ogunwole, yesterday,
appealed to the Federal
Government and other
stakeholders to find lasting
solutions to the lingering
crises confronting the educa-
tion sector in the country.
They lamented the ongoing
face-off between the Federal
Government and the
Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU).
The duo, who spoke at the
seventh induction ceremony
of the medical graduating
students of Bowen
University, said the state of
insecurity, combined with
the challenges in the educa-
tion sector, were not good for
the future of the younger
generations.
6|
Terrorists release five more Abuja-Kaduna train victims, 35 still in captivity
From Seye Olumide, Rotimi
Agboluaje (Ibadan), Terhemba
Daka, Joke Falaju (Abuja) and
Saxone Akhaine (Kaduna)
A FTER 125 days in captivity,
five more hostages, who
were abducted on March 28
aboard an Abuja-Kaduna
train, were, yesterday, freed
by terrorists, making it the
fourth batch of victims that
have secured their freedom.
Security agencies and the
Federal Government were
yet to confirm the develop-
ment, but a member of the
negotiating team, Tukur Ma-
mu, publisher of Kaduna-
based Desert Herald and
media consultant to contro-
versial Islamic cleric, Sheikh
Ahmad Gumi, told newsmen
that the victims were re-
leased on Tuesday.
He gave the names of the five
released hostages as Prof.
Mustapha Umar Imam, who
is medical consultant at Us-
man Dan Fodio University
Teaching Hospital, Sokoto;
Akibu Lawal, Abubakar
Ahmed Rufai; Mukthar
Shu’aibu and Sidi Aminu
Sharif.
Recall that last week, three
victims of the train attack
were released shortly after
the terrorists released a viral
video of some of the captives
being flogged. They also
threatened to abduct Presi-
dent Muhammadu Buhari
5G deployment: Spectrum trading could be on the card
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
use of a 3G licence in line
with the other three GSM op-
erators in the country.
   While both MTN and Mafab
Communications had
coughed out about $550 mil-
lion for the 3.5GHz spectrum
licences after the December
13, 2021 auction conducted
by NCC in Abuja, they are re-
quired to launch the service
from August 24, according to
the telecoms regulator.
   Checks by The Guardian on
both licensees’ readiness
showed that MTN, in the first
phase, hopes to cover five
cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port
Harcourt, Kano and Enugu.
      In terms of sites to be de-
ployed in the first phase, The
Guardian  learnt that MTN
has prepared about 127 sites
in Nigeria for a start. This is
because in South Africa,
where MTN had deployed
the service as far back as June
2020, 100 sites were engaged
in cities including Johannes-
burg, Cape Town, Bloem-
fontein and Port Elizabeth in
the first phase.
   “As such, in Nigeria, with a
bigger market, at least, they
are starting with about 127
sites to further test the wa-
ters. You know they have con-
ducted 5G trials. Now, I don’t
know how much that will
gulp, but building a site costs
between $100,000 to
$150,000. This is excluding
• Minister: Abuja-Kaduna train service will not resume until all kidnapped victims are released • Kaduna, Plateau, Sokoto
attacks: Bring this madness to an end, Buhari charges security agencies • Oyo on alert as Amotekun intercepts truck load of 140
travellers in Ibadan • Borno, Benue, Kaduna top unsafe states as terrorists kill 7,222, abduct 3,823 in seven months – Report
and Kaduna State governor,
Nasir el-Rufai.
The terrorists had earlier re-
leased 11 victims in the first
batch, seven victims in the
second batch, three in the
third and five victims in the
fourth batch respectively. So
far, 35 victims are still in cap-
tivity.
Gunmen had, on March 28,
blown up the rail track,
killing 14 and abducting
scores of passengers, a situa-
tion that called for serious
concern about the safety of
the nation’s train service.
Worried about the situa-
tion, the Nigeria Railway Cor-
poration (NRC) temporarily
suspended activities, with
President Muhammadu
Buhari directing security
agencies to rescue the vic-
tims.
A family source told The
Guardian yesterday that Prof.
Imam, who was among
those released, was report-
edly shot while in captivity.
Shuaibu was shot during a
‘friendly fire’ while in the den
of the terrorists.
Mamu, while announcing
his withdrawal as a negotia-
tor, had said he did that due
to threats to his life, personal
integrity and lack of support
from the Federal Govern-
some other costs such as, se-
curity, human resources
among others. So, there
could be additional $50,000
to $70,000 expenses per site.
It is not a small investment to
set up sites,” a close source
stressed.
   Indeed, from the figure, it
could be said that setting up
a site would cost about
$220,000. Therefore, the 127
sites planned for the first
phase of 5G deployment
should cost MTN about $27.9
million.
      Dousing tensions around
Mafab’s readiness, the firm’s
Technical Adviser, Kingsley
Uwazie, at a post-event inter-
view in Lagos, said the rela-
tive silence from the firm
doesn’t mean that it is not
working to deploy the tech-
nology this month.
  Uwazie said after getting the
spectrum licence, Mafab also
needs to get the Universal Ac-
cess Service Licence (UASL),
which is the operational li-
cence.  got.
   “We are waiting to get that
from NCC. It is the issue we
are trying to sort out cur-
rently. We are at the height of
it with the regulator. Imme-
diately we conclude that,
you will get an official state-
ment from the Chairman of
Mafab as to when we are go-
ing live with 5G in Nigeria. It
may not even be up to Au-
gust 24 set by NCC, it could be
earlier than you think,” he
News
ment. On the release of the
five hostages, Mamu said the
victims were in his office to
thank him.
Although there was no men-
tion of whether ransom was
paid or not for the released
victims, the terrorists had
earlier demanded N100 mil-
lion each per victim before
Member, Advisory Board, Laila St Matthew-Daniel (left); Chairman, Board of Trustees, Dr. Lanre Olusola; newly-elected President, Omawumi Ogbe;
member, Board of Trustees, Dupe Wigwe and outgoing-President, Enahoro Okhae at the 2022 inauguration of newly-elected executives of the Life
Coaches Association of Nigeria in Lagos… yesterday.
said.    year, the firm had proposed
   Speaking on speculation of
a possible partnership or ac-
quisition of an existing mo-
bile network operator
(MNO) that appears strug-
gling to stay afloat in the tele-
coms market, though with
licence and infrastructure
spread across the country,
the Mafab Communications
chief, said: “I cannot answer
that question! But the truth
is that Mafab Communica-
tions wants to come out
through any means possible
that is equally legit to pro-
vide service.
“Yes, we have purchased the
5G licence, but we would
look for the best possible
means to provide penetra-
tion in Nigeria. So, we are
looking at various options
before us. And like I said, you
are not hearing much from
Mafab for now, because we
are working in the back-
ground to ensure we make
the best use of the licence we
    “What we have on the
ground is our spectrum and
we want to make best use of
that. Also, to get our opera-
tional licence (UASL), which
will allow us to do not just 5G,
but even 4G, 3G and others,
and whatever you are saying
or speculating may fall into
that.”      looking at 4,000 sites and
   In the Transaction Teaser of
Mafab Communications
Limited, seen earlier in the
they would be released,
which those earlier released
paid.
EANWHILE, the Minister
M of Transportation,
Muazu Sambo, has said the
Federal Government will not
resume commercial opera-
tion on the Abuja-Kaduna
train service until all passen-
to raise $350 million via eq-
uity to finance the spectrum
licence cost and other associ-
ated project fees, which it
not only got, but enabled it
to pay for the spectrum fee
by February 24 deadline
date.
   Mafab Communications is
an indigenous company in-
corporated in 2020 and li-
cenced to provide and
operate local interconnect
and international carrier
services. The company is cur-
rently a subsidiary of Althani
Group of Companies Limit-
ed, a company established 15
years ago with a yearly
turnover of over $450 mil-
lion.
   The company also holds an
operational interest in the
banking, insurance, hospi-
tality and telecommunica-
tion spheres of the Nigerian
economy.
  According to the document,
Mafab Communications set
a five-year target, which
would see it deploy over
6,000 sites in the country. In
the first year of deployment,
Mafab is targeting 1.5 million
subscriber growth from
1,000 sites rollout; to in-
crease to three million from
3,000 sites by year two.
   By the third year, the firm is
five million customers; the
fourth year would see 5,000
site rollouts and six million
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
gers kidnapped on the serv-
ice are released and united
with their families.
The Minister, who stated this
during a visit to the Idu rail-
way yard in Abuja, said it was
very important to get those
Nigerians that have been kid-
napped reunited with their
families, otherwise, it will ap-
users, and by the fifth year,
site rollout should have in-
creased to 6,000 and a sub-
scription base of 7.5 million.
    Indeed, the final Informa-
tion Memorandum (IM) of
the 3.5GHz spectrum in-
formed that the 5G auction
comes with a 10-year spec-
trum licence and a mini-
mum requirement of an
operational UASL.
   According to the document,
“where a winner does not
hold a Unified Access Service
Licence (UASL), which is the
operational licence for the
frequency spectrum slated
for auction, it will be issued at
an additional fee of
N374,600,000 only, or at the
subsisting licence fee at the
time of the auction.”
    The 5G eventual licensees
will have a rollout obligation
plan spanning 10 years, be-
ginning from the date of
award of the licence. Be-
tween the first and second
year of the licence, the opera-
tors are expected to roll out
service in, at least, one state in
each geo-political zone.
   From the third to fifth year,
they are obligated to cover all
the zones. Between six to 10
years, they should cover all
the states in the country, ac-
cording to guidelines set out
in the IM. The spectrum lot
won by each bidder will be as-
signed on a nationwide basis
covering all the 36 states of
the federation and the Feder-
www.guardian.ng
pear the government is not
sensitive; “whereas the gov-
ernment is not only sensitive
but doing everything it can
to make sure that those who
have been affected by this ab-
duction are reunited with
their families.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
al Capital Territory (FCT) on a
subsisting policy on “use-it
or lose-it” concerning the use
of assigned Spectrum.
      Indeed, in other climes
where operators have de-
ployed 5G, it costs an average
of $750 million to roll out the
service. For instance, Dish
Network, with a base in the
USA, previously pegged the
cost of building a new 5G net-
work at $10 billion. But in its
Q4 2020 report, the operator
expended between $250 mil-
lion and $500 million on
wireless capital expenditure
(CAPEX).
   While some analysts predict
that 5G will add $2.2 trillion
to Africa’s economy by 2034,
the Global System for Mobile
telecommunications Associ-
ation (GSMA) disclosed that
5G roll-out for the top 10
cities in Nigeria would re-
quire an estimated 6,000
base stations to be deployed
at a cost of up to $500 mil-
lion.
M EANWHILE, speaking
on 5G technology in La-
gos, Director, ICT Strategy
and Marketing, Huawei, Ash-
wani Mishra, who said they
are in partnership with MTN
on the deployment of the
technology, also confirmed
that as a vendor, Mafab Com-
munications had also ap-
proached the firm for
equipments to be deployed.
Read the remaining part of
this story on www.guardian.ng
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
www.guardian.ng
Group raises the alarm
over alleged move to
destabilise Enugu
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
A SOCIO-POLITICAL group,
Save Enugu Group (SEG),
yesterday, raised the alarm
over what it described as ‘clan-
destine moves’ by certain per-
sons to distort the stability
and peace of Enugu State on
the guise of political agitation.
The group stated that the
level of campaign of calumny
and politics of bitterness now
at play ahead of the 2023 gen-
eral elections could desta-
bilise the state if something
urgent is not done to nip it in
the bud.
National Coordinator of the
group, Chief Willy Ezugwu,
told reporters in Enugu, that
politics is not a do or die affair
and warned politicians to play
by the rules to preserve the
peace and stability of the state.
“This alarm has become nec-
essary in view of the fact that
even the opponents of the cur-
rent administration can testi-
fy that in the last seven years,
Enugu has become less ran-
corous than what it used to
be.”
Igbo youths protest
killings by Ebubeagu
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
I GBO youths under the aus-
pices of Coalition of South
East Youth Leaders (COSEYL),
yesterday, staged peaceful
protest on the streets of Aba,
Abia State, over killings being
perpetrated in the region by
the Ebubeagu security outfit.
The youths resolved to take
the protest to Owerri, Imo
State, following recent killing
of some youths returning
from a traditional wedding in
the state.
The youths, who carried plac-
ards, some of which read: “We
don’t want Ebubeagu in South
East,” “Is it a crime to be a
youth in Imo?” “Hope
Uzodinma should resign
immediately for the killing of
21 Igbo youths by Ebubeagu,”
“Ebubeagu must go,”
“Ebubeagu is a curse in Igbo
land,” among others, lament-
ed the spate of killing and kid-
nap along the Enugu-Port
Harcourt highway.
National Coordinator of the
group, Goodluck Ibem, told
reporters that they embarked
on the protest to express dis-
dain over killings by the secu-
rity outfit.
Why we stopped construction of gas development project in Imo, by Shell
From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri
S HELL Petroleum
Development Company
Limited (SPDC) said it tem-
porarily halted the construc-
tion of a multi- billion naira
Assa North/ Ohaji South Gas
Development Project sited in
Imo State, which was started in
2019, due to the growing inci-
dents of insecurity in the area.
The project, when completed,
has a potential capacity for 300
million standard cubic feet of
gas per day, one of the largest
domestic gas projects in
Nigeria.
Sadly, the oil Dutch giant said
News
Ekweremadu’s trial breaches Vienna convention ASATU,
on diplomatic relations, says rights group
From Lawrence Njoku, Enugu
A
HUMAN rights organisa-
tion, Civil Rights
Realisation and Advancement
Network (CRRAN), yesterday,
faulted the arrest and trial of
former Deputy President of
the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu,
in the United Kingdom (UK),
saying it is a breach of the
Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations.
Ekweremadu has been
remanded in prison custody
in the UK over allegations of
organ harvesting.
In a statement issued in
Enugu, the organisation stat-
ed that the 1961 Vienna
Convention on Diplomatic
Relations specified the caliber
of officials that must not be
Regional Manager, Bank of Industry Limited South East, Gabriel Jonathan (left); representative of Projects Delivering Officer in National Economic
Sustainability Plan (NESP), Solomon Uwagbai, and NESP Steering Committee Member, Chief Ubadigbo Okonkwo during NESP’s South East
Beneficiary Town Hall Meeting in Enugu… yesterday.
Group commends Ugwuanyi on good governance, pledges support
O NE of the major support
groups of Governor
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu
State, Door-to-Door for
Gburugburu, has reiterated
its unflinching support for
the governor and his politi-
cal decisions ahead of the
2023 general elections.
The group, comprising
women, men and youths
across the 17 local councils of
the state, expressed their
confidence in Ugwuanyi and
his leadership style
anchored on peace and good
governance.  spite of challenges con-
They reassured the gover-
it has uncovered, at least, 112
illegal refineries in Ikwerre,
Rivers State.
Shell’s Head, Corporate
Relations Nigeria and Director,
SPDC, Igo Weli, disclosed this at
the weekend during an
engagement with some jour-
nalists from Imo and Abia
states on crude theft awareness
, pipeline vandalism and illegal
refineries perpetrated by hood-
lums in the operational areas
of the South South and South
East.
Regretting that the project,
which was started in 2019 and
expected to be completed in
South East
don, others
task youths on
Soludo’s Smart
tried outside their countries,
stressing that the trial of
Ekweremadu, as a serving
Senator, failed to follow inter-
national standards and due
procedures of officials with
diplomatic immunity.
President of CRRAN, Olu
Omotayo, in the statement
titled, ‘Diplomatic Immunity
In International Law,’ stated
that the ongoing trial of
Ekweremadu indicates that
there are “different laws for
the Europeans and Africans.”
He said it is disgusting and
disgraceful that such trial is
taking place in one of the sup-
posed normal climes.
He stated that it is wrong for
Ekweremadu, a sitting
Nigerian Senator, to be arrest-
nor that they are behind him,
stressing that where he
stands is where they stand
with regard to the 2023 gen-
eral elections.   is still in existence today.”
Speaking when members of
the group paid the governor
a solidarity visit at the
Government House, Enugu,
the Coordinator, Mrs Amaka
Anajemba, told Ugwuanyi
that they believe in him as
their mentor.  They expressed commit-
Anajemba pointed out that
the visit was to celebrate the
governor’s success story in
fronting the country. She said
2023, she said it was put on
hold, last year, following the
killings and attacks by suspect-
ed cult members and other
hoodlums, lamenting that the
action had put on hold the over
980 employment opportuni-
ties and 2,612 sub- contracting
chances, valued at N1.6 billion.
At the occasion attended by the
Imo and Abia chairmen of the
Nigeria Union of Journalists
(NUJ), Chris Akaraonye and
Victor Ndukwe, respectively;
and other Shell officials, Ivan
Okoye, Lead, Remediation; Jack
Mpkakabori; Lanre Abiola, Lead
Encroachment Management;
ed in the UK while traveling
with a diplomatic passport
and thereafter arraigned in
court and remanded in prison
custody.
He added: “Though there are
several instances where
African leaders and govern-
ment officials bearing diplo-
matic passports were arrested
in Europe and clamped into
detention, this is a clear breach
of international law, which has
not been canvassed by the
affected leaders, and because
of the weakness of African
states, the affected countries
never asked the detaining
European countries what
diplomatic immunity entails.
“Wikipedia defines diplomat-
ic immunity as a form of legal
to the governor: “We are here
to remind you that it is the
same Door-to-Door for
Gburugburu since 2014 that
The group’s coordinator
asked Ugwuanyi to always
count on their support and
solidarity, disclosing that the
governor’s leadership style
spurred most of them to join
politics.  iceberg of our membership.
ment to support and work
towards the victory of the
governorship candidate of
the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in Enugu, Peter Mbah,
Dr. Francis, official in the
department of Community
Health Project and Strategies;
Hope Nuka, Manager,
Opportunities; Mrs. Judit
Okakuru, Shell Relations
Officer (Imo and Abia); Michael
Adande, Shell Spokesperson,
Michael Adande, and an official
of the media unit of the oil
exploration and production
company, Emeka Chinke, Weli
decried high criminal activi-
ties, which led to loss in rev-
enue accruable to the interna-
tional firm to the tune of over
$1 billion in the last few
months.
immunity that ensures diplo-
mats are given safe passage
and are considered not sus-
ceptible to lawsuit or prosecu-
tion under the host country’s
laws, although they may still
be expelled.
“It submitted that even in the
United States, if a person with
immunity is alleged to have
committed a crime or faces a
civil lawsuit, the Department
of State alerts the government
that the diplomat works for.
“The Department of State also
asks the home country to
waive immunity of the
alleged offender so that the
complaint can be moved to
the courts. If immunity is not
waived, prosecution cannot
be undertaken.”
PHOTO: NAN
and other candidates of the
party in the forthcoming
general elections.
Anajemba added: “We came
here to tell you that we have
been behind you since 2014
till date; that the bond that
binds us together with you is
irrevocable.  wealth creation, income
“The large number of people
you see here are a tip of the
We believe wherever you tell
us to go, that is where we will
go. When you go to bed have
your two eyes closed, Door to
Door is for you, with you,
behind you and beside you.”
He regretted that despite the
social investment pro-
grammes, which the SPDC Joint
Venture showered on over
18,000 persons, and 1,833
patients in eye problems, with
678 refractive errors and pres-
byo pia issues, and other
healthcare projects, as well as
provision of infrastructure in
the more than 12 communities,
the hoodlums set up over 150
oil bunkers and illegal refiner-
ies, leading to the Abaezi forest
explosion, in Ohaji /Egbema
Local Council of the state,
resulting in over 110 fatalities,
200 injured.
|7
Mega City, digital
economy
From Uzoma Nzeagwu and
Osiberoha Osibe (Awka)
S
TAKEHOLDERS have
tasked youths to key into
the Smart Mega City and
digital economy blueprint
of Governor Chukwuma
Soludo to transform
Anambra State.
They spoke at the election
of the Chuchu Nwalusi-led
Amawbia Youth Vanguard,
whose officers were pre-
sented with certificates of
return by the Deputy
President General of
Amawbia Town Union
(ATU), Nnamdi
Onwuzuligbo, at Ezi-
Okpaligwe Town Hall.
Speaking on the occasion,
the Acting National
President of ASATU,
Onwughalu Nkwado, urged
the Nwalusi-led team to
develop policies similar to
the manifesto of the Soludo
administration for easy
integration in the blue-
print.
Nkwafo, who commended
the election as free, fair and
credible, urged the winners
to display spirit of magna-
nimity in victory while urg-
ing the losers to show the
spirit of sportsmanship.
Also speaking, the
President General of ATU,
Godwin Aronu, while
affirming the result of the
election, observed the ATU
has offered the town a veri-
table platform to key into
the state government’s pro-
grammes for the youths.
Aronu further urged the
committee to partner with
the town unions and tradi-
tional institutions in the
state to organise regular
youth skill development
and women empowerment
programmes as means to
ensure job generation,
flow, poverty alleviation,
improved living standards
and societal progress.
He called on the new Youth
Chairman, Nwalusi, to work
harmoniously with the
town unions and transition
committee to leverage on
and attract democracy divi-
dends from the state gov-
ernment to the community.
Aronu noted that the
appointment would help
actualise the governor’s
vision of using the commit-
tee as the third-tier and the
town unions as fourth-tier
of government to steer
youth leadership and use its
structure to reach the grass-
roots for even development.
He thanked the governor
for ensuring that 70 per
cent of the newly appointed
Transition Committee
Council Chairmen and
Councilors are of youth age
bracket, a development, he
said, will engender good
working relationship.
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
www.guardian.ng
Ondo: Amotekun nabs six kidnap
gang member, 39 others
From Oluwaseun Akingboye,
Akure
L UCK, yesterday,  ran
against a six member kid-
nap syndicate in Ondo State,
who specialises in using
charms to hypnotise their
victims as they were ar-
rested by the State Security
Network Agency also known
as Amotekun Corps.
Ondo State Commander of
the Corps, Akogun Adeleye,
paraded the syndicate yes-
terday in Akure, alongside
39 others arrested for vari-
ous criminal activities rang-
ing from armed robbery,
burglary, sexual assault to
cattle rustling.
According to Adeleye, the
kidnap syndicates were
nabbed in Odigbo Local
Council of Ondo State.
Adeleye, who is the Special
Adviser to the Governor on
Security Matters, said the
kidnap syndicate use spiri-
tual means to hypnotise
people they carry on their
motorcycles to unknown
NDLEA invades Mkpuru Mmiri labs in Lagos, Anambra, nabs two barons,  chemist
By Bertram Nwannekanma
O PERATIVES of the Na-
tional Drug Law Enforce-
ment Agency (NDLEA) have
invaded and dismantled two
major clandestine laborato-
ries in Lagos and Anambra
states, where dangerous il-
licit drug, crystal metham-
phetamine, called Mkpuru
Mmiri in local parlance, were
produced for distribution
across Nigeria and for export.
Chairman/Chief Executive
of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mo-
hamed Buba Marwa (Retd)
disclosed this yesterday,
when he addressed the
media on the development.
He said the agency deployed
all available assets to find the
primary source of manufac-
turing the drug in Nigeria
and arrest the barons behind
it, following an outbreak of
crystal methamphetamine
abuse in the last quarter of
2021, predominantly in the
South East and the cry for
help from many communi-
ties in the region because of
the devastating effects the
distribution and abuse of the
dangerous stimulant drug
were having on their youths
and others.
According to Marwa, while
efforts in the past seven
months against the cartel be-
hind the methamphetamine
scourge, have led to the ar-
rest of four kingpins and a
cook; “now,  the agency has
added two barons and an-
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
TheMetroSection
Suspects paraded by Amotekun Corps in Akure, yesterday.
Suspects hypnotise victims with charms’
destinations.
He said: “We have a case of
one of them that specialises
in killing motorcyclists and
taking their motorcycles,
dismantling and sending
them out of the state.  kidnapped a lady in Ore, but
“We tracked him to Ore in
Odigbo and arrested his ac-
complice, while the ring
leader escaped to Ogun
State. We contacted the
Marwa explains recovery of 258.74kg Meth, precursor chemicals in Victoria Garden City raid
other cook.
“This no doubt is a loud
statement to those involved
in the criminal illicit drug
trade that it’s time for them
to quit or risk losing it all;
that is losing their freedom,
investment and assets ac-
quired through proceeds
from the illegal business.
“I am pleased to inform the
public today that, after
months of painstaking intel-
ligence gathering, diligent
tracking and coordinated of-
fensive action, we recorded a
breakthrough on Saturday,
July 30, 2022, when officers
and men of the agency suc-
cessfully invaded two
Alleged drug baron, Nzewi and Cook, Ukah
Hot Lines: 08034990344, 08160223638 and 08054641395
Amotekun in Ogun, who as-
sisted us in apprehending
him.
“We also have another
group that specialises in
kidnapping. They actually
we were able to get the vic-
tim out alive without ran-
som and we were able to
apprehend the suspected
kidnappers.”
methamphetamine manu-
facturing facilities, called
Meth Laboratories.
“The first one, located in Vic-
toria Garden City (VGC) Es-
tate of Lekki, Lagos, is owned
by a baron, Chris Emeka
Nzewi, while the second, in
Nise Community of Awka
South Local Government
Area of Anambra State was
owned by Paul Ozoemenam.
“The owners of these two il-
licit meth laboratories were
successfully arrested along-
side Sunday Ukah from Aba,
Abia State, the cook or
chemist that produced the
drugs for them.
“The laboratory in Lagos was
PHOTO: OLUWASEUN AKINGBOYE
The Amotekun boss dis-
closed that the syndicate,
included two females and a
herbalist, who ‘fortified’
the gang before going on
operation.
Other suspects paraded are
four other kidnappers,
eight burglars, 10 armed
robbers; one minor rapist,
three motorcycle snatch-
ers. 
set up inside the Boys’ Quar-
ter building of a four-bed-
room duplex. From there, we
recovered a total of 258.74
kilograms of crystal
methamphetamine and var-
ious precursor chemicals
used for the production of
the toxic drug. The complete
paraphernalia of laboratory
equipment such as gas cylin-
ders, giant gas burners, in-
dustrial face masks,
industrial gloves, tubes and
flat-bottomed conical flasks,
among others were also
found,” he said.
He said he’s addressing the
public about the weekend
busts to raise people’s aware-
ness of the danger that meth
production constitutes to
public health and the modus
operandi of the barons in-
volved in the unwholesome
activity.
NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi
Babafemi, in a statement, yes-
terday, stressed that the
owner of the laboratory in
VGC, for instance, was pro-
ducing this highly toxic drug
in a house where he lived
with his family.
This, he said, speaks vol-
umes about his insensitivity
to the consequences of ex-
posing his family, which in-
cludes a three-month old
baby, to the dangers of haz-
ardous chemicals.
“If that is the case, that is an
indication that public health
Osun: Suspected ritualists kill 65-year-old
woman in farm, remove her eye
From Timothy Agbor,
Osogbo
A FTER three days of being
declared missing in
Ilesa, Osun State, a 65-year-
old woman, Oluyemi Tun-
mise, was found murdered
by suspected ritualists.
Osun State Police Com-
mand, yesterday, said the
corpse of the woman was
found in her farmland with
one of her eyes plucked
out.
The Guardian gathered that
the family of the victim had
launched a search for her
when she got missing last
weekend before her corpse
was found on her farm on
Monday.
Osun State Police Public
Relations Officer, Yemisi
Opalola, in Osogbo, yester-
day, said the daughter of
the deceased reported the
discovery of her mother’s
corpse to the police.
Opalola said: “At about
1.00p.m. on Monday, one
Dare Oluyemi of Odundun
Area Ilesa reported that her
mother, Oluyemi Tunmise,
65, who the family had
was of no concern to him.
In this particular case, aside
from the laboratory being
close to the kitchen of the
main house, the waste from
the laboratory was chan-
nelled into the septic tank
and soakaway in the com-
pound, with a high risk of
contamination of the water
table of the entire neigh-
bourhood.
“On average, the lab pro-
duced 50 kilos of metham-
phetamine every week with
plans underway to increase
the capacity of production to
at least 100kg per week.
Where do these drugs end?
From our preliminary inter-
rogation, we now know the
drugs from this lab were
both for export and local con-
sumption. We also know
there is a supply chain of dis-
tributors and buyers for ex-
port and the domestic
market.
“When you consider the fact
that the price of this danger-
ous drug was going for as
high as US500, 000 per kilo
in the international market
in recent
  time,
  you
  will  un-
derstand why Nzewi cared
less to put the lives of his own
family at risk by producing
this in the same house where
they live. Hence, taking these
two labs out of operation is a
major feat in our continuing
effort to curb the meth prob-
lem,” the statement added.
|8
been searching for since
Saturday, had been found
dead.
“She said her mother was
found dead with one of her
eyes removed by yet to be
identified assailants on her
farm at Fadahunsi Area of
Ilesa, at about 11:30a.m on
Monday.
“The police had visited the
scene of the crime and had
taken photographs.”
The PRO stressed that the
complainant, who re-
ported the incident and the
other children of the de-
ceased, however, refused
the police to take the body
of their mother to the mor-
tuary or carry out further
investigation.
She said they threatened
to unleash violence and
that they wished to bury
the corpse.
HURIWA denounces
alleged extrajudicial
execution of IPOB
members
Says IPOB members are
endangered species in
Nigeria
By Eniola Daniel
C IVIL Rights Advocacy
group, Human Rights
Writers Association of Nige-
ria (HURIWA) , yesterday,
called  on World leaders to
caution President Muham-
madu Buhari on his govern-
ment’s deadly persecution of
unarmed members of the in-
digenous Peoples of Biafra
(IPOB).
HURIWA  in a statement  by
its national coordinator,
Comrade Emmanuel  Onwu-
biko berated armed security
operatives for carrying out
extralegal execution of mem-
bers or suspected unarmed
members of the now pro-
scribed group, saying the
penalty for belonging to a
banned group is not state
sponsored illegal murder.
The group lamented that
hundreds of thousands of
young Igbo persons from
South East Nigeria, have had
to escape out of country for
fear that they would be killed
if found to belong to IPOB.
According to the group, the
Nigeria Police and the Niger-
ian Army regularly brief the
press boasting of how many
IPOB  members they have
killed and often brand them
as armed hoodlums without
any shreds of empirical evi-
dence.
HURIWA lamented that
Anambra and Imo states have
become the killing fields of
members of IPOB with Onit-
sha and Orlu becoming the
epicenters.
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 |9

www.guardian.ng
16 passengers burnt, two rescued in Lagos auto crash
By Jesutomi Akomolafe
T HE Federal Road Safety
Corps (FRSC), yesterday,
confirmed the death of 16
passengers involved in an
auto crash on Tuesday morn-
ing along Epe road, Lagos.
The Lagos State Sector Com-
mander, Segun Ogungbe-
mide, said the agency
rescued two people alive,
while five were injured in a
head-on collision, involving
a truck and a commercial
bus.
Segun, who spoke to The
Guardian, said the accident
was caused by careless driv-
ing as the truck ran into the
commercial bus.
He added that a total num-
ber of 23 passengers were in-
volved in the crash, while
remains of the victims have
been handed over to the
Hausa community for bur-
Osun NSCDC partners IBEDC against energy theft, vandalism
By Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
T HE Nigeria Security and
Civil Defence Corps
(NSCDC), Osun State Com-
mand, yesterday,  expressed
readiness to collaborate
with Ibadan Electricity Dis-
tribution Company
(IBEDC), to  tackle and fore-
stall energy theft and van-
dalisation of infrastructure
in the nation’s power sector.
The state’s commandant,
Sunday Agboola, who dis-
closed this after meeting
with officials of Osun IBEDC
region, said energy theft
and vandalism were partly
Imo police arrest two suspected armed  robbers for impersonation
From  Collins Osuji, Owerri
ial.
He said: “16 died, five were
injured and two were res-
cued alive. All the debris had
been removed from the
road. Those that were in-
jured are already taken to
Debris of the vehicles.
responsible for losses and
liquidity challenges that
are bedeviling the power
sector.
He said it was not going to
be business as usual for van-
dals and their cohorts as
the Command was ready to
put a stop to their crimes.
While welcoming the Exec-
utives of IBEDC to the State
Headquarters in Osogbo,
Agboola declared the Com-
mand’s readiness to com-
bat energy theft and
vandalism in the state and
reiterated the importance
of taking concerted efforts
to achieve positive impact
TheMetroSection
the hospital.
“I won’t be able to give de-
tails if the driver of the truck
was also involved in the
crash because we were busy
with the rescue operation.
But I will confirm.”
PHOTO: LASEMA
in the fight against vandals.
The commandant warned
vandals in the state to de-
sist from stealing electric-
ity cables and vandalising
power installations.
In his remarks, Osun Re-
gional Head of the distri-
bution company, Adeniyi
Adeleke, solicited the sup-
port of the corps in the
fight against vandalism
and energy theft in Osun
Region.
Adeleke said IBEDC, which
claims  to be the largest ge-
ographical coverage
among electricity distribu-
tors in the country, re-
Owerri, lmo State. However, the vehicle was recovered at
the station.
However, the Lagos State
Emergency Management
Agency (LASEMA), in a state-
ment, by its Director Gen-
eral/Chief Executive Officer,
Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyin-
tolu, stated that based on
preliminary report regard-
ing the crash inward Epe,
five persons were burnt be-
yond recognition.
It said: “ Upon arrival of the
Response Team, LRT Whale’s
Squad at the scene, it was re-
vealed that a truck convey-
ing sand had a head on
collision with a hummer
commuter bus with six pas-
sengers on board.
“The two vehicles got burnt
as a result of the impact of
the collision, unfortunately,
five adult males were burnt
beyond recognition. The
commodities were bagged
and handed over to their rel-
atives.”
quires the help of the corps
to protect its electrical in-
stallations.
According to him, vandal-
ism, energy theft and re-
lated vices are the major
setbacks mitigating quality
services delivery to cus-
tomers.
Agboola admonished the
indigenes of the state to re-
main vigilant and report
cases of vandalism to the
Command or any of the of-
fices of the corps nearest to
them for prompt response.
He maintained that any-
one caught would be made
to face the wrath of the law.
Truck kills 60-year-old okada
rider, passenger in Kogi
From Ibrahim Obansa, Lokoja Ganaja Junction in Lokoja. The
incident was tragic and very
A 60-year-old commercial
motorcyclist and father of
30 children and his passenger
unfortunate.”
He regretted that the accident
cut short the life of the bread-
have lost their lives when a winner of 30 children.
tipper rammed into his mo- According to him,  the acci-
torcycle along Ganaja junc- dent was a case of hit and run
tion in Lokoja, Kogi State because by the time we re-
capital. sponded to the distress call
An eyewitness account said after it happened, the driver
the accident, which occurred and the tipper were nowhere
on Monday was due to reck- to be found.
lessness of a commercial tri- He said the corpse of the cy-
cyclist  (Keke NAPEP), who left clist had been deposited at
his lane to another lane and the morgue of Federal Med-
was avoided by another trailer ical Centre, Lokoja, while that
heading to Ajaokuta axis. of the passenger was at
The source said in an effort to Ankuri hospital morgue,
avoid the Keke NAPEP, the Lokoja.
okada rider was pushed from Dawulung, who urged mo-
his lane by the trailer, where torists to always observe
he and his passenger were safety measures including
crushed to death by an in- speed limits, advised motor-
coming tipper. cyclists to always put on their
Confirming the accident, helmets to avoid head in-
Kogi State Sector Commander juries.
of the Federal Road Safety Also, Chairman, Kogi Motor-
Corps (FRSC), said: “The man,
Abdulsalam Ibrahim, a 60-
cycle Riders’ Association,
Malam Musa Baba-Aliyu, said
year old commercial motor- the deceased rider was an in-
cyclist and his passenger were digene of Katsina and regis-
killed by the tipper truck at tered member of the union.
Abuja churches step up security
as IGP allays fears of residents
Deploys additional manpower, assets
From Odita Sunday, Abuja
A GAINST the backdrop of terrorists’ invasion of Bwari, Fed-
eral Capital Territory (FCT), where soldiers were killed,
churches are taking measures to fortify their worship centres.
Several churches have put internal security measures in place
during Sundays and weekdays services.
Worshippers are duly screened before entering church au-
ditoriums, while armed bearing security agents are deployed
in many churches within Abuja towns and outskirts to ensure
safety.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had
last week placed all its state commands on alert following in-
telligence reports that elements of the Boko Haram terrorists
as well as those of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)
have heightened plots to attack the nation’s capital, Abuja and

O PERATIVES of Imo State Police Command have arrested

two suspected armed robbery  gang members, who
impersonated officers to kidnap and rob unsuspecting cit-
izens.
The suspects are Goodness Chinaza, ‘m’, 23 and Emeka Orji,
‘m’, 24, while one of the gang members, Julius Chigozie, es-
caped when operatives invaded their residence.
The Command’s spokesperson, Micheal Abattam, in a
statement, yesterday, said one locally made double barrel
shotgun, one Jack knife, police uniforms and bullet proof
vests were recovered from them.
According to Abattam, the suspected armed gang, who
dressed up in stolen officers’ uniforms, specialised in
blocking the roads, checking people’s vehicles as if they are
genuine officers while robbing them of their valuables.
“Following a distress call received on July 20 at about 1800
hours, from a robbery victim, who accidentally saw one of
the three armed robbers that robbed him of his ash-
coloured Lexus 330 Jeep marked: RLU 08 AH on gun point,
on July 18 at about 1800hrs along Mbano Street, Aladinma
Owerri, Imo State.
They forced him into the booth, took him to a lonely place,
robbed him of all his valuables and used his cell phone and
transferred the sum of N100,000.00)out of his bank ac-
count to one of their accounts.
“The team immediately mobilised and stormed the scene
and arrested one Goodness Chinaza ‘m’ residing at Alad-
inma Owerri, Imo State. On interrogation, he confessed
being a member of a robbery gang and admitted robbing
the victim.
“He then led police operatives to arrest Emeka Orji ‘m’ aka
“COCO” aged 24 of the same address, while Julius Chigozie
‘m’ escaped.
“ On further interrogation, they both revealed where they
concealed the robbed vehicle at Rapour Hotel, Amakohia
“Investigation revealed that the three suspects were resid-
ing in a quarter in Aladinma Owerri, where they broke into
the apartment of a late police officer in the same quarters,
stole his uniforms, bullet proof vests and other valuables.
They started using the same to rob innocent citizens.
“Their modus operandi is that they dress up in the stolen
uniform, block the road, check vehicles as if they are gen-
uine police officers. Once they see a flashy car, they will stop
the driver, requesting for the vehicle particulars. In the bid
of giving them the particulars, they will drag him out, put
him in the booth of the car and zoom off to a safe place,
where they will rob the innocent victim.
“Sometimes, they end up kidnapping the victim for a ran-
som, until luck ran against them and they were arrested,”
he added.
The suspects. PHOTO; COLLINS OSUJI
five other states, including Lagos.
The leaked memo dated July 25 and signed by the Deputy
Commandant General DCG Operations, Dauda Danladi
Mungadi, which was addressed to all state commands of the
NSCDC, the Corps said two separate bandit groups have also
concluded plans to attack Abuja and others.
M EANWHILE, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman
Alkali Baba has allayed the fears of residents in the FCT
and environs as he ordered massive deployment of additional
police operatives and operational assets within Abuja and en-
virons to beef up security and protection of life and property
of residents, critical national assets and vulnerable facilities
as well as road users plying routes in and around the FCT.
The IGP made the charge during the Force Management
Team’s meeting at his office on Monday, August 1, 2020, while
receiving general security updates.
He has also charged the Deputy Inspector-General of Police
in charge of the Department of Operations, DIG Bala Zama
Senchi, to supervise and manage the deployment to ensure
maximum security in the FCT as well as surrounding states
with a high risk of attacks.
According to the police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, “The
IGP however cautioned members of the public, especially cit-
izen-journalists, on the dangers of spreading false alarms,
misinformation, and disinformation as they could be detri-
mental and counter-productive to national security.
“In the same vein, the Inspector-General of Police has assured
Nigerians in general, and residents of the FCT in particular, of
their safety and security, while urging them to go about their
lawful duties without fear of attacks.
“He also reiterated the firm determination of the Police lead-
ership to continue to explore avenues to enhance the security
architecture in the country, through intelligence gathering,
operational deployments and application of cutting-edge
technology to decimate the activities of criminal elements
across the country.”
10 | THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 11
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 12

Editorial
FOUNDER: ALEX U. IBRU (1945 – 2011)
Conscience is an open wound; only truth can heal it.
Uthman dan Fodio 1754-1816

www.guardian.ng

Action, not law, will stop doctors’ exodus

T HE idea being mooted by the House
of Representatives that brain drain
of medical doctors can be stopped by
legislation is a misnomer; a mere wish-
ful thinking that can only scratch the
problem on the surface. Exodus of doc-
tors and other medical personnel to
foreign land is not new, though it is
obviously intensifying but the reasons
are not opaque, as they border on lack
of an environment conducive for pro-
fessional fulfillment. Lawmakers, as
part of government, will arrest the exo-
dus the moment they start to provide
concrete measures to help doctors
practise and enjoy their trade.
“Life is survival. This instinct is shared
by all living creatures – human and
non-human.” Predictably, anyone con-
fronted with the choice of hardship
and survival would gravitate towards
the latter. More than anything else, the
quest for survival and attainment of
professional height are the driving
force behind the brain drain in
Nigeria’s health sector, which over the
years has become a medical crisis.
Unfortunately, there has been no obvi-
ous effort to manage or mitigate the
negative impacts of this growing trend
on the already weak health system.
This development has drastically
reduced the number of workers and
skilled professionals in the health
workforce thereby leaving a lot of
patients without adequate medical
attention. The doctor-patient ratio in
Nigeria is 1:6000 which falls far short
of the World Health Organisation
(WHO) recommended 1:600 ratio.
Reacting to this disturbing issue, the
Chairman of the House Committee on
Health Institutions, Dr. Pascal Chigozie
Obi, admitted that the issue of brain
drain has become a recurring decimal
in the history of the nation’s health
institutions; hence deserving legisla-
tive intervention. The lawmaker fur-
ther stated: “When doctors qualify and
become marketable, they rush out of
the country and start taking care of
non-Nigerians; and their brothers and
sisters who contributed in their train-
ing would be left in the hands of the
people that may not be qualified. It is
very bad. So, we are coming with an Act
of Parliament that will curb this. If we
cannot control the pull from the out-
side, we should be able to control the
push from here through formal legisla-
tion.”
Obi appears to be passing the buck to
the doctors, and if so, his retort is tanta-
mount to victim-blaming unless the
“push control” framework being envis-
aged will be directed towards improv-
ing the welfare of health workers gener-
ally. However, if Obi is contemplating
enacting a law meant to restrict or pro-
hibit Nigerian-trained doctors from
migrating overseas, its impact on the
problem is unlikely to be far-reaching.
Curiously, why are the parliamentarians
not considering a total ban on foreign
medical tourism by public office hold-
ers?
Ironically, the “push” factor responsi-
ble for this brain drain is purely govern-
ment-made; political leaders cannot
pretend to be oblivious of this fact. It is
not in dispute that the state of the coun-
try’s public health institutions across
the board is deplorable. Little wonder
political office holders prefer foreign
medical services. The major causes of
the acute shortage of manpower in the
health sector include poor working con-
ditions, poor healthcare system, poor
remuneration, underemployment,
high rate of insecurity, poor social secu-
rity mechanism, and a host of others.
Simply put, Nigeria does not have a con-
ducive work environment as opposed to
other climes. The Chairman of Ondo
State branch of Nigerian Medical
Association (NMA), Dr. Stella
Adegbehingbe highlighted these much
while speaking at the association’s year-
ly general meeting recently.
A government that has failed to live up
to its responsibility is devoid of the
moral standing to cast the first stone. As
enshrined in Section 14 (2)(b) of the 1999
Constitution (As Amended), the security
and welfare of the people is the primary
purpose of government. Section 17 (3)
further directs the government to for-
mulate policies towards ensuring that
all citizens have adequate means of
livelihood, adequate opportunity to
secure suitable employment, and condi-
tions of work that are just and humane
with adequate facilities for leisure and
social life; and to ensure that “there are
adequate medical and health facilities
for all persons.” Clearly, government
has not been able to meet up with
these basic requirements. The self-
acclaimed “Giant of Africa” cannot
even boast of one world class hospital!
So, instead of lambasting medical
practitioners, the fundamental ques-
tions to ask should be: Is the State
House Clinic (‘Aso Clinic’) functioning?
If yes, why are our number one citizen
and other political officers always
embarking on foreign medical
tourism? Why do they not use any of
our public facilities for their medical
needs? The answers to these posers all
point towards the neglect of the health
sector by successive governments.
The government’s nonchalance
towards the plight of medical profes-
sionals is not lost on the direct stake-
holders. Doctors have repeatedly
bemoaned their poor welfare to no
avail. Even at the peak of the COVID-19
pandemic, it took persistent com-
plaints before the Minister of Health,
Dr. Osagie Ehanire, grudgingly
approved the paltry sum of N5, 000 as
a monthly hazard allowance for doc-
tors! The other time, the Ministry of
Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris
Ngige (a medical doctor), downplayed
this issue when he claimed that Nigeria
has more than enough doctors to fill
the gaps left by their ‘fleeing’ counter-
parts. For a country with about 200
million people having about 80,000
registered doctors; 50 per cent of
whom are not practising in Nigeria, it
is erroneous to boast of sufficient qual-
ified hands when the country is obvi-
ously ‘‘under-doctored.’’
Unarguably, the non-stop migration
of doctors calls for serious concerns
and immediate resolutions. Nigerian
doctors rank among the best in the
world. A few years ago, Dr. Oluyinka O.
Olutoye successfully performed sur-
gery on an unborn baby (foetus) in the
uterus at a Texas children’s hospital,
considered a major feat. Nigeria can-
not afford to lose the few goods hands
left. Government should consider the
“pull” factors that are making doctors
do charity abroad instead of home.
The external magnetising elements
are not farfetched at all. They include
competitive remuneration, conducive
workplace, good job opportunities, an
efficient healthcare system, modern
medical facility, adequate security,
good social security benefits, a high
standard of living, continuous profes-
sional development and training
opportunities.
In the absence of an enabling envi-
ronment, emigration is certain – man
must survive! Therefore, government
should formulate a policy that can
effectively remedy the lapses in health
sector. The focus should be on how to
attract and retain the right talents for
domestic needs. The framework
should be appealing enough for
Nigerian doctors to resist the mouth-
watering offers elsewhere. In addition
to providing a competitive compensa-
tion package and improving the
healthcare system, insecurity has to be
tackled head-on. This matter should be
treated with utmost dispatch because
if the health sector is in trouble, the
entire country is sick. Government
needs to act, and the time is now!

Letter
Issue-based political campaigns please
SDemocratic
IR: The presidential can-
didate of the Peoples
Party (PDP),
Atiku Abubakar during his
interview on Arise TV
recently, was credited with
seemingly repulsive
remarks. In an attempt to
puncture the chances of
Peter Obi, Labour Party’s
flagbearer, the former VP
boldly said that “about 90
per cent of northerners are
not on internet” and there-
fore do not hear Obi and his
Labour Party’s mantra. Had
such remarks emanated
from a candidate from the
southern part of the coun-
try, believably, Atiku would
be amongst the first to
throw arrows in revenge for
slighting his region. Ideally,
a leader should be worried
rather than leverage on the
plights of the masses.  But
could this allegation be
true?
Atiku also punctured All
Progressives Congress (APC)
that its government is char-
acterised by lopsided
appointments. I concur
that a chief factor that
affected the present govern-
ment is workforce by sub-
jective appointments.
Though President
Muhammadu Buhari has
robust policies, however, he
didn’t engage the best
hands to translate them to
results, instead, mostly politi-
cians after self-interests. In
fact, about 70 per cent of the
workforce cannot pass a com-
petency test if in the private
sector where proficiency is
prioritised. How Buhari suc-
cumbed to being white-
washed with such a work-
force, and still unable to
reshuffle after the first term
deeply calls for reasons. Truly,
this is inconsistent with the
bravery, willpower people per-
ceived in Buhari that led to his
resounding wins at the polls.
Carl Umegboro, ACIArb is a
public affairs analyst and
social advocate.  
Read the remainder of this
letter on www.guardian.ng
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 13

Opinion
www.guardian.ng

On the 2022 ASUU strike

By Chinedum Nwajiuba the way of public primary and secondary schools, as we got the one Teacher in Kaduna state failed primary school (I hope), level
news, last month (June 2022), that Afe Babalola University is test, which we learn is commonly used in those evaluation of

T HE 2022 ASUU strike which commenced February 14, is now

five months. In the second week in July, after 5 months, the
strike has been in very keen focus by many commentators in
Nigeria. I suspect this is principally because of the appeal made
by Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari.
One or two persons have raised the matter of alternatives to
strike actions. Some even question not just the patriotism of
ASUU and her members but challenged the intellect of ASUU
and her members, with accusations of lack of innovation in
finding alternatives to the use of strikes. My purpose here is to
try tinkering at possible options to the use of strikes to achieve
the goals of ASUU.
In 2020 ASUU was on strike for about 9 months from March till
December. In the period I wrote and circulated two articles. The
first was entitled: Are our Public Universities going the way of
our Public Primary and Secondary Schools? The second was en-
titled: Public Universities closed for eight months and the Story
of King Solomon and the Two Women.
When you add nine months in 2020 to one plus two plus three
months in 2022, we have 15 months of strikes from March 2020
to August 14, 2022. Those admitted in 2019 are still at the 200
Level as at date. From March 2020 to August 2022 is 30 months,
of which 15 months were for strikes.
In that second article, (Public Universities closed for eight
months and the Story of King Solomon and the Two Women),
I compared the situation with Solomon and the two women
in the Bible. I pleaded that the woman who truly owns the
child, should not allow her baby to be killed even if handing
the baby over to the other woman. That is still my plea. Anyone
who feels a sense of ownership of the Nigeria public universi-
ties should please make a sacrifice and stop what is happen-
ing.
I reflected on the earlier article on public universities going
now ranked as number one in Nigeria by Times Higher Educa-
tion (THE). There are persons in our university system who dis-
countenance these rankings as unimportant, but it is truly
important. Perception, especially of higher education institu-
tions, is important, in the world that has emerged around
global higher education, and the rating of her products. I join
the President HE Muhammed Buhari in congratulating the Afe
Babalola University for being the first Nigeria university to be in
the first 400 by that ranking. Nigeria has over the years wrig-
gled her fingers at the not so good placing of her universities in
these rankings.
The future respect for the Nigeria university system would
seem to lie with her private universities. For a long time, the
country has pretended to rate her universities the same. The
country has also assumed that her older public universities
produce better graduates than the younger ones, and the pri-
vate universities. The country has also acted as if her older fed-
eral universities are better than the state universities. Some
persons, including employers of labour, those participating in
interviews of job seekers, those involved with postgraduate ad-
mission tests and interviews may be noticing that these as-
sumptions may not be correct.  and pupils. Today, Teachers accept money for recharge cards
Today many university lecturers say it openly and in fact al-
ready implementing preferences for sending their wards to pri-
vate universities. The same thing that applied to the public
primary and secondary schools, with teachers with better qual-
ifications in the employ of public-school systems gladly send-
ing their wards to private schools with less qualified teachers.
Nigeria is indeed a clever country.
While that is the case a “small” news appeared recently but
seemed not well noted in Nigeria. That news is that the Chair of
the NUT in Kaduna state failed the test for teachers in that state.
If this news remains unchallenged, that means the number
the skill gaps of our teachers. Nigeria ought to appreciate the
weight of this. We should be taking closer look at the Union
leaders and how much of the profession they seek to protect,
they truly symbolize and represent.
What has this to do with the universities? It is that some per-
sons are questioning the quality of our university lecturers,
their commitment to work, their conducts, not even doing the
work they have been employed to do, rather than being on the
staff of universities, paid by the universities, but have no ex-
emplary performance in teaching, researching, and commu-
nity service; union leaders who seek promotion without
meriting that. Union leaders in universities who are guilty of
the same charge as evidenced in poor-quality graduates, not
being able to speak correct English, nor demonstrate quality
finishing in conduct and language. Suppose there was to be an
examination of lecturers on the courses they teach, what
would the result be like?
But we are on the ASUU strike.
Many years ago, when teaching was still a vocation not an oc-
cupation, teachers had different temperament. Many years
ago, Teachers would even pay fees for poor but bright students
from pupils and students, especially in tertiary institutions. But
Nigeria has since evolved with strange gods and peculiar val-
ues.
Nigeria as a country, and many Nigerians even in their per-
sonal decisions and actions, operate as if she has her own uni-
verse, and her own realities away from what most other
countries and peoples have realised in the pursuit of develop-
ment and wellbeing of her citizens.
To be continued tomorrow
Prof. Nwajiuba, was Vice-Chancellor of the Alex Ekwueme Fed-
eral University Ndufu-Alike between February 2016-February

A captive president, blighted country and docile people (2)

By Chris Gyang
Continued from yesterday
C ERTAINLY, the fruits of the Buhari presi-
dency are not only sour and bitter but poi-
sonous. They are killing citizens all over the
country without any respite in sight. This is
because the man whose first constitutional
responsibility is to protect them has been
held captive and compromised by religious
bigotry and tribal sentiments. He also pos-
sesses this creepy sense of aloofness and de-
tachment from reality that has rendered him
almost completely impervious to the painful
realities of the plight of citizens.
These noxious fumes of religious bigotry,
tribal sentiments, etc, have also infected the
citizenry and rendered them docile. While Siri
Lankans, the Sudanese, Tunisians, Peruvians
and other forward-looking peoples all over
the world have taken their destinies in their
hands and flooded their streets demanding
for social justice, good governance, trans-
parency, the security of their lives and prop-
erty, economic and political inclusion, etc, the
Nigerian masses remain fantastically mute,
trapped by native, primordial sentiments.
Sadly, we are caught in the obscene paradox
the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti cynically
referred to as “suffering and smiling.” But
what he failed to add was that Nigerians have
also become adept at complaining, splitting
hairs and crying to the high heavens about
their lot without rising up to robustly correct
the perceived wrongs. In our country, docility
has been transformed into a sort of collective
social action.
That is why our leaders carry on as if all is well
even when terrorists and bandits are having a
field day all over the country. According to lat-
est estimates from the World Bank, 80% of
Nigeria’s population has fallen into poverty
due to ill health or due to payment for health
care services. The World Food Programme
(WFP) and Food and Agricultural Organisation
(FAO) have designated Nigeria as one of the 20
‘Hunger Hotspots’ in Africa where citizens will
face hunger crises in the coming months.
Also according to statistics from the Central
Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria’s food importation
bill rose by N1.1 trillion in twelve months - an
increase of 45 per cent. And while about $1.8
billion was spent on food imports in 2020, the
country used $2.7 billion for the same purpose
from January to December 2021.
Yet, only recently, President Buhari tweeted
that Nigeria had achieved food security due to
the massive investments his government
made in the agriculture sector. (See Daily Trust,
July 18, 2023).   nously. But it has also been suggested that the
Tune in to radio and television phone-in
shows all over the country and browse the so-
cial media from sunrise to sunset and you will
get a true feeling of the level of Nigerians’ frus-
tration and hopelessness. In his traditional bit-
ing form, Femi Adesina, Mr. Buhari’s acerbic
spokesman who takes sadistic delight in in-
sulting already traumatized Nigerians and
pouring invective on our statesmen, dis-
missed such citizens as ‘the Wailing Wailers’.
He described those others who dared criticize
his boss’ loads of failures as individuals that
are a “mere irritant and paperweight.”  Unfortunately, this solution has remained
Once again, politicians are on the hustings.
Most of their outlandish promises, devoid of
any deliberate systemization into sensible
working manifestoes, offer little that is new to
Nigerians. Political analysts say this is a far cry
from what obtained in the Second Republic
(in the late 70s and 80s) when political parties
could be identified with key and distinct pol-
icy objectives and ideals to be pursued to-
wards meeting national goals and the
aspirations of the people.
Rights activists see this as a dangerous signal
that things may not change much in the years
after 2023. This bleak assessment may not be
far from the truth considering the fact that
the people lining up to take over from Presi-
dent Buhari have not shown any significant
inclination towards completely changing the
narrative. Their antecedents show them as ei-
ther adopting positions of ambivalence or ac-
quiescence in the face of the mounting
failures of the Buhari administration and
their resultant effects on ordinary Nigerians.
From where, then, shall sucour come for cit-
izens? Who will have the courage to clear
these bloody swamps? These are the funda-
mental questions Nigerians must ask them-
selves as they make the critical, nation-saving
decisions as 2023 approaches, even if omi-
solutions to the existential problems con-
fronting Nigeria may not necessarily and en-
tirely lie in the outcome of the 2023 elections,
or any other elections conducted under the
present constitutional arrangement for that
matter.
This school of thought believes that a more
permanent and resilient solution could be lo-
cated in the devolution of power to the six
geo-political zones to give them some level of
fiscal autonomy so as to reduce the concen-
tration of power and resources at the centre.
highly repugnant to the Buhari administra-
tion and the core northern political/emirate
establishment.
Nevertheless, advocates of restructuring in-
sist that the current suspicion and distrust
pervading the polity are caused by the un-
equal power equation in the country which
gives the core north undue advantage over
and above the other units. This has left in the
peoples of these other regions a deep feeling
of injustice and denial, also caused by the
wrong implementation of the federal system
enshrined in the country’s constitution.
The bitter protestations, animosities and bad
blood that have been generated by the All Pro-
gressives Congress’s Muslim-Muslim presi-
dential ticket are some of the direct fallouts of
Nigerian Christians’ strong and abiding sense
of marginalization, itself an offshoot of the
country’s disproportionate distribution of
power in the polity generally. This has been
considerably exacerbated by the Buhari ad-
ministration in the last seven years where his
own religion and ethnicity had an overbear-
ing advantage.
Those who do not see any harm in the Muslim-
Muslim pairing believe that even if the APC
had maintained a Muslim-Christian balance,
as is the case in the present dispensation, the
existing feelings of discontent and exclusion
would have still persisted because the prob-
lem is deeper, far more fundamental, than the
mere religions of a president and his deputy.
But others who oppose this position also posit
that reflecting the country’s religious plural-
ity through a Muslim-Christian ticket or vice
versa, especially at this time when Islamist ter-
rorism has further polarized Nigerians along
religious lines, will go a long way in assuaging
the pains and dousing the fears of those parts
of the country which feel short-changed by the
current constitutional arrangement.
That said, and viewed more broadly, even if
the 2023 elections succeed in dissipating some
of the despair and disenchantment the Buhari
years have generated all over the country, they
may well be a stop-gap measure, a mere flash
in the pan. Political scientists, constitutional
lawyers and historians agree that the solutions
to Nigeria’s problems lie much farther and are
essentially beyond elections.
Concluded
Gyang is the Chairman of the N.G.O, Journal-
ists Coalition for Citizens’ Rights Initiative –
JCCRI. Emails: info@jccri-online.org; chris-
gyang01@gmail.com
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 14

Opinion
www.guardian.ng

ASUU strike, not yet the last order

By Matthew Agboma Ozah
HERE is no gainsaying that university institutions are
T scattered across the country in drove, yet students are
not learning in them, instead they languish and are frus-
trated at home. More so, the lecturers who are supposed to
nurture and guarantee solid knowledge on the youth are
idling away at home or hanging around the school prem-
ises without doing what they know best. Disappointingly,
the President is in office but the government is not really
concerned about the future of the youth, hence the linger-
ing Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) strike. In the
face of all this, the feelings among the people is with mix-
ture of great surprise and astonishment as the ruling gov-
ernment remains a huge theatre of intrigues and the
scrambling for the national cake remains the most com-
mon business for political leaders.
It is for this reason therefore, that the place for sacrifice
and service are eroded as politicians enrich themselves
through sharp practices while some are being selfish in
pursuit of political power. Notwithstanding the shenani-
gan, life goes on, even as the people are at loss regarding
the part of government conduct towards education. What
makes the matter still more extraordinary surprising is
that, Nigeria’s education sector remains the most maligned
institution in the country as little or no attention is given to
it. Indeed, the insensitiveness on the side of government to-
wards education provides a dramatic illustration of how a
beautiful theory can be murdered by a gang of brutal facts.
The theory is that education is regarded as the soul of the
nation and the key to a secured future. Hence, the allusion
that knowledge is power and people are driven to seek it.
But what are the facts? Shamefully of course, the continued
ASUU strike and governments nonchalant attitude towards
education makes it very difficult for one to be optimistic
about the prospect education can give younger generation
and the nation in particular. Therefore, the million dollar
question begging for answer remains, if truly the youth
would earn a bright future through education, why has
government continued its lip-service and unwillingness to
adequately fund the education sector? The need to improve
the education system in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised
seeing the devastation insecurity is causing at the moment.
In the last decade, government continue to pay deaf ears as
education stakeholders draw the nation’s attention to the
poor funding in the sector, particularly in terms of research
and adequate remuneration of lecturers. At the moment,
the situation in the education sector is not only worsening,
it has become a discouraging phenomenon for the youth
as many are no longer enthusiastic about university edu-
cation.
However, the other day, the federal government seems to
have woken up from slumber as President Muhammadu
Buhari, ordered the minister of education and its Labour
counterpart to within a fortnight make sure ASUU strike be-
comes history and lecturers return to the classroom. With-
out a wink or elation the citizens saw such orders as
laughable as Nigerians did not see any hope in it. First, it is
not tenable to resolve the ASUU industrial dispute by mere
presidential proclamation and second, the president is
fond of dishing out orders that never see the light of day, in
terms of carrying it out. Instead it is usually flouted stylishly
with disregard. In the not too distant past, the former Chief
of Army staff, Tukur Yusuf Brutai blatantly disobeyed a pres-
idential order to relocate to Benue state to restore law and
order when terrorists reigns supreme in that state at that
time, of course, there is still pockets of terrorist attacks there
even as I write.
Today, the reality about education in Nigeria clearly reveals
that government is not willing or interested in raising edu-
cation budget to the minimum 26 per cent recommended
by the United Nations over a decade ago. Currently, Nige-
ria’s education sector seems to be at the crossroad and this
should be a cause for concern for well-meaning Nigerians
and stakeholders in particular. However, as earlier noted, it
has got to a point that the youth now have a second thought
and began to suspect that education has no future in them
and are therefore, indulging in criminality in search of
quick money.
Before becoming president, Buhari and his party, the All
Progressives Congress (APC) made irresistible mind blow-
ing promises and cited education as a way to end poverty
in the country. Such statements goes beyond mere rheto-
ric, besides president Buhari just reinforced what is already
known. What is expected of the Buhari administration is to
improve the education sector funding adequately. It is dis-
heartening that, aside the ASUU strike, education in Nige-
ria has been greatly affected by insecurity as schools are
being shut down because of fear of terrorist attack. The
other day, a school in Abuja was closed and pupils were
asked to go home as a result of security report that it might
be attacked by terrorists. Of course, this came from the heels
of an attack on the Brigade of Guard convoy in Abuja. This
singular action of government ordering school’s closure is
given the terrorists an edge and particularly so as one of the
tenets of the Boko Haram is to show dislike towards educa-
tion.
The political leaders must not only believe in education
through speeches, but see that its light shines on the youth
by adequate funding and securing our schools against at-
tacks. The miserable condition at which we find education
today, reminds every right thinking individual that the de-
teriorating nature of the sector is as a result of poor leader-
ship. Without being prodded, what the ruling government
ought to do without hesitation is to meet ASUU demands
immediately. However, it is jaw dropping to know that the
government is currently paying more attention and focus
on the fort coming elections than anything else. If truly the
youth are the future leaders, the continued poor standard
of education will not help the nation and the government
should do everything possible to pull education out from
the quagmire. This is because a government that does not
have depth of vision about education would be com-
pounded by inability to create a salubrious environment
for development. It is a national embarrassment of intense
proportions that Mr President’s orders are hardly seen to
be carried out.

Halting Nigeria’s descent into industrial backwardness (3)

By Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka
Continued from yesterday
NE of them is Pfizer. Pfizer reported a
O 92% operational growth in revenue to
$81.3 billion for the full year 2021, compared
with $41.7bn for the full year 2020 mainly
from Comirnaty which is a COVID-19 vac-
cine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioN-
Tech while Paxlovid is Pfizer’s oral antiviral
treatment. While the crisis ravaged the
world, one company with technological
dominance in its sector reported a revenue
almost three times the revenue from crude
petroleum of Africa’s largest exporter, Nige-
ria.
The history of the company’s agile re-
sponse to the pandemic runs far deeper and
goes farther back in history, 174 years ago. It
was the development of deep-tank fermen-
tation by Pfizer, which enabled the mass
production of penicillin for use in World
War II. It laid the basis for much of what the
company is today: a pharmaceutical jug-
gernaut. This story applies to all technolo-
gies from textiles, iron and steel, synthetic
rubber to agriculture. The acquisition of
knowledge, formation of skills, and the evo-
lution of large organization from aircrafts
to shipbuilding is a marathon race, not a
sprint. Successive forms build upon previ-
ous forms. As Isaac Newton, the famous
English scientist, once said, “If I have seen
further, it is by standing on the shoulders of
giants.” Of course, Newton was not literally
standing on the shoulders of giants. New-
ton was explaining that his ideas did not
come from him alone. Earlier works under-
pinned Newton’s success in the discovery of
the universe more than others did, and dis-
coveries made by fellow scientists, either in
his own time or earlier. Knowledge growth
is cumulative; it has been growing expo-
nentially over centuries.
Nigeria is backward because it did not
achieve Economic Diversification
Vietnam exported an estimated $348 billion
worth of goods around the globe in 2020, a
ten-fold increase when compared with Nige-
ria’s exports in the same year. In macroeco-
nomic terms, Vietnam’s total exported
goods represent 30.3% of its overall Gross Do-
mestic Product for 2020 ($1.148 trillion val-
ued in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). Given
Vietnam’s population of 97.4 million people,
its total $348 billion in 2020 exports trans-
lates to roughly $3,600 for every resident of
Vietnam.
In contrast, Nigeria’s total exports of
around $34 billion represents less than 8% of
its GDP of $432.3 billion. Nigeria’s revenue
basket remains constrained due to its export
revenue concentration (dependence on oil
and few primary commodities); trade con-
centration (dependence on a few trading
partners – China and Europe); high food im-
ports (with most processed foods coming
from outside the continent) necessitating
the need and urgency for both economic
and trade diversification as well as food self-
sufficiency.
Contrasting the two, what is important is
that although Vietnam’s export revenue
came largely from non-oil products such as
phones, electronics goods. It also remains a
major exporter of agribusiness. Vietnam ex-
ported agribusiness products such as
footwear and textiles totaling over $30 bil-
lion.
This not only equals Nigeria’s total annual
oil revenue, but also far exceeds the less than
$3 billion revenue that Nigeria received
from shipping out raw leather, cocoa pow-
der, sesame, cashew and mainly raw agri-
cultural commodities, which would be
converted into finished products and re-ex-
ported to Nigeria.
Indonesia and Malaysia dominate global oil
palm. The two countries drew from the
same gene plasm; Nigeria relied on wild
groves, Malaysia developed a strategic in-
dustrial masterplan in 1956. The sector in
Malaysia enjoyed systematic investment in-
cluding R&D spending, aggressive breeding
and tissue culture developments invest-
ment in science and technology. Currently
Malaysia has six million hectares of planta-
tion while Nigeria has 10% of that at
600,000 hectares. It is a contrasting story of
industrial transformation for them and
stagnation and bad governance for Nigeria.
In 1990, Malaysia’s export was 32.8 billion.
Nigeria is at where Malaysia export capabil-
ity was 30 years ago. We are like 50 years be-
hind South Korea. That country with a
population of 33 million people, exported
goods worth $234 billion in 2020, which
translates to roughly $7,100 for every resi-
dent. In other words, Malaysia progressed;
it did so through a strong Vertical Diversifi-
cation from its modest agricultural base
(rubber and oil palm) by investing explicitly
in high tech sectors capabilities, especially
electronics. It did not neglect its agriculture
but rather through horizontal diversification,
industrialized its agricultural sector.
Malaysia’s biggest export products by value
in 2020 were electronic integrated circuits,
refined petroleum oils, palm oil, vulcanized
rubber clothing or accessories, and solar
power diodes or semi-conductors. Petro-
leum oil contribution to Malaysia’s export
declined over time.
Today, with the rapid expansion of cultiva-
tion in South-East Asia, Malaysia and In-
donesia are the leading producers of palm
oil supplying more than 80% of the global
production and continue to dominate the
international trade. Malaysia earned RMB 67
billion (US$ 16 billion) from oil palm in 2018.
Indonesia is currently the largest producer
of palm oil in the world; it supplies half of
global demand. The country’s oil palm plan-
tations that have expanded over the years
leveraged substantial economic growth and
created notable downstream industries. At
the beginning of the 21st century, the total
area planted by palm oil was only four mil-
lion hectares, but it expanded to more than
14 million hectares by 2020. The total
planted area has grown more than 300% in
the last 10 years. Along with the oil palm
plantation expansion, crude palm oil (CPO),
cooking oil, and biofuel industries have con-
tinued to grow and are targeted not only at
meeting the domestic market but at also ful-
filling export needs.
To be continued tomorrow
Professor Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, professorial
fellow, United Nations University and Fellow,
Nigerian Academy of Engineers is Senior Spe-
cial Adviser to the President on Industriali-
sation and African Development Bank. He
presented this paper recently.
 www.guardian.ng
TheGuardian Business Wednesday, August 3, 2022
CRUDE OIL PRICE UPDATE Brent crude: $100.1 | WTI crude: $93.96
Cybercrime rises as phishing hits 174% in Nigeria, 438% in Kenya
By Adeyemi Adepetun
M ENACE of cybercrime in
Africa sustained a huge
rising profile in the first six
months of the year with phish-
ing and scams hitting 438 per
cent and 174 per cent in Kenya
and Nigeria respectively.
Kaspersky, which revealed
this, in its new analysis yester-
day, said attacks related to data
loss threats (phishing and
scams/social engineering)
increased significantly in
Africa in Q2 2022 in compari-
son with the previous quarter.
Kaspersky says its security
solutions detected 10,722,886
phishing attacks in Africa in
Q2.
Deputy Chief Executive, Geregu Power Plc, Julius Omodayo-Owotuga (left); Managing Director/CEO United Capital Trustees Ltd, Buky
Ikeotuonye, CEO, Geregu Power Plc, Akin Akinfemiwa; MD, United Capital Investment Bank, Gbadebo Adenrele and General Counsel, Geregu
Power Plc, Akinleye Olubunmi Olagbende at the Geregu Power Plc Bond Issuance Ceremony in Lagos.
Notore’s revenue hits N26b in H1 2022 as profit rises to N2.6b
N OTORE Chemical
Industries Plc has
recorded group revenue of
N26.28 billion for the six-
month period ended 30th
June 2022, a 178.7 per cent
growth compared to N9.43
billion for the correspon-
ding period in 2021 half-year.
The company also reported
N2.6bn net profit before tax
in the same period, repre-
senting 116.4 per cent
improvement on year-on-
year analysis.
In a statement, Group
Wheat: Stakeholders chide govt for abandoning cassava bread initiative
From Joke Falaju, Abuja
A MIDST Russia-Ukraine war
and its ripple effects on
increasing prices of wheat
flour in Nigeria, stakeholders
in the agricultural sector have
chided the government for
abandoning the Cassava Bread
initiative.
The initiative targeted 40 per
cent inclusion of composite
cassava flour in bread produc-
tion to reduce Nigeria's import
bill on wheat and also help
grow the cassava value chain.
To ensure the realisation of its
•Scammers target travelers seeking cheap flights
The report noted that this type
of threat affected Kenyan users
the most. During the period,
there were 5,098,534 phishing
attacks detected in three
months, a growth of 438 per
cent when compared to the pre-
vious quarter. It was followed by
South Africa (4,578,216 detec-
tions and a growth of 144 per
cent) and Nigeria (1,046,136
detections and a growth of 174
per cent).
Kaspersky said social engi-
neering, which is sometimes
called “human hacking” scams,
are used in many ways, and for
different purposes, to lure
unwary users to the site and
Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of Notore Chemical
Industries Plc, Mr. Ohis
Ohiwerei said the modest
growth in revenue is attrib-
utable to improvements in
plant reliability and
increased production out-
put, a positive outcome of
the Turn Around
Maintenance (TAM) pro-
gramme implemented in
most part of year 2021.
According to him,
“Notwithstanding, operat-
goal, the Federal Government
had released N10 billion in 2011
for cassava bread development
fund and to support research
and development efforts on
cassava bread, training of mas-
ter bakers, support for master
bakers in the acquisition of
new equipment for production
and the fund was to be generat-
ed from import tariff on wheat.
A retired Deputy Director, Root
and Tuber Crops, FMARD,
Abuja, Olusegun Ayeni while
speaking with The Guardian
lamented that it was unfortu-
nate that six years down the
trick them into entering per-
sonal information. It stressed
that the latter often includes
financial credentials such as
bank account passwords or
payment card details, or login
details for social media
accounts. In the wrong hands,
this opens doors to various
malicious operations, such as
money being stolen, or corpo-
rate networks being compro-
mised.
According to the security
firm, phishing is a strong attack
method because it is done at a
large scale. It stressed that by
sending massive waves of
emails under the name of legit-
ing income for the period
was N10.85 billion, a signifi-
cant increase of 328.7 per
cent as compared to a loss
(N3.30 billion) in 2021H1.
This was as a result of
increased profitable opera-
tions during the period. The
group reported a net profit
before tax of N2.60 billion
during the period as com-
pared to a loss of (N15.84 bil-
lion) for 2021H1 (an improve-
ment of 116.4 per cent YoY), a
significant milestone
towards its drive to a return
lane, no one talks about cassa-
va bread and the CBN is trying
to look for alternatives to
bridge the supply gap.
He said the former Minister
had established a cassava
bread development fund
domiciled at the Ministry of
Finance to be funded from the
15 per cent of levy from wheat
import, adding that the
Composite Bread bill for an Act
was also sent to the National
assembly alongside other bills.
He recalled that as a member
of the committee on the High
Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF)
FOREX MARKET UPDATE
imate institutions or promot-
ing fake pages, malicious users
increase their chances of suc-
cess in their hunt for innocent
people’s credentials.
It explained that phishers
deploy a variety of tricks to
bypass email blocking and lure
as many users as possible to
their fraudulent sites, adding
that a common technique is
HTML attachments with par-
tially or fully obfuscated code.
It stressed that HTML files allow
attackers to use scripts, obfus-
cate malicious content to make
it harder to detect, and send
phishing pages as attachments
instead of links.
to profitable business opera-
tions.”
Ohiwerei stated that
Notore showed remarkable
progress and achieved
important milestones dur-
ing the period as it strives
towards return to profitabil-
ity and repositioning for a
great future, adding “The
period witnessed an
increase in Plant reliability
and relatively stable opera-
tions, resulting in signifi-
cant increases in produc-
tion output and sales.
in bread, several meetings and
memos were sent to the
Minister of Agriculture, Audu
Ogbeh when he took over
from Adesina on why the ini-
tiative should not be allowed
to fail but unfortunately the
baby and the water were
thrown away.
On what the government can
do to assuage the current
downturn in wheat produc-
tion, Ayeni said the document
establishing the bread initia-
tive needs to be studied and
strengthened, adding that the
NAFEX rate
Kaspersky said while vaca-
tion season is high across the
globe, scammers are trying to
lure travelers, who are looking
for interesting places to go,
cheap places to stay and rea-
sonably priced flights.
Kaspersky researchers have
observed intensified scam-
ming activities, with numer-
ous phishing pages distrib-
uted under the guise of airline
and booking services. The
number of attempts to open
phishing pages related to
booking and airline services in
the first half of 2022 was 4,311 in
the Middle East, Turkey and
Africa (META) region.
Security Expert at Kaspersky,
Mikhail Sytnik, said: “Planning
Business leader tasks African
entrepreneurs on innovation
T HE Executive Director,
Growth & Partnerships at
Itex Integrated Services,
Adekunle Adebiyi, at this
year’s Africa Revenue
Summit (AFRES) harped on
the need for African entre-
preneurs to embrace an
innovative mindset to con-
tribute to the economic
development of the African
continent.
This was revealed during an
interactive session, which
was aimed at ensuring that
entrepreneurs across Africa
learn the contemporary
trends on driving revenue
growth irrespective of the
industries they actively oper-
ate in.
The session, which was
entitled “The Mindset that
Wins,” steered conversations
around the need for African-
based organisations, includ-
ing Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises (SMEs), to devel-
op a winning mindset to
navigate through the chal-
lenges of the economies
they operate in.
Commenting on the
essence of adopting the cul-
ture of possessing a winning
mindset, Adebiyi noted that
organisations that are
regarded as being sustain-
able across the global busi-
ness ecosystem are those
that have embraced contem-
government needs to revi-
talise the Cassava Bread
Development Fund where a 15
per cent levy on wheat import
goes into the account.
He also stressed that each
region/state that has compara-
tive advantage either in cassa-
va, sorghum and potatoes,
especially sweet and orange
fleshed sweet potato should be
encouraged to key in into the
programme, saying state gov-
ernments should be able to
harness the policy to suit their
economy, while the Federal
N416.9 |
a vacation is not easy. People
can spend weeks, even
months, looking for the per-
fect place to stay and the tick-
ets to get them there.
Fraudsters use this to lure
users that have grown tired of
searching for great deals. After
two years of flight restrictions
imposed by the pandemic,
travelling is back. But so are
travel scams – with intensified
scamming activity targeting
users through fake booking
and rental services. Such
attacks are totally preventable,
which is why we urge users to
be skeptical about overly gen-
erous offers. If an offer seems
too good to be true, it probably
is.”
porary business strategies
and technologies to upscale
their business operations.
This, therefore, has a positive
impact on their revenue gen-
eration capacities.
This is made further evident
when he said,
“Organisations, including
SMEs, that intend to operate
sustainably must be willing
to have a winning mindset.
This is because it has a posi-
tive correlation with the bot-
tom line of financial per-
formance.”
However, he further empha-
sized the need for business
owners across the continent,
particularly within Nigeria,
to embrace the culture of col-
laboration. This is owing to
the fact that collaborative
efforts, particularly within
the corporate ecosystem,
have been proven to be a
viable strategy that drives the
revenue growth of compa-
nies regardless of the sector.
This could be seen when he
said: “Organisations that
have embraced the concept
of collaboration are better
equipped to achieve more.
This, therefore, helps them to
uncover diverse innovative
ways through which they can
upscale their business opera-
tions to create more revenue-
generation streams.”
Government should drive the
policy.
He also stressed the need for
all stakeholders involved
including Bank of Industry,
Bank of Agriculture, National
Cassava Growers Association,
Flour millers, Master Bakers,
among others to work togeth-
er such that processors and
master bakers will be grouped
to work with the BOI, while
farmers can again be brought
in with well articulated memo-
randum of understanding to
work with BOA.
16 | THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 17
18 |
www.guardian.ng
70 CSOs reject proposed 5% telecommunications services excise duty
From Matthew Ogune, Abuja
A Coalition of over 70 Civil
Society Organisations
(CSOs), the Nigeria Civil
Society Situation Room, yes-
terday urged the Federal
Government to desist from
increasing and introducing
new taxes on Nigerians, par-
ticularly the proposed five
per cent inclusive excise
duty on telecommunica-
tions services, raising the
tax to 12.5 percent.
1st Vice President, Nigerian Institute of Training and Development, James Bulus (left); Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Kayode Ayodele Adejumo,
President and Chairman of Council, Mrs. Ayoade Abike Igbeyi; Maye Balogun of Ibadan, Oloye Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli; Oyo State Head of Service,
Mrs. Aminat Ololade Agboola and Chairman Conference Planning Committee, Dr. Oladele Oyatope at the 29th yearly trainers' conference of
Nigerian Institute of Training and Development in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Investment with fund managers not covered by NDIC, says Corporation
T HE Nigeria Deposit
Insurance Corporation
(NDIC), yesterday, warned
that it does not cover invest-
ments with fund managers,
notwithstanding assur-
ances by many of the opera-
tors.
In a press statement signed
by the Director,
Communication and Public
Affairs Department, Bashir
Nuhu, the Corporation said
the clarification became
NAHCO posts N10.2b revenue, yields N665m as dividend
By Wole Oyebade
G ROUND handling firm,
Nigerian Aviation
Handling Company (NAHCO)
Plc, has recorded a significant
recovery from the COVID-19
pandemic, posting a turnover
of N10.2 billion and dividend
of N665 million.
The high turnover represents
a 44 per cent improvement
compared to the 2020 finan-
cial year performance.
As a reward for their loyalty,
shareholders were at the 41st
yearly General Meeting (AGM)
in Lagos, recently, rewarded
with a gross dividend of 41
kobo per ordinary share of 50
kobo each, amounting to
N665 million. This is an
increase of 341 per cent over
the N12.5 kobo per ordinary
share paid to shareholders at
the end of the 2020 financial
year.
The company also gave out
one bonus share for every five
shares held by the existing
shareholders and assured the
Situation Room Convener,
Ene Obi who made this
observation in Abuja during
a state of the nation address,
called for the immediate
removal of the Governor of
the Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) Mr Godwin Emefiele,
to save the current deterio-
rating status and state of the
establishment.
Obi lamented the heavy
depletion of the Excess
Crude Account (ECA), which
necessary to sensitise the
high risks involved in invest-
ing with illegal fund man-
agers.
Investment with fund man-
agers has become a lush
business in recent years
with many promising
mouthwatering monthly
returns on such funds.
While a few fulfill their
promises, the majority flee
with investors’ funds, leav-
ing behind a trail of agony
shareholders that the 2022
dividend may be way higher
based on Year-to-date per-
formance in 2022.
The 2021 yearly report and
accounts of the group indicat-
ed that the N10.2 billion rev-
enue was an improvement
from the N7.1 billion it earned
in 2020. The NAHCO Group
earned N924.85 million Profit
Before Tax (PBT) in 2021, show-
ing 156 per cent increase from
the previous year, which was
N361.27 million. Profit after tax
(PAT) also increased to N771.61
million, indicating 155 per
cent growth, compared to
N302.13 million for the 2020
financial year.
Chairman of the Group, Dr.
Seinde Fadeni, assured at the
meeting that the company
would continue to be the lead-
ing ground handling compa-
ny in Africa in terms of market
share, client base, revenue,
and profitability.
Fadeni explained that the
Nigerian economy was fragile
Business
ought to serve as a cushion
to help stabilise the coun-
try’s economy.
She stressed the need for
the Federal Government to
activate steps to address the
current economic chal-
lenges, alarming unem-
ployment, plummeting
exchange rate and financial
hardship on the citizens.
She added: "The economy
is at its lowest ebb as the
purchasing power of
and regrets.
NDIC said it had a respon-
sibility to protect deposi-
tors of licensed banks and
not those who give in to the
deceits of illegal fund man-
agers.
“As the deposit insurer, the
NDIC would like to inform
members of the public that
contrary to claims by some
of these fund managers,
the Corporation does not
insure investments with
in 2021, after exiting recession
in the last quarter of 2020,
but despite this, “our focus in
2021 was responsible and
inclusive growth, which
allowed us to be a source of
stability for our customers
during the challenging
times.”
Fadeni lamented that the
current high forex rate and
challenge in accessing the for-
eign exchange and the global
increase in the crude oil
prices, dampened the posi-
tive projections for 2022.
The Chairman explained fur-
ther that despite various chal-
lenges, NAHCO had invested
over N4 billion in the acquisi-
tion of Ground Support
Equipment (GSE) and assured
the shareholders that the
company would perform bet-
ter in the 2022 financial year.
He said: “With the pro-
nouncement of the new safe-
ty threshold by the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA), which prescribed a
Nigerians has dwindled in
the face of galloping infla-
tion. Basic domestic com-
modities, power, energy
and transportation are out
of reach for the average
Nigerian.
"National unemployment
rate according to the
National Bureau of
Statistics stands at 33.3 per-
cent, while unemployment
of the youths is 42.5 per-
cent.”
them.
“The NDIC insures only
deposits of financial institu-
tions licensed by the
Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN) to accept deposits
from the public,” the state-
ment stated.
It also advised members of
the public to report any
entity suspected to be
involved in illegal deposit
mobilisation to the law
enforcement agencies.
minimum price for services,
we hope that the issue of price
war and unhealthy competi-
tion would be a thing of the
past, as competition will now
be based on service and not
price. Management has been
mandated not to rest on its
oars and ensure the company
performs even better in 2022.”
Group Managing Director,
Indranil Gupta, noted that
with the addition of new GSE
to the fleet and the significant
investments in technology,
NAHCO service would look
totally different from the past.
Gupta further hinted at care-
fully planned strategic invest-
ments that would further
brighten the future of the
company and appealed to the
shareholders to continue to
support its growth.
One of the shareholders also
commended the prudence of
the board and management
of NAHCO in the past year,
despite the pandemic crisis.
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
LIRS to unveil whistle-blower
initiative August 5
T HE Lagos State Internal
Revenue Service (LIRS)
has concluded plans to
launch its Whistle-Blower
initiative, a state-wide proj-
ect, introduced to provide a
platform for employees,
stakeholders and the gener-
al public to report any
observed violation, miscon-
duct, or unethical behaviour
across the state on Friday,
August 5, 2022.
In a public notice signed by
the LIRS Executive
Chairman, Ayodele Subair,
the Whistle-Blower initiative
is a public policy of the State
Government to encourage
reporting of illegal actions
or financial crimes, through
the appropriate channel,
with a view to correcting the
violations or non-compli-
Young entrepreneurs to get N20m
in Next Titans season nine
By Adaku Onyenucheya
A S part of efforts to reduce
unemployment in the
country, the Next Titan has
announced its season nine
for young entrepreneurs
seeking to demonstrate their
entrepreneurial acumen
with business ideas and com-
mercial insight.
Speaking at a press confer-
ence in Lagos, the Executive
Producer, The Next Titan,
Mide Akinlaja, said the initia-
tive is aimed at practically
engineering entrepreneur-
ship among Nigerian youths
through identifying the best
business minds and support-
ing their entrepreneurial
acumen through logistical
assistance, informal training,
knowledge and other requi-
site services needed to propel
them into successful person-
alities.
He said the show not only
celebrates some of the
nation's best entrepreneurial
ideas, but also makes an
attempt to provide a launch
Co-living more profitable for
investors, stakeholder says
C OMMERCIAL investor and
space management
expert, Emeka Okonkwo has
said that investors should
begin to consider co-living as
opposed to regular tenanting
as obtains now.
He said this would not only
bridge the housing deficit in
Nigeria but would be more
profitable for investors in the
long run.
Speaking further, he said the
real estate industry in Nigeria
is overly concentrated in the
urban areas and is sadly not
focused on reducing the hous-
ing deficit appropriately
through urbanisation of other
parts of the country.
Okonkwo, who is the CEO of
DIS Space Limited, added that
the high growth rate in the
number of residential devel-
opments and concentrated
housing in the urban areas are
only a mirage, encouraged by
the fact that real estate is the
safest place to hold money in
ance.
“In line with the LIRS core
values of integrity and
accountability and our com-
mitment to uphold the
highest standards of open-
ness, probity and accounta-
bility in our dealings with
stakeholders, the platform is
anonymous and confiden-
tial and it is independently
managed by Deloitte, a glob-
ally accredited company.
“The objective of the
Whistle-Blower initiative is
to guarantee transparency,
accountability, and confi-
dentiality to all taxpayers
and stakeholders in general.
“The policy is designed to
protect whistle-blowers
from victimisation and to
encourage them to freely
report without fear,” Subair
submitted.
pad for the most deserving
entrepreneurs.
According to Akinlaja, peo-
ple with ideas would bid and
fight for their dreams as a
way of encouraging young
unemployed graduates to
take their destinies in their
hands by using their talents
to build valves.
He said the audition for this
year's edition would com-
mence in August, 2022 at
Port Harcourt, Abuja, Enugu
and Lagos before leading to
Top 50 Boot camp, after
which 18 finalists who would
live together for 10 weeks
would battle one another
over tough business tasks for
a grand prize of N20 million
and the runner-up having N5
million.
"The contestants will have
very real street smarts to
make it through the chal-
lenges, and will prove their
entrepreneurial acumen
through various business-
challenges on the 10-week
show.
the present economy.
Understanding the dynamics
of letting and rental properties
in highbrow areas of Lagos, he
said co-living is now more prof-
itable given that there has been
a massive shift in what people
want. Focusing on a targeted
age, social bracket and in line
with the housing deficit cur-
rently being experienced in
these axes, he said there is a
steady rise in the trend of co-liv-
ing.
With a proven success of
investing, he advised new
investors to invest in these types
of commercial real estates.
Okonkwo said he is currently
creating a digital guide on
investing in commercial real
estate in Nigeria, adding that
with a Real Estate Investment
Trust (REIT) as a vehicle to drive
investors to DIS Spaces, his
upcoming projects would lend
even more credence to this fact
especially for investors like him
who live in the diaspora.
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 19
20 | THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 21
22 | THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Industry www.guardian.ng

Insecurity, aggressive revenue drive undermine M’Belt, N’Delta industrial zones

Stories by Femi Adekoya under review. serious cause for concern, it said, adding that the business
The index score of Bauchi/Benue/Plateau fell below the 50 ambiance in the second quarter was no doubt beset by
P REVAILING challenges of insecurity in the Middle Belt
region and aggressive revenue drive by governments in
the Niger/Delta region have remained a clog in the perform-
points baseline at 46.3 points from 48.3 points recorded in
the first quarter of the year. Likewise, Index score of the Abuja
numerous macroeconomic, regulatory and externally
induced challenges, compounded by the lingering backlash-
zone also declined to 43.5 points from the 44.8 points in the es of COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russian-
ance wheel of industrial firms in the identified regions, lat-
first half of the year. Rivers/Bayelsa scored 45.0 points, which Ukrainian war.
est data from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
fell short of the 46.0 points recorded in the first quarter. “Clearly, the resultant effects of these challenges continue to
(MAN) have shown.
The Association advised that the government should be manifest in the escalation of global inflation, shortfall in the
In its CEOs’ Confidence Index (MCCI) for Q2 of 2022, the
proactive in dealing with internal and external security global supply chain followed by the rise in energy cost, fertil-
manufacturers reported that Middlebelt, which houses
issues by exploring policies that would help to create a buffer izer and fertilizer inputs, wheat grain, etc. Cumulatively,
Bauchi/Benue/Plateau industrial zones, was the most unset-
for the economy. these challenges interplayed to shape the direction of per-
tled region due to the insecurity challenge in the country.
The MAN, used the Russian-Ukrainian as a good example formance of the manufacturing sector in the second quarter
As a result of the situation, a number of companies in the
which has shown that the world has become a global village of 2022.
zone operated at sub-optimal level, while others have either
and the occurrence of an incident in a part of the world, “It is therefore important for the Government to intentional-
shut down operations or relocated to a safer environment,
notwithstanding how specific we may think, can actually ly create an anticipatory policy framework that will facilitate
said the report.
become a global issue. automatic stabilization of the economy in the event of
According to MAN, the companies experienced severe stock-
The group further noted that apart from the need for domestic or global shocks, while addressing the afore-men-
out of primary raw materials, particularly agro-allied as
ardent management of global peace, the series of global tioned familiar operating challenges limiting the perform-
most of the farmers had taken to their heels due to insur-
occurrences and the lessons learnt demand that national ance of the sector.” MAN advised.
gency.
Governments should begin to take drastic measures to man-
Equally, manufacturing and other business activities in the
age these phenomena proactively.
Rivers/Bayelsa zone struggled with the impact of aggressive
Undoubtedly, phenomena such as the China-America trade
Minister tasks industries,
drive for internally generated revenue by the Government to
bridge revenue gaps occasioned by the divesting activities of
war, the Asian and Global Financial crises, the challenges pharmacists on vaccine production
thrown up by COVID-19 pandemic and now, the Russian-
International Oil Companies from hydrocarbons to renew-
able energy sources.
Ukraine war call for the development of sustainable national
anticipatory policy measures.
T HE Minister of State,
Federal Ministry of
Industry, Trade and
cal industry on the continent
in line with the laid down stan-
dards, became more apparent
MAN noted that the huge autonomous investment in
The Aggregate MCCI score of 54.6 points for the quarter Investment, Amb. Maryam in the face of COVID-19 pan-
crude oil business in the zones accounts for the number of
under review, which is above the 50 baseline points by 4.6 Katagum, has urged Nigerian demic.
induced investments in the area. “It is imperative to note that
points shows that manufacturers still have minimal confi- pharmaceutical companies
In the quarter under review, observations from analysis on the operationalisation of the
dence in the economy, with the expectation of improvement to utilise the licensing provi-
industrial zones activities showed that the operating envi- African Continental Free Trade
in the operating environment. sion of the TRIPS Waivers
ronment in the zones within the Middlebelt and Agreement for COVID-19 to Area has turned our continent
For instance, the performance of Bauchi/Benue/Plateau and
Rivers/Bayelsa zone was the toughest during the quarter establish vaccine production into one huge market and pro-
Rivers zones with index scores below the baseline points is a
plants for the country. vided us with a competitive
Katagum gave the advice at edge in trading with other con-
the 9th African Day of tinents.
Standardisation 2022 “The need to promote intra-
Symposium, organised by African trade and commerce
the Standard Organisation of becomes even more com-
Nigeria (SON) in collabora- pelling in order not only to
tion with the African take optimum advantage of
Organisations for the huge African Market, but to
Standardization (ARSO) in position the continent against
Lagos. future pandemics,” Katagum
With the theme: said.
“Promoting the African The Deputy Vice-Chancellor,
Pharmaceutical and Medical University of Benin, Prof. Ray
Devices Industries Through Ozolua, said that African phar-
Standardisation”, the maceutical and medical
Minister explained that fol- devices economy lacked securi-
lowing WHO’s declaration of ty, as 80 per cent of its pharma-
the coronavirus as a global ceutical needs were being
public health emergency and imported.
inability of some countries to Ozolua, the guest speaker at
get the COVID-19 vaccine, the event, said that the least
some countries have issued medical equipment was
compulsory licences to imported into Nigeria includ-
President Muhammadu Buhari Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo enable them to start manu- ing bandages and dressing,
facturing of vaccines within gloves, facemasks, syringes and
the next five years. needles and diagnostic imag-
SMEDAN to leverage D-8 region for economic integration, trade linkages According to her, both the ing among others.
public and private pharma- He identified the barriers to

T HE Small and Medium
E n t e r p r i s e s
Development Agency of
Nigeria (SMEDAN) has
expressed commitment
towards leveraging part-
nership within the D-8 to
promote, encourage,
advance and support the
activities of MSMEs at the
national level as well as
within the D-8 region to fur-
ther strengthen economic,
trade and commercial inte-
gration and linkages.
D8, also referred to as
Developing-8, is an interna-
tional organisation specifi-
cally established for the
development cooperation
among countries like
Bangladesh, Egypt,
Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia,
Nigeria, Pakistan and
Turkey.
The Director-General,
SMEDAN, Olawale Fasanya,
stated that with a proposal
for a D-8 centre already sub-
mitted, the agency is opti-
mistic that the establish-
ment of the D-8 Centre for
Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) will
unleash substantial devel-
opment impacts.
Fasanya has also promised
to work with key stakehold-
ers to cause a positive shift
in the micro, small and
medium enterprises
(MSMEs) development nar-
rative in Nigeria, given its
critical but highly endan-
gered status in the econo-
my.
Fasanya made the remark
at an interactive session
with the Guild of Corporate
Online Publishers (Gocop)
and editors, where he
shared his vision and
approach to ensure regular
inter-agency cooperation
and networking with stake-
holders to leverage on avail-
able opportunities to close
the gaps among key players
within the MSME space.
Emphasising how impor-
tant the sub-sector is to
national economic growth
and the several challenges
which the COVID-19 pan-
demic and the ongoing
Ukraine-Russia have fur-
ther worsened, Fasanya
said the challenges of
MSMEs usually border on
access to finance, market,
equipment, information,
technical and entrepre-
neurial skills and work-
space.
Reeling out his vision for
the sub-sector, he said he
had already started engag-
ing with the staff of the
agency and other MSMEs-
enabling stakeholders, as a
continuous exercise both
locally and internationally.
“I will be meeting some
key stakeholders in Lagos
to enable me to harvest
inputs directly from real
MSMEs players. I am how-
ever aware that they were
consulted during the
process of reviewing the
National Policy but the
MSME space is very dynam-
ic requiring regular engage-
ments and feedback.”
Fasanya noted there were
programmes and projects
in the agency that were
carefully designed to
address some of the chal-
lenges of MSMEs “but it has
become necessary to start
reviewing such based on
the feedback that this ongo-
ing engagements from the
MSMEs will give us.”
He said “part of what we
hope to achieve during my
tenure is to ensure that I
have a capable, competent,
skilled and healthy work-
force. In this regard, I have
instructed the appropriate
department to put in place
specific training to bridge
identified gaps among
staff.”
ceutical companies should
take advantage of the oppor-
tunity to ensure that Nigeria
starts production of vaccines
not only for COVID-19, but for
other infectious diseases in
case of future pandemics.
“Nigeria should utilise the
patent waivers in the Trade
Related aspect on Intellectual
Property (TRIPS) Agreement
to become vaccine produc-
tive.
“The TRIPS Waivers
Agreement for COVID-19
licensed African countries
including Nigeria to start pro-
duction of vaccines for the
next five years. Five years is a
very short time to come by;
therefore, pharmacists
should scale up efforts in this
regard,” she said.
The minister also called on
Africa and Africans to pay
attention to promoting
home-made solutions to
some of the challenges con-
fronting the continent.
She said the need for devel-
opment of the pharmaceuti-
local manufacturing of phar-
maceutical/medical devices as
limited availability of needed
raw materials, expensive start-
up costs and poor internation-
al competitiveness
Earlier, the Director-General
of SON, Malam Farouk Salim,
said that lack of adequate
financing facilities was a major
challenge to growth and devel-
opment of the pharmaceutical
industry.
Salim said that most banks in
the country find it difficult to
finance pharmaceutical invest-
ments, which were often capi-
tal-intensive projects.
He said: “Obviously, boosting
local production in the phar-
maceutical industries will save
and strengthen African
economies.
“It will also support local jobs
creation, save import expendi-
ture, while triggering industri-
alisation, manufacturing,
intra-African trade and sustain-
able development in the conti-
nent, but financing facilities
remain the major challenge”.
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 23
24 |
Uncertainty over AFC’s $3.1 billion fund for e-customs project
Stories by Adaku Onyenucheya
T HERE is uncertainty over
the status of the $3.1 billion
African Finance Corporation
(AFC) funding of the Nigeria
Customs Service (NCS) mod-
ernisation project.
This comes as a Federal High
Court has vacated an earlier
order stopping the com-
mencement of the project.
At press time, The Guardian
could not confirm the status
of the fund, as electronic mail
sent to AFC was not replied.
When contacted, the
spokesman for the NCS, Timi
Bomodi, expressed optimism
about AFC’s participation in
the project but was not specif-
ic if any amount had been
released.
In a short telephone inter-
view, Bomodi, a Deputy
Comptroller of Customs said:
“At this stage, they will release
what needs to be released. Of
course, they are working,
nothing has stopped.
“There was never a time they
stopped releasing the funds.
Lekki port reaches 95%
completion, to be ready
in September
T HE management of Lekki
Deep Sea Port has disclosed
that construction work was at
95.65 per cent completion at
the end of July.
According to information
released on the company’s offi-
cial social media page, the proj-
ect is on course for completion
as scheduled.
According to the release, the
Lekki port management, board
of directors, shareholders, EPC
Contractors and the project
manager remain focused on its
objective to complete construc-
tion by September 2022 and
start operations by the end of
the year.
The tweeter post read: “We are
delighted to announce that the
construction of Lekki Port is
now at 95.65 per cent comple-
tion.
“The wait to behold a deep sea-
port with a container terminal
operated with efficiency and
world-class standards in
Nigeria is almost over.”
The deep seaport had, on July
1, 2022, taken delivery of three
Dry ports will boost trade, public revenue, says minister
T HE Minister
Transportation, Mu’azu
of
Sambo, has said the operation
of Inland Dry Ports (IDPs)
across the country will, aside
its critical importance in facili-
tating international trade and
transit cargo to landlocked
countries, act as a catalyst for
improved trade flows and rev-
enue source to the Federal
Government.
Sambo said the dry ports
will also bring shipping activi-
ties closer to shippers in the
hinterland, increase cargo
They have signed an agreement.
The $3.1billion is not money you
just give to someone because it
is big. This thing is going to be
done in phases and they are pro-
ceeding with the phases.
“We have said from the begin-
ning that the whole process will
be done in phases. Every phase
will have its component and
AFC is working. For them to
work, they will have funds. They
are proceeding with the project
whichever way they want to do
it,” he said.
Prior to vacating the order, the
court had restrained the Federal
Government from enforcing or
giving effect to the Customs
Modernisation Project other-
wise known as e-Custom,
allegedly executed by its agents,
on May 30, 2022.
The agents who allegedly exe-
cuted the disputed concession
project are the Nigerian
Customs Service, Trade
Modernisation Project Limited,
Huawei Technologies Company
Nigeria Limited, and African
Finance Corporation.
Super Post Panamax Ships to
Shore (STS) cranes and 10
Rubber Tired Gantries (RTGs)
ahead of the commencement
of port operations.
The port also witnessed the
arrival of its first berthing ves-
sel,“ZHEN HUA 28,” which con-
veyed the STS cranes and RTGs
to Nigeria from Shanghai,
China.
The Managing Director of
Lekki Port, Du Ruogang, in
early July, explained that the
cranes are highly sophisticat-
ed port equipment that will be
used for the first time in
Nigeria at Lekki Port, thereby
putting the country at the fore-
front of container operations
in West Africa and on the glob-
al maritime map.
Ruogang said the second
batch of the port machinery is
expected in August, which
includes two STS and five RTGs.
He added that by the time of
the formal commencement of
the port operations, there
would be five STS and 15 RTGs
in place.
• NSC, FMoT launch operational manual for stakeholders
throughput, boost inland
trading, promote export of
agricultural products, thus,
leading multi-product-orient-
ed economy.
The Minister stated this dur-
ing the Nigerian Shippers’
Council (NSC) and Federal
Ministry of Transportation
(FMoT) one-day stakeholders
s e n s i t i s a t i o n
programme/launching of
operational manual for Inland
Dry Ports in Nigeria held yes-
The court also issued an
order of interim injunction
against the Federal
Government or its agents act-
ing through the Federal
Executive Council from retro-
spectively ratifying the deci-
sions to concession the e-
Custom project to Trade
Modernisation Project
Limited, Huawei Technologies
Company Limited, and African
Finance Corporation.
The restraining order issued
Touts having field day at Mile 2 end of the Apapa port road in Lagos.
Port users to resist planned increase in wharf landing fee
C LEARING agents and
freight forwarders have
frowned on plans by the
Lagos State Wharf Landing
Fee Collecting Authority to
increase the fee on imported
goods through seaports in the
state.
Recall that the agency had
last week, disclosed that it is
currently at the State
Assembly for a review of the
13-year-old law, which enables
the state to collect N300 on
cars, N500 on buses and
N1,000 on trucks brought in
through the Lagos ports.
Reacting, the Public
Relations Officer, Association
of Registered Freight
Forwarders of Nigeria
(AREFFN), Taiwo Fatomilola,
accused the state government
of crippling business at the
terday at Apapa, Lagos.
Sambo, who was represent-
ed by the Deputy Director
Inland Container Depot of the
ministry, Ewache Victor, stated
that the dry ports project will
also create employment
opportunities that would ulti-
mately stem rural urban
migration, act as source of
internally Generated Revenue
(IGR) to the host states as well
as revenue source to the
Federal Government.
by Justice Inyang Ekwo shall
last till the hearing and deter-
mination of a suit brought
against the Federal
Government by two aggrieved
companies.
The two aggrieved compa-
nies are E-Customs HC Project
Limited and Bionica
Technologies (West Africa)
Limited, which jointly chal-
lenged the alleged unlawful
and fraudulent concession of
the e-custom project to African
port.
Fatomilola challenged the
state government to publish
details of the money received
over the past 13 years, which it
claimed had been with the
local governments in the
state.
“They are not sharing any
money with the local govern-
ment; let them give details of
the money given. The roads
under the local governments
are in terrible conditions and
have not been repaired, so if
their claim of giving the local
governments the money gen-
erated from the wharf land-
ing fees collected for the past
13 years is true, why are the
roads not in good shape?
“We will resist and fight the
state government with all our
strength. Importers do not
According to him, the
inland dry port project was
conceived as part of Federal
Government’s Ports reform
programme designed among
others in 2006 to decongest
the seaports, while also taking
shipping and port services
closer to importers and
exporters in the hinterland.
He said the project is being
developed through Public
Private Partnerships (PPPs)
using the Build, Own, Operate
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Finance Corporation.
In another twist, Adani Mega
Systems Limited, another firm
that sought a joinder to the
suit, alleged that the Federal
Government acted illegally in
awarding the project as
according to it, as there are sev-
eral pending suits on the mat-
ter before other courts.
In a motion on notice
brought before the court by
counsel to Adani Mega
Systems Limited, Taiwo Abe,
give freight forwarders
money for wharf landing, it is
freight forwarders that pay
from their pocket.
“Out of the whole states in
the country, it is only Lagos
State that has this fee. Why do
they want to increase it now
that the election is close?” he
added
The Deputy President of the
National Association of
Government Approved
Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF),
Dr. Segun Musa, said the
wharf landing fee is the most
unfortunate thing that has
ever happened to the mar-
itime industry as he accused
leaders in the freight forward-
ing and customs brokerage
industry responsible for this.
“Unfortunately, the silence of
the leaders in the freight for-
and Transfer (BOOT) Model in
six locations, which are Isiala-
Ngwa, Abia State; Erunmu
Ibadan, Oyo State; Heipang Jos,
Plateau State; Funtua, Katsina
State; Maiduguri, Borno State
and Dala in Kano State, which
would be commissioned
soon.
Sambo noted that other
inland dry ports are currently
being processed in the follow-
ing states: Kebbi, Osun,
Anambra, Oyo, Edo, Bauchi
and Abia.
He said the operational man-
ual, which has been launched,
www.guardian.ng
the company while seeking to
be joined in the matter, listed
the cases and described the
government’s action as sub
judice.
The firm averred that it
would be affected by the out-
come of the ongoing matter
while listing some of the
pending cases it claimed were
on and related, which are con-
cerned with the automation
of the Nigeria Customs
Service.
PHOTO: ADAKU ONYENUCHEYA
warding and customs broker-
age in the face of oppression
is a direct indication that they
are only interested in them-
selves without considering
the impacts of the hardships
on innocent and upcoming
practitioners and the indus-
try at large.
“The maritime sector is dom-
inated by self-interest leaders
that are careless about the
future of our industry, but
only express concerns when it
affects their interest,” he said.
Also speaking, the Chairman
of the International Freight
Forwarders Association (IFFA),
Port and Terminal
Multiservices Limited (PTML)
Chapter, Sunny Nnebe
queried what the monies col-
lected over the years were
used for.
covers the activities in a dry
port, which include, container
import and export by rail, con-
tainer import and export by
truck, Customs controls and
empty container storage.
The Minister urged opera-
tors and regulators to abide by
the operational processes as
contained in the manual,
which specifically describes
the functions, activities and
operations of the dry ports as
it relates to export and import
according to international
best practices for standard
quality control.
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 25

GuardianTech
www.guardian.ng

Minister decries non-utilisation of NIN database

by security institutions to tackle terrorism
By Adeyemi Adepetun
HE Minister of Communica-
T tions and Digital Economy, Prof.
Isa Pantami, has decried the non-
utilisation of the National Identifi-
cation Number (NIN) database in
the country by security institu-
tions in the fight against insur-
gency, banditry and terrorism.
Pantami, who said though the na-
tional database is still work-in-
progress, noted that information
available can help mitigate the ris-
ing insecurity in the country.
The Minister spoke in Lagos on
Monday, on the sideline of the
forum organised by the Nigeria Of-
fice for Developing the indigenous
Telecoms Sector (NODITS), an
agency domiciled in the Nigeria
Communications
Commission (NCC).
While acknowledging the escalat-
ing insecurity challenges in the
country, Pantami said “though
there are issues of banditry and
other security challenges, some
questions should be forwarded to
the security institutions because
what we have done is to establish
the database, which is still work in
progress. So far, there are over 86
million citizens in the database.
What I inherited in 2020 when the
National Identity
Management Commission (NIMC)
ting identified with NIN, he said,
“firstly, obtaining it is a provision
of the law and the law has been in
place before I was appointed as a
minister and before NIMC was
transferred to me in October 2020.
We only enforced it.
“Secondly, NIN has many bene-
fits. You can’t go to any developed
countriy and work there without
an identification number. In the
USA, you need a Social Security
Number; in the UK, you need a Na-
Executive Commissioner Stakeholder Management, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Adewolu Adeleke (left); Director-Gen- tional Insurance Number. If you
go to India, with all their popula-
eral, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer,
tion, you need a number to be
NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta; Special Assistant, Innovation and Technology to the Lagos State Governor, Olatunbosun Alake; Minister, Com-
identified with. So, this is not only
munications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami; Chairman, House Committee on Communications, Prince Akeem Adeyemi and Chair- for Nigeria. In all other countries,
man, NCC Board, Prof. Adeolu Akande, during the maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo 2022 at developed and developing coun-
Landmark Centre, VI, Lagos on Monday.  tries, they all have their identifica-
tion numbers.”
was transferred to me was only 41 “From January to date, no security their NINs and link it with their
million. According to him, establishing a
institution has confronted me, the Subscriber Identification Module
“Note that NIMC was established Chairman or the EVC of NCC, that (SIM) cards, said obtaining NIN is national database is key and pre-
in 2007. In 13 years, they recorded this crime has been committed, we not optional; it is mandatory by requisite towards economic devel-
41 million and from October 2020 want you to provide information law. opment, national planning and
to date, we increased it by 45 mil- and we denied them. It has never He stressed that the National others. “No better planning with-
lion. The database is available and happened. Identity Management Act 2007, out a national database. So, our
security institutions have power “Our work is to provide a data- Section 27, states clearly that ob- target is to ensure that there is a
that whenever crime is committed base, which we have provided, but taining NIN is mandatory for all national database in place, which
to access the database. There is the they have not come to ask for it in citizens and legal residents and will be one of the major legacies
Provision of Law, the Cybercrime tackling crimes. They are not mak- “it is not allowed for one to obtain we are going to leave behind, a
Act 2015, they have Power of Lawful ing use of it. The NIN database is a passport, driver’s license or central database for Nigeria. We
Intercept, that have been provided there for assessment,” he stressed. enjoy any government services shouldn’t be just estimating our
by law. They don’t need to come to URTHER, Pantami, while urging without NIN.” population; we should be factual
us. F Nigerians to ensure they get Speaking on the benefit of get- about it.’’

Cydene Energy unveils mobile app to aid home utilities
By Tomike Owoturo
C YDENE Energy is set to launch a mobile app “Cydene Ex-
press’, targeted at helping Nigerians make efficient use
of household utilities.
A software developer, Skalid Ugo Obi, founder and Chief
Executive Officer of Cydene Energy Services Ltd, developed
the app, which will be unveiled today in Lagos.
The tech entrepreneur, in an interview with journalists on
Monday, explained that Cydene Express would be useful in
helping households and offices to pay for and track use of
utilities.
He cited utilities the app would be used to access as elec-
tricity, cooking gas, diesel, call credit and other related
bills, saying that users of the App would exploit the utilities
from the comfort of their homes.
Obi said he developed the app following an industry ex-
perience he gained while working as an intern in Exxon
Mobil and at the Strategy Department in Techno Oil Ltd in
Lagos.
“The experience helped me immensely in understanding
the Nigerian business environment and how to provide en-
gineering solutions to some teething problems.
CeBIH gets female chairperson
T HE Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) has
elected Celestina Appeal, the head of Cards Business at
Zenith Bank as its new Chairman, alongside other new
exco members, who will run its affairs in the next one year.
Speaking at the event, the immediate past Chairman of
CeBIH, Adeyemi Atanda, commented that although a lot
was achieved during his tenure, the incoming executive
has to do much more in promoting electronic payments
and collaborations with all sectors of players in the Niger-
ian payment space.
While announcing the result of the election, which was
earlier completed online, the Chairman of the electoral

Nigeria’s broadband penetration gains Committee, who is also a member of the Advisory Council
of CeBIH, Stanley Jacob, said that holding an executive posi-
tion in CeBIH is a serious task; owing to the pivotal role the
2.71%, access market to boom in 2026
By Adeyemi Adepetun neously. tomer premises equipment
committee plays in the Nigeria banking and payment in-
dustry.
He appreciated the immediate past executive committee
from the Global Mobile Sup-

I N the first half of the year, M EANWHILE, the broad-

band access market is set
Nigeria’s broadband pene- to hit a value of $23.4 billion in
(CPE), will increase by 2026.
The report said this will be
driven by a desire from
pliers Association (GSA),
which sees significant up-
for contributing meaningfully to the growth of electronic
payments in Nigeria, particularly during the lockdown oc-
take in 5G-fixed wireless ac- casioned by Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
tration saw 2.71 per cent 2026, boosted by spending on providers to expand the
growth, moving from 41.61 cess (FWA) CPE, with In her response after the inauguration of the new execu-
deployments and equipment, reach of their fixed broad- shipments of such devices tives, the new Chairman, Celestina Appeal in her accept-
per cent in January to 44.32 according to new research band services to customers’
per cent in June. expected to double this year ance speech appreciated members of the committee for
from Dell’Oro, as service homes, as well as enhance compared to the number of the confidence they have reposed in her and other mem-
The growth represented an providers advance moves to the quality and reliability of
addition of 5.2 billion new shipments in 2021. bers of the new exco.
connect as many households these connections.
users to the network in H1. It as possible with what is seen The company estimated
increased from 79.4 billion to as more reliable connectivity.
84.6 billion within six
months.
The telecoms market re-
that PON equipment rev-
enue will grow from $9.3 bil- Meta exposes creators to metaverse
search company is bullish in
Broadband is a high-capac- its predictions that the sales
ity transmission technique of passive optical network
lion in 2021 to $13.6 billion in
2026, mainly due to deploy- M ETA (Facebook) has introduced content
creators in Lagos to the various technolo-
gies that are paving the road to the meta-
creating and building ideas that would
bring them closer to their diverse commu-
nities. The creators, who attended the event
ments of XGS-PON (a 10Gbit/s
using a wide range of fre- (PON) equipment for Fiber to capable symmetric passive verse. are Mark Angel comedy; Josh2funny; Ayomi-
quencies, which enables a the Home (FTTH) rollouts, as optical network) in North Celebrating their impact and creativity, the date; Miss Techy; Frank Itom; Tolu Bally;
large number of messages to well as cable broadband ac- America, EMEA and CALA social media platform stressed the need for Santi, among others.
be communicated simulta- cess kit and fixed wireless cus- them to prepare for the revolution coming Meta’s Director of Public Policy, Africa, Mid-
(Caribbean and Latin Amer- up in the technology space.   dle East and Turkey, Kojo Boakye, said, “we
ica). In attendance were a mix of content and recognise Nigerian creators as trailblazers
It also forecast that the rev- technical creators, who represent a variety of that express themselves, inspire others, and
enue for fixed wireless CPE interests from Music, Comedy and Aug- build communities and livelihoods, while
will hit $5.1 billion by 2026, mented Reality Specialists. connecting with their audiences. We are ex-
driven by shipments of 5G Meta showcased some of its tech, Avatars, cited to bring these talented creators to-
sub-6GHz and 5G mmWave Spark AR and digital collectables (NFTs), fea- gether to celebrate their achievements and
units. This prognosis falls in tures that will be a big part of the metaverse work with them to build inclusive products
Broadband Router Source: Broadband Genie line with a recent report experience. These creators spent the day co- for connected metaverse experiences.
26 |
News
Terrorists release five more Abuja-Kaduna train victims, 35 still in captivity
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 operation, Sambo stressed
the need to put in place “ade-
Responding further on quate security and infra-
when the train will resume structural measures to
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
protect and prevent all forms
of threats that are possible
and leave what you cannot
do to God; but everything hu-
www.guardian.ng
manly possible will be put in
place to ensure that the reoc-
currence of this nature is au-
tomatically eliminated
forever.”
He disclosed that the min-
istry is trying to deploy the
best technology available
anywhere in the world to
forestall reoccurrence of
such sad incident.
“To this effect, we are in the
process of procuring the sen-
sors. The technology that is
going to be deployed is such
that you can perceive a threat
and eliminate it before you
get to the location; that is be-
ing proactive.”
RESIDENT Buhari has de-
P scribed the recent attacks
in Sokoto, Plateau and
Kaduna states as barbaric.
The President, while condol-
ing with those who lost their
loved ones in the terrorist at-
tacks, yesterday, in a state-
ment by his Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Pub-
licity, Garba Shehu, said secu-
rity agencies have been
directed “to bring the mad-
ness to an end.”
The statement said President
Buhari had reviewed the sit-
uation following reports,
and assured all of possible
support from the Federal
Government to the states,
adding, “we have given secu-
rity forces full freedom to
deal with and bring to end
this madness.
Read the remaining part of
this story on www.guardian.ng

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Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 27
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dressed as Mrs. Gabriel Florence Seyi. note. dressed as Mrs. Christianah Mobolaji OKAFOR: I, formerly Nwamaka Eu- take note.
All former documents remain valid. Fadiji. All former documents remain charia Okafor, now wish to be ad-
General public take note. DESMOND: I, formerly known as valid. General public take note. dressed as Nwamaka Eucharia RUQOYAH: I, formerly Mrs Ruqoyah
Desmond Sunday, now wish to be Okafor Nwosu. All former docu- Adenike Olawale Yusuff, now wish to
BAMMEKE: I, formerly Bammeke addressed as Linus Success. All for- IRO: I, formerly Chimezie Valentine ments remain valid General public be addressed as Adesanya Ruqoyah
Olawunmi Deborah wish to be mer documents remain valid. Gen- Iro now wish to be addressed as take note. Adenike. All former documents re-
known and address as Adeoti eral public take note. Onyebuchi Valentine Chimezie. All main valid. General public note.
Olawunmi Deborah. All former doc- former documents remain valid. OKOH: I, formerly Okoh Agatha
uments remain valid. General pub- DIAGNE: I. formerly known as Mrs General public take note. Onyinyechi now wish to be ad- SIKIRU: I, formerly known as Yusuf
lic note. Ndeye Coumba Diagne, now wish to dressed as Oluanyichi Agatha Taiye Sikiru now wish to be addressed
be addressed as Mrs Ndeye Coumba KALARO: I, formerly Folake Temi- Onyinyechi. All former documents as Yusuf Taiye Sikiru-Abayomi. All for-
ADEWUYI: I, formerly Adewuyi Faye Ep Diagne. All former docu- tope Kalaro, now wish to be ad- remain valid. General public take mer documents remain valid. Gen-
Busayo Adeyinka, now wish to be ad- ments remain valid. General public dressed as Afolake Temitope Kalaro. note. eral public take note.
dressed as Oni Busayo Adeyinka. All take note. All former documents remain valid.
former documents remain valid. General public take note. OKOLI: I, formerly Okoli Chuks SOGEKE: I, formerly Miss Sogeke
General public note. EGBUCHULAM: I, formerly Tochi David now wish to be ad- Opeyemi Hannah now wish to be ad-
Uchenna Chukwumereije Egbuchu- KAROUNWI: I, formerly known as dressed as Okoli-Chuks David dressed as Mrs Adenokun Opeyemi
CHUKWUMA: I, formerly Em- lam now wish to be addressed as Karounwi Sodiq Oluwasegun now Tochukwu. All former documents Hannah. All former documents re-
manuella Chukwuma now wish to Uchenna Chukwumereije John. All wish to be addressed as Moses Sodiq remain valid. General public take main valid General public take note.
be addressed as Emmanuella Chuk- former documents remain valid. Oluwasegun. All former documents note.
wuma Nkem. All former documents General public take note. remain valid. General public take TADE: I, formerly Miss Tade
remain valid. General public take note. OKON: I, formerly Bassey Uduak Oluwatosin Patience, now wish to be
note. EGHENLEN: I, formerly known as Okon now wish to be addressed as addressed as Mrs. Oni Oluwatosin Pa-
Eghenlen Omons Edna, now wish to MACAULAY: I, formerly known and Bassey Udo, Uduak Joshua. All for- tience. All former documents remain
COLE: I, formerly Adedoyin Oluwa- be addressed as Eboh Omons Edna. addressed as Miss Ibironke Janet mer documents remain valid. Gen- valid. General public take note.
funmilayo Cole, now wish to be ad- All former documents remain valid. Macaulay now wish to be known and eral public take note.
dressed as Adedoyin General public take note. addressed as Mrs Olarewaju Ibironke TIMILEYIN: I, formerly known as
Oluwafunmilayo Babajide. All for- Janet. All former documents remain OKORO: I, formerly Okoro Ifeoma Oladele Priscilla Timileyin, now wish
mer documents remain valid. Gen- EKAMAH: I, formerly Miss valid. The Nigerian Navy, Union Bank Sandra Obianuju, now wish to be to be addressed as Oke Priscilla
eral public take note. Okeoghene Aghogho Ekamah now PLC and the general public should addressed as Unegbe Ifeoma San- Oluwatimileyinmoyege. All former
wish to be addressed as Mrs please take note. dra. All former documents remain documents remain valid. General
CONFIRMATION OF NAME: I Okeoghene Aghogho Ojarikre. All valid. General public take note. public note.
Emeka Martin Ekwueme or Martin former documents remain valid. MASHIGO: I, formerly Mrs.
Ekwueme is the same person as Mar- General public take note. Bukunola Mashigo, now wish to be OLA: I, formerly known as Ola Temi- UMARU: I, formerly Sacko Umaru
tin Chukwuemeka Ekwueme now addressed as Ms. Bukunola Adefuye. tope Oluwafikayomi, now wish to now wish to be addressed as Sacko
Martin Emeka Ekwueme. All former EKE: I, formerly Eke Lucy Nwany- All former documents remain valid. be addressed as Samuel-Adeyemo Umaru Faruk. All former documents
documents remain valid. Banks, ibuife, now wish to be addressed as General public take note. Temitope Oluwafikayomi. All for- remain valid. General public take
public note. Okafor Lucy Nwanyibuife. All former mer documents remain valid. Gen- note.
documents remain valid. General MBA: I, formerly known as Miss eral public note.
CONFIRMATION OF NAME: I, public take note. Nkechi Esther Mba now wish to be UNACHUKWU: I, formerly Un-
Adewinbi Hezekiah Oluwaseun & addressed as Mrs Nkechi Esther OLABISI: I, formerly Miss Joke achukwu Somkenechi Obianuju
Seun Hezekiah Adewinbi is the same EKWERE: I, formerly known as Miss Obioma. All former documents re- Olawunmi Olabisi now wish to be Mabel Sophia, now wish to be ad-
person as Adewinbi Hezekiah Seun. Flora Ekwere, now wish to be ad- main valid. General public take note. addressed as Mrs. Joke Olawunmi dressed as Onwubuya Somkenechi
All former documents remain valid. dressed as Mrs Flora Evhie Agbona. Olanrewaju. All former documents Sophia. All former documents re-
Public note. All former documents remain valid. MBANEFO: I, former Joan Azuka remain valid. General public take main valid. Public note.
General public take note. Mbanefo now wish to be addressed note.
CONFIRMATION OF NAME: I, as Joan Azuka Mbanefo-Ologeh. All UWAEGBULEM: I, formerly Miss
Chukwuemeka Obianuju Nnea- ESHIBOR: I, formerly Eshibor Osh- former documents remain valid. OLANREWAJU: I, formerly Olanre- Uwaegbulem Blessing Osinachi now
maka is the same person as Chuk- iomegie Festus now wish to be ad- General public take note. waju Aminat Olanike now wish to wish to be addressed as Mrs Ezeanya
wuemeka Obianuju Stephanie. All dressed as Eshiebor Oshiomegie be addressed as Salaam Aminat Blessing Osinachi. All former docu-
former documents remain valid. Festus. All former documents re- NDUSOROUWA: I, formerly Olanike. All former documents re- ments remain valid. General public
General public note. main valid. General public take note. Uchechukwu Peace Ndusorouwa, main valid. General public take take note.
note.
28 |
P’Harcourt customs
generates N44.2b in
first half of 2022
From Ann Godwin, Port Harcourt
T HE Nigeria Customs
Service (Area 1
Command), Port Harcourt,
has said it generated N44.2
billion in the first half of
2022.
The figure, according to
the Area Controller of the
Command, Ibrahim
Mohammed, indicates a
surplus of N5.9 billion
when compared to the mid-
year revenue of 2021, which
was N38.2 billion.
Mohammed, in a state-
ment by the Command’s
Public Relations Officer,
Oscar Ivara, said the rev-
enue surplus represents an
increase of 15.56 per cent,
when compared to the first-
half report of revenue col-
lected in 2021.
He pointed out that
despite low inflow of cargo
into the port, the command
has been uncompromising
in duty collection, thor-
ough cargo examinations,
and the need for stakehold-
ers to be compliant in clear-
ance processes.
He said: “The command’s
export performance from
January to June 2022, which
comprised commercial,
non-commercial and crude
oil export, produced a total
of 2,653,171 metric tonnes,
which had a 10 per cent
increase when compared to
2,407,305 metric tonnes
recorded within the same
period of last year.”
Diri tasks Christian
leaders on unity
From Julius Osahon, Yenagoa
B AYELSA State governor,
Douye Diri, has urged
Christian leaders to pro-
mote unity and peace in
the state and within the
body of Christ.
Diri gave the admonition
on Monday during a one-
day Prayer Summit/Dinner
for Izon Ministers in the
state.
Over 1,300 leaders from
different Christian
denominations attended
the summit, which was
the first of its kind.
Host communities warn FG against re-issuing
OML11 licence without consultation
From Ann Godwin and
Obinna Nwaoku, Port Harcourt
O IL Mining Licence
(OML) 11 host commu-
nities, comprising the
Ogonis and Asa on the Imo
River axis in Rivers and Abia
states, have warned the
Federal Government
against re-issuing the facili-
ty to any operator without
wider consultation.
They insist on being carried
along in the processes lead-
ing to the eventual re-
issuance of the oil well to
any operator.
The communities, there-
fore, called on the Nigerian
Petroleum Development
Company (NPDC), a sub-
sidiary of Nigerian National
Petroleum Company
Limited (NNPC), to dia-
Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (third left) and the five new members of the State Executive Council shortly after their inauguration in
Government House, Asaba….. yesterday.
Cross River LP factional chairman threatens legal action over alleged impersonation
From Tina Agosi Todo, Calabar
F ACTIONAL Chairman of
the Labour Party (LP) in
Cross River State, Mr. Godwin
Amoikwen, has threatened to
sue the factional leader, Ogar
Osim, for alleged imperson-
ation, forgery and perjury.
This is coming on the heels of
disagreements over the
authentic candidates to rep-
resent the party in the forth-
coming 2023 general elec-
tions from the state.
News
logue with them before
granting the operatorship
licence.
The national oil firm had
regained the oil well from
Shell Petroleum
Development Company
(SPDC), last year, after the
Abuja Division of the Court
of Appeal upturned the
August 23, 2019 ruling of the
Federal High Court in
favour of the Dutch multi-
national to renew OML 11
licence.
In the judgment, the appel-
late court held that the
Minister of Petroleum “has
the discretion to renew or
not the OML 11 lease in
favour of SPDC.”
Gani Topba, who spoke, on
behalf of the host commu-
nities, said the dialogue was
Embroiled in a factional
war since the Independent
National Electoral
Commission (INEC) kicked
off activities for the 2023 gen-
eral elections, Amoikwen
and Osim had been at logger-
heads over who is the
authentic state chairman of
the party.
Amoikwen, who is currently
the Political Commission
Chairman and former
Secretary of the party, alleged
that Osim was parading him-
self as the state chairman,
insisting that based on the
principle of succession, he
Wanted suspect denies ownership of illegal refining site in Bayelsa
From Julius Osahon, Yenagoa
E NDURANCE Amagbein,
wanted by the Joint
Military Task Force (JTF),
Operations Delta Safe
(OPDS), has denied owner-
ship of the illegal refining
site marked for destruc-
tion in Igbomotoru,
Southern Ijaw Local
Council of Bayelsa State by
military authorities.
Amagbein, who was
declared wanted by the JTF
necessary to make the peo-
ple have a sense of belong-
ing following years of suffer-
ing and neglect.
Addressing an audience at
Owaza, Ukwa West Local
Council of Abia State, he
regretted that the commu-
nities had remained in
abject poverty, while multi-
nationals made huge for-
tunes from their God-given
resources.
Topba said: “There have
been agitations in this part
of OML11 when Shell’s
licence was about to be
renewed. We all gathered
here and did a meeting,
demanding that the Federal
Government should not re-
issue the licence.
“We all agreed that govern-
ment should give the
PHOTO: ENARUSAI BRIPIN AND SAMUEL JIBUNOR
succeeded the former
Chairman, Mr. Joseph Inde,
who left for a higher calling.
According to him, in 2020,
he was appointed by the for-
mer State Chairman of
Organised Labour to act in
interim capacity, pending
the conduct of congresses.
Amoikwen alleged that
Osim fraudulently used
placeholders on the list sub-
mitted to INEC with the
motive of selling party tick-
ets to the highest bidders
during the windows for sub-
stitution of candidates.
He said: “I am monitoring
after series of raid on ille-
gal bunkering and mining
sites in the local council
and neighbouring com-
munities, said the allega-
tions against him were lies
manufactured by the mili-
tary and Darlon Oil and
Gas Company to get him
out of circulation.
JTF had declared
Amagbein wanted after
taking journalists on a
tour of the illegal refining
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
licence to NPDC. And today,
government has given
NPDC the licence. The com-
munity supported NPDC,
but NPDC needs to have
proper discussion with the
communities.
“NPDC has taken over the
facility, but had not held
talks with us. Instead, they
are having an agreement
with Sahara Energy to
access the place. How can
NDPC not dialogue with the
host communities before
bringing in another compa-
ny?”
He maintained that any re-
issuance of the oil facility in
the absence of robust
involvement of the host
communities would be tan-
tamount to undermining
their interest.
Osim closely and will have
him jailed for imperson-
ation, forgery and perjury at
the appropriate time.”
On the rejection of the list of
candidates produced by
Organised Labour, he
explained: “After receiving
Osim into the party and pro-
vided him the necessary
materials to help him work,
we wanted to harmonise our
structures being that win-
ning elections requires unity
of purpose; we invited him
for series of meetings, which
he declined. He gave us one
flimsy excuse or the other.”
sites in Igbomotoru.
After the tour, the
Commander,
Admiral Aminu Hassan,
Rear
told journalists that infor-
mation at their disposal
clearly pointed at
Amagbein and challenged
him to come out of hiding
to clear himself of the alle-
gations.
While denying the allega-
tions of intimidation and
invasion of the twin com-
www.guardian.ng
Okowa charges new
commissioners to justify
their appointment
Says Ogheye floating
market ready September
From Godwin ijediogor, Asaba
D ELTA State Governor,
Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has
charged the newly-
appointed commission-
ers to justify their
appointment and confi-
dence reposed in them,
especially as the adminis-
tration enters the last lap
of its tenure.
He also disclosed that
the Ogheye floating mar-
ket, being built by the
state government in
Ogheye, Warri North
Local Council, would be
ready for inauguration in
September this year.
He said: “Very important-
ly, for those in the river-
side areas, in the next one
month, we shall be taking
full delivery of the
Ogheye floating market
in Warri North Local
Council.
“It is my hope that peo-
ple from across the state
willwitness the inaugura-
tion of this project,
because it is a major one
in which we are very
proud of because many
times, those in the river-
side areas have been neg-
lected for too long, but we
have continued to part-
ner them by doing proj-
ects that will improve
their living condition.”
CSOs seek unconditional
release of lawyer
jailed by A’Ibom CJ
By Martin Umunna
N IGERIAN Civic Space
Protection Alliance
(NCSPA) has condemned
the imprisonment of
Inibehe Effiong by the Chief
Judge of Akwa Ibom State,
Justice Ekaette Obot.
In a statement signed by
the Convener, Dr. George-
Hill Anthony, and a mem-
ber, Stiv Obodoekwe, the
group demanded the
lawyer’s immediate and
unconditional release.
NCSPA is an alliance of Civil
Society Organisations
(CSOs) working for the pro-
tection and promotion of a
conducive civic space across
Nigeria and beyond.
munities of Igbomotoru,
Hassan reiterated that JTF’s
operation in the commu-
nity was to stamp out ille-
gal crude mining camps
allegedly operated by the
suspect.
But in a statement, yester-
day, Amagbein described
the allegations by the JTF
as false, malicious, and
mischievous and a desper-
ate attempt to injure his
reputation.
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022
www.guardian.ng
Why I joined Kaduna guber race, by Asake
From Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna
F ORMER President of
Southern Kaduna
Peoples Union (SOKAPU),
Jonathan Asake, has said
insecurity and bad gover-
nance prompted his deci-
sion to contest the Kaduna
State governorship seat in
the 2023 elections.
Asake, who is the governor-
ship candidate of Labour
Party (LP), officially stepped
down, yesterday, as SOKAPU
president.
While announcing his res-
ignation as the SOKAPU
leader at the union’s secre-
Co-Convener/Deputy Chief of Party, Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP), Mercy Corps Nigeria (MCN), Sani Suleiman (left);
Programme Moderator, Gbenro Olajuyigbe; National Peace Ambassador, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Splendor King and Fellow
of Ford Foundation, Dr. Hamza Sumaye during the National Stakeholders’ Forum on Parenting for Peace and Preventing Violence Extremism, in
Abuja… yesterday.
WHO, UNICEF highlight benefits of breastfeeding to children, mothers
From Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri)
and Rauf Oyewole (Bauchi)
W
and
ORLD Health
Organisation (WHO)
United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
have described breastfeeding
as a powerful line of defence
against diseases and all forms
of child malnutrition.
Meanwhile, Civil Society
Scaling Up Nutrition in
Nigeria, Bauchi State chapter,
is urging the government
and private employers to
domesticate WHO’s policy of
six months exclusive breast-
feeding, by granting mothers
six months maternity leave.
According to WHO, less than
50 per cent of the babies are
breastfed in the first hour of
life.
UNIJOS dissociates from statement on market rebuilding controversy
From Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos  government policy or action,
U NIVERSITY of Jos (UNI-
JOS) has dissociated
itself from a statement by a
group linking it with the
controversy surrounding
the reconstruction of Jos
Main market.
The Deputy Registrar,
Information and
Publication, Abdullahi
Abdullahi, stated, yesterday,
that the institution, while
recognising the legitimate
right of any group to express
its grievances against any
tariat in Kaduna, he said he
officially stepped down to
answer the clarion call of
the majority of people to
join the race for Sir Ibrahim
Kashim Government House
come 2023.
He said: “What you have
been hearing is now con-
firmed that I have answered
a clarion call by people and
by the larger people of
Kaduna to contest the
gubernatorial election
come 2023.
“I have answered this call,
having observed what has
gone on for a very long time
within my period as SOKA-
CSOs canvass six months maternity leave in Bauchi
The Emergency Manager in
North East, Dr. Richard Lako,
disclosed this, yesterday, dur-
ing a World Breastfeeding
Week event in Maiduguri,
Borno State.
Breastfeeding is an impor-
tant factor, particularly in
emergency settings, guaran-
teeing safe, nutritious and
accessible food source for
children, he added.
Theme of the 2022
Breastfeeding Week is ‘Set Up
for Breastfeeding and
Educating Support.’
Warning that “babies are
more vulnerable to diseases
and death,” Lako lamented
that 44 per cent of infants
were only exclusively breast-
fed in the first six months of
believes that the representa-
tives of the group should
have appended their signa-
tures on the document to
take full ownership of its con-
tents.
The statement reads, “The
attention of management of
UNIJOS has been drawn to a
press release issued purport-
edly by a group of youths
claiming to be under the aus-
pices of some ethnic nation-
alities in Plateau State, in col-
laboration with what they
News
PU president, and I have
seen the way insecurity has
taken over the entire state;
criminals freely come into
our state, kill and destroy
our farmlands and get away
with it. I feel that leadership
can fix those things.”  SOKAPU as its leader, I want
According to him, since
there is an opportunity to
offer himself for leadership
and since the essence of gov-
ernment is security and wel-
fare of the people, he is
ready to work.
He promised to offer inclu-
sive leadership that would
entrench justice and fair-
play to the people if elected.
life. “This is below WHO’s tar-
get of 50 per cent by 2025.”
He, therefore, called on
donor governments, Civil
Society Organisations (CSOs)
and the private sector to
invest in breastfeeding and
support in equipping health
centres and nutritional work-
ers, as well as counselling
mothers on breastfeeding.
UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri
Field Office, Samuel Sesay,
asserted: “Exclusive breast-
feeding plays an important
role in managing the double
burden of malnutrition and
food insecurity.
“A study by UNICEF and the
Ministry of Health in 2017
showed that inadequate and
low rate of breastfeeding
termed as ‘Plateau Daughters
in the University of Jos’
expressing their dissatisfac-
tion with the Memorandum
of Understanding brokered
between the state govern-
ment and Jaiz Bank on the
reconstruction of the Jos
Main Market.
“As a federal institution,
management of the universi-
ty is constrained to make cer-
tain clarifications, given that
the name of the institution
was appropriated in the
aforementioned press
“When we have leadership
that entrenches equity and
justice, it won’t matter
where you come from or
your religious affiliation; all
that will matter is quality
leadership. Coming from
to extend that kind of lead-
ership style to the entire
state,” he added.
Meanwhile, Asake’s deputy
in SOKAPU,  Dio Maisamari,
has stepped into office as
the new president.
Maisamari was national
chairman of Adara
Development Association
(ADA).
PHOTO: NAN
leads to 10 million avoidable
cases of childhood diarrhoea
and pneumonia,” adding that
more than 100,000 child
deaths were recorded during
the period under review.
He noted that the invest-
ment of N1,000 in supporting
optimal breastfeeding could
earn about N35,000 for the
country.
Other benefits of breastfeed-
ing include decrease in the
risk of breast and ovarian can-
cer, depression, hypertension,
cardiovascular disease and
type-2 diabetes.
Breastfed infants have a
decreased risk of atopic der-
matitis and gastroenteritis, as
well as a higher Intelligent
Quotient later in life.
Read the remaining part of
this story on www.guardian.ng
release, which, for all intents
and purposes, is not known
to be a duly registered group
in UNIJOS and whose activi-
ties have not been seen or
heard of in the university
before now.”
The management, therefore,
dissociated itself from the
publication and advised any
group with any grievance to
air it accordingly but with-
out recourse to the use of the
name and brand of the uni-
versity to confer legitimacy
on its status and actions.
Vote only candidates who support LG
autonomy, NULGE boss tells workers
From Ibrahim Obansa, Lokoja
T HE President, Nigeria
Union
Government
of Local
Employees
(NULGE), Ambali Olatunji,
has urged his members to
vote only leaders who sup-
port local council autonomy.
Olatunji stated this, yester-
day, at the 7th State
Quadrennial Inauguration
of the newly elected execu-
tive committee members to
run the affairs of NULGE in
Kogi State.
The NULGE president, who
praised Kogi government for
the passage of the LG
Autonomy Bill, said only
leaders ready to fix local
council administration,
which he said remains the
fulcrum of nationhood,
should be elected to public
office.
According to him, Nigeria,
which is on the brink of col-
lapse, is no longer the coun-
try the citizens dreamt of.
The drift, he explained, is as
a result of bad leadership.
His words: “The last four
years under the present
administration shows that
the country has no one in
charge, drifting with nobody
ITF decries soaring
unemployment, poverty in Nigeria
From Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos
I
NDUSTRIAL Training Fund
(ITF) has decried the soar-
ing poverty and unemploy-
ment, reportedly affecting
about 90 million Nigerians.
According to the Fund, the
unemployed are desirous to
work, but cannot find jobs,
due to the absence of requi-
site skills.
The Director-General/Chief
Executive Officer, Sir Joseph
Ari, disclosed this during a
press briefing on the ITF
Strategic Policy Direction
2022-2025, which held at its
Centre for Excellence
Auditorium in Jos, Plateau
State.
Ari, however, regretted that
in the face of the above, the
country’s population con-
tinued to soar, with the
World Bank estimating that
it might hit 216 million by
the end of 2022.
“Equally worrisome is the
spectre of out-of-school chil-
dren, which, according to
the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is
projected to be over 18.5 mil-
lion in 2023,” he added.
Harping on the need to
fully acquaint the public
with ITF’s plans, Ari said the
‘Strategic Policy Direction’
was the third of such plans
by his administration,
sequel to the 2016 plan he
unveiled on assumption of
office entitled ‘Strategy for
Mandate Actualisation.’
The ITF boss explained fur-
ther that the plan, which
was to terminate in 2022,
was reviewed in 2020 to
address gaps identified in
29 |
in control. This is not the
Muhammadu Buhari
Nigerians voted.”
Urging Nigerians to pray
and then elect credible lead-
ers in 2023, Olatunji pointed
out that “Buhari has failed to
provide security for the
nation.”
He lamented that the securi-
ty situation in the country,
disclosing that the Federal
Capital Territory is now vul-
nerable to insurgents.
Calling on the Minister of
Finance and the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) gover-
nor to immediately resign
from office, he described the
exchange rate as a shame
due to the alleged ineptitude
of the financial managers.
The NULGE president called
on the All Progressives
Congress (APC), Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and
Labour Party (LP) presiden-
tial candidates to speak on
local council autonomy,
asserting that a vote for it
means a vote for develop-
ment.
He warned council workers
in Kogi against misconduct,
while wishing the new state
executives well in the dis-
charge of their duties.
the course of its implemen-
tation, to appropriately
respond to the negative
impact of the Coronavirus
Disease (COVID-19) and ITF’s
numerous clients.
Despite the numerous
achievements of the Fund
on account of the initiatives,
he noted: “We have realised
that more needs to be done,
if we must fully tackle the
numerous socio-economic
problems bedeviling us as a
nation.
“Given the nature of your
profession (media), you
should be acutely aware
that with the current unem-
ployment rate in Nigeria,
governments at all levels
have challenges. It has
become increasingly obvi-
ous that efforts have to be
redoubled by all and sundry
to effectively rid the country
of these challenges.”
The Guardian gathered that
based on the above and with
resolutions from its recent
National Skill Summit in
Abuja, ITF found it impera-
tive to review its strategies
to address the challenges
and to meet the skills
requirement of the nation,
in line with global best prac-
tices.
According to Ari, to repli-
cate such successes, the per-
ception that skills acquisi-
tion is the preserve of a sec-
tion of the society has to be
addressed because the prej-
udice has discouraged peo-
ple from perceiving skills
acquisition as a real and bet-
ter alternative to white-col-
lar jobs.
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
www.guardian.ng
2022 Commonwealth Games
Nigerians hopeful as Ashe, Ekevwo,
Brume battle for
Anebel Orobosa hits final in women’s Shot Put
N IGERIAN sprint champi-
on, Favour Oghene Tejiri
Ashe, will lead two of his com-
patriots, Raymond Ekewvo
and Godson Brume, in the
search for medals as the semi-
final and final of 100 metres
of the 2022 Commonwealth
Games hold today.
Nicknamed ‘Bolt Ashe’ by his
fans, the Nigerian won his
100m heat yesterday, clock-
ing 10.12 seconds in Round 1
Heat 2 to advance to the semi-
finals.
The 20-year-old finished
ahead of England’s Nethaneel
Mitchell-Blake, who clocked
10.14 seconds to finish second.
Nadale Buntin of St. Kitts and
Nevis ran a Personal Best of
10.37s to finish third, but it
was not enough to qualify
him for the semifinals.
Two months ago in Benin
City, Edo State, Ashe won the
national 100m title to qualify
for the recently concluded
Oregon 2022 World Athletics
Championships in Oregon,
United States. The National
Trials held at the Samuel
Ogbemudia Stadium saw the
sprint sensation overpower-
ing a stacked field including
Nigeria is fourth best at African
Beach Volleyball Championship
By Tobi Awodipe
N IGERIA’S women’s team
finished fourth best at
the just concluded 2022
African Beach Volleyball
Senior Nations
Championships, which held
in Morocco.
Nigeria’s Rofiat Mustapha
and Esther Mbah lost to
Mozambique’s Muianga
and Sinaportar 0-2 (9-21, 13-
21) in the third place match
yesterday.
Despite losing the match,
coach of the beach volley-
ball team, Kayode Ajilore,
commended the resilient
spirit of the girls.
He said the initial plan of
Team Nigeria was to enter
into the finals, adding that
returning home without a
Director, Sales & Marketing, Michael Oyadele (left); Group Company Secretary, Jesuyemisi
Odeyemi; Director General, Business Strategy, Ayodeji Omoniyi; Ex-Super Eagles and Consultant, Waheed
Akani; Director, Sales & Marketing, Sumbo Oguntola and Director, Brand & Business Development, Tola
Alonge at a Media Parley by Adron Homes and Properties Limited to herald Adron Games 2022 at the com-
pany’s headquarters in Lagos...yesterday  ing, and all that stuff.”
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
TheGuardianSports
100m
medals today
Alaba Akintola and multiple
national champion, Seye
Ogunlewe, to win with a new
Personal Best time of 9.99
seconds.
His victory in Benin City was
the first legal sub-10 time for
the University of Tennessee
freshman after running a
wind-aided 9.79seconds on
the American Collegiate cir-
cuit.
At yesterday’s 100m heat in
Birmingham, Ashe started
well from the block and
maintained his stride to give
Nigerians the hope that he
could produce a podium per-
formance today.
Ekevwo also won his heat,
yesterday, to secure his semi-
final ticket.
On his part, Godson Brume
was lucky to scale through
from the heat, after escaping
the marching order for a
false start. He ran 10.36sec-
onds to finish third in his
heat, but scaled through to
the semifinal as one of the
best losers.
Brume will begin today’s
event in semifinal 1 at
7.00pm, while Ashe is in
semifinal 2, just as Ekevwo
medal is very painful.
“I am happy with the fight-
ing spirit of Esther Mbah and
Rafiat Mustapha throughout
the championship; they per-
formed above my expecta-
tions. Before departing the
country, our target was to
reach the finals in either the
men or women’s team.
Returning home without a
medal is painful but I must
commend the girls for giv-
ing their opponents good
fights in the semifinals and
third place match.
“This is the first time both
of them will be pairing in an
African Championship and I
am optimistic they will win
laurels for the country in
future championships,” he
added.
will compete in semifinal 3.
The final of the men’s 100
metres will hold later this
evening.
Meanwhile,
Commonwealth Games
debutant, Anabel Orobosa,
Ashe (left) and Raymond Ekevwo will join Godson Brume in the
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games 100m semifinals…today
Tyson backs Usyk to ‘mess
Joshua up’ for two reasons
B OXING icon, Mike Tyson,
believes Oleksandr Usyk
can ‘mess Anthony Joshua up’
when the two rivals meet in
the ring for their highly-antic-
ipated rematch for the unified
heavyweight world heavy-
weight titles, reports
express.co.uk. The first contest
went the way of Usyk after he
stunned the favoured Brit in
London back in September.
In the first contest, Joshua
was comfortably outclassed,
as the Ukrainian took his
WBA, WBO and IBF world titles
in front of 65,000 fans at the
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Usyk stunned Joshua on a
number of occasions and was
simply too fast for the Brit,
landing a number of impres-
sive hits to win unanimously
has qualified for the final of
Women’s Shot Put event. She
finished fifth in Group B of
the qualification rounds,
yesterday, with a throw of
16.27metres to put Team
Nigeria in the medal zone.
on points.
Joshua will look to reclaim his
titles when he faces the
Ukrainian at the Jeddah Super
Dome in Saudi Arabia on
August 20.
If he emerges victorious,
Joshua will become a three-
belt unified champion - and it
could set up a mouth-water-
ing undisputed clash with
WBC champion, Tyson Fury.
The match is undoubtedly
one of the most important
bouts of Joshua’s career so far -
and Tyson is concerned about
how the Brit will deal with
Usyk.
The former undisputed heavy-
weight champion, who
became champion, aged 20,
thanks to his superhuman
power, believes the
Ukrainian’s movement and
ability to feint gives him the
advantage.
“Listen, Joshua’s gonna have
to wear him down, because
the guy is smooth and moving
and all that stuff,” Tyson said
on The Joe Rogan Experience
podcast.
“He’s gonna have to wear him
down, he’s not gonna out box
this guy, he’s not, just beat him
down.
“Usyk is very hard to hit. He’s
an elite amateur boxer, that
elite amateur boxer stuff mess-
es guys like Joshua up, because
it’s too much movement, faint-
Liadi grabs weightlifting silver as judokas,
boxer, male table tennis team fall
Nigeria 11th as Australia leads medals table
N
IGERIA’S weightlifter,
Taiwo Liadi, yesterday,
added a silver medal to the
country’s kitty at the ongoing
Birmingham 2022
Commonwealth Games.
Liadi lifted a combined 216kg
to win Nigeria’s fifth medal in
the sport, which has been the
country’s source of laurels so
far in Birmingham.
The Nigerian had earlier set
two junior Commonwealth
records with a 120kg lift in the
clean and jerk on her way to
the podium.   sion in the 71kg of the men’s
Canada’s Maya Laylor won
the gold medal, setting two
new Commonwealth records
with a combined lift of 228kg.
Nauru’s Maximina Uepa set-
tled for the bronze medal.   As at press time, Australia
Nigeria’s quest for the bronze
medal in the men’s table ten-
nis team event failed as the
Quadri Aruna led team fell 3-0
to England in the third place
contest.
In judo, it was also not a good
outing for Nigeria, as the
NBF partners NUGA for boxing
development in universities
I
N what has been described
as a defence strategy and
genuine sporting endeavour
for students, the Nigerian
Boxing Federation (NBF) has
promised to help Nigerian
Universities Games
Association (NUGA) establish
the sport in the country’s uni-
versities ahead of the 2024
Games in Jos.
  The body believes that includ-
ing boxing in the NUGA
Games comes at a time in the
country’s history, adding that
it will embark on a training
tour of the country’s universi-
ties to scout for prospective
athletes and coaches.
NUGA President, Emeka
Ogbu, NBF Vice President,
Azania Omo-Agege and
NUGA’s Technical Chairman,
SOLUTION
| 30
country’s three representa-
tives were shown the way out
of the Games.  
Contesting in the women’s
63kg weight division, Cecilia
James was beaten by
Australia’s Katharina Haecker
in the quarterfinals, while Joy
Asonye, competing in the
women’s 70kg lost to another
Australian, Aoife Coughlan
  Nigeria’s boxers have not
fared better, as Abdul Afeez
Osoba lost to England’s Garan
Croft in a unanimous deci-
contest.  
On Day Six, Nigeria will field
athletes in boxing, table ten-
nis singles, athletics and
weightlifting.  
leads the medal’s table with
32 gold, 21 silver and 21 bronze
medals, while England is sec-
ond with 23 gold, 25 silver and
12 bronze medals, just as New
Zealand is third with 13 gold,
seven silver and five bronze
medals.
Prof Musa Garba Yakassai,
unveiled the partnership in
Abuja, yesterday.
Speaking at the event, Omo-
Agege thanked NUGA for facil-
itating what he believes is the
right move for the growth of
boxing in the country.
“We are excited about this
project because the federation
believes that this will help us
find and groom future cham-
pions and bring back Olympic
glory to Nigeria,” he said.
Also speaking at the event,
the NUGA president com-
mended the collaboration
with NBF as a worthwhile idea
since it will allow students to
focus energy into boxing,
combat anti-social behaviour
and provide female students
with self-defence skills.
THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 | 31
 TheGuardian
Conscience, Nurtured by Truth
‘Femi D. Ojumu e-mail:Tel:
info@balliolmyers.com
07016303208
Jurisprudential reviews of partnership law
I N 1732, the British physician and intellectual,
Dr Thomas Fuller (1654-1734), opined in his
striking treatise, Gnomologia: Adages and
Proverbs: “Be you never so high, the Law is above
you.” That expression was true then and
remains true today in partnership law in its
wider ramifications, as indeed all in virtually
aspects of life in civilized climes. The target of
this analysis is partnership law, a term used
interchangeably with partnerships, in this arti-
cle.
The ideological foundations of partnerships
are established in contract law, evidenced in a
written lawful agreement, reflecting the par-
ties’ express aspirations, clear intentions to
submit to a legal nexus and underpinned by
monetary and/or valuable consideration.
Clearly therefore, a partnership is a contractual
arrangement between two or more persons
for the overriding objective of making a legiti-
mate profit.
Models
In the main, there are three different types of
partnerships viz; General Partnerships,
Limited Liability Partnerships and Limited
Partnerships.
General Partnerships are firms owned by two
or more persons with a view to running the
business as co-owners. Except there are con-
trary arrangements, each partner has an equal
share of  profits and losses. The seminal rele-
vance of partnership agreements in all part-
nership models cannot be overstated because
they set the terms of engagement, profit
and/or debt sharing arrangements, ownership
structures et al.
Limited Partnerships are similar to General
Partnerships in the sense that the model has at
least one general partner, who actively runs the
entity, and at least one limited partner, who
does not take an active role in the administra-
tion of the firm. The model’s attraction is the
relative ease of establishment. Nevertheless,
there is a presumption of unlimited liability
against the general partner for the firm’s liabil-
ities.
On the other hand, Limited Liability
Partnerships, considered in some detail in this
analysis, limit the partners’ liabilities. Here, the
partners are not personally liable for business
debts, although they are personally liable for
their own wrongful acts and omissions.
Broadly, Nigeria’s Companies and Allied
Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, recognizes Limited
Liability Partnerships (section 746), Foreign
Limited Liability Partnerships (section 788 (1))
and Limited Partnership (section 795).
Reviews
Relying on the section 5 of the UK Partnership
Act 1890, a statute of general application in
Nigeria, section (1) 1 of the Laws of Lagos State of
Nigeria 2015, affirms that a partnership “is the
relationship which subsists between persons car-
rying on a business in common with a view to prof-
it.” The concept of “partner” is further defined
in CAMA 2020 as “a co-owner, member, or
investor in a partnership, and shall include a per-
son who joins with others to form a partnership
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
and in a relation to a limited liability partnership,
means any person who becomes a partner in a
limited liability partnership, in accordance with
the partnership agreement.”
Although section 19 (1) CAMA 2020 establishes
the general rule that no association nor part-
nership consisting of more than 20 persons
shall be formed for the purpose of carrying on
any business for profit or gain by the associa-
tion or partnership, or by individual members
thereof; an exception is made by virtue of the
provisions of section (19) (2) (a), (b)(i), (ii) and 3
therein. The latter exception provides a statu-
tory cover for co-operative societies, law part-
nerships and accounting firms exceeding 20
members in limited circumstances.
A close correlation subsists between partner-
ships and the legal concept of agency. The
American Restatement of the Law of Agency
(3rd edition, 2006) enunciates agency as the
fiduciary relationship that arises when one
person (a ‘principal’) manifests assent to
another person (an ‘agent’) that the agent shall
act on the principal’s behalf and subject to the
principal’s control, and the agent manifests or
otherwise consents so to act. Bowman and
Reynolds (18th edition 2006) expressed a simi-
lar reasoning and established the agency as
the fiduciary relationship, one predicated on
trust and utmost good faith, between two or
more persons, one of whom explicitly or
implicitly manifests that the other should act
on his behalf; in order to affect his relations
with third parties, and the other of whom sim-
ilarly manifests assent so as to act, or so acts
pursuant to manifestation.
The inferences emanating from these propo-
sitions establish that partners are agents of
one another, act, and are expected to act in a
fiduciary relationship relative to the objectives
of their partnership compact, and that they
are implicitly or explicitly bound by their
respective actions or omissions in the ordinary
execution of the firm’s business. This interpre-
tation accords with the provisions of section 5
Published by The Guardian Group, Rutam House, Isolo, Lagos Tel: 01-4489600
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E-mail:Letters@guardian.ng; www.guardian.ng
Editor:
ALABI U. WILLIAMS
Nigerians hopeful as Ashe, Ekevwo,
Brume battle for 100m medals today P/30
of Partnership Act (PA) 1890, the power of part-
ners to bind the firm, which establishes that:
“Every partner is an agent of the firm and his
other partners for the purpose of the business
of the partnership; and the acts of every part-
ner who does any act for carrying on in the
usual way business of the kind carried on by
the firm of which he is a member, bind the
firm and his partners, unless the partner so
acting has in fact no authority to act for the
firm in the particular matter, and the person
with whom he is dealing either knows that he
has no authority, or does not know or believe
him to be a partner.”
However, it is important to note that sections
765 and 766 CAMA 2020 significantly modify
the inherent strictures of section 5 of the PA
1890 by defining the extent of partners’ liabili-
ty and delimiting the liability of limited liabil-
ity partnerships and partners. Thus, section
765 stipulates that a partner of a limited liabil-
ity partnership is, for the purpose of the busi-
ness of the limited partnership, the agent of
the limited liability partnership, but not of
other partners.
In other words, in Nigeria at least, Partner A
will not ordinarily be vicariously liable for the
actions or omissions of Partner B, in XYZ limit-
ed liability partnership (LLP). But, on that con-
struction, Partner A can be held liable for the
actions and omissions of XYZ LLP. Impliedly,
this particular provision is an invocation of
the doctrine of corporate personality estab-
lished in Salomon v Salomon 1897 AC 22, by
clearly distinguishing the discrete legal per-
sonality of Partner A from that of XYZ LLP.
Nevertheless, it raises practical questions as to
whether the unintended consequence thereof
is to potentially establish a safe umbrella for
negligent and/or reckless acts and omissions
by erring partners?!
Proceeding, by virtue of section 765 (1), (a), (b),
(2), (3) and (4) CAMA 2020, a limited liability
partnership is not bound by anything done by
a partner in dealing with a person or third par-
ABC (ISSN NO 0189-5125)
ty: if the partner in fact has no authority to act
for the LLP in executing a particular act; and if
the third party knows the partner lacks author-
ity and neither knows nor believes him to be a
partner of the said partnership.
A Limited Liability Partnership is liable if a
partner of the LLP is liable to any person as a
result of the wrongful act or omission on his
part in the course of the LLP’s business or with
its authority. The obligations of the limited lia-
bility partnership whether emanating in con-
tract or otherwise, shall exclusively be the obli-
gation of the said partnership. Plus, the liabili-
ties of a limited liability partnership shall be
met out of the property of the limited liability
partnership.
Additional statutory protection is afforded in
section 767 (1) CAMA 2020 to the extent that a
partner is not personally liable, directly or indi-
rectly for an obligation imposed on the part-
nership arising from contract or otherwise.
However, the first limb of the subsection to sec-
tion 767 (2) squarely imposes personal liability
on a partner for his own wrongful act or omis-
sion; whilst the second limb expressly provides
that a partner “shall not” be personally liable
for the wrongful act or omission of any other
partner of a limited liability partnership.
A persuasive case to consider pertaining to the
second limb above, is the English case of Dixon
Coles & Gill v Right Reverend, Nicholas Baines,
Bishop of Leeds & Another [2021] EWCA Civ
1097. Consistent with the principles of natural
justice, it was established by the Court of
Appeal that blameless partners in a law firm
were not inexorably liable to previous clients
of the firm for losses triggered by the actions of
a fraudulent partner. Put another way, this case
is authority for the proposition that partners
do not, automatically swim or sink together,
based on the infractions of one or some.
Culpability turns on the unique facts of each
case.
Recommendations
Based on the foregoing, it is recommended
that each partnership, irrespective of the oper-
ating model, develops a definitive partnership
agreement which outlines partners’ respective
rights and obligations, allocation of responsi-
bilities, firms’ policies on profit and/or debt
sharing and risk management. Likewise, there
is a rational case for reviewing the provisions of
section 765 CAMA 2020, to ensure that it is a
genuine shield for innocent partners, and not
a sword of Damocles over a noble legal profes-
sion.
Conclusion
The contention for partners to ensure they
consistently uphold their fiduciary obligations
to their firms, avoid ultra vires acts, consistent-
ly act with integrity within the confines of the
law cannot be overstated. Afterall, as Thomas
Fuller opined above, “Be you never so high, the
Law is above you.”
Ojumu Esq. FBR, MBA, B.L, LL. B (Hons) is
Principal Partner, Balliol Myers LP, a firm of
legal practitioners, based in Lagos, Nigeria.