13052020 - COVID 19: Ignore WHO, go for local cures, Reps tell FG

21 

Pandemics in 

history: Was 

Nigeria prepared 

for COVID-19? 

(2) 

22 23 

KIDNAPPING: Armed herdsmen adopt new 

kidnap tactics in Delta 

Delta State communities cry out again as armed 

herdsmen ravaging their land have devised new tactics 

in their kidnapping operations. They now strike mostly 

at night, taking their victims unawares in most cases. 

Investigations by Vanguard reveal that the herdsmen 

have perfected their strategy on when, where and how 

to strike. It is a must read. Uniquely Vanguard! 

Reps seek review, 

cancellation of 

Chinese loans to 

Nigeria 

State of Nigeria’s power sector worsens, as losses hit N65.6bn in April 

29 

19 

VOL. 27: NO. 64068 WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 

COVID 19: Ignore WHO, go 

for local cures, Reps tell FG 

•Say WHO has no effective cure, blast ‘Solidarity trials’ 

•Add: Nigeria has medicinal plants that can be used against Coronavirus 

5 

•Reps urge Northern Govs to reverse ban on Almajiri system 

•Ask FG to stop repatriation of Almajiri children by states 

Worry, as FG 

spends 

N679m daily 

on 

feeding 

school 

children 

during 27 

lockdown 

Gambari to 

be named 

Chief of 

Staff to 7 

Buhari 

—PRESIDENCY 

CBN to give 

scientists, 

researchers 

grant to 

develop 

local 

8 

vaccines 

—EMEFIELE 

HANDING OVER OF THISDAY DOME COVID-19 ISOLATION CENTRE 

From left: Minister of Humanitarian & Disaster Management, Hajia Sadiya Farouk; Minister of 

Environment, Alhaji Muhammed Mahmoud; Minister of State, FCT, Hajia Ramattu Tijani; Chairman, 

Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapher; Chairman, Leaders and Company, Prince 

Nduka Obaigbena; Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Executive Director, Sahara Group, Mr. Tope 

Shonubi and the Minister of FCT, Mallam Muhammad Bello, during the official handing over ceremony 

of the ThisDay Dome COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment Centre equipped by a coalition of sponsors led 

by the Sahara Group at the Central Business District, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida. 

US court okays FG to subpoena 

Jonathan, Diezani's accounts 

•10 banks from US, UK, Singapore, Cyprus, others listed 

•Also accounts of late ex-Petroleum minister, Rilwanu Lukman 

26 

•We weren't contacted on this, says ex-President Jonathan 

ROTIMI FASAN 17 DEAR BUNMI 30 

Mr & Mrs

2 —Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 — 3

4 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 

COVID-19: WHO meets African traditional 

medicine experts 

—113-year-old Spanish woman recovers 

—Russia records 10,899 infections in 24 hours 

By Henry Ojelu with 

agency report 

THE World Health 

Organisation 

(WHO) says it has met 

with 70 traditional medicine 

experts in a bid to 

find a cure for the 

COVID-19 pandemic. 

This was disclosed on 

Tuesday by WHO Afro 

Region via its official 

Twitter handle 

@WHOAFRO. The 

health organisation said 

an agreement was 

reached with the herbal 

medicine experts on 

clinical trials of their remedies. 

“70 traditional medicine 

experts from countries 

across #Africa held 

a virtual meeting with 

@WHO on the role of 

traditional medicine in 

the #COVID19 response. 

“They unanimously 

agreed that clinical trials 

must be conducted for 

all medicines in the Region, 

without exception,” 

@WHOAFRO 

tweeted. 

This meeting is coming 

a day after Madagascar 

President Andry 

Rajoelina batted away 

criticism for promoting a 

homegrown “remedy” 

for COVID-19, charging 

that the West has a condescending 

attitude toward 

traditional African 

medicine. 

“If it wasn’t Madagascar, 

and if it was a European 

country that had 

actually discovered this 

remedy, would there be 

so much doubt? I don’t 

think so,” Madagascar’s 

President told French 

media in an interview on 

Monday. 

Russia now has 

second highest 

virus case 

Russia has confirmed 

232,000 cases of 

coronavirus - the second 

highest toll in the world 

after the US. 

In the last 24 hours the 

country has reported 

10,899 infections, the 

tenth consecutive day 

that number has been 

above 10,000. 

Among the infected is 

President Vladimir 

Putin’s spokesman 

Dmitry Peskov, local media 

report. He is the latest 

high profile official to 

test positive, after 

Prime Minister Mikhail 

Mishustin caught the illness. 

The news comes the 

COVID-19 Global Update 

Country Cases Death Recovered Critital 

USA 1,395,026 82,555 274,901 16,501 

Spain 269,520 26,920 180,470 1,534 

Italy 221,216 30,911 109,039 952 

France 177,423 26,643 56,724 2,712 

Germany 172,812 7,676 147,200 1,576 

UK 226,463 32,692 N/A 1,559 

China 82,918 4,633 78,144 58 

Iran 110,767 6,733 88,357 2,713 

Belgium 53,779 8,761 13,732 465 

Netherlands 42,984 5,510 N/A 463 

South Africa 11,350 206 4,357 77 

Egypt 10,093 544 2,326 99 

Algeria 6,067 515 2,554 138 

Cameroon 2,689 125 1,524 28 

Ghana 5,127 22 494 165 

Nigeria 4,641 150 902 4 

World - Affected – 4,311,702; Death – 290,580 

Recovered – 1,567,131; Serious/Critical – 46,585 

day after President 

Putin eased the 

country’s lockdown. Factory 

and construction 

workers returned to work 

on Tuesday, though Mr 

Putin gave regions freedom 

to set restrictions 

depending on local circumstances. 

Despite the 

high number of confirmed 

cases, Russia’s 

death toll is only 2,116. 

Government officials 

say the country’s mass 

testing programme is responsible 

for that low 

mortality rate, but many 

believe the number is in 

fact far higher. 

Meanwhile, authorities 

in St Petersburg 

have put out a fire in an 

intensive care unit, 

which killed five 

coronavirus patients and 

forced the evacuation of 

about 150 people. 

Local media reported 

on Tuesday that Mr 

Peskov - the presidential 

spokesman since 2012 - 

had tested positive for 

the virus and was now in 

hospital. 

“Yes, I am sick. I am receiving 

treatment,” new 

agencies quoted him as 

saying. 

Wuhan to test 

entire population 

after new cases 

Wuhan plans to conduct 

coronavirus tests on 

the Chinese city’s entire 

population after new 

cases emerged for the 

first time in weeks in the 

cradle of the global pandemic, 

state media reported 

Tuesday. 

Officials have been ordered 

to submit by noon 

on Tuesday plans to administer 

nucleic acid 

tests on all residents in 

the city of 11 million 

people, according to an 

official notice carried by 

news outlets. 

“Each district should 

make plans and arrangements 

to conduct nucleic 

acid tests on the entire 

population in its jurisdiction 

within a 10-day time 

limit,” the notice said, although 

it was unclear 

when testing would begin. 

The plan come after 

Wuhan reported the 

first cluster of new 

COVID-19 infections 

since the city re-opened 

after a 76-day lockdown 

on April 8. 

Six new cases were reported 

on Sunday and 

Monday from a residential 

compound in 

Dongxihu District. 

But an official from the 

Dongxihu District epidemic 

prevention and 

control commanding officer 

told AFP that they 

have “not yet received 

news about this notice”. 

Fauci warns 

Senate of ‘serious 

consequences’ 

The US’s top infectious 

diseases doctor has 

warned senators the virus 

will spread if the 

country opens up too 

soon. Dr Anthony Fauci 

said if federal guidelines 

to reopen are not followed, 

“little spikes” will 

become outbreaks. 

He also said the real 

US death toll is probably 

higher than the official 

figure of 80,000. 

His message is at odds 

with the upbeat tone of 

President Trump who is 

keen to get the economy 

going again. 

Dr Fauci was speaking 

via video to a Republican-led 

committee of the 

US Senate. 

He was referring to the 

White House’s Opening 

Up America Again 

plan, which includes 

three 14-day phases that 

states should consider 

implementing as they 

allow schools and businesses 

to reopen. 

Several US states already 

restarting their 

economies have infection 

rates that are rising, 

not falling. He warned of 

the risk of triggering an 

outbreak that officials 

would not be able to control, 

adding such an outbreak 

would set back economic 

recovery and 

could lead to “suffering 

and death”. 

Although the White 

House has laid out 

guidelines for reopening, 

it is ultimately up to 

state governors to make 

the decisions on how to 

ease the lockdown. 

Musk defies 

orders, reopens 

Tesla’s California 

plant 

Tesla has reopened its 

only US electric car plant 

in California, despite local 

orders against manufacturing. 

On Monday, 

the company’s chief executive 

Elon Musk 

tweeted that production 

had restarted and he 

would be “on the line 

with everyone else”. 

US states and local governments 

are trying to 

determine the best way 

to open up after 

lockdown. Mr Musk previously 

vowed to move 

the firm’s headquarters 

out of California if the 

plant was not allowed to 

reopen. 

He has been vocal 

about the lockdown orders 

in recent weeks. Mr 

Musk recently celebrated 

plans to relax 

restrictions across the 

country, writing on Twitter: 

“FREE AMERICA 

NOW”. He has also dismissed 

as “dumb” concerns 

about the 

coronavirus. 

While the state has 

eased restrictions to allow 

manufacturing, 

Alameda County, where 

the Fremont plant is located, 

has not. The town 

is about one hour south 

of San Francisco. 

On Saturday, Elon 

Musk said that Tesla had 

filed a lawsuit against 

the county asking a court 

to remove the order that 

prevents the carmaker 

from resuming production. 

Rather than wait for a 

ruling, Mr Musk announced 

on Twitter on 

Monday that the plant 

would reopen. 

UK furlough 

scheme extended 

by four months 

The UK scheme to pay 

wages of workers on 

leave because of 

coronavirus will be extended 

to October, Chancellor 

Rishi Sunak has 

said. Mr Sunak confirmed 

that employees 

will continue to receive 

80% of their monthly 

wages up to £2,500. 

But he said the government 

will ask companies 

to “start sharing” the 

cost of the scheme from 

August. A quarter of the 

workforce, some 7.5 million 

people, is now covered 

by the scheme, 

which has cost £14bn a 

month. 

The chancellor said that 

from August, the scheme 

would continue for all 

sectors and regions of 

the country but with 

greater flexibility to support 

the transition back to 

work. 

Employers currently 

using the scheme will 

then be able to bring furloughed 

employees back 

part-time. 

Mr Sunak will attempt 

slowly to reduce the cost 

to the taxpayer of the 

subsidy scheme, but full 

details are still to be 

worked out. 

However, sources have 

told the BBC the Treasury 

stills expects to be 

paying more than half 

the costs between August 

and October. 

Later on Tuesday, in 

an interview with the 

BBC, Mr Sunak said the 

number of job losses 

“breaks my heart”, adding: 

“That’s why I’m 

working night and day to 

limit the amount of job 

losses.” 

India PM 

announces 

$270bn virus 

economic package 

India’s Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi announced 

Tuesday a $270 

billion economic package 

to boost flagging 

growth as the country 

grapples with the impact 

of the coronavirus pandemic 

and weeks-long 

lockdown. 

“This economic package 

is for India’s self reliant 

movement. It is for 

the cottage, small and 

medium scale industries,” 

Modi said in a 

national television address. 

The package - worth 

about 10 percent of 

India’s GDP - came as 

the country was set to 

mark its 50th day in 

lockdown as the number 

of virus cases topped 

70,000 with 2,200 

deaths. 

113-year-old 

Spanish woman 

recovers 

A 113-year-old woman 

in Spain’s northeastern 

province of Girona has 

recovered after contracting 

the novel 

coronavirus. 

Local media reported 

Monday that Maria 

Branyas, the oldest person 

in Spain, beat the virus after 

battling it for several weeks. 

After testing positive, 

Branyas was quarantined in 

a room at her nursing home 

and later tested negative for 

the virus. 

Spain unveils 

14-day quarantine 

for arrivals 

People arriving in Spain 

will face a mandatory 14-day 

quarantine to slow the 

spread of the coronavirus, 

the government announced 

yesterday. 

The measure comes into 

effect on Friday and will remain 

in force until May 24 

when the state of emergency 

expires — or beyond if the 

measure is extended, it said. 

“This measure is considered 

proportionate to the 

gravity of the situation and 

in line with the controls reestablished 

along internal 

borders by a large number 

of member states of the European 

Union,” the order 

said. 

“The favourable evolution 

of the epidemic in our country 

and the start of the rollback 

make it necessary to 

reinforce measures of control,” 

it said. 

“Given the global distribution 

of the virus and working 

from the principle of precaution, 

it is necessary that 

anyone coming from abroad 

observe a 14-day quarantine 

period.”

vanguardnews 

@vanguardnews 

@vanguardnews 

NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 —5 

POCKET CARTOON 

A HELPING HAND —Wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr Zainab Bagudu 

(R), assisting an old woman to wear her face mask, during the distribution of 

COVID-19 palliatives to vulnerable women, youths and physically challenged 

persons by the governor’s wife, at Illo town in Kebbi State, yesterday. Photo: 

NAN 

COVID 19: Ignore WHO, go 

for local cures, Reps tell FG 

By Tordue Salem 

ABUJA — The 

House of 

Representatives 

yesterday called on the 

Federal Government to 

ignore the World Health 

Organization, WHO, in 

efforts to find cure for 

COVID-19 and approve 

use of alternative 

remedies to cure the 

disease. 

It also called on 

governors of the 19 states 

of the North to reverse the 

ban on the Almajiri 

System until millions of 

Islamic school children 

loitering the streets of the 

region without care are 

provided for by the 

Universal Basic 

Education Commission, 

UBEC. 

The Green Chamber 

also urged the Federal 

Government to intervene 

and immediately halt 

repatriation of Almajirai 

children to their states of 

origin. 

The House, in a motion 

by Ossy Prestige (PDP, 

Abia), rejected warnings 

by the World Health 

Organization on the use 

of local cures for the 

disease. 

Sponsor of the motion 

noted that since the 

outbreak of Coronavirus 

disease, otherwise known 

as COVID-19, it has 

infected more than four 

million people around the 

world, with a global death 

toll of about 300,000, 

adding that Nigeria has 

over 4,641 confirmed 

cases and over 150 

deaths, with the virus 

spreading to virtually all 

states of federation at an 

alarming rate. 

The House plenary, 

preside over by the 

speaker, Femi 

Gbajabiamila, 

immediately adopted the 

motion, urging 

government to support 

and encourage the use of 

locally developed 

remedies for the 

management and 

treatment of COVID-19 

ailments in Nigeria in 

order to ascertain their 

efficacy. 

It also mandated the 

Committee on Health “to 

interface with the relevant 

government agencies to 

ensure that our locallydeveIoped 

remedies for 

the treatment of COVID- 

19 are included in the 

clinical trials by the WHO 

under its “Solidarity 

initiative.” 

‘No effective 

cure from WHO’ 

Presenting his motion, 

the Abia lawmaker said: 

“The World Health 

Organization, WHO, has 

not found any effective 

cure or vaccine for this 

virus ravaging the world 

but has launched an 

international clinical trial 

known as “Solidarity” to 

help find an effective cure 

for this disease. 

“WHO has cautioned 

against the use of any 

drug or treatment that 

has not undergone 

clinical trials or 

administering these 

unproven treatments to 

patients with COVID-19. 

Some countries jettisoned 

this caution by WHO and 

have gone ahead to 

develop indigenous 

treatments to combat the 

ravaging effects of this 

virus on their citizens.” 

“The Israeli Institute for 

Biological Research has 

successfully developed a 

series of antibodies to 

combat the coronavirus. 

The Israeli President is 

considering building a 

vaccine production plant 

for the production of 

vaccines to treat COVID- 

19 patients. 

“Madagascar, a small 

African country took their 

destinies in their hands 

and to the consternation 

of WHO and the Centre 

for Disease Control, 

developed a herbal drink 

for the treatment of 

COVID-19 patients from 

a medicinal plant, 

Artemisia annua, which 

their herbal research 

institutes have been 

studying for over 30 

years. Madagascar so far 

has not recorded any 

death from COVID-19 

cases.’ 

“In recognition of this 

feat by Madagascar, 

WHO has come out with 

a statement in support of 

c o n s i d e r i n g 

Madagascar’s herbal 

drink as possible 

treatment for COVID-19. 

The President of the 

country said the factory 

for the mass production of 

the herbal drink will be 

operational in one month. 

“Madagascar’s herbal 

drink has received 

recognition and boost 

from other African 

Presidents, including 

those of Tanzania, 

Equatorial Guinea, 

Uganda, Egypt, Senegal, 

Guinea Bissau and 

Comoros and have 

ordered the Madagascar 

herbal drink for the 

treatment of COVID-19 

cases in their various 

countries. 

“Various similar claims 

of breakthroughs in the 

cure of COVID-19 by our 

scientists and alternative 

medical practitioners 

have received virtually no 

attention from the 

government, the Ministry 

of Health, the 

Presidential Task Force on 

COVID-19 or the Nigeria 

Centre for Disease 

Control, NCDC, but the 

government and its 

agencies have instead 

volunteered for the WHO 

“Solidarity” programne 

where, sadly, our citizens 

will be used as “lab rats” 

for WHO’s untested and 

unproven vaccines and 

treatments that are not 

indigenous to our 

people.” 

‘Iwu, others 

claim cures’ 

The lawmaker said he 

was aware that Professor 

Maurice Iwu, Chief 

Executive Officer of Bio- 

Resources Institute of 

Nigeria, had stated that 

his team of researchers 

have found a cure for 

coronavirus which 

information had been 

conveyed to the Ministers 

of Health and Science and 

Technology. 

He lamented that till 

date, no action had been 

taken by government to 

verify the authenticity of 

this claim and that the 

T r a d i t i o n a l 

Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine 

Department of the 

Ministry of Health had 

written to the Director- 

General of the NAFDAC 

informing her that the 

Department, through its 

research, has formulated 

a possible cure for the 

management of COVID- 

19 ailments. 

Continuing, the 

lawmaker said: “Anambra 

Traditional Medicine 

Board, headed by 

Reverend Father 

Raymond Arazu, a 

Catholic Reverend Father 

and foremost traditional 

medical practitioner, has 

announced that the board 

has developed a cure for 

COVID-19. 

“A Nigerian 

pharmaceutical company, 

headed by Dr. Paul Olisah 

Ojeih, has come up with 

claims that the COVID-19 

pandemic has become a 

money-making venture 

for certain privileged 

Nigerians and that his 

Continues on Page 27 

By Olayinka Latona 

& Bose Adelaja 

Demolition of hotels by Gov Wike over lockdown violation 

GOVERNOR Wike has 

no right or power to do 

what he did. He cannot be an 

executive governor and at the 

same time be the legislator 

and the judicial. Agreed the 

hotels’ owners flouted the 

COVID-19 Pandemic guidelines, 

but is not for him to prosecute 

and convict. The Constitution 

is a grand norm. The 

owners of the hotels should 

take him to court. 

*Rev Anthony Godonu, 

Cleric 

I 

am in full support of 

the governor, considering 

the fact that the hotelier is 

aware of the situation on 

ground. As PDP youth leader 

in a PDP governing state, he 

should be an apostle of the 

governor. Moreover, bringing 

tugs to beat up government 

officials is something 

too bitter to swallow. The action 

of the governor serves 

him right. 

*Chinedu Osuala, Businessman 

THE decision to de 

molish hotels in Rivers 

state over violation of 

the COVID-19 lockdown 

order is extreme and illegal. 

This act is not good 

especially coming from the 

leader of the state. I think 

the governor should have 

imposed other stringent 

measures rather than demolishing 

the hotel. 

*Harley Titilola, Student 

GOVERNOR Wike 

was showing necessary 

action and ensuring 

security agencies do their 

job well. He was commended 

for that by many 

& rightly so. But going on 

to demolish hotels is definitely 

way out of order. 

That sort of action is really 

condemnable. A fine 

should have been appropriate. 

*Peace Nwosu, Secretary 

GOVERNOR Wike 

has every right to 

impound, auction, demolish 

and in short punish 

anyone caught violating 

the lockdown order. He 

did not make the executive 

order for selfish reasons 

rather for the protection of 

the lives of citizens which 

includes the hotelier and 

his so called family. 

*Eugene Okey, Businessman 

G OVERNMENTS 

across the world 

have imposed counter measures 

like social distancing, 

use of face masks and lockdown 

to stem increasing 

number of deaths arising 

from Covid-19 pandemic. 

But, it is unconstitutional for 

Wike to demolish hotels and 

auction the vehicles of alleged 

lockdown defaulters 

without fair trials. 

*Michael Itiolu, Lawyer

6—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 

LASTMA officer 

in coma after 

Police, LASTMA 

clash in Apapa 

By Bose Adelaja 

A 

senior officer with Lagos State 

Transport Management 

Authority, LASTMA, was, Monday 

evening, beaten to coma, following 

a brawl between a team of 

LASTMA and Policemen drafted 

to Apapa, Lagos. 

However, LASTMA Public Affairs 

Officer, Olumide Falade, said the 

victim is currently responding to 

treatment. 

The incident was said to have 

occurred at Eleganza roundabout, 

Warehouse Road, by Trebor 

junction, off Creek/Liverpool Road. 

There were conflicting accounts 

on what led to the brawl, but a 

source said the victim was attacked 

by Policemen numbering six while 

trying to broker peace but another 

version said there was 

disagreement between both parties 

over sharing formula. 

Vanguard gathered that the team 

had allegedly been extorting truck 

drivers in Apapa/Wharf over 

violation of the social distancing 

order by truck drivers who carried 

more than one motor boy. 

It was gathered that while the 

team was on duty on Monday, a 

containerised vehicle was flagged 

down and the driver was asked to 

pay a minimum of N30,000 but he 

insisted that all he had on him was 

N7,000 and could only part with 

N5,000, which led to an argument 

that divided the parties as one of 

them was in support of the driver 

while the other was against him. 

Reports said in the process, the 

officers engaged in a brawl but 

LASTMA was overwhelmed and 

its senior officer was beaten to stupor. 

While trying to rescue the victim 

and rush him to the hospital, the 

driver and his motor boys escaped 

the scene. 

Lagos State Police Relations 

Officer, Elkanah Bala, did not 

respond to calls when contacted 

by Vanguard. 

Lady drowns own baby, reports self to 

Police 

By Evelyn Usman 

A 22-year-old lady, Adisa 

Funmilola, has reported herself to 

the Police at Gowon Estate division 

in Lagos, after drowning her oneyear 

and six months old baby inside 

a bucket filled water in her apartment 

at Plot 22, Gowon Estate, Monday. 

During interrogation, she blamed 

her action on frustration, saying her 

baby deprived her of actualising her 

dream of becoming a lawyer. 

She explained that she was 

impregnated by one Yusuf Folarin, 

while both were attending Unified 

Tertiary Matriculation 

Examination, UTME, classes at 

the City of Success, in Abeokuta, the 

Ogun State capital. 

Trouble started for her after Folarin 

rejected paternity of the child, 

requesting the pregnancy be 

aborted. 

Along the line, she said she was 

offered admission into Obafemi 

Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, 

Osun State, to study Law, but had 

to defer the admission because of 

the baby. 

•Says: ‘She deprived me of becoming a lawyer’ 

Surprisingly, she did 

not show remorse for 

her action. 

How she 

killed the 

baby 

She said: “I killed my 

baby and reported 

myself to the police. I 

filled water in a bucket, 

dipped her inside, 

held her head until she 

drowned. 

"I did it for three 

reasons. First, I didn’t 

have the financial 

might to take care of 

her. Second, I was 

tired and frustrated. 

The most painful 

reason is that she 

deprived me of actualising my 

dream of becoming a lawyer. 

“I would have aborted the 

pregnancy but my father advised 

me against it. The person that is 

responsible for the pregnancy 

rejected me. I live with my sister, 

Adisa Funmilola 

who has no job and I am also not 

working.” 

Asked if she was aware of the 

magnitude of her offence, she gave 

a wry smile, and muttered: “The 

most important thing is that I have 

Bandits kill 23 in Kaduna, Benue communities 

By Peter Duru & 

Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo 

TWENTY-THREE people 

were reportedly killed by 

suspected herdsmen that 

invaded two communities in 

Kaduna and Benue states, 

yesterday, with many 

sustaining injuries. 

Two sisters were also 

reportedly kidnapped by 

unknown gunmen at Sabon- 

Jero village in Kaduna State. 

Seventeen people were 

reportedly killed during the 

attack on Gonan Rogo village 

in Kajuru Local Government 

Area of Kaduna State in the 

early hours of the day, where 

about five persons were injured. 

Though the Kaduna State 

Police Command is yet to 

confirm the incident, President 

of Adara Development 

Association, ADA, Mr Awema 

Maisamari, yesterday, 

confirmed that the 17 people 

were killed in Gonan-Rogo 

village, Kufana District, Kajuru 

Local government Area of the 

state. 

He said: “The killings were in 

the early hours of Tuesday when 

gunmen, suspected to be 

herdsmen, invaded the 

community. Some houses were 

also set ablaze by the bandits 

2 Chinese arrested for offering N50m 

bribe to top EFCC official 

TWO Chinese, Meng Wei 

Kun and Xu Koi, have 

been arrested by Sokoto Zonal 

Office of Economic and 

Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, for 

offering N50,000,000 as a bribe 

to its Zonal Head, Mr 

Abdullahi Lawal. 

The suspects arrested 

Monday in Sokoto allegedly 

offered the bribe in a 

desperate bid to compromise 

ongoing investigations of a 

construction company, China 

Zhonghao Nig. Ltd, handling 

contracts awarded by the 

Zamfara State Government in 

the sum of N50 billion 

between 2012 and 2019. 

The zonal office of the 

commission is investigating 

the construction company, in 

connection with the execution 

of contracts for the 

construction of township roads 

in Gummi, Bukkuyun, Anka 

and Nassarawa towns of 

Zamfara State; and the 

Some of the N50m bribery cash being offered by two 

Chinese to Sokoto Zonal Director of EFCC, yesterday. 

construction of 168 solarpowered 

boreholes in the 14 

local government areas of the 

state. 

Alarmed by the consistency 

and professionalism of 

investigation being conducted, 

the company reached out to 

Lawal with an offer of N50 

million as a bribe to “bury” 

the matter. 

The suspects would soon be 

charged to court. 

as the villagers, who were 

woken by the sound of 

gunshots, scampered for safety 

in different directions. 

“The bandits came to the 

village in large number, armed 

with guns, machetes and knives. 

Some of the villagers were killed 

with guns while others were 

hacked to death with machetes. 

“The attackers were herdsmen, 

they invaded the community at 

about 1:00 am, yesterday and 

started killing people. Twelve 

people were killed on the spot, 

the corpses of others were 

recovered in the bush. 

“About two hours after the 

bandits fled, security personnel 

manning a checkpoint not too far 

from the community came. But 

they did not enter the community, 

they just stayed. 

Spokesman of Kaduna Police 

Command, Muhammad Jalige, 

said he would find out and revert 

to journalists. 

2 sisters kidnapped 

It was gathered that the two 

sisters were kidnapped Monday 

night when the gunmen stormed 

Sabon-Jero community. 

A member of the community, 

Adamu Murtala, said: “The 

kidnappers stormed the village 

around 9:40 pm. They targeted 

the house because its owner was 

not at home. Only his wife, her 

younger sister and children were 

in the house. So, they broke in 

and kidnapped the woman and 

her younger sister. 

“Soldiers came to the scene, but 

the gunmen had already 

abducted the two sisters, and 

because they were many, they 

were able to escape with the 

victims.” 

6 die in Benue 

community attack 

Also, yesterday, six persons: 

four herdsmen and two farmers, 

were confirmed dead in a bloody 

killed the baby.” 

She was taken to the command 

headquarters in Ikeja, yesterday, 

from where the Commissioner of 

Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, 

directed that she be transferred to 

the State Criminal Investigation 

Department, SCIID, Yaba. 

Elder sister to the suspect, who 

expressed shock at her sibling’s 

action, said she was at home on the 

day of the incident but never knew 

what the latter was doing until 

policeman stormed their apartment. 

The sister, who did not want her 

name in print, said: “ Yes, we live 

together. I was in my bedroom while 

she was in hers. I didn’t know when 

she drowned the baby. I suspect she 

is mentally deranged because our 

mother had a similar mental issue 

before she died. 

Police sources said investigation 

into the matter would include a 

medical test on the suspect to 

ascertain whether she is mentally 

stable. 

“But that will not stop her from 

facing the consequence of her 

action," police sources said. 

attack on Agasha community in 

Guma Local Government Area of 

Benue State by suspected 

herdsmen. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

herders had late Monday night 

stormed the community, shooting 

sporadically and scaring the 

people out of their beds. 

One of the villagers said: “They 

came around 11 pm when 

everybody had gone to bed, 

shooting sporadically. The 

gunshots woke the people from 

their sleep and everybody was 

fleeing from all directions. 

“Unfortunate they caught up 

with two persons and hacked 

them to deaths while another 

sustained injury. 

“As we speak, people are fleeing 

Agasha and women and children 

are trekking several kilometres in 

search of safe haven.” 

Operation Whirl Stroke 

repels attack 

In an update on the attack, the 

Field Commander of the joint 

military spike operation in the 

state, Operation Whirl Stroke, 

OPWS, Maj. Gen. Adeyemi 

Yekini, who confirmed the attack 

in a statement, said his troops 

repelled the attack. 

Part of the statement read: 

“Some suspected armed 

herdsmen infiltrated Agasha in 

Guma LGA of Benue State and 

killed two villagers overnight. 

“Operation Whirl Stroke troops 

on patrol in the area immediately 

mobilised to the scene but the 

herdsmen had fled before their 

arrival. 

“Troops subsequently tracked 

the assailants through some of the 

nearby communities overnight 

while other troops deployed at 

Tomatar across the river also in 

Guma LGA blocked the escape 

route towards Nasarawa State. 

“At about 6 am troops had 

contact with the armed herdsmen 

at a makeshift camp close to the 

Benue River during which four 

of the assailants were killed."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 — 7 

:Vanguard 

News 

:@vanguardnews 

:@vanguardnews 

Gambari to be named Chief of Staff to Buhari 

— Presidency •Emir of Ilorin confirms Gambari’s appointment 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA — FORMER 

Minister of External 

Affairs, Professor Ibrahim 

Agboola Gambari, is expected 

to be announced as 

the new Chief of Staff (CoS) 

to President Muhammadu 

Buhari today. Prof. Gambari 

met with President Buhari 

yesterday at the Presidential 

Villa, Abuja. 

Special Adviser to the 

President on Media and 

Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, 

was quoted to have 

said that an announcement 

will be made, even as he 

refused to confirm that the 

former External Affairs 

Minister during the Buhari 

military administration had 

been appointed. 

“Announcement during 

FEC tomorrow,” the presidential 

spokesman said in 

response to a text message. 

President Buhari is expected 

to preside over a 

virtual meeting of the Federal 

Executive Council, 

FEC, today at the Presidential 

Villa, Abuja. 

The office of the Chief of 

Staff to the President became 

vacant after the death 

of the former occupant, 

Mallam Abba Kyari, on 

April 26 as a result of complications 

from coronavirus 

infection. 

Presidency sources told 

Vanguard that Prof. Gambari 

met with the President 

at State House, Abuja, yesterday. 

The sources said 

that the new Chief of Staff 

would resume work at the 

Presidential Villa today. 

The Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim 

Sulu-Gambari, yesterday, 

confirmed the appointment 

of former Nigeria's 

Ambassador to the United 

Nations, Professor Ibrahim 

Gambari, as Chief of Staff 

to President Muhammadu 

Buhari. The appointment 

has not been officially announced 

by the President 

but presidency sources confirmed 

that Gambari is said 

to be “awaiting an official 

letter of confirmation” as the 

Chief of Staff to Buhari. 

Professor Gambari, who 

hails from Ilorin, was the 

first United Nation’s Under-Secretary-General 

and 

Special Adviser to the Secretary-General 

on Africa. 

The Ilorin Emir, in a statement 

by his aide, Abdulazeez 

Arowona, hailed the 

President “for appointing 

Professor Ibrahim Gambari 

as his new Chief of Staff.” 

The emir described the 

appointment as a “great 

honour to the entire people 

of Ilorin Emirate and 

Kwarans at large.” 

Gambari will replace 

Mallam Abba Kyari, who 

died, aged 67, last month 

following COVID-19 complications. 

In 2008, Gambari resigned 

as the head of a committee 

organising peace 

talks between the Federal 

Government under late 

Umaru Yar’Adua and the 

Niger Delta militants, following 

opposition from the 

oil-rich region. 

He was Nigeria’s envoy 

to the UN in 1995 when 

Ogoni leader and activist, 

Ken Saro-Wiwa, and eight 

others, were hanged by the 

late Sani Abacha after leading 

protests against international 

oil companies. 

Foremost diplomat 

After his role advising the 

UN’s Secretary-General on 

Africa, he held another senior 

role at the global body, 

becoming the Under-Secretary-General 

for Political 

Affairs in 2005. 

He had earlier served as 

Special Representative of 

the Secretary-General and 

Head of the United Nations 

Mission to Angola, from 

Ohanaeze, others hail Uzodinma for arresting 

perennial Owerri flooding 

OWERRI — The apex 

socio-cultural organisation, 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, 

yesterday led residents of 

Owerri to salute Gov Hope 

Uzodinma for arresting the 

perennial flooding in the 

state capital through his 

drainage containment vision 

that informed his reconstruction 

of strategic 

roads in the state capital 

They were particularly 

happy that the governor 

tackled the flooding menace 

from the roots by the 

construction of the strategic 

roads that housed the 

main drainage systems in 

the capital as provided in 

the city’s master plan. 

“The drainage containment 

measures embarked 

upon by Gov uzodinma is 

efficacious.Most flood ridden 

neighbourhoods can 

lend credence to the fact 

that after the heavy downpour 

of the past weeks, 

their areas are now flood 

free”, Ohanaeze Ndigbo 

averred. 

In a statement issued by 

the president of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo, lmo state 

chapter,Dr Ezechi Chukwu, 

and the secretary, Mr 

Kenneth Nwachukwu, the 

organisation noted that the 

reconstruction of key roads 

in Owerri, including Assumpta 

avenue, World 

Bank, Oparanozie, Relief 

market, Chukwuma Nwoha, 

Dick Tiger, among others 

with standard drainages 

aligned with the governor’s 

vision of solving holistically 

the perennial 

flooding. 

While commending the 

governor for his vision of 

checking flooding in Owerri, 

Ohanaeze condemned 

the vandalism of the recently 

resuscitated Otamiri water 

scheme by unknown 

persons. 

They said: “We are bewildered 

on the news of the 

vandalism of this landmark 

project which Gov Uzodinma 

resuscitated after one 

and half decades of inability 

of previous administrations 

to provide safe public 

water to Owerri residents.’’ 

Ohanaeze, however, 

urged the governor not to 

be distracted by” miniature 

enemies of ndimo” to forge 

ahead in delivering democracy 

dividends to the people 

of the state. 

According to Nze Joe 

Nnadi and Mrs Joyce Osuji, 

it is to the credit of Gov 

SWEARING-IN: 

Lagos State Governor, 

Mr. Babajide 

Sanwo-Olu (left), 

and Hon. Justice 

Dorcas Taiwo Olatokun, 

after her 

swearing-in as a 

Judge of the State 

High Court, at the 

Executive Council 

Chamber, Lagos 

House, Alausa, Ikeja, 

yesterday. 

September 2002 to February 

2003, while advising the 

Secretary-General on Africa. 

In January 2010, he resumed 

another role as the 

head of the African Union- 

United Nations Mission in 

Darfur, which became the 

world’s largest peacekeeping 

mission. Gambari left 

that role in July 2012. 

Before joining the UN 

secretariat in 1999, he had 

served as Nigeria’s Foreign 

Affairs Minister and 

Permanent Representative 

to the United Nations, and 

he was twice a president of 

the UN Security Council. 

Gambari, a scholar, became 

a professor at the 

Ahmadu Bello University 

in 1983 and holds a Ph.D. 

from Columbia University, 

New York. 

uzodinma that he religiously 

carried out need assessment 

of the roads which 

housed the major drainages 

and thereafter began 

their rehabilitation. 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA — The Senate 

yesterday received a 

formal request from President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

for the confirmation of 42 

career Ambassadors-designate. 

It also got from the President 

a request for the 

screening and subsequent 

confirmation of Professor 

Jumai Audi as chairman of 

the Nigerian Law Reform 

Commission and nominees 

of Nigerian Deposit Insurance 

Corporation, NDIC. 

The request for confirmation 

of the career ambassadors-designate, 

which was 

contained in a letter dated 

May 6, 2020, was read on 

the floor during plenary by 

the President of the Senate, 

Ahmad Lawan. 

The letter read: “In accordance 

to section 171 

(1),(2)(c) and subsection (4) 

of the 1999 Constitution of 

IPPIS: FG’s actions confirm our 

initial fears to enroll for scheme 

— COEASU 

By Joseph Erunke 

AERS BUJA—LECTUR 

in the nation’s 

colleges of education have 

described the federal government’s 

implemented 

Integrated Payroll and Personnel 

Information System, 

IPPIS, as an obnoxious pay 

platform designed by the 

latter to exploit them. 

The lecturers, acting under 

their union, College Of 

Education Academic Staff 

Union, COEASU,while 

claiming that the pay platform 

was imposed on them 

by the government, in spite 

of their stiff opposition to it, 

said their fears which necessitated 

their opposition 

to enroll in the scheme had 

been confirmed by government 

following its several 

unpopular actions. 

A statement by the union 

through its president, 

Nuhu Ogirima, yesterday, 

accused the government 

of unilateral manipulation 

of the platform to delay salaries, 

arbitrary deduction of 

members’ Peculiar Earned 

Academic Allowance, 

PEAA,non-remittance of 

our union dues, non remittances 

of union dues with 

deliberate intent to cripple 

or stifle it financially and 

non payment of staff on other 

services and reduction in 

salary. 

The statement read: “Recall 

that members of our 

union had been opposed to 

the enrolment of academic 

staff of colleges of education 

on the obnoxious pay 

platform, IPPIS, until December, 

2019, when it was 

imposed. “Quite a substantial 

development has 

occured since the utilization 

of the platform to effect 

payment of salaries since 

February, 2020. 

“While we would, at the 

moment, shelve delving 

into the politics of its imposition 

especially the 

much-spoken source of the 

platform, i.e. as of IMF, 

since the reform of the Fed- 

eral Government of Nigeria 

(FGN) was engendered, 

which pre-dates the 

current administration, it 

would be expedient to state 

that the very issues in, and 

the challenges envisioned 

which necessitated the resistance 

of the union to the 

pay platform persists postimposition. 

“Whereas, the marketers 

of the platform had touted 

prompt payment of salaries, 

pay-roll-pesonnel data 

sychronization for effective 

management, and above 

all eradication of payroll 

fraud, nay ghost worker 

syndrome, the REAL 

CHALLENGES and CON- 

CERNS earlier raised persist. 

“For instance, the nonpayment 

of April 2020 salary, 

as at 11th May, has 

been attributed to system 

failure, in spite of what the 

Office of the Accountant 

General of the Federal 

(OAGF) would want Nigerians 

believe! 

“Credence to this rumour 

has been tacitly given by 

the non-responsive attitude 

of the appropriate officers 

of the office to our enquiries 

for clarification, until 

Monday, May 11. If the 

speculated system collapse 

was not the cause of the 

non-payment of April salary 

as at May 11, then what 

was the cause of the delay? 

“Was it a deliberate 

attempt to cripple teachers 

at this level? Why were attempts 

at seeking clarification 

not responded to as 

appropriate? 

“Why would the government 

not offer explanation 

to issues of deprivation, 

denial of right to means of 

livelihood, such as this? 

“This does not augur well 

for the government; a government 

which prides itself 

on the rule of law. As indicated 

in the Labour Act 

and also a fundamental 

Convention of ILO, the 

payment of the emoluments 

of a labour force by 

the employer is a right." 

Buhari seeks Senate’s confirmation of 42 

career Ambassadors-designate 

the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria as amended. I 

have the honour to forward 

for confirmation by the Senate, 

the under-listed fortytwo 

(42) names of nominees 

as Career Ambassadors- 

Designate.” 

The Ambassadors-designate 

for confirmation are: C.O 

Nwachukwu, Abia; A. Kafas, 

Adamawa; R. U. Brown, 

Akwa-Ibom; G. A. Odudigbo, 

Anambra; O. C. Onowu, Anambra; 

Y. S. Suleiman, Bauchi; 

E S. Agbana, Bayelsa; B. 

B. M. Okoyen Bayelsa; G. M. 

Okoko Benue; A. M. Garba, 

Borno; M. l. Bashir, Bomo; M. 

O. Abam, Cross River; A. E. 

Allotey, Cross River; G. E. 

Edokpa, Edo; and A. N. 

Madubuike, Enugu. 

Others are: Adamu Lamuwa, 

Gombe; Mr. Innocent A. 

lwejuo, lmo; M. S. Abubakar, 

Jigawa; Y. A. Ahmed, Jigawa; 

S. D. Umar, Kaduna; A. Sule, 

Kano; G. Y. Hamza, Kano; N. 

Rimi, Katsina; L S. Ahmed- 

Remawa, Katsina; M. Manu, 

Kebbi; l. R. Ocheni, Kogi; l. A. 

Yusuf, Kogi; M. Abdulraheem, 

Kwara; Mrs. W. A. Adedeji, 

Lagos; and A. U. Ogah, 

Nasarawa. 

Also among career Ambassadors-designate 

to be confirmed 

are: A. A. Musa, Niger; 

N. A. Kolo, Niger; S. O. 

Olaniyan, Ogun; A. R. Adejola, 

Ogun, E. Awe Ondo; O. 

Aluko, Osun; I. A. Alatishe, 

Osun; V. A. Adeleke, Oyo; M. 

S. Adamu, Plateau; l. N. 

Charles, Rivers; Z M. lfu, Taraba; 

and B. B. Hamman, Yobe. 

On request for confirmation 

of Prof. Jumai Audi as chairman 

of Nigerian Law Reform 

Commission, President Buhari 

in a letter to the Sernate, 

also sought the screening and 

confirmation of Ebele Bernard 

Chima as Commissioner 

representing the South 

East; Barr. Bassey Dan Abia, 

South-South; and Mohammed 

Ibraheem, South-West.


UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS 

COVID-19 RESPONSE: Kano steps 

up engagement of royal fathers 

•As preparation for 4-point action 

plan reaches advanced stage 

MEETING: Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State (4th left) with the five Emirs in the state; Chairman of 

the State Task Force on COVID-19, who is also the Deputy Gov, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna; Secretary to the State 

Government; Envoy of the Minister of Health on COVID-19 to Kano, Prof Abdussalam Nasidi, during a meeting 

to map out effective ways of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in Kano, yesterday. 

COVID-19: CBN to give scientists, researchers 

grants to develop local vaccines — EMEFIELE 

•Virus has reawaken collaboration among critical partners — SGF 

•Dome donation, our way of supporting FG — Obaigbena 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

A BUJA—THE 

Central Bank of Nigeria, 

CBN, said yesterday it was 

developing a framework that 

would provide grants and long 

term facilities for researchers, 

science institutions and 

biotechnology firms to develop 

Nigerian vaccine. 

Governor of CBN, Godwin 

Emefiele, who disclosed this at 

the unveiling of the THISDAY 

Dome Testing, Tracing and 

Treatment Centre in Abuja, 

explained that the reason for the 

framework was to encourage 

greater research and 

development in Nigeria of drugs 

and vaccines that would help 

prevent the spread of the virus. 

Emefiele said that the global 

economic growth was expected to 

contract to three percent in 2020, 

down from a positive growth rate 

of 2.9 percent in 2019, which he 

said was effectively a six-percent 

contraction. 

Economy was exposed 

to triple shocks 

He said the nation’s economy 

was exposed to triple shocks – 

supply, demand shock and 

revenue - adding that the 

country was currently faced with 

a public health and economic 

crisis of unprecedented 

proportions, driven primarily by 

the 55 percent drop in crude oil 

prices between January and May 

2020. 

The CBN governor expressed 

appreciation to the private sector 

who came together under the 

Coalition against COVID-19 (CA 

-COVID) to support the 

government, by raising funds to 

procure needed isolation centres, 

medical equipment, among 

others. 

According to him, CA-COVlD- 

19 has raised up to N27 billion to 

build well equipped isolation 

centres across the 36 states of the 

federation. 

He said: “As we are all aware, 

since the onset of COVID19 in 

December 2019, the Buhari 

administration has taken all 

necessary measures to contain 

the spread. COVID-19 has had 

an unprecedented effect on the 

global economy, impacting all 

nations, big and small. 

“Institutions like the IMF have 

pronounced that the effect on the 

global economy will be akin to the 

slowdown experienced during the 

Great Depression of 1933. 

“Global growth is expected to 

contract to 3 percent in 2020, down 

from a positive growth rate of 2.9 

percent in 2019 which is effectively 

a 6% contraction. In Nigeria, our 

economy is exposed to triple 

shocks a supply shock, a demand 

shock and a revenue shock. 

“Permit me to state that we are 

currently faced with a public 

health and economic crisis of 

unprecedented proportions, 

driven primarily by the 55 percent 

drop in crude oil prices between 

January and May 2020. 

“This unparalleled shock 

requires that the Federal and 

State governments along with the 

organized private sector, work 

together to address these 

challenges in order to preserve 

lives and restore economic activity 

and reset the economy of our dear 

country. 

“In a bid to cushion the effects 

of COVID-19 on the Nigerian 

economy, CBN has implemented 

several initiatives such as the N50 

billion intervention facility for 

small and medium scale 

enterprises affected by COVID- 

19; in addition to the N1 trillion 

facility for firms operating in the 

agriculture and manufacturing 

sectors. “ 

The CBN boss said the 

government was also working with 

financial institutions to enable the 

continuous flow of credit to viable 

businesses, while putting in place 

provisions such as moratoriums 

and restructuring of existing loans 

under CBN intervention funds 

that had been provided to 

businesses. 

He explained that: “These 

measures are intended to cushion 

the effects of the slowdown in 

economic activity on businesses, 

while putting them in better stead 

to help resuscitate economic 

activity in the country. 

“I wish to acknowledge however, 

that our ability to restore the 

growth of our economy is 

dependent on how we address 

the public health crisis brought 

on by COVID-19. It is in 

realization of this fact that the 

CBN recently launched a N100 

bn healthcare intervention fund. 

‘’Practitioners in the 

Pharmaceutical and health care 

sectors will be able to access 

finance at single digit rate through 

this fund. Our objective is to 

improve the capacity of our health 

system to address emerging public 

health challenges. 

“Furthermore, in order to 

encourage greater research and 

development in Nigeria of drugs 

and vaccines that would help 

prevent the spread of the virus, 

the CBN is developing a 

framework under which grants 

and long term facilities will be 

provided to researchers, science 

institutions and biotechnology 

firms to develop the Nigerian 

vaccine. 

CBN tasks Nigerian 

scientists on vaccine 

“Needless to state that if we are 

to wait for foreign countries to 

develop their own vaccines, we 

will be the last in the queue to 

receive curative remedies for our 

teeming population. The Central 

Bank of Nigeria today challenges 

Nigerian scientists at home and 

in the diaspora to go back to their 

laboratories and develop a 

Nigerian vaccine.’’ 

In his remarks, Secretary to the 

Government of the Federation, 

SGF, Boss Mustapha, said the 

COVID 19 pandemic has brought 

a reawakening to both 

government and the private 

sector to collaborate in the 

injection of a much-needed 

investment into the health care 

system. 

He said: “The COVID-19 has 

totally overwhelmed even the 

best of health systems in the world 

and that serves all developing 

nations a powerful notice to wake 

up. Today, we are witnessing the 

realization of the synergy with the 

commissioning of this facility, 

which is designed to accommodate 

300 beds and is scalable to 500.'' 

SGF 

advocates 

partnerships 

“The PTF advocates strongly 

that lessons to be drawn from 

COVID-19 should therefore 

revolve around development, 

future planning, consensus 

building, collaboration and 

partnerships. Government can 

not always do it alone. We must 

all be involved. 

“I have been informed that this 

facility also has an intensive care 

unit for the treatment of the most 

severe cases of COVID 19. This 

would go a long way in providing 

care for the growing number of 

cases especially for levels 1 and 2 

categories. 

“I am also happy to note that 

this is one of the facilities into 

which care for persons living with 

disabilities who might get 

infected, has been incorporated.” 

Chairman of ThisDay Media 

and Technology Group, Nduka 

Obaigbena, in his remark, said: 

“As citizens, we believe we should 

join hands with our government 

to solve this existential crisis. 

“THISDAY Dome has been 

here for many years, so we 

thought we should make it 

available to fight this pandemic 

and we partnered with Sahara 

Group to put together a coalition 

which was led by CACOVID, 

NNPC, CCECC, CBN, and 

others. 

Lets join hands to fight 

this pandemic 

— Obaigbena 

“We put together a collective 

to join hands with the federal 

government to deal with crisis at 

hand. 

“This facility has four branches, 

over there is a facility where you 

can test, treat and fix. So we have 

a 54-gene testing laboratory, with 

state of art molecular laboratory 

equipment which is ready to go. 

“It can handle 200 tests per day 

scalable and it does about 50 tests 

at the same time. Because of 

paper work and other 

documentation, it produces result 

within 24 hours. 

“We have the tracing App, 

which have been developed by 

our technology team, as you 

know THISDAY is not Just a 

newspaper outfit only, it is now a 

technology company, so we have 

developers in Europe and Nigeria 

who have out this tracing App 

together. 

“When you are tested, we can 

trace all your contacts with App 

and if you have requirements for 

isolation and treatment, there is 

Sahara ward and intensive care 

unit for you there.'' 

K A N O — 

GOVERNOR 

Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, 

has stepped up the engagement 

of traditional institutions in the 

fight against coronavirus, COVID- 

19 across all the nooks and 

crannies of the state. 

At a meeting in line with the 

social distancing principle, with the 

five emirs in the state to rub minds 

with them, the governor, informed 

them of government’s plan and 

gave them detailed explanation 

about the dreaded disease 

through some health 

professionals. 

The Chairman of the State Task 

Force on COVID-19, who is also 

the Deputy Governor, Dr Nasiru 

Yusuf Gawuna, Secretary to the 

State Government, Commissioner 

of Health, Envoy of the Minister 

of Health on COVID-19 to Kano, 

Professor Abdussalam Nasidi, 

Emirs of Kano, Bichi, Rano, Karaye 

and Gaya attended the meeting, 

among other dignitaries. 

Speaking, Governor Ganduje 

said: “This meeting among 

government, health professionals 

and our Emirs is an avenue for all 

of us to rub minds, point out 

effective ways of working together 

and strengthening our strategy in 

the fight against COVID-19 

pandemic, since before the coming 

of the pandemic we have been 

working closely together. This 

sitting creates more rooms for 

institutional strengthening. 

“With this meeting, I am sure 

we are talking to all Emirs, all 

District Heads (Hakimai), all 

Village Heads (Dakatai), all Ward 

Heads (Masu Unguwanni), 

Imams and community leaders. 

With this strategy, we will go a long 

way in strengthening our weapons 

against the disease.” 

According to him, the main 

concern is to break the chain of 

transmission of the global 

pandemic, saying “that is why 

this and similar meetings are 

absolutely necessary. It is 

necessary also to double up in 

our public campaign efforts. 

COVID-19 affects all aspects of 

life. It affects our religious 

obligations, our economy, our 

culture as well as our social 

settings. Though we are in 

Ramadan but still we cannot go 

to mosques to observe our 

prayers. 

It is painful that we cannot 

observe our obligatory prayers in 

Mosque, but there is nothing we 

can do about it. We just have to 

bear with it. Shaking hands when 

greeting is no longer tenable. But 

there is nothing we can do for 

now. So let’s work together and 

break the chain of the 

transmission.” 

Governor Ganduje made it 

very clear to the traditional leaders 

that the fight against COVID-19 

could only be won when people 

cooperate with government and 

health practitioners, adding that, 

“Your role in this fight is extremely 

important and necessary.” 

Responding on behalf of others, 

Chairman of the State Council of 

Emirs, the Emir of Kano, Aminu 

Ado Bayero, assured of their 

unflinching support to all policies 

and Action Plan that would be 

handed down to them in due 

course. 

“As we are certain that this 

COVID-19 is real, we will do our 

best to make people understand 

why we must all join hands 

together to fight this deadly 

disease. We are assuring His 

Excellency, the governor 

that, when you sent to us, the 

Action Plan, we shall make 

good use of it,” he assured. 

Why security agencies must 

enforce ban on interstate travels 

— LAWAN 

A 

B 

U J A — 

PRESIDENT of the 

Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has 

emphasized the need for security 

agencies to ensure a total 

enforcement of the Federal 

Government’s ban on interstate 

travels to curtail the spread of 

coronavirus. 

Lawan made the call in his 

remarks, sequel to the 

consideration of a motion on the 

“Need to enforce Presidential 

Order banning Interstate 

Movement”, sponsored by 

Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP- 

Enugu West). 

Consequently, the Senate in 

its resolutions, called on the 

Inspector-General of Police, 

Mohammed Adamu, the 

Commandant-General of the 

Nigeria Security and Civil 

Defence Corps and heads of all 

security agencies charged with 

enforcing the ban on interstate 

travel to investigate alleged 

complicity of their officers in the 

breach and bring to book anyone 

found wanting. 

Lawan said: “There is need for 

total enforcement on the ban on 

interstate travels. Apparently, 

there is so much breach, and it 

appears like our security agencies 

who are supposed to enforce this, 

in most cases appear to look 

helpless. They need to sit up. 

“This is a very serious health 

challenge to our country, but 

beyond interstate, even the 

observance of social distancing, 

hygiene and other protocols 

sometimes suffer inside the 

states. 

“I think it is very important that 

citizens do this because it is for 

our sake. Government cannot be 

without citizens, and it is 

important at this point that we 

do this for our sake and that of 

our family members.’’ 

Earlier, sponsor of the motion, 

Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP 

– Ekweremadu, lamented the 

spike in the number of COVID- 

19 cases in the country which, 

according to him, stands at 4,641 

cases and 150 deaths. 

The lawmaker raised alarm that 

confirmed daily cases of the novel 

disease by the Nigeria Centre for 

Disease Control, NCDC, were 

now in hundreds. 

He recalled that President 

Muhammadu Buhari while 

relying on advisories by relevant 

authorities and powers conferred 

on him by Section 3 of the 

Quarantine Act, CAP Q2 

Laws of the Federation 2004, 

issued the proclamation order 

for the ban on non-essential 

interstate passenger travels 

until further notice.


:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 

OFFICIAL HANDING OVER CEREMONY OF THISDAY 

DOME COVID-19 TREATMENT CENTRE IN ABUJA 

From left— The Executive Director Sahara Group, Mr. Tope Shonubi; the GMD, NNPC, 

Mallam Mele Kyari; Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha; 

Minister for Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Hajia Sadiya Farouk and the Medical 

Coordinator, This Day Dome Treatment Centre, Dr. Peter Madu, cutting a tape to the ICU 

Centre during the official handing over ceremony of the This Day Dome COVID-19 Isolation 

and Treatment Centre equipped by a coalition of sponsors led by the Sahara Group at the 

Central Business District, Abuja yesterday. PHOTOS BY ABAYOMI ADESHIDA. 

From left, the Executive Director, Sahara Group, Mr. Tope Shonubi and the Medical 

Coordinator, This Day Dome Treatment Centre, Dr. Peter Madu taking the Chairman 

Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha and other members of the PTF 

on a facility tour during the official handing over ceremony. 

From left — Minister for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Chairman, Presidential Task Force on 

COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha; Minister for Environment, Alhaji Muhammed Mahmoud; 

Minister for Humanitarian & Disaster Management, Hajia Sadiya Farouk; Minister of State 

Education, Mr. Emeka Nwajuba; the GMD, NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari; Director Sahara Group, 

Mr. Wale Ajibade and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Sylva. 

COVID-19: FG warns against 

recycling of face masks 

•Asks states to align with federal protocol 

•Says Kogi’s test kits not reliable 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA—THE 

Federal 

Government has warned 

Nigerians against continued resort to 

recycling and sharing of face masks in 

the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, saying 

such actions would only fuel more 

infections. 

The government equally tasked state 

governments on the need to align their 

policies with those at the federal level, 

reminding them that the virus does not 

respect boundaries or status. 

It also added that the recent rapid 

diagnostic test kits procured by Kogi State 

government had a high margin of error 

and were, therefore, unreliable. 

These were disclosed in during the 

daily briefing of the Presidential Task 

Force PTF on COVID-19 in Abuja 

yesterday. 

Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to 

the Government of the Federation SGF, 

Mr Boss Mustapha, said with the 

exception of fabric masks, every 

disposable mask that had been used 

once, becomes a hazardous medical 

waste. 

He said: “The PTF has become aware 

of the on-going practice of sharing masks 

and picking of masks for recycling from 

dump sites. This places a lot of 

responsibilities on all of us to be selfeducated 

and to educate others. The 

following points are emphasized. 

‘’With the exception of fabric masks, 

every disposable used mask is a 

hazardous medical waste and should be 

disposed of properly, preferably by 

burning 

“It is very risky to share masks as the 

virus is capable of remaining on surfaces 

for several hours and you could get 

infected. The unhealthy practice of 

picking up disposed masks for whatever 

purpose is harmful to both the individual 

picking it and whoever procures it later. 

‘’Particularly, it will be helpful for high 

risk people such as the elderly and those 

with comorbidities, to wear masks or face 

Reps ask Buhari to unmask killer 

officers in Abia, Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, 

others 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

ABUJA—THE House of 

Representatives yesterday 

requested President Muhammad 

Buhari to direct that security agents 

implicated in human rights abuses and 

killing of innocent Nigerians during the 

enforcement of COVID-19 lockdown 

order be immediately fished out for 

prosecution. 

The House also condemned the abuse 

of the fundamental rights of NIgerians, 

especially through brutalisation, 

extortion and the killing by security 

operatives, especially in Abia State. 

The call for prosecution followed a 

motion brought under matter of urgent 

public importance by the deputy whip of 

the House, Nkiruka Onyejiocha, which 

was considered by lawmakers at plenary. 

Moving the motion, Onyejiocha, who 

represents Isikwuato/Umunneochi 

Federal Constituency of Abia State, 

stated that the unfortunate incident was 

recorded in several states of the 

federation. 

According to her, the states included 

Abia, Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, 

Katsina and Niger. 

The lawmaker noted that over 18 

deaths were recorded at the time. 

She said: “The House recalls that on 

March 29, 2020, the Federal and some 

State Governments declared a 14-day 

covering and avoid crowded places. As 

we reminded you earlier, please keep 

grandchildren away from their 

grandparents to avoid any transmission. 

Most importantly, emphatically say no to 

stigmatization. 

“The PTF continues to urge state 

governments to align their actions and 

enforcement with the guidelines 

provided. 

‘’The virus does not respect boundaries 

neither does it respect status. All state 

governments are therefore urged to 

strengthen their monitoring and 

enforcement machineries in collaboration 

with the security agencies. 

‘’Let me emphasize that we have seen 

visuals on the social media depicting total 

disregard for physical distancing in some 

locations. This is a dangerous journey 

towards uninhibited spread if not 

checked. The PTF is consulting with the 

authorities of the identified areas to 

review their strategies. 

“You will recall that the guidelines on 

the reopening of offices directed the 

management of such offices to take 

certain steps and put in place policies 

that would ensure the safety of their staff. 

‘’Let me remind the leadership of 

various offices to make such provisions 

including infra-red temperature guns at 

entrances, sanitizers, handwashing 

facilities, social distancing arrangements 

and ensuring that masks are worn 

always. 

Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, 

said the ministry had been working on 

accrediting more hospitals in the states 

for the treatment of COVID-19. 

Answering questions regarding the 

validity of the test kits procured by Kogi 

State government, Dr Ehanire said those 

kits could only be used for guidance as 

they were not reliable. 

“Anybody is free to procure test kits. If 

you find test kits and want to procure 

and use for yourself, you can try it. But 

the point is that the Ministry of Health 

has said that the validity of rapid 

diagnostic kits is not guaranteed.'' 

lockdown in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun 

State to stem the spread of coronavirus 

in the country. 

“Further recalls that security agencies 

including the Nigeria Police Force, the 

military and para-military agencies were 

saddled with the responsibility of 

enforcing compliance with the lockdown 

within the limits of their rules of 

engagement and in regards for human 

rights. 

“Regrets that within the initial period 

of the lockdown, security operatives had, 

according to the National Human Rights 

Commission (NHRC), extra-judicially 

killed 18 innocent Nigerians in Abia, 

Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Katsina, and 

Niger states. 

“Further regrets that as at April 13, 

2020, when the lockdown was extended 

for another two weeks, that figure was 

more than the total number of Nigerians 

killed by the virus. 

“Informed that of the 18 deaths, the 

Nigeria Correctional Service was 

responsible for eight, Nigeria Police Force 

was responsible for seven, the Nigerian 

Army was responsible for two, while the 

Ebonyi State Task Force on COVID-19, 

Afikpo South LGA, was responsible for 

one. 

“Notes that in the second phase of 

the lockdown, precisely between April 

15 and 23, 2020, officers of the Nigeria 

Police Force and the Nigerian 

Security and Civil Defence Corps 

killed seven more persons in Abia, 

Anambra and Rivers states.”


:Vanguard News 

:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 

APC GOV POLL: Confusion as 

Ondo Unity Forum picks Oke 

as consensus candidate 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—THE crisis 

within the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, in Ondo State, 

deepened yesterday, as 

aggrieved aspirants kicked 

against the adoption of 

Chief Olusola Oke as the 

consensus candidate of the 

Unity Group Forum. 

But another group within 

the party, the Unity 

Mandate Agenda, insisted 

that Oke remains the only 

candidate that can oust 

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu 

in the July governorship 

primary. 

The aspirants, who 

include Dr. Segun 

Abraham, Mr. Olarewaju 

Kazeem, Bukola Adetula, 

Mr. Dapo Adelegan, Mr. 

Adelami Owolabi, Mr. 

Akintunde Akinsewa 

Awodeyi, Mrs. Jumoke 

Anifowose, Olusola Oke, Ife 

Oyedele, and Mr. Jimmy 

Odimayo, were screened 

by a seven-member 

committee set up by the 

group to pick a sole 

candidate to face the 

incumbent governor. 

Chairman of the 

screening committee, 

Senator Yele Omogunwa, 

had submitted his report 

which was made public 

yesterday by the chairman 

of the Unity Group, Alhaji 

Ali Olanusi. 

In his remarks, Olanusi 

said: “The Unity Forum, by 

Another 

COVID-19 

pregnant 

woman 

delivers boy at 

LUTH 

By Chioma Obinna 

LAGOS—A team of 

doctors at the Lagos 

University Teaching 

Hospital, LUTH, yesterday, 

delivered another woman 

diagnosed of COVID-19 of 

a baby boy. 

According to the 

Chairman, LUTH’s 

Medical Advisory 

Committee, CMAC, 

Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, 

the mother and the baby are 

doing well. 

Adeyemo said: “The baby, 

which weighed 2.6 kg at 

birth, was delivered by a 

team of doctors including 

anaesthetists and nurses 

among others. 

“The 37-year-old mother 

was delivered of the baby 

through caesarean section, 

Saturday, May 9th, 2020. 

We celebrate our 

committed frontline staff for 

this achievement.” 

the content of the report, has 

adopted Chief Olusola 

Oke, SAN, as the 

candidate of the forum.” 

But the secretary of the 

screening committee, Prof 

Sola Ehindero, dissociated 

himself from the 

committee’s adoption of 

Oke as the consensus 

candidate. 

Ehindero said: “No 

consensus candidate has 

been elected by the 

committee for which I am 

Secretary. It neither 

emanates from the 

accredited secretary’s office 

nor does it reflect the true 

deliberations and 

conclusion of the members 

of the Screening 

Committee.” 

Also, some aggrieved 

governorship aspirants, 

Dapo Adelegan, Jumoke 

Anifowose, Jimi Odimayo, 

Segun Abraham and Ajayi 

Borofice have rejected the 

adoption of Oke. 

Senator Boroffice said: 

“The Unity Forum has no 

consensus candidate and 

urged other governorship 

aspirants to start 

preparations for the 

primary of the party.” 

Unity Mandate 

Agenda backs 

Oke 

However, the Unity 

Mandate Agenda has 

accused Boroffice of 

working to undermine the 

process of picking the 

consensus candidate before 

now. 

In a statement by the group’s 

spokesperson, Comrade 

Babatope Abisola, accused 

Borofice of playing politics of divide 

and rule to frustrate the Unity 

Forum. 

Abisola said: “All along, Senator 

Borofice has been working 

underground to cause a crisis in 

order for him to emerge as a 

neutral candidate to run. We are 

aware of his moves with the 

current deputy governor, to 

undermine us for them to run as 

candidates. We stand by the 

mandate given to Chief Olusola 

Oke.” 

OSHODI RAILWAY LINE MARKET—Buying and selling continues at the Oshodi railway track, 

yesterday, clearly violating the social distancing directive by government. Photo: Joseph Akintola, 

Photo Editor. 

Almajirai incursion, plot to take over 

Southern Nigeria —Farounbi, ex-envoy 

By Shina 

Abubakar 

O SOGBO—FORMER 

Nigeria's Ambassador 

to the Philippines, Dr. Yemi 

Farounbi, yesterday, 

described the recent mass 

movement of Almajirai into 

the southern part of the 

country as a plot to colonise 

the region under the guise 

of coronavirus crisis. 

Speaking with newsmen 

in Osogbo, the former 

envoy said the incursion of 

the Southern part of the 

country by young 

northerners was a plot to 

break up the region’s 

population, take over the 

land and establish the 

already rejected RUGA 

project. 

His words: “It is an 

unfortunate situation for the 

Alimajiri in this period to 

invade the south, if they are 

not wanted in the north why 

would they think they 

would be wanted in the 

South that is culturally 

different in every way from 

the north where they are 

being expelled. 

“The security agencies 

must resist this move at 

colonisation of the south in 

the guise of COVID-19 

crisis. I don’t believe this is 

a spontaneous move 

because the Almajirai 

cannot afford the cost of 

transportation just as the 

herdsmen cannot afford the 

cost if their cattle and the 

AK-47 that they are 

carrying. This move is a 

plot and plans to conquer 

the South, to break its 

population, take over its 

green land and at the end 

of the day establish RUGA 

that the people and 

government have rejected 

and penetrate the people of 

the South in a way that will 

make the region a northern 

political colony. This must 

be collectively resisted by 

the people of the South.” 

Calling the attention of 

the Southern Governors to 

the scourge, Farounbi 

urged the South East and 

South-South Governors to 

establish a regional security 

outfit to check such 

incursion into their regions. 

He said: “I thought 

everyone in the southwest 

should rise and those in the 

north, who love Nigeria 

must prevail on those who 

are behind the invasion of 

the Almajirai. The invasion is 

undesirable, unreasonable and if 

the people of the south should 

rise to defend their land, the result 

on Nigeria will be unpalatable.” 

“This is the first test of 

Amotekun to defend the 

territorial integrity of the 

southwest and I hope the 

governors of South-South and 

South East are doing a similar 

thing to prevent invasion. I 

expect the Governors to prevail 

on the police if they can provide 

logistics or they should use 

Amotekun, vigilante and local 

arms men to prevent their land 

from being taken over otherwise 

they would not have a land to 

handover to their children in the 

future.” 

We have lost N5bn to COVID-19 —Miyetti Allah 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—-THE Miyetti 

Allah Association, yesterday, 

lamented that the outbreak of the 

coronavirus has taken its toll on 

their business resulting in the loss 

of N5 billion. 

The herders in Oyo State spoke 

through their former Chairman, 

....Okupe, wife recover as Ondo 

discharges 5 patients 

By Dayo Johnson & 

James Ogunnaike 

A BEOKUTA—A 

former Presidential 

spokesman, Dr. Doyin 

Okupe and his wife, 

Aduralere, were yesterday, 

discharged having 

recovered from the 

coronavirus in Ogun State. 

This came as five more 

COVID-19 patients 

admitted at the Infectious 

Disease Hospital in Akure, 

Ondo State, have been 

discharged. 

Okupe, who was the 

spokesperson for former 

Presidents Olusegun 

Obasanjo and Goodluck 

Jonathan, made this known 

via his verified Twitter 

handle @doyinokupe. 

He disclosed that he and 

his wife, Aduralere, tested 

positive to COVID-19 on 

April 23 and have since 

been at the Isolation Centre 

but were discharged on 

Tuesday after testing 

negative twice to the virus. 

He said: “On the 23rd of 

April my wife, Aduralere, 

and I tested positive to 

Alhaji Yakubu Bello in Iseyin 

yesterday. 

Speaking with 

Vanguard, Bello said: “We 

have heard of cases of people that 

were arrested for defying interstate 

lockdown order, whether 

they were coming from the North 

or anywhere from Nigeria, but I 

can tell you that nothing of such 

COVID-19. To the glory of 

God, we were discharged 

Tuesday morning after 

obtaining two negative 

reports.” 

5 discharged in 

Ondo 

Similarly, the Ondo State 

Information and 

Orientation Commissioner, 

Donald Ojogo, who 

confirmed the discharge of 

the patients, said: “This is 

to announce that five 

patients of the coronavirus 

disease have been treated 

and discharged. This brings 

to 11, the total number of such 

treated cases. 

has happened here (Oyo). 

“The moment the government 

announced the lockdown order, 

we sent a strong warning to our 

people in all the states of the 

nation not to come to Oyo State 

for business or visit till this trying 

period is over. 

“It is really a difficult period for 

my people as they have never 

experienced such restriction 

before and in this business, I can 

tell you that we have lost over 

N5 billion to the coronavirus. 

“You know this place used to 

be a beehive of commercial 

activities. People will come from 

all over the country and beyond 

to buy and sell; people sell not 

just cows and other livestock, but 

personal items and household 

materials here. It is now like a 

ghost town. 

“We only hear people talk 

about the Federal 

Government’s social 

benefits, but none of our own 

people have benefited. We saw 

pictures of local government 

caretaker chairmen distributing 

the state’s palliative materials to 

people but we were excluded. 

“We pay our taxes here as 

citizens of Nigeria and contribute 

to the economy of the State, why 

did they exclude our people?”


:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

... with Emma'nKen (08163121378) 

WATER SCAR- 

CITY—A girl 

fetching water 

from a bursted 

pipe in a gutter, 

due to scarcity of 

potable water at 

Oke-Bode in 

Abeokuta, Ogun 

State. Photo: 

Wumi Akinola. 

Churches won’t remain the same after 

COVID-19 —Sam Adeyemi 

LAGOS—SENIOR Pastor of 

the Daystar Christian 

Centre, Rev. Sam Adeyemi said 

yesterday that the church will 

not remain the same again 

when the coronavirus pandemic 

is over. 

He stated that some churches, 

with huge numbers, may 

witness a significant reduction 

in their services after the 

pandemic as many of them 

might decide to worship God 

from the comfort of their homes. 

Speaking during a live chat 

with BBC Yoruba yesterday, 

which was monitored 

by TheCable, the cleric said the 

novel coronavirus has had a 

significant effect on the church. 

Adeyemi said: “That’s an 

issue I have pondered upon 

because the church may not be 

the same again after this 

COVID-19 experience. As you 

can see, many people have been 

receiving messages via online 

broadcast from their homes. It’s 

no longer like before that they 

have to be physically present in 

churches,” he said. 

“Now that many have been 

used to worshiping God from 

the comfort of their rooms, will 

they go to church when 

COVID-19 is finally over? 

Many Christians may also feel 

relaxed on Sundays when they 

usually go to church.” 

Adeyemi also said the 

COVID-19 outbreak has 

afforded many Christians the 

opportunity to evaluate the 

extent to which their churches 

actually care about them. 

“Also, many Christians have 

started questioning the 

genuineness of their churches 

for them with little or no help 

coming their way during the 

pandemic period when hunger 

is holding sway,” he said. 

On agitations for reopening of 

churches by some pastors, 

Adeyemi said what should be 

in the mind of everyone at the 

moment is how to survive the 

pandemic. 

....Take advantage of technology, Sanwo-Olu 

tasks judiciary •Swears-in 8 High Court Judges 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

L Babajide AGOS—GOVERNOR 

Sanwo-Olu of 

Lagos State, yesterday, 

charged the judiciary to take 

advantage of new culture of 

justice dispensation driven by 

technology. 

Sanwo-Olu said this while 

swearing-in eight newly appointed 

judges of the High Court of Lagos, 

held at the Executive Council 

chamber of the State House, Alausa, 

Ikeja. 

The eight judges took the oath 

before the Governor and some 

members of the State’s cabinet. 

The newly appointed judges are 

Justice Dorcas Olatokun, Justice 

Yahqub Oshoala, Justice Omotola 

Oguntade, Justice Olufunke Sule- 

Amzat, Justice Rasul Olukolu, 

Justice Sharafa Olaitan, Justice 

Ezekiel Ashade and Justice Adeniyi 

Pokanu. 

Addressing the new appointees, 

Sanwo-Olu said: “This chamber we 

are holding the swearing-in has just 

been opened for the first time in the 

last two months. This is the reality 

of the global coronavirus pandemic, 

which has evolved new culture in 

our interactions at homes and 

offices. 

“In this period of a public health 

emergency, we need the judiciary to 

keep the wheel of the justice system 

moving. The administration of the 

justice system must not be halted 

because of the health crisis. 

“Our judicial should fully adapt to 

the evolving culture and be at the 

services of those who seek redress 

and justice at the court. 

COVID-19: Oyo govt vows to halt 

interstate movement 

IBADAN—THE Oyo State 

government, yesterday, 

expressed its readiness to halt the 

influx of people into the state from 

other states of the federation to 

further prevent the spread of the 

coronavirus. 

The Information and Risk 

Communication Sub-committee of the 

Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force stated 

this during a sensitization campaign in 

border towns within the five local 

governments in Ogbomoso land. 

The Commissioner for Information, 

Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu 

Olatubosun, who led the campaign team, 

told border town residents that the 

government was determined to stop the 

influx of defiant Nigerians, who have 

been violating the nationwide restriction 

“I have no doubt that the Lagos 

State Judiciary, under the 

leadership of Justice Kazeem 

Alogba, will be an arm of 

Government that we can continue 

to rely on as a partner in boosting 

people’s confidence in Government 

and justice system.” 

on interstate movements. 

In a statement by the Chief Press 

Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. 

Taiwo Adisa, the Commissioner said the 

state government would leave no stone 

unturned to ensure that its border towns 

were effectively secured. 

The team, according to the statement, 

embarked on house-to-house 

sensitization of residents of various 

communities in Ogbomosoland, on how 

to prevent the novel Coronavirus. 

Olatubosun and his team members, 

who monitored interstate lockdown 

compliance at Oki, Oko, Otee and Ijado 

towns, which share boundaries with 

Osun and Kwara states respectively, 

decried the low level of compliance with 

the interstate lockdown directive in the 

communities. 

What corona has joined together....! 

It means you have been licking other 

things in the house! 

The teacher is olodo, QED!




WRATH OF THE GODS—Okpanam-Ugoani (traditional ruler) of Okpanam community in Oshimili 

North Local Government Area of Delta State, HRM Mbanefo Ogbolu, led thousands of his subjects, 

yesterday, to invoke the wrath of the gods against kidnappers and other criminals terrorizing the 

community. 

American woman who died in Delta, her 

boyfriend test negative for COVID-19 

• Akwa Ibom discharges nursing mother, five other patients 

• Bayelsa index case, two others discharged 

• We co-opted community youths, vigilantes into security architecture — A'Ibom 

By Festus Ahon, 

Emem Idio, Harris 

Emanuel & Chioma 

Onuegbu 

ASABA—DELTA State 

Government, yesterday 

said the 67 years old 

Caucasian American woman, 

who slumped and died 

in a hotel room in Osubi, 

Okpe Local Government 

Area of the state did not die 

of coronavirus. 

State Ministry of Health 

in a statement by its Public 

Relations Officer, Mr 

Donald Ojobor, said the 

sample of woman and her 

boyfriend which were sent 

for coronavirus test, came 

out negative. 

The Ministry advised residents 

to comply with government's 

directives on precautionary 

measures to protect 

themselves from the 

disease, stressing that "this 

is the only way to contain 

the scourge." 

Delta waterways/ 

land security c'ttee 

tasks members 

enforcing interstate 

lockdown 

Chairman Delta State 

Waterways/ Land Security 

Committee, Mr Boro 

Opudu has tasked members 

of the committee to join 

hands with the Nigeria Police 

and other security 

agents to enforce the inter-state 

lockdown directives 

by the Federal Government 

to check the 

spread of Covid-19. 

Opudu in Warri at his office, 

told newsmen that the 

charge became necessary 

following the enormous 

task before the security 

agents in enforcing the 

compliance. 

He explained that now 

that the country is at cross 

road, battling to contain the 

spread of this global virus, 

it has become imperative for 

its members to shift from 

their primary mandate and 

assist security agents in en- 

forcing compliance with restrictions 

on inter-state 

movement. 

Akwa Ibom 

discharges nursing 

mother, 5 other 

patients 

Also in Akwa Ibom State, 

the state government has 

given clean bills of health 

to no fewer than six Covid 

19 patients, which include 

a nursing mother as the 

government discharged 

them from isolation centre. 

State Commissioner for 

Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong 

disclosed this while 

briefing newsmen, yesterday, 

in Uyo. He said the 

discharged patients have 

met the protocols established 

by Nigeria Centre 

for Disease Control, 

NCDC, of two negative test 

before being let go 

He said, "I want to announce 

to you the result of 

the 30 cases that we sent 

for testing and the final result 

came out on Monday 

and out of the lot, only one 

came positive. The rest were 

negative 

"What we are doing today 

is to discharge those patients 

who tested negative. 

We have just discharged 

five of them. 

"All of them will like to be 

anonymous, but you have 

seen them. We don't want 

to publish their photographs 

and names but they 

have just been discharged. 

"It is not easy to be confined 

for sometimes for upward 

of 22 days, sometimes 

up to 30 days while we 

were testing you to be sure 

that you are negative. 

Bayelsa index case, 

two others 

discharged 

Bayelsa State index case 

of Covid-19 and two other 

cases linked to her, who 

were earlier treated at the 

Niger Delta University 

Teaching Hospital, 

NDUTH, Isolation Centre 

have been discharged after 

they recovered and tested 

negative. 

Co-Chairman of the 

Bayelsa State Covid-19 

Task Force and Permanent 

Secretary, Ministry of 

Health, Dr. Inodu Apoku, 

who disclosed this to newsmen 

in Yenagoa, said that 

results from 16 samples are 

pending as they were yet 

to be analysed due to the 

challenges with reagents 

that the Irrua Specialist Reference 

Laboratory was currently 

facing. 

Reiterating the compulsory 

use of face masks in public 

places, Apoku, said that 

the state government had 

extended the stay at home 

for another one week beginning 

from Monday, and 

further directed that travelers 

from high risk states 

of Lagos, Kano and Ogun 

be placed on a mandatory 

14 days quarantine, while 

inter-state lockdown and 

8p.m., to 6a.m., curfew continue 

in line with Federal 

Government directive. 

We co-opted 

community youths, 

vigilantes into 

security architecture 

— A'Ibom 

In Akwa Ibom State, the 

state government said that 

the decision to co-opt community 

youths and vigilante 

groups to beef up security 

at border communities 

across the state was paying 

off. 

State Commissioner for 

Health, Dr Dominic Ukpong 

disclosed this, as he 

expressing dismay over the 

continued flouting of the 

order restraining people 

from entering the state due 

to the Covid 19 spread. 

He commended the security 

operatives, zero the 

community youths and vigilantes 

in Ika local Government 

Area of the state over 

the interception of another 

attempt to smuggle Covid 

19 corpse into the state. 

Ukpong, intimated that 

the latest body was transported 

from Lagos State, 

adding that it was disheartening 

that despite the interstate 

lockdown, family 

members could risk such 

adventure, adding that 

such trips usually required 

the use of bush paths in order 

to beat security checks 

on the highways. 

Bayelsa CP frowns 

at indiscrimate 

arrests of residents 

Meanwhile, Commissioner 

of Police, Bayelsa 

State Command, Nkereuwem 

Akpan, has expressed 

displeasure over the indiscrimate 

arrests of residents 

of the state by men of the 

Command under the guise 

that they lockdown directives. 

Mr Akpan, disclosed that 

he had received several 

complaints from residents of 

the state over the "illegal" 

activities of some policemen 

during the Covid-19 lockdown 

and curfew and lamented 

that the activities of 

few bad eggs were denting 

the image the police force 

and portraying the police 

command in the state in 

bad light. 

Speaking yesterday, 

when members of the Civil 

Liberties Organisation, 

CLO, Bayelsa State branch, 

paid a solidarity visit to him 

in his office, at the State 

Police Command Headquarters 

in Yenagoa, he 

pointed out that the Command 

will sensitize and 

monitor the enforcement of 

the lockdown and curfew by 

officers and men of the command 

to ensure that they 

adhere to the rules of engagement, 

assuring that 

the relationship between 

the police and the public 

will improve significantly. 

Group decries 

impact of post 

COVID-19 on 

Urhobo economy 

In another development, 

worried by the devastating 

effect of the ravaging coronavirus 

pandemic on global 

economy, the Urhobo 

Economic and Investment 

Group, UEIG, has noted 

that the pandemic has negatively 

impacted the Urhobo 

nation with debilitating 

effects on the socio-economic 

activities of the people. 

The group in a communique 

by the Convener, Mr 

Kingsley Ubiebi at the end 

of a webinar, said the webinar 

focused on enlightening 

the people on the implications 

of the COVID-19 

on the economy of Urhobo 

Nation. 

He said, "However, the 

health and safety of all 

Urhobos and other Nigerians 

in Urhobo land remains 

an utmost priority. Therefore, 

everyone should pay 

adequate attention to all 

Covid-19 safety guidelines 

such as wearing of face 

masks, washing hands 

with soap under running 

water at regular intervals, 

use of alcohol-based sanitizer, 

practice social distancing 

and personal hygiene.’’ 

Rivers hotels demolition: Rivers PDP expels wanted Eleme 

Youth Leader • As elder statesman flays MASSOB leader over attack on Wike 

By Egufe Yafugborhi 

PORT HARCOURT— 

AHEAD of tomorrow's 

inauguration of new Rivers 

State Executive Committee 

of the Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, the party has expelled 

its Eleme Local Government 

Area Youth Leader, 

Princewill Osaroejiji, 

who is wanted over his alleged 

role in the demolished 

Prodest Hotel's saga. 

The development came as 

elder statesman and PDP 

stalwart, Prince Emma Anyanwu 

chided leader of 

Movement for Actualization 

of Sovereign State of Biafra, 

MASSOB, Ralph Uwazuruike, 

over "hate" comments 

against Governor Nyesom 

Wike. 

Mr Felix Obuah, outgoing 

Chairman of Rivers 

PDP, noted that Osaroejiji of 

Eleme Alode Ward 2 of the 

party was being expelled for 

"insubordination, flagrant 

rascality, disobedience to 

directives of the state government 

on COVID-19 and 

acts of criminality. 

"It's unfortunate that Osaroejiji 

took his position as 

party executive for granted 

to flout authority of the governor 

and orders of the 

state by attacking members 

of the task force on COV- 

ID-19. 

"He organised a party in 

a hotel in Eleme to rubbish 

efforts of government and 

relevant authorities to safeguard 

lives of the mass of 

Rivers people and residents 

against the dreaded 

virus. 

Senate probe of NDDC to complement FG's 

forensic audit —Lawan 

Y ENAGOA—SENATE 

President, Senator Ahmad 

Lawan said, yesterday, 

that the investigation 

being carried out by the 

Senate into the finances of 

the Niger Delta Develop- 

"This will serve as deterrent 

to others who may 

wish to engage in similar 

act to test the sincerity and 

political will of the state 

government to deal decisively 

with such recalcitrance." 

Meanwhile, party chieftain, 

Anyanwu in response 

to MASSOB leader's castigation 

of Wike over demolition 

of two hotels in Rivers 

ment Commission, 

NDDC, was to complement 

the ongoing forensic 

audit which was ordered 

by the Federal Government. 

Lawan while inaugurating 

a seven-man ad-hoc 

committee on alleged financial 

recklessness in the 

NDDC, said "We are in total 

support of the President's 

directive for the forensic 

audit of the finances 

of NDDC, and this is, in 

some way, complimentary 

to that directive." 

The investigation, he said 

would avail the management 

of the commission an 

opportunity to defend the 

allegations against it. 

Lawan said, "We have no 

predetermined position on 

the outcome of this investigation 

as an institution. Issues 

raised are allegations, 

therefore, the NDDC has 

the opportunity to come forward 

and defend its position. 

noted that the laws governing 

Rivers State are a product 

of the Rivers State House 

of Assembly and not that of 

Imo State, where the MAS- 

SOB leader comes from and 

as such, "it is ridiculous for 

him to insult our able governor 

who swore to protect 

lives and property in Rivers 

State and has carried out 

such responsibility in the 

interest of the people.’’ 

"But we have a mindset 

and our mindset in the Senate 

is that we have to have 

an NDDC that is effective 

and efficient in service delivery 

to the people of Niger 

Delta. This is the essence 

of setting up that commission. 

"So we want to see a situation 

where the very limited 

resources that are appropriated 

for the NDDC 

are prudently and transparently 

deployed for the development 

of the Niger 

Delta region. This is our 

mindset and we will not shy 

away from our responsibility 

at anytime we feel a sense 

that that is not happening."



COVID-19: Death toll rises to 32 

in Kano 

By Bashir Bello & 

Abdulmumin 

Murtala 

KANO—THE death toll 

of patients who lost 

their lives in Kano State to 

complications from the 

highly contagious 

coronavirus, COVID-19, 

has risen to 32, even as the 

state has lost another 

lecturer and the former 

President of Nigeria 

Society Engineers, NSE, 

Dr. Muhammad Sadisu, 

and Engr. Ibrahim Khaleel 

....As ex-NSE president, another 

lecturer die 

....State extends lockdown by one week 

Inuwa, respectively, to the 

cold hands of death. 

A yesterday night tweet 

on the official twitter handle 

of the Kano State Ministry 

of Health which confirmed 

additional six deaths, put 

the total deaths recorded in 

the state at 32. 

The Ministry also 

confirmed 64 new cases in 

the state bringing the total 

of positive cases to 666. 

According to the tweet, 

....NLC laments increasing exposure 

attention to the voice of 

of nurses 

silent sobs by our nurses 

By Victor Young 

who go to war without 

A BUJA—NIGERIA 

Labour Congress, 

NLC, yesterday decried 

the increasing exposure of 

health workers especially 

nurses to the deadly 

coronavirus, COVID-19 

pandemic, saying "as at last 

week, about 200,000 health 

workers are estimated to 

have been infected with 

COVID-19. Out of this 

number 260 nurses have 

died from the Covid-19 

infection." 

President of NLC, Ayuba 

Wabba, in a statement on 

the World Nurse Day, 

among others said “In 

Nigeria, the brutal backlash 

of the COVID-19 on health 

workers is very worrisome. 

More than 300 health 

workers have been 

exposed and infected and 

some have paid the 

supreme price fighting the 

pandemic. This provides a 

lot of traction to the theme 

adopted by the National 

Kaduna warns VIPs over inter-state 

travels 

Buhari. 

By Ibrahim 

Hassan 

K ADUNA—KADUNA 

State Government has 

warned that Federal 

Government vehicles, 

identity papers and 

uniforms should not be 

used to violate state orders 

or to assume immunity 

from regulations issued by 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari on COVID-19. 

In a statement issued by 

Special Adviser on Media 

and Communication, to the 

governor, Mr Muyiwa 

Adekeye, yesterday said 

the state Standing 

Committee on coronavirus, 

COVID-19, 50 persons had 

been quarantined at the 

NYSC camp, for violating 

the prohibition of inter-state 

Association of Nigerian 

Nurses and Midwives, 

NANNM, in the 

celebration of this year’s 

Nurses Day – Nurses a 

Voice to Lead: Nursing the 

World to Health. This 

depicts the role of nurses as 

the infantry soldiers of the 

health profession. Their 

forte is in the trenches of 

health wars like the 

COVID-19; always by the 

side of sick patients even 

when other healthcare 

workers would have retired 

to rest. Our nurses always 

experience firsthand the 

strife for life, the surge of 

hope, the smiles of recovery 

and at the worst curve - the 

stench of death. They are 

the voice that holds the 

night still. Nursing is the 

voice deserving to lead. 

“While we pay homage in 

respect of the sacrifice of 

our nurses in the current 

war against COVID-19, we 

reiterate our earlier calls for 

the government and 

healthcare managers across 

our country and other 

climes world over to pay 

travels in line with 

quarantine orders. 

The statement warned 

employees and officials of 

the Federal Government 

and other state 

governments not on 

essential duties, to desist 

from breaking the ban on 

interstate travels. 

According to Adekeye, 

“senior government 

officials on enforcement 

duties at points of entry into 

the state have noticed many 

federal government 

employees on the road, 

traveling with their families 

and friends, for nonessential 

reasons. Such 

persons ought to set an 

example of compliance 

with regulations, including 

the nationwide prohibition 

of interstate travel imposed 

by President Muhammadu 


“Update on Covid-19 as at 

11:45pm on 11th May, 

2020, Kano State records 64 

new confirmed cases, total 

confirmed cases in Kano 

State are now 666. 13 

additional covid-19 patients 

were discharged, total now 

63. Six covid-19 deaths 

were recorded, total now 

32. #MaskUpKano 

#PrayForKano.” 

President of NSE Engr. 

Babagana Mohammed, 

adequate personal 

protective gear, conducive 

work environment and an 

impossible work schedule. 

“To our dear nurses, I 

have a simple and short 

prayer for you. May this 

year be the year your voices 

and that of other health 

workers are heard. May 

2020 be the year the 

salaries you are owed are 

paid, the promotion you 

deserve is given to you and 

the necessary support you 

need to enable you 

continue in your noble duty 

of saving lives is granted. 

"May this year be the year 

of your voice empowered 

and dignified. One thing 

is certain, posterity will 

never forget the 

contributions of our nurses 

and other healthcare 

workers globally in 

salvaging mankind from 

extinction in the course of 

one of the worst pandemics 

that have ever berthed on 

the shores of humanity.” 

Federal 

government vehicles, 

identity papers and 

uniforms should not be 

used to violate state 

regulations or to assume 

immunity from regulations 

issued by the President.” 

The committee said 

the 50 persons arrested 

“will be isolated there for 

14 days to ensure that 

they are COVID-19 

free. The quarantine 

centre received its first 

set of 27 guests on 

Sunday, while 23 others 

were brought in on 

Monday, following the 

deployment of senior 

Kaduna State 

Government officials to 

enforce the restriction of 

movement at various 

points of entry into the 

state." 

confirmed the demise of 

Inuwa who died on 

Monday at his residence in 

Kano. 

Mohammed said late 

Inuwa served as the 

President of society 

between 1989 and 1990. 

Similarly, a French 

lecturer, Dr.Sadisu with 

Federal College of 

Education, FCE, Kano, 

was aged 76 and has 

been buried according to 

Islamic rites. 

Meanwhile, the state 

government has 

announced an extension 

of the lockdown imposed 

on the state by President 

Muhammadu Buhari, by 

one week, in an effort to 

contain the spread of 

COVID-19. 

Commissioner for 

Information, Malam 

Muhammad Garba, said 

yesterday that “the 

decision was reached 

after due consultations 

with the Federal 

Government and key 

stakeholders in the health 

sector. The measure is 

aimed at further reducing 

indiscriminate person to 

person contact which is 

considered as one of the 

major ways of spread of 

the disease.” 

How schools can resume in 4 

weeks —Afe Babalola 

A DO-EKITI— 

FOUNDER and 

Chancellor of the 

flourishing Afe Babalola 

University, Ado-Ekiti, 

ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola 

(SAN), has offered 

suggestions on how 

Federal government can 

reopen schools and 

universities within four 

weeks in phases. 

According to Aare 

Babalola, only the Almighty 

God Himself can determine 

when the current corona 

virus pandemic will be 

eradicated globally. 

In a 15-point prescription 

in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, 

Babalola contended that the 

daily increase in the 

number of patients did not 

suggest that covid-19 

would soon come to an end. 

He noted that schools 

nationwide were hurriedly 

closed down by 

government fiat on March 

23, 2020 even when some 

of the pupils and students 

were either writing 

examinations or embarking 

on final year examinations. 

According to him, among 

others: "Private institutions 

which are reputed for 

quality and functional 

education, predictable 

academic calendar, moral 

and physical training, 

discipline, clean 

environment, and personal 

hygiene should be allowed 

to resume academic 

activities within four weeks 

after they have been 

certified to have fulfilled 

the underlisted conditions: 

"The school must 

establish that it has 

residential accommodation 

for all students including 

most, if not all the staff. 

Parents shall give written 

undertakings supported 

with medical certificates 

that the student is fit or 

healthy to resume 

academic work. The 

institution which must be 

fenced must have a main 

gate manned by security 

men, nurses and other 

medical personnel. 

“There shall be about 3 

running water tanks at the 

gate where students will 

wash their hands with 

soap. There shall be 

portable sanitizers similar 

to those manufactured by 

ABUAD with NAFDAC 

registration number 037328. 

Each student must be armed with 

the portable sanitizer."


DISTRIBUTION: 

From left— Wife of the 

Chairman of Bagudo 

Local Government 

Area of Kebbi State, 

Hajiya Aisha Kaura; 

one of the 

beneficiaries; and wife 

of Kebbi State 

Governor, Dr Zainab 

Bagudu, during the 

distribution of 

COVID-19 palliatives 

to vulnerable women, 

youths and physically 

challenged persons by 

the governor’s wife, at 

Illo town in Kebbi 

State, yesteday. Photo: 

NAN. 

Delta community protests disqualification 

of indigene as college provost 

By Paul Olayemi 

M OSOGAR— 

INDIGENES of 

Mosogar community in 

Ethiope West Local 

Government Area of Delta 

State, yesterday, took to the 

streets of the town, 

protesting the 

disqualification of it’s 

citizen as provost of the 

College of Education in the 

town. 

They have also 

petitioned the Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa, urging him 

Court reinstates Edo perm-sec 7-yrs after 

removal 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

BENIN CITY —THE 

Benin Judicial Division 

of the National Industrial 

Court of Nigeria presided 

over by Honorable Justice 

Aduola Adewemimo has 

declared the removal from 

office of Mrs. Caroline Edo- 

Osagie as a permanent 

secretary in the Edo State 

civil service on 17th 

October, 2012 as illegal, 

unconstitutional, invalid, 

null and void and of no 

effect whatsoever. 

Delivering the judgment 

in suit No: NICN/AK/14/ 

2013 which Edo-Osagie 

instituted to challenge her 

removal, Justice 

Adewemimo also ordered 

the Edo state government 

to pay her salary as 

permanent secretary in the 

Edo State Civil Service from 

17th October 2012 to the 

to tackle the issue before it 

degenerates to a 

breakdown of law and 

order. 

In the petition, Mosogar 

Development Union, noted 

that in a just concluded 

provost interview, they 

observed sadly that their 

son, Dr Moses Omayuli, 

who was shortlisted, 

cleared and interviewed 

was unceremoniously 

disqualified after coming out as 

the overall best with 84.90 per 

cent among those interviewed, 

14th of August, 2013, her 

date of retirement as a 

permanent secretary also to 

be paid are her gratuity as 

a retired permanent 

secretary and her monthly 

pension as a permanent 

secretary with effect from 

31st August, 2013 till the 

date and thereafter. 

She challenged her 

removal from office as a 

N/Delta groups congratulates Buhari 

on ECOWAS appointment 

W ARRI—REACTING 

to recent 

appointment of President 

Muhammadu Buhari as 

COVID- 19 response Coordinator 

for the ECOWAS 

sub-region, the Joint 

Association of Niger Delta 

Youth Forum, JANDYF has 

congratulated President 

Buhari, saying it’s welldeserved. 

The ECOWAS Authority 

Justice Ehiwario made 

the statement, while 

speaking to newsmen at 

the association’s head office 

at Boji-Boji Owa, soon 

after he joined some officers 

of the association to witness 

the receipt and peaceful 

distribution of the food 

items, which included rice, 

beans, noddles, groundnut 

oil, yams, garri, among 

others. 

The chairman told 

newsmen that though he 

was also the President 

on the basis of age. 

Reacting to the allegation, the 

state Commissioner of Higher 

Education Prof. Patrick 

Muoboghare said an advert was 

placed in major newspapers 

stating the qualifications “and 

one of the qualification was 60 

years of age, the advert did not 

say being an Indigene of 

Mosogar, it qualifies you to be a 

sole candidate, anyone applying 

for a position should access 

himself if he is qualified or not, 

not play on the sentiment of an 

indegene.” 

Permanent Secretary by 

the Governor of Edo State 

without a query just as she 

argued that the action was non 

adherence to Civil Service Rules 

and a breach of her conditions of 

service claiming she heard of her 

removal through media and 

having heard same 

announcement. 

Justice Adewemimo held that 

it is on record that the Claimant 

of Heads of States and 

Government had in an 

extraordinary virtual 

meeting held to discuss 

the impact of COVID- 19 

pandemic on the subregion, 

unanimously 

appointed Buhari as the 

organization’s COVID- 19 

coordinator. Speaking on 

the appointment, the 

group’s president, Mark 

Ikpuri said that the 

Anioma Presidents General laud Okowa 

on COVID-19 palliative measures 

ASABA—THE executive 

and members of 

Anioma Communities 

Presidents General 

Association, ACPGA, of 

Delta State, under its 

chairman, retired Justice 

Sylvester Ehiwario, has 

described the on-going 

distribution of various 

palliatives and face masks, 

as approved by Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa, as a step in 

the right direction and a 

clear testimony of a good 

leadership. 

General of Owa 

Community, he decided to 

tour some other 

communities of Anioma 

area to ascertain delivery 

of the goods. 

Ehiwario, on behalf of 

the Anioma Presidents 

General, commended the 

various group and persons 

that have, in their numerous 

ways, emulated the state 

governor’s gesture with 

providing palliatives to their 

people and enjoined others with 

the means to do same. 

Meanwhile, leaders of the 

community reacting to the 

incident stated that as the host 

community, there was a well 

orchestrated plan by the governing 

council and the Ministry of Higher 

Education to ensure that the 

kingdom was not only short 

changed but also mocked and 

relegated to the background. 

Speaking to Vanguard, former 

council chairman of Ethiope West, 

Dr Wilson Omene cited instances 

of provost appointments made 

despite their ages, saying their son 

should be availed of the 

opportunity to serve in the college 

as a substantive Provost. 

was appointed into the office of 

permanent secretary vide a letter 

of appointment marked as exhibit 

C4 which was published vide a 

gazette also marked Exhibit C5 

which "goes to reason that 

appointments, resignation, or 

removal from office of a public officer 

cannot be done by a radio 

announcement, as this is contrary 

to her terms of employment and 

international labour standards. 

appointment expresses the 

confidence of the ECOWAS 

Heads of States on the 

credibility and commitment 

of President Buhari towards 

the eradication of the 

coronavirus disease in the 

sub-region. 

The group, which also 

commended Buhari for 

accepting the Madagascar 

herbal made cure for 

COVID- 19 for scientific 

analysis and possible 

treatment of COVID- 19 

patients in the country, said 

it is time for African leaders 

to look inward for the cure 

of tropical diseases like the 

deadly coronavirus and are 

happy that Buhari is 

thinking along the same line. 

Insisting that Africa has 

the capacity to shock the 

western world in terms of 

curative medicines, Ikpuri 

urges Buhari to also 

encourage local Scientist 

and herbal professionals in 

the country to make similar 

exploit, particularly at a time 

when countries around the world 

are seeking new revenue sources 

and opportunity for economic 

expansion. 

Toyota sees 80% profit drop as 

virus wipes $14bn off car sales 

TOYOTA Motor Corporation said yesterday it 

expects profit to drop by 80percent to its lowest 

in nine years, as Japan’s biggest automaker grapples 

with the impact of the novel coronavirus which 

has sapped global demand for vehicles. 

The expected damage to Toyota’s bottom line highlights 

how carmakers will struggle to recover from 

the virus in the coming months as they gradually 

restart factories after curbs on public movement prevented 

workers in many countries from commuting. 

The industry expects limited output due to fractured 

supply chains and social distancing measures 

at plants, along with weak demand as job losses 

and concern about an economic downturn weigh on 

consumer spending on major purchases like cars. 

Toyota, one of the world’s most profitable automakers, 

expects to take a whopping 1.5 trillion yen 

($13.95 billion) hit from a fall in global vehicle sales 

this year due largely to the virus, yet it still expects 

to eke out an operating profit of 500 billion yen in 

the year to March. 

“The coronavirus has dealt us a bigger shock than 

the 2008 global financial crisis,” Toyota President 

Akio Toyoda said at a live streamed media briefing. 

Wall Street opens higher on 

hopes of economic recovery 

UNITED States (US) stocks yesterday opened 

higher on hopes that the easing of virus-led 

business shutdowns would help jump-start a battered 

global economy, with investors also weighing 

the risks of reopening too soon. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 70.85 

points, or 0.29percent, at the open to 24,292.84. The 

S&P 500 opened higher by 9.18 points, or 0.31percent, 

at 2,939.50, while the Nasdaq Composite 

gained 32.80 points, or 0.36percent, to 9,225.15 at 

the opening bell. 

Russian factory resumes work 

despite new surge in coronavirus 

number 

RUSSIAN factory and construction workers re 

turned to work yesterday despite a new surge 

in coronavirus cases which gave Russia the second 

highest number of infections in the world after the 

United States. 

In a surprise announcement on Monday, Putin said 

it was time after six weeks to gradually lift nationwide 

restrictions that had forced many people to 

work from home and businesses to temporarily close. 

Although Putin gave wide leeway to Russia’s regions 

to ease or tighten restrictions as they saw fit, 

he said it made sense for certain sectors of the 

bruised economy such as construction and heavy 

industry to be allowed to Factories restart work 

from Tuesday. 

COVID 19: Lekki port donates food 

items to host communities 

LEKKI Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (Lekki 

Port), the developer of the Lekki Deep Sea Port 

Project currently under construction at the Lagos 

Free Trade Zone, Ibeju Lekki together with China 

Harbour Engineering LFTZ Enterprise (CHELE) 

have donated food items to its host communities. 

The food items were distributed to the 6 host communities 

of Itoke, Magbon-Segun, Idotun, Lujagba, 

Okesegun and Lekuru at the project site to cushion 

the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown 

on the people of the communities. 

Speaking at the presentation of the food items to 

the Baales of the 6 communities, Alhaji Bode 

Oyedele, a Director of Lekki Port, explained that 

this donation from Lekki Port and CHELE to the 

community was to help ease the difficulties occasioned 

by the COVID- 19 lockdown. 

“We are here today to present these food items to 

the communities as a way of showing our concern 

to the well-being of the people of our host communities 

especially during this trying period”, he said. 

Some strories from Reuters.




DONATION: From left; Group Head of HR & Admin., Daraju Industries Limited, Mrs Dupe Akindiya; 

MD/Group Executive Director, Daraju Industries Ltd, Mr. Oscar Macaulay; Deputy Governor, Ogun 

State, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele; Commissioner for Health, Ogun State, Dr Tomi Coker and Senior 

Special Assistant to the Governor on Industries, Trade and Investment, Miss Sola Arobeke during the 

donation of Fressia sanitizers and household items as COVID-19 palliatives by Daraju Industries Limited 

to the Ogun State Government, Abeokuta, Ogun State yesterday. 

We’ve lost N12bn to COVID-19 

lockdown, luxury bus owners claim 

•Onitsha traders warn market unions over flouting of safety rules 

•Non-indigenes in Anambra not considered in palliatives — lawyer, others 

•FG’s rice sent to us was good, we distributed to all LGAs –Abia Govt 

•Sunu donates PPE to Lagos State 

Government 

By Vincent Ujumadu, 

Nwabueze Okonkwo 

& Chimaobi Nwaiwu 

A WKA—LUXURY 

bus owners under the 

aegis of the Association of 

Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria 

(ALBON) claimed yesterday 

that they have lost over N12 

billion from the COVID-19 

lockdown due to the closure of 

parks and borders in Nigeria 

since March 2020 this year. 

At a press briefing in Onitsha, 

the association appealed to the 

federal government to come to 

their rescue by granting its 

members loans and other 

palliative interventions to 

sustain the business after 

coronavirus pandemic. 

National taskforce chairman 

of ALBON, Chief Joseph Ejiofor 

and the Anambra State 

taskforce chairman, Mr. 

Uchenna Maduakor said 

during the briefing that bus 

owners were still counting 

losses as the lockdown and 

closure of borders continued, 

adding that they have been 

paying salaries to their workers 

despite the fact that they 

parked their buses in obedience 

to the Federal Government’s 

directive and the Nigeria 

Centre for Disease Control, 

NCDC, protocols on COVID- 


Ṫhey appealed to the federal 

and state governments to allow 

their buses to be carrying 

essential commodities to 

various parts of the country so 

that the bus owners could 

sustain themselves and their 

families within this period. 

“Since there is border closure 

on passenger movement, we 

appeal to the security men on 

the roads to allow the buses 

passage with only essential 

commodity loads,” they 

suggested, adding that their 

buses in Nigeria and in other 

Africans countries had been 

parked in their garages doing 

no business since March 20 this 

year. 

Their statement read in part: 

“Most of the bus owners find it 

difficult to pay salary and feed 

their families. Our business is 

on the verge of collapse if 

government fails to support us 

through intervention fund to 

write off our loans. 

“We also need funds to pay 

our banks, partners and bus 

suppliers who have been on our 

neck to pay up our loan facilities 

and supplies. We have time limit 

based on the agreement to 

complete the previous ones to 

get new ones." 

Non-indigenes in 

Anambra not 

considered in 

palliatives — Lawyer, 

others 

Also yesterday, Imo Stateborn 

legal practitioner based in 

Onitsha, Anambra State, 

Benedict Uchenna Igwe 

described as very unfortunate, 

a situation where non-indigenes 

in Anambra State were not 

considered worthy to benefit 

from the COVID-19 palliatives 

being distributed by the state 

government in various parts of 

the state to cushion the effects 

of the lockdown. 

Similarly, chairman of Shoe 

Manufacturers and General 

Dealers Association, Chief 

Clement Okemefuna and 

chairman of Ogbunike 

Mechanic Village, Ifedilichukwu 

Idoko have expressed disgust 

that all the palliatives and 

stimulus were not extended to 

non-indigenes in the state. 

Okemefuna and Idoko 

therefore charged the state 

government to direct those incharge 

of the distribution 

exercise to henceforth share the 

palliatives and stimulus to both 

indigenes and non-indigenes, 

as demanded by equity. 

They also demanded that the 

state government should 

distribute palliatives to markets 

and other statutory bodies like 

mechanics and allied 

tradesmen who are also paying 

revenues to the government. 

Igwe, who spoke to newsmen 

in his law chambers at Onitsha, 

said he personally monitored 

the distribution of all the state 

government palliatives, 

including the first batch of 200 

bags of rice given to each of the 

181 communities in the state 

for aged ones from 70 years and 

above and another 400 bags of 

rice given to the youths in all 

the 181 communities and he 

discovered to his chagrin that 

the interest of non-indigenes 

resident in the state were no 

protected by both the 

government and benefiting 

communities. 

Procure testing 

machines in every 

state, cleric tells govt 

Meantime, in what appeared 

to be a reaction to the 

relaxation of the coronavirus 

lockdown in various states of 

the federation, an Anglican 

cleric, Venerable Obiora 

Uzochukwu has called on the 

authorities concerned to 

establish COVID-19 testing 

equipment-cum centre in all 

the 36 states of the 

federation. 

He said by so doing, the 

equipment would facilitate 

the speedy testing and 

treatment of those infected 

with coronavirus. 

Speaking to newsmen at the 

All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha, 

Anambra State, Venerable 

Uzochukwu, an Archdeacon 

and Sub-Dean of Anglican 

Diocese on the Niger noted 

that the only way to ascertain 

the actual number of persons 

infected with COVID-19 in 

every state was when the 

masses undergo COVID-19 

test. 

He said if individuals and 

governments could purchase 

brand new vehicles at 

exorbitant costs, nothing 

stops the Federal 

from 

establishing COVID-19 

testing equipments and kits 

for each state. 

"COVID-19 has exposed our 

inefficient health care delivery 

system in Nigeria. This should 

make us see the need to 

embark on massive 

refurbishment and upgrading 

of our medical facilities, 

equipping them with 

ventilators and testing kits." 

Onitsha traders 

warn market unions 

over flouting of safety 

rules 

In a related development, 

over 45 market unions, under 

the Onitsha South Shop 

Owners Traders Association of 

Nigeria, OSSOTAN, have 

been told to reciprocate the 

Anambra State g overnor, 

Chief Willie Obiano’s, 

magnanimity of reopening the 

markets in the state, by 

observing the rules put in 

place to protect the state from 

coronavirus infection. 

President General of 

OSSOTAN, Chief Eric 

Uwaoma, made the call while 

speaking with newsmen in his 

office in Onitsha over his 

association's commitment and 

efforts in ensuring that the 

conditions given by the state 

government before reopening 

the markets and shops for 

business, are kept. 

According to Chief Uwaoma, 

“traders in Anambra State 

may not know what the 

government of Anambra State 

has done for them by allowing 

the markets in the state to 

operate for business, until they 

go to neghbouring states 

where the markets and shops 

are under locks and key. 

“The conditions given by the 

Anambra State Governor, 

Chief Willie Obiano, for 

markets to reopen and for 

traders to resume trading 

activities are very simple and 

easy to observe. 

“Governor Obiano directed 

that traders and their customers 

must always wear face masks, 

constantly wash their hands 

and maintain physical and 

social distancing. As traders, we 

must reciprocate the gesture by 

obeying the governments 

directive to stay safe and keep 

the state safe. 

“I must warn all the leaders 

in the unions under 

OSSOTAN, that the ability of 

the traders in their various 

markets to obey the 

government's directive to stay 

safe and keep the state safe, by 

observing Governor Obiano, 

Nigerian Center for Disease 

Control, NCDC and the World 

Health Organization, WHO, 

directives, for people to stay 

safe, depends on their 

commitment to compel the 

traders and their customers to 

comply. 

“OSSOTAN is therefore, 

directing all the chairmen of the 

various unions in our 

association to ensure that the 

traders and their customers 

obey the governor's directives 

which were the conditions to 

re-open the markets and shops 

for trading activities.” 

Sunu donates PPE to 

Lagos State 

In a similar vein, Sunu 

Assurance Plc and its sister 

company, Sunu Health Nigeria 

Limited, has donated N15 

million worth of Personal 

Protective Equipment, PPE to 

Lagos State government to help 

protect frontline health workers 

against coronavirus. 

With the latest donation, 

Sunu Group, a leading pan- 

African insurance group, has 

donated a total of N300 million 

worth of PPE across Africa as part 

of its support to governments. 

The chairman, Sunu 

Assurance Plc, while donating 

the equipments to the Lagos 

State Government at its medical 

warehouse in Lekki, said they 

decided to provide them to protect 

the front line workers who are the 

ones taking care of the people 

that test positive to the virus. 

He stated that coronavirus is a 

novel virus that has no cure and 

the only way to cure it is through 

prevention. 

He said: “All over the world, we 

hear doctors and health care 

workers being infected by the 

virus. We need our doctors to be 

hale and hearty in order to deliver 

care to the people. 

“We have personal protective 

equipment’s worth about N15 

million that we are giving out to 

protect our front line workers.” 

The Managing Director, Sunu 

Assurance, Mr. Samuel Ogbodu 

said the Sunu Group took the 

decision to donate the PPE across 

Africa. 

FG’s rice sent to us 

was good –Abia Govt 

Abia State government has said 

it distributed the 1,800 bags of rice 

donated to it by the federal 

government to cushion the effects 

of covid-19 lockdown to the 17 

council areas of the state. 

Controversy has trailed the 

donation of the rice as some 

states alleged that the rice had 

expired and unfit for consumption. 

But while announcing the 

donation, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu 

had stated that the state would 

examine the donation to 

ascertain its quality. 

Commissioner for Information 

and member of the state inter 

ministerial committee on covid- 

19, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, 

explained that the state 

examined the rice donated to it 

and found it suitable for 

consumption. 

He disclosed that the rice was 

distributed among the 17 council 

areas as soon as it was confirmed 

to be in good condition and fit for 

human consumption. 

In his words; “The federal 

government donated 1,800 bags 

of rice to the state. The donation 

was meant to complement the 

efforts of the state in easing the 

suffering of our people. Before the 

donation, Abia had distributed 

over 10,000 bags of rice through 

religious groups, state geriatric 

services agency, town unions and 

LGAs. We examined the 

consignment from the federal 

government and confirmed it fit 

for human consumption. It 

wasn’t expired and was in good 

state. We have since 

distributed the bags of rice to 

vulnerable persons in our 

state through the 17 local 

government areas. The 

Transition Committee 

chairmen, in turn, distributed 

it to their respective 

communities. There was no 

complaint about the rice.” 

The Commissioner urged 

residents of the state to obey 

the regulations on covid-19 in 

order to contain the spread of 

the virus in the state and urged 

the security agencies to assist the 

state to ensure restriction of 

interstate movements. 

Itel Mobile 

donates food, 

felief Items to 

Lagos 

households 

AFRICA’S 

most 

customer-centric brand 

and providers of affordable 

smartphone for everyone, Itel 

Mobile in partnership with Lagos 

Food Bank Initiative, has donated 

food and relief items to the Ipaja 

community and its environs of 

Lagos State. 

The gesture, according to the 

smartphone company was aimed 

at addressing the vital need and 

assist households most hit by the 

coronavirus-induced hard times. 

Also, the initiative was the 

brand’s modest contribution to 

taking care of the semi-urban 

community’s residents, as 

residents receive raw food and 

relief items in the extensive 

outreach driven by Itel Mobile’s 

long-standing “Love Always On” 

corporate social responsibility 

initiative. 

Marketing Communications 

Manager (West Africa), itel 

Mobile, Oke Umurhohwo, said at 

the event: ‘’The outreach is a 

deliberate, impact-driven 

initiative that gives back to the 

vulnerable in a manner that 

shows that they are loved by 

others. It is the brand’s way of 

helping families and children 

survive the tough times created 

by the pandemic.” 

Reacting, the President of the 

Lagos Food Bank Initiative, 

Michael Sunbola, said: “This 

partnership comes from a place of 

impact. The Lagos Food Bank 

Initiative is indeed delighted to 

be on this laudable move initiated 

by Itel Mobile to bring smiles to 

people’s faces at this critical 

time. It is not in doubt that 

the country needs more 

support from individuals and 

corporate organizations at 

this time, and itel Mobile has 

created an enabling template with 

this act of kindness.”


NDDC and needless distraction 

By ROY NWABU UMEZINWA 

THE recent spurious 

corruption allegation 

against the interim management 

of the Niger Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, can be seen 

for what it is: it is nothing but the 

case of corruption fighting back 

those put in place to fight it. 

Those who have read Dr. Ngozi 

Okonjo-Iweala’s seminal book: 

Fighting Corruption is 

Dangerous, will be conversant 

with the difficulty of fighting 

corruption in Nigeria and indeed 

any other place in the world. 

Therefore, anybody willing to 

fight corruption and wrestle it to 

the ground will be ready for a 

rough fight. He must be ready to 

be called names, utterly 

blackmailed and have insults 

hurled at him for his audacity and 

even temerity to venture to ask 

relevant questions that will 

uncover past corrupt practices in 

the commission. 

This is unfortunately the burden 

the Minister of the Niger Delta 

Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio 

and those currently in charge of 

the NDDC will bear for carrying 

out a national assignment to 

oversee the forensic probe of the 

activities of the commission as 

ordered by President 

Muhammadu Buhari some 

months ago. 

The recent vehement and 

orchestrated media attacks 

against the person of Akpabio 

and the NDDC Interim 

Management Committee, IMC, 

Chairman, 

Prof. 

Kemebradikumo Pondei, clearly 

illustrate how corruption fights 

back. The sponsors of these 

media tirades want to create 

confusion by tarring those in 

charge of the commission in 

black colours and make them 

unclean to sit in judgement 

against them. 

Being masters of deceit, 

mischief and subterfuge, they will 

stop at nothing to drag the IMC 

of the agency in the mud. Their 

inordinate motive is to ensure 

that the hunter becomes the 

hunted so that they won’t have the 

The interim 

management 

committee of the 

NDDC should 

remain focused 

and disregard the 

antics of these 

distractors 

strength to fight them. That is 

why they have deployed 

commissioned write-ups in the 

various newspapers and 

advertorials to make people 

believe their warped and 

disjointed tales of corruption and 

meddlesomeness in the 

management of the NDDC. 

Their allegation of corruption 

against the current management 

of the NDDC is diversionary. It is 

a subtle manner to frustrate the 

ongoing forensic probe of the 

agency which they see as a cashcow 

and even their ATM. The 

smear campaign is specially 

devised to buy time and undue 

attention. It is also devised to 

create maximum confusion and 

distract those probing their 

nefarious activities in the agency. 

There is no doubt that those 

engineering the propaganda 

cannot be different from those 

whose dirty transactions with the 

NDDC are being investigated. 

Because they want to deceive the 

unwary public, they are willing 

to dish out lies and fabrications 

garnished to look as truth to 

cover their evil deeds. 

They also believe that if they 

dish out the lies steadily that 

Nigerians will soon begin to 

believe them. 

Apart from dominating the 

print media and the social media 

with their propaganda, they have 

also recruited some youths in the 

Niger Delta region to 

demonstrate and create media 

attention in their favour. Because 

of their huge war chest, they have 

seized the media space and social 

media in a frenzy and in a mood 

that suggest that they are saying 

everything but the truth. Their 

plan is to make sure that the 

ongoing probe is disrupted and 

even derailed. 

Their agenda is to make sure 

that the IMC is sacked, thereby 

making it possible for their 

surrogates to come in and be in 

charge. Once their aim is 

achieved, they will ensure that 


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the forensic probe ordered by 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

will no longer see the light of the 

day. 

No doubt, they have the money 

and resources to really distract 

the interim management of the 

agency as well as derail the 

ongoing forensic probe as 

ordered by the Federal 

Government. 

That is why the presidency 

should disregard their antics and 

campaign of calumny against the 

interim management of the 

NDDC. 

The presidency should 

disregard their shouts of 

corruption that cannot be proved 

and treat them as interlopers and 

mischief makers. What these 

hawks are doing is not novel. It 

has never been a hidden fact that 

the NDDC has for long served as 

a conduit pipe for easy money for 

many of them. 

Therefore, they are vehemently 

bent to do anything possible to 

return to the status quo and 

continue their financial 

malfeasance in the commission. 

But since the change in the 

management of the commission, 

they have been restless and 

cashing every straw like a 

drowning man. 

Knowing that they will soon 

fall, they don’t want to fall alone. 

They are striving to ensure that 

some people fall with them. That 

is why they won’t like their dirty 

deeds to see the light of the day 

or become public knowledge. 

Having made so much money 

from corruption, they still want 

to cover their evil deals with 

plenty lies and propaganda to 

discredit the new management of 

the commission and put it in bad 

light. As masters of deceit, their 

intendment is to seriously 

intimidate and psychologically 

harass those at the helm of affairs 

at the NDDC at the moment. The 

public is very much aware that 

their grand desire is to truncate 

the ongoing forensic probe 

through buying time and causing 

a lot of media distraction that 

will lead to nowhere. 

The interim management 

committee of the NDDC should 

remain focused and disregard the 

antics of these distractors. They 

should not bother about these 

intruders who feast in fomenting 

trouble and finding faults where 

none exists. 

The ongoing forensic probe 

should not be derailed as planned 

by these distracters. Those who 

are used to opaque nature of 

things in the NDDC in the past 

are the ones sabotaging the 

forensic probe. 

They are the ones attacking the 

minister of the Niger Delta 

Affairs as well as the current 

interim management of the 

commission. Good enough, 

Nigerians are clever to be 

deceived by these charlatans 

masquerading as whistleblowers 

and anti-corruption 

activists. The federal government 

should ignore them and insist 

that the interim management of 

the commission must go on with 

its good work which is already 

yielding the intended good 

results. 

•Umezinwa, a public affairs 

analyst, writes from Abuja 

Sustainable infrastructures as key in the fight against COVID-19 

By GRACE AKPAN 

THAT Akwa Ibom State is standing tall as 

one of the only three states in Nigeria 

with the highest recovery rate of COVID-19 

cases according to statistics by the Nigeria 

Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, is not just 

by happenstance. Again, that the Centre has 

scored Akwa Ibom 99 percent in contact 

tracing for suspected cases of COVID-19 is 

another feat that cannot be wished away as a 

commonplace phenomenon. 

But as the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. 

Udom Emmanuel has emphatically reiterated, 

COVID-19 pandemic did not meet Akwa Ibom 

State Government unprepared. There has been 

a concerted planned, well defined and 

designed sustainable health infrastructure 

roadmap with the attendant facilities on 

ground to manage and handle the protocol 

that revolves round the treatment and 

curtailing of the spread of the pandemic in the 

State thus attracting such enviable records of 

successes and attainments in the fight against 

COVID-19 so far by NCDC. 

With over 407 medical doctors, 2000 nurses, 

Respiratory and Internal Medicine Consultants 

working seamlessly in health institutions 

across the state, energised and motivation by 

the high emolument and welfare packages in 

comparison to those of their counterparts in 

other states of the Federation and even those 

under the Federal Government payroll, it is, 

therefore, not a fallacy that, the government of 

Governor Udom Emmanuel was well 

grounded long before the advent of the killer 

coronavirus. 

In addition to the impressive numerical 

strength of top notch medical professionals 

being applauded worldwide for the heroic 

exploits in the discharge of over eight negative 

tested patients after passing through their 

expertise and magical fingers at the world 

class state-of-the-art isolation centre in the 

Ibom Specialty Hospital, ISH, Akwa Ibom 

State Government boasts of time tested stateof-the-art 

medical equipment to combat 

medical emergencies such as the COVID-19 

pandemic with 19 ventilators, oxygen plant 

and other required medical facilities and 

accessories. 

Notable too is the fact that, each of the ten 

Federal Constituencies in the State has at least 

one modernised and digitised secondary 

health institution fully equipped with 2019 

model of medical equipment including 

digitized beds in the wards to computerized 

patients filing records unit as well as state-ofthe-art 

operation theartres. As far 2017, just 

two years in office, Udom Emmanuel had 

established the emergency operations centre 

and oxygen plant at the Infectious Disease 

Hospital, IDH in Ikot Ekpene which also has 

18 beds in the isolation centre, in addition to 

the 25 beds at the isolation centre of the Ibom 

Specialty Hospital as well as four more beds 

still for isolated COVID-19 cases at Immanuel 

General Hospital in Eket. 

With all these facilities long put in place under 

the sustainable health infrastructure project 

of the present administration, there is no 

justifiable reason then, why Akwa Ibom State 

would not have scored nor will not continue to 

score very high in ranking when issues of 

COVID-19 pandemic are placed on the table 

of discourse by health oriented Agencies like 

NCDC and even the World Health 

Organisation, WHO. 

And as the committed and foresighted leader 

who sees tomorrow, the champion of the war 

against COVID-19 in Akwa Ibom State, 

Udom Emmanuel aptly opined, “My 

government goes for sustainable development 

so all infrastructures are of high quality and 

must be in accordance with International best 

practices”. Taking a look at the soon to be 

completed 300 bed isolation centre at Ituk 

Mbang, for instance, the governor came out 

clean on the high standard of the health 

infrastructure when he stated inter alia “people 

critized me for putting up a Five Star Isolation 

Centre for COVID-19 patients at Ituk Mbang. 

And I told them, there is no substitute to life, 

every one person in Akwa Ibom State is very 

important”. 

To buttress this point, the isolation centre, 

according to Governor Emmanuel, is 

constructed according to specifications set by 

the Word Health Organisation, WHO. The 

beds are all connected to the large Gas/Oxygen 

Cylinder which is not produced in Nigeria. One 

cannot claim to be oblivious of the harsh 

economic realities confronting the world now 

with the economic lockdown at the wake of 

the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading like wild 

fire and eating deep into the financial coffers 

of government, corporate bodies and 

organizations. With the closure of borders, shut 

down of travels by road, air and sea, the untold 

hardship and downturns in resources and 

income are unquantifiable. 

Each of the 10 Federal 

Constituencies in the State 

has at least one modernised 

and digitised secondary 

health institution 

How then would economies of the world 

survive the excruciating effects of COVID-19 

except with focused sustainable infrastructures 

by visionary leaders in the mold of Governor 

Emmanuel who have in place well tailored 

enduring infrastructural facilities that are not 

only income spinning but also capable of 

alleviating poverty, creating job opportunities, 

churning out wealth and stimulating the 

economy along with enterprising small and 

medium scale entrepreneurs, SMEs. 

At the last count, Akwa Ibom State 

Government which is rated as number one in 

Nigeria in attracting the highest volume of 

Foreign Direct Investments, FDI, only second 

to Lagos, has over 18 industries running. The 

State is home to the aviation bride of the skies, 

Ibomair, now with 4 mint aircrafts in the fleet, 

the largest Syringe Factory in Africa with an 

annual production capacity of 400 million 

syringes per annum, the first digitized 

Metering Factory, the Fertilizer blending 

factory, the Kings flour mill, the Lion Plywood, 

Rice mills and over 36 cassava/Garri 

processing factories, among others. 

All these companies are creating jobs for the 

teeming youths as well as producing food and 

other consumables for the people of Akwa 

Ibom State in line with the vision of Governor 

Emmanuel to ensure that 80 percent of 

consumables of the people are produced in 

the state. On assumption of office in May 2019, 

Governor Emmanuel had pledged his 

commitment to leave Akwa Ibom State better 

than he met it by providing the people with 

people-oriented projects which are sustainable 

enough to outlive the tenure of his 

administration. 

He kicked off with the construction of roads, 

he termed “economic roads’ linking the 

hinterlands to the capital city for ease of 

evacuation of agricultural produce and 

constructed Power sub-stations, with the 

realization of the importance of Power as a 

major catalist in sustainable development. 

Ever wondered what would have been the 

plight of Akwa Ibom people during the 

lockdown if Governor Emmanuel did not dive 

squarely into sustainable agricultural 

infrastructure. The state-owned Flour mill, 

Rice mills and Cassava/Garri processing 

factories produced every single grain of rice 

and Garri provided as palliatives to the people 

which trickled to the poorest of the poor in all 

nooks and crannies of the state, using the 

village structure. 

All these are clear pointers and eloquent 

testimonies to the fact that the leadership of 

Governor Emmanuel was long balanced with 

sustainable infrastructures before coronavirus 

came knocking. It is hopefull that, with the 

vigour put into research at various laboratories 

across the globe for a suitable vaccine for 

COVID-19, the pandemic will soon be 

eradicated, but till then, the panacea and best 

antidote to counter the current devastating 

economic realities of COVID-19 the world over, 

from the practical standpoint of what is tenable 

in Akwa Ibom State is Sustainable 

infrastructure. 

*Mrs Akpan is of the Ministry of Information, 

Uyo, Akwa Ibom State 

C 

M 

Y 

K


WE’ve had occasion to commend 

some state governors for their firm 

resolves to implement their Executive 

Orders aimed at securing the lives of 

residents in their states in the 

coronavirus pandemic fight. 

One of such was Governor Nyesom 

Wike who acted proactively when 

Caverton Helicopters violated the 

order closing the land, air and sea 

borders into Rivers State. 

Wike had led a detachment of 

security officers to close down the 

company’s premises and get the pilots 

who illegally brought in passengers 

to Port Harcourt arrested and 

prosecuted. 

This initially pitched the governor 

against the Federal Government 

which had authorised the flight. 

Unfortunately, even this strong 

measure failed to extract the 

deterrence it was meant to do. In early 

April 2020 when this face-off took 

place, Rivers State had only a couple 

of confirmed cases. But as at 

On hotel demolitions by Gov Wike 

Saturday, May 9, 2020 when the 

governor felt the need to demolish 

some hotels whose owners obstinately 

flouted the order to suspend 

operations, the case count for Rivers 

State had climbed to 21; by far the 

highest in the nine states of the 

defunct Eastern Region. 

Reports had it that some of the hotel 

owners had even unleashed thugs on 

members of the Rivers State COVID- 

19 Task Force, with some of their 

vehicles allegedly seized; a 

confrontation with the state in its 

effort to safeguard the lives of 

residents of Rivers State. 

We are, however, perturbed at the 

length the governor went in dealing 

with the sordid development. 

The demolition of two hotels was a 

total overreach of power. His threat 

to auction the seized vehicles is also 

an act of impunity. 

Which court granted the warrants 

for those demolitions, and under 

which law? 

Demolishing a citizen’s property 

without legal leave is an affront on 

the person’s constitutional right. 

Agreed, what these hotel and vehicle 

owners did were capable of exposing 

people to danger of infection. Indeed, 

the governor alleged that some of the 

confirmed cases in the state were 

traced to people who had lodged in 

some hotels. 

This, and the alleged harassment of 

government officials with thugs and 

confiscation of government property, 

did not, however, call for self-help by 

the governor. 

He should have invoked the full 

wrath of the law (not of man) against 

the suspects. 

The hotels and vehicles could have 

been impounded indefinitely (subject 

to court authorisation) while the 

suspects and their handymen are 

prosecuted. 

The demolition of those hotels 

means that those who made their 

living there will return from the 

pandemic without jobs. 

We know how difficult it can be to 

get Nigerians to obey simple rules in 

the public interest. However, the rule 

of law should always be diligently 

followed in line with our democratic 

culture. 

OPINION 

Workers Day and rights of vulnerable workers in Nigeria 

By ROSELINE OGHENEBRUME 

THERE is a connection between human 

rights and employment: human rights 

will only be functional when a person’s 

source of livelihood is unhindered as this 

impact on rights to life, movement, peaceful 

assembly and association, privacy and 

human dignity, liberty, property, etc. Even 

at this, unhealthy working environment and 

poor terms of employment can and often 

undermine workers rights. 

May 1st of every year is set aside as the 

International Workers’ Day, also known as 

Workers’ Day or Labour Day to celebrate 

workers. This is commendable as it not only 

infuses dignity in labour, but also 

emphasizes the need for best practices and 

enhances workers’ rights. While this is 

commendable, the question is: where is the 

place of the vulnerable worker in these 

celebrations? Someone will ask: who are 

vulnerable workers? 

According to Lawrence Jeff Johnson of the 

International Labour Organisation: 

Vulnerable employment is often 

characterised by inadequate earnings, low 

productivity and difficult conditions of work 

that undermine workers’ fundamental 

rights. 

HSE also defines vulnerable workers as 

those who are at risk of having their 

workplace entitlements denied, or who lack 

the capacity or means to secure them. Health 

and safety should not be used as an excuse 

to justify discriminating against certain 

groups of workers. From these definitions, 

one can safely relate vulnerability to Persons 

Living with HIV, PLHIV; Persons With 

Disabilities, PWDs; women; workers 

displaced by insurgencies/crisis; etc. If the 

above is true, are these groups of workers 

also part of the celebrations or a footnote? 

Over time, it can be argued that vulnerable 

workers are at best a footnote in the 

celebrations and unseen. Workers’ rights, 

however, do also apply to them, including 

dignity of labour, given their contributions 

at their various places of work. Workers Day 

celebration must therefore celebrate this set 

of workers and employers of labour 

(Organised Private Sector and Government) 

must also in celebrating the Workers Day 

put in frameworks to protect the rights of 

the vulnerable workers. 

Lawyers Alert in September 2018, using 

the HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act 

2014 in the National Industrial Court of 

Nigeria, got a groundbreaking judgement 

that specifically addressed the issue of 

termination of employment of vulnerable 

workers owing to their HIV status. The court 

held that workers’ jobs cannot be terminated 

on account of their HIV status. The court 

also gave vulnerable workers the right to 

approach courts without disclosing their 

identity in the likely event of stigma and 

discrimination (Anonymity Order). This was 

in the case of Mr. X. vs Brinks. The job of 

Mr. X. was terminated based on his HIV 

status. He approached Lawyers Alert for the 

determination of his matter. The judgement 

more than anything else calls for reflections 

on the place of the vulnerable worker in 

Nigeria today and the world at large. 

The 2020 May Day celebration presents a 

unique opportunity to celebrate the 

vulnerable worker focusing on this 

judgement, state of the law, compliance with 

these laws, including awareness creation on 

rights. Nigeria has signed most of the United 

Nations treaties, obligations, in addition to 

ratifying most of International Labour 

Organisation 

conventions, 

recommendations, etc. Majority of these 

provisions have either been domesticated 

in our various laws, policies or enshrined in 

the Nigerian Constitution. The questions 

are: What are the positive implications on 

or for vulnerable workers and human rights 

in Nigeria? Are these provisions being 

practically implemented or observed? what 

are the measures, sanctions or enforcement 

mechanisms against non-implementation 

or infractions? Vulnerable workers have over 

time suffered a lot of injustice by way of 

unfair labour practices, including outright 

dismissal for no just cause. Their situation 

is worsened given that the labour union 

themselves are not particularly focused on 

the plight of their vulnerable members. 

Celebration of May Day can 

only be inclusive if/when 

there is an enhanced 

visibility of vulnerable 

workers’ rights 

Laws to protect vulnerable workers are 

hardly complied with even when they exist. 

The HIV/AIDS Anti-Discrimination Act 

2014 in Nigeria, for example, was passed to 

protect the vulnerable worker through 

adoption of workplace policies by 

employers, but has largely not been complied 

with. Another example is the Discrimination 

of Persons With Disability Act 2018. This 

Act provides for the full integration of 

persons with disabilities into the society; this 

also has not largely not been complied with. 

The value for Labour Force in Nigeria as 

of 2019 is about 70 million. According to 

ILO, the percentage of value for vulnerable 

women and men in workplaces are 84.98% 

and 72.54%, respectively. Addressing issues 

of vulnerability in workplaces is critical as 

the percentage of each gender is above half 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

i.e. above 50% each. Denying vulnerable 

workers work-based rights is denying them 

their human rights because work-based 

rights are intended to ensure that all 

categories of employees regardless of social, 

sexual, age, racial, economic, political, 

religious, cultural and ethnic status are 

treated equally. 

They are not discriminated against, have 

equal opportunities and access to these 

opportunities. In essence, nobody is excluded 

from optimising or accessing any of these 

rights either in the work environment or in 

the outer society. With the fast-rising value 

of the Labour Force in Nigeria, there is a 

heightened need for awareness creation on 

the rights of vulnerable workers towards 

enforcing their rights. 

The general public and employers of 

labour should be sensitised on adequate 

understanding of the rights of the vulnerable 

workers in the workplace. Equally, 

employers of labour and government need 

to be sensitised on their roles in the 

fulfilment of these rights. There is also a 

need to engage labour unions, workers 

advocates and other institutions/MDAs 

associated with enforcing employment 

rights to compel employers of labour and 

government institutions to have workplace 

policies which promotes and respects the 

rights of vulnerable workers and to comply 

with existing laws and policies. 

Therefore, the celebration of May Day can 

only be inclusive if/when there is an enhanced 

visibility of vulnerable workers’ rights, 

especially to employers (government and 

organised private sector); there is respect of 

vulnerable workers’ rights in Nigeria; and 

a strong compliance with extant laws with 

regard to vulnerable workers’ rights in 

Nigeria. Vulnerable Workers Rights are 

Human Rights! 

• Oghenegrume is the Director, 

Programme, * Lawyers Alert

State of Nigeria’s power sector worsens 

•Losses hit N65.6bn in April 

By Udeme Akpan 

Nigeria’s power sector has suf 

fered a major setback as losses 

associated with insufficient gas supply 

distribution infrastructure and 

transmission infrastructure increased 

last month. 

Data obtained by Vanguard, 

from the Advisory Power Team, 

Office of the Vice President, indicated 

that the value of the losses is 

N65.64 billion in April 2020, 

about 33.6 percent up from N49.1 

billion recorded in the corresponding 

period of 2019. 

Meanwhile, the situation has not 

shown improvement as the most 

recent report stated: “On May 7, 

2020, average energy sent out was 

4,441 MWH/Hour (up by 11 MW 

from the previous day). 

“The power sector lost an estimated 

N1.9 billion on May 7, 2020 

due to constraints from insufficient 

gas supply, distribution infrastructure 

and transmission infrastructure.” 

Investigations by Vanguard 

showed that the poor state of power 

has impacted on many stakeholders, 

especially households, manufacturers 

and other private sector 

organisations. 

In a telephone interview with 

Vanguard, the President, Oil and 

Gas Service Providers Association 

of Nigeria, OGSPAN, Mazi Colman 

Obasi, stated: “The poor state of the 

nation’s power sector has impacted 

very negatively on the 

economy. Many investors have 

resorted to the generation of their 

independent power at higher cost. 

It is a very serious challenge because 

we should not be where we 

are today. 

“With commercial oil and gas 

production and export for decades, 

the government should 

have been able to use the proceeds 

of the nation’s petroleum to stimulate 

the development of many sectors 

of the economy, especially 

power.” 

The National Secretary, Nigeria 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

RAND 

2,4 81.00 0.00 

30.35 0.72 

26.09 1.95 

360 360.5 361 

445.14 445.7583 446.3765 

390.816 391.3588 391.9016 

371.3637 371.8795 372.3953 

3.3529 3.3575 3.3622 

0.4858 0.4958 0.5058 

415.9389 416.5166 417.0943 

416.1713 416.7493 417.3273 

95.8211 95.9542 96.0873 

19.7803 19.8078 19.8353 

CBN Exchange rate as at 12/05/2020 

Electricity Consumers Advocacy 

Network, NECAN, Mr. Uket 

Obonga, told Vanguard: “The Federal 

Government has no option but 

to increase funding for the Transmission 

Company of Nigeria, TCN. 

Operators in the oil and gas industry 

should make efforts to supply 

more gas for power generation 

while the Electricity Generation 

Companies, GENCOs, should make 

efforts to pay the right price for it.” 

He had added: “On distribution, 

we know that the distribution end 

in the power chain is the weakest 

link and it is in a very poor state 

due to lack of investments, the DIS- 

COS have not really invested in 

their networks. Recently, I was 

travelling along Calabar – Ikom 

highway, and within 10km, I 

counted 42 fault lines. You can see 

the state of dilapidation of infrastructure. 

“The current DISCOs do not have 

the financial and technical capacities 

to manage the franchise areas, 

currently given to them and because 

the areas are too large, we 

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 — 19 

are suggesting that the areas should 

be reviewed and immediately reduced 

to a manageable size so that 

whatever is taken out of them can be 

given to other investors. 

“Also, the sector lacks accurate 

data. On the number of customers, it 

is my opinion that the Federal Government 

should organize a nationwide 

customer enumeration exercise 

to determine the actual number of 

electricity consumers in Nigeria as 

this will help us to know what the 

DISCOs are actually collecting and 

remitting.” 

Julius Berger’s “food for our communities’ campaign” reaches Kaduna, Kano States: From left, Ibrahim 

Yusuf of Julius Berger AKR Project presents food palliatives to the District Head at Bebeji in Kano State. 

NNPC’s trading surplus grew by 111% to N3.95bn in 

February 

By Michael Eboh 

The Nigerian National Pe 

troleum Corporation 

(NNPC), yesterday, declared a 

trading surplus of N3.95 billion 

for February 2020, a 111 per 

cent growth from N1.87 billion 

recorded in January 2020. 

In a statement in Abuja, on 

the release of its 

Monthly Financial and 

Operations Report for 

February 2020, Group 

General Manager, Public 

Affairs Division of 

the NNPC, Dr. Kennie 

Obateru, stated that 

the significant increase 

in its trading surplus 

was largely attributable 

to improved performance 

of the Nigerian 

Gas Company 

(NGC). 

Other reasons for the 

growth, according to 

him, include the reduced 

deficits in the 

downstream units of 

the NNPC, and the refineries, 

as well as in 

the NNPC corporate 

headquarters in the 

month under review. 

Obateru stated that 

the NNPC downstream 

subsidiary in charge of 

bulk sales and distribution 

of petroleum products, 

Petroleum Products 

Marketing Company 

(PPMC), earned N211.62 billion 

from the sale of white petroleum 

products in the 

month under review, compared 

to N151.79 billion recorded 

in January 2020. 

The corporation’s monthly 

report stated: “Total sale and 

distribution of white products 

for the period February 2019 

to February 2020 stood at about 

21 billion litres and PMS accounted 

for 20.8 billion litres or 

98.73 per cent.” 

Obateru further stated that 

during the period under review, 

a total of 32 pipeline-points malfunctioned 

or were vandalized, 

representing about 47 per cent 

decrease from the 60 points recorded 

in January 2020. 

COVID-19: SON undertakes quality assurance inspections in 

Abia, Rivers 

In continuation of its tech 

nical support to local manufacturers 

in the production of 

essential materials to fight the 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic 

in Nigeria, the Standards 

Organisation of (SON), has undertaken 

quality assurance inspection 

of mass production of 

Barrier Masks in Abia and Rivers 

states. 

Specifically, the Abia State Office 

of SON inspected Logistics 

De Luke Ltd., located at 20, Park 

Road, Aba, Abia State where 

mass production of Barrier 

Masks was ongoing. 

The SON inspection team was 

led by the Abia State Office Coordinator, 

Oluyomi Lad-Alabi, 

accompanied by Messrs. Ben 

Elesho, Atowa Chidiebere and 

Okecwukwu Okaugo. 

Receiving the SON team, Director 

General, Abia State Quality 

Management Agency, Mr. 

Sam Hart, on behalf of the State 

Government described the inspection 

as timely. 

According to him, the company 

had just received an order through 

the General Theophilus Danjuma 

Foundation to supply 200, 000 

units of the barrier masks to Internally 

Displaced Persons (IDP) 

camps in the North East of Nigeria. 

He expressed the appreciation of 

the Abia State Government to SON 

for its past collaboration in the area 

of quality assurance support to 

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 

in the State. 

The General Manager of the Company, 

Mr. Chijioke Nwagwugwu, 

explained that the company was 

mainly producing the Barrier 

Masks for the State Government to 

curb the community transmission 

of the Coronavirus. 

Responding, Mr. Lad-Alabi commended 

the efforts of the company 

and the Abia State Government in 

curbing the community transmission 

of the Corona virus in the State 

in particular and the country in 

COVID-19: CBN 

ready to support 

domestic vaccine 

production with 

N100b — Emefiele 

THE Governor, Central Bank 

of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. 

Godwin Emefiele, has announced 

that the apex bank is 

ready to support researchers, 

science-based institutions and 

biotechnology firms with 

N100 billion grant in the quest 

for a homegrown vaccine to 

fight Corona Virus (COVID- 

19) in Nigeria. 

The apex bank governor, 

who spoke at the commissioning 

of ThisDay Dome Testing, 

Treating, Tracing and Isolation 

Centre in Abuja, said the 

pandemic has had an unprecedented 

effect on the global 

economy, impacting all nations 

big and small. 

According to him, so far, the 

Coalition Against COVID-19, 

(CACOVID) has raised over 

N27billion to fund this initiative. 

He said the donation received 

so far is being used to 

build well-equipped isolation 

centres across the 36 states of 

the federation. 

Emefiele stated: ‘’’The 

ThisDay Dome Testing, Treating, 

Tracing and Isolation Centre 

being launched today, represents 

a part of the support 

being provided by the 

CACOVID alliance. So far, 

CACOVID has equipped and 

handed over isolation centres 

in Rivers, Enugu, Kwara, Ondo 

and Borno. 

‘’It is expected that other isolation 

centres will be handed 

over in the other states of the 

country including FCT, by 

May 23rd 2020. As part of 

measures put in place to cushion 

the effect of the COVID-19, 

CACOVID has provided food 

items to poor and Indigents 

Nigerians’’. 

He said Nigeria’s economy is 

exposed to triple shock following 

the spread of the disease. 

The minister of health, Dr. 

Osagie Ehanire, who also spoke 

at the event said it takes all 

hands on deck to tackle the 

worst single public health 

emergency of our generation. 

‘’The nature of this virus 

makes the identification and 

isolation of infected persons 

and their contacts a public 

health imperative and the importance 

cannot be over-emphasized’’ 

he said. 

general. 

Another team of SON inspectors 

from Rivers/Bayelsa office 

led by the State Coordinator, 

Engr. Ayuba Samuel 

Ushe, had earlier embarked 

on a maiden inspection tour 

of Nigeria Airforce Investment 

Limited (NAFIL) Tailoring 

workshop located inside the 

NAF Base Portharcourt, Rivers 

state. 

The Managing Director of 

NAFIL, Air Commodore 

Clavartrinitas Uchechi 

Nwagwu, who disclosed that 

the centre was established to 

produce coveralls uniform for 

the Air Force personnel as 

well as personal protective 

equipment (PPE) coveralls for 

frontline health workers, received 

the SON team. 

Air commodore Nwagwu 

commended SON for being in 

the frontline of fighting 

COVID-19 during these perilous 

times.


Pandemics in history: Was Nigeria 

prepared for COVID-19? (2) 

LAST WEEK, I commenced a discussion 

on the novel Corona Virus Disease, 

COVID-19, which has dealt a huge blow on 

the world’s socio-economic structure. I detailed 

the chronology of pandemics which have, in 

times past, shaped human existence, including 

but not limited to the Black Death of 1350 and 

the Spanish Flu of 1918. This week, I will 

examine the measures taken to prevent and 

treat pandemics from ancient time, through 

medieval and middle ages, to modern times. 

The Medieval Response to Pandemics 

Medical practice in ancient times is not the 

same as it is today. Earliest medical procedures 

were generally crude and certainly not as 

sophisticated as what obtains today. 

Consequently, the wave of the first known 

pandemic naturally met an unprepared people 

who had little or no knowledge of infectious 

diseases as well as curative and preventive 

measures. The overwhelmed physicians and 

health officials who fought a devastating 

outbreak of the bubonic plague in medieval 

Italy had no notion of viruses or bacteria. 

At those times, there were widespread beliefs 

that plagues were an act of God – a supernatural 

response to the grievous sins that the people 

committed. According to Professor JN Hays, 

in his book titled Epidemics and Pandemics: 

Their Impact on Human History, people may 

have thought God had scourged regions and 

their atmospheres, and to counter this they 

tried to clear the air. To clear the air, for 

example in seventh century Syria, there was 

widespread breaking of pottery. Prayers and 

penance equally account for one of the earliest 

medieval responses to pandemics. The idea of 

sin and apocalypse, acts of God and 

alignments of the planets influenced the 

peoples’ reactions to outbreaks of pandemics 

with many people turning to prayers as a call 

to God for prevention of infection, cure or last 

prayer. An historian, Prof Adrian R. Bell, noted 

that Catholic priests formed something of a 

frontline in Europe. According to him, in the 

14th century, there was a big demand for 

priests. 

Everyone who 

was dying had 

to be given the 

last rites, which 

meant the 

death toll 

among priests 

was huge and it 

was likely they 

Advancement in 

technology and the 

broadened scope of 

medical practice are 

largely influential in 

the response to the 

outbreak of 

pandemics 

had to fasttrack 

replacements. Besides a call to 

repentance, there is also evidence that people 

tried to make sense of the devastation by 

resorting to xenophobic attacks to scapegoat 

outsiders. In England, there were violent 

attacks on Flemish merchants and weavers as 

the people tried to deal with the unexplainable 

pandemic. People attacked outsiders for no 

reason other than that they were different. 

Despite the fact that health officials during 

the Black Death pandemic had no notion of 

viruses or bacteria, they understood enough 

about the outbreak to implement some of the 

world’s first anti-contagion measures. City 

officials put emergency public health measures 

in place that is precursory to today’s best 

practices of social distancing and disinfecting 

surfaces. According to Jane Stevens Crawshaw, 

the people knew that they had to be very careful 

with goods that were being traded, as they knew 

that the disease could be spread on objects 

and surfaces, and that they tried their best to 

limit person-to-person contact. 

Quarantine: The First-known Preventive 

Measure for Pandemics 

The first recorded history of quarantine as a 

way of curtailing the spread of contagious 

diseases was in Ragusa (modern day 

Dubrovnik) where a legislation was passed on 

July 27, 1377 by the city’s Major Council 

requiring the mandatory quarantine of all 

incoming ships and trade caravans in order to 

screen for infection. The law stipulated that 

those who came from plague-infested areas 

should not enter Ragusa or its district unless 

they spent a month (thirty days) on the Islet of 

Mrkan or in the town of Cavtat, for the purpose 

of disinfection. This 30-day period was known 

in Italian as a trentino, but doctors and officials 

also had the authority 

to impose shorter or 

longer stays, depending 

on the circumstances of 

each case. The English 

word “quarantine” is a 

direct descendent of 

quarantino, the Italian 

word for a 40-day 

period. The 

prescription of a 40-day 

quarantine period had 

great symbolic and 

religious significance to medieval Christians. 

When God flooded the Earth, it rained for 

40 days and 40 nights, and Jesus fasted in the 

wilderness for 40 days. However, quarantine 

was not fully effective in the prevention of the 

plague as the city of Ragusa was a maritime 

city that survived on trade and it was therefore 

impossible to completely fence off the city 

without negatively impacting its economy. 

Nevertheless, Ragusa was also the first city to 

set up a temporary plague hospital on another 

island called Mljet. This new type of statefunded 

treatment facility would soon become 

known throughout Europe as a lazaretto. The 

facility served as both a medical centre and as 

a quarantine facility where plague-infected 

patients would receive fresh food, clean 

bedding and other health-promoting 

treatments, all paid for by the state. 

During the Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 which, 

till date, is the worst influenza pandemic in 

history for killing an estimated 50 million 

people, quarantine was one of the immediate 

responses in curtailing its spread. Apart from 

quarantine, which had gained recognition and 

a measure of effectiveness during the Black 

Death plague, people used a variety of other 

measures to protect themselves from the flu. 

One of these was camphor extracted from 

camphor trees. People wore a bag of camphor 

around their necks to ward off the virus, while 

nurses and doctors might inject it into an 

infected patient’s arms and legs with a 

hypodermic needle. For others, the prevention 

of infection was best achieved through 

involved gargling saltwater, wearing 

facemasks, eating oranges and - at least for 

one set of parents - warning people not to kiss 

their baby. 

The Modern Response 

In the 21st century, advancement in 

technology and the broadened scope of 

medical practice is largely influential in the 

response to the outbreak of pandemics. The 

reduction of the spread of infectious diseases 

is, just as recognized during the days of Black 

Death, effectively achieved by social distancing 

between people. Other measures also include 

individual hygiene and personal protection, 

home-care of the ill and quarantine of 

contacts, ban on international travels and the 

use of pharmaceutical interventions to prevent 

infections and treat the infected. 

The World Health Organization, in its 2018 

publication titled: Managing Epidemics: Key 

Facts about Major Deadly Diseases, stated 

the modern-day, five-step sequence of events 

in response to pandemics. The steps are: 

anticipation, early detection, containment, 

control & mitigation, and eradication. In the 

first stage of response, i.e. Anticipation, 

involves the forecasting of the most likely 

diseases to emerge, and the quick 

identification of the drivers that will worsen 

the impact or facilitate the spread. It also 

involves preparedness plans to allow for a 

reactive response to the unexpected. Early 

detection: allows the rapid implementation 

of containment measures, which are the key 

to reducing the risk of amplification and 

potential international spread. Once a new 

disease is recognized by the health system, 

early laboratory confirmation is essential. 

Containment: involves effective and rapid 

control of emerging diseases. Rapid 

containment should start as soon as the first 

case is detected and it requires skilled 

professionals to safely implement the 

necessary countermeasures. Control and 

mitigation: Once the infectious disease threat 

reaches an epidemic or pandemic level, the 

goal of the response is to mitigate its impact 

and reduce its incidence, morbidity and 

mortality as well as disruptions to economic, 

political, and social systems. Eradication 

means that the disease is no longer considered 

as a major public health issue. However, 

intervention measures (surveillance and 

control) should continue to prevent its reemergence. 

Three criteria need to be met in 

order to eradicate a disease: there must be an 

available intervention to interrupt its 

transmission; there must be available efficient 

diagnostic tools to detect cases that could lead 

to transmission; and humans must be the only 

reservoir. 


A brother’s keeper preserves himself 

By PAT UTOMI 

IAM quite pleased and honoured to 

welcome you all to this brief ceremony. 

The purpose is not to join the queue 

anxious to draw attention to their acts of 

charity but to use an event to extend advocacy 

on how we can better respond to 

and manage the COVID-19 pandemic 

which still has the potential of bringing 

ruinous consequences to our lives and development 

effort as a people. 

Nine weeks ago, when it became evident 

that COVID-19 was with us, my colleagues 

and I at the CVL quickly realized 

we could be facing one of the biggest Leadership 

challenges before Nigeria, for generations. 

We also came to the view that it 

would not be a matter for Policy makers 

or Governments alone. This would be a 

season for leaders with no care for titles. 

It was also a season for organizing to build 

synergy for impactful response. 

We got on the phones immediately and 

began to reach civil society organizations 

to create a loose coalition for collaboration 

to respond to issues on how people 

can be safe and live as decently as possible 

within the constraints of decisions like 

the Lockdown. Let me acknowledge and 

thank The Ford Foundation, The Art of 

Living Foundation, The African Venture 

Philanthropy Network, The American 

Business Council and others who were 

early responders. We have spent very 

many hours on Zoom meetings trying to 

chart the best course forward. 

At CVL we began to put out blogs and 

Our main goal today 

is to connect to 

poor widows and in 

providing them 

help with foodstuff, 

masks and hygiene 

materials 

videos as well as animations that urged 

proper conduct with social distancing 

and hygiene. We did this in English, Pidgin 

English and several Nigerian languages. 

An advocacy plan and Webinars 

also followed a series of Radio and television 

interviews. Then we came up with 

a framework we call Human Solidarity 

Networks (HSN). With the motto Neighbours 

caring for Neighbours, the initiative 

aims to identify geographies that 

group the more affluent, corporate 

or individual, persons and 

more materially challenged 

neighbours to cooperate for mutual 

benefit through Neighbourhood 

Consultative Councils that 

can pull resources from those 

who have', in the interest of their 

common good and also provide 

support for the more challenged. 

Our main goal today is to connect 

to poor widows and in providing 

them help with foodstuff, 

masks and hygiene materials, 

launch a campaign for rapid improvement 

in testing. 

A quick word about why our focus today 

is on poor widows even though we 

have been supporting other vulnerable 

groups in our efforts these past few weeks. 

Next year it will be 30 years since Cardinal 

Olubunmi Okolie dedicated the Widow 

support Centre we founded here in Surulere. 

Before that I had worked with Fr. 

Matthew Hassan Kukah to support poor 

widows in Kaduna and we had also done 

same in the old Bendel state, organizing 

pro bono legal representation for some 

of them badly maltreated by relatives. We 

recognize the heavy lifting widows do for 

our society and we hope the peculiar situation 

they occupy be paid attention by 

social groups. But they continue to be Nigeria’s 

invisibles even though they are raising 

many of tomorrow’s leaders in sweat 

and with tears. 

The Pat Utomi Widow Support Centre 

continues to welcome support for the sustained 

work it has done with this group 

for more than thirty years. It is imperative 

that, in this pandemic we worry that 

their vulnerability will increase, so we are 

even more anxious that this ill wind of 

COVID-19 blow over quickly. 

That process will move ahead faster if 

we increase the pace of testing. We are not 

testing enough. So we urge that the NCDC 

licence select Private sector players that 

have the reputation and resources to invest 

in Molecular based testing with clear 

targets. Governments, Donors, and Private 

sector can support the payment of 

capitation for the tests. 

Let me close by thanking our network 

of friends who have responded to our calls 

and mails to go into their rural communities 

and support the poor. Our Corporate 

partners like Dufil Foods, Orange 

Drugs, Mainland Oil, Parle-G, FCMB, 

Punuka, Private Estate and CVL LWT honorees 

of CVL deserve appreciation also. 

I can say to all who care to be their 

brothers Keepers that they keep themselves 

alive by keeping the other alive. 

Ubuntu, we must remind ourselves is our 

way. I am because we are. 

As the Princeton Professor of Moral 

Ethics, Peter Singer, likes to promote in 

his campaign for Altruism, give, until it 

hurts. In my view that is where we discover 

our humanity and begin to reap the 

gains. And I testify from experience. 

•Prof. Pat Utomi, Founder, CVL 

•Distribution of foodstuffs and palliatives to widows and vulnerable in our society.


KIDNAPPING : 

Armed 

herdsmen 

adopt new 

tactics in 

Delta 

•Carry out surveillance on homes before 

attacking, snatching victims 

•Shift operation from daylight to hours of 

darkness 

•Work in connivance with local informants 

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, 

Jimitota Onoyume (Warri), Festus Ahon (Asaba), Perez 

Brisibe (Ughelli), Ochuko Akuopha (Oleh), Paul Olayei 

(Sapele) and Sunday Chancel (Bomadi) 

•Armed herdsmen ...on the rampage in Delta communities 

ARMED 

kidnappers, 

chiefly herdsmen presently on 

rampage in Delta State, have contrived new 

methods of abducting victims and covering 

their tracks from police officers and other 

security agencies. 

Investigations by Vanguard showed that 

hitherto, these armed herdsmen laid siege 

to the expressways for victims in daylight, 

but when police started patrol on the roads 

to checkmate their activities, they daringly 

took the battle to the homes of innocent, 

isolated citizens at night. 

Policemen in Delta State have not been able 

to match their pace since they activated their 

new methods in the last four months. They 

shadowing homes of intended victims 

without their knowledge in the daytime and 

move, thereafter, from house to house and 

one community to the other in groups, 

petrifying and grabbing people. 

They have brazenly progressed to asking 

victims to prepare delicious meals for them, 

which they take time to gobble before 

whisking them to their dens in the forest. 

Implausibly, they also demand plates of rice, 

Suya, recharge cards and cigarettes for 

release of hostages, which panic-struck 

families and friends bring to them when they 

come to take the victims home. 

It was so bad that ill-mannered herdsmen 

at a time asked villagers in a community to 

provide a crate of minerals(soft drinks), 

packet of cigarettes and basin of garri to go 

along with the ransom for release of 

hostages. In another town, they held on to 

corpses of victims and demanded payments 

which, of course, were made before they let 

go the remains. 

The chanciest facet in their current modus 

operandi is that they are in cahoots with 

covetous and naughty local informants in 

some communities who track victims and 

pass information on their whereabouts to 

them. 

Survey of homes, streets 

Discreet investigations by Vanguard reveal 

that the herdsmen are cunning than many 

think. They strategise on where to strike, 

when and how. In virtually all the successful 

operations they had carried out in the state, 

they monitored the homes they planned to 

kidnap victims to know the nature of security 

on ground and the exit routes. 

Sometimes, they pretend to be beggars and 

scavengers and enter a neighbourhood to 

understudy the security network. It may take 

days and weeks, but they take their time 

surveying the movement of the occupants 

and time they lock their gates without 

residents suspecting their mission. 

They also assess distribution of electricity 

in any area they plot to invade, especially 

the hours Benin Electricity Distribution 

Company, BEDC, rations light to a particular 

neighbourhood and when they are off. 

All their major operations were carried out 

in darkness and they do not like thickly 

populated areas basically to reduce the risk 

of being caught. They prefer sparsely 

populated areas, near the bushes and on 

the outskirts of communities to enable them 

whisk their captives without difficulty to their 

camps. 

Some Mondays ago when suspected 

herdsmen visited an Ibusa residential estate, 

two of them, who came with a motorcycle 

were engrossed in their spy mission when 

an eagle-eyed woman suspected their 

mission and raised the alarm. They quickly 

jumped on their motorcycle and sped away, 

while the youths alerted by the alarm, gave 

them a hot chase. 

A resident told 

Vanguard: “They 

came to mark the 

houses they will 

attack in the 

night, but we did 

not know that is 

what they do. We 

do see some of 

them in our 

Herdsmen strike 

mostly at night, 

taking their victims 

unawares in most 

cases; unlike in the 

past when they 

barricaded roads to 

carry out hostage 

taking 

community going 

about the streets, looking at some houses and 

coming back again to view the houses, but 

we did not know what they were doing until 

that day.” 

Proclivity for night operation 

Records of attacks in recent months indicate 

that herdsmen strike mostly at night, taking 

their victims unawares in all the cases. Unlike 

in the past when they barricaded roads to 

carry out hostage taking, the herdsmen come 

out of their camps at night to abduct persons. 

To law-abiding citizens, daytime is the 

period to work, but for them, night is the 

best time to operate. 

Issele-Azagba, Azagba-Ogwashi in 

Aniocha North and Aniocha South local 

government areas of the state have suffered 

ample cold-blooded attacks in the hands of 

the suspected herdsmen. One of them was 

the onslaught on a poultry farm behind the 

Issele-Azagba Secondary School, Issele – 

Azagba, weeks ago, where the farm manager 

and the guard were shot dead by a herdsman 

who had been fetching water free of charge 

from the farm for his cattle. 

The suspected herdsmen infiltrated the 

farm at about 10.00 pm. The deceased 

security guard recognised the voice of one 

of the herdsmen that usually came for water 

at the poultry. Asked on recognition why 

he came at almost midnight for water, the 

man he thought he knew and would spare 

his life became furious and opened fire, 

killing him on the spot. 

At Okpanam, three herdsmen, weeks ago, 

allegedly invaded Grace Land Estate, 

Okpanam, Oshimili North Local 

Government Area, Delta State, in the night, 

killing a labourer, simply identified as 

David. 

The hoodlums killed the labourer after 

sensing that the local vigilante and the 

police were chasing them. The suspected 

herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifle and pump 

action gun shot sporadically as they made 

their way out of the estate, a source told 

Vanguard. The source, who pleaded 

anonymity, said residents raised alarm on 

noticing that armed herdsmen were in the 

area, which attracted the community local 

vigilante and the police. 

Okpanam 

vigilante 

The source added: "They robbed for an 

hour plus, shooting. Residents of the area 

now raised alarm and people started coming 

out. They called Okpanam vigilante and 

the police; when they came they started 

shooting; so the herdsmen ran into a 

compound returning fire for fire and they 

unfortunately shot the labourer in the 

process". 

Another resident, who also pleaded 

anonymity, informed: "Every one of us ran 

away from the area. I really don't know if 

they were arrested," while a youth said: "I 

was there, I and one of the vigilante men 

chased the robbers, but we could not do 

anything because he has to reload his double 

barrel gun after two rounds and the 

hoodlums were shooting endlessly. 

Continues on page 23

Armed herdsmen 

adopt new 

tactics in Delta 

Continues from page 22 

"They were three in number with two AK- 

47 and one pump action gun; so they 

overpowered us with their guns before the 

policemen arrived," he disclosed. 

DPO said it was too late to come - Mrs 

Joseph 

At Graceland Estate, Okpanam, wife of a 

victim simply identified Mr. Joseph narrated 

her ordeal thus: "We were in the house when 

we heard some signs and movement on our 

window. They told my husband to open the 

window. When the window was opened, they 

pointed a gun at his face and asked him to 

open the door. 

"They brought my husband out under the 

rain and asked him to lie down and they 

took me inside and asked me to prepare rice 

for them which I did. They took all my 

husband shoes, clothes, phones, ATM cards 

and all my jewelry. 

"I put a call across to the Divisional Police 

Officer of Okpanam, but the DPO said that 

it was too late and that he cannot come". The 

woman confirmed that the persons, who 

attacked them and abducted her husband 

were herders, adding they spoke Fulani 

language. 

At Ibusa, Oshimili North Local 

Government Area, it was in the evening that 

herdsmen attacked the Celestial Church of 

Christ, aka Breakthrough Cathedral, Parish 

1, along Ibusa/Ogwahi-Uku road, killing the 

Pastor of the Church, Most Senior Evangelist 

Stephen Akpor. The two-man evil squad 

stormed the church at about 8:30 pm when 

the deceased was praying in front of the 

church hall. 

A member of the church, who witnessed 

the incident, Mr Temitope, said: “We were 

here in the church premises with the Prophet 

and some church members when suddenly 

two men came with rifles and ordered us to 

lie down. 

Order from 

herdsmen 

"Then our pastor got up and went into his 

room; they beckoned on him to come back, 

but he ignored them. At that point, those of 

us lying down were matched into the bush 

and they ordered us to remove our garments 

and lie facing down. 

“As we were about complying, one of them 

realising that they had left one person at the 

church led us back to meet with the Pastor. 

When we got back, they again ordered us to 

lie down while one of them went to meet the 

Pastor in the room. 

“Next we heard was an argument as the 

Pastor refused to open the door. At that point, 

the second one joined them and they started 

shooting inside from the window after they 

removed the net; that was when we had the 

opportunity to run for our dear lives. 

“They gunned him down through the 

window. Before the police got here and took 

him to the General Hospital, Ibusa, he gave 

up the ghost”. 

Old tactics 

In the past, they waited for victims on the 

road. September 30, 2012, the then State 

Commissioner for Higher Education, 

Professor Hope Eghagha was kidnapped by 

the gun-wielding herdsmen on his way from 

Warri to Asaba. They killed his Police orderly, 

close to Abavo in Ika South Local 

Government Area of the state. 

The unsuspecting Professor Hope Eghagha 

ran into the suspected herdsmen, who had 

barricaded the road waiting for whoever 

would fall victim. He was held hostage for 

days and later released after undisclosed 

amount of money was paid as ransom. 

*President-General of Abraka Kingdom, Chief 

Emmanuel Idogho 

Also, the late king of Ubulu-Uku, HRM 

Akaeze Ofulue was kidnapped by the 

suspected herdsmen along Igbodo/Obior 

road when he ran into their barricade on 

January 5, 2016. He was later found dead 

after days of vigorous search. 

Slippery movement through forests 

Reverend Father Emmanuel Obadjere of 

the Warri Diocese of Catholic Church was 

among three other reverend fathers taken 

hostage along the Umutu- Abavo stretch of 

Abraka- Agbor road in November 2018. 

H 

e 

corroborated 

part of our 

findings that the 

herdsmen have 

learned to be 

very slippery 

and elusive in 

their operations. 

Speaking on 

the 

methods 

I believe some of 

these herdsmen 

have employed the 

tactics of 

collaborating with 

criminal elements 

in the local 

communities 

used by 

herdsmen, he said he was sure they had 

spies before the Umutu Bridge who alerted 

them of vehicles coming from the Warri axis 

that could be targeted. He recalled that as 

soon as they drove through the bridge, they 

started hearing gunshots from the herdsmen 

aimed at their vehicle. 

Revd. Obadjere said their kidnappers' 

major tactics was that they did not remain at 

one spot for long while they were in their 

custody as hostages. His words: “They kept 

moving with us. We trekked several 

kilometers along the railway line. 

“We slept the first night in a cassava farm. 

At night, they walked us through the railway. 

We trekked several kilometers. In the day, 

we went through the forest under the sun 

and rain, no water, no food. They were 

demanding money or they would kill us 

"We told them we did not have money, that 

we were doing the work of God; this angered 

them the more. We were all in our cassock 

so there was no doubt about our identity. 

They were very brutal, violent, they 

repeatedly beat us. They said they would 

kill us if we don’t bring money. 

"Their age bracket is between 20 and 30. 

They were speaking Fulfude. I understand 

Hausa, so I knew it was Fulfude they were 

speaking”. 

The clergyman observed that they were 

in large number, adding: “They were about 

10 of the herdsmen with us fully armed." 

Work with locals as double agents- Mulade, 

others 

National coordinator, Centre for Peace and 

Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, Comrade 

Sheriff Mulade, told Vanguard that one of 

the new tactics of herdsmen is collaboration 

with some criminal elements in affected 

communities. 

"The activities of herdsmen ranging from 

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020— 23 

*Chairman of Agadama community, Sunday Iniovogoma 

kidnapping for ransom, harassment and 

killing is a national issue. But I believe 

some of these herdsmen have employed 

the tactics of collaborating with criminal 

elements in the local communities they are 

operating, who give them both information 

and clues. 

"I can tell you that today, most of these 

criminal activities of herdsmen in our 

communities are backed by local criminal 

elements in terms of intelligence sharing 

from our findings, and that is why it is 

difficult to apprehend them. 

"The governors in the South-South have 

the capacity to eject them from the region 

but they are afraid to do so. As a way 

forward, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa should be 

more proactive in addressing this issue," 

Mulade stated. 

On April 24, suspected herdsmen 

swooped on a farm in Oliogo Umusetii, 

Ndokwa-West Local Government Area, 

where some motorcycles were set ablaze. 

A mediator between herders and 

communities, Mr. Matthew Ujene, said one 

of the new tactics of herdsmen was to go 

into the farms in the planting season and 

open fire on farmers. 

Problems from 

informants 

He disclosed emphatically that herdsmen 

operate with the help of informants, who 

he said usually alerted them on the number 

of farmers working in the farms before they 

(the herdsmen) come in to unleash their 

attacks. 

His words: "They always have informants 

from the communities. Sometimes, 

informants cause a lot of problems because 

sometimes it may not be exactly what is 

happening that they tell the herdsmen.” 

"The last time at Ndemili community, 

Ndokwa-West Local Government Area, 

where the people went to their farms, the 

herdsmen were aware that the people were 

coming and they opened fire. It was not as 

if the community people were coming to 

attack the herders, but because of what the 

informants told them, they got ready and 

prepared for war. 

"They have informants within the 

communities or informants from other 

places, who makes friends with some 

persons in the communities and Fulani 

herdsmen cannot operate without insiders." 

Speaking in the same vein, an indigene 

of the Ndokwa nation, (identity withheld) 

said: “They (herdsmen) now have allies 

with some of the locals, who are notorious 

armed robbers and kidnappers. They also 

have link with the local vigilante team.” 

To be concluded tomorrow


AWARD: From left: Managing Editor, Trek Africa Newspaper, Oki Samson; MD/CEO, 

CutStruct Technology Ltd, John Oamen, and Associate Editor, Trek Africa, Sidney 

Nwachukwu, during the presentation of award plaque to CutStruct Technology Ltd as the 

Most Technology Driven Real Estate Company of the Year. Photo: Kehinde Shonola 

Alleged missing N19.63bn: Report on 

Ihedioha to be sent to EFCC — Imo Assembly 

•Ihedioha has no intention to stop probe —Imo PDP 

By Chidi 

Nkwopara & 

Chinonso Alozie 

OWERRI—THE Imo 

State House of 

Assembly yesterday, said the 

fact-findings on the alleged 

misappropriation of the local 

government funds under 

Emeka Ihedioha’s 

administration would be sent 

to the Economic and 


Commission, EFCC, to take 

action. 

Chairman, House Public 

Accounts Committee,PAC, 

Chigozie Nwaneri, 

alongside members of his 

committee, disclosed this in 

Owerri even as they said the 

work on the report had gone 

up to 50 per cent. 

This is coming after several 

attempts by Ihedioha to stop 

his probe using the court had 

failed. 

However, Nwaneri, 

representing Oru East state 

constituency, said the House 

had involved the services of 

an external auditor and an 

accountant to conclude the 

report as submitted to the 

House by the Auditor- 

General of local government 

areas in the state. 

Chairman of the committee, 

Nwaneri, said among other 

things: “This Public Accounts 

Committee, PAC, started 

under the previous 

administration of Emeka 

Ihedioha and it has existed 

for almost a year now. 

“And since this present 

government came in, we 

have not reshuffled this 

committee. This committee 

has remained the same as 

when the previous 

government was in office. 

“And nobody can say that it 

is biased. We are just going 

by the book as submitted to 

us by the Auditor-General of 

local governments. We are 

doing fact-findings; the work 

has already been done. We 

are also trying to find out if 

the Auditor-General is not 

trying to witch-hunt anybody. 

“We have the right to look 

into the dealings of local 

government funds. If you 

look here, these are audited 

reports, annual reports of local 

governments. When they are 

through with these reports, 

they send it to this committee, 

the Public Accounts 

Committee, to do our factfindings 

in case they make 

mistakes. So, we have the 

legal rights to do our job.” 

Other members of the 

committee present included 

Kanayo Onyemachi (Owerri 

West); Arthur Egwim (Ideato 

North) and Dominic 

Ezerioha (Oru West). 

According to them, the 

moves made by Ihedioha to 

stop the probe was a waste of 

time and Ihedioha was not 

properly guided on his 

actions. He was not informed 

on the constitutional powers 

of the state House of 

Assembly. 

Ihedioha has no 

intention to stop 

probe— Imo PDP 

Reacting, Imo State 

Chapter of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, said: 

“Chief Emeka Ihedioha has 

no intention of stopping or 

evading any investigation or 

probe of the N19.63 billion 

Auditor’s Interim Report by 

the legislature.“ 

The PDP made its stand 

known, yesterday, during a 

press conference addressed 

by the state Secretary, Nze 

Ray Emeana in Owerri, on 

why Chief Ihedioha went to 

court. 

“He(Ihedioha) is rather out 

to establish that the rule of 

law, due process and fair play 

are applied in the entire 

process,” Emeana said. 

While saying that the 

interim report of the Auditor- 

General of Local 

Governments covered 

January 1, 2019 to December 

31, 2019, Emeana also 

affirmed that the report 

reviewed expenditures of the 

27 local councils within the 

period under review. 

“The interim report 

reviewed expenditures of the 

27 local governments of Imo 

State, within this period and 

queried various officers and 

MDAs, to explain various 

expenditures totalling 

N19.63 billion,” Emeana said. 

Imo PDP scribe noted that 

of the N19.63 billion 

expenditure in question, 

approximately N16 billion 

was expended between 

January 1 and May 28, 2019, 

during the Rochas Okorocha 


“It was only approximately 

N3.7 billion that was spent by 

the 27 local government areas 

between May 29, 2019 and 

December 2019, during the 

administration of Governor 

Ihedioha”, Emeana said. 

He was of the opinion that 

the motion to investigate the 

interim audit report in the 

House of Assembly “showed 

extreme bias and a clear 

premeditated case of witchhunt 

without any pretense to 

impartiality and objectivity.” 

Nnamdi Kanu asks those criticising 

Wike to shut up 

By Chimaobi 

Nwaiwu 

NNEWI—LEADER of 

Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB, and Director of 

Radio Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi 

Kanu, yesterday told those 

criticising Governor Nyesom 

Wike of Rivers State for 

demolishing two hotels in his 

state for flouting the 

Executive Order of the state 

to shut their mouths. 

Kanu queried where those 

criticising Wike were, when 

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of 

Kaduna State was 

demolishing property 

belonging to Biafrans, when 

he was Minister of Federal 

Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. 

The IPOB leader accused 

those who are criticising 

Governor Wike of pretending 

to be dumb while el-Rufai 

was on rampage and 

therefore, should shut their 

mouths and go to sleep like 

they were doing during that 

era. 

In a statement entitled, 

“Wike Hotel Demolition and 

all the Furious 

Sanctimonious Humbug,” 

personally signed by Mazi 

Kanu and made available by 

IPOB’s Media and Publicity 

Secretary, Emma Powerful, he 

said: "Some of the raging 

hypocritical voices of 

righteous indignation we are 

hearing today were never 

heard when el-Rufai was 

busy terrorising and 

pauperising thousands of 

Biafran businessmen by 

demolishing their hotels, 

bars, restaurants and homes 

in Abuja. 

“When el-Rufai was busy 

terrorising and pauperising 

thousands of Biafran 

businessmen by demolishing 

their hotels, bars, restaurants 

and homes in Abuja, some of 

the raging hypocritical voices 

of righteous indignation we 

are hearing today were never 

heard. 

“They never uttered a word 

nor made a sound because 

they were and still are afraid 

of the murderous tendencies 

of those who are still 

demolishing legitimate Igbo 

businesses in Abuja. 

“Today, he is being touted 

as the next President of the 

Nigeria by the same people 

condemning Governor 

Nyesom Wike. 

“Current FCT Minister, 

Bello Mohammed, has 

simply carried on from where 

his predecessor, el-Rufai, 

stopped and has been busy 

demolishing far more 

expensive buildings in Abuja 

belonging to Biafrans than 

that destroyed in Igweocha 

by Wike. 

“Does it mean I condone or 

excuse Wike’s administrative 

overreach? Of course not. I 

do not condone it because he 

went too far." 

S-Court affirms Ifeanyi 

Ubah’s election 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA—The Supreme 

Court, yesterday, 

affirmed Senator Ifeanyi 

Ubah of Young Peoples 

Party, YPP, as the lawmaker 

representing Anambra 

South senatorial district. 

The apex court, in a 

unanimous decision by a 

five-man panel of Justices, 

upheld the March 19 

verdict of the Court of 

Appeal in Abuja, which 

voided Ubah’s sack from 

the Senate. 

In the lead judgment read 

by Justice Sylvester 

Ngwuta, the Supreme 

Court held that the 

appellate court was right to 

invalidate the April 11, 2019 

judgment of the Abuja High 

Court that removed Ubah 

from the Senate. 

It held that the Abuja 

court lacked the territorial 

jurisdiction to determine a 

matter that arose from a 

Nkanu youths hail Ugwuanyi 

for appointing youths into his 

administration 

By Okenwa 

Onyema 

ENUGU— NKANU 

Youths Assembly, NYA, 

has commended Governor 

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of 

Enugu State for appointing 

some youths from the area 

to serve in his 

administration and assured 

him that the appointees 

would not disappoint him. 

National President of 

NYA, Edeani Edeani, said 

by appointing the youths 

into his government, 

Governor Ugwuanyi has 

fulfilled his promise to 

Nkanu and Enugu youths. 

According to the 

group,“With jubilations, we 

wish to extend our goodwill 

to our brother, a devoted 

member and special 

adviser to our national 

Land dispute: Ovre-Eku objects 

to granting of licence to oil firm 

THE 

Ovre-Eku 

community of Eku, 

Ethiope East Local 

Government Area of Delta 

State has objected to the 

granting of licence to 

Newcross Petroleum Limited 

In a notice of objection 

signed by the community 

lawyer, E. J Etaghene, the 

community, acting through its 

President-General, Chief 

Joseph Ukueku, is 

contending that the land 

where the Efe Manifold is 

located and the area 

earmarked for the laying of the 

gas pipelines from the said 

manifold to Asaboro in Delta 

State belongs to Ovre-Eku 

community. 

The community in the notice, 

is objecting to the granting of 

licence to the oil firm by the 

Department of Petroleum 

primary election conducted 

in Anambra State. 

According to the Supreme 

Court, the cause of action 

emanated from Anambra 

State and not the FCT. 

It will be recalled that 

Justice Bello Kawu of the 

FCT High Court at Kubwa 

had in his judgment, 

sacked Ubah from the 

Senate over the allegation 

that he used a forged 

National Examination 

Council, NECO, certificate 

to contest the senatorial 

election that held in 

Anambra South on 

February 23, 2019. 

The trial judge further 

made a consequential order 

that directed the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, to withdraw the 

Certificate of Return it 

issued to Ubah and issue a 

fresh one to the candidate 

of the Peoples Democratic, 

PDP, Dr. Obinna Uzoh, 

who he declared the valid 

winner of the election. 

president, Egbo 

Chinagorom, and others 

on their appointment as the 

Technical Assistants to our 

hard working governor, 

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. 

“We have no doubt that 

you will serve the governor 

and Enugu State diligently 

in tune with your selfless 

contribution to the 

development of our noble 

association. We equally 

felicitate with our dear 

worthy brothers, Jude 

Nnaji and Ejike Nnaji on 

their merited appointment. 

“We wish them all the best 

as they represent the youth 

constituency. We can’t 

thank our dear governor 

enough for fulfilling his 

promises to Nkanu and 

Enugu youths. Please, be 

aware that you have our full 

support." 

Resources, DPR, on the 

ground that Newcross 

Petroleum has failed to enter 

into a Memorandum of 

Understanding with the Ovre- 

Eku community, who is the 

owners of the stretch of land 

lying on the other side of the 

River Ethiope in Eku, Delta 

State. 

The notice of objection read 

in part: “The community wants 

an Environmental Impact 

Assessment, amongst others 

to be carried out since the 

(Ovre-Eku) people are the 

host community. 

“Although a public hearing 

has been slated to hold at the 

Ministry of Lands and Survey, 

Asaba, Delta State, the Ovre- 

Eku community has 

threatened to do everything 

at its disposal in the defence 

of its inherited land."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 — 25




MEETING: Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State (left), at the State Executive Council meeting in 

Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 

P&ID: US court okays FG to subpoena 

Jonathan, Diezani's accounts 

• Make my foreign accounts public, Jonathan challenges FG 

By Clifford Ndujihe 

with agency report 

ABUJA—A 

United 

States judge has 

granted Nigeria's request 

to subpoena 10 banks in the 

US regarding access to account 

statements of some of 

Nigeria's former top public 

office holders. 

The request had come 

against the backdrop of the 

$9.6billion a UK court 

awarded against the Federal 

Government in favour 

of Process and Industrial 

Developments Ltd, P&ID, 

in September last year. 

According to Bloomberg, 

the Federal Government in 

a bid to overturn the $9.6 

billion arbitration awarded 

P&ID, filed an application 

before the US court seeking 

permission to subpoena 

information on transactions 

involving top government 

officials who were in 

office when the deal that 

elicited the award against 

Nigeria was hatched. 

They include former 

President Goodluck 

Jonathan and his wife, Patience; 

former Ministers of 

Petroleum Resources, Diezani 

Alison-Madueke and 

Rilwanu Lukman, respectively. 

The banks involved are 

Citibank, N.A. (Citibank), 

Allied Irish Banks Plc (Allied 

Irish), HSBC Bank 

USA (HSBC), Standard 

New York, Inc. (Standard 

New York), Deutsche Bank 

Trust Co. Americas (Deutsche 

Bank), J.P. Morgan 

Chase (JPMorgan), United 

Bank for Africa (UBA), 

Bank of Cyprus, Fortis Private 

Banking Singapore 

Limited (Fortis), and Standard 

Chartered International 

(USA) Ltd. (Standard 

Chartered). 

The New York judge ordered 

that Nigeria must 

grant P&ID access to the 

documents received from 

the subpoena. 

The Federal Government 

said the 10 banks were 

"likely to have processed 

US dollar transactions con- 

nected to P&ID's operations 

as either correspondent 

banks or the New York 

branches of foreign lenders." 

P&ID's spokesperson described 

the request for a 

subpoena as "a desperate 

attempt to substantiate Nigeria's 

spurious allegations 

of fraud". 

The Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, is prosecuting 

James Nolan, Adam 

Quinn (at large), and two 

firms in which they are said 

to be directors - Goidel Resources 

Limited, and ICIL 

Limited on 32 counts of 

fraud - linked to the P&ID 

case. 

Filing the request before 

the US court, the Attorney- 

General of Federation and 

Minister of Justice, 

Abubakar Malami, said: 

"There is good reason to 

believe that ministers at the 

highest level were involved 

in a corrupt scheme to steal 

money from Nigeria." 

He said P&ID had no 

ability or intention of ever 

performing the contract, 

which required the company 

to build a gas processing 

plant and the government 

to supply gas. 

He said P&ID paid kickbacks 

to government officials 

so they could overlook 

the company's lack of 

technical capabilities in executing 

the contract which 

was never started. 

Ruling on the application, 

the judge, Lorna Schofield, 

held that Nigeria's request 

met the standards of the 

law but rejected Nigeria's 

request to conceal its findings 

from P&ID. 

Make my foreign 

accounts public, 

Jonathan challenges 

FG 

Dr Jonathan has challenged 


to make public his foreign 

accounts, if it had any. 

Reacting to the US court 

order, Jonathan in a statement 

by his Special Adviser, 

Mr Ikechukwu Eze, 

asked the government to 

disclose the accounts because 

"The court did not 

grant access to the bank accounts 

of former President 

Jonathan, because the 

former President has no 

bank accounts in the US or 

any other country in the 

world, either in his name or 

in the name of privies. 

"Our attention has been 

drawn to reports in some 

online news sources that a 

New York federal judge, Lorna 

Schofield, has granted 

access to US bank accounts 

of former President Jonathan. 

''We wish to state that these 

reports are misleading and 

untrue. Yes, Judge Lorna 

Schofield has granted the 

subpoena applied for by the 

Federal Government seeking 

to verify if former President 

Jonathan, and other named 

persons, have bank accounts 

in the US. 

''No, the court did not grant 

access to the bank accounts 

of former President 

Jonathan, because the 

former President has no 

bank accounts in the US or 

any other country in the 

world, either in his name or 

in the name of privies. 

''It is expedient to mention 

that the subpoena was approved 

several days ago. 

Consequently, we urge 

those who implemented the 

subpoena to tell Nigerians 

and the world whether or not 

they found any bank accounts 

in the name of former 

President Jonathan. 

''For the avoidance of 

doubt, we will continue to 

reiterate that whether in or 

out of office, former President 

Jonathan does not 

have any property or bank 

account outside Nigeria,'' he 

added. 

Okowa's revised N279.8 billion 

2020 budget passes 2nd reading 

in Delta Assembly 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—DELTA State 

Government proposed 

revised budget of N279.8 

billion for the 2020 financial 

year, yesterday passed 

second reading on the floor 

of the state House of Assembly, 

following the global 

economic meltdown occasioned 

by the ravaging 

coronavirus pandemic. 

The proposed revised 

2020 budget is made up of 

N152.7 billion as recurrent 

expenditure and N127.1 

billion as capital expenditure. 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa 

conveyed the amendment 

bill and schedule of the revised 

budget in a letter to 

the state legislature which 

was read at plenary by the 

Speaker, Chief Sherrif Oboriovwori 

and adopted for 

further consideration. 

Majority Leader of the 

House, Mr Tim Owhefere, 

moved a motion for the suspension 

of order 12, rules 

77, 78 and 79 to enable the 

House take the second 

reading of the bill, and it 

was unanimously adopted. 

Leading debate on the 

proposed revised budget, 

Owhefere noted that more 

than 77 percent of the funding 

of 2020 budget was projected 

on oil revenue, but 

regretted that the price of 

crude oil has crashed to 

unbearable level. 

He noted that the state 

government can no longer 

finance the 2020 budget as 

approved, hence the need 

to downsize it in line with 

the present economic realities 

forced on it by exigencies 

brought about by Covid 

19 pandemic. 

In their contributions, 

Deputy Majority Leader, 

Oboro Preyor, Chief Whip, 

Pat Ajudua, Deputy Chief 

Whip, Solomon Ighrakpata, 

Majority Whip, Festus 

Okoh, Emeka Nwaobi, Aniocha 

North and Ekpotuareyin 

Pullah, Burutu 2, 

commended Okowa for his 

proactiveness to governance. 

Motion for the second 

reading of the bill moved 

by the Majority Leader was 

unanimously adopted. 

The Speaker, Oboriovwori 

referred the bill to the 

House Committee on Finance 

and Appropriation 

for further legislative actions. 

Okpanam monarch, subjects 

invoke curse on kidnappers 

By Emma Amaize & 

Festus Ahon 

O KPANAM—UGO 

ANI (traditional ruler) 

of OKPANAM community, 

Oshimili North Local 

Government Area, Delta 

State, HRM Mbanefo 

Ogbolu, led thousands of 

his subjects, yesterday, to 

invoke the wrath of the 

gods against kidnappers 

Appoint substantive Amnesty Coordinator 

— N' Delta stakeholders urge Buhari 

By Onozure Dania 

PORT HARCOURT— 

Niger Delta stakeholders 

under the aegis of Niger 

Delta Restoration Alliance, 

NDRA, have called 

on President Muhammadu 

Buhari to disband 

the five-man Investigative 

Committee set up by the 

office of the National Security 

Adviser, NSA, Maj. 

Gen. Babagana Monguno 

(retd), over corruption allegation 

against the former 

Amnesty Coordinator, 

Prof. Charles Dokubo, saying 

that the tenure of the 

probe panel set up on February 

28, had expired on 

April 24, 2020. 

They called on Buhari to 

replace the Investigative 

Committee by the immediate 

appointment of a 

substantive coordinator 

that will take the amnesty 

issues beyond paying stipends, 

sustain the existing 

peace and initiate security 

policy initiatives on 

behalf of Mr President, 

and people in the region. 

NDRA in a statement in 

Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, 

by Dr Biewari Apulu, said 

that the appointment of a 

substantive Amnesty Coordinator 

with superior 

supervision from the 

Presidency will accelerate 

and reduce the scandalous 

cases of fraud allegedly 

perpetuated by 

past coordinators under 

wrong supervision. 

Apulu called on Buhari 

to disband the amnesty 

caretaker investigative 

committee which was established 

to investigate 

allegations of fraud and 

corruption against Dokubo, 

in light of recent revelations 

that the committee's 

mandate expired 

since April 24, 2020, 

when they allegedly completed 

their investigations. 

He wondered why investigators 

from the 

EFCC, ICPC and DSS 

were all allegedly not invited 

to participate in the 

fraud and corruption allegations 

probe of Dokubo. 

The group questioned 

the constitutional and 

prosecutorial authority of 

the Amnesty Caretaker 

Investigative Committee 

established by Monguno 

(retd). 

Apulu said, "The Niger 

Delta region comprises of 

nine states with millions 

of experienced and qualified 

individuals, however, 

not even one person from 

the entire Niger Delta region 

was appointed as a 

member of the amnesty 

committee, for a programme 

that belongs to 

people in the region. 

"Members of the Amnesty 

Committee have relatively 

no experience in 

dealing with ex-agitators 

and people from the region, 

since none of the 

committee's member is 

from the Niger Delta region, 

which would have 

provided the committee 

with some insight to the 

severity of issues faced by 

ex-agitators, their families, 

and people in the region. 

and other criminals terrorizing 

the community. 

As early as 6a.m., indigenes 

and non-indigenes 

residing in the border 

town to Asaba, the state 

capital, responded to the 

monarch's invitation for a 

meeting at the community's 

shrine (Ishu Ani). 

Ogbolu, told Vanguard 

after the ceremony, "We 

went to our shrine to place 

curse on all those, within 

and outside us, who are 

responsible for the various 

criminal acts that have bediviled 

Okpanam lately, 

especially kidnapping 

and banditry. 

"We placed curse on 

those who killed Mr Emeka 

Nwaedozie, our vigilante 

chairman and his 

lieutenant, Mr Monye 

Festus on May 6. 

"Our shrine is the medium 

through which we 

connect with our ancestors, 

our gods and Almighty 

God and we 

prayed to them to intervene, 

expose and disgrace 

the criminals, killers 

and their collaborators. 

"The perpetrators shall 

not know peace as long as 

they do not want Okpanam 

to be peaceful. We believe 

that our gods will 

fight for us, which is why 

we approached them," the 

monarch added. 

On the compliance by 

his people, he said: "I have 

never seen this kind of 

crowd before in Okpanam, 

they came in their 

thousands with venom 

because nobody is happy 

with the situation."

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 


NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

COVID 19: Ignore 

WHO, go for local 

cures, Reps tell FG 

Continues from Page 5 

company, Iris Medical 

Foundation Drugs and 

Pharmaceuticals, has 

developed a drug that can 

cure COVID-19 in 72 

hours. 

“The medical practitioner 

has challenged the 

government to give him 10 

infected patients and allow 

him to place them on his 

drug, known as Venedi 

Elixir, which has been used 

in the past 18 years in the 

treatment of viral infections 

that are drug resistant, 

affirming that he is willing 

to infect himself first with 

the virus and cure himself 

under 72 hours using the 

drug. 

“Nigeria is blessed with 

medicinal plants which can 

be used for management of 

COVID-19 disease and 

some of them have 

documented scientific 

evidence of developing 

local cure for respiratory 

infections with medicinal 

properties of antiinflammatory 

and antiviral 

effects, but instead of our 

government to look inwards 

and encourage our 

scientists and alternative 

herbal practitioners like 

other countries are doing, 

we are rather waiting for 

WHO for a cure and 

subjecting our people to be 

used as experimental 

guinea pigs for vaccines 

which are still in their 

developmental stages.” 

‘Halt ban on 

almajiri system’ 

On the ban on the 

Almajiri system by northern 

governors, the House in a 

motion sponsored by 

Aishatu Jibril Dukku (APC, 

Gombe); Shehu Balarabe 

Kakale (APC, Sokoto), 

charged the governors not 

to ban the system until the 

Almajiri children were 

provided for by the 

Universal Basic Education 

Commission, UBEC. 

Mrs. Dukku, in 

presenting the motion, 

recalled that governors, 

under the aegis of Northern 

Governors Forum, had on 

Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 

issued a statement where 

they unanimously decided 

to ban the Almajiri system 

of education and evacuate 

the children back to their 

parents or states of origin. 

She said: “The statement 

hinges on the risk that the 

children are exposed to due 

to the coronavirus 

pandemic and that about 10 

million children attend 

Almajiri schools in 

Northern Nigeria with over 

500,000 Almajirai living in 

the state of Kano alone, 

from where majority of the 

children are being 

evacuated. 

“The evacuation of the 

Almajirai is jeopardizing 

the fight against COVID- 

19 due to the high level of 

movement of the children 

from different places and its 

attendant high risk of 

infection. The evacuation 

of the children is against 

their fundamental human 

rights of residing anywhere 

in Nigeria as guaranteed in 

Chapter IV of the 

Constitution of the Federal 

Republic Nigeria. 

“The evacuation of the 

children is in violation of 

the inter-state travel ban 

currently enforced by the 

government. The nature 

and manner the children 

are being transported is 

dehumanizing and has 

brought them pain and 

untold hardships and in 

some cases, these children, 

after traveling for so many 

hours under harsh 

weather, are rejected and 

turned back by their states 

of origin or at best, kept in 

isolation under 

dehumanizing and 

demeaning conditions.” 

Adopting the motion 

without debate, the House 

urged the Presidential Task 

Force on COVID-19 to 

enforce the inter-state travel 

ban order and direct the 

governors concerned to 

immediately halt the 

evacuation of the Almajirai. 

The House also urged the 

NCDC to counsel the 

governors concerned on 

the threat posed by the 

evacuation of the children 

at this critical period. 

“The Federal Ministry of 

Humanitarian Affairs and 

Disaster Management 

should include the Almajiri 

children among 

beneficiaries of palliatives 

being distributed by the 

Federal Government to the 

less privileged. The 

Federal Ministry of Health 

should also examine the 

health condition of the 

Almajiri children,” the 

House said. 

Naira stable at N386.94 /$ in 

I&E window 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

THE Naira yesterday was stable at N386.94 per 

dollar in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window. 

However, the volume of dollars (turnover) traded 

in the window yesterday rose by 111 percent to 

$21.10 million from $9.98 million on Monday. 

Similarly, the naira yesterday was stable at N444 

per dollar in the parallel market. 

HOUSE OF REPS PLENARY SESSION —Some members of the House of Representatives at 

the plenary session. The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila eulogised the sacrifices and commitment of Nigerian 

nurses towards the well-being of citizens as they marked the World Nurses Day. Photo: NAN. 

Worry, as FG spends N679m daily on 

feeding schoolchildren during lockdown 

•NANS, NUT, others worry, query workability of logistics 

•FG asks DSS, EFCC,ICPC,others to monitor contractors 

•Says beneficiaries ‘ll receive uncooked food items worth N4,200 

By Adesina Wahab & 

Joseph Erunke 

LAGOS — Insistence by 


to continue its homegrown 

school feeding programme, 

even when schools in the 

country are currently shut 

down due to the coronavirus 

pandemic, may not only fail 

abysmally, but become a 

drain pipe on the lean 

resources of government at 

this point in time. 

This is the position of some 

stakeholders in the education 

sector such as the National 

Association of Nigerian 

Students, NANS, the Nigeria 

Union of Teachers, NUT, 

Concerned Parents and 

Educators, CPE among 

others. 

They made their positions 

on the matter known while 

speaking with Vanguard, 

basing their fears on 

workability of the logistics 

needed to take food to the 

homes of pupils since people 

are not allowed to congregate 

in large numbers because of 

the pandemic. 

This is just as it was gathered 

that government claims to be 

spending the sum of N679 

million daily or N13.5 billion 

monthly on the project in 31 

states of the federation 

including the Federal Capital 

Territory, Abuja. 

NANS’ position 

According to the South- 

West Coordinator of NANS, 

Comrade Kappo Samuel 

Olawale, given the situation 

in the country, the plan is not 

realistic. 

“The plan is not realistic at 

all. To me, it is a huge prank 

and a costly one for that 

matter. How many houses 

will the food vendors cover 

since schools are not in session 

and pupils cannot congregate 

at a point? 

“If they ask the vendors to 

go and supply the food rations 

to the pupils at home, it is not 

that the beneficiaries are 

living at a spot or a particular 

place. Even if that is possible, 

it will increase the cost of 

logistics. 

“Also, if you are asking the 

pupils to go to a particular 

place to collect vouchers for 

the food or even collect the 

food, there is no doubt the 

situation will become rowdy 

and the large gatherings we 

want to avoid will present 

themselves, the process would 

eventually be hijacked by 

others. 

“Why can’t they feed the 

parents and the parents feed 

their wards? The other time 

palliatives were to be given 

people, the process was badly 

coordinated. The truth is 

some people just want to make 

money for themselves,” he 

said. 

NUT reacts 

Reacting, Lagos State 

Chairman of Nigeria Union 

of Teachers, NUT, Otunba 

Adesina Adedoyin, who spoke 

in a similar manner, 

wondered why pupils in 

private schools were not 

included in the programme 

from the beginning. 

“As a teacher, I know that 

our pupils and students live in 

different communities. In 

Lagos, some people live in 

Ikorodu and run businesses 

and shops on Lagos Island 

and, thereby enrol, their wards 

in schools close to their 

business premises. How easy 

will it be to now take food 

meant for such students to 

their home addresses? 

“The logistics the 

government would need to 

implement this would 

definitely not be Nigerian,” he 

said. 

Parents’ angle 

Founder, CPE, Mrs Yinka 

Ogunde, asked whether 

government has data on the 

pupils. 

“I don’t know the level of 

their preparedness when one 

talks about logistics as that 

would inform the workability 

or otherwise of their plan. The 

logistics must be well thoughtout. 

We must be careful not to 

create a bigger problem while 

trying to solve one,” she 

opined. 

A lawyer, Mr Tolu Ayodele, 

described the move as a white 

elephant project, saying 

“feeding school children that 

are not in school is a white 

elephant project aimed at 

diverting public funds and 

denying the citizens 

opportunities of 

governmental dividends, at 

least for once since the 

inception of this 


“The policy of feeding 

children or school pupils at 

home is just a sham and a 

smokescreen aimed at 

deceiving the populace.” 

Also reacting, Evans Ufeli, 

Executive Director, Cadrell 

Advocacy Centre, said: “This 

government should stop 

embarrassing Nigeria. They 

can just keep quiet, the 

children aren’t complaining 

and the parents are trying 

their best. It’s disrespectful 

and insulting to the children 

and their parents if 

government dishonestly 

continues to keep and hold 

this conversation.” 

Recall that the Minister of 

Humanitarian Affairs, 

Disaster Management and 

Social Development, Sadiya 

Umar Farouq, in the last few 

days, had been harping on 

government’s insistence to 

continue the homegrown 

school feeding programme, 

even when schools are shut 

down. 

Last Saturday, she 

reiterated the decision while 

distributing relief materials to 

some people in Karimajiji, 

Abuja. 

She said Lagos, Ogun, FCT 

and later, Kano, would be 

where the exercise would start, 

adding that vendors would 

take the food to pupils’ homes 

door-to-door with vouchers 

allocated at specific 

collection times to avoid 

overcrowding. 

She added that vouchers 

would be redeemed at 

designated distribution 

centres and that 3.1 million 

households would benefit. 

“It is in that place where we 

are going to keep the food 

rations that we will distribute 

the vouchers and then they 

will come to pick up their own 

ration,” the Minister said. 

When our correspondent 

sought to know how prepared 

Lagos State is for the exercise 

from the Education 

Commissioner, Mrs 

Folashade Adefisayo, she 

neither picked her calls nor 

replied a text message sent to 

her. 

What government would 

spend 

Meanwhile, findings 

showed that the federal 

government would spend 

N70 per meal daily to feed 9.7 

million pupils in 53,715 

schools in 31 states of the 

federation before schools were 

shut down because of COVID- 


Ṫhat translates to N679 

million daily or N13.5 billion 

monthly. The Federal 

Government contributes 60 

per cent of the money, with the 

states augmenting the 

balance. 

Meanwhile, the federal 

government has requested the 

Department of State Service, 

DSS, Economic and 


Commission, EFCC, the 

Independent Corrupt 

Practices Commission, 

ICPC,the Code of Conduct 

Bureau,CCB as well as civil 

society and non 

governmental organisations 

to help monitor contractors 

engaged in the school feeding 

programme which begins on 

Thursday. 

Ministry of Humanitarian 

Affairs, Disaster 

Management and Social 

Development, which stated 

this in a release yesterday, also 

disclosed that over 6,000 

schools would serve as 

distribution centers for 

clusters of communities, 

except in some states with 

unique security and safety 

issues, where other structures 

will be used. 

It particularly said parents 

or caregivers of beneficiaries 

will collect what it called 

“Take-Home Rations” on 

behalf of the 3,131,971 

households to be impacted by 

the intervention programme. 

The document read: “Each 

household will receive a takehome 

ration valued at N4,200 

and made up of 5 kg bag of 

rice, 5 kg bag of beans, 500 

ml Vegetable Oil, 750 ml Palm 

Oil, 500 mg Salt, 15 pcs of 

eggs, 140gm tomato paste. 

“These rations have been 

reviewed by nutrition experts 

to ascertain the nutritional 

value and benefit to the 

children. The Ministry is also 

deploying resources to 

provide oversight for these 

processes to ensure equity and 

accountability.”


Telecom spending to decline by nearly 1% in 2020 - Study 

By Juliet Umeh 

GLOBAL provider of market in 

telligence and advisory services 

for information technology, International 

Data Corporation, 

IDC, has projected that telecom 

spending is expected to decline by 

0.8 percent in 2020 worldwide when 

compared to 0.5 percent growth last 

year. 

According to the company’s 

March 2020 finding, “Carriers will 

continue to invest in 5G network 

deployments in many countries, 

while the lock down has increased 

demand for fixed broadband services 

in the short term. 

“The economic slowdown is expected 

to put ‘macro pressure’ on 

consumer spending, including upgrades 

to 5G mobile contracts, in 

the second half of 2020, yet the overall 

impact on telecom spending will 

be moderate compared to other ICT 

markets. 

“The IT infrastructure spending is 

projected to grow by an estimated 

4% to $437 billion in the wake of 

spending by service providers for 

resiliency, in addition to increasing 

enterprise demand for cloud services. 

Whereas, the ICT spending, 

which includes telecom and business 

services, will decline by 3.4% 

this year to just over $4 trillion with 

telecom spending down 0.8%,” the 

company explained. 

The Program Vice President in 

IDC’s Customer Insights and Analysis 

group, Stephen Minton, said: 

“Inevitably a major economic recession, 

in Q2 especially, will translate 

into some big short-term reductions 

in IT spending by those companies 

and industries that are directly 

impacted. 

“Where there is growth, most of it 

is in the cloud,” he added. 

The report said cloud spending 

will continue to post moderate 

growth as businesses continue to 

fund existing cloud deployments and 

some businesses may utilize the remainder 

of the year to accelerate 

cloud projects as a means to control 

costs and defer data center and application 

upgrades. 

Minton also explained: “Overall 

software spending is now expected 

to decline as businesses delay new 

projects and application roll-outs, 

while there is a fundamental link 

between employment and spending 

on things like software licenses and 

campus networks.” 

He added that the report found 

that early adopters of cloud and other 

digital technologies were best 

prepared to cope with the challenges 

and added that these adopters 

faced the least amount of disruption 

from an operational perspective. 

Stories by Prince Osuagwu, 

Hi-Tech Editor 

FOREIGN Investment Network 

(FIN) has listed a number of 

economic strategies Nigeria and 

other African countries could 

adopt, to avert the economic effects 

of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

FIN is a United Kingdom based 

company driving foreign direct investment, 

FDI for Africa and other 

developing economies. 

The group, in a video conference 

programme it organised, themed: 

COVID-19 and The Economic 

Threat: How Africa can overcome 

financial crises”, said the new economic 

experience brought about by 

the COVID-19 has created a sudden 

summersault in global financial 

outlook. 

Participants at the conference, including 

financial experts, members 

of the International Community, 

United Nations consultants and other 

contributors from various countries 

in Africa, expressed fear that 

some economies have nosedived 

while others are undergoing monumental 

shift. 

They however noted that while the 

situation creates panic, it has also 

provided an opportunity for African 

countries to try digital investment 

and explore new tools for economic 

growth. 

At a panel discussion moderated 

by a United Kingdom based journalist 

and author of books on economic 

crime, Nich Kochan, Africa 

was advised to focus more on increasing 

national savings, develop 

a more open communication model 

and create jobs, markets within 

the continent, for the good of people 

in the continent. 

London Enterprise Ambassador 

and Chief Economic Strategist in 

ECOWAS Commission, Prof Ken 

Ife, said that “Nigeria is recognised 

as one of the countries that produces 

more food than it requires but 

30-40% of it can’t make it into the 

food chain because of post-harvest 

losses, poor storage, lack of value 

additions, lack of quality infrastructure, 

transport cost among others. 

“Africa should find a way of increasing 

national savings because 

national savings is something you 

can borrow against. Our national 

savings are very low and we have 

far more money outside the banking 

system; we have to be more creative 

in developing informal savings 

mechanisms. 

“That is where we can get the 

money to finance our infrastructure 

and limit external borrowings. In 

Nigeria, we also have the diaspora 

remittance, $26b much more than 

the oil revenue,” he said. 

However, Edmond Magoma an 

entrepreneur from DRC said “It is 

now time for Africa to find African 

solutions to African problems. So 

COVID-19 Economy: Why Nigeria must develop digital 

economy, increase national savings 

•FIN lists strategies for Africa’s post-COVID economy 

Post COVID-19: A walk 

through Omo-Ettu’s 

engineering mind 

ENGR Titi Omo-Ettu is a telecommunications engineer who 

cut his teeth in the old NITEL era. Yet, he is still very active 

in Nigeria’s current Information and Communications Technology, 

ICT development. He has at several times consulted for 

the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, giving 

insights on how engineering can enhance regulations. 

Until recently, Omo-Ettu was the Board Chairman of the Digital 

Bridge Institute, DBI and only had 

to resign a few months ago allegedly 

for irreconcilable differences between 

his belief and the way and manner 

government appointees are driving ICT 

development . 

As COVID 19 pandemic broke out 

and the world economy is worse for 

it, Omo-Ettu and his constituency, the 

Nigerian Institute of Electrical and 

Electronic Engineers, NIEE, gathered 

online, via Zoom platform, to see how 

engineering can help salvage lost 

grounds after the locust period. They 

called it, COVID-19 and the Nigerian 

economy: The Engineers' perspective. 

But, before the meeting, we walked 

into Omo-Ettu’s mind and extracted 

his perspectives. 

Why do Engineers have to meet in 

a purely health issue? 

For me the responsibility of the Engineer 

is to solve human problems 

using the knowledge, laws, and resources 

of science and technology. 

COVID-19 is one problem that 

caught the whole world unawares and 

unprepared. Engineers across the 

world were not also left out. 

That is not to say whatever solutions 

that are required are impossible. If 

an engineer tells you any solution is 

impossible, please tell him that he is a 

liar. He is facing either one or all of 

three problems: It is either he does 

not know what to do, or he cannot 

afford the solution he knows, or he 

does not want to solve the problem 

far, our mind sets are not right. 

“We depend all the time on foreign 

aids while 80% of the world 

resources are in Africa. It is clear 

that Africa has to start to develop its 

own economy. 

“African leaders are failing the 

African people. We need to start to 

invest in our own economy, develop 

our own industry and become autonomous 

in terms of food, “ he said. 

Earlier, Soji Adeniyi, former 

Chairman of United Nations Pensions 

Fund, said Africa already has 

an advantage. “We are already seeing 

some solutions coming from different 

parts of Africa, the Madagascar 

experience of the COVID organic 

for instance; we should be talking 

about it and how to further test 

it. 

“Why are we copying and pasting 

the model of shutting down knowing 

that our economy can hardly 

survive these challenges and yet we 

are going with the blanket of shut 

down now or regret later; why are 

we not trading with ourselves despite 

the global lock down? “ he asked. 

Former Canadian Minister of International 

Development, Christian 

Paradis, hinted on the need for a coordinated 

approach in the supply 

and distribution of materials, reliefs, 

vaccines and others to Africa as covid-19 

hits the continent harder. 

He said: “Social distancing and 

self-isolation as we see in the western 

world and other countries 

with safety nets is not just possible 

in most of the countries 

in Africa and we need to keep 

that in mind. 

“The communication door 

must be wide open between 

the African countries in need, 

the donor countries and the 

multinational organizations, 

“ he said. 

Also, Chairman of Prodrig 

Capital, The Netherlands, 

Victor Politis, argued 

that the future of the 

continent lies in creating 

jobs, import substitution 

projects and new large projects that 

will help the sub-Saharan Africa 

•Omo-Ettu 

So, is this a damage control mission? 

Since the pandemic waded into 

our lives it has taken away lives, diminished 

inter-persons’ relationships 

and took all economies of the 

world downwards. 

In places like ours where the economy 

has never been strong it has 

brought the economy to its knees, 

not yet totally but ultimately so. 

In Nigeria, many engineers and 

engineering schools have engaged 

in designing solutions to problems 

that came directly on the heels of 

COVID-19 

As we speak, the four most common 

solutions that have been presented 

are hand washing and sanitizer 

dispensers, face shields, IR 

thermometers and ventilators. I say 

this with authority, and as a strong 

player in the Nigerian Academy of 

engineering which is now mobilising 

such efforts across the country 

for rapid production. 

While those efforts are relevant to 

address immediate problems, my 

real concern is the need to prescribe 

solutions to problems that will arise 

after the pandemic might have hopefully 

subsided or contained to safe 

levels. 

In other words, I want to do a forecast 

of the imminent condition and 

status of the economy at the end of 

the pandemic and what solutions 

engineers will need to provide to 

keep the economy relevant and sustainable. 

Would your prescription be exclusive 

to Nigeria or global in nature? 

For analysis, let us take the global 

economy for about a GDP of $140 

trillion and consider that Nigeria 

emerge strong from the tragedy they 

are going through now. 

has a GDP of $420 billion and that 

is already being bastardised by global 

oil consumption and price 

plummeting. 

My take is that engineers should 

put their minds to designing solutions 

for post pandemic Nigeria 

while the ongoing efforts to solve 

immediate problems are not ignored. 

What are the interest areas for 

this solutions? 

Respiratory Equipment, Personal 

Protection Equipment, Early detection 

Technologies, Environmental 

Infection Control and Personal 

Hygiene Engineering 

On the balance,, I would suggest 

that Engineers are guided by prevention, 

detection and protection solution 

bases to make their solutions 

relevant and sustainable. 

Why do you think your prescriptions 

are sustainable? 

With what we’ve seen already, 

from the pandemic experience, there 

are reasonable grounds to forecast 

that Nigerians consumption pattern 

will shift to needs rather than 

wants. 

Again, jobs are bound to be lost 

and there may be a rise in tendency 

to rob. So, solution users are going 

to be conscious of value for 

money and not just paying any 

amount for anything. 

Regrettably, I cannot vouch for improved 

public power supply but I 

hasten to say this is a problem of 

poor management rather than 

lack of technical capacity. 

So, in a nutshell, regions in Nigeria 

should put engineering in priority 

of their choice of who governs them. 

I bet, the South West region will 

see considerable improvement in infrastructure 

build for the reasons that 

they have voted largely for Engineering 

to lead its governance. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


A little note for the Senate on 5G 

•Okoh 

Aihe 

By Okoh Aihe 

THIS sea 

son, there 

is so much in the 

plate that one is 

trying to develop 

the mastery 

to attempt a 

sorting. From 

the very depressing 

and 

heart-wrenching 

to the absolutely 

ludicrous 

and bizarre, 

but all fusing 

together to cre- 

ate a world that is so uncertain or, if you want to 

hover on the extreme, summarily nihilistic. 

The fear of COVID-19 continues to enjoy a convoluting 

spread and this could continue ad infinitum 

if something is not done urgently. Or so the 

Senate of the National Assembly must have 

thought last week, when it mandated four committees 

to urgently look at a new technology that 

may have been maliciously accused lately of being 

complicit in the cause and spread of COVID- 


İn spite of what they say about the overwhelming 

advantages and pervasive and pointed reach 

of the 5G technology, it has not enjoyed a rosy 

welcome into the global technology ecosystem. 

The decision of the Senate in respect of the Committees 

which include: Communications, Health, 

Science and Technology and ICT and Cyber Crime 

to carry out an inquisition on the status of rollout 

and safety of 5G technology in the country,is only 

perhaps the latest on the long queue of suspicion. 

The Senate’s position was in response to a motion 

raised by Senator Uche Ekwunife, PDP, Anambra 

Central. The committees have just four 

weeks to return to the Senate with their findings. 

This is a matter deserving urgent attention as the 

life and safety of the people are at issue here. 

One’s immediate reaction would have been to 

dismiss their position as the response of some dodos 

and dinosaurs whose predilection may not be 

in consonance with the complex nature of 5G technology. 

That on its own would be an irresponsible 

mistake. As elected law makers of the land they 

have the protection of their offices to examine anything 

that catches their fancy. But, 5G is more than 

a fancy. 5G will rule our tomorrow and create a 

new culture for business and social interactions. 

However I would appeal to the Senate to go 

beyond the resting place of that little human frailty 

called emotions and do a damn good job commensurate 

with the weight of importance they place 

on the life of the ordinary Nigerian who they want 

to protect. My little contribution arising from my 

fleeting odyssey in the precincts of the telecommunications 

industry is to submit some information 

concerning what is happening in other parts of the 

world and how they are dealing with their demons 

to position for a technology that has come to unleash 

some science fiction reality on our world. 

Is the fear of the Senate real? Yes. My position is 

not motivated by the mob mission of lynching an 

accused without reason or justification. Last week 

Thursday I was part of the over 700 participants 

from across the world who participated in a GI- 

TEX Global Virtual Webinar programme fortuitously 

titled: How Is 5G Creating Tomorrow’s Winners 

In These Uncertain Times. The bigger overarching 

question however was, Pole Position In The 

5G Race: Where Do You Stand? Moderated from 

Jordan by Jawad Abbassi, Head of Middle East 

and North Africa (MENA) of GSMA, panelists 

were drawn from the Middle East, Europe, Asia 

and the Americas. At some point in the programme 

a question was raised concerning 

health concerns and conspiracy theories over 

5G. 57 per cent voted in the affirmative, saying 

that the concerns and the conspiracies were real, 

urging operators to do more sensitization on 

the safety of 5G. 

Quite clearly the Nigerian Senate is not alone 

in the journey it has embarked on except that 

distinguished members of the various committees 

must broaden their mind and be dispassionate 

enough to receive submissions from different 

stakeholders operating in the telecommunications 

industry. 

In this journey, there are low hanging opportunities, 

repository of industry knowledge that 

the Senate must take advantage of. They include 

but not limited to the Nigerian Communications 

Commission (NCC), the regulatory 

agency of the telecommunications industry, the 

Nigerian Society of Engineers, two operating 

bodies in the industry – ATCON and ALTON, 

GSMA, ITU, WHO, ICNIRP and a whole lot of 

other organizations. 

But are all the funny things we hear about the 

dangers of 5G and the harm the technology can 

do real? No. Here I speak mainly as one who 

does not want to go to bed at night with the 

bogey of a technology that could kill one in his 

sleep. 

Concerning COVID-19, this is what the International 

Commission On Non-Ionizing Radiation 

Protection (ICNIRP) said in April, 2020: “It 

has been claimed that exposure to the electromagnetic 

fields (EMFs) generated by 5G devices 

can both cause COVID-19 and increase its 

severity. These claims are not supported by any 

evidence (not even extremely weak evidence), 

and the large body of scientific knowledge regarding 

EMFs relevance to 5G demonstrates 

that those claims are not feasible. EMF exposure 

to 5G devices does not cause COVID-19, 

nor does it have any effect on the disease process 

or health outcomes of those who are infected by 

the new corona virus (SARS-COV-2) that causes 

COVID-19. As described by the WHO, you 

need to physically come into contact with the 

corona virus to become infected by it, and as the 

EMFs from 5G cannot carry viruses, they cannot 

bring you into contact with the virus.” 

On the part of GSMA, “Twenty years of research 

should reassure people there are no established 

health risks from their mobile devices 

or 5G antennas,” GSM chief regulatory officer, 

John Giusti told the BBC on March 17, 2020, 

adding however, that “while there is no evidence 

to support these claims, there are legitimate concerns 

about 5G.” 

It is noteworthy that while some countries are 

living in morbid fear and building all kinds of 

myths around 5G technology, resulting in the 

burning down of 5G base stations in the UK, 

quite a few others have decided very boldly to 

have a head start in deployment and enjoy all 

the advantages that accrue to such audacious 

investment decisions. 

Any advantage for having your leg in the pool 

first? A first mover advantage for nations and 

Carriers?The poll provided the answer. 79 per 

cent attendees at the virtual conference voted in 

favour of advantage. 

But are all the 

funny things we 

hear about the 

dangers of 5G and 

the harm the 

technology can do 

real? No. Here I 

speak mainly as 

one who does not 

want to go to bed 

at night with the 

bogey of a 

technology that 

could kill one in 

his sleep 

Without doubt 

China and South 

Korea enjoy an 

overwhelming 

advantage in 5G 

connectivity. 

Some countries in 

Europe don’t want 

to be left behind although 

a whiff of 

conservatism is 

putting blinders 

on their part. Only 

recently President 

Donald Trump of 

the United States 

boasted that the 

5G race was 

America’s race to 

win, stating very 

clearly that the 

United States was not prepared to tolerate any 

competition in that respect. 

Speaking early April, he said: “We cannot allow 

any other country to out-compete the United 

States in this powerful industry of the future. 

We are leading by so much in so many different 

industries of that type, and we just can’t let that 

happen. The race to 5G is a race America 

must win, and it’s a race, frankly, that our great 

companies are now involved in. We’ve given 

them the incentive they need. It’s a race that we 

will win.” 

Why are nations in a hurry to embrace 5G? 

Here are projections by GSMA Intelligence. By 

2025 there will be 1.7bn connections broken 

down in the following order: North America – 

214m, Europe – 228m, Asia Pacific – 1.039bn, 

Latin America – 50M, MENA – 47, and Sub 

Saharan Africa – 30m. 

The question is: Are the leaders in these countries 

so callous that they want to vaporize their 

people with dangerous technology? My take is 

an emphatic NO. 

The projection for Sub Saharan Africa doesn’t 

look good at all but will Nigeria feature in it? 

This is one question I will implore the senate to 

tackle. Nations enjoying a clear lead in 5G deployment 

have attributed such growth to the 

vision of their governments and regulatory agencies. 

It happened in South Korea, Dubai - Smart 

City Dubai – in fact, Saleem Albooshi, Chief 

Technical Officer, DU, calls it clear direction 

top-down, from the leadership of the country; 

and Trump has recently demonstrated how leadership 

can mobilise an industry into action. 

At some point, these figures will translate to 

cash, new jobs and a very strong hold on the 

future of man. Very soon you will have to wear 

5G on your skin. So where will the Senate stand; 

to mobilise the regulator, NCC, into bold action 

or yield to hysteria and paranoia? 

Whatever you do, dear Senators, remember 

this. History keeps record of the bold and the 

cowardly. 

COVID-19: Reps seek review, 

cancellation of Chinese loans to 

Nigeria 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

ABUJA—HOUSE of 

Representatives yesterday 

mandated its Committees 

on Treaties, Protocols 

and Agreements, Finance as 

well as Debt Management, 

DMO, to liaise with the Ministry 

of Finance and the 

DMO Office to seek review 

or outright cancellation of 

latest Chinese loans to Nigeria 

on the principle of 

force majeur. 

The House is also set to 

empanel a high powered 

investigation committee to 

look into all extant China/ 

Nigeria loan agreements 

since 2000, with a view to 

ascertaining their viability, 

regularising and renegotiating 

them. 

It said the National Assembly 

had been put in the 

dark on how most of the 

Chinese loans were collected 

and utilised by the 

federal government. 

The resolutions came on 

the heels of the coronavirus 

pandemic which originated 

from Wuhan, China, last year 

and had affected the global 

community. 

The parliament, which 

also underscored the urgent 

need to subject all subsisting 

Nigeria/ China contractual 

loan agreements to forensic 

fiscal scrutiny and review, 

noted the widespread 

global concern about the 

fraudulent, irregular and 

underhand characteristics of 

Chinese loan contracts with 

African states. 

At the moment, there are 

at least 17 Chinese loans to 

fund different projects across 

the country. 

The House stated that the 

loans had almost resulted in 

a new form of economic colonialism 

foisted by China 

on the Africa continent. 

The motion to this effect, 

titled “Urgent Need to Review 

and Renegotiate Existing 

China/Nigeria Loan 

Agreements” was moved at 

yesterday’s plenary under 

matters of urgent public importance 

by Ben Rollands 

Igbakpa from Delta State 

and considered by the lawmakers. 

Adopting the motion, the 

House resolved that henceforth, 

the need for loans 

should be in tandem with 

statutory obligations as prescribed 

by the Fiscal Responsibility 

Act. 

Igbakpa said in his presentation 

of the motion: ‘’the 

House is aware that records 

from Nigeria’s Debt Management 

Office ( DMO ) 

revealed that the People’s 

Republic of China emerged 

Nigeria’s major creditor under 

the bilateral deals, with 

$2.3b, out of $3.3b and that 

the EXIM Bank of China is 

Nigeria’s biggest bilateral 

creditor in nearly two decades, 

having lent the African 

largest economy $6.5 

....To probe all China/Nigeria bilateral 

agreements since 2000 

billion (or N1.9 trillion) 

since 2002. 

“The House is further 

aware that based on separate 

Freedom of Information 

replies by the Finance 

Ministry and the Debt 

Management Office, 

DMO, and published by 

Guardian Sunday Magazine 

of 03 November 2019, 

Nigeria has obtained 17 

Chinese loans to fund 

projects across sectors since 

2002 as follows: 

“Transportation and ICT sectors 

have six projects each financed 

by loans from the Chinese 

bank, while energy, agriculture 

and water sectors, respectively, 

have three and two 

projects tied to Chinese loans. 

“Notes further that according 

to the Daily Post of Sept 5, 2018, 

Delta court awards retired 

judge N5m in libel suit 

ASABA—A Delta State 

High Court, sitting in 

Warri, has awarded N5 

million compensation in a 

libel case in favour Justice 

Godwin Gbemre (retd) in 

Delta State. 

Justice Gbemre had sued 

Mr. Zik Gbemre for libel 

and defamation of character 

Ṫrial judge, Justice Roli 

Harriman, in his judgment 

on May 8, 2020, said: “Accordingly, 

the defendant 

clearly showed in his 

pleadings, evidence and 

exhibits tendered that he 

was driven by malice. He 

threatened (blackmailed) 

against the claimant at 

every turn. The defendant 

was relentless. He was 

determined to put an end 

to the perceived power of 

the first Chinese loan to Nigeria 

was agreed on March 27, 2002 as 

follows: $114.89 million each for 

constructing two 335 MW gas 

power plants, namely Omotosho 

and Papalanto (Olorunshogo) in 

Ondo and Ogun State, respectively. 

‘’Both plants were completed in 

2007. The loan was obtained at 

six per cent interest rate. The loan 

covered 65 per cent of the costs of 

the project, while Nigeria then 

covered the 35 per cent balance.’’ 

Igbakpa said that four months 

after, two other loans totalling 

$159.83 million for rural telephony 

were offered at a 3.5 per 

cent interest rate. 

“Then from 2006 to September 

2018, the country 

obtained 13 more loans, at 

between 2.50 per cent and 

3 per cent interest rates." 

the claimant to influence 

others. 

“His actions were driven 

by his desire to be in control 

of the affairs of his community 

and he was prepared 

to destroy anyone, 

anything in his path to 

achieve that goal, even if it 

meant destroying the reputation 

and career of his first 

cousin. 

“Consequently, the defendant 

is to write a letter of apology to 

the claimant, through his counsel, 

within 14 day’s hereof; The 

defendant is to publish a reaction 

of his offending publication and 

his apology by filling same at the 

Registry of the High Court of Justice, 

Warri Judicial Division, within 

14 days hereof. 

“The sum of N5 million only as 

compensation to the claimant and 

cost of N50,000,” the court held. 

COVID-19 palliatives: Lack of 

proper coordination making 

nonsense of exercise —NDE 

WARRI—LACK of 

proper coordination 

in the distribution of the 

Delta State government’s 

palliative goods, to cushion 

the debilitating effects 

of the lockdown, occasioned 

by the COVID-19 

Coronavirus pandemic 

across the globe, has been 

identified as a major factor 

militating against the good 

intention of Governor 

Ifeanyin Okowa’s genuine 

efforts at bringing succor to 

the people of the state. 

The Delta State Coordinator 

of the Nigerian 

Democratic Evolution, 

NDE, Mr. Azikiwe Roland, 

and Secretary, Samson 

Ogie, made this remark in 

a statement in Warri, Monday, 

saying that: “Some of 

the people appointed to 

distribute these palliatives 

are actually using the opportunity 

to fester their nest, 

to the detriment of the supposed 

beneficiaries.” 

According to the NDE 

chieftains: 

They NDE chieftains 

tasked Nigerian youths to 

support every government 

action aimed at making Nigeria 

a great nation in this 

trying period, and 

commended Governor 

Okowa, Dr. Mike Diden 

and Chief Askia Ogie, the 

Chairman, Managing Director 

of DESOPADEC, for 

all their efforts at ameliorating 

the sufferings. 

They charged the Nigerian 

government to emulate 

Taiwan in the efforts at curtailing 

the spread of the 

Coronavirus through genuine 

and well-coordinated 

programmes.


He had a child with his 

one-night stand 

Dear Bunmi, 

My fiance and I got 

engaged last year and we 

plan to get married in a few 

months’ time. A few days ago, 

a ‘friend’ let it slip that a 

woman in their street just had 

a baby for him. I couldn’t 

believe it but when I 

confronted him, he didn’t 

Do girls prefer bad men? 

Dear Bunmi, 

I’m an old-fashioned man 

and like to treat a woman 

correctly. I have a good job 

and I recently re-located to the 

country. I open doors for my 

girlfriends and hate to see a 

woman carrying heavy bags. 

But I find women don’t accept 

my chivalry and prefer men 

who treat them badly. Where 

am I going wrong? My 

friends say women prefer the 

‘tough’ guys who slap them 

around. Is this true? 

Harry, bye-mail. 

Dear Harry, 

deny it. He said it was a onenight 

stand and she refused 

to have an abortion. To make 

matters worse, I have fertility 

problems for which I’m being 

treated by my doctor. I’m 

terribly broken-hearted. I 

can’t stop him from being part 

of his baby’s life but I can’t 

stand the thought of him 

I think you’re trying a little 

too hard! As a woman, it is 

wonderful to be treated with 

kindness and respect, but a 

little too much protection feels 

controlling and smothering. Try 

to relax a little with your next 

girlfriend. Take the time to find 

out who she is, her likes, 

dislikes, her dreams and 

disappointments rather than 

carrying her bags. Be open and 

show your strength and 

weaknesses. People distrust a 

person who’s too good to be 

true. Women don’t like 

‘roughnecks’ either. Be violent 

and they’re likely to walk! 

being near this scheming 

woman. He swears it’s me he 

loves, but if that were the case, 

he wouldn’t have slept with 

her in the first place. 

Mofolani, by e-mail. 

Dear Mofolani, 

The love for your fiancee is 

being tested here and friends 

could call you a saint if you 

decide to stand by your man. 

But if your love is stronger 

than this mistake he’s made, 

for which he’s obviously sorry, 

then you can get over this 

betrayal of his. Naturally, you 

would have wanted to be the 

first person to give him a child 

- not some woman he barely 

knew. You need time to think 

things through before you 

finally decide to trust him 

enough to still go ahead with 

the wedding because when 

you eventually get married, 

this child too becomes part of 

your family. I can’t tell you 

what is the right thing for you 

to do. Only you know that. All 

I can say is, if you love one 

another, you have a chance. 

How do I get the dating right, 

after 12yrs absence? 

Dear Bunmi, 

I have just come out of a 

marriage that lasted almost 12 

years. It was an amicable 

separation and I’m not interested 

in getting seriously involved with 

anyone, but I recently had some 

one-night stands which I’ve 

handled badly. I’m not sure 

what’s expected of me any more 

- the dating scene seems to have 

changed since I was last out 

there. 

Women always want me to go 

to their place, which I find weird, 

but nice. Recently, when I asked 

for a girl’s number after she spent 

the night with me, she was really 

rude and said: “I think we both 

know that’s not necessary, don’t 

you?” 

One thing hasn’t changed 

though, women still trot out the 

old, “I don’t usually do this,” line. 

Can you give me some clues on 

what to expect next time around? 

Julius, by e-mail. 

Dear Julius, 

Some things have changed as 

Must I have a boyfriend? 

Dear Bunmi, 

In my 26 years on this earth, I 

have only had a casual 

relationship with a man I met at 

the university but we were not 

intimate. I don’t really fancy the 

idea of having a boyfriend but 

my family and friends are at my 

back to have one and are always 

matchmaking. I have a good 

career and I don’t mind being 

single. Is this normal? 

Nkechi, by e-mail. 

Dear Nkechi, 

It doesn’t matter if your views 

are normal or not, they are yours, 

so stick to them. You don’t need 

to get irritated with your family 

and friends. They match-make 

because they are concerned 

about you. In the meantime, take 

another look at your views on 

relationship. I bet that deep 

down, you must have a bit of 

anxiety about it all. Maybe you 

worry you would have to 

compromise too much. Or is it 

because you have seen a lot of 

relationships turn bad and want 

none of it? 

You are right not to want to settle 

for an unhappy life, but you can 

choose a partner who respects 

your space and have a 

relationship that works for you. 

A lot of women who were once 

in your shoes have eventually 

settled with partners they are 

now happy with. Just keep an 

open mind. 

you’ve discovered - others 

haven’t. The reason she always 

wants to go back to her place is 

that women are more aware of 

physical safety these days. Even 

if there’s no flat-mate at home, 

women usually know their 

neighbours. Not only does she 

feel safer, she feels more in 

control - her place means her 

terms. Going back to yours, 

means facing the walk of shame. 

She has to figure out how to get 

home and can’t turn up at work 

in the same clothes. 

Having said that, women are 

still keen for you to think “she 

doesn’t usually do this sort of 

thing.” Even in these liberated 

days, it’s still drummed into our 

heads from when we are little 

girls that women don’t just have 

sex because they feel like it, there 

should be a higher, more moral 

purpose. Saying it out loud 

justifies it both to you and her. 

Or it could also be that she’s 

hoping to see you again. Just 

because you’re not looking for 

something long-term doesn’t 

mean she isn’t. 

If you want to call her, get her 

number. But if you have no 

interest, just say, “that was a great 

night. I’ll see you around,” and 

hotfoot it out of the front door. It 

might seem cruel but it’s way 

kinder than leaving her 

wondering if there was more to 

it. 

Is there a room for 

improvement? 

Dear Bunmi, 

A group of us friends are in 

our late 20s and my friends 

are always telling me how 

their girlfriends praise their 

prowess all of the time. I’ve 

had some hot affairs but not 

all these girls told me I drove 

them wild. How can I really 

tell if I drive them wild in bed 

and tell me I’m the best 

they’ve had? 

Israel, 

by e-mail. 

Dear Israel, 

It’s the average man’s 

fantasy he’s voted the best 

lover ever. Whilst all men 

can’t have that tag, a lot can 

improve on their techniques 

to give lovers lasting 

memories. 

According to an expert, most 

of us aren’t that confident of 

our bodies in clothes, let alone 

out of them, especially in 

sexual positions that squash 

our bits up in the most 

unflattering ways! A lover 

who looks at his partner 

adoringly gives her the 

confidence to stop worrying 

about what she looks like and 

starts paying attention to the 

delicious sensation she’s 

feeling. 

So perfect the art of flattery: 

absolutely nothing will score 

you more points as lover of her 

life than punctuating every 

kiss of every inch of her body 

with ‘You are just so sexy/ 

beautiful! gobsmackingly 

gorgeous’ ! 

Do your homework. 

Surprisingly, few people take 

time out to discover how the 

body’s sexual response 

system works but, in a sense, 

sex is an acquired skill and 

you need to do your homework 

to become an expert. Get 

your hands on a good sex 

book and give yourself a 

biology lesson they didn’t 

give you in school. 

Refuse to have sex in bed! 

It might not be the most 

original suggestion you’ve 

heard, but have you actually 

tried it? Lovers who initiate 

sex in rooms other that the 

bedroom score points simply 

because most people are lazy 

and take the easy option every 

time (sex in bed just before 

you go to sleep). 

Focus on your girl’s 

pleasure, not yours. The better 

lover you are and the more 

pleasure she gets from sex, 

the more likely she is to crave 

it and you. Encourage her to 

open up and tell you what she 

needs. Does she need more 

foreplay? Are you picking the 

wrong time to initiate sex (like 

Sunday mornings, the only 

time she gets to go to church 

or sleep in)? Ask for feedback 

during sex, listen and then do 

exactly what she asks. 

Did we infect each other? 

Dear Bunmi, 

Some months back, I gave 

my boyfriend oral sex when I 

had a cold sore on my lip. 

Later, he got a sore on his 

genitals. Now I think he may 

have passed the cold sore 

back to me as I’m itchy down 

below. This has got me really 

worried. What do you think I 

should do? 

Iyesogie 

by e-mail. 

Dear Iyesogie, 

From what you described, 

you both almost certainly have 

the herpes virus. It is very 

common, and can cause sores 

on the face and genitals. If a 

person has a cold sore on 

their lips, oral sex is a way to 

pass it on to another person’s 

genitals. On the other hand, 

if you already had the herpes 

virus, your boyfriend couldn’t 

have passed it back to you. 

Once it’s in your system, you 

have it for life. You can get 

medication for the symptoms 

from either your doctor or at 

any health centre near you. In 

the meantime, use condoms 

with a new partner to avoid 

passing on the virus. 

You need time to 

think things through before 

you finally decide to trust him 

enough to still go ahead with the 

wedding because when you eventually 

get married, this child too becomes part 

of your family, I can’t tell you 

what is the right thing 

for you to do 

Share your problems and release 

your burden. Write now to 

Dear Bunmi, 

Vanguard Newspapers, 

P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos, or 

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

SuperSport 

‘ReLive’rolls back 

the years 

With the current shortage in 

live-action, SuperSport 

has converted its channels 

to themed content focusing on the 

best historical moments – offering 

viewers the chance to ‘ReLive’ 

some of the greatest sportings 

action of all time – as well as 

fascinating documentaries and a 

film festival featuring the greatest 

sports movies of all time. 

SuperSport 1 is the feature 

channel in this regard to all three 

of these aspects and DStv 

subscribers should settle in for 

some amazing viewing on the 

channel. 

Today’s ‘ReLive’ focuses in on 

African stars and their quest to 

win glory at the Olympic Games, 

including closer looks at Maria 

Mutola, Zola Budd, Caster 

Semenya and Vivian Cheruiyoy to 

name but a few, before viewers 

have the chance to relive on the 

great upsets from the 2018 FIFA 

World Cup, as hosts Russia put 

mighty Spain out of the 

tournament. 

SuperSport 1 then switches focus 

to documentaries, including the 

chance to see Lewis Hamilton 

drive Juan Manuel Fangio’s 

Mercedes W196 car which won the 

Formula 1 world championships 

in 1954 and 1955, and closes out 

with ‘Soccer Stories: 

Hillsborough’, an ESPN and BBC 

co-production which chronicles 

the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, the 

investigations, and their lingering 

effects. 

...he ‘ll play for a club among 

world’s top 3 – Lille sporting 

director 

Lille sporting director, Luis 

Campos has predicted that 

Victor Osimhen will play for a club 

among the top three in the world. 

Though the famous Portuguese 

talent spotter has not revealed the 

identities of the three clubs, Real 

Madrid, Atletico Madrid and 

Barcelona are the top three teams 

in Europe as at March 12, 2020, 

based on the UEFA Team ranking. 

Only top La Liga and Premier 

League clubs can afford to sign 

Osimhen due to Lille’s inflated 

asking price of more than 80 

million euros for the striker before 

the coronavirus outbreak. 

The likes of Barcelona, Real 

Madrid, Manchester United, 

Chelsea and Liverpool are among 

the teams reportedly battling for 

his signature following a 

breakthrough season in France 

that saw the Nigerian score 18 

goals in all competitions. 

Chelsea 

submit bid 

for Osimhen 

English Premier League club, Chelsea 

have reportedly firmed up their 

interest in signing Super Eagles 

forward, Victor Osimhen. 

According to Abdellah Boulma via Le 

10 Sport, the leadership of Lille have 

received an offer from Chelsea for 

Osimhen but the 85 million euros 

transfer fee being bandied in the 

media is erroneous and largely 

overestimated. 

Allnigeriasoccer.com had 

exclusively reported that the 

F r ench 

Ligue 1 club did not receive any offer 

worth 85 million euros from a 

mysterious club, with Osimhen 

insisting that he 

was in the dark 

over the bid and 

surprised to see 

that the rumour 

went viral on 

social media. 

O s i m h e n 

showed off his 

goalscoring quality when Lille faced 

off with Chelsea on matchday two in this 

season’s Champions League, scoring through 

a powerful header in the first half. 

All signs point towards the 2015 U17 World 

Cup Golden Boot winner moving to the 

Premier League or La Liga if he quits Lille in 

the upcoming transfer window. 

“For me, Victor Osimhen is a very 

high level player, who will 

undoubtedly finish in a top three 

club in the world,” Campos said on 

Quarentena Da Bola via 

lepetitlillois.com. 

“He has the potential, the desire 

to learn, the physical, mental, 

cognitive aspect, which is 

extraordinary and I am sure he will 

play at the top. 

“I can guarantee that he will play 

in the three biggest clubs, if he has 

no injuries.” 

Lionel Messi is the reason that 

Philippe Coutinho’s huge 

money move to Barcelona has 

failed, according to former 

midfielder Ronald de Boer. 

Coutinho joined Barcelona from 

Nigerian players in the 

Italian Serie A will soon 

be back in action along with the 

others as the Italian 

government announced that 

clubs can return to team 

training from Monday 18 May. 

This is however conditional as 

the clubs will have to make 

adjustments to medical 

protocols. 

Among the Nigerians in the 

Serie A are Victor Moses (Inter 

Milan), William Ekong-Troost 

(Udinese), Joel Obi (Chievo 

De Boer blames Messi for 

Coutinho’s failing at Barcelona 

Tyson reveals he smokes Cannabis 

worth N16m per month 

Former world heavyweight 

boxing champion, Mike 

Tyson, has revealed that he 

smokes weed worth $40,000 or 

£33,000 every month. 

At the age of 53, this legendary 

boxer has exposed the high costs 

of running a weed farm. He has a 

ranch in South California, where 

the recreational use 

of marijuana is 

legal. 

California 

legalized the 

medical use of 

cannabis in 1996, 

with its recreational 

use being legalized 

in 2016. Since then, 

several people have 

ventured into the 

cannabis production 

Tyson 

industry. \ 

Nevertheless, the law requires 

individuals to be at least 21 years 

old to purchase, use, or have 

recreational marijuana. Thus, you 

must be of legal age to use 

cannabis, whether through 

smoking, eating, or vaping 

cannabis products in California. 

Tyson runs a 420- 

acre ranch where he 

grows cannabis in 

California. The 

former champion 

produces different 

cannabis products. 

His raw cannabis is 

used to make some 

of the best cbd oil 

from vapingdaily in 

the market today. 

Liverpool in a €160 million deal 

back in 2018 and the transfer 

made him the second most 

expensive player in the world at 

the time. 

But his move to Spain hasn’t 

worked out and the Brazilian now 

finds himself on loan at Bayern 

Munich with his parent club 

looking to move him on in a 

permanent deal. 

De Boer has speculated that 

the 27-year-old’s shortcomings 

are due to Barcelona not being 

able to cope defensively with him 

and Messi in the team. 

“I think Coutinho was a player 

where everything [went through] 

him, every ball went to him at 

Liverpool,” De Boer told 

talkSPORT per Liverpool Echo. 

“He could probably do less 

work, basically what Messi does 

with Barcelona. 

“And the thing is you see how 

everything works together, it’s 

like a machine. 

“If one is not doing it it’s fine 

maybe, they can handle that, but 

if it’s two similar types of players, 

that they also want every ball and 

have that special position in the 

team, then you see how 

vulnerable a team can be. 


Kanu, my best January signing, 

says Wenger 

Former Arsenal manager 

Arsene Wenger has 

picked Nigeria’s 

Nwankwo Kanu as the 

best signing he made in a 

January transfer window 

even at the expense of 

the likes of striker Pierre 

Emerick-Aubameyang. 

Aubameyang 

joined the 

Gunners 

from 

Osimhen 

Moses, Aina back in action as 

Serie A gets nod to resume 

Verona) and Ola Aina (Torino) 

among others. 

According to AFP reports, the 

Italian Football Federation 

(FIGC) met the government’s 

technical scientific committee 

(CTS) last week to discuss 

details for a return to group 

training as the country emerges 

from a two-month coronavirus 

lockdown. 

Italy’s sports minister 

Vincenzo Spadafora and health 

minister Roberto Speranza said 

in a joint statement on Monday 

that the CTS had largely 

accepted the FIGC protocol for 

a resumption of group 

sessions. 

“The opinion requested by the 

government from the Technical 

Scientific Committee confirms 

the line of prudence,” the 

ministers’ statement said. “The 

indications of the CTS, which 

are to be considered stringent 

and binding, will be sent to the 

Federation for the necessary 

adjustments of the protocol in 

order to allow for the safe 

resumption of team training 

starting from May 18.” 

Chelsea striker Tammy 

Abraham has picked 

Nigeria’s Jollof rice over the 

Ghanaian version. 

Jollof is a one-pot rice meal very 

common in West African 

countries, with tomatoes and rice 

its major ingredients. 

For several decades, there has 

been an impassioned argument 

on whether Nigerians’ variety 

tastes better than that of the 

Ghanaians. 

When asked to pick his Jollof, the 

England international picked that 

of his parents’ country, while 

disclosing who does the cooking 

Borussia Dortmund in January 

2018 and has been the livewire of 

the underachieving Arsenal side 

who sat ninth in the Premier 

League before football leagues 

around the world were halted by 

the coronavirus pandemic. 

Kanu arrived Arsenal in January 

1999 from Inter Milan of Italy and 

scored six goals and claimed two 

assists in 12 Premier League 

games in the second half of the 

1998-1999 season. 

Wenger who works as an analyst 

for broadcasters beIN Sports told 

the media giants why he feels 

Kanu who went on to enjoy a fiveand-a-half-year 

stint and was part 

of the Invincibles side that won 

the title in 2003-2004 campaign 

deserved the accolade. 

“ M a y b e 

(Nwankwo) 

Kanu. In the 

middle of the 

season. That 

had a big 

impact and he 

was a huge 

player,” he 

said in 

response to 

t h e 

question of 

his best 

January 

transfer 

signing. 

Premier League 

clubs face 

£340m TV 

refund 

Premier League clubs have 

been told they could have to 

repay an estimated £340m to 

domestic and international 

broadcasters - even if the season 

resumes behind closed doors. 

Club officials met on Monday to 

continue talks on “Project Restart”. 

League bosses said their 

objections to neutral stadiums had 

been heard and that they would ask 

authorities to scrap the idea. 

But a “curtailment” of the season 

was discussed for the first time. 

The refund is anticipated as 

matches are not taking place as 

expected - both because they will 

be played without fans and at 

different times to originally 

scheduled. 

Premier League clubs are due to 

earn a total of £9.2bn from 

broadcasters for the 2019-22 cycle. 

Premier League chief executive 

Richard Masters had previously 

predicted a loss of “at least £1bn” 

if the Premier League failed to 

complete the 2019-20 season. 

“We were able to update our clubs 

today on our situation with 

broadcasters, which is obviously 

confidential,” Masters said on 

Monday. 

Nigeria’s jollof rice better than 

Ghana’s – Abraham 

for him. 

“The Nigeria version is my choice 

to be honest,” Abraham told BBC’s 

Football Focus as reported by 

Chelsea website. 

“The Ghanaian one is a little bit 

more spicy but it is about the 

flavours, not just about the spice, 

how it sits in your mouth, how it 

digests into your stomach. 

“Can I cook Jollof? Absolutely not 

but my mum can so probably the 

meal I have had most in quarantine 

has been Jollof rice. 

“My sister or my mum or dad cook 

for me, I am lucky to have them in 

the house and not have to do it 

myself.”

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

THURSDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

FRIDAY’S ANSWER 

Across 

1 Very young child (6) 

4 Demeaned (6) 

8 Old Nick (5) 

9 Picture or stature of the Virgin Mary 

(7) 

10 Envoys (7) 

11 Excessive (5) 

12 Language invented for international 

use (9) 

17 Cavalry sword (5) 

19 In a violent frenzy (7) 

21 Spare time (7) 

22 Punctuation mark (5) 

23 Failed to catch (6) 

24 Profoundly (6) 

Down 

1 Offensive remark (6) 

2 Weariness (7) 

3 Composition for nine performances (5) 

5 Nomadic Arab (7) 

6 Church council (5) 

7 More expensive (6) 

9 Doleful (9) 

13 Supreme (anag) (7) 

14 Coincide partly (7) 

15 Refuge (6) 

16 Thin (6) 

18 Great happiness (5) 

20 Pleated frilling (5) 

How to Play Sudoku 

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have 

two of the same number). 

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine 

lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block 

(nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means 

that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row. 

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or 

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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13052020 - COVID 19: Ignore WHO, go for local cures, Reps tell FG

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