26052020 - We'll jail parents who enrol children into Almajiri system

ADESINA: US call for 

probe, plot to 

destabilise AfDB, says 

bank's Ethics C'ttee 22 

How to rescue Nigeria from 

deep economic recession 

— Business leaders 8 9 

•Divided on FG’s optimism for mild recession 

Economic growth slows to 1.87% in Q1' 2020 — NBS 

9 

VOL. 27: NO. 64077 TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 

We'll jail parents who enrol 

children into Almajiri system 

•Says Almajirai 'll be enrolled in schools 

•Adds, they may be future of Northern Nigeria 

•ACF, Arewa Youths, Junaid Mohammed back el-Rufai 

•Go back to Jonathan's template, say Northern Youths 

Executive 

Order: 

7 

Withhold 

legislature, 

judiciary cash, 

lose your 

allocations, FG 

warns govs 

Nwodo, Reps 

minority 

caucus, Igali, 

Ogieh 

celebrate E.K. 

Clark at 93 12 

COVID-19: 

WHO 

13 

suspends 

hydroxyproline 

clinical trial 

Why FG, 

PANDEF talks 

collapsed 

— MIKE 

LOYIBO 24 

E.K. CLARK CLOCKS 93 

ODUMAKIN 

16 

TENIOLA 

— El-Rufai 

Elder Statesman and Niger Delta leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, cutting his 93rd birthday cake 

in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Henry Umoru. 

18 

See 

inside 

35 

EDO 

GUBER: 

Oshiomhole, 

Obaseki's 

men in 

fresh 

tussle 

5 

over 

primaries 

Mr & Mrs

2—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 — 3


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08052867058 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 —5 

POCKET CARTOON 

in Edo. While the faction 

loyal to APC National 

Chairman, Comrade 

Adams Oshiomhole, 

thumbed up the position, 

the faction backed by 

Governor Godwin 

Obaseki disagreed. 

EID EL-FITR PRAYERS IN MAIDUGURI—Muslim faithful gather at 

Ramat Square Eid grounds in Maiduguri, Borno State, Sunday for Eid el- 

Fitr prayers. Photo: AFP. 

Oshiomhole, Obaseki's men 

in fresh tussle over 

primaries 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase, 

Ozioruva Aliu & 

David Odama 

LAFIA, Nasarawa 

— National Vice 

Chairman (North- 

Central), of the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, Suleiman Wambai, 

has said that direct 

primary remains the best 

way to select APC’s 

governorship candidate 

in Edo State to avoid a 

repeat of what happened 

in Zamfara State where 

its candidates won 

elections in 2019 but were 

disqualified by the courts. 

Wambai, who stated this 

yesterday, while speaking 

with newsmen in Lafia 

also explained that there 

are three available ways 

for candidates of the party 

to emerge in any state. 

According to him, 

candidates can emerge 

through consensus, direct 

or indirect primaries 

depending on what the 

party considers as the best 

option in a given state. 

“The leadership of the 

party at the state level has 

been empowered by the 

APC constitution to decide 

which mode of primaries 

to adopt in their state,” 

Wambai declared. 

The party chieftain 

explained that the APC 

national headquarters has 

taken a position, which is 

direct primaries for the 

September 19 

governorship election in 

Edo State because there 

are factions in the state. 

“If you allow any of the 

factions to select the 

governorship candidate 

for the party in the state, 

it can be quashed by the 

courts just like it 

happened in Zamfara 

State during the 2019 

elections. So to avoid the 

Zamfara episode, the 

party at the national level 

decided that direct 

primaries is the only 

option,” he added. 

Wambai also explained 

that the leadership of the 

party wais working hard 

to attract more federal 

presence to the North- 

Central zone in terms of 

projects 

and 

appointments and 

pledged support of the 

zone to President 

Muhammadu Buhari’s 

developmental strides. 

Wambai’s position on 

direct primaries elicited 

sharp disagreement from 

the two camps of the APC 

Wambai can’t 

speak for Edo 

APC – Ojezua 

The faction supported by 

Governor Obaseki said 

the position of Wambai 

that the governorship 

primaries in Edo State 

would be direct as his 

personal opinion and not 

that of the party. 

State chairman of the 

party, Mr. Anselm 

Ojezua, told Vanguard 

yesterday in Benin: “The 

method to be adopted in 

the governorship 

primaries will be the 

decision of Edo State 

APC. 

“We will then transmit 

this to the national 

headquarters of the party. 

This is as far as I know. 

So, he is not in a position 

to speak on whether it will 

be direct or indirect 

method that the party will 

adopt in Edo State.” 

Wambai is right 

– Imuse 

However, Col. David 

Imuse, retd, the Edo State 

factional chairman of the 

APC loyal to Comrade 

Adams Oshiomhole, said 

what Wambai said is “the 

decision of the National 

Working Committee, 

NWC, of the party which 

is constitutional. He only 

re-echoed that decision.” 

Also, the Publicity 

Secretary, Chris 

Azebanmwan, said 

Wambai’s position is in 

line with the party’s 

constitution. 

He said: “He 

interpreted the 

constitution of our party 

correctly in the sense that 

Article 13 (4) (14) of the 

APC constitution clearly 

vests the authority to 

decide who flies the flag 

of the party in any 

election. That clause says 

that the NWC shall 

conduct primaries to 

determine the candidate 

of the party for 

presidential, 

governorship, national 

assembly and state houses 

of assembly elections. It is 

a very clear mandate so it 

is not subject to the 

vagaries of individual 

interpretation. 

“His pronouncement is 

totally in line with the 

constitution of the APC 

and we have said over 

and over again that 

anybody that seeks 

elective office must subject 

himself to primaries; even 

President Buhari 

subjected himself to 

primary 

“Somebody who said he 

has done so well, that he 

is more popular than the 

party should not be afraid 

to subject himself to direct 

primaries which is 

actually the approval of 

the members of the party 

that he is supposed to 

have worked for. So why 

should anybody be afraid 

of direct primary? That is 

the most democratic 

approach for the 

emergence of party 

candidates.” 

PDP’s doors open to 

Obaseki - Ogidi 

Meanwhile, against the 

backdrop of the rumours 

making the rounds in Edo 

State that Governor 

Obaseki may dump the 

APC for the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, to 

contest the September 19 

governorship election, 

National Vice-Chairman 

of the PDP, South-South, 

Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, 

has said that the doors of 

the party are open for 

every person who wants 

to come in. 

Chief Ogidi was 

reacting to insinuations 

Governor Obaseki was 

already on his way to pick 

up the PDP governorship 

ticket following the 

adoption of direct 

primaries by his party, the 

APC. Ogidi said: “If 

Governor Obaseki 

decides to decamp to the 

PDP today nobody has 

any right to stop him. If 

they come in, we will 

welcome them. Our doors 

are open to them and we 

will allow them in but if 

Continues on Page 35 

By Bose Adelaja & 

Olayinka Latona 

Influx of Almajirai into South-East, South-West (3) 

IT’s quite sad that 

what the north brewed 

over the years for their benefit 

is now a problem they 

can’t handle These people 

have been used in rigging 

elections in the past but today, 

the challenges faced 

with same products seem to 

pulling the entire north 

down hence time to spread 

it. 

*Laz Nwa-Abel, Social 

Commentator 

Ibelieve it is a calculat 

ed attempt by the Fulani 

militia to attack the 

South. The movement is 

taking place during the 

lockdown and night curfew 

because they believe 

it will be easy to move 

without hindrance. This is 

a wake-up call to the federal 

government to bail us 

out. 

*Osho Kazeem, Sales 

Representative 

THE guise of infiltrat 

ing the South-West 

with jihadists in the name 

of Almajiri must be immediately 

checkmated. 

Thanks to the Visa on arrival 

policy of President 

Buhari, we can now no 

longer sleep with our eyes 

closed. Yet, the governors 

aren’t acting. Time to play 

politics is over. 

*Wagbemiga Onifade, 

Writer 

WHEN people are 

migrating from one 

region to the other with no 

clear-cut plans in minds; 

with no homes in view; it 

is apparent that they will 

constitute an enormous 

nuisance to the host environment. 

These are people 

who have no economic, 

social, or political advantage 

to the host community. 

*Oba Mathew, Public 

Analyst. 

ALMAJIRIS’ are cre 

ated by the north, a 

problem of the north 

and should be addressed 

by the north. It 

is no doubt a security 

threat, underscore by 

evidence of their enlistment 

as Boko Haram 

militants. The southern 

region has enough insecurity 

issues to deal 

with. 

*Aliyu Isihaq, Writer 

THIS is a threat on the 

security of our region 

because these Almajiris 

grow old to be insurgents 

and kidnappers. They are 

not wanted here due to 

their social challenges, 

perpetuation of poverty, 

illiteracy, insecurity and 

social disorder that they 

have as attributes. 

*Tobiloba Adeleye, 

Businessman

6 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 

Suspected Aiye 

kingpin, 

‘Obasanjo,’ 2 

others killed in 

Lagos gang war 

By Evelyn Usman 

The deceased, Waidi aka 

Obasanjo 

A 

suspected leader of the Aiye 

confraternity, Waidi, 

popularly known as ‘Obasanjo’ 

was, weekend, shot dead by 

members of a rival cult group in 

Oworoshoki area of Lagos. 

Two other persons, one of them 

a nursing mother, was also shot 

dead. 

The deceased was reportedly 

driving home at about 8.30 pm, 

Sunday, when members of a 

rival cult group, who were 

trailing him, fired a shot at his 

car. 

He was said to have alighted 

to inspect the level of damage 

on his car, on reaching the 

boundary between Oworoshoki 

and Ifako, only to sight the armed 

rival members approaching. 

In his bid to escape, 

eyewitnesses said he ran into a 

traditional ruler house within the 

vicinity, from where he took 

refuge at Ifako bus-stop. 

But the armed rival group 

chased him inside a 

church,macheted and shot him 

dead. 

When news of his death 

filtered around, residents 

remained indoors and put calls 

across to their loved ones who 

were yet to return, to remain 

where they were. 

Members of Aiye confraternity 

were said to have launched a 

reprisal attack, in the process of 

which one of their opponents 

with an undisclosed identity, 

was killed. A stray bullet from 

them, according to residents, hit 

a nursing mother. 

Contacted, the Lagos State 

Police Public Relations Officer, 

DSP Elkana Bala, said two 

persons whose identities he 

gave as Sunday Moses and 

Stephen Jacob, had been 

arrested. 

He said: “A manhunt for Elba, 

Elebe, Ayomide, Demola and 

Elsi, who were fingered in the 

killing, has been intensified. 

The area is calm as a patrol team 

led by the Area ‘H’ Commander, 

is still patrolling there. 

4 grave diggers caught with 5 human heads in Ondo 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—NEMESIS caught up with 

four grave diggers as they were arrested 

for being in possession of five human heads 

in Akure, the Ondo State capital. 

They reportedly sold the severed heads 

to ritualists for money-making. 

The suspects, who work at a public 

cemetery owned by Akure South Local 

Government along Imafon Road, Akure, 

were caught in the act while trying to severe 

the head of a newly buried corpse. 

Vanguard learnt that they were 

apprehended, weekend, for being in 

possession of a female human head and 

four other freshly severed heads. 

The suspects, who are in police custody, 

include Adewale Abiodun, 40; Akinola 

Sunday, 69, Olomofe, 45 and Oluwadare 

Idowu 67. 

Reports had it that the bubble burst 

Saturday as the syndicate tried to exhume 

the corpse of a young tipper driver, who 

was buried at the cemetery few hours by 

the family members. 

An eyewitness said: “As they were trying 

to exhume the corpse, some family members 

of the deceased came back to the cemetery 

with some bricklayers to cement the grave 

and caught them in the act. 

“It was when we caught them in the act and while beating 

them that we discovered that 

they had a female human 

head and four other freshly 

severed heads. 

“We immediately contacted 

men of Special Anti-Robbery 

Squad, SARS, who came to 

pick them up.” 

Contacted, the state police 

command spokesperson, 

Tee-Leo Ikoro, said police 

detectives have commenced 

investigation into the matter 

and assured that other 

members of the syndicate 

would soon be unravelled. 

Ikoro said: “The ongoing 

investigation will reveal 

everything, particularly other 

members of the gang. From 

what we have found out, it 

shows that it’s not their first 

time. It’s something they 

have been doing. It’s a 

routine thing. 

“Like we always hear, every 

day for the thief, one day for 

the owner. I think this time, 

their cup is full.” 

Rainstorm destroys 30 buildings, residents 

displaced in Lagos 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

AT least 30 buildings have been 

destroyed and several 

occupants displaced following 

heavy rainfall Sunday night into 

yesterday, in Iragon-Iragbo 

community, Badagry Local 

Government Area of Lagos State. 

Also yesterday, residents of 6, 

Olonode Street, Ebute Meta, Lagos 

Mainland Local Government Area, 

narrowly escaped death when a 

two-storey building partially 

collapsed during heavy rainfall. The 

building was later demolished to 

ground zero by the state 

government. 

Director-General, Lagos State 

Traffic Management Agency, 

LASEMA, Dr Femi Oke- 

Osanyintolu, who confirmed both 

incidents, said the situation had been 

contained. 

The incident caused considerable 

damage to at least 30 buildings in 

the community, displacing several 

occupants who are mainly children, 

women and elderly. It could not be 

confirmed at press time where the 

displaced victims are being 

accommodated. 

According to Oke-Osanyintolu, 

“Several homes have totally or 

partially collapsed while others had 

their roofs blown off by the heavy 

winds. We can confirm, for example, 

that the prototype school in the 

community, St Patrick’s Primary 

School, suffered extensive 

damage. 

“In the wake of the disaster, 

Scene of the rainstorm in Badagry. 

The distressed building. 

LASEMA promptly dispatched a 

team to conduct an enumeration on 

the extent of damage to property and 

displaced persons, particularly 

•Scores escape death as two-storey 

building collapses 

elderly, women 

and children 

within the 

locality." 

Scores 

escape 

death as 

twostorey 

building 

collapses 

A l s o , 

residents of 6, 

Olonode 

Street, Ebute 

Meta, Lagos 

Mainland Local Government Area, 

narrowly escaped death, yesterday, 

when the two-storey building 

partially collapsed during heavy 

Delta poly ASUP chair dies in auto crash 

By Ochuko Akuopha 

OZORO—CHAIRMAN of 

Academic Staff Union of 

Polytechnic, ASUP, Delta State 

Polytechnic, Ozoro Chapter, 

Mr America Akpituren was 

weekend, killed in a ghastly 

motor accident. 

It was gathered that 

Akpituren, who drove in a 

Toyota Highlander SUV, died 

on Sunday afternoon after he 

collided with a heavy-duty 

vehicle along Ogwashi-Uku/ 

Asaba expressway. 

Contacted yesterday, Public 

Relations Officer of the 

institution, Mr Boniface 

Ogarayen, confirmed the 

incident, describing it as sad 

and painful. 

Until his death, he was a 

lecturer at the Department of 

Civil Engineering in the 

polytechnic and a notable 

unionist. 

rainfall. 

The incident, it was gathered 

happened around 9.45 am amid 

heavy downpour. 

Director-General, Lagos State 

Traffic Management Agency, 

LASEMA, Dr Femi Oke- 

Osanyintolu who confirmed the 

report said all the occupants have 

been evacuated and directed to 

relocate to safe accommodation. 

According to information, before 

the collapse, the building had shown 

signs of distress due to lack of 

maintenance on the part of the owner. 

Oke-Osanyintolu said: “Upon arrival 

at the scene of the incident, it 

was discovered that an old storey 

building was severely distressed 

with the reinforcement, having corroded, 

resulting in visible cracks on 

the walls and pillars likely due to a 

lack of maintenance. 

“Further investigations revealed 

that all the slabs of the building are 

weak and as a result, part of the building 

has collapsed. 

“Fortunately, there is no loss of life 

or injury sustained at the scene. 

LASEMA responders and Lagos 

Building Control Agency, LABCA, 

officials and other emergency responders 

are currently at the scene 

of the incident to salvage the situation. 

“Meanwhile, all the occupants 

have been immediately evacuated 

and the entire building cordoned off 

to prevent any secondary incident."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 — 7 

:Vanguard News 

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

LUNCH- 

EON: 

Gov Zulum 

and Lt. Gen 

Buratai serving 

food to 

soldiers 

wounded in 

action in Borno 

State. 

How Police squad invaded Abuja Estate 

•Shot son of ex-sole administrator of National 

Iron Mining Company, Itakpe, assaulted family 

•We're investigating – Police 

ABUJA — At least one 

person was shot and 

others harassed, arrested as 

about a dozen detectives of 

the Nigeria Police Force invaded 

the Abuja residence 

of former Sole Administrator 

of the National Iron Mining 

Company, Itakpe, Engr 

Abubakar Yaro Ibrahim. 

The person extra-judicially 

shot was one of the sons 

of the former boss of the 

national mining company. 

The police officers, who 

are members of the Special 

Tactical Squad, STS, Office 

of the Inspector General of 

Police, according to PR Nigeria, 

stormed the residence 

of Engr Ibrahim, 

penultimate Monday, 18 

May, at about 12:45 pm, 

when he was preparing to 

join other members of his 

family to perform the afternoon 

prayer (Salatul Zuhr). 

The STS personnel violently 

molested members of 

Ibrahim's family, threatening 

to eliminate their mother 

and Sadiq, the teenage 

son shot by one of the armed 

policemen. 

The Force Headquarters 

spokesman, DCP Frank 

Mba, said the Police were 

investigating the incident. 

Recounting his ordeal, 

the traumatized father of 

the shot teenager, said: "On 

Monday, May 18, 2020 at 

about 12:45pm, I was preparing 

to join other members 

of my family to perform 

the afternoon prayer 

(Salatul Zuhr), when I 

heard several gun shots, 

and some strange people 

shouting at the top of their 

voices at members of my 

family. 

''Some others were banging 

doors, trying to forcibly 

gain entrance into the 

house through other doors. 

I rushed downstairs to the 

main living room of the 

house to know exactly what 

was happening and to my 

greatest dismay, I found 

members of my family laying 

down on the floor of the 

living room, with their faces 

down and several 

armed men were standing 

keeping watch over them, 

threatening to shoot anyone 

that may attempt to run 

away." 

Ibrahim, who has already 

demanded an apology from 

the Police Force and is also 

pressing for damages, explained 

that he did not immediately 

realize that they 

were operatives from the 

ST Squad of the IGP office. 

He explained further: "I 

assumed naturally that 

they were armed robbers, 

since I could not immediately 

identify them. More 

so, as we have had experience 

of attack by armed robbers 

in the past. 

"They led all of us out of 

the main building into the 

open space in front of it. It 

was then that I realised that 

they were actually security 

operatives from STS. Then 

naturally, myself and some 

of my children started asking 

them why they were 

treating us in the manner 

they were doing. They 

slapped my children who 

asked that question, saying 

'you even have the mouth 

to talk'. "Earlier, while they 

were in the process of gathering 

us, one of my children 

also sought to know why 

they laid siege to our house 

and a gun was fired very 

near his ear apparently to 

deafen him." 

According to the retired 

director in the Federal Civil 

Service, some of the operatives 

re-entered the boys’ 

quarter premises and other 

parts of the house, apparently 

for further search. 

"Thereafter, they came 

back to meet us at the spot 

we were gathered. They 

then decided to take us 

(myself, my male children, 

seven in number, and my 

driver) to their office at 

Guzape. 

"We left my female family 

members, among whom 

were small children confused, 

crying and highly 

traumatized. While entering 

the vehicle which was 

meant to convey us to their 

office, a son of my neighbour 

happened to be passing 

by, and when questioned 

by a member of the 

STS team, he explained 

that he came to inform us 

that my son, Sadiq was 

shot and that he was in their 

house. "We therefore, went 

with the STS operatives to 

pick Sadiq who was obviously 

in a state of shock and 

severe pains. Blood had 

stained his clothes and the 

piece of the cloth that was 

used to bandage the 

wound was greatly soaked 

with blood. 

"I could not control tears 

rolling down my cheeks 

when I saw my son in that 

pathetic situation, and I 

pleaded with the STS operatives 

to help quickly 

rush him to the hospital, so 

he can get prompt medical 

attention, and we can, 

thereafter, face any charge 

they may decide to place on 

us. 

''All they said was that we 

should wait for them to finish 

what they wanted to do, 

and that they had a clinic 

in their office where Sadiq 

would be attended to. The 

STS operatives came into 

his house by jumping over 

the fence between my 

house and that of my next 

door neighbour." 

His words: "They met 

Sadiq doing ablution for the 

afternoon prayer in the 

premises of the house. He 

was greatly frightened due 

to the manner in which 

they gained access into our 

house. He immediately 

concluded that we were 

being attacked by armed 

robbers. ''To add to his 

shock, the officer who shot 

him then pointed a gun at 

him and started pursuing 

him. The officer pursued 

him over a distance of at 

least 200m.It is only by the 

mercy of the Creator that 

Sadiq survived. 

"The officer shouted at the 

top of his voice, saying 

‘thief, thief’ so that people 

in the neighbourhood shall 

close their doors, and not 

allow Sadiq entrance. It is 

also obvious that the officer 

wanted Sadiq to be 

lynched by members of the 

public. "The STS operatives 

asked Sadiq to produce his 

handset before we would 

be driven to their office, and 

he told them that it had 

fallen while he was escaping 

from the STS operative 

who was pursuing and firing 

at him. ''The STS operatives 

insisted that they 

needed to obtain the handset 

before we would leave 

for their office. God was so 

kind, the handset was 

eventually traced and we 

were eventually taken to 

the STS Office at Guzape, 

Abuja, in the afternoon. 

"At the venue of interrogation, 

we were each asked 

to make statement, and it 

was while we were doing 

so that it became evident 

that they were trying to link 

us with a kidnap case. 

According to them, a Nigerian 

Army major and one 

or two other people were 

recently kidnapped in Kogi 

State, and the kidnappers 

demanded a huge ransom 

before they could be released. 

"According to them, they 

were trying to track the kidnappers 

when they arrived 

at a spot (near my house, 

but on the road which passes 

in front of it) as the location 

of the kidnappers 

when they were last contacted. 

''They claimed that the kidnappers 

asked them to take 

ransom to that spot which 

they automatically assumed 

to be part of my house. No 

recorded voice conversation 

with the kidnappers to that 

effect was presented to us. 

"After the necessary formalities, 

we were asked to 

fill bond forms and thereafter, 

we were allowed to 

depart at about 5.45pm. I 

requested that we be provided 

escort to accompany 

Sadiq to hospital for proper 

medical attention. They 

assigned the person who 

shot at him to take him, 

along with a relation to 

National Hospital, Trauma 

Centre, Abuja, for treatment." 

When contacted, the 

Force Spokesperson DCP 

Frank Mba told PRNigeria 

that the Police Headquarter 

was investigating the 

incident and would make 

its position known soon. 

Frank said: “There are 

different versions to this 

report. We are, nevertheless, 

investigating the controversy 

over the incident 

and we will surely make our 

position known and take 

appropriate actions on the 

Executive Order: Withhold 

legislature, judiciary cash, 

lose your allocations, FG 

warns govs 

By Soni Daniel, 

Northern Region Editor 

ABUJA — The federal 

government has warned 

that any state government 

which withholds funds meant 

for their respective Houses of 

Assembly and judiciary would 

get their allocations deducted 

at source by the Accountant 

General of the Federation 

and remitted directly to the affected 

state organs. 

The Attorney General of the 

Federation and Minister of 

Justice, Abubakar Malami, 

made the clarification yesterday 

in further explanation of 

the Executive Order signed by 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

last Friday, giving effect 

to the commencement of the 

implementation of the law 

which he had earlier signed 

into law last year. 

Although some governors 

are reported to be unhappy 

with the implementation of 

the Executive Order, which 

was passed by the 8th National 

Assembly and duly assented 

to by the President, the 

AGF explained that there was 

no going back on the matter 

which had become part of the 

country’s constitution. 

Malami believes that the 

Presidential action would not 

only strengthen the two arms 

of state institutions but would 

also go a long way in making 

them more independent and 

accountable in line with the 

tenets of democracy. 

The AGF pointed out that 

where any state fails to remit 

the amount meant for the legislature 

and the judiciary, the 

OAGF would by the EO authorize 

the deduction of the 

amount from source from the 

Federation Account by the 

Accountant General of the 

Federation. 

The AGF said doing so was 

in compliance with the Article 

6 (1) of the EO, which 

states: “Notwithstanding the 

provisions of this EO, in the 

first three years of its implementation, 

there shall be a 

special extraordinary capital 

allocations for the judiciary to 

undertake capital development 

of state judiciary complexes, 

high court complexes, 

Sharia court of appeal, Customary 

court of appeal and 

court complexes of other 

courts befitting the status of a 

court. 

“The EO provides that the 

Accountant General of the 

Federation shall by this order 

and such other orders, regulations 

or guidelines as may 

be issued by the AGF and 

Minister of Justice, authorize 

the deduction from source in 

the course of the Federal Accounts 

Allocation from the 

money allocated to any state 

of the federation that fails to 

release allocation meant for 

the state legislature and judiciary 

in line with financial 

autonomy. 

When pressed on Sunday for 

reaction to the EO, Chairman 

of Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, 

Dr. Kayode Fayemi, declined 

to comment on the development, 

which some of his 

colleagues have however 

frowned on, saying the action 

would lead to weakening their 

control of the two arms of government 

hitherto remotely 

‘controlled’ by them through 

cash release or withholding. 

It will be recalled that following 

the stranglehold on the 

two tiers of government by the 

respective governors in the 

country, a Presidential Committee 

was raised to fashion 

out strategies and modalities 

for the implementation of financial 

autonomy for them in 

line with the constitution taking 

into account all other applicable 

laws, instruments 

and regulations, which provide 

for financial autonomy 

at the state tiers of government. 

FCMB connects entrepreneurs 

to experts with new initiative 

ABUJA — First City 

Monument Bank, 

FCMB, has continued to 

blaze the trail with innovative 

and value-added offerings to 

boost the productivity and 

overall performance of businesses. 

The latest is an initiative, 

tagged "Top-5-In-5", a digital 

video knowledge sharing and 

capacity building series designed 

to give Small and 

Medium Scale Enterprises, 

SMEs, practical insight into 

different areas of business to 

inspire them to operate optimally 

and successfully. 

FCMB indicated that the 

“Top 5-in-5” initiative remained 

one more way it 

aimed to add value to Nigerian 

SMEs and ensure they 

could truly #ThriveWithFC- 

MB. In a statement, the bank 

explained that the series 

would run for an initial period 

of seven weeks, with a new 

episode released every week. 

Each episode, according to 

the bank, will feature accomplished 

thought leaders and 

experts across diverse areas of 

business who would deliver 

five quality tips in five minutes 

to help SMEs explore 

solutions to specific challenges 

or pain-points. 

The impressive line-up of 

experts showcased in the series 

includes Bisi Adeyemi, 

Managing Director of DCSL 

Corporate Services Limited; 

Kelvin Balogun, Senior Partner 

at Verraki Partners; Aramide 

Abe, CEO/Founder Naija 

Startups and Bukola 

Smith, Executive Director, 

Business Development, 

FCMB. Other thought leaders 

are Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, 

Managing Director, CMC 

Connect; Omotolani Tayo- 

Oshikoya, Chief Operating 

Officer, TISV Digital and 

James Ilori, Managing Director, 

FCMB Asset Management. 

Some of the topics are: 

Building A Sustainable Business 

that Outlives You; Differentiating 

Your Business 

Through Innovation and 

Raising Funds For Your Business. 

Other topics include 

Making Your Network Work 

For Your Business; Growing 

A Thriving Side Hustle 

and Diversifying Your Investment 

Income.

8— Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 

*Zainab Ahmed, Finance Minister *Muda Yusuf, LCCI DG *Yemi Kale, NBS DG 

How to rescue Nigeria from deep economic 

recession — Business leaders 

*Divided on FG’s optimism for mild recession 

By Babajide Komolafe, Peter 

Egwuatu, Nkiru Nnorom, Michael 

Eboh, Naomi Uzor, 

FOLLOWING the lower economic 

growth rate reported by the National 

Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for 

the first quarter of the year, which confirms 

various projections of economic 

recession in 2020, business leaders 

and economic analysts have called for 

policies that will stimulate massive investment 

in infrastructure, agriculture, 

tax incentives, as well as immediate 

termination of lockdown measures 

among others as measures needed to 

enhance the nation’s exit from the impending 

recession. 

Their position is coming on the heels 

of the comments by the Minister of Finance, 

Zainab Ahmed, last week 

Thursday that Nigeria’s economy is 

heading towards economic recession 

in 2020. 

Addressing journalists after the National 

Economic Council meeting, The 

Minister said: “The National Bureau 

of Statistics (NBS) has made an assessment. 

So, it is the NBS assessment that 

Nigeria will go into a recession measuring 

at an average of -4.4 percent.” 

The Minister however said that the 

Federal government hopes to achieve 

a milder recession, saying: “But with 

the work that the Economic Accessibility 

Committee is doing bringing 

stimulus packages, we believe that we 

can reduce the impact of that recession. 

“And if we applied all that have been 

proposed and we are able to implement 

it we may end up with a recession 

that is -0.4 per cent. In any case, 

we will go into recession but what we 

are trying to do is to make sure that it 

is shallow so that we will quickly come 

out of it come 2021”. 

While the business leaders did not 

agree on the feasibility of Nigeria having 

a mild recession (-0.4 percent) as 

hoped by the FG, they however agree 

there is need for a range of policy measures 

to expedite the country’s exit 

from the impending recession. 

Need for investment 

“There is a need to reset the policy 

and regulatory environment to stimulate 

domestic and foreign investment. 

The mix of tax, tariff, monetary, foreign 

exchange , regulatory and investment 

policies needs to be regularly 

rejigged to spur economic growth,”said 

Muda Yusuf, Director General, Lagos 

Chamber of Commerce and Industry 

(LCCI). 

Also speaking on the need for investment 

stimulating polices, Yinka Sanni, 

Group CEO, Emerging Africa Capital 

Group, said the -0.4 percent best case 

scenario figure would only be achieved 

if a robust stimulus package, not be 

less than 19 percent of GDP is put in 

place. 

According to her, the stimulus package 

must be largely targeted at the productive 

sector of the economy, for instance, 

the micro-small and medium 

scale enterprises, which also accounts 

for the majority of jobs. 

“Policy reforms targeted at 

incentivising investments in infrastructure 

through the capital market should 

be considered. The proportion targeted 

at the bottom of the pyramid should be 

changed through micro-finance institutions 

and similar intermediaries in 

the money and capital markets in order 

to deepen financial inclusion. 

“Robust fiscal stimulus such as tax 

incentives, waivers, and other policy 

interventions to incentivise long term 

investments in the real sector should 

be put in place, while reforms to encourage 

the institutionalisation of domestic 

investments in the agribusiness 

and food value chain should also be 

considered” 

“Policies to liberalise raising of long 

term capital by sub-national governments 

and corporate entities to stimulate 

infrastructure provision and development 

at state and local government 

levels, policies to incentivise the 

raising of long term investments to 

back up domestic investments in the 

alternative energy space as well as 

policies to incentivise growth in exportation 

of goods and services are all 

necessities.” 

While describing the -0.4 percent 

GDP expectation of the FG too optimistic, 

Ayodeji Ebo, CEO, Afrinvest 

Securities, recommended a more target 

borrowings towards capital expenditure 

as well as elimination of the triosubsidies 

(Petroleum, Power and foreign 

) to free up more resources for 

the government. 

He added that “The Government can 

also reduce their stakes in some of the 

companies to create additional revenue. 

Also, a review of the PPP policy 

to provide confidence for private investors 

especially contract enforcement 

will go a lot way in attracting Foreign 

Direct Investment which will boost economic 

activities. We also need a 

clearer direction from the CBN regard- 

The -0.4 percent best 

case scenario figure 

would only be achieved if 

a robust stimulus package, 

not be less than 19 

percent of GDP is put in 

place 

*Toyin Sanni CEO Emerging Africa 

Capital Group 

ing the exchange rate to avoid a repeat 

of 2016 which will impact negatively 

on economic activities.” 

Stressing the need for increase partnership 

with the private sector to spur 

investmestment spending, Ayo 

Akinwunmi, a Senior official of FSDH 

Merchant Bank said: “Government 

team can spur investments in the 

economy to avert the impending recession 

by doing the following: Embark 

on massive infrastructure development 

through partnership with private 

sector; Encourage massive investments 

in the downstream oil and 

gas through deregulation; Encourage 

massive investments in the power sector 

through cost reflective tariff; Encourage 

massive investments in the 

upstream oil and gas through the passage 

and signing into law the enabling 

laws such as PIGB and PIB; 

“Encourage the developments of 

Solid Mineral resources; Government 

should provide a system where it will 

buy access to agricultural produce from 

farmers and keep in the strategic reserve; 

Regulators should work with 

small scale private sectors operators 

collaborate to develop business rather 

than acting as if they are discouraging 

the development of business; and 

Government to reduce cost of obtaining 

title documents for the development 

of affordable housing estate in 

Nigeria so that the sector will encourage 

a boom.” 

Investment in Agriculture 

According to Professor Uche 

Uwaleke, Professor of Finance and 

Capital Market, Nasarawa State University, 

Lafia and former Commissioner 

of Finance of Imo State, “Mechanized 

farming will go a long way in boosting 

food production. Doing so will bring 

down food inflation which was over 15 

percent as of April according to the 

NBS. Secondly, there is no doubt that 

the CBN’s interventions in Agriculture, 

especially the Anchor Borrower 

Scheme, has helped in no small measure 

to grow the sector. 

“It is time to expand and scale up 

the interventions to cover more products 

and States of the Federation. The 

IMF has projected that the Nigerian 

economy will tank by -3.4 percent this 

year. In order to reduce the size of the 

economic recession below forecast global 

average of -3 percent, it is important 

that the COVID’19 stimulus packages 

both by the government and the 

CBN are well targeted and executed 

in ways that will protect jobs and 

speedily reverse the present downturn 

in economic activities.” 

On his part, Arc Kabir Ibrahim, National 

President, All Farmers Association 

of Nigeria AFAN, stressed the importance 

of incentivising the smallholder 

farmers in boosting productivity 

in the agric sector. 

He said: “Today it is obvious that 

the only choice left to Nigeria is to restore 

the dignity and economic potential 

of agriculture to be able to prosper 

sustainably. This calls for higher investment, 

focus and sustainable policies 

as well as purposeful leadership. 

“We should create a separate and 

well funded advisory for the attainment 

of food security with NFRA, PFI, Cooperatives, 

Livestock and the Seed 

Council in one-stop shop. 

“Redefine cash-crops and manage 

them for efficiency and profitability under 

the Ministry of Trade and Investment. 

“We should make credit readily available 

for Agricultural production, value 

Continues on page 9


COVID-19: Nigeria’s 

economic growth slows to 

1.87% in Q1’2020 

By Babajide Komolafe 

NIGERIA recorded a 

lower economic 

growth in the first quarter of 

the year (Q1’2020), as the 

Gross Domestic Product 

(GDP) growth rate dropped 

to 1.87 percent, during the 

quarter, reflecting the impact 

of the COVID-19 pandemic 

on the economic activities 

across the country. 

This 1.87 percent GDP 

growth recorded in Q1’2020, 

the lowest quarterly GDP 

growth rate since third quarter 

of 2018, represents decline 

of 23 basis points when 

compared with the 2.55 percent 

GDP growth rate recorded 

in the fourth quarter 

of last year (Q4’2020). It also 

represents 68 basis points 

when compared with the 2.10 

percent GDP growth rate recorded 

in the first quarter of 

last year (Q1’2019). 

The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics 

(NBS) disclosed this in 

the Nigerian Gross Domestic 

Product Report (Q1 2020). 

According to the NBS, the 

GDP growth was driven 

mainly by the Oil sector 

which grew by 5.06 percent 

during the quarter, though 

lower than the growth recorded 

in Q1’2019 and 

Q4’2019. 

The report stated: “In the 

first quarter of 2020, 

Nigeria’s Gross Domestic 

Product (GDP) grew by 1.87 

percent(year-on-year) in real 

terms. This performance was 

recorded against the backdrop 

of significant global disruptions 

resulting from the 

COVID-19 public health crisis, 

a sharp fall in oil prices 

and restricted international 

trade. The performance recorded 

in Q1 2020 represents 

a drop of –0.23 percent points 

compared to Q1 2019 and – 

0.68 percent points compared 

to Q4 2019, reflecting 

the earliest effects of the disruption, 

particularly on the 

non-oil economy. Quarter on 

quarter, real GDP growth was 

–14.27 percent compared to 

5.59 percent recorded in the 

preceding quarter. 

“In the quarter under review, 

aggregate GDP stood at 

N35.647 trillion in nominal 

terms. This performance was 

higher when compared to the 

first quarter of 2019 which recorded 

N31.824 trillion, with 

a nominal growth rate of 

12.01 percent year on year. 

Relative to the first quarter of 

2019, the nominal growth 

rate was higher by 0.11 percent 

points but lower than 

the proceeding quarter by – 

0.32 percent points. For better 

clarity, the Nigerian 

economy has been classified 

broadly into the oil and nonoil 

sector” 

Oil sector GDP 

The report further disclosed 

that: “The oil sector recorded 

a real growth rate of 5.06 percent 

(year-on-year) in Q1 

2020 indicating an increase 

of 6.51 percent points relative 

to the rate recorded in 

the corresponding quarter of 

2019. However, growth decreased 

by –1.30 percent 

points when compared to Q4 

2019 which was 6.36 percent. 

Quarter-on-quarter, the oil 

sector recorded a growth rate 

of 11.30 percent in Q1 2020. 

The Oil sector contributed 

9.50 percent to aggregate 

real GDP in Q1 2020, up from 

figures recorded in the corresponding 

period of 2019 

and the preceding quarter, as 

the share of the non-oil 

economy declined.” 

Non Oil Sector GDP 

According to the NBS: “The 

non-oil sector grew by 1.55 

percent in real terms during 

the reference quarter (Q1 

2020). This was slower by – 

0.93 percent points compared 

to the rate recorded during the 

same quarter of 2019, and – 

0.72 percent points slower 

than the fourth quarter of 2019. 

The non-oil sector was driven 

mainly by Information and 

Communication (Telecommunications), 

Financial and Insurance 

(Financial Institutions), 

Agriculture (Crop Production), 

Mining and Quarrying 

(Crude Petroleum & Natural 

Gas), and Construction. In 

real terms, the Non-Oil sector 

contributed 90.50 percent to 

the nation’s GDP in the first 

quarter of 2020, less than its 

share in the first quarter of 

2019 which was 90.78 percent 

and the fourth quarter of 2019 

recorded as 92.68 percent. Activities 

that witnessed weaker 

performance relative to Q1 

2019 include Quarrying, Road 

transport, Accommodation and 

Food services as well as real 

estate.” 

How to rescue Nigeria from deep economic 

recession — Business leaders 

Continued from page 8 

addition and processing 

through a well recapitalized 

Bank of Agriculture, BoA, 

owned by the farmers. 

“We should take direct 

charge of agricultural mechanization 

and heavily invest in 

it alongside science and technology 

to provide the impetus 

to locally fabricate spare parts 

and if possible complete units. 

“The smallholder farmers in 

Nigeria should be further 

incentivized to produce more 

and be happy doing so by making 

them enjoy tax holidays or 

exemptions as being promoted 

by Governor Ayade of Cross 

River State who deserves commendation 

and should be modeled 

by the other Nigerian 

Governors. 

Tax breaks and other 

incentives 

“Another measure is giving 

tax breaks to certain category 

of companies — exempting 

some companies from paying 

taxes in the next one year.”, 

said Professor Onyi 

Nwagbara, Secretary of the 

Board of Directors, South East 

Region Economic Development 

Company (SEREDEC). 

Speaking on the limitation of 

economic sector specific bailout, 

he added that, “Nobody 

knows for how long this is going 

to last. Bailout alone 

would not do it. One big question 

is which sector would you 

bailout and which one would 

you leave. But if you give incentives, 

like tax breaks, creating 

the enabling environment, 

instituting a policy that 

if anyone wants to register a 

business, government would 

tell the Corporate Affairs Commission 

(CAC) not to charge 

money for this purpose for the 

next one year; they should also 

be given a tax break. These 

are some of the incentives and 

palliatives that the government 

can put in place for businesses 

to grow, for us not to 

dive deep into serious recession; 

because if we do, it would 

be very tough for us to get out 

of it, especially if the prices of 

crude oil continue to go down 

globally.” 

Immediate removal of 

lockdown 

Come of the experts also 

cited the need to FG should 

dismantle all lockdown measures 

in order to enhance the 

effect of its stimulus measures 

to rescue Nigeria from the impending 

recession. 

Speaking in this regard, Professor 

Uche Collins 

Nwogwugwu, Professor of 

Economics of the Nnamdi 

Azikiwe University, Awka, 

said: “Stimulus measure is a 

fiscal action by government 

and -0.4 percent is achievable 

if we assume that corruption 

and other official leakages are 

reduced. 

“The utmost measure to ameliorate 

the impact of COVID- 

19 is to dismantle all lockdown 

measures without further delay 

and migrate to containment. 

It is the very condition 

that may make the stimulus 

measures work efficiently.” 

Supporting this view, Managing 

Director/Chief Executive 

Officer, APT Securities 

Limited, Mallal Garba Kurfi 

said: “Now that the first quarter, 

2020 (Q1’20) closed with 

positive results it will be possible 

to achieve a mild recession 

in view of the palliative 

measures taken. The outcome 

of second quarter, 2020 ( 

Q2’20) result of GDP will decide 

otherwise. The measure 

include total removal block 

down in Lagos, Ogun, FCT 

and Kano will help the 

economy recovery fast. The 

extension of credit facility to 

manufacturing companies will 

also relieve the economy and 

the support for local substitute 

for most of our import products 

will make our recovery 

past.” 

In its own reaction, Chairman, 

Association of Securities 

Dealing Houses of Nigeria 

(ASHON), 

Chief 

Onyenwechukwu Ezeagu 

said: “The Nigerian Bureau of 

Statistics (NBS) has rolled 

out figures on the state of 

economy at the moment. 

Other institutions have stated 

similar positions. It is obvious 

that Nigeria is entering into 

recession but one cannot categorically 

conjecture the degree 

of severity at the moment. 

“What we expect the government 

to do through the 

Minister of Finance is to release 

the specific steps to 

handle recession in bullet 

points. This will move to the 

level of seeking the buy-in of 

the citizens. At the moment, 

we have not seen a clearly 

defined model of the government 

in this regard. Everyone 

is simply lamenting and 

guessing about the way forward. 

I hope the government 

will drive the process through 

announcement of its plan to 

salvage the economy for enhanced 

support of all stakeholders.”


:Vanguard 

News 

Collapse of Unity Forum is good 

omen —Ondo APC chairman 

By Dayo Johnson 

Aof KURE—CHAIRMAN 

the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, in Ondo 

State, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, 

said, yesterday, that the 

path to genuine 

reconciliation has started, 

with the dissolution of the 

Unity Forum. 

Adetimehin stated this in 

a statement by the party’s 

Publicly Secretary, Mr. Alex 

Kalejaye in Akure. 

A founding member of 

the Unity forum, Mr. Idowu 

Otetubi, had dumped the 

forum and returned to the 

APC in Ondo State. 

Responding to the 

development, the APC 

chairman described the 

development as “a 

prerequisite for genuine 

reconciliation in the state 

Clark, a towering pillar at 93 

—DESOPADEC MD 

W 

A 

R R I — 

MANAGING 

Director and Chief 

Executive Officer of Delta 

State Oil Producing Areas 

Development Commission, 

DESOPADEC, Bashorun 

Askia Ogieh, has described 

Chief Edwin Kiagbodo 

Clark as a towering pillar 

and source of strength to 

many he has mentored. 

Bashorun Askia said 

Chief E.K. Clark who is 

celebrating his 93 years 

birthday, is an avowed 

advocate of equal rights, 

defender of justice and 

fairness. 

In a birthday message he 

personally signed, 

Bashorun Askia said: “It is 

with a heart full of pride 

and thankfulness to God 

almighty that I celebrate you 

on your 93rd birthday. We 

give Him all the glory for 

giving you a very robust 

good health and the 

wisdom that have guided 

you all these very fruitful 

years. 

Alleged fraud: FIIRO DGs 

demotion, abuse of power —CSOs 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

LAGOS—THE Coalition 

of Civil Society Groups 

in Nigeria, yesterday, 

described the recent 

demotion of the former 

acting Director-General of 

the Federal Institute of 

Industrial Research 

Oshodi, FIIRO, Dr. Chima 

Igwe, as a charade, abuse 

of power and an attempt by 

some desperate politicians 

to hijack the administration 

of the institute for selfish 

political gains. 

The group, while reacting 

to the latest demotion of 

Igwe, described it as illegal. 

It also accused the 

Governing board of 

abusing its powers, 

considering the recent 

number of its arbitrary 

decisions, taken without 

any recourse to the 

chapter.” 

Adetimehin described 

Otetubi as a highly 

experienced politician as 

well as a dogged political 

warrior, whose love for the 

development of Ondo State 

is exemplary. 

He said: “Ondo APC is 

also elated over the 

voluntary and 

unconditional withdrawal 

of a case at the Federal 

High Court, Akure, 

instituted by the group, 

challenging the 

composition of the Ade 

Adetimehin led State 

Executive. The state 

chairman applauds the 

former chairman of the 

Unity Forum and members 

of his executive for placing 

the fortune of the party 

ahead of personal ego and 

interest." 

“Gogorogo, you are very 

deep, so when you call to 

the deep, the deep quivers. 

The very reason those of us 

who are your political 

children are never tired of 

drinking from your very 

deep well of knowledge 

and political sagacity. 

“Your towering presence 

in the affairs of the nation, 

especially those concerning 

our dear Niger Delta, has 

been a source of strength 

to all those you have 

faithfully mentored. 

“You are an Elder 

statesman and nationalist 

who have variously 

deprived yourself the 

comfort you can afford for 

the sake of humanity, which 

has endeared to the hearts 

of all who have been 

fortunate to cross your path. 

“Papa, as you celebrate this 

day, I join all your well wishers to 

pray to the Almighty God to 

continue to shower you with his 

blessings, give you continuous 

good health and to guard and 

guide you always.” 

Ministry of Science and 

technology. 

In a statement by its 

Convener, Mr. Emmanuel 

Ayodeji, the Civil Society 

Groups said: “We wish to 

remind Nigerians that the 

war against Dr. Chima 

Igwe is both fuelled by 

some ethnic champions 

and corrupt individuals, 

who are opposed to his 

prudent administration of 

FIIRO, when he had come 

to unravel the massive 

corruption taking place in 

the institute, which has 

made the cartel to be at war 

with him. This, they have 

employed several means, to 

achieve, including the recent 

engagements of the governing 

board of the Institute, to illegally 

force Dr. Igwe out of Office." 


COVID-19: Lagos to re-open schools 

if… —Education commissioner 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

L AGOS—STRONG 

indications emerged, 

yesterday, that officials of 

the Federal and Lagos State 

governments are working 

out guidelines for reopening 

of schools, which 

closure was precipitated by 

the outbreak of COVID-19 

pandemic. 

This came as the Lagos 

State Government hinted 

that there are plans to 

employ no fewer than 2,000 

more teachers in its public 

primary schools. 

Similarly, the state 

government, through the 

Office of Education Quality 

Assurance, has designed 

an initiative, tagged: 

‘Read-Aloud, Lagos’, to 

create and stimulate the 

interest of school children 

in reading books. 

The Lagos State 

Commissioner for 

Education, Folashade 

Adefisayo disclosed this 

during an online show, 

Covinspiration show, 

moderated by a United 

Nations Youth Ambassador, 

Dayo Isreal, while giving 

scorecard of Governor 

Babajide Sanwo-Olu led 

administration within the 

360 days. 

On the possible reopening 

of schools, 

Adefisayo said: “Like other 

sectors already approved 

by the Federal Government 

to reopen, the state 

government is meeting with 

officials of the Federal 

Ministry of Education to 

design guidelines that 

must be adopted before the 

schools will be re-opened. 

“We are watching the 

behaviour of the pandemic 

to see what happens next 

and we are working with the 

Federal government on the 

re-opening of the schools in 

the country as soon as 

....To employ 2,000 primary school teachers 

possible. 

“This is not a decision that 

any state can unilaterally 

take on its own. If we are 

certain that the children are 

safe, we will reopen the 

schools for learning to 

resume. 

“We are already working 

with the Federal Ministry 

of Education and they are 

working with National 

Center for Disease Control, 

NCDC, on the guidelines 

that could be adopted when 

the need arises for the 

schools to reopen. 

“After the protocol is 

completed and health 

officials assured us that the 

coast is clear, we will give 

the schools some days to 

adjust their premises in 

accordance with the 

guidelines on 

commencement of 

academic activities.” 

On the recruitment plan 

of teachers, Adefisayo said: 

“We have concluded the 

recruitment of 1,000 

secondary school teachers. 

And we are currently 

working on the recruitment 

of 2,000 teachers for public 

primary schools. 

“We are looking at 

employing teachers every 

quarter because the rate of 

retirement of teachers is 

very high in Lagos. The 

administration has granted 

the ministry permission to 

replace retired teachers. 

“Aside from recruitment, 

we have spent a lot on the 

training of current teachers 

to improve their teaching 

skills in classrooms. And 

this COVID-19 period was 

the time when we were able 

to do a lot of things in the 

education sector of Lagos 

state.” 

On Read Aloud Initiative, 

the Director-General, Office 

of Education Quality 

Assurance, Mrs. Abiola 

Seriki-Ayeni, said: “As an 

education quality 

assurance person, I was 

moved by the conviction 

that children perform better 

when they are led in the act 

of reading by someone 

else." 

Land dispute: Oyo court voids Adedibu’s 

right of occupancy 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—AN 

Oyo 

State High Court has 

voided a right of 

occupancy on a parcel of 

land obtained by a former 

strongman of Ibadan 

politics, late Alhaji Lamidi 

Adedibu. 

The parcel of land, 

measuring 0.5443 

hectares, is situated at the 

Government Reservation 

Area, Iyaganku in 

Ibadan. 

Two of the children of 

the deceased politician, 

Professor Abass Adedibu, 

Alhaji Akeem Adedibu 

and his wife, Alhaja 

Modinat Adedibu had 

filed a suit on behalf of 

Chief Adedibu against the 

Governor of Oyo State, 

Mr. Rasak Lawal, the 

Commissioner for Lands, 

Housing and Survey and 

the Attorney General and 

Commissioner for Justice, 

Oyo State. 

The claimants in the suit 

marked 1/632/2016, had 

challenged the 

defendants urged the 

court to grant them an 

order that the statutory 

right of occupancy dated 

February 21, 2008 was 

valid and subsisting. 

They also prayed for a 

perpetual injunction 

restraining the 

government and other 

defendants from making 

use of a consent judgment 

that the court had earlier 

delivered against them. 

Chief Adedibu’s 

children were represented 

by their counsel, Mr. A. T 

Adebayo while Mr. Bayo 

Azeez and O. A 

Ogunniran held the brief 

for the defendants. 

In their final written 

address, the defendants 

asked the court to 

determine whether the 

claimants had been able 

to prove their title to the 

disputed land. 

In his ruling, the 

presiding judge, Justice 

INSPECTION: From 

left—Lagos State 

Commissioner for 

The Environment 

and 

Water 

Resources, Tunji 

Bello; Special 

Adviser to the 

Governor on 

Drainage and Water 

Resources, Joe 

Igbokwe, and 

P e r m a n e n t 

Secretary, Office of 

Drainage Services, 

Lekan Shodehinde, 

during the on-going 

inspection of canals 

and drainages in 

Lagos, yesterday. 

Photo: NAN. 

E.O Ajayi said: “Justice 

cannot be done without 

knowing who has the 

burden of proof under 

adversary system of 

litigation in a claim for a 

declaration of title to land. 

“The law is trite that 

burden lies on the 

claimant who generally 

must rely on the strength 

of his case and not on the 

weakness of the 

defendant’s issue. The 

onus is on the claimant to 

establish his case on the 

balance of probability. 

On the claimants’ 

prayer for a perpetual 

injunction restraining the 

defendants, the court held 

that it would only grant an 

injunction to support a 

legal right. 

“Having held that the 

statutory right of 

occupancy of the 

claimants is not valid and 

subsisting, there is no 

legal right that needs a 

protective order of this 

court.”


:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

... with Emma'nKen (08163121378) 

LOCKDOWN—The usually busy Agodi Gardens Recreation Centre in Ibadan, under lock 

and key, during the Eid-el-Fitr holidays, due to COVID-19 lockdown, yesterday. Photo: 

NAN. 

COVID-19: Onaiyekan calls for gradual 

re-opening of churches 

....As Celestial Church donates 

N25m to relief effort 

By Sam Eyoboka 

A Archbishop BUJA—CATHOLIC 

Emeritus of 

Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, 

yesterday, called for the gradual 

re-opening of worship centres, 

insisting that the religious centres 

are in a better position to control 

and organize people than what 

now obtains in the banks and 

markets. 

Cardinal Onaiyekan, in a 

statement titled: ‘COVID-19: A 

Case for the Resumption of 

Controlled Worship Gatherings in 

Churches and Mosques’, noted 

that humanity has been groping 

in the dark, with trial and error 

measures self-proclaimed 

experts. 

The statement reads: “It seems 

we are in a hopeless situation and 

we can only wait for the worst to 

befall us. 

“For the believer in God, which 

most of us in this country are, 

there can be no room for despair, 

since we believe in God that has 

never ceased to be in control of 

His creation. We must, therefore, 

take seriously our faith in Him as 

an almighty and merciful God, 

who wishes nothing but what is 

good for His creatures, especially 

for humanity. 

“In this regard, it is more than 

time to reopen our churches and 

mosques for worshippers to 

gather as RE-REQUEST FOR 

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR 

THE CATHOLIC HERALD 

NEWSPAPER APPRECIATION. 

“In the church, we have rules 

and regulations guiding the way 

we meet. Before they closed 

worship places, they advised that 

there should be sanitizers, water 

for people to wash their hands and 

social distancing should be 

observed. There is no church 

against that. 

“In some states in this country 

where they relaxed the lockdown, 

they allowed worship places to 

open. There are no facts and 

figures to prove that when they 

relaxed the order, the pandemic 

became uncontrollable. The 

closure of worship places has 

nothing to do with the spread of 

the pandemic. 

“Let the government advise 

religious leaders to observe these 

rules. I don’t know of any 

religious group that would say no 

to it. If people go to church, they 

go to pray for God to give us a 

solution and intervene and you 

ask them not to go. We are calling 

on the government to re-open the 

churches, but let them follow 

Chinese loan is booby trap, Onitiri 

cautions Sanwo-Olu 

By Onozure Dania 

LAGOS—A social critic, Chief 

Adesunbo Onitiri, yesterday, 

cautioned Governor Babajide 

Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State against 

taking any loan from China, 

describing it as a booby-trap into 

economic slavery. 

Onitiri, in a statement, said: 

“There is no free lunch anywhere 

in the world. The soft loans 

brandishing by the Chinese may 

be a trap to drag the state into 

everlasting slavery. 

“Please, beware of soft loans 

written in fine prints and Chinese 

languages. There may be hidden 

dastardly state clauses to buy out 

the state. The Chinese don’t love 

Africans; they only love our 

natural God-given resources 

which they are desperately after. 

“They want to buy out our ports 

and land. This is why they are 

presently buying every available 

land.” 

He urged the Lagos State 

Assembly to re-enact a law 

forbidding foreigners from 

owning land and properties in 

the state, adding that roads being 

constructed by the Chinese in 

Lagos State for huge sums of 

money may not last a year. 

He said: “There should be a 

clause in the contracts to ensure 

high quality works. Every 

contract in fine prints and 

Chinese language should be 

reviewed. We are just coming out 

of the bondage of colonial 

slavery. Don’t let us enter into Chinese 

slavery with our eyes wide open.” 

regulations.” 

Also, he said: “Our gathering 

would endanger the lives of not 

only our congregations but of the 

entire nation as well. 

“We succumbed to the 

imposition, not because we were 

convinced but because we do not 

want anyone to heap on our 

responsibility for any disastrous 

outcome of this crisis.” 

He said some lessons have 

been learned after more than six 

weeks of the lockdown, adding 

that church leaders are in a better 

position to express their minds. 

He said: “That is why we are 

now raising questions about the 

validity of the suspension of our 

right to gather for worship.” 

Celestial Church 

donates N25m to curb 

COVID-19 

Meanwhile, the Celestial 

Church of Christ, CCC, 

(Worldwide) through its 

pastor, Reverend Emmanuel 

Oshoffa, has donated N25 

million to support Nigeria’s 

fight against the COVID-19 

pandemic. 

The amount is to be shared 

among the Nigeria Centre 

for Disease Control, NCDC, 

as well as Lagos and Ogun 

State governments. 

....Lagos records 

another death 

LAGOS—LAGOS State 

government, yesterday, 

recorded another COVID-19 

death, bringing the total 

number of deaths to 47. 

The Commissioner for 

Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, 

who disclosed this on his 

twitter 

handle, 

@ProfAkinAbayomi, said with 

3521 confirmed COVID-19 

cases and 738 patients 

discharged in Lagos, there is 

a need for Lagosians to adhere 

to the rule of physical 

distancing. 

Abayomi said: “Lagos 

recorded one more 

#COVID19 related death. 

Total number of #COVID19 

related deaths in Lagos now 

stands at 47. Observing 

physical distancing is our 

collective responsibility. Let’s 

do it for a greater Lagos.” 

I'm even very lazy to place this here, 

someone else did it! 

The goalkeeper even distanced 

himself from the ball! 

Sanitising the hand against bribery!




Nwodo, Reps Minority Caucus, Igali, Ogieh 

celebrate EK Clark at 93 

.…I'll continue to speak out against injustice, marginalization, lack of equity — Clark 

By Victor Young, Henry 

Umoru, Tordue Salem, 

Dennis Agbo, Gabriel 

Ewepu & Perez Brisibe 

ENUGU—PRESIDENT Gener 

al of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, 

Chief John Nwodo has stated 

that Nigeria's former Minister of 

Information and the leader of Pan 

Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief 

Edwin Clark is still very desirous 

and passionate of Nigeria becoming 

a greater nation, even at his 93 

years of age. 

Nwodo described the nonagenarian 

as a rare patriot and an extra 

ordinary nationalist that Nigeria 

should be proud of. 

In a birthday goodwill message 

to Clark, who turned 93 years, yesterday, 

Nwodo said, "Since the Independence 

of Nigeria nearly 60 

years ago, Chief Clark has remained 

dogged in the struggle for 

a just and equitable society. I admonish 

young leaders to learn a lot 

from the selfless quality in Chief 

Clark and eschew the self aggrandizement 

that is inherent in the leaders 

of today." 

He wished him more prosperous 

years ahead. 

Also, Minority Caucus in the 

House of Representatives has commended 

the leadership qualities, 

patriotism and relentless commitment 

of elder statesman, Chief 

Clark. 

The caucus, described Chief 

Clark, who clocked the age 93, as a 

quintessential statesman. 

Minority Leader of the House of 

Representatives, Mr Ndudi Elumelu, 

in a statement, yesterday, described 

Clark as "a leading light, a 

forthright, fearless and outspoken 

leader, who has remained steadfast 

in his commitment towards the unity, 

stability and development of our 

dear nation, Nigeria.’’ 

Elumelu congratulated Chief 

Clark on his 93rd birthday and 

prayed God to grant him more years 

in good health to continue in his 

good works for the nation and humanity 

at large. 

Similarly, former Nigerian Ambassador 

and Permanent Secretary, 

Dr Godknows Igali, celebrated 

Clark on his 93rd birthday. 

Igali said: "Today, we celebrate a 

true 'living legend,' an Iroko of our 

common aspirations and a pride of 

our great heritage as a people, Chief 

Clark, as he clocks the enviable age 

of 93 years." 

He prayed for Chief Clark, father 

of Niger Delta and Ijaw Nation, to 

live long and continue his fatherly 

role in nation building and making 

sure there is equity and fair play in 

the polity. 

Also, tradition Prime Minister of 

Tuomo kingdom in Delta and Bayelsa 

States, Chief Mike Loyibo, has 

felicitated with Chief Clark on his 

93rd birthday anniversary. 

Loyibo said: "Your patriotism and 

commitment to peace in the Niger 

Delta region is unquestionable as 

you have continued to play a vital 

role for the development of the region. 

"As an elder statesman, you have 

continued to show maturity while 

speaking good to all Nigerians, promoting 

the South-South quest for a 

new developmental vision and supporting 

the cause of the poor and 

vulnerable." 

On his part, Delta State Head of 

Service, HoS, Mr Reginald Bayoko, 

described Pa Clark as a true patriot, 

whose worthy selfless contributions 

to the evolution of the Nigerian 

State and its development, 

saying he is an embodiment of virtues. 

In a statement in Asaba, Bayoko 

said, at 93 years, Chief Clark has 

continued his significant and impactful 

contributions to Nigeria's 

growth and the peaceful co- existence 

and had championed rights 

and progress among the diverse 

groups towards overall growth and 

development of Nigeria. 

According to him, "In life, public 

and private, Pa Clark has demonstrated 

beyond the reach of words 

and human capture, undying commitment 

to the growth and development 

of the Nigerian nation, the 

strategic Niger Delta region and its 

people by regularly speaking the 

truth. Chief Clark's contributions to 

the advancement of education as a 

Commissioner for Education in the 

then Bendel State, has remained indelible 

in both Edo and Delta states." 

Also, Managing Director and 

Chief Executive Officer of Delta 

State Oil Producing Areas Development 

Commission, DESOPA- 

DEC, Bashorun Askia Ogieh described 

Chief Clark as a towering 

pillar and source of strength to many 

he has mentored. 

In a birthday message, Askia said: 

"It is with a heart full of pride and 

thankfulness to God Almighty that I 

celebrate you on your 93rd birthday. 

We give Him all the glory for giving 

you a very robust good health and 

the wisdom that have guided you 

all these very fruitful years. 

"Gogorogo, you are very deep, so 

when you call to the deep, the deep 

quivers. The very reason those of us 

COVID-19: Delta records 8 new cases 

• Bayelsa confirms 4 new cases, 1 discharged 

• UNHCR supplies 76,000 Cameroon refugees in C'River food, preventive items 

By Jimitota Onoyume, 

Festus Ahon, Ike 

Uchechukwu, Emem 

Idio & Francis Efe 

ASABA—DELTA State has re 

corded eight new cases of 

Covid-19, bringing the number 

of cases in the state to 39. 

State Commissioner for Information, 

Mr Charles Aniagwu 

confirmed the eight new cases to 

Vanguard on telephone, saying 

that active cases in the state were 

now 21, discharged 12 and deaths 

six. 

Aniagwu did not however, give 

details on the local government 

areas where the new cases were 

recorded at press time. 

Bayelsa confirms 4 new 

cases, 1 discharged 

Bayelsa State Task Force on 

COVID-19 has confirmed four 

new cases in the state, bringing 

the total number of confirmed cases 

in the state to 11. 

A statement, yesterday, by the 

Deputy Chairman of the state 

COVID-19 Task Force and Permanent 

Secretary of the Ministry 

of Health, Dr Inodu Apoku, further 

disclosed that one case has 

been discharged after meeting the 

clinical criteria for discharge and 

a negative repeat COVID -19 test 

result. 

His words: "In the past three 

days, we have recorded four new 

confirmed cases of COVID - 19 

in the state. The NCDC announced 

one of the cases on May 

22, and three just Sunday. This 

brings the total number of confirmed 

cases in the state to 11. 

"The case announced on May 

22, is a single lady in her late 30s. 

She is a businesswoman and lives 

within the Yenagoa metropolis. 

She called our emergency lines 

with complaints of fever, cough 

and malaise and requested for a 

COVID -19 test. The state Rapid 

Response team investigated her 

case and collected samples for 

testing even though she did not 

admit to any travel history. She is 

not epidemiologically linked to 

any previous confirmed case in 

the state." 

He pointed out that the state 

Task Force team has been testing 

more cases daily following the use 

of the University of Port Harcourt 

Teaching Hospital, UPTH, Port 

Harcourt Reference COVID -19 

Laboratory, adding that an average 

of 25 samples been sent to 

the facility daily. 

• EK Clark 

UNHCR supplies 76,000 

Cameroonian refugees 

in C'River food, 

preventive items 

Meanwhile, United Nations 

High Commission for Refugees, 

UNHCR, in collaboration with the 

National Commission For Refugees, 

Migrants and Internally 

Displaced Persons, yesterday, 

supplied food items and Covid- 

19 protection items to the 76,000 

Cameroonian refugees in Cross 

River. 

Head of UNHCR sub office in 

Cross River, Mr Mulegeta Zewdie 

who led a delegation to the 

refugee settlements at Adagom, 

and Ukende/Akpakpanga in Ogoja 

Local Government Area of the 

state said, the foodstuff and items 

were part of measures to mitigate 

against spread of the pandemic 

among the refugee community. 

Items supplied include bags of 

rice, noodles, garri, soaps, sanitizers, 

nose masks and payment 

of allowances to the refugees 

along with portable water supply 

for regular hand washing and 

domestic use by the population. 

"We have taken steps to quarantine 

refugees who show symptoms 

of the virus by mapping out 

an isolation centre in Adagom 

settlement, so if you see anyone 

who shows symptoms of the infection, 

report to the health centre 

immediately, let the person be 

taken to the isolation centre." 

Also speaking the National 

commissioner for Refugees, Migrants 

And Internally Displaced 

Persons,A buja represented by 

Madam Maria Edet, said the 

items were meant to promote hygiene 

and the health of the refugees 

especially at this challenging 

period of covid-19 global emergency. 

who are your political children are 

never tired of drinking from your 

very deep well of knowledge and 

political sagacity." 

Meanwhile, Chief Clark, has 

vowed not to change in his position 

of speaking out against injustice, 

marginalization and lack of equity, 

just as he thanked God Almighty 

for taking him this far and keeping 

him alive. 

Speaking with Vanguard on 

phone yesterday, the South South 

Leader, who decided to mark his 

birthday alone at his Asokoro residence, 

Abuja, with no presence of 

family members, friends and associates, 

noted said that he decided 

to do that in line with the stay at 

home order by the Federal Government 

following the outbreak of the 

Coronavirus pandemic. 

He said, "I thank the Almighty 

God for bringing me this far and up 

till today. It is God that owns life, life 

belongs to Him. He gives long life 

and shows mercy to whoever He 

wishes and nobody can query that. 

I pray for many more years. 

"I believe in one Nigeria. I am 

here today alone because of Covid-19 

and directives of the President 

that we stay in our homes underside, 

all my friends, my people 

would have been here to celebrate 

with me. I am here alone and even 

my children are not with me because 

I have to adhere to the directives 

of the Federal Government. 

"I pray that life will come back 

again, the economy will come back 

again and every other thing after 

the COVID- 19 pandemic. This is 

the time to stand by the government, 

irrespective of party affiliation and 

to pray for the country." 

Tidi takes covid 19 

campaign to Muslims 

Muslim clerics in Warri South 

Local Government Area, Delta 

State have been urged to thoroughly 

sensitize the Muslim community 

in the council to adhere to 

measures put in place by the state 

government to curtail the spread 

of the dreaded corona virus. 

Chairman of the council, Dr 

Michael Tidi made the appeal 

while congratulating Muslims on 

the Eid-El-Fitri celebration. 

He urged Muslims in the council 

to continue to promote the value 

of peace, stressing that the 

council being a cosmopolitan one, 

is home to both indigenes and non 

indigenes doing business in the 

area. 

Tidi has intensified sensitization 

effort across communities in the 

council to curtail spread of the virus. 

Olu of Warri lauds VSF 

over donation of 

palliatives to Delta 

The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli 

has lauded the Victims Support 

Funds, VSF, Covid-19 Task 

Force for donating palliatives to 

Delta people. 

Ikenwoli gave this commendation 

at his palace in Warri, when 

he took delivery of palliatives donated 

to the people of Warri by the 

non governmental organisation. 

The items include, rice, beans, 

salt, and vegetable oil, Personal 

Protective equipment, PPE, which 

include hand sanitizers, face 

masks, hazmat suits, protective 

googles and boots. 

Ogiame Ikenwoli said, "I am 

happy and delighted to see you 

here today. I am also happy that 

TY Danjuma, who is our friend 

and in-law is associated with good 

thing. I must thank you for your 

selfless sacrifice to make Nigeria 

good and better. 

"Everything has come to a standstill 

due to the coronavirus and we 

pray that people should begin to 

regain their lives and jobs. I pray 

God will reward you and bless you 

in a larger way, for this gesture," 

Ogiame Ikenwoli said. 

Ayade declares PDP counselorship candidate, 34 

others wanted over cult activities 

By Ike Uchechukwu 

CALABAR — GOVERNOR 

Ben Ayade of Cross River 

State, yesterday, came hard on 

cultists in the state by declaring 

a People's Democratic Party, PDP, 

counselorship candidate, Cyril 

Bassey and 34 others wanted 

over their alleged involvement in 

cult activities including killings. 

Vanguard learned that Ayade's 

order was on the heels of the recent 

cult killings in the state , 

particularly in Calabar metropolis. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

ward 6 PDP counselorship candidate 

for Calabar-South LGA, 

Bassey was among the 35 persons 

declared wanted. 

A letter with reference number 

:SSG/SSO/430/S.I/400 dated May 

22, 2020 signed by the Permanent 

Secretary on Security in the Governor’s 

Office, Dr Alfred Mboto, 

sighted by Vanguard stated that 

the 35 persons listed on the letter 

have been declared wanted over 

the spate of killings and violence 

in the state. 

The letter read, "The spate of 

killings and violence taking place 

in the Calabar metropolis over supremacy 

of various fraternities is 

alarming and unacceptable to the 

government and people of Cross 

River State.’’


:Vanguard 

News 


PRESENTATION—National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Coordinator in Plateau State, Caroline 

Embu (2nd left), presenting hand sanitizers to the Divisional Police Officer in Bukuru, Umar 

Giade, on behalf of Jos South NYSC members, during the presentation of COVID-19 palliatives to 

the Division in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area of the state, yesterday. With them are the 

leader of the corps, Attang Abasinsuaha (left), and other members. Photo: NAN. 

2 persons die as fire guts 1,613 IDP 

shelters in Borno 

By Ndahi Marama 

& Ibrahim 

Hassan 

M AIDUGURI— 

TWO Internally 

Displaced Persons, IDPs, 

lost their lives, following a 

mysterious fire that razed 

no fewer than 1,613 

makeshift shelters at Muna 

Garage Resettlement 

Camps at the outskirts of 

Maiduguri Metropolis of 

Borno State. 

Vanguard gathered that 

the inferno, which took 

place on Saturday, could not 

be put off because the 

makeshift camps were in 

clusters and a windstorm 

aided the spread to other 

IDPs’ shelters. 

Chairperson of Borno 

State Emergency 

Management Agency, 

SEMA, Hajiya Yabawa 

Kolo, who confirmed the 

incident yesterday, said, 

“The IDP camp fire occurred 

on the eve of Eid-el-Fitr 

destroying about 1,613 

makeshift shelters.” 

Recall that earlier in the 

year; reoccurring inferno in 

IDP camps destroyed 

camps in Nganzai, Ngala, 

Mafa and Monguno, 135 

kilometres north of 

Maiduguri, the state 

capital. 

While briefing Governor 

Babagana Zulum on the 

casualties, Kolo said the 

IDP camp was gutted by 

fire because the shelters 

were clustered, lamenting 

that windstorm also fueled 

the rapid spread of the fire 

to other shelters razing 

them to ashes. 

“Immediately I was 

informed about the camp 

fire incident, I rushed to the 

scene and mobilized 

support to put off the fire,” 

she said.. 

Speaking, Governor 

•Kajuru IDPs relocate to 

Kaduna, beg for food, water 

Zulum, said: “I sympathise 

with you (IDPs) and family 

members over the 

destruction of your 

temporary shelters. May 

the departed souls of those 

IDPs rest in peace.” 

He said the state 

government was looking at 

the possibilities of closing 

24 IDPs camps so that 

every displaced person 

currently living in camps 

could go back home. 

According to him, the 

Federal Government had 

approved the building of 

10,000 housing units across 

the state. 

The governor assured 

that “the state government 

will soon rebuild this 

destroyed IDPs camp.” 

In a related 

development, over 30 IDPs 

who survived recent bandit 

attacks on Kajuru 

COVID-19: WHO suspends 

hydroxychloroquine clinical trials 

By Chioma 

Obinna 

THE World Health 

Organization, WHO, 

has temporarily 

suspended the clinical 

trial of malaria drug, 

hydroxychloroquine in 

COVID-19 patients over 

safety concerns. 

Hydroxychloroquine is 

an anti-malarial drug 

that is used to control 

autoimmune diseases 

such as arthritis and 

lupus. 

The Director General of 

WHO, Tedros Adhanom 

Ghebreyesus, who 

disclosed this, yesterday, 

said the trials of the drug 

as a coronavirus 

treatment had started 

around two months ago. 

He said the executive 

group was implementing 

a temporary pause of the 

hydroxychloroquine arm 

within the solidarity trial, 

while the safety data was 

reviewed by the data 

safety monitoring board. 

Tedros, however, said 

the other arms of the trial 

were continuing, noting 

that the initial findings 

suggested a higher 

mortality rate among 

COVID-19 patients 

r e c e i v i n g 

hydroxychloroquine and 

chloroquine. 

“There will now be a 

temporary pause of the 

trials while the safety 

data is reviewed to 

evaluate the potential 

benefits and harms of the 

drug,’’ he said. 

Tedros also informed 

that the drugs could still 

be used safely by 

patients with autoimmune 

disease or 

malaria. 

Recall that the US Food 

and 

Drug 

Administration, FDA, 

had warned against the 

use of the drugs outside 

the hospitals due to its 

side effects on the heart. 

communities in Kaduna 

State, are seeking for 

assistance from the 

government and 

individuals. 

The survivors who were 

temporarily kept at 

Ungwan Maigero along 

New Yakowa Road in 

Chikun Local Government 

Area of Kaduna State, are 

mostly women and 

children. 

According to a clergy in 

the area, Pastor Idowu,” the 

IDPs are over 30 women 

and their children. More 

are still trooping in as a 

result of the herdsmen 

attack somewhere in 

Kajuru. Presently they are 

being camped in a 

dilapidated, makeshift 

mud house yet to be 

plastered and floored with 

emergency doors and 

windows .The building 

has no toilet facilities and 

portable water. 

“Our attention was drawn 

to the emergence of IDPs 

in our community on 

Sunday by some concerned 

individuals. 

“We took a trip there 

immediately and 

discovered over 30 women 

and their children with more 

still trooping in as a result 

of the herdsmen attack 

somewhere in Kajuru. We 

as a community are 

appealing to good spirited 

persons to come to their aid 

by contributing food Items, 

clothing, mattresses and 

whatever you are able to 

contribute for their 

immediate welfare. 

“We shall be meeting with 

the relevant security 

agencies and government 

parastatals responsible for 

Internally Displaced 

Persons in the state. All 

donations in cash and kind 

should be channeled 

through the church in the 

community.” 

NLC celebrates Falana at 62 

....Says his rights crusade transcends 

ethnic, religious, political bias 

By Victor Young 

NIGERIA 

Labour 

Congress, NLC, has 

congratulated human 

rights activist and lawyer, 

Mr Femi Falana, SAN, on 

his 62nd birthday, 

describing him as a great 

Nigerian patriot, lawyer 

and defender of workers’ 

and people’s rights. 

NLC, in a statement by its 

President, Ayuba Wabba, 

said: “Femi Falana, since 

his student days, has been 

in the fore front of the 

crusade for the 

emancipation of the 

Nigerian people. As a 

student, even before he 

became a lawyer, Femi 

Falana was in the habit of 

bailing fellow student 

union activists who got 

arrested by the State. 

“Falana has always 

broken through the dread 

of silence to speak out 

against oppressive policies 

and actions of those in the 

corridors of political power. 

His interventions as a 

human rights crusader and 

activist transcend ethnic, 

religious and political 

sentiments and have kept 

successive governments in 

Nigeria on their toes. 

“First, as a Senior 

Advocate of the Masses 

(SAM) and later as a Senior 

Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) 

with an illustrious career 

pedigree, Comrade Femi 

Falana is a lawyer’s delight 

and a thorough bred 

professional. His 

commitment to pristine 

principles establishes his 

legacy as one of Nigeria’s 

finest human rights 

crusader and defender. 

“In tandem with his 

avowed commitment to the 

liberation of the Nigerian 

State from retrogressive 

forces, Comrade Femi is a 

long-standing ally of the 

Nigeria Labour Congress. 

He has been with us in so 

many of our campaigns for 

social justice, equity and 

national renewal. To 

describe him as an abiding 

friend of Nigerian workers 

would only betray our 

struggle with the right 

adjectives. 

“At 62 years, the 

Nigeria Labour 

Congress wishes our 

erudite and eminent 

partner in the struggle 

for workers’ and 

peoples’ rights; Comrade 

Femi Falana, more 

rewarding years ahead.” 

N/Delta group felicitates with 

Buhari, Gambari on Ramadan 

P 

O R T 

HARCOURT—THE 

Joint Association of 

Niger Delta Youth 

Forum, JANDYF, has 

felicitated with President 

Muhammadu Buhari, 

his wife, Aisha, and the 

entire Muslim 

Community, on the 

occasion of another 

successful year of 

Ramadam Fast and Eidel-Fitr 

celebrations. 

A statement issued in 

Port Harcourt on behalf 

of the group by Mark 

Ikpuri and Goodluck 

Edafe, President and 

Secretary respectively, 

also congratulated 

Professor Agboola 

Ibrahim Gambari, on his 

appointment as Chief of 

Staff, CoF, to President 

Buhari. 

Kwara 

appoints 

Adewumi 

KWASU 

Chancellor 

I L O R I N — 

GOVERNOR 

Abdulrahman 

Abdulrazaq of Kwara 

State has approved the 

appointment of Dr. 

Thomas Adewumi, a 

renowned educationist, 

as the Chancellor of the 

Kwara State University, 

KWASU, Malete. 

Mr. Fafoluyi Olayinka, 

the Special Assistant to 

Kwara Governor on 

New Media, made this 

known in a statement 

yesterday. 

According to the 

statement, the 

appointment is for five 

years, single term and 

takes immediate effect. 

Praising the choice of 

Gambari, the group 

expressed confidence in 

his integrity and capacity 

to deliver on the new 

appointment, just as it 

urged him to insist on 

existing standard aimed 

at putting the country on 

the path of honour and 

national development. 

The group, which used 

the opportunity to also 

commend President 

Buhari for the signing of 

the Executive Order 10, 

granting financial 

autonomy to state 

legislature and state 

judiciary, said the President 

had again demonstrated 

his willingness to reposition 

the country for effective 

democracy and quality 

service delivery to the 

people.

14—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 

Why States should be allowed to 

harness their resources —Elekeokuri 

...lauds Okowa on development 

By Festus Ahon 

A SABA—CHAIRMAN, 

Delta State House of 

Assembly Committee on 

Public Accounts, Mr 

Anthony Elekeokuri, 

yesterday, advocated a 

constitutional review that 

would relieve the federal 

government of some of the 

items in the exclusive list. 

Elekeokuri explained 

that items in the exclusive 

list were too bulky for the 

federal government to 

effectively manage, 

maintaining that the oil and 

gas sector was not being 

harnessed the way it 

should if left for the federal 

government alone. 

While calling for greater 

support to Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa in his 

resolve to make Delta a 

Declare for APC, lawmaker urges Eze 

Igbo Lagos 

By Gabriel 

Olawale 

LAGOS—THE lawmaker 

representing Oshodi/ 

Isolo constituency II at the 

Lagos State House of 

Assembly, Hon. Jude 

Idimogu has called on the 

Eze Igbo Lagos State and 

National President of Ndi 

Eze Ndigbo in diaspora, 

Eze Nwabueze Ohazulike 

to declare his support for 

All Progressives Congress 

in Lagos State. 

Speaking during a 

courtesy visit to the 

Naira Marley set to celebrate 

Marlian Day with online concert 

By Ben Njoku 

L AGOS—NIGERIAN 

rapper, Naira Marley 

has concluded plans to 

hold a free online concert, 

on Saturday, May 30, to 

celebrate this year’s 

Marlian Day. 

Recall that the 

controversial singer, who 

turned 26 on May 9, 

recently announced on his 

Instagram page that he 

would be celebrating his 

birthday on May 30, which 

he has declared as Marlian 

Day. 

The show, sponsored by 

Gidi Fest and Marlian 

Music is produced by 

Eclipse Live. 

better place, he suggested 

that states should be 

allowed to harness their 

resources and pay tax to the 

federal government in line 

with the tenets of true 

federalism. 

Elekeokuri who 

represents Ika North East 

Constituency in the House 

in an interview with 

newsmen in Asaba, said 

no sector of the state 

economy has been 

neglected by the Okowa’s 

administration from 2015 to 

date. Saying that Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa believes in 

Deltans, the lawmaker said 

there was no local 

government area or 

constituency in the state 

that does not have more 

than two ongoing projects 

being done by the 

traditional ruler, Idimogu, 

said that Igbo people 

cannot continue to be in 

opposition in the state. 

“I have come to pay royal 

visit, request the blessing 

of the royal father, and 

market our great party, 

because our people cannot 

continue to be in 

opposition. I am happy that 

the Eze said, he would 

soon declare for the party. 

We have always lost being 

in opposition. My 

leadership would be 

transparent and anchored 

on due consultations” he 

said. 

Idimogu, who was recently 

According to the ‘soapy’ 

singer, “Marlian Day” 

celebrates our liberty and 

our resilience through the daily 

challenges we face in Nigeria and 

most recently during the COVID- 

19 crisis.” “Most especially the 

heroic frontline workers who are 

making personal sacrifices daily 

on behalf of Nigeria and 

humanity,” the singer added. 

For the Marlians president, 

social media platforms have 

become a valuable tool for artistes 

to connect as well as engage with 

their fans as witnessed during 

Canadian rapper, Tory Lanez’s 

Live social distancing tour earlier 

this month, and Andrea Bocelli’s 

Music for Hope: Live show from 

the Duomo in Milan. 

administration. 

Elekeokuri said even during 

the economic recession, the 

government navigated 

through the trying times 

without much impact on 

human capital and 

infrastructural 

development of the state. 

He attributed the success 

story to Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa's prudent 

management of the state 

resources, noting that in 

the Governor’s effort to 

create a much more better 

Delta, he has built legacies 

that would outlive this 

generations. 

Elekeokuri held that 

several finance related bills 

introduced by the 

administration had helped 

in no small measure to 

shore up the revenue of the 

state. 

made the apex leader of Ndigbo 

in Lagos, following the 

dethronement of Joe Igbokwe, 

Special Adviser to Governor 

Sanwo-Olu on drainage and 

environment, stressed that the 

time had come for Ndigbo to come 

on board the party with vision, 

maintaining that the people 

would no longer be on opposition, 

to avoid losing their due rights 

as stakeholders in the State. 

Responding to the call, 

Ohazulike who was well known 

for his strong support for Peoples 

Democratic Party, maintained 

that the time was ripe for him to 

join APC, having seen the 

exceptional leadership quality of 

the lawmaker. 

Partner OMPALAN for devt, cleric, 

community leaders urge Uzodinma 

By Emmanuel 

Elebeke 

L 

A G O S A — 

COMMUNITY 

leaders, religious leaders 

and youth leaders across 

oil-bearing Ohaji/Egbema 

and Oguta LGAs of Imo 

State have called on 

Governor Uzodinma to 

embrace and work with 

members of Imo State 

OMPALAN especially their 

leader, Bishop Udo Azogu 

in view of the critical role of 

the organization in Imo State 

to defend democracy. 

OMPALAN State 

Chairman, Chief Chibunna 

Ubawuike from Agwa clan, 

said his organization under 

the leadership of Bishop 

Udo Azogu worked for 

enthralment of democracy 

in the state and Nigeria 

during the 2019 general 

elections. 

On his part, Town Union 

Chairman, Ekugba in 

Obioma Dike autonomous 

community, Egbema, Hon. 

Aloy Anele, and former 

APC Chairman, Ohaji/ 

Egbema LGA said APC in 

the two oil-bearing LGAs 

was dead until Bishop 

Azogu - a friend of Senator 

Hope Uzodinma stepped 

in to revive the party. 

He said notable APC 

leaders from the two oilbearing 

LGAs went into 

hiding and did not even 

defend their party or principal, 

Senator Uzodinma on social 

media platforms against 

rampaging assault by the PDP. 

Rev (Canon) Eugene 

Onwubie asked the Governor to 

reciprocate OMPALAN’s 

goodwill in standing for the APC 

during the PDP rule. 

Similarly, a community leader 

from Izombe in Oguta LGA, Dr. 

Chukwuemeka Onyemaobi - 

challenged any notable APC 

leader from oil producing areas 

to produce evidence of their effort 

to protect the Party from PDP 

witch-hunt during its seven 

months rule.




COVID-19: Ebonyi records 20 new cases 

as Umahi laments insufficient test kits 

•Anambra reduces 2020 budget size by N24.3bn 

•Uneasy calm as man tests positive at NAUTH, Nnewi 

By Vincent Ujumadu, Peter 

Okutu, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, 

Ikechukwu Odu & 

Nwabueze Okonkwo 

A 

B A K A L I K I — 

GOVERNOR David 

Umahi of Ebonyi State, weekend, 

said that the state had between 

May 20 and 24, recorded additional 

20 new cases of the dreaded 

coronavirus disease. 

Umahi who stated this during a 

press conference at Exco Chambers 

of the old Government House, 

Abakaliki explained that out of the 

33 total cases in the state, six 

persons had so far been treated and 

discharged. 

The governor noted that there 

was no case recorded in any 

community yet as all the cases being 

handled were those intercepted at 

various borders across the state. 

He reiterated that between April 

26 to May 20, 2020, the state 

recorded 13 cases, but on May 22, 9 

new cases were recorded, 6 from 

Ishielu local government, two from 

Ivo and one from Izzi LGA. 

Continuing, the governor added 

that on May 23rd, additional 9 cases 

were recorded in Afikpo North 

alone, while 2 cases were recorded 

on May 24, from Ohaukwu local 

government area of the state. 

“This is very disturbing because 

if the various inter-state 

lockdown are observed in other 

states, then we will not have 

problem of these cases”, he 

maintained. 

The governor further lamented 

that the test kits being used by 

the medical team in the state were 

insufficient from NCDC, as some 

of those at the holding centers 

were being held for 14days without 

being tested because of lack of test 

kits. 

“We are suspecting that some of 

these people got infected at the 

holding centers. But if we have 

test kits, as they come, we test 

them after 14days and if they are 

negative, they go, but when you 

keep them for 21days and the thing 

develops and you don’t know who 

has it, then it’s a major problem. 

“So, the federal government has 

to do something about this. If you 

ask us to hold these people and 

isolate them from the society, we 

can’t even ask them to go back to 

their places and isolate. Some people 

are living five in one room in the 

rural areas. So, the best practice is 

what we are doing by collecting them 

at the borders as they sneak in and 

manipulate themselves into the 

state; hold them together according 

to NCDC policy and then have them 

tested.” 

Anambra reduces 2020 

budget size by N24.3bn 

Meantime, Anambra State 

government has reduced the size if 

its 2020 budget from N137.2 billion 

to N112.8 billion due to the adverse 

effect on the economy by the 

ravaging coronavirus pandemic. 

Already, the state Commissioner 

for Economic Planning and Budget, 

Mr. Mark Okoye has held an 

intense interactive session with 

stakeholders on the matter during which 

he explained that it had become 

necessary for the federal and state 

governments to review their budgets to 

reflect the current economic realities. 

From left: President of ChrisMary Foundation (CMF), Chief Chris Okoye; a beneficiary, Mr Ikechukwu 

Agu; and CMF coordinator of humanitarian intervention, Mr Ernest Nweke, during the door-todoor 

distribution of palliatives to the less privileged people to cushion effects COVID-19 pandemic’s 

lockdown in Ogui Nike community of Enugu North LGA of Enugu State yesterday (. 

The virtual budget review session 

hosted by the Commissioner had in 

attendance, officials of the state budget 

team and representatives from the civil 

society organizations, including the 

Manufacturers Association of Nigeria 

(MAN), the State Traders Association, 

among others. 

Okoye said: “The state budget for 

2020, other things being equal, will be 

revised to N112.8 billion from the earlier 

approved budget of N137.1 billion. The 

reduction in the budget size is N24.3 

billion representing an 18 percent 

decrease.” 

Further breakdown shows that the 

recurrent expenditure would decline by 

18.9 percent from the initial N58.8 billion 

to N47.7 billion, while total capital 

expenditure would reduce by 16.9 percent 

from N78.4 billion to N65.1 billion. 

The Commissioner, however, said that 

the budgets of critical sectors like health, 

water and sanitation were left untouched 

to ensure that there was a buffer to 

contain Covid –19 outbreaks and 

associated social and economic fall-out. 

Man tests positive at NAUTH, Nnewi 

Similarly, there was tension and 

palpable fear in Nnewi, the industrial 

city of Anambra State, following the news 

of an Onitsha-based business man 

brought to Nnamdi Azikiwe University 

Teaching Hospital NAUTH, Nnewi who 

tested positive for coronavirus. 

The first case of COVID-19 in Nnewi 

sparked off tension among traders in 

the industrial city who are said to be 

making it a topic of discussion in the 

markets. 

Vanguard learnt that most of the 

traders who have not been observing 

the safety directives of both Anambea 

State Government and World Health 

Organization, WHO, respectively have 

started wearing face masks and 

maintaining physical and social 

distancing to avoid contacting the virus. 

However, the Chief Medical Director 

of NAUTH, Prof. Anthony Igwegbe who 

confirmed the virus case in NAUTH 

Nnewi yesterday, said the patient was 

brought to the hospital last Wednesday 

and on suspicion, his specimen was taken 

for test which turned out to be positive 

as declared by the Nigeria Center for 

Disease Control, NCDC. 

Prof Igwegbe said the man was 

immediately taken to the treatment 

center in Onitsha for appropriate care. 

The CMD also disclosed that the 

patient has no relationship with last 

week's dead female patient that sparked 

off the rumour of the hospital having 

coronavirus case or the rumour of 

doctors, nurses and other health workers 

allegedly being quarantined. 

According to Prof. Igwegbe, “NAUTH 

recorded its first positive confirmed Covid- 

19 pandemic case on Saturday, May 23, 

2020 following the release of the result 

by NCDC. 

“The patient was quickly moved from 

our Isolation ward to the Anambra State 

treatment centre last night for care and 

treatment. 

“The patient, male, a trader resident 

in Onitsha was admitted into the 

isolation ward following proper 

presentation of specimen on May 20 for 

test. 

“All the necessary precautions were 

taken as all who attended to him used 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). 

There is no cause for alarm because the 

situation was handled professionally 

which makes it unnecessary to send our 

health workers to self isolation.” 

UNN Dean of Student Affairs lauds 

Council boss 

The Dean of Student Affairs, 

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, 

Prof. Edwin Omeje yesterday, lauded 

the chairman of Igbo-Eze South Local 

Government Area of Enugu State, Peter 

Andy Omeje, for reaching out to members 

of the Academic Staff Union of 

Universities, ASUU, UNN, branch in this 

difficult period of COVID-19 lockdown 

and non-payment of salaries. 

The Dean who spoke at UNN where 

the items were being shared, explained 

that the palliatives could not have come 

at a better time than now when the 

ASUU members of the institution have 

not received their salaries since February 

this year due to the non enrollment in 

the Integrated Payroll and Personnel 

Information System, IPPIS imposed by 

the Federal Government on the union. 

The Dean while describing the 

gesture as exemplary, said such action 

could only come from a leader with 

human feelings and fear of God, adding 

that the chairman gave 200 bags of 25KG 

rice and cartons of vegetable oil to the 

members of the union. 

When Vanguard reached the local 

government boss for his comment, he 

said, “UNN is my alma mater and I could 

not abandon the staff who taught me 

and contributed to who I am today in 

this difficult period. 

“They have not been receiving salaries 

since February this year, coupled with 

the economic hardship occasioned by the 

coronavirus pandemic. Nobody finds life 

easy now. This is just my widow’s mite to 

them to cushion the effects of the harsh 

economic realities they are facing now,” 

he said. 

Some ASUU members who spoke 

about the chairman’s magnanimity on 

them, said his leadership is visionary 

and people-oriented. 

New Umuaka Project Initiatives 

provide palliatives to indigent families 

in Akah land 

To cushion the economic effects of the 

government lock down policy, arising 

from the rapid spread of coronavirus, the 

New Umuaka Project Initiative (NUP-i) 

has concluded plans to provide palliatives 

to 10 autonomous communities of 

Umuaka, in Njaba Local Government 

Area of Imo State. 

In a statement released to the Media 

in Abuja, the group, made up of 

distinguished sons and daughters of 

Umuaka from across the globe said they 

are providing food stuffs, face-masks, 

hands gloves, hand sanitizers, buckets 

with taps, liquid detergents, etc to over 

70,000 people in 10 communities of the 

area. 

Towards this humanitarian 

engagement, the leadership of NUP-I has 

launched an awareness and sensitization 

exercise in the 10 communities to ensure 

that the villagers maintain social distancing 

and follow all preventive tips. 

According to the statement signed by 

the Global Administrator, Dr. Austin 

Agbahiwe, the interest of the NUP-I is 

to contain the spread of the disease in 

Umuaka town as well as provide succour 

to so many of its families whose economic 

means of livelihood has been ravaged 

by the protracted lockdown. 

Catholic Archdiocese, Hungarian 

collaborators splash palliatives on 

vulnerable 

Also recently, the Catholic Archdiocese 

of Onitsha literally wiped off the strains 

of hunger and bitterness on the faces of 

thousands of less privileged persons with 

the splashing of bags of 25 kg rice on 

them to cushion the harmful effects of 

the pandemic . 

The palliatives which was its third 

phase, was procured by the Metropolitan 

Archbishop of Onitsha Ecclesiastical 

Province, His Grace, Most Rev. Valerian 

Maduka Okeke and his Hungarian 

collaborators, Afreka Humanitarian 

Foundation led by Dr. Reka Fodor. 

No fewer than 3,000 indigent ones 

benefitted from the distribution exercise 

which took place at the Basilica of the 

Most Holy Trinity Square, Archdiocesan 

Secretariat, Onitsha. 

In his opening remarks to kick-start 

the exercise, the Archbishop, flanked by 

Catholic Priests, disclosed that the 

palliatives were being distributed to the 

vulnerable ones without discrimination, 

irrespective of religious denominations, 

tribe or ethnicity. 

According to him, since the wave of 

COVID-19 did not discriminate against 

any continent, country or tribe, the 

church is under obligation to take care of 

the less privileged ones in the society 

during a societal pandemic of this nature. 

“Our Lord Jesus Christ mandated us 

in the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 10 

verse 10 and in Matthew 14, verses 13- 

21 to feed the hungry as he fed 5,000 

followers, stressing that without the 

people, there would be no church, hence 

the need to seek the welfare of the fateful 

and the people “. 

Giving words of hope and consolation 

to the cheering crowd, Archbishop Okeke 

assured them that before they exhaust 

their lot, God, in His infinite mercy, would 

provide more to replenish their stock. 

“ I am going to pray for you to have 

your stock replaced because God has no 

reason to allow you go hungry at any 

point in time”. 

He expressed gratitude to the leader 

of Afreka Humanitarian Foundation, Dr. 

Reka Fodor and her team for collaborating 

with the Archdiocese and their love for 

humanity, even as he also commended 

the management of Orange Drugs for 

partnering with the Archdiocese. 

Gordons hails Okowa's appointment as 

post COVID-19 economic team boss 

U GHELLI—SENIOR 

Special Assistant to Delta 

State Governor on Peace Building 

and Conflict Resolution, 

Olorogun Samson Gordons Okomitie, 

has congratulated Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa over his appointment 

as the head of a seven-man 

committee to explore 

ways Nigeria can bounce back 

economically in the post COVID- 

19 era. 

Gordons, in a congratulatory 

message, described Governor 

Okowa's appointment by Vice 

President Yemi Osinbajo as a welldeserved 

one, noting that the 

governor will make Nigeria proud. 

"I am delighted over the appointment 

of Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa as head of Sub- 

Committee On Post Covid-19 

Economic Growth 

Governor Okowa's appointment 

will no doubt bring a perfect solution 

to our economic growth 

looking at his achievements in 

the past years as the governor of 

Delta State. 

''I am convinced that he will always 

make Nigerians proud by 

bringing on board the perfect solution 

to our economic problems. 

''We have been affected by the 

coronavirus pandemic in all our 

sectors and this committee set up 

by the Vice President is coming 

at a time we needed our economy 

to be back on track. 

''It is my prayer that despite the 

negative effect of the COVID-19 

pandemic, we will all come out 

stronger as a nation," the governor's 

aide said.


The withering of Nigerian state 

THERE was a Professor 

who taught Spring in a 

classroom all his life and one 

day came out to see what he 

was teaching out of the walls. 

Alas, he could not recognise 

it and said it must be some 

disorder in nature. 

It is only such Professor that 

would look at the Nigerian 

state today and would not 

understand that it is already 

auto-restructuring. 

The positive note is from 

Zamfara in the mode of what 

we have called for over the 

years. We have said that in a 

federal arrangement, that 

Nigeria is supposed to be, the 

federating units should be in 

charge of resources in their 

areas: mine them and pay 

agreed taxes to the Centre. 

But in upside country Nigeria, 

mineral resources are under 

the exclusive list which the 

incompetent Centre cannot 

manage and so are at the 

mercy of illegal miners and 

criminals. 

Zamfara 

goldfields 

So had Zamfara gold been 

until Governor Bello 

Matawale came and put on his 

thinking cap. He chased 

criminals out of the goldfield 

and approached Abuja that the 

state wanted to mine the gold 

and pay Abuja what is due to 

it. 

The Centre that was 

swimming in petrodollars but 

about saying bye to it now 

cannot say no to that deal. 

Any state that has minerals 

on its soil and is waiting for 

the day they rewrite the 

Constitution before thinking of 

what to do with it is the one 

Fela sang about in 'dem don 

release you now but na you 

never release yourself.' 

But auto-restructuring is also 

happening at another end that 

is also a warning to the 

Nigerian state; that it is fast 

disappearing as the 

governable space is fast 

shrinking and the authority of 

the emperor is reducing, 

thanks to coronavirus. 

By virtue of the 1999 

Constitution, the Nigerian 

President is the most powerful 

constitutional leader in the 

world. 

It was with that full authority 

that President Muhammadu 

Buhari stood during his third 

coronavirus broadcast and 

proclaimed: "I have ordered 

the lockdown of Kano for two 

•Gold field in Zamfara...now to be mined officially by the state? 

weeks." Kano people simply 

ignored him. It was only 

Governor Ganduje who saved 

the face of the President by 

The Nigerian state 

has been quiet about 

these unfortunate 

developments and 

doing nothing about 

it; and I have spent 

nights thinking 

about what could be 

the motive of those 

behind these 

movements 

making some excuse that he 

had negotiated away his 

authority with him. There have 

been some rumour of a 

presidential broadcast after 

that replaced the SGF's press 

statement. 

Then came Eid day. With all 

the Presidential order against 

crowd gatherings and the 

special announcement by the 

Sultan, it was massive prayer 

sessions all over the North. 

Muslims in Kano, Katsina, 

Borno, Zamfara and Bauchi 

states on Sunday shunned a 

directive of the Sultan of 

Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad 

Abubakar and the Presidential 

Task Force on COVID-19, 

which stated that there should 

be no large gatherings at Eid 

prayers. There would be 

harvest for this seed no doubt. 

Muslims in the South in 

enlightened self-interest 

complied with the order 

because of the better 

awareness of the pandemic. 

Nonetheless, a strong 

message is being sent to the 

Nigerian state that it is 

withering and that any 

constitution that does not 

bend will ultimately break as 

we have seen with USSR, 

Yugoslavia 

and 

Czechoslovakia. It is an 

irreversible process that the 

Nigerian state that has lost the 

authority to enforce directives 

meant for the safety of the 

people cannot stop. 

FEEDBACK 

Re: Amaechi is so cold about it 

Sir 

MANY thanks for the 

above article. I also 

wish to thank the minister for 

confessing that it was 

unemployment that drove him 

into politics. When we go into 

history, we will discover that 

leaders who made positive 

impacts on the advancement of 

their society in general 

possessed 'leadership vision'. 

This is why they were able to 

put on ground giant 

development programmes that 

transformed their nations. 

Visionless leaders have nothing 

to offer. Politicians whose vision 

Gen T. Y. Danjuma warned 

the other day of the 

surrendering of state authority 

to thugs and bandits in his 

speech about collusion. Of late 

there have been serious 

apprehensions about 

movements of such elements 

across the country under the 

guise of Almajirai. 

The Nigerian state has been 

quiet about these unfortunate 

developments and doing 

nothing about it. And I have 

spent nights thinking about 

what could be the motive of 

those behind these 

movements. 

Is anyone still thinking of a 

repeat of the onslaught against 

the Hausa kingdoms of yore 

in which under the guise of 

pure Islam they were made to 

kill their own rulers and emirs 

installed? That is far-fetched 

in the world of today. Is the 

intention to chase people away 

from their lands? To where do 

you want to chase indigenous 

people who have lived 

hundreds of years on their 

lands? Once it becomes clear 

that the state is no longer there 

to arbitrate in these matters, it 

would be fighting to the last 

man. 

This of course shall be a silly 

project to want to pursue in 

is to enrich self by looting the 

public wealth cannot help in the 

development of their villages 

what more of their nation. 

It is a pity that this is our lot 

in present day Nigeria. Matters 

are made complex by the 

politicians' divisive ethnic and 

religious kites they fly before the 

masses who are easily 

deceived. 

What makes me to shed tears 

many a time is that some of us 

who are educated and who 

claim to be 'progressives' have 

joined in the battering of 

progress and development in 

Nigeria. 

three years if you have failed 

to uproot any major town in 

five years. And why should 

this be a pre-occupation of any 

enlightened people in the 

21st century? 

There is no section of the 

country where I don't have 

enlightened minds as friends 

who can make any modern 

society function well. Such 

minds should become 

dominant and prevail towards 

the future that defines shared 

prosperity and greater 

humanity. 

The game that is on now is 

on its way out. The humptydumpty 

will wake up and 

realise it's all gone! 

On the 

Governance 

Index Platform 

IT was a three-hour of 

serious brainstorming on 

the night of May 22 on a zoom 

conference on COVID-19 

pandemic and the need to reevaluate 

Nigeria's political 

restructure. It was a loaded 

house of Nigerians across the 

globe. 

Chief Ayo Adebanjo and 

Chief John Nwodo were in the 

house as main speakers with 

Dr. Bitrus Pogu unable to come 

in. But yours truly, Ms Ankio 

Briggs and Dr. Olusegun 

Mimiko were drafted in. 

It was a night of serious 

exchanges with a house of 

concerned Nigerians across 

the world during which the 

total failure of the present 

structure of Nigeria to meet the 

challenges of the pandemic 

was highlighted. 

There was also a clear loss 

of faith in the present 

arrangement and 

apprehension about the 

capacity for renewal. 

The resistance to change by 

some section of the country 

was seen as a major hindrance 

to the restructuring we push 

by loud voices who advocated 

the dismantling of the present 

Nigeria. 

But the voices of 

restructuring insisted on it, 

saying that what preceded "to 

your tenths o Israel" was 

negotiation for restructuring. 

It was added that negotiated 

settlement was the cheapest 

option anyway. Tochukwu 

Ezeoke and Dan Elombah did 

a great job coordinating the 

conference. 

With many of the new breed 

politicians who say one thing 

today and do another thing 

tomorrow what hope do we 

possess to have the likes of Pa 

Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and 

Tafawa Balewa? I have my 

doubt on this. Most of the youth 

we call leaders of tomorrow are 

watching. 

Since nobody is giving them 

good examples on leadership 

vision and development how 

can they lead tomorrow? How 

can they help to save Nigeria 

so that Nigeria will not fail? 

Your guess is as good as mine. 

We must, however, keep hope 

alive. 

Tony O. Ekwe. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY MAY 26, 2020 

IT is a sad irony that our security 

agents mobilised to man our 

checkpoints and state boundaries have 

become perhaps the biggest facilitators 

of community and nationwide spread 

of the coronavirus pandemic in 

Nigeria. 

In addition to the policy of social 

distancing between individuals, 

governments also sought to establish 

barriers between the states and 

communities by using security agencies 

such as the Police, Road Safety Corps, 

Civil Defence, state task forces, among 

others. 

The social distancing protocol has 

failed for the most part due to 

indiscipline and hunger among the 

populace. More importantly, our 

security agents are largely unable to 

control the tide of inter-communal and 

interstate infiltrations by recalcitrant 

citizens. 

People have continued to travel 

despite the directive that all Nigerians 

should stay wherever they are until the 

Security agents and COVID-19 

infection mess 

pandemic is contained. Some food 

suppliers hide human cargoes in their 

trucks to smuggle them through the 

security barriers. It was also during this 

period that we saw hundreds of 

truckloads of mostly young men being 

shipped to the Southern states from the 

North. 

Our security agents not only allowed 

them to pass but some highly-connected 

individuals capitalised on their 

influence to force these people whose 

agenda and motives remain unknown 

through the security checkpoints for 

dumping in towns and villages 

throughout the South in clear violation 

of the directives of President 

Muhammadu Buhari and the 

Governors. 

The inability of our security agents to 

carry out their duties effectively has 

manifested in the geometrical spread 

of the COVID-19 infections. While 

there were 131 confirmed cases in 

Nigeria when Buhari made his first 

national broadcast on the pandemic on 

March 30, 2020, it more than doubled 

two weeks later to 323 on April 13, 2020. 

As the President made ready to 

address the nation again on Monday, 

May 18, 2020 the figure had literally 

gone through the roof at 5,959. The 

repatriation of almajirai children in the 

North and the illegal shipments of 

people to the South have helped to 

shoot up the infection rate, especially 

in the South East which hitherto had 

consistently recorded low rates. 

Corruption and incompetence are not 

the only factors responsible for the 

failure of security agencies in stemming 

the movement of people during the 

lockdowns. We are yet to know those 

behind the strange mass movements of 

people from the North to the South, 

and what their objectives might be. 

We call on the Federal Government 

to probe these movements, unravel 

those behind them and their motives 

and why the security agents ignored 

government directives and let them 

through. 

Our fear is that beyond helping to 

“redistribute” the COVID-19 

prevalence in Nigeria, these human 

movements could spell doom for the 

security of lives and property. 

HE was called to bar on February 7, 

1956 and enrolled on March 12, 

1956. He became a SAN, Senior Advocate 

of Nigeria, in 1978 and his number is eight. 

On the Nigeria’s legal practitioner’s list, he 

is lawyer number 509. I met Chief Richard 

Osuolale Abimbola Akinjide (November 4, 

1931-April 21, 2020) in 1973 after his tenure 

as President of Nigeria Bar Association was 

over. The then Governor of Western State, 

Brigadier Christopher Oluwole Rotimi (85) 

appointed him Commissioner along with 

Alhaji Lateef Adegbite (March 20, 1933- 

Septembe 28, 2012), Chief Mrs. Folake 

Solanke (88) (SAN), Professor Bolanle Alake 

Awe (87), Chief Ilemobayo Akinnola (1934- 

2013), Chief Ladosu Ladapo, Chief Gab 

Fagbure and others. He declined the 

appointment. 

I was then in Nigerian Tribune in the old 

Ade-Oyo hospital road, Ibadan, along with 

Folu Olamiti, Olu Osungbohun, Biodun 

Laniyohun, Valentine Ahams, Mufu 

Akinloye, Kayode Osifeso, Dan Ikuniaye, 

Alfred Ilenre, Bode Oyewole while our News 

Editor was Fola Oredoyin. Our Editor was 

Ikhan Yakubu, our Managing Editor was 

Kayode Bakare and our Managing Director 

was Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande (90). Oga 

Jakande, as we use to call him then, 

instructed myself and Mr. Biodun Laniyonu 

to go to Chief Akinijide’s chambers at Dugbe, 

Ibadan, to ask him why he rejected the 

appointment. His junior partner at the 

chamber then was a handsome Prince, Dr. 

Ahmed Kusamotu (March 23, 1941- July 8, 

2005) from Ikirun in the present Osun State. 

Chief Akinjide told us that he rejected the 

appointment because he could not serve 

under a military regime. That was the 

beginning of my friendship with Chief 

Akinjide. In 1977, he defeated Alhaji Busari 

Adelakun alias Eruobodo for the Lagelu/ 

Oluyole/Akinyele Constituency election into 

the Constituent Assembly. He had earlier 

served in the Constitution Drafting 

OPINION 

Richard Akinjide in his 

own words 

Committee that produced the draft of the 

constitution which was debated at the 

Constituent Assembly. However it was at the 

Constituent Assembly of 1976-1978 that my 

friendship with Chief Akinjide got fully 

cemented. We saw each other regularly 

during the deliberations in the Constituent 

Assembly. In my recollection, the best 

contribution Chief Akinjide ever made in the 

democratic process was the speech he 

delivered at the Constituent Assembly on 

November 16, 1977. Regrettably, I could not 

Chief Akinjide told us that he 

rejected the appointment 

because he could not serve 

under a military regime 

see him in the last three years at his Idishin 

residence in Ibadan but I sent my regards 

through our common friend, Chief Lekan 

Alabi, The Agba Akin of Ibadanland. The 

only point of disagreement I had with him 

was the issue of the Presidential System of 

Government which he endorsed but which I 

disagreed with. 

To me that speech still stands as his legacy 

in the defence of the Presidential System of 

Government. For the benefit of readers, I 

hereby present the speech. “My name is 

Richard Osuolale Abimbola 

Akinjide. I represent Lagelu/ 

Oluyole/Akinyele constituency. 

I had the privilege of serving in 

the Constitution Drafting 

Committee, CDC, but I now rise 

to speak as an elected member 

and not as a member of the 

CDC. 

“May I, before I go on, pay 

tribute to Chief Rotimi 

Williams, the Chairman of 

CDC, who was an excellent 

leader at the CDC. We had very 

difficult times. Mr Chairman, 

may I also, by way of general comment, pay 

tribute to our past leaders. When I say leaders 

I say leaders in inverted comas because these 

include not only politicians but also workers, 

farmers, leaders of religion, who brought us 

Independence. I think they did excellent job. 

It is not enough for us to condemn them. We 

must assess them in the light of the 

circumstances under which they worked. 

They were the first generation of Nigerians 

to taste true political power. They had little 

experience. They might have made 

mistakes, but I am wondering whether, if we 

were in their shoes, we would not have made 

worst mistakes. 

“Now, Mr. Chairman, some gentlemen 

had painted a rather gloomy picture of this 

country. May I beg to differ. I believe that 

this country, Nigeria is a great country with 

great people, with great resource, and with 

great future. We are only passing through a 

necessary phase in our history. Our mistake 

is that we tend to compare ourselves with 

developed countries of the world. I do not 

think we should. If you look at the history of 

the developed countries of the world, you 

will find that they passed through exactly 

the phase through which we are now 

passing. I would take one as an example, 

that is Great Britain which was our former 

colonial power. Britain, of course, had the 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Norman Conquest and it became necessary 

to enact the Magna Carta. 

“You do not enact a law for nothing. There 

were reasons for enacting it - because of the 

state of their society. And, of course, they 

had their military coup, too. Cromwell had 

to seize power. Charles the First was 

beheaded in 1649. The Parliament was sent 

packing and Cromwell governed till 1660 

when they had their Restoration. Of course, 

it became necessary to enact the Bill of 

Rights in 1689. Again, the fact that that Bill 

was enacted shows that it was necessary, and 

Britain did not even settle down until 1832 

when the Reform Act was passed through a 

very stormy Debate in the House of 

Commons and with a majority of only one 

vote. If Britain could pass through all those 

phases - revolutions, coups, Bills of Right, 

Magna Carta, who are we to say we can 

jump that phase and then settle down 

immediately. This is why I think it I wrong 

to predict that we are doomed. I do not think 

we are doomed. 

“Well Mr. Chairman, we have presented 

to you the CDC a Draft Constitution, but 

may I enter a caveat. It is very important to 

present a very good constitution, but there 

are other things more important and that is 

the people of this country, particularly the 

politicians who will work the constitution. 

No matter what constitution you put down, 

no matter what form of government you put 

down in the constitution, and no amount of 

pages or volumes, if people do not want it to 

work, it will not work. But if you write your 

constitution in 10 pages, in five pages or, 

like Britain, virtually unwritten or partly 

written, if you want it to work, it will work. 

So, at the end the day, it is not what we 

approve here that really matters (it matters 

I concede) but we should warn ourselves that 

the people of this country, particularly the 

politicians should be determined to make it 

work.” 

To be continued next week







GENERAL MEETING: From left Tony Okpanachi, MD, CEO, Dr. Shehu Yahaya, Chairman, DBN Board 

of Directors, Uche Orji, Non-Executive Director and Shofola Osho, Company Secretary during the 

DBN's 3rd Annual General Meeting in Abuja. 

COVID-19: INEC to pilot e-voting in 2021, 

seeks cancellation of bye-elections 

•It's good but dangerous, says Ahamba 

It creates Vagabonds in power -Attah 

•We are studying the situation -APC 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA – IN the wake 

of lifestyle changes 

occasioned by the COVID- 

19 Pandemic, the Independent 

National Electoral 

Commission, INEC, has 

said it would be using more 

technological tools in discharging 

its mandate, disclosing 

of its resolve to pioneer 

electronic voting in 

the country by 2021. 

This was as the electoral 

umpire decried the rising 

cost of elections in the 

country, saying it would be 

liaising with the National 

Assembly to see how political 

parties can nominate 

replacements for dead representatives 

in line with a 

Supreme Court judgment 

that votes belong to the 

parties and not individuals. 

INEC disclosed this in a 

17-page document released 

Monday in Abuja 

which was tagged: "Policy 

on Conducting Elections in 

the Context of the Covid- 

19 Pandemic", and signed 

by its Chairman, Professor 

Mahmood Yakubu. 

The commission also added 

that voters without face 

masks would be disallowed 

from voting in the forthcoming 

governorship elections 

in Edo and Ondo states. 

While the ruling All Progressives 

Congress, APC, 

said it would study the policy 

to come up with an appropriate 

reaction, a Senior 

Advocate of Nigeria 

SAN, Chief Mike Ahamba, 

said while the policy on 

bye-elections could reduce 

costs, it could however assume 

a dangerous dimension 

if not well handled. 

Former Governor of Akwa 

Ibom State, Obong Victor 

Attah, however, kicked 

against it, saying the electorate 

vote for individuals 

and not just parties, adding 

that the development 

could create vagabonds in 

power. 

Cost of 

bye-elections 

INEC said its records 

showed that it is only in 10 

percent of all bye-elections 

conducted since 2015 that 

the party which originally 

won the election went 

ahead to lose, saying it 

would engage federal lawmakers 

and other stakeholders 

to explore ways of 

defraying the costs associated 

with bye-elections. 

"As already announced by 

the Commission, the dates 

for the governorship elections 

in Edo and Ondo 

states remain 19th September 

2020 and 10th October 

2020 respectively. 

Dates for the four postponed 

bye-elections 

in Bayelsa, Imo and Plateau 

states, as well as other 

bye-elections that became 

due during the COV- 

ID-19 pandemic will be 

announced by the Commission 

following its established 

procedures. 

"The Commission will 

engage with the legislature 

and other stakeholders to 

explore ways of responding 

to the rising cost of 

conducting frequent byeelections, 

especially in consideration 

of the Supreme 

Court position that votes 

belong primarily to political 

parties, as well as the 

Commission’s records, 

which show that only in 

10% of all bye-elections 

since 2015 did the party that 

won originally lose the election. 

"The Commission will 

engage relevant authorities, 

including the legislature, 

to designate election 

as an essential service to 

enable the Commission 

function effectively in times 

of national emergency", 

INEC said in the policy. 

e-Voting in 2021 

The Commission stated 

that it would suspend the 

Continuous Voter Registration 

CVR due to the Covid-19 

pandemic while by 

2021, it would pilot the use 

of electronic voting in the 

country. 

The policy states that 

INEC shall; "Suspend the 

Continuous Voter Registration 

CVR for the time being 

to prevent the health 

risks associated with it in 

the context of COVID-19. 

Continue to make available 

its electronic channels for 

voters to check their registration 

status. 

"Pilot the use of Electronic 

Voting Machines at the 

earliest possible time (not 

Edo and Ondo), but work 

towards the full introduction 

of electronic voting in 

major elections starting 

from 2021". 

We are studying 

the situation — APC 

When contacted, National 

Publicity Secretary of the 

APC, Mallam Lanre Issa- 

Onilu said the party would 

take time to study the new 

policy once it is in the public 

domain before coming 

By Jimoh Babatunde 

LAGOS — The call by the 

United States government 

for a fresh and in-depth 

investigation into the allegations 

against the President of 

African Development Bank, 

Mr Akinwumi Adesina, after 

he was cleared of all allegations 

of impropriety and fraud 

by the ethics committee recently, 

is seen as a plan to destabilise 

the bank. 

On May 5, the ethics committee 

of the continental 

bank, headed by Takuji Yano, 

said in its report that Mr Adesina 

was not guilty on all 

counts. Mr Yano is a Japanese 

executive director charged 

with the responsibility of investigating 

allegations by 

some concerned employees 

against the official. 

The committee described 

the allegations that he (Mr 

Adesina) violated the code of 

conduct of the institution as 

“spurious and unfounded”. 

But the U.S. government, in 

a letter dated May 22, 2020, 

to Ms Kaba, through the Secretary, 

Department of Treasury 

in Washington, D.C., 

faulted the decision of the 

committee to exonerate Adesina 

of all allegations, saying 

it was not yet time to make 

such a declaration. 

Some of the African countries 

are saying there was no 

need for the probe except the 

US was saying Adesina was 

guilty of the allegations. 

But a source close to the Dr 

Adesina said last night that he 

remained calm, resolute and 

would not be distracted as all 

up with a response. 

"I will not respond immediately. 

I do not have to 

jump into that. We will 

study it very well and then 

respond", he said. 

It's good but dangerous 

— Ahamba 

Chief Ahamba said the 

policy is good but should 

not be implemented without 

wide consultations. According 

to him, in the United 

States of America, when 

a lawmaker dies, it is the 

governor of the state who 

would have the responsibility 

of nominating a replacement. 

FG evacuates 69 Nigerians 

stranded In Lebanon 

By Lawani Mikairu & 

Victoria Ojeme 

ABUJA — The federal 

government has 

evacuated 69 Nigerians 

who were stranded in Lebanon. 

Those evacuated include 

50 trafficked girls and 

19 others who were stranded 

in the Middle Eastern 

country as a result of closure 

of airports across the 

world due to COVID-19. 

This came as Ethiopian Airlines 

yesterday denied having 

any existing contract to 

evacuate stranded Nigerians 

from Canada. 

According to the airline, 

it is the responsibility of the 

Nigerian government and 

its agencies to choose partner 

airlines for such evacuation 

The Minister of Foreign 

Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, 

who announced evacuation 

of 69 Nigerians from Lebanon 

via his official Twitter 

handle, said they were 

evacuated with the support 

of the Lebanese government 

and the Lebanese 

community in Nigeria. 

“With the financial and logistic 

support of the Lebanese 

government and Lebanese 

community in Nigeria, 50 

trafficked Nigerian girls and 

19 stranded Nigerians were 

successfully evacuated from 

Lebanon and arrived in Nigeria 

today (Sunday). 

“Profound gratitude to Ambassador 

Houssam Diad, 

55 African Heads of State and 

Governments as well as critical 

non-regional members of 

the Bank have applauded the 

achievements of the Bank in 

the last five years. The source 

said the ultimate objective of 

the call by the US was clearly 

to destabilize the African Development 

Bank and “this is 

a typical colonial agenda.’’ 

“They have watched with 

disdain, the steady rise of the 

Bank in global reckoning and 

they want to systematically 

assault the Bank’s AAA rating. 

“The AfDB has been declared 

to be at par with the 

World Bank and on some parameters 

to even exceed the 

World Bank by independent 

rating agencies. So, the Americans 

have set out to create a 

‘phoney crisis’, based on petty, 

roundly unsubstantiated 

and in some cases ridiculously 

idiotic allegations. 

“One of such is the fact that 

the Bank’s Director of Agriculture 

is the brother-in-law 

to the Bank’s President. 

‘’How, with all their sophisticated 

intelligence gathering, 

they cannot determine that Dr. 

Bunmi Oloruntoba is the 

brother-in-law of the President 

who resides in the USA, and 

not the wife of Dr. Martin Fregene. 

"It is, therefore, tantamount 

to gross negligence and demonstrates 

the level of desperation 

and near thuggery for a 

whole country’s Treasury Secretary 

to write supporting 

such silly allegations, let alone 

that it is the American Treasury 

Secretary.’’ He added that 

the plan was to decimate Af- 

*Akinwunmi Adesina 

rican development bank triangle. 

Undermine AAA who 

is US trained and globally 

respected and who has made 

the Bank a world class bank, 

which they see as competition 

with the World Bank and the 

US agenda to control Africa; 

destroy through fake news the 

Bank by lies and innuendoes 

and then take full control. The 

question is whether African 

leaders will let them! 

“African leaders are not stupid, 

they can see the game 

being played. The AfDB is 

having the best run in its history.” 

Yesterday, the Minister 

of Finance, Economy and 

Planning, Equatorial Guinea, 

Cesar Mba Abogo, threw his 

weight behind Adesina. 

He said: “We are certainly 

satisfied with the Bank’s performance 

and the visionary 

leadership of its President, Dr 

Akinwumi Adesina. 

“I would like to commend 

the credible and exhaustive 

work of the Bank’s Board-constituted 

Ethics Committee, 

chaired by the Takuji Yano. 

The committee’s report refer- 

Lebanese Ambassador in Nigeria 

and Ambassador Goni 

Zannabura, Nigerian Ambassador 

in Lebanon,” Onyeama 

tweeted. 

The Federal Government, 

as part of its efforts to evacuate 

Nigerians stranded 

abroad due to the COVID-19 

pandemic, evacuated no fewer 

than 300 Nigerians from 

the UK a few weeks ago. 

A total of 160 Nigerians 

were also evacuated from the 

United States; 256 others 

from Dubai, and 292 other 

from Saudi Arabia. 

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines 

has denied having any 

existing contract to evacuate 

stranded Nigerians from 

Canada, saying it was the responsibility 

of the Nigerian 

government and its agencies 

to choose partner airlines for 

such evacuation 

The airlines also said it evacuated 

187 Canadians and 

resident permit holders from 

Nigeria on May 21 from the 

Muritala Muhammed International 

Airport, Lagos on 

B787 to Addis Ababa for onward 

transfer to Canada. 

A statement released yesterday 

and endorsed by General 

Manager Ethiopian Airlines 

in Nigeria, Firihewot Mekonnen, 

said the airlines had 

been operating regular flights 

between Addis Ababa and 

Toronto Canada for years. 

Mekonnen also said more 

Canadians would be evacuated 

from Nigeria as arrangements 

were ongoing. 

US call for fresh probe of Adesina, plot to 

destabilise AfDB, says Bank's Ethics C'ttee 

encing sixteen allegations by 

whistle-blowers against Dr 

Adesina and other executives 

of the Bank, unequivocally 

stated that “these allegations 

are not valid and should be 

rejected.” Concerning the 

whistle-blower’s rejection of 

the conclusions of the Ethics 

Committee, ‘’we express our 

deep concern about how this 

not only undermines and affects 

Dr Adesina’s credibility 

but is also contributing to the 

erosion of the bank’s credibility, 

especially the strength of 

its internal institutions. 

‘’We believe that this is just 

the opposite of what humanity 

needs at this time when we 

are facing an unprecedented 

crisis. We, therefore, echo the 

call by the chair of the Board 

of Governors, Honourable 

Niale Kaba, for “restoring 

peace and serenity within the 

bank. ‘’In conclusion, and as 

a testimony of my support for 

Dr Adesina and all the Bank 

executives who are personally 

and adversely affected by 

this situation and unfounded 

allegations, a few verses 

penned by John Donne (and 

popularized by Hemingway) 

come to mind. 

“No man is an island, entire 

of itself; every man is a 

piece of the continent, a part 

of the main. If a clod is washed 

away by the sea, Europe is the 

less, as well as if a promontory 

were, as well as if a manor 

of thy friends or thine own 

were: Any man’s death diminishes 

me, because I am involved 

in mankind, and, 

therefore, never send to know 

for whom the bells tolls; it tolls 

for thee.”


24 — Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, , 2020 

VOL. 1: NO. 236 TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 

Why FG, PANDEF talks 

collapsed — High Chief 

Mike Loyibo 

*My worries about NDDC, PAP 

*What life has taught me at 51 

By Emma Amaize & Perez Brisibe 

ONE of the budding Niger-Delta leaders and 

traditional prime minister of Tuomo 

Kingdom in Delta State, High Chief (Dr) Mike 

Loyibo, has said that the talks between the 

Federal Government and Pan-Niger Delta Forum, 

PANDEF, packed up because of hypocrisy, 

egotism and distrust. 

Loyibo, a philanthropist, who clocks 51, today, told 

NDV in an interview, that it was, however, obvious that 

government did not want dialogue and does not even 

need dialogue to develop the region, as President 

Muhammadu Buhari was already doing better than his 

predecessor from the region, former President Goodluck 

Jonathan, who did practically nothing for six years. 

Excerpt 

One can say you are a rebel 

with a cause in Niger Delta, 

what propels you? 

The term rebel is derogatory 

and misleading. I am an 

advocate of social justice and 

environmental justice, a peace 

builder and grass root 

mobiliser for the sustainable 

peace and development of the 

Niger Delta Nigeria and 

humanity. I was propelled to 

join the Niger Delta struggle 

for equity, justice and 

development to address and 

correct the age long sufferings 

of my people in the mist of 

plenty and in the hands of 

successive administrationscivilian 

and military since 

precolonial times 

As for what propels me, 

“humanity”, humanity is what 

propels me to do what I do, the 

love for my people, Niger 

Deltans, its lands and region, 

the preservation of our culture, 

land and people. Whenever I 

see people from the oil-rich 

Niger Delta suffer of starvation, 

not able to farm or fish because 

of oil spillages, a ripple effect 

of an activity carried out by the 

government and its accomplice, 

the so- called oil companies to 

enrich themselves, while the 

owners of such lands and 

waters die of poverty, hunger 

and environmental pollution, it 

breaks my heart. 

So what propels me is the 

fight for human rights, the right 

for every individual to live and 

have their children in a healthy 

environment, the right for 

equal share and development 

of our communities. These 

things and more are my 

propelling force. 

But Niger Delta has been 

shortchanged by its own 

sons appointed to develop 

it, how do you feel about 

this? 

No doubt, the 

underdevelopment in the Niger 

Delta region could 

be attributed to both 

internal and external 

factors. The issue of 

mismanagement of 

allocations and other 

resources by corrupt 

leadership in the 

region is of grave 

concern. 

However we 

believe that if 

credible, competent 

and committed sons 

of the struggle are 

appointed into key 

positions on the 

various agencies of 

development in the 

region things will change for 

better. 

Niger Delta states are 

supposed to be the most 

developed states in Nigeria 

seeing that over 80 per cent of 

the nation’s 

wealth comes 

from that 

region, but 

today reverse is 

the case as most 

of their leaders 

saddled with 

t h e 

responsibility of 

its development 

have used the 

region’s wealth 

to enrich 

themselves and 

left the people 

and region in 

abject poverty. I 

feel more can be 

done in 

selecting the 

right, honest 

and visionary 

people to lead 

the Niger Delta. 

Most of the 

l e a d e r s 

appointed there 

are not based on 

character quality or track 

records of integrity and honesty, 

but appointed on the basis of 

High Chief 

Mike Loyibo 

Niger Delta 

states are 

supposed to 

be the most 

developed 

states in 

Nigeria 

seeing that 

over 80 per 

cent of the 

nation’s 

wealth comes 

from that 

region, but 

today reverse 

is the case 

political settlements. 

That is why we see this high 

level of misconduct and 

impunity in the region. The 

Niger Delta people deserve a 

better leadership, who will 

champion the 

course of 

infrastructural 

development, 

educational 

development 

and bring the 

region to its 

rightful 

position in our 

nation and 

the world at 

large. This 

idea of seeing 

people from 

the region as 

militants and 

rebels must 

stop, they are 

s i m p l y 

freedom 

fighters and 

should be 

seen as such 

and given 

what is 

rightfully 

theirs, in 

terms of the 

development of the region and 

uplifting the life style of people 

in the region. 

I also think that as Niger 

Deltans most particularly the 

youths, need to ask some 

serious questions and hold our 

leaders responsible and not the 

Federal government. The 

federal government has done a 

lot to ensure the progressive 

development of the Niger delta 

region but this has not been seen 

evident in our communities 

today. This is why we must hold 

our immediate Niger Delta 

leaders responsible for the 

backwardness of this region and 

not the Federal Government. If 

our leaders can be accountable, 

trustworthy and transparent 

most of this agitations we see 

today would have been long 

gone. 

As far as we know, there 

is no 

longer any 

dialogue 

between 

t h e 

Federal 

Government 

and Pan- 

N i g e r 

D e l t a 

Forum, 

PANDEF, 

what went 

wrong and 

what can 

be done? 

W h a t 

really went 

wrong? 

Hypocrisy 

a n d 

egotism, 

t h e 

government 

of the day 

and its 

political 

a l l i e s 

choose to be 

hypocritical 

and allowed 

nepotism to 

be the order 

of the day. 

Whatever 

may have 

gone wrong 

must not 

necessarily 

be the fault 

of Mr. 

President 

because I 

know him to be a man of integrity 

and a man who keeps to his 

words. He is someone, who truly 

wants the best of this country, 

but some persons have hijacked 

the process to wrecking havocs 

and disunity in the nation. 

In pursuit of the ceasefire 

accord, former Federal 

Commissioner for Information 

and Chairman, Board of Trustees 

of PANDEF, Senator Edwin 

Clark, led royal fathers and 

opinion leaders to present a 16- 

point agenda to President 

Muhammadu Buhari, 

November 1, 2016. 

On submission of this, the 

President said he would be 

using the 16-point agenda as a 

working document, but till date 

only less than one of the 16-point 

agenda has been 

accomplished. The Federal 

Government said they were 

setting up Strategic Work 

Implementation Plan (SWIP), 

PANDEF was not consulted or 

even regarded as a relevant 

organization in the 

implementation plan and that 

was the end. 

We do not know what 

happened because we told the 

federal government very clearly 

that the first thing is to have a 

dialogue, which we started with, 

only for it to become a 

monologue and today it is ‘nologue’ 

at all. There is also a 

problem of trust, where the 

people responsible are not 

comfortable working with 

people of the opposition parties. 

Then I also think the 

government does not need a 

dialogue to do what is needful. 

They, themselves have already 

set up several agencies with 

robust plans and programs for 

the Niger Delta, so the 

federal government just needs 

to go into action and bring their 

plans and programs for the 

region to fruition. 

You were among the 

people that brokered the 

present ceasefire in Niger 

Delta militants with 

militants. What was your 

experience traversing the 

creeks? 

This was the most challenging 

task of my life, where I put my 

life at risk of death, including 

my immediate family. The 

process was quite challenging 

as I have to leave the comfort of 

my home to spend weeks in the 

creeks to negotiate with this 

freedom fighters. I was always 

on the road traveling from one 

Niger Delta state to another 

meeting with the aggrieved 

youth. All these we did with our 

personal funds and resources 

just to ensure the peace, 

prosperity and progress of our 

region. This task was made 

more difficult because of lack of 

trust and bad experiences of the 

freedom fighters. 

Today you may agree with 

them and tomorrow that 

negotiation is blown away by 

rumors or false information. 

Some others just do not want to 

trust the negotiation processes 

because of previous 

experiences from our so- called 

leaders, who betrayed their 

trust. People use these same 

negotiations to make money for 

themselves so we were mistaken 

for these characters that do not 

have integrity. Boko Haram 

started and made successes 

because the leadership were 

not united to fight back. I do not 

want another Boko Haram in 

the Niger Delta. These are my 

convictions and why I do what 

I do. 

Can you appraise the 

Minister of Niger Delta, 

Godswill Akpabio and his style, 

and let me know if he is man 

with a mission as he claims or 

that people largely 

misunderstand him. 

The Minister of Niger Delta, 

Godswill Akpabio is a man of 

result, who is known for 

transformation and 

development. At his 

announcement Minister of 

Niger Delta, everyone was 

happy with the hope that he 

will replicate what he did in 

Akwa- Ibom in Niger Delta. 

However, I feel that he met a 

lot of challenges in the office 

and as we all know that change 

is a gradual process. 

Notwithstanding he needs to 

come out strong to do the things 

he has promised. 

The minister is my good friend 

even though I may not agree 

with everything he is doing, but 

this is not the platform to 

discuss all that, I will rather go 

to him and give him a friendly 

counsel. My personal advice to 

him is to hasten up the ongoing 

NSA Forensic Audit and come 

up quickly with a proper, more 

coordinated and trustworthy 

board. Some people think the 

Continues on page 25

Why FG, PANDEF talks collapsed 

Continued from Page 

minister is using this interim 

committee for his personal 

gain, but I do not think so. 

Going closely, I found out that 

he has very good intentions. 

These intentions can only be 

achieved with the cooperation 

of the people and leaders of the 

Niger Delta region. 

Do you still believe that 

President Buhari has a 

feasible agenda for Niger 

Delta? 

First of all, I must commend 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari, for his unwavering 

determination towards 

deepening peace and 

development of the Niger Delta 

region. I know that President 

Buhari still has a feasible plan 

for the Niger Delta by looking 

at the things he has done and 

the things he is still doing for 

the Niger Delta region 

The citizens have benefited 

from the leadership of the 

current president in several 

ways. As we all know, the Niger 

Delta region produced a 

president, who ruled for six 

years and yet with no feasible 

impact on the Niger Delta 

region. Meanwhile President 

Buhari has made tremendous 

progress in building and 

developing the Niger Delta 

region. These include 

construction of the East- West 

Road and several other linking 

roads in the Niger -Delta. He 

has also shown his commitment 

to the growth of the region by 

increasing the budget 

allocation to the “Presidential 

Amnesty Program”. 

As we all know, one of the 

hallmarks of Mr President is 

security of lives, properties and 

food. This was one of his 

driving forces of becoming the 

nation’s president. Now that he 

is our president, he has made 

remarkable progress in fighting 

insecurity. The Niger Delta 

region is not left out in this. Mr 

President has demonstrated 

times without number that the 

security of the Niger Delta 

Region is utmost in his heart. 

We will definitely ask 

you your concerns about 

NDDC and Presidential 

Amnesty Programme, so 

what are your worries? 

This is a program that we 

took a lot of pains to advice the 

government to approve and it 

was approved by Late President 

Umaru Musa Yaradua. Today, 

the people appointed to 

manage the program do not 

know anything about it. The last 

two appointees to coordinate 

the program were faulty and 

were done based on selfish 

gains and thereby could not 

yield a positive return. 

The ongoing review of the 

Presidential Amnesty 

Programme (PAP) by the 

federal government is to 

institutionalize and refocus the 

programme for the interest of 

its beneficiaries. 

President Buhari is 

determined to deliver the gains 

of the programme through a 

transparent process by 

High Chief Mike Loyibo 

ensuring all allocated resources 

are judiciously utilized. 

The success of the programme 

lies on the transformation 

of ex-agitators from 

militancy to actualizing their 

aspirations, engaging in businesses 

and living sustainable 

livelihood. 

This is why the program 

focuses on education, vocational 

training and empowerment, all 

designed to address issues of 

development in the Niger Delta. 

However, my concern is that 

the reintegration component of 

BAYELSA… 

THE JERUSALEM OF IJAW 

NATION 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

F 

A M G B E — 

SOMETIME in 

April, a violent storm swept 

through Yenagoa, Bayelsa 

State capital, leaving on its 

trail destruction of properties 

worth millions of naira. 

Sadly, among those 

devastated by the ravaging 

storm was an elderly woman, 

Madam Lovina Ogbogidi, 

aged 91, whose home was 

blown apart by the 

windstorm. 

While the nonagenarian 

was scurrying through the 

rubble that once served as her 

home to salvage what she 

could of her valuables , news 

got to Hon Oboku Oforji, the 

member representing 

Yenagoa constituency I in the 

state House of Assembly 

about the fate of the aged 

woman. 

NDV learned that the 

lawmaker fondly referred to 

as “man of the people” rushed 

to scene and was moved by 

the plight of the victim, 

promised to get her a 

befitting structure. 

“The effects of the wind 

storms experienced lately are 

enormous and its experiences 

are heartbreaking. It was a 

pathetic situation seeing such 

an old woman pass through 

this trauma at this perilous 

the program may have been 

frustrated by corruption and 

lack of accountability. This 

must stop for the benefit of 

beneficiaries and the Niger 

Delta. There have been persistent 

calls by stakeholders of 

the Presidential Amnesty Program 

for a review to achieve 

its objective of sustaining 

peace, security and human 

capital development in the region. 

In order to protect all 

beneficiaries and ensure that no 

one is left behind, the 

Oforji Oboku and 

Mama Lovina 

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 26, , 2020 — 25 

government has to review the 

program to make it work better 

for human capital and socioeconomic 

development, as 

well as empowerment of the 

region and its people. The 

Amnesty Program must continue. 

However, it has a terminal 

date and only those who 

are well acquainted with origin 

of the program can coordinate 

and proffer excellent exit 

route 

For NDDC, my concern is that 

the directors appointed have 

political ambitions and, 

therefore, use the Commission 

as a means to pursue their 

ambitions. This is one of the 

major problems in NDDC. The 

vision of the NDDC is to 

develop the Niger Delta region 

and nothing has been done. I, 

therefore, would like to 

recommend to the government 

that the office of managing 

director of NDDC be advertised 

and made public so that 

competent individuals, who are 

qualified can apply. Also 

screening and appointment 

should be strictly based on merit 

and not for political reasons. I 

also support the forensic audit of 

NDDC. 

You are 51 today and the 

traditional prime minister of 

your kingdom, what has life 

taught you? 

Life has taught me so much. I 

have experienced both good and 

bad situations. Through my 

influence, the people of Niger 

Delta have enjoyed consistent 

development cutting across road 

construction, rehabilitation of 

social amenities and 

empowerment. As a traditional 

prime minister, I have brought 

peace and security to my people. 

In life, I have learnt an 

important principle. Anywhere 

you find yourself, look out for a 

time,” he said 

and thereafter 

laid the 

foundation of a 

new house for 

t h e 

traumatized 

woman. 

True to his 

promise, it 

was all smiles 

about three The fully furnished apartment 

weeks later 

when he 

gifted the elderly woman her He said: “Today, I and my 

new apartment fitted with family have only demonstrated 

modern facilities on the same or done what we have been 

spot of her ruined mud house. doing, we have extended our 

human or societal need and 

meet that need. This has been 

my life’s principle. Life is dynamic, 

my father was an influential 

man and he usually told 

me this. I have also learnt 

that without peace there is no 

development. Thus, I would like 

to advise the youth of the Niger 

Delta to tread the part of peace 

and dialogue, rather than violence 

and carrying of arms and 

ammunition. The youth should 

also detest corruption and be 

kind one to another. 

What is the turning point 

of your life and the strangest 

that has happened to you? 

The turning point of my life was 

when I got born again and made 

up my mind to fight for the 

advancement of the Niger Delta 

people, this really changed the 

statuesque for me. 

The strangest moments for me 

were moments of betrayals from 

people and friends I trusted the 

most. Who turned their backs 

against me and back-stabbed me, 

I felt most miserable and bad. 

You have shown 

tremendous passion for your 

kinsmen and people of 

Niger Delta, are you 

planning to run for public 

office? 

I was born into generosity; this 

is the way I have been for the 

past 25 years of my life. 

Generosity is in my DNA. I do 

what I do for the love of humanity 

and not for political gains or 

political ambitions. I have done 

a lot for thousands of people over 

the years, that is provide shelter, 

empower people for business, 

provide scholarships, 

recommend people for job 

appointments and contract, but 

political ambitions was not part 

of the reasons I did all these. I 

am who I am today because of 

what I have done for others, but 

if occasion demands, I am ready 

and equal to the task to lead. 

Bayelsa lawmaker gives 

nonagenarian windstorm 

victim lease of life 

hand of fellowship and love to 

Mama Lovina Ogbogidi not 

because we have much but 

because we find joy in 

reaching out to humanity, we 

have added joy and genuine 

happiness to Mama, we 

decide to choose this path 

because we know it’s in 

fulfillment of God’s wish for 

mankind.” 

It was all like dream to the 

overjoyed woman as she 

watched in awe and 

intermittently raising 

her hands in 

supplication blessing 

her benefactor. 

Some residents of the 

area described the 

gesture of the lawmaker 

as uncommon and 

worth commending. 

A native, who 

identified himself as 

Friday Jonah said: “Hon 

Oforji has again proven 

to be a compassionate 

leader. He promised 

building mama’s house 

after a gale destroyed 

the house and render 

the old woman homeless. 

He kept to his vow by erecting 

this magnificent house for 

mama.”








DISTRIBUTION: 

Mrs Mama Edet, 

Deputy Director, 

Planning Research 

and Documentation, 

National Commission 

for Refugees, Migrants 

and Internally 

Displaced Persons 

(right), presents some 

items to one of the 

18,891 Cameroonian 

refugees in the 

settlements in Cross 

River, during the 

presentation of 40,800 

soap bars, 5,000 

buckets, 7,356 hand 

sanitizers and 5,800 

face masks to 18,891 


by the Commission. 

Photo: NAN. 

Relocate dry dock to open up economy 

in N'Delta — PANDEF, UNDEDSS 


YENAGOA—PAN Ni 

ger Delta Forum, PAN- 

DEF and United Niger 

Delta Energy Development 

Security Strategy, UND- 

EDSS, yesterday, restated 

calls for the Federal Government 

to relocate the 

Mega Dry Dock from Lagos 

waters, where it had 

been lying unused, to the 

Niger Delta, saying it will 

open up the economy of 

the region. 

Rising from a special Webinar 

meeting in Lagos, 

held to mark the 93rd birthday 

anniversary of PAN- 

DEF Leader, Chief Edwin 

Clark, the Niger Delta 

leaders said that the Shipbuilding 

Dry Dock, which 

is the largest in Africa, 

would be the ideal enterprise 

for President Muhammadu 

Buhari to commission 

in the post-COV- 

ID -19 Nigerian economy. 

In a statement on the webinar 

meeting of the groups 

in Lagos, UNDEDSS Executive 

Secretary, Mr Tony 

Uranta said the benefits of 

the dock to the Niger Delta 

region would be immeasurable 

considering the Maritime 

University in Delta. 

Uranta said: "Relocating 

the Dry Dock project to the 

Niger Delta would be the 

biggest investment post 

COVID-19 in the region 

and would open up the 

economy of the region. The 

House of Representatives 

in March 2020, urged the 

Federal Government and 

Nigerian Maritime Administration 

and Safety Agency, 

NIMASA, to return and 

install the floating dock 

acquired at a cost of over 

N50 billion in Okerenkoko, 

Delta State. 

"The dock since its arrival 

in the country on June 11, 

2018, had been in a storage 

cart, owing to controversial 

bureaucratic wrangling 

over where it would be located 

as its operational 

base. 

"The Okerenkoko floating 

dock project was duly considered 

and approved by 

the Federal Executive 

Council at its 37th meeting 

on October 23, 2013, and 

the approval was conveyed 

to the Federal Ministry of 

Transport on October 29, 

2013. 

"The location of the Dry 

dock to Badagry in Lagos 

State is contrary to the initial 

approval by the Federal 

Government for its location 

in Delta. 

"Our appeal is that the dry 

dock should be moved 

permanently, installed and 

commissioned in Delta, 

considering the contributions 

of the region to the 

nation's economy. The dry 

dock is lying fallow in the 

waters of Lagos State and 

should be taken to Delta 

next to the maritime university 

to provide practical 

knowledge to the students. 

"The dry dock if located 

in the Niger Delta will open 

up the region and make it 

more viable, including the 

employment it will generate 

and the trainings on 

ship building processes." 

He hinted that the meeting 

had set up a committee 

to be chaired by Prof. Pat 

Utomi, to look at its institutions, 

state leaderships and 

contributions of its elected 

members in the National 

Assembly to development 

of the region. 

2019 election killings: Wike compensates Abonnema 

victims with N450m 

By Egufe Yafugborhi 

PORT HARCOURT — 

GOVERNOR Nyesom 

Wike of Rivers State, yesterday, 

paid out 

N450million compensation 

to survivors and relatives of 

victims killed in Abonnema, 

Akuku-Toru Local Government 

Area of the state, 

when soldiers clashed with 

youths during 2019 Presidential 

election. Several 

persons died and others 

wounded on February 29, 

2019, in Abonnema in a 

gun duel between angry 

youths and soldiers, who 

also lost three men including 

a Lieutenant over alleged 

military attempt to 

compromise the Presidential 

election in favour of a 

political party on the occasion. 

Presenting the compensation 

package before Amayanabo 

of Abonnema, King 

Disrael Manuel and his 

people at Abonnema, Wike 

said the gesture can't pay 

for those who lost their lives 

but it was a demonstration 

of his commitment to stand 

by Rivers people in good 

Delta govt vows to industrialize 

agric sector 


ASABA—DELTA State 

Government has reiterated 

its resolve to transform 

the state agricultural sector 

to boost productivity and accelerate 

industrialization in 

the sector. 

It also lauded the management 

of IMC Palm Oil 

Plantation in Nsukwa, Aniocha 

South Local Government 

Area of the state for 

it's contribution to the socio-economic 

development 

of the state. 

Speaking during the commissioning 

of a brand new 

Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) 

loading ramp and the 

launch of retail palm oil bottling 

section on the premises 

of the company, state Commissioner 

for Agriculture 

and Natural Resources, Mr 

Julius Egbedi said the initiative 

was a great step towards 

boosting the economy 

of the state. 

Noting that IMC plantation 

has been a blessing to 

the state, he said, "This 

achievement is a rare feat 

when viewed from the difficult 

situation that the 

world is undergoing amidst 

the coronavirus pandemic. 

We have always known the 

management of IMC plantation 

as a hardworking, 

courageous and result oriented 

officials." 

He disclosed that the 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa 

led administration had committed 

over N580 million to 

palm oil development, adding 

that N88 million was in 

this month of May. 

In his remarks, acting 

General Manager of IMC 

Plantation, Michael Kemeh-Mensah, 

said the 

commissioning of the new 

ramp was necessitated by 

the collapse of the old ramp, 

which he said had served 

the company for over past 

35 years. 

N-Delta polluted environment 

facing systematic neglect 

—Nimmo Bassey 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT HARCOURT— 

ENVIRONMENTAL 

Right Activist, Nnimmo 

Bassey, has said that the 

environmental pollution in 

Ogoni ethnic nationality in 

Rivers State and the Niger 

Delta environment has 

been systematic neglected 

by the authorities. 

This came as KEBET- 

KACHE Women Development 

and Resource Centre, 

lamented continuous delay 

in the cleaning up of 

Ogoniland by the Hydrocarbon 

Pollution Remediation 

Project, HYPREP. 

Bassey, Director of the 

COVID 19: Buhari urged to appoint Amnesty 

Coordinator to avert crisis 

and bad times. 

Wike, represented by Secretary 

to the State Government, 

said, "Everybody in 

Abonnema saw what happened. 

Even the Amayanabo 

said the only pain that 

came close to that in the 

annals of Abonnema history 

was the civil war. 

"I promised to do my best 

possible to identify with 

those who suffered one 

form of atrocity or the other 

in the hands of the soldiers, 

who went on rampage on 

that election day. My heart 

goes for those who paid the 

supreme price for our democracy 

to survive." 

Based on the report of fact 

findings committee headed 

by Deputy Governor, Dr 

Ipalibor Harry-Banigo, the 

governor announced the 


to be spread among relatives 

of 37 identified victims 

killed, several wounded 

survivors, owners of properties 

destroyed and persons 

arrested and detained 

by the military during the 

crisis. 

Among some of the announced 

beneficiaries 

whose account would be 

credited directly from 

Wednesday include, Florence 

George, mother and 

next of kin to Samuel 

Horsefall, who was shot 

dead in the election violence 

is to receive 

N9million, while Iyowuna 

Quaker, who survived gunshot 

to his leg got 

N1.9million. 

To the beneficiaries, 

Amayanabo of Abonnema, 

King Manuel, cautioned, 

"It is not time for enjoyment, 

frivolities, but to 

think how best you can use 

the money wisely to create 

lasting impressions at improving 

lives." 

By Jimitota Onoyume 

WARRI—WITH the 

devastating impact 

of Covid 19 on the economy, 


Buhari has been 

urged to urgently appoint 

a Coordinator for 

the Presidential Amnesty 

Programme, PAP, to 

save youths from going 

back to the creeks. 

National Coordinator, 

Ijaw in Oil and Gas, Ebipams 

Johnny in a statement 

in Warri, Delta 

State said the President 

should ensure that a competent 

hand was appointed 

adding that with 

the recession already 

witnessed in the economy 

as a result of Covid 

19, the President should 

quickly appoint a coordinator 

for the amnesty 

office to take care of 

youths in the Niger Delta 

region. 

It said, "This is again 

a clarion call for the 

presidency to begin 

strategising on sustaining 

safe operations devoid 

of vandalism in our 

oil and gas operations 

with the fall in crude oil 

price and the politics 

that has beclouded the 

PAP. 

"Our position as Ijaw 

professionals in oil and 

gas is to reiterate the obvious 

that recession is 

Ecological Think Tank 

Health of Mother Earth 

Foundation, who spoke as 

one of the panelists at a virtual 

conference held on 

Webinar, to review the process 

and implementation of 

the UNEP report in Ogoni, 

organised by KEBET- 

KACHE in collaboration 

with Cordaid, said, money 

was not a problem in the 

clean-up of Ogoni and the 

entire Niger Delta. 

Bassey, on an overview of 

HYPREP activities said that 

environmental pollution 

across the Niger Delta region 

is a systematic problem, 

stressing that finance 

is not a problem. 

Reports of my appointment to 

lead COVID-19 growth C'ttee 

is misinformation — Okowa 

By Perez Brisibe 

A SABA—GOVERNOR 

Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta 

State, yesterday, denied 

media reports that he has 

imminent after this pandemic 

and feelers from 

our youths and survey 

conducted in the Niger 

Delta region is that PAP 

is yet to address the core 

reasons why militancy 

thrived prior to the 2009 

Presidential offer of amnesty 

by the Yar'Adua led 

government. 

"We anticipate a reawakening 

of unrest in the region 

unless a competent 

hand with a background 

knowledge of the evervolatile 

region is appointed 

to pilot the PAP, if not, 

we are doomed and the 

national recession will be 

worse off in the committee 

of nations after the 

pandemic." 

been appointed by Vice 

President Yemi Osinbajo to 

lead the sub-committee on 

post COVID-19 economic 

growth, adding that the report 

is not true. 

The governor in a statement 

by his Communications 

Manager, Jackson Ekwugum, 

said the clarification 

became necessary following 

an avalanche of comments, 

inquiries and goodwill messages 

from well meaning 

Nigerians regarding the said 

appointment. 

The statement reads, "It is 

not true that Governor Okowa 

was appointed to lead a subcommittee 

on post COVID- 

19 economic growth. 

"The National Economic 

Council, NEC, headed by 

Vice President Osinbajo recently 

created a sub-committee 

chaired by Okowa to 

work/liaise with the Presidential 

Taskforce on COV- 

ID-19 on the process of lifting 

the national lockdown 

and reopening the economy.’’




DISTRIBUTION: 

Mrs Mama Edet, 

Deputy Director, 

Planning Research 

and Documentation, 

National Commission 

for Refugees, Migrants 

and Internally 

Displaced Persons 

(right), presents some 

items to one of the 

18,891 Cameroonian 

refugees in the 

settlements in Cross 

River, during the 

presentation of 40,800 

soap bars, 5,000 

buckets, 7,356 hand 

sanitizers and 5,800 

face masks to 18,891 


by the Commission. 

Photo: NAN. 

Relocate dry dock to open up economy 

in N'Delta — PANDEF, UNDEDSS 


YENAGOA—PAN Ni 

ger Delta Forum, PAN- 

DEF and United Niger 

Delta Energy Development 

Security Strategy, UND- 

EDSS, yesterday, restated 

calls for the Federal Government 

to relocate the 

Mega Dry Dock from Lagos 

waters, where it had 

been lying unused, to the 

Niger Delta, saying it will 

open up the economy of 

the region. 

Rising from a special Webinar 

meeting in Lagos, 

held to mark the 93rd birthday 

anniversary of PAN- 

DEF Leader, Chief Edwin 

Clark, the Niger Delta 

leaders said that the Shipbuilding 

Dry Dock, which 

is the largest in Africa, 

would be the ideal enterprise 

for President Muhammadu 

Buhari to commission 

in the post-COV- 

ID -19 Nigerian economy. 

In a statement on the webinar 

meeting of the groups 

in Lagos, UNDEDSS Executive 

Secretary, Mr Tony 

Uranta said the benefits of 

the dock to the Niger Delta 

region would be immeasurable 

considering the Maritime 

University in Delta. 

Uranta said: "Relocating 

the Dry Dock project to the 

Niger Delta would be the 

biggest investment post 

COVID-19 in the region 

and would open up the 

economy of the region. The 

House of Representatives 

in March 2020, urged the 

Federal Government and 

Nigerian Maritime Administration 

and Safety Agency, 

NIMASA, to return and 

install the floating dock 

acquired at a cost of over 

N50 billion in Okerenkoko, 

Delta State. 

"The dock since its arrival 

in the country on June 11, 

2018, had been in a storage 

cart, owing to controversial 

bureaucratic wrangling 

over where it would be located 

as its operational 

base. 

"The Okerenkoko floating 

dock project was duly considered 

and approved by 

the Federal Executive 

Council at its 37th meeting 

on October 23, 2013, and 

the approval was conveyed 

to the Federal Ministry of 

Transport on October 29, 

2013. 

"The location of the Dry 

dock to Badagry in Lagos 

State is contrary to the initial 

approval by the Federal 

Government for its location 

in Delta. 

"Our appeal is that the dry 

dock should be moved 

permanently, installed and 

commissioned in Delta, 

considering the contributions 

of the region to the 

nation's economy. The dry 

dock is lying fallow in the 

waters of Lagos State and 

should be taken to Delta 

next to the maritime university 

to provide practical 

knowledge to the students. 

"The dry dock if located 

in the Niger Delta will open 

up the region and make it 

more viable, including the 

employment it will generate 

and the trainings on 

ship building processes." 

He hinted that the meeting 

had set up a committee 

to be chaired by Prof. Pat 

Utomi, to look at its institutions, 

state leaderships and 

contributions of its elected 

members in the National 

Assembly to development 

of the region. 

2019 election killings: Wike compensates Abonnema 

victims with N450m 

By Egufe Yafugborhi 

PORT HARCOURT — 

GOVERNOR Nyesom 

Wike of Rivers State, yesterday, 

paid out 


to survivors and relatives of 

victims killed in Abonnema, 

Akuku-Toru Local Government 

Area of the state, 

when soldiers clashed with 

youths during 2019 Presidential 

election. Several 

persons died and others 

wounded on February 29, 

2019, in Abonnema in a 

gun duel between angry 

youths and soldiers, who 

also lost three men including 

a Lieutenant over alleged 

military attempt to 

compromise the Presidential 

election in favour of a 

political party on the occasion. 

Presenting the compensation 

package before Amayanabo 

of Abonnema, King 

Disrael Manuel and his 

people at Abonnema, Wike 

said the gesture can't pay 

for those who lost their lives 

but it was a demonstration 

of his commitment to stand 

by Rivers people in good 

Delta govt vows to industrialize 

agric sector 


ASABA—DELTA State 

Government has reiterated 

its resolve to transform 

the state agricultural sector 

to boost productivity and accelerate 

industrialization in 

the sector. 

It also lauded the management 

of IMC Palm Oil 

Plantation in Nsukwa, Aniocha 

South Local Government 

Area of the state for 

it's contribution to the socio-economic 

development 

of the state. 

Speaking during the commissioning 

of a brand new 

Fresh Fruit Bunch (FFB) 

loading ramp and the 

launch of retail palm oil bottling 

section on the premises 

of the company, state Commissioner 

for Agriculture 

and Natural Resources, Mr 

Julius Egbedi said the initiative 

was a great step towards 

boosting the economy 

of the state. 

Noting that IMC plantation 

has been a blessing to 

the state, he said, "This 

achievement is a rare feat 

when viewed from the difficult 

situation that the 

world is undergoing amidst 

the coronavirus pandemic. 

We have always known the 

management of IMC plantation 

as a hardworking, 

courageous and result oriented 

officials." 

He disclosed that the 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa 

led administration had committed 

over N580 million to 

palm oil development, adding 

that N88 million was in 

this month of May. 

In his remarks, acting 

General Manager of IMC 

Plantation, Michael Kemeh-Mensah, 

said the 

commissioning of the new 

ramp was necessitated by 

the collapse of the old ramp, 

which he said had served 

the company for over past 

35 years. 

N-Delta polluted environment 

facing systematic neglect 

—Nimmo Bassey 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT HARCOURT— 

ENVIRONMENTAL 

Right Activist, Nnimmo 

Bassey, has said that the 

environmental pollution in 

Ogoni ethnic nationality in 

Rivers State and the Niger 

Delta environment has 

been systematic neglected 

by the authorities. 

This came as KEBET- 

KACHE Women Development 

and Resource Centre, 

lamented continuous delay 

in the cleaning up of 

Ogoniland by the Hydrocarbon 

Pollution Remediation 

Project, HYPREP. 

Bassey, Director of the 

COVID 19: Buhari urged to appoint Amnesty 

Coordinator to avert crisis 

and bad times. 

Wike, represented by Secretary 

to the State Government, 

said, "Everybody in 

Abonnema saw what happened. 

Even the Amayanabo 

said the only pain that 

came close to that in the 

annals of Abonnema history 

was the civil war. 

"I promised to do my best 

possible to identify with 

those who suffered one 

form of atrocity or the other 

in the hands of the soldiers, 

who went on rampage on 

that election day. My heart 

goes for those who paid the 

supreme price for our democracy 

to survive." 

Based on the report of fact 

findings committee headed 

by Deputy Governor, Dr 

Ipalibor Harry-Banigo, the 

governor announced the 


to be spread among relatives 

of 37 identified victims 

killed, several wounded 

survivors, owners of properties 

destroyed and persons 

arrested and detained 

by the military during the 

crisis. 

Among some of the announced 

beneficiaries 

whose account would be 

credited directly from 

Wednesday include, Florence 

George, mother and 

next of kin to Samuel 

Horsefall, who was shot 

dead in the election violence 

is to receive 

N9million, while Iyowuna 

Quaker, who survived gunshot 

to his leg got 

N1.9million. 

To the beneficiaries, 

Amayanabo of Abonnema, 

King Manuel, cautioned, 

"It is not time for enjoyment, 

frivolities, but to 

think how best you can use 

the money wisely to create 

lasting impressions at improving 

lives." 

By Jimitota Onoyume 

WARRI—WITH the 

devastating impact 

of Covid 19 on the economy, 


Buhari has been 

urged to urgently appoint 

a Coordinator for 

the Presidential Amnesty 

Programme, PAP, to 

save youths from going 

back to the creeks. 

National Coordinator, 

Ijaw in Oil and Gas, Ebipams 

Johnny in a statement 

in Warri, Delta 

State said the President 

should ensure that a competent 

hand was appointed 

adding that with 

the recession already 

witnessed in the economy 

as a result of Covid 

19, the President should 

quickly appoint a coordinator 

for the amnesty 

office to take care of 

youths in the Niger Delta 

region. 

It said, "This is again 

a clarion call for the 

presidency to begin 

strategising on sustaining 

safe operations devoid 

of vandalism in our 

oil and gas operations 

with the fall in crude oil 

price and the politics 

that has beclouded the 

PAP. 

"Our position as Ijaw 

professionals in oil and 

gas is to reiterate the obvious 

that recession is 

Ecological Think Tank 

Health of Mother Earth 

Foundation, who spoke as 

one of the panelists at a virtual 

conference held on 

Webinar, to review the process 

and implementation of 

the UNEP report in Ogoni, 

organised by KEBET- 

KACHE in collaboration 

with Cordaid, said, money 

was not a problem in the 

clean-up of Ogoni and the 

entire Niger Delta. 

Bassey, on an overview of 

HYPREP activities said that 

environmental pollution 

across the Niger Delta region 

is a systematic problem, 

stressing that finance 

is not a problem. 

Reports of my appointment to 

lead COVID-19 growth C'ttee 

is misinformation — Okowa 

By Perez Brisibe 

A SABA—GOVERNOR 

Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta 

State, yesterday, denied 

media reports that he has 

imminent after this pandemic 

and feelers from 

our youths and survey 

conducted in the Niger 

Delta region is that PAP 

is yet to address the core 

reasons why militancy 

thrived prior to the 2009 

Presidential offer of amnesty 

by the Yar'Adua led 

government. 

"We anticipate a reawakening 

of unrest in the region 

unless a competent 

hand with a background 

knowledge of the evervolatile 

region is appointed 

to pilot the PAP, if not, 

we are doomed and the 

national recession will be 

worse off in the committee 

of nations after the 

pandemic." 

been appointed by Vice 

President Yemi Osinbajo to 

lead the sub-committee on 

post COVID-19 economic 

growth, adding that the report 

is not true. 

The governor in a statement 

by his Communications 

Manager, Jackson Ekwugum, 

said the clarification 

became necessary following 

an avalanche of comments, 

inquiries and goodwill messages 

from well meaning 

Nigerians regarding the said 

appointment. 

The statement reads, "It is 

not true that Governor Okowa 

was appointed to lead a subcommittee 

on post COVID- 

19 economic growth. 

"The National Economic 

Council, NEC, headed by 

Vice President Osinbajo recently 

created a sub-committee 

chaired by Okowa to 

work/liaise with the Presidential 

Taskforce on COV- 

ID-19 on the process of lifting 

the national lockdown 

and reopening the economy.’’




PALLIATIVES: Beneficiaries of palliative items distributed to vulnerable persons by 

Nigerian Air Force, Mando Ex-servicemen Welfare Association and Afaka Community 

Development Association, in Kaduna. 

Why we handed quit notice to almajirai 

in Igboland —INC 

By Chinonso 

Alozie 

O WERRI—IGBO 

National Council, 

INC, yesterday said it has 

given 21 days ultimatum 

to the Almajirai in the 

southern part of Nigeria to 

vacate, to avoid the 

jihadists from 

accomplishing their aim of 

wiping out southerners. 

The group said it would 

intensify its call for 

southerners to be on alert, 

adding that the sponsors of 

the said jihadists have 

continued to strengthen 

their plans to take over the 

south. 

However, INC called on 

the Inspector General of 

Police to constitute a special 

security outfit to checkmate 

this move by the group. 

According to INC, “ We 

have noted the recent 

inflows and illegal 

smuggling of persons 

suspected to be trained 

Jihadists and mercenaries 

into communities, towns 

and states of southern 

Nigeria in large numbers 

within the past few weeks 

via trucks and trailers. 

“We have keenly observed 

the responses, attitudes and 

body languages of some of 

these suspected trained 

mercenaries at some points 

where they were intercepted. 

Thus, we strongly believe 

that something dangerous 

maybe fishing. 

“The Igbo National 

Council, INC, is very worried 

about the hidden motive of 

this clandestine movement of 

suspected trained Jihadists, 

mercenaries and ammunition 

into southern Nigeria at this 

period of our existence. 

“May we use this medium 

to sound a note of warning to 

the sponsors of this project, 

the suspected militants and 

these mercenaries to have a 

rethink as they will be 

surprised at the level of 

resistance they will face. 

“We wish to inform these 

mercenaries and their 

sponsors that no nation has 

a greater monopoly of 

violence over others and that 

the Igbo race is not known to 

be coward and can never be 

coward in the face of this threat 

to our collective existence 

and self-preservation. 

“Consequent open the 

above, INC, in alliance with 

other self-determination 

groups, pro-democrcy and 

human rights originations 

therefore, give these 

suspected Jihadists and 

mercenaries 21 days with 

effect from May 23, 2020 to 

vacate our forests, towns and 

states and immediately go 

back to their states or 

countries, or have themselves 

to blame. 

“Finally, we call on the 

Inspector General of Police to 

set up a Special Joint Security 

Task Force to properly search 

and scrutinise all trucks, 

trailers and luxury buses 

plying our roads in order to 

avert the avoidable calamity 

that may befall Nigeria if 

these suspected terrorists and 

mercenaries are allowed to 

strike.” 

China'll work to ease Africa’s debt burden 

— Consul General in Lagos 

By Chioma 

Gabriel 

THE Chinese Foreign 

Minister, Wang Yi, has 

declared that China will work 

with other G20 members to 

implement the debt service 

suspension initiative to ease 

Africa’s debt burden. 

Wang Yi made the remarks 

when he responded to a 

question by an African 

journalist at a press 

conference on the sidelines 

of the annual Chinese 

national legislative session 

on Sunday. 

According to Wang, who is 

currently a State Councillor 

(equivalent of Deputy Prime 

Minister) of China’s cabinet, 

China and Africa are good 

brothers who have shared 

weal and woe. He said: “Our 

people, having fought 

shoulder-to-shoulder for 

national liberation, are 

partners for common 

development. A few years 

back, we were together 

fighting Ebola.” 

He stated that he fully 

agreed with the AU 

Commission Chairperson in 

saying that “Africa and China 

are friends and more 

importantly, comrades-inarms. 

Nothing can change 

or damage this friendship”. 

Wang made it clear that in 

the battle against COVID-19, 

China and Africa have again 

stood by each other. 

He said: "Over 50 African 

leaders have expressed 

solidarity and support in 

phone calls or public 

statements. China has 

subsequently sent medical 

expert teams to Africa’s five 

sub-regions and 

surrounding countries. 

"Resident Chinese medical 

teams based in 45 African 

countries have acted swiftly 

to assist in the local 

response. They have held 

nearly 400 training sessions 

for tens of thousands of 

African medical workers. 

China also looks after the 

African community in China 

just like she takes care of her 

own families.” 

Wang Yi disclosed that all 

of the over 3,000 African 

students in Hubei Province, 

including the city of Wuhan 

have been safe and sound, 

except for just one who got 

infected but was soon cured. 

He pointed out that this 

year marks the 20th 

anniversary of the Forum on 

China-Africa Cooperation, 

FOCAC. 

He said: “China’s relations 

with Africa have stood the 

test of time and continued to 

flourish,”adding that despite 

the pandemic, China will 

take concrete measures to 

push forward the relations. 

“First, China will continue 

to stand by Africa as it fights 

the virus. China will send 

anti-epidemic assistance to 

African and other 

developing countries as a 

matter of priority. China is 

considering sending more 

medical expert teams to the 

continent. 

"China will continue to 

deliver on the health 

initiative announced at the 

FOCAC Beijing Summit. 

China will accelerate 

construction of the Africa 

CDC headquarters, and 

help boost public health 

capacity in African nations. 

“Second, China will 

continue to work with Africa 

on development capacitybuilding. 

China will work out 

ways to move ahead with 

major ongoing cooperation 

projects and support African 

countries in reopening 

businesses soon to sustain 

Africa’s economic 

momentum. 

“Third, China will work 




Africa’s debt burden. China 

is also considering further 

bilateral support for African 

countries under the greatest 

strain to help African 

brothers and sisters through 

this difficult time.” 

Wang concluded his 

answer with quoting a 

Chinese saying: “When 

brothers are of the same 

mind, they have the power 

to cut through metal.” 

He expressed his full 

confidence that with help 

from China and the rest of 

the global community, the 

youthful continent of Africa 

will achieve greater and 

faster development after 

defeating COVID-19. 

Ugwuanyi donates bus to 

ECCIMA 

By Jacob Ajom 

IN his determination to 

boost the state’s economy, 

provide job to the teaming 

youths and diversify the nonoil 

sector of the economy, 

Governor lfeanyi Ugwuanyi 

of Enugu State recently 

presented an 18-seater bus 

to Enugu Chamber of 

Commerce, Industry, Mines 

and Agriculture, ECCIMA, 

to enable the members 

discharge their duties 

efficiently. 

Presenting the bus at the 

Enugu State Government 

House, Deputy Governor, 

Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, who 

represented Ugwuanyi on 

the occasion, stated that the 

Nabaruma was fine jurist, 

gentleman —Ben Obi 

SENATOR Ben Obi has 

joined the league of those 

mourning the death of the 

Chief Justice of Yobe State, 

Justice Garuba Nabaruma, 

describing him as a fine jurist 

and a gentleman, whose 

many tribunal judgements 

were not reversed by higher 

courts. 

Part of his release on 

Nabaruma read: “I was very 

sad on hearing about the 

demise of Honourable Justice 

Musa Garba Nabaruma. I 

received the news of his 

unfortunate death with rude 

shock. He was a complete, 

perfect jurist with a touch of 

gentility both in mien and 

character.” 

In commending his 

contributions to jurisprudence, 

Ben Obi said: “The Nigerian 

legal system cannot be 

complete without mentioning 

his immense contributions 

towards enriching its 

jurisprudence, especially his 

audacious pronouncements 

on electoral cases that later 

became a veritable legal 

precedence in the Nigerian 

Atlantic Hall hosts discourse 

on global trends on 

education 

THE first in the series of 

dialogues on educational 

development hosted by 

Atlantic Hall Educational 

Trust Council kicked off today 

with global leaders and 

reputable managers of 

education. 

The webinar entitled “Great 

to Greatest: Embracing the 

Opportunities for Education 

Post Covid 19,” drew 

participants from different 

continents across the globe, 

who examined how to take 

advantage of opportunities 

and thrive despite the 

coronavirus pandemic. 

On parade were Nigeria’s 

Ambassador to France, Dr. 

Modupe Irele; Dean of Sprott 

Business School, Carleton 

University, Ontario, Canada, 

Professor Dana Brown; 

Special Representative of 

United Nations on 

Sustainable Energy, Damilola 

Ogunbiyi; representative of 

donation was to assist the 

organisation in carrying out 

their daily activities, bearing 

in mind the importance of 

effective transportation 

system in an organisation like 

ECCIMA. 

The deputy governor stated 

that the age-long relationship 

between the body and 

Enugu State government 

had made it mandatory for 

government to fulfill such 

obligation. 

In his remark, Vice 

President of ECCIMA, Dr 

Jasper Nduagwuike, who 

represented the ECCIMA 

president, described 

Ugwuanyi as a pragmatic 

leader that’s very keen in 

boosting the state’s economy, 

adding that the bus will assist 

them immensely in their daily 

activities. 

legal system.” 

Besides heading the 

tribunal that returned Mr. 

Peter Obi in Anambra State 

and Olusegun Mimiko in 

Ondo, Obi recalled: “How my 

long legal battle to reclaim my 

stolen mandate as a senator 

of the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria received judiciary 

pronouncement when Justice 

Nabaruma, as head of the 

election petition tribunal 

alongside other eminent 

jurists, gave an unassailable 

judgement declaring me the 

rightful winner of the 2003 

senatorial election to represent 

Anambra Central. 

"This judgment alongside 

that of Senator Joy Emordi 

were the first of its kind across 

the nation in our current 

democratic dispensation. 

“That landmark judgement 

followed suit with his 

audacious ruling on the 2003 

Anambra governorship 

election petition, where he 

once again, set another 

remarkable precedence by 

restoring the mandate of the 

rightful winner in the 

governorship election." 

World Reader, Ruth Sorby and 

a co-founder, World Reader, 

Collin Mcelwee. 

The highly impactful 

webinar was hosted by the 

founding and current 

chairman of Atlantic Hall 

Educational Trust Council, 

Chief Taiwo Taiwo, who also 

set the tone for discourse on 

the effectiveness of distance 

learning. Specific areas 

covered include teacher 

training, cyber safety, 

sustainable energy and 

involvement of parents in 

child development. 

The high point of the 

interaction was the 

announcement by Professor 

Brown on the partnership 

between Carleton University 

and Atlantic Hall School. 

Early this year, she had 

visited the school’s campus 

in Epe to explore areas of 

collaboration including an 

exchange program between 

the two leading institutions.




PALLIATIVES: Beneficiaries of palliative items distributed to vulnerable persons by 

Nigerian Air Force, Mando Ex-servicemen Welfare Association and Afaka Community 

Development Association, in Kaduna. 

Why we handed quit notice to almajirai 

in Igboland —INC 

By Chinonso 

Alozie 

O WERRI—IGBO 

National Council, 

INC, yesterday said it has 

given 21 days ultimatum 

to the Almajirai in the 

southern part of Nigeria to 

vacate, to avoid the 

jihadists from 

accomplishing their aim of 

wiping out southerners. 

The group said it would 

intensify its call for 

southerners to be on alert, 

adding that the sponsors of 

the said jihadists have 

continued to strengthen 

their plans to take over the 

south. 

However, INC called on 

the Inspector General of 

Police to constitute a special 

security outfit to checkmate 

this move by the group. 

According to INC, “ We 

have noted the recent 

inflows and illegal 

smuggling of persons 

suspected to be trained 

Jihadists and mercenaries 

into communities, towns 

and states of southern 

Nigeria in large numbers 

within the past few weeks 

via trucks and trailers. 

“We have keenly observed 

the responses, attitudes and 

body languages of some of 

these suspected trained 

mercenaries at some points 

where they were intercepted. 

Thus, we strongly believe 

that something dangerous 

maybe fishing. 

“The Igbo National 

Council, INC, is very worried 

about the hidden motive of 

this clandestine movement of 

suspected trained Jihadists, 

mercenaries and ammunition 

into southern Nigeria at this 

period of our existence. 

“May we use this medium 

to sound a note of warning to 

the sponsors of this project, 

the suspected militants and 

these mercenaries to have a 

rethink as they will be 

surprised at the level of 

resistance they will face. 

“We wish to inform these 

mercenaries and their 

sponsors that no nation has 

a greater monopoly of 

violence over others and that 

the Igbo race is not known to 

be coward and can never be 

coward in the face of this threat 

to our collective existence 

and self-preservation. 

“Consequent open the 

above, INC, in alliance with 

other self-determination 

groups, pro-democrcy and 

human rights originations 

therefore, give these 

suspected Jihadists and 

mercenaries 21 days with 

effect from May 23, 2020 to 

vacate our forests, towns and 

states and immediately go 

back to their states or 

countries, or have themselves 

to blame. 

“Finally, we call on the 

Inspector General of Police to 

set up a Special Joint Security 

Task Force to properly search 

and scrutinise all trucks, 

trailers and luxury buses 

plying our roads in order to 

avert the avoidable calamity 

that may befall Nigeria if 

these suspected terrorists and 

mercenaries are allowed to 

strike.” 

China'll work to ease Africa’s debt burden 

— Consul General in Lagos 

By Chioma 

Gabriel 

THE Chinese Foreign 

Minister, Wang Yi, has 

declared that China will work 




Africa’s debt burden. 

Wang Yi made the remarks 

when he responded to a 

question by an African 

journalist at a press 

conference on the sidelines 

of the annual Chinese 

national legislative session 

on Sunday. 

According to Wang, who is 

currently a State Councillor 

(equivalent of Deputy Prime 

Minister) of China’s cabinet, 

China and Africa are good 

brothers who have shared 

weal and woe. He said: “Our 

people, having fought 

shoulder-to-shoulder for 

national liberation, are 

partners for common 

development. A few years 

back, we were together 

fighting Ebola.” 

He stated that he fully 

agreed with the AU 

Commission Chairperson in 

saying that “Africa and China 

are friends and more 

importantly, comrades-inarms. 

Nothing can change 

or damage this friendship”. 

Wang made it clear that in 

the battle against COVID-19, 

China and Africa have again 

stood by each other. 

He said: "Over 50 African 

leaders have expressed 

solidarity and support in 

phone calls or public 

statements. China has 

subsequently sent medical 

expert teams to Africa’s five 

sub-regions and 

surrounding countries. 

"Resident Chinese medical 

teams based in 45 African 

countries have acted swiftly 

to assist in the local 

response. They have held 

nearly 400 training sessions 

for tens of thousands of 

African medical workers. 

China also looks after the 

African community in China 

just like she takes care of her 

own families.” 

Wang Yi disclosed that all 

of the over 3,000 African 

students in Hubei Province, 

including the city of Wuhan 

have been safe and sound, 

except for just one who got 

infected but was soon cured. 

He pointed out that this 

year marks the 20th 

anniversary of the Forum on 

China-Africa Cooperation, 

FOCAC. 

He said: “China’s relations 

with Africa have stood the 

test of time and continued to 

flourish,”adding that despite 

the pandemic, China will 

take concrete measures to 

push forward the relations. 

“First, China will continue 

to stand by Africa as it fights 

the virus. China will send 

anti-epidemic assistance to 

African and other 

developing countries as a 

matter of priority. China is 

considering sending more 

medical expert teams to the 

continent. 

"China will continue to 

deliver on the health 

initiative announced at the 

FOCAC Beijing Summit. 

China will accelerate 

construction of the Africa 

CDC headquarters, and 

help boost public health 

capacity in African nations. 

“Second, China will 

continue to work with Africa 

on development capacitybuilding. 

China will work out 

ways to move ahead with 

major ongoing cooperation 

projects and support African 

countries in reopening 

businesses soon to sustain 

Africa’s economic 

momentum. 

“Third, China will work 




Africa’s debt burden. China 

is also considering further 

bilateral support for African 

countries under the greatest 

strain to help African 

brothers and sisters through 

this difficult time.” 

Wang concluded his 

answer with quoting a 

Chinese saying: “When 

brothers are of the same 

mind, they have the power 

to cut through metal.” 

He expressed his full 

confidence that with help 

from China and the rest of 

the global community, the 

youthful continent of Africa 

will achieve greater and 

faster development after 

defeating COVID-19. 

Ugwuanyi donates bus to 

ECCIMA 

By Jacob Ajom 

IN his determination to 

boost the state’s economy, 

provide job to the teaming 

youths and diversify the nonoil 

sector of the economy, 

Governor lfeanyi Ugwuanyi 

of Enugu State recently 

presented an 18-seater bus 

to Enugu Chamber of 

Commerce, Industry, Mines 

and Agriculture, ECCIMA, 

to enable the members 

discharge their duties 

efficiently. 

Presenting the bus at the 

Enugu State Government 

House, Deputy Governor, 

Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, who 

represented Ugwuanyi on 

the occasion, stated that the 

Nabaruma was fine jurist, 

gentleman —Ben Obi 

SENATOR Ben Obi has 

joined the league of those 

mourning the death of the 

Chief Justice of Yobe State, 

Justice Garuba Nabaruma, 

describing him as a fine jurist 

and a gentleman, whose 

many tribunal judgements 

were not reversed by higher 

courts. 

Part of his release on 

Nabaruma read: “I was very 

sad on hearing about the 

demise of Honourable Justice 

Musa Garba Nabaruma. I 

received the news of his 

unfortunate death with rude 

shock. He was a complete, 

perfect jurist with a touch of 

gentility both in mien and 

character.” 

In commending his 

contributions to jurisprudence, 

Ben Obi said: “The Nigerian 

legal system cannot be 

complete without mentioning 

his immense contributions 

towards enriching its 

jurisprudence, especially his 

audacious pronouncements 

on electoral cases that later 

became a veritable legal 

precedence in the Nigerian 

Atlantic Hall hosts discourse 

on global trends on 

education 

THE first in the series of 

dialogues on educational 

development hosted by 

Atlantic Hall Educational 

Trust Council kicked off today 

with global leaders and 

reputable managers of 

education. 

The webinar entitled “Great 

to Greatest: Embracing the 

Opportunities for Education 

Post Covid 19,” drew 

participants from different 

continents across the globe, 

who examined how to take 

advantage of opportunities 

and thrive despite the 

coronavirus pandemic. 

On parade were Nigeria’s 

Ambassador to France, Dr. 

Modupe Irele; Dean of Sprott 

Business School, Carleton 

University, Ontario, Canada, 

Professor Dana Brown; 

Special Representative of 

United Nations on 

Sustainable Energy, Damilola 

Ogunbiyi; representative of 

donation was to assist the 

organisation in carrying out 

their daily activities, bearing 

in mind the importance of 

effective transportation 

system in an organisation like 

ECCIMA. 

The deputy governor stated 

that the age-long relationship 

between the body and 

Enugu State government 

had made it mandatory for 

government to fulfill such 

obligation. 

In his remark, Vice 

President of ECCIMA, Dr 

Jasper Nduagwuike, who 

represented the ECCIMA 

president, described 

Ugwuanyi as a pragmatic 

leader that’s very keen in 

boosting the state’s economy, 

adding that the bus will assist 

them immensely in their daily 

activities. 

legal system.” 

Besides heading the 

tribunal that returned Mr. 

Peter Obi in Anambra State 

and Olusegun Mimiko in 

Ondo, Obi recalled: “How my 

long legal battle to reclaim my 

stolen mandate as a senator 

of the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria received judiciary 

pronouncement when Justice 

Nabaruma, as head of the 

election petition tribunal 

alongside other eminent 

jurists, gave an unassailable 

judgement declaring me the 

rightful winner of the 2003 

senatorial election to represent 

Anambra Central. 

"This judgment alongside 

that of Senator Joy Emordi 

were the first of its kind across 

the nation in our current 

democratic dispensation. 

“That landmark judgement 

followed suit with his 

audacious ruling on the 2003 

Anambra governorship 

election petition, where he 

once again, set another 

remarkable precedence by 

restoring the mandate of the 

rightful winner in the 

governorship election." 

World Reader, Ruth Sorby and 

a co-founder, World Reader, 

Collin Mcelwee. 

The highly impactful 

webinar was hosted by the 

founding and current 

chairman of Atlantic Hall 

Educational Trust Council, 

Chief Taiwo Taiwo, who also 

set the tone for discourse on 

the effectiveness of distance 

learning. Specific areas 

covered include teacher 

training, cyber safety, 

sustainable energy and 

involvement of parents in 

child development. 

The high point of the 

interaction was the 

announcement by Professor 

Brown on the partnership 

between Carleton University 

and Atlantic Hall School. 

Early this year, she had 

visited the school’s campus 

in Epe to explore areas of 

collaboration including an 

exchange program between 

the two leading institutions.

32 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26 , 2020 

NESG sees shortfall in 2020 projected FG 

revenue 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

DESPITE the cut in the 2020 

budget revenue projection by 

the Federal Government, on the 

backdrop of the fiscal headwinds 

following the impact of the 

Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic 

and falling oil prices, the Nigeria 

Economic Summit Group (NESG) 

has said that the revised revenue 

projection at N5.08 trillion may still 

not be met. 

NESG, a private sector led thinktank, 

in a report titled: “Sectoral 

Impact Assessment and Optimal 

Policy Response: COVID-19, Global 

Oil Price and the Nigerian 

Economy”, said that falling crude 

prices, in addition to weak export 

demand, would significantly put 

pressure on federal and state 

governments’ finances. 

Though it affirmed that the 

Nigeria’s economy has been fragile add pressure on Federal and State 

even before the outbreak of COVID- governments’ finances. This means 

19, it argued that the fiscal effect of that the revenue projections in the 

the fall in oil price would be enormous revised 2020 budget will be unmet, 

on the country with severe sectoral thereby constraining government’s 

implications. 

ability to meet its obligation such as 

It further stated that limited payment of salaries and financing 

economic activities arising from critical social and infrastructure 

lockdown of some states and projects in the year. 

restriction of movement would “Many states in Nigeria rely solely 

result in poor performance of nonoil 

revenue in 2020. 

Account Allocations Committee 

on allocations from the Federal 

The Report stated: “Nigeria, being (FAAC), which are predominantly 

a major dependent player in the oil 

market faces a dual challenge of 

dwindling windfall from oil and 

economic constriction as global 

lockdown continues on the back of By Nkiruka Nnorom 

COVID-19. While the fragility of the 

T 

economy persists, the oil market he Nigerian equities 

impacts the Nigerian economy market recorded a strong 

through its dominant contributions rebound last week following 

to export earnings, foreign exchange significant interest in the 

inflows, movement in external banking stocks and three 

reserves and government revenue. other highly capitalised 

“From a fiscal point of view, the stocks – Dangote Cement Plc, 

2020 budget of the federal MTN Communication Nigeria 

government was based on $57 per Plc and BUA Cement Plc - 

barrel benchmark, which was later leading to 5.6 percent returns 

revised to $25 per barrel. Falling to the investors, week-onweek. 

crude prices, in addition to weak 

export demand, would significantly The renewed interest also 

led to N695 billion gains to 

the investors after the 

market advanced in 

all the five trading 

103.70 -1.05 days of the week. 

Specifically, the 

2,382.00 42.00 Nigerian Stock 

Exchange, NSE, All 

10.99 0.01 Share Index (ASI) 

rose to25, 204.75 

points on the back of 

23.4 percent returns 

in BUA Cement Plc 

35.85 0.10 and five percent and 

4.5 percent increases 

33.61 0.12 in MTN and Dangote 

Cement Plc shares 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING respectively. 

Similarly, the 

US DOLLAR 360 360.5 361 market capitalization 

POUNDS 438.372 438.9809 439.5897 of all listed equities 

EURO 392.58 393.1253 393.6705 rose to N13.136 

FRANC 370.5228 371.0375 371.5521 trillion from N12.441 

YEN 3.3473 3.3519 3.3566 trillion in the previous 

CFA 0.492 0.502 0.512 week. 

WAUA 417.2838 417.8633 418.4429 Also, performance 

RENMINBI 50.4143 50.4848 50.5553 across all sectors was 

RIYAL 95.8211 95.9542 96.0873 positive. The 

RAND 20.3823 20.4106 20.4389 

CBN Exchange rate as at 25/05/2020 

From left: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Central Securities Clearing System 

(CSCS) Plc, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; Director, CSCS Plc, Mr. Eric Idiahi; Chairman, Board of 

Director, CSCS Plc, Oscar Onyema; and Company Secretary, CSCS Plc, Charles Ojo during the 

26th Annual General Meeting of CSCS Plc held by Proxy in Lagos. 

oil-dependent. Falling oil price 

means that many states will have 

difficulty in paying salaries of 

workers. This will have negative 

implications on aggregate demand 

and the performance of key sectors 

like construction, cement and 

manufacturing.” 

NESG also stated that shutdown 

of production facilities and 

lockdown of several states across 

the country would have negative 

implications on investment, 

aggregate demand and overall 

economic growth, adding that the 

impact of the lockdown is expected to 

reflect on GDP growth figures for the 

first to second quarters of 2020. 

Recall that the government had in 

response to COVID-19 and falling oil 

prices slashed the 2020 budget to 

N10.29 trillion from the initial N10.59 

trillion, while the revenue projection 

was also reduced by N3.3 trillion from 

the initially approved amount of 

N8.41 trillion to N5.08 trillion. 

Equities market rebounds as investors gain N695bn 

industrial goods 

sector advanced the 

most, appreciating 

by15.5 percent, 

followed by the banking sector 

with 7.2 percent increase, 

while the oil and gas, 

insurance and the consumer 

goods sectors advanced by 4.9 

percent, two percent and 0.9 

percent respectively. 

Analysts opined that the 

rebound was occasioned by 

rebalancing in the oil market. 

According to analysts at 

United Capital Plc, a Lagosbased 

investment banking firm, 

“the recovery in share prices is 

driven by rebalancing in the oil 

market which has resulted in a 94 

percent rebound in oil prices from 

$18 per barrel to about $35 per 

barrel within a month and 

increasing indications that 

governments around the world will 

reopen their economies regardless 

of the anxiety around COVID-19.” 

COVID-19: Outgoing SEC boss allays 

fears of job losses 

By Peter Egwuatu 

The Securities and 

Exchange Commission, 

SEC, has allayed fears of job 

losses arising from increasing 

reliance on technology by 

market operators with the 

ongoing partial easing of 

lockdown. 

The outgoing Acting 

Director General of the 

Commission, Mary Uduk, 

reacting to the fears, said: 

“While the lockdown and its 

partial easing has had 

tremendous negative impact 

on Nigeria’s economy and 

lives of citizens, Nigerians 

have to remain resolute and 

explore opportunities 

available in the capital 

market. 

“We are leveraging 

technology to continue our 

activities. Initially, people were 

afraid that technology would 

have bad effects like loss of 

jobs, but right now it has 

become a saving grace. 

“So, most of us have put our 

Business Continuity Plans (BCP) 

in process. Staff are working, we 

are interacting with market 

operators who are also working, 

and our market is open.” 

Continuing, Uduk said: “We 

must continue to make the best 

we can of the situation. As a 

regulator, we have put measures 

in place to ensure our market 

does not shut down; trade is 

presently going on at the 

various exchanges that make up 

our market. The Nigerian Stock 

Exchange is continuing with 

trading, the FMDQ and all the 

Exchanges are actually 

continuing and everything is 

going well.” 

Wapic Insurance 

grows GWP by 9% 

By Rosemary Onuoha 

Wapic Insurance Plc has 

recorded a nine percent growth in 

Gross Written Premium, GWP, for 

the 2019 financial year at N15.2 

billion. 

This is against N13.9 billion 

recorded in 2018, according to its 

recently released 2019 financial 

results. 

Commenting on the results, 

Yinka Adekoya, Managing 

Director, Wapic Insurance Plc., 

said: “Wapic delivered a 

commendable performance in the 

financial year 2019 despite a 

sluggish macroeconomic and 

business landscape which didn’t 

pick up until the latter part of the 

year. With a combination of an 

intensified underwriting 

capacity expansion, and the 

focused execution of our business 

plans, the Group’s GWP for the 

period grew by nine percent yearon-year 

to close at N15.2 billion 

surpassing the average Nigerian 

insurance market growth rate. 

Positive improvements were 

recorded in the Group’s 

underwriting profit position for the 

period, which grew to N2.9bn, a 

commendable 37 percent yearon-year 

growth from the N2.1bn 

recorded in the preceding period 

of 2018. The Group also recorded 

a Profit before Tax of N23.4m from 

N187m and a Profit after Tax of 

N214m from N315m recorded in 

the previous year. Our total assets 

grew by 1.3% to N30.7bn from 

N30.4bn in 2018. Our 

shareholders’ funds stood at 

18.5bn for the period from 

N17.1bn in 2018.” 

Adekoya stated that year 2019 

was a challenging year for the 

company, adding: “We were only 

able to achieve marginal growth 

in our Gross Written Premium, 

however, we expect that the 

disciplined execution of our 

transformation projects and 

other growth strategies will begin 

to yield the desired results from 

2020. We will continue to 

deliver best-in-class customer 

experience offerings and the 

creation of sustainable value to all 

our stakeholders”. 

OIL PRICE WATCH: 

Bonny light price 

rises further 

By Ediri Ejoh 

THE price of Bonny 

Light, Nigeria’s 

premium oil grade, has 

increased further to $34.09 

from $33.25 recorded on 

Sunday in the international 

market, as coronivarus 

pandemic lockdown 

continues to ease in many 

consuming nations, 

including China and the 

United States. 

The new price is about 

$9.1 per barrel higher than 

the $25 per barrel price 

benchmark in the latest 

2020 budget. 

However, 

the 

Organisation of Petroleum 

Exporting Countries, OPEC, 

expect the market, which 

has been very volatile in 

recent times to witness 

much stability in the 

coming months because of 

its increased efforts in 

engaging with different 

nations, including China, 

accounting for about one 

third of oil demand growth.

NESG sees shortfall in 2020 projected FG 

revenue 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

DESPITE the cut in the 2020 

budget revenue projection by 

the Federal Government, on the 

backdrop of the fiscal headwinds 

following the impact of the 

Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic 

and falling oil prices, the Nigeria 

Economic Summit Group (NESG) 

has said that the revised revenue 

projection at N5.08 trillion may still 

not be met. 

NESG, a private sector led thinktank, 

in a report titled: “Sectoral 

Impact Assessment and Optimal 

Policy Response: COVID-19, Global 

Oil Price and the Nigerian 

Economy”, said that falling crude 

prices, in addition to weak export 

demand, would significantly put 

pressure on federal and state 

governments’ finances. 

Though it affirmed that the 

Nigeria’s economy has been fragile add pressure on Federal and State 

even before the outbreak of COVID- governments’ finances. This means 

19, it argued that the fiscal effect of that the revenue projections in the 

the fall in oil price would be enormous revised 2020 budget will be unmet, 

on the country with severe sectoral thereby constraining government’s 

implications. 

ability to meet its obligation such as 

It further stated that limited payment of salaries and financing 

economic activities arising from critical social and infrastructure 

lockdown of some states and projects in the year. 

restriction of movement would “Many states in Nigeria rely solely 

result in poor performance of nonoil 

revenue in 2020. 

Account Allocations Committee 

on allocations from the Federal 

The Report stated: “Nigeria, being (FAAC), which are predominantly 

a major dependent player in the oil 

market faces a dual challenge of 

dwindling windfall from oil and 

economic constriction as global 

lockdown continues on the back of By Nkiruka Nnorom 

COVID-19. While the fragility of the 

T 

economy persists, the oil market he Nigerian equities 

impacts the Nigerian economy market recorded a strong 

through its dominant contributions rebound last week following 

to export earnings, foreign exchange significant interest in the 

inflows, movement in external banking stocks and three 

reserves and government revenue. other highly capitalised 

“From a fiscal point of view, the stocks – Dangote Cement Plc, 

2020 budget of the federal MTN Communication Nigeria 

government was based on $57 per Plc and BUA Cement Plc - 

barrel benchmark, which was later leading to 5.6 percent returns 

revised to $25 per barrel. Falling to the investors, week-onweek. 

crude prices, in addition to weak 

export demand, would significantly The renewed interest also 

led to N695 billion gains to 

the investors after the 

market advanced in 

all the five trading 

103.70 -1.05 days of the week. 

Specifically, the 

2,382.00 42.00 Nigerian Stock 

Exchange, NSE, All 

10.99 0.01 Share Index (ASI) 

rose to25, 204.75 

points on the back of 

23.4 percent returns 

in BUA Cement Plc 

35.85 0.10 and five percent and 

4.5 percent increases 

33.61 0.12 in MTN and Dangote 

Cement Plc shares 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING respectively. 

Similarly, the 

US DOLLAR 360 360.5 361 market capitalization 

POUNDS 438.372 438.9809 439.5897 of all listed equities 

EURO 392.58 393.1253 393.6705 rose to N13.136 

FRANC 370.5228 371.0375 371.5521 trillion from N12.441 

YEN 3.3473 3.3519 3.3566 trillion in the previous 

CFA 0.492 0.502 0.512 week. 

WAUA 417.2838 417.8633 418.4429 Also, performance 

RENMINBI 50.4143 50.4848 50.5553 across all sectors was 

RIYAL 95.8211 95.9542 96.0873 positive. The 

RAND 20.3823 20.4106 20.4389 

CBN Exchange rate as at 25/05/2020 

From left: Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Central Securities Clearing System 

(CSCS) Plc, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri; Director, CSCS Plc, Mr. Eric Idiahi; Chairman, Board of 

Director, CSCS Plc, Oscar Onyema; and Company Secretary, CSCS Plc, Charles Ojo during the 

26th Annual General Meeting of CSCS Plc held by Proxy in Lagos. 

oil-dependent. Falling oil price 

means that many states will have 

difficulty in paying salaries of 

workers. This will have negative 

implications on aggregate demand 

and the performance of key sectors 

like construction, cement and 

manufacturing.” 

NESG also stated that shutdown 

of production facilities and 

lockdown of several states across 

the country would have negative 

implications on investment, 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26 , 2020 — 32 

Wapic Insurance 

grows GWP by 9% 

aggregate demand and overall 

economic growth, adding that the 

impact of the lockdown is expected to 

reflect on GDP growth figures for the 

first to second quarters of 2020. 

Recall that the government had in 

response to COVID-19 and falling oil 

prices slashed the 2020 budget to 

N10.29 trillion from the initial N10.59 

trillion, while the revenue projection 

was also reduced by N3.3 trillion from 

the initially approved amount of 

N8.41 trillion to N5.08 trillion. 

Equities market rebounds as investors gain N695bn 

industrial goods 

sector advanced the 

most, appreciating 

by15.5 percent, 

followed by the banking sector 

with 7.2 percent increase, 

while the oil and gas, 

insurance and the consumer 

goods sectors advanced by 4.9 

percent, two percent and 0.9 

percent respectively. 

Analysts opined that the 

rebound was occasioned by 

rebalancing in the oil market. 

According to analysts at 

United Capital Plc, a Lagosbased 

investment banking firm, 

“the recovery in share prices is 

driven by rebalancing in the oil 

market which has resulted in a 94 

percent rebound in oil prices from 

$18 per barrel to about $35 per 

barrel within a month and 

increasing indications that 

governments around the world will 

reopen their economies regardless 

of the anxiety around COVID-19.” 

COVID-19: Outgoing SEC boss allays 

fears of job losses 

By Peter Egwuatu 

The Securities and 

Exchange Commission, 

SEC, has allayed fears of job 

losses arising from increasing 

reliance on technology by 

market operators with the 

ongoing partial easing of 

lockdown. 

The outgoing Acting 

Director General of the 

Commission, Mary Uduk, 

reacting to the fears, said: 

“While the lockdown and its 

partial easing has had 

tremendous negative impact 

on Nigeria’s economy and 

lives of citizens, Nigerians 

have to remain resolute and 

explore opportunities 

available in the capital 

market. 

“We are leveraging 

technology to continue our 

activities. Initially, people were 

afraid that technology would 

have bad effects like loss of 

jobs, but right now it has 

become a saving grace. 

“So, most of us have put our 

Business Continuity Plans (BCP) 

in process. Staff are working, we 

are interacting with market 

operators who are also working, 

and our market is open.” 

Continuing, Uduk said: “We 

must continue to make the best 

we can of the situation. As a 

regulator, we have put measures 

in place to ensure our market 

does not shut down; trade is 

presently going on at the 

various exchanges that make up 

our market. The Nigerian Stock 

Exchange is continuing with 

trading, the FMDQ and all the 

Exchanges are actually 

continuing and everything is 

going well.” 

By Rosemary Onuoha 

Wapic Insurance Plc has 

recorded a nine percent growth in 

Gross Written Premium, GWP, for 

the 2019 financial year at N15.2 

billion. 

This is against N13.9 billion 

recorded in 2018, according to its 

recently released 2019 financial 

results. 

Commenting on the results, 

Yinka Adekoya, Managing 

Director, Wapic Insurance Plc., 

said: “Wapic delivered a 

commendable performance in the 

financial year 2019 despite a 

sluggish macroeconomic and 

business landscape which didn’t 

pick up until the latter part of the 

year. With a combination of an 

intensified underwriting 

capacity expansion, and the 

focused execution of our business 

plans, the Group’s GWP for the 

period grew by nine percent yearon-year 

to close at N15.2 billion 

surpassing the average Nigerian 

insurance market growth rate. 

Positive improvements were 

recorded in the Group’s 

underwriting profit position for the 

period, which grew to N2.9bn, a 

commendable 37 percent yearon-year 

growth from the N2.1bn 

recorded in the preceding period 

of 2018. The Group also recorded 

a Profit before Tax of N23.4m from 

N187m and a Profit after Tax of 

N214m from N315m recorded in 

the previous year. Our total assets 

grew by 1.3% to N30.7bn from 

N30.4bn in 2018. Our 

shareholders’ funds stood at 

18.5bn for the period from 

N17.1bn in 2018.” 

Adekoya stated that year 2019 

was a challenging year for the 

company, adding: “We were only 

able to achieve marginal growth 

in our Gross Written Premium, 

however, we expect that the 

disciplined execution of our 

transformation projects and 

other growth strategies will begin 

to yield the desired results from 

2020. We will continue to 

deliver best-in-class customer 

experience offerings and the 

creation of sustainable value to all 

our stakeholders”. 

OIL PRICE WATCH: 

Bonny light price 

rises further 

By Ediri Ejoh 

THE price of Bonny 

Light, Nigeria’s 

premium oil grade, has 

increased further to $34.09 

from $33.25 recorded on 

Sunday in the international 

market, as coronivarus 

pandemic lockdown 

continues to ease in many 

consuming nations, 

including China and the 

United States. 

The new price is about 

$9.1 per barrel higher than 

the $25 per barrel price 

benchmark in the latest 

2020 budget. 

However, 

the 

Organisation of Petroleum 

Exporting Countries, OPEC, 

expect the market, which 

has been very volatile in 

recent times to witness 

much stability in the 

coming months because of 

its increased efforts in 

engaging with different 

nations, including China, 

accounting for about one 

third of oil demand growth.


A 

renowned horticulture and 

landscape company, 

Omar Gardens has joined a 

growing list of multinational and 

local businesses investing in Alaro 

City, Lagos State’s new city in the 

Lekki Free Zone, by constructing 

its new office building in the 

sprawling city. 

From its new office in Alaro City, 

Omar Gardens will design and 

implement landscaping and open 

spaces throughout the master 

planned development. 

According to a statement from 

the developers and promoters of 

the expansive mixed use 

development, “Following 

January’s launch of the largest 

Omar Gardens boosts investors' list at Alaro City 

ready-to-eat therapeutic foods 

factory in Africa, built by Ariel 

Foods FZE, in Alaro City, more 

than 20 businesses have signed up 

to establish their presence in the 

new satellite city”. 

Mimi Ade-Odiachi, the 

Managing Director of Omar 

Gardens, said the company chose 

Alaro City for its expansion plans 

due to the unique nature of the 

mixed-use city and the pedigree 

of its developers. “We are in the 

business of creating 

environmentally friendly and 

aesthetically pleasing spaces, so 

Investors urged to take up housing 

financing opportunities in Africa 

By Kingsley Adegboye 

with Agency report 

Financing of affordable 

housing in Africa’s 

urban areas is one of the biggest 

opportunities for investors 

because of the explosive 

population and high demand, 

head of a pan African housing 

financier, Shelter Afrique, Mr. 

Andrew Chimphondah, has said. 

Chimphondah said in an 

interview recently that Africa is 

urbanizing at rates the region has 

never experienced before, thus 

making the delivery of quality 

affordable housing a mammoth 

challenge. 

According to the CEO of 

Shelter Afrique, “With African 

cities estimated to add over 

40,000 people every day, this has 

pushed the current housing 

deficits in Africa to more than 56 

million housing units”. 

In Sub-Saharan Africa, for 

instance, over 60 percent of the 

urban population are estimated 

to live in areas categorized as 

slums and informal settlements 

and therefore need improvement 

to better housing units, 

Chimphondah noted. 

Speaking in Nairobi, 

Chimphondah said it is 

important for governments and 

other related public and private 

stakeholders involved in 

affordable housing delivery and 

urban development to adopt 

more pragmatic, innovative and 

sustainable solutions to the 

related urbanization challenges 

facing the region. 

He said investors from across 

the world should take advantage 

of the shortage of financing in 

Africa to cover the gap and 

benefit from the high demand for 

affordable housing across the 

continent. 

“The lack of financial capacity 

of the African governments has 

resulted in an increasing deficit 

in affordable housing delivery in 

the region,” said the head of the 

agency with offices in Nairobi, 

Abuja in Nigeria and Abidjan in 

Cote d’Ivoire. 

Shelter Afrique, which is a 

partnership of 44 African 

governments, the African 

Development Bank (AfDB) and 

the Africa Reinsurance Company 

has delivered 17,562 housing 

units, worth cumulative loan 

approvals of 124.44 billion 

shillings (1.17 billion U.S. 

dollars) up to December 2019. 

The agency is using this period 

of COVID-19 pandemic to build 

and strengthen referral 

partnerships. 

•Affordable housing 

the mutual attraction between us 

and the well-designed Alaro City 

was inevitable. We are pleased to 

be entering this new phase of 

expansion as the awareness for 

the value of well-planned 

landscaping increases in Lagos 

and Nigeria”, she said. 

Odunayo Ojo, CEO of Alaro City, 

said: “We are happy to welcome 

the latest member of our business 

community, Omar Gardens, which 

joins a growing number of 

businesses looking to take 

advantage of the numerous 

benefits of building in a wellplanned 

city located in a free zone 

in one of the most strategic growth 

regions of the country. 

According to Ojo, Omar 

Gardens will also play a part in 

implementing the green spaces of 

the Alaro City masterplan, 

stressing that “From our 

exceptional rain garden drainage 

system that we adopted for our 

roads, to our cycling lanes, to the 

parks and open spaces included in 

our masterplan, to our general 

environmental management 

techniques, Alaro City is designed 

as a green city”. 

World FM Day: Makinde likens 

facilities mgt. to governance, makes 

case for science, data, logic 

Oyo State Governor, Seyi 

Makinde has likened the 

role of Facilities Management in 

creating and maintaining a 

sustainable environment, to 

governance. Makinde made this 

assertion during his keynote 

address at the 2020 edition of the 

Nigeria Facilities Management 

(FM) Roundtable. 

The Nigeria FM Roundtable is 

an annual thought leadership, 

business-to-business, and policy 

roundtable sponsored by Alpha 

Mead Facilities, the FM 

Subsidiary of the leading Total 

Real Estate Solutions Company, 

Alpha Mead Group, in 

commemoration of the World FM 

Day. 

Speaking on the theme of the 

event ”Managing the 

Environment in a Time of 

Pandemic: People, Places, and 

Technology”, Makinde who 

commended Alpha Mead for its 

leadership of the industry, and FM 

professionals, for their 

contributions to the health, safety 

and productivity of people during 

this period, noted that as with 

governance, people hardly 

commend facilities managers 

when things are going right, but 

immediately the ball drops, 

everyone remembers the facilities 

manager. 

He added that globally, 

technology is playing a critical role 

in helping to manage people and 

restructure the environment to 

effectively control and contain the 

spread of the COVID-19 pandemic 

and FM is playing a critical role 

behind the scene. 

Makinde noted: “I have 

repeatedly stated that in Oyo 

State, we will be following the 

dictates of science, data and logic 

in our fight against COVID-19. 

Science requires that we isolate 

infected people, logic dictates that 

we must consider our socioeconomic 

factors before deciding 

on our control and containment 

measures, and data will continue 

to help us improve on our 

environmental strategies for a 

prosperous state. If we do not take 

these things into consideration, 

our strategies will fail”, the 

governor warned. 

Speaking further on his 

comparison of governance and 

FM, Makinde said “one of the 

things people have complained 

about in our management of the 

COVID-19 pandemic, is the 

enforcement of directives. But we 

know that social distancing is not 

innate to people. So, rather than a 

hard stance, logic is guiding us to 

invest in sensitization and 

ensuring that people get the right 

incentives that will make them 

adhere to the guidelines”. 

Mr. Makinde further noted that 

his government has been having 

a running battle with space during 

the period, adding that rather than 

take up the various offers for 

existing spaces to be adopted as 

isolation centres, his government 

is taking a different approach with 

considerations for the longer term. 

“We are taking the difficult route 

of redesigning places to be able 

to handle both management and 

control of COVID-19 cases. This is 

an expensive and timeconsuming 

effort, but we remain 

committed to our promise to the 

people”, the governor said. 

Speaking earlier, Chairman of 

Alpha Mead Group, Mutiu 

Sunmonu, (CON), noted that 

although the global theme for the 

World FM Day is ‘Celebrating the 

Environment’, current realities 

have necessitated the need to 

contextualize the theme. 

Sunmonu said “I believe the 

theme we have chosen is very 

topical to help all stakeholders 

appreciate the fuller ramification 

of FM as not just a profession that 

manages buildings, but a 

business function that manages 

the environment for business 

sustainability and people 

productivity”. 

Femi Akintunde, Group 

Managing Director of Alpha 

Mead in his opening address 

explained that the essence of this 

year’s roundtable is to ensure that 

the voices of FM professionals are 

heard, and the profession plays a 

significant role in Africa’s recovery 

agenda. 

“As a leader in the industry, we 

appreciate that our position comes 

with a lot of responsibilities. This 

includes showcasing the successes 

of FM in our clime, creating a 

platform to raise the standards of 

our profession, and positioning 

FM as one of the key players in 

Africa’s economic growth 

agenda”. 

Launched in January 2019, Alaro 

City is planned as a 2,000-hectare 

mixed-income, city-scale 

development with industrial and 

logistics locations, complemented 

by offices, homes, schools, 

healthcare facilities, hotels, 

entertainment and 150 hectares 

(370 acres) of parks and open 

spaces. A partnership between 

Rendeavour, Africa’s largest new 

city builder, and Lagos State 

Government, Alaro City has been 

widely hailed as the next evolution 

of Lagos. More than 20 companies 

are currently designing or building 

their facilities in the city; and 

3.5km of initial road networks and 

a modular 50MVA power plant are 

under construction. 

Children of late businessman 

seeks to recover father's 152 

plots of land from Ojomu family 

By Onozure Dania 

The children of a late businessman, 

Alhaji Afisu Ologolo of Eti- 

Osa Local Government Area LGA, 

are seeking to recover 10.191 

hectares of land (152 plots) in Ajiran, 

Agungi Lekki, from the Ojomu 

chieftaincy family of Ajiran. 

They said their father bought the 

property for N6,000 from the Ojomu 

family on August 16, 1977, 

adding that upon their father's 

death in the United Kingdom on 

December 21, 1990, the Ojomu 

family they alleged, partitioned the 

land into 152 plots and sold same to 

different buyers. 

They told Vanguard through their 

lawyer, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwu, that 

the late Ologolo died at 44, without 

his wives or nine children, who were 

still kids, having knowledge of the 

property, at the time. 

According to Chukwu, the Ojomu 

family knew the late Ologolo's family 

was unaware of his ownership of the 

property and took advantage of this 

to unlawfully sell it off. 

“But in 2016, Ologolo's family 

found in their father's belongings, 

documents, including a Deed of 

Conveyance (with accompanying 

Survey Plan Number WYF 25 dated 

August 16, 1977) registered as 85/ 

85/1658 and dated August 29, 1977 

in the Lagos land registry. 

The documents, sighted by 

Vanguard showed that Ologolo 

owned and exercised exclusive 

possession and occupation of the 

entire 10.191 hectares - which was 

originally farmland - until his death. 

"The late Mr. Afisu Tolani 

Muritala Ologolo, never divested 

himself of the ownership of the 

property or any part thereof neither 

did he authorise anyone to do same 

on his behalf. 

"Upon the demise of Mr. Afisu 

Ologolo and seeing that his children 

were too young and also unaware 

of their father's ownership of the 

property, some persons without 

lawful authority of our clients 

encroached on, appropriated and 

sold off the property. 

"We are duly informed by our 

clients that the Ojomu Chieftaincy 

Family carried out the unlawful and 

illegal sale of the property. 

"In the light of the above, we have 

instructions of our clients to pursue 

criminal prosecution of all persons 

involved in this unlawful and illegal 

action and also seek redress in the 

court of law," Chukwu said in a letter 

dated March 4, 2020 to the Oba of 

Ojomu, Tijani Adetunji Akinloye. 

A similar letter was also sent on 

March 4, 2020 to the Balogun of 

Ajiran, Yekini Olawale Bakare”, 

Chukwu said. 

Reacting to the Ologolo's family's 

claims, Oba Akinloye said, " I don't 

have anything to say about the 

property as I am not directly 

involved". 

Also reacting to the allegation, 

Bakare, said " If there is anything or 

clarification you want to make 

about the Ojomu family, go to the 

Kabiyesi " (Oba). 

Meanwhile some of the owner/ 

occupiers of the 152 plots allegedly 

forming part of the Estate of the late 

Ologolo, denied being in unlawful 

possession of the property in 

question. 

Responding to a demand for 

immediate vacation of the portion 

of land, Mr Rotimi Oderinde, 

expressed surprise at the claim. 

His lawyer, Uche Okoli, who spoke 

on his behalf on March 12, 2020, in 

letter, said: "Our client was 

extremely surprised to see the letter 

under reference pasted on the wall 

of his property on March 5, 

2020...our client is the beneficial 

owner of the property on which the 

letter was wrongfully pasted and 

duly acquired his title from 

renowned and very credible 

conveyors/assignor." 

Others, including Nduka Ebele 

Henrietta and Robert Nebolisa (for 

his landlady Mrs F. Osih), said they 

lawfully acquired their plots and 

were in lawful possession of their 

locations of the property.


COVID-19: Why Nigeria is discharging 

patients after 1 negative test 

...As medical lab scientist says initial protocol was faulty 

By Chioma Obinna 

INDICATIONS have 

emerged that the 

modification of the 

discharge protocol for 

COVID-19 patients who 

were admitted in isolation 

centres across the country 

may not be unconnected 

with a shortage of bed 

space as well as reagents 

for laboratory testing. 

Last week, the Director- 

General of the NCDC, Dr. 

Chikwe Ihekweazu, had 

stated in Abuja during one 

of the daily briefings of the 

Presidential Task Force, 

PTF, on COVID-19 that 

COVID-19 patients were 

being discharged earlier 

than usual. 

In his brief, Ihekweazu 

announced that the 

Agency had switched to 

discharging patients who 

test negative once as 

against the previous 

mandatory requirement of 

testing negative twice 

before discharge. 

He said the decision was 

to enable decongestion of 

some isolation centres. 


discharge criteria was 

changed from two tests 24 

to 48 hours apart to a 

single negative test, 

claiming that the reason 

was that, most of the cases 

that tested negative also 

tested negative for the 

second time. For him, 

there would be some 

exceptions. 

But he also said: Given 

the pressure, we have on 

bed spaces especially in 

Lagos, Kano, and the FCT, 

we made a pragmatic 

decision to move to one 

negative test sufficient to 

discharge people. 

Ihekweazu further 

claimed that new 

evidence shows that it is 

safe to discharge 

recovering COVID-19 

patients even when the 

results are still positive. 

According to him, new 

evidence is emerging that 

even when the test is still 

positive after that patient 

has been in care for a 

certain amount of time; it 

is possible and safe to 

discharge that patient to 

home isolation. 

However, Good Health 

Weekly, gathered that 

Nigeria is being forced to 

make these changes due 

to shortage of reagents and 

bed spaces. For instance, 

in Lagos, despite the state 

having a good number of 

bed spaces, increasing 

number of cases is 

Room Gbagada Hospital isolation centre 

gradually forcing the 

introduction of home 

management, according to 

the state Commissioner for 

Health, Prof Akin 

Abayomi. 

Nigeria currently has 

about 3,500-bed spaces 

identified in isolation 

centres. In Lagos, there 

are eight isolation centres 

with 547-bed spaces. 

Already, the state is 

struggling with bed 

spaces. 

At the Gbagada 

Hospital, there are 118 

beds; LUTH, 60; the 

Infectious Hospital Yaba, 

115; Onikan Stadium 

centre, 100; Landmark 

centre,70; Lekki centre, 

45; Agidingbi centre, 34, 

and the First Cardiology 

Hospital has 5 where 

critically ill persons are 

treated. 

However, with a total of 

3,505 confirmed cases and 

only 738 discharged in 

Lagos state, health 

watchers fear that the 

health system may have 

been overwhelmed. They 

also worry that the 

consideration of homecare 

may cause more harm than 

good. Good Health 

Weekly, also report that 

states like Kano and the 

FCT are also struggling 

with bed space due to 

increasing positive cases 

New 

evidence 

shows that it 

is safe to 

discharge 

recovering 

COVID-19 

patients even 

when the 

results are 

still positive 

in the areas. 

The President of the 

Nigerian Medical 

Association, NMA, Dr 

Francis Faduyile, said 

Nigeria should be wary of 

adopting the WHO 

homecare management 

strategy as the country was 

already challenged in the 

area of housing. 

The housing facilities in 

Nigeria make it almost 

impossible for someone to 

stay all alone in a house or 

in a room and this may 

affect home management, 

but it is left for the 

government to find the best 

way because certainly, it 

may be difficult to treat all 

the cases in an isolation 

centre due to paucity of bed 

spaces especially when 

many of them presented 

with mild or moderate 

symptoms. 

Discharge criteria 

Further investigation by 

Good Health Weekly 

revealed that another 

constraint is laboratory 

materials like the reagents. 

Recently, the Lagos State 

Commissioner for Health, 

Prof Akin Abayomi 

disclosed that a COVID- 

19 test cost N40, 000 - 

N50, 000, and with the 

state government 

spending over N8 million 

on tests, the decision to 

limit the discharge criteria 

to one negative test may 

not be far-fetched. 

A medical laboratory 

expert, Dr Casmier 

Ifeanyi faulted the process 

of testing for COVID-19 in 

Nigeria. According to 

him, Nigeria failed 

abinitio from on discharge 

criteria. 

Ifeanyi said for a country 

utilising the gold standard 

which is the real-time 

quantitative PCR, there 

was no need wasting the 

country's resources on 

double testing before 

discharge. 

He said Nigeria failed 

to allow Nigerian 

laboratory scientists to take 

over from start but rather 

allowed non-laboratory 

scientists to drive the entire 

process. 

Many people who by 

virtue of training should 

not perform testing on 

humans took over, tests, 

interpret the outcome of 

such results as it applies 

to patient admittance, 

patient management, and 

patient treatment and 

eventual discharge. 

When they were doing 

serial testing to determine 

positive and they were 

doing serial testing to 

determine discharge, they 

were wasting human 

resources, wasting exotic 

materials that are hard to 

come by the course of this 

pandemic. 

“What we have adopted 

to use in Nigeria ever 

since the outbreak started 

and we commence 

intervention and testing of 

COVID in Nigeria, is the 

gold standard. If you are 

using the gold standard it 

means, it is not it and it is 

not like it. With real-time 

quantitative PCR which is 

the gold standard because 

you have taken the testing 

to see into the DNA of the 

causative agents. You are 

detecting the DNA of the 

causative agents. So it is 

either the organism or the 

agent is there or it is not it 

at all.” 

He said Nigeria is 

reviewing the criteria 

because the wrong 

persons have been giving 

an interpretation to the 

results and even to 

discharge patient. Ifeanyi 

regretted that because the 

NCDC was becoming 

resource-constrained and 

they are falling back in 

using one test to discharge 

patients. “In the first 

place, the double testing 

was a waste of resources, 

they would have deployed 

the same to do more testing 

to identify more members 

of the community. 

Calm Global promotes telemedicine to reduce hospital waiting time 

THE Calm Global 

Information 

Technologies Limited, 

Lagos, has urged 

Nigerians to embrace the 

use of technology in health, 

education and business 

environment to reduce 

waiting time, particularly in 

hospitals. 

Speaking during the 

media unveiling of the app 

solutions-Contentverse, 

Wissen,and KokoMD 

applications in Lagos, the 

Managing Director of 

Calm Global, Mr Gideon 

Iranloye, said in the light 

of the coronavirus 

pandemic, the company 

has reached over 7000 

people through the one of 

its solution applications, 

KokoMD . 

Iranloye said the apps 

could help organisations, 

government and 

individuals in strategic 

health, education and 

business planning. 

"For KokoMD, an 

electronic management 

system which includes 

telemedicine, for instance, 

if your personal physician 

is in Enugu and you are in 

Lagos, it will be difficult to 

meet physically during the 

inter-state travel 

restrictions. With the 

application, telemedicine 

is capable of reducing the 

waiting time in our 

hospitals. When people go 

to the hospital, the 

conventional system is that 

people will queue, but 

what is available in 

KokoMD telemedicine app 

is that patients and doctors 

can preschedule an 

appointment without 

meeting physically." 

He added that health 

m a n a g e m e n t 

organisations could also be 

linked to the telemedicine 

app to take the burden of 

out-of-pocket payment 

away from patients. 

"HMOs can also be 

linked to the KokoMD app 

which will ensure that the 

there is real exchange 

between both parties. The 

hospitals do no need to 

start calling the HMOs 

about the payment of 

hospital bills for patients as 

all information needed is 

already on the system. 

"KokoMD telemedicine 

app is about strong health, 

it is an electronic health 

management system 

which includes 

telemedicine so people 

can consult doctors virtually 

from their homes, offices. 

The consultation can be 

done by video, voice and 

chat. 

"Rather than carrying 

your physical records 

around, everything is done 

within the system such that 

from the time a patient 

walks into the hospital to 

the time the patient is 

admitted or discharged, the 

health information is kept 

within the system. We try 

to bridge gaps between 

healthcare providers and 

patients. “ 

He explained that their 

solutions are well secured 

and available on Android 

store, Ios operating system 

and could also be accessed 

through the web. 

Stating that the company 

was already talking to state 

governments, individuals 

and organisations, he said 

the solution was fully 

compliant with the World 

Health Organisation, 

WHO, International 

Classification of Diseases 

and preloaded with all the 

diseases that are in the 

world today including 

coronavirus.

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 


NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

PROTEST—Chairman, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and 

Midwives, Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) chapter, Mercy Lenka 

(M) amd other members of the association, during a protest against COVID- 

19 guidelines in its isolation centre, in Jos, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 

We'll jail parents who enrol children 

into Almajiri system — El-Rufai 

•Says Almajirai 'll be enrolled in schools 

•Adds, they may be future of Northern Nigeria 

•ACF, Arewa Youths, Junaid Mohammed back el-Rufai 

•Go back to Jonathan's template, say Northern Youth’ groups 

By Luminous 

Jannamike, Bashir 

Bello & Ibrahim 

Hassan Wuyo 

KADUNA — Governor 

El-Rufa’i of Kaduna 

State, yesterday, warned 

that parents who enrolled 

their children into the 

Almajiri education system 

stood the risk of prosecution 

and up to two years jail. 

El-Rufa'i stated this in 

Kaduna when he visited 

some 200 Almajiri children 

repatriated from Nasarawa 

State and undergoing 

rehabilitation and optical 

screening at Government 

College, Kurmin Mashi, 

Kaduna. 

Almajiri are children 

enrolled to be taught 

Islamic knowledge under 

Islamic clerics, but who 

loiter on the streets with 

bowls begging for alms and 

food. 

The governor also said 

any Islamic cleric who 

enrols any child into the 

Almajiri system would also 

be prosecuted and jailed as 

well as fined N100,000 or 

N200,000 per child. 

He said all the pupils 

repatriated from other 

states of the country were 

indigenes of the state, 

adding that the 

government would give 

them all the opportunity 

they deserved to grow and 

develop. 

El-Rufai expressed 

satisfaction with the 

ongoing transformation of 

the pupils from 

hopelessness to hope and 

confidence. 


state has a responsibility to 

do whatever it can to give 

them hope and a better 

future. 

“We will, therefore, 

continue to take delivery of 

every Almajiri pupil 

indigenous to Kaduna state 

for rehabilitation, treatment 

and enrollment into formal 

school nearest to where 

their parents live. 

“We will continue to do 

this until we clear Kaduna 

state of the menace of 

Almajiri system, which is 

not education but the abuse 

of the privilege and future 

of a child. 

“Our ultimate goal is for 

them to acquire formal 

education without 

depriving them of the 

opportunity to acquire 

Quranic education. 

“They will continue their 

Quranic education but 

under the care of their 

parents and not under 

someone who does not 

know them or paid to look 

after them. 

”Meanwhile, all the 218 

Almajirai who were 

recently repatriated to 

Kaduna State would be 

compulsorily enrolled in 

primary schools, Governor 

Nasiru Almad El-Rufa’i of 

Kaduna State has said. 

He said yesterday that 

the former child urchins 

were being restored full 

human rights, dignity and 

hope as children. 

“Every child in Kaduna 

has equal opportunity and 

access to 12 years of free 

and compulsory education 

in our public schools,” he 

said. 

This is even as the pan- 

Northern socio-cultural 

organization, Arewa 

Consultative Forum, ACF, 

and Second Republic 

lawmaker, Dr. Junaid 

Mohammed, threw their 

weights behind the 

governor, insisting that they 

would support any policy 

that would rehabilitate the 

Almajirai for good. 

However, the Joint 

Association of Northern 

Youth Groups said unless 

Northern governors revived 

the programme former 

President Goodluck 

Jonathan put in place for 

the Almajiri children, the 

desired objective might nit 

be achieved. 

Governor El-Rufa’i said on 

his Facebook page that he 

was “pleased to see our 

Almajiri children, the batch 

of 218 from Kano, 

Nassarawa, Plateau & 

Gombe States looking well 

& free of COVID-19.” 

“With the support of 

@UNICEF_Nigeria, AMA 

Foundation, other NGOs & 

philanthropists, they are 

being restored full human 

rights, dignity & hope as 

children! Every child in 

Kaduna has equal 

opportunity and access to 

12 years of free and 

compulsory education in 

our public schools.” 

The governor disclosed 

that the next step was for 

the Commissioner of 

Human Services and Social 

Development, Mrs Hafsat 

Baba, and her team to 

return the Almajirai to their 

parents in collaboration 

with local government 

chairmen and traditional 

rulers. 

“All the children are to be 

compulsorily enrolled in 

the primary school nearest 

to them so they have 

modern education and life 

skills in the morning, and 

continue their Quranic or 

Islamic education in the 

afternoon and over the 

weekend. 

“That is how many of us 

got our education. That is 

what the Northern States’ 

Governors’ Forum decided. 

These children may be the 

future of Northern Nigeria,” 

he said. 

Wonderful idea 

— ACF 

Reacting to El-Rufa’i’s 

statement on the Almajiri 

children, the National 

Publicity Secretary of 

Arewa Consultative Forum, 

ACF, Emmanuel Yawe, 

said: “It’s a wonderful idea; 

any policy that will turn the 

Almajirai into useful 

citizens the ACF will 

support it.” 

It could be recalled that 

the ACF had earlier 

declared support for the 

Northern Governors on 

Almajirai repatriation. 

ACF spokesman had 

said: “The decision to 

repatriate Almajirai to their 

states was taken by the 

Northern Governors Forum 

and we have no quarrel 

with that because we don’t 

believe in the almajiri 

system. 

“It’s a retrogressive 

system. We don’t believe in 

it at all. It’s against the 

human development of the 

North and the development 

of the country. So, the ACF 

is against the almajiri 

system. 

“So, the decision of the 

governors to take them to 

their states of origin and 

the state to find their 

families, we totally agree 

with it. This is because if 

somebody has given birth 

to a child, he should be in 

a position to look after that 

child and not throw the 

child onto the streets. 

“We support that decision. 

But the only problem is with 

the implementation. The 

implementation is very 

clumsy and the governors 

should sit up and 

implement in a proper 

way.” 

I support el- 

Rufai, says 

J u n a 

Mohammed 

i d 

Also reacting yesterday, 

Second Republic 

lawmaker, Dr. Junaid 

Mohammed, said he was 

throwing his full weight 

behind Governor el-Rufai. 

Dr. Junaid Mohammed in 

a phone interview with 

Vanguard, said the 

governor should be 

encouraged for doing the 

right thing. 

“I support it because 

clearly the issue has 

become a nuisance. As far 

as I’m concerned, whoever 

wants to send children to 

school should be 

encouraged. 

“This is so because 

refusing to send the 

children to school or have 

education is like an abuse 

on those children. So I 

support it; I endorse what 

he plans to do,” he said. 

Arewa Youths 

express support 

The Arewa Youths 

Consultative Forum, AYCF, 

also backed the governor 

on his mission. 

Speaking in a telephone 

chat with Vanguard in 

Abuja, President of AYCF, 

Alhaji Yerima Shettima, 

urged other Northern 

governors to follow the 

footsteps of Governor Elrufai 

in this regard. 

He said: “We’re excited 

with the news because the 

Almajirai is not different 

from any other Nigerian 

child. So, Governor El- 

Rufai’s move is a welcome 

development to us. 

“However, it is a shame 

some people still do not 

believe the Almajirai 

should be fully integrated 

into the society so that they 

can become meaningful 

members. 

“The Almajiri is a child 

with the basic rights to 

education. The Child 

Rights Act does not exist 

only for privileged children. 

The Almajiri boy may, 

indeed, hold the key to the 

future of this nation if 

properly educated. 

“So, we urge other 

governors to do replicate in 

their respective state what 

Gov. El-rufai plans to do for 

the Almajiris in Kaduna.” 

‘Go back to 

Jonathan’s 

almajiri 

template’ 

But Murtala Abubakar, 

Convener of the Joint 

Action Committee of 

Northern Youth 

Associations, said the 

Oshiomhole,Obaseki's 

men in fresh tussle over 

primaries 

Continues from Page 5 

any of them wants to 

contest any position they 

have to follow the party’s 

procedure because the 

party has a constitution. 

“There is no automatic 

ticket for anybody no 

matter who you are or 

where you are coming 

from; you must follow the 

party procedures.” 

Chief Ogidi, who was in 

Edo State to meet newly 

elected state executive 

members of the party, 

however appealed to the 

President Buhari to sign 

the electoral law as 

amended by the National 

Assembly to avoid what 

happened in Bayelsa and 

Kogi states elections that 

were characterized by 

violence, ballotsnatching, 

rigging and 

bloodletting. 

He appealed to the Edo 

State executive to ensure 

that they reconcile all 

aggrieved members so as 

to work together as a team 

to win the September 

governorship election. 

Also speaking with 

journalists at the end of 

the meeting, Edo State 

chairman of the party Dr. 

Tony Aziegbemi said the 

party is poised to reconcile 

all aggrieved members, 

saying, “we can only win 

the state governorship 

election if we come 

together as one.” 

“We have resolved to 

reconcile with everybody 

and we have reached out 

to those who contested 

with us and are 

aggrieved. We will do our 

best to get the party back 

to Osadebey Avenue and 

this is what we promised 

our people.” 

governor’s statement 

should be viewed with 

caution. 

“The governor is known 

for making promises 

regarding the education of 

children of the masses in 

the past just to make 

headlines. The problem 

militating against the 

almajiri system of 

education is lack of political 

will and consensus among 

the critical stakeholders. 

“What the governor is 

advocating is not going to 

work; the system needs 

reforms not abolition. 

Therefore, what the 

Northern governors need is 

to replicate President 

Goodluck Jonathan’s 

template and make 

improvement where 

necessary. 

“Deportations of these 

children by one governor to 

another is not only counterproductive 

but also 

dehumanizing as it stands 

condemned.” 

We don’t want 

bloodshed in Edo 

primaries, says Chief 

Imam 

However, Chief Imam of 

Benin Central Mosque, 

Alhaji Abdufatah 

Enabulele, has said that 

Edo people do not want 

bloodshed during next 

month’s political parties’ 

primaries in the state, 

especially the APC. 

The Edo APC 

governorship primaries 

will be held on June 22, 

while that of Ondo State 

is July 20. 

Enabulele told NAN: 

“The Edo and Ondo 

elections are almost 

coming up at the same 

time, hence there is 

political tension in both 

states now due to their 

political differences. 

“We are appealing that 

they should understand 

that it is God that gives 

power, which as 

Muslims, we put them in 

prayers during the 

Ramadan. 

“President Buhari also 

has a big role to play in 

this regard. He is the 

Commander-in-Chief of 

the Armed Forces and he 

is the most senior leader 

of the APC. 

“The president must not 

be silent, he should use 

his powers and authority 

to ensure that there is 

equity and fair play 

during the primaries of 

these two states. 

“Buhari should be able 

to call all the parties 

involved to order so that 

there will be peace and 

tranquility in Edo and 

Ondo states. For us in 

Edo, we have been 

enjoying peace and we 

want to continue in this 

regard.”


WATER FOR 

LIFE: Some 

officials from the 

Northeast Zonal 

Office of National 

Emergency 

Management 

Agency, NEMA, 

providing drinking 

water for Internally 

Displaced Persons, 

IDPs, at Muna 

Albadawy IDPs 

camp in Borno, 

yesterday. Photo: 

NAN. 

UBA Africa Day Conversations: Global leaders 

advocate speedy implementation of AFCTA 

By Babajide 

Komolafe 

L AGOS—GLOBAL 

leaders at the 

second edition of United 

Bank for Africa UBA, 

African 

Day 

Conversations have 

advocated the speedy 

implementation of the 

African Continental Free 

Trade Area, AfCFTA, 

while emphasizing the 

need for meaningful 

collaborations between 

governments and the 

private sector as a 

panacea for the quick 

recovery of the economy 

of the African continent 

post Covid-19. 

The leaders which 

included the President 

of Liberia, H.E George 

Weah; United States 

Senator, Chris Coons; 

the President and 

Chairman of the Board 

of Directors of the 

African Export–Import 

Bank, AFREXIMBANK, 

Professor Benedict Okey 

Oramah; President, 

International Committee 

of the Red Cross, ICRC, 

Peter Maurer; 

President spoke on 

Monday at the virtual 

Leadership Panel which 

was moderated by the 

Chairman, UBA Plc, 

Tony Elumelu. 

Other leading voices 

who made up the panel 

were the Founder, 

Africa CEO Forum, Amir 

Ben Yahmed; the 

Secretary-General of the 

African Caribbean and 

Pacific Group of States, 

ACP, H.E George 

Chikoti; Administrator, 

United Nations 

Development 

Programme, UNDP, 

Achim Steiner and 

Donald Kaberuka. 

While moderating, 

Elumelu, who is also the 

Founder of the Tony 

Elumelu Foundation, 

spoke on the need to 

mobilise everyone and 

explained the necessity to 

discover a more 

fundamental solution to 

Africa’s challenges through 

collaborative efforts. 

Time to deal 

with the situation 

“This is the time for us to 

deal with the situation we 

have and also forge a better 

situation for everyone, 

acting again collectively. 

“This is not the time for 

finger pointing but for 

collaborative effort by 

governments and 

organizations to fight the 

pandemic globally,” he 

said. 

Continuing, Elumelu 

pointed out that all hands 

must be on deck if the 

African continent is to have 

a quick recovery from the 

pandemic, adding “there is 

need to flatten the curve, 

we need global cooperation 

to stem global 

depression. Africa requires 

a large stimulus package, 

and we need long-term 

solutions to prevent a cycle 

of debt.” 

In his submission, the 

Liberian President, George 

Weah, established how 

collaborations worked in 

his government in an 

Africa Day 2020: We should silence 

guns to achieve peace —Buhari 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

A 

B U J A — 

PRESIDENT 

Muhammadu Buhari 

has urged citizens of 

Africa to innovate on 

how to silence the guns 

in order to achieve peace 

and grow African 

economies. 

In a message to 

African leaders to mark 

the ‘’Africa Day 2020,’’ 

commemorated by the 

African Union 

Commission, in 

collaboration with the 

World Health 

Organization, WHO, 

President Buhari called 

for peace on the 

continent as a 

prerequisite for 

s u s t a i n a b l e 

development. 

attempt to stem the 

sufferings brought about 

by the coronavirus 

pandemic. 

“In Liberia we have taken 

measures to ease the 

financial burden on 

vulnerable businesses in 

the informal sector by 

providing small loan 

assistance to SMEs and 

traders. In addition, we are 

working with commercial 

banks to manage the 

repayment of loans as well 

as to create stimulus 

packages for citizens.” 

On his part, Senator 

Chris Coons, said: “It is 

important to take a 

moment to look at how 

African leaders have 

reacted to the pandemic. In 

order for us to recover from 

this pandemic, we must 

develop a vaccine that is 

free and affordable and 

freely distributed so that full 

economic activities can 

return. There are ways we 

can invest in debt relief, 

invest in infrastructure and 

human development. This 

is no time to be looking 

backwards. We recognise 

He said Africa had 

given the world a new 

hope by choosing the 

theme: ‘’Silencing the 

Guns in the context of 

the COVID-19'’ for this 

year’s Africa Day. 

The President in a 

statement issued by his 

Senior Special Assistant 

on Media and Publicity, 

Mallam Garba Shehu, 

in Abuja last night, 

stressed the need for 

African leaders to 

ensure that every effort 

was made to ensure the 

success of silencing the 

guns on the continent, 

emphasizing the need to 

sensitize Africans about 

the inseparable 

connection between 

peace and development. 

‘’Peace, security, unity 

and harmony are 

prerequisites for 

the power of collective 

collaboration on the 

continent. 

While pointing out that the 

pandemic presents an 

opportunity for Africa to be 

independent and promote 

its growth and development 

as a people without external 

help, Prof. Benedict Okey 

Oramah, on his part, said 

COVID-19 has taught Africa 

that there comes a time when 

every group of people will 

fend for themselves. 

Swift 

implementation of 

the AfCFTA 

He called for the swift 

implementation of the 

African Continental Free 

Trade Area, AfCFTA, 

agreement, adding, “the 

priority of governments 

should be to make sure that 

the AfCFTA gets 

implemented without delay. 

If there was any doubt about 

the importance of that 

agreement, this pandemic 

has told us that this is the 

way to go. 

development in Africa,” 

urging citizens all over 

the continent to innovate 

on how ‘’Silencing the 

Guns” can be used to 

achieve peace and grow 

African economies. 

He also tasked regional 

economic groups, civil 

society organisations and 

the private sector in Africa 

to take full ownership of 

the theme of this year’s 

celebration to strengthen 

collaborative efforts 

among member-countries 

of the African Union. 

Africa Day is observed 

annually on May 25, to 

commemorate the founding 

of the Organization of 

African Unity, OAU, the 

precursor of the African 

Union, which was created 

on May 25, 1963 in Addis 

Ababa, Ethiopia. 

Lufthansa,German 

government agree on $9.8bn 

rescue package 

The German government and the management 

of flagship carrier Lufthansa, which has been 

hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, have 

reached a preliminary deal on a 9 billion euro ($9.8 

billion) bailout, two people close to the matter 

said. 

The agreement is still pending approval by the 

German coronavirus rescue fund’s steering 

committee, which is expected to meet yesterday, 

as well as Lufthansa’s boards and the EU 

commission. Lufthansa declined to comment. 

The German economy ministry said negotiations 

were in their last phase but has not yet formally 

concluded. 

Shares in the company were up 6.2percent at 8.56 

euros by 1230 GMT. 

The carrier said last week it was in advanced talks 

on a deal that would involve the government taking 

two seats on its supervisory board, but only 

exercising full voting rights in exceptional 

circumstances, such as to protect the firm against 

a takeover. 

EU must present united front 

to shield pandemic-hit banks, 

regulator 

European countries need to join forces to shield their banks 

from the coronavirus outbreak, one of the bloc’s top 

regulators yesterday said potentially using a 500 billion euro 

($545 billion) EU recovery fund to do so. 

The remarks from Jose Manuel Campa, who leads the European 

Banking Authority (EBA), will rekindle a divisive debate about 

whether rich countries such as Germany should support banks 

of poorer neighbours such as Italy. 

Campa made his comments days after German Chancellor 

Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron 

proposed an EU recovery fund to help the bloc’s worst-hit 

members to rebuild their economies after the coronavirus 

outbreak. 

“It would make sense to have a European approach to support 

banks,” Campa told Reuters. 

“That could be in the form of a TARP-style precautionary 

recapitalization. Here, the EU recovery fund could play a role,” 

he said, suggesting that assistance could be aimed at banks 

that were fundamentally robust but hit by the coronavirus crisis. 

Forex: ABCON warns operators 

of heavy losses over speculation 

The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of 

Nigeria (ABCON) has warned operators and forex 

speculators putting pressure on the naira exchange rate 

to stop such activities or risk losing their money. 

ABCON President, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe who 

disclosed this yesterday in Lagos said the Central Bank 

of Nigeria (CBN)-licenced Bureaux De Change (BDCs) 

will soon start full operations as the apex bank will soon 

reopen dollar sales to operators. 

According to Gwadabe, with the CBN’s planned lifting 

of moratorium on dollar sales to BDCs, reopening of the 

airports for air travels, global ease on restriction of 

movement are positive indications that dollar flows to 

the economy will soon improve. 

He said: “The return of over 5,000 BDCs to the forex 

market will add great strength to the Naira and lead to 

major capital losses for forex speculators. It happened 

in 2016 and will happen again in 2020. The return of the 

BDCs will immediately boost Naira recovery and put 

the enemies of the economy to shame. We are committed 

to the CBN’s exchange rate stability and will take all 

necessary steps within set rules and regulations to keep 

the naira stable.” 

Gwadabe said the return of BDCs to the forex market 

will help chase away speculators, curb rising inflation, 

boost productivity and employment, enhance price 

discovery, enhance market transparency and 

competitiveness. 

Oil prices rises, as Bonny light peaks 

above $30 per barrel 

GLOBAL oil prices in the International market, yesterday 

continues to surge high, as Nigeria’s premium grade, 

Bonny Light traded at $33.93 barrel per barrel. 

Similarly, the Brent crude traded at $35.85 per barrel against 

$35.66 recorded on Friday. The American WTI is selling for 

$34.04 as against $33.68 per barrel recorded at the close of 

the market Friday. 

Meanwhile, concerns over rising tensions between the United 

States and China over Beijing’s plans to impose security laws 

on Hong Kong and the possibility of sanctions from 

Washington. 

Some strories from Reuters.

Overhauling our healthcare system: An Open 

Letter to Mr. President 

BY GBOLAHAN DIYAOLU 

FIRST and foremost, I congratu 

late you for the decisive action on 

the closure of the country on time. For 

the tremendous efforts by the authorities 

to trace, isolate and quarantine the first 

carrier of COVID-19 to Nigeria. Very 

few people understood the urgency at 

hand. Look no further than the once great 

United States of America, where confederacy 

of dunces are in charge, and science 

is discarded. The consequences of 

inaction speak volumes. 

Furthermore, kudos to the continuous 

efforts to keep us safe in the face of economic 

challenges that loom while we 

navigate our way out of this pandemic. 

The job is not done, Mr. President. Your 

leadership is paramount in leading us 

out of this pandemic and setting Nigeria 

on a path that will dwarf the great Marshall 

Plan. We are relatively a young republic, 

on the verge of becoming a developing 

country with great untapped potentials. 

To remove potentials from our 

situation, the time is now. 

It was Albert Einstein who defined insanity 

as doing the same thing over and 

over again and expecting different result. 

As the saying goes, the chicken has come 

home to roost. COVID-19 infection has 

exposed the incoherent and abhorrent 

healthcare system or lack thereof in our 

nation. Our inability to think “Nation 

First” may lead to the demise of this great 

nation, the “Giant of Africa." Can anyone 

sincerely tell me that we have a Nigerian 

solution to this COVID-19 infection? We 

spent billions of dollars of our hard earned 

foreign reserves on medical tourism on a 

yearly basis. The result is out. We flunked 

with flying colors. COVID-19 pandemic 

is ravaging through our nation. We 

are left with ill-equipped and dilapidat- 

After one month of isolation, still in the 

throes of this pandemic, what is the plan 

forward? What is the quintessential Nigerian 

solution? There is one irrefutable 

fact: this virus behaves differently in this 

environment. I can only presume that 

the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, 

NCDC, has our scientists not only playing 

armchair quarter backing, but collecting 

data to figure a way out of this 

pandemic. Please, spare the information 

coming from the Western world. The 

usefulness is only as a guide. The solution 

is within our walls. The only way out of 

this predicament is to test, isolate, 

treat, trace. I repeat, we need the quintessential 

Nigerian solution. I am aware 

of all the chatters around you. This decision 

is yours and yours only. 

I hope it is obvious to all, that we are 

devoid of a healthcare system, but what 

we do have is a “death care” 

system. Can you believe it costs an average 

of about N1.5 million to bury a loved 

one in Nigeria? The “death care” in- 

DR GBOLAHAN DIYAOLU 

ed hospitals, most of which are not fit to 

be called hospitals. They are death traps 

for all intents and purposes. This country 

had lost great minds to the atrocities 

of our current healthcare system. I say 

enough is enough. 

A once great institution in the seventies, 

the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, 

LUTH, is reduced to an eye sore. None of 

the so-called elite will be caught dead in 

any of the so-called Federal Medical 

Centres. How lucky of a nation are we? 

Let me count the ways. Please, for a second, 

imagine, if faced with similar situation, 

‘a la New York or Italy? God forbid 

bad thing. This nation will be on the verge 

of extinction. According to published reports, 

we cannot even adequately attend 

to you Mr. President, to your basic medical 

needs at the clinic at Aso Rock. 

Why? Because it is inadequately stocked. 

Not only in terms of medications but personnel 

and basic diagnostic equipment 

are difficult to find. It is non sequitur to 

know the clinic’s yearly budget. It is the 

symbolism of what obtains that matters. 

This is an eye opener. This is the 

time to systematically abolish medical 

tourism and invest all that wasted money 

here at home. I’ve always been taught 

that charity begins at home. Mr. President, 

you need to wake up and smell the 

coffee. You need to set this nation on a 

path that will be irreversible in terms of 

health, roads, housing and power infrastructure. 

All Nigerians deserve 

to walk into any hospital, 

regardless of social and 

economical status, and 

be treated like a human 

being without being 

asked to produce a 

pound of flesh before 

being attended to 

dustry is a multi-billion naira institution 

and thriving. This is a conservative estimate 

my dear brethren. My dear Mr. 

President, this is your time. This is the 

time your leadership is called upon. There 

comes once, in a lifetime that bold and 

decisive action is needed. Your war on 

corruption is commendable but you need 

a long lasting legacy that will put you on 

the proverbial Mount Rushmore. Your 

name will be synonymous with the likes 

of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Nelson 

Mandela. 

This is the time Mr. President. This is 

the time to revamp and establish a Universal 

Healthcare System in Nigeria. A 

single-payer system for the masses. A 

system designed by Nigerians and for Nigerians. 

It is okay to borrow ideas from 

other countries but it has to have Nigerian 

flavour to it. This will not and does 

not eliminate the current system but will 

force it to be more accountable, efficient 

and bring it to the 21st century standard. 

All Nigerians deserve to have a good 

and affordable healthcare. It is a fundamental 

human right. I cannot but remember 

George Orwell in Animal 

Farm: ”weak or strong, clever or simple 

we are all brothers.” We have the 

expertise to handle anything and everything 

imaginable, but we lack infrastructures 

and collective will, as a nation, to 

put everything together to make it 

work. 

Time to think “nation first”, Mr. President. 

Ironically, most of the physicians 

you spent millions to visit abroad are 

Nigerians. That is shameful. Before 

everybody goes berserk let me tell you 

that the status quo is inhumane and unsustainable. 

All Nigerians deserve to 

walk into any hospital, regardless of social 

and economical status, and be treated 

like a human being without being 

asked to produce a pound of flesh before 

being attended to. Government is a tool 

to be used for the betterment of the masses, 

to continue to be “our brother’s keeper." 

Time is now, that anyone from any 

class, in this great nation of ours should 

be able to call an ambulance and the 

response time should be in minutes not 

in hours! 

The government should not be in the 

business of educating our children, neither 

should it be in the business of operating 

hospitals. Secondly, where is it written 

that only physicians should be health 

ministers or health commissioners? 

Historically, except trained in 

management, physicians do not make 

good administrators. Government 

should be in the business of creating 

a conducive environment for businesses 

to grow, especially in education 

and healthcare. Government should set 

standards and conduct oversights. Let 

the private sector take up the mantle to 

lead us out of this 19th century notion 

that government is the solution for everything. 

Let competition reign. Capitalism 

should not be a dirty word but capitalism 

without rules and enforceable laws 

can be catastrophic. There are many 

ways to accomplish reorganisation of 

our healthcare system, but this space is 

not enough to enunciate the necessary 

steps and to debate the merits. One critical 

prerequisite for a successful transition 

is education. As someone once said: 

“Criticism without solution is merely an 

inflation of the critic’s ego.” Be that may, 

here are some suggestions your people 

can ponder, Mr. President. 

Privatisation is the key word. It can be 

a mixture of public private partnership 

where the private sector owned the majority 

shares and the government support 

comes in form of tax incentives and 

regulations. It must not be a give away, 

‘a la PHCN.' There must be a good inventory 

of all federally-owned hospitals 

and bid proposals should be invited for 

them. The role of Ministry of Health 

will change to one of setting standards, 

monitoring, creation and expansion of 

health payment codes, ICPC. 

Private sector 

hospitals 

These codes are to be used in payment 

of services and products provided to patients. 

The Ministry of Health will be 

charged with setting treatment standards 

and adherence to those standards. A 

comprehensive and interactive IT system 

is a must. All medical records shall 

be electronics. All existing private sector 

hospitals shall be allowed to participate 

in this scheme. This is just a start. I’m 

very sure Nigeria has better minds to figure 

out the intricacies to make it work 

with the quintessential “Nigerian Factors." 

I can hear lots of economists, skeptics 

and pundits out there asking questions. 

Who and how do you pay for 

this? This is very simple. This is basic 

mathematics. The product of any number 

and zero is zero. Translation: status 

quo is deadly. But the economic impact 

of this single act alone is incalculable. 

This single act may be the beginning 

of retainership of our intellectuals to 

voluntary repatriation of our lost experts. 

This may be our own industrial 

revolution. This will not happen overnight 

and I am not under any illusion it 

will be easy nor fully implemented on your 

watch. A journey of a thousand miles begins 

but with a step. Your inaction will be 

a disservice to this great nation. 

When the next generation asked you of 

your stewardship, let it be said that you left 

this nation better than you met 

it. Moreover the current state of healthcare 

is unsustainable. The measure of a 

great country comes from the welfare and 

health of her people not by personal 

wealth of individuals. Remember, no 

country falls without, countries falls within. 

The great Soviet Union fell without a 

single bullet being fired. 

•Dr. Diyaolu is former Adjunct 

Professor of Clinical 

Practice at Massachusetts College 

of Pharmacy University 


Era lawmakers took NDDC 

contracts without execution 

over —N'Delta agitators 

By Emma Amaize 

WARRI—THE 

21st 

Century Youth of Niger 

Delta and Agitators with 

Conscience, CYNDAC, yesterday, 

said the era some 

National Assembly members 

from the Niger Delta 

and their collaborators bamboozled 

officials and handpicked 

choice jobs at the Niger 

Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, without 

executing them, was 

over. 

Leader of the group, selfstyled 

'General' Izon Ibe, 

who, in a statement, said 

the agitators were, however, 

not against the oversight 

function of the National Assembly 

on NDDC, but the 

underhand tactics being 

employed. 

The group said: "We frown 

at the underhand tactics of 

the National Assembly in its 

oversight function on the 

NDDC. For a National Assembly, 

whose 2020 Budget 

is greater than the 2020 

Budget for Health and Education 

sectors in the country, 

the moral high ground 

for checking other MDAs in 

the country has no basis. 

"For an institution, which 

has been taking at least a 

trillion every year for constituency 

projects for years 

without anything to show 

for it, this moral high 

ground is faulty. 

"We want to tell members 

of the National Assembly 

from the Niger Delta and 

their cohorts that the era 

where they cherry-pick 

choice jobs from the commission 

and are paid upfront 

is over. The greed of 

collecting jumbo salaries 

Clark at 93: We’re celebrating 

our Icon —Dickson 

Y ENAGOA—FORMER 

governor of Bayelsa 

State, Chief Henry Dickson, 

is celebrating with Chief 

Edwin Clark on his 93 birthday. 

Dickson in a statement, 

yesterday, said: “My family 

and I join other leaders 

and our people across Ijaw 

land to celebrate our foremost 

leader, a man of indescribable 

courage, capacity 

and wisdom, Chief Edwin 

Clark, as you clock 93 in 

good health. 

“As a leader, you have 

spent your resources, time 

and energy in the pursuit of 

the desire for a united Nigeria 

built on the solid 

foundation of fairness and 

equity. The quest for better 

standard of living for our 

people—the people of the 

Niger Delta—has always 

and intimidating and blackmailing 

the leadership of 

the commission for choice 

jobs, without execution is no 

longer tenable. 

"We urge the Minister of 

Niger Delta, Senator Godswill 

Akpabio, and the acting 

Managing Director of 

NDDC, Professor Keme 

Pondei, to be steadfast in 

their quest to audit and reposition 

the commission. 

We assure them that the 

work of dark forces will not 

prevail, as the youths of the 

Niger Delta are solidly with 

them. 

"The Niger Delta is bedeviled 

with a lot of socio-economic 

problems. Why is the 

focus of the Senate on 

NDDC only? The Ogoni 

Clean-Up is still a mirage; 

the financial autonomy of 

the local governments, expected 

to free local government 

funds for development, 

instead of being serially 

pilfered by state executives, 

is fermenting in 

the said hallowed chambers 

with a loud silence from the 

National Assembly. 

"Boko Haram members 

who murdered people are 

being pardoned and reintegrated 

into the society, yet 

our own ex-militant leader, 

Government Ekpemupolo, 

aka Tompolo, whose facilities 

were legitimately purchased 

and used as the nucleus 

for the take-off of the 

Nigeria Maritime University, 

NMU, Okerenkoko, Delta 

State, is still seen as an 

enemy of government, without 

a reason. Yet, our senators 

see and do nothing concerning 

these glaring injustices." 

been the priority of your 

unique and exemplary 

leadership. 

“I must add that you are 

one leader, who has displayed 

amazing vigor and 

vitality, even in your old age, 

in the promotion of the interests 

of our people. 

“Your indelible imprints are 

in the people’s demand for 

justice through resource control, 

restructuring, environmental 

justice and other issues 

of serious interests to 

the Ijaw man and the South 

South. 

“We appreciate your life of 

great sacrifice to the cause of 

humanity through service to 

our people. 

“May the Almighty God 

continue to strengthen you, 

as we join millions of citizens 

to celebrate, deservedly, this 

special day of your life.”


YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

LIBRA: YOUR best bet today is to seek important 

co-operation of influential people and that of your 

spouse/partner. The more legal conscious you are, 

the better for you. 

SCORPIO: IF others want you to conclude an 

important financial transactions that can possibly 

be done today, you’ll need to say no and go ahead 

as tomorrow may not be as conducive as today. 

SAGITTARIUS: This is your lucky day and the 

more self assertive you are the better but then it is 

important you dont take things and people for 

granted. Be wise 

CAPRICORN: ALTHOUGH there seem to be an 

air of understanding within your working arena 

today, tomorrow’s full-moon may turn the whole 

thing the other way. 

AQUARIUS: HERE is an exciting day that will 

climax tomorrow. After a long time, others will see 

how passionate you can be even in love. Don’t 

gamble, please. 

L E I S U R BE 

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE 

“When you focus on being a blessing. God makes 

sure that you are always blessed in abundance.” 

—Joel Osteen- 

Observe the beauty in your moments and the gentle 

enlightenment that comes with it. The beauty are the 

blessings all around you. 

Sometimes, it’s right in front of us to see beyond the 

everyday matters to the abundance of blessings in 

our lives. 

— Ella Randle 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

The grasshopper 

which is 

always near 

its mother 

eats the best 

food. ~Ghanaian 

Proverb 

By Kola Fayemi 

PISCES: IF your desire is to make money today, 

you will need to be less emotional and prepare for 

domestic challenges tomorrow. Enjoy your love life. 

ARIES: GOOD relationship between the Moon 

and lucky Jupiter will bring you good opportunities. 

Be less argumentative. 

TAURUS: THIS is your day when things will go 

according to your plans. Financial success indicated 

but if you wait till tomorrow, opposition’ll 

bring disappointment. 

GEMINI: THE Moon encourages you to be as 

assertive as possible but you will need to expect 

certain level of opposition. Try to be more friendly. 

CANCER: HAPPENINGS within your working 

arena should be taken more seriously now or else, 

avoidable trouble would start tomorrow. Again, it’s 

important you are more practical about your health. 

Be more loving. 

LEO: EVEN, if friends and others are helpful and 

pledging loyalty today, they may be forced and get 

on your nerve tomorrow when effects of full-moon’ll 

come to play. 

VIRGO: WHATEVER can lead to avoidable trouble 

tomorrow, either at home or along your career/business 

lines, should be well taken care of today. Be 

very open. 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” 

“HOT” 

By A.O.OLAIDE 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

ASTROLOGICAL our date e and place of COUNSELLING 

birth th to the Astr 

tr 

Send your dat 

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, 7, Apapa, Lagos 

What’s my immediate 

future? 

Dear Joshua, 

VIRGINIA 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

I am interested in what you are doing. Please 

tell me what I should expect concerning my 

immediate future. Would I succeed travelling 

abroad for business? 

Adebanjo. Mushin. 

Dear Adebanjo, 

Few years back you have started a very longer 

(years) great cycle of success and happiness, 

and this year you will be moving closer to the 

peak of the said cycle; meaning that your 44nd 

year on earth will be much more better than 

all your previous ones on earth. 

Visible signs of the positive things will 

physically manifest during your major first 

period of the year 2020 that will come between 

June to July Then because of transiting lucky 

Jupiter in Sagittarius B your Solar 9th house 

of travelling and distant affairs you can be 

successful at acquiring visa and have a fruitful 

foreign travels. 

However that is not to say that there will not 

be any challenge . Actually like it happened 

about six/seven months ago when work and 

accident related issues were the major challenges, 

there will be repeat of such when 

AROUND AUGUST 2020. 

HOME & ABROAD 

By Lawrence Akapa

Ighalo to leave Man Utd this week 

Odion Ighalo looks set to leave Manchester United at the 

end of his loan spell this week, with parent club Shanghai 

Shenhua keen to have the striker back ahead of the start 

of the Chinese Super League season. 

Ighalo has been a hit at Old Trafford since signing a loan 

deal on the final day of the January transfer window, scoring 

four times for his boyhood club. 

But his loan spell looks set to end after eight appearances, 

with his initial deal only penned until May 31. 

United's season will now extend well beyond that as a 

result of the coronavirus pandemic that has caused a suspension 

to the campaign, with United not playing since 

their 5-0 demolition of LASK Linz on March 12. 

United still have nine Premier League games to play 

and remain in the Europa League and the FA Cup. 

They are keen to keep Ighalo until the end of this 

season and have held discussions with Shanghai 

Shenhua about extending the loan deal. 

However, the Chinese authorities are now 

hopeful of beginning the Chinese Super 

League season in late June or early July, and 

as a result his club are keen to have the 30- 

year-old striker back in the fold. 

The initial loan came at a time when the 

CSL season was yet to begin and China was 

the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, 

but the country is now reporting far fewer 

cases and there is confidence the 2020 campaign 

could get underway within the next 

six weeks. Ighalo has been keen to remain at Old Trafford. 

He has made no secret of his love for the club and has relished 

every minute of his unexpected move to United. 

Ighalo was signed on deadline day as United's frantic 

search for a striker in the wake of Marcus Rashford's back 

injury came to an end. The Nigerian's impact at the club he 

Barca masks now 

on sale 

Barça yesterday released the masks to protect them 

selves from a possible Covid-19 contagion . In total, 

16 models, ranging from the most elegant to the 

most colorful, daring or child. 

The FCB Store , located on Passeig de Gràcia, 15 in 

Barcelona , already has several of the models for sale. 

The price of the mask is 18 euros and has three different 

sizes: child (3-6 years). Junior (7-12) and Adult. 

Since its release, the mask has a use for 40 washes . 

Each wash must be done at 60ºC , then let it dry naturally 

- prohibited in the dryer - and iron it for a maximum 

of 14 seconds to reactivate the antibacterial system 

that contains your tissue in order to prevent the 

spread of Covid-19 . 

After opening its sale at the FCB Store in Passeig 

de Gràcia , the club havebreported that the masks will 

also be available in the rest of the Club's official stores 

directly exploited - the Barça Store at Camp Nou, 

Canaletas, La Roca Village and those of terminals T1 

and T2 of Barcelona airport - as they open. 

AC Milan insist Zlatan 

has a 'calf injury' 

•Zlatan 

C Milan have insisted Zlatan 

AIbrahimovic suffered a calf injury in 

training on Monday after reports he had 

a suspected ruptured Achilles. 

There were fears the reported injury 

could have brought an end to his long 

career in the game with his Milan contract 

set to expire in the summer after signing 

a short-term deal in January. 

Sky Sports Italia via Marca claimed the 

former Manchester United forward was 

feared to have ruptured Achilles tendon, 

an injury that would have put him out of 

action for a long time. 

SportMediaset journalist Pietro Balzano 

Prota also wrote on Twitter: 'Bad injury for 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Medical tests are expected 

but it could be a long stop.' 

But the Serie A side have told BBC Sport 

the striker will undergo medical tests on 

Tuesday but insisted he had suffered a calf 

injury. 

'We will know the entity of the problem 

[then],' the club said in a statement. 

•Ighalo 

supported as a boy has far exceeded expectations, 

with goals in all of his starts for the 

club, but with Rashford now fit and available 

again United are relaxed about the prospect 

of losing Ighalo at the end of this week. 

Osimhen gives 

Napoli greenlight 

A 

C Milan-target, Victor Osimhen has given 

the green light to join Napoli this summer. 

Calciomercato.com recently reported that Milan 

are looking at potential replacements for 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and while Real Madrid’s 

Luka Jovic is the priority, Osimhen is also a 

player the club are watching. 

It has been suggested that Osimhen 

could command a fee of up to •60m 

this summer with Liverpool and Real 

Madrid among those 

strongly linked. 

According to the 

latest from journalist 

Alfredo Pedullà (via 

MilanLive), the Nigeria 

international has in fact 

given his approval regarding 

a possible move to 

Napoli this summer. 

The negotiation is still nowhere 

near complete as the 

Partenopei must convince Lille to 

lower their demands, but the player’s 

approval is already a good step 

forward. 


Man United chase King 

as Ighalo’s replacement 

Manchester United have set 

their sights on signing 

Joshua King as it is increasingly 

becoming remote they can get 

Odion Ighalo on a three months 

loan extension. 

King came through United's 

academy but has made his name 

at Bournemouth with 48 goals in 

his five years with the Cherries. 

In January, United made a £20million 

bid for King on deadline day 

but it was rejected and they moved 

to sign Ighalo on loan from 

Shanghai Shenhua. 

Ighalo is expected back in China 

at the end of the month after a deal 

failed to materialize and United 

are keen to avoid a gap in their 

forward line again and according 

to Sky Sports, United are ready to 

make another move for King. 

However the report claims four of 

the Premier League's top six are 

all interested in King. 

a Liga president Javier Tebas 

Lhas said he hopes a derby between 

Real Betis and Sevilla will 

kick the Spanish top-flight season 

back into action on June 11 after 

being paused for three months 

during the coronavirus pandemic. 

“There is a possibility that there 

is a game on June 11, which 

would be the only match 

that night and perhaps 

there will be a tribute 

to all the people who 

have died (from the virus),” 

Tebas told Spanish 

television network 

Movistar. 

“I hope that date 

Women's Super League season axed! 

he Women's Super League and Women's Championship 

Tseasons have been ended with immediate effect amid the 

Covid-19 pandemic. 

The Football Association came to the decision following 

consultations with member clubs with the decision made 'in 

the best interest of the women's game'. 

The FA Board will now consider various 

recommendations from the Women's 

Super League and Women's Championship 

boards over how to settle the title, 

European qualification, relegation 

and promotion. 

A statement released by the FA said 

these matters will be decided on the basis 

•Women in action 

•King 

Betis, Seville derby to herald 

La Liga return 

of 'sporting merit' but how this will be 

determined has yet to be decided. 

The last WSL fixtures were played on 

February 23 with a 3-3 draw between 

Manchester City and Chelsea preserving 

City's one-point advantage at the top 

of the table. 

However, Chelsea retain a game in 

hand and so both clubs will have a claim 

for the title. The season was suspended 

in line with the men's Premier League 

and the EFL on March 13 as the 

coronavirus crisis in the UK worsened. A 

further complication is that teams in the 

WSL 

•Osimhen 

have played between 13 and 

16 fixtures, meaning a 

points-per-game scenario 

could see significant 

change to league 

positions. 

•Lewandowski 

can be confirmed and we would 

like the game to be the Seville 

derby, kicking off at 10pm.” 

Champions Barcelona lead La 

Liga by two points over nearest 

challengers Real Madrid with 11 

matches remaining. 

Dortmund v 

Bayern: 

Lewandowski, 

Haaland battle 

for Bundesliga 

title 

Erling Haaland has been hitting all 

the headlines since his January 

move, but the side also moulded current 

Bayern Munich striker Robert 

Lewandowski into a world-class forward. 

The two front men are dominating 

the Bundesliga goalscoring charts at 

the moment and their goals could 

be crucial in deciding who wins this 

year's title, as Bayern face Dortmund 

in Der Klassiker tonight. 

"It would be good for him 

(Haaland) if he stayed in the 

Bundesliga longer. He has enormous 

potential," Lewandowski said ahead of 

the Klassiker. 

"But I don't want to put pressure on 

him with my statements. If he works 

hard, he can reach the highest level." 

So far, Haaland is pretty much neckand-neck 

with Lewandowski in terms 

of their goalscoring record. 

Both are the top scorers in the Champions 

League, with Haaland on 11 

goals whilst Lewandowski has 10. 

Haaland has also scored more goals 

up to this point in a campaign with 28 

than what Lewandowski did in the season 

prior to joining Dortmund: 21. 

What's more, Haaland has 13 goals 

from his first 13 games at Dortmund, 

while Lewandowski managed only two 

in his first 13 appearances at the club. 

Haaland scored on his Bundesliga, 

DFB-Pokal and Champions League 

debut with Dortmund and is looking to 

add the Klassiker to his collection. 

But Lewandowski is waiting for him. 

•Haaland

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

Sudoku 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

Across 

1 Cattleman (7) 

5 Famous English diarist (5) 

8 Managed (5) 

9 Breed of cat (7) 

10 Gland in the neck (7) 

11 Condescend (5) 

12 Appraise (6) 

14 Part of the foot (6) 

18 Angry (5) 

20 Ruffian (anag) (7) 

22 Canadian province (7) 

23 Commence (5) 

24 Labyrinths (5) 

25 Initial payment for a purchase (7) 

Down 

1 Soft Italian cheese (7) 

2 Cold (5) 

3 Very ugly (7) 

4 Dwell (6) 

5 Tartan cloth (5) 

6 Foretell (7) 

7 Gloss (5) 

13 The entertainment business (7) 

15 Around-the-clock (7) 

16 Flawless (7) 

17 Scared (6) 

18 Abyss (5) 

19 Feudal subjects (5) 

21 Accumulate (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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