20082020 - Insecurity: FG failed, says Papal Nuncio; ACF laments

Nigeria is selling 

its soul to China 

for infrastructure 

'development' 

16 

Violence threatens 

Edo gov polls 

9 

— AMNESTY INT'l, CSOs 

Forex inflows decline 25% to $9.7bn in April 

NDDC: Akpabio, 

Pondei under 

investigation, 

12 

says EFCC 

19 

VOL. 27: NO. 64140 THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 

Insecurity: FG failed, says 8 

Papal Nuncio; ACF laments 

•Life in Nigeria’s tough as in civil war — ACF •Warns northern leaders against inflammatory 

statements •Govt not securing Nigerians — Papal Nuncio •Says there’s too much violence in Nigeria 

•Scores of civilians, insurgents, security men feared dead in B-Haram attack on Kukawa, Borno State 

Chinese 

loans: 

Reps 

formally 

write 

Malami, 

Ahmed 

7 

7 students 

writing 

WASSCE in 

Gombe 

test 

14 

positive for 

COVID-19 

Flood: 

State 

govts not 

doing 

enough 

– FG 8 

STUDENTS RALLY FOR VARSITIES TO RE-OPEN... 

National Association of University Students during a protest demanding the reopening of universities 

in Abuja... on Wednesday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan. 

Wada Maida: NPAN lost an intelligent, gentle giant 

Businesses hail CAMA 2020 

as pastors howl in protest 

5 

•Helps ease of doing business — NACCIMA •Good for business, bad for NGOs 

— LCCI •It’ll scare investors — Shareholders •CAC gets undue powers — 

LAWYER •Oyedepo rejects CAMA, says nobody can appoint a trustee for his 

church •Govt shouldn’t suffocate religious bodies, NGOs, says Catholic Archbishop 

of Lagos •We are studying the matter — Lagos PFN •You can’t shut my bank 

account, get trustees for me – PRIMATE AYODELE 

28 

MDAs 

refusing 

to submit 

audit 

reports 

7 

– AGF 

Naira down 

to N386/$ 

in I&E 

window 

Mr & Mrs 

27

2 —Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 , 2020 — 3


vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

Businesses hail CAMA 2020 as 

pastors howl in protest 

By Sam Eyoboka, 

Peter Egwuatu, 

Yinka Kolawole & 

Henry Ojelu 

LAGOS — 

Contentious 

sections of the new 

Company and Allied 

Matters Act, CAMA, 

signed by President 

Muhammadu Buhari on 

August 7, 2020, are 

currently generating 

angry reactions across the 

country, as many 

stakeholders have 

threatened to challenge 

the piece of legislation in 

court. 

Although the Act was 

designed by government 

to promote ease of doing 

business in the country, a 

provision of the Act which 

stipulates that religious 

bodies and charity 

organizations would be 

strictly regulated by the 

Registrar-General of the 

Corporate Affairs 

Commission, CAC, and a 

supervising minister, 

appears to have set the 

people up against the 

government. 

Besides, CAMA also 

provides that the 

commission may, by order, 

suspend the trustees of an 

association or a religious 

body and appoint an 

interim manager or 

managers to coordinate its 

affairs where it reasonably 

believes that there has 

been any misconduct or 

mismanagement, or 

where the affairs of the 

association are being run 

fraudulently or where it is 

necessary or desirable for 

the purpose of public 

interest. 

While the National 

Association of Chamber of 

Commerce, Industry, 

Mines and Agriculture, 

NACCIMA, and Lagos 

Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry, LCCI, gave 

thumps-up for the new 

legislation, churches and 

other stakeholders, 

including shareholders 

associations, Bishop 

David, Catholic 

Archbishop of Lagos, 

among others, kicked 

against it, describing it as 

repressive. 

LCCI was, however, also 

in agreement with this. 

It’ll scare 

investors - PSAN 

Reacting to the Act 

yesterday, the National 

Chairman, Progressive 

Shareholders Association 

of Nigeria, PSAN, Mr. 

Boniface Okezie said: 

“There is nothing like 

national interest, what is the 

role of regulators in those 

sectors, and the supervisory 

minister? 

“Whosoever might have 

mooted such ideas did not 

think well at all and 

government should not 

contemplate that because it 

will project government in 

bad light, and at the same 

time send jitters to 

investors, both foreign and 

local. 

“We advise government to 

perish that idea in the 

interest of economic growth. 

The area government 

should concentrate its 

energy is to beef up 

supervision to monitor 

operations of those 

companies through the 

various ministries and 

departments concerned 

and the Customs must be 

up and doing. Government 

is not a good manager to 

run a company.” 

In his own reaction, 

National Chairman, New 

Dimension Shareholders 

Association of Nigeria, Mr 

Patrick Ajudua said: “As 

shareholders of companies 

listed in the capital market, 

we don’t subscribe to taking 

over of boards of 

companies under any 

guise. 

“There are processes of 

law subscribed to by 

investors/shareholders 

before bringing in their 

investment and as such we 

must not make laws that will 

discourage investors. 

“We as shareholders are 

not in support of this law 

and hopefully will engage 

the government to seek 

amendment to this 

unfriendly law and where 

such is not yielding the 

desired result; we will 

challenge it in court.” 

CAC gets undue 

powers – Lawyer 

On his part, a legal 

practitioner, Barrister 

Harold Benson, said the 

CAMA 2020 recently 

signed into law by 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari gives undue 

powers to the Corporate 

Affairs Commission, CAC, 

by making it prosecutor 

and judge in cases 

involving business 

operations. 

Benson stated: “A curious 

provision in the new 

CAMA is Section 851 

which empowers CAC to 

now act as a ‘court’ or 

tribunal of some sort. So if 

CAC imposes fees on your 

small business, before you 

can go to court to challenge 

those fees, you must first 

appear before CAC panel 

and make your case. 

“The panel is made up of 

Registrar-General of CAC, 

five officers of CAC and 

someone from the Ministry 

of Trade & Investment, 

which is the Ministry 

overseeing CAC. In effect, 

CAC is now a prosecutor & 

judge in its own case. Good 

luck if you have a case 

against CAC. 

“The sectors that will be 

worst hit are the churches, 

mosques, charity 

organizations, schools, 

NGOs etc. CAC can now 

arbitrarily remove and 

replace the “owners” or 

leaders of these 

organisations. Also, CAC 

can convert/take over the 

monies in their bank 

accounts. 

“Other sectors will be hit 

also. In the old act, small 

fees were clearly prescribed 

for certain things e.g., the 

Act may say if you fail to do 

XYZ, you’ll pay N50 for 

each day of default. But the 

new Act has removed all 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 — 5 

POCKET CARTOON 

those meagre fees and 

gives CAC power to make 

regulations prescribing 

fees. 

“Also, online vendors, 

who operate under 

business names other than 

their government names, 

now risk conviction in court 

if they don’t register their 

business names with CAC. 

“The most damning 

revelation from my review 

so far is that, a private 

organization has been 

written into the new Act 

and has been emboldened 

through the back door to 

generate revenue and 

regulate an aspect of law 

practice, accountancy etc. 

“The private organization 

is Business Recovery and 

Insolvency Practitioners of 

Nigeria (BRIPAN). Section 

705(C) of the new CAMA 

requires that to qualify as 

insolvency practitioner, you 

must be a lawyer/ 

accountant AND a member 

of BRIPAN. On BRIPAN 

website, membership fee 

ranges from N90,000 to 

N250,000. BRIPAN is not 

a chartered institute (like 

ICAN, ICSAN, CIPM) or 

a statutory body. It is a 

private association formed 

by private citizens. 

“Remember how 

Lagosians fought against 

Alpha Beta being written 

into the Lagos Land Use 

Charge Law (albeit 

unsuccessfully)? In similar 

fashion, some people have 

successfully slipped in 

BRIPAN (a private 

Continues on Page 27 

Members of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups for Good Governance and Electoral Matters during a 

peaceful rally advocating for free, fair and credible elections in the forthcoming Edo State governorship 

election at the Unity Fountain, Maitama, Abuja, yesterday. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida. 

By Bose Adelaja, 

& 

Olayinka Latona 

On FG's approval of N8.49b to procure COVID-19 test kits (1) 

The approval of 

N8.49 billion for 

procurement of COVID-19 

test kits is not bad but there 

should be transparency. 

Since it is to further equip 

the NCDC to respond 

appropriately to community 

transmission of the virus, 

we expect a positive 

outcome after making all 

the kits available. 

—Adeoye Temitope, 

Student 

The amount is 

outrageous because it 

may be unaccounted for; 

somebody somewhere is out 

to defraud the country. What 

happened to test kits donated 

by foreign governments? The 

FG is responsible for ensuring 

our safety, so, if our lives really 

matter, then, they should look 

for ways to protect rather than 

swindle us. 

—Hakeem Rufai, 

Broadcaster 

The 

FG 

should be wise. Others 

are formulating COVID-19 

vaccines and ours is 

approving a whopping N8.6 

billion, sufficient to own a 

factory to produce the kits. It 

appears they are deliberately 

creating avenues to siphon 

money. What happened to the 

tons of test kits donated to us 

by foreign countries? 

—Ibrahim Azeez, Student 

I 

view the 

procurement of 

N8.49b worth of COVID- 

19 test kits by the FG as 

regrettable considering 

the fact that government 

has acquired more than 

enough loans that is yet 

to be serviced, especially 

in the past five months. 

This may destroy our 

economy. 

—Lebi Oluwatosin, 

Student 

N8.49b to procure 

COVID-19 kits? Our 

leaders use every avenue to 

milk the nation dry. How can 

you propose this amount to 

procure kits? 

How much will they spend 

to resuscitate the nearly 

collapsed academic and 

health sectors? They didn’t 

procure the kits in April/May 

and God helped us. 

—Akani Folorunso, 

Business Developer 

There’s 

hunger, 

poverty, flooding, 

insecurity everywhere but 

FG cannot provide solution 

to any of these challenges. 

Anybody proposing to 

spend a whopping 

N8.49billion on COVID- 

19 test kits is an enemy in 

disguise and we should all 

pray and hand him over to 

God for punishment. 

—Arinze Bartholomeu, 

Chef

6— Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 

Escaped 

suspect: Irate 

youths attack 

police 

headquarters 

in Ibadan 

THE protest by some aggrieved 

youths, yesterday, at the police 

headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, 

against the escape from custody 

of suspected serial killer, Sunday 

Shodipe, turned violent, resulting 

in the attack of some policemen. 

It was gathered that the 

protesting youths carried different 

placards with various inscriptions 

demanding the re-arrest of 

Shodipe. 

The protest, however, turned 

violent with the youths attacking 

security personnel at the 

command with stones and other 

dangerous objects. 

The Police Public Relations 

Officer in Oyo State, SP 

Olugbenga Fadeyi, who 

confirmed the incident, said 

members of National Association 

of Nigerian Students, NANS, 

came to the command’s 

headquarters to protest the escape 

of Shodipe. 

He said: “The Commissioner 

of Police, Nwachukwu Enwonwu, 

with all the management, came 

around to attend to them and allow 

them to express their grievances. 

“They made series of demands, 

including that the escaped suspect 

be re-arrested and the CP 

assured them that he will do 

everything within his powers to 

ensure that the suspect is rearrested 

and brought to book.” 

The PPRO said that the 

commissioner appealed to the 

protesters although they 

eventually became violent and 

were dispersed. 

Boko Haram 

terrorists 

attack military 

base, abduct 

IDPs in Borno 

BOKO Haram terrorists 

reportedly attacked Kukawa 

Local Government, a town in 

Northern Borno State. 

According to sources, a military 

base was targeted during the 

attack and an unspecified number 

of civilians may have been 

abducted. 

The attack, which occurred on 

Tuesday, comes barely a week after 

the first set of villagers, who have 

been displaced for years were 

returned home to be resettled. 

Kukawa, a border town on the 

fringes of Lake Chad, has been a 

military zone, until the recent 

return of the Internally Displaced 

Persons, IDPs. 

The controversial Baga town 

where Borno State Governor, 

Babagana Zulum, was attacked 

is in Kukawa Local Government 

Area, 40 kilometers apart. 

Zulum during that visit had 

personally inspected 

infrastructure and the security 

ambience before giving approval 

for the return of civilians. 

Community leaders were said 

to have conducted a head count 

in order to present an official report 

with the correct number of missing 

persons. 

Suspected militia kill village head, 97-yr-old 

mother, 9 others in S-Kaduna —SOKAPU 

By Ibrahim 

HassanWuyo 

THE Southern Kaduna Peoples 

Union, SOKAPU, has said 

suspected militia allegedly invaded 

a community in Southern Kaduna, 

killing a village head and his 97- 

year-old mother. 

SOKAPU said the marauders also 

killed nine others in separate attacks 

on communities in Zangon-Kataf, 

Kajuru and Kachia Local 

Government Areas of Kaduna State. 

SOKAPU in a statement, yesterday, 

informed that 109 communities 

scattered in four local government 

areass of Southern Kaduna were 

currently occupied by suspected 

militia, adding that the arrival of 

troops to the contentious area made 

the attackers leave. 

According to the 

statement,”Yesterday, August 18, 

2020, amidst a rigidly imposed 

punishing 24-hour curfew that is 63 

days today, armed militia invaded 

Unguwan Gankon village in Gora 

ward, Zangon Kataf Local 

Government Area and killed two 

persons and burnt seven houses. 

"Wary neighbours, however, came 

to the rescue and the murderers 

fled. The names of the victims are 

Kefas Malachy Bobai, a 30-year-old 

farmer and father of three and Miss 

Takama Paul, 16, a student. 

Fire guts parts of Ooni’s palace 

By Shina Abubakar 

OSOGBO—The 

quick 

intervention of the men of fire 

service prevented what would have 

been a major disaster at the Ile- 

Oodua Palace of the Ooni of Ile-Ife, 

Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, as one of 

the rooms in the administrative 

building was gutted by fire. 

Confirming the incident, 

Administrative Officer of the State 

Fire Service, Fatai Aremu, said his 

men prevented the fire from 

spreading to other buildings in the 

palace. 

He said: “One of the rooms in the 

administrative building of the Ooni’s 

palace was gutted by fire. Our 

personnel at Ile-Ife fire station were 

called at 1:20 pm and they 

responded swiftly to the call and were 

able to put off the fire. 

“The fire was caused as a result of 

a power surge, though the fire 

affected that single room, the effect 

was severe as it blew off the roof of 

the room. It would have spread 

The room gutted by fire. 

“The previous day, August 17, 

2020, Mr Bulus Joseph, 48, a father 

of nine, was murdered on his farm 

at Sabon Gida Idon along Kaduna- 

Kachia Road, in Kajuru Local 

Government Area by armed militia. 

“On August 16, Pastor Adalchi 

Usman, 39 and a father of two was 

murdered. Pastor Usman, who was 

pastor of ECWA Church, Unguwan/ 

Madaki, Maro ward, in Kajuru 

Local Government Area in Southern 

part of Kaduna State, was 

ambushed while in a commercial 

vehicle he had boarded with three 

others. 

“The killers came from the bush 

and started shooting at the car. Also 

beyond that but due to 

prompt arrival of fire 

personnel from the 

state. 

"Property affected 

includes; clothes, 

upholstery chairs and 

other home 

equipment, as the 

room belongs to one 

of the chiefs." 

Palace intact 

—Ooni’s aide 

However, the palace 

in a statement entitled 

"Alleged fire 

outbreak: Ooni’s 

palace intact," issued 

shortly after the 

incident by the 

monarch’s aide, 

Moses Olafare, said 

the palace was intact, 

saying the incident 

was a minor fire 

outbreak that affected 

a tiny part of the 

palace. 

A cross section of the 55 suspected cultists paraded for cultism and sundry 

crimes by Cross River State Police command at the Calabar Headquarters of the 

command, yesterday. 

Cultists kill 2 chiefs, 8 others in Rivers, Delta 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor & Festus 

Ahon 

PORT 

HARCOURT— 

Unidentified gunmen suspected 

to be members of cult groups 

reportedly killed over eight people, 

Monday and Tuesday, in Bua 

Bangha, Luebe Loore communities 

of Khana Local Government Area of 

Rivers State. 

The cultists had killed a chief in 

Luebe identified as Chief Neeka 

Aaduma, and a young chief simply 

identified as Ajeboy in Loore. 

It was learned that the cultists also 

killed three other unidentified 

persons in Luebe, while three 

people were killed in Bua Bangha. 

At press time the reason for the 

killings was not ascertained, but it 

was learned that the unknown 

gunmen stormed the community 

shooting sporadically. 

A source in the area, who gave 

his name simply as Tunde, said: “We 

believe the gunmen were members 

of cult groups. They attacked Luebe 

community and killed three people. 

They continued shooting till the next 

day when they killed the chiefs. 

However, the Public Relations 

Officers of the Rivers State Police 

Command, SP Nnamdi Omoni, 

said police are aware of the 

development, but quickly added 

that he does not have details of what 

transpired. 

2 dead as rival cult 

groups clash in Delta 

But the Delta State Police Public 

Relations Officer, DSP Onome 

Onovwakpoyeya, yesterday, 

killed were Mariah Na’Allah of 

Unguwan Madaki; Shekari from 

Unguwa Ali, a native of Anchuna 

village, Zangon Kataf Local 

Government Area and Ezekiel 

Maikasa, a native of Gadanaji in 

Kajuru Local Government Area. 

“The driver of the vehicle, 

Danlami Dariya, was abducted and 

at the time of releasing this 

statement, his whereabouts are still 

unknown. 

“It is our hope that with this 

information, the government will 

begin the recovery of these rural 

communities back to the owners and 

the invaders apprehended and 

taken to justice.” 

Court orders 

woman to 

undergo 

psychiatric test 

for allegedly 

slaughtering 

own son 

By Bashir Bello 

KANO— A Kano State High 

Court, yesterday, ordered that 

a woman, identified as Saratu Ya’u, 

be taken for psychiatric test for 

allegedly slaughtering her fiveyear-old 

son, Buhari Abubakar. 

It was gathered that Saratu Ya’u, 

27, committed the offence on June 

12, 2018, at Sabon Birni village in 

Gwarzo Local Government Area 

of Kano State. 

The Presiding Judge, Ibrahim 

Karaye, however, adjourned the 

case until October 8, for a medical 

report from the test. 

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, 

Lamido Sorondinki, said Saratu 

Ya’u (defendant) is facing a onecount 

charge of culpable homicide. 

Sorondinki alleged that Saratu 

Ya’u had sometimes on June 12, 

2018, and at about 8:25 a.m 

slaughtered her five-year-old son 

with a knife leading to his (Buhari 

Abubakar’s) death. 

Sorondinki further approached 

the court with an application 

urging the court to send the 

defendant to a psychiatric hospital 

for medical evaluation. 

The defendant, however, 

pleaded guilty to the charge. 

Meanwhile, the Presiding 

Judge, Karaye ordered that Saratu 

Ya’u (defendant) be taken to the 

psychiatric hospital to undergo test 

and the medical report be brought 

before the court on the next 

adjourned date. 

confirmed the death of two persons 

in a violent clash between members 

of two rival cult groups in the state 

capital, Asaba. 

Onovwakpoyeya, who said she 

was yet to get details of the Ibusa 

road incident, said three suspects 

had been arrested in connection 

with cult killings. 

She said: “The command is on a 

manhunt for the fleeing suspects, 

especially a particular person we are 

looking for but we are yet to arrest 

him”.


:Vanguard News 

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

CONDOLENCE VISIT: From left: Representative of the deceased family, Alhaji Abdulmumin 

Bello; Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and DG, 

National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar, during a condolence visit to the family of the late 

Chairman of NAN Board, Malam Wada Maida, at Maitama in Abuja yesterday. 

MTEF/FSP: Senate moves to sanction NPA, 

NIMASA, NDIC, NCC, NEPC, FIRS, others 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA — The Senate 

yesterday threatened to 

ensure zero allocations for the 

Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, 

Nigerian Shippers’ Council, 

NCS, Nigerian Maritime 

Administration and Safety 

Agency, NIMASA, and Nigerian 

Export Promotion Council, 

NEPC, among others, if 

their heads fail to appear before 

its Joint Committee on 

Finance and National Planning 

to defend their agencies 

positions on the 2020-2023 

MTEF/FSP. 

Also threatened by the Senate 

are heads of revenue generating 

agencies, such as Federal 

Inland Revenue Service, 

FIRS; Managing Director, 

Nigeria Deposit Insurance 

Corporation, NDIC; Universal 

Service Provision Funds, 

USFP; Nigeria Liquefied 

Natural Gas( NLNG); Oil 

and Gas Free Zones Authority, 

OGFZA; Managing Director, 

Asset Management 

Corporation of Nigeria, AM- 

CON; Executive Vice Chairman, 

Nigerian Communications 

Commission, NCC. 

Expenditure Framework 

And Fiscal Strategy Paper, 

MTEF/FSP after being duly 

invited. MTEF/FSP is Medium 

Term Expenditure Framework 

And Fiscal Strategy Paper. 

Chairman of the committee, 

Senator Olamilekan 

Adeola, All Progressives Congress, 

APC, Lagos West, who 

issued the threat at the beginning 

of a five-day interactive 

session on the 2021-2023 

MTEF/FSP in Abuja yesterday, 

said: “ The 2021-2023 

MTEF/FSP was sent to the 

Senate on July 20 for consideration 

by President Mohammadu 

Buhari preparatory to 

the presentation of the 2021 

Appropriation Bill. 

‘’In line with the desire to 

achieve early passage of the 

budget to be in tandem with 

the January-December budget 

cycle, the Senate referred 

the MTEF/FSP to the joint 

Committee for consideration, 

even while members are on 

recess. ’Any head of agency 

that refuses to appear before 

the committee to defend figures 

it submitted as presented 

by the President to the Senate 

risks zero allocation in the 

incoming budget, among 

other penalties.” 

The MTEF/ FSP) interactive 

session is aimed at opening 

more revenue sources to 

finance Nigeria’s N12 trillion 

budget for 2021. 

Meanwhile, the Senate had 

called for full blown investigation 

on the contract entered 

into by the Ministry of Interior 

with Continental Transfert 

Technique Limited, CON- 

TEC, for combined Expatriate 

Residence Permit and 

Alien Card, CERPAC, which 

has been robbing the nation 

of billions of Naira on yearly 

basis since 2007. 

The Senate said it would 

summon the Minister of Interior, 

Rauf Aregbesola, and the 

Minister of Finance, Zainab 

Ahmed, in its holistic investigation 

into details of a lopsided 

contract between the 

Federal Government and the 

foreign firm, Continental 

Transfert Technique Limited; 

grant of the company 72 per 

cent of accruable revenues 

from the issuance of “Residence 

Permit to expatriates. 

The decision of Senate to 

investigate the contract agreement 

followed an alarm 

raised by the Comptroller- 

General of the Nigeria Immigration 

Service, NIS, Mohammed 

Babandede, that 

Nigeria was being ripped off 

by the current contract terms 

with Contec Global. 

The Immigration boss, who 

appeared before the committee, 

also told the Senate that 

15 million immigrants were 

in Nigeria, but noted that less 

than 20 percent of them are 

captured. He also revealed 

that expatriates engaged in 

what he described as Arrangee 

Marriages with Nigeria 

ladies in order to avoid the 

mandatory combined Expatriate 

Permit and Alien Card, 

CERPAC, fees by Nigeria as a 

measure to check abuse of 

expatriate quota and develop 

local content. 

Recall that the Federal Government 

through the Ministry 

of Interior, signed the contract 

with Contec Global in 

2007, with a sharing formula 

that allowed the technical 

partner to collect ($720), representing 

72 per cent on every 

$1,000 paid for Residence Permit. 

The contract was, however, 

reviewed in 2019 with a 

100% increase in the fees from 

$1,000 to $2,000); but still 

leaving Contec Global with a 

“Lion Share” of 55 per cent. 

In the new arrangement, 

33% goes to the Federal Government; 

7% for the Nigeria 

Immigration Service and the 

remaining 5% for the Ministry. 

Speaking further, Babandede 

who told the Senate 

Panel that Contec Global had 

even taken Nigeria to a British 

court; asking to take over 

the NNPC Corporate Headquarters 

in Abuja and 

N8billion, said there was no 

justification for increasing the 

fee for Residence Permit, 

pointing out that the situation 

has forced expsrtariates to go 

into “arranged marriages”” 

with Nigerian ladies to avoid 

paying the exorbitant fees. 

Babandede, who disclosed 

that the service generated its 

revenue from issuances of 

passports and Visas and control 

and entry of persons in and 

out of the country, said: “All 

these revenues are generated 

under PPP which was signed 

before the coming of this administration 

between the 

Ministry of Interior and technical 

partners. 

“So the sharing formula of 

this PPP differs greatly but in 

By Levinus Nwabughiogu 

ABUJA — House of 

Representatives Committee 

on Treaties, Agreements 

and Protocols has formally 

communicated its resolution 

to the Minister of Justice 

and Attorney General of 

the Federation, Abubakar 

Malami, and his counterpart 

in Finance, Budget and National 

Planning Ministry, Mrs 

Zainab Ahmed, asking them 

to appear before it next Tuesday. 

It will be recalled that the 

committee which adjourned 

for one week on Tuesday to 

study documents submitted 

by various ministries, also 

decided to widen their investigation 

in the procedures of 

obtaining and implementing 

the $500 million Chinese 

loans to Nigeria to fund the 

Lagos-Ibadan rail lines, hence 

the questioning of the two 

ministers. 

CONDOLENCE VISIT: From left; Widow of late Mallam Wada 

Maida, Hajiya Amina Maida; Chairman, ThisDay Newspapers, Prince 

Nduka Obaigbena and Abubakar Samaila Isa Funtua during a 

condolence visit at the house of the late Wada Maida in Maitama, Abuja. 

general terms, this revenue is 

accrued in favour of the technical 

partners and government 

itself.” Babandede explained 

that immigration officers 

were not preventing 

CONTEC from collecting 

permit fees from expatriates. 

‘’If there are cases where 

some NIS officers are blocking 

them, it is a good idea because 

CONTEC is not doing 

the country any good. Nobody 

should defend the company 

which took Nigeria to 

court and wanted to seize our 

properties, including our mission 

and NNPC building. 

“They took us to the United 

Kingdom Arbitration Court 

where we were forced to pay 

N8 billion. As far as we are 

concerned, this company has 

no value for Nigeria. 

“The company increased 

the permit rate to $2,000 and 

reviewed the sharing formula 

downward but the arrangement 

still favour them. Fifty 

five percent of the $2,000 is 

higher than the 72 percent of 

the $1, 000 they were collecting 

before. We have already 

petitioned the EFCC to explain 

our disapproval of the 

arbitrary fee hike. 

MDAs refusing to submit 

audit reports — AGF 

Chinese loans: Reps formally write Malami, Ahmed 

By Emma Ujah, 

Abuja Bureau Chief 

THE Accountant-Gener 

al of the Federation 

(AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, has 

decried the refusal of some 

federal government Ministries, 

Departments and 

Agencies, MDAs, to submit 

audit reports as and when 

due. 

Speaking during a virtual 

training of MDAs’ internal 

auditors on the modernisation 

of audit process, yesterday, 

Idris said there was a clear 

evidence of flouting the provisions 

of the Fiscal Responsibility 

Act by some MDAs 

through late submission of 

audit reports, stressing that 

some don’t submit at all. 

He said: “Permit me to also 

use this opportunity to reiterate 

the need for auditors to put 

in their reports promptly as 

and when due as specified 

by FR 1706 which states 

thus: ‘The Internal Auditor 

shall produce monthly, quarterly 

and half-yearly reports 

for the Accounting Officer 

on the progress of the audit 

with copies to the Accountant-General 

of the Federa- 

•Demand Power of Attorney on signed loans from AGF 

•Conditions precedent to first drawdown of loan facilities from 

Finance Minister 

tion and Auditor-General for 

the Federation’ respectively. 

“Regrettably, it has been 

observed that most MDAs are 

behind in their reports while 

others have willfully refused 

to render these reports which 

are clear violation of the provision 

of the Financial Regulations.” 

Mr. Idris warned that 

going forward, Heads of Internal 

Audit would be held responsible 

for failure to timely 

submit audit reports. 

“Consequently, may I inform 

you that refusal to forward 

these reports by any 

MDA forthwith would be regarded 

as an attempt to undermine 

the authority of the 

Office of the Accountant- 

General of the Federation and 

the Head of Internal Audit of 

such defaulting MDA(s) will 

be duly sanctioned,’’ he said. 

The AGF said the Federal 

Government had made significant 

progress towards the audit 

modernization project in 

the establishment of an audit 

data capturing centre, with a 

view to securing an interface 

with the IPPIS and GIFMIS 

Platforms through which 

transaction could be viewed 

online-real-time. 

Malami and Ahmed would 

join the Transportation Minister, 

Rotimi Amaechi, Minister 

of Federal Capital Territory, 

FCT, Mohammed Bello, 

Minister of Power, Babatunde 

Fashola, and that of Communications 

and Digital Economy, 

Dr. Ali Pantami who had 

earlier appeared twice. The 

invitation was contained in 

two separate letters dated August 

18, 2020, and addressed 

to the ministers, signed by the 

chairman of the committee, 

Ossai Nicholas Ossai. 

The letters with reference 

no: NASS/9HR/CT.102/04 for 

AGF and NASS/HR/10/ 

CTPA/110/07/095B for finance 

minister requested for 

the following documents, 

which the ministers were also 

asked to come with. For Malami, 

the Committee asked for 

the official documents of the 

Power of Attorney for signing 

the loans as prescribed in appendix 

3 of the loan agreements, 

certified official copies 

of the legal opinion given 

on all facilities as prescribed 

in appendix 6 of the loans 

agreements. 

He is also expected to submit 

official documents of the 

Power of Attorney for the appointment 

of the borrowers 

process agent on all loan 

agreements as prescribed in 

appendix 7 as well as official 

confirmation letter by the appointed 

borrowers’ process 

agents presribed in appendix 

8 of the loan agreements. 

Official copies of Attorney 

General of the Federation’s 

authorisation of the loan 

agreements were also needed 

from the Minister. 

In the same vain, the Minister 

of Finance, Zainab 

Ahmed, was requested to submit 

all official certified documents 

of conditions precedent 

to the first drawdown of the 

loan facilities as prescribed in 

Appendix 1 of the loan agreements. 

The demands of the 

committee read thus: “All certified 

official documents of 

conditions precedent for each 

drawdown after the first drawdown 

as required in Appendix 


“Official documents of the 

power of Attorney for Signing 

the Loans as prescribed in 

appendix 3 of the loan agreements. 

“Official documents of 

power of Attorney for drawdowns 

as prescribed in appendix 


“Certified copies of all irrevocable 

notices of drawdown on 

all the loan facilities as prescribed 

in the appendix 5 of 

the loan agreements. 

“Certified official copies of 

the Legal Opinion given on 

all the loan facilities as prescribed 

in appendix 6 of the 

loan agreements. 

“Official documents of the 

power of attorney for the appointment 

of the Borrower’s 

process agent on all loan 

agreements as prescribed in 

Appendix 7. “Official confirmation 

letter by the appointed 

borrower’s process agents 

as prescribed in appendix 8 

of the loan agreements.

8 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 

By Ndahi Marama, 

Shina Abubakar & 

Ibrahim HassanWuyo 

AREWA Consultative 

Forum, ACF, yesterday 

lamented the high level of 

insecurity in the country, saying 

life in Nigeria is tough as a result. 

It also charged the Federal 

Government to do all within its 

powers to stem the tide of 

terrorism, banditry, kidnapping 

and other violent crimes in the 

country, and warned northern 

leaders against making 

inflammatory statements. 

ACF spoke on a day the Papal 

Nuncio and Head of the Catholic 

Church in Nigeria, Archbishop 

Anthony Guido Filipazzi, said the 

Federal Government has failed 

in its duties to protect Nigerians 

from violence in the country. 

According to him, there is too 

much violence in the country 

that warrants the urgent 

attention of the government. 

This is even as scores of 

persons, including civilians and 

at least seven security personnel, 

were killed on Tuesday by Boko 

Haram terrorists at Kukawa in 

Borno State. 

Several of the insurgents also 

lost their lives in the fire-fight with 

the military during the attack. 

Rising from a meeting of the 

new executive of the ACF, led by 

former Minister of Agriculture, 

Chief Audu Ogbeh, the ACF said 

in a communique issued at the 

end of the meeting: ‘’We have 

not faced this kind of challenge 

before. There are killings day and 

night. At no time has life been so 

tough, except during the civil 

war.’’ 

The communique, signed by 

the National Publicity Secretary, 

Mr. Emmanuel Yawe, also 

cautioned leaders against making 

utterances that could further 

aggravate the security situation 

in the country, adding that 78 

percent of the land mass of the 

north had been enmeshed in 

killings resulting from violence 

perpetrated by insurgents, 

bandits, kidnappers and other 

violent crimes. 

Ruling out insinuations that 

the ACF was an ethnic, tribal, 

religious or a political 

organisation, the communique 

said governments at all levels 

must also get involved in the task 

to stop the killings across the 

country, especially in northern 

Nigeria. 

‘’If we don’t save the North, 

we will lose it,’’ the Forum 

warned. 

The communique read further: 

‘’After careful deliberations on 

the chairman’s opening remarks 

and other items on the agenda, 

the National Working Committee 

adopted it and further resolved 

that: Northern states should take 

advantage of the N75 billion loan 

to farmers in the 36 states and 

the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, 

under the Nigerian Incentive- 

Based Risk Sharing in 

Agricultural Lending, NIRSAL. 

‘’Northern state governments 

will do well to take advantage of 

such programmes. Because of the 

existing tensions and crises 

leading to a general sense of 

insecurity, destruction of property 

and killings in the North, 

religious, ethnic, traditional and 

political leaders in the North 

should be cautious in their 

utterances and refrain from 

making wild and inflammatory 

utterances that will aggravate the 

situation. 

“Federal and state 

governments must take urgent 

steps to arrest the deteriorating 

security situation in northern 

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

INSECURITY: FG failed, says Papal Nuncio; 

ACF laments 

Nigeria, which has led to 

insurgency, terrorism, banditry, 

ethnic and religious disturbances 

all over the North. 

“The government, particularly 

state governments of the 

northern region should pay 

adequate attention to 

agriculture, which offers more 

opportunities for diversification 

and the development of a more 

sustainable economy for the 

north and the country. 

“Schools enrolment have 

remained low in the northern 

region. State governors of the 

North should take urgent steps 

to enhance school enrolment and 

eradicate the rampant incidents 

of street begging, which is very 

unhealthy for the overall 

development of the North. 

‘’Unemployment has become 

a big menace to the northern 

region. State governors are 

advised to design employment 

schemes for our teeming youths 

who have become frustrated and 

pose an additional threat to the 

security of the North and the 

country. 

‘’State governors are also 

advised to key into programmes 

of the Federal Government 

designed to offer employment to 

the youth and alleviate poverty.” 

Papal Nuncio's take 

Similarly, the Papal Nuncio and 

Head of Catholic Church in 

Nigeria, Archbishop Anthony 

Guido Filipazzi, said the Federal 

Government is not doing enough 

to protect Nigerians from violence 

in the country. 

He also said killings in the 

country were not peculiar only 

to Christians or the Catholic 

Church but also Muslims. 

According to him, government 

must wake up to its 

responsibilities of protecting the 

sanctity of human lives. 

Archbishop Filipazzi spoke at a 

media briefing jointly addressed 

by the Apostolic Nuncio to 

Nigeria and the Bishop of Osogbo 

Catholic Diocese, Bishop John 

Akin Oyejola during the Nuncio’s 

visit to celebrate the Diocese’s 

25 anniversary at Our Lady and 

St. Kizito Pastoral Centre, Ede, 

in Osun State yesterday. 

The Pope’s representative in 

Nigeria said though the 

Southern Kaduna killings majorly 

affect Christians, the Church 

would not close its eyes to the 

fact that Muslims too were being 

killed in other parts of the 

northern region of the country. 

He said rather than creating 

antagonism between Christians 

and Muslims, government 

should focus on protecting its 

citizenry from the violence 

ravaging the country. 

“The killing in Southern 

Kaduna is not peculiar to the 

state but the whole of northern 

region. Although Southern 

Kaduna is an area where 

Christians and Catholics are 

mostly affected, however, it is 

important to note that many 

Muslims are also being killed in 

other parts of the North, such as 

Maiduguri, Borno State, where 

Boko Haram bombed many 

mosques. 

‘’We should not be particular 

that only Christians are killed, 

Muslims are also victims. The 

mission of the state is to protect 

lives and we have to stop the 

problem of antagonism between 

Christians and Muslims. 

‘’The point is that there is too 

much violence in Nigeria and the 

law seems not being enforced to 

bring the people to respect the 

law, respect the life and properties 

of everybody,” he said. 

Commenting on the prolonged 

lockdown of the Church due to 

the coronavirus pandemic, the 

Nuncio said it was wrong to have 

introduced measures regarding 

how people enter into the 

Church to serve God, when 

markets were not regulated and 

the street always crowded. 

He said no study attributed the 

spread of the virus to the church 

anywhere in the world. 

“The authorities introduced 

different measures to regulate 

church activities while markets 

were not closed, transportation 

activities were left unchecked, the 

streets were crowded but 

unfortunately, the Church is 

highly regulated when there was 

no study throughout the world 

that it is responsible for the spread 

of the pandemic,” he said. 

Speaking on the progress of the 

Church within the 25 years of its 

existence, Bishop Oyejola said the 

church had grown from a diocese 

of just 16 priests to over 70, while 

schools and hospitals within the 

diocese are on the increase. 

He added: “During this 

•Life in Nigeria’s tough as in civil war — ACF 

•Warns northern leaders against inflammatory statements 

•Govt not securing Nigerians — Papal Nuncio 

•Says there’s too much violence in Nigeria 

•Score of civilians, insurgents, security personnel 

feared dead in B-Haram attack on Kukawa, Borno State 

pandemic lockdown, the diocese 

spent over N14 million to feed 

the poor. Schools and hospitals 

are growing in numbers. 

However, the Church is not rich 

for us but rich to serve the people.’’ 

Fresh onslaughts 

Meanwhile, unspecified 

number of innocent civilians 

and security operatives, mostly 

soldiers, were feared dead in 

the latest Boko Haram attack 

on Kukawa Local Government 

Headquarters of Borno State, 

according to sources. 

It was also learned that scores 

of the insurgents were killed 

by troops during the attack 

that occurred on Tuesday night. 

Kukawa in northern Borno is 

the town where Governor 

Babagana Zulum’s convoy was 

attacked by gunmen suspected 

to be Boko Haram, on his way 

to Internally Displaced 

Persons, IDPs, camps at Baga. 

Vanguard gathered that no 

fewer than seven security 

personnel were killed in the 

Kukawa attack, while 

hundreds of residents of the 

town have been displaced. 

Contacted to react to the 

attack, Acting Director, Army 

Public Relations, Colonel Sagir 

Musa, said: “ I am working on 

details of the attacks, and will 

get back to you as soon as 

possible.’’ 

However, at press time, he 

was yet to get across. 

The insurgents had earlier 

on Monday, attacked 

Magumeri where a lactating 

mother was killed in a cross fire, 

as she was hit by a stray bullet. 

Fleeing residents told 

Vanguard that the insurgents 

who invaded Magumeri at 

about 4pm last Monday, had a 

field day without confrontation, 

as a fully equipped General 

Hospital which was recently 

reconstructed and equipped by 

Borno State government was 

burned. 

Some farming implements 

provided by the state 

government to the council for 

FLOOD: State govts not doing enough — FG 

ABUJA—THE Federal 

Government has said not 

much was being done by state 

governments to mitigate flood 

and save lives and property of 

citizens. 

The Nigeria Hydrological 

Services Agency, NIHSA, and 

the Nigerian Meteorological 

Agency, NiMET, stated this in 

Abuja yesterday. 

The organisations spoke on 

the sidelines of a training on the 

use of satellite data to better 

predict flood. 

The training was backed by 

the African Union (AU) and the 

European Union (EU) under its 

Global Monitoring for 

Environment and Security and 

Africa (GMES& Africa) initiative. 

It was conducted by the Centre 

for Space Science and 

Technology Education 

Consortium (CSSTE). 

The Director-General NIHSA, 

Clement Nze, said the state 

governments had to play their 

parts in utilising data made 

available to them to prevent 

adverse effect of flood. 

Nze, who was responding to 

questions on why flood always 

claimed lives and properties, in 

spite of early warnings by 

agencies of government, said the 

states had to play their part. 

According to him, the agency 

and other relevant agencies of 

the Federal Government have 

the responsibility of forecasting 

rainfall patterns and possibility of 

flood and advising the states to 

take necessary action. 

He said that NIHSA and other 

agencies of the Federal 

Government were in the off 

stream sector of weather related 

disasters while governments at 

the state should take 

responsibility in taking actions. 

“Earlier this year, we were 

informed by the Nigeria 

Meteorological Agency about 

rainfall patterns, we took it up 

from there to talk about 

flooding in Nigeria, 

“The minister personally wrote 

letters to all the 36 state governors 

and the FCT and each governor 

has been informed of the Local 

Government Areas in their states 

that are likely to be flooded in 

2020. 

“The governors were 

encouraged to take the prediction 

to the local areas and do the 

needful. 

“The state governments have 

the machineries, they should 

have the political will to use it. 

They have the commissioner for 

environment, commissioner for 

water resources, State 

Emergency Management 

Agencies and town planners. 

“They should not just be 

dormant, let them work within 

the confines of the regulations 

given to them, we cannot begin 

to visit the local government 

areas to remove structures on the 

floodplains. 

“It is the duty of the host states, 

farmers for this year’s cropping 

season were also razed. 

Although many residents who 

survived the attack, commended 

the efforts of the troops, led by 

Major Manga of the special forces 

who repelled the attack, and 

minimized number of casualties. 

Speaking to our 

correspondent on the 

telephone, the member 

representing Magumeri, Gubio 

and Kaga federal constituency in 

the House of Representatives, 

Usman Zannah, lamented the 

fresh attacks and terrorist act 

by Boko Haram in the area. 

He said: “Yes I can confirm 

to you that at about 4pm on 

(Monday), some heavily armed 

Boko Haram terrorists attacked 

our communities in Magumeri 

where they succeeded in killing 

a lactating mother, injuring many 

others. 

“The attackers also razed 

down the only General 

Hospital, which is the only 

functional medical /health facility 

in the whole of Magumeri.'' 

MEETING: From left: Business Development Manager Sujimoto, Mr. Kenechukwu Umeyi; Minister 

of State for FCT, Dr Ramatu Tijjani; and Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer, Sujimoto Group, 

Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele, during the Sujimoto's meeting with the minister in Abuja, yesterday. 

or in the case of the FCT, the minister, 

to go and remove structures 

in the floodplains,” he said. 

He stated that in the FCT, the 

administration has already begun 

demolition of houses that are 

along floodplains, noting that 

similar activities should be carried 

out in states to save lives. 

He also stressed that to avoid 

demolitions, approvals should 

not have been given for the 

construction of such houses in 

the first place as data had already 

been available on areas that were 

prone to flood. 

Buttressing the point, the 

Director-General of NiMET, Prof. 

Sani Mashi, said that state 

governments had not put in place 

adequate structures to mitigate 

against flood. 

“We at the level of the 

Federal Government have 

been doing a lot to provide the 

information and forecasts needed 

for Nigerians to work with.''


Violence may mar Edo election if… — AMNESTY INT'L 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase, 

Omeiza Ajayi & 

Ozioruva Aliu with 

agency reports 

BENIN CITY— 

AMNESTY International, 

AI, yesterday, expressed 

concerns over the 

perceived threats to 

human rights and the ideal 

electoral process ahead of 

the September 19 

governorship election in 

Edo State. 

Similarly, the Coalition of 

Civil Society Groups for 

Good Governance and 

Electoral Matters staged a 

protest in Abuja against the 

growing threats of violence 

by political parties ahead 

of the poll. 

This came on a day the 

All Progressives Congress, 

APC and Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in 

Edo State, traded tackles 

over the dispatch of a team 

of over 50 Police officers, to 

Okpella community where 

they are allegedly 

occupying the private 

residence of a political 

appointee of Governor 

Godwin Obaseki. 

Meanwhile, Edo State 

government has dismissed 

allegations by the factional 

state chairman of the APC, 

Col. David Imuse (retd) 

that the Deputy Governor 

of the State, Comrade 

Philip Shaibu, was 

planning to attack himself 

and blame the attack on his 

party. 

Violence may mar Edo 

election if…— Amnesty 

International 

AI, in a statement sent 

to PREMIUM TIMES, 

called on President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

weigh in and salvage the 

situation before it mars the 

entire election process. 

Its Country Director, Osai 

Ojigho, noted that the 

laxity of the government 

and justice system against 

those encouraging 

violence at this pre-election 

period in the state was a 

signal to what might 

happen on election day 

and afterward. 

Ojigho said: “The 

potential turmoil being 

stirred up by various 

factions ahead of the 

gubernatorial election in 

Edo State should send a 

clear signal to the Nigerian 

authorities of the imminent 

violence ahead of the polls 

and government must take 

active steps to prevent a 

bloody poll. 

“Fueling the instability 

and impunity in the state, 

are reports of supporters of 

some politicians violently 

targeting political 

opponents, real or 

perceived. The authorities 

must stamp out any 

potential impunity by 

ensuring these incidents 

are investigated and those 

suspected to be 

responsible, brought to 

•CSOs protest, petition British High Commissioner over violence 

•Akoko-Edo monarchs sue for peaceful poll 

•APC petitions CP over mission of officers in Okpella 

•Policemen in Okpella, Agenebode, Akoko-Edo doing their job – Osagie 

•We didn’t deploy any personnel—Police 

•As Edo Govt denies claim of planned attack 

*Obaseki: PDP candidate and Ize-Iyamu: APC candidate 

justice.” 

CSOs protest, petition 

British High 

Commissioner over 

violence 

Similarly, in Abuja, the 

protesters, led by its 

Convener and Co- 

Covener, Messrs Adamu 

Matazu, and Danesi 

Prince, addressed a 

petition to the British High 

Commissioner to Nigeria, 

Catriona Laing C.B, 

urging her to intervene and 

“help the will of the people 

to prevail.” 

They displayed placards 

with various inscriptions 

such as ’INEC, make Edo 

votes count’, ‘Edo people 

deserve peace’, ‘We will 

not sleep until there is 

peaceful election.’ 

The protesters lamented 

that 39 days to the polls, 

activities of political players 

have unfortunately 

heightened security 

challenges in the state, 

with women and children 

particularly affected. 

The CSOs stated: “Your 

Excellency, we request that 

you prevail on the Federal 

Government to implement 

a coherent security strategy 

to ensure the elections are 

free, fair and represent the 

true will of the people.” 

The coalition noted that 

the nation was “beginning 

to witness an 

unprecedented level of 

verbal and physical attacks 

on the governor of Edo 

State, Governor Godwin 

Obaseki, his Deputy, and 

their supporters. Of 

particular note was the 

attack on Governor 

Obaseki and his campaign 

entourage by political 

thugs and hoodlums. It is 

important to note that this 

is the third time an attempt 

would be made to attack or 

intimidate the Governor 

and Chief Security Officer 

of Edo State, whose core 

mandate, it is to protect the 

lives and property of 

residents of the state." 

“It has become a very 

worrisome situation, 

especially as the Federal 

Government’s security 

operatives look helplessly 

on at this criminality. The 

signs are ominous, to say 

the least. 

“We demand that the 

international community 

mobilize in numbers 

election observers; that the 

federal government 

assures Edo people, the 

nation and international 

community of peace and 

security in this September 

19 election in Edo State. 

They can start by enforcing 

seriously, the Inspector 

General of Police’s order 

that all arms and 

ammunition in the hands 

of unauthorized persons, 

especially thugs and 

hoodlums, are mopped up 

with speed.” 

Akoko-Edo monarchs 

sue for peaceful poll 

Also, the campaign of the 

APC and its candidate, 

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu 

hit Akoko-Edo local 

government area of the 

state where the traditional 

rulers in the area called on 

all the candidates and their 

political parties to ensure 

peace and no violence 

throughout the period of 

their campaigns, during 

and after the election. 

In his remarks, the Otaru 

of Igarra, HRH Oba 

Adeche Saiki II, said Edo 

state hasdbeen peaceful 

and that the political class 

should ensure that the state 

remained peaceful just as 

he said he wished the 

candidate of the party his 

heart desires. 

"As you go from here, you 

should drum it on our 

youths and party faithful to 

shun violence and 

thugerry we should all 

ensure peace. 

Speaking on behalf of all 

traditional rulers in the 

local government area, 

chairman of ATC, the 

Odafe of Enwan Oba 

P.A.Okara said Ize-Iyamu 

was like a young man who 

has washed his hands 

clean and could eat with 

elders. 

In his remarks, Ize- 

Iyamu said: “When I was 

Chief of Staff, I discovered 

that traditional rulers from 

Akoko-Edo are always 

interested in the 

development of their areas 

and not personal requests. 

I promise to continue that 

development. My 

SIMPLE agenda is a 

covenant with the people 

of Edo State." 

APC alleges Police 

invasion of Okpella 

community 

On the invasion of 

Okpella community by 

policemen, the APC, in a 

statement by the Chairman 

of the Media Campaign 

Council, Mr. John 

Mayaki, alleged that the 

strange development has 

caused apprehension in 

the town as residents 

expressed worry over 

planned violent 

intimidation ahead of the 

September 19 poll. 

Mayaki said: “The Police 

officers were reportedly 

deployed on the orders of 

Governor Obaseki and 

have set camp in the 

building of one Lukman 

Akemokue, a political aide 

and ally of the Deputy 

Governor, who relocated 

his mother from the 

building to make room for 

the officers. 

“Residents of numerous 

surrounding communities 

in the area have lamented 

the Police officers’ night 

movements, characterized 

by indiscriminate 

shootings, shouts of 

obscenities, and other 

bizarre acts of intimidation 

which they claim were 

aimed at inducing fear 

ahead of the polls. 

“It is important to note 

that Okpella has recorded 

large number of 

movements from the PDP 

to the APC in the past few 

weeks, as residents declare 

their intention to back the 

bid of Pastor Osagie Ize- 

Iyamu over failure by the 

O b a s e k i - l e d 

administration to keep his 

promises to them after four 

years. 

“Prominent among 

former members of the 

PDP who have openly 

declared support for the 

APC and Pastor Ize-Iyamu 

is Prince Kassim Afegbua, 

a chieftain of the PDP and 

popular political figure of 

Okpella, who rejected 

Governor Godwin Obaseki 

for drawing revenue from 

Okpella through its 

abundant resources but 

refusing to re-invest in the 

area to ensure 

infrastructure development 

and good standard of 

living. 

“The dispatch of the 

Police officers has been 

interpreted as a desperate 

tactic by the governor and 

his allies to scare away 

voters to prevent the 

anticipated embarrassing 

defeat expected on the 19th 

of September.” 

APC petition IGP, CP 

Also, Mayaki said the 

APC will do a formal 

petition to the State 

Commissioner of Police, 

CP Johnson Kokumo, and 

the Inspector-General of 

Police, Adamu 

Muhammed, to probe the 

dispatch of the officers to 

Okpella and why they 

were occupying the private 

residence of the governor’s 

aide. 

We didn’t deploy any 

personnel — Police 

But when contacted, the 

Police Public Relations 

Officer in the state, Chidi 

Nwabuzor, said the police 

did not deploy any 

personnel for such alleged 

illegal duties adding that 

the Police deploy its 

personnel to qualified 

individuals that meet laid 

down rules and conditions. 

Nwabuzor said: 

“Policemen are given to 

those who are qualified and 

have applied for the 

services. For anybody to 

now use them for other 

purposes cannot be true. I 

consider the allegation 

false because the police, 

sent for such assignments, 

are registered and known, 

so no policeman will do 

that when he knows that 

his posting is documented 

and is being monitored.” 

Policemen in Okpella, 

Agenebode, Akoko-Edo 

doing their job —Govt. 

Also, reacting, the 

Special Adviser to 

Governor Obaseki on 

Media 

and 

Communication Strategy, 

Crusoe Osagie, said the 

increased police presence 

noticed in Okpella, 

Agenebode, Akoko Edo 

and other parts of the state 

was not out of the norm. 

Osagie, in a statement, 

said: “With just a month to 

the gubernatorial poll in 

Edo State, security 

agencies are stepping up 

their activities across the 

state. This should not be 

misconstrued by anyone. 

”The claims by the APC 

are strange because 

anyone who means well for 

Edo people should 

commend the police for 

doing their job. The APC 

should not fret if they have 

no sinister plans.” 

Govt denies claim of 

planned attack 

Meanwhile, the Edo 

State government has 

dismissed allegations by 

the factional state chairman 

of the APC, Col. David 

Imuse (retd) that the 

Deputy Governor of the 

state, Comrade Philip 

Shaibu, was planning to 

attack himself and blame 

the attack on his party, 

APC. 

A statement by the 

Special Adviser to the 

governor on Media and 

Communication Strategy, 

Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said it 

was unfortunate and 

desperate for the APC to 

descend so low as to make 

such puerile allegations. 

He said: “We are quite 

perplexed to learn of the 

laughable allegations by 

Imuse, who has just found 

his voice after many 

months of wandering in 

the wilderness. 

“We condole with him for 

taking up this very 

disgraceful assignment 

given to him by his 

handlers to make such 

infantile claims. This is 

obviously coming after the 

party’s disgraceful, halfhearted 

campaign in 

pockets of communities in 

the state. 

“During this short-lived 

tour, they got confirmation 

that their candidate 

commands negligible 

following, hence the resort 

to diversionary approach to 

a political campaign. 

“The claim that the 

Deputy Governor is 

plotting to attack himself 

and blame it on the APC is 

a fantastic idea that is best 

left for the movies and 

theatre houses. It is false 

and baseless. 

“In actual fact, it must be 

stated clearly that the APC 

has proven to be the 

desperate ones in this 

election. They have 

resorted to this cheap lie 

after hurrying over their 

campaigns and 

terminating a full month 

before the elections. One 

wonders what more tales 

by moonlight they have 

up their sleeves in the 

coming days.”


:Vanguard 

News 

Ondo LG polls: Thugs attack SDP 

chairmanship candidates, 8 others 

• 5,000 Police deployed for council polls 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—BARELY 48 

hours to the council 

election in Ondo State, no 

fewer than 10 members of 

the Social Democratic Party, 

SDP, including two 

chairmanship candidates 

were injured during an 

attack by suspected political 

thugs. 

The attacks took place in four 

separate locations in the state. 

The Ondo State Independent 

Electoral Commission, ODIEC, 

had fixed the council election for 

Saturday, August 22. 

Seven political parties 

excluding the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, have 

signified their intentions to 

participate in the election. 

The hoodlums suspected to be 

sponsored by a political party 

reportedly attacked members of 

the SDP at their different political 

meetings ahead of the Saturday 

polls. 

The chairmanship candidates 

of the party, Henry Adeniran 

Aiku, Bankole Akinselure, his 

vice, Idowu Akinrotohun, were 

also attacked by the thugs with 

matchets in Akure and Idanre 

respectively. 

The victims, who sustained 

various degrees of injuries during 

the attack, were rushed to a 

different hospital for treatment. 

Consequently, the National 

Working Committee of the Party 

has petitioned the Police 

Commissioner and the Inspector 

General of Police. 

Deputy National Chairman 

(South), Dr. Olu Agunloye, in a 

letter, addressed to Ondo State 

Commissioner of Police dated 17 

August 2020 expressed concern 

over the “emerging dangerous 

developments which have led to 

unwarranted attacks on members 

of the Social Democratic Party in 

the State. 

“The National Working 

Committee of SDP is worried 

about these assaults and 

“especially as fingers are pointing 

at APC members or their thugs” 

and the party has demanded that 

the Commissioner of Police 

should “call the leadership of APC 

in Ondo State to order to forestall 

further degeneration of law and 

order in the State.” 

Vanguard learned that some 

political thugs equally invaded 

the party secretariat in Agosile 

Odode in Idanre and injured party 

members who were holding a 

political meeting. 

It was gathered that over 20 

suspected armed thugs stormed 

the venue of the meeting and 

descended on the SDP members 

with axes and other dangerous 

weapons. 

At least, seven persons were 

wounded during the attack at the 

party’s secretariat. 

Vanguard learned that the 

attack led to protest among the 

supporters of the party who 

trooped to the streets. 

A party chieftain said: “The 

attack was launched on us during 

a meeting at our party secretariat 

at the Agosile Odode in Idanre. 

“The thugs were fully armed 

and attacked SDP members in 

the meeting with cutlasses and 

axes, including stones. 

“We had to call the police to 

intervene but surprisingly, they 

came late and started watching 

the thugs attack and destroyed 

our properties.” 

Speaking, one of the attacked 

chairmanship candidates, 

Akinselure confirmed the attacks 

saying “It is true we were attacked 

and I put a call to Divisional Police 

Officer at Olofin Police Station and 

Deputy Commissioner of Police 

but it is unfortunate that the 

policemen, who came to the scene 

of the attack, could not stop the 

thugs.” 

When contacted, the 

Command’s spokesperson, Mr. 

Tee Leo-Ikoro promised to 

comment after getting a brief from 

the Police Commissioner, Bolaji 

Salami. 

Reacting, spokesperson for the 

Ondo APC, Mr. Alex Kalejaye, 

confirmed the clashes but urged 

the security agencies to 

investigate and arrest the 

culprits. 

Kalejaye said: “This is an 

election year and we have been 

appealing to our members to 

eschew violence and thuggery.” 

5,000 Police 

deployed for 

council polls 

Also, the Police Commissioner 

in Ondo State, Mr. Salami said 

that no fewer than 5000 police 

officers have been deployed to 

monitor Saturday’s council 

election across the 18 council 

areas in the state. 

Salami said the Police officers 

will be joined by other security 

agencies including the Nigeria 

Security and Civil Defense Corps, 

NSCDC, and the Department of 

State Services, DSS. 


CONFERENCE—From left: Prof. Joseph Faniran, Head of Communications Department, Catholic 

Church of West Africa; Bishop Paul Olawore, Vatican Ambassador to Nigeria; Papal Nuncio, Archbishop 

Anthonio Guido Filipazzi; Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Osogbo, Most Revd. John Akin Oyejola, 

during a Press conference, organized by the Priests, Religious and Lay Faithfuls of the Catholic 

Diocese of Osogbo, at the Pastoral Centre, Ede, Osun State, yesterday. 

20 OOUTH staff, family of 4 test positive 

to COVID-19 • Ekiti still has 98 active cases, says 

By Rotimi 

Ojomoyela & James 

Ogunnaike 

A BEOKUTA—TENSION 

has enveloped the Olabisi 

Onabanjo University Teaching 

Hospital, OOUTH, Sagamu, 

in Ogun State as no fewer 

than 20 medical laboratory 

staff of the hospital and 

another family of four, 

yesterday, contracted the 

Coronavirus. 

This came on a day the Ekiti 

State Commissioner for 

Health, Dr. Mojisola Yaya- 

Kolade, disclosed that the 

state still has 98 COVID-19 

active cases, with 80 people 

still being treated at the 120- 

bed capacity isolation centre. 

At OOUTH, the family of 

four was said to have 

contracted the viral disease 

from their father, who 

happened to be one of the staff, 

Health commissioner 

working in the hospital’s main 

laboratory. 

A reliable source in the 

hospital said that the staff of 

the laboratory started going for 

the COVID-19 test last week 

Friday, August 13 following 

the death of a staff from the 

department while some were 

already ill and manifesting 

symptoms associated with 

COVID-19. 

This incident was said to 

have caused confusion in the 

teaching hospital while those 

confirmed to be having the 

virus have been told to 

proceed on self isolation. 

A staff of the hospital, who 

spoke to Vanguard on the 

condition of anonymity, 

blamed the incident on the 

insensitivity of the 

management of the hospital 

to the plight of the medical 

laboratory staff dealing with 

By Innocent Anaba 

LAGOS—A socio-political 

activist, Chief Adesunbo 

Onitiri, yesterday, decried what 

he called desecration of 

democracy by politicians in the 

country. 

He also criticized the All 

Progressives Congress, APC's 

Federal Government for muzzling 

the freedom of speech and 

information by clamping down on 

the media. 

Onitiri, in a statement, said: “It 

is rather sad to observe that with 

over 21years of uninterrupted 

democratic dispensation, 

COVID-19 patients 

He said: “The OOUTH 

management, under Dr. Peter 

Adefuye, should be blamed for 

whatever happened to the 

laboratory staff because of their 

refusal to provide us with 

sufficient Personal Protective 

Equipment, PPEs, that we 

needed to have as health 

workers having direct dealing 

with the samples of COVID- 

19 patients. 

“When they started bringing 

the samples of COVID-19 

patients to us last month, the 

Director of Medical Laboratory 

Services Department wrote a 

letter to the management 

demanding for those things 

to be put in place so that in 

the course of caring for others, 

we will also not be 

jeopardising our lives but the 

management did nothing. 

“They are always quick to 

ECOWAS suspends Mali over coup, imposes 

sanctions 

By Henry Ojelu, with 

agency report 

The West Africa bloc, 

ECOWAS, Tuesday, 

condemned a military putsch in 

Mali and pledged a range of 

retaliatory actions, including 

financial sanctions. 

Rebel soldiers arrested Mali’s 

President Ibrahim Boubacar 

Keita and Prime Minister 

Boubou Cisse on Tuesday 

afternoon following weeks of 

political tension in the country. 

The dramatic move followed the 

seizure of an army base near the 

capital Bamako that morning. 

In a statement, the Economic 

Community for West African 

States said that its members 

would close land and air borders 

to Mali and pledged to demand 

sanctions against “all the 

putschists and their partners and 

collaborators”. 

The 15-nation bloc which 

includes Mali also said that it 

would suspend the country from 

its internal decision-making 

bodies. 

“ECOWAS has noted with 

great concern the seizure of power 

by Malian military putschists,” 

said the statement, which was 

originally published in French. 

Mali has been in the grip of a 

deep political impasse since June, 

with President Keita facing 

increasingly strident demands for 

his resignation. The opposition 

June 5 Movement, named for the 

date of its first protest, has been 

channelling deep anger over a 

dire economy, perceived 

government corruption and a 

brutal jihadist conflict. 

The opposition alliance’s anti- 

Keita campaign veered into 

crisis last month when at least 11 

people were killed over three 

days of unrest that followed a 

protest. 

In an effort to avoid chaos in 

notoriously unstable Mali, 

ECOWAS then stepped in to 

mediate. The bloc suggested the 

formation of a unity government 

and other measures late last 

month, but stuck by Keita. 

But the June 5 Movement has 

repeatedly spurned compromise 

proposals, and has continued to 

demand Keita’s departure. The 

political opposition declared a 

new phase of anti-government 

rallies on Monday. Keita, 75, is 

currently being held by rebel 

soldiers outside of the capital. 

Give democracy a chance to 

thrive, Onitiri tasks FG, politicians 

Nigerians are yet to enjoy full 

dividends of democracy, as their 

living standards keep diminishing 

daily. 

“Democratic benefits still elude 

our people and they continue to 

suffer under government policies 

that are against their interests. 

Just recently, this government 

tried to introduce laws against 

freedom of the Press and social 

media, in the name of hate 

speech, went ahead and imposed 

a N5 million fine on a broadcasting 

station. 

“This situation calls for concern 

and worry, thus posing a threat 

to democracy in the country.” 

say there is no money, yet we 

know that we are generating 

money for the state 

government. 

Vanguard also gathered 

that the Association of Medical 

Laboratory Scientists of 

Nigeria, AMLSN, OOUTH 

chapter has equally written to 

the hospital management 

twice demanding the 

discontinued processing of 

COVID-19 samples at the 

main laboratory because of its 

attendant risk, setting up of a 

different lab for COVID-19 

tests and ensure that the lab 

workers were provided with 

sufficient personal protective 

kits. 

When contacted, the Chief 

Medical Director of the 

hospital, Dr. Peter Adefuye 

said: “I don’t talk to faceless 

people. If you need any 

reaction, go and take 

permission from the Ministry 

of Health. After all, we are at 

the community transmission 

stage of the pandemic.” 

On her part, the State 

Commissioner for Health, Dr. 

Tomi Coker said she has not 

received any report. 

Ekiti still has 98 

Active cases 

—Commissioner 

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State Health 

Commissioner said the state has 

recorded four deaths with the last one 

involving a 54-year-old man who died 

recently due to COVID-19 

complications with underlining factor 

of diabetes. 

Speaking at a COVID-19 Task 

Force press briefing, Mrs. Yaya-Kolade 

said: “Ekiti still has 98 active cases 

while we have recorded 206 cases with 

80 patients still being treated in our 

isolation centre. 

“From inception, we have treated 

and discharged 104 patients. We had 

recorded four deaths, with the last one 

involving a 54- year old man who had 

diabetes. We have done a lot to ensure 

that we boost our testing capacity 

through the establishment of a 

molecular laboratory. 

“The isolation centre has the 

necessary life support facilities and we 

are taking our tests to all the 16 local 

governments. The patients were 

being given immune booster and we 

are telling our people to make 

themselves available. This disease is 

treatable, so our people should not 

hide.”

Vanguard, , THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 — 11 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

VISIT—From left: Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, Mrs. Kemi Durosinmi- 

Etti; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji; Senior Officer 

1, Office of the Academy/Registrar, Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, Lt. Col. 

Abdullahi Babandi; Staff Officer 2, Bills and Administration, NDA, Lt. Commander 

Akinyemi Duyile, and Director, Administration and Human Resource, Cabinet 

Office, Mrs. Iyabode Akinsanya, during a courtesy visit to the SSG's office on 

NDA 72 Regular Screening Test, held in Lagos. 

UNILAG: My appointment in order 

—Soyombo 

By Adesina Wahab 

LAGOS—THE Acting Vice- 

Chancellor of the University 

of Lagos, UNILAG, Prof. Omololu 

Soyombo, yesterday, addressed 

members of staff of the university, 

promising to give their welfare 

top priority and leaving the 

university better than he met it. 

Soyombo, who stood on the 

foyer of the university’s Senate 

Building, appealed to aggrieved 

workers to sheathe their swords 

and join him to restore the lost 

glory of the institution. 

His words: “I thank all members 

of staff and our great students for 

your support. I have received 

messages from workers and 

Passage 

EZINNE Lady Juliana 

Ihuoma Azike (nee 

Udechukwu) of Ezeoke Nsu in 

Ehime-Mbano Local 

Government area of Imo State is 

dead, aged 83. 

Lady Azike was a very 

hardworking, strong and 

industrious woman; wise, 

intelligent, and modest. She was 

also a farmer and trader, and her 

husband's strong pillar. 

Ezinne was generous, yet, a 

prudent homemaker; kind and 

affable. She spoke Hausa and 

Yoruba languages. She was the 

treasurer of many association, 

including the church, and was 

completely trustworthy and 

dependable. Her prudent lifestyle 

of modesty and humility made her 

a gem. 

Mama continued her community 

services and service to the church, even 

after her husband's demise. She was 

honoured as Ezinne of St. Michael's 

Church, Okohia. She had been a Lady 

of the Knight of St. Christopher. 

Mama was a Christian mother in Israel. 

She mentored young and old who came 

under her influence and was shy, yet 

outspoken. She made an impact 

wherever she goes and her legacies 

would last forever. 

She is survived by five children. 

• Late Ezinne Azike 

• SSANU backs Ag. VC 

• We won’t mind being last man 

standing —ASUU 

students expressing solidarity 

with me. We cannot do it alone; 

we must work as a team. I see my 

appointment as a call to serve our 

great university. 

“I have lived most part of my 

life here at UNILAG. I have been 

here for over 46 years, first as a 

student. This is where I bagged 

my degrees and I have worked 

for years as a lecturer and served 

in many capacities. I have been 

Dean of the Faculty of Social 

Sciences, head of Academic 

Planning and head of the 

UNILAG Consult. I have never 

been found wanting. 

“I am appealing to all workers, 

whether teaching or nonteaching, 

to cooperate with us to 

move our university forward. I am 

also a member of ASUU. I see my 

appointment as a call to serve 

UNILAG. This is a critical period 

in the life of our dear university 

and all hands must be on deck to 

move this place forward. 

“I believe in the prudent 

management of resources so that 

we can take care of everyone, no 

matter how little. We are here 

because of our students and we 

are already missing them. We are 

working on a plan that all 

necessary facilities that will make 

them resume in a safe 

environment be put in place 

before resumption. We want a 

situation that our students will 

resume 24 hours after the 

government opens all 

universities.” 

Commenting on why none of 

the deputy VCs was appointed 

as acting VC, Soyombo stated that 

at the time of his appointment, 

none of the DVCs had been 

confirmed in office by the 

Council. 

SSANU backs Ag. VC 

Meanwhile, the Senior Staff 

Association of Nigerian Universities, 

SSANU, has thrown its weight behind 

the acting VC. 

The new position of the association 

was contained in a statement by its 

Chairman, Olusola Sowunmi and five 

others. 

In the message, the association said it 

was distancing itself from all that 

happened on Thursday, August 13, 2020. 

We’re not bending 

—ASUU 

But the UNILAG chapter of ASUU 

has said it is not changing its position on 

Soyombo’s appointment. 

The Chairman, Dr. Dele Ashiru, who 

commented on the withdrawal of 

SSANU and NASU from the earlier 

agreement, said: “As far as we are 

concerned, our position remains the 

same. The process leading to the 

purported removal of Prof Oluwatoyin 

Ogundipe and the appointment of a socalled 

Acting VC is not known to the 

university. No academic staff, worth his 

salt, would want to be a beneficiary of 

illegality. 

“The Senate is the highest decision 

making organ on academic matters and 

it has spoken and it remains the same.” 

Wada Maida was a journalism icon 

—Tinubu 

LAGOS—ALL Progressives 

Congress, APC, National 

Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, 

yesterday, described the late 

veteran journalist and Chairman 

of Peoples Daily Newspaper, 

Alhaji Wada Maida as a 

statesman and journalism icon. 

Asiwaju Tinubu, in his 

condolence message on the death 

of the media entrepreneur, the 

former Lagos governor said: “I 

was deeply hurt to learn of the 

passing on Monday of veteran 

journalist and Chairman Peoples 

Daily, Alhaji Wada Maida, 70. 

“His death is a loss to Nigeria 

and to those who believe in the 

unity of the country. A statesman 

and patriot, Alhaji Maida was a 

journalism icon and 

accomplished media manager. 

He was an outstanding figure 

worthy of emulation by those who 

aspired to be journalists or 

otherwise work within the media 

space. 

“Anyone who encountered 

Alhaji Maida admired and 

respected him. He was a man of 

superb intellect and high integrity 

. His patriotism, commitment and 

competence were clearly on 

display when he worked in the 

early 1980s as Chief Press 

Secretary to Head of State, 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

“This loss of such a close friend, 

partner and associate must be a 

difficult moment for the president 

and I commiserate with President 

Buhari over Alhaji Maida’s 

passing.” 

Committee of mad people international 

Food cooked with it will be deliciously 

delicious! 

Bros, calm down; this life no balance 

ooo!




PROMO: Taiwo Embassey, Head, Regional Sales, 9mobile; Kolade Aminat Yetunde, winner, 1 million and 

Ehimare OmoikeActing Director, Customer Care, 9mobile, during the presentation the 1million Naira cheque at 

to the 9mobile National Mega Millions Promo winner in Lagos. 

NDDC: Akpabio, Pondei under probe over 

funds diversion allegations —EFCC 

•Says commission unearths contractors’ plot to swindle N3.9bn, petitions ICPC 

By Emma Amaize, 

Regional Editor, 

South-South & 

Innocent Anaba 

ECONOMIC 

and 

Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, has 

commenced investigating 

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, 

Godswill Akpabio, and acting 

Managing Director of Niger 

Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, Prof 

Keme Pondei, over 

allegations of diversion of the 

commission’s funds. 

It will be recalled that the 

leadership of NDDC is 

currently being probed by the 

National Assembly for 

allegedly mismanaging N80 

billion. 

This came as the 

commission claimed that it had 

uncovered a well-designed 

attempt by some companies 

to rip off the interventionist 

agency of N3.9 billion with 

make-believe interim 

payment certificates. 

The EFCC in an invitation 

letter addressed to Foundation 

for True Freedom and Good 

Governance, a civil society 

group, led by activist, Deji 

Adeyanju, by the Head, 

Economic Governance 

Section, Adebayo Adeniyi, 

dated August 14, 2020, with 

reference number 3000/ 

EFCC/ABJ/HQ/EG/T.6/Vol4/ 

044, said it was probing the 

NDDC and called on 

Adeyanju to come to clarify 

some of the issues he raised 

in his allegations. 

The letter read in part: “We 

write to acknowledge the 

receipt of your petition dated 

August 3, 2020, in respect of 

the above subject and to 

inform you that investigation 

into the case has commenced. 

“In view of the above, you 

are kindly requested to attend 

an interview with the 

undersigned through the O/ 

C team six on August 20, 2020, 

at EFCC headquarters third 

floor.” 

Contractors’ plot to 

swindle NDDC of 

N3.9bn 

The commission said that the 

companies were awarded 

contracts for seven skills 

acquisition programmes in 

136 slots covering 

entrepreneurship, building, 

tailoring/fashion design, web 

application/design, digital 

photography, cake making/ 

confectionaries and baking/ 

bread making skills training 

valued at N6.404 billion in 

August, 2019. 

It noted that a month after, 

in September 2019, some of 

the companies turned in 

invoices requesting for 

payment of 60 per cent of the 

total contract sum, claiming 

they had achieved the first 

milestone activities of the 

programme amounting to 

N3.9 billion. 

A source in the commission 

said the contractors allegedly 

working in concert with some 

officials, prepared interim 

payment certificates of N3.9 

billion, representing 60 per 

cent of the contract sum 

pending verification of the 

claim. 

A source told Vanguard that 

on discovering the scam, the 

Expanded Interim 

Management Committee, 

EIMC, wrote a formal petition 

to Independent Corrupt 

Practices Commission, ICPC, 

on the attempt by some 

companies to defraud and 

obtain payments from NDDC 

by false pretence. 

It also wrote a former acting 

Managing Director of the 

commission, Dr Akwagaga 

Enyia, to explain why she 

recommended that the 

claimed sums be paid to the 

consultants “when you had 

no reason to believe that the 

jobs were executed.” 

Acting Managing Director, 

NDDC, Prof Keme Pondei, in 

the petition to the ICPC 

chairman, a copy of which was 

obtained by Vanguard, called 

for probe of the racket, saying: 

“Investigations by the 

commission, however, 

revealed that no training had 

been conducted as alleged 

and that the documents 

supporting the requests for 

payment amounting to N3. 9 

billion were concocted for the 

purpose of obtaining money 

from the commission under 

false pretence.” 

He confirmed that the 

contractors actually presented 

interim payment certificates 

indicating that they had 

achieved 60 per cent milestone 

pending verification of claim, 

urging ICPC “to take a look 

at the facts culminating in the 

petition." 

Similarly, acting Executive 

Director, Projects, Dr Cairo 

Ojougboh, in a memo dated 

August 5, 2020, to Enyia, said: 

“You are requested to provide 

evidence to management 

within seven days showing 

why 60 per cent of the contract 

sum in each of the 136 slots 

was due and payable as at the 

time you signed the 

recommendation.” 

Amnesty programme: Don't add fuel to 

raging inferno, NDENYLC tells FG 

By Ochuko 

Akuopha 

KWALE—NIGER Delta 

Ethnic Nationalities 

Youth Leaders Council, 

NDENYLC, has warned the 

Federal Government that the 

Niger Delta region was 

already boiling with issues 

bordering 

on 

underdevelopment and 

neglect, saying it would be 

adding "more petrol" to a 

raging inferno if it does not 

jettison its plans to stop the 

Presidential Amnesty 

Programme, PAP. 

The group, in a statement 

by its Public Relations Officer, 

Marcus Enudi, said that the 

programme was not a free 

gift to the oil rich Niger Delta 

region. 

He said: "While granting 

amnesty to terrorists Boko 

Haram members, thinking of 

stopping amnesty 

programme to genuine 

agitators of Niger Delta 

development is like robbing 

Peter to pay Paul. This 

amnesty programme to 

Niger Deltans is not a free 

gift to them but their own 

right and privilege. 

"Niger Deltans contribute 

more to the Federal 

Government's purse than all 

other regions combined, so 

any benefit from the Federal 

Government coming to the 

Niger Delta region should 

not be seen as a free gift. 

"Niger Delta is the most 

Funeral, grief for Nwakaudu, late Wike's CPS 

By Egufe 

Yafugborhi 

PORT HARCOURT — 

ABIA State born Simeon 

Nwakaudu, late Press 

Secretary to Rivers State 

Governor Nyesom Wike, 

would be committed to mother 

earth today. 

In a statement ahead of the 

funeral, Rivers State 

Commissioner for 

Information and 

Communications, Paulinus 

Nsirim, yesterday, imagined 

the grief kinsmen of 

Nwakaudu must be sharing at 

Umuanya Ogbodikwu, 

Umuahia South Local 

Government Area of Abia 

beautiful bride of the Federal 

Government and all issues 

concerning it should be 

treated with utmost care and 

caution to avoid crises in the 

region. 

"The amnesty programme 

should continue and all 

ethnic nationalities in Niger 

Delta region should be 

carried along by the Federal 

Government." 

State, where the late media 

expert hails from. 

Nsirim in a tribute noted that 

"As tears will flow from family, 

friends, well wishers and 

professional colleagues, the 

life and times of a man who 

bestrode the media like a 

colossus will be a talking 

point. 

"Nwakaudu, whose sad 

demise occurred on May 17, 

2020, at the Rivers State 

University Teaching Hospital, 

RSUTH, after a brief illness 

had an amiable personality 

magnified by his toothy smile. 

"He stood out among his 

peers. His ink flowed with 

relentless ease as he churned 

out press releases and features 

Marginalisation: Secret meetings 

with some monarchs won’t stop 

our agitations, RUM tells Otuaro 

By Gab Ejuwa 

NIGER Delta group, Rescue 

Urhobo from 

Marginalisation, RUM, has 

frowned at move by Deputy 

Governor of Delta State, Mr 

Kingsley Otuaro, to bypass 

major agitators of fair deal for 

the marginalised Urhobo 

people and negotiate with 

traditional rulers, who were not 

part of the Urhobo struggle. 

The group said Otuaro’s 

present secret meetings with 

some traditional rulers in 

Urhobo nation in the name of 

peace may be counterproductive 

and provoke the 

youths. 

A communiqué by President 

of RUM, Olorogun Fidelis 

Oghenetega, after a meeting of 

the group at Afiesere in Ughelli 

North Local Government Area 

of the state, condemned the 

move by the deputy governor 

to boycott the main agitators 

Bizman petitions police over 

alleged threat to life 

By Onozure Dania 

WARRI — A block 

industry owner in 

Egbokodo, Warri South Local 

Government Area of Delta 

State, one Mr Towu Moses, 

has petitioned the Police Area 

Command in Warri, Delta 

State, over what he described 

as a case of attempted murder, 

burglary, unlawful possession 

of firearms, armed robbery 

and threat to his life. 

In the petition by his 

solicitors, C.V. Isiwu & 

Associates, Moses alleged that 

he was forcefully told to 

surrender his land on August 

15, 2020, at the home of an 

elder man of Egbokodo, 

where he was purportedly 

invited for a meeting at 8p.m. 

Nigeria needs more govs like 

Ayade —Fani-Kayode 

CMinister ALABAR—FORMER 

of Aviation, 

Chief Femi Fani-Kayode 

has said that Nigeria needs 

more governors like 

Governor Ben Ayade of 

Cross River State, given his 

impactful style of 

governance. 

Speaking during his tour 

of some major projects of 

the 

Ayade-led 

administration, including 

the fully furnished social 

to propagate policies and 

programmes of the Rivers 

Government. He never missed 

out on any news item that had 

to do with the state or our 

Principal, the timeliness with 

which he communicated quite 

enchanting." 

Nsirim recalled that the 

former Benue Correspondent of 

The Guardian Newspapers 

stayed committed to promoting 

the political ideals and strides 

of Wike since joining the 

governor's media team in Wike's 

time as Minister of State for 

Education, who officially 

designated him Senior Special 

Assistant, Electronic Media to 

the Governor after the 2015 

election victory. 

for traditional rulers. 

The group said: “Instead of 

meeting with those the Federal 

Government earlier appealed 

to cease fire for dialogue, he 

resorted to secret meetings with 

some traditional rulers, who 

have nothing to do with the 

reality on ground. 

“There was never a monarch 

that signed a statement or 

threatened to shut down 

operations of the International 

Oil Companies as it was well 

known groups of individuals 

from the Urhobo extraction that 

made the threats. 

“We also frown at the idea of 

downgrading some ethnic 

groups in favour of some others. 

All the ethnic nations agitating 

for fair deal for their people are 

major oil producing nations in 

Niger Delta, there is none 

amongst them that will strike 

which will not affect the Federal 

Government daily oil and gas 

production output." 

According to him, attempts 

were made to attack him, but 

he “was able to extricate 

himself” and fled with his son. 

Moses also told the police 

that his father’s compound on 

29, Egbokodo Road, Warri 

South Local Government 

Area, Delta State was 

attacked, propery destroyed 

and a “group of men,” who 

allegedly carried out the 

attack, “made away with 

N450,000, which I received 

from my customer and hid in 

my house for future use." 

The petitioner, who 

mentioned 10 men as being 

responsible for the attack on 

his life and members of his 

family, adding that 3,500 

(nine- inch) cement blocks 

worth N220 each were also 

destroyed. 

housing scheme allocated 

to the displaced people of 

Bakassi in Ifia Ayong, 

Bakassi Local Government 

Area of the state, Fani- 

Kayode lauded the 

governor for changing the 

narrative of the internally 

displaced people through 

the provision of tastefully 

furnished houses. 

The Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, chieftain, who 

described the apartments 

as a luxury, said he had 

never seen their kind 

anywhere in the country 

constructed for the 

internally displaced people 

(IDPs). 

"Having gone round this 

country, to places like 

Southern Kaduna IDP 

camp, the North East IDP 

camp, there is absolutely no 

comparison to what I have 

seen here today. Believe 

me, you should be 

thanking God that you 

have this kind of governor. 

It is a very different story 

in those IDP camps. 

"No doubt you have a 

government that is doing its 

best. The governor could do 

a lot more if the Federal 

Government has been 

supporting."




TOUR: From left—Chairman, DIDA, Hon. Paul Nmah; Executive Asstant. EML, Mr. Rohit Goswani; Director 

General, DIDA, Olorogun Lucky Oghene-Omoru; Chief Financial Officer, EML, Mr. Osaro Abusomwah; SA to 

DG, DIDA, Mr. Fred Onojeta and others during the Eastern Metals Ltd company tour at Issele-Azagba, Delta 

State. 

Ngige aligns with suspension of Alor monarch 

• Accuses Obi, Obiano of imposing Igwe Okonkwo on community 

By Nwabueze 

Okonkwo 

ONITSHA —A promi 

nent son of Alor community 

in Idemili South Local 

Government Area of Anambra 

State and incumbent 

Minister of Labour and Employment, 

Senator Chris 

Ngige has expressed his unflinching 

support to the suspension 

of the traditional ruler 

of Alor, Igwe Elibe Mac- 

Anthony Chinedu Okonkwo 

by the state government. 

The state government had 

recently announced the suspension 

of 13 traditional rulers 

in the state, including 

Igwe Okonkwo, for their unwholesome 

visit to President 

Muhammadu Buhari at the 

Presidential Villa, Abuja, 

without permission. 

Speaking to newsmen in a 

telephone chat, Ngige noted 

that in the first place, the community 

did not choose and 

enthrone Okonkwo as their 

monarch, let alone recognizing 

him as their royal father 

but unfortunately, the administration 

of Peter Obi imposed 

him on Alor people while the 

incumbent Governor Willie 

Obiano's regime went ahead 

and gave him undue recognition. 

Ngige said he totally 

aligned himself with the recent 

disowning of Okonkwo 

by the Alor Peoples Assembly, 

APA, formerly Alor Peoples 

Convention, APC. 

On whether he would like 

Okonkwo to be dethroned 

outrightly by the state government, 

Ngige declared: "In the 

first place, Okonkwo was not 

enthroned by the people. 

Rather, he was imposed on 

the people and as such, the 

word dethronement should 

not come in". 

APA had in its recent public 

statement signed by its 

President-General, Chief 

Uzoma Igbonwa (Okife) noted 

that "the leadership and 

the entire people of Alor community 

have keenly deliberated 

on the gross misconduct, 

act of sabotage, disloyalty 

against the state and attempted 

desecration of the Office 

of the Governor of Anambra 

State by some unscrupulous 

traditional rulers and businessmen 

including the purported, 

renegade and selfstyled 

traditional ruler of our 

beloved town Alor, 

Okonkwo." 

According to the statement, 

"We hereby wish to state our 

unequivocal support for the 

governor and every step he 

has taken to restore sanity to 

our traditional institution, the 

suspension of erring traditional 

rulers which includes 

the purported traditional ruler 

of Alor." 

The statement further read: 

"We, the good people of Alor 

are peace loving, law abiding 

and loyal to the Government 

of Anambra State and 

shall continue to do so. We 

hereby dissociate our entire 

community from the actions 

of Elibe Mac-Anthony Chinedu 

Okonkwo who was imposed 

on our 

community and was never 

crowned by Alor community 

as their Igwe and has 

strangely, been conducting 

himself to the disapproval of 

our people, culminating in 

the latest sabotage against the 

government of Anambra 

State. 

"The state government may 

well see the reason the Alor 

community rejected this im 

position and more reason 

communities should 

be allowed to freely elect 

their traditional rulers in an 

atmosphere strictly guided by 

democracy, traditions and 

norms. 

"This also offers us the opportunity 

to thank our illustrious 

son and the Honorable 

Minister of Labour and Employment, 

His Excellency, 

Sen. (Dr.) Chris Nwabueze 

Ngige, OON, Onwa, for 

swiftly acting to prevent the 

total desecration of the Office 

of the Governor of Anambra 

State before Mr. President 

and the people of Nigeria". 

Police arrest two Ebonyi taskforce members 

for beating keke operator to coma 

By Jane Ikemefula 

ABAKILIKI—THE Eb 

onyi State Police Command 

has arrested two suspected 

government taskforce 

members for allegedly 

beating a tricycle operator, 

one Mike Obasi, to 

coma. 

The suspects, popularly 

known as 2Face and one 

other, it was learnt had descended 

on the victim at 

the Margaret Umahi International 

Market for alleged 

wrong packing. 

The suspects were said to 

have demanded the sum of 

N1000 from Obasi, who after 

ransacking himself, was 

able to offer them N300 but 

it was turned down by the 

taskforce members who insisted 

on N1000. 

The victim, a native of 

Ogboji community, in the 

Ishielu Local Government 

Area of the state, narrating 

his ordeal in his hospital 

bed, said he was beaten 

by the suspects who alighted 

from a white Hummer 

bus. 

“My name is Mike Obasi 

from Ogboji Community 

in Ishielu Local Government 

Area of Ebonyi State. 

I am a father of five kids. 

“I entered the International 

Market with my keke 

to drop a passenger and all 

of sudden, a white Hummer 

bus double-crossed 

me and three persons 

jumped down from the bus 

and demanded for N1000 

for parking wrongly. As I 

was still begging them with 

N300, they pushed me out 

of my keke and started 

beating me. I don't know 

what they hit on my back 

and I fell down. 

Biafra: Nobody'll be treated 

as second class citizen, 

Uwazuruike tells UNPO 

By Nwabueze 

Okonkwo 

Fear grips Ebonyi community over mad woman 

with decomposing dead baby strapped on her back 

By Jane Ikemefula 

ADENTS BAKILIKI—RESI 

of Effium community, 

in Ohaukwu Local 

Government Area of Ebonyi 

State were gripped with 

fear and concern over a mad 

woman parading the community 

with a dead baby 

strapped on her back for 

over a week. 

According to residents of 

the sleepy community, the 

mad woman came to the 

community some months 

ago from an unknown destination 

and settled in an 

uncompleted one-storey 

building opposite a transport 

company. 

No information was available 

on how she came 

about the baby as no resident 

of the community 

talked of seeing her with 

pregnancy. 

The development 

"Later I saw myself in the 

hospital with the same people 

who attacked me in the 

market, claiming to have 

been the ones that rescued 

me. One of them offered me 

N5,000 to leave the hospital 

but even at that time, I 

was not able to move my 

body”. 

sparked off fear of possible 

outbreak of diseases in the 

area as the mad woman 

walked freely around the 

nooks and crannies of the 

community with the dead 

baby on her back and nobody 

had the courage to 

remove the decomposing 

dead baby from her. 

A community source 

told Vanguard that "the 

mad woman came to Effium 

community a couple of 

months ago, from an unknown 

destination and nobody 

can trace her origin 

for now. 

"She came into Effium, 

and found an uncompleted 

building opposite Christ 

Light Transport Company 

where she was staying. 

"Along the line, people 

noticed that she was carrying 

a dead baby at her back. 

She was roaming the nooks 

and crannies of Effium, with 

O 

N 

I T S H A — 

FOUNDER of Biafra 

Independence Movement 

and Movement for 

Actualization of Sovereign 

State of Biafra, BIM-MAS- 

SOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, 

has assured the Unrepresented 

Nations and 

Peoples Organization, 

UNPO, that the next 

generation of the people of 

Biafra will be treated fairly 

and equally as free citizens, 

that no person will 

be treated as a second class 

citizen. 

Uwazuruike who spoke 

during the meeting of 

the leaders of Biafra Internal 

Government, BIG, 

held at Umunakanu Community 

in Ehime Mbano 

council area of Imo 

State noted that the incessant 

attacks and killings 

recorded by members of his 

organization from 1999 

were continuation of the 

atrocities perpetrated by 

the federal government 

against the people of Biafra 

which started in 1960 and 

there is no end of these killings 

in sight. 

He said the atrocities 

against Ndigbo by the Nigerian 

state and her foreign 

collaborators were so 

alarming to ignore or to forgive 

and forget, adding that 

"it was only an independent 

Biafra that could 

New twist in the Akanu Ibiam 

land dispute 

By Anayo Okoli 

ENUGU—THE contro 

versy over the ownership 

of the disputed portion 

of land at the Akanu Ibiam 

International Airport Enugu, 

took another twist yesterday, 

when the family of late Igwe 

D. O. Eneh from Udi laid 

claim to the land. 

that dead baby at her back. 

It became so obvious and 

the stench was so discomforting 

to the residents, 

forcing them to report to the 

Police. 

"The Police alerted the two 

government coordinators in 

the area, Hon. Agbo Sunday 

of Effium Development 

Centre and Mrs. Eucharia 

Ogwale of Effium South 

Development Centre, who 

mobilized some youths in 

the area to dispossess her 

of the dead baby. 

"But she was resistant, 

making it difficult to take 

the baby from her." 

However, after a long 

struggle, the youths overpowered 

her and eventually 

collected the baby from 

her. The baby was already 

decomposing on her back, 

because she has carried it 

for over one week or so. The 

baby was buried at the cemetery 

on Tuesday. 

stop the marginalization 

that our people are facing 

today in Nigeria.“ 

Uwazuruike who 

stressed that he was willing 

to pay the supreme 

price for the struggle for the 

sovereignty of Biafra, adding 

that the compilation of 

factual evidences of the 

atrocities especially those 

of the members of BIM- 

MASSOB, IPOB, Biafra 

Zionist Federation, BZF, 

and others have exposed 

the wickedness and insensitivity 

of the rest of Nigerians 

towards 

Ndigbo. “The resultant effect," 

Uwazuruike said, 

"had shown where the 

minds of our people are; 

and that their minds are 

certainly not in Nigeria but 

Represented by his personal 

assistant on media matters, 

Elder Chris Mocha, 

Uwazuruike commended 

the print and electronic 

media establishments 

in Nigeria for 

standing firmly and fearlessly 

behind the Biafra 

struggle by publishing 

most of the events on 

members' arrests, detention 

without trial, killings 

and other forms of dehumanizing 

treatment meted 

to himself including 

being paraded naked 

before an Abuja High 

Court in 2007 and other 

forms of rights abuses 

committed during this 

period under review.‘‘ 

Last week, Arch J. J., 

armed with a court order, 

demolished some buildings 

in that portion of land, including 

part of the perimeter 

fence of the airport, an 

action that drew the anger 

of both the Federal Government 

and Enugu State Government. 

But yesterday, the family 

of the late traditional ruler of 

Udi, Enugu State, Igwe D. 

O. Eneh, armed with documents, 

some dated as far 

back as 1965 claimed ownership 

of the disputed land, 

saying that their late father 

acquired the land from 

Emene and Umuchigbo 

Nike, Enugu East council 

and dismissed Emejulu’s 

ownership claim on the land. 

Briefing journalists, two 

members of the family, Dr. 

George Eneh and Gary 

Eneh, flanked by their family 

lawyer, Ifeanyi Udenze, 

said they came “to clear the 

air on the drama at the Akanu 

Ibiam International Airport, 

Enugu” and described 

Emejulu’s ownership claim 

to the land as “fraud and 

should be investigated”. 

According to them, their 

late father acquired more 

than 300 acres of land from 

both Emene and Umuchigbo, 

Nike communities and 

separately entered into memorandum 

of understanding, 

MOU, in 1958 and 1965 

respectively. They quoted a 

1974 gazette where it is recorded, 

saying that Emejulu 

has no title to prove that 

the land belongs to him.




Plateau to open register 

for sexual offenders 

•As Britain pledges support for 

fight against gender-based violence 

By Marie-Therese 

Nanlong 

JOS—WORRIED 

by 

increasing rape cases and 

other gender-based violence in 

Plateau State, the state 

government has restated its 

commitment to severely punish 

perpetrators to deter others, 

disclosing that a sexual offenders’ 

register will soon be opened in 

the state. 

The register, according to the 

government is for the data of 

convicted offenders to be 

documented and their identities 

make public for them to be 

named, shamed and stigmatized 

instead of their victims. 

Governor Simon Lalong who 

spoke yesterday at an hour 

webinar with topic: Tackling 

sexual and gender-based 

violence as a pathway to 

sustainable peace organised by 

the Gideon and Funmi Para- 

Mallam Peace Foundation, 

stressed that the fight against 

sexual, gender-based violence 

and rape must be fought towards 

ensuring justice for victims and 

rehabilitating them while 

severely punishing perpetrators 

to serve as deterrent for others. 

He lamented that the problem 

of sexual, gender violence and 

rape had taken alarming and 

disgraceful dimensions in Nigeria, 

and should not be allowed to 

continue, saying: “One thing we 

take very seriously as a 

government is the prosecution 

of rape and sexual offenders. 

Following increase in rape cases 

in the country, I have directed 

the Attorney General and 

Commissioner for Justice to step 

up vigorous prosecution of 

offenders no matter their status. 

Very soon, we shall open a 

Sexual Offenders Register 

where the data of convicted 

offenders shall not only be 

documented, but their 

identities made public so that 

they are named and shamed. I 

believe that they are the ones 

that are entitled to stigmatisation 

not their victims.” 

Also speaking, British High 

Commissioner to Nigeria 

Catriona Laing, said addressing 

gender based violence and rape 

was a challenge that must be 

handled holistically with the 

cooperation of all stakeholders. 

The High Commissioner 

advocated for condemnation and 

intolerance for perpetrators as 

well as succour for the victims, 

adding that the UK was willing 

to support the action against 

gender-based violence and rape 

as well as work with advocacy 

groups, government agencies 

and religious leaders in 

ending the scourge. 

Miyetti Allah's threat to destabilise Benue State, 

an invitation to anarchy — AYC 

By Peter Duru 

M 

A K U R D I — 

AREWA Youth 

Council, AYC, has condemned 

alleged threat by the Miyetti 

Allah Cattle Breeders 

Association of Nigeria, 

MACBAN, to make Benue 

State ungovernable, warning 

that such threat is an 

invitation to anarchy. 

AYC urged security agencies 

to take steps to avert another 

bloodbath in the state. 

Recall that the state 

government had few days ago 

raised the alarm that the 

Miyetti Allah group in 

collaboration with those it 

described as opposition 

elements in the state were 

sponsoring mischief, protests to 

make the state ungovernable 

including negative media 

campaigns against the 

administration of Governor 

Samuel Ortom because of his 

stance against Open Grazing, 

his call for the declaration of 

armed herders as terrorists and 

his opposition to Miyetti Allah 

Vigilante. 

National President of the AYC, 

Dogo Shagari, who made the 

council’s position known 

yesterday when his team visited 

the governor in Makurdi, said 

“we read in the pages of 

newspapers with utter shock and 

total dismay the alleged threats 

made by Miyetti Allah to make 

Benue State ungovernable. 

Though it was laughable, the 

threat should not be taken for 

granted since similar threats in 

the past ended in bloodshed. 

That threat obviously came from 

demonic, inhuman and diabolic 

foreign machineries that align 

with some unlettered opposition 

leadership who’s stuck in trade is 

to distract good governance.” 

He said AYC was proud of the 

attainments of the Benue 

governor and “We stand in 

solidarity with him and the peace 

loving people of the state. We 

stand with the Governor because 

he remains the defender of the 

Benue Valley, leader of the 

vanguard of peaceful 

coexistence, driver of Benue 

ideals and Defender of Benue 

rights.” 

According to him, the group’s 

interaction with people of the 

state had shown that “Ortom is 

Benue and Benue is Ortom” and 

the alleged plot by Miyetti Allah 

would fail. 

Receiving the NYC leadership, 

Governor Ortom, who was 

represented by his Deputy, Mr. 

Benson Abounu, said Benue as 

an integral part of Nigeria would 

continue to support the unity 

and overall development of the 

country. 

He explained that “destruction 

of farm crops through open 

grazing of herds resulting to 

conflicts and wanton destruction 

of lives and property led to the 

enactment of the Benue 

Ranching Law 2017. The law was 

not meant to witch-hunt any 

particular group of people. It 

is a win, win for all, farmers 

and herders alike.” 

7 students writing WASSCE in Gombe 

test positive for COVID-19 

SEVEN students of 

Government Girls 

Secondary School, Doma, 

Gombe State, have tested 

positive for COVID-19. 

Itsekiri youth council calls for implementation 

of anti-kidnapping law in Delta 

THE Itsekiri national youth 

council (INYC) has called 

for the full implementation of 

Delta State anti-kidnapping law 

to avert the increasing rate of 

kidnapping in the state. 

INYC made this known when 

the leadership of the group drawn 

from all Iits chapters stormed 

Isiokolo, the headquarter of 

Ethiope East Local Government 

Area to register their protest 

before Hon. Faith Majemite, the 

chairperson of the local 

government area over the kidnap 

of Hon. Okorodudu Aduge, 

Chairman Warri North Local 

Government Area. 

Speaking during the visit, 

President of Itsekiri National 

Youth Council, Comrade, 

Weyinmi Agbateyiniro said the 

kidnapped Warri North Local 

Government council boss was 

detained by his kidnappers for 

several days in a building at 

Kokori community in Ethiope 

East Local Government Area of 

Delta State, from where he 

miraculously escaped. 

He alleged that the kidnapping 

of Hon. Aduge is among the 

conspiracy theory to kidnap a list 

of marked notable Itsekiri leaders 

for reasons not yet known. 

“The building in Kokori 

community where Hon. Aduge 

was held hostage for several days 

is well known. We know the 

connection between the owners 

of the building and the 

kidnappers. We wondered why 

those behind this conspiracy 

theory are hell-bent on 

kidnapping those on this list of 

marked Itsekiri leaders. 

“We are here to bring to your 

attention and the attention of the 

public to these ugly 

developments so that 

necessary machinery can be 

put in place to avert a 

recurrence of such ugly incident.'' 

The Federal Government had 

okayed schools to reopen on 

August 4 for graduating classes 

to write their examinations. 

Speaking yesterday, 

Commissioner for Education, 

Habu Dahiru, said the 

government had conducted 1,100 

tests on the final-year students 

following their resumption. 

He said the seven new patients 

are also candidates writing the 

WASSCE, saying: “We gave 

preference to students returning 

from epicentre states like Kaduna, 

Kano, Yobe and Lagos; those 

places that have registered high 

cases of COVID-19. So far, we 

have tested 1,100 cases, out of 

which the first case from 

Government Science Secondary 

School. 

“He was immediately 

evacuated and isolated. He has 

written his first paper, 

Mathematics, and he is writing 

Agricultural Science today. It will 

be demoralising for him if we 

don’t allow him to write his exams. 

“The government of Gombe 

State under the leadership of 

governor Inuwa Yahaya said all 

students found to be positive for 

the virus should be taken care of. 

We have identified another set of 

students. We only got the results 

yesterday. Seven of them have 

been found to test positive for the 

virus. We are making 

arrangements to evacuate them 

to the isolation centre. 

“We will not allow them to miss 

their papers because they tested 

positive. The testing became 

easier because the governor 

approved N120 million to set up 

a molecular laboratory. The 

Nigeria Centre for Disease 

Control has certified it and we 

have started testing in earnest. 

“The samples taken from 

schools were tested here in 

Gombe at the molecular lab and 

results were shared. We went to 

the school to identify the seven 

students and kept them aside.”

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 —15 

2023: S’East presidency'll deepen 

national unity — Sen Ekpenyong 

•It’s the turn of Igbo — NPP 

By Chioma 

Onuegbu & 

Chinonso Alozie 

U Christopher 

YO—SENATOR 

Ekpenyong, representing 

Ikot Ekpene Senatorial 

district in Akwa Ibom State 

and the Nigeria 

Presidential Project, NPP, 

yesterday, added their 

voices to the agitation for 

Nigerian President of 

South East extraction. 

Speaking yesterday in 

Uyo, Senator Ekpeyong 

said allowing the next 

president of Nigeria to 

come from the South East 

geopolitical zone will 

deepen national unity and 

give the Igbo a sense of 

belonging in the country. 

Ekpenyong advised that 

every section of the country 

must be given equal 

opportunity to lead and 

contribute to the building of 

the country because the 

country belongs to all 

irrespective of tongue, 

tribe or geopolitical zone. 

He stressed that since the 

North has produced the 

president, and South West 

as well as South South, that 

it would not be out of place 

if the South East was 

allowed to also lead the 

country for the purpose of 

equity and Justice. 

He however expressed 

disappointment that the 

same issue of mistrust that 

took the nation to a civil war 

and almost dismembered 

the country has remained 

a constant discourse among 

Nigerians after 50years. 

“My prayer is that we 

should allow an Igbo man 

to become the next 

president of Nigeria 

"If the North and the 

South West have produced 

a president, why can’t the 

Southeast be allowed to 

become president of 

Nigeria? 

"Igbo presidency is the 

path that will lead to 

deepening of our national 

unity.It will assuage the 

feeling of disillusionment 

among the Igbo. It will also 

give them a sense of 

belonging. No section has 

the monopoly of capacity to 

lead Nigeri. Therefore, 

everyone should be given 

equal opportunity to lead 

and contribute to the 

building of the country. No 

section was created to rule 

others for eternity. Nigeria 

belongs to all. 

“There are competent 

men and women across all 

geopolitical zones in this 

country. And remember, 

the South West and the 

South South have already 

produced a president. So, 

my plea with other zones 

is to allow the South East 

to produce the next 

president of Nigeria. 

“They should be given 

the opportunity to 

contribute their 

knowledge, experience 

and leadership capacity 

towards the growth of this 

nation” 

It’s the turn of 

Igbo — NPP 

In it’s submission, the 

Nigeria Presidential 

Project, NPP, also said that 

it’s the turn of the South 

East zone to produce the 

2023 Nigerian President. 

The NPP Chancellor, 

Walter Orji, spoke in 

Owerri, during the 

inauguration of the Imo 

State executives of NPP 

with Ude Agoha as its state 

Coordinating Chairman. 

Orji added that many 

Igbo politicians have made 

their interests known to 

NPP to run for the 

presidency but that they 

were waiting for the right 

time to go public about 

their political ambition. 

He said among other 

things that NPP had 

visited the nooks and 

crannies of the country as 

well as some reputable 

leaders in different regions 

of the country and talked 

to them on Igbo 

presidency. 

According to him, “to 

show you how committed 

we are in this project, we 

have started to inaugurate 

the state chapters of NPP, 

and Imo State is the first to 

be inaugurated.'Many 

have discussed Igbo 

presidency overtime but 

no practical steps have 

been taken to achieve this 

agenda." 

BRIEFING: From left, Executive Secretary, Ibadan Urban Flood Management 

Project, Mr Dayo Ayorinde; Secretary to Oyo State Government, 

Mrs Olubamiwo Adeosun and Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr 

Taiwo Adisa, during a press briefing on flood alert and precautionary measures 

for Ibadan Metropolis and other parts of the state held at secretariat, 

Ibadan. 

Auditor General Report: Misappropriations by 

MDAs enough to fund 2020 budget deficit 

THE EXECUTIVE Director, 

Centre for Social Justice, 

CSJ, Barr. Eze Onyekpere, has 

said the Federal Government 

can comfortably fund deficits 

in the 2020 National Budget by 

leveraging on Auditor General’s 

report from 2014 to 2017 which 

indicted hundreds of 

government Ministries, 

Agencies and Departments for 

various financial infractions. 

Onyekpere made the 

statement Wednesday during a 

radio program, PUBLIC 

CONSCIENCE produced by 

the Progressive Impact 

Organization for Community 

Development, PRIMORG. 

CSJ had in recently published 

HURIWA’s national coordinator alleges 

attempt on his life 

Ahuman rights group, 

Human Right 

Writers Association of 

Nigeria, HURIWA, has 

alleged an attempt by 

some unknown 

individual to the life of 

its National Coordinator, 

Emmanuel Onwubiko,. 

In a statement he 

personally in issued in 

Abuja, Onwubiko, the 

group alleged that at 

about 7pm on August 18, 

2020 whilst he was on 

his way home, he was 

waylaid by a Toyota 

Camry driven by a fierce 

looking person with 

about two other armed 

occupants who trailed 

him for about 30 minutes 

and made attempt to hit 

his car from behind but 

he escaped fortunately 

Auditor General’s report 

revealed that the nation lost a 

whooping N5.785 trillion on 

unauthorised deductions from 

Federation Account from 2014 

to 2017 by the trio of Nigeria 

National Petroleum 

Corporation (NNPC), 

Department of Petroleum 

Resources (DPR), and Federal 

Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). 

The Debt Management 

Office (DMO) had told the 

Senate Committee on Foreign 

and Local Debts in June that 

deficit financing of the revised 

N10 .509 trillion 2020 budget 

would rise from N2.18 trillion 

to N4.56trillion. 

Onyekpere noted if these 

from the suspected 

attackers who then fled 

upon sighting a police 

van not too far from the 

scene. 

The group claimed the 

attack came one week 

after it publicly alleged 

corruption in one of the 

federal ministries and 

requested that minister 

in charge should accept 

an invitation for a public 

debate on the alleged 

corruption, claiming 

among others that 

“rather than accept the 

open invitation to attend 

a public debate, the 

minister’s self 

acclaimed writers and 

supporters have gone 

overboard with a rash of 

publications in several 

newspapers with a 

funds are recovered from 

defaulting MDAs and public 

officials, the budget deficits can 

be adequately taken care of, 

stressing that the major 

challenge of implementing 

recommendations from the 

Auditor General report is lack 

of political will by the 

government. 

His words: “The challenge is 

that the political will to get 

violators of the financial 

regulations, the Fiscal 

Responsibility Act, Public 

procurement Act and even clear 

bridges of the constitution are 

violated on a regular basis but 

nobody ever gets punished.” 

campaign of calumny 

against HURIWA and 

the National 

Coordinator.” 

Ovie of Agbon tasks Urhobo group on 

development 

By Etop Ekanem 

HIS Royal Majesty, 

James Omeru, Ukori 1, 

the Ovie of Agbon Kingdom, 

Ethiope LGA of Delta State, 

has challenge the leaders 

and members of the Umogu 

descendents(Urhobo of 

Okpe and Uvwie Kingdoms) 

not only to agitate for political 

power but also ensure the 

development of their areas. 

The Ovie of Agbo 

Kingdom, gave the charge 

Obi condemns clampdown on 

Nigerian businesses in Ghana 

•Urges FG to intervene immediately 

VICE 

Presidential 

candidate of the 

People’s Democratic Party, 

PDP, in the last elections, Mr. 

Peter Obi, has described as 

unfair, the recent clampdown 

on Nigerian businesses in 

Ghana by the Ghanaian 

authorities. 

He spoke through a 

statement he made available 

to Vanguard. 

Obi, who said such actions 

negated the true spirit of 

African brotherhood, 

lamented the unfavourable 

business environment being 

created for Nigerian 

businesses in Ghana. He said 

it was unfair and unjust to 

close up shops and offices of 

businesses that were legally 

registered and of which their 

owners were law abiding 

residents. 

Speaking on the $1 million 

business registration fees and 

taxes allegedly levied on 

such Nigerian businesses by 

the Ghana Investment 

Promotion Council, Obi said 

it was shocking as it were 

outrageous, that foreign 

businesses were being 

subjected to such terrible 

conditions, without minding 

the huge losses incurred by 

these businesses due to the 

global pandemic. 

Obi stated that 

during a consultative visit on 

him by members of the group 

in his palace in Isiokolo, 

headquarters of Ethiope. 

Speaking at the palace, 

Chief Hope Erute, 

spokesman of the group 

said, the aims and objectives 

of the group, include to foster 

peace, progress and work 

politically with their brothers 

to ensure the political 

advancement of their 

kingdoms and the entire 

Urhobo Nation. 

Erute explained that it 

governments should be 

encouraging local and 

foreign investments with 

palliatives for more post- 

COVID economic recovery, 

instead of choking them with 

harsh economic conditions. 

Describing the actions of 

Ghanaian Authorities as 

undiplomatic, Obi said there 

were more peaceful channels 

of communication that would 

have been followed. 

“Recent reports of 

clampdown and forceful 

closure of business premises 

belonging to Nigerians in 

Ghana is not only unfair and 

unjust, but it clearly negates 

the true spirit of African unity. 

Governments around the 

world, knowing the huge 

losses and setbacks incurred 

by businesses due to the 

global coronavirus 

pandemic, are doing their 

best to revive local and 

foreign investments. 

Suppressing Nigerian 

businesses in Ghana at 

this critical time should not 

be seen as a right step”, 

Obi said. 

Obi called on the Federal 

Government to urgently 

wade into the matter and 

save Nigerians in Ghana, 

whose means of livelihood 

were obviously being 

threatened by the recent 

actions of the Ghanaian 

authorities. 

Fish out killers of Iniovogoma, 

UPU tells Delta CP, IG 

By Paul Olayemi 

U 

G H E L L I — 

FOLLOWING the 

killing of Sunday 

Iniovogoma, the Chairman 

of Agadama community in 

Uwheru Kingdom, Ughelli 

North local government 

area of Delta State, in a 

dynamite explosion that 

rocked the community 

some days ago, the Urhobo 

socio-cultural organisation, 

Urhobo Progress Union, 

UPU, while expressing 

shock over the incident, 

has called on the Delta 

State Police Commissioner, 

Mr Hafeez Mohammed 

Inuwa, and Inspector 

General of Police, 

Mohammed Adamu to fish 

out the perpetrators of the 

nefarious act. 

Confirming the murder 

of the Urhobo son, UPU 

President General, Chief 

Joe Omene, in a statement 

on Tuesday, said those 

who threw the dynamite 

into Iniovogoma's house at 

about 12:40pm were those 

who had tried to kill him 

earlier on. 

He said: "Iniovogoma 

was brutally murdered 

with dynamite in his house 

in broad daylight. We, the 

Urhobo, are calling on the 

Delta State Commissioner 

of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, 

and the Inspector General 

of Police, who are tested 

officers, to fish out these 

killers, this is one death too 

many and a clear we-cantake-it-no-more 

death. 

"This kind of killing has 

not happened in Urhobo 

land, we don't use 

dynamite, so it's obvious it's 

a herdsmen attack. They 

have been trying to kill 

him, so it's obvious that the 

same people he had 

prevented from carrying 

out evils in the land are 

those responsible for his 

death and if it continues 

like this, we have no choice 

than to retaliate." 

behoves on Urhobo 

traditional rulers to diffuse 

the negative tendencies 

among some Urhobo 

indigenes, who are saying 

that they are not Urhobos as 

a result of some of the things 

that they perceived was not 

properly done. 

Responding, the Agbon 

monarch expressed 

satisfaction over the array of 

experienced and seasoned 

personalities that make up the 

group and commended 

them for their initiative.


Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

There are two ways to conquer 

and enslave a nation. One is by the 

sword. The Other is by debt – John 

Adams, 1829. 

THE above quote, attributed 

to John Adams, the second 

US President, relates worryingly to 

Nigeria. For this country was once 

conquered and enslaved by the 

sword; now, it’s being conquered 

and enslaved by debt! In the mid- 

1800s, George Goldie used Maxim 

guns to conquer and subjugate the 

entities that later became Nigeria. 

And after its creation in 1914, 

Nigeria was colonised ‘by the 

sword’ for nearly 50 years before 

gaining political independence in 

1960. But Nigeria has never been 

economically free; and now, it’s 

being conquered and enslaved by 

debt, as China uses its enormous 

economic clout to trap the country 

in unsustainable debt and turn it 

into one of its client states. 

Of course, in the first subjugation, 

Nigeria had no choice beyond 

putting up feeble resistance. But in 

what looks like the second, it’s a 

willing instrument. Truth is, 

Nigeria is a willing pawn in 

China’s debt-trap diplomacy, and 

has deliberately put itself in 

China’s economic, political and 

ideological spheres of influence. 

In May last year, President 

Muhammadu Buhari lavished 

praise on China. When the 

chairman of China Railway 

Construction Corporation, 

Fenjian Chen, visited him at the 

State House, President Buhari 

said: “We are very grateful to China 

for the genuine efforts and strides 

to rebuild our infrastructure.” In 

July this year, while receiving the 

outgoing Chinese Ambassador to 

Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, Buhari 

Nigeria is selling its soul to China 

for infrastructure ‘development’ 

praised China again. “Please 

convey our appreciation to 

President Xi Jinping,” he said, “for 

the contribution of China towards 

reversing the infrastructure deficit 

we suffer in the areas of rail, roads, 

airports and power.” 

But in saying all this, does 

President Buhari believe that 

China’s debt-laden “rebuilding” of 

Nigeria’s infrastructure is based 

on altruistic motives? Is he not 

aware that China launched the 

“Go Out” policy in 1999, 

underpinned by a global 

investment and lending 

programme, to build 

infrastructure across developing 

countries to advance its global 

ambitions, which many have 

described as imperialist? 

Truth is, China’s loans only leave 

recipient countries with 

unsustainable debts and, often, 

economically unviable projects. 

The real benefits go to China. Why? 

Because when China gives loans, 

it ties them to projects that must be 

carried out by Chinese companies, 

with supply and service contracts 

that go to Chinese firms and labour 

that is mainly Chinese. Yun Sun, a 

Chinese academic, said that 

China’s infrastructure loans are 

designed to create jobs for Chinese 

firms and Chinese people abroad. 

Essentially, it is Chinese loans for 

Chinese firms, products, services 

and workers! In a recent tweet, Dr. 

Kingsley Moghalu said: “This is a 

rip-off. This is not loan”, adding: 

“Nigeria is subsidising China’s 

export strategy.” 

Indeed, talking of exports, 

Nigeria has made itself a signedup 

member of China’s “Go Out” 

global expansion strategy, of 

which aggressively promoting its 

exports is a key part! In 2018, 

Nigeria signed a three-year 

Renminbi-Naira Swap Agreement 

with China, worth 15 billion 

Chinese Yuan (CNY), equivalent of 

N720bn or US$2.5bn. Its aim was 

to enable Nigeria to pay for 

Chinese imports without the 

constraints of dollar scarcity. 

Face masks @N20,000: The President must hear this! 

By TIKO OKOYE 

CIVIC Hive, a nongovernmental 

organisation, NGO, recently opened 

a can of worms by accusing the Federal 

Ministry of Health of engaging in hankypanky 

business with regards to recent 

purchases of Personal Protective Equipment, 

PPE. A spokesman of the NGO disclosed that 

going by the information it obtained as at 

August 1, 2020, from the Nigerian Open 

Contracting Portal, NOCOPO, the ministry 

reportedly spent about N860million to 

acquire assorted PPE, including ordinary 

face masks. 

He further disclosed that: “A single entry 

by the name Marvellous Mike Press Limited 

was alone awarded 15 out of the 29 contracts 

(little over 50 percent), amounting to 

N444.28million.” In addition, the ministry 

claimed to have spent N37.06million of the 

amount to acquire 1,808 pieces of ordinary 

face masks, bringing the unit price to 

approximately N20,500! 

The imputed purchase price of the 

ordinary face mask is ridiculously expensive. 

Here in Abuja at major street intersections, 

motor parks, markets and departmental 

stores, such ordinary face masks are sold 

for N100 to N1,000 depending on the 

quality, indicating a mark-up of nearly 

2,000 percent for the most expensive brand 

without even taking cognisance of quantity 

discounts! 

When journalists sought clarifications on 

the mindboggling allegations from the 

health ministry, the Director of Information, 

Media and Publicity, Olujimi Oyetomi, was 

quoted as saying: “Don’t let us (journalists) 

reduce our noble profession of journalism 

to playing mischief. I will not be surprised if 

you come up with nothing truthful about 

the so-called expose. You should be able to 

know fake news.” 

It benumbs the mind why and how most 

senior government officials just fail to get 

it. Public distrust of government officials is 

the major reason why so many people 

already believe that COVID-19 is a scam 

designed to corruptly enrich our public 

officials under the guise of speedily 

responding to a health emergency. Nigerians 

are sick and tired of wishy-washy responses 

to allegations of corruption. And contrary 

to the thinking of Oyetomi, majority of 

Nigerians would not be surprised if, upon 

digging deeper, everything is truthful about 

the expose! 

Oyetomi did a great disservice, 

particularly to Civic Hive and the journalists 

he spoke to, as well as the rest of us in 

general, by insinuating that journalists and 

other stakeholders seeking answers to 

vexatious questions somehow dishonour 

their calling by spreading news still in the 

process of being ascertained as fake or 

factual. No sir! 

The situation would have been more 

appropriately handledby having the 

ministry counter the allegations by way of 

displaying verifiable documentary evidence 

indicating that the ordinary face masks in 

question were indeed purchased at more 

reasonable prices. Or is Oyetomi claiming 

that the ministry never purchased any PPE, 

including ordinary face masks, as is being 

alleged? 

And if indeed the ministry contracted to 

purchase the items in question, documentary 

evidence should be provided indicating how 

the contracts were allocated to disprove the 

allegation that only one supplier cornered 

as much as 50 percent of the entire order. Is 

the entity in question the only company in 

the country that has the technical skills and 

capacity to produce the required masks? 

It must also be said that the nobility of the 

Press is not marked by sweeping rubbish 

under the carpet or in trumpeting a clichéd 

esprit de corps. American jurist Justice 

George Sutherland it was who held that: “A 

free press stands as one of the great 

interpreters between the government and the 

people.” This explains why it is universally 

described as the Fourth Estate of the Realm. 

The consequences of 

Nigeria’s entanglement 

with China are not only 

economic; they are also 

political and ideological 

Of course, the main beneficiary 

is China. The swap agreement 

allows China to push its 

manufactured exports to Nigeria, 

while buying only commodities 

from Nigeria. It hardly imports 

non-oil products, which Nigeria 

badly needs to export to diversify 

its revenue base. 

Which brings us to the muchcriticised 

lack of transparency of 

China’s loans. While the terms of 

IMF, World Bank and other 

multilateral and bilateral loans 

are often open for scrutiny, the real 

terms of Chinese loans are 

shrouded in secrecy. Sadly, the 

Buhari government is a willing 

accomplice in keeping the fine 

prints of China’s loan agreements 

secret. 

Earlier this week, the House of 

Representatives queried the 

transport minister, Rotimi 

Amaechi, over the terms of a 

$500m Chinese infrastructure 

loan to Nigeria. But Amaechi 

asked the legislators to stop asking 

questions about the loan. Why? 

Well, hear him: “If the Chinese 

government have the feeling that 

you don’t like the way they lend 

you money, they may withdraw 

their loan offers.” 

Shocking! Put simply, Amaechi 

was telling Nigeria’s lawmakers: 

don’t ask questions about the 

terms of China’s loans; they don’t 

like anyone questioning the terms 

of their loans; you must accept the 

terms as given! Joshua Rano, a 

former TIME magazine editor, 

once wrote that China’s economic 

power is serving “like a magnet 

working on grains of iron to align 

other nations’ economic interests 

with the Middle Kingdom’s.” Well, 

one country where that magnetic 

But that is not to say that the NGO and the 

concerned pressmen are not without any 

blame. For instance, it would definitely have 

been much better if they had followed up by 

making inquiries at the Corporate Affairs 

Commission, CAC, to obtain the identities 

of the shareholders and directors of 

Marvellous Mike Press Limited. Readers 

may recall how a superintending minister 

of a cash-cow agency allegedly similarly 

farmed out the highly lucrative business of 

supplying diesel to a mistress. It was 

revealed that normal electricity supply to 

the headquarters of the agency was 

continually sabotaged just to ensure the lady 

kept smiling all the way to the bank for 

services supposedly rendered in kind to the 

Oga at the top! 

It goes without saying that tackling 

The buck now squarely stops 

at the desk of the Minister of 

Health to help Nigerians make 

some sense out of the ongoing 

nonsense on his turf 

allegations such as the ones made by Civic 

Hive has become an endless and ineffective 

task in this country. Despite the Buhari 

administration making the war against 

corruption a cardinal policy plank, coupled 

with the draconian measures being adopted 

to curb it, many government officials still 

wallow in corrupt practices. It is either that 

corruption is really in our DNA and 

manifests as a virulent pandemic or that the 

administration’s policy is not being taken 

very seriously. 

It must also be said that the general 

attitude and disposition of the larger society 

leaves a very bitter taste in the mouth. 

Whether we support or oppose the 

investigation of a suspect largely depends 

on primordial considerations such as 

political affiliation, creed, tribe and region 

of origin. It has become the norm that 

whenever news of the pilfering of stupefying 

effect is so powerful is Nigeria. The 

Yuan magnet has really drawn 

Nigeria into China’s economic 

orbit, and, of course, into utter 

indebtedness and economic 

subjugation! But the consequences 

of Nigeria’s entanglement with 

China are not only economic, they 

are also political and ideological. 

I mean, can Nigeria really pursue 

an independent foreign policy that 

China disagrees with? Well, the 

answer, it seems, is no! 

In April 2016, President Buhari 

went to China with six state 

governors and nine ministers. He 

returned with an offer of $6bn 

infrastructure loan. Ten months 

later, on January 11, 2017, 

Vanguard reported: “Nigeria 

severs diplomatic relations with 

Taiwan, closes Abuja office.” 

Earlier that month, Nigeria and 

China published a joint statement 

in newspapers, stating: “Nigeria 

agrees that One China policy is at 

the core of its strategic partnership 

with China.” 

China had used its economic 

clout to influence Nigeria’s foreign 

policy. But how far can that go? 

For instance, can Nigeria criticise 

China’s induced national security 

law and human rights violations 

in Hong Kong? If the exiled 

Tibetan leader, Dalai Lama, wants 

to visit Nigeria and China objects, 

would Nigeria still grant him a 

visa? 

Truth is, tied to Beijing’s purse 

strings, Nigeria is joined at the hip 

with China politically and 

ideologically. But a debtdependent 

strategic relationship 

with China is enslavement, and not 

in Nigeria’s best interests! 

amounts of public funds makes the round, 

we simply scream “Aaah!” and “Ewooh!” 

and move on to the next breaking news. At a 

time when a former leader of a militant 

group in the Niger Delta referred to the 

unauthorised N81billion expended by the 

Interim Management Committee of the 

Niger Delta Development Commission, 

NDDC, as “mere pocket change”, it is more 

than likely that many Nigerians would 

perceive N37million as “mere chicken 

change” not worth the bother of being talked 

about! 

The question begging for answers is what 

then is the point in expending billions of 

naira every year on institutions such as the 

Bureau for Public Procurement/Due Process 

Office when such shenanigans continue to 

fester unabated? Would it not be more 

meaningful to shut them down and divert 

the huge savings to more needy areas of the 

national economy? 

Be that as it may, public officials and senior 

civil servants must understand and 

appreciate the fact that Nigerians are getting 

smarter by the day. A law such as the Freedom 

of Information, FOI, Act is not there just for 

fun. Despite the rather ignoble role 

oftentimes played by a section of the 

judiciary, it has become a critical tool in the 

kit of various advocacy groups to exhume 

dirty skeletons government officials and 

politicians do not want the public to know. 

Accountants usually speak about 

materiality but as far as corruption goes, no 

amount is too small because as King 

Solomon - touted as one of the wisest men 

that ever lived - averred: “It is the little foxes 

that actually spoil the vine.” 

The buck now squarely stops at the desk 

of the Federal Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie 

Ehanire, to help Nigerians make some sense 

out of the ongoing nonsense on his turf. 

Either way, it is a case PresidentBuhari must 

hear if he desires to keep the anti-corruption 

crusade on course and thwart the 

demystification of his credibility and legacy. 

•Okoye, a Public Affairs Analyst, wrote 

from Abuja

Nasir el-Rufai and the 

carnage in Southern Kaduna 

NIGERIANS should not forget the real 

issue in the interminable Southern 

Kaduna crisis, despite the diversion caused by 

the invitation of Obadiah Malaifa by the 

Department of State Services, DSS. Malaifa, 

former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, deputy 

governor, was invited based on his allegation 

that an unnamed Northern governor is the 

commander of Boko Haram terrorists. What 

he said should be of interest to the security 

agencies. But to be fixated on what he said 

rather than what stirred his flare-up, which is 

the carnage in Southern Kaduna, parodies 

Nero’s fiddling on his violin while Rome 

burned. 

There is an emergency in Southern Kaduna. 

The bloodbath needs to stop and must stop. 

Any action that does not address this 

overarching imperative is trivial, irresponsible 

and diversionary. But make no mistake about 

it. Those who want Nigerians to take their eyes 

off the ball by dwelling on trivialities know 

what they are doing. Through unbridled 

disinformation and obfuscation, they intend 

to wheedle the unwary and create doubts. 

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, is at 

the vanguard of this attempt to bury the truth. 

Rather than rising to the occasion and 

confronting the challenges headlong, he is 

throwing tantrums, making baseless 

accusations, defaming his enemies – real and 

perceived – and rubbing insults into bleeding 

wounds. Rather than use the bully pulpit 

provided by his high office to restore the 

people’s moral compass, el-Rufai uses empty 

rhetoric to divide them. On August 16, he once 

again mounted his high horse to claim that 

some Southern Kaduna leaders – who accused 

him of taking sides in the crisis – are doing so 

because they want to be “appeased” with 

“brown envelopes”. 

For crying out against injustice, el-Rufai 

labelled them criminals. For demanding an 

end to the senseless shedding of the innocent 

blood of their kith and kin, he said the 

distraught leaders were idle interlopers. 

“I have no time 

for nonsense. I will 

not appease 

criminals. I will not 

appease idle 

people who have 

nothing to do but 

to raise a spectre of 

genocide. They do 

that to get money 

He should be 

worried that 

under his watch, 

Kaduna State has 

become the 

epicentre of this 

national tragedy 

into their bank 

accounts and get donations from abroad 

instead of standing up,” el-Rufai hubristically 

said. Assuming, without conceding that el- 

Rufai was honest in his narrative, it still raises 

the question of when it became a taboo for 

him to pay off murderers. 

Is this not the same el-Rufai who without 

prompting regaled bewildered Nigerians with 

tales of his escapade with murderous herdsmen 

who he chased to far-flung countries to pay 

them off for killing Nigerian citizens and 

begging them to kill no more because one of 

their own – a Fulani – was now at the helm of 

affairs? 

His words: “For Southern Kaduna, we didn’t 

understand what was going on and we decided 

to set up a committee under Gen. Martin 

Luther Agwai (retd) to find out what was going 

on there. What was established was that the 

root of the problem has a history starting from 

the 2011 post-election violence. Fulani 

herdsmen from across Africa bring their cattle 

down towards the Middle Belt and Southern 

Nigeria. The moment the rains start around 

March, April, they start moving them up to go 

back to their various communities and 

countries. “Unfortunately, it was when they 

were moving up with their cattle across 

Southern Kaduna that the elections of 2011 

took place and the crisis trapped some of them. 

“Some of them were from Niger, Cameroon, 

Chad, Mali and Senegal. Fulanis are in 14 

African countries and they traverse these 

countries with the cattle. So many of these 

people were killed, their cattle 

lost and they organised 

themselves and came back to 

revenge. So a lot of what was 

happening in Southern 

Kaduna was actually from 

outside Nigeria … We took 

certain steps. We got a group 

of people that were going 

round trying to trace some of 

these people in Cameroon, 

Niger Republic and so on to 

tell them that there is a new 

governor who is Fulani like them and has no 

problem paying compensations for lives lost 

and he is begging them to stop killing.” 

Have we forgotten this unforced error from 

a man who tweeted on April 26, 2013 that “Any 

society that responds to crimes by forgiving 

and bribing the criminals will inevitably create 

large contingents of criminal waanabes?” For 

crying out loud, this was Nasir el-Rufai on 

December 3, 2016. 

So, what has changed? When did it become 

less fashionable to hand brown envelopes to 

murderers in exchange for peace? Could it be 

because in his opinion the murderers this time 

are no longer Fulani and, therefore, 

undeserving of the same largesse he extended 

to his brethren? El-Rufai is angry that some 

Southern Kaduna leaders, including a 

lawmaker representing Zagon Kataf/Jaba 

Federal Constituency, Amos Magaji, are 

pointedly accusing him of taking sides in the 

crisis. His response is to counter punch with 

allegations. “Anyone that is moderate, anyone 

that is promoting peaceful co-existence 

between various ethnic groups is considered a 

sell out,” he said. 

“And for a governor like me, who does not 

appease them because they are used to being 

appeased, they cause troubles. They organise 

these killings and then, their leaders are invited 

by the governor, they wine and dine and they 

are given brown envelopes. That’s what they 

have been doing for 20 years. 

“Most of these people have no means of 

livelihood; they were living off the 

governments. The governments before us were 

paying them money every month, they called 

it peace money. We stopped it. This is why they 

say I am taking sides.” 

Pray! When did el-Rufai become a 

peacemaker? Is Saul now among the 

prophets? Before now, he had also alleged that 

Christian leaders were behind the killings so 

they could get overseas funding. 

Aren’t these allegations laughable? The 

governor knows those behind these killings, 

yet he has not ordered for their arrest and 

prosecution? So, Southern Kaduna leaders are 

killing their own people so they could 

blackmail el-Rufai into paying them blood 

money? In 2016, he claimed the crisis started 

from the 2011 post-election violence, but last 

Sunday, he changed gear claiming that it has 

a 40-year history. So, which is which? 

In 2016, el-Rufai claimed that “a lot of what 

was happening in Southern Kaduna was 

actually from outside Nigeria.” In 2020, it is 

now Southern Kaduna leaders orchestrating 

the killing of their own people in order to extort 

money from him. 

But the truth is that he is only being smart by 

half. As long as this carnage persists in Kaduna 

State, the joke will be on him. It is easy to preach 

peace as he seems to be doing. How can el- 

Rufai claim to be doing his best when nobody 

is arrested for these butcheries? The villains 

operate without any restraint, despite the socalled 

glut of security operatives and vanish 

into thin air; only for the victims to be harassed, 

abused and maligned by those whose 

responsibility it is to protect them. 

El-Rufai should continue to have his day in 

the sun for as long as it lasts but he should 

remember that moral compass defines 

leadership. A leader should have empathy, 

knowing full well that words can summon a 

people’s better angels or awaken their worst 

instincts. El-Rufai’s words do not summon the 

better angels of Kaduna, nay, other Nigerians. 

They awaken the worst instincts. 

He should be worried that under his watch, 

Kaduna State has become the epicentre of this 

national tragedy of incessant, unconscionable 

bloodletting and he cannot explain it away by 

playing, as Americans would say, whack-amole 

politics with his decisions. 

And in the event that he persists on this illadvised 

trajectory, Nigerians must make a 

conscious decision to call him out now with 

the intention to ultimately hold him to account 

at the fullness of time. 


C 

M 

Y 

K


MEDICAL doctors are among the 

very respected professionals in every 

society. Members of this noble 

profession which devotes itself to 

saving lives also typically carry 

themselves with such dignity that it is 

the ambition and pride of many 

families that they produce at least one 

medical doctor in an era. 

allegedly hired by a faction of the 

The pictures of bloodied heads that association which was allegedly not 

came out of the election of the Enugu eligible to participate invaded the 

branch of the Nigerian Medical venue and caused grievous bodily 

Association, NMA, did not at all fit harm on doctors who had queued to 

into the high standing associated with vote. They also destroyed voting 

doctors, especially in our society. This materials. 

is what has come to be expected of Analysts have commented that the 

motor-park touts and political thugs show of shame is a reflection of 

whom Nigerian politicians use to steal typical elections in the wider society. 

elections through violence and They pointed to the recent election of 

intimidation. 

the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, 

On Thursday, August 6, 2020, the during which it was alleged that some 

NMA Enugu branch held its elections. non-members were hired to vote. 

According to reports, proceedings However, the fact that doctors are a 

turned bloody when some hoodlums part of our society does not prevent 

Enugu doctors’ show of shame 

them from setting good examples for 

others to follow. The purpose of 

education is to shine the light. When 

the lamp loses its light, it becomes like 

the salt that loses its taste. 

Why, indeed, should an election of 

medical doctors lead to violence if the 

intention is to serve? What is the 

desperation that will drive people who 

did not qualify to vote to resort to 

hiring of thugs and bringing of the 

NMA to public opprobrium, as the 

President of the Association, Prof. 

Innocent Ujah rightly put it in his letter 

of apology while announcing the 

setting-up of a three-man committee 

to probe the violence? 

We urge the NMA to confirm its 

absolute zero tolerance to this 

shameful occurrence by ensuring that 

those behind it are exposed and 

subjected to the highest punitive 

sanction available in the association’s 

books. Enough must be done to deter 

such ugly incidence in the future. 

Our political leaders should feel 

ashamed that the bad example they 

continue to display during our 

elections are permeating even some 

of our noblest of professions. Where 

shall we start the search for a 

turnaround of our electoral culture 

where one-person, one-vote culture 

will become the order of the day? 

Unless we clean up our elections at 

all levels and allow the electorate to 

choose those to lead, Nigeria will 

never be a civilised, democratic 

society. 

OPINION 

Nation building and obligation of Nigerian youths 

By JEROME-MARIO UTOMI 

THE world on Wednesday August 12, 

2020, celebrated the International Youth 

Day, IYD, a programme that gives young 

people voices and opportunity to celebrate 

actions and initiatives as well as their 

meaningful, universal and equitable 

engagement, endorsed by the United Nations 

World Conference of Ministers Responsible for 

Youths. What is, however, of interest to 

development-minded individuals is that the 

theme of this year’s celebration: “Youth 

Engagement for Global Action” largely 

highlighted the ways in which the engagement 

of young people at the local, national and 

global levels could enrich national and 

multilateral institutions and processes as well 

as draw lessons on how their representation 

and engagement in formal institutional 

politics can be significantly enhanced. 

Indeed, separate from the fact that the future 

strength of every nation depends on its young 

people as their generation will provide the next 

leaders, this year’s celebration becomes more 

admirable and deserves our praise when one 

remembers that youths of Africa extraction 

and Nigeria in particular, despite occupying 

in recent times top striking diplomatic 

positions and development affairs midfields 

at the world stage, are back home 

dishearteningly and helplessly relegated to the 

background in the scheme of political and 

socioeconomic affairs of their nation. They (the 

youths) are often made to watch the political 

and leadership affairs of their nation from the 

political gallery. 

Youths on their part visibly but ignorantly 

endorsed this underground plots through their 

actions and inaction. The continuous silence 

and feeling of comfort in the face of political 

leadership deprivation, youth unemployment 

and lack of access to quality and affordable 

education authenticates this position. 

This ‘ghastly' account supports one thing: 

Nigeria, whose nationhood, generally 

acknowledges huge potential and manifest 

destiny, are still floundering and the youths of 

this country have a sacred mission to retrieve 

the country from the precipice of 

disintegration, leadership snares and 

delusions, and lead it on the part of growth, 

progress, prosperity, development and genuine 

nationhood. But, how can this be possible, 

considering the fact that we are in a nation 

where tribal loyalty is stronger than our 

common sense of nationhood? Can the youths 

effectively gird their courage? How far can 

the youths go as change-agents in a country 

where excruciating poverty and starvation 

continues to drive more people into the ranks 

of beggars whose desperate struggle for bread 

renders them insensible to all feelings of 

decency and self-respect? In a society where 

Nigerian youths must appreciate 

that democracy is not an end in 

itself; that when democracy fails 

to underwrite social justice and 

social mobility, it fuels 

hopelessness 

majority of the youths can easily be induced to 

work across purpose; and in political space 

where high density of the youth’s population 

reside in various villages with no access to 

information or livelihood, can they truly create 

any impact? The answers to the above 

beginning with the last lies in a scholarly 

report which stated thus: youths coming from 

the extreme rural or tribal background are 

placed at a severe disadvantageous position 

because of their traditional background, 

limited exposure and orthodox belief. Even if 

the tribal and limited exposure challenge is 

solved, statistics has made it abundantly 

clear that the greatest weakness associated 

with youth-related gatherings is their 

inability to remain united for a very long 

time.This fears cannot be described as 

unfounded as what played out during the 2019 

general elections remains a pointer to the 

reality that majority of our youths are ready 

to compromise their position for 

pecuniary gain. However, confronted with 

this condition, the youths must recognise that 

to produce change, they must be organised 

and work together in their units of power.To 

change this trend and achieve the objective of 

engaging youth in formal political 

mechanisms, increase the fairness of political 

processes by reducing democratic deficits, 

contributes to better and more sustainable 

policies which have symbolic importance that 

can further contribute to restore trust in public 

institutions, especially among youth, there are 

inescapable actions that the youths must 

take. 

Separate from shunning negative habits 

and involvement in criminal acts such as drug 

abuse, murder, insurgency, militancy 

and armed robbery, Nigerian youths must 

recognise that the man who creates power 

makes an indispensable contribution to the 

nation’s greatness, but the man who questions 

power makes a contribution just as 

indispensable, especially when the questioning 

is disinterested, for they determine whether we 

use power or power uses us. Supporting this 

position is Section 39(1) of the 1999 

Constitution adopted from Article 19 of the 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN, 

1948) which gives everyone the right to 

freedom of opinion and expression. 

The youth must also access the power of the 

press as Section 22 stipulates that “the press, 

radio, television and other agencies of the mass 

media shall, at all times, be free to uphold the 

fundamental objectives contained in this 

Chapter [Chapter IV: Fundamental Rights] 

and uphold the responsibility and 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

accountability of the Government to the people”, 

which has been emboldened by the Freedom of 

Information Act, 2011. 

It is important that Nigerian youths speak 

up against violation of human rights, 

suppression of free speech and freedom of the 

press. Like their elders, youths must not initiate, 

encourage or spread false, mischievous or 

divisive information capable, or 

with outright intent, of misleading the 

populace and disrupting societal harmony and 

peace. Within the ambience of the law, they 

must speak up with facts against any 

wrongdoing or oppression by the government 

or fellow citizens capable of endangering 

sustainable democracy and the effective 

delivery of good governance. 

To catalyse the process, the youths must 

imbibe the attitude of holding government 

stakeholders (duty bearers) to account for the 

use of the resources entrusted into their care 

and since the Constitution is the highest law of 

the land and the Constitution has given 

sovereignty to the people. Therefore, the youths, 

like their parents, are under a duty to exercise 

that sovereignty as provided for in Section 14 

(2) (a) of the Constitution by making demand 

for prudent and accountable use of what is in 

the budget. Youths should view theargument 

by political deconstructionists that Nigerian 

youths must face difficulties as evil, as there is 

no nation where each has his/her own job and 

house, and where all children receive as much 

education as their minds can absorb. 

This claim in views is not only ‘rationally 

inexplicable but morally unjustifiable.' It is a 

fact that government lacks capacity to fix 

socioeconomic challenges alone. But any 

government with goodwill and sincerity to 

save and serve the people must 

develop creative and innovative channels to 

promote sustained and inclusive economic 

growth, social development, environmental 

protection and job creation. 

Continues online: www.vanguardngr.com 

•Utomi, a Lagos-based media consultant, can 

be reached via: jeromeutomi@yahoo.com


Fore 

orex x inflo 

lows ws decline 25% to $9.7 bn in April 

•Outflows fall 55% to $3bn 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

Foreign exchange (forex) in 

flows into the country’s 

economy declined by 25 percent 

in April 2020 to $9.7 billion 

from $12.9 billion in March 

2020. This was due to the weak 

global demand for oil on account 

of Coronavirus (COVID’19) Pandemic. 

Oil receipts fell sharply by 15.5 

percent during the review period 

due to a 56 percent plunge in 

average crude oil price to $14.30 

per barrel in April from $32.30 

per barrel in March. 

Similarly, forex outflows fell by 

55 percent to $3 billion from 

$6.7 billion during the period. 

The decline was driven largely, 

by the 69.3 per cent decline in 

interbank demand, reflecting 

substantial decline in Investors 

and Exporters (I&E) funding and 

the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 

(CBN) non-intervention in the 

Bureau de Change ( BDC) segment 

in April 2020. 

The CBN disclosed this in its 

April Economic Report released 

yesterday. 

The report stated:”The weak 

global demand on account of 

COVID-19 led to a 25.0 percent 

decline in inflow of foreign exchange 

into the economy in 

April 2020. 

“On a month-on-month basis, 

foreign exchange inflows, 

through the economy, declined 

by 25.0 per cent to $9.72 billion 

in April 2020. The decline in inflows, 

relative to the level in 

March 2020, was attributed to 

the lower receipts from oil 

sources, which fell sharply by 

15.5 per cent as a result of the 

plunge in average crude oil price 

from US$32.30 per barrel in 

March 2020 to $14.30 per barrel 

in April 2020. The slump in 

crude oil price was induced by 

the weak global demand on account 

of the lockdown of most 

economies following the continued 

spread of COVID- 19. 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

RAND 

117.65 -1.70 

2,443.00 -33.00 

13.24 0.35 

45.31 -0.15 

42.80 -0.09 

379 379.5 380 

500.659 501.3195 501.98 

408.708 409.2757 409.8433 

418.0454 418.597 419.1485 

3.3626 3.3673 3.371 

0.6657 0.6757 0.6857 

534.3644 535.0693 535.7743 

54.8329 54.9057 54.9784 

101.0505 101.1838 101.3171 

22.036 22.0651 22.0942 

CBN Exchange rate as at 19/08/2020 

“Inflow through autonomous 

sources, particularly invisible 

purchases, declined by 57.3 per 

cent to $3.78 billion, relative to 

the preceding month, but higher 

than the 44.1 per cent increase in 

inflows through the CBN, which 

stood at US$5.94 billion in April 

2020.” 

On forex outflows it stated: “Following 

the lockdown of the Nigerian 

economy, aggregate foreign 

exchange outflows through the 

economy decreased by 55.1 per 

cent to outflows $3.29 billion in 

April 2020, below the level in the 

preceding month. The development 

was driven, largely, by the 

69.3 per cent decline in interbank 

utilisation, reflecting substantial 

decline in I&E funding and nonintervention 

in the BDC segment 

in April 2020. 

“Similarly, outflow through autonomous 

sources, mainly imports 

and invisibles, declined by 62.2 

per cent to $0.13 billion in April 

2020, below the level in March 

2020. Consequently, a net inflow 

of $6.43 billion was recorded 

through the economy in April 

2020, compared with the net inflow 

of $5.63 billion in the preceding 

month.” 

L-R, Executive Commissioner Corporate Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Mr 

Ibrahim Boyi, Director General, SEC Mr Lamido Yuguda, Executive Commissioner Operations SEC Mr 

Dayo Obisan and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Finance Hon Saidu Abdullahi during a 5 day 

Interactive Session on the 2021-2023 Medium Term Expenditure Frame work and Fiscal Strategy Paper at 

the National Assembly 

Peak Period Charges: : Maritime stakeholders rally 

for resistance 

By Godfrey Bivbere 

Stakeholders in the maritime 

and manufacturing industries, 

yesterday joined the Nigerian 

Shippers Council, NSC, in challenging 

the hike in ‘peak period 

charges’ by the international 

shipping 

lines. 

The ‘peak period 

charges’ refers to special 

costs attached to cargo 

shipments during high 

traffic period of the year 

usually between September 

and December. Vanguard 

learnt the that the 

shipping firms plan to effect 

about 400 percent 

increase in the charges to 

about $1000 per container, 

up from $200. 

The stakeholders, at a 

meeting in Lagos, yesterday 

with the management 

of the Shippers 

Council noted that the 

new charges, if allowed, 

could cripple the productive 

sector of the nation’s 

economy with an astronomical 

rise in cost of 

production as well as imported 

finished goods, 

pressuring the nation’s 

inflation rate further. 

In his opening remark, the Executive 

Secretary of the NSC, 

Hassan Bello, said the proposed 

increase in charges is a recipe for 

losses in jobs, revenue and businesses 

which will adversely affect 

the economy. 

Describing the charges as “astronomical 

and unfair” he said it was 

not made known to stakeholders 

and not negotiated. 

“We are therefore vehemently 

opposing it and we have written 

to them, we are expecting their 

feedback in the next few days.” 

He charged the stakeholders not 

to relent in challenging the development 

but should also write to their 

global bodies to make their opposition 

to the increase known. 

Among the stakeholders present 

at the meeting were the Nigerian 

Ports Authority, NPA, the Dangote 

Group, the Manufacturers Association 

of Nigeria, MAN, Nigerian 

Chamber of Commerce and Industries, 

NACCIMA, Lagos State Chamber 

of Commerce and Industries, 

LCCI, Promasidor Nigeria, the Association 

of Nigeria Licensed Customs 

Agents, ANLCA, National Association 

of Government Approved 

Freight Forwarders, 

NAGAFF and many more. 

Onion seller wins Access Bank promo car 

By Emma Ujah, Abuja 

Bureau Chief 

A 

Kaduna-based onion 

trader, Mr. Dahiru Umar, 

yesterday, emerged winner of 

the grand-prize of the Access 

Bank, Transact and Win a Car 

promotion. 

A brief Ceremony at the 

Bank’s Abuja/North West Regional 

Office, in the nation’s 

capital, saw Mr. Umar going 

home with a brand new 

Hyundai Accent. 

Regional Sales Director, 

Abuja/North-West, of the bank, 

Mr. Aminu Inuwa, said , in his 

remarks, that the grand prize was 

a demonstration of the bank’s 

commitment to fulfilling its promises 

to its customers. 

According to him, “We also 

have about 720 customers that 

can transact and win from 

N1000 up to N1 million. 

“This is our first grand prize of a 

vehicle won by Dahiru Umar, one 

of the bank’s customers who is 

doing business at Nnewi and resides 

in Kaduna State. 

“So today we have gathered 

here to inform everybody and our 

teeming customers- even if you 

have an account in Diamond Bank 

initially now Access Bank and 

Neimeth 

grows profit by 

665% to 

N237.6m in Q3 

By Peter Egwuatu 

Neimeth International 

Pharmaceuticals Plc 

continued its impressive 

growth trajectory in the 

third quarter, Q3’20 as 

double-digit growth in sales 

and improving operational 

efficiency leapfrogged profit 

by 664.8 percent during the 

nine-month period. 

Interim report and accounts 

of Neimeth for the 

nine-month period ended 

June 30, 2020 released at 

the Nigerian Stock Exchange 

(NSE) showed that 

turnover rose by 42.6 percent, 

providing the linchpin 

for gross profit and operating 

profit to rise by 70.3 per 

cent and 247.16 per cent 

respectively. Net profit thus 

grew by 664.8 percent. 

Earnings per share jumped 

by 550 percent, underscoring 

strong potential for increased 

dividend payment 

for the current business 

year. 

The report showed impressive 

growths across all 

business segments as increased 

market share in Nigeria 

was further boosted by 

resumption of export sales. 

For instance, veterinary 

business jumped by over 

300 percent from N82 million 

in full year2019 to 

N317 million in nine months 

of 2020. 

Turnover rose to N2.01 

billion in Q3’20 as against 

N1.41 billion recorded in 

comparable period of 2019. 

Gross profit crossed the 

landmark of a billion naira 

to N1.10 billion by June 

2020 compared with 

N646.05 million posted by 

June 2019. Operating profit 

more than tripled from 

N117.06 million to N406.38 

million. Profit after tax leapt 

to N237.63 million by June 

2020 as against N31.07 million 

recorded in corresponding 

period of 2019. 

Managing Director/CEO, 

Neimeth International 

Pharmaceuticals Plc, Pharm 

Matthew Azoji, said the 

well-rounded growth in the 

period under review 

showed that the company’s 

growth strategies are resilient 

and have continued to 

gain traction. 

According to him, the 

third-quarter results lent 

credence to improving positive 

impact from the 

company’s medium-term 

strategic growth plan as it 

strives to open additional 

markets while consolidating 

its major domestic market. 

even if your account is dormant, 

you can activate your 

account and have the chance 

to win these prizes.” 

Mr. Inuwa added that the 

bank had witnessed a surge in 

its customer base since the 

flag-off of the promotion. 

“We have witnessed tremendous 

progress as customers 

are trooping in to open 

many accounts. Some who 

had allowed their accounts to 

be dormant are also re-opening 

them because the campaign 

is targeted at the 

unbanked populace as well as 

existing customers.



08152060944 

The ugly sides of CAMA 2020 

By Harold Benson 

WHEN 

President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

last week signed into law 

the Companies and Allies 

Matter, CAMA 2020 bill, 

stakeholders in the 

business community were 

excited as the act is 

expected to revolutionised 

the ease of doing business 

in the country. Among 

many other provisions, the 

act seemingly makes it easy 

for individuals to now set up 

their own companies and 

file tax returns with ease. 

Despite its many good 

sides, some stakeholders 

have however warned of 

some silent provisions in 

the act which may hamper the 

good intension of the act. In 

this edition of Law and 

Human Rights, a lawyer, 

Harold Benson writes on 

some of the shortcoming of 

the act. 

If you know the amount of 

things hidden in that 604 

pages of the new Companies 

Act,you will start weeping.The 

Corporate Affairs Commisson 

has just been made a monster. 

You see that NIPOST 

regulation fixing N20m as 

licensing fee?That is small 

stuff compared to what CAC 

will do. 

The sector that will be worst 

hit are the churches, mosques, 

charity organisations, schools, 

NGOs etc. The CAC can now 

arbitrarily remove and replace 

the “owners” or leaders of 

these organisations. Also, 

CAC can convert/take over 

the monies in their bank 

accounts. 

Every sector will be hit. In 

the old Act, small fees were 

clearly prescribed for certain 

things.E.g, the Act may say if 

you fail to do XYZ, you’ll pay 

N50 for each day of 

default.The new Act has 

removed all those meagre fees 

and gives CAC power to make 

regulations prescribing fees. 

Online vendors who operate 

under a business name other 

than their government names, 

are now risking conviction in 

court if they don’t register their 

business names with CAC. 

The most damning revelation 

from my review so far is that, 

a private organisation has 

been written into the new 

Companies Act and has been 

emboldened through the back 

door to generate revenue and 

to regulate an aspect of law 

practice, accountancy etc. 

The private organisation is 

Business Recovery and 

Insolvency Practitioners of 

Nigeria (BRIPAN). S. 705(C) 

of the new CAMA requires 

that to qualify as insolvency 

practitioner,you must be a 

lawyer/accountant and a 

member of BRIPAN. On 

BRIPAN website, membership 

fee ranges from N90,000 - 

N250,000. 

BRIPAN is not a chartered 

institute (like ICAN, ICSAN, 

CIPM) or a statutory body. It 

is a private association formed 

by private citizens. Remember 

how Lagosians fought against 

Alpha Beta being written into 

the Lagos Land Use Charge 

Law (albeit unsuccessfuly)? 

In similar fashion, some 

people have successfully 

slipped in BRIPAN (a private 

organisation) into an Act of the 

National Assembly and the 

President has signed it into law. 

How did our law makers not see 

this while deliberations on the 

bill were ongoing? 

Another curious provision 

in the new CAMA is section 

851 which empowers CAC to 

now act as a ‘court’ or tribunal 

of some sort. So if CAC 

imposes fees on your small 

business, before you can go 

to court to challenge those 

fees, you must first appear 

before CAC panel and make 

your case. The panel is made 

up of guess who? Registrar 

General of CAC, five officers 

of CAC and someone from the 

Ministry of Trade & 

Investment, which is the 

Ministry overseeing the CAC. 

In effect, the CAC is now a 

prosecutor and judge in its 

own case. Goodluck if you 

have a case against CAC. 

One of the narratives touted 

by the govt regarding this 

new law is that, it wll aid ease 

Legality of waiver of sovereign immunity clauses 

in international contracts 

By Sebastine Hon, 

SAN 

SO much frenzy and hysteria 

has gripped the intellectual 

and political space of Nigeria, 

and possibly beyond, over the 

clause waiving Nigeria’s 

sovereign immunity in the 2018 

rail construction contract 

executed between the Federal 

Government of Nigeria and the 

Export-Import Bank of China. 

This piece seeks to clarify the 

issues surrounding the 

controversy. 

The concept or doctrine of 

sovereign immunity, according to 

the US Supreme Court in Nevada 

vs. Hall, 440 U.S. 410, 414 (1979), 

is an amalgam of two quite 

distinct concepts. The Court 

reasoned thus: 

The doctrine of sovereign 

immunity is an amalgam of two 

quite different concepts, one 

applicable to suits in the 

sovereign’s own courts and the 

other suits in the courts of another 

sovereign. 

One of the earliest judicial 

pronouncements on the subject 

matter is the US decision of 

Cohens vs. Virginia, 19 U.S. (6 

Wheat.) 264, 411-2 (1821), where 

it was pronounced thus: 

The universally received 

opinion is that no suit can be 

commenced or prosecuted 

against the United States; the 

Judiciary Act does not authorize 

such suits. 

In 1846, the US Supreme Court, 

in the case of United States vs. 

McLemore, 45 U.S. (4 How.) 286, 

288 (1846), held affirmatively that 

the United States was only 

subject to a suit if it gave consent 

to it via legislation. 

From the definition in Nevada 

vs. Hall, supraand the dictum in 

United States vs. McLemore, 

supra, therefore, sovereign 

immunity implies a sovereign 

State either invoking its 

sovereignty in order to escape 

from its legal obligations; 

ordeciding to waive such 

immunity as an indication of its 

willingness to permit breach of 

such legal obligations to be tested 

in the law courts for judicial 

determination. 

Even though the US Supreme 

Court overruled Nevada vs. Hall, 

supra, in Franchise Tax Board of 

California vs. Hyatt, 587 U.S. 

(2019), the definition in Nevada, 

supra, still stands. Indeed, that 

Court, in Hyatt’s case, did a deep 

historical incursion into the 

doctrine of sovereign immunity. 

Justice Thomas, who delivered 

Sebastine Hon. 

the lead opinion of that Court, 

opined as follows: 

After independence, the 

States considered themselves 

fully sovereign nations. As the 

Colonies proclaimed in 1776, 

they were “Free and 

Independent States” with “full 

Power to levy War, conclude 

peace, contract Alliances, 

establish Commerce, and do all 

other Acts and Things which 

Independent States may of 

right do”…. “An integral 

component” of the States’ 

sovereignty was “their 

immunity from private suits. 

Federal Maritime Comm’n v. 

South Carolina Ports Authority, 

535 U.S. 743, 751-752 (2002). 

After discussing other 

judicial decisions and legal 

No suit or 

action can be 

b r o u g h t 

against the 

King, even in 

civil matters, 

because no 

court can have 

jurisdiction 

over him 

and historical texts, Justice 

Thomas then held as follows: 

The Founders believed that 

both “common law sovereign 

immunity” and “law-of-nations 

sovereign immunity” 

prevented States from being 

amenable to process in any 

court without their consent…. 

The common law rule was that 

“no suit or action can be 

brought against the King, even 

in civil matters, because no 

court can have jurisdiction 

over him.” 1 W. Blackstone, 

Commentaries on the Laws of 

England 235 (1765) (Blackstone). 

The law-of-nations rule 

followed from “the perfect 

equality and absolute 

independence of sovereigns” 

under that body of 

international law…. According 

to the founding era’s foremost 

experts on the law of nations, 

“[i]t does not… belong to any 

foreign power to take 

cognizance of the 

administration of [another] 

sovereign, to set himself up for 

a judge of his conduct, and to 

oblige him to alter it”…. The 

founding generation thus took 

as given that States could not 

be haled involuntarily before 

each other’s courts. 

Driving strength from the 

historical evolvement of 

sovereign immunity, therefore, 

some countries, like the UK, 

have enacted legislation 

guaranteeing sovereign 

immunity and exceptions 

thereto. For instance, section 

of doing business. While I 

agree that on face value,some 

sections of the law will aid 

this,I am simply drawing our 

attention to other sections 

which will become a clog and 

make things difficult. 

Another narrative is that, 

with this new law, you wont 

need a lawyer to either 

incorporate a business or carry 

out many post incorporation 

activities as you can do them 

yourself. Truth is,many 

lawyers will grapple with this 

new law.If this is so,what are 

your chances as a layman? 

13(2) of the Sovereign (or State) 

Immunity Act, 1978 of the UK, 

forbids any relief “by way of 

injunction or order or for specific 

performance or for the recovery 

of land or other property.” It 

further provides that “the 

property of a State shall not be 

subject to any process for the 

enforcement of a judgment or 

arbitration award or, in an 

action in rem, for its arrest, 

detention or sale.” And to agree 

with the historical cum judicial 

development of the concept, 

subsection (3) of that section 

provides the following 

exception: 

(3) Subsection (2) above does 

not prevent the giving of any 

relief or the issue of any process 

with the written consent of the 

State concerned; and any such 

consent (which may be 

contained in a prior agreement) 

may be expressed so as to apply 

to a limited extent or generally; 

but a provision merely 

submitting to the jurisdiction of 

the courts is not to be regarded 

as a consent for the purpose of 

this subsection. 

The US version of this Act is 

the Foreign Immunities Act of 

1976; and section 1605 is 

similar to the above section. 

Nigeria, unfortunately, has no 

such law. 

The above provisions of the 

UK Act came up for 

interpretation in the case of 

Pearl Petroleum Co. Ltd. vs. The 

Kurdistan Regional 

Government of Iraq (2015) 

EWHC 3361 (Comm), where a 

similar waiver clause as the one 

under contention presently in 

Nigeria, was included in the 

contract agreement. Issues 

submitted before Mr. Justice 

Burton of the Commercial Court 

of the Queen’s Bench Division 

of the High Court bordered on 

whether The Kurdistan 

Regional Government of Iraq 

was a sovereign authority; and 

if so, whether “it was in the 

exercise of sovereign authority 

of the State (the Republic of 

Iraq) or of the Respondent as a 

separate entity” that it entered 

into the contract, so as to be 

affected by section 13 of the 

Sovereign Immunity Act, 1978. 

So much was said by Justice 

Burton on sovereign immunity; 

but I will just quote the portion 

relevant to the waiver in that 

agreement, which was thus: 

The KRG waives on its own 

behalf and that of the KRG any 

claim of immunity for itself and 

assets. 

Continues online 

C 

M 

Y 

K


World breastf 

tfeeding week: 

Why y some mothers don’t 

nurse—Paediatrician 

DR. Nkiruka Asumah, a 

Paediatrician for over 

three decades was 

Head, Paediatrics Department 

at the Federal Medical Centre 

(FMC) in Lagos; and presently 

Consultant Paediatrician and 

Partner at Paelon Memorial 

Hospital, V.I., Lagos. 

As the world annually 

dedicates the first week of 

August to increasing public 

awareness on breastfeeding, 

WO speaks with Dr. Asumah 

as she reveals why newborn 

mothers may be worried 

about breastfeeding their 

babies especially in the first 

week of life; benefits of 

breastfeeding and reasons 

nutrition and health status of 

mothers have an effect on the 

quality of breastfeeding. 

Excerpts: 

Why the consistent 

advocacy 

for 

breastfeeding despite the 

NUTRITION experts 

and 

other 

stakeholders in the 

campaign to improve 

breastfeeding in Nigeria have 

expressed worry that the 

COVID-19 pandemic is 

gradually changing the 

By Funmi Ajumobi 

alternatives that can help 

mother and child in this 

age? 

Breast milk is specifically 

made for the human newborn. 

Mothers should take the 

advantage of the colostrums, 

which is the initial sticky yellow 

milk that is produced from the 

breast the first few days after 

birth. It contains anti-infective 

properties and helps to build up 

the immune system. It creates 

a tough coating for the baby’s 

stomach and intestines and 

encourages the passage of the 

dark sticky stools (meconium) 

that baby passes out in the first 

few days of life. It also contains 

protein, salts, fats and vitamins. 

It is easily digestible and it is 

even recommended for 

premature babies as soon as 

possible after birth, a drop can 

be placed in the baby’s mouth. 

Breast milk contains 

antibodies and reduces the risk 

of respiratory illnesses in the 

newborn. Research also shows 

that children who are breastfed 

later grow up to be more 

intelligent than others who are 

not. 

Everything requires hard 

work. If you are determined 

and you know the benefits 

especially in this time of 

technology where you can 

access information, 

breastfeeding will be easy and 

enjoyable. Once you are aware, 

you will know that 

breastfeeding is enough to 

sustain your baby at least for 

the first 6 months. You can’t 

rule out that some new mothers 

are worried and so our duty is 

to explain to them. That is why 

it is important to attend 

antenatal clinics. 

The greatest thing is that 

breast feeding reduces risk of 

allergies and reduces 

respiratory illness. 

What about mothers who 

don’t give their babies 

World Breastf 

tfeeding Week: COVID-19 

changing dynamics of nutrition—Exper 

Experts 

… Increase maternal leave, they urge 

Mother breastfeeding her baby 

By Chioma Obinna 

dynamics of nutrition as well 

as giving opportunity to 

producers of breast Milk 

substitutes to interfere with 

optimal breastfeeding 

practice. 

The experts also expressed 

concern that the COVID-19 

pandemic has constituted a 

public health emergency 

around the world. 

The experts spoke during 

a webinar organised by Alive 

& Thrive and other partners 

and the Federal Ministry of 

Health to mark this year’s 

Breastfeeding Week entitled: 

“Breastfeeding and the 

Environment: Linkages and 

Opportunities in Nigeria.” 

In his submission at the 

webinar, Chief of Nutrition at 

UNICEF, Dr Simeon Nanama, 

noted that the measures put 

in place by governments 

around the world to contain 

the spread of COVID-19 have 

led to greater economic 

devastation on the livelihood 

of people. 

According to him, many 

households, especially those 

with infants and young 

children worry about the 

safety of breastfeeding their 

children at a time like this 

while others who want to 

breastfeed do not have the 

energy due to worsening 

household food insecurity. 

“Nigeria has made some 

progress in increasing the 

rate of exclusive 

breastfeeding, going from 17 

percent in 2013, to 29 

percent in 2018. This is on 

average, a 1 per cent increase 

per year. While this is 

unlikely to make Nigeria 

meet the World Health 

Assembly target of 50 per 

cent by 2025, still, exclusive 

breastfeeding seems to be 

one of the rare nutrition 

indicators in which Nigeria is 

making slow but steady 

progress.” 

Nkiruka Asumah 

breast milk because their 

babies refuse to take it? 

A lot of these mothers are new 

mothers, especially the first 

week when they find out that 

the breast milk is not really 

flowing that well. In this first 

week, mothers should realize 

that baby sleeps most of the 

time and the little milk they 

take for the size of their 

stomach at that time is enough. 

As the milk flows more, the 

stomach expands and it’s able 

to absorb more. The sooner 

baby is breastfed, (we 

recommend that within the 

first 30 minutes after birth), 

the more successful the 

outcome. Babies are born 

knowing how to suck. It is not 

an acquired reflex. It is a 

survival reflex. 

When a mother does not get 

enough rest too, it may affect 

breastfeeding. Mothers need to 

get enough rest. When a baby 

is born, as a mother you have 

to adjust your lifestyle to suit 

the baby because babies will 

not sleep through the night as 

parents do. Babies need to 

wake up to feed but you find 

out that during the day, they 

can sleep for 3 hours and that’s 

when mother should rest and 

relax. It is the colostrum that 

flows out first and because it is 

of small volume mothers 

assume it is inadequate. 

There are also some mothers 

who have flat nipples and for 

the baby to grasp it, the baby 

gets frustrated. This problem 

can be addressed during 

antenatal visits to the hospital 

and mother advised 

appropriately by the doctor 

who will check and show them 

what they will do to be able to 

tease out the nipple. Once a 

mother starts the baby with a 

bottle, the baby may become 

used to the plastic teat and 

when they are put to the breast, 

they may not take it. 

Is expressing breast 

milk for babies good? 

The idea is to give breast 

milk direct but if for some 

reasons you cannot give 

direct, express it; it’s still the 

breast milk. The benefits are 

still there in the breast milk. 

The more you breastfeed, the 

more the body produces milk 

just like the law of demand and 

supply. So if a child is not 

breastfed for a while, the body 

automatically turns off supply 

after a few weeks. Babies 

should be put to the breast 

soon after delivery even if 

delivered via caesarean 

section. Most mothers now 

receive spinal anaesthesia so 

they are awake and can 

breastfeed. Surgery should 

not be a deterrent for 

breastfeeding. 

What are the 

advantages 

of 

breastfeeding to the 

mother? 

You are carrying your 

baby, you are feeding your 

baby, your baby is looking at 

you and there is bonding. 

Breastfeeding helps with 

involution of the uterus. 

Workout may be needed to 

achieve a flat abdomen that 

was stretched by the 

pregnancy. 

According to reports, 

nutrition and health 

status of a mother have 

direct effect on the 

quality of her breast 

milk? 

If you eat well, you will be 

healthy. Someone who eats a 

balanced diet is healthier than 

someone who does not. 

Kindly read the rest online 

@ vanguardngr.com


Stakeholders reject castration as measure 

against rape at WELA conference 

…Bring back our trafficked girls, or face ECOWAS court, Falana warns Mali 

....Step up on forensics—DSVRT 

By Ebunoluwa Sessou 

& Okiemute Abraham 

DIRECTOR General of 

the National Agency 

for Prohibition of 

Trafficking in Persons, 

NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah 

Donli, has rejected castration 

as punishment for rapists, 

saying the ideal penalty should 

be considered on a case by 

case basis. 

She disclosed this during a 

webinar conference on gender 

based violence organized by 

Women Empowerment and 

Legal Aid, WELA, a nongovernmental 

organization, 

(NGO), in Lagos. 

The convener of the 

programme and human rights 

activist, Funmi Falana who is 

also founder of WELA, 

alongside other stakeholders 

who participated in the 

conference urged Nigerians to 

maintain a sustained 

momentum in the fight against 

rape, adding that rape and 

other related forms of gender 

based violence should not be 

handled with levity. 

Funmi Falana expressed her 

deep concern on the rising 

wave of sexual violence in 

Nigeria, adding that the 

upsurge was not due to the 

unavailability of laws but the 

institutionalized myths about 

rape eating deep into various 

parts of government at all 

levels. 

Joyce Ogbosu 

Buttressing her claims with 

facts and instances of rape 

cases in Nigeria over the last 

five months, she emphasized 

the need for all hands to be on 

deck to profer solutions to the 

menace. 

Donli who insisted castration 

is not an ideal penalty for rape 

offenders added that 

perpetrators could be left with 

no option but to kill their 

victims after the act. 

Also speaking, the Lagos State 

Commissioner for Women 

Affairs, Bolaji Dada and the Ekiti 

State Attorney General and 

Commissioner for Justice, 

Olawale Fapohunda jointly 

noted finding a way forward 

from the rising wave of sexual 

violence in Nigeria is a must for 

all stakeholders. 

They added that 

stigmatization of rape 

survivors should be addressed 

and the role of forensic 

evidences in the fight against 

rape should not be ignored. 

Dada lamented that the rape 

situation had become a 

pandemic as unreported cases 

exceeded the numerous 

reported ones. She further 

opined that ignorance and the 

culture of silence had 

beclouded the fight against 

sexual and gender based 

violence. 

Highlighting possible root 

causes of most rape cases as 

poor parenting, poverty and 

illiteracy, breakdown in 

marriages, drug usage, 

occultism and the influence of 

the internet, Bolaji submitted 

to the enactment of stricter 

laws against sex offenders and 

the education of the boy child 

as remedies to the growing 

pandemic. 

In the same vein, Fapohunda 

pointed out the challenges of a 

progressive response to 

gender based violence, stating 

that there was too much 

tolerance for sex offenders and 

Donli 

no national consensus on issues 

regarding gender based 

violence in Nigeria. He decried 

cultural practices whereby 

offenders recruit high standing 

members of society to beg on 

their behalves. 

Although emphasizing the 

need for law reforms, policy 

THE story of Joyce 

Ogbosu was that of 

r e s i l i e n c e , 

determination and focus. She 

started her life as a nobody but 

today, she is the Managing 

Partner Bluestrides Consulting, 

Founder Infosys Digital, 

Founder Lakewood British 

School Lagos, and the 

Executive Director 

Youngpreneur Africa. Her 

story of grass to grace will 

motivate anyone who reads it. 

She married her struggle with 

courage which became an eye 

opener. This was what she 

captured in her book, ‘Back 

Against the Wall’. The book was 

launched on Saturday August 

15, the day she also turned 43 

years old. 

Despite her marital life, she 

squarely faced all challenges 

and rose to who she is today. 

Joyce is one of the women who 

have suffered pain and anguish. 

Growing up, she experienced 

abject poverty and felt the 

pulse but she surmounted it all 

as her background did not deter 

her from making a landmark in 

her world. 

Reflecting her struggles in her 

book and at the same time 

challenging everyone 

Domestic Sexual and 

Violence Response Team, 

DSVRT, Mrs Titilayo Vivour 

Adeniyi, maintained that the 

need to leverage on 

investigation cannot be 

overemphasized. 

She noted that more than 

providing women with 

information on where to go 

after a rape, awareness 

should also cover ‘what to 

do’, which includes not taking 

a bath before approaching 

the hospital. She encouraged 

the need for compensation of 

rape survivors to avoid out 

of court settlements by 

offenders. 

Meanwhile, popular human 

rights lawyer, Femi Falana, 

SAN, decried, the trafficking 

of Nigerian women in Mali, 

urging NAPTIP and other 

related bodies to rise to the 

occasion and address the ugly 

trend. 

Why I penciled down ‘Back Against 

the Wall’— 

all’—Jo 

Joyce 

ce 

By Ebunoluwa Sessou 

change and the 

creation of a sex 

offenders’ register, 

he opined that until 

these efforts are 

institutionalized at 

the federal level, the 

fight against gender 

based violence 

would remain a 

struggle. 

“We need a serious 

n a t i o n a l 

conversation when 

it comes to the issue 

of rape” Fapohunda said. 

Alongside highlighting the 

need for temporary shelter for 

rape survivors especially those 

whose abusers are closely 

related, he stressed that 

perpetrators and not the 

victims must be ashamed and 

separated from the society. 

On her part, Founder, Stand 

to End Rape, STER, Oluwaseun 

Ayodeji, highlighted the 

religious undertone as well as 

the blame-shift culture from 

the perpetrators to the victim 

prevalent in the society, noting 

that survivors leverage on 

these reasons to be silent and 

excuse the perpetrators 

afterwards. 

Ayodeji urged government at 

all levels and the society at 

large to approach rape cases as 

murder cases with zero 

tolerance for perpetrators. 

Addressing the role of forensic 

evidence in rape crime 

investigation, Coordinator, 

including men, women, youths 

and teenagers, Ogbosu who is 

an ICT Consultant, Business 

Coach, Educationist, among 

others highlights her life 

challenges as a child whose 

father’s demise at an early stage 

threw her into a dungeon phase 

of life and how she battled 

through and came out 

victorious. 

The book launch which was 

held online had about a 

hundred guests in attendance 

from across the globe. 

Commodore Oscar Nesiama, 

the newly appointed Co-Chair 

Ministerial Implementation 

C’ttee on Restoration of The 

National Stadium Lagos was in 

attendance and chaired the 

occasion. 

Several guests from the USA, 

Canada, United Kingdom and 

Nigeria launched the book with 

a favorable amount raised in 

support of the book to get it 

across to teenage girls, young 

women as well as men. 

According to the book 

reviewers, the book pointed 

that men should not only 

prepare an inheritance for their 

children but also for the real 

world and equips them with life 

skills alongside quality 

education. 

For women, it is expected that 

they will learn the importance 

Funmi Falana 

of finding purpose in 

marriage, supporting their 

spouses and being financially 

responsible. For the 

teenagers and young adults, 

it teaches the importance of 

resilience, determination and 

focus. 

Some of the excerpts in the 

book read, “In an era where a 

lot of people, especially the 

youth, feel a sense of 

entitlement and giving 

excuses such as my father 

died, nobody is ready to train 

me, my mum doesn’t have 

money, we can barely feed”. 

Joyce’s story described a 

young person who refused to 

be a victim, took 

responsibility for how her life 

should turn out and trusted 

God to bless the decision. 

This crucial lesson led the 

author to start the 

Youngpreneur Africa 

Academy an online platform 

for children to learn 

entrepreneurial skills very 

early between ages of 9 and 

19 years old. 

It aims to equip them with 

entrepreneurial principles 

and skills, soft skills, business 

finance, innovation, digital 

skills and business ethics. 

This book will fuel your 

perseverance and resilience 

as you undertake your own 

journey to become a better 

version of yourself.


Mystery over escape of 

Ibadan serial killer 

•As residents now live in fear 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—WHEN a 

bloodthirsty serial killer, 

Sunday Shodipo, was arrested 

after sending four promising 

undergraduates and a 10- 

year-old boy to their early 

graves, residents of Ibadan 

land especially those who live 

at Moniya in Akinyele Local 

Government breathed a sigh 

of relief thinking that their 

sleepless nights were over, but 

little did they know that the 

harmless-looking but dangerous 

monster would escape 

from Police custody. 

Since his surprising escape, 

people in the city have been 

living in palpable fear because 

no one knows who will 

be the next victim of the weird 

human being who takes relish 

in shedding innocent blood 

without any provocation. 

His escape initially sounded 

like a cock and bull story until 

the Oyo State command 

confirmed it. 

While confirming his escape, 

the Police Public Relations 

Officer in the state, SP 

Olugbenga Fadeyi, said: “The 

Commissioner of Police, Oyo 

State Command, Nwachukwu 

Enwonwu, wishes to state that 

the prime suspect in the serial 

killings at the Akinyele Local 

Government Area, Moniya, 

Ibadan, Sunday Shodipe, 19, 

who was arrested and paraded 

along with two others at 

the Oyo State Police Command 

on July 17, 2020, and 

later charged and remanded 

in police custody escaped 

from lawful custody on August 

11, 2020.” 

If not for the fear of the law 

that negates jungle justice, 

AKURE—IN a bid to 

curtail the spread of 

COVID-19 among 

exit students in secondary 

schools, the Moba 

Leadership Forum has 

distributed palliative 

materials in Moba council 

area of Ekiti State. 

Over 1000 students from 16 

schools benefitted in the 

gesture. 

The ceremony took place 

during the pre-launch of the 

Forum at Moba Grammar 

School, Otun-Ekiti and was 

flagged off by the council 

chairman, Mr. Bayo 

•The suspected Akinyele serial killer, Sunday Shodipe 

the animal in human skin 

would have been lynched by 

the people he had made their 

lives nightmarish. 

Vanguard had earlier published 

how the notorious killer 

was arrested by local hunters 

who laid an ambush for him. 

He was about killing another 

woman when he was caught. 

Since the escape of the suspect, 

people in the state have 

shown their grievances. The 

monarch in charge of the local 

government, the Alakinyele of 

Akinyele, Oba James 

Odediran, did not hide his anger. 

Akinyele monarch in 

anger 

Oba Odediran wondered: 

“How did someone in the custody 

of the police escape? 

That points to something 

fishy. 

“Immediately the suspect 

escaped, the first thing we expected 

was for the police to 

declare the suspect wanted. 

“He was being taken around 

with his legs chained. We are, 

therefore, surprised to hear 

that he escaped. No one is 

safe in Nigeria if a suspect can 

escape from police custody. 

“The killer is not an indigene 

of Akinyele; he comes in 

here to commit his dastardly 

acts. He said he and his parents 

used to live in Moniya. 

We enjoin our police to be 

more serious about their duties. 

They have some betrayers 

among them, and they 

should fish them out.” 

Also, journalists in the state 

joined the league of those 

who frowned at the unbelievable 

escape of the hoodlum. 

According to the leader of the 

group, Mr. Demola Babalola, 

who spoke the minds of others, 

said: “What we are hearing is 

Ekiti students receive palliative materials to curb COVID-19 

By Dayo Johnson 

Aborisade. 

Aborisade commended the 

forum for complementing the 

state government’s efforts at 

tackling the coronavirus in 

the state and asked wellmeaning 

individuals in the 

state to emulate the forum. 

The Oore of Otun-Ekiti, 

Oba Adekunle Adeagbo 

hailed the sons and 

daughters of Moba land for 

coming together at such a 

time to cushion the effects of 

the pandemic on the students 

and their parents. 

Also, the Chairman, Panel 

of Administrator of the 

Forum, Mr. Ayanlola 

Kolawole, represented by 

Prof. Wole Adebayo, said that 

the forum is “a non-political, 

non-religious, nongovernmental 

and non-profit 

entity with the membership of 

about 300 like-minded men 

and women from all the 

communities in the council.” 

Kolawole said the goal of 

the Moba Leadership Forum 

is to unite indigenes of the 

town to channel their 

resources and experience to 

develop the area in particular 

and Ekiti State in general. 

He added that the 

palliatives, which include over 

2000 face masks were 

•Governor Seyi Makinde 

of Oyo State 

presented towards 

preventing community 

spread of COVID-19 among 

1000 exit students, who were 

to commence their West 

Africa Senior Secondary 

Examination soon, while 

other students would be 

given on resumption. 

Responding on behalf of 

the benefiting schools, 

Principal of Moba Grammar 

School, Otun Ekiti, Mr. Femi 

Aje, commended Moba 

Leadership Forum for their 

kind gesture and appealed 

to other members and 

groups in the council area to 

follow suit. 

so sad that we feel we are going 

to raise a statement to condemn 

the development. 

“But, because of the relationship 

we have with the new CP, 

we felt that there is a need for 

us to come around and hear 

from you what led to the disappearance 

of Sunday Shodipo.” 

How he escaped 

The Police used the opportunity 

to give a vivid account of 

how the suspect escaped saying, 

“Sunday Shodipo, 19, escaped 

from Police custody at 

Mokola Police Division, 

Ibadan on Tuesday 11 August 

2020 at about 7 pm. From what 

I am told, an Inspector 

of Police, 

who was not on 

duty, collected 

the keys to the 

cell and opened it 

under the 

pretense that he 

was taking him to 

take his bath and 

he escaped in the 

process.” 

“We have deployed 

massively, 

we have 

mobilised people 

both Kabiyesis, 

hunters, vigilantes 

and our policemen 

in covert 

operations. They 

have been combing 

the whole 

area and beyond 

for this man. 

“And finally too, we have 

published him as a wanted person, 

so that anybody that sees 

him should please apprehend 

him and draw our attention to 

it. 

“We have also pleaded with 

the public not to take laws into 

their hands. In case they see 

him, let them not mob him and 

send him to an untimely grave 

by way of jungle justice.” 

“They should handover so 

that the man will continue 

from where he stopped to tell 

the court and the public. He 

had already confessed during 

the last press briefing,” he said. 

Negligent officers 

detained 

The CP, who disclosed the inspector, 

who was negligent in 

his duty and others have been 

in detention, promised to fish 

out the killer wherever he may 

be. 

Residents now live 

in fear 

Meanwhile, some of the residents 

told Vanguard they 

would leave the area because 

they did not know where the 

killer would target. 

They told Vanguard that 

not up to 24 hours after the suspect 

escaped that a fresh 

corpse was discovered. 

Though they claimed that it 

was the handiwork of the same 

hoodlums, it could not be confirmed. 

The hunters, vigilante 

groups and other conventional 

and unconventional security 

agents have since been combing 

the area to re-arrest him. 

One of the hunters 

told Vanguard that the suspect 

is using charms to perpetuate 

his bloody acts. 

He said the suspect had 

gained entry into some homes 

without forcing the doors 

open. 

“This means that he is using 

some fetish power. But, we 

know he will soon be caught”, 

he said.

•Members of the society during the first anniversary in Osogbo 

We are peers of 

heaven, not witches, 

wizards — Elebuibon 

By Shina Abubakar 

O 

S O G B O — 

COORDINATOR of 

the Progressive Peers of heaven 

society, (Egbe emere 

oniyesiwaju) Mrs. Oyelola 

Elebuibon has described media 

reports depicting the group as 

witches and wizards as 

misleading. 

She said the society does not 

mean witches or wizards, but a 

comrade of heaven, saying the 

group held its first anniversary 

at the Araba Castle in Osogbo 

where Ifa High Priest, Ifayemi 

Elebuibon delivered a keyword 

address. 

According to her, the group is 

working towards harnessing the 

positive forces inherent in each 

member for the development of 

their immediate society and the 

country as a whole. 

Formation 

The group, according to Mrs. 

Elebuibon was first formed in 

1999 but the fear of coming 

public with it made it 

redundant. 

However, the deity mandated 

her to harness the positive forces 

inherent among the members for 

the positive development of the 

society. 

In an attempt to set the records, 

she said: “Despite the difficulty 

in bringing people together at 

that time due to stigmatisation, 

the deities still insisted that I 

bring like minds together and 

harness their energy for positive 

development. 

“This persistence led me to 

continue to identify and invite 

those with positive energy, 

stressed to them the need to come 

to the public and contribute to 

societal goods.” 

Difference between witches 

and us 

Elebuibon alluded that both 

witches and peers of heaven do 

possess supernatural powers, 

however, she said witchcraft is 

acquired on earth, sometimes 

gifted out while others even 

purchased it on the open market. 

But the peers of heaven, 

according to her, are inborn, 

everyone has a peer that controls 

his or her destiny on earth and it 

is never for sale. 

While witches could fly, peers 

commune in spirit rather than 

flying like birds. 

Conflict between Islam/ 

Christianity and traditional 

religion 

According to her, both 

Christianity and Islam are 

foreign religions used to 

castigate Yoruba deities just to 

propagate their beliefs. 

She said both religions painted 

everything traditional as evil just 

to brainwash Africans into 

neglecting their traditional 

ways. 

She added that that tradition 

and nature are irreplaceable, 

saying the most successful 

pastors and imams were helped 

by the emere spirit inherent in 

them. 

EDITOR: Dayo Johnson (08033509763) 

Deputy Editor: Dapo Akinrefon 08023844928 

(sms only) 

CORRESPONDENTS: 

Ola Ajayi 

Ibadan 

Dare Fasube 

(Photo) 

Rotimi Ojomoyela 

Ekiti 

Adeola Badru 

Ibadan 

Shina Abubakar 

Osogbo 

James Ogunnaike 

Abeokuta 

•Coordinator Peers of Heaven 

society, Chief (Mrs) Oyelola 

Elebuibon 

She said: “Even the most 

successful Imams and Pastors 

were helped by 

their emere spirit. That is why 

they can hear and see things 

others won’t. 

“Every human on earth has a 

spiritual being, it is a covenant 

from heaven, but when we were 

born, we lost the contact and it is 

only those who have the 

knowledge that could help guide 

people and reconnect them with 

their spiritual being.” 

“Many of them won’t know, but 

if you see many people mounted 

by Orisa, it is the emere spirit 

in them that is powerful, ditto to 

those who attend weekly Islamic 

prayers and those in the church 

mounted by spirit, it is 

the emere spirit inherent in 

them that is at work. They may 

call it anything but in our society, 

we call it peers of heaven, 

(emere)”, she said. 

Acceptability of traditional 

religion in America and Europe 

Besides initiating many 

Americans and Europeans into 

the Peers of Heaven society, 

Elebuibon said African 

traditional religion is deeply 

rooted in most parts of the world 

than in its origin, especially in 

the USA, Brazil, Cuba and many 

other European countries. 

She stated that if care was not 

taken, the white man would come 

back and begin to teach Africa 

their traditional religion. 

“Aside from initiating people 

into the Peers of Heaven society 

in Europe and America, the 

traditional religion is gaining 

acceptability in those countries 

than in its countries of origin. I 

even fear that one day, the 

Europeans will come back here 

to teach us traditional African 

religion”, she added. 


Crisis looms in Egba over 

chieftaincy title in Ijejaland 

By James Ogunnaike 

ABEOKUTA— TROUBLE 

seems to be looming in 

Egbaland over the vacant 

position of Oluwo in Ijeja town 

as two candidates, Aremu 

Bamboye, a popular music 

promoter, and Mukaila Atanda 

Akinwande, both from the 

Parakoyi Council of Chiefs, are 

laying claim to the position. 

It was gathered that it is the turn 

of the Ogbonis and not that of 

the Olorogun, Parakoyi, or any 

other group in the township to 

participate in the emergence of 

the Apex Chieftain in that locality. 

However, due to the nonavailability 

of candidates from the 

Ogbonis, as the Odofin, Chief 

Sunday Oluwole, who is in line 

for the stool is not qualified owing 

to his paternal link to Itoko. 

The other two Ogbonis declined 

interest which makes the mantle 

of leadership of the town fall on 

the Parakoyis, headed by the 

Olori Aje. 

It was also gathered that the 

Odofin, as the substantive leader 

of the town, decided to give the 

picking of the next Oluwo of Ijeja 

in the hands of Oluwo Agbein, 

Chief Femi Babalola. 

The Oluwo Agbein, on his part, 

later picked and installed the 

Olori Aje, Chief Aremu 

Bamgboye, being the head of the 

Parakoyi Council Of Chiefs as the 

next Oluwo of Ijeja township, on 

the ‘instruction’ of the Alake and 

Paramount ruler of Egbaland, 

Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo. 

But trouble started when 

Odofin realised that his preferred 

candidate was not chosen. 

Odofin stated that in line with 

the Alake’s directives after the 

demise of the previous Oluwo, a 

new Oluwo should be chosen 

through the approved traditional 

system. 

He said: “The Ologbonis met 

and carried out the exercise 

accordingly.” 

The Odofin further disclosed 

that there were two interested 

candidates namely, Messrs 

Bamgboye and Akinwande. 

“He further disclosed that five 

accredited Ogbonis were present 

to conduct the exercise." 

Unauthorised selection 

exercise 

In his submission, the Odofin 

of Ijeja said that they were 

surprised and worried to hear 

that another unauthorised 

selection exercise for the Oluwo 

of Ijeja took 

place with the 

exclusion of 

o t h e r 

authorised 

stakeholders 

after Chief 

Akinwande had 

been selected 

for presentation 

to the Alake 

and Paramount 

Ruler of 

Egbaland at a 

later date. 

When Vanguard sort 

clarification 

from the Oluwo 

Agbein, Chief 

Femi Babalola 

on why he 

chose and 

installed Chief 

Bamgboye as 

the new Oluwo 

of Ijeja, he said 

it was the Alake 

of Egbaland, Oba Aremu 

Gbadebo who instructed him to 

do so. 

Babalola said: “I was at my 

house on Monday, 3rd of August, 

2020 at about 7 pm when the 

Alake called me. He requested 

to know the situation of things in 

Ijeja saying he heard there were 

rumours that some people were 

parading someone as the Oluwo 

and I told him I knew nothing 

about that. 

“He then instructed me to go 

the following day and install 

Chief Bamgboye as the next 

Oluwo of the town to put to rest 

the lingering issues surrounding 

the position. 

“I immediately put a call to the 

other Chiefs to meet at the town’s 

hall for the installation, which we 

did before the community, 

without any hindrance 

whatsoever. 

“So, I was surprised to hear that 

the Odofin said the Alake said 

he didn’t instruct me to install 

Chief Bamgboye who has paid 

for the Chieftaincy form at the 

Alake’s palace with the full 

knowledge of the paramount 

ruler himself.” 

When asked if, at the instance 

of the Alake, another person can 

be installed as the Oluwo of Ijeja, 

he said he would not be a 

partaker to such evil, adding that 

he will stand by the truth. 

Alake didn’t approve 

appointment of Oluwo— 

Labode 

Clarifying the protocols on the 

appointment of Oluwo of Ijeja 

Township, the Baaroyin of 

Egbaland, Chief Lai Labode said 

Oba Gbadebo never instructed 

Chief Babalola to install Chief 

Bamgboye as the Oluwo of Ijeja 

Township. 

Chief Labode, in a statement, 

said: “It was the prerogative of 

the Ogbonis and not that of the 

Olorogun, Parakoyi, or any other 

group, in the system of the 

township to participate on the 

emergence of a person for the 

position of the apex chieftain in 

that locality. 

“Oba Gbadebo disclosed that 

after listening to Chief Oluwole 

on the processes of appointing 

the new Oluwo of Ijeja, the Alake 

asked the two contestants about 

their paternal and maternal 

relationships with the Ijeja 

Township and both of them told 

the Alake that both parents of 

each of them, were from that 

township.” 

•Chief Aremu Bamgboye, during his 

installation as the new Oluwo of Ijeja township 

in Abeokuta


08052202308 (sms only) 

Nigeria steps up fight against Child 

labour as ILO partners NECA 

Stories by Victor 

Ahiuma-Young 

THE Nation’s fight against 

increasing child labour has 

received a major boost as 

International Labour 

Organization, ILO, and the 

Nigeria Employers’ 

Consultative Association, 

NECA, have agreed to partner 

in efforts at eliminating the 

menace. 

The partnership between ILO 

and NECA on child labour is 

focusing on Cocoa, Artisanal 

and Small-Scale Gold Mining, 

ASGM, supply chains in 

Nigeria through the 

Accelerating action for the 

elimination of child labour in 

supply chains in Africa”, 

ACCEL Africa, Project. 

The ACCEL Africa project is a 

4-year project funded by the 

Dutch Government; however, 

implementation in Nigeria is 

from May 2019 to October 

2022. 

At a programme in Abuja to 

kick-state the partnership ILO 

praised NECA’s commitment to 

fighting the scourge of child 

labour. 

Speaking, Director of ILO 

Country Officer for Nigeria, 

Ghana, Liberia and Sierra 

Leone, Dennis Zulu, 

commended NECA for 

providing a platform to amplify 

the elimination of child labour 

in global supply chains. 

He noted that employers’ 

organizations such as NECA 

played a critical role in the fight 

for the elimination of the Worst 

Forms of Child Labour by 

engaging in tripartite 

discussions on the issue of child 

labour, providing inputs into 

legislation and encouraging the 

implementation of ILO child 

labour conventions’ principles 

at national, state and enterprise 

level. 

According to him, employers’ 

organization had been 

encouraging their members to 

stop employing child labour and 

to be more aware of and 

discourage adverse hiring 

practices of their suppliers that 

took advantage of child labour. 

Mr Zulu urged NECA to 

continue to participate in 

projects with development 

partners to withdraw child 

labourers from fields and 

prevent child labour, saying “We 

are hopeful that through the 

ACCEL Africa Project we can 

continue to strengthen NECA’s 

involvement in all tiers of child 

labour elimination, as well as 

NECA’s capacity to effectively 

eliminate child labour in supply 

chains in the private sector. 

Child labour elimination is too 

important to not have 

employers’ at the forefront, 

promoting good practice.” 

Reflecting on the partnership, 

NECA's Director-General, Dr 

Timothy Olawale, said “the 

challenge of child labour 

globally has become worrisome 

and unacceptable to us. No 

nation can afford to mortgage 

its future leaders through 

unwholesome activities such as 

child labour. We frown at any 

work which deprives children 

of their childhood, their 

potentials, their dignity and 

which is harmful to their 

physical and mental 

development. While poverty and 

unemployment are major 

drivers of Child Labour in 

Nigeria, made worse with the 

especially with the advent of 

Covid-19, it is still not an excuse 

to interfere with their education 

or expose them to forms of 

labour suited for adults. 

Convention 138 

“Despite Nigeria’s ratification 

of the ILO’s Child Labour 

Convention 138 on the 

Minimum Age for Admission 

to Employment, and 

Convention 182 on the Worst 

Forms of Child Labour, there is 

still a high prevalence of 

exploitation in the largely 

informal Agricultural and 

Mining sectors. Therefore, as a 

responsible Employers’ 

Association and the authentic 

Voice of Business, it is incumbent 

on us to advocate and create 

awareness to the actors in the 

supply chain the benefits of 

responsible businesses without 

child labour.” 

While commending the ILO 

for providing both technical and 

financial support throughout 

the Accel Africa Project, 

Olawale said “the Association 

will also work with employers 

and other stakeholders in the 

Organized Private Sector to 

review and develop policies and 

organizational code of conducts 

in the private sector to respond 

to child labour issues. 

Furthermore, the lessons from 

this project should serve as a 

model for replication in other 

relevant supply chains by 

NECA. 

“NECA will also support the 

capacity building and 

formalization of Associations in 

the Cocoa and Mining Sectors 

as Employers’ Associations to 

ensure the institutionalization of 

fair labour practices and decent 

work in line with extant labour 

laws and ILO Conventions.” 

The ILO and NECA have 

signed an 18 months 

implementation agreement, 

ending January 2022, to 

strengthen the capacities of 

employers and employers’ 

organizations in child labour 

elimination in supply chains in 

Nigeria towards improving 

private sector compliance on 

child labour elimination. 

Specifically, the designed 

programme proposes an 

integrated set of interventions 

as listed below: Support the 

institutional capacity of NECA 

to monitor compliance of the 

private sector in the elimination 

of child labour in the workplace, 

build capacity for different levels 

of stakeholders in the private 

sector in the elimination of child 

labour, assess the capacity of 

private sector players to 

innovate and develop 

innovative solutions that 

address the root causes of child 

labour It is also to increase the 

allocation of corporate social 

responsibility resources towards 

child labour eliminating 

initiatives, review and develop 

policies and organizational 

code of conducts in the private 

sector to respond to child labour 

issues, support the 

formalization of Associations 

in the Cocoa and Mining 

sectors as Employers’ 

Association to ensure fair labour 

practices and decent work, 

strengthen the due diligence 

mechanisms (commitment, 

risk analysis and impact 

assessment, integration in the 

company, monitoring, 

communication, remediation) 

of private sector stakeholders by 

integrating child labour in the 

human rights due to diligence 

approach, advocate and create 

awareness of the actors in the 

supply chain on child labour 

and the benefits of responsible 

businesses without child labour 

and develop a knowledge 

sharing plan to capture lessons 

learned and best practices. 

Unemployment can't be seperated 

from poverty, NECA warns 

NIGERIA 

Employers' 

Consultative Association, 

NECA, has raised the alarm 

over rising employment and 

poverty crises ravaging the 

country, warning that it is 

impossible to separate 

unemployment from poverty. 

At its 63rd Annual General 

Meeting, AGM, meeting in 

Lagos, President of NECA, Mr 

Taiwo Adeniyi, argued that the 

longer people stayed out of 

employment or any reasonable 

means of income, the higher the 

rate of poverty. 

According to him, "It is 

practically impossible to 

separate unemployment from 

poverty. The longer people stay 

out of employment or any 

reasonable means of income, 

the higher the rate of poverty. 

Two years after it was reported 

that Nigeria had surpassed 

India as the nation with the 

highest number of people living 

in extreme poverty across the 

world, the country's poverty 

ranking continues to upsurge. 

The World Poverty Clock, a web 

tool based on World Data Lab's 

global poverty model, estimated 

in June 2018 that 86.9 million 

Nigerians were living on less 

than $1.90 a day. That number 

has increased by over 15 million 

in the past two years, according 

to new figures published by 

World Data Lab on May 26, 

2020. 

"The total number of people 

living in extreme poverty in 

Nigeria now stands at an 

estimated 102million, 

representing 15% of the total 

people living in poverty 

worldwide and 50% of the 

Nigeria's estimated population 

of over 205 million. With Covid- 

19, the figure could only be 

imagined. As at Q3 2019, the 

unemployment rate was 

reported at 23.1%, underemployment 

rate 20.1%, and the 

combined unemployment and 

underemployment rate, 43.3%. 

These figures, with the 

disruptions created by Covid-19, 

have the potential to skyrocket 

the prevalent crime rate, poverty 

level, insurgency, child labour, 

militancy, armed robbery, 

kidnappings and drug abuse, 

among others. 

"It is instructive to note that for 

every 10 jobs created globally, 

the private sector creates 9. 

Thus, for Government to 

address the increasing rate of 

unemployment and poverty 

level, serious attention and 

support must be given to 

organised businesses to thrive 

and flourish, rather than the 

current regulatory environment 

that is characterised with 

strangulation and crass 

exploitation of businesses. 

Specific palliatives and Job 

Retention Schemes should be 

made available to organised 

businesses to fast-track 

economic recovery and 

promote job creation. ‘‘ 

Universities cannot reopen without 

resolving lingering education crisis 

—Ogunyemi, ASUU National President 

Following the recent reopening of secondary schools 

in the country for final year students to sit for their exams, 

agitation has been intensified for the reopening of tertiary 

institutions in the country that were also shut following 

the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. 

In this interview, the National President of the Academic 

Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Biodun 

Ogunyemi, gave reasons why public universities should 

not be reopened for now. Excerpts. 

By Adesina Wahab 

THE international students 

market is valued at over 

$100 billion annually, why is 

Nigeria not attracting 

international students? 

We cannot attract foreign 

students or even foreign lecturers 

until the lost glory of our 

universities and the education 

sector is restored. We must 

restore it to the 1960s and 1970s 

standards when people from 

other African nations and even 

from outside the continent were 

coming here to learn and teach. 

Then, nobody saw our 

certificates as inferior. 

In 2014, we toured varsities in 

Ghana and found out that 

almost 50 per cent of the 

students came from Nigeria. 

The Ghanaian Government 

made a deliberate effort to make 

their nation the hub of 

education in West Africa. We can 

start to compete with our peers 

if we restore the lost glory. 

Ghana, Egypt and South Africa 

are places Nigerians flock to 

after Europe and the United 

States for university education. 

A time was when people from 

these countries were coming to 

learn and teach here. Then, we 

had competitive salaries, good 

infrastructure, modern facilities 

that can compare with those in 

other places. 

The then University of Ife, 

now Obafemi Awolowo 

University, was at a time 

regarded as the most beautiful 

campus on the continent. It is 

now struggling to stay afloat. 

Many of our people who went 

away frustrated are now making 

waves across the globe. In those 

glorious years of our education, 

we heard that the then King of 

Saudi Arabia came to the 

University College Hospital, 

UCH, Ibadan to be treated. 

UCH was and is still part of the 

University of Ibadan. That 

hospital boasted of many 

renowned medical doctors who 

were world beaters in their fields. 

Now, a local government 

chairman may see the same 

hospital as below the standard 

of hospitals that can treat him. 

What can be done to redress 

the situation? 

That has been the kernel of 

our struggle and agitation for 

years now - upgrade facilities in 

our educational institutions and 

improve the welfare of the 

workers there. That has also 

been the main cause of our clash 

with the government. In Ghana 

for instance, the money paid by 

foreign students is used to 

subsidise the education of the 

locals. Our leaders must show 

that they are truly human and 

stop consigning the children of 

the poor to all these poor 

facilities and environment. 

Recently, the National 

Universities Commission, 

NUC, said it is assessing the 

situation in the universities to 

know when to reopen them, 

what is your view on that? 

They are doing what they 

ought to do. That is being seen 

as promoting stability in the 

system. However, we have said 

it before that there is no way they 

will achieve that without solving 

the educational crisis we have 

on hand. The crisis started before 

the outbreak of COVID-19. 

They cannot bring in the students 

without first resolving the crisis 

if they want a lasting peace in 

our universities. They must 

address our demands and 

resolve all the crises in the system 

from the primary school level. 

The reopening of secondary 

schools is like carrying out an 

experiment with innocent 

children. 

They need to revitalise the 

system. Upgrade all the facilities 

we have now. They are harping 

on e-learning, can we do that 

without the required facilities? 

Staff morale must be boosted. 

We also say they must set up 

Visitation Panels to all the 

universities. Setting up the 

panels to assess the universities 

•ASUU President, Prof. 

Biodun Ogunyemi 

ought to be done every five years, 

but we have situations whereby 

such a panel has not been set for 

some universities for over 10 

years. 

Also, the issue of state 

universities must be addressed 

too. I laugh when I see some state 

governors who cannot manage 

one university and are creating 

or setting up two or more. Such 

people are jesters. They have 

turned universities to 

constituency projects like 

drilling boreholes. Which 

facilities have they put in such 

universities? 

We are also demanding the 

payment of Academic Earned 

Allowances to our members. 

That is very important. It is the 

sweat of our members. 

Ambassadors School students 

make Nigeria proud, win British 

Council awards 

By Mary Obaebor 

SIX students of Ambassadors 

Schools, Ota, Ogun State 

have received the British Council 

Recognition and Outstanding 

Cambridge Learner Awards for 

outstanding performances in 

Cambridge examinations. 

The recognition and awards 

were to recognize scholarly 

excellence. 

The six students are Juliet 

Ekoko who received Top In 

World, Mathematics (without 

Coursework), and Top In 

Nigeria, Agriculture (Nov 

2018). Glory Okoli received the 

award for Top In Nigeria, 

Economics (Nov 2018). Enoch 

Adelekan bagged Top In 

Nigeria, Additional 

Mathematics (Nov 2018). 

Eniola Olubunmi shone 

brightly as she received Top In 

Nigeria, Accounting (Nov 

2018). Yvette Foby received the 

prize for High Achievement, 

Agriculture (Nov 2019) and 

Akintoye Ogunsola received the 

prize for Top In Country, 

Accounting (Nov 2019). 

The school board, while 

rejoicing with the awardees, 

said, "We know how well you 

have pushed yourselves and 

gone out of your comfort zones. 

We know that these awards will 

encourage you to strive for 

more achievements in the future. 

Congratulations on receiving 

these awards. We wish you good 

success in your pursuits as we 

give the glory to God. 

Congratulations to the 

teachers who keep motivating 

students to excel and put 

everything into schoolwork and 

congratulations to 

administrators, and parents for 

all the years of hard work that 

laid the foundation for an award 

such as this. The Ambassadors 

School is renowned for 

churning out outstanding 

students year in, year out which 

is evident through these awards 

and the numerous laurels the 

students of the school receive 

often. It is the place where future 

leaders are moulded to become 

total men and women." 

MTNF donates e-library to OAU 

By Princewill Ekwujuru 

AS part of its continued 

investment in youth 

development, education and 

empowerment, MTN 

Foundation (MTNF) has 

handed over an e-library to 

Obafemi Awolowo University, 

(OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State. The 

e-library is named after a 

philanthropist and former 

Minister of Health, who is now 

Chairman, MTNF, Prince 

Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi. 

The university becomes the 

latest recipient of the e-library 

intervention by the MTNF 

joining University of Lagos, 

Ahmadu Bello University, 

University of Nigeria and 

University of Benin. 

In his remarks, Prince Adelusi- 

Adeluyi said the infrastructure 

would grant students easy access 

to additional resources to 

broaden their learning. “Buying 

books for me has been a lifelong 

investment and when it was time 

to give them away, my almamater, 

the Obafemi Awolowo 

University came to mind. On 

speaking with the school 

librarian, it became necessary 

to equip the library with some 

digital resources and this was 

where the MTNF came in.

Continues from Page 5 

organisation) into an Act of 

the National Assembly and 

the President has signed it 

into law. How did our law 

makers not see this while 

deliberations on the bill 

were ongoing?” 

Oyedepo rejects 

CAMA, says nobody 

can appoint trustee for 

his church 

Presiding Bishop, Living 

Faith Church Worldwide, 

Bishop David Oyedepo, 

who was more strident in 

his reaction to the act, said: 

“In the document, they 

said the Registrar-General 

can remove the trustees 

without recourse to the 

court. Don’t try it. 

“This must be from 

somebody who woke up 

from the wrong side of the 

bed after dreaming. The 

person must have drafted 

that aspect in the bill as their 

custom is. 

“I am 51 years old in this 

thing (Christianity), don’t 

try it. I have been with 

Jesus for some time and I 

am sent as a prophet to 

nations. That a minister can 

remove the trustees and 

close the accounts of the 

church is unacceptable.” 

Govt shouldn’t suffocate 

religious bodies, NGOs, 

says Catholic Archbishop 

of Lagos, Martins 

Also reacting to the act 

yesterday, the Catholic 

Archbishop of Lagos, Most 

Reverend Alfred Adewale 

Martins, said CAMA as an 

act of parliament, was not 

in itself a bad piece of 

legislation as it will 

improve the ease of doing 

business in Nigeria. 

The Archbishop said 

though he was not aware 

whether the umbrella body 

of Christianity in the 

country, CAN, or its affiliate, 

the Pentecostal Fellowship 

of Nigeria, PFN, were 

consulted before enactment 

into law, “what is clear is 

that the Federal 

Government must tread 

with caution and should 

not be seen to be 

Naira down to N386/$ in 

I&E window 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

THE Naira yesterday depreciated in the Investors 

and Exporters (I&E) window to N386 per dollar 

despite a 1132 percent rise in the volume of dollars 

traded. 

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative 

exchange rate for the window rose to N386 per dollar 

yesterday from N385.98 per dollar on Tuesday, 

translating to two kobo depreciation of the naira. 

The volume of dollars (turnover) traded in the 

window rose by 1,132 per cent to $227.29 million from 

$18.44 million on Tuesday. However, the Naira 

yesterday appreciated by N50 in the parallel market. 

According to naijabdcs.com, the live exchange rate 

platform of the Association of Bureaux De Change 

Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), the parallel market 

exchange rate dropped to N475c per dollar from N480 

per dollar on Tuesday, indicating N50 appreciation of 

the Naira. 

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

Businesses hail CAMA 2020 

as pastors howl in protest 

suffocating religious bodies 

and non-governmental 

associations or societies. 

“Removing a Board of 

Trustees and replacing it 

with government’s own is 

a serious violation on 

religious freedom.” 

The Catholic prelate, who 

spoke through the Director 

of Social Communication, 

Rev. Father Anthony 

Godonu, noted that the 

Catholic Church had no 

problem with transparency 

and accountability. 

“We are well structured 

and always answerable to 

the ecclesiastical 

authorities, including the 

head of the universal 

church, the Catholic Pontiff, 

the Pope,” he said. 

He mentained that the 

secular government in the 

country is very aware of the 

above claims. 

We are studying the 

matter — Lagos PFN 

Similarly, chairman of 

Lagos Chapter of the 

Pentecostal Fellowship of 

Nigeria, PFN, Bishop Sola 

Ore, said the national body 

of the Pentecostal 

Fellowship of Nigeria is 

studying the Act and will 

take appropriate steps in 

days to come. 

He expressed regrets 

that the bill which had taken 

years of debate and public 

hearing was eventually 

passed into law. 

“I think the challenge 

arose because our voice 

was not strong enough in 

presenting our own side 

during the public hearing. 

But this is not to blame 

anybody. We are certainly 

going to look at the option 

of challenging it in a law 

court,” Bishop Ore said. 

Advising church leaders 

to be calm and go about 

their callings, Bishop Ore 

said: “We are not called to 

strife. Our duty as church 

leaders is to ensure that the 

right things are done and 

that those we are leading 

do not see us as renegades. 

“At the same time, we are 

not going to allow the 

government delve into the 

matter it knows little about. 

“It is easy to compare 

Nigeria with the UK when 

it suits government. But the 

question is: is the 

government in Nigeria 

behaving the way the UK 

government is behaving? 

Nobody is saying the 

church is afraid of scrutiny. 

I am one of those who go 

against manipulation and 

financial recklessness in 

the church. 

“So it is not about not 

wanting to open our books 

to the public. What we are 

saying is that spiritual 

matters sometimes are not 

what could be subjected to 

debate. Personally, I will 

lead a crusade against 

fraudulent pastors who 

take advantage of the 

people. 

“But then, we can’t allow 

undue meddling in the 

way the church is run. That 

is the area we may have to 

challenge in the law court. 

Whatever control we are 

talking about, the church is 

well-positioned to control 

itself.” 

Ore also called on church 

leaders for cooperation, 

saying “it is sad that when 

we call our people for 

meetings, some of them 

don’t show up. As we 

speak some churches are 

not active in the PFN. 

“It is when there is a crisis 

they realize they have a 

body that can speak for 

them. I recall during the 

time of the public hearing 

of the CAMA, the response 

from church leaders was 

not too encouraging. But 

then, the situation can still 

be salvaged.” 

Our legal team 

looking into it – GKS 

God’s Kingdom Society 

with headquarters in Warri, 

Delta State, is of the 

opinion that government 

exists to make laws for the 

well being of society, 

including churches. They 

should be partners in 

progress. 

Responding to 

Vanguard’s query, the 

Public Relations Officer of 

GKS, Brother Benedict 

Hart said: “The fact is that 

our legal advisers have 

been asked to study the 

new law as it affects 

churches in order to 

properly advise the 

Executive Board of the GKS 

on issues involved. 

“However, on the aspect 

of accountability, the God’s 

Kingdom Society is not 

opposed to churches being 

asked to submit audited 

statement of accounts or 

reports as periodic 

accounting is part of 

Christian culture. 

“GKS has been submitting 

annual audited reports of 

her accounts even before 

this government came to 

power. Those who are 

leaders in the secular world 

should rule in the fear of 

God; moreso the leaders of 

the church. (II Samuel 

23:2,3) 

“The Parable of the 

Talents and of the Faithful 

and Wise Servant, when 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 , 2020 — 27 

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08052867058 

VISIT: FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and Minister of Water 

Resources, Engr. Sulaiman Adamu during a courtesy visit of the FCT Minister 

to the Ministry of Water Resources on Wednesday. Photo: FCT Administration. 

applied in this context, 

make the point that God 

Almighty demands 

accounting from those He 

had entrusted His 

privileges. 

“The assertion is made 

pointedly in Hebrews 13:27 

that leaders of the Church 

give account to God. 

(Hebrews 13:17) 

Unfortunately, the activities 

of several charlatans and 

impostors who parade 

themselves as Church 

leaders have given 

responsible members of the 

public and the government 

cause to seek closer 

monitoring of how 

churches are run. 

“Church leaders with 

clear conscience should be 

willing to cooperate with 

lawful authorities as long as 

the intentions are genuine, 

no mischief is intended. 

“The way of the just is 

made plain. (Proverbs 

15:19) The GKS Branches 

in the United Kingdom, 

USA and Canada obey the 

extant laws and cooperate 

with the government to 

ensure that the Church 

lives up to the moral 

demands of the faith. 

“It would, therefore, not 

be unusual if similar 

requirements are put in 

place in Nigeria. Church 

leaders should be willing 

to work with the 

government as long as no 

arbitrariness, ulterior or 

shadowy motives are 

involved. 

“Where there is 

misunderstanding or 

difference of opinions on 

some aspects of the CAMA 

law, the Christian path is 

that of honest dialogue. 

The Bible says: ‘Debate thy 

cause with thy neighbour 

himself and discover not a 

secret to another.’ (Proverbs 

25:9),” GKS maintained. 

You can’t shut my 

bank account, get 

trustees for me 

– Primate Ayodele 

Leader of INRI 

Evangelical Spiritual 

Church, Oke-Afa, Ejigbo, 

Lagos, Primate Elijah 

Babatunde Ayodele, in his 

reaction, said government 

is trying to meddle in 

spiritual affairs which, 

according to him, is totally 

unacceptable, describing 

the act as a means of 

fighting the Church by the 

government. 

In a statement, Ayodele 

said it was highly 

prohibited that anyone will 

appoint a trustee for his 

church. 

“Nobody can shut down 

my account, no one can get 

a trustee for me. The 

government needs to be 

cautioned, they don’t have 

anything to do with the 

Church,” Ayodele said, 

adding that he would stop 

patronising banks in the 

country very soon. 

Speaking further, the 

cleric blasted the leadership 

of the Christian Association 

of Nigeria, CAN, and other 

church leaders who have 

kept quiet probably 

because they get stipends 

from the government. 

“This is why I said they 

should scrap CAN, this 

government is testing God 

and I think it is high time 

God reacted,” he noted. 

CAMA good for 

ease of doing business 

- NACCIMA 

However, reacting in 

favour of the Act, Director- 

General, NACCIMA, Amb. 

Ayo Olukanni, told 

Vanguard that the new Act 

aligned operations of the 

private sector with good 

corporate governance. 

Olukanni stated: 

“NACCIMA welcomes 

CAMA 2020 and we see it 

as a major development in 

the quest to improve Ease 

of Doing Business (EoDB) 

and align operations of the 

private sector with good 

Corporate Governance, 

which is top on the agenda 

today. 

“Certainly the new 

CAMA Act is also a step in 

the right direction in the 

concerted effort to expand 

the space for the private 

sector which has been 

acknowledged as the 

engine of inclusive 

economic growth and 

development and which 

has a lot of role to play in 

the quest to diversify the 

economy. 

“In addition, we see the 

various innovative 

provisions in CAMA 2020 

as a signal to the 

international business 

community by Nigeria to 

join the rest of the world in 

pursuit of best practices in 

the world of business, with 

particular attention to 

Corporate Governance, 

accountability and 

transparency of operations. 

“Certainly, this Act is a 

milestone and welcome 

development as the global 

economy enters a new era 

which demands continuous 

innovations and changes to 

overcome challenges and 

harness the potentials of 

our country which is the 

leading economy in 

Africa.” 

CAMA good for 

business, bad for 

NGOs – LCCI 

In his reaction, the 

Director-General, Lagos 

Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry, LCCI, Mr. 

Muda Yusuf, told 

Vanguard that the new Act 

was good for business but 

potentially repressive for 

Non-Governmental 

Organisations, NGOs. 

Yusuf stated: “The CAMA 

2020 is yet another 

milestone in the promotion 

of the ease of doing 

business in Nigeria. It is 

important that as a nation 

we should ensure that we 

put an end to static 

legislation and regulations, 

especially those impacting 

business. 

“The truth is that the 

economic and business 

landscape is dynamic. 

There are rapid 

transformations in the way 

businesses are done. 

Business legislation and 

regulations should reflect 

these dynamics. Before the 

review, we were 

governing the business 

environment with a 30- 

year-old legislation. We 

welcome the review as it 

would reset the context in 

which businesses operate. 

“Some of the laudable 

provisions include the fact 

that an individual can now 

incorporate a company, that 

the Attorney-General 

should give consent within 

30 days for registration of 

company limited by 

guarantee, adoption of 

virtual AGM as valid, 

recognition of electronic 

signatures, small 

companies no longer need 

to appoint company 

secretaries, and many 

more. 

“However, we have 

concerns over Section 839 

which prescribes that the 

CAC can suspend the 

Trustees of an organization 

and appoint an interim 

manager, after obtaining a 

court order. This is an 

ominous provision which is 

potentially repressive. It 

puts Non-Governmental 

Organisations at risk. We 

need to interrogate this 

provision deeply.”

28—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 

:Vanguard 

:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

WADA MAIDA: NPAN lost an intellectual, gentle giant 

NEWSPAPER PROPRI 

ETORS' Association of 

Nigeria, NPAN, has described 

the late chairman 

of the Board of News 

Agency of Nigeria, Mallam 

Wada Maida, as an intelligent 

and a gentle giant. 

NPAN in a statement 

signed by the President, 

Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, 

said: ''It is with utmost 

shock that we received the 

news of the death, on Monday 

August 17, 2020, of 

Mal. Wada Maida, who 

until his death, was the 

Chairman, Board of Directors 

of People's Media, 

publishers of the People's 

Daily Newspapers. 

''Mal. Wada, a consummate 

journalist and dedicated 

canvasser for a free 

press , was one of the pillars 

of our esteemed Association, 

the Newspaper 

Proprietors' Association of 

Nigeria, NPAN. He was 

an intellectual and a gentle 

giant 

''His passage is more 

shocking, coming barely 

a month after the death of 

the Life Patron of the Association, 

Mal Ismaila Isa. 

''His life was a testament 

to public good and service, 

at both the local and international 

levels. For instance, 

until his death, he 

chaired the Board of the 

News Agency of Nigeria 

(NAN) , and served as a 

member of the Executive 

Board of of the International 

Press Institute (IPI) , deploying 

his wealth of 

experience “''At the 

NPAN, he was one of the 

intellectuals in the engine 

room of the Association. 

Mal. Wada, who was also 

a former President of the Nigerian 

Guild of Editors 

Steel investor to partner wth 

Delta govt for maximum 

production 

A SABA—THE 

Management of 

Eastern Metals Ltd (EML) 

in Issele-Azagba, Aniocha 

North Local Government 

Area of Delta State, a major 

player in the steel industry 

has called on the Delta State 

Government to partner with 

(NGE), was a defender of 

free press and democracy. 

The nation has lost an icon 

and the Nigerian and international 

Press , a strong 

pillar.'' 

Reopening of worship centres: Cleric warns against 

abuse of privilege 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

L AGOS—RELIGIOUS 

organizations have been 

urged not to abuse the privilege 

of the ease of the lockdown 

in worship centres but 

comply with federal government 

directives in their effort 

to curb community 

spread of Coronavirus pandemic 

in the country. 

Founder, The New Seraph 

Ministry, an affiliation of the 

Faith Mission Cherubim 

and Seraphim Unification 

Church, Her Grace, Dr. Oluwaseye 

Yomi-Sholoye gave 

the advice while speaking 

with newsmen in Satellite 

Town, Oriade Local Council 

Development Area, LCDA, 

Lagos. 

Yomi-Sholoye said, although 

the effect of COVID- 

19 pandemic on all sectors 

including the religious organizations 

cannot be over emphasized, 

adding that all 

religious organisations 

should make good use of the 

opportunity and not to abuse 

the privilege but adhere 

strictly to all safety protocols 

and guidelines. 

She lamented that many 

global Christian programmes 

that involve mass 

gathering had been distorted 

by the pandemic such as 

Night of Divine Experience, 

NODE, an initiative of The 

New Seraph Ministry in 

Nigeria where people gather 

from all parts of the world 

to praise God and pray for 

the state of the nation. 

Yomi-Sholoye, however, 

announced that the 2020 

edition has been slated for 

Saturday August 22, to be 

held online, aimed at appreciating 

God for keeping 

His people alive despite the 

global pandemic ravaging 

the world. 

She added that the programme 

would be aired live 

on Bond FM 92.9 and dedicated 

social media pages as 

a way of complying with the 

social distancing directives of 

the government. 

them in the expansion of 

their business for maximum 

production. 

The Chief Financial Officer 

of the company Mr. Osaro 

Abusomwah representing 

the MD/CEO, Mr. Arun 

Goswani made this call in 

company of top 

management of the 

company when he received 

the management of Delta 

State Investments 

Development Agency 

(DIDA) on a tour of the 

company. 

Mr. Abusomwah stressed 

the need for government to 

partner with the private 

sector in order to grow the 

State economy; “EML 

currently seats on land mass 

14.5 hectares of land, 

employing over five 

hundred Deltans. 

Consequently, we are 

supporting His Excellency 

Sen. (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa’s 

urbanization and wealth 

creation policy. 

Speaking further, Mr. 

Abusomwah disclosed that 

EML specializes in the 

production of ferrous and 

non-ferrous metals such as 

nails, billets, wire rods in 

coils, pipes, lead, aluminum 

and copper, thereby closing 

the gap existing in the 

demand and supply of these 

products in the country. 

He stated further that the 

company aligns with the 

State Government mantra of 

prosperity for all, “we 

engage in community 

development, provide 

training for the youths of the 

community to bridge the skill 

gap for industries and we are 

presently deploying water 

purification equipment and 

facilities to the host 

community. 

“Our CEO, Mr. Goswani 

being passionate about skills 

development and youth 

engagement is putting plans 

in motion to establish a fullfledged 

hands-on skill 

training centre within the 

factory that will provide 

skilled and competent labour 

for the steel and 

manufacturing industry.” 

Tribute 

A good man goes home 

BY Paulinus Nsirim 

Today, the body of late 

Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, 

Senior Special Assistant on 

Electronic Media to the Governor 

of Rivers State, Nyesom 

Ezenwo Wike, will be laid to 

rest. 

There is no doubt that his 

kinsmen at Umuanya 

Ogbodikwu, in Umuahia South 

LGA of Abia State will be full 

of grief that such an illustrious 

son was cut down in his prime. 

As tears will flow from family, 

friends, well wishers and 

professional colleagues, the 

life and times of a man who 

bestrode the media like a colossus 

will be a talking point. 

Mr. Nwakaudu, whose sad 

demise occured on Sunday, 

May 17, 2020, at the Rivers 

State University Teaching 

Hospital (RSUTH) after a 

brief illness had an amiable 

personality that was magnified 

with his toothy smile. 

Thorough bred professional 

As a thorough bred professional, 

he covered his beat 

with the dexterity that stood 

him out among his peers. 

His ink flowed with relentless 

ease as he churned out 

Press Releases and Features to 

propagate the policies and programmes 

of the Rivers State 

Government. 

He never missed out on any 

news item that had to do with 

the State or our Principal. The 

timeliness with which he communicated 

was quite enchanting. 

The Abia State-born prolific 

journalist, who has a degree in 

Mass Communication from 

the Benue State University, 

Makurdi, began reporting in a 

Makurdi-based tabloid called 

the Pavilion, before joining 

The Guardian Newspapers as 

the Benue State Correspondent. 

He joined the Media team of 

the Rivers State Governor, who 

was then Minister of State for 

Education and moved to Port 

Harcourt with the Governor to 

coordinate the Media team 

during the 2015 elections and 

was officially designated as 

the Senior Special Assistant, 

Electronic Media to the Governor 

after the Election victory. 

The late Nwakaudu was a 

committed and dedicated 

professional who contributed 

immensely to the implementation 

of The NEW 

Rivers Vision. 

He was a strong defender 

of the Rivers State Government, 

a robust writer and an 

uncompromising media strategist, 

who interpreted and presented 

the visions and initiatives 

of the administration of 

Governor Wike, with comprehensive 

poignancy and unequivocal 

clarity. 

He was the definitive name 

and voice of the Rivers State 

The late 

Nwakaudu was 

a committed and 

dedicated professional 

who 

contributed 

immensely to the 

implementation 

of The NEW 

Rivers Vision 

Late Mr. Nwakaudu 

Government House Media 

and his passing at the time it 

occurred, came when his services 

were greatly needed not 

just by the Government of Rivers 

State but the entire journalism 

profession. 

Simeon Nwakaudu was a 

good man. He was a loyal family 

man, a dependable ally to 

his friends and colleagues and 

a devout Christian who enjoyed 

immeasurable love, respect 

and admiration from everyone 

all over the country. 

He will be sorely missed for 

his professionalism both to the 

Rivers State Government and 

the Journalism Community. 

As an individual, I lost not 

just a friend and colleague but 

a brother. He showed me so 

much love and support as we 

carried out public communication 

for our State. 

We had a close nit relationship 

that created the right 

synergy that produced a resilient 

Media Team. 

He was ready to go the extra 

mile as he made sacrifices that 

made me see him more as a 

brother than a colleague. 

There was never a time I gave 

him an assignment no matter 

how late or shortness of time 

that he complained. 

He was in my assessment a 

rare breed that I presently feel 

that part of my professional 

pillars in the State Media Team 

is gone. 

Nwakaudu’s death is indeed 

a monumental loss to the 

Government of Rivers State, 

family, friends and colleagues. 

I will surely miss my 

“Ogbuagu.” Fare thee well, 

Simeon until we meet on the 

resurrection morning. 

May your gentle soul rest 

in peace. Amen. 

Nsirim is Commissioner 

for Information and Communications, 

Rivers State.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 , 2020 — 29

30—Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 

AFCON 2021: 

Eagles to play Sierra 

Leone Nov 9 

Confederation of 

African football 

has confirmed 

November 9 for the restart 

of the Africa Cup of Nations 

qualifiers for the 2022 

tournament. 

The Super Eagles were 

poised to play against 

Sierra Leone last March, 

but all the games of the 

qualifiers were put off 

following the Covid 19 

pandemic. The Super 

Eagles in are frame to 

qualify after making a 

bright start to their 

campaign with wins over 

Benin Republic and 

Lesotho. They will now 

trade tackles with Sierra 

Leone in the window of 

November 9-17. The 

AFCON will hold in 

Cameroon early 2022. 

Also the FIFA World Cup 

2022 group stage qualifiers 

have been slated for next 

year June and would be 

completed in a five-month 

dash for a place in Qatar. 

The preliminaries will now 

be played in four windows 

next year, with two games 

each. The pool stages start 

from May 31-June 15, and 

continue in the FIFA 

windows on Aug. 30-Sept. 

7 and Oct. 4-12. 

The 10 pool stage winners 

will then advance to a playoff 

round where the victors 

will earn a place in Qatar. 

Those matches will be 

played between Nov. 8-16. 

African qualification calendar: 

Oct 5-13, 2020: Open for friendly matches 

Nov 9-17, 2020: Match Day 3 & 4 (2021 Nations Cup) 

Mar 22-30, 2021: Match Day 5 & 6 (2021 Nations Cup) 

May 31-Jun 15, 2021: Match Day 1 & 2 (2022 World Cup) 

Aug 30-Sep 7, 2021: Match Day 3 & 4 (2022 World Cup) 

Oct 4-12, 2021: Match Day 5 & 6 (2022 World Cup) 

Nov 8-16, 2021: Play-off round (2022 World Cup) 

NFF management, staff to 

undergo COVID-19 tests 

Management 

and 

officials of the 

Nigeria Football Federation 

will undergo coronavirus 

pandemic tests at the 

Secretariat of the Federation, 

Sunday Dankaro House, 

National Stadium Complex, 

Abuja on Thursday. 

General Secretary of the 

Federation, Dr. Mohammed 

Sanusi addressed the 

Management and Staff on 

Wednesday, informing them 

that this becomes pertinent 

following the positive test of 

a Member of the 

Management. 

“Apart from him testing 

positive, I also had issues and 

had to go for tests when I was 

feeling ill and uncomfortable. 

But the truth is most of us have 

had contact with one another 

over the days, thus it is 

important we do the tests. 

“I want to appreciate the 

Federal Government 

immensely for their efforts so 

far to contain the pandemic, 

and also officials of the Nigeria 

Centre for Disease and 

Control for agreeing to come 

to the NFF offices to conduct 

the tests. After the tests, the 

offices and the entire complex 

will be disinfected in line 

with the protocols of the 

COVID19,” stated Dr. Sanusi. 

Sanusi also disclosed that 

after the tests, the offices 

would be closed for the 

disinfection process, while 

Management and Staff will 

work from home. Once the 

results are out, those who 

•Pinnick 

tested negative will 

immediately resume work in 

the Secretariat while anyone 

who tests positive will be 

required to self-isolate for the 

period stipulated in the 

COVID19 protocols by the 

Federal Government. 

Koeman wants 

Messi to stay in 

Barcelona 

Ronald Koeman, said 

yesterday after his 

confirmation as Barcelona 

new coach, that he wants the 

club’s mega star, Lionel 

Messi to remain at Nou 

Camp. 

Messi has been linked 

with a move away from 

Barcelona following their 

Champions League debacle 

against Bayern Munich. 

“I have spoken with 

Koeman and the pillar of our 

project is Messi. He has a 

contract until 2021. I speak a 

lot with Leo and more 

regularly with his father. He 

is No 1 in the world. There is 

no doubt that in Koeman’s 

new project you can count on 

Messi,” Josep Maria 

The 

Blaugrana’s 

restructuring of their 

management team continues 

following their Champions 

League humiliation 

Barcelona have appointed 

Ramon Planes as the club’s 

new technical director. 

Planes succeeds Eric Abidal, 

who was sacked on Tuesday as 

the club revamp their 

management team following 

their 8-2 hammering at the 

hands of Bayern Munich in the 

Champions League quarter- 

•Ighalo 

Ighalo 

finishes 5th 

on Man Utd 

scoring 

chart 

Manchester United 

have officially 

informed that French striker 

Anthony Martial ended the 

2019-2020 season as the 

club’s top scorer with 23 

goals in all competitions. 

In second place is Marcus 

Rashford with 22 goals, while 

teenage striker Mason 

Greenwood comes next with 

17 goals. 

Two arrivals in the January 

transfer window in the shape 

of Bruno Fernandes and 

Odion Ighalo made it to the 

top five goalscorers for 

United despite missing the 

first half of the season. 

While the Portuguese 

attacking midfielder tallied 

12 goals in 22 games, the 

Nigerian bagged 5 goals in 

19 matches of which only five 

were starts. 

Scott McTominay also 

scored five over the course of 

the season but played more 

games, 37 in total. 

Ighalo’s efforts came 

against Derby County (2) 

and Norwich City in the 

Emirates FA Cup, and he 

netted twice in Europe in the 

Europa League knockout 

fixtures against Club Brugge 

and LASK. 

The 2019 Africa Cup of 

Nations Golden Boot winner 

is on loan at Manchester 

United until January 2021. 

•Messi 

Bartomeu said. 

He said Koeman would 

make the decision on 

midfielder Philippe Coutinho 

has spent the season on loan 

from Barca at Bayern Munich. 

He came off the bench to score 

twice against his parent club. 

“The head coach will make 

the decision,” said Bartomeu. 

“If he wants him to continue, 

next year he will play with 

us.” 

Barca replace Abidal with 

Planes 

finals. 

The Spaniard was 

previously Abidal’s assistant, 

having joined from Getafe in 

the summer of 2018. 

•Planes

Europa League: 

Chelsea highlight 

Moses’ pedigree 

Chelsea have highlighted 

Victor Moses’s pedigree in 

the UEFA Europa League 

ahead of tomorrow’s showpiece 

between Inter Milan and Sevilla 

at the RheinEnergieStadion 

(Köln). 

The official website of Chelsea 

has reviewed Inter’s 

comprehensive 5-0 win against 

Shakhtar Donetsk in the 

semifinals and noted that the 

former Nigeria international won 

the competition with the Blues 

seven years ago. 

The first time Chelsea won the 

Europa League in 2013, only 

Fernando Torres (6) scored more 

than Moses (4) in the competition 

and the Spaniard spent 384 more 

minutes on the pitch. 

Moses held the club record for 

scoring in consecutive matches in 

the Europa League until it was 

broken by French World Cup 

winner Olivier Giroud in February 

2019. 

“The Nigerian played the 

semifinal 10 minutes in 

Dusseldorf, during which time 

Romelu Lukaku scored his second 

goal of the night and Inter’s fifth. 

Moses, as was the case in Inter’s 

victory over Bayer Leverkusen, 

came on at right-back,” Chelsea 

wrote. 

“Three-time UEFA Cup winners 

in the 1990s, Inter will meet 

Sevilla tomorrow in Cologne. It 

will be their 10th European final, 

but the first time they have met the 

Spanish side in competition. 

“For Moses, it is a chance to win 

the Europa 

League for 

the second 

t i m e , 

•Moses 

having done so at 

Chelsea in 2013. “ 

Moses will be hoping to feature 

in his first Europa League final 

against Sevilla after he was a nonplaying 

substitute seven years ago 

against Benfica. 

CAF Champions League ticket: 

Rivers Utd ‘ll not accept injustice 

— Iyaye 

By John Egbokhan 

Rivers State Commissioner for 

Sports, Boma Iyaye, has said 

that Rivers United have not agreed 

on a deal with the Nigeria Football 

Federation (NFF) to accept 

whatever decision that evolves 

from the ongoing intervention of 

the Federation on the 

interpretation of the Point-Per- 

Game (PPG) over the 2019/2020 

Football Season. 

According to him, at no time did 

the Ministry or officials of Rivers 

United concede their protest for 

second place on the Nigeria 

Professional Football League 

(NPFL) table to the NFF or League 

Management Company (LMC). 

Speaking while inspecting the 

re-construction and re-grassing 

work at the main bowl and football 

training pitches of the Adokiye 

UEFA to test run fans return 

with Super Cup 

UEFA has proposed using 

September’s Super Cup 

match in Budapest as a trial for 

allowing fans back into stadiums in 

reduced numbers, European soccer’s 

governing body said on Wednesday. 

Champions League and Europa 

League games are currently being 

held in neutral locations behind 

closed doors in a bid to help stem the 

spread of the novel coronavirus. 

UEFA hosted on Wednesday a 

teleconference with all 55 general 

secretaries of its member associations 

to discuss the potential return of 

supporters to stadiums. 

Amiesimaka Sports Complex in 

Port Harcourt, Iyaye said Rivers 

United would only accept a 

decision that reflects the spirit of 

justice. 

He disclosed that the virtual 

meeting which had the NFF 

president, Amaju Pinnick; LMC 

Chairman, Shehu Dikko; Rivers 

Ministry of Sports Permanent 

Secretary, Honour Sirawoo; 

General Manager, Rivers United, 

Okey Kpalukwu and himself in 

attendance looked at the football 

club’s position to the NFF and 

LMC. 

“Rivers United did not at any 

time agree with the NFF on 

anything and that definitely is not 

what transpired at the meeting. 

During the virtual meeting, there 

were lots of arguments on our 

stand that we remain in the second 

position, which we rightfully 

deserve.” 


Kroos admits Real Madrid players 

celebrated Barcelona 8-2 humiliation 

Toni Kroos admits Real 

Madrid’s players celebrated 

UEFA said it would be too early to 

allow fans to attend next month’s 

Nations League internationals but 

cleared the way for trial games to 

study the impact of spectators on 

current medical protocols. 

“Participants underlined the need 

for strict hygiene and sanitary 

measures to be in place to guarantee 

the health of all those present at a game 

before allowing fans to return,” UEFA 

said in a statement. 

The Super Cup match, to be played 

on Sept. 24, is the Champions League 

winners against the Europa League 

champions. 

•Egbo 

Former Super Eagles keeper 

and presently FK Tirana of 

Albania head coach, Ndubuisi 

Egbo said his ambition with the 

team was to go far in the 2021 

UEFA Champions League. 

Egbo had a dream start in the 

Champions League yesterday, 

when his team beat Dinamo Tbilisi 

2-0 away in the qualification 

rounds. 

“ I am the type that likes 

challenges and this is the type of 

Barcelona’s Champions League 

humiliation last week. 

Barca are now reeling after their 

8-2 thrashing by Bayern Munich. 

And Kroos revealed how Real’s 

players reacted amongst their 

Whatsapp group as the goals flew 

in. 

“I can’t recall everything, but 

you can imagine that there was no 

pain,” he said. “There was the 

occasional malicious celebration.” 

Kroos admits the reaction was 

similar when Barca were shocked 

by Roma in 2018. 

He added: “People were 

running up and down in front of 

my room and screaming. I didn’t 

see it, but there must be other 

players (who watched). 

Everybody lives it that way here.” 

Egbo targets 

champions 

league success 

with Tirana 

mentality I have instilled in my 

players,” Egbo told brila.net. 

My philosophy my personality 

and everything about me I try to 

put into the players’ just to go 

out there and prove our mettle 

because we want to continue 

from what we did in the 

Albanian championship and to 

take it over in Europe, we are not 

afraid of any team, we would 

show our class, we are not under 

pressure rather the big teams are 

under pressure when they play 

against us because we will take 

the game as calm and easy 

because according to the new 

European format is going to be 

one game thing so, we are as well 

as other teams have equal 

chances and our objective is to 

go far into the group stages. “he 

said.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

ACROSS 

1 Make a mistake (4,2) 

4 Unwrinkled (6) 

8 Move aimlessly (5) 

9 Fighting man (7) 

10 Beseech (7) 

11 Fisherman's basket (5) 

12 Non-stop (9) 

17 Borders (5) 

19 Female singing voice (7) 

21 Coached (7) 

22 Combine (5) 

23 Stinging plant (6) 

24 Withstand (6) 

DOWN 

1 Happening without warning (6 

2 Crackbrained (7) 

3 Loosen (5) 

5 Reclaim (anag) (7) 

6 Yellowish-green colour (5) 

7 Scarcely (6) 

9 Seen (9) 

13 Armoury (7) 

14 Language of East Africa (7) 

15 Substance used for setting jams and jellies (6) 

16 Point in time (6) 

18 Hard work (5) 

20 Dried plum (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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20082020 - Insecurity: FG failed, says Papal Nuncio; ACF laments

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