The Trumpet Newspaper Issue 524 (July 29 - August 11 2020)

TheTrumpet
Africans now have a voice... Founded in 1995
V O L 26 N O 524 J U LY 29 - AU G U S T 11 2020
THIS
SPACE IS
FOR SALE
Adesina
completely
exonerated
Over 10,000 health workers in Africa infected
WHO is helping to fill gaps in the supply of personal protective equipment
Over 10,000
health workers
in Africa
infected
with COVID-19
The World Health Organization
(WHO) has warned of the threat
posed by COVID-19 to health
workers across Africa. More than 10,000
health workers in the 40 countries which
have reported on such infections have been
infected with COVID-19 so far, a sign of
the challenges medical staff on the
frontlines of the outbreak face.
This comes as COVID-19 cases in
Africa appear to be gathering pace. There
are now more than 750,000 cases of
COVID-19, with over 15 000 deaths. Some
countries are approaching a critical number
of infections that can place stress on health
systems. South Africa is now among the
worst-hit countries in the world.
“The growth we are seeing in COVID-
19 cases in Africa is placing an ever-greater
strain on health services across the
continent,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti,
WHO Regional Director for Africa. “This
has very real consequences for the
individuals who work in them, and there is
no more sobering example of this than the
rising number of health worker infections.”
So far, about 10% of all cases globally
are among health workers, though there is a
wide range between individual countries. In
Africa, information on health worker
infections is still limited, but preliminary
data finds that they make up more than 5%
of cases in 14 countries in sub-Saharan
Africa alone, and in four of these, health
workers make up more than 10% of all
infections.
Inadequate access to personal protective
equipment or weak infection prevention and
control measures raise the risk of health
worker infection. Surging global demand
for protective equipment as well as global
restrictions on travel have triggered supply
shortages. Health workers can also be
exposed to patients who do not show signs
of the disease and are in the health facilities
for a range of other services. Risks may also
Continued on Page 7>
Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina
Amuch awaited report by an
Independent Review Panel has
completely exonerated the
President of the African Development
Bank -Akinwumi Adesina of any ethical
wrongdoings.
The Independent Review Panel was
set up by the Bureau of Governors of the
Bank, following a complaint by the
United States, to review the process by
which two previous organs of the Bank -
the Ethics Committee of the Board, and
the Bureau of the Board of Governors -
had previously exonerated Adesina.
The distinguished three-member
Independent Review Panel include Mary
Robinson, who is a former President of
the Republic of Ireland, a former United
Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, and the Chairperson of the Elders,
a global body of wise persons concerned
with the world’s wellbeing; the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Gambia,
Mr. Hassan B. Jallow; and Mr. Leonard F.
McCarthy, a former Director of Public
Prosecutions, a former Director for the
Office of Serious Economic Offences,
and a former Head of the Directorate of
Special Operations of South Africa. He
also served as the Vice President of
Integrity for the World Bank for nine
years.
In January 2020, sixteen allegations
Continued on Page 7>

Page2 TheTrumpet JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
News
Jailed for violent rape
Aman has been sentenced
after he was found guilty of
beating and raping a
woman.
31-year-old Osman Suleyman of
no fixed address was sentenced at
Woolwich Crown Court to 16 years
in prison and an extended five years
on licence.
In March, at the same court,
Suleyman had been unanimously
found guilty of two counts of rape,
assault (ABH), threats to kill and
false imprisonment.
At the start of the trial he had
pleaded guilty to one further count
of ABH.
The court heard how on 4
October 2019, Suleyman and a
number of others were out in
Woolwich Town Centre.
Amongst the group was a 23-
year-old female, who was known to
Suleyman.
In the early hours of Saturday 5
October, the group returned to a flat
in Charlton, SE7. This was the home
of one of Suleyman’s friends and
Suleyman was temporarily staying
at the premises.
Up to this point the evening had
been good-natured, however
Suleyman’s mood began to change.
He demanded the victim perform
sexual acts on him as payment for
drugs and alcohol he had bought
and, when the victim refused,
Suleyman became violent.
He repeatedly struck her face
using a knuckle duster and the
sheath of a knife, and also kicked
her. Suleyman then forced the
victim to perform a sex act on him
and he then raped her. Suleyman
told the victim that if she were to tell
the police, he would kill her.
The victim suffered extensive
injuries as a result of her ordeal,
receiving cuts and bruises to her
face and bruising to her body.
Almost immediately, after
leaving the address, the victim saw a
friend who could see she was in
distress and the friend called the
police. Police attended and spoke to
the victim, who was taken to
hospital.
Officers located the address
where the offence happened and
forced entry, Suleyman was present
at the location and arrested.
At the scene there were clear
signs of disturbance with blood
smeared on the walls and on a
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be bloodstained.
In interview Suleyman simply
said he had not raped or assaulted
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anyone and answered “no
comment” to all further questions
put to him.
Detective Constable Ben
Harrington of the South East
Command Unit said: “This was a
horrible crime and the victim was
subjected to a dreadful ordeal.
Thankfully she has been able to
recover from her injuries, but the
impact of such a crime goes beyond
the physical injury.
“The Met recognises the
traumatic nature of such crimes and
that is why victims are supported by
specialist officers. I hope that seeing
the man responsible brought to
justice will help her recovery.
“Suleyman is a violent man and
the jury found him unanimously
guilty on all charges. This is
certainly one of the most shocking
cases I have ever had to deal with.
The violence used was appalling.
Suleyman now faces a long term in
prison for his crime; it is thoroughly
deserved.
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JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020 TheTrumpet
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Page4
TheTrumpet
JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
TheTrumpet Group
News
Renewed murder appeal as
Crimestoppers offers
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JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020 TheTrumpet
Page5

Page6 TheTrumpet JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
News
Burkina Faso: Tackling COVID-19
fear and stigma
Tackling COVID-19
fear and stigma
Hesitancy to get tested, avoiding
contact tracers or wariness of
what the neighbours will say: the
COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a
variety of reactions among some
Ouagadougou residents that have
complicated timely response.
When the country’s COVID-19 rapid
response team tried to reach out to a man
who had been in contact with a patient
taken for treatment at a Ouagadougou
hospital, he shifted from refusing to take
calls, to promising to show up for testing
and to suggesting that the team comes to
his house only at night.
“He said that since we went to his
house to take samples, even before the
test results were known, no-one came to
visit them again. Everybody was staring
at them strangely. It was really difficult
for them,” says Safiatou Ouedraogo,
coordinator of the rapid response team at
the Centre Medical Urbain in
Ouagadougou.
COVID-19 is a new virus and the fear
of the unknown drives stigma about the
disease and can cause people to hide their
illness. Fear can also hold people back
from seeking immediate health care or
observing preventive measures.
Days of determined negotiations is
what it sometimes takes for response
teams to visit families when a family
member tests positive for the virus. But
even then, some refuse to reveal their
addresses, preferring to turn up at a
treatment centre instead. “Due to stigma,
people would rather not have the rapid
response team show up at their house,”
Ouedraogo explains.
She recounts that among some
families, each visit requires fresh
negotiations to allow the response team
to follow up on contacts or disinfect their
compound. “We realized that the
neighbours’ reaction towards the
(affected) family every time we came to
take samples opened new wounds,” she
says.
Once a home guard who contracted
COVID-19 refused to give his own
address, preferring that of his work
station and attempts to reach the people
he might have come in contact with were
fruitless, recounts Ouedraogo.
Barthelemy Marie Ludovic
Ouedraogo, a School Principal and a
Cleric, says while suffering persistent
fever he began taking precautions such as
avoiding sharing utensils and attending
mass with colleagues, but he did not
reveal to them that he was feeling ill until
he went to an isolation centre. “I was
really worried for them.”
Providing the right information about
COVID-19, addressing misinformation
and rumours, as well as building trust
with communities, are critical in
addressing stigma. In addition,
communicating with empathy to patients
of COVID-19 is as important as engaging
with community, religious leaders and
other influencers to relay the right
information and help reduce fear and how
people perceive those who are ill with the
virus.
Setting up centres where people who
suspect they have caught the virus can go
for testing rather than have home visits
by the rapid response teams could ease
the stigma and fear, Safiatou Ouedraogo
suggests, also pointing out that increasing
public education campaigns and the use
of the psychosocial care units in health
centres are helpful steps.
The World Health Organization
(WHO) is working with the government
to provide guidance to tackle stigma as
well as support other aspects of the
COVID-19 response, says Dr Fousseni
Dao, who represents WHO in the national
COVID-19 response cluster in charge of
treatment.
Dr Brice Bicaba, the national
Anew report shows that people in
some 25 countries are set to
face devasting levels of hunger
in coming months due to the fallout
from the COVID-19 pandemic. While
the greatest concentration of need is in
Africa, countries in Latin America and
the Caribbean, and in the Middle East
and Asia – including middle-income
countries - are also being ravaged by
crippling levels of food insecurity,
according to the Early Warning Analysis
of Acute Food Security Hotspots,
compiled by the World Food
Programme and the Food and
Agriculture Organisation of the United
Nations.
“Three months ago at the UN
Security Council, I told world leaders
that we ran the risk of a famine of
biblical proportions,” said WFP
Executive Director David Beasley.
“Today, our latest data tell us that, since
then, millions of the world’s very
poorest families have been forced even
closer to the abyss. Livelihoods are
being destroyed at an unprecedented
rate and now their lives are in imminent
danger from starvation. Make no
mistake – if we do not act now to end
this pandemic of human suffering,
many people will die”
To prevent the worst, WFP is scaling
up to provide food assistance to an
COVID-19 response coordinator,
acknowledges that not only are patients
stigmatized, health workers, especially
those in COVID-19 treatment centres, are
also shunned by their communities who
fear that their jobs have put them at a
higher risk of contracting the virus. He
also points out that involving people who
unprecedented 138 million people who
face desperate levels of hunger as the
pandemic tightens its grip on some of
the most fragile countries on earth.
The cost of WFP’s response to this
burgeoning food insecurity is estimated
at US$ 4.9 billion, with an additional
$500 million being earmarked to
prevent the outbreak of famine in
countries most at risk.
This represents more than half of the
updated COVID-19 Global
Humanitarian Response Plan, the
largest appeal in the UN’s history,
launched for more than US$ 10 billion.
The plan covers wide-ranging
humanitarian needs in more than 60
have recovered from COVID-19 in
public information and education
campaigns as well as providing
psychosocial support are some of the
measures being deployed against stigma.
“We’re hopeful that all this will help
reduce the problem,” Dr Bicaba said.
Hunger due to soar in 25
countries
Women in Nigeria collect food vouchers as part of a programme to support families struggling under
the COVID-19 lockdown. Photo - WFP, Damilola Onafuwa
countries, many of them already reeling
from the impact of conflict, climate
change and economic crisis.
The number of acute food insecure
people in these at-risk countries could
increase from an estimated 149 million
pre-COVID-19 to 270 million before
the end of the year if life-saving
assistance is not provided urgently.
Recent estimates also suggest that up to
6,000 children could die every day from
preventable causes over the next six
months as a result of pandemic-related
disruptions to essential health and
nutrition services.

News
JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020 TheTrumpet Page7
Over 10,000 health workers in Africa
infected with COVID-19
Continued from Page 1<
arise when health personnel are repurposed for
COVID-19 response without adequate briefing,
or because of heavy workloads which result in
fatigue, burnout and possibly not fully applying
the standard operating procedures.
In many African countries infection
prevention and control measures aimed at
preventing infections in health facilities are still
not fully implemented. When WHO assessed
clinics and hospitals across the continent for
these measures, only 16% of the nearly 30,000
facilities surveyed had assessment scores above
75%. Many health centres were found to lack
the infrastructure necessary to implement key
infection prevention measures, or to prevent
overcrowding. Only 7.8% (2213) had isolation
capacities and just a third had the capacity to
triage patients.
“One infection among health workers is one
too many,” said Dr Moeti. “Doctors, nurses and
other health professionals are our mothers,
brothers and sisters. They are helping to save
lives endangered by COVID-19. We must make
sure that they have the equipment, skills and
information they need to keep themselves, their
patients and colleagues safe.”
WHO has been working closely with health
ministries to reduce health worker infections
since the outbreak began. The Organization has
trained more than 50,000 health workers in
Africa in infection prevention and control, with
plans to train over 200,000 more, as well as
providing guidance documents and guidelines
on best care practices and the most up-to-date
treatment regimes.
WHO is also helping to fill gaps in the
supply of personal protective equipment.
Currently, 41 million items of personal protective
equipment are ready to ship from China to cover
the needs of 47 African countries. Shipments for
an initial set of 23 African countries are planned
to start during this weekend.
As a result of concerted efforts by WHO and
partners, some African countries have managed
to reduce health worker infections
considerably. For example, two months ago over
Adesina completely exonerated
16% of COVID-19 infections in Sierra Leone
were among health workers. The figure has now
dropped to 9%. Cote d’Ivoire has reduced the
proportion of infections among health workers
from 6.1% to 1.4%. Scaling up infection
prevention and control measures can further
reduce infections among health workers.
Dr Moeti spoke about health worker
infections in Africa during a virtual press
conference organized by APO Group. She was
joined by Hon Dr Léonie Claudine Lougue,
Minister of Health of Burkina Faso; Hon Dr
Alpha T. Wurie, Minister of Health and
Population of Sierra Leone; and Dr Jemima A.
Dennis-Antwi, International Maternal Health &
Midwifery Specialist.
Continued from Page 1<
of ethical misconduct were levelled against
Adesina by a group of whistleblowers. The
allegations which were reviewed by the Bank’s
Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors in
March, were described as “frivolous and without
merit.” The findings and rulings of the Ethics
Committee were subsequently upheld by the
apex Bureau of the Board of Governors in May,
which cleared Adesina of any wrongdoing.
The report of the Independent Review
Panel states that it “concurs with the (Ethics)
Committee in its findings in respect of all the
allegations against the President and finds that
they were properly considered and dismissed
by the Committee.”
The Panel once again vindicates Adesina
and states, “It has considered the President’s
submissions on their face and finds them
consistent with his innocence and to be
persuasive.”
The conclusions of the Independent
Review Panel are decisive and now clear the
way for Governors of the Bank to re-elect
Adesina to a second five-year term as President
during annual meetings of the Bank scheduled
for August 25-27.
Adesina is a highly decorated and
distinguished technocrat and globally-respected
development economist. He was awarded the
prestigious World Food Prize in 2017 and the
Sunhak Peace Prize in 2019 for global leadership
in agriculture and for good governance.
Since taking over the reins of the Bank in
2015, he has introduced several innovative
reforms including a High5 development
strategy; a restructuring of the bank including
setting up offices in several African nations to
get closer to its clients; an Africa Investment
Forum that has attracted $79 billion in
investment interests into projects in Africa
between 2018 and 2019. He successfully led a
historic General Capital Increase campaign that
culminated in the Bank’s shareholders raising
the institution’s capital from $93 billion to $208
billion, in October 2019.
In June and July respectively, global credit
ratings agencies Standard and Poors and Fitch
Ratings both affirmed the ‘AAA’ rating of the
Bank, with stable outlook.
Several Governors of the Bank speaking
off the record, say it is now time to put recent
events in the past; provide the Bank’s President
with full support; and bolster the Bank’s efforts
on Africa’s critical development issues.

Page8 TheTrumpet JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
Opinion
NDDC and other stories
It is a show of shame isn’t it, what is
going on at the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC)?
Established in the year 2000 to assuage the
fears of the people of the Niger Delta and
address their concerns about the lack of
infrastructural development in the region,
despite the region’s contributions to the
sustenance of Nigeria, it is sad to see how
like all good initiatives gone bad in
Nigeria, this interventionist agency has
become, or has been exposed as a festering
sore upon the wound of the Niger Delta.
From personality clashes to sordid tales of
mismanagement of funds, contractors that
collect mobilization fees and simply take
a walk, politicians in the National
Assembly feeding fat on Niger Delta
resources, and reports of terrifying
wasteful expenditure and the conversion of
every event or situation: graduation
ceremonies and even COVID-19 into an
opportunity to empty the people’s till, the
stench from the NDDC stinks to the
heavens. In the past week, we have been
treated to the kind of melodrama an artist
may never have imagined, complete with
the stuff of a fainting fit, a failed romantic
attempt, a woman scorned, and hell
breaking loose and a once self-styled
uncommon Governor as the deutragonist.
It is this latter part of the plot that has
excited, amused and fascinated Nigerians.
The protagonist is Joi Nunieh, the former
Acting Managing Director of the Interim
Management Committee (IMC) of the
NDDC (October 2019 - February 2020)
who left the commission rather abruptly
due to a yet unproven allegation around
and about her NYSC certificate and socalled
“insubordination.” In the course of
a forensic audit of the agency ordered by
President Muhammadu Buhari, it is
noteworthy that all the hidden corpses in
the NDDC especially within the last one
year began to show up, and some of those
ghosts emerged in the form of financial
sleaze and broken alliances and failed
relationships. The supervising Minister of
the Commission, the Minister of Niger
Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, a
once powerful PDP chieftain, turned an
APC floor member, went on television to
offer his perspective on what transpired at
the NDDC (he must be regretting doing
so); rather than address the issues, he
launched an attack on Joi Nunieh, who
worked briefly as Acting Chairman of the
NDDC.
He complained about how the lady had
married four husbands and called on those
four men, who, if they exist at all, have
lent themselves common sense and stayed
off the radar. The Minister also made an
allusion to Joi Nunieh’s state of health. Of
course, she didn’t take it lying low. She
seized the occasion with every ounce of
oxygen in her body and smashed the table
on which Akpabio leaned his bulky frame
in the studio. In the course of her now
famous interview on Arise TV, we were
treated to the sub-plot of how Akpabio
failing to dictate to her or control her
actions adopted a “Plan B,” which is
basically a plan to “entangle” her in “the
other room.” She disclosed that what the
“uncommon former Governor” from
Akwa Ibom State got in response was an
“uncommon slap in the face.” It must have
been one of those hot, dirty, blinding slaps
that result in a momentary loss of vision
and a loud scream of Ye!. Akpabio as
Governor used to refer to Akwa Ibom as
“Gilgal.” His current travail is like a
journey from Gilgal to Golgotha. He
insists that Joi Nunieh is lying. He says he
has asked his lawyers to go to court.
You probably know the rest of the
story: how things went downhill
afterwards: the attempt to arrest Joi Nunieh
at her Port Harcourt residence, a
detachment of about 50 policemen
knocking on the gates, smashing doors as
Joi Nunieh
if they were after a Colombian drug lord,
Governor Nyesom Wike’s ironic,
swashbuckling gallantry (can you imagine
a PDP Governor protecting an APC
member from members of her own
party?), the sordid spectacle of the current
Acting Chairman of the NDDC, Professor
Keme Pondei walking out on the House of
Representatives Committee on the NDDC,
after practically accusing the Chair of the
Committee of being an interested party in
the matter, and the same Committee
issuing a warrant of arrest to call Pondei to
order. Earlier, the same Professor Keme
Pondei allegedly disclosed how members
of the IMC which he leads spent N1.8
billion on themselves alone as COVID
palliative within three months! When he
eventually showed up at the House of
Representatives yesterday, and he was
reminded that he and his colleagues had
helped themselves to funds that were not
covered in the approved NDDC Budget,
he started fanning himself in an airconditioned
room and before anyone knew
it, he slumped atop his table! His
detractors argue that he was merely
playing his role: an Acting MD, acting out
a scene in the NDDC drama.
Stakeholders within the NGO
community who claim that they have been
monitoring the NDDC for years, in fact,
suggest that we haven’t seen anything yet
and that if a thorough forensic audit is
conducted, Nigerians will be shocked
beyond their marrows. But can anything
be worse than what we have seen and
heard so far? These stakeholders also
argue that all the drama that our eyes have
seen so far is at best a distraction and an
orchestrated cover up attempt. The only
problem is that the Niger Delta NGO
community has also been fingered in some
of the stories for having received
patronage from the NDDC for work not
done. If indeed things get more curious, a
list of beneficiary-NGOs may surface, and
we may all get busy struggling to lift the
veil. We should be watchful. A Professor
slumped yesterday. Someone else could
have a heart attack tomorrow!
But where are the people of the Niger
Delta in all of this? What are their views
on the on-going controversy? They are the
ones who have been short-changed the
most. The NDDC, originally OMPADEC,
Godswill Akpabio
was part of a series of policy measures
including derivation, ecological fund, and
infrastructure development plans to
address the marginalization of the Niger
Delta people, check youth restiveness in
the region and promote peace and stability.
Since inception, the NDDC has been
managed by persons from the Niger Delta.
A Ministry of the Niger Delta was also
created, and to date, only persons from the
Niger Delta have headed that Ministry.
And yet all of these issues! The usual
tendency is to say that the NDDC was
designed to fail, but that is certainly not
true. The goal was principled – to bring
development to the Niger Delta. It will
also be incorrect to say that the people
have not seen any development at all. In
1999, parts of the Niger Delta were in a
complete mess. I recall visiting Yenagoa in
2000. The Governor then was the late
Governor-General of the Niger Delta, the
famous Diepreye Alamiyesiegha.
Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State had
only one visible road, which looked like
something constructed in the 1960s. I saw
one bank: the defunct All States Trust, I
believe. And one fuel station with a
broken, solitary, pump. And there was a
higher education college whose female
students were friendly and hospitable
beyond comparison! Today, Yenagoa looks
different, and the same may be said of
other areas of the Niger Delta. The
improvement does not go far enough,
however, because the major threats to the
people’s lives: critical infrastructure like
the East-West Highway, environmental
BY REUBEN ABATI
crisis, and unemployment remain visible.
Governors of the Niger Delta since
1999 may claim credit for this
improvement that we have seen but the
perception in Nigeria is that the
OMPADEC/NDDC intervention has
helped to some degree resulting in the
request by other regions for a similar
intervention agency. Nonetheless, recent
revelations that contractors and officials of
the NDDC have been busy pilfering the
funds of the Commission is at best
stupefying, the sheer scale of it is
benumbing. The N81.5 billion that was
allegedly diverted within two months
sounds like enough money to transform
the health sector in parts of the Niger Delta
in a season of COVID-19. So, this is not
the time for the people of the Niger Delta
to make the usual defensive point that
anybody from the Niger Delta is entitled
to take Niger Delta money. The view that
“it is our money taken by our children” is
unacceptable. The Niger Delta struggle
was based on the ideals of justice, equity,
development and progress, no latter-day
revisionist should impose on the people of
the Niger Delta, a Barkin Zuwo
philosophy. I bring this up because I have
read some comments by some members of
the Niger Delta elite insisting that the big
issue is that the NDDC has not been
properly funded and that the thing to do is
to release all outstanding funds to the
Commission. Is that why the trillions in
contention had to be mismanaged? Is that
the issue on the table? There should be a
more robust conversation about the
development process in the Niger Delta
beyond the confusing argument that this is
a conflict between “a political Niger
Delta” and “a geographical Niger Delta”
or that the only way forward is to throw in
more money.
President Muhammadu Buhari has
ordered two major audits in recent times:
the audit of the Niger Delta Development
Commission and that of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Both should be taken as a personal
reaffirmation of his commitment to one of
the major planks of his proposed legacy at
the inception of his administration in 2015:
that is the fight against corruption. But
beyond the anti-corruption battle, there is
an emerging downside to the Buhari
administration: the constant bickering, the
cult of personality and the externalization
of battles over territory within the
government. In a Presidential democracy,
a President appoints persons to assist him,
Continued on Page 9

Opinion
JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
TheTrumpet
After COVID-19, will Africa catch up,
stand still or fall further behind?
Page9
At one time or another, nations and
individuals confront crisis points
– moments of existential
challenge that also open up new
possibilities. African countries, at just
such a crisis point as a result of the novel
coronavirus, face three possible outcomes
post-pandemic: play catch-up, stand still
or fall even further behind the
industrialized world [1].
With this crisis comes an economic
disruption of unprecedented proportion.
To avoid falling further behind, Africans
must narrow the scientific and technology
gap and leverage our comparative
advantages. It is time for Africa to adopt
radical technological and policy
innovations. The global economy is
increasingly driven by science-based and
patent-intensive systems. Through
investments in molecular technology, AI
and other technologies the 4 th industrial
Revolution is ushering in, they can
overcome existing barriers to entry.
Catching up
India offers an example of how to
catch up. There, two key developments in
the sixties and seventies sharply altered
the country’s trajectory.
In 1965, following past famines crises,
India imported 250 tons of high-yielding
Mexican dwarf wheat seed varieties for
wide-scale testing on farms. Early positive
results led to the importation of a further
18,000 tons. Along with the use of
irrigation and other innovations adopted
by farmers, Indian agriculture was
transformed.
Within five years, India produced
enough grains to support its population
and, even following a drought in 1979,
had no need to import grain. Overall, the
country’s wheat and rice production
tripled between 1961 and 1980. Radical
policy response to famine-induced crisis
birthed the Green Revolution.
India’s pharmaceutical sector also
experienced a crisis-inflection point in
1972, when the government passed the
Patents Act, which enabled domestic firms
to replicate drugs that had been patented
by multinational corporations. Local
companies have since dominated the
global market through reverseengineering
leading to generic medicines
that are far more affordable than patented
ones. Radical policy response to crisisinduced
shortage of medicines
transformed Indian Pharma.
Falling behind
Africa processes a very small
proportion of its agricultural produce. We
continue to export raw commodities like
cocoa, timber and cotton that others
process and re-sell to Africa at a much
higher valuation. Our continent also has
sufficient sunlight, wind and hydropower,
technologies that can power
Africa sustainably, and other regions
besides.
Critically, Africa also has a median age
of 19, far younger than that of any
continent, a potential demographic
dividend of young innovation-driven
workers and a relatively small proportion
of elderly workers. This human capital
will foster Africa’s forging ahead.
If we fail to harness new technologies
and leverage our strengths to create
abundant high paying manufacturing and
service jobs to compete within global
supply chains, then we risk falling even
farther behind on socioeconomic terms.
Forging ahead
To forge ahead, Africa will first have
to return swiftly to economic growth.
Beyond that, diversifying our economies
will be critical, particularly for those
countries that are dependent on one or two
mineral resources or commodities. Above
all, African companies must deepen
capacities for competitive advantage to
master new technologies in emerging
sectors.
African innovators need a robust
innovation framework and a better
enabling environment to master the socalled
industrial biology embedded in the
4 th Industrial Revolution. For instance,
firms in Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria and
some other African countries have
developed COVID-19 test kits but face a
difficult path to commercialization.
China’s response to the COVID-19
pandemic is once more illustrative of a
dynamic industrial policy. It is targeting
ambitious increases in domestic firms’
share of the global medical supplies
market. The government has provided
cheap land for factories subsidized loans,
helps them to secure a supply chain of raw
materials, and to stimulate domestic
demand by incentivizing hospitals and
companies to use their products.
And there are powerful examples right
here on the continent. South Africa
successfully financed the production of
The National Ventilator Project to address
COVID-19, developing prototypes,
securing component supply chains, and a
manufacturing facility. The project owes
its success in part to strong government
support and broad coordination among
economic and technological agencies. As
with South Africa, the rest of the continent
would benefit from strong innovation
systems that are part of national budgeting
and planning frameworks.
African businesses have a critical role
to play, but so do African leaders, who
must strike a delicate balance between
State intervention and open markets.
African governments are best placed to
identify market failures and opportunities,
and devise policies and regulations that
By Professor Banji
Oyelaran-Oyeyinka
benefit Africa’s private sector and its
people.
* Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka,
is the Senior Special Adviser on
Industrialization to the President, AfDB,
he is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of
Engineering and Professorial Fellow,
United Nations University.
[1] The theory was mooted in a 1986
paper by Moses Abramovitz who posited
that countries with lagging productivity
could grow rapidly and catch up with the
leading economies by realizing their
potential.
NDDC and other stories
Continued from Page 8<
he delegates authority to them and they are
required to help him achieve the objectives
of his administration. Under President
Buhari, the in-fighting among his team
conveys the impression that many of his
appointees are either not interested in his
own objectives or they are on a frolic of
their own. We have had the Director
General of the Nigerians in Diaspora
Commission at logger heads with the
Minister of Communications over office
space; Minister of Information vs. DG
National Broadcasting Commission
(NBC), Minister of Labour and
Employment vs. MD NSITF, Joy Nunieh
vs Godswill Akpabio; Minister of Health
vs. Executive Secretary, NHIS, AGF
Malami vs EFCC Chair Magu, DSS vs.
EFCC, First Lady vs. Presidential
aides…all fighting-to-finish as if “Oga is
not around”. They have done so much
damage. Five years ago, the fear of
Buhari’s war against corruption was the
beginning of wisdom Today, his own
appointees and political associates have
messed up the message and strategy. The
economy is in bad shape. The war against
terror is not working…
Whatever is happening is a wake-up
call and an opportunity for Mr. President
to steady the ship. He needs to rescue his
government from ambitious and disloyal
individuals and strengthen the institutions
of State. He should disband the present
Interim Management Committee of the
NDDC and sack the Minister of Niger
Delta Affairs. The Board of the NDDC as
provided for in the enabling Act should be
immediately constituted. The audit of the
Commission must be totally independent
without any interference. The major
challenge at the NDDC is that politics has
been placed above development
objectives. That must change with
appropriate mechanisms put in place. On
the war against corruption, the
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other
Offences Commission (ICPC) should also
be audited. Thereafter, it should be merged
with the EFCC. The new EFCC should
then be unbundled. It should have
autonomous departments: an investigation
department, a prosecution department and
an enforcement department, all headed
separately by professionals who will not
be required to report to one individual. The
EFCC must also be disengaged from the
Nigerian Police. Since inception, only
policemen have led the EFCC. How about
neutral persons or graduates of the EFCC
Academy that has produced many officers
who have enjoyed international training
and who joined the EFCC with the hope
that they were looking forward to a career?
The President must restore dignity and
respect to the governance process.

Page10 TheTrumpet JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
People
Engr Funmilola Ojelade - Creating a
revolution of Women Engineers
Recently, as part of the Trumpet Phenomenal People series, Trumpet Media Group’s North West
England Bureau Chief - Chantelle Tindall, conversed with the President of the Association of
Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) - Engr. (Mrs.) Funmilola Ojelade (FNSE).
APWEN has been going for 37 years.
Trumpet: Who is Engr Mrs.
Funmilola Ojelade?
Ojelade: Funlola Ojelade is a Chemical
Engineer and practices the profession at the
Nigerian Security Printing & Minting Plc,
manufacturers of the Nigerian banknote
(currency). She holds both Bachelor’s and
Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering
and is presently pursuing a Master’s degree
in Business & Management at Harvard
University. She is a detailed and resultoriented
person. She’s a builder of people.
Congratulations on your recent
conferment as the 16th President of the
Association of Professional Women
Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN).
Your drive to educate and nurture
more “Engineer Girls” as you call them,
fascinates me. You talk about the Town
& Gown initiative - how does this relate
to Engineering?
The Town & Gown is essentially a
mentoring programme targeted at creating
a pool of ready-now female engineers fit
for the industry. There’s a disconnect
between what is taught in our universities
and what the industry requires. Apart from
the theory of it, there are skills that
employers look for in prospective
candidates. We want to use this programme
to bring young engineers in contact with
professionals from various industries,
including the HR department of companies
so that they can be aware of the skill set
required and develop themselves
accordingly. It will also help them to
determine and focus on where they would
want to build their career: what industry,
what specialisation and so on. Young
engineers in this context refers to those that
are in the penultimate graduating year up
Engr Funmilola Ojelade FNSE
to 3 years post graduation – that’s like a 5-
year range.
APWEN is spearheading the need
for our society to encourage more female
Engineers. As the newly-elected
President, how do you hope to achieve
this in the two-year period your tenure
runs for?
Over the years, we have developed
programmes for every stage of the
educational development of the girl-child.
Initially, we focused more on Secondary
School girls; organising programmes like
career talk, competitions, industrial visit to
engineering facilities and awarding
scholarships. All in a bid to inspire them
that engineering is a career for girls too.
In the last two years, we moved closer
to the cradle. We introduced the “Invent It,
Build It” programme for girls in upper
primary school, ages 8 - 12 in addition to
the existing programmes for Secondary
Schools. This involves taking the girls
through experiments that demonstrate
engineering concepts after which we
organise a competition to help us select
those with engineering aptitude from
among them. We award full scholarships
from the primary school up to the
university to those selected to study
engineering. If they do not study
engineering at the university level, the
scholarship ceases. We have awarded 81
scholarships so far under this scheme to
girls selected from the six geo-political
zones in Nigeria.
Now, we will intensify the work on
young engineers through the Town &
Gown mentoring programme, in addition
to the existing programmes for primary and
secondary schools. We will also monitor
the scholarship awardees of the “Invent It,
Build It” programme to ensure they feed
into the Secondary School programmes
(because most of them are now in
Secondary Schools) so that we can help
them sustain the vision to become
engineers.
So, you can see how it is that we are
creating a revolution of girls who will take
up engineering as a career.
Engineering involves mathematics
and other science subjects which scares
both boys and especially girls away.
What plans are you putting in place to
demystify the notion around the
impossiblity to do well in those subjects?
I like that you recognise that math
scares both boys and girls, and not just
girls. The teaching method contributes to
the “scare.” There are methods of
impacting knowledge effectively, but such
methods have to be taught. We know this in
APWEN and that is why we have
commenced a programme that involves a
massive training of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
teachers. The programme, called
SheEngineer is funded by the Royal
Academy of Engineering, UK. We hope to
get 500 teachers trained in effective STEM
teaching techniques by the end of this year.
Until recently engineering was seen
strictly as a man’s job, but an
organisation like APWEN is rightly
placed to change this mindset. How
successful has APWEN been in this
respect?
APWEN, at inception, was a formed as
a pressure group by six courageous women
engineers, who observed that the men
demonstrated reservation in allowing them
work in the field but would rather retain
Continued on Page 11<
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People
JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
TheTrumpet
Engr Funmilola Ojelade - Creating a
revolution of Women Engineers
Page11
Continued from Page 10<
them in the offices doing work that may
not be engineering at all. But that has
changed over the years. So, we can say that
their efforts have paid off. Of course, we
still have instances of such coming up once
and again but we would always encourage
our women to prove their worth through
hard work. And as we continue to impact
lives through our programmes, more
women engineers are signing up and
joining the train.
Your first official engagement as the
new President was to Osun State where
Governor Adegboyega Oyetola
described you as a “national role model”
How do you hope to live up to that
expectation especially for Osun people
and the nation in general?
We will continue to take our
programmes to inspire the girl-child to
study engineering round the six geopolitical
zones of the Federation and I will
be leading the charge. We will be
mentoring a lot of young female engineers;
we will be training STEM teachers in
virtually every State of the Federation. A
number of these programmes will be held
in Osun State. We will attract
multinationals to the State of Osun; our
programmes will bring commerce to the
State.
There is a perception that women
committees and organisations end up in
squabbles and fight for supremacy, and
all other myths. APWEN has been going
for 37 years. What is the secret to her
success and what do you have planned
to keep it progressing for the next
President and generation?
I believe we’ve been able to wade
through that common perception because
professionalism is what binds us and our
vision to increase the numerical strength of
practicing female engineers drives us. This
what can be delegated so that I can make
room for what cannot be delegated.
APWEN has visited 7 States in
Nigeria, are there plans to visit more or
all the remaining 29 States during your
tenure?
APWEN has visited 7 states under the
Invent It, Build It programme. Other
APWEN programmes have taken us to
virtually every State in the country and we
will continue to do this.
Does APWEN have any project for
women who have not been fortunate to
go into education for various reasons.
Do these women have any role to play
within the engineering community no
matter how small?
Our vision is primarily to be the
catalyst for advancement of women in the
engineering profession towards national
and global technological development and
to increase the number of practicing female
engineers. So, we tailor our programmes in
that direction. Although we have organised
programmes involving women in rural
communities: we had a tree planting
competition in Abuja some years back and
engaged women in rural communities for
the project. But there were educated
women among them because the
programme was for women.
What would your legacy for
APWEN be after your tenure?
I’ll like to be remembered for the
impact I make in building the capacity of
young engineers to make them fit for the
industry.
Your predecessor - Engr Felicia
Agubata introduced the highly
successful “Invent It, Build It“ project
sponsored by the NNPC, how do you
hope to build on that?
Engr. Agubata did a fantastic job
introducing that programme. Thanks to her
vision, we will experience a revolution of
girls opting for a career in engineering in
the not too distant future. The SheEngineer
that I spoke about earlier which we just
started, was also incubated by her. It is a
programme for Secondary School girls and
builds on the “Invent It, Build It”
programme.
So, we will continue with the “Invent
It, Build It” programme and continue to
generate engineer girls. Then, we will
introduce our holiday technical boot camp
programmes in the locations where we
have the scholarship awardees of the Invent
It, Build It programme. We will ensure that
the awardees participate in these holiday
events. Purpose is to keep our vision for
them alive and ensure that they are
continually inspired to study engineering.
Is Engineering as a course offered in
both public and private Nigerian
universities fit for purpose? If not, what
are your suggestions for improvement?
The universities have their challenges,
especially inadequate funding for research,
poorly equipped laboratories and
workshops, and of course, obsolete
curriculum. Improvement can start from
updating the curriculum. Use what is
practiced in industries now to explain the
engineering concepts to the students. The
universities can also partner with industries
who can sponsor some research and they
can use those funds to equip their
laboratories.
How do you see gender diversity in
the work place, in the engineering sector
and the boardroom?
Women continue to be underrepresented
in boardrooms and at all levels
of political leadership. According to United
Nations data, about 27% of managerial
positions in the world were occupied by
women in 2018; women representation in
national parliaments is an average of
24.2% as of January 2019. The world is
better when everyone has the opportunity
to contribute their quota; optimal value is
derived through diversity, just as an
investment in a diverse portfolio yields
better returns.
Engr Funmilola Ojelade FNSE
is substance. And for as long as we keep
our eyes on that vision, we will keep
progressing.
The world has produced great
female engineers from diverse
ethnicities including Mae C. Jemison. To
introduce your “engineer girls” to the
wider engineering world, do you have
any project in place to engage with
female engineers in the Diaspora to
collaborate and work with you and your
organisation?
We have been reaching out over the
years and we continue to do that. However,
this has been limited to attending
conferences like the Society for Women
Engineers (SWE) conference in the United
States and the International Conference of
Women Engineers and Scientists
(ICSWES). This enables us to network
with other female engineers from all over
the world. Now, we will be working with
the Engineering Forum of Nigerians, UK
(EFN – UK) to engage with female
engineers in Diaspora, starting with the
UK.
How do you balance the role of wife,
mother, engineer and recently APWEN
President?
It’s been a challenging one. I delegate
Engr Funmilola Ojelade FNSE

Page12 TheTrumpet JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
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Entertainment
JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
TheTrumpet
Page13
Reggae classic ‘One Love’ re-issued to
help children upended by COVID crisis
Bob Marley
Jamaican reggae artist and musician Ziggy Marley pledges support for 'Say Yes for Children' while
visiting UN HQ, in July 2001 (Pic - UNICEF, Nicole Toutounji)
The iconic Bob Marley song:
One Love is to be re-released
with the blessing of the
musician’s family to support
children whose lives have been
upended by COVID-19, the United
Nations (UN) has said.
The fundraising initiative comes
as the UN Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) warned that an additional
6,000 children could die every day
from preventable causes in the next
six months.
Almost all of them live in
developing countries, where
the coronavirus pandemic has
placed additional strain on already
fragile health systems and basic
services.
Call for unity, then and now
Issued in 1977 by Bob Marley
and the Wailers, with a call for unity
and to tackle the suffering of
children, a new version of the muchloved
reggae anthem will go on sale
on Friday 17 July.
It features members of the
Marley family, world-renowned
musicians, artists from conflict
zones and children from vulnerable
communities.
“Over 40 years ago, my father
wrote One Love about unity, peace
and universal love during a time
when there was much trouble in the
world”, said Cedella Marley. “Even
in a time when we aren’t able to ‘get
together’, his message remains true
today: we can get through this
global crisis if we come together
through one love and one heart.”
The project also has the support
of jewellery brand Pandora, which
has pledged to match every dollar
raised to purchase One Love, up to
the value of $1 million.
A bid for greater equality
All proceeds will support
Reimagine, UNICEF’s global
campaign to prevent the COVID-
19 emergency from becoming a
lasting crisis for children.
“One Love speaks directly to one
key truth about this pandemic: our
best hope to defeat COVID-19 and
to reimagine a more equal, less
discriminatory world for children is
through global solidarity and cooperation”,
said UNICEF Executive
Director Henrietta Fore. “We are
delighted that the Marley family
along with Pandora have lent their
generous support, creativity and
love to help the most vulnerable
children.”
In addition to the immediate
health impact of COVID-19 on
children and their families, UNICEF
has warned that youngsters have
been affected indirectly too, through
school closures, food shortages,
limited access to basic healthcare
and disruptions to medical supply
chains.
TikTok chiming in
The agency intends to use the
money raised from One Love to
respond to immediate needs, which
include soap, facemasks, gloves,
hygiene kits, protective equipment
and lifesaving information for
children and families.
Support for youngsters’
education, protection and healthcare
systems will also be possible,
UNICEF said in a statement, which
noted that internet platform TikTok,
will promote the song launch with a
special event and public challenge
for fans who want to get involved.
“We have a unique opportunity to
chart a brighter future for the
children and young people mostly
likely to suffer its long-term
consequences,” said Ms. Fore.
“From ending violence, injustice
and discrimination, to building
fairer and more just societies, young
people have made their message
loud and clear. It is time for the rest
of the world to hear it.”

Page14 TheTrumpet JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
TheArts
Chanje Kunda appointed to the
National Freelance Task Force
Manchester International Festival
(MIF) has announced the
appointment of Manchester
based theatre maker and poet, Chanje
Kunda, as MIF’s representative on the
National Freelance Task Force, set up
to strengthen the influence of the selfemployed
who make up a large and vital
part of the performance sector.
The Freelance Task Force will create
ongoing points of connection between
freelancers, organisations, funders and
government, and will amplify the
collective voice of the self-employed in
conversations to come.
Chanje has performed alongside the
likes of Benjamin Zephaniah and Linton
Kwesi Johnson and produced and toured
three full length plays, Superposition,
Plant Fetish and Amsterdam. In 2017, she
became one of the first Jerwood Fellows,
an MIF and Jerwood Arts creative
development programme providing
access and insight into how we create
international Festival work whilst helping
artists develop their own practice.
Following the forced cancellation of
the tour of her new show Plant Fetish
earlier this year, Chanje became the first
of 35 Greater Manchester artists to be
supported to develop work during the
lockdown, as part of Manchester
International Festival’s response to the
impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the
creative community. Her piece TOILET
ROLL GATE RETROSPECTIVE was
presented as the first all-digital, onlineonly
Festival in My House… And Yours.
Chanje said, “As a performance artist
with a national tour cancelled due to the
pandemic, I felt I wanted to do something
to save the arts and culture industry. It has
a special place in the world that makes
everyday existence more magical. I know
how hard freelancers work, from
performers to stage managers to lighting
and sound designers. To be representing
freelancers on the National Task Force,
for MIF and freelancers in our region, is
an absolute honour and I want to
champion our voices and be part of the
team helping it to survive and thrive
again.”
Following a jointly signed letter sent
out in May in support of freelancers in the
performance sector, MIF joins over 140
organisations nationwide committing to
paying a freelancer for one day a week
for three months, from June to August,
who so far include everyone from
directors to technicians, composers to
costume designers, production managers
to puppet-makers – and more.
Sport
Chanje Kunda
Manchester International Festival
(MIF) was founded as the world’s first
festival of original, new work and special
events and is an artist-led festival
reflecting the spectrum of performing
arts, visual arts and popular culture.
Staged every two years in
Manchester, MIF has commissioned,
produced and presented world premieres
by artists including Marina Abramović,
Damon Albarn, Laurie Anderson, Björk,
Boris Charmatz, Jeremy Deller, Idris
Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah, Elbow,
Philip Glass and Phelim McDermott,
David Lynch, Wayne McGregor, Steve
McQueen, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy,
Yoko Ono, Thomas Ostermeier, Maxine
Peake, Punchdrunk, Skepta, The xx,
Robert Wilson and Zaha Hadid
Architects.
These and other world-renowned
artists from different art forms and
backgrounds create dynamic, innovative
and forward-thinking new work, staged
in venues across Greater Manchester –
from theatres, galleries and concert halls
to railway depots, churches and car parks.
MIF works closely with venues, festivals
and other cultural organisations globally,
whose financial and creative input helps
to make many of these projects possible
and ensures that work made at MIF goes
on to be seen around the world.
MIF supports a year-round Creative
Engagement programme, bringing
opportunities for people from all
backgrounds, ages and from all corners
of the city to get involved during the
Festival and year-round, as volunteers, as
participants in shows, through skills
development and a host of creative
activities, such as Festival in My House.
MIF will also run The Factory, the
new world-class cultural space currently
being built in the heart of Manchester and
designed by internationally-renowned
architects Rem Koolhaas’ Office for
Metropolitan Architecture. The Factory
will commission, present and produce a
year-round programme, featuring new
work from the world’s greatest artists and
offering a space to make, explore and
experiment. Attracting up to 850,000
visitors annually, The Factory will add
£1.1 billion to the economy and create
1,500 jobs. Its pioneering programme of
skills, training and engagement will
benefit local people and the next
generation of creative talent from across
the city, whilst apprenticeships and
trainee schemes are already underway
during the construction phase.
Martins’ Mauritania on the march
Continued from Page 16<
and have had some really good
results. They’ve even won an
African title. It’s going to be a tough
task, but we believe in our chances
and we’ll continue do so until the
end.”
Martins nonetheless believes that
the Eagles of Carthage are
favourites on paper. “Despite how
balanced the group is, we have to
accept that Tunisia are favourites to
qualify, but we’ll see how the other
games unfold. We’ve played Tunisia
at least five times in the last five
years, the most recent of which was
at the Africa Cup of Nations. For our
part, we’ll prepare well and
hopefully get to experience another
unique moment.”
Having led Al-Murabitun to their
first appearance at the continental
finals, Martins now harbours World
Cup ambitions, as he told us at the
end of our interview. “Every coach
dreams of the World Cup, and I
want to achieve this goal with
Mauritania. However, we’ll be
taking things one game at a time and
doing our utmost to get good results
and top our group. I’m certainly
dreaming of Qatar 2022.”

JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
TheTrumpet
Page15
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Our growth has given rise to the need to engage the services
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The Opportunities
Opportunities to earn revenue through Commissions are
currently available by way of:
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To apply, please email: info@the-trumpet.com

Page16 TheTrumpet JULY 29 - AUGUST 11 2020
Sport
Martins’ Mauritania on the march
By FIFA.com
Corentin Martins has been at
the helm of the Mauritanian
national team since 2014.
And while six years in charge of an
African national team is something
of a rarity, the country’s decision to
stick with the Frenchman is now
paying off thanks to his realistic
long-term goals.
In an interview with FIFA.com,
the former France and Auxerre
midfielder said: “After I left the
French club Brest I was looking for
a new project. That’s when I was
offered the Mauritania job. The first
thing I noticed was how skilled the
players were. I watched the local
league games and was impressed by
the talent I saw.”
Martins has revolutionised
Mauritanian football by helping
local players improve enough to
play overseas and then return to
represent their country as
professionals.
Speaking about this process,
Martins said: “Since Mauritania
didn’t have players in France or
other European countries, I
assembled a squad consisting
mostly of local guys along with
seven others based overseas. Now,
it’s the opposite. I have 16 overseas
players and six from the domestic
league, which shows how much
many of them have progressed.”
No-one would dispute that
Mauritania can produce technicallygifted
players, but they have
Corentin Martins
sometimes been hindered by a lack
of self-belief. “When I started this
job, I knew the team hadn’t been
getting good results, so we adopted
a gradual approach, taking things
one match at a time. We needed to
instil confidence in the players, who
have great potential, and help them
overcome the fear they had when
facing opponents,” Martins said.
“Thanks to some good results
and victories, the players began to
exhibit more confidence. Six years
Mauritania's national team
ago, you could see the fear in their
eyes before games, but they have
managed to overcome those
anxieties. These days, things are
markedly different and they take to
the field determined to win,” he
added.
Historic achievement
November 2018 was an historic
month for Mauritania. It was then
that they hosted Botswana in
Nouakchott needing to win to reach
the CAF Africa Cup of Nations for
the first time. Despite going a goal
down in the fourth minute, Moctar
Sidi El Hacen levelled on 19
minutes for the hosts before Diakite
scored their winner in the 84th
minute on a momentous day for the
Northwest African country.
Asked about that achievement,
Martins said: “That month will
forever remain engraved in our
memories. What we experienced
that day was incredible and the most
beautiful moment of my career. The
sheer joy among the players and
staff as well as the delirium of the
fans and elderly in the stands made
us feel proud of what we’d
achieved.”
Despite exiting in the first round,
Al-Murabitun’s performance at the
African finals was creditable.
“There was a lot of regret after our
first game, particularly as we’d kept
a clean sheet for 30 minutes, but our
opponents were Mali, who are a
very good team.
“We then drew against Angola
and actually played very well
against Tunisia in our final game,
which we came close to winning.
We created many chances but
unfortunately failed to exploit them.
Our appearance at the finals remains
a fond memory and now we want to
make the next edition,” the coach
explained.
Qatar 2022 dream
Martins and his charges have
now turned their focus to the FIFA
World Cup qualifiers, where they
have been drawn in an even looking
group featuring Tunisia, Zambia and
Equatorial Guinea.
Speaking about the task ahead,
the 50-year-old Frenchman said:
“We know Tunisia very well, and
they’re a tough team to play against.
They have quality players and they
participated in the most recent
World Cup. Equatorial Guinea are
like us and will be hoping to cause
an upset. Zambia are a good team
Continued on Page 14>
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