19102020 - #EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op Crocodile Smile

Govs 

committed to 

wholesale, not 

just police 

reform 

— FAYEMI 10 

Christian 

elders 7 

threaten to 

sue FG over 

alleged ethnic 

cleansing 

Salami trying to 

indict our client 

at all cost, 

Magu’s lawyer 

cries 

13 

out 7 

Reps gazette 

Water Resources 

Bill for 

re-introduction 8 

VOL. 27: NO. 64186 MONDAY, OCTOBER 19 2020 

NECO 14 

reschedules 

examination 

$1.5bn plant: 

Nigeria’ll soon 

stop importing 

steel 

—Finance 

11 

Minister 

S-Court to 

hear £2.556bn 

Petro Union 

case 

tomorrow 7 

Mixed performance trails 

national 

housing 

delivery 

•As NHF grows 18%, 

non-compliance lingers 

•More retirees withdraw 

#EndSARS: Stop Army's 

5 

planned Op Crocodile Smile 

•CSOs tell FG, say military should remain in barracks till protests end 

•Kill protesters, face International Criminal Court, ASCAB cautions Buratai •Says it’s ill-timed, 

could exacerbate citizens’ distrust, lack of confidence in state institutions •‘Crocodile Smile’ not 

going after #EndSARS protesters, says Army •Defence Minister warns protesters against 

undermining national security•Thugs attacked us, not protesters – OYETOLA •SARS’ disbandment 

won’t stop police brutality — CATHOLIC BISHOPS •Buhari, NASS leadership brainstorm on quick 

implementation of protesters' demands 

Mr & Mrs 

#EndSARS protest in Makurdi, Benue State, weekend. 

COLUMNISTS 

OWEI LAKEMFA 16 MAILAFIA 17 DELE SOBOWALE 21

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 

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Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 — 3 

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Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

15 

#EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op 

Crocodile Smile 

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Luminous 

Jannamike & Shina Abubakar 

ABUJA — On the 

heels of the ongoing 

nationwide 

protests, a coalition of civil 

society organizations yesterday 

called on the Federal 

Government to prevail on 

the Nigerian Army to suspend 

its planned ‘Operation 

Crocodile Smile VI’. 

This is even as another 

coalition of labour and civil 

society groups also cautioned 

the Chief of Army 

Staff, Lt. General Tukur 

Buratai against facing the 

International Criminal 

Court, ICC, should any 

#EndSARS protester be 

killed by the military. 

The activists spoke on a 

day Osun State governor, 

Gboyega Oyetola, dismissed 

insinuations that his 

convoy was attacked by 

#EndSARS protesters, attributing 

the attack to those 

he described as thugs. 

Still on the same issue, 

the Catholic Bishops Conference 

of Nigeria, CBCN, 

argued yesterday that the 

dissolution of the Special 

Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS, by the Inspector- 

General of Police, IGP Mohammed 

Adamu, would 

not end police brutality in 

the country, noting that the 

development was a sign of 

a failing state. 

Speaking against the 

backdrop of the protests in 

Abuja, the over 30 CSOs, 

including Centre for Democracy 

and Development, 

CDD, Enough is 

Enough and Civil Society 

Legislative Advocacy Centre, 

CISLAC, condemned 

the military exercise as unacceptable, 

alleging it was 

designed to crush the civil 

protests. 

The Army had said it 

would commence Exercise 

Crocodile Smile VI, which 

is usually conducted annually 

to checkmate the activities 

of criminals across the 

country during the ember 

months. 

It noted that this time, the 

military operation which 

would run from October 20 

to December 31, would carry 

out cyber warfare operations 

to counter negative 

propaganda by criminal 

gangs and groups in social 

media and across the cyberspace. 

CSOs warn 

Army 

But the CSOs unanimously 

warned that the 

Exercise Crocodile Smile VI 

would only serve to exacerbate 

the distrust of citizens 

and lack of confidence 

in the state and its 

institutions. 

So, they urged the military 

to withdraw the operation 

and remain in their 

barracks to defend the territorial 

integrity of the country 

until the #EndSARS 

protests abated. 

A co-convener who spoke 

on behalf of the coalition, 

Ezenwa Nwagwu, said: 

“In the last two weeks, the 

streets of Nigeria have been 

convulsing with protests 

and agitations. The clarion 

call as reflected in the multitude 

of young Nigerian 

voices is for an end to police 

brutality and all related 

abuses, which unaccountable 

policing has left 

in its wake. 

“For the avoidance of 

doubt, these protests are 

legitimate, and young people 

who ignited the movement 

have a right to express 

their grievances using 

the weapon of protest. 

“While #EndSARS is focused 

on the immediate 

concern of a brutish policing 

system, the protesters 

are also inherently voicing 

their anger against a governance 

system which has 

failed to reckon with them. 

“#EndSARS is, therefore, 

an affirmation of citizen’s 

readiness to resist bad governance 

in all its ramifications, 

beginning with inadequate 

government response 

over the prolonged 

trend of police brutality. 

“The accumulated anger 

of citizens over decades of 

failure in the delivery of 

basic social services, endemic 

corruption, and impunity 

of political office 

holders has precipitated 

distrust of, and lack of confidence 

in the state and its 

institutions. 

“These frustrations are 

visible in the pent-up anger, 

which has been boiling 

over in mass street protests 

in cities across the 

country. 

“Collectively, we affirm 

the validity of the protests, 

and the grievances driving 

the organization and mobilization 

of popular anger. 

Police brutality in particular, 

and the brutality of security, 

armed forces, and 

law enforcement agents towards 

citizens, in general, 

is a fact and a reality that 

cannot be contradicted. 

“In this respect, we 

strongly condemn the thinly-veiled 

threat issued by 

the Military High Command, 

wherein the unacceptable 

move is being 

made to crush the peaceful 

protests. 

“Such a threat is ill-conceived 

in the face of legitimate 

citizens’ protest and 

a threat to constitutionally 

PROTEST IN BENIN—#EndSARS protesters block road and play ball on 

the ever-busy Ekheuan Road, Benin City, yesterday. Photo: Alemma Aliu. 

guaranteed rights. 

“We call on the military to 

immediately withdraw its 

ill-advised attempt to undermine 

the constitutional 

freedom of citizens to voice 

their displeasure about the 

state of the country. 

“We reject in its entirety 

the move to draft in the military 

to quell the protests, 

even where there has been 

no violent conduct on the 

part of protesters. 

‘Let military 

remain in their 

barracks’ 

“The Military should remain 

in their barracks and 

at their duty posts, defending 

the territorial integrity 

of the country, and not deployed 

in a dangerous antipeople 

and anti-democratic 

operation to crush a people 

who are exercising their 

right to freedom of association, 

freedom of expression, 

and freedom of assembly. 

“It is important we state 

here that the commencement 

of the Exercise Crocodile 

Smile VI is ill timed 

and will exacerbate the distrust 

of citizens. 

“Equally, it is important 

to let the Nigerian authorities 

know that the entire 

world is watching its response 

to the legitimate 

demands of the youth. 

“The world is watching 

the state-sponsored assault 

on the freedom of expression, 

and association of 

Nigerians in the forms of 

illegal bans on a protest by 

the governor of Rivers State 

[CO1] and the authorities 

in the Federal Capital Territory. 

These bans are patently 

unlawful and constitute 

an ominous prelude to 

what we suspect would be 

a harsh clampdown on citizens. 

“The ongoing protests to 

end police brutality and 

compel sorely-needed reform 

of the police and policing, 

is thus a legitimate 

movement, raising legitimate 

concerns, making legitimate 

demands, and as 

such because the movement 

is exercising universally 

recognized and constitutionally 

guaranteed 

rights, the movement must 

be protected, and not repressed. 

“We must reiterate here 

that the practice of dehumanizing 

citizens and 

stripping them of their dignity, 

which has become 

endemic in the security and 

defence sectors, is a manifestation 

of the institutional 

decay and systemic crisis 

of governance. This is a 

measure of the failure of 

political leadership by Nigeria’s 

ruling class. 

“So, what is expected of 

any responsible government, 

political leadership, 

Continues on Page 35 

By Bose Adelaja, 

& 

Olayinka Latona 

On frequent mishaps of fuel tankers on the roads (3) 

I 

will advise that the 

trucks should be latched 

whether they are carrying 

product or not. Nigerian 

lives are very precious and 

it is disheartening seeing 

lives and property being 

destroyed by these trucks. 

Government should please 

construct good roads 

and enforce laws to 

regulate truck drivers. 

Reckless drivers must be 

punished accordingly. 

—Mrs. Ijeoma Charity, 

Fashion Designer 

If our roads are in 

good condition, I 

don’t think there will 

be incessant fall of 

tankers. The 

government should 

be concerned about 

the transport system 

in our country and 

kindly do the needful 

to bring an end to the 

fall of these tankers. 

—Eniola Adeniyi, 

Student 

There should be 

stringent rules and 

regulations governing 

tanker drivers in terms of 

movement and these rules 

must be strictly adhered 

to. Any tanker driver that 

violates these laws must 

be seriously dealt with. 

These tankers should only 

move in the night and 

they must be in top shape 

to avoid falling. 

—Mrs. Osuala Victoria, 

Entrepreneur 

The 

reckless 

drivers should be 

punished and this will 

serve as warning to 

others. Government 

should also repair the 

bad roads, it is a pity 

that most of our roads 

are pretty bad and this 

also causes serious 

accidents on our 

roads. 

—Mrs. Comfort Itunu, 

Businesswoman 

The government and 

the agencies charged 

with the responsibility of 

monitoring the activities of 

road users especially 

tankers, should take 

necessary steps by 

reviewing the law 

governing the road users 

and placing a heavy 

sanction on anyone found 

guilty. Reckless drivers 

should be punished 

according to the law. 

—Ayomide Nofisat, 

Teacher 

I 

think of all road 

users, it seems 

articulated vehicle 

drivers have almost 

become untouchable. 

They break the law and 

some of them drive 

recklessly. Also, many of 

the trucks have long 

passed their service life 

and have become 

accidents waiting to 

happen. 

—Mr. Marcus Kolawole, 

Businessman


Husband, wife, 

accomplice 

arrested for 

planning own 

kidnap 

By Bashir Bello 

KANO—A man, Ado 

Aminu, and his wife, 

Samira Abdullahi, have 

been arrested in Sheka 

Quarters, Kumbotso Local 

Government Area of Kano 

State for arranging own 

kidnapping to demand a 

ransom of N4 million from 

their relatives. 

An accomplice, Anas Isah 

was also arrested in 

connection with the crime. 

Spokesperson of the Kano 

State Police Command, 

Abdullahi Haruna, who 

confirmed the arrest, said 

the husband, Ado, 

conspired with his wife, 

Samira, and used Anas to 

carry out the planned 

kidnap and demanded 

ransom. 

Haruna said the 

accomplice, Anas, upon 

arrest, confessed, leading to 

the arrest of the husband 

and his wife. 

According to him, “On the 

23/09/2020 at about 1100hrs, 

one Samira Abdullahi ‘f’, 31 

years old of Sheka Quarters 

Kumbotso LGA, Kano State 

reported that on the 22/09/ 

2020 at about 2000hrs, her 

husband, one Ado Aminu, 

52 years old of the same 

address was kidnapped and 

a ransom of N4,000,000 was 

demanded. 

“On the receipt, the 

command’s Commissioner 

of Police, Habu Sani, 

immediately raised and 

directed a team of Operation 

Puff-Adder to arrest the 

culprits in 24 hours. The 

suspect, one Anas Isah 

Musa, 32 years old of Sheka 

Gidan Leda Quarters, 

Kumbotso LGA was arrested 

on the same date at about 

2352hrs. 

"Upon investigation, the 

suspect confessed that the 

kidnapped victim conspired 

with his wife Samira 

Abdullahi, planned the 

kidnapping and used the 

said Anas Isah to demand for 

ransom from his relatives. 

Suspects were arrested and 

charged to court for 

prosecution.” 

The Police image-maker 

also said the command 

succeeded in arresting eight 

other kidnap suspects, 

including a serial kidnapper 

who confessed to have 

kidnapped one Aisha Usman, 

60 years old of Bauna 

Village, Rano LGA Kano 

State sometimes on 27/08/ 

2020. 

“Effort is in progress to 

arrest other members of their 

syndicate,” Haruna said. 

#ENDSARS PROTEST: 2 killed, scores injured in 

Lagos, Ilorin 

By Evelyn Usman, 

Demola Akinyemi & 

Bose Adelaja 

NO fewer than two lives were 

lost and many persons injured 

in Lagos and Ilorin, the Kwara State 

capital, as the #EndSARS protests 

continued, yesterday. 

The protest turned violent in 

Ikorodu area of Lagos as miscreants 

hijacked the opportunity to cause 

mayhem. 

One person was feared dead 

while scores were injured in the 

miscreants’ bid to dispossess the 

protesters of their valuables. Shops 

were also looted and vehicle 

windscreens destroyed. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

violence started on Saturday and 

continued yesterday. 

Eyewitnesses said peaceful 

protests were held at Ikorodu 

roundabout and Ogolonto axis, 

simultaneously with the roads 

barricaded at both ends, Saturday. 

Residents, who could not trek to 

their homes, reportedly slept on the 

road. Among the stranded persons 

were guests who were on their way 

to various social functions. 

While at it, hoodlums who 

hijacked the situation, attacked the 

unsuspecting motorists and 

passers-by. 

One of the injured persons, 

Asemota Odion, told Vanguard : 

“They snatched people’s phones, 

threw broken bottles, cutlasses at us 

before they started looting shops and 

breaking vehicles' side mirrors.” 

However, when the hoodlums 

retuned at about 6am, yesterday, to 

continue from where they stopped, 

residents resisted them. 

According to one account, the 

protest was hijacked by a group of 

commercial motorcyclists from 

Majidun area of Ikorodu. At press 

time, the crisis had extended to Idi- 

Iroko area of Ikorodu. 

However, Lagos State Police Police 

Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa 

Adejobi, said no life was lost in the 

fracas. 

“Today (Sunday), about 6am, 

residents and victims of Saturday 

attacks resisted the moves of the 

same violent protesters to gather and 

foment troubles again. Incidentally, 

the situation became rowdy, but the 

Commander, Area N, Ijede, James 

Useni, raced to the area to restore 

normalcy. The Commissioner of 

Police, therefore, appeals to 

protesters to properly manage their 

protests and control themselves to 

be orderly and peaceful,” he said. 

Protester snatches 

phone 

Meanwhile, in Lekki area of the 

state, some protesters handed one 

of them to the Police for allegedly 

snatching a phone from a woman 

during the protest, on Saturday. 

Other protesters, who were angry 

at the act, descended on him before 

handing him over to the policemen 

at Maroko division.. 

Adejobi, who also confirmed the 

arrest, said: “The stolen phone has 

not been recovered as the suspect 

passed it on to his fleeing gang 

members. The Police are working 

on the useful information gathered 

from him to track down his gang 

members who are at large. 

“The Commissioner of Police 

Lagos State, CP Hakeem 

Odumosu, has reiterated that this 

incident is a clear indication that the 

protests across the state have been 

hijacked by some hoodlums, who 

hide under the #Endsars# protests 

to steal, loot and cause damage to 

peoples property. He, therefore, 

advised protesters to be watchful of 

those who have infiltrated their 

gatherings to inflict pains on 

innocent people. 

Cult gangs attack 

protesters in Ilorin 

In Ilorin, suspected cult gangs, 

yesterday, disrupted the protest at 

the Post Office area during which 

one person was reportedly killed. 

Though normalcy has returned to 

the area, Kwara State government 

has condemned the attack, 

describing it as intolerable and 

despicable. 

“I vehemently denounce the 

violent attacks on the protesters and 

I call on the security agencies to 

ensure that the dastardly act is 

addressed immediately. The 

daredevil attackers must be 

identified, arrested, and prosecuted 

immediately. The attack must not go 

unchallenged,” the governor said 

in a statement by his Chief Press 

Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye. 

Vanguard reliably gathered that 

one of the warring members of a 

rival cult gang who was being 

trailed, strayed into the midst of the 

protesters and was attacked by the 

rival group. 

There was exchange of gun shots 

in the ever busy Post Office area, 

which prompted various shop 

owners and customers who came 

to buy materials to scamper for 

safety. 

Another account told Vanguard 

that there was a misunderstanding 

between members of a cult group 

(Eiye) participating in the protest 

when one of them noticed that a 

member of a rival cult group was 

among the protesters but the other 

member cautioned him not to bring 

that issue to the protest. 

As the argument raged, a 

member of the same cult group 

allegedly drove a car which hit one 

of those involved in the argument 

and critically injured him. 

“The fracas was a mistaken 

identity of a cult member beaten up 

and erroneously crushed by his cult 

mate thinking he is s a rival cultist. 

The victim is in critical condition and 

has been taken to the University of 

Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) for 

treatment”, the eye witness said. 

Police Public Relations Officer in 

the state, Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed 

the incident, saying: “There was a 

little crisis, which was not too serious 

at the Post Office area in the 

afternoon. Peace has been restored 

and the protesters have continued 

with the protest.” 

#ENDSARS protesters at Lekki toll gate, Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Akeem Salau. 

Man arrested for charming, 

forcefully marrying girl from 

Kano to Gombe 

By Bashir Bello 

KANO— Kano State Police 

Command has said it 

arrested one Kabiru 

Abdullahi, 27, who allegedly 

charmed and forcefully 

married a teenage girl from 

Kano to Gombe State. 

The command also said it 

equally arrested three others 

for allegedly raping a 

housewife and another minor 

girl. 

The command’s 

spokesperson, Abdullahi 

Haruna, who confirmed the 

development, said while one 

Sale Yusuf attacked a 

housewife with knife, stick 

and forcefully had sexual 

intercourse with her in a bush, 

Isyaku Sani and Usaini 

Muhammed lured a nineyear-old 

girl into a house at 

different occasions and had 

carnal knowledge of her. 

According to Haruna,“the 

suspect was arrested and 

confessed to have committed 

the offence. The knife and 

stick were recovered. Case is 

under investigation. 

"Similarly, on the 12/10/2020 

at about 1400hours, one Sadi 

Alasan of Zaura Babba 

village Ungogo LGA, Kano 

State reported a rape case that 

the following suspects, Isyaku 

Sani, and Usaini 

Muhammed, both of Zaura 

Babba Village Ungogo LGA 

Kano used to deceive and 

lured his daughter (name 

withheld), aged nine years 

old, into a house at different 

occasions and each had 

sexual intercourse with 

her.The suspects were 

arrested and confessed to 

have committed the offence. 

The case is under 

investigation. 

“On the 15/09/2020 at about 

1500hours, one Nuhu Isah of 

Sharada Quarters Kano 

reported that on the same date 

at about 0700hours, his 

daughter (name withheld) 18 

years old of the same address 

left home and could not return 

back. They later discovered 

that one Kabiru Abdullahi of 

Gombe State took her to 

Gombe State and married her. 

“On receipt of this 

complaint, a team of 

detectives was raised and 

immediately swung into 

action. The suspect was 

arrested and investigation 

revealed that he lured her and 

used charm and married her 

up. Suspect was arrested and 

charged to court for 

prosecution.” 

3 die, 19 others 

injured in Niger 

auto crash 

— FRSC 

Commander 

THE Federal Road Safety 

Corps, FRSC, in Niger State 

has confirmed the death of three 

persons in an accident that 

occurred on Mokwa-Jebba road, 

yesterday. 

Mr Joel Dagwa, the state’s 

FRSC Commander, told the 

News Agency of Nigeria in 

Minna, yesterday, that 19 other 

persons sustained various 

degrees of injuries. 

He said the accident, which 

occurred at about 3.00 pm at 

Tsafa village, involved a Mazda 

bus and an articulated vehicle. 

He said the victims were 

rescued to General Hospital, 

Mokwa, where the doctor 

confirmed three dead and the 

corpses deposited at the 

Federal Medical Centre, Bida, 

morgue. 

He explained that the truck 

was conveying empty baskets 

from Kano to Lagos while the 

bus took off from Oyo State enroute 

to Kano. 

The sector commander 

advised motorists to exercise 

caution and adhere strictly to 

speed limits to avoid crashes. 

He blamed the accident on 

speed violation and loss of 

control.


:Vanguard 

News 

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

INSPECTION — From left: Group Managing Director, African Natural Resources and Mines, Alok Gupta; 

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr. Aliyu Ahmed and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National 

Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed during the inspection of a steel plant in Jere, Kaduna State on Saturday. 

Christian elders threaten to sue FG over 

alleged ethnic cleansing 

By Sam Eyoboka 

THE National Christian 

Elders Forum, NCEF, has 

threatened legal action against 

what it alleged as ethnic cleansing 

in Nigeria, both within local 

courts and and international tribunals. 

According to the elders, there 

is sufficient evidence to institute 

legal actions in national and international 

judicial fora against 

the Federal Government if the 

alleged ethnic cleansing and unfolding 

genocide in Nigeria were 

not arrested. 

In a statement, titled “RECON- 

CILIATION IS THE HIGHEST 

FORM OF FORGIVENESS,” 

signed by Elder Solomon Asemota, 

SAN, on behalf of the 

group, the Christian elders 

noted that “Nigeria ranked 

12th on Open Doors World 

Watch List 2020 of countries 

in which Christians are most 

prosecuted and this cannot be 

allowed to continue. 

‘’The Federal Government has 

the duty to protect all Nigerians 

but this government has failed 

to do so by not initiating investigations 

to promptly arrest the perpetrators 

(of ethnic cleansing and 

genocide) and prosecute them.’’ 

The elders, including Gen. 

Joshua Dogonyaro, retd, (Vice- 

Chairman); Gen. Zamani Lekwot, 

retd; Elder Moses Ihonde, 

Elder Nat Okoro, Gen. Theophilus 

Danjuma, retd; Dr. Chukwuemeka 

Ezeife; and Dame 

Priscilla Kuye also counseled 

against clamours for secession or 

agitations for self-determination, 

arguing that as Christian elders, 

it would be inappropriate for 

NCEF to advocate the breakup 

of the country, even before 

all avenues for peaceful 

resolution of all problems facing 

the country had been exhausted. 

“In our religion (Christianity), 

as well as in our culture, elders 

do not advocate divorce as the 

only solution to settle marital dispute. 

Elders would call both sides 

to conversation(s) in order to reconcile 

them. 

‘’NCEF affirms that reconciliation 

is the highest form of peaceful 

settlement. In making this 

statement, NCEF does not discountenance 

the genuine, moral 

and justifiable agitations of 

some ethnic nationalities who 

seek self-determination. 

‘’It is their fundamental right 

to do so, especially when they 

were not consulted before the 

amalgamation of 1914. This 

right, notwithstanding, other 

ethnic nationalities in the country 

also have the right after years 

of contributions (human and 

material) to the foundation 

and building of Nigeria to insist 

that the union is not broken. 

“There is no doubt that it is 

the mismanagement of the country 

and flagrant disrespect, discrimination 

and provocation by 

a section of the country that has 

pushed the country to the brink 

of a precipice that makes the agitation 

for secession attractive. 

‘’As a matter of fact, the agitating 

ethnic nationalities should 

be commended for seeking to 

‘walk away’ rather than return 

fire for fire.’’ 

Firearms in the hands 

of Nigerians 

The Christian elders said further: 

‘’The Federal Government, 

through the Inspector General 

of Police, ordered all Nigerians to 

return all arms in their possession 

to the government (usually 

double-barrelled shot guns). 

‘’In the process, the government 

exposed the harmless taxpayer 

to the mercy of Boko 

Haram, Fulani herdsmen and 

bandits who carry AK47 rifles. 

The question we ask which requires 

answers from the IG is, on 

whose side is the IG? 

‘’Definitely not on the side of 

the average Nigerian taxpayer. 

The IG and some Nigerians went 

further to say that Nigeria is not 

ripe for state police. When one 

considers arms, the establishment 

of State Police and the IG’s 

oath of office, it becomes very clear 

that Nigerians are back to the 

days before the partition of Africa 

(1885), the time when Africa 

was regarded as the dark continent. 

‘’During Lugard’s time, there 

were two groups of police establishments 

in Nigeria – one group 

for the protection of Europeans 

and the other group who did not 

bear arms was for the protection 

of the natives (Emirs). 

‘’To say that Nigeria is not right 

for both state and local government 

police establishments allow 

to bear arms, is to turn logic on 

its head as a manifestation of 

stealth jihad by the government 

in aid of Islamists operating in 

West Africa.’’ 

The elders also congratulated 

Edo State governor, Godwin 

Obaseki, his deputy, Phlip Shiabu, 

and the Oba of Benin as well 

people of Edo State for the 

peaceful manner the last governorship 

election was conducted. 

#EndSARS protest hijacked 

to destabilise Buhari’s 

govt — Lai Mohammed 

•Says govt won’t allow anarchy in Nigeria 

THE Federal Government 

said yesterday that the 

#EndSARS protest has been 

hijacked by hoodlums and people 

with ulterior motive to destabilise 

the country and bring 

down President Muhammadu 

Buhari’s administration. 

The Minister of Information 

and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, 

who stated this when 

he featured on a Radio Nigeria 

programme monitored by the 

News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, 

in Abuja, said the Federal Government 

had met the demands 

of the group and implementing 

them. 

Having met the demands, he 

said it was absurd that protesters 

were remaining on the 

streets causing mayhem, obstructing 

movements and inflicting 

pains on Nigerians. 

“When you look at the demands 

of the #EndSARS and 

the decisions of the Federal 

Government, it is clear that 

there is no single demand of 

the group that has not been 

met. 

“Therefore, one will begin to 

ask if there is any ulterior motive 

because what we have witnessed 

in the last few days is 

that they have moved their 

demands from five to seven. “As 

soon as the government approved 

one demand another 

one will follow . “From the five 

demands which were initially 

tabled and have been addressed, 

they are now including 

petrol price, national assembly 

salaries and allowances, 

electricity tariff among others. 

‘Then you begin to ask yourself 

what exactly is the motive 

of the protests and who are 

those behind them,” he said. 

According to the minister, it 

is more nauseating that the 

protest has gone violent, claiming 

lives and causing injuries 

as well as destruction to property. 

He said Saturday’s assassination 

attempt on Governor 

Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun 

State who came out to identify 

with the protesters and address 

them was a clear indication that 

the protest had been hijacked. 

Mohammed said the Minister 

of Federal Capital Territory, 

Mohammed Bello, was equally 

turned back on the road by 

the protesters in Abuja. 

“Peaceful protest is synonymous 

with democratic tenets 

and to that extent we see the 

EndSARS protest as the manifestation 

of how far our democracy 

has developed “Regrettably, 

the protest has been hijacked 

by hoodlums and by 

people with ulterior motives 

bent at destabilising the country. 

“As of today, many people in 

many parts of the country simply 

cannot go out because people 

are being intimidated and 

roads have been blocked. 

“There was a report of a pregnant 

woman that died inside 

the ambulance simply because 

she could not get to the hospital 

because of the protesters. 

Salami panel trying to indict our 

client at all cost — Magu’s lawyer 

Supreme Court to hear CBN, Union Bank case against Petro Union 

tomorrow 

ABUJA—THE Supreme 

Court will tomorrow hear 

an appeal by the Central Bank of 

Nigeria (CBN) and Union Bank 

of Nigeria (UBN) seeking to set 

aside a £2.159 billion judgment 

debt awarded Petro Union Oil and 

Gas Company Ltd. 

The appeal followed Petro 

Union’s victory at the Federal 

High Court, Abuja and Court of 

Appeal. 

The CBN and UBN prayed the 

apex court to quash the lower 

courts’ decisions on the grounds, 

among others, that Petro Union’s 

claim to the sum was allegedly 

based on falsehood. 

The banks are contending that 

Petro Union allegedly obtained 

two judgments at the Federal 

High Court and the Court of 

Appeal based on facts which were 

not only predicated on falsehood, 

but which have criminal 

implications. 

The appellants averred that 

these facts, if not carefully 

dissected by the Supreme Court, 

might occasion a miscarriage of 

justice capable of ruining the 

nation’s fledgling economy. 

They further averred that the 

judgment obtained by Petro 

Union at the Federal High Court 

in 2014 for £2.556 billion also 

carries an interest of 15 per cent 

per annum from 22nd, June 1995 

until payment. Today, that 

judgment sum together with 

interest is in excess of £12 billion 

(about $15.5 billion) – 50 per cent 

more than the award in the 

Process and Industrial 

Developments Limited (P&ID) 

case and represents 44 per cent 

of Nigeria’s foreign reserves. 

They further claimed that the 

truth of their claim had been 

uncovered following the arrest, 

detention and ongoing 

prosecution of Petro Union and 

its officers at a Federal High Court 

in Lagos. 

The high court trial resumes 

on Wednesday. 

Public interest in the Petro 

Union’s case was rekindled in 

1994 when the company 

allegedly obtained a cheque from 

a branch of Barclays Bank in the 

United Kingdom (UK) with a 

value of £2.556 billion. 

The EFCC alleged that an 

attempt was made to present the 

cheque at one of Union Bank’s 

branches in Lagos, under the 

pretext that it was meant to 

construct three petrochemical 

refinery complexes in Nigeria 

and establish a bank. 

Both the CBN and Union Bank 

were said to have advised Petro 

Union that Barclays Bank in 

the UK had been contacted 

and would confirm that the 

cheque dated 29 December 1994 

could not be given value because 

the company that purportedly 

issued it (Gazeaft Ltd) did not 

exist on the Register of 

Companies in the UK. 

They averred that confirmation 

was obtained that the account 

on which the cheque was drawn 

was closed on September 21, 

1989, whereas the cheque was 

issued on December 29, 1994 - 

five years after the account was 

closed. 

Following, the petition, the 

EFCC investigated the allegation 

by interrogating the CBN 

through a letter dated January 

12, 2005. 

In a letter dated 27th January 

2005, the CBN denied Petro 

Union’s allegations. 

The EFCC was further said to 

have made other efforts to 

investigate the allegations, 

including corresponding with 

Barclays Bank in the UK. 

The anti-graft agency then 

issued a letter dated 10th May, 

2005 addressed to the Managing 

Director of Union Bank 

exonerating the bank of any 

wrongdoing. 

But Petro Union in February 

2012 instituted an action at the 

Federal High Court, Abuja 

against the CBN and Ors in Suit 

No. FHC/ABJ/M/104/2012. 

It sought reliefs against the 

CBN, Union Bank, the Minister 

of Finance and the Attorney- 

General of the Federation. 

It claimed that Union Bank of 

Nigeria received the 

£2,556,000,000 on behalf of Petro 

Union and transferred the sum 

of £2,159,221,318.54 to the CBN, 

while retaining the sum of 

£396,778,681.46 as commission. 

In support of its claim, Petro 

Union alleged that the money is 

kept in an account in the name 

of a company called Goldmatic 

Ltd at the CBN and tendered an 

alleged CBN Statement of 

Account of Goldmatic Ltd. 

Justice Kafarati of the High 

Court accepted the alleged CBN 

Statement of Account as 

conclusive evidence that CBN 

had retained the money alleged 

to belong to Petro Union. 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA — LEAD counsel to 

the suspended Chairman 

of the Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. 

Ibrahim Magu, yesterday accused 

the Justice Ayo Salami-led 

Presidential Judicial Commission 

of Inquiry, of trying to indict their 

client at all cost. The suspended 

EFCC chairman is facing probe 

over allegations bordering on 

abuse of office and mismanagement 

of Federal Government Recovered 

Assets and Finances from 

May 2015 to May 2020. 

The Attorney-General of the 

Federation and Minister of Justice, 

Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, 

raised the allegations against him 

in a memo he forwarded to President 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

Magu’s lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, 

in a statement yesterday, accused 

the panel of “scheming” to 

indict the suspended EFCC boss 

before the final submission of the 

probe report to President Buhari. 

Shittu further faulted the panel 

for embarking on verification of 

all assets that were recovered by 

the EFCC, without the knowledge 

or involvement of his client. 

The statement read: “Our attention 

has just been drawn to a 

sponsored and jaundiced story in 

one of the national newspapers 

in which our client, Mr Ibrahim 

Magu, the suspended Acting 

Chairman of the Economic and 

Financial Crimes Commission 

(EFCC), is being portrayed in a 

negative light by Justice Isa Salami- 

led Judicial Commission of 

Enquiry. 

“In the story entitled- “Magu: 

Presidential panel begins verification 

of assets,” the sponsors of 

the story within the panel was 

quoted as saying that Magu did 

not give satisfactory answers to 

its questions on recovered assets. 

“Ordinarily, we would have ignored 

the media report like the 

previous orchestrated stories 

against our client. But we are of 

the opinion that the timing is suspicious 

and there is the need to 

take up issues with the media 

report on the grounds that the 

reporter quoted sources close to 

the panel as the arrowheads of 

the story with a predetermined 

agenda.


:Vanguard News 


Police recruitment: IGP files 20 

grounds of appeal at S'Court 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA—THE Inspector- 

General of Police, Mr. 

Mohammed Adamu has filed 20 

grounds of appeal at the Supreme 

Court to challenge the judgement 

that voided the recruitment of 

10,000 constables by the Nigeria 

Police Force, NPF, last year. 

The IGP, NPF and Federal 

Ministry of Police 

Affairs, through their lawyer, Dr. 

Alex Izinyon, SAN, urged the 

apex court to set-aside a judgment 

the Abuja Division of the Court 

of Appeal delivered on September 

30, which invalidated the 

recruitment process. 

The appellants further prayed 

the Supreme Court to stay the 

execution of the verdict of the 

appellate court. 

A three-man panel of the Court 

of Appeal led by Justice Olabisi 

Ige had in the contested 

judgment, unanimously held 

that the IGP and NPF lacked the 

power to recruit the constables. 

The appellate court held that 

the power to carry out the 

recruitment was exclusively 

vested on the Police Service 

Commission. 

Consequently, the appellate 

court not only vacated an earlier 

judgment of the Federal High 

Court Abuja that upheld the 

power of the IGP to carry out the 

recruitment exercise, it voided the 

actual recruitment of the 10,000 

constables. 

Meanwhile, insisting that the 

170 vigilante members killed 

in Niger 

By Wole Mosadomi 

M hundred INNA—ONE 

and seventy 

members of Vigilante group have 

been confirmed killed in the fight 

against insurgency this year in 

Niger State. 

Some of those identified to have 

lost their lives include Alhaji 

Dan Asabe Mariga, AlhTukur 

Karanbana, Magaji Dangata Liyo 

Gudaci, Tanko Gurmana and 

Aminu Bassa, among others. 

The state commander of the 

group, Malam Nasir Mohammed 

Manta, who disclosed this while 

addressing newsmen in Minna 

weekend, also said members of 

his group in retaliation, killed 

and arrested many bandits 

Reps begin review of Aviation 

laws tomorrow 

By Tordue Salem 

A House 

BUJA—THE 

of 

Representatives Committee on 

Aviation will on Tuesday, October 

20, commence amendments to 

six Civil Aviation Acts. 

A three-day public hearing has 

been declared for the six executive 

bills brought to the National 

Assembly. 

The bills seek to amend the 

laws establishing the Nigerian 

Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, 

Federal Airports Authority of 

Nigeria,, FAAN, Nigerian 

Airspace Management Agency, 

NAMA, Nigerian College of 

Aviation Technology, NCAT, 

Zaria, Air Accident Investigation 

Bureau, AIB, and the Nigerian 

process had already been 

concluded, the appellants, argued 

that the power of the NPF and 

the IGP to enlist the constables 

was distinct from the power of the 

PSC to appoint them. 

They faulted the Court of 

Appeal’s decision that the Nigeria 

Police Regulations 1968 

conferring the power of 

“enlistment of recruit constables” 

conferred on the NPF, was 

inconsistent with the Nigerian 

Constitution. 

The IGP told the Supreme 

Court that section 71 of the Police 

Regulation, 1968 was not 

synonymous with the power of 

“appointment” used in the 

Nigerian Constitution or the 

Police Service Commission 

(Establishment) Act. 

“The power to enlist recruit 

constables conferred on the 1st 

appellant (NPF) is distinct and is 

not the same function conferred 

on the 1st respondent (PSC),” his 

lawyer, Izinyon, SAN, argued. 

He contended that the 

procedure for enlistment of recruit 

constables was specifically 

provided in section 76 – 106 of 

the Nigeria Police Regulations, 

adding that the PSC “is not 

conferred with absolute power on 

any power howsoever described 

to enlist recruit constables into 

the 1st appellant (NPF).” 

He also argued that the Court 

of Appeal erred in law by relying 

on the definition of “recruitment” 

contained in Public Service Rules 

2008, which he contended was 

not applicable to Police Force. 

while defending their local 

government areas. 

Those arrested, according to 

him, have been handed over to 

the Police for investigation and 

prosecution. 

He, however, said that despite 

the recorded death of his 

members across the state, the 

group would not relent in its effort 

towards defending the state by 

waging total war against the 

bandits and also work hand in 

hand with other security 

agencies, including the Army, 

Police and Civil Defence. 

On the proliferation of 

voluntary security outfit, Manta 

stressed the need for Niger State 

government to collapse them into 

one under the same umbrella to 

avoid duplication and 

unnecessary wrangling. 

Meteorological Agency, NIMET. 

The chairman, House of 

Representatives Committee on 

Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, said: 

“Aviation as a dynamic industry, 

requires constant review of 

enabling status to ensure the 

country keeps to standard. 

“I understand that the last 

review was done about fourteen 

years ago (2006) and l can tell 

you that within this period, a lot 

of changes have happened 

globally and this must have 

necessitated the proposed review 

from the executive arm,” 

Nnaji appealed to critical 

stakeholders and the members 

of the public, especially frequent 

air travellers/ aviation community 

to make time to either attend or 

send well-articulated memoranda 

that will guide the legislators in 

amending the Acts. 

VISIT: From left; Mr. Abu Ibraheem; Sen. Muhammad Ali Saif; Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

Senate of Pakistan, Sen. Mushahid Hussain Sayed; ex-Deputy President of Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; Sen. Talha 

Mehmud; and the Acting High Commissioner of Pakistan to Nigeria, Mr. Aamir Habib Abbasi, when a delegation 

of the National Parlliament of Pakistan, which was in Nigeria to seek support for its candidate for the presidency 

of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, paid Ekweremadu a visit at his Abuja residence at the weekend. 

Reps gazette Water Resources Bill for 

re-introduction 

By Tordue Salem 

ABUJA—THE House of 

Representatives has 

gazetted the controversial 

National Water Resources Bill, 

2020, preparatory to its second 

presentation for reconsideration, 

a source at the Rules and Business 

Committee told Vanguard at the 

weekend. 

Staff of the committee, who 

confirmed said the bill would now 

be re-presented, having been 

gazetted. 

He also disclosed that the 

Northern caucuses of the House 

and the Senate, herdsmen groups 

and other Northern leaders were 

pushing for the bill. 

The bill was rejected on Tuesday, 

September 29 by a majority in the 

Green Chamber, but the cosponsor 

of the polarising piece of 

legislation, Abubakar Fulata 

(APC-Jigawa), who doubles as the 

Chairman, Committee on Rules 

and Business, quickly set back to 

business to rework and 

reintroduce the bill. 

One of the key sponsors is Sada 

Soli (APC-Katsina). 

The legislative instrument, 

which has faced stiff opposition 

from groups across the country, it 

was learned a few days ago, is being 

pushed by the Northern caucuses 

of both Houses of the National 

Assembly, Miyetti Allah Cattle 

Breeders Association, associated 

herder groups, Ministry of Water 

Resources and mostly Northern 

leaders. 

Recall that the House was 

thrown into turmoil on Tuesday, 

while considering a Matter of 

Privilege, raised by Benjamin 

Mzondu (PDP-Benue) to be heard 

on the contentious National Water 

Resources Bill, 2020. 

Mzondu’s motion sought the 

withdrawal of bill, owing to the 

public outcry against it and its 

breach of House’ Rules. 

Presenting his motion under 

Matter of Privilege, Mzondu had 

cited Order 6, Rule 1(1), 2 and 3, as 

he argued forcibly against the 

transmission of the bill to the 

Senate and its finally becoming 

law. 

He had said: “I wish to refer to 

Order 6, Rule 1(1), 2 and 3 and 

Order 12, Rule 18 to state that I 

was deprived of my legislative 

privilege of sighting gazetted copy 

of the National Water Resources 

BillHB 921, and such could not 

•As Northern NASS caucus, regional groups insist on 

passage 

participate in the consideration of 

the report by the Committee of 

the Whole, which also deprived 

me of my rights and privilege of 

representation to my people. 

“Mr. speaker, colleagues, it is in 

the effort to eliminate the 

‘Element of Surprise', that the 

House in its wisdom, included in 

its standing rule that every bill 

must be gazetted or clean copies 

circulated. It is important to note 

that the word emphasized here, 

is ‘gazette’, which means 

appearing in the Bills Journal of 

the House. 

“The words used are clear and 

unambiguous, they ought to be 

given their ordinary meaning, 

as stated. Mr. speaker, 

colleagues, I was misled by the 

use of order 12, Rule 18 of our 

Standing Orders. Mr. speaker, 

colleagues, it is an issue of law 

and procedure and Mr speaker, 

the onus of interpretation lies 

with you. Where the Bill was 

2019 Financials: NNPC at risk of bankruptcy, 

auditors, corporation’s management warn 

By Michael Eboh 

A 

B U J A — 

INDEPENDENT 

auditors and management of the 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC, have raised 

doubts over the ability of the 

corporation to continue as a going 

concern, following rising losses 

and negative capital as a result of 

excess of liabilities over its assets 

as stated in its recently published 

2019 Audited Financial 

Statement. 

In the financial statement 

obtained weekend, auditors of the 

national oil firm disclosed that 

material uncertainty exists that 

cast significant doubts on the 

ability of the NNPC to escape 

bankruptcy. 

According to Investopedia, 

going concern is an accounting 

term for a company that has the 

resources needed to continue 

operating indefinitely until it 

provides evidence to the contrary. 

“This term also refers to a 

company’s ability to make enough 

money to stay afloat or to avoid 

bankruptcy. If a business is not a 

going concern, it means it has 

gone bankrupt and its assets were 

liquidated.” It explained. 

labeled as Bill 2020, it was not 

considered at such. 

“The laws lay, on your shoulder 

to interpret these rules as stated 

in Order 7 Rule 1(7). It is important 

to emphasize that I have 

painstakingly searched through 

all the journals of the House, and 

cannot find where the bill is 

gazetted and I stand to be 

challenged or corrected. 

“The next question for your 

consideration, Mr speaker, deals 

with jurisdiction, whether the 

House has such powers to 

entertain a bill, such proceedings 

become a nullity, ab initio no 

matter how conducted and 

decided. 

“So, having not met this 

condition, I wish to move, relying 

on Order8 Rule 8 and the above 

stated rules, that ‘the House 

does rescind/expunge its 

decision of July 23, 2020, 

which adopted the National 

Water Resources Bill, 2020 

HB921 to have been read the 

Third time from our records.” 

His latter prayers were 

granted, after a prolonged 

debate from both sides of the 

legislative divide, as the speaker 

ordered withdrawal of the bill. 

“Fundamental issues have 

been raised by Mzondu. He has 

backed them up with a clear 

language that such bills must be 

re-gazetted,” had Gbajabiamila 

said, while the deputy speaker of 

the House, Idris Wase, who 

argued against Mzondu’s 

position, stressed that the bill 

followed due process in its 

passage. 

Wase’s argument was 

buttressed by sponsor of the bill, 

Sada Soli (APC-Katsina) and 

chairman of the Rules and 

Business Committee, Hassan 

Fulata (APC-Jigawa). 

Lawmakers, led by Kingsley 

Chinda (PDP-Rivers), however, 

put up a strong defence for 

Mzondu’s submission, leading to 

the decision of the speaker to 

order the withdrawal of the bill 

for fresh gazetting. 

•Losses accumulate to N1.5trn 

The NNPC auditors comprise 

international auditing and 

financial advisory firm, 

Pricewaterhouse Coopers, as well 

as indigenous accounting firms, 

SIAO Partners and Muhtari 

Dangana & Co. 

The auditors gave an 

unmodified opinion and drew 

attention to the fact that the 

NNPC Group and Corporation 

recorded net losses of N1.8 billion 

and N107.8 billion respectively in 

2019; compared to N803.1 billion 

and N254 billion in 2018, 

respectively, while its current 

liabilities exceed its current assets 

by N4.4 trillion and N1.1 trillion 

for the Group and Corporation 

respectively, compared to N3.3 

trillion and N968.7 billion in 2018, 

respectively. 

Specifically, NNPC Group and 

Corporation’s current assets, 

according to the financial 

statement, stood at N5.3 trillion 

and N4.5 trillion in 2019, while 

total current liabilities stood at 

N9.7 trillion and N5.6 trillion 

respectively. 

In 2018, NNPC Group and 

Corporation’s total current assets 

stood at N5.4 trillion and N4.8 

trillion respectively, while total 

current liabilities stood at N8.7 

trillion and N5.7 trillion 

respectively. 

Accumulated losses 

Furthermore, in the financial 

statement, the management of 

the national oil firm, revealed 

that the NNPC Group and 

Corporation had sustained 

recurring losses over the years, 

which had culminated into 

accumulated losses of 

approximately N1.5 trillion and 

N474 billion, compared to N1.6 

trillion and N490.7 billion for the 

Group and Corporation in 2018, 

respectively. 

The NNPC management said: 

“The Group and Corporation both 

continue to incur losses. These 

events or conditions indicate that 

a material uncertainty exists that 

may cast significant doubt on the 

Group and Corporation’s ability 

to continue to as a going 

concern, and therefore, may 

be unable to realize its assets 

and discharge its liabilities in the 

normal course of business.''


C 

M 

Y 

K


:Vanguard 

News 

Shop owners cry, as fire razes 

multi-million naira property in Osogbo 

By Shina Abubakar 

O owners SOGBO—SHOP 

at the Nigeria 

postal service shopping 

complex in Osogbo, Osun 

State, razed by inferno, late 

Saturday evening, have 

urged the state government 

to assist cushion their loss 

due to the fire outbreak. 

This is as the fire, said to 

have been caused by a blast 

from one of the shops, 

destroyed properties worth 

millions of naira. 

A late evening fire 

incident razed about 10 

shops in the shopping 

complex around 6pm but 

was prevented from 

spreading to the NIPOST 

office by fire fighters. 

Speaking with journalists 

at the scene of the incident, 

yesterday, the Iyaloja of the 

state, Chief Awawu 

Asindemade, said the 

unfortunate incident would 

unleash difficulty on shop 

owners except the state 

government intervenes to 

cushion the effect of the loss 

on their businesses. 

“The extent of the fire had 

shown that goods worth 

millions of naira had been 

James Ogunnaike 

AState BEOKUTA—OGUN 

Police command has 

declared a notorious cultist, 

terrorizing Igbesa and its 

environs, simply known as Bobo, 

wanted 

A statement by the command 

spokesperson, DSP Abimbola 

Oyeyemi, which was made 

available to newsmen in 

Abeokuta, the State capital, said 

the suspect was declared wanted 

over the gruesome murder of an 

automobile mechanic, Salaudeen 

Lawal. 

The statement added that “the 

deceased, who was called to fix a 

vehicle which developed a 

razed by the inferno, a loss 

which is likely to ruin the 

lives of victims, except the 

state government comes to 

their rescue,” she said. 

One of the victims, Olojo 

Titi, who sells clothes said 

she was on her way to Ilesa 

when she was called that 

the complex was on fire, 

saying unfortunately, she 

just stocked new goods 

recently and was yet to 

make any sale before the 

incident. 

The goods in my shop are 

worth N980,000 and all of 

them were destroyed in the 

fire outbreak. My 

neighbour, called Mama 

Malik, her shop is worth 

over N20million and as you 

can see, there is nothing 

that can be salvaged in the 

complex. Another shop 

owner landed in the 

hospital when she got the 

news, although she is 

responding to treatment but 

could barely walk,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Spokesperson of 

the Federal Fire Service in the 

state, Basiri Adijat, said hoodlums 

unleashing terror on the state 

about the same time prevented 

them from putting out the fire on 

time. 

Don’t use soldiers to quell 

#ENDSARS protests, Aare Adams 

cautions Buhari 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

L Onakakanfo 

AGOS—AARE 

of 

Yorubaland, Aare Gani 

Adams, yesterday, urged 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari not to deploy soldiers 

to forcefully stop the on-going 

#ENDSARS protests across the 

country, saying it will give the 

impression that Nigeria is at war 

with her citizens. 

In an open letter to the 

President, Aare Adams asked the 

President to enter into 

constructive dialogue with the 

protesters. 

The letter reads: “I can’t 

imagine soldiers being sent to 

stop protests. Soldiers are to fight 

external aggression. We are 

dealing with peaceful protesters. 

It is wrong to give the impression 

that Nigeria is at war with her 

citizens. We must do everything 

to promote and defend democratic 

culture.” 

Adams also urged the 

protesters to ensure the process 

is not hijacked by violent and 

recalcitrant people. 

He said: “I condemn violence 

in all forms. I strongly condemn 

the actions of some security 

operatives that murdered some 

protesters. The list available to 

me shows 20 people have been 

killed across the country. I also 

condemn in the most profound 

manner the killing of any 

protester or the killing of any 

security official associated with the 

protests.” 

While he reminded the 

President that protests have hit 

many countries this year and 

none has resorted to using 

soldiers to suppress the 

protesters, he said: “The protests 

have been largely peaceful. 

Adams, also said: “I saw clips of 

the attack on the convoy of the 

Governor of Osun State, 

Gboyega Oyetola. This is 

distasteful. In the same way I 

condemn the violent attacks on 

the convoy of the Governor of 

Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi.” 


Govs committed to wholesale, not just 

police reform —Fayemi 

....Urges end to protests for govt to look into grievances 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

A CHAIRMAN DO-EKITI— 

of the 

Nigeria Governors’ Forum, 

NGF, and Ekiti State 

Governor, Dr Kayode 

Fayemi, said, yesterday, 

that he and his colleagues 

were concerned about 

discontent, hunger and 

anger in the country and 

would be ready to work 

with other stakeholders to 

find a lasting solution to the 

problems. 

Averring that the raging 

nationwide #ENDSARS 

protests arose from years of 

pent-up emotion, anger 

and hunger in the land, 

Fayemi said that the 

governors are committed to 

larger reform of the polity 

not only Police reform. 

The governor spoke, 

yesterday, at the Special 

Thanksgiving mass held at 

St. Patrick’s Catholic 

Cathedral, Old Garage, 

Ado Ekiti, as part of 

activities to mark his second 

anniversary of his second 

term in office. 

Dr. Fayemi said he 

understood the frustration 

of the young Nigerians 

who had taken to the streets 

Police declare suspected cultist wanted over 

death of auto mechanic 

mechanical fault was accused by 

Bobo and his colleagues of 

obstructing the road with the 

vehicle he was repairing and this 

led to an argument between 

them, consequent upon which 

the said Bobo broke a bottle and 

stabbed the deceased on his 

hand and cut one of the veins”. 

The statement added that 

“distress call was made to the 

police at Igbesa divisional 

headquarters and the DPO SP 

Abayomi Adeniji quickly led his 

men to the scene and rescued 

the victim to the hospital where 

he gave up the ghost while 

receiving treatment”. 

“The suspect, having realized 

what he did took to flight 

FOOD FIESTA—From left: Senior Special Assistant 

to Lagos State Governor on Agriculture, Gbolabo 

Olaniwun; Ag. Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. 

Abisola Olusanya, representing the governor, and 

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. 

Olayiwola Onasanya, during the 2020 World Food 

Day fiesta, in Lagos. 

immediately but one of his 

accomplices has been arrested 

and he is helping the police in 

their investigation.” 

“Meanwhile, the state 

Commissioner of Police, Edward 

Ajogun, has ordered a massive 

manhunt for the suspect. 

He also directed that the case 

be taken over by the homicide 

section of the state criminal 

investigation and intelligence 

department for discreet 

investigation. 

The CP also appealed to 

residents of the area to remain 

calm as the command will do 

everything possible to apprehend 

the fleeing suspect who is neither 

a student of the only tertiary 

institution in the town nor an 

indigene of the town. 

for the past one week, 

noting that he used his 

youthful years to participate 

in similar protests against 

bad governance, especially 

military dictatorship. 

He lent his voice to the 

view of the Catholic Bishop 

of Ekiti Diocese, the Most 

Reverend Felix Ajakaye, 

who had called for an 

immediate suspension of 

the nationwide protests for 

the authorities to act on the 

protesters’ demands. 

The service was attended 

by the Ondo State 

Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi 

Akeredolu; Ekiti State 

Deputy Governor, Otunba 

Bisi Egbeyemi; Ondo State 

Deputy Governor-elect, 

Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa; Ekiti 

State First Lady, Erelu Bisi 

Fayemi; former Ekiti State 

Governor, and now 

Minister of Trade, 

Industries and 

Why doctors, consultants‘re leaving 

LAUTECH Teaching Hospital —Ayodeji 

By Shina Abubakar 

O 

S O G B O — 

CONSULTANTS 

and experienced medical 

personnel with the Ladoke 

Akintola University 

Teaching Hospital in 

Osogbo are exiting the 

services of the hospital, due 

to poor welfare packages of 

the state government, 

President of the hospital’s 

Association of Resident 

Doctors, Ogungbemi 

Ayodeji, has said. 

In a statement, Ayodeji 

said no fewer than nine 

medical doctors left the 

hospital within a week, 

adding that some 

specialised services have 

been shut, due to lack of 

personnel to manage the 

clinics. 

He disclosed that apart 

from medical doctors, other 

category of workers were 

Investments, Otunba Niyi 

Adebayo; Ekiti State former 

Deputy Governors, Chief 

Paul Alabi, Chief Abiodun 

Aluko and Prof. Modupe 

Adelabu; Speaker, Ekiti 

State House of Assembly, 

Funminiyi Afuye; cabinet 

members, state lawmakers, 

traditional rulers, Bishop 

Emeritus of Ekiti, Olatunji 

Fagun, leaders of market 

women and community 

leaders among others. 

Dr. Fayemi who described 

himself as a product of 

God’s mercy sought for 

forgiveness from those who 

he might have offended in 

the discharge of his duties 

as governor. 

According to him, he had 

sworn to an oath to do what 

is just and fair, noting that 

his actions so far in office 

were based on fairness and 

justice. 

Speaking on the state of 

the nation, Dr. Fayemi 

said: “There is a lot of anger 

in the land, there is a 

lot of hunger in the land, 

pent-up emotion. There is 

disillusion in the land. As 

a young man who spent 

much time in the barricades 

protesting bad governance, 

I can understand what is 

going on now. 

“Myself and my colleagues are 

concerned and we are committed 

to reforms not just about SARS 

because we will be making a 

mistake that the general 

disaffection in the land is all about 

SARS. “Like Your Lordship (the 

Bishop) had said, the government 

should be allowed to address the 

problems that have cropped up.” 

The Governor said he would 

always be thankful to God for 

giving him the grace to serve Ekiti 

people again, saying he sees 

himself as an instrument in God’s 

hands and sees the governorship 

seat as a missionary work. 

....'40 left in a year, 9 in a week' 

also exiting the services of 

the hospital for sister 

institutions to get better 

welfare. 

Dr. Ayodeji attributed the 

mass exodus at the hospital 

to the refusal of the state 

government to implement 

the stipulated payment 

plan for medical personnel 

in the state over the last six 

years, despite the approval 

of 2019 CONMESS by the 

Federal Government. 

The statement reads in 

part: The poor state of our 

welfare has continued to 

lead to the exodus of great 

and dedicated minds in all 

cadres of our clinical staff 

(resident doctors and 

consultants) from our 

institution. In fact, some 

specialized units have 

closed down because of 

lack of specialists in these 

fields. 

“It is sad, demoralizing, 

and mentally tormenting 

that LAUTECH Teaching 

Hospital, Osogbo, is the 

only hospital that her 

resident doctors have been 

at same entry level of pay, 

despite passing their requisite 

professional examinations for six 

years now (i.e. A Senior registrar 

is earning same salary as a new 

entry level Registrar). 

“The second reason is that 

LAUTECH Teaching hospital, 

Osogbo, Osun State is the only 

hospital that is paying her 

resident doctors with 2014 

CONMESS. Federal 

government of Nigeria has 

approved 2019 CONMESS and 

all governors in all states in 

South-West, Nigeria have 

commenced the payment except 

LAUTECH Teaching hospital 

Osogbo.

Vanguard, , MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 — 11 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

TEACHER OF THE YEAR—From left: Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries, NB, 

Plc., Mrs. Sade Morgan; Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; 

Winner, Maltina Teacher of the Year 2020, Miss Anani Olúwabunmi; Commissioner for 

Education, Lagos State, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, and MD, NB Plc., Jordi Borrut Bel, 

during the grand finale of the teacher of the year competition, held in Lagos. Photo: 

Akeem Salau. 

#EndSARS: Adeboye, Oyedepo, others pray 

for Nigeria, as protests continue 

IGP shops for 1,850 officers for SWAT training 

By Kingsley Omonobi 

ABUJA—INSPECTOR General of 

Police, Mohammed Adamu, has 

directed state’s Police Commands across 

the country and FCT to submit the 

names of 50 police officers each for 

training as operatives of the newly 

created Special Weapons and Tactics 

Teams,SWAT unit. 

Consequently, a total of 1,850 

operatives are programmed to commence 

By Sam Eyoboka & 

Bose Adelaja 

LAGOS—AS 

#EndSARS 

protests continued across 

Nigeria yesterday, Pastor Leke 

Adeboye, son of the General 

Overseer of the Redeemed 

Christian Church of God, RCCG, 

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Pastor 

Kunle Ajayi as well as Winners 

Chapel’s Bishop, David 

Oyedepo, have expressed support 

for the ongoing #EndSARS 

protests by praying for the peace 

of Nigeria. 

The church also donated three 

vans of relief materials for the 

protesters. 

The ministers, who joined the 

Lagos protests at the Lagos State 

House of Assembly, Ikeja 

yesterday, prayed for peace of the 

nation, even as some kindhearted 

Nigerians and churches 

have been donating food, 

beverages and water to the 

protesters. 

Similarly, popular saxophonist 

Temidayo Abodunrin and other 

celebrities like Bidemi Olaoba 

were present at the venue. 

Ajayi and his team led the 

protesters in the National 

Anthem, while other pastors also 

prayed for the peace and unity of 

the country. 

Meanwhile, Presiding Bishop 

and founder of Living Faith 

Church, Bishop David Oyedepo 

yesterday, broke his silence when 

he endorsed the ongoing 

#EndSARS protest across the 

country. He said he decided to 

keep quiet for so long because he 

warned the country in 2015 

against a Buhari-led presidency. 

Oyedepo spoke during the 

second service of the church on 

Sunday while protesters 

barricaded the road leading to the 

church in Ota, Ogun State, a 

situation that got many 

worshippers coming for the third 

service stranded. Some had to 

turn back. 

In the service, however, 

Oyedepo said: “We have been 

having spates of protests across 

this nation. Every man has a right 

to express their displeasure and 

pain. I kept quiet for a while 

because in 2015 I warned this 

nation vehemently, consistently 

because I saw the dangers ahead. 

"Now they have faced the 

youths. And because they don’t 

know who is the next, they have 

a right to say enough is enough. 

Any system that has no value for 

human lives is irrelevant.” 

He cautioned the youths to be 

law-abiding while also respecting 

every legitimate protest. 

....Directs states' commands to submit names 

training at Police Special and tactical 

training institutions in Port Harcourt, 

Rivers State, Nasarawa State and Osun 

State in the next few days. 

The. directive which was contained in 

a letter with reference number CB:4770/ 

SHQ /SUB.1/89 dated October 14, 2020, 

which emanated from the force 

headquarters asked the Commissioners 

of Police to release the affected officers 

Abiru to IGP: Investigate PDP 

candidate’s murder allegation 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

LAGOS—CANDIDATE of the 

All Progressives Congress, 

APC, for senatorial bye-election 

in Lagos East slated for October 

31, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru has asked 

the Inspector-General of Police, 

Mr. Mohammed Adamu to 

investigate the attempted murder 

allegation levelled against him by 

his contender in the Peoples 

Democratic party, PDP, Mr. 

Babatunde Gbadamosi. 

Abiru, the immediate past Group 

Managing Director of Polaris Bank 

Limited, added that the need to 

investigate the allegation became 

imperative in order to expose and 

apprehend those who attempted to 

murder the PDP candidate and members 

of his campaign team. 

He made this demand in a letter by 

his counsel, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) 

addressed to IGP on October 12, 

requesting the police authority to duly 

investigate the allegation. 

On two different occasions, Gbadamosi 

had on his Twitter handle, @Gbadamosi 

asked the APC candidate “to warn 

members of his campaign team against 

murder and assassination. This is the 

second attempt against us.” 

serving in their formations. 

In the letter, titled: 'Training of Nigeria 

Police Special Weapons and 

Tactics Teams, SWAT, to replace the 

disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS,' the IGP directed the 

Commissioners of Police to release the 

affected officers serving in their 

Commands for onward movement to the 

respective training institutions after 

debriefing by the CPs of each command. 

Adamu warned the Command CPs to 

ensure no former member of the defunct 

SARS must be included on the list of the 

50 personnel, adding that “the nominees 

should not have any pending or decided 

disciplinary case (s) and must be of 

impeccable character.” 

The directive noted that each 

command was to release two chief 

superintendents of Police, CSPs, two 

superintendents of Police, four deputy 

superintendents of Police (DSP), five 

assistant superintendents of Police 

(ASP), three inspectors, 30 sergeants 

and four corporals. 

$1.5bn plant: Nigeria‘ll soon stop 

importing steel —Finance minister 

ABUJA—MINISTER 

of 

Finance, Budget and 

National Planning, Zainab 

Ahmed, has said that with daily 

production of one million metric tonnes, 

Nigeria will soon stop importing steel. 

She said with a stable steel sector, the 

nation is likely to be on the path of 

industrailization in the next five years. 

She also said the ongoing huge 

investment in steel will attract auto 

companies which can produce cars in the 

country for Nigerians. 

Ahmed, who made the submissions 

during a tour of the steel plant of the 

African Natural Resources and Mines 

Limited in Jere in Kaduna State, said 

there is hope for Nigeria. 

Different strokes for different folks! 

Watch out! Envy self-destructs.... 

The more you search...the less you 

know! Let the men be!




VISIT: From left—Member, Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Dr. Godbless Oyinke, Governor Douye Diri, 

Speaker of the House Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, and Executive Secretary of the State Universal Basic 

Education Board, Victor Okubonanabo, during the governor's on-the-spot visit to flood-ravaged Toru-Orua 

community in Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. 

Flooding: Bayelsa shuts down schools 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha 

Y ENAGOA—BAYELSA 

State Government has 

directed the immediate closure 

of primary and secondary 

schools across the 

state following the devastation 

caused by flood in 

most parts of the state. 

The closure, according to 

the state government, takes 

effect from today. 

Governor Douye Diri, in 

a statement by his Chief 

Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel 

Alabrah, said the decision 

was taken to avert further 

danger to lives. 

The governor who led a 

team of his cabinet members 

and other top government 

officials on an on-thespot 

visit to some of the 

flood ravaged communities 

in Yenagoa and Southern 

Ijaw Local Government Areas, 

weekend, is expected 

to extend his tour to other 

affected councils in the 

state. 

Diri, who lamented the 

devastating effect of the 

flood on the people and 

communities, said his administration 

would not 

abandon them at this time 

of need, adding that as a 

concerned government, 

palliatives would be sent to 

victims of the disaster as a 

temporary measure. 

He said, "Due to the devastating 

effect of the flood, 

that I have seen, I hereby 

direct the Commissioner for 

Education to immediately 

Termination of contracts: N'Delta contractors 

report FG officials to PANDEF 

Oleh massacre: Joel-Onowakpo 

calls for arrest of perpetrators 

By Gab Ejuwa 

A SABA—FORMER 

candidate for the 

House of Representatives, 

Isoko Federal Constituency, 

Joel-Onowakpo Thomas 

has called on the Delta State 

Government and security 

agents to as a matter of urgency 

fish out the those responsible 

for the killings of 

nine persons recently at 

Oleh. 

Thomas in a statement, 

condemned the murder of 

nine persons by yet-to-be 

established assailants in 

the oil bearing community 

of Oleh in Delta State. 

The deceased were reportedly 

killed in their farms 

located between Oleh and 

Ozoro road in the wake of 

the festering land dispute 

between Oleh and Ozoro, 

both oil producing communities 

in the state on Friday. 

Reacting to the killings, 

Onowakpo, in his twitter 

post, called on the Delta 

State Government and security 

agencies to unravel 

the circumstances surrounding 

the killings with 

a view of fishing out the 

perpetrators. 

He wrote: "What has happened 

in the Isoko ethnic 

nationality where unknown 

persons killed over nine 

indigenes of Oleh community 

in the most cruel manner 

as a result of land dispute 

is condemnable. 

"This is alien to the Isoko 

people and should be condemned 

by all well meaning 

persons. I am appealing 

to the state government 

and the security agencies 

to get to the root of this immediately 

to avoid a complete 

breakdown of law and 

order." 

Saying that the incident 

was condemnable, Onowakpo, 

however, condoled 

the bereaved families 

and appealed to residents 

of both communities to remain 

calm and allow government 

handle the situation 

to avoid break down of 

law and order. 

shut down all secondary 

and primary schools pending 

when the floods would 

abate. We do not want to 

lose lives and we do not 

want reptiles to cause injuries 

to our wards. 

"Painfully, we have to 

take this decision because 

the schools were just resuming 

from COVID-19 

closure and here we have 

another natural challenge 

By Emma Amaize, 

Regional Editor, 

South-South 

PAN—NIGER Delta Fo 

rum, PANDEF, umbrella 

body of monarchs, leaders 

and stakeholders of the 

coastal states of Niger 

Delta, said it had received 

disturbing complaints that 

some ministers and heads 

of federal agencies from 

Niger Delta were groundlessly 

terminating contracts 

to companies in 

which fellow Niger 

Deltans have major interest. 

National Chairman of 

PANDEF and former military 

administrator of 

Akwa Ibom state, Air 

Commodore Idongesit 

Nkanga (retd), who disclosed 

this, said that the 

regional body was planning 

to hold discrete talks 

with key political stakeholders, 

including ministers, 

members of the National 

Assembly and 

heads of federal agencies 

from the region over the 

allegation. 

In a statement by its National 

Publicity Secretary, 

Ken Robinson, it called on 

politicians from South- 

South zone and Niger 

Delta in particular to sink 

their differences and 

work together. 

It said, "It became necessary 

to make this public 

appeal partly because 

of recent happenings in 

the nation's polity and the 

continued poor attention 

to issues of the region by 

the Federal Government. 

"But, more particularly, 

because PANDEF has, 

lately, been inundated 

with worrying complaints 

of arbitrary termination of 

valid contracts of companies 

in which Niger 

Deltans have principal interest 

in ministries, departments 

and agencies 

(MDAs) of the Federal 

Government. And mainly, 

in ministries where the ministers 

are also from the Niger 

Delta. 

"If these complaints are 

true, then it is very unfortunate. 

We should not be 

arising from flooding. 

"I will continue with this 

visit to empathise and sympathise 

with our brothers 

and sisters. Let me assure 

all of them that as a state, 

we are with them." 

He called on federal 

agencies, particularly the 

National Emergency Management 

Agency, NEMA, 

to come to the aid of the 

government and people of 

the state. 

working against ourselves, 

for whatever reasons. It is 

saddening that persons 

from the region are being 

used to perpetuate these 

insidious acts against the 

region. We are unaware 

of these occurrences in 

other parts of the country. 

"We have advised the affected 

persons, who have 

come to us, to exercise patience 

and not seek redress 

in the law courts yet, 

while we make efforts to 

ascertain the facts of the 

matters, and seek peaceful 

resolutions. Because 

the truth is that they do 

have the right to go to 

court if their contracts/ 

projects were unlawfully 

terminated, especially in 

a manner that indicates 

vindictiveness and possible 

abuse of office by 

those concerned. 

"PANDEF is quite disturbed 

by these circumstances, 

they are unhealthy 

and inimical to 

the socio-economic development 

of the region. As 

such, we have decided to 

seek individual audiences 

with key political 

stakeholders, including 

ministers, members of the 

National Assembly, and 

heads of federal MDAs 

from the region, to discuss 

these concerns, and hopefully 

resolve them. 

"The reality is that thousands 

of youths from the 

region and other parts of 

the country must have become 

jobless as a result of 

the contracts that have 

been reportedly terminated 

unjustly, thereby adding 

to the already awful 

unemployment situation, 

and likely to increase 

cases of youth 

restiveness in the region.‘‘ 

Omo-Agege calls for peace in Isoko 

By Henry Umoru 

A BUJA—DEPUTY 

President of the Senate, 

Senator Ovie Omo- 

Agege, has called for peace 

in the entire Isoko land of 

Delta State. 

Omo- Agege said, yesterday, 

that he was shocked 

and saddened by the reported 

killing of nine persons, 

including a child, in Oleh, 

Isoko South Local Government 

Area of the state. 

In a statement by his Media 

Adviser, Media and 

Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, 

Omo-Agege believes that 

the situation demands urgent 

and pragmatic efforts 

to prevent further bloodletting, 

stressing that respected 

political, traditional, religious, 

women and youth 

leaders within and without 

Isoko need to preach restraint, 

de-escalate the situation 

and help quickly restore 

genuine peace to the 

land. 

According to him, it is by 

divine order that Isoko and 

Urhobo are historical good 

neighbours with strong filial, 

marital and lingual affinities, 

adding, "Whatever 

touches Isoko touches Urhobo, 

and vice versa. I am, 

therefore, genuinely concerned 

about the reported 

killings and bloody violence, 

and I am ready to do 

whatever that is necessary 

for peace to reign." 

Omo- Agege who recognised 

the all-important duty 

of the Delta State Government 

to maintain internal 

security in the state, said, "To 

this end, I encourage Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa and his 

team, to work diligently to 

ensure that acts that are capable 

of leading to more 

bloodshed or violence are 

responsibly, urgently and 

sustainably curtailed." 

He appealed to people 

who may be involved in the 

crisis in one way or the other 

to embrace peace, no 

matter the provocation. 

FG, private sector to partner on 

provision of infrastructure in Niger 

Delta —Minister 

By Chris Ochayi 

ABUJA—THE Federal 

Government said it 

would partner the private 

sector in order to provide 

and improve on the status 

of critical infrastructure in 

the Niger Delta region. 

Ministry of Niger Delta 

Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, 

who disclosed this in 

Abuja, said he was optimistic 

that such union would 

encourage the developmental 

strides which can 

change the region for good 

and ease the suffering of 

the people. 

Speaking during a meeting 

with executive members 

of Petroleum Products Retail 

Outlets Owners Association 

of Nigeria, 

PETROAN, in his office, the 

minister expressed concern 

over the ravaging threat of 

flood to the region. 

He explained that the 

flood ravaging the region 

has made the distribution 

of petroleum products very 

difficult, particularly for retailers 

who may want to 

access the area and this he 

said has seriously affected 

the economy and peace of 

the region. 

Akpabio noted that, the 

idea of Pontoons, floating 

Stations and Motorized 

Barges for the distribution 

of petroleum and gas products 

across the riverine communities 

was a welcome 

development introduced 

by PETROAN. 

He noted that, there was 

an existing government 

policy on the establishment 

and provisions of floating 

stations that may have become 

moribund due to issues 

of irregular supply 

and management problem. 

Zamfara gold: FG should permit 

N'Delta oil communities, artisans 

refine crude oil —Agitators 

By Emma Amaize, 

Regional Editor, 

South-South 

W ARRI—AGITATORS 

in Niger Delta, weekend, 

threatened to shut 

down oil production if the 

Federal Government continues 

to disallow oil communities 

and artisan refiners in 

Niger-Delta from using their 

invented local technology to 

refine and profit from crude 

oil in their areas, but allows 

artisans in Zamfara State to 

freely exploit gold. 

Campaigners under the 

auspices of 21st Century 

Youths of Niger Delta and 

Agitators with Conscience, 

21st CYNDAC, in a statement 

by their leader, selfprofessed 

"Gen" Izon Ebi, 

said, they were livid at the 

hypocrisy of the Federal 

Government. 

They queried: "Why will 

the Federal Government 

allow indigenous artisans in 

Zamfara State and other 

parts of the North to use 

gold and other minerals 

within their domains to their 

benefit and clampdown on 

artisans' refineries in the 

Niger Delta, as if such act 

is forbidden in Nigeria? 

"Anything short of resource 

control, devolution of 

power, oil communities and 

youths benefiting from their 

knowledge of inventing 

their own technology to refine 

the crude is unacceptable 

and that would lead to 

total shutdown of oil activities, 

exploitation and exploration 

in the Niger Delta. A 

stitch in time saves nine.‘‘




RETIREMENT PARTY: From left — Former Accountant General of Enugu State, Dr. Pascal Okolie, Enugu State 

Commissioner for Finance, Mrs Ada-Onah Uyawune and wife of the Accountant General, Stella Okolie, during 

a retirement dinner party/reception in honour of former Accountant General in Enugu State. 

2 killed, houses, vehicles burnt in Anambra 

land dispute • IGP orders AIG Zone 13 to investigate 

By Vincent Ujumadu 

AWKA—A 70 year-old 

woman and middleaged 

man have lost their 

lives, while several houses 

and vehicles worth millions 

of naira were destroyed in a 

land dispute at Nkwele 

Ezunaka in Oyi local government 

area of Anambra 

State. 

The land in dispute popularly 

known as Maryland, 

consists of several estates 

namely: Admiral, New 

Jerusalem, Top Star, Royal 

Paradise, One Heart, Trinity, 

Oganiru, God’s Lane, 

Isuochi and Rock View, is 

owned by Umuobia Family 

of Amuche Ndiagu of Nkwelle 

Ezunaka in Oyi local 

government area. 

The woman whose name 

was given as Mrs. Comfort 

Ani from Ugbawka in 

Nkanu, Enugu State, was 

the mother of one of the occupants 

in the estate. She is 

still in the mortuary. 

She allegedly died of 

shock after witnessing the 

destruction of her son’s mansion 

in the estate. 

It was gathered that some 

people from a neighbouring 

village in the area on various 

occasions, swooped on 

the estate with suspected 

thugs and dangerous weapons 

during which the two 

persons lost their lives and 

property worth millions of 

naira were destroyed. 

The Inspector General of 

Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu, 

in a letter signed by his 

Principal Staff Officer, DCP 

Idowu Owuhunwa, has directed 

the Assistant Inspector 

General of Police, AIG, 

in charge of Zone 13, Ukpo 

–Dunukofia in Anambra 

State to investigate the incident 

immediately. 

A member of the family 

that claimed ownership of 

the land, Mr. Ikenna Okafor, 

whose SUV car was 

burnt during the attack said 

generations of his family 

had lived on the said land 

without molestation and 

wondered why their neighbours 

from another village 

should start now to claim 

the land after the area was 

completely built up. 

In an emotion-laden voice, 

Okafor said: “As early as 

8.0am, our opponents started 

massive destruction of 

houses and burning of vehi- 

cles. My Range Rover Sport 

was burnt beyond repair; I 

later contacted the Army 

Regiment in Onitsha who 

assisted us in towing the car 

to Awkuzu SARS where it is 

parked.” 

He added: “The land in 

question is known as Nwobia. 

We have been living there 

from birth. Our forefathers 

even lived there. Our family 

has been in possession of the 

land for many years. 

“In 1922, our neighbouring 

community laid claim to 

the land and we defeated 

them in a court judgment 

and since then, peace had 

continued to reign until 

2013 when someone from 

our neighboruing village 

who was chairman of our 

village vigilante trespassed 

into the land with caterpillars 

and thugs. My uncle 

who wanted to find out what 

was happening was attacked 

and he later died as 

a result of that attack. 

“During the recent COV- 

ID-19 lockdown when everybody 

was indoors, they went 

into the land and dismantled 

the security tower mounted 

there. When we saw what 

happened, we petitioned the 

IGP who referred the matter 

to the Commissioner of 

Police Anambra State in 

July this year. By then, they 

had entered the land with 

thugs and used bulldozer to 

destroy buildings and vehicles. 

“We rushed to 33 police 

stations where we made entry 

and the Divisional Crime 

Officer, DCO, there mobilized 

his men to the site. 

When they got there, the police 

discovered that a large 

number of thugs had laid 

siege on our land. He assured 

us that to the police 

headquarters in Awka would 

be contacted to invite the 

leader of the group who is 

well known at the police circle 

because of his position 

as our local vigilante chairman. 

“On 28 July, they entered 

the land again and it was 

this time that they destroyed 

a Range Rover belonging to 

Uchechukwu Uka who is a 

member of my family. In 

fact, Uchechukwu narrowly 

escaped death as the thugs 

chased him away from the 

area.” 

According to him, “initially, 

it was the Anambra CP 

that referred us to SARS 

Awkuzu. However, the action 

of SARS surprised us as 

they claimed that they could 

not enter the land because 

the thugs were too many. 

“The following day, the 

thugs destroyed another 

pathfinder Jeep and set it 

ablaze and we informed 

SARS of the development. 

The SARS asked us to be 

prepared to take them to the 

people behind the mayhem 

to arrest them by 10.pm. 

“When we got there, they 

arrested two thugs. One of 

the suspected thugs contacted 

his colleagues on phone 

and before we knew what 

was happening, there was 

firing everywhere such that 

the men of SARS even ran 

away. 

“We also ran away only for 

us to discover that all the vehicles 

there, including Hilux 

vans belonging to SARS, 

had been vandalized. As we 

approached our homes, we 

discovered that our houses 

were also being destroyed. 

“The SARS assured us that 

they would go there to arrest 

the hoodlums but they 

did not go there. I had to use 

the men of the Nigerian 

Army, Onitsha to remove 

my car from the scene. 

"The surprising thing is 

that those who were supposed 

to be arrested accused 

the SARS people of being 

thugs. 

“On August 3, we petitioned 

the IGP and showed 

him all the destruction. Our 

tenants in the various estates 

whose houses were destroyed 

also petitioned the 

IGP. The mother of one of the 

tenants was killed during 

the attack. 

"The IGP men came for arrest 

from Abuja and they mobilized 

more SARS men 

from Awkuzu. By the time 

they got to the scene, more 

destruction had taken place 

at the estate by suspected 

thugs loaded in two shuttle 

buses.” 

Council chairmen, House of 

Assembly members, others to 

defect to APC in Ebonyi 

2023: It's our turn now, Ndigbo tell Northern, 

S'West leaders 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA—IGBO leaders 

have told their counterparts 

in the North and Southwest 

to stop arrogating to 

themselves the sole power to 

decide the fate of Nigeria, saying 

the Igbo have come of age 

and deserve a shot at the presidency 

in 2023. 

They made the demand at a 

news conference weekend in 

Abuja under the auspices of 

Global Movement for Igbo 

President GLOMIP 2023 and 

the Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK & 

Northern Ireland. 

Speaking at the event, a 

former governor of Anambra 

State, Chief Chukwuemeka 

Ezeife called for a restructuring 

of the federation. He added 

that the Igbo are already 

projecting some persons for 

the 2023 presidential contest. 

He also dismissed concerns 

that the Igbo are republican 

in nature and may not be able 

to unite for a common cause, 

especially with regards to the 

2023 presidency. 

Ezeife said: "If you mention 

some names, they are not Igbo 

enough and are not acceptable 

at all to us because we 

know they will sell out. So, we 

will bring somebody who will 

show love to all, show love to 

Hausa, Yoruba and to his Igbo 

brothers and to all Nigerians. 

It is too early to name names, 

but we are already projecting 

some people. 

"If Nigeria is well organised, 

everybody will be happy and 

the Igbos will be the happiest 

because we want the largest 

market possible to trade in". 

He recalled that there was 

a time when the World Bank 

declared that some parts of 

Nigeria were growing faster 

than the rest of the world. 

"Then what happened? There 

was a coup in 1966 and from 

then, we started to take giant 

steps backwards. We must 

know where our problems 

started. 

"We need to go back to what 

used to work and instead of 

regions, we may use the current 

six geo-political zones. 

They can be adjusted but it 

must be based on fairness. 

Some people in the North believe 

that restructuring is 

about resource control or that 

when we restructure, they will 

lose oil money. This is not true. 

A good leader will nationalize 

petroleum mining while 

the people who reside in the 

area would still get more by 

far, but it is not a matter of 

denying other sides access to 

the resources", Ezeife added. 

President of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo UK & Northern Ireland, 

Dr Nnanna Elias Igwe, 

who was represented by the 

Media Officer of GLOMIP, 

Mazi Godffrey Azu said the 

Igbo would no longer play a 

second fiddle. 

According to him, one of the 

veritable ways to stop secessionist 

agitations is to cede 

the presidency to the Igbo in 

2023. 

He said: "I want to say very 

clearly and with all boldness 

of heart and confidence that 

in 2023, we are not going to 

be a joker to anyone. We are 

ready to go after any Igbo man 

who disrupts the waters because 

there are Igbo men who 

take joy in disrupting waters 

and steering it so that nobody 

will drink from it. We have told 

them, we know them. 

"Many people we spoke to 

told us the biggest problem of 

Ndigbo is Ndigbo and we are 

saying to Ndigbo wherever 

they are both in the Diaspora 

and in Nigeria that when we 

begin this discuss and progress 

with this dialogue and get to 

By Peter Okutu 

ABAKALIKI—THE 

ru 

moured defection of Governor 

David Umahi of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP to 

the All Progressives Congress, 

APC, has been confirmed to be 

true, Vanguard can authoritatively 

report. 

A reliable source close to Vanguard 

revealed that Council 

Chairmen, Members of Ebonyi 

State House of Assembly, critical 

stakeholders of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP among 

others have been having series 

of meetings on how to perfect 

their defection to the APC. 

It was gathered that by 

Monday(today), some stakeholders 

in the state would make 

public declaration as to their defection 

to the APC. 

In a chat with Vanguard, the 

House of Representatives member 

for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal 

Constituency, Hon. Chinedu 

Ogah stressed that Governor 

David Umahi's defection to the 

APC was a welcome development 

and a good omen for the 

people of the South East zone. 

He urged the govermors of 

Abia, Enugu, Anambra to follow 

the foot steps of Governor 

David Umahi by decamping to 

the APC. 

"All the APC leaders will welcome 

the govermor into the party 

in the state. This is a major 

breakthrough for the South 

East. We will go together to see 

the leader of the APC in the 

South East, Sen. Ken Nnamani. 

Everybody is welcomed. It is 

a huge achievement for a sitting 

governor to defect to the 

APC. 

"I'm a preacher of peace, unity 

and love. I'm not part of the 

people who play politics of Pull 

Him Down. We are welcoming 

all decampees into the APC. All 

our leaders will receive the governor 

and others. Soon a date 

will be fixed for this official ceremony. 

The President and national 

chairman of APC and others 

will be in Ebonyi to formally 

welcome all the decampees. 

"Party is about the masses. I 

don't have anything against 

anybody. The governor is not 

coming to deprive anybody of 

his or her rights. All we want is 

for him to go higher. We want 

leadership to come to the youths 

of this country. 

"All the House of Assembly 

members and chairmen of 

LGAs in Ebonyi are defecting. 

We urged all of them to defect. 

The governor has already concluded 

it. My politics is about 

friendship and not acrimony. 

Let's give the youths a chance." 

Also, reacting to the Governors 

defection, a stanch member 

of the APC, and Spokesman 

of Alaigbo Development Foundation, 

Chief Abia Onyike added 

that the defection of Governor 

David Umahi was very true. 

He said: "Governor Umahi's 

defection is very true. With the 

influence of people like Sen. 

Obinna Ogba and the other 

National Assembly members, 

he appears uncomfortable in 

PDP as the party can no longer 

give him the edge he enjoyed 

ab initio. That was a fallout of 

the State Congress boycotted by 

the Abuja group which petitioned 

the national leadership 

of the party. So, he had no option 

than to look elsewhere. 

"PDP was no longer ready to 

allow him produce the national 

vice chairman of the party in 

the yet to be organized zonal 

congress. He wants to be in APC 

to pursue his presidential ambition. 

Let's watch and see." 

Also, a source at the Presidency, 

who spoke to Vanguard on 

condition of anonymity said 

conclusions on Umahi's defection 

had been done and documents 

to that effect had been 

taken and filed in the Blue 

Room in Aso Rock. 

The source described the 

“Blue Room” as a special room 

in Aso Rock where any document 

or item kept was regarded 

sacrosanct and held in utmost 

importance by the presidency. 

the point of reaching an answerable 

report and we find 

any man among them that 

goes to stir the waters, God 

forgive him if he doesn't become 

a scapegoat. 

"We are sending the message 

also to our brothers and 

sisters in the North and in the 

South West; we call upon the 

Kaduna and Langtang mafia 

and the Daura Caliphate and 

the cabal in Daura and Katsina 

and the Lion of Bourdillon 

,we call upon everyone of 

them. They know what their 

plans are and their secrets 

but we are saying enough is 

enough. 

"We cannot be part of the 

tripod that formed Nigeria at 

independence and two legs 

of the tripod are deciding the 

fate of everybody in this country. 

Two legs of the tripod decide 

what economy we make 

and what social life we live 

and who becomes who in politics. 

"We in the Diaspora are saying 

enough is enough and we 

are telling our brothers to rise 

to this challenge. We have 

come of age to have an Igbo 

president after 50 years of 

sacrifice. The only way we can 

kill the spirit of secession is to 

give Igbo man the presidency 

in 2023", the group added.




EndSARS protests: NECO 

reschedules examination 

By Joseph Erunke 

A 

B U J A — 

NATIONAL 

Examinations Council, NECO, 

has announced the rescheduling 

of its Paper I Computer Studies 

Practical earlier scheduled for 

today to a later date. 

The development followed 

ongoing nationwide protest 

against excess of the disbanded 

Special Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS and police brutality, tagged 

‘EndSARS’ have begun to have 

a heavy toll on candidates writing 

schools’ examinations. 

Specifically, the examination 

body announced in a statement 

by its Head, Information and 

Public Relations Division, Azeez 

Sani, said “This is to inform the 

general public and especially 

candidates that the National 

Examinations Council (NECO) 

has been constrained to 

Insurgency: Gov Zulum declares 

today fasting, prayers 

G 

O 

V E R N O R 

Babagana Zulum of 

Borno State has declared today a 

day special fasting and prayers 

for divine intervention for an end 

to insurgency in the state. 

The governor in a statement 

yesterday said “I hereby declare 

Monday, October 19, for the 

second round of statewide fasting 

and prayers for peace in Borno. I 

will like to request, with gratitude, 

that we approach the fast with 

the same enthusiasm, devotion 

and faithfulness as we did on 

Monday February 24. 

“I will like to clarify that there 

will be no public holiday on 

Monday and there will be no 

dramatic gatherings. What is 

required is the purity of our 

intentions and submission to 

Allah as we fast and pray from 

our homes, offices, market shops, 

other businesses and places of 

legitimate endeavours. 

“One of the key goals of fasting 

together is deferring to the 

reschedule the Paper I Computer 

Studies Practical’s earlier 

scheduled to take place on 

Monday 19 October 2020, 10am 

to 1pm. 

“The examination of this paper 

will now hold on Monday 16 

November 2020, 10am-1pm. This 

unforeseen incident has been 

caused by the ENDSARS protest 

that blocked the free movement 

of transport at the city entrance 

gate Benin. 

“The NECO delivery truck had 

left its take off point well in 

advance two days earlier to 

deliver examination materials to 

some states and has been held 

up in the blockage since then. 

“The Council wishes to assure 

all stakeholders and the general 

public that the affected 

examination materials have been 

retrieved intact and are in 

custody of NECO’s vault. 

“While regretting any 

Almighty as a community in 

worship and hope. Fasting 

together would also remind us of 

the realities we face and 

strengthen the faith and 

patriotism of our military and 

volunteers in frontlines as well 

as others who risk their lives for 

humanitarian and 

reconstruction courses. 

“Our fast in worship should very 

well include prayers against 

anyone funding or supporting 

Boko Haram in any way, and 

prayers against anyone who 

consciously benefits from the 

Boko Haram crisis by any means.” 

The governor who held series 

of meetings with stakeholders 

including traditional and 

religious leaders over the 

week, said another way to 

support the military and other 

security agencies in the fight 

against the insurgents was for the 

people to provide useful 

information about them to the 

security agencies 

7Star Global gets AT licence 

to float airline 

7STAR Global Hangar, the 

first private and 

independent aircraft 

Maintenance, Repair and 

Overhaul in West and Central 

Africa has received its Airline 

Transport License (ATL) from the 

Federal Government to float its 

airline - 7Star Global Airline. 

Speaking to journalists at the 

Murtala Muhammed Airport 

domestic wing, Lagos, the 

Managing Director of 7Star 

Global, Isaac Balami said 7Star 

will passionately deliver world 

class service and safety standards 

and will operate both fixed and 

rotary wing aircraft 

He said: “The Airline is 

established to bring perfection 

into the aviation industry as we 

target zero incident and zero 

accident. We understand there is 

no parking space in the air, 

therefore safety is our watch 

word." 

"We aspire to be the safest 

airline in the world with excellent 

service delivery. We will also 

continually promote teamwork, 

culture and dignity within our 

diverse workforce. 

"We have our strategy and will 

continue to strengthen it to 

eventually become the best 

aviation service provider globally. 

Our goal is to be the best in 

exceptional service delivery at all 

times. 

“I am proud to declare that 

7Star global will be operating 5 

helicopters and 10 E-145 jets.'' 

Balami also explained that the 

airline will enjoy the services of 

7Star Hangar as it is fully 

equipped to do aircraft line and 

heavy maintenance, including 

aircraft wheels and brakes, 

upholstery and general fixedbase 

operation (FBO) services. 

COMMISSIONING: From left; Head, Human Resources, Dangote Flour Mills, Datti Danguma; 

Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Labour to governor of Ekiti State, Oluyemi Esan; National 

President, Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), Olaleye Quadri; 

Executive Secretary, Association of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Adewale 

Jones and Deputy National President, FOBTOB, Jimoh Oyibo during official commissioning of 

FOBTOB Hostel Project 3 at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State over the weekend. 

Northern govs didn’t call for retention of 

SARS — LALONG 

•Constitutes judicial panel on police brutality 

By Therese Nanlong 

J OS—CHAIRMAN 

of Northern Governors’ 

Forum, NGF, and Governor of 

Plateau State, Simon Lalong, has 

dismissed media reports that 

Northern governors demanded 

for the retention of the disbanded 

Special Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS, in the northern part of the 

country. 

This came as Governor Lalong 

announced the appointment of 

members of a Judicial Panel of 

Inquiry to investigate complaints 

of police brutality and related 

extra judicial killings in the state 

Ghana’s $1m GIPC levy: Over 1,000 Nigerian 

traders risk deportation by October ending 

By Victoria Ojeme 

A 

B U J A — 

NIGERIAN and 

Ghanaian governments are yet 

to reach a truce over the one 

million dollars Ghana Investment 

Promotion Centre, GIPC, levy, as 

over 1,000 Nigerian traders in 

Ghana risk deportation at the 

end of this month. 

The Ghanaian Ministry of 

Trades has insisted that Nigerian 

businesses wishing to trade in the 

country must pay the $1 million 

stipulated in the GIPC Act or risk 

deportation. 

The President of Nigeria Union 

of Traders in Ghana, Chief 

Chukwuemeka Nnaji, told 

Vanguard: “We are calling on the 

government of Nigeria to come 

to their aid as their shops remain 

shut to business for over 10 

months despite promises to look 

into the misunderstanding that 

exists between the traders and 

Ghanaian authorities. 

They made the plea when the 

traders took their protest to the 

Nigeria High commission in 

Accra, Ghana. 

Nnaji, said their shops should 

be reopened so that they could 

go back to their normal 

businesses, urging Nigeria 

Government to evacuate the 

traders if a truce could not be 

reached with the authorities in 

Ghana. 

Responding, Nigeria charge De 

Affairs in Ghana, Esther Arewa, 

assured that the two 

governments would meet to find 

with a view to delivering justice 

for all victims of the disbanded 

SARS, and other police units. 

This followed the 

recommendation of the National 

Economic Council, NEC, for the 

establishment of state-based 

judicial panels of inquiry by 

governors to hear complaints 

and ensure accountability in 

the operations of police units 

in their states. 

The panel according to a 

statement by the Governor’s 

Director of Press and Public 

Affairs, Makut Macham, is 

headed by a retired Judge of the 

Plateau State High Court, 

Justice Philomena Lot. 

a lasting solution to the crisis. 

Recall that In August 2020, 

shops belonging to Nigerian 

traders in Accra were locked up 

by Ghanaian authorities. 

An inter-ministerial task force 

on August 10 identified shops 

owned by Nigerian traders and 

requested for registration of 

business taxes, resident permit, 

standard control and GIPC 

registration as prerequisite for 

SACK: Workers threaten to shut Intels 

operations on Wednesday if... 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

M 

A R I T I M E 

Workers Union of 

Nigeria, MWUN, weekend said 

the management of Intels Service 

Nigeria Limited had invited the 

Union to a meeting on 

Wednesday in the wake of seven 

days ultimatum it issued the firm 

over the sack of no fewer than 

600 union members. 

But the leadership of the Union 

said the management of Intels 

was aware of the union’s 

demands, which was to withdraw 

the sack letter and recall the 

workers without conditions failing 

which all operations of the 

company nationwide would be 

shut from Wednesday October 21, 

until further notice. 

President-General of MWUN, 

Prince Adeyanju Adewale, told 

Other members are: Retired 

Commissioner of Police, Garba 

Patrick, Ezekiel Daschen (Youth 

Representative, Mrs. Rauta 

Dakok (Representative of 

Attorney General’s Office); Mrs. 

Kiyenpia Mafuyai 

(representative of Human 

Rights Commission) while the 

civil society is to be 

represented by Dr. John 

Jinung and Fatimah Suleiman. 

The terms of reference among 

others are to “receive and 

investigate complaints of Police 

brutality or related extra judicial 

killings; evaluate evidence and 

draw conclusions on validity of 

complaints; as well as recommend 

compensation and other 

reopening their businesses. 

They also demanded cash 

payment of $1 million. But after 

series of intervention by the 

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign 

Affairs and the Speaker of 

Nigeria’s House of 

Representatives, promises were 

made by the Ghanaian 

Authorities to open the shops. 

But the promise remained 

unfulfilled till date. 

Vanguard that “the management 

of Intels has invited us for a 

meeting on Wednesday. We will 

attend the meeting. But if they 

fail to address our demands to 

withdraw the sack letters and 

recall the 600 workers, we will 

down tools and shut operations 

of the companies across the 

country immediately. It is after 

our demands are met, that we 

can discuss other issues 

especially, the welfare of the 

workers.” 

Recall that the union had last 

Wednesday issued Intels 

Services Nigeria Limited a sevenday 

ultimatum to withdraw the 

sack letters and recall the affected 

workers or face total shut down 

of its operations nationwide. 

In a letter of ultimatum dated 

October 14, 2020, to the 

Managing Director, Intels Nig. 

Ltd, Secretary General of 

MWUN, Felix Akingboye, 

remedial measures.” 

The governor challenged 

members of the committee to be 

thorough, diligent and fair to all 

those that will appear before them 

to ensure that justice was served 

to all parties without bias and 

the committee was expected to 

carry out its assignment within 

six months and submit its report. 

Meanwhile, the governor has 

given insight into an interview 

with journalists at the 

Presidential Villa, Abuja where 

he was alleged to have said that 

Northern governors wanted the 

return of the disbanded SARS. 

The governor explained that 

there was no way the Northern 

governors would call for the 

resurrection of an already 

disbanded SARS as approved by 

the President and announced by 

Inspector General of Police but 

what he simply conveyed in the 

interaction with State House 

correspondents was “the need for 

deeper and holistic reform of the 

entire policing architecture in the 

country.” 

He stressed that despite the 

condemnable atrocities by some 

members of the dissolved SARS, 

''there are some among them that 

are good and performed their 

duties diligently, and as such 

there should not be blanket 

condemnation. 

among others, said: “Over the 

years the welfare benefits of your 

employees (Intels Nig. Ltd.) and 

that of your subsidiary Company, 

AMS, had always been the 

product of joint negotiation 

between your Management and 

the Union. In other words, the 

employees of the Principal (Intels 

Nigeria Ltd) and its subsidiary 

AMS enjoy the same welfare 

benefits. 

“Recently, your management 

declared about 30 of its employees 

redundant and the Union was 

duly consulted, and a joint 

communiqué between 

management and the union was 

issued after due negotiation. 

Regrettably however, we are 

informed that your management 

has terminated its contract with 

AMS which has led to over 600 

workers (who are our members) 

being declared redundant 

without due recourse to the 

Union for the negotiation of their 

terminal benefits.''

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 —15 

#EndSARS PROTESTS IN SOME STATES 

The protest against Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) continue unabated weekend. Photos: Olu Ajayi 

Bunmi Azeez, Dare Fasube, Akeem Salau & Nath Onojake. 

Protesters continue at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos. 

...Some foreign (legion) protesters are not left out. 

Protesters taking a recess to pray at Lekki, Lagos. 

Free food and drinks for protesters in Alausa Lagos. 

...In Ibadan. 

Commuters stranded at Oluku by-pass Lagos - Benin express road. 

Protesters in Lagos. 

Mother and daughters taking a prayer break in Lekki Lagos.


Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

EndSARS, StartSWAT, labour 

and a wrinkled leadership 

THE President and Command 

er-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, 

Muhammadu Buhari, thinks 

Nigerian youths are lazy and want 

to be spoon-fed like babies. Some 

other arms of the country’s wrinkled 

leadership believe that the 

youths are hooked on Big Brother 

Naija and other inanities. So it came 

as a shock when the youths rose 12 

days ago to demand an end to impunity 

by insisting that the Special 

Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, be 

scrapped for degenerating into an 

extortionist agency and a killer 

squad. 

Not many took notice of the protests 

that took off on a small scale. 

Within days, like a wild Australian 

dry season fire, it had become a 

wildfire raging out of control. 

Misreading the issues, the Buhari 

government thought all it 

needed do was to announce 

the disbandment of SARS and 

the establishment of a supposedly 

new outfit called the Special 

Weapons and Tactics Team, SWAT. 

It was poor comedy. What special 

weapons are to be deployed or 

used different from those of SARS? 

What new tactics different from 

those of SARS? 

Structures, especially national 

ones, are not conjured; they take 

some planning and execution, so 

when the Inspector General of Police, 

IGP, announced the scrapping 

of SARS and simultaneously, 

the birth of SWAT, it only meant 

that SWAT was existing side by 

side with SARS. Otherwise, it was 

a renaming ceremony of the 

SARS; a rebottling of old wine 

with the liquid content remaining 

the same. 

It is incredible that the Buhari 

government could not read the 

youths. That it did not know the 

open truth that ‘EndSARS’ was 

actually a demand for an end to 

impunity, unimaginative governance 

and reckless increases 

in fuel and electricity prices. 

How can a government fail so 

abysmally to understand that 

‘EndSARS’ was symbolic; a mere 

rallying cry for a youth movement 

that is alive, creative and smart? 

Nine days before the EndSARS 

protests began, the Nigeria Labour 

Congress, NLC and the Trade 

Union Congress, TUC, had aborted 

national strikes and protests 

against the suffocating cost of living. 

At that time, the Buhari government 

must have congratulated 

itself for scuttling the protests. 

But if it is critical in thinking 

and reflects, it would have wished 

the trade union-led protests went 

on because they had an identifiable 

leadership it can talk 

and negotiate with. 

The EndSARS protest also show 

that the trade unions do not have a 

franchise for street protests and 

that whenever a vacuum occurs, 

others will fill it. This is not new in 

our contemporary politics. In the 

critical days of July and August 

1993 after the military had annulled 

the June 12 presidential 

elections, a deadly war raged between 

the rabid generals that wanted 

to continue military rule, and 

the Nigerian people who wanted 

democracy. The leadership of the 

trade unions under Comrade Paschal 

Bafyau not only refused to side 

with the people, but openly supported 

continued military dictatorship. 

Pro-people civil society 

organisations and patriots led by 

the Campaign for Democracy, 

CD, moved in to play the vanguard 

role. It succeeded in mobilising 

millions of Nigerians in street 

It is incredible that the 

Buhari government 

could not read the 

youths; that it did not 

know the open truth that 

‘EndSARS’ was actually 

a demand for an end to 

impunity, unimaginative 

governance and 

reckless increases in 

fuel and electricity 

prices 

protests, surpassed in our history 

only by the January 2012 strikes 

and protests. In those days, only 

the National Union of Bank, Insurance 

and Financial Institution 

Employees, NUBIFIE, openly 

called out its members to fight on 

the side of the people. 

When military misrule continued 

under the Abacha regime and 

that gang refused to de-annul the 

presidential election, the National 

Union of Petroleum and Natural 

Gas Workers, NUPENG, and 

the Petroleum and Natural Gas 

Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, 

PENGASSAN, in July 1994, 

broke ranks with the Trade Union 

Movement to call spectacular 

strikes against the military dictators. 

The Buhari government became 

quite desperate last week to stop 

the EndSARS protests. It sought to 

negotiate with the leadership, but 

the protests and their leadership, 

like fuel price, are de-regulated. It 

then called an advertised meeting 

with some official civil society leaders 

who, despite a communiqué, 

could not stop what they did not 

start. 

Then in desperation, it turned to 

music star, Davido, presenting him 

as the protest leader they could 

negotiate with. It was a disaster 

particularly for Davido who merely 

rambled and read a five-point 

demand by the protesters which 

was a waste of time. This is because 

the demands were well 

known and variously published. 

Even the IGP he read it to must 

have had several copies of the demand 

before Davido met him. 

I felt sorry for Davido, an otherwise 

talented young man who did 

not put on his thinking cap. 

I knew Davido’s grandfather, 

Comrade Ayodele Adeleke. He 

was Secretary of the National Association 

of Nigerian Nurses and 

Midwives. On the eve of the country’s 

independence, the trade 

unions were split into two acrimonious 

centres: the radical All 

Nigeria Trade Union Federation, 

ANTUF and the conservative 

National Council of Trade Unions 

of Nigeria, NCTUN. The two 

centres on March 7, 1959 at the 

Dayspring Hotel, Enugu met to 

see if they could sort out their differences. 

Davido’s grandfather 

chaired the meeting and applied 

so much wisdom that both centres 

agreed to dissolve themselves and 

establish a single centre, the Trade 

Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC. 

Comrade Adeleke, who in the 

Second Republic became a Senator, 

applied a lot of wisdom in helping 

to resolve the labour crisis; it 

is that wisdom Davido lacked 

when he agreed to stop a national 

protest he merely bumped into; how 

was he to talk to the demonstrators 

in the streets when he does not 

even know them? 

These strategies having failed, 

last Tuesday, government sent the 

army to stop the protesters who 

were singing and dancing on their 

way to the National Assembly. The 

soldiers brutalised the protesters 

but could not break them. Next 

day, armed thugs were assembled 

and unleashed on the protesters in 

Abuja. Then last Thursday, thugs 

armed with machetes, guns, knives 

and sticks were driven in beautiful 

buses to the Alausa protest ground 

in Lagos, and unleashed on peaceful 

protesters. Armed thugs were 

similarly let loose in Kano where 

the youths were protesting against 

insecurity. 

Then the Nigeria Army which 

tagged the peaceful protesters “subversive 

elements and troublemakers” 

threatened to further brutalise 

them. Somehow, the leadership 

of the army still manages to 

live in the inglorious past of military 

misrule with its warped logic 

that the army’s loyalty is to whoever 

is the President and not to the 

Nigerian people. The Buhari government 

also banned protests in 

Abuja; where did it derive such unconstitutional 

powers? 

These protests may just be the 

beginning. Bob Marley in ‘Natural 

Mystic’ sang: “There’s a natural 

mystic blowing through the 

air. If you listen carefully now you 

will hear. This could be the first 

trumpet, might as well be the last". 

Repackaging and rebranding of SARS is 

not enough 

BY REV. MATTHEW MA 

THE past few days have not been 

the best for the Nigeria Police 

Force. The widespread protests over 

the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS, began as the massive young 

population became tired of SARS’ operations. 

They are demanding reforms 

of the police squad, which has 

been characterised by immense brutality, 

assault, illegal arrest, extortion, 

and the killing of peaceful protesters. 

Despite forcing the Inspector General 

of Police, IGP, to disband the unit, 

they are not satisfied as they want total 

police reforms and the officers in 

the squad department to face justice. 

The Police Department had never 

been so humbled and overwhelmed 

by Nigerian youth since its many 

years of establishment. What we are 

seeing does not only call for repackaging 

and rebranding of the police 

force, it also calls for an assessment 

of the police institution, its operations, 

and psychology as well as police conduct 

and style. While the ongoing condemnation 

against the Police Department 

occurred as a result of the scandalous 

murder of youths in Nigeria, 

it is on a record that before then, violent 

police conduct has been rampant 

in Nigeria. 

Available data show that police brutality 

has become a systemic epidemic. 

In Nigeria, between 2013 and 

2018, police brutality caused 841 

deaths (NTS, 2020). The spike of the 

killings is not only limited to the police, 

there are reported cases linked 

to other military agencies as well. Civilians 

are being extorted, tortured, 

and killed by armed officers, particularly 

members of SARS. The victims 

of these crimes are still waiting 

for justice because the anti-torture 

law that aims to provide justice 

has not been implemented. Despite 

a law criminalising torture that was 

passed in December 2017, SARS 

officers continue to act with impunity 

as if they are above the law. The 

What we are seeing 

does not only call for 

repackaging and rebranding 

of the police 

force, it also calls for an 

assessment of the police 

institution, its operations, 

and psychology as well 

as police conduct and 

style 

lice. In 1829, Sir Robert Peel established 

the London Metropolitan Police 

Force. He became known as the 

'Father of Modern Policing', and his 

commissioners introduced a list of 

policing principles that remain as 

crucial and urgent today as they were 

two centuries ago. His nine policing 

principles are: 

1. The fundamental mission 

for which the police exist is to prevent 

crime and disorder. 

2. The ability of the police to 

perform its duties is dependent upon 

public approval of police actions. 

3. Police must secure the willing 

support of the public in voluntary 

observance of the law to be able 

to secure and maintain the respect 

of the people. 

4. The degree of cooperation 

of the people that the police are supposed 

to safeguard diminishes proportionately 

to the essential use of 

physical force. 

5. Police seek and preserve 

public favour not by catering to public 

opinion, but by continually demonstrating 

absolute impartial service 

to the law. 

6. Police use physical force to 

the extent necessary to secure observance 

of the law or to restore order 

only when the exercise of persuasion, 

advice, and warning is insufficient. 

7. At all times, the police 

should maintain a good relationship 

with the public. By doing so, the public 

will come to believe the ancient 

tradition that says that law enforcement 

agents are for the community 

and the public is for the police. The 

police are the only members of the 

society paid to give full-time attention 

to duties which are incumbent 

on every citizen in the interests of 

recent arrest and torture of protesters 

have sparked several demonstrations 

across the nation to demand 

the end of SARS. The cases of 

brutality have prompted Nigerians 

to call for a reform of police through 

protests and campaigns. Hence, the 

continued and sustained protests 

are a result of long-term sentiments 

against the police force in Nigeria. 

The police are a constituted body 

of persons empowered by a state to 

enforce the law, to ensure the safety, 

health and properties of the citizens, 

and to prevent crime and civil disorder. 

This main objective of police 

agencies is rooted in the nine principles 

that informed the establishment 

of the modern concept of pocommunity 

welfare and existence. 

8. The police should always 

direct their action strictly towards 

their functions and never appear to 

usurp the powers of the judiciary. 

9. The test of police efficiency 

is the absence of crime and disorder, 

not the visible evidence of police 

action in dealing with it. 

While all the principles are against 

police brutality, numbers two and six 

recognise that the power of the police, 

which is to fulfill their functions 

and duties, is dependent on the public 

approval of their existence, actions, 

behavior and on their ability 

to secure and maintain public respect. 

It also acknowledges the use 

of physical force only when the exercise 

of persuasion, advice, and warning 

is insufficient to obtain public 

cooperation. To ensure observance 

of the law or to restore order, the police 

must use only the minimum degree 

of physical force which is necessary 

on any particular occasion for 

achieving a policing objective. These 

two principles not only oppose the 

brutal behaviour of the police but 

also make it clear that in all aspects, 

they should be civil as well as obtain 

legitimacy and approval from the 

public. Thus, we cannot tolerate violence 

in the same community whose 

taxes sustain the police agency. 

The profile of grievances against 

the police force ought to have been 

reviewed and evaluated long before 

now. In that light, those found guilty 

ought to have been excused from 

duty and quarantined until they are 

satisfied to be mentally and emotionally 

fit to provide policing functions. 

This notion brings us to the importance 

of psychological assessments 

and emotional intelligence of police 

officers. Managing police agencies 

and officers, therefore, requires constant 

capacity building training and 

exposures. This idea should begin 

with the recruitment and enrollment 

stage. Police officers on duty face a 

range of potentially stressful situations 

and events like any other person. 

These could predispose them to 

stress, fatigue and misconduct. In the 

words of Professor Oyesoji Aremu, 

often, they could also develop several 

traits like cynicism, aloofness, suspiciousness, 

neuroticism and addictive 

behaviours. Most often, these 

have not been profiled by police 

management before police promotion, 

especially when they are due 

for evaluation. 

The protest we see from our youth 

means that we have not learned our 

lesson as a nation. This protest also 

means that the Police Reform Act of 

2019 of the disbanded Eight Senate 

is a failure. Some of the sections in 

the reform show that some lessons 

are not learned, given the litany of 

police brutality, thus evoking the 

national protests that greeted it. Our 

police still terrorise people at checkpoints 

and roadblocks. Anyone who 

travels from the Middle Belt to the 

Eastern part of Nigeria will testify to 

the kind of treatment by SARS at 

these checkpoints. We condemn the 

police brutality caused by these protests. 

We stand to learn from this by 

demilitarizing the police when relating 

to the public. In the words of 

professor Aremu, Nigeria not only 

needs to end SARS, it also needs value-added 

policing. In other words, 

we need a police culture that protects 

the sanctity of human life. This 

notion is also called mission-based 

policing. 

Police agencies in many countries 

of the world are more autonomous 

than what we have in Nigeria. 

Continues 

online: 

www.vanguardngr.com 

Rev. Ma, S.J, is a Jesuit priest 

and doctoral student in public and 

social policy at St. Louis University 

in the state of Missouri, USA.




Solidarity forever! 

OLD men do not rebel. It is the 

young who have the energy 

to revolt. They have nothing to lose. 

Until recently, I was almost tempted 

to give up on the Nigerian 

youths. Have we not dismissed 

them as “lazy”? But they have surprised 

us. Only a fool would dismiss 

what is happening today. 

Revolts and revolutions have been 

a recurrent feature of the human 

condition. It is in the nature of human 

beings to rebel if they feel 

short-changed or believe their social 

conditions are hopelessly beyond 

redemption. I have studied 

revolutionary theories from Ted 

Gurr to John Dunn and Vo Nguyen 

Giap. Revolutions are more potent 

than nuclear bombs. They can 

sweep away an empire in hours. 

The French Revolution of 1789 

was the mother of modern revolutions. 

It was a bourgeois revolution 

that overthrew the monarchy and 

the old feudal order; the culmination 

of the vision of Enlightenmentthinkers 

such as Rousseau, Buffon, 

Voltaire and Diderot. They 

dreamt of a society based on freedom, 

equality and government 

based on the popular will. 

The French Revolution was itself 

inspired by the American Revolution 

of 1776 which overthrew British 

imperialism. The Americans 

themselves drew inspiration from 

early enlightenment thinkers such 

as John Locke who taught that it is 

the right of all peoples to rebel 

against unjust government. The 

French Revolution was unfortunately 

a bloody event as was predicted 

by political thinkers such as 

Edmund Burke. It led to the 

Bastille, the Guillotine and the 

Great Terror.It is a truism that revolutions 

tend to devour their own 

children. This is what happened to 

Robespierre and Danton. 

The French Revolution gave birth 

to the first antislavery revolt in 

world history, precisely in the 

French colony of San Domingo, 

which is Haiti today. The Haitian 

Revolution of 1791 has been captured 

memorably in the epic work 

of the Trinidadian historian C. L. R. 

James, in his book, The Black Jacobins 

(Allison & Busby 1980). 

James re-enacts the extraordinary 

drama of slave leaders such as Toussaint 

L’Ouverture and Jean-Jacques 

Dessalines who took their own fate 

into their own hands. Haiti became 

an independent nation on January 

1, 1804. Toussaint deployed Haitian 

soldiers to support Simon Bolivar 

in his anticolonial revolutionary 

war in Latin America on condition 

that he would emancipate 

the Black slaves. Haitian soldiers 

were also sent to support Abraham 

Lincoln during the American civil 

war of 1861-1865 on condition 

that Lincoln would emancipate 

the benighted slaves of America. 

The Emancipation Proclamation 

happily came in 1863. 

The 20th century opened with 

the Mexican Revolution of 1910 

which overthrow the 30-year dictatorship 

of Porfirio Diaz, while 

setting the country on the democracy 

and modernisation. 

The 1917 Bolshevik Revolution 

in Russia which led to 70 years of 

world communism succeeded less 

on account of the ingenuity of Lenin, 

Trotsky and Stalin and more 

due to bad luck and folly. The international 

imperialist war had 

begun in 1914. Hunger and starvation 

afflicted the peasants. Tsar 

Nicholas II was a weak and indecisive 

leader whose reforms were 

too little and too late. He foolishly 

allowed a demonic mystic by 

the name of Grigori Rasputin to 

infiltrate the monarchy. It was to 

prove the undoing of the Romanovs. 

The Chinese Revolution led by 

Mao Zedong in 1949 was yet another 

milestone. Mao was a selftaught 

petit bourgeois who spent 

many years as a library assistant 

It would be a grievous 

mistake to unleash the 

army and the dogs of 

war on them; we will 

only be creating martyrs; 

the protest might deteriorate 

into a revolution 

whose outcome nobody 

can control 

at the University of Beijing. He 

spent his free nights reading 

Marx and equipping himself with 

the intellectual tools of rigorous 

social analysis. Mao redeemed 

his country from centuries of humiliation 

by foreign barbarians. 

His “cultural revolution” campaigns 

in the sixties, however, 

were a ghastly misfortune that resulted 

in the death of an estimated 

20 million Chinese. But there 

is no doubt that Mao was the architect 

of China as we know it today. 

A decade after the Chinese, Fidel 

Castro and his rabble of guerrillas 

successfully overthrew the 

brutal and corrupt regime of Fulgencio 

Batista in January 1959. 

One of the commanders of the 

Cuban Revolution was the Argentine 

doctor and Marxist revolutionary 

Che Guevara de la Serna 

who became one of the icons of 

my generation. The Cuban Revolution 

turned the tables against 

Yankee hegemonism throughout 

Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Although Fidel was accused 

of dictatorship, Cuban socialism 

achieved considerable success in 

areas such as public health, education, 

employment and social 

solidarity. Cuban soldiers also 

played a key role in the liberation 

of Southern Africa. 

The Eastern European Revolution 

that began in 1989 brought 

down the Berlin Wall and led to 

the dissolution of the Soviet 

Empire.I was a graduate student 

in those heady days. I recall being 

invited to the 60th birthday of 

the great sociologist Ralf Dahrendorf, 

at the time Warden of St. 

Antony’s College. Port and Champagne 

flowed freely as we marked 

that extraordinary moment in history. 

In revolutions, nobody is small 

or inconsequential. The seeds 

were sown as far back as the seventies 

in the writings of the Nobel 

laureate Alexander Isayevich 

Solzhenitsyn. In 1989, an obscure 

pastor by the name of Laszlo 

Tokes in the Romanian provincial 

town of Timisoara, went on hunger 

strike when the authorities 

clamped down on him. Very soon, 

thousands of youths joined him. 

Before long, Romania was in upheaval. 

The old communist dictator 

Nicolae Ceausescu and his 

wife Elena were lined up and shot. 

Laszlo Tokes later became a 

member of the European Parliament 

in Brussels. Years ago, I had 

the privilege of having lunch with 

him at a posh Brussels restaurant. 

The Arab Spring began in December 

2010, innocuously 

enough, with a young unemployed 

Tunisian graduate by the name of 

Mohammed Bouazizi. Bouazizi 

was assaulted by a policewoman 

because he could not produce a 

permit for the vegetables he was 

hawking. After vainly seeking for 

justice, he decided to commit suicide 

by pouring petrol and setting 

himself ablaze. He was badly 

burnt but did not die immediately. 

President Ben Ali was forced to 

visit him in hospital.Alas, he came 

too late. Bouazizi died on January 

4, 2011. All hell broke loose. 

I lived in Tunisia and know the 

country well. The youth rose up 

peacefully in their millions and 

no army could stop them. The dictator 

and his family fled to Saudi 

Arabia. The Arab Spring spread 

to Libya, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, 

Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Mauritania, 

Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. 

Old tyrants came down. The Arab 

world has never been the same 

ever since. 

In August 2019, Sudan was the 

latest country to experience the 

upsurge of people’s power. The arrow 

head of that movement was a 

22-year old student of architectural 

engineering by the name of 

Alaa Saleh. Alaa caught the 

world’s imagination by her signature 

white gown whilst atop the 

roof of a car, with her finger pointed 

skyward. 

Nigeria’s youth revolt has onlybegun. 

The trigger was arrest and 

torture of a young man in Ughelli 

by the SARS who also commandeered 

his Lexus Jeep. But the 

roots of their disenchantment run 

deeper. The leaders of this revolution 

are everywhere and nowhere. 

They have used crowd-funding 

and electronic bitcointo raiseN25 

million. Volunteers have been distributing 

food and soft drinks. 

They have composed themselves 

with nonviolent discipline. But 

their grievances cannot easily be 

dismissed. They say they are tired 

of police brutality, corruption, 

poverty, unemployment, violence 

and insecurity. They demand 

nothing less than a New Nigeria. 

Someone has threatened them 

with civil war. But what they are 

going through is war already. 

They will not be cowed down. 

Wisdom requires that we engage 

with them urgently. It would be a 

grievous mistake to unleash the 

army and the dogs of war on them. 

We will only be creating martyrs. 

The protest might deteriorate into 

a revolution whose outcome nobody 

can control. 

Solidarity forever! 

DEATH SQUADS MASQUERADING AS LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS: 

Getting to the roots of the problem 

BY OLA BALOGUN 

NOW that tongues have loosened, expos 

ing the horrendous misdeeds of the dreaded 

SARS outfit to public scrutiny, many Nigerians 

have discovered with shock that the the widespread 

instances of torture and extra-judicial killings 

attributed to SARS operatives bear a close 

resemblance to the horror tales associated with 

the activities of death squads in past situations in 

other parts of Africa, such as in Idi Amin’s Uganda 

or in apartheid South Africa... 

Ethiopia under Mengistu’s iron fist, Dr. Hastings 

Banda’s murderous regime in Malawi, and 

Sekou Toure’s merciless recourse to a barbaric 

reign of terror behind a hypocritical ‘socialist’ 

facade are all examples that spring readily to 

mind in this connection. 

The revelations about the sinister goings on in 

the SARS police units are also reminiscent of the 

manner in which killer units proliferated under 

dictators like Mobutu, Eyadema, Siad Barre, 

Sergeant Doe and co. 

The same ugly phenomenon also reared its 

head during the Rawlings era in Ghana, culminating 

in the barbaric assassination of three high 

court judges who were killed in horrendous circumstances 

by goons allegedly unleashed by a 

ruling triumvirate consisting of Jerry Rawlings, 

his wife and his cousin, Kojo Tshikata... 

Looking further outwards, we also find troubling 

parallels during the rule of South American 

despots like Pinochet in Chile or Battista in 

Cuba. 

The question that we therefore need to examine 

is: Why does the chilling saga of SARS horror 

tales bear such a close resemblance to the 

terrible examples of the use of instruments of 

state terror by rogue regimes in Africa and elsewhere? 

Where does the common thread lie? 

Interestingly enough, by claiming to have 

solved the SARS problem by simply setting up a 

new police unit to replace it, the Buhari administration 

has been attempting to deflect attention 

from the real issues that have been 

brought to the fore by the current unrest by seeking 

to portray the misdeeds of SARS operatives 

as misguided actions by a few rogue elements... 

This is of course entirely misleading! 

What an unholy exercise in deception! 

Fortunately, the young heroes who have taken 

to the streets in many Nigerian cities to demand 

a thorough overhaul of the fundamental 

structures of the Nigerian state are not buying 

any of the false narrative that the powers that be 

are attempting to propagate. 

Most remarkably, our youths have been astute 

enough to discern the fact that far from being a 

simple aberration, the phenomenon of SARS is 

closely linked to the fundamental issue of how 

Nigeria is to be governed! 

As a result, the logical upshot of the current 

demonstrations is that the #EndSARS uprising 

needs to set the stage for a revolutionary overthrow 

of the present system of governance in 

Nigeria. 

To understand why this should be so, we need 

to beam a spotlight on the reasons for the repeated 

failure of the various forms of governance 

that have been embarked upon by virtually all 

the post-colonial African states, be it in North or 

in sub-Saharan African countries, and be it under 

the guise of parliamentary rule, presidential 

rule, military rule or alleged Marxist systems of 

government... 

What has really happened is that the transition 

to independence has largely been a mirage, due 

to the fact that colonial rule by European powers 

was replaced by internal colonisation by a power 

hungry elite that has stepped into the shoes of 

the erstwhile colonial masters. 

As a result, the various constitutions and forms 

of government that have been enacted in the 

SARS has now been exposed as 

the extreme tip of a variety of 

instruments of coercion that have 

been systematically deployed by 

the Nigerian ruling elite since 

our accession to nominal independence 

60 years ago 

wake of the emergence of independent African 

states have almost invariably only had a single 

aim in view, which has been to entrench the dominance 

of an entrenched ruling elite... 

At the end of the day therefore, our internal 

colonial masters have been no different in essence 

from the White minority rulers in South 

Africa and Rhodesia in terms of their willingness 

to deploy all available instruments of repression 

to ensure their hold on power... 

Viewed from this perspective, it is easy to understand 

that SARS did not come about by accident! 

In reality, SARS has merely been one among 

various repressive instruments that have been 

deployed (and still continue to be deployed!) by 

the Nigerian ruling elite to maintain a stranglehold 

on power, so as to be able to continue to loot 

the nation’s resources with shameless impunity. 

Thus, SARS has now been exposed as the extreme 

tip of a variety of instruments of coercion 

that have been systematically deployed by the 

Nigerian ruling elite since our accession to nominal 

independence 60 years ago... 

By extending the debate beyond the SARS phenomenon 

in order to call the overall structure of 

governance into question, the Nigerian youths 

are definitely pointing in the right direction! 

They appear to have instinctively understood 

that the real issue lies with the confiscation of 

state power by a greedy elite class that has political, 

civil service, military, academic and business 

components, which means that the ugly 

phenomenon of SARS cannot be eradicated without 

a thorough overhaul of the apparatus of governance 

itself... 

Manifestly, the current youth uprising in Nigeria 

is quite capable of snowballing into a fullfledged 

revolution, but the question that needs to 

be asked is: Are our young heroes suitably 

equipped ideologically, and are they well organised 

enough to be able to impose a viable alternative 

to the system of government that they are 

seeking to replace? 

In this connection, the on-going impasse that 

has resulted from the initial success of the Arab 

Spring in Tunisia and Egypt as well as more 

recently in Sudan provides much food for 

thought. 

Are we going to end up the same way in Nigeria? 

How can our youths avert the danger of paving 

the way for a group of military opportunists 

to emerge and turn the hands of the clock back 

to the benefit of the ever-resurgent greedy ruling 

elite once the revolutionary uprising would have 

swept the present power structure away? 

There is obviously a pressing need for more 

mature and experienced heads to seek to offer 

political and ideological guidance to our youths 

at this early stage for the purpose of providing 

adequate guidance (not leadership!) to the young 

lions and lionesses who have currently embarked 

on the glorious path to a long overdue Nigerian 

revolution. 

To succeed in full, there is obviously a need for 

our heroic youth activists to be provided with the 

political and ideological tools that they will require 

for ultimate success. 

Therefore, now is the time for workshops to be 

organised by well-meaning intellectual patriots 

of all ages for the purpose of proposing economic, 

social, ideological and political models that 

the youths can build on! 

WHO WILL BELL THE CAT? 

*Dr. Balogun, a veteran film maker and 

political activist, wrote from Lagos 

C 

M 

Y 

K

On FG’s intentions on Amnesty 

Programme 

18—Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 

IN one of his rare public out 

ings, the National Security Adviser, 

NSA, retired Major General 

Mohammed Babagana Monguno, 

penultimate weekend appeared to 

confirm the worst fears of some 

stakeholders in the Niger Delta 

when he announced that he had 

advised President Muhammadu 

Buhari to scrap the Presidential 

Amnesty Programme, PAP. 

The NSA complained that the 

eleven-year-old programme has 

gulped N712 billion which he said 

is “basically unaccounted for, and 

this is due to so many issues, corruption 

being the main thing”. He 

also said the programme was not 

supposed to continue indefinitely. 

“There is no place on the surface 

of this earth where programmes 

that are supposed to be palliatives 

will continue forever”. 

A confusing element was the introduction 

of retired Col. Milland 

Dikio, whom the NSA said had been 

charged to “refocus” the programme. 

But now the question: Is 

the Federal Government refocusing 

the programme or winding it down? 

There is a need for clarification on 

government’s exact intentions. 

Indeed, the PAP was not meant to 

become a permanent, statutory programme 

like the activities of the Niger 

Delta Development Commission, 

NDDC. The monthly payouts 

and funds dedicated to the rehabilitation 

of ex-militants and their 

sponsors were not meant to continue 

ad infinitum. After all, the militancy 

has since died down. 

However, Niger Delta stakeholders 

and beneficiaries of the PAP 

funds insist that the militancy died 

down because of the PAP, and that 

the nation risks a resumption of 

militancy in our oil-rich zone if this 

programme is scrapped. The Federal 

Government is left to weigh the 

opportunity cost of continuing the 

payouts or risking the possible return 

of disruptions in the oil industry 

and our economy. 

We are convinced that, at least for 

now, the programme should be continued 

until we outgrow the capacity 

of militants to hold the country’s 

economy by the jugular. It is a 

matter of applying wisdom rather 

than logic or ego. Sometimes it is 

best to let the sleeping dog lie. 

It is disheartening, however, that 

over five years after taking over the 

reins of power, the Buhari government 

that puts a great premium on 

anti-corruption continues to lament 

over alleged corruption in this programme 

which is administered 

right from his office. Why has it 

taken until now to “refocus” the 

programme? 

Even if the PAP is to be scrapped, 

Col. Dikio should gradually wind 

it down and its functions and funds 

transferred to the NDDC by 2023 

when the Buhari regime ends. 

There are many useful programmes 

the PAP is handling such as the apprenticeship 

and scholarship 

schemes. These should not be 

stopped. 

Buhari should kill the prebendal 

corruption in the PAP without altogether 

abandoning the roles it 

plays in upgrading human capacity 

in the Niger Delta. 

OPINION 

#EndSARS: Beyond reforms, restructuring and bans 

BY SHITTU YUNUS SHITTU 

HISTORY has it that the special 

anti-robbery squad came into 

existence when one Israel Rindam, a 

gallant Nigerian Army colonel, was 

killed by police officers at a checkpoint 

in Lagos in 1992. Nigerian soldiers 

flooded the streets of Lagos in search 

of any police officer, leading to the 

withdrawal of Nigeria police personnel 

from checkpoints, security areas 

and other points of interest for criminals. 

The then increase in crime rate as a 

result of the police absence birthed 

the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, with 

just 15 officers working in the dark 

without the army’s knowledge when 

tracking police radio chatter. Normal 

policing duties didn’t resume until after 

two weeks of dialogue between the 

Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police. 

It is important to note that the SARS 

unit was instrumental to the arrest of 

most of the notorious criminals in 

many parts of the country. As record 

may have it, as at 2017, SARS has been 

able to arrest more than 3,000 suspected 

kidnappers across the country. In 

fact, the successes recorded in reducing 

the high rate of crime and criminality, 

especially kidnapping and other 

deadly vices in most parts of the 

country, is largely the handiwork of 

SARS operatives. 

Unfortunately, in late 2017, Nigerian 

human rights defenders and activists 

launched massive campaign 

tagged #EndSARS which was aimed 

at addressing widespread human 

There is a need for an 

effective oversight 

mechanism to regulate 

the conduct of police 

officers with a view to 

bringing an end to 

human rights violations 

by SARS in the 

country 

ees to assume stressful bodily positions 

and sexual violence. 

In reaction to the public widespread 

outcry which gained international attention, 

Federal Government repeatedly 

reformed SARS. On August 14, 

2018, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo 

had ordered an immediate reform of 

SARS after a widespread public outcry 

against their conduct. He also directed 

the National Human Rights 

Commission, NHRC, to set up a judicial 

panel to investigate SARS alleged 

unlawful activities. 

Prior to the recent ban on SARS operations 

after another public outcry 

over the squad’s illegalities, the Nigeria 

Police Force had in December 

2017, June 2018, January 2019 and 

in February this year, made related 

announcements of a ban of SARS and 

an immediate restructuring of the outfit 

so that rogue SARS officers would 

be prevented from violating citizen’s 

rights, extorting, torturing and extrajudicially 

executing innocent citizens. 

It is evident that restructuring SARS 

is not enough unless government also 

takes concrete steps to protect vulnerable 

Nigerians from police abuses. 

Needless to say, there is a critical 

need for the positive impacts of the 

professional, effective SARS operations 

in improving national security. 

As a matter of fact, some SARS operatives 

have been parts of several tactical 

and successful operations across 



rights violations, including extrajudicial 

executions, torture and other illtreatment, 

rape and extortion by officers 

of the SARS. 

Similarly, reports by Amnesty International 

revealed that detainees in 

SARS custody have been subjected to 

a variety of torture, including hanging, 

mock execution, beating, punching 

and kicking, burning with cigarettes, 

waterboarding, near-asphyxiation 

with plastic bags, forcing detainthe 

country. 

Some of these operations by good 

security agents, including some SARS 

operatives, were duly acknowledged 

and celebrated at the maiden Security 

and Emergency Management 

Awards, SAEMA 2019, an event 

which I initiated through Emergency 

Digest, a leading emergency and crisis 

news platform in sub-Sahara Africa. 

I, therefore, would not recommend 

a total ban of the police unit. I only 

urge the Federal Government and the 

Nigeria Police Force to adopt a different 

approach in ensuring accountability 

for violations. There is a need for 

an effective oversight mechanism to 

regulate the conduct of police officers 

with a view to bringing an end to human 

rights violations by SARS in the 

country. 

Overhauling SARS is long overdue. 

The far-reaching, immediate effect of 

the overhaul will translate into ending 

torture, unlawful detention, extortion, 

extrajudicial executions and 

other serious human rights violations 

that the officers had been accused of 

committing for years across the country. 

*Shittu, Manager of Emergency 

Digest and convener of the annual 

Security and Emergency Management 

Awards, SAEMA, wrote from 

Abuja. He can be reached via: 

mailsyshittu@gmail.com

By Babajide Komolafe 

Nigeria’s external reserves, 

last week, fell for the fourth 

consecutive week to $35.67 billion 

even as the naira depreciated to 

N462 per dollar in the parallel 

market. 

Data from the Central Bank of 

Nigeria (CBN) shows that the 

reserves fell to $$35.672 billion on 

Thursday last week from $35.725 

billion the previous week. This 

translated to week-on-week (w/w) 

decline of $53 million dollars, 

more than 100 percent increase 

from the $23 million w/w decline 

recorded in the previous week. 

External reserves record 4wks decline to $35.67bn 

•Naira depreciates to N462/$ in parallel market 

According to the CBN data the 

reserves have been on the 

downward trend for four weeks 

since September 17th. It fell by 

$139 million to $35.672 billion last 

week Thursday from $35.811 

billion on Thursday September 

17th. 

Prior to the four weeks decline, 

the reserves rose steadily for two 

weeks, by $145 million to $35.811 

billion on September 17th from 

$35.666 billion on September 2nd. 

Financial Vanguard 

investigations reveal that the 

sustained decline, especially at a 

time of relatively stable crude oil 

prices, might not be unconnected 

to the CBN’s dollar injection in the 

foreign exchange market in a bid 

to keep the exchange rate stable. 

However, in spite of the 

intervention the naira 


depreciated by N5 in the parallel 

market last week, though it 

remained stable at the Investors 

and Exporters (I&E) window. 

While the I&E exchange rate 

remained stable at N385.83 per 

dollar last week, the parallel 

market exchange rate rose to 

N462 per dollar on Friday from 

N457 per dollar the previous week. 

Analysts at Lagos based 

investment firm, Cowry Assets 

Management Limited, however 

projected that the naira might 

depreciate at the I&E window this 

week, following rise in the 

exchange rate for 12 months 

forward contract. 

They stated: “In the new week, 

we expect exchange rate to 

remain stable at the Bureau De 

Change market amid sustained 

intervention by CBN. However, 

we expect marginal depreciation 

at the Investors and Exporters FX 

Window (I&E FXW) as 12 months 

forward contract depreciated to 

N400.25/USD signaling where 

the free market should trade.” 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 

Mixed performance trails 

national housing delivery 

•As NHF grows 18%, non-compliance lingers 

•More retirees withdraw 

By Kingsley Adegboye 

There are indications 

that Nigeria’s 

housing delivery 

programme has begun to 

yield results as the National 

Housing Fund (NHF) 

recorded 18.2 per cent growth 

to N399.6 billion in the first 

half of 2020 (H1’20) against 

N338.1 billion in the 

corresponding period of 2019, 

H1’19. 

But this came against the 

backdrop of rising 

withdrawal of funds by 

retirees from the fund while 

institutional non-compliance 

by corporate bodies remains 

huge factor. 

Data obtained from the 

Federal Mortgage Bank of 

Nigeria (FMBN), custodian 

of the fund, by Vanguard also 

indicated that the number of 

registered contributors to the 

fund increased to 5,070 

during the period under 

review from 4,868. 

According to the data, the 

number of housing units 

delivered during the period 

under review increased to 

28,692 from 27,500 while the 

number of people who 

obtained mortgage loans 

increased to 21,187 from 

20,401. 

The set of data also shows 

that home renovation loans 

disbursement during the 

same period under review 

increased to N40.6 billion 

from N27.3 billion while 

number of beneficiaries rose 

to 50,092 beneficiaries from 

25,214 beneficiaries. 

Total loans disbursed as at 

June 2020 was N253.03 billion 

as against June 2019 figure of 

N222.9billion. 

However, there is also 

indication that a growing 

number of retirees are 

getting refunds from the 

fund, being unable to realize 

the purpose of their 

contribution to the NHF, 

which is to have their own 

houses. 

Data shows that the number 

of retirees that collected 

refunds increased to 300,726 

from 266,258 in the 

corresponding period of 2019. 

The total refund was also 

higher at N35.4 billion 

against N29.3 billion. 

The performance indicators 

equally revealed that NHF 

has challenges of noncompliance 

with the NHF 

Act by some employers, 

banks and insurance 

companies, just as low 

income levels of workers in 

the country has constituted 

a major difficulty to 

accessing mortgages. 

There are also the issues 

of absence of primary 

mortgage institutions 

(PMIs) in some states of the 

federation to help facilitate 

disbursement of the fund, 

and lack of model mortgage 

and foreclosure laws in most 

parts of the country to 

stimulate growth of the 

nation’s mortgage sector. 

Reacting to this growth rate, 

operators in the mortgage and 

housing sub-sectors of the 

nation’s economy have 

commended FMBN for the 

achievement, saying it will 

have a positive impact on the 

nation’s housing industry. 

Describing the growth rate 

as a major achievement, 

President of Mortgage 

Bankers’ Association of 

Nigeria (MBAN), Mr. Niyi 

Akinlusi, said in the history 

of the fund, these figures as 

presented by FMBN, had 

never been recorded within 

one year, stressing that this 

was made possible of the 

ingenuity of the present 

management of FMBN, 

managers of NHF. 

Akinlusi said: “This 

achievement is a major one, 

and it will have a positive 

impact on housing. This was 

made possible because of the 

ingenuity of the current 

management of the fund. The 

current management of the 

fund has been able to woo 

more people including 

individual Nigerians and 

corporate organizations that 

were not contributing into 

the fund to start contributing 

to the fund. That was the 

reason for the growth within 

one year, which had not 

happened before since 

establishment of NHF in 

1992. 

“Besides, the current 

management of FMBN has 

been able to introduce 

innovative products to attract 

more contributors to boost 

the fund. The more money 

they have, they more they 

can disburse as mortgage 

loans to people. Kudos to 

this current management 

because they are doing a lot 

to generate funds into NHF. 

This explains why they have 

been able to deliver up to 

1,000 housing units within 

one year 

“FMBN does not receive 

subvention from the Federal 

Government. The fund 

depends on collection from 

contributors into the fund, 

and the more collection it 

generates, the more the 

loans it can disburse to 

prospective loan seekers and 

more interest will be 

generated to the fund. The 

fund is doing well, but the 

management can still do 

more because of the huge 

housing deficit in the 

country. This management 

must be commended for its 

giant strides by being able 

to bring more people into 

the fund which is yielding 

positive results for the fund. 

Equally commending the 

managers of the fund for the 

growth, National President 

of Nigerian Institute of 

Building (NIOB), Mr. Kunle 

Awobodu, said throughout 

Continues on page 20


FINANCIAL VANGUARD 

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

Despite the positive 

sentiment in the stock 

market that has seen a 

rebound in both year-to-date 

(YtD) and month-to-date 

(MtD) returns, investment 

experts have said that 

uptick in inflationary 

pressure and weakness in 

the macroeconomic 

environment may constitute 

a threat to the continued 

recovery of the stock market. 

They project that the yearend 

may not be rosy due to 

the impending stagflation, a 

situation where growth is 

regarding amidst rising 

inflation. 

Headline inflation rose to 

13.71 percent, according to 

September inflation report 

by the National Bureau of 

Statistics, NBS, and is 

projected to rise further 

through December. 

In the meantime, 

performance of the stock 

market last week show a 

sustained uptrend on the 

back of negative real returns 

in fixed income and 

significant buy pressure in 

some highly capitalised 

stocks. 

Consequently, the 

benchmark All Share Index, 

ASI, rose by 0.9 percent to 

settle at 28,659.45 points, 

while the MtD and YtD 

return for the index grew to 

6.8 percent. 

The market had closed the 

week flat on four of the five 

trading sessions, but was 

driven to another positive 

close after 1.11 percent 

gains recorded on Friday 

session. 

Commenting, David 

Adonri, Managing Director/ 

CEO, Highcap Securities 

and Investment, said: 

“Performance of equities 

beats every imagination. The 

market moved in opposite 

direction of the economy. 

Mixed performance trails national housing delivery 

Continued from page 19 

military rule in Nigeria, they 

were only able to deliver 

1,500 housing units, adding 

that the Federal Ministry of 

Works and Housing was able 

to deliver 1,210 housing 

units across the 36 states in 

the country and Abuja 

between 2015 and now. 

“It is a welcome 

development for the 

managers of the fund to 

deliver about 1000 housing 

units within one year. We 

still need to do more 

considering the huge 

housing deficit in the 

country. If you imagine the 

number of youth corps 

members being churned out 

every year, and the fact that 

they will need to settle down 

upon getting jobs, shows that 

there will always be demand 

for housing in Nigeria. This 

is why there is the need to 

do more by the government 

and everybody to reduce the 

huge housing gap of the 

country,” Awobodu said. 

Meanwhile, the National 

Housing Fund (NHF), which 

came into effect on 31st 

January 1992, is to facilitate 

the mobilisation of the fund 

for the provision of 

affordable housing for 

Nigerians, and ensure the 

constant disbursement of 

loans to Nigerians for the 

purpose of building, 

purchasing, 

and 

improvement of residential 

houses. 

Contributions by Nigerians 

both in the public and private 

sectors; investment in the 

fund by commercial and 

merchant banks, investment 

in the fund by insurance 

companies registered under 

the Insurance Act; and 

Financial contributions by 

the Federal Government for 

long-term housing loans are 

expected to be paid into the 

fund. 

Under the Act, a Nigerian 

worker earning an income of 

N30,000 and above per 

annum in both the public 

and private sectors is 

required to contribute 2.5 per 

cent of his/her monthly basic 

salary to the fund. 

Commercial and merchant 

banks are also mandated to 

invest 10 per cent of their 

loans and advances in the 

Fund at an interest rate of one 

percent above the interest rate 

payable on current accounts 

by the banks. 

Also, all registered 

insurance companies are 

required to invest a 

minimum of 20 percent of 

their non-life funds and 40 

percent of their life funds in 

real property development 

and this is to be paid into the 

fund through FMBN at an 

interest rate not exceeding 

4.5 percent. There is no 

mandatory percentage of 

revenue specified for the 

Federal Government. 

The proceeds from the fund 

are used to finance the 

housing sector through 

wholesale mortgage lending 

to primary mortgage 

institutions by FMBN. 

COVER 

Inflationary pressures pose fresh threat to stocks 

Perhaps the expansionary 

monetary policy and NESP 

N2.3 trillion rescue package 

have positively impacted 

equities. 

“Deliberate measures to 

force down interest rate may 

also have facilitated migration 

of financial assets to equities. 

By Peter Egwuatu 

Stockbrokers in Nigeria 

have emphasized the 

need for government to 

urgently leverage the capital 

market for a turnaround in 

the economy and curtail the 

effect of the coronavirus, 

COVID-19 pandemic. 

The President of the 

Chartered Institute of 

Stockbrokers, CIS, Olatunde 

Amolegbe, ahead of the 

institute’s 2020 Annual 

Conference said: “The 

Federal Government should 

access medium and long 

term fund from the market 

to finance budget deficit and 

build infrastructure among 

others. Companies should 

also explore the market to 

shore up working capital, 

invest in Information and 

Communication Technology 

(ICT), enhance profitability 

and boost return on 

investment (ROI).” 

Corroborating him, the 

Institute’s Registrar and 

Chief Executive, Mr Adedeji 

Ajadi noted that Covid-19 

pandemic had necessitated 

the need for comprehensive 

turnaround of Nigeria’s 

economy. 

“We are sending a poser to 

the government: With the 

challenges of Covid-19, a 

looming recession and other 

“The rally may not be 

sustainable due to 

expectation of ravaging 

inflation. More so, the 

fundamentals of the economy 

does not support rally. Year 

end may not be rosy because 

of reaction to impending 

stagflation.” 

In their own projections, 

analysts at Cordros Capital, 

a Lagos-based investment 

banking firm, said: “We 

expect the market might 

continue to benefit as 

domestic investors seek 

alpha-yielding opportunities 

in the face of increasingly 

COVID-19: Stockbrokers seek economic turnaround 

...To brainstorm at workshop 

economic issues in Nigeria, 

how do we turn our economy 

around? We are suggesting 

that, if well- explored, the 

capital market can be a 

major catalyst to drive the 

desired growth, and take us 

through the ‘storm”, says 

Ajadi. 

The stockbrokers shall 

on Wednesday, November 4 

and Thursday, November 5, 

2020, converge for the 

Annual Conference of 

stockbrokers on both 

physical and virtual mode to 

articulate options for the 

nation’s economic revival 

with the theme: “Navigating 

through the Storms- 

Reenergizing the Economy 

through the Capital 

Market”. 

The Conference, coming at 

a period when the Nigeria’s 

Vice President, Professor 

Yemi Osinbajo says that 

government is seeking 

alternative avenues for 

money, will attract 

indigenous and foreign 

finance and investment 

experts, top level 

government functionaries, 

capital market regulators, 

investors and other 

negative real returns in the 

fixed income market. 

“However, we advise 

investors to trade in only 

fundamentally justified stocks 

as the weak macro 

environment remains a 

significant headwind for listed 

companies.” 

members of the capital 

market ecosystem. 

“The significance of this 

year’s Theme, is better 

appreciated against the 

backdrop of the current 

situation whereby the 

Federal Government is in 

dire need of fund to finance 

the economy. The key 

messages to the government 

and companies in Nigeria 

are that of hope and renewal 

by taking advantage of 

opportunities to source long 

term fund through the 

capital market” said 

stockbrokers. 

Heritage Bank to engage 774,000 jobs special public 

works programme 

Heritage Bank Plc, is set 

to commence the 

account opening with Bank 

Verification Numbers (BVN) 

for the earmarked 774,000 

participants of the Special 

Public Work, SPW Programme 

in their branches, throughout 

the 774 Local Government 

Areas, LGAs. 

The participants are to be 

paid an allowance of N20, 000 

(Twenty thousand Naira) only, 

monthly and the programme 

is to kick off from 1st 

November 2020, and a total of 

129 LGAs have been assigned 

to Heritage Bank Plc. 

The SPW is a post-COVID- 

19 poverty alleviation 

initiative, approved by 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari and the Federal 

Ministry of State for Labour 

and Employment to 

implement 774,000 Jobs in all 

the 774 LGAs in Nigeria, for 

a period of three (3) months. 

As part of the modalities of 

the programme, the 6 

participating banks, Heritage 

Bank inclusive have been 

mandated to open accounts for 

all the beneficiaries and 

capture BVN. Also, a special 

feature form has been 

provided by the Federal 

Government to capture 

participant’s Bio-data for this 

exercise. 

In a bid to align with the 

rudimentary arrangements, 

the Divisional Head, 

Corporate Communications, 

Fela Ibidapo disclosed that 

Heritage Bank has prepared 

seamless process flow for the 

commencement of the BVN 

enrolment/ account opening 

documentation of the 

assigned shortlisted 

beneficiaries. 

Meanwhile, he noted, “For 

locations that the Bank does 

not have physical presence, 

the Agency Banking Team has 

engaged Super Agents to 

cover these areas and ensure 

smooth on boarding in such 

locations.” 

He stated that Heritage 

Bank would definitely adhere 

strictly to the beneficiary list 

forwarded to the Bank from 

the Federal Government for 

account opening/BVN 

enrolment to avoid any 

infractions and work 

according to the rules set by 

the government and its 

agency, National Directorate 

of Employment (NDE). 

Ibidapo reiterated the bank’s 

success stories and legacies in 

similar exercises sustained 

through various entrepreneur 

schemes in the support for 

economic growth, which had 

always focused on dependable 

job-creating sectors, such as 

agricultural value chain (fish 

farming, poultry, snail 

farming), cottage industry, 

mining and solid minerals, 

creative industry (tourism, arts 

and crafts), and Information 

and Communications 

Technology (ICT).

“We do many things at the federal level 

that would be considered dishonest and 

illegal if done in the private sector” - 

Donald T Regan, 1986. 

Donald Regan was US 

Secretary of the 

Treasury (equivalent to our 

own Minister of Finance), 

from 1981-85 and Chief of 

Staff from 1985-87 for the 

Reagan administration. He 

was familiar with all the 

dishonest measures of the US 

federal government which, if 

engaged in by an individual, 

will brand him a fraudster or 

419er. The Nigerian FG is not 

only just as guilty but operates 

with far less restraint than the 

US government. Add our 

National Assembly, NASS, 

invariably accomplices in the 

budgetary crimes and the 

Three Arms Zone of Abuja 

constitutes a greater peril to 

our economy than all the 

armed robbers, Area and 

Yahoo Boys. 

The quantum of funds 

mismanaged in Abuja will 

make all the acclaimed 

criminals appear benevolent. 

Every subsequent fraud stems 

from the way budgets are 

packaged by the FG and 

approved by the NASS. 

Virtually every entry is false 

and known to be so. 

President Buhari presented 

what was announced as the 

2021 Budget to the NASS, on 

October 8, 2020. It was a 

terrible joke. This article might 

as well be titled FG 

PRESENTS ANOTHER DUD 

CHEQUE TO NIGERIANS 

and it will be just as apt. 

Budget 2021 incorporates all 

the faults of the previous five 

failed budgets – 2016, 2017, 

2018, 2019 and 2020. And, this 

latest demonstration of 

incompetence at budgeting, 

added a few more to ensure 

that it will never be 

implemented. By the time 

Buhari presents Budget 2022, 

we will all see clearly why this 

budget represents more than 

a disservice to the nation. It is 

almost a crime against 

Nigerians. If a man had spent 

the last five years promising 

more than he could deliver, 

Nigerians would by now have 

several unprintable epithets 

with which to describe him if 

The 2021 Budget as a joke (1) 

he announces a sixth attempt 

at mass deception. 

“You can fool some of the 

people all the time.” That was 

the observation of a late 

American President. He must 

have had a nation like present 

day Nigeria in mind. And 

some of the people annually 

misled are the members of the 

NASS, who assume that 

because it is their party leader 

who is presenting the budget, 

they are duty bound to 

endorse a bogus document. 

The blind leading the blind 

is bad enough. A government 

of the blind leading people 

with good eyes, in Abuja, is 

one of the greatest absurdities 

of the world today. Show me a 

NASS member who actually 

believes that this budget will 

work and I will show you an 

economic illiterate who should 

not be representing any 

Nigerian. 

Before the rubber stamp 

NASS passes the budget, let 

me provide five cardinal 

reasons why it will not work: 

aggregate expenditure 

estimates, debt burden and 

servicing, capital expenditure, 

poverty alleviation and timing 

of funds release. One can 

easily add agriculture, 

manufacturing and lingering 

impacts of COVID-19. But, the 

five are more than enough to 

prove the points made here. 

As usual, although I can make 

all the observations myself, it 

is always better to bring third 

party evidence – bearing in 

mind the tendency of the 

Presidency to instigate 

comical rejoinders. 

“Buhari put aggregate 

expenditure 

at 

N13.08tn..,,debt servicing 

[would gulp] N3.12tn..The 

2021 budget deficit…is 

projected at N5.20tn, 

representing 3.64 per cent.” 

The projected expenditure is 

partly based “on daily crude 

oil production of 1.86m and oil 

price of $40 per barrel.” 

President Buhari, October 8, 

2020. 

Longer before Buhari, the 

FG had presented annual 

budgets based on daily 

production and export of 

crude oil far in excess of what 

historical trends or objective 

future forecasts would 

suggest. 

Since 2011, two of our 

associates had requested from 

us projections of Nigerian 

Longer before Buhari, 

the FG had presented 

annual budgets based 

on daily production 

and export of crude oil 

far in excess of what 

historical trends or 

objective future 

forecasts would 

suggest 

crude oil production and 

export. Even, globally 

acclaimed Dr Ngozi Okonjo- 

Iweala, sadly, had succumbed 

to political pressure by the 

Jonathan administration. 

Budgets for 2012 to 2015 were 

premised on 2.3mbpd despite 

annual warnings from us. Not 

once in four years was Nigeria 

able to export 2.3mbpd of 

crude. Yet, the Jonathan 

government persisted in 

deceiving itself and Nigerians 

for four years. It was a blunder. 

While Jonathan had at least 

two world-class economists in 

charge of its Economic 

Management Team, Buhari, 

right from the start, till now, 

had been lacking such global 

financial experience. It has 

been extremely easy for them 

to rely on base sentiments 

when deciding that basic but 

most important variable when 


deciding crude oil production 

and export. For instance, it is 

a fact that Nigeria, based on 

agreement with OPEC, is 

honour-bound not to exceed 

1.7mbpd of crude well into the 

first quarter of next year. 

Furthermore, as 2020 is 

coming to a close, Nigeria’s 

exports of crude have 

averaged less than 1.5mbpd. 

Experienced and objective 

managers anywhere will 

never ignore historical trends 

and known future certainties 

when preparing their budgets 

as Buhari’s government had 

done for six years in a row. 

Just as Jonathan’s 

administration failed to reach 

the target in five years, 

Buhari’s will again fall short 

for the sixth year in a row – 

unless a major disruption to 

global oil supply occurs. No 

nation’s leaders should 

gamble and lose repeatedly 

with the lives of the people. 

Those who fail to remember 

history, including their own, 

are condemned to repeating 

its mistakes. Unfortunately, 

crude oil revenue shortfall is 

not the only problem we have 

experienced since 2015. With 

expenditure projected at 

N13.08tn and deficit of 

N5.12tn expected, the FG was 

deliberately evasive about the 

anticipated revenue for 2021. 

The figure derived is N7.96tn 

or 60.85 per cent of 

expenditure. Close to 40 per 

cent of projected expenditure 

will have to be sourced from 

elsewhere, other than 

government operations. 

Once again, we are faced 

with the analogy of the family 

head who regularly promises 

more than can be delivered 

and frequently fails to redeem 

his promises. Dud cheques 

follow. 

Customer-centricity, Since 2015, the FG has tech to drive 

insurance growth — will continue Leadway into 2021. 

failed to generate the revenue 

budgeted for each year. As we 

crawl to the fourth quarter of 

2020, the actual income of 

government will most likely 

not exceed 62 per cent of this 

year’s estimates. Again, 

experienced and honest 

managers base their future 

projections on trends in the 

previous five years. So, it can 

be reasonably assumed that 

the FG will not generate 

N7.96tn in 2021; but more 

likely N4.8tn. The 3.2tn 

negative variance will 

comprise of lower receipts of 

crude oil revenue, remittances 

from Ministries, Departments 

and Agencies, as well as Value 

Added Tax, VAT, etc. 

This had been the pattern for 

five years and nothing 

suggests 2021 will yield a 

different result. So, though not 

specifically stated in the 

budget presentation, the 

implied Internally Generated 

Revenue, IGR, remains very 

unrealistic. 

Here is third party evidence. 

“Earlier…, Fitch 

Ratings….said that the rate of 

Nigeria’s sovereign debt 

could trigger a downgrade as 

government battles to raise 

revenue amid depleting 

earnings and low prices…” 

DAILY INDEPENDENT, 

OCTOBER 12, 2020. 

For those still doubting that 

objective financial experts are 

unanimous in their verdict 

that the FG’s estimates are 

unrealistic, here is more proof. 

Dr Muda Yusuf, Director 

General, Lagos Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry 

(LCCI), in response to the 

proposed expenditure of 

N13.1trillion, in 2021, said, 

“...revenue projections seem 

optimistic, having regards to 

revenue performance over the 

last few years. We have 

witnessed large negative 

variances in revenue targets 

over the last few years. This 

poses a risk of bigger deficits 

than projected.” 

The safest assumption is 

that large negative variances 

To be continued… 

Financial Inclusion: FirstBank targets 32m customers 

with innovative products 

By Babajide Komolafe 

First Bank of Nigeria 

Limited has deployed 

innovative financial inclusion 

enhancing products and 

services aimed at achieving 

customer base of 32 million 

by 202. 

Disclosing this in an 

interview with Vanguard, 

Deputy Managing Director 

of the Bank, Mr. Gbenga 

Shobo, said: “Our current 

focus is the growth of 

customer base to 32 million 

and increasing our agent 

touchpoints to 100,000 by the 

end of 2020.” 

He added that the vision of 

the bank is to build on the 

milestones it has so far 

achieved in its contributions 

to the attainment of the 

national financial inclusion 

goal. 

These milestones 

according to Shobo include 

the financial empowerment 

of 76,000 Firstmonie agents 

who have so far processed 

over 390 million transactions. 

He pointed out that the 

bank’s Firstmonie agent 

network has created over 

228,000 indirect jobs with 

about 26 percent of the 

agent’s females resulting in 

financial independence and 

freedom. 

“The past three years have 

been exciting for us. As a 

bank we have been able to 

create a distribution channel, 

agent network, that covers 

every part of the country, 

build an ecosystem to 

empower individuals and 

communities, and provide a 

no-frills account (mobile 

wallet) that allows customers 

carry out basic financial 

transactions without a bank 

account. 

The wallet is Telco and 

Bank agnostic and can be 

funded from multiple sources 

– debit card, bank account, 

and via any of our Agent 

locations”, he stated. 

Shobo noted that though 

Nigeria has the potential to 

drive a significant proportion 

of the adult population to 

financial inclusion, progress 

has been slowed due to the 

barriers of financial 

illiteracy, lack of products 

and services that fit the 

under banked, affordability 

as well as the low awareness 

levels for available products. 

FirstBank, he added has 

however deployed innovative 

products and services 

designed to overcome the 

challenges posed by these 

barriers. 

He said the products 

include Firstmonie Wallet, an 

electronic wallet that allows 

individuals the convenience 

of making and accepting 

payments electronically with 

their mobile numbers. 

“Another product is 

FirstGem accounts, a 

bespoke solution to foster 

empowerment of women 

across the socio-economic 

strata. FirstGem which has 

recorded significant 

milestones is a product that 

is ideal for all women aged 

18 years and above, whether 

working professionals or 

entrepreneurs; and it comes 

in two variants, savings, and 

current accounts. 

“We also have Agent 

Credit, is an innovative 

digital lending solution 

designed to solve immediate 

liquidity challenges 

especially when Agents 

account balances are 

depleted/low despite having 

cash at hand. 

Furthermore is BVN 

enrolment in local 

communities, where 

potential customers are 

registered through our agent 

banking network in local 

communities. 

“We complement the above 

by conducting financial 

literacy trainings. This is 

done through train the 

trainer methods in local 

communities, using key 

personnel of the bank, 

namely our digital product 

sales executives and trade 

developers.”

22 — Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 — 23


Enwonwu, 

Barber, 

Oshinowo for 

6th Sogal 

art auction 

By Chukwuma Ajakah 

For six days, top 

modernists and 

contemporary artists will 

converge for the 6th Sogal Art 

Auction, featuring, among 

others, paintings, drawings 

and sculptures by Ben 

Enwonwu, Abayomi Barber, 

Kolade Oshinowo, Clary 

Nelson Cole, Muraina 

Oyelami and Rufus Ogundele. 

Opening its preview from 19- 

24, with sales on 25 October 

2020, at Signature Beyond 

Gallery, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, 

Lagos, the yearly auction sale 

also features works of 

contemporary Nigerian and 

other West African artists like 

John Ogbeta, Djokou Kassi 

Nathalie (Cameroonian), 

Tolulope Okunlola and Charly 

Almeida (Benin Republic). The 

auction is putting on sales a 

total lot of 85 works from over 

70 artists. 

Observing all the Lagos State 

guidelines on Covid-19, the 

gallery assured that safety is its 

priority, particularly in the postlockdown 

pandemic. “The 6th 

Sogal auction will be held live 

at Signature Gallery, 107 

Awolowo Rd Ikoyi from 6:30pm 

to 8pm on Sunday 25th with 

Covid-19 guidelines to be well 

observed,” the auction house 

stated. “Also, the online and 

telephone biddings will be 

encouraged as the sales, like 

the previous editions, is 

expected to attract top collectors 

within Lagos, Nigeria and 

international bidders.” 

Among the lots from the 

masters is a 1991 sculpture by 

Ben Osawe, Untiled, in highly 

stylised facial and elongated 

neck, depicting a lady in 

ornament of grace and 

elegance. There is also a rare 

bronze titled ‘Modern Warrior’, 

dated 1962, by Abayomi Barber. 

Captured in action, the warrior 

is clearly of a native, perhaps 

ancient depiction as the 

costumes indicate. 

From the contemporary 

artists are works that mostly 

reflect thoughts of African 

youths in political and social 

themes. Such works include 

‘February Weather’ by 

Kolawoke Olalekan, in a 

satirical commuter bus known 

as danfo, dated 2020; Bob 

Nosa-Uwagboe’s ‘Activist 

Detained illegally’, dated 2020, 

which talks about the 

challenges in Africa’s sociopolitical 

terrain; wood sculpture 

titled ‘Owl’ by Abdulahi Aliru, 

in a minimalistic style of oval 

shape; and 

Chukwuemeka 

Michael 

Osisiego’s 

‘They Dominate 

We Stand and 

Look’, a 2020 

mixed media 

that captures 

the current 

Nigerian situation of imbalance 

sharing of commonwealth, 

among other lots. 

From all indications, the 

expectations at the 6th Sogal 

auction is high, as was 

suggested by the large number 

of new collectors during the 

past editions. Some of the 

collectors, it was disclosed, 

have been inspired by the 

quality of timeless art that 

Sohail art auction showcases 

every year. For the online and 

telephone bidding as well as 

preview, collectors can view the 

lots on the Sogal auction 

By Prisca Sam-Duru 

Right from the main road, 

along Itokin road 

Itamaga, Ikorodu, you would 

see massive sculptures of 

different domestic and wild 

animals. A number of huge 

masks with several expressions 

are also conspicuously hung 

round the front gate. These 

colourful art pieces which 

literally usher you into the 

Oshodi Art Gallery, OAG, at the 

same time, impresses upon you 

that there are definitely more 

beautiful works inside the 

gallery. 

The gallery’s surrounding is 

aesthetically designed to 

constantly appeal to art lovers, 

but October 1st, 2020, being day 

Nigeria marked her 60th 

birthday, saw the gallery, 

looking more creatively 

adorned and captivating. It 

bubbled with activities 

celebrating not just the country 

but also artists and other 

creatives who have given their 

all to promote Nigeria’s image, 

heritage as well as grow her 

economy. 

The gallery according to its 

founder and Chief Executive 

Officer, Paul Oshodi, houses 

over seventeen thousand works 

of art in different genres. The 

works he hinted, are traditional 

carvings and paintings of 

legends, notable historical 

events, and things seen around 

the environment. There are also 

works representing animals 

A rare bronze titled Modern Warrior, dated 

1962, by Abayomi Barber. 

website. 

For 27 years, Signature Beyond Gallery 

has been going strong, relying on its vast 

experience in art appreciation to keep the 

Sogal auction going stronger. Signature 

recalls that with an emphasis on quality, 

Sogal art auction entered the Lagos 

market scene on October 20, 2014. “Since 

then, we have continued to contribute to 

the growth of the domestic secondary art 

market, and consequently an increased 

appreciation of Nigerian and indeed 

African art internationally.” 

The Sogal auction, Signature said, is 

also about preserving the works of masters 

as well as encouraging contemporary 

artists to promote artistic excellence. 

Day Oshodi Art Gallery celebrated Nigeria 

•Nudity & 

Freedom. Oil 

on canvas 

(2019). 

including those that are extinct 

which are in different forms, 

colours, shapes and sizes. 

“A lot of art pieces here also 

represent diverse cultures and 

iconic figures that cut across 

ethnic groups. You can see 

carvings of all the Obas who 

have ruled Benin kingdom. 

They are carved from a wood 

known as ‘okpekpe’, which is a 

very strong wood that can last 

for over one thousand years. The 

portraiture of Queen Moremi 

made from ‘Akpa’ wood, is 

designed to last for more than 

500 years. We also have pieces 

that are functional art which can 

serve purpose in the sitting room 

and elsewhere”, Oshodi 

explained. 

Wondering how the gallery 

survives in such a place that 

looks like it may not appreciate 

art as desired, the Gallery’s 

Media Consultant, Sunnie 

Odafe who led guests on a tour 

round the facility, disclosed that 

the location of the gallery does 

not in anyway, hinder its 

operation or sales. 

Excitements as TACA 

heritage Center 

rebrands 


TIAMIYU Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, 

being street on which the Talala Arts and Culture 

Afrique Center, TACA, is situated, will bubble with a 

beehive of activities marking its official opening to the 

general public, come 24th October, 2020. 

A preview of what awaits guests during the opening, 

indicates that the Place is ready to take art and culture 

promotion to a higher level. The interiors of different 

sections of the building have been aesthetically adorned 

with colourful flowers and stunning art works by some 

Nigeria’s art masters; Kolade Oshinowo, Bruice 

Onabrakpeya, Victor Ehikhamenor and many others. 

The Center which offers everything about African culture, 

is designed in appreciation of Africa’s culture and 

heritage with the aim to reposition them back into the 

fibre of the society and at the same time, making them 

exportable. The centre also provides a suitable 

environment that cuts across all age brackets for the 

education, enjoyment and appreciation of who we are as 

Africans. 

Speaking ahead of the grand opening of TACA, the 

Director, HRH Dr Abiola Dosumu Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos, 

disclosed that TACA Center was conceived over 30 years 

ago out of the need to checkmate the fast eroding rich 

African culture and value caused by the systematic 

replacement of who we are by alien cultures. 

Erelu Kuti whose love for our diverse ways of life and 

art, propelled her interest into the conscious preservation 

of Africa’s heritage over the years added that the essence 

of rebranding the Center was to promote, project and 

protect our culture in its real fibre and sense. She further 

noted that the Talala dreams have evolved over the years 

in showcasing and supporting Africa’s culture and 

tradition across the globe. 

Going down memory lane on how Talala a Yoruba word 

which is translated as ‘A Dreamer’s Place’ was birthed, 

Erelu Kuti explained that, “Many years ago, my 

grandmother left a variety of hand-woven fabric that I 

loved so much and didn’t want to let go. So, I kept on 

reproducing the fabric in many colours. At a point, I took 

a shop somewhere in London and had the fabric on 

display and I was complemented for that. So, I’ll say this 

“It’s a premium market, it’s not 

like buying and selling he 

noted, adding “We don’t just 

dive into the market. We use 

events such as festivals to drive 

the works. An art piece here can 

cover the cost of the whole of 

this place for a month. We do 

sell actually but we don’t want 

to sell like a hungry art 

gallery”. 

“Apart from Nike Art gallery, 

there is no other art gallery as 

big as this in Nigeria. Her space 

is not even as big as this. No 

other art gallery cuts across 

Nigeria with art pieces like this 

place. So our major strength in 

driving our products to the 

public without affecting the 

brand, which we are particular 

about, is to peg in events on arts 

and culture, and socio-moral, 

economic issues that interface 

with people’s heritages and 

tourism”, Odafe added. 

Disclosing some of OAG’s 

plans for the future, Odafe said 

the gallery is discussing with at 

least about top five-star hotels 

in the country where it can 

begin to introduce things like 

urban art renaissance, to bring 

the arts to the metropolis. 

“Imagine that Oshodi Art 

Gallery is getting some 

subvention from the 

government, what this place 

will look like. Imagine that there 

are indoor aquariums, museum, 

it will drive tourism. Some of 

our histories are lost but, you 

have most of them here. We 

create from beginning to the 

end. Do you know that some of 

was borne out of the need to be 

distinct in showcasing African 

heritage where western culture 

dominates; an uncharted path. 

This ‘dive into an ocean of 

sharks’ paid off by the wide 

acceptance of our cultural value 

by the western world” 

It was therefore the need to 

consolidate all aspects of Talala’s 

operations over the years into a 

single location for administrative 

and operational purposes 

according to her, that birthed the 

cultural edifice, TACA Center. 

With additional aim of 

empowering the youths while 

zeroing on the girl child, eight 

major services are currently 

being offered by TACA which 

include; ‘Fashion House’, set 

aside for the display and retail 

of a wide range of indigenous 

fashion designs and wears. 

•TACA Center Director, 

HRH Dr Abiola Dosumu, 

Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos 

briefing the press ahead of 

the Grand opening of the 

Center.


NAFEST Jos 2020: What to expect 

— Lalong, Gwong Gwon Jos 

By Osa Amadi, Arts 

Editor 

Plateau 

State 

governor, Simon 

Bako Lalong and the 

Chairman, Plateau State 

Council of Traditional 

Rulers and Emirs, Da 

Jacob Buba Gyang, have 

assured the federal and 

states governments that 

the National Festival of 

Arts Culture (NAFEST) 

slated for Jos in November 

will be a point of reference 

in organisation and 

showcasing of the best of 

the Plateau. 

The governor and the 

Gwong Gwon Jos who 

spoke at different 

occasions during the 

courtesy visits of the 

NAFEST technical team 

led by Otunba Segun 

Runsewe, Director 

General of National 

Council for Arts and 

Culture (NCAC), 

reiterated that the 

government and people of 

Plateau State are more 

than ready to host the 33rd 

edition of the iconic 

national festival despite 

the challenges of the new 

normal. They said Plateau 

is ready to prove that it is 

truly the destination and 

home of cultural and 

tourism in Nigeria. 

“We are more than 

prepared. The best hotels 

and recreation centers are 

here. The best and oldest 

golf course, the temperate 

climate unequalled, the 

culinary offerings, 

hospitality and the rich 

culture of our people will 

be generously offered to 

all delegates and visitors 

during the event,” the 

governor stated. 

Amidst effusive candour 

and testimony of the 

transformational 

attributes of culture as tool 

for national integration 

and development, Gov 

Simon Lalong assured of 

adequate security and 

welfare to all Nigerians 

including foreigners 

throughout the one-week 

festival, adding that the 

Covid-19 protocols and 

health regulations will be 

implemented and 

observed to the letter. 

“We are the first state in 

Nigeria to ensure Covid- 

19 testing is taken to the 

grass roots, starting with 

all ministries and 

agencies, the local 

governments. We also 

ensured the total 

fumigation of all public 

places. It’s not a fluke that 

we responded and took 

responsibility to check 

Covid-19 in the state, not 

only because of our 

people, but also because 

we know we are the home 

of hospitality and tourism 

in Nigeria,” Lalong said. 

The Governor urged the 

technical committee 

members to inform all 

delegates and visitors that 

Plateau State is ready to 

accommodate those who 

wish to stay behind and 

take up residence in the 

state after the event. 

“We know we shall spoil 

you people beyond 

measure; only try and 

leave something behind. 

Sow a seed in appreciation 

and for those who do not 

wish to leave after the 

event, we are more than 

willing to give accelerated 

approval to request for 

landed property,” Lalong 

assured. 

Speaking earlier, the 

Director General, 

National Council for Arts 

and Culture Otunba 

Segun Runsewe, told the 

governor and his cabinet 

members that the 

technical committee 

members were in the state 

to inspect and evaluate 

the preparedness of the 

state towards hosting the 

festival, and to thank the 

governor for the singular 

commitment to the overall 

success of the festival. 

“It was very scary for me 

and all the stakeholders, 

not knowing what will 

befall the hosting of this 

national festival because 

of the new normal, but 

when you (Gov. Lalong) 

assured me that you will 

do the needful, I was more 

than relieved because we 

know the visitor (Covid-19 

pandemic) will not be too 

long in leaving our 

shores,” said Otunba 

Runsewe. 

Presenting branded 

NAFEST Jos 2020 

souvenirs made from local 

fabrics to the governor and 

all his cabinet members, 

the NCAC boss said the Jos 

national festival is the first 

in post-Covid-19 Africa, 

and will be showcased 

with the new normal 

digital marketing 

opportunities ever. He 

also said if the Jos 

technical meeting could 

witness the presence of 27 

states, the prospects of the 

entire 36 states attending 

the Jos event will be more 

•Otunba Segun Runsewe (4th from left) with the Gwong Gwon Jos, Da 

Jacob Gyang (5th from left) and some directors of National Council for Arts 

& Culture. 

Thematic concerns in JP Clark’s Night Rain 


‘ 

Night Rain’, a 

narrative poem of 

47 lines without stanzas, 

remains one of the most 

beautiful works among 

John Pepper Clark’s 

literary creations. The 

poem reflects on the 

impact of nature on 

humans. In the case 

described by the author, 

the poetic persona 

narrates his ordeal and 

that of his family during a 

night downpour. 

The poet represents his 

environment which 

depicts the Niger-Delta 

region of Nigeria from 

where he hailed through 

a night rain that usually 

disrupts the family’s 

peaceful sleep. 

The first and second 

lines; ‘What time of night 

it is I do not know’, clearly 

indicate the narrator’s 

inability to tell what time 

the rain wreaked havoc 

but is sure it’s dark. 

John Pepper Clark’s 

poems are usually diverse 

in subject matter, and to 

ensure that they are 

aesthetically enriched, the 

poet often uses symbols 

and images that are 

characteristically local. 

In the poem in review, 

he employs the 

description of a rainstorm 

in his village to mirror the 

people’s poor standard of 

living as well as how they 

often bow to the force of 

nature. 

‘Night Rain’ is set in a 

distinctive, simple village 

in the Niger Delta. The 

home depicted is a modest 

one in a traditional society 

where natural 

occurrences such as the 

cock crow tells the time of 

the day. 

To clearly paint the 

picture of the situation on 

ground, the narrator 

compares his experiences 

with that of a fish caught 

with the aid of a chemical 

substance: “Like some 

fish/Doped out of the 

deep /I have bobbed up 

belly-wise from stream of 

sleep” 

The poem can be 

divided into two parts. The 

first part documents the 

hardship brought about 

by the rain, while the 

second part which is about 

the last six lines offers 

encouragement and hope 

that all will be fine in due 

time. The tone of ‘Night 

Rain’ is therefore both 

emotional and optimistic. 

There are also two 

themes in the poem which 

covers first, the 

ruggedness of life in the 

village which is 

represented with images of 

sheaves, wooden bowls, 

earthenware, mats, etc, 

and then, man’s 

helplessness in the face of 

natural occurrences or 

disaster. These two major 

themes are evident in how 

the rainstorm deprived the 

poetic persona’s family of 

their humble home. 

With poetic devices such 

as run-on lines, 

suggesting the duration of 

the rain; alliteration and 

onomatopoeia which 

provide appropriate sound 

effects, the poet gives the 

poem its rhythm and 

essence. 

In addition, the 

alliterations – ‘I have 

bobbed up belly-wise/ 

From stream of sleep /And 

no cock crow’, and/ 

Onomatopoeias/‘Great 

water drops are dribbling’,/ 

‘It is drumming hard here’ 

etc., are used to depict the 

intensity of the rain. 

ZIKORA is Chimamanda’s 

latest book 

It’s been seven years 

since multiple awardwinning 

writer, 

Chimamanda Ngozi 

Adichie’s last novel, 

Americanah took the world 

by storm. Adichie who went 

on to win the National Book 

Critics Circle Award in 2013 

for the novel, is set to release 

another masterpiece titled 

Zikora this month. 

At the peak of the 

pandemic and resultant 

lockdown, Adichie was on 

hand to entertain and 

enlighten her fans and 

readers with special 

readings and discussions 

on her Instagram page 

and now, they get to enjoy 

brand-new reading 

material from her. 

Zikora is a short story 

that shines the light on 

some of the challenges and 

complications associated 

with pregnancy and 

childbirth. It follows the 

titular character of a 

female Nigerian lawyer 

based in Washington D.C. 

Deserted by her highpowered 

lover after she 

learns that she is pregnant, 

Zikora deals with the loss 

of her relationship while 

her demanding mother 

shows up to “help” prepare 

her for motherhood. 

With the author’s 

permission, an excerpt of 

the book was released on 

Nigeria's Arts, Culture & 

Tourism icon, Otunba 

Segun Runsewe, Director- 

General of National Council 

for Arts and Culture (NCAC) 

has lost his mother. 

OtunbaRunsewe 

announced the passing 

away of his mother, Mrs. 

Felicia Adesola Runsewe 

(nee Adesmosun) aged 94 

years, today, October 17, 

2020 in a press release. 

According to the release, 

late Mrs. Felicia Runsewe, 

fondly called "Mama 

Kaduna" lived and worked 

Entertainment Weekly. The 

35-page book will be 

released on Tuesday, 27 th 

of October, 2020 as part of 

Amazon Original Stories 

(Prime members and 

Kindle Unlimited 

subscribers will be able to 

download it for free). 

Excerpt from Zikora 

All through the night my 

mother sat near me but 

never touched me. 

Once, I screamed, a short 

scream that lanced the air 

in the hospital room, and 

she said, “That’s how labor 

is,” in Igbo, and I wanted 

to say, “No shit,” but of 

course she didn’t 

understand colloquial 

Americanisms. I had 

prepared for pain but this 

was not mere pain. It was 

something like pain and 

different from pain. It sat 

like fire in my back, 

spreading to my thighs, 

squeezing and crushing 

my insides, pulling 

downward, spiraling. It 

felt like the Old Testament. 

A plague. A primitive wind 

blowing at will, evil but 

purposelessly so, an 

overcoming in my body that 

didn’t need to be. Hour after 

hour of this, and yet the 

nurses said I wasn’t 

progressing. “You’re not 

progressing,” the smaller 

nurse said as though it were 

my fault. 

Nigeria's Arts, Culture & Tourism 

icon OtunbaRunsewe loses mum 

•Late Mrs. Felicia 

Runsewe(Mama Kaduna). 

in Kaduna State as a prosperous business woman for about 

60 years before retiring to live in Lagos where she passed on 

in the early hours of Saturday, October 17, 2020. 

"Mama Kaduna" started her career with Kingsway Stores, 

Kaduna before going into private business which endeared 

her to clients and neighbors, hence the name "Mama 

Kaduna". 

She is survived by three children:Ojafolarin Runsewe 

(deceased), Otunba Segun Runsewe and Mrs.Mopelola 

Ayanfalu, grandchildren and a great grandchild. 

Before his appointment as Director-General of National 

Council for Arts & Culture, Otunba Runsewe was the D.G, 

National Tourism & Development Corporation (NTDC). 

According a national newspaper, "…Runsewe's first outing 

as NTDC boss was revolutionary. He worked round the clock 

including Saturdays, when his fellow DG's were at parties." 

Date for the burial of Otunba Runsewe's mother will be 

announced later, said the release.

26 — Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 — 27


Food insecurity, poor infrastructure impeding 

life expectancy of Nigerians — EXPERTS 

By Chioma Obinna 

AMID statistics by the 

United Nation’s Population 

Fund (UNFPA) 

showing that Nigeria has 

the 3rd lowest life expectancy 

rate in the world (55) 

years for men and 56 years 

for women), the Deputy 

Governor of Rivers State, Dr. 

Ipalibo Harry –Banigo has 

linked the nation’s low life 

expectancy to poor infrastructure, 

lack of food security 

and poor economic indices. 

Banigo said health experts 

and other stakeholders 

must team up to address 

these factors responsible for 

the short life span in order 

to raise Nigerians’ standard 

of living from the current 

abysmal level. 

Data from the World 

Health Organisation, 

WHO, published in 2018, 

showed that life expectancy 

in Nigeria is 54.7 for 

males ahd 55.7 for females, 

with a total life expectancy 

is 55.2 which gave Nigeria 

a World Life Expectancy 

ranking of 178. 

Speaking in Lagos on the 

topic “Improving life expectancy 

in Nigeria” Harry 

–Banigo said: “We also 

have social problems, infrastructure 

problems, poor 

and inadequate portable 

safe water supply, poor 

states of our roads, poor 

housing and rental challenges, 

amidst other economic 

variables. Inequitable 

distribution of income 

has wiped out the middle 

class in our society. 

“This has also added to a 

high level of unemployment, 

a lot of stress, ranging 

from students schools 

fees, house rent, electricity 

bills, medical bills, generators 

and parts repairs, powering 

and fueling, feeding 

the family, and clothing of 

families. Also is the huge 

numbers of demands, siblings 

demands, vigilante 

bills, work stress, police 

stress on the road, variable 

stress, kidnappers fears, 

armed robbery fears, and all 

these are adding to our low 

rate of life expectancy.” 

She spoke added that for 

Nigeria to improve on its 

life expectancy there is an 

urgent need for collaboration 

with all sectors. 

“Our government has a 

critical role to create a conducive 

environment for 

businesses to thrive and ensure 

the sustainability of the 

ease of doing business in 

all the sector of our economy. 

“It must address the numerous 

challenges breaking 

the health sector in 

Pharm Obinna Emeribe, Head of Marketing, Pharm Chukutem Chukuka, Executive 

Director, Pharma Sales & Marketing, Pharm Nnamdi Okafor, Managing Director/ 

CEO and Pharm Yetunde Adigun, Head, Pharma Plant Operations, all of May & 

Baker Nigeria PLC at the Media Launch of Malact tablets, the company's new anti.- 

malarial medicine in Lagos at the weekend. 

terms of facility, equipment, 

manpower, and also curtailing 

preventable and avoidable 

diseases. 

“Also, the government 

needs to improve on budgetary 

allocations to the 

health sector, and take 

measures to control population 

growth. A situation 

where we have a population 

growth increase 

which is higher than our 

GDP is not sustainable. 

Hence we need to educate 

our people, and educate 

the women on birth control’’ 

Speaking, Former Director 

& General Manager, 

Human Resources & Organization, 

Nigerian, Agip 

Oil Company Limited, 

Papa Patrick Amaechi, 

who spoke from London, 

also proffered solutions 

on how Nigerians can 

live to a ripe old age. 

Narrating his experience, 

he said this can be 

achieved through discipline, 

knowledge about 

diets and regular 

check-up to ensure one 

stays in good shape all 

year round. 

“We are what we eat,” 

he said, adding: “It is 

important to find out 

what kind of food is 

good for us as individuals 

and what exercise 

that is appropriate for us 

with moderations” 

Earlier, the Chairman/ 

CEO St. Racheal’s Pharmaceutical, 

Mr. Akinjide 

Adeosun observed: “Two 

years ago, we commenced 

a 20-year journey into living 

our purpose on the continent 

of Africa starting from 

Nigeria. 

This journey will see us 

launch into many markets 

on the continent, expand 

our offering from our core 

base of antibiotics into 

brands that will supplement 

Life & brands that will 

prevent diseases. 

“These are our tri-growth 

strategies. Everything is 

planned with eyes on our 

Vision – To eradicate diseases 

in Africa. 

Malact debuts against malaria from 

May & Baker stable 


IRKED by the rising 

cases of resistance 

among malaria drug users, 

May & Baker Nigeria 

Plc has introduced a 

new anti-malarial medicine 

that would revolutionize 

malaria treatment 

in the country. 

The new drug, Malact, 

is a Dihydroarteminsin- 

Piperaquine combination-based 

formulation 

which ensures fast relief 

from malaria and guarantees 

better post treatment 

protection. 

The World Health Organisation, 

WHO, recommended 

Artermisinin 

based Combination Therapies 

(ACTs) as first line 

drug for the treatment of 

uncomplicated malaria. 

However, most ACTs 

have since then shown 

limitations including resistance 

to treatment, 

but Dihydroarteminsin- 

Piperaquine combination, 

has shown excellent 

efficacy in multiple 

trials and is considered 

the most promising 

drug currently available 

for the treatment 

of uncomplicated malaria. 

Speaking at the media 

launch of the antimalaria 

in Lagos, 

Managing Director/ 

CEO of May & Baker, 

Mr. Nnamdi Okafor, 

said the introduction of 

Malact was part of the 

company’s efforts at 

continually confronting 

the malarial 

scourge by providing 

effective and affordable 

medicines for treatment 

of the disease. 

Okafor said further 

that Malact was the latest 

and most effective arsenal 

in the toolbox for the 

fight against malaria, adding 

that the goal of May & 

Baker was to quickly regain 

their leadership position 

in the market segment 

by building a strong 

one-stop-shop for quality 

antimalarial medicines. 

On his part, the Executive 

Director, Pharma Sales 

& Marketing of May & Baker, 

said “Malact has a reliable 

efficacy which guarantees 

patient faster relief 

compared to other ACTs in 

the market. 

It also has better post 

treatment protection because 

of the Piperaquine 

content that makes it possible 

for patients not to experience 

relapse for at least 

six weeks. Malact prevents 

malaria for up to six weeks 

and prevents recrudescence 

of malaria. 

YEDI laments Nigerians' noncompliance 

to COVID-19 protocols 

... Distributes over 2,000 health packs 

to Lagos communities 

By Gabriel Olawale 

YOUTH Empowerment 

and Development 

Initiative, YEDI has decried 

Nigerians’ non-compliance 

with the non-pharmaceutical 

procedure of curbing the 

COVID-19 spread since after 

the lifting of lockdown. To 

this end, it is distributing over 

2,000 free health packs to 

residents in Oshodi/ Isolo 

Local Government Area of 

Lagos. 

Speaking, during a Two- 

Day exercise in partnership 

with GrassrootSoccer, 

ExxonMobil Foundation, 

and M.A.C AIDS Fund 

among others at the Local 

Government Council, the 

Executive Director of YEDI, 

Mr Oje Ivagba said at the 

beginning of lifting 

lockdown, people observed 

good level of compliance with 

the non-pharmaceutical 

processes but it seems people 

are gradually relaxing as 

many people no longer wear 

a mask, adding that, “This is 

wrong and it will be terrible 

for us as a country to witness 

the second wave of this virus 

due to non-compliance. So 

people need to fight this 

battle till the end.” 

Ivagba said the initiative 

was to support underserved 

members of the communities 

to remain safe from the 

COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Today, aside from 

donation of personal 

protective equipment, PPE to 

the health facilities, we are 

giving out over 2,000 health 

packs such as hand sanitizer, 

soap, nose mask among 

others to help people stay 

protected. These activities 

will also take place in Abuja, 

Ogun and Akwa Ibom state. 

Our focus is to reach over 

6,000 people in all these four 

locations.” 

Ivagba admonished 

beneficiaries and the general 

public not to give up yet in 

an effort to stay protected, 

“Sometimes it is frustrating 

for people to stay at home for 

so long or to be doing what 

they are not used to before, 

but we need to look at the 

big picture. We are so lucky i 

this part of the world that we 

did not record many deaths 

as a result of efforts from 

government and 

development partners like 

YEDI. 

Local Council Chairman, 

Fehintola Bolaji describe the 

programme as laudable and 

indication that people at the 

grass-root level are not 

forgotten. 

Free virtual physiotherapy 

assessments for Nigerian 

pensioners, elderly 

By Juliet Umeh 

AS part of activities 

marking the 2020 

International Day of Older 

Persons, a physiotherapist, 

Prof Efe Useh, has offered 

to provide free virtual 

physiotherapy assessments 

to Nigerian pensioners and 

other elderly people with 

low back and neck pain for 

the rest of the year. 

Useh, a Nigerian 

physiotherapist based in 

South Africa is offering free 

services on the platform of 

Virtualphysio, the online 

physiotherapy care 

provider. All that the elderly 

person requires tondo to 

access free care is to call or 

send sms to +27739898869. 

A statement from 

Virtualphysio, the online 

physiotherapy 

management platform said 

Prof. Useh an accomplished 

Physiotherapist with over 

37 years of national and 

international working 

experience, will be joined 

by other international 

virtualphysio consultants to 

evaluate and manage 

various conditions suffered 

by the elderly. 

These include body and 

joint aches resulting from 

poorly assumed postures 

when they were active at 

work; backache as a result 

of poor postures in general, 

long sitting and standing, 

job hazards etc. Aching and 

heaviness of the neck 

which could be due to wear 

and tear around the neck 

bones; Painful Shoulders of 

an unknown origin, 

Sprains of different joints 

and Strains of muscles 

result in the inability to use 

the affected part of the 

body. Arthritis of the neck, 

back, and knees are also 

common amongst the 

elderly. 

"We at virtuaphysio.org 

are aware that 2020 has 

been a challenging year for 

us all, and the impact of 

COVID-19 on the elderly 

in our societies has been 

devastating. "The 

economic impact on 

financing our healthcare by 

these groups that are no 

longer on medical aid or 

support could be 

overwhelming. For that 

reason, we have decided to 

offer a free service to these 

citizens to ensure an 

improved quality of life. 

This provides our 

pensioners with any of the 

conditions mentioned 

above to be examined and 

managed simultaneously 

by multiple practitioners 

across the globe.

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020—29 

STATE OF THE NATION: 

Nigeria must be made to 

meet yearnings of citizens 

now – Fayemi 

•List gains, challenges 

of governing Ekiti 

By Clifford Ndujihe, Politics Editor 

GOVERNOR Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State 

marked two years of his second term at the 

weekend. In this anniversary chat, he shares 

his thoughts on the state of the nation, how to 

make Nigeria work for all Nigerians, his 

achievements, challenges and constraints as 

governor in the last 730 days, and legacies he 

would like to be remembered for. 

On the gains, 

challenges, 

constraints of governing 

Ekiti State in the last two 

years 

During the campaigns in 

2018, I said I had 

unfinished business which 

was the reason I was 

returning to Ekiti, not that I 

didn’t have an alternative or 

I just wanted to be governor 

for its own sake. I was a 

minister at the time I chose 

to go back because of the 

circumstances of my exit 

from office. I wanted to 

ensure that we win the state 

back and then complete 

many projects embarked on 

in my first term as well as 

entrench an irreversible 

development trajectory. 

In the four years that I was 

out of office, there was 

widespread suffering and 

poverty in the state. Ekiti, 

many will still argue, is 

essentially a civil service 

state. Payment of workers’ 

salaries should not be 

considered as an 

achievement. However, in a 

civil service state if you are 

operating in a situation 

where people have not been 

paid for almost a year, then 

it becomes a big deal when 

you take that burden off 

those directly affected. It’s 

therefore clear that we 

needed a change of 

leadership in order to get 

good governance back on 

the agenda and a sense of 

purpose back to 

government. 

Reclaiming Ekiti 

My campaign focused on 

restoring the values and 

reclaiming the land of Ekiti. 

What was to be reclaimed? 

Take the social intervention 

programmes that we had in 

the state when I was 

Governor. They were all 

cancelled by my successor. 

There was no longer a free 

education programme up 

to senior secondary level as 

we used to have in my first 

term. The monthly stipend 

for the elderly citizens, “owo 

arugbo” and the Food 

Bank, “Ounje arugbo”, as 

we call it in Ekiti also 

disappeared. The free 

health programme for the 

under-five, over-65, the 

pregnant women and 

people with disability were 

also cancelled by the 

previous government. Now, 

all these are back in Ekiti 

and our people are enjoying 

them. 

Given our parlous 

financial state, we figured 

out a way to run an 

economy that has also 

generated more 

investments for the state. If 

you look at our agricultural 

sector, we decided, policywise, 

that the only way we 

can transit from being a 

subsistence agricultural 

state was to find a 

mechanism to attract more 

commercial investment to 

the agriculture sector in the 

state. We have brought such 

critical players to the Agric 

sector like Terra Agric, 

Dangote Farms, Stallion 

Farms, FMS, Promise Point 

and Cowbell (Promasidor) 

to Ekiti and in another three 

months, Promasidor would 

have reached full scale 

production of dairy 

products. This is something 

that has led to the revival 

and resuscitation of the 

Ikun dairy farm that has 

been moribund for over two 

decades. 

We are establishing a 

special agriculture 

processing zone supported 

by the African Development 

Bank, AfDB, and the World 

Bank. We are in partnership 

with the World Bank on 

rural access to farms to aid 

the agricultural marketing 

process. Basically, what that 

does for us is open up the 

state by fixing the feeder 

roads, linking the farms to 

the market. Roughly, 1,000 

kilometres of rural roads in 

addition to other 

agricultural infrastructures 

have been done. 

In terms of roads, one of 

the most critical roads we 

have, that some of you have 

passed and complained 

about, is the Ado- Akure 

road. When you go on that 

road, you will know the 

problem we have with the 

so-called federal roads. 

One of the very first things 

I did on coming back was 

to secure support of the 

African Development Bank 

to fix the road, then we ran 

into a hitch with the Federal 

Government, when they 

insisted that we should not 

fix their road, that they 

would fix the road 

themselves. So, the 

Governor of Ondo State 

and I had to approach the 

AfDB with the support of the 

Minister, Babatunde 

Fashola, to relocate the 

funds to the Federal 

Government. The road is 

now ready for construction 

and the contractor - 

Dantata and Sawoe, is 

mobilizing to the site as I 

speak. We hope they will 

finish it in good time for the 

people to really benefit 

from it. 

We have our legacy 

projects, which for me are 

the ones that, over the long 

term, can be treated more 

as the gains of the state and 

the restoration of values I 

was talking about. 

Our knowledge zone, 

which is basically an 

aggregation of opportunity 

in the knowledge service 

industry, is a special 

economic zone, probably 

the first in the country that 

is focused on intellectual 

capital. This is informed by 

who we are as Ekiti people, 

it is what we are known forour 

intellect, our passion for 

education. How do we turn 

this to wealth rather than 

just reading for the sake of 

getting degrees? That was 

what informed this special 

zone we created in our 

education quadrangle, 

where we have about four 

higher institutions feeding 

this zone in biomedical, 

health, agric technology, 

and information 

technology. 

About a month ago, I was 

at the “Nigerian Export 

Promotion Zone Authority, 

NEPZA, to discuss with 

them the granting of the 

status of a special economic 

zone for the sector. We are 

also working on an airport 

for the state, an agric cargo 

airport, which is something 

that in the short term 

appears a luxury in the 

state but over a long time, 

the economic trajectory 

will become more sensible 

to those who are accessing 

the state. We have the best 

hospital in Nigeria in Ekiti. 

The airport will also make 

the hospital accessible 

because of Ekiti’s 

landlocked nature. 

•Gov. Fayemi 

Challenges 

What you can see as 

challenges for us of course 

include resource 

constraints. Ekiti, as I said, 

is not exactly a buoyant 

state. If you look at the 

ladder of states, we have just 

N3.3billion coming from 

the federation account 

monthly. When you earn N3 

billion and you spend N2.6 

to 2.8 billion on recurrent 

expenditure, you have to be 

more creative, in order to 

deliver on the promises you 

We are fast 

getting to a point 

in which we must 

confront our 

reality as a 

federation. 

Finance is always 

a constraint at the 

state level. There 

is what I call the 

tyranny of 

unfunded 

mandates. We 

can’t continue to 

run an economy 

the way we are 

doing. 

made to the people. 

We have been fortunate 

because we have 

international partnerships 

that we are benefiting from. 

So, we have been able to fill 

the gap a little bit. We have 

a comprehensive water 

programme that is 

supported by the European 

Union and the World Bank 

for example. We used to 

have water from the “tap” 

in Ekiti up to the early 70s 

and then water 

disappeared. We have 

brought back all the dams, 

replaced all the pipelines 

and off course got to a point 

of commissioning the 

various water projects that 

would enable virtually all 

the local governments 

access to water. 

Similarly, our RAAMP 

projects in the rural areas 

are things we have done 

with the support of the 

French Development 

Agency, FDA and the World 

Bank as well. 

In housing, we have a 

partnership with the United 

Nations, to develop 50,000 

affordable houses within the 

next 10 years. Of course that 

would be beyond my time 

of office but it is an MOU 

that has enabled us to 

establish a special purpose 

vehicle that would not be 

affected by any transition 

because it is a publicprivate 

partnership. 

Challenges should not be 

the problem of anybody 

who is in public office. If 

you have thought through 

what you are doing and you 

are prepared for office, you 

are bound to have 

challenges, economically, 

politically because there 

are those who feel that the 

resources of the state 

should be shared. If you do 

not come from that school 

of thought, you are 

definitely going to run into 

challenges with some 

elements, who may see 

things differently. Again, 

that is the price you pay for 

leadership, and leadership 

is not just a title, not just 

about being called “His 

Excellency”, it’s what you 

do to affect the lives of 

people. You have to take 

your stand on some of these 

issues without any 

equivocation, even if it 

means you will run into 

some political qualms as a 

result. 

Constraints, need for 

devolution of powers 

We are fast getting to a 

point in which we must 

confront our reality as a 

federation. Finance is 

always a constraint at the 

state level. There is what I 

call the tyranny of 

unfunded mandates. We 

can’t continue to run an 

economy the way we are 

doing. We have to figure out 

a structure, a formula that 

will enable us to generate 

more funds internally and 

at the same time ensure 

equitable and fair 

distribution of what is 

available in the 

Federation’s coffers. We 

need a formula that is more 

responsive to the yearnings 

of the population. 

The current structure 

obviously favours those 

who are more associated 

with the unitary structure 

that 

privileges 

concentration of powers 

and resources at the Centre 

rather than a genuine 

federal structure that is 

more accountable to the 

people and responsive to the 

challenges that the people 

have. What that formula 

should be has been a subject 

of debate from all sides of 

Nigeria. 

Clearly, the federal 

structure we have now is 

problematic and it is not 

working as it should and 

there is a justification for 

more devolution of not just 

functions, unless you want 

to suffer from a tyranny of 

unfunded mandate. You 

can’t devolve functions and 

not support it with 

resources and that is what 

we are faced with now. 

Thankfully, the 

government is more 

responsive under President 

Buhari. Federal roads that 

had been fixed for the past 

20 years and not one naira 

was paid by the 

governments of Presidents 

Obasanjo, Yar Adua and 

Jonathan have now been 

paid by President Buhari. 

He asked the Minister of 

Works and Housing, 

Babatunde Fashola to go 

round the 36 states, check 

all the federal roads that 

have been fixed with 

evidence that they were 

actually fixed by the states 

and then pay. And he paid! 

That is not something that 

we have experienced since 

the dawn of this democratic 

dispensation. 

Frankly, the issue is we still 

have to ask: What is a federal 

road? The people who are 

plying the road in my state 

don’t know the difference 

between a federal road and 

a state road. All they will say 

is that ‘Mr Governor you are 

not doing your job,’ only for 

you to start explaining that 

‘it’s not my road and I need 

permission to even work on 

it’ just as we have 

experienced trying to work 

on Ado- Akure road. 

It is the same story all over. 

These roads are bad, the 

federal government has no 

money to fix them. Some 

they will fix via Sukuk 

bonds, some via Sovereign 

Wealth Fund. We don’t have 

the resources, so we have to 

devise a very sustainable 

means of addressing these 

issues beyond what we do on 

a medium scale basis. 

Federal government can 

always borrow to cover any 

shortfall but sub nationals 

cannot except we go 

through the FG. 

Wearing my other hat as 

the Chairman of the 

Nigeria Governors’ Forum, 

this is an issue that has been 

on the front burner of our 

work. We hope Nigerians 

would be able to push the 

argument to a point where 

the resources and the 

powers that reside in Abuja 

can be devolved to the states 

with the resources also 

devolved to solve the 

responsibilities carried out 

at that level. It may not 

automatically improve 

performance but I believe it 

would improve 

accountability by bringing 

government closer to the 

people. 

Read more online @ 

vanguardngr.com


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33 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 

IPOB, YOV accuse FG of concluding 

plans to deploy military to quell 

#ENDSARS protests 

By Chimaobi 

Nwaiwu, Nnewi 

THE INDIGENOUS Peo 

ple Of Biafra, IPOB, and 

the Yoruba One Voice, YOV, 

yesterday, alleged that the Nigerian 

Federal Government 

has concluded plans to deploy 

the armed forces under the 

guise of "Operation Crocodile 

Smile" with the sole aim to 

quell the popular #ENDSARS 

protests across the country. 

A joint statement by IPOB, 

and YOV, titled, #ENDSARS: 

Warning on Deployment of 

Armed Forces, signed by Ms. 

Christy Ekama, Principal Secretary 

to the Directorate of 

State, IPOB, and Mr Zacheus 

Somorin, Director of Communication, 

YOV, said the protests 

are a clear testament to failure 

of leadership. 

IPOB and YOV, said they fully 

endorsed the #ENDSARS 

protest and commended Nigerian 

youths for rising to the occasion 

to redirect the drifting 

ship of Nigeria. 

IPOB and YOV, statement 

read: "We read with shock and 

dismay the plan by the Federal 

Government of Nigeria to 

deploy the Armed Forces under 

the guise of "Operation 

Crocodile Smile" with the sole 

aim to quell the popular 

#ENDSARS protests across the 

country. 

"The protests are a clear testament 

to failure of leadership. 

We fully endorse the #END- 

SARS protests. We commend 

Nigerian youths for again rising 

to the occasion to redirect 

the drifting ship of state. 

"The Federal Government 

must immediately rescind its 

decision to deploy the Armed 

Forces to truncate legitimate 

protests by Nigerians. This is 

contrary to international law 

"We fully endorse the #END- 

SARS protest and we commend 

Nigerian youths for 

again, rising to the occasion to 

redirect the drifting ship of 

state. 

"The Federal Government 

must not add to the gruesome 

bloodletting by the discredited 

SARS operatives through 

the ill-advised deployment of 

the Armed Forces. 

"We will hold the Buhari administration 

and its officials responsible 

for any killings occasioned 

by the deployment of 

the Armed Forces to quell legitimate 

civil protests. 

"We call on the United Nations 

and the international 

community to take particular 

interest in the #END- 

SARS protests and the 

planned deployment of the 

Armed Forces and to hold 

Nigerian officials to account 

for any infringement on civil 

rights. 

"The Armed Forces must be 

reminded that their loyalty is 

to the Nigerian state. The era 

of regime protection is gone 

forever. 

"We commend Nigerian 

youths for their courage and 

sacrifices in the face of police 

brutality, joblessness, insecurity, 

extra-judicial killings 

and hopelessness. We 

stand in solidarity with you 

in the struggle for a better future." 

Enugu group debunks allegations 

of threat to life by Flavour against 

govt 

By Emma Nnadozie 

ENUGU—A non-govern 

mental group in Enugu 

State, Wawa Awareness, yesterday, 

described as 'unwarranted 

and mischievous, a' 

report credited to famous 

musician, Flavour, alleging 

threat to his life by Enugu 

State government. The group 

said it was calculated to paint 

the state in bad light. 

Leader of the group, Dr. 

Ikenna Anyanwu told Vanguard 

that there was no element 

of truth in the report, 

stating that the governor of 

the state came out and addressed 

the protesting youths 

and made promises on how 

to ensure that the issues 

raised were addressed. ‘‘He 

also announced the setting up 

of a judicial panel of inquiry 

to investigate complaints of 

police brutality or related 

extra judicial killings, as demanded 

by the protesters. 

He addressed the protesters 

amid cheers and reiterated 

his government's position 

on the demand made by the 

protesting youths, disclosing 

that the panel will be chaired 

by a High court judge with 

two representatives of the 

Civil Society Groups and one 

retired police officer of high 

repute as members. The governor 

further applauded the 

protesters led by Flavour and 

Phyno for the peaceful nature 

of the protests and expressed 

the solidarity of the government 

and people of the state 

to their cause.‘‘ 

Tap into the estimated $20trn global economy 

through telecom, expert urges FG 

• As STN launches landlines phone 

MANAGING DIREC 

TOR of Swift Telephone 

Network, STN, Mr. 

Oluwole Adetuyi has urged 

the Federal Government to 

tap into estimated $20 Trillion 

global economy that is about 

to unfold through telecommunications. 

Adetuyi gave the urge while 

announcing the launch of STN 

launched its landlines telephone 

which was popular in 

various parts of the country 

before the introduction of Global 

System for Mobile Communications, 

GSM, into Nigeria's 

telecommunications 

market. 

According to Adetuyi, the 

01-343....network is a separate 

entity and is not in any way 

related to the internet service 

provider, Swift 4G, been offered 

by the communication 

company. 

"Landlines still exist in developed 

nations of the world 

and Nigeria should not be an 

exception, especially if the nation 

is ever going to play in 

the estimated $20 Trillion global 

economy that is about to 

unfold." 

He added that internet and 

fixed telephony are the building 

blocks for machine to machine 

and machine to human 

seamless communication that 

is already building up around 

the world. 

He assured that the company 

was poised to provide telephone 

services that transit beyond 

the limit of the already 

known landlines framework 

as it would provide the users 

the opportunity to manage 

modern telecommunication 

features, with an expanding 

features of their voice solution. 

He exuded confidence that 

the newly introduced product 

would put broad smile on users' 

faces. 

While throwing insights to 

the features of the products, he 

said, the features include; 

hosts private Branch Exchange 

(PBX) that will give 

small businesses dexterity of 

big corporate players, while 

the big players with existing 

PBX do not need to change 

things as STN technology is 

highly compatible. 

He added that SME feature 

and the multiple device extension 

functionality, make it possible 

to initiate and receive 

calls anytime, anywhere and 

on any device with dedicated 

support and easy connection. 

Consume 100% fruit juice to 

boost immune system against 

COVID-19 —CHI MD 


LAGOS—ON this year's 

World Juice Day, the Managing 

Director of CHI Limited, 

Mr. Deepanjan Roy has emphasized 

the need for 100 percent 

fruit juice consumption as 

a smart way of supporting immune 

function during the 

COVID-19 era and beyond. 

Speaking during the 2nd 

Annual Chivita World Juice 

Day in Lagos, with the theme: 

"Fruit Juice: The Smart Secret 

of Boosting Immunity", Roy 

said while the global pandemic 

has challenged systems everywhere, 

it has also raised social 

consciousness on healthy 

diets and lifestyle. 

He said the theme for this 

year's edition of the event was 

informed by the need to highlight 

the beneficial properties 

of consumption of 100 percent 

fruit juice to support the body's 

immune system in order to 

promote everyday wellness. 

Encouraging Nigerians to 

defend themselves through the 

fruit juice consumption; he said 

CHI Limited hopes to empower 

consumers to consider daily 

consumption of a glass of 100 

per cent fruit juice as a smart 

choice in their daily health routine. 

One of the Guest Speakers 

and Principal Dietician with 

the National Orthopedic Hospital 

Igbobi, Mrs. Adejoke Adeniji, 

listed the benefits of consumption 

of 100 per cent fruit 

juice to include strengthening 

of the immune system, aiding 

of digestion, weight loss and 

prevention of allergies and ailments 

from entering the system. 

"Consumption of 100 percent 

fruit juice is a valuable 

source of nutrients that are bioactive 

and can support the immune 

system by fighting free 

radicals and also reducing fatigue. 

Twitter raps Trump COVID-19 

adviser as U.S. cases rise 

TWITTER has yester 

day removed a “misleading” 

tweet downplaying 

the efficacy of masks 

posted by a top corona virus 

adviser to President 

Donald Trump, while U.S. 

cases surged before the 

November 3 election. 

As the Trump administration 

fends off accusations 

that its mixed messaging 

on wearing masks 

hampered the fight against 

the corona virus, Dr. Scott 

Atlas continued to minimize 

the importance of 

masks with a Twitter post 

on Saturday, saying, 

“Masks work? NO.” 

According to Reuters, 

Twitter Inc removed the 

tweet on Sunday, saying it 

violated its misleading information 

policy on COV- 

ID-19, which targets statements 

that have been confirmed 

to be false or misleading 

by subject-matter 

experts. 

The White House had no 

immediate comment on the 

decision. 

Atlas has downplayed 

the wearing of masks, a 

coronavirus containment 

measure that has been 

widely endorsed by health 

experts but not enthusiastically 

promoted by the 

president. 

Trump, a Republican, is 

seeking re-election on 

Nov. 3 against Democratic 

presidential candidate Joe 

Biden in the midst of a pandemic 

that has weakened 

the economy and killed 

more than 217,000 Americans. 

For an interactive graphic 

here tracking the global 

spread of coronavirus, 

open (tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7) 

in an external browser. 

New infections have 

been rising fast in the United 

States, according to a 

Reuters analysis, with 

more than 69,400 reported 

on Friday, up from 46,000 

a month ago. Total U.S. 

cases have surpassed 8 

million. 

Trump, who was hospitalized 

with the disease for 

three nights in early October, 

has been criss-crossing 

the country in a surge of 

11th-hour campaigning as 

he lags in many public 

opinion polls. His rallies 

draw thousands of supporters 

in close quarters, 

with many not wearing 

masks despite federal coronavirus 

guidelines. 

Despite data showing 

otherwise, Trump has said 

repeatedly in recent weeks 

that the country is “rounding 

the turn” on coronavirus. 

On Sunday, Trump 

again attributed the latest 

surge in coronavirus cases 

to more testing, but health 

experts cite increases in 

hospitalizations and the 

rates at which people are 

testing positive for the virus 

to show cases are indeed 

rising. 

AMID BAN: Thousand protesters rally across 

Bangkok 

TENS of thousands of 

Thai pro-democracy 

protesters rallied across 

Bangkok at the weekend, 

defying an emergency decree 

banning gatherings 

for a third consecutive day 

to demand the resignation 

of the Prime Minister and 

reform of the powerful 

monarchy. 

Police had used water 

cannon against peaceful 

demonstrators on Friday 

but protestors said they 

were not cowed by the escalation 

in tactics. 

“I’m concerned for my 

safety but if I don’t come 

out, I have no future,” 

said business student Min, 

18, equipped with a helmet 

and gas mask as she 

arrived in Bangkok’s 

northern Lat Phrao district 

on Saturday, one of several 

protest venues across 

the city. 

Flooding a massive intersection, 

protestors raised a 

three-finger salute adopted 

from the dystopian 

“Hunger Games” films as 

passing vehicles honked in 

support and flashed a 

thumbs-up at the mostly 

black-clad protesters. 

Across the Chao Phraya 

river, thousands rallied in 

the western Wongwian Yai 

district chanting “Long live 

the people, down with dictatorship!”, 

while in southeastern 

Udomsuk protesters 

brought busy traffic to 

a standstill. 

Carrying signs saying 

“Stop hurting people,” protesters 

in the three locales 

numbered in the tens of 

thousands at the peak, according 

to AFP reporters 

on the scene. 

But police estimated a far 

lower turnout, putting the 

total crowd size at demonstrations 

across the capital 

at 16,000. Demonstrations 

also took place in more than 

a dozen cities across the 

country. 

For the mostly-young 

protesters, Friday’s 

Bangkok crackdown was a 

big learning curve, said 

Aim, whose friends were 

blasted with stinging liquid 

when police fired water 

cannon. 

Spanish republicans take to streets to call 

for prosecution of former king 

WAVING red, purple 

and yellow republican 

flags, demonstrators in 

24 Spanish cities on Sunday 

called for the prosecution 

of the former king Juan 

Carlos who left Spain embroiled 

in controversy. 

The 82-year-old former 

monarch has been living in 

the United Arab Emirates 

since leaving Spain in August 

to avoid further embarrassing 

his son, King Felipe 

VI. 

“We are here to call for the 

corrupt former king to be 

prosecuted and to demand 

a republic,” said Juan Morillo, 

74, a retired teacher, 

who joined hundreds of 

demonstrators in Seville. 

While not formally under 

investigation, Juan Carlos 

could become a target in 

two inquiries in Spain and 

Switzerland into alleged 

corruption associated with 

a 6.7-billion-euro (£6.1 billion), 

high-speed Saudi 

train contract won by Spanish 

firms. 

Spain’s Supreme Court 

prosecutor is considering 

whether to extend a corruption 

investigation into 

the train contract to formally 

involve Juan Carlos. 

The former king has not 

commented publicly but 

his lawyer Javier Sanchez 

has said he is at the disposition 

of prosecutors if necessary. 

A poll published last 

Monday for the Platform 

for Independent Media, a 

group of left-wing newspapers, 

found 40.9% of Spaniards 

preferred establishing 

a republic, while 34.9% 

said they supported the 

royal family and 24.2% 

said they did not know. 

France to expel 231 suspected 

extremists after attack on teacher 

FRANCE is prepar 

ing to expel 231 foreigners 

on a government 

watch list for suspected 

extremist religious beliefs, 

Europe 1 radio reported 

yesterday, two days after 

a Russian born Islamist 

beheaded a teacher. 

France’s Interior ministry, 

responsible for expelling 

foreigners, was not 

available to comment. 

President Emmanuel 

Macron’s centrist government 

has been under 

pressure from conservative 

and far-right parties 

to take a tougher stance 

on non-nationals 

deemed to pose a security 

threat. 

Macron was holding a 

Defense Council meeting 

with senior cabinet 

ministers on Sunday.


YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

CANCER: Whatever anybody says or does, you will have 

both your say and way. Venus and Jupiter may tempt some of 

you to embrace illicit (or secret) romance within your base of 

operation. 

LEO: Venus and Jupiter at positive angles may tempt you 

to join some of your friends who are already onboard of 

merry making train. Watch your health. 

VIRGO: Good luck will smile at many and induce love of 

luxury merry making and romantic association. Genuine 

lovers will need to be on guard against deceit from new admirers. 

LIBRA: Both financial success and emotional satisfaction 

are closed to you than before. Those of you travelling because 

of maters-of-the-heart are in for an exciting romantic 

day Those ambitious career-wise will succeed after few 

struggles. 

SCORPIO: Many members of your opposite sex will go 

out of their ways to attract your romantic interest. This is the 

wrong time to engage on unnecessary argument. 

L E I S U R BE 

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE 

Once you choose hope, anything is 

possible.” — Christopher Reeves 

Hope is the difference between those who 

let their circumstances bring them down and 

those who choose to embrace the goodness 

of life with hope and trust. We do all that we 

can and surrender. — Ella Randle 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

Slowly, 

slowly, porridge 

goes 

into the 

gourd. ~Kuria 

People of 

Kenyan & 

Tanzania 

By Kola Fayemi 

SAGITTARIUS: If you priority is love, much of it would 

come your way as desired. But here is a better day for more 

ambitious in the business world. Don’t allow anybody to 

deceive you over money. 

CAPRICORN: Those of you with secret admirers within 

your working area will have the needed opportunities to make 

the needed moves. Resist the temptation to deceive others. 

AQUARIUS: Although matters-of-the-heart may give you 

cause to smile broadly, if care is not taken, you would cause 

friction that can’t help you r case at work. This is the wrong 

time for unnecessary scheming within your working arena. 

PISCES: Those of your who are red-blooded for romance 

may have an exciting and satisfying day. Happenings within 

your social circles must be taken more seriously. 

ARIES: Confrontation may come your way in the circle 

but the heavens are working favourably for you. Some doses 

of romance is not too much for you on a day like this. 

TAURUS: Provided you don’t allow your innate ability to 

be as diplomatic as necessary desert you, things work 

favourably for you to the betterment of your finances. 

GEMINI: Many of you will be in sentimental mood and 

exhibit strong romantic desire openly. But then, if care is not 

taken, you may be carried away to the detriment of your 

finances. Serious minded lovers are in for happy day. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” 

“HOT” 

By A.O.OLAIDE 

ASTROLOGICAL our date and place of COUNSELLING 

birth to the Astr 

tr 

Send your dat 

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, 7, Apapa, Lagos 

What’s my Horoscope? 

Dear Joshua, 

I was born on September 13, 1962. I want you to give me 

my comprehensive horoscope, especially what my special 

gift is. 

Which day of the week was I born? Where were my natal 

planets and their meanings? Who am I? 

Iyabo, Abuja. 

VIRGINIA 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

Dear Iyabo, 

There is no space for comprehensive horoscope but what 

you’ll have here -under is answer to your questions/ You were 

born on a Thursday and your special gift is LEADERSHIP 

quality. 

YOUR HOROSCOPE DATA 

Date of Birth: Thursday, September 13, 1962 

Sun Sign: Virgo: Sun in 20th Degree of Virgo 

Moon Sign: PISCES: Moon on 10th Degree of Pisces 

Mercury in 16th Degree of Libra 

Venues in 5th Degree of Scorpio 

Mars in 13th Degree of Cancer 

Jupiter in 6th Degree of Pisces 

Saturn in 5th Degree of Aquarius 

Uranus in 2nd Degree of Virgo 

Neptune in 11th Degree of Scorpio 

Pluto in 10th Degree of Virgo 

North Node in 6th Degree of Leo 

South Node in 6th Degree of Aquarius 

Quality and Element 

Cardinal and air star signs hosted two planets each fixed 

and earth three each, no planet in fire while mutable and 

water star signs hosted five planets each. 

Push-full influence = 20% 

Non- push-full element = 80% 

Final dispositor = Lucky Jupiter 

General Analysis 

Just 20 per cent of push-full influence in your chart can 

deceptively present you to others as a soft (or even timid) 

person but practical Virgo that hosted nothing less than three 

heavenly bodies when you were born and Astrological aspects 

between Mercury (mental focus) and aggressive Mars 

in you r chart are pointers to the contrary. 

Yes! You are highly intelligent and your mind works the 

same way detective’s minds do. It is true, there are little contradictions 

between your inner self and your emotional being 

as indicated quality, water element and Virgo characteristics. 

HOME & ABROAD 

By Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, MONDAY,OCTOBER 19, 2020 — 35 

#EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op Crocodile Smile 

Continues from Page 5 

and ruling class is to step 

back and reflect and undertake 

a radical overhaul and 

comprehensive root and 

branch reforms of the security 

and law enforcement 

agencies, as well as of the 

armed forces. 

“So far, we can confirm at 

least 13 persons have been 

extra-judicially killed in 

the course of the peaceful 

protest (Oyo – 4; Edo – 2; 

Ondo – 1; Osun – 2; and 

Lagos – 4). In addition is 

the attack on peaceful assembly 

in eight states (Oyo, 

Lagos, Edo, Plateau, Anambra, 

FCT, Kano and 

Osun).” 

CSOs list 

demands 

So, the CSOs joined the 

youths in demanding: “Accountability 

for previous, 

current, and ongoing acts 

of the brutalization of citizens 

from the government 

and its agencies. Offending 

officers must be identified, 

investigated, prosecuted, 

and punished. 

“That a mechanism is put 

in place to identify all previous 

and current victims of 

police brutality, to ensure 

that they get justice, including 

compensations. 

“That all those arrested 

during the ongoing protest 

be released unconditionally. 

“That the President constitutes 

and summons an 

emergency and inaugural 

meeting of the Nigeria Police 

Council [NPC] provided 

for in the 1999 CFRN 

[as amended], in Section 

216, and whose composition 

and functions were 

clearly stated in Part III 

[Supplemental and interpretation], 

Sections 27 & 28 

of the same constitution. 

“That the government 

moves beyond cosmetic 

approaches in responding 

to the yearnings of protesting 

citizens. Building confidence 

would involve moving 

speedily to implement 

key first steps, including the 

expeditious public trial of 

police officers who have 

been accused with evidence 

and are found to 

have perpetrated crimes, 

including extra-judicial 

killings, against the Nigerian 

people. 

“That an independent 

and multi-stakeholder committee, 

including the acknowledged 

representatives 

of the protesting 

youths among others, be 

constituted to oversee the 

implementation, and undertake 

monitoring and 

assessment of the implementation 

of the Police Act 

2020 as the basis for undertaking 

the institutional and 

systemic reforms that are 

urgently needed. 

“Finally, we reject the repression 

of ongoing protests.” 

‘Nigerians must 

brace up’ 

The coalition commended 

the youths who have 

defied the odds to make 

their voices heard. 

“This is just the beginning 

as we stand with the youths 

of Nigeria who have taken 

leadership to demand accountability 

and a better 

Nigeria. The struggle has 

just begun, and the people 

of this country must brace 

up to take their destinies 

into their hands.’’ 

Other organizations represented 

at the briefing are: 

Partners for Electoral Reform, 

Centre for Information, 

Technology and Development 

(CITAD), Yiaga 

Africa, Global Rights, 

Project Alert, Women Advocates 

Research and Documentation 

Centre 

(WARDC), Paradigm Initiative, 

Rule of Law and Accountability 

Centre (RU- 

LAAC), HEDA Resource 

Centre, African Centre for 

Media & Information Literacy 

(AFRICMIL), Community 

Life Project (CLP), Protest 

to Power, Social Action, 

Take Back Nigeria Movement 

(TBN), Right to 

Know, Lawyers Alert, Private 

and Public Development 

Centre, South Saharan 

Social Development 

Organisation, Partners 

West Africa- Nigeria, Centre 

LSD, Connected Develo 

p m e n t 

(CODE),Stakeholders Development 

Network 

(SDN), BUDGiT, CWCW 

Africa, Peering Advocacy 

and Advancement Centrer 

in Africa (PAACA), Invictus 

Africa, and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation 

and Welfare 

Action (PRAWA). 

ASCAB warns 

FG, Army boss 

Similarly, another coalition 

of labour and civil society 

civil society bodies, 

under the aegis of Alliance 

for Survival of COVID-19 

and Beyond, ASCAB, has 

warned the Chief of Army 

Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, 

or any of his men of the risk 

facing the International 

Criminal Court, ICC, in the 

Hague if any of the #END- 

SARs protesters was killed. 

The group urged the Federal 

Government to withdraw 

plans to use soldiers 

to quell the protests that 

have rocked major cities 

across Nigeria, noting that 

the protest which began five 

days ago, peaked at the 

weekend when some 

Northern cities joined the 

movement. 

In a statement signed by 

its Chairman, Mr Femi 

Falana, SAN, the group 

asked President Muhammadu 

Buhari not to invite 

soldiers to resolve a purely 

democratic issue that called 

for dialogue and constructive 

engagement. 

ASCAB said protests had 

common features across the 

world as seen in Hong 

Kong, the United States, 

France, South Africa, Belarus 

and even in Sudan, 

adding that in no instance 

has soldiers been deployed 

to suppress the protesters. 

“Nigeria wants to set another 

ugly precedence in 

world history,” the group 

said. 

It reminded the Federal 

Government that Operation 

Crocodile Smile had 

EndSars Protest—EndSars Protest continued at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, 

yesterday. Photo: Akeem Salau 

been declared illegal by a 

court of competent jurisdiction, 

following legal actions 

filed by Mr Femi Falana. 

It added that efforts by the 

Chief of Army Staff to challenge 

the order by approaching 

the Court of Appeal 

met a brickwall. 

ASCAB recalled that the 

Federal High Court in July 

this year, granted a perpetual 

injunction restraining 

the Army from such an exercise 

in Femi Falana SAN 

v Chief of Army Staff (FHV/ 

L/CS/1939/19 

The coalition said every 

bullet that goes out of the 

barrel of the gun, was 

owned by the people of 

Nigeria, adding that it was 

a crime under international 

law to release these bullets 

with the hope of taking 

human life. 

ASCAB said it was unfortunate 

that the Federal Government 

was sending a signal 

to the military that it had 

a role to play in a purely 

civil matter. 

The group said it is already 

monitoring and 

compiling lists of all rights 

extra-judicial killings associated 

with the protests and 

that any the Nigerian Chief 

of Army Staff, Lt General 

Tukur Yusuf Buratai and the 

soldiers involved in any 

killings will be held responsible 

personally responsible 

at the international 

court. 

ASCAB said peaceful protests 

are the only way Nigerians 

are entitled under 

the Nigerian constitution to 

register their grievances 

against a system that suffocates 

them. 

“The plan to deploy soldiers 

is dangerous. It will 

push Nigeria into the red 

light district of global reckoning. 

Sending soldiers 

after school children and 

leaders of tomorrow shows 

what future we anticipate 

for the teeming population 

of young men and women 

who have taken to the 

streets to protest against a 

system that buries their 

dreams and shatter their 

potentials and aspirations” 

ASCAB said. 

“We urge President Muhammadu 

Buhari not to 

use soldiers to quell a 

peaceful, civil protest. The 

protesters have been lawful. 

The few cases of violence 

were associated with 

armed thugs disrupting the 

protests coupled with the 

shooting of protesters by 

security operatives.” 

‘Crocodile Smile’ not 

going after #End- 

SARS protesters, 

says Army 

The Nigerian Army says 

“Operation Crocodile 

Smile” has nothing to do 

with #EndSARS protest. 

In a statement, yesterday, 

Musa Sagir, Army spokesman, 

said it is wrong to say 

the exercise is targeted at 

protesters who are out in 

major cities across the 

country. 

Sagir said the Army has 

been professional since the 

protest started “nearly two 

weeks ago.” 

The statement read: “The 

attention of the Nigerian 

Army (NA) has been drawn 

to some social media stuff 

wrongfully condemning 

the Army and its Leadership 

over the announcement 

of Exercise CROCO- 

DILE SMILE VI particularly 

the Cyber Warfare Component 

of the Exercise. This 

year’s Exercise CROCO- 

DILE SMILE is scheduled 

to commence from the 20th 

of October to the 31st of 

December 2020 has no relationship 

with any lawful 

protest under any guise 

whatsoever. 

“For the records, Exercise 

CROCODILE SMILE is a 

yearly exercise in the NA 

Calendar/Forecast of 

Events which traditionally 

holds from October to December 

of each year. 

“Thus, to now insinuate 

that it is an exercise meant 

to stifle the ongoing END- 

SARS protest is to say the 

least highly misinformed. 

Exercise CROCODILE 

SMILE VI has nothing to 

do with the ongoing protest 

and the NA has never 

been involved in the ongoing 

protest in any form 

whatsoever. So far, the army 

has acted professionally 

since the civil protest started 

over two weeks ago. 

“The Army hereby enjoins 

all law abiding Nigerians 

to go about their lawful 

activities unhindered as 

the Exercise has nothing to 

do with ENDSARS protest, 

but a yearly event set out 

to train NA officers. 

Thugs, not 

protesters, 

attacked me 

— Osun gov 

Also yesterday, Osun 

State governor, Mr. Adegboyega 

Oyetola, said his 

attackers at the #EndSARS 

protest on Saturday were 

hired political thugs and 

not youth protesting against 

police brutality in the state 

capital. 

He also denied that his 

convoy killed two persons 

during the attack unleashed 

on his convoy, saying 

one the victims had 

been involved in an accident 

around 12:30pm, 

while the other one was 

said to have died at Ayepe 

area of the town. 

Governor Oyetola in a 

statewide broadcast, said 

youths in the state had been 

protesting peacefully 

against police brutality before 

the process was hijacked 

by hoodlums and 

political thugs. 

The statement read: “Yesterday 

evening (Saturday), 

political thugs and hoodlums 

made failed attempts 

on my life and those of my 

aides while identifying with 

our beloved youths who 

were engaging in legitimate 

protest against the 

alleged brutality of the now 

disbanded Special Anti- 

Robbery Squad, SARS. 

“My entourage and I 

joined protesters from Alekuwodo 

area to Olaiya 

Junction chanting solidarity 

songs with them and 

encouraging them along 

the way. During the course 

of my address to the protesters 

to reiterate our cooperation 

and support, political 

thugs hijacked the 

exercise and hurled stones 

and dangerous weapons at 

us and vandalized several 

cars in my convoy. 

“Preliminary investigation 

revealed that the commando 

style with which the 

assailants carried out their 

attack was deliberate and 

pre-planned. It was also 

evident that it was not the 

genuine protesters that carried 

out the violence. 

“Preliminary investigation 

further revealed that 

no live bullet or cannister 

of teargas was fired at the 

rampaging political thugs. 

Therefore, no life was lost 

at the scene of the incident. 

I was properly evacuated to 

safety. 

“Regrettably, two lives 

were reportedly lost yesterday. 

But none occcured 

during the attack on me. 

One of the said deaths 

which was caused by a lone 

motorcycle accident occurred 

around 12noon, 

long before I got to the protest 

ground. 

“The second death was 

said to have occurred 

around Ayepe, about five 

kilometers away from Olaiya 

where we held the protest. 

“We sympathise with the 

families of the diseased and 

pray to God to grant them 

the fortitude to bear the 

great losses. 

“I have directed that the 

incidents be properly investigated 

with a view to 

ascertaining the causes of 

the deaths. 

“By this week, we shall 

be setting up a Judicial Panel 

of Enquiry in line with 

the directive of Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo to investigate 

all related cases 

of abuse and brutality by 

the disbanded SARS. This 

panel will also investigate 

yesterday’s attack. 

“What happened on Saturday 

is objectionable, unacceptable 

and a blight to 

the Omoluabi ethos that the 

State of Osun stands for. 

“Attempt on the life of the 

governor cannot be 

planned by the youths who 

constituted over 60 per cent 

of the voters that elected us 

into office and had embarked 

on successful and 

peaceful road walks with us 

several times in the past. 

“Osun youths who are the 

original #EndSARS protesters 

have travelled the 

long road of building a better 

Osun with us and we 

have been on the lane of 

delivering a better and 

prosperous Osun together. 

This assassination attempt 

could not have come from 

them. 

“Our Administration had 

identified with the youths 

from Day One of the protest 

in the belief that protest 

is a legitimate right of 

the citizenry and a core 

component of democracy. 

On the day one of the protest, 

Senior Government 

Officials were at the Nelson 

Mandela Freedom Park 

to identify with and address 

the protesters. 

“Rest assured that we are 

on top of the situation. We 

shall fish out the perpetrators 

of this dastardly act 

and bring them to justice. 

We shall not condone any 

act that will compromise the 

lives of our people and the 

hard-won ranking of our 

State as the most peaceful 

state in Nigeria. As a responsible 

government, we 

Continues on Page 36

36—Vanguard, MONDAY,OCTOBER 19, 2020 

#EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op Crocodile Smile 

Continues from Page 35 

will do everything in our 

powers to protect the lives 

and property of our people.” 

SARS dissolution 

won’t end police 

brutality — Catholic 

bishops 

Reacting to the ongoing 

protests yesterday, the Catholic 

Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, 

CBCN, said the dissolution 

of the Special Anti- 

Robbery Squad, SARS by the 

Inspector-General of Police, 

IGP Mohammed Adamu, 

would not end police brutality 


Likening the order disbanding 

SARS to treating symptoms 

of a disease when the root 

cause was known, the Bishops 

reiterated that restructuring 

Nigeria remained the best 

path to tow, given the various 

developments in the country. 

CBCN President, Archbishop 

Augustine Obiora 

Akubeze, who stated this in an 

address to all Catholics in 

Nigeria, in view of the ongoing 

#EndSARS protests. said 

the Catholic Bishops aligned 

with the agitation for an end 

to police brutality and oppression. 

Arguing that audacity and 

impunity of SARS agents was 

a manifestation of the failing 

state of Nigeria, Archbishop 

Akubeze said government 

must realize that there could 

be no peace without justice. 

He said: “I send you greetings 

from the Catholic Bishops 

Conference of Nigeria 

(CBCN) on this occasion of 

the widespread protest calling 

for an end to the Special Anti- 

Robbery Squad (SARS) of the 

Nigeria Police Force. 

“It is remarkable and quite 

commendable that this protest 

is being led by the youths 

of Nigeria who are tired of 

suffering from the brutality 

and injustices perpetrated by 

officers of the SARS and the 

Nigeria Police Force as a 

whole. 

“There is hardly any Nigerian 

who has not directly or 

indirectly encountered the 

crude and inhuman manner 

the SARS officials deal with 

the citizens of this country. The 

youths are therefore simply 

calling for justice, not just for 

themselves, but for the entire 

nation so that Nigeria can 

have peace. Whereas the Federal 

Government keeps asking 

for peace and calm in the 

face of every crisis, the present 

agitation shows that our 

youths have run out of patience 

and are tired of the lipservice 

paid by the government 

of the day towards a just 

and peaceful society. 

“We unequivocally add our 

voice to those of our youth and 

that of every well-meaning 

Nigerian to condemn the excesses 

and the horrible operations 

of this police unit and the 

bad omen they portend to our 

democracy. 

“The Government of Nigeria 

must realise that anyone 

who desires peace, must work 

for and cherish justice since 

there can be no true peace 

where injustice is the order of 

the day as it is in Nigeria today. 

“We need to also remind 

ourselves that peace is not the 

absence of war because wherever 

there is injustice, war has 

already been declared on the 

people. Thus, the cries of our 

children protesting against the 

brutality of the SARS that 

manifests in extra-judicial killings, 

unlawful arrests, profiling 

of youths as criminals, the 

invasion of their privacy by 

searching phones and laptops 

without any warrant or any 

just cause, and the incarceration 

of many of the youths in 

the SARS custody without trial, 

are all cries for justice. 

“We the members of the 

CBCN have followed the protests 

with keen interest and call 

on the Federal Government of 

Nigeria once again to listen 

to the cry for justice so that 

peace can reign in our country. 

“The protest seems to have 

a life of its own and it is spreading 

all over the country; this 

shows that most Nigerians are 

facing the same oppression 

and brutality inflicted by the 

SARS. We urge the Federal 

Government to fulfil its primary 

constitutional responsibility 

of securing life and property 

of every Nigerian and provide 

opportunities for our children 

to realise their God-given 

potentials. 

“The EndSARS protest is a 

microcosm of the fundamental 

problems in Nigeria. The 

audacity and impunity with 

which the SARS officials have 

been operating all the while is 

a manifestation of the failing 

State of Nigeria. Various bodies 

and patriotic Nigerians 

have expressed the opinion 

that just ending the SARS will 

not solve the enormous problems 

of Nigeria, because it is 

futile treating symptoms of a 

disease when the root cause is 

known. 

“A centralized Police Force 

in Nigeria is primarily responsible 

for the lack of grassroots 

accountability for the crimes 

perpetrated by the SARS and 

their likes. 

“We reiterate that restructuring 

this country is a desirable 

path to be towed given the various 

developments in this nation. 

The knee jerk reaction of 

the administration by abolishing 

the SARS and setting 

up the Special Weapons and 

Tactics, SWAT, team portrays 

either the absence of an understanding 

of the entire problem 

or a lack of sincerity to 

address the problem. The Nigerian 

Government must realise 

that what the youths, on 

behalf of Nigerians, clamour 

for under the code name 

#EndSARS is a total reform 

of the entire Police Force and 

not a change of name. They 

are asking for a system that 

will be hard on crimes and 

criminals in the society within 

the ambience of the law, 

while at the same time treating 

every human being, citizens 

and visitors alike, with respect 

and dignity." 

Buhari, Lawan, 

Gbaja meet 

Meanwhile, PRESIDENT 

Muhammadu Buhari and the 

leadership of the National 

Assembly, led by President of 

the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, 

and speaker of the House of 

Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, 

yesterday met at the 

Presidential Villa, Abuja, over 

the ongoing nationwide 

#ENDSARS protest. 

PROTEST IN BENIN—#EndSARS protesters block the ever-busy 

Ekheuan Road, Benin City, yesterday. Photo: Alemma Aliu. 

The meeting, it was gathered, 

was to review the ongoing 

#EndSARS protests 

across the country and determine 

the quickest way to implement 

the protesters’ fivepoint 

demand. 

Speaking to State House 

correspondents after the meeting, 

the Senate President said 

the parley with the President 

was to decide on an expeditious 

manner to implement 

the demands. He said it was a 

trying moment for the government 

and thanked the President 

for exhibiting great democratic 

credentials. 

Lawan, who pointed out that 

the youth had made their legitimate 

demands and that 

government has listened, said: 

“This is certainly a trying 

moment for our country and 

the leadership of this country. 

As the National Assembly, we 

believe we have critical and 

crucial roles in ensuring that 

the current situation of protests 

across the country is 

brought to an end. 

“I want to thank Mr President 

for exhibiting his very 

deep democratic credentials. 

The protests have gone on for 

over 10 days, probably today 

is the 11th day across many 

states of the country. 

“I think the protesters have 

expressed their legitimate 

rights, the government has listened 

and the essence of coming 

to meet Mr President is to 

review the situation and see 

the roles the two arms of government 

should play in ensuring 

that the five-point demands 

of the protesters are 

properly addressed. 

“Where legislative intervention 

will be required, we are 

ready to move in and deal with 

such expeditiously to ensure 

that we do not waste any time, 

so that we address the concerns 

of our youths. 

“Where the executive role is 

expected, we are sure that the 

executive will also expedite 

action and we will be watching 

to ensure that such demands 

are properly met. 

“It is also very critical at this 

point to mention this. Since 

the protests have taken place 

and the issues have been accepted, 

the time has come for 

the protests to stop because 

government needs to have sufficient 

time and conducive 

environment to implement the 

demands of the protesters. 

“We also need to have our 

economy to continue to go on. 

When you try to stop people 

from engaging in their lawful 

ABUJA — The Minis 

ter of Defence Maj 

Gen Bashir Magashi (retd) 

has cautioned EndSARS 

protesters against breaching 

national security. 

General Magashi gave the 

caution when the National 

Coordinator Buhari Campaign 

Organisation, BCO, 

Danladi Pasali led the Executives 

drawn from its Headquarters, 

Zonal and State 

levels on courtesy visit to him 

at the Ministry of Defence, 

Ship House, Abuja. 

He extoled the virtues of 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

whom he described as 

a forthright leader and 

thanked members of the Buhari 

Campaign Organisation 

for promoting his political 

ideology, democratic 

governance, Rule of Law 

and philosophy. 

The Minister of Defence 

who told the group of his pioneering 

membership of the 

Buhari Organisation which 

dates back to the years of All 

activities, closing roads to 

markets and other economic 

places, such will distract the 

country’s economy and that 

is not the best way to go. 

“If the issues have not been 

accepted, then there would 

have been genuine reasons to 

continue with the protests but 

since the issues have been accepted, 

we should give government 

time to implement the 

issues. 

“Therefore, I am seizing this 

opportunity to appeal to our 

youths who are protesting that 

the protests have already 

yielded the desired results. 

First, they said ‘end SARS.’ 

That was the beginning and 

SARS was scrapped, not by the 

IGP. SARS was scrapped by 

the President himself. 

“The President made a presidential 

statement. And that 

was the first time a President 

will say end SARS and SARS 

has ended. The other issues 

followed. They are being addressed, 

and that is why we are 

here. I believe the time has 

come for these protests to 

come to an end and allow government 

to address the issues 

in a very short time. 

“I also believe that Nigerians 

have legitimate rights to 

go about their lawful businesses 

without let or hindrance. We 

cannot have that when the 

roads are blocked. We do not 

want a situation that will lead 

to a degeneration of law and 

order because if somebody is 

blocked and he feels he must 

have his way. 

“So, we will ask that withdrawing 

from these protests at 

this time is the right thing to 

do. Meanwhile, give us the 

opportunity to deal with matters 

that we have agreed as a 

government to handle.” 

On his part, speaker of the 

House of Representatives, 

Femi Gbajabiamila said: “ 

We have met with the President 

and I can assure you that 

there is no bigger democrat 

than Mr President. He gave 

us a listening ear, the same that 

he always gives Nigerians. 

“He accepted absolutely 

everything that Nigerians 

asked for. I have heard the stories 

that we have heard end 

SARS like four times before. 

That is what people are saying. 

“Like I said, you have never 

heard it from Mr President, 

but now, he has said so. So, let 

us tarry a little while. Let us sit 

back. We have got what we 

want, let us sit back and see 

what happens. 

“If you like, you begin your 

protests again if nothing happens 

in two weeks. But let us 

not continue this thing and 

lose the plot. That is what I 

don’t want. I don’t want our 

youths to lose the plot. They 

have done so well in terms of 

expressing their grievances 

and it is important we don’t 

get side-tracked. 

“Of course, there are tangential 

issues that they have discussed 

after the EndSARS. We 

have spoken with Mr President 

and he is looking at everything. 

Some of these things 

are policy matters that are not 

going to happen overnight. 

You are not going to have electricity 

overnight; it is not going 

to happen tomorrow. Free 

road is not going to happen 

tomorrow. 

“It is a process and the important 

thing is that the government 

has heard you loud 

and clear. It is a continuous 

engagement. We will be engaging 

our youths in matters 

of policy and communicate 

with Mr President as well on 

what needs to be done. 

“So, again, let us not lose 

the plot, let us remain focused. 

Points have been made 

like never before in the history 

of Nigeria and that is kudos 

to the young men and 

women out there.” 

On the attack on the Osun 

State Governor, he said, “As 

far as Osun State is concerned, 

it is unfortunate what happened 

to the state governor. 

This is where I said we are beginning 

to lose the plot. 

“Osun state governor is 

loved by everybody in the state. 

He came to address people 

and that was what he got. At 

that point, we begin to wonder 

what exactly do we want? 

Is there an unseen hand? I 

don’t think there is an unseen 

hand. This is a movement. We 

should not allow people to infiltrate 

what otherwise is a 

good course. 

#ENDSARS: Defence Minister warns 

protesters against undermining 

national security 

Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, 

told them to fortify their 

flanks and ranks against 

subversive peneration of 

mischief makers capable of 

causing distraction, disaffection 

and division among 

them. 

He assured them of the 

support of the Ministry of 

Defence in actualising their 

lofty programmes in raising 

the bar of national security. 

He said they should leverage 

on their structure in the 

774 local government areas 

and 36 states of the federation, 

as well as the Federal 

Capital Territory to gather 

intelligence and channel it 

to the appropriate authorities 

for action. 

Earlier, the National Coordinator 

of the Organisation, 

Danladi Pasali said the 

objective of the courtesy call 

was to congratulate the 

Minister on his one year in 

office and to thank him for 

emplacing what he called 

gigantic reforms in the Military. 

Thanking General Magashi 

for his focused leadership 

in contributing to national 

peace and security, 

they offered to render service 

to the relevant authorities to 

burst crimes capable of 

threatening Peace and Security 


He recalled the dogged 

and dedicated role played 

by the group in the electoral 

victories of President Buhari 

in the 2011 and 2019 Presidential 

election, adding that 

the organisation was 

spurred to establish National/ 

Community Support Security 

Initiative to key into 

the fight against Boko 

Haram terrorists in the 

North East, banditry in the 

North Central and kidnapping 

in the Niger Delta. 

He therefore solicited the 

backing of the ministry for 

the initiative to succeed towards 

contributing their 

quota to the maintenance of 

peace, security and socioeconomic 

development of 

the country.


:@vanguardnews 

EJIRO 

I, formerly known as Okpako 

Ejiro Godwin, now wish to be 

known as Okpako Emmanuel 

Godwin. All former documents 

remain valid. Banks, Relevant 

Authorities and General public 

please take note. 

AINA 

I, formerly known as 

Oluwatomisin Omolola Aina, 

now wish to be known as 

Oluwatomisin Omolola Obajee. 

All former documents remain 

valid. General public please take 

note. 

UDAYA 


Oghemeyerhovwo Blessing 

Udaya, now wish to be known 

as Oghemeyerhovwo Blessing 

Peter. All former documents 

remain valid; To Whom It 

May Concern and general 

public please take note. 

IYIDA 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as Iyida Chinyere, 

now wish to be known and 

addressed as Udaya Chinyere 

Joy. All former documents 

remain valid; Authorities 

concerned and general public 

should please take note. 

EDET 

This is to confirm that my name was 

wrongly arranged on my Stanbic 

IBTC bank documents as Godwin 

Edet Okpo instead of Edet Godwin 

Okpo as it appear on my National 

Identity Card. The correct 

arrangement of my name is Edet 

Godwin Okpo. All former documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 

MACKSON-UDJO 

I, formerly known and addressed as 

Mrs. Noelle Nweze Mackson-Udjo, 


addressed as Miss Noelle Nweze 

Nwanokwai. All former documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 

OSE OBIE 

I formerly known and 

a d d r e s s e d 

as Okoiruele Josephine Ose, 


addressed 

as 

Mrs Idemudia Josephine, all 

former documents remain 

valid, general public take note. 

AKABOGU AI 

I, formerly known as Miss 

Akabogu Adaora Hope, now 

wish to be known and addressed 

as Mrs. Ugbomah Adaora 

Hope. All former documents 

remain valid. General public 

take note. 

UNUEFE OG 


addressed as Samuel Obaro 

Unuefe, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Samuel 

Obaro Lkhuiwu, all former 

documents remain valid, 

general public take note. 

ANYA 


addressed as Miss. Anya Judith 

Osuagwu, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Miss. 

Osuagwu Judith Ugochi. All 


valid. General public please 

take note. 

FRIDAY 

I, formerly known as Mr. Friday 

Otabor, now wish to be known 

as Mr. Joshua Otabor. All 



take note. 

BOWEI 


Blessing Bowei, now wish to 

be known as Mrs. Blessing 

Appah. All former documents 



UDAYA AN 

I, formerly known as Collins 

Oghenechiovwe Udaya, now 

wish to be known as Collins 

Oghenechiovwe Peter. All 


valid; To Whom It May 

Concern and general public 


PROGRESS 


addressed as Abiri Progress, 


addressed as Ebike Abiri 

Living. All former documents 

remain valid; Authorities 

concerned and general public 



Precious Ighogboya Ogbeide, 


addressed as Mrs Precious 

Ighogboya Umukoro. All 



take note. 

UKWUEZE 


addressed as Miss Ukwueze 

Blessing Ukamaka, now wish 

to be known and addressed as 

Mrs Emanuwa Blessing 

Ukamaka, all former 



OBI 

This is to confirm that the 

name(s) Chikezie Obiorah 

Innocent and Obiorah 

Innocent Obi refer to one and 

the same person, now wish to 

be known as Chikezie Obiorah 

Innocent. All former 

documents remain valid. 

General public take note. 

NELSON 


addressed as Alagwu Emeka 

Nelson, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Okwuweoke 

Emeka Emmanuel, all former 



PAMELA IB 


addressed as Miss Atu Ausaji 

Akorantau Pamela now wish 


Mrs. Eneukwu Akorantau 

Pamela. All former documents 



OZIOMA 


Iheagwam Princess Ijeoma 

Ozioma, now wish to be known 

as Michael Ibe Princess Ijeoma 

Ozioma. All former documents 



FRIDAY 


Prisca Friday Brownson, now 

wish to be known as Mrs. 

Abumwenre Prisca. All former 

documents remain valid; First 

Bank, Authority Concerned 

and general public please take 

note. 

UDAYA 


Okeroghene Glory Udaya, 


Okeroghene Glory Peter. All 


valid; To Whom It May 

Concern and general public 


EUNICE 

This is to confirm that the names 

Asuelimen Eunice Agbonmeire, 

Dasaba Eunice Agbonmeire and 

Dasaba Eunice refer to one and the 

same person but now wish to be 

known and addressed as Dasaba 

Eunice. All former documents remain 

valid. The general public and all 

relevant institutions to please take 

note. 

YINKA ENEGIDE KOLAWOLE 

I, formerly known as Yinka I, formerly known as Julius 

Igho (Mrs), now wish to be Omolayo, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

known as Eruedoja Akpovigho. 

Kolawole Omolayo Julius. All 



valid. General public please valid. General public take 

take note. 

note. 

OGBEIDE 

OKWEZUZU 


addressed as Eloho Bernice 

Okwezuzu, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Eloho 

Bernice Smart. All former 



VERA OBIE 


addressed as Miss Imoniunu 

Vera, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Mrs Jigbale 

Vera Oghenero, all former 



NWUFO 

AI 

This is to confirm that the 

name(s) Nwufo Chinwendu 

Maureen and Onyejepu 

Chinwendu Maureen refer to 

one and the same person, now 

wish to be known as Onyejepu 

Chinwendu Maureen. All 


valid. General public take 

note. 

NGBEKEN 

My BVN name was wrongly 

written as Ngbeken E. Joshua 

instead of my correct name: 

Ngbeken Benjamin Joshua. All 



take note. 

OBIJIAKU 


addressed as Miss Obijiaku 

Blessing Ijeoma now wish to 

be known and addressed as 

Mrs Onoh Blessing Ijeoma. 



take note. 

CHURCHILL 

I, formerly known as Charles 

Churchill, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Charles 

Emuhor. All former documents 

remain valid. Banks and the 

general public please take note. 

IGBINOVIA 


Matthew Igbinovia Ewansiha, 


Matthew Igbinosa Ewansiha. 


valid; First Bank, Authority 

Concerned and general public 


ALLEN 

I, formerly known and addressed as 

OKWUANYUSI ALLEN, now 

wish to be known as 

OKWUANYUSI ALLEN 

INNOCENT henceforth. All former 

documents remain valid. General 

Public, to whom it may concern 


CORNELIUS 

This is to confirm that the names 

Amadi Cornelius –Mary Peter and 

Amadi Cornelius Mary refer to one 

and the same person but now wish to 

be known and addressed as Amadi 

Cornelius Ejike Ndubuisi. All former 

documents remain valid. The general 

public and all relevant institutions 

to please take note. 

OBAFEMI 

I, formerly known as Gospel 

Toowo Obafemi, now wish to 


Gospel Toowo Femi-Adebayo. 


valid. General public take note. 

OKUKURU 

I, formerly know and addressed 

as Sunny Atarhe Okukuru, now 


as Sunny Atarhe Okagbare. All 

former documents remain valid. 

General public, banks and all 

concerned institutions please 

take note. 

CHIAMAKA 


addressed as Miss Obodoeze 

Chiamaka Favour, now wish 


Mrs Aleonomoh Josephine 

Chiamaka, all former 



UWAEME 


addressed as Miss Uwaeme 

Angela Uchechukwu, now 


as Mrs Ukaefu Angela 

Uchechukwu. All former 

documents remain 


note. 

CYNTHIA 

My name was wrongly written 

as Ofomata Obianuju Cynthia 

during WAEC/NECO Exams 

in year 2000, instead of my 

correct name which is 

Ofomata Obianuju Christiana. 



note. 

UDIDA 


addressed as Miss Udida Bridget 

Umgbe, now wish to be known 

and addressed as 

Mrs Andortan Bridget 

Umgbeb, all former 



HENRIETTA 

This is to confirm that Odhogbi 

Kanayo Henrietta, Odhogbi Anayo 

Henrietta and Aladinbuli Kanayo 

Henrietta is one and the same 

person, now wish to be known as 

Odhogbi Kanayo Henrietta. All 

former documents remain valid, 

general public please take note. 

SHABARE 


Omogosibo Shabare Benjamin, 


Omogosibo Ejoghenesun 

Benjamin. All former 

documents remain valid; 

Banks, Authority Concerned 

and general public please take 

note. 

HAPPY 

In my BVN registration, my name was 

wrongly written as JUDGE HAPPY 

ONUWA instead of GEORGE 

ONUWA HAPPY, I now wish to be 

known as GEORGE ONUWA 

HAPPY henceforth. All former 

documents remain valid. General 

Public please take note. 

OYEBANJO 


Oyebanjo Katib Alao, now 

wish to be known as Jimoh 

Katibu Alao. All former 


General public please take 

note. 

HELEN 

I, formerly known as Helen 

Izevbuwa Ehiarinmwian, now 


as Helen Davis. All former 



EZISI 


addressed as Ezisi Nwabunike 

Christain, now wish to be 


Ezeudo Nwabunike Christain, 

all former documents remain 


SPECIAL 


addressed as Obogariemu 

Godswill, now wish to be 


Eseoghene Godswill Special, 

all former documents remain 


ODION 


Angela Odion, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Mrs 

Angela Ehimotor. All former 


General public please take 

note. 

BALOGUN 


addressed as Balogun Ismail 

Olaniyi, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Salam Ismail 

Olawale, all former documents 

remain valid, general public 

take note. 

BLESSING 


addressed as Mrs Abanshiebe 

Blessing Ukeunim, now wish to 


Agbor Blessing Etta, all former 



IMSG 

committed to 

transformation of 

judicial system 

—Uzodinma 

By Chidi Nkwopara 

OWERRI—Imo State 

government has 

said it is committed to the 

transformation of the 

wheel of justice in the 

state, as well as make it 

faster and available to all. 

Governor Hope 

Uzodinma made the 

promise, yesterday, at the 

Justice Transformation 

launch, in Owerri. 

“This is not about mere 

talking. All human beings 

must have access to justice. 

It is this administration’s 

resolve that we 

must not only change our 

system, but we must also 

ensure that our citizens 

have unfettered access to 

justice,” Uzodimma said. 

While affirming that 

“Imo citizens have challenges 

facing them, here 

and there,” the governor 

also said justice was not 

the exclusive preserve of 

the elite. 

Earlier in his address, 

the Attorney-General 

and Commissioner for 

Justice, C. Akaolisa, said: 

“Prosperity is not only 

limited to food, water, 

electricity and other 

infrastructural necessities. 

This administration 

is committed to raising 

the dignity of Imo citizens.” 

NWARU 


addressed as Mrs. Mary Ngozi 

Nwaru, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Ms. Mary 

Ngozi Elebeke, all former 



DUKE 


addressed as Eyamu Samuel, 


addressed as Duke Eyamu 

Samuel. All former documents 



AKUBUAKO 

This is to confirm that the name 

Ikemenanwa Immaculater Prisca 

Ogechi and Akubuako Ogechi 

refers to one and the same person. I 


addressed as Ikemenanwa 

Immaculater Prisca Ogechi. That all 

documents bearing my former name 

remain valid, General Public please 

take note. 

NSOFOR 

I, formerly known as Nsofor 

Ifeso, now wish to be known 

as Nsofor Ifesochukwu 

Micheal. That all documents 

bearing my former name 

remain valid, General Public 


ANUGWA 


Anugwa Chika Kindness, now 

wish to be known as Mrs Agua 

Chika Kindness. That all 

documents bearing my former 

name remain valid, General 

Public please take note.


Osimhen to 

cost Napoli 

100m 

euros – Pundit 

N 

igeria international, Victor 

Osimhen who moved to Napoli 

at the end of last season from Lille, 

could cost the Serie A club a 

whooping 100 million euros if 

performance-related variables and 

wages in his signing are included, 

reports have said.. 

In the two Serie A matches the 

Nigerian has played so far, the 

former Lille forward has scored once 

and provided one assist. 

Following a bright start to his 

career at Napoli so far, highlyrespected 

Sky Sport Italia pundit 

Paolo Condò reckons that Victor 

Osimhen is living up to his billing. 

Napoli fans will be excited about 

their record acquisition, having 

opened his goalscoring account 

against Atalanta on Saturday and in 

CRYSTAL PALACE 1 BRIGHTON 1: 

Late Mac Allister 

strike steals point 

for Seagulls 

A LEXIS MAC 

ALLISTER came 

off the bench to blast 

home the 

equaliser as 

Brighton 

snatched 

a dramatic late draw 

against rivals Palace. 

The Eagles looked to 

be earning the bragging 

rights after Wilfried Zaha’s firsthalf 

penalty kept up his personal 

crusade against Brighton. 

Zaha’s 19th minute effort was 

the seventh time he has scored 

against Palace’s fierce rivals – 

more than he has struck against 

any other team in the country. 

But Argentine Mac Allister 

stunned the hosts when he 

crashed home the leveller 

from the edge of the box just before the 

match moved into stoppage time. 

The Seagulls started the better of the 

two teams and Yves Bissouma went 

close for the visitors on 11 minutes 

when he crashed a shot from just 

outside the area into the side netting. 

Then when Ben White seized on a 

loose pass from Tyrick Mitchell into the 

box and dragged a shot just across the 

face of goal, the alarm bells were 

ringing for Palace. 

•Osimhen 

the previous match he notched an 

assist. 

Condò gushed about the qualities 

Osimhen brings to the table and 

believes the Super Eagles striker is 

replicating his form at Lille, for whom 

he scored 18 goals over the course of 

2019-2020. 

In quotes carried by Mundo Napoli, 

Condò stated : “Napoli are absolutely 

Sheff Utd 1 Fulham 1: 

SHARP’S late penalty 

saves Sheffield United 

B 

•Sharp 

ARCELONA expect Lionel Messi 

to join Manchester City at the end 

of this season. 

Messi, 33, was close to re-uniting with 

Pep Guardiola during the most recent 

transfer window. 

However, the deal was scuppered 

when Barcelona made it clear they 

would fight him all the way over his 

exit. 

Messi believed he had a clause in 

his contract allowing him to leave for 

Rivers to inaugurate committee 

on Gov. Wike’s tourney 

T 

he Rivers State Ministry of Sports will on Monday, October 19, 2020, 

inaugurate a committee to organise the 2nd edition of Gov Wike Pre-Season 

Tournament. 

The inauguration, expected to be performed by the Rivers Sports Commissioner, 

Hon Boma Iyaye at the Conference Room of the Ministry, will have in attendance 

the Permanent Secretary, Sir Honour Sirawoo, FA Chairman in Rivers State, 

Chris Green, among others. 

The pre-season tournament is expected to have 16 teams, drawn from the 

Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) and Nigeria National League 

(NNL). 

The tournament is primarily aimed at preparing Nigerian clubs ahead of the 

2020/2021 NPFL season and CAF Club competitions. The state-owned football 

club, Rivers United is among the teams participating at the tournament that 

would afford the team the opportunity to test its strength against other clubs. 

in the running for the Scudetto! 

“This Osimhen is keeping 100% of 

all the good things we thought of 

seeing him in Lille, on a tactical level 

he is opening the opponent’s 

defenses. If he arrives in the area you 

don’t take the ball away from him, he 

runs, shoots and even scores. The 

spaces he creates for his teammates 

are fabulous”. 

Diego Costa ruled out of Champions 

League opener against Bayern Munich 

A 

tletico Madrid have suffered a 

severe injury blow with Diego 

Costa ruled out of their Champions 

League group stage opener against 

Bayern Munich after being forced off 

with a muscle strain in Saturday’s win 

over Celta Vigo. 

Diego Simeone’s men returned to 

•Diego 

winning ways thanks to goals from Luis 

Suarez and Yannick Carrasco, but the 

gloss was taken off the win when Costa 

had to go off injured. 

The Spaniard is likely to miss his 

team’s next six games, meaning 

Simeone will have to manage without 

him for their tricky test against last 

season’s Champions League winners 

on Wednesday night. 

BILLY SHARP’S late penalty saved Sheffield United 

after Fulham thought they had bagged their first win 

of the season with an Ademola Lookman stunner. 

Both sides were pointless heading into the match 

and it looked like the Cottagers had nicked it after 

Lookman’s solo strike in the 77th minute. 

But Blades skipper Sharp, who had only come on as 

a sub four minutes earlier, smashed home from 12- 

yards after Aleksandar Mitrovic’s high foot. 

It was a terrible afternoon all round for the 

Serbian, who smashed his own spot-kick off 

the bar with the game at 0-0 before missing a 

great chance at the death to win it. 

But while neither Chris Wilder or Scott 

Parker will be happy with the point, they are 

both on the board to leave Burnley rooted to the 

bottom of the table. 

Sheffield United had not scored in their first 

two home games but they should have been out 

of sight at half-time – with Oli McBurnie the 

main culprit. 

The Scot glanced his first header just wide 

before scuffing a golden chance onto his shoulder 

that allowed Alphonse Areola to react. 

But if you cannot score yourself, at least you can 

rely on Fulham’s generous defence to help. 

Koeman hints Messi will leave 

Barca next summer 

free, but Barca refuted that and made 

it clear they would only allow him to 

go if his £630million release clause was 

triggered. 

Not wanting to take his beloved club 

to court, and after speaking with new 

boss Ronald Koeman, Messi decided 

he would remain at the club this 

season. 

The Catalan giants accept he will be 

on his way to the Etihad in around 

eight months time. 

Koeman recently explained how he 

helped convince Messi to stay for this 

season: “I was always hoping Messi 

would stay for this season. 

“If he had left in the summer, I would 

have had a very different situation at 

Barca. 

“He wanted to leave but the club was 

very clear to him. The buy out clause 

was so high, that not a single club in 

the world was going to pay that in these 

times. 

“I went to his house and took time to 

listen to all the things he said. But I 

also explained to him that I had not 

been a part of the problems he had with 

the club and told him how I was going 

to work to change things. 

Victor Moses took pay 

cut to join Spartak 

Spartak Moscow General 

Director Shamil Gazizov has 

revealed that Victor Moses 

lowered his salary before sealing 

a transfer to the Russian Premier 

League club two days before the 

close of the summer transfer 

window in the country. 

The former Nigeria international 

has been loaned out to Spartak for 

the remainder of the season, with 

the Muscovites having an 

obligation to buy the versatile 

wing-back should he play the 

required amount of games and 

they qualify for next season’s 

Champions League. 

When asked if there was an 

obligation to buy Moses, Gazizov 

told Russian sports daily Sport 

Express : “If we are in the 

Champions League, we can buy 

him”. 

Probed further, he added : “ We 

can buy him if he plays a certain 

number of matches. If we get into 

the Champions League with him, 

I think there will be no questions.” 

The Spartak Moscow chief 

revealed that Moses has expressed 

his desire to play for the club and 

accepted a pay cut to get the deal 

over the line. 

“ T h e 

footballer 

wants to 

play for 

Spartak. 

This is the 

•Messi 

•Moses 

Aguero will face no 

retrospective action for grabbing 

shoulder of assistant referee 

M 

anchester City 

striker Sergio 

Aguero ‘will face no 

retrospective action’ 

for grabbing 

shoulder of assistant 

referee Sian 

Massey-Ellis 

during Arsenal win. 

The Argentine 

was arguing a 

throw-in decision 

given to Arsenal 

when he put his 

hand on her 

shoulder. 

Pep Guardiola 

defended Aguero, 

insisting the striker’s 

action was clearly not 

aggressive. The City 

boss said: ‘Come on 

guys, Sergio is the nicest 

person I have met in my 

life. Look for problems in 

other situations, not in 

this one.’ 

Not everyone agreed 

with Guardiola, however, 

as Match of the Day 

pundit Ian Wright 

branded Aguero’s 

actions ‘unnecessary’ 

and ‘patronising’. 

In Sky Sport’s postmatch 

coverage, 

Aguero’s former teammate 

Micah Richards 

said the incident ‘didn’t 

look good. 

most important point. And 

everything else is particular. He 

did not come here to earn money,” 

Gazizov stressed. 

When asked if his new number 

8 was earning less than he 

pocketed at Chelsea, Gazizov 

answered : “Yes, but only slightly.” 

•Aguero 

He said: ‘He didn’t need to do it 

really. You have to respect the 

officials. I think she deals with the 

situation really well. 

‘He’ll know better. I don’t think we 

need to go over the top on it but he 

shouldn’t be touching the officials, it 

doesn’t look good.’ 

Lampard’s men 

will miss out 

on top four 

— Leboeuf 

rank Leboeuf is ‘not convinced’ by 

FChelsea’s £90million club-record 

signing Kai Havertz and claims his 

former side will struggle to finish in 

the top four with their current form - 

despite a summer splurge in excess of 

£200m. 

Chelsea’s sluggish start to the 2020- 

2021 campaign continued on Saturday 

with a disappointing 3-3 draw against 

Southampton at Stamford Bridge. 

Timo Werner found the net twice in 

28 minutes to see Chelsea go 2-0 up, 

but it was fellow new boy Havertz who 

was caught in possession and robbed 

of the ball, allowing Danny Ings to 

claw one back for Southampton at a 

crucial moment just before half-time. 

Che Adams went on to capitalise on 

a lack of communication between Kurt 

Zouma and Kepa Arrizabalaga to draw 

the Saints level. 

Havertz did, however, tap in his first 

league goal to restore their lead before 

Jannik Vestergaard equalised. Despite 

the German getting off the mark in the 

Premier League, Leboeuf has doubts 

about his capabilities. 

Speaking to ESPN, he said : ‘I’m not 

convinced about Havertz, I’m not that 

optimistic.’ 

But Leboeuf did share his enthusiasm 

over Werner, saying: ‘I’m very pleased 

with Werner, he’s a real satisfaction.’ 

Saturday’s draw leaves Chelsea with 

just two wins from five league games 

and Leboeuf fears on current form that 

Frank Lampard’s side could struggle 

to finish in the top four. 

He added: ‘I’m not convinced at all 

about Chelsea right now.


C 

M 

Y 

K

C 

M 

Y 

K 

Vanguard, MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

FRIDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

FRIDAY’S ANSWER 

ACROSS 

1 Saunters (6) 

4 Thespians (6) 

8 Shaving implement (5) 

9 Keepsake (7) 

10 Distended (7) 

11 Shelf-like projection (5) 

12 Polar region (9) 

17 Put off till later (5) 

19 Annulment of marriage (7) 

21 Willingly (7) 

22 Profits (5) 

23 Walk with long steps (6) 

24 Implored (6) 

DOWN 

1 Horizontally (6) 

2 Anti-tank gun (7) 

3 Join up (5) 

5 King Arthur’s city (7) 

6 Possessed (5) 

7 Not so fast (6) 

9 “Robinson Crusoe” character (3,6) 

13 Lingered (7) 

14 Raising trivial objections (7) 

15 Embellishes (6) 

16 Came to an end (6) 

18 Natural aptitude (5) 

20 Fashion (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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19102020 - #EndSARS: Stop Army's planned Op Crocodile Smile

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