03112020 - Unpaid salaries: Civil servants besiege Head of Service's office

Why youths 

revolted, 

by Iyorchia 

US ELECTION 2020: Oyigbo killings: Withdraw 

soldiers in 72 hours or 

America decides 

face ICC, INC tells Wike 

today; Trump, Biden •I didn’t order military 

in decisive race 26 to kill Igbo – Wike 8 Ayu 20 

FG’s VAT revenue on steady rise, despite COVID-19 lockdown 

19 

VOL. 27: NO. 64197 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 

Unpaid salaries: Civil servants 

besiege Head of Service's office 

•Provisions made, based on previous salary exhausted, says HOCSF 

•Ministries’ staff better off than those in depts, agencies — Source •They pleaded for 

more time, asked us to be patient, avoid newsmen — Protesting staff 

NORTHERN GOVERNORS' EMERGENCY MEETING... 

5 

From left: Deputy Governor of Kogi, Chief Edward Onoja; Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; Gov. Abubakar 

Bagudu of Kebbi; and Gov. Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa, during an Emergency Meeting of Northern Governors with traditional rulers from the Northern 

Region, at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna, yesterday. Photo: Olu Ajayi. SEE STORY ON PAGE 14. 

WAEC releases 2020 

WASSCE results 

•Withholds 215,149 

•NECO announces resumption 

of 2020 SSCE 7 14 

COLUMNISTS ODUMAKIN 16 TENIOLA 18 ARIBISALA 23 

Senate, FG disagree over 

N5bn bailout for airline 

operators, others 

6 

Alleged fraud: Why 

we summoned 

Fowler — EFCC 

10 

See 

inside 

Mr & Mrs 

C 

M 

Y 

K

2 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020—3 

Man, 31, in 

Police net for 

killing his 

girlfriend in 

Ogun 

By James Ogunnaike 

ABEOKUTA—Operatives of 

Ogun State Police Command 

have arrested a 31-year old 

Rexlawson Jonson over alleged 

murder of his girlfriend, 26-year-old 

Patricia John. 

Jonson, an indigene of Ebonyi 

State, was arrested on October 30, 

2020. 

The arrest of the suspect, 

according to a statement by the 

command's spokesperson, 

Abimbola Oyeyemi, followed a 

report by one Adebayo Aladesuyi, 

who is a manager of Molayo Hotel, 

Ibafo. 

He reported that “while they were 

carrying out routine check of the 

hotel rooms, they discovered the 

dead body of the occupant of one of 

the rooms with bruises on her neck 

suggesting that the deceased might 

have been strangulated. 

“On the strength of the report, the 

DPO Ibafo division, Jide Joshua, led 

his detectives to the scene and 

recovered the corpse to Olabisi 

Onabanjo University Teaching 

Hospital in Shagamu for post 

mortem examination.” 

Oyeyemi noted that preliminary 

investigation later revealed that the 

deceased checked into the hotel with 

a man who sneaked out of the hotel 

after killing the woman. 

Consequently, the Divisional 

Police Officer and his men 

commenced technical and 

intelligence based investigation 

which led to unraveling the identity 

of the suspect. 

He was, subsequently, traced and 

apprehended by the detectives. 

On interrogation, he confessed 

checking into the hotel with the 

deceased and that they had a 

misunderstanding, which led to 

physical assault between them. 

In the process, he said the woman 

collapsed and gave up the ghost. 

He, subsequently, left the corpse in 

the room and sneaked out of the 

hotel. 

Meanwhile, the state 

Commissioner of Police, Edward 

Ajogun, has ordered the immediate 

transfer of the suspect to homicide 

section of the State Criminal 

Investigation and Intelligence 

Department for further investigation 

Akire stool: Soldiers, thugs wreak 

havoc in Osun 

By Shina Abubakar 

OSOGBO—The crisis rocking 

the Akire stool in Ikire, Irewole 

Local Government Area of Osun 

State has taken a frightening 

dimension as residents alleged 

killing of several people by men in 

military uniform. 

This followed attempt by some 

irate youths to chase away the 

monarch, Oba Olatunde Falabi, 

from the palace since, according to 

them, Supreme Court’s judgment 

in 2014 had declared his ascension 

to the throne null and void, but has 

refused to vacate the throne. 

Background of the crisis 

The battle over the throne started 

in 1987 after the demise of the 

former Akire, Oba Oseni Oyegunle. 

It was gathered that when the 

process of appointing a new 

monarch started, one of the five 

ruling houses, Aketula, presented 

a candidate, Mr Tajudeen 

Olanrewaju, in line with the Akire 

of Ikire Chieftaincy Declaration of 

1958. 

Before the process of Olanrewaju’s 

installation could be completed, two 

ruling houses, Ladekan and 

Lanbeloye, went to court to 

challenge the inclusion of Aketula 

in the ruling houses. 

An Ile-Ife High Court, Ile-Ife, 

where the matter was instituted, 

consequently stopped 

Olanrewaju’s installation as the 

monarch, while the incumbent, Oba 

Olutunde Falabi, was installed in 

May 1993. 

Though he lost at the Appeal 

Court, Ibadan, Olanrewaju 

proceeded to the Supreme Court. 

The Supreme Court, in its 

judgment on April 11, 2014, 

affirmed that Aketula was one of the 

ruling houses, as provided in the 

1958 Akire of Ikire Chieftaincy 

Declaration. 

The Supreme Court also held that 

in view of the evidence on record, 

“it shows that tshe 1958 Declaration, 

in respect of the Akire of Ikire 

Chieftaincy stool, has not been 

amended or repealed.” 

Following the judgment, the 

incumbent monarch approached 

the High Court in Ikire, praying it 

to restrain the state government 

from deposing him because he had 

not committed any offence 

warranting his removal. 

He also pleaded with the court to 

restrain the state governor, the 

commissioner for justice 

and the commissioner 

for local government 

and chieftaincy affairs 

from deposing him, 

while his incumbency 

subsisted. 

Justice Abdulkareem 

of Ikire High Court, in 

his judgment of June 

29, however, said that 

Falabi could no longer 

occupy the stool, based 

on the 1958 Akire 

Declaration and the 

rotational procedure 

contained therein. 

The new twist 

Meanwhile, as the irate youths 

attacked the palace on October 26, 

soldiers who came to restore order 

were allegedly assaulted and three 

guns were allegedly forcefully taken 

from them. 

The development was to have led 

to a re-enforcement by the soldiers 

resulting in alleged killings of some 

people in the town. 

It was gathered that the leader of 

the soldiers gave the community 

24-hour ultimatum to the youths to 

return the guns or there would be 

chaos in the town. 

The guns were said to have been 

returned but the military were 

alleged to have unleashed terror on 

the community. 

Three persons were said to have 

died from soldiers' action, among 

them a baker (name withheld) and 

an unidentified vulcaniser in the 

town. 

The allegations 

Following the killings, there was 

accusation and counter accusation. 

While Prince Remilekun Abass, 

Chairman, Irewole Local 

Government accused a Prince 

(name withheld) of bringing thugs 

to disrupt the peace of the town over 

the kingship tussle, one of the 

kingmakers, the Apena of Ikire, 

Chief Odetunde Ajani alleged that 

a highly placed individual in the 

town was taking the soldiers round 

to attack perceived opposition. 

Chief Ajani said “I can confront 

him (the highly placed individual), 

he brought thugs to burn my house 

because I performed traditional rite 

on the new monarch. They brought 

soldiers to kill our people. About 15 

persons have died and only three 

or four bodies were found, as the 

How mother, twins were crushed to death in Ondo 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—A middle aged 

mother, Faith Olotu, and 

her twins were among the 16 

persons crushed to death last 

weekend in the auto crash at 

Akungba in Akoko South West 

area of Ondo State. 

The mother, a hairdresser and 

a native of Oka Akoko alongside 

her twins (a boy and a girl) were 

crushed to death inside her 

shop. 

Eyewitness told Vanguard 

that “the mother and her twins 

were inside her shop that illfated 

evening when the truck 

lost control as a result of a brake 

failure. The trailer ran over 

them inside the shop where 

they were sitting. 

“lt was a sad incident, the 

twins were in the shop with 

their mother when the ugly 

incident occurred. They died 

inside instantly. Their bodies 

were recovered from under the 

truck. It was a gory sight as 

people wept uncontrollably 

when the deceased were 

removed from the crashed 

truck." 

Recall that a truck loaded with 

bags of rice crashed into the 

market at Ibaka area of the 

community at about 6.30 pm. 

The vehicle, a DAF truck, 

rammed into the stalls in the 

market and crashed into a 

Toyota Camry saloon car, Toyota 

Corolla and three other 

motorcycles. 

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of 

the state, who visited the 

accident scene assured of 

government assistance to the 

victims. 

Akeredolu added that efforts 

would also be made to get the 

owner of the articulated vehicle 

that caused the accident to pay 

adequate compensation for 

losses suffered by the people. 

Meanwhile, the council 

chairman, Augustine 

Oloruntogbe, has appealed to 

the Federal Government to 

rehabilitate ltapele road to 

reduce the presence of trucks 

on lkate- Owo and lsua- 

Epinmi-lwaro road. 

Also, the traditional ruler of 

the town, the Alale of Akungba, 

Oba Sunday Ajimo, said efforts 

were on to relocate the street 

traders from the town to avert 

another tragedy. 

Burnt army vehicle: 

Chief Odetunde Ajani's burnt house and (INSET): his 

burnt car. 

soldiers took away the remains of 

the dead bodies and dumped them 

in the river.”. 

Meanwhile, when Abbas spoke 

with journalists earlier, he said no 

Oleh youths protest murder of 12 

indigenes 

The protesting youths 

AGGRIEVED youths in Oleh 

community in Isoko South 

council area of Delta State protested 

over alleged gruesome murder of 12 

indigenes by people believed to have 

come from neighbouring Ozoro 

community . 

Mr Paris Ubara who led the 

peaceful protest said the purpose of 

the protest was to hasten justice for 

the 12 sons and daughters of Oleh 

who were brutally murdered in a 

disputed land between Oleh and 

Ozoro boundary. 

They started their protest from the 

popular Yanga market and ended it 

in Oleh Police Station to register their 

complain to the Divisional Police 

Officer in charge of the area who 

casualty was recorded but attempts 

to get his reaction again proved 

abortive as his phone was switched 

off while message sent to his 

WhatsApp message was not 

responded to. 

urged them to be calm. 

He assured the protesters that 

govermment was giving the ugly 

occurrence all the seriousness it 

deserves. 

Majority of the protesters dressed 

in black attire as a sign of respect for 

the slain kinsmen. They displayed 

placards some of which read: “Justice 

for Oleh 12", “Justice Before Peace”, 

“Welfare Package for the Children of 

Oleh”, “Hasten justice for Oleh 12” 

etc. 

Ubara, who led the protest, 

lamented that the killing of their 

indigenes was worrisome. 

He called on the state governor to 

intervene for peace to reign between 

the two communities.

C 

M 

Y 

K 

4 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 

:Vanguard 

News 

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

Nigeria faces revenue shortfall as crude oil 

price crashes below budget benchmark 

By Ediri Ejoh & 

Prince Okafor 

ABUJA — There 

seems to be a fresh 

concern for Nigeria as 

crude oil price crashes 

below the budget benchmark 

of $40 per barrel for 

2020. 

Trading statistics cited 

by Vanguard from the 

international market 

showed that, Brent 

Crude was down 13 

cents, or 0.3 per cent, at 

$37.81 a barrel while the 

United States West Texas 

Intermediate fell 16 cents, 

or 0.4 per cent, to $35.63. 

According to the Organisation 

of Petroleum Exporting 

Countries, OPEC, 

the price of OPEC basket 

of thirteen crudes stood at 

$36.50 a barrel on Friday, 

compared with $37.12 the 

previous day. 

With the 2020 budget 

pegged at $40, this development 

may continue to 

pose a great threat to the 

country’s revenue generation 

target. 

Vanguard gathered that 

stakeholders in the country 

are already calling on 

the government to review 

the 2021 budget, stressing 

that with the current price 

of crude oil, the Excess 

Crude Account, ECA, will 

continue to shrink. 

Moreso, traders are also 

worried that the US could 

also impose more restrictions 

in the days to come 

as the country continues 

to set records for daily infections. 

Recent events showed 

that Nigeria’s economy 

witnessed one of the biggest 

protests since military 

rule ended in 1999, forcing 

the nation’s commercial 

city along with several 

other states into shutdown. 

According to a Senior 

Research Analyst at 

FXTM, Lukman 

Otunuga, “Before this development, 

the International 

Monetary Fund 

(IMF) projected a 4.3 percent 

contraction in Gross 

Domestic Product, GDP 

because of COVID-19 

pandemic . Depressed Oil 

prices enduring a prolonged 

lapse in demand 

has not helped matters 

with the aftermath of the 

protests projected to cost 

over N700-billion in output 

– something that may 

drag on real GDP. 

“Focusing on the Naira, 

the banking system 

clamped down on speculation 

and limited foreign 

exchange transactions by 

individuals and corporations. 

The intention was 

to stabilise the currency 

which was at the centre of 

ABUJA — The Nigeri 

an Guild iof Editors, 

NGE, has demanded absolute 

transparency and accountability 

in the outcomes 

of the ongoing panels 

set up in states across 

the federation to investigate 

activities of the now rested 

a perfect storm of low oil 

prices, dollar scarcity and 

a weaker economy. 

“The results of the foreign 

currency restrictions 

in the banking sector remain 

to be seen.” 

Reacting to the recent 

crash of the oil, petroleum 

expert and Professor of 

Petroleum Economics and 

Prof. Wumi Iledare, called 

for adequate review of 

operations in the petroleum 

sector. 

“On current state of Nigeria’s 

economy, there is 

Special Anti-Robbery 

Squad, SARS. 

The NGE in a statement 

signed by the President, 

Mustapha Isah and General 

Secretary, Mary Atolagbe, 

also said it would 

detest a cover up of those 

found culpable in human 

rights violations against 

Nigerians, as recorded 

with previous panels. 

The statement read: 

‘’Having examined recent 

unrest across the nation in 

the past few weeks, the Nigerian 

Guild of Editors, 

NGE, condemns the hijack 

of the peaceful #EndSARS 

protest by hoodlums in 

many states. ‘’That the fivepoint 

demands of the 

peaceful protesters were 

genuine and patriotic but 

the hijack led to arson, looting, 

destruction and bestial 

killings of law-abiding citizens 

and security agents 

which portrayed Nigeria in 

a bad light. 

‘’We condemn the looting 

and burning of some public 

and private property, including 

police stations, 

which came on the heels of 

protests; after having taken 

an anarchic dimension 

in many states and forcing 

governors to declare a curfew. 

‘’The Guild also condemns 

the display of aggression 

by the government 

against peaceful protesters, 

especially at the 

Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos 

State. 

‘’Also condemnable is the 

attack on the media and 

journalists during the crisis, 

whereby scores of vehicles 

were burnt at the 

premises of several of them, 

namely Television Continental 

(TVC) Lagos, ‘’The 

Nation Newspapers in Lagos, 

The Chronicles in 

Calabar and in Lokoja 

where a correspondent of 

The Sun Newspapers was 

shot. Amidst the threat to 

its operations, some television 

stations had to go off 

air temporarily for fear of 

invasion by hoodlums. 

‘’The Guild wishes to remind 

all Nigerians that the 

media contributed immensely 

to the democracy 

being enjoyed in the country 

today and has never 

shied away from protecting 

the interest of Nigerians, 

even in the face of threats 

from some state actors. 

“Given that the media is 

also just coming out of a distressed 

status caused by 

the COVID-19 pandemic, 

these unjustified attacks by 

hoodlums will in no small 

way affect the financial status 

of many media establishments 

negatively. 

‘’The Guild believes the 

government has a mandate 

to ensure that the media 

SCHOOLS 

RE-OPEN 

IN LAGOS: 

Students of 

Iju Junior 

Grammar 

S c h o o l 

walking towards 

the 

school premises 

as 

school reopened 

in 

Lagos after 

the End- 

SARS protests, 

in Lagos, 

yesterday. 

Photo: 

Akeem Salau. 

no end in sight. Nigeria 

missed the opportunity to 

link the oil sector with other 

critical sector of the 

economy. 

“Nigeria made the mistake 

of looking at oil as a 

source of money to spend 

rather than looking at oil 

as a source input for economic 

expansion. The 

mistake is still ongoing 

and necessary policy review 

and implementation 

is needed to help cushion 

the effect such would 

bring at the long run.” 

Insecurity: Buhari not 

sleeping on the wheels, 

APC replies PDP 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA — The ruling 

All Progressives 

Congress, APC, has defended 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari’s handling 

of the nation’s security 

challenges, saying 

unlike when the Peoples 

Democratic Party PDP 

held sway at the federal 

level, the President was 

not sleeping on the 

wheels. 

APC made its position 

known in a statement issued 

yesterday, night 

signed by its Deputy National 

Publicity Secretary, 

Mr Yekini Nabena. 

The statement read: 

“The All Progressives 

Congress, APC, will not 

be dragged into an exchange 

with the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in 

its plot to gain selfish and 

insensitive political capital 

from issues of national 

security. 

“As with the case of Saturday’s 

rescue of a kidnapped 

American citizen 

in Nigeria by U.S. special 

forces, combating terrorism 

and other emerging 

cross border crimes require 

international collaborations 

and assistance 

when necessary. 

“We don’t expect the 

PDP to understand this 

international best practice, 

going by its evil penchant 

of diverting and sharing 

counter-insurgency funds 

to its political cronies and 

its criminal and negligent 

handling of the 2014 abduction 

of 276 Chibok 

schoolgirls while claiming 

a grand political conspiracy 

against it. 

“Unlike previous PDP 

governments, President 

Muhammadu Buhari-led 

APC government is not 

‘sleeping on the wheel’ 

on serious national concerns.’’ 

Alleged N3.1bn fraud: EFCC 

re-arraigns ex-Benue gov, 

Suswam 

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri 

ABUJA—The Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, yesterday 

re-arraigned former governor 

of Benue State, Gabriel 

Suswam, before the Federal 

High Court in Abuja on an 

amended 11-count money 

#EndSARS: Editors demand transparency, accountability 

in panels' outcome 

does not operate in an insecure 

environment and, 

also; Nigerians must not be 

seen to be engaging in acts 

inimical to media effectiveness 

in informing, educating 

and entertaining the 

public. Enough of attacks 

on media houses and professionals. 

‘’That in as much as the 

Guild respects the disciplinary 

mandate of the Nigerian 

Broadcasting Commission 

(NBC) over broadcasting 

stations’ operations, it 

also implores the government 

to always take a second 

look at perceived infractions 

by some stations 

before applying sanctions. 

fines should be the last resort. 

‘’The Guild, therefore, 

calls for an immediate review 

of the NBC Act, in 

view of current realities in 

the media world. We know 

the government is already 

working on this but, this 

action must be expedited in 

the interest of professionalism, 

fairness and justice. 

‘’We commend the Nigerian 

Government for acknowledging 

the demands 

of the peaceful #EndSARS 

protesters and call for a genuine 

commitment to implementing 

policies aimed at 

alleviating the suffering of, 

not only youths, but Nigerians 

in general. 

‘’Now that many state 

governments have set up 

panels to investigate what 

went amiss during the crisis, 

this is indeed, the time 

for these panels to look into 

real grievances of the peo- 

ple, especially acts of human 

rights violation during 

the crisis. 

‘’The Guild demands absolute 

transparency and accountability 

in the outcomes 

of the ongoing panels 

and would detest a cover 

up of those found culpable 

in human rights violations 

against Nigerians, as 

recorded with previous panels 

‘’The Guild urges the 

President to sign the new 

Electoral Law as Nigerians 

prepare for the 2023 general 

election. 

‘’The Guild appeals to 

youths to suspend any further 

public protest because 

their point had been made. 

We believe the police are 

overstretched in the face of 

security challenges in the 

country, as manifested in 

the lynching of policemen 

by mobs, sometimes in very 

gruesome circumstances. 

‘’The unfortunate event of 

these past few weeks 

should propel the government 

to expedite action on 

police reforms, as promised 

by the President and, as the 

Commander-in-Chief of 

the Armed Forces, he 

should immediately restore 

public order. 

‘’The Nigerian Guild of 

Editors appreciates the government 

and people of Rivers 

State for hosting the 

Standing Committee Meeting 

while commending it 

for sustaining infrastructure 

development in the state 

and for delivering dividends 

of democracy to the 

people.’’ 

laundering charge. 

Suswam, who piloted the 

affairs of Benue state from 

2007 to 2015, was docked 

alongside a former Commissioner 

of Finance in the state, 

Omodachi Okolobia. 

EFCC alleged that the duo 

laundered public funds totalling 

about N3.1billion. 

Re-arraignment of the defendants 

followed an amendment 

of the charge against 

them, from nine to 11 counts. 

Specifically, the anti-graft 

agency alleged in the amended 

charge that the 2nd defendant, 

Okolobia, transacted a 

total sum od N578million in 

four tranches, in excess of the 

threshold of cash transactions 

permitted by the money laundering 

law. He was said to 

have committed the offences 

between December 2014 and 

January 2015. 

However, both Suswam and 

Okolobia pleaded not guilty 

to the amended charge that 

was read to them before trial 

Justice Ahmed Mohammed. 

The court allowed the defendants 

to go home on the 

bail conditions that were previously 

handed to them. The 

court subsequently adjourned 

the matter till December 15 

for continuation of trial. 

EFCC had in 2015, charged 

Suswam who is currently representing 

Benue North-East 

in the Senate and his erstwhile 

Commissioner of Finance, 

Okolobia, over the allegation 

that they looted proceeds of 

shares owned by the Benue 

State government and Benue 

Investment and Property 

Company Ltd. 

Trial Justice Mohammed 

initially withdrew from the 

case over media publications 

that alleged that he was compromised 

by the defendants to 

grant them soft landing. 

Though the case-file was 

eventually transferred to Justice 

Okon Abang, however, 

the Court of Appeal in Abuja, 

in a judgement on February 

19, ordered Justice Mohammed 

who had already heard 

the testimony of four witnesses, 

to resume hearing on the 

case.

vanguardnews 

@vanguardnews 

@vanguardnews 

NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 — 5 

POCKET CARTOON 

BAYELSA STATE THANKSGIVING DAY —From left: General 

Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; former 

President Goodluck Jonathan, and Governor Douye Diri during the 9th Bayelsa 

State Thanksgiving Day held at the Ecumenical Centre in Igbogene, near Yenagoa, 

yesterday. 

Unpaid salaries: Civil servants 

besiege Head of Service's office 

ABy Dirisu Yakubu 

BUJA — 

Aggrieved civil 

servants 

yesterday laid siege to the 

office of the Head of the 

Civil Service of the 

Federation, over what 

they described as failure 

of the Federal 

Government to pay their 

outstanding salaries for 

two or three months. 

Vanguard reported 

yesterday that staff of no 

fewer than 428 Ministries, 

Departments and 

Agencies, MDAs, were 

owed salaries for two to 

three months, having 

exhausted their recurrent 

allocations for the fiscal 

year. 

The workers stormed the 

office of the Head of 

Service at about 9a.m. in 

what was to be a peaceful 

protest but were prevailed 

upon to shelve the idea 

before the arrival of 

newsmen accredited to 

cover the office. 

One of the workers who 

participated in the 

protest, told Vanguard that 

they were told to give the 

Federal Government 

ample time to address all 

outstanding issues 

relating to payment of 

their salaries. 

‘They pleaded 

for more time’ 

“The truth is that we are 

not happy with what is 

going on. This is the first 

time this is happening for 

many years and that is 

why we agree that there 

is sense in the claim that 

government is broke. 

“But they told us not to 

cause unnecessary 

tension and that 

everything is being sorted 

out. That is why we 

dispersed before your 

(journalists) arrival. 

“We have been told to go 

about our normal 

schedule but this is a sad 

development because we 

are equally hearing that 

the Federal Government 

is broke and that they 

have exhausted our 2020 

budget on personnel,” 

said the protester who 

pleaded anonymity. 

Highly-placed sources 

confided in Vanguard that 

monies meant for 

personnel costs were 

domiciled in accounts 

overseen by the 

Integrated Personnel 

Payroll Information 

System IPPIS, department 

in the Office of the 

Accountant General of the 

Federation, OAGF. 

‘We were asked 

to be patient, 

avoid newsmen’ 

Another source from a 

government department, 

who declined to disclose 

her identity, said: “When 

we came here this 

morning (yesterday), we 

were set for a protest but 

they quickly asked us to 

be patient. 

“We were warned not to 

allow our photographs to 

be taken. You know these 

little threats about the 

possibility of one losing 

his job and all that. This 

is not time for plenty 

grammar. All we want is 

the payment of our 

salaries, nothing more.” 

Ministries’ staff 

better off 

Similarly, another staff of 

one of the federal 

agencies, who did want 

his name in print, said: 

“The ministries are 

luckier because they are 

only being owed the 

month of October. Some of 

us in the agencies are 

really suffering because 

we are being owed 

between two and three 

months salaries.” 

Obviously rattled by the 

development, the Office 

of the Head of the Civil 

Service of the Federation 

dismissed insinuations of 

the Federal Government’s 

inability to meet its 

financial commitment to 

its workforce, saying the 

delay in the payment of 

the October salary was not 

a deliberate act. 

Why payment of 

salaries is 

delayed 

The Federal 

Government has given 

reasons for the delay in 

the payment of October, 

2020 salary to some civil 

servants assuring that 

necessary steps have 

been taken to resolve the 

issue this week. 

Head of Civil Service of 

the Federation, Dr. 

Folasade Yemi-Esan in a 

statement issued on 

Monday, explained that 

the delay is due to the fact 

that the 2020 budget was 

passed before conclusion 

of negotiation on the new 

Minimum Wage and its 

consequential 

adjustment. 

She went further to 

explain that a lump sum 

was however provided in 

the 2020 budget for 

minimum wage and its 

consequential 

adjustment. 

A statement signed by 

O l a w u n m i 

Ogunmosunle, Director 

of Information, Office of 

the Head of the Civil 

Service of the Federation 

quoted Dr. Yemi-Esan as 

saying that a committee 

made up of 

representatives of the 

Federal Ministry of 

Finance, Budget and 

National Planning, the 

Budget Office and the 

Office of the Accountant 

General of the Federation 

has been set up to 

determine the shortfalls of 

Ministries, Extra- 

Ministerial Departments 

and Agencies (MDAs). 

The shortfalls are to be 

paid from the lump sum 

already set aside in the 

budget for the Minimum 

wage and its 

consequential 

adjustment. 

The committee is 

expected to conclude its 

work by the end of this 

week so that salaries can 

be paid. 

While appreciating civil 

servants for their patience, 

the Head of Service also 

informed that she is in 

touch with the Director 

General, Budget Office, 

who assured that salaries 

will be paid by the end of 

this week. 

Vanguard had on 

Monday, published a 

report detailing the failure 

of 428 MDAs to pay 

salaries due to the 

exhaustion of the their 

2020 personnel budget. 

One of the agencies 

critically affected by nonsalary 

payment, the 

Federal Fire Service, had, 

in two circulars, pleaded 

with its staff to bear with 

government, after the 

workers had expressed 

frustration and threatened 

to stay off work. 

One of the circulars, 

dated October 14, 2020, 

signed by the Director, 

Finance and Account 

Services, Agholor 

Michael, had read: “This 

is to inform the personnel 

of the service that the 

delay in the payment of 

September 2020 salary 

was due to insufficient 

funds in the Federal Fire 

Service personnel cost 

head, just like other 

MDAs. 

“Consequent upon the 

above, relevant agencies 

have been contacted and 

efforts are in top gear to 

resolve the issue as soon 

as possible.” 

By Bose Adelaja, 

& 

Olayinka Latona 

On refusal of Policemen to return to work despite IGP, PSC's instruction (2) 

he officers’ refusal to 

Treturn to work is in a 

way, a protest by the police 

officers for some issues affecting 

them to be addressed. Their 

salary is very small, that’s why 

they are always on the road to 

extort and harass people. Also 

delay in promotion, politics, 

welfare packages and other 

remunerations. A police 

officer during the protest shared 

her experiences with me while 

working in Kogi. 

—Olugbenro Moradeyo, 

Clergy 

t is not easy for 

Ithem to return to 

work because of what’s 

on the ground. The 

h a r a s s m e n t , 

humiliation and the 

cold-blooded murder 

of fellow citizens must 

stop. They also believe 

that anything can 

happen to them on 

their returns. Police 

brutality must stop. 

—Mrs Chika Osagiede, 

CEO, Vera Gold Foundation 

think they are afraid to 

I resume because some of 

their colleagues were killed 

by the mob during the crisis. 

Gov. Babatunde Sanwo Olu 

of Lagos State has promised 

to help and take good care of 

the families of police officers 

that lost their lives and give 

their children scholarship. 

We need them now for 

proper security of lives and 

property. They should please 

return to duty. 

—Akinleye Joseph, 

Pastor 

W 

e can all see what 

is going on but 

they see better because 

they are at the 

forefront. The condition 

under which they work 

is very poor. It’s an 

opportunity for them to 

express themselves, so, 

let them seize it and 

let’s see how things 

change. 

—Adunbarin Emmanuel, 

Instructor 

olice officers need 

Pto acknowledge the 

fact that they swore an 

oath to faithfully obey all 

lawful commands of 

government; this 

includes the inspector- 

General of Police and 

Police Service 

Commission. If they 

decide to ignore this 

oath, it then shows they 

don’t regard the 

Nigerian Constitution. 

—Nnorom Chidinma, 

Student 

overnment has failed us 

Gall including the Police 

who are also facing the 

hardship. The major cause of 

Police brutality is bad 

governance and endemic 

corruption. It’s clear the Police 

have seized the opportunity 

of the #EndSARS protests to 

clamour for proper welfare 

amongst other things. That’s 

commendable and they 

should'nt relent until 

government heeds their cry. 

—Jimoh Adesina, 

Businesman 

C 

M 

Y 

K


Restructuring: El-Rufai 

flays attack by Senate 

:Vanguard News 

#EndSARS: NBC accuses 

sanctioned media outlets 

of irresponsibility 

•Says unauthenticated, misleading social 

media footages were freely used; insists on fine 

•NIPR appeals for review of sanctions 

By Michael Eboh 

ABUJA—THE National 

Broadcasting Commission, 

NBC, yesterday, insisted that the 

three broadcast stations recently 

sanctioned acted irresponsibly in 

their coverage of the EndSARS 

protests and said it is not going 

back on the sanctions. 

Director General of the NBC, 

Professor Armstrong Idachaba, 

who stated this when members 

of the Nigerian Institute of Public 

Relations, NIPR, paid him a visit 

to appeal for a review of the 

sanctions, however, noted that 

the stations were yet to pay the 

fine, despite the fact that it gave 

them two weeks for the payment. 

The President and Chairman 

of Council of NIPR, Mallam 

Mukhtar Sirajo had called on the 

NBC to review the sanctions, 

especially as it is crucial that 

government agencies are not 

seen to be over-heating the polity. 

The NIPR President, Mukhtar 

Sirajo, disclosed that it is the duty 

of all government establishments 

to align with the Federal 

Government’s realisation of the 

right of Nigerians to dissent. 

He called on the NBC to see 

the period of the protest and 

issues emanating from it as a 

period of national healing and 

reconciliation, adding that the 

recent punitive actions against 

the broadcast stations, though 

within the constitutional rights 

of the NBC, should be reviewed. 

‘The lessons, we believe, are 

being learnt. We want NBC to 

align with efforts seen at deescalating 

tensions in the polity. 

We also commiserate with the 

entire Nigerian media over the 

attacks on their facilities by 

hoodlums,” he noted. 

However, Idachaba, noted that 

the NBC, on noticing the 

deviation from and breach of the 

Broadcasting Code by the stations 

had issued a statement and a 

K ADUNA—GOVERNOR 

Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna 

State has expressed regret over 

alleged diatribe against him by 

Senate spokesman, Ajibola 

Bashiru, over his plea that the 

National Assembly initiates 

constitutional amendments to 

secure restructuring of the 

country, using the draft bills in the 

report of his committee. 

The All Progressives Congress, 

APC, had in 2018, set up a 

committee on restructuring of the 

country, headed by the governor, 

and the committee’s report 

contained the draft bills he asked 

the lawmakers to work on to 

amend the constitution. 

Governor el-Rufai had made the 

call at the 50th anniversary of 

Arewa House last week, 

prompting the reaction of the 

Senate spokesman. 

But reacting to what he 

described as diatribe by the 

Senate against him yesterday for 

making the call, the governor in a 

statement by his Special Adviser 

on Media and Communications, 

Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, said: ‘’At a 

time urgent national matters 

require focused sobriety, Malam 

memo to them, and also met with 

executive officers of the stations 

to bring them in line, yet, they 

continued in their irresponsible 

coverage of the protests. 

He said: “It is important to bring 

you up to speed regarding the 

internal steps that were taken 

as a build up to the imposition of 

the fine. The NBC organized its 

annual lecture, in August 2020, 

in the middle of the ongoing 

COVID-19 pandemic. The 

theme was broadcasting reforms 

and the challenges in the 

coverage of crisis and 

emergencies. We devoted our 

time and resources in looking at 

what the role of the media should 

be in terms of national conflicts 

and crisis. 

“Soon after the lecture, there 

was an emergency, there was 

crisis, and nobody bothered to 

look at what the provisions of the 

Broadcast code requires at that 

time. So you see that there was 

either laxity or a deliberate 

misapplication of what the ethical 

requirements of practice should 

be. 

“When the protest began, and 

we acknowledged that, there was 

a modicum of decency and 

fairness. There were following the 

protesters; they brought their 

agitations; they brought the sides 

of government; they projected 

what government had promised 

and what government was 

doing; very well and objectively 

reported. 

“But it changed when violence 

was brought into the protest. In 

the coverage of the violence, 

suddenly, broadcasters were now 

engaged with speculation and 

with the sensational. What now 

followed is the state of violence: 

the burning, the arson, the 

killing, and later, the looting. 

What was disturbing to us was 

that they were using social media 

sources and social media images 

to buttress their stories. 

Nasir El-Rufai has read with 

disbelief comments attributed to 

Senator Ajibola Bashiru in his 

capacity as spokesman of the 9th 

Senate. 

‘’As purported responses to a 

significant national matter like 

restructuring, it is doubtful that 

these comments could have 

been uttered by a senator, and 

on behalf of the Senate. 

‘’In his remarks at the 

anniversary event last weekend, 

Malam El-Rufai expressed regret 

at the lack of movement on the 

report of the APC Committee on 

true federalism submitted since 

January 2018. 

‘’He appealed to legislators to 

initiate the necessary 

constitutional amendments to 

secure restructuring, using the 

draft bills that are contained in 

the report of the committee. 

‘’How can this public appeal 

for urgent action prompt the sort 

of diatribe attributed to the 

senator in a newspaper report? 

‘’The comments do not show 

that the person has read El- 

Rufai’s speech, except if the 

person quoted is suffering from 

the crisis of comprehension.'' 


Senate, FG disagree over N5bn 

bailout for airline operators, others 

•N5bn bailout grossly inadequate — Senate •We can’t afford more than that, 

we have challenges — FG •Says AON owing FG $6,993,234; N19.365bn 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA—THE Senate and 

the Federal Government 

disagreed sharply yesterday over 

the N5 billion bailout approved 

for airline operators and other 

businesses in the aviation sector 

to mitigate the impact of COVID- 

19 pandemic on their operations. 

While the Senate asked the 

Federal Government to raise the 

bailout fund, saying it was too 

small, the Federal Government 

said it could not go beyond such 

amount, as it had other challenges 

to contend with. 

Speaking at the beginning of a 

three-day public hearing on six 

aviation executive bills in Abuja 

yesterday, Chairman, Senate 

Committee on Aviation, Senator 

Smart Adeyemi, All Progressives 

Congress, APC, Kogi West, who 

stressed the need for an upward 

review of the bailout funds for 

airline operators, said what the 

government was offering as 

bailout was too little to make any 

meaningful impact. 

The three-day public hearing 

on six executive bills is aimed at 

fine-tuning regulatory issues as 

well as effective management of 

agencies in the aviation industry, 

especially the twin bills for an Act 

to repeal and enact the Civil 

Aviation Act, 2006 and the 

Nigerian College of Aviation 

Technology Act 2010. 

Adeyemi, who maintained that 

the bailout for the airline operators 

was a far cry from what would be 

required to finance aircraft 

maintenance and retain workers, 

said: “ I do not think that N4 

billion is what we are talking about. 

I think the FG should give the 

industry all the attention it 

deserves. 

“N4 billion is not enough. Yes 

you might say they are in 

business but their business is the 

soul of our economy. 

“Let me take this unique 

opportunity to call on the Federal 

Government to explore the 

possibility of providing bail out 

funds for airline operators. The 

outbreak of the COVID-19 is a 

global and on-going pandemic 

and countries all over the 

world are providing bail out 

funds for airline operators. 

“Certainly, the aviation industry 

was the most affected by this virus 

attack and, therefore, needs all the 

support possible to resuscitate the 

industry. In the absence of this, 

so many airlines will struggle to 

stay in business or worst still, be 

forced to withdraw their services. 

‘’Bail out funds will mitigate the 

devastation and also discourage 

operators from cutting corners as 

the consequences can only be 

better imagined. 

“The N4 billion approved for 

the airline operators is too small, 

going by what is happening 

globally in the aviation sector. If 

we really want to keep the airline 

operators in business, and we 

don’t want them to close shops 

and go home, the Federal 

Government should shore up the 

amount it wanted to give to the 

airlines operators. 

“For a developed nation like 

Nigeria, we need to encourage 

the airline operators to remain in 

business. The situation would be 

worse if we fail to support them 

and they would have to be 

cutting corners. The Minister 

should still extend our demands 

to the executive council and see 

how CBN could come in in that 

regard.” 

Adeyemi advised the 

government to provide sufficient 

bail out to the airline operators to 

prevent them from cutting corners 

in their operations, adding that 

“such bail out will ensure they 

(airline operators) don’t cut 

corners; the implication of which 

is better imagined.” 

On his part, the Minister of 

Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, had 

informed the Senate panel about 

Federal Government’s plan to 

provide N4 billion for airline 

operators and another N1billion 

for other business owners in the 

aviation sector, as part of its 

intervention to cushion the 

effects of COVID-19 pandemic. 

He said government’s decision 

was based on the recognition of 

the pivotal role of the aviation 

sector to the Nigerian economy. 

According to him, though the 

decision is laudable, the 

government cannot afford to raise 

the said bailout above the 

present position because of the 

present challenges it is confronted 

with. 

Sirika added that the Federal 

Government would require the 

backing of the Senate for 

necessary appropriation in that 

regard in the 2021 budget. 

Meanwhile, during 

VISIT: From left; 

Member, Board of 

Trustees, Sir Ahmadu 

Bello Memorial 

Foundation (SABMEF) 

Prof. Kuta Yahaya; MD/ 

CEO of the foundation, 

Engr. Abubakar Gambo 

Umar; Chairman, Board 

of Trustees/former Niger 

State Governor, Dr. 

Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu 

and Ekiti State Governor, 

Dr. Kayode Fayemi; 

during a visit by the 

leadership of the 

foundation to the 

Governor in Ado- 

Ekiti yesterday. 

presentation of positions on the 

bill, Airline Operators of Nigeria, 

AON, told the committee that the 

cost of imposing five percent 

contract sales and service charge 

was on the high side, noting that 

five percent had been in law since 

2006 and that it should be 

reduced to at least one percent. 

AON, which was represented 

by its consultant, Chinasa 

Unaegburam, said: “We are 

proposing that we have our fees 

at cost recovery, so the aim is to 

ensure that these agencies are 

managed efficiently. 

‘’That there is accountability 

and transparency. Putting these 

factors in place, we can then 

justify the retention of this five 

percent. But today, members of 

AON are groaning. 

“We propose 1.5% but it is 

subject to negotiation. The 

operators have to operate 

efficiently which is a very 

important issue for the operators, 

two year imprisonment on nonremittance 

of charge. 

‘’An airline should not be 

subject to a jail term from non 

remittance of charge. The whole 

section should be expunged.” 

You can attend to cases online, CJN tells Judges 

•Urges them to shun gratification, delay in justice delivery 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA—THE 

Chief 

Justice of Nigeria, CJN, 

Justice Tanko Muhammad, 

yesterday gave judges across the 

federation the nod to adjudicate 

on cases through online 

platforms. 

The CJN, who spoke at the 

virtual opening ceremony of the 

induction course for newly 

appointed judges and Kadis, 

organised by the National Judicial 

Institute, NJI, however, stressed 

that in adjudicating matters 

online, judges must pay strict 

adherence to dictates of the law. 

He noted that current 

international and national 

discourse bordering on COVID- 

19 brought lots of activities to its 

knee and occasioned delay in 

justice delivery. 

Justice Muhammad warned 

that judges must be in the 

discharge of their judicial duties, 

asking them to shun all forms of 

gratification. 

He said: “As judicial officers 

saddled with the responsibility of 

adjudicating on matters in the 

temple of justice, I must not fail to 

mention that your actions and 

inactions within and outside the 

court premises must conform to 

the dictates of the Code of 

Conduct for judicial officers. 

‘’You are also bound by the 

provisions of the Code of Conduct 

for public officers as spelled out in 

the fifth schedule of the 

establishment and maintenance 

of a high standard of morality in 

the conduct of government 

business, and to ensure that the 

actions and behavior of public 

officers kowtow highest standards 

of public morality and 

accountability. 

‘’Given the current 

international and national 

discourse bordering on COVID- 

19 that has brought lots of 

activities to its knee, you may be 

required at your various 

jurisdictions to adjudicate on 

matters through online platforms, 

while doing this, you must ensure 

you adhere to all laid down safety 

guidelines while ensuring that 

the wheel of justice must not 

grind to a halt.’’ 

He said much of the criticism 

leveled against the judiciary in 

Nigeria were about “persistent 

delays in the administration of 

justice, bias and wrong 

applications of laws. 

“These acts are often not to 

the delight of litigants and court 

users as they often frown at the 

way services are rendered. As 

such, a better understanding of 

the current trends in justice 

administration will help you 

appraise and curb the waste 

of judicial time and resources, 

thereby ensuring that justice 

delivery is efficient and 

proactive.'' 

“Accordingly, while discharging 

your duties, it is important to note 

that all forms of gratification must 

not be associated with you. You 

must not be found wanting. 

Transparency, honesty amd 

accountability must remain 

your watch word.''


:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

SIGNING—From left: Secretary, Presidential Committee on Correctional Services Reform 

and Decongestion, Mrs. Leticia Ayoola-Daniels; Chairman of the committee and Chief 

Judge of FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the 

Federation, Abubakar Malami; Judge of FCT in-charge of Court 2, Justice Salisu Garba, 

and Director of Academics, Nigerian Law School, Chibueze Okorie, during the signing 

of FCT Custodial and Non-Custodial Sentencing Guidelines and Practice Direction 2020, 

in Abuja, yesterday. 

2020 WASSCE: WAEC withholds 

215,149 results 

By Elizabeth Osayande 

LAGOS—OUT of the 1,538, 

445 candidates that sat for 

the 2020 West African Senior 

Secondary School 

Examination, WASSCE, 

conducted by the West African 

Examinations Council, 

WAEC, 215,149 candidates’ 

results were withheld for 

alleged examination 

malpractices. 

Head of the Nigerian Office 

of WAEC, Patrick Areghan, 

said this during a press 

briefing, held to announce the 

release of the 2020 WASSCE 

results. 

Areghan said: “The results 

of 215,149 candidates, 

representing 13.98 per cent of 

the total number of candidates 

Wrongful termination: Ex-employee 

sues Cellulant for N529m 

LAGOS—A 

former 

employee of Cellulant 

Nigeria Limited, Mr. Rufus 

Udechukwu, has sued the 

company for N529 million over 

'wrongful termination' of his 

employment contract. 

Also copied in the suit was 

Cellulant Corporation (as 

second defendant). 

The former employee, in the 

suit document filed by his 

lawyers, Samuel Etuk Esq. and 

Nseobong Okon Esq., claimed 

the purported termination of his 

contract 'violates clear terms of the 

Standard Operating Procedure, 

which makes it mandatory that all 

terminations must be supported 

by valid reasons and evidence of 

offences committed, and the 

termination must be approved by 

a duly constituted disciplinary 

committee'. 

Vanguard had earlier 

reported that the co-founder of the 

company, Mr. Bolaji Akinboro, 

resigned, while the employment 

contract of over 35 employees was 

terminated. 

When contacted on the matter, 

Cellulant had stated that the 

irregularities it found on one of 

its platforms, Agrikore, was the 

reason behind the co-founder’s 

resignation and some staff being 

sacked. 

However, in the response, the 

company noted its compliance 

....Records 65% credit pass in Eng, Maths 

that sat for the examination, 

are being withheld in 

connection with various cases 

of examination malpractices. 

“The cases are being 

investigated and reports of the 

investigation will be presented 

to the appropriate committee 

of the council for 

determination, in due course. 

The committee’s decisions will 

be communicated to the 

affected candidates through 

their various schools.” 

The number of withheld results 

may not be unconnected with the 

candidates being academically 

rusty, after staying home for about 

six months because of the closure 

of schools, following the outbreak 

of the coronavirus disease in the 

country. 

Schools were shut in March, 

barely three weeks to the start of 

review on the Agrikore platform 

said: “14 employees had 

inappropriately received funds 

from Agrikore wallets.” and that 

“there is no indication that 

customer funds were 

compromised”. 

When questioned on why over 

35 employees were sacked when 

only 14 were alleged to be 

involved in unprofessionalism on 

the Agrikore platform, Cellulant’s 

media representative pleaded for 

some time to reply. 

WASSCE. 

However, 1.338,358 

representing 86.99 per cent of the 

number of candidates, who sat for 

the exam, obtained credit and 

above in a minimum of any five 

subjects with or without the 

compulsory English Language 

and Mathematics. 

Areghan noted that a total of 

1,003,668 candidates, 

representing 65.24 per cent of the 

total number of candidates that sat 

for the exam, “obtained credits and 

above in a minimum of five 

subjects, including English 

Language and Mathematics.” 

Areghan added that of the 65.24 

per cent, “497,139, which 

represents, 49.53 per cent were 

male, while 506,529, which 

represents 50.47 per cent were 

female candidates.” 

“The released results are being 

uploaded on the results website. 

Candidates who sat for the 

examination and who have 

fulfilled their financial obligations 

to the Council can access their 

performance on the Council’s 

results website. 

“The result checker pin and 

serial number required by 

candidates to check their results 

online are contained on the 

candidates Smart Identity Card 

used during the conduct of the 

examination. 

“Certificates of candidates 

whose results have been fully 

processed and released will be 

ready within the next 90 days, 

counting from today,” he said. 

ENDSARS: Amotekun corps arrest 

suspected looters, arsonists in 

Ondo 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—FOUR suspected 

#EndSARS looters have 

been arrested by the Ondo 

State Security Network 

Agency also known 

as Amotekun Corps. 

They have since been 

handed over to the state police 

command for further 

interrogation and prosecution. 

The suspects include Femi 

Ibine, Oyewole Olayele, Omotubora 

IyanuOluwa and Olamiju Sunday. 

Commandant of the security outfit 

in the state, Adetunji Adeleye, said 

the arrests of the suspects took place 

in various parts of the state, adding 

that they were arrested with 

exhibits allegedly linking them with 

looting, arson, attacks at police 

stations and other crimes in the 

state. 

Adeleye listed items recovered from the 

suspects to include police cardigans, 

boots, rifle and motorcycle. 

He said: “Items recovered from the 

suspects, suggested that the suspects 

participated in the burning of police 

stations in the state.” 

One of the suspects, who spoke during 

the parade, Oyewale Olayele, said he 

only picked some scraps from the burnt 

police station and high court, intending 

to sell them later. 

Another suspect, Femi Ibine, said that 

the military paraphernalia found in his 

room by the Amotekun personnel 

belonged to his late grandmother, who 

was a Colonel in the Nigerian Army. 

...When they become unsold! 

...And when pregnancy comes, 

Boom!!! you'll be running from 

one James to another! 

Ah...don't get used to it oo!

C 

M 

Y 

K 




PREMIERE: 

From left— 

Nollywood actress, 

Ini Edo, lead actor 

of Citation, Gabriel 

Afolayan, movie 

producer, Kunle 

Afolayan and lead 

cast of Citation, 

Temi Otedola, at 

the premiere of 

#Citationthemovie 

in Lagos. 

OYIGBO KILLINGS: Withdraw soldiers 

in 72 hours or face ICC, INC tells Wike 

• I didn't order military to kill Igbo in Oyigbo —Wike 

• Wike won't go free over killings —Nnamdi Kanu 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor, 

Chimaobi Nwaiwu 

& Chinonso Alozie 

PORT HARCOURT— 

ALLEGED killings and 

genocide happening in Oyigbo 

Local Council of Rivers 

State are generating tension 

in the area and neighbouring 

South-East geo-political 

zone. 

The Igbo National Council, 

INC, yesterday, threatened 

to drag Rivers State 

Governor, Nyesom Wike, to 

the International Criminal 

Court, ICC if he failed to withdraw 

the military within 72 

hours as the governor said he 

did not order the military to 

kill Igbo in Oyigbo. 

This is as Leader of the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, 

IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, 

decried the killings in the 

area and said that Governor 

Wike would not go scot-free. 

INC President, Chilos Godsent, 

gave Wike the ultimatum 

while speaking to reporters 

in Owerri after alleged 

reports he said showed that 

soldiers were killing innocent 

persons in Oyigbo (also 

called Obigbo) following the 

outcome of the #EndSAR 

protests. 

However, Governor Wike 

has responded that he never 

ordered soldiers to kill Igbo 

but the INC disagreed, saying 

that troops in Oyigbo were 

there on Wike's order just to 

negotiate a vice presidential 

slot for himself in 2023. 

INC said: "The Igbo National 

Council condemns the 

ongoing massacre of Igbo 

people in Oyigbo Local Government 

Area of Rivers State 

by the blood -thirsty brigands 

of the Nigerian Army backed 

by the Nyesom Wike-led government 

of Rivers State. 

"We have noted the treacherous 

broadcast by Governor 

Nyesom Wike regarding the 

activities of the Indigenous 

People of Biafra in Rivers 

State and arrived on the con- 

clusion that Governor Wike is 

dancing ‘surugede’ and will 

soon be disappointed. 

"We have done the analysis 

of the treacherous and unholy 

romance of Governor Wike 

with the blood-thirsty murderous 

Nigerian soldiers 

whom Wike commissioned 

to massacre the Oyigbo residence 

of the Igbo. 

"Intelligence available to the 

Igbo National Council shows 

that the satanic alliance of 

Wike with Jihadists Nigerian 

soldiers was triggered by 

his inordinate and desperate 

ambition to vie for Vice President 

in 2023 presidential 

race. The script is that Wike 

must show to the Jihadists 

that he has the capacity and 

willingness to attack and try 

to exterminate the Igbo race 

in Rivers State as condition 

to get the support of the Caliphate. 

"The Igbo National Council 

therefore wishes to advise 

Wike to go back to school to 

read history in order to be 

clear-headed of what the outcome 

of his new alliance will 

be in 2023. When they finish 

using him, they will dump 

him like they dumped Adams 

Oshiomhole, Rotimi Chibuike 

Amaechi, Senator Orji Uzor 

Kalu and Senator Bola 

Ahmed Tinubu and many 

others. 

“The INC therefore calls on 

Wike to immediately recall 

those blood-thirsty killer 

gangs of the Nigerian soldiers 

that are rampaging in 

Oyigbo, killing innocent armless 

Nigerians while Boko 

Haram is busy sacking many 

communities in Northern Nigerian 

states. 

"Consequent upon the 

above, we therefore give Nyesom 

Wike seventy-two hours 

from Tuesday 3rd November 

2020, to withdraw those murderers 

disguising as Nigerian 

soldiers from Oyigbo or we 

shall declare a Fatwa on Nyesom 

Wike and also petition 

him to the International Criminal 

Court, ICC, on offence 

of genocide." 

I never ordered 

military to kill Igbo 

in Oyigbo —Wike 

Countering the allegation 

against him, Governor Wike 

said he never ordered military 

to kill Igbo in Oyigbo, describing 

the allegation as balderdash 

and politically motivated. 

The governor stated that the 

curfew imposed on Oyigbo 

was to restore calm in the area 

after members of the IPOB 

killed six soldiers, four policemen 

and destroyed all 

police stations and court 

buildings in the area. 

Wike gave the explanation 

on a live television programme 

in Port Harcourt, 

yesterday, arguing that the 

narrative that Igbo were being 

killed by the military is 

intended to shift attention 

from the despicable activities 

of IPOB in Oyigbo, 

which is a boundary area 

adjoining Abia State.He 

said: "I know that this is not 

the first time IPOB has used 

Oyigbo as launching 

ground. The security agencies 

are aware. IPOB added 

a new dimension this 

time. They killed six Army 

officers and burnt one. They 

killed four Police Officers. 

They destroyed all the Police 

stations and court buildings. 

What offence did we 

commit as a state?I imposed 

curfew to restore 

calm. I proscribed IPOB activities 

anywhere in the 

state. Don't forget that the 

Federal Government had 

declared them a terrorist 

group. It is not the entire Igbo 

that believe in IPOB 

activities."So, it's not true that 

I ordered the military to kill 

Igbo in Oyigbo. When did I 

become a friend to the military? 

What about the Igbo living 

elsewhere in the state, are 

they also being killed? I have 

no relationship with the Army 

or the Police, I do not command 

them. They change 

Commissioner of Police every 

time. How will I begin to direct 

the Army that I do not 

give instruction?" 

The governor bemoaned 

IPOB’s effrontery to rename 

a local government in the 

state and hoist its flag in a 

public school in Komkom 

Town. “I will not fold my arms 

and watch criminals destroy 

my state. If those few criminals 

are Igbo, then they 

should know that I will not 

allow them. They made attempt 

to rename a local government 

in my state. That 

alone is a signal. I will not 

agree to that. I know who is 

doing all these; who has told 

them to rise, protest against 

Wike.” 

The governor stated that the 

state government has no regret 

against its stance on 

IPOB, already designated as 

a terrorist organisation by the 

Federal Government. 

Noting that even South- 

East governors have never 

supported IPOB, he wondered 

why a governor from 

the Niger Delta should tolerate 

the group. He revealed 

that security agencies during 

their search of some residents 

in Oyigbo, saw shrines with 

IPOB flags and Nnamdi 

Kanu’s picture. He maintained 

that if IPOB is allowed 

to operate from Oyigbo, they 

will soon overrun the 

state.The governor said the 

government has commenced 

moves to replace all the property 

destroyed by the group 

during the protest, regretting 

that the damage has left a 

huge financial burden on the 

state. In addition, he said the 

state has decided to compensate 

each family of the killed 

security personnel with N20 

million to cater for the welfare 

of bereaved widows and 

their children. 

He further said that the 

#EndSARS protest and its 

aftermath would have been 

averted if the federal government 

had not dismissed the 

alarm he earlier raised on the 

activities of SARS as mere 

politics. 

Wike won't go free 

—Nnamdi Kanu 

Angered by the killings, 

IPOB Leader, Mazi Nnamdi 

Kanu, yesterday, warned 

that all those who have hand 

in the alleged ongoing killings 

of ''innocent Biafrans'' 

should know that vengeance 

is coming. 

In a statement by IPOB's 

Media and Publicity Secretary, 

Emma Powerful, he challenged 

Governor Wike to take 

action and find the killers of 

his people instead of being 

an apologist to the military. 

The statement read: "Everybody 

that has a hand in the 

ongoing Obigbo genocide 

must know that vengeance is 

coming. It's not a matter of 

if but when. And when it 

does come, apologists like 

Wike and the Nigerian 

Army must remember what 

happened at Obigbo. 

"There were riots and disturbances 

all over Nigeria. 

Nigerian Army and Police 

have killed and continued 

to kill hundreds of young 

people and in retaliation, 

young people attacked police 

stations. To single out 

the inhabitants of Obigbo 

for extermination is a vicious 

and evil undertaking 

and a calculated attempt by 

Wike to please his Fulani 

masters and Britain that 

tried but failed to exterminate 

the Igbo race between 

1966-70. Obigbo will not 

die, it shall rise again because 

the blood of the innocent 

is crying out for revenge. 

"The 1966 alliance of the 

axis of evil is once again at 

play. History has taught us 

not to forget, we will not forget. 

Those children in 

Obigbo murdered have 

nephews and cousins who 

are so embittered to the 

point that they can no longer 

be controlled. I feel sorry 

for Wike and all collaborators 

in this brutal genocide. 

"Twist the narrative all you 

like, nobody can stop the 

hand of time. When the rain 

begins to fall, remember I 

warned you. I will not write, 

neither will I comment on 

this issue again." 

Give us more time to implement your 

demands, FG counsels youths 

• Visits 300 level medical student knocked down by stray 

bullet in Ebonyi 

By Peter Okutu 

A BAKALIKI—THE 

Federal Government, 

weekend, appealed to 

young people across the 

country to give more time 

to allow it holistically 

mplement their 5-point 

demands, following the 

ENDSARS protests. 

The Minister of Science 

and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya 

Onu, stated this 

in Abakaliki when he visited 

the family of a 300 level 

medical student 

(Favour Sopuruchi Omoha) 

that was hit by a stray 

bullet in the head during 

the #EndSARS protests in 

the state. 

According to Onu, President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

was interested in 

leaving behind a country 

that young people will be 

proud of and urged them 

to shun violence as the destruction 

of the country's 

national assets was not in 

the interest of anybody. 

He thanked God for saving 

the life of the young 

medical student even as 

he made financial donation 

for the upkeep of the 

victim. 

"We are very thankful to 

God for saving her life. I 

wanted to visit her in the 

hospital but was told that 

she is now at home. I'm 

happy she is making 

progress. We are here to 

thank God she is quickly recovering. 

We are very confident 

that our doctors did their 

best. The injury is on her 

head. All these EndSARS 

youths, shun violence. We 

should stop destroying national 

assets. Violence introduces 

tension and people 

can no longer feel secured. 

"We also want to tell our 

young people that the President 

is working hard to implement 

all the demands of 

the youths. We are interested 

in leaving behind, a country 

that our young people will 

be proud of. Your voice has 

been heard at the highest 

level. Young people should 

give time to the administration 

to implement all its demands. 

The future of the 

nation belongs to the young 

and we will make sure that 

they are properly integrated 

into the developmental 

strides of the country." 

The father of the victim, 

Rev. Dr Godwin Omoha 

who stated that a live bullet 

was extracted from his 

daughter's head expressed 

optimism that his daughter 

would fully recover from the 

gunshot injury. 

"I am privileged to have 

you in my domain. God 

knows that my daughter will 

jump the hurdles of death. 

May God give you life for 

having pity on us by your 

visit. I am overwhelmed. 

Thank you for your visit. You 

came to identify with my family. 

Live bullet was removed 

from her. I hoarded it until 

the day of testimony. She is 

a 300 medical student of 

EBSU." 

In his remarks, an All Progressives 

Congress, APC, 

chieftain, Chief Egwu Chima 

called on leaders across 

the country to emulate the 

kind gesture of the Minister 

of Science and Technology.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 —9

C 

M 

Y 




Alleged fraud: Why we 

summoned Fowler —EFCC 

By Soni Daniel 

A BUJA—FORMER 

Chief Executive of the 

Federal Inland Revenue 

Service, FIRS, Babatunde 

Fowler, yesterday, 

appeared before the 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, sparking 

speculations that he has 

questions to answer over 

his tenure. 

Fowler, who also served 

as the Chairman of the 

Lagos State Internal 

Revenue Service, LIRS, 

was summoned to the 

Lagos State Zonal Office of 

the EFCC. 

As at the time of filing this 

report, an EFCC source 

TETFund to expand UNILAG 

students' accommodation 

with 2000 beds 

L AGOS—TERTIARY 

Education Fund, 

TETFund, has promised to 

facilitate the provision of 

2,000 extra bed spaces at 

the University of Lagos. 

Chairman of the Board of 

Trustees of the fund, Alhaji 

Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, 

said this, yesterday, at the 

beginning of the inspection 

of TETFund facilities in the 

university. 

Ibrahim-Imam spoke, as 

TETFund’s Executive 

Secretary, Prof. Suleiman 

Bogoro, restated the 

determination of the 

intervention agency to 

boost the academic profile 

of Nigerian universities 

through arming them with 

the required resources to 

publish journals, books and 

other research works. 

Besides the accommodation for 

students, TETFund has also 

designated the University of 

YOV tackles Buhari on restructuring 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

LAGOS—A coalition of 

Yoruba groups in the 

Diaspora, Yoruba One 

Voice, YOV, yesterday, 

expressed concerns over 

what it termed 

‘retrogressive and 

insensitive’ response of the 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari-led administration 

to calls for restructuring, 

warning that the Yoruba 

nation may be pushed to 

secede any time soon. 

It also urged the 

international community to 

commence the framework 

for the review of the 

country’s structure for 

peaceful dissolution. 

In a statement by its 

spokesperson, Zacheus 

Somorin, YOV faulted the 

statement by Senior Special 

Assistant to the President 

on Media and Publicity, 

Malam Garba Shehu, that 

Buhari will not succumb to 

threats and undue 

pressure over the subject of 

....Approaches US, UN, others on 

self-determination 

Police brutality: We’ll dispense justice without fear —Ekiti panel 

By Rotimi 

Ojomoyela & Shina 

Abubakar 

ADO-EKITI—THE panel 

of inquiry set up by Governor 

Kayode Fayemi to probe 

allegations of police brutality and 

other injustices in Ekiti State, 

yesterday, began sitting, assuring 

that it would dispense justice 

without fear or favour. 

This came on a day a faction of 

the #EndSARS protesters in 

Osun State urged the state 

government to review the 

composition of the judicial panel 

of inquiry against police brutality 

to include genuine protesters. 

The panel said this in Ado Ekiti 

when it began sitting on the 

allegations of human rights 

violations against police officers, 

including that of the disbanded 

Special Anti Robbery Squad, 

SARS. 

It also said policemen, who also 

suffered any form of violation, can 

file their petitions before the panel 

to seek justice. 

Besides, it warned that any 

petitioner, who parades fake 

documents would be treated as 

familiar with the invitation, 

said Fowler was still being 

interrogated in Lagos. 

The source hinted that 

contrary to speculations, 

Fowler was not invited in 

connection with his 

stewardship at the FIRS 

but in relation to his 

tenure at the Lagos 

Internal Revenue Service, 

based on a petition. 

However, later in the 

day, spokesman for the 

EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, 

confirmed the invitation of 

Fowler to Vanguard. 

Wilson said that Fowler 

was invited and he 

responded, but did not 

give further details on 

what the petition against 

him contains. 

Lagos as one of its centres of 

excellence in the country, with 

the prospect of drawing more 

funds to the institution. 

TETFund, according to 

Ibrahim-Imam, will also provide 

at least N1 billion for the 

development of the Urology and 

Kidney Centre in the institution. 

The 2,000 extra bed spaces, 

which are provided in 

conjunction with the private 

sector, will boost the present 

accommodation capacity of the 

school, which is estimated at 

7,000. 

Ibrahim-Imam said: “TETfund 

will collaborate with the 

universities and make the 

necessary investment to 

enhance e-learning in Nigerian 

universities.” 

Other members of the 

TETfund board in the team 

included Senator Ganiyu 

Solomon, Uche Ufearoh, 

Mohammed Liman Ciroma and 

Dr. Fiepre Aprebo. 

committing a criminal offence. 

At its inaugural meeting, the 

Chairman of the panel, Justice 

Cornelius Akintayo, said: “I want 

to sound a note of warning that it 

is a grievous offence to bring 

fictitious documents before this 

panel. 

“At the right time, we will call 

all petitioners to come and testify 

to test the veracity of the 

documents presented and all 

their claims before this panel. 

“Police too can get justice. The 

CP should tell his people that if 

any of them had suffered any 

damage or had his rights abridged, 

he should file in his petition 

because we are all citizens of this 

nation. 

“There must be justice for all 

for Nigeria to have peace. We 

need to justice at all times, either 

as police as members of the 

society, or for the one suffered by 

any member of the society from 

the police. 

“As a fact-finding panel, we will 

try and get to the root of any issue 

brought before us, because we 

can’t manufacture evidence for 

PARLEY—Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left), addressing store owners of the looted 

and vandalised Circle Mall at Lekki, during a meeting, yesterday. 

restructuring. 

The coalition stated that 

the swiftness by which the 

Presidency, through 

Shehu, jettisoned the 

nationwide demand for 

restructuring in Nigeria is 

retrogressive, callous, and 

uncouth. 

It said: “We expected that 

this administration will 

collate, digest and present 

assurances to Nigerians 

that President Buhari will 

do the needful by 

rebuilding the country 

towards inclusivity on the 

altar of restructuring, but 

the regime had other ideas 

wrapped in uncouth 

language. But Nigerians 

will not be cowed from 

making their points even in 

the face of threats. 

“For a nation of over 200 

million people, the 

incidents of the past weeks 

should have taught us that 

various offences. We want you to 

take note of whether they had 

been punished before your 

recommendations, so they won’t 

suffer double punishment.” 

Also speaking, the Attorney 

General and Commissioner for 

Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, 

described the task before the 

panel as daunting, adding that 

their duties had been made easier 

by the desire of the people to get 

justice for infringements now and 

in the past. 

Fapohunda said: “The 

government will ensure that as 

many as possible that attends 

this panel will get justice. We 

expect that the panel will facilitate 

interaction between the 

government and the youth. The 

government is also trying to find 

an innovative way through 

technology to widen the scope of 

access to justice across all villages. 

“This panel does not suggest 

that the Nigerian police are on 

trial. Within the police in Ekiti, 

we have had a course to get 

policemen who served us 

professionally, but we have to get 

if any civil war happens in 

Nigeria, the casualties will 

be huge. That is why we 

are urging the United 

Nations, the UK, the US 

Congress, the 

Commonwealth, and the 

British Parliament, among 

other international bodies, 

to urgently superintend 

over the peaceful 

dissolution of the country.” 

Besides, Somorin stated 

that the YOV has placed the 

United Nations and the 

African Union on notice 

about their intentions 

adding that the Yoruba 

glory is being trampled 

upon based on how 

Nigeria is presently 

structured–politically 

He said: “It is clear that 

the current leadership of 

Nigeria is not, and has 

never been committed to 

the fundamental objectives 

and directives of the 

....As #EndSARS protesters' faction seeks review of panel in Osun 

ourselves. People must be patient 

with us as we trash all issues. 

Whoever that is alleged will be 

invited to defend himself in the 

spirit of fair hearing.” 

In his remarks, the 

Commissioner of Police, Mr. 

Babatunde Mobayo, appealed to 

the panel to take cognisance of 

the fact that any policeman who 

had been disciplined for any 

misdemeanour should be let off 

the hook, in order not to suffer 

double punishment. 

Mobayo said: “In the police, we 

have mechanisms that we use to 

handle issues like this, but this 

one will also complement. Of 

recent, 10 policemen, including 

an Assistant Commissioner of 

Police, were dismissed by the 

police authority. Some are still 

facing the disciplinary committee. 

Punishments are being meted 

out to our officers when we get a 

report of a breach of oath. 

“The panel must take into 

consideration that we have some 

policemen, who had been 

sentenced to jail, death, 

demotion and dismissed for 

justice for our people who had 

suffered any injustice in the past 

and now, it is a mandatory 

obligation for our government. 

“We hope that this panel will 

give succour to whoever comes 

here to seek justice.” 

The panel adjourned sitting to 

Thursday, November 5, 2020, for 

the hearing of the petitions. 

#EndSARS 

protesters 

seek review of 

panel in 

Osun 

Meanwhile, a faction of the 

#EndSARS protesters in Osun 

State has described the panel as 

presently constituted as 

fraudulent, saying it would 

agitate against those with 

questionable character in the 

panel to ensure justice for the 

masses. 

Addressing a press conference 

at the Correspondents’ Chapel 

in Osogbo, Olawale Bakare said 

the group tried to pass its position 

principles of statehood, 

policies of Federalism as 

enshrined in Chapter II of 

the Constitution that it 

derived its powers from. 

“Our people are tired of 

terrorism, insecurity, 

hopelessness, injustice, 

killings, unemployment, 

inequality, corruption, 

scandals, violence, 

oppression, extortion, and 

assault. 

“Whereas, our people are 

entitled to their inherent, 

inalienable rights to Selfdetermination 

and dignity 

of their persons under 

Article 1 of the Universal 

Declaration of Human and 

Peoples Rights of 1948; 

Article 20 of the African 

Charter on Human and 

People’s Rights, Article 1 of 

the International 

Convention Civil and 

Political Rights and the 

International Convention 

on Economic, Social and 

Cultural Rights.” 

to the state government but were 

frustrated by some state officials, 

who treated them like 

nonentities. 

Bakare said: “We, hereby, call 

for the immediate and 

unconditional review of this 

Judicial Panel of Inquiry; we 

request that no panelist must 

have controversial antecedents 

and track records of service must 

be acceptable to the protesters. 

“We emphatically demand that 

the protesters should also be 

adequately and satisfactorily 

represented in the Judicial Panel 

of Inquiry as a way to encourage 

transparency. 

“We also demand that every 

sitting of the Judicial Panel of 

Inquiry which must comprise of 

persons of integrity and moral 

excellence must be aired and 

televised live for all the people of 

Osun and Nigeria at large to 

follow. We are also deeply 

concerned and condemn in 

absolute term the meeting the 

already constituted Judicial Panel 

of Inquiry held, which was not 

made public but shrouded in 

secrecy."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 —11

C 

M 

Y 

K 

12— Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 



MEETING: 

Governor Dapo 

Abiodun of 

Ogun State 

(right) with 

Commissioner 

for Budget and 

Planning, 

Olaolu 

Olabimtan, 

during a 

virtual meeting/citizens 

engagement 

on 2021 budget 

held at 

Governor's 

office, Oke 

Mosan, 

Abeokuta, 

yesterday. 

Ayade: Obong of Calabar's resignation 

call raises dust 

By Ike 

Uchechukwu & 

Emma Una 

THERE have been mixed 

reactions following the call 

by the Obong of Calabar, 

Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi 

Otu V, at the weekend that 

Governor Ben Ayade should 

step aside and learn from an 

interim administration. 

Speaking when a 

delegation led by former 

Governor Liyel Imoke paid 

him a courtesy visit following 

the devastating destruction 

that took place in Calabar, the 

Obong stated that if it was 

within his powers, he would 

have asked Governor Ayade 

to wait for an interim 

administration to take over so 

he can learn from the 

administration. 

While some imminent 

persons in the state have 

condemned the Obong’s 

statement, others pointed out 

that the traditional ruler’s 

assertion was a reflection of 

Governor Ayade’s poor crisis 

management ability. 

Reacting to the issue, 

political leader of Northern 

Cross River State, Chief Linus 

Okom, said such a call could 

lead to anarchy and that as a 

leader; the Obong ought to 

have been more temperate in 

his speech. 

He said: “I believe the 

Obong must have been 

misquoted or his statement 

taken out of context but if he 

actually said it, then that is 

unfortunate because the office 

of governor is not that of a 

village meeting position. 

"Even at that, the chairman 

of a village meeting cannot 

be removed arbitrarily 

without due process. 

Governance is a tedious task 

and it is not proper to 

apportion blame without a 

careful and thorough 

appraisal of the issues at 

stake. Governor cannot 

resign by somebody’s fiat.” 

Also speaking on the matter, 

a political leader and veteran 

journalist Dr Matthias Oko, 

said: “If the call by Obong for 

the governor to resign is 

because of the EndSARs 

protest, which was hijacked 

by hoodlums, did he not hear 

that the protests and 

destruction were not peculiar 

to Cross River State. So, why 

single out the governor of our 

state and asking him to 

resign?” 

On his part, former 

Chairman of Inter-Party 

Advisory Council, IPAC, Mr 

Godie Akpama, said, “The 

Obong has no constitutional 

powers or traditional role to 

call on the governor of the 

state to resign. The governor 

was voted by people of the 

state, who are about four 

million though the result 

shows four hundred 

thousand. Therefore one 

individual cannot ask the 

governor to resign." 

Also rejecting Ayade’s 

resignation call, Bishop Etim 

Ekpatt, Presiding Bishop of 

Victory International Centre, 

Calabar and former 

Chairman of Pentecostal 

Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, 

Cross River said: “If it is their 

brother, would they ask him 

to resign? Clearly there is a 

failing but that is not to say 

the governor should be asked 

to resign." 

A former member 

representing Ogoja/Yala at 

the House of 

Representatives, Peter 

Igbodor, said he doesn’t 

agree totally with the position 

of the monarch, stating that 

he should have looked for a 

way to talk to the governor in 

private and not openly the 

way he did. 

On his part, an APC 

stalwart and former House of 

Assemby member, Cletus 

Obun, said he totally agrees 

with the Obong though, 

constitutionally, it's not 

attainable. 

He said: “I agree with the 

Obong of Calabar on this, 

even though it does not have 

any place in our constitution. 

The kind of governance we 

have seen in the last five 

years is abysmal and what the 

Obong posited is nothing but 

the truth.” 

According to a former aide 

to Governor Ayade and 

social critique, Ray Ugba 

Murphy, though the 

Nigerian constitution does 

not allow such, the Obong of 

Calabar spoke the minds of a 

huge number of 

CrossRiverians. 

Petferns Group begins N2bn industrial 

scheme in Bayelsa 

By Onozure Dania 

PETFERNS Group has 

said it is committed to a 

N2 billion industrial scheme 

in the country with the 

purchase of seven hectares 

of land in Bayelsa State for 

the setting up of assembling 

and manufacturing plants. 

The plants are expected to 

provide employment for 

3,000 Nigerians directly and 

indirectly. 

Its spokesperson, Ms. 

Peace Eberechukwu, said the 

investment was for agrofarms, 

manufacturing of 

tissue papers, production of 

industrial gases, 

pharmaceuticals, generator 

assembly plants and electrical 

fittings. 

She called for a partnership 

with the state government for 

receptive leasing by sand 

filling the vast land for quick 

commencement of 

operations. She stated that a 

bulk of the business such as 

production of industrial 

gases, tissue paper 

production, assembly of 

knockdown generators and 

electrical fittings would be 

carried out in Bayelsa state. 

Eberechukwu said the 

company was ready to offer 

10 percent equity share if the 

state government accepts to 

sandfill the land located at 

Amasoma by Niger Delta 

University. 

The spokesperson 

maintained that financing of 

the huge investment was 

being funded by the First City 

Monument Bank (FCMB). 

EndSARS: Buhari’s delay to 

address protesters led to hijack 

of protest— ljaw leader 

THE escalation and hijack 

of the EndSARS protests, 

which led to destruction of 

property, looting and killings 

of innocents protesters was 

caused by the failure and 

delay by President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

address the issues brought 

before the government. 

Ijaw leader and GMD/CEO 

of Babsfield Corperate 

Ventures, Chief Julius 

Babogha, who stated this 

while speaking with 

newsmen in Warri, however 

appealed to the Federal 

Government to pay serious 

attention to the plight and 

demands of the EndSARS 

protesters to avoid recurence 

of such ugly incident. 

He advised government to 

carry the youths along in the 

scheme of things, “engaging 

them in government activities, 

mostly in governance; self 

independent by introducing 

some measures of business 

through Federal Government 

loans to avoid this scenario 

where over 73 persons lost 

their lives, including some 

policemen and scores of police 

stations burnt. 

“The EndSARS protest has 

shown to the Nigerian 

government how the youths 

have been abandoned for 

many years and the only thing 

the government could do now 

to calm them from further 

protest is by ensuring that 

there is massive employment 

across the country for both 

graduates, none graduates 

and others who may want to 

venture into other trades.” 

He said the moment the 

Federal Government 

embraces the youths and see 

them as parts of the Nigerian 

government, it will go a long 

way to reducing violence and 

other social vices in the 

country. 

Osinbajo, Jonathan, Adeboye, 

Dickson grace Bayelsa 9th 

Thanksgiving Day 

• As Diri extends olive branch to 

opponents 

personalities, P ROMINENT 

including Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo; former 

President Goodluck 

Jonathan; General Overseer 

of the Redeemed Christian 

Church of God (RCCG), 

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and 

a former governor of the state, 

Chief Seriake Dickson, 

graced the 9th Bayelsa State 

Thanksgiving Day, 

yesterday. 

The event held at the 

magnificent 15,000-seat 

Ecumenical Centre at 

Igbogene near the state 

capital, Yenagoa, also had in 

attendance National 

Chairman of Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, Prince 

Uche Secondus; members of 

the party’s National Working 

Committee, clergymen as 

well as captains of industry. 

At the event, which was the 

first for his administration, an 

elated Governor Douye Diri, 

again, extended his hands of 

fellowship to political 

opponents, calling on them 

and Bayelsans to join forces 

with his government in 

building bridges of unity, 

peace and development of 

the state. 

Diri said it was time for the 

political class in the state, 

regardless of party affliation, 

to jettison their differences 

and discontinue the endless 

litigations against the 

government of the day in 

order to distract it. 

His Chief Press Secretary, 

Mr. Daniel Alabrah quoted 

him in a statement as saying: 

“We should be building 

bridges in this state and not 

burning them because before 

APC and PDP, Bayelsa was 

there. Like I have said over 

and over, our arms are open 

for all of our brothers whether 

in APC, PDP or whatever 

party. It is time to build 

Bayelsa State.” 

In his speech, Dr. Goodluck 

Jonathan urged political 

players to take a cue from the 

examplary conduct of 

Christians that worship one 

God under various religious 

organisations. 

He said: “We the political 

class should really learn from 

the Christians, the body of 

Christ. For those of us in 

Bayelsa, that is my only 

message today." 

Vice President Osinbajo, in 

his remarks presented by 

Pastor Seyi Malomo, 

commended the state 

government’s initiative at 

instituting a special day 

annually to appreciate God 

for His blessings upon the 

people. 

Osinbajo, who highlighted 

the significance of 

thanksgiving, expressed 

optimism that Bayelsa would 

continue to reap many 

blessings from making 

thanksgiving a culture, 

adding that the act of 

thanking God should be a 

daily affair. 

“Thanksgiving is such an 

important aspect of our lives 

that once you give it, you 

automatically qualify for 

another miracle,” he said. 

Former Governor Seriake 

Dickson, on his part, 

congratulated Senator Diri for 

the successful organisation of 

the Thanksgiving Day and 

enjoined Bayelsans to rally 

round the present 

administration to succeed. 

In his sermon, the Guest 

Preacher, Pastor Adeboye, 

spoke on the biblical keys to 

opening doors to success. He 

said there would be 

breakthrough for all who 

praise and worship God in 

truth and in spirit. 

The respected cleric, who 

said it was the third time he 

was attending the state’s 

Thanksgiving Day, noted 

that coming to Bayelsa was 

like a homecoming and 

praised God on behalf of Gov. 

Diri for continuing with the 

worthy legacies of his 

predecessor. 

Students in UK protest NDDC’s 

non-payment of scholarship 

fees 

NIGERIAN students 

sponsored abroad in 

2018 for further studies by 

Niger Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC, are 

currently holding a fresh 

protest over the non-release 

of funds for their scholarship 

for two years after being 

verified twice. 

The students bearing 

placards with various 

inscriptions in front of the 

Nigeria High Commission in 

London said official duties at 

the commission is currently 

at a standstill. 

The aggrieved students 

said the non-payment of their 

fees had exposed them to 

numerous dangers, 

including the COVID-19 

virus as some of them have 

to work in care homes to raise 

funds. 

“We are here to protest the 

non-payment of our school 

fees and allowance for the 

past two years. We have 

carried out a series of protests 

at this embassy but 

unfortunately, there was no 

positive response from 

NDDC. 

“They said our payment 

will be made by October 12 

after the verification exercise 

has been concluded. From 

then till now, our tuition fees 

and upkeep have not been 

paid. They keep promising 

us on a weekly basis. We are 

tired of all these fake 

promises,” one of the 

scholars, Femi,said. 

The scholars lamented that 

due to the nonpayment of 

their fees, they live from hand 

to mouth and depend on 

menial jobs for funding.

C 

M 

Y 

K 




FUNDRAISING/PRESENTATION: From left; Past District Governor, Lion Club; Bernard Eboreime, 

Immediate Past District Governor, Lion Club International District 404b1, Nigeria; Lion Oluremi Lynda 

Odunnmaku, District Governor 2020-2021, Mr Chikezie Nwosu, Chairman of occasion/Managing 

Director, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited and Lion Tokunbo Jegede, Multiple District Council 

Chairperson, during the fundraising and public presentation of Lion Oloremi Lynda Odunmbaku as District 

Governor 2020-2021, held at Anchor Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos. Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi. 

Apologise to Nigerians, Mbaka 

tells Buhari, ex-leaders 

•Says Buhari is surrounded by liars with NAFDAC number 

By Chinedu Adonu 

E 

N U G U — 

SPIRITUAL Director 

of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, 

Nigeria, AMEN, Rev. Fr. Ejike 

Mbaka, has charged President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

apologize to the country, 

especially to the youths, on behalf 

of himself and his predecessors, 

who had caused Nigerians so 

much pain. 

The fiery priest who made this 

call while delivering a message 

entitled “Impure Heart” during 

the 2020 All Saints Day Holy 

Mass at Adoration ground, stated 

that a pure heart begets a pure 

spirit while an impure heart 

begets an evil spirit. 

Fr Mbaka alleged that several 

#EndSARS protesters in Enugu 

State were killed by security 

agents and their bodies were 

thrown into the Onyeama valley. 

The AMEN founder also 

alleged that many youths were 

being detained in various 

correctional centres across the 

state and the country, declaring 

that "it is rather Nigerian leaders 

that should be in such custody 

(Correctional Centres) and not 

those Biafran boys. They should 

not touch any of those Biafran 

boys,” he stressed. 

The priest however, clarified 

that his message was not targeted 

at any particular government or 

individual but bad governance in 

general, adding, “This is not 

about #EndSARS or IPOB. 

Nobody is fighting any 

government. We are fighting bad 

governance. “This country can 

never be the same again!” 

Mbaka preceded the homily 

with a popular Igbo funeral lyrics, 

Ozoemena, which means ‘Never 

Again’. 

“Few days ago, at Miliken Hill, 

after New Market, (in Enugu), 

people discovered corpses of those 

that were shot and killed during 

the recent protests. 

“They dumped people’s 

corpses there while families of 

those young men and women 

continued searching for them. 

“That is why I am telling you 

that Nigeria can never be the 

same again. Whether you choose 

to misunderstand me or not is 

not my worry; that is your 

headache.Did you expect these 

young men to keep watching the 

country being swindled and 

looted dry by the so-called 

leaders? Some of the young men, 

who are now fast getting old, had 

started working for the criminals 

and hooligans in power since 

they were very young. 

“I know that by the time some 

of the leaders listen to this 

message, they will begin to attack 

Fr Mbaka. But that is their 

headache not mine. One day, 

enough will be enough. Look at 

crime upon crime. 

“These are people that you 

have not given jobs, you have 

not given food, you have not 

given security, housing, power; 

and they have no food to eat nor 

water to drink; no quality hospital 

and no good roads among others, 

and they had endured all the 

while. 

“Just one day that they came 

out to say they are not happy, 

you began to kill them. And 

after killing them, you carry 

their corpses and dump inside 

rivers and valleys? Nigeria 

can never be the same again! 

“The worst thing is that those 

hooligans in power think that the 

world is their home. They have 

acquired houses and other 

possessions in Abuja and other 

areas within and outside the 

country with our wealth but they 

cannot be wise to build good 

industries to provide jobs for our 

growing youths. That is my 

worry." 

The priest who had seemingly, 

struggled to avoid mentioning 

names in the course of the 

message, later broke loose, 

regretting that President Buhari, 

who could have salvaged the 

situation, had also failed because 

he had surrounded himself with 

the wrong folks. 

He said: “President Buhari 

who could have been a solution 

to this, succeeded in encircling 

himself with criminals and 

hooligans, people who do not just 

tell him lies, but magnify the 

lies with NAFDAC number and 

feed him. 

“Our leaders seem to be reaping 

Army deploys ‘Special Force’ to Anambra 

•To fill security void created by police boycott 

By Chimaobi 

Nwaiwu 

N 

N E W I — 

HOODLUMS who 

cashed in on the #EndSARS 

protests to burn Police stations 

and loot their guns in Anambra 

State and other parts of the 

southeast in order to use them 

for armed robbery, kidnapping 

and other violent criminal 

activities in the state and beyond 

have been asked to have a 

rethink and return them or leave 

the state. 

The warning followed the 

deployment of thousands of 

officers and soldiers to Anambra 

State on special assignment to 

ensure security of lives and 

property in the state and 

southeast in general. 

The fierce-looking officers and 

soldiers of the Nigerian Army, 

mostly young men and women 

between the ages of twenty five 

and forty, in high spirits, were 

drafted from different states of the 

federation, including the Federal 

Capital Territory, Abuja for the 

special assignment. 

Described as “Special Force’, 

the officers and soldiers were 

received at Prof. Dora Akunyili 

Women Development Centre, 

Awka, by the General Officer 

Commanding, GOC, 82 Division 

Nigerian Army, Major Major 

General Lasisi Adegboye; other 

senior officers from the Division 

and the Commander, 302 

Artillery Regiment (General 

Support), Col. Aliyu Lapai. 

The Special Force’ deployed to 

the state is expected to work with 

those from the 302 Artillery 

Regiment (General Support) and 

their 14 Field Engineer Regiment 

counterpart, Onitsha to ensure 

internal security of the state, 

now threatened by the near 

absence of the police on the 

streets in the state. 

the seeds they had planted. When 

somebody that you had not given 

job comes out to say that he is 

hungry and angry, it was you that 

attracted such protest in the first 

place. Do you know how many 

youths that have died due to 

hunger? 

“The government needs to 

apologize and they should also 

apologize for the errors of past 

governments.The President will 

die one day. Senators will die, 

governors will die whether they 

have one million security details 

and sirens or not. 

“One day, in this country, we 

will experience a phase where 

people will protect themselves but 

cause insecurity for you leaders 

when they see a siren ferrying you 

by. We are all Nigerians and all of 

us have share in this 

commonwealth. The solution is 

repentance, but can they repent? 

That is the problem. But one day, 

God will raise a Moses that will 

put all of them in the Red Sea." 

#EndSARS protests: Enugu 

govt suspends curfew 

Two students get scholarship 

from Enugu govt 

Igbo leaders agreed to work together, properly 

mentor youths — OKOROCHA 

By Anayo Okoli 

E NUGU—THE 

Senator representing 

Imo West in the National 

Assembly, Chief Rochas 

Okorocha has declared that the 

Igbo political leaders have 

resolved to shelve their party 

differences and affiliations and 

work for the best interest of 

Ndigbo and the progress of 

Nigeria. 

Okorocha, the immediate past 

governor of Imo State said that 

Igbo leaders have also taken a 

decision to properly mentor and 

empower Igbo youths in 

readiness for taking over from 

them. 

Okorocha, who spoke to 

journalists in Enugu, described 

the recent #ENDSARS protest 

as a wakeup call for Igbo and 

Nigerian leaders, inisiting that 

they must rise to their 

responsibilities to the people. 

The former governor reiterated 

the strong belief of Ndigbo in the 

unity and progress of Nigeria as 

a nation where equity reigns. He 

also expressed the regrets of Igbo 

leaders on the unfortunate 

disturbances that led to loss of 

lives and destruction of public and 

private properties across the 

country. 

“We need peace and unity in 

ENUGU 

State 

Government has lifted the 

13-hour curfew imposed on 

Enugu East, Enugu North and 

Enugu South Local Government 

Areas, in the wake of the 

untoward activities of hoodlums 

and miscreants, who hijacked the 

otherwise peaceful #EndSARS 

protests in the state. 

In a statement by the 

Commissioner for Information, 

Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, the 

decision to lift the curfew was 

“after a considered review of the 

overall situation in the three local 

government areas” and in 

furtherance of state 

government’s commitment to 

“total return of normalcy and 

sustained economic activity in 

the overall interest of Ndi 

Enugu.” 

Aroh therefore announced that 

THE governor of Enugu 

State has offered 

scholarship to Cajetan Goodluck 

Chineke, a student from Oji River 

Local Government Area of the 

state, who won the highlycoveted 

and prestigious Bangkok 

Global Educational Award 2020. 

This came as the governor also 

offered scholarship to a female 

student of Institute of 

Management and Technology 

Enugu (names withheld), who 

attempted suicide because of her 

inability to pay her first year 

school fees. 

Announcing the scholarship 

offered to the award winner, 

Chineke, the Executive 

Secretary, Enugu State 

Scholarship and Education 

Loans Board, Barr. Uche Abonyi, 

stated that he took the first 

position •"after competing with 

over 50 countries and defeating 

over 5 million contestants in an 

Igbo land and in Nigeria; we 

believe in the unity of this 

country, and we believe in the 

entity called Nigeria,'' he said. 

“And all Igbos, who believe so, 

we are deeply concerned by 

recent happenings and we never 

imagined that kind of dimension 

in Igbo land. So we are here 

By Festus Ahon 

THE Ekade ruling house 

of Ewu-Urhobo kingdom, 

Ughelli South Local 

Government Area, Delta 

State, has hosted children of 

the family, amidst pump and 

pageantry. 

The hosting, which took 

place at Ogwhan Ekade, Ewu 

town, also saw Mr. Obega 

Future Obaro also making a 

formal declaration of his intention 

to vie for the kingship position of 

the kingdom. 

Speaking at the ceremony, 

the 'Otota' (spokesman) of 

the Ekade ruling house, 

Chief John Oyiberhe, 

disclosed that it was the turn 

of Ekade ruling house to 

produce the next Ovie of the 

kingdom. He assured that those 

vying for the position would all 

“the 13-hour curfew imposed on 

the three (3) local governments 

of the Enugu Capital Territory 

namely Enugu East, Enugu 

North and Enugu South Local 

Government Areas, is hereby 

lifted with effect from 6am on 

Monday, November 2, 2020.” 

The Information 

Commissioner added that 

consequently, “normal social and 

economic activities will resume 

effective from 6am on Monday, 

November 2, 2020, without 

prejudice to all existing 

regulations put in place by 

the Federal Government as 

a result of the COVID-19 

pandemic. 

“Ndi Enugu are therefore 

advised to go about their lawful 

social and economic activities, 

while remaining vigilant and lawabiding 

as usual,” he said. 

essay competition." 

Barr. Abonyi disclosed that the 

award has placed "Enugu State 

as the global educationally 

adjudged best state in Africa and 

has made Nigeria the next host 

of this global competition for 

2021." 

The ESSELB boss said 

Governor Ugwuanyi, who 

received the award winner at the 

Govt House, Enugu, used the 

opportunity to thank him for the 

honor brought to the state. 

The governor equally used the 

opportunity to urge young ones 

from the state to work hard to 

maintain this enviable feat by 

ensuring that they retain the 

trophy as Nigeria hosts the 2021 

edition of the competition. 

Responding, the visibly elated 

Chineke expressed appreciation 

to Gov. Ugwuanyi •"for this very 

rare opportunity to represent the 

state and for the scholarship 

award given to me" 

[Enugu] to reassure our youths, 

and we are here to reassure 

Nigerians that we will take the 

necessary steps to correct some 

of the things perceived as wrong 

doings and to make Nigerians 

know that Igbos are part and 

parcel of this country and will 

remain so and unquestionably,” 

Okorocha said. 

Ekade ruling house hosts family 

be given a level playing ground. 

He noted that the selection 

process would not be 

completed until April 18, 

2021, advising those 

contesting for the position to 

have the interest of the 

kingdom at heart. He 

expressed satisfaction with 

the large turn-out of people 

at the hosting. 

In his remarks, Obaro 

reiterated his determination 

to promote peace and unity 

in the kingdom if given the 

chance to become the Ovie, 

assuring that he would not 

disappoint the people. 

He said he was out to carry 

everyone along in his resolve to 

do all that was necessary to move 

the kingdom forward and 

promised that he would put the 

kingdom's interest above his 

personal interest at all times.


Northern govs vow 

to keep Nigeria one 

By Ibrahim Hassan 

N 

O R T H E R N 

Governors yesterday 

in Kaduna, vowed to keep Nigeria 

one and rejected the perceived 

subversive actions of the 

#EndSARS protest. 

Under the aegis of Northern 

Governors Forum, NGF, the 

group alleged that those wanting 

to take over government outside 

the ballot box took advantage of 

the peaceful protests by youths 

to push for their seperative 

agenda, endorsing the 

indivisibility, indissolubility and 

oneness of the country. 

In a communiqué read by the 

group's chairman and Governor 

of Plateau State, Mr.Simon 

Lalong at the end of meeting, also 

attended by the Secretary to the 

Federal Government, the Chief 

of Staff to the President, 

lawmakers, including the Senate 

President, Ministers, Emirs and 

chiefs from the North, the IGP 

and other prominent 

personalities from the regime, 

among others, said: “The meeting 

rejects and condemns the 

subversive acions of the 

EndSARS protest. 

''The superlative agitations and 

other change-regime actions 

outside the ballot box soon take 

advantage of the peaceful 


protests to push for their 

seperative agenda. The meeting 

endorse the indivisibility, 

indissolubility and oneness of the 

nation. 

''The meeting took note of the 

devastating effect of the 

uncontrolled social media in 

spreading fake news. Therefore, 

calls for major control mechanism 

and censorship of the social media 

practice in Nigeria. The meeting 

raises attention on the need to 

keep strict watch on the Federal 

Capital Territory to guide against 

unwarranted and destructives 

protests to safeguard critical 

assets of the nation.'' 

The 20-point communiqué 

commended the national 

Assembly and the Presidency in 

''being proactive in addressing the 

issues of Endsars protests across 

the country. 

''The meeting noted and 

appreciated the far reaching 

efforts of Northern States 

Governors’ Forum in taking 

proactive measures to address 

the EndSARS protest in the 

country and the North in 

particular. 

''Equally Forum notes with 

satisfaction the actions taken by 

the Governors to revive the 

economic fortunes of the region 

particularly during the post 

COVID-19 period.'' 

#EndSARS crisis shows time is ripe 

for state police — EL-RUFAI 

K 

A 

D U N A — 

GOVERNOR Nasir 

el-Rufai of Kaduna state 

yesterday said recent 

happenings in the country had 

shown that the time was ripe for 

state police. 

Speaking at a meeting of 

governors, ministers, lawmakers 

and traditional rulers in the 

North, el-Rufai said state police 

should be part of police reforms. 

Mohammed Adamu, 

Inspector-General of Police is 

among those attending the 

meeting at the Government 

House, Kaduna. 

“Is it not time to make the 

establishment of state police a 

key part of policing reforms? Has 

the recent crisis not exposed 

again the inadequacy of the 

numbers, ordinance, training and 

unitary structure of the police in 

a federation?” he asked. 

“In our view, it is an 

understatement to describe the 

last few weeks as challenging 

moments for our country. A cry 

by the youths for reform of policing 

has somehow snowballed into 

tragic events and a challenge to 

the authority of the Nigerian 

state. 

“The economic damage from 

the recent tragic events is sure 

to exacerbate the shrinkage 

unleashed by COVID-19, with 

severe impact on jobs and 

livelihoods.” 

El-Rufai also lamented about 

the insecurity in the north, 

saying there is need to tackle the 

situation effectively. 

“Many of the northern states 

are confronting a variety of 

security challenges. Criminal 

activities by bandits threaten both 

rural and urban communities. 

“Bandits have openly tried to 

crush the rural economy by 

attacking farmers in their fields, 

and in their homes. We welcome 

the intensification of ground and 

air action against the bandits, and 

thank the Chief of Defence Staff, 

the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief 

of Naval Staff, the Chief of the 

Air Staff, and the Inspector- 

General of Police for these 

operations. But is it not time to 

make the establishment of state 

police a key part of policing 

reforms? 

“Has the recent crisis not 

exposed again the inadequacy of 

the numbers, ordinance, training 

and unitary structure of the police 

in a federation? Is this not an 

opportunity for a redesign of the 

security architecture in a 

collaboration between the states 

and the national government to 

vastly expand police numbers, 

equipment and technology? 


INSURGENCY: Edo 

State Governor Mr. 

Godwin Obaseki (left) 

receiving the book 

titled: "Boko Haram: 

S e c u r i t y 

Considerations and 

the Rise of an 

Insurgency" from the 

author, Dr. Ona 

Ekhomu, during a 

meeting in Lagos, 

weekend. 

We’re close to a deal with ASUU — EDUCATION 

MINISTER •Blames past govts for woes 

By Charly Agwam 

B 

A U C H I — 

MINISTER of 

Education, Malam Adamu 

Adamu, yesterday hinted that 

the Federal Government and 

Academic Staff Union of 

Universities, ASUU, were close 

to reaching agreement to 

resolving the lingering dispute 

that have stalled academic 

activities in the nation’s 

university for the past seven 

months 

The Minister, who spoke in 

Bauchi during a town hall 

meeting tagged ‘Engaging the 

Youth and Communities’ 

organized by the state 

government in collaboration with 

the federal government, blamed 

previous administration for the 

continuous strike by ASUU, 

claiming that past government 

entered a deal with ASUU to pay 

N1.3 trillion, which he said was 

causing disharmony between the 

federal government and the 

union. 

According to him, “I believe 

that while they were signing that 

agreement, they knew that it is 

not possible for them to 

implement it. There is nowhere 

N1.3 trillion will come out from. I 

think the basic problem between 

the ASUU and the government 

has been deciding on what to do 

about this N1.3 trillion. If a 

government appends its 

signature to an agreement, it is 

an agreement. 

“We are not happy that our 

campuses are closed, we are not 

happy that the calendar of 

schools has been disrupted. But 

the fault belongs to the 

government that signed to do 

what it knew it could not do. But 

I assure you that we are on the 

verge of reaching an agreement 

and very, very soon, we will reach 

an agreement with them.” 

Adamu, while responding to a 

question that President Buhari 

pledged that government would 

pay anyone who wants to 

become a teacher immediately 

after secondary school, said: 

“There is a pension scheme 

exclusively for teachers. All 

teachers’ children will be taught 

free in school. They would not 

pay a single kobo in training their 

children. The government 

has also approved special 

allowances for rural postings, 

like hardship allowance.” 

Kano govt, private schl owners at war over 25% 

fees reduction directive 

By Bashir Bello 

K Schools ANO—PRIVATE 

owners in Kano 

State and the state government 

are heading for a show down over 

government directive that the 

private school owners cut down 

their school fees by 25% to 

cushion COVID-19 effect on 

parents or cancel the third term 

of the 2019/2020 academic 

session 

While a Joint Committee of 

Private and Voluntary Schools 

Associations, in Kano State, 

yesterday distanced members 

from report that the Association 

of Private Schools Owners of 

Nigeria, APSON, had agreed to 

reduce the third term school fees 

by 25 per cent, the government 

insisted that there was no going 

back on the directive. 

Recall that the state Ministry 

of Education had last Thursday 

issued a November 1, 2020, 

deadline to the private school 

NECO resumes suspended 

SSCE exams on Nov 9 

By Wole Mosadomi 

M N INNA—THE 

a t i o n a l 

Examinations Council, NECO, 

has fixed new dates for the 

suspended Senior School 

Certificate Examination, SSCE, 

across the country to resume from 

Monday November 9, 2020. 

The examinations were earlier 

postponed indefinitely on 

Monday 25th October 2020 due 

to security challenges occasioned 

by the ENDSARS protests which 

disrupted the smooth conduct of 

the examinations in some parts 

of the country. 

A statement by the Council’s 

Head Information and Public 

Relations Division, Azeez Sani 

said the examinations would now 

resume from Monday, 9th across 

the country. 

“Following the return of 

normalcy in the states and FCT, 

the examinations will now 

continue with a new time-table 

from Monday, November 9, 2020 

to Saturday, November 24, 2020. 

“This new Time-Table will be 

made available to the general 

public, schools and candidates 

from Wednesday 4th November, 

2020. The Time-Table can also be 

seamlessly downloaded from the 

NECO official website: 

www.neco.gov.ng,” the 

statement added. 

While the ''Council is thanking 

the general public and 

candidates for their patience and 

understanding during the period 

the SSCE was suspended, it 

also assures the them of 

quality service in the 

discharge of her statutory 

responsibilities at all times.'' 

•Members lost N1.65b under 

COVID-19, say schl owners 

•No going back — Govt 

owners to response to 

government directive to cut down 

their school fees by 25% to 

cushion COVID-19 effect on 

parents or it cancel the third term 

of the 2019/2020 academic 

session. 

The Joint Committee in a 

statement by Engr Basheer 

Aliyu, (Chairman, Association of 

Model Islamic Schools, AMIS, 

Alhaji Muhammad Adamu, 

(Chairman, National Association 

of Proprietors of Private Schools, 

NAPPS) and Mrs Fatima CAN 

Bello, (Chairperson, Independent 

School Proprietors Association 

Kano, ISPAK), said it had not 

reduced the school fees by 25% 

as claimed, arguing that members 

lost over N1.65 billion to rent 

during the lockdown occasioned 

by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to them, members 

had not received any financial 

assistance from the state or 

federal governments, to justify 

the demand for a compulsory 25% 

discount on school fees when all 

sectors of the economy had 

increased their prices and 

charges. 

Among others, the group said: 

“We issued an update on Friday, 

October 30, 2020, exclusively to 

our members to set the records 

straight and avoid media 

exchange on the issue. 

“Unfortunately, the Ministry of 

Education, Kano State made a 

press release November 1, 2020, 

that “the government will not 

reverse its decision of cancelling 

the 3rd term if the majority of the 

proprietors refused to comply with 

the fees reduction directives.” 

“As we were meeting on the 

issue, we were bombarded by 

another announcement 

purportedly from the Ministry, 

claiming that Proprietors have 

agreed to 25% discount of school 

fees. We note with concern, the 

unilateral action by 

representatives of APSON, who 

until yesterday were with us in 

all our meetings and decisions. 

However, we wish to observe that 

Maryam Magaji, the National 

Vice President of APSON is an 

employee of the government 

under SUBEB. In the same vein, 

Murtala Hussain, the State Vice- 

Chairman is an Assistant Director 

with the Kano State Private and 

Voluntary Institutions Board. It 

is therefore surprising that 

employees of the Ministry of 

Education are coming out to 

speak on behalf of proprietors of 

private psSchools. 

“Once again, for the avoidance 

of doubt, our members have not 

received any financial assistance 

from the State or Federal 

Government, (b) we have not 

accepted the 25% discount and 

our position will be 

communicated to the authorities 

by Thursday, November 5, 2020.” 

No going back on 

govt decision 

Meanwhile, the state 

Commissioner of Education, 

Muhammad Sanusi Kiru, 

yesterday insisted that there was 

no going back on the 

government directive calling on 

private school owners to reduce 

25% of school fees for the third 

term in the state. 

Kiru at a briefing said: “Kano 

State Government is worried 

about the economic position and 

untold hardship people are facing 

particularly after the COVID-19 

lockdown. In view of that, the 

government considers our huge 

investments and expect the 

private school owners in the state 

to also play their own role in 

assisting the public because the 

decision by the state government 

is in public interest.''

BORNO: What options do we take? 

By Babagana Umara 

Zulum 

NOTHING I say here 

or anywhere else can 

best describe the extent of 

my gratitude to the people 

of Borno and many Nigerians 

outside Borno. 

We have been shown enormous 

love and support from 

day one till date. Above being 

loved and supported, 

the people of Borno State 

have proved to trust us and 

have faith in what we do. 

For me, one of the greatest 

feats a leader can attain 

is to earn the trust and confidence 

of those being led. 

On the other hand, the worst 

thing that can happen to any 

leader is to lose the trust 

and confidence of the people. 

Trust is a burden. When 

people trust you, they invest 

their fears and hopes in you 

and they leave you to your 

own conviction, your own 

decisions, and most importantly, 

they leave you to your 

fear of Allah or the lack of 

it. 

We are grateful for the 

trust the people have shown 

to us and I do solemnly reaffirm 

that Bi-iznillah, we 

will not betray the trust and 

confidence reposed in us by 

the people of Borno. 

As humans, we will continue 

to do whatever we 

can, within the limit of our 

resources and laws, to stand 

firm in our fight against 

Boko Haram, and in economic 

recovery, reconstruction, 

rehabilitation and resettlement 

efforts. 

In the midst of our firmness, 

individual and shared 

commitments to Borno 

State, we must always recognise 

that the kind of challenge 

Borno is facing, is one 

that is complex. 

Our gallant armed forces 

in the military, police, DSS, 

paramilitary and our courageous 

volunteers in the 

Civilian JTF, hunters and 

vigilantes are facing enemies 

who conceal their 

identities. We are in battle 

with an insurgent group 

which has the advantage of 

laying ambush from raingrown 

grasses, and who oftentimes, 

use the uniforms 

of soldiers and Civilian JTF 

to conceal their movements 

and presence on our highways. 

Quite often, they pretend 

to be Nigerian soldiers until 

their victims are in defenseless 

positions. 

These realities account 

for the notoriety of Boko 

Haram, especially in these 

days when rain-fed grasses 

on highways give them opportunities 

to hide and ambush 

their targets. 

Oftentimes, I have been 

confronted with risks of 

moving around some areas, 

especially in Northern 

Borno. As a human being, 

as a father and husband, I, 

of course, do not seek harm 

for myself or anyone. 

But then, as a leader, I 

have often asked myself: 

should I remain in peaceful 

Maiduguri where there 

are less challenges and ignore 

local government areas 

where Borno’s challenges 

actually are? Should 

*Governor Zulum 

we all just sit in Maiduguri 

and wait till whenever 

Boko Haram chooses to 

give us peace? 

The reality of our situation 

creates a conflict between 

our human needs for 

safety versus our conscience 

and obligation to 

those we represent. 

It is not an issue of pride, 

boasting or to catch the 

limelight. It is an issue of 

conscience and obligation. 

Our fast in worship 

should very 

well include 

prayers against 

anyone funding or 

supporting Boko 

Haram and 

prayers against 

anyone who consciously 

benefits 

from the Boko 

Haram crisis 

As we gathered to hold 

meetings with religious 

groups here in Maiduguri, 

there are more than a million 

homeless fellow citizens 

who are living in 

camps at Monguno, Kala- 

Balge, Ngala, and other 

parts of Borno. Are we going 

to ignore their existence 

by refusing to give 

them food and get them 

homes to live and earn livelihoods? 

Or are we going 

to converge all the people 

of Borno to come to Maiduguri? 

What about those 

who are not willing to 

leave their communities? 

The solution lies in continued 

and genuine determination 

of our armed 

forces with the support of 

our gallant volunteers. 

We all have roles to play 

in supporting the military 

and volunteers in ways that 

we all can. 

One of the easiest ways 

all citizens can continue to 

help is never to associate 

with the insurgents, to pass 

useful information to security 

forces and to consistently 

pray for our armed 

forces and volunteers. Our 

prayers should include 

those risking their lives, in- 

cluding humanitarian 

workers and those who undertake 

reconstruction 

works in communities. 

It is against this background 

that I called for 

(a)... meeting with His Eminence, 

the Shehu of Borno, 

the Chief Imam and 

Imams of Juma’at 

mosques. We have rubbed 

minds. I also met with leadership 

of our Christian 

brothers and sisters who 

have consistently shown 

sincere commitment to our 

togetherness. 

As an outcome of(our)... 

consultation, I... declare 

Monday, the 19th day of 

October 2020 as a second 

day for statewide fasting 

and prayers for peace in 

Borno State. I requested 

with gratitude, that we approach 

the fast with the 

same enthusiasm, devotion 

and faithfulness as we did 

on Monday February 24, 

2020. 

I clarified that there will 

be no public holiday 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 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. 

We cannot afford to lag 

in our steady call upon 

God to free Borno. The role 

of prayers, especially one 

that is combined with practical 

human efforts, is very 

critical in our kind of battle 

that has raged for far 

too long, with huge and 

negative consequences. 

*Being excerpts of an address 

by Babagana Umara 

Zulum, Governor of 

Borno State 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 —15 

NIGERIA NOTES TRIBUTE (New Series) 

By Ladipo Adamolekun 

In Defense of 

Meritocracy 

A value system rewards 

talent and enterprise, and 

it is talent and enterprise 

that will drive sustainable 

growth. I need to make this 

point because time and 

time again, we get arguments 

around whether the 

appointment of persons 

into public institutions 

should be based on federal 

character. The dominant 

principle should be 

merit.Federal character is 

essentially affirmative to 

create a balance, but even 

if we are to create that balance, 

it should still be 

based on merit. 

- Vice President Yemi 

Osinbajo in Punch, October 

4, 2020. 

Introduction 

The rationale for the title 

of this essay is stated explicitly 

by the Vice-President 

in the above quote 

from a recent newspaper 

report. He juxtaposes federal 

character principle 

and the merit principle 

and asserts correctly that 

“The dominant principle 

should be merit”. Almost 

exactly four years earlier, 

another newspaper report 

revealed that the VP is a defender 

of the merit principle: 

“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo 

has identified the importance 

of merit in giving reward 

and said that quota system 

was detrimental to the 

progress of any society. According 

to him, the nation 

had placed quota before 

merit which ‘we know does 

not work’” (Premium Times, 

December 3, 2016). The obvious 

conclusion is that the 

incumbent Federal Government 

of Nigeria, FGN, of 

which the VP is number two, 

is yet to accept and respect 

the primacy of the merit principle 

in making appointments 

into the country’s public 

institutions. 

Although the International 

Criminal Court, ICC, is 

not a national public institution, 

the widely publicised 

recent woeful failure of Nigeria’s 

nominee to serve on 

the court raises a pertinent 

question about the dominant 

criterion that was used to select 

him. Obviously, it was 

not merit because he 

emerged in the bottom group 

of a three-group qualification 

categorisation: “Highly 

qualified”, “Qualified” 

and “Only formally qualified”. 

I would assert that if 

Nigeria had adopted the 

merit principle as the dominant 

criterion for selecting its 

nominee to compete for the 

ICC position, she/he would 

have emerged in the top category 

of “Highly qualified” 

candidates. And the country 

would have been saved the 

international disgrace 

caused by a poor performing 

candidate. 

Following the above illustration 

of anegative consequence 

of bypassing the 

merit principle, I make a 

brief recall of Nigeria’s experience 

with the primacy of 

the merit principle in the 

past, with particular reference 

to the country’s civil 

services. The positive results 

recorded are highlighted. 

Next, I provide an 

overview of Nigeria’s experience 

with the subordination 

of the merit principle 

to the federal character 

principle since the return 

Ladipo Adamolekun 

to civilian rule in 1999, 

with particular attention to 

the civil services.The negative 

consequences are 

also highlighted. I conclude 

with some observations 

on the strong linkage 

between the primacy of the 

merit principle and good 

development performance 

with some international illustrations. 

Nigeria’s past experience, 

1954-1965:Primacy 

of the merit principle and 

positive results 

The following assessment 

of Nigeria’s civil services 

about eleven years 

after they were established 

in 1954 (a federal civil service 

and three regional civil 

services – a fourth was 

added in 1963) highlights 

“crude politics” as a factor 

that undermines the merit 

principle and “efficiency 

standards” as a consequence 

of the respect for 

the merit principle. 

The Federal 

Government is yet 

to accept and respect 

the primacy of 

the merit principle 

in making appointments 

into the 

country’s public 

institutions 

"… Civil services that are 

for the most part recruited 

on merit, that are geared 

to efficiency standards, and 

that are largely untouched 

by crude politics." 

- Nigerian Opinion (a 

University of Ibadan-based 

public affairs magazine), 

Vol 1, No. 8, 1965, “Editorial”. 

The quality federal and 

regional public/civil services 

praised in the above 

quote must have contributed 

hugely to the country’s 

low poverty level, estimated 

at about 25% in the mid- 

1960s. A few years earlier, 

the Western Nigeria Regional 

Civil Service, WN- 

RCS, was highly commended 

by the regional 

premier in his valedictory 

speech in parliament at the 

end of his tenure in December 

1959. 

Our civil service is exceedingly 

efficient, absolutely 

incorruptible in its 

upper stratum, and utterly 

devoted and unstinting in 

the discharge of its many 

onerous duties. For our civil 

servants, government 

workers and labourers to 

bear, uncomplainingly and 

without breaking down, the 

heavy and multifarious 

burdens with which we 

have in the interest of the 

public saddled them, is an 

epic of loyalty and devotion, 

of physical and mental 

endurance, and of a 

sense of mission, on their 

part. From the bottom of my 

heart I salute all of them. 

- Awo. The Autobiography 

of Obafemi Awolowo (1960, 

p. 293). 

It is important to stress 

that the premier specifically 

mentioned the ability of 

the WNRCSto discharge 

many “onerous duties… 

heavy and multifarious 

burdens … in the interest 

of the public”. The following 

are some illustrations 

of the positive results that 

had been recorded by 

1959: giant strides in the 

fields of agriculture, education, 

health, housing, 

transportation, industrial 

development and communication. 

The most notable 

of these achievements was 

the introduction and successful 

implementation of 

the “First in Africa” Universal 

Primary Education, 

UPE, launched in January 

1955. All these region-wide 

development activities 

were effectively implemented 

through the time of 

the 1965 praise and for a 

decade or so longer. And 

the overall quality performance 

of the central and 

regional civil services contributed 

hugely to keeping 

the poverty level in the 

county low up to the mid- 

1960s, estimated at about 

25%. 

Nigerian experience 

since 1999: De-emphasis 

ofthe merit principle and 

negative consequences 

De-emphasis of the 

merit principle in public 

service recruitment was inherited 

from the departing 

military regime by the incoming 

civilian administration 

in 1999. To date, no 

serious effort has been made 

to return to the merit-based 

civil services of the mid- 

1960s either at the federal 

level or at the subnational 

level. (A few exceptions at the 

subnational level have not 

been maintained over a sufficient 

time period to ensure 

its sustainability). Strikingly, 

too, successive governments 

at the central and subnational 

levels (almost without 

exception) have consistently 

cited the weak implementation 

capacity of their 

public/civil services as a 

major explanatory factor for 

the limited positive results 

from their development policies 

and programmes. 

As correctly flagged by 

Vice President Osinbajo, it is 

the federal character principle 

that has become the 

dominant criterion for appointments 

into public institutions 

including the public/ 

civil services. As defined in 

the 1979 Constitution and 

maintained in the 1999 Constitution, 

the federal character 

principleis intended to 

ensure that Nigeria’s diversity 

is accommodated in appointments 

into both political 

offices and public/civil 

service offices. With specific 

reference to public/civil services, 

almost every modern 

state seeks to assure some 

degree of representation of 

geographical, class, ethnic, 

communal, religious, gender 

and other such interests. 

To be concluded 

Professor Adamolekun 

wrote from Iju, Akure 

North, Ondo State.


The foodlums they call 

hoodlums 

I 

will never forget Mrs Sutton at 

Oduduwa College, Ile -Ife where 

she dropped that unforgettable one in 

a literature class: no one is born inherently 

bad but the society produces 

its own characters. The Singaporean 

lady was a delight to listen to. That is 

the message the Nigerian, largely intellectually- 

challenged ruling elites 

cannot get that they call the people 

they have reduced to the base “hoodlums 

“ whenever they fight back. 

When the military opened the warehouses 

in 1984 to sell stored up goods 

at cheap prices they were called messiah 

and not hoodlums. It was what 

inspired Yinka Ayefele to sing that 

what the people of this world turn you 

to would become abusive songs in their 

mouths down the line.The boys who 

invaded warehouses were only responding 

to the best incentives the 

maladjusted society had given. A graduate 

of 10 years who has not worked 

for a day reached out to me a few days 

ago and I could only tell him I would 

have him in mind if I came across any 

opportunity. The real hoodlums of this 

disorganised society, who throw chairs 

and other dangerous weapons when 

they are fighting for the spoils of office, 

now want the masses to behave 

like gentlemen when there is a festival 

of the oppressed. 

It was my friend and brother ,Bayo 

Fabiyi, who threw the challenge of 

what authority this society had to call 

its citizens hoodlums during the recent 

#EndSARS protests. I was ruminating 

on Bayo’s deep take when my 

great brother from the creeks ,Mr Otoks 

Princewill, supplied the answer, when 

he called the hungry folks we have 

produced as the poverty headquarters 

of the world “foodlums” within the 

hour . 

And I must acknowledge my brother-in-law, 

the progressive Pastor Dele 

Akindoyo, who reminded me that there 

is hardly anything new under the sun 

when the poor started wealth redistribution. 

The story of the day Prophet Elisha 

predicted cheap food in Israel is one 

that shows the way humanity has always 

responded to what we have in 

Nigeria. A Harvard economist who was 

at the king’s palace wondered aloud 

if Elisha was not talking nonsense as 

demand and supply would not allow 

that even if the windows of heaven 

were to be flung open. The prophet 

told him he would see the miracle, but 

would not partake of it. By the following 

morning some lepers, that we 

would call hoodlums, entered the tents 

of the Arameans who fled at the sound 

of strange noise and abandoned their 

tents; there was free food and drinks 

everywhere. They ate to their hearts 

content and then brought the good 

news to town. The economist was 

trampled to death by people rushing 

for food. 

And so it happened here that our 

foodlums located where the Nigerian 

rulers have kept all the COVID-19 palliatives 

they have been hoarding and 

liberated them. It was a funny spectacle 

seeing the military in some states 

begging the foodlums to be orderly in 

their activities of “looting” as it was a 

treasonable offence to wear police uniform. 

The governors became so funny at a 

point, giving ultimatum to those who 

made away with items to return them 

within hours as if the hoodlums in government 

return our inheritance they 

seize such easily. 

Now that tempers are relatively calming 

down, it is the time to speak the 

truth to ourselves that we have constructed 

a very bad society that is not 

sustainable. We are today the poorest 

country on earth with all the wealth 

and opportunities we have, but which 

we have mismanaged due to the greed 

has always done as a respected monarch. 

He could not understand the 

madness that would make security 

agents to be shooting live bullets at 

protesters who were armed only with 

the National Flag and singing our 

Anthem. 

Now the soldiers cannot open their 

morgue to check the content. And this 

society thinks that is the closure of the 

matter? 

He wondered why the President did 

not address the protesters on time and 

was ready to behave like the apartheid 

government in South Africa which 

killed 250 people in Sharpville in 1960. 

He warned on the implications of 

*Hoodlums or foodlums... angry youths on rampage during the EndSARS 

protests 

Now that tempers are relatively 

calming down, it is the 

time to speak the truth to 

ourselves: that we have constructed 

a very bad society 

that is not sustainable; we are 

today the poorest country on 

earth with all the wealth and 

opportunities we have 

government not listening to people 

and urged the Governor of Oyo State 

to put his thoughts on paper. It would 

be a historical document to have in a 

season when absolute power corrupts 

absolutely in Nigeria 

It was not an accident that the govof 

the elites and an unproductive 

structure.The social gap is widening 

on daily basis and we think the rich 

would sleep soundly when the poor 

are keeping hunger-vigil. I have always 

told my wife that I pity this society 

the day the have-nots that we see 

daily on the streets would have their 

season. What we saw during #End- 

SARS was just a dress rehearsal of the 

main day if we failed to reset. 

It doesn’t matter the name we call 

them,there would be a harvest time for 

the seeds we have sown . 

.......Iku speaks truth to power 

The Alaafin of Oyo,Oba Lamidi 

Adeyemi, did not disappoint again 

when he spoke at the Parliament Building 

in Ibadan recently, after the #End- 

SARS protests.Baba spoke truth like he 

ernance structure of Oyo empire was 

the themes of Chief Wole Olanipekun 

(SAN) when he addressed a joint retreat 

of the Federal Executive Council 

and the National Assembly recently. 

What looks like an impossible task to 

the fellows misruling our lives were 

things we did effortlessly in our traditional 

societies, which is the imperative 

of our demand for federalism. 

It is our prayer that our land would 

never lack such moral icons who would 

not be afraid to speak truth to unconscionable 

power. 

FEEDBACK 

Re: Black Tuesday and this impossible 

country 

Sadly, Broz Tito’s Yugoslavia is 

dead and buried. 

Your write-up on Black Tuesday fitted 

into two of the statements of Second 

World War hero, General Douglas 

MacArthur : 

“We have had our last chance; if we 

will not devise some greater and more 

equitable system, our Armageddon 

will be at our door”. 

- “I shall return,” he uttered this 

statement on his recall. And when he 

did return, he was capturing land after 

land. 

Government and other misguided 

politicians should not see the demands 

of the youths as hard pull, failing to 

meet them would surely make youths 

to resort to that Tuesday and this impossible 

country will always mishandle 

it. 

As for those who lost their lives to 

the #Endsars protest in order to make 

Nigeria a better country to live in, may 

their blood turn to tulip .-Olatunbosun 

Oldoye. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 —17 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Ending SARS, or ending the press 

BY SEGUN IGE 

THE remarkable response of Na 

tional Publicity Secretary of the 

Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Kunle 

Edun, to the N500,000-N5m jacking of 

hate speech fine has obviously been 

jettisoned. Edun’s claim that “the press 

as the fourth estate of the realm plays 

the constitutional role of our democracy 

in the face of increasing impunity, 

seemingly official policy of disobedience 

of court orders, sheer exhibition 

of rascality by some of our security 

agencies and unbridled corruption in 

government” is roughly reminiscent of 

Nelson Mandela’s assertion that “a 

critical, independent and investigative 

press is the lifeblood of any democracy”; 

as a consequence, “the press must 

be free from state interference. It must 

have the economic courage to stand up 

to the blandishments of government 

officials. It must enjoy the protection 

of the Constitution so that it can protect 

our rights as citizens.” In the face 

of feed-forward fastidious flibbertigibbets 

in the political spectrum of Nigeria, 

however, it is sort of noteworthy to 

say the press ought to possess “the political 

courage to stand up to the blandishments 

of government officials”. 

Surely, the press is part and parcel 

of the tiers of government in Nigeria. 

The press, constitutionally and fundamentally, 

is enmeshed in the responsibility 

of relating the “big” and “small” 

stories to the society. In particular, the 

press is the voice of the nation. Watching 

over the press (of course, shouldn’t 

the press be watched over, at least to 

some extent?) potentially could wreak 

wanton banditry or “blandishments”. 

It could be very discouraging and disparaging 

to decide what the press 

should say and what not to say. And 

stifling free speech – I mean, the 

press’s free speech! – might be pretty 

dire, especially unleashing unquenchable 

repercussions. 

So when the Director General of the 

National Broadcasting Commission, 

Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, imposed a 

fine of N3m each on Channels TV, Africa 

Independent Television, AIT and 

Arise TV, owing to the fact of their 

much-hyping of the #EndSARS protest, 

I could not but be taken aback by 

the relegation and peregrination of the 

press in Nigeria. Government officials, 

crucially in-person of the Minister of 

Information, Lai Mohammed, are beginning 

to make the pungent impression 

that Nigerian democracy would 

be widely detestable and abominable 

if the “watchdogs” unwaveringly 

“bark-bite” the sound-bite of sillyminded 

and superfluous leaders. 

Well, it is clear that what the NBC 

calls “unprofessional coverage” of the 

#EndSARS protest by these electronic 

media might be gearing towards the 

“unprofessional carnage” of the Nigeria 

media in general. To me, the press 

is the voice for the voiceless. And if 

the press is deemed inimical and insidious 

to the growth and development 

of Nigeria, then it is not uncertain that 

we couldn’t attain “a nation where 

peace and justice reign”. 

I do not want to believe that the inflammatory 

fining of these broadcasting 

media was a springboard of silencing 

internal corrupt practices. That 

would have been a gross hijacking of 

the well-intentioned #EndSARS protest 

as it were. Even though there’s 

some hate speech fine, should that stop 

the sporadic coverage of the media 

We should not be making 

#EndSARS end the rights and 

freedoms of the press; ending 

the explanatory inadequacies 

of the Special Anti-Robbery 

Squad shouldn’t have been an 

avenue to profligate the press, 

at all 

whose independent roles in the media 

spaces have been earmarked for 

full-fledged stories? If it so be that we 

have two classes and cases of hijackers 

of the germaneness and genuiness 

of the #EndSARS protest – on one 

hand, the looting anti-#EndSARS 

peaceful protesters and “constitutionalised 

thugs”, on the other hand, who 

have perpetually been proactive in 

“unprofessional coverage” – it would 

be a pity that Nigeria could be fined 

among every other country as most miserable. 

The lot of Nigeria with a repressed 

and suppressed press is most likely to 

be that of Belarus, where the definitional 

inexactitude of the system of 

government there is extremely discombobulating. 

‘Putative President’ Alexander 

Lukashenko, 26 years in power, 

has intelligently and internationally 

proven incorrigible and indefatigable 

in stepping down and, most importantly, 

in kowtowing to the main opposition 

leader’s Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s 

logistic activation function of his recursive 

roughshod and rigging of the 

August 9 ‘presidential election’. And 

instead of Nigerian leaders bridled 

and saddled with the responsibility of 

ensuring the regulation of the standardisation 

of the media by promoting 

and supporting the press in airing the 

battle for the soul of the nation, the 

Federal Government is rather eviscerated 

and energetic in championing 

characteristically “un‘media’ted” cabals 

in the grapevine of politicking. 

We should not be making #EndSARS 

end the rights and freedoms of the 

press. Ending the explanatory inadequacies 

of the Special Anti-Robbery 

Squad shouldn’t have been an avenue 

to profligate the press, at all. In fact, 

the dead-end of peace and justice 

reigning in Nigeria is not far-fetched. 

The press – in one way or another – 

does promote peace. But in a bid to 

beam some light on the burgeoning 

buccal cavity and pernicious cupidity 

of Nigeria's current dispensation, the 

press is groundlessly rocked down on 

with speeches that should be exponentially 

fined. 

Super-spreading fake or unverifiable 

news shouldn’t be the onerous business 

of the press. The circulatory 

mechanism of news production and 

propensity to multi-variant espionage 

should be highly discouraged. That 

makes the press unreliable. Delinquent 

of physical coverage, news 

sourced and editorially headlined from 

even so-called time-tested authorities 

could tremendously tarnish the image 

of the nation. And so a lot of conscientiousness 

and judiciousness is what the 

press should be clad with. The socalled 

brown or ‘electronic’ envelope 

negotiated in the corridors of power is 

a thing Idachaba and the like should 

sporadically “fine”, thereby contributing 

to the professional ethics and 

progress of the press. 

*Ige, a public affairs analyst, wrote 

via: igesegunadebayo5@gmail.com 

Protecting the nation’s vital institutions 

BY AYINDE ALABA 

AFRICAN nations often turn to the 

Northern Hemisphere for lessons 

on how to erect a society with citizens 

enjoying prosperity, ruled by a responsive 

and responsible government and 

relishing the respect of its neighbours 

and the global community. It is assumed 

that some ‘magic’ tool was applied 

by these nations to attain that 

enviable level; that some genii, as in 

an Arabian tale, were released from a 

bottle to mystically grant the ‘prosperity 

wishes’ of the leaders of those nations. 

But when then US President Barack 

Obama visited Ghana in 2009, he gave 

a speech that debunked that myth. He 

told the Ghanaian parliament that the 

key to the economic success of nations 

is less emphasis on personalities and 

concentration on what he called 

‘’stronger government” to decide ‘’the 

future of the people”. Obama then 

dropped the kernel: “Africa doesn’t 

need strong men, it needs strong institutions.” 

Simply put, a nation would automatically 

thrive and survive the challenges 

of modern statehood if it fortifies the 

levers of administration (political, social, 

economic, legal, etc., institutions) 

and disallows powerful figures from 

dominating and influencing them. 

In Nigeria unfortunately, we have 

marginalised our institutions and permitted 

men to operate with impunity. 

Naturally, this has impeded the dynamics 

of growth and development 

that create the ambience of prosperity. 

Nowhere is this gravely noticeable as 

in one of the underbellies of the governance 

system, namely: the National 

Intelligence Agency, NIA, a Federal 

Government body tasked with overseeing 

foreign intelligence and counterintelligence 

activities. 

The organisation was established in 

1986 during a time of global upheavals 

to protect the interests of the world’s 

most populous Black nation. With our 

vast wealth manifesting in enormous 

land, minerals, people, culture etc., we 

would be easy prey to outside marauders 

seeking ‘spheres of influence’ to 

control and exploit if we neglected intelligence 

feelers from around the 

world. There was a need to protect our 

Those charged with protecting 

us must be so patriotic that 

there is no room for personal 

interest or agenda; if Nigeria 

is to be fully functional, our 

officials must cultivate the 

universal ethos that govern 

practices in societies that 

make progress 

nation by preempting potential enemies 

via covert operations. It is what 

similar agencies have done for their 

nations over the years. 

The NIA is, therefore, one of such 

institutions that ought to be nurtured 

along the lines proposed by Obama for 

the sustenance of our society. We need 

to strengthen it to become a powerful 

organisation, free from the whims and 

caprices of individuals, serving or retired, 

and populated only by persons 

of impeccable character and conduct, 

deeply patriotic and fully committed 

to the best interests of the nation and 

fiercely protective of the nation and the 

vital institutions whose reason for existence 

is to serve and protect the nation. 

Such persons must under all circumstances 

uphold their oath of allegiance 

in the service of the fatherland. 

Which is why it is curious and disturbing 

to observe recent happenings 

in the nation where the affairs of the 

agency are laid bare in a court case 

brought by someone who had operated 

at the very top of the agency. According 

to press reports, the former top 

official was separated from the agency 

allegedly for a long list of conducts that 

seriously contravened official rules. In 

an unprecedented turn of events, he 

filed a case in court which promptly 

ruled that he should be taken back by 

the agency. We are not concerned 

about the fine points of the case here 

as that may well continue to be at issue 

in higher courts. What should 

worry us here is how institutions of 

state are being degraded by the same 

people who were charged to protect 

them and defend the nation. 

We must recognise that only strict 

parametric guidelines would be required 

to run crucial agencies of state. 

Similarly, only larger national interests 

that are transcendental in nature, and 

nullifying individual or private interests 

represented by state or non-state 

actors, should apply in such instances. 

Indeed concerns for the preservation 

of the soul of the state and its citizens 

which enduring state institutions 

are saddled with pursuing,become of 

paramount importance here. 

Whatever the final outcome of the appeal 

filed by government on the instant 

case, the litigation in question has already 

imposed a regrettable moral 

breach on the sacrosanct grounds of 

Nigeria’s sensitive institutions, such 

as NIA.Those charged with protecting 

us must be so patriotic that there is no 

room for personal interest or agenda. 

If Nigeria is to be fully functional, our 

officials must cultivate the universal 

ethos that govern practices in societies 

that make progress. It is distressing 

that those who had sworn to the 

oath of secrecy and allegiance to the 

nation and were kept in office through 

the sweat of the taxpayers, were the 

same officials who seem not to understand 

the demands of the offices they 

occupied. 

The judiciary too, must never become 

accessories to acts that degrade 

our vital institutions and undermine 

our national interest. They are expected 

to be discreet in handling 

delicate issues touching on the security 

of the country. No gagging of 

the judiciary is suggested here. Nor 

am I calling for the suppression of 

the individual’s right to litigate if 

there are legitimate threats to their 

freedom. But in pursuing such options, 

the overarching interests of the 

nation and its people which they 

swore to uphold, must not be endangered. 

In the long run, the ball should be 

in the court of those who recruit the 

men and women into the vital agencies 

of the state, like NIA. They must 

have an eye for those who believe in 

arming institutions for the service of 

the country and its people. They 

must not be persons who would want 

to castrate their institutions. They 

must not become monsters the society 

can no longer control or discipline 

when they err. 

In this regard, there may also be a 

need to deliberately inculcate in such 

people, the universal ethos that govern 

such institutions. Those who cannot 

fit in, must not be given positions 

of authority. It is strong and ingenious 

institutions that drive today’s 

global economies, not self-centered 

individuals who prevent the society 

from functioning at full throttle. 

*Alaba, a public affairs analyst, 

wrote from Ogun State.

NBC’s punitive fines 


JUST a couple of months ago, the 

National Broadcasting Commission, 

NBC, put itself on the firing line when 

it scandalously fined a radio station, 

Nigeria Info FM, N5 million 

over an interview with a former 

Deputy Governor of the Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Dr. Obadiah 

Mailafia. 

The Commission claimed the station 

violated sections of the controversial 

Broadcasting Code by toric event was also a violation of 

“unverified” live videos of that his- 

airing a live interview which it the Broadcasting Code. 

termed “inciting”. 

Perhaps the Commission is blaming 

the broadcasters for covering 

The NBC has slammed another 

N9 million fine on three television the event rather than facing the fact 

stations: the Africa Independent that it was the military intervention 

Television, AIT; Arise Television that sparked off the reign of anarchy 

by hoodlums nationwide. 

and Channels Television for airing 

live video coverages of the Lekki It has become obvious that the 

Toll Gate EndSARS protests which NBC’s recent actions are geared towards 

muzzling the media and the 

ended on a bloody note with the 

military reportedly firing at unarmed 

protesters with live bullets. nising the Broadcasting Code. 

social media. NBC is now weapo- 

The Acting Director General of This same Sixth Broadcasting 

the Commission, Prof Armstrong Code has become controversial, especially 

as it was alleged it was sin- 

Idachaba, asserted that the fines 

were imposed because the airing of gle-handedly and illegally amended 

by the Minister of Information 

and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, 

contrary to the law that set up the 

Commission which gives that power 

to the Board of the Commission. 

Among other things, the fine for 

“hate speech” was increased from 

N500,000 to N5 million. 

Legal experts have already termed 

these fines “illegal” having been imposed 

pursuant to a Broadcast 

Code that was illegally amended. 

Besides that, we question the 

Commission’s sanction of private 

broadcasters for disseminating live 

videos of an event of international 

interest which were also widely 

used by international news networks. 

They were performing their 

constitutionally-assigned roles, 

which includes holding government 

to account. 

The NBC appears determined to 

reduce the vibrant private broadcast 

media to irrelevance and increase 

unemployment in the media industry. 

We urge the various social watchdog 

and rights advocacy groups 

which have risen to challenge the 

Commission’s hostile fines in court 

not to relent. If care is not taken, 

we will be taken back to the dark 

days when we were forced to consume 

only the outputs of government-owned 

media which were 

largely irrelevant to the people. 

This must not be allowed. The 

amended Broadcasting Code cannot 

override our Constitution and relevant 

laws which define the media’s 

place in our hard-won democracy. 

These illegal fines must be 

dropped. Only the courts have the 

power to impose fines on any erring 

broadcaster. 

This piece continues from last week the 

statement by Chief Allison Akene Ayida 

on how Chief Michael Ani was appointed 

and reappointed as chairman of Nigeria’s 

electoral body 

IF the experiment succeeded, it was 

due partly to Chief Ani’s fatherly guidance 

and support. It is not generally 

known that Chief Ani retired prematurely 

from the Federal Civil Service in 1965 to 

accept the challenge of the late Prime 

Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, for 

him to be appointed the Chairman of the 

Federal Electoral Commission. I was one 

of the people he consulted and I advised 

against the move. 

“But Chief Ani decided to accept the 

appointment for two reasons: First, as a 

good civil servant he felt obliged to respect 

the Prime Minister’s wishes and, 

second, he was anxious to demonstrate 

that Nigeria’s election could be conducted 

fairly and justly without fear or favour. 

Before he could demonstrate this, the military 

seized power on January 15, 1966 

and Chief Ani suddenly became an unemployed 

pensioner at the tender age of 

49 years, judging by the standards of 

those days! But by an act of providence, 

when the Obasanjo administration was, 

in 1976, conducting the search for a suitable 

person to head the Federal Electoral 

Commission to supervise the elections for 

the return to civil rule in 1979, I was the 

Secretary to the Federal Military Government 

and Head of Service. When consulted, 

I advised that the man the late Prime 

Minister appointed in December 1965, 

never functioned and was untainted. But 

I told General Obasanjo that the late Chief, 

as a good civil servant, might not be sufficiently 

independent of the government to 

OPINION 

INEC job and the risk element (3) 

be seen to conduct the elections fairly and 

that the FMG might be seen to have a preference 

for one of the presidential candidates. 

The General, to my surprise, replied: 

‘that is the man we want’. 

Chief Ani was not the first 

chairman of the electoral body 

and neither was he the first 

indigenous to hold the post; the 

first chairman of the electoral 

body was Mr. Ronald Edward 

Wraith 

“When Chief Ani was approached, he 

came to my house to seek my opinion once 

again as a trused friend. I told him candidly 

what transpired between General 

Obasanjo and me; and once again, I advised 

him against accepting the reappointment 

as Chairman of FEDECO but he still 

saw it as a challenge and an opportunity 

to establish that Nigerians could conduct 

an impartial and fair democratic election. 

The rest of the story is better left to the 

verdict of history; but I believe the Chief 

did his best in the difficult circumstances 

of the countervailing powers and conflicting 

instructions on the 1979 elections”. 

Chief Ani was not the first chairman of 

the electoral body and neither was he the 

first indigenous to hold the post. The first 

chairman of the electoral body, then known 

as the Electoral Commission of Nigeria, 

was Mr. Ronald Edward Wraith who conducted 

the 1958 and 1959 general elections. 

He was born in 1908. He was a British 

scholar on public and colonial administration. 

Wraith was born in Derbyshire; his father 

worked for the Midland Railway. He 

studied economics at the University of Birmingham. 

He spent two years in Australia 

and New Zealand before becoming the 

warden at a Tyneside community center 

managed by the Tyneside Council of Social 

Services when the worst of the Great 

Depression was over. In 1938, he joined 

the Education Department of the Borough 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

of Southampton as the Secretary of Youth 

Services and served in the position through 

World War II. In 1945, he was the head of 

the London School of Economics’s department 

involved in colonial studies, also 

known as the Colonial Social Science Certificate 

Course that was previously headed 

by Audrey Richards. In 1946, he visited 

Africa and worked with the Housing 

and Social Services Department of Gold 

Coast. In 1947, he was placed in charge of 

another course, the Post-War Devonshire 

Courses for Colonial and West African 

Administrators. Wraith later published a 

book on local government, comparing the 

West African and the English local government 

systems and expressing doubt 

about the transferability of the English 

model to West Africa. He was a researcher 

with the University of Ibadan before his 

appointment as the only expatriate chairman 

in the Nigerian electoral commission. 

Mr Wraith went on to write several books 

on corruption, local government and public 

administration in developing countries. 

One of the books is titled, Corruption In 

Developing Countries, which he published 

in 1963. The book has 211 pages. 

In 1964, the then Prime Minister, Alhaji 

Tafawa Balewa, appointed Chief Eyo Ita 

Esua(14 January 1901-1973), as the chairman 

of the Federal Electoral Commission. 

Esua was a school master and a 

founder member of the Nigerian Union of 

Teachers. He was the first full-time general 

secretary of the union from 1943 until 

his retirement in 1964.The Esua-led commission 

organised the December 1964 

election, which was mired in controversy. 

Two members of the commission notably, 

Sir Kofoworola Adekunle Abayomi(1896- 

1979) disagreed with the chairman and 

resigned from the commission. 

To be concluded

FG’s VAT revenue on steady rise despite 

COVID-19, lockdown 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

ECONOMY 

THE Federal Government 

generated N424.7 billion 

as Value Added Tax (VAT) in 

the third quarter of the year 

(Q3’20). This represents a rise 

of 30 percent in VAT revenue 

when compared to N275.12 

billion in Q2’20. 

The National Bureau of Statistics, 

NBS, VAT Report for 

Q3’20 released yesterday also 

indicated that this is the third 

consecutive quarterly rise in 

the VAT revenue occurring 

throughout the period of the 

Coronavirus (COVID-10) induced 

lockdown of commercial 

activities across in the country. 

The Bureau said the “other 

manufacturing sector” category 

generated the highest 

amount of VAT amounting to 

N47.07 billion while pharmaceutical, 

soaps & toiletries sector 

generated the least amount 

of VAT with N386.2 million. 

The report stated: “Sectoral 

distribution of Value Added 

Tax (VAT) data for Q3’20 reflected 

that the sum of N424.71 

billion was generated as VAT 

in Q3’20 as against N327.2 billion 

generated in Q2’20 and 

N275.12 billion generated in 

Q3’19 representing 30 percent 

increase quarter-on-quarter 

(QoQ) and 54 percent increase 

year-on-year (YoY). 

“Other Manufacturing generated 

the highest amount of 

VAT with N47.07 billion generated 

and closely followed by 

Professional Services generating 

N44.01 billion, Commercial 

and Trading generating N21.2 

billion while Mining generated 

the least and closely followed 

by Textile and Garment 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

RAND 

103.40 -1.00 

2,248.00 -45.00 

14.78 0.42 

38.56 0.62 

37.31 +0.08 

379 379.5 380 

489.4406 490.0863 490.732 

441.6487 442.2314 442.814 

413.034 413.5789 

414.1238 

3.6188 3.6236 3.6284 

0.6568 0.6668 0.6768 

534.3076 535.0125 535.7174 

56.6457 56.7209 56.7961 

101.0559 101.1892 101.3225 

23.2968 23.3276 23.3583 

CBN Exchange rate as at 02/11/2020 

ENERGY 

Vanguard, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2020 — 19 

LECTURE: From left - Director-General, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, and 

Commandant, National Defence College (NDC), Rear Admiral Mackson Kadiri, at a 

lecture titled “Maritime Security and National Development in Nigeria: The Role of 

NIMASA,” organised for NDC Course 29 participants in Abuja. 

Industry and Pharmaceutical, 

Soaps & Toiletries with N64.5 

million, N346.27 million and 

N386.16 million generated respectively. 

“Out of the total amount generated 

in Q3 ’20, N214.7 billion 

was generated as Non- 

Import VAT locally while 

N115.34 billion was generated 

as Non-Import VAT for foreign. 

The balance of N94.70 billion was 

generated as Nigerian Custom 

Service (NCS)-Import VAT.” 

ELECTRICITY: Nigeria lost N243bn in 10 months 

*AfDB task Nigeria, others on energy demand 

By Ediri Ejoh 

NIGERIA recorded losses in 

power generation volume 

valued N243 billion between 

January and October this year. 

This is contained in the October 

2020 electricity generation statistics 

released by the Association 

of Power Generation Companies 

(APGC), the umbrella 

body of electricity Generating 

Companies, 

GENCOs, in Nigeria. 

The data puts the current 

available generation 

capacity at 7,739 megawatts 

(MW), while 

stranded generation is 

3,578MW. “Total capacity loss 

from January to October 2020: 

N243.82 billion,” APGC stated. 

According to the data, the major 

challenge facing the power 

sector as well as the electricity 

generation sub-sector is the load 

rejection by electricity Distribution 

Companies, DISCOs. 

According to APGC: “Maximum 

generation: 4,532.35MW (29th 

October). Minimum generation: 

3,618.58MW (7th October). 

Maximum stranded generation 

was recorded on 6th October 

where stranded power totaled 

4,401.5MW (Gas: 1,717.5 and 

DisCos low load demand: 

2,684MW). 

“Average generation for October 

2020 of 4,162MW represents 

the maximum monthly generation 

in the year 2020. Of the total constraint 

recorded, gas constraint accounted 

for 47.5 percent, while load 

rejection by DISCOs accounted for 

52.5 percent.” 

Meanwhile, Nigeria and other 

African countries have been challenged 

to improve on energy database 

so that the continent’s energy 

demand would be tracked and existing 

gaps possibly closed. 

This came up at the virtual discussion 

on ‘Building a Harmonised 

and Centralised Energy Database 

Through the Africa Energy Information 

System (AEIS)’, hosted by the 

African Development Bank (AfDB) 

during the Digital Energy festival. 

The dialogue was concentrated on 

the necessity of improving the existing 

energy database in order to 

better appreciate the energy needs 

of African nations. 

Nigeria can 

earn $1bn from 

leather by 

2025 —NEPC 

By Princewill Ekwujuru 

INDUSTRY 

THE Nigeria Export Pro 

motion Council (NEPC) 

has said that the leather industry 

could generate $1bilion for 

Nigeria by 2025. 

The Chief Executive Officer 

of NEPC, Mr. Segun Awolowo, 

who disclosed this at the virtual 

summit with the theme: “Towards 

a Sustainable Leather 

Processing Industry in Nigeria: 

Kano Tannery, the Powerhouse” 

said, the footwear industry consumed 

54 percent of leather 

products globally and contributed 

about 25 percent of 

agriculture’s gross domestic 

product, GDP. 

The summit which saw other 

stakeholders in the leather industry 

advocate a strategic partnership 

between Lagos and 

Kano States to maximally harness 

the potentials of the sector 

and improve its contribution to 

the nation’s GDP. 

The Senior Special Assistant 

on Lagos Affairs to the Kano 

State Governor, Mr. Anthony 

Oneya, said the partnership 

between both states will forge a 

way forward to expand local 

trade by bringing together value 

addition ideas and investments. 

“The partnership between 

Lagos and Kano is long overdue 

and this will help grow the 

sector to the level it ought to be,” 

he said. 

Oneya urged governments to 

support the improvement in the 

value of leather goods for both 

domestic use and exports 

through the provision of 21st 

century technology. 

He said an improved tanning 

industry for leather will improve 

exports and give the sector the 

needed boost. Twenty-two of the 

36 Tanneries in Nigeria are in 

Kano, he added. 

Mr. Lawan Sule-Garo, Chairman, 

Tanners Council of Nigeria, 

in his remarks, appealed for 

intervention funds from government 

to revive the sector and 

create jobs. 

Sule-Garo also appealed to 

governments to grant incentives 

to wholesalers to bridge the financial 

gap and give priority to 

the local tanning industry. 

On the consumption of cow 

hides, popularly known as 

“Ponmo”, which could be used 

for leather production, the Tanner 

Council Chairman said “We 

can continue to get leather from 

other animals apart from cow. 

We must not deter people from 

consuming Ponmo because we 

want to sell leather.” 

Maritime, our best chance for economic diversification — NIMASA boss 

By Godfrey Bivbere 

MARITIME 

THE Director-Gen 

eral of Nigerian 

Maritime Administration 

and Safety Agency, 

NIMASA, Bashir 

Jamoh, has said that the 

maritime industry is the 

best option for the diversification 

of the nation’s 

economy. 

Jamoh who disclosed 

this in Abuja in a paper 

presented at the National Defence 

College, NDC, said that 

with many countries proposing a 

ban on the use of fossil fuels and 

the world transitioning from oil, 

it is imperative to exploit alternative 

sources of funding. 

The lecture titled, “Maritime 

Security and National Development 

in Nigeria: The Role of 

NIMASA,” was for NDC Course 

29 participants. 

Jamoh said maritime had enormous 

potential to drive sustainable 

development in Nigeria, with 

huge investment opportunities in 

shipbuilding and repairs, offshore/ 

floating spare parts sales and maintenance, 

freshwater bunkering and 

supply, dredging, and inland waterways 

transportation. 

According to him, about 75 percent 

of all Gulf of Guinea-bound 

cargo are destined for Nigeria and 

if properly harnessed, maritime 

could give the country 30 times 

more than the revenue from oil. 

“Oil contributes about 70 percent 

of government revenue and nearly 

90 percent of foreign exchange 

earnings in Nigeria. But Nigeria 

is trying to move away from 

the near total dependence on 

oil” Jamoh said. 

On security and infrastructure 

development, he highlighted 

the Integrated National 

Security and Waterways Protection 

Infrastructure also 

called the Deep Blue Project 

and the various fleet expansion 

and shipbuilding plans as measures 

to ensure a conducive environment 

for investment in the 

maritime industry.


Why youths 

revolted 

•Private sector has destroyed economy 

•Power should be devolved to states, 

not regions 

By Chioma Gabriel, Editor Special Features 

— Iyorchia Ayu 

Third Republic Senate President, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State, assisted 

in the 1998-1999 campaign to elect President Olusegun Obasanjo on the platform 

of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He also held several ministerial positions under 

the regime of Obasanjo till 2007 when he fell out with him and left the PDP for the Action 

Congress. He headed the campaign to elect Vice President Atiku Abubakar as president on 

the Action Congress, AC, platform in April 2007. He was perceived as a political godfather 

of former Governor George Akume of Benue State. In February 2007, Ayu was arrested and 

arraigned by a federal court on charges of terrorism. He was later released on bail. In this 

interview, Ayu, among others spoke on the recent youth uprising across Nigeria and blamed 

it on the failure of current government to integrate the youths and give them a place in the 

scheme of things. 

What is your take on the recent 

youth revolt across Nigeria? 

Actually, it's not the first time the 

youths have resisted policies of 

government. It happened during 

our generation and the generation 

after us when we had the 'Alli Must 

Go' protests. 

However, this one is different and 

more serious because it was 

predicated on a number of things. 

Firstly, between 1999 and now, there 

has been an exponential growth in 

higher education. We moved from 

six universities in the 1970s to over 

160 private and public universities. 

We have many Colleges of 

Education and polytechnics. So, 

when you put the population of 

all graduates churned out from 

these institutions into the job market, 

it is over two million graduates 

annually and there is no 

corresponding growth in the 

economy. 

Nigerian government, 

particularly the current 

government thinks that by 

throwing little money at people, 

they will satisfy them but the 

reality is that the economy is not 

growing. The graduates being 

churned out every year know their 

rights. They know the education 

they acquired doesn't guarantee 

them a good life and therefore, they 

are not happy. They are very angry 

because subsequent governments 

unlike governments in the 1960s 

and 1970s which laid emphasis on 

mixed economy, that is the 

economy developed by both the 

public and private sector no longer 

exists. 

Previous governments realised 

Nigeria has a weak private sector 

and that if they rely on that alone, 

the economy will not grow. That is 

why previous governments 

intervened in things like the steel 

industry, the petro-chemical 

industry, the automobile industry, 

the cement industry and many 

others to boost the economy. 

But suddenly, we have a new 

set of leaders who are throwing 

everything to the private sector. 

Meanwhile, in many states of the 

federation, there is hardly 

anything called the private sector. 

Even nationally, 

what we call the 

private sector is 

a group of 

parasites who 

c o r n e r 

government contracts and don't 

even execute them. Therefore, they 

are basically depressing the 

economy and they include even the 

most celebrated ones. If you dig into 

their economic practices, they are 

very shady. Some of them don't pay 

taxes. Some of them don't actually 

add value to the economy. They 

penetrate government agencies like 

the Ministry of Finance, the Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and they 

contribute largely in depressing the 

economy. 

We have never had a leadership 

that will address these issues and 

therefore, they are putting a large 

number of people in the job 

market who have no jobs. 

So, what is happening today is 

a revolt of the youths because they 

have realised the current 

leadership does not understand 

how they can take care of their 

needs. Tradermoni is not going to 

solve the economic problem. 

When we were in government 

with General Obasanjo, we 

advised that we should reduce 

Nigeria's foreign debts and he 

listened and carried it out to the 

letter. He paid off the foreign debts 

and by the time we left 

government, Nigeria hardly owed 

foreign debts. 

Heavy debts, shrinking 

economy 

Currently, we have embraced 

foreign loans of all kinds and that 

is saying one thing. The economy 

is not expanding but getting 

worse. When you add that to the 

injustice we see in this 

government that is very parochial 

where every appointment has to 

come from a specific part of the 

country, the Islamic North, it 

becomes disastrous. 

Lopsided appointments 

All appointments even in the oil 

industry go to the North and when 

people look at that, there is no 

justice and you can only build a 

plural society like ours on justice. 

General Buhari has divided this 

country tremendously along ethnic, 

religious, and regional lines. So, it 

is easy to mobilise people along 

these lines. When you look at it, 

the security situation he said he was 

coming in to resolve has worsened. 

It did not only worsen in the North- 

East, it has worsened even in the 

president's home state , Katsina. His 

local government area is under 

siege by terrorists. It has worsened 

General Buhari 

has divided 

this country 

tremendously 

along ethnic, 

religious and 

regional lines. 

So, it is easy to 

mobilise 

people along 

these lines 

in Zamfara, it has worsened in 

Kaduna. 

So, it is not only Christian states 

in the North that are being 

slaughtered up and down. The 

slaughter house has been extended 

to his home state. So, people are 

not happy with this government. 

It's a failed government, a coalition 

of different tendencies that has not 

developed a coherent programme 

or tackled the problems of the 

country. 

I believe that we should go back 

•Ayu 

and re-address the issue of the 

economy, re-address the issue of 

justice and equity in the country. 

As long as we have not done this, I 

believe what has just happened is 

a dress rehearsal of a much more 

serious problem that will come in 

the future. 

The police are not fully back on 

the streets. Do you think we will 

get out of this? 

We will get out of this but we 

have a lot of things to do. You don't 

leave the economy of the country 

in the hands of the private sector. 

They are very destructive. I was 

in government and I'd seen what 

they do. When the time comes, 

they tell you that the problem is 

with the politicians. 

Social class responsible for 

our problems, not politicians 

Today, the angry youths see the 

problem as the politicians but very 

soon, they will realise that their 

problem is a group of social class 

that is working against the interest 

of the people. The youths then will 

attack everybody not just the 

politicians. It is a question of a 

clearer understanding of who really 

is responsible for the destruction of 

the economy. So, everybody will be 

a target. 

If you look at what has happened 

across the country, not only were 

key politicians' houses attacked but 

also places where food was stored. 

That is to tell you that they didn't 

just go for anything. They went for 

food. There's hunger in the land 

despite the propaganda of 

investing in agriculture. They have 

not got it right. There's serious 

hunger in the land. 

In 2014, the last year of President 

Jonathan, rice was selling at N8, 

000. Today, rice is selling at N38, 

000. And the price of every 

commodity in the market has gone 

up. Even the so called middle class 

can hardly feed. 

There is serious hunger in the 

land. There are no jobs, there is no 

production going on and there is 

no importation going on. The 

construction industry is dead. 

Everything has come to a standstill 

in Nigeria. We are basically in 

depression. 

#EndSARS protest rehearsal 

for a bigger problem unless... 

So, what happened recently is a 

dress rehearsal. We better sit 

together and come up with a clear 

solution to all this. Otherwise, even 

in Katsina where President Buhari 

thinks he's favouring, Muslims and 

Fulani people will rise up against 

him and when they do, he will run 

out of this country. 

When the protests started, the 

youths were together and spoke 

with one voice. But along the 

line, something happened and 

ethnicism and religion were 

used to create divides. What do 

you think could have happened? 

All over the world, revolution 

starts peacefully. It is from a 

peaceful protest that it changes 

character and becomes a violent 

protest. And from a violent protest, 

it becomes a class war that 

overthrows the old regime. 

So, this one also started in a very 

organised and peaceful manner. I 

live in Abuja and I saw what 

happened. People moved in along 

ethnic and religious lines and 

started burning cars, ostensibly 

owned by some people from some 

parts of the country. They started 

attacking people along ethnic and 

religious lines. 

It is not only today. Historically, 

there has been this manipulation 

of religion and ethnicity so that a 

small group of people will continue 

to rule and destroy this country. Any 

time there is an uprising against 

them, they try to use the religious 

contniues on page 21

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 – 21 

Why youths revolted — Iyorchia Ayu 

contniues from page 20 

card but the South is becoming 

wiser and a time will come when 

nobody would be able to use either 

of these to manipulate people. And 

I think it is drawing near because 

people are beginning to ignore 

those ethnic and religious cards. 

That will be the time when it will be 

difficult to manipulate the youths 

for any interest. 

I still maintain that the problem 

of this country is not Hausa vs 

Yoruba or Yoruba vs Igbo. When you 

look at the big companies, they 

have Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba in 

their board of directors. When they 

are sharing the good things, they 

forget about where they come from. 

A time will come when the youths 

will refuse that kind of narrative. If 

you remember, it was the women 

of Katsina that were abusing 

Buhari. They didn't buy the 

narrative that the problem was 

created by Igbo. 

You have a situation in the last 

election in the North where a very 

corrupt governor who was caught 

on camera collecting dollar bribe 

lost an election but they used force 

to impose him on the people of the 

state. 

A time will come when Nigerian 

people will not accept that kind of 

imposition. So, I think politically, we 

are moving step by step. If we don't 

handle things well, one day it will 

consume all of us who have been 

or are in position of government. 

Many are of the view that in 

the midst of all these, the 

Inspector General of Police and 

all the service chiefs ought to 

have resigned or be sacked 

The issue is beyond the 

leadership of security agencies. 

Though, all the heads of the 

security agencies come from one 

part of the country even with the 

security problems we have, with 

this government, even if we change 

those security heads, nothing will 

change because there are certain 

fundamental changes that need to 

be made. 

Look at the Police for instance, 

even if we remove SARS, look at 

the road situation. At every 

kilometre, there are about 10 

checkpoints and each checkpoint 

is serving as a toll-gate for collection 

of money from motorists. People 

who are in transport business have 

to budget money. People going from 

Lagos to Benin have to budget 

money for the security agents on 

the highways. It is saddening and 

something fundamental has to be 

done. 

The regime says they are going 

to look at it. I hope they do. 

Nigerians are not happy the way 

they are treated by people paid with 

their tax to protect them. Some of 

them are police, some are civil 

defence, and some are VIOs. There 

are serious problems in this country 

and we need to look into them. 

The issue of emolument of 

National Assembly members 

also cropped up. You were a 

senate president of Nigeria. 

Should legislators earn less? 

During my time, we didn't have 

that type of huge emoluments. 

First of all, the military leadership 

didn't even allow us to legislate. 

We had to play the role of a political 

national assembly to pressure the 

military to leave the scene. That’s 

all we did. 

What is happening today is 

different. I'm always shocked when 

I hear that a senator is earning such 

a stupendous amount. If that is true, 

the National Assembly should look 

inwards. There's a National 

Assembly Service Commission. 

They should look inwards and 

address that because Nigerians are 

not happy with the legislative 

houses in Nigeria. In a country 

where people are so marginalised, 

it does not make sense to hear that 

a legislator is collecting N10 million. 

However, I also do understand that 

the money is not just their salaries 

but their aides too. Each legislator 

has aides he has to pay. Each 

senator has an office in his 

constituency and he is supposed 

to go there regularly and he is 

supposed to have staff working 

there. The staff have to be paid. It is 

part of the emoluments. 

The thing is that democracy is 

not very cheap. Even where we 

copied it, legislators don't have the 

same kind of provisions for their 

own legislative aides and for their 

constituency offices. I have not 

studied it to know whether the 

sums are comparable but I know 

that democracy is not cheap. When 

you remove the legislators, you find 

that the loses are higher because 

there will be nobody to check the 

abuses that go on. 

I had the privilege of reading the 

report on power which was headed 

by Honourable Ndudi Elumelu of 

the House of Representatives. I was 

shocked by the damage that was 

done in the power sector by the socalled 

private sector , who collected 

huge sums of money and never did 

the job that they were contracted to 

do for the Nigerian people. 

The legislators do a very 

important job but they need to 

look inward because there is a cry 

out against them all over the 

country. They are overpaying 

themselves. So, I have no 

objection to a review on how much 

goes to every legislator. 

If the presidential system of 

government is too expensive, 

shouldn't we consider the 

parliamentary system? 

It has to be reviewed based on 

facts. It is very easy to say the 

parliamentary system is better 

because the Prime Minister is in 

parliament but that doesn't stop 

them from also putting huge sums 

of money for themselves. Even in 

the current system, the President, 

Senate President and Speaker 

have to carry his members along. If 

you don't do what they want, they 

will remove you and put somebody 

else who would do what they want. 

So, when people say that the 

presidential system is so expensive, 

what they also don't understand is 

that it is not only legislators that 

spend so much. Most of the money 

is being spent by the ministries. If 

you take what is allocated to one 

ministry, it is more than what is 

allocated to all the legislators. Look 

at how much goes to Ministry of 

Works, Ministry of Defence, and 

Ministry of Internal Affairs and so 

on 

Ėven if we decide on the 

parliamentary system, we will still 

allocate to these ministries. I think 

the problem with Nigeria is lack of 

accountability. We have to ensure 

that money is applied to what it is 

meant for. For a long time, I have 

been hearing of Lagos/Benin road, 

East/West road, Lagos/Ibadan 

road. Lagos-Ibadan road is under 

construction permanently. It never 

ends and it is a short road. Where 

does all the money go? I don't think 

they construct at all. If you travel 

from Abuja through Lokoja to Benin, 

you'd find that since Obasanjo's 

time, that road is under construction 

and it never ends. So, Nigerians 

are not tackling the problems they 

should be tackling. Who are doing 

these roads? It is the private sector 

who keeps increasing the costs of 

these contracts. They don't do the 

jobs. They collect the money and 

share with corrupt public officials. 

The next day, they bring a new bill. 

What is 

happening today 

is different. I'm 

always socked 

when I hear that a 

senator is earning 

such a stupendous 

amount. If that is 

true, the national 

assembly should 

look inwards. 

There's a National 

Assembly Service 

Commission 

So, I think we have a problem that 

is far beyond people in government. 

Devolution of power to states 

We need to sit down and find how 

we can devolve power to the states. 

There is so much concentration of 

power in the centre. It is very 

important that many things being 

down by the Federal Government 

•Ayu 

should be devolved to the states. 

With hindsight, I don't see how we 

should have federal government 

running secondary schools. We 

have gone beyond that. All these 

unity schools, federal government 

colleges should be given to the 

states where they are located. 

Federal Government has no 

business running secondary 

schools and colleges of education. 

There's too much concentration on 

the centre. It makes the centre very 

attractive. If it is in the states, along 

the line with the mood of the country 

today, leaders in the states will be 

held accountable and be forced to 

implement the policies passed by 

the states House of Assembly. So, 

I'm strongly of the view that we 

need restructuring but not in terms 

of having regional government but 

devolving power to the states. 

What about restructuring along 

regional lines? 

I don't support that, it won't 

work. It can only lead to confederal 

states and break up of the 

country. What I think is that more 

powers should be given to the states 

and I can tell you that there are many 

parts of the country that will not 

support regional system of 

government. Many people in the 

West will not agree to go back to 

Ibadan. Many people in the East 

will not agree to go back to Enugu. 

People want states. Even now, there 

is agitation for states. 

In 2014 Conference , which I 

participated, there were hundreds 

of requests for new states. What 

people want is power should be 

devolved from the centre to the 

states so that it will be easier to 

check what they are doing. 

Some have said the regions 

worked better and now, it should 

be across the six geopolitical zones 

My stand is to maintain the state 

structure and devolve more power 

to the states. My people in Benue 

will never agree to go back to 

Kaduna. 

With what happened recently, 

what do you think will happen in 

2023 elections? 

We will have an election. I believe 

Nigerians are wiser. In 2015, they 

were deceived that they were going 

to get change. They voted for a 

contraction of a party that has no 

history and focus. Many of those 

who were shouting 'change, 

change' are the very people now 

regretting voting for voting for 

Buhari. Some were shouting 

'next level' in 2019 and I think this 

is the next level: looting warehouses 

for food. 

I think Nigerians are wise and I 

think my own party, the PDP which 

I was a founding member is the 

party to beat in 2023. PDP has a 

more serious vision about 

developing this country. I already 

told you how we brought the debt 

profile of this country to virtually 

zero. We were no longer taking 

Nigerians money and servicing 

debts. We had enough money to 

begin to deploy into the productive 

sector of the economy but we didn't 

do that. The new set of people who 

came with a lot of false propaganda 

came in and they started running 

to China and today, we are the 

biggest debt ridden country in the 

developing world. You can't even 

see what they did with the money. 

I believe that in 2023, Nigerians 

should begin to look at the policies 

and track record of the various 

political parties. Whether you say 

PDP and APC are the same, it is 

not true. There are serious 

qualitative differences between the 

two parties and I believe that 

Nigerians will be wise and choose 

a leadership that will go back to 

where the problems started 

confronting the country. 

During the PDP, we didn't have 

all security chiefs from one part of 

the country. Merit was applied. The 

Chief of Army Staff was from my 

home state of Benue, Chief of Naval 

Staff from another state and so on. 

People had a feeling of being 

recognised. States were discussing 

policies that would benefit them. 

Niger Delta states were discussing 

how more resources would be given 

them. That was when we created 

NDDC. There were no arguments 

about religion and ethnicity. 

People are still angry with 

Jonathan because they believe it’s 

the weakness of Jonathan that 

brought us to where we are 

I think they know better today. 

We have oil from the Niger 

Delta and it’s shared across 

Nigeria. Why is gold from 

Zamfara not being shared? 

I think there should be a general 

policy that should be applied 

across the country. What is good 

for the goose is good for the 

gander. So, if we have an extractive 

mineral in the South-South and 

it’s for the whole country, an 

extractive mineral from the North 

should be for the whole country. 

Do you think PDP still has a 

future in this country? 

It is the only coherent party, the 

only party without alternative. It 

is a party with a clear programme 

of development and I believe that 

since 2015, PDP has been gaining 

ground. I think it is a party to beat 

in the next election. The APC is a 

party in disintegration. 

By 2022, the APC will no longer 

be a party as we know it now. The 

only party that can hold this country 

together and develop it to the 

satisfaction of everybody is the 

Peoples Democratic Party.

22— Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 

Electricity: 59.6% of consumers still on estimated billing — NERC 

By Prince Okafor 

THE Nigerian Electricity 

Regulatory Commission 

(NERC) has disclosed that 59.6 per 

cent of electricity consumers in the 

country were still on estimated 

billing as at March 2020. 

NERC made this known in its 

‘First Quarter 2020 Report’ which 

was obtained by our correspondent 

in Lagos. 

The regulatory agency said the 

huge metering gap for end-use 

customers remained a key 

challenge in the industry. 

According to the report, ”The 

records of the commission indicate 

that, of the 10,477,856 registered 

electricity customers as at the end 

of the first quarter of 2020, only 

4,231,940 (40.39 per cent) have 

been metered. 

“Thus, 59.61 per cent of the 

registered electricity customers are 

still on estimated billing which has 

contributed to customer apathy 

towards payment of electricity bills, 

” the report stated. 

However, compared to the fourth 

quarter of 2019, the number of 

registered and metered customers 

increased by one per cent and eight 

per cent respectively. 

NERC said the increase in 

registered customer population 

was due to the ongoing customer 

enumeration exercise by electricity 

Distribution Companies (DisCo). 

The regulator said that through 

the exercise, unregistered 

consumers of electricity were 

brought unto the DisCos’ billing 

platform. 

It also attributed the increase in 

metered customers to the rollout of 

meters under the Meter Asset 

Provider (MAP) scheme. 

The regulatory agency said all the 

DisCos recorded progress in the 

metering of their electricity 

customers as at March 2020, 

compared with December 2019. 

According to NERC, the 

metering status of the DisCos as at 

March 2020, areas follows: Benin 

DisCo, 54.23 per cent; Abuja, 

52.73 per cent; Eko, 50.71 per cent; 

Ikeja, 45.47 per cent and Enugu , 

44.85 per cent. 

Others are: Port Harcourt, 38.52 

per cent; Ibadan, 37.11 per cent; 

Jos, 31. 80 per cent; Kaduna, 23.60 

per cent; Kano, 21.11 per cent; and 

Yola, 20.44 per cent. 

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 

FG, DISCOs, Mojec, others move to cut metering gap by 

66.7% •Why prepaid meters are costly – Mojec 

By Prince Okafor 

With over 10 million 

households in Nigeria yet 

to be provided with electricity 

meter, the Federal government has 

commenced the National Mass 

Metering Programme (NMMP) in 

partnership with the eleven 

Electricity Distribution Companies, 

DISCO, Mojec International 

Limited, along with other metering 

manufacturing companies in the 

country. 

The NMMP is to roll out six 

million meters for all connection 

points on the grid that are currently 

without meters over the next 18 to 

24 months. It is estimated to cover 

about 30 million consumers 

nationwide. 

It is also expected to reduce the 

metering deficit in the country by 

66.7 per cent. 

Vanguard gathered that under 

the programme, the federal 

government would make funds 

available for the payment of the 

prepaid meters and the DISCOs 

would distribute to households 

free. 

Subsequently, customers will pay 

back the cost of the meters over a 

period of time. 

Speaking during the NMMP 

launch in Lagos, the 

Commissioner for Energy, Lagos 

State, Mr. Olalere Odusote, said 

the essence of prepaid meters is to 

ensure that everyone in Lagos 

understand the energy they are 

consuming and pay for it. 

“One of the major concerns of 

consumers is that the bills they are 

charged is not reflective of their 

power consumption. 

“What the state government is 

doing is to ensure that it 

underwrites the metering 

programme it is providing, so 

instead of having consumer pay 

for meters that they need 

immediately, the state government 

will prepay and consumers would 

repay overtime. 

“The meters would be available 

and your inability to afford a meter 

would not stop you from getting a 

meter. The Lagos State 

Government is committed to 

ensuring that all Lagosians are 

metered by the end of the current 

administration. 

“In terms of the payment, we are 

still engaging with the DISCOs to 

come up with a modality." 

Also, EKEDC, Managing 

Director and Chief Executive 

Officer, Engr. Adeoye Fadeyibi 

stated that the Mass Metering 

programme is a welcome 

development and a boost to the 

deepening of the Nigerian 

Electricity Supply Industry, NESI. 

“The programme couldn’t have 

come at a better time than now 

given the impact of the Covid-19 

pandemic on businesses and 

household income. For us at Eko, 

we will be rolling out over 100,000 

meters in the next few weeks in 

the first phase of the programme. 

Similarly, Ikeja Electric Plc (IE) 

has embarked on the distribution 

of prepaid meters to 106, 000 

customers under the National 

Mass Metering Programme 

(NMMP) approved by the Federal 

Government. 

According to the Acting Chief 

Executive Officer of IE, Mrs. 

Folake Soetan, “Ikeja Electric is 

rolling out over 106,000 prepaid 

meters to customers across its six 

Business Units – Ikeja, Abule- 

Egba, Akowonjo, Oshodi, Ikorodu 

and Shomolu." 

She said that this was for the first 

phase of the programme, which 

would run till the end of 2020. 

Beneficiaries of this programme, 

which will cut across all locations 

in IE network, will not be required 

to pay upfront for the installation 

of meters. 

Soetan was of the view that the 

modalities of cost recovery for the 

meters would be clearly defined 

and communicated to the 

beneficiaries. 

Cost of Prepaid meter 

Speaking during the launch, the 

Group Managing Director, Mojec 

International Limited, Chantelle 

Abdul, said the metering 

programme is an initiative of the 

federal government to ensure that 

Nigerians get meters fast and close 

the metering gap. 

She also hinted that the swiftness 

of the process is predicated on the 

availability of funds, adding that 

Mojec and Eko Disco have been 

partnering for many years to get 

meters in the hands of Nigerians. 

“I think the difference here is that 

the government has provided the 

funding necessary so that the 

Discos will not have to do so much 

to afford the meters. The 

government has intervened with 

Nigeria loses N343bn as oil firms burn 265bcf 

of gas in 9 months • FG seeks total elimination in new PIB 

By Michael Eboh 

DESPITE Nigeria’s struggle with 

declining revenue, poor power 

supply and environmental 

degradation, oil and gas firms 

operating in the country flared 265.18 

billion standard cubic feet, bcf, of gas 

between January and September 

2020. 

This, however, represented a decline 

of 23.6 per cent compared to 347.15 bc 

of gas flared in the corresponding 

period of 2019. 

According to the data obtained from 

the National Oil Spill Detection and 

Response Agency, NOSDRA, the 

265.18 bcf of gas flared in the ninemonth 

period of 2020, translated to a 

loss of $928.3 million, an equivalent of 

N343.47 billion. 

Consequently, the oil producing 

some financing to ensure that 

Discos are able to acquire the 

meters,” she said. 

The cost of the single and double 

phase meter is still going to be the 

same as in the MAP price, because 

what a lot of people do not realise 

is that the price we are going for is 

not just the cost of the meter, it is 

the cost of the different services we 

firms responsible for this flaring are 

expected to pay penalties amounting 

$530.5 million (an equivalent of 

N196.29 billion) for breaching the gas 

flaring laws in the nine-month period. 

However, it is not known whether 

the oil firms have paid the penalties 

or not. 

The volume of gas flared in the 

nine-month period is also an 

equivalent of 14.1 million tonnes of 

carbon dioxide emission and has a 

power generation potential of 26,500 

gigawatts per hour. 

Giving a breakdown of the volume 

of gas flared by oil and gas companies 

in the first nine months of 2020, the 

NOSDRA gas flare data stated that 

companies operating at onshore oil 

fields flared 154.8 bcf of gas, valued 

at $541.7 million, an equivalent of 

N200.43 billion, while companies 

operating offshore flared 110.5 bcf of 

Source: NERC 

are doing on it, such as meter, and 

survey." 

“We will survey houses and 

ensure they are meter ready, we 

are also going to consider other 

things. A meter doesn’t exist by 

itself, there are so many 

accessories. So, all of these are 

included in that price. 

gas, valued at $386.6 million, an 

equivalent of N143.04 billion. 

The gas flared by the firms 

operating onshore attracted penalties 

of $309.5 million, about N114.52 

billion; while it is an equivalent of 8.2 

million tonnes of carbon dioxide 

emission; and is capable of 

generating 15,500 gigawatts per 

hour of electricity. 

The volume of gas flared offshore, 

attracted penalties of $220.9 million, 

about N81.73 billion; represented an 

equivalent of 5.9 million tonnes of 

carbon dioxide emission; and 

electricity generation potential of 

11,000 gigawatts per hour. 

On a month-on-month basis, the 

report noted that in January, 

February, March, April, May, and 

June, 38.54 BCF of gas, 32.02 BCF, 

35.8 BCF, 39.49 BCF, 38.88 BCF and 

Continues on page 23

Investors’ interest 

growing in Nigeria’s gold 

value chain — PAGMI 

•To earn $150m from taxes, 

$25m from royalties annually 

THE Secretary of the 

Presidential Artisanal 

Gold Mining Initiative, PAGMI, 

Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi, has 

disclosed that more investors 

are indicating interest in 

Nigeria’s gold value chain. 

She further projected that one 

of the key programmes 

implemented by the PAGMI, the 

integration of artisanal gold 

mining, would on an annual 

basis, grow Nigeria’s tax income 

by an average of $150 million, 

attract royalties of $25 million, 

and boost the country’s foreign 

reserves by $500 million 

annually. 

Shinkafi said PAGMI is set to 

galvanise the nation’s gold 

industry by transforming it into 

a major player in the global 

market, because PAGMI serves 

as a catalyst in the industry to 

rapidly develop the nation's gold 

reserves and to give artisanal 

gold miners a sense of belonging 

with improved way of mining. 

According to her, artisanal 

miners who mine gold will be 

having increased profit, because 

they get better compensation for 

their wins, thereby encouraging 

others to come on board in order 

to boost production and 

availability of the commodity. 

She further explained that 

PAGMI is a presidential 

initiative to kick-start the gold 

sector in Nigeria, because it is a 

private sector issue. 

Nigeria loses N343bn as oil firms 

burn 265bcf of gas in 9 months 

Continues from page 22 

29.05 BCF of gas were flared 

respectively, while 18.34 BCF, 

24.77 BCF and 8.29 BCF of gas 

were flared in July, August and 

September 2020, respectively. 

In comparison, in January, 

February, March, April, May, 

June, July, August and 

September 2019, 41.82 BCF of 

gas, 39.33 BCF, 47.63 BCF, 

41.89 BCF, 42.87 BCF, 40.8 

BCF, 26.55 BCF, 36.11 BCF 

and 30.15 BCF of gas were 

flared respectively. 

PIB sanctions 

However, to ensure complete 

elimination of gas flaring, the 

Federal Government, through 

the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, 

is proposing that stricter 

sanctions, in form of fines shall 

be paid by the defaulters in the 

same manner and procedure 

in which the oil firms make 

payment of royalties to the 

Government. 

The proposed PIB stated that 

the fine paid shall not be eligible 

for cost recovery or be tax 

deductible, adding that licensee 

or lessee shall pay a penalty 

OIL MARKET WATCH 

Bonny Light $37.31 

Brent 

$38.61 

OPEC Basket $36.50 

WTI 

$36.46 

MARS $36.09 

(As at November 2, 2020) 

“Normally, for this kind of 

business, which the Ministry of 

Mines and Steel Development 

and others are the regulators, 

PAGMI is a proof that kickstarting 

the gold sector is a 

possible concept,” Shinkafi 

stated. 

In addition, she said: “The 

government is not in business as 

such. We have some investors 

already, who have shown interest 

and have undergone some 

licensing, and of course, room is 

still open for more people to 

come into the business. Come 

to the Ministry, you can be part 

of the process as a buying centre 

licensed by the Ministry once 

you fulfill the obligations and of 

course the responsible 

resourcing is very important. 

“A lot of people are putting 

their money in gold. What this 

does for Nigeria is that the 

Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, 

acquires the London Bullion 

Market Association’s bullion in 

Naira, and of course it adds to 

our foreign reserves. So we do 

not have to sell crude oil to add 

to our reserves, we can add to 

our foreign reserves from our 

gold that is mined in Nigeria. 

“That is fulfilling our 

mandate, diversifying from oil 

and gas, creating employment 

for people and at the same time 

generating revenue for 

government. This is the major 

mandate for the Ministry. 

prescribed pursuant to the 

Flare Gas (Prevention of Waste 

and Pollution) Regulations. 

The law is further proposing 

that an oil firm licensed for 

crude oil and gas exploration 

and production, shall prior to 

the commencement of 

petroleum production, install 

metering equipment 

conforming to the specifications 

prescribed on every facility from 

which natural gas may be 

flared or vented as the relevant 

regulatory authorities may 

prescribe. 

The bill is also stipulating that 

any licensee or lessee who fails 

or refuses to install metering 

equipment, would be deemed 

to have committed an offence 

under the Act and is liable to a 

fine as relevant regulatory 

authorities may prescribe. 

The bill added, however: 

“The Commission or the 

Authority may grant a permit 

to a licensee or lessee to allow 

the flaring or venting of natural 

gas for a specific period, where 

it is required for facility startup; 

or for strategic operational 

reasons, including testing. 

“Notwithstanding any 

provision to the contrary under 

this Act, a licensee or lessee 

producing natural gas shall, 

within 12 months of the effective 

date, submit a natural gas flare 

elimination and monetisation 

plan to the Commission, which 

shall be prepared in 

accordance with regulations 

made by the Commission 

under this Act.” 

Nigerian Trumpkins and the 

disgrace of Donald Trump 

BY the time you are 

reading this, the 

American presidential 

election would be on its 

last leg. November 3, 

2020 is election day in the 

United States, except that 

95 million people have already 

voted as I am writing 

this. That means the 

election must be already 

baked. And that means, as 

far as I am concerned, 

President Donald J. Trump 

is already on the way to 

ignominious defeat. 

I have been having a 

ding-dong with Nigerian 

Trumpkins ever since 

Trump became the American 

president against the 

odds. I pointed out that 

Trump actually lost the 

election in 2016 to Hilary 

Clinton by no less than a 

whopping three million 

votes. He only became 

president because he obtained 

a measly total of 

77,000 votes in three midwestern 

states: Michigan, 

Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. 

But Nigerian Trumpkins 

would have none of that. 

Trump himself went as far 

as declare that his three 

million deficit in the popular 

votes in 2016 were 

fake votes. However, the 

77,000 votes that awarded 

him the presidency 

through the antediluvian 

electoral college system 

was genuine. 

Provoking Trumpkins 

Then I raised the ante. 

I told them Donald Trump 

would be impeached. 

This prediction earned me 

a lot of insults on social 

media from Nigerian 

Trumpkins. They called 

me all kinds of names. 

Fortunately, I am immune 

to insults. I developed 

the immunity as a teenager 

in boarding school. 

Three years later, Trump 

was impeached. Then I 

discovered that Nigerian 

Trumpkins do not even 

know what impeachment 

means. They assume it 

means removal from office, 

whereas, it is the prelude 

to removal. Of course, 

Trump could not be removed 

because his party 

controlled the American 

Senate; and two-thirds of 

the Senators must agree 

before he can be removed. 

Then a few weeks ago, 

God told me Trump would 

be infected with COVID- 

19. When I again went 

public on this, I was 

roundly excoriated by the 

Trumpkins, who claimed I 

said God told me Trump 

would die of COVID-19 

although he recovered 

from the disease. 

This is a classic case of 

calling a dog a bad name 

in order to kill it. I never 

said God told me Trump 

would die of COVID-19. 

For Trumpkins who can 

read the English language, 

this is what I wrote 

verbatim: 

“(God) said to me: 

‘Donald Trump himself 

will catch the virus.’ I was 

not precisely sure what to 

make of this prophecy. 

Nevertheless, my immediate 

conclusion (PER- 

HAPS EMANATING 

FROM UNCHARITABLE 

WISHFUL THINKING) 

was that Donald Trump 

would not only catch 

COVID-19 but would die 

of the disease.” 

Surely, a distinction 

should be made between 

my wishful thinking and 

God’s prophecy. But our 

dear Trumpkins refused to 

entertain that distinction. 

I also made another statement 

that trumped them. 

I said: “While most pundits 

believe Biden will 

defeat Trump at the polls, 

God has determined that 

Trump will be defeated by 

the coronavirus.” 

The veracity of this 

statement will become apparent 

over the next few 

days. 

My prediction 

So, this is my prediction, 

and it is not a prophecy 

from God. Nigerian 

Trumpkins need to be educated 

that a prediction is 

different from a prophecy. 

A prediction is from 

a man: a prophecy is from 

God. 

I predict that Trump will 

be disgraced in today’s 

American presidential 

election. He will not only 

lose, he will lose by a landslide. 

He will be roundly 

rejected by the American 

electorate. The whole 

world is tired of Donald 

Trump, except perhaps a 

smidgen of Nigerian 

Trumpkins. Trump is an 

assault on human beings 

everywhere. 

He is the man who ushered 

in the so-called 

“post-truth world” with his 

cacophony of lies and 

falsehoods. The Washington 

Post tallies over 22,000 

false statements emanating 

from Trump in his 

four-year presidency; with 

a record of 189 lies in one 

single day. 

Nigerian Trumpkins believe 

Trump’s lies, including 

his current insistence 

that the United States is 

rounding the corner” with 

COVID-19, even though 

over 230,000 Americans 

have died of the disease. 

Indeed, just three days 

ago, on October 30, 2020, 

the United States reached 

a new milestone of nearly 

100,000 new COVID infections 

in one day. 

So, you can understand 

en the beating of his life. 

All Biden needs to do is 

retrieve Michigan, Wisconsin, 

and Pennsylvania 

from Trump. These are 

the Democratic-voting 

states that surprisingly 

voted for Trump in 2016. 

Biden is well on the way 

to do that. All the polls 

show him in comfortable 

leads in those states, one 

even by double-digits. 

Early results from the 

American east coast 

should seal the deal. If 

Trump loses Florida, the 

election is over. If he loses 

Georgia, then we are 

talking about a landslide. 

If he loses Texas, then it 

is not just a defeat but a 

disgrace. 

As I said, the election is 

already baked. An overwhelming 

95 million 

Americans have already 

voted, the overwhelming 

percentage of these are 

Democrats. Young voters, 

between 18 and 29 years, 

who have never voted before, 

have come out of the 

woodwork, and they are 

mostly voting for Biden. 

Ditto suburban and women 

voters. Trump is not 

even doing as well as he 

did in 2019 among white 

voters. 

Trump’s drubbing will 

also be reflected down- 


ballot. Democrats should 

squeeze through a takeover 

of the Senate from the 

Republicans, no thanks to 

Donald Trump who is determined 

to bring his party-members 

down with 

him. 

my insistence that Trump 

will be defeated not by 

Biden but by the coronavirus. 

You cannot expect 

Americans to go through 

Trump’s abject incompetence 

in handling the pandemic 

and still expect 

them to give him another 

four years of continued incompetence 

in the White 

House. It is just not going 

to happen. 

Donald J. Trump will be 

kicked out of the White 

House. Thereafter, he 

will be faced with lawsuits 

in New York that will end 

up with him being sentenced 

to jail by 2023 in 

Ricker’s Island. 

Trump fears this, that is 

why his chief strategy in 

this election is suppressing 

the votes. That is 

why he is already claiming 

the election will be 

rigged without coming up 

with any substantiation 

whatsoever. That is why 

his people have already 

filed over 40 lawsuits 

against the election before 

it took place. That is why 

he is saying the only result 

he will accept is that 

which declares him the 

winner. 

Short shrift 

Why should 

Blacks in Nigeria 

believe in a 

man who believes 

Black lives 

do not matter 

However, the election 

should be over sooner 

than people think. In no 

time at all, it will be clear 

that Trump has been giv- 

Poor Trumpkins 

I would then need some 

rationalisations explaining 

Trump’s disgrace from 

Nigerian Trumpkins, who 

are foolishly in love with 

a man who is not even 

supported by Blacks in 

his own country. They 

are in support of a man 

given to racist dog-whistles, 

who tells White supremacists 

to “stand by,” 

who calls Nigeria a “shithole 

country,” who has 

banned Nigerians from 

the American visa lottery, 

and who is consistently 

against the election of Nigerians 

to high positions 

in the African Development 

Bank and the World 

Trade Organisation. 

I would need Nigerians 

to explain why a man they 

claim is a Christian champion 

and therefore ordained 

by God would then 

lose his ordination at the 

polls. Is God unable to 

prevent Trump’s defeat? 

This messiah of Nigerian 

Trumpkins is a man without 

a moral compass. He 

is a serial adulterer. He is 

a man not given to the 

truth but steeped in falsehood. 

Why should Blacks in 

Nigeria believe in a man 

who obviously believes 

Black lives do not matter. 

Why should Christians 

believe in a man who denigrates 

Christ and Christianity 

in private but holds 

up a Bible in public just 

for a photo-up? Why 

should they support a 

man who promoted a policy 

of separating the children 

of immigrants to the 

United States from their 

mothers, with the result 

that it has not been possible 

to reunite over 500 children 

with their parents? 

Nigerian Trumpkins 

claim Trump has kept his 

promises. So, I ask 

where is the wall that 

Trump promised to 

build? When did Mexico 

pay for it? Where is 

Trump’s repeal of Obamacare? 

And where is his 

rebuilding of the American 

healthcare system? 

Where is the COVID vaccine 

that is supposed to 

show up before election 

day? 

If Nigerian Trumpkins 

can believe these lies and 

more of Trump’s lies, then 

I have a mountain to sell 

to them. In the meantime, 

these friends of 

Donald Trump should cry 

me a river. They should 

also learn to debate issues 

and not easily resort to 

abuses. 

The Trump era is over. 

Thank God for that. Americans 

will ensure he never 

returns. Therefore, 

Nigerian Trumpkins now 

need a new champion. I 

suggest they use a little 

more commonsense in 

choosing the next one, if 

at all.


Nigeria requires N154b to eradicate, control 

Neglected Tropical Diseases 

•Contributes 40% global burden 

By Chioma Obinna & 

Joseph Erunke 

NIGERIA requires an 

estimated N154 billion 

to control and eradicate 

Neglected Tropical 

Diseases, NTDs, such as 

elephantiasis, Buruli ulcer, 

river blindness and leprosy 

amongst others. 

The National Coordinator 

of the National NTDs 

programme in Nigeria, Dr 

Anyaike Chukwuma who 

disclosed this in Ibadan, 

Oyo State, worried that currently, 

Nigeria contributes 

40 percent of the NTD burden 

globally and carries 

roughly 25 per cent of Africa's 

NTD burden. 

The NTDs are a group 

of infectious parasitic and 

bacterial infections that 

disproportionally affect the 

world’s poorest and most 

vulnerable populations, 

causing severe and lifelong 

impairment. 

Several millions of Nigerians 

are at risk for at least 

one untreated NTD as well 

as cases of co-endemicity 

where a person is infected 

with more than one NTD. 

In 2013, the Federal 

Ministry of Health 

launched an elaborate plan 

to control or eliminate the 

seven most common NTDs 

by 2020. 

But as the target is fast 

approaching, millions in 

the country have not been 

reached with crucial services 

as a result of the gaps 

in funding. 

Even though NTDs are 

common infections, they 

Millions of Nigerians are at risk of infection from Neglected Tropical Diseases as a 

result of funding gap in the elimination efforts. 

have received inadequate 

and inconsistent attention 

on the international health 

agenda for decades. 

Funding is one of the 

significant gaps against 

theie control and elimination 

as a public health 

problem. 

Lamenting the funding 

gap Chukwuma expla ined 

that although 80 percent of 

the funding comes from 

donors, a large proportion 

of the fund allocated is not 

released. 

Quoting the 2016-2020 

Strategic Plan which put 

the funding gap at $400 million, 

Chukwuma lamented 

the huge burden of the 

diseases across the 774 Local 

Government Areas of 

the country. 

Earlier, the Head, Child 

Rights Information Bureau, 

CRIB, Federal Ministry of 

Information, Mrs Mercy 

Megwa, said that about 

122 million Nigerians, 

mostly children were at risk 

of one or more of the NTDs. 

Megwa who lamented 

that these diseases cause 

disabilities among its victims 

and limit productivity, 

stressed the need to eliminate 

them. 

Speaking at a two day 

media dialogue on NTDs, 

in Nigeria, organised by 

the Federal Ministry of Information 

in collaboration 

with UNICEF, she said the 

meeting was to examine 

the diseases critically with 

a view to working out modalities 

that will help to control 

and eliminate them. 

“NTDs keep children out 

Invest more in HIV prevention, treatment, 

FG told 

By Providence Adeyinka 

EXPERTS have called 

on the federal government 

and other 

stakeholders to invest 

more on efforts to prevent 

HIV infection human immunodeficiency 

virus, 

HIV prevention interventions 

while advocating for 

supportive policy and programmes. 

They made the call at a 

media roundtable organised 

by AVAC Fellow 2020 

in partnership with the 

Journalists Alliance for 

AIDS, JAAIDS on the role 

of media in HIV prevention 

advocacy with the 

theme: “Advocating for 

supportive policy and programmes 

for effective HIV 

prevention interventions”. 

The Key Population Advisor, 

Heartland Alliance, 

Mr. Michael said there was 

funding gaps for interventions 

needed by majority 

while interventions needed 

by fewer are funded 

most. 

“We need more investment 

in prevention in order 

to match our investment 

in treatment because we 

cannot leave people to be 

getting infested and we are 

much more interested in 

putting money in treating 

them, so we need to move 

towards investment in prevention,” 

he said. 

On her part, Executive 

Director, JAAIDS, Mrs. 

Olayide Akanni, said it is 

focusing on prevention because 

it remains the achilles 

heel of the response, 

adding that evidence for 

success in prevention efforts 

includes sustained 

processes that are combining 

socio-behavioural interventions 

with biomedical 

and structural. 

According to Akanni, 

UNAIDS 2018 data indicates 

that key populations 

and their sexual partners 

accounted for 64 percent of 

all new infections within the 

West and Central Africa 

region, while 160 young 

women aged 15 to 24 years 

become infected with HIV 

in the region every day. 

She said Nigeria’s HIV 

prevalence stands at 1.5 

percent in the 15 to 49- 

year-old population : “The 

prevalence of HIV for key 

populations remains significantly 

higher: 27.4 percent 

for brothel-based female 

sex workers, 21.7 percent 

for non-brothel-based female 

sex workers, 17.2 percent 

for men who have sex 

with men, and 10.4 percent 

of school and limit potentials 

of parents. There have 

been so much wrong information 

in the communities, 

I charge the media to work 

assiduously to help eliminate 

the diseases in the 

communities,” she remarked. 

There are 10 NTDs targeted 

for control, elimination 

or eradication by the 

end of 2020 as part of the 

London Declaration on 

NTDs. 

They include trachoma, 

Chagas disease, Guinea 

worm, African trypanosomiasis 

(sleeping sickness), 

Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), 

Leprosy, onchocerciasis 

(river blindness), 

schistosomiasis, Soiltransmitted 

helminthiasis 

and Visceral leishmaniasis. 

for people who inject drugs. 

“Over the last years, Nigeria 

has focused a lot on 

treatment on HIV at the 

expense of prevention and 

we are explaining that you 

cannot continue to mop the 

floor when the tap is open. 

We need to turn off the tap 

of new infections as well 

make sure there is treatment 

available. We still 

have gaps in prevention 

and there is not enough of 

investment in prevention. 

“A lot of our prevention 

tools are still not widely 

available and we are growing 

a generation of young 

people who have limited 

information on HIV prevention. 

That is why we 

need to revive efforts in creating 

awareness on HIV 

prevention if we really want 

to get to zero infection by 

2030,” she said. 

Nigeria’s Oluwadare wins 

2020 Global Animal Welfare 

Award 

By Juliet Umeh 

A 

NIGERIAN Veteri 

nary Technician, Paul 

Oluwadare, has been 

awarded the 2020 Global 

Animal Welfare Award by 

the World Veterinary Association 

(WVA) and Ceva 

Santé Animale. 

Oluwadare who is Chief 

Animal Health Technologist 

at the Federal College 

of Animal Health and Production 

Technology, 

Ibadan, is the author of 14 

textbooks addressing topics 

in animal health and 

welfare and is a leading 

exponent of animal welfare 

delivery in Nigeria. 

Presenting the awards 

at the 4th Global Animal 

Welfare Awards, the World 

Veterinary Association and 

Ceva Santé Animale expressed 

delight that Oluwadare 

and five others 

made this year’s Awards. 

The 2020 Global Animal 

Welfare Awards features 

addition of two novel 

award categories for veterinary 

technicians/nurses 

and veterinary schools, 

recognising individuals 

and institutions for going 

Avila Naturalle diversifies, 

plans new factory, products 

By Chioma Obinna 

IN line with its vision of 

inspiring a healthier and 

a happier world, Avila 

Naturalle Ltd, 

manufacturer of natural 

body care and food 

products is set to launch 

Avilan water and 

beverages. 

The new division of the 

company which would 

commence operations in 

November 2020 following 

official commissioning in 

Ikotun/Igando area of 

Lagos State, focuses on 

production of premium 

quality table water, natural 

juices and other healthy 

drinks. 

The Founder/Visioneer, 

Avila Naturalle Ltd., Mrs 

Temitope Mayegun, said 

the Division is part of the 

company’s strategic 

business direction that 

emphasizes productivity 

and expansion in line with 

its commitment to help 

Nigerians eat right and 

ultimately lead a healthier 

lifestyle. 

Mayegun said the 

company adds value to 

Nigerians and people all 

over the world, through 

natural products that 

address diverse human 

needs ranging from body 

Paul Oluwadare. 

'above and beyond' in protecting 

animals and promoting 

animal welfare. 

The award ceremony was 

be followed by a series of 

short videos highlighting 

the work of each of the 

award recipients in their 

respective fields under a 

single common goal - improving 

the welfare of animals. 

The WVA and Ceva 

Santé Animale are thrilled 

to work together in recognizing 

veterinarians, veterinary 

paraprofessionals, 

veterinary students, and 

veterinary academic institutions 

for their outstanding 

work in and dedication 

to the advancement of animal 

welfare. 

Mrs Temitope Mayegun. 

care, foods and drinks. 

“As a company that is 

divinely inspired, Avila 

Naturalle is out to make a 

bold and positive impact in 

the lives of the people. Our 

brand philosophy is to 

right the wrong in our 

society by helping people 

to break free from the usage 

or consumption of 

products that have long 

term adverse effect on their 

health. 

“We will be launching 

Avilan Table Water and 

Drinks as part of our 

commitment to ensure that 

Nigerians get the very best 

quality and natural 

products that are not only 

healthy and safe for 

consumption but also 

enhance their overall 

wellness”.

C 

M 

Y 

K 

VOL. 1: NO. 259 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 

13 % DERIVATION: Host communities 

fume over A’Ibom, Bayelsa govts’ refusal to 

set up oil commissions 

CROSS RIVER… 

THE PEOPLE’S PARADISE 

By Emma Amaize, NDV Editor, 

Sam Oyadongha, Emma Una, 

Emem Idio & Harris Emanuel 

OIL communities and activists 

in Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa 

States have articulated their 

revulsion at the failure of 

governments of the two states 

respectively to establish oil 

commissions like other Niger 

Delta states to manage the 13 per 

cent Derivation to the states. 

They point at Delta, Edo, Ondo, 

Abia, Imo states, where the 

governors had set up oil 

commissions to administer 

stipulated proportion of the fund, 

but representatives of some oil 

communities in Edo and Delta 

states, who spoke to NDV, 

recently, said state governors still 

short-change the oil 

commissions. 

However, as Akwa Ibom and 

Bayelsa oil communities battle 

the governors to inaugurate oil 

commissions to manage 13 per 

cent derivation fund, available 

information indicates that Cross 

River no longer receives 

derivation from the Federal 

Government after it lost 96 oil 

wells to Akwa Ibom state in 2008. 

Though information on the 

actual amount received by Akwa 

Ibom on monthly basis has been 

shrouded in secrecy by 

government authorities 

especially the Ministry of 

Finance, indications have 

emerged that the state received 

well over N60 billion from 

January to July. 

The state has over the years 

been lumping the 13 per cent 

derivation fund with the monthly 

statutory allocation from the 

federation purse to implement its 

programmes and policies. 

Clamour for setting 

up of special 

commission 

Recently, the people of Eastern 

Obolo, an oil rich council in the 

state raised concerns over 

alleged marginalization of the 

area, despite their immense 

contribution to the oil 

production quantum which has 

made the state the leading 

producer of crude oil as well as 

the effects of gas flaring and 

called on the state government 

to come to their aid as gas flare 

from oil production activities was 

making life unbearable for them. 

They spoke through President 

of a socio-cultural organisation 

in the council "Obolo Me Obolo", 

Mr. Emmanuel Paul, who 

insisted on the establishment of 

Akwa Ibom State Oil Producing 

Development Commission like 

other states in the Niger Delta 

region for the development of oil 

producing communities. 

“Our appeal is that Governor 

Emmanuel Udom should create 

an oil producing community 

Gov. Udom Emmanuel of 

Akwa Ibom State 

Commission for Akwa Ibom 

State. Delta State has it, other 

states in the Niger Delta region 

have theirs and they are reaping 

the results of it already. If we have 

an oil producing Commission 

that is funded by government 

most of the demands will now be 

channelled through the 

Commission,” he said. 

A community leader in Mbo, 

Elder George Antai, equally 

towed the same position and 

explained that there was nothing 

on ground to show that the state 

has been spending 13 per cent 

derivation funds in the area, 

alleging the neglect of 

Oro nation, comprising Mbo, 

Oron, Okobo, Urue Offong / 

Oruko, Udung Uko local 

government areas by successive 

administration in the state. These 

areas lie in the oil and gas belt. 

According to him, the area 

which is the third largest ethnic 

nationality and which produces 

70 per cent of the state oil 

production quantum has been 

relegated to the background in 

the scheme of things. 

Akwa Ibom govt 

denies misuse of 

funds 

But the state government has 

dismissed its alleged 

marginalisation of the oil 

bearing communities insisting 

that development in the state cut 

across all strata. 

Information and Strategy 

Commissioner, Iniobong 

Ememobong, who spoke with 

NDV said: “In Akwa Ibom State, 

we are doing comprehensive and 

holistic development. Yes, oil 

minerals are in specific locations 

but like you know every, oil 

revenue is used to develop Abuja 

that has none. When you look at 

holistic development, towns must 

be developed, but the focus of the 

Completion Agenda has to do 

with rural and riverine areas. 

“Infrastructures are being 

spread round. There is hardly 

anywhere in this state that you 

won’t find critical infrastructure. 

The roads network being 

undertaken by the state 

government lead all the way 

from Uyo to the East/West road 

and turn back again and link the 

coastal areas. There is the super 

highway that is being planned for 

the Ibom Deep Sea Port, when 

you go there, you will see the 

roads in Eket. Even the Amagada 

road the government has 

promised the Eastern Obolo. If 

you go to Ibiono Ibom, you will 

see roads there. Critical 

infrastructure must be spread 

and not segmented.” 

No room for embezzlement 

On the alleged 

mismanagement of the 

derivation fund, Ememobong 

said, “In Akwa Ibom we publish 

yearly account and our yearly 

account is yet to be challenged. 

It is there on the website. So, the 

process of accountability has 

been entrenched. The governor is 

Niger Delta Voice, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, , 2020 —25 

•As C’River loses out due to loss of oil wells 

Gov Diri Douye of Bayelsa State. 

The cottage hospital 

complex built by the 

Anglo-Dutch oil giant, 

Shell Petroleum 

Development 

Company about 20 

years ago after a long 

struggle by the 

community has never 

served as a hospital 

because the state 

government is yet to 

equip it 

not only an Accountant, but a 

Chartered Auditor as well. 

Embezzlement does not happen 

here.” 

Bayelsa: According to report, 

the state had between December 

2000 and 2018 received over 

N1.8tr from 13 per cent 

derivation principle. But the 

squalid state of affairs in the oil 

producing communities and 

feeling of neglect by the locals 

has reinforced the clamour for 

the establishment of a special 

commission similar to NDDC to 

cater for the needs of these 

communities because of the 

perceived absence of government 

in the communities. 

The key oil producing 

communities have been victims of 

decades of neglect and nearly all 

facilities in these rustic farming 

and fishing settlements are either 

sponsored by Shell or Agip, while 

the state which is the custodian of 

derivation fund is absent. 

We are treated like orphans 

At Oluasiri-Nembe clan in 

Nembe LGA, a major host 

community of OML 25, with 

numerous oil wells and the Olua 

Marginal Field where over 50 per 

cent of the natural gas feedstock 

to the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny 

is transmitted from the Gas Plant 

stationed in her territory, there is 

hardly any noticeable presence of 

the state in terms of provision of 

basic social amenities. 

“The cottage hospital complex 

built by the Anglo-Dutch oil giant, 

Shell Petroleum Development 

Company about twenty years ago 

after a long struggle by the 

community has never served as a 

hospital because the state 

government is yet to equip it, man 

it with medical personnel and run 

it, despite repeated appeals to the 

authorities” lamented an indigene 

who simply identified herself as 

Nengi adding, “The clan and its 

people are treated like orphans by 

the state, in terms of 

development.” 

Also, Mr. Iniruo Wills, a legal 

practitioner and environmental 

activist from the oil and gas rich 

enclave told NDV that 

government is only interested in 

the fund that accrue the state from 

the vast oil and gas resources of 

the area and not the well being of 

the people. 

Tales of woes 

“The oil and gas-rich Oluasiri- 

Nembe Clan has been continually 

betrayed by all successive Bayelsa 

State administrations. I don't know 

of one Naira of meaningful 

government expenditure that has been 

done there by the Bayelsa State 

government from 1999 till date. The 

state government has abandoned our 

people completely and kept them like 

the Bakassi of Bayelsa State. This is 

very unfortunate and hypocritical,” 

Wills lamented. 

Comrade Alagoa Morris, Head, 

Environmental Rights Action/Friend 

of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) in Bayelsa 

and other concerned activists in the 

state have persistently advocated the 

creation of a special commission to 

cater for the needs of the oil producing 

communities noting that the host 

communities dwellers have suffered 

abandonment for too long as the 13 

per cent derivation has never been felt 

in these far flung communities. 

Crusade for social and 

environmental justice 

“We felt that it was unjust to deny 

the oil producing communities’ 

proceeds from the 13per cent which 

is accruing to the state because of 

them. If the Federal Government can 

recognize the need to give that fund 

in appreciation of taking care of the 

goose laying the golden egg; why 

should our own government do this 

social injustice to those who ought to 

benefit from it?” Morris queried. 

He added that the campaign for the 

creation of Bayelsa State Oil 

Producing Area Development 

Commission was a social and 

environmental justice as the 

communities cannot suffer oil 

industry induced pollution while 

others far from the troubled spots 

enjoy the funds. 

“It was for this reason that 

sometime in 2006 or thereabout some 

of us came up with the idea of sending 

a bill to the Bayelsa State House of 

Assembly, especially the ‘Eagle Eye’, 

requesting the House to come up with 

a law that will create a body similar 

to the NDDC to take care of the special 

needs of the people in oil producing 

communities. But because of the 

legislative proceeding it was not easy 

for us. Then in 2008, the umbrella 

body of NGOs in the state also saw 

the need because of the near absence 

of government presence in the host 

communities. 

“So the Bayelsa Non- 

Governmental Organisation Forum 

(BANGOF) sent a private bill in 

collaboration with another NGO to 

the House of Assembly and the then 

Speaker, Rt Hon Werinipre 

Seibarugu graciously received same 

at the conference hall of the assembly 

promising to look into it but nothing 

was done. 

“It is sad that over twenty three years 

after, we the Ijaws are in full control 

our state, our people are still drinking 

from the same water that Isaac Boro 

was complaining about many years 

ago. Our people still bath in the same 

water, wash their cloths, plates, even 

corpse, defecate and use in cooking,” 

Morris lamented. 

Unbundle fund from governors 

In his submission, the National 

Coordinator of Association for Rural 

Chiefs, Alabo Nengi James, noted 

with sadness that there is no template 

for the spending of the 13 per cent 

derivation fund in the state, while the 

oil producing communities which 

suffer the brunt of oil exploration 

activities are neglected by the 

government and suffer deprivation. 

Alabo James, who is also the 

immediate past Chairman of Nembe 

Kingdom Oil and Gas Committee, 

said the fund should be unbundled 

from the governors and channelled 

to the oil producing communities. 

Fund diverted to develop 

non oil producing 

communities 

“There is no agency of government 

that is carrying out any 13 per cent 

derivation projects in our area. As far 

as we know, the funds are tied to the 

monthly allocation that is received 

by the governor. In my place we are a 

major oil and gas producing area but 

we don't have anything from the state 

government to show for it. 

“We suffer the adverse effects of oil 

exploration and exploitation the most 

with no tangible development while 

places that are developed are those 

without oil or pipelines but because 

they are fortunate to produce 

governors and top political office 

holders who divert the 13 per cent 

fund to developed their area. 

“The 13 per cent is just a name 

because here there is no template for 

spending the funds and we don't know 

how it is spent. Some years ago as the 

Vice Chairman of Host 

Communities, I was among those who 

spearheaded the clamour for the 

establishment of the Bayelsa State Oil 

Producing Areas Commission, 

BASOPADEC,” he said. 

13% our commonwealth 

—Bayelsa govt 

However, the state government 

through its Commissioner for 

Information and Orientation, Hon 

Ayiba Duba defended its 

management of the derivation fund 

saying, “Environmental problem 

everywhere is shared by everybody in 

the state because of her peculiar 

nature.” 

According to the commissioner, “In 

all the local government areas of the 

state and in almost every clan there is 

one oil facility or the other. So how 

do you place them? Who do you leave 

out? Lands owned by people from a 

community may not have oil well but 

a neighbouring community to mine 

might have, and the hazards are mine. 

But then the truth must be told that 

this is our commonwealth and 

commonwealth should be shared by 

everybody. 

“If we go into the argument that I 

am oil producing so 13 per cent of 

the state derivation is for me then the 

states that are not producing oil will 

not get anything from the sale of crude 

oil. So far so good, Bayelsa has been 

using her share of 13 per cent for the 

good of everybody in the state the same 

way the Federal Government is using 

the oil for the good of the entire 

country whether you have one pint of 

oil or not it is shared by everybody.”

26 — VANGUARD, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 

Lekki Gardens redefines Ikate- 

Elegushi in Lagos 

A 

foremost real estate 

development 

company, Lekki Gardens, 

no doubt has redefined 

Ikate – Eleguishi, a suburb 

of Lagos, with its efforts to 

build sturdy cities in the 

sprawling community, 

which has made the Lagosbased 

real estate firm to 

become a major driver of 

development in the axis and 

thereby contributing 

immeasurably towards its 

desirability and 

marketability. 

A real estate broker, 

Makinde Balogun, told 

journalists, at a virtual 

conference recently, that 

prior to the advent of Lekki 

Gardens’ in the area, they 

had a hard time convincing 

prospective home owners to 

take up plots, stating that, 

interestingly, the story has 

changed for the better. 

According to Balogun, 

“With vast portions of land, 

low human settlements and 

shortage of economic 

advancements, the Ikate– 

Eleguishi axis of Lagos 

Island consistently 

struggled to woo investors 

and the upper middle class 

for a long time due to the 

shortage of infrastructural 

development in the area, 

while farther locations like 

Chevron and Victoria 

Garden City VGC, became 

more prominent. 

“However, the last couple 

of years have experienced 

massive infrastructural 

development in the Ikate– 

Eleguishi area with the 

arrival of leading real estate 

companies like Lekki 

Gardens. Since setting up 

operational office in the 

area, Lekki Gardens, 

Nigeria’s leading real 

estate company known for 

building affordable luxury 

homes has made significant 

impact in boosting 

development in Ikate– 

Eleguishi. 

“From constructing a 

cumulative four km access 

road across the Kunsela, 

Ikate, Eleguishi and Nike 

Arts Gallery road axis to 

carrying out over one km of 

fencing, three km2 of 

landscaping, constructing 

massive drainage systems 

and carrying out frequent 

roads maintenance 

activities, Lekki Gardens 

has made sure that the area 

becomes not just habitable 

but also easily 

commercialised.” 

According to Balogun, 

whilst developing this area, 

they have also built over 

2,000 units of luxury 

apartments in the region 

which sold for up to 40% 

below the market value at 

the time of sale. 

“These houses have not 

only given the area a facelift 

but have also become the 

benchmark for luxury living. 

Interestingly, considering 

the mega city status of Lagos 

State and its THEMES 

(Traffic Management & 

•Lekki Gardens project in Ikate-Eleguishi 

Transportation, Health & 

Environment, Education & 

Technology, Making Lagos 

a 21st Century Economy, 

Entertainment and 

Tourism, Security and 

Governance) pillar of 

development, we can say 

that Lekki Gardens is 

supporting the state 

government in its quest to 

make Lagos a 21st Century 

Economy and this further 

creates a need for other 

private companies to 

support the government 

towards making the state 

better for everyone, and in 

the words of the state 

governor, ‘No one can 

whistle a symphony. It 

takes a whole orchestra to 

play it” 

Alaro City wins two 

global free zones awards 

FDI Intelligence, a 

Financial Times 

service, has recognised the 

success of Alaro City in the 

fDi Global Free Zones of the 

Year Awards 2020. fDi 

Global Free Zones Awards, 

an annual event, 

acknowledges the most 

promising free zones in the 

world. 

fDi Intelligence assesses 

free zones by growth rate, 

innovation, services, 

products and initiatives 

supporting companies in 

them. Alaro City was 

awarded “Highly 

Commended in Africa” in 

the SME Winners Category 

and named “One to Watch” 

among free zones globally. 

The panel of judges from 

fDi, comprising the 

Financial Times’ specialist 

editorial team and 

independent judges for 

each region, studied 61 free 

zones. 

Commenting on the City, 

the judges said: “Alaro City 

FZC in the Lekki Free Zone 

in Nigeria has been 

developing an SME 

enclave where a shared 

facilities strategy will be 

adopted to optimise the 

operations of companies 

within the enclave. The 

enclave will focus on 

developing smaller-sized 

industrial and logistics 

plots, typically between 

1,000 and 5,000 square 

metres.” 

Launched in January 

2019, Alaro City is planned 

as a 2,000-hectare mixedincome, 

city-scale 

development with 

industrial and logistics 

locations, complemented by 

offices, homes, schools, 

healthcare facilities, hotels, 

entertainment and 150 

hectares (370 acres) of parks 

and open spaces. Alaro City 

is a partnership between 

Rendeavour, Africa’s largest 

new city builder, and Lagos 

State Government. 

More than 30 companies 

are operational, building or 

designing their facilities in 

the city, and 3.5km of initial 

road network has been 

completed while a modular 

50MVA power plant is 

under construction. One of 

the companies in Alaro 

City, Ariel Foods FZE, 

launched the largest 

ready-to-eat therapeutic 

foods factory in Africa in 

January this year. The 

facility, located on 28,000 

square metres, has an 

annual production 

capacity of 18,000 metric 

tonnes and is the most 

technically advanced 

therapeutic manufacturing 

facility Africa. 

Commenting on the fDi 

awards, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi, 

Chairman of Alaro City, 

said: “We are honoured by 

fDi Intelligence’s 

recognition of the 

innovation and economic 

growth that Alaro City 

represents. “As economies 

emerge from the shocks 

caused by the COVID-19 

pandemic, free zones are 

using their special status 

to keep trade flowing. At 

Alaro City, we are fully 

aware of the role we play 

in contributing to Nigeria’s 

economic development 

and attracting investments 

into Lagos, the nation’s 

economic cum financial 

nerve-centre, and we are 

especially honoured when 

this work is recognised.” 

Last year, Alaro City’s 

masterplan won the 

international Architizer A+ 

Popular Choice Award, 

besting prestigious projects 

such as the Amazon HQ2 

supersite in Dallas and the 

5M project in San 

Francisco. The city was also 

voted “Emerging Project of 

the Year” by PropertyPro.ng 

at the Africa Real Estate 

Awards. 

US Election 2020: America 

decides today 

*Trump, Biden in decisive race 

By Henry Ojelu 

ABOUT 236 million 

Americans will today 

decide between President 

Donald Trump and former 

Vice-President Joe Biden who 

will lead the country in the 

next four years. 

Already, more than 94 

million people have cast their 

ballots in early voting, putting 

the country on course for its 

highest turnout in a century. 

In the US election, voters 

decide state-level contests 

rather than an overall single 

national one. 

To be elected US president, 

a candidate must win at least 

270 votes in what’s called the 

Electoral College. Each US 

state gets a certain number of 

votes partly based on its 

population and there are a 

total of 538 up for grabs. This 

system explains why it’s 

possible for a candidate to win 

the most votes nationally - like 

Hillary Clinton did in 2016 - 

but still lose the election. 

According to national polls, 

Biden is leading by a 

narrower margin in many key 

states and has multiple paths 

to victory. Trump’s route to the 

required 270 votes is thinner 

but still viable, meaning either 

candidate could win. Trump’s 

campaign is counting on a 

surge in Election Day turnout 

from his supporters to fuel the 

President’s path to reelection. 

Biden is ahead in sufficient 

swing states to allow multiple 

routes to the 270 electoral 

votes needed to win the White 

House, including through the 

Sun Belt and the Midwest. 

“We feel very confident about 

our pathways to victory,” 

Biden senior adviser Anita 

Dunn told Jake Tapper on 

CNN’s “State of the Union” 

on Sunday. Biden is hoping 

that wins in states like 

Arizona, Florida, Georgia or 

North Carolina could send an 

early signal later today that 

he is heading for victory. 

Trump, while trailing 

Biden, also has a clear, if 

narrower, chance to get to 270 

electoral votes that relies on 

him sweeping through a 

swath of battlegrounds he 

won four years ago with what 

his campaign promises will 

be a huge Election Day 

turnout. 

The President cannot afford 

to drop states like Florida, 

Georgia or North Carolina 

and then must battle Biden 

in the Midwest — the 

decisive territory in his victory 

over Hillary Clinton, where 

he is struggling by 

comparison four years later. 

Still, the President is within 

striking distance in some 

swing state polls and 

Democrats are haunted by the 

idea that he could yet again 

defy expectations and pull off 

a stunning Election Day 

comeback. 

President Trump has 

already cast doubt on the 

integrity of vote counting and 

warning he will deploy 

squads of lawyers when polls 

*President Trump and Biden 

close today as his latest 

attempts to tarnish the 

democratic process deepen a 

sense of national nervousness 

hours before Election Day. 

Fears are also growing that 

the President might try to 

declare victory before all the 

votes are counted as he and 

Biden launch a final-day 

swing through the 

battleground states that will 

decide one of the most crucial 

Biden is ahead 

in sufficient swing 

states to allow 

multiple routes to 

the 270 electoral 

votes needed to 

win the White 

House, including 

through the Sun 

Belt and the 

Midwest 

elections in modern US 

history. Their sprint is taking 

place as the coronavirus 

pandemic — that Trump 

has denied and downplayed 

— begins to rage out of 

control across most of the 

country. The situation further 

complicates life for millions 

expected to head to polling 

places today to join the 

record 95 million citizens 

who have already cast an 

early vote. 

It can take several days for 

every vote to be counted after 

any US presidential election, 

but it’s usually pretty clear 

who the winner is by the 

early hours of the following 

morning. 

In 2016, Donald Trump 

took to the stage in New York 

at about 03:00 local time to 

give his victory speech in 

front of a crowd of jubilant 

supporters. 

Officials are however 

already warning that the 

country may have to wait 

longer - possibly days, even 

weeks - for the result this 

year because of the expected 

surge in postal ballots. The 

last time the result wasn’t 

clear within a few hours was 

in 2000, when the winner 

wasn’t confirmed until a 

Supreme Court ruling was 

made a month later. 

Different states have 

different rules for how - and 

when - to count postal ballots, 

meaning there will be large 

gaps between them in terms 

of reporting results. In some 

states it will take weeks to get 

complete results. 

On Sunday, a report by 

news site Axios said Mr 

Trump would declare 

victory on Tuesday night if 

it looked as if he was ahead. 

Mr Trump denied the 

report, but said that counting 

ballots after election day was 

a “terrible thing”. 

Meanwhile, Mr Biden 

vowed to stop the Trump 

“stealing” the election. 

A federal judge in Texas 

appeared skeptical of an 

attempt by Republicans to 

throw out about 127,000 votes 

already cast in the 

presidential election at drivethrough 

voting sites in 

Houston, a Democraticleaning 

area, according to 

Reuters news agency. 

On the eve of Election Day, 

US District Judge Andrew 

Hanen said the Republicans 

who brought the case faced 

an “uphill road” in 

convincing him that the votes 

should be voided. 

The judge said the plaintiffs 

needed to show that Harris 

County Clerk Chris Hollins, 

a Democrat, had an “evil 

motive” in allowing drivethrough 

voting as an 

alternative during the 

coronavirus pandemic. 

Hanen also questioned the 

last-minute timing of the case 

: “Didn’t we test this in the 

primaries this summer?” The 

judge asked a lawyer for the 

plaintiffs, adding: “Why am I 

just getting this case?” 

Wall Street’s major stock 

indexes opened higher on 

Monday after their worst 

week since March as 

investors prepare for an 

eventful week surrounding 

today’s presidential election. 

After jumping more than 

300 points at the opening bell, 

the Dow Jones Industrial 

Average slid back a bit, then 

resumed its climb. Around 

9:45 AM ET, the 30-share 

index was up more than 323 

points or 1.22 percent at 

26,825.37. 

The S&P 500 – a gauge for 

the health of US retirement 

and college savings reportswas 

up 0.87 percent, while the 

tech-heavy Nasdaq 

Composite Index was up 

more than 1 percent. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 


NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

A 

BUJA — The 

House of 

Representatives 

yesterday frowned on 

the failure of some 

Ministries, Department 

and Agencies, MDAs, to 

remit proper amount of 

their internally 

generated revenues 

based on the 25 per cent 

stipulated by law into 

the federation account. 

To underscore 

importance of the 

remittances, the 

committee upon 

resumption of its budget 

defence session, refused 

to accommodate some 

MDAs under its 

supervision and 

oversight function which 

appeared before it 

without comprehensive 

evidence of payment into 

government’s coffers. 

To this end, the 

Medical Science 

Laboratory Council of 

Nigeria, Radiographers 

Registration Council of 

Nigeria, the Nigeria 

Pharmaceutical Research 

Institute (NIPRI) and 

the Community Health 

Practitioners 

Registration Board were 

asked to present 

evidence at a later date. 

Similarly, the Medical 

& Dental Council of 

Nigeria was also 

rejected due to the 

absence of its chief 

executive. 

However, approval was 

given to the budget 

proposals of Nursing 

and Midwifery 

Registration Council, as 

well as the Nigeria 

Institute of Medical 

Research, Yaba, Lagos. 

Speaking at the 

session, the chairman, 

House Committee on 

Healthcare Services, 

Yusuf Tanko Sununu, 

(APC, Kebbi), showed 

his dissatisfaction with 

the situation. 

He said it was 

compulsory for MDAs to 

make proper remittances 

to the government purse 

to aid economic growth 

and development. 

Naira depreciates to 

N461.5/$ in parallel market 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

he naira yesterday depreciated to N461.5 per 

Tdollar in the parallel market. 

According to naijabdcs.com, the live exchange 

rate platform of the Association of Bureaux De 

Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), the parallel 

market exchange rate rose to N461.5 per dollar from 

N460.5 kobo per dollar last week Friday, indicating 

one naira depreciation of the naira. 

However, the naira yesterday appreciated by 37 

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

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative 

exchange rate for the window dropped to N385.63 

per dollar yesterday from N386 per dollar last week 

Friday, translating to 37 kobo appreciation of the 

naira. 

The volume of dollars (turnover) traded in the 

window dropped by 55 percent to $102.20 million 

from $214.78 million last week Friday. 

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State inspecting properties destroyed during the #ENDSARS protest in the state yesterday. 

2021 Budget: Reps C’ttee frowns on MDAs’ 

failure to remit 25% IGR 

•Rejects proposals by defaulting agencies 

•As NIMR raises hope for Lassa fever, Madagascar vaccines 

He said: “Let’s also try 

to emphasize that 

revenues generated by 

MDAs are supposed to 

be remitted to the 

Federal Government in 

their right percentage. 

“With that the amount 

of revenue needed to 

finance the budget every 

year will be dramatically 

reduced. That is if all 

revenue generating 

MDAs remit what’s due 

to government in all 

honesty and truth and as 

and when due. 

“So this committee will 

do its due diligence in 

looking at the revenues 

of agencies under our 

purview and ensure that 

the right amount is 

remitted before 

consideration for their 

2021 budget proposals.” 

In his defence, the 

Registrar/Chief 

Executive Officer of 

Medical Laboratory 

Science Council of 

Nigeria disclosed that 

the council’s IGR was 

used to offset running 

cost. 

He, however, said that 

the council recorded two 

major feats this year. 

According to him, the 

two feats are the 

validation of COVID-19 

kits in Nigeria and the 

calibration of equipment. 

He said: “The sum of 

N136m was generated so 

far this year but we are 

unable to remit the 25 

per cent as laid down by 

the rules due to COVID- 

19 which led to putting 

on hold our inspection 

and accreditation of 

training courses from 

where more money 

comes in. 

Madagascat 

vaccine effective 

— NIMR boss 

In his own 

presentation, Director- 

General, Nigeria 

Institute of Medical 

Research, Babatunde 

Lawal Saheed, hinted 

that the country would 

soon develop vaccine for 

By Henry Umoru 

“Our major 

achievements for 2020 BUJA — THE 

include calibration of ASenate yesterday 

equipment pit and the uncovered how officials of 

validation of COVID-19 the Bureau of Public 

kits in Nigeria without Enterprise, BPE, allegedly 

which we would be diverted a whopping N2.5 

having substandard billion from the proceeds of 

kits.” 

the defunct Power Holding 

But despite the Company of Nigeria 

COVID-19 pandemic privatization exercise to Aso 

challenge, the committee 

Savings to buy property. 

chairman noted that the The alleged 

agency should still have misappropriation of funds 

generated more revenue 

by the BPE was revealed 

and directed the council yesterday in Abuja by the 

registrar to furnish the Senate Committee on 

committee’s deputy 

Public Accounts, led by 

chairman with more Senator Matthew 

details on Friday. Urhoghide (PDP, Edo 

“Apart from inspection 

South). 

and accreditation, The committee is relying 

weren’t there any other on the report presented to 

services to private 

it as query by the Office of 

organisations that the Auditor General of 

generated funds? Federation. 

“Because you are an 

Speaking when the BPE 

agency that’s really short appeared before committee, 

of N20m remittance to Senator Urhoghide, who 

the Federal government. 

was visibly angry over the 

The registrar liaised with diversion of N2.5 billion to 

the deputy chairman Aso Savings and Loans, 

on Friday by providing 

however, queried the 

evidence of remittances representative of the 

to the Federal Director-General of BPE, 

Government,” Sununu 

Ignatius Ayewoh, who is the 

said. 

Director of Finance and 

General Services. 

Lassa fever. 

He said they were 

jolted by the COVID-19 

pandemic into making 

further research on the 

disease, even as he 

reported that the 

Madagascar vaccine for 

coronavirus was 

efficacious. 

“We tried the 

Madagascar vaccine. We 

found the product safe. 

But we haven’t taken it 

forward. The report has 

been sent to the minister. 

“On Lassa fever 

vaccine, I would say that 

the nature of COVID-19 

kind of geared 

everybody to try to do 

something. 

“We started testing for 

COVID-19 in Nigeria 

before the first case 

came. We are using the 

sense to tackle Lassa 

fever. 

“We used to think that 

vaccine production was a 

tall order. We are 40 per 

cent gone to vaccine. In 

the next months, we will 

have something to show 

for testing, so also 

COVID-19 vaccine,” he 

said. 

How BPE diverted N2.5b PHCN 

privatization proceeds — SENATE 

Ayewoh told the 

committee that the BPE did 

not obtain any approval 

from Debt Management 

Office, DMO, when 

Senator Urhoghide asked 

him to intimate the senators 

on who authorized the 

diversion of the N2.5 billion 

to Aso Savings and Loans. 

According to Ayewoh, 

“we did not have approval 

from DMO to pay N2.5bn 

from proceed of PHCN to 

Aso Savings and Loans.” 

Senator Urhoghide 

further accused the BPE 

representative of acting in 

collusion with Aso Savings 

and Loans, and demanded 

the list of staff who benefited 

from the property acquired 

from the Aso Savings and 

Loans. 

The lawmaker asked that 

the list be submitted to the 

committee on Wednesday, 

adding that everything 

about the transaction was 

illegal. 

In his ruling, Senator 

Urhogbide said the 

committee would ask the 

Federal Government to, as 

a matter of urgency, recover 

the money in Aso Savings 

and Loans. 

“We are going to ask 

government to recover their 

fund you threw away in Aso 

Savings and Loans,” 

Urhoghide said. 

But BPE in a written 

submission to the 

committee said: “This was 

a loan guarantee, but a 

fund placement at five per 

cent interest rate. It was 

used to negotiate a single 

digit interest rate to finance 

the bureau’s staff housing 

scheme. 

“There is an approval 

from the office of 

Accountant-General of the 

Federation authorising the 

Bureau to establish a 

relationship with the 

organisation. 

“Aso Savings and Loans 

has since September 2015 

not been able to implement 

the directive by BPE to remit 

deposits to TSA. 

“A committee chaired by 

the Vice President is 

currently trying to resolve 

the issue with Aso savings 

and Loans Plc and about 16 

MDAs are affected. 

“Aso Savings and Loans 

Plc has offered the BPE 

some buildings and plots 

repayment of N70 

monthly to defray the 

deposit with accrued 

interest.” 

C 

M 

Y 

K

28—Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 



End SARS: Ikpeazu laments level of destruction, 

condoles with victims 

U MUAHIA—GOVER 

NOR of Abia State, Dr 

Okezie Ikpeazu, has restated 

the commitment and preparedness 

of his administration 

to provide adequate security 

to all those who reside and 

do business in the State. 

The Governor expressed the 

commitment after inspecting 

various properties destroyed by 

hoodlums in Aba during the 

recent End SARS protest. The 

Governor who described the 

week-long protest in Aba as a 

black week noted that there was 

no ethnic nationality in the 

country that was not affected 

by the destruction. 

According to him, the wanton 

destruction of properties 

during the protest was a selfinflicted 

injury on our national 

psyche and the fabric that holds 

us together, stressing that, “in 

fact, it was an injury to humanity 

as a whole”. He further revealed 

that he was still at a loss 

as to why such a huge desolation 

should be inflicted on the 

society by its own people. 

Dr. Ikpeazu who said the loss 

incurred in the aftermath of the 

protest was monumental added 

that he doesn’t know how 

long it will take to rebuild the 

damaged facilities. He, however, 

promised that “we will rise 

from the ashes of the black 

week”. 

He thanked law enforcement 

officers in the State for their efforts 

in quelling the situation 

and used the occasion to commiserate 

with those who lost 

relations as well as those who 

lost valuables during the unfortunate 

incident. 

The Governor who was accompanied 

on the inspection 

visit by heads of military, police 

and other security formations, 

inspected Zone 6 Annex 

of the Nigerian Police Force, 

Umuogba Road, Abia State 

Fire Service Aba, Ministry of 

Agriculture Aba Zonal office, 

Aba South Town Planning Authority, 

Aba South Town Hall, 

Primary Health Care Department, 

Board of Internal Revenue 

office, Aba South Local Government 

Secretariat, Aba High 

Court, First Bank Nigeria plc on 

Mosque Road as well as the 

Onions market at Uratta Road 

where property worth billions of 

Naira were destroyed, among 

others. 

Nigeria's mental illness treatment capacity'll 

improve with new NGO —Fowora 

LAGOS—NIGERIAN busi 

nessman and philanthropist, 

Olufemi Fowora has announced 

plans for an NGO in 

the memory of his late father, 

Otunba (Amb.) Emmanuel 

Olufemi Fowora. 

According to Mr Fowora, 

the Foundation will provide 

N500 million towards combating 

the scourge of mental 

illness in Nigerian communities. 

Recounting his battle with 

mental illness, Fowora said: 

“People erroneously assume 

that because you are well-todo 

you cannot be depressed. 

My reality was very different 

and for over two years I felt 

the full wrath of depression. It 

was impossible to socialise, I 

didn’t earn any income 

throughout the period and I 

was plagued with unspeakable 

dark thoughts. 

“One in four Nigerians – 

about 50 million people in 

total – is suffering from at least 

one form of mental illness and 

I have found that in Nigeria, 

it is very difficult to get the requisite 

help. At present, there 

are only eight federal neuropsychiatric 

hospitals in the 

country, and while some nonprofit 

organisations are doing 

their best to provide help to 

affected persons, there is still 

a huge gap to be filled.” 

By Chancel Sunday 

BOMADI—OVER one 

hundred and fifty youths 

in riverine communities in 

Delta and Bayelsa states, have 

received scholarship into primary 

and tirtiary institutions 

within and outside the country 

under a scheme of an ex-militant 

leader, Chief Kingsley 

Muturu. 

Muturu, a peace ambassador 

and Delta state chairman, 

Phase 2 ex-militants, weekend, 

noted that he came from a 

humble background, hence, 

his decision to help the lessprivileged. 

While Fowora hopes that 

in the near future the government 

will commit more resources 

to ensure Nigerians are 

afforded the much-needed access 

to care, he commends the 

effort of kind citizens who have 

set up laudable initiatives and 

structures to provide support to 

those battling with mental illness. 

Ex-militant leader awards scholarships to 

less privileged youths in N-Delta 

Beneficiaries of the scheme, 

Fiemotonghan Abideke, a Nautical 

Science graduate of World 

Maritime University, Malmo, 

Sweden, and Dennis Alade, a 

law student in Igbinedion University, 

Edo state, thanked Muturu 

for his kind gesture towards 

the youths and the elderly. 

Commending the ex-militant 

leader, Bishop, Catholic Diocese 

of Bomadi, Delta State, Most 

Rev. Hyacinth Egbebo, said: 

“Kingsley Muturu has been 

very helpful to people and he is 

the kind of people you need to 

fall back on. 

“He has good antecedents of 

Why we can't use the Court 

—Ebonyi Judicial Panel of Inquiry 

By Peter Okutu 

ABAKALIKI—THE Ebo 

nyi State Judicial Panel of 

Inquiry into Police brutality, 

Human Rights violations or 

related extra-judicial killings 

in its inaugural sitting in 

Abakaliki explained that it will 

not use the Court to hold its 

sitting as the Court was already 

congested to give room for 

such Panel to hold. 

Speaking during the Panel's 

inaugural sitting at the old 

Government House, Abakaliki, 

the Chairman of Panel, 

Hon. Justice Alloy Nwankwo 

stressed that "we are poised 

without fear or favour to ensure 

restitution to those whose 

helping the poor. As far as I 

can say, I have encountered 

him in a very good way and 

he has been impacting positively 

on the needy. 

“I want other illustrious 

sons and daughters of the land 

to emulate him. Though, I 

don’t know him beyond his 

public projection, my heart 

goes for him”. 

However, traditional ruler 

and oldest man of Bomadi 

town, Chief Bofede Komani, 

a beneficiary in his monthly 

payroll for elders and physically 

challenged, prayed long 

life and open doors for the exmilitant 

leader. 

fundamental human rights 

have been or were violated by 

security agents in Ebonyi State." 

According to him, the Panel 

has resolved to observe all rules 

of natural justice and accord 

all parties equal opportunities 

to hearing. 

"This Panel of Inquiry was 

constituted to receive and investigate 

complaints of Police 

brutality, human rights violations 

or related extra judicial 

killings in Ebonyi State; evaluate 

evidence presented/surrounding 

circumstances and 

draw conclusions on the validity 

of the complaints and recommend 

compensations and 

other remedial measures 

where appropriate. 

"Today, the 2nd day of November, 

2020 is the inaugural 

sitting of the Panel and I wish to 

State categorically that in determining 

the cases presented 

before us, we are poised without 

fear or favour to ensure restitution 

to those whose fundamental 

human rights have been 

or were violated by security 

agents in Ebonyi State. 

"The Panel gives the Public 

unfettered right to speak about 

their experiences in the hands 

of security agents to enable us 

make our findings and recommend 

appropriately. 

"The Panel, therefore, looks 

forward to the co-operation of 

everybody in ensuring that the 

assignment of this Panel is effectively 

and efficiently discharged 

to the glory of God and 

for the good of the society."

C 

M 

Y 

K 

Onuachu gets late 

Eagles call-up for 

Leone Stars clash 

Top scorer in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, Paul Onuachu, 

has been handed a late call-up by the Super Eagles to 

replace injured FC Nantes winger Moses Simon. 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced the late 

invitation yesterday after it was ascertained that Simon will not 

be fit in time for AFCON qualifiers against Sierra Leone from 

November 13. 

The winger was forced out of this weekend’s Ligue 1 clash 

against champions PSG early in the first half after he suffered a 

groin injury. 

The KRC Genk striker leads the goals chart in Belgium with 

nine goals from 10 league games. 

Solskjaer 

not right for 

Man Utd job 

—Deeney 

Troy Deeney believes Ole Gunnar 

Solskjaer is NOT the right man 

for the Manchester United job. 

And the Watford striker says nobody 

else ‘would have got the time’ the 

Norwegian has. 

Asked on talkSPORT Breakfast if 

Solskjaer is the right man for the job, 

Deeney said: “If you had to look back 

over 100 games, you’d probably say 

‘no’. 

“I don’t think anybody else with that 

record would get the length of time 

he’d done. 

“He seems like a lovely guy, I don’t 

know him, it’s not personal, I just don’t 

think he demands the respect off the 

other players. 

“You listen to Roy Keane and the rant 

he had afterwards which was epic as 

always, I just don’t see how the players 

respect Solskjaer, you don’t see much 

change.” 

Deeney continued: “Other than 

Greenwood, Rashford has started 

coming into his own, who would you 

really say has improved after him? 

That would be the question I’d ask. 

“I think Pogba takes a lot of criticism 

and takes a lot of the blame away from 

a lot of people at Man United, but there 

were so many average performances 

yesterday in a game of that 

magnitude, why is that happening? 

“They’ve just come off a couple of 

wins in the Champions League where 

everyone was saying they were ‘back 

to the United of old’, but you don’t see 

anything that would suggest they’re 

going to continue it for five or six 

weeks.” 

•Solskjaer 

•Guardiola 

•Onuachu 

Coronavirus lockdown 

Football cannot be an 

exception — Guardiola 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said football must accept its fate 

if lockdown extends to professional sport for a second time in England 

amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Guardiola expressed a concern that many businesses are under threat at a 

time when football, albeit without fans, may get a special pass from the UK 

government. 

Guardiola, indicated it was important for football to realise it may also at some 

stage have to shut its doors for the greater good. 

Asked whether football should be carrying on, while rules are applied 

differently elsewhere, Guardiola indicated it was a quandary for the sport. 

“It’s difficult,” Guardiola said. “I know the prime minister is taking the decision 

because the situation is getting worse. It happened in Spain, Germany and 

France. Everywhere. 

“So the virus is still there. Maybe people say it is stronger. I think the world of 

football cannot be an exception in what is happening in society. 

“So if we have to play, we will play. But we don’t want to be different from the 

rest of society when they have to close restaurants or close whatever. 

“It’s a position in which I am not involved. I want to be safe. I want to keep well 

for myself, for my family, my friends, for all England, all of the UK. But honestly 

I don’t know.” 

Ajax have been rocked by a 

major coronavirus crisis after 

a large number of their first-team 

players reportedly returned positive 

tests ahead of their Champions 

League clash with Midtjylland 

today. 

According to De Telegraaf, stars 

Dusan Tadic, Davy Klaassen, Andre 

Onana, Maarten Stekelenburg are 

among those to have missed out on 

the 17-man squad which travelled 

to Denmark. 

It has been reported that 11 

players in total have contracted the 

virus - and new tests across the 

whole squad were carried out 

yesterday. 

In the event of any false positives, 

the players will be jetted out to 

rejoin their team-mates. This will 

Champions League 

Ajax in chaos 

as 11 players 

ruled out after 

covid-19 

positive test 

require permission from UEFA. 

A statement from the Dutch 

giants said: ‘Ajax will travel to 

Denmark with 17 players for the 

game against FC Midtjylland. 

‘Kjell Scherpen and Brian 

Brobbey, among others, will be 

present. 

The Covid-19 chaos will be 

particularly disruptive to boss Ten 

Hag with both his first-choice 

goalkeepers, Onana and 

Stekelenburg, ruled out. 

The club have not officially 

revealed the names of those who 

have tested positive, however, and 

typically do not do so. 


Chelsea suffer Pulisic injury blow 

CHRISTIAN PULISIC will miss 

a chunk of Chelsea’s busy fixture 

period after he picked up an injury over 

the weekend. 

Frank Lampard confirmed that 

Pulisic pulled his hamstring before his 

side’s 3-0 win over Burnley on 

Saturday. 

He was due to start the game, but 

was replaced by Timo Werner in the 

team when the injury was discovered 

during the pre-match warm-up. 

Despite having to pull him out the 

squad, Lampard is optimistic the injury 

isn’t too serious, bit still expects the 

American to be out for weeks. 

He said: “He’s played three games, 

we’ve tried to manage him in the week 

and it’s a small feeling in his hamstring 

Lukaku to miss Champions 

League clash against Real Madrid 

•Lukaku 

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku 

is set to miss his side’s Champions 

League clash against Real Madrid due 

to injury. 

Lukaku suffered a muscle injury in 

NSCDC teams show class at Prudent Energy Handball League 

By Solomon Nwoke 

Nigeria Security and Civil 

Defence Corps Men and 

Women Handball teams - De 

Defenders and Defenders’ Babes 

yesterday scored double victory 

at the ongoing Prudent Energy 

Handball League at the MKO 

Abiola Stadium, Abuja. 

In the men’s category, De 

Defender beat Sokoto Rima 29- 

22, while Defenders Babes 

defeated Kwara Adorable 36-33 in 

the women’s category. 

In other games, Seasiders Babes 

defeated 23-16 Desert Queens, 

Plateau Vipers beat Kada Stars 23- 

19, while Lagos Seasiders fell to 

Borno Spiders 26-25. 

Defenders’ Coach, Israel Shana 

said he was excited with the 

double victory, stating that nothing 

would stand in his teams’ way as 

he hopes to win the title this year. 

“Monday’s double victory was 

possible because we had watched 

our opponents in their previous 

games, noting their weakness and 

strength. From our observation, we 

were able to plan for the wins. 

The coach stated that his teams 

were ready to convert their good 

play to success this year. “We are 

ready to transform our good play 

to victory. We have worked on our 

NFF composes new 

sub-committees 

T 

he Nigeria Football Federation 

yesterday released the 

membership of its sub-committees 

comprising standing committees 

and ad-hoc committees for the 

period 2020-20 

The General Secretary, Dr. 

Mohammed Sanusi, will appoint the 

secretaries of the sub-committees., 

which are 18 in number. 

Members of the finance 

committee include Finance 

Committee: Hon. Suleiman Yahaya 

Kwand, who is the Chairman, 

Ibrahim Musa Gusau, who is Vice 

Chairman, Kabiyesi Odeniran, 

Zidane: Inter match is a final 

Zinedine Zidane has been saying 

that many of Real Madrid’s 

games recently are like finals, but 

tonight’s clash at home to Inter could 

go some way to determining whether 

Los Blancos reach the knockout stages 

of the Champions League or not. 

Real Madrid lost to Shakhtar 

Donetsk in their group-stage opener 

and then salvaged a point away at 

Borussia Monchengladbach after a 

last-gasp comeback. “We know our 

opponents and it’s complicated,” 

Zidane said during Monday’s prematch 

press conference. “They are a 

good team and very physical. And they 

weakness and hopefully we will 

win. 

“We don’t see any team as an 

obstacle. We are here for the title 

and we will take each game as 

they come so that at the end of 

the league, we will emerge 

victories. 

He also assured that his men’s 

team would pick maximum point 

in today’s game against Niger 

United. 

so we’ll have to see how he is over the 

next 24 hours. 

“It’s a minor feeling that he had but 

definitely not right to go into 90 minutes 

of a game with that. 

“Hopefully it’s short term, we’re 

talking weeks.” 

Inter’s goalless draw with Shakhtar 

Donetsk last week and was absent for 

their 2-2 draw with Parma in Serie A at 

the weekend. 

As reported by Marca, Lukaku 

wasn’t present as Inter trained on 

Monday, in what will be a significant 

boost for Real ahead of Tuesday’s game 

at The Bernabeu. 

When he has been fit Lukaku has 

often been rather impressive for 

Antonio Conte’s side so far this season 

- he has scored seven goals in seven 

games across all competitions. 

Although Lukaku is set to miss out, 

Alexis Sanchez could be involved for 

Inter against Real. 

LMC clears 13 stadia for NPFL 

2020/21 season 

T 

hirteen Stadia across Nigeria 

have been approved by League 

Management Board for the 2020/21 

Nigeria Professional Football League 

(NPFL) season. 

The venues were certified after they 

met the minimum requirements to host 

games. Another 11 were 

recommended for varying degrees of 

Yahuza Maihaja and Awalu Musa. 

The Technical and Development 

Committee include Ahmed Yusuf , 

who is to serve as Chairman, Felix 

Anyansi Agwu, Aminu Balele Kurfi, 

Victor Ikpeba, Isaac Danladi, Mutiu 

Adepoju and Dahiru Sadi. 

Members of the Media 

Committee comprise Aisha Falode 

(Chairman), Felix Anyansi Agwu, 

Tony Ubani, Kunle Solaja, Shu’aibu 

M Mungad, Promise Efoghe, Toyin 

Ibitoye, Al Nasiru Zahradeen, 

Gowon Akpadunor and Dapo 

Sotunminu. 

play good football. Another difficult 

game for us. It is a final.” 

Barcelona’s humiliation in the 

Champions League last season and 

Real Madrid’s slip-ups so far in this 

season’s edition have caused some to 

state that Spanish football is no longer 

as dominant as it once was, but Zidane 

believes that this is due to teams being 

better than they were before. 

“Football is becoming more and 

more equal,” he noted. “There are no 

small teams. Football is becoming more 

difficult and more beautiful. “Today, 

anyone can win. That is why we are 

happy every time we win.” 

•Pulisic 

upgrade and repair works before they 

can be certified. 

The 13 approved grounds include 

Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, 

Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, 

Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, 

Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, Adokie 

Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt 

and Okigwe Township Stadium. 

“In line with the CAF Circular of July 

26, 2020 on stadium infrastructure 

among others, which was forwarded to 

you and the need to meet up with the 

requirements of high quality television 

production by our new partners, the 

LMC has reviewed various reports 

submitted on the state of our stadia 

across the country,”the LMC said in a 

memo to participating clubs. 

It explained that the inspected 

stadiums have been categorised into 

two- A and B with Category A 

representing those that have been 

approved to host NPFL matches for the 

season having met the minimum 

requirements while Category B 

includes those requiring upgrades. “We 

have made notes on the areas/repairs 

needed to be done before 

recertification.”

30 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 –31

C 

M 

Y 

K 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2020 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

ACROSS 

1 Brothers (8) 

6 Top card (3) 

9 Put to use (5) 

10 Warlike (7) 

11 Group of soldiers (7) 

13 Vote into office (5) 

14 Required (6) 

15 Magician (6) 

19 Quarrelled (5) 

21 Card game (7) 

22 Stir up (7) 

23 Fatuous (5) 

24 Concealed (3) 

25 French emperor (8) 

Down 

2 Put back (7) 

3 Plaything (3) 

4 Gypsy (6) 

5 Scandinavian language (9) 

6 Lithe (5) 

7 Brilliant success (5) 

8 Occur (6) 

12 In the red (9) 

16 Savoury pear-shaped fruit (7) 

17 Hazard (6) 

18 Maintenance (6) 

19 Arrive at (5) 

20 Eerie (5) 

23 Sick (3) 

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. 

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri-Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Hotline: 

08027767834; 01-4544821. Abuja office: 7, Dambata Close, Area 7, Garki, 09-2921024. Ikeja office: 73, Awolowo Way. V.I. Office: Murplus Plaza, 27, Sanusi Fafunwa Street. Asaba: 21, Anwai 

Road. Benin City: 4E, Arusa Street. Port Harcourt: 50, Ikwerre Road; Warri: 102, Efurun-Sapele Road. Advert: advertproduction@yahoo.com; E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, 

news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: EZE ANABA. Phone: 01-4548355. All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

03112020 - Unpaid salaries: Civil servants besiege Head of Service's office

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?