12012021 - COVID-19: FG may suspend NIN registration — MINISTER

OHANAEZE PRESIDENT-GENERAL: 

13 

Why we 

chose Obiozor 

—IGBO LEADERS 

Forces plotting to 

unleash religious violence 

on Nigeria —DSS 

•Alarm, ploy to stop clerics from speaking on 

state of the nation — CAN 

Nigeria lost N5.4trn to tax evasion by multi-nationals —FIRS BOSS 

8 

Buhari sees 

what Nigerians 

don’t see about 

service chiefs 

—PRESIDENCY 

9 

19 

VOL. 27: NO. 64247 TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 

COVID-19: FG may suspend 

NIN registration — MINISTER 

5 

•To review safety protocols, schools resumption date •Says Nigeria’s hospital capacity strained •Explains 

‘why we can’t produce vaccines in Nigeria’•Declares no state’s immune, set to roll out rapid test kits in 

Abuja •NIMC staff threaten to down tools again, issue 21days ultimatum 

SIGNING OF THE US1.959BN KANO-MARADI RAIL LINE... 

Kwara 

director 

found 

dead 

in 7 

office 

Mr & Mrs 

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi (seated right), Managing Director, Mota-Engil, Antonio Gvoea (seated, left) and 

other personalities, during the signing of the US1.959 billion Kano-Maradi rail line in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Dirisu Yakubu. 

SEE STORY ON PAGE 14 

COVID-19: FG’ll stop train services, if —AMAECHI 

9 

COLUMNISTS ODUMAKIN 16 COLE 17 TENIOLA 18 OGAGA 20 

See 

inside

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2— Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021

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Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021—3

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4— Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021

vanguardnews 

@vanguardnews 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 — 5 

NEWS HOTLINES 

POCKET CARTOON 

018773962, 

@vanguardnews 08052867058 

ZULUM’S ENROLLMENT OF 1,163 IDPs' CHILDREN —Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara 

Zulum supervising the enrollment of 1,163 children of internally displaced persons, during his threeday 

humanitarian visit to Damasak, a former Boko Haram stronghold in the shores of Lake Chad in 

Northern Borno, yesterday. Inusa Ndahi 

COVID-19: FG may suspend 

NIN registration — MINISTER 

•To review safety protocols, schools resumption date •Says Nigeria’s 

hospital capacity strained •Explains ‘why we can’t produce vaccines in 

Nigeria’•Declares no state’s immune, set to roll out rapid test kits in 

Abuja •NIMC staff threaten to down tools again, issue 21days ultimatum 

By Sola Ogundipe, Omeiza Ajayi, 

Emmanuel Elebeke & Gabriel Olawale 

ABUJA—The Federal 

Government, 

yesterday, expressed 

concern over the large 

crowd of Nigerians 

besieging offices of 

National Identity 

M a n a g e m e n t 

Commission, NIMC, 

nationwide for National 

Identification Number, 

NIN, enrollment, saying it 

may suspend the process 

to prevent the spread of 

COVID-19. 

The Minister of State for 

Health, Dr Olorunnimbe 

Mamora, who disclosed 

this on on a Channels 

Television breakfast 

programme, Sunrise, 

urged the National 

Identity Management 

Commission, NIMC, to 

go back to the drawing 

board and re-order the 

enrollment process to 

avoid large crowds at its 

centres nationwide. 

Mamora spoke on a day 

government also 

announced its decision to 

review the COVID-19 

safety protocols as well as 

the January 18 

resumption date for 

schools in the light of 

Nigeria’s grim 

epidemiological situation 

with regards to the 

pandemic. 

Mamora, who is a 

member of the 

Presidential Task Force on 

COVID-19, said the 

government had a duty to 

ensure Nigerians were 

protected at all times. 

He said: “I don’t feel 

good, looking at the 

picture where people are 

gathered in multitude. It 

is like a super-spreader 

event which we don’t like. 

But I’m also aware that 

the relevant ministry, 

which is communications 

and digital economy, is 

looking at this. 

“My understanding is 

that the whole process 

may be suspended to 

reorder it in terms of 

management of the crowd 

because it was never 

intended that it would 

become a rowdy process 

like that. 

“We have a duty as 

government to ensure that 

people are protected; we 

also have a duty to ensure 

people comply within the 

limit of what is good for 

the society at large.” 

Workers of the NIMC 

had embarked on strike 

last Thursday over 

exposure to COVID-19 

risks, lack of personal 

protective equipment and 

poor funding. The 

workers, however, called 

off the industrial action 

some 48 hours later. 

The Federal 

government through the 

N i g e r i a n 

Communications 

Commission had ordered 

telecommunications 

companies to deactivate 

telephone lines of 

subscribers who failed to 

link their phones to their 


Numbers. 

It also said all telcos 

subscribers with NIN had 

January 19 deadline to 

link their NIN with their 

SIM cards, while 

subscribers without NIN 

have until February 9 to 

do so. 

The poor also 

die of 

COVID-19 

Mamora, who 

expressed worry over the 

attitude of Nigerians 

towards the COVID-19 

safety guidelines, said it 

was not true that only the 

wealthy were dying as a 

result of the infection. 

“I am worried about the 

attitude of our people 

generally in terms of noncompliance, 

particularly 

with respect to nonpharmaceutical 

interventions. If you go 

out there, you still see a 

lot of people who are not 

bothered in terms of their 

attitude of not wanting to 

use the face mask or 

when it is used, it is 

inappropriately worn. 

“You still see people in 

large gatherings hosting 

parties as if nothing is 

happening. A few states 

are putting in place 

enforcement measures. 

However, the rising 

figures daily are of huge 

concern and the deaths 

that we are recording on 

daily basis are also of 

concern. 

“Some people seem to 

think it is the big people 

that are dying but that is 

not the case. Yes, it is the 

big people that you report 

and the tendency is that 

it is the death of the big 

people that will attract 

attention more. But he 

who feels it knows it; 

people are dying,’’ the 

minister lamented. 

Similarly, the Federal 

Government yesterday 


review the COVID-19 

safety protocols as well as 

the January 18 

resumption date for 

schools in the light of 

Nigeria’s grim 

epidemiological situation 


pandemic. 

It again lamented that 

the nation’s health care 

infrastructure was greatly 

strained as the country 

Continues on Page 27 

By Providence 

Adeyinka 

On N20k monthly salary for 774,000 special public workers (2) 

How true is this? 

Can the Federal 

Government do this? If 

they can pay N20,000 

each per month, to 

those numbers of 

Nigerians, it will go a 

long way in putting 

smiles on the faces of a 

lot of people. It's a good 

idea. 

—Isaac Edet, 

Self-employed 

So the Federal 

Government 

would pay them N20k 

and they will work from 

8:00am to 6:00pm 

Monday to Saturday. 

Meanwhile, senators’ 

newspaper allowance 

is in millions of naira 

on daily basis. 

—Nwachimelueze 

1, Peace Ambassador 

This mini package for 

SPW shows the 

insensitivity and lack of 

human compassion of the 

govt towards the poor 

masses. What sense does 

N20k make in this harsh 

and collapsed economy 

more so, when it’s not 

supported by law for them 

to be entitled to some sort 

of pension and gratuity for 

the number of years this 

scheme will last. 

—Princess Osarieme, 

Peace Ambassador 

W 

e have millions of 

unemployed youth; this 

money should be used to set 

up skills acquisition centres to 

train youths to be self-employed. 

Give them hook and net to fish; 

stop giving them fish, else they 

become lazy and waiting to 

collect. What criteria were used 

in choosing the 774,000? Who 

is advising this govt.? They 

should fulfil their campaign 

promises first. 

—Prince Saviour Iche, 

Entrepreneur 

First, I want to commend 

the FG for her effort 

towards job creation. 

Secondly, the govt. agreed 

on N30K minimum wage so 

why starting with N20k for 

these workers? Also, what 

qualification was used to 

shortlist the successful ones? 

Finally, if the candidates are 

graduates, then N20K is too 

low to survive on considering 

the high inflation. 

—Damilare Ajikawo, 

Content Creator. 

Two of the lowest 

paying jobs are factory 

workers and private security 

operatives. However, their 

pay is more robust than what 

the FG is offering for a 

federal level employment. 

With the present situation 

of the country, prices of 

essential commodities have 

skyrocketed so this meagre 

salary would definitely 

encourage bribery and 

corruption among the 

workers. 

—Folly Shodiya, Orator

6— Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 

Delta LG polls: 

Women 

protest assault 

of 68-year-old 

grandmum 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—HUNDREDS of 

women from Ubulu-Uku in 

Aniocha South Local 

Government Area, Delta State, 

yesterday, stormed the state 

Government House, Asaba in 

protest against alleged assault of 

a 68-year old grandmother, Mrs 

Patricia Odiaka, by the flag bearer 

of the Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, in the March 6 local council 

election, Mr Jude 

Chukwunwike. 

The women, under the aegis 

of Concerned Women of Aniocha 

South Local Government Area, 

besieged the Government House 

gate demanding the withdrawal 

of Chukwunwike as the party’s 

flag-bearer in the forthcoming 

council elections. 

Carrying placards with various 

inscriptions, the protesters in a 

letter addressed to Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa, called for the 

arrest and prosecution of 

Chukwunwike over the alleged 

attack of the 68-year-old woman. 

They alleged that Mrs Odiaka 

was slapped several times and 

was rushed to a hospital in Agbor 

where she was reportedly 

revived. 

In the letter, which read in 

parts, the women said: “Your 

Excellency, our findings revealed 

that Chukwunwike is a bully and 

cannot be entrusted with the 

position of the local government 

chairman, as such position will 

further empower him to visit 

violence on women. 

“We wish to add that Aniocha 

South women have continuously 

supported and voted PDP in all 

elections since 1999, but we will 

not hesitate to withdraw our 

support for PDP if this matter is 

swept under the carpet. 

“We demand justice not just 

for Mrs Patricia Odiaka, but the 

entire Aniocha South women as 

injury to one is an injury to all.” 

Meanwhile, the protesters also 

called for sanction against 

Director-General of Delta State 

Capital 

Territory 

Development Agency, Mrs 

Amaechi Mrakpor, over her 

alleged role in the matter. 

Female corps member hacks lover to death 

in A-Ibom •18-year-old girl sets lover ablaze in Benue 

By Harris Emmanuel & 

Peter Duru 

A 

female corps member, 

Chidimma Odume was almost 

lynched by residents of Abak Road, 

Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital after 

she allegedly hacked her boyfriend 

to death on Sunday. 

It was gathered that Chidimma 

Odume graduated from University 

of Nigeria, Nsukka and is currently 

serving at Bureau of Political and 

Legislative Affairs, Uyo. 

The corps member, who hails 

from Enugu State, was reportedly 

caught while trying to jump over 

the fence of the compound to 

escape after committing the act. 

She was said to have been 

stripped naked and beaten to a pulp 

by the angry mob when the lifeless 

body of the unidentified man she 

had macheted to death was found 

in the apartment. 

An eyewitness, Godwin George, 

said: “She macheted a young guy 

to death this morning, whom she 

went out with. She killed the young 

guy instantly after inflicting several 

cuts on his stomach and face; on 

trying to jump out from the fence 

she was caught. 

“Some bike men there said she 

used to send them to buy weed for 

her ever since she was 

deployed to Akwa Ibom for 

her NYSC.” 

The suspect is said to 

have since been arrested 

and taken to the police 

station for further 

interrogation. 

Contacted, state Public 

Relations Officer, Odiko 

Macdon, confirmed the 

incident, saying: “At about 

11.00 p.m on Sunday, the 

police got a distress call 

and we responded swiftly 

at 219, Abak Road in Uyo. 

“One Chidinma Odume, 

a Youth Corps member 

serving at the political desk 

at Edet Akpan Avenue, 

was said to be at the verge 

of being mobbed by angry 

youths but the police 

rescued her.” 

Macdon explained that 

the police have received the 

corpse and deposited it in 

a mortuary. 

18-year-old girl sets 

lover ablaze in Benue 

RESUMED: Students of Seed of Life Nursery and Primary School, Eleyele, 

Ibadan washing their hands before entering the school premises as schools resumed 

for 2021 academic year in Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday. 

#EndSARS: I’ve not seen my husband 8 yrs after arrest, 

woman cries out 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

BENIN CITY— A middleaged 

woman, Mrs Rita 

Okungbowa, yesterday, told 

the Edo State Judicial Panel of 

Inquiry for victims of SARS 

and related abuses that she 

has not seen her husband for 

the past eight years after he 

was arrested by men of the 

now-disbanded Special Anti- 

Robbery Squad, SARS. 

She told the panel that her 

husband, a Benin movie 

director, Prince Osayande 

Okungbowa, was tagged a 

kidnapper and was taken 

away by men of SARS and 

that every effort to know 

where he was incarcerated 

has proven abortive. 

Mrs Okungbowa told the 

panel that having waited till 

date, she was left with no 

option than to conclude that he 

might have been killed by 

SARS operatives. 

She said: “On September 12, 

2012, SARS operatives came to 

my house and picked my 

husband alleging that he is a 

kidnapper. 

“My mother-in-law and I 

went to the State Criminal 

Investigation Department, and 

immediately I mentioned the 

name of my husband, they 

drove us away. They did not 

allow us to see him. 

“The next day, we also went 

back; they did not allow us to 

also see him. So, one of the 

Chidimma Odume, the suspect. 

police officers then told us that 

they have taken him to the 

court and thereafter, to the prison. 

“So, I asked which of the 

prisons, they said the White 

House (that is the maximum 

prison at Sapele Road). We 

went there, we did not see 

him. We went back to the 

station, but they later referred 

us to Oko prison, and we did 

not also see him there. 

“So, I decided to take a 

lawyer, and when we got to the 

station, the OC then asked, 

who was in charge of the 

matter, they told us one Sergeant 

Esezobo was the Investigating 

Police Officer, IPO. 

“When we asked for the 

Esezobo, they said he had 

gone to the canteen and we 

went to the canteen and 

immediately he saw us, he 

ran away. 

“So I have been going to the 

police station to search for him 

(my husband) and I have not 

set my eyes on him for the past 

eight years and because of 

that, I decided to approach the 

panel so that they can help me 

ask the disbanded SARS 

operatives where they kept my 

husband." 

The distraught woman 

pleaded with the panel to 

compel the SARS operatives to 

compensate her to enable her 

to give her children a better 

life. 

“Even house rent, I can’t 

pay. I sleep in the church, 

Celestial Church of Christ, 

that is where I normally stay 

because there is no money to 

rent a house. I don’t have 

anything to do, I go out to 

wash people’s clothes just to 

survive. Is that not painful?" 

Also, an 18-year-old girl (name 

withheld), has been apprehended 

by the Police after she allegedly set 

her boyfriend ablaze after a quarrel 

in the Wadata area of Makurdi, 

Benue State. 

An eyewitness disclosed that the 

teenage girl carried out the 

dastardly act, yesterday, at about 2 

am when the victim was fast 

asleep. 

According to him, “the victim’s 

scream attracted the attention of 

neighbours, who rushed to help 

him but he had already suffered 

many burns. 

“The neighbours immediately 

took him to the nearby Makurdi 

Federal Medical Centre, FMC, 

where he was admitted.” 

Contacted, the state Police Public 

Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, 

who confirmed the incident, said 

the 18-year-old poured petrol 

around the victim’s one-room 

apartment before setting it on fire. 

She said: “We don’t know why 

she did that. We are yet to question 

her but I can confirm that she has 

been arrested and just brought to 

our custody." 

3 family 

members die 

in Kano fire 

incident 

By Bashir Bello 

KANO— Three members of 

a family, yesterday, lost 

their lives in an early morning 

fire in Rijiyar Zaki, Ungoggo 

Local Government Area of 

Kano State. 

It was gathered that the 

family was trapped on the 

ground floor of a building 

when the fire incident 

occurred at about 3:18 am. 

Spokesperson of Kano State 

Fire Service, Sa’idu 

Muhammad, who confirmed 

the incident, yesterday, said its 

rescue team deployed to the 

scene to put out the fire 

rescued the victims to the 

hospital where they were 

confirmed dead. 

According to him, “At about 

3:18 am, we received a distress 

call through Malam Salisu 

Muhammad, informing us of 

a fire incident at Rijiyar Zaki 

(Rumfar Shehu) Ungoggo 

Local Government Area of the 

state. 

“Upon receiving the call, we 

deployed our officers from 

Rijiyar Zaki fire division to the 

scene of the incident. 

“Our officers controlled and 

put out the fire. The three 

victims trapped were rescued 

and taken to Murtala 

Muhammad Hospital where 

they were confirmed dead. 

“The victims, Hauwa Musa, 

25; Mubarak Musa, 13; and 

Salamatu Musa, 20, were 

members of the same family."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021—7 

Our kidnappers collected N2m cash, counted it 

on the highway — Abducted couple in Ondo 

•Say police lied over rescue claim 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE—A couple, Mr and 

Mrs Gbenga Ibikunle, who 

were abducted along Uso–Owo 

highway in Ondo State have 

narrated how their abductors 

collected N2 million cash along 

the highway before releasing 

them. 

It would be recalled that the 

couple, who travelled to the wife’s 

home town in Ebonyi State with 

their three children were heading 

back to the state when they were 

kidnapped. 

While the couple were marched 

into the thick forest by the gunmen, 

their three children and the Lexus 

SUV in which they were 

travelling in were abandoned on 

the highway. 

They were released after 

spending three days in the 

kidnappers’ den. 

Police image-maker, Tee Leo 

lkoro, had claimed that two 

suspects were arrested after 

combing the forest by joint security 

operatives after the abductors 

demanded N2 million ransom. 

How it happened 

But while narrating their ordeal 

to newsmen in Akure, the 

husband, Gbenga Ibikunle, said 

the claims by the security 

operatives that their release were 

secured by them were far from the 

truth. 

According to him, “it was my 

family members that paid the 

ransom demanded by the 

kidnappers. The security agencies 

were not involved in our release 

at all. 

“We were travelling back from 

Ebonyi State to Akure on January 

5 and when we got to Uso towards 

Ogbese, I saw a bike man riding 

in front of my car on the same 

direction. All of a sudden, he 

stopped and I hit him with my car. 

“As I stopped to help the man 

alongside my wife, the 

kidnappers came out from the 

bush and started shooting for 

about 10 minutes. 

“They started beating me and 

later marched us into the bush and 

other suspects ransacked my car 

and carted away valuable items, 

including a huge sum of money. 

“My children wanted to follow 

us to where they were dragging 

us but the kidnappers chased 

them back to the major road. 

“We walked for like five hours 

inside the bush and they later took 

us to where they kept other 

victims. They tied us and started 

beating us again. 

“We were in the bush with them 

for three good days without food. 

They treated us like criminals. 

They beat us with stick and 

cutlass. 

“We met a man in their den, who 

was also released the same way 

we were. His family parted with 

N10 million before he was 

released. 

Attempt to rape 

my wife 

“At a point, they wanted to rape 

my wife, but she tricked them that 

she was three months pregnant. 

They later gave us a mobile phone 

to call our family, demanding N20 

million. At the end of the day, my 

family rallied round and paid N2 

million. 

“Other victim we met there paid 

N10 million and we were all 

released at the same spot. They 

collected the ransom along the 

road without being jittery. In fact, 

they counted all the money 

before they released me to my 

brother, who brought the N2 

million. 

Police lied over 

rescue claim 

“l was then surprised that 

police were claiming that they 

rescued me. This is nothing but 

a lie coming from the pit of hell. 

“I can say it boldly that no 

security agency came to our 

rescue. We were released around 

Gbenga Ibikunle 

1 am after ransom was paid to 

them. 

“If the police were professional 

enough, they would have 

arrested them all because they 

came out on the major road to 

collect the ransom. They are just 

deceiving us all.“ 

The victim who said their 

abductors are Fulani lamented 

that Nigeria is in a big mess. 

He said: “We don’t have security 

in this country anymore. It is sad 

our security agencies are not 

effective. The kidnappers carried 

out their operations with 

impunity. They boasted that they 

will kill any policeman that 

wanted to rescue us. 

“I am weeping for this country 

because we are not safe. We can 

no longer travel. 

PARADED: 18 suspected kidnappers, armed robbers and car snatchers operating 

along major roads in the country paraded by Police Public Relations Officer, CP 

Frank Mba at STS Headquarters, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan. 

Gunmen kill 3 MOPOLs in Ughelli, cart away 

AK-47 rifles, 120 rounds of ammunition 

By Perez Brisibe 

UGHELLI— Three mobile 

policemen were reportedly 

killed, Sunday night, by gunmen 

in Ughelli, Delta State, thereby 

worsening the security situation 

in the town and its environs. 

The attack on the police team 

made up of two inspectors and a 

sergeant happened on the same 

day a couple was attacked at the 

Ekuigbo axis of Ughelli, killing 

the lady in the process in what 

witnesses described as a failed 

kidnap attempt. 

Giving details of the attack on 

the police personnel, a staff of the 

fast-food spot where the incident 

occurred, said two of the gunmen 

walked up to where the 

policemen were sitting and shot 

them. 

The source, who spoke on 

condition of anonymity, gave the 

names of the slain policemen as 

Inspector Simeon Madaki, 

Inspector Muktari Lawan and 

Sergeant Adamu Ibrahim, all 

from PMF 47, Zaria in Kaduna 

State. 

According to the source, the 

police operatives were attached 

as police guards to the fast-food 

before the unfortunate incident. 

Efforts to speak with the state 

Police Public Relations Officer, 

Onome Onowakpoyeya, were 

fruitless, but a senior police officer 

at the Ughelli Police Area 

Command confirmed the 

incident and the identity of the 

slain policemen. 

The source said the gunmen 

also went away with 120 rounds 

of live ammunition and the three 

AK-47 rifles belonging to the slain 

policemen. 

According to the source, “The 

fourth mobile policeman, who is 

an inspector, had taken cover 

during the incident, which lasted 

about five minutes. 

“We also recovered 26 expended 

ammunition of 2.62 calibres at the 

scene of the incident which we 

suspect were shot by the 

hoodlums." 

Another communal conflict rocks C-River, 

many feared dead 

By Emma Una 

BARELY a few days after an 

inter-communal conflict 

between the people of 

Abankang and their Alok 

neighbours left about five 

persons dead and residential 

buildings razed, another crisis 

has erupted around the same 

area. 

The conflict, which ensued, 

weekend, between the people 

of Edondon and their 

Ohumuruket neighbours in 

Obubra Local Government 

Area in the central district of 

the state has reportedly left 

some people dead and houses 

razed. 

Eyewitnesses said the 

people of Ohumuruket went to 

Edondon community for 

peace talks following 

skirmishes between youths of 

both communities some weeks 

back but conflict erupted 

during the peace talks leading 

to the hacking down of some 

persons and burning of 

houses. 

“The Ohumuruket people 

came to our village for peace 

talk but they came with 

machetes and guns and before 

we knew what was 

happening, a fight broke out 

and some of our people who 

were gathered at the village 

square were killed,” Thomas, 

a youth of Edondon, told 

Vanguard on phone. 

He said the population of 

Ohumuruket is higher than 

theirs and they took that 

advantage to attack and kill his 

people. 

However, an indigene of 

Kwara 

Director found 

dead in his 

office 

By Demola Akinyemi 

ILORIN—THERE 

was 

confusion, yesterday, in 

Kwara State Ministry of 

Agriculture and Rural 

Development along Jebba 

Road, Ilorin when a Director, 

one Dr Khalid Ibrahim 

Ndaman, was found dead in 

his office. 

Vanguard reliably gathered 

that Dr Ndaman, who until his 

death was a Director of 

Veterinary in the ministry, was 

sighted going to office in the 

morning hale and hearty. 

Further checks revealed that 

it was when one of the staff 

went to meet him about an 

hour after his arrival to discuss 

a pending official matter that 

he met him resting his head 

on the table, but already dead. 

One of the staff, who craved 

anonymity, said: “The staff 

knocked on his door, but there 

was no response, so after some 

time, he went inside. There 

was a pending official matter 

since Friday that he needed to 

conclude with him so he 

needed to see him. 

“Having waited outside and 

no response, the staff went 

inside the office and met him 

resting his head on the table. 

He greeted him without a 

response, he then moved 

closer and touched him to 

realise that he was already 

dead.” 

Spokesman of Kwara State 

Police Command, Kayode 

Okasanmi, who confirmed the 

incident, said: “I’m aware of 

the incident. For now, it is a 

case of sudden natural death 

until we complete the 

investigation. We will brief the 

press depending on the 

outcome of our findings." 

On whether there has been 

any arrest on the incident, he 

said no. 

Ohumuruket, who gave his 

name as Ekpotom, said the 

fight at the Edondon 

playground was provoked by 

their hosts, who were making 

provocative statements rather 

than peace talk. 

“We did not go there under 

any guise to attack Edondon 

as they are claiming but to 

make peace but during 

deliberations, the Edondon 

people started threatening us 

which led to the fight.” 

The state Deputy Governor, 

Professor Ivara Esu, has 

warned both sides to maintain 

peace and stop further 

violence. 

“We have been working 

towards peace in the area and 

we will not continue to tolerate 

further violence between you. 

Better warn your youths,“ Esu 

warned both villages.

8 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 

:Vanguard News 

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

Forces plotting to unleash religious 

violence on Nigeria —DSS alerts 

•DSS only out to create fear, panic —CAN 

•Says it’s ploy to stop clerics from speaking on state of 

the nation 

By Soni Daniel & 

Luminous 

Jannamike 

ABUJA — The Department 

of State Services, 

DSS, has raised the 

alarm that some unnamed 

forces were plotting to unleash 

religious violence on 

the country any moment 

from now. 

However, spokesman of 

the agency, Dr. Peter 

Afunanya, assured that its 

men were on top of the situation 

and would work to 

protect the interest of the 

country and Nigerians. 

The agency listed states 

being targeted by the masterminds, 

said to be working 

with external forces, to 

include Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, 

Plateau, Rivers, Oyo, 

Lagos and those in the 

South East. 

The statement said: “The 

DSS wishes to alert the public 

about plans by some elements 

working with external 

forces to incite religious 

violence across the country. 

“Targeted states include 

Sokoto, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, 

Rivers, Oyo, Lagos 

and those in the South East. 

“Part of the plans is to 

cause inter-religious conflicts 

as well as use their foot 

soldiers to attack some worship 

centres, religious leaders, 

personalities, key and 

vulnerable points. 

“Consequently, Nigerians 

are advised to be wary of 

these antics and shun all 

divisive tendencies aimed 

at inciting or setting them 

against one another. 

“While the Service pledges 

to collaborate with sister 

agencies to ensure that public 

order is maintained, 

those hatching these plots 

are warned to desist from 

such in the interest of peace, 

security and development 

of the country. 

“However, law abiding 

citizens and residents are 

encouraged to report suspected 

breaches of peace 

around them to the nearest 

security agencies.’’ 

But reacting to the alarm 

raised by the DSS, Christian 

Association of Nigeria, 

CAN, alleged that it was 

aimed at causing fear and 

panic among people. 

It also said the alert by 

the DSS was being perceived 

as a ploy to stop 

some clerics from expressing 

their views on the state 

of the nation. 

CAN Vice Chairman 

(Northern region), Rev. 

John Hayab, told Vanguard 

last night that the 

DSS ought to pursue, arrest, 

and expose those plotting 

to destabilize the country 

through the instruments 

of religion before sharing 

intelligence report with the 

public. 

He said: “It has become 

a weekly or monthly practice 

for our dear security 

agency to make statements 

that only help to create fear 

and pave ways for evil people 

to cause citizens harm. 

“If you truly have security 

report about anyone or 

any group trying to instigate 

violence just do to 

them what the law says. But 

coming out to create panic 

every time is not good for 

the people who are already 

living in self-pity and have 

lost hope due to the high 

level of insecurity in the 

nation. Sometimes, these 

statements are seen as a 

strategy to stop people from 

expressing their views. 

Whenever a strong view 

has been made and others 

are saying theirs too, that 

is when you will hear security 

alert.” 

Hayab also accused security 

agencies of not showing 

enough concerns when 

places of worship were attacked 

and people killed. 

He added: “As a leader 

of the church, I know my 

people have been attacked, 

killed and have had their 

homes and places of worship 

destroyed or vandalized 

when there was no 

quarrel between them and 

anyone. “In all these pains, 

the security agencies did 

not show serious concern or 

go after the arsonist or criminals. 

“We, therefore, do not 

understand why they 

should be making statements 

that will only create 

panic when no arrest has 

been made and no good 

steps taken to show or teach 

law breakers serious lessons?” 

He urged the DSS 

to go after those planning 

evil against Nigeria to 

prove the credibility of their 

intelligence report about 

the plots to invite religious 

crisis in some states. 

“Coming out always to 

make statements that will 

only create more fear in 

the minds of citizens at a 

time they are already in fear 

at home, on the road and 

everywhere in the country 

is not a good way to secure 

us,” Hayab added. 

How Ministry of Health 

mismanaged N4.6bn Ebola 

Fund —Senate 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA— THE Senate has 

uncovered how the Ministry 

of Health mismanaged 

N4.6 billion fund 

meant to tackle Ebola 

scourge in Nigeria. 

The Senate Committee on 

Public Accounts, led by Senator 

Matthew Urhoghide, 

PDP, Edo South, is raising the 

alarm of how the money 

was spent and sustained the 

indictment report against 

the Ministry of Health over 

the issue due to failure of the 

officials of the Ministry to 

explain their own side of the 

allegation. 

The committee sustained 

the Auditor General Report 

against the Ministry of 

Health after the officials of 

the Ministry declined the 

series of invitations of the 

committee. 

According to the committee, 

series of invitations were 

extended to the Ministry in 

the matter with no response 

and the committee had no other 

option than to sustain the 

query. 

The committee is relying 

on the query raised by the 

Office of the Auditor General 

of the Federation in the 2015 

report and brought before it 

for probe and subsequent 

presentation to the Senate at 

plenary. 

The query read: “Following 

the sudden outbreak of 

the Ebola scourge/disease in 

Nigeria and the determination 

of the Federal Government 

to contain and control 

the spread of the disease, a 

total sum of 

N4,887,079,750.00 was 

released to control the Ebola 

disease. 

“The sum of 

N1,992,548,500.00 was 

released on August 11, 2014, 

while the balance of 

N2,894,531,250.00 was 

released on 4th November 

2014. The funds were said 

to be kept in a commercial 

bank Account Number 

0122391169. 

Retired envoys disagree over funding of Nigerian missions 

By Victoria Ojeme 

ABUJA —SOME retied 

envoys who have served 

in different countries of posting 

yesterday differed over 

funding of Nigerian missions 

abroad. 

While some agreed that the 

federal government had adequately 

funded its missions 

abroad, arguing that the financial 

difficulty faced by 

the mission was due to corruption, 

others blamed it on 

inadequate funding of the 

missions by the government. 

Retired Ambassador and 

former Deputy Chief of Mission 

in the embassy of Nigeria 

in Beijing, China, Ambassador 

Shola Onadipe debunked 

claims that Nigerian 

embassies abroad were in 

disarray over funding. 

Yesterday, some media 

outlets reported that Nigerian 

embassies across the 

world had been undergoing 

challenges in recent times 

due to scarcity of funds or a 

prolonged non-deployment 

of ambassadors. 

Onadipe said the federal 

government has tried tremendously 

in funding diplomatic 

outposts, adding that missions 

that had problems paying 

their local staff didn’t get 

their priorities right. 

He said: “Government has 

brought a lot of innovationwe 

now have separate accounts 

for personnel and overhead 

expenditures- you dare 

not touch personnel funds for 

any other thing apart from 

personnel services and that 

has helped a lot. 

“I have worked in a mission 

where I was getting paid every 

quarter when money 

comes and by the time everybody 

takes what has been put 

out, you will wait again till the 

next quarter. Here in Beijing, 

it is well funded. I came from 

Washington and it is well funded 

too. Even when I was in 

Congo, we were well funded. 

“Most of the missions are 

well funded, officers have to 

be very careful, corruption has 

a hand in it. 

‘’At the end of the day, you 

cannot pay your local staff 

because the money meant for 

them has gone into your pock- 

VISIT: 

Member, 

Senate 

Committee on 

Army, Sen. 

Suleiman 

Abdul (right), 

consoling one 

of the 

wounded 

officers, 

during the 

visit of Senate 

Committee to 

the Nigerian 

Army 

Reference 

Hospital in 

Kaduna, 

yesterday. 

Photo: NAN. 

et because of corruption. 

“The simple fact is that these 

local staff members are right 

there with you and they see 

everything. Nigerian government 

is funding its missions, I 

will say 80- 85 per cent. Corruption 

and recklessness are 

causing problems in some 

missions. 

‘’If some missions are going 

to be truthful to you, they don’t 

need to complain. When you 

take your FSA and everything, 

what are you complaining 

about? You operate according 

to the budget you present. 

Government has done well in 

funding missions; it is the operators 

of the missions that 

need to do better,” Ambassador 

Onadipe said. 

However, retired Nigerian 

diplomat, Ambassador Dahiru 

Sulieman, disagreed with 

Onadipe. He noted that the 

problem of funding had always 

been with the Ministry 

of Foreign Affairs.” 

“You see missions will send 

their estimate or budget to the 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

and these are collated and 

sent to the Ministry of Finance 

or to the budget office. Invari- 

Lagos govt jittery over rising 

cases of COVID-19 among 

workers ....Issues fresh directive 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

LAGOS — The Lagos 

State Government 

has expressed worries over 

rising cases of civil servants 

testing positive for COVID- 

19 in the state. 

Determined to stem the 

dangerous trend, the Head 

of Service, Mr. Hakeem 

Muri-Okunola has issued 

a new directive to workers 

on safety protocols. 

Muri-Okunola, in an internal 

memo addressed to 

Accounting Officers, decried 

the rate at which civil servants 

were testing positive 

to Covid-19, saying the development 

called for serious 

concern and caution. 

ably what the mission will get, 

will be about half or even less 

than half of what they requested. 

"So where they have to 

pay for the houses that you 

rented for officers to occupy 

and you reduce the amount, 

then how will the rent be 

paid. If you reduce the allocation 

for payment of utilities, 

electricity, water, garbage 

disposal how will the 

mission be able to take care 

of those expenses when you 

have specific number of children 

in school and you did 

not allocate the exact 

amount for the payment of 

the school fees, how do you 

expect the children to go to 

school? 

“When you didn’t allocate 

exactly the amount requested 

for payment of the allowances 

of the officers and the salaries 

and wage of the local staff, 

how do you expect the mission 

to perform? So this under-funding 

has been going 

on for long and unless it is taken 

care of, the foreign affairs 

ministry will be handicapped 

in discharging its obligations. 

I remember when I was in 

He, therefore, directed 

them to come up with a strategy 

to stem the outbreak in 

their respective Ministries, 

Department and Agencies, 

MDAs, to reduce the spread. 

The memo read in part: “I 

wish to note with deep concern 

the spate at which Officers 

are testing positive to 

COVID-19 and hereby enjoin 

all Accounting Officers 

to come up with Duty Rosters 

to stem the outbreak in 

your respective MDAs. 

“The roster should be prepared 

with an Officer having 

to report for duty at most 

twice a month. Please note 

that this directive is without 

prejudice to existing directives 

and only reinforces 

same which are in effect and 

compliance abysmal.” 

Abidjan that was between 

1990-1992, there was a time 

we spent six months we were 

not paid our allowance because 

there was no money and 

headquarters was not sending 

the money. 

“So, this kind of thing will 

result in a two-ward situation 

when you have an officer who 

has a family and you have not 

paid him for six months such 

an officer could be easily 

compromised so why do you 

send officers to countries when 

you cannot pay them. 

. and why do you rent houses 

and you cannot pay the rent 

then you find a landlord taking 

an embassy to court, these 

are things that do happen 

from time to time. 

“I can say for a fact that 

when I was in the service the 

funding was very poor and 

that affected the performance 

of the missions 

abroad. When I say the officers 

get compromised, it was 

all encompassing so that 

whoever reads it will say 

compromise in what? They 

go out of their diplomatic 

duties to do things they 

should not do,” he said.




NIN REGISTRATION: A National Security and Civil Defence Corps operative coordinating activities as the 

registration of Nigerians continued following the suspension of the two-days warning strike by the Senior Staff 

Union of the National Identity Management Commission at NIMC HQ, Wuse, Abuja. (INSET) Septuagenarian 

Mallam Mohammed Al-Amin taking his biometrics to verify his details. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida. 

Buhari sees what Nigerians don’t see 

about service chiefs — PRESIDENCY 

•Terrorism has been checkmated — DHQ •Jihadists kill 13 soldiers in Yobe attack 

•Troops wipe out 28 Boko Haram terrorists, recover 13 AK-47 rifles 

By Kingsley Omonobi 

with Agency reports 

A Special BUJA—SENIOR 

Assistant to the 

President on Media and 

Publicity. Mallam Garba Shehu, 

Garba Shehu, said weekend that 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

has not succumbed to calls to 

sack of service chiefs because he 

sees what Nigerians do not see. 

Mallam Shehu spoke as 

Defence Headquarters said 

yesterday that the armed forces 

had done well in the fight against 

terrorism by decimating the 

potency of Boko Haram terrorists 

in the North Eastern part of the 

country. 

These came as army sources 

told AFP yesterday that 13 soldiers 

died in an ambush in Yobe State 

by jihadist fighters from the 

Islamic State West Africa Province 

group in volatile northeastern 

Nigeria. 

The presidential spokesman, 

who stated this on a Television 

Continental (TVC) programme on 

Sunday, said the Chief of Army 

Staff and his colleagues serve at 

the pleasure of the President 

who has not sacked them 

because he was seeing things 

that critics were not seeing. 

“It is because he is seeing 

things that critics are not seeing. 

He is seeing things most people 

don’t see,” he said in response to 

why the security heads are still 

in office. 

“It is not a tenured 

appointment. There is no part of 

the law that says Chief of Army 

Staff must serve for two years. 

Then, after two years, he must 

go. 

“He serves at the pleasure of 

the president. Now, the president 

has said again he will make 

changes. When will he make 

those changes? It is entirely up 

to him. I think Nigerians should 

give him the benefit of the doubt.” 

He added that the Buhari 

administration has not been able 

to solve the country’s security 

challenges because the problems 

were “mutating”. 

“This country has always been 

challenged by issues of insecurity. 

No country is crime-free. The 

challenges are mutating … but 

all hands are now on deck. 

“From the resolutions we are 

seeing, particularly from the 

President, 2021 is going to be very 

decisive in dealing with Boko 

Haram, banditry, and 

kidnapping.” 

In a related development, 

Defence Headquarters said 

yesterday that the armed forces 

had done well in the fight against 

terrorism by decimating the 

potency of the Boko Haram 

terrorists in the North Eastern 

part of the country. 

The Coordinator, Defence 

Media Operations, Maj. Gen. 

John Enenche, stated this in an 

interview with the News Agency 

of Nigeria, NAN in Abuja. 

Enenche said the initial delay 

in tackling the menace made it 

to gain momentum, taking over 

territories and setting up 

administrative structures before 

they were knocked off in 2016 by 

the military. 

He said the open display of 

powers and authority by the Boko 

Haram members no longer 

existed in the North East, 

stressing that no single 

district or community could be 

said to be under the control 

of the insurgents. 

“The issue of bombings that 

even spread to other places like 

Abuja, Kano, Niger and Kogi 

States, including their sleeper 

cells no longer exist. 

“What about suicide bombing, 

which is one of the signs of 

terrorism? It was rife and even at 

our checkpoints they come and 

detonate bombs as well as 

public gatherings; all these 

have been nipped properly. 

“If you put all these together, I 

can tell you that terrorism has 

been checkmated. However, the 

signs are still there with isolated 

action here and there common 

with terrorism,” he said. 

According to him, the actual 

terrorism started about 10 years 

ago, gained momentum, while 

the state actors then were not 

clear about the motive because 

of other issues that came up. 

Enenche urged the populace 

to be bold in coming out to 

provide information on 

activities of the terrorists to aid 

the security agencies to track 

their locations. 

Meanwhile, two army sources 

yesterday told AFP that no fewer 

than 13 soldiers were killed in an 

ambush by jihadist fighters from 

the Islamic State West Africa 

Province group in volatile 

northeastern Nigeria. 

Heavy gunfire and rocketpropelled 

grenades had hit a 

military convoy in Gazagana 

village, 30 kilometres from Yobe 

state capital, Damaturu on 

Saturday. 

“We lost 13 soldiers in this 

ambush and several were 

injured,” an officer said. 

The convoy was headed for a 

military base at Buni Yadi, 

another 20 kilometres from 

Damaturu, said the second army 

source, who gave the same death 

toll. 

“It was a fierce battle and the 

terrorists also suffered casualties,” 

he said, without giving a figure. 

The ISWAP group carries out 

regular attacks in Buni Yadi 

region on soldiers and travellers, 

with the violence spilling over into 

Borno State. 

However, reacting to the attack, 

Acting Director, Defence Media 

Operations, Brigadier General 

Bernard Onyeuko, said in a 

statement that troops of the 

newly launched Operation Tura 

Takaibango, a subsidiary of 

Operation Lafiya Dole in the 

North East on Saturday, January 

9, 2021, obliterated 28 Boko 

Haram/ISWAP terrorists at Gujba 

in Yobe State after a massive 

encounter that foiled the plot by 

the terrorists 

The statement read: “Latest 

encounter with the marauding 

Boko Haram criminals occurred 

on January 9, 202,1 at Gujba LGA 

of Yobe State where the Gallant 

troops identified and encycled a 

Boko Haram ambush site. 

“The troops from HQ Sector 2 

who were led by the Commander 

Sector 2 and later reinforced by 

troops from 27 TF Bde Buni Gari 

and Special Forces Training 

School Buni Yadi tactically outmanouevered 

the criminals and 

engaged them with superior fire 

power resulting in high casualty 

on the terrorists. 

“In the aftermath of the decisive 

encounter, 28 Boko Haram 

terrorists were neutralized while 

few others are believed to have 

escaped with gunshot wounds. 

“In the same vein, one Boko 

Haram gun truck was destroyed 

with its occupants while 

another gun truck was captured 

from the fleeing criminals.'' 

“Other equipment captured 

from the criminals include; 2 Anti 

Aircraft Guns, 13 AK 47 rifles, 4 

extra magazines and a 

vulcanizing machine. 

MONEY LAUNDERING TRIAL: Ex-AGF, Adoke stranded 

in UAE over COVID-19 positive test — LAWYER 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

A Attorney-General BUJA—FORMER 

of the 

Federation, AGF, and Minister 

of Justice, Mr. Mohammed 

Adoke, SAN, who is facing money 

laundering charges, yesterday 

failed to appear before the 

Federal High Court in Abuja for 

continuation of his trial. 

However, his lead counsel, 

Mr. Kanu Agabi, SAN, who is 

equally a former AGF, told the 

court that his client was 

currently stranded at the 

United Arab Emirate, UAE, 

where he tested positive for 


Cross-over protest: Court 

grants Sowore N20m bail, 

barred from leaving Abuja 

....As co-defendants secure N1m bail each 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA—AN 

Abuja 

Chief Magistrate Court 

sitting at Wuse, Zone 2, yesterday 

granted bail to detained prodemocracy 

activist and convener 

of #RevolutionNow protest, Mr. 

Omoyele Sowore, to the tune of 

N20 million. 

The bail order came eleven 

days after Sowore, who was the 

presidential candidate of the 

African Action Congress, AAC, 

in the last general election and 

publisher of an online news 

outlet, Sahara Reporters, was 

arrested on the eve of the new 

year, for leading a protest against 

bad governance in the country. 

The court, in a ruling that was 

delivered by Magistrate Mabel 

Segun-Bello, equally released 

four other persons that were 

arrested during the protest - 

Juwon Sanyaolu, Peter Williams, 

Damilare Adenola and 

Emmanuel Bulus on bail. 

While Sowore was granted bail 

in the sum of N20 million with 

two sureties in like sum, the court 

gave the 2nd to 4th defendants 

bail in the tune of N1 million each, 

with one surety. 

It held that one of the two 

persons that would stand surety 

for Sowore, must be a civil 

servant not below grade level 12. 

Magistrate Segun-Bello further 

ordered Sowore to remain in 

Abuja and physically report to the 

Registrar of the court every 

Monday and Friday, pending the 

hearing and determination of the 

case against them. 

The court had on January 4, 

remanded the defendants at the 

Kuje prison, after they took turns 

and pleaded not guilty to a threecount 

charge that Federal Capital 

Territory, FCT, Police Command, 

entered against them. 

The charge bordered on 

criminal conspiracy, unlawful 

assembly and their alleged 

attempt to incite public 

disturbance. 

However, at the resumed 

proceedings in the case on 

January 5, Magistrate Segun- 

Bello ordered that the defendants 

should be transferred from prison 

custody to the Force Criminal 

Investigation Department 

situated at Garki Area 10, Abuja. 

Their transfer came after 

Sowore, who was brought to the 

court in handcuffs, complained 

about degrading treatment he 

said they were subjected to at the 

Kuje prison. 

He told the court that the 

prison authorities denied 

them access to medical 

treatment, food and water. 

FG'll stop train services if… 

— AMAECHI 

THE 

Federal 

Government says it will 

shut down the Lagos-Ibadan and 

the Abuja-Kaduna train services 

should there be any case of 

COVID-19 among passengers. 

The Minister of Transportation, 

Rotimi Amaechi, stated this 

yesterday while featuring on 

NTA Good Morning Nigeria 

programme. 

He said train users must comply 

with all COVID-19 protocols from 

the beginning of every trip to the 

end. 

The minister said: “If we see 

that we are conveying passengers 

who have COVID-19 from Lagos 

to Ibadan and Ibadan to Lagos, 

we will stop it just like we 

threatened to stop the one from 

Kaduna to Abuja if people don’t 

comply with COVID -19 protocols. 

•Pleads for extension of time to report for trial 

Agabi told trial Justice Inyang 

Ekwo, who is presiding over two 

separate charges the Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, preferred 

against Adoke, that his client was 

confirmed positive for the disease 

at the point of his return to 

Nigeria from the UAE where he 

went for medical examination. 

The defence lawyer told the 

court that in view of the 

development, the UAE 

authorities held the former AGF 

back. 

He added that though his client 

later tested negative for the 

disease after he underwent 

treatment, he was unable to get 

a flight back to the country on 

“Don’t forget that on Kaduna- 

Abuja, we convey 4,000 

passengers in a day. Imagine that 

about 20 per cent have COVID- 

19, they can transmit COVID-19 

to the entire passengers. 

‘’The rate of transmission will 

be high. The same is applicable 

to Lagos. Everybody must comply 

with the COVID-19 protocols, 

wear your masks till the end of 

the journey.” 

The minister also added that 

the $1.6 billion Lagos-Ibadan 

railway project, which would be 

completed this month would be 

inaugurated virtually by 

President Muhammadu Buhari. 

The Nigerian Railway 

Corporation had in December 

2020 commenced operations for 

the Lagos-Ibadan railway, a 

standard gauge rail covering a 

distance of 156km. 

January 10 as the court ordered. 

Agabi said: “My lord, let me 

apologise to you that the 1st 

Defendant in this matter, 

Mohammed Bello Adoke, is not 

in court today due to 

circumstances beyond his control. 

“I thank this court for granting 

him permission to travel abroad 

for medical examination. Before 

he left this country, he tested 

negative. But unfortunately 

while in the UAE, he tested 

positive at the point of his return 

to Nigeria. 

“However, he is now negative 

after the treatment but he was 

unable to get flight to the 

country. Happily, he will return 

tomorrow, January 12, 2021.’’

Y 

K 


:Vanguard 

News 


Cynics using ethnicity to 

destroy Amotekun’s initiative 

—Makinde’s aide 

By Adeola Badru 

IAdviser BADAN—SPECIAL 

on Media to 

Governor Seyi Makinde of 

Oyo State, Mr. Jide Ajani, 

yesterday, berated cynics 

who aim at using ethnicity 

to destroy the purpose for 

which the Western State 

Security Network, 

codenamed Amotekun, 

was initiated. 

Ajani, in a statement, 

titled: ‘Amotekun: 

Weaponising Ethnicity to 

Destroy Good Initiative’, 

said those pushing the 

narratives still thought 

demonising the corps 

would score for political 

points. 

He said: “Those pushing 

the narrative still think 

demonising Amotekun will 

score for them political 

points. In their fancy, they 

are already drawing a link 

between the Amotekun and 

the fabled SARS, which 

some youths rose against 

last year. 

“They are wrong and 

totally miscalculating, 

because it is a faulty 

narrative. Weaponising 

ethnicity to destroy 

Amotekun will meet with a 

solid brick wall and it will, 

also, not work. 

“And because they failed 

in their bid to stop the 

launch of Amotekun, they 

have now resorted to 

twisting facts and creating 

their own bubble of 

alternative and fictional 

reality. They will fail again 

as they failed before. 

“Placed side by side, facts 

will always trump fiction, 

lies and incitement. That 

COVID-19: 

Ogun opens 

oxygen 

therapy centre 

By James 

Ogunnaike 

AState BEOKUTA—OGUN 

government said, 

yesterday, it has opened an 

Oxygen Therapy Centre, 

to avoid a situation of 

scarcity of the life saving 

consumables. 

The Commissioner for Health, 

Dr. Tomi Coker, who made this 

known in Abeokuta, said that the 

Oxygen Therapy Centre, which 

sits within the Infectious Disease 

Hospital, Iberekodo in Abeokuta, 

consists of 20 beds of high 

dependency capacity. 

She said: “The Olabisi 

Onabanjo University Teaching 

Hospital, OOUTH, Isolation 

Centre is at 90 per cent capacity 

right now, which means that 

people have to take cognisance 

of being responsible for their own 

health. 

“Our positivity rate before 

December was roving around 0.7- 

0.8 percent but, since December, 

particularly January, our 

positivity rate has gone up by 

about 8 per cent, which means 

that this second wave is real." 

Amotekun strategically 

launched six counterbanditry, 

counterkidnapping 

and counterterrorism 

operations in four 

local governments, 

simultaneously, on 

Saturday, deserves credit. 

“Yet, more deserving of 

credit is the inclusive nature 

of the rainbow coalition that 

went after the criminals. 

“It comprised Amotekun, 

Vigilantes, Hunters and 

Miyetti Allah Vigilante. In 

fact, not just members of 

Miyetti Allah, but some 

Fulani were part of the 

operations, with the Seriki 

being fully briefed about the 

operations.” 

Afenifere, PANDEF, M-Belt kick, as 

Miyetti Allah seeks inclusion of Fulani, 

others in Amotekun 

accommodate then.” 

By Dapo Akinrefon, 

Ola Ajayi, Samuel 

Oyadongha & Peter 

Duru 

I Miyetti BADAN—THE 

Allah Cattle 

Breeders Association of 

Nigeria, MACBAN, 

yesterday, called for the 

inclusion of its members 

and other ethnic groups 

in the Western Nigeria 

Security Network, 

codenamed Amotekun, in 

Oyo State, to overcome 

the language barrier, 

which sometimes causes 

misunderstanding. 

The call by MACBAN, 

however, elicited angry 

reactions from other 

ethnic groups like the 

pan-Yoruba socio-political 

organization, Afenifere, 

the Pan Niger Delta 

Forum, PANDEF, and the 

Middle Belt Forum. 

The leader of the Fulani 

herders in Oyo State, 

Ibrahim Jiji, made the 

call, while speaking with 

newsmen at the Ibadan 

palace of Sarkin Sasa 

Sardaunan Yamaa, who is 

also the Chairman, 

Council of Arewa 

Traditional Rulers and 

Chiefs, in the Southern 

states. 

Jiji, who expressed 

sadness over the killing 

of his men at Ayete, called 

on the relevant security 

agencies and Governor 

Seyi Makinde to expedite 

the release of his men, 

numbering 46, who were 

mistaken for criminals 

and erroneously arrested 

by security agents. 

While clarifying the 

issue, he noted that 

security agents arrested 

members of the Vigilante 

Group of Nigeria, who are 

the people fighting 

banditry, robbery and 

kidnapping in the area. 

His words: “After the 

commandant of Amotekun 

called us that we should 

FOR NIN—Crowd still gathered at the Lagos office of National Identity Management Commission, 

to obtain their National Identification Number, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Kehinde Shonola. 

join in a clearance 

operation, we agreed that 

50 men from us, who are 

members of Vigilance 

Group, would go with 

them. 

“When Amotekun 

operatives wanted to go 

for the operation, we were 

in Eruwa. But, Amotekun 

operatives went for the 

operation without 

carrying us along. We 

were only informed 

thereafter, that they had 

gone and killed three of 

our members. 

“We got information that 

some people were 

kidnapped at Igangan 

and our Vigilance Group 

was directed to go there 

and rescue the victims. 

But, on their way to the 

place, some security men 

arrested them; they are 46. 

They were taken later 

handed over to the Police 

Area Commander at 

Eruwa. 

“They are not criminals 

at all. This Vigilance 

Group had arrested and 

handed suspected 

criminals to the police. 

How would they now be 

taken as criminals? 

“We plead with 

Governor Seyi Makinde to 

expedite their release 

because they are certainly 

not criminals as being 

branded.” 

Jiji urged the people not 

to brand any criminal they 

see as Fulani adding that 

criminality, robbery and 

banditry should not have 

any ethnic colouration.” 

“A criminal is a criminal. 

He may be Igbo, Yoruba, 

Fulani or any other ethnic 

group in the country”. 

They’re asking 

for too much 

—Afenifere 

Reacting to Miyetti 

Allah’s request, Afenifere 

said MACBAN was 

asking for too much. 

Afenifere’s National 

Publicity Secretary, Yinka 

Odumakin said: “Why 

don’t they ask for them to 

come and mount 

traditional stools in 

Yorubaland? These 

people are climbing over 

the leaves of the tree in 

their unbridled ambition.” 

Address 

worsening 

security problem 

in North 

—PANDEF 

Also, the Deputy 

National Chairman of Pan 

Niger Delta Forum, 

Thompson Okorotie 

flayed the move by the 

Myetti Allah but urged 

them to address the 

worsening security 

problem in the north. 

Okorotie said: “What do 

they really want to achieve? 

Though we do not have a 

direct link, as far as we 

know, Amotekun is purely 

a South West arrangement 

to help the region. It is a 

self-help arrangement 

borne out of the rising 

insecurity in the land. The 

security situation has so 

worsened that everybody is 

to himself. 

“What is the role of Myetti 

Allah? Do they have any 

structure that is related to 

Amotekun? Amotekun, as 

far as I know from outside, 

is well structured and it 

covers the South West, the 

Yoruba states. 

“So, I do not understand 

what they want to do. I 

think they have more jobs 

in the North. Although we 

have security challenges all 

over the country, there is a 

bigger problem in the 

North. But if they want to 

solve the security 

challenge, let them 

concentrate on Yobe, Borno 

and others where fellow 

Nigerians are dying in their 

droves in the North. So, I 

don’t think it is a good idea. 

I don’t even believe that the 

Amotekun structure will 

It doesn’t make 

sense 

—Middle Belt 

Forum 

On its part, the Middle 

Belt Forum described 

MACBAN’s request as 

“irrational because it does 

not make any bit of sense.” 

National President of 

MBF, Dr. Pogu Bitrus in 

Makurdi said: “What is 

their business with 

Amotekun? Is the South- 

West not predominantly 

Yoruba? So, the suggestion 

is just like saying that we 

should go and have 

traditional rulers like Emirs 

of other ethnic groups in 

the north. It simply doesn’t 

make sense, it is irrational 

and there is no justification 

for that. 

“Amotekun is a Yoruba 

outfit to save the Yoruba 

people from aggression. 

Aggression from which 

people? From Fulani 

herdsmen. 

Kalejaiye passes on 

“So, it is only proper that 

Amotekun should be a 

Yoruba affair. We are not 

saying that Nigeria should 

not be plural in all spheres. 

But what we are saying is 

that when a particular 

ethnic group takes it upon 

themselves to attack others 

unprovoked, for whatever 

reason, those people have 

the right to defend 

themselves. And that is 

what brought about 

Amotekun. 

“Amotekun is a Yoruba 

answer to the aggression by 

the Fulani herdsmen and 

of course other insurgent 

groups on their people. 

“If they are not happy 

with it, they should go to 

their own states and have 

their own outfit. The truth 

remains that even in the 

north, different ethnic 

nationalities have vigilante 

groups of their ethnic 

nationalities to defend their 

people. 

“So there is nothing 

wrong for the Yoruba to 

defend themselves. It is up 

to the Fulanis to ask their 

people to stop killing 

others, to stop attacking 

farmers, to stop carrying out 

unprovoked attacks on 

communities so that 

Amotekun will not be 

necessary.” 

DR. Olabode Kalejaiye, Christian and Senior Pastor 

a patriot and of ShepherdHouse 

businessman of repute, is Church, which he founded, 

dead. He was 64 years old. alongside his wife, in 2008. 

He was born to the family He was an influential 

of the late Pa Emeda and mentor and selflessly 

Mama Biliya Kalejaiye. generous. 

Kalejaiye had a brief stint He is survived by his wife, 

in journalism, working Olabisi; three children — 

with both The Punch and Tinuola, Oluwatomi, Olabode Jr., 

Concord newspapers, after and grandchildren. 

which he travelled to 

England in 1981 to study 

Accountancy. 

He returned to Nigeria in 

1987 to set-up a 

consultancy business, the 

Harvest Investments 

Company Ltd. 

He was a member of the 

Board of Directors of (now 

defunct) NAL Merchant 

Bank, and a member of 

Economic and Security 

Advisory Team for the 

Federal Government of 

Nigeria. 

He was a devout • Late Kalejaiye 

C


:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 

• Gridlock along along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway, in Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Kehinde 

Shonola. 

Spike in COVID-19 infections delaying 

Lagos-Ibadan rail line commissioning 

— Amaechi 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

ABUJA—MINISTER of 

Transportation, Rotimi 

Amaechi, yesterday, attributed 

the delay in commissioning of 

the Lagos-Ibadan standard 

gauge rail-line to the spike in 

the number of coronavirus 

infections in the past two weeks. 

Amaechi disclosed this while 

reviewing the performance of 

the ministry in the past few 

years and the outlook for 2021, 

as a guest of the Nigeria 

Television Authority, NTA, 

Breakfast programme, 

The Morning Show. 

774,000 jobs' to tackle insecurity, unemployment 

—Aregbesola 

By Shina Abubakar 

OSOGBO—MINISTER of 

Interior, Ogbeni Rauf 

Aregbesola, yesterday, noted that 

the Extended Special Public Works 

programme, ESPW, was conceived 

as a strategy to tackle growing 

unemployment and insecurity in 

the country. 

Aregbesola said this at the flagoff 

of the Osun State special public 

works programme at the Local 

Government Service Commission 

at Government Secretariat in 

Abere, Osun State. 

The minister, who was 

represented by the former 

By Innocent Anaba 

LAGOS—A Federal High 

Court in Lagos, yesterday, 

ordered Emirates Airlines to 

pay $1.63 million to a 

businessman, Mr. Orji Ikem, 

being the amount contained in 

his hand luggage, which went 

missing in the airline’s custody, 

during a 2007 China trip. 

Trial judge, Justice Muslim 

Hassan, also ordered Emirates 

Airlines to pay Ikem N50 million 

as damages for the “untold 

hardship and loss of earning” 

he suffered by the deprivation 

of use of his money from 2007 

till date. 

According to him, scores of staff 

on the project site, numbering 

about 60, have been infected by 

the dreaded virus, saying: “I pray 

that nobody will die, but you can 

see the kind of sacrifice everybody 

is making to get the rail to 

function.” 

His words: “As far as we are 

concerned, we need to learn how 

to live with COVID-19. I really 

want to congratulate those that 

have achieved this feat. We were 

to inaugurate it in the first week 

of January, but we had to stop 

doing minor completion work 

because of the rise in COVID-19 

transmission. 

“The timeline for the 

inauguration is dependent on 

COVID-19. If it stops today, we 

commissioner for Agriculture and 

Food Security in the state, Mr. 

Kunle Ige, said the programme 

was aimed at addressing the case 

of the most vulnerable people in 

the society, from the economic 

effect of the Coronavirus 

pandemic. 

He said: “The ESPW is an 

outcome of the pilot Special Public 

Works Programme in the Rural 

Areas approved by President 

Muhammadu Buhari, and 

implemented by the National 

Directorate of Employment, NDE, 

in early 2020. 

“The pilot programme was 

implemented in eight states of the 

Federation to gauge its impact on 

addressing the ballooning population 

will need additional two weeks. 

It may not even need to stop 

completely. If it reduces 

drastically, we will be happy to 

go ahead and commission. This 

was our expectation but 

unfortunately, it shot up. So, 

everybody has to wait and watch 

what is going on and make sure 

we keep safe and alive.” 

The minister also warned those 

flouting safety measures put in 

place to checkmate the spread of 

the virus, adding that the ministry 

would not hesitate to stop the 

movement of passengers on any 

route found to be culpable. 

He said: “If the Lagos-Ibadan 

passengers flout the COVID 

protocols, we will stop the train 

(services)." 

of the unemployed and rising insecurity 

in some parts of the country. This 

strategy was adapted to fast-track the 

achievement of the Economic Recovery 

and Growth Plan (2017-2020). 

“However, with the emergence of 

COVID-19 pandemic, President Buhari 

directed the Economic Sustainability 

Committee, ESC, under the 

chairmanship of the Vice-President, 

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to craft 

economic measures to cushion the 

adverse socio-economic effects of the 

pandemic. 

“The ESC delivered on its task with 

dispatch and hence the key sectors of 

the economy underwent vigorous 

scrutiny and a blueprint termed the 

National Economic Sustainability Plan, 

NESP, was developed 

Missing luggage: Emirates Airlines to pay Nigerian 

$1.63m, N50m 

The judgment followed the 

plaintiff’s nearly 12 years battle 

to recover two hand luggage 

containing personal effects and 

$700,000, as well as $930,000 in 

18 bundles of $50,000 wraps each 

and $30,000 cash not in a wrap. 

The court heard that the 

$930,000 belonged to another 

businessman, Olisaemeka 

Ugwunze, who wanted it 

delivered in China for 

purchases. 

The plaintiff told the court 

through his counsel, Chris 

Ekemezie, that at the departure 

lounge of the Murtala 

Muhammad International 

Airport, Ikeja, Emirates Airlines 

staff requested that he hand the 

luggage to them for safe-keeping 

in the cockpit, but he refused 

and insisted on keeping them 

himself. 

They insisted on keeping the 

luggage for him, considering the 

huge amount of money contained 

therein, and that on arrival at 

destination, the two bags would 

be handed over to him. 

After a prolonged argument 

and in order not to miss his flight, 

he yielded and handed over the 

two-hand carry-on bags to them, 

and they were tagged with tag 

numbers EK428682 and 

EK428683, respectively. 

He told the court that it was the 

last time he saw the bags and the 

money. On his arrival in 

Guangzhou, the airline could not 

account for his four luggage. 

Be warned...na dat kain look carry 

many pikin enter 'fire' oo! 

Haba! How im take know the 'size' na!? 

...When the ancestors are tired of treking! 

C 

M 

Y 

K




INSPECTION: From left, Managing Director/CEO, Federal Housing Authority, Senator 

Gbenga Ashafa; a resident, Olamilekan Soyeye, and SSA to the MD on General Duties, Mr 

Mustapha Oseifa, during the MD's inspection of FHA Low Cost Housing Estate at Obada- 

Oko, Abeokuta, Ogun State. 

Sacked Rivers council chairmen, 

councillors move to stop April 17 LG polls 

•Resolve your crisis, stop blackmailing Wike —PDP 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT HARCOURT— 

The sacked 22 local 

government chairmen and 

their councillors elected 

under former Governor 

Chibuike Amaechi in Rivers 

State have threatened to stop 

the scheduled local 

government elections in the 

state. 

The chairmen, elected on 

the platform of All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, who were sacked under 

the administration of the 

incumbent Governor Nyesom 

Wike, said it would be 

contempt of court if the state 

goes ahead to hold the local 

government polls scheduled 

for April 17, 2021. 

Speaking for the elected 

APC chairmen and 

councillors, Sogbeye Eli, said 

the 22 of the 23 local 

government chairmen and 

councillors, who were elected 

on May 25, 2015, under the 

administration of former 

Governor Amaechi, but were 

sacked by a judgment of the 

Federal High Court on July 

9, 2015, have vowed to return 

to the Court of Appeal on 

February 1, 2021, where the 

appeal over their sack is 

pending. 

Eli said: “We respectfully 

invite you to note that the 

claim by the Rivers PDP that 

our election was nullified 

because RSIEC conducted 

same on May 23, 2015, in 

contravention of an order of 

the Federal High Court is 

another strand in a huge 

tissue of lies. 

“Same is deliberate 

falsehood mischievously 

engineered to cast shadows 

on the legality of our election. 

We insist that no order was 

made by Justice Akanbi to 

stop the local government 

elections of May 23, 2015, 

when he adjourned hearing 

of the matter sine die on April 

29, 2015, upon learned 

counsel to RSIEC, B. Nwafor, 

SAN, informing the court that 

an appeal had been lodged 

at the Court of Appeal to stop 

it from hearing the matter. 

“However, when it became 

convenient for the PDP to 

exercise her well 

documented impunity, she 

ignored the judiciary and 

directed RSIEC to conduct 

the 2018 council polls, which 

action tampered gravely with 

theirs after successfully 

freezing the jurisdiction of the 

Court of Appeal in over two 

years with a rash of frivolous 

motions. 

“Believing that the mission 

to seal our fate was 

accomplished, both 

appellants/applicants 

withdrew their motions on 

December 18, 2018 and 

January 23, 2019, 

respectively and same were 

struck out. 

“It should be noted that in 

dismissing the interlocutory 

appeals, the Supreme Court 

awarded N1,000,000 cost in 

favour of each set of 

respondents, which the 

appellants have failed to pay 

to this day. 

Resolve your crisis, 

stop blackmailing 

Wike —PDP 

Meanwhile, the state PDP 

spokesman, Sydney Gbara, 

has advised APC to make 

useful attempt to resolve its 

internal crisis and stop 

blackmailing Wike. 

Gbara said: “The Isaac 

Ogbobula (Caretaker 

Chairman) APC is bringing 

the name of the governor 

unnecessarily over one 

accusation or the other. The 

internal crisis of APC dates 

back years ago and it baffles 

me that members of that party 

nearly all the time kept 

bringing the governor’s 

name into the internal crisis 

of the APC. 

“The governor is not a 

member of the APC and has 

nothing to do with who wins 

or loses in whatever that 

comes out of the internal crisis 

of the APC. If they have 

aggrieved members, they 

should call themselves 

together and see how they 

can sort themselves out.” 

Ban on CDAs still in force, Oba of 

Benin warns 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase 

BENIN CITY— OBA of 

Benin, Omo N’Oba 

Ewuare II, has warned that 

his earlier decision banning 

Community Development 

Associations, CDAs, 

throughout his kingdom 

remained in force. 

He spoke in Benin City, 

Edo State when Benin 

Christian Community led by 

Rev Godspower 

Ogbomwan ended a week 

long New Year prayers at his 

palace. 

Oba Ewaure II explained 

that the resurging CDAs 

across the various 

communities in Benin 

Kingdom through different 

I’ll build 100 industries in my first 

100 days as Delta gov— Gbagi 

By Emma Amaize 

& Festus Ahon 

ASABA—A Delta State 

governorship aspirant in 

the 2023 election, Olorogun 

Kenneth Gbagi, has 

promised to establish 100 

industries in his first 100 days 

in office if elected governor. 

Gbagi in Asaba, during a 

Town Hall meeting with 

Aniocha/Oshimili 

stakeholders, said Deltans 

should call him to question if 

he fails to build 100 industries 

in 100 days in office as 

governor. 

He noted that he has all it 

takes to transform the state, 

insisting that he was the most 

qualified to govern the state 

after Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa, urging Deltans to 

choose a governor who will 

take the state from one point 

to another. 

He said he was the most 

qualified person to be 

governor in 2023 in the 

present PDP family in Delta, 

noting that he has his 

signatures everywhere across 

the country and beyond. 

Vowing to contest and win 

the 2023 election, he said it 

was the turn of Delta Central 

to produce the next governor. 

means would never see the 

light of the day. 

He warned some District 

Heads (Enigie), who 

collaborate with youths to 

violate his order to stop the 

act, saying they would be 

made to face the full wrath of 

the law and disastrous 

ancestral consequences. 

On the state of insecurity 

in the country, the Benin 

monarch attributed the 

situation to deviation from 

family values as well as 

traditional and cultural norms 

of the land, just as he insisted 

that religious leaders must 

desist from practices that are 

inimical to societal growth. 

Commending the efforts of 

Benin Christian Community, 

Omo N’ Ewuare II said he 

would continue to offer 

prayers and other spiritual 

exercises for the good of the 

state. 

Earlier, Rev Osama 

Usualele, who took his text 

from 2 Chronicles 6: 26-31, 

said God does not renege in 

fulfilling his promises to his 

children when they truly obey 

his commandments 

He said absolute 

repentance from wicked 

ways was the key for God’s 

forgiveness and open 

heaven of peace and 

blessings for the land. 

MILITANTS TO SECURITY 

OPERATIVES, BAYELSA GOVT: 

Stay away from our battle 

with ex-militant leader 

•Ogunbos didn’t fleece anybody – Source 

By Emma Amaize 

YENAGOA—ANGRY exmilitants 

in Bayelsa State, 

who bombed the country 

home of an ex-militant leader 

in Bayelsa State, “General” 

Ogunbos, last December and 

January, for purportedly 

shortchanging them, have 

urged security operatives and 

Bayelsa State government to 

steer clear of their ongoing 

battle with the former militant 

commander. 

Spokesman of Niger Delta 

Cleansing Force for 

Development, NDCFD, a 

coalition of former militants, 

Blacky Peres, in a statement, 

yesterday, restated that the exmilitant 

leader did not 

dispense the stipends of his 

boys collected from 

Presidential Amnesty 

Programme, PAP, and called 

for a halt to payment of their 

remunerations to him. 

Vanguard could not reach 

Ogunbos for comments, 

yesterday, as his cell phones 

were switched off, but a source 

close to him maintained he did 

not defraud his boys. 

Edo gov poll: Tribunal resumes 

sitting 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

BENIN CITY— THE 

Justice Yunusa Musa-led 

three-member Governorship 

Election Petitions Tribunal in 

Benin City, Edo State, 

yesterday commenced 

hearing in the remaining four 

petitions against the reelection 

of Governor Godwin 

Obaseki for a second term as 

governor of the state. 

The four remaining petitions 

are bought by Action 

Democratic Party, ADP, and its 

governorship candidate, Iboi 

Emmanuel; Action Peoples 

Party, APP, without joining its 

governorship candidate, 

Amos Areloegbe; Allied 

Peoples Movement, APM, 

excluding its governorship 

candidate, Igbineweka 

Osamuede, and Tracy Agol, 

without joining her political 

party, the New Nigeria 

However, the militants 

threatened to continue their 

offensive, saying: “General 

Ogunbos will continue to 

suffer severe attacks as he is 

paying for his sins for 

desecrating the oath he took 

for the struggle for the 

emancipation of the long 

neglected region. 

“We want to warn the 

military and other security 

operatives to stay clear and 

not interfere in our attacks on 

ex-militant leader, which is 

far from over and others we 

intend to launch similar 

attacks on as the attacks are 

to correct some errors and 

place it on record that it is 

blood for blood. 

“The Bayelsa State 

government cannot pretend 

not to be aware of the actions 

of the ex-militant leader at 

his hometown in Southern 

Ijaw Local Government 

Area, where he has turned 

to a lord, installs community 

development chairman at 

will without recourse to laid 

down procedures and 

constitution, as well as bluntly 

refusing to pay his boys their 

amnesty funds." 

APC petitions Rivers CJ, CJN, 

NJC over alleged plot to 

scuttle revalidation exercise 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT 

HARCOURT— 

The All Progressives 

Congress, APC, has 

petitioned the Chief Justice of 

Rivers State, Justice Adanma 

Laminkanra; National 

Judicial Commission, NJC 

and others over an alleged 

attempt by a judge to scuttle 

the revalidation exercise of the 

party. 

Caretaker Committee 

Chairman of the party in 

Rivers State, Isaac Abbot- 

Ogbobula, who disclosed this 

in Port Harcourt, said Justice 

Ngbor Abina, the trial judge, 

has unilaterally brought a 

matter that was adjourned till 

January 18, 2021 to January 

11, 2021, adding that the 

decision was unlawful. 

Ogbobula accused the 

judge of bias, adding that the 

judge would not do justice 

to the party as she was the 

daughter of a chieftain of 

Peoples Democratic Party, in 

the state, Chief Precious 

Abina. 

He urged Ngbor to step 

aside from hearing the 

matter, stating that her 

attitude showed total display 

of hatred for APC. 

Peoples Party, NNPP. 

The tribunal had last year 

in an unanimous ruling 

dismissed the petition by 

Action Alliance, AA, and its 

governorship candidate, 

Ukonga Onaivi, against 

Obaseki, PDP and the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, for failing to file prehearing 

notice. 

The four petitions are 

seeking the nullification of 

the September 19 re-election 

of Obaseki and his deputy 

(Shaibu), while calling for 

fresh election by INEC to 

exclude PDP, Obaseki and 

his running mate, in view of 

the call for their 

disqualification over alleged 

forgery of their certificates. 

The Federal High Court in 

Abuja last Saturday 

dismissed the forgery and 

perjury suit against Obaseki 

by APC and one of its 

chieftains, Williams Edobor. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

C 

M 

Y 

K 




INAUGURATING: Fleet 

Commander, Eastern 

Fleet, Nigerian Navy, 

Rear Adm. Perry 

Onwuzulike (2nd right), 

inaugurating a 40 rooms 

story building for 

ratings, at the Akim 

Navy Barracks in 

Calabar, yesterday. 

OHANAEZE PRESIDENT-GENERAL: 

Why we chose Obiozor —Igbo leaders 

•Ekweremadu, Abaribe, Ozonweke, others speak 

•Buhari, Ikimi, PDP, others hail Obiozor 

By Clifford 

Ndujihe, Dapo 

Akinrefon, Henry 

Umoru, Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru & Dirisu 

Yakubu 

THERE WERE showers of 

tributes, yesterday, for the 

new President-General of 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor 

George Obiozor as Igbo leaders 

gave reasons they chose 

him as Chief John Nnia 

Nwodo's successor. 

According to them, the Igbo 

Nation is at the cross roads 

now and needs an experienced 

hand to steer her to safety of 

which Obiozor is eminently 

qualified and experienced to 

undertake. 

Former Deputy Senate President, 

Senator Ike Ekweremadu; 

Senate Minority Leader, 

Senator Enyinaya Abaribe; 

and Secretary of Lagos State 

chapter of Ohanaeze were 

among Igbo leaders who 

marshalled reasons Obiozor 

is the best man for the Ohanaeze 

job 

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu 

Buhari; former 

Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. 

Tom Ikimi; and the main opposition 

Peoples Democratic, 

PDP, were among those who 

congratulated Obiozor and 

urged him to use his new position 

to deepen Nigeria's unity. 

The ruling All Progressives 

Congress, APC, had shortly after 

Obiozor's victory on Sunday, 

congratulated him and 

promised the South-East geopolitical 

zone inclusive politics 

and to further mainstream 

the zone in the workings of the 

party. 

Obiozor has 

track record of 

integrity, honour, 

courage intellectual 

capacity—Abaribe 

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe 

(PDP, Abia South) said the 

emergence of Ambassadors 

George Obiozor and Okey 

Emuchay as president-general, 

and secretary-general of 

Ohaneze respectively would 

sustain the progressive trajectory, 

which the immediate past 

executive built.“In a statement 

yesterday in Abuja by his 

Media Adviser, Uchenna 

Awom in Abuja, Senator 

Abaribe noted that Professor 

Obiozor who is widely ac- 

knowledged for his track 

record of excellence, honour, 

intellectual capacity and courage 

in public service, qualities 

that greatly qualify him 

as the preferred choice to lead 

the apex Igbo socio-cultural 

organization, will no doubt 

inject such attributes to further 

reinvigorate and build an activist-driven 

Ohanaeze in the 

face of current realities in Nigeria. 

"I am confident that the new 

executive, known for their 

consummate love for the Igbo 

race, particularly the President-General 

who has been at 

the front line in articulating 

interest of Ndi-Igbo, would 

continue to exhibit courage 

and forthrightness in not only 

pursuing our collective interest 

in Nigeria, but also weave 

Ndigbo as a nation bonded 

in love, peace and unity," he 

said. 

Obiozor has what 

it takes to lead 

Ndigbo 

—Ekweremadu 

Speaking in like manner, 

Senator Ekweremadu said 

Obiozor was elected because 

the new Ohanaeze leader has 

what it takes to lead Ndigbo. 

Ekweremadu, in a statement 

by his Special Adviser, 

Uche Anichukwu, described 

Obiozor as a man of “uncommon 

pedigree, unimpeachable 

integrity as well as a 

bridge-builder with national 

and international clout and 

appeal. 

“I believe the former university 

don and Nigeria’s Ambassador 

to the United States of 

America, the former Nigeria’s 

Consul-General to South Africa 

and newly elected Secretary-General 

of Ohanaeze, 

Okechukwu Emuchay, and 

others constitute a formidable 

and dependable team for harnessing 

and advancing Igbo 

interest worldwide at this crucial 

time in our history. 

“They have proved their mettle 

over the years and we trust 

them to bring their antecedents 

of quality leadership, national 

and international reach, and 

diplomatic finesse to bear in 

advancing the Igbo course in 

Nigeria and globally." 

We're presenting 

our best team 

—Ozonweke 

On his part, Ozonweke, who 

is also special assistant Special 

Duties to the Ohanaeze 

President-General, said: 

''Obiozor is eminently qualified 

and has all it takes to lead 

Ndigbo. The Igbo nation is at 

cross roads like Nigeria. We 

need a seasoned statesman. 

The Igbo are not going to war 

but dialogue with other ethnic 

nationalities. We need 

somebody who can improve 

on what Nwodo did. When 

other ethnic nationalities 

leaders such as Professor 

Ango Abdullahi, Chief Ayo 

Adebanjo, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, 

Chief Edwin Clark 

meet, the Igbo leader should 

not be a house boy to them 

but some one with clout, who 

can hold his own.'' 

Use your new 

position to forge 

greater unity of 

Nigeria —Buhari 

President Buhari felicitated 

with Obiozor and urged him 

to deploy his immense experience 

within and outside government 

to forge greater unity 

of the country and be a “unifying 

force beyond his immediate 

constituency.” 

President Buhari in a statement 

by his Senior Special Assistant 

on Media and Publicity, 

Mallam Garba Shehu, 

said the eminent diplomat 

and scholar, who was Nigeria’s 

Ambassador to the United 

States, Israel and Cyprus, 

has a lot to offer Ndigbo and 

Nigeria 

“Given Prof. Obiozor’s rich 

background, especially in international 

affairs and pan- 

Nigerian commitment, I have 

little doubt that his election is 

well-deserved and will serve 

not only the interest of Ndigbo 

but also that of his fatherland. 

We need all hands to be 

on deck for this country to 

move forward in peace and 

unity." 

Obiozor should 

lead crusade to 

rescue Nigeria 

—PDP 

The PDP in a statement 

signed by its spokesman, Kola 

Ologbondiyan, also extolled 

the leaders and the people of 

the South-East for their democratic 

credentials "evinced in 

the successful election of a 

new leadership of the apex 

Igbo socio-cultural organization." 

"Prof. Obiozor is a seasoned 

administrator, excellent diplomat, 

courageous nationalist 

and a firm voice in the fight 

for the entrenchment of democratic 

tenets of the rule of law, 

social justice, equity, fairness, 

mutual respect, true federalism 

and a credible electoral 

process in our country. 

"The PDP notes the choice 

of Prof. Obiozor to lead the 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo at this critical 

time in the history of our 

nation, particularly given his 

doggedness in fighting for 

constitutional all-inclusiveness 

as well as elimination of 

all forms of social injustice, 

divisiveness, nepotism, sectional 

marginalization, constitutional 

violations and disregard 

for the sensibilities of 

the Nigerian people. 

"Our party therefore urges 

Prof. Obiozor to use his new 

assignment to further rally 

compatriots in our collective 

determination to rescue our 

nation from misrule and return 

her to the path of peace, 

national cohesion, mutual respect, 

adherence to the rule of 

law, social justice credible 

elections, economic prosperity 

and political stability. 

Igbo have made 

better choice 

—Tom Ikimi 

Hailing Obiozor on his victory, 

Ikimi said the Igbo nation 

has made a better choice 

with Obiozor’s election in this 

crucial period of the nation’s 

history. 

According to Ikimi, the Igbo’s 

quest to play significant 

role in Nigeria will find appropriate 

leadership in Obiozor, 

who has over the years established 

very robust contacts 

across the country. 

Ikimi also congratulated the 

outgoing President of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo, Chief John 

Nnia Nwodo on completion 

of an exciting and eventful 

tenure. 

He said: “I have received 

with utmost pleasure the news 

of the election of Ambassador 

George Obiozor as the new 

President General of the Apex 

Igbo socio-cultural group, 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The Igbo 

nation could never have 

made a better choice, particularly 

at this time of our nation’s 

evolution other than this 

erudite scholar and exquisite 

diplomat, who has earned my 

respect over the past three to 

four decades of our association.'' 

Ikpeazu commissions 7 roads 

in Aba, flags off reconstruction 

of another 

By Ugochukwu 

Alaribe 

UMUAHIA—Abia State 

Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, 

has commissioned seven 

roads his administration 

built in Aba and also flagged 

off the rehabilitation of Omuma 

road. 

Commissioning the roads; 

Ebemma, Egege/Ama Ohafia 

and First Avenue in Ogbor 

Hill area as well as Osusu, 

Eziukwu, Ojike and Milverton 

Avenue; Ikpeazu said he finds 

it difficult to celebrate roads 

his administration completed 

lately because they were things 

the government could have 

done earlier. 

He assured residents of the 

commercial city that his administration 

was gradually 

rebuilding the road infrastructure 

of the state. 

The Papal Nuncio to the 

Bahamas and other affiliate 

countries, Arch Bishop Fortunatus 

Nwachukwu cut the ribbons 

to declare the roads open 

for public use. 

The Governor explained 

ANAMBRA 2021: Voters should 

learn from Trump’s debacle 

—Okwuosa 

AWKA—ANAMBRA State 

Governorship Aspirant on 

the platform of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, Sir 

Azuka Okwuosa, has urged 

Anambra State voters to learn 

from the track records of outgoing 

United States President, 

Donald Trump, in electing a 

balanced person as 

governor.“Okwuosa, a former 

chairman of APC reconciliation 

committee in Anambra 

State said developments 

around President Trump’s last 

days in office should make 

Anambra voters to be very critical 

of the many billionaires 

aspiring to govern the state. 

“He noted that as a commercially 

viable and socially 

gregarious state, the next Anambra 

governor should be a 

person that strikes a balance 

between business acumen and 

political experience. 

His words: “If you look at 

previous experiences, since the 

creation of the state, those who 

lacked political experience 

failed. I believe before you can 

be a governor, you must have 

that before he came to power, 

the only accessible road in 

the Ogbor Hill area was the 

Umuoba Road which made 

life unbearable for the people 

of the area. 

Ikpeazu disclosed that with 

the coming to power of his 

administration, government 

had built six roads in the area 

and added that his administration 

built the roads because 

of their economic importance 

to the people. 

According to him, his administration 

applied cement 

technology in reconstructing 

the roads which he said 

though costly, would be beneficial 

economically at the 

long run. 

His words; "We did rigid 

cement pavement technology 

on the roads because since 

the roads were abandoned 

for many years, the soil texture 

had changed and it is 

only the cement technology 

that will make them to stand 

the test of time. Our minimum 

standard of doing 

roads is rigid pavement technology 

with drainages which 

would more last than 40 

years.” 

UMAHI: APC exco alleges plot by 

politicians to hijack it's leadership 

in Ebonyi 

By Peter Okutu 

ABAKALIKI—THE Execu 

tive of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, in Onicha Local 

Government Area of Ebonyi 

State, Monday, raised 

alarm over what it described 

as a plot by some politicians 

to hijack the leadership of the 

party in the LGA. 

The present leadership in 

the LGA was inaugurated on 

June 18, 2018 as its tenure, 

which is for a term of four years 

would elapse on 18th June, 

2022. 

In a Communique issued at 

the end of an Expanded Executive 

Council meeting held at 

Umuniko Town hall, Achiuzam 

in Isu, Onicha LGA, the 

executive led by the Chairman, 

Hon. Okoro Agwu 

Uchenna, said that they 

would not condone any form 

of indiscipline, division, disloyalty 

and rancour within 

the party. 

They called on members of 

the party to uphold the supremacy 

of the Party's Constitution 

as they will not hesitate 

to invoke relevant sections 

of the constitution to discipline 

any erring member. 

The Communique read in 

part: "We have no intention 

whatsoever to resign our positions 

which we are duly 

elected of. We shall resist in 

unison any move by anybody 

or group of persons to truncate 

the tenure of our office 

which is still running. 

been privileged to pass 

through the local government, 

you must taste executive 

at the local level, which 

will propel you by the time 

you find yourself at the state 

level to be able to function 

well.“ 

“You must also be an accomplished 

person. Take myself 

as an example; I am an 

accomplished businessman, 

I have business interest in oil 

and gas as well as communications. 

I am also into construction. 

You must have a 

sustainable source of livelihood 

and also have had the 

opportunity of going through 

political tutelage, of which I 

was privileged because of my 

association with Dim Chukwuemeka 

Odumegwu Ojukwu.'' 

Okwuosa said Anambra 

has gone beyond electing a 

governor that would begin to 

learn the ropes in office, 

stressing, ''we have instances 

in the state, where people 

without political experience 

were brought in and they started 

learning on the job.”



Cholera claims three children in 

Benue, others hospitalized 

By Peter Duru 

M outbreak AKURDI—AN 

of cholera 

disease has claimed the lives of 

three children at Abinsi 

community in Guma Local 

Government Area of Benue State. 

Just as the outbreak of the 

disease has also been reported at 

Obagaji in Agatu LGA where 

several persons have been 

affected by the disease, though 

no fatality has been recorded so 

far in the area. 

Vanguard gathered that about 

30 persons had been treated for 

the ailment in Abinsi while six 

others are currently on admission 

at the Primary Healthcare Centre 

in the community. 

Confirming the outbreak and 

1,163 IDP children enrolled in 

school on Zulum’s 3rd day in 

Damasak 

By Ndahi Marama 

M AIDUGURI—NO 

fewer than 1,163 

children of Internally Displaced 

Persons, IDPs, were enrolled into 

primary school after Governor 

Babagana Zulum supervised the 

enrollment campaign during the 

third day of his visit to Damasak, 

in the shores of Lake Chad. 

The pupils who hailed from 

Guzamala and Abadam local 

government areas, LGAs, in 

Northern Borno, had been out of 

school since the displacement of 

their parents and guardians, in 

Wema Bank leads in customer 

service, digital banking 

WEMA 

Bank 

Nigeria Plc has ranked 

top in two recent independent 

surveys on the Banking industry. 

In its 2020 Digital Channel 

scorecard, KPMG Nigeria named 

the bank as a leader in payments 

and Transactions for digital 

banking. Also, in its recently 

released Banking Industry 

Customer Experience Survey, 

the consulting firm confirmed 

that Wema Bank climbed ten 

places to 2nd position in the 

Retail category. 

Following a qualitative study 

of 17 Nigerian commercial banks 

focusing on retail banking 

operations, KPMG Nigeria’s 

Digital scorecard tested customer 

experience across five areas - 

Digital Onboarding, Digital 

deaths, yesterday, in Makurdi, the 

Commissioner for Health and 

Human Services, Dr Joseph 

Ngbea, said the outbreak was 

dictated three days ago by his 

Ministry. 

He explained that “on receipt of 

information of a suspected 

outbreak, the Ministry dispatched 

a medical team led by the Director 

of Public Health, Dr Terna Kur, and 

an Incident 

Manager, Emergency Operation 

Centre, Dr Terungwa Ngishie, 

who confirmed the outbreak after 

diagnosis.” 

The Commissioner stated that 

Governor Samuel Ortom through 

the Ministry had released N3.1 

million for an emergency response 

to the outbreak at Obagaji and 

Abinsi. 

the wake of Boko Haram attacks 

on their communities. 

While appealing to parents to 

allow their children to enroll in 

schools, Zulum noted that where 

functional schools were provided 

by government, social welfare 

assistance from government 

would be restricted to parents who 

allowed their children to attend 

schools whether western or 

combined curriculum of Islamic 

and western education. 

The governor also addressed 

secondary school students in 

Damasak and those who had 

written their senior school 

certificate examinations, in 

preparation for higher institution. 

Payments & Transfers, Digital 

Lending, Self Service and 

Customer Care. It categorized 

banks into four distinct categories; 

Leaders, Challengers, Followers 

and Late Starters. Wema Bank 

emerged a leader in the Mobile 

& Internet banking (payments/ 

transfers) and the Self-Service 

categories. 

The assessment also revealed 

ALAT By Wema, the bank’s digital 

banking platform, as the best 

digital banking channel in 

Nigeria. it said, ALAT By Wema 

stood out because “the user 

interface is simple, and only 

relevant information is visible on 

the screen, thus keeping design 

minimal, user friendly, and 

removing the possibilities for user 

errors or confusion.” 

Agbeyi leads new executive of 

OML 150 Consultative Forum 

W ARRI-BASED 

Chartered Accountant 

and front-line community leader, 

Comrade Monday Agbeyi, has 

taken over as head of a new 21- 

member executive committee to 

pilot affairs of the seven host 

communities of ConOil Plc in 

Warri South Local Government 

Area of Delta State, under the 

aegis of OML 150 Consultative 

Forum. 

The seven communities; 

Omadino, Obodo, Ifiekporo, Aja - 

Osolo, Uwakeno, Jaluwa and 

Ewekwara which make up the 

OML 150 Consultative Forum, 

was administered by a 21 - 

member forum headed by Prince 

Charles Omadeli until December 

21, 2020. 

The Olu of Warri, Ogiame 

Ikenwoli, represented by the 

Olorogun of Warri, Chief Mike 

Odeli, inaugurated the Agbeyiled 

leadership weekend, at 

Prince Ejoki Ancestral Hall, 

Ifiekporo Town, Warri. 

Vanguard newspapers 

understands that other members 

of the 21 - member committee 

which got the blessing of the 

Ologbotsere of Warri, Chief 

Ayirimi Emami, include: Mr. 

Afortan Emmanuel Debi; Vice 

Chairman, Mr. Agbonekuya 

Aginejuone; Secretary, Mr. Billy 

Emami; Treasurer, Engr. 

Temisanren Edema Silo; 

Financial Secretary and Mr. 

Julius Obah; Organizing 

Secretary. 


VISIT: The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (left) presenting a souvenir to Governor Yahaya 

Bello of Kogi State to mark the Governor's visit to the Naval Headquarters Abuja yesterday. 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

A BUJA—THE 

Federal Government as 

part of its commitments to link 

the entire country by rail, 

yesterday signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding, 

MoU, with Mota-Engil Group for 

the construction of US$1.959 

billion Kano-Maradi Standard 

gauge railway line. 

Minister of Transportation, 

Rotimi Amaechi signed on behalf 

of the Federal Government while 

the Managing Director, Mota- 

Engil, Antonio Gvoea signed on 

behalf of the contracting firm. 

The new railway corridor which 

is to be located in northern 

Nigeria will run through Kano, 

FG signs US$1.959bn 

Kano-Maradi rail line project 

Jigawa and Katsina states and 

through Niger Republic territory 

as far as Maradi. Other cities to 

benefit directly from the passage 

of the rail route are Danbatta, 

Kazaure, Daura, Mashi, Katsina 

and Jibiya. 

A statement by Eric Ojiekwe, 

Director, Press and Public 

Relations, Ministry of 

Transportation noted that the 

283.750 kilometre rail line besides 

developing freight and passenger 

transport, “will be integrated with 

Kwara elders, APC leaders begin campaign for 

AbdulRazaq's 2nd term 

By Demola Akinyemi 

I Elders LORIN—THE 

caucus and some 

stakeholders in the All 

Progressives Congress, APC, in 

Kwara State yesterday resolved 

to do all that was possible to 

ensure a second term for 

Governor AbdulRahman 

AbdulRazaq because of his 

exemplary performance in office 

in the last 18 months 

The decision was made public 

at a briefing in Ilorin where 

delegates from all the 16 local 

government areas were present, 

as well as elders and party leaders 

including Chief G.G Jaiyeola, 

Princess Adebukola Popoola , 

from Kwara South Senatorial 

district. 

Spokesman of the Elders 

caucus and party leaders, 

Senator Suleiman Ajadi, 

however acknowledged that 

there was crisis in the party, 

stressing that it was normal in 

any big political party even in 

developed countries. 

He said: “There is room for 

reconciliation but the next six 

months is around the corner 

when there will be democratic 

process to elect new chairman 

and other members of the 

executives through congress at 

the ward, council and the state.” 

On their position on Governor 

AbdulRazaq’s second term, he 

said: “Any performing governor 

will be interested in second term, 

and I have never seen any 

governor in Nigeria who has said 

that he will leave office after first 

term. 

''Governor AbdulRazaq is 

performing very well and 

everybody can see it. Those 

Buhari, others mourn as ex-Benue, Kano 

MILAD, Kontagora dies 

By Wole Mosadomi, 

Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru, Bashir 

Bello & Ibrahim 

Hassan 

FORMER 

Military 

Administrator of Benue 

and Kano states, Col. Aminu 

Kontagora (retd) has died. 

It was gathered that he died in 

Abuja after a brief illness, at 66. 

Late Kontagora served as a 

Military Administrator of Benue 

and Kano states between 1993 

and 1999. 

He has since been buried in 

Niger State. 

Reacting to his death, President 

Muhammadu Buhari in a 

statement by his Senior Special 

Assistant on Media and Publicity, 

Mallam Garba Shehu, among 

others, urged family, friends and 

associates of the late military 

officer to accept the will of God, 

and find solace in Kontogora’s 

good works. 

The President said: “He was a 

career military officer, who served 

in many leadership positions and 

road transport to make a great 

contribution to the local economy 

as well as an important 

development in the social sector.” 

The project duration is for 36 

months and the contract type is 

Engineering, Procurement and 

Construction. 

The signing ceremony was 

witnessed by the Permanent 

Secretary, Federal Ministry of 

Transportation, Dr. Magdalene 

Ajani; Director, Legal Services, 

Pius Oteh; Managing Director, 

opposing him are doing so for 

selfish reasons. Even if he is 

not interested, we will ask 

him to go for second term. We 

are ready to face the crisis on 

the side of the governor. We 

are not afraid, we will face it 

squarely.” 

military formations across the 

country, lived a life of sacrifice and 

dedication to the betterment of 

others, and made remarkable 

impacts, with the Benue State 

Arts Theatre Complex named 

after him.” 

Similarly, Governor Abdullahi 

Ganduje of Kano State, in a 

statement by his Chief Press 

Secretary, Abba Anwar, said: “We 

received the news of this death 

with high degree of grief, as it 

comes to us as a heartfelt 

development. It is indeed a great 

loss not only to his families, Niger 

State government or military as 

an institution, it is equally a great 

loss to Nigeria. 

“It is therefore on behalf of the 

government and people of Kano 

state, that I am sending this 

condolence message to his 

families, the government and the 

people of Niger state. May Allah 

forgive all his wrongdoings and 

reward all his good deeds with 

Jannatul-Fiddaus.” 

Also, Niger State Government 

in a statement by Secretary to 

the State Government, SSG, 

Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, 

Mota-Engil Group, Antonio 

Gvoea; Head of Legal, Mota- 

Engil Group, Cameron Beverley; 

Magajin Garin Kano, 

Muhammad Wada; Director, 

Mota-Engil Group, Kola 

Abdulkarim; Vice President, 

Mota-Engil Group, Mohammed 

Abdul-Razaq; Nigerian 

Ambassador to Germany, Yusfu 

Tuggar; Managing Director, 

Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza 

Bala-Usman among other 

personalities. 

He said, one of the known 

antagonists of the governor, in 

the party, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo 

drew battle line with Governor 

AbdulRazaq because he 

submitted his credentials for 

political appointment and 

was not considered. 

through his Information Officer, 

Alhaji Tanko Lawal, among 

others, said: “On behalf of the 

government and people of the 

state, I want to convey my 

sincere and heartfelt condolences 

to the immediate family of late 

Col. Aminu Isah Kontagora, the 

Sarkin Sudan, Kontagora, Alhaji 

Saidu Namaska, people of 

Kontagora Emirate and 

Nigerlites as a whole on this huge 

loss.” 

On its part, Arewa Consultative 

Forum, ACF, through its National 

Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel 

Yawe said: “The ACF remembers 

him as a man of peace who offered 

dedicated services to all and 

maintained a good name 

wherever he went. 

''The ACF condoles with his 

immediate and extended family, 

the government of Niger State 

where he originally came from; 

the Benue and Kano State 

governments where he served 

and maintained good 

contacts. We pray that Allah 

forgives his shortcomings and 

gives all who are saddened by 

his death the fortitude to 

bear his sudden death.” 

C 

M 

Y 

K

C 

M 

Y 

K 



Nigeria: This joke called a country 

IT was the very day protesters violated 

Capitol Hill in America over allegation 

of rigged polls that the JNI in Nigeria 

pronounced death sentence over the Catholic 

Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Hassan Kukah, who 

has a double jeopardy of being a prominent 

indigene of Southern Kaduna, a community 

that has been at the receiving end of terror for 

years now. 

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, the apex 

Muslim organisation in Nigeria, proclaimed 

a fatwa on Bishop Hassan Kukah, over his 

2020 Christmas Day homily, wherein he 

accused President Muhammadu Buhari of 

sacrificing the dreams of Nigerians on the 

Letter to Bishop Kukah (2) 

The second part of this article 

focused on the twisting of the plain 

truth Bishop Kukah spoke to the 

authorities 

CITIZENS have nowhere to 

turn to. After he assumed 

power, a delegation of the Catholic 

Bishops Conference had audience 

with President Buhari. In the course 

of our discussion, the President 

shared with us his frustration over 

the state of decay and rot that he had 

met. 

In frustration, I vividly recalled 

him saying that, from the decay and 

neglect, it seemed as if preceding 

governments had been doing 

nothing but just eating and going to 

the toilet! 

Looking back, one might conclude 

that those were happy times because 

at least there was food to eat and 

people could go to the toilet. Now, a 

journey to the toilet is considered by 

the poor an extra luxury. Our 

country’s inability to feed itself is one 

of the most dangerous signs of state 

failure and a trigger to violence. 

Breaking the ice: From Chibok 

through Dapchi to Kankara 

The sleepy town of Kankara, just 

130 kilometres outside Katsina, like 

Chibok and Dapchi before it, has lept 

into prominence not because they 

now have potable water, electricity 

or any dramatic improvement in the 

quality of their lives. Rather, it is 

because of large footprints of the evil 

men who have passed through their 

terrain. As always, we were unsure 

of how many children were missing: 

80, 820, 800, 500, 520, 333, 320, no 

one knew. The numbers kept 

changing between government and 

Boko Haram. The story of Chibok 

and Dapchi was for some time, a 

metaphor that exposed the 

vulnerability of the girl child. 

Kankara has added to the mix and 

now we have to face the mortal 

dangers of the Nigerian child in 

Northern Nigeria. The almajirai is 

the poster child of the horrible and 

inhuman conditions of the Northern 

child. It is a best kept secret that the 

region refuses to confront but it has 

now exposed its underbelly. Now, 

what next for the children of the 

North? In another 10 or 20 years, 

these children will be leaders in their 

communities. What will they 

remember and how will they 

remember? Their fate and future are 

a dream deferred, a nightmare that 

will be ignited by the fire next time. 

We thank God that the children 

have been returned safely. This is the 

easy part. The challenge now is how 

to deal with the scars inflicted by a 

derelict nation which is still unable 

or unwilling to protect its citizens. 

Yes, we commend the federal and 

state governments for the rescue 

operation. The larger issues now are 

nepotism by 

allegedly 

pursuing 

Northern 

hegemony. 

JNI described 

Kukah’s message 

as “a calculated 

attempt to insult 

Islam which is 

typical of him” 

and that the 

“ v e i l e d 

insinuation that Muslims have a pool of 

violence to draw from, is disgusting, 

disheartening, as well as condemnable.” It 

further described the message which had 

unsettled the Presidency “as a poisoned 

arrow fired at the heart of Islam and 

Muslims in Nigeria”, hence its intervention. 

Based on the foregoing, the JNI 

proclaimed: “By this and his several similar 

inane attacks against Islam and the 

Muslims, the Bishop has lost the friendship 

and the hospitality of the entire Muslim 

populace.” It wondered: “How can the 

Muslims ever trust a man who smiles at 

their faces in the day and hold dagger 

whether the Federal Government 

understands the evil web of intrigues 

into which Boko Haram has tied it. 

Will the Federal Government 

continue to reward and fund Boko 

Haram by playing its game? How 

long can this circle of deceit last given 

that every kidnap merely strengthens 

their arsenal? The men of darkness 

have shown far greater capacity to 

shock and awe a forlorn nation by 

constantly blindsiding us all. When 

will it all end? 

A nation in search of vindication 

This government owes the nation 

an explanation as to where it is 

headed as we seem to journey into 

darkness. The spilling of this blood 

must be related to a more sinister 

plot that is beyond our 

comprehension. Are we going to 

remain hogtied by these evil men or 

are they gradually becoming part of 

a larger plot to seal the fate of our 

country? 

President Buhari deliberately 

sacrificed the dreams of those who 

voted for him to what seemed like a 

programme to stratify and 

institutionalise Northern hegemony 

by reducing others in public life to 

second class status. He has pursued 

this self-defeating and alienating 

policy at the expense of greater 

national cohesion. Every honest 

Nigerian knows that there is no way 

any non-Northern Muslim 

President could have done a fraction 

of what President Buhari has done 

by his nepotism and got away with 

it. There would have been a military 

coup a long time ago or we would 

have been at war. The President may 

have concluded that Christians will 

do nothing and will live with these 

This government 

owes the nation an 

explanation as to 

where it is headed as 

we seem to journey 

into darkness 

actions. He may be right and we 

Christians cannot feel sorry that we 

have no pool of violence to draw from 

or threaten our country. However, 

God does not sleep. We can see from 

the inexplicable dilemma of his 

North. 

Nepotism and the worship of 

false gods 

It is curious that President Buhari’s 

partisanship and commitment to 

reinforcing the foundations of 

Northern hegemony have had the 

opposite consequences. For a long 

time, beyond the pall of politics, very 

prominent Northerners with a 

conscience have raised the red flag, 

pointing out the consequences of 

President Buhari’s nepotism on 

altar 

of 

national cohesion and trust. With 

time, as hunger, poverty, insecurity 

engulfed the North, the President’s 

own supporters began to despair 

and lament about the state of their 

collective degradation. Was this not 

supposed to be their song? The North 

that the President sought to privilege 

has become a cauldron of pain and 

a valley of dry bones. Today, the 

North itself is crying the most and 

•Bishop Hassan Kukah 

why not? No one has suffered as 

much as they have and continue to. 

The helplessness is palpable and the 

logic is incomprehensible. 

One Northern Imam after the 

other have posted videos of 

lamentation on the social media 

asking why, with all the cards of 

power in the hands of Northern 

Muslims, everything is bursting in 

the seams. How come our region has 

become a cesspool of blood and 

death? Why did President Buhari 

hand over a majority of the plum jobs 

to Northern Muslims? Was it for 

efficacy and efficiency? What was the 

logic? President Buhari must pause 

and turn around because his policy 

of nepotism has been rejected by the 

gods. 

During the EndSARS protests, the 

North pretended that it was 

ensconced from the pain that was 

driving the protests and that they had 

nothing to complain about. The 

Northern elite claimed that the 

protests were part of a plot by 

Christians to overthrow a Northern, 

Muslim government. Their claim 

was false, but understandable. 

However, it turned out to be the lull 

before the storm. The dam soon broke 

as the bandits tightened their grip 

on the region as the spiral of 

kidnappings, abductions and 

killings of innocent citizens 

intensified. The North spurn into 

denouement: the idea of a united 

North seems to have ended. The 

Northern Governors Forum has split 

into the three zones. With the killings, 

kidnappings and abductions of 

Emirs and other traditional rulers 

in the North, the signals have gone 

out that no one is safe and nothing is 

sacred. In the wake of the EndSARS 

against them in the night? How can the 

Muslims continue to be hospitable to the 

one who proves to be ingrate many times 

over? How can the Muslims be comfortable 

in associating with a bitterly vindictive 

person disguised in the garb of religious 

clergy?” 

The JNI’s proclamation was captured in a 

statement signed by Dr. Khalid Abubakar 

Aliyu, Secretary-General, and issued to 

journalists in Kaduna on Wednesday 

January 6. The Muslim umbrella body said 

its attention was drawn to “an irresponsible 

and seditious Christmas message” issued 

by Rev. Kukah. 

JNI argued that responsibly, Christmas 

homilies should come with messages of hope, 

unity, mercy, the forgiveness of the Supreme 

Being, and resilience through prayers, 

especially in this trying time. But they can pass 

death sentence on a fellow Nigerian in the new 

year without being a law court and without 

reference to similar virtues from their Holy 

Book? My friends in the innermost rooms in 

America told of the frantic calls coming from 

Nigerian senior officials as events were 

unfolding at the Capitol complaining about 

the Republican supporters who were rioting 

just as some Nigerians under the guise of 

protests, the traditional rulers across 

the country assembled to express 

solidarity with the President. Then it 

all changed. 

The Emir of Katsina, the 

President’s home state, only recently 

said: We cannot continue to live like 

animals. I have not seen this type of 

country. His Eminence, the Sultan 

of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar 

said that the North has now become 

the worst part of the 

entire country. The 

Senate whose 

leadership is almost 

totally dominated by 

Northern Muslims has 

raised alarm. The 

Northern Elders Forum 

has called on the 

President to resign. Has 

the politics of nepotism 

run its course? Perhaps, 

the spirit of Christmas 

should offer us an 

answer. 

A people that 

walked in darkness 

has seen a great light 

The rot and decay in 

our country today is evidence of a 

people who have not yet seen the 

light. The experience of Northern 

Nigeria is evidence that nepotism is 

a counterfeit currency. The nation 

must, therefore, now pull together. It 

is not enough to blame the military. 

After all, they neither run the 

economy nor the bureaucracy. It is 

not enough to blame even the 

political class or even the President 

alone. We found our way here by the 

choices we have made as a nation 

over time. 

Indeed, the colonialists claimed 

that they were bringing light to a 

dark continent. In a way, despite the 

cost, we could see ingredients of their 

light: good education, running water, 

relatively good roads, security, 

among others. We finally accepted 

democracy as the platform for 

actualising these. However, today, 

there is evidence that we have literally 

returned to the cave, those times 

when life was brutish, nasty and 

short. Each and every one of us has 

contributed to the darkness of our 

nation. The light of Christ which we 

all received at baptism calls on us to 

act in the mind of Christ. To be a 

follower of Christ is to be in his 

footsteps. This moment calls on us 

as Christians to celebrate the 

simplicity of Christ represented in 

Christmas. Joy to the world, the Lord 

has come, the song says. Jesus has 

offered us a roadmap. We are 

challenged to bring light into the 

darkness of our society. 

Darkness has its own logic. St. Paul 

reminds us that without Christ our 

lives are characterised by 

immorality, filthy and indecent 

actions, worship of idols and 

witchcraft. People become enemies 

religion were passing a death verdict on a 

Bishop of another faith. 

One of the leaders of the faith who must be 

watching this with interest while possibly 

shedding some crocodile tears at the American 

event where they are happy that their 

judgement day at the ICC has been postponed 

indefinitely is the governor of Kaduna State, 

Mallam Nasir El Rufai, the one whose pastime 

was abusing and poking jokes at Jesus Christ 

with no consequence till date. 

The same governor made a very shocking 

confession on December 3, 2016 on how he 

had been settling foreign Fulani killers of 

Southern kaduna people with tax payers 

money. He said: “For southern Kaduna, we 

didn’t understand what was going on and we 

decided to set up a committee under Gen. 

Martin Luther Agwai (retd) to find out what 

was going on there. 

"What was established was that the root of 

the problem has a history starting from the 

2011 post-election violence. Fulani 

herdsmen from across Africa bring their 

cattle down towards Middle Belt and 

Southern Nigeria. The moment the rains 

start around March, April, they start 

moving them up to go back to their various 

communities and countries." 

To be concluded 

and they fight; they become jealous, 

angry and ambitious. They separate 

into parties and groups, they are 

envious, get drunk and have orgies 

(Gal. 5: 19-21). When it is dark, we 

cannot see our way and we stumble. 

Nigeria has stumbled so much. It is 

time to for us to turn on the light of 

the torch. Each of us can make a 

change. 

Wailers and redeemers 

Finally, today, amidst the pains 

and the trials, we can say with the 

Psalmist: Our tears have become our 

bread (Ps. 43:2). We have no reason 

to doubt that at the fulfilment of time, 

in His own time, the Lord will 

dispense justice to our nation. It will 

come as day follows light. 

Our brother Femi Adesina, a 

Pastor of the Four Square Gospel 

Church was right when he referred 

to those who were calling attention 

to our situation as Wailers. The 

wailing started quite early in the day. 

To the herdsmen across Nigeria 

whose cattle have been lost to rustlers, 

bandits, or lightning, the Prophet 

Zechariah said: There is a sound of 

a shepherd’s wail for their glory has 

been ruined (Zech 11:3). To the 

thousands of widows left to mourn 

their husbands or children across our 

country, the Prophet Jeremiah is 

saying: Send for the wailing women, 

that they may come! Let them make 

haste and take up a wailing for us, 

that our eyes may shed tears and our 

eyelids flow with water (Jer. 9: 17). 

For our hapless nation overrun by 

bandits, Prophet Jeremiah still says: 

A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning 

and great weeping, Rachel weeping 

for her children and refusing to be 

comforted, because they are no more 

(Jer. 31:15). 

So, Pastor Adesina was right. On 

the sad situation in Nigeria, the 

United Nations has wailed. The Pope 

has wailed. Cardinals, Archbishops, 

Bishops, Priests, Pastors have wailed. 

Emirs have wailed. Politicians have 

wailed. The Sultan has wailed. 

Surely, it is time for the Lord to hear 

the wailers as they have sung their 

redemption songs. With St. Paul, I 

say: The hour has come for you to 

wake up from your slumber because 

our salvation is nearer now than 

when we first believed. 

The night is nearly over, the day is 

almost here; so let us put aside the 

deeds of darkness and put on the 

armour of light. (Rom. 13:11-12). Let 

us unite and seek the Lord in sincerity 

because the Lord will vindicate the 

righteous." 

Father John Ofei 

And since all around us is death let 

me remind our friend, Father Uba 

John Ofei, a good friend of my wife 

and I who worked with you at the 

Secretariat but died of some brain 

ill-health: May he rest in peace. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

How much should we suffer for govt’s 

failure to identify its own people? 

WHEN I read the recent 

directives by the NCC on 

SIM card registration and the 

National Identity Number I was 

astounded at the willingness of 

those in government to place 

their people in danger, in order 

to solve a problem of their own 

making. 

We find ourselves where we are 

because of the long-term and 

persistent failure of government 

to understand the most 

fundamental data set it needs. To 

know who its people are, where 

they are and how to 

communicate with them. That is 

not the fault of the people. They 

should not suffer for it. 

The issue of data management 

and national identity is one that 

I have been interested in for a 

long time, and have written about 

before. It is a clear and 

undeniable fact that to be able 

to govern with any modicum of 

impact, a government needs to 

be able to know how many people 

live within its borders. Whether 

it is to enable civic participation 

(through voting, the payment of 

Whither the right to health in Nigeria? 

By STANLEY EKPA 

IF human rights are inalienable 

and immutable, such that we cannot 

deprive any person of his rights without 

affront to justice, then can we rightly 

conclude that any threat to the necessities 

of life such as food, health care, shelter, 

hygienic environment, access to potable 

water, sanitation, and functional health 

infrastructures, even for detainees and 

prisoners, constitute sufficient infringement 

on a Nigerian’s right to life? 

No doubt, the health of a nation’s citizens, 

detainees inclusive, reflects the nation’s 

socio-political and economic health. Good 

health is an essential asset to the existence 

of man, and ill health is an impediment to 

human productivity. The question, therefore, 

remains that if the right to life is dependent 

and closely interconnected with good 

health, then why is right to health and wellbeing 

not the mother of all rights? 

We may never really achieve right to life 

and the dignity of human person unless we 

achieve the right to health. Unfortunately, 

though Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution 

of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides 

for the socio-economic rights which 

connects with social needs of Nigerians 

(such as food, education, health and shelter), 

the Court of Appeal in Okogie v. A.G Lagos 

upheld the non-justiciability clause of 

section 6 (6)(c) of the Constitution when it 

held that “while section 13 of the 

constitution makes it a duty and 

responsibility of the judiciary among other 

organs of government, to conform to, 

observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 

II, section 6(6)(c) of the same constitution 

makes it clear that no court has jurisdiction 

to pronounce any decision as to whether 

any organ of government has acted" or is 

acting in conformity with the provisions of 

Chapter II of the constitution. 

For any nation to attain its real potentials 

of greatness, it must protect the socioeconomic 

rights of its citizens. Conscious 

of this, the first three goals of the United 

Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 

tax), to deliver services or 

palliatives (and we have seen 

recently how difficult 

government finds that), or to 

plan for future infrastructure 

investments like roads, and 

power. Without it, how does 

government make decisions? 

It is not the need for Nigeria to 

urgently address this deficit that 

I take issue with. That is clear, 

and I’ve said it before. It’s the 

manner in which government 

chooses to expose its inability to 

do the job, the insensitivity it 

demonstrates to the welfare of 

its own citizens and the absolute 

confusion and unnecessary stress 

it ends up causing. 

The insensitivity and 

irresponsibility of government: 

A government is in trouble when 

the people no longer believe 

what it says. Such a government 

has lost legitimacy. Some of this 

loss cannot be anything else but 

incompetence although most 

people believe that the loss of 

legitimacy is because the 

government is lying. 

Incompetence can be overcome 

identified that in order not to leave anyone 

behind, the goals of no poverty, zero hunger, 

and good health and well-being of the 

people are top priority. Five decades earlier, 

the International Covenant on Economic, 

Social and Cultural Rights recognised the 

“right of everyone to the enjoyment of the 

highest attainable standard of physical and 

mental health” as a critical element of 

socio-economic and human rights. 

The Committee on Economic, Social and 

Cultural Rights further broadened the right 

extending “not only to timely and 

appropriate health care but also to the 

underlying determinants of health, such as 

access to safe and potable water and 

adequate sanitation, an adequate supply of 

safe food, nutrition and housing, healthy 

occupational and environmental 

conditions, and access to health-related 

Our political elite must not be 

allowed to continue accessing 

healthcare abroad if the hope of 

building a healthcare system for 

Nigerians will be realised 

education and information, including on 

sexual and reproductive health.” 

There are plethora of other international 

instruments that guarantee the right to 

health, but perhaps, the African Charter on 

Human and Peoples Rights provides a 

conclusive response to our question of the 

interdependency of right to life and right to 

health and well-being, when it provides that 

“civil rights cannot be dissociated from 

economic, social and cultural rights in their 

conception as well as universality and that 

the satisfaction of economic, social and 

cultural rights is a guarantee for the 

enjoyment of civil and political rights”. 

To recognise and make the right to health 

enforceable in Nigeria, we cannot ask our 

legislators for a constitutional amendment 

that will insert the right to health as a 

fundamental right because they will have 

plethora of reasons to exonerate their 

excuses. They would argue that it would open 

by efficiency. Lying suggests 

something sinister: that the 

government knows really what is 

happening but thinking that its 

people are fools, lies to them, and 

this shows it does not trust the 

people. For example the people 

do not believe that Boko Haram 

is foreign controlled; they believe 

that this is a secret army, 

pursuing a not so secret policy of 

grabbing and keeping political 

power. 

It is immaterial whether these 

perceptions are true or false; they 

are political and must be 

addressed politically. Each 

outrage on our (please note, I use 

our, not your) children - boys and 

girls must be followed by fulsome 

condemnation of the kidnappers, 

Boko Haram or whatever, by the 

leaders of Nigeria - both Islam 

and non-Islamic. More 

important, the government must 

make it clear to all that such 

activities will not be tolerated 

and would be punished wherever 

found. 

When I see young boys and 

young girls begging in the streets 

I weep because of lost 

opportunities – one of them may 

be Marie Curie or Isaac Newton, 

or Ibn Batuta, etc. I ask where 

are their parents? Which kind of 

parents would allow their 

children to beg in the streets at 

age five to 10? What kind of 

country tolerates this? What kind 

of leader accepts this? So it is 

with the NCC and the NIN. It 

may not have dawned on Nigeria 

that the NIN is different from the 

National Identity Card. Even if 

you had it, how do you get it 

reconciled with your handset? It 

a flood gate of litigations against the 

governors by the governed – but if the 

governors are governing well, to the extent 

that the governed can unarguably feel the 

impact of governance on social needs like 

health, education, equal opportunities, 

shelter, food, hygienic environment, potable 

water, and human dignity, would there still 

be need for litigation on enforcement of 

socio-economic rights? I doubt so, save for 

frivolous and ill-motivated litigations. But 

we can ask our judiciary to lend to a legacy 

of proactiveness and judicial progressivism. 

We can ask our lords and justices to borrow 

the light of judicial interpretations from 

other jurisdictions with similar and peculiar 

constitutional circumstances, in line with 

our laws particularly section 12 of the 

constitution by ensuring that international 

or regional treaties on socio-economic 

rights that have been domesticated by the 

National Assembly are enforced. The 

courage of His Lordship Nwodo, J. in Odafe 

& Ors v. A. G. Fed. & Ors, instructively puts us 

on this path that the “government of this 

country has incorporated the African 

Charter on Human and Peoples Rights Act 

Law Cap. 10 as part of the laws of this 

country” and is applicable in Nigeria as the 

Court of Appeal has affirmed in Ubani v. 

Director, SSS when it held that the “African 

Charter is applicable in this country. The 

Charter entrenches the socio-economic 

rights of person. The Court is enjoined to 

ensure the observance of these”. 

Our lords and justices are called to see the 

merits and wisdom that the unenforceability 

of the directive principles does not mean 

that they cannot create obligations and 

corresponding duties which the state is 

bound. Hence, the complaints and pleadings 

of parties for the enforceability of their 

socio-economic rights should be granted 

once they prove that the directive principles 

of State policy impose an obligation which 

the state should be bound by a constitutional 

mandate to implement. This is the posture 

the Indian Supreme Court has taken since 

Justice Bhagwati jettisoned the idea that 

directive principles were ancillary to the 

provisions of fundamental rights in terms 

of importance. In furtherance of this, the 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 —17 

is clear that the steps have not 

been understood by the people 

who see these regulations as one 

more burden imposed by a 

government which does not care 

nothing for them; but would at 

every turn use regulations to 

make money for the government 

officials, politicians, members of 

the National Assembly, State 

Assembly and Local 

Government. 

My village has no MTN, Airtel 

or Etisalat office or registration 

centre. The nearest is about two 

hours to the next big town. First 

a person there must get his NIN: 

It may not have dawned 

on Nigeria that the NIN is 

different from the 

National Identity Card; 

even if you had it, how do 

you get it reconciled with 

your handset? 

he goes to town to MTN, Airtel, 

Etisalat office to register. Has 

anyone gone to any of the outlets 

of these organisations to see the 

hundreds of thousands waiting to 

meet this idiotic demand? If the 

NIN numbers are in the State or 

Local Government headquarters, 

money changes hands before you 

get your number. Nor do I 

believe that having an NIN 

would detect ATM robbers. I can 

easily think of several ways to 

beat the system of NIN. If, 

however, I cannot beat the system, 

then presumably facial and 

finger print technology will 

identify the kidnappers or armed 

robbers if they are Nigerians. 

What if they are not Nigerians? 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Consider the following: Mr. 

Ade has a phone he has not 

confirmed with NIN. He catches 

COVID-19. It is, therefore, 

impossible to call him and trace 

his contacts. Meanwhile he 

continues unwittingly to infect 

others. It was earlier calculated 

that one infected person was 

responsible for 42,500 infections! 

I think everyone would agree 

that it has been a difficult year, 

perhaps the most difficult in 

recent decades. Nigerian’s have 

been assailed by a health crisis, 

an economic crisis, a fast 

accelerating security crisis and 

it has manifested into severe civil 

unrest. This is not the kind of 

environment that you seek to 

destabilise any further and yet 

that is precisely what the NCC 

directives do. During a pandemic 

one of the most important things 

to be able to do, is to stay in touch 

with people. Whether to know 

when they need assistance or 

simply to maintain human 

relationships when physical 

contact is so restricted. 

The second thing that you need 

to do is to ensure that the 

physical interactions that 

propagate the spread of the virus 

are restricted. These NCC 

directives, if implemented, will 

simultaneously remove the 

ability of millions of people (and 

probably the most vulnerable), to 

communicate with each other 

remotely. It will force them back 

into physical contact, but they 

will also create huge physical 

congregations at NIN enrolment 

locations as people desperately 

seek to avoid being cut off. 

To be concluded 

Supreme Court of India in the case of 

Paschim Banga Khet Mazdor Samity & Ors 

v. State of West Bengal & Another held that 

“the right to health is a fundamental and 

enforces the labourer’s right to 

compensation and linked the right to health 

to the right to life which is justiciable under 

Article 12 of the Indian Constitution. 

It is understandable that the provision of 

quality healthcare is dependent on the 

resources of the state and limited resources 

constitute a challenge for the 

implementation of such schemes and 

legislations such as the National Health 

Insurance Scheme Act 2004, and the 

National Health Act, 2014 which are in 

consonance with the right to health and 

makes provision for a minimum package 

of healthcare services for all Nigerians with 

a predictable and sustainable financing 

options. However, the state can build quality 

health infrastructures and provide quality 

and accessible health for all Nigerians if 

we curb corruption and channel state 

resources prudently in executing projected 

voted for health sector in government 

budgets at all levels. More importantly, our 

political elite must not be allowed to 

continue accessing healthcare abroad if the 

hope of building a healthcare system for 

Nigerians will be realised. 

The unenforceability of the provisions of 

Chapter II of the constitution would continue 

to constitute a core challenge and severe 

socio-economic consequences for our 

country unless the executive arm of 

government begins to prioritize health sector 

investment and the judiciary begins to 

recognise the right to health. As Gro Harlem 

told the European Ministers Conference, 

there can be no real hope for the spread of 

freedom, democracy, and human dignity 

unless we treat health as a basic human 

right. In furtherance of this, the Human 

Rights Commission is enjoined to set up and 

maintain human rights desks in hospitals 

across the country, for swift responses to 

patience’s complaints about negligence, 

malpractices, and abuse of service in the 

health sector. 

•Ekpa, a social commentator, wrote from 

Abuja, via ekpastanleyekpa@gmail.com

C 

M 

Y 

K 


RECENTLY, a renowned virologist, 

Prof Sunday Omilabu, Director of the 

Centre for Human and Zoonotic 

Virology, Lagos University Teaching 

Hospital and College of Medicine, 

University of Lagos, cautioned against 

vaccinating Nigerians who have 

acquired natural immunity to the Generally, immunity is relative - it 

COVID-19 virus. According to the can be natural or acquired, high or 

virologist, giving the vaccine to such low; strong or weak. Immunity varies 

people could jeopardise their natural at different times, depending on the 

immunity. 

state of one’s health. 

Although Prof. Omilabu’s concept In some sense, vaccines provide 

of acquired natural immunity tends artificial immunity. The immunity 

to provide explanation to the low could be lifelong or require booster 

fatality rate of COVID-19 in Sub- shots at intervals. It all depends on 

Saharan Africa, it also appears to the infection and the integrity of the 

substantiate the doubts sceptics of immune system. 

COVID-19 vaccine harbour about the Truly, there are some infections to 

vaccines. 

which the body naturally acquires 

To clarify the don’s views, Prof. immunity, but the levels of natural 

Omilabu is not against COVID-19 immunity vary from one individual to 

vaccinations. What he is saying is that another. So, vaccination may or may 

before administering the vaccine, we not be required. 

should do an antibody test first to From all indications, the COVID-19 

determine the level of natural case in sub-Saharan Africa is peculiar. 

immunity one has. In any case, there For that reason, our medical scientists 

are guidelines for vaccination. need to urgently get down to work to 

Natural immunity and COVID-19 vaccines 

determine what will work for us. 

European and American scientists 

are busy now trying to solve their 

problems and may not have time for 

a continent that has so far escaped an 

major spike and catastrophe. 

Just as the virologist suggests, 

everyone in sub-Saharan Africa may 

not need the COVID-19 vaccine. The 

challenge is to determine those who 

need it and those who do not. The 

hope, however, is to first control the 

virus, and then, eventually eradicate 

it through vaccination. 

Although the vaccines are novel, 

experts agree they are generally safe. 

Unlike conventional vaccines, they do 

not contain the real virus, but utilise a 

genetic code to trigger an immune 

response to the virus. 

Mass vaccinations are generally 

recommended for COVID-19, 

although for now, the beneficiaries are 

prioritised because enough doses are 

not yet available. Persons considered 

to have high risks of contracting the 

disease, such as frontline healthcare 

workers, persons aged 50 and above 

and persons with co-morbidities, are 

included. 

Currently, all countries are carrying 

out mass vaccinations, with 

exemptions for pregnant women, 

young children and persons who 

develop allergy to vaccines. Even 

persons who have been infected with 

the virus but have recovered should 

be vaccinated. 

Those who have had the infection 

but recovered are also expected to be 

vaccinated. As variants of the COVID- 

19 virus are emerging, even persons 

who have natural immunity may need 

to be vaccinated too after antibody 

tests. 

The risk of harm from being 

vaccinated is much lower than the risk 

of infection with the virus. 

The relevance of January 14 in Oyo (4) 

This is the concluding part of this piece. 

The third part reviewed the tenure of 

influential traditional rulers in the country 

THE late Ataoja of Oshogbo, Oba Iyiola 

Oyewale Matanmi, who was crowned 

on July 7, 1976 and died in August 2010, ruled 

for 34 years. It was during his reign that 

Osogbo was made the Capital of Osun State. 

Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko (1885-1904) was 

the ninth Emir of Katsina between 1906-1944. 

He ruled for 38 years. He was succeeded by 

his son, Alhaji Usman Nagogo (1905-1981) 

who also ruled for 37 years. He was the father 

of the late Major-General Hassan Usman 

Katsina, the first military governor of Northern 

Nigeria. The Sarkin of Gobir, Alhaji 

Muhammadu Bara reigned from 1975 to 

2004, and ruled for 29 years. 

The late Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji 

Bakindo Mustapha was on the throne for 59 

years before he died on March 13, 2010. His 

son Muhammadu Aliyu Bakindo Mustapha 

succeeded him on March 18, 2010. The late 

Owa of Idanre in Ondo State, Oba Adegbule 

Aroloye Arubefin III reigned from 1919 to 

1969 for 50 years and died at the age of 120 

years, making him one of the oldest monarchs 

in Nigeria. Oba Afunbiowo Ojijiogungara 

Adesida ruled Oyemekun kingdom of Akure 

Adesida who 

reigned as Deji of Akure between August 2010 

and November 2013. The late Obi of Onisha, 

Ofala Okechukwu Okagbue reigned between 

1970 and 2001 while Samuel Okosi reigned 

between 1901 and 1931. As the Alaafin 

Adeyemi celebrates his golden anniversary it 

is necessary to attempt to analyse why the great 

Oyo empire collapsed. 

The Oyo Empire is still very important to the 

Yorubas till today. The empire reminds the 

Yorubas of when they were masters of their 

destiny under one rulership. The Empire 

stretched from the present Kwara state to 

The main factor for the decline 

and eventual collapse of the Oyo 

Empire was the weakness and 

resultant breakdown of the 

central government 

Western Nigeria up to Dahomey, which we now 

refer to as the Republic of Benin. By the middle 

of the 19th century, that empire had 

disintegrated and on its ruins rose the successor 

states of Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijaye, Ogbomoso, 

Egba, Ijebu, Egbado, Ekiti, and New Oyo. 

Ilorin, though made up of Yoruba people, is 

now a Fulani kingdom or emirate. The first 

three - Ibadan, Abeokuta and Ijaye were the 

OPINION 

between 1897 

and 1957 for 60 

years. His beloved 

Olori (wife) is 

believed to have 

come from 

Idanre. He was 

the father of my 

friend, Oba 

A d e b i y i 

Adegboye 

Adesida, husband 

of Oloori Moji 

leading Yoruba states and their rivalry for 

supremacy formed one of the main topics of 

Yoruba history in the 19th century according 

to B. C. Onwubiko. 

The collapse of the Oyo empire in the 19th 

century was brought about by several factors - 

some internal and others external. One of the 

internal factors was an inherent weakness 

arising from the size and nature of the empire. 

Like the Sudanese empires of Mali, Songhai 

and El Kanem-Bornu, the Oyo Empire was 

quite extensive and this made central control 

of the provinces difficult. One reason for this 

was that Oyo the capital was situated on the 

northern fringes of the empire and this made 

it difficult for-the empire to control effectively 

the provinces most of which lay to the south of 

the empire. Again the system of administering 

the provinces through the Ilaris or resident 

provincial governors began to prove ineffective 

from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. 

These governors were not strictly supervised 

from the centre. 

Consequently they became oppressive, 

corrupt and arrogant and by their actions drove 

the subject peoples of the provinces to rebel 

against them and the Alaafin whom they 

represented. But the main factor for the decline 

and eventual collapse of the Oyo Empire was 

the weakness and resultant breakdown of the 

central government. This was the result of a 

constitutional crisis which rose from the 

struggle for power between the Alaafin and 

the Bashoruns in the second half of the 18th 

century. This crisis reached its climax during 

the period 1754-1774 when the notorious 

Bashrun Gaha was in power in old Oyo. An 

unscrupulous power-monger, he craftily seized 

power, raised five Alaafins (four of whom he 

destroyed) to the throne and ruled despotically 

thereby upsetting the delicate balance of the 

Oyo constitution. It was Alaafin Abiodun 

(1774-89) who arrested the situation 

temporarily by destroying Gaha and his family. 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

But after his death in 1789, chaos again overtook 

the empire. Aole, the successor of Abiodun, 

committed a constitutional outrage by ordering 

his army against Apomu, an Ife town. 

The army refused this order because Ife was 

sacred to the Yoruba and the Oni of Ife refused 

to consecrate new Alaafins. The Obas alienated 

by this sacrilege withdrew their allegiance to 

the Alaafins and began to defy them and to 

assert their independence. And because of the 

political instability and unrest resulting from 

the constitutional breakdown, the central 

government could no longer regain effective 

control of the provinces. The situation was 

made worse by the fact that there was at this 

time no strong central army to crush the 

rebellions as was the case in the past. 

The Oyo army which was the chief 

instrument for the expansion of the empire 

and the suppression of internal revolts "was 

now a ghost of its former self." This is evident 

from the fact that Oyo could not reconquer the 

Egba, and its army was soundly defeated by 

the Borgu in 1783 and the Nupe in 1791. The 

Oyo Empire, therefore, entered the 19th 

century with a serious constitutional crisis and 

a weak army. It is not, therefore, surprising 

that Afonja took advantage of the situation to 

carve out Ilorin as a kingdom for himself in 

1817; and Dahomey a vassal state of Oyo 

effected its independence in 1821. From then 

on, Dahomey carried war into Yorubaland, 

and these wars aggravated the already 

confused political situation in Yorubaland and 

contributed significantly to the collapse of the 

Oyo Empire. 

The destructive effects of these internal 

factors were accentuated by a certain external 

factor, namely the Fulani with its concomitant 

effects on the Oyo Empire. The Fulani having 

conquered Hausaland and Nupe in the first 

decade of the 19th century were eager to 

expand southwards into Yorubaland.

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Nigeria lost N5.4trn to tax evasion by 

multi-nationals — FIRS boss 

·Moves against illicit financial outflow 

Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau 

Chief 

ECONOMY 

NIGERIA may have lost about 

$178billion (about N5.4 billion) 

to tax evasion by multi-nationals 

in ten years. 

Consequently, the Executive 

Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue 

Service (FIRS) has resolve to 

moved against illicit financial outflow 

from the country and enforce 

tax compliance among multi-nationals 

operating in the country. 

FIRS Executive Chairman, Mr. 

Muhammad Nami, who made 

these disclosures at a workshop on 

Effective Audit of Multinational 

Corporations for Domestic Revenue 

Mobilisation in Nigeria, in Abuja, 

yesterday, cited a 2014 report by the 

High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial 

Flows from Africa, which stated 

that Nigeria accounted for 30.5% of 

money lost by the continent through 

illicit financial flows. 

Nami expressed worries that, 

“many rich Multinational Corporations 

do not pay the right taxes 

due from them, let alone pay their 

taxes voluntarily.” 

He stated further: “At the FIRS we 

are paying greater attention to tax 

audit in general and Transfer Pricing 

audit in particular in order to 

improve the level of tax compliance 

in the country. 

“As a result, in the last one year, 

we have created more than 35 additional 

Tax Audit Units and deployed 

experienced and capable 

staff to take charge of these offices.” 

The FIRS boss charged participants 

at the workshop to come up 

with “a novel methodology that 

would be used to uncover illicit financial 

flows” and “provide an 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

RAND 

121.40 -2.30 

2,485.00 -31.00 

15.65 +0.05 

55.43 -0.56 

54.91 +0.97 

379 379.5 380 

515.44 516.12 516.8 

464.3129 464.9255 465.538 

428.733 429.9255 429.8643 

3.6495 3.6543 3.6591 

0.6913 0.7013 0.7113 

549.0843 549.8087 550.5331 

58.6206 58.6984 58.7762 

101.0236 101.1568 101.2901 

24.8279 24.8606 24.8934 

CBN Exchange rate as at 11/01/2021 

From left: Acting Managing Director, ZOLA Electric Nigeria, Mr. Olufemi Ashipa and the 

Honourable Commissioner For Energy and Mineral Resources, Lagos State, Engr. Olalere 

Odusote during the presentation of ZOLA Solar Systems to Lagos State for 24-hour electricity 

supply to Primary Health Centres in the fight against COVID-19, in Lagos, recently. 

overview of related policy options 

for enhancing tax revenue collection 

in general,” 

Given the recent decline of oil 

resources, which had been the 

major revenue earner for the 

country, Mr. Nami said, “taxation 

is expected to continue to 

shoulder the Government’s Budget 

performance the way it did in 

2020.” 

He added, “This underscores 

the importance of this workshop, 

as tax audit of Multinational Corporations 

is very crucial in 

Nigeria’s domestic revenue 

ECONOMY 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 — 19 

mobilisation. 

“For me, this Workshop is an 

important step towards boosting 

compliance level; and, I have 

strong hopes that its outcome will 

further increase our efforts at driving 

tax compliance among Multinational 

Corporations in Nigeria.” 

AfCTA: FG must address infrastructure 

deficit to be competitive — MAN 

By Godfrey Bivbere 

THE Manufacturers Associa 

tion of Nigeria, MAN, has 

called on the Federal Government 

to address the infrastructural deficit 

in the country to make the nation 

truly competitive following the 

take-off of the African Continental 

Trade Agreement, AfCTA, this 

month. 

MAN also expressed 

fears that unless proper 

implementation of the 

rule of origin, Nigeria 

may become a global 

dumping ground. 

Speaking with Vanguard, 

MAN’s Director of 

Economics and Statistics, 

Ambrose Oruche, said the 

government must quickly 

address infrastructure issues 

like roads, as well as 

prioritise manufacturing 

in terms of interest rates 

on loans and easy access 

to imported raw materials. 

He warned that unless 

safety measures are put in 

place to prevent foreign 

goods being repackaged 

as goods made in Africa, 

the Nation will definitely 

become a dumping 

ground for such goods. 

Oruche stated: “AfCTA 

is supposed to be beneficial 

to us because we have 

more manufactured goods across 

the region that we can think of, but 

if we are not careful it might be 

harmful to us in the sense that we 

could experience trans-shipment 

and people packaging something 

that is made in China, labelling it 

made in Africa. 

“It is something we have to be 

careful about to avoid Nigeria becoming 

a dumping ground for foreign-made 

products. If the rule of 

origin is implemented and safety 

measures are adopted to avoid 

dumping, Nigeria will be able to 

take advantage and benefit from it. 

“We have to look at our competitiveness 

and what makes us 

uncompetitive. For instance, addressing 

the issue of infrastructural 

deficit, the high cost of funds, interest 

rate, talk about prioritising manufacturing, 

and giving them access 

to forex, taking care of regulatory 

challenges,” he noted. 

FG lacks clear policy on downstream deregulation 

— Ex-SPE Chair ECONOMY 

By Obas Esiedesa 

FOLLOWING fears that 

Nigeria may have returned 

to the era of petrol subsidy 

payment, the Federal Government 

has been accused of 

lacking policy clarity in the deregulation 

of the downstream 

sector of the petroleum industry. 

The immediate past Chairman 

of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, 

SPE Council Nigeria, 

Engr. Joe Nwakwue, in a chat 

with Vanguard yesterday, said 

Nigeria needs to urgently implement 

a full deregulation of the 

sector. 

Following the rise in crude oil 

price to $56 per barrel last week, 

the landing cost of premium motor 

spirit (petrol) has also risen 

from N143.60 per litre in December 

to N158.53 per litre. 

Additional costs in throughput, 

wholesaler’s margin, storage, 

administration, transportation, 

bridging, and retailers’ margin 

bring price at pump to about 

N181.69 per litre. Petrol is presently 

sold at N163 per litre which 

leaves a difference of N18 per litre. 

There is no provision in the 

ABCON lobby for 

exchange rates 

unification 

*Urges FG not to give 

up on Eco currency 

By Babajide Komolafe 

MONEY MARKET 

ASSOCIATION of Bu 

reaux De Change Operators 

of Nigeria (ABCON) said 

that unification of exchange rates 

is necessary to maximise the economic 

benefits of increased remittances 

inflow into the 

economy. 

While commending the recent 

policy measures introduced by 

the Central Bank of Nigeria 

(CBN) to improve inflow of remittances, 

by allowing beneficiaries 

to collect proceeds in foreign 

currency, ABCON stated: “The 

fundamental problem is not the 

payment of foreign currency to 

beneficiaries but a fallout of multiple 

exchange rates in Nigeria’s 

foreign exchange market.” 

The Association stated this in 

its quarterly economic review for 

the Fourth Quarter of last year 

(Q4’2020), stressing that without 

the unification of the multiple exchange 

rates across the forex 

market, the increased inflow of 

remittances may be vulnerable 

to capital flight and hence make 

limited impact on the economy. 

The Association stated: “A survey 

carried out by ABCON quarterly 

revealed that a large percentage 

of beneficiaries require 

Naira for domestic commitments 

in Nigeria. Upon collection 

of foreign currency cash or 

drawing from their domiciliary 

accounts as the policy provided, 

they do the conversion usually 

unofficially where the exchange 

rates are higher. Though the authorities 

are able to capture figures 

of the inflows from the data 

of the International Money Transfer 

Operators (IMTOs) for statistical 

purposes, utilization of the 

foreign exchange may still flow 

into the unofficial/ informal sector 

for capital flight and other uses 

not marginally expedient for the 

growth of the forex market. 

“Thus, a major policy trust 

should focus on unification of exchange 

rates and diversification 

of the operational base to achieve 

a competitive outlook.” 

ABCON further stated: “BDC 

sub-sector needs to undertake a 

total structural re-engineering of 

operations through improved 

technical training of operators to 

be able to cope with the emerging 

realities of the foreign exchange 

markets in developing 

economies.” 

2021 budget for subsidy payment 

but the Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, 

has in the past termed previous 

differentials as under-recovery 

and absorbed them as 

part of its cost of operation. 

The situation has left 

Nwakwue unsatisfied and he 

has warned the government 

against going back to subsidy 

regime. 

According to him, “there is 

one major challenge in the 

downstream presently and that 

is lack of policy clarity. It is 

not clear to me what the 

policy is and I am yet to see 

a strategy or plan for subsidy 

removal.”


Lawan@62: A man of candour and focus 

By OLA AWONIYI 

HIGH political office is surrounded 

on all sides by distractions. 

Experience best teaches this. It is not 

enough to take into the office a vision and 

a mission, you will find once there, enough 

to take you off track, to test your character 

and agenda. Many failed not because they 

were not prepared or well-meaning. They 

did because they no longer saw the 

goalpost once they found themselves on 

the playing field. 

Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan is apparently 

conscious of that reality. He believes a 

political leader must stand for something, 

to guide and focus their time and energy. A 

leader who does not stand for something 

falls for anything. And such is easily 

distracted. Because Lawan stands for 

something, he has resolutely focused on 

what took him from the ivory tower into 

politics and on all that he believes in as a 

public servant. 

Since his emergence as the 14th 

President of the Nigerian Senate in June 

2019, Senator Lawan’s stand on any issue 

is an open book. His candour means that 

he takes a firm position even on 

controversial issues. And he defends his 

positions without playing to the gallery or 

fear of a backlash. Such is called courage 

of conviction. 

Take the proposition in Nigeria for a parttime 

or unicameral legislature at the 

national level. The proponents were often 

led to it by what they hear about the “jumbo 

pay” of federal lawmakers and the 

‘generous’ funding of the National 

Assembly. Lawan, not too long ago, 

challenged them to a public debate. 

“I am not here to defend the National 

Assembly but I’m here to encourage a 

debate on what the National Assembly 

means to us as a country or what our 

legislature means to us as a country and as 

a people. If you don’t like the set of 

members in the Ninth National Assembly, 

change all of us in 2023. Get better people 

but help support the system to function 

because that is your protection,” Lawan 

said at an inhouse 

event 

in Abuja. 

Unfortunately, 

no one has 

picked up 

the gauntlet 

for a healthy 

Lawan will not 

deviate from a 

path that has led 

to obvious 

progress 

national 

conversation on the issue. 

In the Senate, Lawan’s leadership style 

projects him as only the first among equals. 

He always assert that he owes his 

emergence as president of the ninth Senate 

to the grace of God and the votes of his 

colleagues across party lines. And that has 

been his strength and guiding principle in 

his roles as the presiding officer in the 

Senate. His focus has been to foster 

harmony among his distinguished 

colleagues in the upper chamber so that 

they can deploy their time and energies to 

working together for Nigerians and the 

good of their country. 

This is evident in the seamless passage 

of bills and adoption of resolutions on 

critical national issues. In the ninth Senate, 

every member knows they have the liberty 

to express their views but also a 

responsibility to respect the views of others. 

That has created for them a nice work 

environment where respect begets respect. 

Lawan is also a firm believer in the 

imperative of inter-chamber cooperation. 

Even as chairman of the National 

Assembly, Lawan refers to the Speaker of 

House of Representatives, Hon. Femi 

Gbajabiamila, as his “brother and friend.” 

That must explain why they often find a 

common ground on key national issues. 

And that also accounts for the smooth 

passage of critical bills through their two 

chambers. 

Lawan is also convinced of the merit of a 

harmonious relationship between the 

Legislature and the Executive. This has 

drawn him sometimes caustic criticisms 

•Senate president , Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan 

but he has stood his ground and is 

unapologetic. 

The benefits of harmony between the two 

elected arms of government are there for 

objective eyes to see from the past one and 

a half years. It has bred mutual respect 

among the arms and reciprocity in the way 

each treats submissions from the other. 

Executive proposals are now treated 

without undue delay while Bills passed by 

the National Assembly are receiving 

prompt presidential assent. That wasn’t the 

story before the ninth Assembly. 

Signing the 2021 Appropriation Bill into 

an Act on the eve of the New Year, President 

Muhammadu Buhari revealed that the 

2020 budget achieved 97.7 performance, 

despite the unforeseen havoc of COVID- 

19. This unprecedented success was 

facilitated by the early passage of the 

appropriation bill by parliament and the 

prompt assent given it by the President. 

Prompt 

assent 

There is reasonable expectation that the 

2021 budget will perform even better, 

having become law before the start of the 

year. In the past, budgets dragged into the 

middle of the year and routinely recorded 

low performance. 

Lawan will not deviate from a path that 

has led to obvious progress. Having gained 

much experience in the parliament, he does 

not want the threat to governance posed 

by needless confrontation between the 

Legislature and the Executive. He has opted 

to promote harmony in governance for the 

good of the people. 

And he has taken his message of harmony 

beyond the gates of parliament and 

government and out to the larger political 

field. Only last month, he appealed to the 

Southeast geopolitical zone to continue to 

work with the other zones towards and 

beyond 2023 in building the Nigeria of our 

common dreams. 

The Senate president canvassed national 

unity at Igbere in Abia State where he was 

honoured with a chieftaincy title. Lawan 

made it clear at the event that every part of 

Nigeria is needed to make the country 

work. 

Hear him: “Let’s unite ourselves in this 

state and indeed in the Southeast. Let’s face 

common agenda of being in the center of 

Nigeria. In fact, let’s even attempt to be 

the leaders of Nigeria because it is a valid 

aspiration. Let’s not stay away from being 

part of the real centre of action in Nigeria. 

That we can achieve when we sit together 

and talk among ourselves. Time is of 

essence. Nigeria needs all of us to be 

united. Nigeria needs all hands to be on 

the deck. Nigeria needs the effort of each 

and every part to make it work and we can 

make it work.” 

The Yobe State-born politician is 

providing purposeful leadership at the 

National Assembly and helping in building 

an environment conducive for national 

development. This is just a tribute to wish 

him a happy 62nd birthday. 

•Awoniyi is Special Adviser on Media to 

the Senate President 

Trump’s willing coup plotters 

•President Trump 

aggrandisement and the purported 

advancement of God’s war against the liberal 

anti-Christs would do well to confess their sin 

and seek forgiveness from the citizens they 

misled and God whom they mocked. 

How the passions and energies of nearly half 

of the adult population of America were stoked 

and mobilised to lead to the storming of 

parliament at the precise moment that the will 

of the people was to be affirmed must be the 

question all sane citizens should answer now. 

Why, they must ask themselves, were they so 

willing to suspend reason; to spite every ethical 

principle, moral teaching and humane value 

imbued by church, family and country? 

Trump’s litany of cruel and calculating acts 

did not stop with the instances earlier 

mentioned. He had been giving notice of his 

essentially devious character long before he 

announced, almost as a frat house prank, that 

he would run to be president of the United 

States. 

On the campaign trail, he put on display his 

rude, crude, bullying and boorish behaviour 

that would outrage any parent, never mind 

born-again Christians. His loathsome 

behaviour as a private citizen might have been 

deemed harmless, more notorious than 

poisonous. 

No matter if he would discriminate against 

Blacks by refusing to lease property to them; if 

he set up a university to scam students; if he 

took out a full-page newspaper advert to 

campaign for the death penalty for five non- 

White youths wrongly accused of murder; or if 

he proudly claimed leadership of the birther 

movement whose only goal was to deny Barack 

Obama’s American citizenship and 

delegitimise him as president of the United 

States. Why did the Republican Party and 

Christian evangelicals, millions of ordinary 

citizens, condone every immorality and 

willingly follow Trump till he led them, on the 

strength of the biggest of his countless lies, to 

trash parliament and defile democracy? 

Undergirding the depravity of Trump’s 

thoughts and actions is a shocking compulsion 

to lie, no matter the occasion. But what 

rendered him so irredeemably prone to lying? 

The answer, as the experts - including his own 

niece, a clinical psychologist - have proffered, 

is to be found in his traumatised childhood, in 

the toxic relationship with his stern and 

foreboding father. 

Which turned him into a pathological 

narcissist. Saddled with an insatiable ego, 

Trump would distort every reality and twist 

every fact that did not flatter his image of 

himself as the greatest and the best. Crippled 

by a destructive inferiority complex - note how 

he is haunted day and night by his predecessor, 

Obama, whom he had fought tooth and nail 

to diminish but who still towers above him 

even after he has himself become president - 

the only compensation was to become an 

extreme present narcissist. His whole being 

became an altar of self-worship that must be 

worshipped by others who like him must do 

away with empathy, a concept that by 

definition accepts the existence of others and 

their experiences. It is a short breath from there 

to being a sociopath; to holding in the White 

House a gleeful 

Trump had been 

giving notice of his 

essentially devious 

character long before 

he announced that he 

would run for 

president 

watching party 

of the 

murderous 

horror he had 

just unleashed 

on his own 

government. 

Lacking the 

By OGAGA IFOWODO 

AS the world gasps and recoils from the 

tragic spectacle of the storming of the 

Capitol, the parliament of the United States, 

just as Vice President Mike Pence presided over 

a joint sitting to certify the electoral college 

votes that would affirm Mr. Joe Biden as the 

duly elected 46th president, it must be a subject 

of wonder that the horror took so long to occur. 

And remember that there had been a dress 

rehearsal for the shameful event in the 

attempted kidnap and possible murder of 

Michigan State governor Gretchen Whitmer 

by the Trump-inspired Wolverine militiamen 

a mere three months earlier. 

They should remember that Trump had put 

his army of White supremacist storm-troopers 

on red alert when he ordered them to “Stand 

back and stand by,” rather than condemn their 

noxious beliefs and activities and that he 

proudly described himself as White nationalist. 

And that any of the rallies where Trump stoked 

his audiences to incendiary frenzy against his 

2016 rival Hilary Clinton (“Lock her up,” he 

had them chant lustily), or demonised 

journalists and a fact-based press as “enemies 

of the people,” or very carefully targeted 

congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rasheeda 

Tlaib as non-Americans who should be sent 

back to their original shithole countries, could 

have exploded in bloody street brawls. 

Then there was his calculated cultivation and 

coddling of white supremacists, most notably 

in his claim that the neo-Nazis brandishing 

burning torches and chanting “Jews will not 

replace us” as they stomped in the streets of 

Charlottesville were “fine people,” just like the 

anti-racist activists who opposed them, one of 

whom was murdered. Did I mention his cold 

and cynical downplaying of the coronavirus 

pandemic, his turning of the commonsense 

public health requirement of wearing a mask 

to prevent the spread of a deadly disease to 

ideological warfare even as hundreds of 

thousands of the citizens he swore to protect 

died and millions choked the hallways of 

hospitals? 

The overwhelming majority of the 

Republican Party and so-called Christians 

known as White evangelicals who enabled 

Trump’s madness in a devil’s bargain for self- 

m e n t a l 

capacity to deal with complexity, an inescapable 

fact of life, politics no less, lying became his chief 

weapon for procuring sacrifices to ego. Inevitably, 

he embraced Joseph Goebbels’ doctrine of 

propaganda and demagoguery. Goebbels, a 

virulent anti-Semite even among Nazis, was Adolf 

Hitler’s propaganda minister. He is generally 

believed to have laid down the unfailing formula 

for effective propaganda: “If you tell a lie big 

enough and keep repeating it, people will 

eventually come to believe it.” And so for two 

months, Trump repeated ad nauseam the 

patently false claim that the 2020 presidential 

election was stolen from him, dinning it without 

a shred of evidence. His proof lay entirely in 

his repetition of the assertion in spite of the 

unambiguous rebuttals of his own election 

security officials, the wholesale dismissal of 

sixty or more petitions he filed in court (many 

of them thrown out by judges he appointed), 

and the certification of the results by 

Democratic and Republican controlled states 

alike. 

All the evidence points to a mentally unstable 

man incapable of handling his own affairs - 

we may cite his failed businesses resulting in 

six declared bankruptcies and indebtedness to 

the tune of nearly half a billion dollars and not 

mention his failed marriages - who would not 

be a fit and proper person to be mayor of a 

one-horse town, never mind electing him to 

the most powerful political office in the world. 

He does not understand what greatness means, 

so it was obvious that he meant something 

entirely different with his campaign and 

governing slogan, Make America Great 

Again. If nothing else disclosed his true intent, 

his response to Charlottesville did: Make 

America White Again. 

Hence, the alternate rendition of MAGA: 

Taking back “our” country, as if the United 

States belongs only to the deranged members 

of Trump’s personality cult. He would affirm 

the racist animus of his vision of America in 

the heat of the Black Lives Matter protests 

against systemic racism, seizing every 

opportunity to demonise the movement and 

diminish their cause while hailing the white 

supremacist infiltrators who caused mayhem 

at protests. 

No one was surprised when he stoutly 

defended a 17-year-old boy, Kyle Rittenhouse, 

who travelled across states and shot and killed 

with a military-style rifle two unarmed persons 

protesting yet another black man killed by the 

police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

•Continues online:www.vanguardngr.com 

•Ifowodo, lawyer, poet and public 

commentator is also a former Assistant 

Professor at Texas State University 

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Marketers eye another subsidy as Bonny Light price surges to $55 per barrel 

By Prince Okafor 

OPERATORS in the 

downstream sector have 

started canvassing for fuel subsidy 

as the price of Bonny Light, 

Nigeria’s premium oil grade rises 

to $55 per barrel. 

Market statistics showed that, oil 

prices witnessed a marginal 

decline, following renewed 

concerns about global fuel demand 

amid strict coronavirus lockdowns 

in Europe and new movement 

restrictions in China, the world’s 

second-largest oil user. 

According to market statistics, 

Brent crude oil futures declined by 

42 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $55.57 a 

barrel after hitting an all-time high 

of $56.39, its highest since 

February 25, 2020. 

Nigeria’s grade Bonny Light 

stood at 54.91, after witnessing a 

rise of 1.80 percent. 

Also, the United States West Texas 

Intermediate (WTI) slipped 22 

cents, or 0.4 percent, to $52.02 a 

barrel. 

The Federal Government had in 

the first quarter of 2020, announced 

the removal of petrol subsidy after 

reducing pump price to N125 per 

litre from N145 per litre. 

For instance, as at July 31, 2020, 

the Petroleum Products Pricing 

Regulatory Agency, PPPRA used 

an exchange rate of N387.63/$1 to 

calculate the cost of petrol. 

Also, last weekend, naira closed 

at 393.50 against the dollar at the 

Investors’ and Exporters’ Foreign 

Exchange Window, while 

maintaining 472/$1 in the parallel 

market. 

The Federal Government had 

through the PPPRA in the third 

quarter of 2020 gazette the marketbased 

pricing regime of the nation's 

petroleum downstream sector. 

Consequently, oil marketers 

across the country now have the 

power to fix petrol pump price 

based on market forces. 

The Executive Secretary, PPPRA, 

Saidu Abdulkadir, said during a 

press briefing that, “The 

pronouncement that the sector is 

deregulated means that prices 

would strictly be based on the forces 

of demand and supply. 

“It is a market that is open, based 

on bargaining power and based on 

where you source your product. " 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 

Post privatisation: Nigeria’s stranded 

power rises 263% to 3,742MW 

.As generation average 4,050MW 

By Obas Esiedesa 

CONTRARY to expectations, 

there are indications that 

Nigeria’s electricity sector has 

recorded huge set back since the 

private sector take-over seven years 

ago. 

Data obtained by Vanguard 

Energy last weekend shows that 

volume of stranded power has risen 

by about 263 percent to 3,742 

megawatt (MW) as at end 2020, 

from 1,031MW it recorded when the 

power plants were handed over to 

private investors in 2013. 

Stranded power represents 

available energy capacity which 

could not be generated, transmitted 

and distributed in the value chain due 

to system failures. 

It also indicates poor level of 

investment in the value chain 

especially the Electricity Distribution 

Companies, DisCos, that could have 

strengthened power supply and 

utilization. 

The stranded capacity of the nation 

rose by over 100 percent to 2,735MW 

in the first year of privatisation, before 

dropping to 3,373MW in 2016. 

Average generation 

However, the nation’s average 

power generation rose to 4,050MW, 

from 3,184MW indicating 27.2 per 

cent over the period under review, 

meaning that not much has changed 

in terms of actual power generation 

by the Generation Companies 

(GenCos) in the past seven years. 

A breakdown showed that the 

average power generated in 2014 

(the first full year post-privatization) 

was 3,419MW. 

In 2015, the average generation 

rose by 5.46 per cent to 3,606MW, 

showing an increase of 187MW, 

while in 2016, the average power 

generation dropped by 9.40 per cent 

to 3,267MW. 

However, power generation 

recovered with about 10.89 percent 

rise in 2017 to 3,623MW, and also 

recorded another increase of 6.65 

percent to 3,864MW in 2018, before 

dropping again in 2019 by 2.12 

percent to 3,782MW. 

The data also shows that in 2020 

the average generation rose by 7.08 

per cent to 4,050MW. 

Installed capacity 

However, Nigeria’s generation 

capacity increased from 4,214MW 

to 7,793MW, indicating an increase 

of 84.93 per cent during the period. 

ERGP target 

Although this output represents the 

peak performance, it indicates about 

22.07 per cent underperformance 

against the target of 10,000MW set 

by Economic Recovery and Growth 

Plan, ERGP. 

Also, the current output represents 

a huge gap against the national 

requirement, currently estimated at 

over 20,000MW. 

In its target obtained by Energy 

Vanguard, the nation's Economic 

Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP, 

stated: "The ERGP aims to increase 

power generation by improving 

operational capacity, encouraging 

small-scale renewable projects and 

building additional generation 

capacity. Medium term, the ERGP 

aims to ensure the delivery of at least 

10,000 MW (on-grid and off-grid) of 

operational capacity by 2020 by 

optimising the existing installed 

capacity available for generation, 

addressing gas supply issues 

including vandalism and 

completing major gas infrastructure 

lines for power.” 

Limited distribution, others 

Besides, an investigation by 

Energy Vanguard showed that, the 

the nation lacks adequate capacity 

to transmit and distribute 7,793MW 

available generation to consumers 

nationwide. 

Specifically, the Transmission 

Company of Nigeria (TCN), which 

puts its capacity at 8,100MW, added 

that it can only wheel an average of 

4,00WM for distribution. 

In a recent statement obtained by 

Energy Vanguard, TCN General 

Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi 

Mbah, also stated: “The 

Transmission Company of Nigeria 

has once again successfully 

transmitted another all-time peak of 

5,584.40MW recorded by the power 

sector on Thursday, January 7, 2021, 

at 21:15hrs. This is 24 hours after the 

previous peak of 5,552.80MW was 

recorded on Wednesday, January 6th, 

2021 at 20:15hrs that was equally 

transmitted.” 

She added: “This latest all-time 

peak transmitted, surpasses the last 

peak generation of 5,552.80MW 

transmitted by TCN by 31.60MW. The 

management of TCN assured that it 

will continue to work hard to ensure 

efficient transmission of power 

generated on the nation's electricity 

grid.” 

Like the TCN, the Electricity 

Distribution Companies, DisCos, 

can only deliver about 4,000MW to 

consumers because of poor and 

limited facilities. 

Mr. Aaron Artemis, Special 

Adviser, Media and 

Communication to the Minister of 

Power, Mr. Sale Mamman, in an 

interview with Energy Vanguard, 

said: “The Nigeria power sector is a 

market chain, where the generating 

companies, generate electricity 

through gas and hydro plant and 

send to the TCN, who now transmit 

to the different DISCOs in the 

country. The various problems and 

losses would be greatly reduced 

when investors increase their 

capacities to generate funds as well 

as invest in new facilities to deliver 

adequate electricity to consumers 

nationwide.” 

Impact on businesses 

In its recent position obtained by 

Energy Vanguard, the Organised 

Private Sector of Nigeria, OPSN, 

stated: “It is fundamentally true that 

improvement in electricity supply in 

terms of tariff, quantity, quality, 

reliability, and efficiency in service 

delivery is critical to the growth and 

development of the private sector 

businesses, especially 

manufacturing. The is the major 

reason why the OPSN has followed 

with keen interest, all recent 

developments relating to issues of 

electricity supply, particularly the 

desire to put in place a cost-effective 

electricity tariff in the industry. 

“For the records, private business 

operators in Nigeria, especially the 

manufacturing sector is already 

plagued by high cost operating 

environment arising from the poor 

regulatory environment, 

macroeconomic asymmetries and 

the high cost of energy. This 

unfriendly operating environment 

is responsible for the oscillatory 

performance of the sector in the past 

few years. For instance, Electricity 

outages average about 10 hours per 

day, electricity expenses still constitute 

about 40% of the total cost of 

production and the average cost of 

self-generated electricity averages 

N119 billion in 2019 alone. Most 

worrisome is the fact that operators 

in the Private Sector, especially the 

manufacturing sector bear the 

burden of commercial and technical 

losses through very high monthly 

electricity bill that is largely 

estimated.” 

Also, in a statement obtained by 

Energy Vanguard, the President, 

Lagos Chamber of Commerce and 

Industry, LCCI, Mrs. Toki 

Mabogunje, who complained about 

poor supply and arbitrary billing, 

called for adequate metering of 

consumers. 

She stated: “This is the only way to 

engender the confidence of 

consumers in the billing process. 

Metering should be accorded a high 

priority.” 

Privatisation 

The sector was privatized in 

November 2013 with six power 

generation plants and eleven 

electricity distribution companies 

handed over to the private sector. 

The Federal Government retained 

control of the Transmission 

Company of Nigeria (TCN). 

Experts 

Nevertheless, in an interview with 

the Energy Vanguard, weekend, a 

former Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam 

Amadi noted that the new 

generation peak is not an indication 

that the sector has improved 

significantly since it was privatized 

in 2013. 

Dr. Amadi who teaches law at 

Baze University, Abuja, pointed out 

that the sector is still as fragile as it 

was at privatization. 

According to him, “Was the 

5,500MW distributed to Nigerian 

households and businesses? So, all 

the peak transmission may not be a 

big deal if we cannot distribute 

5,000MW. 

“The price review is partly because 

DisCos sold less than 4,000MW in 

2020. I think we should stop 

deceiving ourselves that we are 

witnessing any serious 

improvement. No, we are not. The 

system is still as fragile as it was in 

2013”. 

He added that, “we need to 

seriously review the policy direction 

and go back to the basics so that we 

can have a sustainable 

improvement in the network. 

“The reason we cannot have a 

better power supply is because all 

the value chains are very weak and 

lack financial capacity and 

managerial competence to 

drastically improve the grid”. 

Speaking in a telephone interview, 

Professor Adeola Adenikinju, 

Director, Centre for Petroleum 

Energy Economics and Law, 

University of Ibadan, said it was 

shameful that a 5,584MW 

generation peak was being 

celebrated in a country of 206 

million people. 

Adenikinju, a former President of 

the Nigerian Association for Energy 

Economics, pointed out that the 

sector has not shown serious 

improvement in the past seven 

years. 

He, therefore, called for a policy 

rethink that would tackle the 

challenges facing the sector. 

“I think it is a big shame and an 

indication of the not too successful 

privatization of the sector. It was a 

failure of publicly managed utilities 

before, now we have the failure of 

privately managed utilities. We 

really need to re-evaluate the whole 

privatization of the power sector if 

we are celebrating this with our 

population. If you look at our 

population of 2013 and you look at 

our population now in per capita 

term, what we have added 

generation wise will be very 

insignificant, that is if there is any 

addition at all”, he stated. 

He observed that without 

breaking the jinx of poor electricity 

supply “there is no way we can 

actually, develop as a country. There 

is no way we are going to meet the 

target of reducing poverty by 100 

million by 2030 or even getting this 

economy to grow at a rate that is 

greater than the growth rate of the 

population”. 

He further stated that Nigeria 

needs to do whatever it takes to fix 

the sector, adding “we cannot be 

celebrating this, a country of over 

206 million producing 5,600MW is 

not something we should be 

celebrating at all, and rather we 

should address the challenges”. 

Conclusion 

He added: “I think also that the 

DisCos (Electricity Distribution 

Companies) are not investing 

enough."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 — 25

26 — Niger-Delta Voice, Tuesday, JANUARY 12, 2021 

VOL. 2: NO. 267 TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2020 

Stop parading yourself as 

Ojuaga, 5 Ijaw kingdoms in Edo 

warn Binidodogha 

By Paul Olayemi 

FIVE Ijaw kingdoms in 

Edo State, Egbema, 

Olodiama, Okomu, 

Furupagha and Gbaraun have 

called the state government to 

advise Mr. Henry Ekebeligha 

Binidodogha, an ex militant, to 

stop parading himself as the 

Ojuaga I of seven Ijaw 

kingdoms in Edo State. 

Mr. Binidodogha was 

believed to have forwarded a 

letter to His Royal Majesty, Omo 

N’ Oba’ N Edo Uku 

Akpolokpolo Ewuare 11, Oba of 

Benin, seeking for approval of 

staff of office as the Ojuaga 1 of 

seven Ijaw kingdoms in the 

area. 

The letter was said to have 

been signed by one Mr 

Tunfabor S Egbu and Mr 

Joseph Ekankumo on May 7, 

2020 and a copy was sent to the 

Iyase of Udo, Ovia South-West 

Local Government Area, in 

Benin City. 

However, on the 8th of 

January, 2021, the 

representatives of the five 

kingdoms in Ofunama, Edo 

State, the administrative 

headquarters of Egbema 

kingdom said the title, Ojuaga, 

was alien to Egbema land, 

adding that they don’t have any 

ruler than Agadagba. 

The representatives from the 

five kingdoms said they decided 

to react because there is a video 

of the ex militant being installed 

as the Ojuaga of the seven 

kingdoms, circulating on the 

internet, and they want the 

world to know it is not true. 

NDV learned that 

Binidodogha, a native of 

Ofunama, was banished from 

the community after parading 

himself as a ruler in the 

kingdom. 

“He has refused to come to the 

community, all what he is doing 

now is in Benin City where he 

claims to be the ruler of these 

Egbema kingdoms, he does not 

come home,” Victor Omari said. 

“How can he be a ruler when 

he is not from a ruling house? 

You see, the Ofunama 

community plays a crucial role 

in the king-making process, 

they hold the office of Toripuwei, 

whose role is majorly a 

kingmaker who appends the 

sacred white chalk (Tori) on the 

king-elect, hence they are not 

among the four ruling houses in 

Egbema by virtue of the old 

Bendel State gazette of 1979, 

which provides that the ruling 

houses are Ajakurama, Bolou- 

Jamagie, Ogbudugbudu and 

Opuama communities. The 

other five non-ruling houses of 

Ofunama, Gbeoba, Abere, Tu- 

Jamagie and Ogbinbiri have 

major roles in the traditional set 

up, so he cannot be a king,” 

another elder, Success Obubu 

said. 

Obubu told NDV that 

“Egbema as a kingdom has 

nine traditional communities 

with five traditional 

communities in Ovia South- 

West and Ikpoba Okha local 

government areas of Edo State 

and four traditional 

communities in Warri North 

Local Government Area of Delta 

State and over 300 satellite 

communities with a single 

traditional ruler with the title: 

Agadagba, so where does 

Ojuaga come from? The 

shocking thing is that nowhere 

in Egbema land was 

Binidodogha appointed a chief 

of the community or 

communities whether in Edo or 

Delta State, he is playing with 

fire and fire will certainly burn 

him.” 

However, NDV learned that 

upon the demise of the last 

Agadagba of Egbema 

Kingdom, Pere Gold O. E. Tiemo 

Bini Pere III in 2020, the 

kingdom set up a regency 

council comprising one person 

each from the four ruling 

houses. 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

RESIDENTS of Imiringi in 

Ogbia Local Government Area 

of Bayelsa State have expressed 

concern over the non-completion of 

the bridge project in the community. 

The locals cannot comprehend 

why the bridge that links their 

community, which is blessed with 

more than 15 active oil wells and 10 

gas wells, to the rest of Ogbia 

Kingdom and the state, would be left 

uncompleted nearly seven years after 

it was started. 

The old Imiringi Bridge was built 

in the 1970s when Ogbia was still 

under Brass Local Government Area 

in old Rivers State but was lost to the 

devastating flood of 2012. 

Setback 

NDV findings revealed that the 

reconstruction of a new bridge in the 

place of the collapsed structure was 

estimated at N800m and was 

supposed to be120 metres span but 

later changed to 130 metres because 

of its reinforcement to prevent 

coastal erosion caused by perennial 

flooding. 

The immediate past 

administration of Chief Henry 

Seriake Dickson awarded the 

contract for the construction of the 

new bridge in 2014, about two years 

after it promised to do so. 

The government had envisaged 

speedy completion of the project to 

ensure easy passage to and out of 

the community. 

However, work on the project was 

abandoned in the wake of the 

recession that hit the country and the 

*Henry Binidodogha at 

his coronation 

On possible 

external manipulation 

Chief Rejie David, the 

Iyeoghodowei of Egbema 

Kingdom, told NDV that it was 

state. Though the contractor returned 

to site when the state allocation from 

the federal accounts picked up, the 

project was again stalled due to 

alleged poor funding and could not 

be completed by the Dickson 

administration. 

Residents task government 

on project completion 

“I can confidently inform you that 

the bridge project is about 90 per cent 

completed. As we speak, cars can 

drive through. What is left to be done 

*Egbema chiefs at Ofunama, where they rejected 

Ojuaga. 

obvious, somebody is writing 

the script saying, “last 

September, chiefs from the 

kingdom went to see the 

Iyasere of Udo, and he told us, 

he initiated it with Binidodogha 

and later Binidodogha came 

and admitted that when they 

(Iyasere) went to see the Oba 

of Benin on the issue, he told 

them to think about it before 

returning to the palace and we 

(the chiefs) told him it was not 

possible to a have a son who is 

not from a ruling house to rule 

us.” 

The kingdoms have called on 

the Edo and Delta state 

governments to intervene, 

insisting the Edo State 

Government must recognise the 

five traditional institutions of 

Ijaw extraction, otherwise, it 

will be interpreted as a ploy to 

create anarchy in the kingdom, 

thereby subjugating the Ijaw 

people against their wish and 

aspirations and depriving them 

of their right to self 

determination which is 

guaranteed under the 1999 

Constitution (as amended) and 

the African Charter of Human 

and People’s rights. 

They also suspended the 

chairman of Ijaw National 

is 100 per cent of sand-filling then 

pouring of asphalt on the two sides 

of the bridge and on the bridge and it 

will be ready for commissioning. 

“The present administration can 

expedite work on the completion of 

the project by mobilising the 

contractor to return to site, get the 

project completed for public use. The 

Diri administration can do this as 

part of projects completed during its 

one year anniversary,” said Pastor 

Ranami Afagha, a native of the 

community. 

“Presently, access to Imiringi is 

through the long and tortuous 

narrow steel bridge located at the 

extreme of the community built by 

Shell Petroleum Development 

Company, SPDC, to enable its 

personnel access its many facilities 

Congress, INC, (Egbema 

chapter), Mr Jackson T. 

Brasana from every activity till 

further notice as a deterrent to 

others who might want to 

support Binidodogha. 

According to them, the 

traditional institution in Ijaw 

land is sacred and therefore not 

subject to foreign gods, except 

Egbesu, adding that Egbema 

Kingdom is of special 

importance in Ijaw land and it 

is cardinal to the very survival 

of the Ijaw race worldwide. 

On Friday, Egbema 

Traditional Council of Chiefs 

from the kingdoms including 

Ijaw National Congress, INC, 

Ijaw Elders Forum, Ijaw Youth 

Council and its allied bodies as 

true representatives of the 

people took a decision to battle 

Binidodogha but will he stop? 

The fragile peace being 

enjoyed by communities in that 

coastal area between the Ijaws 

and the Binis is being 

threatened, but as Robinson 

Uroupa, the National 

President, Ofunama Federated 

Communities, while 

responding to a question, said 

“it is another ploy by the Edo 

Government to rule us; we will 

resist it.” 

Imiringi residents lament abandoned bridge 

BAYELSA… 

THE JERUSALEM OF 

IJAW NATION 

*The abandoned bridge project. 

in the area and it has not been easy 

for those coming from other towns 

in Ogbia and Nembe,” he added. 

Neglected treasure 

Another resident, who simply 

identified herself as Howell said: “It 

will not cost the state government 

much to complete this project and it 

is my prayer that the government 

takes this project as a priority so as 

to give our people a sense of 

belonging. 

“As you are aware, Imiringi is 

contributing to the monthly 

derivation fund Bayelsa State enjoys 

as an oil-producing state. The area 

has 15 functional oil wells and 10 

gas wells. It is only proper that 

government does the right thing by 

completing the project. 

“The collapse of this bridge during 

the devastating 2012 flood, was a big 

blow to us. We lost farmlands and crops 

like people in other parts of the state. 

We thought we could recover from the 

loss because we believed government 

would come to our aid but it is nine 

years now since we lost the bridge, we 

are still unable to put to use the new one 

promised us because it is yet to be 

completed. 

“Imiringi is an oil-producing 

community. We have contributed to the 

financial profile of Bayelsa State with 

the federal allocation. It is unfortunate 

that we would be allowed to suffer like 

this. We had thought that by the time 

the last administration left, the bridge 

would have been completed and 

commissioned but it was abandoned, 

hence, we are again pleading with 

Governor Diri to complete the project,” 

Ebimo Jones said.

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

FG may suspend NIN registration — MINISTER 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021— 27 

NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

Continues from Page 5 

was now at a critical level 

in its hospital capacity. 

Government also 

explained its inability to 

produce COVID-19 

vaccines in the country, 

attributing it to several 

years of inadequate 

investments in the health 

sector. 

While it declared that no 

state was immuned to the 

virus, government also 


roll out Rapid Diagnostic 

Test Kits RDTKs in five 

tertiary health institutions 

in Abuja next Monday. 

The government had last 

year, faulted Kogi State 

government’s insistence 

on using test kits rather 

than deploying the more 

expensive PCR test. 

Schools 

resumption 

Speaking at yesterday’s 

briefing of the Presidential 

Task Force, PTF, on 

COVID-19, the Minister 

of Education, Malam 

Adamu Adamu, said the 

earlier resumption date of 

January 18 was not cast 

in stone. 

“When we decided on 

that date, it was just a 

target towards which we 

were working. And, of 

course, we are giving it a 

review in view of what is 

happening in the country. 

“Today (yesterday) at the 

PTF meeting, we looked 

at the rising figures and 

decided that probably we 

should take another look 

at the date. 

“The January 18 

resumption date is not 

sacrosanct as it is subject 

to constant review in view 

of prevailing 

epidemiological 

circumstances. We are 

reviewing it. In view of the 

rising cases, today 

(yesterday) we have 

considered it at the 

meeting of the PTF and 

tomorrow (today), the 

ministry is going to take 

it up. So, most likely it is 

going to be reviewed,” 

Adamu stated. 

Protocol review 

National Coordinator of 

the Task Force, Dr Sani 

Aliyu, noted that the PTF 

would soon review the 

safety protocols to target 

night crawlers who violate 

the current safety 

precautions. 

“Our beds are fast filling 

up in our treatment 

centres and you don’t 

want to be in a situation 

where decision is taken as 

to whether you should be 

put on oxygen or a 

ventilator. 

“The PTF is currently in 

the process of reviewing 

our protocols. We have 

had discussions with state 

governors, including a 

review of curfew hours, 

particularly with the aim 

of addressing the issue of 

night life and 

entertainment which is 

also driving the current 

numbers and once this 

review is completed, an 

announcement will follow 


curfew,” he stated. 

Director General of the 

Nigeria Centre for 

Disease Control NCDC, 

Dr Chikwe Iheakwazu, 

on his part, lamented that 

hospital capacity in 

several towns had 

reached a critical level. 

He said: “We are 

reaching a critical level 

with our hospital capacity 

in many towns in Nigeria 

and we must begin to 

protect our most 

vulnerable as we get 

deeper into this phase of 

the outbreak. Remember 

this virus is not tired and 

it is taking advantage of 

our tiredness and 

fatigue.” 

Minister of State, 

Health, Dr Olorunnimbe 

Mamora, who also spoke 

after speaking earlier on 

Channels Television, 

warned against 

overcrowding at the 

enrollment centres of the 



Commission NIMC, 

saying the situation 

could be avoided if 

prospective enrollees 

would adhere to the 

timelines released by the 

Commission. 

He said the result of the 

test of participants of the 

National Youth Service 

Corps NYSC scheme 

indicated that no part of 

the country was free of the 

virus, saying the PTF 

reached the conclusion 

knowing that corps 

members were mobilized 

from all over the country. 

“The result from the 

tests conducted on 

prospective NYSC 

members has 

incontrovertibly 

confirmed that no part of 

the country is free of 

COVID-19 disease. We 

safely and comfortably 

draw this conclusion 

because corps members 

are mobilized from all the 

states of the country for 

each of the orientation 

camps. 

“With the increased 

number of confirmed 

cases, the number of 

active cases has 

increased. As of today, we 

have 18,699 active cases 

on treatment both in 

facility and in the 

community using the 

treatment protocols. 

Many of the active cases 

may require care in one 

of the treatment or 

isolation centres thus 

imposing enormous 

burden on our facilities. 

“The report that many of 

those who died, reported 

late for treatment at the 

approved centres because 

they were referred late 

from private facilities is 

alarming. We, therefore, 

once again seize this 

opportunity to urge health 

care practitioners to 

promptly send all 

suspected cases for 

testing and when 

positive, refer them to 

isolation centres for 

treatment. 

‘’Attempting to treat 

suspected or confirmed 

cases not only exposes 

the health workers in such 

a facility to risk of infection 

but also denies the patient 

early access to effective 

treatment in an approved 

treatment centre.’’ 

Secretary to the 

Government of the 

Federation, SGF, and 

Chairman of the PTF, Mr 

Boss Mustapha, noted 

that the current wave of 

infections was swift and 

virulent “and we do not 

know how long it will last. 

“Besides, the facilities 

available for the treatment 

of critical cases remain 

very limited and we do 

not wish to be 

overwhelmed. Your best 

bet, therefore, is to avoid 

infections completely.’’ 

Mustapha said in order 

to scale up testing, “the 

pilot exercise on the use 

of Rapid Diagnostic Test- 

Kits RDTs will be rolled 

out in five tertiary health 

institutions in Abuja from 

Monday next week. 

“Last week, Nigeria 

recorded over 9,000 cases. 

Realistically, if we 

estimate the numbers 

missed, we would be in a 

much higher region. 

There is no state in 

Nigeria that is immune to 

this pandemic even if 

reports are not coming 

out of such states”. 

He said the isolation of 

different strains of the 

virus was being 

vigorously pursued as the 

PTF is working with the 

Africa Centre for Disease 

Control CDC and the 

NCDC on the 

sequencing of the COVID 

strains circulating in 

Nigeria. 

Vaccine 

production 

Executive Director of the 

National Primary Health 

Care Development 

Agency NPHCDA, Dr 

Faisal Shuaib, explained 

why Nigeria has not been 

able to produce its own 

COVID-19 vaccines. 

He said: “There are 

questions around why we 

are not producing the 

COVID-19 vaccines in 

Nigeria. I want to just put 

on record that the process 

of producing a vaccine is 

very complex and 

complicated. You don’t 

just go to a shelf and pick 

up a vaccine. 

‘’So, it requires massive 

investments that have not 

been done for many 

decades. In the past, in 

the 1960s, we used to 

make Yellow Fever 

EXTENDED SPECIAL PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME—Minister of Science 

& Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu (4TH L), Secretary to Ebonyi State 

Government, Dr Ugbala Igwe (5Th L) with other dignitaries and beneficiaries 

of the Extended Special Public Works programme (774,000 Jobs) of the Federal 

Government in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 

vaccines in this country. In 

the ’90s, we took a 

decision to change our 

analogue ways of making 

the yellow fever vaccines 

into the more recent 

technology. 

‘’However, that transfer 

of technology never 

happened and that is why 

we did not continue to 

make Yellow Fever 

vaccines. Perhaps, if we 

had continued making 

yellow fever vaccines in 

Yaba Laboratory in Lagos, 

it may have been easier 

for us to continue and 

make other vaccines 

before now. 

‘’So, there is a genuine 

efforts by this 

administration to restart 

the process of vaccines 

production which is why 

the Federal Government 

went into a hint venture 

agreement with Bio- 

Vaccines through May 

and Baker. It takes usually 

10 to 15 years for you to 

be able to start producing 

the vaccines. It takes a 

very long and complicated 

process.” 

He said Nigeria hopes 

to cover 70 per cent of its 

population when it gets 

the vaccines, saying while 

20 per cent of the vaccines 

was a donation from the 

COVAXX facility, Nigeria 

would have to source for 

funds to pay for the 

remaining 50 per cent. 

Shuaib expressed 

optimism that Nigeria 

would never get to the 

point where it had to force 

people to take the 

vaccines, saying his 

agency was working with 

religious leaders and the 

media to sensitise the 

public on the nature of the 

vaccines. 

NIMC staff 

threaten strike 

again 

Meanwhile, staff of the 

National Identification 


Commission, NIMC, 

yesterday, again, 

threatened to embark on 

another round of strike, 

barely 24 hours after 

calling off its initial strike 

to protest failure of 

government to protect 

them against contracting 

COVID-19, in view of the 

crowd that turn out for 

NIN registration at 

centres nationwide. 

Consequently, the 

workers gave the federal 

government a 21-day 

ultimatum to meet their 

demand or face indefinite 

strike. 

The chairman of NIMC 

Senior Staff Association, 

Mr. Lucky Michael, who 

disclosed this yesterday, 

said the fresh ultimatum 

became imperative 

because the key demands 

they raised before the 

previous strike had not 

been met by the 

authorities. 

He said the union 

suspended the initial 

strike on compassionate 

ground, bearing in mind 

the stress people seeking 

to be enrolled were 

passing through. 

He said: “We stepped 

down the previous strike 

to see how we can meet 

the yearnings of Nigerian 

citizens. If you look 

around, you will see that 

everywhere is filled up 

today because they want 

to link their NIN with 

their SIM cards. 

“You are aware that 

government has 

announced that JAMB 

candidates will need their 

NIN to be able to register 

for JAMB this year, the 

FRSC has also announced 

that by second quarter of 

2021, NIN will be 

requirement for renewal 

of drivers’ license. 

“Those are some of the 

things that compelled us 

to resume work while we 

discussed the issues. 

“Last Friday, the 

Minister stepped into the 

matter, he has given us 

face mask, face shield. 

The ones meant for state 

offices were dumped at 

zonal offices and they 

asked the state 

coordinators to come and 

pick them up 

individually, and we say 

no, it is part of what we 

are agitating for. 

“Pay me well, then I will 

live well, you are paying 

a state coordinator less 

than N100,000, yet, you 

expect him to use that 

same amount to run the 

state offices. At the end 

of the day, who 

reimburses who? 

‘’They should be able to 

do what they said they 

will do, then, we will 

know that they are 

serious. At the end of the 

two days warning strike on 

Friday, we issued fresh 

21days ultimatum which 

is currently running and 

at the end of the 

ultimatum, if nothing 

happened, nobody 

should be held 

responsible because that 

is in line with the law. 

According to the law, we 

have to give them 21days 

ultimatum. 

“In 2019, we issued this 

same 21-day ultimatum 

on the same issues and 

till today nothing has 

happened. 

‘’If you add 21 to 21, you 

have 42 days and if after 

the 42 days, they still 

failed to do the needful, 

we will be left with no 

option but to go back to 

the streets to demand for 

what rightly belongs to 

us.” 

He, however, said that 

the union would be 

meeting with the 

Minister tomorrow 

(today) to resume 

discussion on the issues, 

adding that he would 

not make comments on 

the next line of action 

until after the meeting. 

On the Minister of 

Health’s advice against 

continued enrollment of 

citizens due to 

overcrowding, Michael 

said the staff would 

manage in so far as all the 

needed protective 

materials were provided 

by government.


What you should know about 

COVID-19 vaccination 

By Sola Ogundipe 

RECENTLY, the World 

Health Organisation, 

WHO, in it’s Strategic 

Advisory Group of Experts 

on Immunisation, SAGE, 

issued its policy 

recommendations for the 

rollout of the first COVID- 

19 vaccine approved for 

emergency use - the 

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID- 

19 vaccine. 

According to SAGE, the 

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID- 

19 mRNA vaccine is safe 

and effective and there are 

specific populations for 

whom vaccination is not 

recommended, either due 

to contraindications, lack 

of supply, or limited data. 

These populations 

currently include people 

with a history of severe 

allergies, most pregnant 

women, international 

travellers who are not part 

of a prioritised group, and 

children under 16. 

The priority is to start 

vaccinating health workers 

at high risk of exposure, 

followed by older adults, 

before vaccinating the rest 

of the population. 

People who should not 

be vaccinated 

According to the WHO, 

people with allergies 

should not be vaccinated 

if they have a history of 

severe allergic reaction to 

any component of the 

vaccine should not take the 

vaccine. 

Pregnant women are at 

higher risk of severe 

COVID-19 than nonpregnant 

women, and 

COVID-19 has been 

associated with an 

increased risk of pre-term 

birth, but vaccination of 

pregnant women at this 

time is not recommended. 

But in the event that a 

pregnant woman has an 

unavoidable risk high of 

exposure, vaccination may 

be considered. 

The WHO says a 

woman that takes the 

vaccine is not 

recommended to get 

pregnant for 2 to 3 months 

post-vaccination. 

A breastfeeding woman 

can be vaccinated if she 

is part of a group (such as 

health workers) 

recommended for 

vaccination. 

Breastfeeding shouldnt 

be discontinued by such 

women after vaccination. 

The vaccine has only 

been tested in children 

above 16 years of age, 

therefore, children below 

16 years of age are not 

recommended to be 

L-R: Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director, Access Bank, Akin Abayomi, Commissioner 

for Health, Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, Yemi 

Onabowale, Group Chief Executive Officer, Reddington Hospital Group and his 

wife, Dayo at the Commissioning of Armoured Shield Isolation Centre at Victoria 

Island, Lagos. 

vaccinated even if they 

belong to a high-risk 

group. 

The vaccine has been 

found to be safe and 

effective in people with 

various conditions that are 

associated with increased 

risk of severe disease. 

This includes 

hypertension, diabetes, 

asthma, cancer, 

pulmonary, liver or kidney 

disease, as well as chronic 

infections that are stable 

and controlled. 

For persons who are 

immune-compromised, 

they may be vaccinated if 

they are part of a group 

recommended for 

vaccination when possible, 

but not before receiving 

information and 

counselling. 

Persons living with HIV 

are at higher risk of severe 

COVID-19 disease. But 

limited safety data exists on 

HIV-infected persons with 

well controlled disease 

from the clinical trials. 

Vaccination can be 

offered to people who 

have had COVID-19 and 

recovered, however, they 

may wish to defer their own 

vaccination for up to six 

months from the time of 

infection. 

Testing for prior infection 

is not recommended for 

the purpose of vaccine 

decision-making. 

At present, WHO does not 

support the introduction of 

requirements for proof of 

vaccination against 

CORONAVIRUS: Sequencing of Nigerian 

variant at midway point — OMILABU 


EFFORTS to sequence 

the coronavirus strain 

discovered in Nigeria are 

advancing and the 

findings from the will be 

submitted to the World 

Health Organisation, 

WHO. 

The director of the 

Centre for Human and 

Zoonotic Virology at the 

Lagos University Teaching 

Hospital and the College 

of Medicine, University of 

Lagos, Prof Sunday 

Omilabu, who disclosed 

this, said the research was 

at a midway point. 

"We are at the midway 

point and sending out 

samples for the 

sequencing outside the lab 

in Lagos state. We are in 

the process of installing a 

sequencer at the lab and 

having issues with 

reagents, but hopefully 

very soon, there would be 

further information on the 

sequencing." 

According to Omilabu, 

the surge in infection rate 

of the Covid-19 virus in 

Nigeria in in recent times 

is a clinical pointer to the 

presence of a variant. 

"The surge in the number 

of new infections is 

pointing clinically to a 

variant. In the last two 

months, we have been 

noticing that thet the surge 

is moving gradually until 

the last two weeks in 

November till this month 

(January) that we notice 

there are lots of people 

coming down and that is 

clinically evident. 

“We knew there must be 

a variant responsible for 

this but can not confirm 

until we finish the 

sequencing and we are 

satisfied. We will share the 

results with the World 

Health Organization, 

WHO.: 

COVID-19 for 

international travelers as a 

condition for exiting or 

entering a country or for 

travelling internationally. 

Safe and effective 

vaccines will be a 

gamechanger, for the 

foreseeable future, but 

everyone must continue to 

wear masks, physically 

distance, avoid crowds and 

apply other health 

measures. 

Vaccination is not cure 

Being vaccinated doesn't 

mean you can throw caution 

to the wind and put yourself 

and others at risk. It is still 

not clear the degree to which 

the vaccines can protect not 

only against disease but also 

against infection and 

transmission. 

Further, he explained 

that sequencing is to 

monitor the strain 

circulating in the 

environment so that tthere 

would be information of the 

particular strains 

circulation. 

“The strains circulating 

in the UK, South Africa abd 

elsewhere we're 

discovered as result of their 

surveillance and 

sequencing to see what is 

changing in the novel 

virus. 

"It is natural for RNA 

viruses to mutate and 

when drugs are 

introduced, they also 

mutate to establish their 

survival. This is what 

informs mutation of viruses 

and this affects their 

virulence but not in all 

cases. Once they mutate, 

there is a likelihood that 

the mutation many affect 

the virulence via via 

potency,” he stated. 

Lagos boosts COVID-19 

response 

...As Sanwo-Olu opens Armoured Shield 

isolation centre 

By Chioma Obinna 

THE Governor of 

Lagos State, Mr. 

Babajide Sanwo-Olu has 

commissioned the 

Armoured Shield 

Isolation Centre in Victoria 

Island, Lagos. The facility 

is promoted by the 

Reddington Hospital 

Group in furtherance of a 

robust partnership 

between the public and 

private sector in tackling 

the COVID-19 pandemic 

in Nigeria. 

At the commissioning, 

the Governor said the 

isolation centre was 

important for the state 

government as clear 

demonstration of power of 

collaboration between the 

public and private sectors. 

Sanwo-Olu commended 

Reddington Hospital 

Group for establishing the 

Isolation Centre even as 

Nigeria battles the second 

wave of the pandemic. 

He said that the Lagos 

State government will 

continue to encourage 

private sector participation 

in health care delivery in 

the state as the burden will 

be too much for the 

government to bear alone. 

Speaking, the Group 

Medical Director of 

Reddington Hospital, Dr. 

Olutunde Lalude 

reiterated the need for the 

private sector to partner 

with the Government in 

the battle against the 

second wave of the 

pandemic. 

The Armoured Shield 

Isolation Centre is a 40- 

Bed hospital with inhouse 

facility for PCR 

Testing, ambulance 

response, CT Scan, 

Operating Theatre, 

isolation care, high 

dependency care and 

Level 3 ICU capability for 

covid-19 treatment. 

The Armoured Shield 

Medical Complex and its 

command structure is 

situated in four locations 

across Lagos with an 

incident command office 

in Victoria Island. 

The facility is managed 

by a multi-disciplinary 

assemble of specialists 

consisting of intensive 

care physicians, 

Pulmonologists, 

Cardiologist Internal 

medicine physicians, 

intensivists, general and 

thoracic surgeons, 

infectious disease 

specialists among other 

medical experts. 

On his part, Project 

Director, Andy Cunliffe 

emphasised the need to 

bridge the gap between 

preparedness and 

response, saying that 

Reddington were proud 

to support the efforts of 

Government through the 

launch of the new 

Armoured Shield Centre. 

Recall that Reddington 

Zaine Laboratory, a 

Covid-19 Testing facility 

promoted by Reddington 

Hospital Group was 

commissioned in 

September 2020 to 

provide PCR testing with 

results available within 

24 hours. It is one of the 

labs accredited to provide 

PCR Testing for 

international air travelers 

to and out of Nigeria. 

Another coronavirus mutant 

strain discovered in Japan 


A 

NEW mutant strain of 

coronavirus has been 

discovered in Japan . It has 

similarities to that of the 

highly-contagious variants 

in the UK and South 

Africa. 

The mutation, which has 

not been spotted before, 

was found in four people 

who arrived on a flight from 

Brazil. 

A report in Nikkei Asia said 

the passengers landed at 

Haneda Airport in Tokyo 

on Saturday, January 2. 

The group comprising men 

and women took tests at 

the airport which came 

back positive. 

Three of those who tested 

positive for the virus 

displayed symptoms 

including breathing 

difficulties, a fever and a 

sore throat. 

According to Bloomberg, 

one man in his 40s had 

arrived in Japan without 

symptoms but was later 

hospitalised as he 

struggled to breath. 

Their tests were taken to the 

National Institute of 

Infectious Diseases which 

confirmed it was the 

mutated variant. 

Japan's Ministry of Health, 

Labour and Welfare 

reported the new strain to 

the World Health 

Organisation. 

Information about the new 

strain is currently restricted 

to its genetic make-up and 

it is not possible yet to 

determine how infectious it 

is. 

It is also not possible to 

know yet whether the 

vaccines which are being 

rolled out across the world 

will be effect in combating 

it.

:Vanguard 

Aof KURE—COLLEGE 

Education, Ikere 

Ekiti Pensioners 

Association, yesterday, 

lamented their 27 years 

unpaid pension and 

gratuity by the Ekiti State 

government. 

They said the situation 

had brought untold 

hardship on them, as more 

than 150 of its members 

have died “without 

enjoying the fruits of their 

labour, after waiting 

endlessly for their 

pension.” 

Speaking with newsmen 

in Akure, on behalf of the 

pensioners, the former 

Librarian of the school and 

the Secretary of the 

association, Mr. Mathew 

Popoola, said: “It is a pity 

that some pensioners died, 

submitting to the cruel 

hands of fate, because they 

couldn’t care for themselves 

health-wise. Those still 

alive are not better, because 

the monthly pensions are 

not being paid. 

“The situation has 

become unbearable for us 

and we have no option than 

to cry aloud for the world to 

know that we are suffering. 

“There were no concrete 

plans to pay pensioners 

entitlement by successive 


Ekiti pensioners lament 27 years unpaid 

pension, gratuities • Govt keeps mum 

By Dayo Johnson & 

Rotimi Ojomoyela 

:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 

governments, except the 

attempts made by Governor 

Fayemi during his first term 

in office which could not be 

fulfilled because he lost his 

re-election bid. 

“This was the state we 

were in in 2016 that led the 

pensioners forming an 

association that would fight 

for the payment of their 

benefits and approached 

National Industrial Court in 

Akure.” 

The Secretary said that 

the Court in a judgement 

delivered by Justice K. D. 

Damulak, mandated the 

Ekiti State Government to 

pay the pensioners their 

pensions, gratuities, 

Tinubu commiserates with 

Adebutu over wife’s death 

LLeader AGOS—NATIONAL 

of the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, Asiwaju Bola 

Tinubu, yesterday, 

commiserated with the 

Chairman, Premier Lotto, 

Kessington Adebutu, over 

the death of one of his 

wives, Mrs. Rosemary 

Adebutu. 

Mrs. Adebutu died on 

Saturday, January 9, in 

Lagos. 

In a letter, Tinubu said: 

“I’m deeply saddened by 

arrears of salaries and other 

emoluments having served 

the 

institution 

meritoriously. 

He said: “The order 

compelled the Ekiti State 

government to pay the 

pensioners the sum of 

N1.34 billion, while the 

defendant shall pay to the 

claimants their outstanding 

benefits, which include 

pensions, gratuities and 

arrears of salaries in 21 

equal installments of N50 

million monthly." 

As at the close of work 

yesterday, Ekiti state 

government was yet to issue an 

official reaction to the industrial 

court judgement. 

the news of the passing of 

your beloved wife. By way 

of this letter, please accept 

my heartfelt condolences. 

“The passing of our loved 

ones is always painful and 

difficult to live with. We 

must, however, take such 

developments as the will of 

God and accept it in good 

faith. 

“Please take solace in the 

memories of the time you 

spent together with your 

wife and the fact that she 

lived a good life devoted to 

the service of God and 

humanity."


Experts project into Nigeria’s real 

estate sector performance in 2021 

•Say sector to do better 

By Kingsley Adgboye 

with Agency report 

THE year 2020, although 

filled with mixed feelings 

and many hurdles, was a year 

packed with lessons. The year 

emerged with unforeseen turn 

of events that have initiated 

unprecedented trends in the 

Nigerian market, and the 

world at large, with severe 

impacts on supply chains, 

economic activities, and 

international trade. 

Economies are trying to 

manage unemployment by 

reductions in interest rates, and 

other governmental action 

that impacts industries – 

mainly travel, tourism, and 

hospitality. Currently, global 

markets are trying to recover, 

the IMF warns of a slower 

2021, and individuals and 

businesses are left to wonder, 

“how long will this trend 

continue?” 

This pandemic will forever 

change all that we know, and 

have taken for granted as being 

‘normal’, and it would be 

naive of us, almost 

catastrophic in fact, to think 

that things will simply just go 

back to normal as they were 

earlier this year. 

This new reality has changed 

us as consumers, and the 

organizations we lead must 

change too, if we are to survive 

and thrive in the coming era 

of work. While every country 

is at a different stage of the 

pandemic, and many 

businesses are struggling to 

tackle the ‘here and now’ 

situation, it’s important that we 

also start to focus our attention 

on the future sooner, rather 

than later. 

According to Bilaad Realty, 

a real estate journal, “But, how 

best can business owners and 

investors plan for 2021, help 

rebuild the economy, invest 

wisely and get value for their 

money? This is what a few 

industry experts have to say. 

“For businesses and 

individuals to thrive in 2021, 

amidst increasing prices of 

commodities in the country, 

there is need to prioritize our 

expenses. We must carefully 

think through all business 

decisions as regards spending 

and come up with cost-cutting 

measures to stem the tide of 

increased cost of living. 

“In 2021, businesses should 

do more; be flexible in 

carrying out their business and 

Increase focus on online sales 

– proven over time to help grow 

businesses organically”, Eze 

Nwogu noted 

“We are projecting recession 

in the second quarter or at the 

end of the first quarter of 2021. 

So, it is important that we keep 

an eye on certain sectors like 

the real estate market, to 

ensure that expending 

continues in that sector in order 

to stay on top of the economic 

recession and mitigate the 

impact of COVID-19”, Alfred 

Friday Okoh said. 

“Real estate still remains the 

asset of choice when it comes 

to investment and this has 

proven more than ever before 

to be so, in 2020. Buyers should 

be careful where they put their 

money in 2021. Extensive 

research should be carried out 

before making any 

investments, to ensure they 

work with companies with 

•Residential estate under construction 

proven track record of 

delivering value”, Abdulmalik 

S. Mahdi stated. 

Managing Partner, Modern 

Shelter, Mrs. Amina Lawal, 

opined that “The Nigerian 

economy has been hit with 

both the Covid 19 pandemic 

outbreak, dip in oil price and 

Foreign Exchange (FX) 

volatility. The society at large 

have become less interested in 

investments, with capital 

savings yielding negative 

returns in the wake of rising 

double-digit inflation 

currently at 13.7%. It is 

important for organizations to 

prioritize spending and 

postpone expenses that will not 

add value in the current 

situation”. 

On collaboration, she said 

“In 2021, we should look out 

for more meaningful and lifechanging 

collaborations 

between Government (Public) 

and Private Sector. The private 

sector will come to the rescue 

of the deficit budgets being 

experienced by the 

Government, and will channel 

their investments to providing 

infrastructure and capital 

projects that will create an 

enabling environment for 

Small and Medium Scale 

businesses to thrive and on the 

other hand, increase the Gross 

Domestic Product (GDP) of the 

Nation.” 

Lagos Assembly set to pass new 

Bill on real estate regulation 

By Ebunoluwa Sessou 

EXPERTS in the 

construction industry 

have accused members of 

Lagos State House of 

Assembly of breaking the law, 

saying it is wrong for them to 

create a new Bill to regulate 

real estate operations in the 

state. 

The accusation came 

during public hearing on the 

Bill entitled; “Lagos State Real 

Estate Regulatory Authority” 

which went through public 

hearing recently at the 

Assembly pavilion. 

A lawyer, Mr. Olukayode 

Olatunji, in his comment 

faulted the Assembly for 

holding the public hearing, 

saying issues relating to who 

has the right to control real 

estate in the state was before 

a court of law already. 

“There is a court order on 

this matter. The House of 

Assembly should not waste 

time with the public hearing. 

We are in court and we must 

respect the law. We are 

lawmakers, so we should not 

break the law,” he said. 

Also speaking, a professor 

from the University of Lagos, 

Professor Martins Dada 

wanted the house to define 

what was meant by real estate 

transaction, adding that one 

problem should not be 

created by trying to solve 

another one. 

“The House should consider 

ways to grow the economy 

and not jeopardise people’s 

efforts by creating an 

unfriendly environment 

around their businesses”, he 

said. 

In his address, the Chairman 

of the Committee on Housing, 

Mr. Bisi Yusuff, Alimosho 1, 

disclosed that the Bill was 

meant to check the excesses of 

operators in the real estate 

industry as well as curb 

quackery within the sector. 

Speaker of the House, Mr. 

Mudashiru Obasa, 

represented by the Deputy 

Speaker, Mr. Wasiu 

Eshinlokun-Sanni, said that 

public hearing is part of the 

practise of the House before 

any Bill is passed into Law. 

Reviewing the Bill, the 

Majority Leader of the House, 

Mr. Sanai Agunbiade said 

that it was divided into 37 

sections and that the 

Regulatory Authority would 

be headed by a Chairman, 

who shall be a person of 

repute and a professional in 

his area of practice with not 

less than 15 years of cognate 

experience. 

In his reaction, the National 

President of Estate Rents and 

Commission Agents 

Association of Nigeria, Mr. 

Godwin Alenkhe, said that 

estate surveyors and valuers 

were omitted in the 

composition of the Board and 

that the Bill was an 

amendment to the 2007 Law 

on Real Estate. 

Mr. Bolaji Raymond from 

the Association of Estate 

Agents in Nigeria said that the 

Bill did not provide for parallel 

regulation, adding that 

penalty should be served for 

not meeting the requirements 

for registration. 

Intrigue as Democrats introduce 

article of impeachment against Trump 

•Republicans block 25th amendment vote 

By Henry Ojelu with 

agency report 

DEMOCRATS in the 

US House of Representatives 

yesterday formally 

introduced an 

article of impeachment 

against President Donald 

Trump for incitement to insurrection 

and called on 

Vice President Pence to invoke 

the 25thAmendment 

to remove Trump now. 

The article of impeachment 

cites Trump’s “repeatedly 

issued false 

statements” that he lost 

the 2020 election “because 

of widespread fraud.” 

Addressing a crowd of 

supporters in Washington 

on January 6, Trump said, 

“We won this election and 

won it by a landslide” and 

he urged his supporters to 

march on the Capitol and 

“fight like hell”. 

The Democrat-controlled 

House is poised to pass the 

article of impeachment in 

a vote as soon as Wednesday 

if Trump does not 

resign first, House 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said 

on Sunday. Democrats 

have suggested not sending 

the article to the 

Senate until after Biden’s 

first 100 days in office. 

The Republican-led Senate 

is unlikely to take up 

impeachment proceedings 

until after Trump 

leaves office and Senate 

Majority Leader Mitch 

McConnell has said he 

will not start a trial before 

the president term ends. 

With just nine days to go 

until Joe Biden is inaugurated 

president on January 

20 any Senate trial 

would occur later under 

new Democratic leadership. 

Democrats’ latest effort 

to force out Trump also 

faces long odds of success 

without bipartisan 

support. It requires a twothirds 

majority to convict 

and remove Trump in the 

100-member Senate, 

where Republicans will 

have a slim majority until 

the winners of the recent 

Georgia runoff races are 

seated and Vice President-elect 

Kamala Harris 

is sworn in. Harris would 

be the tie-breaking vote in 

the chamber. 

So far, only four Republican 

lawmakers have said 

publicly that Trump should 

not serve out the remaining 

nine days in his term. 

An impeachment trial 

would tie up the Senate 

during Biden’s first weeks 

in office, preventing the 

new president from installing 

Cabinet secretaries 

and acting on priorities 

like coronavirus relief. 

Representative Jim Clyburn, 

the No. 3 House 

Democrat, has suggested 

his chamber could avoid 

that problem by waiting 

several months to send 

the impeachment charge 

over to the Senate. 

Trump would be long 

gone by then, but a conviction 

could lead to him 

being barred from running 

for president again 

in 2024. The votes also 

would force Trump’s Republicans 

to again defend 

his behavior. 

Meanwhile House Republicans 

on Monday 

blocked a Democratic request 

to bring up a resolution 

urging Vice President 

Mike Pence to start 

the US Constitution’s 25th 

Amendment process of 

removing President 

Donald Trump from office. 

House Democrats 

sought agreement to immediately 

bring up the 

resolution for debate, but 

Republicans stopped it on 

a voice vote. Democrats 

have indicated they will 

seek a recorded vote on 

the same resolution on 

Tuesday. 

House Speaker Nancy 

Pelosi has said Democrats 

will move ahead with impeachment 

if the 25th 

Amendment is not invoked. 

Biden nominates veteran diplomat as 

CIA director 

US President-elect 

Joe Biden has chosen 

William Burns, who 

served for three decades 

as a diplomat, to be his 

CIA director. 

Yemen’s Houthis condemn US 

move to brand them terrorists 

A 

leader of Yemen’s 

Houthi movement 

said on Monday the 

Iran-aligned group 

reserved the right to 

respond to any US move 

to blacklist it after the 

Trump administration announced 

its intent to designate 

it as a foreign terrorist 

organisation. 

“The policy of the 

Trump administration 

and its behaviour is terrorist,” 

Mohammed Ali 

al-Houthi said in a Twitter 

post. “We reserve the 

right to respond to any 

designation issued by 

the Trump administration 

or any administration.” 

“The Yemeni people 

don’t care about any 

designation from [US 

President Donald] 

Trump’s administration 

as it is a partner in 

killing Yemenis and 

starving them,” he 

added. 

Iran’s foreign ministry 

spokesman also denounced 

the move, saying 

blacklisting the 

Houthis, like the designation 

of Iran-aligned 

Iraqi Popular Mobilisation 

Committee chairman 

Falih al-Fayyadh 

last week, is “doomed to 

fail”. 

“It is clear that such 

moves are mostly due to 

the very undesirable 

conditions of the US in 

West Asia,” Saeed Khatibzadeh 

said in Tehran. 

“It won’t be far and 

away when they come 

and negotiate with these 

same responsible and 

Indigenous groups in 

different countries, including 

in Yemen. These 

moves don’t have serious 

value. These are the 

final days of the Trump 

regime.” 

Mr Burns led the 

Obama administration’s 

negotiations with Iran to 

reach a landmark nuclear 

deal in 2015. Before that 

he served as ambassador 

to Russia. 

He is currently the president 

of the Carnegie Endowment 

for International 

Peace, an international 

think-tank. 

If confirmed by the Senate, 

he would be the first 

career diplomat in the 

post. 

The president-elect, who 

takes office on 20 January, 

has asked Congress to 

confirm his national 

security team as close to 

his inauguration as possible. 

Mr Burns retired from 

the US Foreign Service in 

2014 after a 33-year career 

at the state department, 

serving under both Republican 

and Democratic 

presidents. He holds the 

highest rank in the 

Foreign Service, career 

ambassador. 

In a statement, Mr Biden 

said: “[Mr Burns] shares 

my profound belief that 

intelligence must be apolitical 

and that the dedicated 

intelligence professionals 

serving our nation 

deserve our gratitude and 

respect.” 

Mr Burns served as 

deputy secretary of state 

under former President 

Barack Obama, ambassador 

to Russia and Jordan, 

and assistant secretary of 

state for near eastern affairs.


Confederation Cup: 

CAF reschedules Rivers Utd, Bloemfontein 

Celtic tie for Jan 22 

Confederation of Africa 

Football, CAF has 

rescheduled the 

postponed Confederation Cup tie 

between Rivers United and 

Bloemfontein Celtic for the 

weekend of January 22 in a yet to 

be determined venue. 

Rivers United beat 

Bloemfontein 2-0 in the first leg 

of the Confederation Cup round of 

32, but the South Africans were not 

given Nigerian visas for the second 

leg in Port Harcourt on January 6, 

due to Covid-19 regulations, which 

required visitors from South Africa 

FA A probes Eze over er Covid- 

19 protocol breach 

Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze will be investigated 

by the Football Association over an apparent Covid- 

19 protocol breach during last weekend’s FA Cup 

clash between Queens Park Rangers and Fulham. 

Eze was at the dirctor’s box at the Kiyan Prince 

Foundation Stadium. The FA did not approve the 

visit and would be “looking into the matter.” 

Meanwhile Newcastle manger Steve Bruce 

stated that the continuation of the Premier 

League is “morally wrong” with England in 

lock-down and strict Covid 19 protocols in place, 

following a second wave of corona virus 

infections. 

Gala close in 

on Onyek 

ekuru 

deal 

Henry Onyekuru will 

this week return to 

Galatasaray of Turkey on 

a six month loan deal. 

Reports in Turkey said 

Galatasaray and Monaco 

have reached an 

agreement to have the 

player on loan with an 

option for a permanent 

transfer at the end of the 

season. 

The Super Eagles player 

found it hard to break into 

Monaco’s starting 11 after 

joining the French Ligue 

1 side last season. He 

made only four 

apperances for 

Monaco. 

Onyekuru return to 

Turkey would be his 

third stint with 

Galatasaray having 

gone on loan from 

Everton in the 2018- 

2019 season and 

second half of 2019- 

20 season. 

•Onyekuru 

•Finidi 

•Eze 

to quarantine for two weeks. 

CAF has ruled that the match 

would now be played in a 

neighboring West African country, 

which has lenient Covid 19 

protocols for visiting South Africans. 

CAF arrived at the decision to 

move the match to another country 

after the South African Football 

•Richerson 

Association wrote a petition after the 

Nigerian government turned down 

appeal for approval for the South 

Africans to be granted wavers for 

the game. 

CAF has mandated the Nigeria 

Football Federation, NFF to pick a 

date, kick off time and neutral venue 

and communicate to the African 

ruling body latest January 12. 

PGA Directors stop Championship 

at Trump Golf Course 

he PGA of America Board 

Tof Directors have voted to 

terminate the agreement to 

play the 2022 PGA 

Championship at the Trump 

Bedminster Golf 

•Ronaldo 

Course in New Jersey. 

This was disclosed Sunday by the 

PGA of America President, Jim 

Richerson who said in a statement 

posted on Twitter, that it was as a 

result of the attack of the US Capitol 

Delta State 

LG G Sports 

ts 

Fes 

estiv 

tival 

al 

postponed 

The Delta State Local Governments 

Sports Festival earlier scheduled to 

open on January 14 has been 

postponed. 

Chairman of the Local Organising 

Committee and former Chairman of 

the Delta State chapter of the 

Association of Local Governments 

of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon Itiako 

Constantine Ikpokpo, explained 

that the shift became necessary in 

overriding public interest in 

consideration of the new wave of 


The development arose from a 

meeting on Monday with the 

Secretary to the Government of 

Delta State, Hon Chiedu Ebie who 

invited the organisers to present 

their plans for precaution and 

prevention of the spread of the 

disease during the event. 

While commending the 

committee for their detailed strategy, 

the SSG said, considering the 

amount of work already done by the 

committee, deciding for or against 

going ahead with the event is like a 

choice between the devil and the 

deep blue sea. He however pointed 

out that in situations like this, it is 

safer to err on the side of caution. 

by supporters of President Donald 

trump. 

“It has become clear that 

conducting the PGA Championship 

at Trump Bedminster would be 

detrimental to the PGA of America 

brand and would put at risk the 

PGA’s ability to deliver our many 

programs and sustain the longevity 

of our mission,” Richerson added 

in a video posted on the 

organisation’s website. 

This decision follws increased 

calls in the golf world for leaders of 

the sport to distance themselves 

from Trump. 

Trump, who lost the 2020 

presidential election in November 

to Democratic rival Joe Biden, could 

face a historic second impeachment 

before Biden’s January 20 

inauguration amid continued fury 

over the storming of the Capitol on 

Wednesday by angry Trump 

supporters that left five people 

dead. 

Finidi rues loss of Golden Eaglets job 

Former Super Eagles winger 

Finidi George, has described 

his failure to land the Nigeria 

U-17 coach appointment as 

disappointing. 

Finidi, a champions league 

winner with Ajax Astermdam, 

had applied for the job in 2018, 

but the Nigeria Football 

Federation settled for coach 

Fatai Amao. 

“I’m very disappointed but 

I understand the Nigerian 

system quite well,” Finidi 

•Trump 

Ronaldo equals Bican’s all-time 

scoring record 

ristiano Ronaldo is now the joint- 

goalscorer in 

Chighest 

professional football history 

following his latest strike 

for Juventus on Sunday 

evening. 

The Portugal 

international netted 

late on to seal a 3-1 

victory over Sassuolo, 

taking his goals tally 

for club and country to 

759. 

The former Sporting 

Lisbon, Manchester 

told BBC sport. 

It’s a matter of having the 

patience. So I’m open to continue 

to improve myself with the chance 

of coaching the youth teams. 

It is disappointing to be ignored, 

but I was consoled that this is 

Nigeria. But I’m still open to 

coaching the the team. 

“When you have the right 

qualifications attitude and 

professionalism you can only aim 

for the best and who knows in the 

future it could even be with the 

United and Real Madrid forward is 

now level with Josef Bican as the sport’s 

all-time top scorer. 

Bican represented the likes of Rapid 

Vienna, Slavia Prague and Dynamo 

Prague during his playing days, as well 

as Austria and Czechoslovakia at 

international level, before retiring in 

1955. 

Brazil and Santos great Pele argues 

that he scored 1,283 goals during his 

illustrious career, but many of those 

were not in official matches. 

Ronaldo also leads the way at the top 

of the Serie A scoring charts this term, 

with his 15 goals placing him three 

ahead of Inter Milan striker Romelu 

Lukaku. 

Super Eagles. 

Finidi was in the Super Eagles 

team that won the Africa Cup of 

Nation in 1994 and also in the team 

that played in the USA’1994 FIFA 

World Cup, it was Nigeria’s debut. 

Finidi was also at the 1998 World 

Cup, he was rated as one of the best 

wingers in the world. He retired in 

2004 bagged UEFA coaching A 

license, which allows him to coach 

youth and reserve teams in Europe. 

He was coach of Real Mallocra 

youth team in 2013 and

C 

M 

Y 

K 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2021 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

ACROSS 

1 The majority (4) 

3 Disadvantage (8) 

9 Foremost (7) 

10 Brute (5) 

11 Relative by marriage (2-3) 

12 Concurred (6) 

14 Puzzle (6) 

16 Existing in fact (6) 

19 Conundrum (6) 

21 Loafer (5) 

24 Classical language (5) 

25 Trading ban (7) 

26 Surround (8) 

27 Optical glass (4) 

DOWN 

1 Hat-maker (8) 

2 Shoulder-wrap (5) 

4 Sea between Greece and Turkey (6) 

5 Exclude (5) 

6 French castle (7) 

7 Compassion (4) 

8 Indian tent (6) 

13 Splendid (8) 

15 Foolish (7) 

17 Ascends (6) 

18 Make known (6) 

20 Giver (5) 

22 Big (5) 

23 Otherwise (4) 

How to Play Sudoku 

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have 

two of the same number). 

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine 

lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block 

(nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means 

that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row. 

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or 

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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12012021 - COVID-19: FG may suspend NIN registration — MINISTER

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