22022021 - Expect N195 per litre for petrol, marketers warn

IMF, analysts 

split over 

growth forecast 

for Nigeria’s 

economy 

Kagara students: Why it’s difficult 

to use force on bandits 

8 

—NIGER GOVT 

7 die as Air Force jet 

crashes in Abuja 

9 

VOL. 27: NO. 64276 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 

Expect N195 per litre for 

petrol, marketers warn 5 

•No plans to increase price in February — NNPC •We’ll react 

when price of fuel is increased — TUC •We are not surprised by 

marketers’ arrogance — JAF 

APC 

extends 

membership 

registration 

by 3 weeks, 

explains 

shortage of 

materials 8 

COAS gives 

troops 48 hours 

to recapture 

Borno 

14 

communities 

from insurgents 

Bandits kill 

father, son, 

4 others in 

Kaduna 

6 

communities 

Privatisation 

of 

refineries, 

national 

assets 

must be 

transparent, 

Atiku tells 

FG 

9 

Mr & Mrs 

Police arrest ex-Imo gov, 

Rochas Okorocha in Owerri 

13 

COLUMNISTS OWEI 16 MAILAFIA 17 SOBOWALE 21

2 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 — 3


Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021—5 

POCKET CARTOON 

AIR FORCE PLANE CRASH—Villagers assisting the Federal Fire Service Fire Fighters as they struggled 

Danasabe Kakanda, 

to recover the bodies of the victims of an Air Force Plane crash that reportedly claimed seven lives near accused the government 

Basa Village, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida of giving the private 

depot owners edge over 

independent marketers. 

He explained that 

Expect N195 per litre for petrol, independent marketers 

were always left at the 

mercies of private depot 

marketers warn Nigerians 

owners from whom they 

rely for supplies, even 

though they also own 

filling stations and 

compete with the 

marketers. 

•No plans to increase price in February — NNPC•We’ll react 

when price of fuel is increased — TUC•We are not surprised by 

marketers’ arrogance — JAF 

By Udeme Akpan, 

Victor Ahiuma- 

Young & Obas 

Esiedesa 

LAGOS — Members 

of the Independent 

Petroleum Marketers 

Association of Nigeria, 

IPMAN, have advised 

Nigerians to expect a 

higher petrol pump price 

in the coming days, 

saying price may rise to 

N195 per litre. 

They lamented what 

they described as 

“inconsistencies” on the 

part of the Federal 

Government, the 

Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, and its 

subsidiary, the Pipeline 

and Products Marketing 

Company, PPMC, on 

deregulation policy. 

NNPC had last week, 

ruled out immediate 

price rise until a 

scheduled meeting 

between the Federal 

Government and labour 

unions at the end of the 

month. 

While the Trade Union 

Congress, TUC, said it 

would not react until the 

price was officially 

announced, the prolabour 

civil organization, 

Joint Action Front, JAF, 

said the marketers’ 

position did not come to 

them as a surprise, 

blaming the 

development on the 

failure of the trade 

union movement to 

defend workers against 

policies inimical to their 

interest. 

In his reaction last 

night, Group General 

Manager, Group Public 

Affairs Division, GPAD, 

Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, Dr. Kennie 

Obateru, said: “NNPC 

has not increased its exdepot 

price and has no 

plan to do so in February 

2021.” 

However, IPMAN 

members said that 

despite NNPC’s 

assurance of product 

availability, independent 

marketers could not 

access the product from 

NNPC depots. 

According to the 

marketers, this has 

forced them to rely on 

independent depot 

owners for supplies. 

Govt favouring 

private depot 

owners — 

IPMAN 

Speaking to journalists 

after a meeting in Abuja 

at the weekend, Chief 

Executive Officer of 

Kakanda Oil and Gas 

Nigeria 

Limited, 

He said: “With the 

inconsistencies of 

government, Nigerians 

should expect the price 

of fuel to be between 

N190 and N195.” 

‘FG must come 

clear on 

deregulation’ 

Also speaking, Chief 

Executive Officer of 

Foste Nigeria Limited, 

Chief Austin Erhabor, 

urged the Minister of 

Petroleum Resources, 

Chief Timipre Sylva, 

through NNPC, to come 

out clear to explain to 

Nigerians whether they 

had deregulated the 

petroleum supply chain 

or not. 

“It is time for them to 

separate politics from 

economics. Our business 

is dying. How can you be 

talking about 

deregulation and you 

are mentioning official 

pump price?’’ He 

queried. 

Erhabor exonerated 

petroleum marketers in 

the ongoing uncertainty 

in the supply chain, 

saying the sector was 

suffering from confused 

government policies. 

“These private depot 

owners were not 

supposed to own filling 

stations. They were 

supposed to be in the 

middle between NNPC 

and the independent 

marketers. 

“Is it fair for somebody 

that I am buying from, 

my competitor, I buy 

from you, you come and 

build station close to me, 

and you are the one that 

is supplying me, how 

can I sell? Because if you 

want my business to die 

off, all you need to do is 

supply to the level you 

are selling to me in your 

depots,” he added. 

The Foste Nigeria 

Limited boss accused 

private depot owners of 

systematically edging 

the independent 

marketers out of business 

Continues on Page 35 

By Cynthia Alo 

Should FG grant amnesty to bandits? (1) 

In 2009, the Niger-Delta 

militants were granted 

amnesty and it yielded 

positive results at that time 

but I don’t think granting 

amnesty to bandits is a good 

idea because the region has 

been invaded by different 

groups. I don’t support it but 

since it seems that the FG no 

longer knows how to handle 

the issue, I suggest they 

grant them amnesty while we 

sit back and see if it works. 

—Evo Chioma, 

Social Impact Manager 

Bandits are not just 

criminals but hardened 

criminals; to them, killing is 

a habit. There is no moral 

justification to grant them 

amnesty. People in 

correctional centres can be 

granted amnesty if the Prison 

officials can testify that such 

persons have had a change 

of heart. If you grant amnesty 

to bandits, what message are 

you sending to youths who 

may see them as role models? 

—Arinze Muoghalu, 

Self-employed 

It will be unfair for the FG to 

grant amnesty to bandits. It 

will make it look like some 

individuals in govt. are part of 

the supporters and funders of 

the evils perpetrated by the 

bandits. If government will 

treat simple protesters like 

criminals, arrest and torture 

unarmed protesters, then for 

no reason should amnesty be 

considered for bandits. People 

should face the consequences 

of their actions. 

—Agbeniga Johnson, 

Visual Artist 

How come it's the northern 

leaders clamouring for 

such. Why are they called leaders 

if this is the best solution they can 

offer? These bandits have killed 

and kidnapped innocent people, 

how do you expect the victims to 

feel when they see them granted 

amnesty? Where does their 

loyalty lie exactly, with the 

northerners or the bandits? We 

should be talking about justice 

not amnesty. 

—Zainab Atanda, 

Copywriter 

If the bandits were truly ready 

to lay down their arms and 

stop the heinous activities in 

Nigeria, then the FG should 

grant them amnesty without any 

special offer not to compromise 

the process for personal gain. 

Also; the govt. should structure 

the security architecture to 

combat crime holistically, we 

have to discourage the habit of 

negotiating with criminals/ 

terrorists because directly or 

indirectly, we are aiding them. 

—Zakariya Ndrizah, 

Logistics specialist 

Bandits are outlaws 

who should be 

charged to court, 

after which the law 

should take its 

course. The Federal 

Government and the 

Northern elders 

should do what the 

law says concerning 

bandits. 

— Odilichukwu 

Frances, 

Content provider

6— Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 

Police arrest 

suspected 

ritualist in 

Bauchi 

A 

suspected ritualist has 

been arrested by 

operatives of the Bauchi 

State Police Command over 

the killing of a child and 

recovered 26 pairs of 

children clothing in his 

house in Ganjuwa Local 

Government Area of the 

state. 

The state’s Police Public 

Relations Officer, Ahmed 

Wakili, in a statement, 

yesterday, in Bauchi, said the 

28-year-old suspect, Rufa’i 

Yunusa, who hails from 

Rumbu village in Ningi LGA, 

was allegedly involved in the 

killing of not less than four 

children. 

The police spokesman 

revealed that Yunusa’s arrest 

was sequel to a complaint 

lodged at the Ganjuwa 

Division of the state 

command on February 17 by 

one Isyaku Ahmed, who 

reported that on Tuesday, 

February 16, 2021, that 

Yunusa took his daughter, 

Maimuna, to a native doctor 

for traditional treatment. 

Yunusa told the father that 

his daughter was suffering 

from a spiritual ailment and 

assured him that she would 

be cured. 

He collected N10,000 from 

the father and took the little 

girl into the forest, 

purportedly for a spiritual 

healing session. 

However, after a while, he 

returned to inform the father 

that the little girl had 

mysteriously disappeared 

during the process. 

He said: “On receipt of the 

report, the Ganjuwa 

Divisional Patrol team 

swung into action, combed 

the entire forest and found 

the slaughtered body of 

Maimuna. She was 

immediately rushed to a 

hospital where she was 

pronounced dead by a 

medical doctor. 

“The ritualist (Rufa’i 

Yunusa) has since been 

arrested in connection with 

the crime and during 

interrogation, he voluntarily 

confessed to have 

slaughtered Maimuna. 

“He further revealed that 

she was not his only victim 

and claimed to have been 

carrying out the act with 

parental consent by tacitly 

informing them that the 

children may not return 

during healing sessions. 

“A knife and 26 pairs of 

children’s clothing were 

recovered as exhibits during 

the operation. Investigations 

are ongoing after which the 

suspects will be charged to 

court for prosecution and 

possible conviction.” 

Wakili cautioned parents to 

be wary of whom they took 

their children for any form of 

healing, urging them to 

always follow the proper 

channels in seeking 

remedies for their sick 

children. 

“There abound many 

wolves in sheep’s clothing,” 

he warned. 

Bandits kill father, son, 4 others in Kaduna 

communities •Abduct women, children 

By Ibrahim 

HassanWuyo 

KADUNA—Six 

people 

were reportedly killed, one 

person injured and many abducted 

as bandits attacked some 

communities in Kajuru and Igabi 

Local Government Areas of Kaduna 

State. 

According to the state 

Commissioner for Internal Security 

and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, 

the bandits first attacked Ungwan 

Sha’awa in Kajuru Local 

Government Area where they killed 

one Ubangida Dogo in his house 

and injured his son, Jude. 

He said the bandits withdrew from 

the village and then proceeded to 

Ungwan Galadima community in 

the same locality and killed one 

Bulus Gwamna. 

The commissioner noted that the 

bandits also attacked Ungwan 

Gamu village along the same trail 

and killed one Daniel Danlami. 

Youths kill kidnappers' 

collaborator 

Based on the attacks, Aruwan said 

some irate youth in the communities 

lynched one person to death for 

allegedly collaborating with the 

bandits to attack some of the 

communities. 

He, however, stated that security 

agencies are investigating the 

alleged collaboration with bandits 

by some locals, during recent 

attacks in Kajuru Local Government 

Area. 

“Preliminary investigations, 

thereafter, suggested that the 

bandits conducted these attacks 

with the aid of some local youths. 

“As security agencies probed this 

further, one such suspect known 

simply as Doctor, from Kujeni 

village, was swiftly attacked and 

killed by youths of Maro in revenge. 

“Just before his death, he 

confessed his involvement in the 

attack, and named a certain Fidelis 

Ali, also from Maro, as another 

accomplice of the bandits. Ali has 

since been arrested and taken into 

custody by the Police.” 

Raze church building, 2 

houses in Kajuru 

Aruwan also revealed that the 

bandits also razed the building of 

the Holy Family Catholic Church, 

and two houses, in Kikwari village, 

Kajuru Local Government Area of 

the state. 

He said, yesterday, that locals fled 

the area on receiving information 

that some bandits were sighted 

outside the village. 

“On getting to the location, the 

bandits set ablaze the place of 

worship and the two houses,” he 

said. 

Receiving the report, Governor 

Nasir el-Rufai commisserated with 

the community and condemned the 

setting ablaze of the place of 

worship and two houses by armed 

bandits. 

The governor has directed the 

Kaduna State Emergency 

Management Agency to urgently 

assess the damage done and take 

appropriate action, noting: “Security 

agencies will sustain patrols in the 

area.” 

Father, son killed 

In a related development, 

Aruwan revealed that one Sale 

Musa and his son, Amiru, were 

reportedly shot dead, weekend, by 

bandits that invaded Baka village 

in Igabi Local Government Area of 

•Raze church building, 2 houses in Kajuru 

Kaduna State. 

It was also gathered that the 

bandits abducted women and 

children in the locality. 

He said: “The bandits attacked the 

family residence of the late 

Dan’azumi Musa— himself killed 

alongside his son, by bandits a week 

earlier. 

“In the latest attack, a brother to 

the deceased one Sale Musa and 

his son Amiru, were shot dead. 

Aruwan said the bandits, 

operating in groups, also abducted 

a number of persons, mostly women 

and children. 

Police arrest 3 herdsmen for arson, 

attempted murder in Ogun 

By James Ogunnaike 

ABEOKUTA 

—Three 

herdsmen have been arrested 

by operatives of the Ogun State 

Police Command for the role they 

played in the attack of Bamajo village 

in Ayetoro area of the state. 

According to a statement by the 

command spokesman, Abimbola 

Oyeyemi, the suspects were 

arrested on February 18, 2021. 

Oyeyemi said: ”The men had 

attacked the village where they set 

some houses ablaze and inflicted a 

deep matchet cut injury on one 

Ismaila Alabi. 

“On receiving the report, the Area 

Commander, Ayetoro, Mr Anthony 

Aruna, mobilised his men, hunters 

and youths to the scene where the 

entire area was thoroughly combed. 

“The combing exercise was 

extended to Igboaje bush where one 

Musa Yusuf was apprehended with 

a gun and a blood-stained cutlass. 

"His arrest led to the arrest of two, 

Usman Mohammed and Aliyu 

Abubakar, who are strongly believed 

to be part of those who launched 

The suspects. 

the violent attack”. 

Oyeyemi said the injured victim 

was rushed to the general hospital 

for treatment. 

Meanwhile, the state 

Commissioner of Police, Edward 

Ajogun, has ordered immediate 

Police nab 2 suspects at telecom mast in 

Bayelsa •Arrest 9 suspected robbers in Abuja communities 

By Kingsley Omonobi 

& Samuel Oyadongha 

OPERATIVES of Bayelsa 

State Police Command 

have arrested two suspects for 

allegedly stealing telecom mast 

inverter batteries belonging to 

a telecommunication company. 

The suspects identified as 

Preye Prekeme and England 

Ito were arrested, weekend, at 

the Igbogene suburb of 

Yenagoa, the state capital. 

Spokesman of the command, 

Mr Asinim Bustwat, who 

disclosed this, yesterday, said 

the duo were apprehended 

“following a report that an 

Airtel mast at Opukuma 

community in Kolokuma/ 

Opukuma Local Government 

Area of the state was 

vandalised and the inverter 

batteries stolen. 

“The suspects were 

intercepted by police 

operatives, at Igbogene, 

Yenagoa, on February 20, 2021 at 

about 1045 hours while conveying 

20 inverter batteries in a Ford 14- 

seater bus with number plates 

ABN 413 YP and RAV4 Toyota SUV 

with number plates JJJ 975 GQ. 

“The Commissioner of Police 

Bayelsa State Command, Mike 

Okoli, has ordered for full-scale 

investigation to unravel the 

circumstances surrounding the 

incident.” 

9 suspected robbers 

arrested in Abuja 

Abuja suspected robbers. 

communities 

In a related development, the 

FCT Police Command also arrested 

nine armed robbery suspects for 

terrorising residents and road users 

along Jabi-Utako, Wuse and Kwali 

axis. 

A statement by the Police PRO 

for FCT Command, Yusuf Mariam, 

said the suspects were arrested 

Troops based in the Sabon Birni 

general area were mobilised to the 

location. They engaged the bandits 

and rescued some captives from one 

of the bandit groups, while another 

group had earlier escaped with 

another set of hostages. 

transfer of the suspects to the State 

Criminal Investigation and 

Intelligence Department for further 

investigation. 

He also directed a massive 

manhunt for the rest arsonists with 

the view to bringing them to justice. 

The telecom mast inverter batteries recovered in Bayelsa. 

during different coordinated 

intelligence operations between 

February 10 and 18, 2021. 

Exhibits recovered from the 

suspects are three locally fabricated 

pistols, one unexpended cartridge, 

four cutlasses, one cutter, three 

television sets, four mobile phones 

and a cash sum of N130,000.


NDLEA raids cannabis warehouse in Rivers, 

arrests 3 suspects 


ABUJA—The National Drug 

Law Enforcement Agency, 

NDLEA, weekend, uncovered 

23 bags of compressed blocks 

of cannabis Sativa weighing 

621 kilograms and 0.029kg of 

cocaine estimated to have a 

street value of over N17 million. 

The compressed cannabis 

were discovered in Abuja 

Estate, Port Harcourt 

metropolis, Rivers State. 

After evacuating the exhibits, 

the officers proceeded to the 

Slaughter area of Trans Amadi, 

in Port Harcourt metropolis 

where they also recovered 

0.006kg of heroin and 0.048kg 

of methamphetamine. 

According to the Commander, 

Rivers State Command of 

NDLEA, Rachael Shelleng, 

three male suspects were 

apprehended in connection 

with the seizures and taken into 

custody for further 

investigation. 

She stated that both Abuja 

Estate and 

Slaughter areas 

of Port 

Harcourt have 

been identified 

as very 

notorious spots 

for illicit drug 

peddling, 

adding that the 

agency will 

stop at nothing 

to ensure that 

the black spots 

and indeed the 

entire Rivers 

State is 

sanitised of 

illicit drug 

menace. 

W h i l e 

commending the commander, 

men and officers of the Rivers 

State Command for the effort, 

Chairman/Chief Executive of 

the anti-drug agency, Brig. 

General Mohamed Marwa 

(retd) directed them and their 

colleagues across the country 

and special commands to 

intensify the heat and take the 

battle to the criminals’ hideouts. 

“With the support of all 

stakeholders, this war is 

winnable. The arrest a few days 

ago in Lagos of a suspect who 

has been on the run for over 10 

years confirms that the maxim 

of the new NDLEA, that the 

criminals can only run, they 

can’t hide, is working because 

we’ll smoke them out of their 

hiding places,” he stated. 

Police arrest 2 traffic robbery suspects in Lagos hotel 

•Nab additional 4, recover vandalised rail tracks 

By Evelyn Usman 

TWO suspected members of a 

robbery gang that had been 

terrorising commuters along 

Agboju/Alakija, Mile Two/Badagry 

expressway, Lagos, have been 

arrested by policemen attached to 

Satellite division. 

The suspects, as reliably gathered, 

were arrested in a hotel around 

Satellite Town. 

Information at Vanguard’s 

disposal revealed that members of 

the gang converged on the hotel 

between 6 pm and 7 pm, on any 

given operation day to strategise on 

how and when to launch an attack 

on their victims. 

They usually leave the hotel 

around 9 pm, when the traffic along 

that axis would have built up, 

dispossessing helpless commuters 

of cash and other valuables. 

Thereafter, they would leave for 

the hotel to share their loot and return 

between midnight and 1 am. By 

that time, trucks would have taken 

over the ever-busy express road, 

Rail tracks suspected thieves. 

The vandalised rail tracks. 

leaving private motorists at the 

mercy of the gang. 

However, luck ran against them 

over the weekend, as residents said 

to have been monitoring them, 

alerted policemen attached to 

Satellite division. 

The Divisional Police Officer, CSP 

Chike Oti, was said to have led a 

team of policemen to the hotel, to 

effect their arrest. Two of them were 

apprehended while others escaped. 

Spokesman for the Lagos State 

Police Command, CSP Olumuyiwa 

Adejobi, gave the identities of the 

Herdsman attacks 58-yr-old father, son over missing 

cow in Bayelsa community 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

& Emem Idio 

YENAGOA— A 58-year-old 

man, Goodhead Nation, and his 

18-year-old son, Kohgi, were 

reportedly attacked by an 

unidentified herder over alleged 

missing cow in Osuan Bush, in 

Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government 

Area of Bayelsa State. 

Although, the father escaped with 

minor bruises, but the son was not 

as lucky as he was inflicted with 

several life threatening machete 

cuts by the attacker. 

It was gathered that the son was 

rushed to the Emergency Ward of 

the Federal Medical Centre, 

Yenagoa, where he underwent four 

hours surgery. 

Narrating how the incident 

happened, the father of the victim 

said the attack occurred at about 5pm 

on Friday while they were working 

on their palm farm where the attacker 

accused them of cow theft. 

He said: ‘We were working in the 

farm when this herder came through 

the back entrance of my farm. He 

came to me and accused us of 

stealing his cow. 

“We denied the theft and told him 

to look at us whether we looked like 

someone who can kill a cow. He 

attacked me with his stick. He later 

brought out his machete and chased 

my son. We later discovered my son 

by the river side with heavy 

machete cuts on his head, waist 

and hand.” 

Confirming the development, the 

Bayelsa State Commissioner of 

Police, Mike Okoli, appealed to 

The cannabis Sativa 

Suspected traffic robbers. 

The victim in hospital. 

residents of the state to remain calm 

as the command is working 

assiduously to identify the 

suspected herder and apprehend 

him. 

suspects as Solomon Ayuba, 26, and 

Manase David, 20. 

Adejobi said: “The police 

operatives had placed the suspects 

under surveillance for some days 

before they were eventually 

arrested. Items recovered from them 

include one locally-made pistol, 

some cartridges and two face 

masks.” 

Nab additional 4, recover 

vandalised rail tracks 

He further disclosed that two 

suspected traffic robbers were 

arrested while attacking a Toyota 

Sienna bus with plate number AAA 

30 AZ, driven by one Apele 

Mohammed at Olatunji Onimole 

area of Surulere. 

He said: "The suspects: Ismail 

Abayomi, 24 and Seun Akinbunu, 

25, and others at large attacked the 

bus, broke its side screen and robbed 

one Atinuke Adisa of her Infinix-8 

phone. 

“In another development, police 

operatives attached to the office of 

the Area Commander, Area ‘E 

‘Festac, arrested two suspects with 

some vandalised rail tracks 

belonging to the Nigerian Railway 

Corporation on February 20, 2021, 

at about 4 pm. 

“The policemen that were on 

routine check stopped the vehicle 

driven by one Victor Akpan, 21, of 

Ijora area of Lagos and his 

accomplice, one Adesina 

Folorunsho, of 36, Biefield, Apapa 

Road, and discovered the 

vandalised rail tracks in the vehicle. 

" 

Abia bizman, US 

returnee son 

robbed of 

N200,000, 

$15,000, other 

belongings in 

Umuahia 

By Steve Oko 

U MUAHIA-BASED 

businessman, and the 

Traditional Prime Minister of 

Ibeku ancient kingdom, Uche 

Akwukuegbu, popularly known 

as BAWAS, has recounted his 

ordeal in the hands of 

hoodlums terrorising residents 

of the capital city. 

Akwukuegbu said he and his 

US returnee son were robbed of 

N200,000 and $15,000 costly 

phones and wristwatch in a 

broad daylight. 

The sad incident, according to 

him, happened around noon at 

Mission Hill, Umuahia while 

he was returning from Owerri 

Airport where he had gone to 

pick his son. 

He said a tricycle had 

dangerously overtaken him 

shortly before the Army 

checkpoint at Umuokpara, 

where he “nearly ran into the 

bush. I stopped to know what it 

was all about and people 

trooped out from the bush and 

started beating me. 

“Nothing happened to the 

driver of the keke. However, I 

decided to see if there was a 

need to assist him. 

“I did not know that the driver 

was used as a trap to get me. It 

was all stage-managed. They 

started beating me and asked 

me to bring money and wanted 

to snatch my car key from me. 

“When I sensed they were up 

for something sinister I zoomed 

off to the Area Command to 

complain. But they came after 

me on bikes and blocked me at 

the Mission Hillside of 

Umuahia and robbed me of the 

N200,000.00, my son’s luggage 

containing $15,000.00, a phone 

worth several thousands of 

dollars, and his Movedo 

wristwatch also worth 

thousands of dollars. 

“I escaped death, with my two 

sons in the car. They injured my 

son and beat me like a common 

criminal at Mission Hill, 

opposite Okigwe Park, 

Umuahia, and people were 

looking on. 

“After robbing me, they ran 

away and that was when people 

knew they were criminals.” 

Akwukwegbu said he later ran 

to the Area Command, 

Umuahia where he reported the 

incident, adding that some of 

the suspects were later arrested. 

Akwukuegbu called for more 

presence of security agents on 

the road to help checkmate the 

activities of criminals in the 

state. 

Contacted, the Abia State 

Police Public Relations Officer, 

Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed 

the incident, noting that three 

of the suspects were already in 

the police net. 

He said that investigations 

into the unfortunate incident 

had begun, vowing that 

criminals will not be allowed to 

have breeding ground in any 

part of the state.

8 — Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 

:Vanguard News 

Kagara: Why it’s difficult to use force 

on kidnappers — Niger govt 

•Says no ransom demanded yet by bandits 

•Notes negotiation still on with bandits 

•Niger gov announces release of abducted travellers 

•Nothing wrong in dialoguing with bandits, says FG 

By Wole Mosadomi 

MINNA— Secretary 

to the State Government 

SSG, in Niger State, 

Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, 

yesterday explained why 

the military cannot use force 

to rescue students and staff 

of Government Science 

College, Kagara, saying the 

bandits who abducted the 

students were dressed in 

the school uniform. 

The SSG, who noted that 

this makes it difficult to differentiate 

the bandits from 

the students, also revealed 

that the abductors have not 

demanded any ransom 

from parents or relatives of 

the students or government. 

Stressing that government 

was not relenting 

in securing the release of 

the students and staff, the 

SSG said: “There is nothing 

much yet on their release. 

We are still making 

contacts with them and we 

are hoping that we will 

reach the end of this interface 

and get some positive 

outcome very soon.’’ 

On why government cannot 

use force to secure their 

release, Matane said: “It 

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

will be difficult because the 

bandits dressed like students 

to carry out the operation, 

so it will be difficult 

to differentiate the bandits 

from students and we don’t 

want to cause any collateral 

damage”. 

On how soon the release 

will be effected, he said: 

“In matters like this, you 

never know how soon because 

we have different 

groups, you have many 

stakeholders involved. 

“Government has been 

able to dialogue with the 

leader of the gang that abducted 

the students but 

there are other groups and 

leaders and we are still talking 

to all of them. 

“The bandits said they 

are annoyed with the government 

because of the way 

the security people have 

been handling matters affecting 

them 

“At the interface with the 

bandits, it was discovered 

that majority of them are 

from Niger State and one 

of them told the government 

negotiating team, including 

myself, that they 

have taken up arms against 

the state because some security 

men dispossessed 

him of his vehicle, huge 

sums of money and cows 

and that he had to return 

to the forest and begin to 

take care of himself all over 

again.’’ 

The 27 students, their 

teachers and family members 

are spending the 6th 

day in captivity of the bandits 

as at today. Also yesterday, 

Governor Abubakar 

Sani Bello announced the 

release of the passengers 

abducted aboard a Niger 

State Transport Authority, 

NSTA, last week The governor 

made the announcement 

via his twitter handle 

The tweet read: “Breaking 

News: The Niger State 

Government has succeeded 

in securing the release 

of all Abducted #RescueN- 

STAPassengers. Details 

shortly.” They were said to 

have been handed over to 

the Zamfara State government 

in an undisclosed location 

in Zamfara State and 

are currently on their way 

to Minna, the state capital. 

The passengers were abducted 

on their way back 

to Minna from Rijau, in 

Rijau local government 

area of the state penultimate 

Sunday at Kundu village, 

along Minna-Tegina 

road. Eight of the abducted 

passengers were freed 

four days later, after an unconfirmed 

report had it that 

their families had paid for 

their release. 

The bandits were said to 

have demanded N500 million 

ransom for the release of the 

remaining victims but the 

state governor, Abubakar 

Sani Bello, had ruled out the 

possibility of paying any ransom 

to the bandits but promised 

to engage stakeholders in 

the negotiation for the release 

of the abductees. Kaduna 

based Islamic Cleric, Sheik 

Ahmed Gumi, had been in the 

forefront of their release and 

that of the Kagara students but 

the students are yet to be freed. 

Gunmen had on February 

15, ambushed the commuters 

who were said to be returning 

from a wedding in Rijau local 

government area (LGA) of the 

state. At least 21 passengers 

were reported to have been 

taken by the gunmen. 

Two days later, the kidnappers 

put out a video of the passengers 

and demanded a ransom 

of N500 million for their 

release. They had threatened 

to kill the hostages should the 

government fail to meet their 

demands. 

The state government had 

said it would not pay ransom 

for the abducted passengers 

and students of Government 

Science College (GSC), Kagara, 

who were abducted in 

the early hours of Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the federal government 

has said there was 

nothing wrong in dialoguing 

with bandits. Last Wednesday, 

gunmen suspected to be bandits 

stormed the Government 

Science College (GSC) Kagara, 

Rafi LGA of Niger state, 

and members of staff, and 

some members of their families. 

Abubakar Bello, governor 

of Niger, had noted that 

his government was doing 

everything to rescue the victims, 

including facilitating 

negotiations with the bandits. 

Speaking on a radio programme 

monitored by NAN 

yesterday, the Minister of Information 

and Culture, Alhaji 

Lai Mohammed, flayed Nigerians 

who had spoken 

against the strategy of dialoguing 

with criminals, saying 

there was nothing wrong 

in doing so.as long as the ultimate 

objective was to make 

peace. “After war, people still 

sit to dialogue. So if some 

people have taken it upon 

themselves to visit these people 

so that they can embrace 

peace, I don’t think there is 

anything wrong with that,” the 

minister explained. 

Speaking further, he noted 

that the federal government 

would not pay any 

ransom to secure the release 

of abductees of GSC 

Kagara, denying also that 

ransom was paid to secure 

the release of over 300 

children abducted in 

Kankara, Katsina State. 

On the herders-farmers 

crisis in parts of the country, 

the minister said the 

government was taking 

steps to address it. 

He said the steps include 

plans for intensive cattlerearing 

to ensure that cattle 

rearing and crop farming 

don’t conflict. 

Insecurity: 44 CSOs ask Buhari 

to step aside or face 

impeachment, If... 

By Gabriel Ewepu 

and Luminous 

Jannamike 

ABUJA — A coalition of 

44 civil society organizations, 

CSOs, have asked 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

to step aside or face impeachment 

by the National 

Assembly, if he can no longer 

ensure the security and welfare 

of the Nigerian people. 

They made the demand at 

an emergency civil society 

joint action press briefing on 

the state of the nation in Abuja. 

According to the CSOs, Nigeria 

has become a catalogue 

of bloodletting under President 

Buhari’s watch. 

The civil society groups 

present at the event include: 

Centre for Democracy and 

Development (CDD), Centre 

for Democratic Research and 

Training (CRDDERT), Civil 

Society Legislative Advocacy 

Centre (CISLAC), Media 

Rights Agenda (MRA), Centre 

for Information Technology 

and Development (CITAD), 

Socio-Economic Right and 

Accountability Project 

(SERAP), Zero-Corruption 

Coalition (ZCC), Partners on 

Electoral Reform, African 

Centre for Media and Information 

Literacy (AFRIC- 

MIL), National Procurement 

Watch Platform, Praxis Center, 

Resource Centre for Human 

Rights and Civil Education 

(CHRICED), Social Action, 

Community Action for 

Popular Participation,Borno 

Coalition for Democracy and 

Progress (BOCODEP) and 

Global Rights. 

Others are Alliance for Credible 

Elections (ACE), Youth 

Initiative for Advocacy, 

Growth & Advancement (YIA- 

GA), Tax Justice and Governance 

Platform, Environmental 

Rights Action/Friends of 

the Earth, Nigeria, Women In 

Nigeria, African Centre for 

Leadership, Strategy and Development 

(Centre LSD), Rule 

of Law and Accountability Advocacy 

Centre(RULAAC), 

Women Advocate Research 

APC extends membership 

registration by 3 weeks 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA — The ruling All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, has extended its ongoing 

nationwide membership 

registration by three weeks in 

order to allow for the capture 

of more intending members. 

The registration and update 

of its membership register 

began on Tuesday 9th February, 

2021 across the 36 states 

of the federation and was 

scheduled to last for two 

weeks. However, in a statement 

issued yesterday in Abuja, 

National Secretary of the 

Caretaker Extraordinary 

Convention Planning Committee 

CECPC of the party, 

Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe, 

noted that the feedback 

across the states had been overwhelming 

and beyond projected 

success level; with a 

massive turnout of intending 

registrants beyond the expectation 

of the party. 

He said: ‘’The development 

is responsible for the shortage 

And Documentation Centre, 

Community Life Project, Nigerian 

Feminist Forum, Alliances 

for Africa, Spaces for 

Change, Nigerian Women 

Trust Fund, Corporate Accountability 

and Public Participation 

Africa, BudgiT 

Foundation, State of the Union 

(SOTU), Action International 

Nigeria, Femi Falana 

Chamber, HEDA Resource 

Centre, Conscience for Human 

Rights and Conflict Resolution, 

Organization Community 

Civic Engagement 

(OCCEN), Say NO Campaign—Nigeria, 

Women In 

Media, Health of Mother 

Earth Foundation (HOMEF), 

Sesor Empowerment Foundation, 

House of Justice, Molluma 

Medico-Legal Center, 

and Open Bar Initiative. 

The groups lamented the 

Federal Government’s abdication 

of its responsibility for 

security, through the Minister 

of Defence, Major-General 

Bashir Magashi (Rtd), who 

reportedly called Nigerian 

citizens ‘cowards’ and urged 

them to ‘defend themselves’ 

against bandits and other 

criminals. They stressed that 

such a comment was capable 

of frustrating the war against 

insurgency and banditry. 

Reading out the text of the 

briefing on behalf of the coalition, 

Mr. Jaiye Gaskia, of 

United Action for Democracy, 

UAD, also proposed advised 

the federal authorities 

to seek international cooperation 

to ramp up Nigeria’s 

security assets with a view towards 

addressing Nigeria’s 

insecurity. The CSOs said: 

“Nigeria is in dire straits. All 

over the country, Nigerian citizens, 

including children, are 

killed daily by terrorists and 

criminals as well as in extrajudicial 

killings by state actors 

with the government doing little 

or nothing about it. 

“The government, through 

the Minister of Defence, has 

instead callously abdicated its 

responsibility and called Nigerian 

citizens ‘cowards’ and 

urged Nigerians to ‘defend 

themselves’. 

of registration materials recorded 

in many states across 

the country and thereby warranting 

an extension of the 

exercise to give every interested 

Nigerian the opportunity 

to officially identify with the 

ruling party, the APC. 

“On behalf of the National 

Chairman Caretaker/Extraordinary 

Convention Planning 

Committee (CECPC) 

His Excellency, Hon. Mai 

Mala Buni, I wish to use this 

opportunity to appreciate the 

good works of His Excellency, 

Governor Yahaya Bello of 

Kogi State led Youth, Women 

Mobilisation and Persons 

with Disabilities’ Sensitisation 

Committee, The National 

Registration, Revalidation 

Committee led by Governor 

Sani Bello of Niger State, the 

states steering committees for 

the exercise and all party officials 

who have been both directly 

and indirectly involved 

in the exercise from the outset."

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 — 9 


7 die as Air Force jet crashes in 

Abuja 


•CAS orders immediate investigation 

•Buhari condoles with NAF, families of victims 

Scene of the crash. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida. 

By Kingsley 

Omonobi & 

Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

A 

Nigerian Air Force In 

t e l l i g e n c e 

Reconnaissance aircraft 

crashed, yesterday, at Nnamdi 

Azikiwe International 

Airport, killing all seven 

persons on board. 

The military aircraft, a King 

Air B350 plane, crash-landed 

on final approach path of 

Abuja Runway 22 at 10:48 am, 

shortly after the pilot complained 

of engine failure. 

The aircraft exploded on 

impact, triggering a ball of 

flames. 

Aviation Minister, Hadi 

Sirika, who first confirmed the 

crash on his twitter handle, 

said: “A military aircraft, 

King Air 350, has just crashed 

short of our Abuja runway after 

reporting engine failure en 

route Minna.” 

He said the aircraft, marked 

NAF 201, departed Abuja at 

1033UTC with seven persons 

on board, including two crew 

members. ‘’The aircraft reported 

engine failure at time 

1039 and crashed landed on 

the final approach path of 

Abuja Runway 22 at time 

1048UTC. Fire services are 

already at the scene of the accident. 

All seven persons on 

board were reported dead,’’ 

the minister said. 

Pilot complains of 

engine failure 

A source at the control tower 

of the airport, said the pilot 

complained of engine failure 

barely moments after take-off. 

The source, who pleaded 

anonymity, said there had 

been regular flights from Abuja 

to Minna since the abduction 

of the Kangara students 

last week. 

“The aircraft was on its way 

to Minna. Moments after, on 

getting to Bassa Local Government 

Area, he informed 

the control tower that he had 

experienced an engine failure. 

He was advised to return to 

the Abuja airport immediately 

but it crash-landed,’’ the 

source said. 

Asked if the identities of 

those on board had been ascertained, 

the source said they 

were in the process of doing 

so. “There have been frequent 

flights to Niger State since the 

abduction of the students at 

Kagara. Last week, some 

ministers also flew. Soon, we 

will know their identities,” he 

said. Also confirming the 

crash yesterday, the Nigerian 

Air Force said seven persons 

died in the crash. 

Director of NAF Public Relations 

and Information, Air 

Vice Marshal Ibikunle Daramola, 

who gave the confirmation 

in a statement, also disclosed 

that Chief of the Air 

Staff, Air Vice Marshal Isiaka 

Amao, has ordered an immediate 

investigation into the 

cause of the crash. 

CAS orders 

investigation 

While commiserating with 

all NAF personnel and families 

of the deceased, the CAS 

urged the general public to 

remain calm and await the 

outcome of the investigation. 

The statement read:”This is 

to confirm that a Nigerian Air 

Force (NAF) Beech Aircraft B 

350 crashed while returning 

to Abuja airport after reporting 

engine failure en route 

Minna. “First responders are 

at the scene. Sadly, all the seven 

personnel on board died in 

the crash. 

“The Chief of Air Staff, Air 

Vice Marshal Isiaka Oladayo 

Amao has ordered an immediate 


incident while urging the general 

public to remain calm 

and await the outcome of the 

investigation, the CAS on behalf 

of all NAF personnel, 

commiserates with families of 

the deceased.” 

The identity of the personnel 

involved were not made 

public but Vanguard gathered 

it is standard operations practice 

to allow the NAF authorities 

get across to their next of 

kins and inform them before 

making the names public. 

The names of those on 

board include Flight Lieutenant 

Haruna Gadzama, (Pilot); 

Flight Lieutenant Henry 

Piyo (Co-Pilot); Flying officer 

Michael Okapra (Airborne 

Tactical Observation System 

(ATOS Specialist); Warrant 

Officer Bassey Etim (ATOS 

Specialist) and Flight Sergeant 

Olasunkanmi Olawunmi 

(ATOS Specialist). 

Others are Sergeant Ugochukwu 

Oluka (ATOS Specialist) 

and Aircraftman Adewale 

Johnson (Onboard Technician). 

Buhari condoles with 

NAF, families of victims 

Reacting to the crash, President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

expressed sadness over it. 

In a statement by his Special 

Adviser on Media and 

Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, 

President Buhari extended 

his heartfelt condolences 

to family members, friends 

and colleagues of those who 

died as a result of the tragedy. 

The president said he joined 

the Nigerian Air Force, the 

military and other Nigerians 

in mourning the unfortunate 

loss of the dedicated and courageous 

personnel, who died 

in the line of duty. 

“While investigations into 

the cause of the crash are ongoing, 

the safety of the Nigerian 

airspace remains a key 

priority of the government,’’ 

he said. The President prayed 

that God will comfort the bereaved 

families and nation, 

and grant the souls of the departed 

peaceful rest. 

Privatisation of refineries, national assets 

must be transparent, Atiku tells FG 

By Dirisu 

Yakubu 

A BUJA—FORMER 

Vice President, Alhaji 

Atiku Abubakar, has backed 

the decision by the Federal 

Government to privatise 

some of its assets, including 

the refineries, but insisted that 

the sales must be transparent. 

The assets include the country’s 

refineries, International 

Conference Centre in Abuja, 

Yola Electricity Distribution 

Company, Zungeru Hydro 

Power, Tafawa Belewa 

Square, among others. 

A total of N493.4 billion is 

expected to be earned from the 

sale of the assets, which were 

classified under energy assets, 

industries and communication 

department, as well as 

development institutions and 

natural resources. 

In a statement, entitled: ‘’Privatisation 

of Refineries and 

Other Assets: Better Late Than 

Never,’’ Atiku called for transparency 

in the process of privatising 

the assets. 

He expressed delight that 

the privatisation of public assets, 

which he once championed 

but was scorned by All 

Progressives Congress-led administration, 

was now being 

embraced by the same administration. 

“For decades, I have 

championed the privatisation 

of our economy and full deregulation 

of our oil and gas 

sector, among other sectors, 

for greater service delivery 

and efficiency. 

“As chairman of the National 

Council on Privatisation, I 

advanced these policies, 

which saw our economy 

achieve six per cent GDP 

growth and created jobs for 

the masses of our people and 

amass the national wealth 

that enabled us exit the debt 

trap, and secure our financial 

independence. 

“Even though my ideas were 

scorned by the All Progressives 

Congress-led Federal Government 

over the years, I am 

nevertheless most fulfilled that 

an administration that once 

failed to see the wisdom in 

these sound economic policies, 

is now facing reality and 

has now embraced reason, by 

announcing the privatisation 

of our refineries and other assets, 

which have not always 

prospered under public management. 

“It is always better late than 

never. And I commend the 

Federal Government for 

coming on board. I urge that 

the privatisation process be as 

transparent as possible, as that 

is the only way to ensure that 

Nigeria reaps the greatest 

economic benefits from this 

policy." 

NCAA lifts ban on Boeing 737 MAX jetliner 

THE Nigerian Civil 

Aviation Authority, 

NCAA, has lifted the ban 

placed on Boeing’s best 

selling aircraft, 737 MAX, 

and also certified the aircraft 

to resume operations in 

Nigeria’s airspace. 

NCAA in a statement by 

Director-General, Musa 

Nuhu, said lifting of the ban 

took effect on February 12, 

2021. 

Airline regulators 

worldwide grounded the 

MAX in March 2019 after 

fatal crashes in Indonesia and 

Ethiopia. 

It would be recalled that 

Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, 

had said two years was 

enough time for Boeing to 

rectify the problem that led to 

the crashes. 

“This is enough period to 

sort out whatever problem it 

is with that plane. It is normal 

standard practice that once a 

particular aircraft type is 

involved in accident back to 

back, it is withdrawn from the 

market and see if there is 

something they are doing 

wrong,” Sirika had said. 

In 2020, NCAA said a joint 

authority technical review, 

JATR, comprising 

Re-introduce petrol tax, 

Customs’ boss, Ali, tells 

FG 

•Stop concessioning import 

duty, Senate to Customs 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA— 

THE 

Comptroller General of 

Nigeria Customs Service, 

NCS, Col. Hameed Ali 

(retd), has asked the Federal 

Government to re-introduce 

the N1.50 tax imposed on 

every litre of petroleum 

products. 

He said the tax would be 

in consonance with the 

Petroleum Product Tax 

Regime of 2004. 

He also told the Senate 

that the NCS would spend 

at least N4.17 billion on 

recruitment and 

appointments; N3.37 billion 

on travels; N1.68 billion on 

fuel; and N1.45 billion on 

training this year. 

Ali, who stated these when 

he appeared before the 

Senate Committee on 

Customs, Excise and Tariff 

to defend the agency’s 2021 

budget, said a reintroduction 

of the 

petroleum product tax 

would help government 

shore up its revenue. 

The committee is led by 

Senator Francis Alimihkena, 

APC, Edo North. 

According to him, the tax 

has the potential of 

narrowing 

or 

supplementing 

government’s deficit budget. 

On the Customs 2021 

budget, the Customs boss 

said the agency would in 

2021, spend N1.45 billion to 

fuel motor vehicles, plants 

and generators, aircraft and 

sea boats at the headquarters 

international aviation 

authorities, carried out a joint 

review of the Boeing 737 

MAX safety system 

alongside Federal Aviation 

Administration, FAA, and 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration, 

NASA. 

On the approval, Nuhu 

said the aviation regulatory 

body recognised the joint 

review of the Boeing 737 

MAX safety system, adding 

that NCAA came up with 

some actions required of all 

foreign and domestic 

operators. 

and area commands 

nationwide. 

Ali, who reiterated that the 

nonfunctional scanners at 

the various Customs’ 

scanning sites had adversely 

contributed to the service’s 

inability to carry out effective 

examination for selective 

consignments, said that if 

purchased, the NCS will 

make them available in 

Apapa and Portharcourt. 

Ali disclosed that the 

agency has targeted a total 

of N1.465 trillion to be raked 

into the Federation account 

this year and that the N1.465 

trillion consists of N1.267 

trillion for federation and 

N198.00 billion for nonfederation. 

According to him, when 

compared with the 2020 

revenue target, the 2021 

revenue target is higher by 

N85 billion or 5.80 Percent. 

Giving a breakdown, he 

explained that the expected 

income will be utilised as 

follows: Personnel cost, 

N99.72 billion, representing 

41.13 per cent; overhead cost 

N19.53 billion, representing 

8.06 per cent; capital cost, 

N123.20 billion, 

representing 50.81 per cent, 

with a grand total of N242.45 

billion, representing 100 per 

cent. 

Speaking during the 

budget defence, Chairman 

of the committee, Senator 

Alimikhena, took a swipe at 

the Customs over its 

concessioning of collection of 

import duties, saying there 

was no where in the world 

such was happening. 

Owie mourns 2nd Republic 

lawmaker, Dr Junaid Muhammed 

FORMER Senate Chief 

Whip, Senator Rowland 

Owie, has mourned the 

death of 2nd Republic 

member of the House of 

Representatives, Dr Junaid 

Mohammed. 

In a statement, weekend, 

Owie said: “I received with 

deep shock, the news of the 

death of my brother and 

former colleague in the 2nd 

Republic House of 

Representatives, Dr Junaid 

Mohammed. 

‘Although he was elected 

on the platform of the Peoples 

Redemption Party, PRP) 

while I was elected on the 

ticket of the Unity Party of 

Nigeria, he was a true 

kindred spirit who had 

immense conviction and 

indestructible faith in the 

unity and greatness of 

Nigeria and her unique 

destiny in shaping global 

affairs. 

“We have remain brothers 

and maintained close 

fraternal relations over the 

past four decades and only 

about a week ago, on 

February 8, 2020, to be 

precise, we spoke at length 

for over 40 minutes, as we 

reviewed the state of the 

nation. 

“My deep and sincere 

condolences go to his 

immediate family and the 

government of Kano State. 

May the good Lord grant us 

the fortitude to bear this huge 

loss.’’ 

Meanwhile, Senator Owie 

has congratulated the 

Commandant General of the 

Nigeria Security and Civil 

Defence Corps, Dr Ahmed 

Abubakar Audi, on his 

appointment by President 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

He described Audi as a 

consummate security and 

intelligence expert whose 

experience would help 

attenuate the potential 

adverse consequences of 

extant security crises on the 

nation’s development.


:Vanguard 

News 


By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru, Peter 

Duru, Davies 

Iheamnachor, 

Luminous 

Jannamike & 

Olayinka Ajayi 

Asocio-political 

BUJA—NOTABLE 

organizations across the 

country yesterday 

expressed their support for 

call by the governor of 

Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun 

on the Federal 

Government to take 

decisive action to rid the 

nation’s forests of criminals. 

Governor Abiodun at the 

weekend had stated that 

several forests especially in 

the South West have 

become the habitation of 

criminals and asked the 

Federal Government to 

take steps to tackle the 

challenge. 

Some of the groups that 

support the governor’s 

position include Pan-Yoruba 

group, Afenifere; Pan 

Niger Delta Forum, 

PANDEF; Arewa 

Consultative Forum, ACF; 

Middle Belt Forum; 

Northern Elders Forum, 

NEF; Benue Tribal Leaders 

amongst others. 

Speaking to State House 

correspondents, after 

meeting behind closed 

doors with President 

Muhammadu Buhari, at 

the Presidential Villa, 

Abuja, weekend, Governor 

Abiodun said though there 

were people who 

legitimately reside in the 

forests, they have also 

become the habitation of 

criminals stoking ethnic 

tensions around the 

country. 

He admonished local 

northern traditional leaders 

(Serikis) residing in the 

state to keep registers of 

farmers, so as to determine 

when undesirable 

strangers infiltrate their 

ranks. 

Abiodun urged the 

Federal Government to 

initiate concrete steps to 

tighten the nation’s borders 

to prevent influx of 

foreigners, who engage in 

criminals activities and flee 

to their countries 

afterwards. 

He said: “We've enjoined 

all our Serikis and farmers 

to keep a list of those that 

live on their farms in 

registers, so that when 

strangers come in, they will 

know who the strangers 

amongst them are. 

“It is our hope that the 

Federal Government will 

also now look at how to 

better secure our borders, 

so that people don't just 

cross over, cause crimes 

and run away. 

“We must do something 

about these forests that 

harbour criminals, 

“We know there are 

people that live in the forest 

legitimately, but there are 

so many people that live in 

those forests illegitimately. 

We must definitely do 

something about them. 

“These are some of the 

things that we found to 

have aided this violence 

and escalated it and we 

• Gov Abiodun • Pogu • Odumakin 

Need to act on forests harbouring criminals: 

Afenifere, PANDEF, ACF, NEF, others 

back Abiodun 

believe that if the right 

steps are taken, we can 

manage the situation and 

we can live together as 

brothers and sisters, as 

we've always lived for so 

many years.” 

Abiodun faults 

ethnic profoling of 

criminals 

The governor blamed the 

escalation in tensions on 

what he said was the ethnic 

profiling of criminals that is 

occurring, noting that 

people in the state find it 

difficult to distinguish 

between peaceful Fulani 

herders and criminal cattle 

rustlers. 

He explained: “I must say 

that the Fulani have lived 

with us in Ogun State for 

hundreds of years. The 

Seriki Fulani from that 

particular corridor speaks 

better Yoruba than I do 

because his father was born 

there. 

“Part of the problems we 

realised we had was ethnic 

profiling. Criminals are 

criminals and criminals 

abound everywhere. There 

are criminals in Yorubaland, 

there are criminals in 

Igboland, there are 

criminals in the Niger 

Delta, there are criminals in 

the north and we see that 

even in the north, in the 

northeast, in the northcentral, 

we see that there 

are criminal activities. 

“The governor of Niger 

State spent a night with me, 

by the time he got back to 

Niger State, 50 people had 

been kidnapped and we 

cannot be profiling them 

based on ethnic grounds 

and be saying, 'oh the 

Fulani have kidnapped 

Fulani or Hausa men in 

Niger.’ 

“Our people have had a 

problem with drawing a 

line between peaceful 

Fulani people, who are 

traditionally herdsmen, and 

bandits who are cattle 

rustlers, who will steal 

cattle, take the cattle to 

farmlands belonging to 

people, attack them. Now 

farmers and indigenes 

carry out counter attacks 

against innocent people 

that have been living with 

us.” 

To form Joint 

Stakeholders 

Committee 

On the efforts of his 

administration to ease 

ethnic tension and build 

trust among residents, he 

said: “We rose up from that 

stakeholders meeting with 

a few conclusions, one of 

which was to form a joint 

stakeholders committee 

that's composed of the 

Fulani, the herdsmen, the 

farmers and government. 

That has since been put in 

place. That committee is 

going to be sworn in, I think 

sometime this evening. 

“We made available 

pickup trucks, motorcycles, 

telecoms equipment, for the 

joint security patrol team to 

further strengthen security 

along the areas where 

these incident had occurred 

in the last few weeks. 

“I'll like to say that my 

colleagues further 

demonstrated their 

commitment by actually 

donating to all sides; to the 

farmers and to the Fulani 

community.” 

On President Buhari’s 

response to his brief, 

Abiodun said: “I must say 

the president was very 

impressed with how we've 

dealt with the matter. 

“He particularly 

commented that the steps 

we've taken are steps that 

he has always 

recommended; that we 

must have the joint 

stakeholders' committee that 

has farmers, herders, 

traditional rulers and 

government and that this 

committee should meet like 

once a month.” 

He added that Buhari 

commended the manner 

Ogun State has dealt with 

the ethnic crisis in the 

state. 

Afenifere, 

PANDEF, Middle 

Belt Forum, ACF 

others react 

Pan-Yoruba Socio-Political 

organization, Afenifere, Pan 

Niger Delta Forum, 

PANDEF and Arewa 

Consultative Forum said 

the call by Governor 

Abiodun is in order. 

Speaking on behalf of 

Afenifere, the Publicity 

Secretary, Yinka Odumakin 

maintained that criminals 

should be fish out without 

hesitation. “Why must you 

go to Buhari to seek his 

consent on criminals in our 

forest? Are you not the chief 

security Officer of your 

state? Why must you seek 

the President’s consent to 

get rid of criminals in our 

forest? Moves to get rid of 

them should be 

immediate.” 

National Publicity 

Secretary, Pan Niger Delta 

Forum, PANDEF, Ken 

Robinson said: "It shows 

that people should defend 

their own territory. It is 

proper that people should 

be vigilant. We encourage 

our people to be vigilant. 

People should know who 

they sell land to and the 

stranger that comes into 

their community. 

"The issues of herdsmen 

is not just terrorism, it is 

about expansion. It is an 

expansionist agenda. 

Primordial interest should 

not be allowed over the 

interest of Nigeria. 

"The call is in order. Every 

Nigeria citizen should be 

very careful dealing with 

strangers. Community 

people should be aware of 

who is coming into their 

community. They should 

profile their visitors to know 

their intentions and mission 

before accepting them into 

their community. 


Secretary of Arewa 

Consultative Forum, ACF 

also backed Governor 

Abiodun’s position. He 

said: “In the light of our 

current security challenges, 

we vote for the two 

suggestions. We believe 

they will help secure our 

lives better." 

The National President of 

Middle Belt Forum, Dr. 

Bitrus Pogu said the forum 

agrees with the call by the 

Ogun State governor, 

adding that the registers 

should concentrate on 

fishing out foreign herders. 

Dr. Pogu who spoke to 

Vanguard in Makurdi said: 

“We agree with the call by 

the Ogun state Governor, 

Dapo Abiodun. Let me tell 

you why. The Middle Belt 

Forum has cried out over 

the years on the influx of 

foreigners into this country 

and we believe that many 

of the attacks that happen 

in the country are aided by 

foreigners. 

“We disagree that these 

foreigners just come in. We 

believe some people bring 

them in for some purposes. 

And we also believe 

strongly that the 

government is not telling us 

the whole truth. 

“Then, when the Ruga 

and cattle colony and all 

those came up, we 

opposed it not because 

these programmes are bad 

in themselves. We opposed 

them because firstly 

nobody knows how many 

foreign Fulanis are on 

Nigerians soil. So we 

insisted that every 

community know their local 

Fulani. That is the starting 

point, so that we don’t just 

give community land to 

people who are not 

Nigerians. 

“But the government 

didn’t want to listen, so we 

believe that the 

government has a hidden 

agenda in that whole 

process. That is why we 

opposed it. We are in 

agreement with the 

Governor but we are saying 

that the farmers are known, 

it is the herdsmen who 

come in that are not known. 

“It is those people who are 

not known, whose numbers 

and whose movements 

should be curtailed and 

known. If we know all the 

foreign Fulani that are 

coming in then we will 

know how to handle them 

because I believe that 

many of them already have 

Nigerian Identification 

Cards. 

On his part, the 

Chairman of Benue tribal 

leaders and President 

General of Mzough U Tiv 

worldwide, Chief Iorbee 

Ihagh, said the call by the 

Ogun State governor was 

apt. 

Ihagh said: “the federal 

government must have to 

work with the state 

Governors to open up the 

forested communities 

where these criminals have 

found safe haven and 

launching pad to attack 

innocent Nigerians. 

“The Federal 

Government can act fast by 

constructing access roads 

through most of the forests. 

Also these forests can be 

harnessed by opening 

them up and converting 

them to government owned 

mechanized farm areas. 

“This will create jobs for 

people who will moved into 

these farms. They would be 

provided houses and 

security as well. This is 

something that can be done 

if the government is willing 

to listen. Convert the forests 

to farms and you will be 

surprised that it will 

enhance food security in 

this country. 

“On the issue of 

communities keeping 

registers to fish out 

strangers. That is a laudable 

idea. The register should 

contain names of the local 

Fulanis that are known to 

the people and whenever 

unknown herdsmen are 

noticed in the communities’ 

security agencies would be 

alerted without delay. That 

would help to ensure the 

security of the people in our 

various localities and 

communities,” he said. 

NEF also backs 

Gov Abiodun 

The Northern Elders 

Forum, NEF, also gave its 

support to the call by 

Governor Abiodun. 

In a statement, NEF’s 

Director, Publicity and 

Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem 

Baba-Ahmed, said: “You 

cannot fault the call for a 

solution to a problem that 

affects all citizens. Our 

forests are assets, but the 

crimes and the criminal 

have turned them into 

sources of fear, making 

them major threats. 

“It will be reassuring to 

know that the call is made 

for all forests, rather than 

those that are alleged to be 

a problem because they are 

linked to Fulani. 

“The North has vast forest 

resources, but these have 

been taken by bandits. We 

hope the federal 

government will do what it 

needs to do even in those 

States which claim that they 

have exclusive jurisdiction 

over some forest reserves.” 

The forum also noted that 

the real cause of Nigeria’s 

insecurity rested with the 

manner the issues of 

security and welfare of 

citizens were hitherto 

designed and managed. 

“The country should 

address policing and 

additional powers to 

federating units as a matter 

of survival. 

“In the meantime, it is 

important to continue to 

treat forests as economic 

assets that should be made 

accessible for lawful 

activities including 

herding,” the Forum said.

Vanguard, , MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 — 11 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

LAGOS CAN—From left: Southwest Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, 

Rev. Father Raphael Osegboun; Lagos State Governor, Babjide Sanwo-Olu; Rev. Mother 

Esther Ajayi; Chairman, CAN, Lagos State chapter, Rt. Rev. Stephen Adegbite, and Mrs. 

Otitonaye Fadeke, representing Federal lawmaker in the Senate (Lagos Central), Senator 

Oluremi Tinubu, during Lagos CAN Interdenominational Divine Service, at the Apostolic 

Church, Ketu, weekend. 

Why V-Cs, governing councils fight 

—Okebukola 

By Adesina Wahab 

L Executive AGOS—FORMER 

Secretary of the 

National Universities 

Commission, NUC, Prof. Peter 

Okebukola, has identified money 

as the major cause of constant 

bickerings between members of 

the governing councils of universities 

and vice chancellors of such universities. 

Okebukola made the remarks, 

while fielding questions during 

a zoom presentation of a 

collection of essays to mark his 

birthday and retirement from the 

service of the Lagos State 

University, LASU, weekend. 

Kagara: SERAP calls for probe, recovery of missing 

N7bn from UBEC, SUBEB 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

LAGOS — Socio-Economic 

Rights and Accountability 

Project, SERAP, has urged 

President Muhammadu Buhari to 

probe allegations of corruption in 

the Universal Basic Education 

Commission, UBEC and state 

Universal Basic Education 

boards, SUBEBs, between 2004 

and 2020, including missing 

N3,836,685,213.13 documented 

in the 2017 Annual Report by the 

Auditor-General of the 

Federation. 

SERAP also urged Buhari to 

“direct Attorney-General and 

EFCC defends chairman-designate's promotion 

By Innocent Anaba 

ABUJA—THE Economic 

and Financial Crimes 

Commission, EFCC, yesterday, 

denied allegations that its 

Chairman-designate, 

Abdulrasheed Bawa, was 

illegally promoted to Chief 

Detective Superintendent, 

CDS, on Grade Level 14, 

without regard for public service 

rules. 

It described the allegation of 

the promotion by an online news 

medium, as “extremely 

prejudicial, libelous and untrue.” 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari, last Tuesday, appointed 

Bawa as substantive EFCC 

chairman, subject to confirmation 

by the Senate. 

Under Section 2a (ii)(iii) of the 

EFCC Act, a nominee to be 

appointed as chairman must “be 

He added that the other major 

cause of disagreement was ego 

trip on the part of either ouncil 

members or a VC. 

The former Acting VC of LASU noted: 

“Most of the time it is a matter of money. 

It may be that council members may be 

interested in making some financial gains 

from a project in the university and the 

management may resist that. Ego trip is 

also a factor. Either of the sides may 

embark on needless ego trip.” 

Recall that the University of 

Lagos, UNILAG, last year was 

embroiled in faceoff between the 

council and the VC which led to 

dissolution of the council and the 

eventual reinstatement of the 

suspended VC. 

On why it is now becoming 

difficult to appoint a substantive 

Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar 

Malami, and the anti-corruption 

agencies to make public the 

outcome of any investigation, and 

to prosecute suspected 

perpetrators, if there is relevant 

admissible evidence, as well as 

fully recover any missing public 

funds.” 

In the open letter dated 

February, 20, 2021, signed by 

SERAP Deputy Director, 

Kolawole Oluwadare, the 

organization said: “Allegations of 

corruption in UBEC and SUBEBs 

violate the right to education of 

millions of Nigerian children who 

continue to face unsuitable 

a serving or retired member of 

any government security or law 

enforcement agency not below the 

rank of Assistant Commissioner 

of Police or equivalent; and 

possess not less than 15 years 

cognate experience.” 

Before the nomination, Bawa 

By Kingsley Adegboye 

LAGOS—THE umbrella body 

for the 61 investors that 

secured different development 

lease agreements from the 

Federal Government, through 

the Ministry of Industry, Trade 

and Investment, and the Trade 

Fair Management Board, TFMB, 

have petitioned the government 

over its plan to concession the 

VC for universities and the 

selection processes being 

truncated in some cases, 

Okebukola explained that the 

office had become attractive to be 

ignored. 

On the call by some people for 

the reintroduction of satellite 

campuses by tertiary institutions, 

Okebukola opined that it would 

be a great disservice to the sector 

to do so. 

“Before I was appointed the 

Executive Secretary of the NUC, 

the then President, Chief 

Olusegun Obasanjo, called me for 

a meeting in Aso Rock and I expressed 

my feeling about some issues relating to 

education in the country and when I 

was appointed the ES, we issued a close 

down order on these satellite campuses.” 

learning conditions, as shown by 

the poor learning and boarding 

facilities at the Government 

Science College, Kagara, Niger 

State, where dozens of school 

children, teachers and their 

relatives were abducted by 

gunmen.” 

SERAP said: “Investigating the 

allegations of corruption and 

mismanagement in UBEC and 

SUBEBs, prosecuting suspected 

perpetrators and recovering any 

missing public funds would 

contribute to addressing the 

education crisis in the country, 

which has disproportionately 

affected the most vulnerable and 

marginalized, and entrenched 

inequality.” 

was a Deputy Detective 

Superintendent on Grade Level 

13 and had spent 16 years in 

service. 

Last Thursday, it was 

announced that the EFCC had 

promoted him and 88 others, to 

CDS, Grade Level 14. 

Lagos Trade Fair complex: Investors 

reject BPE's concession plan 

Lagos International Trade Fair 

complex on Lagos-Badagry 

expressway. 

The Bureau of Public 

Enterprises, BPE, last week, 

issued a statement that it would 

showcase investment 

opportunities in Lagos Trade Fair 

complex, TBS, Calabar and Kano 

Special Economic Zones, SEZs, 

to the investing public in a 

webinar, in Abuja. 

The biter doesn't like being bitten. 

Many, especially those that have gone. 

Just one of the things men do.




CLOSING: Delta 

State Head of 

Service, Mr. 

Reginald Bayoko 

mni (middle), Mr. 

Goodluck Audu, 

representing the 

Director-General 

of ASCON (right) 

and Permanent 

Secretary, Office 

of the Secretary to 

the State 

Government, Mr. 

Austin Oghoro at 

the closing 

ceremony of the 

16th edition of the 

seven weekends 

management 

course in Asaba. 

PIB: A-Ibom former minister demands 

oil blocks allocation review 

•Describes penalty sharing for gas flaring as absurd 

By Chioma 

Onuegbu 

UYO—FORMER Minister 

of Lands, Housing and 

Urban Development, Chief 

Nduese Essien has demanded 

that the Petroleum Industry 

Bill, PIB, should review the allocation 

of oil blocks in the 

country to also accommodate 

people from the oil-producing 

areas. 

Essien during an interaction 

with newsmen yesterday in 

Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said 

that people from oil-producing 

areas deserve to be allocated 

oil blocks and to be involved 

in the process of exploitation 

of petroleum without 

which the PIB was not going 

to have any meaning. 

He said, "I have taken a 

Akwa to N-Deltans: NDDC'll no longer 

embark on projects that are at variance 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—THE Interim Ad 

ministrator of the Niger 

Delta Development Commission, 

NDDC, Mr Effiong 

Akwa, weekend, assured that 

the commission would no 

longer carry out projects that 

are at variance with the aspirations 

of the people of the 

Niger Delta region. 

Akwa gave the assurance 

when he led the management 

team of the commission on a 

visit to Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa in Asaba, Delta State. 

He told the governor that he 

was in Asaba as part of his engagements 

with key stakeholders 

in the region to share 

his plans for the people of the 

region. 

He said that NDDC was 

committed to the sustainable 

development of the Niger Delta 

and announced a donation 

of five waste disposal trucks 

to the Delta State Government 

by the NDDC. 

The NDDC boss who presented 

keys and documents of 

the trucks to Governor Okowa 

commended the governor for 

his administration's efforts in 

empowering Delta youths. 

Speaking further, he commiserated 

with the governor 

over the death of his father, Pa 

look at the Petroleum Industry 

Bill and the first thing that 

caught my attention is the 

opening statement which 

states that, "The property and 

ownership of petroleum within 

Nigeria and its territorial 

waters, and continental shelf, 

exclusive economic zone is 

vested in the government of 

the Federation of Nigeria. 

"But unfortunately, the Federal 

Government went and 

bestowed this ownership on 

selected people from non-oil 

producing areas. This provision 

actually came into being 

at the peak of the Nigeria 

civil war to pull resources 

from petroleum for the prosecution 

of the war, probably 

as a stop-gap measure. 

"By the end of the civil war, 

successive military governments 

bestowed the property, 

ownership and management 

of petroleum, almost exclusively 

on people from non-oil 

producing areas of the country. 

It was a technical knockout 

attained through the possession 

of political authority. 

"Consequently with the 

long years of "bestowed" and 

unbridled ownership, exploitation, 

management and accumulation 

of wealth from 

petroleum, the non-host communities 

have been misled 

into believing, mischievously 

though, that they are indeed 

the real owners of petroleum 

in Nigeria. 

"This is a fundamental distortion 

in the petroleum industry 

which the PIB should address 

to bring everybody in 

line in smooth and peaceful 

functioning of the industry. 

The way out is to review the 

•As Commission donates five waste disposal trucks to Delta 

Okorie Okowa, who was buried 

last Tuesday, adding "It is 

the prayer of the management 

of the NDDC that God should 

grant you and your siblings 

the fortitude to bear the irreparable 

loss". 

In his remarks, Governor 

Okowa, enjoined the management 

of the NDDC to focus 

on the development of the 

Niger Delta, stressing the 

need for the commission to 

pursue a vision that was people-oriented. 

Urging the NDDC to do 

something that would positively 

impact the people, he 

said, "For the sake of sustainability, 

everything we do must 

be sustainable because I have 

seen roads done under emergency 

projects that failed under 

three months. NDDC 

should spend more money on 

bigger projects that connect 

communities, and have the 

capacity to impact on the 

people." 

Okowa commended the Interim 

Administrator for 

reaching out to stakeholders 

in the region for inputs for the 

development of the area and 

expressed hope that NDDC 

would truly live up to the expectations 

of the people. 

Advising the management 

of the commission to partner 

state governments in the region 

in its activities in the interest 

of the region, the governor 

said, "The NDDC is supposed 

to be an interventionist 

agency but because of politics, 

we have continued to allow 

ourselves to be caught in the 

web of competition which 

ought not to be so." 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor & 

Olayinka Ajayi 

PORT 

HARCOURT— 

THE Presidential Amnesty 

Programme, PAP, office has 

launched investigations into 

fraudulent activities of some 

contractors engaged by the 

office to train and empower 

ex-militants. 

The office also disclosed 

that it subsequently paid 104 

contractors owed by the 

scheme, adding that the payments 

would continue based 

on the availability of funds. 

The Interim Administrator, 

PAP, Col Milland Dikio (retd), 

who confirmed the development 

in a statement, weekend, 

said already preliminary in- 

allocation of petroleum 

blocks and ensure no such disparity 

occurs in the industry." 

The elder statesman also 

pointed out that the PIB does 

not define who the host community 

is, saying that failure 

to specify who the host community 

is would merely create 

confusion and hamper the 

implementation of the bill and 

further worsen host communities 

status. 

He also questioned the justification 

for sharing of the 

penalty paid for flaring gas to 

all parts of the country and 

described the situation as 

most absurd. 

"As it is now, the communities 

hosting petroleum resources, 

they host the hazards 

and deprivations, they also 

host the gas flaring, while all 

the benefits such as royalty, 

gas flaring penalties, and all 

the other things are paid into 

the Federation Account and 

shared to all Nigerians. It is 

the most absurd situation. 

"Also I am suggesting that 

the agencies set up to oversee 

the activities in the petroleum 

sector should state specifically 

what positions would be 

given to people from the oilproducing 

areas, on the 

Boards, in the agencies, whatever, 

so that we can be sure of 

participation in the management 

of the petroleum industry. 

"So the PIB should look into 

such areas and be able to address 

the inconveniences and 

the causes of disaffection within 

the host communities that 

have always led to the disruption 

of production," Essien 

said. 

Okowa orders investigation into 

death of his aide 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—Governor Ifea 

nyi Okowa of Delta 

State, yesterday, ordered Police 

authorities in the state 

to immediately commence a 

thorough investigation into 

the death of his Senior Special 

Assistant on Youth Development, 

Okiemute 

Sowho, who was killed by 

unknown gunmen in Sapele 

on Saturday with a view to 

bringing his assailants to 

book. 

Okowa in a statement by 

his Chief Press Secretary, 

Mr Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba, 

said the death of Sowho was 

quite painful, adding that he 

was a politician, who was a 

strong pillar of support in 

youth mobilization, especially 

in Sapele area. 

"I was shocked to hear of 

the killing of Okiemute 

Amnesty Office begins probe of erring contractors 

• Clears accumulated debts of 104 verified contractors 

vestigations had uncovered 

acts of fraud carried out by 

some of the contractors. 

Dikio said: the "Presidential 

Amnesty Programme has uncovered 

unsavoury acts of 

fraud perpetrated by some 

vendors/contractors. The office 

is currently investigating 

these activities to determine 

how widespread and the extent 

of involvement or connivance 

with internal elements 

within the programme. 

"While this investigation is 

ongoing, we will not stop the 

payment of those whose contracts 

and documents have 

been verified and reconciled 

as soon as the expected funds 

are released. 

"However, it will be recalled 

that before the close of the year 

2020, the PAP had sequentially 

paid a minimum of 104 contractors 

that had hitherto been 

owed. This process will continue 

until everyone is paid 

what they are owed, subject to 

the availability of funds. 

"It must be noted that while 

the continuing process is evidence 

of the PAP's commitment 

to its mandate which 

covers the delegates, the investigations 

will continue to ascertain 

the issues that gave rise 

to this allegation. 

"Meanwhile vendors/contractors 

whose contracts have 

not been revalidated, have not 

received an approval to selffund 

or been mobilized for 

their respective contracts are 

advised to suspend and maintain 

the status quo." 

Sowho. He will be missed 

by thousands of people 

whom he had assisted in one 

way or the other. His role in 

politics and the development 

of his community, local 

government and indeed, 

the state, will remain an inspiration 

for other youths in 

politics. 

"On behalf of the government 

and people of Delta, I 

mourn the death of Sowho, 

who was my aide until his 

untimely demise. I commiserate 

with his family and 

urge security agencies to investigate 

the unfortunate 

incident and bring the perpetrators 

to justice. 

"Let me urge all Deltans 

to remain peaceful and 

maintain the existing peace, 

and report all suspicious 

movements and acts to security 

agencies." 

NALPGAM seeks FG's intervention 

over hike in cooking gas price 

By Henry Ojelu 

THE NIGERIAN Associa 

tion of Liquefied Petroleum 

Gas Marketers, NALP- 

GAM, has appealed to the 

Federal Government to urgently 

intervene in arresting 

the galloping hike in the 

price of Liquefied Petroleum 

Gas (LPG), also known as 

cooking gas across the country. 

NALPGAM in an open letter 

by its Executive Secretary, 

Mr Bassey Essien and 

National Public Relations 

Officer, Mr Raphael Aguele, 

addressed to Chief Timipre 

Sylva, Minister of State for 

Petroleum Resources, urged 

the Federal Government to 

put in place a policy that 

would encourage full domestication 

of LPG. 

The marketers said, "If all 

molecules of gas produced 

should be domesticated, the 

local markets will be adequately 

supplied and prices 

stabilized. 

"By this way, the concerted 

efforts of the federal and 

state government agencies 

to encourage the use of gas 

would not be in vain. 

"Thus we urge your urgent 

intervention to address the 

plight of stakeholders, else 

all the expansion programme 

of the government 

will be an exercise in futility," 

NALPGAM said. 

Delta NBA demands probe into 

pregnant colleague's murder 

By Onozure Dania 

WARRI—THE Nigerian 

Bar Association, Warri 

Branch, Delta State, has demanded 

a full and comprehensive 


circumstances that led to the 

unlawful and gruesome murder 

of one of its colleagues, 

Mrs Nkiru Agbasu (nee Ibe) 

and her unborn child. 

Mrs Ogbasu was alleged to 

have been hit by a stray bullet 

during a kidnapping of a Lebanese 

on the Warri-Sapele 

Road in Delta State. 

NBA, in a statement by its 

Chairman, Chief Emmanuel 

Uti, after the association's 

meeting in Warri, said they 

were not satisfied with the explanation 

giving by the police 

concerning the death of 

Mrs Agbasu. 

The association said that it 

was worried and suspicious 

that, Mrs Agbasu might have 

been assassinated, as the alleged 

commercial vehicle 

where she was alleged to be 

travelling, was nowhere to be 

found and no occupant of the 

said vehicle could be traced. 

The branch condemned in 

totality the execution-style 

shooting of Mrs Agbasu, who 

was heavily pregnant at the 

time of her death, adding that 

her unwarranted murder was 

one attack too many, targeted 

at lawyers carrying out 

their lawful duties. 

"The Branch recalls with 

pain, the unresolved murder, 

in similar fashion of Eguono 

Dafioghor, and Samuel 

Eguanghanju, both members 

of the NBA Warri branch and 

happening within the last decade. 

To date, the Nigerian 

security agencies have failed 

to find the perpetrators of 

these heinous crimes, left the 

investigations inconclusive, 

the murders unresolved and 

the Branch and their immediate 

families crying for justice.‘‘



Last Ohanaeze election not credible, falls 

short of expectations of Ndigbo ---ASETU 


OPENING: From left— Mr. Emma Udeaja; Dr. Amamchukwu Ezeike, Medical Director, First Maf Hospital; 

Chief Cletus M. Ibeto, CON, founder and Chairman, Ibeto Group; Chief Chika Emenike, Chairman, Rento Hotel 

and Suites; Lolo Amaka Emenike; Chief Oliver Nwagbala; and Valentine Ozigbo, at the opening of Rento Hotel 

and Suites, in Owerri. 

Police arrest ex-Imo gov, Okorocha in Owerri 

•For breaking into Royal Palm Estate sealed by Imo Govt•May be charged to 

court today •Ex-political appointees arrested alongside ex-gov •Free-for-all 

between govt supporters, Okorocha's loyalists 

By Chinonso Alozie 

OWERRI—MANY people 

were injured and vehicles 

were damaged, yesterday, as 

former Governor of Imo State, 

and Senator Representing 

Imo West Senatorial District, 

Senator Rochas Okorocha allegedly 

ordered his loyalists to 

break into the Royal Palm Estate, 

sealed by the Imo State 

Government, along Akachi 

road in Owerri. 

Last week, the Imo State 

Government sealed the Royal 

Palm Estate allegedly 

owned by Okorocha's wife, 

Nkechi, based on the white 

paper report from the judicial 

panel set up by the administration 

of Emeka Ihedioha, 

which has been legalised by 

the Governor Hope Uzodimma 

Administration. 

Following the breaking of 

•Urges credible Igbo leaders to rescue apex Igbo body 

By Anayo Okoli 

ENUGU—Association of 

South-East Town Unions, 

ASETU, has faulted the recent 

general election of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo, which produced Professor 

George Obiozor as president-general, 

saying it fell 

short of the expectations of the 

vast majority of Ndigbo. 

ASETU said that it observed 

the breach of constitutional 

provision, including the section 

that stipulates that the town 

unions are the building blocks 

of Ohanaeze, “as vast majority 

of town unions reported that 

they were not carried along in 

the process.” 

“In many instances, the delegates 

to the election were reportedly 

hand-picked, instead 

of chosen through congresses 

at the local levels. All of these 

have combined to arguably vitiate 

the credibility of the election”, 

ASETU argued. 

The group called all genuine 

and serious Igbo leaders 

to intervene, and come together 

to chart the way forward as 

Igbo need serious leadership 

at this time. 

“We cannot throw away the 

baby with the bathwater. It will 

amount to indelible abomination 

to the entire Igbo race if 

we allow our collective masquerade 

(Ijele) to fall to the 

ground. The way forward has 

to be inclusive and handled by 

men and women of integrity,” 

ASETU said in a statement by 

National President, Chief 

Emeka Diwe and National 

Secretary, Hon. Gideon Adikwuru. 

The statement was issued 

after its National Executive 

meeting, where a report of its 

observers to the election was 

considered. 

ASETU said the election 

“fell short of the expectations 

of the vast majority of Ndigbo 

in this critical moment in 

time”, insisting that “the 

complaints that the electoral 

process was neither open nor 

participatory are not unfounded.” 

“The 2021 Ohanaeze Ndigbo 

Election has shown the level 

of dedication in the hearts 

of our people and their preparedness 

to take part in every 

process that will usher in 

genuine leadership to drive 

the rebirth of the Igbo Nation. 

Given the numerous and existential 

challenges Ndigbo 

face today, it is expected that 

Ndigbo are keen to get strong 

and reliable hands that will 

steer our development and 

security plans. This passion 

animated by the purest of patriotism 

must be harnessed for 

the attainment of a greater 

Igbo Nation. 

“However, the 2021 Election 

of Ohanaeze fell short of 

the expectations of the vast 

majority of Ndigbo in this critical 

moment in time. The 

complaints that the electoral 

process was neither open nor 

participatory are not unfounded. 

ESN vs Military: S-East turning into battle ground 

—Anyanwu 

By Chinonso Alozie 

O WERRI—SENATOR 

Samuel Anyanwu who 

represented Imo East Senatorial 

District, yesterday, said 

that the South-East zone has 

been gradually turned into a 

battle ground. 

Anyanwu spoke to newsmen 

in Owerri on the recent 

military invasion of forests in 

Orlu and Orsu, where camps 

of the Eastern Security Network, 

ESN, were destroyed by 

the military. 

He said that the presence 

of the military men were causing 

psychological injury to 

the seal, Okorocha's loyalists 

were confronted by government 

supporters leading to a 

free for all wherein many people 

were injured . 

The incident which happened 

around 17: 20pm 

along Akachi road in Owerri, 

also led to damaging of vehicles. 

Meanwhile, the immediate 

past Imo governor has been 

arrested by the police. 

innocent people in the affected 

areas. 

Anyanwu started by calling 

on "Governor Hope Uzodinma 

to immediately intervene 

to bring public sanity before it 

degenerates into another 

bloody clash as witnessed few 

weeks ago in the state, as you 

can see South Eastern Nigeria 

is gradually turning to a 

battle ground. 

"The action was capable of 

causing psychological injury 

to innocent people owing to the 

fact that there was no proper 

notice that military would 

embark on such strange display 

within the affected areas. 

“It is wrong for the military 

to intimidate the people with 

strange movement of their 

The Imo State Police Command 

has confirmed that it 

has taken Senator Okorocha 

into custody to explain why he 

led violent thugs to break into 

the government sealed estate. 

The State Police Public Relations 

Officer, PPRO, Orlando 

Ikeokwu, confirmed this to 

newsmen in Owerri. 

He said that the police 

moved to Akachi road when 

they received a distress call 

that the Royal Palm spring 

Estate sealed by the government 

had been violently 

opened by men led by Okorocha. 

Orlando said: "The command 

received a distress 

call regarding what we 

termed to be an unrest at 

Royal Spring palm estate, 

and the operatives moved to 

the place, we discovered 

Okorocha led some persons 

to the place hitherto sealed 

by the Imo Government. 

"The command calmed 

the situation and invited 

Okorocha, to come and explain 

why he led the violent 

breaking into the estate that 

led to damages." 

Vanguard investigation 

also revealed that those arrested 

alongside Okorocha 

included some of his former 

political appointees, Steve 

Asunobi, Lasbery Anyanwu 

and Ijeoma Igboanusi. 

Sources told Vanguard, 

yesterday that Okorocha 

might be charged to court 

today. 

hardware without properly informing 

the rural people who 

are made up of peasant farmers. 

This action does not only 

affect them psychologically 

but also frightens them from 

going about their normal businesses." 

“Governor Hope Uzodinma, 

as the Chief Security Officer 

of the state should rise fast 

to arrest the situation before 

innocent people are humiliated. 

Obviously, proper publicity 

would have been carried out 

to intimate the people about 

the ongoing military displays 

in those affected LGAs, but 

where that was not done, the 

military should immediately 

withdraw their personnel for 

the sake of peace.'' 

ADF protests skewed 

appointment of judges 

against S-East 

By Dennis Agbo 

THE ALAIGBO Develop 

ment Foundation, ADF, 

has petitioned President Mohammadu 

Buhari and the 

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice 

Tanko Mohammed over 

on-going appointment of Justices 

of the Court of Appeal 

which it alleged was being 

manipulated to deliberately 

deny the South-East its quota 

and appropriate number of 

Justices in the Court of Appeal. 

The Igbo group said the appointments 

negated the principle 

of Federal Character as 

enshrined in the 1999 Constitution. 

In the petition signed by its 

President, Prof. Uzodinma 

Nwala, ADF called on the authorities 

to intervene in the ongoing 

exercise by the National 

Judicial Council, NJC, 

which made recommendations 

for appointment of certain 

persons as Justices of the 

Court of Appeal. 

ADF described the marginalisation 

of South-East in the 

appointments as "unfortunate, 

improper and unjustifiable 

decision of the NJC to 

marginalize and emasculate 

the South-East geo-political 

zone in the exercise." 

ADF said that it was very 

unjust and unfair for only one 

Justice to be appointed from 

the South-East out of 20 Justices 

that are being appointed 

from the six geopolitical 

zones, whereas the other zones 

such as North-West was allocated 

eight slots; North- East 

three; North-Central two; 

South-West four and South- 

South two. 

"The NJC recommendation 

is a brazen act of injustice and 

inequity meted against the 

South-East and we appeal to 

President Buhari and the CJN 

Justice Tanko Mohammed to 

intervene and save the situation." 

"To allow the current exercise 

characterized by lack of 

transparency and political 

manoeuvres to sail through 

would be antithetical to the 

evolution of an upright judiciary." 

Anambra APC alleges IPOB 

attack at revalidation centres 

By Vincent Ujumadu 

AWKA—THE All Progres 

sives Congress, APC, in 

Anambra State alleged, weekend, 

that some people suspected 

to be members of the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, IPOB, 

attacked its officials at Isseke 

in Ihiala Local Council during 

the ongoing registration and 

revalidation exercise taking 

place across the country. 

State chairman of the party, 

Chief Basil Ejidike, who spoke 

during the party's stakeholders 

meeting in Awka said the attackers 

carted away materials 

meant for the exercise. 

The stakeholder's meeting 

was attended by the state leader 

of the party and Minister of 

Labour and Employment, Senator 

Chris Ngige, all the governorship 

aspirants for the November 

6 election in the state, 

President Muhammadu Buhari's 

aides and the state leadership 

of APC. 

According to Ejidike, the 

party had already instructed 

Ihiala local government area 

supervisors to furnish it with 

the full details of the incident 

for proper action to the taken 

He said: "There was a reported 

incident of attack on 

our workers by suspected 

members of the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, IPOB, who 

carted away materials meant 

for the registration exercise in 

Isseke, Ihiala local government 

area. We have already 

requested the local government 

area supervisors to furnish 

us with details." 

Apart from the IPOB incident, 

there was also a report 

that registration officials were 

facing a lot of pressure from 

some stakeholders in Orumba 

area of the state, who allegedly 

were trying to manipulate 

the exercise, thereby creating 

tension at the centres. 

However, the chairman said 

the party needed more materials 

for the exercise in many 

locations as the ones sent were 

not enough to cover the 4,907 

polling units in the state. 

Anambra 2021: Ngige, PDP, 

APC can't stop APGA —Umeh 

AWKA—FORMER Na 

tional Chairman of the 

All Progressives Grand Alliance, 

APGA, Senator Victor 

Umeh, poop-poohed claims by 

Senator Chris Ngige, minister 

of Labour and Employment, 

and leader of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC in Anambra 

State that APC was prepared 

to win the November 6 

Anambra governorship election. 

Describing Ngige as a boastful 

politician who has never 

won an election freely in the 

state, Umeh also said that the 

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP 

cannot stop APGA. 

He said: "What happened in 

2017 is supposed to be fresh in 

the mind of Dr Chris Ngige 

whom I read in various newspapers 

insulting APGA, insulting 

the government, and writing 

us off." 

Promising that Senator 

Ngige would lose his ward in 

the Anambra governorship 

election, Umeh said: "He has 

boasted repeatedly and on each 

occasion, we defeated him to 

stupor. APGA as a party has a 

structure in every corner in Anambra 

State. He is boasting 

that he must take power from 

APGA and flush us out on November 

6. After all his boasts in 

the previous elections, he has 

always lost his ward. And on 

November 6, 2021, he will lose 

his ward again. Because he has 

never won in his ward. When 

he says these things I don't know 

whether he thinks that we are 

no longer alive. He is a customer 

I have had since 2003. 

"In 2003, we defeated him 

in almost all the polling units 

in Anambra State and PDP 

rigged the election and put him 

in power. And we went to the 

court and got rid of him. In 

2010, he tried it again and we 

bashed him very badly. So, he 

has always been losing election 

to APGA.




VISIT: Chief of the 

Naval Staff, Rear 

Admiral Awwal 

Gambo, 

presenting a 

souvenir to the 

Commandant 

Armed Forces 

Command and 

Staff College, Jaji, 

Air Vice Marshal 

Abubakar Liman, 

during the 

Commandant’s 

visit to the Naval 

Headquarters, in 

Abuja. 

COAS gives troops 48-hrs to recapture 

Borno communities from insurgents 

•We've been forced out of council secretariat for over 2 yrs —LG Boss 

•As fire outbreak renders over 1200 IDPs homeless 

By Ndahi Marama 

M Chief AIDUGURI—THE 

of Army Staff, 

COAS, Major General Ibrahim 

Attahiru yesterday gave 

troops of the Nigerian Army, 

'Operation Lafiya Dole' 48 

hours to clear insurgents off 

Marte Local Government 

Area, LGA, of Borno State recently 

seized by Boko 

Gov Sule partners UNDP to tackle food 

insecurity •Donates 400 hectares of land 

By David Odama 

LAbdullahi AFIA—GOVERNOR 

Sule of Nasarawa 

State weekend said the 

State Government would involve 

agencies and organizations 

willing to develop 

agriculture and ensure food 

security in the state. 

This came as the state government 

donated 400 hectares 

of land to the United 

Nations Development Programme, 

UNDP, in Awe and 

Keana Local Government 

Areas, LGAs, for agriculture 

aimed at addressing food insecurity. 

The governor who spoke 

through his Special Adviser 

on NGOs and Development 

Partners, Mrs Munirat Abdullahi, 

while handing over 

the land to the representatives 

of UNDP noted that the 

donation was aimed at ensuring 

food security in the 

state through mechanised 

farming. 

Sule explained that the 

project was a component of 

the peace building projects 

of his administration in collaboration 

with the UNDP, to 

address the plight of persons 

affected by farmers, herders' 

crisis. 

He said 300 farmers each 

from Jangwa and Ribi communities 

of Awe Giza and 

Kadarko in Keana LGAs, 

who were affected during the 

crisis, were the targeted 

beneficiaries of the UNDP 

project.. 

"Over 10, 000 family 

members are expected to 

benefit from the positive impact 

of the project at the end 

of the programme," the governor, 

stated.. 

Sule explained that apart 

from making available 400 

hectares of land in the benefiting 

communities, the state 

government would also offer 

technical assistance, while 

the UNDP would provide 

farming inputs, equipment 

and other resources to ensure 

the success of the programme 

insisting that the state government 

would always work with 

all genuine organizations towards 

improving on the standards 

of the people. 

Governor Sule urged corporate 

organizations and 

wealthy individuals to invest 

in agriculture, to enhance 

food security and eliminate 

restiveness among youths in 

Delta HoS cautions civil servants on 2nd wave of 

COVID-19 

ASABA—DELTA State 

Head of Service, HoS, 

Mr. Reginald Bayoko, has 

cautioned Civil Servants in 

the state against non adherence 

to the COVID-19 safety 

protocols, saying the reality 

and gravity of the second 

wave of the pandemic 

is more devastating. 

Mr. Bayoko gave the advice 

when he granted audience 

to the Chairman of the 

State Primary Health Care 

Development Agency, Dr. 

Isioma Okobah, who led 

other members of the Board 

and some management 

staff of the Agency on an 

advocacy visit to the office 

of the HOS in Asaba. 

The HoS, while admonishing 

civil servants in the 

Haram insurgents. 

General Attahiru also directed 

troops to clear terrorists 

off Kirenowa, Kirta, 

Wulgo, Chikingudo communities 

of Marte and Ngala 

local government areas 

in the state. 

He gave the ultimatum 

while addressing troops of 

the Nigerian Army Super 

camp 9, Dikwa, saying "areas 

around Marte, Chikingudu, 

Wulgo Kirenowa and 

Kirta must be cleared in the 

next 48 hours. You should be 

rest assured of all support 

you required in this very 

onerous task. 

" I have just spoken to the 

Theater Commander, and the 

General Officer Commanding 

7 Division, you must not 

let this nation down. Go back 

and do the needful and I will 

the country. 

Receiving the land on behalf 

of the UNDP, the Project 

Manager of Thrive Agric, an 

implementing partner of the 

UNDP, Enyi James, expressed 

gratitude to the state government 

for the donation and 

support towards improving 

the lives of farmers. 

He assured the government 

that UNDP would soon commence 

agricultural activities 

in the area, to assist in addressing 

issues of food security in 

the state and the country 

stressing that they would train 

the farmers on modern techniques, 

provide boreholes and 

supply them with farming inputs, 

to enable them engage 

in dry season farming. 

be right behind you." 

Meanwhile the Executive 

Chairman of Guzamala LGA 

of Borno State, Umar Kyari, 

lamented that since Boko 

Haram terrorists dislodged 

thousands of residents in the 

last two and half years, all operations 

of the council were 

being done at Nganzai LGA.. 

The Guzamala council 

chairman said, residents were 

in a very difficult situation 

compounded by last week fire 

outbreak which took place in 

Nganzai Internally Displaced 

Persons, IDPs camp, which 

rendered over 1,200 Guzamala 

persons homeless with no 

food or means of livelihoods. 

According to him: " Recall 

that in the year 2018, we in 

Guzamala Local Government 

Area Jubilated when 

troops of Operation Last Hold 

accompanied us including 

6,000 IDPS back to Gudumbali, 

the Headquarter of 

Guzamala Local Government, 

we couldn't stay there 

for a long, as Boko haram dislodged 

troops and the civil 

population. 

"Precisely on 20 June 2018, 

we were forced out of Guzamala 

and now taking refuge 

at various camps in the state. 

" Since then, Guzamala 

Local Government secretariat 

and administrative 

works are been operated 

temporarily in Nganzai Local 

Government Area. 

State to strictly observe all 

COVID-19 safety guidelines 

to prevent the spread of the 

disease, faulted perceptions 

in some quarters that the 

deadly virus only struck high 

calibre personalities in the 

society, describing such belief 

as erroneous, baseless 

and could not stand scientific 

verifications. 

He commended the management 

of the Agency for 

its sustained campaign 

against the COVID-19 pandemic 

in the state, saying 

there was the need to complement 

the efforts of the 

State Government at combating 

the spread of the virus 

towards saving lives in 

the state. He emphasised 

that the need for continuous 

checking of body temperature 

before entering any government 

premises, proper 

wearing of face mask, use of 

alcohol based hand sanitizers 

and provision of soap 

and water for washing of 

hand before entering any 

government establishment 

in the state. 

Earlier, the Chairman of 

the Agency, Dr. Isioma 

Okobah, told the HoS that 

the visit was to solicit for the 

collaboration of the office of 

the HoS to sensitise civil servants 

on the need to adhere 

to preventive protocols 

against the virus. She noted 

that such a collaborative effort 

would go a long way in 

stemming the rising tide of 

the pandemic. Okobah 

begged for acceptance of the 

prescribed vaccine for the 

treatment of the virus in the 

state. 

Rising tension: Stop ethnic 

profiling, pursue peace 

—Olawepo-Hashim 

By Soni Daniel, 

Northern Region 

Editor 

ABUJA—AS ethnic tension 

rises across the country, 

former presidential candidate, 

Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, 

has warned Nigerians to 

desist from engaging in ethnic 

profiling so as not to worsen 

the situation and embolden 

Nigeria's enemies to create 

more crises for the nation. 

The politician and businessman, 

who was reacting to rising 

ethnic tension in the land, 

warned that pitching one ethnic 

group against the other 

and pushing for attacks and 

reprisal attacks could only 

promote more suspicion and 

mistrust and lead to avoidable 

destruction. 

In a statement made available 

to Vanguard in Abuja yesterday, 

Mr Olawepo-Hashim, 

expressed serious concern over 

the ongoing attacks and 

counter attacks arising from 

the age-long farmers-herders 

conflicts and exacerbated by 

other security challenges, but 

warned that they should never 

be a justification for ethnic stereotyping 

capable of provoking 

ethnic pogroms. 

Olawepo-Hashim said: "All 

patriotic Nigerians should be 

worried. I am worried. We all 

have roles to play, community 

leaders and social organizations 

must tone down divisive 

rhetoric," he said. 

"Now is the time to motivate 

and encourage various 

security agencies to step up 

their games. Now is the time 

for government leaders to act 

as statesmen. We must unite 

to save the nation. 

"Public officers at all levels 

must avoid statements and 

actions that show support for 

any party to the conflict as it 

has tendency to undermine 

national cohesion and security. 

"On clashes between herders 

and farmers all over Nigeria, 

it is well agreed by all 

reasonable citizens and leaders 

that a pastoral practice 

that ruins the legitimate businesses 

of others, must immediately 

give way to a more acceptable 

and modern arrangement. 

" 

"We need a transition to a 

system that accommodates 

the aspirations of poor farmers 

and herders who have long 

been neglected by successive 

governments. This is the most 

urgent task of public policy 

at both State and Federal levels. 

US-based newspaper, NIDO to 

host conference on patriotism 

among Nigerians 

NEW YORK—A US-based 

media organisation, 

Global Patriot Newspapers 

(GPNews), is set to host an international 

conference aimed 

at reviving the spirit of patriotism 

among Nigerians. 

GPNews is organising the 

virtual conference in collaboration 

with the Nigerians in 

Diaspora Organisation 

(NIDO), New Jersey Chapter, 

with support from the Nigerian 

consulate in New York. 

The event, billed for March 

6, will address issues around 

national development, constitutionality, 

governance, security, 

politics, human rights and 

justice in Nigeria, according 

to the organisers. 

In a statement, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief 

of GPNews, 

Mr Simon Ibe, and the President, 

NIDO New Jersey, Dr 

Kazeem Bello, said the forum 

would feature top government 

officials, renowned academics, 

and pro-democracy and 

human rights activists 

"The event is an attempt to 

question the root causes of 

lack of patriotic fervour 

among many Nigerians and 

what should be done to reverse 

the trend. 

"There will be questions as 

to why some are not proud of 

their motherland, will not buy 

locally-made products and 

are ever ready to badmouth 

their country. 

"Focus will be on the need 

for love for country in the conduct 

of government business 

and interactions between individuals 

and entities in the 

polity," they said. 

According to them, the conference 

is seeking to establish 

mantras such as 'Nigeria first', 

'Love the motherland', 'Buy 

Nigeria', 'Promote Nigeria' 

and 'Die for Nigeria'. 

The organisers said login 

details of the nonpartisan 

webinar, scheduled to begin 

at 4 p.m. (West African Time) 

would be released soon. 

Abavo community honours 

DBS GM 

IN RECOGNITION of his 

outstanding contributions 

to the development of Journalism 

and advancement to the 

overall growth of Abavo community, 

the General Manager 

of Delta Broadcasting Service, 

DBS, Asaba Mr Frank 

Whyte Osabohien has been honoured 

with an Award of Excellence. 

The President General of 

Abavo Development Union, 

World Wide, Jonathan Agbejiagwe 

said the gesture was to 

appreciate and encourage the 

awardee to continue to work 

for the good of the society, saying 

that Mr Osabohien was a 

strong source of inspiration to 

the younger generation and 

youths in particular. 

Agbejiagwe acknowledged 

the positive development currently 

going on in the state 

broadcast outfit describing 

the General Manager as an 

agent of positive change who 

deserved the support and cooperation 

of all stakeholders. 

He urged him to remain 

resolute and focused in the execution 

of his strategic plans 

and development vision for 

DBS, Asaba. 

The Chairman of DBS, 

Asaba, Comrade Felix Ofuo 

described the Award as 

unique and significant considering 

the fact that it came 

from the Awardee's Community. 

Receiving the Award, Mr 

Osabohien commended the 

leadership of Abavo Community 

and the traditional Ruler 

of Abavo Kingdom Uche Irenuma 

11 for finding him Worthy 

for the Award.



Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

Bala Mohammed school of 

anarchism and disunity 

THE Nigerian state has never 

been as divided and besieged 

in its 107-year Amalgamation, as 

it is witnessing today. The 1966- 

67 crises which led to the threeyear 

Civil War was roughly 

between two parts of the country. 

In the present crises, all parts of 

the country are in turmoil. The 

North East is besieged by the Boko 

Haram and Islamic State 

terrorists, the North-West by 

marauding bandits who have 

seized territories and the North 

Central by terrorists and bandits, 

many of them, foreigners. The 

southern part of the country while 

having issues of criminality, 

cultism and ethno-nationalism, 

has the general challenge of 

kidnapping and banditry 

perpetuated mainly by men 

identified as criminal elements of 

Fulani ancestry from within and 

outside the country who 

camouflage as herdsmen. 

In his January 2019, interview 

with Arise Television in Abuja, 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

explained this phenomenon to the 

Nigerian people: “The Nigerian 

cattle herder used to carry nothing 

more than a stick, but these are 

people with AK-47 and people 

refuse to reflect on the demise of 

Gaddafi. Gaddafi for 43 years in 

By OLUDAYO TADE 

LORI-IRO (based on deliberate falsehood 

or lie) is a metaphoric expression which 

unpacks the relationship of falsehood between 

Nigerian politicians and the public. 

Popularised recently by an Ibadan based street 

evangelist, Gbadamosi Ismail, Lórí-Iró is useful 

in dissecting the failures of social institutions 

in Nigeria. It reveals how relationships are 

consummated based on lies and culminates 

in heartbreaks, broken relationships, and 

fragile national unity. Blessed with deceitful 

lips, an average Nigerian politician, whether 

holding an umbrella or broom, mesmerises 

vulnerable electorates with messianic posture 

as harbinger of growth, development, peace 

and prosperity. 

This is the social context that characterised 

the ascendancy of the repackaged candidate, 

Muhammadu Buhari, who had been serially 

rejected thrice. His rejections then were 

anchored on electorates’ fear of voting a 

religious fundamentalist and a clannish lord. 

Those in opposition then, particularly from 

western Nigeria campaigned against 

candidate Buhari for fear of violence, clannish 

rule and alleged Islamisation agenda. By 2014, 

the opposites harmonised with assemblage of 

strange bird fellows and the foundation of what 

we experience today was laid by ambitious 

acclaimed leaders who failed to learn anything 

from history. They clothed candidate Buhari 

as converted democrat. Their campaign was 

anchored on lori-iro and they presented a false 

outward identity and pretended that the inward 

identity of their candidate was no longer 

important. 

Today, that Lórí-Iró identity is hunting the 

national life as fear of victimisation by bandits 

and terror herders envelopes the land. The 

regret now is that President Buhari who 

promised to fight corruption, defeat terrorism 

and fix the economy has not delivered on this 

Libya, at some stage, he decided to 

recruit people from Mali, Burkina 

Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, from 

Central African Republic and these 

young chaps are not taught to be 

bricklayers, electricians, plumbers 

or any trade but to shoot and kill. 

So, when the opposition in Libya 

succeeded in killing him, they 

arrested some and they did what 

they did to them. The rest escaped 

with their orphans and we 

encounter some of them in the 

North-East and they are all over 

the place now organising attacks.” 

With tension threatening to boil 

over, the Northern States 

Governors’ Forum, NSGF, met in 

a virtual conference of February 

9, 2021 and declared: “The current 

system of herding mainly through 

open grazing is no longer 

sustainable, in view of growing 

urbanisation and population of the 

country.” They, therefore, 

suggested the adoption of modern 

methods of herding including 

ranching. The governors asked 

political authorities in the states 

to isolate criminality from herding, 

hunting or farming and bring 

criminals including those illegally 

occupying forest reserves, to book. 

They said they are working to 

douse tension generated by the 

eviction order issued to criminal 

tripod upon which his government is mounted. 

Many of his statements, one of which is ‘I belong 

to nobody’ has come to be appreciated as Lórí- 

Iró based on lived experiences of Nigerians 

since 2015. From 2010 through to 2016, 

Nigeria’s best ranking on the global 

Corruption Perceptions Index, CPI, has been 

136 out of the 176 countries. By the end of 

2019 when PMB contested second term, CPI 

of Nigeria was 146 and nosedived further to 

149 in the 2020 CPI ranking. 

Although the government is challenging the 

2020 CPI report, the National Bureau of 

Statistics, NBS, 2019 study affirmed the 

deepening corruption under Buhari and the 

upward mobility of insecurity as the major 

concern of Nigerians. Under this presidency, 

might is right and criminal herdsmen are 

unleashing terror on farming communities, 

raping, kidnapping and grabbing ancestral 

lands. This is what I call, herdsmen 

Self-help is activated when 

government fails to live up to the 

constitutional roles of assuring 

safety of lives and properties 

nationalism. Herdsmen nationalism is the 

notion that the cultures of the Fulani and its 

herding community and their interests are 

superior to any other cultures in Nigeria. 

Emboldened by this ethnocentrism and the 

desire to actualise it, criminal herdsmen are 

strengthened with the current political capital 

in Aso-rock. They are energised and 

empowered by the consciousness that their 

patron is in power and the pendulum of power 

tilts to their side. Mouthing the narrative of 

having right to live anywhere as ‘Nigerians’, 

criminal herdsmen trample on the livelihoods 

of farmers, rape their women, displace them 

and acquire their lands. The consequences of 

these intended actions are food insecurity as 

farmers can no longer access their farms owing 

herdsmen in some parts of the 

country, with threats of reprisals, 

and urged Nigerians to live 

peacefully as an entity. 

Two days later, Governor Bala 

Mohammed of Bauchi State, 

broke ranks with his northern 

governor colleagues, distancing 

himself from their communiqué. 

Using the platform of the Bauchi 

Correspondents’ Chapel magazine 

launch, he fired three carefully 

packaged rocket launchers at their 

peace efforts. 

In his first salvo, Mohammed 

claimed that because: “the Fulani 

man…has been exposed to cattle 

rustlers who carry a gun, kill him 

and take away his cows he has no 

option (but) to carry AK 47 because 

the government and the society are 

not protecting him. It’s the fault of 

the government.” In this, he 

justifies the proliferation of arms 

in the country and killer herdsmen 

Governor Bala 

Mohammed is like a 

hunter who uses a goat 

to set a trap; he cannot 

plan to catch a rabbit; he 

certainly plans to catch 

something bigger than 

his bait 

carrying guns. Secondly, he places 

them above the laws of the country 

including Nigerian Firearms Act 

of 1990 which provides that no 

person shall “have in his 

possession or under his control any 

firearm or ammunition except 

such person has a licence from the 

President or from the Inspector- 

General of Police”. 

A governor who swore to uphold 

the constitution and laws of 

Nigeria, makes superfluous 

arguments for some people in the 

country not to obey the laws of the 

country. Since he is aware, as 

Lórí-Iró leadership and herdsmen nationalism 

President Buhari explained in 

2019, that many of these armed 

bandits are mercenaries, the 

governor cannot be patriotic in 

defending their profession and 

rationalising their criminality. He 

presents the criminals as victims 

and falsely accuses Nigerians as 

being responsible for their 

situation. 

In his Monday, September 16, 

2019 interview on Channels 

Television, Bala Mohammed had 

rationalised the invasion of 

Nigeria by such men. “The Fulani 

man is a global or African person. 

He moves from The Gambia to 

Senegal and his nationality is 

Fulani…As a person I may have 

my relations in Cameroon but they 

are also Fulani. I am a Fulani man 

from my maternal side, we 

(Nigerians) will just have to take 

this as our own heritage, 

something that is African. So we 

cannot just close our borders and 

say the Fulani man is just a 

Nigerian….They are all Nigerians 

because their identity, their 

citizenship is Nigerian even 

though they have relatives from all 

over the world. So, presumably 

they are Nigerians because they 

move all over and have relations 

all over. That is why our 

population in Nigeria is fluid.” So, 

Mohammed knows precisely 

those he is making a case for. 

His second salvo against the 

Northern Governors is that 

Nigeria is a no-man’s land: 

“Nobody owns any forests in 

Nigeria, it’s owned by Nigeria. 

Under Section 23, 24 and 25 of the 

constitution, every Nigerian is free 

to stay anywhere.” His third false 

claim is that: "The West (Yoruba) 

doesn’t want to accommodate 

other tribes but we are 

accommodating your tribe in 

Bauchi.” He also attacked the Tivs 

on the same claims. In this, he 

to fear of being attacked by terror herders and 

public resistance to herdsmen atrocities in 

southern Nigeria. The negligence of 

governments and perceived pampering of 

criminal herders by the security agencies 

underlie ongoing sustained resistance and 

outcry against criminal herders in southern 

Nigeria. This is happening because our Lórí- 

Iró leaderships are negating the lyrical counsel 

preached in our national anthem that ‘living 

just and true’ enables a country to attain lofty 

heights of nationhood to build a country where 

peace and justice reign. Nigeria’s Lórí-Iró 

leaders only sing the national anthem but do 

not act the lyrics. While leadership at the 

national and sub-national levels are preaching 

peaceful living, little is being said about justice. 

Justice is the pillar upon which peace stands. 

Justice is needed for those killed, kidnapped, 

raped and displaced in farming communities 

by criminal herders. 

We are often reminded (based on lies/loriiro) 

that we are one indivisible country even 

though there are obvious diversities. For 

instance, southern Nigeria operates Criminal 

Code while northern Nigeria operates Penal 

Code. Some states in northern Nigeria operate 

Sharia law with Sharia court and their 

enforcement agents. Whoever is found within 

that space irrespective of whether you believe 

in it or not must comply. Child Rights Act is 

implemented in most southern states while 

northern states have been lukewarm. Show me 

how many southerners have violated cultural 

and religious norms in northern Nigeria and 

have been spared without sanction. What then 

gives a criminal herder the right to migrate 

down South to cause acrimony and challenge 

local norms, values and laws governing human 

conducts? 

Self-help is activated when government fails 

to live up to the constitutional roles of assuring 

safety of lives and properties. When nobody is 

sure of tomorrow or who the next victim of 

strives to stoke the ethnic tension 

and pour petrol on it. 

I have asked myself why Bala 

Mohammed is championing this 

strand of anarchism and disunity. 

It cannot be for money, because 

even as executive governor with 

unrestricted access to security 

votes, he is very rich. I also do not 

believe he is high on anything. 

However, the immediate past of the 

governor revealed that he was 

facing criminal charges before he 

ran to be governor which gave him 

automatic immunity from 

prosecution of any kind until he is 

out of office. 

The Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, EFCC, had 

in 2016 arrested Bala Mohammed 

for alleged involvement in a N1.6 

trillion questionable land 

allocation to Aso Savings Limited 

in the Federal Capital Territory. 

The anti-graft agency had on May 

10, 2017, arraigned Mohammed 

before Justice Abubakar Talba of 

the Gudu Division of the Federal 

Capital Territory High Court for 

an initial N864 million fraud. The 

governor’s son, Shamsudeen Bala, 

was also charged with laundering 

about N1.1 billion. 

So can Bala Mohammed’s 

gambit be to put himself out as 

champion of the Fulani herders so 

that if his prosecution eventually 

reopens, he would claim he is 

being persecuted for his claimed 

Fulani origins? Can it be that he is 

sending signals to the ruling All 

Progressives Congress that he is 

game and would want the case 

against him dropped entirely? 

Some kind of calculation must 

be going on. Governor Bala 

Mohammed is like a hunter who 

uses a goat to set a trap; he cannot 

plan to catch a rabbit; he certainly 

plans to catch something bigger 

than his bait. 

criminality will be, a defensible space 

approach becomes inevitable and this is 

manifested in territorial protection against 

perceived enemies. The mindset of criminal 

herders is better appreciated through the lens 

of the governor of Bauchi State, Bala 

Muhammed, who postulated the theory of AK- 

47 defence. This governor who is a Fulani from 

his maternal side had hitherto asked Nigerians 

in a television interview to continue to live with 

the realities of herders. This is why a 

sympathetic Fulani headed government 

cannot shut borders on criminal herders 

migrating into Nigeria to wreck havoc at the 

expense of law-abiding indigenous Fulani 

herders. Bala Muhammed informs us that the 

AK-47 assault rifle brandished by criminal 

Fulani herders is for self-defence and protection 

against their endangered lives and livelihoods 

in the forests. 

If Fulani are being profiled, Sheik Gumi’s 

motivated trip into the den of Fulani bandits 

in Zamfara affirmed that framing. Gumi 

revealed meeting with over one battalion 

(1,000) of armed Fulani bandits in three 

locations inside Zamfara forest. He claims that 

the bandits are angry with their governor but 

refused to reveal the reasons for their anger. 

His advocacy is now how to use state resources 

to placate bandits created by the system they 

run. Down South and within the same 

administration, harmless #ENDSARS 

protesters are hounded and dehumanised by 

security forces. This is the tragedy of the 

inequality in securing Nigeria - the State 

negotiates with terrorists and bandits but 

clamps down on genuine and harmless 

protesters. What government is saying is that 

the kingdom of Nigeria suffereth violence and 

only the violent sits with the high and mighty 

in government and gets the best treatment. This 

is a path to destruction as criminals in other 

zones will adopt similar approach and demand 

to be appeased. 

Continues online. www.vanguardngr.com 

•Dr. Tade, a sociologist wrote via 

Dotad2003@yahoo.com 

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Men in dark times (1) 

THE Voice of Reason, VOR, 

Lecture Series are dedicated to 

the memory of the late Goke 

Omisore, businessman and scion of 

one of the great aristocratic families 

from Ile-Ife, Arole Olagoke Omisore 

was born on February 19, 1949. He 

passed away on October 7, 2018, age 

of 69. 

I never had the privilege of meeting 

Arole on this earth plane. But his 

reputation went far and wide. He 

was well known as a man of culture; 

the quintessential Omoluabi that is 

widely celebrated in the humane 

ideals of Yoruba civilisation. May his 

soul rest in peace! 

The German-Jewish political 

philosopher Hannah Arendt was 

one of the most gifted women of her 

generation. She had to flee in order 

to escape the holocaust. She was one 

of those who kept hope alive even as 

fellow Jewish intellectuals like the 

remarkable Walter Benjamin 

succumbed to despair and suicide. 

In her book, Men in Dark Times 

(Harcourt Brace, 1968), Arendt 

underlined the importance of 

keeping hope alive even in the 

darkest hour: “even in the darkest of 

times we have the right to expect 

some illumination…from the 

uncertain, flickering, and often weak 

light that some men and women, in 

their lives and their works, will kindle 

under almost all circumstances and 

shed over the time span that was 

given to them”. 

Our duty as watchmen in these 

days of blood and iron is to read the 

signs, the times and the season - to 

stand sentry against the barbarians 

at the gates. Things have never been 

so bad. The only thing worse was our 

bitter civil war in which an estimated 

two to three million perished. 

In a manner of speaking, we have 

been at war for the past decade; a 

low-intensity civil war waged on our 

people by Boko Haram, herdsmen 

militias, Islamic Jihad and the lot. A 

war of conquest and hegemony 

deploying the weapons of 

kidnapping, rape, rapine, 

beheadings and land dispossession. 

What is unsettling about this war 

is that a government we elected to 

protect us seems to have taken sides 

with the Enemy. I make bold to say 

so, because of the N100 billion that 

was allegedly paid from our 

national treasury into the coffers of 

Miyetti Allah, a terrorist 

organisation. I say so, because one 

of the governors confessed on 

national telelvision that they had 

gone to neighbouring countries to 

bribe foreign Fulani leaders so that 

they will not come back and kill 

more people. I say so, because of the 

appeasement, the double-face, the 

prevarication, the taqiyya, the deceit 

and dissimulation. 

We have spent something like a 

quarter of our national budget on 

defence and security, with nothing 

to show for it. Insecurity is big 

business. A cartel of civilians and 

military is game-theoretically 

profiteering from the cauldron. A 

sordid gravy-train. Many times, the 

weapons from our military end up 

in the hands of the terrorists; many 

of whom are also adorned in our 

army and police uniforms. Those 

detained are later set free. Some of 

the killers have allegedly been 

inducted into our armed forces while 

others have been given overseas 

scholarships. It is the mystery of 

iniquity. 

The allegations of a sinister 

agenda of Islamisation and 

Fulanisation by former President, 

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, might not 

be that far-fetched after all. This is 

reinforced by the body-language, 

hermeneutics and gestalt of this 

administration; by the crass 

nepotism that characterises the 

regime at all levels. 

Nowhere is this more pronounced 

than in the national security 

architecture. At a recent public 

lecture in Abuja, Navy Commodore 

Kayode Olofinmoyin (retd), a former 

Military Administrator of Ogun 

State, caused a furore when he 

criticised the “unhealthy” 

composition of the National 

Security Council whereby nine of the 

If millions are to 

perish because of 

the diabolical 

wickedness of a 

few politicians, it 

shall be my duty to 

stop them 

11 members come from the Muslim 

North while only two are from the 

South. I would add that none is from 

the Middle Belt. The retired naval 

officer described this skewed 

composition of our security 

officialdom as an abuse of the very 

spirit of our federalism and a factor 

in the rising geopolitical tension 

across the country. 

There is also the silence of the 

northern intelligentsia. A silence that 

speaks louder than words. The 

German theologian, Dietrich 

Bonhoeffer, who faced up to Adolf 

and the Nazis and paid the supreme 

price for his courage and daring, 

declared that, “Silence in the face of 

evil is itself evil: God will not hold us 

guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. 

Not to act is to act.” 

One northern governor even had 

the inanity to say that “Not all 

bandits are criminals and not all 

Boko Haram are terrorists.” This is 

akin to saying that not all demons 

are wicked and not all fallen angels 

are evil. Oxymoron of the century. 

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah’s 

Christmas homily drew a lot of ire 

in the expected quarters. But his key 

message resonated with most 

Nigerians: that the president is 

turning nepotism into a state policy; 

that our country under his leadership 

appears to be heading towards 

darkness; that the government is 

systematically institutionalising 

northern hegemony by “reducing 

others in public life to second-class 

status”; that even the North that the 

president ostensibly seeks to favour, 

has not fared any better; and that 

“ours has become a house of horror, 

with fear stalking our homes, 

highways, cities, hamlets and entire 

communities”. 

But words are not enough. Those 

who are about to die reserve the right 

to fight back. It is a sacred duty. The 

right to life is guaranteed in our 

constitution. Nigeria is also a 

signatory to the Universal 

Declaration of Human Rights. The 

Law of Nations since Hugo Grotius, 

Natural Justice, Equity, and 

Universal Global Ethics prescribe 

that communities that face an 

existential threat to their very 

survival have not only a right but also 

a bounden duty and moral 

obligation, to resort to self-help if the 

state is unable and/or unwilling to 

protect them. 

General Theophilus Yakubu 

Danjuma (retd) said as much during 

a convocation lecture he delivered 

in his home state of Taraba in August 

2018. Expressing disappointment at 

the failure of the military and the 

federal authorities to protect 

ordinary people in the face of 

horrendous assaults to lives and 

property, the General declared: “our 

armed forces are not neutral. They 

collude with the bandits to kill 

people, kill Nigerians. If you are 

depending on the armed forces to 

stop the killings, you will all die one 

by one.” 

Amotekun and Eastern Security 

Network, ESN, are justified by law, 

universal ethics and the doctrine of 

necessity. Ondo State Governor 

Rotimi Akerodolu was well within 

his rights to order the flushing out of 

alien bandits illegally occupying the 

forest reserves within his jurisdiction; 

alien herdsmen that have been 

killing, raping and kidnapping 

innocent citizens. Sunday Igboho is 

a brave hero of his people. The war 

drums are out. The dogs of war are 

howling. The hyenas are baying for 

blood. The vultures of history are 

hovering over an overcast sky. 

Not too long ago, I raised the alarm 

about some evil people that were 

planning to plunge our country into 

civil war. For speaking out, I was 

hounded and persecuted. A ransom 

was paid for my head. My former 

colleagues on the Editorial Board of 

the Daily Trust newspapers treated 

my testimony with unbelievable 

venom and contumely. They 

ridiculed my academic 

qualifications and poured scorn on 

my person. It was the ultimate 

betrayal by people I once regarded 

as friends. 

Today, I am feeling vindicated. The 

respected cleric Sheikh Ahmad 

Abubakar Gumi came out recently 

to say that “Mailafia was right”. God 

knows, I did not speak out of malice 

or spite. I spoke out of a deep sense 

of moral conscience and moral 

responsibility. If millions are to 

perish because of the diabolical 

wickedness of a few politicians, it 

shall be my duty to stop them. The 

philosopher Immanuel Kant noted 

that “We are not rich by what we 

possess but by what we can do 

without.” I can do without a lot. I 

am a humanist, a philosopher and a 

servant of the Most High. I fear only 

the Lord. The enemies of liberty are 

my enemies forever. 

(Being the text of the Second 

Goke Omisore Voice of Reason 

Annual Lecture, Delivered by Zoom 

on Friday, February 19, 2021) 

Nigeria: A country that lives in denial 

By SUNDAY ONYEMAECHI EZE 

NIGERIA is a country living in denial of 

its division, challenges and troubled 

chequered history. Anybody who lays claim to 

the fact that the country is united now is living 

in illusion or is outrightly delusional. Right 

before and after independence, there was 

already a misunderstanding and suspicion 

accompanied by regional power intrigues 

which characterised that era. 

People could not see the cold war brewing 

among the regional trio. The three regional 

leaders of Azikiwe, Awolowo and Ahmadu 

Bello did not buy into the same thinking and 

understanding of what Nigeria should or 

ought to be. 

One should have seen that from their dress 

codes, mannerisms, regional policies and 

commentaries. While the South East and West 

were ready for independence, the North took 

another three years to be ready. The pre and 

post independent political events and the 

unfortunate civil war were sore reminders of 

our continuous troubled history. 

Since then, there has been this growing 

suspicion and mistrust among the major ethnic 

groups. Besides, no government both military 

and democratic has made genuine effort 

towards resolving Nigeria's lingering 

problems. Committed leaders of war-torn 

nations were able to make history by uniting 

their people and returning to the global arena, 

but what did our leaders do? 

They were more interested in setting up 

cosmetic committees and conferences 

designed abinitio to feather their political nests 

rather than addressing the governance deficit, 

general societal malaise and decadence. 

Until someone is willing to address the 

numerous demands and grievances of all and 

set out a genuine mechanism of peaceful 

coexistence, the nation will continue to be in 

disarry. One finds it often laughable when those 

in government echo their commitment towards 

ensuring that to make Nigeria one is a task 

than must be accomplished. 

In fact, government is gradually losing or 

has lost its credibility with the way events are 

unfolding. Emergency regional leaders like 

Nnamdi Kanu, Sunday Igboho and even 

leaders of Boko Haram and banditry groups 

are creations of a clueless government. These 

emergency regional leaders stand for their 

people and render those services government 

ought to have rendered but refused to. 

A country not decimated by the 

contours of tribe, ethnicity and 

religion should have stood with 

one united voice in the quest to 

end the atrocities of SARS 

Nature abhors vacuum. We seem to 

underestimate the power of these non state 

actors but it is becoming glaring that despite 

labeling them and their groups as terrorists, 

many people still believe in them. 

One could imagine that government's 

seeming commitment always comes in form 

of generic press statements issued by Garba 

Shehu and co. who I am quite sure are tired of 

doing one thing all the time to expect different 

results. 

Who takes the presidential media aides 

seriously now? When it was obvious that the 

ex-service chiefs had run out of ideas to tackle 

insecurity in the land, the same government 

left them on the saddle for additional years 

with a reward of non career ambassadors after 

retirement. Someone says the bonus was a 

canopy to escape the waiting dragnet of the 

International Criminal Court. 

Never in the history of Nigeria have the 

recruitment processes into key government 

offices become a sore point of controversy and 

conflict. One section of the country has enjoyed 

major patronage than others. The facts and 

figures are available for people to see but 

government, like the ostrich continues to hide 

its head in the sand, offering its body for the 

doubting Thomases to take selfies as evidence. 

Issues of leadership and recruitment 

processes, constitution amendment, revenue 

sharing formula, good governance, 

restructuring, resource control, insecurity, and 

fiscal federalism have been at the heart of 

Nigeria's problem. However, people in and 

outside government who are beneficiaries of 

the old order will suffocate every proposed 

change that seeks to confront their inordinate 

desire or interest to accumulate power and 

wealth. 

The #ENDSARS protest had widened the 

already existing divide between the North and 

South. While the protest against the high level 

of impunity among SARS units and general 

police brutality in the country was successful 

in the South, the North seemed not to be 

bothered. 

Most states in the North did not participate 

in the protest giving credence to the fact that 

something was amiss. There is a general 

consensus that SARS activities have gone 

overboard, therefore, a country not decimated 

by the contours of tribe, ethnicity and religion 

should have stood with one united voice in the 

quest to end the atrocities of SARS. 

Today, the quit notices issued to Fulani 

herdsmen living in others parts of Nigeria leave 

a sour taste in the mouth. The killings and 

burning of Hausa businesses in Ibadan have 

added another ugly dimension. It is 

condemnable to kill the innocent and 

stereotype a group. The stereotyped group 

should wash itself off such elements which gave 

them a bad name, but is it a coincidence that 

almost everybody is pointing accusing fingers 

against Fulani? Government officials and 

individuals concerned are feasting on the rage 

of the moment; some are threatening fire and 

brimstone. 

Fanning the embers of violence with our 

monthly data plans while in our cosy homes is 

misguided. Every region now has own 

narratives championed by those who have no 

business in leading. But the question is: have 

we really addressed the generic problems and 

issues? The answer is no! Those who should 

seek for the balm of Gilead are the trouble 

makers themselves. 

Having spent most of my adult life in the 

North and still counting, I can authoritatively 

say that the North is a fertile ground for 

businesses, growth and development. Many 

are those who had nothing upon arrival in the 

North but are millionaires today. People of the 

North are very accommodating, trustworthy 

and very friendly. The life of an average 

northerner is simple and lived for that day 

because tomorrow will take care of itself. 

The expanse land in the North is an asset yet 

to be tapped by both government and 

individuals. The import of rich asset like land 

for agriculture and agri-businesses has not 

caught the attention of northern leaders. 

Nigeria more than ever before is comfortably 

seated on a tinder box. 

When leaders chose to genuinely address 

most of these known contending and conflicting 

issues, peace will definitely return. 

•Eze, a media and communication specialist, 

wrote via sunnyeze02 @yahoo.com 

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18—Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 

COME March 1, 2021, Nigeria’s Dr. 

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will assume 

office as Director General of the World 

Trade Organisation, WTO, to pilot 

world trade till August 31, 2025. She 

will not only be the seventh Director 

General of the organisation, she will 

also be the first woman and African 

to be saddled with such a prestigious 

but challenging assignment at this As her predecessor, Dr. Robert 

pandemic juncture of history. Azevedo bowed out in August last 

As staunch supporters of her year, Okonjo-Iweala had all but 

candidacy based on our conviction that brushed aside her fellow contestants 

she is tailor-made for this job, we to the coveted seat except for the 

congratulate and wish her unqualified strong opposition of former President 

success. She fought the political battle Donald Trump of the US, who had 

involved like the proverbial Trojan, preferred South Korea’s Yoo Myung 

capitalising on her humongous Hee. 

goodwill across the world as a former Now that she has accomplished her 

Managing Director of the World Bank. political mission, it is time to address 

She leveraged on her experiences as her full attention to the job itself. She 

an unsuccessful candidate for the is coming to office at a time the world 

presidency of the World Bank in 2012, is poised on the threshold of 

a race she lost to Korean-American, uncertainties spawned by the 

Jim Yong Kim. 

coronavirus pandemic and massive 

Okonjo-Iweala’s challenges as WTO DG 

tech-based disruptions. 

With the arrival of several vaccines, 

the world is looking forward to a 

gradual recovery from the pandemic 

and the new order of things it will 

throw up. World trade has been most 

battered by the pandemic. 

This is just the right time for a 

newcomer and reform-minded leader 

to take charge and ensure total 

inclusion in leading world trade 

towards full recovery. 

During the highly-charged 

campaigns, Okonjo-Iweala had 

pledged to break the deadlock 

between the world’s biggest 

economies - the United States and 

China - which are still engaged in a 

cold war of sorts on trade. 

She must move to ensure a successful 

and inclusive implementation of 

multilateral negotiations which had 

been pending for 25 years; and she 

must desist from being seen as a pawn 

of any of the superpowers. 

Most importantly, Okonjo-Iweala 

has a duty to ensure that the interests 

of developing economies, especially 

those of Nigeria and Africa are taken 

along, especially now that the African 

Continental Free Trade Agreement, 

AfCFTA, has come on stream with 31 

members having signed up. 

We have no doubt that Dr. Okonjo- 

Iweala will once again make 

Nigerians proud by re-enacting her 

track record of achievements at the 

WTO and thus open new 

opportunities and goodwill for more 

Nigerians to be given the opportunity 

to serve on the global stage. 

OPINION 

Kagara abduction: The coup de grace to Northern monopolisation 

By SEGUN IGE 

IT’S a pity that the #BringBackOurBoys 

has suddenly died down. It’s a pity that yet 

another group of schoolboys has been 

abducted. And it’s a pity that we don’t actually 

know what will happen next. 

By the Wednesday, February 17 abduction 

of 42 people, including 27 students and three 

teachers, in the Government Science College, 

Kagara, Niger State, it is unequivocally 

reasonable to submit that the Nigerian 

government is still grappling with the sphinx 

of insecurity, increasingly of students, 

incessantly in the North. 

From North-East Borno to North-West 

Katsina, the insurgents have tactically and 

strategically migrated to North-Central Niger. 

And they’ve tentatively monopolised northern 

spheres of the country, born out of the civil 

disobedience and negligence group of 

demagogues, who’re impervious to corrections 

and immune to warnings. To a visionary 

leadership, this should have been a foreseeable 

future, yielding a firm persuasion of cementing 

the cracks in the entire northern walls of the 

country, where these ungentlemanly guys have 

expediently held hostage for their siege and 

seizure. 

And when I was writing about the Kankara 

schoolboys abduction, I did speak concerning 

these existential exigencies and urgencies in 

the country, particularly by imposing certain 

national security laws on specific areas of the 

country threatened by domestic terrorism and 

Islamic extremism. 

On December 11, 2020, when the schoolboys 

were abducted, social activists and advocates 

were technically leaning towards some 

#BringBackOurBoys campaign, especially 

because of the April 14, 2014 experience, when 

over 270 Chibok girls were kidnapped by the 

adversaries. But then, the 

#BringBackOurGirls crusaders, in particular, 

Oby Ezekwesili, were too quickly deemed to 

be witch-hunted as the over 300 boys were 

repatriated sooner or later. Meanwhile, a few 

of the boys had become escapists before 

Governor Aminu Masari inconceivably 

essayed to rescue others. 

I side with Ezekwesili who, observing how 

inchoate and otiose the efforts of the Nigerian 

security agencies have been, and particularly 

angst by the Federal Government’s apparent 

deficiencies and delinquencies in rescuing the 

Chibok girls, did suspect some corridors-ofpower 

rabble-rousers riding roller-coasters 

with public intelligence of the December 11 

Security of schoolboys 

and girls should be of 

tremendous duty to be 

embraced in season and out 

of season 

event by playing political gimmick and 

flimflam. The claims of trying to gain 

credibility, security-wise, by perhaps planning 

and plotting a “putsch,” and a week later 

percolating them through from far-away 

lands, expelling schoolboys who’d been 

intellectually trading competitively perfectly 

on learning grounds, could have, in fact, been 

the worst threat of human rights for human 

wants. 

Having a lot of explainers and not having a 

set of visionaries is not really the hallmark of 

values-based leadership. Typically, an 

envisioned leader would a posteriori examine 

what has happened, what is happening, in order 

to predict and prepare for what will happen. 

Such experiential deduction and conclusion 

would help him guard against any eventuality. 

Being envisioned is to know where and how 

one is and where and how one is going to get 

to the preferred destiny. This is what the security 

system lacks, even with the exhaustion the 

Kankara abduction made in terms of how 

exophoric our law enforcement agencies are. 

Ending SARS or SWAT is not really a problem. 

Occupying Lekki Tollgate is not necessarily the 

solution to how fundamentally depowered our 

security forces are. The point is the so-called “forces 

beyond our control,” who have been 

institutionally ingrained in the social fabrics of 

the polity, are unilaterally masking up the 

malfeasance and misdemeanor and masochism 

wrought by the security personnel. More teethgnashing 

problems persist in the North, by the 

way, demanding urgent and immediate attention 

and intervention. And the North geographically 

covers two third of the Nigerian territories and 

borders. (The devastating Fulani-herdsmen crisis 

is as yet a firestorm in the firmament fervently 

fomented by some group of warmongers.) Time 

and again, parents and guardians are pathetically 

distressed and perennially disturbed by the looping 

and looming of these terrorists threatening the 

lives of their wards every now and then. It’s a 

simultaneous shame that while the pandemic 

would not let the students learn, the bandits 

themselves are harum-scarum proving to be more 

vindictively unvaccinated. As we are on the 

threshold of shipping in COVID-19 vaccines, we 

should be inspired by the Kagara abduction, this 

time invoking death, in providing lasting jabs, 



since, jointly, both of them are existential threats 

to human existence and coexistence. 

We should begin to be concerned about the 

power of inclusive politics hinged on uniting 

the federal entities of the country. All 

ideological and cultural biases should be burnt 

out in the social exercise of seeing and treating 

each other the same way. Inclusive politics is 

also a necessary narrow-for-a-broad-purpose 

tool that can and should resuscitate our ties 

with other nations, especially economically, 

where we have been uncontrollably, and 

inevitably, operating on budget deficit 

exacerbating our gross domestic product. But, 

as they say, charity begins at home. And we 

can start commensurately by focusing, much 

more, on export substitution; intelligently 

diversifying our revenues into agricultural 

sectors; and defunding budgetary allocations 

lavished out on in-statu-pupillari officials. 

Security of schoolboys and girls should be 

of tremendous duty to be embraced in season 

and out of season. It’s a collective responsibility 

of ensuring the outrage in the North is 

denoisified. And I also think that all modes of 

learning, for now, should be virtual as the 

government sees to the matter. It’s not 

impossible, in the long run, to build 

impenetrable walls of Jericho around the cities 

and towns of Northern states. Experience is a 

good teacher; but it can only be better if we 

learn from its pleasant and unpleasant 

teachings by doing the right things at the right 

times; and it could only be best if we 

conscientiously and consciously abide therein 

by carrying out the lessons therefrom. 

Continues online via:www.vanguardngr.com 

•Ige, a freelance journalist, wrote from 

Lagos viaigesegunadebayo5@gmail.com

By Nkiruka Nnorom 

Investment analysts have said 

that there could be a possible 

reversal of the three week 

downward trend in the equities 

market this week following the 

anticipation of release of full 

year earnings reports coupled 

with dividend declarations by 

quoted companies. 

They, however, observed that 

despite the respite expected from 

the release of 2020 earnings 

reports, profit taking activities 


Equities pricing: Earnings reports, dividend expectations to temper bearish sentiment 

may still keep sentiment low. 

This is even as investors lost 

N13 billion last week as bearish 

performance extended to a third 

consecutive week as a result of 

the upward retracement in yields 

in the fixed income market as 

well as further spike in inflation 

rate. 

Consequently, the market 

capitalisation dropped to 

N21.026 trillion from N21.256 

trillion, while the All Share Index 

(ASI) shed 0.6 percent to close 

at 40,186.70 points. 

Sell-offs in Stanbic IBTC 

Holdings Plc,(-14.0%), BUA 

Cement Plc (-1.8%) and MTN 

Communication Nigeria Plc (- 

1.1%) fuelled the weekly loss. 

Also, the sectoral performance 

was negative as three of the five 

sectors recorded losses. With the 

exception of the oil and gas 

(+4.6%) and banking sectors 

(+0.5%) that posted gains, the 

Insurance (-1.7%), consumer 

goods (-1.0%) and industrial 

goods (-0.7%) recorded losses. 

Activity level was also weak, 

as volume and value traded 

declined by 42.6 percent weekon-week 

(w/w) and 22.9 percent 

w/w, respectively. 

In their forecast, analysts at 

Cowry Asset Management 

Limited, a Lagos-based 

investment banking firm, said: 

“We expect the local equities 

market to close northwards as 

investors’ position in stocks with 

good dividend yields ahead of 

the release of audited full year 

2020 financial results and 

announcement of corporate 

actions in the coming weeks.” 

Also, analysts at Cordros 

Capital said: “We expect the 

deluge of corporate earnings 

accompanied by dividend 

declarations to temper bearish 

sentiments within the week. 

“However, we do not rule out 

the possibility of continued 

profit-taking activities due to 

growing concerns about yield 

elevation in the fixed income 

market. As a result, we think 

the local bourse will likely 

exhibit a zig-zag pattern.” 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 

IMF, analysts split over growth 

forecast for Nigeria’s economy 

•Analysts dispute IMF’s 1.5% forecast for 2021 

•Project 2.7% economic growth for 2021 

By Babajide Komolafe 

Following the faster than 

expected economic 

growth in Q4’2020 and lower 

contraction for the full year 

2020, leading investment 

analysts have disputed the 

1.5 per cent growth forecast 

for Nigeria’s economy in 

2021 by the International 

Monetary Fund (IMF), 

projecting that the nation’s 

economy will grow by about 

2.7 per cent this year. 

The IMF in its latest World 

Economy Outlook released 

last month revised downward 

its growth forecast for 

Nigeria’s economy in 2021 to 

1.5 percent from 1.7 percent 

and 2.6 per cent earlier 

projected in October and 

June last year. 

Explaining the rationale for 

the IMF’s lower forecast for 

Nigeria’s economy in 2021, 

the trio of Ari Aisen, Jesmin 

Rahman, and Jiaxiong Yao of 

the IMF, African 

Department, said: “Nigeria’s 

recovery is expected to be 

weak and gradual under 

current policies. Real Gross 

Domestic Product (GDP) 

growth in 2021 is expected to 

turn positive at 1.5 percent. 

Real GDP is expected to 

recover to its pre-pandemic 

level only in 2022. 

“The near-term outlook is 

subject to downside risks 

from pandemic-related 

developments with Nigeria 

experiencing a second wave. 

Over the medium term, a 

subdued global recovery and 

decarbonization trends are 

expected to keep oil prices 

low and Organization of the 

Petroleum Exporting 

Countries quotas in place, 

restricting oil-related 

activities, fiscal revenues, 

and export proceeds. Non-oil 

growth is also expected to 

remain sluggish, reflecting 

inward-looking policies and 

regulatory uncertainties.” 

This gloomy outlook was 

however contradicted by 

analysts in leading 

investment firms in the 

country, who projected 

stronger economic growth of 

about 2.7 percent in 2021. 

Their bullish outlook is 

driven by the higher-than - 

expected performance of the 

economy in the fourth quarter 

of 2020 (Q4’2020). 

Last week, the Nigeria 

Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 

released its GDP report for 

Q4’2020. 

According to the NBS, the 

economy recorded GDP 

growth year-on-year (y/y) of 

0.11 per cent in Q4’2020, 

higher than 3.62 per cent, y/ 

y, contraction recorded in 

the previous quarter 

(Q3’2020). It also represents 

the first positive GDP growth 

in three quarters, indicating 

the nation has exited 

recession. 

The NBS report also 

showed a full year GDP 

contraction of 1.92 per cent 

as against the GDP growth 

of 2.27 percent in 2019. 

However, the GDP growth 

of 0.11 per cent in Q4’2020 

and the 1.92 per cent 

contraction for 2020 beat 

projections by the IMF and 

most analysts. 

For example the 1.92 per 

cent GDP contraction for 

2020 was lower than the 4.3 

per cent and 3.2 per cent 

contraction projected by the 

IMF and the World Bank. It 

was also lower than the 2.0 

per cent contraction 

projected by global 

accounting firm, PwC. 

Similarly, the 0.11 per cent 

GDP growth in Q4’2020 was 

higher than the contraction 

projected by most analysts. 

“Our expectation was a 

slowdown in contraction to - 

1.95% and was undone by 

robust growth of 3.42% for 

agriculture, the sector’s best 

showing since Q4 ’17", said 

analysts at FBNQuest 

Capital Limited. 

Also expressing similar 

sentiment, Director General, 

Lagos Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry, 

LCCI, Muda Yusuf said, 

“The quarterly performance 

was a pleasant surprise.” 

The 

surprising 

performance of the economy 

in Q4’2020 stimulated a 

surge in analysts’ optimism 

about the nation’s economic 

growth prospect in 2021, with 

an average projection of 2.7 

per cent GDP growth. 

While analysts at United 

Capital Plc projected a best 

case scenario of 2.1 per cent 

GDP growth for the in 2021, 

analysts at Afrinvest 

Securities Limited and 

Vetiva Capital Management 

Limited projected 2.5 

percent and 3.5 per cent GDP 

growth respectively for the 

year. 

The robust growth 

projections, according to the 

analysts are however subject 

to some conditions including: 

Adequate measures to 

prevent herder-farmer 

clashes from underwhelming 

agriculture output; Measures 

to address rising insecurity 

in the country; Faster-thanexpected 

recovery in the oil 

sector; Improved dollar 

supply by the Central Bank 

of Nigeria (CBN) and the 

move towards exchange 

rate unification. 

In addition, LCCI, 

suggested: Effective 

management of the 

pandemic locally and 

globally; Widespread vaccine 

rollout; Direction of global oil 

market; Fiscal and monetary 

policy direction; and Ease of 

doing business reforms. 

United Capital projection 

Explaining the basis for the 

2.1 per cent GDP growth 

projected for 2021, analysts 

at United Capital, said: 

“Looking ahead, we remain 

optimistic about the 

sustained pace of recovery in 

the aggregate level of 

economic activities. While 

growth in Q1’21 may be 

muted due to a high base 

effect of Q1’2020, our 

optimism feeds largely on 

potential stronger recovery in 

Continues on page 20


FINANCIAL VANGUARD 

Shareholders sue FG over plan to borrow 

N158bn unclaimed dividend 


Aggrieved by the plan 

of the Federal 

Government (FG) to borrow 

the over N158 billion 

outstanding unclaimed 

dividend, shareholders have 

sued the government at 

Federal High Court of 

Nigeria, Abeokuta Division, 

seeking to restrain the 

government from going 

ahead with the plan. 

They said that allowing the 

federal government to go 

ahead with the plan would 

frustrate efforts by 

shareholders to recover any 

outstanding unclaimed 

dividend given the tedious 

processes involved in 

making that claim as 

contained in the 2020 

Finance Act. 

The case with Suit No. FHC/ 

AB/FHR/14/2021 has the 

Attorney General of the 

Federation and Minister of 

Justice, Minister of Finance, 

Budget and National Planning 

and Accountant General of the 

Federation as respondents. 

The shareholders under the 

aegis of Palm Wealth 

Shareholders Association 

(PWSA) in a court notice 

signed by their President, 

Emokeraro Simon, are 

praying the court to restrain 

The 

Standards 

Organisation of Nigeria 

(SON) has expressed its 

commitment to the effective 

deployment of information 

and communication 

technology (ICT) towards 

becoming a high performing 

agency. 

This was one of the 

outcomes of the 

organisation’s strategic 

management retreat held in 

Calabar, Cross Rivers State 

last week at which the 

agency committed to giving 

automation of its services 

high priority. 

In a communique issued at 

the end of the retreat, 

Director General, SON, 

Mallam Farouk Salim stated 

that the organisation has 

also developed its strategic 

plan for 2021 to 2024 to guide 

its programmes and actions 

geared towards achieving its 

set goals and targets. 

It said that the agency will 

consider the adoption of an 

Enterprise Resource 

Planning (ERP) System to 

fully automate and integrate 

its operations nationwide in 

order to achieve more 

effective and efficient service 

delivery. 

Salim stated that SON 

would institute an efficient, 

open, transparent and 

effective performance 

measuring mechanism, as 

well as a reward and 

sanctions programme to 

ensure accountability and 

consequence management, 

stressing that a staff 

recognition and reward 

the FG from calling for or 

transferring the unclaimed 

dividends of the applicants 

(shareholders) in public 

quoted companies to the 

Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund 

to be floated by the 

government contrary to the 

Constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as 

amended), and the African 

Charter on Human and 

People’s Rights Act, Laws of 

The Association of 

Securities Dealing Houses of 

Nigeria ( ASHON) has 

urged the Federal 

Government to initiate 

policies that will enable 

commodities exchanges to 

contribute towards Nigeria’s 

economic growth and 

development. 

Making this call in a 

statement a statement 

signed by its Chairman, 

Chief Onyenwechukwu 

Ezeagu, the Association 

said:” To enable the 

operators in the 

Commodities Ecosystem 

operate optimally, the 

Continues from page 19 

Q2 and Q3-2021 relative to 

the negative growth 

observed in the 

corresponding quarters of 

2020. 

“Specific to the non-oil 

sector, we expect the 

improved performance in 

Services to be sustained as 

people become more 

confident to go about their 

daily activities. Also, we 

think the Agricultural sector 

would build on the gains of 

2020 as demand remains 

strong, security challenges 

abate, and weather 

conditions improve. 

“In the oil sector, we expect 

improved performance in FY- 

2021 considering the low 

base for oil production in 

2020. While the country’s 

the Federation. 

According to them, doing so 

without proven legal and 

constitutional ground is 

unconstitutional and violates 

the applicants right to acquire 

and own moveable and 

immovable personal 

properties as enshrined in the 

1999 Constitution. (as 

amended). 

In an affidavit in support of 

their application, the 

production continues to be 

capped under the OPEC+ 

quota, we expect a recovery 

in production as OPEC+ 

gradually returns production 

level back to pre-pandemic 

levels following recent price 

gains and positive 

sentiments from increased 

rate of vaccinations which 

could spur demand for travel 

and consequently oil. 

“Overall, we maintain our 

base case scenario GDP 

growth forecast of 1.7% for 

FY-2021 with a bull case 

forecast of 2.1% premised on 

faster than expected 

recovery in oil sector GDP.” 

Afrinvest projection 

Analysts at Afrinvest also 

explained the rationale for 

projecting 2.5 percent GDP 

growth in 2021. They said: 

shareholders observed that 

they are “intimidated, in fact, 

psychologically traumatised 

and threatened by the 

provisions of the Finance 

Act, 2020, arguing that it 

would inflict grievous harm 

on the shareholders if the 

provision is allowed to come 

into operation and the 

dividends, which the 

shareholders are working 

seriously to claim taken over. 

ASHON advocates measures to support 

commodities exchanges 

By Peter Egwuatu 

SON adopts ICT to enhance performance 

programme will be put in 

place before the end of 

2021. 

He said that SON will 

strengthen its supervisory 

role over its stakeholders, to 

ensure that all certified 

products deliver value for 

money to consumers while 

also tracking manufacturers 

and importers that use fake 

SON certification marks as 

well as logo for prosecution. 

On enforcement of 

standards, the SON Chief 

Executive stated that the 

agency has resolved to adopt 

additional approaches 

government should enact 

relevant policies that prevent 

illegal mining by foreigners, 

ensure autonomy of the 

Capital Market apex 

regulator, the Securities and 

Exchange Commission 

(SEC), protect export 

proceeds, legislate laws to 

enable Agricultural 

Commodities to be linked 

to financial markets and 

fungibility and support for 

Pension funds for increased 

participation in the 

commodities ecosystem. 

“The announcement to 

inject N50 billion into the 

Nigeria Commodities 

Exchange by CBN, is a 

welcome development. Any 

including data analytics, 

risk-based assessment, 

outcome-focused 

regulation, collaborative, 

coordinated and proactive 

enforcement among others. 

Salim expressed SON’s 

commitment to the effective 

implementation of the 

National Quality Policy 

recently approved by the 

Federal Executive Council 

as well as the Nigerian 

National Standardization 

Strategy to provide adequate 

support for economic 

development. 

act by the Federal 

Government to stimulate the 

growth and development of 

the commodities ecosystem 

through the Commodities 

Exchanges is highly 

beneficial to the entire 

ecosystem. Commodities 

Exchanges play an 

important role in the 

commodities ecosystem 

because they introduce 

structure, transparency, and 

price discovery into the 

system. It is important to 

note that commodity 

exchanges are not 

commodity traders, they are 

simply a structured platform 

that deals in both 

commodities spots and 

commodities securities in 

multi-asset classes as 

approved by SEC. 

“Although 

this 

announcement is a welcome 

development it is also 

important to note that any 

intervention into one 

commodities exchange 

creates an uneven playing 

field that defeats the benefits 

of healthy competition among 

the participants in the 

Ecosystem. It is also 

important to note that this 

injection of funds is better 

served within the ecosystem 

to support the farmers, 

aggregators, miners, 

refiners, processors and all 

the other participants in the 

commodities ecosystem.” 

“In 2021, we project a 

recovery of 2.5% in real GDP 

to be driven by increased 

economic activities in the 

non-oil sector as activities 

pick-up on the back of the 

land borders reopening and 

general recovery in 

sentiments. 

“Further, we anticipate a 

moderate expansion in the 

oil sector as global oil 

demand is projected to 

remain weak while prices 

recover faster. The major 

downside risks to our 

forecast include weakerthan-expected 

oil price and 

production, worsening 

insecurity and unfavourable 

weather patterns in the 

agriculture sector. We have 

ruled out the possibilities of 

lockdown despite increasing 

case count from COVID-19.” 

COVER 

Union Bank 

unveils UnionX 

Innovation 

Challenge 2021 

Union Bank Plc has 

unveiled the 2021 

UnionX Innovation 

Challenge, as part of efforts 

to support young start-ups 

and boost innovation in the 

start-up ecosystem. 

Tagged ‘A New 

Discovery’, the Challenge 

will discover, showcase, and 

support eligible 

entrepreneurs across 

Nigeria with innovative, 

technology-focused 

Minimum Viable Products 

(MVPs). 

Speaking on the UnionX 

Challenge and Union 

Bank’s focus on innovation, 

the Bank’s Head, Retail 

Banking and Digital, Lola 

Cardoso said, “The 

UnionX Challenge 

highlights our focus on 

supporting innovation as 

key driver of sustainable 

development and growth of 

Nigeria’s vibrant start-up 

ecosystem, and the society 

at large. 

Union Bank has a rich 

heritage as a trusted 

partner to generations of 

Nigerians; providing the 

support they need to 

achieve their goals. This 

Challenge is one of the 

many ways we continue to 

build on this heritage.” 

During the entry period 

which ends on March 14, 

2021, early-stage start-ups 

registered in Nigeria are 

invited to submit innovative 

MVPs with the potential to 

transform society. These 

innovative MVPs should 

focus on sectors including, 

but not limited to Financial 

Technology, E-Commerce, 

Health, Education and 

Agriculture. Entries will be 

submitted on the Union 

Bank website. The top 3 

MVPs will attract cash 

prizes totalling N4.5million 

from Union Bank in addition 

to a 2-month incubation 

programme with 

GreenHouse Capital. 

IMF, analysts divided over growth forecast for Nigeria’s economy 

Vetiva Capital projection 

Expressing optimism for a 

3.47 per cent GDP growth 

rate in 2021, analysts at 

Vetiva Capital, said: 

“Following a bumpy 2020, 

the economy is on course to 

recover in 2021, riding on the 

previous year’s low base. 

Barring the return of hard 

lockdown measures, we 

expect higher growth 

outcomes in 2021 especially 

in the mid-quarters (Q2 & 

Q3), which were the most hit 

by the pandemic in the 

previous 

year. 

Consequently, we expect the 

economy to bounce back by 

3.47% y/y in FY’21. 

“However, an unfavourable 

base from Q1’20 could limit 

the pace of recovery in the 

quarter to 0.75% y/y.”

ECONOMISTS TALKING TO FGN 

IN VAIN 

“It requires wisdom to understand wisdom. The 

music is nothing if the audience is deaf. ” 

Walter Lippmann, 1889-1974, VANGUARD BOOK 

OF QUOTATIONS, p 275. 

ABANDON hope, all 

those who intend to 

advise the Federal Government 

of Nigeria, FGN, regarding 

how to get the economy 

grow at a faster rate than 

what we have experienced 

since 2015. This Federal 

Government is not likely to 

listen. I weep for Nigeria. 

How do I know that? 

Simple. Just take a look at 

the Medium Term Economic 

Framework, MTEF, just released 

and submitted to National 

Assembly, NASS. The 

NASS, predictably, will accept 

it without much question 

and consign Fellow Nigerians 

to a future destined 

to be characterised by worsened 

poverty, recurrent famine, 

increased unemployment 

and more banditry. With 

that document, Nigeria is 

well on the way to becoming 

the first Almajiri economy in 

history. By 2023, more Nigerians 

will be dependent on 

those gainfully employed. It 

will require at least ten years 

of good governance to bring 

us to where we are today – 

which is a bit worse than 

where we were in 2012. Here 

is why. 

“FG’s 2020-2023 MTDS 

Will Increase Nigeria’s 

Debt, Crowd Out Private 

Sector From Local Market.” 

— News, February 2021. 

Once affluent nations have 

fallen into hard times for 

several years; empires have 

literally returned into dust 

since the dawn of human history. 

King Pharaoh failed to 

listen to warnings about impending 

danger. Rome 

NASD gets SEC approval to float Investor 

Protection Fund 


NASD Plc, the OTC 

market for all unlisted 

securities, said it has secured 

approval from the Securities 

and Exchange Commission 

(SEC) to float an Investor 

Protection Fund (IPF) at the 

end of the first quarter (Q1) 

of the year. 

Bola Ajomale, Managing 

Director/Chief Executive 

Officer, NASD Plc, disclosed 

this at the virtual 2020 market 

review of the Exchange, 

saying that operators in the 

market are expected to 

provide the take-off fund for 

the IPF. 

He stated that the funds are 

expected to be ready before 

the end of March, 2021, 

adding that operators who fail 

to contribute to the IPF would 

be restricted from the market. 

Ajomale stated that the 

Exchange launched 

VentureRamp portal for donorbased 

crowdfunding following 

the release of crowdfunding 

rules by the SEC in January 

this year. 

He added that the Exchange 

would launch an investmentbased 

crowdfunding by the 

burned while Emperor Nero 

amused himself. Chile was 

one of the most prosperous 

nations during the Age of 

Copper. Today, without the 

$5 billion bribe the USA 

gives annually to Egypt to 

remain at peace with Israel, 

that nation would have been 

a failed state long ago. Each 

nation had invariably embarked 

on its long term decline 

during the tenure of 

one ruler. It is now certain 

that Nigeria will experience 

eight straight years of economic 

hardship, but, in addition, 

will need at least another 

eight years to get out 

of it. 

“Leadership can be 

summed up in two words: 

intelligence and integrity…”. 

— John Brademas, VAN- 

GUARD BOOK OFQUOTA- 

TIONS, VBQ p 125 

Managing the modern 

economy requires a great 

deal of intelligence and 

some luck as well. One important 

aspect of brilliance is 

the ability to foresee some of 

the consequences of measures 

taken or ignored. This 

administration has been particularly 

lacking in that area. 

It certainly never considers 

the repercussions of its economic 

policies and programmes. 

Despite its selfdeceit 

about wanting to diversify 

the economy, its 

MTDS is still largely dependent 

on export of crude oil 

and the annual increase in 

cumulative deficits. The deficits 

will inevitably be funded 

by increasing the debt 

end of Q1’21. 

According to him, the 

Exchange is planning rules to 

guide transactions in 

commercial papers, while the 

new market is expected to 

open in Q2’21. 

On digital currencies 

trading, he said that NASD is 

anticipating the release of 

regulation for crypt tokens and 

will, possibly, open a portal 

It is now certain 

that Nigeria 

will experience 

eight 

straight years of 

economic hardship, 

but, in 

addition, will 

need at least 

another eight 

years to get out 

of it 

to that effect in Q3. 

Reviewing activities in the previous 

year, he said that despite the disruptions 

to economic activities caused by the Covid- 

19, the market capitalization rose by 4.9 

percent to N525.94 billion from ¦ 501.14 

billion, while the NASD Securities Index, 

which opened at 697.54 points, rose 6.29 

percent to close at 733 points. 

Also, year-on-year (Y/Y) value traded 

increased by 21.08 percent to N12.68 

billion, while volume traded witnessed a 

significant increase of 195.23 percent to 

7.93 billion units. 

Interswitch launches platform to boost 

SME growth 

By Peter Egwuatu 

Interswitch Group has 

announced the launch of 

Quickteller Business for Small 

Scale Enterprises, SMEs and 

corporate entities to facilitate 

significant participation in 

banking services. 

The company in a statement 

said the launch of Quickteller 

Business further expands the 

reach of Interswitch’s popular 

e-commerce solution to a 

broader audience of business 

users, helping to facilitate 

growth in the burgeoning 

SMEs sector across Africa. 

On the launch of the new platform, Akeem 

Lawal, Divisional Chief Executive Officer, 

Payments Processing at Interswitch Group 

said: “The SME sector is a potential gamechanger 

for economic growth and 

development in Africa. Interswitch has been 

at the forefront of digital payment innovation 

across the continent, enabling individuals, 

businesses, and governments to transact 

more efficiently over the last 17 years. 

“With the COVID-19 pandemic causing 

disruptions to businesses of all sizes around 

the world, the new platform will help African 

business owners prosper, by enabling access 

to effective and convenient digital payment 

and transaction solutions and technologies. 

Quickteller Business will also offer a threemonth 

zero transaction fee incentive for SMEs 

that sign up now, as part of its launch offer.” 


burden during the period. 

For a start, $1.2 billion will 

soon be borrowed for what is 

billed as Agricultural Mechanisation. 

On the face of it, 

there should be no objection 

to more mechanised farming 

in Nigeria. We need more 

technology if we want to 

quickly bring more land under 

cultivation in Nigeria. The 

problem is the integrity of the 

nation’s economic managers. 

Loans for agriculture and water 

resources are very popular. 

The NASS finds it difficult 

to reject them. Unfortunately, 

the funds seldom end 

up being spent purely on agriculture; 

and when done the 

equipment purchased are 

never put to good use before 

they are quietly sold as scrap 

to well-connected individuals. 

The gains of the few eventually 

become the burdens of 

the rest of us. 

According to MTDS 2020- 

2023, the FG proposes to increase 

the debt-to-GDP ratio 

to 40 per cent during the period. 

The ratio was 25 per cent 

from 2016-2019. As if it would 

make a lot of difference, the 

FG intends to raise more of 

the loans internally. That 

means that the nation’s battered 

economy will be expected 

to provide most of the 

loans. Again, it is easy to observe 

that this FG does not listen 

to anybody. The stubbornness 

would have been forgiven 

if the results since 2016 

have justified its position. But, 

the records available on paper 

and the harrowing hardship 

suffered by Nigerians 

prove conclusively that there 

is no intelligence, wisdom or 

integrity in the management 

of the Nigerian economy. 

It bears repeating that the 

World Bank, International 

Monetary Fund, African Development 

Bank, as well as 

other global financial institutions 

had warned that our 

debt-servicing percentage is 

not sustainable at 25 per cent. 

What will they think of our 

government when they read 

the MTDS raising it to 40 per 

cent? 

Implied but un-stated is the 

fact that the Central Bank of 

Nigeria, CBN, will be relied 

upon to supply a significant 

proportion of the new loans. 

As the lender of last resort, it 

owes a great deal of obligation 

to bail out the country 

through Ways and Means 

operations. Whereas, well 

enlightened leaders are aware 

that CBN’s supply of loans is 

not infinitely elastic, the FGN 

is ignorant of limits. Collectively, 

Nigeria’s Economic 

Management Team reminds 

me of Uganda under late General 

Idi Amin (1925-2003). 

Amin ordered the Governor of 

the Bank of Uganda to “go and 

print more money” — because 

he could not understand that 

there is a limit to printing 

money before the bills become 

worse than tissue paper”. It 

should be of concern to all of 

us that we have another soldier 

in charge. We might be 

heading for a similar experience 

in Nigeria soon. 

Already, the signs of trouble 

are everywhere. Basic inflation 

has exceeded 16 per cent; 

the food component is actually 

over 20 per cent and rising. 

Just as the FG turned 

deaf ears to those of us warning 

about the consequences of 

bandits, kidnappers, herdsmen/farmers 

clashes nationwide 

for food production, the 

same government is rushing 

headlong into taking more 

loans. Already, a serious famine 

is underway; because 

farmers have deserted their 

farms. Food prices are set to 

continue to escalate with possibilities 

of widespread unrest. 

Some people are already 

warning about political disintegration. 

No economic index 

is positive on which we can 

hope to fashion a strong economic 

recovery. So, how on 

earth are we going to repay 

the loans piled up by 2023. 

A NIGERIAN PUZZLE 

Dr Adesina is the President 

of the African Development 

Bank. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala 

is now the Director-General 

of the World Trade Organisation, 

WTO. Before those 

two, Nigerians had headed 

the Organisation of Petroleum 

Exporting Countries, OPEC. 

Chief Emeka Anyaoku was 

the Secretary-General of the 

Commonwealth. 

What sort of country is this, 

which sends its brightest and 

best abroad to help continents 

and the world to do 

better; but elects the worst to 

manage its own affairs? 

Whose heads should be examined?





26— Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021



•Remains of vehicles burnt by Boko Haram insurgents 

KILLING FIELDS: 

1,525 Nigerians killed 

in six weeks of 2021 

•Kaduna, Zamfara, Borno deadliest states 

•South-East most peaceful zone, North-West deadliest 

By CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, Politics 

Editor 

AS flames of violence and other forms of 

lives guzzling insecurity flicker in many 

parts of the country, Nigeria has literally become 

a killing field. 

In the first six weeks of 2021, lives of no fewer 

than 1, 522 persons have been wasted across the 

country, Vanguard’s investigation, and data 

obtained from the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, 

a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ 

Africa programme, have shown. 

The Nigeria Security Tracker tracks violence 

that is both causal and symptomatic of Nigeria’s 

political instability and citizen alienation. The 

data are based on weekly surveys of Nigerian 

and international media. The 1,525-death figure, 

which is conservative, covers only reported cases 

arising from the Boko Haram insurgency, 

banditry, herdsmen 

crisis, kidnapping, 

communal and cult 

clashes, armed 

robbery, and 

brutality of security 

agents among 

others. 

Many security 

The three 

southern zones 

accounted for 300 

or 18.19 per cent 

of the 1,525 

deaths 

breaches are not 

reported. It is also difficult to tell the number of 

abducted victims who die in captivity as 

unconfirmed reports put the number of those in 

various kidnap dens across the country at over 

5000. 

The 1,525 deaths are about half of the 3,188 

lives lost between January and December 2019, 

according to a report by Global Rights. It is also 

four times the 348 people killed in violent attacks 

across Nigeria in December 2020, as reported 

by a non-governmental organisation, Nigeria 

Mourns. Currently, Nigeria is the third country 

most impacted by terrorism, going by the Global 

Terrorism Index 2020 after Afghanistan and 

Libya. 

The 2020 terrorism index report said though 

total deaths from terrorism in Nigeria fell to 

1,245 in 2019, a 39 per cent decrease from the 

prior year, terror-related incidents also fell by 

27 per cent, marking the lowest level of terrorist 

violence in Nigeria since 2011. Boko Haram, 

How Nigerians were killed in the zones 

South-East – 85 

South-South – 103 

South-West – 112 

North-Central – 155 

North-East – 346 

North-West – 724 

Nigeria’s deadliest terrorist group, recorded an 

increase in terrorist activity mainly targeted at 

civilians by 25 per cent from the prior year. 

Additionally, Fulani extremists were 

responsible for 26 per cent 

of terror-related deaths in 

Nigeria at 325 fatalities. 

The herdsmen crisis is one 

of the reasons the county is 

boiling now following 

prevailing incidents in 

many southern states 

especially Oyo, Ondo and 

Ogun. 

Deaths in the states 

Of the country’s 36 states, 

and the Federal Capital 

Territory, Abuja, only three 

had zero reported deaths 

linked to insecurity. The 

states are Bayelsa, Bauchi, 

and Kebbi. 

The most deadly states 

are Kaduna (409), Zamfara 

(267) and Borno (257). 

Kaduna and Zamfara are 

the hotbeds of banditry 

ravaging the North-West 

zone of the country while 

Borno is the epicentre of the 

Boko Haram insurgency. 

States that recorded high 

deaths include: Yobe (76), 

Niger (73), Delta (46), 

Ebonyi (43), Katsina (41), 

Oyo (37), Plateau (31), 

Lagos (26), Rivers (24), Imo 

(23), Ogun (20), and Ondo 

(20). Others are Nasarawa 

(16), Cross River (15), Benue 

(12), Anambra (11), Akwa 

Ibom (11), Kogi (11), Kwara 

(8), Taraba (8), Osun (8), 

Abia (7), Edo (7), Sokoto (5), 

Adamawa (4), FCT Abuja 

(3), Kano (2), Gombe (1), 

Enugu (1), and Jigawa (1). 

According to the data, the 

South-East zone is the most 

peaceful zone with 85 

reported deaths followed by 

the South-South, which had 

103 deaths, and South-West, 

112 deaths. Conversely, the 

North-West is the deadliest 

zone with 724 deaths, 

followed by its flanking 

North-East, which 

witnessed no fewer than 

346 deaths and North-Central that had 155 

deaths. 

In the South-East, Ebonyi on account of the 

Effium-Ezza communal crisis recorded most 

deaths followed by Imo, which tally was spiked 

by the clashes between security forces and the 

Eastern Security Network, ESN, of the 

Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in Orlu. 

In the South-West, Oyo State was on the front 

burner due to the herdsmen and locals’ crisis in 

Ibarapa as well as Amotekun brushes with youths. 

Cult-related killings and other crimes took the 

Continues on page 23 

How 1,522 lives wer 

ere e wasted in six weeks 

•January 1: Seven farmers were killed by bandits in Mashegu LGA of Niger State. Many were left injured 

during the attack on the farmers in their farms in Babban Rami. 

•January 1: A 20-year old woman, Mrs. Suwaiba Shuaibu, lured and stabbed her teenage rival, Miss 

Aisha Kabir, 17, to death because her husband proposed to marry Aisha. 

•January 2: Unknown men killed Quadri Okunola, popularly called Kudeti, a father of three at Macaulay/ 

Odudu, along Igbogbo/ Bayeku road, Ikorodu, Lagos. 

•January 2: One person was killed in Osogbo, Osun State, when cult groups clashed during a carnival 

party at Isale-Osun area of the town. 

•January 2: Bandits killed a chief executive officer of a filling station and his two cousins in Idere, Ibarapa 

North LGA, Oyo State. 

•January 2: Bandits invaded Kawaran Rafiu village in Igabi LGA of Kaduna State and killed the chief 

Imam of the village, Danleeman Isah. Also killed was the Sarkin Yaki of Godogodo, Yohanna Abu. 

•January 2: Bandits killed 19 persons in Giwa, Kaduna. 

•January 2: Gunmen killed three and kidnapped two in Ibarapa, Oyo. 

•January 2: Robbers killed two civilians and police officers killed two robbers in Ughelli, Delta. 

•January 2: Military airstrikes killed “several” Boko Haram militants at two separate locations (estimated 

at 20) in Bama, Borno State. 

•January 3: Suspected internet fraudsters killed a girl, 18, in a hotel at Owa community in Ika North LGA 

of Delta State 

•January 3: No fewer than 19 people were killed in a two-day attack in Kaduna. Twelve of the victims were 

indigenes of Kaya, Gura LGA. 

•January 3: Boko Haram killed six soldiers and one civilian in Chibok, Borno. 

•January 3: Bandits killed nine in Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State. 

•January 4: Nigerian troops killed “several” bandits estimated at 20 in Birnin-Gwari, Giwa, Igabi, and 

Chikun LGAs in Kaduna. 

•January 4: Four people were shot while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in a bloody 

violence in some parts of Ibadan, Oyo State. 

•January 4: Police men killed two suspected members of a three man robbery gang in Ughelli, Delta State. 

•January 4: Bandits killed nine people including three infants in Zankoro, Kaduna State. 

•January 4: Two passengers were killed and many others were declared missing following an attack on 

two commercial boats on Bonny Waterways, Rivers State 

•January 5: Gunmen killed one and kidnapped 20 in Toto, Nassarawa. 

Continues on page 23

1,525 Nigerians killed in six weeks 


tally of deaths in Lagos to 26. In the South-South, 

Delta and Rivers were on the front-burner due to 

pirates’ activities in Rivers; and cult clashes and 

armed robbery-related killings in Delta. 

In sum, the three southern zones accounted 

for 300 or 18.19 per cent of the 1,525 deaths. 

The northern zones recorded 1,225 or 81.91 per 

cent of the tallied deaths. 

A host of Nigerian leaders have decried the 

rising waves of insecurity in the country and 

tasked President Muhammadu Buhari on 

urgent action. Speaker of the House of 

Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said on 

February 10 that Nigeria’s leaders had failed 

and must come together irrespective of political 

differences to save the country. 

He said: "Every time a citizen going about his 

business is killed or kidnapped, losses his 

property or livelihood, we have failed in our 

obligations." 

Senators, on the same day, spoke in like 

manner, saying that Nigeria was becoming a 

failed state on account of insecurity and asked 

President Buhari to issue an executive order on 

the need to flush out criminal herders. 

Indeed, Nigeria’s last military Head of State 

and Chairman of the National Peace 

How 1,525 lives were wasted in six weeks 

Committee, General Abdulsalami Abubakar 

(retd), warned on Wednesday that Nigeria is on 

the highway to disintegration unless insecurity 

is decisively tackled. "In the last two weeks or so, 

•Homes burnt by bandits 


•January 5: Boko Haram attacked Askira/Uba, Borno but were repelled by 

military airstrikes that killed “several” (estimated at 10) insurgents. 

•January 5: Pirates killed two in Bonny, Rivers. 

•January 5: Gunmen killed former education secretary of Nasarawa local 

government, Malawi Salisu at Mungi sharp corner, Buga Gwari, Gadabuke, 

Toto local council. The hoodlums abducted no fewer than 20 people travelling 

in three vehicles and took them into the bush. Salihu was among those abducted. 

His body was later found in the bush near the road. 

•January 6: Bandits killed a police man and kidnapped five others in attacks in 

Shiroro and Raji local governments in Niger State 

•January 6: Gombe state police command killed a kidnap suspect identified 

as Ustas during gunshot exchange with police men at Pinga, Gombe 

•January 6: Bandits killed four in Chikun, Kaduna. 

•January 6: Amotekun killed three civilians in Ibarapa, Oyo. 

•January 6: Boko Haram killed commuters (no number given, estimated at 

10) in Nganzai, Borno. 

•January 6: Military airstrikes killed “several” (estimated at 10) Boko Haram 

militants in Damboa, Borno. 

•January 6: Four persons reportedly lost their lives during inter-communal 

conflict between Abankang and Alok communities in Ikom LGA, Cross River 

State. 

•January 7: Gunmen abducted a traveller and killed his driver along Ise/Isua/ 

Akoko Highway in Ondo State. 

•January 7 Bandits attacked Katarma village in Chikun local Government, 

Kaduna, killed four persons and kidnapped many women. 

•January 7: Three persons were feared dead during a bloody clash between 

youths and Amotekun operatives at Tapa, Oyo State 

•January 7: A mob set ablaze a suspected ritualist said to be in possession of a 

human heart at Orile, Lagos. 

•January 8: Soldiers killed five civilians during a clash in Baruten, Kwara. 

•January 8: The Nigeria Customs Service killed three commercial drivers at a 

checkpoint in Baruten, Kwara State. 

•January 8: Gunmen attacked a police station and killed three police officers 

in Ezza South, Ebonyi. 

•January 8: Two passengers were killed in a pirate attack on two commercial 

boats around Dema Abbey Community on Bonny waterways 

•January 9: Amotekun operatives killed seven in Ibarapa North, Oyo. 

•January 9: Gunmen killed three in Kauru, Kaduna. 

•January 9: 28 Boko Haram militants and 13 soldiers were killed during a 

clash in Gujba, Yobe; in a separate incident, Nigerian soldiers killed another 30 

militants in Gujba. 

•January 9: Nigerian troops killed 50 bandits in Kaura-Namoda, Zamfara. 

•January 9: Gunmen killed one person while attempting to snatch his vehicle 

at the ever-busy Zoo Road in Kano Metropolis. 

•January 10: Gunmen killed three mobile police officers in Ughelli North, 

Delta. 

•January 10: Gunmen killed two in Riyom, Plateau. 

•January 10: Nigerian troops killed five bandits and lost one soldier in Faskari, 

Katsina. 

•January 10: Three suspected thieves were burnt at different locations in Calabar, 

Cross River State. 

•January 10: A man died after his estranged lover bathed him with petrol and 

set him on fire in Makurdi, Benue State. 

•January 10: Gunmen opened fire on a couple, killing the lady in the process at 

Ekuigbo, Ethiope, Delta State. 

•January 11: Five soldiers and six Boko Haram militants were killed during a 

clash in Damboa, Borno. 

•January 11: Gunmen killed a councillorship candidate and kidnapped two 

others in Oshimili South, Delta. 

•January 11:A Boko Haram suicide bombers killed himself and six Nigerian 

soldiers in Damboa, Borno. 

•January 11: A female corps member, Chidimma Odume, macheted and killed 

her lover at Abak Road, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. 

•January 11: Inter-communal clash between the people of Edondon and 

Ohumuruket in Obubra LGA, Cross River claimed no fewer than four lives 

•January11: Two people were feared dead, while three others were missing 

after suspected pirates attacked two passenger boats along the coastal waters 

of Aru-Gbanaama and Polokiri in Bonny LGA of Rivers State. 

•January 12: Gunmen killed two in Kauru, Kaduna. 

January 12: Military airstrikes killed “several” (estimated at 10) Boko Haram 

insurgents in Kaga, Borno. 

•January 12: Suspected land grabbers killed four in Ikorodu, Lagos. 

•January 12: Security forces killed four bandits in Shiroro, Niger State. 

•January 12: Two villagers were killed in an ambush by gunmen between 

Bakin Kogi and Narido village in Kauru LGA of Kaduna State 

•January 10-January 12: Cult clashes resulted in 14 deaths in Ikorodu, Lagos. 

•January 12: At least five persons reportedly shot dead in a 

renewed clash between the people of Emede and Igbide clans in Isoko South 

LGA, Delta. 

•January 12: Mr. Obiezu, the younger brother to Imo State Accountant General, 

Valentine Obiezu, was killed after failed attempt to kidnap him at his village, 

Akatta, Oru East LGA. 

•January 12: The remains of a farmer, Wole Agbola, who was abducted, was 

discovered in the bush in Aba-Odo, Oyo State a few kilometres from where he 

was abducted after his family paid N2million ransom. 

•January 12: A soldier and 10 bandits were killed in a clash between troops and 

bandits at various locations in Katsina. A clash at Batsari LGA claimed five 

bandits, while another five went down at Maigora, Faskari LGA. 

•January 13: Bandits killed two in Igabi, Kaduna. 

•January 13: An Amotekun operative killed one civilian in Ibadan North, Oyo. 


militants in Konduga, Borno. 

•January 13: Suspected herders killed two at Iniongwu village in Guma LGA, 

Benue State. 

•January: Robbers shot and killed Pastor Kelvin Orumor, the General Overseer 

of Kingdom Advancement Christian Centre, at Edjeba area of Warri, Delta 

State. 

•January 14: Bandits killed two farmers at Chikaji Village in Igabi LGA, 

Kaduna. 


insurgents in Bama, Borno. 

•January 14: Boko Haram landmines killed five soldiers in Chibok, Borno. 

•January 14: Nigerian troops killed “scores” (estimated at 40) of bandits in 

Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna. 

•January 14 Officials of DSS beat a policeman, Fawale Rauf, 33, to death at 

River Side area of Osogbo, Osun State. 

•January 15: Communal violence led to two deaths in Ibarapa North, Oyo. 

•January 15: Nigerian troops killed “scores” (estimated at 40) of Boko Haram 

militants in Marte, Borno. 

•January 15: Bandits killed five police officers and kidnapped thirteen others 

in Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna. 

January 16: Bandits killed one in Igabi LGA, three in Chikun LGA, and one in 

Giwa LGA in Kaduna. 

•January 16: Soldiers killed five civilians, and one soldier was killed in retaliation 

in Maiduguri, Borno. 

•January 16: Bandits killed a livestock guard and shot NSCDC officer in 

Makurdi, Benue 

•January 16: Communal violence led to two deaths in Anambra East, Anambra. 

•January 16 Deputy Registrar of FUTA, Dr. Amos Arijesuyo died from gunshot 

wounds he sustained after he was attacked by gunmen along Ilesa-Akure 

Highway while returning to Akure from Ibadan. 

•January 16: Two were killed and scores injured in a renewed crisis between 

Umueri and Aguleri communities of Anambra State. 

•January 17: Kidnappers killed a man, Elliot Ofa and kidnapped three others 

at Ethiope West LGA, Delta State. 

•January 17: Bandits killed 10 during an attack on Janbako, a community in 

Maradun LGA, Zamfara State. 

•January 17: Bandits killed five including an 80-year old woman and a village 

head in separate attacks on two villages of Chikun as well as travellers in Giwa 

LGA of Kaduna State. 

•January 17: Five riot policemen were killed in an ambush on the highway in 

Kaduna State. 

•January 17: 24 people were killed as bandits and cultists went on rampage in 

Borno, Benue, Cross River and Niger. A soldier and five civilians died in a clash 

in Maiduguri. Late Gana’s loyalists attacked a Benue community and killed 

three persons. Bakassi cult clash claimed four lives in Cross River. A Catholic 

priest was killed by bandits in Niger with his brother and 17 others kidnapped. 

•January 17: 35 bandits were killed by troops of the Operation Hadarin Daji in 

different encounters in Zamfara and Katsina states. 

Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021— 29 

tension has been growing in the country and the 

embers of disunity, anarchy and disintegration 

are spreading fast and if care is not taken, this 

might lead us to a point of no return," he warned. 

Continues online www.vanguardngr.com


ADEMOLA 

GABRIEL 

UCHENNA 

OKEOMA 

I, formerly known as Ademola I, formerly known as Aigbe I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss 

Thomson, now wish to be Gabriel, now wish to be known Uchenna Clara, now wish to 

Okeoma Chiamaka Rita 

Iloborom, now wish to be 

known as Ademola as Aigbe Gabriel Aimohosa. be known as Mrs. Chijiokeknown 

as Mrs. Chiamaka 

Thompson. Former Former documents remain Ofoma Uchenna Clara. Former 

Okeoma Rita Ezenmo. Former 

documents remain valid. valid. General public pls take documents remain valid. documents remain valid. 

General public pls take note. note. 

General public pls take note. General public pls take note. 

NWAOCHA 

OKONKWO 

OCHEI 

ALUKO 

I, formerly known as Nwaocha I, formerly known as Helen I, formerly known as Ochei I, formerly known as Miss 

Sunday Elijah, now wish to be Chidinma Okonkwo, now wish 

Emmanuella Amaka, now wish Olubunmi Mary Aluko, now 

to be known as Adegbuji wish to be known as Mrs. 

known as Ifeanyichukwu to be known as Helen 

Emmanuella Amaka. All documents 

bearing my former Former documents remain 

Hassan Olubunmi Mary. 

Sunday Elijah. Former Chidinma Orji. Former 

documents remain valid. documents remain valid. name remain valid. General valid. General public pls take 

General public pls take note. General public pls take note. public please take note. note. 

AKPOYIBO 

EMERIEWE AN 

ADEJOH 

EVIDENCE 

I, formerly known as Queen I, formerly known as Emeriewe I, formerly known and I, former known as Miss 

Akpoyibo, now wish to be Eseoghene Angela, now wish to addressed as Miss Helen Evidence Iruoghene Igholoja, 

known as Queen Eguridu. All be known as Mrs Eseoghene 

Adejoh, now wish to be known and also known as Miss 

and addressed as Mrs Clement Aliyah Igholoja, now wish to 

former documents remain Gloria Ezekiel Eghwrudjakpor. 

Francess Helen. All former be known as Mrs. Aliyah Aliu 

valid. The general public and All former documents remain documents remain valid, Hassan henceforth, all former 

whom it may concern to valid. General public take general public please take documents remain valid. 

please take note accordingly. note. 

note. 

General public take note. 

AKEMU 

IORTYER 

OGEDEGBE 

BRIGHT 

I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known and I, formerly known as Peter I, formerly known as Miss 

addressed as Miss Sandra 

Angela Omoyear Bright, now 

Akemu Vivian, now wish to 

Ebimene Ogedegbe, now wish 

Doose Iortyer, now wish to be 

wish to be known as Mrs. 

be known as Mrs. Unukpo known and addressed as Mrs to be known as Peter Ebisine Angela Iremise henceforth. 

Vivian. Former documents Adzua Sandra Doose. All 

Johnson. Former documents 

Former documents remain 

former documents remain 

valid. General Public, to whom 

remain valid. General public 

valid.General public please remain valid. General public it may concern should please 

pls take note. 

take note. 

pls take note. 

take note. 

JACK 

ALUMONA ENEGIDE JOEL 

IFEANYI 

My name currently is Ifeanyi Stanley 

I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss Alumona My name now is Nwajimeje Joel as it Onyeka as it appears on my Jamb 

Osikiemea Diana Omubo Jack Veronica Chioma, now wish to be appears on all my credentials and results and other documents. Ifeanyi 

and Osikiemea Omubo Jack, 

documents. Ajabor Joel was the name Stanley was the name I used in my 

known and addressed as Mrs. 

NECO Exams. I wish to reconcile the 

I was answering before as it appears 

now wish to be known as Mrs Mekiriuwa-Lucky Veronica Chioma. 

two that I am same person. I wish to 

on my primary six leaving certificate. be called Ifeanyi Stanley Onyeka. 

Diana Omubo Utukpe. Former Former documents remain valid. Former documents remain valid. Former documents remain valid. 

documents remain valid. General Public, Authorities General Public, Authorities 

General Public, Authorities 

concerned please take note. 

General public pls take note. concerned please take note. 

concerned please take note. 

LINUS 

OWHUTU 

MADUGU 

AMAFINI 

I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Akota I, formerly known as Mrs. 

Linus Mary Oluchi, now wish Owhutu Ovwata Precious, now Naomi Madugu. now wish to Amafini Stephen, now wish to 

to be known as Mrs. Dike wish to be known as Mrs. 

be known as Naomi Akota. All be known as Mrs. Amafini 

Mary Oluchi. All former Oremiephan Ovwata Precious. 

former documents remain Sunny. All former documents 

documents remain valid. All former documents remain 

Fidelity Bank Plc and general valid. General public please 

valid. General public please 


public please take note. take note. 

take note. 

please take note. 

EYAREFA 

MOSES 

IGBINEWEKA OBIE 

IGBINEWEKA 

I, formerly known as Eyarefe I, formerly known as Moses I, formerly known as Alex I, formerly known as Sharon 

Maria Omoleye, now wish to Edosa Igbineweka, now wish Odunayo Igbineweka, now 

Emipat, now wish to be known 

be known as Ojo Maria to be known as Alex Edosa wish to be known as Sharon 

as Ovwile Emipat. All former 

Omoleye. All former Igbinosa. All former Odunayo Igbinosa. All former 

documents remain valid. documents remain valid. documents remain valid. documents remain valid. 

General public please take General public please take RCCG and general public to 

RCCG and general public to 

note. 

note. 

take note. 

take note. 

AI 

MONDAY 

AGBAMA 

AI 

ADEYEMO 

OSAGIE 

My name was mistakenly written as The names, Agbama Innocent I, formerly known as Osagie 

I, formerly known as Adeyemo 

Warieta Peter Monday, instead of Matthew, Matthew Innocent Caroline Omonrobonamu, 

Adenike Adebisola, now wish to be 

Warieta Timothy Akpowena. But Agbama and Innocent Matthew now wish to be known as 

known as Olanegan Adenike 

Agbama refer to one and the same Omozuhiomwen Caroline 

Elizabeth. All former documents henceforth want to be addressed as 

person, but now wish to be known Omon. All my former 

remain valid. General public please Warieta Timothy Akpowena. Former and addressed as Agbama Innocent 

documents remain valid. 

take note.All former documents 

documents remain valid. GTB and Matthew. All documents bearing the 

above names remain valid. General 

General public please take 

remain valid. General public please 

general public should take note. 

take note. 

public please take note. 

note. 

YUSUF OG 

OJIKERI 

BANA 

UDUKEREGBE 

I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Mr. I, formerly known and 

Yusuf Fausat Omowunmi, now Ojikeri Chioma Grace, now Shettima Aliu Bana, now wish 

addressed as Miss Udukeregbe 

Elohor Angela, now wish to be 

wish to be known as Mrs Bello wish to be known as Mrs. Madu to be known as Mr. Shettima 

known and addressed as Mrs. 

Fausat Omowunmi. All former Chioma Grace. All former Aliyu Muhammed. All former 

Carter Elohor Angela. All 

documents remain valid. The documents remain Valid. The documents remain Valid. The 


general public should take general public should please general public should please valid. General public please 

note. 

take note. 

take note. 

take note. 

EGBEJI-TITUS AGBAFOR IB 

STEPHEN UGWUOKE 

This is to confirm that the names I, formerly known and I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss 

Egbeji-Titus Dede Gentle and addressed as Agbafor Chinyere Stephen Miriam Ugomma, Esther Ukamaka Ugwuoke, 

Egbeji Dede Lordly refer to one and 

now wish to be known and now wish to be known as Mrs now wish to be known as Mrs 

addressed as Eze Okoronkwo 

the same person. I now wish to be 

Ihezue Miriam Ugomma. All Esther Ukamaka Egboro. All 

Chinyere. All documents 

known as Egbeji Dede Lordly. All 

documents bearing my former documents bearing my former 

bearing former names remain 

former documents remain valid. valid. The general public should 

name remain valid, general name remain valid, general 

General public please take note. take note. 

public please take note. public please take note 

OMONGBALE 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as Rosemary Iziegbe 

Omongbale, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

Rosemary Iziegbe Ilori. All 


valid. General Public please 

note. 

ADEJUMO 

I, formerly known as Miss 

Adejumo Taiwo Mary, now 


Awodiran Taiwo Mary. Former 


General public pls take note. 

UMERAH 


addressed as Gloria 

Kenechukwu Umerah, now 

wish to be known and addressed 

as Gloria Deborah 

Kenechukwu. All former 



note. 

UCHE 


Kawekwune Josephine Uche, now 

wish to be known as Mrs. Friday 

Josephine Uche henceforth. Former 

documents remain valid. General 

Public, to whom it may concern 

should please take note. 

AKINDELE-OBE 


Akindele-Obe Moyomola 

Anuoluwapo, now wish to be 

known as Mrs. Adeyemi 

Moyomola Anuoluwapo. 


valid. General public pls take 

note. 

NMADU 


Favour Mmesoma Mmadu, 

now wish to be known as Mrs. 

Favour Mmesoma Ezuma. All 



take note. 

UCHE 

My name was wrongly written 

as Uche Ayozieuwa (where 

Godswill was ommitted), 

instead of Ayozieuwa 

Uchechukwu Godswill. All 


valid. General public take note. 

ETAGHENE 


Etaghene 

Jane 

Edjemuvwokoghene, now wish 

to be known as Mrs Edeimu 

Jane Edjemuvwokoghene. All 


valid. Banks general public take 

note 

BLESSING 

This is to confirm that the names 

Osaiyuwu Blessing and Erebholo 

Blessing refer to one and the same 

person. I now wish to be known and 

addressed as Erebholo Blessing. All 

former documents remain valid. 

General public please take note. 

PATRICK 

I, formerly known as Patrick 

Henry Edet, now wish to be 

known as Patrick - Grace 

Henry. The names, Henry and 

Edet are both personal names 

of my late father. All former 

documents 

remain 


take note. 

NWAOCHA 

I, formerly known as Nwaocha 

Chima Innocent, now wish to 

be known as Ifeanyichukwu 

Chima Innocent. Former 


General public pls take note. 

ONWUANAKU 


Onwuanaku Chidinma Mary, 

now wish to be known as Mrs 

Ukatu Chidinma Mary. 



note. 

OKAM 


addressed as Miss Okam 

Obianujunwa Cynthia, now 

wish to be known and addressed 

Mrs Iduh Obianujunwa 

Cynthia. All former documents 



UGOCHUKWU 

I, formerly known as 

Ugochukwu Gaynor Chika, 

now wish to be known as 

Adetoye Gaynor Chika. 



note. 

IBORO 

My correct name is Iboro 

Martin, but it was wrongly 

arranged and written as Martin 

Iboro in my BVN details. Iboro 

Martin remains my correct 

name. All former documents 



NKEIBE 

In opening my bank account, my name 

was mistakenly written as Nkebi 

Christian, instead of Nkeibe 

Christian. I now wish to be known 

as Syvernus Nkeibe Christian. All 

former documents remain valid. 

General public please take note. 

OLURONBI 


Oluronbi Shakirah Abiodun, 

now wish to be known as Mrs 

Adejumobi Shakirah Abiodun. 

All former documents remain 

valid. General public take note 

MEGBELEYE 


Megbeleye Gladys Roli, now 


Duntoye Golden Omotekoro. 

All former documents remain 

valid. The general public 

should please take note. 

ISRAEL 


Nwabunwene Israel and 

Nwabunwene Animam Israel refer to 

one and the same person. I now wish 

to be known as Nwabunwene 

Animam Israel. All former documents 

remain valid. Ecobank, Fidelity 

Bank, UBA and general public please 

take note. 

MEBAGHANDUN 

OFOWINOR 

I hereby confirm that the name 

Mebaghandun Amonetsone 

Victoria and Mebaghandun 

Victoria refer to me. All documents 

bearing my former 

name remain valid, general public 

please take note

CHANGE OF NAME 

ARUBI 


Emmanuel Edematie Arubi, Emma E. 

Arubi, Emma Arubi, Edematie Arubi 

and Emma Edema Arubi refers to one 

and the same person. All former 

documents remain valid. The general 

public should please take note 

FLORA 


Flora Kwakpovwe, now wish 

to be known as Mrs. Dim- 

Simon Flora Kwakpovwe. All 


valid, any authority it may 

concern and the general public 

to take note 

MASKOLI 

I, formerly known as Maskoli 

Joy Oghogho, now wish to be 

known as Mrs. Anwenede Joy 

Oghogho. All former 



note. 

MOBOSI 

I, formerly known as Miss Mobosi 

Patience Chidinma, Mobosi Favour 

Chidinma respectively, now wish to 

be known as Mrs. Efe Favour 

Chidinma. All former documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 

IDRIS 

I, formerly known as Hajara 

Idris, now wish to be known as 

Hannatu Ahmed. All former 


General public take note 

ALAYO 

I, formerly known as Mrs. 

Alayo Florence Tinuke, now 

wish to be known as Mrs. Alayo 

Risikat Atinuke. All former 



OKON 


Christiana Oyoro Okon, now 

wish to be known as Christy 

Okon Ikwo. All former 



ALHASSAN 

I, formerly known as Maryam 

Alhassan, now wish to be 

known as Maryam Sunday 

Shawulu. All former documents 


take note 

IBRAHIM 

I, formerly known as Ibrahim 

Tseba Cheryang, now wish to 

be known as Ibrahim Tseba 

Chergyang. All former 



OLISEH 


Oliseh Maureen Ndudi, now 

wish to be known as Mrs 

Olugbode Maureen Ndudi. All 


valid. General public take note 

OJUKWU 

I, formerly known as Ojukwu 

Comfort Ude, now wish to be 

known as Godswill Comfort 

Ude. All former documents 

remain valid. Concerned 

Authorities and the general 

public to take note. 

EDET 

I hereby confirm that my name was 

wrongly written as Oden Ebri Edet 

in my Pensioners Verification 

Excercise, instead of my correct name 

as Edet Ebri Edet. All documents 

bearing my former name remain valid, 

general public please take note 

OFURE 

I, formerly known as Omoaka 

Blessing Ofure, now wish to 

be known as Omoaka Blessing 

Joy. All former documents 


take note 

AKUMBUR 

I, formerly known as Akumbur 

Elizabeth, now wish to be 

known as Akumbur Modupe 

Elizabeth. All former 



EZEH 


Ezeh Stella Ogochukwu, now 

wish to be known as Ani Stella 

Ogochukwu. All former 



CHUNDUNG 


Chundung Mary Dawang, now 

wish to be known as Mary 

Dawang. All former documents 


take note 

HUSSEIN 

I, formerly known as Hussein 

Abdulrasheed, now wish to be 

known as Abdulrasheed 

Hussein. All former documents 


take note 

EZEAKA 


Ezeaka Faith Nkechi, now wish 

to be known as Mrs Anioke 

Faith Nkechi. All former 



ANYAOHA 

I, formerly known as Anyaoha 

Chiamaka Clementina, now 

wish to be called and addressed 

as Arisa Chiamaka Marylucy. 

All Former documents remain 

valid, Concerned Authorities 

and the general Public to take 

note. 

:Vanguard 

News 

:@vanguardnews 

It’s time to take fight to adversaries 

— CDS 


ABUJA — THE Chief of 

Defence Staff, CDS, 

Major Gen Lucky Irabor, 

has said it was time the 

military took the fight 

against the nation’s adversaries 

to wherever they 

were domiciled. 

Speaking while 

unveiling his leadership 

philosophy in Abuja over 

the weekend, Gen Irabor 

said: “Now is the time, that 

the task must be done. The 

appointment has come at a 

defining moment in the annals 

of our great nation. 

‘’At all times, but particularly 

at a critical time such 

as this, the call to serve 

comes with a huge 

responsibility, which elicits 

a clear direction and 

philosophy of leadership to 

act as guiding principles of 

conduct behaviour and a 

road map for action. 

“The overall import of 

these reflections is to 

emplace a homogeneous, 

highly-motivated, 

disciplined and missionready 

force to deliver its 

constitutional roles and 

contribute its quota as a 

foremost national 

institution to facilitate 

national security, peace, 

stability and sustainable development 

of the nation”. 

The CDS said he would 

promote synergy and 

mission command as 

essential elements for 

operational planning and 

execution for all security 

challenges requiring 

military intervention across 

the nation. He said this was 

because no agency 

(security) could do it alone, 

and promised to promote 

active cooperation and 

collaboration between the 

military and other relevant 

stakeholders, key players, 

departments, agencies and 

organizations in aggregating 

overall national 

resource endowments to 

comprehensively deter, 

counter, overcome or 

resolve all security challenges 

across the nation 

requiring military intervention. 

General Irabor said the 

privilege and honour to 

lead thousands of patriotic 

and distinguished 

Servicemen and women 

who constantly put their 

lives in harm’s way in the 

interest of the nation, was 

very clear to him. He said: 

“As we begin a new phase, 

it is imperative to understand 

the basis of leadership 

and followership as 

well as the covenant of duty, 

responsibility and service to 

the nation. 

“I envisage a knowledgedriven, 

skill-based, objectfocused, 

fiscally 

responsible, systematic, 

creative, forward-looking, 

ethical and citizenminded, 

conscientious and 

caring armed forces. I look 

forward to a defence organization 

where personnel 

contribute on the basis of 

their knowledge, hard and 

soft skills as well as humane 

aptitudes. 

“I recognize the importance 

of preserving the 

time-proven standards of 

competence that 

distinguished leaders 

throughout history. In specific 

terms, I will advocate 

competence, skills and experience, 

diligence and 

commitment, decisiveness, 

honesty, integrity, trust and 

passion for service”. 


:@vanguardnews 

By Emmanuel 

Elebeke 

ABUJA—THE National 

Board for Technology 

Incubation, NBTI, has 

graduated 289 innovative 

entrepreneurs from 24 

incubation centres spread 

across the country. 

The entrepreneurs before 

the graduation successfully 

completed the compulsory 

three incubation programme 

at their various centres with 

varying areas of 

specialization. 

The NBTI said each of the 

grandstands are expected to 

create an average of three 

jobs and over 2000 jobs in total 

with more opportunities 

expected to be created by 458 

entrepreneurs so far captured. 

They are also expected to 

produce and send about 1,800 

products into the market and 

inject over N4billion in to the 

economy. 

Speaking at the virtual 

graduation ceremony of 

entrepreneurs hosted at the 

various TIP Centres in the 

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08052867023, 

08052867058 

NBTI graduates 289 

entrepreneurs, targets 2000 jobs 

country, the Director General 

of the agency, Mohammed 

Jubrin said the graduation 

was significant to the nation 

because the only way out of 

commodity economy is for 

individuals and 

organizations to innovate and 

adopt innovative 

technologies. 

The DG said despite the 

ravaging COVID-19 

Pandemic, the agency found 

the event as an opportunity 

for Nigeria to be more 

creative and innovative in the 

ways of doing things. 

Of the 289 graduands from 

the 24 centres across the 

country, he explained that 

most of them excelled in 

various fields of production 

such as fabrication, food 

processing, agro-allied, 

chemical/pharmaceuticals 

and waste to wealth. 

Though, with some 

negative sides to the 

economy, he said that 

COVID-19 Pandemic has 

made businesses and trade 

across the globe to depend on 

ICT to drive their daily 

operations. 

Auto-club by Access helps 

customers drive dream cars 

L AGOS—NIGERIA’S 

largest retail bank, 

Access Bank has brought the 

dreams of Nigerians aspiring 

to own a car one step closer to 

reality by unveiling its newest 

service called “Auto-club by 

Access.” Auto-club by Access 

is a one stop shop designed to 

cater to every Nigerian’s 

automobile needs by 

providing auto services 

ranging from vehicle 

purchase, maintenance, 

usage to disposal and so much 

more at affordable pricing. 

The service offers Vehicle 

finance for brand new cars 

such as SUVs, Sedans, Buses, 

and Vans and for preowned 

cars (popularly called 

Tokunbo cars) from specific 

approved dealers that have 

been certified to be in 

excellent condition. Auto-club 

by Access also offers equity 

release which is offered to 

customers to enable them 

refinance vehicles purchased 

from approved partners/ 

dealers 

Auto-club by Access has a 

loan tenor of up to four years 

with interest rates as low as 

Desire to create jobs led to Rento 

Hotels —Kotec Group CEO 

O WERRI—THE 

Chairman and Chief 

Executive officer of Kotec 

Group of Companies Chief 

Chika Emenike has said his 

desire to create more job 

opportunities for the youths 

moved him into the hospitality 

industry and the creation of 

Rento Hotels and suites. 

He spoke during the official 

opening of the 83-room Rento 

Hotels and Suites led by 

Chief Cletus Ibeto held in 

Owerri, weekend 

Responding to question 

about why he went into the 

hospitality business, He said: 

"First, job creation. Second, 

quality service first. People 

believe in money first but I 

believe in customer 

satisfaction first, when 

someone says my product is 

very good for them, I am 

satisfied" 

The Kotec boss noted that 

his over four thousand work 

force across his various 

15%, depending on the 

finance variant chosen. The 

service is available to 

salaried customers and 

business owners with 

verifiable sources of income 

as well as businesses and 

corporates. 

Speaking at the unveiling, 

the Executive Director, Retail 

Banking Division, Mr. Victor 

Etuokwu said “we 

understand that in Nigeria, 

owning a car is not a luxury 

but a necessity and an 

important part of our role as 

a Bank is to make our 

customers lives easier to 

access more. This new 

service is a very practical 

way to do so.” 

“For our customers who 

wish to take advantage of 

this service, all they have to 

do is fill an interest form on 

the Access Bank website 

h t t p s : / / 

www.accessbankplc.com/ 

personal-banking/loans/ 

vehicle-finance.aspx or 

walk into any of our branches 

across the Country and 

request for vehicle finance or 

contact your account officer” 

companies have been trained 

to deliver quality services 

saying that customer 

satisfaction remains their 

watchword. 

Chairman of the occasion, 

Chief Cletus Ibeto, founder 

of Ibeto Group noted that 

Rento Hotel and Suites, 

Owerri, has been formally 

commissioned to commence 

full-scale operations to meet 

the needs of corporate 

bodies, tourists and other fun 

seekers, and affirmed it 

would provide job 

opportunity to more than 50 

youths. 

The business magnet, 

expressed satisfaction over 

some of the attractive 

features and facilities of the 

Hotel which includes high 

speed internet services, All 

Day Dining Restaurant, 

Indoor Executive Bar, Pool 

Bar, Fitness Gym, an all 

round security surveillance, 

uninterrupted power supply 

and lots more.





Risk management, effective leadership for public, 

However, identifying them 

private sector executives 

alone is not sufficient, but 

Let's face it! The world had 

never encountered a 

more disruptive time than 

the last year when COVID- 

19 swept the globe and 

almost grounded 

everything to a standstill. 

Since its emergence, 

individuals and businesses 

have been struggling to 

survive. However, while 

concentrating much on 

reducing the pandemic's 

impact, many have 

forgotten that there have 

always been other risks that 

need attention, too, even 

during these crises. To 

succeed in these dynamic, 

digital and turbulent time, 

there is an urgent need for 

strategic leaders who can 

align culture, risk and 

strategy for success. 

Truth be told, every 

organisation faces risks, 

including internal ones that 

often arise from its daily 

operations/activities. For 

instance, some risks may 

arise from inappropriate, 

unethical, or illegal actions 

of the employees and even 

the management. These are 

common, but thankfully, 

they are preventable. Some 

other risks also come from 

external sources, and there 

is little that the management 

can do to prevent them. 

They include political and 

natural disasters. But that's 

not all. Don't forget there 

are social, economic 

landmines too to navigate, 

one of which triggered 

EndSARs. Cyber threats 

are still very much around, 

and the risk from it is 

growing as we adopt 

technology more to scale in 

a period of physical 

distancing. They did not 

vanish when COVID 19 

struck. Being a leader at 

such a time requires 

additional knowledge and 

skills on how to provide 

effective leadership. 

At the forthcoming 

TEXEM, UK's "RISK 

MANAGEMENT AND 

E F F E C T I V E 

LEADERSHIP FOR 

SUPERLATIVE 

PERFORMANCE 

DURING TURBULENT 

TIMES" programme, you 

will have a chance to learn 

how to manage risks that 

your organisation faces 

during these times. 

Indeed, with practical 

leadership skills, it is 

possible to strike a balance 

and even thrive despite the 

many challenges your 

organisations and others 

face. Yes, resources might 

not be enough, but with 

whatever you have, it is 

possible to get ahead if you 

can efficiently allocate those 

scarce organisational 

resources. However, note 

that the bar for efficiency 

has been raised very high 

in these disruptive times 

that only cultured minds 

who can integrate risk 

management and strategy 

can thrive in this volatile 

era. So, learn with TEXEM 

and hear from a team of 

We are in a 

historical time 

that is likely to 

change the 

organisational 

management 

style forever 

highly experienced 

leadership pros! 

As a leader, you need to 

identify which risks are 

preventable and which 

ones are unforeseen if you 

want to manage them truly. 

the ability to provide 

effective leadership 

separates organisations that 

thrive from those that 

merely survive. Key topics 

that the programme will 

cover include: 

•Managing risks in times 

of crises 

•Preventing and 

managing reputational & 

brand risks for 

organisational leaders 

•Integrating risk with 

strategy 

•Managing the people 

side of risk 

•Managing ESG risks 

during turbulent times 

•Balancing risk 

management and 

innovation 

•Managing Cyber 

Security Risks: insights for 

managers 

And others 

Leveraging TEXEM's 

tested, proven and 

impactful; a methodology 

that has enhanced 4,000 

executives' leadership 

quotient in 11 years, this 

programme would be 

delivered by worldrenowned; 

•Dr Graham Wilson of 

the University of Oxford 

•Mike Wilkins, MD, S&P 

Global Ratings 

•Ambassador Dr Peter 

Collecott, Chair of 

Ambassador Partnerships 

•Sir Ambassador 

Richard Gozney, The 

Lieutenant Governor of 

the Isle of Man 

•Prof. Andrew 

Chambers, World's first 

Professor of Internal Audit 

As it has always done, 

TEXEM will use a unique 

methodology to offer you 

the training in a way that 

makes it enjoyable and 

effective. If you have 

attended one, you will attest 

that all its past programmes 

have been active and 

interactive sessions. So, as 

you prepare to participate 

in the forthcoming 

programme, expect peerto-peer 

learning, group/ 

individual virtual activities, 

games and times for selfreflection. 

Indeed, this is a 

leadership programme you 

do not want to miss. For 

your information, each time 

there is a programme, 

previous participants are 

always the first ones to sign 

up. You are welcome to 

attend too, even if it is your 

first time. 

As a leader, these strange 

times have taught us the 

need to make time for 

serious introspection. We 

are in a historical time that 

is likely to change the 

organisational 

management style forever. 

TEXEM's forthcoming 

programme will help you 

to come up with the right 

ideas and reflection. 

Undoubtedly, it is easy to 

give up on dreams and 

think that it is impossible. 

However, here is a potential 

lifeline; attending this 

TEXEM forthcoming 

leadership programme 

that seeks to explore all 

these threats might be all 

you need to awaken the 

giant/leader/manager in 

you. Yes, it seems 

impossible until you begin. 

During the executive 

development programme, 

you'll realise what is 

happening to your 

organisation is happening 

to all others, including 

your rivals. Still, you turn 

into an opportunity and 

win depending on how 

people react to the 

situation. We are in an era 

where change is 

inevitable. Using the same 

methods expecting to sail 

through turbulent times 

won't work. As a leader, 

you need to change your 

focus. More precisely, you 

need to re-establish your 

norms, revisit your shared 

purpose, reassess your 

organisational resources 

and most importantly, 

understand that your team 

now faces emerging 

constraints that need new 

ideas to fix. 

Risk Management, Effective Leadership for superlative performance 

during turbulent times for Public, Private Sector Executives


I’ve never been 

passionate about 

any other thing in 

my life—Donna Duke, Artist 

By Prisca Sam-Duru 

DONNA Duke, a self-taught 

mixed media portrait painter 

based in Lagos, is passionate about 

the African narrative. Her paintings 

which primarily involve the 

interpretation of black portraiture, 

exhibits countless narrative within 

human existence. 

Donna’s works explore mixedmedia 

through the use of acrylic, oil, 

metal and 24k gold leaf and resin, a 

technical style which at times, is 

combined with a collage of 

traditional West African fabric on 

wooden panels. 

Professionally, Donna who is the 

daughter of the former Cross River 

State Governor, Donald Duke, 

started her creative activities over a 

year ago but began drawing and 

painting at the age of five when she 

was also involved in other creative 

activities. She, however, stopped 

making art when she got to 

secondary school. According to her, 

“After I graduated from the 

university, I just decided to try the 

hobby again.” 

Donna Duke read history which is 

completely unconnected to art but 

her raw talent and supportive 

parents, she noted, are responsible 

for her achievements in the art 

industry. “I am incredibly lucky. I’ve 

always had very supportive parents. 

They’ve supported me more than I’ve 

supported myself. When I thought 

about where my creativity could go, 

they backed me completely and gave 

me the resources and tours. Their 

words and encouragement more 

than anything brought me this far 

and in such an isolating profession 

like art; because you work all by 

yourself with your materials all the 

time, it’s really nice to know there 

are people who support what you are 

doing.” 

The artist was at the Noire 

Exhibition which was one of the few 

events that rounded off activities in 

2020. It was her very first exhibition 

as an artist but the pieces she 

displayed were classy and did not 

present her as a first-timer. “The 

Noire Exhibition was my first 

outing. By the grace of God I plan to 

hold a solo exhibition. The Noire 

Exhibition was like a dream come 

true. It was a great opportunity for 

me to have people see what I’ve been 

doing. It was daunting actually and 

I was nervous all through but, I’m 

happy it turned out well”. 

Definitely, no other way to describe 

her experience at the exhibition other 

than that it ended beyond her 

imagination. Donna took to her 

Instagram page where she has over 

4,000 followers after that experience 

and wrote; “The last few months have 

been an overwhelming and 

exhilarating few, culminating in my 

first art exhibition last weekend. I am 

beyond grateful to my family, friends 

and everyone who came to support 

me and the five amazing 

@thenoireexhibition artists, without 

whom none of this would have been 

possible. Thank you to everyone that 

bought a piece, feeling incredibly 

blessed to have sold out at my first 

exhibition.” 

The works she exhibited in the 

Noire Exhibition were all produced 

in 2020 and they took her between 

two and six months to complete. “I 

work on multiple pieces at a time so, 

some works took me two months, 

others between four and six months”, 

she explained. 

Donna is unapologetically 

fascinated by African narrative and 

By Chukwuma Ajakah 

IN his collection of poems titled A 

Booktiful Love, UK-based 

Nigerian poet, Tolu’ Akinyemi, 

explores the vicissitudes of life from 

diverse perspectives. The 63-page 

book published by Roaring Lions 

Newcastle (2020) features 48 

poems that focus on topical issues 

such as the phenomenal 

Coronavirus pandemic scare and 

its aftermath, sex for marks scandals 

in the ivory tower, domestic 

violence, election rigging, ethnic 

profiling and politics of exclusion, 

revolution and xenophobia. 

The anthology is divided into three 

broad parts. Part 1 features 16 poems 

•Donna Duke standing in front of her art works 

achieves more by projecting the 

aspects easily ignored by most 

creatives. “I’m very passionate about 

telling the black experience not 

necessarily the experience of 

suffering, or experience of the entire 

negative price that come with being 

black in this world. I tell stories even 

if it's mundane things such as love 

and I want to make sure we are 

represented and our voices and 

conversations are part of the topic.” 

That was the objective of The Noire 

exhibition in the first place; 

encouraging black women to 

represent themselves better in the 

Life lessons from Tolu 

Akinyemi’s Booktiful’love 

NTA, NCAC join forces to combat rape 

THE Nigerian Television 

Authority, NTA, and the National 

Council for Arts and Culture, 

NCAC, have resolved together to 

tackle the menace of rape in Nigeria. 

The Director-General, NCAC, 

Otunba Segun Runsewe and the 

Director-General, NTA, Mallam 

Yakubu ibn Mohammed made this 

resolution when the NCAC boss 

paid a courtesy call on his 

counterpart in NTA headquarters 

Abuja. 

Runsewe said the efforts of NTA 

on the issues of rape in Nigeria has 

drastically reduced rape cases as 

indicated by statistics from other 

states of the federation. 

He added that the sustained 

dissemination of information and 

condemnation of rape by NTA has 

gone a long way to sensitize rape 

victims and their families on what to 

do and whom to complain to when 

they fall victim to rape. 

Runsewe said as the custodian of 

culture in Nigeria and Africa, he 

knows that no aspect of Nigerian or 

African custom or tradition supports 

which include Isolation, Bury Me 

in a Library, It’s Okay Not to feel 

Okay, Write for Rights, Your Dreams 

Are Valid, Trial and Error, A Date 

with Hope and Life Lessons. Part 2 

contains Pertinent Questions, Say 

No to Xenophobia, I Belong to 

Nobody, Aso the Death Post, Erect a 

Statue for Me in Imo, Saints, Cold 

Room, Strange Dance of Chickens, 

Body Language, Ignoramus and 

Revolution Now. The poems 

featured in Part 3 include A Booktiful 

Love, Beauty & Brains, Beauty and 

Priceless, Beauty and Queening, 

Beauty & Fierce, Beauty& Virtuous, 

Portarait of a fake Fie Love, Fairy, 

Loud Voices, Grief in Solitude, 

Starved, Foundational Mess and a 

The D-G, NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe (r) and the D-G, NTA, 

Mallam Yakubu Ibn Mohammed. 

rape and as such, he will throw his synergy needed to fight the 

weight behind any institution that scourge. 

is ready to fight rape and rapists in The DG of NTA affirming his 

Nigeria. 

support to the Federal Government 

According to Runsewe, he finds in eradicating the scourge of 

in the NTA a formidable ally in banditry, kidnapping and rape, 

sensitizing Nigerians on the stated that NTA has decided to be in 

dangers of rape and the the forefront of the fight against 

consequences of rape on the victims. rapists and other social vices in 

He added that his organisation Nigeria. 

strongly believes that NTA and 

Continues 

NCAC can form the much-needed @www.vanguardngr.com 

creative space. 

Asked what her next step after the 

Noire Exhibition would be, Donna 

said: “By God’s grace after the Noire 

Exhibition, I want to make sure that 

everything I create is authentic to me, 

and how I see the world. I never want 

to feel as though I’m mass producing 

something which is a feeling that I’m 

rushed to produce something. I 

would really love to keep doing this 

because I’ve never been passionate 

about anything else in my life.” 

Continues 

@www.vanguardngr.com 

Booktiful Love Story. 

The thematic treatment of A 

Booktiful Love encompasses love, 

marriage, beauty, relationships, 

hope, mental health, human rights, 

academics, politics, culture, 

economy, dreams, disillusionment, 

hatred and death. The poet explores 

the central theme of love for 

education in many of the poems, 

including the title poem, A Booktiful 

Love, Beauty and Brains, A Date 

with Hope, Neophyte, Your Dreams 

Are Valid, Writers, Write for Rights 

and Ignoramus. This thematic focus 

is clearly depicted in each of the six 

stanzas of A Booktiful Love as in the 

following lines where the poet plays 

on literary terms: Our love was 

layered in similes and metaphors/ 

Your love language was erotica/ 

And meeting you was non-fiction/ 

I tell you stories coloured in fantasy/ 

And send you to dreamland with 

poetry/ Rhymes, and free-flowing 

verses/ This isn’t science fiction or 

historical fiction/ This was us/ There 

are days I am buried in the pit of 

self-help books. 

Continues 

@www.vanguardngr.com 

Artpedia 

Nigeria holds 

'The 

Persistence 

of Time' 

exhibition 

By Adesina Wahab 

ARTPEDIA Nigeria is set to 

launch a new gallery space 

with The Persistence of Time, a 

group art exhibition featuring top 

Nigerian contemporary artists and 

opening on Saturday, 20 February 

to Friday, 30 April 2021. 

The Persistence of Time brings 

together 28 paintings from the 

gallery’s expansive collection 

featuring artists Ada Godspower, 

Elizabeth Ekpetorson, Frederick 

Idele, Ikechukwu Ezeigwe, 

Habeeb Andu and Sejiro Avoseh. 

The title of the exhibition borrows 

from the iconic painting of Spanish 

artist, Salvador Dalí, one of the 

remarkable artists of the 

Surrealism art movement named 

The Persistence of Memory (1931). 

Tallying with the movement, it 

presents a school of artistry that 

has been shaped by time — 

through individual experiences 

and social events — and 

distinctively marked by the 

capricious forms and precise 

reflections of the unconscious 

mind. 

The show is a walk through the 

socio-political connotations of 

Avoseh easily identified for his 

style of fusing collage and painting 

techniques to create dissimilar 

forms layered in a complex manner 

to the hasty yet measured 

brushstrokes of Elizabeth 

Ekpetorson who logs time and 

allows its resulting elements such 

as emotions and reactions fuel her 

artistic production. 

It is almost always a prerequisite 

in many art shows to create a 

concept that introduces a 

completely fresh meaning and 

sense to a collection. The 

exhibition, The Persistence of 

Time, theorises the influence of 

time in artistic innovation. This is 

reflected in the 

interconnectedness of the 28 

randomly selected and displayed 

artworks by six artists who have 

independently produced each 

body of work at different times 

(dating from 2017 to 2021). It also 

realises other sub-themes totalled 

as creative inspirations and range 

from sociopolitical influences to 

identity that indicate the actuality 

— accurately serving as a 

repository where evidences of the 

now will be stored for posterity. 

Established in November 2020 

by Onomen “Nomzky” Onohi, a 

familiar name in the Nigerian 

music scene as well as an avid 

collector of art, this exhibition will 

be the first in the Artpedia gallery 

space, officially launching it into 

the art community and sector. The 

Persistence of Time is curated by 

Lagos-based curator, Kennii 

Ekundayo. 

Participating artists are Ada 

Godspower, Elizabeth 

Ekpetorson, Frederick Idele, 

Ikechukwu Ezeigwe, Habeeb 

Andu and Sejiro Avoseh


Expect N195 per litre 

for petrol, marketers 

warn Nigerians 

Continued from page 5 

by hoarding petroleum 

products to ensure that 

only their filling stations 

were loaded first. 

“As we speak, most of 

us have paid money to 

these depots without 

getting product. And 

before your eyes they are 

loading up their own 

trucks. These private 

depots are known,” he 

said. 

‘Marketers now 

unhappy over 

petrol supply 

chain’ 

On his part, former 


Secretary of IPMAN, Dr. 

Emma Ihedigbo, also 

said oil marketers were 

no longer happy about 

what government 

agencies were doing with 

petrol supply chain. 

“What we are saying in 

effect is that we are 

crying out that, PPMC 

wants to strangulate 

IPMAN members and all 

the businessmen dealing 

on petroleum products 

and we are no longer 

happy about it. And if 

nothing is done, we will 

come out and tell the 

world what is going on,” 

he warned. 

Trade unions 

not ready to 

defend workers 

— JAF 

Reacting last night, the 

umbrella body for prolabour 

civil 

organization, Joint 

Action Front, JAF, 

through its National 

Secretary, Abiodun 

Aremu, said: “This 

should be expected from 

marketers as long as the 

leadership of the Nigeria 

trade unions movement 

is not prepared to defend 

workers against policies 

that are inimical to their 

interest. 

“Why would the 

marketers not be so 

audacious to make such 

reckless statement when 

our trade unions’ 

leadership, capitulated 

to the policy of 

deregulation on 

September 28, 2020 and 

called off the popularly 

mobilised nationwide 

strike at the dying 

minutes without regard 

to the views of longstanding 

relationship 

with pro-labour allies? 

“This has undermined 

public confidence in 

labour leadership role in 

the struggle to resist the 

hardship and untold 

sufferings imposed by 

the ruling APC 

government on the 

working people and the 

majority of poor 

Nigerians. 

“The arrogant 

pronouncement by the 

marketers should serve 

as a wake-up call on the 

leadership of organised 

labour to begin a new 

process of rethinking, 

ideological repositioning 

and reaffirmation of the 

stand of labour against 

neo-liberal exploitative 

policies of deregulation, 

privatization and the 

need to ensure that 

public goods is at the 

centre of socioeconomic 

policies. 

“JAF, therefore, wants a 

to assure organised 

labour of its readiness to 

collaborate and struggle 

with labour as long as 

the primary focus of the 

struggle 

is 

unapologetical defence 

of workers’ interest and 

oppressed masses 

MoU—From left: Division Head, Health and Education Sectors, Sterling Bank PLC, Obinna Ukachukwu, 

Commissioner of Health, Kaduna State, Dr. Amina Baloni, Senior Vice President, Africa, Zipline, Daniel 

Marfo, Kaduna State Governor , Malam Nasir Ahmad El-rufai and the Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza 

Balarabe, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of Zipline 

medical drone services for COVID-19 vaccine delivery in Kaduna.. Friday. 

against ruling class and 

marketers’ interest. 

“Organised labour 

should realise that the 

era of unprincipled and 

half-hearted prosecution 

of resistance struggle 

should be gone. 

Organised labour should 

be prepared to assure 

Nigerian workers and 

the oppressed masses of 

Nigeria that labour 

should no longer bark, 

no longer rush to the 

negotiation tables but 

ready to stand by the 

collective principles and 

resolve of the congress of 

workers.” 

On its part, , President 

•Ask FG to dismantle all road blocks on federal highways 

•Threaten withdrawal of services after 7 days, if ... 

of Trade Union Congress 

of Nigeria, TUC, Quadri 

Olaleye, simply said 

until the marketers 

increase the pump price 

of fuel, “‘we are not 

going to say anything.” 

#EndSARS, Shasha crisis: Food, cattle 

dealers demand N475bn compensation 

By Joseph Erunke 

ABUJA—Food and 

cattle dealers, 

under the Amalgamated 

Union of Foodstuff and 

Cattle Dealers of 

Nigeria, AUFCDN, have 

demanded N475 billion 

compensation for lives of 

members lost during the 

#EndSARS protests last 

year and the Shasha 

market crisis in 

Ibadan,Oyo State, two 

weeks ago. 

Besides, the group, 

consisting of 75 

independent unions, 

demanded the 

dismantling of all road 

blocks on the nation’s 

highways. 

It also demanded an 

accord with state 

governments to withdraw 

services anytime their 

members were subjected 

to attacks. 

The organisation, 

which position was 

contained in a 

communique, signed by 

its President, Comrade 

Muhammad Tahir, and 

the Secretary General, 

Ahmed Ahmed, 

respectively in Abuja 

yesterday, sought 

thorough protection of 

members across the 

country. 

It gave the federal 

government a 7-day 

ultimatum to meet its 

demands, threatening to 

withdraw its services in 

the country should 

government fail to meet 

its demands. 

In the communique, 

the union regretted that 

in spite of the series of 

complaints written to 


Buhari, National and 

State Houses of 

Assembly, first class 

emirs, relevant agencies 

and all security 

apparatai in the country, 

its members have 

continued to suffer 

various forms of 

intimidation, frustration, 

humiliation as well as 

the destruction of 

properties, while some 

had been killed. 

The group enumerated 

the challenges 

confronting AUFCDN 

members to include 

armed robbery, 

kidnapping and multiple 

taxation arising from the 

illegal road blocks 

mounted at strategic 

locations. 

The communique read: 

“Given the lack of safety 

of our members and their 

properties nationwide, 

imposition of multiple 

taxations in the 

highways, despite our 

contribution to peace, 

progress, unity and 

economic growth of 

Nigeria, our members 

unanimously demands 

as follows: 

“The Federal 

Government under 


Buhari should 

immediately revisit our 

demands written at 

various times to address 

the bedevilling issues 

which include but not 

limited to compensation 

of lives and properties 

lost, to protect the rights 

of our members while on 

transit and at their 

places of doing business, 

to dismantle illegal road 

blocks mounted on the 

highways by hoodlums 

in total disregard to laws 

of the federal republic of 

Nigeria, most especially 

from Adamawa, Taraba, 

Benue down to Port 

Harcourt. 

“To draw an agreement 

between state 

governments and 

amalgamated union of 

foodstuff and cattle 

dealers of Nigeria, that 

henceforth, if any 

violence of any nature 

erupted in that state and 

our members are 

attacked, we will not 

hesitate to immediately 

withdraw our services. 

“We are, therefore, 

giving the federal 

government of Nigeria 

seven days ultimatum 

from the date of 

acknowledgment of 

receipt, within which to 

address the issues raised 

or we have no option 

than to call our members 

on a nationwide strike.” 

Also speaking, 

President, Northern 

Consensus Movement, 

Awwal Aliu who noted 

that AUFCDN had 

written to world bodies, 

including the United 

Nations and some 

foreign governments, 

lamented that 251 of its 

members were killed 

during the #EndSARS 

protest and the Shasha 

market crisis. 

While warning that the 

entire country would be 

thrown into chaos should 

President Buhari fail to 

address the incessant 

killings, he insisted that 

the Fulani cattle herders 

were Nigerians and as 

such, had every right to 

reside and carryout 

businesses in any part of 

the country as stipulated 

in 

Nigeria’s 

constitution. 

“There is insecurity, 

there is distrust among 

Nigerians and we feel it 

is time for the authorities 

to do something about it, 

otherwise, it will 

degenerate to a situation 

where the country will 

go into chaos and that is 

what we are trying to 

avoid. 

“We had earlier given 

a 21 days ultimatum and 

now we are giving a 

seven-day ultimatum 

and if nothing is done, 

certain services will be 

withdrawn. 

“151 of our members 

were lost during the 

#EndSARS protest and 

another 100 in the 

Shasha market crisis, we 

also have lost 100 trucks. 

We are demanding N475 

billion as compensation 

for the loss of lives and 

properties. 

“We are about 75 trade 

union organisation that 

constitute this body and 

if this body decides that 

we are withdrawing our 

services, you know what 

that means. 

“This is an economicdriven 

association; we 

produce and export from 

one part of Nigeria to the 

other part of Nigeria 

goods that are 

consumable and such 

consumable goods will 

be withdrawn and that 

means economically, 

something will happen 

but we are giving the 

federal government this 

number of days within 

which to address this 

problem. 

“This continuous 

killings and destruction 

of properties has become 

a non stop thing and a 

word they say is enough 

for the wise; it is either 

the government act or we 

act and by the time we 

are acting nobody should 

blame us. We will not 

continue to accept other 

Nigerians looking down 

on us or humiliating us.”


Djokovic wins 9th 

Australian Open title 

N•Djokovic 

ovak Djokovic beat 

Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6- 

2, 6-2 to win a record-extending 

ninth Australian 

Open title on Sunday. 

The win at Rod Laver Arena 

gave the 33-year-old Serb his 

18th Grand Slam tennis 

crown, putting him just two 

behind the record 20 jointly 

Ronaldinho 

loses mother 

to Covid-19 

Barcelona and Brazilian foot 

ball legend Ronaldinho has 

reportedly lost his mother two 

months after the 71-year-old 

was tested positive for the 

deadly COVID-19. 

Dona Miguelina is the name 

of Ronaldinho's mother and she 

was said to have passed on after 

failure in battle against the virus 

while in hospital. 

When Ronaldinho was in 

prison due to fake passport issues 

he had, the Brazilian footballer 

used to talk about him 

missing his mother claiming 

that she was precious to him. 

According to the report on 

Espana, they claimed that Peruvian 

national TV station 

America actually reported the 

demise of Ronaldinho's mother. 

•Ronaldinho and Mother 

held by Swiss great Roger 

Federer and Spanish ace 

Rafael Nadal. 

Djokovic demolished the 

fourth seed in front of 7,400 

fans to end the Russian’s unbeaten 

run at 20 matches. 

In winning his third straight 

Australian Open, he denied 

Medvedev his first. The 25- 

year-old had lost his first 

Grand Slam final at the 2019 

US Open. 

Much like Dominic Thiem 

Lautaro Martinez's double helped 

Inter Milan to an impressive 

derby win over AC Milan as they 

opened up a four-point gap at the 

in last year’s final, Djokovic 

faced an opponent desperate 

for success and his own seat 

at the Grand Slam table. 

But unlike the Austrian, 

who pushed Djokovic to five 

sets, Medvedev never really 

threatened. 

Djokovic made a mockery 

of the Russian’s 20-match 

winning streak and his prematch 

barb that all the pressure 

to win was on the champion. 

Inter thrash AC Milan 3-0 

top of Serie A. 

Martinez's early header laid the 

platform for a confident Inter display. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic twice went 

•Lukaku scores the finisher for Inter as Milan look helpless 

FrieslandCampinaWAMCO, via 

its Peak Milk brand, has renewed 

its partnership with the Nigeria 

Football Federation as Official Milk 

of the Super Eagles, sustaining a relationship 

that has lasted well over 

two decades. 

Peak became the Official Milk of 

the Super Eagles prior to the 1998 

FIFA World Cup finals in France, 

Ebuehi on target first time 

this season 

Super Eagles defender Tyronne 

Ebuehi scored his first goal of 

the season as Twente threw away 

a two-goal lead in their Eredivisie 

clash against Feyenoord at the De 

Grolsch Veste. 

The Nigeria international has 

been one of Twente’s impressive 

performers this season having 

joined the club on a loan deal from 

Benfica. 

Ebuehi was making his 22nd 

league appearance on Sunday afternoon, 

and he marked it by doubling 

Twente’s lead. 

Danilo had given the home side 

the lead in the 13th minute before 

Ebuehi’s strike a minute later 

put Ron Jans men in firm control. 

Jens Toornstra pulled one back 

for Feyenoord in the 24th minute, 

but Twente went into half-time 

with the advantage. 

The home side had numerous 

chances to extend their lead following 

the restart but were 

wasteful in front of goal with 

Osimhen taken to hospital after 

worrying head injury 

SUPER Eagles forward Victor 

Osimhen lost consciousness 

during Atalanta-Napoli and was 

rushed to the hospital, but 

according to Sky Sport the Napoli 

striker is now alert. 

The Nigeria striker hit his head 

after a Cristian Romero challenge 

in the stoppages of Atalanta- 

Napoli. 

Sky Sport reports Osimhen lost 

consciousness for a few minutes 

before he was stretched off. 

At the beginning nobody 

noticed the player’s hit was so 

severe, but after a few seconds, 

players urged doctors to enter the 

pitch. 

Osimhen was rushed to 

Bergamo’s Papa Giovanni XXII 

Hospital accompanied by 

Napoli’s doctor and is reported to 

be alert. 

close levelling for Milan but the 

hosts were caught out chasing the 

game. 

A fine team move saw Martinez 

tap in his second and Romelu 

Lukaku finished another incisive 

counter-attack with a low effort 

into the bottom corner. 

While the normal raucous atmosphere 

that usually greets this fixture 

will have to wait until fans 

return to stadiums, supporters of 

both clubs lined the route to the 

ground, underlining the significance 

of the match. 

This was the first time the sides 

had met while occupying the top 

two positions in Serie A since April 

2011. 

On that occasion AC Milan's 3- 

0 win helped them go on to win 

the Scudetto but having reversed 

that scoreline, Antonio Conte will 

now feel his Inter side are well 

placed to lift their first title since 

2009-10. 

Peak renews relationship with NFF as 

Official Milk of the Super Eagles 

Ndidi sees yellow as Leicester beat Aston Villa 

ames Maddison and Harvey Barnes scored as Leicester 

JCity edged out an Aston Villa side missing the injured 

Jack Grealish. Nigerian midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi was in 

action for the Foxes but he was given a yellow card in the 

34th minute. Despite the booking, he played for the entire 

duration of the match His Nigerian compatriot, Kelechi 

Iheanacho was an unused substitute 

Maddison found the net inside the opening 20 minutes, 

side-footing the ball into the far corner. 

Moments later, Barnes was on hand to strike home a rebound, 

giving the Foxes a deserved two-goal lead. 

Villa lacked creativity without captain Grealish - who has 

a leg injury that is set to keep him out for around a month - 

but were given a lifeline when Bertrand Traore volleyed home 

a loose ball. 

With England manager Gareth Southgate watching on, 

English duo Maddison and Barnes barely put a foot wrong 

for Leicester in the first half. 

Maddison, 24, had been involved in eight goals in his 

past nine league appearances coming into this fixture, and 

it took him just 19 minutes to curl Leicester in front after a 

lay-off from Barnes. 

where the Eagles reached the Round 

of 16 with spectacular wins over 

Spain and Bulgaria. France ’98 remains 

the only FIFA World Cup finals 

that Nigeria has made the 

Round of 16 ahead of her last game 

of the group phase. 

Peak’s relationship with the NFF 

as a key supporter of Nigeria’s 

number one football brand continued 

through time to the time Africa 

hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup, 

in South Africa in 2010, and months 

prior during the Africa Cup of Nations 

finals in Angola. 

Taye Ige, President/CEO, HS Media 

Group (owners of the HotSports 

brand) and the sports marketing/ 

activations agency for 

FrieslandCampinaWAMCO, said 

on Sunday: “During these tournaments, 

Peak also sponsored the production 

and broadcast of high-end 

programmes on terrestrial national 

network and satellite television 

which daily informed and entertained 

Nigerians back home on developments 

in the Super Eagles’ 

camp. These included Peak Soccer 

Moments and Super Eagles’ Peak 

Time, both produced by HotSports 

Nigeria Ltd. 

Luciano Narsingh guilty of missing 

two one one ones. 

They would rue those misses as 

Feyenoord drew level in the 67th 

minute courtesy of a penalty from 

Steven Berghuis. 

Both teams had the chance to 

win it late on, but neither could 

take advantage, and they had to 

share the points. 

•Ebuehi 

•Osimhen 

‘Waldrum will 

transform Super 

Falcons to world 

beaters’ 

Randy Waldrum has got off to a 

winning start with the Super Falcons 

and his representative, Obinna 

Emelogu, has said the African champions 

are on track to become a top 

team in the world. 

The Falcons have won their opening 

two matches against CSKA 

Moscow and Uzbekistan in their 

maiden appearance at the 

invitational Turkish Women’s Cup. 

Emelogu, who cut his teeth as an 

intermediary with the sensational 

transfer of Kenneth Omeruo to Premier 

League club Chelsea in 2012, 

has backed the experienced American 

coach to bring top value to the 

Super Falcons. 

“Waldrum is committed to taking 

the Super Falcons beyond Africa 

and with the total support of his employers, 

the team will before long be 

holding their own against some of 

the best teams in the world,” USAbased 

Emelogu told SCORENigeria 

“There is a lot of work ahead but 

this year will afford the coach the 

chance to know the team better and 

also expand the player pool so as to 

bring new energy. 

“From his first outing with the 

team, he has already given debuts 

to Toni Payne and Patricia George. 

“I believe many more deserving 

players will also get their chance to 

represent their country under this 

coach.”




Vanguard, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2021 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

FRIDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

FRIDAY’S ANSWER 

ACROSS 

1 Plot (10) 

7 Organised group of devotees (3,4) 

8 Pound (4) 

10 Frozen sweets (4) 

11 Final (8) 

13 Reply (6) 

15 Consume (6) 

17 Instances (8) 

18 Fair (4) 

21 Uninteresting (4) 

22 Spare time (7) 

23 Heavy projectile (10) 

DOWN 

1 Small boat (5) 

2 Invalid, not binding (4) 

3 Small smooth rounded rock (6) 

4 Needed (8) 

5 Large city in Illinois (7) 

6 Boer (9) 

9 Rued (9) 

12 Airship (8) 

14 Broad-bladed kitchen implement (7) 

16 German capital (6) 

19 Customary (5) 

20 Former Italian currency (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. 

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

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

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

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

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