30032021 - BUHARI AT TINUBU'S COLLOQUIUM: Why we must avoid war

8 

Kidnapping 

proceeds used 

to fuel B-Haram 

insurgency –GOVS 

Insecurity: 

Buhari to send 

supplementary 

budget to NASS 

safe — IGWE ACHEBE 

IMF to revise Nigeria’s GDP growth forecast 

19 

8 

South Eastern 

Nigeria no longer 

13 

VOL. 27: NO. 64297 TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

FLAG-OFF: Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo (left) and Chief Executive Officer of the 

Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo in an elbow bump greeting shortly before the Export 

Expansion Facility Grant Management System Launch and Flag off of the Export Development Fund in Abuja, yesterday. 

BUHARI AT TINUBU'S COLLOQUIUM: 

• I fought for Nigeria's unity during civil war, says Buhari• Warns 

secessionists against bids to divide Nigeria•Clamour for Oodua Republic 

long overdue — GANI ADAMS•It’s either Oodua Republic or..., YOV insists 

•Army’ll deal with threats confronting Nigeria — COAS, ATTAHIRU 

FG, 

states’ 

debt 

profile 

rises to 

N32.92trn 

—NBS 

8 

THANKSGIVING SERVICE... 

From left, former 

chairman, Board of 

Directors, Fidelity 

Bank Plc, Mr. Ernest 

Ebi; Executive 

Director, Lagos & 

South-West, Fidelity 

Bank Plc, Dr. Ken 

Opara and his wife; 

Former Executive 

Governor, Anambra 

State, Peter Obi; at 

the thanksgiving 

Service organised by 

Dr. Ken Opara and 

family in Lagos on 

Sunday. 

COLUMNIST ERIC TENIOLA 18 

EL-ZAKZAKY @ 70: 

One killed many injured 

as Shi’ites, police 

clash in Abuja 

7 

SECESSION: Nigeria's 

unity is paramount to 

traditional rulers 

—SULTAN 

Buhari leaves for 

medical check-up in 

9 

UK today 

Why we must avoid war 

See 

inside 

Mr & Mrs 

14 

5

C 

M 

Y 

2 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021

C 

M 

Y 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 — 3

4 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

ASTRAZENECA SUSPENSION: FG must go 

for equivalent vaccines now — IFEANYI 

By Chioma Obinna & 

Gabriel Olawale 

WITH 

India 

suspending 

AstraZeneca vaccine 

exports, Nigeria and other 

;ow income countries may 

suffer setback in the 

ongoing vaccination 

programme. 

There have been concerns 

within the medical world 

over the fate of Nigerians 

who are yet to receive their 

first jab and for those who 

have rceived the first jab 

and looking forward to the 

second. 

However, Good Health 

Weekly spoke to a 

renowned medical 

laboratory scientist, Dr 

Casmier Ifeanyi. 

According to him, Nigeria 

should be more concerned 

about persons not 

receiving their 

vaccinations as at when 

due. 

He also expressed worry 

over alleged storming of 

vaccination centres, only to 

get hold of the vaccination 

card. Excertps: 

Following the approval 

of AstraZeneca vaccine, 

the Serum Institute of 

India, SII, took over the 

mass production of the 

vaccine with the brand 

name Covishield, and has 

been producing the 

vaccine for Low & Middle 

Income Countries, LMIC, 

while ensuring equity in 

distribution. 

India has continued to 

lift that responsibility and 

the effort is quite 

commendable, however 

the recent twist that led to 

temporary suspension and 

ban in the export of the 

vaccine is largely due to 

the rise in the COVID-19 

infection recently in India. 

The country deemed it fit 

to prioritise itself and is 

thinking of escalating its 

vaccination programme to 

ensure more of their 

citizens are covered. 

Indian authorities are 

worried that except they 

place premium on their 

citizens to wave off the 

current spike which seems 

like the third wave, they 

may not be able to meet the 

expectation and demand 

for the vaccine by other 

parts of the world. 

So while we sympathise 

with the predicament of 

India, it shows that we 

need not to support 

anything that seems 

monopolistic. 

If other countries in 

Europe or more 

developing countries like 

Nigeria can up their game 

in vaccine production, 

probably we wouldn’t have 

found ourselves in this 

mess. 

We have so far received 

about 3.92 million doses of 

the Astrazeneca vaccine, 

that has been well received 

because the number of 

Nigerians that have been 

vaccinated according to the 

Executive Secretary of the 

NPHDA, is over half a 

million, which is a 

commendable 

development . 

Despite the vaccine 

apathy, yet we have many 

Nigerians going out 

voluntarily to seek and get 

vaccinated. I am delighted 

that average Nigerians 

have embraced the 

vaccination. 

Need for a backup plan 

The Indian authorities 

have said that this 

temporary suspension of 

supply of the vaccine will 

last till the end of April, we 

expect that by early May 

there may be resumption 

of export of the vaccine. 

But the worry is if things 

don’t go according to plan, 

because the regimen for 

this vaccine and others is 

that after the first jab you 

are to receive the second 

jab between six to 12 weeks 

after even though some 

studies suggest six 

months. 

The worry is about those 

that have received the first 

jab and whether exports 

would resume in time for 

them to obtain their second 

jab. If they are going to 

resume export soon, there 

will be no cause for alarm, 

however, I also will think 

there are other exports that 

can be explored to maintain 

and sustain supply of the 

vaccine doses while the 

suspension lasts. 

Johnson & Johnson 

vaccine is close to 

AstraZeneca in term of 

microbial strain of the 

vaccine candidate, so it 

might be necessary that we 

begin to consider supply of 


version of the vaccine as a 

backup or plan B. 

Sustenability of 

vaccination programme 

The process so far is 

impressive. The National 

Primary Healthcare 

Development Agency, 

NPHCDA, and the 

Federal and state 

ministries of health have 

lived up to expectation. 

The challenge is not 

about the roll out process, 

the challenge is 

sustainability of the 

vaccination programme. 

Very soon we will run out 

of vaccines - 3.92 million 

is small when compared to 

our population. 

Were it not that the 

programme is targeting a 

particular category of the 

population, in the first 

phase, this 3.92 million 

doses is grossly 

inadequate. 

The overall number of 

vaccine doses is not 

enough for Lagos state 

alone. It is important to 

explore how to mantain 

and sustain the supply 

chain for the vaccine. 

If we are going to seek 

for other window outside 

AstraZeneca, even if it will 

come at a cost on the part 

of government, we should 

embrace it. 

In the 2021 budget, there 

is provision for well over 

N400 billion, so we can 

leverage on that to seek for 


version of the COVID-19 

vaccine or any other 

version of the vaccine that 

suits our current logistics 

supply so that we are sure 

that the rollout is not 

broken. 

Vaccine hesitancy 

The elite has embraced 

the vaccine, but I want to 

tell you that ordinary 

Nigerians are having 

reservations, I don’t think 

adequate education is in 

place. I am not talking of 

enlightment. The goal is 

to have over 70 percent of 

our population covered, so 

we can achieve a 

nationwide herd immunity, 

anything short of the goal 

is going to be 

unacceptable. So far, the 

managers have done their 

best, but a lot more needs 

to be done. there is room 

for improvement. 

Adequate education is 

not out there to help people 

overcome falsehood, 

controversy and conspiracy 

theories about the vaccine. 

Sharp practices at 

vaccination sites 

My main worry is about 

people bribing their way to 

be vaccinated. Let me 

shock you. As a journalist, 

try to get hold of the green 

card after vaccination, we 

were told that it has a code, 

that is not true. 

All the cards are the 

same. If one person holds 

the green card and another 

holds the green card, there 

is no distinction. There 

ought to be a flashback for 

the code is not go readable, 

Secondly, people are 

already accessing the card 

without vaccination. Why 

we are seeing people 

coming out enmasse to the 

vaccination centres is to 

see if they can get hold of 

the card. 

If they can’t get the card, 

they accept the vaccination 

to get the card. You notice 

that in Lagos because 

Lagos is the hub of 

international travel in 

Nigeria. Next to Lagos is 

Abuja. Most of the other 

international airports are 

still closed, so the rush you 

notice is not because 

Nigerians are delighted to 

take the vaccine, it is 

largely the traveling 

populace. I had expected 

that the card would be 

person specific rather than 

a unitary type of a card that 

is indistinguishable. 

J&J to boost Africa’s 

COVID-19 vaccine rollout 

with 400m doses 

By Sola Ogundipe 

AFRICA’S COVID-19 

vaccination 

programme got a boost as 

pharmaceutical company 

Johnson & Johnson, J&J, 

announced it will supply 

up to 400 million doses of 

its single-shot COVID-19 

vaccine to the African 

Union. 

The supplies will help 

Africa reach its target of 

vaccinating at least 60 

percent of the population, 

to contain the spread of the 

coronavirus. 

The African Vaccine 

Acquisition Trust Team, 

AVATT, has already 

signed an agreement with 

Johnson & Johnson for 

delivery of the vaccine 

doses. 

The agreement entails 

that 55 member states of 

the AU will take delivery, 

from the beginning of the 

third quarter of 2021, up 

to 200 million doses of the 

vaccine. 

Additional 180 million 

doses will be made 

available in 2022, making 

it a combined total of up to 

400 million doses of the 

vaccine. 

Speaking on the 

development, Cyril 

Ramaphosa, South 

African president, who is 

the chairman of AVATT, 

said the agreement is 

historic and a significant 

milestone in the protection 

of the health of Africans. 

“This agreement is a 

significant milestone in 

protecting the health of all 

By Gabriel Olawale 

NIGERIA 

has 

vaccinated a total of 

566,917 eligible persons 

with the first dose of the 

AstraZeneca vaccine, as of 

Monday, March 29, 2021. 

In an update released 

by the National Primary 

Health Care 


NPHCDA, it was 

revealed that the figure 

represents 28.2 per cent 

of the proportion 

vaccinated. 

A breakdown of the 

NPHCDA update 

contained in an 

Electronic Management 

of Immunisation Data 

System, further revealed 

that Lagos is leading in 

the exercise with 112,326 

persons vaccinated. 

Two other states trailing 

Lagos are Ogun, 48,983 

and Kaduna, 40,243. 

Other states that have 

Africans. It is also a 

powerful demonstration of 

African unity and of what 

we can achieve through 

partnership between the 

state sector, the private 

sector and international 

institutions that puts 

people first,” Ramaphosa 

said. 

Alex Gorsky, chairman/ 

CEO, Johnson & Johnson, 

said: “Our support for the 

COVAX Facility, 

combined with 

supplementary 

agreements with countries 

and regions, will help 

accelerate global progress 

toward ending the 

COVID-19 pandemic.” 

The Director of the 

London School of 

Hygiene & Tropical 

Medicine, Professor 

Peter Piot, said: “I’m 

thrilled at this agreement 

between J&J and the 

African Union which is a 

game-changing moment 

in Africa’s response to 

the COVID-19 

pandemic. 

“Combined with the 

500 million doses 

supplied through 

COVAX for low and 

middle income countries, 

this deal should ensure 

all African adults will 

receive a COVID19 

vaccine. 

"I hope this agreement 

is a catalyst for further 

action that ensures fair 

and equitable access to 

successful COVID-19 

vaccines, one of the most 

urgent issues we face in 

this pandemic.” 

Nigeria vaccinates 566,917 

persons with 1st dose 

recorded 5-digit figures in 

the exercise are Bauchi, 

32,893, Katsina, 32,628; 

Kwara, 27,509; Jigawa, 

23,163; Ondo, 22,929; 

Kano, 22,796; FCT, 18,705; 

Osun, 17,353; Yobe, 

15,622; Edo, 15,180; 

Adamawa, 14,888; 

Nasarawa, 11,771; Ekiti, 

11,597; Rivers, 11,554; 

Bornu, 10,451 and Imo, 

10,394. 

In the league of 4-digit 

are Plateau, 9,953; Delta, 

7,177; Benue, 7,048; 

Gombe, 5,539; Enugu, 

5,181; Akwa Ibom, 4,514; 

Cross River, 4,410; 

Anambra, 3,955; Niger, 

3,546; Oyo, 3,362; 

Bayelsa, 2,827; Sokoto, 

2,372; Zamfara, 2,361; 

Ebonyi, 1,744; Kebbi, 

1,435; Taraba and Abia 

recorded 413 and 95 

respectively. 

Kogi state is yet to 

record any vaccination on 

the table.

vanguardnews 

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NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021— 5 

POCKET CARTOON 

determination remains 

the last option for the 

Yoruba nation. 

But the Chief of Army 

Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim 

Attahiru, vowed 

yesterday that under his 

watch, the Nigerian 

Army will be resolute in 

dealing decisively with 

any and every threat 

confronting the country. 

LAWAN, GBAJA IN ASO ROCK —President Muhammadu Buhari receives 

in audience, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of 

Reps, Femi Gbajabiamila in State House, Abuja, yesterday. State House photo. 

At Tinubu's colloquium: Why 

we must avoid war —BUHARI 

•I fought for Nigeria's unity during civil war, says Buhari•Warns 

secessionists against bids to divide Nigeria•Clamour for Oodua 

Republic long overdue — GANI ADAMS•It’s either Oodua 

Republic or..., YOV insists •Army’ll deal with threats confronting 

Nigeria — COAS, ATTAHIRU 

By Kingsley Omonobi, Dapo Akinrefon & 

Johnbosco Agbakwuru 

ABUJA — President 

Muhammadu 

Buhari said yesterday 

that Nigerians are better 

and stronger together in 

the entity called Nigeria, 

noting he defended the 

unity of the country as a 

soldier during the civil 

war between 1967 and 

1970. 

The President spoke 

virtually from Aso Villa as 

chairman of the 12th Bola 

Tinubu Colloquium, “Our 

Common Wealth: The 

Imperative of National 

Cohesion for Growth and 

Prosperity’’, to celebrate 

the 69th birthday of All 

Progressives Congress 

chieftain, Asiwaju Bola 

Tinubu, in Kano. 

He spoke against the 

backdrop of calls by 

groups and individuals 

for secession in different 

parts of the country. 

While the Aare Ona 

Kakanfo of Yorubaland, 

Iba Gani Adams, Sunday 

Adeyemo, also known as 

Sunday Igboho, and 

other individuals and 

groups are calling for 

creation of Oduduwa or 

O’Odua Republic, the 

Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB, and its 

leader, Nnamdi Kanu, as 

well as Niger Delta ex- 

,militant leader, Asari 

Dokubo, are agitating for 

a Biafran Republic. 

Buhari’s declaration 

also came on a day Iba 

Gani Adams said the 

clamour for Oodua 

Republic is long 

overdue, adding that 

the call for selfdetermination 

is a true 

reflection of the present 

mindset of all Yoruba 

sons and daughters in 

the diaspora. 

Similarly, a coalition of 

over 174 Yoruba groups 

in Diaspora, Yoruba One 

Voice, YOV, restated its 

avowed commitment to 

the actualisation of 

O’odua Republic, saying 

the call for self- 

Nigerians better, 

stronger together 

— Buhari 

Speaking at the 

colloquium also virtually 

attended by the Vice- 

President, Yemi 

Osinbajo; House of 

Representatives 

Speaker, Femi 

Gbajabiamila; Senate 

President, Ahmad 

Lawan; among others, 

whose flights to Kano 

were disrupted by poor 

weather, President 

Buhari said the theme of 

the occasion was suitable 

for the contemporary 

issue of secession and 

national unity in the 

country. 

He said: “Despite 

occasional inter-ethnic 

tensions in our national 

history, it seems to me 

that we have all agreed 

on one point , that 

notwithstanding our 

diversity or ethnicity, 

culture, language and 

religion, Nigerians are 

better, even stronger 

together. 

“Asiwaju (Tinubu) 

himself is a known 

advocate of unity and 

cohesion in Nigeria. This 

has been a constant 

factor in his outstanding 

political career from the 

time he served in the 

short-lived Senate in the 

Third Republic to his 

involvement in the 

struggle for the 

actualisation of the June 

12 mandate of the late 

Chief MKO Abiola to his 

much acclaimed years of 

service as the governor 

of Lagos State from 1999 

to 2007. 

“I can also relate 

personally to the ideals 

of One Nigeria. As a 

military officer, I have 

served with great 

comrades from all the 

nooks and crannies of 

our country. 

“In the course of my 

career, I have also been 

opportuned to serve in 

all parts of Nigeria, 

seeing first-hand the 

enticing possibilities of a 

strong, united nation. 

“More importantly, I 

fought for the unity of 

Nigeria during the civil 

war – 1967 to 1970, and 

I saw first-hand the 

unspeakable horrors of 

war, not just from fellow 

soldiers from both sides 

but from civilians, 

innocent children, 

women and the elderly 

left behind. 

“As we all know, the 

peace-keeping recovery 

and reconstruction that 

followed could also not 

have succeeded under 

an atmosphere of interethnic 

animosity. We 

must count our blessings 

in Nigeria and see in 

them the crucial factors 

of peace and unity.” 

If Nigeria breaks 

up, visa will be 

needed to move 

around - 

Osinbajo 

***Calls for new tribe 

of committed Nigerians 

Also speaking on the 

issue, Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo told the 

advocates of the break 

up of Nigeria that if it 

happens, people will 

require visa to move 

around. 

He said: “By this 

gesture governor 

Ganduje has helped us 

to tell two stories; this is 

the first time that the 

colloquium is being 

hosted outside Lagos 

and Abuja, the capital 

city. 

“And it is befitting that 

Kano should be that 

place, this city of radical 

and progressive ideas 

and ideologies, a city 

whose leading political 

lights have been left of 

centre, which is the 

dominant tendency 

within our great party 

the APC. 

“Second, it helps us to 

underscore the point that 

this country and its 

people are stronger and 

more powerful together 

than apart. For the 

purveyors of breaking up 

into small components/ 

countries, perhaps they 

Continues on Page 35 

On APC's plan to rule Nigeria for the next 32 years (3) 

By Mary Obaebor & 

Cynthia Alo 

That’s not realistic; 

APC govt has failed 

Nigerians in all 

ramifications. The 

economy, security etc 

have all failed. We don’t 

feel the impact of govt. 

Police continue to extort 

and harass innocent 

people. Bandits and 

Fulani herdsmen are 

kidnapping and killing 

with reckless abandon. 

APC has taken Nigeria 

100 years back. 

—Ukeje Charles, 

Self-employed 

God will save Nigeria 

and give us good 

leaders. 

I am not interested in 

any party, wheter the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC or the People's 

Democratic Party, PDP 

because they are all the 

same. 

We need good leaders 

irrespective of the party 

they belong to. 

—Odumade Adebola, 

Project manager 

It’s not bad to have a plan 

but your plan is dependent 

on your achievements so I 

think this plan is dead on 

arrival. Every sensible 

political agenda that focuses 

on the growth and 

prosperity of a nation should 

reflect a time frame of four 

years. Four years is more 

than enough to do what you 

want to do if you know your 

onions. They just want to 

hold on to power, it’s not to 

advance the nation. 

—Ndifreke Smart, 

Entrepreneur 

Every human being is 

a political being and 

should be interested in 

the outcome of every 

election. 

Sadly, those in the 

corridors of power apply 

the Machiavellian 

concept in politics while 

instilling fear in the 

people before elections. 

People end up losing 

interest in politics and 

governance. 

—Blessing Agabus, 

Student 

So what happens to 

the youth? I don’t 

even care about the 

number of years a 

person wants to spend 

in power, all I am 

concerned about is 

good governance. 

They should rule for 32 

years and put things in 

place. 

Number does not 

count; just do the job. 

—Isaac Akpan, 

Self-employed 

APC promised change 

but their plan to rule 

for 32 years is not 

possible because they 

have drifted, personal 

interest seems to be 

unchecked. Everyone 

seems to be driven by self 

interest and not national 

interest. If they can’t 

resolve the simplest 

friction among 

themselves, how can 

they govern Nigeria for 

32 years? 

—Malik King, 

Businessman

6— Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

Another 

Police 

Inspector 

burnt alive in 

A-Ibom 

By Chioma Onuegbu 

UYO—THERE was tension 

in Ikot Afanga community 

in Essien Udim 

LocalGovernment Aarea of 

Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, as 

hoodlums burnt another Police 

Inspector alive inside his 

house. 

It was gathered that the 

hoodlums stormed the 

compound of the police officer 

simply identified as Aniekan 

about 2:30 am, cordoned off the 

house and set it on fire while 

he was fast asleep. 

This is the third time 

hoodlums are attacking police 

officers and station in the local 

government area. 

It would be recalled that on 

February 22, 2021, hoodlums 

attacked the police checkpoint 

at Ikpe Annang Junction, 

manned by operatives of the 

Quick Response Squad, QRS, 

and burned a Police Inspector 

alive inside a police van while 

others escaped. 

A resident of the area, who 

spoke on the ground of 

anonymity, said the killing 

might be connected with the 

victims’ role as a prosecutor in 

the detention and conviction of 

criminals. 

Another resident, Idaraobong 

Akpan, said: “We woke up this 

morning to see the charred 

remains of the Inspector buried 

in the rubble of his former house 

completely reduced to ruins as 

the hoodlums set his house on 

fire. I believe it was deliberate.” 

The state Police Public Relations 

Officer, Mr Odiko MacDon, 

confirmed the incident, saying: 

“We are aware of the incident. It 

is quite unfortunate. We are yet 

to establish the remote and 

immediate cause of the attacks, 

but we will be able to establish 

that when investigations are 

concluded. 

“The Commissioner of Police, 

Mr Andrew Amiengheme, is 

deeply saddened and has 

consoled the bereaved family. 

He has ordered mass police 

operation in the area. It is 

ongoing now and hopefully, the 

culprits will be apprehended and 

I can assure you that justice will 

prevail at the end.” 

Why I killed my mother on my pastor’s 

instruction — Mother of 4 

By Dayo Johnson 

AKURE —A 30-year old 

mother of four, Blessing 

Jimoh, yesterday, revealed that 

she killed her aged mother, ljeomo 

Odo, because her pastor said she 

was a witch. 

It was gathered that Blessing 

hacked her mother to death with 

a cutlass while working at a farm 

in Ile-Oluji area of Ondo State. 

Speaking with Vanguard when 

paraded alongside other suspects 

by the Ondo State Police 

Command in Akure, she said: “It 

was my pastor that told me that 

my mother was behind my 

insanity and that I should find a 

solution to my problem." 

The suspect. 

The suspect, however, claimed 

that she was mentally unstable 

when she committed the crime. 

She said: “It was like 

something was pushing me to kill 

my mother after my pastor told me 

she was behind my insanity. I was 

not happy with what I did. 

“My pastor told me that my 

mother was a witch that she was 

the one behind my insanity. So 

after appealing to her and there 

were no changes, I have to kill 

her to see if my sanity would be 

restored. 

“I cut off her neck with a cutlass. 

My mother was from Enugu State. 

I don’t know what came over me." 

The state Police Commissioner, 

Bolaji Salami, said the son of the 

PROTEST: Residents of Malali State Low Cost Phase 2, protesting against the 

quit notice by Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency, KASUPDA, in 

front of Government House, Kaduna, yesterday, Photo: Olu Ajayi. 

Truck crushes 4 students, Okada rider in Oyo 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—FIVE 

persons, 

including four students of the 

Ejioku Secondary School in Lagelu 

Local Government Area of Oyo State 

were crushed to death by a truck. 

It was gathered that the driver of 

the truck was trying to avoid some 

sheep that strayed onto the road 

when he rammed into the 

commercial motorcycle the students 

were riding on. 

An eyewitness, who confirmed 

that four students and one Okada 

rider were crushed by the truck, said 

the unlucky victims died on the spot. 

It was gathered that some 

students went on the rampage to 

protest the death of their colleagues 

as they burnt the truck. 

To prevent the breakdown of law 

and order, scores of policemen were 

deployed to Idi Ito where the 

The ill-fated truck 

incident occurred. 

Also confirming the accident, the 

Police Public Relations Officer, CSP 

Olugbenga Fadeyi, said he had 

been briefed by the Divisional Police 

Officer. 

He said: “It is true. The DPO told 

me that the incident happened 

when the driver of the truck was 

trying to avoid killing some sheep 

that were on the road. While trying 

to meander, he reportedly skidded 

off the road and ran into the people. 

“The students were on a 

motorcycle when the truck crushed 

them. Police have moved to the area 

to ensure life and property were not 

vandalised by the angry students.” 

NDLEA intercepts over N2bn worth of illicit drugs at Lagos airport 

By Kingsley Omonobi 

ABUJA—OPERATIVES of 

National Drug Law 

Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, 

have intercepted illicit drugs 

worth over N2 billion at the 

Murtala Muhammed 

International Airport, MMIA, 

Ikeja, Lagos. 

The operatives arrested three 

suspected traffickers in the 

process. One of the suspects, 

Aniede Chimezie Bright, was 

arrested on Sunday during the 

outward clearance of 

passengers on Air Marroc, 

with 7.1 kg of 

methamphetamine concealed 

in food spices and packed in 

a Swiss polo suitcase. 

One of the suspects 

The illicit substance was 

bound for Spain with a street 

value of over N2 billion. 

According to the 

Commander, MMIA 

Command of the NDLEA, 

Ahmadu Garba, “unarguably, 

the closure of borders 

occasioned by COVID-19 

pandemic is responsible for 

the surge in the price of these 

drugs. 

“For instance, the price of 

meth in Australia had 

increased from $200 to $600 

per gramme due to supply cut, 

hence the desperation by the 

traffickers and barons alike.” 

In a related development, 

the command equally 

intercepted one Bamidele 

Babatunde Adeyemo at the 

SAHCO export shed of the 

airport with 800 grammes of 

cannabis sativa while 

operatives also seized 

19.950kg of green leaves 

suspected to be khat. 

The cannabis, concealed in 

foodstuff, was bound for 

Dubai, UAE. 

In a follow-up operation, one 

Asonye Christian was arrested 

in connection to the seizure of 

800 grammes of cannabis. 

A statement by Femi 

Babafemi, Director of Media 

and Advocacy, said 

investigations are ongoing to 

establish more leads and get 

the owner of the khat leaves 

arrested. 

deceased, Odoh Tochukwu, 

reported the case of her missing 

mother at the Ile-Oluji police 

station. 

Police detectives, according to 

the police chief, swung into action 

and arrested the duo of Jimoh 

Blessing and Tope Blessing who 

were suspected to be behind the 

murder. 

Salami said: “However, Jimoh 

Blessing, the daughter of the 

deceased, confessed that she 

killed the mother. The case is 

currently with the SCIID for 

discreet investigation. 

The Police Commissioner said 

the suspect would soon be 

charged to court. 

Ex-PDP 

chairman in 

Niger 

assassinated, 

wife kidnapped 

By Wole Mosadomi 

MINNA— FORMER Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

Chairman of Tafa local government 

area in Niger State, Sule Ishaya, 

has been reportedly assassinated 

by unknown gunmen while his 

wife was kidnapped. 

It was gathered that the gunmen 

invaded the house of the former 

chairman by scaling the fence with 

a ladder, Sunday night, in the New 

Bwari community of Tafa town. 

The gunmen were said to have 

made it straight to his room, stabbed 

him in the stomach with a knife and 

ended up shooting him to make 

sure he was dead. 

A source, who pleaded 

anonymity, disclosed that the 

killing was purely assassination 

and not a random attack on the 

community because it was only the 

residence of the former chairman 

that was attacked. 

The source said: “It was a direct 

attack to his residence and he was 

stabbed in the stomach and shot to 

make sure that he was dead before 

they whisked the wife away. It was 

not a random attack and we see it 

as purely an assassination.” 

At press time, the family 

members and PDP said they are 

yet to hear from the wife's 

abductors. 

Contacted, the state Police Public 

Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu 

Abiodun, confirmed the incident, 

adding that the Police were 

investigating the matter. 

Meanwhile, an attempt by 

gunmen to kidnap students of 

Muazu Babangida Secondary 

School in Sarkin Pawa, Munya 

Local Government Area of the state, 

yesterday, failed. 


invaded the school with over 10 

pick-up vans to ferry the students 

away but the attempt failed as all 

public schools had been closed 

down by the state government over 

insecurity for almost two weeks. 


asked the security guard on duty 

to open the gate but they were told 

that the school had been shut down 

and nobody was on the school 

premises. 

Out of anger, they were said to 

have beaten the security men found 

in the compound to a stupor. They 

are now recuperating at Sarkin 

Pawa General Hospital.

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30 , 2021—7 

El-Zakzaky @70: One dead, many injured as 

Shi’ites, Police clash in Abuja 

By Luminous 

Jannamike 

ABUJA 

—AN 

unidentified man was 

reportedly killed and many 

injured during a fiasco that 

ensued between members 

of the Islamic Movement 

in Nigeria, otherwise 

known as Shi’ites, and 

personnel of the Nigeria 

Police Force in Abuja. 

Secretary of IMN’s 

Academic Forum, Mr 

Abdullahi Musa, 

confirmed the incident to 

our correspondent, 

yesterday. 

He alleged that the 

security operatives used 

tear gas canisters and live 

bullets on members of the 

sect, who were 

demonstrating in front of 

the National Human 

Rights Commission, 

NHRC, head office, Abuja, 

in a bid to disperse them 

According to him, the 

protest march to NHRC 

was in commemoration of 

the 70th birthday of their 

detained leader, Sheikh 

Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and 

to demand his 

unconditional release from 

government custody. 

He said: “One person was 

killed and many were 

injured because we were 

canvassing the 

unconditional release of 

our leader, who marks his 

70th birthday today 

(Monday). And what 

happened has also 

confirmed that Sheikh El- 

Zakzaky is the most 

oppressed religious leader 

in the country because they 

(security personnel) have 

been attacking us 

unprovoked. 

“It is very unfortunate 

but we are a law-abiding 

group and we have refused 

to take up arms to drive 

home our demand for 

Sheikh El-Zakzaky’s 

release. It was the security 

agencies that first attacked 

us upon our arrival at the 

NHRC headquarters along 

Aguiyi Ironsi Way. 

“However, we 

have appealed to 

our members 

and supporters to 

remain calm 

even in the face 

of this 

provocation and 

asked them not to 

take laws into 

their own 

hands.” 

W h e n 

contacted, the 

Public Relations 

Officer for the 

FCT Police 

Command, ASP 

Maryam Yusuf, 

demanded an 

SMS, which was 

sent to her phone 

number but she 

did not respond 

to it at press time. 

I feel pained spending victims’ money, 

says 18-year-old suspected hacker 


EOLD IGHTEEN-YEAR- 

suspected hacker, 

Omisakin Samson, has 

confessed that he feels 

pained anytime he spends 

money stolen from his 

victims. 

Police detectives said the 

teenage suspect 

specialised in stealing 

money from a bank account 

using stolen SIM cards. 

Omisakin was arrested by 

operatives of Ondo State 

police after stealing 

N44,000 from a victim’s 

bank account using a stolen 

SIM card. 

The suspect. 

2 teenage girls, man killed in Plateau 

attacks 

By Marie-Therese 

Nanlong 

JOS—THREE teenage 

girls were, Sunday, 

reportedly ambushed along 

the road at Nchenyu village 

in Kwall District, Bassa Local 

Government Area of Plateau 

State, while two of them were 

shot and killed on the spot, 

one escaped with gunshot 

wounds and is currently 

receiving treatment in a 

hospital. 

Similarly, two adults on the 

same day were ambushed at 

Wereng village, Riyom Local 

Government Area of the state. 

While one was shot and 

killed, the other is battling for 

his life in a hospital. 

Although the state Police 

Command is yet to confirm 

the incidents at press time as 

Scene of the clash. 

the command’s Public 

Relations Officer, ASP Gabriel 

Uba, did not respond to 

inquiries, but the President, 

Irigwe Development 

Association, Robert Ashi, and 

a Non-Governmental 

Organisation, NGO, 

Emancipation Centre for 

Crisis Victims in Nigeria, 

ECCVN, confirmed the two 

separate incidents. 

Ashi said: “Three young 

girls were ambushed some 

minutes past 7 pm along 

Nchenyu village of Kwall 

district, two were killed 

instantly and one sustained 

gunshot injury and currently 

receiving treatment at a 

hospital in Jos. 

Names of those killed are 

Sibi Danladi (16-year old) 

and Charity Danladi (16-year 

old). Ayo has been 

hospitalised, she is yet to give 

In an interview when he 

was paraded by the Ondo 

State police command with 

14 other suspects in Akure, 

yesterday, the suspect said 

he received 18 SIM cards 

from some armed robbers 

but could only withdraw 

money with some of the 

cards. 

He gave the names of 

thesuspected armed 

robbers as Isaac Monday 

and Ajilogba Wande. 

The suspect said he 

attended The Polytechnic, 

Ibadan but couldn’t further 

his education because of 

lack of fund so "I took to 

yahoo business to survive." 

us details of what happened 

but we called the attention of 

security operatives, they 

came, took pictures at the 

scene of the incident.” 

However, Solomon 

Mwantiri of the ECCVN 

said: “Information reliably 

sourced has it that two natives 

of Byei village in Riyom LGA 

were ambushed few minutes 

to 7:00 pm Sunday by a 

group of armed militias not 

far from Military Unit 

stationed between Wereng- 

Camp and Byei. As a result, 

Mr Stephen Joshua was 

hacked to death while Mr 

Yohanna Dauda escaped 

narrowly. 

“The unsuspecting natives 

were said to have been 

returning from Wereng 

Camp when the militias 

emerged from the nearby 

bush and attacked them.” 

One of those shot during the clash. 

Fire razes 

yam market 

in Plateau 

By Marie-Therese 

Nanlong 

JOS —Yam tubers and 

other valuables worth 

millions of naira were Sunday 

night destroyed following a 

fire incident that destroyed the 

popular Namu Central Yam 

Market in Qua’an Pan Local 

Government Area of Plateau 

State. 

A resident, Kabiri Buba, 

whose goods were also 

destroyed, said many farmers 

and traders are counting their 

losses as over 100 traders 

were affected by the incident. 

Buba, who said the cause 

of the fire could not be 

ascertained, called on 

government at all levels to 

come to the aid of the farmers 

and traders. 

However, Senator 

representing Plateau South 

Senatorial zone, Professor 

Nora Dadu’ut, has 

commiserated with the 

victims of the fire incident, 

saying she is saddened by the 

incident. 

She called on the 

government and other 

charitable Nigerians to offer 

support for the victims to aid 

their quick recovery from the 

tragedy.


:Vanguard News 

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

MEETING— From left: GIZ ECOWAS Cluster Coordinator, Mr Ludwig Kicher; Minister of State for Foreign 

Affairs, Zubairu Dada; Vice President, ECOWAS Commission, Madam Finda Koroma; representative of the 

Minister of State for Budget and National Planning Commission, Mr Adeosun David and Head of ECOWAS 

National Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affair, Mr Joseph Oyi, during the ECOWAS consultative meeting with 

decentralized stakeholders in Abuja, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 

Insecurity: Buhari to send supplementary 

budget to NASS 

•Meets with Lawan, Gbajabiamila at Aso Rock 

•Security heads meet President on Tuesday 

•As Nigeria mulls to bring home her scientists 

abroad for COVID-19 Vaccine production 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA — AS the security 

situation continues to 

degenerate on a daily basis, 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari is expected to submit 

supplementary budget to the 

National Assembly for more 

funds to be made available for 

the procurement of equipment 

to battle insurgents. 

Already, the President yesterday 

met with the leadership of 

the National Assembly over 

security matters and also concerns 

on how to make funding 

available for COVID-19 vaccination. 

Besides, the Federal 

Government is looking at the 

possibility of bringing home 

Nigerian scientists outside the 

country who have contributed 

in producing the COVID-19 

vaccines for many countries to 

also make their services available 

to their fatherland. 

This is as Vanguard has gathered 

that President Buhari will 

be meeting with the security 

heads today at the Presidential 

Villa, Abuja. 

Speaking to State House 

correspondents, President of 

the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, 

said the meeting with the President 

was primarily centered on 

how to improve security situation 

in the country as well as 

make the COVID-19 vaccine 

available to Nigerians. 

The Senate President said: 

“You know it is one government, 

where the legislature is 

working together and we have 

come to meet with Mr. President 

to discuss issues of serious 

national concern. “One of 

those issues is the issue of supplementary 

budget. Both executive 

and legislative arms 

believe that we should have 

supplementary budget to provide 

for funding of the COVID- 

19 vaccination in Nigeria, as 

well as security, providing 

more resources and platforms 

to our security agencies. 

“I am sure in Nigeria, there 

are no more grave issues than 

COVID-19 and the security 

situation in the country. And I 

want to take this opportunity 

to say that the security situation 

is gradually improving. 

“I am sure that when we 

have more resources available 

to our security agencies, we 

will see an even faster recovery 

from insecurity. As for the 

COVID, I believe that our 

country should have some resources 

for our scientists to 

collaborate with other scientists 

from across the globe to 

also have our own vaccine 

because we can’t rely on what 

other countries are doing now, 

every nation to itself, that’s 

what is happening. 

“The US is not allowing 

vaccines to go out of US. EU 

is not allowing AstraZeneca 

vaccine produced in UK to be 

sent out of EU. India is not allowing 

AstraZeneca vaccine 

they produce to be exported 

out. So where do we go from 

here? We will have to fall back 

on our own capacities and 

abilities. “We have great scientists 

in this country. We have 

many Nigerians outside Nigeria, 

who are also helping developing 

the vaccines in other 

countries. So why don’t you 

bring them home? Why don’t 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE Nigeria 

Governors Forum, 

NGF, said yesterday that proceeds 

from kidnappings in the 

Northeast were used to fuel 

Boko Haram insurgency in the 

zone. Chairmen of NGF and 

governor of Ekiti state, Dr. 

Kayode Fayemi, stated this 

after meeting with President 

Muhammadu Buhari at the 

presidential villa, Abuja. 

Fielding questions from 

State House correspondents 

at the end of the meeting, the 

NGF Chairman said: “There 

is a direct correlation, I’ve said 

this to you before, between insurgency 

in the northeast, and 

what we’re seeing manifesting 

itself as banditry in the northwest, 

or kidnapping in the 

southwest. Some of the people 

involved in these are also 

the ones responsible for insurgency. 

“They are using the resources 

they make from kidnapping 

for the activities that 

they’re conducting in the 

northeast. “So, we need to take 

a comprehensive look at all 

you put some resources so they 

will also produce ours locally 

here and take care of our population, 

and later other African 

countries, especially our 

neighbours? “So I believe that 

we had a very good discussion 

and interaction with Mr. President 

along those lines.” 

Asked if the National Assembly 

will consider the request 

from a vaccine candidate 

asking for $100 million 

for trial, the Senate President 

said there would be no provision 

for such request, saying 

things don’t work that way. 

He said: “No, we have to 

have something scientifically 

proven. There has to be concrete 

system that you can channel 

resources into not an individual 

moving around talking. 

No, no, no, we should have 

everything in place.’’ 

On the kind of intervention 

Nigerians would hope to see 

from National Assembly on 

the security challenges, he said 

the intervention would be 

more on the approval of funds. 

“Of course, approval of 

funds for the purchase of platforms, 

weapons and equipment 

are essentials we have 

already approved so much. 

And that’s why we’re expecting 

Tucano aircarft to be here. 

We’re expecting some APCs 

from Jordan. We’re expecting 

some APCs from China. And 

we believe that we’ve not had 

enough, we still need to approve 

more sources for the 

purchase of weapons for our 

armed forces, because this is 

the number one priority of 

government or any government 

really, to secure the people, 

and of course later the 

welfare. “So we believe that we 

will be doing the right thing, if 

there is a request through supplementary 

appropriation bill 

from the presidency or executive 

arm of government, and 

then we approve.’’ 

On his part, Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, 

Femi Gbajabiamila, while answering 

questions on the PIB 

said: “On the PIB, the Senate 

President has covered the 

ground or covered the field like 

we say. We made a commitment 

to the Nigerian people 

and that commitment is April, 

end of April.’’ 

FG, states’ debt profile rise 

to N32.92trn — NBS 

ABUJA — Nigeria’s total 

public debt portfolio as 

at December 31, 2020, stood 

at N32.92 trillion, the National 

Bureau of Statistics, 

NBS, revealed yesterday. It 

made the revelation in its Nigerian 

Domestic and Foreign 

Debt report for Quarter Four, 

2020, obtained from its 

website in Abuja, adding that 

the debt profile was for the 

states and the federal government. 

According to the bureau, 

Nigeria’s total public debt 

showed that N12.71 trillion or 

38.60 per cent of the debt was 

external, while N20.21 trillion 

or 61.40 per cent of the debt 

was domestic. “Further disaggregation 

of Nigeria’s foreign 

debt showed that 17.93 billion 

dollars of the debt was multilateral, 

4.06 billion dollars 

was bilateral from the African 

Development Bank, AfDB, 

Exim Bank of China, Japan 

International Cooperation 

Agency, JICA, India and KFW. 

“Meanwhile, 11.17 billion 

dollars was commercial 

which are Eurobonds and 

Diaspora Bonds and 186.70 

million dollars as Promissory 

notes,’’ the NBS stated. 

The report said that the total 

states and Federal Capital 

Territory, FCT, domestic debt 

was put at N4.19 trillion with 

Lagos State accounting for 

12.15 per cent of the debt 

stock. It added that Jigawa 

had the least debt stock in this 

category with a contribution 

of 0.74 per cent. 

Kidnapping proceeds used to fuel Boko Haram insurgency — Govs 

Removal of LGAs from Constitution: 

Lobby National Assembly, stop 

issuing threat, NGF tells NULGE 

these things and not treat them 

in compartments. We must 

treat them as a comprehensive 

issue and then tackle them 

collectively.” 

He commended the efforts 

of the nation’s security forces, 

saying though he was one of 

those who advocated the 

change of service chiefs, he did 

not expect a dramatic turnaround 

so soon. 

“Well, first of all, let me say 

that Mr. President has taken 

the right step in changing the 

leadership of the security services. 

I, as you would recall, was 

one of those speaking on behalf 

of my colleagues, that 

argued for that to happen. So, 

I think the President has done 

the right thing. “We never suggested, 

even at the time we 

were arguing for a change of 

guard in the leadership, that 

that was going to be an automatic 

transformation of the 

security situation, simply on 

account of change of leadership. 

“We were not that naive to 

think that would happen. 

However, precisely because 

there’s been a change, you can 

see that there is also a concerted 

effort. 

“Two or three days ago, all 

the service chiefs came together 

to issue a statement that 

we are accountable to our 

Chief of Defence Staff. That’s 

a very significant position to 

take because we know what 

has been the source of interservice 

rivalry in our military, 

which then tends to affect performance 

on the field, where 

the air force does not communicate 

with the army and yet 

they are supposed to be involved 

in the same war 

against insurgency. 

“So, the fact that there is 

unanimity and they are trying 

to speak with one voice, I believe 

that’s a significant step 

in boosting the morale of the 

men on the field and the efforts 

they are taking to go 

round, audit the equipment, 

audit the situation of their 

men is also going to help to 

improve the condition of the 

security services. 

“I can tell you and I don’t 

think I’ll be breaching any 

confidence that one of the 

good news I came away with, 

from the President now on this 

issue is that he’s already informed 

the National Assembly 

that they will be receiving 

a special request from him on 

procurement of equipment on 

an accelerated basis for our 

security services. ‘’That was 

one of the issues we put before 

him and he was very categorical 

that yes, we have a 

point. Some of the equipment 

that had been procured are on 

the way, they haven’t arrived, 

but they will soon arrive. 

“There is also a need to buy 

more equipment and he is 

going into government-togovernment 

partnership with 

a number of countries and that 

would necessitate an accelerated 

clearance from the National 

Assembly. 

“What I’m saying in essence 

is they’ve been able to assess 

their situation on coming to 

that office and they made a 

very honest assessment of 

what’s on ground, which is 

militating against their effective 

clearance of the insurgents 

and that’s something that will 

happen. “Having said all of 

that, I also don’t think we’re 

naive enough to think that it’s 

simply a military action that 

will resolve all these security 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE Nigeria 

Governors Forum, 

NGF, yesterday told the leadership 

of the Nigeria Union 

of Local Government Employees, 

NULGE, to lobby the 

National Assembly in the ongoing 

constitutional amendment 

to retain the 774 local 

government areas in the Constitution 

and stop issuing 

threats to shutdown the council 

areas. 

NULGE had at the weekend, 

threatened to shut down 

the 774 Local Government 

Areas in the country over the 

alleged plot by the National 

Assembly to remove the local 

government as the third tier 

of government from the constitution. 

Fielding questions 

from journalists on the 

NULGE threat, Chairman of 

NGF and governor of Ekiti 

State, Dr. Fayemi Kayode said 

the union had ample opportunity 

to lobby the National 

Assembly in the ongoing constitution 

amendment to 

present its agitation. 

He said, “Well, I am sure the 

president of the National Union 

of Local Government 

Employees is a democrat and 

constitutional reform is a process, 

not an event, so he should 

allow the process to reach its 

conclusion. What he has an 

advantage of doing now, and 

which I think he should be 

doing, rather than issuing 

threats, is lobbying and promoting 

the interests of his constituency 

because that’s the 

only way to get that result. 

“The constitution reform 

body has started its work, 

chaired by, I believe, the 

Deputy Senate President, he 

should go and make case with 

them and once he’s made that 

case, he should also go to two 

thirds of the 36 Houses of Assembly 

and make a similar 

case. That’s the only way to 

win the argument, it’s not by 

issuing threats." 

The union through its national 

President, Comrade 

Ambali Olatunji while speaking 

to some journalists in 

Abuja, had warned that the 

union would not hesitate to 

mobilise its members on a 

mass protest to the National 

Assembly to resist what they 

described as “anti-people plot. 

challenges. 

“They have root causes and 

the root causes require political 

will, political action on 

our part against poverty, 

against inequality, against the 

disconnections between our 

youth and the government 

because these are some of the 

things that have pushed 

younger people into harm’s 

way and into becoming cannon 

fodder for those who don’t 

have the interest of our country 

at heart and are ready to 

destroy the country,’’ Fayemi 

said. 

The governor stated that he 

was at the presidential villa to 

discuss pertinent issues on security 

and the economy with 

President Buhari. 

He explained: “Well, the 

general challenges that we 

have been facing at the state 

level and the states constitute 

the federation, but Mr. President 

was very much in the picture. 

He has almost nitty gritty 

detail of what’s going on in 

every state and yes, even more 

information than we do of 

these issues, as I discovered in 

my conversation with him."

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 — 9 



PARLEY: President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

receives in audience 

Governor Kayode 

Fayemi of Ekiti State 

in State House 

yesterday. 

Nigeria targets gas-powered economy 

by 2030 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru & Obas 

Esiedesa 

A 

B U J A — 

PRESIDENT 


yesterday launched an 

ambitious plan by Nigeria to 

entirely power its economy with 

gas by the year 2030. 

Nigeria, the sixth largest gas 

country and ninth in gas export, 

consumes very little of the 

resources. 

Nigeria’s plan, as outlined by 

President Buhari at a presummit 

conference of the 

Nigeria International 

Petroleum Summit in Abuja, is 

to leverage on the huge gas 

reserves to become not just a 

major exporter but a major gas 

consuming nation. 

The President, who spoke to 

participants virtually, said 

government agencies and 

operators needed to do more to 

make the plan a reality. 

He said gas had the potential 

to diversify and uplift the 

economy, given the country’s 

potential of about 600trillion 

cubic feet of gas and the rising 

global demand for cleaner 

energy sources. 

He explained that this has 

offered Nigeria an opportunity 

to exploit its gas resources for 

the good of the country. 

•Gets $114bn in NLNG revenues •As Buhari promises to 

utilize gas resources to uplift economy, drives 

industrialization •OPTS calls for fiscal incentives 

“We intend to seize this 

opportunity”, he stressed. 

He explained that before the 

declaration of Year 2020 as “The 

Year of Gas, his administration 

had shown commitment to the 

development of Nigeria’s vast 

gas resources and 

strengthened the gas value 

chain by reviewing and 

gazetting policies and 

regulations to enhance 

operations in the sector as 

encapsulated in the National 

Gas Policy of 2017. 

“Our major objective for the 

gas sector is to transform 

Nigeria into an industrialized 

nation, with gas playing a major 

role and we demonstrated this 

through enhanced accelerated 

gas revolution.” 

Despite the lack of focus on 

gas development in the past, he 

said Nigeria had benefited 

immensely from the resource. 

He stated that Nigeria 

Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, 

which contributes about one 

percent to GDP, has generated 

$114 billion in revenues over the 

years, $9 billion in taxes, $18 

billion in dividends to the Federal 

Government and $15 billion in 

feed gas purchase. 

Also speaking at the event, the 

Minister of State Petroleum 

Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, 

said Nigeria’s enormous gas 

resource would enable it tackle 

the energy poverty in the 

country, to generate electricity 

and power its industries. 

Sylva pointed at the deal to 

build the $10 billion train-7 by 

the shareholders of NLNG, 

despite the disruption that 

happened last year, as a pointer 

to the potentialities available in 

the sector. 

He urged the operators to show 

faith and confidence in the 

Nigerian environment, saying 

the government had bent-over 

backward to accommodate their 

demands. 

The minister also expressed the 

commitment of Buhari’s 

administration to get a new law 

for the industry through the 

Petroleum Industry Bill, saying 

the law would be passed soon. 

He noted that the solution to 

most of the industry’s challenges 

would come through the PIB. 

“On the PIB, the National 

Assembly has confirmed its 

commitment and had shown 

commitment that it will be passed 

in April, hopefully. If not in April, 

I am sure that in a few months 

from now, the PIB will be passed.” 

He expressed concern that 

efforts by the government to 

make the environment conducive 

for the operators have not been 

matched by required investments 

from the operators. 

“A situation where, for example, 

a company, I don’t want to 

mention the name, although I 

am very tempted to, because the 

Buhari leaves for medical check-up in UK today 

A 

B 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

U J A — 

PRESIDENT 


will proceed to London, 

the United Kingdom, 

today, for routine 

medical check-up. 

This was contained in 

a statement issued by the 

Special Adviser to the 

President on Media and 

Publicity, Chief Femi 

Adesina in Abuja 

yesterday. 

According to the 

statement, “the 

President meets with 

Security Chiefs first in 

the morning after which 

he embarks on the 

journey. 

“He is due back in the 

country during the second 

week of April, 2021.” 

The last time the 

President traveled out 

for medical check-up was 

in 2019. 

COO is looking at me, will decide 

to invest $16 billion in a 

challenged environment, an 

LNG project in Mozambique that 

is challenged like Nigeria, but will 

be stalling on investment in 

Nigeria where it is not actually 

spending any money because 

most of it is from debt. 

“Those are the concerns we 

have too. We must see 

commitments from our investors 

that when we bend over 

backwards, they will also be 

bending over backwards and 

encouraging us by investing. 

That is really the meeting point 

that we need. That meeting point 

will give a PIB that is going to 

ensure the growth of this sector 

in Nigeria,” he added. 

On his part, the Group 

Managing Director of the 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC, Mallam 

Mele Kyari, pointed out that 

though Nigeria was belatedly 

shifting its focus on gas, a lot could 

still be done. 

Kyari observed that oil majors 

have not in the past treated the 

domestic market as a business, 

which led to under-supply of the 

product to domestic users. 

Noting that a lot had been done 

to boost the development of the 

resource in the past few years, 

the NNPC boss said: “Nigeria 

under the visionary leadership of 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

has committed huge resources to 

ensure that domestic gas 

infrastructure reach every 

corner of our country, to 

deepen natural gas 

utilization, spur investment 

in power and gas-based 

industries, grow the economy 

and generate employment for 

millions of our young people.” 

On his part, the Managing 

Director of Nigeria NLG, Mr. Tony 

Attah, stated that Nigeria 

currently plays a significant role 

in the global energy sector, 

holding the position of the largest 

oil and gas producer in Africa and 

the sixth supplier of global LNG 

through the operations of Nigeria 

LNG Limited. 

“Our Train 7 project alone will 

attract about$10 billion into the 

country with significant revenue 

generation for government and 

our shareholders but also over 

12,000 jobs opportunity for 

Nigerians,’’ he said. 

Court okays suit seeking 

to quash appointment of 

new A-Court Justices 

•Fixes April 8 for hearing, as plaintiff 

challenges exclusion of South East zone 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

A Federal BUJA—THE 

High Court 

sitting in Abuja yesterday fixed 

April 8 to hear a suit seeking to 

quash the ongoing process to 

appoint new Justices of the Court 

of Appeal. 

The Plaintiff, the Incorporated 

Trustees of Alaigbo Development 

Foundation, ADF, approached 

the court to challenge the 

exclusion of the South East zone 

in the appointment. 

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/ 

CS/347/2021, the Plaintiff, 

through its lawyer, Mr. Max 

Ozoaka, posed two legal 

questions for the determination 

of the court. 

It wants the court to determine; 

“Having regard to the oath of 

office of the Defendants to uphold 

the Constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as 

amended, and the true 

intendment of Section 14 (3) and 

other relevant provisions of the 

Constitution, whether the 

Defendants can completely 

ignore, disregard or infringe at will 

the principles of justice, fairness, 

equity, due process and federal 

character in the on-going 

exercise of appointment of 

Justices of the Court of Appeal, 

particularly with regard to the 

South East Zone of the 

Federation. 

“Having regard to the principles 

of equity and good conscience 

and the true intendment and 

purpose of the relevant provisions 

of the Constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria, 1999, is the 

South East Zone of the 

Federation not entitled in the ongoing 

exercise of appointment of 

justices of the Court of Appeal to 

3 (three) new slots in the bench 

of the Court in direct replacement 

of the vacancies occasioned and 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ABUJA—A group of 

protesters yesterday 

stormed the national secretariat 

of the ruling All Progressives 

Congress APC, demanding the 

extension of the ongoing 

membership registration and 

revalidation which ends on 

Wednesday. 

The protesters, who were said 

to be members of the party, 

carried placards with inscriptions, 

such as ‘‘extend the time for party 

membership revalidation and 

registration for new members’; 

‘don’t close the door against 

others, don’t stop the 

registration’; ‘like INEC, new 

members registration should be 

a continuous process, extend the 

registration exercise’; 

‘membership makes party great, 

allow more members, don’t stop 

the registration exercise’; 

‘millions of members are yet to 

revalidate their membership and 

new members are waiting’; 

among many others. 

existing in the bench of the Court 

arising from the elevation, 

retirement and death of three 

justices of the Court from that 

Zone”. 

Upon determination of the 

questions, the Plaintiff, among 

other things, wants “A declaration 

that the action of the Defendants, 

particularly the 1st, 2nd and 3rd 

Defendants, in allocating one 

slot only to the South East 

Zone of the Federation in the 

on-going exercise of 

appointment of the Justices 

of the Court of Appeal is 

unjustifiable, unfair, 

inequitable and contrary to 

the true intendment of the 

relevant provisions of the 1999 

Constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria, as amended 

and ipso facto unconstitutional, 

unlawful, null and void. 

“A declaration that the South 

East Zone is entitled to three new 

slots in the on-going exercise of 

appointment of the Justices of the 

Court of Appeal in direct 

replacement or filling of the 

vacancies in the bench of the 

Court of Appeal currently existing 

in the South East Zone which 

arose from the elevation, 

retirement and death of three 

justices of the Court from the 

Zone. 

“An order of the Honourable 

Court restraining the 

Defendants, especially the 1st 

2nd and 3rd Defendants from 

continuing the on-going exercise 

of appointment. 

As well as “An Order of the 

Honourable Court compelling 

the Defendants to replace or fill 

the three vacancies in the South 

East slots in the Court of Appeal 

bench by appointing three new 

Justices of the Court in the ongoing 

appointment exercise in 

direct replacement or filling of the 

three existing vacancies in the 

South East slots.” 

Protesters want APC to 

extend membership 

registration deadline 

In the letter of appeal for 

extension of the registration 

handed over to the National 

Secretary of the APC Caretaker/ 

Extraordinary Convention 

Planning Committee, Senator 

John James Akpanudoehede, the 

protesters described themselves 

as Coalition of Political Action 

Group, consisting of concerned 

stakeholders who are members 

of various state chapters of the 

party. 

In the letter signed by Habeeb 

Mutalib, the group stated: “We 

are here in relation to the 

ongoing membership registration 

and revalidation exercise 

scheduled to end in two days 

time, March 31, 2021. It is our 

firm expectation and demand that 

the exercise should be extended 

indefinitely until such a time as it 

becomes incompatible with the 

electoral laws and timetable. 

“The membership registration 

and revalidation has proven to 

be an inspired idea by the 

National Caretaker Committee 

led by the able chairman.''


:Vanguard 

News 


FORUM—From left: Tunde Adebanjo, Supervisor for Education, Mainland LG, Lagos State; Mrs. 

Oghale Osah, Director, Inspectorate, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Educational Board; 

Mrs. Ajoke Erogbogbo-Gbeleyi, Founder, Focused Girls Moral Regeneration Support Initiative, 

FGMRSI; Mrs. Olusola Somoye, Director, Child Guidance, School Counselling and Special Education, 

Ministry of Education, Lagos State, and Mrs. Adenike Osu, Director, Teaching Service Commission, 

Lagos State, during the initiative's interactive forum with stakeholders & school guidance counsellors, 

themed: 'Standing up for Moral Values', held in Lagos, yesterday. Photos: Lamidi Bamidele. 

Refund of WAEC fees: Parents, 

ANCOPPS on collision course 

in Ondo 


A KURE—PRINCIPALS 

in Public Secondary 

Schools and parents of 

students sitting for the 2021 

West African Examinations 

Council, WAEC, yesterday, 

disagreed over directive by 

the Ondo State government 

that fees paid, on behalf of 

their wards must be 

refunded. 

Governor Rotimi 

Akeredolu had ordered the 

refund, after his 

administration paid N360 

million as WAEC fees for 

students in public schools. 

A total of 25,736 students 

in Public Secondary 

Schools across the state will 

benefit from the gesture. 

Vanguard, however, 

gathered that the directive 

had generated controversy 

from stakeholders in the 

education sector across the 

state 

It was also gathered that 

most school principals are 

at a loss on the amount to 

be refunded to parents of 

students. 

Some parents, who spoke 

with Vanguard in 

confidence, said the 

principals have decided not 

to refund the exact amount 

paid for the examination. 

A parent said they were 

informed that “registration 

fees paid by WAEC 

students was N16,750, but 

an administrative charge of 

N2,800 will be deducted 

from each student and we 

will end up collecting 

N13,950 as a refund.” 

But a school principal, 

however, said the deduction 

from the WAEC fee to pay 

the outstanding debts by 

some students would be 

done in agreement with 

the parents. 

He said: “There is also a 

suggestion by some 

principals that parents 

might be advised that rather 

than collect the refund, they 

could use it for the payment 

of the forthcoming NECO 

exams and if there is a 

balance, it will be refunded 

or if higher than the money 

paid, they will balance up.” 

Vanguard, however, 

learned that the refund 

arrangements were turned 

down by the state 

government through the 

Ministry of Education, 

Science and Technology. 

ANCOPPS reacts 

When contacted, the 

President, All Nigeria 

Conference of Principals of 

Public Secondary Schools, 

ANCOPPS, in Ondo State, 

Mr. Johnbull Mebawondu 

said school principals must 

ensure strict compliance 

with the state government 

directive. 

Mebawondu said: “All 

principals, who collected 

money from the students, 

will have to refund the 

WAEC registration fee. 

There is a template given 

to us by the ministry of 

education on how much we 

should collect from the 

students before the 

announcement by the 

government. 

“What the government 

instructed us now was that 

the N13,950 for the WAEC 

registration per candidate 

should be refunded to them 

without any condition." 

Titan Farms: Olubadan makes 

case for indigenous firms 

I Olubadan 

BADAN—THE 

of 

Ibadanland, Oba Saliu 

Adetunji, yesterday, called 

on Nigerians to embrace 

indigenous companies and 

be part of their success 

stories. 

The monarch said this 

when he became the patron 

of Titan Farms, a fastgrowing 

agribusiness 

company, adding that 

"identifying with Titan 

Farms is as a result of the 

sterling way they have 

carried out their work since 

inception.” 

Oba Adetunji said he was 

personally impressed with 

the leadership qualities of 

the CEO and “the brand’s 

genuine desire to put 

smiles on people’s faces by 

their products and 

services,” charging people 

to embrace indigenous 

companies and be a part of 

their success stories. 

2023 polls: Why Christians must get 

involved in politics —Makinde 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

I B A D A N — 

GOVERNOR ‘Seyi 

Makinde of Oyo State, 

weekend, urged 

Christians to get involved 

in the 2023 general 

elections, if they desire a 

total transformation of 

Nigeria. He noted that 

only about 20 per cent 

Christians voted in the 

2019 general 

election, out of the 65 

million members of the 

Pentecostal Fellowship of 

Nigeria, PFN. 

He also said that God 

would redeem Nigeria 

from its current challenges 

of insecurity, ethnic and 

religious tensions, 

starting from Oyo State. 

Makinde, in a statement 

by his Chief Press 

Secretary, Mr. Taiwo 

Adisa, also challenged 

Nigerians to consistently 

Yomi-Sholoye launches book on stewardship 

By Arogbonlo Israel 

L 

A G O S — A 

philanthropist, 

Oluwaseye Yomi-Sholoye, 

has launched a book on 

stewardship. 

The book launch, which 

was the high point of 

Yomi-Sholoye’s 62nd 

birthday, held in Lagos, 

was chaired by former 

pray for the country and 

its leaders. 

The governor stated this 

during the thanksgiving 

service in commemoration 

of Bishop Francis ‘Wale 

Oke’s election as the 7th 

President of the 

Pentecostal Fellowship of 

Nigeria, held at the Sword 

of the Spirit International 

Ministries headquarters 

in Ibadan. 

Makinde said: “Just as 

God has given the 7th 

President of CAN and 7th 

President of PFN to us (in 

Oyo State) at this point in 

Nigeria for perfection and 

completeness, so also I 

believe God to do the 

same thing for us in the 

next election. 

“We started this 

democratic experiment in 

1999 and up until 2019, 

we have had six elections 

and the seventh election 

is going to be in 2023. So, 

if we want perfection and 

completeness, the Church 

must get involved. 

“When Bishop Wale 

Oke was talking, he said 

the population of PFN is 

about 65million but in the 

last election that brought 

in the current president, 

he scored about 

15.3million votes. 

“So, if we want leaders 

to get thrown up, who 

would do the bidding of 

God, who will serve his 

people, we must not allow 

the next opportunity to slip 

by. Society will always get 

the type of leadership it 

deserves. 

“I was anointed right in 

here and for this tenure; I 

will serve God and the 

people of Oyo State. So, 

we have to get leaders 

that will do that and there 

are many of them in our 

churches. 

“We only need to 

encourage them and make 

up our minds to get 

leaders that will serve the 

people.” 

Speaking on the 

challenges facing the 

country, Makinde said: “I 

want to tell us today that 

we have a lot of work to 

do. We need to keep 

praying for this country 

and people in leadership 

positions. 

“What is important and 

critical is the fact that in 

the midst of all this 

confusion, we have to be 

clear-headed and do 

things that will solve 

problems.” 

In his address, the new 

PFN President, Bishop 

‘Wale Oke said that 

governments must use the 

power of the law to bring 

sanity to the country, 

adding that no good 

government negotiates 

with bandits, rapists, 

terrorists and murderers. 

Secession: Stop making inflammatory 

comments, Alaafin, Oluwo warn Nigerians 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—ALAAFIN of 

Oyo, Oba Lamidi 

Adeyemi, and the Oluwo 

of Iwoland, Oba Abdul- 

Rasheed Akanbi, 

yesterday, cautioned 

Nigerians against 

making inflammatory 

statements that could 

ignite ethnoreligious 

crisis in the country. 

The monarchs gave the 

warning during the visit 

of Oba Akanbi to the 

Alaafin’s palace, in Oyo. 

Asking those stoking 

ethno-religious crises to 

have a retrospective look 

at the past, the monarchs 

advised that anything 

that could fan the embers 

of discord should be 

avoided. 

They said: “Nigerians 

must exercise restraints; 

they must bear in mind 

Nigeria’s long history of 

ethno-religious conflicts, 

as people use this type 

of deep-seated animosity 

in their speech precisely 

because of the culture of 

impunity which reigns in 

the country.” 

“What is more, hate 

speech is an agent 

president of the Nigerian 

Bar Association, NBA, 

Chief Wole Olanipekun, 

SAN. 

The autobiography, 

entitled: ‘Blessed are the 

Compassionate’, was 

launched by The Technical 

Director for Energy 

Traders and Services 

Limited, Engr. Niyi 

Afolabi. 

• Olalekan Owodunni (left), Founder, Strong 

Tower Academy, Ikorodu, and Mrs. Ajoke 

Erogbogbo-Gbeleyi, Founder, Focused Girls 

Moral Regeneration Support Initiative, during 

the forum. 

provocateur and 

precursor to insecurity 

anywhere in the world. 

In a multi-cultural 

country like Nigeria with 

different diverse ethnic 

settings, inflammatory 

statements are very 

sensitive that if not 

contained, could lead to 

war.” 

To the two traditional 

rulers, the government is 

saddled with the 

responsibility of protecting 

lives and property and 

should do everything in its 

power to apprehend and 

prosecute criminals and 

Giving her reasons for 

publishing the book, 

Yomi-Sholoye, said: “What 

is attempted and 

illuminated here is 

informed by some of the 

comfort, laughter, joy and 

confident hope we have 

been able to give to the 

sick the needy and the 

poor. 

bandits who unleash terror 

on innocent and 

defenceless citizens. 

“As citizens, let us bury 

our differences, embrace 

peace, live in harmony and 

shun hate comments which 

have been contributing to 

increased tension in 

Nigeria.” 

Acknowledging growing 

concerns about insecurity in 

the country, they called on 

traditional rulers, security 

agencies and government 

to work together for the 

safety of their people, they 

noted, “as custodians of 

traditions and values, we 

are the ones who keep 

peace in our rural areas and 

in the various local 

governments that constitute 

our various states.” 

“As Nigerians, we must 

respect our various 

religious and ethnic 

backgrounds, because it is 

God that brought us 

together under one country. 

Thus, when we understand 

one another, the security 

challenges bedevilling the 

country will be a thing of 

the past”, they said.

Vanguard, , TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 — 11 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

Social Media Conversation 

THANKSGIVING—From left: Wife of Oyo State governor, Mrs. Tamunominini Makinde; 

Governor Seyi Makinde; new National President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, 

PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, his wife, Victoria; National President, Christian Association of 

Nigeria, CAN, Reverend Supo Ayokunle, and Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu 

Adetunji, during the Thanksgiving Service, held for Bishop Oke, as the 7th President of 

the PFN, held at the Garden of Victory, Ibadan. 

INSECURITY: Nigeria competing with 

bandits to recruit unemployed youths 

—TINUBU 

By Bashir Bello 

KANO—NATIONAL Leader 

of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, yesterday, 

disclosed that the country is 

competing with bandits to recruit 

unemployed youths. 

Tinubu also explained his choice of 

Kano State as the venue for his 12th 

colloquium and 69th birthday, saying it 

was to prove to Nigerians that the Yoruba 

and Fulani people are united. 

The colloquium was themed: Our 

Common Bond, Our Common Wealth: 

The Imperative of National Cohesion for 

Growth And Prosperity'. 

His words: “Why are we in Kano for 

this colloquium? Why? It is because there 

is a Fulani man, a herder man, who gave 

out his daughter to the family of a Yoruba 

man. Dan Fulani, Dan Yoruba. And some 

people are agitating wrongly and I say if 

a colleague can encourage and support 

me to go and spend a couple of days with 

my brother and in-law in Kano and 

demonstrate that he has not quarreled 

with me and has not seceded from 

Nigeria. I don’t need a passport or visa to 

By Funmi Ajumobi 

LAGOS—STAKEHOLDERS in 

the guidance and counselling sector 

said, yesterday, that imparting moral 

values in children remains the 

foundation for greatness in life. 

They spoke at the maiden seminar, 

organised for stakeholders and school 

guidance counselors by a nongovernmental 

organization, Focused 

Girls Moral Regeneration Support 

Initiative, with the theme: ‘Standing Up 

....Explains why he chose Kano for colloquium 

get to Kano, so maybe others would have 

peace of conscience and live in peace 

and harmony. That is what Ganduje and 

I are representing to show to Nigerians. 

And that is the purpose of the 

colloquium. 

“The Fulani man and Yoruba man can 

show the entire nation that 

perseverance, great understanding is 

common blood that is flowing in our veins. 

“Part of the reasons why herdsmen 

are moving around is because of extreme 

climate change. This is not the 

harmattan period. 

“We better spend on our economy and 

make sure we tune our economic 

programmes. 

“This is the time to put stimulus 

expenditure in place, this is no more time 

for austerity. This is not the time to 

constrain the economy but the time to 

create the opportunity. 

“If you hear the United States of 

America spending $1.9 trillion and they 

are not looking back and they are still 

asking for $3 trillion for infrastructures, 

for renewal and creating of job and your 

unemployment rate is at 33 per cent. 

And you ask us to keep on fasting, we 

Moral values, foundation for greatness 

—Adefisayo, Erogbogbo-Gbeleyi, others 

for Moral Values’, held at the Radisson 

Blu Hotel, in Ikeja, Lagos. 

Stakeholders, who spoke at the 

seminar, included the Lagos State 

Commissioner for Education, Mrs. 

Folashade Adefisayo; Founder of 

Focused Girls Moral Regeneration 

Support Initiative, Mrs. Ajoke Erogbobo- 

Gbeleyi; Chairman, Mainland Local 

Government Area; Chairman, Teaching 

Service Commission, Mrs Elizabeth 

Ariyo, represented by Mrs. Osu Adenike; 

Executive Secretary, Lagos State 

Technical & 

Vocational 

Board, Mrs. 

R o n k e 

Azeez, Dr. 

Joy Nwokedi 

and Dr. 

Mustapha 

Sanbe 

In her 

remarks, 

M r s . 

Erogbobo- 

Gbeleyi, who 

presented a 

paper titled: 

‘Strong 

Adolescent 

M o r a l 

Values: 

Rearmament 

for a Secured 

are fasting no more. The one we are 

fasting spiritually is voluntary. We have 

been fasting for many years. 

“I hope the National Assembly, the 

President himself, would not pay 

attention to austerity. 

“Sovereignty is that of Nigeria and it is 

only the Federal Government that has 

that sovereign power and must use it for 

the benefit and development of Nigeria. 

‘“It is time, we are underpoliced and 

we are competing with armed robbers 

and bandits to recruit from the youths 

who are unemployed. There are 33 per 

cent unemployed. Recruit 50 million 

youths into the army and various security 

agencies. Take them away from their 

recruitment source. What they would eat 

is growing here, you create demand and 

consumption. 

“Don’t talk about illiteracy, anybody 

who can own a gun, cock gun and can 

shoot is technically competent to repair 

a tractor in the farm. It is not when you 

are computer literate that you can be 

technically competent. Those who are 

working on sugarcane farms can do so 

many other things like horticulture. We 

can create the jobs.” 

Future’, said children are assets to the 

nation but noted that they are being 

distracted. 

She said: “I believe if a child has strong 

moral values, which is easy to covet, it 

will be easy for such a child to take care of 

other areas of life. We are equipping the 

counsellors in this seminar so that they 

could go back and help to equip the 

children with strong moral values and, 

at the end of it, a communiqué will be 

presented to the Ministry of Education 

for the purpose of continuity.” 

Adefisayo, who was represented by the 

Director, Child, Guardian, School 

Counselling & Special Education Unit 

of the Ministry of Education, Mrs. 

Somoye Olusola, acknowledged that 

there was a need for a change in the 

moral decadence affecting all schools 

across the nation. 

Adefisayo said: “Every counsellor is 

not able to attend because of COVID-19 

protocols, but everyone here should go 

back to pass the gains of this seminar to 

others so that we can achieve the 

purpose in our students.” 

Speaking on ‘Contemporary 

Challenges of Nigerian School 

Adolescents and Implications for 

Counselling’, Dr. Nwokedi said: “We are 

working in synergy to make sure that 

when the counsellors go back, they 

would encourage these children to 

develop good moral standards." 

Save a chair, yes! 

Even the junk yard'll reject it! 

Oh Lord, give us this day Naira of the 70s! 

...And a raging ‘DNA' emerged!




VISIT—From left: 

The Islamic cleric, 

Sheikh Ahmed 

Gummi; Senator 

Shehu Sani, with 

his Special 

Adviser on 

political Affairs, 

Comrade Ahmed 

Suleiman, during 

a courtesy visit to 

Sheikh Gummi in 

his residence, in 

Kaduna, 

yesterday. Photo: 

Olu Ajayi. 

Bayelsa issues 14 days ultimatum to herders 

to relocate to Elebele Palm Estate 

•Threatens to sanction violators 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha 

YState ENAGOA—BAYELSA 

government has given 

all cattle rearers and other 

livestock breeders 14 days to 

move their animals from farmlands 

and bushes across the 

state to the Elebele Palm in the 

outskirts of Yenagoa or risk 

sanction. 

The ultimatum was given 

after a meeting between the 

Livestock Management 

Committee and the leadership 

of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders 

Association of Nigeria in 

charge of South-South, at the 

Ministry of Agriculture and 

Natural Resources. 

State Commissioner for 

Agriculture and Natural Resources, 

David Alagoa disclosed 

this in Yenagoa. 

The government, it will be 

recalled, had recently enacted 

a law "Livestock Breeding, 

Rearing and Marketing Regulation 

Law 2021," prohibiting 

open grazing by livestock 

in the state. 

The essence of the law 

which was assented to by Governor 

Douye Diri is to ensure 

harmonious living between 

cattle dealers and citizens of 

the state and to forestall violent 

clashes being experienced 

in other parts of the country. 

Alagoa who is also the 

chairman of the committee 

described the deliberation as 

fruitful, saying that the ultimatum 

which expires on April 

10, 2021, was given "after due 

consideration, taking into 

cognizance the technicalities 

involved in the cattle business." 

Also, Special Adviser to the 

Governor on Security Matters, 

Akpoebi Agberebi, a retired 

commissioner of police 

said, the law is devoid of ethnic 

and religious colouration, 

while the leader of the Miyetti 

Allah, Mohammed 

Abubakar, expressed their 

readiness to move their cattle 

to the designated place given 

to them by the state government. 

In his remarks, Chairman 

of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, 

Central Zone, Clever Inodu, 

expressed appreciation to 

Ijaw youths for their peaceful 

disposition to the activities of 

herdsmen in the state and 

urged them to exercise more 

patience. 

Inodu, who is also a member 

of the Livestock Management 

Committee, advised residents 

of the state not to panic 

BENIN - A combined team 

of security personnel in their 

hundreds, yesterday, in Benin 

City, Edo State, locked out 

members of Coalition of Civil 

Society, students and youth 

groups, protesting the increment 

of cement and petroleum 

pump prices inside the 

premises of the National 

Museum. 

The security personnel 

comprising Nigeria Police, 

Department of Security Service, 

DSS, Nigeria Security 

Civil Defence Corp, NSCDC, 

local vigilance group, who 

were armed with sophisticated 

weapons shut the gate of 

the museum against the protesters. 

The protesters converged at 

the national museum premises 

for the protest when the 

combined team of security 

personnel stormed the venue 

and locked the gates to the 

venue thereby preventing the 

group from embarking on the 

protest. 

The shutting down of the 

gate also prevented staff of the 

National Museum and others, 

who have businesses within 

the premises to carry out 

their daily business activities. 

It was gathered that the shutting 

down the gate was to prevent 

the reoccurrence of the 

#EndSARS that was hijacked 

by hoodlums. 

Addressing journalists at the 

premises of the protest, one of 

the organisers, Kelly Osunbor 

said, they only called for a 

peaceful protest to draw the 

attention of government and 

those concerned to the plight 

of Nigerians that has further 

worsened by the recent hike 

in price of cement and that of 

petrol but were restricted by 

the state Commissioner of Police, 

Philip Ogbadu. 

"We came here peacefully 

this morning, we mobilised all 

our members, coalition of civil 

society, students union, market 

women and even the Nigeria 

Bar Association is even 

within the 14 days grace period, 

as the movement of the 

cattle would take place at 

night. 

The meeting had in attendance, 

the state Deputy Commissioner 

of Police, Aminu Alhassan, 

the Director of Livestock, 

Ministry of Agriculture 

and Natural Resources, Dr 

Emara Ibegu, His Royal 

Majesty King Dumaro Owaba, 

the Obanobhan of Ogbia 

Kingdom and His Royal 

Majesty, King Mozi Agara of 

Kolokuma. 

Others include Mr Geoffrey 

Agulata who is the Secretary 

of the Committee, and the 

Chairman, Cattle Dealers 

and Rearers Association, 

Bayelsa State, Alhaji Bello 

Muhamand. 

Commodities price hike: Police, DSS 

restricts protesters in Edo 

By Gabriel 

Enogholase & 

Ozioruva Aliu 

with us. 

"The CP of Edo State, mobilised 

thousands of policemen 

with all the sister agencies, 

they locked us out, they arrest 

some of us, they put us here, 

restricted our movement to 

move out on the street to protest 

peacefully and I called the 

CP, I enquired, your men said 

we should vacate this venue, 

he told me, get out of that venue 

or else, he would force us 

out. 

"And I want to ask, is this the 

democracy that our ancestors 

fought for that was gotten with 

the blood of the Nigerian students? 

This is democracy, we 

have freedom of movement 

and assembly, we have the 

constitutional rights to talk. 

"The price of cement affects 

the police, it affects DSS, it 

affects the market women and 

it is only the politicians it does 

affect and even though cement 

is one million, they can 

afford it. 

"If cement is sold for N4,000, 

how much is minimum wage? 

If a trip of sand is sold for 

N30,000, how much is a minimum 

wage? That means that 

the average income earner in 

Nigeria cannot dream of 

owning a house in his life time. 

"Politicians have enslaved us 

politically, now they want to 

also enslaved us economically. 

In the history of Nigeria, 

market women used to own 

houses, it may not be a house 

in Okoyi or GRA, or in Etete 

here in Benin City, but the way 

it is now, an average income 

earner, market woman can 

never own a house," he said. 

Also, spokesperson for Nigerian 

Students and Youth 

Association, NISAYA, Osemudiamen 

Ogbidi, noted that 

it was unfortunate that the 

state has the raw materials for 

the production of cement, yet 

buys the finished product at a 

very exorbitant price. 

Also, Precious Oruche while 

lamenting the current hikes 

and suffering confronting the 

citizens of the country, noted 

that the desire to leave the 

country has topped the priority 

of many youths. 

Edo: Obaseki floors ADP, others at tribunal 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

BENIN CITY—GOVER 

NOR Godwin Obaseki of 

Edo State, yesterday, floored 

the Action Democratic Party, 

ADP, and its governorship candidate 

in the September 19, 

2020, governorship election, 

Iboi Emmanuel at the Edo 

State governorship election 

petition tribunal as a petition 

brought against him and the 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, was dismissed. 

In a five and a half hour ruling, 

Justice Suleiman 

Abubakar said, the petitioners 

could not prove their case 

of forgery, participation in the 

primary election of two political 

parties and not having the 

constitutional qualification to 

contest the governorship election 

against Obaseki. 

The tribunal first ruled that 

the inclusion of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, and 

2019: Betrayal, disunity 

reasons A'Ibom didn't win 

elections for APC —Akpabio 


UYO—MINISTER of Ni 

ger Delta Affairs, and 

former governor of Akwa 

Ibom State, Senator Godswill 

Akpabio, has blamed the failure 

of the state to win elections 

for the All Progressives Congress, 

APC in 2019 on betrayal, 

and disunity. 

Akpabio who spoke on Sunday 

evening in Uyo, after his 

formal endorsement by stakeholders 

of the party drawn 

from the three senatorial districts 

of the state, stressed that 

there was the need for all 

stakeholders and members of 

the party to go in one direction 

ahead of 2023 general 

election. 

He frowned at a situation 

where a group of people 

would call a meeting of Akwa 

Ibom APC stakeholders without 

inviting key stakeholders 

and lauded the convener and 

Chairman of the meeting, 

Group Captain Sam Ewang 

(retd) for his efforts to reunite 

the party ahead of 2023 elections. 

His words, "Today, as we are 

gathered as APC one family, 

let whatever decision we are 

going to take concerning 

2023 in Akwa Ibom be a collective 

one so that we can go 

in one direction and benefit 

Return repatriated £4.2m to Delta, 

N'Delta Agitators tell FG 

its candidate in the governorship 

election, Pastor Osagie 

Ize-Iyamu as respondents in 

the petition by the ADP and 

then make it look like they 

have a stake in the petition 

through motions was "novel 

in election petitions cases in 

Nigeria. 

"Based on our consideration 

of all the issues raised in 

this petition, we are of the view 

that the petitioners could not 

prove that Governor Obaseki, 

who was declared winner 

of the September 19, 2020, 

governorship election as the 

governor of Edo State, was at 

the time of the election not 

qualified to contest the election, 

therefore, this petition is 

hereby dismissed in its entirety. 

"The election of Obaseki as 

the governor of Edo State is 

hereby affirmed by this tribunal. 

"In our findings, the first respondent 

went to school up to 

the school certificate level and 

eminently qualified to run for 

the office of the governor of 

the state and contests in the 

September 19, 2020, governorship 

election." 

The petitioners had challenged 

the outcome of the 

September 19 governorship 

election that brought in Governor 

Obaseki. 

They argued that Obaseki 

presented forged certificate to 

the Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, for the purpose of the 

election. 

Reacting to the judgment, 

counsel to the petitioners, 

Douglas Ogbankwa said they 

gave their best in the case and 

commended the panel for its 

efforts but insisted that there 

was merit in their case and 

believed that the Court of Appeal 

would do the needful by 

upturning the decision of the 

tribunal.‘‘ 

from it. The 2019 general 

election was in your hands 

but was an election that APC 

fought against APC in Akwa 

Ibom State, it was an election 

APC connived against APC in 

Akwa Ibom State. 

"His Excellency, you have 

started a revolution for the 

unity of APC in Akwa Ibom. It 

is not a mistake because there 

is no way as an elder you will 

see things going wrong and 

just sit back. 

"You spoke my mind that this 

attempt at reuniting the APC 

in Akwa Ibom to focus on the 

way forward and that it's not 

for yourself, it is not for Godswill 

Akpabio, or those of us 

here, it is for all of you and 

your children because you are 

now going to inherit what you 

did not inherit in 2019 because 

of disunity. 

"I give you my word today 

that I have accepted your call 

and your lives will not be the 

same again. Confusion, betrayal, 

lack of direction, has 

ended from today. I foresee joy. 

This is a great sign that we 

are not going to break up in 

Akwa Ibom State. We are going 

to surprise those who want 

to be surprised. We have the 

capacity and followership, we 

have all it takes to win the election 

for the APC in Akwa 

Ibom." 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

ANonviolence BUJA—NIGER-Delta 

Agitators 

Forum, NDNAF, has weighed 

in on the debate over the £4.2 

million repatriated from United 

Kingdom, urging the Federal 

Government to return the 

money to the Delta State coffers. 

The agitators also passed 

a vote of confidence on the 

Minister of State, Petroleum 

Resources, Chief Timipre 

Sylva "for his innovations 

and giant strides in the petroleum 

and gas industry." 

They also hailed Governor 

Douye Diri of Bayelsa State 

for tackling youth restiveness 

and militancy in the region, 

urging Nigerians to 

support Federal Government 

efforts to rehabilitate 

the Port Harcourt refinery. 

National President of 

NDNAF, Wisdom Ikuli, said, 

"By now, I expect the Delta 

State government to have 

gone to court. Let them follow 

legal means. As a parent, 

you can negotiate for 

your child, but it doesn't 

mean that your child must 

now give you everything he 

acquires in life. We, however, 

thank the Federal Government 

for helping Delta 

State out. 

"In terms of the $1.5 billion 

being spent on the Port 

Harcourt refinery, we see it 

as a positive development, 

because it is sad that we have 

abundant crude oil and yet 

cannot refine any of it. By the 

time the refinery starts working, 

it will reduce forex flight. 

All we need is to work with the 

minister and support FG realise 

the project" he added. 

The group noted that since 

the appointment of Sylva, 

there has been a drastic reduction 

in the destruction of 

oil facilities in the Niger 

Delta due to his proactive 

gesture in addressing critical 

issues which would have 

resulted in sabotage. 

He said, "The most important 

is the huge investments 

he has attracted to the Niger 

Delta, chief among 

which are the commencement 

of the Nigerian Liquified 

Natural Gas, NLNG, 

Train 7 in the famous Bonny 

Island in Rivers State, the 

over $3.6billion Brass Fertilizer 

and Petrochemicals, 

the Oloibiri-Otabagi Oil 

and Gas Museum and Research 

Institute all in Bayelsa 

State and other massive 

projects and investments 

that he has facilitated and 

attracted to the Niger Delta.‘‘




Vanguard Advert 

Manager, Abuja Zonal 

Office, Mrs. Ethel 

Igboeche (right), 

receives the 3rd 

prize winner of the 

'2021 Vanguard 

Valentine Love 

Note' Competition, 

Mr. Otas-Osegbe 

(left) and his wife, 

Isabel, at Dennis 

Hotel, Abuja, 

weekend. Photo: 

Gbemiga Olamikan. 

S-East no longer safe —Igwe Achebe 

•As gunmen attack herdsmen who shot factory worker, kill 8 •FG plotting military 

attack on S'East with allegation of ESN attacking security agents —IPOB •Any 

herder with AK-47 has 48 hours to vacate our forests or be treated like 'bush meat' 

—Ohanaeze youths •Say any tribe plotting to attack Igbo'll have to prepare well 

By Chimaobi 

Nwaiwu, Ikechukwu 

Odu & Steve Oko 

Oby NITSHA—WORRIED 

the precarious security 

situation in the South East, 

the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred 

Nnaemeka Achebe, has 

told the people of the region 

to step up their security consciousness, 

to avoid being 

caught unawares by killer 

herdsmen trooping into the 

region. According to him, the 

South East is no longer safe. 

There have been reports of 

incessant attacks in different 

parts of the region by unknown 

gunmen and alleged 

bandits. 

This came as eight persons 

were, yesterday, allegedly 

feared killed, while properties 

worth millions of naira were 

burnt down when unknown 

gunmen invaded Adani in 

Uzo-Uwani Local Government 

Area of Enugu State to 

rescue a young man allegedly 

shot by suspected herdsmen. 

Meanwhile, the youth wing 

of apex Igbo socio-cultural 

body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has 

given 48-hour ultimatum to 

every herder with AK-47 in 

any part of South East to 

leave or be treated like "bush 

meat". 

Speaking yesterday, the Onitsha 

monarch alleged that 

terrorist herders from outside 

the country had invaded Nigeria, 

causing insecurity in 

many parts of the country, including 

South East. 

He said forests in the region 

had been taken over by the 

herders who, according to 

him, kill, maim and rape 

women. 

Igwe Achebe said: "Mercenary 

herdsmen are moving 

into the South East forests, 

kidnapping and killing our 

people.'' 

He urged South East governors 

to speak with one voice 

and act without further delay 

to save the lives of their people. 

The monarch, who spoke 

while receiving six security 

motorcycles donated by Rai 

and Salim, R&S, Loto Limited, 

to the newly formed Onitsha 

Ado Community Vigilante 

Unit, acknowledged that 

the whole country was facing 

security challenge, especially 

in the South East, which needed 

to be addressed urgently. 

Igwe Achebe, who also received 

three patrol vehicles 

donated by Onitsha indigenes, 

from the Transition Chairman 

of Onitsha North Local Government 

Area, Mr Patrick 

Agha Mba, also asked the federal 

government and the security 

agencies to restrategize 

and step up their security apparatus 

to match the sophistication 

being introduced by 

violent criminals into the 

country. 

"The federal government 

and security agencies should 

restrategize in the act of providing 

security for Nigerians. 

Security agents can only secure 

the country if they step 

up their intelligence network. 

They should avoid anything 

that will make people to look 

for alternative ways of securing 

themselves. South East 

people have had enough invasion 

of their forests by foreigners." 

8 killed in Enugu 

community 

The attack at Adani, Uzo- 

Uwani Local Government 

Area of Enugu State which 

started at Presco Junction, was 

accompanied by sporadic 

gun shots and burning of 

houses and other valuable 

properties. 

It was gathered that a young 

man from Iggah, also in the 

council area, who is yet-to-be 

identified, was working at 

Adarice Factory in Adani, 

when he was allegely shot by 

suspected herdsmen over a 

misunderstanding. 

However, when sympathizers 

attempted to rush him to 

the hospital for treatment, it 

was learnt that the suspected 

shooter and his cohorts 

blocked their way, prompting 

the escalation of the violence. 

It was further learnt that in 

the midst of the attempt to resuscitate 

the young man with 

bullet wound, some young 

men on motorcycles stormed 

the scene and started shooting 

at those stopping the factory 

worker from accessing 

medical attention, resulting in 

the casualties. 

Residents who spoke on 

condition of anonymity, alleged 

that hunters and even 

some local vigilantes had encountered 

some unfamiliar 

faces suspected to be personnel 

of Eastern Security Network, 

ESN, in the forests 

around the council area who 

told them that they were not 

after any law-abiding resident 

in the area. 

It was equally gathered that 

after the attack, the gunmen 

who spotted black outfit gathered 

at a market close to Adarice 

in Adani from where they 

vanished into the thin air. 

Reacting to the incident, the 

state Commissioner of Police, 

Mohammed Ndatsu Aliyu, 

said they were on a fact-finding 

mission at the scene of the 

incident. 

Spokesman of the command, 

Daniel Ndukwe, who 

accompanied the commissioner 

on the mission, confirmed 

the incident but promised 

to provide more details 

which he didn't do at press 

time. 

FG plotting 

military attack on 

S'East with 

allegation of 

ESN attacking 

security agents 

—IPOB 

Also yesterday, the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, IPOB, 

raised the alarm that the federal 

government was looking 

for another justification to 

launch a fresh military operation 

in the South East and 

South South in order to kill 

more innocent and unarmed 

Biafrans, using the Nigeria 

Navy. 

The group said this government 

intended to do by linking 

the Eastern Security Network, 

ESN, with the killing of 

securitymen and seizure of 

their weapons. 

IPOB said it was, however, 

not surprised that the federal 

government would easily 

point accusing fingers at 

IPOB and ESN, saying it had 

always been its antics. 

The Biafra agitating group 

asked the Nigerian Navy to 

channel its attack on criminals 

who killed their ratings 

and carted away their weapons, 

instead of accusing and 

planning to attack innocent 

ESN operatives. 

IPOB in a statement by its 

Media and Publicity Secretary, 

Emma Powerful, entitled, 

,"Stop linking ESN with unknown 

gunmen attacking security 

agents", alleged that the 

federal government was not 

happy that ESN flushed out 

herdsmen in the South East. 

IPOB statement read: "The 

attention of the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, IPOB, has 

been drawn to the unfounded 

allegation by the Nigerian 

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral 

Awwal Gambo, that the 

personnel of the Eastern Security 

Network, ESN, are responsible 

for the series of attacks 

on security agents in the 

South East and the South 

South in recent times. 

"We also take exceptions to 

insinuations and some biased 

media reports linking ESN 

and IPOB with the purported 

attacks. We are, however, not 

surprised that the Nigerian 

government will easily point 

accusing fingers at us. 

"We know their antics. They 

are only looking for another 

justification to launch a fresh 

military operation in the 

South East and South South 

to kill more innocent and unarmed 

Biafrans. The Naval 

Chief who is too weak to mobilise 

his troops and confront 

Boko Haram and Fulani bandits 

that are daily slaughtering 

both security operatives 

and civilians in the North and 

different parts of the country, 

kidnapping for ransom and 

raping women in their farms, 

is now threatening to launch 

military operation against 

ESN and IPOB. 

"The only offence the ESN 

has committed is flushing out 

terrorists out of our lands. We 

are asking when has resisting 

terrorists in the forests translated 

to attacking security operatives? 

"We have severally stated 

that ESN is not after security 

agents but terrorists rampaging 

our communities. ESN 

operates in the bushes and not 

in the cities. Anyone looking 

for them should go to the forests. 

"Neither ESN nor IPOB is 

involved in the purported attacks 

against security agents. 

This is another fabricated lie 

by the Nigeria military to 

blackmail the security outfit 

and have another excuse to 

attack innocent people." 

Herders with 

AK-47 has 48 

hours to vacate 

our forests 

—Ohanaeze 

youths 

The ultimatum by Ohanaeze 

youths is coming on the 

heels of the revelation that 

over 332 camps across South 

East are occupied by herders 

with AK-47 rifles. 

National President of Ohanaeze 

Youths Council, Igboayaka. 

O Igboayaka, who 

said the revelation had corroborated 

an earlier similar 

report by a civil society organisation, 

said Igbo youths 

would not sit idly to watch 

terrorists encircle and invade 

Igbo land. 

He therefore, warned "all 

herdsmen with AK47 rifles to 

immediately vacate their hidden 

locations in Igbo land 

within 48 hours or risk being 

treated like bush animals 

wherever they are sighted 

with weapons." 

OYC accused President 

Muhamnadu Buhari and the 

security agencies of maintaining 

criminal silence over the 

disturbing revelation, saying 

they should be held accountable 

for any security breach 

or genocidal attack in Igbo 

land. 

According to OYC, Ndigbo 

will be left with no option than 

to resort to self-defense which 

may eventually lead to fragmentation 

of the country. 

Igboayaka in a press statement 

by his Special Assistant 

on Media and Publicity, 

Chukwuemeka Chimerue, 

said any tribe plotting to attack 

Ndigbo now might need 

to prepare well. 

The statement read: "This 

revelation is in line with a recent 

research made by International 

Society For Civil 

Liberties & The Rule Of 

Law(Inter-society), one of the 

leading civil society groups in 

Nigeria, wherein, they published 

that 433 locations in 

Igbo land are domiciled by 

these dreaded herdsmen 

waiting to attack the entire 

old Eastern region. 

He cautioned the President 

and his kinsmen to have a rethink 

"on their covert Fulanization 

agenda and ethnic 

cleansing of other nationalities 

in Nigeria. 

“The 1967-1970 genocide 

against Ndigbo where all 

tribes in the West, Mid-West 

and Hausa land fought 

against Ndigbo would not repeat 

again. 

"Herders should get ready 

to contend with the forces of 

all the ethnic nationalities in 

Nigeria, if they go ahead to 

embark on this impending attack 

against Ndigbo,” Igboayaka 

stated. 

Abia acquires 54.1 hectares of land for Fed 

housing estate 

By Steve Oko 

ABIA STATE Government 

has acquired 54.1 hectares 

of land for federal housing 

estate. 

The land according to a 

press release by the Director 

of Information, Ministry of 

Lands, Survey & Urban Planning, 

Mr. Uzomba Ekwuruibe, 

was acquired from 

Emede Ibeku, Atta Ibeku and 

Umuire communities all in 

Umuahia North Local Gov- 

ernment Area. 

According to the release, 

government has also "handed 

over cheques running into 

tens of millions of Naira being 

the financial back-up for 

the acquisition" to the affected 

communities. 

Permanent Secretary of the 

Ministry, Mr. J. E Alozie while 

handing over the cheques to 

the community leaders, 

charged them to ensure due 

process, diligence and equitable 

disbursement of the largesse 

to the affected families. 

The Permanent Secretary 

commended the federal government 

for choosing Abia as 

one of the states for the federal 

housing scheme. 

He expressed optimism 

that the development of the 

site would soon commence. 

Representatives of the communities, 

Hon. Ejike Ekwuruibe, 

Chief Uche Sunday, and 

Chief Okechukwu Nwafor, 

thanked Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu 

for the largesse and promised 

to ensure equitable disbursement. 

They also pledged continued 

cooperation with government 

for the development of 

the state. 

Femi Iwasokun appointed DPO, Festac, 

Lagos State Police Command 

LAGOS—THE Commis 

sioner of Police, Lagos 

State, Hakeem Odumosu, on 

Friday, appointed Chief Superintendent 

of Police, CSP, 

Femi Iwasokun, as the Divisional 

Police Officer, DPO, 

Festac Division of the Lagos 

State Police Command. 

Femi hails from Akungba 

Akoko in Akoko South West 

local government area of 

Ondo State. He has a BSc in 

Political Science from Adekunle 

Ajasin University, 

Akungba Akoko, in Ondo 

State. He enlisted into the Nigeria 

Police Force as cadet Assistant 

Superintendent of Police 

in 2007. 

He was a Sector Commander, 

TinCan Axis, Apapa, 

of the defunct Presidential 

Task Force on Apapa Gridlock 

and former second in command 

in Mopol 16, Abeokuta, 

18 Owerri, 5 Benin, 2 Keffi 

Road, VI, Lagos, and Admin 

Officer, Mopol 17, Akure, and 

48 Ahoada, Rivers State. 

He was also Personal Assistant 

to the Director, Directorate 

of Peace Keeping, Nigeria 

Police Force, Force Headquarters, 

Abuja, before he was 

appointed as PRO and Desk 

Officer of the same Directorate. 

Shortly after his appointment 

as the Desk Officer, he 

was made the pioneer Camp 

Commandant of the Nigeria 

Police Force International 

Peace Keeping Training Centre, 

Force Headquarters, Garki, 

Abuja. 

He is a seasoned and disciplined 

police officer. He is 

happily married with kids. We 

wish him happy and successful 

tenure as the new DPO, 

Festac, Lagos State Police 

Command. 

Femi Iwasokun took over 

from CSP Gabriel Funsho, 

who has been redeployed to 

Oke Odo Division of the command, 

as the DPO. 

• Femi Iwasokun


By Femi Bolaji 

J 

A L I N G O — 

ACTIVITIES in 

various government 

offices in Taraba State 

were yesterday grounded 

as public workers in the 

state commenced 

indefinite strike to press 

home their demand for 

the implementation of the 

N30, 000 new minimum 

wage 

Recall that the 

Organised Labour had 

last week directed workers 

to resume an earlier 

suspended strike over the 

failure of the state 

government to honour 

agreement with Labour 

on the implementation of 

the new minimum wage. 

When Vanguard visited 

the state secretariat in 

Jalingo, the state capital, 

the gate was under lock 

and keys. 

Some other government 

offices visited were 

deserted in total 

compliance with the 

direction of the organized 

labor. 

Speaking to Vanguard 

on the development, 

Chairman of the Taraba 

State Joint Public Service 

Negotiating Council, 

Dame Buhari, 


Workers shut Taraba over 

N30,000 minimum wage 

•As Labour insists ‘no pay, no work’ 

commended the workers 

for complying. 

According to him, “we 

resumed our strike action 

because of the breach of 

an agreement between 

the organized labor and 

Taraba state government 

in respect to the 

implementation of the new 

national minimum wage of 

N30,000 and its 

consequential adjustments. 

“This strike is going to 

be indefinite until we can 

get our demands. The 

national body of our union 

is also with us on this 

including all unions 

affiliated with the Nigeria 

Labour Congress, NLC. 

Since the enactment of 

the new minimum wage, 

several states have 

complied and ours should 

not be an exception. We 

are urging workers in the 

state to be firm on this 

because it is only through 

this struggle that our 

demands can be met.” 

Responding to the 

question on if the state 

government orders for no 

work no pay, Buhari said 

“for us, it is ‘no pay, no 

work.’ All through 2020 till 

now, there has been no 

consequential adjustment 

for workers to reflect the 

new minimum wage.” 

RETRACTION AND APOLOGY 

RE: Published in Vanguard newspaper 

of Wednesday, September 30, 2020 on 

Pages 32 – 34. 

We refer to the above advertorial 

published in the Vanguard Newspaper 

of Wednesday, September 30, 2020 on 

Pages 32 – 34 by Musa Jibril-Abuja, titled: 

IDUMUJA-UGBOKO TERRORISM 

TRIAL BEGINS IN ABUJA, which made 

reference to Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie. 

The said publication is hereby retracted 

in its entirety as all defamatory statements 

contained therein which made reference 

to Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie are completely 

untrue and based on a lack of judgment. 

We sincerely apologise for publishing the 

above advertorial and hereby tender our 

unreserved apology to Dr. Gabriel 

Ogbechie, an astute and respected 

member of the society for the dent which 

the above publication must have caused 

to his image and character. We hold Dr. 

Ogbechie in high esteem. - Editor. 


Secession: Nigeria’s unity is paramount 

to traditional rulers — SULTAN 

•Says royal fathers‘ll be neutral for peace, stability of Nigeria 

RESIDENTS 

of 

Awoyaya in Ibeju- 

Lekki Local Government 

Area of Lagos State, have 

again pleaded with the 

management of Eko 

Electricity Distribution 

Company, EKEDC, to 

rescue them from the 

frequent breakdown of 

transformer in the area. 

The residents lamented 

that the development has 

overtime crumbled 

business activities in the 

area, forcing them to rely 

on generators as their main 

source of electricity supply 

which is not financially 

sustainable. 

One of the residents 

who preferred to be 

addressed as Tunde 

said: “We are fed up with 

the palliative repairs of 

the transformer. 

“These measures have 

not brought about the 

needed solution. This is 

By Bashir Bello 

KANO—THE 

Co- 

Chairman of 

National Council of 

Traditional Rulers of 

Nigeria, NCTRN, His 

Eminence, Alhaji 

Muhammad Sa’ad 

Abubakar III, yesterday 

said the unity of Nigeria 

was paramount to the royal 

fathers. 

According to him, the 

nation's monarchs would 

be neutral to ensure peace, 

unity and stability of the 

country. 

He spoke in his opening 

remarks at the 12th general 

assembly of the council held 

in Kano. 

The 12th general 

assembly has the themes as 

“Imperative of Unity, Peace 

and Development: The 

Role of Traditional Rulers” 

and “COVID-19: The Role 

of Traditional Rulers for a 

Successful Vaccination 

and Prevention.” 

Abubakar said the unity 

of the country was very 

paramount hence the need 

to call on all participants to 

continue to work for the 

togetherness of the nation. 

According to him, “We 

want to assure all political 

leaders of our neutrality in 

whatever we do because 

we care for this country and 

our people. We will 

continue to help to stabilize 

this nation. 

“Let the political leaders 

have confidence in this 

institution because we are 

here to support and help 

them and this country 

will continue to grow 

stronger and stronger and 

united.” 

On COVID-19, the 

Sultan called on Nigerians 

to beware that COVID-19 

''is real and keep observing 

COVID-19 protocols as laid 

down by the authorities 

and accept the vaccination 

as a means through which 

the country will bring an 

end to the pandemic.'' 

Declaring the event open, 

Governor Abdullahi 

Ganduje of Kano State, 

commended the council for 

selecting the state to host 

this year’s general 

assembly at a time when 

peaceful coexistence, unity 

of this country and 

elimination of coronavirus 

were paramount. 

He said: “This assembly 

has come at a time when 

our country particularly the 

Uzodinma seeks unity among Igbo ahead of 2023 

O 

W E R R I — 

GOVERNOR 

Hope Uzodinma of Imo 

State has canvassed unity 

among all strata of Igbo 

society as a means of 

attaining political relevance 

in 2023. 

He said disunity, 

selfishness and 

antagonism amongst Igbo 

were antithesis to political 

relevance being sought by 

the people in Nigeria. 

In his remarks during the 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo meeting 

which heid in Owerri at the 

weekend, Uzodinma also 

cautioned Igbo youths 

beating the drums of war 

to desist from such if other 

Nigerians are to take the 

race seriously. 

He reiterated his stance 

that Ndigbo need Nigeria 

just like Nigeria needs 

Ndigbo in the March to 

reinvent the country. 

According to him, 

Ndigbo must not only 

speak with one voice to be 

taken seriously, they must 

also convince the rest of the 

country that they are ready 

for leadership. 

Uzodinma regretted that 

the political investment 

made by Ndigbo in the 

past did not yield the 

desired results and urged 

for new alliances. 

He challenged Ndigbo to 

chart a new alliance that 

would ensure that they 

attain justice and equity in 

an environment that 

Awoyaya residents task EKEDC 

on transformer, blackout 

northern region is being 

faced with enormous 

security challenges in spite 

of the measures in place by 

the government at various 

levels to check the menace 

and trend at which the 

crime is committed. 

“This therefore, informs 

the need for the royal 

fathers here present to 

focus much attention on 

scouting the remedies for 

this serious menace. Kano 

State is somehow spared 

from the menace of 

insecurity and the relative 

peace being enjoyed is not 

by accident but the 

commitment of my 

administration to nip in the 

bud any anticipated 

criminality.” 

encourages their spirit of 

entrepreneurship. 

He was emphatic that as 

a people who make up the 

second largest population 

in any city outside 

igboland, the race has a 

stake in a united Nigeria. 

The governor while 

applauding the Igbo 

leaders for coming together 

to seek solutions to the 

problem of the people, 

pledged to assist in 

anyway to make their jobs 

easier. 

He also assured the 

leadership of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo that the south east 

Governors were solidly 

behind them in the 

prosecution of their agenda 

for Ndigbo. 

CAC declares Rochas Foundation moribund 

THE 

Corporate 

Affairs Commission 

(CAC) has declared Rochas 

Foundation as being 

moribund few months after 

its controversial bid to take 

over a university registered 

in imo State government’s 

name. 

A statement by a group of 

concerned Imo Citizens 

said the information they 

obtained from the 

Corporate Affairs 

Commission revealed that 

the foundation is moribund 

contrary to the claim of 

former Imo State governor, 

Senator Rochas Okorocha. 

Responding to inquiries 

on the status of the 

foundation, the group in 

a statement signed by its 

coordinator, Chief Dike 

Okafor, said the CAC 

made it categorically clear 

that the body is inactive. 

It also gave the names of 

the trustees as Okorocha 

himself, his wife, Nkechi, 

his six children and a 

brother of his. 

Specifically, the CAC in a 

letter of March 22,2021 with 

reference number RGO/ 

SPU/Vol 4/2021/0385, 

confirmed that 

Brendan,Uloma, Uchechi, 

Uju, Amarachi and 

Amanchi, all children of 

Okorocha are the trustees 

of Rochas Foundation 

along with their mother and 

an uncle. 

The coordinator of the 

group Chief Dike Okafor, 

has therefore questioned 

how a family foundation 

that has been inactive for 

years could acquire a 

university registered in imo 

Government’s name. 

The lmo State 

government recently 

recovered the Eastern 

Palm University, 

Ogboko, which 

Okorocha claimed was 

taken over by Rochas 

Foundation under a public 

private partnership 

arrangement. 

But in recovering the 

university and renaming it 

K. O. Mbadiwe University, 

the state government 

argued that Okorocha 

allegedly converted the 

university after pouring 

more than N22 billion state 

funds into it. 

totally unfair. The 

transformer in question has 

been serving this area for a 

very long time, when about 

20 percent of the present 

population lived here. 

“What we need is a 

replacement, because each 

time they come to repair the 

transformer, it normally 

does not work for more than 

two weeks.” 

Efforts to speak with the 

General Manager, 

C o r p o r a t e 

Communications, EKEDC, 

Godwin Idemudia, were 

unsuccessful. 

But an official in the 

Communication 

department, who spoke on 

condition of anonymity, 

said efforts were being 

made to resolve the issue 

and find lasting solution. 

He said the company was 

putting in place structures 

to salvage the power crisis 

in the community.


12TH BOLA TINUBU COLLOQUIUM 

The 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held at Kano State Government House. yesterday. 

From left; National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed 

Tinubu; Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; Yobe State Governor and 

Caretaker Chairman of APC, Mai Mala Buni and Chief Bisi Akande. 

Asiwaju Tinubu flanked by Governor Ganduje (left) and Mai Mala Buni and others. 

From left; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos; Governor Gboyega Oyetola of 

Osun; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti and Senator Opeyemi Bamidele. 

From left; Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Senator Ibrahim Shettima 

and Senator Tokunbo Abiru attending the colloquium virtually from the Nnamdi 

Azikiwe Airport, Abuja. 

Wike as an apostle of even development 

By PAULINUS NSIRIM 

WHEN Governor Nyesom Wike de 

clared on on Saturday, January 30, 

2021, that discussions have been concluded 

to commence the construction of the Trans- 

Kalabari Road, which will ease transportation 

difficulties experienced by the people 

of Kalabari Ethnic Nationality, the announcement 

was greeted with mixed feelings. 

The diverse feelings of hope, 

skepticism, disbelief, déjâ vú and forlon nostalgia 

were understandable for the simple 

reason that the Trans-Kalabari Road project 

has been one of the major talking points in 

the Rivers political calibration since 1999. 

The nostalgia was even more poignant, 

as many Rivers people, especially the people 

of Kalabari will recall that in December 

2012, the administration of the day had assured 

the people that the road would be 

completed before the exit of that regime 

from office in 2015. The so-called assurance 

that the road remains top priority of 

that administration had been made with 

boastful audacity at a town hall meeting in 

Buguma, headquarters of Asari-Toru Local 

Government Area. In their words: “The 

Trans-Kalabari road is coming and we have 

awarded the contract to Lubriks for the sum 

of N21 billion. We have agreed to take it to 

Buguma so by January we will mobilise the 

contractor to site”. 

Alas, just like the Karibi Whyte Memorial 

Hospital and the grotesque, daylight robbery 

monorail project that assaults the sensibilities, 

the Trans-Kalabari road joined 

other white elephant projects of that administration, 

which its spin doctors have been 

trying with frenzied misleading propaganda 

to re-present. So, when Governor Wike declared, 

during the reception organised for 

the conferment of the special chieftaincy title, 

Eze Gbuwara Uzo1 of Ikwerre on Sir 

Celestine Omehia, former Governor of Rivers 

State, at Isiokpo Town in Ikwerre Local 

Government Area, on Saturday, January 30, 

•Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike 

2021, the expectations also carried a tinge 

of real hope. 

The reason was not far-fetched. It was not 

only that the announcement had come on 

the heels of a marathon inauguration of 

quality projects across the state, but the faith 

and belief that Governor Wike had already 

pledged to complete legacy projects he 

started in every local government area in 

the state during his tenure. Affirming the 

seriousness of the Rivers State Government 

to commence the Trans-Kalabari Road 

project, Governor Wike said: “I and the 

deputy governor, together with the chairman 

of the Rivers State Elders Council, have 

agreed on how the Trans-Kalabari Road will 

follow. Those who said we don’t want to do 

anything in the Kalabari area, today they 

are sending me text messages to thank me." 

To add the icing on the cake, the governor 

said that with several projects inaugurated 

in the various local governments of the State, 

most critics who accused him of being sectional 

with his development programme are 

now ashamed and silenced. "So many people 

have said that I am discriminating in 

terms of projects. Now, when they saw us go 

to the various local governments to commission 

projects, they don’t say anything 

again," he stated. Two months later, on 

Wednesday, March 24, 2021, the Rivers State 

Executive Council approved the construc- 

tion of the Trans-Kalabari and Saakpenwa- 

Bori-Kono Road projects at the cost of N27.6 

billion. It will also be recalled that Governor 

Wike had, during the January 30 reception 

for Sir Celestine Omehia equally declared 

that: “When we were constructing 

Sakpeenwa-Bori Road, some politicians in 

our party were carrying propaganda. They 

were saying that we are not going to complete 

it. But, they now have one of the best 

roads in the state. Some of them were even 

ashamed to watch it on television. We have 

also agreed that from Sakpeenwa to Bori, 

we are awarding fresh contract to take it to 

Kono town." 

Little wonder, therefore, that an avalanche 

of encomiums, 

ranging from lyrical 

to poetic and 

the unrestrained 

outpouring of joy 

by top politicians, 

media gurus, 

statesmen and an 

appreciative community 

witnessing 

The award of 

the Trans- 

Kalabari Road by 

the Gov Wike’s 

administration is 

historic 

an infrastructure 

miracle they had only dared to dream about, 

greeted the commissioning of the first phase, 

16.06 kilometres, dual carriage 

Saakpenwa-Bori Highway by the Governor 

of Enugu State, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Lawrence 

Ugwuanyi on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 

Now, with the approval for the construction of 

phase two and indeed the award of the Trans- 

Kalabari road, Rivers people have already concurred 

that these are two more promises made 

and kept by the promise keeping governor who 

is building legacy projects all over Rivers State. 

Elloka Tasie-Amadi, speaking at a press briefing 

on the approval for the construction of the 

Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono Phase 2 Road project 

said the project, which starts from Bori to Kono, 

"is a 17-kilometre road and the cost of the project 

is N14 billion. Construction time is 14 months. 

Payment will also be secured by an irrevocable 

payment standing order of N1 billion monthly 

drawn against the State Internal Revenue." 

The Works Commissioner further stated that 

the Saakpenwa-Bori-Kono contract will be executed 

by the same company that executed the 

phase one of the road, Chinese Civil and Engineering 

Construction Corporation, adding, for 

emphasis, that the reason the cost of the Trans- 

Kalabari road which is 13 kilometres long and 

9.3 metres wide is almost the same as that of 

Bori- Kono 17.1 kilometres and 24 metres wide 

road with street light, is because the terrains are 

different. 

Building in the 

riverine area 

“You see the cost of building in the riverine 

area is nothing less than twice the cost of building 

on solid soil. So the government is going 

through huge trouble to see that these roads are 

built. People will wonder why the cost are like 

that; the terrain determines the cost. So, the Trans- 

Kalabari Road is far more expensive to build.” 

Shedding more light on the Trans-Kalabari 

Road, Tasie-Amadi explained that the road will 

connect several communities among them 

Krakama, Omekwe-ama, Angula-ama, Minaama 

and some other communities in the 

Kalabari area of the State. “The project will cost 

N13.6 billion and will have 14 months duration, 

financed by an irrevocable standing payment 

order drawn against the State Internal 

Revenue, meaning that every month the contractor 

will be paid N1 billon and there will be 

no delays. 

“This will guarantee the project is not stalled 

and completed within the time frame stipulated 

and agreed with the state government. This, I 

believe, will be useful to the people and open the 

area for economic activities," he added. There is 

absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the award 

of the Trans-Kalabari Road by the Governor 

Wike’s administration is historic. Many will recall 

that the previous government awarded the 

road to indigenes of the area who later abandoned 

the project for inexplicable reasons. 

It had also been the most devious unique selling 

point in a completely dubious and misleading 

election propaganda of a political party, 

which had trumpeted the ethnic mantra that 

only a Riverine governor would deliver the Trans- 

Kalabari Road, with their leader even audaciously 

foisting a business accomplice as the 

anointed messiah on the hapless followers. Now 

they will hide their heads in shame. 

Continues online:www:vanguardngr.com 

•Nsirim is Commissioner for Information 

and Communications, Rivers State.




By Chief Edward 

Ekpoko 

SETTING THE STAGE: 

It was Shakespeare who said 

in Twelfth Night that some are 

born great, some achieve greatness 

and some have greatness 

thrust upon them. For Chief Florence 

Elemi Rewane, she had it 

all – she was born great and had 

same thrust upon her and equally 

achieved greatness as well. A 

biography of her is an excursion 

into Itsekiri aristocratic society especially 

from the era of interregnum 

from 1848 to the present day. 

Chief Florence descended paternally 

from the Ologbotsere family 

of Warri, through his father, 

Chief Rewane Jemide Diare (the 

Osague of Warri; 1876–1977). Her 

father was the son of Jemide, who 

was the son of Diare, the Governor 

of the Benin River from 1851 

to 1870. Diare was the son of 

Uwangue Uwankun, who was 

himself son of Ologbotsere Eyinmisan. 

The Ologbotsere Chieftaincy 

title is the highest in Itsekiri 

land, while the Uwangue ranks 

third. 

Between 1848 and 1936, there 

was interregnum in Itsekiri and, 

in this period, Itsekiris were ruled 

by Governors, an office necessitated 

by the absence of an Olu to 

meet the needs of the time. There 

were three Governors during this 

period, first was Diare, who was 

the great-grandfather of Chief F. 

E. Rewane. Others were Prince 

Tsanomi Omokun, a great maternal 

uncle of Chief F. E. Rewane, 

Olomu Asueruku and Nana Olomu. 

Diare led the Itsekiri people 

to sign the first trade treaty with 

the British, under Consul John 

Beecroft, on 4th April, 1851. 

After the Ebrohimi Expedition 

of 1894 and the fall of Nana Olomu, 

Dore Numa was appointed 

a Paramount Chief of the Itsekiri 

people, in place of Chief Nana 

and he held that position until his 

death in 1932. Chief Dore Numa 

was Chief F. E. Rewane's grandmother’s 

junior brother. 

Maternally, Chief F. E. Rewane’s 

father descended from the 

Iyatsere family, as he was the son 

of Princess Mene, who was the 

daughter of Prince Numa. Numa’s 

mother was Princess Uwala 

Erejuwa, while his father was 

Oritsemogho, who was the son 

of Iyatsere Egharegbemi, the 

founder of Ubeji and several other 

Itsekiri communities. Again, 

the Iyatsere title is one of the highest 

in chieftaincy ranking, being 

the second in the hierarchy of 

chiefs of Warri Kingdom next only 

to the Ologbotsere. 

Chief F. E. Rewane also had Itsekiri 

royal blood. Her father was 

the younger brother of two children 

and only son of Princess 

Mene, daughter of Prince Numa, 

who was the son of Princess Uwala. 

Princess Uwala was the 

daughter of Erejuwa I, the Olu of 

Warri (1760-95). Princess Uwala’s 

younger sister was Princess Iye, 

born of the same mother, Olori 

(Queen) Emaye to Olu Erejuwa 

I. When the monarch joined his 

ancestors in 1795, Emaye was inherited 

by Olu Akengbuwa 

(1795-1848) who was the halfbrother 

to both Uwala and Iye. 

Queen Emaye had three children 

for Olu Akengbuwa namely, 

Princes Omateye & Ejo and Princess 

Ejumogho. The descendant 

of the five (5) royal children of 

Queen Emaye namely Uwala, 

Iye, Omateye, Ejo & Ejumogho 

are compendiously known as 

Ugogo-maru in the Itsekiri history 

Ċhief F. E. Rewane descended 

from the noblest of the Itsekiri 

Chieftaincy institutions of Olog- 

THIS FLORENCE WAS A NIGHTINGALE 

A TRIBUTE TO CHIEF FLORENCE ELEMI REWANE 

botsere, Iyatsere and Uwangue 

and she is also from the royal family. 

Her most elder brother, Late 

Chief O. N. Rewane was the 

Ologbotsere of Warri and he 

crowned Atuwatse II, CON, as 

the Olu of Warri on 2nd day of 

May, 1987. The other uterus immediate 

elder brother was Late 

Alfred O. Rewane, the business 

mogul, philanthropist and financier 

of NADECO who was brutally 

murdered during the June 

12 struggle under the Abacha regime. 

The two (2) Rewane brothers 

along with Late E. N. A. Begho 

founded the famous Hussey 

College, Warri. 

Her rise to prominence is not 

merely because of her noble and 

privileged background although 

she consolidated and built on it, 

her fame rested on solid personal 

achievements. 

SHE SET FORTH: 

Chief F. E. Rewane was born 

on the 10th of April, 1930 and 

started her primary education at 

the Catholic School, Burutu in the 

present day Burutu Local Government 

Area of Delta State from 

1940 – 1942 and then proceeded 

to Lagos where she attended 

Lady Lak Institute from 1942 – 

1945. She had her secondary education 

at the Reagan Memorial 

Baptist Girls School, Yaba from 

1946 – 1950. 

In 1951 under the sponsorship 

of her elder brother, she proceeded 

to London and was at the 

Hammersmith Hospital, London 

from 1951 – 1955 where she did 

Chief F. E. Rewane 

was also a 

lover of sport and 

contributed immensely 

towards 

its development. 

She, along with 

Chief Edebiri, the 

Esogban of Benin 

organized the first 

female football 

tournament in 

Nigeria 

Nursing and qualified as a Registered 

Nurse of England and 

Wales. Chief F. E. Rewane later 

did her Part 2, Midwifery Course 

at the Queen’s District Nursing 

Association from August, 1955 – 

January, 1956. 

She was later at the ANT Royal 

Free Hospital, London from August, 

1956 – February, 1957. Chief 

F. E. Rewane was the first Itsekiri 

Registered Nurse in London. She 

returned to Nigeria in 1957 where 

she worked with the Western Region 

Government from 1957 – 

1960 and during this time served 

in many government hospitals including 

the Warri, Sapele and 

Ughelli Central Hospitals. 

LANDMARK 

ACHIEVEMENTS: 

She left the Midwestern Region 

Civil Service in 1960 and went 

into private practice where she 

opened the Numa Maternity on 

30th November, 1960. The Numa 

•Late Chief Florence Elemi Rewane 

Maternity, which later became 

Numa Maternity and Clinic was 

a household name in Warri and 

the defunct Bendel State. 

Chief F. E. Rewane was also a 

lover of sport and contributed immensely 

towards its development. 

She, along with Chief Edebiri, 

the Esogban of Benin organized 

the first female football 

tournament in Nigeria. She 

founded the Warri Ladies Football 

Club. Her club and the 

Hawks of Benin founded by Chief 

Edebiri played the final of the first 

ever female football tournament 

in Nigeria held at Benin City in 

1966. 

Chief F. E. Rewane held several 

government positions, some of 

which are: 

•Member of Midwives State 

Medical Advisory Board, 1968 – 

1969 

•Member, Midwestern Nigeria 

Regional Committee of Midwives 

Board, 1965 – 1976 

•Appointed Member, Prison 

Visitors and Member of the Visiting 

Committee on 2nd December, 

1974 

•Member, Warri Divisional 

Council, 1975 – 1976 

•Member, Warri Divisional 

Hospital Management Board, 

1975 – 1976 

•Councilor, Warri Local Government, 

1976 – 1979 

Board Member, BDPA, 1977 – 

1980 

•Board Member, Okpella Cement 

Factory, 1980 – 1983 

•Board Member, Bendel Breweries, 

1981 – 1983 

•Member, Bendel Development 

Fund, Warri Chapter Management 

Committee, 1985 – 1986 

•Chairman, Revenue Task 

Force, Warri Local Government 

Area, 1986 

•Vice Chairman, Delta State 

Nursing & Midwifery Committee, 

1992 

•Member, Hospital Management 

Board, 1992 – 1993 

•Honoured as Honorary Member, 

Rotary Club of Nigeria in 

1997. 

In appreciation of her contribution 

towards the development of 

Nigeria, the then Midwest and 

the Itsekiri people, Chief F. E. Rewane 

was conferred with the 

Chieftaincy title of the Ejumotan 

of Warri by His Royal Majesty, 

Erejuwa II in 1971. 

She was a founding and prominent 

member of the foremost 

group in Itsekiri, the Itsekiri Leaders 

of Thought (ILoT) founded 

since 1974, and its Treasurer until 

February, 2017, when she along 

Late Pa J. O. S. Ayomike voluntarily 

step aside having served 

the Itsekiri people for well over 

five (5) decades. 

Chief F. E. Rewane along Late 

Dame Esther Rewane and some 

others also founded the Warri 

Ladies Vanguard in the 1970s and 

was a matron of the Oma-Ologbara 

Cultural Society, Warri. 

She was a devout Christian of 

the African Church faith. She was 

a Trustee of the African Church, 

Warri and Patroness of the African 

Church, Lagos Central Diocese 

and also of the Lagos Province 

of the Church and above all 

held the highest honour for the 

laity in the church, the Primatial 

Honour of the African Church. 

Like Florence Nightingale, the 

lady with the lamp, she was not 

only a Nurse and a founder of 

Nursing Home for children, the 

sick and the elderly, she was also 

a social reformer and carried the 

light lit by Florence Nightingale 

(1820 – 1910). Like Florence 

Nightingale, our own Chief F. E. 

Rewane live for 90 years. 

Chief F. E. Rewane was a paragon 

of beauty and elegance. 

Whenever she stepped out, she 

carried herself with an arresting 

aesthetic candour expected of an 

Oton-Olu biri Ologbotsere/ 

Uwangue. Indeed, the Bard put 

it more succinctly in Sonnet 41.5- 

6 “Beauteous thou art, therefore 

to be assailed.” 

She was blessed with four children 

– Mrs. Rosaline Akindele, 

Gregory Rewane-Dakolo, Kenara 

Rewane-Dakolo and Wajeye Rewane-Dakolo; 

eight grandchildren 

and one great grandchild. 

• Chief Edward Ekpoko is 

the Chairman of Itsekiri 

Leaders of Thought.

End of the road for cultists in Lagos? 

By MOBOLAJI ADEBAYO 

CULTISM is one of the social ills that 

has bedeviled our society for quite 

some time. It has become so bad that 

primary school pupils are reportedly 

getting initiated into the evil practice. 

Cultism has brought nothing but pains 

and anguish to affected individuals. 

Across the country, it is not unusual to 

hear news of deadly cult wars that left in 

their trails wanton destruction of 

properties and sometimes lives. Such 

attacks do not portray our society in a 

positive light. Since development only 

thrives in a peaceful and conducive 

environment, the dastardly activities of 

these cult warriors not only impede 

development, they also depict our society 

in bad light. 

The predominance of cultism in higher 

institutions across the country has become 

alarming and it has caused a lot of 

damages ranging from destruction of 

academic calendars, loss of lives and 

properties, unsafe and uninhabitable 

environment within and sometimes 

outside the school’s vicinity. 

Severally, government has tried to clamp 

down on their activities by publicly 

creating awareness of the ills created by 

the groups in the society and even as far 

as publicising the punishment meted to 

victims when apprehended. Sadly, cultism 

has gone beyond the four walls of tertiary 

institutions as it has crept into other 

sectors of the society. 

Being the nation’s commercial and 

economic nerve centre, Lagos has had its 

own fair share of cult battles. In places 

such as Ikorodu, Shomolu, Bariga, 

Mushin and Ojota, among others, 

activities of cultists have become a source 

By EKANPOU 

ENEWARIDIDEKE 

KING Robert Ebizimor - a 

legend legendary for his 

legendary futurological capability, 

his legendary embarrassment and 

disorientation of death, his legendary 

humanism and undiluted, unstinting 

love for his protégés/apprentices, 

particularly that his indescribably 

appreciative protégé called Aguiyi- 

Ironsi, later lovingly ‘roberted’ as 

Izonebi - is a household name in 

Ijaw land. His 71-year resonance 

originated from Angalabiri town in 

Bayelsa State where he is paternally 

rooted and Ojobo town in Delta State 

where he is maternally rooted. As 

William Shakespeare and Wole 

Soyinka are to the world in 

Literature so is King Robert 

Ebizimor to the entire Ijaw nation 

and beyond in music because his like 

can only be spotted in a century - 

the music genius whose wise words 

were philosophically 99 years old 

when he was only 20 years old in age, 

though September 25,1943 is the 

indisputable claimant of his birthday. 

The life of King Ebizimor began 

as a palm wine tapper, lumberjack, 

fisherman and sand excavator and 

ended up as a politician and 

music philosopher of immiscible 

colour even where there is emulsion 

added to produce a beautiful 

paintwork. In his progressive 

evolution through the different 

phases of his life he was guided 

gingerly by his cardinal 

philosophical theories, ‘Bibobraism’ 

and ‘Nanaowei-Oborism’. 

The political life of King Ebizimor 

was comparatively rosy. In the rosy 

political life of King Ebizimor he had 

once contested election as a local 

government chairmanship 

candidate in Sagbama Local 

Government Area of Bayelsa in 1999 

on the ticket of the National 

Solidarity Movement and failed but 

of worries to the citizens. 

In a bid to frontally tackle the evil of 

cultism in the state, Governor Babajide 

Sanwo-Olu recently signed the bill for the 

Prohibition of Unlawful Societies and 

Cultism of 2021 into law, approving a 21- 

year jail term for convicted cultists in the 

State. 

The anti-cultism law repeals the 

Cultism (Prohibition) Law of 2007 (now 

Cap. C18, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 

2015) and provides for more stringent 

punitive measures, as well as makes its 

application all-encompassing and 

applicable to the general public, as against 

the restriction of the previous law to 

students of tertiary institutions. 

Sanwo-Olu said the state had suffered 

the negative effects of unlawful societies 

and cultism, stressing that the new law 

sought to make parents more responsible 

and show more interest in the upbringing 

of their children and wards to ensure that 

they do not become a burden to the society. 

He said the new law sought to make 

parents show more interests in the 

upbringing of their children and wards to 

ensure they did not become a burden to 

society. 

The State House of Assembly, in 

February, passed the anti-cultism bill, 

which stipulated a 15-year jail term for 

anyone found guilty of abetting cultists 

and residents who willfully allowed their 

King Robert and Izonebi the protege 

memorably left behind Waziric 

echoes of politics without bitterness 

as he openly embraced and struck 

everlasting acquaintance with those 

known to have piloted and plotted 

his electoral failure while the 

political game lasted. By the 

available electoral statistics got from 

the the field, it was King Robert 

Ebizimor who won the 

chairmanship election based on his 

immeasurable popularity but he lost 

the election eventually due to 

political manipulations from the 

top. 

However, as a politician of 

towering height who has amazing 

capacity for mass 

mobilisation,sensitisation and 

orientation of the masses towards the 

production of impressive electoral 

result, King Ebizimor was appointed 

Senior Special Assistant on Culture 

by Governor Timipre Sylva in the 

twilight of his administration. 

Governor Seriake Dickson also 

appointed King Ebizimor a Senior 

Special Assistant on Culture on 

April 2, 2012. 

There is only one musician in Ijaw 

nation whose songs philosophically 

transcend and encapsulate all the 

components of life. For every 

phenomenon in life King Ebizimor’s 

songs have a cardinal philosophical 

path of direction charted for 

mankind. Enormously gifted in 

music, some see his political 

involvement as an aberration though 

to King Ebizimor and the realist 

progressives in the society, his 

political involvement is tied to a 

pragmatic attempt to test his 

cardinal theories on the 

administrative plane where he 

would have demonstrated his 

humanism and sensitivity to the 

plight of his own developmentally 

impoverished people - his own 

developmentally deprived people 

whose cause he has always 

championed musically from the 

Rohr 

To sustain current 

developmental strides in the 

state, residents must decide 

to give peace a chance by 

cultivating attitudes that 

attract development 

cradle of his life to his moment of 

‘transfiguration’. 

‘Bibobraism’ as a philosophical 

theory that says everyman has a 

destiny but destiny can never be 

realised except there is hardwork, 

and ‘Nanaowei-oborism’ as 

a theory that says human beings are 

goats to God who kills any of them 

for supper at his own convenience, 

were the cardinal philosophical 

theories which dominated the life of 

King Ebizimor and his musical 

compositions. Beyond these cardinal 

philosophical radiance, King Dr. 

Robert Ebizimor psychically saw 

his death in clear outlines, packed 

King Ebizimor 

psychically saw his death 

in clear outlines, packed 

his luggage and bravely 

waited for death at the 

departure lounge 

his luggage and bravely waited for 

death at the departure lounge to take 

him away without death displaying 

his usual arrogance and flourish. 

Conscious of his impending death 

detected futurologically, King 

Ebizimor timely had somebody 

under his tutelage and 

apprenticeship as a musician and 

anointed him to take over after his 

death, having already constructed 

his grave where he would be 

peacefully interred at death. It was 

Alfred Izonebi of Ndoro and 

Torugbene towns whom King Robert 

Ebizimkor personally bathed, 

baptised and anointed to continue 

his musical heritage. 

Izonebi who is today seen as a 

music king was anointed first as a 

junior music king and later as Ijaw 

music king before King Ebizimor 

eventually yielded to the ice-block 

hands of death. This is a story that 

also reveals King Ebizimor’s 

philanthropism and humanism as 

property to be used as meeting points by 

cultists. 

The anti-cultism law also made its 

application all-encompassing and 

applicable to the general public, as against 

the restriction of the previous law to 

students of tertiary institutions. 

The passing of the new law by the State 

House of Assembly as well as the speedy 

ascent to same by Mr. Governor, no doubt, 

underscores government’s resolve to 

bluntly address the evil of cultism. 

It, however, needs to be emphasised that 

for the new law to achieve its mission, 

which is the elimination of cultism in the 

state, every stakeholder must be on the 

same page with the government. No matter 

how good the plans of the government for 

the citizenry are, if government does not 

get sufficient buy-in from the people such 

will amount to nothing. 

Therefore, the society must collectively 

rise up against every habit or practice that 

makes cultism thrive in our society. Of 

course, one of such is drug abuse. It is 

rather worrisome that drug abusers are 

mostly youth. This should be a source of 

great concern to everyone. This is why the 

pro-health campaign in Lagos State is very 

strong with usage of multi-sectoral 

approach and collaborative and 

synergetic efforts of many MDAs. 

Lagos State structured its fight against 

drug abuse around the Inter-ministerial 

Drug Abuse Committee that consists of 

Ministries of Health, Youth and Social 

Development, Information and Strategy, 

Transportation, Education, Local 

Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and 

Lagos Television. 

Commendably, Lagos State has 

established a drug-free club and included 

drug abuse in its school curriculum to 

target the school pupils/students. The 

Lagos State anti-drug war has always 

attracted support from NDLEA and private 


he saw Alfred Izonebi as his own 

personal project and investment in 

both educational and 

musical terms. Historically 

chronicled is the fact that Alfred 

Izonebi was first discovered as a 

musician inside a mosquito net in a 

remote raffia palm-tapping forest 

singing Bestman Doupere’s hit song 

‘Ofuroagha’. He was eight years old 

when Izonebi’s father (Alfred) caught 

him singing inside the white 

mosquito net. Alfred began a close 

monitoring of his son’s musical 

talent until he was 12 years in age. 

At 12, Alfred formed a great music 

band named Mosquito Band made 

up of five persons who were all his 

children except one, but the band was 

led by Izonebi. In Ndoro town 

Izonebi’s father habitually brought 

Mosquito Band to entertain any 

gathering of visitors and strangers. 

Izonebi, as the leader of the 

Mosquito Band, was taken to 

perform in Burutu town for the 

entertainment of Godday Orubebe 

who was the chairman of Burutu 

Local Government Area. At every 

performance there were always 

enthusiastic encores because the 

Mosquito Band was talented and 

impressive in performance. In the 

chronicles of Izonebi as the mosquito 

net-born musician, it is recorded that 

the famous Mosquito Band of Ndoro 

town had once entertained 

Intelligent Emeka Odogwu of 

Tamigbe town who was on a visit to 

Ndoro. Characteristically, the 

Mosquito Band was brought by 

Alfred to entertain Intelligent Emeka 

Odogwu as a mark of honour for the 

talented musician popularly hailed 

as Intelligent Emeka in Ijaw nation. 

Because Alfred was enthusiastic 

about the growth of his son’s 

promising music career, he took 

Izonebi to King Robert Ebizimor’s 

stage in Ndoro town where he 

skillfully sang Robert’s hit song 

‘Duamabou’ to the captivation of all. 

On November 2, 1992, at the age of 

13, Alfred personally handed over 

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sectors with organisations like Emzor 

Pharmaceuticals Ltd as reliable allies. 

Parents and guardians are enjoined to 

pay close attention to their children. Since 

every person in the society is first and 

foremost a product of a home, the role of 

parents in stemming the tide of the evil of 

cultism and other such vices in the society 

cannot be overemphasised. In as much as 

it is true that parents need to work extra 

hard to earn a decent living for their 

respective families, it is, nevertheless, 

important to stress that every parent’s 

major responsibility is the proper 

upbringing of their children. 

Once the parents, teachers, religious and 

traditional institutions as well as other 

stakeholders play their roles 

conscientiously, it will be easy to 

collectively tackle cultism and other 

related social ills in the society. 

As the Sanwo-Olu administration 

continues with its developmental strides 

across the state, there is an urgent need 

for all stakeholders to join hands with 

government by promoting youth-friendly 

initiatives that could help channel the 

bursting energy of the youth into positive 

use. 

To sustain current developmental strides 

in the state, residents must decide to give 

peace a chance by cultivating attitudes 

that attract development. 

Perhaps more importantly, youths across 

the state should be challenged by the 

successes of some of their colleagues in 

diverse fields of life, who in-spite of all the 

odds have become reference points in 

their chosen fields. There is enough for 

the youth to explore and achieve in sports, 

entertainment and ICT, among other such 

spheres of life. 

• Adebayo is of the Features Unit, Lagos 

State Ministry of Information & Strategy, 

Alausa, Ikeja 

Izonebi to King Robert Ebizimor at 

Ojobo town after Izonebi, had again, 

memorably sang the hit song 

‘Duamabou’. 

Alfred Izonebi became King 

Robert Ebizimor’s own son right 

from November 2, 1992. He was in 

primary five when he was handed 

over to King Ebizimor. King 

Ebizimor the music guru 

immediately took over the 

sponsorship of Izonebi’s education 

from primary school to university. 

Alfred Izonebi studied Theatre Arts 

at the Niger Delta University, 

Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State 

and graduated in 2009. Having 

equipped him educationally and 

musically, Izonebi was then allowed 

to accompany King Ebizimor in all 

his music stage performances and 

visits to the studio for production of 

new songs. Izonebi had never been 

shocked in life by anyone before but 

the greatest shock came the way of 

him from King Ebizimor one day. 

That was the day King Robert 

Ebizimor and His Izon Brothers 

Band was divided into two parts - 

one part to be led by Izonebi and the 

other part led by the King himself. 

Izonebi, King Ebizimor’s protege, 

was damned too afraid to lead the 

part of the band that providentially 

fell on him, but he was persuasively 

‘piloted’ by his music father. With 

King Ebizimor’s persuasive 

pilotage Izonebi’s stage fright 

evaporated and he began to lead the 

band with the music stamina injected 

into him by King Ebizimor through 

persuasive pilotage. King 

Robert Ebizimor divided his band 

into two parts because he had 

already had premonition of death 

as a philosophical futurologist and 

would turn in his grave if his protege, 

Izonebi, was not fully equipped for 

stage performances apart from 

producing songs in the studio. 

Continues 

online. 

www.vanguardngr.com 

•Enewaridideke, a poet, wrote 

from Akparemogbene, Delta State 

C 

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TWO years later, the long arm of the 

law caught up with a professor of soil 

science at the University of Calabar, 

Peter Ogban, when a High Court in 

Akwa Ibom presided over by Justice 

Augustine Odokwo, found him guilty 

of electoral fraud and sentenced him 

to three years in prison with a Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. 

N100,000 fine. 

This stands as a landmark case 

The lecturer had pleaded in vain for because it is almost unheard of for 

mercy from the Judge. 

perpetrators of election malfeasance 

Ogban was one of the so-called to be made to face the wrath of the 

“ivory tower” elements deployed by law in Nigeria. 

the Independent National Electoral It comes as a pleasant surprise, 

Commission, INEC, for the 2019 particularly as yet another professor 

general elections. 

of human kinetics, Ignatius Uduk, is 

He was found guilty of falsifying also standing trial for allegedly 

election results in favour of the All rigging in favour of the PDP in the 

Progressives Congress, APC, Essien Udim State Constituency of 

candidate for the senatorial election, Akwa Ibom State. 

Godswill Akpabio, who is now 

Beyond jailing Prof for election fraud 

We hope that these sample cases are 

signs that the INEC is finally ready 

to go after election fraudsters and not 

just one-offs. Our elections are 

routinely undermined by all the 

participants in it – the political parties, 

election officials (including INEC 

permanent and ad-hoc staff), the 

electorate, hoodlums, security agents, 

the candidates and government 

leaders at all levels. 

It has been a do-or-die affair. The 

situation has worsened progressively 

since 1999 because election fraud and 

violence are hardly punished. 

A former INEC Chairman, Prof. 

Attahiru Jega, had introduced the 

innovation of deploying professors 

from our universities hoping to 

elevate the quality of election 

management. They have since proved 

that they are also part of our rotten 

society. 

We commend Prof. Mahmood 

Yakubu’s INEC and the Resident 

Electoral commissioner, REC, in 

Akwa Ibom, Mike Igini, for the 

diligent prosecution of this case and 

urge them to wage a wider war on 

other categories of offenders to 

sanitise our elections. 

Crime without deterrence breeds 

more crime. 

The scandal in Port Harcourt Refinery 

ABRACADABRA is now commonly used 

as an incantation in the performance 

of magic. Literally it is used as the more you 

look, the less you know or see. Abracadabra 

is the best word to describe what is going on 

in Port Harcourt Refinery. The refinery is 

situated at Alesa Eleme, which is 19 

kilometres from Port Harcourt city. I have 

visited the refinery thrice. Twice I 

accompanied my two bosses, Alhaji Gidado 

Idris and Chief Ufot Ekaette, both late 

Secretaries to the Government of the 

Federation. My last visit to the refinery was 

three years ago with a friend who once 

worked in the refinery. One needs to see the 

refinery. 

The scandal in Port Harcourt Refinery is 

so deep that it can’t be uncovered by the 

most competent spy master in the world. 

The Port Harcourt Refining 

Company, PHRC, is a Nigeriabased 

oil and gas company primarily 

specialising in the refining of crude 

oil into petroleum products. The company 

is a subsidiary of the Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. 

The latest news about Port Harcourt 

Refinery is that the Federal Government has 

approved $1.5 billion for its rehabilitation. 

The Minister of State for Petroleum, 

Timipre Sylva, who briefed reporters after 

the FEC meeting said the rehabilitation will 

be done in three phases of 18, 24 and 44 

months. He said the contract was awarded 

to an Italian company, Tecnimont SPA, who, 

according to the minister, are experts in 

refinery maintenance. 

Sylva said the funding of the repairs will 

be from many components, including the 

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, Internally Generated Revenue, IGR; 

budgetary provisions and Afreximbank. 

“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources 

presented a memo on the rehabilitation of 

Port Harcourt refinery for the sum of $1.5 

billion, and that memo was $1.5 billion and 

it was approved by council today. 

“So, we are happy to announce that the 

rehabilitation of productivity refinery will 

commence in three phases. The first phase 

is to be completed in 18 months, which will 

take the refinery to a production of 90 

percent of its nameplate capacity. The 

second phase is to be completed in 24 months 

and all the final stage will be completed in 

44 months and consultations are approved. 

And I believe that this is good news for 

Nigeria.” 

To many, it is not good news. They call it 

capital flight. Only Italy will benefit while 

Nigeria becomes poorer. 

The approval, therefore, confirms a 

January 7 report by Reuters this year that 

Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC is in talks to 

raise around $1 billion in a prepayment with 

OPINION 

trading firms to refurbish its largest refining 

complex at Port Harcourt. According to the 

report, the money would be repaid over seven 

years through deliveries of Nigerian crude 

and products from the refinery once the 

refurbishment is complete, the sources said. 

Cairo-based Afreximbank is leading the 

financing. “Afreximbank is looking into a 

facility for the refurbishment of the Port 

Harcourt Refinery. However, the borrower 

is yet to be determined,” a spokesman for 

the bank said. 

On July 27, 2017, the former Minister of 

State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe 

Kachikwu, promised to end fuel importation 

by 2019, or he would resign from his 

position. He never resigned and fuel 

importation did not stop until he was 

dropped by President Muhammadu Buhari 

in his second term. 

Nigeria has spent over $1.6 billion on the 

turn-around maintenance of the country’s 

four refineries without any sign of 

improvement since 2000. Nigeria is the fifth 

largest exporter of crude oil in the world, 

but spends over $16 million per day 

importing refined petroleum products. This 

Nigeria has spent over $1.6 

billion on the turn-around 

maintenance of the country’s 

four refineries without any sign 

of improvement since 2000 

situation has been attributed to the poor 

refining capacity of the country. 

The total utilisation capacity of the 

refineries was estimated at below 40 er cent 

of the total installed refining capacity, 

making them the worst performing 

refineries in Africa. Dr. Ibe 

Kachikwu confirmed the poor conditions 

of the plants during an oil and gas 

stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, 

July 18, 2017. “Our refineries have not been 

maintained at the same levels that other 

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nearby countries have continued to do theirs. 

Look at Ghana and Ivory Coast, the same 

refineries, about the same ages and working 

at over 90 per cent capacity,” he said. 

On November 22, 2019, the House of 

Representative ordered an investigation into 

the financial allocations set aside for ‘Turn- 

Around Maintenance’ of the petroleum 

refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and 

Kaduna, estimated to have cost $396.33 

million in four years. The inquiry was 

initiated following the motion titled: “Call 

for investigation of the $396.33 million 

allegedly spent in four years on turn around 

maintenance of the nation’s three 

refineries.”At the plenary session, Ifeanyi 

Momah, representing Ihiala federal 

constituency of Anambra State called for 

the inquiry, alleging that the amount spent 

on maintenance of the facilities had not 

yielded the desired results. 

The House also called on the Federal 

Government to consider “divesting a certain 

percentage of its shareholding in the Port 

Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries to 

competent investors under a transparent 

and fair bidding process.” 

Also, the House mandated the Committee 

on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to 

conduct an investigative hearing into the 

maintenance expenses made from 2015 to 

date while the committee was to submit its 

findings within eight weeks. Till today, 

report of the so-called investigation by the 

House of Representatives has not surfaced. 

Let us take a brief look on the three 

refineries that we have. The first, Port 

Harcourt Refinery was built in 1965 under 

the then Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar 

Tafawa Balewa (1912-1966). It was 

commissioned, operated and managed by 

Shell BP. The capacity was 35,000 barrel 

per day. However, ownership passed to the 

Central Government in 1970 under General 

Yakubu Gowon (85). 

Continues next week

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 —19 

IMF to revise Nigeria’s 2021 GDP growth forecast 

·Worries about country’s fiscal position 

By Princewill Ekwujuru 

ECONOMY 

THE International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) has said that it 

may revise its 2021 outlook for 

Nigeria’s economy upwards from 

1.5 percent in the next round of its 

projection this April given recent 

positive developments in the 

economy. 

The IMF had projected that 

Nigeria’s economy would grow by 

1.5 percent this year, prediction that 

was variously disputed by economy 

analysts over a faster than expected 

economic growth in the fourth quarter 

2020, Q4’20. 

IMF in a recent report titled: “Nigeria: 

Economic Outlook and Priorities”, 

hinged the proposed reversal 

on the recent Q4’20 data, 

which it said, has shown growth in 

some sectors, especially the ICT 

and agriculture sectors boosted b y 

the Covid-19 pandemic as well the 

rise in the Purchasing Managers 

Index (PMI) reports for the quarter 

among others. 

Jasmin Rahma, Mission Chief to 

Nigeria at IMF, who spoke on several 

economic predictions and indices 

at a webinar yesterday, said: 

“Things are looking better in Nigeria; 

we are seeing a turnaround 

From left: President of Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria, Dr. 

Victor Iyama; President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Export Group, Chief 

Ede Dafinone; Managing Director of Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman; Chief 

Executive Officer of Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo; Executive 

Director, Marine & Operations, NPA, Mr. Brown Onari; and Mr. William Ezeagu NEPC 

Director, Product Development Department at stakeholders interactive meeting to fast-track 

cargo access into the ports in Lagos 

in Nigeria. 

“In Q4’2021, GDP will stop declining, 

agriculture is doing better, 

Aig-Imoukhuede points way to Nigeria’s transformation 

*States why the book on buying a bank 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

FORMER Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc, 

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said there is a desperate need 

to mobilize gifted men and women to work in government 

in Nigeria, adding that the nation is not in short supply of 

such. 

ICT sector is doing exceptionally 

well. The rise in the ICT sector is a 

trend that has started a while back 

and not just in Nigeria and in other 

ECONOMY 

Aig-Imoukhuede stated this at the launch of 

his new book, “Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a 

Bank in Africa”, and the unveiling of his Foundation, 

held virtually yesterday. 

He said it’s about time the nation left the 

tarmac and get “in that plane in the air with 

the rest of the world moving into the next level”. 

He stated: “I feel that Nigeria is right now 

on the tarmac and we have been left on the 

tarmac too long. And the principal reason we 

are left on the tarmac is that we need critical 

mass of men and women gifted more than ever 

leading in roles across government, and it is 

not like we don’t have gifted men and women 

in Nigeria. I think we are a high IQ nation. 

“We have a rich heritage as a nation and we 

just need to mobilize these people to work for 

government and in government and start thinking 

and acting in manner that will make sure 

we are in that plane in the air with the rest of 

the world moving into the next level. 

“The Aig Imokhuede Foundation is going to 

countries in the continent as well. 

“We projected GDP to grow by 

1.5 percent. This is before we have 

be focused on building capacity in 

governance as well as something 

that is very important to me, which 

is my role in the health care space 

and one of the things that I am really 

going to spend time doing is 

trying to improve a lot of Nigerians 

when it comes to access to quality 

primary healthcare. 

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the 

money to say here is N2 or N3 billion 

or whatever it is going to take 

and put it aside for that purpose. I 

am going to have to keep working 

as long as the foundation dream is 

going to be kept alive and I have 

done a deal with my family that 

even when I am not here they can 

spin it up.” 

According to him, writing the 

book was an opportunity to recount 

his experience in a structured 

sense and to prepare the way 

for others. 

the Q4’20 data. So, based on more 

favourable Q4’20 data, it is likely 

that we will be reversing our 2021 

growth in the next round of projection 

which will be out next 

month. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has 

given the ICT sector a boost. The 

high frequency indicators you see 

in the Purchasing Managers’ Index 

(PMI) is also pointing to move 

to the expansion territory for manufacturing, 

and the economy. Mobility 

will be back to pre-pandemic 

level. So, we are seeing several 

positive signs in our recently concluded 

Article IV.” 

Rahma, who said IMF had predicted 

a rebound in global GDP 

from a severe contraction of -3.5 

percent in 2020 to an expansion of 

5.5 percent this year, stated that the 

reversal was buoyed by news of 

vaccine deployment by different 

countries. 

But Rahma also said that the recent 

downgrade in Nigeria’s sovereign 

ratings was a fallout of its 

low level revenue, fiscal vulnerability 

and low level debt servicing capabilities. 

Looking at the macroeconomic 

situation in the country, he said: 

“Fiscal deficit, which has been on 

the rise for quite some time is estimated 

to have widened and close 

to six percent of GDP last year, and 

this happened despite the removal 

of fuel subsidies and efforts to reprioritize 

spending.” 

He stated: “Herbert (the current 

CEO of Access Bank) and I went 

through a hell of an experience 

between 2002 and 2013 and for 

him that experience has continued. 

We learnt so much. We were exposed 

to so many things and we 

had varyingly great mountains 

that we climbed. And in a sense it 

will be very selfish of us to lock 

this up in a box and not share it 

with others. 

“Because I think our experience 

can be used by any other person 

who has an ambition to go out 

there and do whatever it is they 

seek, whatever it is they dream 

about and so the notion of writing 

for posterity and record in this period 

in my life and probably more 

important the notion of preparing 

a way for others. Those are the 

things that drove me to write the 

book,” he stated. 

FG launches N50b Export Expansion Facility 

*First online grant management portal 

MINISTER of Industry, Trade 

and Investment (MITI), Otunba Niyi 

Adebayo, officially flagged off the Federal 

Government’s N50billion Export Expansion Facility 

Programme (EEFP) and launched the first on-line 

Grant Management Portal (GMP) for non-oil exports 

at Export House, Abuja. 

He was joined by the Governor of Jigawa State, 

Alhaji Mohammed Badaru, who is also the Chairman, 

National Executive Council (NEC) of the National 

Committee for Export Promotion. 

Also at the ground-breaking event was the Minister 

of State for MITI, Mrs. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum, 

Chairman Senate Committee on Commerce, Chairman, 

House Committee on Commerce, Chairman, 

Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Governing 

Board, Senator Ibrahim Musa, Vice Chairman 

Steering Committee of the Export Expansion Facility 

Programme, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo and their host, 

the Executive Director /CEO, NEPC Mr Olusegun 

Awolowo 

The EEFP which is part of the Federal Government’s 

ECONOMY 

N2.3 trillion fund of the Nigeria Economic 

Sustainability Plan, NESP, focuses 

on cushioning the effects of the COVID- 

19 pandemic on non-oil export businesses 

thereby safeguarding jobs and 

creating new jobs. 

In his keynote address, Adebayo 

stated: “The Ultimate aim of the Export 

Expansion Facility Programme as an 

intervention following the devastating 

economic effects of COVID -19 to exporters 

and MSMEs in Nigeria will be 

to save jobs, create jobs, support resilience 

in shoring up foreign exchange, 

diversification, modernization of 

Nigeria’s economy and acceleration of 

economic growth and economic support”. 

Awolowo who also doubles as Secretary 

of the Steering Committee, in his 

welcome address stated: “As we launch 

the EDF, we will apply the use of technology 

through the Grant Management 

Portal which ‘Goes live’ today so that we 

will be equalising opportunities to 

achieve inclusive economic growth 

through non-oil exports. The Export Development 

Fund is a pre-shipment incentive 

stipulated in the NEPC Act, which 

due to lack of funds was never activated. 

We were however overjoyed by the provision 

of the Export Expansion Facility 

which provided the opportunity for us to 

finally activate the Fund for our teeming 

SME exporting companies, who 

over the years have been unable to access 

the active Export Expansion Grant, 

which is a post-shipment incentive. We 

are confident that through this Facility, 

we will save jobs and create jobs.” 

The first on-line Grant Management 

Portal for non-oil exports in Nigeria is 

supported by the EEFP and all applications 

for the Export Development Fund 

(EDF) will be processed through the System.



C 

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24 — Niger-Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

VOL. 2: NO. 277 TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

FAILED CONSTITUENCY PROJECT IN RIVERS: 

•Abandoned Primary School I, Bunu reconstruction project. 

Contractor faceless, roofing sheets, 

cement, doors disappear from site 

•Primary School I, Bunu community reconstruction still at roofing stage, 8 years after 

•Displaced pupils, tutors sit on rickety benches, exposed tent •Senator Mpigi faults 

Education ministry, insists 'I don’t execute projects' •Community cries out, urges 

lawmaker to track contractor, officials 

RIVERS… 

THE TREASURE BASE 

OF THE NATION 

By Egufe Yafugborhi 

BUNU — ROOFING sheets, 

bags of cement, doors and 

other building materials worth 

millions of naira provided for the 

reconstruction of Primary School 

I at Bunu community, Tai Local 

Government Area of Rivers State, 

a project of the Federal Ministry 

of Education, facilitated by 

Senator Barry Mpigi representing 

Rivers South-East Senatorial 

District constituency, have 

dramatically vanished from the 

project site. 

The rebuilding project is trapped 

at roofing stage for over eight 

years, while the contractor from 

the Northern part of the country, 

to whom the Federal Ministry of 

Education awarded the project, has 

remained mysterious since the 

project took off, working through 

a supervisor from the South-West 

and other proxies. 

However, a villager who worked 

as a laborer at the site, hinted: 

“The contractor has a northern 

registered address; there was a 

Yoruba man we called Baba who 

was the main supervisor on site. 

He was said to be in-law to the 

Northern owner of the company. 

That is the much I can say because 

I worked there at the time.” 

Residents of Bunu, pupils and 

teachers of beneficiary Primary 

School 1, Bunu, whose structure 

was demolished to make way for 

brand new construction, a 

constituency project of Mpigi, then 

Member representing Tai- 

Oyigbo-Eleme Federal 

Constituency, have been exposed 

to weather elements in the rickety 

structure built by bothered staff to 

stem mass exodus of students. 

Chairman of the Community 

Development Committee, CDC, 

Bunu, Joseph Nkasu, confirmed to 

NDV that he sighted the building 

materials when they were brought 

to the community but could not 

explain how the materials grew 

wings and flew away overnight. 

It was gathered that under his 

watch as Member representing 

Tai-Oyigbo-Eleme Federal 

Constituency, the original 

structure of the school was pulled 

down for reconstruction as a 

constituency project of Senator 

Mpigi, then in the House of 

Representatives. 

Eight years after, NDV found on 

a visit to the school, that the 

intended reconstruction has been 

abandoned at roofing level, 

leaving staff and pupils with no 

structure to teach and learn. 

•Pupils sitting on benches in makeshift tent. 

Community troubled, says 

Nkasu, CDC chair 

CDC chair, Joseph Nkasu, 

lamented: “It is a big concern to 

the community. The once busy 

school that has turned out right 

thinking Bunu sons and daughters 

is almost extinct. 

“Pupils thinking of leaving the 

school is an understatement. The 

school is at the verge of extinction, 

pupils are withdrawing in droves. 

Before Sen. Mpigi, as House of 

Representatives member, 

demolished the original structure 

for the failed reconstruction, this 

school used to be one of the most 

By Jimitota Onoyme 

OTU-JEREMI- THERE are 

some aspects of marriage 

creeds of Urhobo, one of the 

predominant ethnic groups in the 

Niger-Delta region that have 

continued to intrigue people from 

other tribes in the country. 

For instance, why should a man 

marry his wife in accordance with 

the culture and tradition of her 

people and upon her demise, her 

remains must be taken back to her 

paternal home for interment? Why 

will she not be buried in her 

husband’s community? 

Also, why is the bride price in 

Urhobo so insignificant with 

families collecting between N150 

to N1, 500 and from the meagre 

amount, the family of the bride still 

populated in this locality. 

“How many pupils did you find 

when you got there? It is not an 

environment children should 

study. How many parents would 

let their wards go there? The few 

who are still there just helplessly 

go through the motion every day 

in the open air structure, like 

Almajiri pupils,” he lamented. 

Headmaster, teachers, pupils sit 

in makeshift tent 

Headmaster, HM, of the school, 

noticeably restrained from 

showing his frustrations, 

apparently for fear of landing in 

•Senator Mpigi. 

trouble if he dares to speak truth to 

power, barely identified himself as 

Thompson. He, some co-staff and 

a few pupils were seated on benches 

under an open tent of roofing 

sheets hung on wooden stakes 

when NDV visited. 

He told NDV that Primary 

School 1, Bunu could still boast of 

a total student population of 168, 

a suspiciously bogus figure that 

belied the few pupils on ground 

in the middle of school hours 

during our stopover. 

“I understand staff contributed 

some money to erect this makeshift 

structure we now use. I came to 

meet it as headmaster. I was told 

when they (staff) at the time 

discovered the situation was that 

pathetic, they put heads together 

and came up with that tent we 

currently use. 

“The challenges now are 

enormous. We do not have staff 

rooms, no toilet, and no water, 

nothing on ground to support a 

formal education environment. 

And we are understaffed. Though 

the pupils are children, they are 

sometimes discouraged by what 

they see, how unwelcoming the 

environment is. Some of them are 

thinking of leaving the school. 

“We are also talking to the 

community and government 

(state), expecting them to do 

something because something 

urgent really has to be done,” he 

added. 

Demolition carried out in 2012- 

Gbonone 

A security official and native, 

who passed out successfully from 

the school before the current 

piteous state, Charity Gbonone, 

said: “The most painful aspect is 

that even the old structure in which 

we studied had barely undergone 

facelift, wearing new aluminum 

roof through intervention of Tail 

Local Government when the 

unorganised demolition was 

carried out for reconstruction. 

“It was around the close of 2012. 

The Senator was in his first tenure 

as House of Representatives 

member, even if we did not have 

the best school building at the 

time, Primary School 1 sports field 

was the envy of all rival schools, 

most of which made it the turf of 

choice to hold inter-school games. 

With the demolition, the sports field 

has been overgrown by grass. No 

more sports ground for the school 

Continues on page 

LIFESTYLE EXTRA 

Why Urhobo don’t entomb wife in husband’s community 

DELTA... THE BIG 

HEART OF THE NATION 

gives back some percentage of the 

money to the bridegroom’s family 

for keeps at the ceremony? 

Why full bride price isn’t 

paid 

A high-ranking leader familiar 

with the culture of the ethnic group, 

who is Secretary, Ughievwen 

Council of Chiefs, Ughelli South 

Local Government Area of Delta 

•Olorogun Elder Benson 

Odafe Itietie 

State, Olorogun Benson Itietie, 

told NDV: “Urhobo do not pay the 

complete bride price i n 

traditional marriage because it is 

our culture that we do not sell our 

girl-child. We marry them out to go 

live with the husband and the 

family, bear children, be faithful to 

the husband, respectful to the family 

of the husband and perform all 

responsibilities of a wife. She is not 

sold to the husband, she comes from 

a family. 

“Even if she lives to become the 

eldest married woman in the town, 

when she dies and goes to God, she 

would be escorted by her children 

and family to her paternal home, 

her father’s home, for burial. 

“If you pay the complete bride 

price, you can claim she is yours, 

but the title the father’s family have 

over her is that they did not pay the 

complete bride price. 

“More than that, the son in-law 

is more or less like a son to the 

family of the wife. If you pay the 

complete money, that responsibility 

he is expected to perform to the 

family of the wife as a son, he will 

no longer carry it out. 

“The understanding in Urhobo 

is that an in law will continue to 

relate with the wife’s family after 

the marriage. This is why you visit 

your father in-law, bring them gifts 

and allow your wife’s siblings to live 

with you (couple), you identify with 

her family when your father in-law 

or mother in-law dies and you take 

up roles during the burial. If you 

pay that complete money, you will 

not do all these again," he added. 

Bride price as small as N150 

– N1, 500 

Olorogun Itietie explained: “The 

Urhobo man naturally is not a 

greedy man, he does not believe in 

sharing responsibilities to others. 

If they train their daughter to 

university level, a prospective 

husband must not come to pay all 

the cost for raising the lady 

because he wants to marry her.”

*Deplorable Calabar-Uyo federal highway. 

CROSS RIVER 

…THE PEOPLE’S 

PARADISE 

By Emmanuel Unah 

CALABAR — THE Calabar 

-Uyo section of the East-West 

Road, which crisscrosses the South- 

South region, has turned a 

deathtrap with deep craters, gullies 

and broken bridges constituting an 

eyesore on the federal highway 

constructed in the 70s during the 

petro-dollar era by the General 

Yakubu Gowon military 

administration. 

15 lives perish 

Between February and March 

this year, over 15 lives were lost in 

road mishaps that could have been 

avoided had the highway been in 

good shape. 

The first accident occurred 

February at Okurikang on the Cross 

River axis, claiming nine lives in a 

collision between a truck and a 

commercial bus. 

Two weeks later, March 15, 

another head-on collision between 

a truck and a bus on the Akwa Ibom 

stretch left seven persons, including 

school children, dead. 

It is not uncommon these days to 

find a vehicle or two involved in 

road crashes resulting to loss of lives 

and destruction of vehicles on the 

highway. 

Uyo-Calabar takes 4 hours 

instead of one hour –Lati, 

driver 

A newspaper delivery van driver, 

Lati, who spoke to NDV, said that 

owing to the appalling condition of 

the road, any day he gets to Uyo 

later than 4.00 am, the papers 

would be delivered late in Cross 

River. 

“We usually leave Vanguard 

News Plant at Asaba by midnight 

and get to Uyo by 3.00 am and 

arrive in Calabar by 6.00 am. The 

journey between Uyo and Calabar 

which was usually one hour, is now 

three to four hours because of the 

bad road,” he stated. 

THE TEAM 

Emma Amaize - Editor 

Samuel Oyadongha - Yenagoa 

Jimitota Onoyume- Warri 

Gabriel Enogholase- Benin City 

Festus Ahon- Asaba 

Egufe Yafugborhi- Port Harcourt 

Emmanuel Una- Calabar 

Akpokona Omafuaire- Warri 

Paul Olayemi- Sapele 

Harri-Okon Emmanuel- Uyo 

Chioma Onuegbu-Uyo 

Ike Uchechukwu- Calabar 

Davies Iheamnachor- Port Harcourt 

Emem Idio- Yenagoa 

Brisibe Perez- Ughelli 

Theresa Ugbobu- Agbor 

Ochuko Akuopha- Oleh 

Chancel Bomadi Sunday - Bomadi 

Paul Olayemi- Sapele 

Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu- Benin City 

Chijioke Nwankpa, Port Harcourt 

Barnabas Uzosike, Benin City 

Lati said on some days, the road 

is completely blocked and in such 

cases, the papers are taken to Oron 

and delivered in Calabar by sea at 

an additional cost. 

Citizens deprived of 


EKET — RESIDENTS of Eket 

Local Government Area, 

Akwa Ibom State, are thrilled about 

recommencement of works on 

remodelling of strategic junctions/ 

roundabouts in Eket metropolis, 

Phase I and 2, which started about 

five years ago, but with the seeming 

delay, they want Governor Udom 

Emmanuel to finish the project 

before his tenure expires. 

We’re worried by protracted 

delay – Chief Udobong 

Speaking to NDV in Eket, 

Chairman, Afaha Atai Village 

Council, Chief Samuel Udobong, 

who appreciated the 

transformation of Eket metropolis 

by Governor Emmanuel, however, 

expressed regret over the delay in 

the completion. 

“That project has taken over five 

years since it was started. We did 

not expect that it will take this long. 

Because of the delay, our people were 

very angry, at a time they thought 

Udom has abandoned it. Now that 

the contractor has been mobilised 

to site, we are hopeful but it is only 

when we see it completed that we 

will clap for the governor,” he said. 

Yes, it was stuck for too long 

– Aniama 

Contractor faceless, roofing sheets, cement, doors 

disappear from site 

Continues from page 

as there are not enough pupils to 

maintain the field,” he revealed. 

Not my duty to execute 

project – Senator Mpigi 

Absolving self of blame over the 

development, initiator of the 

deserted project, Senator Mpigi 

said: “Bunu happens to be one of 

the communities under my 

federal constituency when I was 

in the House of Representatives. 

I saw the need and nominated the 

school for the project. Of course, 

it was awarded by the Federal 

Ministry of Education. 

“The ministry through its 

procurement process and 

monitoring unit should follow up 

the contractor the job was 

awarded to. The community duly 

gave them a site, they went to site 

and as we speak, it is left for the 

contractor and the ministry to 

actually execute the job. 

“It is not my responsibility to 

execute but as part of my 

representation, as a follow up, I 

have gone twice with the 

community to see how we can 

handle that thing, but I think the 

ministry is not forthcoming.” 

All the materials just vamoosed, 

probably sold off 

Bunu CDC chairman, Nkasu, 

however, said: “The Senator may 

have meant well for the community, 

but same cannot be said of people 

to whom he entrusted the project. 

The project sponsor and contractor, 

faceless all through, kept the 

community leadership in the dark 

as to what they were doing. The 

CDC chairman, youth president, 

none was consulted. 

“We do not know the name of the 

contractor, but his (Senator’s) 

younger brother was a regular 

visitor to the site and one Burabari 

John, Community Liaison Officer, 

CLO, to the project was also his 

extended relative. Because it is not 

Niger-Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 — 25 

Horror for motorists, passengers 

as massive craters takeover 

Calabar-Uyo road 

*15 school children, others die in one month 

*Security agents mount checkpoints, extort money despite challenges 

*Construction works resume shortly, Nsetip, Federal Controller of Works 

information – Ojo 

Vanguard Media Limited 

Auditor, Mr. Shola Ojo, 

knowledgeable about the 

challenges, said: “A lot of people 

look up to the newspapers for news 

and information and when papers 

arrive late, they hardly get to the 

central and northern parts of the 

state, which is another long journey 

and this deprives the people." 

Potholes materializse daily 

on the road 

A driver whose truck upturned 

downhill at Itu told our reporter: 

“I was not on high speed. Only that 

every day, new potholes appear on 

this road and if you fail to see such 

potholes early, you are in trouble.” 

Even with the terrible state of the 

road, there are a legion of road 

blocks mounted by security 

agencies and hoodlums to extort 

money from motorists. NDV 

reporter counted 20 of such road 

blocks between Calabar and Uyo. 

Escalating checkpoints 

A bus driver, Aniete lamented: 

“There are several policemen, 

soldiers, immigration, customs, 

civil defence, mobile policemen, 

and road safety men mounting 

check points on the road and if you 

fail to settle them, they impound 

your vehicle or delay your 

movement.“ 

He said that most often, all those 

monies become additional 

transport burden on commuters, 

in our character as a community to 

disrupt a development project, we 

allowed them do things their own 

way. Now they abandoned the 

project. 

“If the initiator of the project, who 

is now a Senator, has not been able 

to impress on the contractor and 

the ministry to complete the job, it 

tells you how helpless we are as a 

community to get these people to 

do the needful. For me, the CLO, 

Johnson, should have questions to 

answer as the contractor has 

completely disappeared. 

“The CLO claimed he does not 

even know the name of the 

contractor. There were a lot of 

materials; cement, doors, roofing 

sheets, virtually everything to 

execute the project to completion. 

We saw them delivered and kept in 

the premises. They all disappeared, 

likely sold off. The CLO cannot say 

he knows nothing about the state 

of the contract,” he said. 

adding that the trip between 

Calabar and Uyo was N500 in 

2020, but now it is N2,000. 

Construction starts soon – 

Nsetip, federal controller of 

works 

Federal Controller of Works, 

Engineer Bassey Nsetip, was not 

forthcoming on what is behind the 

delay in the construction of the road 

awarded since 2017. 

Nsetip said work would soon 

commence but did not say when 

specifically. The construction work 

which was awarded to Julius 

Berger had begun in 2017 with 

sand pilling at the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene 

road junction, but later stopped. 

Minister of Works, Babatunde 

Fashola, had said at the time that it 

Citizens task A’Ibom gov on Eket remodeling project 

AKWA A IBOM 

… LAND OF PROMISE 

Similarly, Mr. John Aniama from 

Asang Usunginyang village in 

Eket, said: “I can see that they 

appear to be more serious this time 

around than before and there is 

improvement in the pace of work. 

My prayer is that God would help 

them finish the project soon because 

it has been delayed for too long. 

“If completed, Eket Urban will 

have a new look and shape befitting 

its status, so I appreciate the 

governor and I pray that the project 

is completed soon,” he added. 

We were doubtful – Ikpe 

An artisan, Mr. Kingsley Ikpe, said 

many who were alive when the 

project was flagged off, were not 

alive today to witness the extent it 

has gone. 

“But I thank God they have 

commenced the second phase of the 

project. I was among those who 

doubted if they would come back to 

finish the work; but I they are back 

and I want to commend the 

governor for his commitment to 

develop Eket urban. He is indeed a 

leader. You can see that the 

pedestrian bridge which is part of 

the second phase is ongoing. 

“I believe that if they continue with 

this increased pace of work, in two 

weeks, that pedestrian bridge will 

be completed. I am happy because 

first, this project will serve both the 

rich and the poor. Secondly, Eket will 

soon have a new and beautiful look. 

If you know this road before now, it 

was very narrow. 

“And this is the first time we are 

going to have what is called good 

road in Eket. This axis where you 

have this roundabout and 

pedestrian bridge is called 

Usunginyang. I am from this area 

and I am happy because big 

businesses are springing up here. 

“You can see those beautiful houses 

built along this road, we did not have 

them before. I am praying to God to 

help this government to complete 

this project soon,” he said. 

Phase 1 ready for 

inauguration May 29 – 

Engineers Eric, Akpan 

By Samuel Oyadongha 

OTUOKE-OTUABAGI- THE 

usually serene Community 

Secondary School, Otuoke- 

Otuabagi, Ogbia Local Government 

Area, LGA; Community 

Secondary School, Sagbama, 

Sagbama LGA; and Kaiama 

Grammar School, Kolokumo/ 

Opokuma LGA, Bayelsa State, 

came alive last week as they were 

gifted solar-powered boreholes 

worth N55m by the Victim Support 

Fund, VSF, a non-governmental 

organisation, NGO. 

Other items given to the benefiting 

schools, which presentation took 

place at Otuoke-Otuaba in Ogbia 

Council Area included 15 pieces of 

four-litre hand sanitizer, 360 bottles 

of 500 ml liquid hand wash and 15 

In their separate responses at the 

project site, the project manager, 

Niger Pet Services, NPS, the 

construction company handling the 

project, Engr. Eric and Principal 

Engineer, Ministry of Works and 

Fire Service, supervising the project, 

Engr. Ime Akpan, assured that the 

phase one, which is currently at 85 

per cent completion, would be ready 

before end of April. “God willing 

and with the work going on, we are 

sure to commission the phase1 by 

May 29, this year. 

NGO rouses joy in Bayelsa with 

N55m solar boreholes to schools 

BAYELSA 

…THE JERUSALAM OF 

IJAW NATION 

cartons of bleach. 

NDV learned that the gesture of 

VSF in the selected schools drawn 

from three senatorial districts of the 

state was to bring succor to 

vulnerable Nigerians and 

institutional support to agencies 

involved in the fight against Covid- 

19 

Ṗrincipal, Community 

Secondary School, Otuoke-Otuaba, 

Mrs, Grace Dafese, who spoke on 

behalf of other principals, said the 

solar-powered water facilities were 

suitable for schools due to its low 

operational and maintenance costs 

as it would not require fuelling, 

adding that the intervention would 

enhance the compliance to Covid- 

19 protocols across the schools. 

Earlier, the chairperson of VSF 

Covid-19 Emergency Task Force, 

Mrs. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji said 

the organisation has successfully 

implemented the first and second 

phases of VSF Covid-19 emergency 

intervention programme with 

distribution of food, medical 

consumables and personal 

protective equipment to 19 states, 

across the six geopolitical zones of 

the country, as well as the provision 

of support to other groups. 

*Solar-powered borehole and 

hygiene items donated by VSF in 

Ogbia LGA, Bayelsa.

C 

M 

Y 


C 

M 

Y 



Autogas: LPG cheaper than petrol, diesel — Expert 

By Udeme Akpan 

AS consumers groan under the 

weight of high petrol prices, 

an expert has urged fuel consumers 

to convert to gas, arguing that it is 

cheaper than petrol and diesel. 

In an interview with Vanguard, the 

Managing Director, Banner Energy, 

Mr. Nuhu Yakubu, who noted that 

the Federal Government's policy has 

impacted positively on the gas sector, 

said: “The policy is aimed at 

enthroning gas as preferred energy 

for the domestic economy because 

it’s comparatively cheaper. While a 

litre of government subsidised petrol, 

under extant price regime, actually 

retails for between N165 and N200 

per litre, depending on the part of the 

country, the average deregulated 

retail price per litre of LPG delivered 

to Abuja – FCT falls between N100/ 

litre for propane specification to 

N195/pitre for butane specification. 

“The cheaper of the two, being 

Propane spec LPG is the industryapproved 

standard for Autogas in 

Nigeria, which portends huge 

savings for families and businesses. 

Autogas use with deep market 

penetration with a reasonable switch 

from PMS and AGO will save 

Nigeria huge foreign exchange spend 

on fuel importation; expand Nigeria’s 

domestic energy mix with improved 

accessibility for LPG as a cleaner and 

cheaper energy source with multiple 

applicable uses. This will in great 

measure help the consumers 

especially the low-income Nigerian 

families with their fast-eroding 

purchasing power in an increasingly 

difficult economic environment. 

“Apart from savings on the unit price 

per litre or kg of gas, there is also 

much savings on gas, with respect to 

engine servicing and overall 

maintenance cost, compared to 

petrol or diesel engine maintenance 

cost. And it is environment-friendlier 

than petrol and diesel, in terms of 

greenhouse gas emissions. Autogas 

use will help trigger the much-needed 

demand intensive use of gas, with the 

multiplier effect on improved incountry 

production and supply 

sources, with the attendant reduction 

in gas flaring, with a marked increase 

in foreign direct investments in LPG 

production plants, trading and 

distribution infrastructure and 

equipment manufacturing in 

Nigeria, which has been on the 

decline in recent years. 

“LPG is a broad spectrum 

substitute fuel for petrol, kerosene, and 

diesel, and if its broader applications 

and deeper penetration are properly 

encouraged, it will reduce demand 

pressure on the foreign currencies, 

including the USD, for financing 

importation of petroleum products, 

which currently accounts for over 70% 

of Nigeria’s foreign exchange 

Continues on Page 29 

TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

Electricity: 11 DISCOs Indebtedness to NBET hits 

N510.53bn 

By Ediri Ejoh 

THE Liquidity situation in 

Nigeria's power sector has 

continued to witness downturn as 

the indebtedness of the Distribution 

Companies, DISCOs to Nigerian 

Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, NBET, 

increased to N510.53billion in 

2020, indicating an increase of 11.2 

per cent compared to 

N453.14billion, recorded in the 

corresponding period of 2019. 

This debt profile accrued due to 

the inability of the 11 Power 

Distribution Companies in the 

country to remit a total of N510.71 

billion to the NBET for the electricity 

sold to them from January to 

December 2020. 

The government-owned NBET 

buys electricity in bulk from 

generation companies through 

Power Purchase Agreements and 

sells through vesting contracts to the 

Discos, which then supply to the 

consumers. 

The NBET data compiled by 

Vanguard Energy showed that the 

bulk electricity trader sent an 

invoice value of N730.71 billion in 

the one year period but only paid 

N220.18billion, which left a balance 

of unremitted N510.53billion. 

This is, however, against N127.82 

billion recorded during the 

corresponding period, which had an 

invoice value of N580.96 billion in 

2019. 

Accordingly, in the first quarter of 

2020, of the total invoice of 

N156.7billion issued to the 

DISCOs, the sum of N54.2billion of 

the total invoice was settled, 

representing 32.53 per cent to 

N102.5billion unremittance 

performance. This is against the 

corresponding quarter in 2019, 

which had N161.26 billion invoice 

issued, while N33.6 billion was paid, 

leaving DISCOs with an unpaid 

NBET Invoice that rose by five 

percent to N123 billion. 

In the second quarter, Q2, of 2020 

as against the corresponding year 

of 2019, average invoice was 

N192.4billion as against 

N180.08billion, while N36.42 

billion as against N55.10 billion 

invoice was paid, thereby accruing 

unpaid invoice of N156.01 billion 

as against N124.98billion recorded 

in 2019. 

Also, in the third quarter, Q3 of 

2020 as against the corresponding 

year of 2019, average invoice issued 

rose to N189.05 billion as against 

N179.66billion, while N50.67 

billion as against N58.81 billion 

invoice was paid, thereby accruing 

unpaid invoice of N138.38billion as 

against N120.85billion recorded in 

2019. 

However, in the fourth quarter, Q4 

of 2020 as against the corresponding 

year of 2019, average invoice issued 

dropped to N192.46 billion as 

against N193.66billion, while 

N84.07 billion as against N74.20 

billion invoice was paid, thereby 

accruing unpaid invoice of 

N108.38billion as against 

N119.46billion recorded in 2019. 

Revenue collected 

However, Vanguard Energy 

gathered that the total revenue 

collected by eleven DISCOs from 

customers in the first quarter of 2020 

stood at N114.29billion out of the 

total bill of N186.82billion. 

The overall collection efficiency 

for all DISCOs decreased to 61.18 

per cent in the first quarter of 2020, 

representing 8.26 percentage points 

decrease from the 69.44 per cent 

collection efficiency recorded in 

2019/Q4. it stated. 

Also, the commission revealed 

that the total revenue collected from 

customers in the third quarter of 

2019 stood at N117.74billion out 

of the total billing of 

N170.28billion. 

It said despite the increase in the 

billing efficiency recorded in 2019/ 

Q3 relative to the preceding quarter, 

the total revenue collected as a ratio 

of the total billing by DISCOs (i.e., 

collection efficiency) in 2019/Q3 

slightly decreased when compared 

to 2019/Q2. Nigerian Electricity 

Regulatory Commission, NERC, 

explained that: “The collection 

efficiency implies that for every 

N10.00 worth of energy billed to 

customers by DISCOs in the third 

quarter, N3.10 remained 

unrecovered from customers as and 

when due. Further to its decline from 

the preceding quarter, the collection 

efficiency by the DISCOs is low and 

has continued to adversely impact 

the financial liquidity of the industry, 

which in turn, has led to low 

investment in NESI.” 

Reactions 

While attributing the payment to 

liquidity, the DISCOs have implored 

the National Assembly to intervene 

in the current liquidity crisis in the 

power sector, saying they will need 

N8.7 billion to comply with the 

remittance order set by the NERC. 

Efforts to reach the Association 

of Nigerian Electricity 

Distributors, ANED’s Executive 

Director, Research and Advocacy, 

Sunday Oduntan, were not 

successful, but he had previously 

stated that the DISCOs will require 

N725 million monthly to meet the 

threshold of 35 per cent remittance 

level set by NERC in the meantime. 

“To meet the new remittance 

expectations, DISCOs will have to 

finance an average gap of N725 

million per month (about N8.7 

billion per year), until increased 

collections bridge the gap,” the 

DISCOs noted. 

Explaining the implication of 

injecting N725 million monthly to 

NERC’s expected remittance order, 

ANED told the Committee that the 

amount represents DISCOs average 

monthly salaries. “Compliance with 

NERC Order will impair this critical 

obligation to DISCOs staff, which 

will create labour unrest and reduce 

overall performance,” he added. 

It also explained the major causes 

of the liquidity crisis in the power 

sector. It said the Average Technical 

Commercial and Collection 

(ATC&C) losses have remained high 

due to lack of liquidity, unattractive 

investment terrain and customer 

apathy to pay bills. Meanwhile, 

KPMG professionals have called for 

a holistic understudy of the power 

sector, saying, “DISCOs report 

significant revenues even though 

they are mostly unprofitable. The 

DISCO is the collecting agency for 

the entire sector and, therefore, 

consolidates the sector’s revenue in 

its books. Furthermore, in 2019, the 

DISCOs were beneficiaries of tariff 

shortfall “payments” for 2015 to 

2019 from Government. These 

receipts would also have increased 

their gross revenue for the year. 

“Based on the new rule, the 

DISCOs may be liable to significant 

MT for that year and going forward. 

The Sector continues to struggle 

with liquidity and it will be unfair to 

use cash that may be better applied 

towards infrastructure development 

for payment of taxes, especially by 

companies with significant losses 

carried forward from years of 

unprofitability. It is, therefore, 

important that the industry and 

Government come together to 

address this challenge as quickly as 

possible. 

“The power sector is in dire need 

of implementation strategies that 

will bring it out of the current debt 

crisis and address its various 

challenges. It is, therefore, important 

that all relevant key stakeholders 

work together to develop coherent 

policies and measures to improve 

the sector.”

MOU: From Left:— Acting U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Country Director, Omotayo 

Bolu, Acting USAID Nigeria Missions Director, Katie Donohoe, Ambassador of the United States to Nigeria, 

H.E. Mary Beth Leonard, MD/CEO, NLNG, Tony Attah, and Deputy MD, NLNG, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, at the MoU 

signing with USAIDS and CDC on the elimination of malaria and reduction of HIV/AIDS in Bonny Kingdom 

LNG train 7 to attract $10bn into nation’s 

economy — NLNG 

By Udeme Akpan 

THE Nigeria LNG train 

7 will attract $10 billion 

into Nigeria’s economy, 

according to the Nigeria 

LNG Limited. 

In his Goodwill message, 

presented at the Nigeria 

International Petroleum 

Summit (N.I.P.S) Pre- 

Summit Conference, titled: 

The Decade of Gas, in 

the global energy sector, solid collaborative effort, 

Autogas: LPG 

holding 

cheaper 

the position of 

than 

the and the petrol, active participation diesel — MD, 

largest oil and gas producer 

Banner Energy 

furtherance of the Federal 

Government initiative that 

declared January 1, 2021 to 

December 31, 2030 as “The 

Decade of Gas 

Development for Nigeria”, 

Managing Director, Nigeria 

LNG Limited, Mr. Tony 

Attah, said: “This is a great 

opportunity for Nigeria. 

Nigeria is blessed with 

plenty gas reserves – 200tcf 

of proven reserves and an 

additional 600tcf scope to be 

Autogas: LPG cheaper than petrol, diesel 

— Expert 

Continued from Page 28 

demand. "Reduction in USD 

demand will apply upward 

pressure to strengthen the value 

of the Naira against major 

international currencies.” 

Yakubu, who confirmed that 

his company started 

converting PMS and AGO 

automobiles to LPG, said: 

“The project which is essentially 

aimed at converting vehicles 

nominated solely by Nigerian 

National Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC, which includes 

NNPC vehicles, Ministry of 

Petroleum Resources, selected 

mass transporters, Labour 

Unions, the AKK project 

vehicles, among others, as 

received according to the 

discretion of NNPC, through its 

retail subsidiary, NNPC Retail 

Limited.” 

Already, he stated: “Banner 

Energy Limited has built the 

most and currently operates the 

largest network of LPG Autogas 

retail filling infrastructure in 

Nigeria, operated as 

proven by SEC rules. 

Proving the 600tcf will move 

us to No4 in the world from 

the current 9th position 

which I believe should be a 

key objective for this decade 

of gas agenda. 

“Essentially, Nigeria is a 

GAS NATION as we have 

more gas than oil on a BoE 

basis. Nigeria currently 

plays a significant role in 

in Africa and the sixth 

supplier of global LNG 

through the operations of 

Nigeria LNG Limited. Our 

Train 7 project alone will 

attract about$10billion into 

the country with significant 

revenue generation for the 

government and our 

shareholders, but also over 

12000 jobs opportunity for 

Nigerians.” 

BannerGas. The role of 

BannerGas is to support the 

Federal Government of 

Nigeria in achieving its 

objective of ensuring smooth 

and quick transition to 

Autogas use by a critical mass 

of road users, by the expansion 

of its franchise network of LPG 

retail filling plants network, as 

the faster deployment option to 

achieve improved accessibility 

and market penetration. 

“BannerGas has recently 

completed construction of 

Autogas filling plants for 

NNPC to flag off the Federal 

Government’s Autogas policy. 

With the success of the launch, 

BannerGas is furthering its 

collaboration with NNPC for 

a vehicle conversion to use 

Autogas. The exercise which is 

being conducted in phases is 

currently on-going in Abuja, 

where young technicians are 

being taught in batches to 

acquire special skills on 

Autogas conversion. The plan 

is to extend this by expansion 

to states of the federation, 

He said: “This is a decade 

of gas, another decade of 

sustained operations in 

Nigeria LNG, a decade of 

Train 7 and perhaps Trains 

8,9 and 10;a decade of 

elimination of gas flaring, a 

decade of more Domestic 

LPG in households in 

Nigeria and overall, a 

decade of fully Gas- 

Powered Economy. 

“As I stated at the 

beginning, this will require 

of all stakeholders, 

including the National 

Assembly currently working 

the Petroleum Industry Bill 

(PIB). The PIB holds the ace 

to be one of the biggest 

where plans are on-going to set 

up Autogas conversion centres." 

“BannerGas has also 

concluded plans to assemble 

Autogas vehicle conversion kits 

in Nigeria, in collaboration 

with its European 

manufacturing partners. 

Evidenced by its Autogas retail 

network commercial roll out 

since 2009, Banner Energy has 

played ahead of the curve in 

actualising its vision of being 

the market leader for Autogas 

in Nigeria. In spite of the very 

slow evolving and difficult 

market circumstances, it has 

remained focused to reap the 

benefits of this government’s 

policy on Autogas. It is a typical 

case of opportunity meeting us 

working.” 

On the company’s capacity, 

he said: “BannerGas continues 

to grow its business portfolio, 

with unique product offerings, 

in energy and power. It has 

developed and matured 

opportunities in the gas value 

chain, which includes LPG 

retail, bulk trading. 

opportunities for our gas 

future as a nation and we 

should not miss this 

window. Gas is Power and 

Energy. Gas is Transport- as 

in Auto Gas. Gas is 

Petrochemicals- feed stock. 

Gas is Manufacturing and 

Industries. Gas is Food from 

fertilisers.” 

He added: “Matter of fact 

Gas is everything for 

Nigeria. We must use what 

we have to get what we 

want. Saudi Arabia and 

Dubai used Oil to move 

their economies to becoming 

one of the best in the 

world; Qatar has used GAS 

to transform from a fishing 

economy to becoming a 

global gas giant." 

INVESTORS have been 

urged to deepen their 

investments in gas in order 

to attract maximum benefits 

to igeria’s economy. 

Speaking on, “Deregulation 

and Sustainable Natural 

Energy Future Through 

Natural Gas”, at a webinar 

organised by the National 

Association of Energy 

Correspondents, NAEC, 

weekend, managing 

director, Rain Oil Limited, 

Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie, said 

the government’s policy on 

alternative energy and the 

global drive for energy 

transition which requires $6 

billion present opportunities 

for investment. 

Specifically, he advised 

marketers to invest in gas 

adoption and utilization 

such as cooking gas bulk 

storage, trucks, filling plants, 

skids, gas cylinder 

manufacturing, liquefied 

natural gas plants, 

compressed natural gas/ 

liquefied natural gas trucks, 

and compressed natural gas 

filling stations. 

According to him, over N10 

billion ($27 million) will be 

generated by switching 50 


CNL reiterates commitment to 

Environmental Stewardship 

CHEVRON Nigeria Limited, CNL, operator of the 

joint venture between the Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation and CNL is aware of a report in 

the media and some communities about an alleged oil 

spill from Abiteye, Makaraba and Utonana fields in 

CNL’s western area of operations, Warri South-West Local 

Government Area of Delta State. 

CNL has investigated and continues to survey its 

Assets in the Abiteye and Utonana fields including the 

16" Makaraba-Utonana-Abiteye Right of Way, RoW and 

confirms that there has not been any indication that the 

oil sheen on water is from its Assets in Abiteye, 

Makaraba and Utonana fields or from any other CNL 

facilities as alleged. 

Speaking on the subject, Esimaje Brikinn, CNL’s 

General Manager Policy, Government and Public Affairs 

says: “We take incidents of oil spill seriously. Our 

surveillance programme is an ongoing exercise 

engrained in our processes; and we respond to every 

report of a spill by following established industry 

regulatory processes, including engagements with 

communities and regulators, and Joint Investigation 

Visits, JIV, to determine source, cause and impact of 

such spills. These are ongoing in the current case.” 

He added that after the initial report of an alleged 

spill in the area, CNL conducted an overflight of the 

area with the regulators, Department of Petroleum 

Resources and National Oil Spill Detection and 

Response Agency, and it was confirmed that there has 

been no spill emanating from any CNL assets in the 

area. 

“We continue to engage the communities and 

communicate our findings concerning the alleged spill 

to the leadership of the community stakeholders. CNL 

operates in strict compliance with relevant laws and 

regulations governing the Nigerian petroleum industry 

and remains committed to the protection of people and 

the environment." 

Seplat issues $650 million 5-year 

Senior Notes 

Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Seplat, a 

leading Nigerian independent energy company listed 

on both the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE and the London 

Stock Exchange, LSE, has priced its offering of $650 million 

in aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2026. 

The notes priced at a yield of 7.75%, representing a 

significant pricing reduction from its $350 million debut 

issuance in 2018, which priced at a yield of 9.50%, with a 

coupon of 9.25%. The size represents the largest ever 

Nigerian oil and gas bond issuance. 

The offering was well oversubscribed with demand from 

120 global investors from more than 20 countries resulting 

in a final overbook in excess of $1.1bn, which was 1.7 times 

book coverage. Orders came from high quality institutional 

investors with long-term commitments to Seplat as well as 

new institutional investors. The transaction was well received 

in the market and traded above par post-pricing. 

The transaction shows confidence by the international 

market in the Nigerian economy and the oil and gas sector 

in particular, with a number of the investors committing to 

the transaction based on the strong gas story of Seplat. 

GAS: Deepen investment to maximise benefit 

— Rain Oil 

By Udeme Akpan & 

Sebastine Obasi 

per cent of kerosene and 

firewood users to liquefied 

petroleum gas(LPG), 

otherwise known as cooking 

gas. 

He explained that proper 

channeling of flared gas 

could impact the country’s 

Gross Domestic Product, 

GDP, by up to $1 +billion per 

year, adding that it has 

potential to create over one 

million jobs, 600,000 metric 

tons of liquefied petroleum 

gas per year and generate 

2.5 gigawatts of power. 

Ogbechie, who noted that 

the Federal Government’s 

sustainable national energy 

plan seeks to deliver and 

maintain five million new offgrid 

solar connections, 

added: “Around 77 million 

Nigerians are either 

underserved by, or 

completely lack access to the 

national electricity grid. 

“With almost eight billion 

cubic meters of gas flared 

annually, Nigeria is the 

seventh-largest gas flaring 

nation in the world. Nigeria 

lost N300 billion to gas 

flaring in seven months of 

2020.” 

He also said: “Subsidy was 

“discontinued” in March 

2020 by the PPPRA 

following the crash in the 

global crude oil price 

modulation. PMS pump 

price was moved from N145/ 

ltr to N125/ltr as landing cost 

of PMS was N99.44/ltrn. As 

crude oil prices recovered 

and PMS landing cost 

increased, PMS pump price 

were moved to N143.8/ltr in 

July 2020, N151.56/ltr in 

Sept 2020, N162/ltr in 

October and N165/ltr in 

November 2020. “In 

February 2021, subsidy 

element “returned” as crude 

price hit $64/bbl and landing 

cost of PMS increased to 

N186.33/ltr (while pump 

price remained at N165/ 

ltr).CBN has devalued the 

official exchange rate to 

?401/$1 from ?380/$1. “In 

March 2021, crude price 

averaged $67/bbl thereby 

increasing landing cost of 

petrol to N189.61/ltr." 

OIL MARKET WATCH 

Bonny Light $63.00 

Brent $64.74 

OPEC Basket $62.56 

WTI $61.34 

MARS $61.07 

(As at March 29, 2021)


Soludo 

Ifeanyi 

Ubah 

Obiora 

Okonkwo 

Andy Uba 

U c h e 

Ekwunife 

By Clifford Ndujihe & 

Vincent Ujumadu 

THE Anambra State 2021 

governorship election is 

exactly 220 days away but 

it is as if the November 6 exercise is 

around the corner. A flurry of 

activities by stakeholders especially 

the horde of aspirants has kept the 

Anambra political firmament astir. 

So far, there are no fewer than 30 

aspirants angling to succeed 

Governor Willie Obiano in what is 

panning out as a battle of billionaires 

and philanthropists. 

Anambra is one of the few states 

in Nigeria gifted with a large pool 

of wealthy individuals. One 

account said Anambra has the 

largest number of millionaires per 

square kilometre in the country. 

Among the large chunk of the 30 

sons and daughters of Anambra 

State, who had signified their intentions 

to battle for the top job are 

billionaires and multi-millionaires. 

A host of them has pedigree 

in philanthropic activities. 

As things are, the next governor 

of Anambra may be a billionaire 

or some one backed by billionaires. 

Apart from deep pocket and heavy 

war chest, the issues of zoning, party 

platform, popularity, exposure, and 

experience among others are 

factors that will shape the 

governorship election. 

Inter-party posturing 

The Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, which has the highest number 

of aspirants in the state has vowed 

to return to power after 15 years in 

political doldrums by snatching 

Anambra from the All Progressives 

Grand Alliance, APGA. The party 

has thrown its doors open to 

aspirants from the three senatorial 

zones of the state. The move is 

against the raging clamour for 

zoning the position to Anambra 

South. 

In the saddle for 16 years, the 

APGA is not ready to lose the only 

state it controls in Nigeria. The 

party has vowed to remain in power 

in the state and expand to other 

states. 

APGA started the power rotation 

charter that led to Anambra North 

ascending to power for the first time 

in 2014 with a promise to zone the 

seat to Anambra South in 2022. 

APGA boasts that the opposition 

parties do not have what it takes to 

consolidate on the development 

strides of the party in the state 

christened Home for All. 

ANAMBRA 2021: Intrigues as 

billionaires, philanthropists go to war 

For the APC, it is time to return 

Anambra to the mainstream of 

Nigeria politics and the ruling 

party at the centre. According to 

APC leaders, making Anambra an 

APC state would make the state 

reap more from the President 

Muhammadu Buhari Administration. 

Zoning logjam, agreement 

One factor expected to shape the 

election is zoning. Agreements on 

governorship shift in Anambra, 

popularized under the 

administration of Mr. Peter Obi, is 

gaining traction. 

In 2017, before the last governorship 

election, the late Dr. Alex 

Ekwueme, together with many 

influential leaders of thought in 

Anambra, advanced the zoning 

principle and declared that 

Anambra North be allowed to 

complete its second term through 

Willie Obiano. 

Then, some non-partisan stakeholders 

and groups met at different 

fora and resolved that only political 

parties that picked their candidate 

from Anambra North should be 

considered by Anambra voters. Participants 

included the Anambra 

Union comprising politicians, 

academics, retired public officers, 

etc. 

Also, the Anambra State chapter 

of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, at a joint 

meeting with traditional rulers and 

Presidents general of all the 

autonomous communities of the 

state on May 16, 2017, at Awka, 

enjoined all political parties to pick 

their flag bearers from Anambra 

North for the then coming 

Anambra Governorship poll. 

Anambra State Association of 

Trade Unions, ASATU, said it 

believe in the sanctity of zoning as 

the basis of political powersharing 

in the State. Anambra 

Traditional Rulers have also lent 

their support to zoning. 

On March 4, 2020, Chief Emeka 

Anyaoku, former Commonwealth 

scribe and Chairman of the 

Anambra State Traditional Rulers 

Council, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, 

the Obi of Onitsha, led the Elders 

Council in a meeting with 

Governor Obiano where agreement 

on zoning was firmed up 

The Council reiterated its support 

for the rotation of the office of the 

Governor among the three 

senatorial zones in the state, and 

its expectation that the next governor 

of the state will come from 

Anambra South. 

The group said: “In our analysis 

of how the Anambra governorship 

seat had rotated since 29th May 

1999, it was discovered that the 

South has had only four years 

under Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju, the 

center had 11 years, courtesy of 

Peter Obi and Chris Ngige and the 

North is having the last lap of its 

eight years of two tenures. 

“It is therefore right to conclude 

All civilian governors 

of Anambra 

* Chief Chukwuemeka 

Ezeife, Jan 2, 1992 to Nov 17, 

1993, Anambra South 

* Chief Chinwoke 

Mbadinuju, May 29, 1999 to 

May 28, 2003, Anambra South 

* Senator Chris Ngige, May 

29, 2003 to March 17, 2006, 

Anambra Central 

* Mr. Peter Obi, March 17, 

2006 to Nov 3, 2006, Anambra 

Central 

* Mrs Virginia Etiaba, Nov 

3, 2006 to Feb 9, 2007,, 

Anambra South 

* Mr. Peter Obi, Feb 9, 2007 

to May 29, 2007, Anambra 

Central 

* Senator Andy Uba, May 29, 

2007 to June 14, 2007,, 

Anambra South 

* Mr. Peter Obi, June 14, 

2007 to March 13, 2014,, 

Anambra Central 

* Chief Willie Obiano, 

March 14, 2014 till date,, 

Anambra North 

that with a minimum of eight years 

taken by Peter Obi from Anambra 

Central and additional three years 

by Ngige, the eight years being 

taken by the Anambra North; 

Anambra South is being shortchanged. 

In other words, while 

Anambra Central occupied the 

elective seat of the Governor of 

Anambra State for 11 years by 

17th March 2022, the Anambra 

North would have stayed in the 

same office for eight years; all as 

against Anambra South which took 

only four years.” 

However, some of the aspirants 

have opposed the zoning agreement, 

arguing that Anambra needs 

the best hand to turn her fortunes 

around. 

Looking at the power-sharing 

issue, some observers said Anambra 

South has not been as shortchanged 

as being bandied if the 

number of Anambra South people 

who had occupied the governorship 

seat is anything to go buy. 

By commission, omission, hook 

or crook, Anambra South has 

produced more occupants of 

Anambra State Government House 

(see table) and held power for six 

years. They include Dr 

Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dr Chinwoke 

Mbadinuju, Mrs Virgy Etiaba 

and Senator Andy Uba, which is 

four out of seven governors. 

Anambra Central had two- Chris 

Ngige and Peter Obi while Anambra 

North had one- Obiano. 

Mrs Etiaba was in the saddle for 

a couple of months before the 

Supreme Court nullified the House 

of Assembly’s impeachment of Peter 

Obi. Also, Andy Uba was in power 

for 17 days before the Supreme 

Court held that Peter Obi had not 

completed his tenure, adding that 

the election that brought Uba to 

power on May 29, 2007 should not 

have been held. 

Charged political terrain 

The Anambra political terrain 

came alive following the release of 

the timetable for the governorship 

election by the Independent 

National Electoral Commission, 

INEC. The various aspirants are 

currently combing the 326 political 

wards for support. Their major 

concern currently is to woo would - 

be delegates for the primaries of the 

political parties already slated for 

June. 

While the big three political 

parties namely, All Progressives 

Grand Alliance, APGA, Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, and All 

Progressives Congress, APC, boast 

of a large number of governorship 

aspirants, 14 other political parties 

operating in the state, which are 

among those recognized by INEC, 

are still waiting for aspirants to 

show interest in their parties. 

The only political party that 

could be said to have a candidate 

at the moment is the Young 

Progressives Party, YPP, which has a 

billionaire oil magnate, Senator 

Ifeanyi Ubah, as its only aspirant. 

Ubah, who is representing 

Anambra South senatorial zone, 

cornered the ticket of YPP early 

enough such that no aspirant for 

the November 6 poll is looking in 

that direction. “I am the only governorship 

candidate in Anambra 

State,” Ubah boasted recently. 

For the other people who are 

nursing the ambition to succeed 

Governor Obiano in 2022, 

uncertainty remains the word. This 

is why they and their supporters are 

having sleepless nights traversing 

all the nooks and crannies of the 

state shopping for delegates. 

Of all the political parties, PDP 

has the highest number of aspirants 

(11), followed by APC (10) and 

APGA (8). Most of the aspirants are 

from Anambra South following 

what appears to be the popular 

opinion among politicians that the 

next governor of the state should 

come from Anambra South 

senatorial zone. 

In line with the flowing zoning 

stream, most of the aspirants, so far, 

are from Anambra South. 

PDP aspirants 

Obiora Okonkwo 

Okonkwo, a Russian trained Ph.D 

Continues on page 31

Intrigues as billionaires, philanthropists 

go to war 

Continued on page 30 

holder in Political Science and 

business tycoon is one of the 

billionaires eyeing the 

governorship seat. He is the owner 

of The Dome Event and 

Entertainment Centre in Abuja, and 

through his non-governmental 

organization; Pro-Value Humanity 

Foundation, he has touched lives 

across the state and beyond. He 

recently launched a new airline, 

United Nigeria Airline, which 

commenced operation few months 

ago. He has already picked the 

expression of interest form of the PDP. 

Apart from the brouhaha of 

zoning, Okonkwo is one person 

favoured among the PDP delegates. 

He is from Ogidi in Anambra 

Central senatorial zone. His 

argument has always been that if 

PDP hopes to win the November 

election, it should go for the best 

candidate and not sacrifice the 

party’s chances on the altar of 

zoning. 

Chris Azubogu 

The three –time member of the 

House of Representatives is 

sounding like the aspirant to beat 

at the PDP primaries. The Engineer– 

turned politician first won 

election on the platform 

of APGA, he later 

moved to PDP 

and won 

twice. 

Though 

he repres 

e n t s 

N n e w i 

North, Nnewi 

South and 

Ekwusigo federal constituency 

in the green chamber of 

the National Assembly, he has attracted 

projects for communities 

outside his constituency, which had 

made the people of Anambra State 

to nickname him ‘Mr. Project.’ 

Though from Anambra South, 

Azubogu who said there is nothing 

wrong in zoning, explained that he 

is not campaigning to become the 

next governor of the state on the 

basis of zoning. 

Winston Ude 

Ude is an American trained 

lawyer and architect. He surprised 

most people in PDP when he 

donated N6 million for running the 

party during stakeholders’ meeting 

in Awka and followed it up with the 

donation of 21 sienna cars to the 

local government branches of PDP 

and pledged to also donate vehicles 

to the leadership of the party in the 

state. He hails from Ndiowu in 

Orumba North local government 

area of Anambra South senatorial 

zone. 

Godwin Maduka 

The American trained medical 

doctor and pharmacist is the 

proprietor of the famous Pains 

Institute in Las Vegas, USA where 

he is practising his profession. He 

has brought so much development 

to his community, Umuchukwu in 

Orumba South local government 

area of Anambra South senatorial 

zone. His 17–storey edifice which 

he said would soon house a 

pharmaceutical manufacturing 

outfit, is a testimony of his desire to 

attract investment to Anambra 

State. 

Maduka single handedly built a 

high court complex with judges’ 

quarters, a magistrate court with 

magistrates’ quarters, a police 

complex with befitting quarters and 

he is planning to build a Police 

Academy in the community. He also 

built churches and schools for the 

various denominations. He said 

recently that he would not rely on 

allocations to the state if he became 

governor, assuring that he would 

use his international connections 

to attract investments to the 

state. 

Val 

Ozigbo 

Val Ozigbo 

This boardroom guru was 

President and Chief Executive 

Officer of Transnational 

Corporation of Nigeria Plc. 

He hails from Umuomaku 

in Orumba South local 

government area of 

Anambra South senatorial 

zone. Since his entry into 

the governorship race, 

Ozigbo has become very visible 

in all communities in 

Anambra State and has in fact 

become a house hold name 

among the people. Many people 

in PDP see him as a politician without 

negative baggage who is capable 

of replicating what he did at 

Transcorp in Anambra State. 

Godwin Ezeemo 

He is a businessman and hails 

from Umuchu in Aguata local government 

area, in 

Anambra South. 

In 2012, 

Ezeemo 

surprised 

the entire 

state 

when he 

transferred 

his entire lucrative 

business outfit 

from London to 

Anambra State. He has 

invested heavily in agriculture, 

hotels, and media, among others. 

The successful businessman, hotel 

proprietor, publisher of Orient 

Daily Newspaper, owner of Orient 

FM, and a successful farmer is 

known to be stinking rich. He is 

gradually becoming a veteran 

governorship contender too as he 

has twice before now given the position 

a shot without success. 

At a recent interview, Ezeemo said 

he decided to relocate to Nigeria to 

contribute his quota towards the development 

of the state. He was the 

first aspirant that donated a bus to 

the state branch of PDP and he is 

considered a grassroots person. 

Uche Ekwunife 

She is the only woman among the 

aspirants. She represents Anambra 

Central in the state and before going 

to the Senate, she also represented 

Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia 

federal constituency in the House 

of Representatives. Though all her 

political activities had been in 

Anambra Central, she has countered 

the argument by those 

campaigning for the governorship 

to go to Anambra South that she is 

also from Anambra South by birth. 

She hails from Igboukwu in 

Aguata local government area, but 

married at Nri, Anaocha local 

government in Anambra Central 

where she has been playing her 

politics. 

Ifedi Okwenna 

Ifedi Okwenna has a huge knowledge 

of the political terrain in 

Anambra and Nigeria. He has held 

several political positions in the 

past including as Special Assistant 

(Political) in the government of 

President Olusegun Obasanjo and 

Commissioner for Environment 

and Mineral 

R e - 

sources; 

George Moghalu 

Commissioner 

Science 

and Technology, 

under the Peter Obi-led administration 

in Anambra State and Secretary, 

Honorary Advisory Committee, 

to President 

Jonathan. He said he has 

the experience and exposure 

to improve on the 

fortunes of the state, if 

given the mandate. 

Harry Oranezi 

The medical doctor, 

policy expert and 

politician has played 

several roles in the 

politics of Anambra 

and Nigeria. He was 

the coordinator of the 

Atiku/Obi presidential 

election in 

Anambra in 2019. 

Ugochukwu 

Okeke 

Ugochukwu Okeke 

is a young politician and 

die-hard member of the 

PDP. This is his second attempt 

at governing the state 

and hopes to get it this time. 

Oseloka Obaze 

Obaze is a native of Ochuche 

Umuodu, Ogbaru LGA in Anambra 

North senatorial zone. The 

diplomat, politician, author and a 

retired United Nations official 

served the organization as an 

international civil servant between 

1991 and 2012. 

He was secretary to the Anambra 

state government during the 

Governor Peter Obi administration, 

and during the early days of the 

administration of Governor Willie 

Obiano. 

Before the 2017 election, he 

dumped APGA and moved to PDP. 

He was the favourite aspirant of 

Peter Obi, and flew the PDP flag in 

the election in the move to stop 

Obiano’s re-election. He lost. 

Hailing from Anambra North as 

Obiano, it is to be seen if Anmabra 

voters will allow power to remain in 

Anambra North. 

APGA 

The ruling party is parading a 

crowd of aspirants. They include 

Professor Chukwuma Soludo, 

Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, 

Damian Okolo, Okwudili 

Ezenwankwo, Chukwuma Umeoji, 

Ben Nwankwo, Stanley 

Uzochukwu, and Nnamdi 

Okonkwo. 

Chukwuma Soludo 

The former governor of Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is seen by 

some stakeholders as the governor 

–in waiting following the support he 

is receiving from Governor Willie 

Obiano. 

Soludo hails from Isuofia in 

Aguata local government area in 


delity Bank, Okonkwo is one of those 

linked with the governorship poll. His 

recent resignation from Fidelity Bank 

is said to be in pursuit of his quest to 

become the governor of Anambra. Fidelity 

Bank is a major financier of 

projects in Anambra State. From the 

Obi era, those who led Anambra had 

connections with the bank. Obi was 

chairman of the bank, and he handed 

over to Obiano who was executive director 

of same bank. 

Anambra South. There are indications 

that the leadership of APGA 

might persuade other aspirants in 

the party to step down for for the 

former central banker and erudite 

economist to avoid the rancour associated 

with party primaries. 

Whether they will agree is 

another issue but no 

fewer than 24 groups 

are rooting for 

Soludo to become 

the next governor 

of 

Anambra 

State. 

Soludo first 

gave the governorship 

seat a shot 

in 2010 

when he 

sought to 

unseat Obi 

who was 

then running 

for a 

second 

term. In 

2017, Soludo 

was being 

wooed by 

some people 

to contest 

against Obiano 

but in a move that 

surprised many, he 

turned them down and 

joined APGA after he delivered 

a lecture stating c l e a r l y 

that Anambra under Obiano was 

not broken and as such didn’t need 

fixing. Sources said he is a key 

player in the economic and development 

programmes of the Obiano 

Administration and is in a good 

stead to sustain them after Obiano. 

Damian Okolo 

Okolo is a lawyer and estate 

surveyor and valuer, an alumnus of 

the National Institute for Policy and 

Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Jos 

and a papal knight. The Nnewiborn 

politician hails from Anambra 

South, said that the governance of 

Anambra State requires someone 

who understands the problems of 

the state. He said having lived in 

the state all his life, he knows the 

people and what they want the 

government to do for them. 

Okwudili Ezenwankwo 

Before his election into the House 

of Representatives, Ezenwankwo 

was the leader of all traders in the 

South-East. He is from the same Old 

Aguata Union as Soludo. He is 

popular among traders and 

businessmen in Anambra. 

Nicholas Ukachukwu 

Ukachukwu is a veteran 

governorship aspirant. He has 

contested many governorship and 

senatorial elections in the state. His 

billboards have surfaced in parts of 

Anambra. His supporters said he is 

an experienced and trusted hand, 

whose time has come. He is also 

from Anambra South. 

Nnamdi Okonkwo 

Former Managing Director of Fi- 

APC 

Currently, there are no fewer than 

11 aspirants struggling for the ticket 

of the APC. They include Senator Andy 

Uba, Barr Ben Etiaba, Dr Amobi 

Nwokafor, Dr George Moghalu, Paul 

Orajiaka, Engr Johnbosco Onunkwo, 

Arc Geoff Onyejekwe and Hon Tony 

Nwoye. 

Andy Uba 

The former aide to former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo was governor for 

17 days before he was removed by the 

Supreme Court following a suit by 

Governor Peter Obi that the election 

of 2007 ought not to have taken place 

in Anambra State. Since then, his 

efforts to return to the Government 

House had not been successful but he 

has been telling APC leaders that he 

will succeed in November this year if 

the party gives him the ticket. He is 

from Uga in Aguata local government 

area of Anambra South and 

represented the zone in the Senate on 

the platform of APC. 

If he picks the APC ticket he would 

be the first person to contest the 

Anambra governorship election on 

the platform of three political parties. 

In 2007, he ran on PDP ticket and later 

on the plank of the Labour Party, LP. 

George Moghalu 

He has been in politics since the 

return of the present democratic 

dispensation in 1999. He started from 

the All Peoples Party, APP, which 

morphed to All Nigerian Peoples 

Party, ANPP that joined with other 

legacy parties to form the APC in 

2013. He was the national auditor 

of APC before he was appointed 

managing director of the 

National Inland Waterways 

Authority, NIWA, 

by President 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

Moghalu had contested 

the governorship 

in the past this is 

the third time he is 

aspiring to govern 

the state. He is from 

Nnewi in Anambra 

South. He sees the 

November 6 election 

as his brightest 

chance to govern 

Anambra. 

Wilson Chidozie 

Nwankwo 

The chairman of 

Wichtech Group and 

hails from Oko in 

Orumba North local government 

area of Anambra 

South. Many people see him as 

a bridge between the old and new 

class of politicians. Nwankwo believes 

that he will deliver Anambra 

to APC if given the ticket because 

he has the resources to fund his 

campaign. He is also very popular 

among the business class in 

Onitsha, having been with them for 

a very long time. 

Emeka Etiaba 

Emeka, SAN, the son of Dame 

Virgy Etiaba, the first Nigeria female 

politician ever to become governor 

of a state is a top flight lawyer. In 2010, 

Etiaba gave then incumbent 

Governor Peter Obi a tough fight after 

receiving the blessings of the leader 

of the APGA, and late Dim 

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu 

ahead of Obi. 

He, however, lost the governorship 

ticket of the party when party leaders 

like Chief Victor Umeh intervened and 

got Odumegwu-Ojukwu to back Obi. 

With the seat zoned to Anambra 

South, Etiaba is upbeat about his 

chances now. 

Amobi Nwokafor 

Dr Amobi Nwokafor, a boardroom 

guru, chartered accountant, 

philanthropist, former presidentgeneral 

of Akwa Development Union, 

and Chairman Board of Trustees of 

the union, is one of those eyeing the 

Anambra State governorship seat in 

2021 on the platform of the All 

Progressives Congress, APC. 

Nwokafor, who is also a Certified 

Forensic Accountant, Certified Fraud 

Examiner, Chartered Arbitrator and 

Chartered Tax Practitioner, in this 

interview, said Anambra electorate 

must hand their best the mandate in 

2021 to take the state to the next level. 

In terms of zoning, he said it is the 

turn of APC to govern Anambra. 

Amobi 

Nwokafor

32 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30 , 2021 

Nigerians becoming more unhealthy with 

globalisation, says Nigerian Heart Foundation 

… Partners 18 gyms, wellness centres to promote physical fitness 

By Chioma Obinna 

THE Executive Director 

of the Nigerian Heart 

Foundation, NHF, Dr 

Kingsley Akinroye has 

linked rapid changes in 

lifestyles of Nigerians on 

globalisation and 

urbanisation adding that 

it has decreased physical 

activity, increased 

sedentary living, 

unhealthy diets and 

increased tobacco use, 

with rise in Non- 

Communicable Diseases, 

NCDs. 

To this end, the 

Foundation is partnering 18 

gyms and wellness centres 

in six states and Abuja to 

mark the 2021 World 

Physical Activity Day 

(WOPAD) on April 6th, 

2021. 

Akinroye told Good 

Health Weekly that NCDs, 

especially cardiovascular 

diseases were the leading 

causes of morbidity and 

mortality as reflected in the 

past 18 months even with 

the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Considering the global 

surge in NCDs such as 

diabetes, hypertension, 

obesity, and heart disease 

among others, and the 

ongoing COVID-19 

pandemic, it becomes 

expedient to reiterate the 

benefits of being physically 

active for all. 

“Physical activity when 

adopted by everyone has 

the benefit of preventing, 

maintaining and 

controlling the complexities 

surrounding NCDs onset, 

progression and 

complications. 

“The WOPAD is a day set 

aside every April 6 to 

propagate in stronger 

terms, the benefits inherent 

in the adoption of physical 

activity,” he added. 

Akinroye said this year’s 

WOPAD will feature 

programmes to enhance the 

By Chioma Obinna 

A 

NIGERIAN health 

facility, Lagoon 

Hospitals, last week made 

history as it received 

reaccreditation of the Joint 

International Commission 

(JCI)’s ‘The Gold Seal of 

Approval’ for the fourth 

time. 

Lagoon Hospitals is the 

only Nigerian Hospital 

group accredited by the JCI, 

and one of two groups in 

Sub-Saharan African to be 

accredited. The Hospitals 

was first accredited in 2011 

and re-accredited in 2015, 

2018 and 2021. 

The Gold Seal of Approval 

is an accreditation of the 

United States-JCI done 

every three years, it is a 

guarantee of safe and 

quality healthcare that 

meets international 

L-R: Dr Jack E. Mbom Managing Consultant/ CEO, Dr Jacks Wellness Centre, Dr 

Kingsley K. Akinroye Executive Director, Nigerian Heart Foundation; Mrs Pamela 

Umebuani, Director. Paslim Health, Fitness Centre- Spa. Lagos Country Club Ikeja 

during the media parley on the 2021 World Physical Activity Day events. 

uptake of physical activity 

by the general public. 

There would be health 

screening, heart 

enlightenment talks and 

mini-heart health product 

exhibition at the gyms and 

wellness centres. 

The Chairman, Physical 

Activity Committee, NHF 

and Director, Exercise In 

Medical (EIM), Nigeria, 

Prof. Fatai Adeniyi said 

there are series of events in 

Osogbo on April 6 and 10 

as well as sensitisation 


ANEW study has shown 

that patients waiting 

for elective surgery should 

get COVID-19 vaccines 

ahead of the general 

population to avoid 

thousands of postoperative 

deaths linked to 

the virus. 

The study funded by the 

NIHR for the COVIDSurg 

Collaborative international 

team of researchers, led by 

experts at the University of 

Birmingham, after 

studying data for 141,582 

patients from across 1,667 

standards. 

At a media presentation 

of the latest accreditation in 

Lagos , the Chief Executive 

Officer, Lagoon Hospitals, 

Dr. Olujimi Coker, said they 

were rewarded following 

their continuous 

compliance with 

internationally-recognised 

standard. 

The hospital underwent a 

rigorous process during 

which a team of JCI expert 

surveyors evaluated the 

group’s compliance with 

hospital standards related 

to a variety of areas. 

Some of the areas are to 

include international 

patient safety goals, patient 

assessment and care, 

anesthesia and surgical 

care, medication 

management, patient and 

family education, and 

talks, health screening and 

counselling in Lagos, 

Ibadan, Kano, Port- 

Hartcourt, Abakaliki and 

Osogbo. 

He said adequate 

physical activity could serve 

as a potent force in the fight 

against COVID-19. 

According to him, the role 

of physical activity in 

regulating immunity and 

providing optimum health 

for people with NCDs is 

crucial in the fight against 

the pandemic. 

quality improvement, 

infection prevention and 

control. 

JCI representatives 

commended the hospital 

for passing more than 1,200 

measurable elements or 

Key Performance Indicators 

(KPIs) to retain its status as 

a quality improvement 

organisation. 

“The accreditation 

demonstrates the 

hospital’s commitment to 

patient safety and quality. 

Lagoon Hospital is driven 

by a single thrust, to 

provide the best standards 

of patient care. 

It is this passion that has 

led to the development of 

unique specialties across 

medical disciplines, within 

the Lagoon Hospitals 

Group. 

“We got our first JCI 

“The agency however 

believes that there is a wide 

gap between what people 

know about physical 

activity and what they 

practice. 

He called on Nigerians, 

groups, corporate entities, 

traditional institutions, 

government and 

nongovernmental agencies 

including all policy 

influencers and makers to 

pay more attention to the 

issues around physical 

activity. 

COVID-19: Prioritise surgery patients —EXPERTS 

hospitals in Nigeria and 

115 other countries, found 

that between 0.6 per cent 

and 1.6 percent of patients 

develop COVID-19 

infection after elective 

surgery. 

The findings published 

in the BMJ and European 

Journal of Surgery) further 

noted that patients who 

develop COVID-19 

infection are at between 4- 

and 8-fold increased risk of 

death in the 30 days 

following surgery. 

"For example, whereas 

patients aged 70 years and 

over undergoing cancer 

surgery would usually have 

a 2.8 per cent mortality rate, 

this increases to 18.6 

percent if they develop 

COVID-19 infection. 

"Based on the high risks 

that surgical patients face, 

scientists calculate that 

vaccination of surgical 

patients is more likely to 

prevent COVID-19 related 

deaths than vaccines given 

to the population at large - 

particularly among the 

over-70s and those 

undergoing surgery for 

cancer. 

Lagoon Hospitals receive JCI accreditation for 4th time 

accreditation in 2011 and 

within that time, what we 

have been able to do is to 

train, continuously training 

different healthcare 

professionals that have 

passed through our system 

but are now distributed 

across Nigeria, who are now 

leaders in quality 

healthcare in Nigeria. 

There is no quality 

healthcare mechanism or 

organism in Nigeria that 

you can visit that one or two 

of the top people there 

wouldn’t be alumni of 

Lagoon Hospitals.” he 

added. 

He said if the billions 

spent in the past years on 

medical tourism had been 

invested on the country’s 

health sector, Nigeria 

would have been able to 

produce its COVID-19 

vaccine. 

Kogi agrees to accept 

COVID-19 vaccine doses 

•Begins rollout this week 


THREE weeks after 

Nigeria began 

innoculating eligible 

Nigerians with the 

COVID-19 vaccine, Kogi 

state is finally set to start 

administering the vaccine 

to residents. 

Saka Haruna, the state 

commissioner for health, 

said the state will receive 

doses of the vaccine today 

and begin rollout 

thereafter. Haruna said 

the state was set to start 

the vaccination rollout. 

“We have done the 

microplanning and 

everything has been 

completed with the 

NPHCDA.” 

He said anyone willing 

to receive the vaccine 

would receive it and that 

nobody will be forced to 

be vaccinated. 

Haruna said further 

plans would be 

announced about the 

Vitafoam promotes restful 

sleep for healthy living 

By Sola Ogundipe 

WORRIED by low level 

of sleep among many 

Nigerians and its effects on 

their quality of life, 

Vitafoam Nigeria Plc is 

driving a campaign on the 

importance of sleep in 

addition to rolling out 

innovative products to 

ensure healthy living. 

In a statement to mark 

this year’s World Sleep 

Day, themed: “Regular, 

Regular Future,” the 

Group Managing 

Director, Mr Taiwo 

Adeniyi decried the 

negative effect of the low 

level of sleep, saying it 

has adverse impact on the 

quality of life. 

Adeniyi said World 

Sleep Day is a global call 

to spread awareness, and 

highlight the importance 

of regular sleep as a pillar 

of health. 

“We can understand 

that, when sleep fails, 

health declines and on 

the other side decreases 

the quality of life. Sound 

sleep is a treasured 

function. 

“With the various health 

challenges we encounter 

in these recent times, 

getting regular sleep has 

been linked to 

overcoming these 

challenges, especially 

with the COVID-19 

pandemic around the 

world.” 

He said: “There has 

been a disruption to 

vaccination rollout when 

the vaccine doses are 

supplied. 

Yahaya Bello, the Kogi 

state governor had 

repeatedly denied the 

existence of COVID-19 in 

Kogi, saying the 

vaccination is among their 

least concerns. 

Bello and the ED/CEO 

NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal 

Shuaib, met on Monday 

to discuss the 

development around cold 

chain for vaccine storage 

and provision of security 

at the state’s cold store. 

Earlier, the National 

Primary Health Care 


NPHCDA, had said 

vaccine supplies to Kogi 

was delayed as a result of 

what they described as 

the state’s concerns 

around the contradictory 

information about the 

vaccines, and the nonrepair 

of its cold-chain 

store. 

getting regular sleep in 

these recent times, 

however, the key to 

healthy pandemic sleep 

is to deliberately build 

routines to aid sleep. 

Adeniyi said Vitafoam 

mattresses are carefully 

designed to support the 

back and spine to ensure 

maximum comfort. 

“Apart from leveraging 

its innovativeness to 

manufacture products that 

would enable users to 

sleep comfortably, 

Vitafoam is creating 

awareness on the 

relationship between 

sleep and healthy living. 

“This year, beyond 

providing quality sleep 

products like mattresses, 

pillows, duvet, bed sheet 

and beds to Nigerians, we 

are driving this sleep 

campaign for a healthy 

future by encouraging 

you to get good sleep with 

us on our quality 

mattresses, pillows, beds, 

duvets and bed sheets.“ 

The Deputy 

Director, Physiotherapy 

department, National 

Orthopedic Hospital 

Igbobi. Mrs Modupe 

Adesanya commended 

Vitafoam’s Buy Right 

Project. 

“She said the company’s 

products have been tested 

and trusted over years. 

When you buy quality, 

you have made an 

investment, the return is 

sound sleep and good 

health.


Shelter Afrique eyes US$1.1 billion 

bond to fund low cost housing in Africa 

—As Agency returns to profitability in 2020 

earnings 

By Kingsley Adegboye 

with Agency report 

PAN-African housing 

development 

financier, Shelter Afrique, 

weekend announced that it 

is seeking to raise 121 

billion shillings (about 1.1 

billion U.S. dollars) 

through issuing bonds in 

local currency to fund low 

cost housing in the 

continent. 

Andrew Chimphondah, 

CEO, Shelter Afrique, said 

in Nairobi that in total it 

will issue three bonds in 

Africa. 

“We are going to issue the 

bonds in local African 

currencies in order to avoid 

foreign exchange risk in 

case the currencies are 

devalued,” Chimphondah 

said when Shelter Afrique 

released its 2020 financial 

performance. 

Shelter Afrique further 

noted that it will issue an 

equivalent of 500 million 

dollars bond in Nigeria in 

local currency in May. 

Chimphondah said they 

also plan to raise another 

500 million dollars 

through a local currency 

bond in the third quarter of 

2021 in the east African 

region. 

“The bond will be cross 

listed in the Kenya, 

Uganda, Tanzania and 

Rwanda capital markets in 

their respective local 

currencies,” he added. 

He revealed that they will 

also issue an equivalent of 

100 million dollars bond in 

local currency in the 14 

countries in west and 

central Africa that use the 

CFA franc. 

•Residential housing estate 

The fund will be used to 

solve the continent’s 

housing crisis caused by 

shortage of affordable 

houses. 

Meanwhile, the agency 

has returned to 

profitability in its 2020 

earnings, as total 

comprehensive income 

increased to Sh196 million 

from a loss of Sh134 

million in 2019, 

representing a 247 per cent 

increase despite the advent 

of Covid-19 in the first 

quarter of the year. 

Shelter Afrique 

Chairman Steve Mainda 

said the turnaround 

strategy put in place in 

2016 had finally paid off. 

According to Mainda, 

“Between 2016-2018, the 

Company scaled down its 

operations and, in the 

process, underwent a 

restructuring programme 

which resulted in the 

crafting of the 2019-2023 

Strategic Plan. The 

Strategic Plan focused on 

three Key Strategic Goals 

(SGs), which are supported 

by key strategic objectives 

How to tackle Illegal wildlife 

trafficking in Nigeria — UNODC 

High pressure on Nigerian 

wildlife, where pangolins, 

forest elephants and other 

endangered species, are 

traded both domestically and 

internationally, has become 

a major concern to 

stakeholders. Animals are 

hunted for their bush meat 

and body parts such as 

pangolin scales and elephant 

ivory tusks. The country's 

deforestation has also led to 

further decrease in 

endangered animals. 

Nigeria is not only a source 

of wildlife products, but also 

a major transit country. There 

appears to be geographic 

consolidation of trafficking 

routes across several markets, 

with Nigeria emerging as a 

key source/transit country for 

many shipments of protected 

species and products. 

According to a report of the 

CITES, Elephant Trade 

Information System to 

COP17, Nigeria is the second 

most prominent ivory 

exporting country of West 

Africa, functioning as a major 

ivory hub that draws in ivory 

from Central Africa and, 

increasingly, as far away as 

East Africa. 

UNODC's World Wildlife 

Crime Report (WWCR) 2020, 

found that, in 2019 alone, at 

least 51 tons of pangolin 

scales seized globally 

originated from Nigerian 

ports, compared to only 2 

tons in 2015. More than half 

of all seizures of pangolin 

scales worldwide could be 

traced back to Nigeria in 

2019. Data further suggests 

an increasing role of Nigeria 

in the illicit ivory trade. 

Despite a global decline in 

trafficking in ivory since 

2011, Nigeria has been 

identified in a growing 

number of incidents as part 

of the illegal trade chain. 

The January 2021 seizure 

at the Apapa Ports by the 

Nigeria Customs Service of 

20 feet container containing 

the remains of various 

endangered species further 

highlights and buttresses 

these findings in the WWCR 

2020. 

The container included 

2,772 pieces of elephant tusks 

of different shapes weighing 

about 4,752kg; 162 sacks of 

pangolin scales weighing 

5,329kg; 5kg of rhino horns, 

dried and fresh animal 

bones; 103 kg of skulls 

suspected to be of lions and 

other wild cat; and 76 pieces 

of timber (semi processed 

and processed). 

UNODC's Global 

Programme for Combating 

Wildlife and Forest Crime 

and the Corruption and 

Economic Crime Branch 

have developed practical 

tools to support wildlife 

management authorities to 

strengthen their capacity to 

mitigate against the risk of 

corruption that prevents them 

from achieving their 

mandate to protect wildlife. 

The Government of Nigeria 

has requested UNODC's 

of achieving financial 

sustainability, enhancing 

shareholders’ value & 

development impact, and 

organisational 

sustainability. I wish to 

commend the competent 

team for their judicious 

implementation of the 

recovery plan which has 

achieved the desired 

results ahead of time”. 

In the 2019-2023 

Strategic Plan, the 

Company had projected a 

return to financial 

viability by 2020 and 

overall financial 

sustainability and 

profitability by 2023. 

“The return to financial 

viability ahead of schedule 

as signalled by the growth 

in operating profit and 

income in 2020 is an 

indication that the 

turnaround strategy has 

been effective. With the 

robust loan pipeline of 

Sh89 billion (US$840M) 

from 2021 and beyond, the 

Company is poised to 

declare dividends to the 46 

shareholders sooner,” said 

Chimphondah. 

support for interventions to 

tackle wildlife crime, 

including the conduct of a 

corruption risk assessment 

(CRA) for the wildlife and 

forestry sectors in Nigeria. 

Consequently, UNODC in 

partnership with the relevant 

national ministries, 

departments and agencies is 

undertaking a series of 

activities to facilitate 

corruption risk assessments 

and the development of 

corresponding corruption 

risk mitigation strategies for 

Nigeria's wildlife and forest 

sectors. 

This intervention is being 

funded by the European 

Union through the 

International Consortium on 

Combating Wildlife Crime 

(ICCWC). 

UNODC will support both 

the wildlife and forest sectors 

in Nigeria. The first phase of 

the CRA will focus on the 

wildlife sector and, in 

particular, the Nigeria 

Customs Service and the 

National Environmental 

Standards and Regulations 

Enforcement Agency 

(NESREA), as the two main 

agencies with a mandate to 

counter illegal wildlife trade 

in Nigeria. 

The corruption risk 

management is a structured, 

systematic method designed 

to identify the vulnerabilities 

of corruption and devise 

actions to minimize these 

vulnerabilities. 

EU tasks Greece on asylum 

seeker pushbacks 

EUROPEAN Union’s 

top migration official 

has called on Greece to “do 

more” to investigate allegations 

that its coastguard is 

pushing asylum seekers 

back to neighbouring Turkey, 

as the bloc, announced funding 

for five new refugee 

camps on Aegean islands. 

The United Nations refugee 

agency, UNHCR, has said it 

has received a growing 

number of reports in recent 

months suggesting asylum 

seekers may have been 

pushed back to Turkey at sea 

or immediately after reaching 

Greek soil or left adrift at sea. 

Greek officials have always 

rejected the reports. 

“I am very concerned about 

the UNHCR report and there 

are some specific cases that I 

really think need to be looked 

into a closer,” Ylva Johansson, 

the EU’s home affairs commissioner, 

said during a visit 

to the Greek island of Lesbos. 

“I think the Greek authorities 

can do more when it 

comes to investigating these 

alleged pushbacks.” 

Johansson pledged 276 

million euros ($326m) of EU 

money for new camps on the 

islands of Lesbos, Chios, 

Samos, Kos and Leros, where 

nearly 14,000 migrants are 

hosted, saying it was 

imperative to find “new 

political solutions” to share the 

burden between EU states. 

“For three years, there had 

been no progress on finding 

a political solution,” Johansson 

said. “I can understand 

that everybody has a limit to 

their patience … this limit is 

close, also here on Lesbos 

and in some other areas,” she 

said. 

But humanitarian groups 

working in Greece’s islands 

said the EU is “replicating the 

same model that has created 

so much harm and suffering”. 

“It is time to demand dignified 

alternatives to camps, 

allow access to a fair and dignified 

asylum procedure, and 

ensure adequate and tailored 

health care adapted to the 

needs of people fleeing 

violence, conflict and 

trauma,” Hilde Vochten, of 

Doctors Without Borders 

(Medecins Sans Frontieres, 

MSF), said in an open letter 

to Johansson, accusing her 

of attempting “a positive spin 

on what is, in reality, a disastrous 

situation”. 

“You cannot repackage the 

same destructive ideas and 

tell us they will be more humane,” 

the letter continued. 

“As long as the EU prioritises 

containing and returning 

migrants at the EU external 

border overprotection and 

dignified reception, those 

seeking safety in Europe will 

continue to suffer.” 

Meanwhile, Greek Minister 

Notis Mitarachi, speaking 

at a news conference with 

Johansson, said Greece adhered 

to European and international 

law. 

“We strongly deny that the 

Greek coastguard has ever 

been involved in pushbacks,” 

he said. “We understand we 

are causing a loss of tens of 

millions of euros to 

smuggling networks, and 

that could have played a role 

in the kind of fake news we 

hear about the Greek coastguard,” 

he said. 

Mitarachi said independent 

investigations, including 

by the Greek judiciary 

and by the EU’s border 

agency Frontex, had not 

found violations. 

Biden’s administration to expand 

wind power 

THE White House has 

announced plans to 

expand offshore wind energy 

in the coming decade 

by opening new areas to 

development, speeding 

environmental permitting, 

and boosting public financing 

for projects. 

The plan is part of President 

Joe Biden’s broader 

effort to rapidly transition 

the US economy to net-zero 

greenhouse gas emissions 

to fight climate change. 

In a statement yesterday, 

national climate adviser, 

Gina McCarthy said: 

“President Biden believes 

we have an enormous opportunity 

in front of us to 

not only address the threats 

of climate change, but use 

it as a chance to create millions 

of good-paying, union 

jobs that will fuel America’s 

economic recovery, rebuild 

the middle class, and make 

sure we bounce back from 

the crises we face. 

“Nowhere is the scale of 

that opportunity clearer 

than for offshore wind,” she 

said. 

According to the White 

House, the plan would 

create jobs for more than 

44,000 workers and employ 

nearly 33,000 in offshore 

wind activity. The effort 

would also help avoid 78 

million metric tonnes of carbon 

dioxide emissions per 

year, a key step in the 

administration’s fight to 

slow global warming. 

The agenda, however, is 

a politically controversial 

one that Republicans say 

could bring economic ruin. 

Democrats say it can create 

jobs while protecting the 

environment. 

Secretary of Interior Deb 

Haaland, the first Indigenous 

person to serve as a 

cabinet secretary, said it is 

important to confront climate 

issues, as its fallout 

disproportionately affects 

people of colour and lowincome 

communities. 

“As our country faces the 

interlocking challenges of 

a global pandemic, economic 

downturn, racial injustice, 

and the climate crisis 

– we have to transition 

to a brighter future for everyone,” 

Haaland said according 

to a White House 

fact sheet. 

Myanmar protests continue 

amid reports of killings in 

Yangon 

PROTESTERS 

and 

mourners took to the 

streets of Myanmar amid 

reports of security forces 

killing three people in 

Yangon, just two days after 

114 people were killed on 

the bloodiest day since the 

February 1 military coup. 

A man was killed and 

several others wounded on 

Monday when security 

forces fired on one Yangon 

neighbourhood, media and 

a witness said. 

“He was shot in the 

head,” Thiha Soe, a witness, 

told Reuters news agency. 

“They were shooting at 

everything on the road, even 

a Red Cross team. It’s still 

going on as I’m speaking to 

you.” 

Police and a military 

spokesman did not comment 

on the allegations. 

Myanmar’s Red Cross told 

Reuters in a message it was 

checking the report. 

Two people were killed in 

another Yangon district 

when security forces moved 

in to clear protesters’ barricades, 

a resident said. 

“We can confirm two were 

killed in our ward,” said the 

resident of the South Dagon 

neighbourhood who asked 

to be identified as Win. 

“About 15 members of the 

security forces came and shot 

all around,” said Win, 

adding that the security 

forces were using grenades 

to clear barricades. 

Based on a tally by the 

Assistance Association for 

Political prisoners advocacy 

group, 462 civilians have 

been killed since the coup. 

Despite the violence by 

security forces, crowds 

turned out in the central 

towns of Bago, Minhla, 

Khin-U, Pinlebu and Taze, 

Mawlamyine in the south, 

Demoso in the east and 

Hsipaw and Mytitkyina in 

the north, according to media 

and social media posts. 

The General Strike Committee 

of Nationalities, a 

protest group, called in an 

open letter on Facebook for 

ethnic minority forces to help 

those standing up to the 

“unfair oppression” of the 

military. 

“It is necessary for the ethnic 

armed organisations to 

collectively protect the 

people,” the protest group 

said. 

Fighters from different ethnic 

minority groups have 

battled the central government 

for decades for greater 

autonomy. Though many 

groups have agreed to 

ceasefires, fighting has 

flared in recent days between 

the army and forces 

in both the east and north.




TRAINING—A cross section of participants at a 2-day training on Effective Public Relations and 

Information Management, Organised by Niger Delta Development Commission, in collaboration 

with Marg Education International Ltd., in Owerri, Imo State. 

Effium/Ezza Effium crisis: Umahi orders arrest 

of council boss, lawmaker; suspends political 

appointees 

By Peter Okutu 

A BAKALIKI—GOVER 

NOR David Umahi of 

Ebonyi, yesterday, ordered the 

immediate suspension of all 

political office holders from 

Ezza Effium/ Effium communities 

in Ohaukwu Local Government 

Area of the state. 

Those suspended were the 

political office holders that 

were absent during the security 

meeting convened to find 

lasting solution to the lingering 

crisis. 

The governor also directed 

the immediate arrest of the 

chairman of Ohaukwu Local 

Government Area, Chief 

Clement Odah and the member 

representing Ohaukwu 

South Constituency in the 

State Assembly, Mr Chinedu 

Awo and two spokespersons 

of the two communities until 

peace returns to the area. 

Governor Umahi handed 

down the directives during a 

security meeting at the Christian 

Ecumenical Centre, 

Abakaliki. 

He explained that his administration 

would not fold 

it's hands and watch innocent 

•Urges stakeholders to end carnages 

people die in droves due to the 

ongoing war as he abhors 

shedding of blood. 

The governor who was unhappy 

over the blood letting, 

blamed stakeholders of the 

communities for fanning the 

embers of the crisis. 

"Anybody who is not a security 

person that is found with 

gun, must be demobilized by 

all means. Those that are calling 

for war, I will root them 

out. 

“It is obvious that leaders 

from both sides are the ones 

instigating the killings, crisis 

and burning of houses. 

“All political appointees that 

Election: We've taken back our party, PDP 

boasts in Ebonyi •Wants members to be united for 

By Peter Okutu 

ABAKALIKI—THE Peo 

ples Democratic Party, 

PDP, yesterday, called on its 

members to work assiduously 

towards the victory of the 

party in 2023 general election. 

The party was before now 

are absent in this security 

meeting are hereby suspended 

from office including the 

retired permanent secretary." 

While wondering why people 

would take pleasure in 

blood letting, Governor 

Umahi appealed to the stakeholders 

to support the government 

to nip the violence in 

the bud. 

He threatened to arrest and 

prosecute all the stakeholders 

should the war cease to 

abate immediately. 

However, the security meeting 

for the Ezza Effium continues 

tomorrow, March 30, 

2021. 

victory in 2023 

Ohanaeze crisis deepens, Ibe faction opens 

own office 

By Anayo Okoli 

ENUGU—THE division in 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership 

following January 10th 

election has deepened with 

the faction opposed to the 

Prof. George Obiozor- led 

leadership opening a parallel 

office opposite the Akanu 

Ibiam International Airport 

as its operational base. 

The Engr. Chidi Ibeh-led 

faction had while inspecting 

the main Ohanaeze Secretariat 

at the Park Avenue, Enugu, 

recently, declared it as uninhabitable 

and vowed to secure 

another secretariat to run 

the affairs of the apex Igbo 

socio-cultural organization. 

Meanwhile, the Ibeh group 

has declared April 22, 2021 

as “Atonement Day of Ndigbo”. 

According to Ibeh, on the 

issue of atonement, “this land 

must be purified; our prayerful 

men and women will be 

assembled together, all the 

clergy in Igbo land will come 

together and pray for the 

cleansing of the land.” 

The group also declared 

support for the Eastern Security 

Network, ESN, powered 

by the Indigenous People of 

Biafra, IPOB, to protect the 

people of the South East from 

unwarranted attacks from 

herdsmen and other criminals. 

They called on the governors 

of the region to lend their 

support to the security outfit. 

“We are calling on all the 

governors in this region to 

support the ESN; their work 

is important to stop the incursion 

of criminals into this 

zone,” Ibeh urged. 

He also dismissed last 

week’s Ohanaeze Elders’ 

Council meeting held in Owerri, 

Imo State as a nullity, 

saying that it was a mere political 

dinner convened by 

Governor Hope Uzodinma of 

Imo State. 

The group also restated its 

resolve to pursue the Igbo presidency 

project with every 

sense of seriousness and without 

compromise and to carry 

all Igbo along in the effort to 

get the support of other parts 

of Nigeria. 

“My leadership as elected 

on January 9 remains the only 

authentic leadership of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo and we will do 

everything under our purview, 

under our power, to bring 

Ndigbo to a very proper perspective. 

“Having said this, I must 

express dismay over the socalled 

Council of Elders’ 

meeting of Ohanaeze held 

Saturday at Owerri. That was 

a charade in its entirety, an 

absurdity. That meeting was 

a mere political dinner meeting 

convened by Governor 

Hope Uzodinma of Imo 

State. 

“It was not an Ohanaeze 

meeting and I want to appeal 

to Ndigbo to discountenance 

the discussions, the outcomes 

and whatever gathering they 

had yesterday. 

“When the Elders’ Council 

is properly constituted, we will 

let our people know about it. 

In the first place, if I am the 

President-General, for power 

balancing and equity, the 

chairman of the Council of 

Elders will come from another 

state of Igboland and not 

from Imo State. 

“So, anyone addressing 

Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu 

as chairman of the Elders' 

Council is wrong. He is not 

acceptable.‘‘ 

Similarly, the governor also 

met with the people and 

stakeholders of Abaomege 

and Ishinko communities in 

Onicha Local Government 

Area with a view to resolving 

the intractable crisis. 

During the meeting held at 

the exco chambers of the old 

Government House Abakaliki, 

Governor Umahi experessed 

displeasure over the unfortunate 

incident of blood 

bath in the area. 

He ordered the arrest of 

eight stakeholders fingered to 

be promoting the crisis pending 

when proper demarcation 

of the disputed land takes 

place and peace returns. 

factionalized in the state with 

two factional chairmen laying 

claim to the headship of 

the party in the state. 

Last Saturday, one of the 

factional chairmen decamped 

to the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, thereby paving 

way for the stability and 

progress of the party in the 

state. 

Addressing a press conference 

immediately after the 

party's stakeholders' meeting 

at Salt Lake Hotel, Abakaliki, 

the caretaker chairman of 

PDP, Ebonyi State, Elder Fred 

Udeogu noted that the party 

was now properly positioned 

to clinch power from the opposition 

as issues bordering 

on litigation had been laid to 

rest. 

"From now onwards, we 

have taken back our party and 

we hereby pledge to ensure 

that all our teeming members 

are united to work assiduously 

for victory come 2023. 

"On behalf of the PDP family 

in Ebonyi State, it is my 

pleasure to welcome all of you 

to this short press briefing 

arising from the PDP Stakeholders 

meeting held today at 

the Salt Lake Hotel, Abakaliki. 

"You may wish to recall that 

when Governor David Umahi 

defected to the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, on November 

18, 2020, no single 

member of the national assembly 

from Ebonyi State or 

any critical PDP stakeholder 

defected with him. 

"Today, we are happy and 

pleased to note that we welcome 

the latest development 

which is the withdrawal and 

resignation of Barr. Onyekachi 

Nwebonyi from the PDP, 

thereby bringing to an end, 

all the machinations which 

had hitherto created problems 

for our party and its teeming 

members in Ebonyi 

State.‘‘ 

Anambra guber: Aspirants in 

confusion over Oye, Edozie 

leadership tussle 

By Chinonso Alozie 

A WKA—GOVERNOR 

SHIP aspirants in the All 

Progressive Grand Alliance, 

APGA, battling to grab the 

governorship ticket ahead of 

November 6, 2021 Anambra 

State governorship election 

are said to be confused over 

the court judgments and cases 

hanging over the leadership 

of the party at the national 

level. 

A chieftain of the party yesterday, 

narrated the tension 

the legal battle has caused in 

the party ,saying he had met 

separatly with Victor Oye and 

Edozie Njoku to find a way of 

settling their differences. 

One of such cases he said 

would soon be decided by the 

court was the case of application 

of an order of mandamus 

at FCT High court, Abuja, to 

compel the Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC, to recognize Edozie as 

national chairman after previous 

cases had ruled in 

favour of Njoku. 

According to him, "The governorship 

aspirants are confused. 

They don't know exactly 

where to go to and many of 

them are aware of the case 

and how it started from the 

day APGA had it's congress 

and convention. 

"The convention conducted 

in Imo State, where Edozie 

Njkou emerged as the national 

chairman is wildly known 

as the convention without any 

judgment or court order 

against it; while Victor Oye 

emerged in the convention at 

Awka Anambra State. 

"Having passed through the 

legal battle, it's clear to them 

that Njoku has taken the lead 

in the legal battle and by now 

should be recognised as the 

national chairman of APGA 

if not for the usual delay in the 

court issues in this country.‘‘ 

Why we demolished works layout 

—Enugu govt 

By Dennis Agbo 

ENUGU—THE Enugu 

Capital Territory Development 

Authority, ECTDA, has 

stated that it carried out development 

control in works 

layout, GRA Enugu because 

of violations of town planning 

regulations by different property 

owners in the layout. 

Chairman of ECTDA, Dr. 

Josef Onoh made the clarification 

in a response to a viral 

video where one Anthony 

Njoku emotionally accused 

ECTDA of wrongful demolition 

of his property located in 

the layout. 

Onoh while addressing 

newsmen on the issue yesterday, 

said that Mr. Njoku 

lacked the legitimacy of claim 

on the property, disclosing 

that Njoku had since sold off 

the property to one Okechukwu 

Aneke. 

Onoh described Njoku's video 

as mischievous, politically 

aimed and malicious, intended 

to misinform the general 

public and sway underserved 

sympathy to himself. 

He said that the agency 

owed no person apology in 

the execution of it's development 

control activities, adding 

that Njoku's video was 

predetermined to paint the 

state government as a reckless 

administration which he 

said was not a true representation 

of the state government. 

According to Onoh, contrary 

to Njoku's claim, the 

agency on December 31, 

2020, made a public notice 

in the media asking that all 

obstruction on water and 

power lines should be removed 

or risk demolition. 

He further disclosed that the 

agency had given Okechukwu 

Aneke, the real owner of 

Plot 17 ,Works Layout, a notice 

requesting for building 

approval and other title documents 

after which it issued a 

violation notice, yet, no submission 

was made to the 

agency. 

"On November 12, 2020, a 

violation notice was given on 

the plot 17 and also on other 

relevant plots including a 

petrol station and they complied. 

It is important to note 

that the said plot 17 was not 

registered in the name of Mr. 

Anthony Njoku. The property 

has been sold to one Okechukwu 

Aneke who we met 

on the day of the exercise." 

Aba contractor threatens court 

action against Kalu for crediting 

project to FG 

By Steve Oko 

ABA—CLAIMS by the 

Senate Chief Whip, Senator 

Orji Uzor Kalu, that the 

federal government is the one 

funding the various road 

projects in Aba, the commercial 

capital of Abia State, 

might have landed him into 

trouble as one of the major 

contractors handling the 

projects has threatened to sue 

the former governor if he 

failed to retract the claims. 

Kalu had during the electioneering 

campaign of his 

brother, Mascot Uzor Kalu, 

credited the on-going road infrastructural 

revolution in Aba 

to the federal government 

through his intervention. 

But irked by the claim, the 

managing Director of ECK- 

LEEN INTEGRATED SER- 

VICES, the contractor that 

handled the Osusu Road 

project, Uzoma Onuoha, 

threatened to sue Kalu for 

claiming that the road delivered 

by him was done by the 

Niger Delta Development 

Commission, NDDC. 

Mr Onuoha who spoke to 

newsmen in Aba, described 

the claims as a willful deceit 

and challenged Kalu to back 

up his claims with evidence 

or brace up for legal battle. 

While displaying documents 

issued his company by 

the Abia State Government 

for the job, he disclosed that 

the contract which was 

awarded in 2018 was duly 

supervised by the state Ministry 

of Works. 

According to him, "no official 

of the NDDC at any point 

in time, visited, monitored or 

supervised the project", expressing 

deep shock and anger 

that Kalu could make 

such unsubstantiated claims. 

Mr Onuoha described Senator 

Kalu's claims as "fallacious, 

misleading and political 

propaganda aimed at 

scoring cheap popularity."

At Tinubu's 

colloquium: Why 

we must avoid 

war —BUHARI 

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021—35 

NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

Continues from Page 5 

should be reminded that 

we would not have been 

able to accept Governor 

Ganduje’s offer to come 

to Kano at short notice 

since we would all have 

needed visas to come to 

Kano.” 

The Vice President 

called for a new set of 

Nigerians across all 

divides who are 

committed to a country 

operated on high values 

integrity, justice, love, 

among others. 

He said: “We believe 

that we now have an 

opportunity to increase 

the numbers of a new 

tribe of Nigerians; a tribe 

of men and women of all 

faiths, tribes and 

ethnicities committed to 

a country run on high 

values of integrity, hard 

work, justice, and love of 

country. 

“A tribe of men and 

women who are 

prepared to make the 

sacrifices and selfconstraints 

that are 

crucial to building a 

strong society; who are 

prepared to stick 

together, fight for equity, 

and justice side by side. 

“A tribe consisting of 

professionals, 

businessmen, 

politicians, religious 

leaders, and all others 

who believe that this new 

Nigeria is possible and 

already we have built 

and are building the 

building blocks for this 

new Nigeria.” 

Prof. Osinbajo extolled 

the leadership style of 

the former Lagos state 

governor, saying that 

central to that style is; 

first a belief that 

development, economic, 

social, political 

development depends 

on enabling a contest of 

ideas. 

He opined that, 

“Whether that is within 

a political party or its 

caucuses, a cabinet 

meeting or even just 

thinking through a 

problem. 

“By exposing his 

thoughts and ideas 

constantly to debate and 

contestation, he refines 

his views constantly and 

is at the cutting edge of 

issues as varied as 

artificial intelligence, 

vaccines, to even what 

sort of legal processes or 

arguments should be 

filed in a matter in 

court! 

“I remember once 

when he was suggesting 

to me that he thought it 

was better that we should 

contest jurisdiction in a 

particular case and so 

many other times when 

he had introduced his 

own legal thoughts to a 

matter. I have had to 

keep reminding him that 

he is not a lawyer! And I 

am sure others have had 

to remind him several 

times that he is not many 

different things. 

“Second, and perhaps 

more importantly, 

because he is not afraid 

of having his ideas 

scrutinized, criticized by 

even subordinates, he is 

able to lead a vast array 

of persons of strong, 

deeply held convictions, 

and a variety of 

ideologies. 

“The third in that 

leadership style is that 

he is completely 

comfortable engaging 

across ethnic, religious, 

and partisan divides. 

“It is his belief that 

national development is 

only possible where we, 

the leaders are 

constantly interrogating 

ideas, perspectives, and 

opinions which are what 

led some of us who 

worked with him through 

the years, to formalize 

our constant debates so 

that on his birthday we 

open up discussions on 

some issues or issues of 

national importance.” 

He observed the latest 

Tinubu Colloquium 

Naira appreciates to N409.13 

/$ in I&E window 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

The naira yesterday appreciated to N409.13 kobo 

per dollar in the Investors and Exporters (I&E) 

window. 

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative 

exchange rate for the window dropped to N409.13 

kobo per dollar from N410 per dollar last week Friday, 

translating to 87 kobo appreciation of the naira. 

The volume of dollars (turnover) traded in the 

window yesterday fell by 46 percent to $38.84 million 

from $72.43 million last week Friday. 

COURTESY VISIT —From left: Chairman of Okpo Club of Nigeria, Mr Churchill Wosu; Gov. Nyesom 

Wike of Rivers State; Deputy Governor, Mrs. Ipalibo Harry-Banigo; former Gov of Rivers State, Mr 

Celestine Omehia and former President, Nigerian Bar Association, Onueze. Okocha, during a courtesy 

visit on the Governor in Port Harcourt, yesterday. Photo: NAN. 

came at a time when a 

combination of 

challenges worsened by 

the fallouts of a global 

pandemic has created a 

storm of socio-economic 

problems. 

“The default mode of 

some at times like this is 

to stoke tendencies 

viewpoints and opinions 

that threaten the 

federation and our 

unity,” he lamented. 

Oodua Republic 

long overdue — 

Adams 

However, as the 

President was delivering 

this speech, the Aare- 

Ona-Kakanfo of 

Yorubaland, Iba Gani 

Adams, was saying the 

clamour for Oodua 

Republic was long 

overdue. 

Also, a coalition of over 

174 Yoruba groups in 

Diaspora, Yoruba One 

Voice, YOV, said the call 

for self-determination 

remained the last option 

for the Yoruba nation, 

insisting that long years 

of misrule, nepotism and 

failure to embrace true 

federalism and also 

tackle the protracted 

spate of insecurity across 

the country had been the 

bane of Nigeria. 

The group added that 

the southwest would no 

longer play second 

fiddle in the entity called 

Nigeria. 

Iba Adams and YOV 

made their declarations 

during an international 

webinar conference 

where over 1,000 

participants from all 

over the world expressed 

their readiness to seek 

justice and liberty for the 

South-West. 

Those present at the 

conference, with the 

theme: ‘Dealing With 

Critical Fault-Lines of a 

Failed Federation: Is it to 

Unbundle or Restructure 

the Leviathan?’ were the 

guest speaker, Prof. Akin 

Alao; Aare-Ona-Kakanfo 

of Yorubaland, who is 

also the Grand patron of 

YOV, Iba Gani Adams; 

General Secretary, Dr. 

Sina Okanlomo; 

Prof.Olufemi Oluyeju, 

Prof.Kolawole Raheem, 

Prof. Kehinde Yusuf, 

Prof.Seun Kolade, 

Mogaji Gboyega 

Adejumo, Basorun Akin 

Osuntokun, Prince 

Adedapo Adesanmi, 

Olori Oluwakemi 

A d e d i p e , 

Mrs.Omoladun 

Orolugbagbe, Tokunbo 

Soyinka, Bamidele 

Seteolu, and others. 

In his remarks, Iba 

Adams said the voice of 

the people was the voice 

of God, adding that the 

attendance of 

participants at the 

conference was 

encouraging 

He said: “YOV is a 

coalition of all Yoruba 

groups and sociocultural 

organisations in 

the diaspora that came 

together to rescue the 

Yoruba race from a 

rudderless nation called 

Nigeria. We decided to 

raise our voices against 

the unjust system that 

had for a very long time 

become the nemesis of 

our race. 

“A race of about 200 

million people 

spreading across the 

world cannot continue to 

play second fiddle in a 

country called ours. We 

cannot continue to live in 

self-denial and complete 

hopelessness.” 

He restated his beliefs 

in the ability of the 

Yoruba nation to recreate 

a better nation, stressing 

that the destiny of the 

Yoruba people had 

always been in their own 

hands. 

Earlier in his welcome 

address, Dr. Shina 

Okanlomo gave reasons 

for the parley, saying 

Nigerians of Yoruba 

descent in the diaspora 

are worried about the 

growing trends of 

insecurity in the country. 

The YOV scribe said 

the group was 

determined to recreate a 

nation that allowed 

justice, fairness, equity 

and transparency. 

Okanlomo, while 

admitting that the Yoruba 

race remains the most 

progressive and forwardlooking, 

lamented that 

the South-West was 

always at the receiving 

end, despite the obvious 

fact. 

“In the past, the 

progressives ideas and 

philosophies of the late 

Chief Obafemi Awolowo 

as premier of the 

Western Region became 

the focus and templates 

for regional growth and 

development, especially, 

for other regions. 

“The glory of those 

years was noticeable in 

education, economy, 

infrastructure and other 

sectors, but today, the 

South-West has been 

zoomed out, through 

systemic political 

intrigues that tend to 

destroy our values for a 

just society,” he said. 

He added that the 

group will map out 

workable and 

intellectual solutions 

that will take into 

account all areas that 

had since affected the 

development of Yoruba 

nation. 

Also speaking, Prof. 

Femi Obayori noted that 

different nationalities 

that were forced together 

had always been the 

bane of regional 

rivalries, political 

instability,and social 

crisis, noting that the 

Yoruba have the right to 

determine whether to be 

part of Nigeria or not. 

In his lecture, Prof. 

Alao described Nigeria 

as a fractured federation, 

arguing that the British 

imperialists did more 

damage to the unity and 

sanctity of Nigeria than 

any other country in the 

world, even as he noted 

that failures of 

leadership remained the 

reason for continued 

agitations for a new 

Yoruba nation. 

He said: “Nigeria is at 

a crossroads. The 

concept of our 

amalgamation was 

rooted in fraud, 

selfishness and distrust. 

And sadly too, the 

process of achieving 

independence and 

choosing our leaders 

have been so deficient. 

“There has always 

been a deliberate 

attempt by the North to 

frustrate the economic 

activities of the South- 

West. 

“For instance, when 

insecurity persists, there 

will be famine when 

farmers could no longer 

go to their farms, 

educational system will 

be paralysed when 

students could no longer 

go to schools, so how do 

we secure the future 

when there is no food 

and education?” 

Alao said the prolonged 

spate of unrest and 

insecurity, including 

killings, kidnappings 

and banditry, became 

more pronounced when 

a particular section of the 

country determines the 

fate and destiny of other 

regions. 

Army’ll deal with 

threats 

confronting 

Nigeria — 

Attahiru 

Meanwhile, the Chief 

of Army Staff, Lt. Gen 

Ibrahim Attahiru, has 

that under his watch, the 

Nigerian Army would be 

ruthless with any and 

every threat confronting 

the country. 

Attahiru, who made the 

vow at the opening 

ceremony of the 

combined COAS First 

Quarter Conference and 

Nigerian Army 

Operations Retreat 2021 

at Command Officers 

Mess, Asokoro, Abuja, 

directed Field 

Commanders, General 

Officers Commanding, 

Corps Commanders and 

other formation 

commanders to give 

serious attention 

towards improving the 

tempo in all army 

operations across the 

Continues on Page 35

36—Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

vanguardnews 

@vanguardnews 

At Tinubu's colloquium: Why we must 

avoid war —BUHARI 

Continues from Page 35 

country. 

Disclosing that the 

threat of Improvised 

Explosive Devices, 

IEDS, had been a major 

impediment to troops 

and operations in the 

North-East theatre of 

operation, the COAS 

said concerted effort 

was also being made to 

eliminate the threat. 

“In line with the 

President’s directive 

and my intent to rebuild 

the Nigerian Army into 

a formidable force, I 

conceived the vision of 

having ‘A Nigerian 

Army that is repositioned 

to 

professionally defeat all 

adversaries in joint 

environment. 

“To breathe life into 

this vision, I released 

my philosophy of 

command which has 

readiness, capacity, 

continuous leadership 

development and duty 

to country as cardinal 

pillars. 

“Readiness entails 

mission-oriented 

training, functional 

manning and 

equipping, while 

capacity will be built on 

the dependability of the 

Nigerian Army to 

accomplish any mission 

in line with norms 

enshrined in our core 

values and ethics. 

“Continuous 

leadership development 

on its own ‘will ensure 

that the Nigerian Army 

continues to roll out 

innovative 21st century 

commanders and, of 

course, duty to count 

entails loyalty and 

sacrifice to our 

fatherland. 

“As formation 

commanders and 

principal staff officers, 

your role is critical to the 

attainment of my vision. 

Therefore, I implore all 

of you to immediately 

key into the vision so that 

together, we can take the 

Nigerian Army to greater 

heights. 

“I am particularly 

pleased with the 

initiative to hold the 

Nigerian Army 

Operations Retreat as 

part of the First Quarter 

Conference after so many 

years. You will agree 

with me that the retreat 

provides a platform to 

reassess the threat 

environment and review 

our operations, with a 

view to identifying gaps 

that could be addressed 

in the planning and 

conduct of future 

operations. 

Combat enablers 

coming — COAS 

“As I speak, we will 

soon be receiving 

combat enablers that 

would enhance and 

boost our operations. 

Concerted effort is also 

being made to eliminate 

the threat of improvised 

explosive devices which 

has been a major 

impediment to troops 

and our operations in 

Operation Lafiya Dole. 

“I want to assure you 

that I am determined in 

rebuilding the fighting 

skills, capacity, 

confidence and morale 

of our troops across the 

various theaters of 

operations. 

“In order to achieve 

this, my top priorities for 

the second and third 

quarters of the year 

would’ be training. I 

will ensure that through 

functional training, 

officers and soldiers of 

the Nigerian Army are 

equipped with the right 

competences and skills 

to effectively undertake 

the missions in addition 

to develop special 

operations forces. 

“This would be closely 

followed 

by 

procurement that 

ensures appropriate 

kitting and provision of 

protective gear, 

weapons, equipment 

and platforms. 

“Administration is a 

key principle of war; 

hence troops’ welfare 

will also be given 

paramount attention. 

Let me, however, 

remind you all that no 

effort will be spared in 

achieving these goals, 

it is command 

responsibility to ensure 

the sustenance and 

maintenance of all 

equipment, while 

measures must be 

emplaced to ensure 

sound administration of 

troops and their 

families. 

“At this juncture, let 

me appreciate all the 

officers and soldiers of 

the Nigerian Army for 

their unrelenting 

sacrifice and efforts in 

ensuring that the 

Nigerian Army fulfills 

its constitutional 

responsibilities. 

“However, as the 

saying goes, the only 

easy day was yesterday. 

As such, I will continue 

to demand that you 

redouble your efforts, so 

we can decisively deal 

with our adversaries or 

any group or person 

that threatens the peace 

and stability of our great 

nation.’’ 

Military 

deploying new 

tactics to end 

violent 

extremism - 

Defence Minister 

Minister of Defence, 

Maj Gen Bashir Salihi 

Magashi, retd, said 

yesterday the military 

has keyed into the 

dynamic global 

approach in combating 

violent extremism in the 

various theatres of 

operations in the 

country. 

Gen Magashi stated 

this when the British 

Minister for Armed 

Forces paid him a 

courtesy call at the 

Ministry of Defence 

Headquarters, Ship 

House, Abuja. 

He said: “Government 

appreciates the support 

of the British 

government in building 

capacity and 

capabilities of the 

nation’s Armed Forces 

to be combat-ready in 

dealing with threats by 

violent extremists.” 

While tracing the 

historical linkage 

between UK and 

Nigeria, the minister 

said the military 

bilateral cooperation 

between the two 

countries should be 

taken to higher 

pedestal, especially 

now that the nation 

moves toward ending 

terrorism, banditry and 

kidnapping. 

The Minister outlined 

specific and special 

areas of interventions 

by the UK that will 

impact meaningfully on 

the nation’s aggressive 

and decisive march to 

final victory over the 

adversaries threatening 

national sovereignty 

and integrity. 

In his address, the 

British Minister for 

Armed Forces, James 

Heappe, lauded the 

Federal Government’s 

efforts in maintaining 

the sanctity and 

integrity of the 

country. 

He pledged continued 

support of the UK 

government in the areas 

of training, 

intelligence sharing as 

well as technical and 

tactical inputs to end all 

forms of threats on land 

and at sea in the Gulf 

of Guinea to decisively 

deal with piracy. 

Both ministers 

reviewed the existing 

bilateral agreements 

between the two 

countries, with a view 

to working out a new 

framework of action to 

fast track actualisation 

of national aspirations 

to end the insecurity 

bedeveling the country.. 

The British Minister 

for Armed Forces was 

accompanied on the 

courtesy call by the 

British High 

Commissioner to 

Nigeria, Catriona 

Laing, and the Defence 

Adviser, British High 

Commission, Abuja, 

Paul Warwick. 

editor@yahoo.com 

President Buhari’s order to 

shoot carriers of AK47 in bushes 

PRESIDENT Buhari’s directive to 

shoot anyone with AK47 rifle in bushes 

could bring about more unexpected 

problems because the security agents 

that have been ordered to shoot any 

erring persons carrying AK47 are not 

available in the villages and forests 

where the criminal herdsmen are 

operating; so the directive is an order 

in futility and of no effect. 

The directive is in futility because the 

president does not expect the policemen 

who are afraid to stay in their stations 

to enter into forests in search of militants 

carrying AK47! President Buhari should 

immediately disarm the herdsmen and 

other bandits that are terrorising the 

country. 

Onyekachi Peter, 2348024722443 

Increase in the pump prices of 

petroleum and kerosene 

products 

Why the increase in the pump prices 

of petrol and kerosene despite the 

rapidly growing inflation in Nigeria. 

Citizens hardly feed twice daily 

following the increase in prices of these 

commodities. 

Government should urgently arrive at 

a stable price that would be beneficial 

to the suffering citizens because 

presently Nigerians hardly feed given 

the hike in prices of petrol and kerosene. 

It would definitely affect the prices of 

finished products and services to the 

detriment of the already suffering 

Nigerians who have no adjustment in 

salaries. 

Nigeria is an oil producing country, 

so why the frequent increase in prices 

of those products? The economy is in 

shambles so this should be a wake up 

call to fix our refineries and the country. 

Romanus, 08057907482 

Herdsmen activities 

What is the Federal Government, and 

security agencies doing regarding these 

herdsmen’s activities in Nigeria 

generally? The herdsmen are killing 

Christians and Nigerians like goats and 

dumping them in shallow pits. 

The herdsmen killed over 250 people 

in Benue and other northern part 

dominated by the Christians! The 

Federal Government should act fast 

because their activities is becoming 

worrisome; killing citizens over little or 

no provocation. Besides who is arming 

these herdsmen with sophisticated 

weapons and what is their motive 

behind the killing of innocent citizens? 

Habeeb Sadiq Jos writes from Jos 

FG denial Delta State of £4.2 

million Ibori’s loot 

Why should the Attorney General of 

the Federation, Abubakar Malami and 

the Federal Government insist that the 

£4.2 million Ibori’s loot be used to fund 

certain capital projects outside Delta 

State rather than returning same to 

Delta State government? If Abubakar 

Malami’s position was based on the fact 

that the funds came from the Federal 

Government’s allocation to the state, he 

should also quickly remember that it was 

a monthly allocation that came from the 

state to the federal coffers. 

There is no link between former Head 

of state, Gen Sani Abacha’s loots and 

that of Ibori. President Muhammadu 

Buhari never accepted that Abacha 

siphoned any funds from Nigeria but yet 

he took ownership of the refunded 

Abacha’s loots. Therefore, the Federal 

Government cannot deny the people 

and the Delta State government of their 

funds that was looted from their state. 

Edirin writes in from Delta State 

Fuel price and subsidy removal 

I am actually taken aback at the 

position of Nigeria Labour Congress, 

NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC 

leadership on this subsidy issue. Their 

stance is like some of the beneficiaries 

of the subsidy scam. Some Nigerians 

who were directly implicated in the 

subsidy scam and corruption are today 

walking free and nothing has been done! 

NLC and TUC leaders had done 

nothing regarding these! I expected 

NLC and TUC to react and maybe cause 

national unrest over those that were 

implicated and found wanting in the fuel 

subsidy scam and to reduce the suffering 

of the masses with frequent increase on 

pump price of fuel. 

Anonymous 2348063897516 

Hike on fuel price 

The hike in pump price of petrol is a 

systematic devaluation of the Nigerian 

currency with the view to render same 

irrelevant in the world economic system, 

is a synergy of the International 

Monetary Fund bought to rip the nation 

that is rich in minerals and natural 

resources into the Ghana experience. I 

shed tears for this nation. 

Barr. Anthony Obi, 08056009586 

National economy 

It is high time we discussed the state 

of the economy and what to do to 

improve in the new democratic 

dispensation to change the living 

condition of our people. We must have 

enterprenueurs of different interests and 

for this to happen, the importance of 

conducive environment of our 

businesses cannot be overemphasised. 

I really want to seize this opportunity 

to implore President Buhari to embark 

on the journey of positive change in all 

aspects of his administration in order to 

improve the economic conditions of 

Nigerians and eradicate extreme hunger 

and poverty in the land. 

Dozie Orji, 08034944060 

SAYINGS OF OUR ELDERS 

Challenges are what makes life interesting, overcoming 

them is what makes life meaningful. 

From Onyeka Ruth 

Send us your Sayings of Our Elders. They must be African sayings 

or proverbs. Biblical or English proverbs are unacceptable. Address 

your sayings to: wwwsimade@yahoo.co.uk

Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021—37 

ODOH 

I, formerly known as ODOH 

ONYEJE, now wish to be 

known and addressed as ODOH 

MERCY ONYEJE. Former 

documents remain valid. 

General Public take note. 

AYEWUMI FESTUS 

I, formerly known as Ayewumi 

Aduragbemi Elizabeth, now wish 

to be known and addressed as Mrs. 

Akosile Aduragbemi Elizabeth. 

Former documents remain valid. 

General Public take note. 

KPOP 

I, formerly known as Josiah 

Kpop, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Josiah 

Jonathan Kpop. All former 


General public please take 

note. 

UDEH 

I, formerly called UDEH UDOKA 

and on my BVN UDEH UDOKA 

BENJAMIN which was an error, 

now wish to be addressed as 

CHARLES UDOKA BENJAMIN. 

All former documents remain valid. 

First Bank PLC and general public 

should take note. 

GABRIEL 

I, formerly called APECHIHIN 

GABRIEL TERHEMBA now 

wish to be addressed as 

APECHIHIN TERHEMBA. All 

former documents remain valid. 

National Identity Commission, 

Access Bank PLC and general 

public should take note. 

HAROLD 

I formerly known and 

addressed as HAROLD UTUK 

Now wish to be known and 

addressed as EMEDIONG 

PATRICK UTUK. All former 

documents remain valid, 

General public and authority 

concerned please take note. 

MAGAJI 

I, formerly known as SALEH 

ABDULLAHI MAGAJI, Now 

wish to be called and addressed as 

SALEH ABDULLAHI IDRIS All 

Former documents remain valid 

Any Authority concern and the 

General public to please take note 

ISSA 

I, formerly known and addressed as 

ISSA MUHYIDEEN now wish to 

beY known and addressed as ISSA 

FOLORUNSHO MUHYIDEEN. 

All former documents remain valid. 

General public please take note. 

OBILOR 

I, formerly known as and 

addressed as Obilor Romanus 

now wish to be known and 

addressed as Obilor Romanus 

Nnanna. Former documents 

remain valid. General public 

take note. 

USMAN 

I, formerly known as Shaibu 

Haruna, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Shaibu Usman 

Haruna. My correct date of 

birth is 22/06/2004 Not 01/ 

10/1991, 02/11/1998. Former 


General public take note. 

JONAH 

I, formerly known as JONAH 

FELICIA CHIOMA, now wish 

to be known as NWOKE 

FELICIA CHIOMA. All former 



CHANGE OF NAME 

BABA 

I, formerly known as 

MOHAMMED SHITTU. DATE 

OF BIRTH 02/02/1973, now 

wish to be known and addressed 

as MOHAMMED SHITTU 

BABA. DATE OF BIRTH 02/ 

02/1748. Former documents 

remain valid. General Public take 

note. 

MAIMAKO 


Mohammed Maimako, now 


as Mohammed Maimako 

Tanimu. Former documents 

remain valid. General Public 

take note. 

SULEIMAN 

I, formerly known as Maryam 

Suleiman, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

Maryam Danjuma Musa. All 

former documents remain 

valid. General public please 

take note. 

LAWAN 


AWWAL LAWAN, now wish 

to be known and addressed as 

IBRAHIM AUWAL ADAM. 

All former documents remain 


take note. 

AKUME 

I, formerly known as Helen 

Akume, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Helen Ihotu 

Oguche. All former documents 

remain valid. UBA PLC and 

general public take note. 

MUSA 

I, Formerly known as 

GIDADO MUSA now wish to 

be known as GIDADO MUSA 

ALHAJI. All former 


General public should take 

note. 

ESELEBOR 

I, formerly known as Deborah 

Omonyemwen Eselebor, Now wish 

to be known, Called and addressed 

as Deborah Omonyemwen Osato 

Osakue. Former documents remain 

valid. Public note 

UGWU 

I, formerly known and addressed as 

UGWU CHIOMA JUSTINA now 

wish to be known and addressed as 

CHIMA CHIOMA JUSTINA. My 

date of birth was wrongly captured 

as 18th May 1984 instead of 10 

May 1984. All former documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 

AYANNIYI OT 


addressed as Miss Ayanniyi 

Ayanbola Dunni, now wish to 

be known and addressed as 

Mrs Kuforiji Ayanbola Dunni. 

Former documents remain 

valid. General public take 

note. 

OKEDI 

I, formerly known as Okedi 

Emmanuel, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Okedi 

Emmanuel Ojoajogu. Former 

documents remain valid. UBA 

plc, Zenith Bank, General 

public take note. 

AYUBA 

I, formerly known as HYELANDA 

.A.KAIGAMA and AYUBA 

HYELANDA KAIGAMA, now 

wish to be known as KAIGAMA 

DAVID HYELANDA. All former 

documents remain valid. General 

public please take note. 

ACHA 

I, formerly known as ACHA 

CLIFFORD CHIKA. DATE OF 

BIRTH 10/01/1974, now wish to 


MONYE CHIKA.DATE OF 

BIRTH 13/01/1977. Former 


Public take note. 

ABEEB 

I, formerly known as Najimu 

Abeeb, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Najimu Yusuf. 


valid.General public please 

take note. 

IJEH 

I, formerly known as IJEH 

STELLA-MARIS, now wish to 

be known and addressed as IJEH 

CHISOM STELLA-MARIS. All 


valid. General public please take 

note. 

HARISSON 

I, formerly known as SUNABIJI 

JOHNSON HARISSON, now 


as SUNABIJI JOHNSON. All 


valid. General public please take 

note. 

KELLEN 

I, formerly known as Attah 

Monday, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Attah Monday 

Kellen. All former documents 

remain 

valid. 

FCMB,ECOBANK PLC and 

general public take note. 

ADIAMO 

I, formerly known and address as 

Miss. Adiamo Rukayat Ifeoluwa . 

Now wish to be known and 

addressed as Mrs. Mufutau Rukayat 

Ifeoluwa. All former document 

remain valid. General Public please 

take note. 

OGE 


Chinweuba Oge Godstime, now 


as Chinweuba Ogechukwu 

Louisa. All former documents 


please take note. 

MATTEW 

I formerly known and addressed as 

DARLINGTON OBIARAONYE 

MATTEW, now wish to be known 

and addressed as DARLINGTON 

OBI. All former documents remain 

valid. Concerned authorities and 

the general public to please take 

note. 

MOMOH 


Abdulrasheed Momoh Jimoh, 


addressed as Abdulrasheed 

Aliu.All former documents 


please take note. 

ABDUL 

I, formerly known as Abdul Sumaila, 


addressed as Nasiru Shaibu. My 

correct date of birth is 15/02/2001 

not 15/02/1996. Former documents 

remain valid. General public take 

note. 

MOHAMMED 


MOHAMMED AMINU 

IBRAHIM wrong date of birth 31 

August 1984, now wish to be 

known and addressed as AMINU 

IBRAHIM correct date of birth 

31st August 1981. Former 



OGUNKANMI 


Ogunkanmi victor Tunde, 


addressed as Olukanmi victor 

Tunde. Former documents 

remain valid. General Public 

take note. 

BAKO 


Endurance Bako, now wish to 


Endurance Celestine. All 



take note. 

NWAGBA 

I, formerly known as Miss 

NWAGBA ADAUGO AKUOMA, 


addressed as Mrs ANANABA 

ADAUGO AKUOMA. All former 


public please take note. 

ASHAT 

I, formerly known as MOMODU 

HELEN ASHAT, now wish to be 


MOMODU HELEN JAHANY. All 

former documents remain valid. 


OGARA 

I, formerly known as Peter 

Ogara, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Peter 

Yohanna. All former 


Access Bank PLC and general 


JOHN 

I Formerly known as NATASHA 

REUBEN Now wish to be called 

and addressed as NATASHA 

REUBEN JOHN. All Former 

documents remain valid Any 

Authority concern and the General 

public to please take note. 

SAINT 

I, formerly known as Saint 

Henry Jnr, now wish to be 


Ogbeche Henry James. All 



take note. 

EMENALOM 


addressed as Emenalom 

Philomena now wish to be 

known and addressed as Obilor 

Philomena. Former documents 


take note. 

KABIRU 

I, Kabiru Mamuda and Kabiru 

Mahmud refer to one and the same 

person,now wish to be known and 

addressed as Kabiru Mamuda 

Abubakar.All former documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 

OGBOBE 

I, formerly known as Ogbobe 

Livinus Anene, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Ugwu 

Peter livinus Anene. All former 



EZEH 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as EZEH 

CHRISTIAN, now wish to be 

known and addressed as EZEH 

CHRISTIAN ONYIRIRO. All 


valid. General public to take 

note. 

Y ENAGOA—GOV 

ERNOR Douye Diri 

of Bayelsa State has 

sworn in and allocated 

ministries to 26 commissioners, 

whose names 

were earlier submitted to 

the state House of Assembly 

for approval on February 

14, 2021. 

The governor also organised 

a three-day retreat 

for the commissioners 

and other senior government 

officials, in order 

to enable them work 

together with a united 

focus to drive the policy 

of the government successfully. 

Diri set the tone in his 

keynote address at the 

retreat by highlighting 

the budgeting and economic 

planning, which 

was taken by former governor 

of Anambra State 

and running mate to 

Atiku Abubakar in the 

ODOH 

I, formerly known as Odoh 

Belinda, now wish to be 


Patrick Blessing Obianuju. 


valid, general public take note. 

YAU 

I, Formerly known as YAU 

CHRISTOPHER FRANCIS Now 

wish to be called and addressed as 

CHRISTOPHER FRANCIS All 

Former documents remain valid 

Any Authority concern and the 

General public to please take note. 

AMINU 

I,formerly known as Aminu 

Abubakar, now wish to be 


Abubakar Mohammed. All 



take note. 

EGODI 

This is to certify that my 

correct name is Uju 

Chimerebere Egodi instead of 

Uju Sylvia C. as wrongly 

written in some of my 

documents. Former documents 


take note. 

OSIGWE 


addressed as OSIGWE 

OGECHI HYCINTHIA, now 


as NDIRIBE OGECHI 

HYCAINTHA. Former 



AGUWA 

My name was written as AGUWA 

CHIZURUM in my first school 

leaving certificate instead of AGUA 

CHIMZURUM, but now wish to 

be known and addressed as AGUA 

ARTHUR CHIMZURUM. All 

former document remain valid. 


ISA 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as ISA SULEIMAN, 


addressed as KAMAL 

HALADU MOHAMMED. 


valid. General public to take 

note. 

:@vanguardnews 

Gov Diri organises retreat 

for 26 new commissioners, 

others 

2019 Presidential election, 

Mr. Peter Obi. 

“Budgeting is an important 

aspect of any individual 

business and indeed 

any government.” 

Former Senate president 

and two-term governor 

of Kwara State, Dr. 

Bukola Saraki, took the 

participants on Executive/Legislative 

relationship, 

while public policy 

making and implementation 

was handled by Dr. 

Sam Amadi. 

In a closing remark, 

Deputy Governor of the 

state, Senator Lawrence 

Ewhrudjakpo, said Governor 

Diri understands 

that a knowledge driven 

administration will certainly 

achieve the dreams 

of the people of Bayelsa 

State, hence the retreat 

Permanent secretaries, 

who are the drivers of 

government policies, 

were not left out of the 

orientation, which has 

empowered them to perform 

their duties more 

effectively. 

Ogoni reassures 

Wike of loyalty 

for awarding 

scholarship to 

2 ex-Corps 

members 

By Davies Iheamnachor 

PORT 

HARCOURT— 

THE People of Ogoni ethnic 

nationality in Rivers State, 

have reassured Governor Nyesom 

Wike, of their total loyalty 

to his administration. 

The apex socio-cultural organisation 

of the Ogoni 

people, KAGOTE, said Ogoni 

people were satisfied with the 

programmes and policies of 

the governor, adding that the 

policies were aimed at developing 

the state. 

KAGOTE President, Emmanuel 

Deeyah, in a statement 

in Port Harcourt, yesterday, 

lauded the governor for 

awarding foreign scholarship 

to two of their children. 

Deeyah said: "KAGOTE is 

lauding Governor Wike for 

the award of foreign scholarships 

and offer of automatic 

employments, to two 

Ogoni sons, who were recipients 

of the recent NYSC 

Presidential Award for excellence. 

"The scholarships are for 

the pursuit of various academic 

programmes up to the 

doctorate level by the two 

beneficiaries in any universities 

of their choice around 

the world." 

Deeyah said the gesture by 

the governor further demonstrates 

his love for the people 

of Ogoni, noting that the entire 

Ogoni would continue to 

acknowledge the governor 

for his great sense of patriotism 

and purposeful 

leadership. 

He re-affirmed the unalloyed 

support and loyalty of 

the Ogoni people, to the programmes 

and policies of the 

Wike's administration, 

which has been further demonstrated 

in the award of 

foreign scholarships to the 

two Ogoni sons.


Eagles wrap up qualifiers at 

home to Lesotho 

Super Eagles will wrap up their Africa Cup of Nations 

qualification campaign with a final Group L match 

today, as they welcome Lesotho to the Teslim Balogun 

Stadium in Lagos. 

Kick-off 5 p. m 

There is nothing at stake for the Super Eagles nor their 

visitors. The Eagles have already qualified for Cameroon 

2022 and will finish top of the standings regardless of this 

game’s result, while Likuena have been mathematically 

eliminated. 

Nigeria come into the clash on the back of a 1-0 win 

away to Benin in Porto-Novo this past Saturday, with Paul 

Onuachu rising off the bench to score the winner deep into 

injury time. 

With qualification in the bag, coach Gernot Rohr is likely 

to use this game as a chance to field new players and test 

out combinations. Onuachu, for example, could well be 

given the chance to start ahead of Victor Osimhen. 

Lesotho, led by South African coach Thabo Senong, were 

held 0-0 at home by Sierra Leone in Maseru on Saturday 

(a result which took place 

earlier in the day and confirmed 

Nigeria’s qualification before 

they had even kicked off in 

Benin). 

Likuena will hope to claim a 

positive result in Lagos, which 

could be enough to avoid the 

wooden spoon depending on the 

result of the other Group L 

match between Sierra Leone 

and Benin in Freetown. 

Ndidi: 13th best 

player in the world 

•Eagles star best player 

in Premier League 

Super Eagles and Leicester City 

midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has 

been ranked as 13th best player 

in the world for the first quarter 

of 2021 by the highly respected 

CIES Football Observatory. 

Ndidi has an index of 85.5 

having played 852 minutes in the 

first quarter of 2021. 

The top star in the world 

according to CIES is Lionel 

Messi of Barcelona, whose index 

is 92.5 after he clocked 998 

minutes of action. 

This crowns him as the third 

best player in the Premier League 

ahead of the likes of Harry Kane, 

Luke Shaw and Thiago 

Alcantara. 

Some of the other top-ranked 

stars are Robert Lewandowski 

(Bayern Munich, 89.5 index/1106 

minutes), Jorginho (Chelsea, 

89.5/799 minutes), Ruben Diaz 

(Manchester City, 89.4/1335 

minutes and Cristiano Ronaldo 

(Juventus, 89.3/1191 minutes). 

•Eagles 

N2 million up for grabs for 

Man-of-the-Match, Most Valuable Player 

Nigeria Breweries PLC, 

partners of the Nigeria 

Football Federation, is laying on 

line the sum of NI million (One 

Million Naira Only) for the 

Man-of-the-Match in today’s 

2021 Africa Cup of Nations 

qualifying match between the 

Super Eagles and the Crocodiles 

of Lesotho. 

The offer is being made 

through the 33 Export brand of 

the company and will see the best 

player of the day smile to the 

bank as a millionaire. 

Another of 

the NFF’s 

partners, 

GAC Motors 

will also 

come to the stadium with a 

cheque of N1 million (One 

Million Naira Only) for the 

Most Valuable Player of the day. 

The naira rain guarantees that 

despite having qualified for the 

2021 Africa Cup of Nations to 

be staged by Cameroon early 

next year, the Eagles will give 

their all in the encounter against 

the southern Africans at the 

renewed and upgraded Teslim 

Balogun Stadium. 

NFF: Laloko was an astute 

administrator 

he Nigeria Football 

TFederation has expressed 

shock and sadness at the death 

on Monday of a former Technical 

Director of the Federation and 

one-time Technical Adviser of 

The Gambia National Team, Chief 

Kashimawo Laloko. 

Chief Laloko, the Olori 

Parakoyi of Egbaland, died at the 

Sacred Hearts Catholic Hospital, 

Abeokuta at the age of 76. 

General Secretary of the 

Nigeria Football Federation, Dr 

Mohammed Sanusi described the 

late Laloko, as “an astute football 

administrator of the first grade 

•Laloko 

and a peerless youth developer who was passionate, diligent and 

effervescent in his activities.” 

Before his tour of duty as Technical Director of the NFF, Chief 

Laloko had pioneered youth football academy programmes in the 

country, with the Pepsi Football Academy that set enviable standards 

for the running of academies. He drove the project with all his 

might, intellect, savvy, experience and left no one in doubt about 

his passion for the game, and particularly for youth football 

development. 

“We have lost another big tree with the demise of Chief Laloko. 

He served the game and the nation with all his ardour and zest. We 

cannot question God. We can only pray that God grants him eternal 

rest and grant those he has left behind the fortitude to bear the big 

loss,” Sanusi added. 

Governor Babajide Olusola 

Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State is 

expected to lead the dignitaries 

to today’s encounter, with his 

deputy, Dr Obafemi 

Hamzat, Speaker of 

the House of 

Representatives, 

Hon. Femi 

Gbajabiamila, 

•Onuachu 

Edo 2020: Edo threatens to disqualify 

COVID-19 non-compliant athletes 

Edo State deputy governor, 

Phillip Shaibu has boosted 

the preparations of the State's 

athletes for the National Sports 

Festival with a N2m donation. This is just as 

Edo State has threatened to send back any 

delegation that fails to adhere to Covid'19 

protocols. 

Rt. Hon. Shaibu announced the donation 

while addressing Edo State Sports Council 

coaches. 

"The National Sports Festival NSF is a round 

the corner, so there is need to for every body to 

get serious and all hands must be on desk. We 

are not just hosting, we are hosting and very 

determined to win to ensure that we achieve 

our goal." 

"I want to remind us that adherence to COVID- 

19 guideline must be followed strictly. Any Edo 

State athletes who refused to take the vaccine 

should be disqualified whether the person is the 

one that will make us 10 gold medals for or not 

please disqualify such persons or the association. 

And I want to say that we are ready to send back 

state contingents that refuses to keep to the 

rules." 

All Edo State Sports Commission athletes 

have been directed to go for COVID-19 Vaccine 

today at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium Benin 

City. 

AFCON qualifiers: Beat 

Sierra Leone get $30,000 

each, Benin tell players 

Each Benin player will receive 

a bonus of $30,000 if they stop 

hosts Sierra Leone today and 

qualify for the 2021 AFCON in 

Cameroon, officials said. 

Benin need at least a draw in 

Freetown against hosts Sierra 

Leone to go through to the 

tournament proper. 

The Super Eagles denied the 

Squirrels that on Saturday 

courtesy of Paul Onuachu’s 

stoppage time winner in Porto- 

Novo. 

Benin now have seven points, 

while the Leone Stars have four 

points and a -1 goals difference. 

A 1-0 win for Sierra Leone will 

lift them past Benin on seven 

points and a better goals 

difference. 

This knife-edge Group L 

qualifier was earlier moved to 

Conakry, Guinea, after the 

Sports and Youth Development 

Minister Sunday Dare and the 

permanent secretary in the 

ministry, Mr Nebolisa Anako 

also expected. 

President of the NFF and 

Nigeria’s new member of the 

FIFA Council, Mr Amaju 

Melvin Pinnick will 

lead the 

eminents of the 

football family 

to the match. 

Rohr feels pity for Benin 

anager Gernot Rohr had sympathy 

Mfor the Republic of Benin following 

their 1-0 loss to the Super Eagles on 

matchday five of the 2021 Africa Cup of 

Nations qualifier. 

The small amount of Squirrels fans 

allowed to watch the game at the Stade 

Charles de Gaulle in Porto-Novo were 

celebrating as they were on the brink of 

qualifying for the tournament in Cameroon, 

only for Paul Onuachu to power home a 

header just as the referee was set to blow 

his whistle. 

One of the talking points before the game 

stadium in Freetown was 

banned, but CAF have since 

rescinded this decision. 

Okagbare, Oduduru, others 

'dump' Delta State 

Delta State's plans of 

sweeping all the 

sprints medals at the 

National Sports Festival 

starting on April 2 in 

Benin City, has been dealt 

a blow. 

Top Nigerian athletes 

like Blessing Okagbare, 

Divine Oduduru, 

Raymond Ekevwo, 

Itseoritse Itsekiri and 

other foreign-based 

preparing for the Tokyo 

2020 Olympics Games 

have told the Delta State 

Sports Commission, they 

won't be part of Edo'2020. 

“We are going to miss 

our foreign based athletes 

at National Sports 

Festival. Okagbare, 

was Benin's eight-year unbeaten record 

at home and Rohr was delighted that 

his team ended the streak. 

Rohr said : "It's easier to play if you are 

already qualified so the players wanted 

to go ahead. 

"The challenge was to win here since 

2013, Benin has not lost a match at home 

and the players absolutely wanted to do 

so and to be the first in eight years to beat 

them. 

"It hurts my heart to see an opponent 

lose at the last second but it's true there 

is no place for emotions, really in football". 

South Africans 

lament ouster 

from Cameroon 

2021 

outh Africa's men's football 

Steam are "very much aware" 

of the "emotional pain" they have 

caused the country's population 

by failing to qualify for the finals 

of the Africa Cup of Nations, coach 

Molefi Ntseki has said. 

Bafana Bafana needed only a 

point away in Sudan to make it 

to the finals in Cameroon next 

year, but lost 2-0 - a result that 

put Sudan through at their 

expense. 

Ntseki said that he knew there 

had been high expectations - and 

he and his team were well aware 

of the disappointment that would 

be felt in the wake of the defeat. 

"Not qualifying has dented our 

image, our possibilities," he told 

BBC Sport Africa. 

"As passionate South 

Africans, the expectation was 

for Bafana Bafana to qualify for 

Afcon - and maybe to do better 

than the last time. The 

disappointment goes to every 

South African. 

"As players, as coaches, we 

are very much aware of the 

emotional pain we have caused 

all South Africans." 

South Africa were drawn in 

Group C in qualification, 

alongside Ghana, Sudan and Sao 

Tome. 

Oduduru, Ekevwo, Itsekiri 

and other foreign-based 

athletes are not coming. 

“They are preparing for 

the Olympics Games, 

which is very important to 

them and to the country,” 

said Delta State Sports 

commission chairman 

Tonobok Okowa. 

However, he added that 

the development will not 

deter Delta from 

maintaining its number 

position in Nigerian 

sports. 

The Edo'2020 sports 

fiesta is expected to roll off 

after suffering several 

postponements due to 

covid'19 concerns. 

•Rohr

C 

M 

Y 


Vanguard, TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

ACROSS 

1 Needed (8) 

6 Crazy (3) 

8 Big (5) 

10 Furthermore (7) 

11 Australian wilderness (7) 

13 Annoyed (5) 

14 Empty Space (6) 

15 Shortness of sight (6) 

18 Injure with hot liquid (5) 

20 Formerly, a British soldier (7) 

21 Heighten (7) 

22 Strap (5) 

23 Male child (3) 

24 Stretched (8) 

DOWN 

2 Haphazard (7) 

3 Function (3) 

4 Reproach (6) 

5 Wrecked (9) 

6 Pattern (5) 

7 Handicap (12) 

8 Veins and arteries (5,7) 

12 Plentiful supply (9) 

16 Raise to a high grade (7) 

17 Passionate (6) 

19 Drained of colour (5) 

22 Heavy weight (3) 

How to Play Sudoku 

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

two of the same number). 

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

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

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

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

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

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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30032021 - BUHARI AT TINUBU'S COLLOQUIUM: Why we must avoid war

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