28052021 - 20 Generals may go as Buhari names Yahaya new COAS

Omoba Tsola 

Emiko for 

coronation as 

12 

21st Olu of 

Warri August 21 

Kwara Assets: 

Panel indicts 

Saraki, Ahmed, 

others 9 

•Govt’s claims 

false, diversionary 

—SARAKI 

Electricity: 

BPE moves 

to unbundle 

TCN 

Food prices rise in April, despite fall in inflation 

8 

19 

VOL. 27: NO. 64345 FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 

20 Generals may go as Buhari 

names Yahaya new COAS 

•20 Course 35, 36 generals face instant retirement•His appointment from 

Regular Course 37 pushes him above Course 35, 36 officers•It's the 

tradition in the military for seniors to bow out when juniors ascend — SOURCE 

5 

CHILDREN'S DAY IN ASO ROCK ... 

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, (middle] with children at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on the 

occasion of Children's Day celebrations,yesterday. STATE HOUSE PHOTO. 

INSECURITY: SARS disbandment 

35 

•Major-General 

Farouk Yahaya 

Fresh fuel 

price: We’ll 

shut Nigeria 

without 

notice 

—NLC 

8 

We laud 

Senate on 

terrorism 

prevention 

bill 

— RIGHTS 

GROUP 

Mr & Mrs 

9 

creating vacuum in policing —IGP 

•Says some suspected IPOB/ESN sponsors in custody •Adds: We’ve arrested 

1,166 high-profile persons, Ortom's attackers 

CHILDREN'S DAY: Reinforce 

child rights protection, 

UNICEF tells Nigeria 9 

8 

Amnesty Int’l Insecurity: 

laments spate of 

Nigeria in safe 

hands —LAI 

killings in Nigeria MOHAMMED 8 

DONU 16 LAKEMFA 17 AZU 28 

•SEE 

INSIDE

2—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28 , 2021

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 —3

4—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28 , 2021

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 — 5 

POCKET CARTOON 

20 Generals may go as Buhari appoints 

Farouk Yahaya as new COAS 

•His appointment as Regular Course 37 

officer wipes out Course 35, 36 intakes 

By Kingsley 

Omonobi, Abuja. 

ABUJA — 

President 

Muhammadu 

Buhari yesterday appointed 

Major-General 

Farouk Yahaya as the new 

Chief of Army Staff, with 

about 20 Generals of Regular 

Course 35 and 36 

expected to proceed on 

retirement. 

The new Army chief, 

who was appointed to replace 

late Lt. General Ibrahim 

Attahiru who died 

in a place crash in Kaduna 

last Friday, alongside 

10 other military officers, 

is of Regular Course 37. 

‘Tradition in the 

military’ 

A source said it is the 

tradition in the military for 

senior officers to take a 

bow whenever a junior 

officer is appointed a 

COAS, as they cannot be 

saluting their junior officer. 

Major-General Yahaya’s 

appointment, right from 

the position of Brigade 

Commander to that of 

Theatre Commander, Operation 

Hadin Kai, were 

made by the former Chief 

of Army Staff, Lt. General 

Tukur Yusuf Buratai 

(retd). 

With the Chief of Defence 

Staff, General 

Lucky Irabor, being a Regular 

Course 34 intake, 

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice 

Admiral Awwal Zubairu 

Gambo and Chief of Air 

Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo 

Amao both being 

Regular Course 35 intakes, 

Major General Yahaya 

becomes the most 

junior service chief as 

Course 37. 

20 Course 35, 

36 generals 

face instant 

retirement 

The implication is that 

about 20 Major-Generals 

and Brigadier-Generals 

made up of five remaining 

Regular Course 35 

intakes and 15 Regular 

Course 36 intakes would 

have to give way (proceed 

on retirement). 

The appointment of Yahaya 

as Attahiru’s successor, 

according to sources, 

was delayed due to search 

for a competent officer. 

A lot of the Generals in 

Regular Courses 35 and 

36 were found to be from 

the same tribe or state with 

other security chiefs in the 

Ministry of Defence, National 

Security Adviser’s 

office, the Navy and the 

Air Force. 

For instance, one of 

them, Major-General 

Jamil Sarham, of Regular 

Course 36, former Commandant 

Nigerian Defence 

Academy, NDA, is 

from Kano, where the 

Minister of Defence, Major-General 

Bashir Magashi 

(retd), and the 

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice 

Admiral Awwal Gambo, 

hail from. 

Sources said the appointment 

of General 

Lucky Irabor as Chief of 

Defence Staff, CDS, from 

Delta State, took care of 

South-East and South- 

South slot, the reason the 

Chief of Policy and Plans, 

Major-General Benjamin 

Ahanotu of Regular 

Course 35 from Anambra 

State was not considered 

for the position of COAS. 

Army Chief of Operations, 

Major General Ibrahim 

Manu Yusuf, from 

Yobe State, was also not 

considered because he is 

from the same state as 

Acting Inspector-General 

of Police, Usman Baba, 

according to sources. 

The man, 

Farouk Yahaya 

Prior to his appointment, 


was the incumbent Theatre 

Commander of the 

Counter-Terrorism/Counter-Insurgency 

military 

outfit in the North East, 

code named Operation 

Hadin Kai. 

He took over from Major-General 

Olusegun 

Adeniyi as Theatre Commander, 

Operation Lafiya 

Dole on March 31, 2020, 

before it was renamed 

Operation Hadin Kai by 

late Ibrahim Attahiru last 

month. 

Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and Rivers State 

Governor, Nyesom Wike at the inauguration ceremony of Rivers State Cassava 

Processing Plant in Oyigbo, Rivers State, yesterday. 

He was General Officer 

Commanding 1 Division 

of the Nigerian Army, 

Kaduna, before his deployment 

to Operation 

Hadin Kai. 

At several times, he was 

Military Secretary, (MS) 

Army at Army headquarters 

and Brigade Commander, 

4 Brigade, Benin, 

as a Brigadier-General 

Ṫhe new Chief of Army 

Staff was born on January 

5, 1966, in Sifawa, 

Bodinga Local Government 

Area of Sokoto State. 

He started his cadet 

training at NDA on September 

27, 1985, and was 

commissioned into the 

Nigerian Army Infantry 

Corps on September 

22,1990. 


has held several appointments, 

including Staff, 

Instructional and Command. 

Notable among the appointments 

held by the 

new COAS are Garrison 

Commander Headquarters 

Guards Brigade, Directing 

Staff at the Armed 

Forces Command and 

Staff College, AFCSC, 

Deputy Director, Army 

Headquarters; Department 

of Military Secretary, 

Deputy Director, 

Army Research and Development 

and the Chief 

of Staff, Headquarters, 

Joint Task Force Operation 

Pulo Shield. 

He also served as the 

Principal General Staff 

Officer (PGSO) to the 

Minister of Defence, the 

Commander, Headquarters 

4 Brigade and 29 Task 

Force Brigade (Operation 

Zaman Lafiya). 

He was Director, Manpower 

at Army Headquarters, 

Military Secretary, 

Army Headquarters and 

General Officer Commanding 

(GOC) 1 Division 

of the Nigerian 

Army. 

The new COAS is a 

holder of several honours 

and awards, some of 

which include Forces 

Service Star, Meritorious 

Service Star, Distinguished 

Service Star, 

Grand Service Star, 

Passed Staff Course (Dagger), 

National Defence 

Course (Chile), Economic 

Community of West Africa 

State Monitoring 

Group Medal, Command 

Medal, Field Command 

Medal, General Operations 

Medal, Silver Jubilee 

Medal and Golden 

Jubilee Medal. 

By Lovely Nnebue 

Governors' proposal for petrol price hike to N385 per litre 

The people can’t 

afford this at this 

time. This proposal 

should not even be 

considered at all. The 

masses have had 

enough. This country 

has a strange sense of 

déjà vu, the price keeps 

increasing and our 

economic status keeps 

getting worse, enough is 

enough! 

—Oyinlola Martins, 

The proposal of the 

governors to increase 

the pump price of 

petroleum products at 

this point in time when 

the economy is crashing, 

is as good as increasing 

poverty. This means that 

the average Nigerian 

cannot boast of two 

square meals a day. This 

is simply demonic! 

—Kelechi Confidence, 

Nurse 

It simply means that 

these governors did 

not consider the serious 

strain that will be on the 

people. We are all still 

striving hard to survive, 

as it is. 

It’s just shocking that this 

proposal is coming up 

now. What will happen to 

those who cannot afford 

it because price of every 

other ting will go up? 

—Jonas Godwin, 

This proposal by the 

governors is ridiculous. 

How can a government 

that claims to be in favour 

of the masses come up with 

such proposal at a time of 

severe economic hardship? 

Instead of coming up with 

measures to better the 

economic situation 

complicated by the Covid- 

19 pandemic as done in 

many countries, they came 

up with this disgraceful 

proposal in an oil-rich 

country. 

—Dr Vitalis Nnebue, 

This proposal by the 

governors should be 

rejected as our country is 

already in a rot. We, as 

citizens, won’t accept it 

due to the financial 

conditions we find 

ourselves in at this time. 

The governors should be 

conscious of the people 

and not add more 

burdens to us. The 

situation is getting 

outrageous as it is. 

—Divine Ogbonna, 

This is very 

disappointing! Is 

this a proposal or a 

warning from our 

governors? The hardship 

we are already going 

through is barely 

manageable. This 

proposal if it becomes a 

reality, will obviously 

make things worse as 

this country is already in 

bad shape at the 

moment. 

—David Benson


:Vanguard News 

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

SIGNING: Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi (middle), presenting award certificate to 

representatives of one of the four contractors of the first phase of Ebonyi State Ring Road project, after 

signing the contract agreement at Ochudo Centenary City in Abakaliki, yesterday. 

PDP alleges killings of its members 

in Ebonyi 

By Peter Okutu & 

Dirisu Yakubu 

ABUJA—THE Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

yesterday, raised the alarm 

over alleged killings of its 

members in Ebonyi state. 

The main opposition party 

also said some of its members 

and leaders in the state were 

being harassed and accused 

of phoney criminal acts by the 

All Progressives Congress, 

APC-led government in the 

state. 

Addressing newsmen at the 

party's secretariat, Abuja, national 

publicity secretary of 

the party, Kola Ologbondiyan 

said Governor Dave Umahi 

has been firm in his consistent 

intimidation of PDP leaders 

in Ebonyi for simply refusing 

to defect with him to the 

APC. 

"On the 30th of November 

2020, one of our members, 

Mr. Shedrack Nwode, a native 

of Umuezoka, along with 

his fiancée were shot dead by 

thugs suspected to be working 

for the APC, for refusing 

to chant ‘APC, Change’ at a 

traditional wedding ceremony. 

"Similarly, on Friday, 4th of 

December 2020, three prominent 

supporters of PDP from 

Ugwulangwu in Governor 

Umahi’s own Local Government 

Area, were arrested on 

trump-up charges of being 

cultists. 

"During a recent courtesy 

call on the governor of Ebonyi 

State, Engr. Dave Umahi 

in Abakaliki by the Police Assistant 

Inspector General 

(AIG) Zone 9, Mr. Okon, the 

governor openly and without 

any investigation, criminally 

accused prominent leaders of 

our party, including, Sen. 

Anyim Pius Anyim, Senator 

Sam Egwu, Chief Ali Odefa, 

Hon. Linus Okorie among 

others as sponsors of banditry 

and violence in the state. 

"It is already common 

knowledge that agents of the 

Governor Umahi-led administration 

had gathered known 

cultists and thugs and armed 

them with dangerous weapons 

including pump action 

riffles to be unleashed on innocent 

citizens, particularly 

members of the opposition. 

"These agents of APC government 

in Ebonyi State have 

•Allegation is false —APC Chairman, Ebonyi 

•People should stop dragging govt into every issue 

—Commissioner •Activist declared missing in Ebonyi 

also resorted to using the 

thugs to disrupt the meetings 

of our party as well as foist a 

reign of terror in the state, 

wherein thugs have taken over 

the streets and openly extort 

money from helpless motorists. 

"Only recently, a member of 

our party, Barr. Amos Ogbonnaya, 

who refused to join 

Governor Umahi to the APC 

was abducted and later released 

with life threatening 

injuries after much public 

outcry. He is still in the intensive 

care unit of a hospital. 

"Though Ogbonnaya recognized 

his abductors as state 

government agents and reported 

to the Police and the 

Department of State Services, 

DSS, no arrests have been 

made to bring the perpetrators 

to book," Ologbondiyan 

said. 

According to the party 

scribe, Chief Henry C. Udeh 

(Ajim Best), from Okposi in 

Ohaozara Local Government 

Area "was brutally attacked 

for daring to hold PDP meeting 

in his own house and many 

valuables, including vehicles 

were destroyed." 

He also said the party was 

in receipt of a report that a 

PDP member, Prince Anyigor 

Methuselah of Ezza North 

"has been abducted and is reportedly 

being kept at the 

Cabinet Office of the old Government 

House in Ebonyi 

State." 

He continued: "Our party 

further alerts Nigerians of 

Governor Umahi’s resort to 

labelling opposition voices in 

the state as cultists and terrorist 

elements as a ploy to victimize 

members of our party 

as well as incite federal security 

agencies against our leaders. 

"Governor Umahi’s suppressive 

government is now 

sealing off homes and businesses 

of PDP members all in 

a bid to cow and silence them. 

"A hotel belonging to 

former governor Sam Egwu 

has been sealed up while a private 

school belonging to another 

member of the PDP, 

Barr. Friday Agbom was also 

sealed on trumped up charges. 

"As a party, we are worried 

over the vexatious disposition 

of Governor Umahi towards 

the opposition, dissenting 

voices and other innocent citizens 

in the state; a development 

that has heightened security 

concerns and capable 

of triggering a huge crisis that 

can destabilize the state. 

"The action of the APC-led 

government has also foisted 

a reign of terror in the state, 

crippled economic activities 

and brought untold hardship 

to the people. 

"Since Governor Umahi realized 

that he is alone in his 

political voyage in the APC, 

he has been in distress, having 

been left in the cold and 

as such, seeks to decimate the 

opposition and disrupt peaceful 

coexistence in the state. 

"Our party counsels Governor 

Umahi to have only himself 

to blame for his self-inflicted 

political woes, instead 

of seeking to drag down and 

destroy the entire state because 

of his botched political 

ambition. 

"The PDP also cautions 

Governor Umahi to note that 

the people of Ebonyi State can 

never be intimidated or 

cowed by the APC and its external 

backers, who are looking 

for every means to cause 

mayhem and ruin the state for 

their political gains. 

"Our party calls on all our 

members in Ebonyi to remain 

calm even as we caution Governor 

Umahi to note that human 

history has always 

shown that there is a limit to 

which a people can bear in 

the face of open aggression 

and intimidation. 

"It is therefore imperative 

for the Inspector General of 

Police as well as the military 

high command to note the 

antics of the Umahi-led administration 

in the state and 

take urgent steps to protect the 

innocent citizens so as to save 

the state from imminent collapse." 

Also speaking, PDP national 

vice chairman (South- 

East), Ali Odefa said Governor 

Umahi, having realized 

that highly-placed party 

members failed to defect with 

him, has resorted to cheap 

blackmail and intimidating 

tactics. 

He challenged the governor 

to test his popularity on the 

ballot after his second term in 

office on the platform of the 

APC to prove to Nigerians his 

electoral mileage. 

Political affiliation, he noted, 

is a matter of choice, stressing 

that the people of Ebonyi 

State do not deserve to be 

punished for electing to remain 

in the PDP when the governor 

left for the ruling party.“ 

Allegation is 

false —Ebonyi 

APC Chairman 

But reacting to the allegation, 

the state Chairman of the 


APC, in Ebonyi State, Chief 

Stanley Okoro Emegha described 

the allegation by the 

PDP as false. 

The APC chieftain who doubles 

as the Commissioner for 

Internal Security and Border 

Peace requested that the PDP 

should give details of their allegation 

instead of looking for 

cheap blackmail against the 

administration of Governor 

David Umahi of Ebonyi State. 

He said: "If there is any clear 

details of where somebody 

was killed, then we can respond 

to it. It is not only APC 

people that my office is to protect; 

the state government is 

protecting every citizen of 

Nigeria in Ebonyi State. 

"The government is to protect 

all the citizens of the state 

and so, if we have details of 

such killing, then we can now 

follow it up. When you don't 

have details, how do you brief? 

Where did they kill the person, 

you can't say? 

"Tell them that the chairman 

of APC who doubles as the 

Commissioner for Internal 

Security said that the information 

is false. They should 

give details of how the persons 

and where the persons 

were killed. 

"There should be details. 

What is the person's name? 

Who was the person that was 

killed? Where was the person 

killed? Which local government 

was the person killed? 

Who is the person reporting 

to them that their people are 

being killed? 

"Is it not when they want to 

talk, so that the PDP at the national 

will know that they are 

existing that they will start 

making up such falsehood." 

Activist declared 

missing in Ebonyi 

Meantime, the activist, 

Anyigor Methuselah Maduabuchi 

from Ugalaba in 

Umuogharu, Ezza North Local 

Government Area of Ebonyi 

State, was yesterday declared 

missing. 

His younger brother, Anyigor 

Ifesinachi Daniel, who 

spoke to Journalists in 

Abakaliki on Wednesday 

evening, said he was last seen 

last Saturday, after he left 

home for a burial in Afikpo 

North LGA of the state. 

The victim's younger brother 

said he dialed his mobile 

number on Saturday after he 

waited for his return to no 

avail, but an unknown person 

picked the call and warned 

him never to call the line 

again. 

The victim, according to the 

younger brother, is a popular 

social media activist and crusader. 

He said he had reported 

the matter to the Police and 

the Department of State Services. 

Maduabuchi, according 

to the brother, is about 28 

years old. 

"My brother, Anyigor Methuselah 

Maduabuchi last Saturday 

told me he was going 

to a burial at Afikpo North 

LGA and we scheduled to go 

somewhere by 12 o'clock 

when he returns from the burial 

and by the time I called him 

to know if we would still go to 

the place, his phone was ringing 

but he was not picking. I 

kept on calling to no avail. 

"In the evening of that day, I 

called again and somebody 

picked the call and I asked the 

person to give the phone to the 

owner but he shunned me and 

threatened me not to call the 

number again. I hung the call. 

"I have dialed his number 

several times since then and it 

has not been going through. 

Apart from that, I have not got 

any other useful information 

about his abduction. 

"He used to post a lot about 

bad governance on Facebook 

and had been getting attacks 

and threats from people believed 

to be supporters of government. 

That's why I decided 

to report to the media to 

help me. I have also reported 

the matter to the police and 

the Department of State Services. 

However, the state Commissioner 

for Internal Security, 

Mr Stanley Okoro Emegha 

denied knowledge of the alleged 

abduction, warning that 

people should stop dragging 

government into every issue. 

Nwodo demands additional state creation for S-East 

By Chinedu Adonu 

FORMER PRESIDENT 

General of apex Igbo socio-cultural 

organisation, 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John 

Nnia Nwodo, yesterday, 

called for the creation of Adada 

State in the South East. 

Nwodo drew the attention 

of the constitution review 

committee to the age long demand 

for the creation of Adada 

State while presenting the 

memorandum during zonal 

public hearing of the senate 

committee on the review of 

the constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria. 

According to Nwodo, the 

South East has long been marginalized 

in the distribution 

of state entities and as such, 

the creation of an additional 

state would help give the people 

a sense of belonging. 

He noted that the demand 

for the creation of Adada 

State has come a long way, 

recalling how legislators in 

the South East met in 2006 in 

Imo State where they threw 

their weight behind the need 

for the creation of an additional 

state to be known as 

Adada. 

"No demand is as old as the 

demand for an additional creation 

of an additional state for 

the people and this shows it 

can be recommended" he 

said. 

He further noted that the demand 

for an additional state 

creation is unique in many respects 

because members of 

the federal and state houses 

of assembly, chairmen of local 

governments and other 

citizens signed and gave their 

support. 

He recalled that former 

president Goodluck 

Jonathan convened a national 

conference in 2014 where 

the need for additional state 

creation and other recommendations 

were made. 

He regretted that till now, 

the recommendations have 

not been considered for implementation. 

"If the recommendations 

that were given during that 

conference were adopted, we 

would not have gathered here 

today" he said, adding that the 

time has come for Nigeria to 

be restructured in order to deal 

with the demands of all sections 

in the country. 

Responding, Sen Ike Ekweremadu, 

who is the chairman, 

Senate Committee on 

constitutional review, said 

that no other state in the South 

East had made a request for 

the creation of another state 

and that shows that the demand 

for Adada State is the 

collective resolve of all citizens 

in the zone. 

He noted that although 

those who made the constitution 

made it almost impossible 

for the creation of 

an additional state, it can 

still be achieved. 

"It is happening at a time 

when I have the freedom to 

openly support the request 

and it is good that we are 

deciding to pursue the 

cause for the creation of 

Adada State. Together, we 

can get it done. It is not going 

to be by force" he said. 

In addition to the demand 

for the creation of an additional 

state in the South 

East, there was the demand 

by various groups for the decentralization 

of the police 

to allow states to have control 

of their security in order 

to end rising insecurity in the 

country. 

There was also the demand 

for the reflection of the 

roles of traditional rulers in 

the constitution given the 

roles they play at the grassroots 

level as well as the need 

for the inclusion of the affairs 

of persons living with 

disability in the Nigeria constitution. 

One of the traditional rulers 

who spoke to newsmen, 

requested the creation of a 

fourth tier of government 

that will ensure the proper 

harnessing of potentials at 

the grassroots.

8 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 

AWARD: 

From left: 1st 

National 

President, 

Nigerian 

Association of 

Chambers of 

Commerce 

Industry Mines 

and Agriculture, 

NACCIMA, Mr 

John Udeagbala; 

National 

President, Hajiya 

Saratu Iya Aliyu; 

and 2nd 

National Deputy 

President, 

Otunba Dele 

Kelvin Oye, at 

the NACCIMA 

60th Anniversary 

Excellence 

Award, in Abuja, 

:Vanguard 

News 

Amnesty International laments spate of killings 

in Nigeria 

By Emma Nnadozie, 

Crime Editor 

LAGOS — Amnesty International, 

yesterday, 

lamented that the escalation 

of attacks, abductions for ransom 

and frequent killings 

across Nigeria have left people 

feeling more unsafe, showing 

utter failure of the federal 

government to protect lives 

and properties. 

In a statement marking, the 

60th anniversary of the organization 

signed by the Director, 

Amnesty International, 

Osai Ojigho, Amnesty International 

noted that incessant killings 

and failure of the authorities 

to end them and bring suspected 

perpetrators to justice 

had been and continued to be 

a threat to the right to life in 

Nigeria. 

“Amnesty International 

started working on Nigeria on 

1 June in 1967 with an intervention 

on the Nigerian civil 

war which ended in 1970. Nobel 

Laureate Wole Soyinka 

was declared a prisoner of 

conscience, for being detained 

solely for his dissenting opinion. 

Between 1968 and 1969 the 

annual report documented 

and expressed concern over 

suspension of human rights in 

the context of the civil war. 

“Not much has changed about 

human rights in Nigeria since 

1967 and the concerns remain 

flagrant disregard for human 

rights, failure of authorities to 

protect the people, threats to 

human rights including the 

right to freedom of expression, 

suppression of dissenting voices 

and lack of accountability. 

“Incessant killings and the 

stunning failure of the authorities 

to end them and bring 

suspected perpetrators to justice 

have been and continues 

to be a threat to the right to 

life in Nigeria. From the days 

of military’s heavy-handed 

rule to the years of civil rule 

and up to today violation of 

human rights by both state 

actors and abuses by non-state 

actors continue to be matters 

of concern,’’ the statement 


•Says govt not doing enough to keep Nigerians safe 

read. 

Ojigho stated that on April 

10, 1978, six Nigerians students 

were killed, while many 

were detained for protesting 

staggering increase in student 

fees. “From then on, Nigerian 

youths continued to face violent 

crackdown for exercising 

right to freedom of peaceful 

assembly. 

‘’From the June 12, 1993, 

pro-democracy protests, occupy 

Nigeria protest of 2012, to 

the #EndSARS protest of 

2020, Nigerian authorities 

and we want them to reopen 

the schools now or else we are 

not leaving. 

“We have written to them 

but they have declined. The 

Federal Government staff are 

being paid their salaries and 

allowances likewise our lecturers 

so who is going to pay 

the students for time wastage.” 

Asuku added that the student 

body had reached out to 

ASUP which had promised to 

shift ground if the government 

would yield to their demands. 

“ ASUP demanded 15 items 

from the Federal Government 

but was only able to get two 

which to us is not commendable. 

“As a student body, we 

are interested in the government 

paying the lecturers their 

minimum wage which is accrued 

to two years. 

By Emmanuel Elebeke 

ABUJA — The Minister 

of Information and 

Culture, Lai Mohammed, has 

urged Nigerians not to succumb 

to doomsday predictions 

about the country because 

they won’t come to pass. 

He also assured that Nigeria 

was in safe hands, despite 

the current security challenges 

bedeviling the country 

The Minister gave the 

charge yesterday, while receiving 

the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, 

Oba Adeola Adeniyi Ajakaiye, 

who on a courtesy visit to his 

office in Abuja. 

He appealed to leaders at 

all levels to give the people a 

message of hope rather than 

making comments that could 

only aggravate tension 

Mohammed stressed the 

critical role of traditional rulers 

in the maintenance of 

peace and security, saying they 

could not and must not be igcontinue 

to violently repress 

peaceful protests. 

“While facing violations or 

policies that undermine people’s 

rights, Nigerians always 

resort to protest – and other 

peaceful means of seeking 

change. But violent clampdown 

on protests remains a 

major area of human rights 

violation. ‘’Protest is not a 

crime and Nigerians must be 

able to assemble peacefully 

and express themselves without 

fear,” said Ojigho 

Insecurity: Nigeria in safe hands, says Lai 

Mohammed 

berated the federal government 

for what they described 

as insensitivity to the polytechnic 

system. 

The students stood their 

ground and took their protest 

a step further by preventing 

workers at the ministry from 

gaining access to their duty 

posts. President of NAPS, 

Sunday Asuku,speaking to 

journalists at the sideline of 

the protest,called on both parties 

to reach compromise or 

risk nationwide protest by the 

students. He said:”We are 

here to demand for immediate 

reopening of our tertiary 

institutions. ASUP has been 

on strike for two months now 

and nothing has been done 

about it. “Government is not 

saying anything about this 

nored, as the nation seeks to 

restore peace and security. 

He appealed to Oba Ajakaiye 

to work with his fellow 

traditional rulers, as well as 

the government of Ekiti State, 

to ensure peace and security 

in the state. 

Earlier in his address, Oba 

Adeola Adeniyi Ajakaiye said 

his visit was to seek the support 

of the federal government 

to leverage on the tourism industry 

in Iyin-Ekiti to diversify 

the economy away from oil. 

He said Iyin-Ekiti was 

blessed with numerous tourist 

attractions that had the 

potential to bring the community 

to national and global 

limelight and create jobs for 

its youths. Oba Ajakaiye used 

the occasion of his visit to invite 

the minister to his forthcoming 

coronation as well as 

visit the tourist sites at Iyin- 

Ekiti - the two requests that 

were granted by the minister. 

Responding to a request by 

the traditional ruler to help 

ASUP strike: Protesting students ground activities 

at Ministry of Education 

By Joseph Erunke 

ABUJA — Students pro 

testing the lingering crisis 

in the nation’s polytechnics, 

yesterday shut down activities 

at the Federal Ministry of Education 

in Abuja. 

The protesters, operating 

under the aegis of National 

Association of Polytechnic 

Students,NAPS, barricaded 

the entrance of the ministry, 

leaving workers who had resumed 

for work stranded 

They demanded immediate 

negotiation and end to the 

continued strike by polytechnic 

lecturers under the umbrella 

of Academic Staff Union of 

Polytechnic Staff, ASUP. The 

angry students, bearing placards 

with various inscriptions, 

put the tourist sites in the town 

on the national and global 

map, Mohammed pledged his 

readiness to leverage the media 

and technology to showcase 

and popularize the historic 

‘Esa Cave’ as well as the 

‘Okuta Abanijorin’ (the rock 

that accompanies you on your 

trip), both foremost tourism 

sites in Iyin-Ekiti, in the Irepodun/Ifelodun 

local government 

area of Ekiti State. 

‘’Putting the tourist sites on 

the national and global map 

will attract tourists, which will 

in turn boost the economy of 

not just Iyin town but, indeed, 

the entire Ekiti State,” he said. 

Alhaji Mohammed, therefore, 

directed the Directors- 

General of the National Commission 

for Museums and 

Monuments, NCMM, Nigerian 

Tourism Development 

Corporation, NTDC, and the 

National Institute for Hospitality 

and Tourism, NIHOT- 

OUR, to undertake a working 

visit to the two tourist sites and 

report back to him. 

The National Broadcasting 

Commission has suspended 

the license of Human Rights 

Radio and television for recurring 

unprofessional conduct. 

The National Broadcasting 

Corporation, NBC, announced 

this in a statement 

yesterday after a meeting with 

the owner, Ahmed Isah, who is 

also the host of Berekete Family 

Show, a programme on the 

radio station. Isah, who was 

caught in a BBC documentary 

assaulting an interviewee, 

was at the meeting granted the 

opportunity to explain the circumstances 

that led to the unfortunate 

incident at his radio 

station. 

The NBC said it reviewed 

the events and noted the unreserved 

apologies and regrets 

Fresh fuel hike: We’ll shut 

Nigeria without notice — NLC 

LAGOS — The Bureau of 

Public Enterprises, BPE, 

said yesterday it has commenced 

moves to unbundle 

the Transmission Company of 

Nigeria, TCN, into different 

entities. The TCN is the only 

state-owned and controlled 

institution in the power sector, 

which has the responsibility 

to transmit and operate the 

nation’s power system. 

However, speaking at a webinar 

tagged, “Financing 

Public-Private Partnership to 

Boost Infrastructure Delivery 

in Nigeria,” chaired by 

Ahmed Zainab, Minister of 

Finance, Budget and National 

Planning, Alex Okoh, the 

Director-General of the Bureau 

of Public Enterprises, 

BPE, said: “Currently, we are 

looking at various strategies 

at reforming TCN. 

“That’s the only segment of 

the power value chain yet to 

be reform by BPE. We have 

privatised or reform generation 

and the PHCN legacy on 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

ABUJA — Nigeria La 

bour Congress, NLC, 

has vowed to shut the nation’s 

socio-economic activities 

without notice should the government 

increase the pump 

price of petrol with a cent of 

naira as clamoured by governors.. 

NLC in a communique after 

its National Executive 

Council, NEC, meeting, said 

its leaders viewed the proposal 

by the Nigeria Governors 

Forum, NGF, for a 300 percent 

increase in the price of 

petrol as the height of provocation, 

arbitrariness, detachment 

and insensitivity to the 

current economic realities in 

the country and the extreme 

hardship that Nigerians, especially 

workers were going 

through. 

The communiqué signed by 

President of NLC and Acting 

General Secretary, Ayuba 

Wabba and Ishmail Bello respectively, 

said: “NEC also 

noted that there is currently no 

negotiation with government 

over fuel price increase. The 

NEC recalled that the last 

meeting with Government in 

February 2021 was adjourned 

sine die. Since then, no other 

meeting has been called by 

government. The NEC recalled 

and reiterated the decision 

it took on February 17, 

2021, after the last meeting 

between labour and the Federal 

Government team on fuel 

price increase. 

“The NEC reiterated that it 

still stands solidly by its decision 

taken at its meeting which 

took place on 17th February 

2021 to reject further increases 

in the price of refined petroleum 

products particularly the 

Premium Motor Spirit (PMS); 

The NEC also re-echoed its 

decision that the only sustainable 

way out of the crisis of fuel 

importation and associated 

dislocations in the downstream 

petroleum sub sector is for 

government to rehabilitate all 

four public refineries in Nigeria 

and build new ones; 

“The NEC resolved that any 

decision to increase by even 

one cent the price of refined 

petroleum products especially 

PMS will attract an immediate 

withdrawal of services by 

Nigerian workers all over the 

country without any further 

notice; and NEC resolved to 

write officially to the Federal 

Government of Nigeria conveying 

the plight of Nigerian 

workers, the concerns of Congress 

and the resolutions of the 

NEC on the matter of fresh proposals 

for an increase in the 

pump price of fuel especially 

as informed by the stance of 

the Nigeria Governors Forum.” 

Electricity: BPE moves to 

unbundle TCN 

By Udeme Akpan 

expressed by Isah. It said the 

suspension would last for 30 

days to enable the station put 

its house in order, after which 

the license would be restored. 

The statement read: “The 

commission states, however, 

that the action of the broadcaster 

is in clear violations of 

the Broadcasting Code and a 

betrayal of the confidence reposed 

on him by the people 

and Government of Nigeria 

on whose behalf he holds the 

radio license in trust. 

“Section 0.1.1.2.1 of the 

Broadcasting Code provides 

in the Social Objectives of 

Broadcasting that Broadcasting 

shall – ‘promote generally 

accepted social values and 

norms, especially civic and 

social responsibilities; and 

encourage respect for the dignity 

of man’. “It also provides 

generation companies and 

downstream privatisation. 

“These are the models we 

are looking at, in strong collaboration 

with the minister 

of power. The next stage is the 

unbundling of the system 

itself…on whether to unbundle 

along regional lines or 

business disco franchise area. 

Very soon, we will approach 

the council on privatisation on 

what best works.” 

Similarly, Minister of Finance, 

Budget, and National 

Planning, Zainab Ahmed 

said: “The webinar is to hear 

directly from you (stakeholders) 

on what areas government 

can invest in and deliver value 

for money. 

“President Buhari is committed 

to developing the country’s 

infrastructure and urging 

local and foreign investors to 

invest in Bureau of Public Procurement 

projects in Nigeria.” 

Recently, Chairman, UBA 

Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, who 

called for the privatisation of 

TCN, had said: “In the area 

of the transmission line, I think 

that, ultimately, it should be 

privatized. 

Berekete: NBC suspends Human Rights Radio/ 

TV’s license 

that broadcasting organisations 

shall recognize that they 

exercise freedom of expression 

as agents of society, not 

for any personal or sectional 

rights, privileges and needs of 

their own or of their proprietors, 

relatives, friends or supporters. 

“It is important to state that 

the Commission has over the 

years, advised, cautioned, 

warned and fined the station 

over repeated cases of outright 

abuse, denigrating remarks, 

intimidation and flagrant 

abuse of ethics of fairness, balance 

and fair hearing on the 

station. It is also on record that 

the Commission had conducted 

several training and retraining 

programmes for the 

station and the host of the 

Brekete family programme 

especially.




AGM—From left: Adekunle Adedeji, Chief Financial Officer; Dr. Demola Sogunle, Chief 

Executive; Basil Omiyi, Chairman, and Chidi Okezie, Company Secretary and Head, Country 

Legal Services, all of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc., during the 9th Annual General Meeting, 

AGM, of firm, at IBTC Place, Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos, yesterday. 

KWARA ASSETS: Panel indicts Saraki, 

Ahmed, others 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

& Demola Akinyemi 

I CHAIRMAN L O R I N of the 

— 

White Paper Panel on the 

unlawful sales of Kwara State 

Government’s properties from 

May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2019, 

Mr. Hussein Buhari, yesterday, 

indicted former Senate President, 

Bukola Saraki, and his successor 

as governor of Kwara State, Mr. 

Abdulfatah Ahmed and their 

cronies of economic sabotage of 

state properties. 

He urged Kwara State 

governor, Abdulrahman 

AbdulRazaq, to prosecute them 

to recover the properties. 

The panel, in its report, also 

recommended a 10-year ban from 

political office for the indicted 

former governors and their aides, 

among others, to recover the 

alleged stolen properties. 

Buhari, while submitting the 

report to the governor, said the 

affected personalities shunned 

the panel and failed to use the 

opportunity to defend 

themselves, hence the need to 

prosecute them. 

He said: “The committee 

swung into action immediately it 

was inaugurated and went 

through the report of the Judicial 

Commission of Inquiry on the 

sales of Kwara State Government 

Assets between May 1999 and 

May 2019. 

‘’There are so many rots 

perpetrated by the past 

governments especially in the 

16 years before 2019. 

“For instance, the rots on 

Shonga Farms, Satellite Motel, 

and our properties in Kaduna, 

Abuja and Lagos were simply 

inconceivable. They were all sold 

to themselves at giveaway prices. 

We saw criminal conspiracies. In 

fact, Kwara State is now heavily 

indebted to some people because 

the past governments 

mismanaged our properties. 

“I just wish Governor 

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq will 

have the courage and political will 

to implement the report so that 

everybody found wanting will be 

brought to book. 

‘’The Electoral Act is very clear 

that anybody who is found guilty 

of mismanagement of resources 

be banned for 10 years from 

holding political office. 

“We wish the government will 

accept our recommendations and 

set up an implementation 

committee. 

“The state government should 

take them to court and prosecute 

them for economic sabotage and, 

if found guilty, the government 

should ban them from holding 

political offices for 10 years. 

“Based on what we discovered, 

the people that were at the helms 

of affairs for the past 16 years 

connived to perpetrate evils and 

they were given ample 

opportunities to defend 

themselves by the judicial panel 

of inquiry and they refused to 

come. It shows they were 

accomplices in the whole deals. 

“Also, our shares, bonds and 

stocks were sold out within five 

weeks of their leaving office. 

These are worth billions of naira. 

Even, the Amoyo International 

Market which they claimed they 

bought land for over N400m and 

paid about N200m and also 

swapped 10 pieces of our land in 

Abuja for Amoyo land by 

Harmony Holdings Limited. 

“On Kwara Mall, it is sad that 

Kwara State government put 

down the sum of N500 million, 

gave land and C of O over the 

land and they used the C of O to 

collect another bank loan worth 

N500m and brought nothing to 

the Kwara State government. 

‘’In fact, the sharing formula is 

70% to 30%. That is, 30% to the 

state government that put down 

everything. 

“On Shonga Farms, you 

brought 13 farmers and you gave 

them land and huge money in 

foreign currency and yet nothing 

was remitted to the state 

government. 

“ They did not stop at that. They 

mortgaged the same land and 

collected money from different 

banks. We also found that most 

of the government officials 

involved in all these are 

deliberately working against the 

government of the day for selfish 

reasons.” 

Responding, Governor 

AbdulRazaq commended the 

panel for a job well done adding 

that the recommendations were 

noted for action. 

Govt’s claims false, 

diversionary — Saraki 

Reacting to the panel’s report, 

• Recommends prosecution, 10-yr ban 

•Govt’s claims false, diversionary — Saraki 

the Abubakar Bukola Saraki 

Media Office faulted the panel, 

noting that they were not invited 

to appear before it. 

It also described the state 

government’s claims as false and 

diversionary. 

A statement by Saraki’s 

spokesman, Abdulqadir 

Abdulganiy, said: “Our attention 

in the Abubakar Bukola Saraki 

Media Office has been drawn to 

a press release by the 

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq 

Government titled: ‘Assets: Try 

Saraki, Others for Criminal 

Conspiracies against Kwara. 

White paper panel tells Gov’, and 

our initial reaction is that we are 

not surprised the quality of 

writing demonstrated in the 

statement and the incoherent, 

fallacious and salacious claims 

contained in it. It just shows how 

low governance has become in 

Kwara State. 

“First, for the information of 

discerning members of the public, 

neither Dr. Abubakar Bukola 

Saraki who left the Office of 

Governor of Kwara State 10 years 

ago nor Alhaji Abdulfatai Ahmed, 

the immediate last Governor got 

an invite to appear before any 

investigative and fact-finding 

panel set up by the Abdulrazaq 

administration. Thus, it is clear 

that the so-called investigation 

being conducted is not about 

finding facts. It is about throwing 

mud and staining the 

predecessor of Abdulrahman 

Abdulrazaq in Office. 

“Secondly, while reacting to the 

claims contained in the poorly 

written and disjointed press 

statement, it should be noted 

that both Dr. Saraki and Alhaji 

Ahmed will never be shy of giving 

account of how they managed the 

assets of Kwara State. In fact, 

both men took decisions 

concerning those assets in a 

manner that will enhance their 

value and stimulate economic 

activities in the state, which was 

hitherto referred to as a civil 

service state. 

“It is also noteworthy that 

Abdulrazaq’s administration has 

failed woefully to attract any 

investment in its two-years in 

office and has rather resorted to 

making false claims about how 

BUA Investments came to 

Lafiagi. This is an investment that 

was attracted to the state by both 

the Saraki and Ahmed 

administrations. 

“It is clear that the press 

statement under reference is 

another one of the tactics of 

Abdulrazaq to divert the attention 

of the people from his nonperformance 

and lack of tangible 

projects that can be showcased 

during the second anniversary 

of his administration, which is 

about 48 hours away. 

“Abdulrahman should focus on 

working for the people of the state 

and executing projects, initiating 

programmmes that will benefit 

the people of the state.” 

CHILDREN’S DAY: Reinforce 

child rights protection, UNICEF 

tells Nigeria 

•Says one in three Nigerian girls are 

sexually abused •Nigerian children, leaders 

of tomorrow — Gbajabiamila 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu, 

A United 

BUJA—THE 

Nations 

Children’s Emergency Fund, 

UNICEF, has called for 

reinforcement on efforts 

geared towards protecting the 

rights of children in the 

country, as Nigeria contends 

with the effects of 

coronavirus. 

UNICEF’s Country 

Director in Nigeria, Dr. Peter 

Hawkins, who made the call 

in a statement to 

commemorate the 2021 

Children’s Day yesterday, 

lamented the outbreak of the 

pandemic, saying it had 

threatened decades of 

progress the world body made 

for children’s development. 

Hawkins said: “It has been 

a challenging year for us all 

with COVID-19 pandemic, 

not least of all – Nigeria’s 

children. As we rightfully 

celebrate Nigerian children 

today, let us also remember 

that the COVID-19 crisis has 

been a child rights crisis – in 

Nigeria and around the world. 

“Poverty is rising, inequality 

is growing, and the pandemic 

has often disrupted the 

essential services that secure 

the health, education, and 

protection of children and 

young people. 

“The longer the pandemic 

goes on, the more intense the 

impact on women and 

children. 

“On this Nigerian 

Children’s Day, let us all 

agree that we cannot let one 

crisis compound another. The 

pandemic is threatening 

decades of progress we have 

made for children. 

“Violence is perpetrated 

against one in four Nigerian 

children – and one in three 

Nigerian girls are sexually 

abused. This has only 

increased during the 

pandemic. 

“Today of all days, we must 

commit to reinforce the 

protection mechanisms for all 

children,” the Country 

Director stated. 

He commended the efforts 

of government at all levels 

and urged society to protect 

education, health, and 

protection services in 

response to the impact of the 

COVID-19 pandemic on 

children. 

He also noted that Nigerian 

children were resilient, 

talented, and aspire to do 

great things, pointing out 

that it was the responsibility 

to give them the platform and 

encouragement to do just 

that. 

“But we have learned from 

this pandemic too. One thing 

we have learned is that 

education takes place not 

only in schools – children can 

and should learn both in and 

out of school. 

“A learning continuum is 

critical so that all children 

continue to get an education 

irrespective of their situation, 

location, or the pandemic. 

“We know that protecting 

children and investing in 

women and families is not 

only the right thing to do – it 

has proven to be a sound 

economic choice and a costeffective 

tool for national 

development. 

“As we celebrate our 

children today, we must act 

in their best interests and 

deploy innovative solutions to 

fast-track learning and health 

services to build back better, 

for every Nigerian child,’’ 

Hawkins added. 

Also speaking on the 

occasion of the 

commemoration, speaker of 

the House of 

Representatives, Femi 

Gbajabiamila, said Nigerian 

children were the leaders of 

tomorrow because of the 

enormous potential they 

possessed. 

Gbajabiamila noted that 

Nigerian children must, 

therefore, imbibe good morals 

and face their studies 

squarely. 

He urged children to be 

worthy ambassadors 

wherever they found 

themselves, saying “there 

was nothing as priceless as 

good morals.” 

Gbajabiamila added that 

“as current leaders execute 

the task of nation-building, it 

is imperative for tomorrow’s 

leaders to aim at surpassing 

whatever achievements are 

being recorded now.” 

We applaud Senate on terrorism prevention bill— RIGHTS GROUP 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu, 

A 

group, 

Democracy 

Watch, has lauded the 

Senate for initiating a bill that 

crimilises payment of ransom to 

kidnappers and terrorists. 

Recall that the bill, entitled, 

‘’Terrorism Prevention 

(Amendment) Bill 2021'’, which 

recommends at least 15 years jail 

term for defaulters, passed second 

reading in the Senate last week. 

The group in a statement 

signed by Jackson Marizu, said: 

‘’ Last week, a bill entitled 

“Terrorism Prevention 

(Amendment) Bill, 2021” passed 

through second reading in the 

Senate. ‘’The bill sponsored by 

Senator Ezenwa Francis 

Onyewuchi (PDP Imo State) 

seeks to amend the Terrorism 

Prevention Act, 2013, to outlaw 

the payment of ransom to 

abductors, kidnappers and 

terrorists for the release of any 

person who has been wrongly 

confined, imprisoned or 

kidnapped. 

‘’The substituted version of the 

principal Act in the new bill states 

that anyone who transfers funds, 

makes payment or colludes with 

an abductor, kidnapper or terrorist 

to receive any ransom for the 

release of any person who has 

been wrongly confined, 

imprisoned or kidnapped is guilty 

of a felony and is liable on 

conviction to a term of 

imprisonment not less than 15 

years. 

‘’We recall that under the 8th 

Senate, a similar bill entitled 

“Abduction, Wrongful Restraint 

and Conferment Bill”, came up 

for mention. But the then 

assembly did not go the whole 

hog. We are delighted that the 

9th Senate has resurrected, 

reworked this bill with a view to 

making it meet the demands and 

realities of the moment. 

‘’We applaud Senator 

Onyewuchi and the entire 

Senate for this patriotic move. 

Anybody who lives in this country 

knows that kidnapping, 

abduction and terrorism 

constitute a major threat to 

security of life and property. 

‘’They are also a danger to social 

cohesion. Beyond that, 

insecurity occasioned by 

kidnappings, abductions and 

related crimes weaken and 

destroy the economy as decent 

people will be ill at ease to do 

business in an environment 

where these social vices thrive. 

‘’It is, therefore, very thoughtful 

on the part of the Senate to give 

due consideration to this all 

important bill that promises to 

stamp out the blight of terrorism, 

abduction and kidnapping. 

We are aware that some fellows 

tried to criticize the Senate and 

sponsor of the bill for prescribing 

penalty for ransom payment . 

‘’Those who are criticizing the 

lawmakers on this score are 

missing the point. It should be 

noted that the greatest incentive 

for kidnapping and abduction is 

ransom payment.''


:Vanguard 

News 

Rehabilitation: Lagos to shut 

Eko Bridge for 9 weeks 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

LAGOS—THE Federal 

Government, in 

collaboration with Lagos 

State Government, 

yesterday, said it would 

commence emergency 

repairs of the National 

Stadium bound of Eko 

Bridge from Costain to 

Alaka, with partial closure 

from Friday, June 4 to 

Friday, August 13, 2021. 

Commissioner for 

Transportation, Dr. Fredric 

Oladeinde, who announced this 

in a statement, stated that the 

repairs were necessary, to 

complete the rehabilitation works 

at the opposite side of the Bridge 

earlier embarked upon by the 

Federal Government, hence the 

need for a notice of routes 

diversion. 

Oladeinde said: “Pending the 

commencement of the 

rehabilitation works, alternative 

routes have been made available 

for the awareness of motorists, to 

manage traffic during the period 

of repairs, as highlighted 

follows: traffic from Apongbon 

to Alaka, stadium, inner Surulere 

or Ikorodu Road, will be 

diverted to Eko Bridge to access 

Costain Roundabout to 

Iponri, through Alaka and 

Funso Williams Avenue. 

“Similarly, motorists from Eko 

bridge will have to navigate their 

desired destinations through 

Costain Roundabout to Abebe 

Village( by Nigerian Breweries Plc) 

through Eric Moore to Bode 

Thomas to Adeniran 

Ogunsanya, to access Shitta 

Roundabout by Stadium under 

the bridge to Funso Williams 

Avenue to Dorman-Long Bridge 

and Fadeyi-Ikorodu Road. 

"Motorists can gain access to 

Apongbon through CMS Outer 

Marina Road to connect Ebute 

Metta Ikorodu Road to access 

their destinations. Apongbon 

through CMS to Outer Marina 

to Adeniji Adele, Third Mainland 

Bridge, Adekunle to Herbert 

Macaulay Way, Jibowu and 

Ikorodu road will also be available." 

Construction of 4th Mainland 

Bridge begins Dec —Sanwo-Olu 

....Reels out achievements, future plans 

By Olasunkanmi 

Akoni 

L AGOS—GOVERNOR 

Bababjide Sanwo-Olu 

of Lagos State, yesterday, 

hinted that the construction 

of the proposed Fourth 

Mainland Bridge will kick 

off in December, 2021. 

The construction of the 

bridge is estimated to 

gulp $2.5 billion, after it 

was reviewed upward 

from $2.2 billion. 

Sanwo-Olu, in his address, 

tagged: ‘Sanwo-Olu: 731 Days 

and Beyond, the State of the 

State Address, and the Glimpse 

of the Greater Lagos’, as part of 

activities commemorating the 

second year anniversary of his 

administration. 

Speaking on the proposed 

construction of the bridge, 

Sanwo-Olu said: "We believe that 

the construction of the 37km 4th 

Mainland Bridge would 

significantly change the face of 

transportation and movement in 

Lagos State. 

"The ground-breaking for the 

construction and building of the 

bridge will take place before the 

end of this year. Our PPP 

concessionaires appear 

committed, as they enter the final 

stage of the qualification process. 

All necessary funding has been 

secured by our partners.” 

Reeling out the achievements 

of his administration, the 

governor said: "Lagos is 0.4 per 

cent of Nigeria’s total landmass, 

with a population of 22 million, 

representing about 10 per cent of 

the country’s total population. 

Looking at the interaction 

between these figures, one will 

notice an obvious disproportion 

between population size and 

habitation space. 

"This, among other reasons, 

explains the perennial congestion 

on Lagos roads and across the 

state. As a government, we have 

undertaken several innovative 

means of ensuring that citizens’ 

travel experiences are palatable." 


AWARD—From Left: Past president, Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria, ICAN, and guest 

speaker, Mrs. Elizabeth Adegbite; past president, ICAN, Princess Adenike Adeniran; Chairman, 

INEF Board of Trustees, Richard Okafor, and current President, Chartered Institute of Taxation of 

Nigeria, Mrs. Omosalewa Onilenla, during the Imole Noble Education Foundation Schorlarship 

Award ceremony, themed 'Keeping a Touch of Kindness Aflame, held at Idera Hall, Radisson Blu 

Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. 

Don’t introduce Sharia to S-West, PFN 

warns Senate ....Says it could stoke religious crisis 

Buhari sees Nigerians as conquered slaves —YCE 

By Ola Ajayi 

IBADAN—THE Yoruba 

Council of Elders, YCE, 

yesterday, accused the 

presidency of worsening 

disunity, tension and 

fuelling ethnic distrust 

among Nigerians. 

The YCE also alleged 

that instead of 

strengthening the cord of 

unity that binds Nigerians 

together, the Presidency’s 

actions and utterances are 

in sharp contrast to what it 

preaches. 

While reading a communiqué 

after its meeting, the National 

President of the association, 

ANTI-GRAFT: ICPC infuses national values in curriculum, seeks 

teachers support 

A BUJA—THE 

Independent 

Corrupt Practices and 

Other Related Offences 

Commission, ICPC, has 

said it was pushing hard to 

get all stakeholders to 

implement a school 

curriculum infused with 

national values to fight 

corruption at the base. 

According to the anticorruption 

agency, the essence 

of the move is to inculcate 

integrity in Nigeria’s educational 

system. 

ICPC’s spokesperson, Azuka 

Ogugua, who disclosed this 

during a radio programme, Public 

Conscience, on radio, produced 

by the Progressive Impact 

Organization for Community 

Justice Demola Bakre (retd) and 

the Secretary-General, Dr. Kunle 

Olajide, took exception to the 

recent appointments made by 

President Buhari. 

The communiqué read: “The 

Presidency urges Nigeria to unite, 

yet it continues to act in ways 

that aggravate disunity, tension, 

and, consequently, mutual ethnic 

distrust by the nepotistic 

appointments. Buhari's 

administration is grossly 

insensitive. 

“He talks down on state 

governments, which have the 

mandate of their people to govern 

them, and he sees Nigerians as 

conquered people, slaves in their 

own land. 

Development, PRIMORG, 

Wednesday, in Abuja, said despite 

integrity already being taught in 

schools, the commission 

developed a fully packaged 

curriculum, now infused into 

existing school subjects, referred 

to as carrier subjects. 

She urged teachers to take the 

teaching of national values to the 

next level by training pupils and 

students under their care 

through living by example, than 

by mere words. 

“If I am talking to teachers right 

now, what I will tell them is that 

ICPC is developing the national 

value curriculum and the 

national ethics and integrity 

policy but you the teachers are 

the ones needed to take it up to 

the next level. 

By Ola Ajayi 

I BADAN—THE 

Pentecostal Fellowship 

of Nigeria, PFN, yesterday, 

warned the Senate not to 

stoke embers of religious 

disharmony in the South 

West through a proposed 

introduction of Sharia law 

in the zone. 

The Christian body 

warned that the move 

would surely be counterproductive, 

just as it urged 

the Upper House not to fall 

headlong into the ditch by 

bringing what it described 

as 'subterranean moves' in 

the constitutional review 

being carried out by the 

Senate. 

The PFN, in a statement by its 

President, Bishop Francis Oke, 

said: “The problems confronting 

our nation are too enormous than 

wanting to create more. Sharia 

Law is alien to our culture of 

“He made 19 appointments 

and all are Muslims. I’m a Muslim, 

but that’s not Nigerian. We must 

do things that unite all of us; that 

will make us look like one. As a 

young man, I lived in the North. 

In the early ’50s, I was a 

registration staff. We didn’t know 

the difference between Hausa, 

Igbo and Yoruba. 

“Nigeria is a living lie, 

experiences and reality of the last 

six years of the Buhari 

administration bring to the fore 

the reality that we still remain a 

mere geographical expression. 

“The Buhari administration has 

remained very insensitive to the 

challenges confronting the 

country, the sufferings of the 

“You are the ones to train these 

students, train more by example 

than by your words. So be the 

role model that the students will 

copy,’’ she said. 

Ogugua noted that the 

national values curriculum, 

which was for the teaching of 

values and ethics at all levels of 

education, starting from primary 

(basic), secondary (post-basic), 

and tertiary institutions, were 

recording marked progress before 

the development of National 

Ethics and Integrity Policy by 

ICPC. 

She said: “ICPC identified 12 

core values, these values are 

already topics in civic education 

but are now built into different 

subjects having been developed 

into objectives and teaching 

methodology.” 

According to her, the values 

religious existence in the South- 

West. As such, nobody should, 

through any subterfuge, bring it 

in so as not to cause a crisis. 

“We want to strongly warn the 

Senate and those behind this plan 

to unsettle the peace being 

enjoyed in this country, to desist 

before it’s too late. Don’t instigate 

religious crisis in the South West; 

this could further threaten the 

fragile peace of the country 

“The secularity of our existence 

which is devoid of any religious 

people. President Buhari in 2016 

invited any African willing to come 

to Nigeria and they will be issued 

visa at the borders. Clearly, that 

was an invitation to chaos. 

President Buhari has continued 

to speak in Chad, to address heads 

of state in France, Mali but has 

refused to address his people at 

home. He must address 

Nigerians.” 

On the comments credited to 

the Attorney-General of the 

Federation, the YCE said it was 

difficult to believe if the author of 

the comments ever attended a 

Law school. 

Justice Bakre said: “I believe 

we make very retrogressive 

statements. Without being 

include honesty, discipline, the 

right attitude to work, citizens’ 

rights and duties, national 

conscience, contentment, regard, 

courage, family values, religious 

values, and traditional values. 

Ogugua, however, noted that 

the success of the scheme was 

faced with budgetary challenges 

upheaval, should not be 

tampered with under whatever 

guise. We shall resist this by every 

legal means at our disposal. 

“Without the Sharia, we have 

always lived peacefully with our 

Muslim brothers. We know that 

this is the handiwork of those who 

are hellbent on unsettling our 

country at all costs. But the good 

news is that they have failed. As 

far as we are concerned, the 

proposal won’t fly and can never 

fly.” 

egoistic, I lived in America and 

England for years. In our 

elementary law, fencing of 

animals is a norm and if your 

animals escape and cause 

damage, you will be liable. 

“A whole AGF, it’s unfortunate. 

Each time he speaks, I just ask, 

are you sure he went to Law 

school? If you read the general 

basics of law, not even a degree, 

you will not talk the way he is 

talking. 

“Anyway, any intelligent and 

intelligible AGF will weigh his 

statement. I just think that the 

Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, 

should do something about the 

AGF making a reckless 

statement.” 

On the integrated mass 

transit system, he said: "From 

this day on, we are certainly 

heading in the direction that 

our city will become so connected 

by an integrated mass 

transit system that a trip to the 

farthest part of the state would 

be reduced by half of the curwhich 

the commission hoped to 

overcome, adding that the 

impact of teaching integrity in 

schools was also greatly 

affected by poor home 

training of pupils and 

students, hence, the reason 

the commission was training 

teachers.


:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 

A G M — 

Chairman, 

Lafarge Africa 

Plc., Mr. 

A d e b o d e 

Adefioye (left), 

and Company 

Secretary, Mrs. 

Adewunmi 

Alode, during 

the company’s 

62nd Annual 

G e n e r a l 

Meeting, AGM, 

in Lagos, 

Tuesday. 

Social Media Conversation 

STATE OF THE NATION: Parts of Nigeria 

experiencing civil war —-Falana 

• Says 2023 polls threatened 

• As Olanipekun advocates true federalism, judicial reform 

• Constitution Review waste of public funds —Afenifere 

By Dayo Johnson & 

Olasunkanmi Akoni 

LAGOS—HUMAN rights 

lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, 

yesterday, expressed worry that 

the 2023 general elections could 

be jeopardised because some 

parts of the country are 

experiencing what he described 

as a civil war. 

Also, former president of the 

Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, 

Wole Olanipekun, SAN, has 

advocated true federalism and 

immediate reform in the judicial 

system, among others. 

The duo said this at the final 

sitting of the Senate Committee 

on the review of the 1999 

Constitution South-West Zonal 

Public Hearing, Lagos Center, 

held in Ikeja. 

In his presentation, Falana 

condemned the rate of impunity 


This, however, came on a day 

the pan-Yoruba socio-political 

organization, Afenifere, described 

the ongoing process of amending 

the 1999 Constitution as an 

exercise in futility that cannot 

achieve any meaningful result. 

But Falana, in his presentation, 

said: “Our country is ruled by the 

rule of the rulers, and not rule of 

law. People commit all manner of 

crime and get away with it because 

there are no sanctions. This must 

change. The Social Security Bill 

must also work, so that jobless 

people can get stipends, pending 

when they get full employment. 

“What can we do very quickly 

to save this country which is on 

the verge of collapse? If you don’t 

want people to break away from 

Nigeria, we must give them 

confidence and a sense of 

belonging, don’t declare war. 

“Therefore, for the constitutional 

amendment to be fruitful, for us to have 

genuine outputs from this meeting, 

peace must reign. We must address 

Nigeria’s problem frontally. We must also 

give people the confidence of peace and 

inclusion if we must kill the cries for 

secession. Don’t declare war. 

“In fact, in some parts of the country, 

the 2023 elections are already 

threatened. 

“INEC offices are being burnt, police 

stations are being burnt. In that kind of 

atmosphere, we cannot pretend that 

there is political stability in our country. 

“Essentially, I am making a case for 

the poor, the masses of our people who 

are generally not represented in fora of 

this nature which are most times for the 

elites and privileged among our people. 

“Unless we are prepared to make these 

provisions justiciable and enforceable, 

this country will know no peace. 

“Whatever constitution will come forth 

after now must make justiciable the 

fundamental objectives and directive 

principles of state without which there 

will be no political stability in Nigeria.” 

Also speaking, Mr. Olanipekun, 

represented by his son, Oladapo, said 

the Electoral Act should be amended to 

allow governorship election cases to 

terminate at the Supreme Court. 

This, he said, is important to stem the 

from Police barracks, warning 

that whoever flouted the 

directive would be ejected 

from the barracks. 

The POWA President, who 

was on a three-day 

familarisation tour with POWA 

members in Lagos State and 

also to assess the Police 

children school, said such beer 

parlours should be moved out 

of the barracks. 

Addressing POWA members 

at the POWA hall in Ikeja, 

Lagos, she said: “During my 

inspection on Wednesday, I 

saw a lot of beer parlours in 

the barracks. I know you 

tide of conflicting judgments arising from 

Appeal Courts. 

Constitution Review 

waste of public 

funds —Afenifere 

Meanwhile, Afenifere’s Secretary- 

General, Mr. Sola Ebiseni, who addressed 

newsmen in Akure, said an amendment 

of the constitution will not cure the 

anomalies in the country. 

Ebiseni said: “Afenifere believes in and 

advocates fundamental restructuring of 

Nigeria for the reinvention of a 

constitution as the agreed principles of 

governing Nigeria and its diverse ethnic 

nationalities by our founding fathers, 

which will ultimately replace the imposed 

1999 unitary constitution. 

“Amending the constitution is an 

exercise in futility and a waste of time 

and public fund.” 

Besides, he said: “We cannot claim to 

be the Federal Republic and be governed 

by a unitary constitution. We cannot 

claim to be in a democracy and be 

governed by a constitution that does not 

emanate from the people. 

“Amendment will not cure the 

anomalies. You cannot put something 

on anything and expect it to stand. 

“Every session of the two arms of the 

National Assembly, since 2007, has 

embarked on the same jamboree of 

constitutional amendment spending 

public funds on public hearings, without 

any result. 

“The National Assembly is part of the 

issue to be determined in the process of 

restructuring and cannot legitimately be 

the judge in such exercise." 

POWA boss moves to ban beer parlours in Police 

barracks 

By Evelyn Usman 

L AGOS—PRESIDENT, 

Police Officers Wives 

Association and wife of the 

Inspector-General of Police, 

Hajara Baba, yesterday, 

decried the proliferation of 

beer parlours in Police 

barracks, describing it as a bad 

influence on children and the 

future of Nigeria. 

To curb this, she vowed to 

send a signal to the Force 

Headquarters for the 

relocation of beer parlours 

(wives) encouraged such. You 

should speak to your 

husbands to follow the rules 

and regulations of the 

barracks. 

“I grew up in the barracks 

because my father was a 

policeman. Then, there was no 

beer parlour. And with the 

future of our children in the 

barracks, we should be careful 

because these children are 

more intelligent than us. 

“We are going to send 

signals for the relocation of the 

beer parlours. If you don’t 

keep to it, you will be ejected 

from the barracks.” 

Amen!!! 

Ask the ‘Andrews'! 

Just in case...!


:Vanguard 

News 


GIRLS IN ICT DAY: From lef, Ms Olatokunbo Oyeleye, Deputy Director, New Media 

and Information Security, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC; Mrs Millicent Pat- 

Nwaoyo, Senior Manager, NCC; Mr. Peter Anyam, Director of Studies, Noble Hall Leadership 

Academy for Girls, Abuja; Mrs Sarah Huntington, Principal, Noble Hall Leadership Academy 

for Girls, Abuja; Miss Samira Danburam, Deputy Manager, NCC, at the celebration of the 

10th anniversary of Girls in ICT Day, in Abuja. 

NDDC board: IYC shuts down 

P-Harcourt, A-Ibom offices 

•As police confirm release of kidnapped IYC president 

By Samuel 

Oyadongha, 

Chioma Onuegbu 

& Davies 

Iheamnachor 

UYO — MEMBERS of 

Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, 

yesterday, shut down Niger Delta 

Development Commission, 

NDDC, headquarters in Port 

Harcourt, Rivers State and 

Akwa Ibom State office of the 

commission, over failure of the 

Federal Government to 

constitute a substantive board 

for the commission. 

This came as the Bayelsa State 

Police Command confirmed the 

release of the kidnapped 

President of IYC worldwide, 

Peter Igbifa. 

In Port Harcourt, over 600 IYC 

members hoisted the council’s 

flag, cooking, eating, dancing 

and singing solidarity songs in 

front of the new NDDC office 

on Eastern bypass. 

The protest grounded 

activities in at the headquaters 

and halted human and 

vehicular movements in the 

area. 

Assistant Secretary, IYC, 

Eastern Zone, Ibiso Harry, who 

spoke on their protest, said: “We 

are here under the directive of 

the IYC President to shut the 

NDDC complex after the 

expiration of the ultimatum 

given to the Federal 

Government to constitute a 

substantive NDDC board 

expired on Wednesday. 

“We believe that instead of an 

interim management or 

caretaker committee, a well 

constituted board will be better 

placed to address the 

underdevelopment in Niger 

Delta.” 

In Uyo, the angry youths, 

who stormed the NDDC 

premises on Ewet Housing 

Estate, Uyo about 10a.m, 

yesterday, carried placards 

with various inscriptions, 

such as “Akpabio must go”, 

“We say no to bad 

governance”, “Inaugurate 

substantive NDDC board”, 

“IOCs must not remit $1.6 

billion to NDDC for now”, 

“Restructure Nigeria now”, 

“We stand with South-South 

governors on true 

federalism”, “IOCs relocate 

your headquarters back to 

Niger Delta", “We seek 

justice in the NDDC.” 

They vowed not to vacate 

the office premises until an 

agreement was reached since 

the Federal Government 

failed to respond to the onemonth 

ultimatum they issued 

earlier over the NDDC 

board. 

The Zonal Mobilisation 

Officer of IYC, Eastern Zone, 

John Ekang, lamented that 

the Interim Management 

Committee, IMC, of NDDC 

was long overdue, stressing 

that the region has not 

benefitted from the 

commission under the 

current leadership. 

Police confirm 

release of 

kidnapped IYC 

president 

Meanwhile, in Yenagoa, 

the command in a statement, 

yesterday, by its spokesman, 

Mr Asinim Butswat, said the 

IYC President was set free by 

his abductors at Kaiama in 

Kolokuma/Opukuma Local 

Government Area of Bayelsa 

State. 

It would be recalled that the 

IYC President was kidnapped 

on May 25, 2021, on his way 

to Port Harcourt Airport by 

suspected kidnappers. 

Butswat in the statement 

said: “Due to sustained 

pressure mounted by the 

Police, the IYC President was 

released at a bush at Kaiama, 

from where he contacted the 

Police and was eventually 

rescued. 

“The Bayelsa State Police 

Commissioner, Mr Mike 

Okoli, has debriefed the 

kidnapped victim and said 

investigation is ongoing to 

identify and arrest the 

perpetrators.” 

Imoke behind Ayade's defection to 

APC —Duke 

By Babatunde 

Jimoh 

FORMER Governor of 

Cross River State,Mr 

Donald Duke, has taken a swipe 

at his predecessor, Senator Liyel 

Imoke, accusing him of being 

behind the current problem in 

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, 

in the state, which partly led to 

the recent decamping of 

Governor Ben Ayade to the All 

Progressives Congress, APC. 

Describing the defection of 

Ayade to APC as “a rather 

unfortunate decision for which 

I neither support nor condemn, 

as I’m not privy to the details 

except his complaints of being 

stifled and unappreciated by the 

leadership of the party and 

certain elements of Cross River 

State origin at Abuja.” 

He blamed developments on 

the jettisoning of the ideals and 

principles of justice established 

by the PDP since 1999. 

According to him, "things 

started nose-diving for the party 

during the era of Imoke (Imoke 

was governor from 2007 to 

2015), indicting him for foisting 

autocratic leadership style on 

the party and destroying all the 

elements of democracy which 

he and others laboured to build 

over the years. 

“However, post-2007, the 

party’s fortune started ebbing. 

An autocratic leadership style 

emerged, communication with 

its followers declined and 

emergence in the party was 

determined largely not by the 

party constitution or structures 

but by the whims of the state’s 

chief executive. 

“This is the structure Ayade 

inherited and has largely led us 

to where we are today. The very 

top-down political style we 

fought against prior to 1999, 

instead of consultation, 

accommodation and inclusion 

reared its head to the extent that 

founding members of the party 

in the state, including former 

state chairmen, senators, 

members of the National 

Assembly and I, over time, opted 

out and this attrition has 

continued unabated to the extent 

that the governor himself has 

left to seek pasture elsewhere.” 

For PDP to rebuild, Duke, who 

said he returned to the party 

about a year ago, called for a 

return to the principles and 

ideals of the founding fathers. 

Omoba Tsola Emiko for 

coronation as 21st Olu of 

Warri, August 21 

By Jimitota 

Onoyume 

WARRI—Omobo Tsola 

Emiko is to be crowned 

the 21st Olu of Warri on August 

21, 2021. 

The Iyatsere of the kingdom 

and acting Chairman, Olu’s 

Advisory Council, Chief 

Johnson Amatserunleghe, 

made the disclosure, yesterday, 

at the Palace of the Olu of Warri, 

in Warri South Local 

Government Area, Delta State. 

Flanked by the Regent, Prince 

Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh , 

Chief Gabriel Awala,(the 

Uwangwe ) and other 

prominent chiefs and princes 

of the kingdom, the Iyatsere of 

the kingdom and acting 

Chairman Olu’s Advisory 

Council, 

Chief 

Amatserunleghe, who 

addressed newsmen, said the 

colourful coronation 

programme would hold at 

Ode Itsekiri, the ancestral home 

of Itsekiri nation. 

He said: “I will like to say at 

this juncture that the hands of 

history are upon our shoulders 

here today. It is my singular 

honour and unique privilege to 

declare to you on behalf of the 

Warri Council of Kingmakers 

that the Omoba Tsola Emiko 

will be crowned and formally 

installed as the 21st Olu of 

Warri, on Saturday, August 21, 

2021, by the grace of God. 

“This will be done at a 

colourful ceremony in Ode 

Itsekiri, beginning with a boat 

regatta here in Warri. 

“Let me also seize this 

opportunity to thank all Itsekiri 

sons and daughters, especially 

our people in diaspora 

worldwide, who have stood by 

us throughout and have 

remained steadfast in our desire 

to have a peaceful transition in 

line with their wishes. The 

overall thanks go to Jehovah 

God, who has kept us and 

continue to ensure peace in 

Iwereland. 

“The burial rites for our late 

monarch will continue on June 

18, 2021 with a commendation 

service in Warri, to be followed 

by traditional burial rites at Ode 

Itsekiri the next day, June 19, 

2021. 

“Burial activities will end on 

July 2, 2021. This phase will 

bring to a close the mourning 

period throughout the Warri 

Kingdom. 

“Some of you were at Ode 

Itsekiri on April 5, 2021, when I 

made the formal proclamation 

of the painful passing of Ogiame 

Ikenwoli. You will recall that on 

that day, we also made a popular 

declaration of Omoba Tsola 

Emiko as the successor to the 

throne.” 

DELTA 2023: Delta Central should 

produce next gov —Ijaw group 

By Emma Amaize 

COORDINATOR of Ijaw 

Political Solidarity Front, 

IPSF, a detribalised Ijaw lobby 

group in Delta State, Chief 

Yusuf Eregbene, has said the 

next governor of the state should 

come from the Central 

senatorial district (Urhobo). 

The group, which differed 

from the declaration of Ijaw 

stakeholders, last Saturday that 

the ethnic nationality should 

produce the next governor, said: 

“The political atmosphere at 

the moment is favourable to the 

Central senatorial district in 

accordance with the 

understanding that has 

produced the governors of the 

state from the former governor, 

Chief James Ibori to Dr 

Emmanuel Uduaghan and 

incumbent Governor Ifeanyi 

Rivers releases fund to aid cassava 

cultivation — Wike 

By Davies 

Iheamnachor 

PORT 

HARCOURT— 

Governor Nyesom Wike of 

Rivers State, has said seed 

money has been earmarked by 

his administration to encourage 

massive cultivation of cassava 

across the state. 

Wike made the disclosure at 

the inauguration of the Rivers 

State Cassava Processing Plant 

at Afam town in Oyigbo Local 

Government Area of the state, 

yesterday. 

The governor, according to a 

statement by his Special 

Assistant on Media, Kelvin 

Ebiri, said: “The other day, I went 

to see one of my friends. I went 

to his farm of over 56 hectares 

of land. He is trying to cultivate 

cassava and I was very 

impressed. 

“And I told him that 

government will identify and 

verify those genuinely involved 

and are registered as cassava 

producers. Apply to us that you 

want to farm one hectare of land 

for only cassava. 

“Government will give them 

seed money to continue farming 

cassava so that there will be no 

problem of cassava supply to this 

plant.” 

He solicited more loan from 

the Central Bank of Nigeria, 

CBN, to consolidate on the visible 

gain that had been made already 

in boosting agriculture in the 

state. 

Wike also commended Shell 

Petroleum and Development 

Company, SPDC, and the Dutch 

government for their courage to 

partner the state government to 

actualise the project, saying: 

“The government will make sure 

that we do not own more than 

10 percent of equity shares. This 

will enable the company run 

profitably, make revenue, pay 

taxes and create employment.” 

Inaugurating the facility, 

Minister of Agriculture and 

Rural Development, 

Mohammed Nanono, said: 

“On behalf of over 15,000 

registered farmers in this state 

and others in neighbouring 

states, I thank you for this 

project. Rivers State 

Government has become 

pacesetter in this collective 

effort of making agriculture 

work in Nigeria." 

Also, Governor of Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin 

Emefiele, said most 

manufacturing companies 

today that import either glucose, 

starch or any other cassava byproducts 

would be happy to 

source their demands from this 

new plant. 

Okowa. 

“The senatorial district 

arrangement/understanding 

has worked and has given 

peaceful transition over the 

years. The existing 

understanding/peace has paid 

off between the ethnic 

nationalities in the state." 

Ijaw 

professionals 

think-tank offers 

devt tips to new 

INC exco 

IJAW professionals Think 

Tank known as Izon Egberi, 

has called on the Ijaw National 

Congress, INC, National 

Executive Council, NEC, led by 

Prof Benjamin Okaba, to 

mobilise Ijaw professionals to 

structure a response to the huge 

developmental challenges 

confronting the Ijaw ethnic 

nationality. 

In the statement by President, 

Izon Egberi worldwide, Mr 

Rowland Ekperi and Secretary, 

Dr Ebiapko Kakandar, the group 

said: “We call for work to 

commence immediately as 

time equals survival in this time 

of our history as a people and as 

we fully understand that no 

leadership can succeed without 

the full participation and active 

support of the people. 

“We, Izon Egberi, a Think Tank 

devoted to providing solutions 

to enhance the growth and 

development of the Ijaw nation, 

assure you and your team of our 

fullest support. 

“All you need do is call on us 

and other productive Ijaw 

organisations, both home and 

abroad for our partnership and 

support.”


Ohanaeze to Constitution review committee: 

Come up with decisions guided by love, not hatred 

By Anayo Okoli 

E NUGU—OHANAEZE 

Ndigbo has urged the 

Senate Committee on the 

Review of the 1999 Constitution 

to conclude their deliberations 

with decisions 

guided by love not hatred, 

for the interest of Nigeria. 

Addressing the Committee 

sitting in Owerri, Imo State, 

yesterday, the President General 

of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, 

Prof. George Obiozor stated 

that "what Ndigbo really 

want is some form of internal 

autonomy based on a restructured 

Nigeria". 

According to him, "categorically 

speaking, we, 

Ndigbo are of the view that 

the federation of Nigeria 

must be a union of equals 

and the composite units 

must have the ability to stand 

without begging the centre 

for survival. That is a federal 

system of government 

with its characteristics of decentralization 

and devolution 

of power among the federating 

units. 

"Therefore, in the context 

of the imperatives and urgency 

of restructuring Nigeria, 

we should focus on getting 

the right things done for 

the right reasons and at the 

right levels of government. 


Indeed, what must be done 

and no longer what to do is 

to recognize that history has 

an iron law of seriality of 

which no country including 

Nigeria can ask for exemption 

or exceptionalism. 

"In fact, some countries 

are born with political tragedies 

waiting to happen. 

And our history shows that 

Nigeria is one of them. All 

signs of national tragedies 

foretold are present today 

infull force in Nigeria. It 

would require a restructured 

Nigeria to contain the 

present forces and tendencies 

towards a synchronized 

national crises and even a 


VISIT—From left: Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel 

Uche; Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and Archbishop Okpoko, when a delegation 

from the church paid a visit to the governor, at Government House, Umuahia, yestreday. 

By Clifford Ndujihe 

AWKA—IN pursuit of its 

quest to win the November 

6, 2021 governorship election 

in Anambra State and selection 

of credible presidential 

and governorship standard 

bearers in subsequent 

elections in the country, the 


APC, has established a dedicated 

forum in all states of the 

federation. 

“Inaugurating the Anambra 

state chapter of the APC Forum 

for Credible Candidates 

in Awka, yesterday, the forum’s 

National Chairman, 

Chief Uche Okorie, charged 

the executive to spread the 

message of “Next Level for 

better Nigeria” to all the 

nooks and crannies of the 

state. 

“Okorie who was represented 

by Mazi Ogbonnia Onu, a 

possibility of national disintegration. 

"Therefore as national 

leaders, we must learn the 

lessons of history that in societies 

where truth comes 

last, tragedy comes first. 

And that the perennial problem 

or continuous dilemma 

in Nigerian politics has always 

revolved around the 

issues of justice, equity and 

fairness. 

"As I have said several 

times, throughout history, 

those denied justice have 

had no interest in peace. We 

would expect you at the end 

of this exercise in the interest 

of the nation, its unity and 

ANAMBRA 2021: APC launches ‘Operation 

Takeover’, inaugurates candidates’ forum 

key official at the party’s national 

headquarters, in his inaugural 

address urged the 

members, especially the state, 

council and ward executives 

to close ranks with other party 

officials to fortify the Forum 

and mobilise the electorate 

to deliver the party at the 

governorship poll. 

“His words: “This forum is 

geared towards activating 

and buoying the membership 

base of the party in the South- 

East geo-political zone towards 

the 2023 presidential 

election. It’s only an overwhelming 

voting support for 

the party that would see the 

party and her candidates 

through in all the elections. 

““The National Headquarters 

want us to work with APC 

in the states as support groups. 

The party will ensure members 

of this forum interfaces 

with all the governorship and 

presidential aspirants with a 

view to choosing the best. 

“Therefore, as the election 

in Anambra state draws near, 

I urge our members as well as 

APC supporters in the state to 

close ranks.'' 

“The Anambra state Chairman 

and Coordinator of the 

forum, Chief Barnabas Atuewuru 

while accepting the 

task on behalf of his executive 

assured that they were committed 

towards ensuring landslide 

victory for the party in 

all subsequent polls so as to 

hoist APC flag in Awka Government 

House. 

He said they were looking 

forward to interfacing with all 

the aspirants and to work collectively 

with whoever emerges 

as the candidate. 

“The executive was formally 

inaugurated and provided 

with appointment letters and 

identity cards. 

progress, to conclude with 

decisions guided by love 

and not by hatred; and guided 

by our collective hopes 

and not by our fears. 

"Accordingly, for many Nigerians 

and groups, the 

1999 constitution has left 

them with feeling like a 

caged lion over their relative 

capacities to develop 

their individual potentials, 

states and zones. 

"Therefore to many of 

these citizens across the 

country, states and zones, restructuring 

Nigeria will be 

equivalent to releasing the 

lion from the cage and it can 

defend itself". 

Anti-open grazing: Ikpeazu restates 

commitment to enforcing law 

U MUAHIA—ABIA 

State Governor, Dr. 

Okezie Ikpeazu, has restated 

the commitment of 

his administration to the 

strict enforcement of the 

anti-open grazing law already 

passed by the State 

House of Assembly. 

Ikpeazu, who was addressing 

a delegation of 

the Prelate of the Methodist 

Church Nigeria, His 

Eminence, Dr. Samuel 

Uche, yesterday, at Government 

House, Umuahia, 

said the move was in 

“response to the excesses 

of criminal herdsmen 

terrorizing our people 

and destroying our farmlands,” 

assuring that 

"plans were underway to 

flush the criminal herdsmen 

out from our forests.” 

The governor, who restated 

the commitment of 

his administration to the security 

of lives and property 

of Abians, described as worrisome 

the absence of anyone 

from the South East 

region of the country leading 

any of the several outfits 

that make up the security 

architecture of Nigeria, 

saying that while the South 

East region is a direct victim 

of the activities of criminal 

herdsmen and other 

sundry security challenges, 

nobody from the region is 

part of the highest decision 

making body when it comes 

to security. 

Earlier in his speech, the 

Prelate of the Methodist 

Church Nigeria, His Eminence, 

Dr. Samuel Uche, 

said that he is an advocate 

of a Nigeria with true federalism, 

devoid of marginalization 

of any region. 

Uche, who also expressed 

support for the ban on open 

grazing by the Southern 

Governors, condemned in 

its totality the wantom destruction 

of lives and property 

of Nigerians especially 

Christians in the north. 

The prelate was accompanied 

by the Archbishops of 

Umuahia and Okigwe 

Archdioceses, Most Rev. 

Chibuzo Opoko and Most 

Rev. Emem Bassey, as well 

as the bishops of Nneochi, 

Isuikwuato, Uturu and 

Ihube. 

Mentorship: 7 Enugu youths head 

to US for scholarship studies 

By Anayo Okoli 

ENUGU—FOLLOWING the 

recent mentorship programme 

unveiled by the administration of 

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of 

Enugu State through the State 

Scholarship and Education Loans 

Board (ESSELB), admissions and 

scholarships have been secured 

with full funding for seven youths 

of the state into some of the best 

universities in the United States 

of America (USA). 

Presenting the beneficiaries to 

Gov. Ugwuanyi at the Government 

House, Enugu, Dr. Kelechi 

Ugwuanyi, on behalf of the Council 

of Mentors, Enugu State Scholarship 

and Education Loans Board, 

disclosed that the seven successful 

candidates in the pilot work are 

scheduled to commence their studies 

in the United States of America 

in August 2021. 

Dr Ugwuanyi explained that 

three candidates: Nnamdi Christian 

Okey, Raphael O. Ogbodo and 

‘Awani supporting Okowa's 

vision for Delta' 

By Urowayino 

Jeremiah 

ASABA—CHAIRMAN of 

Southern Nigeria Peace 

Movement, SNPM, Mr. Wale 

Nice, has commended the Senior 

Special Assistant to the governor 

of Delta State on Youths and Community 

Development, Comrade 

Esimaje Vincent Awani, for what 

he described as his efforts at ensuring 

that Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa's vision for Delta is realized. 

Nice said this in a statement 

made available to Vanguard. 

The statement reads:"The outstanding 

SSA who has contributed 

massively to the youths, 

communities and the state at 

large is still in the business of 

touching lives. The SSA has won 

numerous awards for contribut- 

Okezie 

Ukagwu for 

Burial 

Chief Okezie Ukagwu, 

62, of Ahaba-Ukwu 

Autonomous Community, 

Ikwuano LGA of Abia State is 

dead after a brief illness in 

Houston Texas on February 8, 


Burial holds tomorrow at 

Chief Ukagwu’s compound, 

Umuete, Ahaba-Ukwu, Abia 

State, to be officiated by 

United Evangelical Church, 

Ahaba-Oloko-Ahiaeke 

Superintendency at Ahia 

Orie-Ukwu Market Square. 

He is survived by his wife, 

children, and other relatives. 

ing towards a better society. 

He is the CEO of GT Stitches 

who designed the Nigerian Super 

Eagles attire which was rated 

the best by a world fashion magazine 

GQ in the 2018 World Cup. 

"He was appointed an ambassador 

of Igbinedion University 

Okada for making the Nation 

proud. 

He is the immediate past president 

of the Itsekiri National Youth 

Council Worldwide and his contribution 

still speaks volume till 

date. 

As the youth leader, he was the 

first to endorse Governor Okowa 

and His deputy, Kingsley Otuaro, 

for a second tenure. In his 

speech that fateful day he said 

"On this note, we hereby endorse 

the revalidation of Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa's mandate as the 

best choice amongst every candidate 

vying for the governorship 

position". 

Constitution review: Jewish community 

seeks Judaism Pilgrims Board 

By Etop Ekanem 

THE JEWISH Community in 

Nigeria has called on the Federal 

Government to establish Judaism 

Pilgrim Board to take care 

of the spiritual needs of no fewer 

Uchechukwu Grace Akporere (Nee 

Ugboka) secured admissions and 

scholarships to study at the University 

of Iowa, USA for five years while 

the remaining four candidates, Chinwieke 

Cosmas Eze, Amarachukwu 

P. Onoh, Obinna H. Ozioko and 

Bonaventure Odeke, also got admissions 

and scholarships to study at 

North Carolina State University, 

University of Buffalo, Portland State 

University and University of Utah, 

respectively, also for a period of five 

years. 

He revealed that the worth of 

the seven scholarships in naira is 

N616,461,750, noting that “this 

would save the state a huge 

amount of money while promoting 

her image nationally and internationally”. 

The Council therefore appreciated 

Gov. Ugwuanyi for the mentorship 

programme, stressing that 

“our intention is to raise a group of 

youths that will take over the leadership 

of the state in the next twenty 

years”. 

than six million members in 

Nigeria.“Chief Arthur-Regis 

Odidika, National President of Judaism 

Fellowship Initiative of Nigeria, 

JFI, made the call in Enugu 

at the public hearing on the 

proposed alterations of the 1999 

Constitution.“Odidika also appealed 

to the National Assembly 

to alter the 1999 Constitution 

(as amended) to stop electoral 

matters from being held on 

Saturdays. 

“He said the conduct of population 

census should not be held 

on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 

which are known worship 

days for major religions in 

Nigeria.“He said no fewer than 

20 million Nigerians, including 

the Jews, Nigerian Sabbath 

Keepers and the Seventh-Day 

Adventist Church were denied 

their right to freedom of Sabbath 

worship due to political activities 

on Saturdays. 

Akemu for 

burial 

Madam 

Edkjebare 

Akemu (Nee 

Akusuwho) of Okurekpo in 

Ethiope East Local Government 

Area of Delta State is dead. 

Body leaves St. Francis 

mortuary to her resident, Orude 

Street, Okurekpo tomorrow. 

Funeral discourse followed by 

interment by 10:00 am. 

Reception at Onude Town 

Hall Grand Okurekpo in Ethiope 

East Local Government Area of 

Delta State.

14—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28 , 2021 

2021 CHILDREN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS 

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State marking the Children's 

Day at Government House Umuahia, yesterday 

LUNCHEON: From left, Prince Niyi Dasaolu, National Secretary, 

Yewa (Egbado) College Old Students Association, ECOSA; Mrs Biola 

Kosegbe, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Physical 

Planning; Prince Babatunde Olugbewesa, National President, Yewa 

(Egbado), ECOSA and Senior Special Assistant to Ogun State 

Governor, and Mrs Bunmi Olukun Obafemi, National Teasurer of 

Yewa, ECOSA, during a luncheon in honour of new Permanent 

Secretary, organised by ECOSA, in Lagos. 

Governor Dapo Abiodun flanked by his wife, Bamidele (right); 

his deputy (left), cutting the Children's Day cake at the MKO 

Abiola Stadium, yesterday. 

BRIEFING: From left, Adewale Adeoye, Chairman; Kudu 

Abubakar, Coordinator; Taiwo Adeleye, Director of Publicity, all of 

Nigerian Human Rights Community, NHRC and Mr Segun Balogun, 

Publicity Secretary, Afenifere Renewal Group, during the press 

conference, on the illegal wood exportation and far-reaching 

consequences on the economy, human rights and sustainable 

development in Nigeria, orgniesd by NHRC, in Lagos. Photo: Kehinde 

Gbadamosi. 

Miss Kudla Ngram, JSS 2 student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, 

Abuja (left) receiving a package from Dr. Bashir Jamoh, Director- 

General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, 

NIMASA, to mark this year's Children's Day, yesterday. 

SEMINAR: From left, Secretary General, Nigeria Table Soccer 

Federation, NTSF, Mr Inyang Usen; Media Publicity Officer, NTSF, 

Mr Ofuonye Vincent; President, NTSF, Mr Odunmbaku Olamilekan 

and Treasurer/Financial Secretary, Mr Taofeek Akinwale, during 

the NTSF one day seminar on table soccer, themed "Table Soccer 

(SAUN) Old Game, New Game" in Lagos, Wednesday. 

Some children having fun at Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Alausa, Ikeja, 

Lagos to celebrate the 2021 Children's Day, yesterday. Photo: Akeem 

Salau. 

WEDDING: From left, Wife of Vitafoam Nigeria Plc Executive 

Chairman, Mrs. Ola Bolarinwa; retired executive chairman, Nestle 

Foods, Plc, Chief Olusgun Osunkeye; his wife, Abosede, the groom’s 

mother, Mrs. Olusola Peters, a retired principal, International School, 

UNILAG, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos; Mrs. Remi Okuromade, Archbishop 

Vinning Memorial’s Busy Society Branch Executive member and the 

retired Executive Vice Chairman, Vitafoam of Nigeria Plc, Chief Sam 

Bolarinwa at Mr. and Mrs. Olufunso Peters wedding at the Archbishop 

Vinning Memorial Church Cathedral, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos.


16— Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 

The aircraft of 

state!!! 

THE SHIP OF STATE is 

a renowned metaphor 

that was coined by the Ancient 

Greek poet Alcaeus 

and later popularised by Plato, 

also a product of the 

Classical period in Ancient 

Greece and widely regarded 

as the founder of Western 

political philosophy. 

In Book VI (6) of his highly 

influential book, the “Republic” 

(which is still standard 

reading for intellectuals 

today), Plato likened 

the governance of a citystate 

(he was a citizen of 

Athens) to the command of 

a naval vessel and said that 

the only people fit to be 

captains of this ship 

were philosopher kings: 

Benevolent men with absolute 

power and an understanding 

of what is truly 

good. 

Many writers (including 

this columnist) and public 

speakers of all descriptions 

have subsequently, in the 

numerous centuries that 

have elapsed since Plato 

made his mark, referred to 

“the ship of state” when trying 

to make points about 

leadership, et cetera. 

Long story short, it’s a figure 

of speech that is still 

used so frequently that some 

might feel that it has become 

a cliché. 

I am therefore delighted to 

announce that my ex-pilot 

friend and fellow Rivers 

State indigene, Captain 

Mike Williams, has cleverly 

modernised and refreshed 

the theme by likening 

the governance of Nigeria 

to the command of an 

aircraft rather than a ship! 

While we were discussing 

this country’s endless woes, 

the issues of ethnicity and 

zoning came up and I said 

that I would be very angry 

if the next Governor of our 

state is not an Ogoni like me 

because Ogonis are the only 

Rivers people who have 

never ruled the roost. 

I expected some push back 

from Captain Williams because 

he belongs to another 

ethnic group, being an 

Ijaw from Opobo of King Jaja 

fame; and his brethren also 

have valid grounds on 

which to lay claim to the 

governorship. It’s all very 

complicated, but let me attempt 

a brief explanation of 

why both Ijaws and Ogonis 

feel entitled. 

Firstly, even though Ogonis 

have never been in the 

hot seat, we are classified as 

“Mainland”, alongside 

those of Igbo extraction (one 

Ndoni and three Ikwerres) 

who have monopolised the 

position since 1999. 

So, as far as some folks are 

concerned, we Ogonis 

should wait until an Ijaw 

from the “Riverine” part of 

the state has had a turn. 

Secondly, even though 

Ijaws (King Alfred Diete- 

Spiff and Chiefs Melford 

Okilo and Ada George) have 

been governors of Rivers 

State, “Ijaw” covers different 

sub-groups such as Kalabari, 

Okrika, Bonny, Andoni 

and Opobo; and nobody 

from Opobo has ever enjoyed 

that privilege. Diete 

Spiff and Okilo were 

Ijaws from segments of Rivers 

State that later became 

Bayelsa. Ada George was 

from Okrika. 

OK, so I was waiting for 

Capt Williams to argue with 

me, as so many Ijaws have 

since I started to advocate 

an Ogoni governorship. 

But he didn’t. 

Instead, Williams 

shrugged and told me that 

he couldn’t care less who 

took over from Barrister 

Nyesom Wike, the incumbent, 

as long as the individ- 

Think about it, 

Donu, he said; if you 

are boarding a plane, 

do you care where 

the pilot comes? Must 

he be a pilot from 

your village or ethnic 

group? Or are you 

more interested in the 

pilot’s credentials? so 

why should I be tribalistically 

lobbying 

for an Opobo governorship 

unless a very 

special Opobo aspirant 

presents himself? 

ual in question was competent 

and principled. 

Williams even added that 

he wouldn’t mind if the next 

governor was yet another 

Ikwerre, if the yet-another- 

Ikwerre person happened to 

be excellent leadership material. 

“Think about it, Donu,” he 

said. “If you are boarding a 

plane, do you care where the 

pilot comes? Must he be a 

pilot from your village or 

ethnic group? Or are you 

more interested in the pilot’s 

credentials?” 

•Map of Rives State 

Captain Williams went on 

to tell me that he has never 

received any substantial 

support from any influential 

Opobo person. 

“All of the people who 

have helped me big-time are 

from other places, so why 

should I be tribalistically 

lobbying for an Opobo governorship 

unless a very special 

Opobo aspirant presents 

himself?” 

As an educated person 

who tries to be ethical, I 

could hardly quarrel with 

this civilized and intelligent 

logic! 

We also dwelled on leadership/ethnicity 

issues on a 

national level and 

agreed that Niger Delta 

people had gained almost 

nothing from the five-year 

tenure of Niger Deltan President 

Dr Goodluck 

Jonathan. 

I now regret supporting 

Buhari in 2015 because Buhari 

has been such a disappointment 

and Jonathan 

turned out to be much better 

than his successor. But I 

only supported Buhari in 

the first place because 

Jonathan was simply not 

good enough and I yearned 

for change. 

Another friend of mine – a 

Yoruba lady from Ekiti – also 

recently told me that she 

doesn’t give a damn where 

the next head of state comes 

from as long as he (or she?!) 

can deliver quality governance. 

Long story short, the aircraft 

of state, whether it be 

a local or federal flight, 

needs to be flown by anyone 

from anywhere who possesses 

the talent and integrity 

to do a great job for Nigerians. 

On reflection, EVERY 

SINGLE ethnic group in 

Rivers State and beyond 

contains smart and decent 

people who fit the bill, 

which means that a fair rotation 

from one zone to another 

is still possible. 

But will the bullies who 

run the political scene and 

constantly inflict useless 

candidates on us allow 

above-average people to 

emerge? 

I doubt it! 

So what next? 

Freedom is rarely given 

and usually has to be fought 

for. If Nigerians want to be 

liberated from destructive 

and inept pilots, they must 

quit pussyfooting around 

and develop the cojones to 

take risks, boldly put their 

feet down and courageously 

insist on a better deal. 

If we sit back and wait for 

the aircraft of state to continue 

on this dangerous 

course and crash, there will 

be too many casualties. 

RESPONSES TO 

donzol2002@yahoo.co.uk or 

to 0805 404 6887. PLEASE 

KINDLY NOTE THAT UNLESS 

YOU REQUEST ANONYMITY, 

YOUR EMAIL OR TEXT MAY 

BE PUBLISHED WITH YOUR 

NAME AND CONTACT 

DETAILS ATTACHED.

Shifting Nigeria’s foreign policy 

despite its unconstitutionality 

ON the eve of Africa Day, this 

Monday, May 24, 2021, soldiers 

went to Malian President, Bah 

Ndaw, not to salute him, but pick him 

like a chicken. They did the same for 

the Prime Minister Moctar Ouane. 

The duo was taken to the Kati Military 

Camp, Bamako. The soldiers 

were carrying out the orders of the 

Vice President, Colonel Assimi Goïta. 

The next day, Nigeria, the giant in 

the region issued a feeble statement 

signed not by the Foreign Minister 

or any high official, but by the Ministry’s 

Spokesperson condemning 

“the detention” when even high 

school students knew what had occurred 

was effectively a coup. The 

Nigerian statement whispered that 

the coup plotters should know that: 

“Stakeholders in the region and 

friends of Mali reject any act of coercion 

of the detained officials, including 

forced resignations.” 

Which coup plotter will take such 

a statement serious? Just nine 

months ago - August 18, 2020 - 

the same Colonel Goïta overthrew 

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta 

by similarly picking and taking 

him to the same Kati Military 

Camp. On that occasion, Nigeria 

and the Economic Community of 

West African States, ECOWAS, put 

up a similar feeble stance; merely 

demanding that a serving soldier 

like Goïta should not be the country’s 

President, but he was rewarded 

with the position of Vice President. 

More seriously, he and the 

coup plotters were allowed to dictate 

who the new President would 

be. So, they picked their retired 

chief, Bah Ndaw, a former Chief of 

Staff of the Air Force, Deputy Chief 

of Staff of the Malian National 

Guard and Defence Minister of the 

overthrown President Kaita. 

So, rather than take decisive 

principled position on that coup, Nigeria 

and its minions in the region 

sought to appease the coup plotters. 

Even now that the military has 

again staged a coup, the body language 

is to appease the plotters in 

Bamako. 

Nigeria’s unclear roles in contemporary 

foreign relations is transmuting 

into policy shifts which conflict 

with express provisions in the 

Constitution and fail to take cognisance 

of the increasing interrelatedness 

of humanity. The world has become 

a global village which means 

that while domestic policy should 

drive foreign policy, few matters remain 

local or unaffected by international 

relations or politics. Boko 

Haram was a local Nigerian conflict 

which has taken international 

dimensions. So, the defeat of these 

Is his excellency afraid? 

BY IZON PEREAZUWA 

TODAY is a bright day in my life and 

it is bright for a reason.Frankly 

speaking, today is the brightest day 

in my life because it is the day I have chosen 

to talk to His Excellency, Kingsley Burutu 

Otuaro, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, 

in the public domain for the benefit of my 

readers. I have not come to sing praises of 

Otuaro but to tell him and the public some 

bald truths. Whatever my observations and 

bald truths told about Otuaro produce, I am 

ready for the consequences because I am 

wholly driven by my patriotic zeal to choose 

this public communication. After all, are 

we not in a democratic dispensation in which 

we are free to unburden our minds on whatever 

issues that bother us and beat our imagination? 

It appears His Excellency Otuaro is afraid 

to speak his mind and follow his ideological 

convictions. Ijaw people are known to be fearless 

in speaking their minds on any issue. 

Otuaro appears to be bothered by something 

but apparently afraid to speak. That he 

seems bothered and not talking is what worries 

me. Why won’t a whole deputy governor of 

Delta State speak when the time is come? Are 

some unseen barricades placed around him 

as a deputy governor? Or could it be his individual 

trait as a fearful man when it is time to 

talk and show the political path that appeals 

to him philosophically and ideologically? 

I have carefully watched and observed the 

activities of Otuaro for some time. From his 

memorable days as a Special Assistant to 

Governor James Ibori on Community Affairs, 

his commissionership period in DESO- 

PADEC, as Chairman of Gbaramatu Relief 

and Rehabilitation committee and as deputy 

governor in Delta State, he is not used to 

talking or speaking but buries his non-speaking 

trait in devoted execution of any task 

assigned to him. To devotedly execute a task 

without talking here and there is commendable, 

but the matter of today is far beyond 

that. No excuse given can justify the fact 

that Otuaro is not speaking his mind at this 

time when thousands of people are merely 

waiting for his words. 

The Ijaws in Delta gathered at BB Hotels 

and Suites on May 22, 2021 and made a 

public declaration that it was justifiably the 

turn of an Ijaw man to become the governor 

of Delta State in 2023. Before this gathering, 

King Alfred Izonebi had long musically 

campaigned for Ijaw governorship in 2023. 

In the midst of all these it was rumoured 

that Otuaro was interested in the 2023 Delta 

governorship but up until now, these rumours 

are still waiting for confirmation. 

Sometimes, one is tempted to hold the unhealthy 

position that Otuaro’s governorship 

ambition is a mere rumour created by his 

detractors to cause bad blood and distraction 

in Delta State. 

Providence seems to have coincidentally 

come to the aid of Otuaro in benevolent language 

of huge advantage.As one would be 

tempted to providentially claim this as a 

coincidental benediction, in an article authored 

in the Vanguard newspaper by Ekanpou 

Enewaridideke the iconic village boy 

proud of his village roots entitled: ‘That 

Jonathan in the Delta Race’, it was said that 

the Delta State 2023 governorship must not 

be thrown open to all the Ijaws but rather it 

should be kept for that Ijaw man who personifies 

humility and advocates peace in 

every breath coupled with the embodiment 

of the compositions of former President Goodluck 

Jonathan. 

I have known Otuaro over the years as a 

peace advocate, a humble, caring, philanthropic, 

unselfish, God-fearing and firm man 

who is not unhealthily ambitious in life, only 

motivated by a philosophy to touch the lives 

of people positively. Ekanpou's characterisation 

of an Ijaw man who can rule Delta State 

in 2023 suits the qualities of His Excellency, 

Otuaro, because he(Otuaro) is all that 

Enewaridideke unintentionally draws attention 

to in his article. Has no one ever awakened 

Otuaro to all these pointers before now? 

I am indescribably happy to identify with 

the fact that King Alfred Izonebi, the Delta 

Ijaws and Ekanpou have spoken on the 2023 

Delta State governorship matter. With the different 

positions of these personalities on the 

Delta State governorship issue, His Excellency 

Otuaro should be in a hurry to declare 

his interest in the 2023 Delta governorship 

terrorists in Nigeria will have implications 

not just for our immediate 

neigbours like Niger, Cameroun 

and Chad but also for countries 

like Mali and Burkina Faso. 

The war in Darfur was supposed 

to be a local conflict between 

Sudanese rebels and the government. 

However, Darfur provided 

the base for Idriss Deby to invade 

and take over Chad. Thirty years later, 

the rebel Front for Change and 

Concord in Chad, FACT, whose invasion 

last April, led to the death of 

Deby, also has its base in Darfur. 

Banditry is usually local, but some 

of the bandits today terrorising Nigeria 

are from Mali, Burkina Faso, 

Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, 

Benin Republic and Libya. 

Again, to show how interconnected 

humanity has become, India has 

become the epicentre of the COV- 

ID-19 pandemic. That ordinarily 

should not be the cause of a major 

headache for Nigeria. But it is because 

India is a major Nigerian oil 

Nigeria’s unclear roles 

in contemporary foreign 

relations is transmuting 

into policy shifts which 

conflict with express 

provisions in the Constitution 

and fail to take cognisance 

of the increasing 

interrelatedness of humanity 

customer and the slowdown of its 

economy due to the pandemic might 

adversely affect the Nigerian economy. 

Our foreign policy since independence 

has been Afro-centred. The 

late General Muritala Muhammed 

regime actually spelt it out that 

if actually he is prepared to become the governor 

of Delta State. That Otuaro is educationally 

sound, visionary, honest,humane, 

altruistic, accessible, humble, principled, 

unselfish and ideologically focused stand 

him in good stead. Otuaro has no excuse to 

be silent at this time of intensified political 

rumour-mongering because I do not see his 

ongoing silence as a strategic political wisdom. 

Otuaro’s silence is not strategic but rather 

it is meaningless and annoying.His silence is 

fuelled by fear.Whatever fear Otuaro appears 

to have developed, the recent Ijaw position echoed 

by Chief Broderick Bozimo during a gathering 

of Delta Ijaws in Warri that 2023 had 

been ordained and destined by God for the 

Delta Ijaws to have Ijaw as governor accord- 

ing to the laid-down democratic norms 

should strike him as a stimulant.The collective 

position of the Delta Ijaws now is to aggregate 

all their resources towards the production 

of Ijaw governor in Delta State in 

2023.This collective Ijaw position is enough 

to motivate and fire Otuaro into action without 

fear because the Ijaw collective position 

can stifle any emerging political fear.This 

only shows the baselessness of Otuaro’s fear 

and silence. 

By my own thinking, where Otuaro’s seeming 

fear is not allayed by the collective position 

of the Ijaws publicly communicated to the 

world by Chief Broderick Bozimo, he(Otuaro) 

should kill his seeming fears and derive confidence 

and inspiration from the reinforced categorical 

position of the president of Ijaw National 

Congress in Warri on May 22, 2021. 

Prof.Benjamin Okaba, the President of Ijaw 


Send Opinions & Letters to: 

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Africa is the centre of Nigeria’s foreign 

policy. Based on this, we have 

always fought against colonialism, 

racism and racial discrimination. 

In fact, during the anti-Apartheid 

war, despite being 6,523.8 kilometres 

from the South African border, 

Nigeria was regarded as a 

frontline state. But shockingly, 

when the United Nations, UN, on 

December 31, 2020 introduced a 

Resolution titled: “A global call for 

concrete action for the elimination 

of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia 

and related intolerance 

and the comprehensive implementation 

of and follow-up to the 

Durban Declaration and Programme 

of Action”, Nigeria was 

not amongst the 106 countries 

that voted for this fundamental 

bill; rather, it could be found 

amongst the 44 countries that 

abstained! 

First, it is illogical for Nigeria not 

to support a UN bill seeking, 

amongst others, to protect Black 

people, including Nigerians, against 

racial discrimination. Secondly, 

Nigerians, especially in South Africa, 

have suffered multiple xenophobic 

attacks. So, why will our government 

refuse to vote for a universal 

bill that seeks to criminalise such 

attacks? Thirdly, such a vote is 

against our cherished tradition of being 

Afro-centred in foreign policy. 

Fourthly, the vote violates Section 

19© of the Nigerian Constitution 

which states that: “The foreign policy 

objectives shall be (the)promotion 

of international co-operation for the 

consolidation of universal peace and 

mutual respect among all nations 

and elimination of discrimination in 

all its manifestations”. 

The 14 countries that voted 

against this UN Resolution for universal 

racial equality were the West 

and its allies who are never tired of 

shouting human rights from the rooftops. 

They included the United States, 

Britain, Australia, Canada, 

France, Germany, Netherlands, 

The position of the Delta Ijaws 

now is to aggregate all their 

resources towards producing an 

Ijaw governor in 2023; this 

collective Ijaw position is 

enough to motivate and fire 

Otuaro into action without fear 

Czech, Slovenia and Israel. The 

minors in this group were the Marshall 

Islands, Nauru, Guyana and 

war-ravaged Democratic Republic 

of Congo. So, was the Buhari 

government pressurised by Western 

powers not to vote for the resolution? 

Why this major shift in our 

foreign policy? 

A second noticeable shift concerns 

a commitment to democracy. 

The Constitution in Section 14.(1) 

states that: “The Federal Republic 

of Nigeria shall be a State based on 

the principles of democracy and social 

justice.” This implies that our 

foreign policy should reject coups. 

This is besides the African Union 

position that there shall be no unconstitutional 

change of government 

in any African country. Also, 

Nigeria’s often declared position is 

that coups are unacceptable. s 

However, when on April 19, 

2021 the Chadian Army staged a 

coup following the death of President 

Idriss Derby, Nigeria rationalised 

it by claiming it did not want 

a power vacuum in that neigbouring 

country. An indication of the 

Buhari administration’s acceptance 

of the coup was its rolling out 

the red carpet to receive the coup 

leader, General Mahamat Deby at 

the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. 

Again, why this shift in policy, and 

is government under pressure 

from foreign powers? 

A third discernible foreign policy 

shift was the April 27, 2021 appeal 

by President Buhari to the United 

States Secretary of State Anthony 

Blinken that America moves its African 

Command, AFRICOM, military 

base from Stuttgart, Germany 

to Africa in violation of a multilateral 

consensus amongst African countries, 

which incidentally, Nigeria had 

championed. This resort to unilateralism 

is a major shift from what our 

country has always been known; a 

team player in Africa. So, why is Nigeria 

adrift in international waters? 

National Congress, declared that to have an 

Ijaw governor in Delta State in 2023 was a 

key project of INC. In the pursuit of this INCbacked 

Delta State Governorship project, no 

form of betrayal would be entertained from 

any Ijaw man.Prof.Okaba was very clear in 

his presentation that traitors in the Ijaw 

Governorship Project would never never be 

tolerated and accommodated.The fact that 

punitive action awaits any traitor in the 

Ijaw project as emphasised by Prof.Okaba is 

enough to stifle any emerging political fears, 

particularly Otuaro’s fear and silence.Has 

His Excellency Otuaro heard this loud position 

of the INC? 

Even with the loud voices of Chief Broderick 

Bozimo and Prof.Benjamin Okaba collectively 

supported by the entire Delta Ijaws, if Otuaro 

is still afraid to present himself as a governorship 

candidate, he should have King Alfred 

Izonebi teach him in his ‘DELTA IJAW’ 

song.To King Izonebi,the Ijaws are beyond the 

killer blows and arrows of the gods and negative 

forces residing in any part of the world. 

Otuaro is also covered by this invincibility and 

immunity that is naturally associated with every 

Ijaw man. Let Otuaro, therefore, listen to 

King Izonebi’s song, ‘Delta Ijaw’, and have his 

purposeless fears allayed. 

Dear Otuaro, is there any other particular 

thing you are afraid of in Delta State, even 

with the above clearifications? Are you not an 

Ijaw man? My conviction is that you have not 

been able to publicly declare your governorship 

ambition because you are scared of something 

I am yet to figure out. While you are busy 

dillydallying and exhibiting fear by refusing 

to declare interest, note that the Delta Ijaws 

will not forgive you if the tide passes by without 

you contesting the governorship election 

in 2023 because you, Otuaro, are the matchless 

equivalent of Goodluck Jonathan in politics 

and political ambition. 

Delta State needs a governor in 2023 who 

has no enemies to fight and, dear Otuaro, you 

are the perfect example of that man in thought, 

orientation, exposure, philosophy and character! 

Dear Otuaro, you must not let Ijaw people 

down by your silence because I don’t see 

your silence as a strategic silence borne out of 

political wisdom and calculation. 

*Pereazuwa, an Ijaw political activist, 

wrote from Warri, Delta State


HISTORY is replete with cases of 

killings that triggered off 

wars. Perhaps the most prominent 

was the assassination of Archduke 

Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary 

and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of 

Hohenberg, on June 28, 1914. The 

Archduke and his wife were on a visit 

to the city of Sarajevo when they were 

killed by Gavrilo Princip, a 20-yearold 

Yugoslav nationalist. 

The assassinations were supported 

by the Serbs, leading to declaration 

of war on Serbia by Hungary. Russia 

entered the fray to defend Serbia. Other 

countries – Germany, France, Belgium 

and the United Kingdom – got 

involved, and the conflict snowballed 

into World War I. 

Another killing that resulted in a 

tragedy even more vicious than a 

conventional war, to which Nigerians 

can more easily relate in terms of our 

own historic experience, was the 

Rwandan genocide. 

Enough of these killings 

On the evening of April 6, 1994, the 

aircraft carrying two prominent Hutus, 

the Rwandan President, Juvénal 

Habyarimana, and Burundian President, 

Cyprien Ntaryamira, was blown 

with surface-to-air missiles as it was 

landing in Kigali, Rwanda. 

The assassination, which ruptured 

the peace process and ceasefire between 

the Rwandan Patriotic Front, 

RPF, and Rwandan Hutu Government, 

triggered the Rwandan genocide, one 

of the bloodiest pogroms of the late 

20th century. 

Till today, it is still unclear who 

killed the leaders. What matters is 

that the ensuing Rwandan genocide 

nearly led to the extermination of the 

entire Tutsi ethnic group. 

In the above two cited examples, it 

is important to note that prior to that 

one killing that tipped the 

balance, the killing of thousands of 

innocent people had been going 

on. People who refuse to learn from 

history are condemned to fall into its 

tragic abyss. 

Whatever may be our differences, 

we must stop the killings now. We 

should also be guided by our own 

1966-1970 experiences. We must stop 

the ethnic expansionist sabre-rattling 

and beating of war drums. We must 

stop attacking law enforcement agents. 

And we must stop the abduction and 

killing of innocent citizens on mere 

suspicions of belonging to separatist 

groups. We must remove criminal 

herdsmen and hoodlums hiding in our 

forests and destroying farmers’ 

means of loverhood.Violence has never 

solved any problem. 

We must be fair and just to all, in 

line with the recommendations of the 

1999 Constitution. Here, the wise 

words of the late Maitama Sule delivered 

in 2015 come handy: 

“You must do justice to all and sundry. 

Behind any crisis anywhere in the 

world is injustice. The solution to that 

crisis is justice. 

“The world itself cannot be governed 

by force; never by fear; even 

never by power. In the end, what governs 

is divine, what conquers is the 

spirit. And the weapons of governing 

the mind and conquering the spirit are 

justice and fair play. Justice will bring 

about peace…” 

RIGHT now, I am an angry 

Nigerian. Angry, because I still 

cannot fathom how my beloved 

country got to where she is now, what 

with the plethora of problems that each 

and every citizen has to contend with 

on a daily basis. As a journalist, it is 

distressing, excruciating and extremely 

tormenting to produce a newspaper 

carrying stories of conflict from front cover 

to back page, day-in, day-out, without 

respite. 

If kidnappers have not abducted 

schoolchildren or travellers, ritualists 

have murdered a girl, or boy, while 

unknown gunmen would have burnt 

down one INEC office, police stations 

and killed policemen. Rape has become 

such a common occurrence that we’re 

almost completely unmoved by it. I 

mean, it’s like the traffic, which doesn’t 

move, or electricity, which is never 

available, isn’t it? 

If I were a child of the 90s, I’d be in 

my twenties, and rightfully think that 

the country had always been like this, 

believing that stories of a secure, 

progressing Nigeria are fairy tales spun 

by older people just to ginger younger 

ones to attempt the un-achievable. But 

I am a child of the 60s, the 

Independence generation that grew up 

in a Nigeria where the Post worked, the 

hospitals functioned with doctors and 

had drugs, sanitary inspectors (wolewole 

in Yoruba) ensured clean environment, 

teachers did their jobs, and generally, a 

Nigeria where everyone was his/her 

brother (and sister)’s keeper. What 

happened to that Nigeria? 

As I write, there is anger everywhere. 

There is disappointment. There is fear, 

indeed, anxiety. Those going out of their 

homes in lawful pursuit of one 

endeavour or the other are not sure, in 

fact, do not know if they will get to their 

destination. If they get there, they thank 

God. After doing what they came to do, 

OPINION 

Anger in a season of frustration 

it is also not guaranteed that they can 

get home. There are kidnappers. There 

are ritualists. There are unknown 

gunmen. There are cultists. When they 

get home, if they do, they thank God 

again. Others are not so lucky. They are 

waylaid. They are abducted. They are 

raped. They are killed. They are robbed. 

In short, we are unsafe in our own 

country. 

The basic pillars on which a society 

desirous of progress, where life will not 

be “nasty, brutish and short” is built are 

law and order. Where is the law now? 

Growing up in the 60s, if you want to 

scare a little boy or girl, tell him or her 

that “Police is coming.” Fem!!! The child 

A convict who was 

already in prison was 

brought back to court 

and granted bail by a 

judge. The felon simply 

vanished thereafter. If 

that can happen, then we 

were on the road to this 

pass a long time ago 

clams up. Say that to a child now. He or 

she will roll in uncontrollable laughter. 

In our country, after 1972, we drive on 

the right, with left hand steering. It was 

the opposite before then when we drove 

on the left with right hand steering, just 

as it still is in the UK and some 12 other 

countries. On our streets, everybody 

drives where they see a way, all rules of 

civilised road use thrown away. If you 

can’t take care of small things like these, 

bigger things will descend on you. Since 

there are no more traffic offences, how 

can kidnapping, banditry be offences? 

Little wonder we are no longer safe. 

Again, where is the law? I remember 

how a convict who was already in prison 

was brought back to court and granted 

bail by a judge, in the early years of our 

return to democracy! The felon simply 

vanished thereafter. If you remember 

that case, you know. If that can happen, 

then we were on the road to this pass a 

long time ago. 

What is galling is that these things are 

happening and the power elite seems 

unperturbed that things are going south. 

The Nigeria Police Force often sends its 

officers and men abroad on international 

engagements. Most of the time, they 

Send Opinions & Letters to: 

opinions1234@yahoo.com 

return with medals for sterling services 

and conduct. Why can’t they win medals 

at home with exemplary policing that 

they give other people? Since 1999, 

we’ve seen how many cases of corruption 

failed at the courts because of lack of 

diligent investigation and prosecution. 

What happened to the Police and 

policing? 

To worsen things, there is hunger. 

Now, this is really unnerving. Prices of 

foodstuffs are rising in geometric 

progression. If you’re a man, and 

married, you should know. If you’re 

single, you can see it. If you’re a student, 

you’re affected. If you’re a woman, 

married, you don’t know how to tell your 

husband that his allocation for food last 

month can not last longer than two weeks 

this month. If you’re a single woman/ 

girl/lady, your food budget is running a 

deficit. Whoever you are, wherever in 

this country now, making food available 

for one’s mouth and dependents is 

getting harder than ever. 

We’ve all given up on pipe borne 

water; everyone now has his/her own 

‘water corporation’. Of course, from 

failure of the public water system arose 

the “pure water” industry, now a source 

of employment for hundreds of 

thousands, and governments 

shamelessly make money from it 

through regulation and taxation! 

As Nigerians struggle with these 

challenges daily, what is uppermost in 

the minds of those in the corridors of 

power is how to remain there, or for 

those aspiring, how to get there. 

Schemings, meetings, wheelings and 

dealings now dominate every activity, 

geared towards who will be where in 


But we must all be alive, in good health, 

with a nation that is running well if those 

dreams are to be realised. The power 

elite must pause and ponder the 

situation of those they are governing.

Food prices rise in April despite fall in inflation 

*As transport fares soar amid drop in petrol price 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

ECONOMY 

The prices paid by con 

sumers for rice, egg, tomatoes 

and yam rose in April 

despite 0.91 month-on-month 

(MoM) fall in food inflation 

sub-index during the period. 

Similarly, transport fare for 

bus, air, motorcycle and waterway 

journeys increased 

amidst a four percent drop in 

petrol price during the period. 

In its latest data on selected 

food prices, the National Bureau 

of Statistics (NBS) said: 

“Selected food price watch 

data for April 2021 reflected 

that the average price of one 

dozen of agric eggs medium 

size increased year-on-year 

(YoY) by 11 percent and MoM 

by 1.13 percent to N530.40 

in April 2021from N524.47 in 

March 2021 while the average 

price of piece of agric eggs 

medium size (price of one) 

increased YoY by 18 percent 

and MoM by 1.5 percent to 

N49.14 in April 2021 from 

N48.43 in March 2021. 

“The average price of 1kg of 

tomato increased YoY by 0.09 

percent and MoM by 3.7 percent 

to N277 in April 2021 

from N267 in March 2021. 

“The average price of 1kg of 

rice (imported high quality 

sold loose) increased YoY by 

14.6 percent and decreased 

MoM by 0.67 percent to N540 

in April 2021 from N544 in 

March 2021. 

“Similarly, the average price 

of 1kg of yam tuber increased 

YoY by 9.9 percent and MoM 

by 3.3 percent to N252.80 in 

April 2021 from N244.82 in 

March 2021.” 

But in its inflation report for 

April, NBS said that the food 

sub index declined by 0.91 

percent MoM to 0.99 percent 

in April from 1.9 percent in 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US 

DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

RAND 

155.65 +5.15 

2,456.00 +29.00 

16.81 -0.23 

68.71 +0.06 

66.04 -0.03 

409.25 409.75 410.25 

579.8663 580.5748 581.2832 

501.7814 502.3945 503.0075 

457.1911 457.7496 458.3082 

3.7594 3.764 3.7686 

0.7428 0.7528 0.7628 

590.1631 590.8842 591.6052 

63.8865 63.965 64.0435 

109.1304 109.2638 109.3971 

29.5957 29.6319 29.6681 

CBN Exchange rate as at 27/05/2021 

PRESENTATION – From left: Oluwasegun Ikoya and Deborah Johnson, both Ynspyre graduates; 

Ozena Utulu; Head, Brand Management and Sustainability; Fela Ibidapo, Divisional Head, 

Corporate Communications; Uchenna Mike Olisa, Head Product Development, all of Heritage 

Bank; Derrick Ugwuegbu, Ayomide Soloja and Abayomi Bello, other Ynspyre graduates, during 

the graduation and certificate presentation to the 1st batch of Project Ynspyre graduates in Lagos, 

as the bank partners Silverbird Group to empower young creative Nigerians. 

March. 

Meanwhile, NBS also said 

the fare paid by commuters for 

bus journeys within the city 

increased by 2.34 percent 

month-on-month, MoM, to 

N386 in April 2021 from N377 

in March 2021. 

In its “Transport Fare Watch 

Report” for April, NBS further 

stated that fare paid by passengers 

for bus journey bus 

journey intercity increased 

by 1.5 percent MoM to 

N2,446 in April from N2,411 

in March. 

Fare paid by commuters for 

journeys by motorcycle per 

drop increased by 1.8 percent 

MoM to N276 in April from 

N271 in March. 

Similarly, fare paid by passengers 

for waterway passenger 

transport increased by 1.5 

percent MoM to N820 in 

April from N808 in March. 

The increases in transport 

fares, however, run contrary 

to decrease in average price 

for premium motor spirit 

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 —19 

(PMS) also known as Petrol 

in April. 

Recall that NBS reported 

that average price paid by 

consumers for petrol in April 

decreased MoM by 3.65% to 

N166.38 in April 2021 from 

N172.68 in March 2021. 

However, NBS reported that 

fare paid by air passengers 

for specified routes single 

journey decreased slightly 

by 0.24 percent MoM to 

N36,409 in April from 

N36,495 in March. 

CBN sets to cut imports of cassava by-products import 

By Emma Ujah 

Faced with scarce foreign 

exchange due to the drop 

in crude oil earnings, the 

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 

is to heavily invest in the cassava 

value-chain in order to cut 

the current $580 million annual 

import of cassava byproducts. 

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin 

MONEY MARKET 

Emefiele, disclosed this, 

yesterday, at the inauguration 

of the Rivers 

State Cassava Processing 

Plant at Afam/Ban- 

Ogoi Link Road in 

Oyigbo Local Government 

Area of the state. 

His words, “Notwithstanding 

our position as the largest producer 

of cassava in the world, 

Nigeria imports over $580m 

worth of cassava by-products. 

“With facilities such as this, it 

will help in reducing our reliance 

on imports of cassava byproducts, 

which serve as key 

inputs in the production of food 

items in several factories” 

According to him, the sum of 

N7.436 billion has been accessed 

by four states in the 

South-South region to open up 

more land for cultivation, create 

access roads to agricultural 

lands, and provide infrastructure 

among other support services. 

He also stated: “Our interventions 

have cut across key sectors 

such as agricultural, manufacturing, 

health, and infrastructure. 

So far, the sum of N333.196 

billion has been disbursed to 

various projects in the South- 

South region covering activities 

in these different economic sectors.” 

In his address, Governor of 

Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom 

Wike, challenged Rivers state 

indigenes to utilise bank loans 

in productive economic activities. 

EoDB: Ogun establishes Zonal offices 

By Cynthia Alo 

The Ogun State Min 

istry of Industry, 

Trade and Investment 

has said that it created 12 

additional zonal offices to 

bring its services closer to 

investors with the aim of 

improving the Ease of 

Doing Business (EoDB) 

in the State. 

Commissioner for Industry, 

Trade and Investment, 

Mrs. Kikelomo 

Longe, stated this during 

the commissioning of the 

Abeokuta North Zonal 

Office in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta 

and the presentation of equipment 

to Officers in the zonal 

office. 

Longe said although the ministry 

was already working on 

automating some of its processes, 

the additional zonal offices 

were created and 

equipped to ensure investors 

who decide to visit the ministry 

get quality service more speedily 

and effectively. 

She stated: “We need to attract 

more investments into the state 

and as part of other efforts the 

present administration through 

the Ministry of Industry, Trade 

and Investment, has created 

additional zonal offices to improve 

on our service delivery so 

that we can assist existing businesses 

to grow and also get investment 

referrals from investors 

who are satisfied with our 

services.” 

Also speaking, the Special 

Adviser to the Governor on Industry, 

Trade and Investment, 

Chief Remi Ogunmefun said 

the zonal offices would enable 

government meet the needs of 

the mining sector and help the 

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 

(MSMEs) operating 

in various zones across the 

State. 

Infinity Trust MfB 

grows loan book to 

N7.12bn 

MONEY MARKET 

By Fortune Eromosele 

Amortgage firm, Infinity Trust 

Mortgage Plc, has said its loan 

portfolio increased by 33 percent to 

N7.12 billion in 2020, compared to 

the N5.34 billion it realised in 2019. 

The bank’s audited figures shows 

profit before tax increased to N465.06 

million from N444.38 million in 2019. 

The total operating expenses dropped 

by 15 percent from N740 million in 

2019 to N625 million in 2020. 

The customers’ deposits increased 

significantly by 94.5 percent from 

NI.94 billion in 2019 to N3.77 billion 

in 2020 due to its spirited customer 

engagement strategy. On-lending and 

refinancing activities also witnessed a 

growth of 22 percent from N2.19 billion 

to N2.68 billion. Total assets grew 

by 25 percent from N10.64 billion in 

2019 to N13.34 billion in 2020, while 

shareholders’ funds grew by four percent 

from N6.20 billion in 2019 to 

N6.44 billion in 2020. 

Speaking at the virtual AGM, 

Chairman of the bank, Dr. Adeyinka 

Bibilari, said the bank achieved impressive 

financial results despite the 

challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“The positive performance is attributed 

to the bank’s strategic focus of 

growing the balance sheet and diversifying 

the bank’s income base. This 

was underpinned by a robust risk management 

framework, strengthening of 

the internal control along with good 

technological framework and innovation 

in internal operations and processes,” 

he said. 

LCCI empowers 4 

higher institutions 

in Lagos with 3D 

printers 

By Yinka Kolawole 

The Lagos Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry 

(LCCI) has presented 3D printers 

to engineering departments 

of four key tertiary institutions 

in Lagos State aimed at improving 

the learning process of students 

and teaching capabilities 

of teachers. The institutions include 

University of Lagos, 

Lagos State University, Lagos 

State Polytechnic and Yaba 

College of Technology. 

Speaking at the event in Lagos, 

Wednesday, President, LCCI, 

Mrs Toki Mabogunje, noted that 

3D printing offers numerous 

benefits to the educational sector. 

She stated: “These benefits 

include improving the students’ 

learning process as well as improving 

the teaching capabilities 

of the teachers, hence the need 

to deploy 3D printing. 

“I would like to urge the leadership 

of the respective institutions 

to ensure that the 3D printers 

are made available to the students 

for in-depth practice and 

understanding of its functions as 

this will bring out the best in the 

students and make them innovative. 

Mabogunje said the move is 

part of the chamber’s advocacy 

goals to promote scientific and 

technology developments and 

innovations for the benefits of 

investors and the economy. 

The printers were donated by 

Mikano International Limited, 

Universal Power Systems Nigeria 

Ltd and Kawai Technologies 

Ltd.

20—Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021

Why amendment of 1999 Constitution 

has become imperative — Gov Yahaya 

INSECURITY: How heartless gunmen murdered 

infants, women and men in renewed Jos attacks 

•We’ll fish out, punish the attackers — Governor vows 

BY MARIE-THERESE 

NANLONG, Jos 

THE fragile peace in 

Plateau State was 

earlier in the week 

shattered by ruthless 

gunmen, who stormed 

some Plateau State 

communities and murdered 

innocent persons, among 

them women, children and 

infants in their sleep. 

The gunmen, who 

invaded Dong Kasa in Jos 

North and Kohorok hamlet, 

Kwi in Riyom Local 

Government Area of the 

State, left behind 16 bodies 

and tales of immitigable 

woes. 

The attack in Dong Kasa 

village occurred at about 

8.00 p.m. as sporadic 

gunshots rented the air, 

sending residents 

scampering for safety, as 

the murderers reportedly 

broke into homes and shot 

their victims at close range, 

while some innocent 

persons were hit by stray 

bullets. 

The Village Head, Daniel 

Choji, said the attackers 

came under the cover of 

darkness, adding that the 

attack left eight persons 

dead, comprising five 

females, two males, and an 

infant. 

BY CHARLY AGWAM, 

Bauchi 

THERE is a serious faceoff 

between the royal and 

the political class in Bauchi, 

which is likely to rub off on 

the political environment of the 

state if not well handled. The 

cause of the clash is last week’s 

altercation between the Emir 

of Bauchi and the member 

representing Bauchi Federal 

Constituency in the House of 

Representatives, Hon. Yakubu 

The attackers then 

descended on Kwi village 

at 11pm when residents 

were fast asleep and killed 

another eight, while one 

managed to escape with 

injuries. 

The member representing 

Riyom in the State House 

of Assembly, Timothy 

Dantong, who described 

the attack as barbaric, 

senseless and inhuman, 

confirmed that four males 

and four females were killed 

and called on security 

operatives to live up to their 

responsibilities by 

responding to distress calls 

early to ensure that 

perpetrators of the heinous 

acts were apprehended 

and brought to book. 

Apart from Kohorok, 

Darigi too in the same Kwi 

was attacked on Tuesday 

night as gunshots were 

heard as far as Heipang in 

neighbouring Barkin Ladi 

Local Government Area. 

After the attack, the State 

Governor, Simon Lalong, 

represented by the 

Secretary to the State 

Government, Professor 

Danladi Atu in company of 

other state officials and 

different local government 

officials visited the areas to 

commiserate with the 

people. 

He assured the people 

that government would do 

all within its power to fish 

out and punish the 

perpetrators and urged 

them to remain vigilant as 

security is a collective 

responsibility of both the 

people and government. 

Village Head of Kwi, Da 

Joshua Kwon, lamented 

the weak security 

architecture of the local 

government and urged 

relevant authorities to 

address it in order to 

BY BEN NGWAKWE, Gombe 

Governor Muhammadu 

Yahaya of Gombe 

State has said the socioeconomic 

and political 

challenges confronting the 

•People on the run in Jos community following attack by gunmen(INSET) 

forestall future occurrence 

of such cruelty. 

The State Commissioner 

for Information and 

Communication, Dan 

Manjang, however assured 

that the security threats 

were being addressed with 

the acquisition of no fewer 

than 50 patrol vehicles and 

200 security motorcycles by 

the state government for 

security agencies in the 

state. 

The Senator representing 

Plateau North, Senator 

Why Bauchi Emirate Council stripped federal lawmaker of 

traditional title over ‘mode of dressing’ 

•Gov Mohammed behind my sack — Lawmaker 

•Blame yourself, not governor for your misfortune — Bala’s aide 

•Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi... embattled 

Shehu Abdullahi. 

While it is still brewing 

silently, the face-off has already 

created a divide between the 

royal class and the political 

class in Bauchi and raised 

some questions in the minds 

of the residents. 

The crux of the matter came 

when the Bauchi Emirate 

Council suspended the 

member representing Bauchi 

Federal Constituency in the 

House of Representatives, 

Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, 

indefinitely as the traditional 

title holder of Wakilin Birnin 

Bauchi. 

The offense of the lawmaker 

is that he had voluntarily 

joined other traditional rulers 

in the emirate, led by the Emir 

of Bauchi, HRH, (Dr.) 

Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu to 

pay the annual Sallah homage 

(Hawan Daushe) to Governor 

Bala Mohammed at the 

Government House Bauchi. 

But it was also inside the 

Government House where he 

•Copy of the suspension letter 

issued to Hon. Abdullahi 

allegedly disrespected the 

same Emir he accompanied 

to pay respect to the governor 

and was for that reason fired 

from the royal throne 

indefinitely. 

The three-paragraph 

suspension letter with 

reference number BEC/ADM/ 

20/VOL.X, dated May 16, 

2021, and signed by Nasiru 

Musa Maidala for Secretary 

of the Emirate also accused 

the lawmaker of ‘unbecoming 

behaviour’ 

According to the letter 

written in Hausa, the 

suspension became necessary 

considering some 

‘unbecoming behaviour’ of 

the lawmaker which 

amounted to disrespect to the 

Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu 

Suleiman Adamu, district and 

village heads as well as other 

traditional title holders in the 

Emirate. 

In the letter, the Emirate 

Council made reference to a 

situation that occurred at the 

Government House on 

Sunday during the annual 

Sallah Hawan Daushe held 

to pay homage to the governor 

by the Emir of Bauchi and all 


country makes it imperative for 

a constitutional review to 

address the realities on the 

ground. 

Speaking in Gombe when 

members of the Senate 

Committee on the Review of the 

Istifanus Gyang, linked the 

attacks to the recent 

security alert by the police 

saying: “Shortly after the 

IGP issued a security alert 

on likely terror attacks on 

Jos and the FCT, the blood 

merchants have visited 

terror on Dong community 

adjacent Wild Life Park, Jos 

and Kwi village, adjacent 

Yakubu Gowon Airport 

Heipang where 16 persons 

were butchered, including 

children.” 

Continues on page 22 

the traditional rulers in the 

Emirate. 

The Emirate Council 

specifically faulted Abdullahi’s 

‘mode of dressing’ in the 

presence of the Emir, district 

and village heads as well as 

other traditional title holders, 

which it viewed as a ‘grave 

misconduct and disrespect to 

constituted authorities’. 

The Emirate said: “After 

thorough deliberation by the 

Emirate Council on your 

actions which are disrespectful 

to the Emir of Bauchi, Dr 

Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, 

you are hereby suspended as 

the Wakilin Birnin Bauchi 

indefinitely until further 

notice.” 

But in responding to the 

suspension, Abdullahi 

alluded that he was 

suspended as a result of his 

political choice, accusing 

Governor Bala Mohammed of 

spearheading his suspension 

because of his refusal to join 

the Peoples Democratic Party 

as advised by the governor. 

Abdullahi said the governor 

felt abandoned after he 

ignored his directive to join the 

PDP and returned to his former 

party, the All Progressives 

Congress, from where he 

migrated to the Peoples 

1999 Constitution, North East 

Zone led by its Chairman, 

Senator Muhammad 

Danjuma Goje,visited him in his 

office, the Governor described 

“the constitutional review 

exercise as an important 

national assignment and an 

opportunity for the people of 

Gombe State and by extension 

North East sub-region to express 

their concerns and feelings 

towards the Nigerian State". 

He said: “The Constitution 

is not cast in iron or steel; it is 

something that we the people 

fabricated and for sure as 

human beings, we have so 

many positive and negative 

changes and nobody is perfect; 

so from the day the Constitution 

was made and this moment 

there must have been changes, 

there must have been 

developments and there must 

have been reasons for us to effect 

changes so that we can live 

better and progress as a people." 

He expressed confidence that 

“as representatives of the 

people, the lawmakers will 

protect and project the interest 

of the zone at the national level 

so that their submissions will 

be subsumed in the final 

analysis of the constitutional 

amendment.” 

He commended the 

committee for choosing 

Gombe State as venue for the 

zonal public hearing on the 

review of the 1999 Constitution, 

describing Gombe as central to 

whatever positivity that may 

happen in the North East subregion. 

The Governor recalled that 

the friendship that binds the 

people of the North East zone 

predates pre-colonial era, 

describing the relationship that 

still exists among states within 

the region as rock-solid. 

“What happened when we 

went to have a peace summit at 

Numan with distinguished 

senators Binus and BK Amos 

in attendance really confirmed 

that to us; we are together, we 

shall fight together, we shall 

struggle together and shall 

deliver together”. 

He urged members of the 

Constitution review committee 

visiting the state to make out 

time to socialise with the people 

of the state and to see for 

themselves the modest 

achievements of the present 

Continues on page 22 

Redemption Party, PRP. 

“When I dumped PRP 

(Peoples Redemption Party), 

the governor asked me to join 

him in PDP (Peoples 

Democratic Party), but I told 

him that I will return to APC 

because that was my party 

and that the people that meted 

injustice on us are no longer 

there,” he said. 

Abdullahi, who believes the 

suspension, was politicallymotivated, 

added: “I and my 

entourage were denied access 

into the Government House 

during the Sallah homage to 

the governor on Saturday. 

Despite interventions by some 

officials, security agents (were) 

insisting that there was an 

order from above not to allow 

me and my entourage into 

Government House but (they) 

allowed all the district heads 

(and other) traditional tittle 

holders in the Emir’s 

entourage to enter. 

“The committee took the 

decision without hearing my 

part for fairness - because 

security operatives singled out 

only me and my entourage 

Continues on page 22


•L-R: Secretary to the State Government Prof. Mamman Saba Jubril; Speaker Kwara State House of Assembly 

Rt. Hon. Yakubu Salihu Danlandi; Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Deputy Governor Mr Kayode 

Alabi; Senator Ajadi Makanjuola; and Grand-Khadi Sharia Court of Appeal Justice Mohammed Ola Abdulkadir; 

during the commissioning of new tractors and implements, in Ilorin. 

BY PETER DURU, Makurdi 

THE Benue State Security 

Council, SSC, has ordered 

feuding youths of neighbouring 

Bonta and Ukpute communities 

in Konshisha and Oju Local Government 

Areas, LGAs, of the state 

respectively, to fish out the criminal 

elements amongst them to 

pave the way for lasting peace in 

the area. 

It would be recalled that the 

crisis in both communities recently 

claimed the lives of 12 

military personnel on peace mission 

in the area. 

This was part of the resolutions 

reached yesterday at the end of 

an expanded SSC meeting held 

in Makurdi which had in atten- 

Why Bauchi Emirate Council stripped federal 

lawmaker of traditional title over ‘mode of dressing’ 

Continued from page 21 

from entering the Government 

House, a situation which compelled 

me to come down from my horse 

and trek into the venue of the event. 

“I am not surprised with their 

actions at Government House 

because I remember vividly when 

Governor Bala Mohammed told me 

that he will personally protest my 

traditional title of Wakilin Birni before 

the Emir of Bauchi which is similar 

to his senior brother’s title of Wakilin 

Bauchi ‘Alhaji Adamu 

Muhammad.” 

Reacting to Abdullahi’s allegations, 

Governor Mohammed’s Special 

Adviser on Media, Mukhtar 

Gidado, described his claims as 

‘baseless’, saying that the reason for 

Abdullahi’s suspension was clearly 

and boldly stated in the suspension 

letter from the Emirate Council that 

he disrespected the Emir, the 

Council and the traditional 

institution. 

AREWA VOICE TEAM 

Editor: Soni Daniel 

Correspondents: 

Wole Mosadomi, Minna 

Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin 

Bashir Bello, Kano 

Aliyu Dangida, Dutse 

Umar Yusuf, Yola 

Ibrahim HassnWuyo, Kaduna 

Peter Duru, Makurdi 

Marie-Therese Nanlong, Jos 

Abdul Murtala, Kano 

Femi Bolaji, Jalingo 

David Odama, Lafia 

Charly Agwam, Bauchi 

Boluwaji Obahopo, Lokoja 

How heartless gunmen murdered 

infants, women and men 


Senator Gyang in a statement 

by his Special Assistant, Media/ 

Protocol, Musa Ashoms, 

condemned in strong terms the 

renewed attacks, describing 

same as dastardly, wicked and 

unwarranted. 

“It is, therefore, incumbent on 

the Plateau State Police 

Commissioner to arrest and 

prosecute those persons 

forthwith. There must be a 

decisive action against all those 

that are known to security 

agencies, the OPSH, Police and 

the DSS for the serial killings, 

displacement and forceful 

occupation of ancestral 

homelands of communities in 

Plateau North as inaction on this 

matter will amount to condoning 

criminal act and complicity.” 

However, Spokesman of the 

State Police Command, ASP 

Gabriel Ubah, said the command 

First international Hausa TV station 

to begin operation June in Kano 

BY ABDULMUMIN 

MURTALA, Kano 

TAMBARIN Hausa Televi 

sion, the first international 

Hausa TV station will begin operations 

in the second week of June 

this year. 

The Deputy Chairman of the station, 

Muhammad Sani Utai, disclosed 

this at the maiden media 

briefing held at the station’s headquarters 

in Kano on Monday. 

According to Utai, the station, 

which is a subsidiary of AMASIS 

Broadcasting Services Ltd., was 

founded to promote the Hausa 

culture worldwide. 

He noted that the station would 

meet the yearnings and aspirations 

of people to break the barriers of 

culture and languages through the 

media in a manner that they can 

easily relate with their traditions 

with the rest of the world. “There- 

Benue orders feuding Bonta/Ukpute communities to fish out 

criminal elements amongst them 

dance traditional rulers, local 

government council chairmen 

and major stakeholders from 

both LGAs; it was presided over 

by the Deputy Governor, Mr. 

Benson Abounu. 

The meeting also totally condemned 

the acts of criminality 

among youths of both communities 

and agreed that there 

should be immediate cessation 

of hostilities between the two 

communities to pave way for the 

peaceful demarcation of the borders 

of the two communities. 

Reading the resolutions of the 

meeting, the Deputy Governor 

said the council resolved that: 

“There should be sensitisation of 

the youths of Bonta, Ukpute and 

Ocholo communities with a view 

“Why he did not disclose the issue 

of the governor asking him to join 

the PDP until now? He has the right 

to join any political party and 

nobody would victimise him 

because of his choice of party and 

the governor has nothing to do with 

his suspension and he should go 

and face the Emirate Council. 

“And why is he saying that the 

governor compelled him? The 

governor never did any such thing. 

If you look at it, the majority in the 

Bauchi State House of Assembly is 

to encouraging peace and harmony 

between them. 

“There is therefore, the urgent 

need for the youth associations 

to meet, discuss peace, feast together 

and sign an agreement 

that there should never be any 

breach of peace between the affected 

communities. 

“It was resolved that there 

should be urgent demarcation of 

the borders between Bonta and 

Ukpute communities of Konshisha 

and Oju Local Government 

areas respectively. And that the 

access road from Konshisha to 

Oju should be opened and remain 

accessible and safe to all 

and sundry. 

“It was also agreed that there 

is need to establish a Police post 

APC; why hasn’t the governor 

compelled them to join PDP? Has 

the governor also compelled the 

Speaker who is in APC?” the 

governor’s media aide queried. 

Arewa Voice learned from some 

Bauchi indigenes that it is 

disrespectful to the stool of the Emir 

who is the paramount ruler in the 

state if a traditional title holder in 

the emirate fails to remove his royal 

garb in the presence of the Emir, 

which the lawmaker stands accused 

of. 

received a distress call from the 

community and responded with 

the deployment of a combined 

team of security personnel, led 

by an Assistant Commissioner of 

Police, to repel the attackers and 

added that security personnel 

had been deployed to the 

affected areas to forestall a 

breakdown of law and order. 

Condoling with the people, the 

Adagwom Izere, Jos North, 

Emmanuel Ajik, said the incident 

happened at the time people 

were enjoying relative peace and 

called on government at all 

levels to join hands with 

government agencies to bring 

the perpetrators of the dastardly 

act to book. 

He appealed to the herders 

and farmers to live in peace 

saying: “Peace is what we 

should embrace because if we 

don’t stay peacefully, there will 

be no progress.” 

within the area to serve both Bonta 

and Ukpute communities. 

“That the traditional rulers 

should sit up and take full charge 

of their domains. And that the 

youths should awake and fish out 

the criminal elements amongst 

themselves to pave way for sustainable 

peace in the area.” 

Faith-based organisations were 

also charged by the meeting to 

encourage the communities on 

the need for peaceful coexistence. 

BY ABDULMUMIN MURTALA, 

Kano 

THE founder of the Maryam 

Abacha American University 

of Nigeria, MAAUN, Professor Adamu 

Abubakar Gwarzo, has been 

commended for instituting a benchmark 

in the operations and running 

of private university in Nigeria and 

in the North in particular. 

This is against the backdrop that 

since the establishment of the university 

in Maradi, Niger Republic in 

2013, the first English speaking university 

in the Republic of Niger and 

also the first bilingual university in 

the Sub-Saharan Africa, named after 

Maryam Abacha, the wife of 

former Head of State, Gen. Sani 

Abacha, for her effort in mobilising 

and supporting African countries, a 

lot have been achieved in the sector 

in Nigeria. 

These, among others, include the 

introduction of courses that have 

fore, the slogan of this TV station, 

Amon Gaskiya, will no doubt meet 

the yearning and aspirations of its 

viewers,” he said. 

Utai explained that the vision of 

the media outfit is to be a leading 

Hausa television station globally, 

adding that the station has plans 

to expand its reportage by receiving 

reports from USA, Germany, 

Britain, Saudi Arabia, China, Ghana, 

Cameroon, Niger Republic, 

among others. “We have already 

employed reporters that would be 

sending reports from the six-geopolitical 

zones in the country, in 

order to give our viewers full picture 

of the country and the world, 

as well as a total Nigerian package 

and coverage. 

“With the state-of-the-art equipment 

and manpower available to 

the outfit, Tambari TV would operate 

with the highest degree of 

professionalism, while providing 

the wide variety of services to government 

institutions, corporate organisations 

and the public. Viewers 

could get the station on Star- 

Times and free-air satellites for now, 

as plans are underway to also 

broadcast its programmes on 

DSTV, GOTV, MYTV and other 

satellites platforms. 

“The station will operate 70% 

news and current affairs when it 

starts next month,” he informed. 

The Deputy Chairman assured 

that the station, which is privately 

owned, would not be hijack by any 

form of interest, stressing that it 

would operate in accordance with 

the ethics of journalism. 

How founder of Maryam Abacha 

American University of Nigeria is bailing 

the North in education 

provided access to a lot students aspiring 

for them and enhancing the 

practice of such professions in the 

North in particular and Nigeria in 

general. 

Cited as a remarkable example is 

the Bachelors of Science Degree in 

Nursing which presently is not obtainable 

in Northern universities. 

As at 2010 only three people were 

known to have a graduate degree in 

Nursing in Kano State; but presently 

they are in their hundreds with 

thousands more studying to graduate 

in the field. 

It is indeed an investment but the 

ease with which students are offered 

scholarships to study in the university 

is unprecedented. Presently, Prof 

Gwarzo has offered 100% scholarship 

to 500 students studying Nursing, 

Medical Laboratory Science 

and Mass Communication, based 

on the records available from the 

information office of the university. 

'Why amendment of 1999 

Constitution becomes imperative' 


administration in the State. 

Earlier speaking, the Chairman 

of the North-East zonal public hearing 

( Gombe Centre), Senator Danjuma 

Goje said the team was in the State to 

conduct a public hearing on the 

proposed alteration of the 1999 

Constitution of the Federal Republic 

of Nigeria. 

He said the public hearing is 

simultaneously taking place in 12 

centres across the country, giving the 

fact that each of the geo-political zones 

is divided into two with Gombe, 

Adamawa and Taraba states sitting 

in Gombe centre while Borno Yobe 

and Bauchi states are having theirs in 

Bauchi centre. 

The former Governor of Gombe 

state, used the visit to acknowledge 

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa 

Yahaya Yahaya’s steadfastness in 

piloting the affairs of the State, 

describing his stewardship in the last 

two years in office as terrific and 

remarkable. 

“This Governor is our Governor; he 

is doing very well; he has picked up 

from where we left and is even doing 

better than we did and therefore he 

deserves all our support. So I want to 

use this opportunity to call on the 

people of Gombe State, particularly 

the political elite to rally round him 

and give him the moral boost that he 

needs so as to do better”. 

Senator Goje said he and Senators 

Saidu Alkali and BK Amos as well as 

other members of the National 

Assembly, are very much satisfied with 

the performance of Governor Inuwa 

Yahaya, urging him to continue with 

the good work.


Boko Haram attacks: Catholic Church 

donates 86 houses to 516 households 

•Bishop Kukah challenges Northern governors on good 

governance 

•Church gives reasons for its humanitarian gesture 

BY UMAR YUSUF, Yola 

THEY trooped out in their 

hundreds, dancing, chanting 

and praising God with broad 

smiles. 

While the Christians among 

them raised their hands in 

praise to heaven with shouts of 

Halleluiah, their Muslim counterparts 

chanted “Allahu Akbar”, 

meaning “God is Great”. 

For them it was a dream come 

true not minding the scorching 

sun with temperatures averaging 

50 degrees Celsius. 

The celebration parade was 

taken to the ever-busy Yola- 

Mubi Federal Highway by the 

jubilant beneficiaries of the 56 

houses built and donated by the 

Catholic Church to the victims 

of Boko Haram attacks which 

rendered them homeless for 

many years. 

They are made up of widows, 

widowers and orphans, who 

came on foot; motorcyclists and 

tricyclists; while the lame were 

ferried in open wheelbarrows to 

the venue of the presentation. 

But there were more children 

than other categories of beneficiaries 

due to the fact that their 

parents had since been murdered 

during the unending war 

by the terrorists who have been 

unrelenting in their attacks. 

The widows were next in numerical 

strength, while the 

Cheers as FG lifts Jigawa community with solar power 

BY ALIYU DANGIDA, Dutse 

JANGEFE is a rural 

community in `Yan Zaki 

Ward of Roni Local Government 

Area of Jigawa State, which is 

about 30 kilometres from the 

headquarters and a large 

concentration of farmers, but it has 

never tasted electric power. 

Although it is blessed with 

prominent natives, schools, 

mosques, health centres and an 

asphalted road, the absence of 

power has robbed the farmers 

there of the economic value of the 

large quantity of perishable farm 

produce from the agrarian 

community. 

But that notwithstanding, the 

farmers have continued to 

produce, without fail, huge 

quantities of onions, tomatoes, 

pepper, wheat, rice and maize with 

the hope of some sort of 

intervention some day. Their 

optimism paid off recently when 

the Vice President, Prof Yemi 

Osinbajo, arrived the area to turn 

on the first ever source of power in 

the area - this time, a solarpowered 

project to end the many 

decades of darkness in the area and 

give them something to cheer 

about. 

It was a good day for the 

inhabitants of Jangefe community 

as the vice president, representing 

President Muhammadu Buhari, 

stepped out from the crowd of 

able-bodied adults constituted 

a smaller percentage because 

they are always the target of the 

Boko Haram. 

All of them are survivors of 

insurgency attacks in Adamawa 

Northern Senatorial District 

and parts of Borno State in 


The displaced persons had 

been taking refuge in several 

IDP camps located at Saint 

Theresa Catholic Cathedral in 

Yola, Malkohi and Fufore before 

luck shone on them. 

On this joyful and unforgettable 

day, the Catholic Diocese of 

Yola handed over 86 modern 

houses built by it at the Sangere 

Marghi Housing Estate for the 

victims of the Boko Haram attacks 

who had been squatting 

since 2014 at different IDP 

camps in the state. 

The victims are natives of 

Borno, Yobe and Adamawa 

states. 

It was a historic event that 

drew a huge crowd, with the 

state governor, Alhaji Ahmadu 

Fintiri; top religious leaders 

from the Christian and Muslim 

faith; and other top government 

functionaries in attendance, 

clearly underlining the 

importance of the day. 

These displaced persons were 

not celebrating any festivity, 

but going into their houses outside 

their ancestral homes. 

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (m) at the commissioning of the home 

solar system project for Jangefe community 

mostly peasants, traditional 

rulers, religious leader, men, 

women and children beaming 

smiles and drumming joyously, to 

cut the tape to roll on the project 

that would change their lives 

forever. 

Life-changing 

experience 

It was indeed a dream come true 

for the natives and a life-changing 

experience that has finally taken 

away darkness of decades and 

charted a new path of progress and 

social integration for the people. 

Indeed, their jubilation knew no 

bounds, as they chorused in their 

native language: “This is the day 

the Almighty God as made for us 

and we are excited about what has 

just been done in our community 

today”. 

The light came into their 

neighbourhood courtesy of the 

Federal Government-driven 

100,000 Home Solar Naija 

Programme, which the 

administration chose to flag off at 

the Jangefe community of Jigawa 

State. No fewer than 1000 

households in the state are primed 

to benefit from the pilot phase; but 

this may increase to five million. 

Prof. Osinbanjo said the project, 

launched in Jigawa, was part of 

the Federal Government’s effort in 

ensuring that all Nigerians access 

power supply irrespective of their 

economic and geographical 

locations. He said government is 

targeting five million rural 

households with solar system to 

*Some of the beneficiaries posing by the borehole of one of the houses 

They were all at the commissioning 

ceremony of the Sangere 

Marghi Housing Estate, as 

clergymen from all the Christian 

denominations and their 

counterparts from the Islamic 

Council of Nigeria, top Adamawa 

State Government functionaries 

led by Governor Ahmadu 

Fintiri were on hand to witness 

the ceremony. 

It was the commissioning of 

the Sangere Marghi Housing Estate 

built by the Catholic Diocese 

of Yola for the displaced 

persons in Borno, Adamawa, 

Yobe and elsewhere in the 

North-East. 

The 86 housing units are to accommodate 

no fewer than 516 

Households. 

With the donation of the houses 

by the Catholic Church, the 

displaced persons have finally 

been resettled outside their ancestral 

homes after being scattered 

in various camps for 

more than seven years. 

The estate has all the modern 

facilities ranging from a Church, 

Mosque, primary school, a 

borehole equipped with an 

overhead tank, among other 

things. 

Speaking at the commissioning 

of the estate, the Catholic 

Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Reverend 

Father Mathew Kukah, 

challenged governors in the 

North to take decisive actions 

that will permanently solve the 

lingering religious and other 

crisis bedevilling the region. 

Bishop Kukah said a situation 

where the governors meet 

in Kaduna or in Abuja sharing 

tea and taking photographs 

without properly addressing 

the teething religious problems 

tearing the North apart, is unacceptable. 

He told Governor Fintiri that 

when he and his colleagues hold 

their meetings either in Abuja 

or in Kaduna, he should remind 

them to guide and lead the religious 

leaders on the way out of 

the present religious intolerance 

in the region. 

“They should not only be 

talking about dialogue with 

bishops, Imams and Emirs sitting 

together and taking photographs 

and drinking tea as there 

are needs for concrete manifestation 

of ideas between one another 

“. 

Also speaking at the commissioning 

ceremony, Governor 

Ahmadu Fintiri told Muslims 

and Christians to learn to live 

together devoid of religious acrimony. 

Fintiri noted with regret that 

improve their social and economic 

lives under the solar project, which 

is being carried out in 

collaboration with private 

investors and commercial banks. 

He explained that the scheme 

would provide N140 billion in 

concessionary financing from the 

Central Bank of Nigeria and 

commercial banks for off-grid 

developers to roll out mini-grids 

and solar home systems that will 

cost from N3,500 per month (and 

higher, depending on system type) 

to provide electricity to locations 

all across the country. 

His words: “Besides electrifying 

our rural communities with the 

environmentally-friendly system, 

the programme will also provide 

jobs to over 250,000 people across 

the nation. In Jigawa State, 

100,000 households from rural 

communities will benefit from the 

solar home system intervention”. 

Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji 

Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, 

commended the Federal 

Government for the series of 

developmental projects executed 

in the state. He said besides the 

over N50 billion cash intervention 

received from the Federal 

Government, the state has also 

enjoyed road projects, irrigation 

scheme covering hundreds of 

hectares and other socioeconomic 

programmes that have 

improved the social and economic 

insurgency, kidnapping, 

armed banditry and other 

forms of criminality bedevilling 

the North were offshoot of 

the 1980s Maitatsene religious 

uprising that rocked almost all 

the states in the North. 

In his remarks, Bishop 

Stephen Mamza, the Catholic 

Bishop of Yola and initiator of 

the project, recalled that the 

years of insurgency and 

counter-insurgency operations 

had resulted in the displacement 

of approximately 

1.9 million people and created 

a crisis in food, shelter, nutrition 

and loss of livelihood in Nigeria’s 

Northeast. 

Mamza disclosed that the 

Yola Diocese had been rendering 

assistance in feeding and 

free medical care for over 3000 

families since the outbreak of 

violent attacks in the area. 

He said the construction of 

the 86 housing estate was sequel 

to the presence of the IDPs 

in Yola Diocese which has persisted 

due to the mass return 

of IDPs from Cameroon Republic 

and forceful shutdown of 

IDPs camps by the Adamawa 

State Government, thereby 

pushing the displaced persons 

into the outskirts. 

lives of millions of people in the 

state. 

The Emir of Kazaure, Dr. Najib 

Hussaini Adamu, charged the 

beneficiaries of the project to 

make best use of the facilities to 

achieve the desired goals. The emir 

promised to settle one-year bills 

for 1,000 beneficiaries in Jangefe, 

where the project was launched. 

“The sum of 3,500 will be paid to 

each of the household for a period 

of one year, as part of our kind 

gesture,” he said. 

Malam Lawan Usman, a 

councilor in Roni LGA told Arewa 

Voice that the provision of home 

solar system to Jangefe 

community was a welcome 

development and a thing of pride 

to every progressive- thinking 

citizen in Jigawa State. “The 

people of Jangefe can now sleep 

with their two eyes closed as their 

long-awaited dreams have 

become a reality,” the councilor 

said. 

Usman Andu, a farmer in the 

area, expressed joy over the solarpowered 

project by the Federal 

Government, saying that the 

people had been lifted out of 

darkness into light. His words: 

“Before now we used to travel 

between 10 and 20 kilometers to 

procure ice block and recharge our 

phones, but now with the 

introduction of this solar project, 

our power problems have been 

substantially resolved and we are 

very grateful to government for 

this urgent intervention”.

24 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 

SHawwal 16, 1442 A.H. 

How to keep 

Ramadan habits 

A LHAMDULLILLAH, 

Ramadan is over, the tenth 

month (Shawwal) is also on the fast 

lane. The only way we can make 

the glorious month memorable is 

to continue what we used to do 

therein. This will make us better 

being ready for another Glorious 

month insha-Allah. I am not 

unaware of the those who actually 

started praying salat during the 

last Ramadan. I also know that 

there are some who have returned 

to their old habit or about to do so 

after the Glorius month. 

Consolidation of the gains of 

Ramadan is about keeping the 

momentum and motivation that 

made us outstanding during 

Ramadan. The drive that spurred 

us to do good in Ramadan can be 

maintained and even stronger 

through the rest of the year. 

If you’ve been praying regularly, 

fasting, controlling your temper, 

trying to be more patient, or 

keeping any other good habit 

during Ramadan, you’re almost 

sure, Insha Allah, to keep up with 

it afterwards. 

In achieving this, first you need 

to make dua, ask Allah to make it 

easy for you to continue the good 

deeds. Allah gave you the ability 

to keep the good habit in 

Ramadan, and only He can help 

you maintain it afterwards. 

Certainly, He will make you not 

only keep the habit, but that 

accepts it and makes it a way for 

you to grow in closeness to Him. 

Again, if you want to keep good 

habits, you’ve got to make sure 

they remain part of your daily 

schedule. For instance, fasting. 

You are aware of the six days of 

fasting in this month Shawwal. 

(Who ever completes fasts 

Ramadan and followed it up with 

six days of fasting in Shawwal; it 

will be as if he had fasted for a 

whole year) You also know that the 

Prophet Muhammad, peace and 

blessings be upon him, 

encouraged fasting on Mondays 

and Thursdays? He said: A 

person’s deeds are reported (to 

Allah) on Mondays and 

Thursdays and I prefer that I 

should be fasting when my deeds 

are reported (Tirmidhi). 

These are the best ways of 

maintaining the habit of fasting 

and other good deeds after 

Ramadan. It will also not make you 

to be rusty by next Ramadan, you 

will be fit and ready. 

Evaluating ourselves, our 

intentions, words and actions, 

every night is a very good way to 

maintain good habits. Selfevaluation 

doesn’t only help you 

see where you are and where 

you’ve got to go. It’s also a great 

reminder of what you were 

supposed to do and didn’t do. 

Add a question or two (or three 

or four) about your specific habit 

into a daily self-evaluation 

questionnaire. Ask yourself, for 

instance, how often did I pray 

today? What was the quality of my 

prayer? Did I pray on time? These 

serve to remind you to keep up 

the habit and do better next time. 

Don’t fall apart once you make 

one mistake. The beauty of 

Tawbah (repentance) in Islam, 

is that Allah blesses us with this 

opportunity to return back to 

Him after doing something 

wrong. We should remember 

that we are humans and that 

we will err. Only Allah is 

Perfect. He is oft forgiving. 

We should not give up trying 

to pray on time just because we 

have missed doing so on a 

couple of occasions. 

Your intention is very 

important, your niyyah is a key 

to Allah’s acceptance of our 

good deeds. If we developed a 

habit to impress others, for 

instance, we may be able to 

keep the momentum for a while, 

but most probably it’ll wear out 

afterwards. But if we maintain 

a habit sincerely for the sake of 

Allah, not only will we be 

rewarded for it, but our 

intention will help us maintain 

the necessary motivation to 

continue to do good. Remember 

that action shall be judged 

Above all, you 

have to know 

that missing 

prayer is not 

an option and 

that there are 

consequences 

to that. These 

include 

decreased faith 

and a 

downward 

spiral in your 

life. So dont 

allow it. Be 

thankful when 

you’re able to 

maintain your 

habit and think 

about practical 

things you can 

do to keep it up 

on a regular 

basis. 

according to the intention. 

Waking up for Tahajud is one 

area we must also try to keep. 

If you were ready to spring out 

of bed in anticipation for sahoor 

and nawafil during the days of 

Ramadan, but found yourself 

barely waking up for the prayer 

afterwards, now, you should 

endeavour to fight back and 

free yourself from the grip of 

shaytan and do what is right 

by waking up early for tahajud. 

Again, this time it may not be 

everyday as it was in Ramadan, 

but it is something that must be 

done. 

Good habits are often easy to 

maintain in Ramadan, the 

blessed month. The hard part is 

doing so after Ramadan. This is 

where you’ll have to work hard 

to force yourself to maintain your 

habit, whether it’s waking up for 

tahajud, Fajr prayers, not 

smoking, eating less, being 

more patient. Above all, you have 

to know that missing prayer is 

not an option and that there are 

consequences to that. These 

include decreased faith and a 

downward spiral in your life. So 

dont allow it. 

Be thankful when you’re 

able to maintain your habit 

and think about practical 

things you can do to keep it 

up on a regular basis. 

Aisha reported that the 

Prophet said: “Do good deeds 

properly, sincerely and 

moderately, and remember 

that you shall enter Paradise 

only through Allah’s Mercy, 

and also remember that the 

most beloved deed to Allah is 

that which is regular and 

constant even if it is little” 

(Bukhari). 

The wisdom in this Hadith 

is tremendous and it is one 

way of keeping up good habits 

you have picked up in 

Ramadan. 

May Allah make it easy for 

us all. Amin. 

AMID unconfirmed report 

making the rounds that only 

60,000 pilgrims will perform the 

2021 hajj, the Haramain has said 

that the quota for the hujjaj from 

different countries will be finalised 

within two weeks. 

This was contained in a tweet by 

Haramain today Tuesday. This 

particularly put to rest the 

unconfirmed report that the 

government of Saudi Arabia had 

allowed 60,000 pilgrims to 

perform 2021 hajj. 

BARKA JUMAH 

Fear Allah 

Wrongdoers are friends of one another while Allah is the friend 

and protector of those who fear Him. 

Al-Jathiyah 45:19 

Fear of Allah let go all other fears each day of life. It evokes 

peace and wisdom akin to genuine faith and the worship of 

Allah; exciting the genuine compulsion to serve and honor Allah 

by the doing good, forever. 

As you fear Allah, so would He sustain you and all yours 

with vast prosperity of His unending favors, wellness and a 

joyous life. Happy jumat. 

— Dr. Adewale Adeeyo, OON 

Nigerian students hold special 

prayers for Attahiru, Palestine 

Students under the aegis of the 

Muslim Students Society of 

Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, on 

Thursday, prayed for the departed souls 

of Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, 

Lieutenant General Attahiru Ibrahim, 

and others who lost their lives in a plane 

crash. 

The students also prayed for peace in 

Palestine, where thousands have been 

killed in a recent attack by Israel before a 

ceasefire. 

The prayer held during a virtual Special 

Usrah to commemorate the 2021 MSS 

Week in Lagos. 

During the prayer, the Amir (president), 

Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, 

Lagos State Area Unit, Mallam 

Miftahudeen Thanni, described the 

death of the military officers as painful. 

He, however, urged the late officers’ 

colleagues to be undaunted in fight 

against terrorists despite the loss, saying 

that the roles of the deceased would not 

be easily forgotten. 

Thanni said, “This is a great loss at 

this trying period in the country. It is our 

prayer that Allah showers His allencompassing 

blessing on the departed 

soul of his servant as we pray Allah to 

admit him into Al-Jannat ul-Firdaws and 

grant the family fortitude to contain the 

loss." 

The Muslim students’ leader also 

advised the Federal Government to 

review Nigeria’s military aviation over the 

recurring air crashes. 

Quota for 2021 Hajj pilgrims will be finalised soon 

— Haramain •No communication yet from Saudi Arabia —NAHCON 

The National Hajj Commission of 

Nigeria (NAHCON) has said that the 

information on 60,000 remains 

inconclusive as the Hajj and Umrah 

Ministry charged with the affairs of 

Hajj is yet to take decision. 

The commission urged Nigerians 

and intending pilgrims to wait for 

official communication from the 

appropriate authorities, and 

promised to furnish all stakeholders 

with any communication from Saudi 

Arabia. 

“The Commission will not fail to 

“Honestly, the crash is becoming too 

many and it’s not good on the country’s 

fight against insurgency. This is not good 

for the military. The Federal 

Government should kindly look inwards 

and find out what is happening 

concerning our equipment,” he added. 

He also called on Nigerians to 

intensify prayers toward ensuring that 

national disasters are prevented from 

reoccurring. 

Thanni faulted the forceful 

occupation, indiscriminate killing, 

maiming, and total abuse of human 

rights in Palestine. 

He described the ceasefire agreement 

as temporary, urging Israel to give the 

original owners of the land their rights. 

While urging Nigeria to show solidarity 

by supporting Palestinians’ cause, he told 

Muslims that Palestine needed their 

prayers and support to succeed. 

He said, “We cannot but add to the 

growing voices seeking an end to the 

unlawful occupation and persecution of 

the Palestinians in the hands of the 

Israeli forces. 

“As humans but most importantly 

Muslims, we stand in solidarity with our 

brothers and sisters in Palestine. 

“The world must not fold its hands, 

stand aloof, and watch injustice prevail 

in a sane world. 

“We must all lend our voices and ensure 

a stop to the overzealousness and 

callousness of Israel under the pretext of 

war and politics.” 

keep the public updated as soon as 

an official stand is finalized by the 

kingdom. NAHCON understands 

the anxious wait by the public, 

especially by Hajj and Umrah 

stakeholders regarding 2021, in 

order to make their final decisions 

and preparations. The Commission 

trusts that Saudi Arabia is 

considerate of all happenings and 

will soon make a proclamation on 

Hajj 2021 in the interest of all 

Muslims as promised. 

EID-EL-FITRI GET TOGETHER From left: Balikis Omotola Alimi, Lagos State Ameerah, 

NACOMYO; Alhaji Isiaka Salami, Lagos State Coordinator; Dr Moshood Babatunde Abdul 

Wasi, Deputy Coordinator and Mr Abdul Wahab Abdul Kareem, Secretary General during 

the Eid-el-fitri get together familiarisation forum with members of the Press held at the 

Lagos State Secretariat Central Mosque, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos rcently.

SHAWWAL 16, 1442 A.H. 

Halt the genocide, stop Israel now, Muslim Women, 

alongside Palestinian Muslim 

Rights groups tell UN, Biden 

population were strangulated by 

Israel for 11 days. 

•Say Palestine, Asqa must be free now 

•Tag Israel as apartheid state 

A 

coalition of human rights 

organizations and Islamic 

bodies in Nigeria have called on 

the United Nations and United 

States of America to immediately 

halt the killings in Palestine by 

Israel as well as its continued 

occupation of Gaza. 

The orgnisations under the 

auspices of International Muslim 

Women Union led by Dr Khadijah 

Olaniyan during a press 

conference held recently in Ikeja, 

Lagos, also called for a total 

boycott of all Israeli products and 

its allies, just as it vowed to 

continue to sensitize the world on 

all social platforms on the war 

crimes committed by Israel and its 

allies. 

Olaniyan urged the United 

Nations to go beyond 

condemnations and take all the 

necessary steps to stop Israel from 

its continued illegal occupation 

and forced evictions of 

Palestinians from their homes. 

About eight organisations that 

formed the coalition gathered at 

the Lagos State Secretariat 

Mosque Conference Room, on 

Monday, for the world press 

conference, where they reviewed 

the aftermath of Israeli’s 11-Day 

offensive in Gaza, which claimed 

the lives of 237 Palestinians, 

including 65 children. 

Other members of the Coalition 

include Muslim Awareness 

International (MAI), Al- 

Mu’minaat (The Believing 

Women) Organization, Muslim 

Rights Concern (MURIC), Guild 

of Muslim Professionals (GMP), 

Pristine Cactus, Muslim Students’ 

Society of Nigeria, MSSN, Lagos 

State Area Unit, and Lagos 

Secretariat Community Central 

Mosque (LSCCM). 

“Palestine predates Israel, but the 

latter is really out to wipe out 

Palestine”, said Dr. Olaniyan, who 

added that the powers that be have 

watched Israel maim, kill, and 

commit war crimes on innocent 

civilians in Palestine, without 

prosecution. 

According to Dr. Olaniyan, “In 

the just concluded Gaza 

onslaught, Israel killed over two 

hundred civilians, including sixty 

five (65) children, during the 

pogrom that lasted eleven (11) days 

before allies of Israel could make 

it call a unilateral ceasefire. Eleven 

days of horror and wanton waste 

of innocent lives and properties.” 

“These have gone on for too long. 

The United Nations (UN) Security 

Council allows Israel to have all 

weapons including lethal ones for 

use on our brethren in Palestine, 

but holds the victim back from 

having anything near such 

weapons. To make matters worse, 

Gaza remains under a stiff, 

debilitating blockade, coordinated 

by Israel and Egypt. When media 

says ‘fight’ or ‘uprising’ between 

Israel and Palestine, note that it is 

nothing but wanton killings and 

daylight robbery of ancestral 

properties by Israel. 

“As a result of the above, 

International Muslim Women 

Union (IMWU) in collaboration 

with all our sister organizations in 

Nigeria have no option than to 

call on all humans and especially 

our brethren the world over to 

among other penalties: 

-boycott the products of the 

friends and allies of Israel; create 

awareness in your locality and on 

social media on the war crimes 

Israel and its allies are perpetrating 

on the stolen Palestinian lands and 

people; continue to call on your 

government to be stern on Israel 

and review its policy on Israel; 

continue to call on the UN to 

facilitate giving Palestine a full 

member status; continue to call for 

the prosecution of Israel for war 

crimes and raise funds to rebuild 

infrastructure destroyed in 

Palestine and provide financial 

support for the basic human needs 

of Palestinians,” Olaniyan stated 

Hold US responsible 

for crimes against 

Palestinians, Prof 

Akintola tells UN, ICJ 

Says Israel is apartheid state 

The Director of Muslim Rights 

Concern (MURIC), Nigeria, Prof. 

Lakin Akintola also condemned 

the attacks on innocent civilians, 

calling on the UN, including the 

International Court of Justice 

(ICJ) to hold America 

responsible for the crimes 

against humanity. 

According to him, the US 

government has the power to 

influence Israel to stop its 

atrocities against the Palestinians 

and withdraw to the 1967 

borders, but Washington isn’t 

doing anything to stop Israel. 

“Instead, she keeps on arming 

Israeli soldiers for decades, with 

more than $20 billion annually, 

to maim and commit extra 

judicial killings of innocent 

Palestinians. 

“We’ll continue to hold the US 

government responsible until it 

stops Israeli aggression because 

we know the answers to the 

Palestine-Israel crisis, lies 

squarely with America”, he 

added. 

He said, “Israel is the greatest 

apartheid country in existence 

today. The south Africans who 

segregated blacks from the rest 

of the community and who 

compared blacks to dogs, have 

been vanquished. Apartheid has 

fallen in South Africa. 

“But we are surprised that 

around the same time that South 

Africa apartheid was fallen, 

Israeli aggression, segregation, 

marginalisation, discrimination 

against the Palestinians who own 

the land just started, with more 

vicious wickedness. 

“The good American people 

are against apartheid. They are 

people of good conscience and 

they will not support the killings 

of innocent people. Many 

Americans have also 

demonstrated against the Israelis 

and the government of America. 

The American people must rise 

against Zionists aggression.” 

“It isn’t religion. This is clearly 

ethnic cleansing. The Israeli’s 

inhumanity against Humanity. 

There are Christians in Palestine, 

with 27% population, and yet, the 

world is keeping quiet against the 

right of this minority, as they, 

Al-Mu’minaat 

Also, Al-Mu’minaat (The 

Believing Women) Organisation in 

Lagos State, led by Hajia Bushrah 

Adeagbo-Jubril, called on Muslims 

across the world to unite against 

Israeli’s persecution of Palestinians. 

According to her, “In unity, we 

stand, divided we fall. We go with 

the mantra of One for all, All for One. 

Most often we feel unconcerned with 

other Muslims/humans.” 

Hajia Adeagbo Jubril also prayed 

and showed solidarity for brethren 

across the globe, especially in Gaza 

and other regions in Palestine (for 

whom we are here gathered) to 

Uighur in China, Kashmir in India, 

Yemen, Iraq, Libya, and Syria 

amongst others, whom she said are 

facing various challenges. 

Pristine Cactus 

Barrister Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, 

who represented Pristine Cactus said 

under the international law, Israel 

has committed the most vicious 

crimes against humanity. 

She however said despite all the 

crimes, the apartheid regime is 

enjoying unconditional and 

unwavering support from the 

western power, especially, with the 

misuse of veto power by the United 

States. 

“If the holocaust wasn’t okay, 

apartheid in South Africa wasn’t 

okay, genocide not okay in Rwanda, 

why is the holocaust, apartheid and 

genocide okay in Palestine?” Orolu- 

Balogun asked. 

Speaking further, Barr. Orolu- 

Balogun advised Nigerians who 

criticised the supporters of 

Palestinians, noting that, “It’s true 

we are facing our own challenges, 

yet, injustice in one place is injustice 

everywhere and as a member of the 

international community, Africa 

cannot be free until Palestine is free. 

Muslim Awareness 

Int’l, MAI 

Representing the Muslim 

Awareness International (MAI), 

"Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 —25 

Mrs. Sherifah Atoyebi said the 11-days of torture and persecution from 

Israel is unwarranted and the world cannot continue to keep quiet in as 

much as it found out under international law that every human, has a right 

to life, property, association, and dignity. 

Mrs. Atoyebi noted that what is going on in Palestine is not about religion, 

but a crime against humanity and everyone has to stand up and speak with 

one voice against Israeli atrocities in Palestine. 

Guild of Muslim Professionals, GMP 

Hajia Jelilat Abdul Hamid, a member board of Trustees, GMP, also 

called on the UN on behalf of the Guild of Muslim Professionals (GMP) 

to stand up to its responsibilities and protect Palestinians from Israelis’ 

injustice. 

“We call on UN to order Israel to immediately leave the illegally 

occupied territories in Palestine and return the country to the world 

map,” she added. 

The Companion blasts CAN over 

stand on Israel/Palestine crisis 

F 

AITH based organisation of Muslim men in buisness and 

the profession, The Companion, has chided the Christian 

Association of Nigeria (CAN) on its recent statement accusing 

President Muhammadu Buhari of taking sides with the 

Palestinians in the renewed onslaught by Israel which has 

claimed hundreds of lives, describing the comment as unfortunate 

and condemnable. 

The Amir of the group in Lagos, Abdul-Ghani Adegbenga Abdul- 

Majeed in a statement said CAN’s hatred for Islam is used to 

justify and promote violence and crime against humanity, 

wondering why CAN prefered to be endorsing the killing of 

defenseless Palestinians, some of whom are Arab Christians. 

According to the statement, The Companion said: “CAN alleged 

that Nigeria has yielded to the request of the President of Turkey 

– Mr. Recep Erdogan - who during a telephone conversation 

with President Buhari sought Nigeria’s support for Palestine. 

“Though we are not spokesmen of President Muhammadu Buhari 

or the federal government, but, as a concerned organisation and 

stakeholder in Nigeria, we wish to call on CAN leadership to exercise 

restraints and issue statements based on facts instead of speculation 

and figments of their imagination. 

“First, there is nothing official or un-official to suggest that Nigeria 

is openly or covertly supporting Palestine. Second, CAN leadership 

is portraying Christianity as a religion of oppression and hypocrisy 

where might is right. 

“The CAN leadership failed to realize that the “conflict” in the 

Palestinian territory (Gaza) is not about religion. It is not a fight between 

Islam and Christianity. It is about genocide, oppression, apartheid, 

violation of human rights, injustice and economic domination being 

perpetuated by Israel against the Palestinians. 

“The whole world has cried out against Israel and people of all 

races including Jews in diaspora, have held demonstrations in major 

cities of Europe, America, Asia etc. condemning the Israeli aggression 

and destruction of Palestinian territory and wanton bombing of 

children, women and the aged, as well as buildings housing media 

organisations such as Associated Press and Al-Jazeera. 

“The leadership of CAN should not allow their hatred for Islam or 

any other religion or group to justify and promote violence and crime 

against humanity. They should not be seen to be endorsing the killing 

of defenseless Palestinians, some of whom are Arab Christians. 

“They should not be seen to be happy with violence as long as they 

are perpetrated by Jews whom CAN leadership is equating with 

Christians to deceive their followers in Nigeria. If CAN leadership 

does not know, it should be educated that the percentage of Palestinian 

Christians is more than the percentage of Israeli Christians. 

“We strongly advise CAN to stand up on the side of Justice and 

Humanity, because, God Almighty is Just. We hasten to remind them 

of the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa that: “If you are 

neutral in a situation of injustice then you have chosen the side of 

oppression.” 

Frome left: Prof Ishaq Lakin Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern in Nigeria, MURIC; 

Hajia Jellilat AbdulHameed; Dr Khadijah Olaniyan and Barr Mutiat Orolu during a press 

conference by the coliation of Muslim organisations on Freedom to Palestine and Aqsah 

held at the Conference room of Lagos State Secretariat Mosque, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos recently.


Delta: There is an agreement 

BY FRANCIS EWHERIDO 

IN present day Nigeria, the 

most burning issue is how 

to restructure the country to 

ensure that much of the power 

held at the centre is either 

shared with the federating 

units or devolved to the federating 

units. 

They say all politics is local 

and if so, power should 

also be localised to a significant 

extent. Consequently, 

I feel a little uncomfortable 

talking about the politics of 

the rotation of the governorship 

in Delta State, when 

there is a more important 

issue on how Nigeria should 

move forward. I feel this 

should be sorted out before 

the 2023 elections. But 

again, all politics is local and 

as my late brother, Sen. Akpor 

Pius Ewherido, always 

told me, you have to be a 

good Urhobo man to be able 

to be a good Deltan and Nigerian. 

On the morning of December 

11, 2006, my late 

brother told me to follow him 

to the Government House, 

Asaba. He said the then governor, 

Chief James Ibori, 

had invited him and other 

frontline PDP governorship 

aspirants to a meeting. Others 

at the meeting were the 

current deputy president of 

the senate, Senator Ovie 

Omo-Agege; current governor 

of Delta State, Senator 

Ifeanyi Okowa; former governor 

of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel 

Uduaghan; Chief Ighoyota 

Amori and the convener, 

Chief Ibori. These were the 

only people I recall seeing either 

before or after the meeting. 

I sat in the outer room. 

When we got into the car, my 

brother told me what the meeting 

was all about. One, he said 

Ibori told them thatUduaghan 

was going to be the 

PDP governorship candidate 

and told the rest of them 

(Okowa, Omo-Agege and 

Ewherido) to go to Ogwashi- 

Uku Stadium, venue of the 

primary and tell their supporters 

that they had stepped 

down for Uduaghan. Two, 

Ibori told them that Uduaghan 

was the new leader of 

PDP in Delta State. Anyway, 

he, Omo-Agege and Okowa 

did not make any announcement 

stepping down at the 

venue of the primary. 

Why am I going into history? 

Governor Okowa made 

a statement last week that 

there is no gentleman agreement 

on rotation among the 

three senatorial districts in 

Delta State. He is not correct 

because at that meeting, an 

allusion was made to such 

an arrangement and the 

rotation agreement was viciously 

enforced in favour of 

Uduaghan at Ogwashi-Uku 

Stadium. For me, it was a 

traumatic experience 

watching “friends,” relatives 

and people my family 

shared a common bond with 

their families even before I 

was born, working brazenly 

against my brother. As I 

write, I can only remember 

how I got into the venue that 

day; I can’t remember how I 

left. I was too traumatised 

that day to remember anything 

after the primary. 

I was not present at the 

2015 PDP governorship primary, 

and had no reason to, 

but I followed proceedings. 

The same Urhobo people 

fought to undo their own and 

ensured Okowa emerged the 

PDP governorship candidate. 

In addition, Okowa also 

made reference to the agreement 

when he was campaigning 

in his homestead 

in 2015 and again mentioned 

it in 2019. And 

Okowa is denying there is a 

gentleman agreement? I 

understand some behind-thescene 

scheming. He is under 

pressure, so I take it as the talk 

of a man under immense pressure. 

During Ibori’s second term, 

Delta South had various 

groups agitating for power 

rotation. The most prominent 

of these groups was G3, with 

prominent members like Uduaghan 

(Itsekiri), Chief Solomon 

Funkekeme (Ijaw) and 

Chief Solomon Ogba and 

Comrade Ovuozourie 

Macaulay (Isoko), among 

others. These represented the 

three major ethnic groups in 

Delta South Senatorial District. 

So when I see people 

from Delta South speaking 

from both sides of their mouth 

and denying what they benefited 

from rotation, I shake my 

head. But I am not surprised 

because there is no morality 

in politics. I expect 

Funkekeme, for instance, to 

educate his people that the 

power rotation he fought for 

was among the three senatorial 

districts, not the ethnic 

groups. Candidates from Delta 

South have a constitutional 

right to contest the 2023 

governorship election if they 

want to. What is irritating 

some of us is the barefaced 

distortion of history and lies. 

I have always been against 

rotation. I felt everyone 

should go out there and let 

the best emerge. But I came 

to reluctantly accept it when 

I found out many Deltans 

wanted it to calm frayed 

nerves. For the smaller ethnic 

groups, it was their surest 

way of producing a governor. 

But the issue of power 

rotation has now gone beyond 

PDP. It is now a Delta 

matter. My people of Delta 

Central feel it is their turn 

to produce the next governor 

of Delta State, after all 

the senatorial districts have 

produced a governor. Whatever 

PDP does, the Urhobos 

will work together to actualise 

their wishes. The APC is 

putting its house together 

and a united APC has the 

capacity to win the governorship 

of Delta State. That 

was one of the wishes of one 

of the founding fathers of 

APC in Nigeria and the arrowhead 

in Delta State, Senator 

Ewherido. The wish of the 

Urhobos is legitimate, just 

and equitable and I am in 

full support. It is a herculean 

task, but it will be accomplished. 

But Urhobos must accept 

the fact that since 1992, 

when the first governorship 

election was held, no one ethnic 

group has been allowed 

to produce candidates unchallenged. 

Other ethnic 

groups, especially Urhobo, 

have always had candidates 

contesting the governorship 

election. The next election 

will not be different. But 

unlike in the past, when 

there was divergence, the 

Gov Ifeanyi Okowa 

Urhobos are firm 

and united this time 

around that the next 

governor of Delta 

State should be an 

Urhobo; in actualising 

this, party affiliations 

will be secondary 

Urhobos are firm and united 

this time around that the next 

governor of Delta State 

should be an Urhobo. In actualising 

this, party affiliations 

will be secondary, just as 

it was for the Aniomas, if a 

non-Urhobo springs up as 

governorship candidate of the 

APC or PDP. With Okowa’s 

statement, APC is a surer bet 

for the Urhobos for now. 

Okowa is the incumbent 

governor and incumbents 

are powerful in Nigeria. He 

is also a veteran. Since 1992, 

he has won elections to become 

local government 

chairman, senator and governor. 

He has also been appointed 

commissioner twice 

and secretary to the Delta 

State Government. But something 

tells me his fiercest political 

battles are yet ahead 

because if a non-Urhobo governorship 

candidate emerges 

in PDP, the political careers of 

Ibori, Amori and some other 

PDP gladiators of Urhobo extraction 

will be horribly dented; 

only redeemable if they 

team up with other Urhobos 

on another political platform 

to produce the governor. 

The Urhobo surely need the 

support of other ethnic groups 

to produce the next governor 

of Delta State. Not producing 

the next governor is not an 

option for the Urhobos. Beyond 

political careers that will 

go down the hills, the pride of 

every Urhobo man will be 

gone, except those who have 

no pride and there are some 

of them, especially in government 

circles. But the power of 

Okugbe (unity) will see the 

Urhobos through. 

On a final note, people at 

the helm of affairs should be 

fair, just and equitable, and 

that is the minimum I expect 

from the next governor 

of Urhobo extraction in Delta 

State. 

•Ewherido, an insurance 

executive and political 

analyst, wrote 

from Lagos 

TRIBUTE 

Dapo Abiodun at 61: Come, let us 

rejoice! 

BY KAYODE AKINMADE 

TOMORROW, Prince 

Dapo Abiodun, Ogun 

State’s fifth democraticallyelected 

helmsman, clocks 

three scores plus one. It is, as 

usual since 2019 when he 

mounted the saddle, a double-tiered 

song and dance; for 

this is also the day that he 

clocks two years in office, two 

solid years of phenomenal 

feats in a Build Our Future 

Together movement. 

Many would say that the 

celebrations have been richly 

earned, but Governor Abiodun 

will let no one forget that 

being alive and in good 

health has not come by the 

arm of the flesh. It has all been 

by the grace of the Almighty 

God in whose lustre he (Abiodun) 

basks, firmly believing 

that whatever He does, He 

does so well, and that the future 

with grace at the steering 

wheel is beyond assured. 

This is not merely fortuitous, 

and the fact that Prince 

Abiodun reckons that he 

might one day become a 

preacher of the gospel is not 

even under consideration 

right now. The point is that in 

the last 61 years, he has, for 

want of a better phrase, confronted 

more than a fair share 

of baptisms of fire. From serious 

health challenges that 

almost took the wind out of 

his sails to perils on the road 

stoked by men of the underworld; 

from character assassination 

by trusted allies to 

hollow promises by friends 

intent on nothing but personal 

gain, however dishonestly 

obtained; from persecution 

by the Ogun State political 

establishment when he threw 

his hat in the ring to the purveyance 

of falsehood by opposition 

desperadoes when, 

eventually, he made it after a 

decade of trials ... the Iperuborn 

Prince, business mogul 

and consummate administrator 

has seen it all. 

From 1998 when he got 

elected to a senatorial position 

under the defunct United 

Nigeria Congress Party, 

UNCP and later that year 

when he introduced the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in 

Ogun State but bowed to party 

wishes and supported 

Otunba Gbenga Daniel for 

the Oke Mosan job, to 2007 

when, again, he bowed to 

party supremacy and conceded 

the Senate race, to 2011 

and 2015 when he threw his 

structures behind Senator 

Ibikunle Amosun to clinch 

the Ogun top job, Abiodun 

has faced battle after battle. 

Success has not come on a 

silver platter: it has been a 

case of par adua ad astra, 

“through difficulties to the 

stars,” as the Royal Air Force 

proclaims in pursuit of triumph. 

And so, praises and 

adorations to the Lord of all 

will occupy the most substantial 

portions of today as Abiodun 

exults in the joy of The 

Lord. 

Proverbs are the horse on 

which words ride in the land 

of Oduduwa, and if a word is 

lost, it is with proverbs that it 

is retrieved: character, say the 

Yoruba, is beauty. And on this 

point hangs the first aspect 

of the personality of Governor 

Abiodun that deserves 

ample mention. Governor 

Abiodun is, to say the least, a 

man of character; an Omoluabi, 

in the full Yoruba conceptualisation 

of the term. 

Entrusted with power, he has 

not gone haywire, as is the 

wont of many in this clime. 

Gov Dapo Abiodun 

He does not rail at elders in 

the name of political braggadocio; 

he does not use dirty 

and uncouth language even 

when justly aggrieved; he has 

not used the instrumentality 

of state power to constitute 

himself into a glorified lout. 

He exudes refinement, and 

refinement is a critical need 

of every society’s leadership. 

Abiodun is not without his 

own fair share of human foibles. 

But when leaders come 

on the scene in this clime, 

with the value of self-effacement, 

of discipline, of selfdenial 

and of comportment, 

they deserve applause. The 

nation teems with brilliant 

rogues in the corridors of 

power but Abiodun presents 

a difference we must embrace 

if we want true 

progress. In choosing not to 

habitually pick quarrels with 

Governor Abiodun 

is, to say the least, a 

man of character; an 

Omoluabi, in the full 

Yoruba conceptualisation 

of the term; 

he exudes refinement, 

and refinement 

is a critical 

need of every society’s 

leadership 

people or be drawn into the 

murky waters in which political 

charlatans swim every 

day, Abiodun is not being a 

coward: he is being a man of 

character. Character is beauty, 

and as the timeless poet 

John Keats writes in his epochal 

poem, Ode on a Grecian 

Urn: “Beauty is truth, 

truth beauty—that is all ye 

know on earth, and all ye need 

to know.” 

Many in political circles 

thought that immediately 

upon assuming office, Abiodun 

would root out the over 

1000 workers clandestinely 

and improperly thrust on the 

state’s wage bill in the twilight 

of the Ibikunle Amosun 

administration. But their 

qualms proved to be of no 

movement: the governor 

chose to regularise their appointments, 

together with 

those of a slew of permanent 

secretaries. That was a political 

sermon without sophistry: 

politics must be without 

bitterness. 

Enthralled by his open embrace 

of all, high-profile politicians 

in the opposition 

have cast their lot for Abiodun. 

The roll call includes a 

two-time governor of the 

state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel 

and a former Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, 

Right Honourable Dimeji 

Bankole; Alhaja Salmot Badru, 

a former deputy gover- 

nor of the state, and Prince 

Gboyega Isiaka, candidate 

of the African Democratic 

Congress, ADC, and a main 

challenger during the 2019 

governorship election. The 

list also includes Apostle 

Dave Salako, a two-time 

member of the House of Representatives; 

Elder Joju Fadairo, 

former State Chairman 

of the PDP; and Chief 

Pegba Otemolu, former State 

Secretary of PDP, among others. 

Unlike some, Dapo Abiodun 

did not come into office 

as a career politician. He was 

already established in the oil 

and gas and security world 

before he toed the path of 

partisan politicking. As many 

would no doubt recall, it was 

to him that the Lagos State 

military government turned 

in the early '90s when the state 

was under the siege of robbers, 

especially from the 

neighbouring countries. He 

developed a car-tracking 

mechanism that saved lives, 

and the Rapid Response 

Squad of the state comprising 

mobile policemen was 

placed under his control. 

And since being sworn-in as 

the fifth democratically elected 

governor of Ogun State on 

May 29, 2019, he has left no 

one in doubt about his administration’s 

interest and 

focus on the information super 

highway, launching the 

Ogun TechHUB described 

as an innovation hub that 

provides ideal conditions for 

entrepreneurs to collaborate, 

flourish and accelerate the 

growth of their businesses, 

the Ogun Technopreneurship 

Programme, OTP, which has 

the crucial objective of nurturing 

high quality ideas in 

various industries to become 

tech-start-ups and Tech- 

SMEs, and the Ogun Innovate 

Start-up meant to empower 

people in the state with 

essential skills needed to succeed 

in business, to create opportunities 

for entrepreneurs 

and to empower the unemployed. 

It is a fitting tribute to his 

genius that the ICT industry 

accounts for more than 21 

per cent of Ogun State’s GDP 

while providing countless job 

opportunities for the growing 

educated and creative citizenry. 

The witness of Vice 

President Yemi Osinbajo is 

apposite here: “Bridging the 

digital divide in the state will 

begin to improve education 

outcomes and provide opportunities 

for improved access 

to education across the state 

starting from primary to the 

tertiary level. The digital revolution 

that this project will 

bring will be a game-changer 

in every aspect not the socio-economic 

life of the 

state.” 

Excellence is inevitable in 

Ogun at this moment, and 

going forward. The event, the 

operatives of the security outfit 

had been carefully selected 

and trained to secure lives 

and property, while the state 

government has provided the 

outfit with vehicles, motorcycles, 

communication gadgets, 

technical back-ups and 

the political will for an effective 

take-off and efficient operation. 

Continues online: 

www.vanguardngr.com 

•Akinmade, former Commissioner 

of Information in 

Ondo State, wrote via: 

kayodeakinmade809@gmail.com



COVID-19 stories by children 

IT all seems like memories 

from a distant past. But 

it’s not. This time last year 

we were in a lockdown. The 

world was under the monstrous 

grip of the coronavirus. 

Rumours and speculations 

about the origin and 

nature of this invincible foe 

were rife, leaving data and 

science in the dust. Fear 

ruled the world. 

The situation in Europe, 

especially in Italy and 

Spain, was particularly 

dire as the virus overwhelmed 

their sophisticated 

medical systems. While 

researchers and scientists 

struggled to crack the 

pathogen, dead bodies 

that could not be accommodated 

in morgues began 

to spill onto church 

pews and public places. 

It was like a horror movie 

too deranged to script. 

In Nigeria, things unfolded 

slowly. It was difficult 

to believe that the roundthe-clock 

horror TV stories 

were real. Then, it began 

to unfold. 

Within two months of Nigeria 

recording the index 

victim, any lingering 

doubts that the virus had 

not come to play were settled 

when Abba Kyari, the 

President’s chief of staff, 

died from COVID-19 related 

complications. Today, 

over 2,000 deaths have 

been recorded, out of 

166,000 reported – frankly 

under-reported – infections. 

At first, the reports 

were statistics, then they 

became names, and not 

too long afterwards, faces 

of people we know. 

Over-said? 

In a gloomy forecast released 

in April 2020, the 

Economic Commission for 

Africa, ECA, said between 

300,000 and 3.3million 

Africans may die from coronavirus, 

under different scenarios. 

For a continent already 

beset by poverty and 

a host of deadly diseases, 

Corona could only compound 

our misery. 

It turned out that ECA 

overstated its case. There’s 

no doubt, however, that 

the virus has made things 

worse in many ways. Not 

only in terms of the millions 

of lives lost or livelihoods 

ruined, but also in 

terms of the impact that 

the virus has had on children, 

who are among the 

most vulnerable. 

Adults have obviously 

been the most impacted, 

because of the nature of the 

virus. But for almost every 

adult affected, a child has 

been at the receiving end 

of the grief. 

For every parent that 

died, a child has been bereaved. 

For every teacher 

that died, a child has lost a 

shining light. And for every 

school that was closed 

during lockdown, millions 

of children in poor countries 

without access to the 

internet were left farther 

behind. 

Impacted 

Children have suffered in 

a way they only know and 

can tell. According to data 

by the South African Journal 

of Science in July-August 

2020, 173 million 

schools in 156 countries 

were impacted by lockdowns. 

That’s not all. The toll in 

well-being has just been as 

devastating. In Nigeria, for 

example, babies born at 

the height of the pandemic 

could not receive their 

normal postnatal vaccinations, 

exposing them to 

avoidable childhood diseases 

that could affect 

them later on in life. 

Resources that could 

have been deployed in 

childcare and support 

were diverted to emergency 

use to save an adult 

population imprisoned by 

fear, hesitancy, politics 

and useless conspiracy 

theories. 

And children bear the 

brunt. According to the 

United Nations Children’s 

Fund, UNICEF: “The global 

socio-economic crisis 

caused by the pandemic 

could push 142 million 

more children into financially 

poor households in 

developing countries.” 

UNICEF estimates that 

the total number of children 

living in poverty 

worldwide could reach 

725 million or nearly the 

entire population of Africa 

very soon. 

We’re still counting the 

costs. An NGO, the Global 

Partnership for Education, 

reported in March, 

that Nigeria’s perennially 

underfunded education 

budget took a further cut 

last year from N568 billion 

(about $1.5 billion) to N509 

billion (roughly $1.34 billion). 

That is about a 10.4 

percent cut. 

When you add the learning 

crisis and other threats 

to child survival and health 

to the mix, you’ll understand 

why for some children, 

the impact of the 

pandemic may be lifelong. 

But we don’t even know 

their stories. Or maybe we 

think we do since the adult 

population makes a virtue 

of chewing the microphone, 

even when children 

are involved. 

Special tribute 

To mark this year’s Children’s 

Day, which is May 

27, LEADERSHIP invited 

children from five secondary 

schools in Abuja to 

produce a special newspaper, 

headlined: “My COV- 

ID-19 experience.” 

Here’s how a few of the 

children told their own 

stories, in their own words: 

‘An unexpected blow’ 

Eriken Esther Chinaza 

SS 2D, GSS, Area 10, Garki 

COVID-19 struck the 

world unexpectedly. Because 

of the lockdown, 

many people did not have 

access to food. There was 

high rate of crimes, such as 

kidnapping and rape. Government 

introduced online 

learning but access was limited. 

Even for those with 

handsets, network was a 

problem. Also, not everyone 

had the money to buy data. 

But those of us whose parents 

work 24 hours a day 

were happy that we got to 

see them. 

‘At some point, I got 

tired of even family’ 

Purity Nnodim 

SASCON International 

School, Maitama 

I smile when I remember 

the day I was sent home 

Today, the Nigerian 

child faces a double 

whammy of the 

lingering fallouts of 

Corona and the 

predations of a 

country broken by 

violence on the 

watch of an incompetent 

leadership; 

yet, the memories 

shared in these 

stories carry in them 

the seeds that could 

reinvent our country! 

from school because my elder 

brother had caught 

chicken pox. My teacher 

presumed that I might have 

contracted the infection 

from him. I was hurt because 

I missed a lot. Little 

did I know that, in a few 

years, I would be sent 

home for nearly six months, 

all in the name of a tiny but 

mighty virus called Corona! 

I missed talking and 

laughing with my friends 

face-to-face. Our chats had 

no life attached to them. At 

some point, I even got tired 

of my family. Since we were 

all at home and saw each 

other’s faces every day, it 

didn’t surprise me that we 

soon got bored of ourselves 

and turned that boredom 

into anger and arguments. 

My brother and I quarrelled 

about anything and 

everything, including the 

TV remote control? The 

only thing that kept me 

sane was social media. 

‘I started 

writing novels’ 

OnovoChidimmaThehilah 

SS 1G, GSS, Wuse Zone 

3 

All I did for the first few 

weeks was to eat, sleep and 

gain weight. After a while, 

I realised that this whole 

lockdown was actually supposed 

to “benefit” me. So, 

later, I started writing novels. 

I engaged in online lessons 

from my school to 

help me prepare more. 

Things were tough for 

some people, but we had 

enough to eat and drink. 

How could I forget? There 

were times I was so bored; 

my sisters would ask me: 

‘Are you not feeling bored?’ 

I cured my boredom by 

reading and writing, 

watching TV and sleeping. 

One day, I thought that this 

was an opportunity for me 

to make myself more useful 

to myself, my neighbours 

and my parents. And 

I did. 

‘Lockdown affected my 

family financially’ 

Adebisi Mubeenah 

Adeola 

SS 1B, GSS, Lugbe 

The lockdown affected my 

family financially. My father 

is a transport operator. 

Inter-state travel was 

stopped, and he could not 

work again. My mother, 

who is a trader, could no 

longer go out to sell her 

goods. But, fortunately for 

us, help came from family 

members. 

‘Our meals went from 1- 

1-1 To 1-0-1’ 

Vivian Ojo-Ache 

SS 1G, GSS, Lugbe 

Mum made garri (staple 

from cassava) in many 

ways: sometimes we 

soaked it with sugar and 

groundnut; at other times, 

she made eba, and so on. 

I did not expect “Phase 3” 

of the lockdown, but it 

came. It was announced on 

June 30, 2020. This phase 

was expected to last four 

weeks from Tuesday, June 

30, to July 27, 2020. Four 

more weeks with no school, 

no friends, more carbohydrates! 

It wasn’t funny! 

‘Young girls of my age 

were getting pregnant’ 

Idris Zuwaira 

Anointed Secondary 

School, Mpape 

Every day, I prayed that 

one day the sun would rise 

and schools would be reopened. 

This was because 

the situation was going from 

bad to worse with each 

passing day. Young girls 

my age were getting pregnant. 

My parents were 

worried and fearful of contracting 

COVID-19 or getting 

arrested for violating 

the health guidelines. We 

were left to fate. I cried endlessly, 

remembering how 

much my parents used to 

take care of us when there 

was money and freedom to 

move around. I can’t forget. 

How can? 

Today, the Nigerian 

child faces a double whammy 

of the lingering fallouts 

of Corona and the predations 

of a country broken 

by violence on the watch 

of an incompetent leadership. 

Yet, the memories 

shared in these stories carry 

in them the seeds that 

could reinvent our country! 


Farming: Delta flags off 2020/2021 

YAGEP orientation workshop 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—DELTA State Job 

and Wealth Creation 

Bureau, has flagged off the 2020/ 

2021 Youth Agricultural 

Entrepreneurs Programme, 

YAGEP, circle with orientation 

workshop for 158 crop farmers. 

Addressing the beneficiaries, 

the Chief Job and Wealth 

Creation Officer of the State, 

Prof Eric Eboh, Tuesday, said 

YAGEP was aimed at creating 

jobs and wealth by training, 

establishing and supporting 

youths to become agricultural 

entrepreneurs who would be 

gainfully self-employed and 

employers of labour. 

He explained that the 

Orientation and Farm 

Enterprise Training, OFET was 

organized to enroll and 

familiarize the beneficiaries with 

the principles and methods of 

YAGEP with special reference 

to key management topics and 

issues such as critical success 

factors in farm enterprise 

management, farm records and 

accounts, managing risks and 

uncertainties in agricultural 

production and agricultural 

insurance by Nigerian 

Agricultural Insurance 

Corporation. 

While listing the categories of 

YAGEP as Green YAGEP and 

Brown YAGEP, he said Green 

YAGEP were youths who are 

freshers in agricultural enterprises 

but required training in a chosen 

agricultural skill followed with 

provision of facilities, materials and 

financial support to start-up and 

run an agricultural enterprise. 

According to him, Brown 

YAGEP are youths who already 

had agricultural skills and own 

agricultural enterprises but 

needed refresher training in 

practical and managerial skills 

plus support packages to grow and 

sustain their existing enterprises. 

Disclosing that YAGEP has run 

five successful cycles with a total 

of number of 1,174 beneficiaries 

who were trained, established 

and supported in various 

agricultural enterprises including 

poultry, crop production, piggery, 

fish production, agro-processing 

and agribusiness, from 2015 to 

2020, he said YAGEP was in its 

sixth cycle. 

Eboh said 400 beneficiaries 

would be enrolled in Fish 

Production, Poultry, Piggery and 

Crop Production out of which only 

158 of them in Crop Production 

were present for the first batch of 

OFET. 

Lawyer urges thorough investigation 

over rape of 14-year-old 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

BENIN CITY—A Benin 

based lawyer, Olayiwola 

Afolabi has called on the Delta 

state government to ensure 

thorough investigation and 

prosecution of all those involved 

in a rape incident involving a14 

year old (name witheld) which 

took place in Ogboli, Aniocha 

North local government area of 

Delta state. 

A letter addressed to Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa which copy was 

also sent to the Permanent 

Secretary, Ministry of Justice, 

Delta state and some media 

outfits including Vanguard, 

Afolabi said the alleged rape has 

created damage and possible 

lifelong injury in the life of the girl 

and that not taking prompt action 

against the alleged perpetrators 

Odebala congratulates Orodje of 

Okpe as TROMOCON chairman 

By Paul Olayemi 

SAPELE—TWO time Delta 

state House of Assembly 

member and Chairman of Delta 

State Rural Water Supply and 

Sanitation Agency(RUWASSA) 

Ejaife Omizu Odebala has 

congratulated the Orodje of 

Okpe kingdom, Major General 

Mujakpuero on his emergence 

as chairman of the chairman of 

traditional rulers of oil mineral 

producing community of 

Nigeria, TROMPCON. 

In a statement, through his 

Media aide, Isiakpere Hope 

Jasper in Sapele yesterday, the 

former commissioner 

representing Okpe, Sapele, and 

Ethiope West in the board of 

the Delta State Oil Producing 

Areas Commission, 

DESOPADEC,said that the 

sacrifices of the retired Major 

General in ensuring peace and 

progress of the nation, 

especially his commitment at 

assignments,has been 

outstanding. 

He thanked the traditional 

rulers of the various oil 

communities for putting faith in 

the Monarch, adding that it was 

an elevated responsibility given 

could lead to delay in justice. 

He said: “Sir, we are reliably 

informed that the girl, who is a 

student in SS 3 with high hopes, 

sustained a second degree perineal 

tear, with her hymen jaggedly torn 

as a result of this sordid act carried 

out on her “ 

He said “this barbaric act, to our 

utmost surprise and 

consternation” was allegedly 

masterminded by the victim’s 

neigbhour who he alleged is a 

known cultist on ground that the 

victim was allegedly having an 

amorous relationship with his 

father. 

“Sir, we therefore appeal to you 

to use your good office to make 

sure the aforementioned 

miscreants are swiftly brought to 

justice, and face the wrath of law 

for the injustices they meted out 

to the victim” 

to a deserving Royal father. 

According to him, the Orodje 

has the requisite experience for 

this new position having served 

in various capacities in the Nigeria 

Army and rising to the post of a 

GOC, "he is a bridge builder, a 

man of peace and integrity whose 

leadership had been very 

beneficial to the kingdom and 

humanity. 

As a custodian of culture and 

tradition, the Orodje has played 

significant roles in the promotion 

of harmony, socio-cultural 

cooperation, communal living and 

peaceful co-existence among the 

Urhobo and other ethnic groups 

in the state,” 

"He has also made Okpe 

kingdom peaceful and investorfriendly 

since he ascended the 

ancient throne. On behalf of my 

family, I warmly felicitate with 

HRM Maj.-Gen. Felix 

Mujakperuo (Rtd.), CFR, Orhue 

I, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, 

on his emergence as 

TROMPCON chairman. 

“I join the people of Okpe 

Kingdom in celebrating the new 

TROMPCON chairman, may 

God continue to bless the king 

with good health, wisdom and 

strength to continue his reign in 

the Kingdom.


EGWUATU 

OJI 

IKEH 

I, formerly known as Egwuatu I, formerly known as Mrs Oji I, formerly known as Miss Ikeh 

Sopulu Goodness and Egwuatu Daniel Ogechi Ngoma, now Esther Onyinyechi, now wish 

Sopuluchi Goodness, now wish to wish to be known as Miss to be known as Emejuiwe 

be known as Amaechioranugo Chinwendu Ogechi Ngoma. All 

Kenneth Esther Onyinyechi. 

Sopuluchi Goodness. All former former documents remain 

All former documents remain 

documents remain valid. Banks and valid. General public take 

valid. General public take note. 

general public take note 

note. 

OKEKE OB 

I, formerly known as Miss 

OKOYE 

I, formerly known as Okoye 

TONY 

I, formerly known as Buoro 

Okeke Chioma Mary, now Samuel Ifeanyi, now wish to Olayemi Tony, now wish to be 

wish to be known as Mrs. 

be known as Obinna Samuel known as Thomas Buoro 

Ikechukwu Chioma Mary. All 

nIfeanyi. All former Olayemi Anthony. All former 

former documents remain 

documents remain valid. documents remain valid. 

valid. General public take 

note. 

General public take note. General public take note. 

AKINMBONI 

ODIEGWU 

ADJEH 

I, formerly known I, formerly known as Mr. Cyril I, formerly known as Adjeh 

as Akinmboni Olasunbo Obinna Odiegwu, now wish to Blessing Eseoghene, now wish 

Mobisola, now wish to be 

be known as Mr. Cyril Obinna to be known as Agboola Janet 

known as Bakare Olasunbo 

Nwokedi. All former Eseoghene. All former 

Mobisola. All former 

documents remain valid. 

documents remain valid. documents remain valid. 

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

OKOEDO OSHIOMAGBE OSSAI 

I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss Ossai 

Okoedo Dorcas Betty, now Oshiomagbe Justina Obioma, Losechukwu, now wish to be 

wish to be known as Mrs. now wish to be known as Mrs 

known as Mrs Larry 

Anibolu Dorcas Betty. All Onyegbunwa Obioma Justina. 

former documents remain All former documents remain 

Losechukwu. All former 

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

note. 

note. 

General public take note. 

ONYEANU 

AMUCHE 

SUNDAY 

I, formerly known as Miss Olivia I, formerly known as Miss. This is to notify the general public that 

Egonna Onyeanu, now wish to be 

Sunday Bose Kenekpoeye, Obudu Bose 

Amuche Evelyn Sunday, now Ken, Polokeduo Deme Bose Sunday or 

known as Mrs. Thompson Olivia 

wish to be known as Miss. Sunday Polokeduo Ebimobowei Deme 

Chibuzo. All former documents 

Bose Kenekpoeye is one and the same 

remain valid. Eslobose Integrated Amuche Evelyn Opoke. All person now wish to be known as Sunday 

Bose Kenekpoeye. All former documents 

Services Limited and general public former documents remain 

remain vaild. And any authority it may 

please take note. 

valid. General public take note. concern and the general public take note. 

OKE 

I, formerly known and addressed as 

Miss. Oke Ruth Olanike, now wish 

to be known and addressed as Mrs. 

Adeyeni Ruth Olanike. All former 

documents remain valid. The general 

public should please take note. 

EGUONO 


Eguono Oba Edehwosa, now 


Eguono Ighofovwe. All former 


General public please take 

note. 

FALOYE 


Miss Faloye Helen Motunrayo, now 

wish to be known and addressed as 

Mrs. Abodunrin Helen Motunrayo. 

All former documents remain valid. 

General public please take note. 

ELOKE 

This is to confirm that the names 

Eloke Franklin Ikenna and Eloke- 

Iteh Franklin Ikenna refer to one and 

same person. I now wish to be 

known and addressed as Eloke-Iteh 

Franklin Ikenna. All former 

documents remain valid. General 

public please take note. 

ACHORU 

I, formerly known as Achoru 

Emmanuela Oluchi, now wish to be 

known as Ekwunife Emmanuela 

Oluchi. All documents bearing my 

former name remains valid. General 

public, banks and concern 

authorities to please take note. 

NWALI 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as Nwali Titus 

Theophilus, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Okohu 

Titus Ogbonna Theophilus. All 


valid. General public please 

take note. 

EGBE 

NDIDI 


addressed as Ndidi Unity, now 

wish to be known and addressed 

as Ben Unity. All former 



note. 

EKPE 

FESTUS OD 

NDUKA BENTLEN AMI 


addressed as Mr. Godstime 

Onyeloni Bentlen, now wish to 

be known as Mr. Bentley 

Godstime Patrick. All former 

documents remain valid. The 

general public should please 

take note. 

OKOJIE 

OYELAMI 

BEN-UDI 


Miss. Delight Uchechukwu Nduka, 

now wish to be known and 

addressed as Mrs. Delight 

Uchechukwu Chikwendu. All former 




ANTHONIA ODION OKOJIE, now 


ANTHONIA ODION EGBO. All 

former documents remain valid. 



Egbe Nathaniel, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Egbe 

Oghenevwoke Nathaniel. All former 



OMOJIADE 


Omojiade Segun Benjamin, now 


Elimisiemon Omojiade Benjamin. All 



I, Adenike Abiodun Oyelami, 

formerly known as Adenike 

Abiodun Adeyinka, now wish to be 

addressed as Mrs. Adenike Abiodun 

Oyelami. This is required for record 

and offical purposes. All former 




Ekpe Joy Oteri, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Ekpe-Paul 

Joy. All former documents remain 

valid. General public please take 

note. 

CHRISTOPHER 


Favour Osedonor Christopher and 

Christopher Favour, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Ikheloa 

Favour. All former documents remain 

valid. General public please take 

note. 

CLARK 

This is to inform the public 

that I, Clark Ernest and my wife 

Henry Dorcas wedded on 19th 

February 2021. All documents 

remain valid. General public 

take note. 

OGBU 

I, formerly known as Ogbu 

Jessica Chinemerem, now 

wish to be known as Walvag 

Kolfinn Jessica. All former 



AKINDE OD 


Akinde Toluwalope Mary, now 


as Mrs. Adeniyi Toluwalope 

Mary. All former documents 


take note 

This is to confirm that Mrs Evelyn 

Chukwuemeke Festus and Mrs 

Evelyn Festus is one and the same 

person I now wish to be called and 

address as Mrs Evelyn Festus all 

former documents remain valid 

general public please take note. 

OKOCHA 

I, formerly known as Miss Okocha 

Chizoba Gladys, now wish to be 

known as Mrs Ogbare Chizoba 

Gladys. All former documents remain 

vaild. And any authority it may 

concern and the general public take 

note. 


Miss. AMI Adebanke Christianah, 


addressed as Mrs. AREMU 

Adebanke Christianah. All former 




Miss Fidelia Oghenefogho Ben- 

Udi, now wish to be known and 

addressed as Mrs. Fidelia 

Oghenefogho Femi-Adedoyin. All 



ETUMUSE 


addressed as Etumuse Nneka, 


addressed as Iyeke Nneka 

Nancy. All former documents 



OGUN 


Miss Bridget Ogheneakpobor 

Ogun, now wish to be known and 

addressed as Mrs Bridget 

Ogheneakpobor Great. All former 



MONE 


Mone Misan, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Mone 

Orighomisan. All former documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 

POPOOLA 

I, formerly known as Esther 

Okiemute Popoola, now wish 

to be known as Esther 

Okiemute Savage. All former 



OCHEMBA 

BRIGHT 

OWOLABI 

KOKU 

I hereby confirm that the 

name Koku Joseph Lucky and 

Joseph Lucky refer to me. I 

now wish to be known as Koku 

Joseph Lucky. All former 



NWOSU OKAFOR 

We, formerly known as OKAFOR, now wish to be known 

as EJINKEONYE as follows: Ejinkeonye Joseph Chukwudi, 

Ejinkeonye Chioma Angelina, Ejinkeonye Victor Obumneme, 

Ejinkeonye John-Paul Chukwudalu, Ejinkeonye Charles 

Onyedikachukwu, and Ejinkeonye Favour Ebube. All former 

documents remain valid. General public take note. 

UTI 

BAKARE 

I, formerly known as Yvonne I, formerly known as 

Nneamaka Uti, now wish to Rosemary Omorovbiye 

be known as Yvonne Bakare, now wish to be known 

Nneamaka Ohwavworhua. All and addressed as Rosemary 

former documents remain Omorovbiye Tolu-Ajibulu. All 

valid. General public take former documents remain 

note. 

valid. General public take note 

AKPAN 

OBAROAKPO 

This is to confirm that I, formerly known as Miss 

Samuella Nsini Akpan and 

Mkpang Samuella Boco refer 

Obaroakpo Oghenerukevwe Hope, 

to me. I now wish to be known now wish to be known as Mrs. 

as Mkpang Samuella Boco. All Monday Oghenerukevwe Hope. All 


valid. General public take 


note. 


OZOIKE 

OYEWOLE 

I, formerly known as Ozoike I, formerly known and 

Madunaku Jonah, now wish to be addressed as Garuba Oyewole, 

known as Gab-Ozoike Madunaku now wish to be known and 

Jonah. All former documents remain addressed as Garuba Oyewole 

vaild. And any authority it may Iluyomade. Former documents 

concern and the general public take remain valid. General public 

take note. 

note. 


Miss. OCHEMBA Stellamaris 

Tochukwu, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Mrs. ORONSAYE 

Stellamaris Tochukwu. All former 

documents remain Valid. The general 



Miss Unwana Akpan Fabian Bright, 


addressed as Mrs. Emmanuel Bright 

Unwana. All former documents 

remain valid. General public please 

take note. 


Olatunbosun Aremu Owolabi and 

Bosere Azeez Owolabi refer to one 

and same person. I now wish to be 

known and addressed as Bosere 

Azeez Owolabi. All former 



LUKE-ADO 


MISS, LUKE-ADO BOLOU- 

AREKEMEFA. Now wish to be 

known and Addressed as MRS, 

AJAKA BOLOU-AREKEMEFA. 

All former documents remain valid 


NJOKU 

I, formerly known as Miss Chiamaka 

Queeneth Njoku, now wish to be 

known as Mrs Chiamaka Queeneth 

Ekwujuru. All former documents 

remain valid. General Public please 

take note. 

MICHAEL 

I, formerly known as Michael 

Believe, now wish to be known 

as Where Michael 

Awerosuoghene. All former 



note. 

GEORGE 


Miss George Oki Iringi, now wish 

to be known and addressed as Mrs. 

Ifeanyi-Ngonadi Oki Iringi. All 



EDEVBIE 


Edevbie Ruth Enoseje and Edevbie 

Annabel Ruth refer to one and same 

person. I now wish to be known and 

addressed as Edevbie Annabel Ruth. 



OGBEMI 


OGBEMI AJORITSEDEBI, now 


MRS UKUEKU AJORITSEDEBI. 



EZEDOM EBOH 


Marian Oghenedoro Eboh, 

now wish to be known as Mrs 

Marian Oghenedoro Ogaga. All 


valid. General Public please 

take note.


EHANIRE 

I, formerly known as Miss EHANIRE 

SWEET BLESSING, now wishe to 

be known and addressed as Mrs. 

SWEET EHANIRE ABUSU. All 

former document remain valid. 

General public please take. 

AGHOGHO FESTUS 

I, formerly known as MISS 

ANIGBORO AGHOGHO, now 


MRS DUKUYE BLESSING 

AGHOGHO. All former documents 

remain valid any authority it may 

concern and general public to take 

note. 

EBOJOH 


EBOJOH ESE JUSTINA now 


OKOTTOH ESE JUSTINA. 



take note. 

OBARO 

I, formerly known as MISS HANNAH 

OGHOGHO OBARO, now wish to 

be known as MRS HANNAH 

OGHOGHO OMINIGBO. All former 



ATTAH 


ATTAH DORCAS ENECHOJO, now wish 

to be known and addressed as 

ADEGBOHUN DORCAS ENECHOJO. 

All documents bearing my former name 

remain valid. General public and 

Authorities concerned should please take 

note. 

ARINZE 

I, formerly known as Mss 

Martina Arinze, now wish to 

be known as, Mrs Martina 

Arayi. All former documents 

remain valid. Generally public 


NWUZU 

I formerly known addressed as 

MISS NWUZU IFEOMA 

GERTRUDE, now wish to be 

known and addressed as MRS 

LUCKY IFEOMA GERTRUDE. 

All former document remain valid 


FESTUS ALO 

I, formerly known and addressed 

as Miss Alo, Precious Oluchukwu 


addressed as Mrs Uchenna, 

Precious Oluchukwu. All former 


public should take note. 

OKORO 

I, formerly known as Chisara 

Okoro, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Chisara 

Chilaka. All former documents 


take note. 

HAJARA 

l, formerly known as Hajara 

Bilya, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Halima 

Zubairu. All former documents 



AMINA 

I, formerly known and called as 

USMAN AMINA OHUNENE. (In 

my BVN, AMINA was wrongly 

written as AMINATU). Now wish 

to be known and called as SALAWU 

AMINA OHUNENE. Former 

documents remain valid. Authority 

concern and general public to take 

note. 

ODAFE 


Odafe Florence, now wish to 

be known and addressed as Mrs 

Mughelli Florence. All former 

document remain valid. 


note. 

ANIGBORO 

I, formerly known as MISS 

ANIGBORO EMUOBOSA, now 


MRS ENAHORO EMUOBOSA. All 

former documents remain valid, any 

authority it may concern and general 

public to take note. 

OLOKUN 


Olokun Oghenenyore Helen, 

now wish to be known as Mrs. 

Adeda Helen Oghenenyore. All 

former documents remains 


take note. 

MOWOE 

I, formerly known as Mowoe 

Stella Aigbe Abel or Uduaesi- 

Mowoe Stella, now wish to be 

known as Mowoe Uduaesi 

Stella. All former documents 



OMOYE 

I, formerly known as 

EHIGUESE CELINA 

OMOYE, now wish to be 

known as OSAYI CELINA. All 



take note. 

ONOFUA 

I, formerly known as Miss ONOFUA 

MERCY EBOSETALE OTOHAN I now 

now wish to be know and addressed as 

MRS, AGUELE GODWIN INNOCENT 

MERCY EBOSETALE OTOHAN. All 


Generally public please take note. 

IYERE 

I formerly known addressed as 

MISS GLORIA OTIBHOR 

IHONRE IYERE, now wish to 

be known and addressed as MRS 

GLORIA OTIBHOR OPITI. All 

former document remain valid 


OCHONOGOR 

I,formerly known and addressed as 

Miss Joy Ogechi Ochonogor now 


Mrs Joy Ogechi Ihe. All former 


public take note. 

CHINEDU 

I formerly known and addressed as 

CHINEDU EMMANUEL 

UGOCHUKWU now wish to be 

known and addressed as ONYIKE 

EMMANUEL UGOCHUKWU All 

former document remains valid. 

The general public should please 

take note. 

ADERONKE 


ABDULRAHEEM ZAYNAB 

ADERONKE, now wish to be 

known and addressed as LAWAL 

ABDULRAHEEM ZAYNAB. All 

former documents remain valid. All 

authorities concerned and the 

general public to please take note. 

ANURIKA 


as, MISS. ODIKAESIEME 

GRACE ANURIKA, now wish to 

be known and addressed as, MRS. 

ANDREW-UBAKWEM GRACE 

ANURIKA. All former documents 

remain valid. General public should 

take note. 

CHANGE OF NAME 

MOJO 

I, formerly known as Lucky 

Lucky James MOJO, now wish 


Aliku Lucky James. All 

former document remain 


take note. 

PANAMA 

I, formerly known as MISS PANAMA 

BLESSING OGHENEMURHOKO now 

wish to be known and addressed as MRS 

ADDY DICKSON BLESSING 

OGHENEMURHOKO. All former 

documents remain valid any authority it 

may concern and general public to take 

note. 

ADELABU 

I, formerly known as Miss. Adelabu 

Rosemary now wish to be known and 

addressed as Mrs. Rosemary Dickson 

Okotete. All former documents remain 

valid, any authority it may concern and 

the general public to take note. 

OLAWALE 

We, formerly known as Hammed Olawale Maymunah Abolore , 

Hammed Olawale Mujeebullah Akolawole, Hammed Olawale 

Mazeedah. Abolatito, and Hammed Olawale Mujeebah 

Adefunmilayo, now wish to be known as Hammed Maymunah 

Abolore, Hammed Mujeebullah. Akolawole, Hammed Mazeedah. 

Abolatito and Hammed Mujeebah. Adefunmilayo. All former documents 

remain valid. General public please take note. 

ONAIFO 

I, formerly known as ONAIFO 

Precious Jefferson, now wish 

to be known as ONAIFO 

Erhunmwunse. All former 



note. 

GABRIEL 

I, formerly known as GABRIEL 

AGHOGI, now wish to be known as, 

GABRIEL OGBOI. All former 

documents remain valid. Generally 


OKEROGHENA 

I, formerly known as Achoja Gift 

Okeroghena, now wish to be known 

as Achoja Okeroghene Gift. All 



ILEBOH 


Miss ILEBOH NJIDEKA 

ROSEMARY Now wish to be 

known and addressed as Mrs 

OKOLI ROSEMARY NJIDEKA. 


General and authority concerned 


KEMI 

I formerly addressed as AWOPETU 

KEMI VERONICA, now wish to be 

known and addressed as AWOPETU 

OLUWAKEMISOLA VERONICA. 


First bank and the general public, 


ADEDEJI 

I, formerly known as Adebayo Taiwo 

Adedeji, now wish to be known and 

addressed as Adebayo Taiwo 

Abiodun. All former documents 

remain valid general. General public 


ANGELA 


as Miss Okeke Angela 

Nkonyelum now wish to be 

known and addressed as Mrs. 

Epunah Angela Nkonyelum. 

Former documents remain 


OMOKO 


Omoko Sandra Emuobor, now 


as Mrs Abu Sandra Emuobor. 

All former document remain 


take note. 

OLALEKAN 

I, formerly known as Olalekan 

Olamide Sukurat, now wish to 

be known and addressed as 

Sulaiman Olamide Sukurat. All 



take note. 

OBIORAH 

I, formerly known, called and 

addressed as MISS. OBIORAH 

FAVOUR OGECHUKWU. Now wish 

to be known, called and addressed as 

MRS. AWAOGU FAVOUR 

OGECHUKWU. All documents 

bearing my former name remain valid. 


AKPOS 

I, formerly known as UWHOAJEGA- 

JOHNSON EMMANUEL AKPOS, 

now wish to be known as 

UWHOAJEGA-JOHNSON 

EMMANUEL AKPOGHENE. All 



SUNDAY 

I, formerly known as UNURHIERI 

EDIDJANA SUNDAY, now wish to 

be known aJESURUKEVWE 

OGHENEYOBUKOME SUNDAY. 


Generally public please take note. 

LAWAL 

I, formerly known as Omolayo 

Shola Lawal, now wish to be 

known as Omolayo Shola Afolabi. 



NWAEZE 


MARVELOUS ONYEBUCHI 

NWAEZE Now wish to be known 

and addressed as MARVELOUS 

ONYEBUCHI EDWIN. All former 

documents remain valid General 

public and authority concerned 


AYORINDE 


Miss Ayorinde Kafayat Yemi Now 


Mrs Alao Kafayat Opeyemi. All 

former documents remain valid 

General public and authority 

concerned please take note. 

BELLO 

I formerly known and called as 

LAWAL COMFORT RACHAEL. 

Now wish to be known and called 

as LAWAL BELLO COMFORT 

RACHAEL. Former documents 

remain valid. Authority concern and 

general public to take note. 

IGBOKWE 


Miss Igbokwe Goodness Ihunanya 

now wish to be known and addressed 

as Mrs. Elema Goodness Ihunanya. 

Former documents remain valid. 


ADEKALU 

I, formerly known as Adekalu 

Oluwatoyin Janet, now wish to 

be known as Onoharhigho. All 



take note. 

OMOGHENE 


Omoghene Kesiena, now wish 


Oseji-Omoghene Kesiena. All 



take note. 

BANJO 

I, former Miss Banjo Omolola 

Olawunmi hereby inform the general 

public to be addressed as Mrs 

Kehinde Omolola Olawunmi. (Nee 

Banjo). All documents bearing my 

former name remain valid. General 


ANTHONY 

I, formerly known as Mr 

lgbinomwanhia Anthony, now wish 

to be known as Mr Igbinomwanhia 

Iriemwin Anthony. All documents 

bearing my former names remain valid. 

All authorities to whom it may be 

concerned and the general public to 

please note. 

UBANI 

I, formerly known as MISS UBANI 

ONYINYECH GEORGE, now 

wish to be known as MRS ODIJIE 

ONYINYECHI GIFT. All former 



OKEKE 


MISS OKEKE NNENNA 

BERNARDINE now wish to be 

known and addressed as MRS. 

ELENDU NNENNA 

BERNARDINE. Former documents 

remain valid. General public take 

note. 

OKAFOR 


addressed as MISS OKAFOR 

KATE UGONWA now wish to 

be known and addressed as MRS 

ODILI KATE UGONWA. All 



SADIYA 


as Sadiya Aliyu Ibrahim, 


addressed as Binta Aliyu. All 



OSUWER 

I, formerly known as MISS. 

OSUWER IGBO NAOMI. 

Now wish to be known as 

MRS. OSUWER BEAUTY 

MOSES. All documents bearing 

my former name remain valid. 

The general public take note. 

FELIX 

That IROAWULA UZODIMMA in 

my First leaving Certificate, 

UZODIMMA 

FELIX 

CHRISTOPHER in my Bachelor 

Degree & NYSC Certificates and 

FELIX CHRISTOPHER 

UZODIMMA which is my full 

name, refer to one and same person. 



ONU 

I, formerly known as ONU 

GOODLUCK . Now wish to be 

known as AGENIMO 

GOODLUCK DAVID. All 

documents bearing my former 

name remain valid. The general 


OTUYA 

I, formerly known as MISS OTUYA 

BLESSING, now wish to addressed 

as MRS ISUH BLESSING 

KELICHA, all formal documents 

remains valid, banks whom it may 

concern take note. 

OKE 


MEETING OKE, now wish to be 

known and addressed as ABRAH 

ABIGAIL OKE. All former 



ABORISADE 

I, formerly known as ABORISADE 

TEMITOPE MOROMOLUWA, 


addressed as OLADELE 

TEMITOPE MOROMOLUWA, all 

former document remain valid general 

public please take note 

MURAINA 

I, formerly known as Muraina 

Mojisola Ameedat, now wish 

to be known as Jimoh Mojisola 

Ameedat. All former 



note. 

AUDU 


MARTINS AUDU AUDU. Now 

wish to be known as MARTINS 

AUDU. All documents bearing 

my former name remain valid. 

The general public take note. 

MARAKO 


addressed as MISS JESSIE 

IJEOMA MARAKO now wish 


MRS JESSIE IJEOMA 

IHEANACHO. Former 



ENRUCHI 


addressed as AGALA GLORY 

ENRUCHI, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

AGALA GLORY PAULINUS. 



PRINCE 

I formerly known as PRINCE 

EDEM SAMPSON, now wish to 

be known and addressed as 

FRANCIS EDEM SAMPSON. All 


The general public should take 

note. 

NWEZE OT 

I, formerly known as IGA 

CHINEDU. Now wish to be 

known as NWEZE 

CHINEDU IGA. All 

documents bearing my former 

name remain valid. The 

general public take note. 

IWUOHA 

That my BVN details was captured 

as NKECHIDEDE ANASTACIA 

IWUOHA, now wish to remove 

‘NKECHIDEDE’, now to be 

known as ANASTACIA IWUOHA 

which is my correct name. All 

documents bearing my former name 

remain valid. General public take 

note. 

ABUNDANCE 

I, formerly known as Tokula 

Matthew Abundance, now 

wish to be known as Tokula 

Matthew Achile. All former 

documents remain valid, 

public to please take note.


CHANGE OF 

OLUCHI 

I, formerly known as Sylvana 

Opara, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Sylvana 

Oluchi Opara. All former 



note. 

AJAYI 

I Formerly known as AJAYI 

PETER EMMANJAY Now wish 

to be called and addressed as 

PETER EMMANJAY 

ADAVIRUKU All Former 

documents remain valid Any 

Authority concern and the 

General public to please take note. 

CONFIDENCE 


IHEANACHOR CONFIDENCE 

KASARACHI. Now wish to be 

known as MRS. CONFIDENCE 

KASARACHI CHUKWUEMEKA . 

All documents bearing my former 

name remain valid. The general public 

take note. 

KPAI 

I, formerly known as MISS. 

TOSIN GRACE . Now wish 

to be known as MRS. KPAI 

GRACE . All documents 

bearing my former name 

remain valid. The general 


CHINONSO 


CHINONSO KINGSLEY 

NNADIEKWE . Now wish to be 

known as CHINONSO KINGSLEY 

SUNDAY . All documents bearing 

my former name remain valid. The 


ADAMU 


addressed as ADAMU 

MUSTAPHA, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

ADAMU MUHAMMED 

MUSTAPHA. All former 

documents remain valid. UBA 

bank plc, first bank, ATBU 

BAUCHI and general public to 

take note. 

OGABA 

I formerly known and addressed 

as Ogaba Comfort Ene, Now wish 


Ogaba Purity Ene .All former 

documents remain valid .National 

Identity management system and 

general public to take note. 

UKA 


as UKA EMMANUEL OBINNA. 

Now wish to be known and 

addressed as OBINNA 

EMMANUEL UKAH. All former 



LOUIS 

I, formerly known as NNODIM 

MICHAEL CHIZOBA . Now wish 

to be known as LOUIS MICHAEL 

CHIZOBA. All documents bearing 

my former name remain valid. The 


UGONNA 

This is to confirm that UGONNA 

JOSHUA IKPEAZU as in my BVN, 

JOSHUA UGONNA IKPEAZU as 

in my Bank account and 

IKPEAZU UGONNA JOSHUA as 

in my NIMC Slip refers to one and 

same person. All documents 

bearing my former name remain 


SPACE 

FOR SALE 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 

GIWA Gas unveils Petro-chemicals, fertilizer factory in Liberty 

Free Trade Zone 

TGOVERNMENT'S 

HE FEDERAL 

National Gas Expansion 

Programme, NGEP, has 

received a boost with the 

unveiling of Sterling 

Petro-chemicals and Fertilizer 

Production Plant, 

SPFL, in the newly created 

Liberty Oil and Gas 

Free Trade Zone in Eastern 

Obolo, Akwa Ibom 

State. 

The foundation stone 

for the project was laid, 

yesterday, Governor 

Udom Emmanuel of the 

Akwa Ibom State and his 

Rivers State counterpart, 

Mr Nyesom Wike. 

Group Managing Director 

of GIWA Gas, 

MrTony Chukwueke at 

the event, said the petrochemicals 

and fertilizer 

production plant would 

help boost the economy 

of the state as well as that 

of the nation and reduce 

the harmful effects of gas 

flaring on the environment. 

He said: "The project 

will open a gateway of 

opportunities in the oil 

and gas industry, significantly 

unlocking volumes 

of gas to the midstream 

plant, a great 

milestone for the state 

and opportunity for the 

LGA. 

"GIWA Gas will open 

the door of opportunities 

to all the major oil players 

in the region. As a 

pioneer in the oil busi- 

EKECHI 


address as EKECHI JULIET 

CHIDIMMA now wish to be 

known, called and addressed 

UGWUEKE JULIET CHIDIMMA 

, All former documents remains 

valid. GENERAL PUBLIC,Banks, 

Nysc and Authorities Concerned to 


AMASIAKA 


address as MISS AMASIAKA 

NKIRUKA FRANCISCA now 

wish to be known, called and 

addressed MRS OBIAKO 

NKIRUKA FRANCISCA. All 

former documents remains valid. 

GENERAL PUBLIC,Banks and 

Authorities Concerned to please take 

note. 

OT NNADI 

This is to inform the general Public that 

MISS NNADI MARYANN, NNADI 

MARYANN OBIANUJU and NNADI 

UKAMAKA MARYANN,refer to one and 

same person but now wish to be known as 

MRS ORAEZUE MARYANN 

UKAMAKA. All former documents 

remains valid. General Public and 

authorities concern to please take note. 

AUDU 


EMMANUEL CHINAZA 

MUNACHIM . Now wish to be 

known as EMMANUEL 

HAPPINESS MUNACHIMNSO . 

All documents bearing my former 

name remain valid. The general 


ITODO 

I, formerly known as ITODO 

SHAIBU UMORU. Now wish to 

be known as UMORU SHAIBU. 

My correct date of birth is 25/10/ 

1975. All documents bearing my 

former name remain valid. The 


Union Bank unveils 2020 Citizenship Sustainability report 

...Reiterates commitment to sustainability impact 

LAGOS—UNION Bank, 

one of Nigeria’s foremost 

financial institutions, has 

announced the release of its 

2020 Citizenship, 

Sustainability, and 

Innovation, CSI report, 

outlining its initiatives 

across three pivotal areas- 

Citizenship, Sustainability, 

and Innovation. 

The report gives a 

detailed account of Union 

Bank’s continued efforts 

towards creating a more 

sustainable future by further 

embedding responsible 

business practices, 

positively impacting 

people, and communities, 

and driving innovation. The 

Bank’s initiatives are in 

alignment with the 

Nigerian Sustainable 

ness, NPDC has already 

aligned in this path to 

make it happen and 

working relentlessly in 

one of its biggest onshore 

oil blocks (OML-13) in 

the state as well as the 

nation." 

"The petro-chemical 

and fertilizer plant will 

utilize 40 percent of its 

production within the 

country to boost the production 

of liquefied petroleum 

gas and fertilizers. 

We will meet the energy 

requirement of the 

state and create more 

jobs for Akwa Ibomites." 

He thanked Governor 

Emmanuel for his investment 

driven policies, 

pledged that Sterling 

Petro-chemicals and Fertilizer 

developers in the 

free zone were determined 

to play key role in 

the energy industry in 

Nigeria. 

Banking Principles NSBPs, 

and the Sustainable 

Development Goals, SDGs, 

The CSI Report is 

compliant with the Global 

Reporting Initiative, GRI, 

Standards, underscoring 

the Bank’s focus on 

transparent, accountable 

reporting of its initiatives. 

Speaking on the 2020 CSI 

report, the Chief Executive 

Officer of Union Bank, 

Emeka Okonkwo said: 

“Our 2020 CSI report 

lends further credence to 

our commitment to a more 

sustainable world. 

Notwithstanding the 

turbulent events brought 

on by the COVID-19 

pandemic in 2020, we 

remained firm in our resolve 

to positively impact the 

communities within which 

Chukwueke added 

that SPFL Developers 

FZE were also determined 

to optimise the 

by-products of oil fields, 

including petrochemical, 

fertilizers, polymers 

plants in future, such expansion 

he noted would 

minimise import dependency, 

save foreign exchange 

of the nation and 

increase her earnings 

through export. 

Governor Emmanuel 

while performing the 

foundation laying ceremony 

in Eastern Obolo 

Local Government Area 

of the state as part of ac- 

we operate. 

As the world battled 

unprecedented challenges 

brought on by the 

pandemic, we pivoted our 

citizenship initiatives to 

address urgent needs and 

embarked on a journey to 

meaningfully impact our 

employees and the 

communities we serve.” 

During the year in view, 

the number of Union Bank 

branches and Automated 

Teller Machines (ATMs) on 

the solar grid increased to 

111 and 407 respectively, 

thereby reducing the 

Bank’s environmental 

footprint and demonstrating 

a firm commitment to 

environmental 

responsibility. 

Other key highlights of 

tivities to mark his six 

years in office, said that 

he would support full realization 

of the project. 

On his part, Governor 

Wike, said he was proud 

to celebrate with Governor 

Emmanuel and the 

developer of the petrochemical 

and fertilizer 

production plant for the 

life-touching projects 

noted that the project will 

transform the economy 

of Akwa Ibom State. 

the Report include the 

Bank’s multi-pronged 

approach to support the 

fight against COVID-19, 

donating a total of #350 

million to the Coalition 

against COVID-19 

(CACOVID), the Lagos 

State COVID-19 

Emergency Food Response 

programme and 54 Gene, 

an African genomics 

research, services and 

development company. 

APC members 

back Okwuosa 

for gov seat 

By Gabriel Olawale 

AWKA—ALL Progressives 

Congress, APC party 

members and the general 

electorate have rallied round 

Azuka Okwuosa as the flag 

bearer of the imminent 

Anambra gubernatorial 

elections. 

Okwuosa’s fame has fast 

spread over the state and he 

has become the people’s 

favourite. His proposed 

blueprint for the state’s 

development and his 

campaign tagline “Let’s Fix 

Anambra” has taken the 

people by storm and also 

earned him a new nick name, 

“Mr Let’s Fix Anambra.” 

On few occasions, he has got 

people talking on social media 

by making disruptive posts 

that compare the current 

situation of the state with the 

possible changes his 

government would 

implement. He respectfully 

and dutifully shares in the 

grievances of the people 

toward the incumbent 

government. Amidst little 

criticism, Okwuosa’s tweets 

have been generally met with 

much optimism. 

His visitations to the wards 

around the state have proven 

that he has been widely 

accepted by the state’s 

electorate. Loud cheers, 

applauses and songs of 

praises have spiralled from 

each visitation. He has been 

commended to be a 

charismatic leader who is 

selflessly serving the people 

with his acts of love and 

philanthropy. He was 

admired for his determination 

to visit all the wards within the 

state; something no other 

aspirant has thought 

important enough to do. 

On several occasions, he has 

been spotted in strategic 

meetings with high profile 

government officials at state 

and national levels.


By Theodore Opara 

FRSC boss laments pressure on 

nation’s roads, proffers multimodal 

system 

THE Federal Road 

Safety Corps 

Marshal, FRSC, Dr. Boboye 

Oyeyemi has lamented the 

pressure on the nation’s road 

system, saying that the only 

way to solve the country’s 

transportation problems is to 

adopt a multi-modal system 

of transportation which 

should encompass rail, 

road, water and air. 

Dr. Oyeyemi who 

described the pressure on 

the road system as too high 

also decried the nonimplementation 

of the 

National Transport Policy, 

NTP, 29 years after it has 

been drafted. 

Speaking on the topic: 

Improving Nigeria's 

Transportation Systems: The 

Way Forward, at the 8th 

Nigeria Annual Transport 

Lecture held recently at 

Sheraton Hotel, Dr Oyeyemi 

said there is need for 

improvement of the intermodal 

transport system. 

The FRSC boss warned 

that the road system is not 

only dominant but its 

preference, totalling 95 per 

cent of all modes, has 

serious road safety concerns 

in the form of traffic crashes 

and infrastructure decays 

The Corps Marshal said: 

“The pressure is too much 

on the road. Fatality has 

been on the high side. We 

used to have an average of 

100 lives lost on the roads 

weekly. Speed is a major 

aspect we need to address.” 

He maintained that 

utilising other modes of 

transport, including air, 

water, road, pipeline and rail 

as an alternative, will 

decongest traffic gridlocks in 

coastal cities in the country, 

and also has the potential to 

boost the economy from 

travel tourism perspective. 

According to him, there 

has not been a balanced 

development of the 

country’s transportation 

system, pointing out that 

increase in road construction 

activities and some 

developmental challenges 

being experienced by the 

other sectors of 

transportation, the 

movement of people, goods 

and services is dominated by 

road transport. 

Proffering solutions to the 

intermodal transport 

system to work, Boboye 

said: “Government should 

expand and upgrade 

existing air travel 

infrastructure so as to boost 

confidence in the industry 

with respect to air safety; 

encourage more 

investments to bring about 

healthy competition such 

that more people can opt 

for the mode as against the 

road especially for longdistance 

travel. This will 

Easy vehicle acquisition: Coscharis 

family offers finance scheme 

Winpart unveils website for genuine auto sparts 

for all brands 

MOTORISTS across 

the country, who 

have been groaning under 

the negative effect of fake 

motor spare parts can now 

heave a sigh of relief. This is 

as Winpart, a division of 

CFAO Motors, launches an 

e-commerce website for the 

procurement of original spare 

parts for all car brands. The 

new development means 

that motorists may no longer 

patronise grey markets 

where most of the fake parts 

flourish. 

According to CFAO Motors, 

WinPart is the new Independent 

Aftermarket, 

IAM automotive spare parts 

wholesaler, distributing top- 

Vanguard bags Transport Editor 

of Year Award 

VANGUARD Newspaper’s 

Transport 

Editor, Mr. Theodore 

Opara was honoured as 

the Transport Editor of the 

Year at the 8th Nigeria 

Transport Awards organised 

by TransportDay 

Newspapers at Sheraton 

Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. 

•Mr. Theodore Opara 

He is the first to receive 

the award in the journalists 

category. He was honoured 

alongside the 

Corps Marshal of the Federal 

Road Safety Corps, Dr. 

Boboye Oyeyemi, the Director-General 

of the National 

Automotive Design 

and Development Council, 

Mr. Jelani Aliyu, the Director-General, 

Nigeria Maritime 

Administration and 

Safety Agency, the Managing 

Director of Nigeria 

Railway Corporation and 

Head of Marketing Communications, 

Massilia 

Motors/CFAO Auto Division, 

Funmi Abiola. 

In his short remark, the 

Chairman, Organising 

Committee, Mr. Frank Kintum, 

said the award to Mr. 

Opara was in recognition 

of his contributions to the 

transport sector in Nigeria. 

largely reduce ‘fatigue’ 

induced and tyre related 

crashes on the road”. 

According to him, 

greater investments as a 

follow up of the MoU 

between NIWA, NEXIM 

and Sealink Promotional 

Co. Ltd should be 

activated. 

He also canvassed for 

the dredging of identified 

potential waterways in the 

country to improve safety 

and enhance navigation 

amongst others. 

Commending the efforts 

of the present government, 

Boboye said “government 

should continue to improve 

on existing security 

framework to enhance 

investors and customers 

confidence in all modes of 

transportation in the 

country. The current state 

of transportation in the 

country is an improvement 

on what it used to be.” 

quality certified spare parts, 

sourced directly from Original 

Equipment Manufacturer, 

OEMs such as Aisin, 

Bosch, Coopers Fiaam, 

Cworks, Denso, Dunlop, 

Kavo, Philips, Riken Tyres, 

Valeo. 

With its last-mile partner, 

Kwik, consumer purchases 

can be delivered within two 

hours in designated routes. 

Winpart offers maintenance 

parts for all vehicle brands 

and models and helps source 

scarce parts that are currently 

not in stock within an 

agreed time. Winpart has 

a well-established delivery 

•From left: Managing Editor of TransportDay Newspaper, Mr Frank Kintum; Corps Marshal of 

Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi; Chairman of Governing Council, Nigerian Institute 

of Transport Technology, Olorogun John Onojeharho; National President of Association of Nigeria 

Licensed Customs Agents, Hon. Tony Nwabunike; and the Lagos State Coordinator of SMEDAN, Mr 

Adeyinka Fisher at the 8th Nigeria Annual Transport Lecture held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. 

By Willie Samson 

IN its effort to make car 

acquisition easier for 

Nigerians, Coscharis Mobility 

Limited, in partnership 

with Coscharis Motors 

Plc has launched a 

stress-free vehicle finance 

scheme. 

Announcing the new 

scheme, at its Ikeja office, 

the Managing Director of 

Coscharis Mobility, Mr. 

Christian Chigbundu in 

company of the Group 

system. 

Commenting on the development, 

the General Manager, 

Winpart, Olivier Buisson 

said: “As part of the CFAO 

family, we are known for 

quality, reliability, and providing 

convenience to our 

customers. With our spare 

parts, you can be sure of a 

first-time fit. This will help 

save cost, eliminate time 

wastage and unused labour, 

especially among companies 

who are keen on improving 

their business processes and 

delivery time.” 

He further added: “To 

crown it all, you can now 

General Marketing and 

Communications, Coscharis 

Group, Mr. Abiona 

Babarinde, explained that 

the new finance scheme 

makes it easy for customers 

to acquire any of the 

brands the company represents 

with peace of 

mind. 

He said that unlike the 

conventional vehicle finance 

by banks, the prospective 

buyer makes a 

down payment of 10 to 30 

Nigeria joins nations committed to Electric 

Vehicle revolution – Jelani 

THE Director-General 

of the National Automotive 

Design and Development 

Council, NADDC, 

Mr. Jelani Aliyu has disclosed 

that the country has 

courageously joined the 

league of nations committed 

to the electric car revolution. 

Jelani who spoke at the 

8th edition of the Nigeria 

Transport Lecture at 

Sheraton Hotel, Lagos stated 

that Nigeria is committed 

to electric car revolution 

and cleaner sustainable 

environment. 

He pointed out that the 

bold steps taken by operators 

in the industry by 

launching electric vehicles 

in Lagos and Abuja as well 

as commissioning of Nigeria’s 

first solar-powered 

Electric Vehicle Charging 

station in Sokoto, attests to 

the commitment. 

He said: “On the 5th of 

February, 2021 remarkable 

history was made, when 

the Honourable Minister of 

Industry, Trade and Investment, 

Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, 

unveiled the first Nigerian 

Assembled Electric 

Vehicle in Abuja. 

“Two months later, on 

April 8th, 2021, incredible 

history was again made 

when the National Automotive 

Design and Development 

Council commissioned 

Nigeria’s first solarpowered 

EV Charging Station 

in Sokoto,” he stated. 

Continuing, he said: 

“With these two bold events, 

Nigeria courageously 

joined the league of nations 

committed to the Electric 

Car Revolution, committed 

to protecting the environment 

and ensuring a cleaner 

and more sustainable 

future,” adding that the 

place orders from the comfort 

of your homes and offices 

by visiting 

www.winpart.com.ng.“ 

Winpart has a wide range 

of maintenance parts which 

include car batteries, brake 

pads, tyres, air filters, cabin 

air filters, oil filters, bulbs, 

plugs, radiator cap, and lubricants 

for light vehicles, 

commercial vehicles, and 

trucks. Its partners have decades 

of experience developing 

the world’s leading Original 

Equipment, OE parts for 

automakers and their brands 

are built on delivering value. 

NADDC is excited and honoured 

to be championing 

and pioneering these developments. 

According to Jelani, the 

NADDC is not just promoting 

the local production of 

traditional automobiles, but 

also seriously committed to 

the adoption and production 

of highly advanced 

technological transportation 

solutions. 

In this vein, the NADDC 

boss explained the Council 

is currently strategizing 

with the following initiatives 

and programs: Electric Vehicle 

Policy Development; 

NADDC direct Research 

and Development; and Promotion 

and support of 

stakeholders' production. 

Others include the development 

of charging infrastructure. 

And collaboration 

with academia and research 

institutions, both local and 

per cent of his choice vehicle 

from any of the 

brands that Coscharis 

Motors represent while 

the balance is spread over 

a period, not later than 36 

months. Coscharis represents 

BMW, Renault, Morris 

Garages, Mini, Jaguar 

Land Rover, Ford and 

Rolls Royce which gives 

the customers the opportunity 

to choose from a 

wide range of brand including 

high-end luxury 

cars. 

The Coscharis mobility 

boss explained that apart 

from numerous benefits 

such as comprehensive 

insurance, registration, 

training of drivers, aftersale 

service and reasonable 

interest, the entry and 

exit agreements had been 

flexibly designed to suit 

individuals’ situations. 

According to him the 

decision to roll out the 

scheme was informed by 

the challenge of scarcity of 

funds facing both individuals 

and corporate entities 

to purchase some necessities 

and needs following 

the COVID-19 pandemic 

that had wreaked havoc 

and disrupted businesses 

globally. 

“Such needs clearly include 

the purchase of automobiles 

which is the solution 

we are offering Nigerians 

today with our fantastic 

offer to pick any vehicle 

brand of your choice 

from any Coscharis Motors 

showrooms nationwide 

and leverage instalment 

payments, courtesy of Coscharis 

Mobility,” he said. 

According to him, interested 

people or groups 

are expected to select from 

a collection of Coscharis 

brand of vehicles such as 

Rolls-Royce, BMW, Mini, 

Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, 

Renault and Morris Garages. 

Explaining the process 

of acquisition under 

the scheme, he said: “For 

the service we are launching 

today, the steps are 

simple: Identify the vehicle 

of your choice in any 

of our Coscharis Motors 

showrooms nationwide; 

make an initial deposit 

ranging from 10 per cent 

to 30 per cent; the vehicle 

will become yours then; 

pay the balance over a 

period of time.

The Flour Milling Association 

of Nigeria, FMAN, 

announced plans to collaborate 

with the Central Bank of Nigeria, 

CBN and the Federal Ministry of 

Water Resources to improve 

wheat farming and agricultural 

activities in Nigeria. 

The Head of Wheat 

Development of FMAN, Mrs 

Sarah Huber, gave the assurance 

in her welcome address at the 

FMAN Wheat Farmers Yield 

Championship and Presentation 

of Award in Kano. 

Huber said that FMAN had 

played a leading role in wheat 

production in the country. 

“We look forward to fostering 

collaboration with the Federal 

Vanguard FRIDAY , MAY 28, 2021 — 33 

FMAN collaborates with CBN, Water Resources Ministry to boost wheat farming 

Ministry of Agriculture, Federal 

Ministry of Water Resources, CBN 

and at the state level for next 

season to achieve something 

much greater,” she said. 

According to her, collaboration 

is necessary to improve farmers’ 

yields through high-quality 

seeds, expanded extension 

services and improved access to 

irrigation. 

“We will like to grow the 

programme significantly next 

season, we are still aggregating. 

We have 15 collection centres in 

Kano, Jigawa and Kebbi, 

providing training, threshing and 

direct offtake for 5,000 farmers,” 

Huber said. 

She further explained that 

FMAN looked forward to 

working in more states by 

expanding agro programmes and 

aggregation, adding that large 

scale extension was needed 

across the country. 

“We will also do a lot of 

programmes on seed production 

and research on expanding of 

seed varieties.” 

She noted that in 2020, 1000 

metric tonnes were harvested by 

the farmers while in 2021, over 

4,700 metric tonnes had so far 

been harvested. 

“FMAN will continue to 

support farmers to boost their 

annual output and reduce the 

production cost,” she said. 

Huber commended the CBN for 

providing improved seedlings in 

the country. 

According to her, FMAN will 

continue to encourage wheat 

farmers in production, improved 

seed supply, research and 

agronomy practices. 

She called on the state 

government and Ministry of 

Agriculture to invest in 

empowering extension agents 

with mobility and more 

equipment to reach many farmers. 

Huber disclosed that in the past 

four years, FMAN had purchased 

over 11,500 tonnes of local wheat 

valued at N1.5bn and established 

100 hectares of wheat seed 

varietal testing and seed 

multiplication sites in Kano, 

Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna. 

“FMAN donated 22,500kg of 

seeds and 2,500 units of 3-inch 

water pumps to farmers,” she 

said. 

Alhaji Wada Dayyabu, who 

spoke on behalf of the farmers, 

commended FMAN for 

supporting them with improved 

seedlings, loans and fertilisers. 

“We are very grateful. Before 

FMAN, we didn’t have improved 

seedlings and we did not get 

enough money for our wheat 

productions,” Dayyabu said. 

Why plant breeders need protection 

law--- Seeds group 

By Nimot Otori 

Members of the National 

Agricultural Seeds 

Advocacy Group, NASAG, have 

called for a Plant Breeders 

Protection Law that will protect 

the rights of breeders in the 

country. 

Speaking during a zoom 

conference on the seed sector of 

the agricultural industry recently, 

Celestine Okeke, a Lead partner, 

Sustainable Entrepreneurship 

and Economic Development 

Initiative, said in the absence of a 

law protecting the rights of 

breeders in Nigeria, “plant 

breeders both in the public and 

private sectors have remained 

non-committal towards investing 

in plant breeding as there is no 

guarantee that their rights will be 

recognised and respected. 

“Plant breeders that have 

invested huge resources in 

developing plant varieties have 

often had same varieties 

duplicated for commercial 

purposes without their consent, 

leaving the original breeders with 

little or no value for their research 

breakthroughs.” 

He said the seed sector is the 

most important sub-sector in the 

entire value chain of agriculture 

the world over, “it is the critical 

and most important factor that 

determines the level of 

development the agricultural 

sector in any country. 

“The foundation of development 

in the sector rests almost squarely 

on the quality of research and 

development undertaken by plant 

breeders and other scientists in the 

sector, in their absence, the sector 

would most likely be unable to 

support robust and sustainable 

agricultural development in any 

country.” 

While lamenting that Research 

and Development in the seed 

sector have remained majorly 

within the walls of poorly funded 

agricultural research institutes 

and the private sector, he said the 

need for a law regulating the 

sector now is inevitable. 

He queried: “If writers have 

laws protecting their written text, 

artists have laws protecting their 

intellectual properties and 

authors have laws protecting their 

publications, how much more for 

plant breeders who spend upwards 

of 12 months researching on plant 

varieties? 

“The continued non-existence of 

protection for plant breeders 

poses a greater danger to the 

sector as breeders have continued 

to leave the country to work in 

climes where their rights are 

protected and those still within the 

country are not willing to invest 

CIS, stakeholders unveil agribusiness 

e-learning Academy to boost production 

Corporate 

Farmers 

International, CFI has 

partnered with the Chartered 

Institute of Stockbrokers, CIS, 

Lagos State Ministry of 

Agriculture and Kebbi State to 

launch a fully digital agriculture 

e-learning Academy. 

Prince Ade-Ajayi, co-Founder of 

CFI, disclosed this in his welcome 

address at the unveiling event of 

the e-learning platform on Friday 

in Lagos. 

CIS and CFI in 2019 signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding 

on certification of trainees from 

the CFI e-Learning Academy to 

enhance value in the agriculture 

sector. 

The co-founder said that the 

platform would serve as an 

opportunity to leverage current 

technologies to educate farmers 

and agripreneurs across the value 

chains in the agricultural 

ecosystem. 

He said the objectives were to 

provide educative content and 

information to participants; 

expose learners to agricultural 

opportunities locally and 

internationally and receive 

time and resources in plant 

breeding as there is no law 

protecting their intellectual work. 

“If protection (copyright) exists 

for writers, why should it sound 

validation from the agricultural 

learning community. 

“We have five courses, three were 

approved before today but we got 

approval for the other two courses 

this morning, so we have fully 

commenced. 

“Some of the courses are 

Agribusiness and Finance; 

Agricultural Science and 

Agricultural Extension. These 

courses are specially designed to 

attract youths and unlearn the 

former norm. 

“Digitalisation is key to 

development and that is why we 

have embarked on this fully 

digital form of learning. 

”Information is also crucial in 

any sector, we are not leaving the 

children behind in our quest, it is 

an all-inclusive partnership. 

“Graduates will be awarded 

certificates by the CSI upon 

completion of the courses,” Ade- 

Ajayi said. 

He added that the five focus of 

the initiative were; agricultural 

technology: agricultural science; 

food and nutrition, agricultural 

extensions and agribusiness and 

finance. 

like a devilish idea for it to exist 

for plant breeders?” 

Celestine Okeke added that: 

“The poverty level in the country, 

coupled with growing food 

Ms. Abisola Olusanya, Lagos 

State Commissioner for 

Agriculture, said the population 

of Lagos had made it necessary to 

explore ways of increasing food 

production and enhance 

productivity to attain food 

sufficiency. 

Olusanya, represented by the 

Permanent Secretary, Mr Akeem 

Adeniji, said the state was open to 

ideas to help address the 

challenges of food production, 

applying technology into the 

agriculture value chain. 

She commended the CFI team 

and promised continued synergy 

between both parties to achieve a 

highly informed and educated 

farming public. 

Also, Mr Akin Alabi, a CFI Cofounder, 

while demonstrating the 

processes of being enrolled in the 

online academy, said that the 

products were aimed at closing 

major gaps with the agriculture 

sector such as children, teen 

involvements and creation of jobs. 

Alabi said that although the 

academy was fully digital, 

arrangements were in place for 

field and practical training with 

insecurity and rising food prices 

calls for immediate action to 

remedy the dearth of research and 

development in the seed sector. 

“The seed sector is the bedrock 

of the agricultural sector; without 

seeds, there cannot be an 

agricultural sector and without 

continuous research and 

development in the seed sector, 

there will continue to be an 

agricultural sector incapable of 

supporting our food security 

aspirations.” 

While speaking on the 

importance of the seed bill before 

the National Assembly, he said it 

will enable farmers to access wide 

varieties of improved plant 

varieties that will result from the 

breeding programmes that will be 

protected under the law. 

“Granting 

plant 

breeders Intellectual Property 

Right over their planting 

materials will spur them to invest 

more in plant breeding and this 

will greatly develop the seed 

sector. 

“It will provide a wider pool of 

genetic resources for our breeders 

to draw from in their course of 

variety development. 

Celestine Okeke added that the 

fear of the bill opening a back 

door for genetically modified 

varieties is purely speculation and 

“we will like to leave it as it is, 

besides, assumptions remain the 

lowest form of knowledge." 

the CFI partners. 

He noted that tutors were 

already on the ground to train 

registered participants at a 

relatively low cost and free in 

some cases. 

In his contributions, Mr Tukur 

Mohammed, representative of the 

Kebbi State Government said that 

the partnership was a breath of 

fresh air as the state has always 

sought ways to grow agriculture. 

Mohammed said any 

institutions presenting 

opportunities to help Kebbi 

improve its agriculture beyond 

rice was welcomed because the 

state was known mostly for rice 

farming but its activities were 

beyond that. 

He said the state was available 

for the practical aspect of the 

courses. 

NAN reports that other 

programmes unveiled by the CFI 

were; Eko School Agric, a comic 

book series for children and teens 

meant to be available in schools 

across the state and farm support 

service. 

The event had in attendance 

representatives from financial 

institutions, government and 

private institutions, academia and 

other agricultural institutions 

such as the International Institute 

of Tropical Agriculture.


Africa urgently needs 20m 2nd doses of 

AstraZeneca vaccine, says WHO 

By Sola Ogundipe 

AFRICA needs at least 

20 million doses of the 

Oxford-AstraZeneca 

vaccine in the next six 

weeks to get second doses 

to all who received a first 

dose within the 8—12- 

week interval between 

doses recommended by 

the World Health 

Organisation,WHO. 

In addition to this 

urgent need, another 200 

million doses of any WHO 

Emergency Use Listed , 

EUL, COVID-19 vaccine 

are needed so that the 

continent can vaccinate 10 

percent of its population 

by September 2021, 

following a call made by 

WHO Director General Dr 

Tedros Adhanom 

Ghebreyesus at the World 

Health Assembly, 

Disclosing this on 

Thursday, the WHO 

Regional Director for 

Africa, Dr Matshidiso 

Moeti, said Africa was in 

dire straits. 

“As supplies dry up, 

dose-sharing is an urgent, 

critical and short-term 

solution to ensuring that 

Africans at the greatest 

risk of COVID-19 get the 

much-needed protection. 

Moeti who spoke during 

a virtual press conference 

today facilitated by APO 

Group, stated that Africa 

needs vaccines now. 

“Any pause in our 

vaccination campaigns 

will lead to lost lives and 

lost hope. It’s too soon to 

tell if Africa is on the cusp 

of a third wave. 

“However, we know that 

cases are rising, and the 

clock is ticking so we 

COVID-19 vaccination exercise in a settlement in Cross River State. Photo: Courtesy 

UNICEF. 

urgently appeal to 

countries that have 

vaccinated their high-risk 

groups to speed up the 

dose-sharing to fully 

protect the most 

vulnerable people,” 

Moeti noted. 

A single dose of the 

Oxford-AstraZeneca 

vaccine gives around 70 

percent protection for at 

least 12 weeks. Data on 

the protection from one 

dose after 12 weeks is 

limited, however COVID- 

19 antibodies have been 

found in the body up to 6 

months after one dose. 

The full course provided 

with a 12-week interval 

gives 81 percent 

protection for an extended 

period. 

To date, 28 million 

COVID-19 doses, of 

different vaccines, have 

been administered in 

Africa, which represents 

less than two doses 

administered per 100 

people in Africa. Globally, 

1.5 billion COVID-19 

vaccine doses have been 

administered. 

France donated over 

31,000 doses to 

Mauritania, another 

74,400 set for delivery. 

France also pledged to 

share half a million more 

doses with six African 

countries in the next few 

weeks even as the EU and 

Member States have 

pledged over 100 million 

doses for low-income 

countries by the end of 


The US has pledged to 

share 80 million doses 

with lower-income 

countries, and other highincome 

countries have 

expressed interest in 

sharing vaccines. 

CHILDREN’S DAY: COVID-19 crisis, a child rights 

crisis in Nigeria, others — UNICEF 

By Chioma Obinna 

AS Nigerian Children 

Thursday marked this 

year’s National 

Children’s Day, the 

United Nations 

Children’s Fund, 

UNICEF has urged all 

Nigerians to see COVID- 

19 as a Child Rights crisis 

in the country and the 

world at large. 

In a press statement to 

mark the day, the 

UNICEF’s Country 

Director, Peter Hawkins, 

noted that it has been a 

challenging year for the 

world with the COVID-19 

pandemic including the 

Nigerian children. 

While commending the 

efforts at all levels of 

Nigerian government and 

society to protect 

education, health, and 

protection services in 

response to the impact of 

the COVID-19 pandemic 

on children, Hawkins 

said as Nigerian children 

celebrate this year’s 

children’s day, there was 

the need to remember that 

the COVID-19 crisis has 

been a child rights crisis 

in Nigeria and around the 

world. 

Hawkins noted that: 

“Poverty is rising, 

inequality is growing, 

and the pandemic has 

often disrupted the 

essential services that 

secure the health, 

education and protection 

of children and young 

people. 

“The longer the 

pandemic goes on, the 

more intense the impact 

on women and children. 

On this Nigerian 

Children’s Day, let us all 

agree that we cannot let 

one crisis compound 

another. The pandemic is 

threatening decades of 

progress we have made 

for children. Violence is 

perpetrated against one in 

four Nigerian children - 

and one in three Nigerian 

girls are sexually abused. 

This has only increased 

during the pandemic. 

“Today of all days, we 

must commit to reinforce 

the protection 

mechanisms for all 

children. But we have 

learned from this 

pandemic too. One thing 

we have learned is that 

education takes place not 

only in schools children 

can and should learn both 

in and out of school. 

“A learning continuum 

is critical so that all 

AS 

Expediting these pledges 

is crucial and the COVAX 

Facility is a proven tool for 

swift delivery. 

African countries 

unable to use all their 

vaccines are sharing them 

across the continent. 

While this prevents 

vaccine wastage, 

redistributing doses is 

costly and countries must 

roll out all available doses 

as soon as possible. WHO 

is working closely with 

countries to improve 

vaccine rollout by 

optimizing delivery 

strategies and increasing 

uptake. 

In the longer term, 

Africa must boost its 

manufacturing capacity 

for vaccines. Yet there is 

no quick-fix and putting 

the policies, processes and 

partnerships in place may 

take years. 

children continue to get 

an education irrespective 

of their situation, location, 

or the pandemic. 

“Nigerian children are 

resilient, talented and 

aspire to do great things. 

And it is our responsibility 

to give them the platform 

and encouragement to do 

just that. 

“We know that protecting 

children and investing in 

women and families is not 

only the right thing to do 

– it has proven to be a 

sound economic choice 

and a cost-effective tool for 

national development.” 

Hawkins stated that as 

the children celebrate the 

country must act in their 

best interests and deploy 

innovative solutions to 

fast-track learning and 

health services to build 

back better, for every 

Nigerian child.” 

SCI, GSK donate N38m COVID- 

19 response equipment to LASG 


AS part of the continuous 

efforts to support the 

Lagos State Government to 

contain the COVID-19 

pandemic in Lagos, support 

the frontline workers in their 

work on the pandemic, and 

sustain ongoing health 

care responses to the 

pandemic, Save the 

Children International, 

SCI, has donated response 

equipment valued at N38 

million to the State 

government. 

The donated equipment 

that includes Personal 

Protection Equipment, 

Infection Prevention and 

Control, IPC, commodities 

and medical oxygen 

devices, among others, are 

to be distributed to all the 

28 primary health care 

centres and two General 

Hospitals in Ikorodu LGA 

of the State. 

The donation is aimed at 

ensuring adequate oxygen 

therapy to patients with the 

infection, as well as underfive 

children with severe 

pneumonia in the State. 

Donation of the critical 

devices and commodities is 

made possible through the 

support of pharmaceutical 

giant, GlaxoSmithKline, 

GSK, through the 

Integrated Sustainable 

Pfizer, AstraZeneca vaccines 

effective against ‘Indian variant’ 


THE Pfizer and 

AstraZeneca COVID- 

19 vaccines are effective 

against the strain of the 

virus found in India, a new 

study has found. 

According to the study, 

both vaccines are highly 

effective against the 

B.1.617.2 variant – first 

identified in India – after 

the second dose. 

Both vaccines are also 

more effective against the 

B.1.1.7 variant that is 

dominant in the UK, with 

Pfizer being 93 percent 

effective while the 

AstraZeneca jab was 

66percent effective over 

the same period. 

Both vaccines were only 

33-percent effective three 

weeks after the first dose, 

the study discovered. 

The study concluded, 

“After 2 doses of either 

vaccine there were only 

modest differences in 

vaccine effectiveness with 

the B.1.617.2 variant. 

Absolute differences in 

vaccine effectiveness 

were more marked with 

dose 1. 

This would support 

maximising vaccine 

uptake with 2 doses 

among vulnerable 

groups.” 

Jenny Harries, the chief 

executive of the U.K. 

Health Security Agency, 

Childhood Pneumonia and 

Infectious Diseases 

Reduction in Nigeria 

(INSPIRING) Project. 

In the view of the Country 

Director, SCI Nigeria, 

Mercy Gichuhi, Save the 

Children has worked with 

the Nigeria government to 

respond to the pandemic as 

a member of the COVID- 

19 Response Task Force at 

both Federal and several 

state levels and supporting 

the development and 

deployment of COVID-19 

strategies to contain the 

spread of the disease. 

She addded that SCI’s 

new partnership with GSK 

regarding COVID-19 

prevention and control is a 

step further to catalyse 

change and contribute to an 

accelerated reduction in 

child deaths from 

pneumonia and other 

preventable infectious 

diseases. 

“We are aiming to do 

more to support vulnerable 

children and families who 

have been hardest hit by 

the pandemic, Save the 

Children International 

remains committed to 

support the efforts of 

controlling and treating 

COVID-19 and pneumonia 

through our continued 

collaboration with the Lagos 

State Ministry of Health.” 

hailed the study as the 

"first real-world evidence 

of vaccine effectiveness" 

against the variant. 

“This evidence is 

groundbreaking and 

shows how important the 

2nd dose is to secure the 

strongest protection 

against COVID-19,” U.K. 

Health Secretary Matt 

Hancock said in a tweet. 

“Thank you to the 

scientists and clinicians 

who've been working to 

produce this research. 

It’s vital to get both jabs.” 

The outcome, described 

as “groundbreaking,” is 

expected to provide even 

higher levels of 

effectiveness against 

hospital admission and 

death. 

The study, which took 

place between April 5 and 

May 16, found that both 

the vaccines were 33- 

percent effective against 

symptomatic disease from 

the B1617.2 strain three 

weeks after the first dose, 

compared with about 50 

percent against the 

B.1.1.7 strain. 

Some 12,675 genomesequenced 

cases were 

included in the analysis, 

but only 1,054 were of the 

variant identified in 

India. The study included 

data for all age groups 

from April 5 to cover the 

period since the strain 

emerged.

Naira depreciates to N411.56/ 

$ in I&E window 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

The naira yesterday depreciated to N411.56 per 

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

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative 

exchange rate for the window rose to N411.56 per 

dollar from N411.50 per dollar on Wednesday, 

translating to 31 kobo depreciation of the naira. 

The volume of dollars traded (turnover) in the 

window stood at $471.85 million. 

vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews 

INSECURITY: SARS disbandment 

creating vacuum —IGP 

•Says some suspected IPOB/ESN’s sponsors in custody •Adds: 

We’ve arrested 1,166 high-profile persons, attackers of Ortom 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA – Acting Inspector-General 

of 

Police, IGP, Alkali Usman 

Baba, yesterday, said the 

disbandment of the Special 

Anti-Robbery Squad, 

SARS, has created a vacuum 

in the efforts of the Nigeria 

Police to tackle insecurity 


Lamenting that the aftermath 

of the #EndSARS 

protest has dampened the 

morale of personnel, he said 

the regular policemen and 

women have not been able 

to immediately fill the vacuum 

created by the disbanded 

SARS, even 

though he said efforts are 

ongoing to train them for 

the new role. 

Financiers of IPoB, 

ESN, nabbed — IGP 

Speaking at the briefing 

organized by the Presidential 

Communications Team 

at the Presidential Villa, 

Abuja, the Police boss also 

said some alleged sponsors/financiers 

of the Indigenous 

People of Biafra, 

IPOB and the Eastern Security 

Network, ESN, had 

been arrested. 

Besides, the IGP said no 

fewer than 1,166 high-profile 

suspects were arrested 

nationwide between April 

and May, 2021, as well as 

those who attacked Governor 

Samuel Ortom of Benue 

State, recently. 

The IGP said the police 

are looking at the involvement 

of suspected IPOB/ 

ESN sponsors in their custody 

and those outside the 

country, adding that after a 

thorough investigation, they 

would be arraigned in court. 

He also said the police 

had recorded successes 

against secessionists and 

suspected criminals in the 

South-East, adding that 

suspects in the police custody 

couldn’t be prosecuted 

because of the ongoing 

strike by judiciary workers. 

Recruitment of 

new cops going on 

On the plan to recruit 

10,000 new police personnel, 

he revealed that the 

process had reached 70 per 

cent, assuring that the exercise 

would be in line with 

the Federal Character principle. 

The Police boss said 

that parading of suspects 

was a way of updating the 

public on their efforts to curb 

criminality. 

Speaking on why the police 

were going after the financiers 

of IPOB/ESN and 

not only the boys, he said: 

“In any kind of coordinated, 

targeted and organised 

crime such as this,you will 

get leaders behind it, it can 

be done within or outside 

the country. “We in the enforcement 

of law and order 

and those in the intelligence 

community — that is 

DMI (Department of Military 

Intelligence), the DSS 

(Department of State Service) 

are all collaborating to 

make sure that this issue is 

nipped in the bud. 

“Some of them are known, 

but they’re not within reach 

to bring them to book. Some 

are here. We have many in 

our custody and we are 

looking into their level of 

involvement with a view to 

arraigning them before 

competent law courts. And 

the issue of looking for others 

will continue.” 

Fielding question on the 

alleged request of Police 

officers in South-East seeking 

redeployment to other 

zones as a result of incessant 

attacks on them, he 

said the police was still 

studying the narratives. 

He said: “ There are two 

narratives to that. One of the 

narratives is that there are 

complaints that the police 

in the South-East particularly 

those from that geopolitical 

zone, are by way of 

either intimidation from the 

secessionists, whether they 

are afraid to work or they 

have soft spot for what is 

happening there. “These 

are allegations. And if we 

have a reasonable belief 

that there are those who 

need to be relocated we will 

do that. But like I told you, 

if we had removed 10, we 

must have reinforced with 

more than 100. 

“So the issue of redeploying 

them from that place, 

normally what we do, if 

place A or B is very hot, and 

we have D, E and F that 

are cool, we will take some 

officers from the cool place 

and post them to the hot 

place. That is what we are 

doing in the South-East 

and South-Ssouth. That is 

why if you look at a place 

like Maiduguri, we have 

two sets of officers. There 

are those that are fighting 

along with the military, and 

there are those that are taken 

there to maintain civil 

authority in conditioned or 

liberated areas. 

“So transfer, postings are 

normal things in the police 

but sometimes you will see 

enmass and sometimes in 

tranches, there are reasons 

for it. If you don’t ask, we 

don’t need to explain it to 

you.” 

‘Secessionists, 

major challenge 

in S-East’ 

Speaking on the security situation 

in the various parts of 

the country, the Acting IGP 

said in the South-East, the 

major challenges are activities 

of secessionist groups, the 

IPOB and the militant group 

of the IPOB, ESN coordinating 

violent attacks on security 

personnel, formations, critical 

national infrastructure such 

as INEC facilities and offices. 

“The herders/farmers problem 

is also in the South-East. 

Then the proliferation of weapons 

and other related violent 

crimes such as cultism, armed 

robbery and so on. “When you 

talk about the South-West, we 

have the same problem of kidnapping, 

bank robbery, farmers/herders 

clashes, activities 

of secessionist groups and cultism. 

“In the North-East, we are 

facing the problem of banditry, 

attacks on schools, and 

abduction of students. It has 

been kidnapping, highway 

robbery activities of Boko 

Haram and ISWAP. While in 

the North-West it is also almost 

the same banditry, activities of 

Boko Haram, kidnapping 

and proliferation of arms. In 

the North-Central it’s almost 

the same thing. 

On what the police are doing 

to check these, he said: 

“The security situation of the 

country has been significantly 

stabilized from time to time, 

but you see, if it is stabilised 

for a week, then there are isolated 

disturbances coming 

from this zone in terms of either 

attack on police facilities 

or police personnel or even all 

law enforcement agencies including 

the military. 

“And therefore, we decided 

to rejig the morale of our personnel, 

which has been a little 

bit dampened since the End- 

SARS came and went away. 

With the proscription of SARS 

and the establishment of 

SWAT which has not been able 

to take off fully, we had a vacuum 

in tackling most of the 

violent crimes from a position 

of strength in terms of having 

a strike force that is dedicated 

for that, rather than having 

our conventional police doing 

the policing in conventional 

way. 

“So, we try to marshal back 

this courage of our personnel 

who have been involved in violent 

crime and then lectured 

them and posted them to the 

anti-robbery sections, for anti 

robbery patrols and the investigation 

of violent crimes 

which involved of course robbery, 

kidnapping, banditry, 

cultism and so forth. 

“Secondly, we decided to 

launch an operation which is 

tagged Operation Restore 

Peace and we targeted the 

South-East and South-Ssouth 

for the first phase of our operation. 

We are reinforcing these 

two zones with about 3,700 


NEWS HOTLINES 

018773962, 

08052867058 

President General,Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Ambassador Prof. George A. 

Obiozor (2nd left) and the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; Senator 

Frank Ibezim (1st left) ; Hon. Miriam Onuoha (2nd right); Representative Aka Ikenga; 

Barr. George Eke and Secretary General Ohaneze Ndigbo, Ambassador Okey 

Emuchay (1st right) at the 2nd day South-East (Abia/Owerri) zonal public hearing 

on the 1999 Constitution Review at Owerri , Imo State. 

policemen drawn from our 

various units which include, 

police mobile force, the strike 

force, counter terrorism, the 

STS, IRT. The first operation 

in the South-East was done on 

the 18th of this month (May) 

in Enugu. In the South-South, 

the operation was launched 

on the 19th, in Port Harcourt 

‘’He said since the launch of 

the operations, ‘’we had respite 

of policemen defending 

themselves and also repelling 

most of these attacks in the 

South-East and South-South. 

“We have had successful repels 

of attacks, we have had 

successful arrest, we have had 

successful recoveries.’’ 

“For record purpose, I can 

briefly mention our recoveries 

and the successes after the 

lunching of this operation, we 

have been able to recover the 

following weapons and arms 

from secessionist and armed 

insurgents. “One general purpose 

machine gun, 10 AK 47 

rifles, nine locally made fabricated 

rifles, four locally fabricated 

pistols in 19 AK 49 

magazines. We have recovered 

over 5,419 live ammunition 

with 10 improvised explosive 

devices. 

“ In terms of arrest, we have 

398 armed robbery suspects 

in our custody, 258 cult related 

offenders, 222 murder suspects, 

202 bandits related 

matters and the 86 suspects 

involved in case of kidnapping. 

“This statistic I’m giving 

you is from 7th of April to 

date. 434 firearms of various 

descriptions were also recovered. 

On state Police 

Asked when state police will 

start, he said: “If you look at it 

technically, I doubt if there is 

any state that does not have 

state police even now. What do 

I mean? There are creations 

that are done by state governments 

to assist law enforcement 

agencies in trying to 

maintain law and order, or 

enforce regulations or laws 

that are created by state governments. 

We have vigilante 

everywhere in this country. We 

have various types of organisations 

that have been created 

by state governments to 

assist in policing. 

“Some of them had even 

House of Assembly laws that 

guide their operations. The 

space is open to everybody. We 

even always say, policing , is not 

a matter of the Nigerian police, 

or the Nigerian law enforcement 

agents, everybody 

can be involved in policing. 

“But I want to know, the 

shape that the advocates of 

state police want it to take and 

it is an issue that is left for lawmakers 

and government. 

We've arrested 

Ortom’s attackers 

Fielding questions on the 

position of the attack on Governor 

Samuel Ortom of Benue 

states, the IGP said that some 

arrests have been made, adding 

that the situation wasn’t 

as the governor presented it. 

“We have been able to uncover 

the assailants and establish 

what actually happened 

contrary to what he said, and 

we have been able to get these 

people and know where they 

came from, how they came but 

the case is still under investigation. 

There are some vital 

things that we have not been 

able to complete but as for 

those who would pull the trigger 

and those who organised 

the crime, they are with us, they 

have been arrested.” 

Withdrawing police 

men from politicians 

The IGP said that since he 

assumed office, he has not ordered 

for the withdrawal of 

police officers from political 

office holders or individuals 

that have police officers attached 

to them. 

He said because of the nature 

of job or responsibility 

some people carry out, the 

state is supposed to provide 

security for them; and the 

state is supposed to protect citizens, 

particularly citizens that 

are vulnerable to attacks or 

assault because of the nature 

of their duty. 

Why we parade suspects 

When asked why police 

would arrest and parade suspects 

before trial, he said,” You 

see, we do this media trial because 

we have to blow our 

trumpet. If we don’t blow it, 

nobody will blow it for us." 

BOI posts 79.1% growth in 2020 financial year 

amid COVID-19 downturn 

By Victoria Ojeme 

THE Bank of Industry, 

BOI, has returned a 79.1 

per cent growth in its 2020 financial 

year after growing it’s 

total assets to N1.86trn. 

In 2019, the bank posted a 

growth of N1.04trn which 

shows modest economic 

growth when compared with 

the 2020 financial figures. 

Chairman of BOI, Aliyu 

Abdulrahman Dikko, released 

the figures at the 61st 

Annual General Meeting of 

the bank in Abuja yesterday. 

He noted further that the 

Group’s Total Equity increased 

by 15.3 per cent from 

N293.08bn in the previous 

year to N336.48bn in 2020. 

Similarly, he told the shareholders 

that loans and advances 

grew marginally in 

2020 by 1.3 per cent to 

N749.84bn from the 2019 

position. This, he stated, was 

a reflection of the adverse impact 

of the challenging operating 

environment on growth 

of new loans. 

Dikko explained further 

that Profit Before Tax fell by 

9.6 per cent from N39.34bn 

in 2019 to N35.54bn, adding 

that the economic slowdown 

in the year as well as the various 

interventions and support 

initiated by the Bank for its 

customers were responsible 

for this impact. 

He said BOI facilitated the 

disbursement N2.5bn and 

N1.2bn under the N-Power 

and Government Enterprise & 

Empowerment Programmes 

to 300,011 and 109,039 beneficiaries 

respectively. 

As part of its strong disposition 

as a socially responsible 

organisation, Dikko stated 

that the bank’s donation impacted 

economic integration 

and intra Africa trade by creating 

key opportunities for 

growth in the region, particularly 

in food, pharmaceuticals, 

logistics and the digital 

economy. He said: “The 

COVID-19 pandemic has 

forced the world to transform 

much faster than expected 

from the way we work to how 

we communicate; from the 

way we learn, to how we 

travel. “We have witnessed 

improved opportunities in key 

sectors and industries, notably 

Healthcare and Information 

and Communication Technology. 

“The IMF projects a 

growth of 1.5% for Nigeria on 

the back of recovery in oil 

economy as well as implementation 

of key initiatives aimed 

at spurring economic growth. 

“Our broad strategy in the 

coming year shallmirror that 

of the Federal Government, in 

terms of focussing on business 

recovery, whilst keeping an 

eye on growth and new business 

opportunities. Dikko expressed 

appreciation to the 

Board, the management and 

staff of the Bank, including all 

the bank’s stakeholders – the 

CBN, customers, government 

agencies and other strategic 

partners for ensuring the continued 

growth and success of 

the Bank. 

“I would like to also commend 

the Presidential task 

Force on COVID-19, members 

of the Coalition Against 

COVID-19, other private and 

public sector agencies for their 

immense efforts towards 

managing and reducing the 

impact of the pandemic.


YOUR LUCK TODAY 

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 

TAURUS; Monetary Venus makes an ingress 

into your Star sign with good luck to you. Financial 

success is closer to you than you can imagine. 

Give it a big push. 

GEMINI; Here is a good day when influential 

personalities around you will be willing to assist 

you but you will need to take the initiative. 

Take good advice. 

CANCER; This is your day. The more ambitious 

you are along your career line the better 

for you. And friends are willing to give the 

needed supports. 

LEO; Your mind is truly active and if you’re 

more practical about it success’ll crown your 

efforts. Reason with your tried and trusted 

friends. 

VIRGO; Coming of monetary and loving into 

a positive angle to your Star sign is a big plus. 

On a day like this the more ambitious you are 

the better. It’s good to be loving. 

LIBRA; The more willing you are to listen to 

your partners and/or spouse the better for you 

today. Friends are trying to convince you that 

the are reliable. 

SCORPIO; The more push-full you are along 

your career/business lines the better. Embrace 

new method at work. Don’t neglect your love 

life. 

SAGITTARIUS; Here is a day you are not meant 

to ignore new ideas that come suddenly. It’s 

good to take matters of the heart more seriously. 

Listen to your spouse please. 

L E I S U R E 

TAKE HEART — ELLA RANDLE 

“Anything is possible once we believe and 

never relinquish hope.” -Shadonna Richards- 

Believe in yourself. Trust your instincts and confidently 

take the opportunities available to you. 

Make decisions with confidence. Use emotional 

intelligence to deal with challenges and engage 

others with confidence. -Ella Randle - 

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye” 

SAYINGS OF 

OUR PEOPLE 

Roosters’ tail 

feathers: 

pretty but always 

behind. 

~Malagasy 

Proverb 

By Kola Fayemi 

CAPRICORN; Monetary and romantic Venus 

is joining mighty Sun at positive angle to your 

Star and bringing you good influence. Be more 

ambitious. 

DUDU in “ROLLING HOT” By A.O.OLAIDE 

AQUARIUS; Although your being co-operative 

can enhance your scope, your personal ideas 

and initiative are guarantee for a bigger do. 

PISCES; Those of you who are more consistent 

will have more to gain. Good ideas on monetary 

issues will enhance your finances. Be more family 

minded. 

ARIES; Entrance of monetary and romantic Venus 

into a positive angle is meant to enhance 

your finances. The more willing you are to take 

good advice the better. Be loving. 

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING 

ASTROLOGICAL our date e and place of COUNSELLING 

birth th to the Astr 

tr 

Send your dat 

trological 

Counselling, P.M.B 100 

007, 7, Apapa, Lagos 

VIRGINIA 

dadadekola@yahoo.com 

The date that important for you 

Dear Joshua, 

I am a regular reader of your work since 

when you started your column in Vangaurd. I 

want you to please tell me my lucky dates and 

dates to beware between June till December 

this year, 2021. More ink to your pen. 

Chris, Asaba. 

Dear Chris, 

On your lucky dates try to maximise your 

gains on one hand and or the other hand, try 

your best possible to avoid trouble and/or loss 

during those dates to beware of. But take note 

that there is nothing to worry about concerning 

dates to beware of because, they are mere 

warnings. However the lucky dates are for 

real. 

Important days for you till December 2021 

YOUR LUCKY DATES 

June B 2*, 7*, 16* 20, 25 & 30. 

July B 4, 11, 13***, 17, 21** & 26. 

August B 1***, 10, 14, 23 & 28. 

DATES TO BEWARE OF 

Sept. B 5 

Oct B 18 

Nov B 1 

Dec B 6 

Prince Joshua Adeyemo 

HOME & ABROAD 

By Lawrence Akapa

T r b u t e 

Life and Times of Pastor Emmanuel 

Folorunsho Abina 

BY TAIWO HOLO 

& ADEGBOLA TOPE 

Emmanuel Folorunsho 

Abina can never be 

mistaken in a crowd, thanks 

to his lanky frame. In the 

same vein, so is his impact 

within the period he bestrode 

the surface of the Earth. 

Emmanuel Folorunsho Abina 

was born on 11th October, 

1967 in Aradagun Badagry 

Lagos. 

He spent his early years in 

Mushin Lagos where his parents 

lived. He attended Labake 

Memorial Nursery and 

Primary School, Ilasamaja, 

Mushin and Twins Nursery 

and Primary school, also in 

Papa Ajao where he left off in 

primary four because of his 

brilliance to start his secondary 

school at the famous 

Adeola Odutola College, a 

boarding college in Isolo, 

Lagos. However, because of 

constant ill-health, he was 

withdrawn from the boarding 

school and enrolled at 

Ajumoni Grammar School, 

Okota Lagos where he completed 

his secondary education 

in 1983. 

The little time Emmanuel 

spent in the boarding school 

became a draw back in his 

spiritual life. He backslided 

from his first love for God. He 

joined bad company. This was 

to have serious adverse effects, 

even on his education. 

He became toughened. 

However, his prayer warrior 

grandmother, Late Mrs Abigail 

Akinremi and mother, Late 

Matron Felicia Oluremi Abina’s 

loving care and prayers 

for him despite his 

waywardness eventually 

yielded fruitful result eventually. 

Emmanuel returned to 

God. And this, with such fervor 

and intensity, he was sold 

out to God. 

Emmanuel Abina got admission 

into Lagos State University 

in 1989. He graduated 

with B.A. English in 1995 

and was the overall Best Student 

that year. He went on to 

obtain his Master’s degree 

and several other certificates. 

Multi-talented 

and multi-skilled 

Emmanuel was multi-talented 

and multi-skilled. 

While growing up, he fixed 

any and everything in the 

house, be it furniture, electricity, 

television and other 

appliances. He just seemed to 

know what to do in every 

situation. His brilliance and 

hunger for knowledge led 

him to teach himself computer 

programming, networking 

and electronic commerce at a 

time when ICT was at its infancy 

stage in the banking industry. 

He partnered with his 

friends and they together designed 

internet banking solutions 

for several banks including 

Standard Trust Bank, 

Standard Chartered Bank, 

UBA, Platinum Bank among 

others. At a time, Emmanuel 

developed software he called, 

Doctors’ Circuitry that could 

be used by doctors for diagnosing 

illnesses and proffering 

solutions. 

Folorunsho Abina registered 

his IT Solutions Company, 

Microalliance Limited 

through which he consulted 

for many high profile organizations. 

Some of the organizations 

he consulted for at 

one time or the other includes 

the UNESCO, the National 

Assembly Abuja, MDCN, 

•Late Pastor Emmanuel Abina 

Emmanuel 

Abina was 

sold out for 

God, had 

uncommon 

boldness of 

speaking the 

truth to power 

Olusegun Obasanjo Schools, 

some Federal Ministries and 

Parastatals and Churches. He 

introduced Concept and designed 

Solutions which put 

him high demand in and 

around the world. Emmanuel’s 

ICT savvies took him to 

countries like Mali, Zimbabwe, 

Togo, Republic of Benin, 

Ghana, Germany, United 

Kingdom, Israel, Italy, Philippines 

and the Philippines. 

Folorunsho got married 

late, howbeit; he held the 

marriage sanctity so strongly. 

He used to say he was 

against divorce and therefore 

was afraid to marry wrong because 

there will be no exit 

door once he entered into it. 

On June 19th 2004, he got 

married to his heartthrob, 

Late Oluwakemi Abina (Nee 

Ojo). He was very fond of his 

wife and children. The 

marriage was blessed with 

four children, Oreoluwa, 

Ronia, David and Zion. The 

death of his wife whom he 

fondly called Mama K in June 

2020 was a devastating blow 

to him. 

Mofolorunsho loved his 

parents so dearly. They were 

also very proud of him. He 

was of great assistance to his 

mother during his early 

days by hawking eggs to 

augment their meager 

financial income. At a point, 

he had to relocate to Lagos 

to be with his parents who 

were also getting advanced 

in age and especially for the 

sake of his mother who was 

ill at the time. He stepped 

up this by finally joining his 

father in ministry especially 

after the demise of his 

mother, Late Matron Felicia 

Oluremi Abina. Fororunsho 

was such a fun to be with. One 

naughty side that never left 

him even after giving his life 

to Christ was giving people 

nicknames. He had a funny 

name for everyone. He played 

games too. He played Chess, 

Dominos, Draught and all. He 

was a great guy to his siblings 

who used to call him “Booda”. 

Emmanuel Abina was sold 

out for God. He had uncommon 

boldness of speaking the 

truth to power. He was humble 

but uncompromising in 

matters of holiness and precise 

in the prophetic. He was 

an excellent teacher who had 

a conscientious sacrificial 

approach to ministry. He 

never wanted to be paid for 

his services in God’s vineyard. 

Pastor Emmanuel was always 

budding with ideas and 

innovations for the body of 

Christ, such that, there was 

hardly any department or 

units in the Church that did 

not have his footprints. He 

was the pastor in Charge of 

GOFAMINT Kingdom 

House, Festac. He was the 

Head of Media until his 

death. In December 2020, he 

was appointed into the 

highest decision making 

body of the Church, the 

Executive Council. 

Premature and 

shocking 

Even though his death appeared 

premature and shocking, 

Folorunsho was never 

afraid of death. He became 

seriously ill in March 2021 

and eventually went to be 

with the Lord on 28th April, 

2021. Prior to his passing, he 

saw saints of old who had 

passed years before. He mentioned 

seeing the Late Pastor 

(Dr) R.A. George, (Founding 

General Overseer of GOFA- 

MINT) and his own late 

mum, Matron Felicia Abina 

and his own wife, Late Kemi 

Abina. Thus he was attracted 

by the glory of Heaven and 

was no more. 

Emmanuel Folorunsho Abina 

is survived by an aged father, 

Pastor (Dr). Elijah 

Oludele Abina, The General 

overseer of GOFAMINT 

WORLDWIDE, four children, 

five siblings, nieces and 

nephews, countless lives he 

has touched while he 

sojourned on this side, 

Gofamint all over the world 

and the whole body of Christ 

in general. 

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 — 37 

Israel’s Gaza strikes may constitute 

‘war crimes’ — UN 

The United Nations hu 

man rights chief 

Michelle Bachelet has said 

Israel’s recent attacks on the 

besieged Gaza Strip that 

killed more than 200 Palestinians 

may constitute “war 

crimes” if they are shown to 

be disproportionate. 

Bachelet’s comments on 

Thursday came as she 

opened a special session of the 

UN Human Rights Council, 

called at the request of Pakistan 

– on behalf of the Organisation 

of Islamic Cooperation 

– and Palestine. 

The UN official said she 

had seen no evidence that civilian 

buildings in Gaza hit 

by Israeli fighter jets were being 

used for military purposes. 

“If found disproportionate, 

such attacks might constitute 

war crimes,” Bachelet told 

the 47-member Geneva forum. 

She also urged Hamas, 

which runs Gaza, to refrain 

from firing rockets indiscriminately 

on Israeli territory. 

The 11-day offensive on the 

Gaza Strip, which began on 

May 10, killed at least 253 

Palestinians, including 66 

children, and wounded more 

than 1,900 people, according 

to the health ministry in Gaza. 

At least 12 people, including 

three foreign workers and 

two children, were killed in 

Israel by rockets fired by Hamas 

and other armed groups 

from Gaza during the same 

period. 

“Although reportedly targeting 

members of armed 

groups and their military infrastructure, 

the Israeli attacks 

resulted in extensive civilian 

deaths and injuries, as 

well as large-scale destruction 

and damage to civilian objects,” 

said Bachelet, highlighting 

the scale of the destruction 

in Gaza, which has 

been under a 14-year-old Israeli 

blockade. 

She pointed out that governmental 

buildings, residential 

homes, international humanitarian 

organisations, 

medical facilities and media 

offices had been hit in the enclave 

of two million people. 

The UN has dubbed it “the 

world’s largest open-air prison”. 

“Despite Israel’s claims that 

many of these buildings were 

hosting armed groups or being 

used for military purposes, 

we have not seen evidence 

in this regard,” said Bachelet 

“There is no doubt that Israel 

has the right to defend its 

citizens and residents,” she added. 

“However, Palestinians have 

rights too. The same rights.” 

The council was debating a 

draft resolution to launch a 

broad, international investigation 

into violations surrounding 

the latest Gaza violence, but 

also of “systematic” abuses in 

the Palestinian territories and 

inside Israel. 

Saleh Hijazi, Middle East 

and North Africa deputy regional 

director of Amnesty International, 

welcomed the draft 

resolution as a means to “establish 

an investigative mechanism 

that collects and preserves 

evidence that cooperates 

with the ongoing international 

criminal court investigation 

into the situation in the occupied 

Palestinian territories”. 

“It is important that these 

moves tackle arms transfers and 

lead to a comprehensive arms 

embargo on Israel and Palestinian 

armed groups,” he told 

Al Jazeera, speaking from the 

occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. 

“This is a real test, specifically 

for the European Union 

states, to walk the walk when 

they talk about accountability, 

to not make Israel an exception 

when it comes to human 

rights and respect for international 

law,” he said. 

China hits back as US revisits COVID-19 

lab theory 

China has denounced US 

efforts to further investigate 

whether Covid-19 came 

from a Chinese lab. 

US President Joe Biden has 

said he expects to release the 

results of an intelligence report 

on the origins of the virus. 

China’s foreign ministry accused 

the US of “political 

manipulation and blame 

shifting”. 

It has rejected any link between 

Covid-19 and a virus 

research lab in the Chinese city 

of Wuhan. 

Covid-19 was first detected 

in Wuhan in late 2019. Since 

then, more than 168 million 

cases have been confirmed 

worldwide and about 3.5 million 

deaths reported. 

Authorities linked early Covid 

cases to a seafood market 

in Wuhan, leading scientists to 

theorise that the virus had first 

passed to humans from animals. 

But recent US media reports 

have suggested growing evidence 

the virus could instead 

have emerged from a laboratory 

in China, perhaps through 

an accidental leak. 

In a statement on Wednesday, 

President Biden said he 

had asked for a report on the 

origins of Covid-19 after taking 

office, “including whether 

it emerged from human contact 

with an infected animal 

or from a laboratory accident”. 

On receiving it this 

month, he asked for “additional 

follow-up”.Mr Biden said 

the majority of the intelligence 

community had “coalesced” 

around those two scenarios, 

but “do not believe there is 

sufficient information to assess 

one to be more likely than 

the other”. 

He said he had now asked 

agencies to “redouble their 

efforts to collect and analyse 

information that could bring 

us closer to a definitive conclusion”. 

On Thursday, Mr Biden told 

reporters he planned to release 

the report “unless there’s 

something I’m unaware of”. 

Canadian Prime Minister 

Justin Trudeau then voiced his 

support for efforts made by the 

US and other countries to better 

understand the origins of 

the virus. 

Wednesday’s announcement 

angered Chinese officials. 

Macron asks Rwanda to forgive France over 

1994 genocide role 

French President Em 

manuel Macron has 

asked Rwandans to forgive 

France for its role in the 

1994 Rwandan genocide in 

which about 800,000 ethnic 

Tutsis and moderate 

Hutus died. 

Speaking at the genocide 

memorial in Rwanda’s 

capital Kigali, he said 

France had not heeded 

warnings of impending 

carnage and had for too 

long “valued silence over 

examination of the truth”. 

But France had not been 

an accomplice in the killings, 

Mr Macron added. 

Rwanda’s leader praised 

his speech. 

President Paul Kagame 

said, “His words were 

something more valuable 

than an apology. They were 

the truth.” He called it “an 

act of tremendous courage”. 

In March, a French expert 

commission found that 

France under the late President 

François Mitterrand 

had borne “heavy and 

overwhelming responsibility” 

for the genocide but 

had not been complicit. 

The report said France 

had been “blind” to genocide 

preparations. 

Thousands flee after DR Congo 

second volcano warning 

Tens of thousands of peo 

ple have been evacuated 

from the city of Goma in 

the Democratic Republic of 

Congo over fears of another 

volcanic eruption. 

Local authorities have said 

Mount Nyiragongo could 

erupt once again with little 

warning. 

The volcano, 10km (six 

miles) from Goma, spewed 

lava over the weekend, killing 

32 people and leaving 

thousands homeless, the UN 

says. 

Thousands fled then but 

some residents had started 

returning. 

The area has been rattled 

by more than 200 aftershocks 

which have destroyed several 

buildings, while two 

cracks several hundred metres 

in length have appeared 

in the ground. 

Goma is a lakeside city 

where around 670,000 people 

live, according to UN 

estimates. 

Tremors have also been felt 

more than 90km away in the 

Rwandan capital, Kigali. 

Ndima Kongba, the military 

governor of North Kivu 

province, ordered the evacuation 

of nearly a third of the 

city’s residents on Thursday, 

saying magma had been detected 

underneath Goma 

and nearby Lake Kivu.


Djokovic, Nadal, 

Federer on same side 

French Open draw 

Rafael Nadal, Novak 

Djokovic and Roger Federer are all in the 

same half of the draw for the French Open. 

With Nadal having dropped behind Daniil 

Medvedev to third in the rankings, it raised the 

possibility of a lopsided draw, and so it has 

proved. 

There can be no repeat of last year’s final, 

when Nadal defeated Djokovic to win a 20th 

grand slam title, with the pair seeded to meet in 

the last four. 

Federer is a potential quarter-final opponent 

for Djokovic, although, given the 39-year-old’s 

lack of matches and stated target of hitting form 

on the grass, it would be something of a surprise 

if he made it that far. 

Top seed Djokovic will open his campaign 

against American Tennys Sandgren while Nadal 

faces young Australian Alexei Popyrin and 

Federer meets a qualifier. 

There ‘re more Drogbas, Kanus 

and Etos in Africa, says Pinnick 

FIFA council member and 

Nigeria Football Federation 

(NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick 

has strongly revealed his belief 

that there are still many Didier 

Drogbas, Samuel Etos, and Kanu 

Nwakwos in Africa as there is an 

ongoing structure in place to 

monitor, grow and nurture talents 

as well as jumbo welfare package 

for African teams. 

Also a member of the FIFA 

Council, he strongly believes that 

the bulk of talents still exist in 

African and that is the more reason 

why this administration under the 

watchful eyes of Patrice Motsepe 

wants to turn around 

Infrastructure, talent discovery and 

as well putting the face of football 

in Africa on a global map again. 

“Work are ongoing as I speak 

with you presently to discover 

more talents in Africa and that is 

the more reason why Patrice 

Motsepe in the confederation of 

African football meeting the board 

decided that infrastructure will be 

built across countries in Africa, 

monitor talents, ensure talents 

grow, improve better welfare 

package for African teams, African 

countries get 

motivated via their 

Federations and in 

line more 

Nwakwos, more 

Etos and more 

Drogbas will begin 

to be discovered 

again.” 

•Pinnick 

Champions League final 

Man City fly out to 

Portugal to face Chelsea 

PEP GUARDIOLA 

put on an animated display 

at the airport as Manchester 

City jetted to Porto for 

tomorrow’s Champions League 

final with Chelsea. 

The Premier League-winning 

boss looked like he was hardly 

able to contain himself as he 

jollied about with airport staff. 

Guardiola was not able to 

board the shuttle bus taking him 

from a private terminal to the 

team’s plane with the rest of the 

City crew. Instead, Pep had to 

wait with a lone security guard 

on the tarmac. 

And seeing the funny side, he 

threw his arms up in the air 

wondering why he wasn’t able 

The Super Eagles remain unchanged 

in the latest FIFA rankings released 

for May. The three-time African 

champions last played in March, and they 

remain in the position they were in April. 

Gernot Rohr’s men moved up to 32nd 

position in April following the win over 

Benin and Lesotho in their final 2021 

Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers. 

They also stay in third place on the 

African continent, just behind Senegal 

and Tunisia, respectively. The Teranga 

EURO 2020: Football fans in 

Nigerian to enjoy matches live 

MultiChoice Nigeria has 

announced that all matches 

of the Euro 2020, which holds 

between 11 June and 11 July, will 

be broadcast live on DStv and GOtv 

via the SuperSport channels. 

The tournaments which were 

rescheduled due to the Covid-19 

pandemic gets underway in Rome 

on Friday, 11 June and will be live 

and in HD on DStv and the full 

offering of games will also available 

on GOtv. 

The SuperSport broadcast will 

FIFA Rankings: 

Super Eagles remain stagnant 

feature expert opinions and insights 

from top commentators and 

veterans of the continental game. 

“As the 2020/21 football season 

from international football leagues 

come to an end, we are thrilled to 

continue to cater to our customers’ 

football appetites with our 

unmatched coverage of one of the 

most anticipated football 

tournaments of the year, the UEFA 

Euro 2020,” says John Ugbe, Chief 

Executive Officer, MultiChoice 

Nigeria. 

All set for Gov Diri Scrabble Championship 

The stage is set for the 

first-ever Governor 

Douye Diri National Scrabble 

Championship, which holds 

this weekend in Yenagoa, the 

Bayelsa State capital. 

Almost 400 participants 

from across Nigeria and 

Europe, including former 

world champion, Wellington 

Jighere as well as no fewer 

than four former African 

champions have booked their 

to get on the previous vehicle. 

The good-natured scene put 

smiles on the faces of 

Guardiola and the airport staff 

with him. 

And he didn’t have to wait 

long before another bus came 

to ferry him to the aircraft. 

Guardiola could have been 

feeling a bit agitated after 

SunSport exclusively revealed 

star player Kevin De Bruyne 

has been nursing THREE 

injuries ahead of Saturday’s 

showdown. 

The Belgian has been 

managed ankle, hamstring and 

calf issues since last month’s FA 

Cup semi-final defeat to 

Chelsea. 

Lions remain Africa’s number one 

nation and are ranked 22nd globally. 

The Carthage Eagles are four places 

behind in 26th place. The rankings 

table looks likely to change when it’s 

released next month as there are many 

international matches taking place. 

Meanwhile, the top ten also remain 

unchanged, with Belgium occupying 

the number one spot followed by 

France, Brazil, England and Portugal 

in that order. 

participation for the scrabble 

showpiece. 

The three-day championship 

is sanctioned by the Nigeria 

Scrabble Federation (NSF) 

with some of its officials 

already in the state to ensure a 

hitch-free competition. 

Chairman of the Bayelsa 

State Scrabble Association 

(BYSA), Mr. Daniel Alabrah, 

who confirmed this to 

journalists in Yenagoa, said the 

FIFA boss backed Super 

League plan, claims La 

Liga chief Tebas 

FIFA president Gianni Infantino supported 

the European Super League project 

because the clubs had given him guarantees 

they would play in a new-look Club World Cup 

every year, La Liga president Javier Tebas has 

claimed. 

Infantino said last week it was his job to 

speak to clubs large and small but that this did 

not mean FIFA “was behind, was colluding, 

was plotting, (on) any Super League project”. 

Tebas remains convinced that documents he 

has seen clearly illustrate Infantino and FIFA’s 

involvement in the development of the Super 

League, and set out what he saw as the FIFA 

president’s motivation. 

Tebas believes plans for an annual Club 

World Cup featuring the Super League clubs 

and holding 

national team men’s 

and women’s World 

Cups every two 

years were 

interlinked, and tied 

up in a Saudibacked 

investment. 

Tebas said in order 

to attract the 

funding required for 

a new Club World 

Cup, Infantino was 

told it would need to 

•Tebas 

be an annual event with the participation of 

Europe’s big clubs guaranteed. 

The Spaniard said it was no coincidence to 

him that Saudi Arabia, a major backer of 

Softbank, which he claims is prepared to 

support FIFA’s projects, happened to be the 

national association which last week 

suggested a study looking at the impact of 

biennial World Cups, a study which will now 

go ahead. 

Ekiti sweeps the stakes 

at Gen. Adebayo Junior 

Tennis Masters 

By Jacob Ajom 

Ekiti State representatives at the 

maiden edition of the General 

Adeyinka Adebayo South West Junior 

Tennis Masters concluded in Ado-Ekiti 

won all the titles at stake. 

The host state won four gold and a silver 

in both U-14 and U-16 boys and girls, 

while Oyo and Ondo won two silver and 

one silver respectively. 

Oluwaseun Ogunsakin from Ekiti was 

the star player of the tournament with two 

gold after beating his rival from Oyo, 

Mubarak Abdulganeey in both U-16 and 

U-14 boys finals 7/6, 6/3 and 6/7, 6/2, 7/6 

respectively 

Similarly, Success Ogunjobi of Ekiti 

State beat Peace Agbeje from Ondo State 

6/3, 6/1 to win the U-14 girls while Esther 

Oni completed the medal haul for Ekiti by 

defeating her compatriot, Faith Adeusi 6/ 

3, 6/2 in the U-16 girls category. Governor 

Fayemi ably represented by Hon. 

Awopetu commended the sponsor’s, and 

organiser’s of the five day tournament 

that brought the state into national 

limelight. 

The closing ceremony was attended by 

the sponsor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, 

Minister of Trades and Investment who 

said he initiated the tournament in 

memory of his father, Major Gen. 

Adeyinka Adebayo had in attendance 

Governor Kayode Fayemi; Otunba Niyi 

Adebayo represented by his brother, Hon. 

Sola Adebayo, Commissioner for Works 

and Transport. 

scrabble community in the 

state was upbeat and that 

preparations were in the 

final stages. 

“We are set for the 

Governor Diri Scrabble 

Champion. Already, NSF 

officials, including the 

President and Secretary- 

General, are in Yenagoa. We 

are optimistic about 

delivering a good 

tournament.

, 

Grasshopper appoint ex Eagles star, 

Olofinjana as Technical Director 

Swiss side Grasshopper 

Club Zurich has 

appointed former Nigerian 

international Seyi Olofinjana 

as the club’s new technical 

director. 

The deal was announced in 

a statement released by the 

club on Wednesday. 

Olofinjana, who is expected 

in Zurich in the next few 

days, will take over from 

Jimmy Berisha, the interim 

sports director who will now 

return to the position of 

managing director. 

One of the first assignments 

expected of the former 

Wolverhampton Wanderers 

star is the appointment of a 

new head coach. 

Having left his role at Wolves 

as one of the managers in the 

club’s Academy in April 2021, 

Olofinjana has expressed his 

excitement about the move. 

Olofinjana 

CBN Tennis: 

Imeh, Marylove, 

Oyinlomo zoom 

into semi finals 

Top seed and Men’s singles 

defending champion of the 

on-going Central Bank of Nigeria 

Senior Tennis Open 

championship, Joseph Imeh 

yesterday defeated Clifford 

Enesoregbe 5-0 (retired) to cruise 

into the semi-finals while Nonso 

Madueke earned a 6-4,6-1 victory 

over Ojo Oyelami to advance to 

the next round as well. 

Seed 3,Musa Mohhammed 

came from a set down to beat 

2014 winner, Henry Atseye 

4-6,7-6,6-2 while Thomas Otu 

also came from a set down to stop 

old war horse, Shehu Lawal with 

a 3-6,6-3,6-2 win. Micheal Chima 

claimed victory over Peter Lawal 

with 6-0,6-2 win to move on too. 

Actions were also witnessed in 

the women’s singles category as 

American based little Marylove 

Edwards stopped former 

champion, Edo 2020 national 

sports festival champion and 

tournament seed 9,Serah 

Adegoke 6-2(retired) to reach the 

semi-finals. Adegoke could not 

continue due to injury. 

Top seed and women’s singles 

defending champion, Oyinlomo 

Quadri outclassed Ronke 

Akingbade 6-0,6-1 to enter the last 

8 

Ȧlex Adewale beat Ajani Idowu 

4-0,4-1 in one of the Men’s singles 

match-ups in the wheelchair 

category, while Simon Promise 

sent Kayode Alabi Samuel 

packing via a 4-0,4-0 defeat. 

Also victorious was Chituru 

Nwaozuzu who defeated Joy 

Ogun 4-0,4-0 while Justina Ofoha 

was bundled out by Kafayat 

Omisore who stopped her 4-1.4- 

1 

Ȧll the quarter-final matches 

were decided yesterday ahead of 

today’s semi finals while the 

finals would be played on 

Saturday 29 May,2021. 

“I’m delighted to be part of a historic 

club like GC. I hope we can re-establish 

GC at the top of the Super League 

together,” he told the club’s website. 

After leaving Kwara United for 

Norwegian side Brann in 2003, 

Olofinjana teamed up with Wolves the 

following year, spending four years with 

the English side. 

The combative midfielder later featured 

for Stoke City, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull 

City, and Cardiff City before retiring in 


Born in Lagos, Olofinjana has a degree 

in Chemical Engineering. 

Chelsea will stick with 

this season’s kit for 

the Champions 

League final - easing the 

concerns of superstitious 

figures at the club. 

Manchester City and 

Chelsea will both be wearing 

their home strips in 

Saturday’s final in Porto. 

Though unlike in the FA Cup 

final and Women’s 

Champions League final, 

when they ran out in next 

season’s eye-catching strip, 

Chelsea will revert to the one 

they have been using for most 

of the campaign for their next 

showpiece occasion. 

Chelsea lost both of this 

month’s games in the 2021- 

22 kit which were picked as 

ideal opportunities to help 

showcase it, coming just a few 

days after its unveiling, before 

returning to their existing one 

for the remainder of the 

season. 

Clubs can notify UEFA if they 

wish to use a kit in the final 

that was not registered by the 

cut-off date for the 

competition earlier in the 

season. 

But Chelsea’s decision to 

avoid switching and give their 

new kit another big-game 

platform this weekend will 

have gone down well with 

those at the club who fear it 

may be unlucky to don new 

strips early. 

Indeed, it could be a good 

Jerseys 

Champions League final 

Superstitious 

Chelsea go back to 

old jersey for City 

omen. Chelsea changed for 

the 2008 Champions League 

final against Manchester 

United and lost on penalties. 

But the next time they 

reached one, in 2012, they 

wore the strip from that season 

Real Madrid have 

confirmed that Zinedine 

Zidane has resigned as the 

club’s manager, leaving the 

post for the second time in his 

managerial career. 

While there has been no 

comment as of yet from Zidane 

or Real president Florentino 

Perez, a club statement said 

‘Real Madrid is and will 

always be’ Zidane’s home. 

A club statement read: ‘Real 

Madrid CF announces that 

Zinedine Zidane has decided 

to end his current stage as 

coach of our club. 

‘It is now time to respect his 

decision and show him our 

appreciation for his 

professionalism, dedication 

and passion in all these years, 

and for what his figure 

represents for Real Madrid. 

‘Zidane is one of the great 

myths of Real Madrid and his 

legend goes beyond what he 

has been as a coach and player 

of our club. 

‘He knows that he is at the 

and beat Bayern Munich to be 

crowned kings of Europe for 

the first time. 

Both of Chelsea’s Europa 

League triumphs also came 

while wearing current rather 

than future strips. 


Pochettino desperate for 

Tottenham return 

Mauricio Pochettino is desperate to 

secure a return to Tottenham as in 

talks over a sensational return to the north 

London club, according to reports. 

Pochettino was sacked by Daniel Levy 

in 2019 after a five-year stint at the club 

that had seen them involved in two 

Premier League title races and reach the 

Champions League final. 

He took charge at Paris Saint-Germain 

in January, replacing now-Chelsea boss 

Thomas Tuchel, picking up his first major 

trophy as a manager after winning the 

Coupe de France. 

According to the Athletic, the Argentine 

has held talks with Spurs chairman 

Daniel Levy over the possibility of a 

return and is keen on the idea of moving 

back to the UK capital. 

A large part of Pochettino’s thinking is 

Real Madrid confirm Zidane’s resignation 

*His players hail him 

heart of Real Madrid and that 

Real Madrid is and will always 

be his home.’ 

No detail was given to explain 

the parting. His 

contract ran through 

June 2022. 

The Frenchman is 

the club’s mostdecorated 

manager 

having helped the 

team to clinch 11 

titles including 

three Champions 

League trophies, 

two UEFA Super 

Cups, as well as two 

La Liga and two 

Spanish Super Cup 

titles. 

Forward Karim 

Benzema paid 

tribute to Zidane’s 

leadership on 

Twitter, writing: 

“Thank you brother, 

for everything you 

have given me.” 

“I am proud and 

down to the lack of control he has at 

PSG - something his predecessor 

Tuchel also struggled with. 

They also report that players are 

aware of the situation and are excited 

at the prospect of the 49-year-old’s 

return. Paddy Power have now stopped 

taking bets on him rejoining his old 

club 

Pochettino 

Olympics: 

D’Tigress get 

Puerto Rico, 

Serbia, Belgium 

friendlies 

D 

’Tigress of Nigeria will be 

in action this weekend as 

arrangements have been 

concluded for three grade A 

friendlies with 2020 Olympics 

bound teams as the team step up 

their preparation for the games. 

The Coach Otis Hughley 

tutored side who resumed the 

second phase of camping in Las 

Vegas on the 8th of May left for 

Belgium earlier this week where 

they will face Belgium, Puerto 

Rico and Serbia at the Lange 

Munte arena situated in Kortrijk. 

Ezinne Kalu, Adaora Elonu, 

Promise Amukamara, Sarah 

Ogoke, Sarah Imovbioh and 

Aisha Balarabe are among the 

players in camp. 

Others include Oderah 

Chidom, Amy Okonkwo, Atonye 

Nyingifa, Pallas Kunaiyi- 

Akpanah and Nicole Enabosi 

who are all jostling for a slot on 

the team to Tokyo. 

The duo of Ify Ibekwe and 

Victoria Macaulay who could not 

join up with the team during the 

February camp in Atlanta due to 

Covid-19 protocols in Europe 

complete the list of players in 

camp. 

The team which has 13 players 

currently in camp will face World 

number 23, Puerto Rico on 

Friday, 28th of May before taking 

on Serbia ranked 8th in the 

latest FIBA ranking. 

honoured to have been able to 

progress and grow alongside 

a man like you,” he added. 

Zinedine

Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

TODAY’S PUZZLE 

Sudoku 

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

ACROSS 

1 Opening ploy in chess (6) 

4 Canal boats (6) 

8 Wash in clean water (5) 

9 Be without hope (7) 

10 Charged with an offence (7) 

11 Burdened (5) 

12 Bargain-priced (4-5) 

17 Overhanging roof edges (5) 

19 Instigated (7) 

21 Make damp (7) 

22 Group of lions (5) 

23 A small quake (6) 

24 Without payment (6) 

DOWN 

1 European language (6) 

2 Threatened (7) 

3 Notions (50 

5 Exonerate (7) 

6 Sentry (5) 

7 Dash (6) 

9 Inference (9) 

13 Italian rice dish (7) 

14 Lover of one's country (7) 

15 Protective headgear (6) 

16 Vipers (6) 

18 Put into words (5) 

20 High-spirited escapade (5) 

How to Play Sudoku 

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

two of the same number). 

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

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

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

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

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

multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination. 

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

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

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

28052021 - 20 Generals may go as Buhari names Yahaya new COAS

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