15092022

Olu Fasan 

‘ 

19 JAMB seeks 

4 

Old PH refinery will become 

I believe the stories of hike in 

Nigeria’s fragility should be 

functional by Dec this year —FG 

told compellingly in books, registration 

through narrative non-fiction, 

through political novels, with a fees to Nigeria not on track to meet 

passionate polemic in defence 

of the best way forward N5,000 4 many SDGs by 2030 —UN 13 

Banks’ customers pay N45.9bn as account maintenance fees in H1’22 21 

‘ 

VOL. 39: NO. 9,880 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

I’m awaiting military’s 

response to attack on 

Ubah —BUHARI 10 

ASUU strike: Students 

blocking Lagos-Ibadan 

expressway violating 

law —FG 

ANCHOR INSURANCE LAUNCHES NEW LOGO... 

From left: Peter Esele, former 

president, Trade Union Congress 

(TUC); Ebose Augustine, MD/ 

CEO, Anchor Insurance 

Company Limited; Ukpong 

Ekwere, member, board of 

directors; Comfort Ewang, 

member, board of directors, and 

Salami Rasaq, deputy director, 

NAICOM, during the launch of 

Anchor Insurance's new logo 

and television commercial in 

Lagos, yesterday. 

Photo by Akeem Salau. 

6 

N-Delta militants at war 

over pipelines contract 

5 

•Tompolo insatiable, sidelined me, other leaders —DOKUBO •PPP arrangement with Global 

West Vessel Specialist, not Tompolo —SOURCE •Revoke contract or wait for anarchy, Lori- 

Ogbebor to FG •Ignore Lori-Ogbebor’s call to revoke contract —IPDI 

•Our fears over crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism —Labour 

AT PDP S-WEST MEETING... 

24 

LOW REVENUE: 

Over 400 

MDAs risk 

scrapping 

—SENATE 6 

Mr & Mrs 

From left, representative of PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Umar Bamago; Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Oyo 

State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde; PDP Presidential Candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Running Mate and Delta State Governor, 

Ifeanyi Okowa and Osun State Governor Elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, during an interactive session with the South-West PDP Stakeholders 

held at Ogunlesi Hall, Ibadan, yesterday. Photo by Dare Fasube. 

PDP crisis: Ayu must go —MAKINDE 

•Nigerians won't trust us if we remove Ayu — ATIKU 

COLUMNIST IKECHUKWU AMAECHI 20 

4 

24 23

2—Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

Mechanic stabs 

brother to death 

over N1,500 in 

Lagos 

By Esther Onyegbula 

LAGOS—Policemen attached 

to Denton Division, Lagos 

State Police Command, are 

currently investigating a 21- 

year-old mechanic, Monday 

Nnmie, for stabbing his elder 

brother to death over N1,500 in 

Ebute Meta area of Lagos. 

The incident happened at their 

mechanic workshop on Sam 

Freeman Street, Ebute Meta, 

Lagos 

Vanguard learned that on 

September 6, 2022, about 7p.m., 

Monday Nnmie used a broken 

bottle to stab his brother, John 

Okoh on his neck during a 

scuffle between the duo. 

An eye witness, who spoke on 

the condition of anonymity said: 

“The two brothers were fighting 

over N1,500 given to John Okoh 

by a customer. During the fight, 

Monday Nnmie grabbed a 

broken bottle and stabbed the 

victim in his neck. 

Unfortunately, he bled to death 

on the way to the hospital.” 

The victim, John Okoh, who 

was immediately rushed to 

Federal Medical Centre in 

Ebute Meta, was confirmed 

dead by the doctor on duty. 

Confirming the incident, Lagos 

State Police Public Relations 

Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, 

said “Based on the report, 

detectives attached to the 

division went to the scene, took 

photographs, and arrested the 

suspect. 

“Also, the corpse of the 

deceased has been evacuated to 

Mainland General Hospital 

Morgue, Yaba, for autopsy." 

Father of 3 

buried alive in 

sand in Jigawa 

By Bashir Bello 

DUTSE—A 28-year-old man, 

identified as Umar Sale and 

father of three, has lost his life while 

excavating sand to fix his house 

destroyed by downpour recorded 

recently in some parts of Jigawa 

State. 

Sale, a resident of Majia town in 

Taura LGA of the state was said to 

have been trapped in the ditch on 

Tuesday and lost his life in the process. 

Spokesperson, Nigeria Security 

and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, 

Jigawa State Command, Adamu 

Shehu, who confirmed the 

development, yesterday, said Sale’s 

cry attracted the attention of 

farmers nearby, who rushed to 

rescue him. 

Shehu said: “The father of three 

was digging sand from a ditch 

situated about a kilometre from 

Majia town to fix his mud house 

that was partly destroyed by the 

downpour recently recorded when 

the sand above him slide and buried 

him alive. 

“His first cry for help was heard 

by some people farming around the 

area and rushed to his rescue. 

Unfortunately, he died on the spot 

because of the weight of the sand 

and his inability to breathe. 

“His body was recovered and 

thereafter released to his family for 

proper burial. 

“Meanwhile, investigation 

revealed that the incident is not the 

first to occur in the same ditch, 

because there were recorded cases of 

similar death as such the community 

were advised in their best interest to 

refrain from excavating or digging 

sand from the ditch.” 

:Vanguard 

News 

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

Flood sacks over 200 households in Makurdi 

—SEMA 

By Peter Duru 

MAKURDI —NO fewer than 

200 households were 

reportedly affected by the recent 

flood that hit parts of Makurdi, 

Benue State, following days of 

downpour in the town. 

The flood, which submerged 

houses and swept away property, 

also left many displaced. 

Giving an update on the 

situation, yesterday, in Makurdi, 

Executive Secretary of Benue 

State Emergency Management 

Agency, SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel 

Shior, who had led his team on 

on-the-spot assessment of the 

development said the Benue State 

Standing Committee on flood 

was already working to mitigate 

the effect of the disaster. 

Shior said: “So far, we have 

recorded 200 households that 

were affected by the flood on 

Naka Road, Achussa, Utu Phase 

One, Kucha Utebe, Rice Mill and 

others but the flooding is not as 

bad as it used to be. The water 

that came over a week ago 

receded, so we are monitoring 

the situation. 

“The households I mentioned 

are still there in their houses 

because the water has receceded. 

That not withstanding, we are 

still closely monitoring the 

situation. 

“Benue State government has 

a standing committee on flood. 

It is made up of Benue SEMA, 

Ministry of Water Resources, 

Ministry of Lands, Urban 

DAMAGED: Dilapidated portion of Ilawe-Ekiti Road 

in Ekiti South West Local Government Area, yesterday. 

Photo: NAN. 

Development Board, Benue State 

Environmental and Sanitation 

Agency, Ministry of Information, 

Ministry of Agriculture, 

academics from Benue State 

University and consultants from 

the private sector; and we are all 

working together to provide 

mitigation. 

“We know that flood as a 

natural incident and as a 

challenge that is perennial in 

Benue, cannot be said to be 

totally stopped. We can only 

work together with stakeholders 

and other line MDAs to put 

measures in place to mitigate it. 

When it happens, we will provide 

effective and rapid response. 

“So, even before now, a month 

ago to be precise, Benue SEMA 

activated the sensitisation 

measure. But above that we are 

working together with other 

MDAs to also make 

arrangements for victims. 

“Because usually when flood 

occurs, there will be victims. And 

for this reason we are also 

expanding our camps. We are 

working together with other 

humanitarian partners and we 

have shared the need with them 

to expand our shelters. We are 

expanding Abagena, we are 

Police kill 3 suspected kidnappers, rescue 

13-month-old baby in Edo 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

BENIN CITY— Edo State Police 

Command, yesterday, said it had 

killed three out of a six-man kidnapping 

gang, who abducted a 13-month-old 

baby in Achigbor community on Benin- 

Auchi road in Uhunmwonde Local 

Government Area of the state. 

A statement by the state deputy 

spokesperson, Jennifer Iwegbu, said the 

police got a tip-off from the mother of the 

baby before going after kidnappers. 

She said: “A distraught resident, 

Elizabeth Ojo, 42, of Achigbor 

community along Benin-Auchi Road, in 

Uhunmwonde LGA of Edo State about 

19:30hrs on 13/09/2022 raised the alarm 

that kidnappers came to her compound 

in Achigbor community along Benin- 

Auchi road in Uhunmwonde LGA of the 

state. 

“The Police operatives working along 

that axis immediately mobilised and 

moved to the scene, where they came to 

an empty compound that had been 

vandalised. On enquiry, Ojo said some 

hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers 

UK-based Nigerian DJ commits suicide 

A 

United Kingdom-based Nigerian 

disc jockey identified as Olaniyi 

Oladigbo aka DJ Ola has committed 

suicide after dropping his children in 

school. 

It was gathered that the deceased was 

a popular DJ in the Nigerian 

community in the UK. 

The award-winning international disc 

jockey and promoter owned a registered 

record label, DJ Ola Lastdon Records, 

based in United Kingdom. He allegedly 

committed suicide on Tuesday. 

According to multiple reports, the 

deceased was nursing dark thoughts 

over rumours made about him which 

got to his wife. 

Friends of the deceased have since 

taken to social media to pay tributes to 

him. 

Stephanie Hiej: “My dear friend DJ 

Ola Olaniyi, was the life of a party. Today 

Late DJ Ola 

I heard of your passing, and may you 

rest in peace.” 

ED O’hene: “A brother on the 

turntable; a promoter like no other; a 

supporter; Egbon like you called me 

expanding Daudu III and by the 

Grace of God we are expanding 

Uikpan, we are also expanding 

Anyiin and Ortese IDPs camps. 

As we speak if you go there work 

is ongoing. 

“And in places like Agatu, the 

IDPs we have there live with their 

relatives there; that is the 

practice in that area. But we have 

also factored all of them for the 

purpose of our intervention. 

“We have shared estimates that 

we have come up with in our 

committee because we are 

looking at procuring beddings, 

mattresses, mats and mosquito 

nets. As a government that is 

responsible and responsive, we 

have not sat back to fold our 

arms, we are actually working. 

“We feel that the awareness and 

sensitisation campaign that we 

are carrying out will also help. 

We have said that people that are 

already affected should leave 

their homes and pack out. We 

have already provided hotlines; 

and for those who might be in 

danger and may need quick 

response we are available and 

willing to attend to them 24 hours 

of the day.” 

Police, hunters, vigilantes 

rescue wife, son of APC Reps 

candidate in Kwara 

•Kill 2 kidnappers 

By Demola Akinyemi 

ILORIN —MEN of Kwara State 

Police Command Tactical 

teams, with the support of 

vigilantes and hunters have 

killed two suspected 

kidnappers and rescued Mrs. 

Afusat Lawal, the wife and 

son, Taofiq Lawal of Saliu 

Lawal, candidate of All 

Progressives Congress, APC, 

House of Representatives for 

vandalised her property and took her 

13-month-old baby into the bush. 

“The operatives immediately moved 

into the bush for possible rescue of the 

baby. The kidnappers on sighting the 

police threw the baby away and opened 

fire on them. In the firefight with the Police 

operatives, three of the six kidnappers 

succumbed to our superior firepower. 

The other three are still on the run while 

bush combing of that area is ongoing. 

“The baby was rescued unhurt and 

handed over to the mother, while one 

cut-to-size double barrel gun, one cutlass 

and one battle axe were recovered at the 

scene.” 

despite being age mates; a 

jolly fellow, full of energy; 

weep in tears and still can’t 

believe knowing your 

WhatsApp message to the 

group was just morning 

and today you are gone. 

R.I.P DJ Ola aka Swagger 

Master.” 

According to Bykonz 

Isaiah: “R.I.P. Dj Ola aka 

the swagger master. 

Honestly, I have been 

wondering for the past 

hours what must have 

made you to do this. I can’t 

still believe you are gone. 

Feels like a joke to my ears 

still but only God knows 

why.” 

Chento Chento: “Rest in peace Dj 

Ola.” 

Malete/Ipaye/Oloru federal 

constituency of Kwara State in 

the forthcoming 2023 election. 

Vanguard gathered that the 

victims were kidnapped in the 

early hours of Monday at the 

residence of the politician on 

Oke Ayewu/Shao Expressway 

in Moro LGA of the state. 

Spokesman of Kwara State 

police command, Ajayi 

Okasanmi in a statement, 

confirmed the rescue and 

killing of two of the 

kidnappers. 

He said: “Kwara State Police 

Command wishes to inform 

the public that the victims 

have been rescued after an 

intensive and painstaking 

search and rescue operation 

by the Command’s Tactical 

teams supported by vigilante 

and hunters. 

“The kidnappers were 

accosted in the bush while 

sharing the ransom collected 

from the family of the victims. 

They opened fire on the 

operatives immediately they 

were sighted by the 

kidnappers. 

“During exchange of fire, two 

of the kidnappers who suffered 

gunshot injuries during the 

encounter were arrested and 

taken to the University of Ilorin 

Teaching Hospital, where they 

were confirmed dead. 

“Consequently, their corpses 

were deposited in the hospital 

mortuary for autopsy. 

“Exhibit recovered from the 

kidnappers includes one Honda 

Accord Saloon car with number 

platr LAGOS GJ 52 LSR, one 

single barrel gun and an 

unspecified amount of money. 

“Effort is still being intensified 

to get other fleeing members of 

the gang arrested for 

prosecution. 

“Meanwhile, the rescued 

victims have been reunited with 

their family after being certified 

medically stable.”

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 — 3 

How criminals use 

expressway tunnel as 

kidnapper’s den in Lagos 

•One suspect lynched, three arrested 

By Efe Onodjae 

Social Media Conversation 

THE popular 5-star bus 

stop along Oshodi/Apapa 

expressway, in Lagos 

State, has turned into a 

nightmare to motorists, 

commuters and passersby. 

The bus stop is located very 

close to the bustling Ladipo 

Auto spare parts market 

and the ever-busy Iyana- 

Isolo bus stop, where buses 

and passengers congregate 

in chaotic tussle for 

roads to their respective 

destinations. 

The bone of your bones! 

The bus stop 

where 

government 

built 

pedestrian 

bridge across 

the road, to 

cushion the 

effect of 

crossing the 

main road, 

has turned 

into a den for 

kidnappers 

and other 

criminals 

who 

capitalise on 

the lonely 

nature of the 

area after 

work hours 

to terrorise 

people 

Den for 

criminals 

Unfortunately, the bus 

stop, where government 

built pedestrian bridge 

across the road to cushion 

the effect of crossing the 

main road, has turned into 

a den for kidnappers and 

other criminals who capitalise 

on the lonely nature 

of the area, after work 

hours, to terrorize people. 

On Friday, the burble, however, 

burst for four of the kidnappers 

who normally abduct 

passengers, as soon as 

they alight from buses, and 

drag them through a narrow 

tunnel that leads secretly 

towards Oshodi. The 

criminals, who usually dispossess 

their victims of their 

valuables and kill or drop 

them to lick their wounds, 

were rounded up when 

they came out from the tunnel 

and were waiting for 

their targets. One of them 

was lynched by irate traders, 

while police arrested 

three others. 

How the bubble 

burst 

It was gathered that 

youths from Ladipo market 

who had been suspecting 

the nefarious activities of 

the kidnappers laid siege 

on them that Friday 

around 1pm. Eyewitness 

account said they laid ambush 

in and around the bus 

stop and waited patiently 

for the unsuspecting criminals. 

According to witnesses, 

they waited for 

hours and even patrolled in 

and around the tunnel 

without seeing their targets. 

However, their long 

wait paid off few minutes 

later when the criminals 

sneaked out from the tunnel 

and started targeting 

their victims not knowing 

that Ladipo boys were hiding 

there. Three of them 

were arrested and held captive 

while one was lynched 

as he was trying to escape. 

The remaining three were 

rescued by a team of police 

men that arrived the scene 

few minutes before the irate 

crowd tried to lynch them. 

Escape through 

dark tunnel 

Vanguard Metro gathered 

that the bus stop was always fearful 

at night especially from 8pm 

upwards. Reports said the kidnappers 

often take advantage of 

the traffic that occur at that time 

and wait patiently for commercial 

buses popularly called ‘danfo’ 

to drop passengers at the bus 

stop and instantly take action by 

confiscating their items. They 

also abduct them and disappear 

through the narrow, dark tunnel 

covered with concrete meant for 

the drainage that runs across the 

entire road. 

A tricyclist that normally plies 

the road told Vanguard Metro 

that aside the surface road gutter, 

there is another inner gutter 

where these kidnappers take 

their victims for slaughter. According 

to him, Ladipo boys got 

the information and went beneath 

the drainage where they 

saw four men suspected to be the 

kidnappers, terrorizing commuters 

that alighted from commercial 

buses. “When those vigilant 

boys saw them coming out from 

the tunnel, one of them tried to 

escape but fell under the Five- 

Star bus stop bridge and immediately, 

those Ladipo boys set him 

ablaze. They were at the verge of 

doing the same to the remaining 

three suspected kidnappers 

when policemen arrived the 

scene and took charge of the situation 

by taking the three of 

them away to their station.” 

Another eyewitness, a shoe 

maker that simply gave his name 

as Abdullahi, narrated that the 

incident occurred at exactly 1pm 

but the police arrived early to stop 

three of the suspects from being 

lynched by the crowd. “Though, 

I don’t stay longer at the bus stop, 

I can’t say if kidnappers often terrorize 

people at night there but I 

know that people fear to pass 

through the bus stop at night.” 

Police react 

So far, it was not possible to ascertain 

the extent of police investigation 

into the incident but 

Lagos state Police boss, Abiodun 

Alabi told reporters when confronted 

with the ugly development 

that, “I always frown at any 

act of jungle justice. We are still 

investigating the veracity of the 

incident and I assure you that 

we will get to the root of the matter 

in no distant time.” However, 

the command spokesman, Superintendent 

of Police, Benjamin 

Hundeyin, confirmed that an arrest 

was made but stated that 

those arrested were later confirmed 

not to be directly involved 

in the allegations made against 

them. 

Nigerian English all the way! 

Oliver Twist?

4 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

:Vanguard 

News 

:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 

From left: Ms. Funke Opeke, 2022 The Nigeria Prize for Science (NPS) Judge; Prof Christian Agbo, Chairman, 

Panel of Judges; Prof. Barth Nnaji, Chairman, Advisory Board, NPS; Mr. Andy Odeh, NLNG’s GM, External 

Relations & Sustainable Development; Prof. Mohammed Magaji, NPS Judge; and Mrs. Anne-Marie Palmer- 

Ikuku, Ag. Mgr Corporate Communications & Public Affairs during the announcement of winners for the 2022 

edition of the prize, yesterday in Lagos. 

PDP crisis: Ayu must go — Makinde 

By Dapo Akinrefon, 

Adeola Badru, Ademola 

Adegbite & John 

Alechenu 

IBADAN—THE crisis 

rocking the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, may be 

far from over as Governor 

Seyi Makinde of Oyo State 

and some party leaders from 

the zone, yesterday, called for 

the resignation of the party’s 

National Chairman, Senator 

Iyorchia Ayu. 

The PDP presidential 

candidate, Abubakar Atiku, 

and Governor Nyesom Wike 

of Rivers State have been 

engaged in a frosty 

relationship over Ayu’s 

removal. 

Also, Senator Ayu had 

insisted that he won’t resign 

his position. 

But joining the growing 

number of opposition to the 

PDP chairman, Governor 

Makinde, who announced the 

decision of the party in the 

zone at the PDP Southwest 

stakeholders meeting with the 

Presidential candidate of the 

party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, 

held at the popular 

Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, 

University Teaching Hospital, 

UCH, Ibadan, said the stand 

of the party in the zone was 

for the National chairman to 

step down. 

He said Ayu’s removal 

becomes imperative in line 

with the party's aim of 

forming an all-inclusive 

government of national unity. 

Leaders present at the 

meeting were Governor Bala 

Mohammed of Bauchi State, 

Osun State Governor-elect, 

Senator Ademola Adeleke; 

former Ondo State governor, 

Dr Olusegun Mimiko; former 

Osun State governor, Prince 

Olagunsoye Oyinlola; former 

Ekiti State governor, Mr 

Ayodele Fayose; Ambassador 

Taofeek Arapaja, PDP 

governorship candidates of 

Lagos, Oyo and Ogun states 

and a host of others. 

Our position on Ayu — 

MAKINDE 

The Oyo governor said the 

country could only be unified 

if the PDP toes the path of 

honour. 

He, however, noted that for 

the opposition to regain power 

in Nigeria and restructure the 

country, it must first look 

within and restructure itself. 

His words: "The truth is that 

we do not have any issue either 

with our party or our 

candidate. If there are 

challenges they must be 

tabled. 

•Nigerians won't trust us if we remove Ayu, says Atiku•Ayu’s removal is 

not about sentiment — PARTY SOURCE•Crisis not yet over — 

SOURCE•There’s no cause for alarm---ATIKU’S CAMP 

"We are supposed to give 

hope to our people, we want 

them to listen to us. Our party 

wants to rescue Nigeria and 

our candidate is a unifier. He 

wants to restructure Nigeria. 

"Eight years of the All 

Progressives Congress, PDP, 

has left us sharply divided. 

The issue is that we must 

practice what we preach. If we 

want to unify Nigeria, we must 

unify the PDP first. 

"If we want to restructure 

Nigeria, we must have the 

willingness to bring 

inclusiveness to the PDP. Do 

we have the capacity? The 

answer is a resounding yes. 

"The message from the 

South-West PDP is that what 

we are asking is that the 

National Working 

Committee of the PDP should 

be restructured. 

"We are asking the National 

Chairman to step down so 

that the South will be fully 

included. That is the message." 

Nigerians won’t trust us if 

we remove Ayu— Atiku 

But the PDP Presidential 

candidate said the party stood 

the risk of losing the trust of 

Nigerians should it heed the 

call to remove its National 

Chairman. 

Atiku, in a statement by his 

Media Adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe, 

said: “Atiku, who led other 

leaders of the party to Ibadan 

on Wednesday on an 

interactive session with 

stakeholders of the PDP said 

that the call for the 

recomposition of the 


Committee was not 

impossible, but only when the 

constitution of the party has 

been amended to 

accommodate such demand. 

“The Peoples Democratic 

Party is the oldest political 

party in Nigeria since the 

return of democracy and even 

before then. It is a party that 

has laid down rules and 

regulations. 

“I have been a member of 

the party since when it was 

formed and I am still a 

member of the party up to the 

point of what it has grown to 

become.” 

In a direct response to the 

demand by stakeholders of 

the party in the South West as 

expressed by Governor Seyi 

Makinde, the former Vice 

President said: “There is 

nothing any individual can do 

to change the outlook of the 


Committee of the PDP. 

“The PDP is a party where 

there are laid down rules and 

regulations. 

“What Governor Makinde 

is asking for is possible only 

when we have amended our 

party’s constitution. 

“As things stand today no 

single individual has the 

power to tamper with the 

NWC of the party. Doing so 

will be illegal and it will be 

against our rules in the party. 

“Nigerians will not trust us 

to govern by the tenets of rule 

of law if we take such arbitrary 

action against our own party.” 

Ayu’s removal is not about 

sentiment —PARTY 

SOURCE 

Also, Vanguard gathered 

that Atiku first met with 

Governor Makinde as well as 

other party elders behind 

closed doors in the early hours 

of yesterday before meeting 

with a larger audience later 

in the afternoon. 

A source privy to what 

earlier transpired behind 

closed doors, who spoke in 

confidence said: “The 

meeting was held in a friendly 

atmosphere. We presented the 

position of the South West 

which is the need to address 

the current imbalance within 

the party. 

“It is not an issue of being 

sentimental, the entire 

south which the South West 

is a part of, would feel a 

greater sense of inclusion 

when practical steps are 

taken to address our 

concerns. 

“The governor and most of 

us agree that our interests, as 

individuals and as a party, are 

better addressed within the 

PDP, should we lose the 2023 

elections-God forbid, it would 

mean an end of our great party 

because the last eight years 

did a lot of damage which we 

are yet to recover from. 

“We are willing to do our bit 

to ensure that we win. As 

stakeholders and 

representatives of our people, 

we also demanded to know 

what is in Atiku/ PDP 

administration for Nigeria 

and Nigerians in general and 

the South West in particular. “ 

Crisis not yet over — 

SOURCE 

Meanwhile, a former 

member of the National 

Working Committee, NWC, 

who spoke to Vanguard in 

confidence, said: “Contrary to 

the impression given to party 

members that the crisis will 

be resolved, yesterday’s event 

in Ibadan indicates that the 

crisis is just beginning. If the 

constitution is followed, it 

means there is nothing, Ayu 

won’t go. It means the crisis is 

still on.” 

No cause for alarm— 

Atiku’s camp 

But a source within the 

Atiku camp said the former 

Vice President’s camp 

remains optimistic that the 

issues at stake will be resolved 

amicably. 

He said: “This is the PDP. We 

have a way of resolving our 

disputes this one too will be 

resolved sooner than later, 

there is no cause for alarm.” 

JAMB seeks hike of exam 

registration fees to N5,000 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

Tackle insecurity, inflation, collapsing education system, Anglican Primate tasks FG 

By Chidi Nkwopara & 

Luminous Jannamike 

THE Archbishop, 

Metropolitan and Primate of 

the Church of Nigeria 

Anglican Communion, His 

Grace, Henry Ndukuba, 

yesterday asked the Federal 

Government to find a lasting 

solution to the insecurity, 

fuel crisis, collapse of 

education system and 

inflation in the country. 

He also expressed regret 

that some people, in recent 

times, wrongly believed 

that shedding of innocent 

blood and destruction of 

property remained the best 

way to go about legitimate 

demands for equity, fairness 

and self-determination. 

The Primate stated this on 

a day President of the 

Christian Association of 

Nigeria, His Eminence 

Archbishop Daniel Okoh, 

said Nigeria would rise from 

the current state of despair 

and pain posed by insecurity 

and economic woes to 

abundance and prosperity. 

The Anglican Primate, 

who spoke at the opening 

ceremony of the Church of 

Nigeria Standing 

Committee Meeting 

(Anglican Communion) 

with the theme, ‘‘Your 

Kingdom come, your will be 

ABUJA-The Registrar, 

Joint Admission and 

Matriculation Board, 

JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, has 

asked the federal 

government for permission 

to upwardly review the fee 

of its entrance examination 

from N3,500 to N5000. 

He said the review was the 

only way the Board would 

remain financial viable and 

make appreciable 

remittances to the public 

coffers. 

Appearing before the 

House of Representatives 

Committee on Finance on 

the Medium Term 

Expenditure Framework, 

MTEF, yesterday, Oloyede 

who also appealed for 

financial autonomy for the 

board informed that in 

2017, they reviewed the 

fees downward after 

remitting N7.5 billion to the 

government. 

According to him, the 

board should revert to the 

N5000 to enable it meet up 

with the current economic 

realities. 

He said: "There is nowhere 

that government funds this 

type of examination. They 

actually provide some 

support for the institution 

because students pay some 

token as registration fees and 

from it, they bear the 

responsibility of salaries and 

provide some succours. 

“We are comfortable to be 

taken off the budget but 

there are conditions. One of 

done’', said it was saddening 

that Nigerians, unlike other 

oil producing nations, could 

not benefit from increased 

oil prices, in spite of OPEC’s 

increase of her output quota. 

”We call on the relevant 

authorities to expeditiously 

address this sharp fall in 

remittance by NNPC. We 

re-emphasise the urgent 

need for a lasting solution to 

the lingering abused fuel 

the conditions for example, 

when students registered in 

2016, we collected N5,000 

and that had been on for 5 

years before I joined. When 

we came in, we remitted 

N7.5 billion. 

''We felt it was too much 

and approached the federal 

government to reduce the 

fees. We have not added a 

Kobo since. 

“I believe we should revert 

to the N5000 we were 

charging. Given the 

inflation, if we charge 

N10,000– I am just giving 

it as example, nobody will 

ask the federal government 

for one kobo. 

''I am not aware of 

anywhere in the world, 

except maybe Finland— 

that charges as low as JAMB 

is charging. In Finland, we 

know that everything is 

free. 

“We are hearing that you 

are planning to borrow 

billions. We are all going to 

sink at the end of the day. If 

there is any way anybody 

believes he can save this 

country, we should start 

doing that. The earlier we 

start the better for us.'' 

In his remarks, the Deputy 

Chairman of the 

Committee, Saidu 

Abdulahi, argued that 

N5000 would be a huge 

economic burden on both 

the students and parents. 

The committee, however, 

commended the registrar 

for running the board 

prudently 

transparently. 

Old PH Refinery will become 

functional by December this 

year — FG 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA-THE Minister of 

State for Petroleum 

Resources, Chief Timipre 

Sylva, said yesterday that 

the Old Port Harcourt 

Refinery would become 

functional by December this 

year. 

The Minister disclosed this 

when he briefed State House 

correspondents at the end of 

the Federal Executive 

Council FEC, meeting 

presided over by President 

Muhammadu Buhari at 

the Council Chamber, 

Presidential Villa, Abuja. 

Sylvia said the 

development of the 

compressed natural gas, 

CNG, was still in progress. 

The minister, who was 

responding to a question on 

the state of the ongoing 

repairs at the nation’s 

refineries, said one of the two 

refineries, the old one with 

60,000 barrels-per-day 

capacity, would be 

functional by the end of 

2022, adding that as works 

were also progressing on 

both the Warri and Kaduna 

and 

refineries. 

He said: “The 

rehabilitation of the 

refineries is ongoing. As we 

said earlier, the old refinery 

in Port Harcourt, which is 

about 60,000 barrels per 

day capacity, will be 

functional by December 

and, of course, we still have 

some time in the 

contracting time to 

conclude the rest of the Port 

Harcourt Refineries. 

“Works in the Kaduna and 

Warri refineries are also in 

progressing very well. We 

will soon be embarking on 

an inspection visit and some 

of you journalists will be will 

be able to go with us to 

ascertain for yourselves 

what the extent of work is." 

On the country’s CNG 

development programme, 

the minister said progress 

was being made, adding 

that it was one of the steps 

that must be achieved 

before the removal of petrol 

subsidy. 

He said, “On the CNG 

development, it's very much 

in progress. That is part of 

the promises we made, part 

of the things we want to put 

in place before the removal 

of subsidy. 

subsidies and persistent oil 

theft of our national oil 

infrastructure. 

”Government must show 

the political will to curb this 

malaise and leverage on 

technology to protect these 

assets 

”We demand more 

transparency and 

accountability by NNPC in 

the management of this key 

national wealth.''

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 — 5 

POCKET CARTOON 

N-Delta militants at war over 

pipelines surveillance contract 

•Tompolo insatiable, sidelined me, other leaders —DOKUBO•PPP arrangement with 

Global West Vessel Specialist, not Tompolo —SOURCE •Reverse contract or wait for 

anarchy, Lori-Ogbebor tells FG •Ignore Lori-Ogbebor’s call to revoke contract —IPDI 

By Emma Amaize, 

Regional Editor, South- 

South & Emmanuel 

Elebeke 

ASABA — Militant 

leaders of the Niger- 

Delta region are currently 

at war over the N4.5 billion 

monthly pipeline surveillance 

contract awarded to 

former leader of Movement 

for the Emancipation of Niger-Delta, 

MEND, Government 

Ekpemupolo, popularly 

known as Tompolo, by 

the Federal Government, 

with Alhaji Asari Dokubo, 

yesterday, alleging that he 

(Tompolo) bluntly refused to 

involve him and other exmilitant 

leaders in a $144 

million coastal protection 

contract ex-President Goodluck 

Jonathan gave to all of 

them during his tenure. 

Dokubo, leader of Niger- 

Delta People’s Volunteer 

Force, NDPVF, has 

launched series of verbal 

attacks on Tompolo since the 

Federal Government, 

through the Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation 

Limited, NNPCL, 

awarded the pipeline surveillance 

contract to Tompolo 

and other contractors in 

the Niger-Delta. 

•Asari-Dokubo 

It will be recalled that 

Commander of defunct 

MEND, Victor-Ben Ebikabowei, 

aka Boyloaf, and 

other ex-militant leaders 

and stakeholders of the 

Niger Delta, had on Monday, 

lashed out at Dokubo 

over his recent outburst 

against Tompolo over the 

pipeline surveillance contract. 

The Pan Niger Delta Forum, 

PANDEF, the South- 

South regional group, and 

Ijaw National Congress, 

INC, the umbrella sociocultural 

body of Ijaw ethnic 

nationality in the Niger 

Delta, had also intervened 

in the simmering feud. 

This came as Niger Delta 

activist and Itsekiri leader, 

Chief Rita-Lori Ogbebor, 

yesterday warned the Federal 

Government to, as a 

matter of urgency, withdraw 

the pipeline contract 

awarded to Tompolo, describing 

it as invitation to 

anarchy. 

Reacting, yesterday, Ijaw 

Peoples Development Initiative, 

IPDI, a rights group 

in Niger-Delta, yesterday, 

urged FG to disregard the 

call by Lori-Ogbebor to revoke 

the pipeline surveillance 

contract awarded 

•Tompolo 

Tompolo. 

Defunct MEND commander, 

Boyloaf, who 

spoke for other ex-militant 

leaders had said on Tuesday: 

“I condemn the attack 

on Tompolo by Dokubo- 

Asari. This is unacceptable 

and unexpected of a leader 

of his calibre. 

‘’He is qualified for the 

contract and Dokubo-Asari 

did not oppose when somebody 

else from Edo State, 

the late Capt Hosa Okunbo 

did a similar contract in 

Rivers. His company still 

operates in Rivers.” 

•Boyloaf 

Tompolo just a 

technical partner 

— Source 

Vanguard could not reach 

Tompolo for comments on 

Dokubo’s allegations yesterday, 

but a source familiar 

with the matter said: 

“Maybe he is talking about 

the Global West Vessel Specialist 

Nigeria Limited’s 

$103 million security contract 

with the Nigerian 

Maritime Administration 

and Safety Agency, NI- 

MASA. 

“Besides, the job was not 

a contract, it was a PPP arrangement 

which Global 

West provided platforms to 

shore up NIMASA’s revenue 

base above 50 per cent, 

and only shares from the 

remaining 50 per cent in 

the ratio of 60 per cent to 

Federal Government and 

Global West — 40 per cent. 

“It is common knowledge 

that President Muhammadu 

Buhari ended this 

very contract shortly after 

he assumed office. Tompolo, 

as a technical partner, 

was affected and could not 

have been involved as 

Dokubo thought.” 

Jonathan 

confirmed job is 

for us —Dokubo 

However, Dokubo, who 

did not hide his anger over 

the Tompolo contract, in a 

Facebook video, said the 

Amanyanabo of Okirika, 

King Ateke Tom, Victor- 

Ben Ebikabowei, a.k.a. Boyloaf, 

he, and other ex-militant 

leaders visited former 

President Jonathan while 

he was in office, and confirmed 

that the contract was 

for all of them, adding that 

Tompolo stuck to his guns. 

Though Dokubo admitted 

executing and receiving 

payment for a pipeline surveillance 

contract under 

Jonathan, he said this in a 

conversation with Tompolo 

after he sealed the current 

contract. In addition, he 

spoke about why he (Dokubo) 

will not go to Oporoza 

to meet Tompolo. 

He said: “Many people 

have called me about Tompolo 

getting a contract. I do 

not have a problem with 

Tompolo having a contract, 

never, and I will never have 

a problem with Tompolo or 

any other person. 

“Tompolo had been doing 

contracts, I never complained. 

Now, during the 

time of Goodluck (former 

President), he awarded 

through NIMASA a coastal 

protection contract to 

Tompolo, Amanyanabo 

Ateke Tom, myself, Boyloaf, 

Egberipapa, Farah and everybody 

went to meet with 

the former President and he 

said the contract was for all 

of us. And we left that 

place. We tried to communicate 

with Tompolo. He 

said the contract was exclusively 

his. We did not want 

to raise an eyebrow over the 

$144 million that they gave 

him per year. He did that 

contract for two years. He 

did not give anybody a 

dime. 

“Today, they lied that the 

Trans-Nembe line contract 

was the Olu of Warri’s, who 

has Rivers State; it is a lie. 

I am talking of Kalabari, I 

am not talking of Rivers 

State. 83 kilometers of pipeline 

pass through Kalabari, 

through my native Kula, 

my native Ilama to Cawthorne 

Channel. They gave 

it to him. 

“People said he is not a 

greedy man. If a man can 

take $144 million that the 

former President gave us, 

Goodluck is alive, let them 

meet him. Boyloaf was 

there, Ateke was there, ask 

them. I will not try to please 

anybody; he vehemently 

refused that the contract is 

his, that he will involve 

nobody and did not involve 

any of us. 

“I do not need anybody’s 

respect, you do not have to 

respect me, I will say the 

truth. You cannot take what 

is Gbaramatu’s, after taking 

Gbaramatu, you want to 

take Kalabari’s own (portion). 

I do not want to talk 

about these things but 

when you make comments, 

I will talk about it, and I will 

clarify issues. 

“So, if the Olu of Warri has 

taken Rivers State, he took 

this, he took that, what was 

the approach of Olu of Warri 

to the people from where 

they gave them and the 

approach of Tompolo? Did 

Tompolo reach out to anybody 

when he got the contract? 

He assembled small 

boys at Oporoza and people 

started complaining, 

and he said we should 

come to Oporoza. 

Why I will not go 

to Oporoza 

“I spoke to him on the 

phone; I am older than 

him; that I should take my 

two legs, enter a boat, and 

go to Oporoza. Amanyanabo 

Ateke should take his 

two legs, enter a boat, and 

come to Oporoza. All the 

others should come, they 

went because they want 

the money, I cannot condescend 

to that level because 

of money and go to Oporoza. 

“What is the approach of 

the Olu of Warri to the people 

within the area that he 

operates, how has the Olu of 

Warri been reaching out to the 

people? Did he sit somewhere 

Continues on Page 26 

By Yinka Latona 

Assessment of LASG ban on okada in more LGs, LCDAs 

I 

did not fully support 

the ban of okada 

because it is like 

multiplying the 

transportation problems 

currently facing 

Lagosians. Not all of us 

can afford to get a vehicle 

as a means of mobility to 

our destinations because, 

for now, okada is still an 

affordable and accessible 

means of transportation 

for most Lagosians. 

—John Shokoya, 

Health worker 

Banning commercial 

motorcycles without 

providing an alternative 

means of transportation 

is counterproductive. 

My business has been 

facing serious 

challenges since the ban 

of okada in my area. 

Governor Sanwo-Olu 

should please provide 

alternate means of 

transportation for us. 

—Blessing Sunday, 

Entrepreneur 

Okada ban in Lagos 

State is good and bad 

in my opinion. First, the 

government is trying to 

reduce the rate of crime 

in the state which is a 

very good one. But they 

failed to take into 

consideration the 

frustrating traffic 

situation in some areas in 

Lagos State before taking 

the decision. 

—Funmilola Adesegun, 

Businesswoman 

Most of these 

riders use the 

bike as their only 

source of income, and 

they have families to 

take care of. Most 

parts of Lagos State 

are easier to access 

using bikes due to 

traffic issues and bad 

roads. It is also a 

source of extra income 

for some of the bike 

riders. 

—Ukuedojor Comfort, 

Businesswoman 

Countless numbers 

of bike riders are 

graduates, but they 

ventured into okada 

business as a means of 

making ends meet. The 

Lagos 

State 

Government should 

try and fish out the 

bad ones among the 

okada riders instead of 

throwing away the baby 

with the bath water. 

—Comfort Adeoye, 

Caterer 

My questions to Lagos 

State Govt are; What 

are the alternatives for the 

teeming masses of the 

unemployed who take to 

riding motorbikes to tide 

over hard times? And what 

means of transportation are 

available to commuters, 

particularly those in the 

rural areas with 

unmotorable roads? These 

are some of important 

concerns that the 

government must address. 

—Oluwaremilekun Ojo, 

Teacher


:Vanguard 

News 

ASUU strike: Students blocking Lagos- 

Ibadan expressway violating law —FG 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

ABUJA—THE 

Federal 

Government said, yesterday, 

that protesting members of the 

National Association of 

Nigerian Students, NANS, who 

blocked the Lagos-Ibadan 

expressway violated the country’s 

law. 

Minister of Works and 

Housing, Babatunde Fashola, 

SAN, stated this while briefing 

State House correspondents at 

the end of the weekly Federal 

Executive Council, FEC, 

meeting presided over by 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

at the Council Chamber, 

Presidential Villa, Abuja. 

According to him, the 

constitution, as amended, 

recognises and protects citizens’ 

right to public protests but does 

not empower any Nigerian to 

“inflict pain and inconvenience 

on other people.” 

The minister’s explanation 

came on the heels of the report 

that the protest caused a gridlock 

on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, 

leaving motorists and passengers 

stranded. 

The protest took place just after 

the Sagamu interchange section 

of the expressway, towards 

Lagos. 

The protesting students carried 

placards with different 

inscriptions, chanting solidarity 

songs as they lamented the strike 

by Academic Staff Union of 

Universities, ASUU, that has kept 

them at home for seven months. 

They vowed to lay siege to the 

major highway and others to 

drive home their demand to end 

the strike. 

But fielding question from 

journalists on the recurrent 

gridlock on the uncompleted 

sections of the highway, Fashola 

appealed for more patience from 

Nigerians, saying there was no 

alternative route in the already 

built-up areas. 

He said: “Once again, I 

apologise and empathise with 

commuters who need that place 

to get on with their lives. 

‘’It’s the place we left to the last 

really because it’s the most builtup 

area, the last six kilometres 

into Lagos; very densely 

populated and occupied. There’s 

very little room for alternative 

routes for people. So, you just have 

to bear with us. 

“I also heard that some 

aggrieved students, under the 

aegis of NANS, are going to the 

road to protest. My respectful 

view is that is not helpful at all to 

the citizens. 

“The right to protest is a very 

well-protected right in our 


MEETING: From left, United States Ambassador to NIgeria, Mary Beth Leonard; US Special Envoy on 

Climate Change, Senator John Kerry; Minister of State (Petroleum Resources), Chief Timipre Sylva and 

Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, after 

a meeting between Sylva and Kerry, at NNPC Tower, Abuja, Tuesday. 

constitution, but it does not 

include the right to inflict pain 

and inconvenience on other 

people. And so, whilst the protests 

can go on, they should refrain 

from blocking the road in order 

to do their protests. That in itself 

is a violation of law.” 

Electricity workers demand reversal 

of power sector privatisation 

•Describe new owners as hustlers, hawks 

By Obas Esiedesa 

& Ezra Ukanwa 

ABUJA—THE National 

Union of Electricity 

Employees, NUEE, yesterdasy, 

urged the Federal Government 

to reverse the privatisation of the 

nation’s power sector, describing 

new owners of the privatised 

companies as ‘hustlers’ and 

‘hawks’ who have contributed 

poorly to the power sector. 

The union also accused the 

new owners of deceiving the 

Federal Government into 

paying N2 trillion subvention, 

even as it insisted that they had 

continued to impoverish 

Nigerians, leaving the country 

pillaged. 

It claimed that despite 

recognizable improvements in 

the wheeling capacity of the 

Transmission Company of 

Nigeria, TCN, of 7,000 

megawatts, the generation 

output had now dwindled below 

5,000 megawatts. 

The union pointed at the 

activities of the new owners as 

part of reasons the power sector 

has gone almost comatose and 

the impoverishment of the 

average worker in the sector. 

The Zonal Organising 

Secretary (Liaison), Kolade 

Ayodele, who spoke to journalists 

on behalf of his colleagues, said 

Nigerians should also be 

worried, even as electricity tariffs 

continued to rise without 

commensurate service delivery. 

He said: “Since the 

privatisation of Nigeria’s power 

sector in October 2013, electricity 

workers, under the age of the 

National Union of Electricity 

Employees, have been in the forefront 

of speaking out on behalf of 

the Nigerian people 

“It is an undeniable truth that 

the power sector privatisation 

has not added value to the lives of 

the ordinary Nigerians. The 

entire exercise, which could be 

described as a charade, has not 

brought any meaningful impact/ 

improvement to the sector. 

"Rather, it has led the nation to 

a huge setback. The 

infrastructural development by 

the new business owners in the 

power sector has almost gone 

comatose while the socioeconomic 

status of the average 

worker in the sector has 

continued to decline amid 

prevailing harsh economic 

conditions. 

‘’The same equipment 

inherited from pre-privatisation 

have remained what drives the 

sector as there are no visible 

attempts by the Generation 

Companies (GenCos) and 

Musiliu Smith resigns as PSC chairman 

ABUJA—Chairman of 

Police Service 

Commission, PSC, Musiliu 

Smith, has resigned his 

position. 

Spokesman of the 

commission, Ikechukwu Ani, 

who confirmed this yesterday, 

said Smith resigned on health 

grounds. 

He said the commission 

would issue an official 

statement on the development 

today. 

The PSC chairman’s 

resignation comes against the 

backdrop of the controversies 

trailing the commission’s 

recruitment of constables. 

In August, the Nigeria Police 

Force had dismissed an 

Musiliu Smith 

advertisement by PSC on 

recruitment of constables into 

the force. 

Distribution Companies 

(DisCos) to upgrade and expand 

their capacities/networks. 

“Nigerians were deceived into 

believing that the ‘harvestors’ had 

the financial/technical muscles 

to improve power generation 

and distribution to Nigerians. 

Can Nigerians be told today that 

this purpose has been achieved? 

‘’The answer was echoed in the 

print/electronic media by 

members of the National 

Assembly who even called for the 

total reversal of the entire process. 

“Despite improvement in the 

wheeling capacity of the 

Transmission Company of Nigeria, 

TCN, which is still Federal 

Government-owned to over 

7,000MW, the generation output has 

been dwindling below 5,000MW. 

“Alas! the ‘hustlers’ who deceived 

the Federal Government into 

paying almost N2 trillion subvention 

to the owners of the new companies 

since privatisation, are being used 

to call the union names in order to 

exploit Nigerians and sustain the 

current comatose situation. Their 

mission is simply to call a dog a bad 

name in order to hang it, while they 

keep smiling to the banks." 

Muyiwa Adejobi, force 

spokesperson, said the NPF has 

no connection with the advert, 

which was placed by PSC in the 

national dailies. 

Hours later, the commission 

announced the suspension of 

the recruitment. 

Following the development, 

PSC workers declared an 

indefinite strike over what they 

described as “breach of 

conditions necessary for 

working harmony.” 

The PSC workers, led by 

Adoyi Adoyi, chairman of Joint 

Union Congress, PSC chapter, 

also asked Smith to resign if he 

cannot uphold the mandate of 

the commission as it relates to 

recruitment of constables. 

No fraud in Nigeria’s HIV fund 

management — Global Fund 

By Chioma Obinna 

THE Global Fund to Fight 

AIDS, Tuberculosis and 

Malaria, yesterday, dismissed 

insinuations 

of 

misappropriation or fraud in the 

fund it made available for 

management of HIV treatment 

and prevention activities in 

Nigeria. 

The Portfolio Manager for 

Nigeria, Dr Drean-Thomas 

Nouboussi, gave the clarification 

while responding to media 

enquiries regarding allegations 

of fraud and misappropriation 

of HIV management fund in 

Nigeria, 

Nouboussi, in the clarification 

sanctioned by Christy Feig, Head 

of Communications 

Department, External Relations 

and Communications, Global 

Fund headquarters in Geneva, 

Switzerland, said what was 

insinuated as fraud was mere 

audit review and not an 

investigative report that could 

establish fraud or 

misappropriation or any other 

problems. 

According to Global Fund, 

there is a lot of difference between 

an audit review, which is 

periodically carried out to 

examine the design and 

adequacy of internal control 

mechanisms and risk 

management processes, and an 

investigation, which is usually a 

more comprehensive study of all 

the records to examine whether 

fraud or misappropriation has 

taken place. 

While stressing that Global 

Fund’s Office of Inspector 

General, OIG, had several tools 

to ensure its investments had the 

most impact possible, Feig said 

“there was no fraud or 

misappropriation of Global 

Fund funds identified in the 

review.” 

Feig, who made the entire 

report of Global Fund’s OIG’s 

audit review available, also 

admitted that audit reports could 

be quite technical and complex 

to read through. 

Global Fund was also effusive 

in its praise for Nigeria, saying 

the country had a success story to 

be proud of in HIV and malaria 

management. 

“Thank you for your question 

about the audit report of our 

Inspector General’s Office, OIG, 

conducted in Nigeria. An audit 

mainly examines the design and 

adequacy of internal controls, 

governance and risk 

management processes of the 

auditee. 

‘’This includes adherence to 

national and implementers’ 

policies. An investigation is a 

comprehensive and careful study 

of the records to examine whether 

fraud or misappropriation of 

funds as well as other problems 

took place. 

"As this was an audit, there was 

no fraud or misappropriation of 

Global Fund funds identified in 

the review. 

“Nigeria is an important 

country for our work to end HIV, 

TB and malaria. As you will see 

in the report, our grants are 

mostly performing well across 

the three diseases. Global Fund 

commends Nigeria for the 

progress the country is making 

in the fight against the three 

diseases." 

Low revenue: Over 400 

MDAs risk scrapping 

—Senate 

By Henry Umoru 

ABUJA—THE Senate said, 

yesterday, there may be need 

to reduce the number of 

Ministries, Departments and 

Agencies, MDAs, from 541 to 

400, following the low revenue 

accruing to the federation 

account. 

It said the scrapping of the 400 

MDAs would be in consonance 

with recommendations of the 

Stephen Oronsaye-led 

Presidential Committee on 

rationalisation of agencies. 

According to the Senate, 

revenue generation is the most 

critical factor being considered 

by the Federal Government to 

decide the 106 MDAs to be 

retained and over 400 others to 

be scrapped . 

Speaking, yesterday, in Abuja 

on the second day of the ongoing 

interface between the committee 

and heads of MDAs on revenue 

drive for the implementation of 

proposed N19.76 trillion 2023 

budget, Chairman, Senate 

Committee on Finance Senator 

Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Lagos 

West), said the Oronsaye panel 

recommended retention of 106 

of the MDAs. 

The imminent scrapping of 

low revenue generating MDAs 

by the Federal Government, as 

declared by Senator Adeola, 

reared its head when the Director- 

General of National Biosafety 

Management Agency, NBMA, 

Dr Rufus Ebegba, made 

presentation of low revenue 

generation by the agency to the 

committee. 

In his presentation, Ebegba 

explained that only N2 million 

had been generated by NBMA 

this year, against N5 million it 

usually generates on yearly basis, 

adding that of the N2 .5 billion 

appropriated for capital budget 

this year, only N1.3 billion had 

been released. 

Not happy with poor revenue 

generation, Adeola told the 

Biosafety Management Agency 

boss that it was unacceptable for 

an agency spending N500 

million a year, outside capital 

projects, to be remitting N5 

milllion into government coffers. 

He declared that the time for 

such low revenue generation by 

any government agency was 

over as, according to him, those 

not meeting up would be 

scrapped as recommended by 

the Oronsaye panel . 

Senator Adeola said: “There 

is no way in stopping the 

implementation of Orosanye 

panel because of economic 

situation at hand in the country. 

“Government needs revenue for 

impactful budget implementation, 

particularly in the area of projects 

execution and can no longer afford 

to be dolling money to MDAs 

without corresponding returns on 

yearly basis. 

“We in the Senate , are in support 

of implementation of the Orosanye 

led panel report to save the economy 

from self – inflicted bleeding.” 

The committee members further 

got annoyed when the Managing 

Director of Sokoto Rima River Basin 

Development Authority, SRRBDA, 

Engineer Buhari Bature 

Mohammed, said of the N7billion 

collected from government as 

funding for year 2022, only N7million 

revenue had been generated. 

The committee declared that 

Oronsaye report should be applied 

on agencies with yearly low revenue 

generation.

:Vanguard 

News 

NEW EXECUTIVES OF UBA AT NGX: From left, Deputy Managing Director, UBA Plc, Mr. Muyiwa Akinyemi; 

Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Ltd , Mr. Temi Popoola and Group Managing Director/ 

CEO, UBA Plc, Mr Oliver Alawuba; and Director, Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Ltd , Erelu Angela Adebayo, 

during the ceremonial strike of the closing gong at the floor of the Exchange by Alawuba in honour of 

recently appointed UBA executive management, in Lagos, yesterday. 

VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 — 7 

:@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 

Osun gov poll: Oyetola, Adeleke disagree on 

over voting allegations, YIAGA report 

By Shina Abubakar 

O 

S O G B O — 

GOVERNOR 

Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun 

State and the governorelect, 

Senator Ademola 

Adeleke, yesterday, 

disagreed over alleged 

overvoting brought before 

the state election petition 

tribunal. 

Governor Oyetola, after 

the July 16 governorship 

election which Adeleke won, 

had approached the 

tribunal alleging 

overvoting in 749 polling 

units across ten local 

government areas of the 

state. 

His spokesman, Ismail 

Omipidan, while relying on 

the report of Youth Initiative 

for Advocacy, Growth and 

Advancement, YIAGA, 

Africa during the launch of 

Insecurity: Be vigilant, Gani 

Adams tells S-West leaders, 

residents 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

LAGOS---THE Aare Ona 

Kakanfo of Yoruba land, 

Iba Gani Adams, yesterday, 

urged leaders and 

stakeholders across the 

Southwest to be vigilant in 

keeping terrorists at bay. 

Gani Adams said this at the 

second edition of the Oodua 

People's Congress, OPC, 

Dependable Security Team 

meeting held at ONTEC 

Event Centre, Abeokuta in 

Ogun State. 

While addressing 

members of the group in 

Ogun State, he said the 

meeting was strategic to 

combat terrorism in the 

southwest. 

He added that the meeting 

was first initiated in Lagos, 

to beef up the security and 

also strengthen the 

grassroots security network 

across the south west. 

The Yoruba generalissimo 

By Rosemary Iwunze 

L AGOS—ANCHOR 

Insurance Company 

Limited, yesterday, 

launched a new logo to 

represent the forward 

looking disposition of the 

company saying the logo 

change has become 

necessary. 

The company also 

unveiled a new television 

commercial to the public. 

Speaking at the launch of 

the company’s new logo and 

television commercial 

yesterday in Lagos, 

Managing Director/Chief 

Executive Officer, of Anchor 


Limited Mr Ebose Augustine 

said: “The introduction of a 

new logo identity and 

Television Commercial is 

one change that has become 

said: "People often asked: 

What is Aare doing to 

address the various security 

challenges bedevilling the 

region? This is the reason for 

this intervention move by 

our group to address the 

security deficit across the 

region. 

"We are here to raise our 

voices against terrorism in 

the South West. Today's 

gathering is based on the 

need to beef up security 

across the region. 

"The security architecture 

has failed and we can no 

longer live as if everything 

is normal. Nothing has 

changed. The North East, 

North West, North Central 

and even the South East are 

not spared in the security 

conundrum. 

"It is the traditional role of 

the Aare Ona Kakanfo to 

secure Yoruba land. It is our 

duty, also as a group, to 

complement the efforts of the 

southwest governments in 

curbing the challenges. 

the Election Result Analysis 

Dashboard, ERAD, report 

agenda, said there was gross 

overvoting in the result 

announced by the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC. 

Omipidan said: "Sections 

47(2) of the Electoral Act 

says that to vote, the 

presiding officer shall use the 

smart card reader or any 

other technological device 

that may be prescribed by 

the commission for the 

accreditation of voters to 

"verify, authenticate the 

intending voter in the 

manner prescribed by the 

commission. 

"For the Osun election, 

INEC had prescribed the 

BVAS (Bimodal Voters 

Accreditation System) as 

the only credible means of 

accreditation. But from the 

report we got from the field, 

in many of the polling units, 

BVAS was not used 

appropriately. It didn't 

capture the number of 

accredited voters. But we did 

not rely mainly on the 

report we got from our 

polling agents. We also 

demanded by law for a CTC 

of the report of BVAS from 

INEC, and we got it. 

"The CTC of the report of 

BVAS across 10 Local 

Governments in 749 polling 

units showed that 

accreditation through 

BVAS was less than the 

number of votes cast in 

those units. By implication, 

there were more voters than 

accredited by the BVAS. 

"So, consistently, there 

were more voters than 

BVAS accredited, and those 

are our issues with the 

Election Results as declared 

by INEC", he said. 

Oyetola fighting a 

lost battle -Adeleke's 

campaign DG 

However, the Deputy 

Director-General, Ademola 

Adeleke Campaign 

Organisation, Mr Kolapo 

Alimi while dismissing 

YIAGA's report said the 

issues raised by APC in their 

petition were mere issues of 

lack of synchronisation of 

the BVAS machines 

deployed to some polling 

units due to network issues. 

Alimi said: "YIAGA's report 

issued immediately after 

the election was that the 

election was free and fair. It 

was in tandem with reports 

of other observer groups, 

about 60 observer groups, 

locally and international, 

monitored it and never 

wrote any contrary report. 

"Now after two months, for 

somebody to come around 

and say something 

contradicting its earlier 

report, means that such 

group lacks integrity and 

nobody will take such report 

seriously. 

"If the tribunal cancelled 

votes in all the polling units 

across the state, the PDP will 

still win; they are fighting a 

lost battle. The problem is 

not due to any 

manipulation; it was 

because where two or more 

BVAS were used, the two 

BVAS did not synchronise 

when they were uploaded 

on the server." 

Anchor Insurance launches new logo, TVC 

very necessary and 

calculated as we transition 

to another level of operations 

in the nation’s insurance 

business climate. Before this 

logo that is being launched 

today, we have had three 

different others. Our first 

logo was introduced upon 

commencement of business 

in 1989. 

“The second was adopted 

in 2005 but was replaced in 

2008 with the one we are 

changing today. It has 

served and taken the brand 

far and wide for the last 14 

years. We believe that the 

world is not static as it is 

constantly changing. As a 

forward 

looking 

organization with where we 

want to be in our minds, 

there was the compelling 

need to come up with a more 

adventurous and exciting 

logo identity that speaks into 

the brand’s journey to that 

future position. 

“In 2018, we came up 

with a Television 

Commercial themed ‘Who 

are we’, to properly 

announce us to the world. 

Today, the “Who Are We” 

slogan has fully achieved 

the purpose it was met to 

deliver for the Anchor 

Insurance brand. There is 

now the need to set another 

brand height for the 

Company, hence the new 

TVC we will be launching to 

the world today. From 

today, it will be on popular 

international and local 

television stations. 

“From inception, we have 

thrived in maintaining 

excellent claims payment 

administration. We have 

raised our bar in speedy 

service delivery to our 

customers who are the 

reason we are strong in 

business. It is our desire to 

meet and satisfy your taste 

that we are going this extra 

mile of raising the brand 

standard today. 

“I must thank you all for 

believing and trusting in 

what we are doing at Anchor 

Insurance. We value your 

love, your business supports 

and loyalty to the brand. We 

will always deliver super 

customer experience to you 

as we journey together.” 

Noted that Anchor 


Limited was licensed by the 

National Insurance 

Commission, NAICOM, in 

October 1989 to transact 

Lagos govt alerts residents over 

environmental danger in 5 LGs 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

LAGOS —THE Lagos 

State Government, 

yesterday, warned that due 

to 

prevailing 

environmental issues, 

danger looms in coastal 

areas of Apapa, Ojo, Ikorodu, 

Ibeju Lekki and Badagry 

local government areas of 

the state if human attitude 

to the environment is not 

appropriately checked. 

Permanent Secretary, 

Office of Environmental 

Services, State Ministry of 

the Environment and 

Water Resources, Dr 

AFRIMA unveils nominees, 

holds award Dec 8-11 

L AGOS—THE 

International 

Executive Committee of the 

All Africa Music Awards, 

AFRIMA, in conjunction 

with the African Union 

Commission, AUC, 

yesterday, released the 

official list of nominees for 

the 2022 edition. 

Culled from a total of 9,067 

entries submitted, the 

AFRIMA jury selected a total 

of 382 nominations across 39 

categories, to represent all five 

regions in Africa, as well as in 

the diaspora. 

Leading the nominations 

Renewable energy: We're in 

Nigeria to transform Africa 

—Awosika 

L chairperson 

AGOS-THE 

of 

d.light, Mrs Ibukun Awosika 

has said the company is set 

to transform one billion lives 

globally by 2030 through 

renewable power. 

Speaking at the company's 

launch of iMax 10 Solar 

Power System in Lagos, the 

Chairperson of the Board, 

Mrs Awosika, said: ''The 

bottom line is that Nigeria 

does not have enough power 

generated as of now. And even 

if we have it, we do not have 

an extensive distribution 

network to take power to the 

last man. We are in Nigeria to 

transform Africa one 

community at a time." 

Also speaking, co-founder of 

d.light, Sam Goldman said: 

"The reality is that we are still 

so far from where we need to 

be in terms of our population 

and their needs. 

"Hence our target market 

is the low-income 

individuals; not just the 

rural communities which is 

why the company adopts 

the pay-as-you-go model. 

Access to sustainable energy 

will not be possible except we 

solve the funding problem." 

Zinger Wallet to empower 

1000 Nigerians 

LAGOS—TO boost the 

war against poverty, 

Fin-tech startup, Zinger 

Wallet, has declared its 

readiness to empower 1000 

non-life insurance business, 

he said: “We started business 

immediately in November 

of the same year. To the glory 

of God, the Company has 

continued to move from 

strength to strength. We 

recognize the sacrosanct 

reality that we are in 

business to put smiles back 

on the faces of our 

policyholders who suffer 

from risks insured against. 

We have not failed in 

discharging this duty since 

inception. 

Our 

responsibility towards the 

public does not stop at 

responding to claims 

payments alone. We owe it 

a duty also to, at different 

periods, excite them with 

different activities and 

make them have an 

ownership pride of our 

brand.” 

Omobolaji Gaji, stated this 

during an advocacy meeting, 

held at Lagos State University, 

LASU, Ojo, Lagos. 

Gaji, represented by the 

Director, Sanitation 

Services, Office of 

Environmental Services, Dr 

Hassan Sanuth, said: 

"Communities in Ojo, 

Ikorodu, Ibeju Lekki, 

Badagry and Apapa are at 

great risks and sensitive to 

these prevailing 

environmental issues as 

danger looms if human 

attitude to the environment is 

not appropriately checked. 

on a regional basis this year 

is the Western African region, 

with 134 nominations, 

representing 35 percent; while 

the Eastern African region 

follows closely with 69 

nominations, representing 18 

percent; the Southern African 

region races closely with 68 

nominations, representing 

17.8 percent; while Central 

Africa pulls in its weight with 

52 nominations, representing 

13.6 percent; while the 

Northern African region 

follows closely with 49 

nominations, representing 

young Nigerians in the last 

quarter of 2022 through its 

referral programme that 

will enable participants 

share in its profit by 

referring business and 

organizations within their 

reach to use the Zinger. 

Zinger Wallet recently 

announced that its platform 

recorded over 6400 signups 

and crossed the N100 

million mark in amount of 

transactions performed on the 

app since its launch three 

months ago with the Refer 

and Earn programme. 

Speaking on the referral 

programme, the CEO, Mr 

David Edijala, said: "To earn 

from the Zinger Wallet Refer 

and Earn Programme, one 

simply needs to register as 

many businesses as possible 

and, for one year, one would 

earn N1 every time any of 

the businesses makes any 

transaction on Zinger 

Wallet. This gives an average 

Nigerian the opportunity to 

earn as much as N300,000 per 

month if s/he registers a 

business with high traffic and 

frequent transaction."


:Vanguard 

News 


COMMISSIONING—From left: Pastor Yemisi Kudehinbu, Pastor Tom Obiazi, and HRH Onojie of Ewu 

kingdom, Abdulrazak Isesele Ojiefoh III, commissioning the building, in Ewu Esan Central Local 

Government Area of Edo State. 

Nigeria not on track to meet many 

SDGs by 2030 —UN 

By Juliet Umeh 

THE United Nations, UN, 

yesterday, said Nigeria is not 

on track to reach many of its 

Sustainable Development Goals, 

SDGs, by 2030, lamenting that 

the situation has been 

compounded by the COVID-19 

pandemic and the ongoing war 

in Ukraine. 

UN Resident/Humanitarian 

Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. 

Matthias Schmale, disclosed this 

in his speech at the opening 

ceremony of a three-day capacity 

building workshop for the Nigeria 

Labour Congress, NLC’s 

educators on the UN Strategic 

Development Cooperation 

Framework, UNSDCF. 

The empowerment was 

organised in collaboration with 

International Labour 

Organisation, ILO, with the 

support from the UN office in 

Nigeria, to understand the SDGs 

and the reforms going on in the 

United Nations. 

Benue Govt to Buhari: Pay attention to 

humanitarian crisis in Benue 

By Peter Duru 

MState AKURDI—BENUE 

Government has 

pleaded with President 

Muhammadu Buhari to pay 

attention to the humanitarian 

crisis in the state, as being done 

in the North East, to end the 

sufferings and further loss of lives 

in the state. 

Executive Secretary of Benue 

State Emergency Management 

Agency, SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel 

Shior, who made the appeal, 

yesterday, while flagging off the 

monthly distribution of food and 

essential items to Internally 

Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the 

state, urged the President to use 

the remaining months of his 

administration to give succour to 

persons of concern in the state. 

Shior, who lamented the 

overwhelming burden the state 

government was shouldering by 

catering for the needs of the 

IDPs, said: "it is unthinkable to 

have IDPs in camp for over five 

While emphasising on the 

significance of the training, 

Schmale who was represented by 

ILO Senior Specialist in Workers’ 

Activities, Country Office, Abuja, 

Ms Inviolata Chinyangarara, 

said: "As it stands, Nigeria is not 

on track to reach many of its 

SDGs by 2030, a situation 

compounded by the COVID-19 

pandemic and the ongoing war 

in Ukraine. With women and 

youths hit especially hard by 

growing unemployment, 

spiraling inflation, and insufficient 

access to quality education and 

health services, we must take a 

fresh look at how best to support 

the most vulnerable in society. 

"Our guiding principle is to 

leave no one behind. A businessas-usual 

approach of small-scale 

interventions is unlikely to 

significantly move the needle in 

a country with a GDP of USD 

$432billion. 

"The Cooperation Framework 

will focus on a number of 

Transformative Initiatives that 

years, and you are left with the 

responsibility of catering for them." 

While lamenting that the 

Federal Government had 

abdicated its responsibilities to 

distressed Nigerians, the 

Executive Secretary blamed the 

federal government for the 

inability of the displaced persons 

to return to their ancestral 

homes. 

"We urged the President to 

please pay equal attention to the 

humanitarian crisis in Benue as 

being done in the North East. 

The situation in Benue is dire and 

it is our earnest desire to have 

Presidebt Buhari come in to assist 

us becaue the burden is 

overwhelming for the state. 

"This will help him write his 

name in gold. He is a father and 

we will not be tired of crying to 

him until he gives us listening 

ears because he has abandoned 

the IDPs in Benue. We hope that 

our continued cry to him will 

eventually get his attention to 

come and do something here 

will be catalytic in the lives of 

Nigerian people. We must think 

big and aim high if we are to make 

a difference to the 100 million 

living below the poverty line, the 

53 percent of youth who are 

unemployed, and the 18 million 

children out of school. 

"The UN system in Nigeria is 

fully committed to bringing about 

sustainable economic growth, 

decent work for all, gender 

equality, a protected 

environment, more equitable 

access to basic services, and 

opportunities for meaningful, 

participatory engagement for 

every one of this nation’s 

citizens." 

In her remarks, ILO Country 

Director, Ms Vanessa Phala, 

represented by the Senior 

Programme Officer, Country 

Office, Abuja, Ms Chinyere 

Emeka-Anuna, among others, 

said: "The purpose of this 

workshop is to bring together a 

cohort from NLC national 

educators to empower them to 

before he leaves office especially 

as we are entering the election 

period." 

Dr. Shior, who raised concern 

over the increasing number of 

displaced persons in the state 

disclosed that 600 households 

were recently sacked from their 

ancestral homes in Logo and 

Gwer West LGAs by armed 

herders in fresh attacks stressing 

that the state was planning an 

expansion of the IDPs camps to 

solve the problem of 

infrastructural deficits with the 

figure of the IDPs rising to over 

diesel 

By Godfrey Bivbere 

OPERATIVES of the 

Federal Operations Unit, 

FOU, Zone A of Nigeria Customs 

Service, NCS, have intercepted 

two tankers laden with poorly 

refined 80,055 liters of 

understand the UN reform 

process—particularly regarding 

the Cooperation Framework (CF) 

and the role of trade unions in 

relation to the formulation and 

implementation of the DWCP for 

Nigeria within the context of 

National priorities of the Nigeria, 

UN Sustainable Development 

Cooperation Framework 

(UNSDCF), and the other 

development frameworks. 

"I have reviewed the agenda. I 

am confident that the workshop 

will equip NLC educators to 

enable them to act at national, 

regional, and international levels 

to ensure that decent work 

agenda becomes a central goal 

in development agenda," Phala 

added. 

Also in an interview, General 

Secretary, NLC, Mr. Emmanuel 

Ugboaja, said the workshop was 

a formal effort to get the workers 

through the trade unions to be 

involved and acquainted with the 

works of UN in the country. 

He explained that "This is the 

initial take off to build the capacity 

of trade unions to understand the 

workings of the UN particularly 

with regards to development 

goals.” 

two million. 

He said: "Because of the huge 

population of IDPs, it is not easy 

for the state government to cater 

for the IDPs alone. We have 

shared the concern that the 

Federal Government has 

neglected the humanitarian 

crisis in Benue which also has 

another leg which is crisis of 

infrastructure. 

“The attackers have not only 

attacked the farming 

communities and killed and 

maimed and displaced people, 

they have destroyed farmlands, 

homes, schools, bridges, churches 

and others." 

Pastor Chris Foundation 

commissions 100% free 

school in Edo 

Customs intercepts 2 tankers with 80,055litres of 

Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, 

popularly called diesel, in Ijebu 

Ode area of Ogun State. 

Acting Comptroller of the Unit, 

Hussein Ejibunu, who handed 

the petroleum product to officials 

of Nigeria Midstream and 

Downstream Petroleum 

Regulatory Agency, NMDPRA, 

said the drivers of the trucks 

escaped, upon sighting Customs 

THE InnerCity Mission for 

Children has commissioned 

its 11th tuition-free school for 

vulnerable children at Ewu in 

Edo State. 

The mission, under the 

auspices of the Chris Oyakhilome 

Foundation International, 

commissioned the largest school 

within its network of schools, on 

September 9. 

According to Pastor Omoh 

Alabi, the Executive Director of 

the mission, the network of 

schools provide quality, tuitionfree 

education, along with free 

scholastic supplies and school 

meals all through the primary 

education journey of the pupils 

enrolled. 

She further stated that: “The 

InnerCity Mission School, Ewu, 

is a representation of the 

continued commitment of its 

Founder, Rev. Chris Oyakhilome, 

to education, community 

development and nationbuilding,” 

Pastor Omoh Alabi emphasised 

that through this newly 

commissioned school, the 

foundation is giving the children 

in Edo State a platform, equipping 

them with tools that would help 

them grow to become adults, who 

will be actively involved in the 

development of their 

DR. Abimbola Olayinka 

Asagba, a former Director of 

Public Health, Federal Ministry 

of Heath, is dead. She was aged 

84 years. 

Dr. Asagba (Nee Ogunleye), 

established the New system of 

Disease Surveillance, 

Notification of Diseases and 

Control of Epidemics in Nigeria. 

A Public Health Physician, She 

was an advocate of the review of 

the obsolete Nigerian Public 

Health laws. 

Her eldest son, Tokunbo 

Asagba, confirmed her death. 

officers on patrol. 

The Customs boss said after a 

scrutiny of the documents being 

used to convey the product and 

analyses of samples of the 

product, it was discovered that 

the papers were forged and the 

diesel of poor standard. 

He said Customs then wrote 

to NMDPRA to verify the status 

of the products and authenticity 

communities and nation. 

“With our humanitarian 

footprints in over 89 countries 

Particularly in Nigeria, The 

InnerCity Mission under the 

auspices of the Chris Oyakhilome 

Foundation International has 

been working towards creating 

an enabling environment where 

every child survives, and lives 

above poverty irrespective of 

race, colour, religion, or gender. 

"We are able to achieve this 

through our interconnected 

programmes, cutting across 

Education, Healthcare, Food, 

Livelihood, Shelter, Advocacy, 

and Humanitarian aid 

programmes,” she added. 

The mission, founded in 2006, 

has been serving communities in 

Nigeria and other African 

countries, and many in Asia. 

Pastor Yemisi Kudehibu, who 

spoke on behalf of partners of the 

Chris Oyakhilome Foundation 

International, in her comment, 

recapped how the first school was 

launched at Ikeja, Lagos. 

"Presently, the mission has 

established 10 tuition free schools 

distributed in the following 

locations: three schools in Lagos 

State; one in Ogun State; one in 

Adamawa State; one in Taraba 

State, one in Imo State, one 

in Abia State, one in 

Cambodia and one in 

India,” she said. 

INSECURITY: Nasarawa 

orders reopening of schools 

LAFIA—NASARAWA State 

has approved the reopening 

of its primary and secondary 

schools, shut 49 days earlier on 

reports of threats of insecurity. 

All boarding public and private 

schools shall resume on Sunday, 

September 18, for the First Term 

of the 2022/2023 academic 

session, while day schools shall 

resume on Monday, September 

19. 

Permanent Secretary in the 

Ministry of Education, Malam 

Mohammed Sani-Bala, stated in 

Lafia, yesterday, that parents and 

guardians should return their 

children and wards to school as 

scheduled. 

He stated that the 

Commissioner for Education, 

Asagba dies at 84 

Hajiya Fatu Sabo also directed 

that outstanding promotion 

examinations not concluded 

because of the sudden shutting 

of the schools in July should begin 

on September 19, 2022. 

The commissioner also directed 

Chief Evaluation Officers to 

monitor and ensure compliance 

with the directive. 

She assured members of the 

public, particularly parents, pupils 

and students that security had 

been enhanced in the schools to 

ensure the safety of students and 

teachers. 

Hajiya Sabo announced the 

shutting of the schools on July 

27 on account of intelligence 

reports about security threats in 

neighbouring FCT 

•Late Asagba 

of documents found in the 

vehicles which were both 

confirmed to be forged. 

Giving a breakdown of the 

seizures, Ejibunu, said one of the 

tankers with registration number 

DBT 599 XA was laden with 

44,450 liters while the other one 

with registration number USL 561 

ZC had 35,605 liters of the AGO

NAVY GAMES: 

From left, 

Minister of 

Youth and Sports 

Development, 

Mr Sunday 

Dare; Minister 

of Defence, 

Maj.Gen Bashir 

Magashi (redt) 

and Chief of 

Naval Staff, Vice 

Admiral Awwal 

Gambo, at the 

closing 

ceremony of the 

12th Nigerian 

Navy Games 

Lagos 2022, at 

the newly 

commissioned 

Nigerian Navy 

Sports Complex, 

Ojo, Lagos, 

Tuesday. 

:Vanguard 

News 

Non constitution of NDDC board, 

disservice to N-Delta, group tells Buhari 

By Egufe 

Yafugborhi & 

Emem Idio 

YENAGOA—Niger Delta 

Youths Leadership Forum, 

NDYLF, has described the non 

constitution of the substantive 

board of Niger Delta 

Development Commission, 

NDDC, by the Federal 

Government as a disservice to 

the people of the region. 

This came as NDDC 

announced the resumption of its 

foreign post-graduate 

scholarship programme with 

modification to include Masters 

degree courses in Nigerian 

universities. 

Sole Administrator of NDDC, 

Dr Efiong Akwa, announced the 

resumption of the social 

investment by the interventionist 

agency in a statement bearing 

the new nomenclature, ’2023 

NDDC Foreign/Local Masters 

Degree Post-Graduate 

Scholarship.” 

Meanwhile, NDYLF in a 

statement by its National 

Coordinator, Mr. Richard 

Akinaka, said: “The NDDC, as it 

is now, is a disservice to the people 

of the region. Buhari should 

prove to the people of the region 

that he does not have malice and 

disgust toward the people of the 

region. 

“The politicians appointed 

from the region as supervising 

ministers of the region have not 

helped matters. Those struggling 

to get appointed as supervising 

ministers are only out to exploit 

their people. It has become so 

bad that the commission over the 

years has been under the mercy 

of the supposed leaders of the 

region in this government. 

“The NDDC is at ground zero 

because of lack of a substantive 

board. The president will do a lot 

of service to the region if he gives 

the needed attention to these 

issues. The performance of the 

NDDC is not about the person in 

charge at the moment but about 

the need for a substantive board 

to pilot the affairs of the 

commission. 

“The Niger Delta under 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

has become a neglected people. 

The lack of a substantive board 

has impeded the development of 

the region. The people no longer 

have an input in the affairs of the 

NDDC.” 

NDDC modifies, 

resumes PG 

scholarship 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022—9 


•NDDC modifies, resumes PG scholarship 

Akwa said: “NDDC is once 

again embarking on its foreign 

post-graduate scholarship 

programme to equip our young 

people with relevant training and 

skills for effective participation 

in the local content programme 

of the Federal Government, as 

well as enabling them acquire 

specialization in their fields of 

study to compete globally in 

various disciplines. 

“The scheme covers disciplines 

in engineering, including 

Software/Aeronautic Space/ 

Aeronautic Engineering, 

Medical Sciences/Medicine and 

Surgery, Computer Science 

Technology, Information 

Technology, Artificial 

Intelligence, Hospitality 

Management, Law, Architecture, 

among others.” 

He advised prospective 

candidates to visit the NDDC 

website as the scholars who must 

be of Niger Delta origin must 

possess five credits at not more 

than two sittings, and students 

expected to have First Class 

degree or Second-Class Upper 

Division to qualify for the 

opportunity. 

Buhari committed to tackling 

drug abuse — Lai Mohammed 

By Festus Ahon 

ASABA—MINISTER 

of 

Information and Culture, Mr 

Lai Muhammed, has said President 

Muhammadu Buhari was 

determined to tackle the rising 

menace of drug abuse prevalent 

among Nigerian youths. 

Mohammed, who stated this in 

Asaba, Delta State during the 

opening ceremony of a two-day 

Annual Roundtable on Cultural 

Orientation, ARTCO, organised by 

the National Institute for Cultural 

Orientation, NICO, said the Federal 

Government is leaving no stone 

unturned in ensuring that it wins 

the war against drug abuse in 

Nigeria. 

The minister, who was 

represented by the Director, 

International Cultural Relations, 

Federal Ministry of Information and 

Culture, Memunat Idu-lah, said 

Buhari was fully aware of the high 

prevalence of drug abuse especially 

among Nigerian youths. 

Saying urgent measures have 

been taken to address the menace, 

he commended the Executive 

Secretary and Management of the 

NICO for initiating the roundtable 

and for keeping faith with its diligent 

implementation over the years. 

He said the focus of this year’s 

edition with theme, “Culture, Drug 

Abuse and the Future of the 

Nigerian Youth,” brings to the fore a 

number of critical issues which 

should be taken seriously at all levels. 

He appealed to relevant 

stakeholders such as parents, 

religious bodies, civil society 

organizations, media and others to 

play their role in educating the youths 

about the consequences of drug 

abuse. 

In his welcome address, Executive 

Secretary and Chief Executive 

Officer of NICO, Mr Mohammed 

Yahuza, said 40 per cent of Nigerian 

youths were deeply enforced in drug 

abuse. 

He said, “According to the United 

Nations Office on Drug Control, 

UNODC, drug abuse by Nigerians 

is three times higher than the glo 

average. Statistics by the Nigerian 

Drug Law Enforcement Agency, 

NDLEA, show that 29.4million 

Nigerians abuse drugs. 

In his remarks, Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa of Delta State, called for 

reorientation and sensitisation of the 

Nigerian youths against drug abuse. 

Okowa said: “If we don’t do 

anything about it now, if we had not 

started this reorientation now 

everything will blow up in our faces. 

So, it is timely, we all need to key into 

it. It is time to do something about it, 

not just talk about it. 

“This is just one of the approaches 

to tackle it. We need to adopt so many 

approaches, we go to the schools, 

secondary schools, higher 

institutions, put it into drama, act it 

up and implement it.” 

Abandoned road projects: Isoko leaders 

threaten to withdraw support from PDP 

By Ochuko 

Akuopha 

Uof GHELLI—LEADERS 

Isoko ethnic 

nationality, Delta State, have 

threatened to withdraw their 

“historic” support from the 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, in the 2023 general 

election over what they 

described as the reckless 

abandonment of the Ughelli/ 

Ozoro/Asaba expressway and 

Oleh/Irri Road by the state 

government 

The leaders, in a 

communique at the end of an 

enlarged meeting of the Isoko 

Development Union, IDU, 

Isoko traditional rulers, clans/ 

kingdoms Presidents- 

General, captains of industry 

and politicians on the state of 

the Isoko nation, lamented 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s 

silence on the N10 million 

monthly social security fund 

meant for Isoko youths. 

The communique by IDU 

President-General, Prof. Chris 

Akpotu and others, frowned at 

Okowa’s failure “to grant 

audience to the executive of 

the umbrella body of the Isoko 

Nation, IDU, since December 

2020, when it was elected and 

inaugurated. 

“This is despite several 

efforts by the President- 

General and his executive, 

through several 

correspondences. To say the 

least, this is most disrespectful 

to the Isoko people and will 

not be condoned anymore. 

“That Delta State 

government should urgently 

fix the bad roads in Isoko land, 

especially the Ughelli, Ozoro, 

Asaba expressway and Oleh/ 

Irri road that has been 

recklessly abandoned. 

“That the meeting decried 

the continued silence by the 

governor to sincerely address 

the N10 million Isoko social 

security fund meant for the 

youths despite the 

multifaceted approach.” 

The communique urged 

Okowa to “urgently address 

the aforementioned 

resolutions as quickly as 

possible in order to maintain 

the cordial relationship that 

has existed between the PDP 

and the Isoko Nation since 

1999, where it has won all 

elections overwhelmingly. 

Ayade locks out Govt House 

civil servants over lateness 

By Ike 

Uchechukwu 

CALABAR —There was a 

mild drama, yesterday morning 

when Governor Ben Ayade of Cross 

River State locked out civil servants 

working in Government House, 

Calabar for coming late to work. 

Vanguard gathered that Ayade, 

who came to work before 8 a.m., 

ordered the Chief Security Officer, 

CSO, to lock the Governor’s Office 

gate and not allow any one coming 

after 8 a.m to enter the office. 

When Vanguard visited the 

Governor’s Office at 10:45a.m., no 

fewer than 100 civil servants were 

stranded at the gate while some were 

seen leaving. 

A source, who pleaded anonymity, 

told Vanguard that the governor was 

surprised to see that many of the 

We need entrepreneurial 

skills to contain medical 

brain-drain —Makanjuola 

By Niyi Okiri 

BENIN CITY—President of 

the Medical and Dental 

Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, 

MDCAN, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, 

has expressed worry over the 

myriads of challenges bedeviling the 

health sector in the country, stating 

that inappropriate remuneration, 

unsatisfactory conditions of service 

and inadequate infrastructure in 

hospitals have led to worsening 

brain-drain Nigeria is experiencing. 

Makanjuola stated this at the 

association’s national executive 

meeting in Benin City, Edo State. 

The event, themed: ‘Needed 

entrepreneurial skills in medical 

practice in Nigeria to reverse braindrain 

and outward medical tourism 

to brain-gain,’ is to proffer solutions 

to the various challenges affecting 

the nation’s health sector and 

civil servants were not on seat when 

he came in. 

“He immediately ordered for the 

resumption of time book and asked 

the Chief Security Officer to lock the 

gate against anyone coming 

thereafter,” the source said. 

It was gathered that those locked 

out were workers on different cadre, 

including top ranking officers of the 

state civil service as well as political 

appointees and special advisers. 

Contacted, Special Adviser to 

Governor on Media and Publicity, 

Mr. Christian Ita, said: “The normal 

resumption time is 8 a.m., and if a 

governor can be in office at that time, 

why can’t others be around. 

“The governor has always shown 

reward and sanction to workers; he 

doesn’t hesitate to sanction when 

you err and also reward you when 

you are committed to duty,” he said. 

Amnesty Office not owing 

ex-agitators—Ex-militant leader 

By Jimitota 

Onoyume 

WARRI—Ex-militants in 

the phase 2 presidential 

amnesty programme in Bayelsa 

State, who alleged recently that 

they have not been paid their 

stipend of N65,000 in the last 

one year have been told to come 

out clean rather than accuse the 

amnesty office falsely. 

Ex agitator leader and 

president, Urhobo Youth 

Council, Abuja chapter, ‘Gen’ 

Peter Aghogho, who reacted to 

the allegation, said it was 

attempt by some of the leaders 

to shortchange those in their list 

that brought about their 

problems, stressing that the 

amnesty office was not owing 

ex-agitators with genuine 

records. 

He said: “The amnesty office 

is not owing, rather leaders of 

ex-agitators, who tried to be 

smart by changing names on 

their lists and thinking the new 

names can be paid with the bank 

verification numbers of the old 

names already in the data base 

they dropped are the ones 

having problems. 

"They want to cheat their 

original boys. But the 

transparent system has made it 

difficult for them. So, they 

should come out clean instead 

of accusing the amnesty office 

wrongly.” 

DESOPADEC, lawmaker 

donate classrooms, furniture 

to Sapele schools 

SAPELE—DELTA State Oil 

Producing Areas 

Development Commission, 

DESOPADEC, has through the 

member representing Sapele 

state constituency, in Delta State 

House of Assembly, Felix Anirah, 

donated blocks of classrooms 

and school furniture, including 

desks and chairs to Eziafa 

Grammar School, lbada ,Elume 

Secondary School and Ogiedi 

Grammar School, all in Sapele 

LGA of the state. 

The gesture is part of the 

lawmaker’s constituency 

projects in the communities. 

Handing over the items to the 

benefiting schools, Anirah urged 

them to make good use of the 

buildings and furniture with a 

promise to do more for them and 

other schools in his constituency. 

He said: “l will continue to do 

my best, because I believe that 

my people deserve the best.” 

Responding on behalf of the 

schools, the Principal of Eziafa 

Grammar School, Mrs. Mary 

Bokantero, thanked 

DESOPADEC and Anirah, for 

the items and promised to make 

good use of them and appealed 

for more of such for the schools. 

provide opportunities to strategise 

on policies towards sustainable 

growth, entrepreneurship, and 

general development of the 

association. 

Also speaking, Chairman, National 

Eye Health Committee, Federal 

Ministry of Health, Prof. Afekhide 

Omoti, said the meeting was crucial 

to stakeholders in repositioning the 

health sector, particularly in proffering 

solutions to issues of brain-drain, 

insecurity, inflation, poor wages, 

unemployment and burn-out of the 

medical doctor. 

Chief Medical Director, University 

of Benin Teaching Hospital, Prof. 

Darlington Obaseki, representing 

the Permanent Secretary, Federal 

Ministry of Health, Mahmud 

Mamman, expressed government’s 

commitment in tackling brain-drain 

by ensuring that healthcare workers 

that left are replaced automatically, 

without resort to obtaining approvals.


:Vanguard 

News 

I'm awaiting military's response to 

attack on Ubah’s attack • —Buhari 

By Vincent Ujumadu 

A BUJA—PRESIDENT 

Muhammadu Buhari, 

yesterday, described as 'barbaric 

and condemnable', the shooting 

in Anambra State at the convoy 

of the Senator representing 

Anambra South District, Ifeanyi 

Ubah. 

According to a statement 

signed by the Senior Special 

Assistant to the President on 

Media and Publicity, Garba 

Shehu, Buhari said he was 

“closely monitoring the situation 

and waiting for further details on 

the response to the situation by 

the police, the military, and other 

security agencies.” 

The statement is titled: 

‘President Buhari condemns as 

a barbaric, attack on Sen. Ifeanyi 

Ubah'. 

According to the President: 

"We are deeply concerned about 

the activities of armed groups in 

the region and other parts of the 

country. 

“We are closely monitoring the 

situation and waiting for further 

details on the response to the 

worrisome situation by the police, 

the military, and other security 

agencies. 

“The nation has lost four brave 

policemen and other aides of the 

senator. On behalf of the 

government and the people, I pay 

tribute to these security men and 

the aides who were brutally 

murdered. Our thoughts and 

prayers are with their families at 

this difficult time,” the statement 

partly read. 

The President, therefore, 

prayed for the quick recovery of 

the senator and all those that 

were injured. 

He also prayed for the early 

return of peace and security in 

Anambra State and all other 

areas. 


DEVELOPMENT—From left: Dr. Yetunde Fatogun, Social Development Specialist, World 

Bank; Dr. Osasuyi Dirisu, Deputy Director, Policy Innovation Centre, PIC; Stephen Dada, 

State Coordinator and Policy Advisor, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale 

Zusammenabeit, and Dr. Jumoke Adeyeye, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Gender and 

Social Policy Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, during the second leg of the Certificate 

Course in Gender and Development, organised by the PIC, in Abuja, yesterday. 

•Biafra agitators not responsible for attack —MASSOB 

Biafra agitators not 

responsible for 

attack —MASSOB 

Meantime, the Movement for 

the Actualization of the 

Sovereign State of Biafra, 

MASSOB, has exonerated Biafra 

agitators from last Sunday's 

attack on the convoy of Senator 

Ifeanyi Ubah, representing 

Anambra South senatorial zone, 

in which some of the senator's 

aides lost their lives. 

In a statement yesterday, 

MASSOB described the attack 

on Senator Ubah as an 

assassination attempt and 

politically motivated. 

It advised the presidential 

candidate of the Labour Party, LP, 

Mr. Peter Obi, and the governor 

Ebonyi gov poll: Supreme Court 

declares Odii as PDP candidate 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

ABUJA—THE Supreme 

Court, on Wednesday, 

declared Chukwuma Ifeanyi 

Odii as the governorship 

candidate of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in Ebonyi 

State. 

The apex court, in a 

unanimous decision by a fiveman 

panel of justices, vacated the 

judgement of the Court of Appeal 

that ordered the Independent 

National Electoral Commission, 

INEC, to recognise Senator 

Joseph Ogba as flag-bearer of the 

party for the 2023 gubernatorial 

contest in the state. 

The panel, which was headed 

by Justice Amina Augie, held 

of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, 

among other politicians and 

religious leaders to beef up their 

security. 

MASSOB leader, Uchenna 

Madu, who issued the statement 

said those listed must redouble 

and restrategize their security 

apparati. 

The MASSOB leader's 

statement read: "This attack is 

insensitive, barbaric and 

unwarranted. The political cabals 

stifling the economy and wealth 

....Ndi-Anambra must not 

succumb to fear —Ngige 

ABUJA—MINISTER of 

Labour and Employment, 

Senator Chris Ngige, has urged 

Ndi-Anambra not to succumb to 

fear over the recent horrendous 

attack on Senator Ifeanyi Ubah 

that claimed the lives of aides and 

security agents. 

He tasked the security 

agencies to hunt down and 

bring the murderous 

perpetrators to justice . 

In a statement by his Media 

Office, in Abuja, yesterday, Ngige, 

who described the attack as 

atrocious, wicked and evil, said it 

was a big setback to a relative 

calm restored to the state in the 

past few months. 

“It is certainly a setback, at a 

time many 

had 

thought reprieve had come from 

the dreadful darkness that lately 

enveloped our dear state. 

"However, we must not 

allow that daylight horror to 

that the appeal, marked SC/CV/ 

939/2022, which Odii 

lodged before the court, was 

meritorious and deserved to 

succeed. 

It held that the appellate court 

was without jurisdiction when it 

heard and determined Ogba's 

appeal. 

In the lead judgement that was 

read by Justice Lawal Garba, the 

Supreme Court held that 

Ogba, as a person having interest 

in a pre-election matter, but who 

was not made a party to the 

proceedings, ought to have 

obtained leave of the trial court 

to appeal as an interested party. 

It held that his failure to obtain 

leave before appealing the 

Federal High Court judgement 

that was in favour of Odii, 

of Nigeria are not comfortable that 

a positive change that will abolish 

their illicit and corrupt means of 

embezzling the wealth of Nigeria 

is coming, hence they are 

sponsoring the political 

assassination of eloquent and 

outspoken political leaders who 

are not in their evil and corrupt 

wagon. 

"The Enugwu Ukwu 

assassination attack is not only 

about Senator Ifeanyi Uba but 

against people-oriented political 

leaders across the country." 

trip our determination to the 

crosshair of another cycle of 

tragedies. Evil must not win. 

“I, hence, charge the security 

agencies to double their efforts to 

fish out the criminals as quickly 

as possible. 

"Ndi-Anambra must not 

succumb to fear, but rally 

round the government and the 

security agencies to track 

the criminals terrorising our 

state. 

rendered his appeal incompetent 

and robbed the appellate court of 

the jurisdiction to hear his case. 

It held that Ogba's purported 

notice of appeal, filed on June 17, 

was therefore incompetent in law. 

Consequently, the apex court 

reinstated the decision of the 

Federal High Court in Abuja that 

recognised Odii's candidacy. 

"The judgment of the trial court 

is restored. The primary election 

of the PDP is valid and the 

appellant is declared candidate 

of the PDP, " the apex court held. 

Meanwhile, in his reaction 

shortly after the judgement was 

delivered, Odii, lauded the 

judiciary, even as he urged all 

aggrieved members of the party 

to close ranks to ensure victory 

for the party in the governoship 

election. 

We back your senatorial bid, youths 

tell Ugwuanyi 

By Steve Oko 

A 

conglomeration of 

youths from different 

political parties and support 

groups in Enugu North 

Senatorial District of Enugu 

State, under the umbrella of the 

'New Era Youth Awareness and 

Leadership Vanguard', 

yesterday, commended 

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for 

his remarkable achievements in 

Enugu North Senatorial District, 

in particular, and the state in 

general. They also endorsed his 

senatorial bid to represent the 

district in the National Assembly 

in 2023, on the platform of the 

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. 

Led by the Director General of 

group, Dr. Wilfred Ameh, the 

youths appreciated Gov. 

Ugwuanyi for the establishment 

of the State University of Medical 

and Applied Sciences (SUMAS), 

Igbo-Eno, Enugu State, 

stressing that it is a great feat 

that "within your tenure you are 

able to give us a state medical 

By Ikechukwu Odu 

NSUKKA—The Labour 

Party, LP, in Enugu State, 

has said that the ruling Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

administration in the state, under 

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, 

made more false promises to all 

segments of the people in the last 

seven years than others before 

it. 

The party said that the 

government made false promises 

to build access roads, create 

autonomous communities, pay 

workers' retirement benefits and 

pensions, provide scholarship 

schemes for students, as well as 

improve agriculture, without 

fulfilling most of them. 

It stated that it would not make 

promises it can not fulfill. 

These were contained in a 

statement, Tuesday, by the Media 

Office of the governorship 

candidate of LP in the state, 

Chijioke Edeoga. 

Pool Party: Awka residents 

laud Soludo's action, urge 

protection of businesses 

SOME residents of Awka, 

the Anambra State capital, 

have reacted to the sealing of a 

hotel annexe by the Anambra 

State government, following a 

viral sex video which allegedly 

emanated from the facility. 

The residents, who 

commended the state 

government for wading into the 

issue, pleaded that a proper 

investigation should be done, 

and to avoid measures that 

would kill businesses and 

discourage investors. 

It will be recalled that a group, 

still at large, had hired the 

annexe section of the hotel for a 

party, which later degenerated 

into an open adult sex orgy by 

the pool side. 

A recorded video of the sex 

scene was sent online, with the 

location of the incident. 

Mr. Smith Obodozie, an Awka 

resident, said "while it is 

important to streamline 

operations of hotels and pubs in 

the growing capital city, it is also 

important to protect businesses." 

Obodozie regretted the bad 

image created by the content of 

the video and called on 

operators of hotels and 

university." 

They also commended Gov. 

Ugwuanyi for his 

administration's unprecedented 

infrastructural interventions in 

the State Judiciary, stressing that 

the governor gave the court 

buildings in Nsukka and other 

parts of the state a face lift through 

renovation, construction and 

equipping of the facilities. 

The group pointed out that 

magistrates courts and other 

court buildings in Nsukka (built 

with mud blocks) prior to 

Governor Ugwuanyi's 

interventions, were dilapidated, 

adding that the ultra-modern 

5,000-seat capacity Nsukka 

Township Stadium, the new state 

Secretariat Annex, with a 

befitting Conference Centre 

adjacent to it, are tesimonies of 

Ugwuanyi's good works. 

Polytechnic attracted to Ohodo, 

Igbo-Etiti Local Government 

Area, the road network in the 

university town of Nsukka, 

including the state-of-the-art 

Opi-Nsukka dual carriageway 

with street and traffic lights, 

among others. 

Enugu: PDP made more false 

promises, LP alleges 

The statement said that a 

Labour Party government in 

Enugu will "heal the divisions 

created by the present PDP 

government in all the 

communities, which had pitched 

brothers and sisters against one 

another in a bid to maintain a 

divide-and-rule policy in the last 

seven years." 

It read: "Under a Labour Party 

government in Enugu State, 

traditional rulers will also not be 

made to attend political rallies 

where they scramble for food and 

drinks. Traditional rulers will not 

be forced to wait for the governor 

along the roads for several hours 

under rain or sunshine while 

visiting their communities. The 

governor will rather pay courtesy 

visits to traditional rulers as is 

obtained in other parts of the 

country, where monarchs are 

respected and given the honour, 

as custodians of our culture and 

chief security officers of their 

various domains". 

entertainment centres to evolve 

a more proactive check against 

unhealthy social and moral 

activities. 

On her part, Ms Jacinta Ene, 

an entrepreneur, said the 

development is not strange, 

noting that there was a new and 

unfortunate trend in Awka, 

where unscrupulous persons try 

to run down businesses by videos 

of real and imagined events, and 

sending them out in the social 

media. 

"Remember, two weeks ago, 

that there was a video where 

somebody said that a popular 

eatery (name withheld) was 

serving customers the sacred 

python, which was forbidden in 

most areas of Anambra State. But 

the same person later apologised 

to the owner of the joint, saying 

that it was a mischief sponsored 

by some detractors. I understand 

he is being investigated along 

with his accomplices. 

“Mr Bonny Akunna, BoT 

Chairman of Restaurant and Bar 

Owners, Anambra State chapter, 

said the closure was in order but 

should have come after 

investigation is concluded.

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 — 11

12 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

SOUTH-WEST PDP STAKEHOLDERS’, DURING AN INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH THE 

PARTY’S PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, IN IBADAN, YESTERDAY 

•From left: Former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose; former 

governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu; former governor of Ondo State, 

Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, and former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye 

Oyinlola. Photos: Dare Fasube. 

•From left: Jide Adeniji, Abdullahi Maibashira, and Sen. Dino Melaye, at the 

occasion. 

•From left: Oyo state Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal; Speaker, Oyo House of 

Assembly, Debo Ogundokun; PDP South-West Deputy National Chairman, 

Taofeek Arapaja, with other officers of the party. 

•A cross section of PDP Stakeholders at the meeting.

BY ISE-OLUWA IGE 

In this report, Vangfuard 

Law and Human Rights 

examines relevant 

provisions in the 1999 

Constitution on the powers 

of appointment and 

discipline of judges of 

superior courts of records 

in the country; dissects the 

ratio decidendi in the 

February 25, 2022 

judgment of the Appeal 

Court which voided the 

2014 compulsory 

retirement of Justice 

Gladys Olotu from the high 

court bench; scavenges the 

likely implications of the 

Appeal Court verdict on all 

the disciplinary actions so 

far taken by the executive 

arm of government against 

errant judges in Nigeria on 

the sole recommendations 

of the NJC without any 

recourse to FJSC and 

argues that the awaited 

pronouncement of the 

S’Court on the powers of 

NJC regarding judges’ 

discipline is one that must 

not be delayed further for 

the purpose of stability of 

the third arm of 

government. 

EDITORIAL TEAM 

Ise-Oluwa Ige, PhD 

Innocent Anaba 

Ikechukwu EDITORIAL Nnochiri Innocent 

Henry Ojelu Anaba 

( Editor) 

Send your mails and 

enquiries Ikechukwu to: Nnochiri 

lawandhumanrights 

Henry Ojelu 

@vanguardngr.com 

Onozure Dania 

08179614306/08152060944 

Apprehension as S’Court sets to 

review powers of NJC to discipline judges 

*Supreme Court of Nigeria. 

EXCEPT the Supreme Court of 

Nigeria rules otherwise, the 

powers of discipline solely exercised 

by the National Judicial 

Council, NJC, in the last 22 years, 

over serving judicial officers in superior 

courts of records nationwide, 

may be whittled down. 

It will be recalled that a threemember 

panel of the Abuja Division 

of the Court of Appeal, had on 

February 25, 2022, declared that 

the National Judicial Council, 

NJC, under the law, does not have 

the sole powers to discipline erring 

judges in the country without 

recourse to the Federal Judicial 

Service Commission, FJSC. 

Specifically, the intermediate appellate 

court had ruled that the 

FJSC, given the provisions of the 

constitution, must be aware of any 

infraction committed by any erring 

judge and make recommendations 

regarding the affected judicial 

officer to the NJC before the 

Council itself can proceed with investigation 

of such judicial officer 

and possible recommendation for 

sanction to the applicable head of 

the executive arm of government 

for endorsement. 

The decision which appears a 

time-bomb, has fundamentally altered 

the status quo. 

This is so because the NJC had 

solely exercised the powers of discipline 

over judges since 1999 when 

it was established by section 153 

of the 1999 Constitution without 

any recourse to the FJSC. 

In the event the apex court sustains 

the reasoning of the Court of 

Appeal, it is not unlikely that there 

could be a floodgate of lawsuits by 

many judicial officers who were 

previously sanctioned by sitting 

Presidents or state governors upon 

recommendations by the NJC between 

1999 when the present Constitution 

was decreed into law by 

the Federal Military Government, 

and 2022 when the case law in question 

came into being. 

Fully aware of the dangerous implications 

of the decision, the National 

Judicial Council did not file 

its appeal to the judgment immediately 

until after it had consulted 

widely on what its position on the 

matter would be. 

In fact, before the NJC could act, 

time allowed by law to appeal was 

already spent. 

According to NJC’s Chief Legal 

Officer, Uju Lisa Ekwulu, the Council 

after meetings, decided to hire 

a consortium of lawyers led by 

Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to 

handle the sensitive issue at the 

apex bench. 

In an affidavit deposed to by Ekwulu 

to secure the leave of the court 

to appeal the decision out of time, 

she disclosed that the NJC on April 

25, 2022 briefed new counsel, 

made up of a consortium of lawyers 

headed by Prince Lateef O. 

Fagbemi, SAN to lead other distinguished 

senior members of the 

bar, namely: Paul Usoro, SAN; Dr. 

Garba Tetengi, SAN; Muiz Banire, 

SAN and Yakubu Maikasuwa, 

Esq., to file an appeal to the Supreme 

Court challenging the 

Court of Appeal’s decision. 

Ekwulu’s exact words in the affidavit: 

“I know as a fact that the 

delay in briefing the consortium 

of new lawyers to represent the Appellant/Applicant 

was due to the 

administrative bottlenecks and 

red-tapes involved in the process 

of briefing an external counsel/solicitor 

in the Appellant’s Council. 

“Although at the time of briefing 

Prince Lateef O. Fagbemi, SAN, 

and the consortium of lawyers so 

briefed, the time prescribed by the 

rules of the Honourable Court for 

bringing an appeal had not lapsed 

but was significantly spent.” 

The deponent averred that she 

was informed by NJC’s lead counsel, 

Prince Fagbemi (SAN) that 

“the consortium of lawyers met 

three times inclusive of 19th May, 

2022 to agree on what and how to 

proceed with this matter. 

“Unfortunately, his earlier 

commitment(s) as a member of the 

Legal Practitioners’ Privileges 

Committee, LPPC, which has been 

meeting repeatedly in May, 2022 

made him unable to get to the work 

on time and conclude same, until 

the time for the filing of this Application 

had lapsed; 

“That he knows as a fact that the 

Appellant/Applicant is out of time 

within which to file its Notice of 

Appeal and there is the need to 

seek the leave of the Honourable 

Court to file the Notice of Appeal 

out of time.” 

The application before the court 

is meant to regularise the process 

filed by the NJC before the Supreme 

Court to set aside the Court 

of Appeal decision on the extent of 

powers exercisable by the NJC in 

judges’ discipline. 

Genesis of 

constitutional suit 

before S’Court 

While the matter 

was still in 

court, the baton 

of leadership at 

the National 

level had 

changed hands 

from Dr Goodluck 

Ebele 

Jonathan to 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari 

who was 

touted as a nononsense 

Army 

General with 

zero-tolerance 

for corruption 

and injustice 

Vanguard Law and Human Rights 

reports that Justice Olotu was appointed 

a Federal High Court Judge 

by former President Olusegun 

Obasanjo on July 28, 2000, and inaugurated 

by the then Chief Justice 

of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Lawal 

Uwais on September 1, 2000. 

Olotu had a glorious time in the 

judiciary right from her days in the 

Edo State judiciary where she started 

as a Magistrate in 1991 and 

climbed the judiciary ladder until 

she was found appointable as a 

judge of the Federal High Court of 


Nigeria in 2000. She benefitted 

from the first few appointments 

President Olusegun Obasanjo 

made into the Federal High 

Court bench after he came into 

power in May 1999. 

But sometime in 2013/2014 

when the leadership of the NJC 

was under the first female Chief 

Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice 

Mariam Aloma Muhktar, not 

less than six petitions were written 

against Justice Gladys Olotu 

Ṡome were alleging corruption 

while there was one alleging infraction 

of the constitutional provision 

on the maximum time allowed 

by law to deliver judgment 

in a case handled by a judge to 

guard against justice delay. 

The judge was served copies of 

the petitions while she was invited 

to appear before a Fact-Finding 

Committee set up to investigate 

all the allegations in the petitions. 

After the first committee sat, 

another probe panel was set up 

by Justice Aloma-led NJC to look 

into the petitions’ grey areas in 

the report of the first panel. 

The second Committee eventually 

found Justice Olotu guilty on 

a lone count of delivering judgment 

in a case out of time allowed 

by law. 

Afterwards, the NJC subsequently 

recommended Justice 

Gladys Olotu to Dr Jonathan 

Goodluck who was the President 

at the time, for compulsory retirement. 

The Acting Director of Information 

of the NJC, Soji Oye, had, 

in a statement, explained in 2014 

thus: “The National Judicial 

Council, under the Chairmanship 

of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, 

Justice Aloma Mukhtar, at 

its meeting which was held on 

February 26, 2014, recommended 

the compulsory retirement 

from office of Justice G . K. Olotu 

of the Federal High Court and 

Justice U. A. Inyang of High 

Court of Justice of the Federal 

Capital Territory, Abuja, respectively 

for gross misconduct.” 

The statement said the recommendation 

for compulsory retirement 

of the two judges was based 

on findings made by the NJC after 

investigations into allegations 

contained in petitions 

brought against them. 

According to the statement, the 

NJC had found that Justice Olotu 

“failed to deliver judgment in 

Suit No. FHC/UY/250/2003, 18 

months after the final address by 

all the counsel in the suit, contrary 

to the constitutional provisions 

that judgments should be delivered 

within a period of 90 days.” 

By the decision of the NJC, the 

career path of Justice Olotu was 

truncated as she was sacked from 

office on February 26, 2014 at the 

age of 54 years. 

Although Justice Olotu was directed 

to proceed on suspension 

pending the approval of its recommendation 

by the Head of the 

federal executive arm of government, 

former President Goodluck 

Jonathan did not waste time to 

give his approval. 

The then Attorney-General of 

the Federation and Minister of 

Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, 

SAN, had announced that Olotu’s 

compulsory retirement took effect 

from Monday, March 3, 2014. 

Justice Olotu 

kicks, sues NJC, 

FG 

Three days after Justice Olotu 

was effectively removed from the 

bench, she approached a Federal 

High Court sitting in Abuja with 

an application of certiorari to 

quash the recommendation of the 

NJC and invalidate the approval 

granted by the President on her 

sack. 

That was March 6, 2014. 

Joined in the suit as co-respondents 

were the former President 

Jonathan, the NJC, the Chief Justice 

of Nigeria, the Chief Judge of 

the Federal High Court, and the 

Attorney-General of the Federation. 

But the Federal Government in 

its written submission had asked 

the court to strike out the suit. 

In the preliminary objection 

filed by its counsel, Taiwo Abidogun, 

from the office of the Attorney-General 

of the Federation, the 

government said the court lacked 

the jurisdiction to entertain the 

suit on the account that sections 

251 and 254 of the 1999 Constitution 

exclusively conferred jurisdiction 

on matters pertaining to 

the employment and retirement 

of Justice Olotu on the National 

Industrial Court, NIC. 

The matter eventually moved to 

the NIC where Justice Olotu’s 

team of lawyers led by Dr Alfred 

Eghobamien, SAN; Ladi Rotimi- 

Williams, SAN and Sunday Ameh, 

SAN, argued that section 36 of the 

1999 Constitution was breached 

by the NJC and its Investigative 

Panel in arriving at their recommendation 

for her compulsory 

retirement. 

Justice Olotu further contended 

that the petition against her, 

upon which NJC acted, bordered 

on her failure to deliver a judgment 

within 90 days and not on 

misconduct that could carry heavy 

punishment such as compulsory 

retirement. 

She complained that the recommendation 

by the NJC to the President 

for her compulsory retirement 

as a High Court Judge was 

done in bad faith and in breach of 

extant codes and rules applicable 

to her appointment. 

She said she got to know about 

her sack on February 27, 2014, 

through a press statement the 

NJC released to the media. 

While the matter was still in 

court, the baton of leadership at 

Continues on Page 14 

C 

M 

Y 

K


Apprehension as S’Court sets to review 

powers of NJC to discipline judges 

Continues from Page 13 

the National level had changed 

hands from Dr Goodluck Ebele 

Jonathan to President Muhammadu 

Buhari who was touted as a 

no-nonsense Army General with 

zero-tolerance for corruption and 

injustice. 

Why I was sacked 

— Justice Olotu 

Sometime in October 2016, the 

sacked judge attempted a political 

solution to her case as she 

wrote a 13-page letter to President 

Muhammadu Buhari, urging him 

to intervene in her case. 

In the letter, Justice Olotu told 

President Buhari that she was a 

victim of victimisation orchestrated 

by a former Chief Justice of 

Nigeria, Justice Aloma Muktar, 

who was working with some powerful 

figures in the judiciary. 

Mrs. Olotu stated that she was 

compulsorily retired by the 

former CJN in order to satisfy “the 

wicked agenda of some judicial 

consultants” that wanted her to 

pervert the course of justice which 

she refused to do. 

According to the former judge, 

her ordeal started because she did 

not accede to the request of a 

former CJN, Justice SMA Belgore, 

and Chief Gabriel Osawaru 

Igbinedion to pervert the course 

of justice in some cases involving 

a widow and her children in suit 

No. FHC/UUY/CS/250/2003 and 

a case involving Mrs. Mona 

Youssefian and three others vs. Elf 

Petroleum Nigeria Limited. 

She added that in the suit filed 

before a Federal High Court in 

Uyo, the widow and her children 

sought redress over alleged negligence 

that led to the death of their 

husband and father on board a 

hotel vessel operated by the defendants. 

Mrs. Olotu stated that she gave 

judgment in favour of the family, 

which they sought to enforce in 

garnishee proceedings filed in the 

Port Harcourt Division of the Federal 

High Court. 

According to the petitioner, the 

judicial consultants, acting on 

behalf of Elf Petroleum and other 

defendants wanted her to vacate 

the garnishee order she made but 

she refused. 

“When I refused to do so, I incurred 

their wrath. This is my real 

offence and not any other picture 

Justice Aloma painted to the 

world,” Mrs. Olotu said. 

She added that the former CJN 

unconstitutionally used the instrumentality 

of her offices as CJN 

and Chairman of the NJC to further 

the vendetta of the judiciary 

consultants. 

Mrs. Olotu further alleged that 

the immediate past Attorney- 

General of the Federation, Mohammed 

Bello Adoke, was also 

conscripted into the conspiracy by 

misleading President Jonathan 

into approving the recommendation 

for her compulsory retirement, 

stating that the former CJN 

also withheld several material 

facts including her entire defense 

to the petition written against her. 

She went further to say that her 

retirement contravened several 

constitutional provisions, particularly 

Section 36 on fair hearing, 

adding that she wrote several letters 

to former President Jonathan 

but to no avail. 

The former judge urged President 

Buhari to “please pay attention 

to (her) relentless cry for truth 

and justice.” 

Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, CJN. 

NIC throws out Justice 

Olotu’s case 

While Justice Olotu was still 

awaiting action from President 

Buhari, the National Industrial 

Court fixed judgment in the lawsuit 

filed by her. 

Specifically, the trial judge, Justice 

E. N. Agbakoba on September 

20, 2017, threw out her case 

and declined to compel President 

Muhammadu Buhari and the National 

Judicial Council, NJC, to 

recall Justice Gladys Olotu to office. 

The trial court had held that the 

NJC acted rightly when it recommended 

the Judge for compulsory 

retirement. 

The court said there was no evidence 

that the investigative panel 

of the NJC that indicted Justice 

Olotu breached the tenets of natural 

justice or failed to follow laid 

down procedures before recommending 

her for compulsory retirement. 

Olotu runs to 

Appeal Court 

Dissatisfied with the National Industrial 

Court’s decision, Justice 

Olotu approached the Court of 

Appeal in Abuja for redress. 

On February 25, 2022, a threemember 

panel of the intermediate 

appellate court, led by Justice 

Peter Ige, held among others, that 

the process leading to Justice Olotu’s 

removal was flawed and must 

therefore collapse. 

Justice Danlami Senchi, who 

read the lead judgment, held that 

since the Federal Judicial Service 

Commission did not recommend 

that Justice Olotu be compulsorily 

retired, the recommendation 

made by the NJC to the President 

in that regard was not only inchoate 

but also unlawful, null and 

void. 

Justice Senchi noted that since 

the FJSC is constitutionally empowered 

to recommend lawyers 

for appointment as Federal Judges, 

its recommendation is also 

necessary before such a judge 

could be relieved of his or her appointment. 

He proceeded to hold that without 

the FJSC first recommending 

a judge for removal as envisaged 

under section 13 (b) of the First 

Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, 

such recommendation by the 

NJC (as it is in the case of Justice 

Olotu) and the subsequent acceptance 

of the recommendation by 

the President is a nullity. 

The Appeal Court thus set aside 

the earlier judgment by Justice E. 

N. Agbakoba of the NICN which 

upheld Justice Olutu’s compulsory 

retirement. 

Implication of the 

The court said 

there was no 

evidence that 

the investigative 

panel of 

the NJC that 

indicted Justice 

Olotu 

breached the 

tenets of natural 

justice or 

failed to follow 

laid down 

procedures 

before recommending 

her 

for compulsory 

retirement 

Appeal Court decision 

By implication, the judgment in 

Justice Olotu’s case, according to 

analysts, may be likened to a timebomb 

capable of scattering all that 

the NJC had done in the last 22 

years. 

Vanguard Law and Human 

Rights reports that since the NJC 

came into existence by the virtue 

of the 1999 Constitution and began 

operations in 2000, it has solely 

exercised powers over judges’ 

discipline. 

In its 22 years of operation, it has 

recommended over a thousand 

judges for various disciplinary 

measures, ranging from issuance 

of warnings, ban on promotion for 

a specified period of time, suspension 

from office, compulsory retirement 

and outright dismissal. 

From 1999 till date, NJC has recommended 

sanctions for all classes 

of judicial officers who served 

in superior courts of records to the 

executive arm of government. 

The implication of the Appeal 

Court decision, according to analysts, 

is that all previous recommendations 

made by the NJC to 

either the President of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria or state governors 

between 1999 and 2022 re- 

*Justice Gladys Olotu 

garding discipline of judicial officers, 

were not only inchoate having 

not got the endorsement of the 

FJSC, but also invalid. 

Until reversed, the Court of Appeal 

decision on the powers of the 

NJC on judges’ discipline remains 

the law. 

Given the likely implication of 

the judgment of the Court of Appeal, 

the NJC has approached the 

Supreme Court of Nigeria with a 

request to interpret the import of 

section 13 (b) of the First Schedule 

of the 1999 Constitution on 

section 21 (b) and (d) of the same 

First Schedule of the 1999 Constitution. 

Issues before the S’Court 

The sole issue submitted before 

the Supreme Court by NJC revolves 

around a quick review of the 

decision of the Court of Appeal 

which appears to have altered the 

status quo regarding the exercise 

of disciplinary powers over judicial 

officers in the country. 

The Appeal Court has specifically 

held that in determining who has 

powers over judges’ appointment 

and discipline, section 21 (a), (b) 

and (d) of Part I of the Third Schedule 

of the 1999 Constitution of the 

Federal Republic of Nigeria, must 

be read alongside that of section 

13 (a) and (b) of the same First 

Schedule. 

What actually does the law say 

about the role of NJC and FJSC 

on judges’ appointment and discipline? 

Section 21 (a), (b) and (d) of Part 

I of the Third Schedule of the 1999 

Constitution of the Federal Republic 

of Nigeria provides in clear 

terms thus: “The National Judicial 

Council shall, have powers to: 

(a) recommend to the President 

from among the list of persons submitted 

to it by - 

(i) the Federal Judicial Service 

Commission, persons for appointment 

to the offices of the Chief Justice 

of Nigeria, the Justices of the 

Supreme Court, the President and 

Justices of the Court of Appeal, the 

Chief Judge and Judges of the Federal 

High Court, and 

(ii) the Judicial Service Commission 

of the Federal Capital Territory, 

Abuja, persons for appointment 

to the offices of the Chief 

Judge and Judges of the High 

Court of the Federal Capital Territory, 

Abuja, the Grand Kadi and 

Kadis of the Sharia Court of Appeal 

of the Federal Capital Territory, 

Abuja and the President and 

Judges of the Customary Court of 

Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory, 

Abuja; 

(b) recommend to the President 

the removal from office of the judicial 

officers specified in subparagraph 

(a) of this paragraph 

and to exercise disciplinary control 

over such officers; 

(c) recommend to the Governors 

from among the list of persons submitted 

to it by the State Judicial 

Service Commissions persons for 

appointments to the offices of the 

Chief Judges of the States and 

Judges of the High Courts of the 

States, the Grand Kadis and Kadis 

of the Sharia Courts of Appeal 

of the States and the Presidents and 

Judges of the Customary Courts 

of Appeal of the States; 

(d) recommend to the Governors 

the removal from the office 

of the judicial officers in sub-paragraph 

(c) of this paragraph, and 

to exercise disciplinary control 

over such officers. 

In the above provisions, particularly, 

Section 21 (b) and (d), no 

role of any sort was given to the 

FJSC regarding the discipline of 

judicial officers but specific roles 

were assigned both the FJSC and 

the NJC in the appointment of judicial 

officers of the superior 

courts of records. 

However, Section 13 (a) and (b) 

of Part I of the Third Schedule of 

the 1999 Constitution provides 

that the FJSC shall have powers 

to advise the National Judicial 

Council in nominating persons for 

appointment as judges and in exercising 

disciplinary control over 

them. 

Specifically, Section 13 (a) and 

(b) of Part I of the Third Schedule 

of the 1999 Constitution says the 

FJSC shall have power to - 

(a) advise the National Judicial 

Council in nominating persons for 

appointment, as respects appointments 

to the office of - 

(i) the Chief Justice of Nigeria; 

(ii) a Justice of the Supreme 

Court; 

(iii) the President of the Court of 

Appeal; 

(iv) a Justice of the Court of Appeal; 

(v) the Chief Judge of the Federal 

High Court; 

(vi) a Judge of the Federal High 

Court; and 

(iv) the Chairman and members 

of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. 

(b) recommend to the National 

Judicial Council, the removal 

from office of the judicial officers 

specified in sub-paragraph (a) of 

this paragraph; and 

(c) appoint, dismiss and exercise 

disciplinary control over the Chief 

Registrars and Deputy Chief Registrars 

of the Supreme Court, the 

Court of Appeal, the Federal High 

Court and all other members of 

the staff of the judicial service of 

the Federation not otherwise specified 

in this Constitution and of the 

Federal Judicial Service Commission. 

From the above provisions, it is 

without doubt that the 1999 Constitution 

gives roles to the FJSC in 

the appointment and removal of 

judicial officers in the country. 

But it is not clearly stated whether 

the provisions of section 21 were 

sufficient in determining who exercises 

the power of discipline over 

judges in Nigeria or whether the 

provisions of section 21 should be 

read alongside those of section 13, 

the confusion that the Supreme 

Court is set to clear. 

Vanguard Law and Human 

Rights reports that the Supreme 

Court of Nigeria is the highest and 

final court of law in the country; a 

vital constitutional organ in the 

separation of powers scheme. 

The awaited pronouncement of 

the Supreme Court on this matter 

will, no doubt, either detonate the 

seeming‘time-bomb’ already activated 

by the judgment handed 

down by the Appeal Court in Olotu’s 

case in February 2022 or deactivate 

it if it reverses the verdict 

of the lower appellate court. 

Whichever way the pendulum 

swings, this is one case that the 

Supreme Court must not delay in 

hearing not only in the interest of 

the judge, Justice Olotu, who has 

engaged the NJC in a protracted 

battle but also for the stability of 

the third arm of government that 

is presently in limbo following the 

contentious Appeal Court verdict.


Court of Appeal @ 45: A spotlight towards 

an enhanced judicial prowess 

By Hafizu Isah 

WHEN the Federal Court of 

Appeal was established in 

1976 following Decree (now Cap. 

C36 Laws of the Federation of 

Nigeria 2004), the aim was to help 

lighten the burden of the Supreme 

Court. In other words, it came to 

serve as a bridge between the 

lower courts and the apex court. 

Owing to the December 31, 

1983, Military Intervention and 

the promulgation of the 

Constitution (Suspension and 

Modification) Decree, 1984 the 

name of the court was changed 

from Federal Court of Appeal to 

the Court of Appeal. 

The Court of Appeal was 

established as an Appellate Court 

to entertain: 

*Civil or Criminal appeals from 

the Federal High Court, High 

Court of the Federal Capital 

Territory, High Courts of the 36 

States as well as National Industrial 

Court, Customary Courts of Appeal 

of states and the Federal Capital 

Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal 

of States and the Federal Capital 

Territory. 

*Election Petition Tribunal, 

Appeals from Martial Court, Code 

of Conduct Tribunal, Investments 

and Security Tribunals, Legal 

Practitioners Disciplinary 

Committee, and most recently, the 

Alternative Disputes Resolution 

(ADR) which was established on 

June 28, 2018. 

Growth: 

At the onset, the Court of Appeal 

started with three Judicial Divisions: 

Lagos, Kaduna, and Enugu. 

With the three operational 

Divisions, the need arose for 

expansion. As a result, in June, 1977, 

additional Divisions were 

established in Ibadan and Benin and 

in January, 1983, Jos Division came 

alive. This expansion continued in 

1989 as Port Harcourt Division was 

established and subsequently Abuja 

Division came to light in 1996. 

With increase in demand for 

services of the Court of Appeal, 2 

Judicial Divisions sprang in Ilorin 

and Calabar in February, 1999 

totalling 10 Judicial Divisions. 1999 

to 2009 witnessed the establishment 

of six more Divisions namely: 

Owerri, Sokoto, Yola, Ekiti, Akure, 

and Makurdi, bringing the 

Divisions to 16. To further take 

justice delivery closer to the people, 

four Divisions: Asaba, Awka, Gombe 

and Kano, were added between 

2014-2019. 45 years on, the Court 

of Appeal boasts of 20 Judicial 

Divisions, spread across the six 

geopolitical zones of Nigeria. 

As the second longest President of 

the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru 

Abdullahi, the Walin Hausa puts it, 

“the Court of Appeal is where the 

decisions are made; the Supreme 

Court merely whitewashes it” hence, 

the need for justice delivery to be 

taken seriously and closer to the 

people. 

From the above perspective, the 

need beckoned to increase the 

number of Justices adjudicating in 

this Noble Temple from the initial 

36 it started with to 41 in 1990. 

Again, it rose to 50 in 1993 and to 

70 in 2006. With the Court of Appeal 

Amendment Act of 2013 the 

number increased to 90. Currently, 

the Justices are 85 in number. 

The Court has produced seven 

presidents namely: Late HJustice 

D.O. Ibekwe, 1976 – 1978; Late 

Justice Mamman Nasir, 1978 – 

1992; late Justice Mohammed 

Akanbi, 1992 – 1999; Justice 

*Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem 

Umaru Abdullahi, 1999 – 2009; . 

Justice Isa Salami, 2009 – 2012; 

LateJustice Dalhatu Adamu (in 

Acting capacity) 2012 – 2013; 

Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, 2014 – 

2020; and Justice Monica 

Dongban-Mensem, 2020 – to date 

Sitting in the former Federal 

Capital of Nigeria, the Court was 

accommodated in the old Supreme 

Court Complex now Lagos Division. 

With the movement from Lagos to 

Abuja, the Court of Appeal domiciled 

at the Area 3 office complex which 

now houses the National Industrial 

Court, NIC. It was during the tenure 

of the then President, Court of Appeal 

Hon. Justice Umaru Abdullahi, 

CON that all hands were put on deck 

to build a befitting office complex, 

commissioned by the Ambassador 

of the Rule of Law and Commander- 

In-Chief of the Armed Forces, late 

President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, 

GCFR, on 15th December, 2008. 

The Court of Appeal on top of 

history right now, is a melting pot 

where justice is justice without colour, 

section or place of origin, where all 

the Justices must sit together in a 

quorum to take decision in any 

matter devoid of sentiment. This is 

the reason some Senior Advocates 

of Nigeria have been speaking on 

the developments as the Court turns 

45 years old. 

Historically speaking, for Chief 

Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who 

has spent over three decades at the 

Bar, the establishment of the Court 

of Appeal as an intermediate Court 

between the High Court and the 

Supreme Court is justified. For Chief 

Garba S. Pwul, SAN, the Court has 

been extraordinary in terms of 

effective expansion, performance 

and impacting positively on the legal 

system of Nigeria. While Chief 

Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, is of the view 

that the Court has done 

tremendously and has lived up to its 

statutory mandate in discharging its 

functions creditably. 

Chief Awomolo puts it thus, “The 

court has justified its existence, no 

doubt it has over the years produced 

very eminent jurists, some of whom 

ended their career in the Supreme 

Court, others retired as Justices of 

the Court of Appeal or Presidents of 

the Court of Appeal. To me, the Court 

of Appeal is desirable but it has to 

spread to a wider area because 

No doubt, the 

year 2020 had 

been eventful, 

not only in the 

history of 

Nigeria but the 

judiciary as 

well; especially 

the Court of 

Appeal with 

over 34,000 

pending appeals 

spread across its 

20 divisions 

litigation in 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 

and now are never the same. 

Nigerians are getting more conscious 

of their legal rights and of course, 

people are now beginning to feel that 

it is better to test the decision of the 

High Courts in the Court of Appeal 

where three gentlemen of the learned 

profession will sit to consider the 

decision of one man.” 

In the opinion of Chief Pwul, “To 

give a run-down of the performance 

of the Court of Appeal, first of all, to 

get to 45, is a great achievement. I 

started practising in 1982, and my 

posting as a Youth Corps member was 

in the Court of Appeal, Kaduna 

Division. I would say the Court of 

Appeal has come a long way in terms 

of expansion, performance and 

impact on our legal system. When I 

joined the Court of Appeal, there were 

only three divisions of the Court. 

Today, we have Divisions in more than 

half of the 36 states of Nigeria. In 

bringing justice proximate to the 

people, it is on record that the number 

of appeals determined every single 

year by the Honourable Justices is 

an indication that they have 

performed amazingly in the past 45 

years.” 

Learned Silk, Chief Ikwueto in his 

contribution observed that, both the 

Trial Courts and the Courts below and 

even practitioners who come before 

the courts are encouraged to do their 

work because in all human 

endeavours there are chances of 

making mistakes. The great Jurist, 

Oputa averred, when he referred 

to the Supreme Court as not being 

infallible because as human 

beings they could make mistakes, 

but since ‘’we are final, we are 

infallible’’ Ikwueto remarks. 

Furthermore, Ikwueto is of the 

view that if there was no Court of 

Appeal, then the facts of the case 

at the Trial Courts won’t be tested, 

and if you were to have all these 

coming to the Supreme Court 

without an intermediary Appellate 

Court, obviously the situation 

would be very chaotic and ‘’I think 

that the Court of Appeal has lived 

up to its statutory mandate and it 

is worthwhile to have that 

appellate sieving platform 

whereby, judgements and 

decisions of the Trial Courts are 

tested again before they go to the 

Apex Court for final determination. 

The Court of Appeal indeed is a 

deserving intermediary between 

the Trial Courts and the Supreme 

Court.” 

Annual Justices 

conference 2020 

The use of information 

communication technology is 

considered one of the key elements 

to significantly improve the 

administration of justice. In the 

knowledge, the world has rapidly 

developed into a global village 

which has opened new 

opportunities that were 

unthinkable some years ago. 

Around the world, several 

reforms have been introduced to 

allow the use of enhanced 

electronic data and documents 

within the judicial systems. The 

availability of web services, the 

possibility of consulting online 

legislation, the use of electronic 

filing, electronic exchange of legal 

documents are spurring the 

judicial administration across the 

globe to rethink their functions 

and activities, enhance efficiency, 

access, timeliness, transparency 

and accountability that will help 

the judiciaries to provide adequate 

services. 

The imperative of adequate ICT 

infrastructure in the sustenance of 

a thriving judicial system cannot 

be overemphasised and this much, 

Joe Kyari Gadzama, SAN, shared 

his thoughts in a paper he 

presented recently that given the 

number of cases being filed in 

different courts, it is necessary to 

review the workload on the 

Judiciary. ‘’We do need to realize 

the fact that the human brain has 

its limitations; hence, the era and 

practice of our Justices writing in 

longhand needs to be dispensed 

with for good.” 

At a point when the world was 

almost shutting down as a result 

of the Covid-19 pandemic, was the 

period the 7th President of the 

COA, Justice Dongban-Mensem 

assumed office. The period came 

with opportunities and challenges 

however, the new President came 

prepared. 

From the different view points, 

Covid-19 engulfed the world with 

such a speed faster than the speed 

of light. Everyone became 

worried, scientists intensified 

research into the causes and 

possible vaccines to curb further 

spread and deaths. 

As the virus spread its tentacles, 

it posed concern to medical 

experts and world leaders since 

every hope of finding cure seemed 

bleak. Thus, the world shut-down 

to prevent further spread. The only 

option was to Wash Your Hands 

Frequently with Soap under a 

Running Water; Wear a Facemask; 

Use Hand Sanitizers where Soap 

and Water is Not Available and 

Maintain Social Distancing. 

This indeed changed how things 

were done. A world which thrived in 

trade and exchange of human 

resources now became completely 

locked down; forcing leaders and 

stakeholders to think deeply on how 

to sustain their economies to tally 

with human demands. 

Back home, President 

Muhammadu Buhari declared the 

shutdown of the Federal Capital 

Territory, Lagos and Ogun States on 

March 29, 2020, when it became 

obvious that the cases as well as 

death tolls were on the increase. 

The Nigerian Judiciary was not 

left in the limbo! The Chief Justice 

of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim 

Muhammad, Attorney-General of 

the Federation, Abubakar Malami, 

SAN and Head of Courts 

brainstormed on the way forward 

since the judiciary was a public 

institution where litigants, lawyers 

and Justices gather to adjudicate 

legal matters. Thus, Guidelines were 

rolled out on how the workforce 

would operate. 

The little things that we do can 

become powerful if we reinvent 

ourselves 

At the Court of Appeal, the Hon. 

President, Justice Dongban- 

Mensem brought the conversation 

to the front burner by engaging the 

services of virologists, Dr. Patrick 

Dakum, Chief Executive Officer, 

Institute of Human Virology and 

Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, former 

Director-General, Nigeria Centre 

for Disease Control, NCDC, to 

parley with some Justices and 

senior Management Staff on 

veritable opportunities for reform 

in Court Processes through teleadjudication; 

imploring the use of 

zoom as a veritable platform to 

engage her brother Justices and 

Staff. 

Armed with this knowledge, 

Dongban-Mensem said that the 

COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup 

call for the court as a professional 

organisation to have full grasp while 

complying with the lockdown 

directive; ‘’but considering that the 

court has to adjudicate on urgent, 

essential and time-bound matters 

we should not completely close our 

doors to the public.’’ For the first 

time in 45 years of the Court, she 

experimented the use of Zoom to 

hold meetings and conferences with 

Justices and Sectional Heads while 

beefing up the ICT Department with 

the required technology to ensure 

that Court of Appeal is at par with 

other Judiciaries across the globe. 

Fallout of her 

steady strides 

No doubt, the year 2020 had been 

eventful, not only in the history of 

Nigeria but the judiciary as well; 

especially the Court of Appeal with 

over 34,000 pending appeals spread 

across its 20 Divisions. 

Recall that all through the 

lockdown from March 25, to June 

30, 2020 Justice Dongban- 

Mensem confronted the fear that 

surrounded COVID-19 pandemic 

with faith to lead her colleagues by 

setting up Special Panels with the 

Justices drawn from all the 

Divisions. Special permits were 

obtained from the Police Force to 

cover their movements to 

expeditiously determine a total of 

1,356 appeals and 1,960 motions. 

More significantly was that a total 

of 528 Judgements (16.97% of the 

total number of Judgements) were 

delivered via the Zoom Online 

Platform during the course of the 

2020-2021 Legal Year while 10 

hearings were held by Panels of the 

Court using this platform. 

*Hafizu Isah is Chief 

Registrar, Court of Appeal

16 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022




Minister of Education, Adamu 

Adamu, was mandated by 

President Muhammadu Buhari to 

“solve” the Academic Staff of 

Nigerian Universities, ASUU, crisis 

within two weeks. When the period 

expired, Adamu denied being 

given an ultimatum, and asked 

university students to “sue” their 

lecturers over the seven monthold 

strike. 

Adamu’s suggestion, which had 

sounded comical then, has 

become the order of the day. The 

Federal Government, through the 

Ministry of Labour and 

Employment, has dragged ASUU 

before the National Industrial 

Court of Nigeria, NICN. It seeks, 

among other reliefs, for the Court 

to compel ASUU to resume work 

while it (the NICN) is looking into 

the dispute in line with Section 18 

(I) (b) of the TDA Cap T8. LFN 2004. 

In a counter-measure, foremost 

social advocacy group, the Social 

and Economic Rights and 

Accountability Project, SERAP, 

ASUU strike: Legal actions no 

solution 

along with five university 

students, has sued President 

Buhari, asking the court to “declare 

unlawful the refusal by the Federal 

Government to meet ASUU’s 

demands, which has occasioned 

the prolonged strike action and 

violated the students’ right to 

quality education”. 

We see these resorts to legal 

actions as unnecessary and 

journeys to nowhere. They are 

mere delay tactics which will only 

further prolong the strike after a 

seven month-impasse. The 

lecturers went on strike because 

the Federal Government failed to 

honour its Memorandum of 

Understanding, MoU, and 

Memorandum of Action, MoA, 

which it signed with ASUU. Even if 

government obtains a favourable 

verdict, how would that compel 

unwilling teachers to return to 

work while their demands are not 

met? 

Conversely, even if SERAP and 

the students get the reliefs they 

seek, how will that force the 

Federal Government to have the 

money they claim not to have? 

How will it resolve the dispute over 

the payment system? The courts 

can only lead these obstinate 

parties to the stream but cannot 

force them to drink. 

We still believe there is no 

substitute for a negotiated and 

amicable settlement of this 

dispute. This case is unwinnable 

by any side. What is required at this 

moment is not ego or blame game. 

This dispute can only be resolved 

by give and take, provided that the 

Federal Government is willing to 

turn a new leaf from its age-old 

penchant to dishonour 

agreements signed by it. 

ASUU’s main grouse or fear is that 

government only wants it to return 

to the classroom to, as usual, back 

out of any deal struck. The Federal 

Government is the primary 

offender here. If it had committed 

to solving the 13-year-old ASUU 

conundrum, it would have done so, 

or at least show by concrete 

example, the commitment to do 

so. 

We hold the Federal Government 

accountable to lead efforts to end 

this ASUU strike. The buck stops 

on Buhari’s table. 

OPINION 

Envisioning zero deaths on Nigerian road 

By COSMAS ODOEMENA 

I 

recently attended to a dispatch rider 

who was knocked down by a sport utility 

vehicle while doing his job. He sustained a 

fracture in the leg and was lucky to have 

survived. Another vehicle drove into a 

residential building in one suburb in Lagos 

and was stopped by a concrete electric pole. 

Luckily no one died. But not everyone is that 

lucky. 

According to data from the Federal Road 

Safety Corps and the National Bureau of 

Statistics, between 2013 and 2020, at least 

41,709 persons lost their lives to road 

crashes in Nigeria. Road traffic accidents 

remain one of the leading causes of death in 

the country. There have been efforts by the 

government to reduce road traffic accidents 

but they have not led to a significant 

reduction in them. 

But, is it possible to prevent people from dying 

from road traffic accidents? An ambitious 

project by a coalition titled, “The Road to Zero: 

Achieving Zero Deaths by 2050”, thinks this 

is possible. Since it is impossible to eliminate 

human error, planners and engineers are 

thinking of ways to design roads and vehicles 

to accommodate human error to make the 

whole system safer. Joined with this effort is 

the promotion of a "Safety Culture" that stresses 

the importance of safety in all decisions made 

by everyone. 

The Safe System Approach is now achieving 

success in some parts of the world. It 

originated in Sweden through its Vision Zero 

programme and in the Netherlands through 

the Sustainable Safety programme. They both 

achieved success with not less than a 50 percent 

reduction in fatalities between 1994 and 

2015. This idea has found its way to other 

countries in Europe and beyond with 

remarkable success in Australia and New 

Zealand. Even the United Kingdom and the 

United States have latched on to it. 

Everything about this project is captured in 

a circular logo called the Prioritizing Safety 

Wheel with Safe System at the centre. Round 

the Wheel are five elements: Safe Vehicles, 

Safe Roads, Safe Speeds, Safe Road Users, 

and Post-Crash Care. 

Achieving zero traffic deaths and serious 

injuries requires strengthening all five 

elements. A Safe System cannot be realised 

without all five elements working in synergy. 

On the outer side of the Wheel, Safety Culture 

was echoed around it six times. 

The Safe System Approach begins with a 

mentality that it is not acceptable to allow 

deaths and serious injuries to happen on the 

roads. It accepts that road users are human 

beings and that it's inevitable for them to 

make mistakes. It is these mistakes that cause 

road traffic accidents. The goal of "zero" is to 

remove fatal and grave injuries, and not to 

eliminate crashes in totality. 

According to Mark Doctor, a senior safety 

and design engineer, and Chimai Ngo, a 

programme manager for zero deaths, safety 

culture, and transportation safety planning 

initiatives to achieve zero deaths and serious 

injuries, when crashes do happen, "they must 

be managed so that the kinetic energy 

exchange on the human body is kept below 

the tolerable limits for serious harm to occur". 

This principle guides the use of a Safe System 

Approach in designing and operating the 

road system. It is expected that human error 

will occur, therefore, "the road infrastructure 

and vehicle technology must be designed 

and operated so that deaths and serious 

injuries are engineered out," wrote Doctor 

and Ngo. 

Safe Vehicles—Vehicles are designed and 

regulated to minimise the frequency and 

severity of collisions by applying safety 

measures that use the latest technology. Invehicle 

systems can help prevent the use of 

mobile phones while the vehicle is in motion 

to reduce distraction. 

Safe Speeds—Human beings are less likely 

to survive crashes at high-speed. Reducing 

injuries to humans from speed reduction 

happens in three ways: reducing the force 

from the impact, giving additional time for 

drivers to stop, and improving visibility. 

Safe Roads— Transportation infrastructure 

which is designed to allow for human 

mistakes and injury tolerances can 

Since it is impossible to 

eliminate human error, 

planners and engineers are 

thinking of ways to design 

roads and vehicles to 

accommodate human error to 

make the whole system safer 

significantly reduce the severity of crashes 

that do happen. For example, by physically 

separating people moving at different speeds, 

having dedicated times for different users to 

move through a space, and informing road 

users of hazards. Street design plays a vital 

role in this approach. Safer street designs can 

slow down vehicle movement, provide visual 

cues that make it clear when different user 

groups share the space, and when needed, 

provide separation between the user groups 

when vehicular operating speeds are 

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incompatible for sharing space with other 

users. 

Safe Road Users—The safety of all road 

users is equally addressed; these include 

pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, who ride 

transit or travel by some other mode. It 

includes reducing distractions for all road 

users. Part of it is reducing impairment. This 

can be through alcohol detection and 

ignition interlock systems which help in 

preventing intoxicated drivers from 

operating a motor vehicle. 

Post-Crash Care—Those who are injured 

from crashes depend on emergency first 

responders to quickly find them and give 

them first aid before moving them to medical 

facilities. Post-crash care also includes 

forensic analysis obtained at the accident 

site, traffic incident management, and related 

activities. 

Safety is a proactive concept. Transportation 

agencies can use proactive and data-driven 

tools to identify and reduce latent risks in 

the system, instead of waiting for accidents 

to happen and then reacting to them. 

Nigeria can study this policy and see how it 

can be domesticated. Lagos State can blaze 

the trail in Nigeria through its smart city 

project. Perhaps the new city called the Eko 

Atlantic City can be used as a pilot study if it 

has not already been factored in. Even the 

Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, can give 

Lagos a run for its money. Other states should 

not take my word for it! 

The whole project will require legislative and 

enforcement strategies aimed at achieving 

widespread user compliance with road rules 

and laws. It will require money, vision, and 

political will. But it is something worth 

pursuing. One life matters. 

•Dr. Odoemena, a medical practitioner, 

wrote from Lagos


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opinions1234@yahoo.com 

DEAR readers, I’m heading 

back to school this month. 

Yes, this September! With a 

PhD, two master’s degrees, a Bar 

qualification, an LLB and sundry other 

qualifications in journalism, business 

and economics, I thought I had had 

enough of formal education, enough 

of sitting down to receive lectures and 

tutorials rather than giving them. But 

I was wrong. A life-long passion and 

an undying dream have gripped me 

and plunged me back into formal 

study. That passion is creative writing, 

and the dream is becoming a 

published novelist, poet and 

playwright. Put simply: a dream to 

become a successful publisher of 

creative work! 

New Wine International, my church 

in London, has a maxim known as 

the 3Ds. The 3Ds enjoin individuals 

to: Discover, Develop and Deploy their 

God-given gifts to maximise their 

potentials. I took inspiration from this. 

Having discovered my gift and 

passion for creative writing, I’m 

moving into the “develop” mode to 

improve and master the craft so I can 

deploy the gift as a creative writer, 

operating successfully in a global 

writerly community. 

Over the course of my adult life, I 

have been an academic, teaching at 

the London School of Economics; a 

policy adviser, working for the UK 

Government and some international 

organisations; a legal adviser, advising 

major charities and businesses; and a 

columnist, writing for two of Nigeria’s 

most prestigious newspapers, 

Vanguard and BusinessDay, in 

addition to peer-reviewed articles in 

reputable academic journals. 

But while I cherish those 

experiences, a career as a creative 

writer is in a class of its own, and one 

From columnist to novelist, a 

dream waiting for fulfilment 

I wish to pursue. As I said, within the 

3Ds framework, I have discovered my 

gift in creative writing. I now want to 

develop the gift so I can deploy it as a 

professional creative writer. I hear you 

say: So, how are you developing the 

gift? 

Well, I’m starting a two-year, parttime 

course in creative writing at 

Oxford University this September. 

This is a huge personal commitment, 

not least because it’s an intensive and 

challenging course, which I have to 

undertake alongside my current 

preoccupations. Yet, the prospect of 

learning from some of the best creative 

writers in the world and studying with 

budding creative writers from around 

the world dwarfs any inconvenience. 

I was interviewed for the course and 

asked why, despite my academic and 

professional backgrounds, I wanted 

to undertake it. I responded that 

though I was an avid reader and 

wrote regularly and widely, I believed 

I couldn’t be the creative writer that I 

desired to be through a process of 

osmosis. There’s a difference that being 

formally trained at Oxford University 

makes, with talented tutors and fellow 

trainees who will push you out of your 

comfort zone and help expand your 

writing. There’s certainly something 

unique about being trained by tutors 

who are established practitioners in 

their own creative fields. 

I believe the stories of 

Nigeria’s fragility 

should be told 

compellingly in books, 

through narrative nonfiction, 

through political 

novels, with a passionate 

polemic in defence of 

the best way forward 

But beyond all that, a major attraction 

of the Oxford University creative 

writing course is its cross-genre and 

cross-cultural nature. Whatever your 

preferences, you will be exposed to, 

and expected to engage fully with, 

all the three main genres, namely: 

prose, poetry and drama. So, at the 

end of the two-year course, you are 

potentially a novelist, a poet and a 

playwright. The course is crosscultural 

because of its international 

nature and the fact that you are 

encouraged to explore and develop 

your individual writerly voice. 

Now, allow me to give credit to whom 

credit is due. Regardless of your 

academic and professional 

backgrounds, you need references for 

any application to an award-bearing 

course at Oxford. Naturally, I 

leveraged my relationship with 

Vanguard and BusinessDay. Eze 

Anaba, Editor of Vanguard, and Chris 

Akor, former Op-Ed Editor of 

BusinessDay, gave me glowing 

professional references. I am grateful 

to them. And Professors Razeen Sally 

and Stephen Woolcock, two former 

LSE colleagues, gave me outstanding 

academic references. I thank them too! 

So, how would I deploy my creative 

writing skills after the course? Well, 

over the past eight years, I have 

immersed myself in the affairs of this 

country, contributing to its 

development through my weekly 

columns. However, that’s not enough. 

I believe the stories of Nigeria’s fragility 

should be told compellingly in books, 

through narrative non-fiction, through 

political novels, with a passionate 

polemic in defence of the best way 

forward. So, in addition to columnwriting, 

I would engage with Nigeria 

through creative non-fiction books and 

state-of-the-nation novels. Two years 

ago, I was on the verge of publishing 

my first book on Nigeria’s future, but 

felt it needed more work. I hope to 

publish the book next year or in early 

2024! 

But I won’t be an Oxford-trained 

creative writer only to write about 

Nigerian affairs. I would explore my 

creative imagination and writerly 

tendencies more widely. Thus, I hope 

to write books – non-fiction and fiction 

– in other areas of interest and also 

write poems and plays. 

At 62, am I coming to this late? Well, 

no! I’m buoyed by stories of people 

who became best-selling writers later 

in life, such as a woman who published 

her debut novel at 80 and sold one 

million copies. Creative writing is not 

dulled by old age. Our own Professor 

Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first literature 

Nobel laureate, published his latest 

political novel, Chronicles from the 

Land of the Happiest People on Earth, 

last year, at the age of 87! So, I have a 

future as a creative writer. Wish me 

well! 

Farewell Queen Elizabeth II. Long live 

King Charles III 

I 

join millions of people 

worldwide in mourning 

Queen Elizabeth II, who died last 

week, aged 96. I came close to 

meeting her personally in 2003 

when I was the rapporteur for the 

business session of the 

Commonwealth Heads of 

Government Meeting, CHOGM, 

held in Abuja, which she attended. 

She was utterly charming, truly 

exceptional. The world will miss 

her. 

Warmest congratulations to His 

Majesty King Charles III, Britain’s 

new monarch and head of the 

Commonwealth. May his reign be 

long! 

Benue politics, a must for Tiv Diaspora 

By KOHOL IORNEM 

Astory is told of a captive who was 

tortured by his abductors. They 

locked him in a cell, maltreated and starved 

him. They occasionally brought little food 

for him and before they gave him, they 

made him suffer to retrieve it by using a 

stick to pull the food closer. One day he 

had a chance to escape when the guard on 

duty brought food for him. As the guard 

was about to leave, the key to the prison 

fell nearby. The captive was in a dilemma. 

He was caught between using the stick to 

pull the bread that the guard dropped for 

him or using the stick to retrieve the key 

and free himself. But what did he do? He 

took the bread instead. This story has generated 

many philosophical responses to the 

question: “Why did the prisoner choose the 

bread instead of the key?” 

During my interaction with citizens in my 

constituency, one person said “if you keep 

people busy with basic needs, they will forget 

about the freedom they lost”. Another 

said: “It is the way he has been conditioned. 

That he did not have any other means of 

survival and did not know how it feels to be 

free”. One response that caught my attention 

was: “when someone is hungry, they 

stop thinking properly”. All these comments 

make me begin to see an application 

of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in 

the prisoner’s choice. 

According to Maslow, people have five 

sets of needs, which come in a particular 

order and as each level of needs is satisfied, 

the desire to fulfil the next set kicks in. 

It is difficult to skip a level to the next. The 

lowest of the needs is the physiological 

needs, which Maslow described as the basic 

needs for bodily functioning e.g. food, 

water, shelter and sex. The next level of 

needs up the pyramid are safety needs, love 

and belonging needs, esteem needs, and 

self-actualisation needs. We can therefore 

conclude that the captive acted in line with 

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by going for 

the basic need – food (physiological needs). 

It is only after satisfying the physiological 

needs that safety needs would have probably 

come in. 

Another classical example is the Bible story 

of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob 

for a bowl of soup in Genesis 25:29-34: 

And Esau said to Jacob: “Let me eat some 

of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” 31 

Jacob said: “Sell me your birthright now.” 

32 Esau said: “I am about to die; of what 

use is a birthright to me? 33 Jacob said: 

“Swear to me now.” So he swore to him 

and sold his birthright to Jacob. 

The two stories I have shared are exactly 

what our people are going through in the 

hands of our politicians. During my consultations 

with key stakeholders and the 

grassroots to seek their blessings for my 

House of Reps ambition in the upcoming 

elections in 2023, I was met with this sad 

reality. Our people are suffering. Like the 

prisoner, they have been conditioned to 

believe that eating a slice of bread in captivity 

is better than dying from “starvation” 

in freedom. The governments and politicians 

have deliberately made them to rely 

on bread crumbs. The people are not empowered 

to fend for themselves. They don’t 

know what freedom feels like. Farming 

which is their main source of livelihood 

has also been taken away because of insecurity. 

Our politicians have conditioned their 

minds to subscribe to ethnic (zoning) and 

religious sentiments. They have put fear 

and uncertainty in the minds of the masses. 

You hear them say: “if this position goes 

to this ethnic group, they will marginalise 

you or it will never come back to your zone 

again”. For this reason, the people throwaway 

track record, experience, accountability, 

and credible people and settle for a mediocre 

from their ethnic background or 

ward. 

Politicians have starved our people so 

that they cannot think properly. They have 

created a system to checkmate the masses 

into doing their bidding. They have created 

a system to eliminate the youth and people 

of integrity. They have been able to 

achieve this through the sale of party’s 

nomination forms at exorbitant prices. 

When credible people with good track 

record join their party, they say: “you will 

have to join the queue as there are others in 

the party before you”. Our politicians have 

no other job other than being in active pol- 

Politicians have starved our 

people so that they cannot think 

properly; they have created a 

system to checkmate the masses 

into doing their bidding; they have 

created a system to eliminate the 

youth and people of integrity 

itics. That is why when they lose elections, 

they continue to romance with the government-in-power 

for political appointments 

while others go on sabbatical and return 

after four years to contest again. This is 

also why politics has become a do-or-die 

affair, with assassinations and the proliferation 

of killing gangs as the new normal of 

politics. 

In Benue, we have leaders that have held 

top government positions for many years, 

majority of them have spent over 20 years. 

Yet, we cannot boast of a single local industry 

in the state. It is indeed shameful 

that we are still referring to Aper Aku and 

Fr Moses Adasu as the only governors who 

had foresight when we have more government 

expenditure now, and enormous technology 

abounds that can be leveraged 

upon to develop the state in terms of industrial 

growth and innovation. 

My recent political outings have made 

me to painfully realise the importance of 

the role of the diaspora in salvaging our 

failing country. Many of us migrated to 

seek better lives, whether in terms of quality 

education as a student, or job opportunities 

as an economic migrant, or through 

other means not elsewhere classified. We 

have witnessed first-hand how effective systems, 

laws and infrastructures are maintained 

for the betterment of the citizens; 

therefore, we are duty-bound to export our 

experience and knowledge back to help our 

country. Many of our people cannot ask 

for good governance if they have not witnessed 

it. They are like the prisoner who 

will always go for bread instead of the key. 

They are like Esau who sold his birthright 

for a bowl of soup. That is why they sell 

their votes for little things like salt, seasonings 

and a few hundred nairas. 

Notwithstanding, I’m glad that many Tiv 

sons and daughters from the Diaspora are 

playing active roles in politics. However, 

we need more likeminded people in the diaspora 

to come together because politics 

is about numbers. The masses are looking 

up to us in the diaspora. They know the 

truth (that we have what it takes to deliver 

based on our exposure), but the reality (poverty) 

hits them hard that they find it difficult 

to make the right choices. The message 

which they must be told is: anyone 

can give them food but the key to their freedom 

cannot be given, it must be fought for. 

But more importantly, we in the Diaspora 

should also take the lead in the fight for 

our people’s freedom because we are not 

economically vulnerable like them! 

•Professor Iornem, an educationist and 

President, Mutuk.org, wrote from London, 

England


Interrogating Fashola’s take on 2023 elections 

WHEN we tapped Mr. Babatunde Fash 

ola, Minister of Works and Housing 

to be the Guest Speaker at the 2022 TheNiche 

Lecture, there was disquiet in some quarters. 

The theme of the lecture, “2023 elections 

and the future of Nigeria’s democracy,” didn’t 

help matters. Some expected guests, particularly 

members of the opposition political parties, 

who had earlier promised to grace the 

occasion, stayed away. 

I had a discussion with one of them who 

accused us of mischief. He alleged that we 

were trying to give the All Progressives Congress, 

APC, and its presidential candidate, Asiwaju 

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a head start on the 

2023 elections by saddling Fashola with that 

responsibility. 

I know where those who held that position 

were coming from. Fashola is not just a minister 

in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, 

he is on the front row. Besides, many see 

him as one of the APC ideologues, a poster 

boy of the Buhari administration, and as 

former governor of Lagos State, who directly 

succeeded Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate; 

it was a risk inviting him. 

But I was also confident that in his intellectual 

offering as the guest speaker, patriotism 

will trump partisanship and the big picture, 

which is the future of the country’s democracy, 

will be brought to bear on the discourse. 

I dare say, I was vindicated. Mounting the 

rostrum, Fashola declared from the get-go: 

“The theme chosen by Acclaim Communications 

Ltd for this year’s annual lecture, which 

is “2023 ELECTIONS AND THE FUTURE 

OF NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY” was perhaps 

too tempting for me to resist, and the invitation, 

issued since April 20, 2022, was more 

than timely, which is not easy to say these days 

for some speaking events. 

“Given that we are 20 days to the formal 

commencement of campaigns for the 2023 

general elections, this year’s lecture coming 

170 days to the first of the elections in February 

2023 provides 

a potential 

platform 

for many possibilities. 

“However, I 

have elected 

not to be partisan, 

and instead 

chosen to 

be even-handed. 

I believe this 

is the challenge, 

albeit 

self-imposed 

In a society where 

the leadership has 

deliberately 

weaponised poverty 

and illiteracy, the 

issues Fashola raised 

present a chicken 

and egg dilemma; 

nevertheless, they 

are germane 

questions 

that the theme of the lecture now presents.” 

He kept to his word so much so that even 

when he was talking about the dividends of 

democracy, he didn’t limit it to the Buhari era 

but started from 1999. 

“While there is a lot of work still to be done, 

it is proper at this point to also highlight the 

successes our democracy has delivered because 

the democratic experience since 1999 

came at great cost,” he intoned.” 

One of such dividends is the fact that: “Our 

democracy delivered access to telephone service 

for many Nigerians,” a signature achievement 

of the Olusegun Obasanjo presidency. 

But despite his deliberate attempt not to 

pander to partisan interests, the audience 

were agitated. The complaints were two-fold. 

While some accused the minister of being 

clever by half for explaining away the failures 

of the Buhari-led APC administration, 

others accused him of tactically blaming Nigerians, 

the very victims of bad governance. 

To such people, Fashola should have been 

courageous enough to call a spade a spade 

rather than providing an alibi for Buhari’s 

failures. 

One of the guests pointedly said she was 

disappointed. “This is not the Fashola that 

was Lagos State governor. He has changed.” 

Many who came for the lecture saw it as an 

opportunity to speak truth to power, which 

explains why when we called for a feedback 

from the audience, almost everybody wanted 

to talk. 

Of course, that was not going to be possible 

because of the limitations imposed on the 

event by time. So, when we limited the number 

of people that were going to make comments, 

some were offended and accused us of 

shielding the minister. 

A guest sent me a WhatsApp message afterwards 

which seemed to capture the mood of 

many. 

“Congrats on a successful outing! The only 

drawback is that the people were not allowed 

to speak out. It was a high table affair. By 

tactically caging us, Fashola was allowed to 

put the Nigerian people on the defensive and 

get away with it, whereas the Nigerian problem 

is, squarely, that of reckless politicians 

and government, or, leadership, as Chinua 

Achebe would put it. That is why APC promised 

us heaven on earth but delivered hell.” 

To say that Nigerians are angry and exasperated 

at their parlous lot is an understatement. 

But that is where 2023 elections come 

to the rescue. It should not be about hurling 

insults and abuses but taking informed and 

deliberate civic action that will lead to the 

desired change. That is the beauty of democracy. 

It affords the people the chance to 

change the status-quo by electing new leaders. 

Fashola said that much. In raising the question 

of “how can democracy, especially the 

2023 elections, make our lives better and our 

country greater,” he gave an unambiguous 

riposte: “The kind of people we elect will determine 

the quality of policies, budgets, programmes 

and projects that are designed and 

delivered to us.” 

Fashola’s assertion that “democracy is simply 

concerned about the popular participation 

in choosing a leader or set of leaders” 

and “does not guarantee that the leader or 

those leaders will deliver or indeed are able 

to deliver on what we want”, is correct. What 

makes the difference is the diligence and willpower 

of the people to make the right electoral 

call. Where issues of religion, ethnicity and 

other fault lines are allowed to trump competence, 

then the mistake of 2015 will be made 

again and the people will have themselves to 

blame. 

In recruiting leaders next year, Fashola emphasized 

that the issues must revolve around, 

“What really is it that we expect from those 

we elect and what do they promise to do before 

we vote, and what have they done for 

us?” 

He further queried: “Did we vote for, or did 

we collect tricycles, sewing machines, generators 

etc. from them? If we did, can we legitimately 

expect that the budget from which 

these things were procured will also provide 

healthcare, drugs and diagnostic equipment 

in our health facilities? 

“If they have sponsored weddings for our 

families, financed the burial of our dear departed 

ones or paid school fees for a whole 

community, do we understand that these 

things or some of them are funded by the budget 

from which we also expect good schools, 

good roads and other public infrastructure 

and services upon which our prosperity depends 

collectively?” 

In a society where the leadership has deliberately 

weaponized poverty and illiteracy, the 

issues Fashola raised present a chicken and 

egg dilemma. Nevertheless, they are germane 

questions. 

Never mind the rhetoric of winning elections 

without exaggerating our problems or 

disrobing our country before the global community, 

because truth be told, Nigerians are 

in dire straits. 

It also goes without saying that there is a 

distinction between Nigerian government 

and Nigeria. Disrobing the Buhari administration 

is not the same thing as disrobing Nigeria. 

After all, APC as an opposition party 

did worse to President Goodluck Jonathan in 

2014/2015. 

That said, it takes a lot of courage for a 

high state official to resist the temptation of 

playing partisan politics with the opportunity 

TheNiche lecture presented. For his patriotic 

reflex and steadfastness in upholding the 

tenets of democracy, Fashola deserves applause. 

Writing Tips (4) 

*Want Effective 

Introductions? Then Do 

This… 

Continued from last week 

THIS week we will 

illustrate how 

using the three-part 

strategy of hooking your 

readers, narrowing 

down the information 

you share with them, 

and stating your thesis 

statement works in 

writing an effective 

introduction for your 

essay. 

We will begin with 

choosing a title for our 

essay, say, ‘The High 

Cost of Living in 

Nigeria’. The beginning 

part of our introduction 

can be in the form of an 

anecdote, a quote, a 

shocking fact, statistics, 

an imagined scenario, 

etc. 

An anecdote: 

Growing up in the early 

'80s, I remember how great life was and 

how my father would give my mother just 

five Naira to buy what she needed to make 

soup and buy garri for the swallow. My 

mother would not only make a big pot of 

soup but also have some coins as balance 

from the five Naira. Fast-forward to 30 

years later, living in Nigeria is a totally 

different experience filled with hardships 

and a devaluing of the Naira…. 

A shocking fact: The Naira has further 

depreciated in value when compared 

against the dollar. It is now a whopping 

N750 to one dollar! Businesses are on the 

rampage with increments on their 

products, given the presumed inability to 

restock as a result of the further drop in 

Naira value… 

Statistics: 

Recent studies 

have revealed 

that whereas 

23% of 

Nigerians live 

above the 

a v e r a g e 

income level, 

the remaining 

77% struggle to 

put food on 

their table on a 

daily basis, and 

this gap 

between the 

rich and the 

The beginning 

part of our 

introduction can 

be in the form of 

an anecdote, a 

quote, a 

shocking fact, 

statistics, an 

imagined 

scenario, etc 

poor continues 

to widen at an alarming rate…. 

An Imagined Scenario: Picture yourself 

in a Nigeria where basic amenities are in 

full supply; food and drinks are available 

in abundant supply and are easily 

affordable; electric power supply is ever 

present; corruption among the leaders is 

practically non-existent; schooling is free 

for all students, and teachers are paid their 

salaries in full; and roads are well built, 

warranting no traffic hold-ups…. 

The above illustrations highlight how 

you can use any of the strategies to create 

an interest-arousing introduction. After 

arousing the interest of your reader, be sure 

to quickly create the background required 

by showing why the write-up is relevant for 

their use and then go on to precisely state 

your take/argument on the issue – in one 

sentence (your thesis statement). To further 

illustrate this, consider the middle and end 

part of the introductory paragraph that 

follows from the anecdote: 

Middle (background information): 

People are groaning over the hardships 

occasioned by the upward rise in the cost 

of living in Nigeria. As a result of this, a 

large number of people consider leaving 

the country for greener pastures as the only 

way out. 

End (thesis statement): This essay 

buttresses the point that several factors 

combine to make Nigeria a difficult place 

to live in, but it also shows what Nigerians 

can do to improve their lot in life despite 

the difficulties. 

The complete introduction thus: 

Growing up in the early '80s, I remember 

how great life was and how my father 

would give my mother just five Naira to 

buy what she needed to make soup and buy 

garri for the swallow. My mother would 

not only make a big pot of soup but also 

have some coins as balance from the five 

Naira. Fast-forward to 30 years later, 

living in Nigeria is a totally different 

experience filled with hardships and a 

devaluing of the Naira. People are 

groaning over the hardships occasioned by 

the upward rise in the cost of living in 

Nigeria. As a result of this, a large number 

of people consider leaving the country for 

greener pastures as the only way out. This 

essay buttresses the point that several 

factors combine to make Nigeria a difficult 

place to live in, but it also shows what 

Nigerians can do to improve their lot in 

life despite the difficulties. 

Yay! What do you think of our 

introduction so beautifully written out, 

using all of the strategies we have 

highlighted in this article? Does the 

introduction have the potential to get a 

reader hooked and get them reading to the 

end? Your guess is as good as mine! 

So begin to practice with varied 

introduction styles and see your writing 

achieve its goals for you. 

Feel free to share your thoughts and ask 

your questions. 

Concluded 

*Dr. Oji is a Senior Lecturer of English 

at the Institute of Humanities, Pan- 

Atlantic University, Lagos

Banks’ customers pay N45.9b as account maintenance 

fees in H1’22 MONEY MARKET •As e-banking charges rises 21% 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan (YoY) rise when compared to YoY by 21 per cent to N246.77 

N36.29 billion paid in the corresponding 

period of 2021. billion in H1’21. 

billion in H1’22 from N203.51 

CUSTOMERS of leading 

commercial banks in Nigeria 

paid N45.9 billion as acmission 

data in the H1 ’22 Finan- 

paid for electronic banking ser- 

Findings from the fees and com- 

The data also showed that fees 

count maintenance fees in the first cial Statements of the banks vices rose by 21 per cent YoY to 

half of the year (H1’22). This represents 

a 26 per cent year-on-year sion income of the nine banks rose N71.38 billion in 

showed that net fees and commis- 

N86.52 billion in H1’22 from 

H1’21. 

CONFERENCE — From left: Social Impact Manager, Project Management Institute (PMI), 

Laura Davidson; Executive Director, Anzisha Prize, Josh Adler; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, 

Odunayo Sanya, and Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Project Management Institute 

(PMI), George Asamani at the 7th annual Project Management Institute (PMI) Africa 

Conference held on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, in Eko Hotels, Lagos. 

Nigeria’s GDP to reach 4% by 2023 

—Moody’s 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

MOODY’s Investor Service has 

forecasted a 4.0 per cent 

Gross Domestic Product, GDP, for the 

Nigeria’s economy in 2023. 

However, the global finance and 

investments analytics company also 

indicated that in overall the GDP 

growth in Nigeria and other leading 

African economies would be muted 

by macroeconomic headwinds which 

would in turn hamper banks’ 

profitability. 

Disclosing these yesterday in a 

statement titled: “Banks – Africa: 

Higher inflation will weigh on 

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING 

US 

DOLLAR 

POUNDS 

EURO 

FRANC 

YEN 

CFA 

WAUA 

RENMINBI 

RIYAL 

RAND 

217.60 - 6.35 

2347.00 - 3.00 

118.30 - 0.08 

94.75 +1.55 

87.47 -0.31 

427.81 428.31 428.81 

501.7783 502.3648 502.9512 

435.4678 435.9767 436.4857 

450.0894 450.6155 451.1415 

3.0106 3.0141 3.0177 

0.6426 0.6526 0.6626 

557.1523 557.8034 558.4546 

61.7633 61.836 61.9086 

113.7944 113.9274 114.0604 

25.1388 25.1682 25.1976 

CBN Exchange rate as at 14/09/2022 

•Says rising inflation, interest rates will reduce lending 

ECONOMY 

African banks’ profitability”, 

Moody’s stated: “Higher inflation 

and interest rates will hamper 

investment and economic activity, 

and slower real growth will, in turn, 

weaken banks’ business generation 

and loan quality. 

“In 2023, we forecast real GDP 

growth of 4.0 per cent in Nigeria, 4.5 

per cent in Egypt, 1.5 per cent in South 

Africa,3.5 per cent in Morocco and 

5.3 per cent in Kenya.” 

Moody also projected widening of 

net interest margins saying,”Net 

interest margins will widen, 

with banks with short-term 

or floating-rate loans 

benefiting most. 

“South African margins 

will benefit the most as 

interest rates rise; the impact 

for Nigerian and Kenyan 

banks will be more modest. 

“South African banks’ 

margins will benefit the 

most from higher interest 

rates, given the faster 

repricing of their assets 

relatively to their liabilities, 

while gains for Nigerian and Kenyan 

banks will be smaller, given the 

already high interest rates on their 

loans. 

“We expect the impact on Nigeria 

and Kenyan banks to be more limited 

because their lending rates are 

already high and the transmission of 

policy rates to lending rates is slow in 

both countries.” 

Moody’s also noted that rising 

inflation coupled with increasing 

interest rates will reduce the quality 

of banks’ lending in Africa. 

According to the company, 

higher inflation would diminish 

borrowers’ repayment capacity 

because income would be needed 

to meet other competing and rising 

costs. 

It stated:”Higher interest and 

inflation rates will increase loanloss 

provisions across the board. 

“We expect a bank’s exposure to 

sectors most vulnerable to inflation, 

such as households, will be a key 

factor impacting their provisioning 

costs. Higher inflation will 

diminish the borrowers’ repayment 

capacity because income will be 

needed to meet other competing 

and rising costs.” 

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 —21 

The rise in electronic banking 

services fees indicates that more 

Nigerians are embracing the 

cashless policy of the Central 

Bank of Nigeria (CBN). 

Data released by the Nigeria 

Inter-Bank Settlement Systems 

(NIBSS) revealed that transactions 

worth N33.2 trillion were 

performed electronically in August 

through the NIBSS Instant 

Payment Platform (NIP) bringing 

the total value of e-payment deals 

Expert proffers solution to challenges 

in real estate investment 

By Cynthia Alo 

REAL estate investments 

may be facing challenges 

in return on investment as potential 

investors, especially Nigerians 

in diaspora, are said to 

be diverting to holding foreign 

currency assets in Nigeria. 

This was disclosed by Keji 

Giwa, the founder of Digital 

Landlords and ShortletHomes, 

who noted that Nigerians in 

Diaspora are not just high-income 

earners, but significantly 

contributing a whopping five 

per cent to Nigeria’s Gross 

Domestic Product, GDP. 

He said: “While the diaspora 

market clearly presents a huge 

opportunity to fund the Nigerian 

real estate, there is little 

attraction for investors to want 

to invest today out of the funds 

remitted to Nigeria each year 

from the diaspora market. 

in the last 8 months to N238.7 trillion. 

According to NIBSS, the data 

showed that the August 2022 

record came as an all-time high e- 

payments value recorded in a 

month since the deployment of the 

platform. 

Compared to the N29.3 trillion 

recorded in July, the August figure 

showed a 13.3 per cent month-onmonth 

growth. 

YoY, the e-payment value increased 

by 50 per cent compared 

to N22.1 trillion recorded in 

August last year. 

NIBSS noted that the value of e- 

payment recorded was a reflection 

of the increase in the volume of 

deals within the month. 

The NIP volume rose to 448 million 

in August, showing a 10.6 percent 

increase over 405 million recorded 

in July. 

ECONOMY 

“The bad news is that investments 

into real estate have 

started to dwindle as more 

people start to realise it is better 

to invest in dollars or pounds 

rather than in naira.” 

Commenting on how to fix the 

current issues, he said: “Developers 

hold the key to making real 

estate in Nigeria attractive to 

Nigerians in diaspora. Nigeria 

is fast becoming the destination 

hub for indigenous tourist every 

easter, summer and what is 

now called dirty December. 

Property developers should focus 

on recreational real investment 

to attract tourism and recreational 

activities. This will 

boost the recreational short let 

market which can generate as 

30 per cent Return On Investment 

for investors.” 

FCCPC tasks Nigerians on 

sustainable consumption 

By Yinka Kolawole 

THE Federal Competition 

and Consumer Protection 

Commission (FCCPC), has 

called on Nigerians to embrace 

the culture of sustainable consumption, 

even as Nigerians 

are said to use and dispose 

about 60 million plastic sachets 

every day. 

Vice Chairman/Chief Executive 

Officer, FCCPC, Mr 

Babatunde Irukera, said this at 

a one-day stakeholders’ workshop 

on National Sustainable 

Consumption and Waste Management 

in Nigeria in Lagos. 

Irukera noted that the sustainable 

consumption initiative was 

borne out of a decision reached 

Heirs Insurance, Heirs Life Assurance commence 

Bancassurance with UBA 

By Cynthia Alo 

HEIRS Insurance 

Limited (HIL) 

and Heirs Life Assurance 

(HLA) have commenced 

a bancassurance partnership 

with global 

banking group, the 

United Bank for Africa 

(UBA). 

The partnership will 

permit the distribution of 

affordable and dependable 

insurance 

products for all, at UBA 

Nigeria branches, providing 

a wider range of 

financial security options 

for individuals, families, and 

businesses, whilst driving financial 

inclusion starting mid next 

month. 

Speaking on the rollout, the 

Group Managing Director, 

UBA, Oliver Alawuba, said: 

“This partnership with Heirs 

Insurance Limited and Heirs 

Life Assurance helps us once 

again to significantly expand 

our branch and digital offering, 

to the benefit of our customers 

and advance our commitment to 

driving financial inclusivity.” 

Adaobi Nwakuche, Managing 

Director, Heirs Insurance, said: 

“This partnership will offer millions 

of people nationwide the 

•As Nigerians dispose 60m plastic sachets daily 

INSURANCE 

financial security that is so 

needed. We are committed to 

our transformative path of improving 

the lives of Nigerians, 

while ensuring that insurance 

is made accessible to all”. 

Managing Director, Heirs Life 

Assurance, Niyi Onifade, said: 

“We promised Nigerians accessibility 

to insurance, and this 

bancassurance partnership is 

one of the key ways we are fulfilling 

that promise. The new 

bancassurance partnership with 

UBA reaffirms our shared digital-first 

approach and innovation 

culture, which inspire us to 

provide the utmost value to our 

customers.” 

INDUSTRY 

by stakeholders during the 2020 

World Consumer Rights Day. 

“They decided that we should 

set up a taskforce that will address 

the question of sustainable 

consumption. They have been 

working for the past two years 

and they have come up with an 

action plan” he stated. 

The FCCPC boss said that the 

advocacy aspect involved engaging 

consumers more on handling 

waste generally, particularly 

plastic, which does not decompose 

as well as managing it in a 

manner that promotes recycling 

and saves the environment. 

His words: “The level of plastic 

waste management in the 

country is high and we have a 

big problem with that. We also 

need to find more cost effective 

ways of distributing products and 

at the same time get consumers 

to be sensitive to their own habits.” 

In her presentation, a consultant, 

Funke Adekola, stated: 

“70% of Nigerians consume at 

least one bag of sachet water 

daily. This amounts to about 60 

million plastic sachets that are 

being used and disposed off 

each day. 

“Plastic waste pollution in Nigeria 

is exacerbated by the general 

overdependence on plastic 

packaged consumer goods, 

which is influenced by factors 

such as sachetization of consumer 

goods; on-the-go consumption 

habits; economic Influences; 

and lack of suitable alternatives.”

22— Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022


Why y I am a woman and a half 

—Chile Frank-Udemgba 

FIVE years ago, Woman 

and Half, a recreational 

initiative, was born out of the 

modern, urban woman’s 

pressing need for relaxation 

and self expression; one which 

the male-dominated culture 

had hitherto not created 

allowance to accommodate. 

The 

initiative’s 

founder, Chile Frank- 

Udemgba tells all to WO, 

including its charity arm, and 

the reason for its impending 

rebranding to WAH by Chile. 

After 15 years working for a top 

financial institution, a husband 

and two children; Chile Frank- 

Udemgba found herself lost in her 

various roles and needed to do 

something about it. “I had a 

brainwave that my life was very 

boring. I was living through the 

motions and it just felt like I was 

lost in all of these roles. I didn’t 

want to wake up 20 years from 

now, an old woman and I have 

lived for everybody but myself. I 

was busy but not having any 

impact so I asked myself, what 

would be written on my obituary? 

The only thing would be, wife to.... 

mother to... 

“I am pretty certain they 

wouldn’t have put my job 

description there. I was not alone 

but very lonely.” 

Chile had a hunch there were 

very many women in her shoes 

who were living colourless lives. 

She reached out to them and this 

led to the birth of her platform, 

Woman and Half. 

“I was not just a woman,” she 

tells WO. “I am balancing so many 

roles in my life. I am more than a 

woman; I am a woman and a 

half.” 

It was almost like a cry for help, 

according to the seasoned banker. 

“It was my own earnest desire to 

break out from a particular life, 

to find that little girl within me.” 

She started to search for like 

minds who wanted to simply drop 

all their cares, mingle and have 

fun regardless of marital status 

and was not surprised it was well 

received. 

“I’ve attended so many women 

empowerment events. They tell 

you 

about 

motivation, empowerment, 

marriage and so on. I felt that all 

those programs were similar and 

tilted in a certain direction. They 

are pushing towards 

empowerment, feminism; such 

undertones. I wanted to be 

intentional about having fun with 

other women and pretending I 

don’t have those responsibilities. 

We can go back to our lives and 

continue the struggle. Men are 

able to do this very comfortably.” 

Her ultimate goal to create what 

was hitherto a culturally 

inappropriate ethos finally 

became reality with the staging 

of annual events, such as last 

year’s women only boat trip to a 

popular resort in Lagos State. 

“On the staycation, nobody was 

worried about their spouses, their 

kids, challenges at work; we just 

wanted to let our hair down.” 

But how easy was it to convince 

the men? 

“From my personal experience, 

there were things I had assumed. 

Over the years, I thought a woman 

is supposed to stay at home, cook. 

Rightly so, that’s the way we 

were brought up. I realised I 

needed to speak up more about the 

way I felt. 

"It was all about 

planning, ensuring I got the buyin 

of my husband. I make sure to 

create that balance that is 

required. 

"I make sure I give adequate 

notice and more importantly, I 

convey that this is something 

that will make me happy. It’s very 

important.” 

Chile, however, slams the 

notion of rebellion, saying the 

craving for one’s own time and self 

care is not an excuse to take things 

by force. 

“The culture expects things to 

be a certain way so you need to 

show this is just you wanting two 

or three days for yourself. Your 

life is not changing.” 

It wasn’t too long afterwards 

that the charity arm of the 

initiative began, mostly by 

accident, so far raising and 

distributing in excess of N67 

million to the sick. 

“It occurred to me that every 

time I went to Gbagada General 

Hospital to jog, I saw people in need 

of small amounts and I realised I 

could help. It occurred to me that 

if I were to reach out to all my 

friends and ask for N1,000; if I 

reach a hundred friends, that is 

N100,000 .” 

In December 2017, Chile sent a 

WhatsApp to her friends telling 

them she wanted to create a 

miracle. The response was 

overwhelming, birthing the so 

styled 1k Miracle Initiative. 

1k Miracle first gave out about a 

N100,000 in the first year and 

There’s no place 

for the middle 

aged woman to 

lay her head and 

just chill 

has grown from two people to 700 

people. The initiative was recently 

featured on Who Wants to be a 

Millionaire where they won 

N500,000, which was doubled by 

the organisers and given to the 

sick. 

”We then started going to other 

hospitals like LUTH, LASUTH, 

Igbobi, Massey. Then the 

pandemic came and we couldn’t 

go physically anymore. But I 

think that presented a better 

opportunity to go outside Lagos. 

We could now spread our 

tentacles.“ 

Over time, the charity 

developed efficient systems for 

case reviews and accountability, 

assisting medical cases from 

cataracts, to cancer, to childbirth. 

Beneficiaries then send their 

thank you videos as evidence. 

“Those are things that have 

created that sense of identity and 

fulfillment for me,” she said. 

“For Woman and Half, the plans 

are to have a launch party in 

2022 and go to Ghana next year, 

or Mauritius. Every year, we 

have a conference type thing. It’s 

been an interesting journey. A lot 

of women connected because we 

wear masks. 

I had a lady that said to me: 

"Please, I don’t want to come to all 

these women’s programmes. By 

the time you leave, you will feel 

inadequate." 

I said no, our programmes are not 

like that. We have people on the 

panels discussing light hearted 

issues, though important. Eighty 

per cent of what we are doing is 

dancing, fashion parade, singing 

competitions. The last programme 

that we had, the person who won 

the fashion parade was the oldest 

woman in the room, a 65-year-old 

woman. She said she could not even 

remember the last time she had so 

much fun. When you are younger, 

you go to clubs. When you are 

married you will then find that all 

the places you are going to are like 

Mr Biggs where you take your 

children to and then as they grow 

and leave you, the only 

entertainment you have is 

church. When you get to club now, 

it’s these half dressed girls so you 

just feel old. 

"You just find that there’s no place 

for the middle aged woman to lay 

her head and just chill. Men have 

viewing centres but there’s no place 

for women to go without spending 

so much." 

For Chile, Woman and Half is 

about reaching out to three groups 

of women; The Strivers, the 

Thrivers and the Achieverswomen 

who have done it all, seen 

it all and are now ready to mentor 

the upcoming ones. 

“It’s not marriage that will 

complete you. If you are a Thriver, 

how are you embracing the fact 

that your children are no longer 

babies and yet they are not adults 

either? So if you are not thriving, 

you will feel neglected. Suddenly, 

you are no longer relevant. Your 

husband will go out and the only 

thing you have is to channel your 

energy into this same work that 

you have done for so many years 

and you are tired of. 

Our happiness is not dependent 

on our family members”. 

In the immediate 

future, Woman and Half will be 

rebranded into WAH by Chile, for 

two reasons. One is to pull the men 

in. 

”It’s not supposed to be an us 

against them but 

a complimentary thing. ‘Women 

are their worst enemies’ is a cliche, 

Chile Frank-Udemgba 

Domestic violence: Coalition takes war against 

rape to Lagos streets 

By Juliet Umeh 

IN collaboration with 

the Lagos State Domestic 

and Sexual Violence Agency, 

Youth Alive Foundation and 

Lagos SAVE cluster, took the 

message of zero- tolerance for 

domestic and sexual violence to 

the streets of Lagos State in Iba 

Local 

Community 

Development Area recently. 

The road awareness walk took 

off at the Iyana School Bus Stop 

along the major road, to the 

Local Government Secretariat 

and its environs. 

With the objective to sensitize 

the people at the grassroots on 

the need to explore necessary 

mechanisms available through 

the newly established Domestic 

and Sexual Violence Agency 

Law by the government, the 

Coalition used the avenue to 

draw the line between getting 

justice for victims of domestic 

but I say, human beings are their 

own worst enemies. Gender is not 

what makes a wicked person, 

your wickedness is inside. WAH 

by Chile is not a feminist 

movement. We are trying to 

develop women who are strong 

and confident in their 

skin, trying to get 

better, committed to driving 

positive impact in our world. If we 

can give away more than N65 

million to medically- challenged 

persons, it just tells you that if 

there are 10 groups, we won’t be 

seeing people die because they 

can’t afford a pint of blood 

“Secondly, Chile might be 

violence and exploitation of 

women and girls in the state. 

The Programs Officer, Youth 

Alive Foundation and the 

Awareness Walk’s Coordinator, 

Feyikemi Fabiyi, disclosed that 

the project was funded by the 

Commonwealth Foundation. 

According to her, the 

Coalition has carried out lots of 

community sensitization and 

Town hall meetings in different 

locations in Lagos State where 

representatives from different 

NGO networks, community 

leaders, traditional leaders and 

community development 

leaders, market women, 

community women, girls, and 

youth were made SAVE 

ambassadors to disseminate 

and to sensitize the people on 

the Lagos State Law, which is 

also one of the success stories 

of the cluster. 

“The SAVE cluster and other 

volunteers were at the Iba LCDA 

my name but it’s 

representative of that man, 

that woman who is 

courageous, humble, doesn’t 

compromise on their 

integrity, lives their life with 

courage, being humble no 

matter what they have 

achieved. 

Are you a Chile? Someone 

that is facing every day with 

courage, without losing 

yourself, showing love to 

everyone you come across and 

while at it, enjoying it? Enjoy 

your struggles. Whatever 

comes at you, take it without 

thinking, I want to be this 

tomorrow. What about today? 

to raise awareness about the 

Lagos Law on Domestic and 

Sexual Violence. A 

representative of the Lagos 

State Domestic and Sexual 

Violence Agency, Mr. Dayo 

Adetunji, addressed the issue of 

sexual harassment in Lagos and 

Nigeria at large as it continues 

to be a prevalent public health 

issue and a violation of human 

rights associated with so many 

negative consequences. 

In her reaction, Executive 

Director, Grassroots People 

and Gender Development 

Center, Vivian Emesowum, 

said Lagos SAVE Clusters 

have been working to ensure 

that cases of sexual and 

psychological abuse are 

reduced to the barest 

minimum. She said: “The 

SAVE Cluster will bring about 

behavioral change so that we 

can drastically reduce the 

number of sexually abused 

victims in Lagos.”

24 — Vanguard, THURSDAY , SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

vicahiyoung@yahoo.com 

(08052202308) 

Our fears over crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism ----Labour 

•Reveals those responsible, adds Nigeria sinking 

Stories by Victor 

Ahiuma-Young 

ONE of the problems 

confronting Nigeria today is 

upsurge in crude oil theft and 

pipeline vandalism, which 

according to the Nigerian 

Upstream Petroleum Regulatory 

Commission, NUPRC, Nigeria 

lost about $3.2 billion (about 

N1.36 trillion) in crude oil theft 

between January 2021 and 

February 2022. 

As part of its contributions to 

fighting the menace, Petroleum 

and Natural Gas Senior Staff 

Association of Nigeria, 

PENGASSAN, has stepped up 

awareness campaign across the 

country, against the twin 

predicaments facing the country. 

At a rally by Lagos Zonal 

Council of PENGASSAN in 

Lagos, where a letter was handed 

to the Commissioner of Police for 

onward delivery to the Inspector 

General of Police, leaders of 

PENGASSAN and its umbrella 

body, the Trade Union Congress 

of Nigeria, TUC, spoke on how 

why they took up the initiatives. 

Speaking, Lagos zonal 

chairman of PENGASSAN Eya 

Abeng, said the impact of oil theft 

and pipeline vandalism affects all 

Nigerians. Oil theft is an 

organised crime not carried out 

by ordinary individuals. It is 

funded, planned and executed by 

the high and mighty. The 

technology use in pipeline 

vandalism is very sophisticated. 

We have pressures that rises up 

to 90 Pound per Square Inch, PSI 

and at 20 PSI it can kill. So, you 

need someone with a required 

skill or expertise to do it. Nigeria 

is bleeding, Nigeria is dying, and 

Nigeria is sinking. Today, we are 

short of Foreign Exchange, forex, 

at the end of the month we can 

no longer share money that gets 

to the 774 local governments 

areas of the country. Therefore, 

the impact of oil theft in the Niger 

Delta has a direct consequence 

to a Nigerian that lives in Borno 

Enugu, and Osun states. We must 

rise as a united progressive 

Nigerians to say no crude oil 

theft. All of us, the women, the 

youths, the traditional rulers, the 

pressure groups and others must 

be able to educate ourselves that 

one barrel of oil lost is a future 

that is been stolen. It is not 

President Buhari issue but a 

collective Nigeria issue.” 

Producers’ forum 

Lamenting the menace, 

Chairman of the Producers’ 

Forum, PENGASSAN, Ete 

Oyegbaren, said “The problems 

are in different levels, and it is 

important we address them 

because the impact is on all of us. 

As at today, if we cannot produce 

enough crude to meet our quota, 

we will not get enough foreign 

exchange, and there will not be 

enough income for the country 

especially at the federal, state and 

local government level. 

“We need to tell ourselves the 

truth, the government must rise 

up to the occasion, if there are 

vandals who are taking the 

opportunity to damage the 

pipelines, they must be arrested 

and brought to book.Government 

• Across section of members of Lagos zonal council of PENGASSAN during a protest rally against 

crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism 

should stand up, the security 

agencies must play their roles to 

protect these facilities , lives and 

ensure that those that are in 

legitimate business remain in 

legitimate business and those 

that are in illegal bunkering are 

removed from the business. 

“Everyone that is engaged in 

illegal tapping of pipeline needs 

to be arrested so that the country 

can move forward. T We cannot 

continue like this anymore, and 

things must change for this 

country to move forward." 

NAPIMS 

Also speaking, the branch 

chairman of the National 

Petroleum Investment 

Management Services, 

NAPIMS, Solomon Orieji, 

among others said “This is to call 

50m people in modern slavery horrifying — ITUC 

THE International Trade Union 

Confederation, has raised the 

alarm over report by the 

International Labour Organisation, 

ILO, that no fewer than 50 million 

persons now live in modern 

slavery globally. 

The ILO alongside International 

Organisation for Migration, IOM 

and Walk Free, in latest Global 

Estimates of Modern Slavery, for 

2021 released in Geneva 

Switzerland, said of the 50 million 

people, 28 million were in forced 

labour and 22 million were trapped 

in forced marriage. 

The number of people in modern 

slavery, the bodies lamented, has 

risen significantly in the last five 

years, saying “10 million more 

people were in modern slavery in 

2021 compared to 2016 global 

estimates. Women and children 

remain disproportionately 

vulnerable.” 

They explained that “Modern 

slavery occurs in almost every 

country in the world, and cuts 

across ethnic, cultural and religious 

lines. More than half (52 per cent) 

of all forced labour and a quarter 

of all forced marriages can be found 

in upper-middle income or highincome 

countries. 

Reacting to the report, ITUC 

General Secretary, Sharan 

Burrow, said: “These findings are 

horrifying. It isunimaginable what 

the daily reality is like for these 

people, and it is indefensible that 

the attention of the government 

and the masses that attack on oil 

facility is not attack on the 

Those involved 

are cabals, we 

have security 

operatives in it, 

we have 

civilians, we 

have 

lawmakers, 

politicians and 

so on 

this number keeps rising. 

“There are a lot of good 

recommendations in this report, 

particularly the recognition that 

respect for the freedom of workers 

to associate and to bargain 

collectively is a prerequisite for a 

world free from forced labour. Also, 

universal social protection, which 

would give working people the 

CIPM names Naiwo as Registrar 

THE Governing Council of the 

Chartered Institute of 

Personnel Management of 

Nigeria, CIPMN has appointed 

Ms Oluwatoyin Naiwo as 

Registrar and Chief Executive of 

the Institute. 

The appointment took with effect 

from September 12, 2022. 

The CIPMN President, Mr 

Olusegun Mojeed, in a statement, 

described Naiwo as a commercially 

astute and committed senior 

executive Human Resource 

practitioner and consultant. 

Mojeed said the new CIPMN 

registrar possessed a 

comprehensive and strategic 

understanding of business and 

technical issues, and human 

resource management, saying her 

diverse experience in human 

resource management spanned 

over 28 years across industries and 

sectors in the United Kingdom and 

Nigeria. 

According to the statement, “Ms 

government. It is attack on 

common Nigerians because oil 

assets belong to all of us. Stealing 

crude, refined products or 

vandalizing oil facilities means 

direct attack on every common 

Nigerian. We want the security 

agencies to rise up to their 

responsibilities. 

“We also call on the host 

communities to know that they 

are part and parcels of the nation 

and that whatever affects them 

affects all of us. If these stealing 

of crude and vandalism 

continue, it will affect every one 

of us. Because we work in this 

industry today, we want the 

industry to be sustained so that 

our younger ones who are 

schools today and generations 

coming can also benefit from the 

oil assets or facilities. We all 

income security they need to 

potentially avoid losing their 

liberty to modern slavery. 

“Both of these are key parts of 

the New Social Contract, along 

with climate-friendly jobs, wage 

justice, equality and inclusion. We 

need a New Social Contract now 

to shift power to working people 

to start undoing the damage of the 

Naiwo is no newcomer to the 

CIPM having served as Director, 

Strategy, Advocacy and 

Stakeholder Relations, with the 

responsibility of driving the 

Institute’s strategy development 

and execution process. 

“She spearheaded the Institute’s 

role in advocating a legislative 

agenda on Human Capital matters 

with the Nigerian government, 

building and maintaining 

relationships with governmental 

(Federal and State) and nongovernmental 

institutional 

stakeholders both within Nigeria 

and internationally to extend 

CIPMs reach and influence. 

“Naiwo has extensive leadership 

experience across industries and 

sectors and has demonstrated her 

ability to build successful 

organisations and businesses. 

“We are confident that the new 

team will be a force in developing 

and driving CIPM forward in line 

with our vision to be the Institute 

should protect the oil and gas 

assets for the good of all 

Nigerians.” 

TUC 

Adding its voice, Public 

Relations Officer, PRO, Lagos 

council of TUC, Kazeem Alabi, 

said “An injury to one is an injury 

to all. What is happening in 

Niger Delta is also happening in 

Lagos State and all over the 

country because wherever the oil 

pipeline passes through, vandals 

operate there. As a labour centre, 

we cannot fold our arms and 

watch thieves and vandals to 

continue to be in business 

because if they continue, our 

members will lose their jobs, 

other Nigerians will suffer. We 

cannot wait till then before we 

take action. 

“Those involved are cabals, we 

have security operatives in it, we 

have civilians, we have 

lawmakers, politicians and so on. 

That is why they are paying lip 

service to addressing the 

menace. We are calling on well 

meaning Nigerians and security 

agencies to do the needful and 

we beg the host communities, 

where they do all these evils to 

speak out. It is because they don’t 

speak out that is why it has 

continued. Remember what happen 

at Ijegun (here in Lagos) some 

years back where many people lost 

their lives because of pipeline 

vandalism. if we continue to 

accommodate these individuals it 

will come to us. If someone dies in a 

community, it affects the community. 

We are begging everybody that 

whenever you see something say 

something or report. 

current economic order that has led 

to this worsening global scandal of 

modern slavery 

“As a matter of urgency we call 

for mandated due diligence for 

companies to eliminate the use of 

forced labour and other violations 

in supply chains, and for national 

governments to regulate the labour 

market through strong compliance 

and sanctions.” 

of choice for People Management.” 

Mojeed stated that the institute 

had also appointed Mr Gbenga 

Odetunde as Director, Professional 

Standards and Development and Mr 

Olutayo Olawale as Director, 

Membership and Market 

Development. 

•Oluwatoyin Naiwo

Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022—25 

Flutterwave planned IPO 

and the lessons for Nigeria 

By Omololu Oduyoye 

WE, the older folks, 

may disagree 

with the mannerism of 

the ‘‘sorosoke” (speakup) 

generation, but we 

lack the impetus to question 

their ability to put in 

the work and get the job 

done. 

In the midst of chaos, 

heated polity and uncertainty 

that clouds Nigeria 

day-to-day, the tech 

space which they clearly 

dominate provides the 

silver lining that continues 

to thrive in spite of 

any assumed impending 

doom. 

The Nigerian tech ecosystem 

speaks to the 

core of our resilience 

and capacity as a people, 

especially the versatility 

of our youth and the 

potential therein. 

I remember a few years 

ago when Paystack was 

valued and acquired for 

US$200million; the 

whole country went 

agog. It opened the eyes 

of those in authority to 

the potential of the tech 

industry that many of us 

have been discussing 

and lecturing them on. 

None of those at the 

helm of affairs could 

ever think that any agency 

of government, apart 

from NNPC, could pull 

such a figure, let alone 

a small company that 

started somewhere in 

Yaba and was less than 

a decade old. 

Flutterwave hit the 

air waves 

While policymakers 

were still stunned and 

ruminating over that, 

Flutterwave hit the airwaves 

with a staggering 

US$3billion valuation. 

That is more than what 

Nigerian non-oil sectors 

made in 2021. 

From various reports, 

Flutterwave has taken a 

giant step to go public 

and list on the NASDAQ 

Stock Exchange. If this 

is true and they succeed, 

it will be a watershed for 

Africa's tech and innovation 

sector. Not just in 

service delivery but payment 

ease and testament 

to our hidden potential. 

According to Tekedia, 

the company has disclosed 

its plan to use the 

proceeds from the listing 

to grow its expansion 

into new African opportunities 

and also expanding 

into lending. 

Through its Flutterwave 

capital, it will provide 

collateral-free digital 

loans to business 

owners in Nigeria. With 

this support, businesses 

can easily access loans of 

up to 2million Naira 

without collateral, cumbersome 

documentation 

and other stringent terms 

and conditions. 

What the government 

should now do is to refocus 

the drive for revenue 

generation with a 

well-formulated termed 

blueprint to grow the 

tech space by allocating 

grants for equity participation 

in innovations 

from talented youth with 

the primary target of exporting 

such innovation 

to the world. 

It is not enough to attend 

the grand opening 

of these and that or visit 

Silicon Valley. It is selfevident 

that the ideas 

we seek from abroad are 

domiciled in our youth 

here and in abundance. 

The continued failure to 

do this will be the exportation 

of these brains to 

countries willing to give 

them the needed support 

while we end up paying 

for the innovations developed 

by them. 

The Flutterwave story, 

alongside many from the 

tech industry, is very 

similar to the everyday 

Through its 

Flutterwave 

capital, it will 

provide collateral-free 

digital 

loans to business 

owners in 

Nigeria 

struggle of the average 

Nigerian - growth without 

institutional support 

or lifeline. All personal 

hard work and perseverance. 

Let me say this: Flutterwave 

should be a 

source of inspiration and 

pride to Nigerians. That 

no matter what anyone 

may think of our country 

or its people, no matter 

the shenanigans of 

some misguided youth 

troubling the street of 

Dubai with daggers, the 

Flutterwave identity is 

who we are. Not the cultists 

that have overrun 

the Mafias in Italy or the 

Nigerians in different 

gallows in Asia for drug 

trafficking. It is the signpost 

of the endless possibilities 

we can achieve 

and the hope that 

dreams, no matter how 

tall, can be achieved. 

•Omololu is a Chartered 

Accountant and financial 

advisor. He was 

a Financial Controller 

with African Capital Alliance 

(ACA) and Audit 

lead at KPMG. 

:Vanguard :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 

Abia varsity puts proposed fee hike on hold 

By Steve Oko 

U MUAHIA—THE 

Management of the Abia 

State University Uturu has put 

on hold the proposed increase 

on school fees in consideration 

of the effects of the biting 

economy on parents and 

guardians. 

Vice Chancellor, Professor 

Onyemachi Ogbulu, disclosed 

this during an interactive session 

with Students Union 

Government, Students 

Representatives Council, Faculty 

and Departmental Presidents, 

Hostel Governors and the 

Management of the institution. 

He, however, said that the 

inevitable upward review of 

school fees which had already 

been agreed upon in an earlier 

meeting with the necessary 

stakeholders, would definitely be 

implemented but not in the 

current semester. 

The VC asked students to get 

ready for the new fees which he 

said, had become imperative to 

enable the university deliver 

quality services in view of the 

econiomic realities. 

"I just want to remind you that 

as agreed during our town hall 

meeting, school fees have to be 

increased, but not now. The 

upward review has to be done 

some time in the future. 

"We won't just increase fees 

but provide safety nets to ensure 

that no student drops out of 

By James Ogunaike 

ABEOKUTA—THE Ogun 

State government, 

yesterday, said it plans to 

decongest all its overcrowded 

schools as part of efforts to create 

enabling environment for 

teaching and learning in public 

schools across the state. 

The State Commissioner for 

Education, Science and 

Technology, Prof. Abayomi 

Arigbabu, who disclosed this at 

a stakeholders’ meeting in 

school". 

The VC pleaded with students 

to pay their fees on time to enable 

the institution serve them better, 

stressing that the Senate policy 

on "no fees, no exam", shall be 

strictly implemented. 

"All students have six weeks 

from commencement of semester 

to pay school fees and register 

for courses while portal for course 

registration will be shut down one 

week before exam", he added. 

Explaining that the cost of 

running the institution had gone 

up particularly following the 

increase in the cost of diesel, the 

VC appealed to students to get 

ready to adjust to some 

inevitable challenges. 

"Before the strike, we were 

buying diesel for N350 per liter 

but now it sells for N850. We 

want you to be prepared for 

adjustments". 

Plans underway to decongest 

all our schools —Ogun govt 

Abeokuta, said the present 

administration has renovated 

over 960 schools, while over 

25,000 tables and chairs had been 

provided in the schools to 

cushion the effects of shortage 

of furniture in the schools across 

the state. 

Arigbabu who noted that the 

immediate past administration in 

the state left the state education 

sector in a sorry situation, said 

that the Dapo Abiodun led 

administration has overhauled 

the sector to meet up with the 

21st Century standard. 

He said: “The government is 

working round the clock to 

decongest all the overcrowded 

schools across the state. The 

government would make 

provisions to build more 

classrooms in some existing 

schools, establish schools in 

newly developed areas and as 

well take over community schools 

in the state to accommodate 

more students. 

Defamation 

against Pastor 

Olukoya: 

Maureen 

Badejo loses 

at London 

court 

L ONDON—LONDON- 

BASED Vlogger, Ms 

Maureen Badejo is in the news 

again. But this time, for the bad 

as she has again lost an appeal 

against mounting court rulings 

against her in respect to several 

defamatory statements she had 

made against Dr. Daniel 

Olukoya and his wife, Folashade. 

Olukoya is the founder and 

General Overseer of Mountain 

of Fire and Miracles Ministries 

(worldwide). 

In the latest ruling, the High 

Court Appeal Centre, Royal 

Courts of Justice, London, on 

September 13, 2022, ordered 

that: “Permission to appeal is 

refused. The application is totally 

without merit. Pursuant to CPR 

52.4(3), the defendant may not 

request this decision to be 

reconsidered at an oral hearing.”


N-Delta militants at war over 

pipelines surveillance contract 

Continues from Page 5 

and be sending people or even 

if he sent people, did he ask 

all of them to come to Ode- 

Itsekiri or to Warri to meet 

him in his palace?” 

Reverse contract or 

wait for anarchy, Lori- 

Ogbebor tells FG 

Reacting to the contract 

awarded Tompolo yesterday, 

Chief Lori-Ogbebor lambasted 

the Federal Government 

for failing in its responsibility 

to manage oil resources in the 

Niger Delta and maintaining 

peace in the country. 

Addressing newsmen in 

Abuja, she said: “I have called 

you because of the anarchy in 

our land. There is anarchy in 

Niger Delta. Some weeks ago, 

I was a guest at national television 

and they sought my position 

on insecurity in the 

country. ‘’What they asked 

was connected to the train 

tragedy. But I told him then 

that the instability in the country, 

which is in the Northern 

areas of the country is little 

compared to what was coming 

in Niger Delta. 

“I said there will be anarchy 

and it will be very serious. 

I told the anchor people should 

be worried about what is happening 

in the Niger Delta for 

two reasons. One, the Niger 

Delta is where the food is produced, 

the food basket of the 

nation and is also what gives 

us foreign exchange. Till today, 

people have been crying 

about foreign exchange and 

it keeps worsening every day. 

“It is not only that our food 

basket will stop, our food production, 

even the foreign exchange 

of Nigeria will keep 

going down the drains. I told 

them, kidnapping is one thing 

but killing, bloodshed and 

kidnapping, alongside lack 

of foreign exchange will be 

double tragedy. At the time I 

said it, they said I did not understand 

the question posed 

to me. 

‘’But I am sure now that they 

understand. It is not more than 

four weeks and everyone is 

running amok, with revelations 

coming out. When I 

talked about small and big 

thieves, they did not understand 

me. When I talked 

about vessels being used to 

take our oil to the high seas 

and oil bunkering, they did 

not understand me. I warned 

then that it is not the small 

thieves that they should worry 

about but the big thieves 

and since then, they have pursued 

vessels out of our waters. 

“Mallam Kyari, GMD of 

NNPC agreed that everybody 

is involved in the stealing, that 

they even found pipelines in 

churches and mosques. That 

is how bad it is. I said then 

that the problem we have is 

FG, all they do, instead of 

tackling this problem, is to 

give few people money to go 

and give few boys in the communities.” 

She noted that the award of 

the humongous contract sum 

to one individual in the Niger 

Delta is a clear demonstration 

of government abdicating its 

responsibilities to the people. 

Chief Lori-Egbebor cautioned 

that both state and federal 

governments must demonstrate 

the needed political 

will to implement the NDDC 

Master Plan and avoid enriching 

few individuals to the 

detriment of the common 

good of the people of Niger 

Delta, insisting that failure to 

heed the advice could spell 

doom for the country. 

“In fact, it is unable to manage 

oil in Niger Delta, take 

control of the country. They 

now went back to what we 

cried against some years ago, 

dumping money in the hands 

of some people, abdicating 

their responsibility to the people 

to take care of Niger Delta. 

This was why a week ago, 

they handed over pipeline surveillance 

to Tompolo and another 

man who is part of them, 

Dokubo has come out to say 

no, that Tompolo is nobody, 

and that he dared not come to 

his area. 

“I am not to say who is right 

or who is wrong but the truth 

is that you dare not go to another 

man’s land to take care 

of what he laboured to plant. 

So, Dokubo has said it, that 

when they were fighting the 

Itsekiris, they knew that the oil 

in Delta State belong to Itsekiris 

but they all converged 

to fight the Itsekiris, that the 

main oil is in Ijaw land — 

Bayelsa, Rivers, Kalabari and 

other areas. 

“Now, Dokubo has said 

Tompolo should not come to 

his area, whose area will 

Tompolo go with money being 

paid to him to look after? 

Because it is clear now that 

Itsekiri people have more oil 

in Delta State than anybody 

else? What is the Federal Government 

going to do? Now the 

house is divided against itself? 

The Federal Government is 

busy creating NNPC Limited 

to come and carry oil in the 

Niger Delta, and they want to 

do that very quickly, and talk 

unequivocally as if all is well 

but all is not well. 

“Recently, Dokubo was brandishing 

assorted weapons and 

the Federal Government kept 

quiet. If this is allowed to continue, 

anarchy will consume 

Naira depreciates to N436.5/ 

$ in I&E window 

By Elizabeth Adegbesan 

The naira yesterday depreciated to N436.50 per dollar 

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

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange 

rate for the window rose to N436.5 per dollar from 

N436.04 per dollar on Tuesday, indicating 46 kobo 

depreciation for the naira. Similarly, the naira 

depreciated by N2 in the parallel market yesterday. 

Vanguard findings from black market traders showed 

that the indicative exchange rate for the market rose to 

N707 per dollar from N705 per dollar on Tuesday. 

the nation. The Federal Government 

must stand up to its 

responsibility against any 

form of lawlessness and do the 

needful, so that peace will return 

to Niger Delta and Nigeria 

in general. To achieve a 

lasting peace in the region, 

FG must withdraw the Tompolo 

pipeline contract award, 

constitute NDDC board properly 

and ensure a holistic implementation 

of the Petroleum 

Industry Act.” 

Ignore Lori-Ogbebor’s 

call to revoke 

Tompolo contract 

—IPDI 

Tackling Lori-Ogbebor yesterday, 

the National president 

of IPDI, Austin Ozobo, said in 

a statement: “We have studied 

Chief Lori-Ogbebor’s 

statement and wish to state 

that it did not come as a surprise 

because she is on record 

to have opposed every effort 

to attract development and 

positive appointments to Warri 

area, Delta State and the 

Niger Delta region. 

“The IPDI calls on the 

Buhari to present N19.76trn budget next month 

•As Gbajabiamila inspects Reps’ temporary chamber for plenary 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

ABUJA — Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, 

Femi Gbajabiamila, 

yesterday gave a tentative 

date of first week in October, 

2022 as the time President 

Muhammadu Buhari is expected 

to lay the proposed 

budget of N19.76 trillion for 

2023 fiscal year. 

He dropped the hint while 

inspecting the level of work 

on the conversion of two hearing 

rooms, 028 and 231, to a 

temporary chamber for plenary 

as the construction of the 

National Assembly Service 

Commission office. 

It will be recalled that the 

old chamber as well as the 

dome in the White House area 

of the National Assembly 

building leaked seriously during 

rainfall, to which the parliament 

had appropriated 

N37 billion for renovation. 

The renovation, which will 

include other critical areas of 

the building will be handled 

by the Federal Capital Development 

Authority, FCDA. 

However the budget was later 

pruned to N9 billion. 

Gbajabiamila, who stated 

that the job which started in 

August this year, will be completed 

within one year, added 

that the incoming 10th assem- 

losses 

By Prince Okafor 

NIGERIAN business 

men have cried out 

over the unfavourable trade 

imbalance between them and 

their foreign counterparts. 

The Nigerian Agricultural 

Quarantine Service, NAQS, 

had disclosed that the country 

loses about $362.5 million 

annually in terms of foreign 

exchange to the ban on the 

exportation of dried beans in 

the last eight years. 

Similarly, the National 

Agency for Food and Drug 

Administration and Control, 

From left: National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, Chief of Staff to the 

President, Professor Agboola Gambari and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the 

Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, yesterday. 

bly would take off at the temporary 

chamber. 

He said: “The renovation 

work started in August. It started 

few weeks behind time but 

for a good reason. So far, between 

August and now, giant 

strides have been made. 

“You see that the old chamber 

have been ripped apart. 

The innovations are going to 

be like state of the art. We will 

at the end of the day be proud 

to have chamber that match 

the best standard all over the 

world. I’m quite impressed 

with the work so far. I will encourage 

them to double the 

pace. Because as it is, unfortunately 

or fortunately, this is 

not for the benefit of the 9th 

Assembly it is for the benefit 

of the 10th Assembly. 

“The old chamber is not 

going to be ready until sometimes 

in August 2023. So, we 

are talking about close to one 

year. But so far so good, we 

are happy and this temporary 

site where we will be sitting 

for the next 9, 10 months is 

honestly a far cry from where 

we used to be but they have 

done well in adapting, this 

used to be hearing room to a 

legislative chamber. Adaptation 

- you made a lot of innovations. 

We are ready to work. 

“The 10th Assembly is most 

likely (taking off here) unless 

NNPC and FG to ignore Chief 

Lori-Ogbebor. She is neither 

a Niger Delta activist nor a 

leader in the region. Also, she 

does not live in the Niger Delta 

to feel the devastating effect 

of the activities of oil theft 

nor has any stake in the region 

through investments. 

“All her investments are in 

Abuja and Lagos, from where 

she addressed press conferences 

from time to time to 

promote her selfish interests 

at the expense of the ordinary 

Itsekiri people that she claims 

to be fighting for. Let her invest 

in rural Itsekiri communities 

like Ogheye and Ebrohimi 

to develop the communities 

as Chief Tompolo did 

with Kurutie, if she loves her 

people. 

“Niger Deltans from across 

the nine states of the region 

have wholeheartedly embraced 

the award of the surveillance 

contract to Tompolo 

and are ready to work with 

him. This is evident in the 

thousands of people that have 

paid solidarity and consultative 

visits to him at Oporoza, 

Delta State. 

MARKETING Edge, 

Nigeria’s leading and 

authoritative brand and marketing 

publication has announced 

its annual 2022 National 

Marketing Stakeholders’ 

Summit & Brands & Advertising 

Awards of Excellence. 

The iconic two-in-one event, 

which will also mark its 10th 

anniversary, is scheduled to be 

held on 16th September, 2022 

at the exquisite Harbor Point 

Hall in Victoria Island, Lagos. 

Export rejects: Nigerian traders cry out over 

NAFDAC, lamented that over 

76 per cent of the country’s 

commodities were often rejected 

by the European Union 

for not meeting required standards. 

Vanguard’s finding equally 

revealed that the European 

Union had banned beans, 

sesame seeds, melon seeds, 

dried fish, dried meat, peanut 

ships, groundnut oil, palm oil 

and yam, for not meeting the 

required standards. 

The EU also claimed that 

beans contained between 

0.03mg kilograms to 4.6mg/ 

kg of dichlorvos (pesticides) 

contrary to acceptable limits, 

“The fact that Tompolo can 

deliver on this very sensitive 

national assignment is not in 

doubt and key stakeholders 

are all behind him to stop the 

environmental genocide in 

the Niger -Delta, increase the 

nation’s oil production and 

protect the environment. 

“IPDI strongly believes that 

this contract would lead to the 

employment of thousands of 

youths and help in addressing 

youth restiveness in the region; 

hence well-meaning Niger 

Deltans support him.’’ 

work can be accelerated but 

we don’t want to accelerate 

work and compromise quality 

of work. So, it’s better late 

but done well, everything 

worth doing is worth doing 

well. “So, right now they bill 

to open that place in August. 

If we are lucky and they are 

able to move faster and work 

24/7 round the clock, may be 

a month or two earlier in 

which case the 10th Assembly 

will come into new chamber.” 

Speaking on the capacity 

of the temporary chamber 

to accommodate the 360 lawmakers, 

Gbajabiamila said: 

“You can see the configuration, 

it is not just this place, it 

is also upstairs. 

“So, I think it is about 100 

and something here and 

about 200 and something 

upstairs but it has been configured 

in such a way that everything 

is connected and you 

can see the screens, I can see 

everybody upstairs, everybody 

presiding can see everybody 

upstairs, can see everybody 

downstairs.” 

On his part, a national commissioner 

in the National Assembly 

Service Commission, 

Bassey Olusegun Etuk, said 

the 400 capacity building 

would cost government N11.6 

billion. 

Marketing Edge announces 

2022 awards, taps Sanwo-Olu 

as keynote speaker 

stressing that they constitute 

a danger to human health 

because of high levels of pesticides. 

Available statistics showed 

that in 2013, a total of 24 agroproducts 

originating from 

Nigeria but exported to the 

United Kingdom were rejected, 

while the figure increased 

to 42 in 2014. In 2016, 24 exported 

food products were 

also rejected. 

It would also be recalled 

that the Minister of Industry, 

Trade and Investment, Otunba 

Niyi Adebayo, recently inaugurated 

a technical committee 

to address incidences 

of export rejects. 

The hybrid event will feature 

a Summit in the morning 

with the theme: “Technological 

Explosion in the Digital 

Age: Imperative for the Marketing 

Communications Industry”, 

while the Award 

Night commences at exactly 

5 PM at the same venue. 

Dignitaries lined up for this 

year’s event include Mr. Babajide 

Sanwo-Olu, Governor 

of Lagos State as a Special 

Guest of Honour and Keynote 

Speaker; Prince Dapo Abiodun, 

Governor of Ogun State 

as Special Guest of Honour; 

Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, Executive 

Governor of Ekiti 

State and Chairman Nigeria 

Governors’ Forum (NGF) 

and Mr. Udeme Ufot, a seasoned 

advertising practitioner, 

business leader and 

former President of Association 

of Advertising Practitioner 

of Nigeria. 

In addition, the summit will 

be led by an impressive array 

of iconic personalities, including 

Guest Speaker, Tolulope 

Adedeji, Marketing Director, 

ABInbev, West Africa; Emeka 

Chris Okeke, Group MD/ 

CEO, MediaFuse Dentsu International 

and Director of 

Dentsu Ghana; Ozone 

Mbanefo and others.


AYEH 

UDU 

NWEKE 

ONOJA 

I, formerly known and I, formerly known and I, formerly known and My name was wrongly 

addressed as MISS ANGELA addressed as UDU KINGSLEY addressed as NWEKE captured on my NIN as 

NWANNEKA AYEH, now EZE, now wish to be known IFUNANYA CYNTHIA, now ONOJA PIUS OKWOLI, 

wish to be known and 

and addressed as EZE wish to be known and addressed 

addressed as MRS ANGELA 

instead of my correct name as 

as UBA IFUNANYA 

NWANNEKA MOSHERI. All 

KINGSLEY UDU. All former 

CYNTHIA. All former 

ONOJA PIUS. All former 

former documents remain documents remain valid. The 

documents remain valid. The documents remain valid. The 

valid. The general public general public should please general public should please general public should please 

should please take note. take note. 

take note. 

take note. 

BAMIDELE OB 

OVIE ANYANWU 

MOSES 

I, formerly known as I, formerly known as I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND This is to confirm that the names 

BAMIDELE JOHNSON Ovienana Efenarhua and ADDRESSED AS ANYANWU MOSES 

UKUTA 

FRIDAY, now wish to be 

CHINYERE JOY, NOW WISH TO EJEROMEDOGHENE and 

Efenarhua Ovie, now wish to 

known as JOHNSON 

BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED 

MOSES EJEROMEDOGHENE refer 

be known as Efenarhua 

to the same person. I now wish to be 

BAMIDELE FRIDAY. All 

AS AIGBOKHAN CHINYERE 

former documents remain Uviena. All former 

known as MOSES UKUTA 

JOY. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS 

EJEROMEDOGHENE. All former 

valid, the public should please documents remain valid, the REMAIN VALID. GENERAL documents remain valid. Banks and 

note. 

public should please note. PUBLIC TAKE NOTE. 

the general public please take note 

OGBEDELETO 

MICHAEL 

ALOZIEM 

OZABOR OD 

I, formerly known and I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND I, formerly known as Miss I, formerly known as Miss 

addressed as MISS ADDRESSED AS MISS. MICHAEL Aloziem Jennifer Ijeoma, Ozabor Benedicta, now 

OGBEDELETO CHIOMA, EZICHI PATIENCE NOW WISH TO 

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

now wish to be known and MRS. ALOH PATIENCE EZICHI. 

Mrs Erue Jennifer Ijeoma. All Williams Benedicta. All 

addressed as MRS. OBENE ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS 

CHIOMA, henceforth all REMAIN VALID. CONCERN former documents remain former documents remain 

former documents remain AUTHORITIES AND GENERAL valid, the public should please valid, the public should please 

valid. General public take note. PUBLIC TAKE NOTE. 

note. 

note. 

OYOVWI AGUELE IWERIEBOR 

MONYE OD 

I, formerly known as MISS I, formerly known and I, formerly known and I, formerly known as MISS. 

OYOVWI EMOGHENE addressed as AGUELE addressed as IWERIEBOR MONYE ISIOMA, now wish 

CHRISTABEL, now wish to be IHENSEKHIEN JOSHUA. BRIGHT OZIOMA, now wish to be known and addressed as 

known and addressed as MRS 

Now wish to be known and 

to be known and addressed as MRS. EGHOROEKWUKE 

MAGBA EMOGHENE 

ANTHONY BRIGHT ISIOMA ROSEMARY. Former 

addressed as AGUELE 

CHRISTABEL. All former 

OZIOMA. Former documents documents remain valid. 

documents remain valid. 

ROMEO. All former 

remain valid. General Public, General Public, to whom it 

General Public and Authorities documents remain valid. to whom it may concern please may concern please take 

concerned, please take note. BANK please take note. take note. 

note. 

EMIFONIYE 

OTOBA 

PETERS 

OTEGBADE 

I, formerly known and I, formerly known and I, formerly know as I, formerly known and 

addressed as DR, MRS addressed as MISS OTOBA CHELSEA EBUBECHI addressed as Miss Otegbade 

EVIDENCE EFEOGHENE 

OCHUKO, now wish to be PETERS, now wish to be Olufisayo Deborah, now wish 

EMIFONIYE, now wish to be 

known and addressed as DR 

known and addressed as MRS know as OZUMBA to be known and addressed as 

EVIDENCE EEEOGHENE BLESSING OCHUKO CHELSEA EBUBECHI. Mrs Onojieruo Olufisayo 

GREEN, henceforth all WINIFRED, henceforth all Former documents remain Deborah. All former 

former documents remain former documents remain valid,. general public take documents remain valid. 

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

General public take note. 

DIAMOND 

AMOS EYANBRI OBOGAEVUVO 

I, formerly known and I, formerly known and I, formerly known and I, formerly known and 

addressed as Diamond 

addressed as Miss NUMONYO addressed as Miss DOUBRA addressed as Miss 

EROH AMOS, now wish to be 

Precious, now wish to be 

EYANBRI, now wish to be OBOGAEVUVO VERA 

known and addressed as Mrs. 

VERERE, now wish to be 


known and addressed as NUMONYO ALVINA 


Diamond Onome Precious. All OKOLO. All former 

DOUBRA OFONI. All former 

ODUBU VERA VERERE. All 

documents remain valid. documents remain valid. former documents remain 

former documents remain 

General public please take General public please take valid. General public please 

valid. General public take note. note. 

note. 

take note. 

ANYANWUGOGO 

I, formerly known as Miss 

ANYANWUGOGO LOUISA 

TOOCHI, now wish to be 


ALINNOR LOUISA TOOCHI. 

All former documents remain 

Valid. General public, please 

take note. 

OKEKE 

I, formerly known and addressed as 

MISS OKEKE CHINENYE 

CHINWEOKE, now wish to be 


CHUKWUEMEKA CHINENYE 

CHINWEOKE. All former 

documents remain valid. General 

public please take note. 

AGBO 

I, formerly known and 

addressed as AGBO CYNTHIA 

CHIDIMMA, now wish to be 

known and addressed as ATTA 

CYNTHIA CHIDIMMA, all 


valid. Bank, general public take 

note. 

POPOOLA 

This is to confirm that 

Popoola Tajudeen and 

Popoola Tajudeen Osuolale is 

the same person, but now 

wishes to be addressed as 

Popoola Tajudeen Osuolale. 

Former documents remain 

valid, and general public should 

take note. 

IBHADODE 


addressed as IBHADODE 

ADESUA, now wish to be 

known and addressed as MRS. 

OGEDEGBE ADESUA. All 


valid. Concerned authorities 

and general public should 

please take note. 

IHEDIOHA 


ENYINNAYA EZEALA AND 

ENYINNAYA IHEDIOHA, now 

wish to be known and addressed as 

EZEALA ENYINNAYA 

NKWACHUKWU. All former 

documents remain valid. UNTH, 

PTAD, ESUT MANAGEMENT and 

general public please take note. 

OKONJI 

I, formerly known as MISS 

OKONJI VERO OBI, now 

wish to be known and addressed 

as MRS ODI VERO OBI. All 


valid, any authority it may 

concern and general public to 

take note. 

EDORE 

I, formerly known as EDORE 

AUGUSTINA TEMISAN. 

Now wish to be known, called 

and addressed as EVUGHE 

AUGUSTINA TEMISAN. All 

documents bearing my former 

name remain valid. General 

public take note. 

ONWUMEH 


addressed as Miss ONWUMEH 

IFUNANYA MARY. Now wish 

to be known and addressed as 

Mrs. ONOKWAI IFUNANYA 

MARY. All former documents 

remain valid, general public 

should please take note. 

OZEHIO 


addressed as Miss Judith Ozehio 

Ehizogie, now wish to be 

known and addressed as Mrs 

Judith Ehizogie Emueze. All 


valid. General public take note. 

OSIOBE 

I, formerly known as OSIOBE 

OGHENEVWERHEE MERCY and 

OSIOBE MERCY, now wish to be 


AKINYEMI OGHENEVWERHEE 

MERCY. All former documents 

remain valid, any authority it may 

concern and general public to take 

note. 

AGUARA 

I, formerly known as 

TRACY AGUARA. Now wish 


TRACY AGUARA 

OKWUNWA. All documents 

bearing my former name 

remain valid. General public 

take note. 

ORUGBO 


MISS 

ORUGBO 

OGHENERHUEROHWO 

FAVOUR. Now wish to be known 

and addressed as MRS. OSIAGWU 

OGHENERHUEROHWO 

FAVOUR. All former documents 

remain valid, general public please 

take note. 

OLOTUAH 


addressed as Miss Olotuah 

Bukola Fisayo, now wish to be 


Adebisi Olubukola Fisayo. All 



MATTHEW 

I, formerly known as 

ADJEJEVWE SYLVESTER 

MATTHEW, now wish to be 

known and addressed as 

ADJEJEVWE UFUOMA. All 


valid, any authority it may 

concern and general public to 

take note. 

ETHO 

I, formerly known as ETHO 

ELO which is on my BVN 

details. Now wish to be known 

and addressed as PAUL ELO 

as it is in my NIN details. All 


name remain valid. Bank, 


ISMAIL 


addressed as ISMAIL 

BABATUNDE AFIS, now 


addressed as AJANI 

BABATUNDE AFIS. All 


valid. The general public 

should please take note. 

UNUAVWOKPA NWOSU EG 

This is to confirm that the names 

UNUAVWOKPA OBAKPORORO 

ROSE and UNUAVWOKPA ROSE 

refer to the same person. I now wish 

to be known as UNUAVWOKPA 

OBAKPORORO ROSE. All former 

documents remain valid. Banks and 

the general public please take note. 

AGUEBOR 


Aguebor Glory, now wish 

to be known as Mrs 

Onyesom Glory. All former 

documents remain valid, 

the public should please 

note. 

OWHODIASA 

I, OWHODIASA, 

OGHENEGHAROVWE 

CHARITY hereby state that 

my middle name CHARITY is 

not stated on my Primary and 

Basic (JSS) School certificates 

and NECO result. General 


ODIVWRI 


addressed as Miss Odivwri 

Esther Finegirl, now wish to 

be known and addressed as Mrs 

Okome Esther Finegirl. All 



AITAFO 


addressed as MISS AITAFO 

OLUMESE ELILEOJO, now 


as MRS OSARIEMEN 

OLUMESE ELILEOJO. All 


valid. General public please 

take note. 

ANYIAM 


addressed as MISS ANYIAM 

LILIAN CHINAMEREM, 

now wish to be known and 

addressed as MRS 

ANOCHIRIONYE LILIAN 

CHINAMEREM. Former 



ATITI 


addressed as ATITI 

CHIBUZOR PRINCE, now 


as ATITI PRINCE. All former 



NNAWUIHE 


addressed as Nnawuihe 

Maureen Chiwendu, now wish 


Njoku Maureen Chiwendu. All 

documents bearing former 

names remain valid. General 

public should take note. 

ISINI 

I, formerly known as ISINI 

AKPOROGHENE JONAH 

which is on my BVN. Now 


as JONAH GOODLUCK 

AKPOROGHENE. All 




PAM 


addressed as Pam Emmanuel 

John, now wish to be known 

and addressed as John 

Emmanuel Luka. All former 

documents remain valid, the 

public should please note. 

EGBEGBEDIA 

My name was wrongly spelt 

and arranged as RACHEAL 

ESEOGHENE EGBEGBEDIA, 

instead of ESEOGHENE 

RACHEAL EGBEGBADIA. 


valid. Banks and the general 


OSATOHAMME 


Miss Sophia Omoragbon 

Osatohamme, now wish to be 

known as Mrs Nduka Sophia 

Osatohamme. All former 

documents remain valid, the 

public should please note. 

THELMA 


addressed as MISS 

OLEABHIELE EBHIREME 

THELMA, now wish to be 


UMORU EBHIREME 

THELMA, henceforth all 



ERUBAMI 


addressed as Miss Oghenegare 

Joyce Erubami, now wish to 

be known and addressed as Mrs 

Oghenegare Kampinda. All 



TUKURA 

I, BLESSING TUKURA and 

BLESSING YECHENU 

TUKURA refer to one and the 

same person. But now wish to 

be known and addressed as 

BLESSING YECHENU 

TUKURA. All former 


General public, please take 

note 

UDOEKWERE 


MISS ETOROABASI INI 

UDOEKWERE, now wish to be 

called and addressed as MRS. 

ETOROABASI SOLOMON 

ESHIET. All former documents 

remain valid. General public should 


IFEANYI 


addressed as OKIKE PETER 

IFEANYI, now wish to be 


OKIKE 

PETER 

IFEANYICHUKWU, all 


valid. Bank, general public take 

note. 

EKU 


addressed as Eku Precious 

Tony, now wish to be known 

and addressed as 

Eru Precious Tony. All 

documents bearing former 

names remain valid. General 

public should take note. 

EZEDOM NDIDI 

My name was wrongly 

written as ODILI 

KENNETH NDIDI, instead 

of ODILI KENNETH 

FRIDAY. All documents 

bearing my former name 

remain valid. General public 

take note.


AKODE 


FAITH OGHENEVWEDE 

AKODE. Now wish to be 


FAITH OGHENEVWEDE 

CHRISTIAN EMEFIELE. All 




AGBEINGBE FESTUS 


addressed as AGBEINGBE 

FAVOUR OSAZIE. Now wish 


FRANCIS FAVOUR OSAZE. 



take note. 

NWACHUKWU 


addressed as Nwachukwu 

Gloria Ifeoma. Now wish to be 

known and addressed as Arinze 

Ifeoma Gloria. All former 


General public please take 

note. 

EMELOGU 

I, formerly known as MISS. 

EMELOGU NNENNA SUSAN, 


addressed as MRS. DAVID 

URO NNENNA SUSAN. All 



take note. 

AMUDA 

I formerly known and addressed 

as MISS SULIAT OMOLADE 

AMUDA, Now wish to be known 

and addressed as MRS. SULIAT 

OMOLADE TIJANI. All former 


public and authority concerned 


IBANINGO 

I formerly known and addressed as 

MISS DEBORAH IBIANITOGH 

DAGOGO IBANINGO, Now wish 

to be known and addressed as MRS. 

DEBORAH IBIANITOGH 

CHAPP-JUMBO. All former 


public and authority concerned 


OREVA 

I formerly known and 

addressed as, Akpeokhai 

Solomon Oreva, now wish 

to be known and addressed as, 

Akpeokhai Solomon 

Orevaoghene, all former 

document remains valid, 

general public take note. 

OBA 


as, Miss Juliet Odili, now 


as Mrs Juliet Oba Odili Sunday 

Jalariagbe. All former 



IGENEGBA 

I FORMERLY KNOWN CALLED 

AND ADDRESSED AS MISS. 

FLORENCE IGENEGBA. NOW 

WISH TO BE KNOWN CALLED 

AND ADDRESSED AS MRS. 

FLORENCE OKUNROBO. 

FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN 

VALID GENERAL PUBLIC AND 

AUTHORITY CONCERNED 

PLEASE TAKE NOTE. 

IYEN 

I, IYEN DAVID AM THE SAME 

PERSON AS IYENGUMWENA 

DAVID. I NOW WISH TO BE 

CALLED IYEN DAVID. ALL 

FORMER DOCUMENTS 

REMAIN VALID. CONCERNED 

AUTHORITIES AND THE 

GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD 


LAWAL 


as Kudirat Adenrele Lawal, now 


as Kudirat Adenrele Nmom. All 

former document remains 

valid, general public take note. 

CHANGE OF NAME 

AJAYI 

This is to confirm that; AJAYI 

ILLUMINO BOLUWATIFE 

CHUKWUMA and AJAYI 

ILLUMINO BOLUWATIFE refer to 

me, I now wish to be known as and 

addressed as AJAYI ILLUMINO 

BOLUWATIFE. All documents 

bearing my former name remain valid. 


LAWANI 


addressed as LAWANI FAITH 

IMONGHOMEN. Now wish to 

be known and addressed as 

MRS ANETOR FAITH 

IMONGHOMEN. All former 



note. 

RABIU 


addressed as MISS RABIU 

AJARA. Now wish to be 


ORODE AJARA. All former 



note. 

OKAGBARE 


OKAGBARE TIVE 

MIRACLE, now wish to be 

known and addressed as MRS. 

ACHOJA TIVE MIRACLE. 



and general public please take 

note. 

UCHE 

This is to confirm that the name 

ESIMIKE UCHE ROLAND and 

ESIMIKE UCHEBUIKE 

ROLAND belong to one and the 

same person. My correct name is 

ESIMIKE UCHEBUIKE 

ROLAND. All former documents 

remain valid. General public and 

authority concerned please take 

note. 

OMOIJUAFO 


INNOCENT PATRICK 

OMOIJUAFO, now wish to be 


INNOCENT PATRICK 

OMOIJUANFO. All former 

document remain valid.Banks, 

concerned authorities and general 

public should please take note. 

OYAKHILOME 


addressed as, Oyakhilome 

Lucky, now wish to be 

known and addressed as, 

Oyakhilome Lucky 

Ighodalo, all former document 

remains valid, general public 

take note. 

CHRIST 

This Is To Confirm That The Names 

Rapheal Christ Oziegbe And 

Ikhisemoje Raphael Refer To The 

Same Person.i Now Wish To Be 

Known And Addressed As Rapheal 

Christ Oziegbe.all Former 

Document Remain Valid.banks And 

The General Public Please Take 

Note. 

EKHATOR 


AND ADDRESSED AS MISS. 

EKHATOR IYIOSAIDE 

MALTINA. NOW WISH TO BE 

KNOWN CALLED AND 

ADDRESSED AS MRS. OBI 

IYIOSAIDE MALTINA. FORMER 

DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID 

GENERAL PUBLIC AND 

AUTHORITY CONCERNED 


ADUKPE 


as Miss Adukpe Enore Faith , 


addressed as Mrs Oke Enore 

Faith. All former document 


take note. 

TODO OT 


as Efemena Peace Todo, now 


as Efemena Peace Anufa. All 



AJAYI 

This is to confirm that; AJAYI 

INFINIO BOLUWATITO 

CHUKWUKA and AJAYI INFINIO 

BOLUWATITO refer to me, I now 

wish to be known as AJAYI INFINIO 

BOLUWATITO. Also my name was 

wrongly written as INFINO instead 

of INFINIO. All documents bearing 

my former name remain valid. General 


OKOROSOBO 

I, formerly known as OKOROSOBO 

IWARAH ANTHONIA. Now wish 


IWARAH ANTHONIA MOMURO. 

All former documents remain valid. 

Concerned Authorities, Banks, NIN 

and General public should please 

take note. 

BIOKORO 

I, formerly known and addressed 

as INNOCENT ARIKOWA 

BIOKORO. Now wish to be 


INNOCENT JOSHUA. All 


valid. General public please take 

note. 

VICTOR 

I. Victor Osarenotor Iduozee 

and Victor Osamudiamen are 

one and the same person, I now 


as Victor Osamudiamen. All 



and general public please take 

note. 

DUDUN 


as Miss DUDUN BISOYE 

BEATRICE Now wish to be 


OLORUNFEMI BISOYE 

BEATRICE All former 

documents remain valid. The 

general public should please 

take note. 

APA 


addressed as, Apa 

Patience, now wish to be 


Alufa Patience. All former 



OSAS 

This to confirmed that, Noble 

Osas, and, Noble Osas .O., 

and, Nobel .O. Osas, are all 

one and the same person, but 

henceforth, now wish to be known 

and addressed as, Noble 

Osatohanmen Osas, all former 

documents remains valid, general 


EDEJEWHRO 


AND ADDRESSED AS MRS. 

ELIZABETH OSAIGBOKAN 

EDEJEWHRO. NOW WISH TO BE 

KNOWN CALLED AND 

ADDRESSED AS ELIZABETH 

O S A I G B O K A N 

EKHORUTOMWEN. FORMER 

DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID 

GENERAL PUBLIC TAKE NOTE. 

AMADIN 

I formerly known and addressed as 

Miss AMADIN IZIEGBUWA 

SANDRA, Now wish to be known 

and addressed as Mrs ONAIWU 

IZIEGBUWA SANDRA. All 

former documents remain valid 

General public and authority 

concerned please take note. 

ISIMEMEN 

I, FORMERLY MISS ISIMEMEN 

SOPHIA CHRIS-EBOSELE NOW 

WISH TO BE KNOWN AND 

CALLED MRS ISIMEMEN SOPHIA 

CHRIS-EBOSELE NKWOCHA. 

ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS 

REMAIN VALID. CONCERNED 

AUTHORITIES AND THE 

GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD 


OMAKO 


addressed as Miss OMAKO 

DORCAS, Now wish to be 


DORCAS ISOMIME 

OGBAKPA. All former 

documents remain valid 

General public and authority 

concerned please take note. 

ALI 


addressed as Aminat Abdullah 

Ali. Now wish to be known and 

addressed as Muhammed, 

Aminat Ali. All former 



note. 

JOSEPH 


addressed as JOSEPH PRINCE. 

Now wish to be known and 

addressed as JOSEPH 

OKODUA. All former 



note. 

OVOKERIE 

I, formerly known, called and 

addressed as OVOKERIE 

FAITH EROWO, now wish 

to be known, called and 

addressed as EDUOTU FAITH 

EROWO. All former 



note. 

SAMUEL 


addressed as SAMUEL 

RUKEVWE, Now wish to be 


ESHALOMI RUKEVWE. All 


valid General public and 

authority concerned please 

take note. 

UTULU 

I, formerly known and addressed 

as Miss CHUKWUEKWU 

JOVITA, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Mrs. UTULU 

CHUKWUEKWU JOVITA . All 

former document remain valid. 

Banks, concerned authorities and 

general public should please take 

note. 

ABIODUN 


as, Abiodun Joy Alfred, 


addressed as, Alfred Joy 

Abidemi, all former document 


take note. 

PETER 


addressed as, Peter 

Emmanuel, now wish to be 


Omomoh Emmanuel 

Peter, all former document 


take note. 

JOSEPH 


as JOSEPH ISIOMA 

CHINYERE, now wish to be 


ANANWA ISIOMA 

CHINYERE. All former 



OKOSUN 


as Miss Helen Airoboze 

Okosun, now wish to be known 

and addressed as Mrs Helen 

Airoboze Obukowho. All 



ETSITSE 

I, formerly know and 

addressed as ETSITSE JOY, 

as captured on my BVN now 


addressed as WILLIAM 

JOY. Former documents 

remain valid, general public 

take note. 

SPACE 

FOR SALE 

By Efe Onodjae 

AGOS—NO fewer than 

L15,512 staff and students of 

some schools in Lagos State 

have undergone training on 

evidence-based substance 

use prevention , with a view to 

assisting them identify and 

provide substance use prevention 

interventions in schools 

and at home. 

The training which was a 

project on drug use and prevention 

was undertaken by the 

Global Initiative on Substance 

Abuse,GISA/ United Nations 

Office on Drugs and 

Crime,UNODC, in 15 selected 

schools in the state. 

Presenting the report of the 

NEWS HOTLINES: 

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How bamboo cultivation can 

replace cotton, timber, plastic, 

by stakeholders 

•Say it could generate six billion dollars 

annually world wide 

ABUJA—IF 

bamboo 

cultivation is embraced by 

citizens and the government, it 

is capable of replacing cotton, 

timber and plastic and could 

generate sixty billion dollars 

annually world wide. 

These facts were disclosed 

today by Bamboo and Rattan 

Farmers Association as it prepares 

to celebrate World Bamboo 

Day. 

In a statement signed by 

Hajiya Ladi Abdullahi 

Kattungu, national 

secretaryand John Ajie Ogwu, 

national president, the association 

said bamboo could serve as 

alternative to timber, plastic and 

cotton. 

The association advised state 

governments and corporate organizations 

to key into the cul- 

tivation and processing of bamboo. 

The group said that bamboo 

products could serve as raw materials 

for cottage industries and 

reduce unemployment in the 

country. 

The statement further disclosed 

that bamboo by its nature 

grows on degraded soil and can 

be used for reforestation. 

The Bamboo and Rattan Farmers 

Association of Nigeria further 

disclosed that it was collecting 

state by state inventory of bamboo 

aimed at enriching the data 

base of bamboo spread in Nigeria. 

The group said that bamboo 

farmers from Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, 

Edo,Delta, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kogi, 

Nasarawa and Oyo states shall 

grace the World Bamboo Day in 

Abuja next week. 

Edo Agric Ministry to collaborate 

with NOA on information 

dissemination 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

ENINCITY—THE Edo 

BState Ministry of Agriculture 

and Food Security has called 

for collaboration with the National 

Orientation Agency, 

NOA, on information dissemination 

as they regard flooding 

and other needs to boost food 

production and security in the 

state. 

The commissioner in charge 

of the ministry, Stephen 

Idehenre stated this when a 

delegation from the NOA led 

by its State Director Mr. Austin 

Odile, paid him an advocacy visit 

in his office. 

The commissioner harped on 

the need for “information regarding 

changes in environment 

that can adversely affect 

farmers particular and the general 

public should be brought 

to the fore in good time so that 

adequate preparations can be 

made” adding that extension 

workers from the ministry have 

been sent to sensitize on measures 

to adopt to reduce the effect 

of expected flash flood. 

The commissioner who noted 

that information about the flash 

flood expected to affect Edo State 

later in the year is coming late as 

famers have already planted, appealed 

to the Federal Government 

to be prepared to provide 

aid to affected persons and farmers 

when and if the effect of flash 

flood or other adverse weather 

and climate changes affect harvest. 

He expressed the ministry's 

readiness to collaborate with 

National Orientation Agency, 

NOA, in its activities and programmes 

that will be of benefit to 

the State especially in the Agricultural 

sector. 

On his part, Odile said the visit 

was occasioned by the prediction 

of The Nigerian Meteorological 

Agency, NiMet, that Edo state 

was among the states in Nigeria 

that would experience heavy 

downpour. 

He added that part of their 

mandate was to help farmers to 

know “when to plant, what to 

plant and when to harvest so that the effects 

of the flash flood will be minimal.” 

GISA-UNODC trains 15,512 staff, 

students on drug abuse use 

prevention 

... presents project 

report to LASG 

one-year intensive training to the 

Commissioner 

for 

Education, Mrs Folashade 

Adefisayo, in Alausa, Ikeja, 

President of GISA, Dr Martins 

Agwogie, disclosed that out of the 

15 selected schools, 12 were 

public schools and the rest private 

schools. 

Giving a breakdown of the 

15,512 trainees, he said, 15,440 

were students while 72 were staff 

and officials of the Ministries of 

Education, Health and Youth 

and Social Development. 

He explained that GISA’s 

choice to execute the project in 

Lagos State was necessitated by 

a survey which showed that the 

state had the highest number of 

persons using drugs, between 

ages 15 and 64. 

According to him, “our proposal 

was very strong indicating we 

want to execute the project in 

Lagos state as part of our support 

to drug use prevention," 

Giving details of GISA’s journey 

to winning the UNODC’s 

grant, Agwogie said: “We started 

based on evidence that teachers 

have significant role as long as 

drug abuse prevention is 

concerned and based on that 

scientific evidence, we felt there 

is a need to build the capacity of 

teachers in the school setting, to 

be able to address substance use 

in schools. 

Responding, the Commissioner 

for Education, Mrs Adefisayo, 

described the project as one of 

the most remarkable thing the 

ministry has ever had.

Amuneke lands 

coaching job in Zambia 

FORMER Super Eagles forward and Assistant Coach, 

Emmanuel Amunike has been announced as the new head 

coach of Zambia Premier League side, Zanaco FC. 

Details of his contract are unknown yet but the former Golden 

Eaglets head coach will be on his way to the Zambia capital, 

Lusaka in the next few days to resume duty. 

Zanaco last won the MTN/FAZ Super League Division in 

2016 and came second in 2021. 

They lost their league match 1-0 at home on Sunday against 

Forest Rangers. 

Amuneke led Tanzania to break 39-year jinx after he qualified 

them for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON in Egypt. 

He led the Nigeria U-17 Golden Eaglets to win the 2015 

FIFA World Cup in Chile. 

AJ’s trainer cautions boxer 

against Fury fight 

ANTHONY Joshua’s trainer Robert Garcia has admitted that he 

would have preferred his fighter to take two or three fights before 

facing heavyweight rival Tyson Fury. 

Joshua’s management team, 258, confirmed on Tuesday that the 

Olympic gold medallist had ‘accepted all terms’ for a fight with Fury 

on December 3. Promoter Frank Warren has since confirmed that 

Joshua can expect to receive a contract shortly as the huge domestic 

showdown edges nearer. 

Negotiations for the fight have proceeded quickly, and Garcia has 

revealed that he has not had a say in them. He has now said that he 

would not have rushed into the fight if he had his way. 

‘I have spoken with Joshua’s team. But I am the newest member of 

the whole team, and they are decisions that they have to make between 

them,’ he told Izquierdazo. 

Eastern Naval command emerges 

winner of 2022 Navy Games 

•Police beat Air Force in the Tug of war 

By Evelyn Usman 

THE 12th Nigerian Navy 

Games Lagos 2022, came to 

a close Tuesday evening, with the 

Eastern Naval Command 

emerging the overall winner. 

But the shock of it all was when 

the Police team pulled over Air 

Force in the Tug of War. 

The Naval Training Command 

emerged second place while the 

Logistic and Central Naval 

command came third and fourth 

respectively, in the games which 

Pogba’s brother Mathias 

arrested by police over 

blackmail plot 

were held at the newly 

commissioned Navy Sports 

Complex, in Ojo area of Lagos. 

Minister of Defence , Maj. Gen. 

Bashir Magashi (rtd) who was 

Guest of Honour, applauded 

efforts of the Eastern Naval 

Command for topping the medals 

table. 

He also commended the 

Nigerian Navy for 

committing resources towards 

ensuring personnel maintained 

requisite standards of mental and 

physical wellbeing. 

PAUL POGBA’S brother has been 

taken into police custody in 

connection with the blackmail plot 

against the Juventus star. 

The former Manchester United 

midfielder claimed in August he was 

the victim of an £11million plot by 

childhood friends and his own sibling. 

Paul, 29, told authorities the group 

requested the money for “protection 

services” stretching back 13 years, it 

is understood. 

And now Le Monde report Mathias 

Pogba, 32, decided to turn himself in 

to the authorities investigating the 

case. Then the journeyman footballer, 

who lived with Riyad Mahrez before 

playing for Wrexham, is then said 

to have been placed in custody. 

It is alleged three other suspects 

have also been taken into custody 

yesterday and today. 

Neither Paul nor Mathias’ 

lawyers have responded to contact 

from Le Monde. 

The World Cup winner made the 

shocking revelations relating to a 

trip back to his home suburb of 

Lagny-sur-Marne near 

Disneyland Paris in March. 

He says he was held at gunpoint 

by an extortion gang — and one 

of the plotters was brother 

Mathias. 

Pogba told police he was 

confronted by the gang that 

included friends from his 

childhood and teenage years as 

well as two masked men armed 

with assault rifles. 

The midfielder — married to 

Bolivian model Maria Zulay 

Salaues — then claimed he was 

forced to accompany them to a 

flat in nearby Roissy-en-Brie, 

where they demanded more than 

£11million for “protecting him”. 

The Minister said, “ The 

construction of the complex as 

well as organizing the Games 

are a clear manifestation of the 

importance the Nigerian Navy 

ascribes to physical fitness and 

mental alertness, which are key 

considerations required by 

personnel of the Armed Forces to 

overcome challenges and 

increasing demands across 

spectrums of theaters of 

operation. 

“ I am also aware that new 

discoveries and talents that would 

represent the Nigerian Navy and 

the nation at national and 

international competitions have 

been identified. 


Wenger backs Arsenal for 

Premier League title challenge 

ARSENE WENGER has broken his Arsenal silence and backed 

Mikel Arteta’s team to launch an unlikely title challenge. 

The most successful manager in the club’s history has never been 

back to the Emirates since his brutal sacking in 2018 and has steadfastly 

refused to comment on the team he left behind. 

But now the 72-year-old Frenchman has opened 

up on the current state of play and cannot hide 

his admiration for the job being done by Arteta. 

Wenger said: “I would say they are moving in the 

right direction. I honestly think there is no weak 

position in the team... they are young, promising 

players and they have bought well this year. 

“There is no completely dominating team this 

season and Arsenal has a chance with the 

potential that is there. 

“We used to be in the top four and why not again? 

You cannot even rule out the fact that they can 

fight for the title and hopefully they can do it.” 

Arsenal vs Man City postponed 

ARSENAL’S clash with Manchester City scheduled for October 19 

has been postponed to create a date for the Gunners to play their 

Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven. 

The European match was initially scheduled for tonight but was 

postponed due to a lack of police resources ahead of the Queen’s state 

funeral next Monday. 

Uefa rules dictated that the Gunners had to find a new date to fulfil 

the fixture before the World Cup or forfeit the game. 

Arsenal chiefs remained confident that it would not come to that, and 

have managed to squeeze the match in on October 20 by having their 

previously scheduled fixture against City called off. 

Muller’s house burgled during 

Bayern Munich’s win over Barca 

THOMAS MULLER’S house was reportedly 

burgled as the star helped Bayern Munich 

beat Barcelona on Tuesday night. 

The German striker played all 90 minutes as his 

side saw off Robert Lewandowski and Co in a 2-0 

win at the Allianz Arena. But Bild claims Muller’s 

night turned upside down shortly afterwards. 

The forward lives in a villa in Wettlkam, around 

17 miles south of Munich. 

And police say at 10pm last night, over six-digitsworth 

of goods were stolen from Muller’s property. 

The staggering sum included cash, jewellery and 

other valuables. 

Klopp slams Chelsea owner’s 

All-Star game plans 

LIVERPOOL boss Jurgen Klopp has slammed Todd Boehly after 

the new Chelsea owner suggested plans for a Premier League All- 

Star game. American businessman Boehly knows all about moneyspinning 

matches from his homeland. 

The NBA have long hosted an annual match between the East and 

West Conference sides. 

Boehly, who also co-owns baseball side the LA Dodgers, told the SALT 

conference that MLB’s latest All-Star game generated over £170million. 

And a Premier League clash of North vs South could generate similar 

revenue to help boost the football pyramid. 

Boehly said: “People are talking about why don’t we have more money 

for the Pyramid? “MLB did their All-Star game this year. They made 

$200m from a Monday and a Tuesday. 

“You could do a North vs South All-Star game from the Premier 

League to fund the 

Pyramid very easily.” 

But Liverpool’s 

Klopp made it clear 

that he is not a fan of 

the idea. 

He scoffed at the 

mere suggestion of an 

All-Star game due to 

the lack of breaks 

Premier League 

footballers get. 

13-year-old becomes youngest 

senior footballer in UK 

A13-year-old has become the youngest senior footballer in the 

UK, breaking a record which had stood for 42 years in the process. 

Christopher Atherton, aged 13 years and 329 days old, came on for 

Northern Irish side Glenavon in the second-half of 

their 6-0 League Cup win against Dollingstown on 

Tuesday. 

That meant he beat the record previously held by 

Eamon Collins, who was 14 years and 323 days old 

when he made his Blackpool debut in Sept. 1980. 

It did not take long for Atherton to impress — the 

teenager provided an assist for Glenavon’s sixth goal 

with his first touch of the game.

30 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022


Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 

TODAY’S CROSSWORD 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION 

Sudoku 

TODAY’S PUZZLE YESTERDAY’S ANSWER 

How to Play Sudoku 

C 

M 

Y 

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. 

ACROSS 

7 Commodities offered for sale(11) 

8 Yearly (6) 

9 Avaricious (6) 

10 More daring (6) 

12 Two-way ticket (6) 

13 Female sheep (3) 

14 European language (6) 

16 Red wine from Bordeaux (6) 

18 Little angel (6) 

20 Place where food is kept (6) 

22 Futility (11) 

DOWN 

1 Portent (4) 

2 Debated (6) 

3 Youngsters (8) 

4 Drawback (4) 

5 Dissolve in the stomach (6) 

6 French policeman (8) 

11 Thorough repair (8) 

12 Rash (8) 

15 Trading place (6) 

17 Aviators (6) 

19 Ale (4) 

21 Comfort (4) 

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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.

15092022

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