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Post Date : September 21, 2020

OPINION: Enter Nyesom Wike — Obaseki’s new godfather

By Frederick Nwabufo Alliances can make and mar us. Jehoshaphat king of Judah (south of Israel) was a man who sought the face of God. He was a decent ruler. But his yoking with kings of base virtue ruined his legacy. In particular, his dalliance with the house of Ahab and Jezebel impaired his bloodline and nearly cost him the glory of Yahweh. Power is a principal thing but the path on which we tread to its courts matters. I think it is hypocritical fighting a system but at the same time enjoying the dysfunctionality of that system. The Edo governorship election has taken its place in the past of gritty and rousing contests. But the lessons from the election will remain fecund in our political discourse. One thing stands out. Nigerians detest the ‘’contrivances of godfatherism’’. The election is inherently an action against godfatherism and all its appliances. The ‘Edo no be Lagos’ mantra is a revolutionary shibboleth which conveys the coup de grace to an endemic political scourge. I think Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), set up Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the party, by insufferably putting a demand on the people of Edo state on who they must vote. Nothing irritates more than valorous arrogance. Tinubu over-estimated his influence. That broadcast he did a few days to the election adjuring the people of Edo to reject Obaseki on the grounds that the governor is a dictator in no small measure ricocheted, putting craters to Ize-Iyamu’s ambition. Also, the first rule of godfatherism is ‘’do not act like a godfather’’. Adams Oshiomhole, former national chairman of the APC, broke this canon by stepping beyond the remit of his mortal powers and attempting to wrestle with the celestials. His ego got the better of him. He wanted to whip an ‘’erring’’ godson to shape but lost himself in the process. He cut off his nose to spite his face. Oshiomhole’s nemesis is graphed in this dictum by my friend, Sulaiman Aledeh. ‘’Legend has it that there once lived a powerful man who was so disturbed by a rat in his home. He burnt down his house in an attempt to kill this rat. The rat did not die; it jumped out of the inferno leaving the man without a home – he became homeless.’’ But what is next for Obaseki? Will he rebel against his new ‘’godfather(s)’’ in the PDP who gave him the platform to fulfil his ambition? And is his re-election the end of godfatherism in Edo as he bravoed? I think not. As I said in a previous article. ‘’our political process is cannibalistic; it is dog eat dog. National interest succumbs to group and individual interest in our brand of politics. It does not reward rebels or people of independent disposition. To chance on political office, you must contort your principles and personal integrity to fit into the agenda of the keepers of the political platforms, notoriously regarded as the ‘godfathers’. The godfathers control these political platforms. They hold the reins of political progression. So, as long as the present political ecosystem subsists, godfatherism will remain in Nigeria.’’ Really, I see Obaseki fleeing from one godfather drama to another. The governor will realise soon enough that his new political benefactor, Nyesom Wike is an absolutist; a one of kind godfather. Wike combines brute with arrogance. He does not fancy otherness or contraries. It is his way always. The governor of Rivers state runs the PDP – by virtue of the resources at his disposal. The party conforms to his whim and caprices. It is said in PDP circles, you cannot get anything done in the party without Wike’s blessings. In September 2018, he threatened that there would be consequences if the PDP moved the party’s national convention away from Port Harcourt. The leadership of the party quickly fell in line. When Wike sneezes the PDP catches cold. Clearly, Obaseki understood this as he hurriedly paid obeisance to Wike soon after he defected to the PDP – when the APC rejected him. In the build-up to the Edo election in June, Wike threatened to withdraw support for Obaseki over a publication alleging he was in cahoots with some persons to stop the Edo governor from participating in the party’s primary election – and as it is customary there was grovelling and back-bending to the godfather and ‘’national governor of the PDP’’ . Wike was named PDP Edo campaign DG principally as a recognition of his pre-eminence in the affairs of the party. He is the PDP. He holds the reins of political progression in the party. He calls the shots. He is the godfather. But how well can Obaseki navigate through the relationship maze with Wike who is erratic, impulsive, short-tempered and domineering? Well, I foresee that there be will spheres of conflict between Obaseki and Wike; not necessarily as regards areas of administration in Edo, but on differences in political interest and pursuits. Obaseki must beware of the new godfather and the godfathers in the PDP. Wike fights dirty. Twitter @FredrickNwabufo

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

Thousand Of Anglican Gather As Angolan Church Reopens

Thousands of Angolan Christians attended a church service in Luanda on Sunday, their first since coronavirus restrictions forced them to stay home six months ago. At least 3,000 parishioners dressed in white gathered at the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ In the World, also known as the Tocoist Church. They sat on chairs arranged around a metre (yard) apart for an open air service at the mega church in the Golfe II suburb. The service lasted 90 minutes, much shorter than the traditional five hours, an AFP photographer said. Religious gatherings were banned in March when Angola’s government imposed restrictions to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. It has infected more than 3,900 people in Angola and killed at least 147 to date. Early this month, government announced that churches were free to resume services and celebrate mass, under strict mandatory use of face masks. It also ordered that gatherings be held in well-ventilated spaces to limit the spread of the virus. Members of the congregation raise their hands in prayer at the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ In the World during the Sunday service in Luanda on September 20, 2020. – Thousands of congregants gathered at a mega Church in Luanda for the first religious celebrations since March 2020 when gathering were banned on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Osvaldo Silva / AFP) Face masks on and bibles in hand, parishioners orderly filed one at a time into the church complex through a gate. Except for choir members, the worshippers sang hymns with their masks on and waved white handkerchiefs. “Six months later! Oh yes! It’s been a long time, especially for us Christians…It seems like five, six years… have passed,” said a smiling Clara Cale, 57, after the service. “We are here to celebrate our immense joy,” she said. Don Afonso Nunes, a church leader, was relieved at the decision to allow churches to resume services. “Thanks to God, today is a great day to resume our worship and we have to celebrate,” he said. AFP

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

Appeal Court upholds N3.8b, $4.9m verdict against Customs

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a N3.82 billion and $4.95 million monetary judgment against the Nigerian Customs Service Board (NCSB) and its Chairman by a Federal High Court in Abuja. A three-man panel of the Appellate Court, in a unanimous judgment by Justice Emmanuel Agim, dismissed an appeal filed by the NCSB and its chairman. In dismissing the appeal, the appellate court held that the Federal High Court was in order when it held in favour of the plaintiff – Maggpiy Trading TFZE – in the judgment given by Justice Inyang Ekwo on July 10, 2019. In the judgment given on August 20, 2020, Justices Agim, Peter Ige and Yargata Nimpar (of the Court of Appeal) were unanimous in holding that the appellants (NCSB and its chairman) failed to fault the judgment by Justice Ekwo. Maggpiy Trading had sued the NCSB, its Chairman and the National Security Adviser (NSA), claiming that on March 18, 2017, officials of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) unjustly sealed off its warehouses located within the Tinapa Free Trade Zone and Resort (TFTZR) in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. It averred that the warehouses, at the time they were sealed off by men of the NCS, contained 90 containers of rice with each of the containers holding 540 bags of rice. The firm added that without any provocation and after accepting N53 million from it as stamp duties, men of the NCS also detained, by the road side at Onne, Port Harcourt in Rivers State, 40 trucks with which it was transporting 317 transit containers of rice to its Tinapa Free Trade Zone and Resort facility. Maggpiy Trading also said its warehouses were eventually unsealed after over four months and that it was compelled by the defendants to re-export the imported rice to Cotonou in Benin Republic on July 28, 2017. The firm stated that it found that some of the containers had been stolen, it had incurred heavy costs and that most of what was left of the consignment had been destroyed. The defendants denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the plaintiff (Maggpiy Trading) breached Federal Government’s fiscal policy on the importation of any physical goods into Nigeria. They argued that the plaintiff’s action of importing rice into the country “was calculated to undermine the government’s fiscal policy on food security, which is meant to encourage local production of rice, and the ban on importation of rice through the land boarder.

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

North East elders re-echo call for sack of service chiefs

• ‘We’re tired of excuses by military top brass’ • ‘Our silence misconstrued because of background of service chiefs’ • Nyiam, Yakassai, others back call • ‘Their retention against military protocol Northern elite, yesterday, threw their weight behind the call on President Muhammadu Buhari by North-East elders to sack the service chiefs owing to the worsening security situation in the country, especially in the Northeast region. Among those that supported the firing of the security top brass was a delegate to the 2014 National Conference, Tony Nyiam; human rights activist and former liaison officer to the late President Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai; President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shetima; and another northern activist, Dr. Tanko Yusuf. The North East elders, under the aegis of Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development, (CNEEPD) had, during the weekend, expressed worries over growing insecurity, saying excuses being tendered by service chiefs were no longer acceptable to them. The elders, who made their position known in a statement, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, listen to Nigerians by implementing a recent resolution by the National Assembly asking him to rejig the country’s security design with a view to improving security, which they described as “so bad.” The statement, tagged: ‘We are tired of excuses, sack service chiefs now,’ was signed by the group’s Chairman, Zana Goni. The elders regretted that their silence had been misconstrued by some people and sections of the country because of the geographical background of the security chiefs, explaining that their action was nothing close to that. According to the elders, they had been silent with the hope that things would get better as promised regularly by the military leaders. “But we have seen that in spite of the funding of the military by our dear President and the assurances by our service chiefs that things would change, nothing seems to be happening in that direction. This is regrettable. “The worsening security situation in the country is further reinforcing the urgent need to inject new hands with fresh ideas to handle the nation’s security architecture. We have seen that the security situation under the current service chiefs has reached an unbearable state,” they said in the statement. According to them, the nation has been distressed by mindless killings of citizens and pillaging of defenceless communities by insurgents, bandits, and kidnappers. “There is no denying the fact also that these have resulted in indescribable agony, anguish, and torment to the Nigerian citizens.” The statement added: “We, the Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development, in the strongest terms, restate the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to honour the resolution of the National Assembly and positions of the majority of Nigerians to immediately remove the service chiefs and bring in new hands to effectively confront the security challenges staring us in our face as a nation.” It also noted that the service chiefs were the longest in Nigeria’s history and argued that they had become war-weary and bereft of new ideas to tackle insecurity. “We are stating our position this day with deep and unbearable pains, given the lingering and unabated insecurity on our land. There is no doubt that 10 years down the line, the situation is worsening by the day. This is unacceptable, considering the efforts Mr. President has put in so far to arrest the situation,” the elders added. They said it was obvious that service chiefs Buhari appointed to drive his vision on security had run out of ideas to end the war, and needed to be fired. According to them, they would no longer sit on the fence and watch the situation, which had become a nightmare to Nigerians, and wondered why the President was still keeping the service chiefs despite calls from every section of the country for them to go. Nigerians voted for Buhari massively, they claimed, because of his vast experience in security and demanded a secure North East and Nigeria. They argued that sacking the chiefs and appointing new and younger officers into the system would restore lost morale, zeal, hope, and confidence to the armed forces and the country. “It is obvious that the current crop of service chiefs have overstayed and have run out of ideas to win the war against insurgents. Mr. President must show them the way out, our ways of livelihood in the North East have been destroyed by insurgents and the poverty level in our zone now is so high. It is on these premises that we call on President Buhari to sack the service chiefs without further delay,” they added. Supporting the call, Nyiam described it as amazing and hoped that President Buhari would give it consideration. He said the stay of the service chiefs was against the military protocol that states that “if an officer is in a battle for so long and nothing positive is coming up, he or she should be removed and give space for fresh brains.” He added, “From my findings as a retired military officer, I was told authoritatively that the Chief of Defence Staff is even performing more than the Chief of Army Staff. I don’t know why Mr. President is very heady about retaining Burutai.” Nyiam said the demand of CNEEPD must have been influenced by what the National Security Adviser to the President had been saying. “This is part of the nepotism, which we least expected from the person of Mr. President. The service chiefs are indeed due for removal and retirement, whichever way,” he added. Yakassai said North East elders were in a better position to air their views on how insecurity was affecting them to the President. He said, “I have said it that President Buhari cannot handle the problems of this nation and I have been attacked. It is now time for me to rest and allow others to talk.” While commending CNEEPD, Shetima said the group needed to be applauded

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

CBN Probes 16 Firms Over Forex Infractions

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is investigating the bank accounts of 16 companies in the country suspected of violating foreign exchange regulations, New Telegraph learnt yesterday. A list of the affected companies sighted by this newspaper last night shows that a lot of them are Indian and foreign owned firms. They include organisations such as Afrab Chem Limited, Multichem Industries Ltd., Far East Merchantile Ltd., Nagode Industries Ltd., Bhojraj Nigeria Ltd. and Amaravo Agro Limited. Others are Shivlula Nigeria Ltd., Deeplast Nigeria Ltd., Givanas Industry Nigeria Ltd., Godrej Nigeria Ltd. and Malok Nigeria Ltd. Also on the list are Vista International Ltd., Budha Logistics Ltd., Mitoch Global Link Ventures, Prima Corporation Ltd. and Regal Chem Nigeria Ltd. The move comes barely a fortnight after the apex bank directed lenders to place a post-no-debit on the accounts of 38 companies, including some betting firms and Bureaux De Change (BDCs) which are also under investigation over forex infractions. New Telegraph learnt last night that more firms will soon be placed under investigation by the banking watchdog for suspected FX infractions. A top CBN official said that the apex bank has no problem with anybody accessing FX, but that the regulator and the Federal Government are conscious of terrorist funding and money laundering and are executing a crackdown on these crimes. “The government has zero tolerance for terrorist funding and money laundering. The CBN is investigating both forex inflow and outflow. Anybody who is suspected of moving money without due process under the law will be investigated. Not that they are guilty, but they are being suspected,” the official said. As part of measures to conserve the nation’s foreign exchange reserves, which have been impacted by the sharp drop in the price of oil as well as the coronavirus crisis, the apex bank had, in recent months, introduced policies aimed at curbing rising demand for forex on the official market that had impacted negatively on the naira. For instance, in March this year, the CBN said it was collaborating with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to uncover currency speculation, adding that any authorised dealer caught engaging in forex speculation would be charged with economic sabotage. Also, the CBN, in July last year, directed foreign exchange dealers to stop processing ‘Forms M’ for the importation of maize. Similarly, in March 2019, the regulator directed lenders to stop the sale of forex for the importation of textiles and clothing materials into the country. Equally, in February this year, the apex bank restricted foreign exchange for milk importation to six companies in the country – FrieslandCampina WAPCO Nigeria, Chi Limited, TG Arla Dairy Product limited, Promasidor Nigeria, Nestle Nigeria and Integrated Dairies Limited. The CBN said that it had engaged the manufacturers because they have keyed into its backward integration to enhance their capacity and improve local milk production.

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

INEC commends stakeholders on successful Edo election, focuses on Ondo

Chairman, Independent, National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has commended all stakeholders who made the Saturday’s Edo state governorship election a success. Yakubu gave the appreciation while winding down INEC Situation Room on the Edo Governorship election in Abuja on Sunday. The chairman reminded all stakeholders that there was no respite yet for all as the attention would be shifted to Ondo where another governorship election would be holding on Oct. 10. He said that three weeks after that, it would be the series of by-elections in 11 States, on Oct. 31. Yakubu challenged all INEC staff members and participants in the conduct of elections in the country to prove that the success in Edo was not a fluke by the standard in the conduct of elections. (NAN

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

Italy votes in referendum on downsizing parliament

Polls closed in Italy late on Sunday in the first of two days of voting on a constitutional referendum over the slimming down of parliament. Voting is also on in local elections expected to favour the right-wing national opposition bloc. Voting continues on Monday, with polls opening at 7 am (0500 GMT) and closing at 3 pm. Results are expected later the same day. Some 51.6 million people are eligible to vote in the referendum on reducing the number of lawmakers in Italy’s two chambers by roughly one third. The Chamber of Deputies would go from 630 lawmakers to 400, and the Senate from 315 to 200. By Sunday evening, voter turnout had reached 29.98 per cent in the four of the seven regions for which figures were available, according to the Interior Ministry. In the referendum on the planned reduction of the parliament, 29.71 per cent of the 51.6 million eligible voters had cast their votes. Observers have feared a low turnout amid concerns about people being infected with the coronavirus. No minimum turnout is needed for the vote to be valid, amid expectations that the reform will be approved. Elections are also taking place in seven regions and just under 1,000 cities, including Venice in the north and Reggio Calabria in the south. The main national government parties – the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) – have been bracing for a poor showing. The national opposition, led by Matteo Salvini of the far-right League, is expecting to win in at least three regions, including Veneto and Liguria in the north. The PD is confident of victory only in Campania, the region around Naples, and is desperate to avoid defeat in Tuscany, a former leftist stronghold where a League candidate could achieve a historic win. The M5S has no strong candidates, but is likely to console itself with a referendum win. It considers reducing the size of parliament part of its quest to end perks and privileges for politicians. Critics of the constitutional reform say it produces minimal cost savings and risks undermining the democratic system by weakening the authority of parliament. In any case, a defeat for the government parties is unlikely to topple Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, as the PD and M5S have strong incentives to try to hold on to national power together. One is the prospect of managing more than 200 billion euros (238 billion dollars) in loans and grants from the European Union due to arrive from 2021 as part of the bloc’s post-coronavirus recovery fund. Another is the opportunity to influence the parliamentary election of the next Italian president, due in January 2022, and avoid snap national polls, which the PD and M5S would likely lose. Pandemic-era restrictions were in place across all polling stations, many of which are located in school buildings. Voters currently in self-isolation due to the coronavirus were permitted to vote from home on submitting an application on a one-off basis.

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

Health workers suspend 7-day nationwide warning strike

Members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), have suspended their seven-day nationwide warning strike. Mr Josiah Biobelemoye, JOHESU National Chairman, made this known in a statement at the end of its expanded National Executive Council meeting on Sunday in Abuja. Biobelemoye directed all members of the union to resume work by Sept. 21 and also await further directives. Members of JOHESU and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) embarked on a seven-day warning strike to press on its demands from the Federal Government. The union demands included disparity in the payment of hazard and inducement allowances to workers in the frontline containing the spread of COVID-19 among others. Biobelemoye said:“ I bring fraternal greetings to you from the entire members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA). “This is to bring to your notice that the 7-day nationwide warning strike embarked upon by the members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) would come to an end midnight of today, Sept. 20. “By this notice, all health workers under the five Unions that make up Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations (AHPA) shall return to work on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 across all Federal Health Institutions in the country. “However, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Health has continued to exhibit high level of bias/discrimination by refusing to address the demands of our members as presented by JOHESU within the seven days of the warning strike as was done to other bodies in the health sector. “The next line of action would be decided in due course by the expanded National Executive Council of JOHESU.” He also alleged that rather than call JOHESU for dialogue to resolve the trade dispute, the Federal Government resorted to intimidation and blackmail of the union leaders using all forms of instruments and faceless organisations. He further said that JOHESU would continue to use all legitimate means to defend the rights and demands for the welfare of its members in the health sector. “Nigerians should bear us witness that JOHESU has shown high patriotism by demanding that public health system in Nigeria is sustained and adequately financed for effective, efficient and affordable healthcare service delivery. “In view of the above and in line with the resolution of the expanded NEC meeting held physically and virtually today, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, I hereby declare that the seven days warning strike is suspended. “All our members are directed to resume work by Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 while awaiting further directives. “Finally, I wish to thank all the leaders at all strata and members for their commitment, selflessness, cooperation and resilience during the seven days warning strike,” he said.

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

Baby survives, mother dies in Anambra building collapse — Police

The Police Command in Anambra has confirmed the rescue of a six-month-old baby from the wreckage of a storey building which collapsed at Obosi near Onitsha on Sunday. The Command’s Spokesman, SP Haruna Mohammed, however, said in a statement, that the baby’s mother died in the incident while many others sustained injuries. Mohammed, who said the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m., could not ascertain the identity of the deceased as at press time. He said the corpse had been deposited at a morgue, while investigation was ongoing to ascertain the cause of collapse. According to him, the scene had been cordoned-off by the police and other security agencies while efforts are ongoing to rescue other victims suspected to have been trapped inside the building. He said: “On Sunday, one-storey building suddenly collapsed at Umuota village, Obosi town in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. “Scene was visited and cordoned off by the police attached to Obosi Division and other security agencies in order to prevent hoodlums from gaining advantage to loot, while effort is ongoing to rescue other victims suspected to have been trapped in the building. “One person, a woman of about 40 years old, whose name is yet to be ascertained, was confirmed dead by a medical doctor and her baby is responding to treatment. “Corpse deposited at St. Edward’s Mortuary for preservation. “Case under investigation to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident,” Mohammed stated. (NAN)

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Post Date : September 21, 2020

Survival Fund: FG releases registration schedule as portal opens Monday

As the portal for the registration of prospective beneficiaries for the Survival Fund opens on Monday, the Federal Government has released the timetable for categories of businesses to register. A statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by the Project Delivery Office stated that the portal which opens at 10 PM, will have educational institutions as the first category of beneficiaries to register. “Nigerians interested in the Payroll Support scheme are to note that the site for registration will be open from 10 pm Monday September 21, 2020. “In order to ensure seamless registration process, the Project Delivery Office (PDO) has designed a registration schedule. “Registration for Payroll Support will start with educational institutions on Monday and will be followed with businesses in the hospitality industry on Friday September 25 beginning from 12 A.M. “The portal will also be open to other category of small businesses from 12 A.M., on Monday September 28, 2020,” the statement said. The office therefore advised those interested in benefiting from the fund to take note of the schedule and also log on to http://www.survivalfund.ng to register for the payroll support initiative. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the survival fund is a conditional grant to support vulnerable Micro and Small enterprises in meeting their payroll obligations and safeguard jobs in MSMEs from the shock of the COVID- 19 pandemic. The scheme is estimated to save at least 1.3 million jobs across the country, while targeting an average of 35,000 individuals per state. (NAN)

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