DailyTrust 23_4_23.pdf

R E M I N I S C E N C E S
S U N D A Y 32
P A G E S
April 23, 2023
Shawwal 3, 1444 AH
www. dailytrust.com
Vol. 16, No. 014, N300
STILL IN CAPTIVITY 7 SCHOOLGIRLS OF FGC, BIRNIN YAURI DAYS
677 1 STUDENT OF BETHEL BAPTIST HIGH SCHOOL, KUJAMA DAYS
653
>>Pages
13 & 14
Sudan Army set to evacuate
foreign citizens amidst
heavy fighting
Meningitis kills 118
in 22 states >> Page 6
>> Page 27
N E W S
B U S I N E S S >>Page 7
>>Page 7
Howcivilservicereform
became‘Deformed’
–Amb.Alghazali
Nigeriawitnessesrise
inagro-produceexports
toEurope,Asia,others
>>Page 5
>>Page 5
Traders, PoS Operators
Decry Scarcity
Apex Bank Blamed
Nigerians Hoarding Notes
— CBN, Bank Officials
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Pages
Pages
13 14
13 14
Page 4
Page 4
7stillincaptivity
2 years after, 4Yauri
2 years after, 4Yauri
schoolgirls released
schoolgirls released
DogoGidedelayedrelease
aftercollectingfakenaira
Where Are
New Naira
Notes?

Nigeria witnesses rise in agro-produce
exports to Europe, Asia, others
April 23, 2023
SUNDAYMENU S U N D A Y
WEATHER SUMMARY:
ABUJA:
Max:37
Mostlycloudy
KANO:
Max:39
Partlycloudy
KADUNA:
Max:38
Partlycloudy
MAIDUGURI:
Max:41
Mostlycloudy
SOKOTO:
Max:41
Mostlycloudy
MAKURDI:
Max:39
Mostlycloudy
ENUGU:
Max:36
Cloudy
P/H:
Max:28
Isolatedthunderstorms
LAGOS:
Max:33
Mostlycloudy
KATSINA:
Max:40
Mostlycloudy
JOS:
Max:33
Mostlycloudy
IBADAN:
Max:34
Isolatedthunderstorms
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PRAYER TIMES
SOURCE: Islamic Research andTiming Organisation, Kaduna.
ABUJA 5:07 12:34 3:36 6:39 7:44
ENUGU 5:09 12:34 3:36 6:38 7:43
KADUNA 5:04 12:34 3:36 6:42 7:47
KANO 5:06 12:30 3:32 6:44 7:49
KATSINA 4:55 12:33 3:33 6:50 7:55
LAGOS 5:26 12:54 3:56 6:56 8:01
MAIDUGURI 4:36 12:11 3:11 6:24 7:29
P/HARCOURT 5:14 12:37 3:38 6:36 7:41
SOKOTO 4:59 12:44 3:46 7:00 8:05
BUSINESS
Pag 7
April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
AGRICBUSINESS
Continued on page 22
Send us your views, comments as well as contributions to agric@dailytrust.com or SMS: 08116759756
Compiled by: Hussein Yahaya,
Vincent A. Yusuf, Hope Abah
Ibrahim Musa Giginyu
What is your take on our stories?
ATTENTION READERS: In some markets, prices of products are relatively
lower if the buyer has cash, while electronic transfer attracts higher prices.
DANDUME GRAIN MARKET, KATSINA
DOMA MARKET, NASARAWA STATE
PRICES OF RAW MILK IN SELECTED STATES
MARKET WATCH
DAWANAU GRAIN MARKET, KANO
WADATA MARKET IN MAKURDI, BENUE
STATE
Crop Per/KG Price (N)
Grains
Maize 100kg 23,000
Beans 100kg 41,500
Sorghum 100kg 23,000
Millet 100kg 24,000
Wheat 100kg 33,500
Rice 100kg 65,000
Rice (Paddy) 100kg 25,000
Tomato Big basket 21,000
Grains
Maize 100kg 24,000
Beans 100kg 42,000
Millet 100kg 23,000
Wheat 100kg 39,000
Rice 100kg 64,000
DANMUSA MARKET, KATSINA STATE
KUMO GRAIN MARKET,
GOMBE STATE
Grains
Maize 100kg 23,300
Beans 100kg 41,000
Millet 100kg 23,000
Wheat 100kg 41,500
Rice 100kg 64, 000
Grains
Maize 100Kg 24,000
Sorghum 100Kg 26,000
Rice (Paddy) 100Kg 35,000
Rice (milled) 100kg 70,000
Beans 100Kg 45,000
Soybeans 100Kg 32,000
Millet 100Kg 28,000
DRIED CASSAVA 100Kg 8,000-11,000
Ground/Nut (Unshielded) 100kg 24,000
State Litre Price (N)
Abuja per litre 300
Bauchi per litre 350 to 650
Jigawa per litre 350
Kaduna per litre 320 to 340
Kano per litre 380
Nasarawa per litre 850 to 1,000
Niger per litre 700 to 800
Plateau per litre 350 to 450
SOURCE: CODARAN
Breed new seeds ahead of wet season farming
Grains
Rice (local ) 50kg 34,000
Rice (foreign) 50kg 48,000
Maize 100kg 24,000
Millet 100kg 30,000
Beans (big ) 100kg 55,000
Beans (small) 100kg 45,000
Guinea corn 100kg 26,000
Sesame 100kg 56,000
Soybean 100kg 35,000
Wheat 100kg 53,000
Tomatoes Big basket 16,000
HowricefarmersarecreatingwealthinBenue
One of the seed producing fields in Makurdi
Grains
Maize 100kg 21,000
Beans 100kg 29,000
Soybeans 100kg 28,000
Rice 100kg 65,000
Millet 100kg 24,000
At Ajiwa market in far north of the
state there were slight changes in
the prices as follows:
Maize 100kg 24,000
Beans 100kg 32,000
Soybeans 100kg 30,000
Rice 100kg 47,000
Millet 100kg 24,000
From Hope Abah Emmanuel,
Makurdi
Rice farmers in Benue
State are determined to
create wealth through
rice production for the Nigerian
market and beyond.
For this reason, no stone has
been left unturned in the value
chainofriceproductionasfarmers
continued to utilise each phase to
maximise profit.
At VitalisTarnongu’s farm,
the breeder seeds for foundation
would be due for harvesting in the
next two weeks.
Thefarm,situatedatthebankof
River Benue, inside the University
of Agriculture in Makurdi, uses
irrigation to boost dry season rice
seed production.
Tarnongusaidwhathedidwith
Faro 44 breeder’s seed planted in
a portion of the 1,000 hectares
field was to multiply them into
foundation seeds to become
certified for farmers purchase.
“Atthislevelitwillbeharvested
as multiplication seeds, then
replanted to produce certified
seeds, which can now be planted
by the majority of farmers to
become grain for companies or
individuals to buy and process for
consumption.
“The rice seeds usually
undergo three stages to become
grain - from being breeder seeds
to multiplication (foundation)
seeds, then certified seeds (which
is regulated by the seed council).
Then farmers will purchase the
seeds to produce grain in a larger
quantity.
“On this farm, we are using
irrigation because it is dry season.
The duration of the seed maturity
is 90 days. What you see on this
farm is a Faro 44 breeder’s seed
not up to a ‘mudu’ measurement,
which we raised on a nursery bed
for20daysandtransplantedbyone
footapart;anditisdoingverywell.
“Asitisrightnow,wearehoping
to harvest 80 bags of 100kg per
hectare; and multiplying this with
the number of hectares cultivated
so far would yield bountiful
income,” he said.
Tarnongu said his plants were
rid of any challenge of diseases as
suchthingsweretakencareofwith
appropriate requirement from the
early stage until its present level.
For birds or other insects
which should have been a source
of worry, the rice farmer said his
24-hourstandbysecuritymentook
charge of such concerns. However,
he wants financial assistance from
the government to further boost
his quest for expansion in both
field and equipment.
“From the revenue generated
on this farm, I have over 100
workers to pay salaries. If I had
small push from the government
we would move forward and
engage the youth, which will
roaming the streets.
“Asatnow,Iamsinglehandedly
carrying the load of this farm. I
want to also appeal to the new
government, both at the state
and federal level, to pay attention
to insecurity to avert the danger
ahead because we are producing
food,” Tarnongu concluded.
A young rice farmer, Olikita
Ikani, who participated in this
year’s season farming, said it was a
lucrative experience on his seven-
hectare field.
Ikani, who has prepared for
another rice farm in the expected
wet season, encouraged young
people to venture into rice
production.
“Young people can create
wealth with rice production in
Benue State,” Ikani said.
In the same vein, other farmers
around the banks of River Benue,
passing through Buruku and
Kastina-Ala Local Government,
engaged in this year’s rice farming.
Some of them at that axis, who
are already harvesting their rice,
appealed to government to show
more interest in agriculture by
empowering farmers to boost rice
production.
The chairman of the All
Farmers Association of Nigeria
(AFAN), Comrade Aondongu
Saaku, who corroborated the rice
farmers, said that due to lack of
fund, farmers around Buruku

I
t is the case with Nigerian democracy
when we take a step forward at one
turn, we often follow it up with two
steps backwards at the next turn. Had the
show of shame in Adamawa State, over
the past two weeks ended as planned, our
democracy would have taken all steps back
to ground zero. Happily, the rule of law
and democracy won the day, even if much
damage was still done.
Yet,noonethoughtitwouldendlikethis.
Of all the 28 governorship elections held in
this year, none had captured the popular
imagination of Nigerians than that in
Adamawa. It had all the elements of an epic
battle,andthepossibilityofmakinghistory.
Apart from the presidential election, all
eyes were in Adamawa, in the so-called
“conservative Muslim North”, where,
nevertheless, a woman, Senator Aisha
Dahiru, more popularly known as Aisha
Binani, had emerged the governorship
candidate of the All Progressives Congress
(APC).
Having defeated three male candidates
in her party’s primary election—a no
mean feat on a slate that included a former
presidential candidate, a former governor
of the state, and a sitting member of the
House of Representatives from the state—
Binani was poised to dislodge a sitting
governor to round off a scintillating series
of electoral contests that would make
her the first elected female governor of
a state ever in Nigeria’s political history.
And most Nigerians without a vote in the
election had hoped for only one outcome:
her win. Unfortunately, Binani, with her
own hands, threw all of the goodwill and
the political prospects that come with it
away, in one terrible show of shame that
would not be forgotten soon. After the
collation of results in 20 of Adamawa’s 21
Local Government Areas (LGAs) following
the main election on 18th March 2023, the
odds, alas, seemed stacked against Binani.
Her opponent, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri
had won in 13 LGAs, polling 401,115 votes,
against Binani’s win in seven LGAs with a
total of 365,498 votes. But irregularities
in the remaining LGA and in pockets
of other places across the state meant
that the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, had to declare the
election inconclusive and ordered a rerun
for April 15th.
With a deficit of 35,617 votes to make up
for, against a total of just over 36,000 votes
up for grabs in the rerun election, Binani
needed a miracle to flip the final outcome
in her favour. By Sunday morning of April
15th, when Fintiri still maintained his
lead over her with eight of the 20 wards
in the supplementary election declared,
few expected Binani to come out tops,
even if many still wished for the miracle.
However, before the resumption of the
further collation that Sunday by 11am as
previously scheduled, INEC’s Resident
ElectoralCommissioner(REC)inthestate,
Hudu Yunusa-Ari usurped the powers of
the election’s Returning Officer to declare
Binaniwinnerinagibberishofaspeechthat
was as shameless as it was illegal.
Binani, in turn, promptly delivered
an “acceptance speech” live on national
television,andthenproceededtothecourts,
seeking to bar INEC from rescinding her
declaration, even as the INEC leadership in
Abujahadalready,andrightly,declaredher
‘declarationaswinner’nullandvoid.Inthe
end,whenalldueprocesswascompletedon
18thApril,INECdeclaredGovernorFintiri
as the rightful winner of the election. And
the rest, as they say, is now history.
We commend INEC for its swift
intervention that helped save the day
from the illegal antics of a rogue REC. We
also commend the resilience of the state’s
Returning Officer, Professor Mohammed
Mele and INEC’s National Commissioner
on assignment in the state, Prof Abdullahi
Zuru, for their integrity and sacrifice in the
faceofbothphysicalandmoralintimidation
during the process. Justice Inyang Ekwo
of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who
refusedtobedrawninwithBinani’sjudicial
subterfugealsodeservescommendation.So
too does Governor Ahmadu Finitiri for his
maturity and for not taking the law into his
hands.
It is good that President Muhammadu
Buhari has ordered a probe into the actions
of all heads of security agencies in the state.
It’salsogoodthatINEChassincesuspended
the rogue REC Ari, and recommended his
prosecution. But the federal government
must go beyond these measures to ensure
that the case is thoroughly investigated
and all culprits made to face the full wrath
of the law. In addition, we urge INEC to
review its lengthy, tedious and arcane
collation processes with a view towards
making them more efficient and fit for
purpose.Theproceduresandrequirements
for appointing a Resident Electoral
Commissioner (REC) to INEC should also
be reviewed to reduce the possibility of
appointing people without integrity.
For Binani, we have nothing but rebuke.
She allowed desperation for office to get
the better of her, and by so doing, has let
the whole nation down. Her actions fall far
short of the role model millions of girls and
women in the country had come to see in
her. And for this, she should apologize.
ShowofshameinAdamawa
April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
Our COMMENTDEBATE pages begin on page 9
PAGE3COMMENT
HAPPENING
THISWEEK
2023 UTME will commence on
Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
The Federal High Court in
Lagos has fixed April 25, 2023
to rule on a motion filed by
the Federal Government
seeking to transfer the case
filed by the Airline Operators
of Nigeria (AON) challenging
the establishment of the
national carrier, to Abuja.
The 2nd Global African
Diaspora symposium is
scheduled to hold on April 27
and 28, 2023, in Abuja
April 23: On this day in 2015,
Nike was announced to be
the supplier of Nigeria’s kits
after Adidas ended their kit
contract with the NFF. Before
that, Nike supplied Nigeria’s
kit between 1998 and 2003.
3
S U N D A Y
TODAYIN
HISTORY
People fleeing street
battles between the
forces of two rival
Sudanese generals,
are transported on
the back of a truck
in the southern
part of Khartoum.
Hundreds of people
have been killed and
thousands wounded
since the fighting
erupted on April
15 between forces
loyal to Sudan’s
army chief and
the commander
of the powerful
paramilitary Rapid
Support Forces (RSF)
SUNDAYPHOTO
Photo:
AFP
MOUNIR GWARZO: Group Chief Executive Officer
NURA DAURA: Group ED, Finance and Corporate Services
NAZIRU MIKAILU: Group ED, Digital and Editorial
AHMED SHEKARAU: Group ED, Business Development
SULEIMAN A SULEIMAN: Chairman Editorial Board/Deputy Editor-in-Chief
HAMZA IDRIS: General Editor
STELLA IYAJI: Managing Editor

4 April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
news
From Ismail Adebayo, Birnin
Kebbi Zahradeen Yakubu,
Kano
A
lmost two years
after the abduction
of 96 schoolgirls
from the Federal
Government
College Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State,
four of the remaining 11 girls in
captivity have regained freedom.
Daily Trust on Sunday reports
that the four girls - Bilha Musa,
Faiza Ahmed, Rahma Abdullahi
and Hafsa Murtala were released
on Friday evening after months of
negotiationsbetweentheirparents
and the bandits. The parents had
spent six days in the forest as part
of efforts to secure the release
of the girls but only four were
releasedwhiletheremainingseven
are still in captivity.
“Ittooksixdaysofnegotiations
in the forest before four of the
girls were released to us. We have
seven more in captivity and two
of the parents are still in the forest
trying to secure their release,” the
chairman of the parents’ forum,
Malam Salim Kaoje, told our
correspondent.
Kaoje said the girls were
released around 4.30pm on Friday
but arrived Yauri around 2.30am
onSaturdayandwereimmediately
taken to the hospital for medical
attention.
He confirmed that an
undisclosed amount was paid for
the release after the parents sold
their properties and augmented
thefundsthroughcrowd-funding.
Daily Trust on Sunday reports
that FGC Birnin Yauri was
attacked by bandits on June 17,
2021 with 96 of the students and
teachers kidnapped from the
federalgovernment-ownedmixed
boarding school. Eleven of the
studentshadremainedincaptivity
despite huge sums of money being
paidasransomandprisonerswaps
at different times.
In January, Salim Kaoje had
confirmed that the parents were
in talks with Dogo Gide after the
government failed to secure the
release of the remaining girls. He
had told Daily Trust on Sunday
that they sought the intervention
of Gide’s mother who was then
putting pressure on the bandit
to open negotiations with the
parents. Prior to that, Gide had
declined any communication
with the parents and insisted on
speaking with only government
representatives.
Govt paid me fake money for
release of girls – Dogo Gide
Thenegotiationsfortherelease
of the 11 girls had dragged on
because Dogo Gide had claimed
that the Kebbi State government
had betrayed him by paying fake
money.
In a telephone conversation
with one of the parents, Dogo
Gide had alleged that out of the
N100m he had demanded from
the government for the release of
the girls, the sum of N60m had
been paid to him.
He,however,allegedthatwhile
waiting for the remaining N40m,
he had realised that part of the
money paid to him was fake while
theremainingcashhadbeenlaced
witha chemical he claimed caused
the money to disintegrate.
In the telephone conversation,
Gide could be heard saying in
Hausa: “The abducted girls are
witnesses because they brought
the money in their presence. I
didn’t check the money until after
three months. I went and opened
the bag and I discovered some
were fake and the remaining were
damaged.Theschoolgirlscanbear
me witness.”
“So, I said since the money
hasn't spoiled completely, we can
still see the writing on them, I will
give them back the money so that
theycangotothebankandchange
themformeandIwillreleasetheir
children. But they said no.”
Thebanditkingpinsaidhehad
given government representatives
the option of arresting and
bringing the middle man in the
negotiation to him in exchange
for the girls’ freedom but the
government had declined.
He stressed that, “even if it is
my father that I realized betrayed
me, I will eliminate him.”
In the interview, the bandit
leader also hinted that the
schoolgirlshadmadeanattemptto
poisonhimandhisgangmembers.
“Listen to me, let me tell you
something. There is one other
thing I didn’t bring forward.
Some of the abducted children
committed an offence. They
poisoned our food (alongside
that of my brothers), but I didn’t
discuss this with you,” he said.
Parents urge govt to rescue
remaining girls
The parents of the abducted
girls have pleaded with
government to intervene and help
securethereleaseoftheremaining
seven girls.
“We did not get any assistance
from government,” Kaoje said,
adding that “we have done all
we could to secure some of the
children, government should be
involvedandassistustosecurethe
releaseoftheremainingseventhat
are still in the bush.
Speakingtoourcorrespondent,
Mrs Serah Musa, a parent of one
of the released girls described the
periodofherdaughter’sabduction
as harrowing.
I have not slept in almost two
years. I could not help thinking
about my child in the hands of the
banditsinthebush.Itwasaterrible
experienceforusasparentswhose
children were abducted and taken
to the bush.
Some of the parents couldn't
bear the pains and they died. It's
unfortunatethatwhenthechildren
are released, some of them will
comebacktoseethattheirmothers
are dead and some of their fathers
are dead because of the trauma of
their abductions,” she said.
Also speaking, Hajiya Munira
Bala and Malam Alhassan Yusuf
Libata were full of praise to God
for the release of their daughters.
The two parents said they have
never known peace since their
children were kidnapped from
school.
I couldn't help imagining my
daughter in the bush since June
17, almost two years now. It was a
terrible experience for the family,”
said Malam Libata.
Today, I can tell you that I'm
happy and not happy because
seven ofthe children are still being
held. We want the government to
assist us in securing their release
fromtheirabductors.Wehavesold
everything we had to raise money
for their release, he said.
2yearsafter,4Yauri
schoolgirlsreleased
7 still in captivity
Dogo Gide delayed release after collecting fake naira
The abducted girls are witnesses because they
brought the money in their presence. I didn’t
check the money until after three months. I went
and opened the bag and I discovered some were
fake and the remaining were damaged. The
schoolgirls can bear me witness

were still in circulation but not as
muchastheoldonesinthemarket.
“People are bringing them, but
they are not enough; the old ones
are still dominant in the market,”
he said.
However, Abdullahi Said, who
works in one of the commercial
banks within the metropolis, said
the CBN had not sent new notes to
banks in recent weeks.
“Honestly, there are no new
notes in our bank; I can’t even
recall the last time they brought it.
Maybe they are keeping them or
something,” he said.
Most of the ATMs along Zoo
RoadinKanowerealsodispensing
old notes when our correspondent
visited.
InOwerri,theImoStatecapital,
most residents complained about
the disappearance of new naira
notes.
When our correspondent
visited most of the banks along the
popular Bank and Douglas roads,
all the ATMs were dispensing the
old notes.
“Since the extension of the
deadline for the exchange of the
old notes to the new currency
came into effect, it appeared the
new notes utterly disappeared.
This is very strange because one
would have thought we would
be spending the new notes more,
especially as there is a December
31 deadline.
“This means that we are going
back to square one when the
deadline expires because there
will be scarcity of the new notes,”
a customer, Amadi noted.
ItisasimilarstoryinMaiduguri,
thecapitalofBornoState,astraders
and customers decried the non-
availability of the new notes.
Kamilu Sani, who spoke to
Daily Trust on Sunday at the point
of withdrawing cash from an ATM
at the University of Maiduguri
Teaching Hospital (UMTH),
said he spent almost one week
frequenting the machine but had
not received a single new note.
“Ihaveapatientinthehospital;
the billing point in the hospital has
issues with their PoS machines, so
wealwayscomeoutheretogetcash
beforemakingpayments.Ihavenot
receivednewnotesfromthisATM,
even once; it always dispenses old
notes and even mutilated ones
sometimes,” he said.
Abubakar Salihu complained
that his bank had continued to
pay him old notes even when he
requested for new ones.
“Itislikethebankstaffarehiding
the new notes. In fact, I requested
for the N200 denomination of the
new notes purposely to celebrate
Sallah,butthebankstaffclearlytold
April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y 5
BIGSTORY
Where are new naira notes?
From Abiodun Alade (Lagos),
Salim Umar Ibrahim (Kano),
Abubakar Akote (Minna),
Victor Edozie (Port Harcourt),
Jude Aguguo Owuamanam
(Owerri) Hamisu Kabir
Matazu (Maiduguri)
T
he new naira notes
introduced by the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in
the wake of its now voided naira
redesign policy have become
scarce despite the increase in
currencycirculationfromN982.09
billion in February to N1.6 trillion
at the end of March.
DailyTrustonSundayobserved
the scarcity of the new naira notes
from major banks, markets and
PointofSale(PoS)outletsinAbuja,
Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Niger, Borno,
Imo and across the country.
It would be recalled that the
CBN had introduced new notes
of N200, N500 and N1,000 on
December 15, 2022, with a plan to
phase out the old notes in January
before it was moved to February
10.
This led to weeks of hardship
following the inability of the apex
bank to circulate enough new
notes after mopping up N2.3trn
old notes from circulation during
the policy implementation.
However, the Supreme Court
came to the rescue of Nigerians in
a landmark judgement voiding the
policy and directing that the old
N200, N500 and N1,000 should
remain legal tender till December
31.
While the latest figure shows
a 71 per cent increase in currency
circulationastheCBNhadinjected
N701.4bnintocirculation,thenew
notesarebecomingunavailablefor
the majority of Nigerians.
In Niger State, our
correspondent who visited some
Automated Teller Machine (ATM)
galleries reported that none of
them was dispensing new notes.
One of the customers at the
Minna branch of First Bank ATM,
Abdulsalami Umar said ,”It was all
politics. Since the Supreme Court
delivered judgement that they
should allow the use of old notes,
I have never for once withdrawn
new notes. Even in banking halls,
they don’t issue new notes. They
have played their politics.”
A PoS operator, Suleiman
Mohammed, said new notes were
scarce, even in banks, saying, “We
don’t access new notes anymore.”
Also, traders at the Kure
ultramodern and Gwari markets,
Minna, told our correspondent
that they received more old notes
than new ones from customers.
One of the traders at the Kure
Ultramodern Market, Mallam
IdrisAliyu,toldourcorrespondent
that on Sallah eve, the two major
transactions he made, amounting
to about N1million, were all in old
notes.
“One of the customers gave
me to N200,000, all in N200 old
notes. Another customer gave me
N618,000cashofN500andN1,000
old notes. There was no single new
note. So, we hardly get paid using
new naira notes,” he said.
Another trader at Gwari
market,AlhajiSalamiMohammed
said, “Our customers don’t bring
new notes. Maybe, until the end
of the deadline, they will make the
new ones available. But what the
government and the CBN would
have done is to release the new
notes from now so that every old
note that enters banks should not
come out again.”
However, a staff of First Bank,
Minnabranch,whodidn’twanthis
name mentioned, told Daily Trust
on Sunday that they dispensed
both old and new notes. He,
however, said the ATM machines
wereloadedwitholdN1,000notes.
Avisittodifferentbanksbyour
correspondent in Port Harcourt
and surrounding communities
showed that banks are dispensing
old naira notes.
A visit to banks located in Port
Harcourt Old Township, Ikwerre
road, Olusegun Obasanjo, Oyigbo
and Eleme showed that old naira
notes are being dispensed by
banks.
At the Union Bank located
at the popular Ikwerre road,
customers are being paid with the
old notes of N500 and N1,000.
Also, a visit to United Bank for
Africa (UBA), First Bank, Zenith
Bank, Access Bank and First City
Monument Bank (FCMB) showed
that customers are being paid with
the old naira notes.
A resident of Oyigbo, Emeka
Akpa, said he had never received
paymentinthenewcurrencysince
thereintroductionoftheoldnotes.
“I have been to banks on
several occasions, and I can tell
youthatnobodyhaspaidmeinthe
so-called new naira note. All the
time I have been visiting the bank,
thepaymentsIreceivedwereinthe
old naira notes,” he said.
A resident of Kano, Isyaku
Ali, said he got the new notes of
N120,000 a week ago at one of the
banks in the state.
“I got N120,000, see the
remaining with me here (showing
the new notes). They are still in
circulation, honestly,” he said.
Also, a businessman at Kwari
market, Nafiu Idris, told our
correspondent that the new notes
me to forget it.
“For the N50,000 I requested,
I only got a mixture of new N500
and N1,000 notes with old N200
notes. With the way things are
going, I am afraid the incoming
administration would reverse this
policy,” he said.
Nigerianshoardingnewnotes
— CBN, bank officials
DailyTrustonSundaygathered
that the scarcity of the new notes is
majorly as a result of hoarding by
Nigerians.
A top bank official in Lagos
told our correspondent that
most Nigerians didn’t spend or
deposit the new notes, saying they
preferred to keep them.
“Banksaregivingoutthenotes,
either old or new that we get from
theCBN.Whatwehavediscovered
is that while the old notes are used
for transactions and we get them
back, Nigerians hardly bring back
the new notes. They are keeping
them, maybe in anticipation of the
December 31 deadline. Nobody
wants to be a victim of scarcity
again,” he said.
A source at the CBN disclosed
that the apex bank was also
managing the circulation of the
new notes because it discovered
that ordinary Nigerians were
hoarding them.
“In the past, our currency
suffered from hoarding by the
political class, but now, ordinary
Nigerians are hoarding the new
notes. So, we have to manage the
circulation of the new notes,” the
source said, stressing that the apex
bank has decided to release more
oldnotestothecommercialbanks.
“We have our strategies of
mopping up the old notes ahead
of the deadline. Nigerians should
know that both old and new notes
are legal tender and should be free
tospendthem.Overatrillionnaira
isincirculationandmorenotesare
being released to the banks,” the
source added.
Meanwhile, the chief executive
officer of the Centre for the
Promotion of Private Enterprise,
Dr Muda Yusuf, said the CBN
should explain to Nigerians why
the new notes are not available.
The former director-general of
the Lagos Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (LCCI), said that
by the judgement of the Supreme
Court there should have been
a gradual withdrawal of the old
notes as the new notes are being
introduced into circulation.
“The old notes should be
gradually withdrawn and replaced
withthenewnotes.However,from
all indications, the CBN seems
not to be printing new notes. The
old notes are about 80 per cent of
the cash in circulation. The cash
situation has still not normalised
to the pre-naira redesign crisis.
There are still clusters of people
in some banks. The CBN is in a
better position to explain because
weshouldnotallowthesituationto
degenerate to another crisis by the
end of the year,” he said.
Traders, PoS operators decry scarcity
Apex bank blamed
Nigerians hoarding notes — CBN, bank officials

6 April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
news
APC dissolves presidential campaign council
INECurgedtoreviewvoterregistration,PVCcollectionpolicy
Buhari, Atiku, others condole
Ihedioha on mother’s death
NCCErecordsimprovedrecognition
ofprogrammes,policies–ES
Osinbajo to deliver climate
change lecture at US varsity
By Ojoma Akor
C
erebrospinal Meningitis
(CSM) has killed 118
persons across 21 states in
the country between last year and
April 2, 2023, the Nigeria Centre
for Disease Control and Prevention
(NCDC) has said.
In a situation report released
yesterday, the agency noted that
as at April 2, a total of 1, 479
suspected cases had been recorded
in 2022/2023 CSM seasons.
It stated that the 22 states that
reported suspected CSM cases in
2022/2023 include Abia, Adamawa,
Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno,
Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano,
Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa,
Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba,
Yobe and Zamfara.
Thereportstatedthat93percent
ofallthecumulativecaseswerefrom
fivestates-Jigawa(1,064cases),Yobe
(234 cases), Zamfara (36 cases),
Bauchi(23cases)andAdamawa(21
cases).
It further stated that 14 local
government areas across four
states—Jigawa (8), Yobe (4), Bauchi
(1) and Zamfara (1) - reported
more than 10 cases each during the
2022/2023 CSM seasons.
It stated that males were 57 per
cent of the cases, while 43 per cent
were females .
TheNCDCsaidJigawaStatehad
been in an outbreak since Epi week
40 (2022), with 11 out of 22 local
government areas affected.
The NCDC said Yobe State,
also in suspected outbreak, is being
supported to generate enough
surveillance/laboratory data/
evidence to make a request for
vaccines.
Itsaidthenationalmulti-sectoral
CerebrospinalMeningitisTechnical
Working Group (TWG) continued
to monitor response across states.
By Chidimma C. Okeke
T
he executive secretary of
the National Commission
for Colleges of Education
(NCCE), Professor Paulinus
Chijioke Okwelle, said the
commission had recorded a
monumental turnaround and
improved recognition of its
programmes,policiesandactivities
ofteachers’preparationinstitutions
in general.
Prof Okwelle said these were
made possible in the last two years
since he took over the affairs of
the commission after President
Muhammadu Buhari in March
2021.
This was contained in
a document highlighting
achievements of Okwelle since he
assumed office two years ago.
According to the document, on
resumption of office, he initiated a
series of consultation, negotiation,
research and national summit
with stakeholders to brainstorm
and come up with possible way
forward to address the challenges
confrontingtheCoEinthecountry.
As part of efforts to address
the root causes of dwindling
enrolment into colleges of
education in Nigeria, he got the
support of the Joint Admissions
and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
to increase enrolment into colleges
of education.
“The result of this is already
being felt in practical terms as
all the six new federal colleges of
education established in 2020 have
fully commenced operation with
appreciative number of students.
“It is no longer business as
usual for colleges of education
not to properly undergo or totally
boycott participation of the
primary mandate and priority of
the commission of accrediting its
courses in line with its stipulated
guidelines, resource inspection
and production of revised NCE
Minimum Standard, among other
things,” the document reads.
By Muideen Olaniyi
P
resident Muhammadu
Buhari, former Vice
President Atiku Abubakar
and other top personalities, have
commiserated with the former
governor of Imo State, Emeka
Ihedioha, over the death of his
mother.
Ihedioha’s matriarch, Dame
Dorothy, died on Thursday at the
age of 90.
The former Imo governor
had announced the passage of his
mother on Thursday, saying she
passed on after living a fruitful
andeventfullifeofGod’sabundant
mercies and grace.
The president, in a message
to Ihedioha, said the late Dame
Dorothy Ihedioha was an
example of simplicity and lived a
meaningful life.
Buhari,inastatementyesterday
by his spokesman, Malam Garba
Shehu, stated that her devotion to
values and strong faith in God in
allsituationswasarareoccurrence.
Atiku, in his condolence
message to Ihedioha, prayed God
to repose her soul and give his
familythefortitudetobeartheloss.
Similarly, the Labour Party
(LP) presidential candidate, Peter
Obi, commiserated with Ihedioha
and family over the passage of his
mother, asking God to grant her
soul eternal rest.
Also, in his condolence
message,aformergovernorofImo
State,ChiefAchikeUdenwa,noted
that the late Mama Dorothy lived a
fulfilled life.
By Itodo Daniel Sule
T
heAllProgressivesCongress
(APC) has dissolved its
Presidential Campaign
Council (PCC) inaugurated
last year to prosecute the 2023
presidential election.
The dissolution was contained
in a statement last night, jointly
signed by the Director General of
the APC PCC, Governor Simon
Bako Lalong and the Secretary of
the council, James Abiodun Faleke.
The party on behalf of the
chairman of the Presidential
Campaign Council, President
Muhammadu Buhari; the
president-elect, Bola Tinubu and
other leaders, thanked all council
members, leaders and supporters
for working assiduously for the
resoundingvictoryofthepresident-
elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“Since the campaign council
began in September 2022, we
have witnessed an unprecedented,
relentless,andengagingmobilisation
of our members nationwide and
in the diaspora towards securing
the majority popular votes for the
Tinubu/Shettima Presidential ticket.
The journey has been a worthy one
withourhard-wonvictory.Thecredit
goes to all our members particularly,
the leaders and members of the
variouscampaigndirectorates.
“We would like to express our
deepest appreciation to President
MuhammaduBuhari(GCFR),forhis
unwavering support and leadership
throughout the campaign. We could
nothaveachievedthislevelofsuccess
without his single-mindedness,
commitment,andforthrightness.
“However, we have concluded
that it is in the best interest of the
campaign and its stakeholders for
us to dissolve our council with
immediate effect. This has become
necessary to retune us towards
the May 29, 2023, inauguration of
the President-elect Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The process of transitioning into
a new era of a Renewed Hope is
underway and all our energies and
activitiesmustreflecttheprinciples
underlying this process.
“Wehopethatyouwillallcontinue
to stay involved in Nigeria’s political
process and to advocate for issues
thatyoubelievein.Ourdemocracyis
strongerwhenweallparticipateinthe
political process with patriotism.We
would like to take this opportunity
to thank you once again for your
support, dedication, and hard work”,
thestatementsaidinpart.
By Abbas Jimoh
T
he Independent National
Electoral Commission
(INEC) has been asked to
review the processes and procedures
of the current two-step process of
continuousvoterregistration(CVR)
and permanent voters card (PVC)
collection to ensure that eligible
votersarenotdisenfranchised.
The executive director of
NESSACTION, Ambassador
Eniola Cole, made the call yesterday
in Abuja at the presentation of
#YourVoteMatters project report of
the2023generalelections.
She said the processes should be
mergedtoenhancemoreregistrations
and ease of PVCs collections for
eligiblecitizens.
The event was organised by
NESSACTION, International
Foundation for Electoral Systems
(IFES), United States Agency for
InternationalDevelopment(USAID)
and Foreign Commonwealth and
DevelopmentOffice(FCDO).
“The infusion of technology into
Nigeria’s electoral process creates
credibility for INEC processes and
procedures. However, an INEC
reviewofthecurrenttwo-stepprocess
ofCVRandPVCcollectionisneeded
to ensure that eligible voters are not
disenfranchised,”Colesaid.
She said that ahead of
Nigeria’s 2023 presidential and
National Assembly elections, the
organisation and its partners had
sought to increase the number of
PVCs collected by five per cent
and increase voter participation in
the election by strengthening the
capacity of INEC to deliver a more
inclusive voter registration and voter
participation exercise through the
#YourVoteMattersproject.
“The six-month project
sought to support 30,000 direct
beneficiaries and over 2,000,000
indirect beneficiaries by leveraging
on community strength and
mobilisation techniques deployed to
capturethetargetaudienceofwomen,
youth, persons with disabilities
(PWDs) and internally displaced
persons in view of current economic
realities.
“However, the project met and
overshot all targets by supporting
31,712 direct beneficiaries and over
156million indirect beneficiaries
through nationwide media
coverage on radio, television and
other mainstream media channels,
using the innovative Online Data
Collection and Analyses (ODCA)
tooldeployed,”shesaid.
V
ice President Yemi
Osinbajo, yesterday
departed Abuja for the
United States (US) to deliver a
special lecture at the University
of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in
Philadelphia.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu
Akande, in a statement noted
that the vice president would
also participate in an interactive
session with students, coordinated
by Wale Adebanwi, a professor of
Africana Studies at the UPenn.
The vice president’s lecture on
April 24, which will be centred
on climate change and transition,
will be hosted by the university’s
Centre for Africana Studies.
Osinbajo, a leading voice and
strong advocate for a Just Energy
Transition for Africa and the
developing world, is currently
spearheading efforts aimed at
creating the African carbon
market as one of the pathways of
a just and sustainable transition.
UPenn, which is one of the
eight private universities known
as the Ivy League in the US, was
initially established in 1740 as a
charity school.
It was later transformed into
an academy in 1751 by Benjamin
Franklin, a future founding father
of the US, who also served as the
first president of the Board of
Trustees of the university.
It was founded through the
merger of the Afro-American
Studies Programme and the
Centre for the Study of Black
Literature and Culture at the
University of Pennsylvania in
2015.
The centre is hosting the
vice president’s special lecture in
partnership with other faculties of
the university, such as PennCarey
Law,PerryWorldHouse,Wharton
Business School, Coalition for
Equity and Opportunity and
Perelman School of Medicine.
Osinbajo is expected back in
Abuja after his engagements in
Philadelphia. (NAN)
Meningitiskills118in22states
Security operatives at the entrance of Millennium Park during Sallah celebration in Abuja
yesterday PHOTO: Onyekachukwu Obi

In the past, Nigerians have suffered loss over failure to export their farm produce, but that narrative has changed as many agricultural produce
now receive a boost with exportation to countries in Europe, America, Asia as well as other African countries. This analysis shows how Nigeria
agro-produce has fared in recent times.
7
April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
BUSINESS
Nigerian export
Nigeriawitnessesriseinagro-produce
exportstoEurope,Asia,others
From Eugene Agha Lagos
N
igeria’sagriculturalproduceexports
in recent years have grown rapidly,
with Europe, America and Asia
being the major destinations.
The export of agricultural products to
these countries now account for nearly 80
per cent of Nigeria’s total exports.
Agro exports surged to a five-year
high in 2022 amid local production push,
accordingtoareportbytheNationalBureau
of Statistics (NBS).
The data shows that a total of
N598.2billionworthofagriculturalproducts
were exported in 2022, accounting for 18.5
per cent increase when compared to the
figurerecordedin2021.Thishas,innosmall
measure, pushed the interest of Nigerians
into export business.
Interestingly, countries in Europe have
becomeveryimportantmarketsforNigerian
exporters, thereby making demand for agro
export to surge.
The major export markets of Nigeria
in Q4, 2022 were Spain, The Netherlands,
India, France and Indonesia, according
to the NBS Commodity Price Indices and
Terms of Trade (Q4 2022) report.
Federal government’s efforts targeted at
encouraging both production and exports
have contributed in no small measure to the
sudden surge in shipments to the developed
world.
Last Wednesday, the Customs area
controller, Lilypond Export Processing
Terminal in the Ijora area of Lagos,
Mohammed Babandede, said the command
processed a total of 118,184.96 tonnage of
non-oilexportsbetweenJanuaryandMarch
of 2023.
BabandedeputtheFreeOnBoard(FOB)
value of the total export within the three
months under review at N86.53billion.
This is against the N34.72bn of export
whichApapacommand,thebiggestseaports
in Nigeria, handled in 2022. This is against
the N30.2bn (FOB value of $82.1m) it also
handled between January and March 2021.
Nigeria’s quest to increase its export
earnings received a significant boost
in the fourth quarter of 2022 with the
establishmentoftheNigeriaCustomsExport
Processing Command in Ijora, Lagos, with
thecommandbecomingaone-stop-shopfor
agro export.
According to the NBS report, Nigeria
exported N5.76trillion worth of items in
2021 and that increased in the first quarter
of 2022 by 23.13 per cent, while imports
declined by 0.67 per cent.
An analysis of the NBS Q4 2022 in
terms of trade report indicates that the
All-Commodity Group Export increased
marginally by 0.04 per cent points between
November and December 2022. This
was majorly due to a decrease in prices
of papermaking material; paper and
paperboard, articles, live animals; animal
products and an increase in the price of
wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal
and articles.
Some of the top export destinations are
Spain, The Netherlands, France, India,and
Indonesia. For instance, Nigeria exported
major agro produce to The Netherlands in
the last quarter of 2022. It exported superior
quality cocoa beans valued at N43.91 bn
and standard quality cocoa beans worth
N3.91bn to the country. Nigeria also
exported commodities to Indonesia during
the period; they are superior quality cocoa
beans(N7.99bn)andstandardqualitycocoa
beans (N1.86bn).
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS)
was among the agencies that provided the
data on export to the NBS, the report noted.
The role of new export terminal
Briefing newsmen, Babandede, said
that within the three months of operation,
the command was able to process non-oil
exports with a total tonnage of 118,184.96.
He said the command’s revenue profile
showedthatitprocessedexportgoodsworth
N86.426bn, which is equivalent to free
on-board value (FOB) of $204,656,119.04.
He listed the agricultural produce
processed to include cocoa beans, cashew
nuts, sesame seeds, hibiscus flower, soya
beans and ginger.
“Other items exported are mineral
resources, such as lithium ore, manganese
ore and zircon sand, to mention few.
“Manufactured goods exported are
instant noodles, cosmetics, cigarettes and
beverages,” he added.
Babandede noted that cocoa beans top
the list on the export chart, while cashew
nuts, sesame seeds, hibiscus flower, soya
beans and ginger followed in that order.
He said the interesting aspect of the
export list is that there had been a growing
demand for Nigeria made cosmetics and
furniture by countries in the West Africa
sub-region.
He said the Lilypond Export Command,
despite being a new command, recorded
some major achievements, noting that the
new command has drastically reduced delay
in export processing and as a result of which
hasmadethebusinessofexporteffectiveand
efficient since all agencies are domiciled in
one place as a one-stop shop.
“It has reduced congestion along the
access roads to the port and inside the port
terminals,givingspaceforimportcontainers,
and that has given rise to a reduced cost of
export business. It has reduced the issue
of contract cancellation and the issue of
pilfering of cargo has been eliminated.
“Released containers can access the port
within 48 hours for loading onto awaiting
vessels.Thecommand,incollaborationwith
shipping lines, has reduced the turnaround
time of a vessel, which decreases the cost of
shipping
“Lilypond Export Command has
completely erased the issue of rejection
and return of our agro-produce, which is
usually caused by delay and lack of requisite
phytosanitary certificates,” he added.
Recall that the Nigeria Customs Service,
in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports
Authority, in August 2022, approved
the establishment of export processing
terminals (EPTs) with the mandate to
undertake stuffing, examination and
document processing for non-oil export
cargos accessing Lagos ports by road, rail
and barges.
“Its establishment is geared towards
fast-tracking export businesses for quick
turnover to ensure proper documentation
and repatriation of export proceeds back to
thecountrytodecongesttheportsandallthe
roads leading to them,” he explained.
To achieve this, Lilypond Export
Command was created and commissioned
on November 1, 2022, and since its
establishment, the controller said there had
been meetings with various stakeholders
comprising terminal operators, exporters,
licensed agents, freight forwarders and
shipping lines.
To drive more exports, the permanent
secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade
and Investment, Dr Evelyn Ngige, recently
announcedthelaunchoftheDomesticTrade
HouseinChina.Thiswouldboostexportsto
the Asian region.
She said, “I am happy to inform you that
the Nigerian Export Promotion Council
(NEPC), in collaboration with relevant
stakeholders, has launched a Domestic
Warehouse Initiative, which is a one-stop
facility or terminal for storage of products,
packaging and branding in preparation for
ultimate transportation to ports.
“This initiative was set up to eliminate
logistics challenges, which our exporters
faced. The export warehouses are critical in
fosteringnon-oiltradeexportsandtoreduce
challenges experienced by exporters.”
Dr Ngige further noted that China was
deliberate because through the Export
Trading House, the volume of export and
feasibility of seeing Nigeria’s products
and market share with countries will be
enhanced.
Cocoa beans top
the list on the
export chart, while
cashew nuts,
sesame seeds,
hibiscus flower,
soya beans and
ginger followed in
that order.

8 April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
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April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
viewpoint 9
The editor welcomes brief letters on topical issues. Write an e-mail to sunday@dailytrust.com
or sundaytrust@yahoo.com.
Presidential 25% requirement:Why FCT voters are special
T
here have been arguments and counter
arguments by the public, especially
legal experts about Section 134 (1) and
(2) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as
amended) which stipulates that a presidential
candidate must attain or score a majority of
votes cast in a presidential election, where two
or more candidates are involved, and at least
25% in two-third of the 36 states and Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria to meet the
constitutional requirement to be declared as
dulyelectedasPresidentofNigeria.
This writer is not a legal practitioner and as
suchhasnointentionofjoiningintheargument
withlawyersaboutthecontentiousSection134
(1)(2)oftheconstitution.
However, as a public affairs analyst, I have
deemeditfittomakemyprognosisorhypothesis
which appears logical to my perspective. Since
Nigeria has 36 states and the FCT, Abuja, a
presidential candidate is required to score a
simplemajorityofvotesandatleast25percent
votesin24StatesplustheFCT.
The framers of the constitution had it
in mind that the FCT is not a state, and that’s
why the section was written as two-thirds of
the 36 states and the FCT. It’s mandatory that
a presidential candidate must score 25 per cent
votesin24statesandtheFCT.
Thosewhopostulatethatit’snotcompulsory
that a presidential candidate must score a
minimum of 25 perc ent votes in the FCT are
utterly wrong. As earlier stated, Nigeria has 36
states and the FCT. The FCT is not a state, the
FCT has its own peculiarities clearly distinct
fromthoseofthestates.
TheFCTisundertheadministrationofthe
Nigerianpresidentwhoappointsaministerorat
times two ministers to oversee the affairs of the
FCT. The FCT could be regarded as a ministry
because it has a federal permanent secretary
as its head of administration. The FCT has no
governor, state assembly members, unlike the
states. The FCT has just one senatorial district
unlike the states. Since the president is deemed
astheheadoftheFCTwhoadministersitsaffairs
throughhisministers,shouldn’tthepresidentbe
requiredtoscoreatleast25percentofthevotes
intheFCTwhichheoversees?
The recent general election had the ignoble
recordofthefirsttimethatapresidentialwinner
didnotattainorscore25%votesintheFCTsince
theSecondRepublicorevenindependence.For
instance, MKO Abiola, Olusegun Obasanjo,
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan
and Muhammadu Buhari all scored at least 25
percentvotesintheFCT.
TheFCTdoesnotattendFederalAllocation
Account Committee (FAAC) meetings unlike
states. The fiscal budget of the FCT is usually
preparedbythepresidentthroughhisministers
and passed by the National Assembly unlike
stateswheresuchbudgetsarepassedbytheState
HousesofAssembly.
Inconclusion,apresidentialcandidatemust
scoreatleast25%votesintheFCTtobeeligible
to be declared as duly elected because the same
FCT is literally one of his ministries which he
oversees as president. Anything short of that is
anaberration,anullity,illegitimateandillegal.
Ifeanyi Maduako, wrote from Owerri,
Imo State
2023 presidential poll won and lost on political experience
T
he Nigeria political atmosphere was
charged in February, 2023 leading to
presidential election that witnessed
the power play deployed by four political
gladiators for the first time in recent Nigeria
democratichistory.Thesegladiatorsfeatured
in the platform of APC with ex-governor,
Bola Tinubu, LP with ex-governor Peter
Obi, PDP with ex-governor but not sworn
in and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar,
NNPP with ex-governor, senator and
representative, Rabiu Kwankwaso. Though,
this is without prejudice to the rights of
other sundry political political parties that
participated in that very election.
These gladiators can be x-rayed and
judged by their political experiences that
earnedthemscoresofvotesindifferentstates,
zones and regions in Nigeria.
President–elect Bola Tinubu, the battle
to becoming the president began with the
issue of Northern candidate in person of
Ahmed Lawal, Senate president endorsed
by imaginary cabal in the presidency and
announced by Abdullah Adamu, national
Chairman of APC. Tinubu went into the
primary and trounced those aspirants that
dared him. He secured the party ticket with
thepowerofnegotiationthatsawsomeofthe
aspirantssteppingdownforhimonthestage.
The second strategy was the same faith
ticket as a choice to pull votes from the states
andtribeswherevoterswouldbeconsidering
different factors before casting their votes.
Though, this same faith strategy could not
achieve much as expected, as against general
outcry and criticism around it.
Atiku Abubakar outsmarted the PDP
governors with his long-standing political
experience by masterminding the formation
of two committees. First on party offices to
be zoned to regions and the second to leave
presidential ticket open to every member
irrespective of region. The committee on
zoning of party offices was headed by Gov.
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, while the
committeeonpresidentialticketwasheadby
Gov. Bala Muhammad.
In conclusion, Atiku Abubakar got close
to 80% of his entire votes from the Northern
Muslims and with 20% of Christian south
and few northern voters.
PeterObi,theLPcandidategotadoptedby
existing laid-back docile LP and he injected
life and activeness into the LP structure and
it became a threat to the likes of APC and
PDP. The Peter Obi LP threw in third force
dynamicsintothepoliticalsystemforthefirst
time in recent political struggle.
Peter Obi LP deployed youth movement
structure, different from traditional
political party’s structures to drive home his
campaign.Thismovementbecamelikeawild
fire, especially with its dominance in social
media space.
Peter Obi LP de-emphasise the use
of money and structure to landing the
covetedpresidentialpower.Withhisorganic
supports, he was able to instil fear on APC
and PDP.
The Peter Obi’s master stroke strategy
was the use of Christians and CAN body to
evoke emotion. Peter Obi would be judged
to have secured estimated 90% of Christian
votesacrossNigeriaandwith10%ofMuslim
votes earned from organic Muslims voters.
Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP started
his desire to become president in 2023
election by dumping APC over perceived
disagreement with the Governor Ganduje
of Kano State, on matters surrounding the
control of party structure in Kano State.
The second topmost strategy by
Kwankwasotodrivehispresidentialambition
was to adopt the “Talakawa” concept of
Aminu Kano, a foremost Nigeria politician
in the first republic. Kwankwaso secured
most of the votes from his North-west zone
and made impressive showing in the entire
northernregionandperformedpoorlyinthe
entire Southern regional polar dichotomy.
Kwankwaso is estimated to have scored 90%
of his accrued votes from the North and 10%
votes from the Southern Nigeria.
Abdullahi Ocheja wrote from Karu in
Abuja.

April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
viewpoint
10
APC’swinningMuslim-Muslimticket:Victory
fornationalinterestoverpersonalambition
By Dapo Okubanjo
T
he 2023 general elections
have come and gone. In spite
of all the post-election noise
and desperate machinations of the
opposition, we have a president-elect
and vice president-elect in the persons
of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and
Senator Kashim Shettima who will be
sworn-incomeMay29,2023.
This election season was very
instructive in a number of ways as it
threw up a number of issues which
had gnawed at our political national
consciousnessandproventobeleverage
points for mischievous politicians to
drive their personal ambitions and
benefits. Two of these are PDP legacy
issues of power distribution between
the Northern and Southern regions
and the two most popular religions,
Christianity, and Islam. Thus, if the
presidency is zoned to the North, the
vice presidency is zoned to the South.
Also, if the presidential candidate
is Christian, the vice-presidential
candidate would then be Muslim and
viceversa.
The intention of this arrangement
is purportedly in keeping with a desire
to balance national character. This
arrangement seeks to pacify the two
broadregionsandreligions.However,it
isinstructivetorecallthatthefreestand
fairest election thus far in our national
history,theMKOAbiolaandBabaGana
Kingibe ticket in 1993, only agreed in
principle to the arrangement of the
NorthandSouthspreadbutdifferedon
thereligionspreadtenetwithaMuslim-
Muslimticket.
A quick recall of the events leading
to the selection of Senator Kashim
Shettima might be instructive. APC
Northern governors and stalwarts
had agreed to a Southern presidential
candidate for the party and this led to
the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
as the party’s presidential candidate.
The next hurdle became the choice
of a vice presidential candidate. The
expected norm, as stated above, is to
find a Northern, Christian candidate
astherunningmate.Thiswaswhenthe
politicaldramaandintriguesbegan.
For the team of the presidential
candidate, it was imperative that a
politically strong candidate with the
requisite political capital and grassroot
support be chosen as the running
mate. The team considered a lot of
options with the intention of agreeing
on a suitable North-South, Muslim-
Christian arrangement. Unfortunately,
all the permutations considered by the
political models revealed that there
wasn’t a suitable Northern Christian
candidate that could deliver the crucial
northernvotes.
At this point, it became inevitable
that a Northern Muslim would be
chosen as the running mate for the
party’s vice-presidential position. The
only question at this point was who.
Afterarigorousreviewperiod,Senator
Kashim Shettima emerged the best
optiontoguaranteeelectoralsuccess.
It must be emphasiSed here that
this option was a matter of political
expediencyandnotanattempttoslight
the received wisdom of North-South,
Christian-Muslim ticket. Elections are
not mere stages for showmanship but
a platform driven by the deployment
of the best machinations to deliver
electoralsuccess.Theattempttoplayto
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the gallery that would ultimately dilute
thechancesofwinningatthepollsisthe
heightofself-sabotage.
Suffice it to say that there were
membersoftheAPCwhofeltaggrieved
bythispermutationandhadhopedtobe
therunningmatebasedonthereceived
arrangement.Theirpersonalambitions
forgot the June 12, 1993 electoral
victory of MKO Abiola and Baba Gana
Kingibe,asamefaithticketthatromped
to undeniable national electoral victory
withaplomb.
These erstwhile acolytes and party
leaders formed themselves into an
in-house opposition bloc within the
APC. They declared, as boldly stated
by Babachir Lawal, that no Christian
wouldvoteforAllProgressivesCongress
(APC) Muslim-Muslim ticket and
went ahead to rally opposition among
adherents of the Christian faith against
therulingparty.
Thiscreatedtensionwithintheparty
andledtosignificantpublicmalignment
ofpartyfaithfulswhochosetoseethebig
picture that works in the party’s favour.
The likes of Plateau State governor
Simon Lalong and Minister for Special
Duties George Akume were called
names.However,arguablynonesuffered
more humiliation than what one-time
chairman of the Action Congress of
Nigeria(ACN)intheFCTanderstwhile
APC National Chairman and Deputy
National Chairman aspirant, Sunny
Moniedafe endured, especially after
he publicly went on Channels Politics
Today to rally support for the Tinubu-
Shettima ticket contrary to the position
of many Adamawa Christians in the
rulingparty.
He was derided and specifically
singled out as a traitor and a betrayer of
theChristianfaith.Interestingly,hehad
always stayed true to the progressive
ideals that birthed APC from his years
in one of the legacy parties that came
togethertoformtherulingpartyin2014,
theAllCongressofNigeria(ACN).
A true party man, he ran for the
national chairmanship of the APC
but stepped down for the incumbent
Senator Abdullahi Adamu based on
the consensus candidacy arrangement
advancedbyPresidentBuhari.
Even when the Vice Presidency was
zoned to his region, and he eminently
qualified to challenge for the position
basedonhisChristianfaith,heconceded
that Senator Shettima offered the best
chance of electoral victory to the party
and gladly supported the presidential
ambitions of both he and Asiwaju Bola
AhmedTinubu.Astimehasshown,the
loyalty and trust in what was best for
the party was actualised in the eventual
electoral victory of the party’s ticket
bearers.
Following APC’s electoral victory, it
is only fitting that these party faithfuls
are rewarded for their loyalty and
faithfulness in the face of bullying,
embarrassment and public ridicule.
In fact, not only were the Northern
Christianmenandwomenfaithful,they
alsomobilizedandralliedtheNorthern
Christian community in the region for
the party’s ticket. They chose national
interest over personal ambition and
ethnoreligious bigotry. These are true
Nigerians!
Clearly, there is a serious need for
confidence building in the values the
partystandsforandabidesby.
Dapo Okubanjo wrote via
dokubanjo@yahoo.co.uk
Citizens reciprocate their fair
treatment in the hands of the
state with unalloyed loyalty to the
state. The Americans know this
more than any other nations on
earth. American citizens, including
those who break the law in other
countries, enjoy the protection
of the American state anywhere
in the world. American citizens
know that their government
always has their back. It is the way
to cultivate patriotism and make
citizens believe in and trust their
government.
Ekweremadu:Why Obasanjo’s
plea for mercy matters
Ekweremadu like a common criminal who deserves
his comeuppance. I do not suggest that he is above
the law. He could be above the law here but certainly
not in Great Britain where the law and the of rule are
treatedwithrespect,notwitharrogantcontemptand
impunity.
Ekweremadu was deputy senate president for 12
years, and, therefore, a major player in our national
politics. He is no longer in the senate but his role as a
political leader in and out of the legislative chambers
cannot now be sacrificed on the altar of the step he
took to save his daughter’s life, but which turned out
to be an illegal step. He failed to observe the thin line
that divides organ donation from organ purchase.
Some people condemn him as an exploiter of the
poorboywhowouldbewilling,fortherightprice,to
sell his organ to survive. It was a grievous error and
grievously he and his wife are paying for it - with the
addedproblemthattheirdaughter’shealthchallenge
remainsachallengewhiletheyfacethedarkprospects
of a long stretch in prison.
I know that being Obasanjo, his letter will be
treated as an interference with a case that does not
concernhimbythosewhoresenthiseverywordand
everyattempttomakehiscontributionstohowweare
governedandhowweoughttobegoverned. Idonot
hear the sound of chest beating here. I hear the plea
of a concerned senior citizen for a fellow citizen who
ran afoul of the British law.
The more important point Obasanjo sought
to make in his letter, considering that he properly
introduced himself to the clerk as a four-star
general, a former military head of state and a former
president, is that the Nigerian government has been
negligentorremissorbothinabandoningtheformer
deputy senate president and his wife to their fate. In
other words, he is making the plea for mercy as an
importantandresponsiblemilitaryandcivilianleader
who knows that although the law is no respecter of
persons,theendoflawistheadministrationofjustice.
Theadministrationofjusticeispunitive,butitisalso
more importantly rehabilitative and reformative,
hencethedecisiontochangethenameoftheNigerian
PrisonServicetoNigerianCorrectionalServices.The
Nigeriangovernmentcannotbeindifferenttothefate
of its citizens anywhere in the world.
Obasanjo believes, and I share in that belief, that
the Nigerian state has a duty to protect its citizens
anywhere in the world and where necessary, save
them from the kind of trauma and ordeal that
Ekweremadu and his wife are going through. He
has raised his voice in the defence of a responsible
Nigerianwhomistakinglysteppedoutsidethelawin
his eagerness to save his daughter. What Obasanjo
triedtodothroughhislettertothecourtoughttohave
beenundertakenorexploredthroughthediplomatic
channel between the Nigerian government and the
British government.
I have argued here and elsewhere that patriotism
isreciprocal.Citizensreciprocatetheirfairtreatment
in the hands of the state with unalloyed loyalty to
the state. The Americans know this more than any
other nations on earth. American citizens, including
those who break the law in other countries, enjoy
the protection of the American state anywhere
in the world. American citizens know that their
government always has their back. It is the way to
cultivate patriotism and make citizens believe in and
trust their government.
Our country does not have the economic and
military muscle to have its way like the Americans,
butthediplomaticchannelsareavailableasforumsfor
nations to talk friendship and cement friendship for
their mutual interests and to benefit their respective
citizens. It is a path the Nigerian government ought
to have taken in this case out of the klieg lights of
the mainstream and the social media attention.
EkweremadubroketheBritishlaw,butheandhiswife
are not criminals. They are a desperate couple trying
todowhattheycouldtosavetheirdaughter’slife.The
lawisrighttofrownatit,butthecourtwouldbewrong
tosticktolegalismandnottemperjusticewithmercy.
[Repeat]
F
ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote to
the chief clerk of the Central Criminal Court,
Old Bailey, in London, last month, pleading
withthecourttotemperjusticewithmercyinrespect
of Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice.
Theyweretriedandconvictedbythecourtoncharges
of organ trafficking and are awaiting sentencing by
the court. Obasanjo’s letter was an unprecedented
step with, I believe, a genuine feeling and purpose.
Ekweremadu’s case is sad, unfortunate, and
pathetic. He and his wife were arrested in May last
year by the Metropolitan Police and eventually
“charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel
ofanotherpersonwithaviewtoexploitation,namely,
organ harvesting.”
No parent who has followed their dramatic
changeoffortunefromimportantpeopletoprisoners
would fail to be touched by their trauma, their
ordeal, and their plight. There is no contesting the
fact that Ekweremadu and his wife broke a British
law on modern slavery, but neither he nor his wife
is a criminal in the business of organ harvesting or
trafficking.
As parents, they were faced with the health
challenges of their daughter who needs a kidney
transplant.Theyweredutyboundbytheirmoraland
sacredparentalresponsibilitiestotakewhateversteps
they deemed necessary, within the law, of course, to
savethelifeoftheirdaughter.Allresponsibleparents
woulddothesametosavetheirailingchild.Thatthey
tookwhattheybelievedwastherightstep,butwhich
turned out to be a wrong step, does not make them
criminals. Still, they have to pay the price for their
error of the heart before the law.
The senator and his wife did not go into this with
acriminalintent.Ekweremadu,alawyer,failedtosee
that while organ donation is not illegal in Britain, it
is illegal to pay or seek to pay for it. He and his wife
believedthattheyoungmantheytooktoLondonwas
awillingdonornotasellerofhispreciousorgan.They
weremistakenontwocounts.One,theytookayoung
man who is smarter and had his own agenda before
he left Nigeria for Britain. Two, they acted like the
privileged Nigerians they are, to wit, their privileged
position means they can get whatever they want,
including possibly using their wealth to buy a cold
spot in hell.
TheNigeriangovernmentfeelsindifferenttowhat
has befallen the senator and his wife. It obviously
dismissesthemascriminalswhomustbeartheirown
cross.Ithasleftthemtostewinwhatthegovernment
regards as their criminality. It was this apparent
indifference on the part of the federal government,
I think, that motivated Obasanjo, the famous Letter
Man, to borrow from the title of Musikilu Mojeed’s
engaging book on him, to take this rather unusual
stepofwritingalettertothecourttopleadformercy
on behalf of the senator and his wife. I am willing
to believe that he acted with the best of intentions
towards a fellow Nigerian.
It is not right for the federal government to treat

11
April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
viewpoint
COMMENTDEBATE
[PENPOINT
0805 9252424 (SMS only) [ with
Monima Daminabo
email: monidams@yahoo.co.uk
PAP: As the‘S. I. P.’
option beckons
O
ne issue that attracted significant
interest in the course of the winding
down process of the current
administration of President Muhamadu
Buhari was the scare that the Presidential
Amnesty Programme (PAP), was to be
wound down with Buhari’s exit from office
come May 29, 2023. Fortunately such a
scare was artfully and promptly resolved by
the sterling enterprise of the programme’s
current Interim Administrator - Major
General Barry Ndiomu (retd), who saved the
day by countering the rather disturbing mis-
information, and assured of the willingness
of the administration to sustain PAP for
handover to a succeeding government. The
import of Ndiomu’s advocacy is accentuated
by its utility in containing the massive
disruption of the prevailing peace in the
region, courtesy of the sustenance of PAP.
PAP was established by the Umaru
Yar Adua administration in 2009, at the
height of agitation by armed Niger Delta
youth groups, who were agitating for more
equitable conditions of living in the region.
Their agitation was justified by the perennial
neglectbytheNigerianstateoftheirregionin
national development considerations. Given
thecontingentcircumstancesatthattime,the
government was more focused on stopping
the violence at all costs firstly, and resolving
the causative factors later. Hence it conceded
exclusive advantages to the complement of
actual agitators who laid down their arms for
the receipt of monthly stipends and training
opportunities. This scenario created a pool
of 30,000 ex-agitators who would be paid a
monthly stipend of N65,000.00.
However, after lasting for over a decade
the programme has become overdue
for restructuring. Yet, in what form and
structure it will be delivered to the incoming
administration has remained a matter of
interest to several observers within and
outside the government as well as the Niger
Deltaregionwhichisitsprimaryareaoffocus.
Overtime,theprogrammehasmanifested
issues that dictate its review. First is the issue
ofdemographicincongruitiesintheschedule
ofbeneficiariesofitslargesse.Severalreviews
of the beneficiaries list have manifested
significantcontradictionsofthedemographic
circumstances in it. For instance, it is
unnaturalthatahumancollectivecanremain
with unchanging demographic features
for over a decade. Yet PAP has continued
payment of the same stipends for the same
beneficiaries from 2009 to date. Needless to
note that the continued payment of the same
stipends to the original beneficiaries without
fail since 2009, constitutes an administrative
aberration that is difficult to justify.
Secondly is the challenge of misplaced
exclusivity of the beneficiaries. Feelers
from the zone are stringent that the 30,000
ex-agitators could not have been the only
actors in the series of agitations that led to
the PAP dispensation. It is strongly argued
that there are ex-agitators who were not
captured in the initial list. Added to this
contention is also the claim that much of the
30,000 beneficiaries of PAP largesse were
illegally smuggled into the benefit net by
unscrupulous officials of the scheme.
However the proverbial straw that broke
the camel’s back was the revelation by a
recent audit exercise under Ndiomu, that
out of the thousands of ex-agitators who
were purportedly trained by the programme,
only a negligible per cent have been gainfully
engaged in either paid employment or
self employment. Beyond any other
consideration, this dismal state of affairs
with the engagement of trained ex-agitators,
constitutestheultimatejustificationtosubject
the entire programme to a drastic review of
its workings. The situation dictates that it
can no more be business as usual with PAP,
as the reintegration of the ex-agitators has
been the primary objective of the scheme at
this stage. So if the products of its training
schemearenotemployable,whystillkeepthe
programmer in it present state, it is queried.
This is where the challenge of a paucity of
diminished entrepreneurial disposition and
skillsinthetrainingadmentoringcomponent
of their training stands out in graphic relief.
It is a case of dependence on government
handouts, taken too far. What needs to
done is a dispensation that promotes self
sufficiencyanddemandsthebuyinofallstake
holders in the region as well as the incoming
administration.
In a typical situation as this, the way
forwardisthe conversionof PAPintoaSocial
InvestmentProgramme(SIP). Infct,givenits
antecedents, if PAP converts to an SIP, it will
notonlybe ingoodcompany–butmayeven
be disposed to offer superior dividends as it
presently does.
As an SIP PAP will join the existing
complement of six such programmes but
with a difference being that it will still retain
its exclusive focus on the Niger Delta region
with respect to recruitment of beneficiaries
anddeliveryofwelfarepackages. Thisiswhat
isneededtodeliveritinthenewdispensation,
if its mission to fight poverty on a wider scale
is to be achieved.
However, the prospects of turning PAP
into an SIP or any new package which entails
tampering with its structure, is one that has
to deploy the most tactful processes given
the complement of security related issues
such will introduce. Essentially, given the
backdrop of mistrust harboured against the
federal government by the rank and file of
the millions of youth in the Niger Delta, the
restructuring of the PAP to another form
—even it will offer a higher level of utility
requires time and strategies for confidence
building in the zone. Yet it is a task that not
only needs to be done, but sooner than latter.
It is a case of dependence
on government
handouts, taken too far.
What needs to done
is a dispensation that
promotes self sufficiency
and demands the buy
in of all stake holders in
the region as well as the
incoming administration.
Flying Eagles’ ‘group of
death’may hurt Bosso again
Any nation that has qualified to compete at
the world stage is never a pushover.
Well, even the Nigeria Football
Federation(NFF)hassinceacceptedthefact
that the Flying Eagles are in a very difficult
group. The statement from the federation’s
communicationsdirectorateannouncingthe
outcome of the World Cup draws said it all.
“Flying Eagles must dig their feet into the
ground against Brazil, Italy and Dominican
Republic in order to scale the group phase
of this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup,” said
the NFF. The message simply underscored
the fact the Flying Eagles are faced with an
uphill task.
Since the NFF itself was honest enough
to acknowledge the toughness of the group,
there is no need to pretend that it is not
too cold for comfort. Nigerians have every
reasontoworryoverwhatisgoingtohappen
inArgentinabeginningfromMay20because
the performance of the Junior Eagles at the
lasteditionoftheAFCONinEgyptleftmuch
tobedesired.Althoughtheymanagedtopick
one of the available World Cup tickets, the
Flying Eagles were far from convincing. To
saytheyplayedlikesheepwithoutashepherd
will be an understatement.
Therefore, even before the end of the
tournament, it became clear that the team
would need a surgical operation to firm it
up for the bigger stage. Disappointed fans
demandedforfreshlegstobescoutedamong
young Nigerians who are presently making
their miserable outing in the competition
is being toyed with by those in charge of
the team.
Personally, I sympathise with Bosso
who must be sweating profusely because
he knows deep down his heart that the
task before him is enormous and capable
of finishing what is left of his reputation
as a coach. We all know that he has not
been successful with the Flying Eagles. He
is definitely not popular among Nigerian
football fans when it comes to his romance
with the national U-20 boys team.
Bosso’s most successful spell with the
Flying Eagles was when he led the squad of
2007 to reach the quarter-finals in Canada.
After his team was disgraced by Chile who
trouncedthem4-0,hehuggedtheheadlines
forthewrongreasonwhenhesensationally
accused English referee, Howard Webb, of
racism. FIFA instantly charged him with
“offensive behaviour” so he was banned
for four months and also fined a handsome
sum of money. After FIFA ban, he retained
his position but was sacked in 2009 when
the Flying Eagles finished third at that
year’s AFCON. But Bosso bounced back
after 11 years when he was reappointed
in 2020. Despite his failure to qualify the
team for the 2021 AFCON in Mauritania,
he retained his position and is set to lead
the Flying Eagles to another World Cup in
Argentina.
The foregoing has shown clearly that
Bossoisnotdeservingofhisroleascoachof
theFlyingEaglesbutasacatwithninelives,
heisstillthere.So,wecanonlyprayforhim
to use this present opportunity judiciously
to redeem his sagging image.
In addition, one may be tempted to say
heshouldmaximisehislastopportunitybut
with Bosso there is no final chance when it
comes to coaching the Flying Eagles. After
all, Nigeria is said to be the only country
where failure is rewarded with even more
juicy appointments.
O
n Friday, April 21 at the
headquarters of the world
football ruling body FIFA, in
Zurich, Nigeria’s U-20 boys’ national
team the Flying Eagles were handed a very
delicate group for the forthcoming World
Championship in Argentina. The number
three team in Africa was grouped along
with five-time champions Brazil, Italy and
the debutants Dominican Republic.
This group has since been described
by most Nigerians as the group of death
because they have lost confidence in their
team and are of the opinion that the Flying
Eagles might end up as the whipping team
in the group. So, this is also the reason for
the conclusion that the group is not good
for Coach Ladan Bosso who desperately
wants to make amends for his past failures
with the team.
It is necessary to emphasise that soon
as the draws were made, most Nigerians
quickly perused the other groups and
concluded that the Flying Eagles were
unlucky not to have been handed ‘cheaper’
opponents like Uzbekistan, New Zealand
and Guatemala who found themselves in
group A with the hosts Argentina. This
is one of the groups that some Nigerians
erroneously believe the Flying Eagles
would have scaled without much hassle.
But such an assumption is wrong and can
easilybackfirebecausethereisnothinglike
cheap teams at any world championship.
SPORTING VERDICT
DAVID NGOBUA
ngobuadavid@gmail.com 08035975831 (Text only)
[ [
waves in the youth teams of some of the
biggestclubsinEurope.Somanysuggestions
on how to quickly raise a formidable squad
for the World Cup were made by football
experts in the country.
Itwas,therefore,consolingthattheHead
Coach, Bosso announced immediately after
the underwhelming performance in Egypt
thatNigerianswouldseeanimprovedFlying
Eagles at the World Cup.
However, for those who expected drastic
or remarkable changes in the team, it was
a huge disappointment when the coach
recently released the list of players he
has invited to camp for the final phase of
preparations for the World Cup. One is not
saying he should have thrown away all the
boys who fought to qualify for the World
Cup but almost all of them are still in the
team. Again, some unknown players from
unknown football academies still made the
list. Unless, Bosso and the NFF have a better
plan which they have kept as a top secret,
thereisnoguaranteethatthoseplayerslisted
can deliver. But we are talking about playing
atthejuniorWorldCupwherethebestofthe
best would converge.
Anyway, now that we have known Flying
Eagles’ opponents in Argentina, it is time to
face the reality. Despite our successes at the
FIFA U-17 World Cup which we have won
a record five titles, Nigeria is yet to win the
U-20 World Cup which is a shame to say the
least. We came close in 1989 and 2005 when
theFlyingEaglesfinishedasrunners-up.We
have also won one bronze medal in 1985.
Even when we hosted the world in 1999, the
Flying Eagles failed to soar high enough.
Maliwhofinishedthirdendedourdreamsat
thequarterfinals.AndwhenanotherAfrican
country Egypt hosted the championship in
2009, Coach Samson Siasia who replaced
the current handler failed with the Flying
Eagles as they stopped at the Round of
16. It is therefore, disturbing that another
opportunityfortheFlyingEaglestoatonefor

12
FUNGAMES
April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y
FASTFACT “Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is
power; religion gives man wisdom which is control.”– Martin Luther King, Jr.
CROSSWORDZ
Adama Baba’s C L U E S
C L U E S
Find and circle all of the words that are hidden in the grid.
The remaining letters spell an additional word related to
TRANSPORTATION
Word Search TRANSPORTATION
AIRPLANE
BICYCLE
BLIMP
BOAT
BUS
ELEVATOR
ESCALATOR
FERRY
JET
MOPED
MOTORCYCLE
PARACHUTE
RAFT
ROCKET
SHIP
TRAIN
TRAM
TRUCK
No.
425
TURN UPSIDE-DOWN
FOR SOLUTION
Check out the solved grid
on the right to see if you
got it correctly.
Please send comments to
abdullahiadamax@gmail.com
Across
1. Unbleached colour
5. Green sauce
10. Harvest
14. Physical discomfort
15. Moderately warm
16. She, in Madrid
17. Emerald ____
18. Texas landmark
19. Thirst quenchers
20. Swindle
22. Pencil ends
24. Holy
28. Rich cake
29. More drowsy
32. Pro and ____
33. Not high
34. “The Lion King” villain
35. Changes for the better
39. Client
41. Frighten
43. ____ beer
44. Peruse again
46. Not ever, in verse
48. Flightless bird
49. Soccer’s ____ Hamm
50. Went off the track
52. Beauty shop
55. “Victoria ____”, highbrow Lagos area
56. Gave off
58. Quite little
62. Burrowing animal
63. Minimum
67. Met solo
68. Retirees’ accts.
69. Sci-fi weapon
70. Connect
71. Church group
72. School assignment
73. Glimpses
Down
1. Long story
2. Ready money
3. Provoke
4. Discomfort
5. School org.
6. Slippery fish
7. Health resort
8. Clocked
9. Stench
10. Thinker
11. Church leader
12. Observant
13. Old hat
21. Faucets
23. Tiny particle
25. Noisy insect
26. Authentic
27. Trips to the post office, e.g.
29. Insult
30. Suffer defeat
31. Water jug
32. Snapshot taker
36. Christmas carol
37. Hemispherical roof
38. Wall support
40. Most distant
42. Film holder
45. Isn’t, incorrectly
47. Speak wildly
51. Guiding principles
52. Large trucks
53. Love, in Rome
54. Flowering bush
55. Notions
57. French female
59. Albany’s canal
60. Tara, number in Hausa
61. Tibetan oxen
64. Animal, subject of famous Daily
Trust Saturday report by Tadaferua
Ujorha
65. Dead ____ Scrolls
66. Endeavour

Continued on page 14
REMINISCENCES
April 23, 2023
S U N D A Y 13
But I think the biggest one
was the defence pact Britain
wanted to enter into with
Nigeria and the students went
round and said no, explaining
that it would be dangerous
because Britain was fond of
doing all kinds of things. We
were afraid that they could
bomb Kano, Ibadan and Lagos,
so we all went to Lagos to
protest.
Ambassador Ahmed Alghazali graduated from the University of Ibadan in 1964 and worked in the northern Nigeria civil
service. He later moved to the Borno State Government after state the creation of states,as a permanent secretary in about five
ministries before he became the first Head of Service. He also served as an ambassador to Iran and Saudi Arabia. Alghazali was
a national commissioner in the Independent National Commission (INEC). His last service was as chairman of the Federal Civil
Service Commission from where he retired in 2011. In this interview he spoke on his career, the civil war and other issues.
Amb. Ahmed Alghazali
Howcivilservicereformbecame‘Deformed’–Amb.
Alghazali,ex-chair,fedcivilservicecommission
So,Icamebackandstarteddoinganother
minute because that particular person failed
the police college exam, even in Hausa. I had
toredothewholethingandtookittohim.He
said I could go.
Hecalledmelaterandexplainedthatsome
of us were young people and didn’t know
many things. He said there was what they
called superior information, which I should
submit to; and that was why he called me.
So things were not always as perfect as
they are presented?
Theyarenot;youhavetothinkdeeplyand
do your own enquiries.
There are a lot of stories about the
premier; hence he seems to be a model;
having worked in his office, do you think
those stories are exaggerated?
He was really a great man and teacher. He
was also extremely generous
I understand that everybody was
required to be in his house in the evening;
did he like being a big father?
No;itwasatypicalkindofnorthernthing.
He did not insist that people should go to his
house.
Afteryourcareerinthenorthernservice,
you went round provinces as a district
officer, then you found yourself at home as
a permanent secretary in many ministries,
andeventually,headofservice.Wasitmore
challenging being a top administrator
among your people in Borno than other
places?
No. Before civil service I went to Muri
when Abbas Tafida had just been appointed
emir and he was giving a lot of problems to
the administration. I was nominated from
the premier’s office to go and kind of contain
him. It was a very tough job because I started
to get gray hairs from that kind of exercise.
That early?
Yes; that early. I started getting threat
people were very interested in their people.
We were very patriotic and learnt a lot of
things.
It was when I moved to the Ministry
of Local Government that I had a lot of
experience.SultanDasukiwasmypermanent
secretary and the issue of appointment of the
chiefofpoliceinoneofthelocalgovernments
of the northern emirates was brought. Being
a young man, I started processing it to the
best of my ability and dis-recommended the
appointment of that person to that position.
When it went up to my permanent
secretary, they said they should look for
Alghazali. He called me to his office and
started saying some things. He later calmed
medownandgavemeacupoftea.Heshowed
me a minute and asked if I wrote it and I said
yes,verycoldly.Hesaiditwasverygoodandhe
wasimpressed,butaddedthatunfortunately,I
couldnotdowhatInotedbecausetheperson
wasthesonofanemirandthepremierwashis
very close friend. The premier had promised
that he was going to appoint his son. They all
wentuptoLondonconferenceetc,soitwould
be very difficult for me.
By Kabiru A. Yusuf
Y
ournamedoesnotsoundNigerian,
how did you come by it?
Alghazali is my grandfather’s
name. I believe they had a reason for it, but I
didn’t interrogate them.
Tell us about your early days in Borno.
I was born in Marte in 1938. My first
primary school was in Gaidam in 1947. I
wasalsoinprimaryschoolinaNguru,where
my dad was serving. I went to three primary
schools before I went to Borno Middle
School,thenBarewaCollege.Therestiswhat
you have seen from my curriculum vita
You attended the University of Ibadan
like Liman Ciroma, Adamu Ciroma and
perhaps many prominent people from
Borno; was the Ahmadu Bello University
(ABU) not an alternative?
No. After Barewa College we went to
Nigerian College from 1959 to 1961. At that
time it had not become ABU, so we went to
Ibadan.MallamAdamuCiromawastheonly
person from Borno.
Was he already graduating by then?
He was about to graduate. And we were
very few from the North. I think we were 12
or 14, out of nearly 2,000 students.
Was it a strange or difficult experience
for you to find yourself in that setting?
We all looked like strangers. Although it
is one country, the environment is not quite
the same. But somehow, we managed to
acclimatise within the period. It was a great
experience.
The most important thing I can
remember while we were there is the
incidentwehadwithMargaretMilkyMoore,
anAmericangirlwhowrotesomebadthings
about Nigerians. As she was heading to
class, she dropped a postcard she wrote to
her family in America, stating that we were
sleeping and eating in the streets etc. It was
such a big issue that even the then President
Kennedy had to speak.
Was she a student in Ibadan?
Yes.Atthattime,weusedtohavestudents
from Britain, America and other countries. It
was a big experience.
ButIthinkthebiggestonewasthedefence
pactBritainwantedtoenterintowithNigeria
and the students went round and said no,
explainingthatitwouldbedangerousbecause
Britain was fond of doing all kinds of things.
We were afraid that they could bomb Kano,
Ibadan and Lagos, so we all went to Lagos to
protest.
That was when the parliament was
meeting,sosenatorshadtojumpoutthrough
the window etc.
But later on, we heard that Nigeria had to
pay dearly for that action because during the
civil war, the British government refused to
sell arms to us.
We later understood that the Action
Group, headed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo,
spearheaded the protest.
It appears that at that stage in your life
you were a little political. For example,
you were the president of the Northern
Students Union, as well as the secretary of
thethenNorthernPeople’sCongress(NPC)
committee; what was the experience?
I was the secretary of the Northern
Students Association when we were in the
NigerianCollege,butwhenwewenttoIbadan
I was made the president of the association.
Around that time, politics was brewing, and
as a result of this, we were like old school or
typical radical students. We were radical and
kind of blaming the government.
We discovered that sometime in the
night we would find that Nnamdi Azikiwe,
who was popularly called Zik of Africa, or
some of Awolowo’s men, would come and
meet with their students. So we decided that
since we were being paid through the state
government, it was not proper to continue
to criticise or blame our government. So we
formed the NPC club at in the University of
Ibadan.
Northern People’s Congress?
ItwasnottheNorthernPeople’sCongress,
it was just NPC Club, University of Ibadan.
Amadu Ali was our first chairman. People
like Jubril Aminu, myself, Yahaya Aliyu, Yaya
Abubakar, Datti Ahmed, were members of
that club. We played active roles in defending
the interest of our people.
Were you in Ibadan when the coup of
1966 took place?
No; I was already working. But I was in
Ibadan when the census of 1962 came up and
there were rumours that the North had been
beaten.
When we came back and saw what
was going on, that particular exercise was
cancelled and another one was conducted
in 1963, but the figures were rejected by our
compatriots from the South. But our club
came out very strongly and boldly said that
weacceptedthefigures,evenbeforethemain
NPC in Kaduna.
GaladimaAhmedPategiandIbrahimBiu
had to speak up. It brewed up for some time
andsettled;andthefigureshadtobeaccepted.
Would you say your schooling
experience in Ibadan was negative; did it
make you more or less nationalistic?
Well,wemadefriendsacrossNigeria;and
up till today, I am still in touch with some of
them. It was good.
But it opened up another thing that a lot
of my compatriots did not know about the
North.
We made sure we stoutly defended the
interest of our people. That was the starting
pointofdeparturewithourcompatriotsfrom
the South.
It seems that after Ibadan you got
a plump job as an assistant secretary
(political) in the premier’s office. Was that
your first civil service job?
Yes.
How was the experience working in the
premier’s office?
It was a very stimulating experience;
those were great times. We also had the late
Ali Akilu and Liman Ciroma was the deputy
permanent secretary. Sunday Awoniyi was
one of our bosses.
What about Ahmed Talib?
Hewasinfinance.Itwasveryorderly,and

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