Category: Issues

A self acclaimed liberator, Efua Success has said that while the country is faced with incessant migration of its citizens to other countries, the nation’s problems will persist if not addressed .

Success argued that the economic crisis must be addressed to make the country work for its citizens.

He further noted that Nigerian youths are hardworking and resilient but needs a working system to thrive.

“We are hard working if the system is good enough to be honest I know our people the will make silver out of iron. To be honest anyone who think this way is right but at the same time wrong if they are not doing anything about it, because the first step to solving problem is not to run away from it but to first discover it, but in a nation where the liars are applauded and the veracious people are neglected, everyone tend to just seek the tote available means which is resulting to the japa system created today.”

Read Also: Japa Syndrome: Why they left, who is next 

He however calls on the leaders to look into the problems facing the country, fix it and build a better country.

In a similar vein, the host of ‘Let’s Fix It’, a program whose vision is to renew minds, transform lives and empower people said that young people are distracted by chasing the future.

“They are too carried away chasing the future presented to them that they forget about the true future that will give them lasting legacy, first of all, they all chase after profit with little or less focusing on purpose. So to me their greatest distractions is not social media but rather they are carried away with profit mindset forgetting about purpose fulfillments.”

Efua Success is a liberator  whose focus is renewing the minds of the people, transforming their lives and empowering them through the truth and transformative words daily and also supportive with resources.

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By Femi SALAKO

The race to produce the speaker of the 10th House Representatives is becoming more intense as the lifetime of the current 9th Assembly is gradually winding down. The contest is interestingly throwing up different individuals that are in their own rights deemed qualified.

Meanwhile, a few of the reelected ranking members of the House of Representatives with geo-political advantage to succeed the current Speaker, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila have equally made their intentions known. However, the most outstanding of the lot is the lawmaker representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.

The Iyan Zazzau is undoubtedly an outstanding lawmaker who has naturally earned the love and respect of the majority of his colleagues at the green legislative chamber. He has over the years proven himself as a natural leader that is innately built to be the first amongst his equals at the Federal House of Representatives.

Tajudeen is the House Committee Chairman for Land Transport and he has convinced every of his colleague that he is the best prepared and most qualified person to be the speaker of the 10th Assembly. The Iyan Zazzau can be readily likened to a very good product that markets itself. Tajudeen’s speakership ambition
has indeed been faithfully endorsed by several professional bodies, groups and a large majority of the newly elected and reelected members of the House of Representatives.

Tajudeen possess all the needed qualities to be the next speaker of the 10th Assembly. He is enviably educated and eminently experienced to preside over the affairs of the House of Representatives. The highly resourceful Kaduna born lawmaker
is manifestly of unblemished integrity which has earned him respect amongst his colleagues at the National Assembly.

He has distinguished himself as the
only federal lawmaker from the North-West region who has thus far sponsored unprecedented 74 bills. Abbas also stands out as a man that is most suitable in character, experience and academic qualifications to preside over the House of Representatives. He is a man of impeccable character and his moral standing as well as intellect depth are far beyond any trace of doubt.

The 59 year-old Abass Tajudeen is a man that is awesomely cool, calm, calculated and highly experienced in the business of lawmaking. He has served in various committees of the House of Representatives that include National Planning and Economic Development, Public Procurement, Defence, Social Duties, Finance and Commerce. The Iyan Zazzau also served as the Vice Chairman of the Legislative Compliance Committee from May 2011 to May 2015.

The vastly experienced legislator is a Doctorate degree holder in Business Management from the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto
He was awarded his Ph.D in year 2010. Earlier, the lawmaker had in 1993 obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Ahmadu Bello University. The Iyan Zazzau is also a Bachelor’s degree holder in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He obtained the degree in flying colours in 1988.

Abbas Tajudeen also obtained a Diploma in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University in 1984. He had much earlier attended Kaduna Teacher’s College (KTC) Kaduna where he obtained a grade II certificate in 1981. He also studied and passed his West African School Certificate Examination at the Government Secondary School, Makarfi in 1978. He had earlier obtained his First School Leaving Certificate at the LEA Primary School, Lemu, Zaria in 1976.

The federal lawmaker has a very robust carer trajectory that covers education, management and marketing. He worked as a primary school teacher from 1981 to 1988 with the Education Department of Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. He afterwards worked with Trust Acceptance Limited as an Investment Officer from 1988 to 1989. He also worked at the Bursary Department of Kaduna State Polytechnic as Accountant II in 1989.

Tajudeen picked up interest in the academics when he took up employment as Lecturer II and equally doubled as the pioneer Head of Department of Accounting and Finance Department of Kaduna State Polytechnic Zaria from 1989 to 1993. He however left the academic environment to pick up employment with the Nigeria Tobacco Distributions Company Plc, now known as British –American Tobacco as Area Marketing Manager from 1993 to 1998.

Meanwhile, Tajudeen also worked as the General Manager of Jos Tobacco Distribution Company Limited from 1998 to 2001. He equally found his way back to the academics in 2001 when he served as the Head of Department and Senior lecturer in the Banking and Finance Department of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic Zaria till 2005. He afterwards moved to the Kaduna State University, Kaduna in 2005 where he worked at the Accounting Department as Lecturer I and the poineer Head of Department until year 2010.

The highly resourceful federal lawmaker successfully published
13 academic papers in international journals and also attended more than forty national and international seminars and conferences while working as a lecturer.

In 2011, he however contested and
won election as a member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State on the platform of Congress for Progressive Chance (CPC). He was
made the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Compliance and served in this position until 2015. He was again in 2015 re-elected to represent Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC). He also served as the Chairman of House Committee on Solid Mineral until 2019.

Abbas Tajudeen in 2019 repeated the same political feat by getting re-elected as member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC). He was again made the Chairman, House Committee on Land Transport till date. He has yet been re-elected in 2023 to represent the same good people of Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The Iyan Zazzau is a member and fellow of several professional bodies in Nigeria. He became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTS) in year 2020. He also became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketers in 2013 and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Administrators in 2016. He was decorated as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management in 2010
and also became Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Nigeria in 2015. He also became an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management in 2008.

The outstanding qualities of Abbas Tajudeen have earned him several honours within and outside of Nigeria. In year 2019, he was made the Treasurer of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (African Chapter). In the same year, he was also made a Governing Council member of the Nigeria Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies
(NILDS) where he represents the North West Geo Political Zone till date. He served as the chairman of the House of Representatives Adhoc Committees on four different occasions from 2015 to 2022.

Tajudeen has won several back-to-back awards as the Best Performing House of Representatives Member for several years. Above all, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen sponsored 43 Bills and 13 Motions in the 8th Assembly which was the 3rd highest number of Bills from any member. In the 9th Assembly, he equally sponsored 78 Bills and 7 Motions which turned out to be the highest by any member in the House. Interestingly, 20 of the Bills sponsored by Abbas have been assented by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Remarkably, Tajudeen has been the APC caucus leader for Kaduna State in the House of Representative from 2019 till date. He also served as the Chairman of the House of Representatives Sub -Committee on Constitutional Review Conference for the North Central geo-political zone in 2021.

Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has seen it all in the House of Representatives and he definitely possesses all the leadership attributes to become the next speaker of the 10th Assembly.
The happily married lawmaker is
obviously the right man for the speakership position and he is evidently poised to be the best speaker that will ever preside over the affairs of the federal House of Representatives.

The ride out of the ongoing pandemic got smoother for operators in the aviation sector in the third quarter of 2021. This manifested in a significant surge in passenger traffic for carriers opening new routes, acquiring new airplanes, inking codeshare and interline agreements and a few fledgling carriers which joined the industry to deepen competition. KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports

Activities in the aviation sector in the last three months have attained headwinds as the sector takes full grip over measures/interventions designed by the government to pull the air transport sector out of the wounds inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is seeing more people returning to the skies.

Enhanced airport screening procedures, increasing vaccination among the populace and other interventions designed to curb the spread of the new variant of COVID-19 has spiked the demand for air travel in the last three months.

Experts say travel has witnessed rebound in the period under review as a few carriers, which include Green Africa Airways, Cally Air, Kanem Air, and United Nigeria Airlines made audacious entrance into the industry raising the stakes in the logistic value chain.

The new carriers have not only deepened competition in the sector in the period under review, but has brought about competitive fares on the routes where carriers were charging arbitrary fares.

With a low entry fare otherwise known in aviation parlance as promotional fares, Green African Airways for instance has pushed other carriers to rethink their strategy on operations on the Lagos- Abuja, Ilorin,  Akure, Ilorin, Enugu, Owerri, and Port Harcourt routes.

Besides, Green Africa Airways, which offers the lowest fares, Cally Air, Ibom Air, and United Nigeria Airlines, have also upped the ante with competitive fares on major routes, which many passengers and industry watchers describe as the best thing to happen to the sector.

In an interview, Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu described the last quarter as eventful for the industry, citing statistics confirming increase in passenger traffic.

He said the regulator has engaged operators to step up the safety regime by ensuring that they are briefed regularly on what is expected of them to keep their operations safe and convenient.

Nuhu said the issuance of documents to airlines, ground handling firms and other service providers in the last three months had improved.

In the last three months on-time departure for indigenous carriers has improved as  complaints over delays and cancellation of flights is dipping.

Dana Air and Ibom Air posted data indicating improvement in their on-time performance on major routes even as they inked a deal on codeshare/interline agreement.

The deal, according to the Chief Operating Officer of Ibom Air, Mr George Uriesi, is historic in the industry and would be a game changer for passengers desiring to connect to their destinations using a single ticket booking.

Lead domestic carrier – Air Peace – took delivery of its fourth regional Brazilian Embraer jet to consolidate its operations and deepen penetration on the logistic value chain. The new generation aircraft the carrier said is part of the 13 airplanes it paid for a few years ago.

Air Peace expanded its flight services into Gombe in the Northeast; Ibadan in the Southwest and Duola, the coastal/commercial hub of Cameroon in Central Africa. Besides Air Peace, Aero Contractors, Nigeria’s oldest carrier, also expanded flights into Bauchi State in the Northeast.

The state Governor, Bala Mohammed described the venture by the carrier as one of the audacious initiative needed to jumpstart the economy of the region.  He said air transport with an airline such as Aero Contractors, with its safety and operational pedigree, will create a platform to trigger economic development of the region. More investors are showing interest to venture into aviation as NCAA is processing over 23 applications for prospective operators.

Among the new carriers hoping to secure licence from the NCAA are Cardinal Airlines, NG Eagle Airlines, Value Jets Airlines, and Jet Airlines.

An analyst, Dr Alex Nwuba,  said more people  expressed interest to set up airlines in various categories of carriage.

Aside scheduled passenger operations, Nwuba said more players are seeking approvals to ply their trade in the cargo/logistic value chain.

Aligning his views, another expert, Mr Tayo Ojuri, said the optics looked better in the third quarter as investors were latching on cheaper access to aircraft leasing to kick off cargo/courier-based airlines.

A few states – Anambra, Ebonyi , Yobe and Ogun – have consolidated on airport projects in their domains expected to open up their economy.

Significantly, more state governments engaged airlines to open up their corridor for flights.

Bayelsa, for instance, witnessed the commencement of scheduled flights into its airport in Ammassoma, a few minutes’drive from its capital,Yenogua.

Enugu Airport recommenced international flights with Ethiopian Airlines reconnecting the Southeast with  other parts of the world through Addis Ababa.

The move, watchers said, is part of the headwinds achieved in the last three months.

On infrastructure, the industry took a leap to address complaints as the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) procured a mobile tower for some of its airports.

The move, the Managing Director, NAMA, Captain Fola Akinkuoto, said would address the gaps at the airspace agency.

The period under review was not devoid of controversies as the NCAA evolved amicable ways of resolving disputes between it and airlines.

The new curve in navigating landmines, experts say, will starve off frequents altercations.

Vice Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) Allen Onyema said unfounded claims by operators could create negative safety rating and perception for aviation and its regulator in the global community.

He said it was modest for airlines to approach the NCAA and other agencies on how to scale hurdles instead of throwing up claims that would portray the sector in bad light.

Onyema’s take came on the heels of the problem between NCAA and a logistic and helicopter company, Tropical Arctic Limited, which called out the regulator over infractions on delay in the renewal of their air operator’s certificate.

The Chief Operating Office of TAL, Femi Adeniji had alleged infractions on the part of the NCAA ‘s airworthiness and licensing department in renewing its AOC.

The helicopter company said the NCAA connived with a Danish firm to erect road block on its way to get its operational certificate renewed.

Many analyst describe the TAL/ NCAA imbroglio, as the lowest point in the sector in the last three months saying such development was avoidable if the sector needed  quick wings in its riding out of the pandemic wrought pangs from a regulatory perspective.

Driving home the position, an investor who pleaded not to be named, said: “The altercation between NCAA and TAL is unnecessary. Both parties have to seek a common ground and resolve the issues so as not to blight the reputation of Nigeria in the global aviation arena.”

Vexed over the issue, the umbrella body of indigenous carriers said: “No operator can bully the civil aviation regulator for failure to do its bidding. As a body we dissociate ourselves from airlines which have found it fashionable to tar the NCAA with a dirty brush which misrepresents the entire industry. In the last few months the sector has been awash with all manner of labelling which is exposing the sector unduly. It is unthinkable for anybody to suggest that the regulatory authority could be harassed for failure to accede to any operator’s request.”

Despite increased government’s attention, the growth in the agriculture sector has remained considerably slow. However, after several months of COVID-19-inspired depression, the sector is rebounding with volatile commodity prices, and challenging financial conditions, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

LIKE most businesses, agriculture is slowly recovering from the gyrations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  While farmers’ optimism rebounded late last year, the farm sub-sector entered the year with an even greater degree of uncertainty.

So far, profit margins for most farmers have continued to be squeezed with higher labour  wages, high costs of input and limited yield gains. Uncertainty on issues such as insecurity has continued to dampen the outlook for growers.

Between January and March, according to www.statista.com, agriculture contributed  22.35 per cent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

While the economy attained 5.01 per cent growth  in the second quarter of the year, the agricultural sector recorded little improvement.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in August that the economy recorded a GDP growth of 5.01 per cent  (year-on-year) in Q2 ’21.

However, there was a continued decline in the agricultural sector.

During the review of the second quarter agricultural sector grew by 1.30 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms, a decrease of -0.28 percent points from the corresponding period last year.

Similarly, its contribution accounted for 23.78 per cent of overall GDP in real terms in the second quarter. It was lower than the contribution in the second quarter of last year which stood at 24.65 per cent.The Famine Early Warning Systems Network,(FEW) a leading provider of early warning and analysis on food insecurity, created by USAID noted that the high levels of conflict in Northeast  limited the ongoing dry season harvest and agricultural labour.

Attacks in Marte and Dikwa local government areas of Borno State, the network added, drove increased displacement and fatalities and significant declines in the engagement in livelihood activities among affected households.

Driven by the poor macroeconomic conditions and below-average harvest, the network reported that staple food prices were significantly above average and were expected to remain high through, at least, late this year.

During the year, the immediate past Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono  spoke of the government’s efforts  on serious policy reforms and infrastructure development to attract foreign direct investment in agriculture.

He urged the stakeholders to open up and provide their views on what Nigeria  needed to maximise investment opportunities in agriculture.

But he was removed alongside his power ministry counterpart  in what President Buhari said was meant to fix “weak areas”.

Stakeholders responded that the sector witnessed little or no improvement under his  watch. Erstwhile Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, was redeployed to assume duties as the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development.

A lot has happened in Lagos State. The state government has launched a five-year Agricultural Development Roadmap. Its Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, explained that the roadmap would help the state achieve its goal of making Lagos a 21st Century economy by ensuring that there is sustainable food security.

According to Olusanya, “the focus of the roadmap is on the development of agricultural value chains where the State has competitive and comparative advantages to ensure that the State self-sufficiency in food production moves from 18 per cent to 40 per cent of food needs in the next five years and thus ensure that Lagos State achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as it relate to the sector’’’.

The roadmap highlights intervention areas by the ministry to boost agricultural productivity at the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of seven value chains and services taking into consideration the comparative advantages Lagos State has in these sectors.

She said a 21st Century economy is characterised by four key goals, which are job creation, food security, standardisation and internal revenue generation for the state. In achieving these goals, the ministry has prepared a strategic plan to partner stakeholders in the intervention areas such as policy review, formulation and implementation; database collation and upgrade; reposition of it agencies and department; capacity of its workforce and stakeholders with special focus on youths and women; encourage public private partnership to establish companies and processing to boost and sustain agricultural productivity in fisheries, poultry, piggery, red meat coconut, rice and vegetables value chain by adopting appropriate technologies in line with global best practices.

In addition to the value chain interventions, she explained that “the roadmap also highlights the need for the state government to partner and collaborate with private investors and relevant authorities in improving the environment through proper waste management and relocation/upgrading of service centres such as sawmill and open markets in the state”.

In Ogun State, the government increased support for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers Programme at Ikenna farm settlement. The Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun kicked off the mega Ogun State Cassava Intervention Project.  Ikenne Farm Settlement, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state which is one of the land cleared sites has been  made available for 100 youths.

By Doyin Okupe

The last few days has seen thousands of Nigerian youths take to the street across the 36 state of the federation as they seek for a redress with the Nigeria Police Force.

The security outfit over the years has received a nation wide backlash over it aggressive and illicit approach in which it carries out it duties which is to the distaste of the youthful populace and the nation at large.

In an open letter to the youth who have raised their voice even as they seek the Government intervention to fixing the ills of the System,

Dr.Doyin Okupe praised the resilient spirit of the youths as well as their strong resolve to demanding for a change in the country.

According to him,” You have accomplished much and you must gain maximally from this unprecedented national achievements”

He however beseeched them to seize the opportunity well by leveraging on the attention which the movement have gathered since it began.

He stated that,” I want to particularly ask you to note that in dealings with Governments and sovereignties world wide and throughout all history, including wars, everything ends on the negotiating table.

You must be ready to go to the table soonest lest you lose your momentum and colossal gains and citizens support”

Furthermore he enjoined the youths to have a well prepared structure and leadership as it prepares to enter into dialogue with the federal government.

According to him,” To choose a leadership will be a challenge to you because this was not on your menu. I advice you employ technology which you are quite versed in, create a platform in each state…”

He enjoined them not to lose focus on the collective goal of the movement,” Our eyes and hopes are on you, the nation’s destiny is in your hands. You have a unique opportunity to put your names in gold in the annals of our National History”

Our Reporter

The National Association of Nigerian Students have today urged President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to look into the crisis rocking the Educational system in the nation which has seen to a lingering 7-month-old strike.

In a press statement issued by the newly sworn-in president of the Association, Chidi Ilogebe, he explained that the only way the federal government can ensure that it depopulate the high numbers of youths who are on the streets protesting and fronting the EndSARS movement is by ensuring that it ensures that students are adequately returned back to the classrooms across the 36 states of the federation.

He said: “The government desires that the protests be depopulated, the best way is to reopen our campuses. This does not mean that we condemn the motive of the protests. The cases of police brutality generally got out of hand and were worthy to be protested against however, we believe it will be better for Nigeria as a country that the youths are in classrooms breaking new grounds than on the streets protesting.

READ ALSO: NANS sacks President, swears in another.

“This call means that the government should step up its response to the demands and be more proactive. At least killer SARS officers who had been identified directly with some of these atrocities and who are still walking free should be immediately arrested and paraded. This move we believe will help de-escalate tension and assuage the protesters.”

The body through the office of its president also gave the Government a 7-day ultimatum to ensure that the strike is called off.

“We urge the Federal Government to resolve all issues with the ASUU within the next 7 days and also call on the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 to quicken the process of releasing the comprehensive protocols that will allow Nigerian tertiary institutions to reopen for lectures.”

Our Reporter

Afro-pop music star, Dice Ailes has led a group of #EndSARS protest in Toronto, Canada, saying he alongside the protesters aren’t afraid of dying.

In a series of posts on his social media pages, in which he disclosed that he led the demonstration against the lingering police brutality in Nigeria, Dice Ailes expressed satisfaction that Nigerian youths are not timid in the face of oppression.

 

While charging the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to take responsibility, the music star explained that police brutality is a product of bad governance and until the incumbent administration takes responsibility for extra-judicial killings, wanton arrests, and dispossession of properties through physical assault and other intimidation tactics often perpetrated by men of the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), “the fight to end the lingering societal menace continue.”

READ ALSO: Why I didn’t join #ENDSARS protest early , by Burna Boy

Dice Ailes said Nigerians have suffered human rights abuse from the police force in the past, adding that the protest will remain a continuum until the incumbent administration fully address the issue of poverty, insecurity, police brutality, amongst other issues Nigerians have since been dealing with.

Agency Reporter

Nigerian songwriter, singer, and entrepreneur, Nnakwuzie Raphael Ekene, also know as Doncarta, has released another hit song titled ‘Fada Fada’.

The Tiana Events and Management signed artiste, who started his musical career at a young age but rose to fame with his 2019 hit song ‘Day Ones’, ft CbSparkz”.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the song during a chat, Doncarta noted saying; “My inspiration for the song is just as same as other songs of mine, and that is releasing good sounds to my fans. I basically cannot say anything, in particular, inspired the song except for the fact that I’m always passionate about giving my audience something to be proud of and vibe to.”

According to him, the visuals for the song should have been out by now but he had to hold on on the video shoot as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions.

He said; “The visuals should have been dropped a bit earlier than now if it was to be on a normal basis but the coronavirus pandemic kind of slowed things down. I had to wait until the lockdown has been lifted to start shooting so as not to unintentionally flaunt any rule. The video is already in the works as we speak and will be dropped 12th of October, just anticipate.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic came with a massive global lockdown so all I had on me was time and more time. Being for a fact that there was a lockdown and I had much free time than I normally do in the past, it left me doing nothing other than to write and record my songs. So I felt the pandemic but it didn’t in any way affect my passion for what I do. Hence, the two songs I dropped during the pandemic”, he added.

Touching on how the song has fared since its release, he said; “Yes of course. It has gotten the attention it deserves and more. The song trended on twitter and other social media platforms for weeks on straight. It got a whole lots of downloads. In general, the outpour of love from my fans was massive and more than I expected. I’m super grateful for all that and will very much put in more work in my next song.”

Concluding, he expressed profound gratitude to his fans and lovers of good music. “Let me start first by appreciating everyone who has followed my tunes over the years and supported me by downloading and streaming my music. You all are the best. I promised my fans in my last interview that I will always put in work to release songs that would be worth the hype. They should expect the visuals of ‘Fada Fada’ very soon and should show it as much love as possible. I would also do my best to release new music at intervals.
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