The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States at noon (EST) will mark the commencement of the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president.

The inaugural ceremony will take place today on the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. and will be the 59th presidential inauguration. Biden will take the oath of office as president, and Harris will take the oath of office as vice president.

The inauguration will take place amidst extraordinary political, public health, economic, and national security crises, including outgoing President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, which incited a storming of the Capitol, Trump’s unprecedented second impeachment, and a threat of widespread civil unrest, which stimulated a nationwide law enforcement response.

Festivities were sharply curtailed by efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate the potential for violence near the Capitol. The live audience will be limited to members of the 117th United States Congress and, for each, one guest of their choosing, resembling a State of the Union address. Public health measures such as mandatory face coverings, testing, temperature checks, and social distancing will be used to protect participants in the ceremony.

“America United” and “Our Determined Democracy: Forging a More Perfect Union” — a reference to the Preamble to the United States Constitution — will serve as the inaugural themes.

Ceremony

The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets will play ruffles and flourishes. The U.S. Marine Band (nicknamed “The President’s Own”) will play a medley of patriotic music by Sousa, Bagley, and others; herald the entry of dignitaries to the inaugural platform; and perform “Hail, Columbia” (the official anthem of the vice president) after Harris is sworn in, and “Hail to the Chief” (the official anthem of the president) after Biden is sworn in. The band has appeared at every presidential inauguration since Thomas Jefferson’s in 1801.

Outgoing Vice President Mike Pence will attend the ceremony but outgoing President Donald Trump will not. Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, along with respective first ladies Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama, will attend, while former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will not, as they are unable to travel.

Senator Roy Blunt, chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, will serve as the inauguration’s master of ceremonies. Leo J. O’Donovan, a Catholic priest, member of the Jesuit order, and former president of Georgetown University, will deliver the invocation. Georgia firefighters’ union leader Andrea Hall will lead the Pledge of Allegiance, Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem, National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman will recite her poem “The Hill We Climb”, and Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks will perform. At 22, Gorman will become the youngest inaugural poet. Rev. Dr. Silvester Beaman, pastor of Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Delaware, and a friend of Biden, will deliver the benediction.

Biden will be sworn in on a Bible, held by his wife, that has been in his family since 1893—the same one he used during his senatorial and vice-presidential swearing-in ceremonies. The Bible is large—5 inches (12.7 cm) thick—and has a Celtic cross on the front. Harris will be sworn in on two Bibles held by her husband, one belonging to Regina Shelton, a person important to her and her sister Maya Harris, and another belonging to former Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Biden was sworn into the vice-presidency by Associate Justice John Paul Stevens on January 20, 2009.

Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor will administer the oath of office to Harris. Sotomayor will become the first woman to administer an inaugural oath twice after she administered Biden’s at his 2013 swearing-in.

Will policy of more divided America, a more unsettled world change?

When Trump delivered his inaugural speech on Jan. 20, 2017, he promised an end to “American carnage,” a bleak and dysfunctional nation he had promised that he alone could fix, an analyst for Reuters wrote on Tuesday.

Closing out his presidency exactly four years later, Trump leaves behind an even more polarised America, where thousands are dying daily from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy is badly damaged and political violence has surged.

Trump didn’t create the bitter differences that have come to define American life. Still, he seized upon many of them as tools to build his power base, promising to uplift rural America and the broader working class he said had been neglected by the Washington establishment.

When thousands of his angry followers – the vast majority of them white – marched on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, they rallied behind Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. The rioting that ensued left a police officer and four other people dead, dozens wounded and a nation shaken.

A major part of his legacy when he departs the White House today is likely to be Americans more politically and culturally estranged from each other than they were when he took office.

At the heart of that divide, Trump’s opponents say, is race. Early in his presidency, he initially resisted denouncing white nationalists after a deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, fueling perceptions that he sympathised with their cause. His harsh rhetoric often worsened racial crises that flared over police killings of Black people on his watch.

“Sadly, he is the natural outcome of the history of divide and conquer,” in American race relations, said Reverend William Barber, a prominent civil rights activist and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, an anti-poverty, anti-racism movement that Martin Luther King helped organise in the 1960s. “The thing is, he just pushed it all the way.”

Trump has repeatedly denied any racist animus.

White House spokesman Judd Deere rejected the notion that Trump’s legacy lay in tatters.

In a written statement to Reuters, Deere cited a list of what he considered Trump’s economic accomplishments, such as getting the country on the path to recovery and deregulatory moves, which have included loosened restrictions on auto emissions and oil drilling. He also argued that the president secured the border with Mexico, rebuilt U.S. military strength, brought some troops home and helped orchestrate development of a coronavirus vaccine in a matter of months.

“He leaves office having made America safer, stronger, more secure,” Deere said.

He declined, in the statement, to address racism accusations against the president.

Democrats and Trump’s impeachment trial

Democrats are expected to assume control of the Senate today, following the swearing-in of incoming Georgia Sens. John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Any move to begin impeachment proceedings is also contingent upon Senate leaders hashing out rules to govern the trial on the Senate floor.

In near-daily meetings, Democratic impeachment managers and lawyers have been discussing how to best make their case to the narrowly divided Senate — focusing on the seventeen Republicans required to convict Trump and the desire to bar him from seeking office in the future. The vote to bar Trump from holding any elected office would require a simple majority, following a vote to convict from two-thirds of the Senate.

After months of delay, President Muhammadu Buhari endorses ambassadorial postings, which include the country’s first female ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Uzoma Emenike. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to expedite actions on their resumption, Assistant Editor (Foreign) BOLA OLAJUWON profiles some of the envoys.

Nigeria is set to have its first female ambassador to the United States of America. She is Dr. Uzoma Elizabeth Emenike, Nigeria’s outgoing ambassador to the Republic of Ireland. She also has concurrent accreditation to Iceland. Dr Emenike, who was in the Foreign Service for no less than 30 years before retiring, is the wife of a long-standing ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Ikechi Emenike. She is one of the about twelve envoys retained by Buhari as a result of their sterling performance during their first outing.

The country will be represented in the United Kingdom by Sarafat Ishola, a former minister. Another ex-minister who on the list is Chief Demola Seriki, who will represent the country in Spain. (See list for other postings as obtained by The Nation).

The Nation learnt on Monday that the envoys may not be taking their seats abroad yet as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to perfect the process for their resumption.

On why the ministry did not release the names and postings of the envoys as approved by the Presidency for so long, the ministry’s spokesman Ferdinand Nwonye told The Nation last week that confirmation of “agreemo” from the prospective host countries is key in posting of envoys.

Agreemo is a memorandum from one nation to another agreeing to the appointment of an ambassador or envoy.

While it is yet to be confirmed whether the required “agreemo” had been granted, about 11 ambassadors were re-appointed, eight were retained in their current countries of posting and three others were redeployed.

Meet some of the ambassadors-designate

Dr. Emenike (United States)

Dr. Emenike arrived at Dublin on August 30, 2017, to assume duty at the Nigerian Embassy as the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Republic of Ireland. She also holds concurrent accreditation to Iceland.

She joined the Nigeria Foreign Service over 30 years ago. She served in the Protocol Department and Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Subsequently, she was posted to the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire in 1992, where she served for six years. Upon her return to headquarters in Nigeria, she was variously deployed to other departments of the ministry, during which she represented Nigeria in numerous bilateral and multilateral missions, both at home and abroad.

In 2002, Dr. Emenike left the Foreign Service for the private sector where, among others, she worked as a management consultant.

She has two Bachelor’s degrees, two Master’s degrees, and a Doctorate Degree. Dr. Emenike holds a B.Sc. Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria and an LL.B from the University of Reading in the U.K. She also earned a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and another Master’s in International Management from University of Reading in the U.K.

Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (permanent representative, UN)

Muhammad-Bande, born December 7, 1957, is a Nigerian diplomat, academic and political scientist. He was the President of the United Nations General Assembly since September 17, 2019. He previously served as Vice President from September 2016.

He is also the Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations. From 2010 to 2016, he was the director-general of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru and was the Vice-Chancellor of the Usmanu Danfodio University from 2004 to 2009.

He attended Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1979 before proceeding to Boston University, where he graduated with a Master of Arts in Political Science in 1981. Muhammad-Bande received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toronto in 1987.

Ademola Rasaq Seriki (Spain)

Seriki, who was born on November 30, 1959, is a Lagos Island-born politician, teacher, businessman, accountant and public administrator and a prominent native of Lagos State. He started his career as a clerical officer in the Lagos City Council, City Hall, Lagos in 1978 and had a brief stint at International Bank for West Africa Ltd (IBWA – now Afribank) and thereafter proceeded to New York to pursue academic studies in the field of Accounting, Finance & Management. He later became a licensed teacher in Accounting and Business Mathematics with the New York City Board of Education. He has been a grassroots political organiser.

Upon completion of his studies, he joined the Rochester New York firm of Koskolowsky and Co. (Certified Public Accountants) from 1986 to 1987 as Assistant Manager (Auditing). He was also Customer Representative/Assistant Manager at Dollar Dry Dock Bank, New York City. On return to Nigeria, Seriki joined Equity and Trust Finance Company Limited from 1987 as Business Manager until he was appointed Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Council in 1992; a position he held till 1994.

He was appointed Minister of State for Interior from 2009 to March 2010. Before then, he was Minister of State for Defence (2008 to 2009). He was also the Supervising Minister for Mines and Steel Development from October 2008 to December 2008. Seriki was also Minister of State for Agriculture and Water Resources of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007 to 2008).

Read Also; Agreemo delays posting of Ambassadors-designate

Sarafadeen Tunji Isola (United Kingdom)

Alhaji Sarafadeen Tunji Isola was born on November 25, 1960, became Nigeria’s Minister of Mines and Steel Development on July 26, 2007, and was relieved of his duties by President Umaru Yar’Adua on October 29, 2008.

He obtained a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, London. He became a lecturer at the Federal College of Education, Katsina in 1983. From 1997 to 1998, he was Chairman of the Abeokuta North Local Government Council. He was appointed Special Assistant to the Minister of State, Finance (1999–2003) and was Secretary to the Ogun State Government (2003–2007).

Debo Adesina (Togo)

Adesina was at various times editor and deputy editor-in-chief and editor-in-chief of The Guardian. He joined African Guardian in 1988 as a reporter. Appointed editor, African Guardian in 1992, he was one of the longest-serving editors of a Nigerian newspaper.

He served as deputy editor of The Guardian in 1995 before being named two months later as Editor, Saturday Guardian in January 1996. He was appointed editor of The Guardian in 1999 and deputy editor-in-chief in 2002. He is a 1986 graduate of Mass Communication of the University of Lagos.

He is a six-time recipient of the Editor of the Year Award and was a Young Global Leader at the 2008 World Economic Forum. He holds a degree in Communications from the University of Lagos.

Ambassador Jiddda (retained in China)

Ambassador Jiddda, a Shuwa Arab man of Borno origin, who was born on October 1, 1951, in Marte Local Government of Borno State. He went to school in 1957 and graduated in 1975 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.

Before his graduation, he attended and obtained Primary School Certificate, West African School Certificate and Higher School Certificate.

Between 1980 – 1982, Jidda attended Post-Graduate Advanced Diploma in Administration and Master’s Degree in Development Economics from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

In 1997, Ambassador Jidda was appointed Secretary to the State Government and Head of Civil Service of Borno State on secondment.  In 2017, Ambassador Jidda was  appointed as ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, where he is currently the Head of Mission.

Muhammad Madugu (Switzerland)

Madugu, who was born in 1957, is from Bauchi State and was the ambassador of Nigeria to Switzerland before the renewal of his appointment. He started his career with Darazo local government area on July 1, 1997, as Community Development Supervisor. From February 2008 to Oct 2009, he was permanent secretary in the Bauchi State Civil Service and retired after 33 years of service.

Madugu attended different seminars and workshop on management/administration, planning, building and financial control.

Oma Djebah (Thailand)

Oma Djebah, a top notch journalist, former Delta State Commissioner for Information, and a former Senior editor at Thisday Newspapers has professional practice experience covering about 30 years. He holds two Masters degrees and a post-graduate certificate in leadership. He has Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos (MILD)and another Masters degree(MA) in Global Journalism from Orebro University, Sweden.

He also holds a certificate from Harvard Kennedy School Program, USA. Djebah ‘s outstanding professional career has taken him through top flight Nigeria media organizations including The Guardian and Thisday before he joined the public sector as Delta State Information Commissioner.

At different times, he served on the United Nations (UN) experts panel in New York on how to drive the New Partnership For Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in 2006. In 2002, he was also on the Federal government of Nigeria’s NEPAD country team. An author a prolific writer, Djebah has presented papers across Africa, Europe and America. He is the founder of The New Diplomat, a digital newspaper that dissects global issues.

Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (Germany)

Yusuf Maitama Tuggar (born 12 March 1967) is a Nigerian politician and diplomat, who since 2017 is the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany. He was previously a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 representing Gamawa. He contested twice for the governorship seat of Bauchi State.

Tuggar was born into a political family in Bauchi State (Gamawa). His father was the Organising Secretary of the ruling Northern People’s Congress in the period before and after Nigerian Independence in 1960, who later became a Senator in the Second Nigerian Republic.

Tuggar received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the United States International University. He also attended the University of Bath and has a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge.

After graduating, Tuggar spent several years in the private sector.

In August 2017, Tuggar was appointed the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, playing a key role during the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He also facilitated the state visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Nigeria in August 2018.

Kayode Laro (France)

Laro is a Nigerian diplomat and the Consul General of Nigeria, Atlanta Consulate. Before he arrived in Atlanta in February 2017, Laro was the Director in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria. He has served in various positions at home and abroad.

He holds a Master’s degree in planning from the United Nations Institute for Development and Planning in Dakar, Senegal and graduated in geography from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria in 1980.

Dr. Eniola Ajayi (The Netherland)

Dr. Ajayi Eniola Olaitan arrived in Hungary on October 23, 2017, and presented her Letter of Credence on December 1, 2017. Ambassador Ajayi presented her Letter of Credence in Bosnia and Herzegovina on February 21, 2018. On May 9, 2018, Ambassador Ajayi presented her Letter of Credence to the Croatian President, H.E. Ms Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic at the President’s Office. Ambassador Ajayi officially became Nigeria’s Ambassador to Serbia on 25th June 2019, after presenting her Letter of Credence to the Serbian President, H.E. Mr Aleksandar Vucic.

Adejare Bello (Mexico)

A former Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Adejare Bello was born on August 23, 1961, to the family of Alhaji Bello Olatoyemu and Madam Monilola Abeki of Aranhin Compound, Ede.

In 1989, Bello was admitted into the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife to study law and he completed it in 1994.

Bello joined the All Peoples Party (APP) in 1998 and in January 1999, he was elected to represent Ede North State Constituency in the House of Assembly. Again on May 3, 2003, the people of Ede North State Constituency re-elected him into the Assembly on the platform of the People Democratic Party (PDP). He is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State.

The Non-career Ambassadors

1. Dr Uzoma Emenike (United States)

2. Ambassador Tijani Muhammmad-Bande (UN)

3. Adeyinka Asekun (Canada)

4. Yahaya Lawal (Saudi Arabia)

5. Ibrahim Kayode Laaro (France)

6. Modupe Irele (Hungary)

7. Eniola Ajayi (The Hague, Netherlands)

8. Julius Adebowale Adeshina (Togo)

9. Oma Djebah (Thailand)

10. Ademola Seriki (Spain)

11. Umar Sulieman (DRC)

12. Kevin Peter (Czech Republic)

13. John Usanga (Guinea Bissau)

14. Elejah Onyeagba (Burundi)

15. Philip Ikurusi (Argentina)

16. Tarzoor Terhemen (Namibia)

17. Paul Adikwu (The Vatican, Italy)

18. Al-Bishir Al-Hussain (Morocco)

19. Monique Ekpong (Angola)

20. Ominyi Eze (Zambia)

21. 16. Yamah Musa (Mozambique)

22. C. O Ugwu (Poland)

23. Hajara Salim (Malaysia)

24. Obiezu Chinyerem (Ireland)

25. 20. Ali Magashi (South Korea)

26. M. A Markarfi (Brazil)

27. Hamisu Takalmawa (Tanzania)

28. Jazuli Gadalanci (Kuwait)

29. Sadiya Nuhu (Romania)

30. Olorundare Sunday Awoniyi (Venezuela)

31. Abioye Bello (Pakistan)

32. Zara Umar (Malawi)

33. Henry Omaku (Sierra Leone)

34. Sarafa Isola (United Kingdom)

35. Opunimi Akinkube (Greece)

36. Adejaba Bello (Mexico)

37. Adeshina Alege (Ukraine)

38. Folakemi Akinyele (Philippines)

39. Abdullahi Yibaikwal Shehu (Russia)

40. Maureen Tamuno (Jamaica)

41. Faruk Yabo (Jordan)

42. Adamu Hassan (Vietnam)

43. Abubakar Moriki (Japan)

44. Mohammed Rimi (United Arab Emirates)

45. Jidda Baba (China)

46. Gani Modu Bura (Lebanon)

47. Yusuf Tuggar (Germany)

48. Baba Madugu (Switzerland)

49. Deborah Illiya (Congo)

50. Abubakar Danlami Ibrahim (Trinida & Tobago))

51. Haruna Manta (South Africa)

52. Yusuf Yunusa (Kenya)

The career ambassadors

1. C.O. Nwachukwu (Mali)
2. A. Kefas (Portugal)
3. R.U Brown (Gabon)
4. G.A Odudigbo (Liberia)
5. O.C Onowu (Brussels)
6. Y.S. Suleiman (Iran)
7. E.S. Agbana (Equitorial Guinea)
8. B.B.M. Okoyen (Cuba)
9. G.M. Okoko (Deputy Head of Mission to Switzerland)
10. M.I. Bashir (U.S. deputy ambassador)
11. M.O. Abam (Italy)
12. A.E. Allotey (Deputy France)
13. G. E. Edokpa (Deputy Permanent Representative to The UN)
14. A. N. Madubuike (Australia)
15. Adamu Lamuwa (Senegal)
16. Mr. Innocent A. Iwejuo (Deputy Ambassador to Ethiopia)
17. M. S. Abubakar (Guinea)
18. S. D. Umar (Austria)
19. A. Sule (India)
20. G. Y. Hamza (Ghana)
21. N. Rimi (Egypt)
22. L. S. Ahmed-Remawa (Deputy Cameroun)
23. M. Manu (Gambia)
24. R. Ocheni (Deputy Ambassador to Germany)
25. A. Yusuf (Turkey)
26. M. Abdulraheem (Burkina Faso)
27. W. A. Adedeji (Gabon)
28. A. U. Ogah (Indonesia)
29. A. A. Musa (Rwanda)
30. N. A. Kolo (Israel)
31. S.O. Olaniyan (Sudan)
32. A. R. Adejola (Switzerland Permanent Mission);
33. O. E. Awe (Deputy envoy to China)
34. O. O. Aluko (Benin Republic)
35. I. A. Alatishe (Deputy Ambassador to Russia)
36. V. A. Adeleke (Ethiopia)
37. M. S. Adamu (Cote d’ivoire)
38. N. Charles (Southern Sudan)
39. Z M. lfu (Zimbabwe)
40. B. B. Hamman (Sweden)

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every sector of the country’s economy, including the justice sector, writes TAIYE AGBAJE

Since the first confirmed case on Feb. 27, 2020, in Lagos, with the attendant lockdown that led to loss of jobs, closure of many businesses, inflation, recession, among others, the Federal Government had not relented in its effort at curbing its spread.

Of course, the judiciary also suffered from its unique share of the effects of global outbreak with limited hearings, long adjournments, restricted access to the courtrooms, becoming the order of the day.

The development slowed down the business of the courts as many cases were delayed due to the long adjournments necessitated by the lockdown.

In order to prevent continuous delay in justice, or its subsequent denial, especially in matters that are time bound, the heads of the courts in the country, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, issued practice directions to judges.

Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami urged the heads of courts at the federal and state levels to also adopt virtual court sittings amidst the health challenge.

Although, there were arguments against the use of the audio visual technology in court proceedings, the devastating effects of the pandemic made the arguments in its favour to be relevant.

For instance, the Supreme Court, on July 14, 2020, struck out two suits challenging the constitutionality of the virtual court sittings procedure.

The suits filed by Lagos and Ekiti governments challenged the validity of the virtual court hearing proposed by the National Assembly.

But a seven-man panel presided by Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, dismissed the suits after they were withdrawn by the plaintiffs.

Justice Rhodes-Vivour, who described the suits as “speculative,” held that “as of today, virtual sitting is not unconstitutional.”

Besides, the second wave of COVID-19 in the country today has left much to be desired.

According to the Chief Medical Director, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Chris Bode, the resurgence of COVID-19 through the newly mutated form is ravaging our land, claiming many lives.

A cross section of lawyers added their voices to the debate on whether it was time for the use of technology to be adopted by the country’s judicial system.

Lawyer Ayodele Akintunde, SAN, described virtual hearing as “a process where the court deploys technology to assist parties and the courts to conduct proceedings without requiring the physical presence of the parties.”

Akintunde said he supported the use of audio visual technology in adjudicating cases in courts, because the judiciary must also be able to function even amidst the disease outbreak.

“There is  no better time for the adoption than now. The COVID-19 pandemic and the manner with which it is spreading, it is important that we maintain physical distancing.

“We have to move from this archaic notion that everything must be done by physical presence and move into a realism that we can do so much without having to be physically present in one environment,” he said.

He applauded the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the CJN on the new guidelines to ensure that courts were able to set up the necessary technology so that proceedings could continue so that justice could be served.

“I have given evidence myself in a District High Court in Australia via Skype; the court was sitting, the parties and counsel were there, I gave my evidence and I was also cross-examined by counsel.

“So virtual hearing has already been in place in several jurisdictions and also been constantly used in arbitration in Nigeria,” he said.

On the argument that virtual hearing could encourage admitting documents that might be untenable in court, Akintunde said the method has a precondition.

According to him, parties must submit their documents ahead of the virtual hearing so that the other side has an opportunity to object to any of the documents that they sought to tender.

“So, it is not during the hearing that the documents are going to come in. Documents that are going to be admitted without any objection are already known and the ones that are going to be objected to are known so that counsel can articulate their arguments at the hearing,” he explained.

Akintunde acknowledged that though power supply had been the challenge, “we have to embrace our challenges, move on and develop from there.

Speaking in a similar vein, Josephine Odikpo threw her weight behind its adoption.

“Law is dynamic and not static; it is designed to be responsive to situations and give guidance accordingly through policies and legislations.

“Virtual hearings practice direction is necessary to provide guidance on the continuation of dispensation of justice in the face of difficulties, occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, so as to ensure speedy dispensation of Justice because justice delayed is justice denied,” she said.

The lawyer said the adoption of virtual hearings in the country’s judicial system would open endless possibilities that would shape and strengthen the judicial system.

“This is a take home win or lesson gained from the novel coronavirus pandemic, which will invariably be beneficial if applied effectively with probity,” she remarked.

Odikpo acknowledged that though the audio visual proceeding could either be convenient or tedious, she said it was nevertheless a good initiative.

“The advantage of holding virtual or remote hearings is that litigants who are far from the jurisdiction of the proceedings can utilise zoom, Skype or any other video conferencing platforms approved by the court.

“Although the constitutional provision of Section 36 requires matters to be heard in public, the advent of the novel coronavirus pandemic worldwide has open up other avenues for matters to be heard at least expeditiously.

“Moreover, it can be argued that the internet space is a public place. The technology is also cost and time effective for lawyers, litigants and the court as well,” the lawyer said.

Odikpo, however, said poor Internet connection and inadequate ICT knowledge by many litigants, lawyers and judges could hinder its success.  So says Paul Erokoro, (SAN), that the technology might be difficult to achieve as the country battles the pandemic.

Even though he supports virtual hearing, the senior lawyer expressed his doubts as to whether the technology could be adopted universally across all courts in the country.

”The idea is a very good one. We have been using it in international arbitration and the law must allow modern technology to come into its efficiency. So I am very much in support of it.

”However, this is a country where our judges still write in long hand. There are so many courts like the Federal High Courts, that are equipped with automatic recording machines but only a few judges use them,” he said.

Erokoro said lawyers, judges and court staff needed to be trained, if the system must be effective, especially at this period of the COVID-19 outbreak.

He added that  government must also be prepared to back this up with a lot of money since power supply was not guaranteed.

”Will the government be willing to put the kind of generators that will make sure that there is power throughout the court sitting? Again, how do you handle the issues of real evidence? For instance, a man is accused of killing somebody with a knife or a gun. How will you tender the knife or the gun online? What about the criminal matters? What about the defendants? The defendant has to be in court and how are you going to ensure that he is in court online? So there are practical problems,” he said.

The lawyer was, however, confident that  with commitment, the country could overcome the challenges.

”All over the world, they are grappling with the coronavirus now and Nigeria should not be left behind. We should start, if we encounter difficulties, we correct them.

”For instance, online hearing can take place at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court right now.

”The infrastructure and the facilities required for that will not be as difficult, as they will be for a trial in the High Courts.

”Government must back the measure up with serious budgetary allocation, otherwise it will not work,” Erokoro concluded.

A lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, said the practice directions might not appropriately take pre-eminence over relevant provisions of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), requiring the presence of a defendant in court.

According to the legal practitioner, it is only the court constituted for the case, that can by leave, excuse a defendant from physical presence in court.

“A practice direction, may not be a suitable replacement for this mandatory procedural condition. It is advisable. However, necessary alignments must be made, in recognition of extant procedural laws, especially with respect to criminal proceedings,” he argued.

The previous year, a lot of judges battled with the issue of crowd control in the courtrooms, especially in cases involving high-profile persons.

A case in point occurred on Dec. 11, 2020, when Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ruled that only counsel, parties and accredited journalists would be allowed in the courtroom at the ongoing trial of the Convener, #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, on a two-count charge of treasonable felony preferred against them by the AGF’s office.

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, acknowledging the big challenge the judges faced, urged them to put in more efforts to tackle the upsurge in the number of cases and attendant services, at the height of efforts to control the coronavirus outbreak.

He thanked the judges for effectively using the COVID-19 practice directions and other directions from him geared towards efficient and effective administration of justice during the high times of the pandemic and the lockdown

Also, the CJN, Justice Muhammad, noted that people’s life style and general ways of doing things had been inconveniently altered with the virus outbreak and that this might remain for as long as the pandemic persisted.

“I may have to succinctly refresh our memories with the excruciating impact of the pandemic on both the judicial officers and workers alike.

“We directed all heads of courts to suspend all forms of physical court sittings with the aim of freeing our courtrooms from the unsparing coronavirus pandemic.

“We were able to enthrone a feasible roadmap that eventually evolved robust information technology architecture for the nation’s judiciary.

“Those guidelines were subsequently adopted by some states’ High Courts and the National Industrial Court.

“Today, as it were, we have now adopted a novel life style that has, irrespective of its inconveniencing nature, become the approved standard way that we have to live, as long as coronavirus remains with us,” he said.

The chief justice said this had inevitably brought the judicial system to the domain of information technology.

Muhammad said virtual court sitting, through zoom, was no longer strange, as it was gradually becoming an integral part of interactions across the globe.

He assured that with time, every court in the country would be fully automated to enhance seamless virtual sittings in order to decongest the courtrooms.

“The pace has to be gradual, while we perfect the inherent technicalities to avoid any hitches that may encumber success,” he said.

He urged the justices to raise the ante, rejig their attitude and commitment to work with a view to giving the best to the judiciary and the nation at large.

• Agbaje is of the News Agency of Nigeria

The Ninth House of Representatives has a beautiful document tagged: “Our contract with Nigerians”. This document has specific timelines on how the House intends to force change in education, electricity, police reform, and so on, but this push will fail if the Senate and the Executive do not key into it, writes TONY AKOWE

The House of Representatives has passed several bills in the current dispensation, with the potential to cause changes in the lives of Nigerians. These bills, however, remain worthless as the Senate is yet to concur—thereby rendering the efforts of the House fruitless.

A number of these bills are integral parts of the House of Representatives’ “Our Contract with Nigerians”. The revised version of the contract was necessitated by the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown it caused. The reviewed agenda came with timelines the House intends to achieve the items on the agenda. While presenting the reviewed agenda to the public in July 2020, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila said: “These last few months have been clear that we have to move faster and farther than we had previously thought or else, we may well be the generation that answers to history for superintending over the final and systematic collapse of this our beloved nation. The kind of fundamental changes we need begins with a wholesale reimaging of the structures and assumptions that we have long underpinned much of our existence as a country. We have too long accepted that certain things cannot be changed or that the process of change is too hard and too disruptive.”

In reviewing the document, the House identified ten key policy areas with legislative interventions separated into immediate, intermediate and long term action. The Chairman of the ad-hoc committee that reviewed the agenda, Prof. Julius Ihonvbare, said: “We do not intend for this to be an academic document, but an easily accessible and much-referenced contract with the Nigerian people. Like every other contract, it imposes an obligation on all the parties, obligations which must be met or else, the purpose of the agreement is defeated.”

The key policy areas are healthcare delivery, education, economy, security, agriculture and food security, sustainable power, environment and climate change, human capital development and social investment, governance and House reform geared towards positioning the House for optimum performance. Each of the key areas was divided into immediate, intermediate and long term, taking into focus, the three years left for the House before the next general elections. A review of these key areas raises several questions among which is, whether the House can bring to accomplish the ideas set in the agenda. For example, one of the major challenges identified by the agenda is the low budgetary allocation to the health sector as the total budget to the sector is less than the 15 per cent contained in the Abuja declaration. They also identified dilapidated health infrastructure, especially at the primary health care level, high rate of maternal mortality and high rate of child mortality as well as high prevalence of malaria among others. It set the goal of ensuring the attainment of the Abuja declaration of 15 per cent budgetary allocation to the health sector within the next three years. However, in setting its specific timelines, the House gave itself the task of reviewing the national health budget, overhaul the healthcare delivery system, amend the National Health Act and ensure the amendment or initiate relevant bills and policy framework to improve healthcare. It is to achieve this between June 2020 and May 2021. However, five months to the end of that timeline, there is nothing concrete to suggest that this target will be achieved by the House.

It also identified inadequate budgetary allocation and strategic investment in the education sector, huge infrastructural decay at all levels, limited access and application of ICT, policy inconsistency, low teacher to student ration among others as the major challenges in the education sector, to create an enabling environment for local educational content development and ensuring access to quality education. The House said between June 2020 and May 2021, it will work for increased budgetary funding of education, ensure a review of existing educational curriculum, improvement in teacher quality, the establishment of special funds to promote research among others. In the area of security, the reviewed House agenda identified as key challenges, low morale of security personnel, low level of education among the rank and file, weak intelligence gathering and counter-insurgency expertise, insufficient number of active duty servicemen and women in the police and other security agencies, poor and dilapidated infrastructure, absence of effective community policing as well as lack of public trust in the security institution. It set out five key deliverables between June 2020 and May 2021. These include increased funding, enactment of appropriate legislation, ensuring legislative approval to fund the provision of modern security equipment and providing structured funding for the armed forces. Even though the House has initiated a bill to create a special fund for the armed forces, the bill sponsored by the leadership of the House Committee on security-related committees is still at the committee stage, while the police trust fund bill is also yet to be passed by the House five months to the expiration of the immediate legislative action. However, to achieve this set target, the House will need the cooperation of the Senate to also pass the bills to give action to their plans. It is on record that several bills passed by the House were yet to be passed by the Senate, thereby rendering the efforts of the House fruitless. It is not clear what the senate legislative agenda is, especially in these thematic areas. But whatever it is, they need to work in synergy to achieve a definite goal.

The nation’s drive for food sufficiency is also part of the goal of the House, to work with the executive arm of government to achieve food sufficiency. It recognises the fact that despite the dominance of oil in the Nigerian economy, the country’s huge agricultural endowment remains the base of the economy as it provides the key source of livelihood for most Nigerians. The House believes that if properly harnessed, Nigeria has the potential of deriving much higher revenue from agricultural produce such as rice, cassava, fisheries and livestock. It identifies poor funding for the development of the agricultural sector, the predominance of smallholder farmers, poor and dilapidated infrastructure such as road and power, over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture and a very low level of irrigation development for farming as well as the high cost of farm inputs and the inability of farming household to invest in farms due to poverty as some of the major challenges of the sector. Between June 2020 and June 2021, the House target is to ensure increased funding of the agricultural sector by advocating for the prioritization of budget support to critical aspects of the sector as well as increased funding of infrastructure, research and development in the sector. It will also advocate for the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bank of Industry to grant moratoria on debt service to micro, small and medium enterprises, strengthen the agriculture value chain, support special government intervention and also advocate for the creation of an agriculture emergency fund.

In the area of power, the efforts of the House to achieve its set objective are yet to achieve a significant result. While identifying low private sector investment, corruption and mismanagement of resources, high unpaid bills by individuals and corporate bodies, shortage of gas supply, uncooperative and sharp practices and low uptake of renewable energy as the challenges in the sector, the House set a target for the period is to ensure an increase in public sector investment. It also promised a comprehensive review of legislation relating to the sector, ensure electricity subsidy and a mandatory allocation of prepaid meters to consumers. However, this appears to be a tall dream as all efforts made by the House so far have not yielded any result. The bill sponsored by the Speaker of the House to criminalise estimated bill and make it mandatory for distribution companies to provide prepaid meters to consumers is yet to get concurrence from the Senate over one year after it was passed by the House.

However, one area that the House has shown serious commitment is in the area of police reform. After the passage and signing into law of the Police Reform Act 2020, the House has again initiated a Police Service Commission bill which has passed second reading and is at the committee stage. There is also the Police Trust Fund bill, which has also passed second reading and is at the committee stage. The quick passage of these bills and their concurrence by the Senate will go a long way in helping to address the security challenges in the country. Even though the May 2021 target for the immediate action is still five months away, the House must begin to put in place and in public glare concrete measures geared towards achieving the set target.

While presenting the reviewed agenda to the public in July, Gbajabiamila said emphatically that the House cannot afford to fail in its assigned task. He said: “We succeed by the joint effort of diverse individuals and groups, representing different interests and constituencies, yet working together in pursuit of common objectives and service of shared ideals. Therefore, nation-building and the attainment of a society that is peaceful and prosperous, kind and accommodating, healthy and forward-looking, is the responsibility of all citizens irrespective of status, of tribe or religion. It is a joint task. However, those of us who have chosen as our calling, to serve in the arena of politics and public service bear a greater burden because millions of people have chosen us and entrusted their fate in our hands. We cannot fail.”

What Reps should do

Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) Executive Director Ezenwa Nwagwu told The Nation that “crafting of legislative agenda has become more of ritual for every House of Representatives leadership. But its job is clear and constitutionally determined, to make laws for the good governance of the country, to keep our national purse and be our foremost anti-corruption institution”.

He added: “What therefore needs to happen is for the House and indeed its leadership to benchmark its performance against the background of how it can deliver on these core responsibilities. So we spend valuable time producing documents that help give the impression we are serious, but the people want to see sunshine laws that impact the quality of life of the citizens, resolutions that address the everyday challenge of the poor and vulnerable.”

For the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Executive Director Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Ninth House of Representatives is not the first to develop a legislative agenda. He said previous Houses had taken steps to develop Legislative Agenda to guide and direct their work, but regretted that “In the absence of a mechanism for tracking, refreshing, and re-energising the Legislative Agenda, they have ended up with very low performance.” He said the reviewed Legislative Agenda must adhere to the principles of transparency, accessibility, inclusivity, and clarity to ensure the robust public participation of citizens in legislative activities.

To achieve the set objective of the legislative agenda, Rafsanjani said: “A tracking mechanism is critically important, at this stage to ensure the Legislative Agenda serves its intended purpose as a guide for the operations of the House of Representatives and various standing and any ad-hoc committee and delivers concrete development to the Nigerian people.” He said further that “the Committee would have the responsibility to ensure inclusion of the Nigerian people in governance by bringing on-board the voice of critical non-state actors into the operation of this House, ensure coordination and synergy and reduce wastage as well as promote accountability by ensuring regular review, updates, and corrections to make sure this House delivers on her promise to the Nigerian people”.

A former student leader and political activist, Danjuma Sarki, believes the leadership of the Ninth House of Representatives lacks the political commitment and independence to deliver on the legislative agenda it has set for itself. For him, the agenda is a mere political statement aimed at hoodwinking Nigerians. He said: “The house is known to have surrendered its independence to the executive and has become a rubber stamp and so, Nigerians should not expect any magic in the delivery of its constitutional mandate in terms of quality representation, impactful legislation and effective oversight”.

He argued that “the way the public hearing on the activities of NDDC and NSITF were conducted and push under the carpet by the leadership of the green chamber leaves much to be desired. It shows that the current legislature lacks any intention of providing the requisite check and balances. They cannot legislate on any matter that is not in the interest of the government even if it would be for the progress and development of the people”.

Sarki alleged that the leadership of the House often view very pertinent issues from a partisan perspective which, he said, is a major albatross to the achievement of the house’s legislative agenda. He said: “For them to achieve their set objectives, they need to be more resolute in asserting their independence. They must understand the importance of the separation of powers in a democracy. They must be courageous and bold enough to mete out sanction to any individual or MDA that tends to undermine the powers of the house. They must improve their oversight and public hearing mechanism, in addition to being accountable and transparent in the conduct of their responsibilities. They must also purge the house of corruption and build confidence and image of the house before the eyes of the public.”

But Jonathan Asake, who represented Zango Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency of Kaduna State between 1999 and 2003, believes that even though the House can deliver on the legislative agenda, but lacked the political will to do so.

Asake said: “What I think they should do is to come up with defined policy plans which they should pursue in collaboration with other arms of government that can impact positively on the Nigerian people. The concept of a legislative agenda involves the unveiling of the Public Policy plan of the House for the whole legislative year which normally must articulate policy priorities and levels of engagement which the House will either lead, collaborate or support.”

He said further: “A typical example of a Legislative Agenda was coined ”The Contract with America” which was an agenda advocated for by the United States Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign and written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan’s 1985 State of the Union Address, the Contract detailed the actions the Republicans promised to take if they became the majority party in the United States House of Representatives. During our time in the fourth Assembly, former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’abba came up with a similar programme that was coined “Contract with Nigeria”, although one could not define in concrete terms what policy changes the House was set to pursue.”

The way forward

For analysts, how far the House can implement the agenda it set for itself by the end of May 2021 will go a long way to determine whether Nigerians can still trust it to deliver on its promises to them and these promises need the buy-in of the Senate. The Executive, whose duty it is to implement the laws of the National Assembly, is also critical to the realisation of the tall dreams in the agenda.

With the deadline extension granted mobile phone subscribers and operators to sync their subscriber identity modules (SIMs) with their National Identity Number (NIN) drawing nearer, deactivation fever has gripped subscribers. LUCAS AJANAKU and BLESSING OLAIFA report

Seventy-five-year old Alhaji Aziz Ibirogba runs a brick fabricating mini-industry in Ijagba, a sleepy community on the outskirts of Lafenwa, Ogun State.

For three days, he would leave his house as early as 5 am to Igbogila, the headquarter of Ayobo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State with the hope of getting his data captured into the National Identity Database (NIDB) of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and being issued with his National Identity Number (NIN) to sync his three mobile numbers. And for these three days, his hopes were dashed.

An 85-year-old man, Fatai Akinbile, who was at the NIMC office, Alausa, Ikeja, to correct his date of birth, expressed bitterness about the process.

“I came from Ajah, left the house very early. The issue is they wrote 1953 as my date of birth instead of 1935. I have made attempts to correct it and they referred me to Ikeja,” he said.

Mr Akinbile, who said he did not understand why his SIM cards would be blocked, said he had been on the process for long and it is frustrating for him.

27-year-old Stella Efe is not leaving any stone unturned to sync her NIN with her SIM card.

“I live in Mowe, Ogun State and got here at 5 a.m. I was shocked by the sea of human heads I saw. I felt like running back to Shoprite bust stop. I decided to brave the odds and got number 153 because what happened to me in 2015 was a nightmare. My SIM was deactivated without prompting. It took me almost one week to get the process right. It was no fault of mine. I had done my SIM registration then and got feedback from my operator thrice. So, for me, it’s one beaten, twice shy,” she said.

These are fairly representative of the horrible experiences people are passing through across the country to get their NIN.

Genesis

The journey to the sudden rush by Nigerians to obtain the NIN started after an “urgent meeting of key stakeholders” on December 14th last year. The key stakeholders who attended the meeting were the Chief Executive Officers and Management of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the NIMC and the Chief Executives Officers and management of telecommunications companies across the country. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami chaired the meeting on behalf of the Federal Government.

At the end of the meeting, the stakeholders reached the following resolutions for immediate implementation: Affirmation of the earlier directive to suspend the registration of new SIMs by all Network Operators; Operators to require all their subscribers to provide valid NINs to update SIM registration records; submission of NIN by subscribers to take place within two weeks from today December 16, 2020, and end by December 30, 2020; After the deadline, all SIMs without NINs are to be blocked from networks; a ministerial taskforce comprising the minister and all the CEOs (among others) as members is to monitor compliance by all networks; Violations of this directive will be met by stiff sanctions, including the possibility of withdrawal of operating licence.

The government said it regretted the inconveniences that the resolutions might precipitate upon the public.

The panic button was unwittingly activated by Pantami as Nigerians trooped out en masse to the nearest offices and designated registration centres of NIMC across the country to obtain their NIN. The development heightened tension amid the second wave of COVID 19 pandemic as most of the people at the Alausa NIMC office openly breached COVID-19 protocols. While some wore no face masks, many neither observed physical nor social distancing, an act that is a threat to efforts by the government to tackle the community spread of the deadly virus which has been on the rise in the last three weeks.

According to data from the NCC, there are about 207million active telephone subscribers in the country while data from NIMC showed that as at May/June 2020, only 41.5 million Nigerians have NINs out of a population estimated last year by the United Nations at 206,139,589.

Nigeria’s population is equivalent to 2.64per cent of the total world population, the UN added. Former President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Olusola Teniola, said about 25 million subscribers might have their SIMs deactivated should the government stick to its guns on the timeline.

When President Muhammadu Buhari moved NIMC from the Presidency to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in the second half of 2020, the Director-General of NIMC, Aliyu Aziz pledged that NIMC would enrol 2.5million Nigerians monthly. He pledged while responding to the inquiries of Dr Pantami, who visited the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.

Teniola’s estimated 25 million potential subscribers to be taken off the network was not baseless after all. This is because, until the ultimatum was handed down, NIMC registration centres across the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 774 Local Government Areas of the country were 1000. Then the commission was plagued with logistical and technical challenges. For instance, it was alleged that the Commission’s server crashed shortly after the rush by panic-stricken people to get their data captured and get their NINs. Then the snail speed at which the process is done by the workers is another challenge. Analysts have said the process ought to have been driven digitally to ease tension.

Dr Pantami said digitalisation is an ongoing process. According to him, when he visited the NIMC office to supervise the process, he found out that it takes between three and five minutes for each person to get registered.

But subscribers who have been keeping vigil at various centres to get NIN urged the minister to visit the centre in Lagos or Port Harcourt, disguised as a private citizen, unaccompanied by the long line of siren-blaring escort cars, bulletproof jeeps fierce-looking mobile police escorts, to see the sufferings people are passing through.

He said there is nowhere in the world where prospective enrollee into the digital platform will not physically present himself for data capturing. According to him, while it is possible to download the form, filled and submitted virtually, it was practically impossible to submit biometrics virtually and get it accredited, adding that there is standard for facial capturing under NIMC Act 2007, section 13 and 14.

Reactions to tight deadline

Like a red rag to a bull, the ‘draconian’ deadline of the minister elicited furious reactions from Nigerians. Though they appreciate the move because it is capable of reducing insecurity in the country, they faulted the timing and the short deadline.

The House of Representatives urged the Federal Government to extend the deadline for the SIM/NIN synchronisation deadline by at least 10 weeks. Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu said as laudable as the idea behind the policy may seem, the timing is very wrong because Nigerians have not been properly sensitised.

He said if the NCC is not urgently called to halt their plans there may be unnecessary panic in the country, which may lead to the exploitation of vulnerable Nigerian thereby causing more pains in an already pathetic situation.

A subscriber advocacy a group, Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS), advised the Federal Government to suspend the process because of the rampaging COVID-19 cases in the country.

Extension granted

The Federal Government eventually capitulated and extended by three weeks the period within which to link NIN with subscribers’ SIMs.

The decision to extend the deadline was reached at a meeting of major stakeholders with Dr Pantami.

A statement signed jointly by the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta and the Director-General, NIMC, Aliyu Abdulaziz noted that the National Task Force on National Identity agreed that the deadline be extended.

More registration centres

To address the problems of inadequate registration centres across the country following the deadline, the Federal Government approved the licensing of 173 private sector agents and 30 state governments and public sector institutions to conduct enrolment of Nigerians and legal residents into the NIDB on behalf of NIMC.

But the development is being challenged as it was alleged that many of those granted licenses do not have the equipment and offices right on the ground to carry out the exercise. It was also alleged that some of the MNOswho were given licence had yet to commence operations when the government came with the two weeks deadline for subscribers to link their SIM cards with NINs.

Findings by our correspondents indicate that 16 state governments were licensed to conduct the exercise. They are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Oyo, Ogun, Sokoto, and Zamfara states. The public sector institutions granted license are the NCC, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), National Population Commission (NPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joint Tax Board (JTB) and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).

Other public sector players involved are Military Pensions Board, Abuja Enterprise Agency, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons.

Besides the MNOs, such as Glo, MTN, Airtel and 9Mobile and others that were licensed by the government, some Non-Governmental Organisations were also granted approvals. Investigations showed that the African Youth Growth Foundation, An Nadaa Educational Foundation, Arrida Relief Foundation and Hadejia Ina Mafita were among the NGOs granted a licence to conduct the exercise.

Speaking with our Correspondent on the integrity of the exercise considering the large numbers of institutions granted a licence, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs of NIMC, Mr Kayode Adegoke, said NIMC had to bring a lot of players into the conduct of the registration to cover for the gaps already noticed. He said those licensed had passed through the crucible of auditing, and due process even before the agency was moved to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy for supervision. He explained that licensing the agencies was aimed at increasing the numbers of enrolment centres across the country from the current 1,000 to 10,000. He added that as at the time the two weeks deadline was given, enrolment had peaked at 43 million.

According to him, NIMC is desirous of completion of, and integration of the NIN exercise into the NIDB to allow the agency move to its regulatory role and function in a manner that it would deliver on its mandate creditably.

Codes to sync NIN, SIMs

Faced with the challenge, telecom operators unveiled shortcodes to enable their customers to link their NINs with their subscriber identity modules (SIMs).

Globacom said: “All our esteemed customers can now link their National Identification Number (NIN) to their mobile numbers by simply sending ‘UPDATENIN NIN FirstName and LastName’ to 109. For example, send ‘UPDATE NIN 12345678903 Chidera Abdul-Ola’ to 109.”

Customers can dial *346# to retrieve their NIN if they have already registered with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

It noted that it was rolling out this measure to make it easy for subscribers on its network to comply with the new directives of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and as part of its commitment to ensuring customers have uninterrupted access to the various service offerings it provides.

It advised customers without a NIN to visit a NIN enrolment centre to get one.

9mobile also announced the launch of its intelligent portal for instant verification to help its customers link their SIM cards with their NIN. The Online Self-Service NIN update portal www.9mobile.com.ng/nin, which has already gone live on the 9mobile website, enables subscribers to verify and update their NINs instantly.

The platform provides 9mobile subscribers with an opportunity to submit and verify their NIN without physically visiting any of the Experience Centers across the nation.

Apart from the portal, 9mobile has also made available a USSD option *200*8# that allows subscribers to check the matching status of their NIN to their SIM and subsequently submit it for backend verification and mapping.

Commenting on the exercise, the Chief Information Officer, 9mobile, Ibikunle Jimo, said as a customer-centric telecoms company, 9mobile always looks out for the convenience of its subscribers by leveraging innovation.

MTN had earlier advised its customers to visit https://t.co/2T3Nc2rV0l to submit their NIN or dial *785# or visit myMTNApp.

Since it has obtained an enrolment and verification licence from NIMC.

Airtel had also unveiled its shortcode of *121*1# which it said will facilitate seamless link of NIN with SIMs on its network.

Various WhatsApp groups too were inundated with information such as this: “If you have PVC or BVN then you already have NIN. Don’t bother to go and queue or pay anyone money.”

Just dial *346# to know your NIN number. If it doesn’t display immediately, try it in another 3 days. Then proceed as follows when you have it: To link it with MTN dial (*785#); To link with Airtel dial (*121 *1#); To link with 9mobile dial (* 200 * 8#); To link with GL0. Send ” UPDATE NIN, NIN NUMBER, first name, last name ” to (109).

The efficacy of some of these codes however varies. While some subscribers say it takes them almost eternity to get their NIN linked with their SIM, others said it was achieved with the speed of thunderclap.

Similarly, the Federal Government unveiled an app which it said would ease the tension of subscribers with NIN.

Dr Pantami said the app allows people with NIN to link as many as seven SIM cards to their NIN. He said digital identity could be downloaded via the app.

BVN-generated NIN useless

NIMC has, however, said NINs generated through Permanent Voters Card (PVC) or Bank Verification Number (BVN) could replace the ones generated at its registration centres across the country.

“If your NIN was generated due to the BVN record harmonisation with the national identity database, you will not have access to the NIMC mobile app and your NIN-SIM integration will be invalid,” NIMC had explained in a public notice.

N15,000 for data correction

NIMC said NIN holders would pay N15,000 to correct their date of births in the commission’s database.

Its Regional Coordinator, Funmi Opesanwo, said NIN enrolment is free, but noted that card renewal, correction of date of birth and change of address attract fees.

“For the date of birth correction, there is a processing fee of N15,000. For card renewal or card replacement, there is a processing fee of N5,000. For the modification of address or name, it is N500. So, people misconstrue this to mean that in NIMC they are asking them to pay money. No, those are for services,” she said.

Opesanwo also said the fees are payable to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the Federal Government.

Corporate lines

What is going to be the fate of mobile phones lines used by corporate organisations such as banks, churches, mosques and other groups?

On the registration of SIM cards owned by banks, Churches, Mosques, and other organisations, Danbatta, in a text message, advised such organisations and groups to apply for special NIN from NIMC.

“Corporate organisations should apply for a NIN under which all their lines will be captured. It will be a ‘unique” NIN similar to the one for individuals with multiple lines,” the EVC said.

Beehive of corruption

The few centres opened for registration have become beehives of corruption as frustrated enrollees are fleeced of their cash.

A businesswoman who simply identified herself as Mary said she parted with N40,000 to get herself and seven children enrolled for NIN at one of the centres in Lagos.

At Ozone Cinema Plaza, Sabo Yaba was crowded with a lot of people who came there to register for their NIN.

Like Mary, it was gathered that people, out of desperation, pay as high as N5,000 to get registered.

In faraway Gombe State said to be the minister’s home state, the extortion spree is on, regardless of its limited scale. There was a crowd of over 1000 people gathered at NIMC office located at Federal Low-Cost Housing Estate, Gombe. According to sources, the form costs N200. Instead of giving the forms to prospective enrollees, they are usually directed to cyber cafes where it will be downloaded for them after the payment of N200.

• Additional reports by Busola Aro and Olabisi Salau

The legislature regularly organises investigations to get answers to questions about the activities of the executive arm of government. TONY AKOWE examines why these investigations have had little or no impacts on the lives of Nigerians.

As the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, champions adherence to democratic ethos. He shares this principle with Prof. Sola Adeyanju, a Senior Fellow at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). In their boat is a lecturer with the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Dr. Ibrahim Jimoh.

They have followed the National Assembly for years. The many probes instituted last year by the House of Representatives did not escape their radar.

Prof. Adeyanju told The Nation that each time such probes were instituted by the lawmakers, there were expectations from Nigerians. He, however, added that when such probes become endless or their outcomes were not implemented, they became more negative to society.

Dr. Jimoh and Rafsanjani’s positions are similar. Those probes, Jimoh said, are never concluded because of those involved. Rafsanjani told The Nation that vested interests were one of the reasons the outcomes of the probes were never implemented.

A litany of probes without results 

Section 89 of the 1999 Constitution as amended gives the National Assembly the right to ask questions about the affairs of things in the country and to invite anybody to appear before it. Acting on this mandate, the House of Representatives last year probed many government agencies, but nothing tangible has come out of them. At the House sitting on December 1, last year, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila told standing and ad-hoc committees of the House to turn in reports of investigative motions referred to them on or before January 31, this year or be discharged of such responsibilities. He told them that in accordance with the House rules, such reports were supposed to have been submitted in six months. Many of these committees have been working on the investigations and probes referred to them for over one year while other have exceeded the period of between four and eight weeks given to them by the House to carry out their assignments.

A few of the committees have turned in their reports, which are yet to be considered by the House. One of such committees is the House Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) led by Rep. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. Nigerians sat on the edge while the probe lasted, especially considering the controversy, accusations and counter-accusations generated by the probe, including allegations by the then Interim Management Committee (IMC) that Tunji-Ojo influenced some of the payments made by them.

In its report laid before the House at its sitting of Thursday, July 23, 2020, the committee recommended that the IMC be sanctioned for violating the constitution and other extant laws, especially the law establishing the commission. The report was supposed to have been considered on the same day it was submitted and the recommendations adopted. But six months after, the report was yet to be considered by the House. Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, who presided over the plenary on that day, said it was important that members get copies of the report and study the recommendations to take informed positions. The committee suggested that the IMC be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for proper investigation, prosecution and possible recovery of funds. In the 18-point recommendations, the committee added that the violations of the extant laws establishing the commission should be investigated and sanction applied to those found culpable.

Interestingly, the report of the ad-hoc committee that investigated the sack of the management of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) by Minister of Labour and Employment Dr. Chris Ngige, which was adopted by the House on the same day, is yet to be implemented. It failed to do that on the pretext that copies were not made available to members.

Also, the ad-hoc committee that investigated an alleged sleaze and misappropriation of about N100 billion at the North East Development Commission headed by Rep. James Faleke has also submitted its report to the House absolving the management of any wrongdoing. But the House is yet to consider the report.

The House has so far ordered over 100 different investigations since it was inaugurated in 2019 while only a few of them have been concluded and reports submitted to the House. But these reports are either lying fallow in the House or have no effect whatsoever as the agencies concerned refuse to implement the recommendations. For example, the investigation into Ngige’s sack of the NSITF management failed to yield any positive report. In the report, the ad-hoc committee had recommended the immediate reinstatement of the sacked management on the excuse that their sack did not follow due process. But months after, the new management appointed by the minister is still in charge of the Fund while the House resolution has been thrown to the dust bin. This raises the question of the relevance of these probes and investigations if the outcomes are not implemented and the House still appropriate funds for those who fragrantly refuse to implement their recommendations.

Before the sack of the NSITF management, the House had adopted a resolution to investigate the same NSITF management for spending about N2.3 billion on staff training without approval by the board. The motion was adopted December 17, 2019, about four months before the management was sacked for the same purpose. The committee that was saddled with the responsibility of carrying out the investigation either never sat for once or did their assignment in private. But as at the close of legislative work on Monday, December 21, 2020, when the House held a special sitting to consider and pass the 2021 budget, nothing has been heard of the committee’s work. The question then is why the House failed to carry out the probe over one year after it was ordered.

Before then, the House had empanelled an ad-hoc committee that investigated remittances to the NSITF by government agencies. The committee headed by Sada Soli has since submitted its report to the House, but as at the close of legislative business on December 21, 2020, the report was yet to be considered. Also, The Nation is aware of an investigation ordered by the House into the power sector headed by House Leader Alhassan Ado Doguwa. Even though the committee had eight weeks to submit its report, it was yet to make any headway several months after. Similarly, Deputy House Leader Peter Akpatason also heads an ad-hoc committee investigating crude oil theft in the country, as well as its impact on the environment and nation’s economy. It is yet to conclude its report even though it is already out of the time allocated to it. Apart from the inaugural meeting, it is not known whether the Akpatason committee has ever met again.

On March 5, 2020, the House ordered a comprehensive probe into financial leakages arising from tax evasion, malpractices, misuse and diversion of foreign exchange allocations by companies and other entities amounting to over 30 billion dollars annually. This followed a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Faleke on the need to investigate the disbursement of foreign exchange by the Central Bank of Nigeria and other agencies with a view to determining the exact amount that may have been lost by the government in the process. He said the leakages arose from various malpractices in foreign exchange allocation to companies from sources, such as CBN, autonomous, interbank, domiciliary and over the counter purchases for the importation of physical goods, payments of foreign service vendors, dividend repatriation, foreign loans and interest payment including foreign currency-denominated contracts payment by companies in engineering, procurement, construction, installation and marine transportations. He also alleged fictitious transfer of forex allocation for the payments of dividends to foreign shareholders of Nigeria companies above the dividend approved by the company’s board of directors and audited accounts thereby leading to evasion of statutory 30% company income Tax thereof.

The House Committees on Finance, as well as Banking and Currency that were mandated to carry out the investigation and make a formal report of findings and provide necessary recommendations, are yet to submit any report to the House.

Even though the committees sat a couple of times in public, some of the agencies that were supposed to appear before the committee either failed to turn up, send low cadre officers who were rejected by the committees or fail to provide the necessary documents requested by the committee. Nine months after, the committees are yet to conclude its assignment and have since surpassed the six months period allowed by the House rules.

The House also resolved to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the operational and financial activities of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company to find out why the company has failed to contribute positively to power generation in the country. It also resolved to investigate all contracts awarded by the company since 2004 and payments made for such contracts to determine whether money made available for such contracts have been adequately accounted for.

Like in other cases, the resolution appeared to have hit the brick wall as no report has been made available to the House for adoption, several months after in spite of widespread allegations and controversies surrounding the award of contracts by the NDPHC for various projects.

Another important investigation, which has failed to see the light of day in the green chamber, is the decision to investigate flagrant violations of Nigeria’s labour laws by International Oil Companies operating in the country. The decision was taken by the House on November 28, 2019, with a directive to the Minister of Labour and Employment and other relevant ministers to immediately address the challenges of exploitation and abuse of workers in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

Baro Port and others

The abandonment of the Baro Port and failure to commence operations at the port nineteen months after it was inaugurated was also to be investigated. The multi-billion Baro Port was aimed at boosting economic development in the North and the decongesting the roads of containers. Several months after, there is no sign that the committee ever met once. The investigation was to ensure that all bottlenecks stalling the commencement of operations at the port are removed. The port is yet to commence operation while there has been no report to the House suggestive of why the port has not commenced operation.

On February 26, 2020, the House resolved to investigate what it described as the booming sex slavery going on in the country, while asking the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to begin to shame the traffickers in their homes, including the widespread publication of the names and pictures of convicted traffickers.

The House also resolved to ask the personnel of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) at the ports and borders of Nigeria to allow trained NAPTIP officials to operate at entry points. The agency and the NIS never listened to the House while the investigation never saw the light of day.

The House Committee on Works was meant to investigate why the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, a distance of almost 400 kilometres was awarded to a single company even though their tender was the highest. The road, which was awarded a completion period of 36 months, expiring in May 2021 is less than 40 per cent completed even though more than half of the contract sum has been paid. During its oversight function on the road, the committee expressed displeasure at the pace of work. Even though the committee threatened fire and brimstone during the visit, there has been nothing concrete to prove that it is ready to back its words with action.

Also, the House Committee on Finance threatened sanction for revenue agencies who have failed to remit the right amount of money to the consolidated revenue fund of the federation. But all that ended in mere threat as the agencies have continued to undermine the House, while the House has also failed to invoke the provisions of the law to arrest those who failed to appear before its committees to answer questions.

Why probes do not have impacts and how to change the situation

Findings by The Nation revealed that previous Assemblies have also conducted a series of investigative hearings, many of which ended up either not being concluded or reports never implemented. A former member of the House, Mohammed Soba, told The Nation that the National Assembly lacked the power to enforce the outcome of its investigations because the outcomes were considered as mere suggestions by the executive. This, he believes, is largely responsible for while most probes have ended up not having any effect.

What the National Assembly does in most cases, Soba added, is administrative probes which lack the enforcement power even though they are empowered by the constitution to ask vital and critical questions.

In a letter to the Speaker of the House in the wake of the investigation of the NDDC and the controversies that heralded it, Leader of the PDP caucus in the House Rep. Kingsley Chinda said: “As one of the longest-serving legislators, you are aware that the House of Representatives has faced several challenges since 1999; chief among them is getting the public to repose confidence in the House of Representatives and believe in the integrity of its members and leadership. Recent developments, especially following hard on the heels of the investigative hearings empanelled by your leadership, suggest that the House of Representatives has descended into a new and unprecedented low. However, as conscientious members, we fear and justifiably so, that the House of Representatives will continue to plumb the depth of the new low if you don’t find the courage and firmness to halt the slide, and quickly too.”

For Prof. Adeyanju, “when a probe becomes endless or its report is not implemented, it becomes more negative to society. One, justice must have been denied whoever needs it and it can also encourage others to perpetuate an illegality. This boils down to the promotion of a culture of impunity, and that’s why some people can say we shall do it and nothing will happen”.

But how can this be avoided? Adeyanju said: “We must be certain from the beginning of instituting a probe that the report shall be implemented. Else, it’s better not to even probe at all. If we cannot learn from the past, we are bound to repeat it in the present and be oblivious of it in the future. Let no one institute public probe to waste public money, time and emotions. It is tantamount to criminality.”

Dr. Jimoh said the implication of ineffective probes for democracy was reducing it to absolute aristocracy “where the rules of the games are circumvented for the benefit of the ruling elites”. “Those probes are never concluded because of those involved. These are party men and their cronies, big contractors close to those in government etc. The sad thing is that a precedent is being set”.

A former Secretary-General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Z. Sani, said probes without effects were found not only in the legislature but in most aspects of our national life. “For examples, the reports of auditors general at both federal and state levels are never implemented just as there have been summits and conferences which reports have not been implemented. That made me to once suggest that a summit on why probes, conferences and summit have not delivered be convened.” He added: “All these demonstrate the wisdom of those who posit that good governance derived from national ideals and values which most Nigerians share have collapsed. And because lack of implementation has dire implications on governance and attitudes, let there be a line from which reports of not only probes but also reports by auditors general and of summit and conference must be implemented as a deterrent to others. That may be the starting point for making probes serve their purposes”.

Rafsanjani told The Nation that sometimes “the committees are not getting the necessary information and cooperation from responsible agencies, while in some situations, the committee members don’t attend meetings.

Other reasons are allegations of settlement or compromising at leadership level”. He believes that this has “a huge implication for wasting public taxpayers money and lack of accountability in carrying out legislative activities, such behaviour is giving bad reputation for democracy and legislative activities due to poor attention to carry out legislative work. This is also creating a wrong impression that probes are mobilised for extortion and the opportunity to cover up.

The legislature is empowered to expose corruption and wrongdoing and demands for accountability in governance, therefore not taking legislative activities seriously tantamount to undermining accountability and responsible governance in democratic”.

Despite the drawback that characterised the year 2020, rural electrification received unprecedented attention. JOHN OFIKHENUA writes that the momentum may be sustained this year

In the middle of last month, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) suspended the inauguration of projects. Feelers from the agency show that it will soon inaugurate more completed projects to lift remote rural areas from economic stalemate, and boost learning and research in tertiary institutions.

Rural electrification received a major boost last year. REA implemented projects across the six geo-political zones. They include 218 grid extension projects, 10 solar mini-grid projects, three injection substations projects and 197 solar street lights. Interestingly, while some of the projects have been completed, some are at different levels of completion, and the few others are yet to commence.

In January 2019, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, a Leeds University-trained Electronics and Electrical Engineer, assumed office as REA Managing Director and hit the ground running. He had a series of engagements and house-cleaning sessions with the board chairman Umar Mazaza and other members at the REA Headquarters, Abuja. It was there they discussed extensively on new plans on the better delivery of the Agency’s Mandate.

Shortly after resuming, Ahmad visited the University of Lagos (UNILAG), one of the beneficiary institutions under the phase 1 of the Energising Education Programme (EEP). The REA team was received by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe and other senior members of his management team. The visit enabled status assessment of the project, designed to power the institution with a solar hybrid mini-grid.

In order to ensure closeness to the primary constituents of the agency as well as availability of sufficient technical support to power communities, he took a tour of all REA Zonal offices for a first-hand assessment as well as support in a bid to strengthen the capacity and efficiency of all six REA Zonal Offices for better service delivery.

There was the need to debrief the supervising ministry on the state of the agency and action plans for the development of the power sector. This necessitated a virtual meeting with Minister of State Power Jedy Goddy-Agba and the World Bank Team. The meeting availed the Task Team Lead for the Project, Jon Exel, the chance to update the duo on the progress of the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). He appreciated the sustained support and commitment of the Nigerian government on the Project.

What was most expedient was inter-agency and inter-sectorial collaboration. This was to open up the off-grid space to donors and investors. It culminated in the meeting of the USAID NPSP, ALL-ON and REA, the Off-grid Donors and Investors Forum brings together stakeholders (Selected MDAs, Development Partners and Private Sector) in the off-grid sector every quarter to discuss happenings and updates in the off-grid space in a bid to streamline activities in the space, promote synergy and prevent duplication of functions.

Legislative backing has always been of utmost importance to all executive arms of government, so for the first time in the history of the agency, a high-level engagement between the agency and the National Assembly was held in Abuja. Beyond the valuable feedback from the National Assembly members, the workshop enabled a deeper dive into the importance of off-grid technologies in closing the energy gap as well as the need to channel resources better for sustainable impact.

For synchronisation of the agency strategy with the Federal Government, Ahmad, alongside the members of the new constituted board visited Minister of Power Salleh Mamman, Jeddy-Agba; the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power. The Board debriefed the ministry on the agency’s growth plans as well as strategy roadmap, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s call for accelerated energy access as detailed in the Power Sector Roadmap.

The agency last year strengthened its relationship with state governments to proffer solutions to the energy problems in off-grid communities as mandated by the Federal Government. On this note, it  had a productive engagement with the Lagos State Deputy Governor, centred on clean energy solutions, powering off-grid communities as well as stimulating renewable energy investment opportunities in the state.  Commissioner, Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources, Lagos State, Engr. Olalere Odusote, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mustapha Abdul-Ahmed Olorunfemi and other technical team members of the Ministry had an engaging session on clean energy technology, off-grid investments as well as knowledge exchange and strategic collaboration with the Rural Electrification Agency.

Also, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, Enugu State received the agency, where they discussed on possible strategic collaborations form impact in the grid as well as the off-grid space.

Ahmad, in company of some management staff received Hon. Mustapha Kanti, the Commissioner for Rural Development, Katsina State. The meeting was on developmental issues and ways to catalyse impact in rural communities, as they explored opportunities for co-financing of off-grid projects, to energize rural hospitals & agriculture.

Since the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) is a critical stakeholder in the renewable energy sector. This year, NEMSA unveiled its ‘Guidelines for Inspection of Solar Mini-Grids in Nigeria’. The MD/CEO was invited for a technical review of the document, with Jeddy-Agba, key industry stakeholders as well as the media in attendance.

Furthermore, in order improve the access in Federal Universities across the nation through the Energising Education Programme ((EEP), the agency had to cement its relationship with the Federal Ministry of Education. This brought about the Managing Director’s courtesy visit to the ministry, where the Permanent Secretary, Arc. Sonny ST Echono; Deputy Director, (Educational Management and Programme Mrs Liman, K. A. A. Coordinator, FME- SDG4); and Director, Basic and Secondary Education Department, Mrs Binta Abdulkadir received him.

To adequately improve the renewable energy industry in Nigeria, there is a need to scale-up technical capacity of the workforce through trainings and syllabus-based programmes on system installation and management, energy audits etc. Therefore, through inter-agency collaboration, the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Director-General A.B Nagode and members of his technical team visited the REA headquarters where they were received by Ahmad and some members of the Agency’s Senior Management team.

The international community was not left out of the collaboration. This is because the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) is the single, largest electrification project. To adequately improve the renewable energy industry in Nigeria, there is a need to scale-up technical capacity of the workforce through trainings and syllabus-based programmes on system installation and management, energy audits etc. in Africa. With an existing $350 million grant from the World Bank, in 2020, the African Development Bank (AfDB) keyed into this project with a $200 million sovereign to increase electricity access to 105,000 households, 20,000 MSMES & 8 federal universities across Nigeria.

Owing to the fact that Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) remain one of the critical stakeholders of the agency on the drive towards closing the energy gap in Nigeria, there was need to engage the DFIs and International Developers. This culminated in the visit of the Head of Climate Change and Energy, West Africa, Sean Melbourne to the REA Headquarters, Abuja, where he offered a window of support by the UK on technical support and sustainable finance.

Besides, the Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Lee In-Tae and members of the technical workforce from Korean Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) also visited the REA Headquarters. The ambassador, who was received by Ahmad, proposed areas of partnership with the Agency on mini grid technologies, energy management systems, battery technologies, and system maintenance.

Similarly, a US-based joint Venture, Sun Africa visited the REA Headquarters for discussions on investments in Nigerian mini grid space, geared towards powering Nigerian communities. US Embassy’s Economic Officer, Scott K. Clayton, was part of this crucial meeting where he shared his thoughts on the impact of the proposed collaboration, in the area of technical support, financial assistance and collaboration.

At a point in the year under review, the agency brought the business of powering homes and communities to the fore from where it set up what was tagged REF Call 2 in motion. It followed the success of the 1st REF Call was that was the deployment of 12 Mini-grids and over 19, 000 Solar Home Systems. To continue this process as mandated by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the agency opened up a window for the 2nd REF Call.  It was on this ground that the  Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund (REF), Dr. Sanusi Ohiare sharing the successes stories from REF Call 1 while encouraging Developers to up the ante and deliver quality projects for Nigeria and Nigerians.

REA, in 2020, leveraged on Solar Home System (SHS) to power homes. This resulted in the second standalone stakeholders Roundtable Meeting. The 2nd edition brought together grantees who have signed agreement with the REA under the Nigeria Electrification Project Output Based Fund of the Standalone Solar Homes Systems. Discussions centred on ways to improve the SHS market for the players by removing bottlenecks and the impact of the component in achieving the NEP goal.

In the year under review, the agency followed a strict rule of transparency and openness in the bidding processes of all programmes. The Executive Director, Corporate Services (ED-CS) deliberated over the official Bid Opening for Rural Electrification Projects Under the 2020 Appropriation Act at the REA Headquarters.

Last year will be remembered as the time that the agency signed the EEP Phase 2. As part of the forward-leaning protocols under the EEP, beneficiary communities under the Phase 2 of the EEP visited the REA Headquarters for the official signing of Term Sheets. They include University of Abuja, University of Maiduguri, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Nigeria Defence Academy, Federal University of agriculture, Abeokuta, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital as well as Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State. The Term Sheets outline the general terms, conditions, rights and obligations of both the agency and the beneficiary institutions.

In 2020, there was growth and and impact of the SHS Component. The Standalone Solar Home Systems Component under the Nigeria Electrification Programme (NEP) was aimed at helping capable solar providers reach more underserved Nigerian households and micro enterprises (MSMEs) and provide access to better energy services at lower cost. With seven companies recently signing on to the Output Based Fund (OBF), there are now 19 companies under the SHS portfolio, all with signed Grant Agreements. The objective was to electrify 1 million households and 90,000 MSMEs with reliable and affordable electricity.

Furthermore, the agency was poised at facilitating knowledge-driven engagement.  As the agency rounds up delivery of all projects under the 1st Phase of the EEP, critical industry stakeholders convened at the EEP Phase 2 Stakeholders’ Forum, a knowledge-driven engagement on ensuring sustainable project implementation ahead of the kick-off of Phase 2. While the first Phase was fully funded by the Federal Government through the Green Bond to energize seven Federal Universities and one University Teaching Hospital with clean, safe and reliable energy, EEP Phase 2 will be funded by the World Bank as well as the African Development Bank (AfDB).

With support from the Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP), the agency brought together REF Call 2 pre-qualified Bidders under the Rural Electrification Fund (REF). The workshop met the objectives of sensitising bidders on the eligibility and selection criteria, business and financial models, regulatory requirements, all of which enable bidders to proceed in the tender process.

REA’s continued engagement with thought leaders and industry professionals globally took on a new dimension following world-wide COVID-19 protocols. The REA boss and other critical team members in the agency leveraged communication technologies to share perspectives on the energy landscape in Nigeria and the successes being recorded by the Federal Government of Nigeria through its Power Sector Roadmap.

Leveraging Information and Data for Growth and the Data Management & Planning team of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GiZ) visited the REA Headquarters where they showcased a web-based energy database designed to  access quality off-grid data for energy infrastructure deployment. With the work we do at REA, quality, verified & accessible database play vital roles across different stages of powering Nigeria.

The agency signed an MOU on the Green Energy Investment Platform, a One Stop Investment Platform (OSIP) for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Investments in Nigeria. The OSIP platform is designed to furnish investors as well as potential investors with quality information on Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) in Nigeria. The launch was conducted within the framework of the Nigerian Energy Support Programme, a technical assistance programme, co-funded by the EU and GiZ.

As Nigerians demand more actions from the Armed Forces to end the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other heinous crimes ravaging the country, it is fighting a major war for survival, writes OKODILI NDIDI

With over 26 Generals and other Commanding officers down with the dreaded COVID-19 virus, the Nigerian is torn between the counter insurgency war and the Coronavirus pandemic. The virus claimed the General Officer Commanding 6 Division Major-General Johnson Olu Irefin. He is believed to have contracted the virus while attending the annual Chief of Army Staff’s Conference in Abuja. There are growing concerns about the fate of top military officers and others who attended the conference.

The Defence Headquarters said adequate measures have been taken to halt further spread of the virus among the personnel of the Armed Forces, there are concerns about the number of active cases among military officers.

Part of the measures taken, according to a statement by the Acting Director Army Public Relations Brigadier-General Sagir Musa, include the fumigation of the Defence Headquarters, massive testing of officers and enforcement of COVID-19 protocols in all military Formations and Units.

The Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major-General John Enenche, while assuring that the outbreak of the virus in the Armed Forces would not derail ongoing military operations, said the military was adequately prepared to fight the pandemic.

All officers who attended the conference were asked to self-isolate, but how far can this measure go to check further spread of the virus remains to be seen. The drivers, aides and other close acquaintances of these officers also stand a great of contracting the deadly virus and spreading same.

The fact that the hierarchy of the military is currently encumbered by the Boko Haram insurgency and may not give the required attention to the fight against the pandemic is enough reason to worry.

A paltry 417 officers have so far undergone the COVID-19 test after the outbreak of the virus at the conference.

Will the virus weigh down the military? Will it slow down its operations? Will it defer ongoing operations and how much is it prepared for this health emergency?

Army spokesman Musa said: “All officers and soldiers working at the Army Headquarters are being tested, while COVID-19 protocols are being strictly enforced across all units and formations of the NA,” adding that “the entire Army Headquarters complex “was thoroughly fumigated on Saturday 12 December 2020.”

At the outbreak of the pandemic in March, the military played visible role in the country’s coordinated effort against the virus. It unveiled 17 isolation and treatment centres across the country.

Read Also: Lagos to residents: Obey COVID-19 protocols

The isolation and treatment centres include the 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, 2 Division Hospital, Ibadan, Military Hospital, Port Harcourt Navy Reference Hospital, Calabar and the Military Hospital, Benin.

Others were the 211 Regiment Group Medical Centre, Owerri, 82 Division Military Hospital, Enugu, 161 Nigerian Air Force Hospital, Makurdi, 22 Brigade Medical Centre, Ilorin, 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, 465 Nigerian Air Force Hospital, Kano and the 263 Nigerian Air Force Reference Hospital, Daura.

Also listed were 119 Composite Group Medical Centre, Sokoto, 261 Nigerian Air Force Reference Hospital, Bauchi, 163 Nigerian Air Force Hospital, Yola, 7 Division Military Hospital, Maiduguri and 27 Task Force Brigade Field Ambulance, Damaturu.

According to Gen. Enenche, the donation of the centres confirms the level of preparedness of the Nigerian Military in support of the Federal Government of Nigeria towards tackling the COVID 19 pandemic.

A committee headed by the Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Major General Leo Irabor, was also set up to interface with all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government  managing the COVID 19 pandemic.

“Further to this, a good number of Armed Forces of Nigerian medical personnel have been earmarked to be trained on the management of COVID 19 cases, which will done in liaison with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC),” Gen. Enenche told Defence Correspondents.

He continued: “In the same vein, about 48 Disaster Response Units of the Armed Forces of Nigeria are on notice to move in conjunction with NEMA. These units will handle operations other than medicals that may arise in the course of this non-kinetic military operation”.

The big question now is: Can this preparedness of the military come handy now that it is hit by the virus?

 

Indiscriminate dumping of refuse has significant effects on health, environment, economic and social status of any community. Communities in Osun State still battle with this menace. TOBA ADEDEJI reports

 

The efforts of the Osun State government to save the society from environmental decadence are commendable. But a former Osun State Waste Management Agency dumpsite and other illegal dumpsites in areas across the state have become worrisome.

The dumpsite at Onibu-Eja in Egbedore Local Government Area was certified for that purpose during the administration of Rauf Aregbesola. It was under the control of Osun State Waste Management Agency (OWAMA) but in January 2019, it was relocated to a new place far from communities after an incessant protest by residents.

The dumpsite is on the Iwo/Osogbo Road, which very close to three communities namely Onibueja, Aduragbemi and Ido Osun but the latter community was not that affected because of its distance to the dumping site.

Though Onibueja and Aduragbemi communities are located outside Osogbo, a newcomer in Osun State, especially in Osogbo, would have classified the communities as part of Osogbo because they are all joined and it is just N50 transport fare to access the areas from Osogbo.

Despite the relocation of dumpsite at Onibu-Eja, there are still heaps of garbage at the site which still constitute a menace to the residents as some individuals still dump refuse illegally while scavengers burn debris to get irons out of them. The smoke from the site caused air pollution which causes residents to bewail the condition.

Residents of the area are mostly civil servants, and businessmen. Indigenes are largely farmers.

When our correspondent visited Onibu Eja, it was noticed that the dumping site on the Iwo/Osogbo expressway endangered the community as odours from the rots from the heaps of garbage dump in the area was very thick in areas.

A resident, Komolafe Adeoti,  said: “If I tell you that this dumpsite is not affecting us, I am only deceptive. You can see flies all around. We hunt flies when we are eating.  It is even better now that they have relocated it to another place but the leftover still affect us. We had a series of protests before the present Governor relocated the site to another place. However, some individuals are still dumping the refuse illegally.”

Another resident, Sunday Abere, said: “It is worrisome that scavengers now visit the heaps to pick up materials, for them to get it easily the burn them so that they get irons and others they need quickly. The smoke that emits from the burning affect us a lot. Some of the residents here are battling with asthma. It is even worst at night, the area will be engulfed with smoke. Buildings have been here long ago before the government decided to situate the dumping site here, in fact, this is a community that has it, own traditional ruler.

“One of the residents who I am closed with had aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness,  with his condition he can’t survive living this area so he had to leave to somewhere else.

“Some of the people in this area that rented apartment are not welling to renew them, even some won’t finish their rent before the pack out. Some of us that have our house here, we are feed up.”

Similarly, Mrs Sodiq commended Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for relocating the dumpsite but she pleaded with the government to ensure that individuals did not dump refuse on the site again and also they should clear the heaps of garbage.

Her words: “We are happy the Governor Oyetola moved the dumpsite somewhere else but we will forever be grateful if the government clear the heaps on that site because some individual still dump and scavengers put fire on them so they can easily get what they needed from the debris.”

The General Secretary of the Onibu-Eja Community, Mr Temitope Owolabi speaking with The Nation Correspondent that visited the site said, the dumb site has scared lots of people away from their lands and homes because the experience was not palatable.

“We thank God that they have relocated it to another place but the menace here is still not good. We have flies around and we are prone to sicknesses. They are still dumping refuse around the gate illegally without considering the fact that the government has relocated it to another place. The government should put measures together to stop illegal dumping. As Executives of the community, we stop them when we have opportunities.

“We don’t have any hospital around this community. We have about 1,000 buildings in the community. The government should come to our aid because people are vacating this area.”

According to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC DEQ), ” Environmental pollution due to illegal dumping causes short-term and long-term health issues. Short-term issues include asthma; congenital illnesses; stress and anxiety; headaches, dizziness and nausea; and eye and respiratory infections. Long-term concerns include cancer and kidney; liver; respiratory; cardiovascular; brain; nervous; and lymphohematopoietic diseases. Beyond negative health outcomes due to pollution and toxic waste, illegal dumps pose a physical threat. Unstable piles of material and exposed nails threaten harm to humans, specifically children who may be attracted to illegal dumps as play areas.”

Other illegal dumpsites visited in Osogbo metropolis are Oleyo, Orita-Elelede, Jameegbo, Ori Eru and Better Life. While our correspondent also visited Ori Atan Baba Elesi in Ada, Boripe Local Government Area.

Residents of these areas lamented the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in their areas.

Akilapa dumpsite is about 300 meters away from the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, which is also close to Oja Oba Police Station. The borehole serving the community is about 15 meters away from the illegal dumpsite.

A resident around the Akilapa dumpsite, Oja-Oba, Osogbo, Sikiru Olayide, lamented the offensive odour of the dumpsite and its inherent environmental pollution, which is injurious to the health of the people.

He said relevant authorities should sanction the people dumping refuse at the place and assist in clearing the debris.

“The odour from the debris is even worrisome. There is no time that people do not complain. After several warnings, they have desisted from dumping refuse in broad daylight and have resorted to the wee hours of the day. We want the government to help us.”

“This dumpsite poses threats to our health and it could even trigger an epidemic. The government has been unable to help us.”

It was noted that despite the horrifying smell of waste, some people still inhabit and raise their families especially in buildings close to the dumpsites without recourse to the dangers inherent therein.

At the Oleyo dumpsite, a community leader, Mr Fatai Adeoye, said the community had been making efforts to ensure that the debris in the place is cleared every Saturday to avoid an epidemic outbreak.

“The community had not consulted government on the matter, it had put in place mechanisms for clearing and proper segmentation of the drainage for the free flow of water.

“This place has been like this for a long time. It was formerly a stream which linked a waterway. But since the people had started dumping refuse there, it grew to become a heavy dumpsite. Government officials from Olorunda Local Government had been here before to look at the situation with promises of clearing the place.

“At the community level, I lead women here every Saturday for proper cleaning and sanitation of the area. We have begun the construction of the drainage leading to the dumpsite. So, we would not spare any effort to make sure that this place is clean.

“However, we are helpless. We want the government to intervene. We understand the health hazard that a heavy dumpsite like this without proper maintenance would cause to the environment and that is why we need government’s help.”

The Special Adviser to Osun State Governor on Sanitation, Mr Rufus Oyegbile, said the government is working assiduously to curb the menace of illegal dumping in the state.

“We want to review the activities of Private Sector Participation (PSP) on waste management of Osun State. There is a review before the governor in which in each local government area in the state, the chairmen are proposing that they all have their own recognise and demarcation dump site each.

” We are also having a plan of having central dumpsite which will be situated at the headquarters of Federal Constituency. Once the memo is approved by the governor, the PSP will be given condition by the state government and it will even create jobs for our people. The old people we are using before have to reapply and if they satisfy our condition of service on tackling illegal dumping they will be given job. We are recruiting about 62 of them to be in charge of our vehicles.”

“The enforcement agency under Osun Waste Management Agency headed by one Mr Popoola will do the monitoring of dumping that will make sure that each household has it own waste bin. The agency will supervise the PSP operators, by this our dumpsites will be well managed across the state. We intend to use the waste to generate waste wealth, our vehicles will collect it and bring it to the central dumpsite. Three interested companies are vying to manage our waste wealth which will be approved next year, 2021,” he said.

He stressed that by the moves of the government, residents would enjoy a clean environment, revenue and job opportunities.

“Osun is going to have better waste management. At Onibu-Eja dumpsite, we will subject it to its use. We may not have break ground on waste management but we have gone very far,” he added.