The Nation Newspaper

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  • Buhari’s new mandate, vigour for national unity

    Sir: Nigerians will not forget in a hurry the tragic events of the past characterized by terrible memories of horrendous attacks by insurgents in the northeastern states; the ethno-religious crisis as well as skirmishes between farmers and herders which displaced many from their ancestral abodes.

    It is therefore imperative at this time to recognize and give credit to whoever helps and preaches the promotion of national security and protection of national interest.

    The re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari offers a new impetus for promotion of national understanding, in the spirit of give and take. It provides a lesson in perseverance, political tolerance and belief in the real tenets of   democracy.

    In Nigeria’s democratic system, the two-term tenure remains the prime privilege that a candidate sponsored by a political party could enjoy after a re-election to that same political office. Evidently, Buhari’s re-election bid was influenced by his popularity and commendable efforts to facilitate and ensure good governance, transparency and a corrupt free nation. However, the programmes and policies of the administration coupled with the president’s avowed commitment to due process have increased the delivery of infrastructural and social developments; promising signposts for social transformation in Nigeria.

    Virtually all Nigerians now appreciate the great efforts of the Buhari administration in almost all sectors. But the most critical areas that have received priority attention in the last four years include, but not limited to corruption, security, and employment.

    Corruption has been a debilitating cankerworm, one of the major factors that has kept Nigeria’s prosperity comatose, making the nation’s economy totter and stutter. It is evident that even during the first and second republics, corruption played a very vital role in slowing down Nigeria’s advancement. Politics was used as a lucrative game of cupidity by unpatriotic politicians who embezzled public funds for personal enrichment. The coming of the Buhari administration brought positive transformation that introduced a superior war against corruption with the collaboration of the media, civil society organizations as well as the citizens, encouraged by the whistle blowing policy which paved way for exposing corruption and corrupt politicians.

    The obnoxious inter-ethnic and communal crisis we experienced in this country is beyond description. Hundreds of innocent people were killed; thousands were made homeless, and many others were traumatized as a result of this outrageous intolerance that has seemed intractable. The Buhari administration has tactically dealt with all of that, restored confidence, especially among those living in the Northeast where the crisis is prevalent and the tension is dense. The cessation of attacks and the relative peace enjoyed in the hitherto blood-soaked communities in the North hold the secret to President Buhari’s success in the last election.  He indeed deserves some accolades and commendation in appreciation of his modest achievements.

    No one can deny the impact of intervention programs as N-Power, P-Yes, Tradermoni and the commercial agricultural scheme driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Millions of young people have benefited from these interventions and got rescued from their miserable state of poverty. In the last two years, the statistics of unemployed youths in the county has reduced to a great extent.  One can say confidently that no previous administration ever recorded such a feat in employment creation.

    Nigeria is moving forward, Buhari is steering the wheel to drive Nigerians into the next level in order to get Nigeria working again.  Our collective participation and collective action remains the only way to rejuvenate Nigeria’s democracy and redefine its rotten system. Going forward, the nation now requires a national consensus on a definitive path of sustainable development.

     

    • Usman Bello Balarabe,

    Kano.

     

  • Ogun: Tribunal directs INEC to grant Akinlade, APM access to election materials

    THE Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, yesterday directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant the candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Adekunle Akinlade and his party, access to the documents used for conduct of March 9 governorship election.

    Justice Chinwe Onyeabor-led three-man panel gave the order at its inaugural sitting, following a motion ex parte brought before it by Akinlade and APM.

    The governorship candidate and APM are challenging the victory of Prince Dapo Abiodun and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), designated as second and third respondents in the petition.

    In arguing the application, counsel for the petitioners, Mamman Osuman, SAN, who appeared with Ahmed Raji, SAN, told the tribunal that the order being sought was necessary to allow the applicants access to the electoral documents used during the election “with a view to maintaining the petition already filed before the tribunal”.

    Osuman argued further that the application was filed pursuant to Section 151, sub-section 1 and 2 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    Read also: Ogun gets new Police Commissioner

    Among other prayers sought were: “An order directing the 1st Respondent to forthwith grant access to the Petitioners/Applicants and their solicitors, agents, experts and other staff to inspect, photocopy, scan, pay for and obtain certified copies of all documents used by the 1st Respondent for the conduct of the Ogun State Governorship Election held on March 9, 2019, for the purpose of instituting and maintaining Election Petition; the said documents being the ones contained in the schedule attached to the Supporting Affidavit to this application;

    “An order allowing/permitting the petitioners/applicants (for the purpose of instituting and maintaining an election petition) to inspect, scan, photocopy, pay for and obtain certified copies of the electoral documents contained in the schedule attached to the application, same being the documents that are in the custody of and were used by the 1st Respondent in the conduct of the governorship election that took place in Ogun State on March 9, 2019.

    “An order directing the 1st Respondent to promptly abide by the orders of this court, made in the terms of the Ex parte application.”

  • Secured Transactions Act will boost MSMEs, say experts

    The Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act (STMA) of 2017 will boost the micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs), experts have said.

    Among others, the Act creates the National Collateral Registry (NCR), which facilitates the grant of soft loans with movable assets as collateral.

    NCR Assistant Registrar, Mrs Bisi Toro-Popoola, said the law has made it possible for people to get loans using moveable assets such as farm produce, wrappers, household utensils, intellectual property, motorcycle, among others, as collateral.

    A partner at Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, Mrs Ebelechukwu Enedah, believes that effective implementation of the Act would ease access to finance by small businesses.

    They spoke in Lagos at a workshop on the role of Secured Transactions in Moveable Assets Act in financing MSME in Nigeria.

    It was organised by the Conference of Western Attorneys-General Africa Alliance Partnership (CWAG AAP) in conjunction with the NCR, which is under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Based in the United States, CWAG is a bipartisan group, which works to promote the rule of law and foster international cooperation in transnational criminal matters.

    It also provides and supports joint training programmes, international collaboration platforms, information exchange and knowledge sharing.

    The CWAG AAP seeks to establish and foster relationships with justice and law enforcement agencies and officials throughout Africa to support the rule of law and combat transnational criminal activity.

    Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors is the Nigeria Partner/Coordinator for CWAG AAP.

    Enedah described the STMA as a laudable step in the right direction.

    According to her, it was unfortunately that MSMEs, which represent 96 per cent of Nigerian businesses, is constantly plagued with the challenge of sourcing and raising capital.

    She attributed the challenge to lack of immovable assets which lending institutions prefer as security for loans.

    Enedah was, therefore, of the view that the STMA would help to address the challenges.

    “It is hoped that this Act will assuage the imbalance and go a long way to redress the prevailing position to a large extent, as it seeks to stimulate and assist MSMEs in securing financing by giving legal backing to the perfection and realisation of security interests in movable assets.

    “By implication, MSMEs can now secure loans with moveable assets. The Act also establishes the NCR to identify priority of competing interests in secured assets,” she said.

    The workshop, she said, was to enhance a better understanding of the Act towards its implementation and enforcement to encourage MSMEs’ growth.

    Cross River Attorney-General Joe Abang said STMA’s main objective was to enhance financial inclusion in Nigeria and stimulate responsible lending to MSMEs.

    “To stimulate the economy, the Act establishes a regime that guarantees access to credit secured by moveable properties.

    “In addition to the general objective of providing and developing a framework guaranteeing access to credit secured by moveable assets, the specific objectives of the Act include establishing a National Collateral Registry, stimulating affordable lending to MSMEs, facilitating the perfection and realisation of security interests in moveable assets and enhancing financial inclusion in Nigeria.

    “It is hoped that the passage of the Act would facilitate the achievement of the goals of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) set up by the President to progressively make Nigeria an easier place for businesses to start and thrive,” he said.

    Toro-Popoola said the law provides that moveable assets used as collateral do no leave the owner. “The assets stay with you,” she said.

    She, however, said the NCR is faced with lack of funds to implement nationwide awareness campaign strategy.

    Besides, she said there had been low usage of NCR portal due to financial institutions’ reluctance of to appreciate the benefits of moveable asset-based lending.

    Despite the challenges, Toro-Popoola said the NCR is gradually building the confidence of banks and other financial institutions in moveable assets financing.

    According to her, over 600 financial institutions have registered and are leveraging the NCR infrastructure to advance credit to individuals and businesses.

    The NCR, she said, also held a workshop for judicial officers on their role in the Act’s enforcement and in dealing with loan repayment defaults.

    She added that the NCR enables businesses to leverage their assets to obtain credit for growth, among other benefits.

    Other facilitators included Punuka Attorneys & Solicitors Senior Partner Chief Anthony (SAN), a senior staff attorney at the Northeast New Jersey Legal Services, Inc, John Ukegbu, i-naira.com founder Hilary Nwaukor, Mr Obinna Nwankwo of CBN Principal Legal Services Department, and Mrs Toro-Popoola.

    Ukegbu gave a US perspective on secured transactions in moveable assets, Idigbe and Nwankwo gave an overview of the regulatory framework, while Nwaukor discussed the strategic importance of secondary derivative market platforms.

    CWAG Director Markus Green gave an overview of CWAG’s activities and spoke on the workshop’s essence.

    Idigbe said stakeholders, including lawyers, have a role to play in ensuring that market forces determine the grant of loans rather than the current monopolistic practice that is filled with hurdles for small businesses.

    To underscore the need for stakeholders to accept the reforms, he referred to the words of a Chinese philosopher Confucius: “Only the wisest and the stupidest of men never change.”

    Also at the event was presidential adviser/PEBEC Secretary Dr Jumoke Oduwole.

  • Air traffic engineers association elects executives

    Members of the Lagos State chapter of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) have  elected new executive officers at its Biennial General Meeting and symposium.

    At the event with the theme: “Cyber threat in aviation industry: The role of ATSEPS”, Anthony Nwose of the Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel (ATSEP), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was re-elected as Chairman and Kilasho Ibrahim as Vice Chairman.

    Others are Sonowo Ayodele as Secretary; Olawepo Andrew  asTreasurer; Ahmed Mobolaji as Financial Secretary and Christiana Adegbaju as Public Relations Officer (PRO).

    In his welcome address, Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter, ATSEP,  Nwose, said they would  improve the industry.

    Nwose expressed satisfaction with the level of achievements the body has made over the years.

    He said: “The journey started many years ago. I remember there were times when it was difficult for us to work because of lack of tools. We now have tools to work. Many of our own have been trained and retrained in various areas. This is part of the efforts that NAAE has made to ensure that the management lives up to its expectations,” Nwose said.

    The  guest speaker, Ifeanyi Ogochukwu examined the dangers of cybercrime and its threat to aviation infrastructure and ways to  checkmate them.

    Ogochukwu, also the Chief Technology Strategist, Debbie Mishael, said the threats, if not checked, could affect stakeholders.

  • ‘Omo-Agege not affected by sack judgment’

    The Asaba Federal High Court judgment, which sacked the Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) executive committee does not affect Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, his spokesman, Nath Dortie, has said.

    The court had sacked the Prophet Jones Ode Erue-led executives, which conducted the primaries that gave Omo-Agege the ticket to contest this year’s senatorial election.

    Justice Toyin Adegoke, in the March 19 verdict, recognised the Cyril Ogodo-led executive committee instead.

    The Federal High Court in Abuja had last June 18 recognised the Erue-led executives.

    A statement by Dortie said since the Senator was not a party to the suit, he was not bound by Justice Adegoke’s verdict.

    The statement reads: “This judgment is in conflict with the valid, unchallenged and subsisting June 18, 2018, judgment of Justice Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    The suit validated, recognised and gave legal life to the Prophet Jones-led executives, a judgment that the plaintiffs in the Asaba court has failed to set aside/appeal against.”

    Omo-Agege noted that the APC and Erue have appealed Justice Adegoke’s judgment, but insisted that the Federal High Court, whether in Abuja or Asaba, was the same and of coordinate jurisdiction nationally.

    He added: “The Asaba court has no appellate authority to override or set aside the valid, subsisting and final judgment of the Abuja court.

    “Without prejudice to the appeals already filed, it is our opinion that not being a party to the Asaba action, Delta State APC candidates in the 2019 elections, including Senator Ovie omo-Agege, is not and cannot be bound by pronouncements in the Asaba judgment.”

  • He was a true father of Lagos, says Tinubu

    Former Lagos State Governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has described elder-statesman Pa Hassan Fasinro, who died on Sunday, as a true father of Lagos and a committed progressive.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) national stalwart said Papa fought to establish the rule of law and to give Lagosians a democratic egalitarian society.

    “He believed in the innate goodness of the people and that democratic governance would help our people realise their fullest potentials,” Tinubu said

    In a condolence message to the Fasinro family he personally signed and released yesterday night by his Media Office, Tinubu said the late senator contributed immensely to Lagos and Nigeria as a lawyer, politician, administrator, legislator, author and community leader, adding that he would be deeply missed.

    The message, titled: “Pas Fasinro: A true father of Lagos,” reads: “Alhaji Hassan Adisa Fasinro was a true father of Lagos. Born and bred here, he personified the best of Lagos and dedicated his life to making Lagos a place of progressive governance, cultural richness and social justice for all its people. He lived and breathed Lagos till his last breath.

    “A committed progressive, Papa fought to establish the rule of law and to give Lagosians a democratic egalitarian society. He believed in the innate goodness of the people and that democratic governance would help our people realise their fullest potentials.

    “He contributed immensely to Lagos and Nigeria as a lawyer, politician, administrator, legislator, author and community leader. A devout Muslim, he committed himself to the betterment of humankind and the history of his life bears the fruits of his selfless devotion to the people.

    “Whether as the first Clerk of the Lagos City Council or Senator representing Lagos State, he gave his best. Pa Fasinro truly served Lagos to the best of his abilities. As such, he shall always stand as an example to all of us.

    “He was elected to the Senate under the Unity Party of Nigeria, a progressive party that is one of the ideological precursors of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) and All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “Pa Fasinro was an important factor in the political and traditional histories of Lagos.  On the political and administrative fronts, Pa Fasinro was Lagos Town Council Clerk when that council was an administrative unit of Lagos created under a new Local Government Law in succession to the council created by the 1941 Ordinance. He also participated in the reorganisation of the Town Council by the late Premier, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    “Regarding further reorganisation of the council, Pa Fasinro was a strong ally and wise adviser when I spearheaded creation of additional councils in the state to accelerate economic development in Lagos.

    “We are grateful to Allah for granting Baba a long and eventful life of almost a century and for allowing him time to accomplish so much and to enrich so many lives.

    “The country and Lagos greatly benefited from his wise counsel. Lagos and the nation shall miss him greatly. The Muslim Ulammah in Lagos, Southwest and indeed Nigeria will deeply miss him.

    “We take some solace in that Pa Fasinro left behind talented and able children, who will carry on his progressive legacy. My prayer is that God grant the family the strength and grace to continue to contribute to the improvement of Lagos and Nigeria as our beloved Pa Fasinro would want them to do.

    “May Almighty Allah also grant Baba Aljanna Fridaus.”

  • Ojobo seeks state of emergency in ICT

    The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) and President, African ICT Foundation (AFICTF), Tony Ojobo, has urged African leaders to declare a state of emergency in the information communication technology (ICT) sector to accelerate digital development across the continent.

    Ojobo, a former Director of Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), spoke during the inauguration of the BoT of the foundation in Lagos, founded in 2009 to address Africa’s digital inclusion challenges.

    He unveiled a two-year digital inclusion development plan for the continent, targeting policy and infrastructure issues on Internet of Things (IoTs), Artificial Intelligence and Big Data.

    In his inaugural speech, he said Africa needed a declaration of emergency in  ICT development and innovation.

    According to him, in the next two years, the foundation will be involved in research and education by setting  policy agenda on technological innovations, ICT, trade and globalisation and clean energy.

    He said the Foundation will get Africa’s private sector support on critical industry issues that affect the growth of Africa’s economy while working with policymakers to develop and promote policies and ideas, capitalising on the tremendous economic and social benefits ICT provides for Africans.

  • SIM boxing threatens telecoms industry

    An information communication technology (ICT) expert has warned about the dangers of subscriber identity module (SIM) boxing in the telecoms industry, saying a decisive action needed to be taken to halt its spread.

    An independent ICT consultant, Derrick Sebbaale, said in 2016, it was estimated that Uganda telcos lost about $60million due to illegal redirection of international calls traffic.

    The amount, in part, led to revenue from voice services remaining flat or growing sluggishly between 2015 and 2017, according to telecom revenue analysis in those three years. The illegal redirection is known technically as SIM boxing.

    But the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it was addressing the menace with the deployment of superior technology.

    According to Sebaale, SIM boxing is a practice in telecoms, whereby a person or group of people, set-up a device that can take up several SIM cards (a SIM box) and use it to complete international calls received from the internet as voice over IP (VoIP) and in turn serve them to the in-country mobile network subscribers as local traffic. The SIM boxer thus bypasses the international rates and often undercuts the prices charged by local mobile operators.

    Read also: NCC resumes Do Not Disturb directive

    Explaining how it works, he said, if a call is being made from the United Kingdom to Uganda, the subscriber will call via their operator (provider A – i.e. Vodafone) that has an International Gateway (e.g. BICS, TATA, etc.) and has termination agreements with operators in Uganda, including network X (could be MTN or Airtel). They send the call via their connections to Network X that looks for its subscriber and terminates the call.

    In this scenario, all operators – A, BICS, X and the government – receive their fees as per set agreements and taxation laws.

    This is the legal mode of operations and guarantees revenue for parties involved.  However, some unscrupulous elements have found a way around this. The issue, he said, became rampant when the One Area Network (OAN) was launched in 2015, and that it became the transit route for calls  from other countries.

    If someone made a call from the UK to Uganda on your phone, it would be displayed as a call from Kenya because it would have been diverted by some unscrupulous individuals.

    The SIM Box has several SIM cards of operators and could also take advantage of any on-net (same network) voice bundles and thus ends up paying very little or nothing for the termination of the said call disguised as a local call.

    In this scenario, the interconnect operator C undercuts the market interconnect rates and offers cheap rates by spoofing quality. The GSM operator in Uganda (Network X) is cheated of charging the call at premium international rates, but rather gets local rates or even earns nothing (if already purchased voice bundles are utilised). The government is also cheated of the $9 charged on international calls per minute. This route is also referred to as the “Gray Route”.

    So, the telecom firms witness increased calls due to bundled offers but then this doesn’t translate into increased revenue. That means, someone is rigging the system.

    As stated, the telecoms were estimated to be losing about $60million yearly as a result of the gray routing. A loss to the telecoms means that they will also be unable to remit the excise duty charge on calls to the government. With the excise duty charge at about 36 per cent, that means government revenue loss is about $21.5million yearly. These are amounts that can help the government continue to provide services for Ugandans.

    As the telecom operators and the government are counting their losses, the unscrupulous individuals that have only spent a meagre amount to acquire a SIM box machine are smiling to the bank.

    These SIM boxers can break even in less than one month and continue to rake in profits. There is no deliberate under-declaration of telecom revenue because of the investment made to be compliant with the tax authorities, the expert added.

  • ‘Some Nigerian vessels fit only for museum’

    Nigerian Inland waterways Authority (NIWA) Managing Director, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, has decried outdated vessels plying the nation’s waters, saying that some of them are fit only for the museum.

    He said this while receiving the executives and members of the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES) who visited him at the NIWA Lagos office.

    Mamora said NIWA needed partnerships to ensure that the right vessels ply the waterways, stressing that there is a need for competence among waterways operators.

    “Some of these vessels are outdated, in fact, they should have relevance in the museum, they ought not to be on the waterways. We need that partnership in terms of ensuring that the right vessels ply our waterways and that the ones that should not be there are taken off the waterways,” he told AMES, adding that there is a need for vessels plying the nation’s waterways to meet at least the minimum standards.

    Read also: NIWA stops Apple Island project

    Although he also decried the high level of insufficient number of marine surveyors in the industry, he nonetheless contended that there is a need to itemise some of the things, starting from what he described as an insufficient number of competent marine surveyors and engineers in the maritime industry.

    “It is bad enough there is insufficiency or deficiency of the number of engineers required; but worse is that what is available is not being maximised; this makes it double jeopardy. You don’t have enough and even the few that are there are not being maximised to get the full value of what they can add to the system,” he said.

    In his speech the President of AMES, Adeyinka Okunade, attributed lack of professional input in the implementation and execution of maritime policies and initiatives as a major contributor to the decline of the industry.

    Okunde said that in recognition of the deficit in the sector, AMES organised a maritime technical summit in 2016 aimed at finding solutions to some of the issues bedevilling the industry.

    He assured the NIWA boss that his association is capable of helping in the development of human technical capacity as may be required by NIWA including mentoring of her staff. “We can work with you to ensure standard of vessels operating on the waters and the competence of the operators of these vessels,” Okunade assured.

  • Make police barracks renovation top priority

    SIR: The federal government should consider establishing the national police barracks renovation and construction scheme patterned after the national road renovation scheme.

    The scheme, established last year encourages established companies to build or renovate federal government roads in exchange for tax reprieve. Soon after its establishment, companies like Dangote Group, Lafarge Cement and over 30 other companies are participating or have indicated interest to participate.

    The police institution was established to fight crime but with the dilapidated and shabby nature of our barracks nationwide, it will be instead help breed crime. If this scheme is established for the police, companies that build or renovate police barracks nationwide will be given tax reprieve. That way, the top 50 most dilapidated barracks in Nigeria could be showcased for interested companies to choose from for renovation and new ones constructed.

     

    • David Atta,

    Abuja.