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COVID-19 Pandemic: A Hungry Man Is Not A Free Man By Adekunle Adeyemi (Scotty Aluta)

According to John F. Kennedy, “The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.” It is no longer news that Coronavirus (Covid-19) is quite alarming and far spreading while food prices have risen dramatically around the country in recent days, fuelling widespread concern and social unrest in communities confronted with devastating price increases when buying provisions and food stuff. Exactly what accounts for this wild upswing in market prices and what do these trends hold for those already living in precarious conditions?

Hunger and malnutrition are self-perpetuating issues that affect a person’s mental ability, health, work and productivity. They constitute the world’s greatest public health risk, more pressing than corona virus (Covid-19).

There will be restrictions of movement due to the outbreak of Covid-19 (Corona Virus) and yet the government have no plan for its citizen during the sit at home period while other countries made provisions for their citizen so as not to lose their lives to hunger because hunger kills faster than a virus. At least 70 per cent of Nigerians are living on stipend even when they go out to hustle to put food on their tables, what will be their fate staying at home for a longer period without having an alternative? How do they survive? If they eventually survive the virus, will they survive the hunger?

The Nigerian government should put a proper measure in place so our case won’t end up like that of Italy, Spain and America respectively or even worse. Nigerians cherish their lives and am very sure the whole of the cities will be empty like a grave yard if the government can roll out an economic stimulus package to its citizen or better still give out relief funds to every individuals.

Influential individuals and organizations are not left out, I personally go against the act of tokenism portrayed by our banking sectors as i see it as policy or practice of making only a symbolic effort. 80% Nigerians are bank users and as well have a BVN (Bank Verification Number), relief funds can be disbursed to Nigerians via their BVN numbers irrespective of where they are. Billions of naira have been paid to the government account by individuals, organizations as well as the banking sectors to support during this pandemic while its citizens are languishing. I hope mosquitoes don’t swallow all the billions as we will be left with no choice as usual to believe it was swallowed by mosquitoes.

The government should put in place an alternatives for its citizen not just to tell us to sit at home and die of hunger as majority of Nigerians lives on hand to mouth on daily basis.

Education and awareness are the first steps to understanding and solving any issue and hunger is no different, while malnutrition is the single largest contributor to disease.

You pray for the hungry, then you feed them. This is how prayer works. – Pope Francis.

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March 30, 2020
Babalakin Obsessed With The Vice-Chancellor’s Removal By Alabi Azeez

As expected, the Vice Chancellor’s response on the barrage of lies that Babalakin tried to peddle about the suspension of the 51st convocation of the university, elicited anger and rage from a faceless and dishonest ‘Concerned Stakeholders’ and a group of delinquent non-academic staff making scrupulous releases requesting for the Vice Chancellor to proceed on leave, because, for them Babalakin has an intimidating resumé and commands national respect.

A cursory look at the individuals issuing these publications will tell exactly why they have taken such an undistinguished position. Interestingly, they could not use the SSANU platform which they have tried tirelessly in the pass to desecrate. The team is led by Mr Adetomiwa Adekola, who was impeached as SSANU Chairman on account of his financial recklessness and dubious land scheme he purchased for SSANU members. He is assisted by a rag tag, Mr Babatunde Oseni, who the SSANU electoral committee disqualified from contesting election into any SSANU executive position on account of his terrible records of service in the university.

What sort of stakeholders are these? Whose interest do they actually represent? Certainly not the interest of any known group in the university, but that of their paymaster who is hell bent on destroying the university.

Their position is not only laughable but also pedestrian and lacking in any form of logical reasoning. How can anyone contemplate the exit of a Vice-Chancellor who has achieved so much in two years, even under the worst of conditions? Maybe these fellows need a reminding that it was the selflessness and ingenuity of Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe that brought the University of Lagos to number one in Nigeria and eighth in Africa. The university during his Vice Chancellorship has attracted about N8bn in research grants. He created the much needed atmosphere for students to develop their entrepreneurial skills. Under Prof Ogundipe’s watchful eyes, the students and staff have won several international laurels and have become globally relevant. The renaissance of the research culture in the university is largely attributed to the Vice-Chancellor’s zeal to make UNILAG a research-based university. His tenure has given the University more international visibility and global respect. It is not surprising that even Mr Adekola and his cohorts rightly referred to the Vice Chancellor as a “scholar and administrator of repute.” This is particularly so because he singlehandedly won a lot of research grants as a scholar; and to the admiration of many, he has held various key administrative position in his over 30years in the services of the university. On the flip side we have a Pro Chancellor who has done everything in the last three years to give the university bad image and publicity.

Think for one minute, if Prof Ogundipe is the problem, why was Mr Babalakin also at logger heads with Prof Bello? If there is anything we should do at this material time, it is to praise the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ogundipe, who in two years turned the fortune of the university around. Calling for him to take leave is pathetic and signs of the failings of the Pro Chancellor.

On the part of the Registrar, his Council Resolution Part 2 is a very interesting revelation. The reasons are not farfetched. He made a fair but failed attempt to divert the minds of the public away from the issue that made the university a subject of ridicule in the last three weeks – The suspension of the 51st convocation of the university. Mr Babalakin’s grand intention was to show the university management how powerful and highly connected he is by cancelling the convocation at the detriment of over 13,000 graduating students and then turned around to blame the Vice Chancellor and NUC. But the ploy failed woefully. The public saw clearly what went down, at least the letter from the Ministry of Education puts it pretty clear that the event was suspended at the instance of Mr Babalakin who claimed the ceremonies did not receive Council’s blessings.

The alumni and stakeholders who were tired of Babalakin’s repressive leadership style took to the social media to express their dissatisfactions and frustrations. The #saveMyUnilag trended for days on Twitter and Facebook. For many, it was crystal clear what the agenda was – a show of power. As Simon Kolawole succinctly puts it in his write-up, Babalakin the Bully, “…[Babalakin] he has gone too far by his latest power show which has forced Unilag to suspend its convocation…his ego fight at the expense of the graduating students and their families is ungodly.”

Secondly, the Resolution threw up a host of issues which he claimed was discussed at the Council meeting. One of such was the ‘Greek gift’ of 40 Hectares of land at Ogudu being proposed by the Pro Chancellor. First question to ask, is this not the same piece of land in dispute with the state government for many years? Little wonder the property has no title documents or survey. This is aptly validated by the Registrar’s statement that “it was resolved that steps be taken to retrieve the title documents and that Council should be updated” Haba! Now that he could not get contracts from Unilag, Babalakin has resulted to swindling Unilag staff of their meagre salary? It is important to urge Unilag staff to be vigilant and “shine their eyes” on this land matter o!!! Don’t forget the issue of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contract given to him, he did not do the job, yet collected huge sum of money to even accept to let go of the contract. Not even the road in Ondo State.

Nigeria is yet to know when Babalakin will fully handover MM2 to government as we are not sure if he will not again change the end of concession date as he did previously. Besides, even if they come up with fake papers for the land, the purported land is located in a swampy environment and a professor who earns the highest salary in the university will struggle to put up a foundation for any building there.

Pages 3-6 of the resolution was largely on financial matters. This Council led by Babalakin should be ashamed of its conducts! Throughout last year, the University was on a standstill over allegations that a sum over N4bn was misappropriated, embezzled, squandered, lavished and stolen by the university management. In fact, the song on Babalakin’s lips was “catch am, catch am, thief, thief, thief, catch am, catch am, robber, robber.”

The same Council, led by same Babalakin, in less than a year, is now publishing a resolution that money is no longer missing, albeit, the University Managements (past and present) have saved far too long and too much to the tune of N9bn in the TSA account of the university! Then the Council goes on to propose a lavish spending of the savings meant for the DLI building, School of Foundation Studies building, College of Medicine and School of Postgraduate Studies building. How can you make money saved for more than five years for capital projects available for spending?

Babalakin is definitely set out to destroy the 25-year strategic plan that the Vice Chancellor swore to up hold, in one sweep! Babalakin has not facilitated any building to the university and yet he wants to share the money saved in the university development account by more than three Vice Chancellors to construct educational edifices for the great citadel of learning. Our dear Pro Chancellor needs to take a cue from what his counterpart in Obafemi Awolowo University is doing.

As any right discerning person can already see, Babalakin is trying hard to play the welfare game to divide and rule the staff of the university, further entrenching the acrimony, bad blood, discord and division that he already created in in the university. He is also struggling hard to divert attention away from the convocation issue. This is the biggest shame of leadership.

It is distasteful that the UNILAG Council matter has suddenly become a gutter matter that any individual can pick up on the streets of Lagos. Let us advise Council to stop wasting resources in printing resolutions. The next Council meeting should hold at the Main Bowl of the Sports Centre where all members of the university community, alumni and press can witness the plenary.

For many of us who are watching gleefully, the management of the university must be praised, in spite of all the grandstanding and unnecessary brinkmanship, the university rose to first in Nigeria and eighth in Africa.

No body and no lies can change what we already know, Babalakin cancelled the University of Lagos 51st convocation four days to the event.

On a lighter note or perhaps as a matter of national importance, the Pro Chancellor, Mr Babalakin was alleged to be in London on 11th March for Justice Oguntade’s birthday, he subsequently denied traveling to London but confirmed he was in Germany on medical trip. Whether London or Germany, since hi

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March 29, 2020
Our CIO talks expectations, interest rates, and blockchain

An interview with Greg Davis about investment and economic conditions, investor expectations, and technology’s effects on the financial markets.

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March 28, 2020
Condom shortage looms after coronavirus lockdown shuts world’s top producer

KUALA LUMPUR: A global shortage of condoms is looming, the world’s biggest producer said, after a coronavirus lockdown forced it to shut down production.

Malaysia’s Karex Bhd makes one in every five condoms globally. It has not produced a single condom from its three Malaysian factories in the past 10 days due to a lockdown imposed by the government to halt the spread of the virus.

That’s already a shortfall of 100 million condoms, normally marketed internationally by brands such as Durex, supplied to state healthcare systems such as Britain’s NHS or distributed by aid programmes such as the UN Population Fund.

“We are going to see a global shortage of condoms everywhere, which is going to be scary,” Karex Chief Executive Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters this week.

“My concern is that for a lot of humanitarian programmes deep down in Africa, the shortage will not just be two weeks or a month. That shortage can run into months.”

Malaysia is Southeast Asia’s worst affected country, with 2,161 coronavirus infections and 26 deaths. The lockdown is due to remain in place at least until April 14.

The other major condom-producing countries are China, where the coronavirus originated and led to widespread factory shutdowns, and India and Thailand, which are seeing infections spiking only now.

Makers of other critical items like medical gloves have also faced hiccups in their operations in Malaysia.

Goh said Karex was in the process of appealing to the government for an exemption to operate under specific conditions. Malaysia is approving other essential goods producers to operate with half of their workforce.

“The good thing is that the demand for condoms is still very strong because like it or not, it’s still an essential to have,“ Goh said. “Given that at this point in time people are probably not planning to have children. It’s not the time, with so much uncertainty.” — Reuters

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March 27, 2020
Sabah, Sarawak not excluded from Prihatin

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal government will cooperate with state governments, specifically in Sabah and Sarawak, to ensure all assistance announced under the people-centric economic stimulus package (Prihatin) reaches them as quickly as possible.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pix) said he was aware that those living in longhouses in Sarawak, Orang Asal settlements and in remote areas in every part of the country might worry that aid would reach them late.

“The Federal government will cooperate with state governments, specifically in Sabah and Sarawak, to ensure all assistance provided by the government will reach them fast,” he said in announcing the RM250 billion package on live television today.

Muhyiddin said besides ensuring the country’s economic activity continued, the government will also pay attention to domestic investment activities that had high multiplier effects and maintained employment.

For that purpose, the government has identified several small-scale projects such as improving road conditions, upgrading dilapidated schools in Sabah and Sarawak, cleaning places of worships and police stations as well as enhancing tourism facilities that would benefit G1 to G4 Grade contractors.

“For that, an allocation of RM2 billion has been set aside,” he said, adding that small-scale projects worth RM2 billion as announced in the previous package would be implemented this April.

He said these included the RM600 million infrastructure projects in Felda and other areas, RM350 million upgrading of dilapidated schools in Sabah and Sarawak and RM150 million upgrading of public housing for the hardcore poor. — Bernama

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March 27, 2020
Schistosomiasis elimination: refocusing on snail control to sustain progress
Substantial progress has been made during the past decade to prevent and control schistosomiasis (also known as bilharziasis) globally. The disease affects more than 230 million people, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Progress is mainly due to large-scale periodic treatment of affected populations with praziquantel, the only medicine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) against all forms of schistosomiasis. Regular treatment cures mild symptoms and prevents
progression to severe, chronic disease.

“Through progressive scale-up of periodic large-scale treatment
to control morbidity in many endemic countries, we are closer to
achieving the minimum target of 75% global coverage of all school‐aged
children,” said Dr Amadou Garba Djirmay, who leads WHO’s global schistosomiasis control programme. “But
if we want to achieve elimination, we must go a step further to
introduce snail control in hot spots and in areas targeting elimination.
This is bound to increase impact and accelerate progress towards
interruption of transmission.”

Expansion of treatment is largely supported by donated praziquantel from Merck KGaA of up to 250 million tablets annually. In 2018, almost 78 million children were treated, representing 63% of all school‐aged children eligible for treatment.

Transmission: role of snails

Schistosomiasis is an acute, chronic parasitic disease caused by infection with trematode worms of the genus Schistosoma. It is prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in poor, rural communities that have little or no access to
safe drinking‐water and basic sanitation. Infection is transmitted when people suffering from schistosomiasis contaminate freshwater sources when evacuating urine and faeces containing the parasite’s eggs.

Once an egg comes into contact with fresh water, it releases miracidia (hatchlings) which enter a snail and produce hundreds of cercariae (larvae) daily. The cercariae enter the human body on contact with the skin and develop into adult worms.

Besides treatment with praziquantel, eliminating snail hosts and improving sanitation are important methods for sustainable prevention of the disease. Dam and irrigation projects are known to be potential sites for outbreaks of the disease. Snail management,
often achieved through mollusciciding, can help to reduce transmission by eliminating these intermediate snail hosts.

Vector control

In 2017, the World Health Assembly – WHO’s decision making body – adopted resolution WHA70.16 on the Global Vector Control
Response, calling on Member States to develop or adapt national vector control strategies and operational plans. The strategy aims to reduce by at least 40% the incidence of vector borne diseases, including schistosomiasis, by 2025.

In response, WHO is reinforcing snail control as part of its strategic approach to achieve the target of eliminating schistosomiasis as a public health problem and, ultimately, the goal of elimination of transmission. Snail control will complement mass
treatment campaigns and sustain the public health impact of this core intervention.

To facilitate implementation of snail control, in 2019 WHO published on specific, standardized procedures and criteria for efficacy
testing and evaluation and in 2017 a manual on the use of molluscicides in the field. WHO is also planning to strengthen capacities
of health staff in medical malacology in order to reinforce snail control activities in countries.

In the past, molluscicides (particularly niclosamide¹ based products) were widely used in schistosomiasis control programmes. For example, in China programmes largely relied on snail control for over 30 years to overcome the disease as a public
health problem. In other parts of the world, however, snail control programmes were gradually discontinued and competencies faded away.

“Snail control is a crucial component of the global schistosomiasis elimination strategy,” said Dr Rajpal Yadav, Scientist, WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “It
is time we look for new snail control products that are cost–effective
and of low risk to humans and the environment. Some efforts are being
made to explore molluscicide compounds from plants, marine algae and
microorganisms.”

An integrated control strategy involving mass treatment with praziquantel, snail control and environmental modification, wider access to sanitation and safe water, economic and environmental development, health education and poverty-alleviation can greatly
contribute to sustainable control and elimination of schistosomiasis.

WHO’s new road map on neglected tropical diseases for 2021–2030, due to be launched later this year, advocates enhanced financial and political support to achieve the target of interruption of transmission. Additional research to address gaps,
develop tools and optimize the impact of existing programmes with snail control will complement the core strategic approach.

Schistosomiasis: forms of the disease

There are two major forms of schistosomiasis – intestinal and urogenital.

Intestinal schistosomiasis usually results in diarrhoea and blood in the stool; enlargement of the liver and of the spleen and portal hypertension are common in advanced cases.

Urogenital schistosomiasis is characterized by the presence of blood in the urine. Chronic infection results in fibrosis of the bladder and ureter that can evolve to hydronephrosis and create conditions for bladder cancer.

In women, urogenital schistosomiasis can cause vaginal bleeding, pain during sexual intercourse and nodules in the vulva, a condition now described as female genital schistosomiasis. In men, urogenital schistosomiasis can induce disease in the seminal
vesicles and prostate.

¹Limitations with the use of formulations based on niclosamide include restrictions on the usage of water immediately after application and temporary toxicity to non-target aquatic organisms including
fish, amphibians and invertebrates.
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March 27, 2020
US Returnee Suspected Of Having Coronavirus In Ondo Tests Negative

A man named David, who came into Nigeria from Maryland, United States of America, and was suspected of having Coronavirus, has now tested negative for the virus.

This was confirmed by a senior staff of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo Town, Ondo State, where the man had been kept under observation all the while.

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The man had travelled into Ondo to visit family members when he fell ill and showed signs of the virus.

“His test returned negative. He does not have the virus” the source said.

With Thursday’s revelation, any fears initially raised by news of his suspected infection have since been erased.

Meanwhile, management of the hospital on Thursday announced a shut down of activities as a result of the continued spread of the virus.

In a statement, management of the facility said that all units except accident and emergency ward will be closed to the public in order to reduce the risk of patients and staff being infected with the virus.

Patients on admission, who are in stable conditions, have been advised to go home and continue with prescribed medication.

The statement said, “The management of University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo Town, has decided to partially shut down its normal activities as a precaution to steam the spread of Coronavirus.”

Nigeria now has 65 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and one recorded death.

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March 27, 2020
BREAKING: Sowore Raises The Alarm Over Plot By Buhari’s Regime To Re-arrest Him After SaharaReporters Exposed Coronavirus In Aso Villa

Omoyele Sowore

Omoyele Sowore

BBC

Rights activist and journalist, Omoyele Sowore, has raised the alarm over a plot by the Nigerian Government to detain him over revelations by his news outlet, SaharaReporters, that Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, tested positive for Coronavirus.

On Monday night, SaharaReporters had exclusively reported that Kyari was ill and had contracted the deadly virus.

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BREAKING: Buhari’s Chief Of Staff, Abba Kyari, Reportedly Sick, Suspected Of Contracting Coronavirus

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The online news medium went ahead on Tuesday to break the story of three of Kyari’s staff contracting the virus from him.

Till this moment, the Presidency has been unable to deny any of the reports, instead plotting to turn their anger on Sowore and SaharaReporters.

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EXCLUSIVE: Presidential Intensive Care Unit Activated As Buhari Self-isolates After Abba Kyari Tests Positive For Coronavirus

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In a message to his followers on Facebook on Thursday, Sowore said his lawyers had informed him of a high-powered delegation sent to the Federal High Court in Abuja to obtain a detention order.

Sowore said, “Folks, it is important to inform you that we are facing some unusual circumstances and the days ahead might be very tensed and difficult, but we will conquer.

“Following the revelation by SaharaReporters that the Chief of Staff to Buhari, Abba Kyari, contracted Coronavirus and subsequent revelations about the criminal conducts/negligence that has brought Nigeria to the nadir of this global pandemic, the Buhari regime today sent some high powered delegation to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria to help procure a detention order against me.

“The courts are reportedly on break due to COVID-19 pandemic. This was leaked to our lawyers a few minutes ago. They plan this time is to use the Nigerian Army for the sinister plot.

“The plan is to obtain a court order and then send soldiers to shoot up my residence in Abuja by claiming that I resisted arrest with armed colleagues.

“If I am arrested alive, they would take me to a military barracks in Abuja to be tortured and or infected with COVID-19.

“I am not raising the alarm to scare anyone, it is to inform our compatriots that we should brace for difficult days ahead.

“However, rest assured that we are in high spirits and are totally convinced that we may be turning a historic corner in the face of brutal repression.

“I am urging all to stand firm, unbowed and unbroken.”

Recall that Sowore was first arrested in the early hours of August 3, 2019 by operatives of the Department of State Services for calling on Nigerians to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations on August 5 to demand a better country from the administration of President Buhari.

He was kept in unlawful detention from that period until December 5, 2019 when he was finally released on bail despite two court orders earlier sanctioning his freedom.

In a twist of event, DSS operatives invaded the Federal High Court in Abuja on December 6, 2019 to rearrest him without any court order.

He remained in unlawful detention until 18 days later when he was released by the secret police for the second time.

At the resumption of his trial in a case brought against him by the Nigerian Government, the prosecution failed to prove accusations against him and even went ahead to dropping seven of the charges earlier preferred against him.

Groups and high-raking individuals from around the world have described the charges against Sowore as baseless and a waste of time.

The journalist remains confined to Abuja as one of his bail conditions forbids him from leaving the city or speaking with journalists until the end of his trial.

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March 27, 2020
Country’s clinical waste increases by 17% since Covid-19

PUTRAJAYA: Clinical waste at various medical facilities has increased by 17% since early February, in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, said Environment Minister Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (pix).

He said the Department of Environment (DOE) had a comprehensive clinical waste management system (SW404 scheduled waste) in which all clinical waste is separated first at hospitals and clinics, before being collected and transported by special vehicles for disposal in 12 incinerators nationwide.

At the moment, Tuan Ibrahim said, seven companies were licensed by the DOE to manage clinical waste from medical facilities (hospitals, clinics and medical institutions) – this comprises the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of such waste.

“Clinical waste management is controlled to ensure the waste is properly managed and does not cause harm to public health,” he said in a statement, here today.

Tuan Ibrahim said all treatment and disposal facilities of the seven companies were licensed under section 18 of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and were subject to strict conditions stipulated in the DOE licence compliance schedule.

The companies are Radicare Sdn Bhd, Edgenta Mediserve Sdn Bhd, Medivest Sdn Bhd, Sedafiat Sdn Bhd and One Medicare Sdn Bhd, which are concessionaires appointed by the government through the Health Ministry to manage clinical waste from public medical facilities, while Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd and Future NRG Sdn Bhd manage all clinical waste from private hospitals and clinics.

“Treatment and disposal facilities are essential services that are allowed to operate during the imposition of the Movement Control Order,” he explained, adding that the illegal management and disposal of scheduled waste including clinical waste without a licence, was an offence under Section 34B of the Environmental Quality Act, which carries a penalty of a maximum of five years in jail and a fine of not more than RM500,000. – Bernama

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March 26, 2020
Justice For Sambo Abdullahi, Victory For Whistleblowers In Nigeria By Chido Onumah and Godwin Onyeacholem

Whistleblowers are the first line of defence against corruption, crime and cover-ups, according to a 2019 paper by the All–Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on whistleblowing in the UK.

For Sambo Abdullahi, head of internal audit at the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc, it has been one long tortuous journey. Over the past two years, he has been at the receiving end of the retaliation whistleblowers around the world, including in Nigeria, face for shining the light on malfeasance around them: denial of wages, job losses, expensive court cases, abuse, psychological trauma, blacklisting across their sector, and sometimes death.

Abdullahi has been denied his salary and other allowances since December 2017, threatened, blacklisted, arrested and sued. All of this for acting professionally and responding patriotically to the call of the Nigerian government asking citizens to join the fight against corruption by blowing the whistle on corrupt practices and other forms of wrongdoing in the country.

In two separate courts, in Ifo, Ogun State, and Okitipupa, Ondo State, where in a most brazen abuse of judicial process, Abdullahi was summoned to answer charges of defamation levelled against him by his boss, Dr. Marilyn Amobi, Managing Director of NBET, he easily walked through the doorway of victory. Both cases were struck out on account of Dr. Amobi’s lack of seriousness in prosecuting.

The crisis of corruption in NBET has been going on for almost three years and the government appears not to have any solution. The appointment of Dr Amobi as the second substantive MD/CEO of NBET signified doom not only for Abdullahi as head of internal audit but also for the entire staff of the company. The MD withheld Abdullahi’s salary and other emoluments just because he exercised the right to decline participation in her fraudulent activities and rejected an unwarranted deployment to a new department unilaterally created by the MD to continue to perpetrate fraud.

Abdullahi, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), graduated in Accounting from a reputable university and has over two decades of experience. He acquired experiences from both the private and public sectors before joining NBET. He was the pioneer Head of Internal Audit of NBET in 2012; a position he held till 2016 when Dr Amobi joined the company.

Within one month of Dr. Amobi’s assumption of office, Abdullahi discovered the illegal over-payment of N2 billion to two generating plants, Omotosho Power Plc and Olorunsogo Power Plc, both of which have no Gas Supply Agreement (GSA) and Gas Transportation Agreement (GTA) as required by industry agreement. The implication of this fraudulent transaction is that electricity consumers on a monthly basis pay N2billion in excess of what they ought to have paid if this fraud is averted. It is on record that the very first month the fraud was detected, Dr Amobi assumed the role of internal auditor by signing off the payment vouchers.

Her defence for this unlawful violation was that the mandatory GSA and GTA had been waived. The questions for her are, who approved the waiver? Why was the waiver not extended to other thermal plants? And why did the waiver idea come only after the head of internal audit had uncovered the fraud?

Other transactions that made Abdullahi to incur the wrath of Dr. Amobi was his refusal to endorse other payment vouchers for illegal procurement of alcohol using taxpayers’ money, proposed monthly payment of N2.5million to one Engr. Achinaya (an ex-staff of both NEPA and PHCN) without procurement process, procurement of legal advisory services of Azinge & Azinge and Aelex law firms in gross violation of the Procurement Act, and payment for return flight ticket from London for Dr Amobi to resume work in NBET in violation of the NBET Board-approved benefit compensation packages just to mention a few.

As a retaliation against Abdullahi for doing his job professionally, which to Dr Amobi connotes standing in her way, she colluded with the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to get rid of Abdullahi and his colleague Waziri Bintube. Both were removed from their duly appointed and NBET Board- approved functions as head of internal audit and Chief Finance Officer respectively. While Abdullahi’s salary was stopped, Bintube was sacked.

In response, the duo wrote a petition to the Ministry of Power in 2017. The ministerial committee report was released in March 2018 and vindicated them, while indicting Dr. Amobi. But despite the minister’s (Babatunde Fashola) directives that Abdullahi’s salary should be restored and Bintube reinstated immediately, and in fact that both workers should enjoy the rights of NBET staff, Dr. Amobi refused to comply with the directives.

Till date, she denies Abdullahi his salaries and Bintube has not been called back. Dr. Amobi heads a government agency supervised by a Ministry, but her insolent defiance of a Ministerial order is unprecedented in the history of public sector administration in Nigeria. And it is strange that this is happening under a government that claims to prioritize due process and accountability in the public sector.

As if the stoppage of salaries and sacking were not enough, Dr Amobi got Abdullahi and Bintube detained in the facility of the State Security Services (SSS) for more than twenty-four hours. Several directives by Babatunde Fashola, then Minister of Power, were rebuffed by Dr Amobi who insisted that as an appointee of President Muhammadu Buhari she would only take directives from the president.

While the issue of salary suspension remained unresolved in spite of interventions from the Ministry of Power, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the office of the Vice President, among others, Abdullahi approached the National Industrial Court in December 2018, twelve months after the unlawful stoppage of his salaries, with Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Dr Marilyn Amobi (MD/CEO), Hon Minister of Power and the Ministry of Power as defendants.

On March 11, 2020, Abdullahi (the claimant) once again walked the path of victory with the court delivering judgement in his favour. According to Hon Justice O. O. Oyewumi, the act of the suspension of the claimant’s salaries from December 2017 till date was wrongful; the denial of the claimant’s 2017 and 2018 leave was wrongful; the 1st and 2nd defendants, contrary to its terms and conditions of service, withheld the claimant’s salary and other emoluments wrongfully. The judge ordered the payment of Abdullahi’s salaries and other allowances, noting, “All sums awarded in the judgement is to be paid within 30days of the judgement, failure upon which it attracts 21% interest thereon per annum.”

While the case lasted in court, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Auditor General of the Federation and the Bureau of Public Procurement all issued reports indicting Dr Amobi while recommending her immediate prosecution. Sadly, some higher powers are preventing this from happening.

Governance problems are commonly found in federal government agencies due to either lack of a Board or total collapse of the governance structure. The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Alex Akoh, noted in a letter to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, dated January 7, 2020, that “for the past 14 months, no Board meeting of the company (NBET) was held, a situation which has serious consequences on the corporate governance of the company”. Truth is, no Board meeting of NBET has held since August 2018 when Professor Yemi Osinbajo, then Acting President, ratified the reconstitution of the NBET Board of Directors recommended by Kemi Adeosun, the immediate past Minister of Finance.

The governance collapse in NBET has entrusted the fate of about 80 million electricity consumers in Nigeria in the hands of Dr Amobi who sees herself as not only untouchable, but also a sort of “Alfa and Omega.” She formulates and executes policies at will, such as changing the company organogram whenever she sees any staff as standing in her way. The entire senior management has passed a vote of no confidence in Dr Amobi but despite this and other fraudulent activities traceable to her, no action was taken by the government to ameliorate the problem in the power sector and curb the continuous fraud being perpetrated in NBET.

The Minister of Power of Power Engr. Sale Mamman, in December 2019, made a daring move to respond to the situation by suspending Dr. Amobi from office indefinitely. But curiously, he was overruled by President Muhammadu Buhari in less than two weeks and Dr. Amobi was returned to office.

This forced the Minister to fire a letter dated January 8, 2020, to Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, detailing investigations by the ICPC, EFCC and the reports of the Auditor General of the Federation which implicated the NBET boss “for breach of due process in the award of contracts and several financial wrongdoings.” In that letter copied to President Buhari, the Minister reminded the SGF of “the additional baggage which the suspended MD carries in the light of the anti-corruption stance of the Federal Government.”

If this government wants to be seen as genuinely fighting corruption, the NBET case is a golden opportunity to faithfully demonstrate that conviction. Dr. Amobi has been indicted for corruption by government anti-corruption agencies. The place for her, therefore, is the courtroom, not a cushioned seat of a government agency.

Meanwhile, before Dr. Amobi’s prosecution, government should direct her to obey without delay the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction in the suit filed by a whistleblower, Sambo Abdullahi, the head of internal audit of NBET.

In addition, government should realize that all whistleblowers deserve full and effective protection from all kinds of retaliation, without which its whistleblowing policy will not succeed as an instrument for reducing corruption in the country.

Onumah and Onyeacholem are with the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)

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Chido Onumah and Godwin Onyeacholem

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March 26, 2020