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Organ Harvesting: Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, wife nab in UK

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The London Metropolitan Police have charged two Nigerians, Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice Ekweremadu with alleged conspiracy to traffic a child to the United Kingdom in order to harvest organs, the law enforcement said on Thursday.

The police said the charges followed an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime team and gave some details of the accused as follows:
[A] Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
[B] Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.

“The investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022,” the police said.

The pieces of biographical data provided match the publicly available personal data of Mr Ekweremadu, a serving senator and former Deputy Senate President, and her wife.

Nigerian Newssphere gathered that the former DSP came under fire after saying Labour Party President Candidate, Peter Obi will not get Votes from Igbos in the forthcoming presidential elections.

NCC appoints Reuben Muoka as Director Public Affairs

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The Management of the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC), has appointed Reuben Muoka as its Director of Public Affairs.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Prof Umar Danbatta on Thursday.
Reuben Muoka takes over from Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, who has assumed duties as the Director of Special Duties Department of the Commission.
Reuben, an innovative journalist and consummate public relations practitioner, was recently promoted a substantive director, alongside Ismail Adedigba, now Director of Research and Development (R&D); and Gwa-Tobi Mohammed, who has also assumed duties as Director/Secretary to the Board of the Commission.
Muoka was in 2021, appointed to head the Special Duties Department, which superintends the International Relations Unit; Emergency Communication Centres Unit; the Public Private Partnership Unit; and the Security Services Unit of the Commission. He was promoted as Director of the Department before his current redeployment to lead the Public Affairs Department, the arm of the Commission mandated to manage the image and visibility of Nigeria’s telecom regulator and a leading light of the Nigerian public service.
Muoka is expected to bring his rich and versatile experience in both specialized and traditional journalism, public relations, integrated marketing communications (IMC), corporate communication and people management, to bear on the Commission’s vision to expand the frontiers of its public goodwill and the impact of its reputational assets.
A former Deputy Communications Editor of the Vanguard Newspapers, former Deputy General Manager at MTS First Wireless (Nigeria’s first mobile telephone operator), Muoka joined the NCC in 2007 as a Principal Manager, and was deployed to the Public Affairs Department where he headed the Media and Public Relations Unit. He later rose from the rank of Principal Manager to the position of an Assistant Director in 2010, and by 2015, as a Deputy Director, appointed to head the re-engineered Public Relations Unit of PAD. In 2017, he was redeployed to the Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis Department to head the Economic Analysis unit of department.
Muoka earned M.Sc. degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, specialising in Public Relations and Advertising, where he had earlier successfully completed a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in the same field of Mass Communication. Much earlier, he had obtained a bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts at the University of Ilorin.
As a mark of his distinctive journalism career, Muoka received a fellowship of the Egyptian Embassy in Nigeria to undertake a Pan-African training and tour of Egypt in 1999, leading to an award of a continental Diploma Certificate in Journalism at the instance of the Egyptian Ministry of Information, and the African Journalists Union (AJU) in Cairo, Egypt.
The focused, innovative and illuminating coverage and analysis of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the pre and immediate post liberalisation period of telecom industry in Nigeria is credited to the insights of visionary journalists like Muoka, whose pioneering initiative led to the establishment and institutionalisation of the Hi-Tech Desk in Vanguard Newspapers in late 1990s. As the Chairman of the League of Communications Correspondents (LECCO), Muoka led his colleagues to give voice and focus to the advocacy for the liberalisation and deregulation of the telecom industry in Nigeria in the 1990s.
During his active days in journalism at Vanguard Newspapers, Muoka served concurrently as Africa’s contributing editor to the London-based CommunicationsWeek for four years beginning from 1998, during which he undertook copious reportage of the African telecom landscape. The London-based magazine shared Muoka’s work to an enthusiastic global audience in a rare showcase of Africa’s promise as a flourishing point for the emergent converging telecommunications industry.
Between 1995 and 2001, Muoka leveraged his expertise to provide part-time public relations consultancy to notable companies and institutions in the telecommunications industry, including the Nigerian Mobile Communications Limited, Abuja; Multi-links Telecommunications Limited, Lagos; Satellite Telecommunications Limited, Lagos; Pulse Marketing Communications Ltd, Lagos; and the Nigerian Communications Commission, Abuja, years before he joined the Commission as a staff.
Reuben Ejike Muoka is a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ); a full member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (mnipr); and an associate member of the Registered Practitioners of Advertising (arpa), regulated by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON).
On behalf of the Board and Management of the Commission, I heartily congratulate Reuben on his new role and look forward to working closely with him and his team in Public Affairs Department, as key internal stakeholders in the Commission’s re-engineering processes to meet and surpass Federal Government’s expectations for a robust telecommunications sector and a remarkably emergent digital economy.

Management of the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) has appointed Reuben Muoka, an innovative journalist and consummate public relations practitioner, as its new Director of Public Affairs (DPA).

This was contained in a statement personally signed by Eexcutive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive, Prof Umar Danbatta on Thursday.

Reuben Muoka takes over from Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, who has assumed duties as the Director of Special Duties Department of the Commission.

The new NCC’s spokesman was recently promoted a substantive director, alongside Ismail Adedigba, now Director of Research and Development (R&D); and Gwa-Tobi Mohammed, who has also assumed duties as Director/Secretary to the Board of the Commission.

Muoka was in 2021, appointed to head the Special Duties Department, which superintends the International Relations Unit; Emergency Communication Centres Unit; the Public Private Partnership Unit; and the Security Services Unit of the Commission. He was promoted as Director of the Department before his current redeployment to lead the Public Affairs Department, the arm of the Commission mandated to manage the image and visibility of Nigeria’s telecom regulator and a leading light of the Nigerian public service.

Muoka is expected to bring his rich and versatile experience in both specialized and traditional journalism, public relations, integrated marketing communications (IMC), corporate communication and people management, to bear on the Commission’s vision to expand the frontiers of its public goodwill and the impact of its reputational assets.

A former Deputy Communications Editor of the Vanguard Newspapers, former Deputy General Manager at MTS First Wireless (Nigeria’s first mobile telephone operator), Muoka joined the NCC in 2007 as a Principal Manager, and was deployed to the Public Affairs Department where he headed the Media and Public Relations Unit. He later rose from the rank of Principal Manager to the position of an Assistant Director in 2010, and by 2015, as a Deputy Director, appointed to head the re-engineered Public Relations Unit of PAD. In 2017, he was redeployed to the Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis Department to head the Economic Analysis unit of department.

Muoka earned M.Sc. degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, specialising in Public Relations and Advertising, where he had earlier successfully completed a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in the same field of Mass Communication. Much earlier, he had obtained a bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts at the University of Ilorin.

As a mark of his distinctive journalism career, Muoka received a fellowship of the Egyptian Embassy in Nigeria to undertake a Pan-African training and tour of Egypt in 1999, leading to an award of a continental Diploma Certificate in Journalism at the instance of the Egyptian Ministry of Information, and the African Journalists Union (AJU) in Cairo, Egypt.

The focused, innovative and illuminating coverage and analysis of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the pre and immediate post liberalisation period of telecom industry in Nigeria is credited to the insights of visionary journalists like Muoka, whose pioneering initiative led to the establishment and institutionalisation of the Hi-Tech Desk in Vanguard Newspapers in late 1990s. As the Chairman of the League of Communications Correspondents (LECCO), Muoka led his colleagues to give voice and focus to the advocacy for the liberalisation and deregulation of the telecom industry in Nigeria in the 1990s.

During his active days in journalism at Vanguard Newspapers, Muoka served concurrently as Africa’s contributing editor to the London-based CommunicationsWeek for four years beginning from 1998, during which he undertook copious reportage of the African telecom landscape. The London-based magazine shared Muoka’s work to an enthusiastic global audience in a rare showcase of Africa’s promise as a flourishing point for the emergent converging telecommunications industry.

Between 1995 and 2001, Muoka leveraged his expertise to provide part-time public relations consultancy to notable companies and institutions in the telecommunications industry, including the Nigerian Mobile Communications Limited, Abuja; Multi-links Telecommunications Limited, Lagos; Satellite Telecommunications Limited, Lagos; Pulse Marketing Communications Ltd, Lagos; and the Nigerian Communications Commission, Abuja, years before he joined the Commission as a staff.

Reuben Ejike Muoka is a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ); a full member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (mnipr); and an associate member of the Registered Practitioners of Advertising (arpa), regulated by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON).

On behalf of the Board and Management of the Commission, I heartily congratulate Reuben on his new role and look forward to working closely with him and his team in Public Affairs Department, as key internal stakeholders in the Commission’s re-engineering processes to meet and surpass Federal Government’s expectations for a robust telecommunications sector and a remarkably emergent digital economy.

 

NRC generates N5.70b in 2021- NBS

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The Nigerian Railway Corporation has generated N5.70bn revenue from passengers in 2021, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reveals.

This is contained in the NBS Rail Transportation Data for 2021 released in Abuja on Wednesday.

The report revealed that the total revenue generated from passengers in 2020 was N1.75 billion.

The 2021 revenue, the NBS said, represents a 226.44 per cent increase.
The report revealed that the total revenue generated in 2020, amounting to a 226.44 per cent increase.

The bureau said that over 2.7 million passengers travelled by train in 2021 compared to 1 million recorded in 2020, representing a 166.03 per cent increase.

Similarly, the report showed a total of 168,301 tonnes of goods were transported in 2021 as against 87,440 recorded in 2020, showing a growth rate of 92.48 per cent.

In addition, the report showed the revenue generated from goods in 2021 amounted to N317.57 million, higher by 12.87 per cent compared to N281.35 million in 2020.

“Other income receipts in 2021 stood at N66.80 million, higher than the N5.19 million recorded in the preceding year.”

Peter Obi visits Wike in Rivers State concerning national issues

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Presidential Flag Bearer of the Labour Party and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has paid a visit to Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike at his private residence in Port Harcourt, the state capital concerning national issues.

On arrival, Obi was taken inside where he had meeting with the governor behind closed doors.

Both men, however, did not speak on the purpose of the meeting, as Journalists were not granted access.

Peter Obi’s visit comes four days after the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi also met with Governor Wike at about 9pm behind closed doors.

Peter Obi, speaking about on his verified Twitter handle disclosed that, “I visited Port Harcourt, to confer with H.E. @GovWike on vital issues of national interest,” Obi’s tweet, shared alongside photos of him and the Rivers leader”.

2023:INEC bows to pressure, extends CVR by 60days

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally succumbed to pressure to extend the ongoing continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise initially slated to end at the end of June, 2022.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Aishatu Jibril Dukku, disclosed this while briefing fellow lawmakers on the committee’s efforts to ensure implementation of a House resolution reached last week.

“The Committee held a meeting with INEC yesterday (Tuesday) and they agreed to extend the CVR, all our resolutions were approved,” she told members of the House at plenary on Wednesday.

The House of Representatives had last Wednesday urged INEC to extend the deadline for the continuous voter registration by an extra 60 days from June 30, 2022, to enable more Nigerians to register.

The House of Representatives had last Wednesday urged INEC to extend the deadline for the continuous voter registration by an extra 60 days from June 30, 2022, to enable more Nigerians to register.

How man strips, flogs girlfriend over cheating in Kwara

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The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a man identified only as Fatai and three of his other friends for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, identified only as Aduke, over claims that she cheated on him.

Aduke, a student of the Bartholomew College of Health, Kwara State, was said to have been invited to Fatai’s residence.

Nigerian Newssphere that when Aduke arrived at the house, she met Fatai and his three friends, who started interrogating her.
The friends were said to have accused the undergraduate of cheating, as they grabbed her hands and legs and flogged her.

After the assault, Aduke reportedly took to her WhatsApp status, where she shared her ordeal and a video clip of the incident.

In the video clip seen by our correspondent, Fatai, with the help of his friends, stripped Aduke to her pants and flogged her buttocks with a cane, while she pleaded for mercy.
In another clip, the victim was seen with a number of security operatives, including policemen and soldiers, who arrested the suspects.

The state police spokesperson, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, confirmed the arrest to Newssphere on Tuesday, adding that investigation was ongoing.

He said, “The case was reported and the suspects have been arrested. They are four in number and have been taken to Shao, while further investigation is ongoing.”

 

Nnamdi Kanu’s one-year detention: Shows Buhari’s plot to destabilise South East- HURIWA

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Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA) on Tuesday, said the continued detention of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, without conclusive trial, has shown the plot by the political hawks in the corridors of power in Abuja teleguiding and encouraging President Muhammadu Buhari, to destabilise the South-East zone for their selfish goals.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement on Tuesday, demanded the release of the IPOB leader on political grounds, saying his incarceration in the custody of the Department of State Services in the last 12 months without trial is strange to rule of law and the principle of fair doctrine.

HURIWA wonders what kind of a ‘Father of the nation’ as President Muhammadu Buhari is known in some quarters can lock up one of his Sons over nebulous and cooked up, trumped up charges for a year and keeps manipulating the wheel of judicial platform to cripple its independence to determine the matter on its merits. The Rights group said there is no where in the World whereby the executive acts as the supervisors of both the judicial and legislative Arms of government except in hard core dictatorships like in North Korea, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Rights group not even the dictator in Syria could treat his citizen like the dehumanising situation that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been made to live through just for exercising his constitutionally and legally guaranteed right to seek self determination even when government could have either deployed constructive dialogues or apply superior logic to intellectually deflate the campaigners for self government such as IPOB instead of classifying the group illegally as a terror group and incarceration the members and their leaders indefinitely under incredibly deadly conditions that is as bad as primitive enslavement.

HURIWA is therefore praying President Muhammadu Buhari to grant pardon to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and thousands of his supporters jailed in different detention centres including the 80 years old lady that Nnamdi Kanu reportedly takes as his Mother who was jailed for embarking on solidarity outing at the last court’s hearing in the delayed legal process involving Nnamdi Kanu.

Recall that Kanu was literally kidnapped from Kenya by the Buhari government as said by the Attorney General of Federation and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, at a press conference in Abuja in June 2021.

Ever since, Kanu has been subjected to dehumanising situation in the custody of the secret police in Abuja while his case with Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja has been adjourned for about 10 times just to prolong his stay in his jailer’s net. It took the Court nearly a year to order the DSS to let Nnamdi Kanu watch Liverpool fc last two matches in the immediate past season- a privilege that even house CHIHUAHUA enjoys in an unrestrained manner.

The same judge has denied Kanu bail several times even though his health has depreciated significantly over the last 12 months under the horrible condition he was subjected to in DSS custody whilst the Buhari government has defiantly refused all pleas and entreaties even by foremost Igbo elders who tried to explore political solution to the matter.

Kanu’s supporters have also been brutalized by overzealous security agents in recent times whilst journalists covering his court case have been assaulted at various times.

Recently, Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, wrote, “It came to pass that one year ago, (June 19,2021) an extraordinary rendition was committed. It was a day that will live in infamy because it was an extraordinary abomination.

“It was a legal wrong. It was a political wrong. And it must be undone. Stop the persecution and free Nnamdi Kanu.”

Reacting, HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The prolonged illegal kidnap and unending detention of Nnamdi Kanu inspite of the fact that he is only an accused person is against the rule of law and principle of presumption of innocence.

“However, the Federal Government has hijacked the judiciary and is plotting to detain him even with no fair trial even one year after his extraordinary rendition to Nigeria.

“HURIWA demands Kanu’s release on political grounds because what he is alleged to have committed is groundless in law. Moreover when his incarceration is systematically destroying the peace and economic stability of South-East thereby fueling, the perception that the President wants South-East destabilised in line with the demands of a tiny fraction of Northern Muslim extremists that surround his administration in Abuja as members of the Cabal.

“Moreover, government officials who have been alleged to have stolen billions of naira like the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, have been granted bail within weeks. Even Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, has since been granted bail in Benin Republic. The Buhari government should quit its nepotistic treatment of Kanu and release the IPOB leader. This is only just and fair.”

Buhari appoints Seven new Minsiters

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In order to fill up the space created by ministers who resigned last month from his cabinet to pursue their political ambitions, President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday nominated seven persons for appointment as ministers.

This is contained in a letter by President Muhammadu Buhari, read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday seeking their confirmation.
The nominees include Umana Okon Umana (Akwa Ibom), Henry Ikechukwu Iko (Abia State), Ademola Adegoroye (Ondo state), Odum Odi (Rivers State), Goodluck Nnana Opia (Imo State), Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub (Kano State) and Joseph Ukama (Ebonyi State).

NIPOST to partner NRC on digital stamp, receipt authentication 

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Nigerian Postal Service(NIPOST) to partner Nigeria Railway Corporation(NRC) on Digital stamp, receipt authentication to boost Nigeria’s economy.

The Postmaster General of the Federation/CEO, NIPOST, Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi said this during a courtesy visit to the office of the Managing Director/CEO, NRC, Engr Fidet Okhiria in Abuja recently.

Dr Adebayo said that the visit is geared toward  taking advantage of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) networks on the movement of cargo, mail items across Nigeria.

According to him, “On behalf of NIPOST it is our pleasure to be here today on our first courtesy visit to share some issues of mutual benefits to the two organizations.

“So I will like to inform you that our coming here today is to share some of things we believe that we needed to go back to the time past that NIPOST use to have a very  good relationship with the NRC  so many years ago.

“One of those areas is the presences of our postal services along railway outlets across Nigeria. We believe that has you have expanded your network we want to have physical presence in most of your locations, so that we can operate as agency to provide services in those areas.

“I would like to inform you that one of the things that we also do with our presence is to also move most of our cargo through the railway service because we have a lot of cargo demand today that moves across the country by road.

“And with the security on the road that as already impacted that service I believe that if we are able to seal a deal btw NIPOST and NRC it is going to help symbiotically push our products and services closer through the rail.so that is one area, Now I know you are expanding the Lagos- Ibadan route, we have the Itakpe-Warri route and so many others, you told me that you are going to Kano from here, Lagos to Kano, so all these and it will continue to be.

“The rest of the world today do not move items on the road anymore, nobody moves heavy trucks on the road, and they use the rail services all over the world now. Most times Nigerians in the plane always is playing the catchup game, we are always left behind when people are already living in skyscrapers Nigerians are still living in mud houses. It is quite very compounding to some of our sanity.

“The issue of the Stamp Duties and how we ended up in court and how we are trying to settle out of court. But you see there is a serious problem on the understanding of the issues, which is why most people just say stamp duty stamp duty.

“NIPOST is never a collecting stamp duty, we are not a tax agent, we do not collect taxes, what we do is to sell our stamp to authenticate documents and receipt. So if you issue a receipt on the order of the our law which has been confirm by the Finance Act, 2020 we you are oblige to buy stamp to authenticate those receipt. We have situations where NIPOST has been invited to by the court to come and confirm certain transactions between two parties where there are issues when it became bigger problem. The Director of Operations had gone to court to serve this purpose. NIPOST has play a lot of role in the space of our local society.

“So what we are doing now is to issue a Digital Stamp. With modern technology we can afford to operate. That is why we are issuing a Digital Stamp to invalidate adhesive stamp. This Digital Stamp, we believe the NRC should be working with us along that line, because we are the only agency that issue stamps and any other agency that is issuing stamps is doing a contravention of the law of the land. And nobody is fighting us along those lines. We want NRC to see this request just as the way other agencies has started to collaborate with NIPOST even banks that were initially reluctant have started obliging” he stated.

On his part, Engr Okhiria expressed willingness to partner with NIPOST for the benefit of Nigeria’s economic growth.

“NRC is willing to partner and collaborate with NIPOST and that proposal and request tabled will be put into black and white”, he said.

A technical team between the two organizations was setup to facilitate implementation.

The technical team is headed by the two agency Directors of Operation, while members include Director Engineering Services, Finance Directors, Legal Directors, Director Stamp Authentication Compliance(NIPOST).

Nigeria needs to improve negotiations to curb IFFs – ICPC

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The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), has called for better negotiation skills in dealing with expiring international trade agreements as well as in establishing new ones.

According to a statement signed by the Spokesperson to the Commission, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, Owasanoye made this call in his opening remarks at a 2-day workshop on mitigating illicit financial flows themed “Capacity Building for Nigeria’s Negotiators for Improved Terms of Engagement with the Rest of the World” which kicked off at the Commission’s headquarters recently.

In his paper titled “From Gunboat Diplomacy to the Negotiation Table”, Professor Owasanoye opined that globalization has made interactions with diverse global communities inevitable, however the rules of engagement are more often than not, unfavorable to poor economies of the global south who lack the development and technological advancements of the global north.

“This has often led to poorly constructed trade agreements which have ultimately been disadvantageous to the growth of the country and also opened loopholes to encourage illicit financial flow”, he said

Prof. Owasanoye illustrated the archaic practice of European super powers using their military might to cohesively reach one-sided agreement with economic minions. This “Gunboat diplomacy” as he referred to it, eventually forced nations without capacity to depend on imperialists for raw materials and overseas markets.

According to Owasanoye, “This inimical approach was eventually countered by the Hague Convention (No 2) Respecting the Limitation of the Employment of Force for the Recovery of Contract Debts of 1907 and then replaced by diplomatic protection whereby states exchanged notes on how investors should be treated by other governments.”

The ICPC boss enumerated several reasons why there was need to focus on capacity building to improve negotiation skills especially in the trade and investment sector.

In his words, “Nigeria requires trade and investment to grow the economy. To attain this desire, we must have the potential to harness capital and technology in a manner that is not inimical to development.”

He further pointed out that the pillars of international trade agreements were erected years ago and they tended to confer undue advantage to colonialists while Africa – itself largely under colonial rule – had little to no say and thus at a disadvantage. These pillars, in his opinion, do no not work for Nigeria.

The Chairman stated that Nigeria must align with one of the ideals expressed recently by President Thabo Mbeki which champions the need to ‘build capacity to combat illicit financial flows at national and continental levels.

In conclusion, Professor Owasanoye stated that participants for the workshop were drawn from middle level officers in public sector agencies that undertake negotiations due to the diverse range and complexity of issues under consideration in the workshop.

He acknowledged the invaluable support of Ford Foundation as regards the project and said that “the foundation continues to demonstrate unquestionable commitment to the development of Nigeria through support for the civil society and selected government institutions.”

In the same vein, the Chairman Inter-Agency Committee on Stopping Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) from Nigeria, Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu, lauded the initiative of the Commission in organizing the workshop stating that negotiations happen in various day to day activities from the most mundane to the extremely significant occurrences.

Dr. Adeyemi, who is also the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters in the Office of the Vice-President, suggested that it was essential for Nigeria to develop a crop of officials who are skilled in international negotiations in general as well as key thematic sectors.

He added that the cost of improper discussions has implications of varying degree. In his opinion, “The consequences of poor negotiations can range from paying twice as much as your neighbor for the same item to costing your country a billion dollars in a mining concession.”

While concluding his presentation, Dr. Dipeolu said public officials who are involved in negotiations must develop a personal repertoire of strategy and tactics. This, he suggested was achievable via early and continuous exposure to negotiation scenarios which would in turn build experience via constant participation.

The capacity building workshop featured presentations from various notable speakers including; Professor Jonathan Aremu – Consultant at Ecowas, “Understanding Trade Agreements”, Mrs Patience Okala – Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, “Understanding Investment Agreements”, Mrs Iniobong Abiola Awe – Director, Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, “Understanding Environmental Agreements”,

Others include: Professor Abiola Sanni, SAN. Managing Partner Abiola Sanni & Co. “Understanding Tax Agreements” Dr. Esa Onoja – Chief of Staff to the Hon. Chairman ICPC Moderator Dr Dayo Ayoade – Extractive Industries Expert and Senior Lecturer Faculty of Law, University of Lagos. “Understanding Natural Resource Agreements”