FG’ll take possession of looted Benin artefacts when returned —Lai Mohammed by Kayode Oyero

The Federal Government will take possession of 1,130 looted Benin Bronzes when returned by Germany, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said. The minister stated this on Saturday at a press conference in Lagos State. Mohammed; Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki; and some government officials had visited Germany recently to further talks on the repatriation of the artefacts allegedly looted during the invasion of the Benin Kingdom in 1897 by the British led by Captain Philip. The Benin Palace and the Edo State Government have been at loggerheads over where the artefacts will be housed. While the palace wants the artefacts kept in the Benin Royal Museum, which will be built within the palace, the state government wants the items preserved in the proposed Edo Museum of West African Arts. Oba of Benin, Ewuare II insisted that the right and only legitimate destination of the about-to-be-repatriated artefacts was the Benin Royal Museum. However, the Government House had also quoted Obaseki as saying in Germany that a “transformational” museum would be built in Benin to house the artefacts upon their return, as part of a new cultural district in the city. Speaking on Saturday about the controversy surrounding the about-to-be-repatriated artefacts, the minister said, “The Federal Government is aware of the widely-reported controversy on who will take possession of the Benin Bronzes when they are returned from Germany. “Let me state clearly here that, in line with international best practice and the operative Conventions and laws, the return of the artefacts is being negotiated bilaterally between the national governments of Nigeria and Germany. Nigeria is the entity recognized by international law as the authority in control of antiquities originating from Nigeria. “The relevant international Conventions treat heritage properties as properties belonging to the nation and not to individuals or subnational groups. For example, the 1970 UNESCO Convention, in its Article 1, defines cultural property as property specifically designated by that nation. “This allows individual nations to determine what it regards as its cultural property. Nevertheless, the Nigerian state – through the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments – has in working assiduously over the past years to repatriate our looted artefacts carried along with our important traditional institutions and state governments “What we are saying in essence is that the Federal government will take possession of these antiquities, because it is its duty to do so, in line with the extant laws. But we have always exercised this right in cognisance of that culture that produced the artworks. “That is why the Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments have always involved both the Edo State government and the Royal Benin Palace in discussions and negotiations that have now resulted in the impending return of these antiquities. “Please note that we are not just involved in the repatriation of Benin artefacts. We are also working on repatriating Ife Bronzes and Terracotta, Nok Terracotta, Owo Terracotta, the arts of the Benue River Valley, the Igbo Ukwu, the arts of Bida, the arts of Igala, Jukun etc.”

PIB: South-South group asks Buhari to withhold assent by Daniels Igoni

A South-South stakeholders group, the Mangrove People Leadership Initiative, has urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) to decline his assent to the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill passed by the National Assembly. MAPLI also rejected the three per cent allocated for host communities and the 30 per cent proposed for oil exploration activities in the frontier basins contained in the harmonised PIB. The group made its position known in a communique read to journalists after its two-day second South-South grassroots conference in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, on Friday, with the theme “South-South and The Politics of Petroleum Industry Bill.” The national secretary of MAPLI, Mfawa Ofegobi who read the communique, said the region would not accept anything less than 10 per cent for the oil-bearing communities. Ofegobi, who was flanked by the President-General of MAPLI, Dick Harry and other officials as well as chairmen of the group from the six states of the region, insisted that the contents of the bill awaiting Buhari’s signature had left the people of the region with more questions than answers. He argued that the entire process leading to the passage did not take into account the plight of oil-bearing communities whose people had suffered large-scale environmental pollution and epidemics resulting from oil exploration by international oil firms. Ofegobi said, “We appeal to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari to decline his assent to the PIB as passed (by the National Assembly). “MAPLI rejects the 30 per cent allocated for oil and gas exploration in the frontier basins in the North while the oil-producing region is bedevilled by oil spillages and illnesses. “We also reject the three per cent allocated to Host Communities Trust Fund. We insist that the PIB should be specific on the definition of host communities. What constitutes host communities? Is it where oil is found, where there are pipelines, refineries or depots?” The organisation warned that the South-South people would be forced to confirm their fear that they were no stakeholders in “the contraption called Nigeria” and seek an alternative if their concerns were not addressed adequately.

Candlelight procession for late Sound Sultan postponed by Segun Adewole

The Satellite Youth Forum has postponed the candlelight procession which was planned to honour late singer Olanrewaju Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan. The singer died on July 11 after battling Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma. He has since been buried in New Jersey in the United States of America. A candlelight procession had been scheduled to hold today at Satellite Town, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos where the singer grew up. The Committee Chairman of the event, Mr. Patrick Morah C, in a statement, announced the postponement of the event, adding that the decision was taken after consultations with the Police and other security agencies. The statement read, “The Satellite Town Youth Forum, organisers of the Sound Sultan Memorial Walk, hereby officially announce a postponement of the event. “This decision was arrived at after due consultation with relevant security agencies in and around Satellite Town, Lagos. “Following a series of very violent cult-related clashes, general insecurity and a few deaths in recent time, our security advisers, made up of retired and serving military officers and the Nigeria Police have made it clear that this is not an ideal time for public gatherings of any procession as security cannot be guaranteed. “As a responsible organisation, we value life and cannot risk the lives of Sound Sultan’s numerous fans and members of the general public by going ahead with the event as planned. “We deeply regret any inconvenience this decision may bring.”

NBC orders TV, radio stations not to name victims, report ‘details’ of terrorist attacks by Kayode Oyero

The National Broadcasting Commission has ordered television and radio stations in Nigeria not to divulge “details” of the activities of bandits, terrorists and kidnappers in their reports. The regulator specifically directed radio and television stations not to “glamourise the nefarious activities of insurgents” during their daily Newspaper Reviews. As an unwritten custom, broadcast stations in Nigeria review Newspaper headlines daily before their breakfast shows. But the NBC, in a letter dated July 7, 2021, issued to television and radio stations, stressed the need for “caution” by broadcasters while reporting security challenges in the country. The letter titled, ‘Newspaper Reviews And Current Affairs Programmes: A Need For Caution’, was signed by the Director, Broadcast Monitoring, Francisca Aiyetan, on behalf of the new Director-General of the Commission, Balarabe Ilelah. A copy of the letter obtained by The PUNCH, partly reads, “Headlines of most Newspapers on a daily basis are replete with security topics. While bringing information on security to the doorsteps of Nigerians is a necessity, there is a need for caution as too many details may have an adverse implication on the efforts of our security officials who are duty-bound to deal with the insurgency. “The Commission, therefore, enjoins broadcasters to collaborate with the government in dealing with the security challenges by; “Not glamourising the nefarious activities of insurgents, terrorists, kidnappers, bandits etc. “Advising guests and/or analysts on programmes not to polarise the citizenry with divisive rhetoric, in driving home their point. “Not giving details of either the security issues or victims of these security challenges so as not to jeopardise the efforts of the Nigerian soldiers and other security agents.” The Commission also reminded the broadcast stations to be guided by provisions of Sections 5.4.1(f) and 5.4.3 of the NBC Code which states thus: “The broadcaster shall not transmit divisive materials that may threaten or compromise the divisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a sovereign state. “In reporting conflict situations, the broadcaster shall perform the role of a peace agent by adhering to the principle of responsibility, accuracy and neutrality.” For over a decade, Nigeria has been grappling with insurgency, especially in the North-Eastern part of the West African nation. At various times, the Nigerian Army and the Presidency had claimed that Boko Haram fighters and those of its splinter group, the Islamic State in West Africa Province, had been defeated but the marauders continue to strike with crude savagery and unimaginable guts. According to Global Conflict Tracker, the insurgents have killed nearly 350,000 innocent women, children and farmers in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, amongst other volatile places, since 2009. On the other hand, the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has in recent time, attempt to muzzle the press in Nigeria by prodding the National Assembly to amend the Nigeria Press Council Act and the National Broadcasting Commission Act, one that has been fiercely opposed by media stakeholders who have described the move as an information blackout akin to the infamous Protection Against False Accusations Decree, otherwise known as Decree 4 of 1984. The Federal Government had also announced the suspension of Twitter in Nigeria on June 4, 2021, citing “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

Banks give b’ball teams N82m for Olympics campaign by Johnny Edward

…as fans fume over D’Tigers GoFundMe account The men and women’s basketball teams D’Tigers and D’Tigress received a major financial boost on Wednesday when Zenith Bank, Access Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank jointly donated $200,000 (N82.2m) for their Tokyo 2020 Olympic participation, The PUNCH reports. The three financial institutions jointly adopted both teams under the Adopt-An-Athlete initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development with the amount. Each team will receive $100,000, Media Office of the Minister of Youth and Sports Development said in a statement on Wednesday. While assuring that there is still room for other corporate organisations to adopt Olympics-bound athletes and teams, the ministry expressed confidence that the financial support has further brightened Nigeria’s chances of clinching gold in basketball. D’Tigers will play Italy, Germany and Australia in Tokyo in Group B while D’Tigress are up against USA, Japan, and France in the Group B of the women’s event. Meanwhile, the Friends of Nigerian Basketball Foundation has so far raised $9,802 from an American crowd funding platform, GoFundMe, for D’Tigers ahead of their Tokyo 2020 Olympic campaign, but angry fans slammed government for not financially backing the team. The FONB, organised by the head coach of the team Mike Brown, and set up under Delaware law in the USA, opened the GoFundMe appeal account on May 4 to help provide training, travel and organisational support to D’Tigers. The goal of the FONB is to raise $1m for the team. Our correspondent observed that only 203 donors had contributed so far on the crown funding platform with an anonymous contribution of $1,000 the highest as at the time of filing this report. Meanwhile, some fans of the team have labeled the move as “shameful and embarrassing to the Federal Government.” “It’s shameful seeing that the Nigerian men’s basketball team has to set up a GoFundMe to support Tokyo 2021 Olympic dream. What really is the usefulness of this government then,” Wale Adetona wrote on Twitter. “Triumphant D’Tigers doing the Nigeria proud is underfunded with GoFundMe and the coach isn’t taking salaries. Puma kits China donated are still being held by the Nigerian Customs. Customs insists N35m must be paid. Now I understand why Abike’s tweet is missing,”@firstladyship wrote. Oyiga Michael added, “The Federal Government didn’t sponsor Nigerian basketball team. But instead, they seized donated items and equipment. The team has a GoFundMe account to raise funds for support.” Temitope @topriddy wrote, “Second-hand embarrassment for Nigerian basketball federation begging for fund on GoFundMe. I feel sick.” Chidi Okereke wrote, “The Nigerian Basketball team is raising fund on GoFundMe, so they can represent Nigeria at the Olympics. You think this country cannot disgrace you further?” Reacting to the backlash, President, Nigerian Basketball Federation, Musa Ahmadu-Kida, said, “We enjoy the full financial support of the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, who are making all possible efforts to adequately take care of NBBF’s past spend and the Olympics preparations of our teams. We know that sports needs are insatiable and we all need more funds to meet those immediate needs.” PUNCH.

Basketball: Nigeria’s D’Tigers ranked fourth in latest FIBA power rankings by Kelvin Ekerete

Nigeria has been ranked the fourth-best team of the 12 countries that will be featuring at the 2020 Olympics behind Australia, Spain and the USA, according to the latest FIBA Power Rankings. The power rankings, which is different from the FIBA World Ranking presented by Nike, is based on the recent performances of the teams. It is determined by dividing the sum of all the win points, tie points, schedule points and bonus points by the number of games played. D’Tigers placed fourth after their astonishing victories over world No.1 USA and fourth ranked Argentina during their exhibition games in Las Vegas recently. The West Africans were beaten 108-69 by Australia, their opponents in their opening game at the Olympic Games on July 25 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Australia are No.1 in the pre-Olympic power rankings after earning three warm-up games victories over the USA, Argentina and Nigeria in Las Vegas. Spain, second in the world, are also second-placed on the power rankings. La Roja went 4-0 in their first four preparation games, scoring 89.2 points per game while allowing 67.5 at the other end. They beat France and Iran twice in July and are billed to face the USA on July 19. After losing to Nigeria and Australia in the exhibition games in Las Vegas, USA placed third in the power rankings. The Americans, who are aiming to win their fourth Olympic gold in a row, beat Argentina 108-80 in their final exhibition match. Inspired by Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, Slovenia won all games at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Lithuania beating Angola, Poland, Venezuela and Lithuania to book their Olympics ticket. Others are France, Italy, Argentina, Germany, Czech Republic, Japan and Iran.

NEMA urges Lagos residents to observe safety amid downpour. Agency Report

The National Emergency Management Agency has urged residents of Lagos State to observe safety precautions during downpours. Acting Assistant Zonal Coordinator, NEMA Southwest Zonal Office, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, gave the advice in a statement on Friday in Lagos. According to him, the residents should avoid driving when flood covers half of vehicles’ tyres. ” Once the rainwater gets to half of the wheels it sweeps off your vehicle, kindly park and move on to higher ground for safety,” he said. Farinloye also advised that trekking should be avoided during downpours. ” The rainwater must have risen above our ankles, once it happens like this, the flood has the capacity to carry us off.” He advised teachers to keep pupils in classrooms during downpours, no matter the duration, to safeguard their lives. The NEMA boss warned people living in buildings with signs of danger to report to the appropriate agencies for assistance. “Residents of Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, Alimosho, Amuwo Odofin, Ikeja, Ojo, Kosofe, Apapa, Epe, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu, Surulere and Ajeromi /Ifelodun LGAs are advised to be more careful when it rains. “The 2021 Annual Flood Outlook has predicted more flooding to be experienced in these 13 local government areas. “Anyone in need of emergency assistance should call 08067715203, 07066836580 for prompt response, in addition to 112 and 767 for immediate assistance,” Farinloye addressed. (NAN)