02/08/23

SHINA JO

Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has warned groups or organisations that there is no room for any form of violent protests in the country.

The IG gave this warning Ahead of the planned protests by the Nigeria Labour Congress and (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Today the 2nd of August 2023, acting

Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, said that the IGP was “deeply concerned about recent developments regarding planned nationwide protests by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
While being mindful of the right to peaceful protest, as enshrined in our constitution, the IGP urges all parties involved to ensure that the planned demonstrations are conducted in a peaceful manner to prevent being hijacked by miscreants, owing to the previous ugly experiences of such protests in most major cosmopolitan cities in the country”.

The IGP, however, acknowledges the grievances raised by the labour unions and the importance of constructive dialogue, which is sine qua none, in addressing these issues.

The IGP further said that, in the light of the potential challenges posed by the planned protests, the Nigeria Police Force is fully prepared to deploy all available resources to maintain law and order and to protect the lives and property of our citizens. The IGP therefore calls on all officers to be vigilant, professional, and uphold the highest standards of conduct during this period”.

The Police boss urged all stakeholders, including the NLC, TUC, and other civil society groups, to embrace peaceful dialogue as the most effective means of resolving grievances, while also reemphasizing that the Police is committed to ensuring a secure and conducive environment for open dialogue, constructive engagement and mutaul understanding for a seamless exercise of civil rights.

Consequently, Egbetokun also ordered the Commissioners of Police in charge of various Commands, and supervisory Assistant Inspectors-general of Police, to engage in fruitful discussions with the NLC/TUC leadership to foster understanding and reach common grounds on the planned protests.

A peaceful and coordinated approach is crucial to achieving meaningful solutions and preventing any form of violence or disruptions to public order, should the protests persist,” the statement added.

He reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force in ensuring the safety and security of all citizens during the period of the planned protests as all necessary measures to facilitate the peaceful conduct of these demonstrations have been emplaced.

He also reaffirmed that any attempt by miscreants to exploit the situation for violent purposes viz-a-viz vandalism, gangsterism, and extortion will be met with firm, professional and commensurate lawful approach as the Police will not tolerate any act that threatens the peace and well-being of our country.

02/07/23

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES

Today’s Word

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go.”
Exodus 5:2, NIV

Pass the Test
When the Israelites were in slavery, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the people go. Moses obeyed, but Pharaoh said no. What do you do when you do what God tells you, but it doesn’t work? Was Moses going to get discouraged and give up because it wasn’t happening the way he thought? It was a time of testing. He had to go back and tell Pharaoh again and again before freedom was finally granted.

What do you do when you pray, you believe, you’re doing the right thing again and again, but nothing’s improving—the people aren’t changing, the medical report isn’t improving, or your business isn’t getting better. This is when you have to dig deep and say, “God, I’m not moved by what’s not changing. I’m not going to wilt, start complaining, and give up on my dreams. I’m going to keep doing the right thing.” When you pass the test like that, instead of those difficulties stopping you, they will lift you; instead of defeating you, they’ll promote you.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that my faith and trust are anchored to You and Your mighty power at work in my life. Thank You that I don’t have to be moved by the tests and troubles I face because I know that You are fighting my battles. I declare that my hope is in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

PART TWO

Today, I want you to read the parable of the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). As you read, keep in mind that this son utterly rejected and completely humiliated and dishonored his father, then only returned home when he remembered that even his father’s hired servants had more food than he did! It was not the son’s love for his father that made him journey home; it was his stomach. In his own self-absorbed pride, he wanted to earn his own keep as a hired servant rather than to receive his father’s provision by grace or unmerited favor.

God wants us to know that even when our motivations are wrong, even when we have a hidden (usually self-centered) agenda and our intentions are not completely pure, He still runs to us in our time of need and showers His unmerited, undeserved, and unearned favor upon us. Oh, how unsearchable are the depths of His love and grace toward us! It will never be about our love for God. It will always be about His magnificent love for us. The Bible makes this clear: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10 KJV).

Some people think that fellowship with God can only be restored when you are perfectly contrite and have perfectly confessed all your sins. Yet we see in this parable that it was the father who was the initiator, it was the father who had missed his son, who was already looking out for him, and who had already forgiven him. Before the son could utter a single word of his rehearsed apology, the father had already run to him, embraced him, and welcomed him home. Can you see how it’s all about our Father’s heart of grace, forgiveness, and love? Our Father God swallows up all our imperfections, and true repentance comes because of His goodness.

Do I say “sorry” to God and confess my sins when I have fallen short and failed? Of course I do. But I do it not to be forgiven because I know that I am already forgiven through Jesus’ finished work. The confession is out of the overflow of my heart because I have experienced His goodness and grace and because I know that as His son, I am forever righteous through Jesus’ blood. It springs from being righteousness-conscious, not sin-conscious; from being forgiveness-conscious, not judgment-conscious. There is a massive difference.

If you understand this and begin practicing this, you will begin experiencing new dimensions in your love walk with the Father. You will realize that your Daddy God is all about relationship and not religious protocol. He just loves being with you. Under grace, He doesn’t demand perfection from you; He supplies perfection to you through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. So no matter how many mistakes you have made, don’t be afraid of Him. He loves you. Your Father is running toward you to embrace you!

01/08/23

PRESS RELEASE

OLADIPO G D

The Lagos Gov.Babajide Sanwoolu has announced a fifty percent discount charge on all high capacity buses under the state control from August 2.

The move is part of efforts to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on Lagos Residents

Sanwoolu who stated this during a briefing Journalists on Monday at the end of state security council meeting in his office in Alausa said the state Government has also secured the understanding of Private Commercial Bus Operators to reduce their fare by 25 percent.

Governor Sanwo-Olu added that Food Packs would also be made available to vulnerable citizens in the state, noting that his administration and various security commands in the State are working round the clock to confront the recent upsurge in criminal activities.

Reacting to the increasing rate of crime in the state, Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa said concerted efforts have been put in place to control the situation that has led to the arrest of more than two hundred and sixty crime Suspects arrested lately.

Owohunwa stated that the command has raided some black spots in the state and recovered arms and illicit Drugs.

PRESS STATEMENT

31/07/23

ORGANISED CIVIL SOCIETY BACKS LABOUR…., DECLARES AUGUST 2ND CITIZENS’ ACTION DAY

…TO COMMENCE CITIZENS’ MASS PROTESTS NATIONWIDE ON WEDNESDAY OVER ANTI POOR POLICIES AND ARBITRARY HIKE IN PETROL PRICE

….SAYS CITIZENS’ ACTION IS TO SAVE THE COUNTRY FROM SLIDING INTO MILITARY INTERVENTION LIKE OTHER WEST AFRICAN STATES

The United Action Front of Civil Society wishes to declare total support for the call for nationwide protests by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC). The decision of the NLC which was conveyed in a communique at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held July 25, 2023 and subsequently reinforced by its National Executive Council, (NEC), is indeed a clarion call to salvage the country from the consuming miseries unleashed by the new regime in Nigeria and possibly to prevent military intervention in Nigeria as currently being witnessed in other West African Countries

The United Action Front of Civil Society therefore unreservedly endorses and aligns itself with the nationwide protests scheduled to commence from Wednesday, August 2, 2023, as the Federal Government continues to watch Nigerians go through needless anguish as a result of unabated corruption and reckless impunity of the political elite and their cronies. The leadership of United Action Front of Civil Society therefore urges all Nigerians to urgently rally support for the Labour Movement and the broad coalition of the organised Civil Society under the United Action Front of Civil Society of Nigeria in making a massive statement against the new anti poor government of the APC that Nigeria truly belongs to the citizens and that the poor truly deserves to breathe and not subjected to asphyxiation under the guise of fuel subsidy removal or any imposed economic agenda of their allied international finance cartel.

The organised platform of the Nigerian civil society notes with grave concerns attempts by government through its agent provocateurs to paint the planned nationwide protests as threat to national security as well as contempt to their arm twisting court restraining order. We make bold to say that the call to action by Labour and its Civil Society allies is borne out of patriotic concern for the survival of the downtrodden, who have been trampled and frustrated into submission by the anti-people policies that are currently being mindlessly implemented without sensitivity and human face. Part of the plot to frustrate the national protests is the false claim relating to a supposed court order stopping the NLC from organising strike action over subsidy removal. We wish to assert that the call for a national citizens’ action is within the ambit of the democratic rights of citizens to organise and engage in peaceful and orderly manner to demonstrate their rejection of anti people’s policies.

We therefore call on the government to desist from sponsoring fifth columnist to circumvent peaceful protests or instigate wicked propaganda to blackmail the leadership of the of the Labour Movement and their allies, as the organised civil society is also not unaware of elements being sponsored to blackmail Labour and its Civil Society allies. We are not oblivious of the grand conspiracy of the fifth columnists masquerading as voices of the people but whose ultimate intention is to coerce key leaders of the planned Mass protest into abandoning the patriotic intervention to salvage the country from the brewing crisis being instigated through the anti-people policies and disposition of the Tinubu’s administration.

It is indeed alarming that the new government has remained unperturbed by the crushing pains of overwhelming majority of Nigerians. The organised civil society therefore agrees with the NLC that the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has continued in an unholy mission of robbing the poor to pay the rich in Nigeria as typified by its continued frustration of the activation of the agreed alternatives to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) as well as the latest hike in prices of PMS to N617 per litre.

The United Action Front of Civil Society hereby declare Wednesday, 2nd August, 2023 as our long awaited Day of National Action for the commencement of a series of citizens protest actions to peacefully demonstrate the people’s rejection of government foisted economic policies and therefore call on Nigerians to enthusiastically participate in the national protests to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the hardship to which they have been subjected by an insensitive leadership that lacks the courage to deal with corruption. We call on Nigerians to seize the platforms of the nationwide protests to demand for probe into the grand corruption allegations involving past officials of the last administration and as well demand that government should demonstrate the political will to recover stolen billions of dollars claimed to have been paid as subsidies in the last eight years of the Buhari administration.

We are indeed scandalized by the insensitivity and mockery of the Nigerian Poor by the national assembly whose leader and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at a recent session, mocked majority of Nigerians as poor citizens who should be considered for a space to breathe. The organised platform of the civil society condemns such manner of insolence by the national assembly whose leadership recently got approval for exotic bullet proof cars at a time Nigerian worker were trekking to work with most households dispossessed of their meagre sums of two square meals per day as a result of high inflation spiked by sudden arbitrary hike in pump price of PMS in the name of subsidy removal.

The United Action Front of Civil Society however maintains that corruption, rather subsidy is the problem that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu government should be worried more about, if he is genuinely interested in implementing a pro-people administration. Unfortunately, the President has so far demonstrated lack of courage to demand accountability in the subsidy claims under his predecessors for which monumental corruption have been perpetrated by notable individuals, who continue to display impunity as they still remain influential under his watch. It is regrettable that while Senator Bola Tinubu continues to wax lyrical with feigned courage over subsidy removal, he has turned the deaf hear to the revelation of mind boggling corruption perpetrated by officials of the last administration; including some $19 billion dollars siphoned in the guise of turn-around maintenance (TAM) of moribund refineries as revealed on national television by Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State

Finally, we again call on Nigerians across cities, communities and neighbourhoods to rally support for the nationwide protests scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. We call on civil society groups, community association, faith-based groups, students organisation, women groups, peoples with disabilities (PWDs), professional groups, artisans, farmers, traders, individuals across board, women, youths, students, the masses, the poor and the vulnerable generally to join the protests in their localities and make the historic citizens action a success. To this end, we call on Nigerians from all walks of life, home and abroad to join forces with Labour and the organised civil society in making their voices heard in the collective interests of defending citizens’ rights to life and survival as well as salvaging the future of Nigeria and its nascent democracy from the brewing crisis instigated by the anti-people policies of the current administration.

Signed
Olawale Okunniyi
(Veteran Che)
Head, National Coordinating Centre,
United Action Front of Civil Society

30/07/23

SHINA JO

AFTER DARKNESS COMES THE GLORIOUS DAWN

My fellow citizens,
I want to talk to you about our economy. It is important that you understand the reasons for the policy measures I have taken to combat the serious economic challenges this nation has long faced.

2. I am not going to talk in difficult terms by dwelling on economic jargon and concepts. I will speak in plain, clear language so that you know where I stand. More importantly, so that you see and hopefully will share my vision regarding the journey to a better, more productive economy for our beloved country.
3. For several years, I have consistently maintained the position that the fuel subsidy had to go. This once beneficial measure had outlived its usefulness. The subsidy cost us trillions of Naira yearly. Such a vast sum of money would have been better spent on public transportation, healthcare, schools, housing and even national security. Instead, it was being funnelled into the deep pockets and lavish bank accounts of a select group of individuals.
4. This group had amassed so much wealth and power that they became a serious threat to the fairness of our economy and the integrity of our democratic governance. To be blunt, Nigeria could never become the society it was intended to be as long as such small, powerful yet unelected groups hold enormous influence over our political economy and the institutions that govern it.
5. The whims of the few should never hold dominant sway over the hopes and aspirations of the many. If we are to be a democracy, the people and not the power of money must be sovereign.
6. The preceding administration saw this looming danger as well. Indeed, it made no provision in the 2023 Appropriations for subsidy after June this year. Removal of this once helpful device that had transformed into a millstone around the country’s neck had become inevitable.
7. Also, the multiple exchange rate system that had been established became nothing but a highway of currency speculation. It diverted money that should have been used to create jobs, build factories and businesses for millions of people. Our national wealth was doled on favourable terms to a handful of people who have been made filthy rich simply by moving money from one hand to another. This too was extremely unfair.
8. It also compounded the threat that the illicit and mass accumulation of money posed to the future of our democratic system and its economy.
9. I had promised to reform the economy for the long-term good by fighting the major imbalances that had plagued our economy. Ending the subsidy and the preferential exchange rate system were key to this fight. This fight is to define the fate and future of our nation. Much is in the balance.
10. Thus, the defects in our economy immensely profited a tiny elite, the elite of the elite you might call them. As we moved to fight the flaws in the economy, the people who grow rich from them, predictably, will fight back through every means necessary.
11. Our economy is going through a tough patch and you are being hurt by it. The cost of fuel has gone up. Food and other prices have followed it. Households and businesses struggle. Things seem anxious and uncertain. I understand the hardship you face. I wish there were other ways. But there is not. If there were, I would have taken that route as I came here to help not hurt the people and nation that I love.
12. What I can offer in the immediate is to reduce the burden our current economic situation has imposed on all of us, most especially on businesses, the working class and the most vulnerable among us.
13. Already, the Federal Government is working closely with states and local governments to implement interventions that will cushion the pains of our people across socio-economic brackets.
14. Earlier this month, I signed four (4) Executive Orders in keeping with my electoral promise to address unfriendly fiscal policies and multiple taxes that are stifling the business environment. These Executive Orders on suspension and deferred commencement of some taxes will provide the necessary buffers and headroom to businesses in manufacturing sector to continue to thrive and expand.
15. To strengthen the manufacturing sector, increase its capacity to expand and create good paying jobs, we are going to spend N75 billion between July 2023 and March 2024. Our objective is to fund 75 enterprises with great potential to kick-start a sustainable economic growth, accelerate structural transformation and improve productivity. Each of the 75 manufacturing enterprises will be able to access N1billion credit at 9% per annum with maximum of 60 months repayment for long term loans and 12 months for working capital.
16. Our administration recognises the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the informal sector as drivers of growth. We are going to energise this very important sector with N125 billion.
17. Out of the sum, we will spend N50 billion on Conditional Grant to 1 million nano businesses between now and March 2024. Our target is to give N50,000 each to 1,300 nano business owners in each of the 774 local governments across the country.
18. Ultimately, this programme will further drive financial inclusion by onboarding beneficiaries into the formal banking system. In like manner, we will fund 100,000 MSMEs and start-ups with N75 billion. Under this scheme, each enterprise promoter will be able to get between N500,000 to N1million at 9% interest per annum and a repayment period of 36 months.
19. To further ensure that prices of food items remain affordable, we have had a multi-stakeholder engagement with various farmers’ associations and operators within the agricultural value chain.
20. In the short and immediate terms, we will ensure staple foods are available and affordable. To this end, I have ordered release of 200,000 Metric Tonnes of grains from strategic reserves to households across the 36 states and FCT to moderate prices. We are also providing 225,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer, seedlings and other inputs to farmers who are committed to our food security agenda.
21. Our plan to support cultivation of 500,000 hectares of farmland and all-year-round farming practice remains on course. To be specific, N200 billion out of the N500 billion approved by the National Assembly will be disbursed as follows:

-Our administration will invest N50 billion each to cultivate 150,000 hectares of rice and maize.
-N50 billion each will also be earmarked to cultivate 100,000 hectares of wheat and cassava.

22. This expansive agricultural programme will be implemented targeting small-holder farmers and leveraging large-scale private sector players in the agric business with strong performance record.
23. In this regard, the expertise of Development Finance Institutions, commercial banks and microfinance banks will be tapped into to develop a viable and an appropriate transaction structure for all stakeholders.
24. Fellow Nigerians, I made a solemn pledge to work for you. How to improve your welfare and living condition is of paramount importance to me and it’s the only thing that keeps me up day and night.
25. It is in the light of this that I approved Infrastructure Support Fund for the States. This new Infrastructure Fund will enable States to intervene and invest in critical areas and bring relief to many of the pain points as well as revamp our decaying healthcare and educational Infrastructure.
26. The fund will also bring improvements to rural access roads to ease evacuation of farm produce to markets. With the fund, our states will become more competitive and on a stronger financial footing to deliver economic prosperity to Nigerians.
27. Part of our programme is to roll out buses across the states and local governments for mass transit at a much more affordable rate. We have made provision to invest N100 billion between now and March 2024 to acquire 3000 units of 20-seater CNG-fuelled buses.
28. These buses will be shared to major transportation companies in the states, using the intensity of travel per capital. Participating transport companies will be able to access credit under this facility at 9% per annum with 60 months repayment period.
29. In the same vein, we are also working in collaboration with the Labour unions to introduce a new national minimum wage for workers. I want to tell our workers this: your salary review is coming.
30. Once we agree on the new minimum wage and general upward review, we will make budget provision for it for immediate implementation.
31. I want to use this opportunity to salute many private employers in the Organised Private Sector who have already implemented general salary review for employees.
32. Fellow Nigerians, this period may be hard on us and there is no doubt about it that it is tough on us. But I urge you all to look beyond the present temporary pains and aim at the larger picture. All of our good and helpful plans are in the works. More importantly, I know that they will work.
33. Sadly, there was an unavoidable lag between subsidy removal and these plans coming fully on line. However, we are swiftly closing the time gap. I plead with you to please have faith in our ability to deliver and in our concern for your well-being.
34. We will get out of this turbulence. And, due to the measures we have taken, Nigeria will be better equipped and able to take advantage of the future that awaits her.
35. In a little over two months, we have saved over a trillion Naira that would have been squandered on the unproductive fuel subsidy which only benefitted smugglers and fraudsters. That money will now be used more directly and more beneficially for you and your families.
36. For example, we shall fulfill our promise to make education more affordable to all and provide loans to higher education students who may need them. No Nigerian student will have to abandon his or her education because of lack of money.
37. Our commitment is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of our people. On this principle, we shall never falter.
38. We are also monitoring the effects of the exchange rate and inflation on gasoline prices. If and when necessary, we will intervene.
39. I assure you my fellow country men and women that we are exiting the darkness to enter a new and glorious dawn.
40. Now, I must get back to work in order to make this vision come true.
41. Thank you all for listening and may God bless Federal Republic of Nigeria.

30/07/23

DANIELS O G

The attention of the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) has been drawn to two recent publications in the Business Day Newspaper of Friday, July 7 and Friday, July 21, 2023, titled: Lagos Sets Ultimatum for HMOs to Move Clients on State Insurance and NHIA Act: Lagos, Health Insurers Lock Horns Over Premium respectively, wherein it was reported that Health Management Organisations (HMOs) were mandated by LASHMA to move their clients to ILERA EKO and a dispute arose in respect of insurance premium payments. 

It is rather unfortunate that these Publications contain a lot of distortions, misreporting and unfair misrepresentation that portray an unbalanced view contrary to the ethics of the journalism practice. As a stakeholder in Lagos State, Business Day should have sought the views of LASHMA before going to press. However, it is essential to put issues regarding these publications in the right perspective, and set the records straight as follows: 1. The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act 2022 in Section 13 provides that “for the purpose of providing access to quality and affordable healthcare delivery to its residents, States can establish and implement State Health Insurance and Contributory Schemes”. As of today, 36 States of the Federation, including Lagos, have set up their State Social Health Insurance Agencies. The NHIA Act further states that the minimum package of benefits to be provided shall be the Basic Minimum Package of Health Care Services as contained in the National Health Act in Lagos State, the basic minimum package of health has been named ILERA EKO, while the State Health Insurance and Contributory Scheme is the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS). Also, Section 31 of the NHIA Act gives authority to the State Health Insurance Agencies to determine the contributions payable by the formal and informal sector employees while Section 32 mandates employers to register and pay the contributions of their employees into the accounts of State Social Health Scheme Funds as specified in the State Health Scheme Laws. Therefore, the NHIA may not be in a position to impose a harmonised premium across all the States as suggested by the HMOs. What the NHIA Act provides for is that all State Social Health Insurance Agencies are to provide the same coverage to all the residents of the States but this may not be at the same insurance premium payments. 2. The NHIA Act in section 14 provides that it is mandatory for all residents of Nigeria to have social health insurance. It then goes on to state that a resident is allowed to procure a private health insurance plan provided such a person first participates in a State mandated social health insurance scheme – Section 14 (3). Also, the Act only allows HMOs to sell Supplementary or Complementary Private Health Insurance plans to persons who already have social health insurance plans. The implication of this is that residents of Lagos MUST have purchased an ILERA EKO health plan before purchasing supplementary or complementary health plans from private HMOs. Supplementary plans are top-up plans to the ILERA EKO health plan i.e. they contain additional healthcare benefits which are not available on the ILERA EKO health plan. A complementary plan on the other hand includes ILERA EKO benefits with additional healthcare benefits. The Agency in its letter of 5th July 2023 to HMOs brought this provision of the NHIA Act to the attention of the HMOs and requested that upon the expiration of their current policies, HMO clients would be expected to subscribe to the State Social Health Insurance Plan, ILERA EKO, as provided by the NHIA Act. However, with effect from 1st August 2023, new clients and those renewing their plans are expected to subscribe to the ILERA EKO plan. This certainly does not translate to an immediate transition of private health plans to the ILERA EKO plan as alleged by the HMOs. Neither does this imply the outsourcing of the Management of ILERA EKO plans to HMOs. While it is true that the Agency utilised the services of 13 HMOs that applied as Third Party Administrators (TPA) at the inception of the scheme, the services of eight HMOs have since been terminated due to unsatisfactory performance, while the Agency has since engaged its own staff to perform these functions. 3. The Lagos State Government is desirous of attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and, therefore, aims to use the domestication of the NHIA Act as a veritable tool for achieving the objective. As a matter of fact, it is the NHIA Act that has further strengthened the provisions of the Lagos State Health Scheme (LSHS) Law enacted in May 2015 and which also made health insurance compulsory for all Lagos residents. In October 2021, upon approval by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Agency commenced its regulatory functions with the primary objective of ensuring that all the over 25 million residents of Lagos State have Social health insurance coverage. To further show his commitment towards ensuring the attainment of UHC in the State, Mr. Governor issued an Executive Order in May 2023 for the domestication of the NHIA Act and the implementation of the LSHS Law. The Agency would like to put on record that it is saddled with a far greater responsibility of ensuring that over 25 million residents have access to healthcare services under health insurance than to chase after the less than 2 million clients of the private HMOs that already have health insurance. All the Agency requested from the HMOs was compliance with the provisions of the Law. The Agency informed the HMOs of the need to ensure that their private clients are captured on the State Social Health Insurance Scheme by registering them on the LSHS database for issuance of unique LSHS policy IDs. This will also prevent episodes of double counting should anyone move from one HMO to another. The HMOs were given up till 14th July 2023 to supply the details of their client(s) to LASHMA. This does not include those residents who are enrolled on the NHIS Formal Sector Program. 4. The Agency did not foreclose reaching a workable agreement with the HMOs as it gave them the opportunity to suggest options for a seamless transition in the domestication of the provisions of the NHIA Act in the State. At the time of writing this Rejoinder, the Agency has received responses from only 3 HMOs. It is, therefore, surprising that the publication stated that HMO clients were given an ultimatum to replace their plans with ILERA EKO health plan. The Lagos State Health Management Agency hereby states clearly that its actions are clearly within the provisions of the NHIA Act as it concerns the powers and responsibilities given to State Health Insurance Agencies, and the Operational Guidelines of the NHIA cannot supersede the extant provisions of the NHIA Act.
Consequently, Lagos State is at liberty to determine when it wants to domesticate the NHIA Act so far as it is in compliance with the provisions of the Act. Health is on the concurrent list of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 5. The Agency has already begun the process of engaging other stakeholders such as government agencies, public and private healthcare providers, employers in the organised private sector as well as the informal sector, professional associations, Labour Unions, religious and traditional leaders. The major objective of these engagements is to intimate them with the provisions of the NHIA Act thereby increasing public awareness and uptake of health insurance. 6. Finally, the Agency has a tacit responsibility to ensure that the over 25 million residents of Lagos State have access to quality healthcare services through the mandatory social health insurance scheme. The Agency, therefore, is willing to engage with all stakeholders in the health insurance sector in order to accomplish this onerous task and make it a win-win for everyone, especially the enrollees. 

Signed 
Dr. Emmanuella ZambaPermanent Secretary (LASHMA)30th July 2023