BusinessDay 01 Sep 2019

Bayelsa: I have private, public sector experience to govern – Alaibe …As APC obeys court ruling, fixes primary Tuesday SAMUEL ESE, Yenagoa AND JAMES KWEN, Abuja

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imi Alaibe, a former managing director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has said that he has both private and public sector experience as prerequisite to successfully govern Bayelsa State.

Border closure: Economy of border communities in jeopardy …Market prices of food items soar …Rice, turkey, chicken in scare supply

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

Alaibe, one of the 21 aspirants for the governorship ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), made the claim during an interactive session with the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State Council in Yenagoa on Saturday.

During the interaction which was broadcast live on four radio Continues on page 4

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eter Nnaji is a driver of 18-steater commercial bus, whose business is to shuttle from the popular ‘Seme Park at Mile 2’ to the Seme Border Post on daily basis.

From this business, the father of four children with a wife, puts food on his table, pays his bills and takes care of his family responsibilities.

Nnaji, who used to travel to and fro Seme border and Mile

2, for at least twice a day with full load of passengers, now struggles to make once-per-day trip without full load passengers in the last one week, that the Federal Government shut down cargo and passengers entrance

and exit through all the nation’s land border posts.

“Business is very slow nowadays. We rarely see passengers due to the recent border closure.

And most of our drivers, who ply Lagos-Badagry-Seme axis, no longer patronise the ECOWAS corridor because people are no longer allowed to do both legitimate and illegitimate businesses at the border,” he said.

Nnaji, who said that he used to take home a minimum of N43, 000 everyday, said that he Continues on page 4

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I believe what should be taking place now is governance not campaign - Balogun p. 18-19

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Insecurity: Have Catholic priests become endangered species?

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Vol 1, No. 278 N300

??Low sales, rising competition

reduce brewery industry’s profit by N15bn

35 pp41.

Eroded values threaten Nigeria’s image

inside

Accidental billionaires without credible sources It’s a reflection of leaders’ bad example The state itself is a criminal enterprise’ Nation risks being treated as pariah state

CHUKA UROKO & INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

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Abandoned by families and society: The hard fate of babies with cerebral palsy

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he outrage that enveloped the Nigerian social space over the arrest of some young Nigerians by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over alleged large scale variety of internet

fraud (yahoo-yahoo) in collaboration with their counterparts in Nigeria and other parts of the world has continued to deepen conversations as to how Nigerians descended to this notorious level.

The action underpinned how values of hard work have been consigned to the refuse bin while the quest to-get-rich quick has been elevated to a level that is as mind-boggling as it is ri-

diculous which is, however, to be expected in a society like Nigeria that celebrates wealth and power without questioning their sources.

After an unprecedented 252-count federal grand jury indictment was filed against 77 Nigerians, the FBI arrested the masterminds, Valentine Iro, 31, and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, 38, both Nigerian citizens as it released a list of 77

others involved in a series of coordinated internet scam running into billions of dollars obtained from victims in the US, Britain and other parts of the world. The FBI had, prior to this, arrested Obinwanne Okeke of the Invictus Group as an alleged kingpin of the massive fraud.

The Nigerian government has condemned the action of its nationals in the alleged crime Continues on page 2

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Why Nigeria still struggles for Africa’s growing tourism receipt p. 26

L-R: Ahmed Dangiwa, managing director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria; Mohammed Bukar, permanent secretary, Ministry of Works and Housing; Abubakar Aliyu, Minister of State, Works and Housing; Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, and Adewale Adesoji Adeeyo, chairman, board of directors, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, at a courtesy visit by the board of directors of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria to the Ministry of Works & Housing, headquarters in Abuja.

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Sunday 01 September 2019

Cover Eroded values threaten ... and has taken steps through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to arrest and prosecute the offenders in Nigeria and also collaborate with the US authorities. This development has however, triggered an unprecedented quest to interrogate the degeneracy of the moral compass of the nation and the grim consequences staring the nation in the face and exposing it as a moral burden on the rest of the world.

In an action that smacked of an after-thought, however, President Muhammadu Buhari told the world that the few Nigerians abroad indulging in criminal activities did not represent the values of majority of the people of the country.

A statement by Femi Adesina, media adviser to the President, says the President expressed this view while meeting with leaders of the Nigerian Community living in Japan on the sidelines of the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD7) in Yokohama, Japan last Thursday.

“Let me also say that there are few Nigerians in the Diaspora that are giving us a bad name by engaging in criminal activities.

These Nigerians are a minority, they do not represent the values of our country, and I plead with them to change their ways.

“We will not condone any crime whether at home or abroad, and we will also not allow these Nigerians define us as a people with reputation for criminality,” the President said.

In the same vein, the Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa has made efforts to dissociate the nation from criminal behaviour of some of its citizens, stressing that their actions do not reflect the positive attributes of Nigerians known worldwide.

“While such actions ultimately have negative effect on the image of the country, the Commission however, reiterates, as it has always done, that the action of a few Nigerians involved in criminal activities is not and can never be what the majority of Nigerians represent. We advise and we continuously resist any stereotyping of Nigeria and Nigerians generally,” she said.

Those are good defence mechanisms from the President and his managers but they ought to have been communicated to the world before the over-zealous EFCC condemned outright its citizens in a matter that was still subjudice and also told the bewildered world that it would collaborate with the US authorities in that case.

But as good as the intervention of the President and that of the NIDCOM boss may appear to launder the image of the country, Nigerians, aghast at this

development, have continued to interrogate the real causes of these actions and their consequences. The steady fall in the Nigerian economy is said to be the main hub around which other social malaise and crisis of values revolve.

The collapsing economy suffused with corruption and the desperation by mostly the youth to survive the pressure had in recent years pushed more people into the domain of cybercrime and other related crimes. The Nigerian economy in the last 20 years has never been healthy.

The political leaders have failed to build the necessary infrastructure that will support the growth of modern economy in order to create jobs so that with minimum efforts the average Nigerian can afford basic things.

Executive arrogance, lawlessness, impunity and ineptitude coupled with legislative recklessness and judicial rascality have conspired with massive and mindless corruption to bring the economy as a cow on its knees while only the privileged few are milking it on all fours.

Nigeria is arguably the only country in the world where leadership is not service but lordship and a gateway to instant wealth which is flaunted brazenly as though to spite the poor. Political office seekers go into office not to serve the people but to sort out, financially, their families, up to the fourth generation.

They are not just bad influence, but also bad examples of what and who leaders should be. All these implant wrong messages in the psyche of the people, especially the young ones who, regrettably, are easy tools for prosecuting, often bloody, electoral process in the country.

These and more account for

the parlous state the economy in which, currently, the GDP growth stands at approximately 1.9percent per annum in a country with a population growth rate of 3.4percent per annum. Inflation is at 11.22percent (double digit), and at least 20 million people are said to have lost their jobs in the last four years according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Foreign Direct Investment and capital inflows have reduced by at least fifty percent just as Naira, the Nigerian currency, has lost about 60percent of its value.

Nigeria , according to the World Poverty Clock, is the poverty capital of the world. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) about 98 million Nigerians are today living below poverty line and there are indications the situation could get worse.

Added to these are the growing social challenges reflected in homelessness and destitution in the country. While only a little above 10 percent of the 200 million population live in their own homes, the number of destitute and out-of-school children runs into millions. It is easy to see, therefore, the huge well of crisis from which the nation reaps deep-seated moral downturn and crisis of values.

Speaking to BDSUNDAY, Katch Ononuju (PhD Economics), and a public affairs analyst, said: “The government has made the country bad, how are you going to blame the young men that fled the country and tried to survive? It is a problem we have, if we don’t make the country better we can’t question why they are going out to look for survival. We now have serious negativity since we refused to build a nation; it is

very sad nobody is very happy about this.”

Media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reuben Abati agreed that the country’s collapsing economy has led to failure of its value system and ethical codes. He wrote that “the leaders, military and civilian, have not set good examples, the institutions function at habitually sub-optimal levels, civilian rule has not led to expected rise in standards and values. Under the military, theft and impunity became the order of the day, under civilian rulers in the last 20 years, the threat of impunity has doubled, and the collapse of morality has tripled.”

He wrote further that “Nigeria is one country where gain without work is acceptable as long as everything glitters. It is one country where a man or lady, who had no job in January can suddenly become a multi-billionaire in dollars in August and nobody will ask questions. He or she doesn’t even have to pay tax or declare the source of income. He will get the best women, the best cars, the largest circle of friends, chieftaincy titles, national honour, and a government appointment.

“He will dine with the high and mighty, childhood friends in high places whose election campaigns he would have funded anyway, and in addition, he will enjoy massive police and military protection. The media will celebrate him or her. To play big in this kind of normative environment, where the state itself is a criminal enterprise, where credibility is on decline, many Nigerians resort to criminality on a bigger scale, locally and internationally.”

He warned that unless Nigerian leaders provide good leadership and build institutions the nation will remain stuck in the morass of moral crisis.

He advised that religious leaders, who wield so much influence over the Nigerian public mind, must stop acting like rogues and teach the truth. “Nigeria needs a Ministry for Ethical Reorientation! Unemployment drives young Nigerians to the Devil’s workshop. We must do something about that,” he said emphatically.

Law Mefor, a clinical forensic psychologist, who also spoke to BDSUNDAY on the internet fraud, said the undaunted bid of the fraudsters reflects vast societal decadence in Nigeria of today, characterised by corruption and the get-rich-quick syndrome.

He also blamed the unemployment in the country and societal pressures on the youth as some of the factors fueling this crime.

“The reality is that we are in a country where only consumption makes sense, we don’t produce anything and in the simple value chain, Nigerian workers, especially the youth, are not represented, everything is out-

sourced. We export the primary produce like crude oil, palm oil, cocoa and others in raw forms, and they are brought back to us as finished products.

“What that means is that we are outsourcing production and that is where employment is created. In other words, we are just consumers. So, if you churn out graduates in their thousands every year and you are not creating jobs, they have to survive somehow. I am not justifying ‘yahoo yahoo’, but I believe that an idle brain is the Devil’s workshop. So, if the youth are gainfully engaged, making a decent living, a great number of them will not be engaged in internet fraud.

“The fact remains that we have not done enough as a country in terms of making effort to industrialise to really keep everybody busy so that one way or another people can get legitimate income. So, if we have not been able to provide the basic jobs then we have to take part of the blame for what is going on,” he said.

Mefor called for a moral rearmament as the only solution to this crisis and the need for the government to create the enabling environment to create jobs for the youth.

Majeed Dahiru, a public affairs analyst and newspaper columnist, noted that all Nigerians are products of a society that is today steeped in moral decadence.

“It is a very serious issue.

Nigeria has become a notorious country for terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry and offshore online criminal activities.

“It is time to begin some very intensive socio-cultural readjustments to get to the root of this level of crime that is now being associated with Nigeria,” he said.

In finding solution to the crisis, Majeed said: “We must highlight the socio-cultural factors responsible for this idea of getrich-at-all-cost by any means possible so that we can begin to collectively solve some of the moral decadence in our society.

“It must start from advocacy such as we are doing now to save this nation from complete and total drift to societal anarchy because if we continue on this part, the rest of the world will treat Nigeria as a pariah nation of rogues and have nothing to do with us and we will all suffer it,” he said.

It stands to sound reason and logic that Nigeria has to return to the days of MAMSER and National Orientation which held sway even in the days of the military in government. Moral and ethical values need to be re-ignited along with the values of hard work which have completely been eroded by the way and manner the Nuveau Riche are embraced and celebrated by modern society.

Sunday 01 September 2019

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News

Akwa Ibom to strengthen healthcare services with 100 medical doctors, consultants ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

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hundred medical doctors and consultants are to be recruited to boost healthcare delivery in Akwa Ibom State.

Governor Udom Emmanuel announced this while declaring open a one week Residential Training for Health workers in Uyo. The governor, who decried the resort to prayer houses instead of appropriate medical attention, advised that, “God gives physicians knowledge to save lives and prayers should come as an additional action for total healing.”

He emphasised the need for people to undergo routine medical checkup for early diagnosis and treatment to avoid health crisis.

He commended the theme of the workshop, ‘Continuing Medical Education and Continuous Professional Development’, describing it as apt, expressing the optimism that it would enhance the proficiency of the health personnel who would be exposed to various innovations in the medical profession that would aid in saving lives and reducing medical tourism.

Governor Emmanuel said that his passion for the healthcare of the citizens, Secondary Health care institutions in the ten Federal constituencies of the state resulted in equipping them with up-to-date

Udom

medical facilities.

He said that some of the facilities acquired for the hospitals have been delivered and installed, adding that the remaining few container-loads of equipment were being expected in the state.

While commending Union Medicals Inc. USA for facilitating the training programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Hospitals Management Board, Emmanuel expressed the hope that the knowledge gained would boost the health sector and bring succour to the sick.

Earlier, Dominic Ukpong, commissioner for Health, expressed appreciation to the governor for

his commitment to turn around the health sector of the state’s economy and providing needed infrastructure and equipment to improve the healthcare needs of the citizens.

Don Ugu, director, Union Medicals Inc. USA, expressed appreciation to the state Government for the privilege to incorporate the training programme and providing the needed funds for the training.

David Udo Umo, chairman, Hospitals Management Board, while thanking the state government for approving the training, urged participants to make good use of the opportunity to update their skills.

Bayelsa: I have private, public ...

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stations in Yenagoa, he appealed to delegates to Tuesday’s governorship primary election to give him their votes as he understands the “thematic problems” of the state from his time at the NDDC. He promised to address the challenge of development of critical infrastructure in all sectors in the state by consolidating on the achievements of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson and adding value to them.

Alaibe who described himself as a private sector man in politics said he would tackle insecurity in the state by taking the guns off the youth, giving them the right orientation and reintegrating them into the society to enable them contribute to the development of the state.

He stressed his resolve to tackle economic issues in the state by leveraging on his experience as a banker, growing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and boosting employment and internally generated revenue profile of the state.

Alaibe asked Bayelsans to give him one year to address the problem of poor power supply and ensuring 24 hour electricity supply to the state through putting the Etelebu power station to work, and increasing electricity generation to 1,000 megawatts in the course of his administration.

According to him, his government would introduce and implement a gas to power programme as well as a power to wealth programme to tackle poverty, while stressing that one of the cardinal agenda of his government is human capital development.

He also promised to establish a job house to take data of unemployed graduates and source for jobs for them even outside the state, create a 25-year development plan aside the short and medium development plans for the state.

The aspirant further pledged to address gender issues, develop sports infrastructure, noting the importance of sports as an avenue for job creation, among other things.

Meanwhile, following the ruling Friday of the Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa which granted an interim order restraining the All Progressives Congress (APC) from adopting direct primary for the rescheduled August 31 governorship primary, the party has slated the exercise for Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Lanre Issa- Onilu, APC national publicity secretary, in a statement said: “In deference to a court order, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has shifted the date for the Bayelsa governorship primary to Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4, September, 2019”.

Border closure: Economy of border ...

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presently manages to take home N10,000 after the day’s work due to lull in business activities around the border.

BDSUNDAY investigation revealed that one week into the land border closure by the Federal Government over insecurity and growing incidences of smuggling activities, businesses, especially buying and selling, commercial transport business, commercial load/goods carriers called ‘kabukabu’, motorcycle riding popularly called ‘okada’ that depend on land border to thrive, have been atrophied.

Consequently, both youths and families in border communities that earn a living and put food on their table by taking active part in such businesses, are presently idling away due to lack of job and low patronage.

Nigeria shares international land border with Benin Republic, Niger, Chad and Cameroon totaling about 4,745square kilometers of land mass. Within these border areas, communities such as Ilaro, Idiroko, Oke Odan, Ipokia, Owode, Mawun, Alari, Koko, Badagry, Ajilete, Ago, Ighonyedo and Ifo, are located very close to the borders.

Also, places such as Okerete, Banki, Maitagari, Imade Dura and Jibia are among the villages that

are close to the land borders.

Majority of people from these villages thrive on either rendering services to both legitimate traders, who pay taxes to government for bringing in imports, or by aiding smugglers that shortchange government to bring in consignment without paying taxes to government.

These villagers use their ‘okada’ to carry both imported and smuggled commodities such as rice, chicken and turkey for as much as N3,000 per 50kg of rice to Owode from Idiroko border, and N5,000 to Sango from Idiroko. They also use ‘kabukabu’ to move these consignments in large quantities at night.

With the current border closure, activities of both legitimate and illegitimate traders have been stalled, thereby putting these villagers completely out of business for the past weeks.

When BDSUNDAY visited the markets in Lagos, it was discovered that the prices of some of these food items that come from the neighboring West African countries are fast skyrocketing.

For instance, turkey has become a scare commodity such that available ones now sell for as high as N19, 500 in Sango area.

Smuggled frozen chicken is also out of the market, given way for

made-in Nigeria chicken to cost between N10,000 and N14,000.

The price of rice has also gone up due to scarcity as one 50kg bag of rice now goes for N19,500 to above N20,000.

“We rarely get customers to buy goods from us because people and even goods are no longer allowed to cross the border. People no longer come to the border to do business. There is low patronage for even some of us that are into legitimate business,” decried a shop owner, who gave her name as Iya Biliki.

According to her, before the border closure, she used to make as much as N20,000 every day but today, she rarely make N5,000 from drinks, water, snacks and recharge cards that she sells at the Seme border post.

Iya Biliki, who stated that her worries had remained the fact that nobody knows when government would be through with the so-called joint security exercise ‘Ex Swift Response’, which was slated to last for 28 days, added that she prays business starts booming again to enable her raise money for her children’s fees as schools will soon resume.

“School would soon resume and I have not been able to raise money for the payment of my children’s school fees because business has slowed down. I

hope things improve before school resumption in September, which is already around the corner,” she added.

Apart from transporters and traders, road transport workers popularly called ‘agbero’ have also decried massive lull in toll and levy collection from commercial vehicles plying the route like Lagos-Badagry Expressway to Seme or Idiroko borders.

Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) that work along the Lagos-Badagry axis are presently counting losses over the border closure.

A member of the NURTW Mile 2 Park, who claimed anonymity, told our correspondent that there has been a massive drop in levy collection on vehicles at all the units along the ECOWAS corridor.

He said that most of the parks along the Lagos – Badagry Expressway, are scanty due to the border closure. He also alluded to the fact that the volume of items, especially food stuffs smuggled or brought from the popular Cotonou market, have dropped to about 100 percent while the number of passengers that do business at the borders, has also reduced drastically.

“Formerly in a day, we used to collect as much as N10,000 from

buses plying this route to Seme but for the past one week that the border has been closed, we don’t even make up to N1,000. We collect N200 per bus plying Mile 2 to Seme border but as we speak, we cannot count up to three buses a day because nobody is ready to risk such movement when there is nothing happening at the border,” he added.

He listed transit parks in Agbara, Ijanikin, Alaba- Rago and Mile 2, Iyanu-Oba and others as parks affected by the border closure.

Globally, it is the trend for border communities to rely on trade, economic and commercial activities within and across borders to survive. As the landlords of gateways to the country, these communities also serve as solid economic bases for legitimate economic activities to thrive.

Research has shown that international border markets are located in these communities where the exchange of various goods and services from various countries can be carried out.

When such economic activities thrive, it promotes the collection of various tariffs; reduced smuggling and the people in the area would be gainfully employed.

When such a people are engaged they will be less prone to violent activities as well as crimes.

Sunday 01 September 2019

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News I remain unshakable to allegations – Kogi REC …As parties tell INEC to remove Apam of face poll boycott VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

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ogi State Independent National Electoral (INEC), Resident Electoral Commissioner, James Apam has said that he remains unshakable to the allegations leveled against him on engaging in fraudulent practices in all the elections in the state.

This is coming at the heels of Forum of Political Parties in the state, comprising of all registered parties in Nigeria, walking out of the stakeholders’ meeting held by INEC over alleged complicity of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the last general election.

Ibrahim Itodo, spokesman of the forum, while speaking with newsmen who said they had lost confidence in the REC and would have nothing to do with him except he was moved out of the state with immediate effect.

He also said the forum had found out that the REC was consistently compromising with his position and duties and equally acting in questionable ways to the detriment of majority of voters in Kogi State.

The REC was specifically accused of continuous romance with the Yahaya Bello administration, adding that he deliberately shut out other opposition parties in the state by refusing to address their complaints and grievances.

The forum equally called for the immediate removal of James Apam as they urged INEC to as a matter of urgency deploy a neutral REC before the November 16 governorship election, warning that if not adhered to, the opposition parties would boycott the election.

The forum also accused the REC of engaging in fraudulent practices, citing the example of the last year double registration of Governor Bello which was alleged to have been orchestrated and perfected by the REC, and many other issues.

But while reacting to the forum’s allegations and their action at the meeting, the REC said he would not make any comment over the allegations, and that he remained unshakable.

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Relocate to new place, governor pleads with Umuahia city centre traders UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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overnor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has appealed to traders doing business at Isigate market (the city centre of Umuahia, capital of the state) to cooperate with the state government in its planned relocation of the traders to a more conducive environment.

Ikpeazu, who made the appeal while addressing traders at Isigate, disclosed that his administration had decided to provide alternative market for those selling perishable goods at Amuzukwu Ibeku in Umuahia North Local Government Council, while others dealing on other wares were expected to relocate to Ubani Ibeku Market.

“We have planned to relocate this market and before we deploy any task force, we decided to pro-

vide an alternative and we have done that”, he told them.

“The place we have provided, the floors are paved, we have provided conveniences for male and female as well as borehole.

Everything that you require to do their business in a conducive environment has been provided and I am urging you to cooperate with government so that we move peacefully”, Ikpeazu said.

While regretting the current state of the city centre and the risk at which the traders are exposed to, Ikpeazu said the relocation has become necessary in order to improve the aesthetics of the state capital and ease traffic congestion.

Earlier, Emma Nwabuko, a former principal secretary to the governor, revealed that the new market stalls would be ready in the next two weeks, adding that the governor had made financial provisions for the completion of the market stalls.

Reegan Canadian International pledges to deliver quality education Josephine Okojie

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L-R: John Egwu, vice president, Retail Services; Mayokun Fadeyibi, vice president, consumer-to-business services; Vishnu Govender, market development leader, Sub Saharan Africa 3M, and Etop Ikpe, CEO Cars45, at the Cars45 Franchise Dealers and Partners engagement session in Lagos.

Sunday 01 September 2019

eegan Canadian International School, a world class day and boarding school located at Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, has restated its commitment in providing quality education for pupils and students of the school.

Rita Adigwe, executive director of the school who made the pledge during a press briefing recently in Lagos, said that the school was fully equipped with the latest technology in teaching and learning needed to provide an all-embracing education of the 21st Century standards to students.

“The quest to come up with a school that meets international standard and an overreaching objective to produce students that can compete favourably in a global market brought about the creation of Reegan Canadian International School,” Adigwe said.

“We implement a hybrid curriculum which is derived from the international primary curriculum (IPC), the Canadian, British and the Nigerian curriculums,” she added.

She noted that the school’s curriculum was built on best global standards with the intension of pro-

viding students with a well-rounded academic experience comparable to any citadel of learning globally.

Adigwe further said that the school was proud of its international and multi-cultural ethos, which according to her reflects in the way students of the school collaborate to make a difference.

“We recognise the diverse educational needs of pupils. Through appropriate provision, we respect and acknowledge that children education is beyond the classroom and we recognise that strong academic performance is not enough,” she further said.

“We invest in extra curricula activities that help our students to develop and stimulate creativity, build confidence, learn life skills and create social awareness,” she added.

According to her, the school fees per child are affordable when compared with its peers across Lagos and other major cities.

She noted that the school plans to have a university in the long run and currently provides scholarships to students with excellent academic performance.

The executive director added that the school was in partnership agreements with a number of schools abroad.

We have paid off all 530 workers disengaged in 2008 - NPA AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

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he Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said it has concluded all payment matters involving the May 2008 disengaged 530 workers.

A statement signed by Ibrahim Nasir, assistant general manager, Corporate and Strategic Communication, debunked recent claims by the disengaged workers that they were yet to be paid all their entitlements.

According to Nasir, the disen-

gaged workers were affected by the rationalisation scheme in line with the guidelines of the Public Service Reform, but due to some procedural delay, it took time to implement the monetisation of their disengagement.

Stating that a letter of indemnity was duly signed by all of them before the amount due to each of them was paid, Nasir stated that the NPA’s responsibility to the disengaged workers was concluded with the payment of N753,731,001.24 for the final list of 517.

He said implementation of the policy commenced 1st July, 2008 after the May 2008 rationalisation exercise. “Agitation for payment of arrears on monetisation based on the January approval date, resulted in the agreement to pay arrears of three months to all exiting employees from April to June, 2008 hence the two months’ arrears which was paid to them after their exit.”

The statement further reads: “In compliance with the directives of the Federal Government in the public service guidelines, those affected by the rationalisation

exercise were not entitled to the monetisation and enhanced staff allowances as it was a precondition before implementation of the scheme. Thus, the two months of monetisation arrears paid to them was regarded as an error made and accepted in good faith.”

He listed entitlement paid to the workers to include: three months’ salary in lieu based on their salaries at the time of disengagement; gratuity calculated in line with their salary at the date of exit, May 31st, 2008; 10 percent pension and gratuity as compensation as provided

for in the Pension Act (Decree 102 of 1979) and pension contribution remittance to their RSA. The authority also paid accrued pension right remitted to their PFA/RSA using the Alexander Forbes actuarial valuation as at 31st May, 2008, which is the approved template by the Bureau of Public Service Reform and Federal Ministry of Transport.

“Repatriation allowance was paid to them based on the components of the template from the Bureau of Public Service Reform Guidelines.

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Meet the new interim boss at the NDDC … And what she wants to achieve quickly Ignatius Chukwu

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he Federal Government has announced a substantive CEO at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC), Bernard Okumagba from Delta State.

The order also asked the serving acting CEO, Professor Nelson Brambaifa from Bayelsa State, to hand over to another interim CEO pending the Senate approval of the substantive one.

The Senate is on 8-week recess and may take some time before giving the Commission a board. While this lasts, one fiery and no-nonsense woman is to act. Her name is Akwagaga Lelegima Enyia. You may wish to meet her because whoever sits astride the NDDC sits atop N300billion annual budget and on decisions over 800 ongoing projects and programmes with thousands of contractors and consultants

hovering over the 8-storey tower named after DappaBiriye. More than 100 proposals fly to the Commission every week and hundreds of requests to meet whoever makes final decisions there, especially now that there is no board there.

You may need to know that Akwagaga is from Tombia, one of the few upland towns in Bayelsa State. He married to a Rivers man, thus having valid rights in both states. She has children and they must be grown up, but what many may quickly want to know is that she is a disciplinarian. Some call her ‘no-nonsense’ woman.

She is a director in the Rivers State NDDC office.

There, she is known to insist on due process, discipline, and order. Many say they do not know how contractors would have to face her. She displays deep Christian behaviours such that nothing can be done outside Christ.

She starts every event with songs and praises and heavy

prayers for the Commission or wherever a man feeds from. The first day after her takeover, she came to work before 8am and many directors were running about to meet up. It is not for show, some said, but the way she works.

Akwagaga graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Port Harcourt in 1983. She also has a Master of Philosophy and a PhD in Marine Biology from the Rivers State University (formerly University of Science and Technology).

She joined the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) as Assistant Director, Fisheries, in 1993.

Agenda: The new Acting Managing Director met with the staff and promised to bring positive change to the Commission. She made the pledge during a press briefing shortly after her arrival at the NDDC

Rivers releases court papers, restates claim to land where ‘mosque’ was demolished Ignatius Chukwu

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s the ‘mosque demolition’ controversy in Port Harcourt rages on, the Rivers State government has released court rulings to back up their claim that it was a land dispute matter, not a religious clash.

The government said at no point was there any religious motive or cleansing in the matter of ‘mosque’ in TransAmadi, saying it was purely a land dispute issue in a land allegedly acquired by the Rivers State government through the Eastern Nigeria government as far back as 1959.

In the court ruling, a judge, S.O. Omereji of the Rivers High Court ruled that the disputed land at Rainbow Town in Port Harcourt belongs to the Rivers State Government. The case is between

the Rivers State government as defendants and the ‘Registered Trustees of Trans-Amadi Mosque’, Port Harcourt, which had approached the court in February 2012, after the then Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Administration had stopped them from erecting a structure on the disputed ‘Government land’ without approval.

The Rivers State Government in its Statement of Defence, had outlined its ownership of the land and spelt out that there was no approval given to the trustees to construct a Mosque on the disputed land.

In his judgment, Justice Omereji noted: “The Statement of Defence and the evidence of the defendant’s two witnesses show that the land, the subject matter of this suit is State Land acquired for public purpose by the Eastern Region of

Wike speaks on the alleged demolition of mosque in Rivers.

Nigeria in 1959. The evidence also shows that the claimants had no approval from the Rivers State Government to make use of the said land, prior to the use of the land for any religious or other purposes and that the defendants did not destroy any property belonging to the claimants.

“The said area where the claimants used for religious activities falls within the area acquired by the Rivers State Government as in the Exhibit K. The evidence shows that the claimants acquired nothing from Chief Dr. Edward S. Amadi since Chief Edward S. Amadi cannot give what he does not have because the land in dispute has been acquired and has been State land since 1959”.

The court papers showed that the claim of over N502million by the claimants could not be sustained.

Akwagaga Lelegima Enyia, Ag CEO of NDDC, (right), being welcomed by David Fashusi, director of Internal Audit, at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt.

headquarters in Port Harcourt to assume duties as the new CEO of the interventionist agency.

She stated: “I have been charged to do things right and we will start to do things right by the grace of God. By the time I am through with my assignment, there will be a positive change in NDDC. I believe God will help me.”

Akwagaga took over the leadership of the NDDC from Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, who led an interim management that was dissolved on August 27, 2019.

The new Chief Executive Officer said: “I have a mandate to oversee the smooth running of the NDDC until the substantive board is cleared to assume office. I be-

lieve that if we work together, we will achieve the objectives for which the NDDC was set up.

“To see that this foremost interventionist agency will progress and prosper during this short period, I appeal to the press to cooperate with us to see that the goals of setting up this commission are achieved.”

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CEHRD thumbs down for Buhari, hails Wike on women inclusion Ignatius Chukwu

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resident Muhammadu Buhari received bashing while Governor Ny e s o m W i k e got high five on how each leader treated women so far.

Though Wike is yet to name his cabinet, the Centre for Environment Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) said reserving all deputy local council chairmanship positions in Rivers State for women was a landmark worthy of celebration.

The chairperson of CEHRD in Rivers State, Constance Meju, a chief, said in her address at a forum that Buhari appointed only seven women as ministers out of the 42 recently sworn in. She said this “signifies a continued denial to women, of the right to participate and contribute appropriately, to nation-building.”

For Rivers, she said: “We must applaud the continued effort of the Rivers State

Governor, Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike for including women in his administration which has produced women as caretaker chairpersons, deputy chairpersons, counselors and state and National Assembly members in addition to our Deputy Governor.

We only ask that he continues to increase the presence of women in critical positions as a beacon for others to follow and that the local government chairpersons duly include their deputies in the affairs of government.

We’ve been told some are merely there as symbolic representatives and that is not good.”

She went on; “The Centre for Environment Human Rights and Development recognises this cry of marginalisation and the negative consequences, hence some 10 months ago, it embarked on an enlightenment campaign. The outcome is the formation of the body ‘Women in Governance Network’ which we are inaugurating today.”

Meju further said: “I want to, on behalf of CEHRD, express our deep appreciation to the Netherlands Embassy for making this process possible; our Honourable local government chairmen and deputy chairpersons, distinguished guests, media and partners, we thank you all.”

She traced the fate of women over the decades thus: “The Second Republic (1979 -1983) saw a little more participation of women in politics but the advent of military rule truncated what should have been a gradual expansion of the female circle in political leadership which has today degenerated to a less than three percent participation in governance at a time a country like South Africa is celebrating a 50/50 representation and Rwanda and other sister countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, over 35 percent, the representation rate stipulated by the United Nation and accented to by Nigeria and many other nations.”

Ikpeazu restates commitment towards PHC delivery in Abia UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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overnor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has reiterated his commitment towards theprovisionofPrimaryHealth care for people of the state.

Ikpeazu, who made this known in the Government House Umuahia when he received a delegation from the Abia State Health Insurance Agency and a team from the USAID sponsored Health

Policy Plus, assured of his administration’s commitment to the provision of resources needed for the programme to take off as well as the moral and political impetus. The governor said that his administration intended to increase the life expectancy of Abians abovethenationalaverageand had evolved a strategy which would take care of the vulnerable, the mother and child as well as the aged in the society.

He disclosed that the facilities which his administra-

tion had put in place to take care of aged people in various communities of the state had recorded a high level of acceptance among the aged group.

The Abia Chief Executive further revealed that work was in progress at a mother and child centre in Umuahia which, according to him, was being powered by Abians in the Diaspora who would equally assist in the recruitment and training of personnel for six months so as to improve its standard of service delivery.

Abia community leader advocates holistic reform of prisons laws UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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ames Uchegbuo, a frontline commentator on national issues and the president-general of Ahuwa Oboro Ancient Kingdom in Ikwuano LGA of Abia State, has advocated for a holistic reform of prisons laws in the country, as a way of tackling the rising crime rate in the land. Uchegbuo, who made his stand known in Umuahia while reacting to the recent renaming of Nigerian Prisons Service to Correctional

Homes by President Muhammadu Buhari, alleged that the country operated two anti-corruption laws, which according to him protected the rich and punished only the poor people.

He called for the review of the1999 Constitution to accommodate the tenets of justice and equality. Uchegbuo expressed worries over the absence of craft facilities in prisons, non-availability of qualified job trainers as well as seasoned counselors around the prisons.

“Changing the name of

prison to correctional home has not added any value to why the prisons were established. The first thing that should have been addressed is the exploding unemployment rate in the land and the wide gap of inequality between the rich -corrupt leaders and the poor. The second thing is the absence of craft facilities, qualified job trainers and seasoned counselors.

We should review the 1999 Constitution to bring in the virtues proposed by the legendary French philosopher, Montesquieu”

Sunday 01 September 2019

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Tech-U VC calls for revamping of education

Don’t allow environment limit your ambition, bank ED urges girls

...bags Youth Council Award

… As Sterling Bank, PAYF partner to empower rural girls in coding

REMI FEYISIPO, Ibadan

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o arrest the decay in the nation’s education sector, Vice Chancellor of the First Technical University (Tech-U), Ibadan, Ayobami Salami has called on stakeholders in the education industry to unite for the transformation of the sector.

He made this call recently as the Guest Lecturer at the grand finale of the 2019 United Nations International Youths Week organised by the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter, in Ibadan during the week.

Chaired by Bisi Ilaka, Chief of Staff to the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, the event had in attendance youths from across the state, legislators, notable opinion moulders and other critical stakeholders.

“Educational transformation is very dear to me; having been active in providing tertiary education for over thirty years. I have also traversed our educational system as a student, a teacher and as an administrator at various levels. As an ardent stakeholder, I can state unequivocally that all hands are required on deck to harness our vast human and capital resources towards achieving educational transformation

at local, regional and national levels,” Salami said.

Represented by Adesola Ajayi, a professor, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Salami underscored the urgent need to revamp the subsisting model of education in the country characterised by monumental infrastructural deficit, inadequate funding, irrelevant curricular, inadequate staffing, warped orientation of learners, dismal student performance, and the resultant dysfunctional system among other sectoral deficiencies.

He said, “The consequences of poor education in Nigeria over the years is already evident in extremely high unemployment of educated youths, gross dependence on foreign technology, and lack of technical expertise for even simple tasks”.

“To fully explore the potentials of our intelligent youth populace, all stakeholders in the educational sector must agree on curriculum and delivery strategies that would elicit innovation, cooperation and ingenuity in educational spaces that guarantee practicality. We require the Government at various levels to provide infrastructure and funding commensurate to the urgency and extent of the transformation we need in the educational sector. The government must actualise the tenets of

Seyi John Salau

S Salami

its recently declared State of Emergency in the sector. Our brand of education must deliver development and social progress all over the country in alignment to the nation’s developmental priorities”.

Salami, a professor who was also honoured with an Award of Excellence in Education for his contribution to the development of education in the country by the NYCN through its Chapter leader, Adebola Agbeja, called for an all-inclusive strategy that would place education in the country on the right pedestal.

“We can no longer ignore the unfortunate statistics showing that Nigeria cur-

rently houses over 10 million out-of-school children.

Activities of the Universal Basic Education Commission at the national level must be complemented by prompt release of counterpart funds

by States”, he said. He noted that to elicit maximum productivity from students, learning must be technologically-driven, participatory, resourceful and adventurous.

According to him, “there is need for top-notch facilities to support active learning in our educational institutions.

Closely, linked to this, is the cardinal issue of welfare of teachers and all other professionals that make up the school system.

Digify Africa, Facebook begin 4th digital cohorts for unemployed graduates in Abuja David Ibemere

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igifyPRO,aneightweek intensive Digital Marketing training programme facilitated by Digify Africa and supported by Facebook has commenced its fourth cohort in Nigeria holding in Abuja for the first time.

The training, designed to develop Africa’s next generation of digital talent, just like the three previous cohorts held in Lagos, will equip 20 Nigerian graduates in Abuja between the ages of 20 to 30 years who are not currently in full-time employment with key skills to enter the digital workplace.

“Our end goal is to inject the Nigerian advertising industry with well trained DigifyPRO graduates who bring with them a new burst of energy and critical cutting-edge skills,” said Florence Atunwa Olumodimu, programme director at Digify Nigeria.

“Most importantly, in the 8-weeks they are given job readiness skills to ensure that they are able to thrive in the workplace and offer value to their employers,” she added.

“The programme which is designed to give trainees practical hands-on experience and cover topics such as: Vocational and workplace skills; Agency processes; Digital Marketing; Analytics and measurement; Social Media; Content and Email marketing; UX/UI; Paid advertising; SEO will placed the trainees in Nigerian Agency

or Corporate Organization for a twelve weeks work placement experience where they can hone their newly acquired digital and work skills.”

The training programme consists of weekly Live Briefs from Agencies; Workshops; Key Industry Guest Speaker Sessions and Work Placements. With the wide range of skills, knowledge and hands on experience gained through the programme, our graduates become great assets to any company they join.

“Facebook believes in

DigifyPro Nigeria Cohort 4.0 Abuja Participants

supporting Africa’s youth through programmes like DigifyPro that develop and provide young people with the tools they need to build our economy,” said Adaora Ikenze, head of Public Policy, West and Central Africa.

“We are proud of the graduates from the past three Cohorts and admire the determination and drive they have shown throughout this programme and we are excited to see a new set of 20 participants kick start their journey into digital careers,” she added.

terling Bank Plc has entered into partnership with Pearls African Youth Foundation (PAYF) to organise the Girls in Tech Festival; an annual event designed to celebrate the contribution of African Women/Girls in Technology.

The leading commercial bank has sponsored 30 students from the Makoko/ Yaba axis in Lagos to take part in the festival which will hold at the Girls Coding school built by Pearls Africa and a graduation ceremony will take place three months after the induction ceremony.

Addressing the girls at the induction ceremony in Lagos recently, Raheem Owodeyi, Sterling Bank’s executive director of Operations & Services, urged the inductees to pay attention to their lessons during the training so that they can improve on their potential to achieve greatness in life.

Owodeyi urged the young girls to take the training seriously and not allow the environment in which they grew up limit their ambition in life.

He added that the training aligns with Sterling Bank’s vision to enrich lives of the people in its immediate community.

Also speaking at the ceremony, Temi Dalley, chief human resources officer, Sterling Bank, remarked that one of the things that always keep her awake at night is the plight of the girl-child. She likened girls to diamonds in the mud which can only glitter after the mud is removed.

She told the girls to open their eyes so that they will be able to see the potential inherent in them.

“Never give up yourselves

easily to men but be yourselves, guard your potential jealously. Be authentic and continue to push yourselves to be better and better. Be a stronger woman to raise a strong woman to bless her generation and impact her world,” she said.

Addressing the mothers, Dalley urged them to see their daughters as princesses and to make them feel as such while also believing in them.

Ebenezer Ahisu, representing the Chief Digital Officer of Sterling Bank, who spoke on ‘Transforming Your World Through Technology’ at the ceremony, noted that the bank was keen to change the narrative of having few ladies in the information technology terrain.

According to him, there is a need to change the ratio of female to male graduates in information technology because most times, it is not unusual to see only one female out of 10 graduating students in information technology in schools.

Ahisu, who noted that the only thing that is constant in life is change, said that the total number of data that has been generated in the last three years is more than that which was generated about a decade ago.

“We want you to generate data to improve our lives and we are using data to improve the health and transportation sectors of the economy,” he said.

He promised the girls that Sterling Bank would expose them to the possibilities that exist in the information technology space.

Lillian Idowu, head of Operations, PAYF, acknowledged that the opportunity Sterling Bank gave to the girls to learn computer coding was a rare one and thanked the bank for the gesture.

Gender-based violence: NGO to translate laws into vernacular for better understanding UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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icar Hope Foundation, an internationally recognised NGO undertaking extensive work in gender empowerment, has revealed her plans to publish in vernacular laws, statutes, and conventions on the rights of women and children.

Nkechi Ikpeazu, wife of Abia State governor and founder of VHF, while speaking at a rally against GenderBased Violence in Umuahia, said the objective of the publication was to bring the

laws closer to the people it is meant to serve.

She expressed hope that publishing the laws in Igbo language would enable women to become familiar with their rights and responsibilities, and help reduce incidences of abuse and domestic violence prevalent in the South-East.

Ikpeazu however, noted that women rights abuses have seen a resurgence in Nigeria in recent times, occupying news headlines, with the wife of the President Aisha Buhari, mobilising women action against it across the country.

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11 Inside Lagos

Reclamation of Lagos-Badagry road gains momentum

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stories by JOSHUA BASSEY

fforts at reclaiming the Lagos-Badagry expressway and making it a delight for road users are yielding the desired results.

Overgrown weeds on the road median have been cleared, tonnes of waste left untouched for years, evacuated and shanties erected illegally by roadside traders, demolished by the inter-ministerial task team set up by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.

Checks on the road equally showed that the reconstruction work flagged off by the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, around Abule-Ado stretching towards the Lagos International Trade Fair complex is gaining momentum, with the government optimistic of completion by the first or second week of September.

The waste evacuation and demolition of illegally erected structure on the international road, whose reconstruction began since 2008, followed the May 30, 2019 executive order issued by Governor Sanwo-Olu, on zero tolerance for environmental and traffic nuisances across Lagos.

Checks further revealed that the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWAMA) drafted to the road for bulk waste evacuation from major locations between Lagos State University (LASU) gate and Okokomaiko, has been deploying mechanical shovels, bulldozers, excavators and mechanical sweepers, walking floor trailers and long chases tippers.

There is also the introduction of motorised collection of waste from the kerbs with the use of compactors, placement and regular collection from receptacles and closing down of illegal waste

locations otherwise known as black spots along the road.

The intervention is already adding value to the road, as users say it has aided better navigation since the exercise began last month.

Sule Ajala, a trader at Agboju market, told Inside Lagos that the clean-up exercise has so far helped to reduce criminal activities along the expressway.

According to him, before this time, criminals hid in the thick bushes to carry out their nefarious activities.

“We’re okay with what the state government is doing on the road. We used to be afraid because several times people had been robbed by young boys in their teens who often escaped into the bushes,” said Ajala.

Sammy Okoro, a businessman who lives in Festac, commended the evacuation of long accumulated heaps of refuse on the road, especially around Alakija, which had become a source of concern to some residents of Festac town.

Officials of LAWMA evacuating waste from the expressway

“It was disheartening to see young men with suspicious looks scavenging from illegal dumpsites that sprung up overnight close to the Festac third gate.

You could see tiny hurts erected within the bushes and people were beginning to live there as if it was normal. It’s good to see that

those illegal structures have been demolished, but government needs to sustain the momentum.

It is because construction work on the road was abandoned that people turned it into dumpsite. To avoid a repetition, government must keep the momentum,” said Okoro.

Recall that operatives of the state task force, as well as officials of the ministries of works and infrastructure, transportation, water resources and environment, among others, first deployed bulldozers on the road on July 23 and have remained committed to actualising the mandate of reclaiming all sections illegally taken over by waste, bushes, roadside traders and scavengers.

The inter-ministerial task team had before the commencement of the exercise, given owners of shanties and operators of illegal motor parks on major roads in the state, up till Monday, July 22, to remove them or face the law.

The exercise, which began from the Eric Moore end of the Lagos-Badagry expressway on July 23, had led to the arrest of 26 persons.

Taiwo Salaam, former permanent secretary in the ministry of transportation and Olayinka Egbeyemi, chairman of the state task force on environmental offences, explained that the clean-up became unavoidable as it was clear criminals were taking advantage of the chaos.

“The governor was touched by the discomfort being experienced along that axis and vowed to ameliorate the sufferings of residents and commuters plying the road,” said Salaam.

Egbeyemi on his part said that criminals seized opportunity to hide in some of the kiosks and shanties to carry out nefarious acts, especially at night.

He said there were several complaints and reports of armed banditry along the axis where motorists and commuters were being attacked and dispossessed of their valuables.

The cleaning exercise continues as the reconstruction work on the failed sections of the road is also progressing.

Task force arrests 123 suspected hoodlums, impounds 323 motorbikes

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agos State environmental and special offences agency also known as task force on Friday arrested 123 suspected hoodlums from Jigawa State and impounded 323 commercial motorbikes (Okada).

The hoodlums were said to have been transported into Lagos in a truck with registration number: Jigawa HJA-680XA which also conveyed 48 commercial motorcycles.

The truck was impounded in Agege by officers of the agency, who trailed it from the toll-gate end of the Lagos-

Ibadan Expressway.

Yinka Egbeyemi, chairman of the task force, who confirmed the development to newsmen, said that the agency had since intensified its clampdown on okada and has impounded no fewer than 323 in last five days.

Egbeyemi noted that all the affected people were from Jigawa, saying, 48 of them came into the state with their okadas.

The chairman said that all the affected people were thoroughly searched, with no incriminating thing found on

them.

“While our men were on patrol early this morning, they succeeded in arresting these 123 people, with 48 bikes. They said they were from Jigawa. Forty eight of them were with bikes, others were those who came for greener pasture,” he said.

Egbeyemi said the state Commissioner of Police, Zubair Muazu, had been informed of the development and had, therefore, set up a panel that who profile all the arrested people.

The task chair, while noting that Lagos was free for any-

body to come, warned that there was no point for anybody that had no business to do in the state to come in.

He also disclosed that the agency had 4,068 impounded okadas in its stores waiting for directive to crush them.

The chairman added that some of the commercial motorcycles especially those of 200cc were impounded for driving against traffic in the state.

One of the suspects, Shuaibu Haruna told journalists that they left Jigawa to seek greener pasture in the state.

Haruna added that lack of

financial support to cater for his family forced him to leave Jigawa for Lagos where he was told opportunities abound.

“There is no tangible business one can do in Jigawa and I have a family that depends on me for survival. So I decided to leave for Lagos where I was told by my friends that opportunities are available,” said Haruna.

Haruna, who hinted that his major target to raise funds in Lagos was to become okada rider, said N7,000 was paid to the truck driver for conveying them to Lagos.

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Sunday 01 September 2019

PhotoSplash

L-R: Emmanuel Ogbeche, chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists FCT Council; Lawrence Alobi, former commissioner of Police FCT; Bala Ciroma, commissioner of Police FCT, and Shaban Audu, chief of Kwali Area Council, at the NUJ FCT Council and Human Rights Radio town hall meeting on security challenges in FCT. Pic by Tunde Adeniyi

L-R: Lion Vicky Bello, Club treasurer, Lagos Apex Lions Club; Lion Bakare Biobaku, member; Lion Adu Adeshola, 1st vice president; Lion Cynthia Saka, Club president; Lion Blessing Umebali, Region 6 chairperson; Lion Funmi Agboola, member, and Lion Abiola Hotonu-Bababunmi, Club secretary, at the Region 6 chairperson visitation to the Club Business Meeting

L-R: Ekekwe Roy, regional marketing manager, PZ Consumer; Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, marketing director, Africa, PZ Cussons; Micah Richards, Manchester City FC Club legend, and Tom Boyle, Manchester City FC, head of partnerships, EMEA, at the official Premier Cool and Manchester City FC partnership renewal announcement in Lagos.

Pic by Pius Okeosisi

Ogbonnaya Onu (m), minister of Science and Technology; Muhammed Abdullahi (3rd r) minister of State for Science and Technology; Bitrus Nabasu (3rd l), ministry’s Permanent Secretary, with members of Team Nigeria” for the forthcoming 2019 International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), at their visit to the minister’s office in Abuja.

NAN

Prof. Anthony Iheukwumere Nwabughuogu, recipient of ‘Enyi Abia’ (Elephant of Abia), the highest title in the state, displays the prestigious award after receiving it from Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, during the 28th anniversary of ‘God’s Own State’ in Umuahia on Tuesday, August 27, 2019.

L-R: Captain Olusegun Jerome (father of the groom), Evelyn Eneji (mother of the bride), Thomas Jerome (groom), Victoria Jerome (nee Eneji) the bride; Mike Eneji (father of the bride) and Grace Jerome (mother of the groom) during the reception of the wedding of their children in FESTAC town, Lagos.

L-R: Mauricio Alarcón, CEO/MD, Nestle Nigeria PLC, presents SUV JAC S3 to Doris Irikefe, winner of the NESCAFE GET STARTED Promo, with them is Sola Akinyosoye, country human resources manager, Nestlé Nigeria, at the NESCAFE Get started promo price giving ceremony

L-R: Darkey Africa, consul-general of South Africa in Lagos; Osayaba Giwa-Osagie, vice chairman, Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce (NSACC); Foluso Philips, chairman of NSACC, and Kolawole Oyeyemi, general manager, customer experience, MTN, at the August Breakfast Meeting 2019 of NSACC, in Lagos.

NAN

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LIFE&LIVING

ARTS Travel ENTERTAINMENT @Businessdayng

BDSUNDAY 13

THE PROLOGUE

Stringent visa conditions, rejections, growing hostility and Nigerians’ rabid quest to ‘check out’

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ith the many stress, high cost of procuring visas, exorbitant airfares and especially growing cases of visa denials every day, Nigerians still queue in their thousands at foreign embassies and visa processing centres across the country to acquire legal travelling documents. But we are in the 21st Century where technology rules and the world has become a global village; one would have thought that Nigerians would reduce their love for journeys abroad, particularly those who just want to travel to buy things that can easily be bought in the country. While many attribute the quest to leave the country to

seeking greener pastures abroad as against the poor state of infrastructure and lack of sustainable development policies here, yet many who travel cannot be said to be immune from some of the things they are running away from in-country.

Many Nigerians abroad have fallen victim to the growing incidences of violence abroad, especially terrorists’ attacks and mass shootings. Some people are known to have abandoned their lucrative businesses and jobs in Nigeria and ended up making a living from wiping bottoms in old people’s homes.

The question is, is abroad still the greener pasture as painted by those who started the exodus some years ago? OBINNA EMELIKE wonders if emigration in this era, just for the sake of it, still worth the stress at visa offices in Nigeria

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Sunday 01September 2019

Sunday Magazine

Stringent visa conditions, hostility and Nigerians’ rabid I

OBINNA EMELIKE n 1984, the Federal Government of Nigeria under Muhammadu Buhari, the then military head of state, initiated a campaign to discourage the exodus of Nigerians to overseas in search of ‘greener pastures’. Then, “I am checking out”, a phrase by one Mr. Andrew in a TV commercial, resonated across the country because it captured the sufferings and desperations; the realities of the time, then.

Considering the economic downturn that is hitting most economies across the world, the questions remain: is the pasture still green? Are the risks of travelling abroad worth taking today?

While it was easy to check out in the 80s, today, it is very stressful, expensive and risky to travel abroad for whatever reason, yet more Nigerians are leaving everyday while the government seems to cares less.

According to data released by the US Department of State on nonimmigrant visas issued in the 2018 fiscal year, Nigeria accounted for the highest percentage of visas issued to African nationals in the past three years. For the 2018 fiscal year, nationals of African countries got a total of 493,989 non-immigrant visas out of which 143, 783 were Nigerians.

Yet, with a 57.47 percent adjusted visa refusal rate, Nigeria was also listed among top countries like Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Burundi and Burkina Faso with high refusal rate for B-visas, which is issued for short-term business or pleasure travel to the United States.

Sadly, despite the surge in visa denials for Nigerians not only by the United States of America, United Kingdom and other European countries, the number of Nigerians queuing at the embassies and consulates of countries believed to offer ‘greener pastures’ keep increasing every day.

In August 2018, the United Kingdom deported 36 Nigerians for allegedly committing numerous immigration offences, especially for illegally residing in Dublin, Ireland and England for several years.

The UK deportation was barely a month after the US deportation of 34 Nigerians for various immigration and alleged criminal offences.

Luckily, BDSUNDAY was at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, courtesy of the Nigerian Immigration, when the UK deportees were

received.

Sadly, most of the deportees wore sombre looks and complained that they never committed serious offences in their host countries before they were repatriated. One aggrieved immigration officer who was profiling the deportees spotted a female among them with serious health challenge and queried why she was sent back to die here.

The immigration officer, who craved anonymity, said some of the deportees had good cases if they were allowed access to good lawyers over there.

Since then, many Nigerians have been deported from countries across the world for alleged immigration offences, yet many have gone to neighbouring countries to acquire new passports to enable them checkout again, but not as Nigerian citizens. The untiring effort to check out is, however, most intriguing as many

others take maximum risk with the Sahara Desert crossing option to Europe, especially youths between 17-30 years old.

During a media chat in January this year, Nigerians were baffled when the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants & Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMI), disclosed that it received a total of 11,494 returnees in 2018.

Ma r g a r e t Uk e g b u , z o n a l head, South-West, NCRMI, said the returnees were mostly from Libya , Niger, Mali, Morocco, Liberia, France, Ireland, Poland and Austria.

According to her, the commission received about 10,180 Nigerian returnees from Libya.

These 10,180, who probably saw hell in the Sahara Desert before getting to Libya, were hanging on despite the sufferings, abuse and even death threats with the hope of crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe one day.

”

But the reality is that many of the returnees, who acquired skills under programme, are hopeful of making another attempt at checking out; this time with the savings from their skills and through legitimate ways

As well, on March 14, 2019, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it received a batch of 174 Nigerians who arrived from Libya.

Idris Muhammed, coordinator, NEMA Lagos Territorial Office, said then that over 4,900 returnees have been trained to acquire different skills under the Assisted Voluntary Returnees Programme, which began in April 2017.

But the reality is that many of the returnees, who acquired skills under programme, are hopeful of making another attempt at checking out; this time with the savings from their skills and through legitimate ways as Europe and America still hold much for them.

While many of the returnees who took the desert crossing option did so because of the sufferings, and probably, lack of good educational qualification to get good jobs back home (as if the jobs are there), the most qualified of doctors, lawyers, engineers, professors and other professionals are legitimately leaving or rather abandoning their jobs here for the bigger offers abroad.

The brain drain is across all sectors and even sports as some Nigerian youths have taken citizenships of other countries and are wining laurels in different sporting events for the adopted countries.

Of note is Dele Alli, an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, a Premier League club and the England national team.

Of course, the youthful footballer, who was born Bamidele Jermaine Alli to a Nigerian parent, chose England over Nigeria for obvious reasons. Considering the growing number of Nigerian immigrants in the UK who want to dump the Nigerian passport for UK citizenship, the likes of Dele Alli will stick to their privileged UK citizenship.

It would be recalled that when Michael Adeyeye, the then Mayor of Brent in the UK, visited Babatunde Fashola, then governor of Lagos State at Alausa, in 2013, he disclosed that the population of Nigerian immigrants in London has hit over 1 million people. That number could be nearing 1.5 million now.

Also, from 1973 to 1991, there were about 3,919 Nigerian immigrants in Canada. Going by the country’s 2016 Census, 68,680 people identified themselves as Nigerians, with almost half (33,580) living in Ontario. As well, there were over 11,000 Nigerian students in Canada today, who hardly return back to Nigeria after

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rejections, growing quest to ‘check out’ graduation because of the better job opportunities, abundant social infrastructure and high standard of living.

Nowadays, the quest for greener pasture has gone beyond the ‘western world’ to places Nigerians ordinarily would not want to go beyond business or short visit.

The streets of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and even Cambodia are now dotted with more Nigerians than before.

But is the pasture still green?

Emeka Oduenyi, an executive in a bank in Lagos, whose wife and children now reside in Canada, told BDSUNDAY that the pasture is no longer as green as it used to be abroad. “I have stayed a while in Canada to try out the country for job opportunities, but at my level, the pasture is not green enough because I cannot get the kind of entitlements I get here (Nigeria) in Canada”.

Daramola Ogunleye, a visiting Fine Art lecturer at a UK university, said that the opportunities are no longer as much as they used to be because people from other parts of the world are also visiting like Nigerians to seek greener pas-

Thanksgiving over visa grant

tures abroad, so the opportunities are for the most qualified now.

“Most opportunities abroad are now more competitive and there are many qualified vying for such opportunities. Unemployment is also on the rise because of the influx of immigrants, especially immigrant graduates who do not want to go back to their countries,” he said.

Ogunleye said it is now commonplace to see some original UK citizens working in some places formerly left for immigrants. “It shows that the opportunities are shrinking even in abroad”, he said.

However, Mike Ojodu, a lawyer and business man, noted that greener pastures mean different things to different people. “In the 60s and 70s, many who checked out believed the greener pasture is all about travelling to further their education, returning to get decent jobs back home or stay back on good jobs over there. In the 80s, there was a shift, many started looking for quick money and in the 90s till today, the greener pasture is synonymous with hot cash or quick money and not wasting years abroad like one’s uncle or

aunt,” he explained.

According to the lawyer, the mindset of the youth is different. They want everything now including money and hence, will do anything to get it; after all, the society glorifies wealth.

Toeing Ojodu’s line, Ogunleye said that most Nigerians in the jails abroad are those born from the late 80s because of quest to make fast and big money, which the society has approved over the years.

“So, someone who is between 18-30 years old and is making efforts to travel abroad without skills or good certificate will likely engage in crime over there. He will not be patient to allow things flow naturally and may end up in jail for one crime or the other. But some succeed and are the reason a lot who see their flashy lifestyle back home are determined to go for their own greener pastures abroad. But the pasture is no longer green,” he said.

For Oduenyi, the taxes, which cannot be evaded, the laws, which must be obeyed, and the ‘unAfrican’ family and society living are among the hurdles one must grapple with while seeking greener pastures in Canada. “The immigration laws have changed a great deal abroad because of recurring issues with immigrants. So, one must be on one’s toes until one gets one’s permanent residency.

Yet, I hear that some countries in Europe are planning to enact laws that will cancel permanent residency when one commits certain offences,” Oduenyi said.

Today, many Nigerians take huge risks to travel abroad. Increasingly, despite visa rejections, many Nigerian youths have remained undaunted, embarking on dangerous journeys to Europe and America, by boat. Stories abound of the hazards they are exposed to,

but “for every boat that sinks in the Mediterranean, there are those that make it across. These success stories continue to motivate aspiring immigrants.”

Many Nigerians are living abroad today, doing humiliating jobs they would not wish for their enemies in Nigeria.

Someone recalled that “There are those stories of migrants who end up making a living from wiping bottoms in old people’s homes.

But the folks back home do not really care as long as the foreign exchange continues to arrive- currencies superlatively muscular against the increasingly weak Nigerian naira. Many embassies in Nigeria, unable to cope directly with the influx at their gates, now contract out the collection of visa application documents.”

Fear of insecurity abroad?

It is sad to pass through difficulties to arrive in the so-called paradise and die from a gunman’s bullet or terrorist attacks.

Recently, Thomas Ewansiha, a Nigerian PhD student at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia, died in the custody of the Immigration Department of Malaysia. The development sparked outcry and a call for an investigation into the death.

Last year, an unnamed Nigerian student was hospitalised after knife attack in Southern Russia, while Kennedy Taomwabwa, a 28-year-old university student, was reportedly killed by locals in the Turkish Cyprus’s province of Famagusta.

In 2014, two Nigerian students

”

The brain drain is across all sectors and even sports as some Nigerian youths have taken citizenships of other countries and are wining laurels in different sporting events for the adopted countries

at the Donetsk National Technical University, Ukraine (Theresa Olaoluwa Oresanya, third-year Electrical Engineering; and Bede Olunna Ogbu, a graduate student of Engineering) reportedly died owing to alleged negligence on the part of the hospital authorities where they were admitted for treatment.

Terrorists are also targeting western countries for attacks in recent times. There have been cases of bombings targeted at public places, especially in Europe where many innocent people fall victim, including African immigrants.

Going by the growing rate of mass shootings, America is not safe too. The most recent, at least 29 people were killed in two mass shootings in the United States. If some Nigerians were unlucky to be at the scene, they would probably have been among the victims.

Worse still, students in high schools are not safe as often a dispirited classmate picks gun to kill fellow students. Also, if the white supremacists are on rampage, your skin colour gives you out no matter how friendly you may be to them.

At the height of the killing of Nigerians abroad, Bola Akinterinwa, a professor and former, director general, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, lamented that Nigerians abroad have continued to be the target of attacks because they were not protected by the nation’s foreign policy.

Others urged the Federal Government to initiate efforts to halt the continued attacks on Nigerians abroad, starting with the review of the foreign policy in favour of Nigerians. With such reviews and hard stand, they think that the frequent xenophobic attacks in South Africa, often targeted at Nigerians, will stop as there would be reprisal attacks, even diplomatic war.

But many people think that a better way to curb the exodus of Nigerians abroad and to save them from molestations and even death is by ensuring accountability and good governance, provision of world-class infrastructure, giving education and healthcare the needed attention in order to keep our students in our universities.

Professionals must be paid a living wage to discourage brain drain.

Poorly paid doctors and other health professionals in the nation’s hospitals have always been at the forefront of those seeking greener pastures offshore. And government must do everything possible to create jobs opportunities to keep the youth out of crime.

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Deadly parcel from South Africa

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TAYO OGUNBIYI Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

I

n the colonial era, it was normal to see whites brutalizing and oppressing blacks as aptly epitomized by the atrocious Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and other similar obnoxious acts. Although, colonialism has effectively ended in Africa, but the chilling news from the Rainbow Nation simply shows that the equation has changed.

In South Africa, whites no longer brutalize blacks. Rather, it is blacks that are maiming blacks. How sad! Brothers are now killing brothers. Iconic Reggae maestro, late Bob Marley, legendary Afrobeat singer, late Fela Anikulapo Kuti and many other departed black singers who have variously sang about the unity of Africa would be whimpering in the grave. Why not? Africa has failed her illustrious sons.

What is currently going on in South Africa is contrary to the traditional African spirit of brotherliness and hospitality. It is also contrary to the spirit behind the formation of

the African Union, AU, which encourages freedom of movement and other related activities among African nations.

According to the vision of the founding fathers of the AU, Africans should be able to seek legitimate livelihood anywhere in the continent. Unfortunately, that laudable vision is being dealt a deadly blow in South Africa.

In what has now been termed as xenophobic attack, reports have it that nationalists of other African nations have become targets of crude attacks by South Africans.

Victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa are from various African nations, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia and Ethiopia. In the last three years, about 127 Nigerians have been reportedly killed. Intriguingly, 13 out of these were allegedly killed

by South African police.

What actually complicates the whole issue is the perceived complicity of the South African Police. From January to June 2019, 10 Nigerians were reportedly killed, either by South Africans or by members of the South African Police Service. It is quite worrisome that most victims of xenophobic attacks do not usually receive swift help from the police. Could this seeming indifference be considered as official approval of the dastardly acts of some

heartless and crude South Africans?

Without sounding like a prophet of doom, if the issue is not quickly addressed by the concerned authorities, it could snowball into a serious crisis between the two countries. Lots of Nigerians are aggrieved at the uncivilized manners our compatriots are being treated in South Africa and they are already demonstrating their resentment through several means.

Recently, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) picketed branches of South African telecoms giant MTN, and those of supermarket chain Shoprite, turning away staff and customers.

Their intention is to draw attention of the Federal Government and, indeed, the whole world to the barbaric happenings at South Africa.

But then, in dealing with the sad subject, one doesn’t really approve of any action that doesn’t portray civility. Inspite of obvious provocations, NANS and other such groups should toe the path of courteousness. Indeed, on the long run, we are not likely to profit from any crude action against South African business interests in the country. Attacking business concerns such as MTN, Shoprite, MultiChoice, and the many other South African companies in the country could have adverse effects on

our already struggling economy as well as our staggering unemployment situation.

While it is logical to disapprove of what is going on in South Africa, our compatriots need to exercise patients and have faith in the ability of the governments of the two nations to diplomatically sort out the issue. According to reports, the leaders of the two countries are scheduled to meet in October in South Africa and chief among what they are billed to discuss is “issues relating to the wellbeing of citizens of both countries”.

According to experts of South African politics, the genesis of the attacks is traceable to the issue of migrants, mostly from other African states and Asia, who have moved to South Africa in huge numbers since white-minority rule was terminated in 1994. Many South Africans have accused these immigrants of taking the available jobs in a country where the unemployment rate is 24%.

Thus, the attacks in South Africa cannot be divorced from the worsening poverty and unemployment rate in the continent.

Meanwhile, the AU should prevail on the South African government to take immediate measures to protect and safeguard the lives and properties of African migrants and, indeed, all

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Politics How APC N22.5m nomination forms edges out over 50 aspirants in Kogi, Bayelsa ...As party rakes in N483.8m from 23 aspirants …It is against the ‘NotTooYoung’ Act - Itodo

T

JAMES KWEN, Abuja

he whopping sum of N 22.5 million charged by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for its nomination forms has edged out over 50 aspirants who hitherto indicated interest to contest the party’s governorship ticket in Kogi and Bayelsa States ahead of the November 16 poll.

At the close of the sales and submission of nomination forms by APC on 21st August, only 16 and 7 out of the over 50 aspirants who earlier declared for the contest had obtained the party’s nomination forms.

In Kogi alone, two groups of governorship aspirants-the Coalition of APC Governorship Aspirants had 37 members and APC Governorship Aspirants Forum had 20 members- while there were many other individual aspirants who belonged to neither of groups, but in all, only 16 purchased the forms.

Investigations revealed that the inability of majority of the aspirants from both Kogi and Bayelsa to obtain the party’s nomination forms was not unconnected with the outrageous cost.

APC had pegged the price of expression of interest form at N2.5 million and N20 million for nomination form, making a total of N22.5 million charged each aspirant seeking its governorship ticket for Bayelsa and Kogi for the off-season gubernatorial election in the two states.

The cut-throat prices for expression of interest and nomination forms are at variance with Section 87 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which contains the prohibition of such arbitrary fees by political parties. But it will take signing into law of the bill to get party leadership desist from the imposition of such a huge sum of money.

Adams Oshiomhole

Section 87 of Electoral Act Amendment Bill states that, “the new provisions prohibits political party from imposing arbitrary fees on political aspirants and prescribes limits for each elective office as follows: N5,000,000 for a governorship aspirant.”

Reacting to the development, Samson Itodo, convener of the NotTooYoungRun Movement which initiated the Bill that culminated in the #NotTooYoungToRun Law, said the high price of nomination forms by the ruling party was against the law as it practically shuts out competent youths in the leadership recruitment process in Nigeria.

Itodo told BDSUNDAY that the cost of APC and PDP forms did not only impede the participation of both women and young people, but was against the

principles of participatory democracy and queried why a political party would peg high cost of expression of interest and nomination for a process that ought to be open for everyone to participate.

According to him, “What this tells you is that, we have a political class that is not interested in electoral reforms because the parties themselves are adopting an exclusionary approach towards electoral politics and that is unacceptable”.

“Where do you expect an aspirant to get N22.5 million to purchase forms? and the party has the effrontery to say that it does so simply because it is a strategy to weed out unserious aspirants but that argument holds no water,” he said.

According to him, “If they understand the fact that electoral politics ought to be open but what you are doing now you

are commercialising the process whereby only people who have economic power can afford it, and that is bane of our leadership crisis because our criteria for political leadership isn’t about capacity, isn’t about competence or about character.

It is about how you are able to amass wealth or able to get financial resources to be able to purchase forms.”

“So, it is unacceptable and this template cannot work. That is why citizens are losing faith in political parties because it makes no sense that an individual is asked to pay N22.5 million just to purchase a form. So, when that person gets into office his first preoccupation is how do I recoup all these monies I have spent? It just makes a mockery of our entire democratic system. You have a leadership recruitment that is already commercialized. So, we shouldn’t expect people who have character, competence and capacity to be presented by the political parties,” Itodo lamented.

Meanwhile, APC has raked in the total sum of N483.8 million from the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms to aspirants contesting for its ticket in the November 16, governorship election in Bayelsa and Kogi States.

At the end of the sales and submission of the forms, a total of 23 aspirants, comprising 20 males and 3 females obtained and submitted their forms.

While the 20 male aspirants bought the forms at the cost of N22.5 each, the 3 female aspirants paid N11, 250, 000 each in line with the party directives that female and physically challenged aspirants should pay 50percent of the prescribed fees.

Also, out of the 23 aspirants, 7 are from Bayelsa with 6 males and 1 female, while Kogi has 16 aspirants consisting of 14 males and 2 females.

Lawan declares total commitment to Buhari’s administration ...donates N10m to Yobe flood victims SOLOMON AYADO, Abuja

T

he Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, has declared that the ninth National Assembly would not fail to render maximum support to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Lawan said the backing is to make sure that the President record better achievements, and to make the country more prosperous and secured.

He stated this through a statement signed by his special adviser on media, Ola Awoniyi and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

According to Lawan, though there are pockets of opposition from other sides, such would not deter NASS to always stand behind the President to take Nigeria to next level.

“Will make sure the ninth National Assembly gives him (Buhari) the full

support needed to achieve the Next Level agenda in the interest of our people and the country,” Lawan said in his native home, Gashua, late Tuesday at a Town Hall meeting to round off a thank you visit to his constituents in Yobe State.

“Though there are pockets of opposition from other sides, I assure you all that we won’t fail the President,”

Lawan noted.

He further charged his colleagues at the National Assembly to endeavour to give good representation to achieve the set next level agenda.

Lawan further solicited prayers for all members of the National Assembly and recalled how through God’s doing, he polled 79 votes out of 107 Senators who voted during the last Senate presidency election.

“This shows that there is a cordial relationship along party lines, and that Senators are ready to work for the progress of Nigerians and Nigeria.

“In the current Senate, I have the full cooperation of the senators from the opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, because of the tremendous love and trust shown to us by President Buhari,” he stated However, Lawan has appealed to Nigerians to be patience with the admin-

istration of President Buhari because, according to him, “there is no perfection in human beings.”

His words: “Where we haven’t performed well, I encourage you all to draw our attention to it, and as your representatives, we will work with the President to meet your expectations.”

Meanwhile, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has donated the sum of ten million naira to the victims of the flood incident that happened in Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State recently.

The Senate President, who is from the flood ravaged area, gave the donation when he visited the place. He said the gesture was to provide succour to the displaced persons till the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) will respond to the ugly situation.

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Politics I believe what should be taking place now TUNDE BALOGUN is the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, also a former Commissioner for Home Affairs in the state. In this interview with selected journalists, he says the APC would work with President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians, INIOBONG IWOK was there. Excerpt:

W

hat is your take on the appointment of the new members of the Lagos State Executive Council, considering that three executive members of the Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) made the list?

Three executive members of the Lagos APC have been elected into the State Executive Council and of course, it is a thing of pride that the party has come to appreciate efforts of these men and women who have done well and the party thought it fit to put them into higher positions, particularly in the Lagos State Executive Council. Of course, these people on their own are men and woman of rich pedigree. One of them is a lawyer of note and a barrister at law, Toke Benson-Awoyinka. Joe Igbokwe is an engineer who has really been a committed member of our party for some time and his efforts have been appreciated. And of course, the Secretary of our party, Wale Ahmed, who was a Commissioner for Special Duties during the Babatunde Fashola administration. He has been appointed now as Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations.

I appreciate their appointments as members of the Lagos State Executive Council and I am happy that the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has done us proud and he has recognised the contributions of all these people to our overall victory of APC in Lagos State.

These men and woman will now be working with the governor in the executive council now as commissioners and special advisers. The appointments of these men and woman had declined our number in the Lagos APC executives but that notwithstanding, we felt that they left for good reasons and I can assured you that there are other party members who can serve as executives of Lagos APC. We appreciate that and we are going to bring new members to replace them or try to adjust our positions in the Lagos APC executives. And of course, it is going to be a plus-plus for us because the appointments will be inspiration to others to work very well, devote and dedicate themselves to the duty of the party so that they can have the same faith like these people had for them to be recognised. We thank the governor of Lagos State and we thank the leadership of APC in Lagos State for what they have done by promoting members of the Lagos APC executives

to the executive council of Lagos State.

‘

As the party chairman, i must have received over 600 cvs from people who were trying to be part of the executive council in lagos state. And of course only 45 people on the list will now occupy positions

How soon are you going to fill the vacuum?

The gaps would be filled after I must have discussed with the governor of the state. I will also discuss with the highest authority in our party, which is the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC). We are going to have discussion and nominations will come and we will look at people who have contributed to the party; those who have shown dedication to our party, people who are loyal to the party, people who had experience and know what they can do and what they will do to ensure that we continue to be victorious in Lagos State. Those are the people we will consider.

What are your expectations from the new cabinet members?

Giving the process that has taken place in selecting them because I know they have been carefully selected, we have looked out for people who could serve in Lagos State of the 21st Century and also people who have innovative thinking; people with good pedigree in terms of their educational qualification and what they have done in the past; their

antecedents and other things were also put into consideration. I must tell you, we really make painstaking efforts to bring out the best of those who have applied.

As the party chairman, I must have received over 600 CVs from people who were trying to be part of the executive council in Lagos State. And of course only 45 people on the list will now occupy positions. So, it is going to be something worthwhile and great honour and privilege for those have succeeded in getting there.

They now that out of a population of about 20million or more, only 45 best men and women have been chosen. We have good proportion and percentage of women in the cabinet to show that we are gender sensitive. We brought men and women of note to participate in running the state for the next four years.

How are you responding to the protests and agitations by Ajeromi/Ifelodun and Ojo people that they were being excluded from the State Executive Council?

Apart from the fact that members of the state executives council that have been appointed by the governor, we are still going to have more appointments. It might not be a cabinet rank but a lot of more appointments will still come. This is Lagos State as a whole; we don’t discriminate. So, no local government should feel neglected.

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Politics is governance not campaign - Balogun Whichever part of the state is protesting now is because they want good thing to come to their side. Today, Ajeromi might be protesting but in another four years that a set of commissioners are appointed, many of them might come from Ajeromi. We selected people from all over the states putting many things into consideration; apart from picking people from different senatorial districts, we also picked people from different local governments; looking for people who have contributed immensely to the victory and growth of the party.

So, Ajeromi feel that this time they don’t have anybody; they have people in the past.

They have people in the former cabinet, whereas a place like Badagry had nobody in the last dispensation. There was no complain and today, they have an appointee without much agitation from them. There are other places too; Amuwo-Odofin never had any representation; today they have. It is on-going process anyway and people will always serve at any given time. We are not done with appointments of people who will work in this government.

Nigerians are agitating and they don’t know what to expect from the Federal Government because they believed there seem not to be any difference in the last four years. With new ministers coming on board, do you think your party will get it right this time to convince Nigerians that the government want to consolidate on what they did in last four years?

Yes of course with the caliber of men and women who have been chosen by the Federal Government, specifically by President Muhammadu Buhari. They include people like former Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who had been a governor of Lagos State. We all know that he is a workaholic apart from thinking and working. He has done great things for this nation and given a chance again, continuing as Minister of Works and Housing will be better for that ministry.

He will consolidate on what he has done so far. We also have many of the ministers who worked in the first term of President Buhari returning for second term. Of course given the chance back will make them to do more than what they have done in the past.

I am very sure that it is going to be a plus for the Federal Government. They only need to be focused to know what this government is all about.

We are talking about going to the Next Level to have a change in our infrastructure, development of vital areas like housing projects and power which has been a major problem for this country. They need to work on that. With the men and women on board, I have so much confidence in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and what they could do in the next four years.

How would you react that the perception of some people that some of the ministers are ‘expired’ and ‘recycled’ politicians?

I don’t know about that but what I know is that age is quite important in trying to

show mobility and capacity to do some works but experience sometimes counts too. Relatively, they are old but not too old for such work. They worked on this project before and they shown capacity in the last four years. So, in the next four years I don’t think it is going to be a major problem. I don’t see somebody who is so old that would not to be able to continue.

But many see some of them as people who are being recycled in public office having served as former governors, senators and members of the National Assembly?

I think the President has found them worthy of working for him and that is why he has chosen them. They are his own choice and I don’t think he has bad choices. He insisted on choosing people who have worked with him, whose capability and capacity he knows. That was why he chose them. He has the constitutional right to choose whoever he feels to work with him and I think to our party, we will worked together to support such people to ensure that they perform well.

What do you want Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to do differently so that he can gain more attention of the people in term of dividends of democracy to Lagos?

This governor has a clear vision of what he wants to do for Lagos. He has been commissioner of Lagos State for sometimes and also served as special advisers to some past governors. He knows clearly the exact things that he

need to do for Lagos State and he has a political agenda. He launched these as ‘THEME,’ which includes Traffic Management and Transportation to have an integrated transportation system that will lead to maximum use of our roads, water ways and rail that will be coming up very soon. The same thing for the medical care; he has a comprehensive medical care scheme which he will brings about. The same thing is for education, technology and entertainment industry too. He has all these as parts of what he intend to do. So, it is a matter of time and as time goes on, all these things will start to unveil and you will see that we have a governor who has an innovative thinking and he is the man we feel and we know for a 21st Century Lagos State.

Does the Lagos APC have a tradition of monitoring the government that it midwifed to ensure that the government fulfils its campaign promises?

The political agenda was formulated by the party for the governor. We worked together to come back to the field.

Before that we have a 10-point agenda for Lagos State. Out of these we have a lot of programmes that had led to the development of Lagos State in the last 20 years to what it is today. Part of such agenda has been the creation of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA). There was no LASTMA before 1999. So, it was part of what came out from such thinking by the first civilian governor we had in 1999, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and a group of a committee that were elected who

put together such agenda for the state.

We arrived at that and we are pursuing that all along. And we will continue to do so for as long as we remain in power.

I am chairman of the party and we are on the same page with the governor. We know what he does and he reports to us. After settling down, we would be having some periodic meetings to look at what he has done so far; how far has we gone in achieving some of the things we want to do.

Everything cannot be done overnight.

A lot of Lagosians have high expectations of this government and we don’t want to disappoint them. We want to make sure that we are on the right track to developing the state further.

Did members of APC still pay dues to the party in Lagos State?

Yes. Some of them do when they go for their local government meetings which they hold every month. It hold every third Thursday of the month at their local government.

Before the election Lagos APC used to be active every day and people hear a lot about the party. There is different between governance and politics. Now that it is about governance, as a party, how do you intend to become more relevant as you used to be before election?

Like you have rightly said, the time for campaign is over; it is time for governance. What we want to see are visible achievements and development in the state. That is what we expect.

You don’t expect me to be shouting APC all over now when you are supposed to have your roads fixed; when you want to see rehabilitation of roads, traffic management and waste management. Those are the things people expect now, not somebody raising flags up. Of course, that cannot be put aside. Since the elections of governor and members of the legislators, we have had an array of politicians from different parties coming into our party. We are going to celebrate them in the next two weeks.

Some of the politicians who are in our party now came from different political parties, particularly from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

They joined us and they want to associate and work with us. We will celebrate them soon and the media would be invited to see the kind of people who have defected to our party to know that our party is growing in strength.

We want to give chance for governance to take place.

Elections are over and when it is time for election, of course, you will see me making noise again. I have been quiet for some time now because I think we should allow those who are supposed to govern the state to work.

I believe what should be taking place now is governance not campaign.

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Sunday 18 August 2019

This Life

Abandoned by families and society: The hard fate of babies with cerebral palsy

A

David Ibemere and Peace Daniel

s if staying alive to celebrate a child’s fifth birthday in Nigeria is not difficult enough, it is even worst living with a form of disability.

A 2016 report by the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, revealed that Nigeria contributes 10 percent to infant mortality in the world, a startling figure that sums up how hard it is to be a child in the Africa’s most populous country.

For Chinedu Ibesu, born with cerebral palsy- a medical condition that occurs as a result of nonprogressive brain injury or malformation while the child’s brain is developing- life as a child could not be as tough as it has already been.

Ibesu now nine-years-old; cannot sit on his own, cannot walk or crawl, and his speech is barely audible.

When BDSUNDAY visited Chinedu Ibesu’S home in Ajegunle, Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos, the thin mattress laid on the floor for him in a room was filled with strong stench even as his wrapper was soaked in urine.

Four months earlier, Chinedu had lost his mother; the only one who would not give up on him.

Today, he lives in silence, with no hope of being part of tomorrow, let alone a bright one.

Looking much younger than his age, Chinedu, whose body and head are covered in festering abscesses and sores, cuts a pathetic skeletal figure.

“We cannot really take care of him, we are all working, and nobody has the time to babysit him,” Kelechi Anozie, a family member attempted to make his point clear.

“Before his mother’s death, the father abandoned them, how do you expect us to take care of him?” he added.

Kelechi handed over a medical certificate, which indicates the numbers of sickness Chinedu is suffering from. “I feed him but he is not growing,” she struggled to explain when asked why he is looking so emaciated.

“There is not enough food at home. It is difficult. His father used to assist us but not anymore. I wonder how he feels that his child is like this,” she remarked ruefully.

Just like Chinedu, there are over 700,000 children living with this disability in Nigeria, while about 13.5 million persons are closely connected to a child or adult living with the condition in the country, however the disability has continued to be associated with spirituality, hence treatment and care, both from family and society has been hard to come by especially for those born into low income family.

The arguments from most Nigerians is that this ailment is associated with families eager to make wealth and it occurs when a member of such a family performs a religious act on the orders of a spiritualist to ward off spiritual attacks or be “blessed” with blood

his own destiny,” she said.

14-year-old boy, Steven Orode diagnosed with Cerebral palsy and acute malaria was not as lucky as Femi, as he was reported to be abandoned by his mother at Central Hospital, Warri.

Success Obere, the hospital’s public relations officer, said the teenager was admitted and the mother of the boy absconded short-

money, a myth that has continued to bring neglect.

According to a study released in late 2018 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, developmental disability diagnoses in children have soared nearly 80 percent since 1990 in Nigeria to 2.5 million.

While India and China have far more developmental disability diagnoses than Nigeria — 11 million and 4 million respectively, cases in India went down slightly and in China they dropped by nearly half as at the time the report was released.

Mothers’ pain When Shakirat Ademola , a 40-year-old mother of three, heard that her newborn son was disabled, her world started to crumble.

Ademola had given birth to Femi through Caesarean section in 2012, and upon finding out her

baby had cerebral palsy immediately faced blame for her son’s condition.

“My husband shunned our son for being disabled, never tried to provide for him and even refused to be involved when I wanted to enquire how to take care of him; at a point, I had to quit my job as a school cleaner to sell in front where I live, as that was the only way I could properly take care of him.

“I was confused. I could not make sense of what was going on in my life and had no one to run to,” Ademola said. “My own mother asked me to only show up at her home with the two ‘normal’ children.”

“Till today he is still struggling to eat on his own; honestly sometimes I feel like giving up and dumping the baby somewhere, but my love for Femi is so strong that I still strongly have faith he can make

ly after the boy was diagnosed with the ailment at the hospital.

Obere said the woman had told the nurses on duty that she was going home to get somethings and detailed a friend who accompanied her to the hospital to look after the sick boy.

“After waiting patiently for the woman, the lady also left; we have called all the contacts the women gave, but she is not picking. We also called another line but the person denied knowing the woman or the boy,” Obere said.

Nonyelum Nweke, founder and CEO of Cerebral Palsy Centre (CpCentre) in Surulere, also noted that many parents see her foundation as a place to excuse themselves from the burden.

“There is a lot of myth around the ailment. I am also a parent and today my child is doing so well; in the centre you get some parents come to give us their children and hardly come again to check on them. To avoid this, we make sure every child’s details are well documented, and it has been a success,” she said.

The sting Medics are warning that stigma makes it difficult to treat and manage the condition, thereby denying patients a fair shot at normal life.

The Nigerian government, over the years, has been striving to raise awareness level of disabilities in children; with the aim of sensitising the citizens on the causes and treatments.

Last year, Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act was enacted, providing a legal framework to halt discrimination against people with disabilities — more or less the adult version of the Child Rights Act adopted in 2003. Still, Nweke believes that lack of political will to

implement existing laws is the biggest setback for Nigeria’s disabled population.

Also, a Nigerian national cerebral palsy football team was put together in 2012 to represent the country in international competitions, but as of 2016, the team has yet to play any international match.

Kunle Afolani, a paediatrician, noted that the reason many children with cerebral palsy suffer is due to the myth that many Nigerians still hold on to. They belief those suffering from cerebral palsy are consequence of a crime or spiritual rituals committed by their parents. “This is a myth, more awareness needs to be done on the disease; there is the need for widespread education and information about the dangers of Cerebral Palsy,” Afolani said.

According to a research conducted by Professor Afolabi Lesi, dean of Clinical Sciences in the University of Lagos (UNILAG), cerebral palsy is mainly associated with prenatal events and low socio-economic status, which contradicts the myth that the ailment is exclusively suffered by the elite.

“Stigma arises mostly because our population is ignorant to available information. But there is also lack of education. Families and parents hide children with the condition because they don’t want the rest of the public to know of their existence, lest they be chided,” Lesi said.

But despite Nigerian medical practitioners’ efforts to educate the public on the true causes and effects of cerebral palsy, many Nigerians still believe that they are demonic-related, hence, the discrimination against those with the condition.

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Personality Bayelsa 2019: Alaibe’s blue ocean economy First Eleven left office. In collaboration with the World Bank, African Development Bank and World Food Programme, Alaibe hopes to turn flood-prone Bayelsa into a food basket.

Managing waste, dredging of creeks to attain draft depth, and the building of trunks roads connecting Bayelsan seaports and airport with Yenagoa are integral to his modernisation drive. Alaibe’s hopes to create favourable conditions for anyone, Ijaw or non-Ijaw, to start a business in Bayelsa and make profit. He counts strongly on Diasporan Ijaws to lead as investors.

CHIGACHI EKE

I

Introduction f by modernism we mean an organised system of economy, then pre-colonial Ijaws were modern with social hierarchy. Manilas, Bars, Coppers Crows and the Trust system of trading served as currencies for local and international exchanges. Diplomatic and trade treaties between Ijaw monarchs and Europe protected their interests; just as Ijaw trading houses maintained middle man position between the coast and hinterland.

Littoral City-States of Andoni, Nembe, Bonny, Opobo and New Calabar enjoyed comparative advantage in shipping. Into their ports sailed in supercargoes like HMS Forester Esperenza, HMS Scout Gala, HMS Bonett Temperario and HMS Buzzard Atalay, just to note a few. This was the golden era of Ijaw civilization made possible by a bourgeoning maritime sector.

But the unhealthy rivalries among Ijaw kingdoms provoked countless wars. In what Ian Morris called paradox of development, the same rivalries that pitted one state against its neighbor had the unintended consequences of promoting individual creativity within each kingdom. Instant and just reward for industry galvanised the entire society into one efficient machine. The king got his royalties imposed on foreign vessels. The chiefs collected their Topping that served as export/import tax. Foreign traders made their monster profits and labourers their wages.

In “Oil Rivers is Coming to Limelight,” Harold Dappa-Biriye profiled a Bonny in transition from a slave-based economy to one in palm oil, “In this transitional period say up to about 1840 the average annual (tonnage) of British ships visiting Bonny Rivers was 9,540 and the annual value of goods imported to Bonny was 238,000 pounds. The annual quantity of palm oil exported from Bonny to England was 14,200 ton(s) and the duty derived by the British Government on palm oil from Bonny was 18,150 sterling.”

British colonialism brought all that to a brutal end leaving Ijaws reeling from unemployment. The royalties paid Ijaw monarchs by foreign vessels were abolished by the British and a stipend called Comey was strained out to them instead. Even this Comey was almost abolished in 1955 by the Eastern Region House of Assembly when a bill to that effect was tabled.

By 1900 three things happened in Ijawland. One, the British prohibited Ijaw monarchs and trading houses from exporting directly to Europe. Two, Ijaw ports of Twon Brass, Akasa, Age and Bonny were starved of business, and subsequently collapsed, in favour of the newly built Port Harcourt seaport. And three, mass poverty occasioned by the above factors triggered an Ijaw exodus hinterland. The budding train station towns of Aba, Umuahia, Afikpo and Enugu played hosts to migrating Ijaws.

For instance, the Finima-born ace pilot bothers, Bara and Ibikare Allwell-Brown, grew up in Aba where their father was a big time importer. The Brown family were skippers who steered foreign vessels into the Bonny port. When this port became redundant they migrated. Ijaws entered colonial Nigeria as losers but this cannot be said of other tribes whom colonialism liberated from Ijaw monopoly.

The striking of petroleum in Ijawland in 1958 did not bring Ijaws prosperity. Apart from resuscitating the lone port of Bonny used for crude and gas export, very little in terms of development is registered in the

Muhammadu Buhari

Mahmood Yakubu

more than sixty years of oil economy. But the brief administration of Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff gave Ijawlanda spell of economic prosperity. The Waterlines logistics, Superbod conglomerates and a brand new capital were built and put in place.

However, with the overthrow of Commander Diete-Spiff in 1975, Ijawland relapsed once more into inertia as non-Ijaw military governors were posted to man balkanized Ijaw territories. With the world thinking beyond petroleum to sustainable energy, one is forgiven concluding that 20th Century Ijawland only provided the energy that fired the world industries without developing its own industry.

The point is, pre-colonial Ijaws rose to greatness on the strength of a Blue Economy by other names called. It was the destruction of this economy by colonial predatoriness that marked the end of a lofty golden era. Southern Protectorate, amalgamation, Regionalism, independence, military intervention, Land Use Act of 1978, etc, all had a hand in the destruction of this indigenous economy traceable to 1464 when Portuguese sailors first made contact.

Ndutimi Alaibe, governorship aspirant for the Ijaw state of Bayelsa, anchors his manifesto on a Blue Ocean Economy favoured by the United Nations, UN, Commonwealth of Nations and World Bank.

If we agree that Alaibe’s forebears like Kings Perekule of Bonny, Jaja of Opobo and Koko of Nembe, used the same Blue Economy to menace Europe that resorted to kidnappings and assassinations, then what we might be seeing could be a continuity in an area where Ijaws have comparative advantage.

the absence of scarce dollar, land mass and cutting-edge technology.

Ijawland is rich in ocean resources.

Alaibe hopes to pick the same Chain of Energies fashioned by precolonial Ijaws to create wealth for everyone. That is why commentators see his economic blueprint as nothing short of economic nationalism. By the time he added sixty berths to the deep ports of Age, Twon Brass and Akasa and made them economic free zones, Apapa and Tincan would be left with the crumbs in shipping and maritime activities.

Alaibe is creative in his definition of the maritime. He privileges commercial fishing because his people are descendants of ancient mariners. To this end, large and medium size fishing trawlers would be procured for deep sea fishing.

The multiplier effects of this would create thousands of jobs in the supply chain. His preference for Age as fishing and marine engineering terminal may not be unconnected with his drive for self-reliance in non-military technology.

Professor Turner Isoun’s inaugural lecture at the University of Africa, ToruOrua, UAT, makes a lot of sense to Alaibe.

Nigerian universities must go beyond their traditional role of research and teaching to production and commerce.

Alaibe’s vision is for the UAT, Niger Delta University, NDU, Bayelsa State College of Health Technology, etc, to have functional industries. A university that manufactures veterinary medicine, for instance, will rely less on government for funds.

In “The Twelve Day Revolution,” the chemist called Isaac Jasper Boro said that the sand in Ijawland was full of silicon used in the making of glass. He died without putting his findings to practical use. Alaibe hopes to use the same silicon in manufacturing solar panels for renewable energy.

Bayelsa can attain self-reliance in energy if the panels are produced locally. Steady and cheap energy will stimulate tourism and development.

The 1959 World Bank report stated that the Niger Delta could feed Africa with wetland rice. Dr. Lawrence Baraebibai Ekpebu, Commander Diete-Spiff’s Commissioner for Finance, tried to implement this report when he conceived the EastWest Road as a way of opening up the Ijaw country for commercial rice farming.

The road was built but no rice was farmed considering the abrupt manner the Rivers

What is Blue Ocean Economy?

Alaibe’s Blue Ocean Economy is the same thing as the World Bank Blue Economy. It is a new concept that encourages wealth creation through the exploitation of maritime and marine resources like shipping, commercial fishing, oil, gas and mineral mining without destroying the coast, seabed, marine life and the sea itself.

Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore, Deng Xiaoping’s China and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Muktoum’s Dubai are the flagship of this economic model. The amazing stories of these countries inspired supranational bodies to rethink how developing nations can create wealth from the sea in

Alaibe’s ways and means Alaibe’s exploration, exploitation and utilisation of the natural resources of the sea and its sub-soil could bring him into direct confrontation with the Federal Government and even powerful Western nations. The sea is mankind’s rich frontier and the scramble for its wealth has caused countless wars.

In ‘Africa and the International Political System,’ Lawrence Baraebibai Ekpebu talks about the mounting tensions between nations prompting the United Nations Conference on Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, “However, against Post World War II background of heavier sea traffic arising from faster and more destructive war ships and submarines as well as quickly multiplying merchant navies, exhaustion of fish and other sea foods in the wake of increasing demand by increasing populations, growing awareness of the riches of the sea and its bed by advances in modern technology; and fearful of the consequences for world peace of possible international clashes that might arise from the above considerations, the United Nations International Law Commission which was establish by the General Assembly through its resolution No 174 of 1947 took an immediate interest in the development of an acceptable regime of the sea. UNCLOSES I, II and III developed out of that interest and concern.”

UNCLOSES I, II and III have not stopped the tensions between China, Japan and other South Asian countries over the ownership of some disputed islands in the South China Sea. America and Israel are also locked in a deadly struggle with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Critics ask: What would Alaibe do if the Federal Government through the instrumentality of the proposed Water Bill claims half of Yenagoa, Age, Twon Brass, Nembe, Akasa or even his own village of Igbainwari in Opokuma? That would be the end of his Blue Ocean Economy that relies heavily on Bayelsa-owned ports.

But Alaibe is optimistic of success without colliding with the controlling centre or foreign powers. He has a sound understanding of the tenets of local and international instruments governing Nigerian waterways and international waters. For him, Bayelsa had right over 12 nautical miles and an additional Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200 miles of its waters. The Nigerian state and UN must understand that as a people, Ijaws relied on their land, creeks, rivers and the Atlantic Ocean to survive. Taking away these sources of livelihood was genocide to be resisted, rest assured. He is confident of creating wealth from the sea without conflict.

EKE: Email: chigachieke@yahoo.co.uk

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BDSUNDAY

Sunday 01 September 2019

Sunday 01 September 2019

BDSUNDAY 23

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Arts Stasis: A discovery of balance and belonging OBINNA EMELIKE

I

f you have been longing to see an engaging art show, where works on display touch on things that require mental exercise to appreciate, then the opportunity has called once again.

It is even a big opportunity as three artists take you on a journey of discovery in an exhibition titled ‘Stasis’.

Starting from August 31-October 18, 2019 at Temple Muse, Victoria Island, Lagos, the exhibition features recent works by Djakou Kassi Nathalie, Olawunmi Banjo and Kelechi Nwaneri. Through their works, these contemporary African artists touch existential raw nerve as they explore people’s yearning for balance and belonging in an ever changing physical and emotional landscape.

The works cut across many genres including; exquisite paintings, intense drawings, and voluminous ceramics, which the artists are going to use to take visitors on a journey of discovery, as well as, grapple with their concept of stasis and how to achieve equilibrium in people’s conscious and subconscious mind.

Stasis also explores the ability to achieve balance despite societal pressures, mental health challenges, and the effects of climate change on people’s well being. The exhibition is worth seeing as each artist explores the struggle between the inner and outer worlds and creates a path to a deepened sense of self awareness and identity.

Speaking on the participating artists, Sandra Mbanefo Obiago curator of the exhibition, Djakou Kassi Nathalie, who is the senior of the three artists, is displaying works that are earth centered, reflecting a fascination with the grandeur of nature in relation to humanity’s miniscule scale, yet

hugely destructive impact on the planet.

“Kassi’s memory of running across the red laterite earth with its undulating cracks and crevices of her native Cameroon, is reflected in her rugged earthen vessels, wall hangings, and sculptures. Through her abstract work we are reminded of the undulating

sub-Saharan African landscape punctuated by majestic mountain ranges, hills, and cavernous rocks, and feel the critical geo-political effects of climate change on an arid landscape.

“Her sculpted pots, bowls, and plates are covered with symbols and masks, inspired by our communal values, and a quintessential tension between modernity and tradition. Her works are a response to universal themes rooted in African proverbs and stories, including characters from Chinua Achebe’s, much loved novel, Things Fall Apart”, she says.

In contrast to Kassi’s voluptuous rugged expressions, Obiago says that Olawunmi Banjo’s latest series of portraits of acrobatic figures minutely rendered in twisted, intertwined, and tightly woven wires and ropes, create an interesting artistic tension. “She is a self-taught artist, whose hyper realistic elegant style has evolved with this new set of works, embracing a primarily blue color

palette, while exhibiting a deep sense of symmetry. Her three large self-portraits depict various stages of actualization, painted against miniscule landscapes of well known global buildings and monuments”. Her works, according to the curator, speak to a deep “balanced sense of self” breaking through the intense pressure of technology, social norms, and the constant need for external validation. As well, her gaze is inward and upward, while her athletic characters leap and fly through space despite being tethered to a visible reality.

On why Kelechi Nwaneri’s works are must-see, the curator says that the emerging artist is unafraid and unconventional. His charcoal and acrylic drawings on paper and canvas are multilayered and complex, displaying a charged landscape populated by masked mythical humans covered in typical West African symbols and tattoos.

He is heavily influenced by

West African iconography, and his complex world is steeped in uli, nsibidi, adinkra and adire tradition and masks. “Nwaneri’s art is fueled by a palpable intensity, with canvases populated by muscled male forms in some form of combat, clad in typical Ankara fabric.

Familiar African patterns and shapes undulate across his surreal landscapes, reminiscent of classical Greek mythology in which the graces and outer worldly beings, characterized by his Black Figure, torment and wrestle with the subconscious minds of his cast of characters.

“His allegorical landscapes are complete with animals observing the theatrics as if borrowed from an ancient mythology. Nwaneri is fascinated with issues surrounding mental health, reflecting the struggles and the emotional and psychological wrestling we do to achieve balance and self-awareness”, the curator explains.

On her closing note, Obiago says Stasis is a must-see exhibition because of three artists comprising one classically trained and two self taught, with an age difference spanning almost 20 years, originating from different parts of West Africa. Yet, they offer a fascinating insight into their understanding of Stasis, and expressing three radically different viewpoints.

Starting from August 31-October 18, 2019 at Temple Muse, Victoria Island, Lagos, the exhibition features recent works by Djakou Kassi Nathalie, Olawunmi Banjo and Kelechi Nwaneri. Through their works, these contemporary African artists touch existential raw nerve as they explore people’s yearning for balance and belonging in an ever changing physical and emotional landscape.

The exhibition opened yesterday August 31st at Temple Muse, 21 Amodu Tijani, Off Sanusi Fafunwa, Victoria Island, Lagos and will run until October 18, 2019.

CORA dedicates Lagos Book Festival 2019 to David Dale

T

he directorate of the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) has announced the final phase of preparation for the 2019 edition of the yearly Lagos Book & Art Festival, (LABAF).

This year’s festival, which is the 21st edition, according to CORA, will hold from November 4-10, 2019 at Freedom Park, Lagos Island, the official home of the festival and other venues around the city.

However, the Committee also noted that LABAF 2019 will be dedicated to the memory of David Herbert Dale, the multimedia

artist, who passed on in the morning of Tuesday, August 6, 2019.

“This year’s festival t h e m e i s “ E M E RG E …

Breaking into the NEW”, and it is a natural sequel to the themes of the past two editions of the festival: ERUPTIONS: Global Fractures and the Our Common Humanity (2017) and RENEWAL: Towards a World that Works for All (2018)”, Kennii Ekundayo, communication manager for CORA and the spokesperson for the festival, said.

The 31-odd events that will feature in the week-

long festival will use the written word, the published text, the book, and the rest of the arts, to examine the possibilities that the world may emerge from its

deeply entrenched divides.

It will also unravel what literary arts tell about Nigeria’s emergence around 20 years of Nigeria’s democracy; the shifting politi-

cal events and discourses around the continent; as well as, development in/ around global politics.

“EMERGE… is premised on the notion of breaking free from the shackles of social, political, economic and cultural factors that inhibit the progress of the individual and the nation”, Ekundayo explained further.

The conversations will engage literature, in fiction and non-fiction modes that construct the narratives of “Break Out”, the egghatching type of break out, around humanity, the community, the nation state and

the globe.

Jahman Anikulapo, programme chairman, CORA and director, LABAF said that, “The concept of using fictional and non fictional works to highlight the process of nation building has been part of the central philosophy of the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF) since its birth in 1999 to mark the return of Nigeria to democratic governance after over three decades of military regimes”.

The organisers assured that main books of the festival would be announced within soon.

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BDSUNDAY 25

ExecutiveBookshelf Masterful recreation of history brings in ancient and contemporary Where the Waters Recede. Rotimi Olaniyan (2019).

London: Apex Publishing, UK. 310 pages ISBN: 978-1-9160263-1-5.

Available on Amazon.

Reviewed by Chido B. Nwakanma, School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University

G

ood literary works benefit from serendipity. Serendipity was at play in the coincidence of the ending of Chinua Achebe’s fiction in A Man of The People and the real-life first coup in Nigeria. It is an interesting coincidence that the storyline of Where the Waters Recede, embedded in history, coincides with the happenings across Nigeria and in the South West featuring Fulani herdsmen and the indigenous people.

Rotimi Olaniyan’s first novel is a masterful historical fiction that takes in several epochs in the history of South-West Nigeria. It deals with the transatlantic slave trade, the invasion of Yorubaland by the Fulani, banditry, the Yoruba Wars, as well as the incursion of the foreign religions of Islam and Christianity.

It shares the myths and details of the strengths and weaknesses of the many gods of the land and the deities the people worshipped.

The life and times of Omitirin, a young woman devoted to the goddess Yemoja, is the vehicle for exploring many issues in history.

Upon attaining puberty, Omitirin’s parents’ hand her over to the service of Yemoja. She goes into a convent for preparation for over three months. As she gets ready with the traditional ritual bath at the river at the end of her initial training, her first, slave raiders kidnap her.

They take her on a bewildering journey. One trader passes her over to another, and thence to another. She escapes rape the first time at the hands of drunken

sailors by the assistance of a woman ostracised for witchcraft on the false allegation of a trade debtor. The lady kills the sailor as he fights to rape Omitirin but ascribes the murder to Omitirin.

Stories celebrate the moments of our lives. We might be blessed to live through each in the present, but how quickly they are spent, to become only memories that we spend the rest of our lives protecting with all our might, from fading with time. So, let us create memories worth fighting for

Young Omitirin, age 14, is branded. Her protector hands her over to the palace of Oba Osinlokun, son of Ologun Kutere of Lagos. The king brings in Ifa priests who advise that they handle Omitirin with care and show mercy. Oba Osinlokun would not but rather hands her over to an Oyo warlord, Balogun Ijeru. She suffers through a failed effort to escape the warlord’s harem because of his brutality.

The story takes a turn when fate brings Omitirin together with the captured missionary Graham Thomas. Balogun Ijeru assigns her to the task of nursing Graham back to health based on her knowledge of herbs. Based on the counsel of the Ifa, Balogun Ijeru releases Omitirin and Thomas the missionary. Twentyfive years later, they return to Akindele, her village in the Egba heartland only to learn of the

destruction of the community by an infestation of smallpox.

The novel is set in the 18th century but stretches to today.

We meet the Abolitionist Movement that fought to end the slave trade, William Wilberforce, Samuel Adjayi Crowther and the early kings of Lagos as well as the warriors of the Oyo Empire.

Where the Waters Recede teaches about the 400 Orishas of Yorubaland. It dwells only on a few. They include Oya, “goddess of the Tapa River and deity of the tempestuous harmattan wind” who was also the wife of Sango, the god of thunder and Osun, “goddess of the Osun River who protects her worshippers from epidemics, loves children and gifts goodies to people”. Then there is Yemoja, the deity of the Ogun River who blesses women with fertility and the land with abundance. Also treated is Ori, “the Yoruba deity in charge of one’s destiny who amongst the Yoruba was represented by one’s head”.

Details enrich this novel.

Rotimi Olaniyan goes into great descriptive details that provide picturesque views of things.

The Yemoja figurine has a face “etched with Ile-Ife tribal (identikit) marks, a torso with ample bosom and cowrie beads on her neck” while it carried a boy and a girl in her hands.

Where the Waters Recede benefits from prodigious research that breathes in the rich details. The enquiry covers the history of the slave trade and the abolitionist movement, the creation of Freetown as home for freed slaves, and the church movement in England. There is much study and interpretation of the Yoruba Wars, the infighting of the children of Ologun Kutere of Lagos and the impact of the conquest of Ilorin.

The many wars also make this book a mini treatise on leadership. Each ruler must watch his back, calculate his moves and loyalties. Leadership is fraught with many trials, including the vaulting ambitions of persons such as Balogun Ijeru.

Where the Waters Recede runs through a prologue, four parts and an afterword. It is a book of many stories. As Iya Agba, wife of the Balogun Ijeru tells Omitirin, “Stories celebrate the moments of our lives. We

might be blessed to live through each in the present, but how quickly they are spent, to become only memories that we spend the rest of our lives protecting with all our might, from fading with time. So, let us create memories worth fighting for” (p287).

Where the Waters Recede “creates memories” and lends itself to explication deploying several theories. Theories deepen understanding of phenomena as well as organise the existing knowledge in specific areas.

The obvious ones are the Narrative Paradigm theory of Walter Fischer and Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory as well as Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory.

In his afterword, Dr. Olaniyan states: “The themes that I have explored in this novel are ones that have fascinated me and I hope that in some way, the telling of this story helps them find a valuable place within your thoughts and conversations. It is important that Africans come to terms with the need to reconcile their culture with their history. It is even more important that these powerful human stories from our past, locked within the ethos of Africa’s various artefacts that were mostly lost or stolen duing the colonial era, and now lay imprisoned in the various museums, galleries and private collections in the West, be allowed to find their way back home. Because it is only then tht Africans can truly finish telling the stories of their past”.

Against its noble mission, Where the Waters Recede occasionally falls into usages that put down Africa such as “in the dark African heartland” on the blurb, “primitive art” and “Ile-Ife tribal marks” rather than Ile-Ife identikit.

Rotimi Olaniyan schooled at the Universities of Ife and Lagos, as well as Lagos Business School.

He received his Doctorate in Business Administration from the Nottingham Business School in 2015 and now teaches there as a member of the Marketing faculty. He worked in brand management at Cadbury Nigeria plc and Colgate Palmolive Limited and owns an experiential marketing business in Lagos.

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Sunday 01 September 2019

Travel

Why Nigeria still struggles for Africa’s growing tourism receipt OBINNA EMELIKE

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espite her numerous tourism potential dotted across the country, especially the two World Heritage Sites amid five natural and manmade attractions awaiting UNESCO’s enlisting, Nigeria ranks low across all tourism development indices in Africa.

The huge reliance on reve n u e f ro m c r u d e o i l h a s made the country to overlook its sustainable tourism potential, most of which are not developed amid the difficulty most foreigners face in getting the Nigerian visa.

At present, Nigeria with barely 2 million tourist arrivals is making weak attempt at wooing international tourists while other African power houses such as South Africa and Egypt wooed 8.6 and 9 million nearly 9 million international tourists in 2018 respectively with Egypt earning over $9 billion revenue from tourist receipt. The figures are expected to increase as both countries set new arrival and revenue targets for 2019.

At the 61st United Nations World Tourism Organisation Commission for Africa (UNWTO-CAF), Conference, in Abuja last year, Yemi Kale, statistician general of the Federation and CEO, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), disclosed that tourism sector accounted for 34 percent of GDP and about 20 percent of the nation’s employment creation in 2017.

But stakeholders in the tourism industry, especially tour operators, destination marketers, travel agencies, and hoteliers wondered how a country that cannot boost of 2 million tourist arrivals earned a huge contribution from tourism.

For most of them, the figures were doctored to impress the government ahead of the general election.

Comparing the 67 million tourists that visited Africa in 2018 from the global total of 1.4 billion in 2018, Nigeria’s barely 2 million international tourist arrivals was a very weak attempt.

However, the reasons the most populous country in Africa struggles in attracting more visitors to her shores abound. According to Africa Visa Openness Report 2018,

Visitors at Gold Coast Castle, Ghana

conducted by The African Development Bank (AfDB) in collaboration with International Air Transport Association (IATA), Nigeria ranked 29 out of 54 countries in visa openness, an index that determines a country’s tourist friendliness and global appeal. It means Nigeria is not open to visitors because of the difficulty in getting the visa, hence less tourist visits.

Though the country moved one point ahead from the 2017 ranking, it failed to rank among the Top 20 African Countries in visa openness. The sad development is against the backdrop of the country’s growing outbound tourism, which sees her citizens spending over $1.5 billion on international ticketing, over $1 billion on oversea hotel accommodation, and almost $2 billion on oversea shopping annually.

Citing instance with Seychelles, which ranked the best in visa openness ranking in Africa in 2018, Charles Leyeka Lufumpa, the director of the Statistics Department at the AfDB, said tourism generates over 60 percent of the country’s GDP due to her free visa policy, especially for tourists, while Cape Verde, another island country, which ranks 5th on visa openness, sources over 25 percent of her GDP from tourism.

Explaining the benefits of improving on visa openness ranking, Lufumpa said, “Specifically, visa openness is seen as having great potential to improve interconnectivity, boost economic growth and intra- Africa trade, and spur investment, bringing massive benefits for the travel and tourism industry in Africa”.

As well, Nigeria has become major source market for top global destinations over the years. With that in mind, domestic tourism has been neglected, offering visitors less attractions to see while in the country.

The scramble for the Nigerian tourist is even hotter among African countries.

While South Africa woos the most of Nigerian tourists, East African countries such as Kenyan, Rwanda and lately Ethiopia, boost of a sizeable share of the market, ahead of North African countries of Egypt and Morocco, the most visited by Nigerians for tourism.

Recently, the Uganda Tourism Board launched in the country for a share of the Nigerian tourist market.

On the rational for berthing in Nigeria, Lilly Ajarova, chief executive officer of Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), who recognized Nige-

rians as globally acclaimed heavy spenders, said, “As we are strengthening Uganda’s position in markets outside Africa, there are also opportunities that exist within the continent. We are looking to explore and develop different products to suit the needs of the different African tourists”.

In 2016, Kenya recorded the highest number Nigerian holiday makers of over 17,000, up from 14,065 arrivals in 2015, and the number has grown since then. Same year, Rwanda hosted over 20 Nigerian companies and about 5,000 individuals on c o r p o ra t e f u n c t i o n s , a n d Ethiopian connected more Nigerians across the globe with its airline than all the African airlines put together.

However, the growing level of insecurity in the country today has made many tourists, who would have visited the country to look elsewhere in West Africa and the continent.

The ugly development has further incapacitated Nigeria in scrambling for her share of the growing global tourist to Africa expected to reach 70 million this year.

Also, the overdependence on crude oil, which made the country to overlook the tourism industry over the years, has resulted in little invest-

ments in tourism infrastructure and development across the country.

The sad development makes the country to struggle for global tourists, while smaller countries such as Cape Verde, Gambia and Ghana make the most of tourist receipts in West Africa due to concerted efforts at developing their tourism infrastructure, packaging products to appeal to global tourists, and most importantly, opening doors to more tourists with improved visa openness.

With cheaper and hasslefree visa, Ghana, Cape Verde, and even Benin Republic, which started her visa-onarrival policy, are likely going to attract more tourists and even woo the business visitors to Nigeria to their more packaged tourism offerings.

Moreover, the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and the Ministry of Information and Culture have not done enough to promote the country even to Nigerians and until the various bodies charged with the development of tourism wake up to their statutory duties, collaborate more with the tourism private sector to woo both local and foreign direct investments, Nigeria will still struggle for her share of Africa’s growing tourism receipt.

Sunday 01 September 2019

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Amaechi Okobi growing taller @ 50

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f hugging someone taller than you is the best feeling ever, because you feel protected, then the tallest man in an integral part of the banking sector, Amaechi Okobi, must have been a guarding angel to many, in his own little ways.

Amaechi Okobi is always stressing the need for organisations to build brand longevity and relevance, by ensuring their brands are truly connected to the consumers.

Basking in the euphoria of his golden jubilee celebration, gangling Okobi is one man that will stoop to conquer in any foray.

The tallest man in the banking industry is a rare gem, given his diverse background and experience in many sectors as International Marketing Manager, Brand Development Manager, Senior Manager, Glo and Brand Manager of Heineken, before reverting to the banking industry, where he now holds sway as the Group Head, Communications and External Affairs, Access Bank Plc. He re-echoes the use of relevant engagement

Bruno Owede celebrates in style

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he unassuming young man behind one of Nigeria’sflourishingentertainment companies, Play Empire, Bruno Owede, turned a year older in style a few days ago.

The Play Empire boss, Bruno Owede, who is one of Nigeria’s accomplished businessmen marked the special day amid pomp and ceremony surrounded with love by friends, family and business partners.

In a bold move aimed at redefining the entertainment industry, particularly the nightlife scene in Africa’s biggest commercial capital, Lagos, PlayEmpireissettochangethe faceofentertainmentinAfrica.

The much-talked-about Play Empire’s Club Columbia and Club Victoria is set for a grand opening in a few days to come.

Described in many circles as the best thing to happen to nightlife in Africa, the brand

new twin-club, a masterpiece of two separate luxury clubs nested in a single facility is the exciting dome of fun everyone is talking about.

The club’s major nightlight includes a jaw-breaking interior décor nicely complimented with stunning lights and some of the finest sound systems in the world.

Play Empire has a long historyofexcellenceandintegrity in the entertainment industry, little wonder the company’s track record in Asia remains unparalleled.

H

e has a solid pedigree by virtue of his background and founda-

platforms for brands as consumers’ needs and consumption patterns are beginning to change.

His proven expertise in marketing communications and brand management is unequaled, just as

he possesses leadership and mentoring skills via Toastmaster membership, excellent presentation and training skills. He attended Ivy League institutions like The Georgia Washington University, Columbia Busi-

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and brains, little wonder her profile has been on a steady rise in the business world lately.

Trained as an aesthetician, laser expert and a cosmetic teeth-whitening specialist in the United Kingdom, she has scored many firsts, both in academics and professional career. Amiable Bimbo, who is equally gifted with business insights, moved back to Nigeria in early

agos society lady, Bimbo Ige, is one of the few ambitious women breaking the glass ceiling in the competitive Lagos entrepreneurial scene.

Stunningly and disarmingly beautiful Bimbo is not all about beauty; she has depth and qualifies for all that matter in grace, panache, and candor. She is a blend of beauty, brawn,

Epochal Rainoil boss, Godrey Ogbechie, inspires

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UK-based businessman, Abiodun Owolabi resurfaces

About Bimbo Ige’s rising profile

nspirations are meant to be provided by those who are in the know of what motivation speaks about.

Godrey Ogbechie belongs to this category and she has been doing this for a while and never relenting.

The amiable and very officious wife of Rainoil Boss, and equally an executive director of the oil firm is well-equipped to make positive statements when it comes to inspiring the younger generations of her world.

Adorable and very innovative Ogbechie cannot be left out of issues of this nature, just as she recently played a vital role at an event sponsored by her company, aptly titled, Hymnodia. He was in her best element when she commended Hymnodia for

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re-igniting the almost-forgotten hymn and singing culture among young Nigerians, as it celebrated the five finalists of the popular reality television show.

She noted that Hymnodia has created the desired impact which could change the perception of young Nigerians in the art of praise and worship.

Her darling husband, Gabriel Ogbechie, was also in support of her wife’s inspirational cause.

Intellectual and well academically-grounded Godrey is a 1988 graduate of Agricultural Economics and Extension from University of Calabar, and also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration. She has attended several plum courses in Nigeria, UK, South Africa and Ghana. She boasts

of extensive banking experience, spanning Operations, Customer Service/Relationship Management, Audit and Human Resource Management. Joining Rainoil Limited in 2009 as an Executive Director, Godrey has been instrumental in growing the business to great heights, where she now deputises for the GMD and

ness School and Saint Edmund College, just to mention a few.

At 50, Amaechi is still growing tall in his un-waning drive to further prove his mettle in the volatile banking industry.

2017 and she has continued to be a resounding blessing to the entrepreneurial world in Nigeria.

Presently, she sits atop one of the most soughtafter beauty clinics in Lekki Phase One axis of Lagos where she offers up to about ten laser treatment services, which include Advanced Laser Whitening, Ultrasonic Cavitations for fat removal and other services.

tion.

Abiodun Owolabi, a Londonbased businessman is an extraordinary writer, educationist and publisher of repute.

Mercurial Abiodun was born over five decades ago in the then defunct Mushin Municipal Council, now known as Mushin Ajina Local Government Council in Lagos State.

He is a proud holder of BSc (Physics Education) and a Masters degree from the Lagos State University. In his unending quest to assail in many fronts, Abiodun Owolabi has written several motivational and inspirational books, principal two of which are ‘Straight To The Top’ and ‘Big Men Big Dream,’ which are readily available on E-Bay and Amazon. His political exploits speak volumes and cannot be contained in one piece like this.

Deeply grass-rooted and very pragmatic Abiodun Owolabi contested for the legislative position of the vibrant

Lagos State House of Assembly, Mushin 2 Constituency.

He won the primary election but lost at the main election. The unyielding Abiodun Owolabi relocated to the UK much later and has worked for a couple of companies over there.

He there floated his still flourishing company, LABorn UK Limited, which majors in importing and exporting of computer types of equipment and vehicles. Abiodun Owolabi is the fou nder of Africa Checks and Balances, a group which preventsandtacklescorruptpractices and other related vices in the African continent.

Pascal Dozie, the grandfather of the corporate world

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he business of banking has a lot to do with integrity; the stewardship of money and the power of credit creation reside in the realm of conservatism and discipline.

Focus-driven octogenarian Pascal Dozie is one man whose career in the banking sector was strictly guided by these principles.

Playing within the defined rules of the game hasn’t been that easy to enforce in the Nigerian banking industry, but Dozie seems to have toed the path of self-regulation in his own style of corporate governance.

He is a man ruled by diligence and driven by tenacity in his mission to accomplish a great purpose.

another terrain he bowed out of active banking duties few years back, from where his equally resourceful son, Uzoma, took over the reins of management from him, until recently when the bank merged with Access Bank in a mega-deal that has now translated That combination yielded the appropriate leadership qualities needed to define a path of operating stability for his bank in a volatile industry, and at the same time take the lead in technologydriven innovation in the business. On account of old age and the need to navigate

to the largest retail banking provider in Africa and other parts of the world.

The elderly Dozie may have bowed out of the volatile banking industry; this corporate wizard is indeed a shining example to many practitioners in the financial and banking sectors.

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Sunday 01 September 2019

Life&Living Dealing with dandruff ridden scalp

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JUMOKE AKIYODE-LAWANSON

know how frustrating it can be trying to get rid of dandruff on your scalp for the longest time. You must have spent so much money buying every single anti-dandruff shampoo and hair cream on the shop shelves and it still wouldn’t go. There goes your dream for long, beautiful and healthy hair.

However, have you ever considered the fact that you may just be treating the symptoms wrongly? It is very popularly perceived that dandruff is a synonym for dry scalp and so you tend to douse your scalp with oil once you see flakes.

There are different types if dandruff; the oily dandruff and the dry dandruff which seems to be more common for men who usually wash their hair everyday with soap while in the shower and rarely oil the scalp after their bath.

Dry dandruff; typically consists of small white flakes that fall off your scalp easily at the slightest movement, so you usually see the flakes drop to your neck and shoulders. It doesn’t usually cause redness or irritation to the scalp and may disappear during warmer seasons. To treat dry dandruff, wash hair regularly with anti-dandruff shampoo and

keep your hair well moisturized, by massaging into the scalps.

Oily dandruff; which is also called wet or greasy dandruff usually occurs as yellow or brown flakes that clump together and cling onto your hear shaft. It usually looks like your scalp is peeling. This is usually caused by too much oil on your scalp, the probable cause is the skin condition known as seborrheic dermatitis.

Located underneath your scalp are sebaceous glands that serve the primary function of producing the natural oil sebum. This sebum

keeps your hair and scalp moisturized and prevents them from getting dehydrated. It also serves the purpose of reducing frizz and prevents the signs of aging from appearing. When your sebaceous glands start working in overdrive and are producing sebum in excess quantities, it builds up and makes it sticky, resulting in oily dandruff.

Since oily dandruff is longer lasting and can cause extreme itching, it is advisable to treat by using natural remedies rather than off the shelve products.

How to treat oily dandruff According to stylecraze.com, the use of Aloe Vera gel, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and Amla juice and baking soda could help treat oily dandruff.

“Aloe vera gel is an excellent remedy for eliminating wet dandruff as it contains cleansing enzymes that get rid of dead skin cells, oil buildup, and fatty deposits that clog your hair follicles. It also contains glycoproteins that reduce inflammation and soothe itchiness,” Arshiya Syeda said in her article on Stylecraze.

By applying the gel all over your scalp and wrapping your head with a hot damp towel before washing out with mild shampoo, you could be on your way to having a clear scalp in three weeks.

Apple cider vinegar also acts as an excellent oily dandruff remedy mainly because it helps regulate the sebum production on your scalp. It also cleanses the oil buildup clogging your hair follicles and soothes irritation. Just pour half a cup on your hair, massage it in and leave for 10 minutes before washing it off. Hair experts say this routine should be followed at least once a week to see results.

A mixture of lemon juice and amla juice on your scalp before wash could also help, as Lemon juice and amla juice work in sync to cleanse the wet dandruff and accumulated oil from your scalp.

Additionally, the citric acid content of the lemon juice acts as an antimicrobial agent that gets rid of any infection that could be feeding off of the wet dandruff on your scalp.

Baking soda paste works wonders because it completely removes all accumulated sebum on your scalp and deeply cleanses it. It also balances the pH of your scalp to regulate the production of sebum. Just make it into a paste by mixing with water and leave on your scalp for ten minutes before wash.

Foods that naturally cleanse your kidneys IFEOMA OKEKE

absorbs toxins, it does its job by taking some of the hard work away from your kidneys.

Apples may also reduce inflammation in the body and work wonders for your digestive tract. Get chomping!

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id you know that your kidneys are responsible for removing waste products from your body? If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or hardening of the arteries, you may develop kidney disease, preventing your kidneys from doing the job they are supposed to.

Kidney disease is life-threatening, so wouldn’t you want to do everything you can to look after your kidneys and keep them clean? You can’t put a scrubbing brush to your internal organs, but you can try these foods.

Leafy Greens Your mom doesn’t go on about eating your leafy greens for no good reason; she obviously knows how beneficial they are for your kidneys!

Leafy greens are packed full of Vitamin C and K, along with fiber and folate.

They also reduce your blood pressure, balance out your blood sugars, and reduce kidney stress. The best part is, there are many things you can do to make them attractive in your diet.

Cranberry Juice Everyone knows that cranberry juice can be beneficial for urinary tract infections, but did you know it can also offer your kidneys a helping hand as well?

Drinking cranberry juice can cleanse your kidneys of one of the leading causes of kidney stones – calcium oxalate. However, it’s essential to choose organic or additive-free cranberry juice. The purer, the better.

Garlic Your kidneys rely on you to treat your body like a temple. Otherwise, they can fall victim to toxins and inflammation.

If you’re not all that good at doing what your body needs, then make sure you always include enough garlic in your diet.

Garlic contains allicin which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Both can be beneficial for your kidneys and blood The upside is, cranberry juice is delicious as well as helpful!

Turmeric Inflammation in your body can cause a range of conditions, with kidney disease being one of them. To cleanse your kidneys and give them a fighting chance, get your share of turmeric.

Turmeric contains curcumin which offers anti-inflammatory properties.

It’s also beneficial for fighting kidney disease and those pesky stones. Add it to your rice, curries, stews, or even put it in a smoothie. Just make sure you don’t get it on your hands, as it stains!

Apples People do say that an apple a day keeps

the doctor away, but who would have thought that might be true? Because apples are packed full of fiber which

pressure.

Dandelion Leaves

While dandelion leaf tea is not all that pleasant to drink, your kidneys will love you for it. Dandelion leaves contain flavonoids – antioxidants that cleanse your kidneys and purify your blood. They can also reduce your blood pressure.

You can buy dandelion tea and leaves from many health stores, and you can also use the leaves in salads!

If you’re prone to stress, there’s nothing like a cup of dandelion tea to start your day.

Olive oil Olive oil has a whole host of benefits for your body, but it can also be beneficial for the health of your kidneys as well.

Olive oil can lower your cholesterol, relieve pain associated with kidney stones, and work to reduce inflammation too. The best part is, it’s readily available and affordable to buy.

Opt for extra-virgin olive oil if you can – it’s premium grade with no chemicals in the pressing process.

Lemon Juice If you want to try something that will not only cleanse your kidneys but stop them from forming kidney stones, then set your sights on the humble lemon! Lemon juice increases your citrate levels, which stop kidney stones from wanting to form.

Forming a special lemon cleanse is easy. Squeeze four lemons into hot or cold water every day and drink it! Say goodbye to kidney stones and hello to a delicious kidney cleanse!

Sunday 01 September 2019

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BDSUNDAY 29

State Of The Nation Insecurity: Have Catholic priests become endangered species?

In the last two years, Catholic priests across the country have borne the brunt of worsening insecurity in the country.

While many of them have been kidnapped and released, some have been murdered in cold blood. The frequency at which the killings occur nowadays of these clerics has raised a concern and questions as to why hoodlums target preachers. AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE chronicles some of these abductions and murders in the recent times.

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n Wednesday, August28,DavidTanko, a Catholic priest, was gruesomely murdered and burnt by suspected gunmen around Kasuan Haske and Totsee, Takum area council of Taraba State.

The cleric was said to be on his way to Takum for a peace meeting withhisfellowclergymenonhowto resolvethelingeringTiv/Jukuncrisis when he was hacked to death.

Confirming the incident, Shiban Tikari, chairman of the council, who identifiedthedeceasedasReverend Father Tanko, an indigene of Wukari LocalGovernmentAreaofthestate, said the killers had set the deceased car on fire after killing him.

Tanko, until his unfortunate death, was the parish priest in charge of St. Peters Catholic Church Amadu in Taraba State.

His death came weeks after the Catholic Diocese of Enugu in Enugu State was thrown into mourning following the killing of Paul Offu, a Catholicpriestwhiletravellingalong Ihe-Agbudu Road in Awgu Local Government Area of the state.

Offu was murdered in the evening of Thursday, August 1, 2019 after he was shot and left to die by some hoodlums suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

Offu hailed from Okpatu in Udi LGA of Enugu State and until his death, he was the parish priest of St. James the Greater Parish, Ugbawka.

Ebere Amaraizu, public relations officer of Enugu State Police Command, confirming the killing, assured that the police were doing everything possible to apprehend the killers of the late cleric.

“We are doing everything to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident that claimed the life of the priest,” he said, adding that it was not right to blame the incident on Fulani herdsmen when the culprits had not been apprehended.

BDSUNDAY can recall that the death of Offu took place few weeks after it was reported that one Ikechukwu Ilo, another Reverend Father, was attacked along Nomeh axis of Nkanu East Local Government Area, on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, by suspected kidnappers, who opened fire on him after he refused to stop his car.

Ilo was reported to have sustained gunshot injuries and was taken to an undisclosed hospital where he was treated of the gunshot wounds.

Pundits believe that the abduction and killing of serving Catholic priests in states like Enugu, Benue and others is gradually becoming a frequent occurrence and a dangerous trend as no month passes without a report on either the social media platforms or traditional media of the kidnapping and subsequent killing of Catholic priests.

In what seems like a conspiracy, BDSUNDAY has discovered that Enugu Catholic Dioceses is gradually becoming the worst hit in the problem of insecurity as many of its priests have been reported dead

Paul Offu

Catholic priests killed in Benue: Father Joseph Gor (l) and Father Felix Tyolaha

Another Catholic priest killed in Imo

Parishioners mourning over one of their murdered priests

Taraba priest killed and burnt

Catholic priest killed in Imo

since the security situation in the country nosedived.

Five months before the death of Offu, Clement Ugwu, a Catholic priest, who was the parish priest of St Mark Catholic Church, Obinofia Ndiuno in Ezeagu Local Government Area of the State, was murdered by gunmen.

Reverend Father Ugwu, whose death was announced on March 20, 2019, was said to have been kidnapped from his Parish in Ezeagu on Wednesday, March 13. One week after he was allegedly kidnapped, his decomposing body was found in a bush in the morning of Wednesday, March 20, 2019.

According to media report, gwu was kidnapped around 9:00 pm after the unknown gunmen shot him in his parish house before abducting him.

Callistus Onaga, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, who spoke shortly after the remains of late Ugwu were laid to rest at the Catholic cemetery in Holy Ghost Cathedral, called on the police to fish out the killers of the priest.

Onaga decried the spate of violent killings around the country, advising that Christians should intensify prayers for the survival of the country.

He regretted that security agen-

cies could neither rescue Ugwu nor apprehend the killers, despite their assurances that the kidnappers would be apprehended, rather, the abductorswereallowedampletime to be making withdrawals from the deceased’s account, using his AutomatedTellerMachine(ATM)card.

According to him, “All is not well in Enugu State. We should not continue to pretend about it while our people are killed every day. Enugu State is not secure again. Criminals have shifted to Enugu State.”

Exactly on March 25, 2019, few days after Ugwu’s murder, another priest, John Bako Shekwolo of the Archdiocese of Kaduna in Kaduna State, was also kidnapped.

Few months after, Celestine Ezeh, a reverend father with the Nsukka Diocese in Enugu, was released shortly after being abducted by gunmen. According to Cajetan Iyidiobi, a priest and the diocesan secretary, Ezeh, was given treatment in an undisclosed hospital for the trauma he suffered in the hands of his abductors.

Recall that on July 4, 2018, one Paulinus Udewangu, a revered father of St. Marks Catholic Church, Nsude in Udi Local Government Areawaskidnappedwhilejogging.

Another incident described as terrible by Nigerians was the

massacre of two reverend fathers and 17 other parishioners in AyarMbalom village of Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State on April 24, 2018.

BDSUNDAY gathered that the two priests and the 16 parishioners went to St Ignatius Catholic Church to bury their dead, and they were murdered at about 5:00am on April 24, 2018, when gunmen, later identified as herdsmen, who were said to have been lurking in the bushes, swooped on them.

“The attackers made efforts all through the night to attack people in some villages within the surroundings and met stiff resistance,” one of thesurvivorsoftheattack,narrated.

These late Revered Fathers were identified as Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, who were supposed to conduct the funeral mass.

According to eye witness account, the gunmen numbering about 30 suddenly besieged the premises of the church and opened fire on everyone.

“Some of the attackers used machetes on their victims while the others shot sporadically, killing the priests and many other people.

A lot of people were injured,” the witness named Samuel, said.

Moses Iorapuu, director of Communications, Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, said the gunmen burnt down homes, destroyed food items and embarked on a killing spree. “Nothing and no one was spared.”

Fatai Owoseni, Benue State Commissioner of Police, who confirmedtheincidenttonewsmen,said somebanditssuspectedtobeherdsmenattackedthechurchinMbalom

community of Gwer East and killed two priests, among others.

“About 16 dead bodies were recovered. That brings the total number of the dead from the incident to 19, if you add the two priests as well as one other corpse which had been brought to Makurdi, the Benue State capital, earlier in the day,” he explained.

In 2017, one Cyriacus Onunkwo, a reverend father of the Orlu Catholic diocese in Imo State, was kidnapped and killed by unknown gunmen. The late Father was kidnapped while returning home from the funeral rites of his father, Celestine Onunkwo.

A recent report by National Catholic Reporter (NCR) quoted Ernest Obodo, an auxiliary bishop of the Enugu Diocese, to have said, “Some of these kidnappers are jobless people and they believe that when they kidnap a priest, they will get ransom,” he said.

“But in our own diocese, there is a rule that no ransom is paid for abducted priests because they are called by God to serve the people.

So,ifyouabductapriest,nobodywill pay you to free him,” he warned.

The Catholic Christian Communities, no doubt, may not be able to go into physical war with the killers of their priests because they believe that God is the ultimate avenger, this is why they may have resorted to prayers for needed intervention in the unfortunate security situation in the country.

They however, believe that government, through the security agencies, owes the citizens including the church, the duty of provide adequate security.

30

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Sunday 01 September 2019

Interview ‘We aim to salvage the homeless, abandoned kids and empower them to be responsible citizens’ Grace Adetutu Balogun is the coordinator of Habitation of Hope, a ministry under the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), commissioned to rescue depressed and destitute boys from the ages of 7-17 years from the street, as well as, transform and empower them to be self-reliant. In this interview with selected journalists at the home in Mowe, Ogun State, she shared the visions and impacts of the home on the lives of the children. INIOBONG IWOK was there. Excerpts:

W

hat is the objective of setting up Habitation of Hope?

Habitation of Hope ministry is a child of evangelism. I was a pastor then, I mean a parish pastor with the Redeem Christian Church of God, and I heard a voice that said; “Go to Kuramo”. But I did not know where Kuramo is in Lagos.

But at that time I had a prayer partner. I was living in Ebute metta, apparently my prayer partner lived in Ikoyi. I asked her how to get to Kuramo and she said it was near Eko Hotel in Victoria Island. But what we saw when we got there was beyond reasoning.

It was a beach area of over 10 kilometres harboring hoodlums, including prostitutes. What attracted my attention was a pregnant prostitute and I asked her how she added pregnancy to her prostitution.

She told me she was 13 years old, and that someone introduced her to Kuramo.

I asked how many men she had sex with in a day and she said about 13. I also asked who owned the pregnancy, and she did not know.

I wept and thought God was asking us to do something.

At first, I thought it was the girls, within two months we organised a crusade. In any of the communities we often discuss with the head of the place. We do not find it easy with them, but with prayers they said, ‘You can come and talk with as many young boys and girls as possible’.

But the ones that attracted me the most were the girls and the number of girls in prostitution is huge and mostly young girls.

So, we go there on Thursdays with cloths and food and within two months we arranged a bigger outreach, and about 500 boys came out to give their lives to Christ.

We took it from there and invited them to our headquarters parish at Ebute metta. But what surprised me was that most of them were boys.

When I prayed, God said these are your target, the boys.

So, for one and half years, I do bring them to our parish from Ikoyi every Sunday to worship. To my amazement all the adult members of the church left, saying they could not cope with them; their dirty and rough life. But I knew I wanted to do something with them, so we kept on bringing them to church.

We only pick them up to church and drop them after, but I discovered that was the only congregation I had. I was enjoying something from them, because within one year, there had been significant changes in them.

They could now sing and recite the bible. I was beginning to love the transformation I was seeing in them; I go to friends to give me cloths and different things for them.

In 2006, we brought them to the Redeemed Camp for the Holy Ghost Congress and someone saw

Grace Adetutu Balogun me and asked; what are you doing with this kind of children? Most of them came with marijuana, but I just wanted them to know Jesus.

I told them to sit in the field and when they go near the congregation, they became afraid.

Another member of the church, who knew me asked again; what are you doing with these children? I replied that they were my congregation, not knowing that I did not have where to keep them.

She said I should get to the wife of the General Overseer? I told her I did not know how to reach her, so she guided me on how I can get to her. I got there, I did not see her, but I saw the son and told him I had this challenge, because she was also always busy during the congress.

It was not easy but because God wanted to do something, she listened to the son and said go and give them hostel.

So, for one week we were in the hostel and go to the auditorium for the church programmes. She brought food, morning and night.

On the last day, we had to leave, but the boys said we cannot leave, we had been on the ground; but mama gave us bed and slippers and now we are going back to Kuramo to sleep on the sand we are not going, they all started crying, I was touched.

The person that brought them slippers and mattress said; go and tell them that the boys do not want to go, they are crying.

But they had to go, because they

were too hard for the Christian community.

I still cannot explain up till date, but the wife of the general overseer said we should go that she would send for me.

I was wondering how she would reach me, because she does not have my number, not knowing she had asked someone to take my number.

At a particular time an incident happened, the boy’s major works at the beach is to fetch water for the prayer people, but while doing that six of the boys got drowned and they called me.

At that same time mama called me and asked what the problem was and I told her that six of the boys, I took to the camp got drowned and she shouted; that was how the ministry started in 2005.

How is the church you started from in Ebute metta doing and what is the objective of the home?

Yes, I was a parish pastor there; it is called City of Great King Parish.

The objective of this place is to salvage the homeless and abandoned children from the street and make them better. We do get to know their parents if they still have any and also reconcile them back to Christ. We also give them education and show them the way of the Lord.

How did you reform them, especially from taking marijuana?

It was not an easy task. When we started it was tough, the church has an arm, which is the drug addicts home in Epe. I had to go to them

because by the time we started, we do not even know what to do with them. Mama just said; let them eat and work, but they became a problem to the camp site; fighting and smoking. That was why we came down to this side of the camp.

We rented a four-bedroom apartment, and I went to other ministries who were into the same thing to ask how they run their affairs.

I heard the Holy Spirit more than anybody in their reformation; He would tell me; ‘just go and arrange that section for them’ and through that they were responding to what the Holy Spirit was telling them, because, we used the words in their deliverance and reformation.

The ministry side was more of guidelines because immediately we knew there was a task at hand, we went to register the home.

Government officials told us that we can only do for boys from 1 to 17 years, already the Redeemed Christian Church of God had such home for men.

Do you have any success story since you started the home in 2007?

We have the child development guideline, which we work with, it is helping us; but the truth is because of where they are coming from, they are lost. Some of these laws are for normal children; so what we are doing is not what we can do on our own; we depend on God to give us direction.

We do not have boys home like this before , we have a girls home, we have for the men, we have

orphanage, but to have group of boys from the age of 7- 17, who have been on the street for 10 years, it is not easy.

When we meet them, these boys were drug peddlers; they practised homosexuality, among others and because of their peculiarity, we take our time. Our trainers and teachers are spirit-filled. No matter the education you have, you must be spirit-filled.

Some of the children do come and say, ‘We have killed before; we have slept with 70-year-old women before, but since you have spoken with us we want to change’.

We do deliverance and prayers in the first six months when we bring them here, we concentrate on that, and we do not allow them to go to school. We put them in a room, give them food, television and we make them enjoy Jesus, then we do deliverance.

I have been to SOS to learn how to take care of this kind of home, and I discovered the power to take care of this place can only come from God. You cannot just say such a boy should just start reading the bible and praying. In the first week, it is more of warm reception. We give them minerals and they eat twice, or three or four times a day.

How many boys has the home taken care of since inception?

It should be more than 2,000, but we have 200 in this place now.

About five years after we left there, there was upsurge of water and Kuramo was submerged. So, we had to extend to other places, most of the boys, are doing so many things. We have reconciled many with their parents. Some of them would go and steal and give to their parents, we realised that some of them came from homes where the father had many wives and broken homes that is why you have 90 percent of them being Muslims. It is either they are from polygamous or broken homes.

For some, the father is a bus driver, they met the mother of the child under the bridge and they did not marry each other.

So, when the child came they said, let him go and live with grandmother and the boys turn to something else. Poverty is also an issue.

You said most of them are from Muslim background, is it difficult converting them to your faith, or can they practise Islam here?

No; we would not take that because the only power we have is the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Sometimes, we preach to the children for three months, every Thursday is our outreach, so they must be arrested by the Holy Spirit before we bring them.

Even when they are born as Muslims, it is not difficult for us to talk to them, I was born a Muslim, and so we can tell that; Jesus loves you.

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Ogun Watch Attracting investments, restructuring industrial hubs in Ogun: The Abiodun focus

T

RAZAQ AYINLA he daunting task of building investor confidence and attracti n g m o r e t o Og u n State which is now largest investment hub in the country has started to gain serious momentum as Governor Dapo Abiodun begins series of meetings with existing and prospective investors and entrepreneurs as part of efforts to expand investment base in the state.

The move to industrialise Ogun State can be traced to 2003- 2011 administration of Governor Gbenga Daniel who gave a tax holiday and land incentives for new investors which opened up Flowergate Industrial Estate at Sagamu interchange that hosts the largest Nestlé Plant in West Africa and Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone at Igbesa where the Chinese investors have clusters of manufacturing industries.

Governor Daniel’s effort was cemented by immediate past Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who gave as much as 40percent rebate on industrial land acquisition and improved on existing infrastructure such as roads, bridges, among others, as well as launching the first ever security trust fund for which resources were deployed to combat crimes and criminality.

Ogun now welcomes Governor Abiodun with a renewed focus on ISEYA, the state acronym which literally means, ‘It Is Time to Work’. ISEYA stands for development pillars which cover Infrastructure, Social Welfare and Well being, Education, Youth Empowerment and Agriculture.

According to Dapo Okubadejo, chief economic adviser to Governor Abiodun, ISEYA is a pillar that defines government policy as regards good governance and virile economy for which socio-economic enablers such as governance, security, digital transformation, enabling business environment, road, financial engineering will be created and nourished.

Little wonder that Governor Abiodun began his administration with a parley with investors and business executives barely three months after inauguration of his government where a huge number of investors and entrepreneurs dialogued with him.

Those at the meeting were

Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State governor, inspecting farm produce presented to him by one of the Fadama 3 Graduate Unemployed Youths (Fadama Guys) Sowemimo Olakanmi, shortly after the scheme was flagged off by the governor at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

under the auspices of the organised private sector such as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), among others.

Speaking at the Governor’s Parley with the investors and entrepreneurs held in Abeokuta, the state capital last week, Paul Gbadebo, group managing director, Flour Mills Nigeria PLC, said that the parley was apt and timely as the investors would bare their minds on what Governor Dapo Abiodun is expected to do as part of effort to improve economic status of the state.

Gbadebo declared that no development would be achieved if issues as regards infrastructure such as roads, energy, security and other enablers were not ironed out, saying Ogun State stands a chance to drive African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) considering its proximity to either Seme Border or Idi-Iroko Border of Republic of Benin and Nigeria.

But, he expressed dissat-

isfaction over bad condition Atan-Ota/Igbesa/Agbara road which links Badagry Expressway to Mile 2, Apapa Seaport at one end, Seme Border at another end, as well as Ota, Abeokuta at the final end, saying that immediate reconstruction of the road is urgently needed as that will show seriousness of new government to economic drive.

Joseph Makoju, group managing director of Dangote Cement PLC, noted that multiple taxation and true one-stop-shop where complaints and enquiries of investors and entrepreneurs would be speedily addressed are key to ease of doing business, asking Governor Dapo Abiodun to create an enabling business atmosphere through immediate opening of one-stop-shop preferably at one of the state industrial hubs.

Michael Onafowokan, executive director of Coleman Wires and Cables, suggested that government needs human capital development to be able to achieve lots of economic goals set at the initial stage, saying that employment generation and training and retraining of state workforce are instrumental to the sustenance of economic tempo created by the past governments in the state.

Demola Sogunle, chief executive officer of Stanbic IBTC Bank, who spoke on behalf of financial institutions, lauded Governor Dapo Abiodun’s governance and economic policies which are set to address challenges affecting investment across, but pledged to offer him credit facilities to support the Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) as well as agriculture.

Sogunle said apart from Central Bank of Nigeria Anchor Borrowers Scheme on Agriculture, the Bankers’ Committee can create credits out of about N90 billion dedicated for MSMEs and Agriculture, adding that it is high time government at state level partnered the financial institutions through Bankers’ Committee to unlock potentials offered

by MSMEs and Agriculture.

Speaking on proposed energy and electricity board to address epileptic power supplies to manufacturing plants, a leading operator of independent power plant in the state - Viathan Engineering, that operates Lisabi Power Plant and Compressed Natural Gas Plant under its sister company - Gasco Marine Limited at Onijanganjangan area of Abeokuta on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, offered to establish

partnership with Ogun State government on power supply to needed areas.

Speaking with BDSUNDAY through Habeeb Alebiosu, its chief executive officer, Viathan Engineering which operates six power plants in Ogun and Lagos States, said, “For us, we have made our intention very clear from the onset, and before any invitation, we have come to establish 7MW Power Plant already operational.

“We have pretty much floated a gas company already here in Abeokuta. The beauty of what we have established is that they are scalable and expandable.

Lisabi Power Plant can go as far as we want, demand is the limit. For demand of 100MW, 200MW, name it, we have the capability.

“And, the way we see it, we are not here to displace the DisCos, we are to complement them, we will partner with them. For us, we think that, for the sector to become what Nigerians hope, we need to build an ecosystem of different players; the gas, the distribution, infrastructure and technical know-how to build the entire value chain. We are ready to make those investments.”

Responding to promises made by his guests on their willingness to partner the state government, Governor Abiodun declared that his administration had resolved to work around the enablers and investment promotion mechanism, noting that the state would create investment promotion agency that offers a one-stop-shop solution and services for all existing and prospective investors in the state with a view to resolving all issues and challenges that affect production, processing and sale of finished goods as well as economy generally.

He ordered the relocation of business enquiry and complaint desk as well as headquarters of proposed Ogun State Investment Promotion Agency to the largest industrial hub in the state - the Agbara Industrial Estate for easier access by entrepreneurs and investors to government, adding that: “Ogun State Investment Promotion Agency will be located within OPIC in Agbara, that will save you the stress of coming down to Abeokuta.

“We are also establishing Ogun State Energy and Electricity Board which will do energy audit and ascertain where and how energy will be distributed.

We are looking at possible partnership with the independent power plants. There must be a public private sector partnership in that regard if we must achieve tangible energy supplies for our manufacturing industries, public utilities and residential areas.”

Ogun pays N4.8bn to pensioners

T

he Ogun State Government has paid the sum of Four billion, eight hundred million naira (N4.8 billion) as monthly pensions between Janu-

ary and June 2019, to make life more meaningful for the pensioners.

Funmilayo Dada, permanent secretary, Bureau of State Pensions, disclosed this during an oversight visit of the House of

Assembly Committee on Public Service Matters to the Office of the Head of Service, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, saying pensioners in the State had been enjoying prompt payment of pensions

since the Dapo Abiodun administration came on board.

Remarking, the House Committee members commended the Bureau for the successes recorded, urging the State government

to ensure payment of outstanding gratuity of retirees for them to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

The Committee on Public Service Matters was led by Hon. Modupe Mujota

32 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 01 September 2019

Business intelligence PHCCIMA helps supply to meet demand:

As experts reveal how to win big in PH business world, and connect with big corporations

I

IGNATIUS CHUKWU

n the Port Harcourt business world, demand refers to the massive order of goods and services from the multinationals and big corporations including Shell, NLNG, Agip, Total, Chevron, Indorama, Notore, oil service companies such as Slumberger, Saipem, etc; and the way they want it supplied including standards.

Supply refers to the smaller companies that strive to win businesses to supply the needs of the big corporations and the ability to supply what is needed, the form it is needed, and the funds to meet the demands. The interplay of these two forces forms the swift Port Harcourt business climate that attracts business people from around the world.

The noticeable thing is that the corporations seem to believe that only foreign sources can meet these very high standards. Nigerian content scheme passed into law in 2012 by the Goodluck Jonathan administration tried to force a high percentage to Nigerians. The inability to bring down the jobs to the people seemed to create violent demands.

Now, local content seems to be the new drive because state governments in the oil region say the eggs won by Nigerian Content have been snatched by businesses residing in other places, especially Lagos.

While some groups use force to demand for business slots, the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Commerce and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), led by a chief, Nabil Saleh, thinks strategic engagements and upping the game by the local businesses could solve the problem. This led to what is called the Linkage and Connections Seminar series launched by PHCCIMA. The series is now in the second edition.

How the scheme works – Chinyere Nwoga; 2nd deputy president PHCCIMA as a matter of priority is pursuing these business linkages and connections which we see as critical for business survival. It is our hope that these networking activities will mark the beginning of stronger business relationships. Such relationships between International Oil Corporations (IOCs) and

President of PHCCIMA, Nabil Saleh, who is driving the chambers to new levels

transnational corporations (TNCs) that make up the demand side on one hand and the organised private sector (OPS) that forms the supply side requires commitment from all stakeholders.

The government is to act through support services and a robust public private participation (PPP) scheme, while the TNCs/IOCs/large corporations would act through making access easier and by carrying out suppliers’ development programmes. The Chamber would support businesses through facilitation, due diligence, and guaranteeing of suppliers. This means that members would get rare endorsements needed by the big corporation before trust-

ing the smaller businesses.

We know and indeed agree that some of the considerations of the demand-side include cost, quality, reliability, flexibility and ability to meet the ever-changing technological needs. The Chamber emphasizes the need for local businesses to continually update their processes, be ready to meet changing demands, and have strategic visions for the future.

In the same breath, we are also aware of the constraints that confront local businesses; mainly deficiency in human and financial resources plus lack of access to big corporations. The Chamber serves as a bridge by creating platforms for interface between

stakeholders; these workshop series are an example.

Our efforts in this regard would be made easier if the big corporations join the PHCCIMA as members as they have done in some other cities. We have the capacity, the competence, and the hunger for high level facilitation; that is what we do.

Now, benefits accruable as a PHCCIMA member are many and varied. First, things move faster and easier when one becomes a member. We are the second largest chamber of commerce in the country, and the first e-chamber of commerce in Nigeria. We are the first chamber to have a one-stop-shop with over 15 MDAs and banks all to ease regulatory burdens on our members. We have the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, etc. We not only provide access to these agencies but intervene and recommend whenever the need arises.

We also have direct line of communication with the government, and also with the embassies in Nigeria as well as overseas. Above all, we have people always available to advocate, intervene, and push your business needs. What else do you want!

Objectives of the semi-

PHCCIMA officials and organisers of the PH Business Linkages Seminar Series

nar series - E&I CEO, Chika Chinwah The workshop series will bring together small and large corporate bodies and multinationals in Rivers State and the Niger Delta at large. The series will seek to provide a platform for local enterprises to establish sustainable business relationships with large multinationals and corporate buyers of goods and services operating in Rivers State. It will also provide an avenue for local small enterprises to learn how to competitively deliver quality goods and services to large corporate buyers in the region, leading to growth and expansion for the small local firms and the optimization of efficiency for the large enterprises.

Speakers are expected to drive the message that Rivers local enterprises operating in the state need to be carried along in the economic activity that is ongoing in the state.

This is not only aimed at financial growth or rewards for the companies but to also boost societal growth and development. This is because when local enterprises grow, then they can employ more people, generate more revenue to government and pay better taxes which would ultimately be of benefit to the entire society.

It is also a move to help more businesses operating in the state and the region find strong reasons to stay and do business here so that money made here can state here. In summary, the essence is to stop capital flight and to make the corporations in the region to allow companies in the area to supply things they needed instead of giving them to companies outside. We want to see how the companies in the demand side and those in the supply side can interact and boost transactions so as to stimulate the local economy. Rivers State is hub of the Niger Delta and companies are gathered here; if we succeed in solving the unemployment problem, we would have helped Nigeria; networking is the tool.

Breakout session would look at opportunities in the various sectors and how to help small companies get businesses in big corporations.

Help! The business driver is sleeping - Keynote speaker, Leloonu Nwibubasa, Rivers State immediate past Commissioner of Employment

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BDSUNDAY 33

Business intelligence Generation and Economic Empowerment.

Challenge: The big corporations are not here to make the interaction worth it. I knew they would not come (probably as the man who drove the employment effort in the past four years, he has an experience on how the multinationals behave on such matters).

How to get Government to be interested in business matters Are we truly driving employment?

Who really ought to drive the economy; me, you or some person in outer space? Rivers State economy has been in auto-drive. Government must drive the economy of any society by setting the conditions; the pace, the direction through regulation, incentive, and policies. Nobody can take this responsibility away from the government even if it chooses to abandon it. Thus, if the Government is not in this seminar, it will be frustrating. We miss the mark if we do not make the Government to be here. We must provoke them to work.

We must work hard as a people.

The economic driver: Is the driver doing what he ought to do? Do we have engagement with the driver or is this only going to end in generating news? I have been in government and so I know how government feels and how government functions.

If the Organised Private Sector (OPS) does not adopt strategies that would reposition it to attract the driver (government) into functional engagement, it would not be provoked into interest and action.

In Lagos, all the major corporations are part of the Chambers and their weight makes the host government to listen. In Port Harcourt, this is optional, why?

Capital Flight: In Nigeria, medical tourism is cause of huge capital flight.

It may not because those abroad are much better but more about showing class.

There are three things we are not getting right: Patriotism; Some companies such as ALCON (Trans-Amadi, low voltage panels manufacturers) are more Rivers than Rivers indigenes. They showed faith with the state when things were tough. Thus, it does not matter where you hail from but how much faith you show in the Rivers economy and wellbeing.

Rivers State has many things going for it, and investing in the state is good decision. There are places that do not have such offerings, and so, doing business in a wrong place is failure already.

Some talk about insecurity but I know that crime can be exported. One oil multinational corporation wanted to relocate to Lagos and I asked their CEO if he did not know that crime is also exported. Evans the billionaire kidnapper was not in Rivers State. He was in the state where most companies want to migrate to. Crime can relocate too. Crime is everywhere.

There is no place in Nigeria at the moment with more opportunities than Niger Delta. Lagos is over-saturated.

Competition is stronger there. If you must move, find out why you are mov-

Chinyere Nwoga (Phd), 2nd deputy president of PHCCIMA who officiated at the event.

ing. It is still easier to make it in Port Harcourt; and so, help Port Harcourt to get it right as some companies have done by sheer demonstration of patriotism to the city and state.

Dynamism & Metaphor of the Bicycle Repairer: Economy is dynamic. A lot can change. So you must ask yourself; is your business changing with the times?

Metaphor of a Bicycle Repairer: In the 1980s, bicycle repairers were the richest people in my community (Ogoni).

The best repairer was well to do and trained his children in good schools.

He was the mark of success and it was because everyone had a bicycle and had need of a repairer. He progressed in the bicycle value chain by moving into stocking of parts and later sale of bicycles. Today, he is poor and out of business. He did not move with the times and bicycle is no longer in vogue.

Train 7 of the NLNG is in the horizon and everybody is looking forward to it, but what is your company doing about the coming era? I asked a construction firm in PH about it and he said he had not heard about the Tran-7. If a medical doctor like me has heard about it, why should a construction guru be so much in the dark about something that is coming to his sector? Any firm that is not aware of Train 7 is not moving with the times.

Collaboration: If you come as an individual and leave same way, something is wrong. There is need to use every occasion to collaborate and get linkages and leverages. Firms must think of coming together in some projects or ventures to make it big. Things are better done together.

Disaster management, a new business gap: There is investment opportunity in emergency matters. Firms can come together and combat disasters as a business. There seems to be no public sector preparedness for emergencies. That is why the government was grateful for the role the private sector played in the 7-Storey building collapse in Port Harcourt. It was sad where scores of humans were trapped underneath, making calls for help, and not much could be done. The private sector brought equipment to the sight without even being asked to do so. It’s patriotic.

But, there are many other disasters taking more lives without them being obvious. Imagine in 2005 when the Sosoliso aircraft crash took place at the PH International Airport. Fire fighters arrived there without water to watch tens of children and adults burn to death. The firefighters asked for water and the facility had none.

PHCCIMA: The Chamber can take up the challenge of building collaborations. The Port Harcourt Chamber is growing in profile everyday and it is now visible. It was not so some years back. They now have platforms, and this is important. People rather react instead of responding to situations.

Reacting is often not sustainable while responding is constructive and sustainable.

Diversification: The Niger Delta economy does not end in oil. Oil is rather a major undoing; see Venezuela, Brazil, etc. Beyond oil, we have opportunities such as Tourism and Agriculture to drive the new economy.

It is not about having arable land but technology is the way to go. Israel does not have much land but see what they have done with Agriculture. So, our business people should begin to think about what can be done in this sector.

Financing: Have we done anything to engage the banks and to provoke them on business development plans?

What are the new areas that can be created? Trucks still bring fruits from northern Nigeria; frozen foods are still imported.

Purchasing power: Rivers State is still a high consumption zone, so suppliers are in business. Government cannot employ one per cent of workforce in the economy and governments are not doing anything about it. There is need to build inclusive supply chain system to bring in people who could not participate. This has been done elsewhere around the globe where industries come together to create supply chains that engage over 100,000 workers as a deliberate contribution to the economy.

It is the duty of the OPS in Rivers State to attract the attention of the ‘Driver’, cause engagement, and convince the ‘Driver’ where we want to go.

Key investment opportunities: Sanitation: Waste generation and

transportation is big business. If well approached by the private sector, government has no reason to spend one kobo.

There is no ambulance system in the region and this can be an investment gap. The Okobe fore disaster some years ago revealed the hopelessness of the situation; it also revealed the gaps that can be plugged through investments.

Education: If we leave this sector to the government, soon, there would be education in Nigeria any more. Already, our public primary schools are gone; the secondary schools are gone too. The tertiary institutions are not where they should be. Most of them are simply handing out certificates to undeserving graduates. I was in a church where a graduate came to give thanksgiving for graduating with a 2.1 aggregate. I sat and listened. There was no single sentence that had no horrible grammar. I shook my head and wondered who gave him the 2.1.

Foundation is poor. If you miss good English at the primary and secondary levels, the University will not change it. Universities are not there to teach you good English. It is the place you come to discover your future and make a decision with specialization. Most of the universities we run to abroad are privately-owned. Our investors must realize this.

Government is the driver and the driver is sleeping: If the Driver is preaching diversification, he should head the Agric ministry instead of Petroleum. Wake up the Sleeping Driver with what you do.

Ministry of Commerce: Paul Dorgba: director, Special Duties The PHCCIMA is doing better now.

Rivers State Government, led by Gov Nyesom Wike, has taken decisive steps for SMEs especially by tackling security. He has recently supplied gunboats, patrol vans, better equipment to fight cultism, etc. Infrastructure revolution has been launched to boost business.

There is big plan for the Agric sector and some other sectors. He is still Mr. Projects. We urge the PHCCIMA to come back to the blueprint for job creation.

CEO of PrimePort Logistics: Otunba Femi Adewunmi And why my business is still in PH There are no gaps in Lagos business sector. It is Rivers State that the gaps and opportunities abound. To start a business in Port Harcourt, identify some gaps, look at the figures, and then act. Do you know that 75 per cent of goods consumed here come from Lagos?

Put structures in place. Yes, funds are an issue, the Government could be an issue, bad business environment may be challenging, but focus on what you can do.

Plan for next three years of your business. If a development is coming, plan to play in it, get the appropriate requirements ahead.

Do things differently. Do not be a regular person. Rivers is the easiest state to succeed in business or to fight competition. They will give you a chance and see what you can do.

34

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Sunday 01 September 2019

Perspective

Lagos Traffic Radio, commuters’ companion, soars higher Rasak Musbau

T

he establishment of Lagos Traffic Radio in 2012 by the then Babatunde Raji Fashola administration was applauded by Lagosians, especially as it opened up a new vistas in the management of traffic in the state of aquatic splendour. This lofty idea, which stemmed from the exposure and experience of the former governor during his visits outside the country, was generally seen as a home-grown solution to the peculiar traffic situation in the state.

Accordingly, it is part of the holistic approach at ensuring traffic decongestion on our roads by providing traffic updates to Lagosians so that they can make rational and informed decisions about their daily movements in order to reduce travel time on the road, reduce stress and ultimately enhance productivity.

Ever since, the station has been implementing part of its mandate of providing traffic information and travel advisory on all modes of transportation particularly on roads since 95percent of human movement is done via roads. That is why emphasis is placed on the provision of traffic information and travel advisory on roads at initial period even till now with the assistance from LASTMA and FRSC officials.

Today, Traffic Radio has become a household name in Lagos, an “oracle” that commuters regularly consult before stepping out. As the station keeps on evolving, the baton of leadership changed towards the end of last year allowing new breath, fresh ideas and innovations. On August 22, 2018, Tayo Akanle became the general manager of the station, following the statutory retirement of Yinka Adagun from the service.

One of the critical gaps identified by the new leadership was the station’s poor online presence. The dire need to put

traffic radio

Traffic congestion

the station in proper online prospective informed the reinvigoration and re-energising of the official social media platforms as tried and tested social media strategies were adopted.

This led to an appreciable increase in organic Likes/Followers on its social media platforms within a short period.

For instance, in August 2018, the official Facebook page had about 4,000 Likes but has now increased to over 20,000, a 400percent increase.

Also, the redirection of its online radio streaming platforms through the official website and Mobile Application were steps taken to make the station more visible. The station has now connected with more people, birthed a multi-platforms window for information dissemination and also become more engaging.

The online traction generated through these deliberate

moves gave the station a new online pedestal in a competitive radio community, achieving a strong online presence ever since.

In view of the need to expand the scope of the station beyond the provision of traffic information on roads, the new leadership came up with a new initiative which is within the ambit of the mandate by commencing the provision of traffic information on other modes of transportation such as waterway movement, train and flight schedules including shipping position.

This much is revealed in the editorial of The Nation Newspaper of Wednesday, February 13, 2019: “To its credit, Lagos Traffic Radio has not been lured into complacency by the success it has recorded thus far.

Rather, the new management of the station has come up with a new and most commendable initiative to extend its service beyond providing information and guidance to road users. The radio has now commenced the dissemination of information on maritime and shipping positions as port schedule as well as airline and train time schedules.”

The idea behind this initiative is to expose commuters to the workability of the modes, especially on the movement of ferries on the waterways, create the necessary awareness and ultimately decongest the roads.

In terms of human capacity development, the station’s leadership is working on new strategies to develop and update the competence of its

personnel. This informed the decision to hold the maiden management retreat from 6th – 8th December, 2018 with the theme, ‘Reinvigorating the Brand in a competitive market’.

It was conceived in view of the need to review and assess the station’s business process towards becoming more efficient and effective.

Significantly, the retreat opened the station to new prospects as it becomes obvious that giving traffic updates hitherto at every 15 minutes throughout the day cannot subsist, given the new reality of increase in vehicular movement. Hence, the resort to 10 minutes traffic updates at interval.

Coming on the heel of the success of the maiden management retreat, another one was organised for all staff with the theme: ‘Re-energising the Workforce for Improved Productivity’. The idea was to share the redefined vision, mission statement and core values of the station with all staff.

In order not to allow distractions that may impede the work flow at ensuring the delivery of its core mandate to commuters, the station reviewed its advertisement policy and concluded not to take adverts such as live appearances on Forex trading, online business and religious jingles, amongst others.

The station’s flagship programmes such as ‘Your Side Mirror’, ‘Lunch Time Waka’ and ‘Bonsenloo’ have continued to grow in leaps and bounds.

Other programmes are still in the pipeline while traffic educa-

tion will soon be introduced in response to Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola’s recommendation during the 4th Lagos Traffic Lecture Series.

Other new grounds being explored include the introduction of Mobile Courts updates, propagation of the Executive Order of His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and filing of live reports during major incidents on roads, among others.

In order to access more traffic information, the station is exploring other sources of information such as sharing of motorists travel experiences, Google Traffic Map, social events travel advisory and a host of others.

The successful hosting of the 4th Lagos Traffic Radio Lecture Series whose theme was ‘Lagos Beyond Roads, The Intermodal Transport Option’, attended by dignitaries such as the Governor of Lagos State ably represented by his Deputy, Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and Minister of State for Health, Olurunimbe Mamora, amongst others was a reflection of purposeful direction of where next the station is going.

As a testimony to its numerous giant strides, the station has won several awards from many credible organisations. Recently, the station won the Best Radio Station award in Promoting Transportation and Logistics in Nigeria during the Transportation and Logistics Excellence Award at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

The current administration in the state under the leadership of Governor Babajide SanwoOlu has particularly been supportive of the station in diverse ways. One is not really surprised by this, considering Governor Sanwo-Olu’s firm commitment to addressing transportation and traffic management challenges in the state. But then, the Radio Station would further require assistance from the state government, especially in terms of provision of basic infrastructure such as cameras at key points alongside some traffic flow censoring system to strengthen the integrity and credibility of the service.

Undoubtedly, Lagos Traffic Radio has justified the argument that effectiveness and power of radio in the present digital age can never diminish. Although it might be difficult to completely eliminate road congestion in a burgeoning mega city like Lagos, initiatives such as Traffic Radio and others could greatly help in mitigating its effect. . Musbau is of the Features Unit in the Ministry of Information and Strategy

Sunday 01 September 2019

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35

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Equity Low sales, rising competition reduce brewery industry’s profit by N15bn

T

Stories by TELIAT SULE

he nation’s brewery industry witnessed a 37 percent decline in industry profit which amounted to N15 billion, as Guinness Nigeria released its audited financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2019. Earlier in March, Nigerian Breweries Plc released its audited financial statement for December 2018 and both firms share similar trends when their results were analysed.

With Guinness audited results out, analysts and stakeholders now have a clear direction of the effect of the rising unemployment and intense competition on firms in the nation’s brewery sector. GDP figures from first quarter of 2018 to first quarter of 2019, which was the financial year-period for the two beverages giants, show that the food, beverages and tobacco sub sector-the sub sector where the activities of brewers are captured, recorded a real growth of 5.46 percent in Q1 2018; 1.21 percent in Q2 2018; 2.90 percent in Q3 2018 and 2.22 percent in Q4 2018. In all, that sub sector grew by 2.93 percent. In the Q1 2019, real GDP growth rate for the sub sector was 2.93 percent.

With both Guinness and Nigerian Breweries posting declines in sales, it then means that the drivers of the growth are other business units such as Nestle and other food processors in that sectors.

According to Nigeria’s data agency, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), unemployment rate rose to 23.1 percent as at Q3 2018, thus, implying that 20.9 million Nigerian willing and ready to work could not find jobs, and this further confirms the predicament of firms in the nation’s brewery sub sector.

Guinness Nigeria recorded

Index

All Share Index(ASI) NSE Premium Index NSE Main Board Index NSE ASeM Index NSE 30 Index NSE Banking Index NSE Insurance Index NSE Consumer Goods Index NSE Oil/Gas Index NSE Lotus Islamic Index NSE Industrial Index NSE Pension Index

Market Returns Jan 31, 2019

Market Returns Feb 28, 2019

Market Returns Mar 29, 2019/Q1

Market Returns June 28, 2019(H)

Market Returns July 31, 2019

Market Returns Aug 30, 2019

A Year Ago: Market Returns Aug 31, 2018

-­‐2.78%

0.93%

-­‐1.24%

-­‐4.66%

-­‐11.81%

-­‐12.42%

-­‐8.88%

-­‐3.05%

1.21%

0.40%

9.17%

4.17%

5.40%

-­‐1.44%

-­‐2.57%

0.71%

-­‐1.37%

-­‐13.11%

-­‐22.55%

-­‐23.88%

-­‐10.16%

-­‐0.60% -­‐4.04%

0.87% 0.53%

1.69% -­‐1.73%

-­‐1.45% -­‐11.39%

-­‐1.80% -­‐19.60%

-­‐1.87% -­‐23.25%

-­‐25.51% -­‐10.61%

-­‐2.49%

3.05%

1.26%

-­‐8.04%

-­‐16.49%

-­‐19.49%

-­‐11.98%

-­‐3.26%

5.37%

-­‐0.40%

-­‐2.16%

-­‐8.49%

-­‐15.52%

-­‐0.39%

6.91%

-­‐2.61%

-­‐5.15%

-­‐16.89%

-­‐26.74%

-­‐29.74%

-­‐15.96%

-­‐7.27%

-­‐1.20%

-­‐3.87%

-­‐16.21%

-­‐25.26%

-­‐34.35%

-­‐9.81%

0.72%

2.41%

1.51%

-­‐12.03%

-­‐20.11%

-­‐22.25%

-­‐4.29%

5.77%

2.84%

0.14%

-­‐12.12%

-­‐13.26%

-­‐11.85%

-­‐15.59%

-­‐3.12% 0.31% -­‐1.16% -­‐12.35% -­‐19.85% -­‐23.34% -­‐6.92% Market -­‐2.78% 0.93% -­‐0.41% 12.67% 15.25% 14.25% -­‐6.52% Capitalisation Computed by BusinessDay Research and Intelligence Unit (BRIU). For enquiries, please call 08098710024 or teliat.sule@businessday.ng ; biodunteliat24@gmail.com

N131.5 billion in turnover in the “The Guinness Nigeria’s re- total sales in both the domestic Low sales, competition rewery industry’s

by N15bn financial yearrising that ended in Junereduce and export markets. sultsbare in line with ourprofit expec30,2019 , and that amounted to tations. The brewery space has For both firms, it was more TELIAT of SULE a decline 8 percent when com- been facing weakness in revenue expensive producing during the pared with N143 billion the firm growth for a while and the latest reference period. In 2017, it cost The in nation’s brewery industry 37 percent of decline industry Breweries profit which 58 kobo made corresponding period witnessed results are aa confirmation their in Nigerian for revenue in amounted to N15 billion, as Guinness Nigeria released its audited financial statements 2018. The decline cuts across challenges “, said Ahmad Junaid, to generate 100 kobo both the domestic and export analyst at Meristem Securities. whereas in 2018, the same firm the period ended June 30, 2019. Earlier in March, Nigerian Breweries Plc released its sales.

In the domestic market, Nigerian Breweries’ turnover expended 61 kobo to audited financial statement for December 2018 and both firms share similar trends when generate Guinness Nigeria realised N124.9 declined by 5.9 percent, and this 100 kobo revenue. For Guinness their results were analysed. billion, a decline of 7.9 percent was mainly from the domestic to generate 100 kobo revenue, when compared with N135.7 market. Local sales during the cost rose from 60 kobo to 66 kobo With Guinness audited results out, analysts and stakeholders now have a clear direction of billion it made in the same market financial year ended December during the period. the effect of the rising unemployment and intense competition on firms in the nation’s during a corresponding period in 31, 2018 stood at N324.20 bilThis was in spite of the 36 brewery sector. GDP figures from first quarter of 2018 to first quarter of 2019, which was 2018. lion, representing 5.9 percent de- percent reduction in industry the financial year-­‐period for the two beverages giants, show that the food, beverages and However, sales fell by a higher cline while at the export market, finance cost which fell to N10.5 margin in the export market. In sales rose by 57.4 percent from billion from N16.3 billion during 2019, total export proceeds for N121.03 million in December the reference period. Finance Guinness Nigeria stood at N6.51 2017 to N190.5 million in Decem- cost reduction was higher on the billion, which amounted to a 10.1 ber 2018. part of Guinness Nigeria, which percent decline when compared Between the two brewers, Ni- cut finance cost down to N2.61 with N7.24 billion it made in simi- gerian Breweries still controls 71 billion as against N5.64 billion in lar period in 2018. In both periods, percent of the market while Guin- corresponding period in 2018, domestic market share stood at ness Nigeria controls 29 percent representing a decline of 53.7 95 percent. of the market when measured by percent. For Nigerian Breweries,

finance cost was reduced by 26 percent from N10.7 billion to N7.89 billion.

Guinness Nigeria further cut down marketing and distribution expenses by 16.4 percent from N26.01 billion in 2018 to N21.8 billion in 2019. On the contrary, this metric rose by 4.8 percent for Nigerian Breweries from N66.9 billion to N70.1 billion during the reference period.

Further, Guinness’ salaries and wages were slashed 11.5 percent during the period from N8.6 billion in 2018 to N7.6 billion in 2019. This decline could not be fully attributed to the reduction in the number of its employees during the period. According to available data, Guinness Nigeria had 780 employees by June 2019 as against 804 in June 2018. This implies that while the number of employees fell by 3 percent, the corresponding salaries and wages declined by 11.5 percent.

While there was a reduction in the number of the Nigerian Breweries’ employees from 3,328 in 2017 to 2,983 in 2018, their salaries and wages rose by 4.9 percent from N30.1 billion in 2017 to N31.5 billion in 2019.

Industry profit after tax (PAT) fell to N24.9 billion from N39.8 billion in corresponding period, representing N15 billion loss in profit. In spite of Nigerian Breweries accounting for 78 percent of the industry profit, its PAT fell by a higher margin of 41.2 percent from N33.1 billion to N19.4 billion during the period.

Nigerian Guinness’ PAT fell by 18.4 percent from N6.7 billion to N5.5 billion.

As a committed organisation to all its stakeholders, Guinness Nigeria has proposed a final dividend of N1.52 per 50 kobo ordinary share. This is for shareholders whose names appear in the register of company on or before September 20, 2019. Payment date is October 24, 2019.

Fidelity Bank gets closer to tier 1 status

F

idelity Bank is not resting on its oars to becoming a tier 1 bank in the country as its latest results show the commitment of its management to attain that status earlier than expected. The existing tier-one banks are First Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Access, Zenith and Africa’s global bank, the

United Bank for Africa (UBA).

Fidelity Bank’s gross earnings for the half year ended June 30, 2019 increased by 12.3 percent from N92.3 billion in June 2018 to N103.7 billion in June 2019. Interest income rose by 7.2 percent to N85.8 billion as against N80 billion in similar period in 2018. Profit before tax stood

at N15.01 billion, a 15.7 percent increase over N13 billion Fidelity Bank made in similar period in 2018.

Profit after tax rose by 15.6 percent from N11.8 billion to N13.7 billion. Similarly, loans and advances increased by 17.6 percent to N999.3 billion up from N849.9 billion in June last year. Deposits

were up by 12 percent from N979.4 billion to N1.09 trillion. Net assets rose by 11 percent to N215.6 billion from N194.4 billion in corresponding period in 2018.

Cost to income ratio for the period was 84.2 percent as against 72.9 percent last year June. Also, loan to deposits ratio rose to 91

percent as against 87 percent in similar period in 2018.

Last week Friday, the share price of Fidelity Bank rallied by 1.2 percent to close at N1.61 per share as investors traded 11.3 million shares worth N18.97 million. Year to date, its share price has declined by 17.2 percent

36 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 01 September 2019

TheWorshippers ‘You can’t succeed in ministry without a good home’ Francis Akin-John, president of the Church Growth International Ministry, recently had an interactive session with Christian Press Association of Nigeria (CPAN) where he discussed about issues relating to immorality in the church and how Christians should react to it. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU: How can the church help restore back to the faith preachers who fall into immorality? think the first thing is to understand that nobody is immune when it comes to immorality.

The Bible warns us that he who thinks he stands should take heed lest he falls. That said; I think also that it is the responsibility of those who are mature and strong to help the weak and vulnerable believer. But, then from my own little research and findings, many pastors who fall into sexual sins are pastors that have nobody to run to.

They have no mentors or no fathers in faith they can confide in. Many of them are just on their own; nobody to call them to order.

I was told of the case of a pastor we was said to have done wrong and was well known to some fathers of faith. The fathers of faith called him and asked him to apologise for what he was allegedly done.

He did not take that advice, rather he threatened to sue. I think people that have proved they can’t handle the opposite sex should not pastor a church. Women will come with all kinds of challenges but pastors must never take advantage of them. There was a man of God in Ibadan who God used a lot. He fell into sin; a woman seduced him. He was rescued: he was restored, came back to the church and met the same lady and fell again. He never recovered. There was a pastor who lost his wife. The wife was still in the mortuary when he started chasing another woman. I was shocked.

Often time, the church does not teach on sexual education: how can the church refocus its teachings to accommodate teachings on sex and sexuality?

Parents should go back to teaching sex to their children. Pastors should go for training and update themselves on what is going on around the world so they could bring the knowledge to bear on their teachings. If we don’t teach young ones we are destroying their future because they will learn from

I

Francis Akin-John, President,Church Growth International Ministry

outside. I had to teach my boys. By the time I approached the subject one of them said he was already aware because he had been taught in school. I said to him the one I teach is the correct one and not the one he learnt in school. My boys have been behaving well because of the teaching. We must teach sex on our pulpits. I have done books on wholesome sex and taught it. In every congregation there are several kinds of sexual problems.

When it comes to sexual violence, women are usually at the receiving end: what steps can be taken to address this societal ill?

A woman should not dress suggestively. When they say a woman looks sexy, it’s not a compliment.

They should dress moderately.

Women must dress in a dignified way. In the old Oshodi in Lagos when a woman is well dressed, nobody will harass her on the road.

Those who harass women do so because such women are scantily dressed. When you work with unbelievers you need to load yourself

with the knowledge of the word. I once worked in offices and I know what it means. I worked among ladies and I can tell that it was God who saved me from them. A particular lady would come and frontally offer me sex. I made the mistake of telling them I was a virgin. That increased the pressure on me by one of the women. I later resigned from the place and came into the ministry.

A few years after, I went to Oyingbo and stopped by to greet them in the office; this same woman came and testified about my fidelity to my associate who accompanied me on the visit. It is normal for a lady to get advances from men. But then when the advances are becoming too much there is a problem. One of my students who already had three children and was pregnant once told us in the class where we were teaching about sexual pressure that some men still wanted to marry her even in her pregnant condition. They would tell her that they were ready to take care of her

and the pregnancy, asking her to do away with her husband. That shows the extent to which some men could be desperate. Christian ladies should pray that men should stop lusting after them. There was the case of Amnon in the Bible who said he loved Tamar his sister. He listened to the advice of a demonic friend and pretended that he was sick. He asked that his sister would serve him food in the room. He used the opportunity to forcefully sleep with her. After the whole thing the Bible records that he now hated her more than the love he professed for her. This tells us that most of the time when men desire to sleep with a woman outside marriage it is not because of love but lust.

The society seems to focus more on men falling into sexual sin; is it that women don’t suffer this same weakness of the flesh?

Women fall into sin. I agree and it’s usually because husbands don’t satisfy them sexually. There is a trend now going on in Lagos. It has been discovered that some of these folks who have kiosks where they sell groceries are sexual predators.

They also sleep with women who are sexually starved. When the gap between a man and woman is too much there is usually a problem.

If the man is 50 and the wife is 20 years, it will come to a time that the man will not be able to meet up with the sexual demand of the woman.

That is the cause of the woman’s infidelity. If we subject ourselves to the Bible we will face reality.

Each partner should believe in the sanctity of marriage. If we believe in the sanctity of marriage we find solution to our marital problems.

Women who do not love sex are very few. Most girls of today have been exposed to sex before they marry. Husband and wife should discuss sex. In a young marriage the couple should meet regularly perhaps three times in the week. If a man does not have sex for three weeks he will be hungry for sex.

When pastors travel for three months without their wives they

usually run into problem. The man should not defraud the woman and the woman should not defraud the man. The only time you stay away is during your monthly period or during prayer and fasting. Even when you are fasting you can still have sex when you break your fast in the evening. Sex beautifies the wife and the husband and removes sickness and diseases. It has to be done with joy and happiness. But, when a man wants sex always without inhibition, that man may be using sexual stimulant which is not too healthy.

The rate of divorce and remarriage in our churches today are increasing, what is your view on this?

This is very controversial. I don’t have an opinion on this apart from what the Bible says. We need to open our eyes before we go into marriage. The day you’re married you’re bond forever with your spouse. The Bible supports once married always married until death.

Jesus was teaching in Matthew 19 and he said divorce was not permitted in the beginning. Moses gave permission for divorce because of the hardness of the hearts of the people. There are some peculiar situations that the couples have to separate for peace to reign; that is not divorce. Marriage is basically a family issue.

That is what Genesis 24 says. In marriage, it is the father that hands over the woman to the man. Church should just be referee, directing them to what the Bible says. Marriage is between the man and the woman, and God. So, before you break a marriage you need the permission of God. You can’t succeed in ministry without a good home for those who are married. There was a case of a pastor whose wife packed out of the home for 12 years. I asked him to take a step to visit the family and tell them their daughter had gone for 12 years. The father of the woman said his daughter had gone to marry another person, that in the first place he did not want his daughter to marry the pastor. In that case the man is free to go and re-marry.

Lagos partners religious institutions in campaign against domestic violence

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agos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) has concluded a two-day workshop to strengthen capacity of religious institutions in responding to domestic violence.

The event held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja on Wednesday was organised in partnership with the European Union (EU)-funded Rule of Law and Anti Collaboration Programme and Nigeria Policing Programme, was aimed at sensitising religious organisations and ensuring adequate response to complaints of sexual and gender-based violence in the state.

According to Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, the DSVRT coordinator, the seminar was put together against the backdrop of recent statistics, which revealed that 70 percent of reported incidents of matrimonial abuses at DSVRT had already been reported at victims’ religious organisations.

She said religious institutions were strategically positioned to prevent and properly respond to domestic violence, given that their teachings convey values and tolerant belief systems to their members.

She said: “Members of religious institutions often have direct

support or counselling relationships with their religious leaders.

Religious leaders, therefore, are at a vantage position in serving as first responders to incidents of domestic violence in their respective places of worship.”

Over 100 heads of Counselling Department personnel drawn from both Christian and Islamic faiths were selected for the workshop, where facilitators engaged them in various topical issues and lecture.

Some of the sub-topics were titled: An Overview of Gender Based Violence: Need for Professional Pastoral Counselling Skills;

Christian and Islamic Perspective on Gender Violence; as well as A Critical Consideration of the Protection Against Domestic Violence Law 2015 and their Role in Properly Responding to Domestic Violence.

Participants were encouraged to promote teachings that would provide helpful resources on domestic abuse through regular sermons, prayers, education and clerical care. The organisers urged that messages from religious institutions to their followers should include injunctions that indicate God’s love for all humans and the importance of mutual respect and

submission between couples.

The need for a proper referral pathway between religious institutions and the government was also constantly emphasised at the workshop, given that domestic violence remains a punishable crime in Lagos.

Head of Counselling Unit, Believers Faith Incorporated, Rev. Fredrick Makonjuola, who participated in the workshop, praised Lagos government for the initiative, urging the State to sustain the programme for continuous and inclusive engagement of all religious institutions in the campaign to end domestic violence.

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Sunday 01 September 2019

BDSUNDAY 37

TheWorshippers Inspiration With Rev. Yomi Kasali

@rev.yomikasali

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he news broke out last week and it broke my heart along with so many hard working Nigerians who truly believed in the reward of diligence and hard work. The young man celebrated by the very revered Forbes, much watched BBC, and widely acclaimed Ted Talks was a ‘fraud’ after all. How did that happen and where did everyone get it wrong? He was used by many

Slow down ...Lessons from Invictus Obi politicians as the model for young people and many more condemned the president for saying Nigerian youths are lazy by referring to him as the example of a successful young Nigerian.

I will like to speak as a teacher of the Word and share my opinion on what is wrong with us today from my constituency (church and faith-based organizations).

I strongly believe we have ‘over driven’ our youth today to be successful and we have thrown caution to the wind.

The pulpits today charge people to ‘make it’, ‘get it’, ‘claim it’, ‘receive it’ without asking questions about Processes and Principles.

We are like people driving on the ‘fast lane’ of life trying to catch up with those who have left his base 5 hours earlier without observing speed limits. Most roads abroad have speed limits and it is meant to ‘guide’ drivers and make the roads safe for all road users. However, the Nigerian church has told the young people to achieve ahead of time; in fact we encourage them to apply much speed towards catching up with or even overtaking someone who started his

Security challenges: Methodist Prelate raises alarm over porous borders Regis Anukwuoji, Enugu

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hePrelateMethodist Church of Nigeria S.C. Uche has raised the alarm over the porous nature of Nigerian borders, particularly those in the northern part of the country as a major cause of insecurity in Nigeria.

The prelate, who was in Enugu on his apostolic tour of the south east, called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, check all the movements of non-Nigerians in and out of borders in the north.

He alleged that most of the bandits are people who smuggled themselves into the country through the porous borders.

He further challenged the military and police to look inwards and find out from where the bandits are getting the guns which they use for their operations in the country.

According to the Prelate, “the guns used by these bandits are highly sophisticated, that those poor people on their own could not buy them which gives room for suspicion. He called on security stakeholders to kindly explain to Nigerians where

the bandits and kidnapers are getting the guns from.

“The weapons used by them show that they are being sponsored by some highly place persons in the society.

From where do those poor people get the money to buy such guns, they are poor and cannot have money to buy the guns.”

According to Uche, Nigerian military should try and copy from the security arrangement of Israel. “Every soldier should not be carrying gun; information is the most important thing, for solders to perform effectively, that is why Boko Haram can attack Army barracks,” he said.

The prelate, who called for proper equipment of local vigilantes, also advocated for state police, which he said are in a better position to checkmate all the killings by those suspected to be Fulani herdsmen and bandits rearing their ugly heads in the South East. He however, commended Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his proactive reactions to the recent security challenges in the state.

He also emphasised that the country needed a lot of prayers this time around for divine intervention.

career journey thirty years earlier.

The Apostle Luke warned us of these times and these preachers when he wrote, ‘and take heed to yourselves, lest at anytime your HEARTS BE OVERCHARGED with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life...’ (Luke 21 v 34).

We have over charged hearts, over driven youths, wealth centric generation and those who do not care about consequences but just want to get rich ‘quickly or die trying’.

My pain is that the church is involved in this society crisis of ours in today’s Nigeria.

I will like to put it on record

that I am totally against such and will stay the course of scriptures even if I remain the only one in that ring fighting that battle.

Let me Inspire you from the Invictus Obi Saga...

6 Lessons from Invictus Obi saga It is not all that glitters that is gold: Do not forget true Gold is different from bronze; brass can glitter but is not gold. I recall buying a rose gold wrist watch and the seller told me clearly that it’s not gold but just a gold like color. Many people are moved by glitterati and ignore the real thing.

Character is king not cash: I remember tweeting

this thought some years ago and I got some bout of abusive words on twitter like never before. People shouted my thought down and told me to shut up, they prefer cash to character. My heart felt weak and down but I did not give up. I will say it again, ‘Character is King not CASH’, money may attract you to someone, look for character to judge the person not cash alone.

Do not envy them: The Bible says we should not envy (Prov. 23 v 17) those who have money if we do not know the root of their wealth.

In fact Envy is a seed of an evil eye, many people covet what they do not need and allow greed to eat up their souls.

Do not envy those who have what you do not need, at best you may admire some but do not envy them.

Beware of bad success: God told Joshua about Good Success in Joshua 1 v 8, which means there is Bad success.

He told him that the only way to know good success is by the book of the law which is where we have the phrase from, ‘playing it by the book’.

This book of the law or obeying God’s laws will guarantee good success.

Patience is profitable: I have preached on Patience as a virtue that believers must cultivate and made this statement that I believe is quotable, ‘God is not in a hurry to Bless you but you are in a Hurry to be Blessed by God’.

The Bible says those who ‘believe in God will not make HASTE (or be in a hurry)’.

We are always in a hurry to get there and make it ahead of others.

Social media lies: Most Of The pictures and videos on social media can really paint pictures of lies and deceit. Be careful not to let your heart be deceived with what you see and hear over social media. I saw some despicable videos of some of the men caught by FBI for internet fraud spraying monies and ‘living the life’ as we may want to put it, but now I am sure they will be ‘living the real life’ in the six by six American jails.

If you have enjoyed this article, can we make the hashtag trend today, #BePatient I do expect to read your feedback on how this article has blessed you.

Be Inspired!

BSN begins 2019 marathon Bible reading on Monday

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he 2019 edition of the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN), annual marathon Bible reading exercise will commence on Monday, 2 September, at the Presbyterian Church, Yaba, Lagos. This was made known in a statement released by Benjamin Mordi, BSN’s media manager.

According to Mordi, the programme will be declared open on Monday, 2 Septem-

ber, by Dare Ajiboye, the general secretary of BSN, stating that the programme is scheduled to take place in Lagos, Kwara, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Ondo and Adamawa States simultaneously from Monday 2nd to Friday 6 September between 9: 00 am and 5:00 pm daily.

“The unique feature of this programme is that it gives the participants opportunity to read the Bible aloud in

their own native languages.

Participants, irrespective of denomination, age or gender, will have a three-fold joy by participating,” said Mordi stating that the initiative is aimed at helping someone else hear the word of God in a new way while joining others in continuous reading of the Bible. According to Mordi, “Admission into the programme is free.

“The Bible Society of

Nigeria is a not-for-profitmaking interdenominational Christian organisation that translates the Bible into Nigerian languages, publishes and distributes it and also raises funds for Bible work. So far, we have complete Bible in 26 Nigerian languages. The BSN gives Bibles free to old people’s homes and orphanages, people with visual disability, prisoners, the deaf, among others,” the statement reads.

Sickle cell patients can live fulfilling lives, if - Survivor … NGO says, ‘parents can play vital role in disease elimination’ UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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osephine Osondu, a sickle cell disease survivor, has advised sufferers that they can still lead lives that are close to normal if extra care is taken with their health and management.

Osondu, while speaking as a guest on a radio programme titled ‘Half Hour of Hope’ on BCA Radio, Umuahia, Abia State, said she had not suffered a health crisis for over ten years.

She admitted that she had been living with the disease all her life and had suffered quite a lot from the

disease, but that with care, self-control and moderate living she had been able to survive without much complications.

She revealed that she

News had a stroke when she was fifteen years, suffered leg ulcers, and shortage of blood at various times but she had been able to combat the challenges by adhering strictly to her drug regime.

While commending the passage of the bill on genotype and blood group testing in Abia State, Osondu

called on government to put in place laws that would protect sickle cell disease patients from stigmatisation and discrimination.

She also called on employees and society not to discriminate against sufferers.

Osondu used the occasion to thank the wife of the governor for the pioneering work she is doing on sickle cell, pointing out that the NGO, Vicar Hope Foundation, is making life a lot easier for sickle cell sufferers.

She predicted that in the future, sickle cell would be reduced to its barest minimum as a result of activities of Vicar Hope Foundation

and her own NGO, Ify-Jones Foundation.

In a related development, Patricia Nwankwo, head, Vicar Hope Sickle Cell Disease Diagnostics Centre, Umuahia, Abia State, has said that parents have a huge role to play if the prevalence of sickle cell disease is to be reduced in the country.

Nwankwo made this known in Umuahia while interacting with audience during a BCA radio programme, titled “Half Hour of Hope” According to Nwankwo, “This feat could be achieved if would-be-parents took the responsibility of checking their genotype compatibility before marriage.”

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Sunday 01 September 2019

SundayBusiness Flood menace and food production Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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n the absence of solid, safe and sustainable infrastructures put in place as preventive and proactive measures by state and the federal governments, warnings given by both the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) about impending floods have become annual rituals.

Worsening by the year are their deleterious socio-economic effects on hydrology, construction, education, health and of course, food production.

Whether we like it or not, the effects of Climate Change caused

by Global Warming are here with us. We still use fossil fuel cars and continue to emit gases from factories that add to the global warming. We fell trees; say more than we act on reforestation. Our political leaders attend all manner of international conferences that point at the dangers posed by the rise in the ocean tides, the thawing of snow or ice right from

the Arctic, intense increase in heat from the atmosphere that has led to desertification, currently sweeping southwards in Nigeria. They sign agreements to abide by global protocols but end up only on papers.

In some instances, ecological funds have become channels to pilfer public till, even as investigations get more politicized than ever. So, what do we do in the face of the annual floods?

As usual, panic measures as well as humungous amounts of public funds are deployed to attempt to solve the attendant problems rather than spending much less money to curtailing and containing the root causes of the annual flood menace. The floods have caused considerable damage to agricultural land across Nigeria, with 122,653 hectares of arable land destroyed.

In addition to shelter, there is an urgent need for food. The affected population has lost household and personal belongings.

Dozens of people have been killed and crops have been lost, raising fears of a food shortage.

As the rains peak in a few weeks’ time, many farming communities living in Nigeria’s fertile basins are bracing up for more losses, with wider implications on country’s agricultural output. Flooding will certainly affect the quantities and types of food produced. Likewise, food security activities like land clearing, crop production, animal husbandry, food processing and preservation and food distribution which lead to the production and release of green house gases (such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrousoxide)causeglobalwarming and impact on climate change.

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has issued an alert warning Nigerians of imminent increased flooding,

in September. Another 279 local government areas would experience minimum flooding across the country in the period, it added. This was disclosed by the Director-General NIHSA, Clement Nze, during a recent press briefing in Abuja. The agency also accused state governments of failing to heed its previous warnings on floods released earlier this year. NIHSA is the agency responsible for issuing flood alerts in Nigeria.

The most recent Situation Report No. 1 (as of 24 August, 2019) states that an estimated 8,875 households (HH) have been affected by torrential rains and flash floods across Borno and Yobe states. Heavy rains have also hit Adamawa state and the number of affected households is being assessed. The alert issued by NIHSA came a day after the management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) issued a notice for students to vacate the campus after a flood disaster killed four students on campus!

About a year before, precisely on October 4, 2018, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) declared 12 states along the River Niger and Benue as worst affected by flood disaster. Such flooding is exacerbated by poor infrastructure and lack of planning to protect against the waters, but in 2018 the destruction has been

the worst since 2012. A national disaster was declared in four states - Kogi, Niger, Anambra and Delta over the flooding, meaning that the federal government had taken over the search, rescue and rehabilitation of victims.

One’s worry is the painful fact that we, as a country seem not to be learning lessons from past similar experiences. For instance, in 2012 floods began in early July 2012, killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million people as of 5 November 2012. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states were affected by the floods. The floods were termed as the worst in 40 years, and affected an estimated total of seven million people. The estimated damages and losses caused by the floods were worth N2.6 trillion.

Even as NEMA claims that it is battle ready to assist the victims of flooding, experts on environmental protection including Messrs Vincent Dania and Yusuf Kelani insist that it is not. There are no emergency centres to cater for would be victims. The coastal areas, with states such as Lagos and Rivers have witnessed increased urbanisation. Structures are still springing up close to the ocean and lagoon banks. Most of the drainages we depend on for flood water to

escape through have been there for over 20 years without new and wider ones added. So, what should we be doing now?

There is need for more public awareness, down to the rural farmers on what the root causes of flooding are and how to reduce them. The main cause is the emission of green house gases mostly carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide in large quantities by human activities.

These activities include agricultural production, industrialisation, burning of fuels and deforestation, wetland degradation, among others. These gases react with the ozone layer which protects the earth from the sun radiation. Reports showed that agriculture contributes 10percent and deforestation accounts for almost 20percent of green house gas emissions to climate change.

These green house gas emissions are sequestrated in oceans, forest and wetlands, soils NO3 which serve as carbon sinks.

It is important for the governments to accept that Nigeria is not food sufficient as worsened by insecurity. The grains stored in silos are not adequate to cater for emergency needs. Flooding will reduce food production and militate against federal government’s new policy on ban of Forex for food import. NIMET should therefore, work in partnership with the ministries of physical planning, environmental protection and that of agriculture. Prevention is safe and cheaper than cure and a stitch in time will certainly save nine.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

Nigeria faces hard time over $9bn asset seizure order say UK experts Neconde Energy appoints igeria faces a hard time in Nigeria successfully applied to strongly avail itself of all defences

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its bid to get a UK judge to overturn the order clearing the way for a hitherto unknown firm called Process and Industrial Developments Ltd (P&ID) to seize some $9 billion in assets from the Nigerian government over an aborted gas project.

Experts speaking in London have told Reuters why they think that Nigeria’s prospects are limited.

“Nigeria would have to apply to set aside the order for enforcement and that may be difficult to achieve,” says James Langley, a partner with international law firm Dentons and an expert in arbitration.

A set-aside request would have to prove there was an error in the ruling. Langley said the judge’s decision was not legally controversial.

Lawyers representing the Nigerian government argued the award should not be enforced because England was not the correct place for the case, and even if it were, the amount awarded was “manifestly excessive”.

But the decision on the UK as the seat of arbitration was made in 2016, and the arbitration award was made in 2017. Nigeria had 28 days in each case to appeal. It appealed the former decision, but missed the deadline by several months and a judge dismissed it. It never appealed the latter decision.

have the award set aside by the Federal High Court in Lagos.

But in English law, judges do not typically review either the decision on the seat of arbitration or the underlying award once the window for appeal has passed, Langley said.

Nigerian Information Minister, Lai Mohammed said there was no imminent threat to Nigeria’s assets while the case was underway.

But once the court makes its judgment into an order, which is expected in September, P&ID could start targeting assets.

Arbitration awards in the billions are not uncommon. Langley said the method used to determine the figure, based on expected earnings over the life of the contract, was standard for commercial arbitration.

A co-founder of P&ID testified during the arbitration that the company spent $40 million before the project failed, but Langley said the sum was not necessarily relevant.

The award, Langley said, is “just a function of the kind of contract this was”, reflecting potentially large profits.

Parties at this stage would typically reach a settlement that is often well below the award, the experts said.

In addition to fighting the UK ruling, Mohammed said Nigeria “will

customarily afforded to sovereign states ... to stave off any enforcement of the award”.

Nigeria is also fighting a P&ID effort to convert the arbitration award to a judgment in a U.S. federal court.

The information minister made no mention of seeking a settlement.

The government has also asked its anti-graft agency, intelligence agency and police inspector general to investigate P&ID and the circumstances surrounding the deal, which, it said, “includes commencing a full-scale criminal investigation”.

In a statement, P&ID said government allegations that the gas project was designed to fail were “entirely fictional” and “will not make the legal obligation to pay go away.”

State asset seizures “happen all the time. In a 2008 case against Chad, a UK judge ruled that proceeds of oil sales held for the purpose of making repayments to the World Bank qualified as commercial assets.

And in 2018, a U.S. judge cleared the way for a Canadian mining firm to target shares in a U.S. oil refinery owned by state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) over an arbitration debt owed by Venezuela.

Emenike as gas business head Josephine Okojie

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econde Energy Limited has announced the appointment of Chichi Emenike as the head of had venture in line with its decision to prioritize its gas business and position the organisation as a leading player in developing Nigeria’s gas industry.

Emenike will assume the role with over 2 decades of experience in the Oil and Gas industry which spans from the upstream, midstream and downstream subsectors.

“Neconde is quite pleased to welcome Chichi Emanate to our team,” said Frank Edozie, managing director of Neconde Energy Limited in a statement when announcing the appointment.

“Her appointment validates our commitment as a company to significantly grow our gas business, which critical in unlocking the vast potentials that exist in Nigeria’s energy sector,” Edozie said.

She joins Neconde with capabilities in business development and strategy, project management, technical procurement, and overall contract administration.

After cutting her teeth in the Nigerian Oil & Gas industry as a project engineer with Exxon Mobil Nigeria Limited where she garnered cutting edge industry skills and experience over a 10year period, Emenike moved to Vigeo Oil and Gas as head, operations -support services and business development in 2008.

She also served in SunTrust Oil Company, JV Partner on OML 56 where she was the general manager for operations and responsible for overall upstream business development.

Prior to joining Neconde, Emenike was head the business development and commercial operations at Falcon Corporation Limited.

She has a bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Oil & Gas Management from the prestigious Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

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SundayBusiness What mortgage can do when economy totters

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he question has always been asked if there is any role a functional mortgage system can play when an economy is in a downturn, and the ready answer which experts have always given is ‘yes’.

The Nigerian economy is having challenging times and one of the ways the managers of the economy want to approach the solution is through diversification. Diversification is a major economic discourse in the country today.

Agriculture and manufacturing come in handy as low hanging fruits.

But little or no mention is made of mortgage, not even real estate which is the fulcrum around which the mortgage system revolves. This can only be surprising and thoughtprovoking in a country that seems to be groping in the dark for solution to its economic problems.

In advanced economies, the mortgage industry makes significant contribution to economic development. In Nigeria, this is not the case because no consideration is given to its potential. This lack of consideration accounts for why mortgage finance as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), till date, remains as low at 0.5 percent, leaving it several steps behind other emerging markets such as Mexico, Malaysia and South Africa where mortgage contributions to GDP are as high as 10 percent, 25 percent and 29 percent

respectively.

There is no-gain-saying that mortgage has all the potential to stimulate the economy, but for it to do that, all the obstacles to its growth have to be tackled. The relative ‘newness’ of the industry, lack of understanding of its dynamics and operational models by many Nigerians, and poor appreciation of the need and the ultimate benefit of keeping money in a mortgage bank are some of the militating factors.

Finance experts are of the view that a flourishing mortgage banking industry is an effective tool in the hands of the government as the industry will help in regulating the economy in the desired direction.

Presently, the Federal Government is talking about diversification of the economy to stir it away from the current challenges, but attention doesn’t seem to be paid to the mortgage sector. If government really wants to stimulate the economy, a reduction in the interest rate will be a master stroke as, all things being equal, more people will embrace mortgage loan to buy houses, leading to increased activities in the construction sector.

Because of the identified obstacles, many primary mortgage banks (PMBs) are going through very difficult times, such that some are still unable to meet up with the needed capital requirements in the industry.

“If government pays a closer attention to the PMBs by removing some of the obstacles that they have such

Procurement and Supply Chain

with Gob-Agundu Uche Branch chair (CIPS), Nigeria

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uying is the practice of exchange. In its simplest form, it is called purchasing, acquiring, obtaining, getting and picking up. Over time, buying as an art has evolved into the practice called Procurement having its clear cut structures and operating functional parts. In the course of time, procurement practice has also further evolved into a fully fledged profession having its own strategies, processes, procedures and policies.

According to the Business Dictionary, the buying process is the set of procedures used to identify products for purchase, verify quality and compliance of products and vendors carry out purchasing transactions and verify that operations associated with procurement have been executed properly. Different organisations have their own buying processes of various complexities depending on the industry in which they operate and the nature of the products being purchased.

The application of strategy to buying as well as forecasting, inventory management, supplier relations and other advanced buying practices have all combined to make buying more scientific and integrated than previously requiring smart approaches by professionals to achieve the goals of procurement profession. This explains why procurement leaders insist on proper training and onboarding of young practitioners of the profession. We expose them to the entire body of knowledge which form the practice and emphasize the need for them to acquire necessary tools required to thrive in the profession. It is expected that these strategic capacity development efforts will strengthen the skills of practitioners in the art and practice of the buying profession.

In this vein, the following presentation by Francis Churchill on The Six Fundamentals of procurement is expected to be of great use to young professionals in their quest to become

as the drawbacks of the Land Use Act of 1978 which essentially vests land ownership in the hands of the state governors; the right to easily foreclose on delinquent borrowers, ease of creating a legal mortgage and perfecting titles and the ease of falling back on their collateral to recover bad loan etc, this sector will surely improve tremendously”, a mortgage operator says.

The operator insists that until all these issues are resolved in a way that encourages the provider of capital, in this case the mortgage bank, the sector will not grow as desired.

It is hoped that when these obstacles are removed, the supplier of mortgage will allocate more funds towards the provision of home loans while home buyers will better appreciate the implication of prompt interest and capital repayments as well as ensure discipline on the part of the people.

Okika Ekwem, a US-based realtor, affirms that the capital base of the PMBs is inadequate. He however, dismissed the idea of a fixed capital base for mortgage institutions. “The idea that a mortgage institution should have a fixed base of, say N10 billion, is wrong because that amount is too meager; even N100 billion is also meager given the kind of projects they are to finance.

“The federal government needs to come in, look at what is happening in other civilized world and copy.

These days, copying is no longer

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) an act of deception but actually something that is done even in the civilized world”, he said.

In the civilized world, according to him, there is secondary market for real estate financing where commercial banks or individual brokerage banks lend money to people and thereafter sell the securitized certificate to the secondary market and come back again to lend to individuals.

Given the size of Nigeria as a mortgage market, the growth of this industry is possible if the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) plays the role of a regulator while the federal government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), should empower the PMBs more.

Arguably, the Nigerian mortgage industry needs more well established and well funded PMBs. Experts are proposing about 10 in each state of the federation. Meckson Innocent Okoro, an estate manager, explains that this is to discourage

the concentration of these institutions only in urban centres.

“When this is done, access to housing finance will be increased; the PMBs must be positioned to champion the whole issue of affordable or social housing for the low income earners in the country.

Anything the country wants to do without a functional mortgage system that can guarantee homeownership for a good number of people will not succeed”, he reasons.

Continuing, he says, “we are talking about housing which is capital intensive and so must have capable institutions to finance it; increased homeownership will, one way or another, contribute to the country’s GDP which translates to economic growth.

All these actions, if taken, will generate activities in the economy.

Jobs will be created and through them, more people will earn income, leading to the growth of both the GDP and the economy.

Becoming an expert of ‘The Art of Buying’ procurement experts.

The Six Fundamentals of Procurement Procurement isn’t rocket science, it’s not brain surgery and it’s not curing illness, junior buyers have been told.

For the most part, procurement is “absolutely about following a series of systems and processes” to identify, source and manage contracts, said Matthew Sparkes, head of financial services at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), who describes himself as “not a procurement person by trade”.

Speaking to new buyers and non-procurement professionals with purchasing responsibilities at the Procurex conference in London, Sparkes shared six top tips for buying right.

1. Identify customer need Identifying stakeholder or customer need, and separating it from what the customer wants, is crucial, said Sparkes. “If you don’t understand what that need is – it doesn’t matter what the want is – you’ll get it wrong.”

Using the example of Heathrow’s Terminal 5, Sparkes said the airport originally wanted “rows and rows of check-in desks”. The procurement team identified the real need wasn’t having enough desks, it was moving footfall quickly through the terminal. Armed with this understanding, Sparkes said the procurement team suggested an alternative solution based on

supermarket checkouts, reducing both check-in times and costs.

2. Look outside your market Heathrow’s procurement teams were able to suggest an alternative to traditional check-in desks because they understood what other options were available, said Sparkes. Not only should buyers understand their own market, but they are always looking outside their market for innovation.

3. Prioritise relationships Good contract management will give you what you expected to get and it’s important to regularly check suppliers are meeting contractual obligations. “But the relationship is the bit that will give you over and above. It will give you the growth, it will give you the innovation, it will give you the partnering if you want to run it that way,” said Sparkes.

Relationships take time, so think about which suppliers are more important to you and how this might change in the future.

4. Collect spend data Spend data is possibly the most powerful tool buyers have, said Sparkes. Data can help buyers get a view of exactly what they are buying, who they are buying from and frequency, thereby helping to find savings.

Analyzing spend data helped Sparkes save £3m on a single contract, he said. Widgets he was buying at a premium with a flexible ad-hoc contract were actually being bought very regularly. “The

data essentially said for three years we’d been buying this every quarter, pretty much at exactly the same time.” By changing the contract to help the supplier balance their workload he was able to get a much lower price.

5. Communicate what you are doing When going to tender be clear about all aspects of what you are going to do in your procurement, said Sparkes. Be explicit about your market strategy and where you are in the tender process. “If you’re going to work well with people, you need to bring them on that journey with you, and that starts with the first engagement.

“It will also – and this is quite practical – reduce the levels of quite frankly annoying emails writing to get hold of ‘when are we doing this’ and ‘what’s the next step’.”

6. Know your negotiating position Agree your position with your stakeholders upfront, including red lines and walk away points, before you start negotiating with supplier. “It’s absolutely about understanding what I can do in the [negotiating] room and not having to take things away,” said Sparkes.

It will empower you and generally help things go a lot smoother, he added.

In conclusion, the determination of procurement leaders to advance the professional practice of procurement must be sustained through continued emphasis on capacity development.

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Sunday 01 September 2019

SundayBusiness Credit Assist launches KoloMoni in Ibadan REMI FEYISIPO,Ibadan.

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o assist people especially small and medium entrepreneurs and those living in rural areas to access credit facilities, Credit Assist Investment Limited has launched a standard secured web and mobile application, KoloMoni.

The money lending organisation licensed by the Oyo state government and an affiliate of the association of non-bank micro finance institutions in Nigeria said the application was designed to use modern technology in order to encourage savings and investment among Nigerians.

According to the Executive Director of CreditAsset, John Alamu said the firm believes that the application, KoloMoni will tend to reshape the savings pattern of every Nigerians towards achieving their set

goals through personal savings and reduce dependence on excessive borrowing.

Alamu while speaking at the launch of the application held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital on Friday, added that “Credit Assist Investment Limited is delighted to announce the launch of KokoMoni, a standard secured web and mobile application using modern and convenient technology to encourage savings and investment in order to foster savings culture among Nigerians and set users on the road to financial freedom.

According to Alamu, “CreditAssist believes KoloMoni will reshape the savings pattern of every Nigerian towards achieving their set goals through personal savings and also to reduce dependence on excessive borrowing. KokoMoni is an innovative and modernized version of the traditional “kolo (aka Piggybank)” and can be thought of as a digitised kolo for saving

money. “I am confident that KokoMoni is a major way to reduce over-confidence on loans, which often leads to financial disequilibrium.

With a wide array of savings plans available in KokoMoni, our customers will always have more money at their disposal to finance their set goals without sourcing for loans.

Achieving financial freedom for our customers without deliberating loans was the driving force behind the development of KokoMoni.

“KokoMoni is designed for every Nigerian that has access to a smartphone and enables them to save periodically (daily, weekly or monthly). KokoMoni also has a large number of benefits for users. Savings on KokoMoni can attract interest rates as high as 15 percent interest per annum. In addition, these savings are insured by the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission through Meristem Trustees.”

MTN hosts 5,000 young Nigerians to ‘future of tech’ SEYI JOHN SALAU

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TN mPulse, a business proposition that focuses on children and teenagers recently hosted 5000 Nigerian children to a summer event tagged ‘mPulse Planet’ in Lagos to create awareness about the future of technology. The MTN Nigeria’s tweens and teens proposition reflected the theme “Nigeria, the future in 2044”, aimed at giving young Nigerians a glimpse into the future of technology in 2044, 25 years from now.

The MTN ‘mPulse Planet’ supported by Access Bank Plc aims to brighten and expose young Nigerians to digital possibilities of the future. In 2018, MTN Nigeria launched the mPulseproposition to equip young Nigerians between ages 9 and 15

Visions Opticals marks three decades of successful business in optical services IFEOMA OKEKE

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isions Opticals celebrated its 30th year anniversary of successful busi-

ness in optical services on Monday, August 19, at its Flagship store, in the Palms Shopping Mall, Oniru, Lagos; marking three decades of existence as the ultimate “Eye Destination”.

The event featured a mini exhibition in the pop up eye museum, the “blueroom” which showcased the business timeline from inception, a giant-sized cosmetic retina to the amaze-

Tokunbo Peters and guests at the event

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G Electronics (LG) is cooling down more than the summer temperatures with its impressive all new Gencool air conditioners. Nigerian consumers are enjoying a double win with the series, which offers up to 70 percent energy savings on utility bills and up to 40 percent faster cooling.

According to LG, its new

Split Air Conditioner offers high-performance cooling, with the use of LG’s advanced dual inverter compressor, saving energy and cooling faster than a conventional model.

This inverter compressor also resolves the traditional noise challenge with an air conditioner that cools faster.

“It is designed and built to work even at 55. Moreover, the 10-year warranty on the compressor allows consumers to truly benefit from an excellent return on their in-

vestment and enjoy their LG air conditioner for a longer period of time,” the company states.

On an account of the ground-breaking GEN Mode, LG’s new Gen cool AC works efficiently when being powered by a small capacity generator or inverter.

This revolutionary product offers consumers in Nigeria durability, efficiency and cost-saving; it ensures strong and reliable cooling even in the face of extreme heat and

ents and 9-year-old cousin, Amaka Wright, exclaimed “Everything here has been unbelievable!”

The mPulse package comes with a voice plan and a fun, educative website which hosts a wide variety of courses and study aids to help children from Primary 1 to SS3 excel. The portal also provides a bouquet of single and multiplayer games as well as life skill videos. From computer programming, fashion designing, medicine and blogging to engineering, writing, data science and motivational speaking among others.

The proposition also has parental control feature that allows a parent/guardian to safeguard the child’s internet access from harmful content.

With MTN mPulse, the telecommunication company is giving parents and guardians more ways to equip the next generation of Nigerian scholars.

Zenith Bank appoints Henry Oroh executive director ment of guests and a whiteroom which housed the most exclusive collections.

Well-wishers and clientsturned-friends who came out to celebrate with the longstanding prestigious eyewear store took mini tours in the museum and proceeded to the store where the directors took time to guide guests on the choice of the best-suited and well-designed glasses.

They also went into the experience room for cocktails, canapés and the instore eyewear high fashion show.

The night ended in a climax with the high fashion party which thrilled guests as the runway models strutted in designer collections including Andy Wolf, Linda Farrow, Fendi, Cutler and Gross, Céline and Carrera.

LG offers double gains with energy savings, fast cooling in new Gencool air conditioners Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

with the resources needed to maximise their potential in a digital age.

Rahul De, the chief marketing officer, MTN Nigeria, said the summer event that was launched last year is a way of introducing Nigerian youth to the future, by stimulating their minds and intellect. “After last year’s launch, we have continued to improve on mPulse in accordance with the ever-evolving interests of young Nigerians aged 9-15”.

According to De, the mPulse proposition is to prepare teenagers for the future of technology in the digital age. “We wanted an avenue to spur their creativity and get them to think beyond what they see and experience at the moment,” he stated.

Sh a r i n g h e r e x c i t e ment and experience at the mPulse Planet, Cynthia Arinze, a 12-year-old who came along with her par-

power grid failure. However, it is important to note that the GEN Mode features allow minimum start-up electric requirements to power the AC. BDSUNDAY learnt that the electronics company would also be introducing its Dual Inverter Floor Standing Air Conditioner – a stunning model that aims to bring sophisticated style to homes across the region. Delivering effective cooling performance and convenient control for indoor use.

...AL-Mujtaba Abubakar as INED

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he Board of Directors of Zenith Bank Plc has approved the appointment of Henry Oroh as executive director of the bank. The appointment is consistent with the bank’s tradition and succession strategy of grooming leaders from within.

Also, the Board has approved the appointment of Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, FCA, as an Independent Non-Executive Director.

Both appointments are effective September 1, 2019, and have been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Henry Oroh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Benin, Edo State and an MBA from the Lagos State University as well as an LLB Degree from the University of Lagos. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN), Nigeria.

He has over two decades of banking experience. He be-

Henry Oroh

gan his banking career in 1992 at Citibank where he served for seven years in operations, treasury and marketing.

He joined Zenith Bank in February 1999 and has worked in various groups and departments within the Zenith Group Office. His expertise spans operations, information technology, treasury, marketing, including the manufacturing, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, public sector, consumer, as well as corporate banking and business development.

In April 2012, he was seconded to Zenith Bank Ghana Limited as an Executive Director and became the managing director/ Chief Executive in February 2016, where he successfully spearheaded the phenomenal growth of the Zenith Brand both within the Ghana market and the West African sub-region.

Henry has attended several leadership programmes and executive management courses at the Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, New York, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, HEC Paris, JP Morgan Chase, UK and the Lagos Business School.

He comes to the Board of Zenith Bank Plc with strong competencies in Credit & marketing, operations, information technology, treasury and impressive leadership skills.

Al-Mujtaba Abubakar is currently the Managing Director of Apt Pensions Funds Managers Limited.

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BDSUNDAY 41

LifestyleHomes&Suites

Paul Ojenagbon pauloje2000@yahoo.com

Victoria Crest Homes parades elegance

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ictoria Crest Homes boasts of huge pedigree of expertise and experience, having churned out several head-turning estates at various locations in Lagos. The intimidating list includes Victoria Bay I, Victoria Crest I,Victoria Crest II, Victoria Crest III, Kiryan Court, Dream Courts I-IX, Alexander Terraces, Alexander Deed I & II, Crystal Court, Sandton Court, Victoria Crest Luxury Apartments,Ryan Court and Kiryan Terraces. At the moment, they have projects at different locations going on simultaneously. These include Victoria Crest IV, Victoria Bay II, Victoria Bay III, Victoria Nest and Alexander Terraces II. They have an unbeatable passion for providing excellent homes and in

“delivering housing solutions that exceed expectations”.

In Victoria Crest IV, the lifestyle developers offer for sale 4-Bedroom semi-detached duplexes and 3/4- Bedroom Terrace duplexes. This is located

adjacent the Chevron Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative Society and within the vicinity of Twinlake Estate, COOPLAG Estate, Lekki Conservation Centre among others. Infrastructure provided includes good roads with functional drains and street lights. Like most of their other estates, Victoria Crest IV also offers energy conservation that would keep electricity bills lower, natural light and natural ventilated living spaces.

Interestingly, each location of the developer’s activities specialises in a range of specific housing types of real estate delivery. It is a sort of market segment. Victoria Nest located at Chevron Drive adjacent Atlantic Hall specialises in the development of 4-Bedroom

semi and fully detached houses, Victoria Bay II located by Pinnock Beach Estate, opposite Alperton is prominent for 4-Bedroom Terrace duplexes and 4-Bedroom semi-detached duplexes respectively. Similarly, Victoria Bay III located at Nike Art Gallery Way, Lekki Phase I is prominent for 2-Bedroom and 4-Bedroom apartments while Alexandra Terrace II located at Ikate has niche for 4-Bedroom Terraces. With the projects at different locations with varying land values, a prospective buyer with a stringent budget has to look adequately at the company’s diverse products to decide on the one that meets his budget.

The rooms are spacious and all ensuite. The kitchens are ultra-

modern styled and fitted. Power supply is uninterrupted, just as potable water from borehole with treatment plant. Recreational facilities include swimming pools and fitness centres. Security system is enhanced with CCTV. Each apartment is allotted a parking space for 3 cars. There is quality tile finish on the floor and main entrances are fitted with Turkish security doors.

Prices reflect the location and they are from a minimum of N33million for a unit of 3-Bedroom Terrace duplex at Victoria Crest IV uptown to current maximum of N85million for 4-Bedroom fully detached duplex at Victoria Nest or 4-Bedroom semidetached duplex at Victoria Bay III.

Mustang offers David’s Court at Ikate

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ustang Homes & Property Limited is doing great as a player on the turf of real estate development, driving its home campaigns with every sense of responsibility and professionalism. Having recently sold out all units at its ‘perfect luxury’ Elizabeth Court, the owners can now give more of their attention to their other developments including David’s Court.

David’s Court is an ongoing project that comprises six units of 5-Bedroom Terrace houses attached with service quarters located by Meadowhall International School at Ikate, Lekki confined within perimeter fencing. There are two blocks, each containing 3 terrace houses. The ground floor serves as car park

for the home owners, taking in at least two cars while the terrace houses are set on the two upper floors-first and second floors.

The terraces are beautifully designed with large balconies and planned for excellent finishing. The kitchen is fully fitted and furnished with fridge, microwave, cooker, oven among others and there is a storage room to provide extra space for the storing of food items and other domestic stuff. Power supply is guaranteed round the clock on 24/7. Security is boosted with Close Circuit Television (CCTV) device among other arrangements. Potable water is from a borehole with treatment plant. Each unit sells for a princely sum of N120million with 40 percent initial payment and balance to be settled by installment; spread over 12 months.

Incidentally, Elizabeth Court, the sold-out development captures the full essence of modern living. It comprises luxury, fully serviced apartments. These 1,2,3 bedroom apartments, according to the company ‘lie on the axis of affordability and luxury, this winning combination is the perfect balance for real estate investors looking for a property with fantastic returns’. A unique feature

of Elizabeth Court is its rooftop swimming pool. An electronic device powers automated entrance into the apartment. What is more, the units are fully air-conditioned.

Each 1-Bedroom sold for N35 million reduced from previous N38 million, the 2-Bedroom down to N45milion from N50million and the 3-Bedroom down toN55million from N60million. The title on the land is governor’s consent, the highest most marketable.

42 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 01 September 2019

Health&Science Ebola then and now: Eight lessons from West Africa

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he devastating 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa prompted changes in the way the world responds to outbreaks and other health emergencies. Here are eight things that are being done differently in the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Putting research at the heart of the response WHO integrates research into its lifesaving emergency responses inordertobebetterpreparedforthe next disease outbreak. The WHO Research and Development Blueprint initiative was created in 2016 toallowtherapidactivationofR&D activities during epidemics. With support from partners, in the DRC theworkoftheR&DBlueprintteam has enabled the fast-tracking of effective tests, vaccines and medicines as part of the Ebola response.

Getting test results quickly Rapid laboratory testing can make or break an Ebola response.

Faster test results mean faster access to care, which increases the chances of survival for confirmed patients. A rapid diagnosis helps prevent the spread of the disease among the family, friends, and others in the social network of a person confirmed to have Ebola. The faster these contacts are identified, the faster they can be vaccinated and protected from the disease.

Making a quick diagnosis also eases the anxiety felt by families and communities as their loved ones await results.

Quick testing is also critical for monitoring outbreak control activities, for the work of the ‘Safe and Dignified Burial’ teams, for the clinicalmanagement of patients, andfor the Ebola survivors’ programme.

In the DRC, laboratory testing uses a small diagnostic platform called GeneXpert.

“It’s revolutionary,” says Pierre Formenty, Viral and Haemorrhagic Fever team lead in WHO’s Health Emergency programme.

“The first and only manual step is for a trained and skilled lab worker to inactivate the sample in a biosafe glove box, which renders it safe to be tested. The sample is then inserted into a cartridge and the rest is automated. A diagnosis can be made in hours.”

In the DRC local staffs perform laboratorytesting.Thequalityoftesting meets international standards, it is simpler to use than conventional testing methods, and is easier to set up.Newlabscanbeactivatedwithin 48 hours, meaning laboratories can move with the outbreak.

Saving lives with an experimental vaccine

Deployed just one week after the declaration of the current outbreak in August 2018, an experimental vaccine is helping save lives and is slowing the spread of Ebola in DRC. Trials of the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine began in Guinea in 2016. These studiesprovided data on the effectivenessofthisvaccine.WhenEbola struck western DRC’s Equateur province in early 2018, the vaccine was deployed immediately after national approvals were obtained.

“This is a major milestone for global public health,” said Dr Mike Ryan just after the vaccine was deployed in Equateur in May 2018.

“I just spent the day out with the vaccination teams in the community, and for the first time in my experience, I saw hope in the face of Ebola and not terror.”

The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine has not yet been licensed, meaning that it can only be used under “expanded access” or “compassionate use” research studies. Consent is obtained from the people taking

The rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine has to be stored at -60 to -80 degreescentigrade.WHOhassetup and maintains an “ultra-cold chain” wherever the vaccine is being used to ensure the right temperature is maintainedduringstorageandtransport. When sending the vaccines to outbreak-affectedareas,innovative coolersfilledwithblocksofsynthetic alcohol ice are used. The vaccine can be maintained for up to two weeks at 2–8 degrees centigrade at the delivery site. Despite the logistical challenges, there has been no interruptioninthesupplyofvaccinedoses fortheringvaccinationteamsinIturi, North and South Kivu to date.

The implementation of the vaccination strategy in the DRC has been possible thanks to the training of over 4000 Congolese staff supported by 45 researchers from Guinea and other African nations.

Working to find an effective treatment for Ebola Patients who have access to optimized supportive care — treatment for the symptoms and com-

part and they are followed up after vaccination to monitor safety.

The vaccine is being deployed using a ring vaccination strategy: vaccinating contacts and contacts of contacts to prevent the spread of the disease via social networks. This strategywasusedintheGuinea“Ebola ça suffit”trial that first generated efficacy data, and has been recommended by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE — an independent advisory group convened by WHO) as the most appropriate. It’s the same vaccination strategy that was used to eradicate smallpox.

Preliminary results from the DRC confirm the high efficacy of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine.

Data also suggest that if a vaccinated person develops Ebola (because, for example, they were already infected at the time of vaccination) the chances of surviving increase significantly.

plications of Ebola — have higher rates of survival. In the DRC, WHO guidelines are helping provide consistent, equitable and quality care at Ebola treatment centres (ETCs).

TherapeutictreatmentsforEbola arebeingdeveloped,butasyetnone have yet been licensed. For this reason, WHO and the DRC authorities have agreed on protocols for using these on a compassionate basis. In the DRC, for the first time, every patient who goes to an ETC is offered aninvestigationalEbolatreatment.

In November 2018, a first randomized controlled trial was set up in outbreak areas to evaluate four availableEbolatreatments.Thistrial helped researchers to determine whether or not treatments in use in the DRC help save the lives of patientswithEbola.Initialdatafrom the trial showed two of the four Ebola treatments being evaluated areveryeffective.Thesetwobetterperforming treatments are now

being used in all ETCs in the DRC. The trial was a critical step towardsfindinganeffectivetreatment forEbola.Italsodemonstratedthatit is possible to conduct ethically and scientifically sound research in the context of an infectious diseases outbreak,whilesimultaneouslysupporting the joint goals of saving lives and ending the outbreak.

The design of ETCs is also changing.IntheDRC,innovativeBiosecure Emergency Care Units for Outbreaks - transparent safe individual ‘rooms’- are being used by WHO partner ALIMA. This makes it easier for staff to safely care for patients, providing intensive care level monitoring and treatment, and enables familiestoseetheirlovedonessafely andeasily.Thishelpseliminatesome of the fear and rumours about what happens inside ETCs. Supporting survivors During the Ebola epidemic in West Africa it became apparent that survivors suffer continuing health problems. Ebola survivors need comprehensive support for the medical and psychosocial challenges they face. They also need to be followed and supported to minimize the risk of continued Ebola transmission.

In the DRC, the Ministry of Health, WHO and partners are ensuring that all survivors are offered enrollment in a comprehensive programme of follow-up care.

The programme provides clinical, biological, and psychosocial support. Each survivor is provided with follow-up visits every month over a period of six months and then every three months for a year.

Eye problems were common among survivors in West Africa. For this reason, eye clinics for Ebola survivors and specialized training for Congolese ophthalmologists have also been organized. By identifying and treating these problems early, serious consequences, including blindness, can be averted.

Incorporating social science and engaging with communities Engaging with the sociocultural dimensions of epidemics is critical to mounting an effective response.

In the DRC, proactive community engagement is central to the response. Community feedback and information about the social science context have been actively gathered and integrated since the beginning of the outbreak.

Operational briefs are regularly produced to inform the response on the different local social and cultural contexts of outbreakaffected areas. These help shape communication with affected communities about Ebola, the vac-

cine, contact tracing, patient care and other response measures.

A ‘one size fits all’ approach to community engagement isn’t effective. Each community is unique, and engagement has to be hypercontextualized to affected communities in the DRC. People have asked for responders who are local, familiar and speak local languages.

WHOandresponsepartnersheard this feedback and have worked to develop the capacity to place local workers on vaccination, disinfection and other response teams.

Communities are taking ownership of the response. More than 30 partners and 53 local associations — including religious leaders, women’s associations, youth groups, and motorcycle taxi drivers and local leaders — are supporting the response. At least 2098 community engagement teams are currently active in DRC. Communityfeedbackisregularly collected to inform the response.

The feedback is also helping to identify and address rumours and misinformation. More than 100 000commentshavebeencollected so far. Community surveys show that overall Ebola awareness has increased, and that community engagementeffortshaveimproved the understanding of the response andreducedtensionswithresponse teams in key outbreak areas.

Changing WHO’s emergency response structure In 2016 WHO established the new Health Emergencies Programme . It was a profound change, adding operational capabilities to WHO’s traditional technical and normative roles. The programme is designed to bring speed and predictability to WHO’s emergency work. It brings all of WHO’s work in emergencies together with a common structure across headquarters and all regional offices in order to optimize coordination, operations and information flow.

This year, adjustments were made to the programme to emphasize the critical importance of preparedness. The programme now has two divisions: one for preparedness and one for response.

Creating a fast-acting funding mechanism One of the lessons learned from West Africa is that disease outbreaks often move faster than the money allocated to respond to them. As part of the Health Emergencies Programme, WHO set up a rapid response funding mechanism called the Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) so that money is immediately available to jumpstart an outbreak response.

Japan tries to bring universal health coverage to Africa

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ANTHONIA OBOKOH with wired report

he second day of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, or TICAD, is underway. Thursday’s focus is on the biggest hurdles preventing economic growth and social development in many parts of Africa.

The main topic of the session is improving access to basic medical and health services despite wide-

spread poverty.

As a way to tackle this issue, universal health coverage -- the principle that everyone has access to health care without financial hardship -- is expected to garner the most buzz at the conference.

The Japanese government promised to help bring universal health coverage to 3 million Africans through a governmentsponsored program over the next three years.

Another issue delegates are

discussing is preventing infectious diseases, such as the Ebola virus, from spreading.

The World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo an international health emergency in July.

Tokyo has sent Japan’s disaster relief team to DRC to help the countrydealwiththeinfectiousdisease.

The WHO’s official for the Africa region says some private clinics in particular didn’t meet

health standards and that there is much work to be done in reforming the system.

WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said, “The standard of hygiene was so poor that these private clinics became also the place where people were infected with Ebola.

Japan is the strong voice of supporting the improvement of functioning of health systems in countries, and promoting strong universal health coverage. So we

value this role.”

Along with health care, climate change and the environment will be other dominant topics.

Attendees will also likely discuss a pledge to reduce plastic waste, one of the major causes of ocean pollution and an issue countries around the world are grappling with.

The outcome of today’s discussions will be included in a declaration on Friday, the final day of the conference.

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BDSUNDAY 43

Sports UEFA caps Champions League ticket prices at $77

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Stories by ANTHONY NLEBEM

ickets for away fans in this season’s Champions League will be capped at 70 euros ($77), UEFA announced on Friday following complaints from supporters in recent years.

Tickets will also be capped at 45 euros for away fans in the Europa League, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin saying: “Fans are the lifeblood of the game and those who follow their teams to away matches must have access to tickets at a reasonable price, bearing in mind

the cost they have already had to incur for their trip.”

The move comes after both Manchester United and Liverpool

Manchester City extends partnership with Premier Cool

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anchester City FC, an English Premier League club has extended its partnership with PZ Cussons’ soap brand, Premier Cool to be the Club’s Official Personal Care Partner in Nigeria. The announcement was made at an event in Nigeria during the Club’s global trophy tour.

Through this partnership, Premier Cool has released City-

branded personal care products in Nigeria, as well as digital and on-pack promotions to engage with fans and consumers. Premier Cool has also hosted football training sessions across Nigeria, hosted by City coaches and using the Club’s football methodologies.

Premier Cool was launched in Nigeria in 2010 and has recently been relaunched to the market.

Ekekwe Roy, regional marketing manager, PZ Consumer; Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, marketing director Africa, PZ Cussons; Micah Richards, Manchester City FC Club legend and Tom Boyle, Manchester City FC Head of Partnerships, EMEA, at the official Premier Cool and Manchester City FC partnership renewal announcement held in Lagos on August 30th.

Senior vice president of partnerships for City Football Group, Damian Willoughby, commented, “Nigeria is an exciting market for Manchester City – the passion for football is huge and City’s fanbase is growing rapidly. This partnership with PZ Cussons is bringing City right into people’s homes and we are excited to further grow our presence in Nigeria alongside the Premier Cool brand.”

Brand and Activation Manager, Premier, Eniola Ogunlade, said: “After working seamlessly together for the past four years, we can proudly say that it has been a mutually beneficial relationship. This renewed partnership is a confirmation of the immense faith Premier Cool and Manchester City have in each other, as we continue to find innovative ways to offer greater opportunities to our consumers and football fans alike. As you are aware, we have just relaunched the Premier Cool brand to offer even greater value with more variants, and renewing our partnership with the current Premier League champions tells you we mean business and that of course, we want to stay winning. We are very much excited about this next chapter and all I can say is our consumers should expect many more amazing opportunities.”

were angered by Barcelona charging 119 euros for away tickets in the Champions League last season.

In response, the English sides raised their own prices for visiting Barca fans and used the additional revenue to subsidise their supporters’ costs.

United also did this for Sevilla when the sides met in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2018.

“By capping ticket prices, we want to make sure that away fans can still travel to games and play their part in making the atmosphere inside football stadiums so special,” Ceferin added.

The new price cap comes into effect immediately. UEFA said the new maximum prices were

equivalent to the lowest category ticket price for the Champions League and Europa League finals respectively.

“This represents progress, and we commend UEFA for their forward thinking,” Football Supporters Europe Executive Director Ronan Evain said in a statement.

“The cap will eliminate the most egregious cases of overpricing, but it is, in our opinion, still too high.

“Thankfully, the impact of the new regulation will be reviewed at the end of the season, and as such, we will focus our efforts on lobbying the relevant parties to lower it.”

Fresh boxers emerge from GOtv Boxing NextGen 5

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hirteen young boxers, aged between 18 and 25, have emerged from GOtv Boxing NextGen Search 5, which held in Ilorin.

The programme, which began on Thursday, held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Kwara State Sports Complex, where young amateur boxers from across the country took part in sparring sessions to determine their suitability for entry into the professional cadre.

Among those present at the closing ceremony where the boxers were unveiled were President, Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Rafiu Ladipo; Secretary-General of the Board, Remi Aboderin; Mallam Tunde Kazeem, Director, Kwara State Sports Commission and representatives of the sponsors led by Jennifer Ukoh, Public Relations Manager, GOtv. A judges’ panel made up of coaches Joe Mensah, Obisia Nwakpa and Afolabi Olatoke, Vice Chairman, Kwara State Coaches Association, selected boxers.

On selection, they were

presented gifts by the sponsors; three most outstanding boxers at the programme were presented with GOtv decoders by the sponsors, who will also pay for their professional boxing licences and pre-licensing medical examination of every selected boxer. Alaba Omotola emerged as the best boxer, while Chibudem Okafor and Abolade Akintunde emerged runners-up.

Speaking at the ceremony, the NBB of C President commended the sponsors for their immense support for Nigerian boxing beginning from 2014 when GOtv Boxing Night began. He noted that it is their investments in the sport that has kept it afloat, adding that without developmental programmes such as GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, the sport’s would have very little chance of survival let alone growth.

The NBB of C President urged other corporate bodies to emulate GOtv by supporting the sport, which he said has been revived and offers immense opportunity for Nigerian youth.

Okowa challenges Team Delta to win 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup MERCY ENOCH, Asaba

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overnor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has commended the national female Basketball team for their victory at the just-concluded FIBA Africa Women’s Basketball Championship even as he has challenged Team Delta to work harder to win 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup. The D’Tigress emerged champions at the FIBA Afro tourney, which held between August 10 and 18 in Dakar, Senegal.

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Olisa Ifeajika, on Friday in Asaba, com-

mended the Nigerian team for making the nation proud.

He particularly saluted Deltaborn trio of Elo Edeferioka, Jasmine Nwajei and Promise Amukamara who were members of the victorious D’Tigress team ``for once again confirming Delta’s sports supremacy in Nigeria’’.

D’Tigress, who had a superlative outing at the AfroBasket tournament, defeated their Senegalese counterparts 60-55 at the finals.

This year’s event marked Nigeria’s 12th appearance at the continental basketball showpiece.

“I am once again delighted that Delta citizens in the trio of Elo Edeferioka, Jasmine Nwajei and Promise Amukamara were part of

the victorious D’Tigress team.

“The government and people of your State, Delta, are very proud of you.

“I must commend the team’s resilience, discipline and hard work which culminated in their successive victory as defending champions and subsequent qualification for the women’s basketball tournament at the 2020 Olympics and the 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup. ``Mycommendationalsogoesto thecoach,officialsandtechnicalassistantswhoguidedtheteamtovictory.

I challenge the team to work harder to win the Olympic gold medal as well as the 2022 Women’s Basketball World Cup, he said.

L-R: Abolade Akintunde 3rd place, Alaba Omotola 1st place and Uhibudon Okafor 2nd place during the GOtv Boxing NextGen Search 5 held at the Indoor Sports Hall of Kwara State Stadium today Friday 30th of August 2019

BDSUNDAY

NEW YOU CAN TRUST

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SUNDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2019

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The Chinese economy is not a pond but an ocean

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t the end of June, the Chinese and US Presidents reached the following consensus in Osaka during the G20 Summit: Restart trade consultations on the basis of equality and mutual respect; no new tariffs on Chinese exports by the US side; negotiation teams ready to discuss specific issues thereafter.

At the end of July, China and the US held the 12th round of high-level economic and trade negotiations in Shanghai. Both sides agreed to undertake intensive talks in August in preparation for the meeting between the heads of negotiation teams in September.

Though we still recall those words vividly, soon after the Shanghai negotiations, the US went back on its word and unilaterally announced an additional 10 per cent tariff on US$300 billion worth of Chinese goods as well as designated China as currency manipulator ignoring the facts. It clearly runs counter to the leaders’ consensus and the correct direction. This again shows the world how flip-flopping the US can be.

What is more ridiculous is that the US calls black white and tells lies, accusing China of failing to fulfil its commitment to purchase American agricultural products and take effective measures to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US. However, from the Osaka meeting till the end of July, 2.27 million tons of American soybeans have been shipped to China. From May 1, China started class scheduling of all fentanyl-like substance with more rigorous standards than the US. As for the so-called currency manipulator, in the report released by the IMF this July, China’s current account surplus was only 0.4 percent of GDP in 2018, which is far below the American criteria (an overall current account surplus over 3 percent of the country’s annual GDP) for what constitutes manipulation. So designating China as currency manipulator is an absolutely groundless statement.

We Chinese always believe that one’s word shall be kept at all costs. As Confucius observed over 2000 years ago, “One must keep one’s word with results-oriented actions.” This is part of our cultural tradition and a way of life for the Chinese people. When it comes to abiding by international treaties and

fulfilling international obligations, China has a very good track record.

The US, on the contrary, has been breaking commitments, overturning consensus and trampling on rules at every turn. Just look at its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the JCPOA, and more recently, the INF treaty. It never hesitates to renege on its earlier major commitments that bear on global strategic balance and stability. Does it have even a shred of credibility left?

The US decision to further raise tariffs violates the two presidents’ Osaka consensus, tramples on multilateral trading rules, harms both countries’ interests, threatens the security of the global industrial chain and supply chain, and drags down global trade and world economic growth. It is not constructive in any way and no one, not even the US itself, stands to gain.

What’s more, resorting to a trade war to fix its domestic problems, the US is in fact drinking poison to quench its thirst.

After the US announced the imposition of additional tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, the three major US stock indexes all closed lower. Four large US retail trade groups immediately made statements to voice criticism and opposition, saying the tariffs have already slowed down the US economy and caused uncertainties. The new round of tariffs is using American families as a hostage in the trade war negotiations.

American families should not be a pawn in this trade war. The tariffs will hit US consumers far harder than Chinese manufacturers.

40 years after China and the US established diplomatic relations, the two economies have developed a mutually-beneficial relationship with intertwined interests. US companies’ annual sales in China stand at more than $700 billion and their profits reach more than $50 billion. If one side has been ripping the other off, it would not have been possible to have the highly-complementary, deeply-integrated and mutually-beneficial relationship that we have today. Deliberately “decoupling” the two is bound to threaten the security of the global industrial chain and supply chain, give rise to fluctuations in the global financial market and hamper global trade and world economic growth. It would

be going against market economy laws, free competition rules and the trend of economic globalisation. All stakeholders, including US businesses, will be sure to question and oppose such a move.

China does not accept any maximum pressure, threat or blackmail. On major issues concerning our principles, we won’t back down even a little bit. China’s position on China-US trade talks is consistent as always. If the US wants to talk, our door is wide open. But if it insists on a trade war, we will fight to the end with firm resolve. Now the ball is in the US court. It needs to demonstrate good faith.

The world is watching.

Over the past seven decades since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, enormous achievements have been made in economic and social development in China. Domestic consumption has become the major driving force for economic growth, giving it much leeway in formulating development strategies. At the same time, as foreign investment environment keeps improving, China has become one of the most popular destinations for global investment for many consecutive years. In the first five months of this year, investment from Germany, the ROK, Japan, the UK and the EU in China increased by 100.8 percent, 88.1 percent, 18.9 percent, 9.2 percent and 29.5 percent respectively.

As for Africa, the bilateral trade volume between China and Nigeria also soared to 7.05 billion dollars in the first half of 2019, 22.4 percent higher than the previous year. When choosing investment destinations and business partners, enterprises make decisions based on their own interests and market principles rather than empty words from certain persons. The so-called US businesses pulling out of China sounds more like a political slogan than a practical measure.

Even if the pullout actually happens, others will naturally fill the vacancy. At the end of the day, it’s still the US that will suffer.

President Xi Jinping announced in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony

ZHOU PINGJIAN Dr. Zhou Pingjian is ambassador of China to Nigeria

of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that China would adopt a number of major reform and opening-up measures, strengthen institutional and structural arrangements, and promote opening up at a higher level. Measures to be taken include expanding market access for foreign investment in broader areas, strengthening international cooperation on intellectual property protection, increasing imports of goods and services, implementing more effective international coordination on macro-economic policies, and putting more focus on the implementation of opening-up policies. A more open China will have more positive interactions with the world, which in turn will advance the development and prosperity of both China and the world.

As President Xi stated at the Opening Ceremony of the First China International Import Expo last November, “China is the world’s second largest economy. We have a market of more than 1.3 billion consumers who live on the land of over 9.6 million square kilometers. To use a metaphor, the Chinese economy is not a pond, but an ocean. The ocean may have its calm days, but big winds and storms are only to be expected. Without them, the ocean wouldn’t be what it is. Big winds and storms may upset a pond, but never an ocean. Having experienced numerous winds and storms, the ocean will still be there! It is the same for China. After going through 5,000 years of trials and tribulations, China is still here! Looking ahead, China will always be here to stay!”

No challenge will hold back China’s development.

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff

N190 billion

Washing our dirty linens offshore

I

t is to say the least, very disgraceful, the level of negative publicity and the makegood attempts that trailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s journey to Japan for the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama.

It began with the insinuation in certain quarters that Nigeria was degraded and denigrated by the leading world economies by refusing to invite her (Nigeria) to the G7 Submit held in Biarritz, France, whereas some lesser nations on the continent were given the invitation.

The picture painted was that those super and advanced economies must have seen through Nigeria and felt there was no need to invite her. Again, it was sold that Buhari’s journey to Japan at the same time the G7 Summit was holding was a face-saving gambit. It was later circulated that the President was not even in Japan or had not been sighted anywhere and that all the pictures fed online and in the local newspapers down here were old and doctored pictures.

Then, the worst- that certain Nigerian citizens had gone to the residence of the Nigerian Ambassador to Japan where Buhari was said

to have gone to visit the nation’s representative, to “arrest him” in order to subject him to a DNA test. To put a lie to all of these, the Presidency wasted no time in dishing out pictures both online and in the print to prove that President Buhari was indeed in Japan for the purpose he embarked on the journey.

From what has happened in the last one week, it is evident that Nigeria is really sick. Everything is wrong with the country at the moment. There is mistrust and lack of confidence at the highest level of it. This is probably, the first time, this kind of thing has happened.

It should be a food-for-thought for every concerned Nigerian, particularly those in government. A few days ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to issue a statement debunking an alleged attack on the minister in Austria by some aggrieved Nigerians. The ministry had explained that the video which went viral on social media was not recent. That, also, was a negative sign.

A nation , the citizens of which is so disgruntled to the point of creating ugly scenes around the highest officials of their home nation whenever they see them abroad, is an indication to right-thinking people of the world

that such a nation is failing gradually. The world has so become a global village that the goings-on in one country are seen the very second they are happening. Rather than pretend that all is well, Federal Government should sit down and do a self-appraisal in order to find out where things have gone wrong.

There are other leaders in the meeting that the President attended; why was he the only one that has “unruly children” that threatened the peace of others at the meeting?

What happened in Japan was a huge disgrace that demands to be urgently addressed.

If some citizens have become so aggrieved with their leaders to the point of ambushing them at international meetings, then we are heading to a disaster.

Rather than point fingers, or engaging in unhelpful rhetoric, steps should be taken to address whatever, ills that may have given rise to behaviours that are anti-Nigeria, which have only ended up escalating our fault-lines. “A stitch in time”, they say, “saves nine.”

This is the total amount the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it received for the conduct of the 2019 general election. It represents 73.51percent of the proposed budget of N242.45billion for the exercise.

Serious concern!

“We need to invest in refugee education or pay the price of a generation of children condemned to grow up unable to live independently, find work and be full contributors to their communities”.

- Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for refugees, speaking on the 3.7 million refugees said to be out of school globally.

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