BusinessDay 03 Mar 2019

BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

www.businessday.ng Sunday 03 March 2019

Governorship Polls States To Watch Out For And Why See BusinessDay Wednesday Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

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inside When competence bows to political pressure

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Buhari in 360 swing o

From alleged nepotistic mindset to inclusive government Nigerians point the way to critical areas of focus

ZEBULON AGOMUO & INNOCENT ODOH

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he pledge by President Muhammadu Buhari to run an inclusive government in the next four years beginning from May 29 has been greeted with profuse pessimism and less

optimism.

President Buhari, who won a re-election penultimate Saturday for a fresh term of four years, made the promise in his acceptance speech after being declared winner of the rescheduled presidential election.

But he did not stop there. He has also told Nigerians to brace

up for the tough decisions his government would be taking in the course of the four years to move the economy in the right direction.

Buhari, a Fulani Moslem from Katsina, North West geo-political zone of Nigeria, rode to power in 2015 on the crest of vaunted claim of integrity and impartiality. He had promised to be fair to all, say-

ing in his inaugural speech, “I am for everybody, and I am for nobody.”

But the President did not stay through to his words as his appointments in the last three-and-ahalf years have shown. Observers say that his actions and inactions in office belie his fair play pledge.

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The battle for Rivers’ Government House: Governor Wike vs the Nigerian Army

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‘The earthquake’ at the Senate

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R-L: President Muhammadu Buhari, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, a member of the National Peace Committee, and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, a former head of state and chairman of the peace committee, during the meeting of the committee with the President at the Villa, Abuja, weekend.

Residents, tankers are major challenges in waste management in Apapa – LAWMA DESMOND OKON

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nce upon a time, Lagos State, which is now known as Nigeria’s economic hub, was known as Nigeria’s dirtiest city because of poor waste management. Between the periods

of 1999 to 2000, if one said Lagos was a hub for waste, he would be right because of the enormous pile of refuse found on roads, streets corners, drainages, under bridges in many locations within the metropolis.

About 19 years later, despite efforts by the government to improve the environment

through effective management of waste, citizens are torn between whether it is making progress or not as household wastes are continually found everywhere across the state.

It is no longer news that indiscriminate dumping of waste has been a major problem in Lagos State, a state with the highest

urban population of about 22 million people, and that keeps growing daily.

Commuting from Ikorodu to Apapa, one will always sight wastes of different volumes dumped indiscriminately on the roads. The kerbs too are not excluded as they are the major spots for dumping refuse around

the state, BDSUNDAY observed around Marina, Area B Barracks and Point Road, both in Apapa.

The situation is the same within the environs of Leventis to CMS. Some of the wastes are now beginning to find their way into nearby Lagoon.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Cover

Buhari in 3600 ...

Ajimobi reinstates AlaoAkala’s son as LG boss after ex-governor’s alliance with APC

Continued from page 1

They also noted that his skewed appointments and distribution of democracy dividends in favour of his side of the country were not consistent with his promise.

Although the promise of an inclusive government by the President may have excited some Nigerians and is said to have momentarily calmed frayed nerves, a number of other people have however, wondered if a leopard can ever change its spots.

In a recent interview with our correspondent, Ayo Opadokun, a pro-democracy activist and former secretary of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), said: “Come to think of it, how will that happen when you have a Nigerian security council where the President who presides over is from Katsina; the director of state security is from Katsina, and you also now have the newly appointed director-general of National Intelligence Agency also from Katsina. With all these, how can other people from other parts of the country be assured that they are safe?”

The Executive arm, which the President controls, spent the greater part of the first tenure in rivalry with other arms, particularly the Legislature.

Top on the list of the demands by the Nigerian masses are critical issues such as revamping the economy, transparent and well-focused corruption and insecurity fight, and an inclusive government that will leave no section of the country crying of marginaliastion.

As the 9th National Assembly opens soon, some analysts, who spoke with BDSUNDAY also emphasise the need for a robust relationship among the various arms of government. The issue of the Executive –Legislative and Judiciary relationship is paramount.

Speaking with BDSUNDAY, Majeed Dahiru, senior security expert and newspaper columnist, who expressed some doubts about Buhari’s capacity to achieve his set goals, because of his antecedents, however, stressed that for the President to achieve his objectives, there must be a fundamental paradigm shift in some of the fundamental directive principles of state that questioned Buhari’s first four years in office.

“First of all, he needs to create a situation where every citizen has a sense of belonging. We do not want to have a situation where some citizens are feeling less Nigerian than the others while some are feeling more Nigerian than the others. This should be a condition preceding any form of socio- economic development strategy because with this all hands will be on deck,” Dahiru said.

According to him, “The first thing is to demonstrate leadership and statesmanship by first uniting this country through his appointments, through his utterances, statements and body language. He must indicate the willingness to unite Nigeria after a much fractured election and going forward he must put the best hands to man critical jobs irrespective of their party affiliations or geographic, ethnic or religious backgrounds. This is the only thing that can guarantee hope to revamp

AKINREMI FEYISIPO,Ibadan

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L-R: Founder and spiritual leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos State Primate Elijah Ayodele, receiving Distinguished Gold Service Award from Director-General of Centre for Democratic Governance in Africa ( CDGA), Dafe Akpocha, and Director Protocol, Chizee Awo, during the presentation in Lagos, recently.

the battered economy,” he said.

On the Executive- LegislativeJudiciary, relationship, Dahiru said the responsibility for that lies with the executive and with the judiciary, nor the legislature. He stressed that the executive must set an agenda devoid of malice, hate and devoid of exclusionist tendencies.

“The executive must lead by example; it must submit itself to the rule of law in dealing with others arms of government. The executive must resist the temptation be disruptive and display tendencies that will amount to executive recklessness. The legislature is there to contend with the executive at all issues and that is the beauty of democracy. The only thing is that both arms of government must be guided by national interests and this is even more so on the side of legislature.

“If the executive sends a clean budget to the legislature, a budget that does not have corruption taint, no over-invoicing, no inflation of figures, the legislature will have no choice but to legislate accordingly.

But when you send a corruptionriddled budget to the National Assembly, you will not be able to prevent certain members who have corrupt tendencies from taking advantage of the situation to enhance their corrupt interests too.

“You cannot accuse the National Assembly of constituting a stumbling block to your development agenda when you have not come clean. You must come clean and you must respect the principles of separation of power. You must not suspend the rule of law. There was a tendency in the Buhari’s first term to criminalise due process, to vilify liberal democracy as anathema to development and this must be reversed, the narrative must be pushed back. The basis for integrated development is the rule of law within a constitutional democratic framework,” he said.

Also speaking to BDSUNDAY, the Director of the Centre for China Studies (CCS), Charles Onunaiju said that for the economy to make progress, the President needs a very important think tank to build actionable policy based on proper interrogation of the Nigerian economic and social realities.

“So, for me, if the President wants to succeed, there is the need to create a presidential think tank.

People with depth must be recruited to interrogate realities and flesh our actionable policies.

“Secondly there is the need to reexamine Nigerian institutions because the way they are currently cannot realistically serve the people. We have lived in denial and falsehood for over 60 years. Service delivery is poor; officials serve themselves first before they serve the people. Democracy is about accountability and there is no better way to account other than the improvement in the living conditions of the people. Any other form of accountability that is not reflected in the continuous improvement in the quality of lives of the people is not democratic accountability.

“That is the only way to measure the progress of democracy, you cannot have more people sinking into poverty and you are talking about democratic progress, it is fraudulent. So, to do this, we must revisit and interrogate these institutions and ask how well they serve to improve the material condition of the people,” he said.

On the Executive-Legislative cooperation, Onunaiju said separation of power should not be mistaken for rivalry, adding that it is not about the armsofgovernmentdiggingintotheir trenchesandconfrontingoneanother.

“This will do the Nigerian people great disservice; it does not bring democratic returns to Nigerians if these institutions do not harness their potentials to the benefit of the Nigerian people. Separation means that they work in harmony but show understanding about the autonomy and independence of each others. They should get the people to be more involved instead of just waiting for the four-year ritual of elections and the people will retreat to the various enclaves,” he urged.

Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani noted that the elections have come and gone but Nigerians must work together for a common purpose of developing the country.

He therefore, urged the President to as matter of urgency em-

bark on policy reforms that will restore hope and confidence in Nigerians in terms of electoral reforms that will guarantee electoral transparency. ‘’We also want him to ensure that issues of security, criminality and respect for human rights and compliance to due process are also at the centre of what his government should do. We also want the government to focus on the issues of fiscal regime, talking about economic reforms and looking at taxation, trade liberalisation and reforms in the oil and gas sector, which is one of the major sources of our revenue,” Rafsanjani said.

Urging the President to stick to the commitment he made in the area of inclusiveness, Rafsanjani said it was necessary because Nigeria is his constituency and not about those who voted for him but everybody.

“So, he should ensure fairness and inclusiveness as he promised.

We also want the President to commit to the fight against corruption through strengthening and supporting the anti-corruption agencies by ensuring that they actually carry out their duties and responsibility in a manner that will discourage corruption and corrupt people.

“We urge him also to ensure Executive- Legislative cooperation and respect for all other arms of government,’’ Rafsanjani added, even as he advised aggrieved persons to seek redress in court.

Reacting to the electoral process and the need for reforms, the Executive Director Development Dynamics, a civil society organisation, Jude Ohanele, said the country is suffering from consequences of an analogue election process, which was foisted by law, stressing that the earlier Nigeria amends the Electoral Act to bring in technology to make things faster and easier the better.

“What we have now is by law, which is most unfortunate and of course, with the level or politicking and bickering and the low mindedness of our politicians, you can see the escalation of irregularities during the elections,” he said.

ollowing the alliance with All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the March 9 governorship election, Olamijuwonlo, son of a former governor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, has been reinstated as chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government Area.

Olamijuwonlo, who decamped to Action Democratic Party (ADP), his father’s party, was suspended by four councilors in the council over some alleged anti-party activities in February.

The ruling party in the state also claimed that it suspended Alao-Akala’s son because he had dumped the party.

But as at Friday, Akala entered into an alliance with the ruling party, dumping his ambition for APC candidate, Adebayo Adelabu, ahead of the March 9 governorship election.

Akala had earlier initiated an alliance with PDP, ZLP, ADC and had as at Thursday last week attended a meeting at former governor’s Ladoja’s Bodija residence.

But, barely twelve hours after his father decided to form alliance with the APC and its candidate, Adelabu, to work together in the election, the suspended chairman was reinstated.

His reinstatement by the state government under the leadership of Abiola Ajimobi was contained in a letter cited Saturday afternoon.

Abia APGA accuses INEC of compromise in last election UDOKA AGWU, UMUAHIA

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h e Al l Pr o g r e s s i v e s Grand Alliance (APGA), Abia State, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abia State of compromise in last Presidential/National Assembly elections and called for the overhaul of the staff of the commission whom the party accused of working for the state government.

Abia APGA decried the unwholesome actions by INEC ranging from building fake registration data base, fraudulent purchase/seizure of PVCs belonging to innocent voters, corruption of many INEC staff, especially the monthly stipends paid to them by the Abia State government to help rig the elections for them.

While addressing newsmen at the party secretariat in Umuahia, Augustine Ehiemere, the state chairman of the party, expressed fear over plans to rig the election in favour of the incumbent governor.

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News Good governance, human capital development, reasons for Ihedioha’s adoption - Advisory Council

We don’t have candidates in any election - US Ambassador to Nigeria

SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

he United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington has appealed to the electorate in Katsina State to work towards having peaceful elections on Saturday.

He made the call in Katsina when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Aminu Bello Masari at the Government House, Katsina.

Am b a s s a d o r S y m i n g t o n reiterated that the US never had a candidate in any election outside of the United States, but they only take sides with peace.

He stressed that Security is fundamental not just to freedom but also to prosperity; hence security is not just the job of security forces alone but every person in the state.

He also called on all the people in the state to work together so that they can live in peace, stating that elections come and go but a nation and its people remain.

Responding, Governor Masari told the United State Ambassador that Katsina State has so far witnessed a historic political campaign and election period and no single act of violence was recorded.

He said he would continue to abide by the oaths of office as governor to protect the lives and property of people living in the state.

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orum of Imo State Advisory Council of Elders in their wealth of opinion said the four policies of good governance, human capital development, job and wealth creation, and integrated infrastructure development to rebuild Imo State, contained in the manifesto of Emeka Ihedioha, the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have made him the best man for the top job in the state.

The Council said it has consulted wildly, interviewed and evaluated candidates from deferent registered political parties and their respective manifestos, and resolved to endorse and adopt Emeka Ihedioha because of his economic policies to rebuild the battered economy in Imo. Charles Ugwu, a captain of industry and former minister of industries, who read the communiqué in Owerri to journalists on behalf of the Council, said: “That the manifesto as presented by the candidate of the of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Rt. Hon. Chukwuemeka Nkem Ihedioha, in the opinion of the Council, best satisfies the aspirations of Imo

Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari (centre), with other officials of the Katsina State Government, during the courtesy visit of the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington (far right) to Governor Masari at the Government House, Katsina.

people”.

The Council advised that Imo people should come out en-masse and vote for Ihedioha on the day of the governorship election, March 9, 2019.

A total of 27 members of Imo State Advisory Council of Elders drawn from the three Senatorial Zones of the state signed the communiqué.

And to give teeth to the communiqué and help it to be enforceable, a delegation was also drawn to visit the Commissioner of Police, the Army

Brigade Commander at Obinze in Owerri, and other heads of the law enforcement agencies in the state to intimate them on the resolution and especially, to tell their men to be fair to people on the election day.

Ihedioha, who was neither present nor represented by anybody, had recently said that the human capital development in the state has been severely stunted in the last seven years.

“It is shocking to note that Imo State University, formerly ranked 1st amongst state-

owned universities in Nigeria and 9th in overall country ranking by 2005 is currently ranked 16th and 58th respectively, by the 2018 NUC ranking; and has lost accreditation in medicine and allied subjects,”, Ihedioha said.

The candidate had also said that while good governance shall be the trust of his administration, his government shall introduce due process, openness, transparency and accountability in the running of government business.

See election as family affairs, Akeredolu appeals to Ondo voters ahead of next polls YOMI AYELESO, Akure

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overnor Oluwarotim i Ak e r e d o l u o f Ondo State has appealed to the electorate in the state to vote for candidates who share the visions of his administration in the Saturday’s House of Assembly election in the state.

Ak e r e d o l u s p o k e a t a statewide broadcast monitored by our correspondent in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The governor’s broadcast was apparently coming on the heels of the defeat suffered by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the February 23rd elections in the state.

He urged the electorate to shun all forms of sentiment and vote for individuals who would co-operate with the government in improving on the infrastructural development across the state.

Akeredolu said: “My good people of Ondo State, I know you are aware of the next round of elections fixed for 9th March, 2019 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This is another very important exercise; local political leaders are going to be chosen to represent our people as governor and at the House of Assembly.

“I appeal to you to see this exercise as a strictly family affair in which brothers and sisters, with shared heritage, and even blood affinity, will be locked in an innocuous electoral combat for the benefit of all. Our dear state will be the ultimate winner if all of us approach it in the spirit of sportsmanship. All of us will be winners and our people will be the better for it.

“I enjoin you to participate actively, without let or hindrance. The government, on its part, will ensure that adequate security is provided for all our citizens to exercise

their franchise. Our people are encouraged to feel confident in their attempt to choose their leaders.

“Citizens of this state, who are of Yoruba , Igbo, Ebira , Hausa, Oyo and Edo extractions, as well as other minority ethnic groups, should feel free to participate in the exercise as members of this large and heterogeneous family.

I appeal, passionately, that we cast aside all divisive and primordial sentiments. Ondo State is our primary place of domicile. Our allegiance to her must be unalloyed.”

According to him, “The participation of the electorate in the state is limited to the election of members to the House of Assembly. The gubernatorial election is due next year. This administration encourages voters to choose candidates whose campaign promises are in tandem with its vision on infrastructural development. We have been able to achieve this much

due to the prudent management of limited resources.

We hope to do more with the co-operation of patriotic members of the House of Assembly who await your mandate in a couple of days. “ Fo r t h e a v o i d a n c e o f doubt, it is important that we restate that our administration has made significant strides in the areas of road construction, provision of potable water, education through massive and un ceasing renovation of public schools, health, rural development, fiscal stability, workers welfare, among other critical interventions.”

“We, fervently, anticipate the consolidation of these achievements through understanding and co-operation of patriotic members of the House of Assembly.

You, the good citizens of Ondo State, must be actively involved in the process. We solicit your assistance in this regard,” he said.

INEC to conduct re-run in Zaki federal constituency to determine winner HARUNA NINGI, Bauchi

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it would conduct rerun election in four polling units in Zaki Federal constituency of Bauchi State.

This was disclosed by the INEC Head of Voter Education, Ahmed Waziri in Bauchi weekend.

The re-run will be conducted to determine the winner of the last election into Zaki federal constituency.

According to him, the PDP candidate was leading in the earlier collated results, but the total votes canceled in the affected polling units exceeded the margin between him and his closest rival of the APC which necessitated the conduct of the rerun election as provided by law.

He said that the date for the rerun election will soon be announced.

Recall that the official results presented by returning officers for the senatorial and House of Representatives elections across the state saw the ruling APC securing all the three senatorial seats and eight out of the 12 House of Representatives seats.

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News

Southwest PDP rejects presidential/NASS election result

…Says election worse in nation’s history … Accuses INEC, security agencies of colluding to derail poll INIOBONG IWOK

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he Southwest chapter of the People’s De m o c r a t i c Pa r t y PDP has rejected the result and faulted the conduct of last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had declared incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari winner having polled a total of 15,191,847 votes to defeat his closest rival and former Vice President, and candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, who scored 11, 262, 978 votes.

Several international observers have reported that election in several states in the Southern region of Nigeria was poorly conducted by INEC, marred by irregularities and violence; this was however, in spite of the large turnout of voters in the region for the election.

But speaking in a press conference in Ikoyi weekend, attended by key leaders of the party in the region, the Southwest Vice Chairman of the PDP, Eddy Olafeso, said that INEC flouted the electoral guidelines for the election by refusing to use card readers in the conduct of the election in some states in

Political Activist and the Convener of Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju (2nd R); Co-conveners, Ariyo Dare-Atoye (R); Raphael Adebayo and other members of the movement, during Deji’s arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Saturday after 78 days behind bars. NAN

the Northern part of Nigeria.

Olafeso faulted INEC decision to accept mutilated result in some states in Northern Nigeria, stressing that in some of those states, the number of vote cast were more than the total registered voters, while the commission deliberately cancelled votes in areas that was the party’s strongholds.

According to him, “We are witnesses to the abuses that characterised the general election of Saturday 23rd February and the double-standard which ensured that electoral guide-

ing two bullion vans to deliver billions of Naira into his house on the eve of the election, urging Lagosians and voters across the Southwest to vote for candidates of the PDP in next Saturday’s gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections.

“We also note the violence that characterised the election in Southwest, particularly in Lagos, Oyo, and Osun States, it is important to state loud and clear that those crises were perpetrated by members of the APC who were scared of defeat they would have suffered in those places where they prosecuted their violence agenda.

“We also note the arrogant display of wealth by the APC leader, Bola Tinubu who caused two bullion vans to deliver billions of Naira to his house on the eve of the election. This action is a direct assault to the psyche of Nigerians who have been sentenced to penury by APC government,” Olafeso added.

Some of the leaders of the party who attended the press conference include, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Olabode George; a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party, Ebenezer Babatope; gubernatorial candidate of the party in Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje; Lagos State chairman of the party, Dominic Agboola and a chieftain of the

lines adopted for the conduct of the election guaranteed different approaches to its conduct in the Northern and Southern part of Nigeria.

“While it is compulsory that card reader is used in the South and absolute requisite for ballot casting, it was put in abeyance in the North.

“This shows that INEC was ill-prepared and did not come out to conduct a credible election, in this we query whatever rationale that will make it accept mutilate results from states like Nasarawa , Kano,

Yobe and Borno, among others,” Olafeso said.

The PDP chieftain further decried the violence that marred the election in the region and accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of instigating the crisis because the party was afraid of defeat, while berating security agencies in the country for its partisan role in the election.

Speaking further, Olafeso urged anti-corruption agencies in the country to prosecute the National Leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allow-

Deji Adeyanju regains freedom, as political activists react

Accord teams up with APGA to ensure Alex Otti’s victory in Abia guber election

No decision yet on inconclusive election - INEC

hree days after the release of Buba Galadima, a national leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was arrested by suspected security operatives during the presidential election on Saturday, February 23, 2019, Deji Adeyanju, a political activist who has been critical of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), has been released.

Adeyanju, who was arrested controversially by the police, was freed from Kano Central Prison on Friday afternoon after 78 days in custody. He was arrested on December 13, 2018 on allegations of murder, a development that drew nationwide attention because he was discharged and acquitted of a murder case after four years of prosecution in 2009.

The police said the matter was not wholesomely concluded, suggesting that Adeyanju might have jumped bail.

Still, they did not immediately charge the activist for murder, initially keeping him for days without trial, in contravention of the Nigerian law that prohibits detention of a suspect be-

UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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yond 48 hours without charges.

Adeyanju, a former head of new media for PDP, and Convener of Concerned Nigerians, a pro-democracy and good governance group, was released nearly two weeks after the Kano State High Court granted the activist a bail.

After his release, Adeyanju disclosed that he would be heading to Lagos first before returning to Abuja where he is based.

Reacting to his release, Adeyanju, a critic of the Buhari administration, said his arrest was unjustified, politically motivated and an attempt to keep him away from the public beyond the presidential election. “ Yo u c a n n o t l o c k u p t h e truth. Never! The only supreme power is God Almighty. I’m back. Thank you Nigerians.

Freedom cometh by struggle.

Victory belongs to the people.

ALUTA CONTINUA”, he said on his twitter handle @adeyanjudeji.

Nigerian human rights activist and pro-democracy campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, has reacted to the now trending news that Adeyanju, has been

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head of next Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections, the leadership and structure of the Accord Party in Abia State are teaming up with All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to ensure victory for Alex Otti, the governorship candidate of APGA. While speaking at the campaign office of Alex Otti in Umuahia on Friday, Emeka Uwakolam, the governorship candidate of Accord Party, explained that the decision of his party to join forces with APGA stemmed from the need for genuine development and economic prosperity of the state.

“My team and supporters in Abia North, Abia Central and Abia South have decided to synergize with Alex Otti as the governor of Abia State. We took the decision after assessing the tactical, economic policies and other qualities of Otti.”

“The manifesto of APGA is also the same with that Accord, hence we took the decision to develop the state” said Uwakolam.

… Our candidates should be declared winner -PDP INIOBONG IWOK

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he Independent N a t i o n a l El e c t o r al Commission (INEC) has said it was still studying report of THE February 23 elections which were declared inconclusive and had not taken a decision on them.

El e c t i o n i n s o m e c o n stituencies into the Federal House of Representatives seat in Lagos State such as Oshodi/Isolo, Amuwo-Odof i n , Ib e j u / Le k k i , Su r u l e r e and Shomolu were declared inconclusive by INEC. Reports had it that elections in these constituencies were poorly conducted and marred by violence and failure of card readers which left several eligible voters disfranchised.

However, speaking in an interview with BDSUNDAY, at the weekend, Femi Akinbiyi, public relations officer ( P RO ) o f I N E C i n La g o s

State, said the commission was still studying the report of its electoral officers and would soon make a decision on its next line of action. “ We a r e s t i l l s t u d y i n g the report of our officers on ground; we would take a stand soon on what to do, we would let you know”, Akinbiyi said.

However, the main opposition People’s Democratic Pa r t y ( P D P ) i n t h e s t a t e has faulted INEC’s reasons for declaring election in the constituencies inconclusive, stressing that its candidates won the elections.

PDP chairman in Lagos State, Dominic Adegbola , berated the INEC for allegedly conducting a shambolic election in the state.

“You went round Lagos and saw the way the elect i o n w a s c o n d u c t e d , i t ’s shameful, those inconclusive constituencies are our strongholds; our candidates won in those places; they should declare them winners,” Adegbola said.

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News

INEC admits use of untrained ad-hoc staff - PDP Abdulwaheed Adubi, Kaduna

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eople’s Democ r a t i c Pa r t y (PDP), Kaduna State Chapter has alleged the use of untrained Ad-hoc staff by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which according to the party, the commission had admitted the replacement of the staff at the eve of elections.

The party disclosed this while briefing journalists in Kaduna weekend, alleging that the Ad-hoc staff were replaced with strange names of untrained people.

While speaking , the Chairman of the Party, Hon. Felix Hassan Hyat said despite the assurances given by the commission to adhere to the use of trained Ad-hoc staff that INEC never did, rather collected list

of untrained staff from the government.

Hyat, who lauded the conduct of party supporters during and after the elections, insisted that the use of Card Readers in APC strongholds was ignored, while in the strongholds of PDP, it was made compulsory to favour the ruling APC. According to him, “Results of elections in many Poling Units were cancelled on the basis of this. For example, Bishini Ward in Kachia Local Government and Wasa Ward in Sanga Local Government.

“However, Card Readers were not used in parts of Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Zaria, Igabi, Giwa, Sabon Gari, Soba, etc. But such results were not cancelled.

“Insufficiently charged Card Readers were further deliberately programmed

Mahmood

to frustrate us. This led to complaints from many Polling Units. Some Card Readers were deliberately undercharged, leading to lack of functioning and waste

of valuable time before correct ones were brought.

“This was also another area of great concern and outright manipulation by INEC to disenfranchise

PDP supporters. Recorded shortage of materials was reported by us to INEC but distribution of such shortfalls was very late.”

“In some instances, elections were concluded before the arrival of shortfall. There were reported cases of fake result sheets issued out by Electoral Officers at the Local Government levels. Only when protests were mounted before original ones were issued in Jema’a Local Government Area. Most of the shortages were in the area of ballot papers where in some cases less than half were issued,” he further explained.

According to him, “Apart from shortfall of material delivery to Polling Units was also another problem.

Even within Kaduna Metropolis, materials didn’t reach many Polling Units till after 12noon. Narayi,

Maraban Rido, Barnawa, Gonin-Gora, etc suffered such fate. These are also strongholds of the PDP. “This exercise was done in complete secrecy to opposition parties but with input from APC government.

Even when it was done in secret, the engaged lecturers from the University remained a secret to other parties until at the point of assignment.

“If there was no hidden agenda in such an exercise, they should not have been engaged secretly, posted secretly. Even during the collation, many of them made compromising comments and adopted attitudes indicating their sympathy to the APC government.”

“We seriously question the neutrality of INEC and the integrity of those engaged under such a secretive method.”

NIMC to begin diaspora enrollment Adelabu, Oyo APC guber in S/Africa Wednesday candidate, sets 7-point agenda James Kwen, Abuja

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he National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says it will commence the enrolment of Nigerian adults and children in South Africa into the National Identity Database (NIDB) for the issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN) Wednesday.

The flag off of the diaspora enrolment in South Africa is in collaboration with a licensed partner, Messrs Thebez Global Resources Limited (TGR), a company that is in the business of providing similar services by themselves and in partnership with other similar companies in Diaspora jurisdictions.

TGR is working in collaboration with Cox & Kings Global Services Limited ‘CKGS’ (a premiumoutsourcingpartner for government and businesses across the globe) to enrol Nigerians in diaspora by setting up enrolment centres in different countries.

CGSK’S comprehensive range of services include consular services, identity management solutions, document processing services and an extensive suite of technology-enabled business process accelerators.

The South Africa NIN enrolment centre which is located at 205 Rivonia Road, Morningside, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2057 will open for enrolment from Wednesday,

6th March, 2019; and appointments can be made via the TGR website,nin.thebezglobalresource.com as from Monday, 4th March, 2019.

It is expected that other countries will come onboard on the platform of Thebez Global Resources Limited after the South Africa pilot experience. Aliyu Aziz, director-general/CEO NIMC, explained that the diaspora exercise is in a bid to ensure that the section of Nigerians living outside the country are not disenfranchised.

According to Aziz, six Nigerian companies have been licensed to work with their respective partners across all countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and America to carry out the enrolment of Nigerian adults and children in the Diaspora into the National Identity Database (NIDB).

The licensed Nigerian com-

Aziz

panies are Biosec Solutions Limited, CHAMS Consortium Limited, Defcon Systems Limited, National eAuthentication Limited, Thebez Global Resources and Venn Technology Limited.

Aziz, in a statement signed

by Loveday Ogbonna, Head of Corporate Communications, NIMC said registrants will be issued with the National Identification Number (NIN) upon enrolment and subsequently the General MultipurposeCard(GMPC).

He assured that requisite standard, guidelines and regulations have been put in place to ensure the effective implementation of the National Identity Management Systems (NIMS) as well as provide the right platform for providing digital identity for Nigerians and legal residents as well as Nigerians in diaspora.

Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan.

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overnorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Adebayo Adelabu has enunciated the critical sectors where his government will focus on to include agriculture, security, housing, education, health, environment and transportation/ transport management system.

According to him, “For me, these are the seven key areas that we want to focus. We have identified three major areas of priority based on what the current government has achieved. Those three areas of priority, in fact, four areas of priority are agriculture, education, health and housing.

Adelabu in an interview with select journalists in Ibadan said: “We are going back to the years of farm settlements. We’re going to have farm settlements across the state. The farm settlements will focus on arable farming, because of the fertility of our land.

“We have the largest arable farmland in Nigeria, having 28,454sq kilometres of land in Oyo State, which is bigger than all the five southeastern states put together.

The vegetation is good; the climate is good so we can do

a lot of arable farming. Cassava, cashew, cocoa, maize, you know, we’re going to have livestock too.

“In terms of large animals, that’s poultry, rams and cattle ranching, we can take advantage of that because Lagos is close to us in Ibadan here. The cow meat requirement per day is so huge; we can also take advantage and supply to them. We’re going to have silos, food silos so that we don’t waste our agricultural harvest from year to year.

“What you see now is that the wheat that gets to the market from the harvest is still less than 40 percent.

Every other thing gets rotten and damage in the farmland because of bad roads.”

Adelabu, who resigned his appointment as Deputy Governor of CBN, stated that roads are to be extended to all the farmlands and that there would be silos across the state, said: “On the issue of processing, we want to ensure that we don’t stop at the production of primary agricultural products alone; we want to move to the next chain which is the processing. We have cassava, we can manufacture ethanol, we have cocoa; we can do chocolate”.

He added that “We can do a lot and that is what will actually ensure the creation of jobs for our youths. So, all these industries are going

to be formed along the farm settlements too. In each of the farm settlements, we will make everything available for them so the farmers will not want to come to the city.”

He pledged that good roads, power, water, good schools, hospitals, police station, recreation centres, shopping malls, everything would be made available to them at the farm centres and that people would be encouraged to have country homes along these farm settlements.

On security, he said: “We already have CCTV; we’re going to have command centres, we’re going to have call centres, and we’re going to have number plate recognition so that when we scan your number plate, all your details as an individual and as a resident of the state will be available. That is what obtains overseas.”

Our government, he said, would create mega estates in Ibadan and the major cities in the state. Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Saki, Iseyin and probably, Eruwa, whereby people can have affordable decent housing.

“And we’re not saying you should buy in cash, we will now try to create a mortgage for our civil servants, for our public servants, to be able to buy these low-cost houses with communal facilities.

That’s housing,” he said.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

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Odu’a signs MoU with Uk Iconic City for 3.8 hectare-housing estate in Ibadan Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan

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du’a Investment Company Limited (OICL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK-based Iconic City Ltd for the development into residential housing estate her 3.8hectares land opposite Nigeria Breweries at Alakia, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The signing of the agreement, which took place at the Odu’a Group Headquarters, Cocoa House, Ibadan was witnessed by Odu’a Management team led by the Group Managing Director/CEO, Adewale Raji and the Management of Iconic City Ltd and its local Subsidiary, Chapter Four Estate Management Limited (CFEML) led by the CEO, Shamsideen Ogunmuyiwa.

The proposed residential housing estate which has been code-named “Westlink Iconic Estate” is a medium density luxury estate consisting of 124 households. It comprises various housing types to allow for different market

L-R: Niyi Raimi, financial director, Chapter Four Estate Management Limited (CFEML); Shamsideen Ogunmuyiwa, chief executive officer, CFEML; Adewale Raji, group managing director/CEO, Odu’a Investment Company Limited, and Tope, Arowolo group head, Property Development and Management, Odu’a, at the signing of the agreement in respect of the Development of WestlinkIconic Estate, Ibadan, Oyo State.

segmentation subscribers.

The housing products are: 60 units of 3-bedroom apartments, 42 units of 4-bedroom terrace houses, 14units of 5-bedroom semi-detached duplexes, 8 units of 6-bedroom fully detached duplexes and 36 commercial/business units.

This initiative is hinged on the Federal Governm e n t ’s Ec o n o m i c Re covery and Growth Plan (ERGP) which has human capital development

as one of its cardinal objectives and housing provision is key in achieving that goal. The housing deficit in the country is over 22 million if not more, and investment in housing remains a worthwhile and profitable venture especially when affordability is considered.

Odu’a Investment Company Limited has identified partnerships as a veritable strategy to add tremendous value to her existing property portfo-

lio, earn remarkable return, strengthen her brand image and increase her socioeconomic footprint for the benefit of its shareholders and stakeholders.

Th e Es t a t e w h i c h i s scheduled for completion in 30 months will boast of modern state of the art features which include all roads paved with interlocking stones, 24 hours electricity supply, street lights, greens lawns and decorative trees, treated pipe borne

water, underground cabling , managed waste disposal, 24/7 security – CCTV and manned entrance gate, dedicated 4G optic fiber internet provision, expansive family recreational facilities, swimming pool, Gym, community leisure center and modern commercial center for small businesses required to serve the estate’s need.

The move by Odu’a is in pursuit of its growth strategy predicated on unlocking value from its huge asset base for sustainable development.

Commenting on this development, Odu’a Group Managing Director, Adewale Raji said: “This N3.5b JV investment with our partner (Messrs Iconic City Ltd of UK) is another landmark initiative to unlock value from the passive property portfolio of the Group and bring on board a new dimension in structured and luxurious community living in Ibadan. This is in line with the vision of the Board and Management of the company to live the mandate of our shareholders to be the engine

room of the economic development of the West’’.

The CEO of Iconic City Ltd (UK) and Chapter Four Estates Management Ltd, Shamsideen Ogunmuyiwa remarked that ‘’It is indeed a privilege for our company to strike this wonderful partnership with the evergreen business conglomerate owned by the Western States of Nigeria that affords us the opportunity to utilize our professional experience from training, working and living in the UK to build a world class mixed luxury residential Westlink-Iconic Estate in Ibadan. The designs and model types are exquisite and the finishing inviting and affordable’’.

Iconic City Limited, (UK) and Chapter Four Estate Management Limited have a strong track record and expertise in Housing Finance, Development and Management, Modern City Planning, Project Management and Business Analysis. They are responsible for the design and construction of the Estate in accordance with the jointly approved Project Deliverables and Objectives.

Excitement as Glo presents prizes to last set of weekly winners in Gloin60seconds

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xcitement pervaded the air in several Gloworld retail outlets across the country on Wednesday as the last set of weekly winners in Globacom’s online talent hunt, #GLOIN60SECONDS, re-

ceived their cash prizes.

The national telecoms operator presented the cheques to 21 winners from weeks 6, 7 and 8 of the competition, ahead of the grand finale scheduled for March.

N1 million first prize and five N200,000 consolation prizes

will be won at the finals.

Am o n g t h o s e w h o received their prizes on Wednesday were a Law student of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Edechime Nnamdi Cyril, and Chikata Kelechukwu, a student of Nsukka Campus of the same

school. Two schoolmates, Iyaomiye Israel Bayo and Oladokun Feyisayo Theophilus of Aladura Comprehensive High School, Anthony, Lagos, as well as Akhilele Ehimare Ose, a graduate of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta also received

L-R: Kola Akosile, branch chairman, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN); Chris McAllister, area director, British American Tobacco (BAT) West Africa; Mansur Ahmed, president of MAN; Waseem Hayat, operations director, BAT West Africa, and Segun Ajayi-Kadir, director-general, MAN, during the visit of the MAN to the BAT factory in Ibadan, recently.

their prizes.

The two classmates, Iyaomiye Israel Bayo and Oladokun Feyisayo Theophilus, disclosed that they assisted each other in recording the videos before uploading them. While Iyaomiye uploaded a dance video, Oladokun submitted a video of where he was playing a set of drums. The both said they would use part of their prizes to pay for their examinations and buy a few clothes.

“The #GLOIN60SECONDS talent hunt is real and we are happy that at our first attempts, we won. Thanks to Globacom”, they enthused.

Gabez Lynda who won in Warri said, “I am so excited to be a winner. The competition has really made me popular on social media”, while Chikezie Tochukwu from the Kano presentation said the prize would help him attend to some needs.

“Glo has always set the pace. #Gloin60seconds is the bomb. Kudos to Globacom,” he declared.

There were also prize presentations in Abuja, Ibadan, Warri and Enugu. In Abuja, five winners, Jonah Ochoma, Ejembi Simon, Lewechi Chi-

diebere Timothy, Rowland Olabode and Eze Paul Ike got their cash prizes of N50,000 each at the Gloworld shops.

In Enugu, Omeya Chinemerem Gifty, Ajogwu Queen Ogechi and Okpala Chioma went home with their cash prizes, while in Ibadan, Omoloye Oluwasegun Emmanuel, Egbuaba Favour Chibuikem and Adigun Temiloluwa Daniel were also presented with their prizes.

Chikezie Tochukwu, in Kano, Gabez Lynda from Warri, Delta State, Chuke Chimuanya Progress, Benin, and Offong Imaobong Bassey, Port Harcourt, also got their prizes.

TheGLOIN60SECONDS competition offers participants the opportunity to upload a one-minute video of themselves showcasing their talents on their social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #GLOIN60SECONDS. Seven lucky contestants with the highest video likes are selected every week and rewarded with the sum of N50,000 cash in the challenge which started on December 10, 2018.

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News Akpabio gets court order to stop INEC’s issuance of Certificate of Return to Ekpenyong Felix Omohomhion, Abuja

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Federal High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, Fr i d a y, o r dered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to stay action on the issuance of certificate of return to any candidate in respect to Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial election held on February 23, pending the determination of suit before it.

Justice Valentine Ashi made the order in an application, with suit No. FCT/ HC/M/2680/19, with Senator Godswill Akpabio as the applicant.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the respondent.

In an exparte motion dated February 28 with an affidavit deposed to by one Daniel Michael Idoko and filed on March 1, Senator Akpabio prayed the court

Akpabio

for leave to apply for “judicial review for the issuance of writ of Mandamus, prohibition, injunction and other declaratory reliefs against INEC. Akpabio also asked the court to direct the respondent to stay further action

“particularly further action in respect of issuance of certificate of return to any candidate in respect of the seat of senator representing Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial district on the account of election held on the 23rd February,

2029.”

The court in granting the order, said there was “some merit especially in regards to the need to keep things in status quo” Thus, the court ordered “Leave is hereby granted to the applicant to apply for judicial review for the issuance of a writ of Mandamus prohibition injunction and other declaratory reliefs against the respondent.”

The court further ordered a stay of issuance of certificate of return to any candidate in respect of the seat as sought by the applicant Justice Ashi also directed the parties to first address the court on jurisdiction on the next adjourned date.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned to March 8 for hearing of the case.

Akpabio of the APC had contested Senatorial seat with Chris Ekpenyong of the People’s Democratic Party, but lost.

EFCC re-arraigns NBA President, Usoro, for alleged N1.4bn fraud ...Orders arrest of four others Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Friday, March 1, 2019, re-arraigned the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Paul Usoro, SAN, before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos on a 10-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune ofN1,410,000,000 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Ten Million Naira).

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Acting Spokesman of the EFCC, Tony Orilade, Usoro was charged along with Nsikan Nkan, Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Finance; Mfon Udomah, AccountantGeneral of Akwa Ibom State; Uwemedimo Nwoko, Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State and Margaret Ukpe, who are all at large.

The defendant was first

arraigned before Justice M.S. Hassan on Monday, December 18, 2018 before the case was transferred to Justice Aikawa.

During the December 18, 2018 proceedings, Usoro’s counsel, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, had told the court that the defendant had written to the Chief Judge, CJ, Federal High Court, seeking to transfer the matter to either Uyo in Akwa-Ibom or Abuja.

He had also told the court that if the case would be heard in Lagos, the matter should be re-assigned to another Judge, the statement said.

Olanipekun had further

prayed the court to await the decision of the CJ before the defendant would take his plea.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Paul Usoro, SAN, Emmanuel Udom (currently constitutionally immune against criminal prosecution), Uwemedimo Thomas Nwoko (still at large), Nsikan Linus Nkan, Commissioner of Finance, Akwa Ibom State (still at large), Mfon Jacobson Udomah, Accountant-General, Akwa Ibom State, (still at large) and Margaret Thompson Ukpe (still at large) sometime in 2015 in Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court,

conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence, to wit: conversion of the sum ofN1,410,000,000 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Ten Million Naira),property of the Government of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: criminal breach of trust and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.” The defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charge when it was read to him.

In view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, asked the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand Usoro in prison.

Counsel for the defendant, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe, SAN, however, informed the court that the defence had a pending bail application.

I am medically fit to run the affairs of Nigeria - Buhari …urges Nigerians to expect a tough four years ahead.

Tony Ailemen, Abuja

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resident Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he was medically fit to run the affairs of the country, citing his visits to the 36 states of the country during the campaigns as a proof This is just as the President reiterated that Nigerians should expect tough times during this final lap of his administration.

“My visit to the 36 states and Abuja was firstly, a proof to the other side that I’m fit. I tried to cover two states per day and secondly, not to make anybody feel that any state had been left out.

“So, I thank God that He gave me the strength and health to see through my plan and I think it is appreciated.

The President, while reacting to congratulatory messages from members of his cabinet at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the celebration of his victory in the just concluded Presidential election, said: “My last lap of four years, I think it is going to be tough because people are being forgetful.

“That was why wherever I went, I reminded them of the campaign promise of our party, particularly security, as I kept on saying that you have to secure the country well and institutions. If you don’t secure the country, you can’t achieve anything no matter how many programmes you put in place.

Speaking on the economy, Buhari lamented that the problem of unemployment

in the country was giving him a concern, adding that more than 60 percent of the youths need to be kept busy.

“I realised that God heard our prayers. It had been two good rainy seasons and we had the foresight to get the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Central Bank to try and give soft loans to farmers so that everybody that is educated and looking for white collar jobs and cannot get it, can go back to the land. We are lucky the rainy season had been good.

“I think we are also lucky that through the governors in some states like Lagos, Ogun, Kebbi, Jigawa, Ebonyi, in particular, we don’t import rice but we have savings from rice in terms of foreign exchange which we put in the budget and use for infrastructure.

The President who observed that the oil sector is becoming very difficult to predict, said: “It is becoming unpredictable and depending on it makes us materially insecure but thank goodness, agriculture has come to save it and people are appreciating it.”

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, who spoke on behalf of the Ministers, described the President’s re-election victory as “well deserved.”

“Your Excellency, the Change you promised four (4) years ago to put the Nigerian economy on a sustainable development path; restore security of lives and property; and to fight corruption has laid the firm foundation for growth.

IPC condemns attacks on journalists during elections James Kwen, Abuja

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he International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos has expressed strong concern over reported incidents of attacks on journalists and other media professionals during the Presidential and Senatorial elections held Saturday, February 23, 2019.

Information gathered by IPC’s media and election situation room revealed that not less than five journalists and media professionals faced one form of harassment or the other including arrest, denial of access to collation centres and gunshot injury.

The details of these incidents include, the arrest of Nwanosike Onu of The Nation, Geoffrey Anyanwu of the SUN; David-Chyddy Eleke of THISDAY, Vincent Ujumadu of Vanguard and Tony Okafor of Punch by a team of fully armed police of-

ficers close to the residence of Peter Obi (Vice Presidential Candidate of PDP), Anambra where they had gone to cover him during the voting exercise.

Also documented is the shooting of Reginald Dei, a Government House photographer at his residence by unidentified armed men who were said to be in military uniform at Oweikorogha, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. It is believed that he is in critical condition.

The report also showed that some groups of journalists were barred from monitoring results collation in Ugheli North, Delta State; Amuwo/Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State; Bauchi and Kebbi States.

IPC Director, Lanre Arogundade said: “The various attacks on journalists during the general elections are condemnable as they also affect the credibility of the electoral process.”

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Federal govt, stakeholders urged to prevent future election violence Ngozi Okpalakunne

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he Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders have been urged to take note of identified conflict flashpoints during the recently concluded Presidential and National Assembly Elections in order to take proactive measures to preventing future election-related violence.

In a statement issued by West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEPNigeria) and signed by its National Network Coordinator, Bridget Osakwe, noted that prior to the elections, 51 incidents of election-related threats in which there were 113 fatalities and 141 injuries were indicated.

“Several potential hotspots were also identified in the following areas which include; Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Kaduna, Kogi, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Zamfara and Yobe States, among others’’, the statement added.

While the security situation in many polling stations were conducive for the elec-

torate to cast their ballots, the statement also noted that WANEP received reports of ballot box-snatching, armed violence and intimidation.

Also it stated that a total of 38 violent incidents were recorded in the WANEP Election Situation Room (ESR) between February 23rd and 24th 2019 resulting in 36 fatalities.

However WANEP in the

statement made the following recommendations: “That INEC must continue in the provision of regular updates on the remaining aspects of the electoral process in order to assure candidates, political parties and the public of the integrity of the process.

“Security agencies should be deployed especially in flashpoints to prevent the eruption of violence after

ROWAA Initiative empowers women, the vulnerable Josephine Okojie proclamation of results.

“Election stakeholders should organise an afteraction review on the conduct of the 2019 elections to distill lessons learned in view of improving elections with integrity in the country.

“Adequate measures need to be put in place to guard against the disenfranchisement of Nigerians based on religion and/or ethnic profiling.”

It also stressed that the need “to strengthen the institutional capacity of National and State Agencies like INEC, Security Agencies, Judiciary and a host of others in charge of administering election affairs. *High-level preventive diplomacy should be conducted with the candidates to maintain peace during and after the counting, collation and proclamation of results.”

According to the group, “Without prejudice to the right to use peaceful and legal means to address election disputes, candidates, political party supporters and Nigerians in general are encouraged to remain civil, keep faith with the rest of the electoral process, and accept the outcome of the results.”

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OWAA Initiative, a non-governmental organisation has empowered over 200 widows and vulnerable in Itire area of Lagos metropolitan.

According to the NGO, the empowerment initiative is to provide succour to widows and children by championing their advancement and also impact their livelihood.

The NGO stated that widows and their children form an unfortunate huge chunk of the most disadvantaged and discriminated groups and they continue to face increased challenges as a result of epidemics, war, economic collapse and stagnation, hence, the urgent need to empower them can never be overemphasised.

Titilope Adewusi, chairperson, ROWAA Initiative Board of Trustees, said the organisation decided to come to the aide of the group because for many widows in Nigeria, it is time of grief, pain and abandonment.

“ROWAA is an organisation that supports and champions the advancement of widows and children’s rights and creates a positive

outcome for them and their families through social and economic empowerment,” Adewusi said.

She also stated that all the programs of the NGO are specifically designed for widows, addressing specific needs of widows and their children.

A component of the NGO she said was to conduct psycho-social support, life skills, and para-legal and incomegenerating programs including vocational and entrepreneurial programs for widows in under-served communities across Nigeria.

Also speaking, Ayodele Agbede, a member of ROWAA Initiative Board, pointed out areas in which ROWAA comes in to help widows and their families.

“Also as part of our sustainable development goals, ROWAA will work with partners to provide food to very poor widows and their children, implement health programs specially targeted at widows and their children,” Ayodele said.

He further explained that the organisation has also created scholarship schemes for children of widows to benefit from and further their education in good institutions as well as bursaries which will help sustain them in school.

Nigerian digital innovator wins British Council global funding Ngozi Okpalakunne

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Nigerian, Job Oyebisi, has won the British Council first global #IdeasChangeLives innovation challenge.

The competition asked for hyper-innovative ideas that can help find a solution to one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Oyebisi won the global

funding together with a Malawi’s mHub and they will each receive N9,412,100.00 and mentoring to take their products live.

Job Oyebisi runs StanLab which aims to improve science and technology career prospects for more than 6 million students by teaching practical skills in virtual 3D laboratories.

MHub will improve reporting for sexual assault, reproductive health rights, early marriage and human

trafficking, adding to its function as Malawi’s first community-based human rights platform.

A proposal from Ghana, DigiCop, was highly commended, and will receive N4,706,550.00 to develop a business plan to use AI technology to improve access to police assistance for Ghana’s 19 million mobile phone users. Ghana’s police to citizen ratio is 1:848 compared to the UN’s recommendation of 1:500.

The three proposals were drawn from entries from over 2000 people and organisations around the world. #IdeasChangeLives is part of a series of initiatives led by the British Council. Two winners get support to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). If the MVP is successful the British Council will work with winner to seek partnerships to help scale the MVP across its network in more than 100 countries. #IdeasChangeLives was judged by an international panel of business leaders.

They selected proposals for life-changing solutions that could improve hundreds of thousands of lives through digital engagement.

Ciarán Devane, chief executive, British Council said: “Technology, and the rapid increase in connected devices worldwide, offers new opportunities to tackle world problems.

This competition has highlighted both the resourcefulness of digitally-capable people around the globe, and their desire to solve the issues in their regions.

The British Council is proud to enable the development of these winning ideas, and

their potential to improve lives.”

Vikas Shah, Judge, and Chief Executive, Swiscot Group stated: “Science education is essential, but often costly. StanLab bring a unique, powerfully intuitive and highly engaging deployment of VR, allowing those in even the most remote and underfundedcommunitiesto get the benefits of a high class science education.”

However, the British Council acknowledged the support of the United States to the initiative, which was delivered by its Digital, Innovation and partnerships directorate.

Speaking during the presentation of the cheque at the British Council in Lagos, Job Oyebisi said that he planned to use 3D technology to address poor performance in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects across Nigeria and the rest of Africa through StanLab. This, he said, would allow students to do experiments in a 3D virtual laboratory that teaches practical science through a computer or mobile device.

“This addresses the low quality of hands-on science education and facilities at

many schools across Nigeria and aims to improve results and career prospects. The goal is to reach more than half of Nigeria’s 12 million students, contributing towards SDG 4: quality education”, he added.

While MHub in Malawi champions local technology software solutions and aimed to build new functionality for their existing human rights platform creating a more nuanced reporting mechanism - via SMS or USSD code – to report on issues around sexual assault, reproductive health rights, early marriage and human trafficking. Through targeted social media campaigns, they aim to reach more than 10,000 vulnerable women and girls often in remote rural or displaced communities to help them understand their rights and what to do if they are violated.

Joseph Sam of DigiCop from Ghana is the runner-up and would receive £10,000 and support to develop a business plan and networking pathways for his project DigiCop, which will deploy AI technology through apps such as WhatsApp, facebook and SMS to address SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions,.

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Focus The fighting spirit of Anambra political amazons AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE and ifeoma okeke

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illary Clinton in 2016 during a concession speech had said: “To all the little girls who are watching, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”

This statement is not a witty statement but one that is being manifested amid virulent allegations of marginalisation of women, and low participation of women in politics all over the world. Nigeria is definitely no exception. As the girl child rises to the occasion of leadership, only a few have been able to break the shackles and thrive in various spheres of life, particularly in politics.

Women are major stakeholders in the development project of any society.

Globally, the issue of women marginalisation and low participation in political leadership and decision making has been attracting a lot of attention from scholars.

Although women and men have different biological and physiological make-up, the former may share common features with men in terms of educational qualifications, socio-economic status, occupation among others; yet, they are marginalised in virtually all spheres of public life. In many African countries, such as Nigeria, obnoxious social norms, political exclusion and economic lop-sidedness dictate the presence and voice of women in public life.

According to 2006 Nigerian population census figure, women constituted 49percent of the total population, but there has been a gross gender gap between men and women, especially in political representation, economic management and leadership.

It is therefore, important to acknowledge and commend amazons who, by sheer doggedness, have successfully challenged the status quo and are taking up political leadership roles.

Two of such women in recent times are Uche Ekwunife and Stella Oduah, two Anambra States amazons, who have just been re-elected and elected (as the case may be) as members of the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate.

Few days back, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Stella Oduah and Uche Ekwunife as the winners and senators-elect, to represent Anambra North and Anambra Central senatorial districts, respectively, after beating their contenders in the just concluded 2019 presidential and national assembly elections in Anambra State.

Oduah and Ekwunife are two dogged fighters, who have fought to stay relevant in the Nigerian political scene for many years now. In Anambra, the two women have never allowed themselves to be intimated by their male counterparts, usually considered as ‘politically supreme’.

Oduah, a serving senator (2015-2019) and senator-elect (2019-2023), was born on January 5, 1962 and hails from Akili-Ozizor in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State. She received her

Stella Oduah

Bachelors and Masters Degree (in Accounting and Business Administration) in the United States, before returning to Nigeria in 1983 to join the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

She is married to a former Minister of Works, Chris Ogiemwonyi, who hails from Edo State.

Oduah of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner by polling 113,989 votes to defeat 20 other candidates; Emmanuel Chinedu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) came second with 59,937 votes and Nelson Onubogu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged third with 11,995 votes.

While reacting to her victory, Oduah said that her re-election for second tenure was a proof of God’s love for her and her people.

The Senator, who promised to sustain her quality representation in the Red Chamber, said: “It is a duty to further improve the livelihood of the people of my senatorial district.”

Her active political career started in 2011, when she played critical role in the political campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan, where she served as his campaign’s director of Administration and Finance.

Consequently, her role in Jonathan’s election as president earned her a ministerial slot, and she was appointed as a minister, and was sworn in on July 2, 2011.

She was deployed to the Ministry of Aviation on July 4, 2011, where she served for about three years.

Oduah’s ministerial position was threatened following the several controversies ranging from highly inflated purchase of BMW bullet-proof cars without following due process as well as purportedly lying about obtaining MBA degree from St Paul’s College, which trailed her leadership in the aviation ministry.

These controversies led to abrupt termination of her duties as Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation on 12 February 2014. On leaving her position as the minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Oduah was not deterred as she continued the political struggle but this time, she decided to go back to the he father’s state to seek the consent of her people to represent them in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, when it was obliviously difficult for a woman to become politically relevant at that level in Anambra.

This struggle, no doubt, has earned her another slot (second term) in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, and this, observers believed, is a very com-

Uche Ekwunife

mendable achievement.

On her part, Uche Ekwunife, a former senator, who represented Anambra Central Senatorial District under People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and served in the 8th Assembly, was first in the red chamber of the National Assembly between June 2015 – 2016.

Ekwunife lost her senatorial seat in 2016 after she was sacked from the Senate in 2015 by Victor Umeh, an incumbent senator, through an Appeal Court judgment. Her election was challenged in court and in December 2015, her seat declared vacant for switching from one political party to the other. Her senatorial seat was threatened as she was not able to get her then political, PDP, to back her for the by-election for her former seat.

The Appeal Court judgment did not deter her as she vowed to return to the upper legislative house in 2019, a dream she fulfilled last week, when INEC declared her Senator-elect for the Anambra Central senatorial district after the 23 February 2019 National Assembly elections.

Ekwunife’s political career has been characterised by switching from one political party to another such that she has moved to at least four different parties. She was originally a card-carrying member of the PDP, which is the platform with which she won the bid to represent Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia federal constituency in the House of Representatives in 2007.

In 2010, she defected to the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) and aspired for the governorship of Anambra State.

After she lost that election, she moved to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and returned to the House of Representative on the platform of the party in 2011.

In 2013 also, Ekwunife sought the ticket of APGA to contest for Anambra governorship election but was defeated

It shows that gradually the narrative is changing and people are getting to understand that women are capable for any position

by Governor Willie Obiano in the primaries, and this led to her return to PDP. She won the ticket of the PDP for the 2015 Senate election and was elected to the Senate.

However, the joy of this victory was cut short by the court ruling, which insisted that PDP should not be allowed to be part of the rerun. This was how she lost her seat to Victor Umeh of APGA. This resulted to her moving to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest election but she failed as Sharon Ikeazor, who was purportedly said to have been with Muhammadu Buhari camp before her was favoured for the ticket.

Surprisingly, she got the APC ticket to contest for Anambra Central senatorial district, to the amazement of many. This generated controversies as one of the aspirants vowed to fight it out with her in the courts, a decision that might have led to her returning to the PDP, the platform on which she won the 23 February National Assembly election.

Reacting to the staying power and the fighting spirit of the amazons, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, chairperson of Transition Monitoring Group and Founder of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, a non-profit organisation told BDSUNDAY that the election of women into the Senate is a good development, especially as some of the women being elected are returning, where some men could not get their tickets back.

“It shows that gradually the narrative is changing and people are getting to understand that women are capable for any position,” she said.

“If you look at some of those women elected, they come back to their communities to hold community parley because some of the things missing in our politics today is that people in power are far away from their constituency but research that we have done shows that most of the women who are in political positions in Nigeria are often times very close to their constituency. If the political system does not remove women from the political arrangements, often times they get their tickets,” Akiyode-Afolabi explained.

She emphasised that it is important for the country to also hold these women accountable, especially on gender equality issues. “Some of them did not stand up for gender in the last administration. We do hope that this time around, we will get a huge number of them to commit to ensuring that lives of women and girls are prioritised in Nigeria. They must identify that fact that they are first women before they become politicians,” she said.

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PhotoSplash

R-L: Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader, All Progressives Congress (APC); Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, party gubernatorial candidate; Tayo Ayinde, director general, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Independent Campaign Group (BOSICG), and James Omolaja Odunmbaku, his Deputy in BOSICG, during a meeting with members of the group and other party members in Lagos.

L-R: Ibiba Donpedro, president, Niger Delta Women International Resource Environment and Development (NDWIRED); Anukio Briggs, niger deltan rights activist, and Rosemary Graham-Naingba, president, Ijaw Women Connect (IWC) Worldwide, during a news conference on the Abonnema killings and Kaiama Looting during the Kalabari/Ijaws Mother and Daughter›s meeting in Rivers State.

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Abba Kyari (m), chief of staff, congratulating president Muhammadu Buhari (R) over his victory in 2019 Presidential Election, at the State House in Abuja With them are Ibikunle Amosun, governor, Ogun State (2nd, r), and Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity.

Muhammed Abubukar (l), governor, Bauchi, with leaders of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), during the National, during the NURTW leaders of visit to Government House in Bauchi.

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L-R: Annabelle Degroot, MD, International Breweries; Joseph Yobo, Folarin Falana (Falz), Femi Adebayo, all Trophy Brand Ambassadors, and Tolu Adedeji, marketing director, International Breweries, during the signing of Trophy brand ambassadors in Lagos.

L-R: Danbaba Daudu, deputy commissioner of Police in Kaduna State; Sulaiman Balarabe, commissioner of Police in the state; and Janet Agbedel, deputy commissioner of Police, during a news conference in Enugu. NAN

L-R: Phillips Oki, chief financial officer, 9mobile; winner of 9mobile Magic Hour Promo, and Adebisi Idowu, vice president, marketing, 9mobile, at the presentation of the 9mobile Magic Hour Promo to the winners in Lagos.

L-R: Lecky Mustapha, national commissioner of INEC in charge of South South; Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of INEC, and Festus Okoye, national commissioner in-charge of information and voter education, during the Chairman’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners at INEC headquarters in Abuja.

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Buhari and the deflation of a famed letter-writer

Frank Aigbogun editor Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja

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

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I

n contemporary time, there seems to be a perceptible decline in letter writing, especially personal ones. This is quite understandable, considering current upsurge in Information Communication Technology across the world.

The social media, in particular, has made communication much easier, convenient and exciting.

Technology has, thus, dealt a fatal blow to the art of letter writing.

But then, a few folks, especially the old brigade, still indulge in letter writing. Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, belongs to this class.

He surely loves writing letters and they are mostly highly volatile. So venomous are his letters that they have been overtly and covertly responsible for the collapse of not a few governments in the country. On October 1st, 1979, Chief Obasanjo made history by willingly handing over power to the Sheu Shagari led National Party of Nigeria, NPN, government.

However, a few years later, Obasanjo wrote series of letters through which he accused the

Shagari government of ineptitude and unbridled corruption. On 31st December 1983, four years after Obasanjo handed over power to it, the Shagari administration was toppled in a military coup. Till today, many strongly believe that Obasanjo spiteful letters were partly responsible for the collapse of the Shagari government.

Buoyed by the efficacy of his letters, Obasanjo became more committed to the art. From 1984 to 1999, there was hardly a government in the country that did not get a dose of Obasanjo’s deadly letters. However, from 1999 to 2007, his propensity for letter writing sharply declined.

This is quite explicable as the Owu born chief was at the helm of the nation’s affairs under the umbrella of the People Democratic Party, PDP. All that, however, changed not long after he handed over power to his own chosen successor and political son, late Umar Musa Yar’Adua whose administration was largely marred by his failing health which nearly threw the nation into a political crisis of sort. Characteristically, Obasanjo picked up his pen, once again, and there began series of another set of caustic letters that hugely undermined the Yar’Adua administration.

In-spite of being active in his emergence as president, Obasanjo later became a major thorn in the flesh of the Jonathan administration.

Obasanjo embarked upon another voyage of lethal letter

writing. Like those before it, the Jonathan administration couldn’t survive the onslaught. It was roundly beaten at the 2015 poll

by President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressive Congress, APC. Typically, Obasanjo openly courted the Buhari administration at the early stage. But as usual, the love between the duos didn’t last. By late 2016, he has started making damning remarks about the administration. By 2017, he was fully back in business as series of noxious letters that roundly condemned Buhari and his administration started flying around. In one of such, he openly advised Buhari to head back to Daura, his ancestral home, and retire in peace. In another, he was short of saying that the President no longer had a sound mind!

But then, unlike in the past, the famed Obasanjo’s letter seems to have lost its potency. Not only did Buhari trounced, Abubakar Atiku, his closest rival at the poll, he won convincingly in places where book makers had earlier opined he might not do well.

Now, how did Obasanjo’s fiery letter miss its target this time around? Well, the answer could be multifaceted. For one, it appears Nigerians have suddenly discovered that Obasanjo is a crafty old war horse who enlists an unsuspecting public to be part of his personal battles against past leaders. It has been alleged that the former President often resort to his legendary toxic letter writing art whenever the govern-

ment in power refuses to do his selfish bidding.

Also, Nigerians might have become tired of his overbearing meddlesomeness in the nation’s political realm. Since 1979, Obasanjo has been directly or indirectly involved in the emergence of every leader in the country. For instance, he greatly influenced the emergence of Yar’Adua and eventually Jonathan as presidents respectively, only to come round and fiercely criticize same leaders.

The point here is that if his past judgment that initially influenced his endorsement of these leaders was bad, why should Nigerians trust him again?

The Buhari phenomenon has merely exposed Obasanjo as a hypocritical and self-centred man who thinks mainly about himself, while pretending to be driven by patriotic considerations. In as much as he has the right to continue writing his letters as well as the right to support any candidate of his choice in any election, he has lost the right to tell Nigerians whom to vote for.

Buhari’s latest victory has effectively checkmated his capacity to meddle needlessly in the nation’s political space.

If he really knows what is good for him, this is really the time for him to take a cue from past leaders such as Yakubu Gowon and Abdusalami Abubakar and toe the path of a true statesman.

Ogunbiyi wrote in from Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

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Perspective Eggheads from the Ivory Towers:

When competence bows to political pressure Chinaka Ndu

I

f all the allegations about the manner of rigging that took place during the last Presidential election, particularly manipulation of figures at collation centres, supervised by eminent professors of universities from the nation’s Ivory Towers, are anything to go by, there is no wonder then why Nigerian Universities have become breeding grounds for examination fraudsters, “Yahoo Yahoo boys” and other immoral activities.

This is because, a monkey can only give birth to a monkey and fraudsters must simply replicate themselves.

Many citizens smelt a rat when a few days to the Presidential election, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), a group that had been on strike for months over various categories of unmet demands, chief of which is unpaid salary arrears and allowances of university teachers, announced one night that it had settled with the Federal Government and had called off the strike with immediate effect.

The ASUU leaders that night gleefully announced that the universities had, by virtue of the development, been ordered to reopen forthwith.

One could see through the lies and shenanigans oozing out from the very mouths of those who were supposed to be the conscience of the nation.

They lied that the universities were going to resume at a time when it was not safe for undergraduates to be on campus for any meaningful academic activity. It was a time individuals and organisations were advising parents and guardians to put an eye on their children and wards, to avoid them being used as cannon fodders by desperate politicians.

The shenanigans played out at a time when ASUU leaders knew that many of their university chancellors and professors were going to serve as INEC ad-hoc staff in various capacities.

So, the question was, who was ASUU reopening the schools for?

This is why it has been difficult to dismiss the allegation that the vice chancellors of universities and other professors who worked as INEC returning officers or collation officers were heavily compromised.

It is being alleged that they tampered with figures and allowed themselves to be involved in different categories of electoral malfeasance.

“Some of them, in their alleged bid to doctor the figures in the original result sheet, struggled before the camera to read such figures out even though they were the ones who computed the results at the state level. They pretended to have suddenly gone

Yakubu blind. It was so ridiculous that even after providing ‘ruler and light’ as requested by one of the returning officers (a professor and vice chancellor) to enable him see well, he continued to stammer like a child learning to read.

“At that moment, that professor was struggling with his conscience and that was why he found it very difficult to face the world. He only mustered the courage after he had been told by the National Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, to step down and take time off to look at the result again. That may have also afforded him the opportunity to sip some brandy in order to make himself high enough for the hatchet man’s job,” Patience Agwu, a school proprietress in Lagos, said.

Although these professors who preside over institutions of higher learning where all manner of courses are being offered, were supposed to encourage research into how best to conduct elections in Nigeria, from what transpired during the collation of the results, observers speak in tandem that the academics are morally inequipped to champion researches that could move Nigeria away from the crude way of conducting elections.

Recall that it was Attahiru Jega, the immediate past chairman of the INEC that introduced, in 2015, the use of university vicechancellors as returning officers.

Jega had explained that he settled for them because they had a track record of credibility.

“We were looking for people

Jega

We were looking for people with integrity; and we have no doubt that there are many people with integrity in the Nigerian university system

with integrity; and we have no doubt that there are many people with integrity in the Nigerian university system.

“So, it is like a ready-made constituency to get the kind of people we needed for the job to be done,” he said.

According to Jega, “We know that anybody who has risen in the system to become a vice-chancellor will not, for anything, damage his or her reputation by pandering to the wishes of politicians.”

Today, it does not appear that the university professors have acquitted themselves well or have lived up to that expectation.

“Vice Chancellors and senior lecturers in our universities have since joined the rat race. They are now more interested in their pockets than they are in whatever research that can move the country forward,” an analyst, who craved anonymity, said.

The analyst further said: “Many nations develop through researches incubated in their Ivory Towers. But the Nigeria’s story is pathetic. Nobody is interested in developing our institutions. You are carrying out a research work and those who should supervise you are busy placing all manner of monetary demands and extorting you. Even at that, you don’t even see them. You find out that a project that should take six months to complete now lasts for two to three years because of the nonchalant attitude of lecturers.

It is a shame.”

Patrick Osho, a trained physician, does not believe that the eggheads have justified the reason behind their consideration for the INEC sensitive job.

“Professor Jega was very right when he made the decision. He thought he was still dealing with university professors of the ‘80s and ‘90s who were only mindful of their calling as teachers and cared less about the rat race going on outside the walls of the university environment,” Osho said.

According to him, “In the late ‘80s to early ‘90s when I was in the university, lecturers were contented. They were not interested in the huge amount of money their mates were making outside.

They were satisfied with their old brands of cars and their not-wellfurnished quarters. You could feel the air of contentment around them. At that time, they invested their all in the education of their children, most of who passed through the institutions where their fathers were lecturing. Con-

tentment was their watchword.

“But today, the professors have joined the rat race. They prey on their students and do all manner of things to live big. They now compete with politicians, even though they are aware that most times, the sources of funds are illegal. They now operate on the principle of ‘if you can’t beat them, you join them.’ What we see now is unnecessary and unhealthy competition. We now see university lecturers having two or three of their children in the best universities abroad, all at the same time. And in their struggle to get money to maintain such lush lifestyles, they lose their integrity by engaging in all manner of untoward deals. I think, honestly, that the university professors have lost their innocence. There may be a few exceptions, though.”

Although the Vice Chancellors and other university professors that were deployed for the INEC job did not serve in their states, allegations were also rife that they were compromised even before they got posted.

“Don’t forget that they operate as a cult. The INEC Chairman is a professor and don’t forget that they are all from federal universities. They know themselves.

It does not matter where they were sent to officiate; in the era of telephone, communication is easy. So, it is infantile to believe that just because a lecturer or VC was moved from say, Lagos to go and serve in Edo State he would be non-partisan if he had been compromised beforehand.

He receives instructions from those who recruited him and is instructed on what to do there, finish,” Osho volunteered.

A columnist, Abimbola Adelakun, writing in one of the national dailies a few days ago, noted that it was disappointing watching some of the professor-returning officers, stammering.

“The other rankling part was watching the university vice chancellors, who served as returning officers, read out the figures, some of them stumbling in the execution of this rather banal task. If they could not competently perform the easy chore of reading out numbers, we should wonder how much diligence and intelligent oversight they contributed to the mission of the collation of the results,” Adelakun said.

It is her submission that “After several election cycles, we should have realised now that the premise of using academics in the electoral process is in itself inherently flawed. It is understandable why Jega, a reputable academic himself, would imagine that plugging his colleagues across Nigerian universities into that role would improve the integrity of the electoral process. Academics are supposed to be an embodiment of charisma and intellect.”

Ndu, a public affairs commentator, writes from Lagos

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13 Inside Lagos

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Vandals on prowl: Cut, cart away streetlight cables ...as Iganmu-Apapa bridge now in darkness

T

JOSHUA BASSEY

he light-up Lagos project of the Lagos State government is already suffering a setback in some parts of the metropolis, as vandals are breaking open concrete slaps, cutting and carting away copper cables deployed in the street lighting system.

Some of the affected roads and bridges, including Iganmu and Ijora-Apapa bridges have lost the night beauty associated with the lighting effects.

Findings showed that some of the streetlights no longer come on at nights, as hoodlums have vandalised some of the components.

The development is already raising concern among residents and motorists, who fear that it might encourage the return of street robbers who, before now, took advantage of prevailing darkness on the bridges to rob motorists trapped in traffic jams.

Joy Oku, a staff of a shipping company with an operational

base in Apapa, on Friday, described the vandalism of the cables as “an unfortunate development.”

Oku said the installation of the streetlights had automatically checked the activities of hoodlums who often robbed motorists and passengers on Ijora-Apapa bridge.

“What is baffling, however, is that we have security agents who include soldiers and policemen on the bridge day and night directing the movement of petroleum tankers and container carrying trucks. One then wonders how the vandals are able to beat the security agents to cut the cables. With the bridges now thrown into darkness, the hoodlums will start crawling out at night to rob motorists,” Oku lamented.

Also condemning the development, Adebayo Shitu, a clearing a forwarding agent, urged security agents on the bridge to track down the vandals.

The light-up Lagos to which the billions of naira has been committed, has been a major

Broken concrete slaps showing cut cable on Iganmu Bridge on Friday.

Again, Evans’ trial stalled as counsel absent in court

A

bsence of Evans’ counsel, Chino Obiagwu, on Friday, again stalled the continuation of hearing in the on-going trial of the alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a Evans.

Evans’ trial was on the last adjourned date, January 30, stalled due to the absence of Emmanuel Ochai, one of the defence counsels.

Evans is currently facing charges bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder.

In the first charge, Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba. In the second charge, he is standing trial alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.

At the resumed hearing on Friday, Evans’ counsel did not make an appearance but sent a letter informing Justice Adedayo Akintoye

of his absence. Indeed, no member of suspected kidnap kingpin’s legal team was present in court.

However, the prosecutor, Y. G. Oshoala, who drew the court’s attention to the absence of Evans’ counsel, said it was not the first time such was happening. He said that on the last adjourned date, on January 30, one of the defendant’s counsels was absent and the case was adjourned.

“This is not the first time such is happening. The Supreme Court stated that the court is not a slave of time that must wait for a party to come and present its case. We submit that the court cannot wait for the defence counsel,” Oshoala said.

He directed the court’s mind to the need to do justice to all parties,” the state, the defendant and the public.”

But making an order for adjournment, Justice Akintoye said: “I have

project of Akinwunmi Ambodeled government aimed at improving the level of security in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

The project was also designed to extend night life and positively the overall economy of the state.

In the last four years, the project has been executed in different parts of the metropolis to the admiration of millions of residents.

Before it was extended to the Ijora-Apapa axis early 2018, motorists and commuters regularly suffered attacks from robbers who wield dangerous weapons and break side screens of vehicles in the bid to dispossess their victims of valuables, including cash, cell phones, hand bags among other items.

According to Shitu, it was unacceptable that hoodlums would be allowed to vandalise project into which billions of tax payers’ money had been committed.

He said there was the need for security agents and the general public to protect and secure the infrastructure in order to check crimes and improve security of lives and property.

Ambode, Utomi task workers on retirement plan noted your observation. I will give them the benefit of doubt because the defence counsel is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. I assume he is not just wasting the time of the court.”

Consequently the judge adjourned the case until March 22, for adoption of written addresses in the trial within trial.

It would be recalled that on January 16, during a trial within trial, Evans denied the confessional statement he made to the police after his arrest in 2017, saying it was made under duress.

Evans told the court that he signed the statement under duress to save him from being tortured to death.

Evans gave details of how members of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team allegedly tortured and killed several others, who were paraded alongside him in his presence.

G

overnor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, and Pat Utomi, a professor and management consultant, have stressed the need for workers in the employ of Lagos State to prepare ahead of their retirement and not be caught unawares.

They gave the charge at a twoday workshop organised for civil servants in the state whose retirement is drawing closer, pointing out that life cycle in public service was clear and definite.

Ambode, represented at the workshop by Benson Oke, his commissioner for establishments, training and pensions, said the workshop was necessary to prepare the expectant retirees, as the government was concerned about their welfare even after retirement.

According to him, planning for

retirement also helps the government on its part, to strategically manage available resources, such that, interest of those retiring from service is not compromised.

Also, Pat Utomi said every public servant must have a focus and mindset that he or she would not be in service forever.

“The life cycle is clear; the day we are born, we know we are going to die and we must ensure we develop ourselves. It’s a duty for anybody who is entering service to do a career map for the next to 20 years, and with the expectation that at age 60, he or she will exit the system,” said Utomi.

Also speaking at the workshop, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, a professor and vice chancellor of University of Lagos, advised the expectant retirees to make plans and savings that would assist them in their post- service years.

a peaceful conduct of governorship and state house assembly elections come March 9.

“I called on Lagosians to support the police to serve them better by being vigilant and report any suspicious movement or persons to the police.

“I want to sound a warning to initiators and distributors of fake news. We will identify you, isolate you and bring you to justice.

“To good people of Lagos State, do not just believe everything you see on the social media, you are free to always verify such information from us,’’ he said.

The CP said he had met with some ethnic groups’ leaders, including the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba after the presidential election, adding that suggestions and observations from the meetings would be used for other elections.

Igbo, others are safe in Lagos, says CP

C

ommissioner of Police (CP) in Lagos State, Zubairu Muazu, has said that Igbo and other ethnic groups in the state are safe to go about their normal businesses.

Muazu gave the assurance while giving update of security situation in the state ahead of the governorship election of March 9.

According to Muazu, one serious issue the command is contending with is the menace of fake news circulated on social media, on the plan attack on Igbo traders in Lagos.

The commissioner, however, warned those he described as initiators and distributors of fake news to stop causing unnecessary tension.

He said that the command

had provided adequate security for all Igbo and other persons in Lagos State.

“Let me re-emphasis that Lagos State is peaceful and Lagosians are peace-loving people.

There is no tribe or community under threat in any part of the state. Our patrol and surveillance are intensified.

“We have reviewed and redoubled our strategies to ensure

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Politics

Tension in Rivers ahead of March 9 guber election …APC launches ‘Kick out Wike’ project’ … Wike says no man born of women or gunboats can remove him …Courts keep delisting more parties … Army leads security agencies for action … INEC accused, undecided?

IGNATIUS CHUKWU

H

opes that the governorship election i n Ri v e r s S t a t e would be a walk over seem to dim every hour. Not even the additional knockout from the ballot of Accord Party (AP) candidate, Dumo Lulu-Brigs, actually a long standing All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and financier, by another Rivers High Court would make the election a walkover.

The APC continues to keep hope alive even after not participating in the last week election for the National Assembly.

The party continues to tell its members that it had hope a court would revamp their ballot slot. For that reason, the party keeps fighting to create a space for itself.

Now, the mood is high in APC circles as something like fear seems to build up in PDP camps following the presidential election results that did not only return the APC in power at the centre but drastically reduced the strength of Rivers State and the PDP in the state to deliver huge votes to their presidential candidate.

This seems to prove to the APC that their formula was working, which seemed to be to whittle down voting strength of the PDP and find a way to gain advantage, like they do in the English Premiership where smaller teams try to disrupt the flow and rhythm of the bigger team and look for a shock goal to inflict maximum injury.

Operation Kick Out Wike on the way?

Now, the APC has concluded plans to launch what it calls ‘Kick Out Wike’ project which would lead to a mega rally and procession starting from the Isaac Boro Park in the heart of the Garden City in what seems to be a show of strength. A party chieftain and Chibuike Amaechi diehard, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said: “I pray that as we kick-off the‘Kick Out Wike’ project, let us all unite under the leadership of our leader, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and rescue Rivers State from the hands of Wike and his people”.

Eze was full of praises for the people of Rivers State who stood against all odds, intimida-

Governor Wike

tion, propaganda and forces in the Wike’s administration to come out en-masse to vote for President Buhari not minding the cancellation of six Local Government Areas that would have catapulted our votes to the level of a party trusted by the people of Rivers State.

No man born of a woman, no gunboat can dethrone me – Wike Governor Wike seems to be an election war general. He is called high Tension, Bulldozer, and Action Man. Whereas there is a General Officer Commanding troops in Port Harcourt in the Nigerian Army, Wike is regarded as a Commander of the Masses.

His election network is seen as second to none in the southsouth and east.

Now, he was won over 98 per

Ameachi

cent of candidates of other political parties in the state, if he did not sponsor them to those positions in the first place. The APC has been dealt deadly blows at the courts across Nigeria and some party chieftains claims its all Wike’s hand. Now, the Accord Party where one major force ran to has been shattered in another court and his name delisted in the ballot.

Magnus Abe, regarded as Amaechi’s biggest lieutenant, and the Snowball of his team, has been encouraged into a warfare which has dealt deadly blows to the party. Many say they can hardly see who is standing against Wike. Yet, there is a shadow war many are yet to see.

Now, in the heat of violence and shooting in Rivers State, Governor Wike says no man

‘

They thus fight to make the elections inconclusive to see if their hope in the judiciary could be real. Some say the fall of Walter Onnoghen at the apex of the Supreme Court could mean a thing or two in the Rivers imbroglio

born of woman, or any size of gunboat, can stop his victory on March 9, 2019. Governor Wike spoke in Government House on Thursday when the Social Democratic Party (SDP) guber running mate, Christopher Udume, led others to decamp to the governor’s party, mere nine days to election.

Responding, Governor Wike said that his re-election has been secured by God and the good people of Rivers State. He said that with the defection of the SDP Deputy Governorship Candidate of SDP, the party no longer has a Governorship Candidate because of the constitutional requirement for election.

“God in his infinite mercies has given us victory. Nobody born of a woman can stop us from victory. It doesn’t matter the gunboats or armoured personnel carriers, God is with us.

“Anybody can plan against us, but you are planning against God. I cannot be afraid of any man because he who is with us, is greater than them”, he said.

The governor said all the schemes against elections in Rivers State will fail because the state is PDP. Governor Wike thanked the former leaders of SDP in Rivers

State for committing to peaceful elections in Rivers State. He urged other leaders to abandon negative destructive tendencies and join in the development of the State. The Governor said though enemies of the state are not sleeping, they will continue to fail.

“Enemies of the state are not sleeping, but no power can bring this state down. God is working for this state. What you have done is in the interest of the State”.

Courts hold bigger votes In the war of attrition called Rivers politics, the courts have played major roles for over 10 years. It was the Supreme Court that made history in 2007 by awarding electoral victory to a man that was not on the ballot and was rather in exile during voting. The Supreme Court determined that it was the PDP that won the election and not really Celestine Omehia. In that strange interpretation, the court declared Amaechi the governor, five months after Omehia had governed.

Now, when Amaechi was at war with Goodluck Jonathan and Wike, he saw the Rivers Court positioning to aid his impeachment and shut down the courts for one year. Wike was to reopen them in 2015 and appointed the same judge the National Judicial council (NJC) recommended but rejected by Amaechi and instantly became a judicial hero in Nigeria. When the security agencies stormed judges quarters at night, Wike was miraculously passing their way and mobilised for rescue of the judges.

Besides, former governor and Amaechi estranged godfather, Peter Odili, whose wife is a justice of the Supreme Court, returned as Wike’s godfather.

The governor has won many cases in various courts in the land, mostly against Amaechi and his APC. The APC has been delisted and stay of execution has not been obeyed. The Accord Party where an APC chieftain ran to and where some sections of the APC hoped to run to for a war against Wike has been shut down too. It is difficult to see where the APC would find a footing to win the state’s governorship on March 9, 2019.

The APC has however taken

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Politics

Professor Mahmood Yakubu

the position of a man on the ground who fears no fall, thus unleashing forces that may spoil the broth for everyone. They hope to win their place back on the ballot. They thus fight to make the elections inconclusive to see if their hope in the judiciary could be real. Some say the fall of Walter Onnoghen at the apex of the Supreme Court could mean a thing or two in the Rivers imbroglio.

Army leads security agencies to action Governor Wike has for week continued to raise alarm that soldiers may decide where victory goes in the Rivers elections. The consistent accusations seem to get to the nerves of the 6 Brigade Division in Port Harcourt.

The governor has pointedly said the Army worked for APC, the Army said they stopped Wike’s thugs and his armed Neighbourhood Watch operatives. The Army has paraded government officials allegedly offering bribes to soldiers and caught with election materials.

Wike has denied all and fought back gamely, saying the Army should first clear their names in what he had accused them such as ballot box hijacking, killings and other allegations.

The Abonnema shootout has remained an issue where both the state government and the Army pass blames.

Over 56 governorship candidates have agreed with Wike and accused the Army, Friday, March 1, 2019. Their spokesman, Ihunwo Samuel said; “We the Rivers State Gubernatorial Candidates of all the political parties for the 2019 general elections collectively express our concern over the militarization of last week Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections and condemn

the brazen violence, snatching of election materials, harassment and abduction of electoral officers and the wanton killings of innocent persons by the Nigerian Army in Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Ahoada West, Andoni, Bonny, Degema, Emouha, Ikwerre and Okrika Local Government Areas of the State.

“Of course, the partisan involvement and subversive activities of the army, especially the General Officer Commanding the 6 Division of the Nigeria Army, Major General Jamil Sarham and his unpatriotic band of soldiers in last week’s Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections are well known to the entire world.

Indeed, it is on record that the disruption and snatching of elections materials at Okrika was led by one Captain Inuwa, the Aide De Camp to the GOC 6 Division of the Nigeria Army, Major General Sarham. Regrettably, in spite of the hue and cry over their murderous activities in last week’s general election, the army is again, neck deep in the plot to unlawfully assist the APC to disrupt and prevent next week Saturday’s Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections from holding in Rivers State.”

They candidates have demanded total exclusion of the army from performing any election duties in Rivers State as we do not want more of our people to be killed in cold blood as they did in last week Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“We call on Mr. President, the Chief of Army Staff and the Chairman of INEC in the name of God to ensure that the army is prohibited from election duties in Rivers State.”

INEC, the whipping boy?

The INEC in the state has

been remembered as the cause of everybody’s woes.

When any party is doing well, INEC is a great umpire, when things go bad, its INEC that has sold out.

The APC knew the background of the man appointed to head INEC as Resident Electoral Commission (REC) in the state, Obo Efanga, and did not object. Now, the party’s supporters are calling for his head.

They have unearthed social comments and posts made

by Efanga when he was an activist and have used them to show he had never held Buhari in any high esteem. Efanga had consistently pointed out in his posts where Buhari made promises but did not keep them. That is the refrain in the region. This has cast him in the image of anti-Buhari element.

Th e y A P C c e a s e l e s s l y points to how Rivers INEC quickly obeyed court orders to delist APC but when stay of execution was given twice, he failed to re-list the party’s candidates. They hold this against Efanga too.

As the election came, may camps have said the other camp supplied the electoral officials more. In this, INEC and Efanga are in the middle, burning on both sides. When the results came, both sides accused INEC of compromising.

Now, the forum of Gubernatorial Candidates under the aegis of Coalition of Governorship Candidates in Rivers State have exposed secret the secret moves by INEC aided by the APC in Rivers State, to scuttle the rescheduled Gubernatorial and House of Assembly Elections in the State.

Ihunwo Samuel said the coalition intercepted what he called another heinous plan to advance the partisan interest of the APC. The plan, according to them, is to deliberately omit a political party on the ballot and give room for annulment at the tribunal.

“We join the people of Rivers State and the rest of humanity to say in clear terms that: enough of the killings, disruptions of the electoral process and massive disenfranchisement of the people of Rivers State by INEC the army as they did in last week Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.”

Conclusion How the elections go in Rivers State on March 9 or any day it may hold, dangers are high that crisis may erupt. This is because, in Rivers State of today, election seems to be war. The loser flees into exile, the winner becomes the new manor and rules with iron hand.

In what appeared to be the final bus stop, the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt Friday struck out APC Tonye Cole’s case for listing. But APC faithful in the state are hopeful of a hidden card.

Are Dele Momodu and Olisa Agbakoba enemies of democracy?

I

ODOH MICHAEL n 2003 when President Muhammadu Buhari first ran for the office of President and lost, he went to court to challenge the result of the election because he felt he was cheated and his mandate stolen. He did same in 2007 and 2011, and never called to congratulate his opponents i n t h e s e e l e c t i o n s . Ad a m s Oshiomhole, Rotimi Amaechi and Rauf Aregbeshola , stalwarts of the ruling party also challenged their various governorship elections and won at the Supreme Court.

The electoral act that gave room for candidates to go to court and challenge their election results did that to checkmate the rigging of elections. Destiny may be delayed but it cannot be denied and this to me is the reason for the tribunal. I was shocked when I read Dele Momodu’s tweet asking Atiku Abubakar to call President Muhammadu Buhari and congratulate him.

The worse was when I saw same from a senior advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba.

Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to call his opponent in 2015 was because he felt that the election, he conducted was free and fair. But that is not the same with 2019. Atiku’s decision to go to court is a victory for democracy. The court is there to settle issues between parties; it is legal so Atiku’s decision to go to court is in line with the law.

The benefit of this is simple, if Atiku emerges victorio u s i n c o u r t , Ni g e r i a ’s d e mocracy will become reborn.

No leader will have the mind to sit back, do nothing and when the people decides to vote him out, he/she rigs the election in their favour because they will know that they will have their day in court and be disgraced out of office. If Atiku sits back and do nothing , two things will happen which will be bad for our democracy: Nigerians will no longer have the zeal to go and vote because they would have lost faith in the electoral system and secondly, it will give room for massive rigging and manipulation of election results and nothing will happen to the perpetrators.

The former Vice President has not declared himself president-elect, neither has he asked his supporters to go against the law so it beats my imagination why people who claim to be defenders of democracy will be against an idea that will strengthen our democracy and give power back to the people. If Atiku refuses to go to court, it means

President Muhammadu Buhari

he would have failed the millions of Nigerians who came out to vote for him and who believe that he won the elections.

The decision will also affect our democracy negatively as stated above. My advice to Dele Momodu and Ol i s a Ag b a k o b a i s s i m p l e , Atiku is not going against the law, he is exercising his right as enshrined in our electoral act, Buhari has done it thrice in the past, let Atiku be. If the APC feels they won the election free and fair, they will have their day in court to defend the victory but let it be known, that Nigerians will no longer sit back under a false peace agreement that will look the other way when our mandate is stolen and expects us to do nothing but remain silent like a lamb that is being led to the slaughter house.

Just like I said earlier, if Atiku does nothing, our democracy will die because it will give room for what we saw on the 23rd of February 2019. People must be held accountable for their actions. He who has nothing to hide goes to equity with clean hands.

Atiku is a true democrat who has continued to fight for democracy and 2019 should not be different. Let both parties meet in court, it will only strengthen our democracy.

No matter the outcome, the Nigerian people and our democracy will emerge victorious because Nigerians will now know that, the court is there for us and we have a right to use it whenever we feel cheated.

The Judiciary is the best part of democracy and today, Ni g e r i a n ’s d e m o c r a c y l i e s before our judiciary, it is up to them to either save it and be on the right side of history or destroy it permanently. Time will tell.

Micahel, a public affairs analyst wrote from Abuja.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Politics

My request to INEC is that my votes should count - Akinlade

Adekunle Abdulkabir Akinlade, a member of the House of Representatives and candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), is a front runner for the governorship position in Ogun State. At a meeting with some journalists in Abeokuta, he unfolded his agenda for the state. INIOBONG IWOK, who was at the session, brings the excerpts:

C

an you tell us where you are now in your gubernatorial ambition, in terms of

prospects?

What we did from early January is to commence what we called ward-to-ward tour; that is one of the things I learned from the political structure here in Ogun State; that for you to reach the people you need to go to them; that is what we have done.

We have gone to wards and in the process of doing that we have sold the APM brand, and you know that most of our communities are rural.

Cassava is our major food, and if you are conversant with our people you would know that we are blessed in that.

For those who did not know what happened in the presidential election, it got to a point where we realised that as a party we had to move fast; that is APC and APM- we did not import anybody outside Ogun State to form APM. What we did was to reach out to our people who voted for us in the primaries and we sat down and said let’s look for any other platform, on which we can win this election.

But it got to a point that we realised that if we proceeded with the way we were going, President Buhari would not win the Presidential election in Ogun State.

So, how sure-footed is APM in the state, and how bright is your prospect?

In the last two months, we resolved among ourselves that it is important that Buhari wins in our state because of the rail project to be completed. Yes, we lost some of our candidates who would have won the election in their constituencies with landslide but we had to come out openly in a bus telling our people, ‘for the first election vote Buhari and APC’.

It is important for us for the project because you realised if the President did not complete those projects; Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other projects littered around Ogun State, I would not get allocation, about N7billion, to complete them.

So, when that project is completed most of the companies and industries in Apapa would want to build their warehouses in the railway corridor.

It would bring commerce to

that voted for Buhari are APM members; so, all we are saying is that let us come back home.

The remnants in the APC would come back home; by God’s grace this election would be landslide.

I am confident of winning; all I am telling the media, the electoral umpire is that my votes should count.

What I am telling the security agencies is that my votes should be protected. We voted for Buhari, and I have no doubt that he would support us. We have resumed our campaigns and we are reaching out to everybody and by God’s grace we would go round in the remaining days. I am sure everyone would see that APM is home and dry.

Recently, when President Buhari came to campaign in Ogun State, your mentor Amosun was in the eye of the storm; has that affected your campaign?

I am a member of the APM. I would not be able to speak on what happened in APC; I am not

‘

Akinlade

the state; so it was important that Buhari had to come back; thank God he won. Where we are today; the governor has said it openly that if we come out openly and work with him and Buhari wins, he would in turn come out openly to work with us, to make sure our party wins come March 9. We have held meeting this morning, when he came back from Abuja.

I have met with some of his lieutenants; we have understanding that he would commence campaign; he would come out openly and campaign for me. That no matter what the APC says to him, the agreement

he had with them is that Buhari should be delivered and now he had done that.

We lost our candidate in Abeokuta North; we lost the election in Abeokuta North and in Ijebu, Mafe, Shagamu; it is painful for us as a party, but if I think of what we lost and what we stand to gain it is a strategy for us. We have reached out to everybody; it is few days to the election; we are all set. Ogun West is ready, Ogun Central is ready and Ogun East too. We have reached out to people; they are all ready.

If you look at where we are today, majority of the people

I am confident of winning; all I am telling the electoral umpire is that my votes should count.

What I am telling the security agencies is that my votes should be protected

a member of APC. I cannot say what is happening in APC; we went there to give support to Buhari and came out openly to support him. What happened there I believe is left for the security agency to investigate.

I am not a member of the security agency and I cannot say what happened there. It has not affected me in any way. I was not with the crowd; I sat peacefully where I was sitting; people saw that I would continue to enjoy support of my people.

You said that the majority of people who voted for Buhari in Ogun State are APM members; are you saying that without APM Buhari would not have won in the state?

The people who voted for us in the primary last October are people of the state who have remained resolute that injustice will not stand and that it would be corrected in the gubernatorial election next Saturday. And I have said it many times that the President does not require Prince Abiodun to win election in Ogun State. I said that we APM would come out and work for him to win Ogun State to the extent that they sacrificed our party, because if we had not come out and campaign openly for Buhari in Ado-Odo, Ota, our candidates would have won the House of Representatives election where we lost in the state.

But because we said everybody should vote for the President, our candidates lost election in Yewa North, Ado-Odo Ota, IFO and Shagamu. Among all our candidates, only the one in Ipokia won and that is because it is my constituency. None of the people went round to campaign like we did but what is important to us is the real election on March 9.

What are your strategies at creating jobs and empowering the youth in Ogun State?

If you understand the topography of Ogun State, you would realise that we have highest number of young people in the country; because we have the highest number of tertiary institutions in the country today.

We have the highest number of industries too, thank God for the administration of Ibikunle Amosun.

What we have decided to do going forward is to focus on education; education is paramount. I am from Ipokia Local Government Area and one of

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Politics the problems there is teenage pregnancy we would step up to make sure that young people go to school.

So many times we recommended graduates for jobs, when they go for interviews they often fail and can’t do the job. I mean these are people who have 2:1 and you can see that it is not just going to school to get certificate but are they employable?

We have some strategies with the industries to make sure that we engage these industries; you may go to school and acquire a diploma but lacks work experience and skills.

So, we would run and internship programme where you can go and work in these companies for three or four months and once graduates can get certain skills then they would be employable. For those that are uneducated; we would focus on agriculture; it is now one of the biggest sectors if we would tap into it; we would create numerous jobs.

Some of them can work in fishery production, crops production, etc. I would create 30,000 jobs or more for the citizens and take development back to the rural areas. The present administration has done much in terms of developing the rural areas, but we want to do more; the money is not in Abeokuta; Abeokuta is just the seat of government that is what we would do to make sure our people are employed.

After the presidential election won by Buhari, don’t you think the people of Ogun State would want to belong to the government of the centre and vote for the candidate of the APC in the gubernatorial election?

Not really; if you understand what I am trying to explain; the people who voted for me last October 2018 are APC members, who voted overwhelmingly out of their conviction; they are out to prove a point.

This is Ogun State, our people are out to prove a point; may be, because of what happened to Abiola, may be if it was in other states it would not have mattered, but with the June 12 incident Ogun State people are politically enlightened now even in the villages and when that happened I just sat with our people and tell them that the way it happened to Abiola is the way they want to do to me.

So, our people on their own came to the conclusion that they would vote for me on any platform regardless of what is happening at the centre.

If I say our people voted for Buhari that should tell you that they don’t care if Buhari is in APC or not.

They would still vote come 9th March for APM and our people would now decide where we go from there. It would be so good because our people would want to prove that we voted in the presiden-

tion; I believe majority of the voters are not politicians. I believe young people hold the key; if you look at the record of the PVCs collected, you would see that the young people are over 60 percent and I think every reasonable politician should from that know where we are going. We want to make it as inclusive as possible; like I tell them anywhere I go; the future of Ogun State is in their hands; I was given opportunity at 41 when I met Amosun as SSA. Imagine what would happen if we give a 21 or 22-year old opportunity into government; imagine what they would do.

That is why we say it can only get better.

We have to get the younger people into government; let them know what is happening in government; so that by the time we are finishing, the next governor would be in his 30s or 40s, that is how I look at it and it is only when we engage them that they can have a platform to take charge of this great state.

Because I know Ogun State in the next five, ten years would be the envy of everyone and it would be for the younger generation.

There are many candidates in the gubernatorial race in Ogun State, what is your unique selling point?

Let me put it this way; firstly I would be the first governor of this state who have served as Akinlade

tial election and we want to vote again. That victory did not come from anywhere; we voted in the presidential election and we would vote again.

The youth form the bulk of the voters in the state, what is your plan for sports and the entertainment sector in the state?

You see, what we have done in our blue print is that sport is not just about the physical side; there is the commercial side of sport.

We are going to promote sports and we are talking with the private sector. One of the things we want to have in our local government is that, we want to have sports centres; we would invest in sports; get people in major cities, this may not touch the lives of people, what we want to do is to take the commercial side of sports to the rural communities, there are lots of raw talents in our communities that you can’t get in the cities. In the cities, most young people are either playing with their Ipad and as they grow old their attention shift from sports.

But in the rural areas, you would see young people jumping and doing sports; so there is lot of talent that would be tapped in the rural areas.

And what we have done is to come up with this concept, I saw it in England; to build

sports centres; and this would be where young people can go and do sports and raw talent discovered.

Once their minds are engaged, they would discover that there is so much they can do; rather than do immoral things; they would spend time doing things that would add value to them and their communities.

Like I said for every investment that we would put our hand into, that goes for music; music today is one of the biggest money spinner in Africa; home video and theatre is one of the biggest in Africa today.

We are aware we have big talents in Ogun State already; a lot of them are involved in our campaign and they are coming in to say how they can support us.

We would try and see how we can bring them in and have a synergy in our community. Our administration would focus on young people we have strategic plan. By Wednesday, we are going to have a march of 10, 000 young people with PVCs. This is what we intend to do, God helping us.

I am under 50; I went to LASU, and a member of House of Representatives, I have always had open mind with the youth and they relate with me clearly.

I believe strongly that conservational politicians represent 15 percent of the popula-

‘

We have to get the younger people into government; let them know what is happening in government; so that by the time we are finishing, the next governor would be in his 30s or 40s

an appointee in the state and worked here before. I was the SSA Revenue and served in the ministry of women affairs that endeared me to the heart of the civil servants in the state because I have interfaced with them.

I worked in the ministry with top directors and other officers, I was younger then, that was when we were trying to regularise staff, which we inherited from the Gbenga Daniel administration.

We tried to see how much we can regularise and I played a key role to see that most of them were regularised, you can ask them.

I stand a unique chance among the candidates with Ogun State workers. I am from Ipokia Local Government Area of the State, a member of House of Representatives. The opportunities I have had in the committees I have served in have helped me to understand the workings of our dear state.

I have interfaced with lots of corporate organisations and institutions in the state while as the SSA internal revenue. I have interfaced with everybody, including the central bank over insurance matters; none of the candidates has the wealth of experience I have coming into this election.

The only person that may have experience is Buruji; but those who understand the working of the parliament would know that the major works are done at the lower chamber of the House and not at the upper chamber, the Senate.

We do the job; that is what I am bringing on board; I have also had experience of working with the private sector, I have had the privilege of working with Amosun; I share his vision right from day one when you look at Ogun State you would say he has done his best, no one is perfect.

I believe it is the same with every administration; they beat the same drum, but how you interpret the rhythm and how we dance it is different.

Amosun interpreted the rhythm to the best of his ability.

I am a man with clear vision of what I want to achieve with our people; we are well-positioned to Lagos and to the west coast of Africa, you can call us gateway to Nigeria.

For you to get anything from the sea from Apapa into the hinterland, the South-West you have to go through Ogun State to do that. So that is why when I talk about the rail project and the need to make sure it is fully harnessed. My areas of competent are wealth management, but Governor Amosun is an accountant, so if you elect someone who does not have that capacity, who is not creative, he would just be harassing our people, the market women, and may not have the knowledge to generate money for Ogun

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Politics

Election aftermath: PDP insists on legal action

T

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

he People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted on going to court to challenge the outcome of the just-concluded presidential election, even as it dismissed reports that it gave conditions to the National Peace Committee (NPC) to abandon the legal option.

The party’s National Chairman, Uche Secondus, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, also stated that unless the injustices arising from the elections are addressed, there will be no room for peace.

Secondus, who spoke on the meeting between the PDP Presidential Candidate, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and National Peace Committee led by former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, said the party didn’t give any conditions to the committee.

He said that the committee only asked them for their grievances and told them that they will also visit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as well.

On their meeting with Peace Committee, Secondus said: “When they came, they met with us and they requested us to please state our grievances.

“There was no condition. Initially, we were not to talk with them because a decision had been taken to go to court. But because of the personalities involved, we said ok, let’s just talk.

“It was no condition. There was no request of any condition.

Uche Secondus

We made it clear that unless the injustices are addressed, there is no room for peace. It is only when you address the injustice that you can now sit down for peace.

“So, whatever interpretation that was done by anybody, let it be clear to anybody that we did not give condition, they did not request for it, it was like, look, state what really happened in the election and we told them how the military took over the election and conducted the election in favour of APC and INEC collusion.”

On their insistence on going to court, he said: “We will go to court.

Nobody will stop us from going to court and bring all of the facts both

the international observers and some people have not seen.

“We will unearth them at the courts and I believe that justice will be done at the courts. Because if we continue to suppress injustice and go sentimental, the country will continue to pile a gun powder that will explode one day.

“So much injustices have been done in this country and if we allow it and it continues to pile, nobody knows what will happen. So, that’s why we decided as good citizens and law-abiding and people who believe in rule of law that we will go to court.

“We are not going to depend on approaching the courts on the

comments of observers that were threatened. They were threatened and so, what do you expect them to say? They have to go home with their lives. They were threatened and silenced.

“It is our responsibility as good citizens to bring this to the public and to the Nigerian people and to go to court. So, we are going to court,” he said.

The party chairman, who lamented the role of the military in the course of the election, said the PDP is not at war with the military.

“They should not be involved in electoral matters.”

On the endorsement of the election by foreign observers, he said there is a provision that provides for anybody who has any grievances to go to court.

He added that the international observers might not have the information that they have so far.

However, Atiku has called for the unconditional release of all those illegally arrested and detained for political reasons. He also called for the non-deployment of the military in compliance with constitutional provisions and the subsisting judgment of the court.

The PDP candidate, according to a statement signed by his media aide, Paul Ibe, stated this at the meeting between the PDP and the Abdulsalami-led committee at his residence in Abuja on Thursday.

“Atiku Abubakar and his team reaffirmed that the presidential election of 23 February was the worst in the history of the country since the return to democracy in 1999.

“According to him, the sham

election was marked by militarisation of the process, vote suppression, intimidation, and collaboration of security agencies, INEC and the ruling party to subvert the will of Nigerians.

“Ahead of the 9 March governorship and state house of assembly election, the Atiku Abubakar team called for the unconditional release of all those illegally arrested and detained for political reasons.

They also called for the non deployment of the military in compliance with constitutional provisions and the subsisting judgment of the court,” Ibe said.

According to him, “The issue of Atiku Abubakar and his party’s recourse to legitimate actions to reclaim his stolen mandate was not discussed at the meeting.

“Atiku Abubakar restates that as a democrat, he will follow laiddown constitutional and democratic procedures to challenge the electoral malfeasance committed

by APC in cohort with INEC.” The National Peace Committee was represented at the meeting which took place in his residence in Abuja by former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulasalami Abubakar (Chairman), John Cardinal Onaiyekan and Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah.

The PDP presidential candidate was present. Others who attended were his Vice Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, Senate President and DG of PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Secondus.

Peace Committee advices politicians to peacefully resolve election grievances …met Buhari at the Presidential Villa …Back Atiku’s plans to seek redress in court Tony Ailemen, Abuja

F

ormer Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar on Friday led members of the National Peace Committee to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with an appeal to aggrieved politicians to pursue peaceful resolution of grievances arising from the last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

This is just as he backed plans by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to seek redress in Court.

Abubakar state this while fielding questions from State House Correspondents after leading members of the National Peace Committee to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday.

Abdulsalami Abubakar said such action was better than resorting to

self help, which may provoke more crises across the country The former Head of State who noted that the Presidential election result has raised a lot of dust and the people feel aggrieved, said he was at the Presidential Villa to present the grievances of the PDP and its Presidential candidate to President Muhamamdu Buhari “l met the PDP Presidential candidate and his party in other to ensure that this peace committee ensure that really, our concern is about Nigeria. And in other to listen to their grievances and what they think has gone wrong and we are here today to see his Excellency the President in other to relay the fears and concerns of the PDP and Mr. President he listen to us and has taken note of what we have told him” Abubakar appealed to Nigerians not to take laws into their hands

as it is the poor that are mostly affected by such crises “We should please on behalf of this country and all of us, regardless, we need peace. This country is very,

Abdulsalami Abubakar

very important to all of us. We are not talking about self interest, we are talking about the interest of the country.

“I keep saying, whenever there is violence, we are not going to see violence in Ikoyi, in the Villa and you will not find violence in the various government houses in this country.

It is always the poor man that get to kill themselves and so on. So, please, yes, as much as we have grievances, l am glad that the PDP say they are going to court to challenge the process, l think this is the right way to go about it, and l hope and pray that we will maintain this.

“Atiku presented his grievances and his observations, he did not present any conditions, he gave his complaints, which we have come to present and discuss with Mr. President to see what can be done.

The Peace Committee had on Thursday met in Abuja with the

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar and leadership of the PDP. The PDP gave a five point demand, including the unfreezing of accounts belonging to members of the opposition, which were frozen by the government ahead of the Presidential election.

They also asked the government to Demilitarisation subsequent elections.

Others include the proper accreditation of voters before voting in subsequent elections They are also asked INEC to open its back end server to accept all the political parties, as well as release of all politicians detained illegally by the Federal government Abdulsalami Abubakar said the observations and grievances have been presented to President Buhari who has promised to address them.

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19

Politics The battle for Rivers’ Government House: Governor Wike vs the Nigerian Army

G

Ignatius Chukwu

overnor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State seems ready to take on the Nigerian Army in a full scale encounter that may reverberate around Nigeria and beyond. Already, the governor has made it clear while addressing politicians that just defected that no man born of woman or any gunboat can dethrone him, as long as God and the people were on his side.

The Nigerian Army in the state led by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, a major-general, Jamil Sarhem, has made it clear that nothing would deter them from performing their assigned role to safeguard lives and property and allow Rivers people perform their civic duty of voting a person of their choice in the coming elections as they did in the past one last weekend. This seems to have set the stage for an epic battle.

Before now, Wike had taken the battle to SARS and seemed to win when the man he hated most, Akin Fakarode, was transferred to Maiduguri. Now, he seems to be quietly back on election duties, but that is no more Wike’s main headache.

The troubles seem to have rather grown bigger.

Wike, who as minister was the toast of the federal agencies in the state including the security agencies, seems to now be at loggerheads with them; how time changes. He bought about 10 gunboats to help the Navy and warned them not to use them to fight against him in the elections.

His worst fears seem to be on display.

Few weeks ago, Wike, who boasts of having spies in all places and at all levels, began to warn that the Army was being positioned against him in the elections.

Now, he says his predictions are happening.

On February 21, Wike raised the alarm, saying the GOC had planned the arrest of 10 Local Government Council chairmen in the state in a bid to scuttle the elections in the state. He told newsmen that the intention of the GOC 6 Division was to generate insecurity and violence through undue provocation of the people. He said the GOC had also penciled down 182 persons who would be arrested across the 23 Local Government Areas. He said majority were PDP members.

Governor Wike said: “The GOC 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarham has stated that he will arrest the Chairman of Ikwerre, Abua/Odual, Mayor of Port Harcourt, Chairman of Bonny and Degema Local Government Area.

“Other Chairmen to be arrested by the GOC include Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Gokana, Khana and Eleme Local Government Areas”.

The governor noted: “What offence have these council chairmen committed to warrant this illegal intimidation? If

Nyesom Wike

they committed any offences, were these offences committed within the election period? Why were they not arrested before now.

“These are the actions that will lead to crisis. Allow the people to vote freely and their votes must count. Rivers people must be allowed to vote”.

The situation seems to be so fierce that the governor has threatened to drag the Army and their commander to the international court. He said few days ago that the State Government has written to the International Criminal Court to prosecute the GOC for alleged prosecution for crimes against humanity.

Governor Wike said instead of running in circles, the GOC should explain to Nigerians the reasons why the 6 Division stormed Collation Centres in Ikwerre, Emohua and Okrika Local Government Areas with INEC Electoral Officers, accusing him of stealing electoral materials and concocting results.

The governor stated that the GOC issuing false statements would not save the GOC from prosecution. Speaking during a media briefing in response to the false allegations by the 6 Division that he tried to compromise soldiers of the 6 Division, Governor Wike described the allegation as false, malicious and diversionary.

He said: “We are doing a petition to the International Criminal Court. We are demanding justice for all those killed by the GOC and his lieutenants.”

The Army fired back through their spokesman, Aminu Ilyasu who said: “The attention of Headquarters 6 Division Nigerian Army (NA) is drawn to some unscrupulous and wicked assertions by the Rivers State Government. In the most bazaar and slanderous statement, the government persons criminally and frivolously accused the person of a respected professional (Brig. Gen. Nasiru Najaja) the Commander 6 Military Intelligence Brigade to the effect that the senior officer was prevented access to the Port Har-

Tukur Buratai

court CBN premises by some so-called PDP members who stopped him from tampering with sensitive electoral materials. Okah further went ahead to brazenly accuse the institution of the 6 Division of planning to rig the election in favour of another political party.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, as part of the NA’s constitutional responsibility of aiding civil authority and our mandate to safeguarding key points and Vulnerable Points of our dear nation, troops of 6 Division NA were accordingly deployed and further reinforced at various locations including the CBN Port Harcourt where INEC deposit sensitive materials before, during and after elections. Brig Gen Najaja as the coordinator of all deployments was at the CBN Port Harcourt and other locations to assess the level of troops deployment and alertness. This deployment must have thwarted Mr. Okah’s sinister plans and that of his pay masters thereby making such frustrating statements.”

“Additionally, the Division wishes to categorically demand an unreserved apology and withdrawal of the slanderous statement by the government against the NA and the person of Brig Gen. Nasiru Najaja within 72 Hours of this publication failure of which will lead to institution of a legal proceedings,” he said.

When the elections came at last, the Nigerian Army on Wednesday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State paraded 30 suspect, including a serving Commissioner, lawmaker in the Rivers House of Assembly and a Major in the army over an alleged plan by Governor Nyesom Wike to use them to comprise members of the Nigerian Army in last Saturday’s Presidential election.

Also paraded was Wike’s Camp Commandant, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, in Government House.

The Army Public Relations Officer 6 Division Nigerian Army (NA), the Colonel, Iliyasu Aminu, who paraded the suspects to journalists on a live televi-

sion said there was a daring attempt by Wike to compromise security agencies, particularly troops of 6 Division NA with hefty financial inducements to help him in his illegitimate act of thwarting a free and fair electoral process to his favour while accusing the army and its command hierarchy of bias daily.

He stated that the army, in close collaboration and synergy with all other security agencies in the Division’s Area of Responsibility (AOR) which covers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States and its commitment and loyalty to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria resolved to be neutral and apolitical, but was underestimated

by Wike.

H went on: “Incidentally, while the officer and his men were manning a Check Point at Mbiama Bridge, a white Hilux vehicle with a Rivers State Government Reg No.L02-03RV RIVERS and 8 occupants was stopped for routine search and clearance. A carton and 2 bundles of INEC 2019 presidential Election ballot papers were discovered in the vehicle. Preliminary investigation reveals that none of the occupants of the vehicle is an INEC staff, INEC Ad-hoc staff or security agent.”

In swift reaction, Wike said the State Government had written to the International Criminal Court to prosecute the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarhem for prosecution for crimes against humanity.

Wike said instead of running in circles, the GOC should explain to Nigerians the reasons why the 6 Division allegedly stormed Collation Centres in Ikwerre, Emohua and Okrika Local Government Areas with INEC Electoral Officers, accusing him of stealing electoral materials and concocting results.

As the governorship election comes on Saturday, the stage seems set for the epic battle because the previous ones seem to be mere dress rehearsal.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Politics ‘The earthquake’ at the Senate

A

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

week after the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the exercise has continued to dominate political discourse within and outside the country.

Although about eight out of the 109 senatorial seats contested have remained inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), sitting senators and governors lost out in their bid to get seats in the upper legislative chamber.

As it stands, the Ninth Senate will get 15 ex-governors as senators, even as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) look set to retain control of the apex legislative chamber with over 60 senators.

The National Assembly election could be regarded as a tsunami. It swept away political gladiators like Senate President, Bukola Saraki; immediate past Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio; former Benue State Governor and Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, George Akume; human rights activist and Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Shehu Sani; Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi. Other casualties include: Binta Masi, Andy Uba, Rafiu Ibrahim, Tayo Alasoadura, Victor Umeh, Mao Ohuabunwa, among others.

Th e t s u n a m i a l s o claimed Saraki’s allies and anointed PDP candidates in the remaining two senatorial districts as well as all of the House of Representatives seats across the state.

There are already fears in Saraki’s camp that the party’s poor outing at the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections could have a domino effect on their fortunes in the forthcoming Governorship and State Assembly elections.

In what political commentators say could end his political career, the Senate President who doubles as Director-General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council could not deliver his local government and

Bukola Saraki

Victor Umeh

Mao Ohuabunwa

Godswill Akpabio

George Akume

Shehu Sani

Biodun Olujimi

Binta Masi

Andy Uba

Rafiu Ibrahim

Tayo Alasoadura

state to PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Although bookmakers had tipped the likes of either Saraki, Akume or Akabio as possible Senate President in the Ninth Senate, the defeats have proved them wrong.

Akume was defeated by his estranged political godson, Orker Jev - a member of the House of Representatives.

Having survived many political battles including his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over corruption charges, plots by the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to remove Saraki as Senate President and his face-off with the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, not many had predicted that he would be unseated by his former loyalist like Ibrahim Oloriegbe, a former Majority Leader of the Kwara State House of Assembly.

Political pundits say one of the lessons to be learnt

from the exercise is never to underestimate anyone in politics. They cited the defeat of Saraki, Akume, Akpabio and other political bigwigs to back up their argument.

Like a thunderbolt, the nation’s Number Three Citizen’s political structure in Kwara State was uprooted by the ‘O to ge’ (enough is enough) revolution mantra led by Information Minister, Lai Mohammed.

Having served as Special Assistant on Budget

to former President Olusegun Obasanjo from Year 2000 to 2003, Kwara State Governor from 2003 to 2011 and senator from 2011 till date and his party’s loss at the Presidential election, the development means that this would be the first time the medical doctor-turned politician will be left without holding any political office in Nigeria in the last two decades.

But the Senate President has alleged that the election was fraught with

APC will heave a sigh of relief on two grounds. First, it will be in clear majority in the Ninth Senate and produce the next Senate President. Secondly, the legislative chamber will not have the likes of Saraki to contend with

irregularities including multiple voting, over-voting and other discrepancies that were reported by agents of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) across the state.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, he said that while the election was generally peaceful, there were inadequacies like the smart card readers not used in over 70 percent of the Polling Units.

“However, whatever the final outcome of the election, I wish the candidates that have emerged all the best in their attempts to serve our people. It is my prayers that the good people of Kwara State will always have the best from any government both at state and federal levels.

“As a product of a family and a political structure that is, from its foundation, devoted to the service and development of our state and its people, it is my wish that our people will always have a good deal at all times. The new development will even provide the people the opportunity to compare and contrast.

After all, the people who have emerged from last Saturday’s election are not my enemies. They are fellow Kwarans.

“As we prepare for the March 9, 2019 Governorship and House of Assembly elections, let me reiter-

ate my position that the candidates of the PDP in the election represent the best materials for our dear State, Kwara. Therefore, I enjoin our people to come out en masse on Election Day and vote for them. I am going to work with our party leaders to further sell the PDP candidates to the general public.”

According to him, “I thank all Nigerians for their goodwill and to enjoin all of us that as we patiently await the outcome of the Presidential election, we pray for peace, unity and genuine development in our country. It is also our prayers that at all times, the wish of the people will always prevail in the choice of the leadership and the electorate will always enjoy the benefit of good governance”, Saraki stated.

In a chat with BDSUNDAY, a political analyst, Benjamin Usigbe, submitted that with an end to the Saraki political dynasty, coupled with his failure to secure return ticket, it has thrown up new sets of political leaders.

These, he listed, to include: Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; APC governorship candidate, Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman and senator-elect Ibrahim Oloriegbe. According to him, others include: Yinka Aluko, Moshood Mustapha, Cook Olododo, Yahaya Seriki, Abdulyekeen Alajagusi.

Usigbe explained that with this development, APC will be the happier for it, Saraki having been a thorn in the flesh of the ruling party.

“APC will heave a sigh of relief on two grounds.

First, it will be in clear majority in the Ninth Senate and produce the next Senate President. Secondly, the legislative chamber will not have the likes of Saraki to contend with.

Recall that the party had not hidden its disdain for Saraki for anti-party activities when he was still with them”, he said.

For other losers like Ak u m e a n d Ak p a b i o, pundits say they could be compensated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Their wound is not as grievous as that of Saraki,” a pundit said.

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BDSUNDAY 21

Down the memory lane with Black History Month

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Arts Down the memory lane with Black History Month

T

OBINNA EMELIKE his year marks 400 years since Jamestown in Virginia, United States of America introduced slavery to the colonial North

America.

That year, (exactly four centuries ago), the first 19 Africans arrived Jamestown. Of course, they were not tourists, but slaves brought by Dutch traders who had seized them from a captured Spanish slave ship. Their arrival opened door for the influx of more slaves who later become the fore-bearers of most African-Americans today.

Even as slaves and until slavery was abolished, African-Americans have contributed a lot to the development of the American society, even with many putting their lives on the line.

However, it is sad that the accomplishments of African-Americans in every area of endeavor are too-often neglected in history. Hence, some concerned African-Americans thought of a better way of recognising the contributions of their fore-bearers.

Following that, Carter G. Woodson, a black historian and the Association for the Study of Negro Life started the Negro History Week in 1926, which snowballed into Black History Month later. But the first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later, from January 2, 1970 – February 28, 1970.

Today, the Black History Month takes a whole month of February in the United States of America, and is further observed in Canada, United Kingdom, Netherland and Germany.

But this year’s celebration is spectacular because it marked 400 years since the first Africans set foot in America. The month is also observed by the US embassies across the world.

In Nigeria, the US Consulate in Lagos marked the month with series of activities. Foremost of them was an exhibition of visual art by Chika Aneke, a fast-rising artist. The ongoing exhibition at J.P. Clark Centre, Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, Faculty of Arts, is part of a two-week programme organised in collaboration with the University of Lagos in commemoration of 2019 Black History Month.

“At U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, we mark Black History Month by conducting programs to remind both local audiences and our fellow Americans of the significant contributions of black people in building the United States into the great country that it has become today”, Russell Brooks, U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, said in his remarks during the opening ceremony of 2019 Black History Month at University of Lagos on February 26, 2019.

“As an example, last year the U.S. Mission in Nigeria featured black historical figures on its Facebook page throughout the month of February”.

Speaking on the rationale for the celebration, Brooks said that Carter

This Day in African American History February 1: On this day in 1902—Prominent African American Poet, Langston Hughes was Born!

February 2: On this day in 1914— African American Biologist Ernest Just Received NAACP Spingarn Medal!

February 3: On this day in 1870—Amendment XV Secured Voting Rights for African Americans!

February 4: On this day in 1913—Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks was Born!

February 5: On this day in 1884—African American Inventor Patented the Mechanical Egg Beater!

February 6: On this day in 1820—Peabody Fund Established to Promote African Americans Education!

February 7: On this day in 1945—Irwin C. Mollison is confirmed as First, Black Federal Judge!

February 8: On this day in 1865—Dr. Martin Robinson Delany Becomes First Black Major in U.S. Army!

February 9: On this day in 1952—African American Author Ralph Ellison’s Novel, Invisible Man, Wins the National Book Award!

February10: On this day in 1966 - Andrew Brimmer Becomes First African American Federal Reserve Board Member!

February 11: On this day in 1977 - Clifford Alexander, Jr. Becomes First Black Secretary of The Army!

February 12: On this day in 1909— National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is Formed!

G. Woodson created Black History Week because he saw the cruelty that can be justified when one group of people lack respect and empathy for another group of people. “He also understood the effect that absorbing misinformation about the history of Africa and African-Americans had on the sense of pride and self-worth of black Americans”.

Brooks, who considers himself a member of the African diaspora who fortunately has made his way back home, spoke on the theme, “From 1619 to 2019: Why We Must Continue to Highlight Black Excellence”.

According to him, the theme was necessitated by the need to further explain why there is, and possibly always will be, the need to celebrate Black History.

“We have an annual Presidential Proclamation marking the occasion and schools, churches, and community organizations generally organize activities to remind us of great African-American historical figures from Crispus Attucks, who died in the Boston Massacre that helped stoke the American Revolution; to Harriett Tubman, the courageous escaped slave who returned to the South numerous times to help free approximately seventy others; to more recent heroes such as Martin Luther King, Jr and former President Barack Obama”.

“When we discuss black history, we also do not restrict the discussion to African-Americans. I would encourage the students in the room to take note of the fact that the author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas, was a black man. Alexander Pushkin, known as the quintessential Russian writer, supposedly took his inspiration

from his African great-grandfather, Abraham Petrovitch Gannibal, who was kidnapped from Africa as a young man but rose to become a general and a member of the royal court of Tsar Peter the Great.

“On the African continent, I am sure you take great pride in the accomplishments of Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Fela, Kofi Annan, Angelique Kidjo, Miriam Mkeba, and many, many others”.

Aside the Lagos event, the US embassy in Abuja organised a panel of discussion and lecture in commemoration of the Black History Month on the theme, “Building bridges between Africa and the Diaspora.”

The panel of discussion was followed by a performance by the Theatre Arts Department of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria to showcase African-American contributions to the arts.

The performance titled “The Meeting” is a play about the meeting between two prominent black- American civil right activists, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr in 1965 during the height of the civil right movement in the US. However, Brooks drew the curtain with a quote from Ida B. Wells, a famous African-American female journalist and civil rights activist, “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”

To correct the historical wrong of neglecting or diminishing the contributions of the black race to humanity, Brooks believes there is need to always turn the light of truth on falsehoods and ignorance by passing down the stories of our excellence, Black Excellence. “I do so with pride and I hope you will too”, he concluded.

February 13: On this day in 1970 - Joseph Searles Becomes First Black Member of the New York Stock Exchange!

February 14: On this day in 1867 - Historically Black College Morehouse College is Founded!

February 15: On this day in 1968— Henry Lewis Becomes the First Black American to Lead a Symphony Orchestra!

February 16: On this day in 1951— New York City Council Passes Bill Prohibiting Racial Discrimination in Public Housing Developments February 17: On this day in 1870— Congress Passes Resolution Readmitting the State of Mississippi, Contingent upon Their Reversal of anti-black State Legislation.

February 18: On this day in 1688— Germantown Quakers Hold First Formal Protest Against Slavery in English America February 19: On this day in 1919—WEB DuBois Organizes First Pan-African Congress February 20: On this day in 1895— Prominent Abolitionist and Journalist Frederick Douglass Dies!

February 21: On this day in 1965 - Civil Rights Activist Malcolm X is Assassinated!

February 22: On this day in 1979—Frank E. Peterson Jr. Becomes First Black General in the Marine Corps!

February 24: On this day in 1811—Bishop Daniel A. Payne, Reformer and Educator of the African Methodist Church is Born!

February 25: On this day in 1870— First Black U.S. Senator, Hiram R. Revels Takes Oath of Office!

February 26: On this day in 1926—Carter G. Woodson Declares Negro History Week, Becomes Black History Month!

February 27: On this day in 1872—First Black Woman Lawyer, Charlotte Ray Graduates from Howard University!

February 28: On this day in 1784—First Black American Poet, Phillis Wheatley Dies.

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23

Arts The return of Lagos Biennale Obinna Emelike

I

n 2017, Folakunle Oshun, a Lagos-based curator and artist, pulled all the stops to host the first edition of Lagos Biennale, a large scale international contemporary art exhibition.

Of course, the entire build-up to the first edition of the exhibition was difficult, but the Oshun-led team achieved its objectives, including offering Lagos its first-ever biennale. But credit goes to the participating artists for their commitment at making the first outing a huge success. For the organisers, the artists were more like collaborators, and taking off the heat from them.

But they have also learnt from their first outing and are set to turn the tables. Once again, the Nigerian visual art community and other stakeholders are looking forward to the second Lagos Biennial because of the assemblage of artists, creation of a pool of artworks, networking opportunities, sales and promotional deals at the biennale.

The countdown has already begun as the biennale holds from October 26 to November 30, 2019 with lots of improvements, according to the organisers. Themed ‘How To Build a Lagoon with Just a Bottle of Wine?’ the biennial will take place across various venues in Lagos.

Speaking on the level of

preparation and expectations for the second edition of the art exhibition, Oshun assured on better outing this year.

He has unveiled a curatorial team of three curators; Tosin Oshinowo, Antawan Byrd and Hansi MomoduGordon. The development is a departure from the first edition where Oshun served as the sole artistic director working with Kwasi OheneAye and Kelvin Haizel, the two guest curators. “I think this edition will be quite different from the first as all three curators come from dif-

ferent backgrounds and bring totally disparate sensibilities and processes”, he said.

While some people complained of lack of access in the maiden edition, Oshun said this year’s edition would be more accessible to the public to ensure wider visibility and more attendance.

He is preserving his reserve for surprise for the forthcoming edition as the word improvement becomes relative because the first edition of the biennial, according to him, was held in peculiar circumstances.

While organising of the bi-

ennial is the easy part, for him, the actual contextualising of an entire city with all dynamics and the engaging with a multitude of artists from different societal and political contexts is the real hard work.

However, there is a rationale for the theme, ‘How To Build a Lagoon with Just a Bottle of Wine? With an estimated 21 million inhabitants, Lagos ranks among the largest cities in the world and is the most populous in Africa. In recent decades, the city’s built environment has expanded exponentially

through large-scale land reclamation initiatives, major industrial and luxury development projects, and new transportation infrastructures. The steady growth has transformed and amplified Lagos’s distinctive history as a cosmopolitan hub, and an incubator of cultural and technological innovation.

Yet such rapid change continues to raise pressing questions—facing cities across the globe—about the impact of urbanization on conceptions of citizenship, the role of information systems, environmental sustainability,

and socioeconomic equality.

The biennial will take the city of Lagos as its epicentre and point of departure for a broader investigation into how contemporary art and design reckon with the nature of built environments today.

A range of proposals is welcomed, including those that: Consider how artworks create environments that can be inhabited, or mediate interactions between humans and nature, propose models for fostering empathy and compassionate approaches to cohabitation in light of urbanization, address the impact of architecture and built environments on specific communities, social dynamics, and/or sensory experience, and meditate on the relationship between cities of today and deeper histories of urbanization and economic exchange Others include speculate on the future role of art and technology in forging sustainable ways of living, and analyze the effects of urbanization on communication systems and print culture.

As well, artists wishing to participate in the biennial are invited to apply by submitting a complete application form and supporting materials.

Applications can be submitted via an online application at https://www.lagosbiennial.org/open-call/ or by e-mail at opencall@lagos-biennial.org, while the deadline is on March 20, 2019.

Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards: Davido, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Ik Osakioduwa get nominations

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ickelodeon at a media press conference announced the host and nominees for the 2019 Kids’ Choice Awards (KCAs) along with a first-time NKCA nomination livestream event across Nickelodeon’s social media handles as well as channels.

Nominated in three categories at the awards, music mogul DJ Khaled, is set to host this year’s edition, which is set to be the biggest, slimiest party of the year for kids. DJ Khaled will bring his music, signature catch phrases and larger-thanlife personality to the Kids’ Choice Awards stage. Across the globe, children will have a front-row seat to the next big things in kid culture from the hottest upcoming mov-

ies, music, gaming and rising talent, while continuing to celebrate their favourites from the past year.

The Awards will air on Nickelodeon and Nick Toons at 5:00pm on Sunday March 24, 2019.

Alex Okosi Executive Vice President & Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) said, “The Nickelodeon brand in Africa is all about empowering children on the continent and Nickelodeon KCA provides a platform for them to celebrate their favourite stars. Congratulations to all the nominees that are representing our continent at this global event which unites children with fun, slime and laughter.”

The two effervescent

stars that make up the Nigerian nominees for the only live event where kids’ votes count and the biggest stars of the day line up to get slimed

Adesua Etomi-Wellington

include: Actress, Adesua Etomi-Wellington and media personality, IK Osakioduwa in the Favourite African Star category and globally ac-

claimed musician Davido as the Africa nominee in the Favourite Global Music Star award featured amongst David Guetta and Taylor Swift.

Prominent Hip Hop artist and musician, AKA, who was at the press conference with his daughter said, “Everyone who knows me will tell you, I am a BIG kid at heart, so to get a nod from the kids is super special. It says the kids are listening and paying attention and that for me, as a Dad, is a huge deal and an honour.”

Kids everywhere will be able to experience the show across all Nickelodeon screens and platforms.

So right now, fans can cast votes on the official Kids’ Choice Awards website.

Fans can also cast their vote via social media using #artistname #KCA, and for the

first time ever, Nickelodeon will be enabling voting on specific posts on Instagram.

Leading the pack with the most nominations are: Avengers: Infinity War, with 10 nominations; Black Panther, with five nominations; and Cardi B and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, with four nominations each. First-time nominees include: Jason Momoa, Emilia Clarke, James Corden, Noah Centineo, Bebe Rexha, Tyra Banks and Riverdale. This year also introduces five new categories for voting: Favourite TV Host, Favourite TV Judges, Favourite Superhero and Favourite Gamer.

And, for the first time, kids will get to decide how they want to help the world in a new category called ‘How Do You Want to Help?’

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Life&Living

Why Nigerians panic buy everything before Election Day

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Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

t is now customary to see long petrol queues, crowded banking halls and supermarkets and roadblocks across the city a day or two before Election Day or a national public holiday. In fact, it is safe to say that panic buying is now part of our DNA as Nigerians.

Could this be because we always think and assume the worst?

Are we stocking up fuel in our vehicles and food in our homes just in case a war breaks out?

Ideally, panic buying is the act of buying unusually large amounts of a product in anticipation of or after a disaster or perceived disaster, or in anticipation of a large price increase or shortage, as can occur before a blizzard or hurricane or government decree banning a particular popular product, such as incandescent light bulbs. These goods are bought in large amounts to offset a potential shortage or as an act of safety.

Does this mean that a so called democratic Election is perceived as a disaster in this part of the

world?

The Friday before last week’s Presidential and National Assembly elections, I went into a popular grocery store in Lekki, Lagos, and the shelves where literarily empty. All the bread, drinks, cereal and other food stuff had been bought by people who were only mandated to stay in their home

for a few hours when there was restricted movement as a result of the Saturday elections.

It is understandable to see long queues at the filling stations just before Christmas, Easter or Sallah breaks, because people usually travel long distances to their hometown to spend the holiday with extended family. But, what

I don’t understand is why people are stocking up on petrol in their cars before Election Day. Where are they driving to when there is restricted movement for the most part of the day?

“Nigerians love to panic buy and it is because we constantly live in fear of the unknown,” says Sade Awokoya, an economist.

The science behind panic shopping: During World War II, when food rationing became commonplace for civilians, stocking up for survival was an ideal natural instinct, and although the world has moved on to better days, Nigerian seem to have retained the habit of hording anything and everything, regardless of whether these items are essential needs or not.

“I always found panic shopping somewhat illogical for smaller events. My hunch was that it was related to some past public service campaign during previous war times or the cold war,” says Marshal Shepherd, author of ‘…Why people buy bread when snow is in the forecast’.

It is more understandable when people stock up on food during holidays, as some stores may not open for business, and you may need to entertain more guests than normal at your home. Also, during a national holiday, most people just want to relax at home with their family, and have everything they need for a chill time. However, the only reason that explains the mad rush before elections in Nigeria is FEAR.

Seven foods that are worth their high calorie count

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IFEOMA OKEKE

t’s no secret that Nigerians aren’t the biggest fans of counting calories for weight loss, as so many traditio0nal dishes have high calorie content. However calories are not always bad when it comes to eating healthy. Research has shown that there are many foods out there that are high in calories but boast wonderful nutritional profiles. Calories are not all created equal, and you should also pay attention to fiber, protein, and micronutrients when following a nutritious diet.

An average woman needs to eat about 2000 calories per day to maintain, and 1500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week. An average man needs 2500 calories to maintain, and 2000 to lose one pound of weight per week.

Consuming healthy foods, along with lower-calorie options such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, is the best way to find balance in your diet and get all the nutrients you need for optimal health. Just remember, there is such a thing as too much of good food, and these should all be eaten in moderation.

Dark Chocolate Dark chocolate offers a wide range of benefits besides taste—it’s been shown to improve heart health, prevent chronic disease, and even reduce stress. While just one ounce of

dark chocolate ranges between 150 and 170 calories, it is a good source of iron, magnesium, fiber, copper, and manganese. Look for dark chocolate that’s low in sugar and made with 70 percent or more cocoa. An important thing to note, however, is the higher the cacao count, the higher the caffeine content, so you might want to consume your chocolate earlier in the day.

Dates Dates are higher in calories and carbohydrates than many other fruit options, but they can still be part of a balanced diet. Dates serve as an excellent natural sweetener in smoothies and desserts, and also tout some major health benefits. These little fruits have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cancer prevention properties. Plus, they’re a great source of fiber, magnesium, and B vitamins to keep you energized and help power you through a workout.

Avocado Even though just half of an avocado packs over 100 calories, health authorities still have good reason for promoting the fruit as a daily staple. Avocados have plenty of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which help keep you full, regulate hormones, and stabilize blood sugar.

Avocados also boast 20 essential nutrients and well as cholesterol-reducing plant sterols to further protect your heart health. Just be mindful of

portions—current research advises consuming just one-third of an avocado each day.

Olive Oil Olive oil is another high-fat food full of health benefits. Like avocado, olive oil contains monounsaturated fats, which have shown to improve brain health and protect from Alzheimer’s disease. The oil has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, and is an important

component of the Mediterranean diet (which was voted the best diet of 2019). Make sure to choose a high-quality option, and opt for another healthy oil when cooking with high heat. Try to keep consumption between a tablespoon or two per day.

Nuts and Nut Butters Peanut butter isn’t the only nutty spread in the game anymore; almond, cashew, and hazelnut butters have all increased in popularity over the

last few years. While it’s easy to overdo it, a small handful of nuts or a tablespoon of nut butter packs fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and plenty of hard-to-get micronutrients, like potassium and vitamin E. Making nuts a daily snack, or throwing a handful into a salad or stir-fry, has shown to promote satiety and even reduce belly fat.

Chia Seeds Chia seeds have gained “superfood” status in the past few years, and for good reason. These little seeds are power-packed with protein, healthy fats, fiber, and an array of micronutrients—and you just need an ounce a day to start reaping major health benefits. Chia seeds have digestive, weight loss, and heart health benefits to promote overall wellness. Toss a tablespoon in your morning smoothie to fill you up and give your body the nutrients it craves.

Bananas Bananas often get a bad rap for being higher in calories and sugar than many other fruits, but they make an excellent part of a balanced diet. They are often touted as a great post-workout snack for their potassium, carbohydrate, and fiber content (plus, they’re super convenient to throw in your gym bag). While we don’t advise consuming all of your daily fruit servings from bananas, they make a great snack or addition to a filling breakfast.

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Entertainment Movie Review - Cold Pursuit

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typical Liam Neeson kind of movie, he always takes a lead role, where a group of bad guys, take one of his family members, either his wife or daughter as seen in the various editions of “Taken” then he goes after them tortures them and saves his family alive, making him always the victor. This is absolutely not close to any of the “Taken” versions you know.

This time around there was a little bit of twist and shaking up as this wasn’t a hostage kind of situation or kidnap case, but a mere straight up murder, that left him without a kid anymore.

I must say that it has being quiet difficult for me to really give a verdict for this movie, because it has left me quite confused about my stands with Liam Neeson.

I like him and still do, but I just think I am getting really bored of the same kind of storyline, please can they find something new for him to feature in.

The new movie was written

by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and directed by Hans Peter Moland and Catherine Hardwicke, a similar story to taken but this time around he had a son. A few nice cast and crew, a blend of Red Indians and foreign guys, some new faces. They had an amazing choice of location and I can’t take that away from them, it was so nice to see how “Fernie British Columbia” looks like at the peak of winter. I loved the cinematography, the angle shots and the way they told the story.

One thing I liked was how they explained the death of each gang member and a funny way to tell how they died at the end, you have to wait for that, “ In the order of disappearance” I found that very funny. I just think we

need a change to Liam Neeson story line, so that they don’t make it so predictable.

In this movie Liam Neeson who played the role of a very hardworking states man was referred to as Nels, he was married to Laura and they both had only one son. Along the line his son gets killed by some group of bad guys and this gets Nels so upset, he searches for justice himself, which turns out to be an underground war between two worlds. His major plan was to take out the main leader of the group “Viking (Tom Bateman)” a drug lord who authorized them to kill his son, but to get to him; he has to take out most of his strong foot soldiers one after the other.

We saw Nels switch and move from being the loyal upright man, to becoming a cold blooded murder and he held nothing back, as he was hell bent on destroying all who had a hand in his son’s death.

The unexpected happened between these two enemies and you will have to watch the movie to see what this was.

Cast: Liam Neeson, Emmy Rossum, Laura Dern, Tom Bateman, Dommenick Lombardozzi, Raoul Max Trujilo, Aleks Pau-

novic, John Doman, Benjamin Hollingsworth and many more Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama Mystery & Suspense Director: Hans Peter Moland, Catherine Hardwicke Ratings: PG-13 (for some suggestive content and drug use) Written: Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer Runtime: 118 minutes Studio: StudioCanal I really can’t explain why it’s so hard for me to rate this particular Laim Neeson’s movie, for his past movies by the time I am done, I know my verdict, but this particular one, even days after I am still left with mixed feeling and yet not knowing what to score. Anyway I will score this movie a 7/10, I hope I am not being so bias because I like Laim’s movies, but this one didn’t meet all my exceptions.

Feel free to review any movie of your choice in not more than 200 words, please send us a mail to linda@businessdayonline. com , also please do answer the question of the week on social media and stand a chance to win a free movie ticket.

Linda Ochugbua @lindaochugbua

Big Brother Naija has been a blessing to me - Ifu Ennada

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eautician and Brother Naija star, Ifu Ennada is today regarded as one of most successful contestants from the ‘Double Wahala’ edition despite not being part of the top 5 finalists.

Less than a year after portraying her skills, talent and abilities to the world, winning endorsement and cash prizes from Pepsi and Heritage Bank during the show, Ifu has set up her beauty business ‘beautIFU Ennada’ pioneered by her HairCare Line with distributors all over Africa and the United States.

Prior to being a contestant on the famous African reality TV show, Big Brother Naija, Iheme Faith Ulomo popularly known as Ifu was an upcoming actor, writer, content producer, fashion designer and TV presenter but was barely in the limelight

with little or no social media prominence.

When asked how the Big Brother Naija platform helped in actualizing her dreams and goals, she said “Big Brother Naija platform is indeed a blessing to those who know how to use it and I am very proud of everything I have done this far.’’

“Aside from the increase in commercial value as an actor and MC, the popularity I got from the show also made it easier to make money especially with my businesses. It is the biggest platform for anyone looking to launch themselves in whatever they intend to do”. She concluded.

Since her exit from the show, the Computer Science graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University has gone on to establish an empowerment Foundation for women where she recently

supported 2 young fashion designers with sewing machines and cash. She has also partnered with top brands including; Legend Extra Stout, 7UP, Pepsi, Quickteller, Access Bank, Zhenas Closet, Terra Cotta and Dukez & Duchezz.

Big Brother Naija has no doubt continued to birth some of the greatest talents and pop culture celebrities Nigeria has ever produced in the entertainment industry since its debut in 2006. Some of these celebrities include, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Bisola Aiyeola, Tobi Bakre, Ifu Ennada.

It is indeed imperative to commend the organisers of the show; MultiChoice as the Big Brother Naija ecosystem is quite boundless giving participants endless opportunities to leverage on and to achieve their goals.

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‘My Mfon’ and other short films

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hort films are urgent in nature; they do not waste time in getting to the crux of the matter.

Their urgency reflect the brevity of life, and they explore pressing and impressing issues. They usually have few characters (in some cases they are mono performances), very few themes, and one subject matter. The recently released Michael Akinrogunde’s ‘My Mfon’ illustrates these parameters. ‘My Mfon’ was released last week on the 22nd of February. I thought the film was great. It can boast of quality picture and sound. Michael Akinrogunde the winner of the Best Short Film/Online Video in the African Movie Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) tapped into the creative reality of the set decorator and the sterling performance of Osas Ighodaro Ajibade to critically assess the state of Nigeria in the film. Osas Ighodaro Ajibade perhaps in this monologue ‘My Mfon’ more than ever demonstrated that she possesses ‘artistic voice’ the most important asset she brought into play in the film. She demonstrated the ability to use voice to show different shades of a story, bringing different tones to bear as sign of departure and entrance from the three aspects (scenes) of her mono narrative. Her tone kept changing, from the forceful tone when she told us about the impending election and the state of the country which she paralleled with a tale of her private sufferings, to the lyrical tone during her tale of her love life with her ‘Mfon’, and then to the mournful tone when she told of the tragedy that befell her husband. You’ll have to see the film for yourself.

The set designer gave additional testimony to the economic situation in the country and that of the performer through the set up of the bedroom of the unnamed protagonist (Osas Ighodare Ajibade) which also served as her kitchen. I find the costume of Osas Ighodare Ajibade convincing but for her tribal marks which were too pronounced and appeared unreal. The movie suggested the character hails from Niger-Delta and in that region, they don’t have such tribal marks, one can dismiss this as factual error. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’m not going to tell you what happened in the end.

‘My Mfon’ a 7 minute, 49 seconds short film reminded me of two other short films that were released last year that are equally topical. One is Udoka Oyeka’s ‘Las Gidi Vice’, an 18 minute, 4 seconds drama and the other, Ugbede Atabo’s ‘Ayebatari’, 8 minutes, 55 seconds film. While ‘Las Gidi Vice’

had Tunji Ongunkoye, Bucci Franklin, Theresa Edem, and Hauwa Allahbura in the cast, ‘Ayebatari’ had only the banker turned actress Amanda Oruh in the cast, which makes the film a monologue like ‘My Mfon’.

Amanda Oruh’s performed a young girl with inferiority complex, who felt she was rejected by the society. This complex led her to substance abuse, a feeling of being sexually exploited, and then to masturbation. She also had polar disorder and at the end of the day, she committed suicide. Amanda Oruh gave the tale credibility through her performance even though she failed in one instance to show and demonstrate the sensation and pleasure that comes with masturbation. Apart from this and perhaps what could be termed as ‘not a perfect’ lighting, the short film is one to be reckoned with for its subject matter, cinematography, the creation of the same person as different characters in the same scene, and a near realistic masturbation scene. The tragic sense of the short film may overshadow the fact it preached against body shaming, and love of one’s body. It is also a clarion call against suicidal ideation and an encouragement for people having psychological issues to seek help.

‘Las Gidi Vice’ talked about sexual abuse, stigma and re-

venge with good performances from the cast. Angela (Theresa Edem) and Jemila (Hauwa Allahbura) were for me the best acts in the short film. They brought what I call ‘exact performance’, not a bit less, not a bit more in the delivery of their roles. The success of the short film points to the quality of directing which harnessed other aspects of film making to come up with a seamless delivery. The script/ story was engaging and should be given credence for exploring sexual assault as a vice.

Back to ‘My Mfon’, I think it is in the class of another short film ‘Bariga Shuga’. I recommend ‘My Mfon’ and rates it 8 over 10.

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Travel What I love about Akosombo Obinna Emelike

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f you desire a room its windows open to the fresh wild, a place where you are very comfortable with Mother Nature without watching your back, and yet treated like a royal, then you have a deal.

All you need is a trip to The Royal Senchi Resort. Set in the historic kingdom of Akwamu, West of Akosombo, Ghana, the 84-room and suites resort is a bold undertaking on the west bank of the Volta River overlooking the eco-island locally called Denkyenyam.

You will not ignore its true wild tropical feel and pristine offering. Its location is distant from the hectic city life, yet near enough for easy commuting.

Built in 2011, the barely new resort offers guests beyond the serenity of the Volta Lake. Over 80 rooms and suites were designed to blend with the appealing, balmy environment of the Senchi River and the surrounding rich forestry.

Its 74 standard rooms aptly tagged ‘Riverview’ offer more than a panoramic view of the Senchi River. They are also sizeable, with a private patio area and even a view from the bathtub. The colours, the architectural curves, as well as, the shapes of the buildings, blend to the ‘nature look’ and feel of the entire property.

Guests who want something different can ask for an upstairs room for the

Royal Senchi Resort

One of the homesteads

senchi_spa_and_salon airy high ceilings. The nine suites are large too, and the Presidential Suite has a private plunge pool. Those not willing to splash out quite so much can splash around the lovely pool that also overlooks the river.

To optimise your stay at the resort, you need to experience the pleasure at the opulent Picahartes Suite.

Named after a rare rock fowl or bald crow that is found in the rainforest of West and Central Africa, the Picahartes Suite will blow your mind. This suite is made up of two floors to support all comfort and luxury with a wooden staircase that leads you from one floor to the other. There is a private outdoor swimming pool and

a double door entrance and a spacious balcony. With a wide and spectacular view of the Volta River, the Picathartes Suite offers luxury you cannot imagine. The suite is also furnished with a private kitchen.

A day at the resort without visiting the restaurant to indulge your culinary tastes, and Nsu Bar for rare and local wine menu is unmemorable.

The bar offers both residents and non-residents alike the platform to network a great deal.

For the adventurous guests who want something beyond the comfort of the room, there are canoes and launches for playing on the crocodile-free river. The pleasure ride takes guests as far as the Akosombo Dam, offering rare sights along and mild pampering by nature within.

There are plans for a ninehole golf course, a football pitch, basketball court and kids’ play area, among other attractions.

Yet, it boasts of the usual amenities: spa, shop, business centre, restaurant, lounge bar, and the conference suite with two wellequipped breakout rooms and meeting areas. The ballroom hosts up to 200 guests, while an attractive event outdoor event space hosts more.

Of course, with all its quality offerings, Emmanuel Mensah, an executive of the resort, is introducing this first four-star resort in the Eastern Region of Ghana to the Nigerian public.

On the reasons a guest needs a night rest in the hotel, Mensah notes: “Our luxurious River-view rooms are well-equipped with modern facilities, lovely décor and a view. These rooms are designed to inspire. Each room has a spectacular view of the Volta River that makes you feel like you are actually living on the Volta. Again, guests enjoy the freshness of the environment while they sit at their balcony or terrace.”

For him, the concept of the hotel is to offer a destination that fuses into the relaxed nature of the environment while providing hospitality standards that befit a fourstar establishment. These, according to him, are the features that have made the resort in recent time, a hub of Nigerian occasions in Ghana - from weddings, honeymoon, birthday parties, among others.

He hopes to see more Nigerian guests as they are highly sought-after by Ghanaian hotels because of their willingness to spend.

Sunday 03 March 2019

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BDSUNDAY 27

Travel

The world’s most underrated destinations Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

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here’s no thrill of discovery when you see the Eiffel Tower. There’s no shock awaiting those who visit the Great Wall.

These are some of the world’s most famous tourist attractions, places that are already rated so highly by the travelling public. They might be worth seeing, but they’re nothing new.

That’s why it can be such a buzz to find a genuinely great destination or attraction that’s not well known and loved, to have an experience that is clearly deserving of more fame.

These underrated highlights can be as small as a boutique hotel or a local restaurant, as large as an entire city or nation. What links them is their lack of recognition, their propensity to fly under the travel radar. Some are already known but deserve to be more so. Others you will never have heard of.

Of course, there’s a flipside: and that’s the discovery that certain prominent destinations and attractions receive too much praise

and don’t deserve to be thought of as global highlights at all. - Ben Groundwater. The following at the underrated places: Northern Ireland It’s been a long time since the Troubles, now Northern Ireland is entirely safe and it’s stunning – from the Game of Thrones sets around the Causeway Coastal Route on the northern coast, to the great golf courses where the British Open will be played next year (Royal Portrush). Plus it’s still possible to have the whole drive entirely to yourself.

Belgium With the exception of a few destinations such as Bruges, Belgium doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. It has great museums, fabulous architecture, outstanding beer and chocolate, efficient trains

and an interesting clash of cultures and languages. Flemish old towns such as Mechelen and Leuven are intimate in size and Flanders’ war history will also appeal to Australians.

Slovenia Slovenia is a pocket-sized country and yet squeezes in a short, balmy Mediterranean coastline, a lovely inland countryside of vines and orchards, and some of Europe’s most beautiful mountains and alpine lakes. Its rich culture, sophisticated society and history that go back to the Stone Age are matched with relatively low prices and great coffee.

Uzbekistan This is a major tourist destination waiting to happen. Uzbekistan has so much to offer travellers: it’s a former Silk Road hub, an ancient meeting place for many cultures and ideas, and a one-time powerhouse with riches still visible in the stunning Persian-style architecture of cities such as Samarkand Bukhara.

Ethiopia Thirty years since its famine, people still tend to associate this country with World Vision ads. And yet modern Ethiopia is thriving, and a spectacularly good tourist destination. It’s culturally diverse and scenically beautiful. Sights such as the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela deserve to be world famous.

Bolivia This rugged South American country is not as famous as neighbours Peru or Brazil, and yet it has an amazing diversity of attractions and landscapes: there’s Amazonian jungle, high Andean mountains, Lake Titicaca, a strong indigenous culture you won’t find anywhere else on the continent and some of South America’s most exciting

cities.

Australia Hop in the car or jump on a train, bus or plane and discover your own backyard. From your home town’s street art and bushwalks to epic road trips such as the Gibb River Road and the Nullarbor Plain, the fantastical landscape of Lake Mungo and the swirling silken waters of the Whitsundays, you’ll find Australia is a world within itself.

Uruguay Uruguay is South America’s little country that could, a liberal, stable nation with a host of charming attractions. The gaucho, or cowboy, culture is strong here, there are great beaches, and the capital city, Montevideo offers plenty of cosmopolitan sass.

Taranaki, New Zealand Despite having one of New Zealand’s best one-day walks (the stunning 19-kilometre Pouakai Crossing), the country’s leading contemporary art centre (the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery) and some of the North Island’s best surf spots (check out Surf Highway 45), Taranaki rarely gets the acclaim it deserves.

Alabama, US Often derided for its laidback locals and sing-song accent, Alabama has many of the country’s most important civil rights sites (now linked by a new US Civil Rights Trail). It is also home to the rocket manufacturer that put mankind on the moon, and, according to the 2018 James Beard Awards, also boasts America’s best restaurant – Highlands Bar and Grill.

Chile Santiago is often just a thoroughfare, but everything you come to see in South America is all there in Chile. The high plains of Patagonia, the beaches of Valparaiso, the

vineyards of Colchagua, the high deserts of the Atacama. Yes, the latter is hard to get to – two hours by road from Calama in Chile’s remote far north – but you’ll feel like one of the last people on earth when you arrive in this alien landscape. The desert is filled, paradoxically, with an oasis of backdrops: flamingofilled salt pans, villages thriving amid the parched dunes, volcanoes simmering on the horizon and heavens ablaze with stars.

Islands of French Polynesia French Polynesia is spread across an area as large as Europe. The remote archipelagos of the Tuamotu, Gambier, Austral and Marquesas Islands feature some of the healthiest reefs in the world. Being largely inaccessible, these islands offer outstanding diving and snorkelling opportunities, wild landscapes, an intact Polynesian culture and warm hospitality.

Moldova Tucked between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova is one of the least visited countries in Europe, a badge this little-known nation is keen to shrug off. The capital Chisinau is a great base for exploring nearby wine regions, particularly the cellars of Milestii Mici, home to the largest collection in the world.

IATA urges government-industry dialogue in Mexico

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he International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the government of Mexico to work closely with the air transport industry as it develops airport infrastructure to meet growing demand for air connectivity in the country’s main gateway of Mexico City.

Mexico City International Airport was designed for 32 million passengers annually but handled 48 million in 2018. The new Mexican government cancelled the New Mexico City International Airport (NAIM) project which was under construction with a design capacity of 120 million.

With passenger traffic set to grow by 3.6percent annually over the next two decades, Mexico faces a capacity crisis in its capital.

The government is now proposing a three-airport system for the city: continued operation of the current Mexico City International Airport, increased use of Toluca Airport and conversion of the Santa Lucia Airbase for civilian use.

“The industry is disappointed in the decision to cancel the NAIM

project. But the decision has been made. Safe and efficient air connectivity is critical to the Mexican economy and national development. Implementing a three airport solution presents major technical and commercial challenges. It is imperative that the government and industry stakeholders work together to find the best way forward,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO said at the opening of the Aviation Summit Mexico hosted by IATA with the support of Canaero, ALTA and ACI-LAC. Aviation is critical to Mexico economic and social development. The industry contributes some 38 billion dollars to the Mexican economy and supports 1.4 million Mexican jobs. “The decision to cancel NAIM puts at risk puts at risk 200,000 future jobs and an economic boost of US$20 billion annually by 2035,” said de Juniac.

While the government is developing details of its NAIM alternative plans, IATA laid out some key considerations: Basic airline needs

must be met. The goal is to deliver sufficient infrastructure to meet demand must be made available, matched to user needs, and at costs that are affordable.

Airline experience must be taken into consideration. Airlines have vast experience in understanding both passenger and market needs.

So they are also in the best position to make decisions on which airport to serve in light of commercial realities.

Air Traffic Management must support safe and efficient operations. “The three airports are in very close proximity, in mountainous terrain and at high altitude. Delivering safe and efficient operations will be challenging. I cannot over-emphasize the need for technical coordination with operators to carefully manage these parameters.

“Safety must never be compromised. And we don’t want to

find that investments in these three airports are compromised by air traffic management requirements that ultimately limit their utilization.

Getting air traffic management right is mission-critical,” de Juniac said.

Scarce slot capacity must be allocated in full compliance with IATA Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG). The WSG is a fair, transparent and global system that works on accepted global standards at over 200 airports. “It is good to see that the present Mexico City Airport is already progressively moving to align to WSG. But it is a global system, so full compliance is critical,” de Juniac added.

“There is a capacity crisis in Mexico City and there is no time to lose in finding a solution. Airlines urgently need to know what infrastructure will be available and when. Then we can start a dialogue with the government that is focused on the best way to use it. If the decisions are politically motivated or bureaucratically assigned, the results are likely to be sub-optimal,” de Juniac said.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Kiddies HDI moves to curb ‘quiet corruption’ in Lagos public schools Ngozi Okpalakunne

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he practice of ‘quiet corruption’ in public schools in Lagos State was a major issue discussed at a one-day forum organised recently by Human Development Initiative (HDI) in collaboration with Trust Africa.

The event, which came under the theme, ‘State mechanisms for addressing inappropriate behaviours in public schools in Lagos State’, had in attendance teachers and school administrators in the state.

Executive-Director of HDI, Olufunso Owasanoye described ‘quiet corruption’ as a practice that goes on in the school environment without many noticing it.

Owasanoye went further to explain that such practice include absenteeism from the school by the students, inability to copy notes and copy correctly, going to school with mufti in their bags to wear after or before school hours, failure to do their assignment as and when due and a host of others.

She observed that these abnormal behaviours by the school children had negatively affected their performance in both internal and external examinations.

She however, blamed parents for the awkward behav-

iour of their wards, adding that parents who are mindful of what their wards do usually discipline them without delay when they behave badly. ‘’Some parents are not careful of what their children do in the school, they do not check whether they are given assignment or not, some of the female students put mufti in their school bags so as to dress in such wear and go wherever they like after school hours.

They do this often without their parents noticing it. It ought not

to be so; parents and guardians particularly mothers should monitor the activities of their wards and by so doing, in no distant time the practice of quiet corruption among school children will be reduced if not totally eradicated,’’ she said.

Presenting findings on ‘Quiet corruption in public education institutions in Lagos State’, Research and Programme Officer HDI, Olayemi Samuel observed that the practice has eaten deep into the fabric of the education system in the

Origin of Egyptian civilisation A

mong many other civilisations, only one that stands out because of its profound knowledge on every aspect of life is the Egyptian civilisation. Be it technical, agricultural or spiritual, this civilisation had touched the peak on every facet with outmost zeal.

Ancient Egyptian coalesced around 3150 B.C, along the lower reaches of Nile River, with the political fusion of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. The history of the ancient Egypt grew up with the series of stable kingdoms. Historians had divided this series or periods of kingdom in to three categories such as 1. Old kingdom of the early bronze age.

2. Middle kingdom of the middle bronze age, and 3. New kingdom of the late bronze age.

During this New kingdom, in the Ramesside period, the Egyptian civilisation had reached the pinnacle of its power. After which it had entered into a slow decline.

The prosperity of the ancient civilisation came partly from the

ability to adapt to the condition of the Nile valley. The predictable flooding of the river Nile and controlled irrigation that produce redundant crops result to the development of social and cultural aspects.

Along many other achievements of Egyptian civilisation, most noticeable are pyramids, temples, obelisks (a system of mathematics), a practical effective usage of medicine, irrigation system and agricultural technique. And last but not the least usage of papyrus (a thick paperlike material produced from the

pith of the papyrus plant) for documentation.

The Egyptian civilisation also left a lasting legacy through its art and architecture, which are widely copied even today in the modern world. Its antiques travelled far round the world.

It’s a civilisation which had captivated the thoughts of historians and Egyptologists for centuries. It’s also a civilisation that grew up, reached the pinnacle and perished but definitely had left behind an everlasting mark for the generations to know by its unique essence.

country.

Enumerating other forms of quiet corruption going on in secondary schools, he said they include compulsory sales of study materials and payment for extra lessons.

In the tertiary institutions, he said sales of study materials, favouritism, sexual harassment, sex-for-grade, among others are rampant.

He described paying for extra lesson as the most common experience of parents with children in primary and

secondary schools, adding that such practice has become an integral part of teaching activities in many schools.

Assistant Director, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Shoremekun Joseph Olugbenga, who also spoke during the forum, blamed the practice on government, teachers, pupils and parents. ‘’l can say it is the fault of all including the government, teachers, parents and the pupils. On the side of the government, government is quick in making promises without fulfilling it. Take for instance, the government of the day during their last political campaign promised free meal and to create a conducive learning environment, they never fulfilled such promises. When you visit some public schools during rainy season, you will discover that some schools and the roads leading to them are bad. On the side of the parents, some of the parents cannot provide meal allowance for their children, just because the government promised to do so, they will dress their children for school in the morning without giving them food or money to buy food. Some of the parents and guardians also find it difficult to provide writing materials for their children, they believe that it is the duty of the government to make such provisions for their children”, Olugbenga added.

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Feature How 9mobile is tapping good customer relations on path to rebound After some moments of setback, one of Nigeria’s telecom giants, 9mobile, is on the path to rebound, believing that brands that consistently connect emotively with customers are better positioned to enjoy longer customer lifetime value and reduction in churn. CHUKA UROKO reviews the company’s moves in this direction, focusing on its fresh tap on customer-friendliness.

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hanging marketplace dynamics requires that brands continuously innovate on how they build and nurture relationships with key stakeholders in order to remain top of the mind. In that case, promoting excellent relationship with existing and potential customers tops priority list. Reason is, the customer is not just king, but also firmly rooted on the driver’s seat.

Experts say organisations that put the customer at the heart of their brand DNA are better favourably disposed to enjoying increased customer-lifetime value and a reduction in churn than those that are not customer-centric. “Customers do not care how much you know unless they know how much you care”, Damon Richards, a customer service expert was quoted by Forbes as advising business owners and leaders.

9mobile, arguably, Nigeria’s customer-friendly telecom company, is repositioning to regain its share and category leadership after surmounting a major setback resulting from a loan facility it obtained from a banking consortium in 2003 to carry out network expansion and improve service quality.

Following the successful recapitalisation of the business in the last quarter of 2018 and the inauguration of a new board of directors and management, the telco is innovatively warming itself into the hearts of its customers with emotive brand building initiatives.

Over the past 10 years, it has consistently invested in excellent customer relations, and this has translated to unwavering brand loyalty displayed by its customers even in the face of challenges in the last two years.

9mobile recently launched a bespoke campaign tagged ‘9nniversary’ which, amongst others, comprises two reward schemes— ‘Northern Promo’ and ‘Magic Hour Promo’ – aimed at celebrating and rewarding customers for their loyalty in the past one decade. In both promos, customers stand a chance to win mouth-watering prizes including airtime, smart-phones, cash prizes and brand-new cars with just a minimum of N100 recharge.

The Northern Promo is exclusive to customers in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Yobe and Taraba states while the Magic Hour promo targets customers in other states of Nigeria including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Both promos will run for 90 days.

To participate in the Northern Promo, prepaid customers on morecliq, moretalk, morecliq and talkzone need to recharge their lines to win free daily airtime by sending ‘WIN’

to 476 to qualify, while one smartphone is up for grabs every week for 12 weeks. Three lucky customers will get N1 million and one customer will win the grand prize of a brandnew car.

In the case of Magic Hour promo, all new and existing customers of 9mobile stand a good chance to win amazing prizes starting from February 11 up till May 10, 2019.

Millionaires will also emerge in the promo draws holding across key cities in Nigeria with N20 million grand prize for one winner at the end of the promo and N5 million cash each to be won by one lucky customer over three months, at the monthly draws.

One lucky customer each day wins N250,000 throughout the 90-day promo duration while 5 customers win N50,000 cash each daily for 90 days. Other prizes are 5 smart-phones per week to be won during the promo.

All that customers need to do is to recharge a minimum of N100 to keep winning while they can also text WIN to 88808 to increase their chances of winning.

Adebisi Idowu, Vice President, Marketing, 9mobile, says the promos are part of many innovative ways the telco demonstrates how much it appreciates its loyal customers for staying the course with the network since it commenced operations in Nigeria.

“At 9mobile, our customers are the cornerstone of all our operations; offering them value is a priority and these promos affirm that we are not just paying lip service to our mantra of enabling customers to do more. Apart from empowering customers by providing them superior quality data and voice services, we also want to change their lives for good with reward scheme like the Northern Promo and Magic Promo to reward their loyalty.

This is one of the ways 9mobile is saying thank you to its customers for trusting us to keep our brand promise to them. We care about our customers and are always on the lookout for ways to support and positively impact their lives”, he said.

Connecting with other key stakeholders is another area 9mobile has affirmed its commitment. This it did recently when the new board and management paid a courtesy visit to the executive management team of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Abuja. On the visit were the chairman of the company, managers, executive and nonexecutive directors of the company.

Nasiru Ado Bayero, chairman of the company, assured that the new board would uphold excellence as the gold standard across all operations of 9mobile and that significant investments would be made to

Stephane Beuvelet Ag. MD 9mobile ensure that customers get value for choosing 9mobile.

Umar Danbatta, NCC’s executive vice chairman/CEO, commended the ongoing initiatives to reposition the telco, revealing that even during the trying times, 9mobile did not falter on excellent service delivery and other industry key performance indicators. “Every time we measure the KPIs for all the companies, 9mobile comes up top. And I am not stating this as a marketing stunt for 9mobile. I am saying this arising from the figures we have consistently recorded; 9mobile has one of the best networks in the country, that I can attest to, based on the result of the KPIs characterising Quality of Service”, he said.

In spite of its challenges, 9Mobile was recently recognised as the ‘Telecom Company of the Year 2018’.

This was an an award conferred by Leadership Group Limited, publishers of Leadership Newspaper in recognition of the telco’s resilience

and stability in the face of challenges from which it pulled through over the past two years.

Abdul Gombe group managing director of Leadership Group, commended 9mobile for emerging stronger from tests including the challenging operating environment, strict regulatory requirements, threat of take-over by a banking consortium and post-acquisition realities.

“In the face of all these, 9mobile has maintained its relevance and its 9ja brand heritage within the Nigerian telecommunication space. For your resilience, the selection board found you most suitable for this prestigious award”,he said.

Analysts said the positive developments should not be a surprise, citing Beuvelet’s New Year goodwill message that 2019 was a year of new grounds-breaking for the telco, its customers and key stakeholders.

“As 2019 beckons, we can all look to the future with renewed hope,

not just because we are a bold and optimistic brand, but because there are real opportunities to explore with you”, he said.

Continuing, he said, “From an aggressive enhancement of network capacity and innovative features to boost HD voice and video/data services, LTE network coverage expansion to 15 new cities, more innovative data offerings including triple play and streaming service, to digital services that support your everyday needs such as our 9Pay payment service, we are set to break fallow grounds in emerging areas like Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning capabilities to drive superior customer experience.

“We are not only ready, but better positioned, for good reason too, to kick-start a strategic new direction with bold initiatives that guarantee optimum value to you, our esteemed customers, as we recover previously ceded grounds.”

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Feature

Igwe Chidume marks 1st Ofala, foresees economically viable community His Royal Highness, Igwe Chris Oranu Chidume, Eze Ana-Ukwu, Eze Igulube of Omor Kingdom, in Anyamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State, marked his 1st Ofala Festival (one year coronation anniversary) on December 13-16, 2018, signaling the restoration of peace and tranquility in Omor, the second most populous community in Anambra State, writes GODFREY OFURUM

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he rich culture of Omor, in Anyamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State, was again on display recently, when His Royal Highness, Igwe Chris Oranu Chidume, Eze Ana-Ukwu, Eze Igulube of Omor Kingdom, marked his 1st Ofala Festival.

Ndi Nze Omor, Omor supreme elders’ council, Ndi ichie, royal cabinet council and the entire good people of Omor, came out en masse with cultural dances and masquerades to celebrate Ofala with their chosen Igwe, who has restored peace and harmony in the community, within one year of ascending the throne.

Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, also led about 25 members of the Anambra Traditional Rulers Council to witness the event.

Before the emergence of Igwe Chidume, Omor was without a traditional ruler for 10 years. The community within those 10 years was divided along political lines, thereby making development difficult.

However, the emergence of Igwe Chidume, has restored peace andengendereddevelopmentinthe community.

Omor, now hosts one of the biggest rice milling plants in the country, which is managed by JOSAN Agro-Allied Limited, a public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative betweenJosephAgro-AlliedLimited and Anambra State Government.

His Royal Highness, Igwe Oranu Chris Chidume, through the instrumentality of his office, has also rehabilitated roads in the community, provided electricity and ensured that his people enjoy portable water.

Everybody now speaks with one voice and the community is progressing, says Francis Onwuachi, “Ichie Chinechendo of Omor”, a legal practitioner, from Isiokwe Orenja, Omor.

“Omor has not had it so good.

We have never experienced this kind of gathering in our community in the past 10 years, because of rancor among the people.

Onwuachi, who is a member of Igwe’s cabinet, explained that Igwe Chidume, within his first year on the throne, has rehabilitated the community’s roads, provide electricity and ensured that his people enjoy portable water, which successive governments in the State said was impossible, despite the fact that the community is blessed with a (Owushi) waterfall.

According to him, the previous administration in the State, mounted overhead tanks in the community, but could not get water, but the Igwe has made it possible. He has

engaged a drilling firm that would use the overhead tank to reticulate water to the four quarters of Omor.

He revealed also that Igwe Chidume is discussing with two commercial banks, to set up branches in Omor, to support fresh investments in rice production.

“Igwe has been able to bring everybody in Omor together, from the top to the least, including Justice Obidigwe, a retired chief judge of Anambra State, who is a member of Igwe’s Elders Council, Peter Obuasi, the first medical doctor in the entire Anyamelum and Ikechukwu Onyeabo, a well respected politician in this area, and so many others.

“Omor has come together more than ever before and it is for our good”, he stated.

He appealed to members of the community to support the Igwe, noting that he has the capacity and will to develop Omor. “Our neighbouring communities will now know that we have a leader”.

Mocha Joseph, Ichie ka Ibeya, one of Igwe Chidume’s 50 cabinet members, described the Ofala, as fantastic and one of a kind in the history of Omor Kingdom.

“We see this as a starting point and a good beginning. We have the type of Igwe that is worthy for Omor people. Omor is a large community and we needed a gifted person to lead us and God has giving us a exceptional person.

“If our Igwe was a student, he would have been described, as an exceptional child, a child, who measures above others. Our Igwe

measures above others and he has made a good start.

“He has conferred titles on his 50 cabinet members. He is a hardworking Igwe, a humble Igwe, a royal father, who cares for the progress of his community”.

Igwe Chidume, a successful entrepreneur explained that he accepted to mount the throne of his fore-fathers to render service to his people.

According to him, the journey so far has been one filled with a lot of experiences, geared towards bringing development, providing platforms, where every Omor person

would have a sense of belonging, particularly as it relates to their core competencies and shared beliefs that people in a community should relate with one another.

He explained that the community has made remarkable achievements in the direction of building a community, where people live peacefully among themselves, within one year on the throne, as the traditional ruler of Omor that the community.

He noted that he achieved this, through brokering peace among individuals, both intra and inter communities, which if neglected,

would have resulted to something serious. “This brought peace and love for one another, which the throne advocates.

“In the same spirit of unity, we have successfully inaugurated high caliber professionals into the supreme elder’s council and the royal cabinet council. Members of these councils were drawn from the four quarters that make up the community.

“Within the period, we embarked on a total overhaul and rehabilitation of dilapidated electrical installations that supplied electricity to the community, while at the same time, commenced plans on provision of potable water to the community, through sinking boreholes, among other projects.

He enjoined men of goodwill to join hands with him to making Omor, a united, peaceful and harmonious town.

Igwe explained that typical Omor man is hardworking, bold, fearless and honest in pursuing a cause he has interest, stressing that the community needs to harness these strengths with the aim of raising a populace, whose impact would be of global relevance.

“This we can achieve through human capital development by provision of quality education, access to health facilities, potable water, access roads and other infrastructural development of the town”.

He called on the state and federal governments, to provide infrastructure in rural communities to reduce rural-urban migration, noting that introducing the people to agriculture with a sustainable enticement, would go a long way in stimulating agriculture value chain, which is one of the core pillars of the government of the day in Anambra State.

He further observed that agrarian communities in Nigeria, just like Omor, with a bubbling youthful population, are usually faced with challenges of the youths indulging in illicit and hard substances and other social vices.

The youth according to Igwe Chidume are the strength and future hope of any nation and urged government to see to their wellbeing, through positive engagement of their potentials.

He stated that his cabinet in partnership with a non-governmental organisation (NGOs), some social organisations and the elders of the community are working out strategies that can stem the tide of the plague of these unfortunate phenomena.

Omor hosts the Lower Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority, which is an important Federal Government project in rice value chain, consequently, Igwe Chidume hopes that farmers in the community would engage in threeseason per year rice farming, when

Continued from page ???

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View Point What we want from President Buhari AYO OYOZE BAJE

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o one is more hated than he who speaks the truth”-Plato If only our political leaders put the overall interest of our dear nation, Nigeria above their greed-driven, selfish-serving whims and caprices; if only they see servant-leadership as their moving mantra and if only the led majority would come to grips with the truism that democracy is indeed, theirs to dictate. That is, instead of fearing and worshipping their so called ‘elected’ leaders, and if they have been doing that Nigeria would have moved faster into the 21st Century technologically-powered, knowledge economy.

But here we are in 2019 still grappling with the basic issue of conducting free, fair and credible elections; still battling with the rampaging monster of mass poverty in the midst of plenty for the favoured few. Here we are, still refusing to understand, or better still, accept the glaring fact that only a politically and economically restructured Nigeria, away from the bloated centre would get us, eventually out of the weedy wood.

Oh, yes, incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari has scored a bull’s eye by winning the much coveted presidency for a Second Term but that is only a part of the larger picture. And what could that be? To get the answers, or at least part of it, yours truly was out there on the busy streets moving from one newsstand to another at the Agege, Fagba, Ogba, Alausa axes of Lagos state, listening to the variegated opinions of fellow Nigerians

on their expectations from the winner. Call them members of the People’s Parliament, if you like but their views matter a lot.

“Please, whoever knows Mister President should tell him that we are no more under the jackboots of military dictatorship, where might was right. He and his party, the APC should stop intimidating the opposition with the instruments of intimidation, brute force and crude coercion.

“It is not possible for all of us to toe his line of policies and actions. He should open his mind to views outside his own. Credible opposition remains the beauty and bastion of democracy”. This came from a middle-aged, apparently learned Yoruba man dressed in green khaftan at Ogba.

“As far as I am concerned, my grouse with President Buhari is his one-sided political appointments, especially with security apparatus skewed in favour of the North. It shows that he does not trust other ethnic groups. If so, why is he referred to as Nigeria’s president? He should see himself as belonging to the entire nation”. This came from a bearded Igbo man, probably in his’40s,airing his views on the way forward. That was at Fagba.

“In my candid opinion, what the president needs to do right away is to constitute an economic thinktank. Erudite economists like Boyo, Rewane, Utomi and some others to be drawn from the academia should be given a free hand to critically analyze the state of the nation and fashion the best way forward.

“It is a crying shame that Africa’s largest oil producing nation should be the global capital of extreme poverty. We need an enabling environment for massive industrializa-

President Muhammadu Buhari

tion and by extension, job creation.

Emphasis should shift to small and medium scale enterprises.

“One can hardly understand why state governors collect sundry bailout funds and federal allocations every blessed month yet, refuse to pay salaries and they go back to collect more! And let me add the caveat, he should be ready and willing to listen to them and of course, act on their piece of advice.” The shrill voice came from a fair-complexioned lady, perhaps in her thirties who added her view after buying a copy of a newspaper at Alausa, in Ikeja.

“As for me, we hear of the North angling for political power every time but honestly our leaders, not just the president but state

governors and local government chairmen have to do much more to reduce poverty. More money should be pumped into agriculture.

We need more farm produce as well as adding modern technology to go into processing and preservation, so that we too can export, instead of only consumption.

“Also, the Almajiri schools built under former President Goodluck Jonathan should be resuscitated and new ones built. We need more hospitals, more pharmacists and doctors because of some diseases peculiar to us. Our youths are severally enmeshed in the sniffing of hard drugs. They need urgent intervention from our leaders.”

Adamu, who gave his name and claimed to hail from Kebbi state

aired his views. He spoke at a vendor’s stand not far from the popular glass house, Abule-Egba.

“What the president should do to be seen as a man of integrity is to fight the issue of corruption without allowing for political influences.

How do we explain the Barugate, the Mainagate, the IDP sleaze, and the long time it took to begin looking at Barbarchir’s grasscutter allegations?

“Even worse than that is the issue of allegedly corrupt former governors, or ministers who stole their states blind while in other political parties being welcomed to the ruling party with open arms? Is that the way to fight corruption?”

The Akwa-Ibom born Ekene spoke in his ethnic group’s characteristic tone. That was at Ogba, newsstand.

“Me, I no wan hear all ya big, big gramma. Our presido dey try welli welli. Make im catch all de ogbonge theif, theif dem. Me, I don dey enjoyi trader moni. I don dey gbadu the new railway. Our problem for dis contri be say we no laiki the truth. We too dey believe lies. Una say Jona no good, no be so?

Anyway, I beg our president, maki e free dansuki or is he dansiki and eli zakizaki, make im obey wetin court telli am.” That came from Lasisi, an artisan as he joined the hot argument going on at Fagba.

Agreed, no one or leader is perfect. But what matters most is meeting the needs of the people who elected them into power. That is by articulating their visions in line with constitutional provisions and party manifestos.

Above all, they should be guided by their legacies? What would they be remembered for? That is the essence of a leadership that lasts.

Igwe Chidume marks 1st Ofala, foresees economically...

Continued from page ??? the farm is resuscitated.

He stressed that resuscitation of the farm would create a multiplying effect on the economy of the community and its neighboring towns and expedite federal government’s resolve in stopping rice importation.

In his words, “The good news here is that the off taker of this rice, JOSAN Rice Mill and Farm, who acquired the giant mill, whose annual rice production capacity is estimated to be around 50,000 metric tons, the biggest rice milling plant in Nigeria, will not be lacking input.

“Going by the capacity of this giant mill and other rice milling plants around, with other viable ventures springing up around Omor and Ayamelum, like the Gas project being undertaken, by Ibeto Group in Omasi, I see an economically viable Omor and Ayamelum.

“These are clear justifications of the expediency of bringing in a commercial bank, who will tap into the economic potentials of these enterprises around Omor and Ayamelum.

“Consequent upon that, it’s time we beckoned on our state governor, Wille Obiano, to bring your political will to bear in positioning a commercial bank in Omor”. He also appealed to the federal government to rehabilitate roads in Anyamelum Local Government Area, especially, the Otuocha-Omor-Adani road to allow movement of farm produce from the area to other parts of the country.

His Royal Highness, Igwe Chidume, affirmed that opening up the area, would unblock the economic fortunes of the region and further encourage inter-regional exchange of goods and services and bring boom in both agricultural and commercial activities in these communities and beyond, thereby discouraging rural-urban migration.

He commended Governor Obiano’s leadership in Anambra State, stating that people are enjoying the peace and development, which his governmenthasbroughttotheState.

“I commend the government of Anambra State under your leadership for the giant strides in actualizing a better Anambra, using your

“Four Pillars of Development”-Aggressive Mechanized Agriculture, Oil and Gas, Trade and Commerce and Industrialization.

He appealed to the South Eastern Governors to raise a think tank that will fashion out modality of instituting an integrated and synergic economic programme for South East, whose core mandate will be identifying the core opportunities that should be explored such as integrated railway systems, natural gas pipelines, etc with a view of taking a readiness position in receiving their brothers and sisters, who may likely heed to the think-home philosophy.

Omor Omor is a community in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State adjudged to be one of the most populous communities in the state with a productive agrarian population.

The community, which sits ashore the Omambala River, has an arable land and good vegetation which makes the town reputable for production of rice and a variety of other agricultural produce, such as yam, cassava, maize, Okra, veg-

etables, among other cash crops.

The town is made up of four quarters, namely: Orenja, Akanator, Aturia and Amikwe with several villages and kindreds under them.

Tradition In as much as colonialism altered the culture and tradition of the community, by infusing elements of practices alien to their belief, an Omor man, just like any other Igbo man, had a well-defined culture. His thoughts, actions, behaviour and general disposition were guided, by natural laws.

Today, Omor has come to a point where its people are witnessing changing times, brought about by globalisation and industrialisation.

Consequently, these changes are gradually affecting the tradition and the way they relate with one another. Nevertheless, they still recognise the fact that before you have a harmonious community coexistence, you must have respect for rule of law. You must understand why the next person must exist.

The community has overtime, nurtured this tradition as a norm, which is an inherent principle taught

by every religion.

This tradition according to Igwe Chidume, has also made the people to have identity as having evolved from somewhere and not just as a group of persons perceived to have originated from the bush, as some western scholars posit. “We can only imagine how we would be regarded assuming some of our traditions and ingenious inventions of our people were not conserved”, Igwe queried.

The three-day Ofala festival started with a press briefing, tagged “Omor In focus”, which was attended by His Royal Highness Igwe Onuora Onwuneli, Eze Malume 1 of Igbakwu, Igwe Benjamin Okeji, Eze Diorannma of Omasi, who is also the chairman Anyamelum Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Chidubem Simeon, Igwe Aboor of Umunbo, Eze Nwuneli Elias, Igwe Gbauchara and His Royal Highness, Igwe Ofokansi, Igwe Udo of Anam.

One of the high points of the event was the conferment of titles to 50 cabinet members, by Igwe Chidume, which was unprecedented in the history of the community.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Feature

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he language of election sounds a tad similar to the language of war.

Newspapers dress up headlines with euphemisms that have served battleworn generals. Opponents are crushed in rival party strongholds and the ruling party is conquered in battleground states.

This is why elections in Africa’s biggest democracy stiran equal doze of passion and paranoia. On the eve of a general election, Nigerians stock up food and fuel and politicians move their families outside the country. The government shuts land borders, seaports and airports and enforce restriction on movement with armed soldiers.

The feeling in the land is like that of a people under siege.

Any postponed election breeds frustration as everyone wants it over with. It also results in huge losses to the economy. This should make a strong case for using more technology in election management.

To gain a sense of how much economic loss Nigeria suffers because it cannot automate its election process, consider that the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 16 cost the economy over$1.16billion. This crude estimate divides Nigeria’s $427billion GDP in 2018 by 365 days in a year and calculating for one wasted day.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) blamed logistics. It is easy to see how this can happen. Nigeria has a total surface area of 923,768 km yet the country has only195,000km of tarred roads which compares poorly to South Africa’s750,000km.

Chidi Izuwah, director-general, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), at a lecture in Abuja two years ago said about 135,000 kilometres of road network in Nigeria were un-tarred.

“Nigeria has about 195,000 km road network out of which a proportion of about 32,000 km are federal roads while 31,000km are state roads.Out of this, only about 60,000km are paved. Of the paved roads, a large proportion is in very poor unacceptable condition due to insufficient investment and lack of adequate maintenance.

Analysts say this is where elections start to fail. “In many parts of Nigeria, election materials will arrive late, not because of any fault of INEC but because of the poor state of our roads,” said Ayo Akinfe, a London-based writer and editor in a social media post.

But this is the very situation technology solves in other parts of the world. Indonesia will go to the polls in April this year but its terrain presents a study in what should constitute a logistical nightmare.

Indonesia is the world’s largest island country, with more than seventeen thousand islands, and at 1,904,569 square kilometres, the 14th largest by land area and the 7th largest in combined sea and land area. It is also the world’s 4th most populous country with over 261 million people.

Yet, the country’s General Elec-

A nation afraid of computers Nigerians rely on technology to keep their money, teach their children, protect their property; they just don’t trust it enough in choosing their leaders and end up paying a high price, writes ISAAC ANYAOGU.

tions Commission (KPU) will register 190million voters for its April presidential and national assembly elections. Sixteen parties will contest for 20,000 seats in parliament and local councils.

To combat this challenge, the country will rely on electronic voting, a plan it has been working on since 2014. According to the plan, the system would still require voters to visit polling stations, but to verify their identities and cast their votes.

“Citizens can just bring their electronic identification cards (e-KTP) to the polling stations,” said Marzan Iskandar, chairman of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, according to Antara News.

According to Iskandar, “This platform will lower the cost of general elections by 25 percent, saving on ballot papers and cutting off the need for manual labour.

Digital voting will help eliminate fraud and will return voting results within minutes. The government plans to strengthen cyber security to protect electoral data.”

There is a yawning need for technology in the management of Nigeria’s election but the electoral law has failed to keep up. In 2017, lawmakers passed the Electoral Act No. 6 2010 (Amendment) Bill 2017 which among other things gave INEC unfettered powers to conduct elections by electronic

voting. The House of Representatives kicked against it, the president withheld assent and INEC said it needed more time.

“If tomorrow the bill is assented to… there are provisions that we cannot implement simply because of time. For instance, full blown electronic voting. It is impossible within the time-frame available which is 112 days,” Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman said.

The argument against electronic voting in Nigeria relies on cost, availability of electricity and the fear that uneducated rural folks could be excluded. But these concerns are largely naive.

It is definitely not cost, because Nigeria’s 2019 elections of which 73million people have been accredited to vote would cost US$625 million which is more than the US$600 million spent on India’s 2014 elections

where 553.8 million people voted electronically.

In India, locally made Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) have replaced paper ballots in all elections. To check calls for abuse, the Election Commission introduced EVMs with voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) system, which is essentially a printout of results.

India’s EVM, which costs US$580 in 2017 can record 3840 votes and cater to 64 candidates.

It consists of a control and ballot units. Balloting unit has buttons which indicates voting details and the control unit stores vote counts and displays results.

Rural India has millions who are uneducated and the machines are so simple, they require just pressing a button against a political party. Folks in rural Nigeria use ATMs and make mobile money transfers and operate smart phones which are all more complicated than pressing a button.

EVMs in India can transmit results back to the Election Commission but the facility was disabled to prevent intrusion during electronic transmission of results.

Results are stored in the machine and party officials sign off. When election closes, no one can alter the results.

EVMs have saved India billions of dollars hitherto used in printing

ballot papers, cut the number of staff and remuneration, promote faster counts and cancel out double voting. It comes with a battery unit that lasts between 10 and 14 hours a day on a full charge and has a shelf life of 15 years. This takes care of electricity concerns.

INEC is deploring 400,000 adhoc staff from the National Youth Service Corps who only constitute 40percent of its staff. It is spending N1.4billion to buy ballot boxes and N35billion to print ballot papers and result sheets. Electronic voting will cut these costs.

Analysts say fear about security is exaggerated. “I think it is a trust issue,” says Sodiq Alabi, a communications officer at Paradigm Initiative, a Lagos-based digital rights advocacy. “This is an environment where people do not even trust the physical paper, how much more an electronic system.”

To tamper with the machine in India, a hacker will need physical access to them which is difficult due to security. He will also have high tech skills. Besides, one will need to manipulate thousands of machines to impact an election, which is almost impossible given the hi-tech and time-consuming nature of the tampering process.

The company that manufactured the machine relinquished control after being acquired by the state.

In Nigeria alone, there are over 119,000 polling units, and if such machines are in use, a hacker has to gain access to over 50,000 to seriously impact an election outcome.

“We have the capacity to produce the machine and even domesticate it and this will make rigging difficult,” Alabi said.

Analysts say political will is what is lacking. Politicians spend billions in ‘mobilisation’, a euphemism for any vice from vote buying to paying thugs to snatch ballot boxes. Electronic voting will check this and no government, no matter its claim to piety, is willing to change this.

Political parties who lose general elections are the first to call for reforms of the electoral process and the application of more technology but when they get into power, the agitation fizzles out.

This happens because every political party hopes to benefit from the crude electoral process which is susceptible to manipulation. Every party wants the block votes from the north, even if herds of cattle are counted rather than humans.

Recourse to paper allows for underage voting and for a party official to thumbprint a million ballots. When the card reader machines fail, there is no failsafe way to prevent abuse. Ballots are not even checked for double voting using fingerprint technology at collation centres.

In a country, where politicians have nothing to convince voters of their good intensions, deception appears an attractive option.

In 2019, Nigerians have to travel to vote in areas they were registered and state returning officers fly to Abuja to read results because of a stubborn refusal to leave the stone-age and embrace technology.

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Feature Day Stanbic IBTC treated clients, others to an unforgettable experience

As Stanbic IBTC celebrates 30 years of providing quality financial solutions to clients and Nigerians, ADEBOLA, ADEBAYO takes a look at a typical engagement by the brand with its stakeholders and how such thoughtful events allied with quality services have helped to position the brand as the leading end-to-end financial services organisation today.

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ooking across the hall, as the stage play unfolds; one could tell the audience was thoroughly having fun. You could hear the occasional chuckle in response to particular funny scenes, and there were many arms raised in the selfie posture as many took pictures of scenes they liked.

The Chinese clients were particularly excited by the stage play; many of them clapped intermittently, some took pictures, and some others kept pointing towards the stage as they talked animatedly among themselves. It was a fun-filled night, no doubt.

The event was the 2018 Stanbic IBTC Client Appreciation Dinner held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos. And performing was Bolanle AustenPeters troupe, which brilliantly re-enacted the 12th Century exploits of one of the greatest folk heroines in African, nay Nigerian, history, Moremi Ajasoro. It was a musical rendition of the compelling story of the incessant attacks on Ile-Ife and the people’s enslavement by a neighbouring community called the Forest tribe, and how a courageous woman, Princess Moremi, sacrificially confronted the relentless invaders of her community, and helped destroyed them. It was a riveting performance that was well appreciated by the audience.

The entirety of the event underscored Stanbic IBTC’s much-talked about Africanness and support for arts. Starting from the passageway leading into the event hall to the hall décor, the attire worn by the ushers, and then the musical play, it was clear Stanbic IBTC had made deliberate efforts to proudly proclaim its Nigerian/African roots. Guests were welcomed at the entrance to the passageway leading to the event hall by beautifully attired ladies in blue aso oke. Adorning the walls on both sides of the passageway as one proceeds to the hall were framed artworks produced by children. The hall itself was decorated in blue patterned ankara with clay pots on stands on each table.

Indeed, Stanbic IBTC Group’s involvement with arts, through the Standard Bank Group, dates back several decades. According to Stanbic IBTC, the involvement is driven by a goal to nurture and promote the development of the various art strands in Africa.

“Our support and collaboration with the arts community is designed to attain several outcomes, notable among which are to inspire creativity and innovation; drive economic development; and create the background for the existence of a diverse group of people whose skills and expertise are instrumental in moving society forward,” Stanbic IBTC had said of its involvement.

Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Yinka Sanni, set the tone for the evening when he welcomed those present and thanked them for their patronage in 2018.

He also talked about Stanbic IBTC’s support for the arts, in its various forms. He particularly highlighted the company’s support for arts and nurturing of budding artists. According to Sanni, the artworks displayed on the passageway were those of pupils of Lagos Progressive School, Surulere, the financial institution’s adopted school.

Business and the arts are congruent, undoubtedly. A vi-

brant arts community needs business to flourish; while arts are also good for business.

Stanbic IBTC says arts provide a canvass for both business engagement and social interaction. This belief underlines its yearly evening of fine arts and the acts, the encouragement of young artists and the stage play it yearly regale its clients with at its year-end dinner events.

“This eclectic mix is reflective of our history. As Africa’s largest bank with operations in 20 African countries, our activities have naturally reflected the diversity of our business,” Stanbic IBTC said.

Also reflective of the Stanbic IBTC brand essence is the heroine of the stage play, Moremi Ajasoro. It is easy to see the correlation between the two. Stanbic IBTC has always prided itself as an equal opportunity employer, one that enables its workforce, male and female, to aspire to the top. Just as Moremi played a prominent and impactful role in her community so do

the women at Stanbic IBTC. The brand has an equal mix of male and female staff across all cadre of the business, including the top management.

Moremi Ajasoro is the story of leadership, courage, selflessness, resourcefulness, unwavering commitment and the willingness to embrace opportunity to move society forward.

These are all virtues that define the Stanbic IBTC brand. It is single-minded in its promise to help move clients forward as individuals and as businesses, from the cradle to the legacee.

Its mobile app, the Appyness app, for instance, underlines the brand’s customer centric approach to service delivery.

The app is a highly functional one that enables a customer to transact banking, pensions, mobile money, and mutual funds businesses in one place. As the country looks to strengthen our trade relations with China, one of its biggest trading partners, through a recently signed currency swap deal, Stanbic IBTC has been in

the lead in terms of providing a platform for robust engagements between Nigerian and Chinese businesses.

At the time of the Stanbic IBTC dinner, the Moremi stage play was a new production from the stables of Bolanle Austen-Peters Production that was expected to open to the public around the Christmas period. So, the audience at the Stanbic IBTC dinner was the first to see the public performance of the stage play. Again, a demonstration of the brand’s willingness and commitment to ensure clients enjoy the best experience in their engagements with it.

The play, a historic rendition of a pivotal period in Yorubaland, could also serve as a metaphor for the historical richness of the Stanbic IBTC brand, which clocks 30 years of unmitigated success this year while equally drawing on the over 155-year pedigree of the Standard Bank Group, to which it belongs, to provide cutting-edge, best-in-class financial services.

Experiences such as the year-end dinner are very emotive and are deployed by organisations to help build brand warmth among clients, and even prospects. A client at the event, Oyinlola Oyebamijo, said she was glad she didn’t miss it. She said she was appreciative of such platform

by Stanbic IBTC that provided networking opportunities and engagement with an art form, the stage play, she loves but hardly has the time to enjoy, ordinarily. There is no doubt that many, like Oyebamijo, had a great night that day in December.

Indeed, the well-attended event provided a platform for industrialists, entrepreneurs, bankers, business people, and others to interact and for networking opportunities exploited to advance business interests.

IK Osakioduwa compered the event and participants were treated to a thrilling performance by the Terra Kulture crew.

Sanni assured that Stanbic IBTC would continue to draw from the rich experience of the 155-year-old Standard Bank Group as well as its 30 years history to provide business leadership and direction by supporting arts and other sectors of the economy in a way to ensure the socio-economic growth and development of society.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Health&Science

Best home remedies for baby constipation

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abies often go a long time between bowel movements.

Most of the time, it is normal for a baby to go days or even more than a week without a bowel movement. However, a baby may sometimes be constipated and need a little help.

If a baby is constipated, a paediatrician may recommend using home remedies as a first-line treatment for baby constipation.

Seven home remedies for constipation in a baby include: Exercise: As with adults, exercise and movement tend to stimulate a baby’s bowels.

However, as babies may not be walking or even crawling yet, a parent or caregiver may want to help them exercise to relieve constipation.

The parent or caregiver can gently move the baby’s legs while they are lying on their back to mimic the motion of riding a bicycle.

Doing this may help the bowels function and relieve constipation.

A warm bath: Giving a baby a warm bath can relax their abdominal muscles and help them stop straining. It can also relieve some of the discomfort relating to constipation.

Dietary changes: Certain dietary changes may help constipation, but these will vary depending on the baby’s age and diet.

While breastfeeding a baby, a woman could elimi-

nate certain foods, such as dairy, from her diet. It may take some trial and error to identify the dietary changes that help, and it is quite possible that changes in the diet will have no effect on the baby’s constipation.

For formula-fed babies, a parent or caregiver may want to try a different kind of formula. It is best not to switch to a gentle or dairyfree formula without consulting a paediatrician first. If one change does not make a difference, continuing to try different formulas is unlikely to help.

If an infant is eating solid foods, parents or caregivers should look to introduce foods that are good sources of fibre.

Many fruits and vegetables can help stimulate the bowels because of their higher fibre content. Good food choices for babies with constipation include: skinless apples, broccoli, whole grains, such as oatmeal or whole-grain bread or pasta, peaches, pears and plums.

Hydration: Young infants do not typically need supplemental liquids as they get their hydration from breast milk or formula.

However, babies that are constipated may benefit from asmall amountofextraliquid.

Paediatricians sometimes recommend adding a small amount of water or, occasionally, fruit juice, to the baby’s diet when they are over 2–4 months old and are constipated.

Massage: There are several ways to massage a baby’s stomach to re-

lieve constipation. These include using the fingertip to make circular motions on the stomach in a clockwise pattern, walking the fingers around the naval in a clockwise pattern, holding the baby’s knees and feet together and gently pushing the feet toward the belly and Stroking from the rib cage down past the belly button with the edge of a finger.

Fruit juice: After a baby reaches 2–4 months of age, they can have a small amount of fruit juice, such as 100-percent prune or apple juice. This juice may help treat constipation.

Experts may recommend starting with about 2–4 ounces of fruit juice. The sugar in the juice is hard to digest. As a result, more liquid enters the intestines, which helps soften and break up the stool.

However, a parent or caregiver should not give fruit juice to a baby for the first time without consulting their paediatrician.

Taking a rectal temperature: When a baby is constipated, taking the baby’s rectal temperature with a clean, lubricated thermometer may help them pass stool.

It is important not to use this method very often, as it can make constipation worse. The baby may start not wanting to pass a bowel movement without help, or they may begin to associate having a bowel movement with discomfort, leading them to fuss or cry more during the process.

Anyone who feels as though they often need to use this method to help the baby have a bowel movement should talk to the baby’s doctor.

iPHEX Africa 2019: Top India Pharmaceutical companies for exhibition in Lagos ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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he Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) is organising its 3rd International Exhibition for Pharma and Healthcare (iPHEX Africa) on March 14 – 15, 2019 at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, with the support of Indian High Commission, Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association in Nigeria, Association of Pharmaceuticals Importers in Nigeria, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.

The event is expected to feature about 60 Indian pharma companies. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to explore pharmaceutical formulations, APIs, pellets, nutraceuticals, veterinary drugs, medical devices and other healthcare products.

However, about 1,500 to 2,000 local pharma companies, pharmacists, doctors, regulators, investors and policymakers are expected to attend and interact with exhibitors and themselves.

“We are happy with the level of cooperation from Nigerian

government and relevant agencies since the maiden edition of this exhibition, it has not only improved the relationship between both countries but also enable a lot of pharmaceutical and other healthcare companies to grow have direct access to top and government recognized pharma companies from India,” says Udaya Bhaskar, director general, Pharmexcil.

The import of drugs and pharmaceuticals from India play an important role in drug distribution chain in Nigeria. The presence and interaction with the iPHEX Africa

member companies during the event would help exporters to better understand the requirements of NAFDAC and the Nigeria pharma industry and ecosystem.

Pharmexcil is a Government of India set up Council under aegis of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for promotion of Pharmaceutical trade in the international markets.

Trident Exhibitions Pvt Ltd, India in collaboration with Global Health Project and Resources, Lagos are the managers of the event.

How Ekiti free health saves 2-year old boy from anemia Akinremi Feyisipo,

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kiti Free Health Mission Outreach Team has saved the life of a 2-year old boy, Yusuf Saka suffering from fever and anemia. Yusuf Saka hails from Iyemero-Ekiti, which is one of the hard-toreach settlements in Ikole Local Government area of the State.

The boy, who would have died on that fateful day, was lucky to have received prompt medical attention from the team that was on a mission to the community.

Folakemi Olomojobi, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, who led the team urged parents and care givers who were at Iyemero Comprehensive Health Centre to embrace the medical opportunity presented by the Kayode Fayemi-led administration.

The Permanent Secretary advised them to always seek prompt medical attention from health centers in their localities where they could easily be referred to tertiary

health institutions outside their immediate community whenever there was any need for that.

Olomojobi,a medical doctor revealed that the health team had concentrated on hard-to-reach areas across the State to give adequate care to rural dwellers.

Reacting to the gesture, the mother of the 2-year old boy, Rashidat Saka who could not hide her joy appreciated the state government for organizing the free health programme describing it as timely.

She sued for the continuation of the programme which she said would save more lives in the State.

While expressing their appreciation to the State government on the free medical care provided for them by government, some of the beneficiaries of the health mission described the mission as worthwhile.

The next points of call of the free health mission were in Igbemo and Iyin-Ekiti in Irepodun-Ifelodun Ire-Ekiti and ijelu-Ekiti in Oye Local Government areas.

Fight against cancer: GE Healthcare collaborates with NSIA to advance early cancer detection in Nigeria

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E Healthcare has partnered with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) to supply latest technology in computed tomography (CT), Discovery RT, to Lagos University Teaching Hospital for its modern NSIA- LUTH Cancer Center, commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the press statement made available to BusinessDay, the Partnership will ensure provision of latest technology to enable early diagnostics and better treatment for cancer patients; NSIA- LUTH Cancer Center (NLCC) is the first hospital in West Central Africa to install GE Healthcare’s Discovery RT CT. The Discovery RT, a simulation CT machine, is the first of such technology to be installed in the country. It enables physicians to study the body in detail allowing them to determine the exact location, shape, and size of the tumor to be treated. As part of the partnership, GE Healthcare will also provide servicing of the equipment and deliver hands-on training for the hospital’s radiology staff on the new technology.

Nigeria currently has eight public and one private comprehensive cancer care centers to serve its growing population of over 180

million people. Many of the public cancer centers have radiotherapy machines that are outdated, making access to radiation therapy more difficult for cancer patients.

The new Radiotherapy Centre will increase access to quality services for the patients across Lagos state.

This will help early detection and treatment of cancer, which improves chances of its being cured.

“For many years, GE Healthcare has developed tools that help improve the care of patients through advanced technologies that facilitate the diagnosis as well as help the fight against diseases such as cancer,” said Eyong Ebai, general manager for West Central and French Sub-Sahara Africa at GE Healthcare.

Ebai said that the organisation is happy to collaborate with NSIA in this landmark achievement for Nigeria in progressing the availability of world-class radiotherapy for cancer patients in the region.

This will help improve the overall results in the fight against cancer, as well as in improving the quality of life”, he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that by 2030, between 10 and 11 million cancers will be diagnosed in low and middleincome countries.

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EquityMarket Dangote Cement, Zenith, NB top as proposed dividends rise to N371bn

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Stories by TELIAT SULE angote Cement, in continuation of its tradition of rewarding shareholders handsomely, has proposed to pay shareholders N16 per share for the financial year ended December 31, 2018.

This has pushed the total dividend proposed by 10 listed firms between January and February 2019 to N371.4 billion, BusinessDay Dividend Monitor shows.

Dangote Cement presently has 17.04 billion outstanding shares, implying that total dividend proposed stands at N272.6 billion, and thus accounted for 73 percent of the total dividends proposed by companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2019.

In the financial year that just ended, Africa’s market leader in cement production, Dangote Cement, raked in N901.2 billion as revenue representing 11.9 percent over N805.6 billion it realised in 2017. Gross profit rose by 14 percent from N454.3 billion in 2017 to N517.9 billion in 2018. Operating profit increased by 11.3 percent to N338.7 billion last year from N304.21 billion in 2017. Profit from operating activities trended upward to N338.7 billion, and that amounted to 3.9 percent increase when compared with N289.6 billion it made in 2017. Profit for the year jumped by 91 percent to N390.3 billion up from N204.4 billion in 2017.

“On June 18,2019, dividends will be paid electronically to shareholders whose names appear on the register of members as at June 03, 2019 and who have completed the e-dividend registration and mandated the registrar to pay their dividends directly into their bank accounts”, Dangote management said.

Other listed firms that have proposed dividends and bonuses include Neimeth Pharmaceutical International, Vitafoam, Newrest ASL, Transcorp Hotels, Nigerian Breweries and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria.

Others are Zenith Bank, United Capital and Africa Prudential.

Neimeth Pharmaceutical International proposed a bonus of 1 for 10 for its shareholders. Although the payment date is yet not be announced, ex-script date, 189.9 million additional shares will be added to its shares out-

standing which will rise to 2.089 billion.

Zenith Bank in the course of the week proposed N2.50 dividend per share which amounted to N78.49 billion, representing 21 percent of the total dividends declared so far by companies listed on the NSE in 2019.

The bank’s gross earnings experienced a decline by 15 percent to N630.3 billion as against N745.2 billion realised in the previous year. Notwithstanding, the adoption of various cost

NSE organises fixed income trading workshop for dealing members

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he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in line with its commitment to improve the capacity of its members and enhance investors’ participation in the fixed income market will be organizing a Fixed Income Workshop on Monday, March 4, 2019, at the Stock Exchange House.

This workshop will bring together about 200 stockbrokers, dealing members and other key capital market stakeholders to explore

opportunities available in the fixed income market, as well as address the concerns and build the capacity of our members interested in trading fixed income on the Exchange.

All fixed income securities (with the exception of zero-coupon bonds) provide some form of regular interest payments to investors. This makes the fixed income market especially attractive to investors whose main investment goal is providing themselves with a steady income.

saving measures positively impacted net interest income which increased by 14.6 percent from N257.9 billion in 2017 to N295.6 billion in 2018.

Profit before tax of N231.7 billion in 2018 was better than N199.3 billion made in 2017 by 16.2 percent.

Profit after tax was N193.42 billion in 2018 as against N173.8 billion in 2017 while the total comprehensive income of the year stood at N199.7 billion compared with 176.5 billion

realised in 2017.

Zenith Bank expended N3.065 billion on different corporate social responsibility(CSR) projects in 2018, an increase of 17 percent over N2.611 billion spent in 2017 on similar projects. Among the notable beneficiaries are the states’ security trust funds which got N1.57 billion, sports organisations, N363 million; seed contribution to private health sector alliance, N305 million; the financial inclusion

projects of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), N200 million, among others.

Payment date is March 18, 2019.

Furthermore, the Nigerian Breweries has proposed N1.83 dividend per share, which amounted to N14.6 billion income to shareholders, representing 3.9 percent of the proposed dividends by listed firms in 2019.

While March 7 is the closure date, payment date has been slated for May 20, 2019.

Sluggish economic growth which exacerbated the worsening unemployment situation in the country significantly affected Nigerian Breweries’ sales as total revenue slide by 4.26 percent from N350.2 billion in 2017 to N365.8 billion in 2018.

Gross profit fell to N126.9 billion from N143.49 billion in 2017. Results from operating activities followed the same trend as it declined from N57.1 billion in 2017 to N36.9 billion in 2018.

Profit before tax was N19.4 billion compared with N46.6 billion in 2017.

Similarly, profit after tax was N19.4 billion as against N33.04 billion in 2017.

Nigerian Breweries spent N57.5 million on different corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in 2018, although that was much lower than N76.8 billion expended in 2017.

Notable among the beneficiaries are the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), N10.3 million, for the Don’t Drink and Drive Partnership; Community Primary School Umuezeani Enugu State, N15.6 million; Primary Health Centre Rehabilitation, Sokoto State, N7.2 million, among others.

Africa Prudential realised N4.48 billion revenue in the year that just ended, an improvement over N3.32 billion made in similar period in 2017.

Profit before tax was N2.39 billion in 2018 as against N2.06 billion in 2017.

Profit after tax stood at N1.95 billion compared with N1.71 billion in 2017.

The firm is to pay shareholders N1 billion dividends which amounted to 25 percent increase over N800 million paid in 2017.

“The directors recommend to the shareholders, the payment of a gross dividend of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion) that is 50 Kobo per share payable to shareholders on the company’s register of members as at 13 March 2019. The dividend is subject to the deduction of appropriate withholding tax”, the company stated.

Dangote Cement appoints Guillaume Moyen as CFO

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a n g o t e Ce m e n t Pl c has announced the appointment of Guillaume Moyen as acting chief finance officer with effect from March 1, 2019. This is contained in the statement sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) which was authorised by Edward Imoedemhe, deputy company secretary.

According to the release, Moyen is an accomplished professional strategic finance leader with over 20 years of experience in supporting investors and senior executive teams to successfully position

an enable organisation to seize profitable long-term growth opportunities in mature and emerging/ frontier market.

“His professional career cuts across finance, risks management , governance, internal control, IT, and procurement , working in various sectors like construction and mining, manufacturing and engineering , consulting , nuclear energy solutions and ICT. Moyen’s appointment followed the resignation of Brian Egan as an executive director and chief financial officer with effect from February 28, 2019.

“Moyen has prodigious strategic , management and transformational change experience working in companies like Arewa/Orano, Group, and joining DCP from Ola Energy Group, a multi-billion Euros African Group where he was the group CFO/head finance”, Imoedemhe said.

Moyen has MBA degree from Columbia Business School, New York, a chartered accountant (French Chartered Accountant Organisation, Paris, France) and a certified internal auditor from the Institute of Internal Auditors Florida, USA.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Interview

Akwa Ibom will soon become an industrial hub - Ukpeh Gabriel Ukpeh is an internationally acclaimed consultant in business strategy, risk management, process re-engineering and financial services. A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and currently chairman of Akwa Ibom State funded Foreign Direct Investment committee. In this interview with ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, he gives an insight into the industrial agenda of the state government and what is being done differently that is attracting investment to the state. Excerpts:

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ha t do you think is responsible for the interest investors have shown in Akwa Ibom State?

The primary policy of the state government under the leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel is to ensure that there is an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and apart from the enabling environment, there is peace, security and money is also in circulation. So, for investors to come here they know that the governor is businessoriented, a professional and he is reliable. So, the investors have confidence in the state government before they even think of investing in the state because no investor will like to put his money where he is not sure of getting his money back.

Even the American Ambassador has confirmed that Akwa Ibom is one of the states that foreign investors can do business with, being that there is security in the state. We can no longer hear of kidnapping issues, political killings and all that. So, that has given investors the space to come in and even the structures that the governor sets up have made it easier for investors to do business in Akwa Ibom. Like Shoprite for instance, they can do their business easily through the Foreign Direct Investment Office instead of going to the Ministry Lands to get a land to erect a structure.

Another company the Emmanuel administration can boast of is the Flour Mill which will be commissioned soon and the new one the governor is pioneering now is the coconut refinery that is still under negotiation with the investors because the governor‘s vision is not to run any business being that the government’s business is to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

Is the state government directly involved in establishing industries?

Although people may ask why is the governor not establishing industries but if you look at history which government companies in Nigeria that have succeeded, that you can’t point to one and say it has succeeded either in the state or at the federal level because all those

and what were their achievements for the state and what can they really show as their pedigree. Exactly two-and-half years he has achieved all these industries and no governor has ever achieved such in such a short time frame.

There seems to be a controversy over the payment of compensation to landowners of the coconut refinery plantation.

No, that has been done, there is no controversy about that because the governor called the three local governments and the stakeholders and they were to form a committee and agree on something and then come back to government. In the meantime, their children have been employed in the coconut plantation.

What model is the state government applying in attracting investors? Is the Public Private Partnership or the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)?

I don’t know what you mean

by PPP model and FBI model but let me explain the structure and I will give examples. For instance, if an investor comes and says I want to start a company, the first question we ask is, “what do you want to do?” “Where do you want to site it? What size of land do you need? Do you want to partner with the government or you want to do on your own?”

The government does not invest in any venture, take the ethanol plant in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area they came and said we don’t want government’s

Gabriel Ukpeh, Chairman, Foreign Direct Investment committee

companies were run by government itself. Today we can’t talk of Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) anymore. Even government does not have such money to run a company like the fertilizer plant the government needs about three billion dollars to set up the company and which state government can afford that kind of money and as we speak, that is the kind of factory that will attract so many job opportunities to the youths of the state and that is why to me I think we need this industrialisation programme. So we need to support him to realise this vision and I can assure that by 2023 those that graduate from the state and even other states will come down to Akwa Ibom to search for work . So, there are numerous industries like the blending plant in Abak, you can go there and verify, another one is the rice processing mill in Ini Local Government and even the palm kernel mill that was built 10 years ago in Ukanafun, the palm kernel mill depot that was built about 14 years ago was for the

first time ever being utilised and that was made possible through the vision of the governor. Do not forget that Akwa Ibom has the highest palm kernel industry in Nigeria; we supply the SouthSouth, the South-East and even the North.

Are the people keying into the industrialisation pro gramme of the state government?

You see, rather than people criticising what the governor is doing, I think they should key into the industrialisation vision of the governor and even when they want to criticise they should do that constructively and when that is done they should also proffer solution that will move Akwa Ibom State forward and if I may ask, how many of them were able to bring industry to this state when they were in positions of government.

I can tell you that no governor has ever achieved so much compared to what Governor Udom Emmanuel has achieved in such a short time. Some of them were chairmen of investment groups

‘

A group can come and say we want to partner with government and we will provide the land and that will be our own contribution while they bring the money

involvement, we want to buy the land and do our business, we called our people to help them identify land, we drew the agreement and they came and signed it and today they are working on the land. It is 100percent owned by them; no government interference but the important thing is that let them employ our people. A group can come and say we want to partner with government and we will provide the land and that will be our own contribution while they bring the money; so, in that proportion we will partner with them.

What would you consider to be the achievements of the Foreign Direct Investment committee?

Well, let me attribute first and foremost whatever we have achieved to God because no matter the effort you put in if God does not bless it, it will come to nothing and after that let me attribute the success to the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel who has given his full support to the committee. As we speak, we have at least 15 industries either already in operation or are in the pipeline and this is the feat I don’t think any other governor in Akwa Ibom or in Nigeria has achieved.

Lagos is unique because we don’t have FBI office, so, people come to Lagos and do business and outside of that I don’t think any other governor in other states can boast of that kind of record.

You know, the governor is not the talking type like people who talk a lot and then there is nothing on the ground. He will always tell you that he is not a professional politician but a professional in politics so he prefers his handiwork to speak for him rather than him going to the press and be talking about investments that do not exist.

So, that is why we only talk about investments that could be seen like the Shoprite complex that is located behind the Tropicana which a lot of work has gone into to get it to that stage and as we speak, all the shops in the mall have been taken up and in a few months from now it will be open; same as the theme park.

In terms of other things in which everyone knows about, the syringe manufacturing company which produces different sizes of syringes and even people in Lagos are coming to buy the syringes .The government of Udom Emmanuel is very open and transparent, he is Godfearing. The metering company is another of the many factories that have started operations in the state.

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BDSUNDAY37

NewsFeatures Residents, tankers are major challenges...

Continued from Page 1 into nearby Lagoon.

At Airways Bus Stop in Apapa, a huge pile of waste has been threatening businesses and lives for over three months now, according to a source who spoke anonymously. The source who sells engine oil at the bus stop, said the waste management agency went there to clear up the refuse after a call was put across to them and have not shown up afterwards.

“For the over three months, this waste has been here. There was a time we called them, they came, and since then, three months now, we have not seen them,” he said. “This thing affects us here, but what can we do,” he asked, sounding helpless.

Confirming what the man said, another lady who sells local gin around the area also said that there was a time the waste was cleared up, but that people have turned the spot to a dumping site, adding that the situation has been there for long.

“The waste has been there.

People have turned this place to a dumping ground now. They came to carry the waste once, but since then we have not seen them again,” she said, and quickly stopped talking as soon she noticed this reporter was taking notes.

At Ajumoni Central Mosque, opposite Flour Mills of Nigeria, (FMN, after Airways Bus Stop, the situation was quite different because, the waste there, combined with human feaces and urine polluted the environment more, BDSUNDAY gathered.

But one Muslim faithful found sitting on a pavement in front of the mosque blamed it on the people, saying it has been the current behaviour as it is everywhere in the state. “That is how our people are behaving now. Everywhere in Lagos, indiscriminate dumping of waste is now common. Not only this place alone,” said the Muslim faithful.

Speaking to BDSUNDAY, Saheed Olowolagba, chairman, Drivers Association, Apapa Ward D, stated that people go back to dumping dirt at the location at night after it has been cleared.

“The waste management people come to pack the dirt. But the people coming from the port at midnight are the ones that dump refuse there”, he said.

“They have been able to pack it twice now. There was a day I spent a night at this place, trying to see those who dump refuse here. No one showed up. The second day, I went home and when I returned, there was waste everywhere.

“This one has been here for days and they have not come to clear it. They said I should always come and tell them,” Olowolagba said.

Government’ attempts Based on records, Lagos State generates more than 10,000 tons

We are appealing to their conscience not to dump their waste at inappropriate places, because the waste collectors cannot go and pack their waste and you still keep dumping it. It rubbishes the whole process of waste every day, with the per capita waste generation pegged at 0.5 kg per day.

Consequently, years back, the government came up with a waste regulatory system known as the Lagos State Refuse Disposal Board (LSRDB), which was instituted under Edict No. 9 of 1977. This system was named the first of its kind to emanate from West Africa.

At the time, the Board was given the responsibilities of environmental sanitation and domestic refuse collection and disposal in the state. But it however went through a series of changes to become the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) as we know today with additional responsibilities.

For instance, it was renamed the Lagos State Waste Management Authority through the enactment of a new Law, Edict No. 55 of 1991, which bestowed on it additional responsibilities for the collection and disposal of municipal and industrial wastes as well

as provision of commercial waste services to the State and Local Governments of Lagos State.

It further evolved by virtue of the LAWMA Law of 2007,which further accrued to it more responsibilities ranging from management of commercial, industrial, and medical waste streams, highway sanitation, cleaning of drainage and other water bodies, to construction and demolition waste management, among others.

As a Lagos State government body responsible for managing waste generated in Lagos state through a waste collection, transportation and disposal structure; LAWMA works closely with the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and has initiated reforms regarding collection of waste bills and also aims to increase waste recycling.

Since establishment, LAWMA has been executing its responsibilities. As a government regulatory body, it also regulates the operations of Private Sector Participants, popularly knows PSP, who provide services in the waste management chain.

But problem in the waste management sector began when the government introduced a new

waste management policy, which was not in favour of the PSPs, and ultimately sacked them from collecting residential waste. Despite the investment of the PSPs in the sector (as claimed by a PSP operator Michael Olamilekan in a Vanguard interview), they were replaced with Visionscape

by Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration.

Visionscape however struggled with the responsibilities of collecting waste in the state, despite being strongly recommended by the governor Ambode. So, refuse began to pile up on streets and major roads. Till now, waste evacuation has been a hard nut to crack.

Although Ambode argued that the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) was aimed at bringing new investors into the sector, which would relieve the government of the need to introduce a new tax regime, Dola Ogunlusi, chairman of Community Development, Amuo Odofin LGA, who spoke to BDSUNDAY, blamed the government in part for waste mismanagement evidenced by the refuse heaps on roads.

“The government made a mistake by allowing the PSP to vacate their operation when Visionscape

has not practically taken off. That is what is creating the problem.

The gap created when the PSP left, and the shortcoming of visionscape is what we are seeing now.

“There was a little confusion when the government introduced Visionscape, and sacked the Private Sector Participation (PSP),” said Ogunlusi.

Ogunlusi, who is also a journalist, said that the government did not do its homework well before bringing in Visionscape.

“So I think the government should be held responsible in part, and the people also should be held responsible for not cooperating with government, the people are not doing well. They dump waste everywhere and refuse to pay the companies that collect the waste.

So it is a shared responsibility; the people, the community and the government, are culpable,” he added.

The state of things Speaking to BDSUNDAY, Obinna Oyenali, public relations officer, LAWMA, said the agancy is intensifying efforts at carting away waste, saying that its intervention programme is on-going, and that they are currently going round the state and addressing challenges where they have them.

He further said that given that PSPs have been mandated to go back to what they were doing before, all hands are on deck to ensure that there is no waste in all parts of the state. “We are redoubling our efforts to ensure that waste is cleared across the state,” he said.

The challenges in waste management in Apapa “The problem we have in Apapa is the tankers packed everywhere. They really hampered our efforts to clean up those areas.

Notwithstanding, we are doing our best to ensure that waste in Apapa is cleared. Our waste collectors are still there to cart away the waste. We normally receive complaints from residents and we respond to them,” Onyenali told BDSUNDAY. He also said residents’ indiscriminate dumping of waste was another challenge the waste management body is trying to address.

“The issue of residence going to dump waste indiscriminately is one challenge we are trying to address. We are appealing to their conscience not to dump their waste at inappropriate places, because the waste collectors cannot go and pack their waste and you still keep dumping it. It rubbishes the whole process.

So, what we are telling residents is, when you generate your waste, bag them, and put in a container. Your assigned PSP will come and carry them, at least once in a week. The PSPs have been mandated to go round houses and collect waste at least once in a week. So, we tell residence don’t dump your indiscriminately like you used do,” he said.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

TheWorshippers The Church must take the lead in uniting the nation – Primate Udofia His Eminence, Emmanuel Josiah Udofia, primate of The African Church in this interview with SEYI JOHN SALAU spoke on the electioneering process and the role the church should play in bringing the country back as one in the face of the division currently bedeviling the country. He also called on the Christian community in Nigeria to be Christlike during and after the lent season. Excerpts: What role should the church in the post-election healing process of the country?

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umber one, the church should thank God for what the lord has done so far, because the peace we are enjoying now based on the tension before the election, everybody would see that there is a great calm in the country has compared to what people were prophesying and what people were saying before the election. We want to thank God for divine intervention and the church now should preach peace and reconciliation. As a church now we are calling on Nigeria’s president – although we still have the governorship and state assembly election, but the presidential and national assembly election have been concluded.

So, those who have won should show love to those who contested with them, and also those who are not winning should also show sportsmanship since it was not a do-or-die affair. They should congratulate those who have failed this time around because maybe next time might be their own turn, and should appreciate what God has done and call those who have won to appreciate them. Then on the whole, the church is asking Nigerian public that whenever anybody might have said anything against the other; where he or she ought not to have done; then there is need to forgive one another, and there is need to be reconcile with one another, and there is need for Nigerians to show love to one another because wherever there is love, there is forgiveness; wherever there is love there is unity.

Now that we have seen those we have won, let Nigerians begin to

Emmanuel Josiah Udofia

work together because together we stand – without togetherness nothing will ever work. So, the position of the church as I said now is that the church is asking Nigerians to show love to one another; to forgive one another and be reconciled with one another and appreciate one another.

The south-south geopolitical zone of the country seems to be at the forefront of electoral violence with the number of deaths recorded; why is this so?

Well, I don’t know but from

the record we have the southsouth as a PDP dominating area.

Only God knows why the violence is so much recorded in the south-south but since I was not there I cannot say for sure. But, I want to say it seems people are not patient enough to wait for their own time; because if people are not patient, they can do anything to get what they want. So, as a result of that, it might result to violence and crises.

As we look forward to the final stage of the electioneering

process; being the gubernatorial and state assembly elections, what advice do you have for politicians seeing the election is more localised?

Now, by the grace of God we are looking forward to having the state elections, Nigerians should know that there would be no development in any area where there is violence; and where there is no peace there can never be any development. And again, I want to appeal to all that election will come and go but our state, community will still remain. So, nobody should do anything that will make his own environment to be unconducive for others to stay or to live. So we should make sure we so everything possible to avoid violence and allow peace to reign so that we can have a peaceful environment after the elections.

As we get into the lent season; what will be your admonition to Christian faithful in Nigeria?

I thank God once again that this year’s lent period comes after our election and I think God has so much loved us, because I believed the lent season is a time we humble ourselves before God; although it is not only in times of lent, every child of God must be an embodiment of humility, and children of God must not wait for lent season before they can show remorse; before knowing what to do that is right. But, since it is a church tradition it is a time that people humble themselves and seek the face of the lord; repent of their sins. Like I said, this is so timely for Nigerians – whatever they might have done during the election, by the grace of God confessing them before the Lord, asking for forgiveness – the God of mercy will

forgive them and will restore them. And, by restoring them, he will restore Nigeria and by restoring our nation, it means the blessings of God will multiply on the nation. So, every Christian and Nigerian who is looking forward to this period of lent should show soberness and should be praying earnestly to God. Easter characterises the sacrificial example of Christ for His church; is the church in Nigeria keeping up to this example?

Yes, during Lenten season which is generally characterised by generous act of giving and remembering of the poor, is generally observed by Christians in our country today? Most of our Churches took it upon themselves to visit motherless babies home, prisons, hospitals to associate with the poor and the needy. It is not about how many chickens but the number of souls we will bring to the kingdom through our charitable acts.

Finally, would you support Christians going into politics?

Christians are not in any way forbidden to hold any political office, it is clearly stated in the bible that leaders are appointed

by God. God will always appoint us Christian as the head as we are likened to the light and salt of the world. The only thing I will say is that Christians in politics must show good example and a true character of a good Christian; with this, I mean we must not join the multitude to do evil.

Christians are fellow Nigerians and if they do not involve in politics how can they provide leadership to Nigerians. Christians as citizens of this country have equal right to provide good leadership and be God –fearing in the discharge of their leadership responsibilities. Matt.5:13-16.

Christian group urges FG to protect Nigeria’s Christians

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ollowing the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office as president of Nigeria, Release International, a non-governmental organisation that campaigns for persecuted Christians, has urged the federal government to protect the lives of Nigeria’s Christian population.

The Global Terrorism Index ranks Nigeria as the third most

terrorised country for the fourth consecutive year. Within this period, it was alleged that Boko Haram and some armed militia (Fulani herdsmen) have killed tens of thousands and driven millions from their homes.

According to Release International, Nigerian Christians especially in the northern part of the country are under pressure from the Islamist Boko Haram

movement, which many believed are armed and funded by Islamist movements.

Release International said the president’s priority must be to protect Nigeria’s vulnerable Christian communities. “They have killed with impunity, and that impunity must stop,” said Paul Robinson, the chief executive for Release International.

Christian leaders say the at-

tacks by heavily armed herdsmen amount to ethnic and religious cleansing. They also accuse the military of standing by and failing to prevent the raids. Some even claim collusion by Islamist elements in the armed forces.

“Questions remain about who is arming the Fulani and why? Whose agenda do they serve by attacking Christians? And why has the government of Nigeria done so little to

disarm them?’ said Robinson.

‘Nigeria’s re-elected president must answer these questions – and take immediate action to stop the violence.’

Release International partner, the Anglican Archbishop of Jos Ben Kwashi, said: ‘The government has been unable to provide security for the poor. The government must rise to its responsibility to mete out justice and save lives.’

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BDSUNDAY 39

SundayBusiness 125 years of robust business; the First Bank experience OBINNA EMELIKE

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t was a very modest beginning in 1894 as Bank for British West Africa. Then, with just a desk in a corner at Elder Dempster Building, which is presently opposite the Oando Filling Station in Marina Lagos. Today, First Bank is 125 years old and has outlived the building where it started and the conditions prevalent then.

The bank, which will clock 125 years on March 31, 2019, has also traversed an incredible journey of delivering impeccable financial services to its customers and supporting the building of the modernday Nigeria and other countries where it does business such as the United Kingdom, France, China, DRC, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Senegal.

As well, the early pivotal role as the monetary and fiscal policy regulator for the entire West African region cannot be forgotten in a hurry.

Since launching in 1894, the bank has established itself as a brand of strength and dynamism; making dreams become reality for millions across the world, completed millions of transactions, received billions of deposits and has given out trillions of loans and advances.

The bank is one of the five companies in Africa that have existed over 100 years,

L-R; Oscar Onyeama, director general, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); UK Eke, managing director, FBN Holdings; Oba Otudeko, group chairman, First Bank Holdings; Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu, The Oba of Lagos; Adesola Adeduntun, managing director, First Bank Ltd, and Ibukun Awosika, chairman, First Bank Limited, at the flag hoisting ceremony to mark 125 years anniversary of the Bank in Lagos at the weekend.

and has achieved many feats across the 125 years in business. With over 10 million active customer accounts, more than 750 business locations, over 1.3 million shareholders, the highest by any bank in Nigeria, over 100 million e-banking transaction, first by any financial institution in Nigeria, among other feats, the bank has reasons to celebrate its 125 years in business.

Hence, the bank is rolling out drums in celebrating its milestone. Though the official countdown of 125 days to the 125th anniversary kicked off on November 26,

2018, the bank pulled all the stops on March 1, 2019 when it flagged off the anniversary with a colourful flag hoisting at its head office in Marina, Lagos.

The colorful event supported by some officers of the Nigerian Army, drew important personalities to witness the beginning of the series of activities that will culminate with a grand ceremony on March 31, 2019.

In his welcome address at flag hoisting ceremony, Adesola Adeduntan, chief executive officer, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, noted that the 125 years milestone was

‘Ibom Air will be professionally managed to ensure profitability’ ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

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he Ibom Airline which was recently inaugurated with three aircraft in its fleet will be professionally managed to ensure profitability and for it to play a key role in the economic development of Akwa Ibom State, Akan Okon, commissioner for special duties and aviation development, has said.

Expected to grow its fleet to 10 aircraft in 2023, Okon said apart from creating over 400 jobs directly and about 4000 or indirectly, the airport will be a ‘success story’ given the commitment of the state government towards transparency in the management of resources.

Speaking when he conducted journalists round the Ibom Airport to inspect the aircraft, the commissioner disclosed that flight operations were expected to commence as soon as the regulatory agencies give the

approval.

“When you operate a new airline, it is expected that you will do what is called patrol flight on the routes and you are going to fly. Once that is done, they will sign off for the airline to commence operations,” he said.

He allayed the fears that as a state-owned enterprise, the airline would not be capable of makinggoodreturnsoninvestment, saying with the commitment of the state government to the accountability and good governance, the airline would add to the profitable projects being undertaken by the state government.

According to him, the airline would draw its bulk of

passengers from both the south-south and south east regions of the country, adding that business travelers from the south eastern part of the nation would prefer to make use of the airport due to the proximity to their business locations made possible by the good road network between Akwa Ibom State and the neighbour states.

“Arochukwu (in Abia State) to Uyo is only one-anda-half hours, while the journey to Port Harcourt takes more than three hours, so people there and environs will prefer to pass through the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo,’’ the commissioner said.

The commissioner, who lauded the state governor, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel for the state government’s industrial programme, said facilities at the airport were being improved upon with the completion of the second runway and a newly opened commercial block following the expansion of the temporary terminal.

a big deal for the bank and its supportive stakeholders.

“Today is a special day as we witness the hoisting of our 125th anniversary flag in celebration of this uncommon milestone in the annals of Nigeria’s history”, he said.

“Simply put, the flag symbolises the identity, impact, permanence and reverence of an institution. We are here to reinforce these and much more about FirstBank”.

The CEO, who looks forward to another 125 years for the bank, summarized the feats over the years saying, “Today, we celebrate 125 years of unbroken business

operations in Nigeria; of supporting and enabling dreams; of resilience and relevance; 125 years of trust, safety and security; 125 years of long term value to all stakeholders; of woven in the fabric of society and therefore, we dare say, 125 years beyond comparison”.

Also speaking at the event, UK Eke, managing director, FBN Holdings, noted that the bank has survived a century and quarter in business because of its ability to reinvent itself, integrity, and ability to adapt to modern day banking needs, use of best of technology, and banking innovations.

Eke assured that the bank is well-positioned and is looking beyond today to another 125 years of vibrant operations across the world.

In same vein, Oba Otudeko, group chairman, First Bank Holdings, and Ibukun Awosika, chairman, First Bank, were both happy to be associated with the integrity and success of the tier-1 bank, Otudeko disclosed that though the bank is old, it deploys the most modern ways, innovations and technology in its operations aside its proven integrity over the years. He noted that it is a privilege to celebrate a bank established four generations ago. “We have impacted the society since 125 years, provided skilled workforce for government, public sector among others. Most of the banks in the country today

were founded by people who cut their teeth at First Bank”.

Earlier in his goodwill message, Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu, The Oba of Lagos, commended the bank for the milestones, noting that the bank stands for integrity, security and rest of mind for both customers and shareholders. The bank has also been a good tenant, according to the royal father.

As well, Oscar Onyeama, director general, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), in his goodwill message, noted that the bank has impacted the Nigerian society at different levels, as well as, providing welltrained personnel that have made marks in the financial sector including the Joseph Sanusi, Sanusi Lamido, who were once governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

But Folake Ani-Mumuney, group head, Marketing & CorporateCommunications, First Bank and compare of the flag hoisting ceremony, disclosed during a world press conference at the event, that beyond the flag hoisting, other activities marking the 125 years anniversary include; bell ringing at the Stock Exchange, thanksgiving at the Mosque, Church thanksgiving, the anniversary lecture and the anniversary gala dinner & command performance, Others are; the first baton passing, the virtual museum, the coffee table book and the SPARK (Spreading Acts of Random Kindness).

Stronger private sector needed to sustain Nigeria’s post-recession growth - PwC chief economist SEYI JOHN SALAU

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or Nigeria to maintain and sustain its post recession growth, conscious efforts are needed to strengthen the private sector as the main driver of the economy, while the public sector gradually shrinks in size. However, the private sector must lead in deepening good corporate governance as catalyst for economic sustenance and growth before it can be taken serious by those in government.

“The only way Nigeria can prosper is for the private sector to be much bigger; which means we need strong corporate governance in the private sector. It will not succeed unless there is good governance; people will not invest in companies unless the companies are well governed,” said Andrew Nevin, the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) FS Advisory/chief economist at the February 2019 New

Members’ Induction of the IoD, themed ‘Eight Technologies Every Director Needs to be Aware of’.

According to Nevin, there is no future for Nigeria as an oil producing nation; hence, focus should shift to the people who are considered the largest earners for the nation, as the most valuable resource.

“The only way Nigeria will not get poorer is to make the private sector stronger; 10/15 times bigger than it was ten years ago,” he said.

Nevin opined that before, top management team might not worry about technology; today, that is not an option, however stated that proper implementation of corporate governance being championed by the IoD Nigeria will prepare companies for the opportunities that come with the anticipated high growth rates of the African markets.

It is expected that as these markets grow and evolve, more awareness and effort will be needed

to strengthen critical areas of corporate governance, particularly for remuneration structures, performance evaluation, risk governance, and board composition and diversity.

Mo s t m a r k e t s m a n date the basic corporate governance requirements such as financial disclosure, shareholders’ rights and the role of the board, supplementing these with non-mandatory guidelines for good practice.

Ahmed Rufai Mohammed, president and chairman of the governing council of the IoD, said corporate governance should be inclusive and not elitist.

“IOD is committed to the advocacy for good corporate governance and leadership,” Mohammed said.

Mohammed said part of the desires of the institute were to ensure a clear and definite outline of ethical requirements in deepening good governance in both public and private sector of the economy.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

SundayBusiness Tecno celebrates love with special getaway for couples

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ECNO, Africa’s largest smartphone maker recently put together all the delicate components of a dreamy Valentine, added a spice of blue, breathe life into it and gifted it to people so they could have the chance to experience more.

The brand created a Valentine activity that slightly took participants out of their comfort zone but allowed them to show love and make it memorable.

February is the month of love, and Valentine’s Day is a day set out to remember why we love, – emphasising the importance of love in

our lives.

Taking a cue from Big Brother Naija Finalist Bisola, who put out a viral video after being dared by a fan to ride a tricycle on the streets of Lagos, TECNO Mobile with support from Radisson Hotel Ikeja, FilmHouse IMAX Cinemas Lekki and Kunle Afolayan’s IRE clothing, decided to give four couples a special valentine treat through an online activity called the #IfYouLoveMe challenge which saw fans of the brand daring their loved ones to do something audacious.

Jesse Oguntimehin, TECNO’s PR and strategic partnership manager expressed

his profound satisfaction at the success of the campaign, “this is what TECNO Mobile is all about. We love our fans and what better way to show it, than to encourage them to show love to their favourite people while we also give them a memorable experience” Out of the tons of interesting and creative entries included a lady acting as a bus conductor and another taking over the role of a suya merchant, Azeezat Lawal, Anita Clement, Ofere Oluwatobi and Oluwatoni Animashaun were selected as winners as they had the most creativedare responses with the highest number of views.

Excitement as Glo presents prizes to last set of weekly winners in Gloin60seconds

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xcitement pervaded the air in several Gloworld retail outlets across the country on Wednesday as the last set of weekly winners in Globacom’s online talent hunt, #GLOIN60SECONDS, received their cash prizes.

The national telecoms operator presented the cheques to 21 winners from weeks 6, 7 and 8 of the competition, ahead of the grand finale scheduled for March.

N1 million first prize and five N200,000 consolation prizes will be won at the finals.

Among those who received their prizes on Wednesday were a Law student of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Edechime Nnamdi Cyril, and Chikata Kelechukwu, a student of Nsukka Campus of the same school. Two schoolmates, Iyaomiye Israel Bayo and Oladokun Feyisayo Theophilus of Aladura Comprehensive High School, Anthony, Lagos, as well as Akhilele Ehimare Ose, a graduate of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta also received their prizes.

The two classmates,

Iyaomiye Israel Bayo and Oladokun Feyisayo Theophilus, disclosed that they assisted each other in recording the videos before uploading them. While Iyaomiye uploaded a dance video, Oladokun submitted a video of where he was playing a set of drums. The both said they would use part of their prizes to pay for their examinations and buy a few clothes.

“The #GLOIN60SECONDS talent hunt is real and we are happy that at our first attempts, we won. Thanks to Globacom”, they enthused.

Gabez Lynda who won in Warri said, “I am so excited to be a winner. The competition has really made me popular on social media”, while Chikezie Tochukwu from the Kano presentation said the prize would help him attend to some needs.

“Glo has always set the pace. #Gloin60seconds is the bomb. Kudos to Globacom,” he declared.

There were also prize presentations in Abuja, Ibadan, Warri and Enugu. In Abuja, five winners, Jonah Ochoma, Ejembi Simon, Lewechi Chidiebere Timothy, Rowland

Olabode and Eze Paul Ike got their cash prizes of N50,000 each at the Gloworld shops.

In Enugu, Omeya Chinemerem Gifty, Ajogwu Queen Ogechi and Okpala Chioma went home with their cash prizes, while in Ibadan, Omoloye Oluwasegun Emmanuel, Egbuaba Favour Chibuikem and Adigun Temiloluwa Daniel were also presented with their prizes.

Chikezie Tochukwu, in Kano, Gabez Lynda from Warri, Delta State, Chuke Chimuanya Progress, Benin, and Offong Imaobong Bassey, Port Harcourt, also got their prizes.

TheGLOIN60SECONDS competition offers participants the opportunity to upload a one-minute video of themselves showcasing their talents on their social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #GLOIN60SECONDS. Seven lucky contestants with the highest video likes are selected every week and rewarded with the sum of N50,000 cash in the challenge which started on December 10, 2018.

Going Digital With

Wison Moore

#1. Know your target audience - your persona or avatar ho are you trying to reach?

The ability to truly understand who your target or ideal customers are is often underrated.In fact, nothing will work if your digital marketing strategy is not tailored to your specific audience.

And that’s because if you try to help everyone, you’ll never help anyone.

That is possibly one of the most profound and impactful lessons in business.

When you reach too far and try to help too many people, the message will be watered down so much that no one will truly benefit.

A customer avatar is a fictional character that represents your ideal prospect. It helps you fine-tune your marketing efforts and enhances you understanding of why some products sell better than others.

The more you can target a well-defined audience, the greater success rate you will experience.And speaking of a wider net, teens and adolescents own the internet. #2. Remember that teens and adolescents own the internet A savvy marketeris serious about reaching the demographics who have a lot of disposable income and are eager to dispose of it.

Though a great deal of attention has been paid to Millennials (those born in the 1980s and 1990s), another generation of digital natives is coming of age.Also, internet traffic is expected to more than double in the Middle East and Africa.

Result oriented marketers who understand the behaviors and buying habits of these digital natives are reaping huge benefits from the implementation of these social media marketing strategies. #3. Your website is your most important digital asset A stunning user-friendly and mobile-friendly website reflects your brand and if it offers amazing content it arrests the attention of your audience.

A website without an effective SEO will not appear organically in the top spots on a SERP (search engine

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7 insane digital marketing strategies that will put your marketing on steroids Are you ready and eager to use amazing digital marketing strategies to skyrocket insanely your organic website traffic to a most awesome and result-oriented level?

Would you be interested in boosting the number of eyeballs your website arrests their attention per day as well as being ahead of the curve in your niche as far as digital marketing strategies are concerned?

In this article, you will learn 7 important digital marketing strategies that will catapult your bottom line.

Let’s get started. results page) and therefore won’t generate many clicks from Google, Bing, and other search engines. #4. Content is the reason search was created After you’ve created an awesome digital storefront and a solid base of operations, it’s time to start creating content. Content is everything to online users these days.

Quality content is the most important thing on your website.

Your online customers turn to the internet for awesome content that is useful, beneficial and relevant to their needs.

Amazing content is what sets your website apart from your competition and if it is engaging, it delivers the right message into the hearts and

Social media marketing is all about developing trust and building a long-lasting relationship with your target audience. To reach you audience in social media, you can use paid advertising or organic reach. #7. Digital intelligence the new guidepost of digital transformation The digital marketing landscape was all abuzz after Forrester Research made the astounding statement that web content management was now part of a larger category they dubbed Customer Experience Management (CXM).

Forrester defines digital intelligence as: “The capture, management, and analysis of data to provide a holistic view of the digital customer experience that drives the

minds of your customers.

Content primarily determines whether your website is successful or not.

In the long run, content wins the wallets of your customers. #5. Your audience loves videos Are you marketing with videos?

Many marketers are using the potent power of video marketing strategy to promote, brand, and grow their online business insanely.

The reason is that more consumers are interacting with videos today than ever before.In 2019, it’s urgent and vital that you boost and ramp up your video marketing efforts to connect with your target audience. #6. Social media marketing Whether it is videos, text or infographics, many businesses are publishing content as a way to skyrocket traffic to their websites.

However, many are no getting the exposure or engagement they could from each piece of content they create.

People that follow you on social media are 3x more likely to purchase from you.

measurement, optimization, and execution of marketing tactics and business strategies”.

In the simplest terms, this is an age where leaders cannot afford to make gut-based decisions or throw something at the wall to see what sticks.

This is an age where leaders need communication and cooperation at every level of the company to ensure all are aligned and committed to forward movement.

Much like a rowing team, they need marketing, tech, data, finance and the CEO working closely together to determine where the company is going, why and the best way to get there.

What digital marketing strategies are working for you?

Moore is Director of Marketing Anaconda Marketing Ltd, a Lagos-based Digital Marketing Agency +234 080 579 37786 wilson.moore@anacondamarketing.com.ng http://anacondamarketing. com.ng

Sunday 03 March 2019

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SundayBusiness Tackling illiquidity burden in mortgage system

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ehinde Ogundimu is the new man at the helm of affairs at the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC). A consummate finance expert, Ogundimu is no new comer in NMRC. He has seen and known it all and, therefore, has a couple of things to say about this secondary mortgage institution.

“We have been able to address the liquidity challenge in the mortgage system”, Ogundimu says, despite experts’ strong view that some primary mortgage banks (PMBs) are still struggling over liquidity issues. He insists that “PMBs that are not liquid are those that are not doing well who cannot access our funds”, pointing out that the high interest rate in the mortgage system is a function of the macro-economy which is beyond their control.

This is simply a testimonial that NMRC is achieving part of its statutory mandates. In Nigeria, the inequality created by lack of affordable housing places a moral obligation on all housing stakeholders to use every tool at their disposal to find solutions to the problem of accessing sustainable and affordable housing finance.

Nigeria has heavy housing burden with an unchanging deficit estimated at 17 million units. It also has low home-ownership level

put at a little above 10 percent. All these easily find explanation in the country’s mortgage system that has remained a fledgling, liquiditysqueezed and unable to fund even low cost housing.

The coming of the NMRC, A private sector-led company with the public purpose of developing the primary and secondary mortgage markets by raising long‐term funds from the domestic capital market as well as foreign markets for providing accessible and affordable housing in Nigeria, was aimed to address this problem.

Government’s attempts at addressing the country’s housing problem with the establishment of both the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and National Housing Fund (NHF) to provide low interest rate mortgage for people to build or buy houses, have been anything but successful.

But there have been spirited efforts by the refinance company to not only reposition the country’s mortgage sector, but also to break down barriers to home ownership by providing liquidity, affordability, accessibility and stability to the housing market.

The company has the vision to be the dominant housing partner in Nigeria by providing liquidity and access to affordable housing finance and, in line with that, it has come out with some innova-

Procurement and Supply Chain

with Gob-Agundu Uche Branch chair (CIPS), Nigeria (with contributions from Francis Churchill) rocurement and supply chain as a profession has come a long way. The professionals are called buyers. From the early days of traditional purchasing to the era of strategic buying, the profession is fast getting the respect it deserves among business leaders and owners. in many organizations, both public sector and private sector, procurement leaders hold executive management positions while in some others, procurement professionals sit on the board, to advise it on company’s spend matrices among other things. This recognition and career growth of procurement and supply chain explains why many organizations including oil and gas companies hire graduate trainees for procurement and supply chain in the same manner as they hire graduate trainees for engineering and other technical professions.

I was one such graduate trainee for procurement and supply chain

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in 1997.

At one of such classes, the trainer requested everybody to give an account of what motivated them to apply for procurement and supply chain and their career expectations. The responses were quite interesting responses such as: ‘oh my dad was procurement professional in UAC and he was highly successful’, ‘Growing up, my friend’s dad was Head of procurement in an oil company and they had so much money’.

More responses: ‘my motivation is to build a successful career in supply chain’; ‘I understand that procurement people are very rich and highly respected in the society’; ‘I love commerce both in theory and in practice and usually those who engage in it make more money than other professions’ etc. one underlying idea in most of the comments bordered on money.

However,weoftenadviseyoung buyers to aspire for professional excellence rather than focus on monetary rewards. Some even feel that procurement and supply

tive initiatives aimed to improve mortgage market transactions and also fast-track affordable housing delivery.

When the company was established, part of the mandate given to it was to promote wider spread of home ownership, accessibility and affordability which explains the setting up of what it calls ‘Housing/Mortgage Market Information Portal (MMIP)’ aimed to enable it to gather data for intelligence and profiling of federal, states civil servants and informal sectors (offtakers) for affordable housing.

This is an effective policy and decision making tool on land allocation, infrastructure and concessions. MMIP enables decisions on creating polycentric cities in order to decongest major urban centres.

Another initiative the company has come up with is the NMRC Mortgage Market System (MMS) which is a transformational change that integrates the entire housing market, covering construction finance, primary and secondary mortgage.

The system which is available to all players in the housing industry has the benefit of removing duplications of effort in gathering data and documents; improving the turnaround time, reducing the cycle time of transactions and helping in making homes more affordable.

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) Described as a world class system that brings all players in the mortgage and housing market into a centralised technology ecosystem, MMS allows a systematic market to operate and concentration of activities to take place.

What the system seeks to achieve, besides bringing credibility and attracting investors to the mortgage market, is also to let players and sundry individuals know what is going on in the market; the system creates a marketplace where there is information flow and people can see what is going on.

The system is a national market that is not only about mortgage but also the entire housing finance and so it allows people to see the pipeline projects and know who is bringing what to the market. It also allows NMRC, as a refinancer, time to determine when to go to the market to raise bonds.

MMS also allows market operators to track all the activities within the construction industry. With it

they can see which developer is doing what and in which location.

It also allows them to begin to compare prices and know which property is being sold and in which location. This way, the developers will begin to be more competitive in the way they do their thing.

For the mortgage banks, the new system allows them to begin to manage their own systems by themselves using the uniform underwriting standards which NMRC has produced and, with that, they can evaluate their applications based on the underwriting standard.

It is hoped that the use of these systems, especially the MMIP, for federal and state governments mortgage asset registry will reduce cost of homeownership; eliminates breaks in the chain of title; improve hard naira savings on each loan for homeowners and lenders, and reveal identity of servicer and investor available to homeowners via phone or internet.

5 top tips for new buyers chain is lucrative because of sharp practices engaged into by some unscrupulous persons. I insist that most people who engage in sharp practices are found out before long and summarily dismissed by the organization.

At this juncture, I hereby present a discussion culled from SUPPLY MANAGEMENT, the CIPS magazine on FIVE TOP TIPS FOR NEW BUYERS by Francis Churchill. I hope it will help young professionals to consolidate their professional skills and build an enduring career in procurement and supply chain. He wrote as follows: New procurementprofessionals need to be tenacious to progress, according to a CIPS SM Awards finalist.

“From personal experience I’ve worked on some extremely difficult categories and you just need to keep going to drive those benefits forward,” said Daniel Golds, sourcing lead at British Steel and a shortlister for the 2018 CIPS SM Young Professional of the Year Award.

Golds, who is coming to the end of his two-year graduate scheme and is moving into a permanent position, joined British Steel at the “ideal time”, just after it was sold

by Tata and became a standalone business.

Speaking at the eWorld Procurement and Supply Conference, Golds said: “Pretty much overnight contracts that were for a global business were suddenly hived down into a much more local

business where we have a lot more control.

“I’ve used [this] to really raise the profile of procurement and develop my career at the same time.”

Here are Golds’ five tips for new procurement professionals: 1. Understand existing practices “The key message here is ask why something is happening,” said Golds. Use the “five whys” to find out the root cause of why a process happens the way it does. Often the response will simply be, ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it’.

While this might make sense, you still need to be able to legitimately challenge existing behaviours to make change. This is where it’s important to know your category.

“It’s a case of backing it up with fact. What is the case for changing?

That can overcome that initial resistance.”

2. Stakeholder collaboration is key Procurement is not a job you can do at your desk, said Golds.

You need to be fully involved in the process. “How can you say to yourself you know what you’re buying unless you’ve been onto the ground and seen what works, what doesn’t work and exactly what happens,” he said. Seeing firsthand how processes work can help you understand exactly what you need from a contract.

“It’s a case of understanding your customer’s needs, taking that

into account but creating a balance between their needs and the needs of the overall business,” he said.

3. Bring a different perspective In big manufacturing firms, departments can be siloed and may not consider what happens up or downstream from them. “In procurement we have the ability to see how it affects the overall business. It’s a case of using your experience, knowledge and skills of your category to bring a strategic view of how it will benefit the entire business,” said Golds.

4. Develop your skills through training To make the case for change you need to understand your category, know what alternatives are in the market and what emerging technologies might be coming, said Golds. You also need to keep developing your procurement knowledge and skills, “to give you that strategic view across the business”.

5. Share your success “In procurement it’s all about raising your profile,” said Golds.

That is how you move from a directional standpoint to a strategic partner. Get yourself into your internal newsletter, and put yourself up for internal and external awards.

“Really get your name out there and shout about the benefits that procurement can provide.”

In conclusion, skills acquisition should be uppermost in the ambitions of young buyers. This will help them to build an enduring career.

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Sunday 03 March 2019

SundayBusiness Advantages of food fortification with vitamins and minerals Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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ncreasing urbanisation, even in developing countries, has raised the level of processed foods consumed on daily basis. Though there may be no significant loss of the nutritive value of food processed and preserved through modern techniques such that canned, bottled and frozen foods can be taken with confidence, it is strongly believed that fresh foods are much better, nutritionally, than processed ones.

Besides, post-harvest handling of farm products up to the stage of cooking may be responsible for loss of essential minerals and vitamins.

For instance, some heat-sensitive vitamins such as B and C vitamins are lost in the canning process, and also in blanching prior to freezing.

Dehydration results in only slight losses of the B-vitamins. Cured and fermented products have nutritive values similar to foods preserved by other methods. Refined cereals like wheat, sorghum and maize flour lose nutrients in the milling process.

Similarly, methods of preparing and cooking food could lead to losses. Vegetables when washed vigorously lose valuable nutrients especially if much water is added to the leaves and thrown away.

If vegetables are subjected to intense heat for too long a time, Vitamin C is lost in the process.

Cooking with potash (Kaun, Kanwa) has been found to lead to the destruction of vitamins B and C. The vitamin content of red palm oil is destroyed when bleached, at high temperatures.

Though these losses may be insignificant when the total nutritional value of the diet is considered, some human habits do contribute to vitamin losses too.

Smokers use up much vitamin C at higher rate than non-smokers and so need to increase their intake through the eating of more fruits and vegetables. In the same vein, regular consumption of alcohol impairs the absorption of vitamins B, B6, folic acid and vitamin C in food. Tea limits the absorption of iron. Also,when meat, fish and poultry are soaked in water for too long, the solution being discarded contains a lot of nutrients.

In order to make up for all such losses, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has made it mandatory for food processing companies to fortify their products with vitamins and minerals, because of their nutritionals benefits.

According to WHO, vitamin A intake is grossly inadequate especially in developing countries since its deficiency leads to night blindness, weak formation of the cell membranes of organs like the skin eye, mouth and gut. Vitamin A also prevents the development of cancerous tumours in the organs of the body.

Naturally, Vitamin A is present in yellow fruits and green vegetables.

These include tomatoes, pawpaw, carrots, mangoes, sweet potato, red palm oil, cod liver oil, egg yolk, milk and tuna some of which contain appreciable amount of pro-vitamin A chemical called Beta-carotene.

We need six times more vegetable carotene than animal sources because the former are not easily absorbed by the intestine.

The story however, is that Nigeria is ranked amongst the countries where the amount of vitamin A intake is far from adequate.Researchfindingsin1993 for a nationwide survey showed that over 9.2 percent of Nigerian children under 5 and 7.2 percent of women of child-bearing age suffered from vitamin A deficiency.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin A is 400 to 700 RE for children, 1,000 RE for male adults, 800 RE for female adults, 800 RE for pregnant women and 1,300 RE for lactating mothers. Conscious of the need for vitamin A by all age groups, the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) has since February 26, 2003 directed all flour, sugar, and vegetable oil companies to comply with the country’s food fortification policy. But by October 15, 2003 another survey revealed that many companies were yet to obey this life-saving directive.

Basically, there are two types of fortifications which are Voluntary and Mandatory. Food giants like Nestle, FrieslandWAMCO, Unilever, Nigerian Breweries, Coca Cola and Promasidor companies belong to the first type. They give both analytical and technical support. For instance, WAMCO’s 1-2-3 growing up

milk, is enriched with adequate vitamins and minerals needed for children in that growing-up category.

A standard serving of Cowbell chocolate flavoured milk provides at least 36 percent of a child (over 4 years) RDA of vitamin A. NB Plc’s Maltina is fortified with enough vitamin Atocombatnightblindness.

Both Cadbury’s Bournvita and Nestlé’s Milo are similarly fortified with the ACE vitamins for needed growth and vitality. Milk products have added vitamin D. Though sea foods like fish, crabs, crayfish, lobsters, periwinkles, prawns are rich in iodine which promotes both physical and mental development, we hardly take enough of them.

Essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium are needed by the body to stimulate health and physiological functions. Though they are present in bananas and plantains and some other fruits and vegetables, our diets are deficient in them. It is for this reason that both the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC have been emphasising on the need for fortification of processed foods.

Thus, their clarion call can be classified as Mandatory Fortification. This involves government and relevant agencies being fully involved and practically enforcing food industries like flour millers, vegetable oil producers and sugar millers to comply with the stipulated standards on nutrient contents.

In this regard, Dr. A.K. Acholonu, the managing director of BioOrganics Nutrient Systems Limited, has stated that for vegetable oil, there must be 20,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin A per kg of

the product. That amounts to 1.0 million in 1g only. For Flour, vitamin A palmitate should be 250,000 IU per gram to 132,000 per gram. Vitamin B (as Thiamine Mononitrate) should be 31.55.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) is 14.80 while Niacine (as Nicotinamide) is 198.00. Iron as electrolytic iron is 166.12. The standard premix must have 10 percent average of vitamin A. The standard premix guarantees the mandatory 30,000 IU per kg of flour.

For all these standards to be met, the government agencies must enforce them, since they are empowered with preventable policies that curtail ill health.

Despite government’s incentives through duty waivers and lower tariffs to ease the industries’ compliance, recent reports show some underhand practices by some flour millers. Though the two major recognized manufacturers of standard vitamin A are DSM and BASF/Fortieth based in Germany and Switzerland, some Nigerian flour millers were reportedly colluding with importers of fake and sub-standard vitamin A, who obtain such from some Asian countries, and pay much less for the product as far back as between 2000-2003.

One’s candid admonition therefore, is that both the NAFDAC and SON should beam their bright searchlights on such importers, with the aim of ensuring standard fortification with vitamins and prevent consumers of bread, sugar, salt and vegetable oil from substandard products.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

‘The Nigerian beauty industry is worth N500bn’ Temitope Mayegun is the CEO of Avila Natural products, the largest natural skin and hair care brand in Africa that produces products using organic and natural ingredients. Mayegun holds an accounting certificate from the University of Lagos. In this interview with BUNMI BAILEY, she discusses her beauty business, the rebranding of her products and the natural beauty industry as a whole.

Tell us your entrepreneurship story: how you started and the journey so far? ell, my entrepreneurship journey began in 2015, getting certified in natural skincare in the United States of America, before we set up the manufacturing company, to securing certifications from regulatory bodies before commencement of operation, to putting together an efficient team to work with in the various departments, to selling our first batch of products and expanding now to over 200 products currently under our brand.

In summary it has been a blend of sweet, delightful, challenging, yet rewarding journey.

What really inspired you to set up this skincare business?

I decided to venture into this business when I discovered the alarming rate at which chemical and synthetic products were flooding the market.

And there was the propelling force for me to provide an alternative natural skin and hair care products for consumers without them breaking the bank.

How much did you start with and how big have you grown since

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starting?

Apart from the administration and factory spaces as well as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) certification fees, we actually started with N30, 000 worth of coconuts; and we have grown to a multi-million naira business since then.

The natural skincare beauty industry is fast gaining traction. How lucrative is the business?

I agree with you on how large the industry has grown and it is a welcome development. Competition is a good ground for business to thrive, being the largest natural skin and hair care brand in Africa; it would be fallacy to say that we are not enjoying the profit dividends, so allow me say that it is indeed lucrative.

The industry seems to be getting saturated, owing to the number of people shifting towards it. What future do you see for this space in the next ten years?

I believe that with proper standardisation and effective control from regulatory bodies, government and commercial institutions, there will be great room for improvement giving Nigeria at least 30 percent market share of the world beauty

and cosmetics manufacturers annual earnings.

What challenges do you face?

We face challenges like inaccessibility to adequate funding for more sophisticated up-to-date machineries, efficient and trustworthy manpower, raw materials sourcing from farms locally and internationally, etc.

For every business the list can be endless but you must find ways to

Temitope Mayegun

rise above all.

What keeps you passionate about helping people look beautiful?

Over the years, having seen the aftermath of damaged skin and hair from various effects, such as overthe-counter-chemical products, surgery scars, acne, stretch marks, hair loss, just to mention a few cases our products address, there’s no greater joy than to restore smile to these people. Above all is the divine inspiration to continue to innovatively create new products that continue to address human general beauty issues.

What areas of concern do you see in this industry?

Well, there are a lot of damaging fake skin care products and a lot of makers hiding under the umbrella of organic and natural skincare to produce harmful products. This is hugely saddening, I must say.

Where do you see your company in 5 years?

We see a more accepted brand globally expanding beyond our fourcontinent current reach. We see a brand that would bring in foreign investors and researchers alike, recognisable by international bodies

and placing Nigeria on the world top beauty brands lists.

What is your greatest strength?

How does it help you as a Skin Care Specialist?

My greatest strength lies in divine help, positive feedback and acceptance from hundreds of thousands of buyers and the financial reward is an addition.

How much do you think the industry is worth?

According to reports, the global cosmetic products market was around $ 532 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach approximately $863 billion in 2024 with an inclusion of the Nigerian beauty market in 2018 estimated at N500 Billion annually.

You are currently rebranding one of your products, can you tell us why and how?

This is borne out of the desire to serve the buyers better, not forgetting that we are penetrating various countries worldwide and it is therefore essential that we meet the global standard of packaging.

It is also a general standard that international beauty brands over the years continue to embrace, so we are not far from home by rebranding the general “Avila Natural Outlook”.

Sunday 03 March 2019

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BDSUNDAY 43

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

When Lafarge Africa reaffirms commitment to Sustainable Development Goals Says it is committed to strengthening the existing relationships with communities DANIEL OBI

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afarge Africa Plc, a member of LafargeHolcim, the world foremost player in building materials manufacturing, has once again reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable development, with special focus on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, SDG which is entrenched in its 2030 Sustainability Ambitions. The international company is underscoring this statement as it turns 60 in its business operations.

It would be recalled that more than 190 world leaders signed The SDG agreement in 2015, committing to help end extreme poverty, fight inequality & injustice, and fix climate change among others. Lafarge’s sustainability strategy is built on four key pillars of – Climate, Circular Economy, Water and Nature, and People and Communities.

This guides its operations in communities in over 90 countries.

In a recent sustainability report for the Nigerian operations, the Country Chief Executive Officer, Michel Puchercos said Lafarge is taking significant steps to continue leading in sustainability in Nigeria including promoting environmentally friendly processes across all its plants.

Sustainability is at the heart of Lafarge Africa’s operations; the company also regards sustainability as an important way of contributing to the development of countries and communities.

In Egypt, Lafarge is said to have just invested EG £200 million in projects to convert household waste to energy. In Ewekoro and Sagamu where Lafarge’s operations began in Nigeria 60 years ago, Lafarge has pioneered similar alternative energy projects.

Lafarge Africa is one of the few manufacturing companies in Nigeria where alternative fuel, especially biomass is used significantly to fire the kiln in a major manufacturing process.

It started in 1995 when many other manufacturing companies had not even considered it as a possibility. A young engineer at the company was saddled with the task of experimenting with alternative and clean fuel. It took three tedious months to come up with enough rubber chips to fire the kiln for half an hour. The result was a 75% decrease in gas consumption and it was perhaps

Bolaji Balogun, chairman, Lafarge Africa Plc (right) and Michel Puchercos, Country CEO (left) during a courtesy visit to VP, Yemi Osinbajo

the first time alternative fuel was used in any cement plant in Nigeria. The company has not relented since then. By the third quarter of 2017, Lafarge Africa reported 44 percent alternative fuel substitution rate at the Ewekoro I plant.

In the south western region of Nigeria where oil palm plantations are not hard to find, Lafarge now uses palm kernel shell (PKS) as a substitute to fossil fuel in its manufacturing process.

This means employment for the locals who help in sourcing the product. Apart from supporting the local economy, using this alternative also helps create a final destination for the biomass which was becoming a waste disposal challenge. The abundance of palm kernel shell as a waste product goes back to the 1990s and early 2000. Then it was used by a few companies as solid fuels for steam boilers. Meanwhile, in a typical palm oil plantation, almost 70 percent of the fresh fruit bunches is waste in the form of empty fruit bunches, fibres and shells, as well as effluent.

Lafarge is cleaning up the environment, providing jobs in the local community, empowering members of its host communities and contributing significantly to developing the economy by creating a new business and stream of income from waste.

Lafarge is also committed to improving livelihoods and social amenities in its host communities. As part of the People and Communities pillar of the 2030 LafargeHolcim Sustainability

plan, the company recently inaugurated Laboratory equipment at the Health Centre it built for Egbado Ajegunle in Ogun State to offer essential healthcare to the people in the community, making it easier for them to access medical care within their vicinity. The health centre is fully equipped, and the indigenes continue to receive primary health access at the facility at no cost.

While attention is paid to the health of people, the company is also seeking other ways to improve the overall quality of lives of the people which also prompted the installation of a substation and electrification of Oke Oko Egbado community also in Ogun State. These different community projects are executed in all Lafarge’s host communities across Nigeria based on the needs of each community.

In recognition of its consistent commitment to sustainability, the company emerged as the Best Company for Clean & Affordable Energy and Best Company for Education at the 2018 edition of the Sustainability Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAS) CSR Africa Awards. This is following its emergence as the Best Company in Stakeholder Engagement and the Most Outstanding Company of the Decade at the 10th edition of the same Awards.

In the year 2017, the company invested heavily in diverse social investment programs and initiatives throughout the country and directly impacted more than 450,000 beneficiaries across its

host communities and Nigeria.

Hundreds of the youth who benefited from such interventions in terms of scholarship, according to reports say they would always be grateful to the company for supporting them as they work towards their dreams.

For example, final year student of accountancy at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Gbemisola Tolulope from Papalanto community has been on the company’s scholarship program all through her tertiary education. She could not imagine her life without the scholarship.

The scholarship funds come through for her every time business is slow for her father who is a contractor and her fashion designer mother.

“Lafarge has touched my life in a very large way, especially through financial support.

Because they actually pay my school fees and other payments that I need [for] school, in that way Lafarge has really helped me. They have been a lot of help to me,” Tolulope said.

Hassan Elizabeth Adeola from Akinbo community recounts the role played by Lafarge in her education at the Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa. She said the bursary she received from Lafarge was not only enough to pay her school fees but some of the funds were given to her parents to support their businesses.

“Lafarge has been so good to me, they help me pay my school fees. And I use the remaining change to support my parents when they don’t have much,”

the 22-year-old Civil Engineering student said.

The story is slightly different for Fagbenro Oluwadamilare Oluwaseyifunmi who would have joined the more than 50 million out-of-school children in the world when he was only 14 years old. He had just completed his basic education and was about starting senior secondary school when his father died. Fortunately, he learnt about Lafarge Africa’s scholarship program for people of his community, Egbado Ajegunle.

“Lafarge has helped me to stay in school,” the 25-year-old accountancy student at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State said. “The company has even helped me to set up a little business. After paying my school fees and other necessary payments with my scholarship, I still have a little left which I used to do business. And ever since then, I have been making progress.”

The three are only a few of the hundreds who have benefitted from Lafarge’s scholarship program set up especially for students in the communities where Lafarge Africa operates in Nigeria.

Apart from investing in the development of the people, the company is also working hard to develop a thriving economy in its host communities through programs like the Cement Professionals Training Program (CPTP), a program aimed at helping youths with entrepreneurial spirit to achieve their goals in the fields of technology, engineering, cement manufacturing, instrumentation and automation among many others. With the high rate of unemployment in the country and the dearth of social amenities in many rural areas, such social impact efforts by corporate organizations are highly needed in communities.

Lafarge Africa continues to seek ways to ensure that they maintain a cordial and mutually beneficial relationship with their host communities and it is committed to strengthening the existing relationships with communities by creating confidence and building trust. The level of CSR interventions by Lafarge in its host communities which focus on Health and Safety, Environment, Education and Infrastructure is worth emulating by other corporate organizations.”

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Monday 04 March 2019 Sunday 03 March 2019

Kiddies

HDI moves to curb ‘quiet corruption’ in Lagos public schools Ngozi okpalakuNNe

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he practice of ‘quiet corruption’ in public schools in Lagos State was a major issue discussed at a one-day forum organised recently by Human Development Initiative (HDI) in collaboration with Trust Africa.

The event, which came under the theme, ‘State mechanisms for addressing inappropriate behaviours in public schools in Lagos State’, had in attendance teachers and school administrators in the state.

Executive-Director of HDI, Olufunso Owasanoye described ‘quiet corruption’ as a practice that goes on in the school environment without many noticing it.

Owasanoye went further to explain that such practice include absenteeism from the school by the students, inability to copy notes and copy correctly, going to school with mufti in their bags to wear after or before school hours, failure to do their assignment as and when due and a host of others.

She observed that these abnormal behaviours by the school children had negatively affected their performance in both internal and external examinations.

She however, blamed parents for the awkward behav-

iour of their wards, adding that parents who are mindful of what their wards do usually discipline them without delay when they behave badly. ‘’Some parents are not careful of what their children do in the school, they do not check whether they are given assignment or not, some of the female students put mufti in their school bags so as to dress in such wear and go wherever they like after school hours.

They do this often without their parents noticing it. It ought not

to be so; parents and guardians particularly mothers should monitor the activities of their wards and by so doing, in no distant time the practice of quiet corruption among school children will be reduced if not totally eradicated,’’ she said.

Presenting findings on ‘Quiet corruption in public education institutions in Lagos State’, Research and Programme Officer HDI, Olayemi Samuel observed that the practice has eaten deep into the fabric of the education system in the

Origin of Egyptian civilisation A

mong many other civilisations, only one that stands out because of its profound knowledge on every aspect of life is the Egyptian civilisation. Be it technical, agricultural or spiritual, this civilisation had touched the peak on every facet with outmost zeal.

Ancient Egyptian coalesced around 3150 B.C, along the lower reaches of Nile River, with the political fusion of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. The history of the ancient Egypt grew up with the series of stable kingdoms. Historians had divided this series or periods of kingdom in to three categories such as 1. Old kingdom of the early bronze age.

2. Middle kingdom of the middle bronze age, and 3. New kingdom of the late bronze age.

During this New kingdom, in the Ramesside period, the Egyptian civilisation had reached the pinnacle of its power. After which it had entered into a slow decline.

The prosperity of the ancient civilisation came partly from the

ability to adapt to the condition of the Nile valley. The predictable flooding of the river Nile and controlled irrigation that produce redundant crops result to the development of social and cultural aspects.

Along many other achievements of Egyptian civilisation, most noticeable are pyramids, temples, obelisks (a system of mathematics), a practical effective usage of medicine, irrigation system and agricultural technique. And last but not the least usage of papyrus (a thick paperlike material produced from the

pith of the papyrus plant) for documentation.

The Egyptian civilisation also left a lasting legacy through its art and architecture, which are widely copied even today in the modern world. Its antiques travelled far round the world.

It’s a civilisation which had captivated the thoughts of historians and Egyptologists for centuries. It’s also a civilisation that grew up, reached the pinnacle and perished but definitely had left behind an everlasting mark for the generations to know by its unique essence.

country.

Enumerating other forms of quiet corruption going on in secondary schools, he said they include compulsory sales of study materials and payment for extra lessons.

In the tertiary institutions, he said sales of study materials, favouritism, sexual harassment, sex-for-grade, among others are rampant.

He described paying for extra lesson as the most common experience of parents with children in primary and

secondary schools, adding that such practice has become an integral part of teaching activities in many schools.

Assistant Director, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Shoremekun Joseph Olugbenga, who also spoke during the forum, blamed the practice on government, teachers, pupils and parents. ‘’l can say it is the fault of all including the government, teachers, parents and the pupils. On the side of the government, government is quick in making promises without fulfilling it. Take for instance, the government of the day during their last political campaign promised free meal and to create a conducive learning environment, they never fulfilled such promises. When you visit some public schools during rainy season, you will discover that some schools and the roads leading to them are bad. On the side of the parents, some of the parents cannot provide meal allowance for their children, just because the government promised to do so, they will dress their children for school in the morning without giving them food or money to buy food. Some of the parents and guardians also find it difficult to provide writing materials for their children, they believe that it is the duty of the government to make such provisions for their children”, Olugbenga added.

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BDSUNDAY45

The motley presidential candidates: What actually was the motivation?

ZEBULON AGOMUO

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ongbeforethepresidential election penultimate Saturday, many Nigerians had raised the alarm that the huge number of presidential candidates was a distraction.

Many of the so-called presidential candidates were tagged pretenders. Although they claimed they were in the race, over 90 percent of them never campaigned; a few only spoke to the media. It was obvious that they had some other overriding hidden agenda that was responsible for their ambition.

A few of them that moved about the country did not even campaign, they engaged in what they called consultations. Some of them claimed that they did not need mass campaign.

While the motley candidates were talking tough to themselves on how they hoped to beat the incumbent hands down, they never matched their ambition with practical action. They thought that winning a presidential election was a tea party.

A few of them that interfaced with citizens either by way of town hall meetings, press statements, conferences or through their posters heaped their hope on the support they expected from the youth voting population.

Those in this group also claimed that their online endorsements by a large population of youths were all that it takes to win the election.

On several occasions, their attempt at forming an alliance to defeat the entrenched parties failed. Most times, selfish interest was the reason. No one wanted to step down for the other. Their talk about coalition was on paper, but not in their heart. Ever before the race began, most of them knew they were not going to make any impact in the election, yet, they moved on. They ended up adding to the headache of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in terms of cost, printing, logistics and unnecessary documentations.

A good number of them talked about crowd-funding. They solicited for public funds through this avenue. It is interesting to know how much they realised and how much went into the wild-goosechase. This is because it is fraudulent to garner money from people and fail to give proper account of the disbursement.

The most annoying part of it all is that most of them were pre-warned and pre-advised not to waste their time and that of others, but they adamantly went into the race to satisfy some crave.

INEC should have been saved the nightmare of printing long ballot containing 73 names of parties

Omoyele Sowore

Fela Durotoye

Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim

Donald Duke

and candidates. And the Nigerian voters should have been spared the stress of running their eyes on the whole list.

From the day of election till when the presidential result was announced, not even a whimper was heard from the so-called candidates or their supporters.

It was only the two dominant parties- the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) - that stole the show. Every Nigerian was interested in knowing which of the two parties that would emerge. All theobserversandelectionmonitors wereonlyfollowingwhathappened to the APC and PDP. The candidates of the other 71 parties that contested went into a slumber. Even though they and their parties swore before the election that they would ensure that they mobilised a critical mass of Nigerian voters to frustrate the return of President Muhammadu Buhari or the emergence of Atiku Abubakar to power, today, many of them are falling on one another to dispatch congratulatory messages to Buhari.

“Congratulating a winner after a race is desirable, and they should be commended for doing so; but the problem is that most of these people are simply looking for appointments. Before long, you would see them begin to talk about inclusive government; appealing to the President to consider them. It is all about politics of the stomach or what Fayose called ‘stomach infrastructure’. We must grow beyond this level if we must make progress as a nation,” a retired civil servant, who would not want his name in print, said.

Maxwell Okah, a canvasser of good governance in Nigeria, said he was not surprised at the attitude of the motley presidential candidates, particularly toward the Nigerian people.

“It is not surprising to me that these so-called presidential candidates have just disappeared into thin air. They owe the Nigerian

people the honour of appreciating them. They solicited for votes from the people and courtesy demands that since after the election, they should have, either through press release, press conference or whatever form get back to the Nigerian people to express their gratitude. It is not only in victory we should know the right thing to do. But beyond that, I think most of them knew they had no chance in the election, but just to add another prefix (former presidential candidate) to their already long titles. This is so, particularly in a country where title is everything,” Okah said.

On the benefit of the election, and the participation of many youths at the presidential, Okah said he did not think the election added anything positive to the country, but rather left Nigeria more bruised in every aspect.

“For me, I do not think the presidential election is a plus to Nigeria. It is rather to me, many decades of step back. I am just thinking; wouldn’t it have been more profitable to tell President Buhari to continue for another four years without an election? If you look at the resources that went into the presidential election that has been described in many negative adjectives; if you look at human wastage; the rhetoric from the parties, before the campaign, during the campaign period, to the election and even now, it has negatively impacted the fragile unity of the country. The way the elections were conducted and everything associated with it have further eroded Nigeria’s image before the outside world. It has also exposed the rot in the nation’s universities with what we are hearing about the alleged roles of professors and vice chancellors in electoral fraud. It has further exposed the sorry state of the nation’s security agencies. In short, from my own reading, the harm the presidential election has done may take decades to repair,” he said.

According to him, “For the first time, we saw many youths come up to challenge the status quo. But the way they went about it also showed that they themselves have not learnt anything. They tried to go into alliance on many occasions, but failed. The reason being that each of them thought they were better than the other. They wanted others to step down for them. At a point Fela Durotoye emerged in one of such attempts, but Moghalu and Sowore made a quick volte face. That also shows you that Nigeria is in trouble; that even the so-called youths are already negatively ‘acculturised,’ politically. We thought they were bringing new ideas; we thought the driving force was how to redeem Nigeria from the geriatric that had held it bound for decades; how to rescue the country from plunderers; but sadly, as it is being said, ‘the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’.

That is where we are now. It will take us a long time to break loose from the circle of maladministration in Nigeria. But that is the whole truth.”

Need to urgently de-register many parties Some analysts believe that the too many political parties may have given undue opportunity for people to aspire to contest the presidency even when theydonothavetheresourcesandwhat ittakestoprosecutetheirambition.

Ayo Olakunle, a publicist, said although the Nigerian constitution allowsfortheregistrationofmultiple political parties in the country, INEC and other relevant agencies should make the conditions stiffer.

“Imagine if the INEC had to contend with only two or three presidential candidates, the huge cost in printing, logistics and other associated activities would have been reduced. People are now calling for a two-party system as it is being practised in the United States and other democracies. I know of many countries where multi-party system is also being practised, but you know, everything Nigerian takes a different shape. It is unfortunate, though.

“This should form part of the electoral reforms. While INEC cannot wake up tomorrow to proclaim a two-party system for Nigeria, because it is a constitutional issue,reformsinthisregardcanhelp.”

Recall that Festus Okoye, national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), recently said that INEC was going to do something about the number of parties after the elections.

Okoye, while blaming the huge number on those who designed the constitution (who made the registration of political parties very liberal), said: “You are aware that there’s a fourth amendment to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that gives the INEC the power and authority to deregister some political parties that did not meet a certain threshold after the general election. So, with that, there’s a possibility that, that may act as a check on the number of political parties we have.”

For me, I do not think the presidential election is a plus to Nigeria. It is rather to me, many decades of step back.

I am just thinking; wouldn’t it have been more profitable to tell President Buhari to continue for another four years without an election

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Sunday 03 March 2019

Sports FIFA’s $25bn Club World Cup bid suffers set back … As investors pull back from initial deal

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Stories By Anthony Nlebem

n offer to invest $25 billion in an expanded Club World Cup, a project backed

by FIFA president, Gianni Infantino has been rejected, sources said.

Infantino hopes to expand the existing , annual seven-team Club World Cup by turning it into a 24-club competition played every four years, starting in 2021.

He is expected to put forward concrete proposals for the competition at a FIFA Council meeting in Miami on March 14 and 15.

A group of investors, undisclosed by world football’s governing body but from Asia and the Middle East according to different sources, had offered to invest $25 billion in the new competition and a new global Nations League.

“The investors’ offer for the expanded Club World Cup has been discarded. If plans for a new, expanded Club World Cup are adopted in Miami in March, the competition will be commercialised in the traditional way, via a tender process,” a

source close to the project told AFP. Another source added that the investors could still come back in with a new offer then.

An announcement was made yesterday at a “stakeholders committee” meeting in Zurich, which brought together representatives of different confederations, clubs, leagues and players.

It was presided over

by Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of Concacaf, the Confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean. Infantino did not take part in the meeting.

Infantino initially unveiled the project last year and again at a FIFA Council meeting in the Rwandan capital Kigali in October.

Th e n , h e s t e p p e d back from adopting the competitions due to opposition from Uefa and the European governing body’s president, Aleksander Ceferin.

According to the New York Times, the group of investors in question included Japan’s SoftBank.

“FIFA seems to be learning from its errors,” one source said.

“It wants to show good faith and place the accent on a more even distribution of revenues

LaLiga to end Monday games L

aLiga’s Monday night games, which have provoked long-running mass protests from supporters, will be discontinued from next season, Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales announced on Friday.

“There will be no more football on Mondays. As of next season, football will be on Saturdays and Sundays.

Business is important, but fans are more important,” Rubiales said in a post on his personal Twitter account.

Spanish top-flight gameshavebeenplayedon Mondays since 2010 and while the league’s organising body says the matches have large television audiences, they have led to a fall in attendances.

Alaves supporters staged a high-profile demonstration against Monday games last month at their match at home to

Levante, keeping the stadium empty until five minutes after kick off.

A small group meanwhile held a mock funeral inside the ground marking “the death of modern football”.

Rubiales said the federation was also in discussions about ending games on

Fridays, although he did not confirm whether they wouldalsobediscontinued.

“We will see what happenswithgamesonFridays.

Perhaps we can come to an agreement that is good for everyone,” he added.

Spain’s biggest clubs such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atletico Madrid

from an expanded Club World Cup.” The biggest issue emerging from a new competition could be the changes required to an already saturated international calendar.

Plans are set to put to a vote at the FIFA Council meeting in Miami, although plans for a Nations League ― similar to the competition recently launched with success by UEFA are likely to be presented at a later date.

A proposal to expand the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams in time for the 2022 tournament in Qatar could also be put to a vote in Miami.

and Sevilla are not required to play on Mondays or Fridays due to being involved in European competitions.

The rule has led to some clubs playing a disproportionate number of times on Mondays, such as Athletic Bilbao, who have played eight out of 25 fixtures this campaign on Mondays.

Russia bans athletes from drinking beer during tests

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h e Ru s s i a n An t i Doping Agency (RUSADA) has banned national athletes from drinking beer and other soft-alcoholic beverages to speed up the process of urination during doping test procedures, RUSADA Deputy Director General Margarita Pakhnotskaya said.

Athletes’ bodies are usually dehydrated after crossing the finish line and some of them use beer or other soft-alcoholic drinks as a diuretic agent to accelerate the process of collecting urine doping samples.

“Maintaining a firm stance on clean and healthy sports, we cannot brush something aside like a ban on the consumption of alcohol during doping test procedures,” Pakhnotskaya said. “This ban

dures, she added.

“Some international sports federations have already enshrined a ban in their regulations on the consumption of alcoholic beverages during doping control procedures,” she said. “For instance, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and FIFA are among them.”

In February, RUSADA collected 825 doping samples of Russian athletes with over 30% more compared to January 2018, RUSADA Deputy Director Margarita Pakhnotskaya revealed.

“RUSADA inspectors collected 825 doping samples in January compared to 605 in the same month last year,” Pakhnotskaya said.

“As you can see, the dif-

will be in force not only for RUSADA’s staff but for all athletes as well.”

“With the authority of the national anti-doping agency, RUSADA’s policy now allows athletes only non-alcoholic beverages and bans the consumption of all beverages containing alcohol from the moment of notification about the doping test procedure until this process is over,” she said.

“This condition is now included in the manual for doping control officers,” Pakhnotskaya continued.

“From now on, an athlete caught drinking beer during a doping test procedure will receive an official first warning and it will be documented by a doping control officer. A tougher punishment may follow in the event of a repeated violation.”

Pakhnotskaya said that a discovered trace of dissolving substances from the consumption of softalcohol drinks in a urine sample of an athlete might distort the outcome of the test for any banned performance enhancing drugs.

National track and field athletes in race walks were the most noted beer users during doping test proce-

ference is significant and amounts to an over 30% increase.”

“Late last year we stated our intentions to increase the number of doping inspections and we keep our word,” Pakhnotskaya added.

“The amount of target doping tests slightly exceeds the half of all collected samples.”

“In the first month of this year, we have received ten applications from athletes for TUE [Therapeutic Use Exemption] permits for medicines containing prohibited substances,” she said.

“We have also registered 28 violations of accessibility regulations - 18 cases of missed testing due to athlete’s absence in the location stated in the ADAMS system and 10 cases of missed testing due to a failure to provide information about the whereabouts,” Pakhnotskaya stated.

The RUSADA deputy director general also said that Russia’s governing anti-doping body conducted a total of eight educational programs in January, providing special training to 504 specialists.

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Sports

Manchester City sign £650 million kit deal with Puma Jonathan Aderoju

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Qatar to commission stadiums 2 years ahead of 2022 World Cup

… Estimates $200bn on 2022 World Cup preparation

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ll stadiums for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar are expected to be commissioned two years prior to the kick off of the international football championship, says FIFA Secretary General, Fatma Samoura.

Qatar is set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup between November 21 and December 18 at seven venues across the country, namely in Doha, Lusail, Al-Wakrah, Al-Khor, Al-Rayyan, Umm Salal and Madinat ash Shamal.

“Qatar will be the first country in the history of the World Cups that will have all stadiums ready in minimum two years before the World Cup,” Samoura said in an interview.

The FIFA secretary general, who paid a visit to Moscow, said Qatar has already commissioned one arena, the other is about to be c ommi s s i on e d, while two additional will be commissioned in 2019 and the last four in 2020.

“So I mean all eight stadiums will be ready by late 2020 or two years before the World Cup,” Samoura said.

The first completed venue in Qatar for hosting matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. Named after Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s former Emir, the facility boasts an over 40,000seat capacity.

Qatar won the right to host the matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on December 2, 2010.

In March 2015, FIFA officially announced that the 22nd edition of FIFA’s flagship event would be played in November and December 2022, with the final match set for December 18, 2022 - Qatar National Day - and with the objective, in principle, of holding the tournament for 28 days.

Doha plans to spend at least $200 billion on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Russian Ambassador to Qatar Nurmakhmad Kholov disclosed.

“At least $200 billion will be spent on the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” he said.

“They want to show themselves to the best advantage while hosting the 2022 World Cup, so the primary focus and resources will be on the tournament.”

Over $10bn spent to organise 2018 FIFA

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ussia spent about 700 billion rubles ($10.6 billion) to organize the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Arkady Dvorkovich, the chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Russia revealed that Russia spent about $10.6 billion to organize the 2018 FIFA World Cup. “A sum of about 700 billion rubles ($10.6 billion) was spent on the organization of the world championship,” Dvorkovich told journalists after the session.

“The larger part of this sum was allocated from the federal budget.”

In 2018, Russia hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Moscow with a remarkable opening show at Luzhniki Stadium on the evening of June 14 and ended with a spectacular final match, played also at the Luzhniki Stadium, where France defeated Croatia 4-2

to win the much-coveted World Cup Trophy.

Russia selected 11 host cities as the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

FIFA President Infantino said after the world championship that Russia staged “the best World Cup ever.”

According to the Russian

Federal Agency for Tourism, some 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived in Russia last summer for the FIFA World Cup. In late December, FIFA announced in its statement that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia set a new record of audience in the history of world football championships as over half of the world’s population watched matches on TV at home, out of home or on digital platforms.

anchester City have signed the biggest kit deal in the club history and the second-highest in the Premier League, with a 10-year agreement with Puma worth a reported £650 million ($863m).

The deal sits only behind Manchester United’s with Adidas when it comes to the most lucrative in the English topflight.

City, who currently work in partnership with Nike, will see a new sponsorship contract kick in from the summer of 2019.

The club’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, said: “It’s a historic day for us because what we are doing has not been done before, an unprecedented partnership covering five clubs over four continents.”

Puma’s deal includes not only Manchester City but also sister clubs Melbourne City, Girona, Club Atletico Torque and Sichuan Jiuniu and

involves the male, female and youth sides.

Bjorn Gulden, the C E O o f Pu m a , t o l d City’s official website: “PUMA’s partnership with City Football Group is the largest deal that we have ever done – both in scope and ambition.

“We are very excited to partner with City Football Group, whose success, ambition and drive for innovation has seen them setting new standards, on and off the field.

“We look forward to building the most innovative partnership in football by redefining the sports partnership model both on and off the pitch.

“We want to maximise on-field performance as well as football culture,

in areas such as music, gaming and fashion to connect and inspire the fanbase of each team.”

Soriano added: “This announcement marks the start of an exciting new chapter for City Football Group.

“Our relationship with PUMA, covering five City Football Group clubs across four continents, will reset the model for sports partnerships on a truly global scale whilst being locally relevant and authentic for fans around the world.

“Puma share our vision for challenging expectations, and we are looking forward to what we believe will be a ground-breaking partnership.

Rugby Africa to continue partnership with APO Group

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fter one year of successful collaboration, World Rugby’s African association will extend their exclusive alliance with APO Group until 2023 The announcement was made during the Rugby Africa Summit in Marrakech, Morocco.

The two organizations began their close collaboration in 2017 with joint initiatives to promote African rugby on the continent and internationally, supporting the rapid growth of the sport.

Rugby is now one of the most popular sports worldwide. After the summer Olympic Games and the football World Cup, the Rugby World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the world, attracting 2.6 billion viewers in over 200 countries. The increased interest in rugby is pushing federations to consider a new format for future World Cups, with more teams involved. This is positive news for the game in Africa as it means more of the developing rugby nations on the continent will have a chance to qualify.

APO Group will remain the main Official Sponsor of World Rugby’s African Association, Rugby Africa until the end of 2022 and

will be associated with major international competitions throughout the continent and beyond, including the Africa Rugby 7s tournament - which is a qualifier for the 2020 Olympics.

Nicolas PompigneMognard, Founder and Chairman of APO Group, said: “Africa’s population will double by 2050 and will represent 40% of humanity in 2100, so it represents an essential challenge for all international sports federations, starting with rugby - whose number of players has more than tripled in recent years. This partnership extension confirms our commitment to Rugby Africa and demonstrates our desire to support the growing development of the sport. Rugby embodies the values that are rooted

in the DNA of APO Group such as team spirit and commitment, but also the desire to surpass oneself and to make a difference as a community.”

Abdelaziz Bougja, outgoing president of Rugby Africa added: “Our partnership with APO Group has proved extremely successful and it is only natural that we have decided to extend it until 2023. The impact of the APO Group’s work has been amazing and has helped us considerably to raise the profile of African rugby. Having such an experienced partner is invaluable in supporting us in our efforts to improve our visibility and promote our intercountry competitions worldwide. Our partnership also reflects the values and ambitions shared by our two organizations.”

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Why Atiku is going to court - Ibe

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s Atiku Abubakar backing down from going to court after meeting Abdulsalami Abubakarled peace committee?

He is not backing down.

Don’t forget that the work of the committee is before, during and after the election.

The committee’s work is still part of the on-going meeting. They met with Osinbajo yesterday (Thursday). The PDP team met with them and laid out their case; one, that this was the worst election in the last 20 years; and that the election was characterised by brazen rigging, intimidation and harassment of voters, and suppressing of votes in the PDP strongholds.

They were clear about it to avoid another brigandage on March 9th; they told the committee what they think should be done within the ambit of the constitution and in relation to the deployment of the military in consonance with the Supreme Court ruling that has settled that issue that you cannot deploy the military for an election, among other things.

Those were the issues among other things. But whether he has the right to go to court was not up for discussion. I think even they, themselves, recognised that going to court if you feel ag-

grieved is an integral part of the constitutional process; that people should be encouraged to go to court instead of courting crisis; that was exactly what transpired.

But since President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar are both Fulanis, some people think they can use that sentiment to settle whatever issues arising from the election?

No, no, no. Don’t forget that this is not only about him, Obi was at the meeting, Secondus, Dogara, Saraki; they were all at the meeting. I am talking about the leadership of the party; the major stakeholders and the candidate himself. So, it is not about him; it is about the will of millions of Nigerians that has been subverted. It is not something personal. This is not the first time he would be doing this he had gone to court for a number of cases.

For example; he went to court to seek legal interpretation on whether you can remove the deputy governor. So, that has become a settled issue that a deputy governor is part of the ticket. I think nobody should be under any illusion about this thing, he has a commitment.

Like he told me; he said, what should he tell his children and millions of Nigerians,

If you are looking at the cost in terms of naira and kobo; what about the cost in terms of human life? Can you quantify that? 40 people died; but mind you, nobody deserves to die in an election process; nobody

the people that entrusted him with their votes; and of course, their expectation that he would bring succour to them if they had allowed his votes to count for him.

All of the things going on now are all about those engagements that go on in the political process within the ambit of the work that the peace committee is doing.

Having spent so much money already, would it not be better for him to forget the legal battle that would cost him more money?

Well, you know you can’t put a price to democracy because it embodies all our aspirations; our ability to express our will freely, freedom of speech, of association, freedom to choose leaders and all other things; you can’t put a price to it.

Don’t forget that people have paid supreme price for this democracy that we are enjoying.

If you are looking at the cost in terms of naira and kobo; what about the cost in terms of human life? Can you quantify that? 40 people died; but mind you, nobody deserves to die in an election process; nobody. I think it is because he is just a democrat and he has chosen the part of a true democrat, to go and present his case before a competent jurisdiction.

Don’t forget, Buhari went to court three times; nobody should deny him that right; that would be a double jeopardy. That would amount to putting salt on an injury; that would be illegitimacy on top of the brigandage of February 23rd. I think people should reject that, that also should tell you how convenient it is for people to steal people’s votes, subvert their mandate and ask them to keep quiet.

Oshiomhole fought through while in Edo and

PAUL IBE Ibe is Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria.

got back his mandate. Ditto for Amaechi; ditto for Rauf Aregbesola. These are rulers in the APC. How positive is Atiku that he is going to win given the situation of things at the Supreme Court in relation to the Onnoghen’s case and all the drama that surrounded his suspension?

Yes he recognises that the judiciary is facing a challenge because of what happened with Justice Walter Onnoghen. But he is also finding solace in the same Judiciary that has also stood firm and has acquitted itself creditably including the cases that he had been involved in, when called upon.

So, you don’t have any other alternative if you are a democrat than to trust the system and submit your case to them to adjudicate.

He is hopeful that once again the judiciary finds itself at a historical junction to do what is right in the face of the law.

Mega endorsement for Wike as 58 guber candidates raise hands for him

F

ifty-eight (58) governorship candidates in Rivers State on Friday re-affirmed their endorsement of the re-election of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, declaring that they would work for his success during the Governorship Election on 9 March, 2019.

The 58 governorship candidates condemned the alleged plots by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disrupt the election in the state.

They spoke through their chairman, Samuel Ihunwo, during a solidarity visit to Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike at the Government House, Port Harcourt.

They condemned the alleged killings by the military during the Presidential and National Assembly elections, stating that immediate steps must be taken to avert using the military against Rivers people during

the Governorship/State Assembly elections.

“We observed that our people were killed by the military.

We have come for a solidarity visit because as the father of the state, you are pained on what is happening. We condemn in totality, the unwarranted killings by the military.

“We are not in support of the evil that INEC is conniving with APC to disrupt the Governorship/ State Assembly elections on March 9. The APC knowing they are not on the ballot, plans to perpetrate evil and ensure that elections do not hold”.

They noted that they would remain resolute to ensure the elections hold and Governor Wike is duly elected.

“The 58 Governorship Candidates maintain their endorsement of Governor Wike. What we have said still remains. We will give all necessary support for the governor to be re-elected”, he said.

The governorship candidates

declared that the exclusion of the APC from the ballot was an act of God. He said even without being on the ballot, APC has unleashed violence on Rivers people.

Responding, Wike said that no man born of woman can determine the political destiny

If we rely on the security agencies, by now, we will not be here. Only God protects us in Rivers State. If you see the connivance between the APC and the security agencies

of Rivers State. He said: “No man born of a woman can say that he must be in charge of the state. That is unacceptable to the people of the state.

“If we rely on the security agencies, by now, we will not be here. Only God protects us in Rivers State. If you see the connivance between the APC and the security agencies, you will marvel how we have gone so low. The security agencies are aiding individuals to perpetrate crime. It is unfortunate”.

Governor Wike wondered why the APC in Rivers State is neck-deep in the killing of Rivers people over a self-inflicted crisis. “You cannot cling to power through the blood of innocent people. Those people who believe that the only way they can come to power is when they finish killing everybody, should emulate these governorship candidates.

“The crisis in APC is selfinflicted. Even the PDP had its own crisis. Instead of APC sort-

ing out their own crisis, they are shifting it to innocent people. It is not only in Rivers State that APC has crisis. They have the same problem in Cross River State. But you have not seen them killing anybody. They have not said that they will destroy everywhere because they are struggling on who becomes a Governorship Candidate.

“A particular party is threatening that if they are not on the ballot, there will be no election in Rivers State and nobody has done anything. The security agencies are always by their side, supporting evil”, he said.

Governor Wike said that Rivers people are committed to the peaceful conduct of the Governorship and State Assembly elections. He said that the March 9, 2019 elections will be conducted peacefully and Rivers State will emerge victorious.

Ig n a t i u s Ch u k w u , Fa v o u r Ichemati & Victoria Brown

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