BusinessDay 12 Jan 2020

Who really is in charge of the Power Ministry?

Olusola Bello

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he power sector has been enmeshed in confusion over the removal of two key principal actors in the sector by Sale Mamman, minister of power.

The minister has however, been overruled by the Federal Government on these issues because of what some stakeholders described as lack of proper consultation before taking such decisions.

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Desperate moment for Obaseki, Oshiomhole and APC in Edo

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More funds should be allocated to address infrastructure upgrade – Chidoka 19

Politicians, groups jumping the gun, overheating polity with 2023 talks

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N37bn NASS renovation: Confusion trails provision as FCTA, BPP claim ignorance Group drags Buhari, Lawan to court

Money not enough – NASS

‘I wanted Hertitude to be a mirror for the society’ 24

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US-Iran faceoff: Will Nigeria be a battleground as Shiites threaten Trump?

20 Unbundling of Mass Communication degree to impact jobs, graduate quality Obinna Emelike

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Why shea butter is perfect for the harmattan season

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hen the news broke on Thursday that the National Universities Commission (NUC) has unbundled Mass Communication as a course in Nigerian tertiary institutions, it was received with mixed reactions by the public, especially media practitioners.

L-R: James Bawa Magaji, a former deputy governor, with Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, when the former visited the governor at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House for a meeting, recently.

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Cover

N37bn NASS renovation: Confusion trails provision as FCTA, BPP claim ignorance ...Group drags Buhari, Lawan to court ...Money not enough – NASS Tony Ailemen, James Kwen and Solomon Ayado, Abuja

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he controversial provision of N37billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex has continued to elicit reactions, but the main federal institutions saddled with execution of such projects claim ignorance.

BDSUNDAY checks revealed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has no knowledge of the N37billion appropriated for the renovation of the National Assembly Complex by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2020 budget.

This is despite efforts by the National Assembly to justify inclusion of the funds in the budget by bringing the in FCDA Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Godiya Akwashiki had stated that the building belongs to the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCDA) and the renovation work is to be carried out by the FCDA and not the National Assembly.

According to him, “The building belongs to the FCDA, which built it. The FCDA management knows how much it needed to fix the complex which is in a dilapidated condition.

“The only responsibility of the leadership of the National Assembly is to inform the President about the condition of the building which could collapse anytime if not immediately renovated.

“How the team from the FCDA arrived at a cost of N37bn is not the business of the National Assembly. It is purely the issue of the FCDA. It is the FCDA that will award the contracts.”

Akwashiki insisted that a single naira from the N37billion will not come to the National Assembly accounts, everything is going straight to the FCDA, and also noted that in the past 20 years, the structure has not been renovated.

But in a swift reaction, a senior official in the FCTA Budget Office told BDSUNDAY that they did not send that to the National Assembly, they included that.

“We submitted N232 billion budget, but NASS approved N 278 billion,” he disclosed.

The official, who would not want to be mentioned, said the

Buhari

approved budget was still in the Presidency and has not been sent to the FCTA, insisting the details of the renovation was not known.

Efforts to get detailed appropriation of the N37 billion to the renovation proved abortive -National Assembly is currently on break while Clerks of the National Assembly Committees on FCT were not around when BDSUNDAY visited.

But an Abuja-based Construction Engineer, John Airohi, wondered how the Federal Government arrived at N37billion for renovating the building when bill of quantities have not been drawn.

“It beats my imagination how the government arrived at N37billion for the renovation. There are many questions left unanswered.

We will like to know if a proper survey has been done, the extent of work required, and who the contractors are.”

According to him, “The estimate could be more or less, eventually.”

When BDSUNDAY visited the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the agency saddled with vetting Federal Government contracts and granting certificates of no objections for execution of such public contracts, officials there said they were not aware of the project.

“We are not aware of how they arrived at the estimates, but what we know is that they will eventually come here for Certificate of No Objection for such big proj-

Lawan

ect and if we are convinced that their submissions meet standard requirements, we will have no option but to approve it.”

A top official of the agency who did not want his name mentioned, told BDSUNDAY that the agency “is not involved in budget process.”

The N37billion Appropriation has generated serious controversy following revelations that the National Assembly Complex, built during former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration cost the Federal Government just N7billion.

But National Assembly Director of Information, Rawlings Agada, had said N37billion approved may not even be enough for the renovation job.

Agada in a recent interview with some journalists in Abuja said the complex is in a shambles, disclosing and that the National Assembly Dome had been leaking for many years.

“That National Assembly needed a lot of work and I don’t think even that amount of money can take care of all those things because even the dome has been leaking and there is fear that if the repairs are not done, we might suffer greater problems in the future.

“That is just that because I don’t have the details of the budget but I am aware that there is a lot that needs to be done”, he said.

The House of Representatives had increased the 2020 statutory budget of the Federal Capital Ter-

ritory (FCT) by N45.480 billion as it jacked the N232.875 billion proposal sent by President Muhammadu Buhari to N278.355 billion.

The budget was consequently passed after consideration of the Report of the Committees on Federal Capital Territory and Federal Capital Territory Area Councils and Ancillary Matters on a Bill for an act to Authorise the issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Statutory Revenue fund of the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account, the total sum of N278,355,365,947.00 only for the Service of the Federal Capital Territory for the year ending on 31 December, 2020 by the Committee of Supply.

Critics, including lawmakers of the ruling party, have continued to vent their anger on the alleged insensitivity of both the executive and the legislative arms of the All Progressives Congress (APC)controlled government.

The main opposition, People’s Democratic (PDP) described the action as “indefensible” for the Buhari Presidency to propose a whopping N37billion for renovation work on the National Assembly complex, which was built at the cost of N7billion naira.

PDP insisted that the over 500 percent padding of the original construction cost is completely insupportable even with the prevailing costs and exchange rate regime.

Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary had in a

statement noted that the “development that has already spurred public outcry and apprehensions of plots to divert the fund for political interests of certain APC leaders”.

The party said such corruption was unacceptable in a nation confronted by alarming economic downturn, extreme poverty, hunger, decayed infrastructure and security challenges.

“The over-bloated renovation figure is therefore, not only sacrilegious but also further confirms that the APC-led administration is overtly corrupt and only out to steal, drain and divert our national resources for selfish purposes of certain individuals in the present administration.”

“The N37billion is embedded in the budget of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) as approved by President Buhari, which leaves the burden of explanation on Mr. President’s doorsteps.

“We, therefore, charge President Buhari to demonstrate the integrity of his approval by immediately publishing a detailed breakdown of the renovation project in line with his recent directives to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“President Buhari is challenged to immediately publish the details of the individual renovation lines, amount and reason for each payContinues on page 7

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News

BMO attacks PDP, says failed secretariat project sign of party failure Iniobong Iwok

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he Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has attacked the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying that the party’s failure to complete its 12-storey national secretariat building in 12 years despite spending billions on it was an example of the party’s poor record of project execution.

The group said it is not surprising that the former ruling party left thousands of abandoned projects across the country when it could not even complete its own office structure after raising almost thrice the amount required.

In a statement at the weekend, Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, BMO noted that the story of PDP’s abandoned headquarters epitomises ev-

erything that is wrong with the political party.

BMO faulted PDP leaders’ claims that they would have performed better than what President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been doing since inauguration.

The group said there is no certainty that PDP would ever complete the abandoned secretariat having been denied access to power and free fund at the centre for so long.

According to the statement, “This is a party that used its clout as an all-powerful ruling party to arm-twist high networth individuals and corporate organisations, amongst others, to jointly contribute as high as N21billion at one sitting in December 2014, six years after N6billion was raised at an initial event for a building that was to cost N10billion and was to be completed in 2011.

“Nigerians may want to recall that four months after the second fundraising ceremony, PDP lost the 2015 election and the then party spokesman, Olisa Metuh told the world that the party was cash-strapped.

“What the party has not satisfactorily explained is what happened to the funds raised for the structure even when only N2billion was released to the contractors from the N6billion that was realised from the first fundraiser.

“And even after the second ceremony, the party whose leaders promised to ‘Make Nigeria Great Again’ or ‘Grow Nigeria’ in the run-up to the 2015 Presidential election, clearly did not use these funds for what it gleefully announced that they were meant for.

“Today, that structure that is incidentally situated along Muhammadu Buhari Way in the Central Business District of

Abuja is a clear symbol and reminder of the forlorn state that the party left Nigeria after 16 years of high oil receipts, with little or nothing to show for it in terms of critical infrastructure,” it added.

“We are still at a loss on how a party could collect donors’ funds and not use them for what it told the world, with fanfare, that it was meant for.

“If a party could do this to itself, what would it not do to the generality of Nigerians when confronted with massive funds for critical infrastructure? Loot them of course!

“No wonder then that several projects at different stages of incompletion dotted the nation’s landscape as at May 29, 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in for his first term in office.

“For the avoidance of doubt, a large chunk of what the Buhari administration had been doing

is to complete all abandoned projects it inherited from previous PDP administrations.

“That is why the country is like a huge construction site with contractors now mobilised back to site by a government which had been doing so much more with so little in four years.

“We invite Nigerians to compare the PDP sloppiness with a 12-storey building, for instance, with this administration’s work on 13 housing estates which are slated for completion this year under the National Housing Project Plan.

“This is aside from 47 road projects scheduled for completion in 2020/21; Lagos, Kano, Maiduguri and Enugu international airports to be commissioned in 2020 as well as the Lagos – Ibadan and Itakpe – Warri rail lines which are to be delivered in the first quarter of the year”.

Reps condemn attack on Airforce troops, condole family of fallen personnel James Kwen, Abuja

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L-R: Deputy Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Wasiu Sanni Eshilokun; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Idris Salako and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Foluso Dipe during the governor’s inspection of Urban Regeneration sites in Lagos Island, on Saturday.

Oba of Benin in Calabar for a 3-day historic visit MIKE ABANG, Calabar

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he Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II arrived Calabar weekend for a 3-day official visit. The monarch, as part of the visit, will meet with the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu the V, where both are expected to build on and strengthen the existing re-

lationship between the two royal fathers.

The Oba of Benin and his entourage arrived at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport at about 6:45pm Friday in his private jet.

BDSUNDAY gathered that the visit is a continuation of the Oba’s ‘Thank You Tour’, which started last year. It is also meant to create synergy between the Efik and Benin cultures.

While in Calabar, the royal father will meet with the state governor, Ben Ayade, as well as Edo sons and daughters residing in the state before departing on Monday.

Recall that the Obong of Calabar and the Oba of Benin are classified as first class chiefs in Nigeria, the fact being that they are Natural Rulers and Treaty Kings, positions which are not politically created.

he House of Representatives has condemned in strong terms, the recent attack on troops of the 271 Nigerian Airforce Detachment, Birnin Gwari by bandits at Ungwan Yako along Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road.

The House, in a statement signed by the Chairman of the Committee on Airforce, Shehu Koko-Mohammad at the weekend, said the barbaric attack was targeted at innocent citizens in the community but for the gallant effort of the Force men.

The lawmaker Representing Koko- Besse/Maiyama Federal Constituency of kebbi State condoled the Airforce personnel who paid the supreme price in the process.

“Members of the Committee want to use this medium to condemn the attack on troops of the Airforce personnel and also commiserate with the force, the family of the fallen hero who died at the battle field.

“This is sad news for us and to Nigeria as a whole as we look forward to quick recovery of personnel who sustained varying degrees of injury,” he said.

Koko also called on the

Chief of Air Staff, Sadiq Abubakar to redouble efforts in the fight against terrorism in the country.

“I want to assure the Chief of Airforce that the Committee under my leadership will continue to pledge our parliamentary support to see that the force and other sister agencies are properly funded to enable them discharge their duties.

“I also want to urge the Force to see their commitment as a duty to their fatherland and redouble effort in the fight against terrorism.

“Let me on behalf of the Committee commiserate especially with the family of the fallen hero and all officers, airmen and women as well as civilian staff of the NAF. We pray Allah grants Aircraftman Mukhtar Ibrahim eternal rest,” the Committee Chairman added.

Recall that the Nigerian Airforce through its Spokesman, Ibikunle Daramola had disclosed that the troops were able to disperse the over 70 bandits who had laid ambush, killing several in the process.

However, one Airforce personnel paid the supreme price in the process, while some sustained varying degrees of injury.

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News Crisis rocks APC in Akwa Ibom as three factions hold sway …Our party still intact, no problems – Publicity secretary ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

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here are strong indications that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State may have been split into three factions with each group commanding the support of a sizeable number of supporters and loyalists.

It was gathered that the factionsalisation became evident as a result of distrust and bad blood which followed the party’s belowexpectation performance in the last general election in which it won only one seat in the 26-member state House of Assembly.

The party, which also lost the governorship election to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), also lost all the three senatorial seats as well as the 10 seats in the House of Representatives.

However, all hope is not lost as the result of the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District election is still in contention between the candidates of the APC, Godswill Akpabio and Christopher Ekpeyong of the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed a date for a rerun of the senatorial election in the district.

Akpabio, who is the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, has announced his withdrawal from the election which is scheduled to hold on January

25. According to the former governor, he decided against contesting the rerun election in order to focus on the responsibility of his office as the minister of the Niger Affairs.

Further checks reveal that APC members are “disillusioned and distraught” after their defeat in the elections.

They blame some members for the poor showing of the party and they claim that some members were clandestinely working for the PDP during the last elections.

It was gathered that a faction of the party is led

by John James Udoedehe, a former senator and one time minister of the federal capital territory, another faction is headed by Nsima Ekere, the party’s governorship candidate in the last election while the third faction is said to be led by Umana Okon Umana, managing director of oil and gas free trade zone authority.

The director general of Akpabio’s senatorial campaign organisation, Chris Ak-

pan is said to have confirmed the existing of the factions in an interview he granted to a reporter, adding however, that whatever the grievances of the factional leaders, “they cannot do without the support and endorsement of the immediate past governor of the state for the party to succeed in 2023.”

But reacting to the interview, Nkereuwem Enyongekere, publicity of the party, denied the existence of factions, saying the report was at variance with the true picture of the state chapter of the party. “Those mentioned as leaders of factions in the report are very distinguished, loyal and committed members of the party who are using their personal resources to keep the party afloat with strong bond of unity under the able leadership of Iniobong Titus Okopido, the current chairman of APC in the state.

“There is absolutely no crack in the fold of the APC

and the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio is a strong part of the brick wall of this existing unity and as an outstanding beneficiary from such a great united APC family without any rage at the time of his appointment depicts clearly and openly the peaceful nature of the state chapter and the entire party structure in Akwa Ibom State,’’ he said.

Another party member, Imo Akpan has however, blamed the alleged factionalisation of the party on the “failure of leadership” in not being able to galvanise all members to attain a “united whole” for the party.

Akpan, who spoke on a radio programme in Uyo, the state capital said everything should be done to preserve the unity of the party.

“I think in the days and weeks ahead, we should find a common ground where our party leaders should meet and then take a stand that is agreeable to everybody. We cannot divide and rule the APC in Akwa Ibom State.

We don’t want to see a situation where these our noon day progressives come and hijack the party. We must do everything to ensure the party is preserved.

“We don’t want to see a situation where the party is Balkanised for anyone’s selfish interest, just like people are talking about the fractionalisation of the party so that no one man runs away with the party,” he said.

NIDCOM boss calls for partnership between Nigeria/Indian Diaspora professionals Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa has called for a stronger partnership between intelligent Nigerians and Indians professionals in the Diaspora, stressing that such partnership has the potential to transform the world.

The NIDCOM boss made this call during the commemoration of the 2020 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Indians in Diaspora day) and World Hindi Day, held at the Indian High Commission in Abuja on Thursday.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is observed on January 9 to mark the return of

Indian icon Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa as well as recognizing Indians in the Diaspora.

Dabiri-Erewa noted that Nigerians and Indians in the Diaspora are the best crop

Abike Dabiri-Erewa

of experts in various fields of human development, adding that more have to be done to enhance and exploit the human capital components of those living in the Diaspora.

She recalled that Nigerian doctors are known to be among the best in their countries of residence, stressing that if Nigerian medical doctors abroad could bring their knowledge and expertise back to the country, it would reduce the rush by Nigerians to seek medical tourism abroad.

Dabiri-Erewa, said further that Nigeria has a lot to learn from India, which has recorded remarkable achievements by its Diasporan citizens. She added that Nigeria also had

a lot to learn from India in terms of how it had successfully handled the affairs of its nationals in Diaspora.

“There is a lot to learn from what you have done with your Diaspora. When I became chairman of NIDCOM, the first high commission I decided to visit was the Indian High commission to learn from India.

“What I have learnt from India has helped us in the task of setting up of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission and we will continue to come to you to learn more from you.

“The Indian Diaspora is a bridge to the world. We also have a Nigerian Diaspora that is also a bridge to the world but we know that we have a lot to do.

BEDC connects Oke–Irhue community to national grid

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n furtherance of its mandate of ensuring power availability in communities of energizing communities spread across its franchise states which were without power supply for a long period or yet to be connected to the national grid, the management of BEDC Electricity PLC (BEDC) says it has connected Oke – Irhue, an agrarian community in Uhunmwode Local government area of Edo State to the national grid for the first time in its existence last Sunday amidst fanfare by her inhabitants.

The distribution company (Disco) which made this known in a statement declared that the connection of Oke-Irhue to the national grid was to demonstrate BEDC’s resolve to partner with communities without electricity supply in addressing their power outage challenge having fulfilled all necessary preconditions for energisation.

“We the entire people of Oke-irhue are happy in that 15months after the community’s General Assembly worldwide took up the challenge and struggle to light up our community, God finally answered our prayers during this special season of Christmas by granting our village the opportunity to be linked with the national electricity grid today 29-12-2019, a project which has been ongoing since 2002,” remarked CP Douglas Agbonleni (rtd), President,

OCGA National Assembly.

BEDC’s powering of the community with electricity on Sunday put an end to the travail of some members of the community who over the years had relied solely on generator as the only source of power as they have never been connected to the national grid since inception.

This has however slowed down the pace of development in the area despite being blessed with abundant resources even as the residents opined that the energisation will no doubt spur the socio economic development of the area.

President General Oke – IrhueCommunityGeneralAssembly (OCGA) Mr. Douglas Agbonleni commended members of the community, the electricity committee for their patience, commitment and cooperation in ensuring that the energisation project became a reality and urged them to guide “this noble project jealously against the activities of vandals.”

Agbonleni noted that there would be re-awakened socio-economic advantage engendered by the new status of the community, and thanked BEDC management for its guide, support and understanding in spite of inadequacies, promising that the OCGA would keep its own side of the bargain “by ensuring the safety of the equipment and meeting our financial obligations”.

MAHAFA concludes 30th free medical mission to Imo GODFREY OFURUM in Owerri

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edical and Humanitarian Aid for Africa (MAHAFA) a nonprofit organisation, based in the United States of America, has concluded its 30th medical mission to Imo State.

Communities that benefited from the free medical mission of MAHAFA were Egbu, in Owerri North Local Government Area, Nneorie in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area and Chokoneze, in Ezinihite Mbaise Local Government Area.

The medical team led by Richard Anyanwu, a nurse, based in the United States of America, provided general outpatient medicine to patients with malaria, high blood pressure and diabetes. They also gave out free reading glasses to patients.

Anyanwu, who was appalled by the high rate of high blood pressure and diabetes in Nigeria, urged the three tiers of government to invest more in healthcare.

According to him, “Government is not doing enough

in healthcare. What I’ve noticed is that our people are sick. Most of them are diabetic, hypertensive, people with result of 206 over 114, blood pressure. So many people are diabetic and when you check them, their blood sugar is about 300 and some 400, which is high.

“Our people are dying slowly and my experience has been that the coming up of MAHAFA has provided succour to the people, whereby we have been able to diagnose and provide some areas of treatment for them”.

As a non-profit organisation, Anyanwu explained that MAHAFA relies on individuals and organisations for funds, but noted however, that support has declined in recent times.

“Quite frankly, the support has been minimal, because people are getting tired of giving to Africa. But my church, Holy Assembly Missionary Baptist Church, based in Marina, California and led by Raymond Martin, has been of great support to us. The church contributes financially as well as buys some medical supplies for us,” he said.

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News

N37bn NASS renovation: Confusion trails...

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Abdulrazaq

Saraki

Stop dissipating energy on petty issues - PDP elders tell Abdulrazaq SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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lders and members of the Ilorin West chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara have advised the state Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to face the task of governance instead of dissipating energy on petty issues.

They said every effort aimed at erasing the legacies of the late strongman of Kwara politics and Second Republic Senate Leader, Olusola Saraki will fail.

Ahmed Baba Okota, the PDP chairman in Ilorin West Local Government, stated this on Friday at a press conference he addressed on behalf of the party’s stakeholders, held at the party’s secretariat along Agbo-Oba, Ilorin.

According to him, the late Saraki’s legendary humanitarian gestures during his life time had implanted his love permanently in the hearts of the people.

Akota said: The late Dr. Olusola Saraki’s legendary humanitarian activities were not restricted to the period of partisan politics alone. Even, during the prolonged military rule in Nigeria, Saraki Oloye continued with his unmatched humanitarian gestures at his charity home- Ile Arugbo.

“Recent actions of Governor Abdulrazaq which tended towards erasing the legacies of Baba Saraki, therefore, came to us as a rude shock.

“We concur with the submissions of earlier commentators on these issues, both prominent individuals and organisations that the government’s actions are nothing but a pure vendetta and vindictiveness!

“It’s important to make it clear to His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and

his advisers that there is nothing anyone can do to erase the legacies of the late Oloye Saraki.

Indeed, Saraki lives in the heart of the people. And this is not accidental, it was designed.

Speaking on Saraki’s commitment towards developing the people’s lives, he says: “The Wazirin Gari had always been there for his people at the time of their needs. It was Saraki who provided water for our people when they were thirsty and no help was coming from anywhere.

“Saraki erected brick water tanks at strategic locations within Ilorin metropolis and used his water tankers to supply them with potable water for their domestic use. It was the same Saraki that constructed bridges across the popular Amule Rriver (Amule Saraki) to facilitate vehicular movements in the downtown Ilorin.

“Saraki also sponsored the education of numerous indigent students and medical treatments of many, especially the aged. The list of Saraki’s interventions in the lives of the people of Ilorin Emirate, in particular, and Kwara in general is endless. This is why they have taken him as their hero.

“In light of the above, we will like to call on Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to listen to the voice of reason by rescinding his decisions aimed at erasing Saraki’s legacies.

“It’s the duty of every government to ensure the welfare of the people. So, if anyone is engaging in humanitarian gestures to put smiles on the faces of the needy and the downtrodden, any serious government should encourage such an individual.”

Meanwhile, despite the demolition of Ile Arugbo by agents of Kwara State government, the aged women still thronged the

place on Friday to receive gifts.

Four women in their 70s who spoke with journalists at Ile Arugbo pointed out that, that’s the only place in Ilorin where their needs are catered for.

The women, namely; Sarah Adebayo from Kwara south, Saratu Raimi, Abibatu Suleiman, from Kwara central and Rachael Adebayo(JP) from Iyin Ekiti in Ekiti state disclosed that they have been patronising Ile Arugbo for about 40 years.

Saying apart from the foodstuff and clothes that they normally receive at Ile Arugbo, the late Second Republic Senate Leader, Abubakar Olusola Saraki also sponsored them on Hajj and Jerusalem pilgrimages.

The women expressed delight that the immediate past Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki is following the footsteps of his father in this act of humanitarian gesture.

“Saraki had for about 40 years been using Ile Arugbo to distribute gifts to us, even during the military rule without any hindrance.

“The late Olusola Saraki was our benefactor who took good care of us during his life time. His son, Dr. Bukola Saraki is also following the footsteps of his late father in this regard,” they enthused.

The women, in their hundreds and in high spirit, offered various prayer songs, asking God to grant Bukola Saraki long life, sound health and victory over his adversaries. As usual, food stuff, clothes and money were distributed to the women who defied the cold weather to arrive Ile Arugbo as early as 7.00 am.

The man who supervised the distribution of the largesse to the women, Rasaq Aladie disclosed that Saraki has always made enough provision for the women whether or not he is in Ilorin.

ment as well as the contractors, beneficiaries and payment patterns for Nigerians to see, if indeed the money has not been detailed for diversion.

“The party charge the National Assembly to stand on the side of the people by using its statutory legislative instruments to thoroughly scrutinize the FCDA budget and eliminate all embedded padding designed to fleece our nation”, PDP demanded.

Akin Alabi, a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of APC, representing Egbeda/Ara Federal Constituency of Oyo State said on Twitter that there is no reason to appropriate such outrageous funds on the renovation of the National Assembly Complex.

“I see no reason we should spend N37billion renovating the National Assembly. Yes, we need an upgrade on some aspects like the electronic systems (sound system, voting system etc) as they are outdated but N37billion? No. Let’s spend that on our schools and hospitals.”

Ochilegor Idagbo, a PDP member of the House of Representatives, representing Bekwarra/ Obanliku/Obudu Federal Constituency of Cross River said the National Assembly Complex needs no renovation that would cost the country N37billion.

“As a member of @nassnigeria, I don’t believe that the complex needs any renovation that would cost the country N37billion. We need more upgraded classrooms and hospitals to cater for the Nigerian people”, Idagbo said on his tweet handle.

Idayat Hassan, director of the Centre for Democracy and Development, said in an interview with BDSUNDAY that it is sinful for the National Assembly to consider, let alone pass the N37billion as part of their year’s spending.

Hassan declared that it is stealing in broad daylight and probably the biggest budget padding scheme and wondered why the government of the day raised no eyebrow and allowed that to sail through.

“One, the government has to realise that Nigeria is no longer an oil country, two, the country is gradually going toward insolvency, with the monumental loan we have incurred and still incurring.

“Proposing what can build a new complex is nothing short of calling Nigeria and Nigerians stupid. I just hope all the outcry by the public does not go unheeded by these representatives. It seems they have stopped representing us the Nigerians”, she maintained.

This development had pushed the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), BudgIT, Enough is Enough (EiE) and 583 concerned Nigerians

to file a suit asking the court to stop President Buhari and Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning from releasing N37billion allocated for the renovation of the National Assembly Complex until an impact assessment of the spending is conducted.

The groups are also seeking an order to stop Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Federal Capital Development Agency from demanding or collecting the N37billion earmarked for the renovation of the Complex.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja the plaintiffs argued that although the National Assembly Complex should be a safe and conducive environment for those working there, spending N37 billion to renovate it is not commensurate with the constitutional commitments to public services and goods; decreasing public revenues and increasing level of debts and the poor economic as well as social realities in the country.

They argued that spending N37billion to renovate the National Assembly Complex is self-serving, wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, as it means less money for educating millions of out-of-school Nigerian children, providing access to clean water and healthcare to Nigerians or repairing the country’s roads and bridges.

The 583 concerned Nigerians who also joined the suit as coplaintiffs in the suit filed by Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi said lawmakers are public officers who have sworn the constitutional oaths of office to perform their respective duties in the interest of Nigerian citizens.

The co-plantiffs asserted that the refusal of President Buhari to object to the Budget/Appropriation Bill containing a huge N37 billion on renovation of the National Assembly complex is a gross violation of the constitution and existing laws in Nigeria.

“The present-day economic reality in Nigeria includes chronic poverty amongst a high percentage of citizens and the inability of many state governments to pay salaries of workers and pensions. Unless the reliefs sought are granted, the Defendants will take benefit of the allocated N37 billion at the expense of many Nigerians living in poverty.

“The crux of the Plaintiffs’ argument is better expressed in the question: Why should the nation spend so much on a building when there are other important areas of national infrastructure that can be developed in order to affect a greater number of citizens?”, they queried.

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News

Embrace manufacturing, not just buying and selling business - Ikpeazu advises Abia indigenes UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia.

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overnorOkezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has charged Abians to think beyond the traditional way of buying and selling which have become endangered by current economic realities and begin to seriously embrace the option of going into light manufacturing as a credible alternative.

Ikpeazu gave the charge at the Government House Umuahia while inaugurating a 7-man Exploratory Committee for the setting up of University of Science & Technology in Aba with eminent Nigerian, Anya O. Anya, a professor, as chairman.

He charged the members to conceptualise and deliver a 21st century University of Science & Technology to help feed the manpower needs of Companies and Industries coming up in Aba, Abia State in particular and the South East in general.

The Abia Chief Executive noted that the university would form the fulcrum that would open new vista of development and would serve not only Ndi Igbo but also Nigeria at large.

The governor enjoined the Committee members to

Ikpeazu

leverage on the advantages of SME manufacturing and availability of massive equipment and resources at the Meteorological Complex in Aba to drive home the vision of establishing the university.

Ikpeazu, who described the committee members as individuals with capacity to drive the vision of building a University of Science & Technology, expressed confidence that the Committee would do a good job.

He urged them to do whatever they think was necessary to achieve the

goals of the committee “The essence of the University is to produce manpower that would assist in the economic development of Ndi Igbo. The position of Ndi Igbo in trade and commerce is threatening and needs to be be salvaged through aggressive technology in the economy development so that Ndi Igbo would remain appreciative of our government for a long time because of the proposed university,” he said.

The terms of reference given to the Committee in-

INEC to ignore collation of results in constituency with traces of violence Iniobong Iwok

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he Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) has said it would henceforth stop the process of election results in constituency marred by violence.

INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu stated this at a meeting of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) held at the weekend in Abuja, noting that the commission would no longer tolerate attacks on its personnel and invading of the collation centres.

“Going forward, INEC has decided that although the commission has no power under the law to cancel an election, it will not proceed with the process in any constituency where the safety of voters, our personnel and materials is threatened.

“Furthermore, collation of results will not proceed where the collation centres

are invaded. No declaration of winners will be made where Returning Officers are threatened,” Yakubu said.

He lamented the largescale violence which characterised recent off-season elections in the country, while noting that the commission would collaborate with the National Assembly towards

Mahmood

the establishment of Electoral Offences Commission Tribunal in order to effectively prosecute electoral offenders.

According to him, “One critical area of reform is the prosecution of electoral offenders. We shall vigorously pursue the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal. Unless such decisive measure is taken, the present system of arrest, investigation and prosecution of electoral offenders will remain at best palliative”.

He said the commission was aware of the agitations for electoral reforms and was working with relevant stakeholders and the National Assembly towards its realisation.

“The Commission is aware of the imperative of reform of which the review of the electoral legal framework is fundamental. We are working with the National Assembly and all stakeholders in this regard,” he added.

clude: to explore viability of siting the university in Aba, give options for funding, leverage commercial & SME activities around Aba to drive the university, look at the rich human capital of Ndi Igbo and finding options of collaboration with development partners Anya O. Anya, chairman of the committee, on behalf of other members, commended the governor for setting up the committee to develop a university Ndi Igbo and Nigeria at large would be proud of.

He said that there could not be an effective Enyimba Economic City without a Science and Technology base and assured that the Committee would do everything within its powers to achieve the Governor’s vision of building a university Ndi Igbo and Nigeria would be proud of. He told the Governor that by having the courage to start this, he had initiated a process that would change the course of development in the future.

Other members of the committee are Isaac Nnadi, Uwaoma Olewengwa, a former vice chancellor of the University of Nigeria; Benjamin Ozumba, John Ogunji and Nduka Okere (professors) while Ikechi Mgbeoji, a professor, will serve as secretary of the Ccommittee.

Imo economic future is in development of hospitality, tourism - Ihedioha SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

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overnor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State has that his administration would give priority to land allocation for proper development as well as the development of tourist’s attraction in the state.

Ihedioha pointed out that development of the hospitality industry and tourism was capable of boosting the state’s economy.

The governor spoke when he inaugurated the Imo State Tourism Board at the Sam Mbakwe Expanded Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Owerri.

He emphasised that the tourism sector remained the driving force that would act as a catalyst to for economic development of Imo State.

“Imo State has the capacity to take the lead in the tourism sector in the country. We can make a fortune from this sector and rake in N3billion monthly to our Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR), from the tourism sector alone.

“Our vision is to boost tourism in the state, develop an entertainment city and turn Imo State into a tourism destination. We have the potentials, therefore, we can achieve it”, Ihedioha said.

He charged the members of the board to explore the sector and give considerable

attention to the abundant human resources and tourism potentials in the state.

Ihedioha stated that his administration was committed to supporting willing investors particularly those who intend to invest in the tourism sector, by providing land and enabling environment.

“We are ready to work and support those who have ideas to develop our state.

We will continue to utilise our potentials to ensure we make appreciable impact in developing our dear state in the next two years,” he said.

While expressing optimism in the ability of the members of the board to live up to his expectation, he charged them to strive to make Imo State the number one tourist destination in the country.

Charles Anudo, chairman of the Board, expressed hope and the willingness of board to work assiduously for the development of the sector to become a major revenue earner for the state.

“It is our hope that we shall impact the sector by attracting new investments with a view to creating jobs and actualising the governor’s mandate for the sector,” Anudo said.

He expressed gratitude to the governor for finding them worthy to undertake the task, assuring that they would live up to expectations.

Abia to shutdown substandard private schools GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

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bia State Government has threatened to shut down substandard private schools, as it moves to improve quality of education in the State.

Kanelechi Nwangwa, commissioner for Education, who revealed this in an interaction with the media in his office in Umuahia, stated that the exercise will start, Monday, January, 13, 2020.

Nwangwa noted that the planned clampdown on substandard schools, would erase the negative education that majority of the substandard private schools are inculcating in the children.

The Commissioner emphasised that any school that does not meet the minimum standard requirement will be shutdown.

According to him, no school that run in residential buildings, warehouses, church halls, village/town halls and other make-shift places, will survive the clampdown.

Minimum requirement for registration of a private primary school in Abia include, Four (4) plots of land, at least three classrooms with a dimension of 9m x 12m, administrative block, reading room/library, basic health scheme and toilet facilities.

The school should also have games field-15m x 15m, qualified head teacher that must obtain at least NCE and be registered with Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) with not less four years of teaching experience, other teachers must have at least NCE and must be registered with the TRCN and farm land of about four plots.

“Utilities like borehole, electricity supply and firefighting equipment, ICT facilities of at least two computers, bank account with N3 million to protect the interest of the staff and forestall exploitation before adequate income starts flowing”.

For Secondary School, the minimum standard requirement include, “Functional clinic, B.Ed/ BA or B.Sc plus PGDE and five years of experience for a princi-

pal that must be registered with TRCN, assembly and examination hall, guidance, a workshop, a laboratory, counseling unit and a bank account of N5 million.

Nwangwu said, “We found out that our people have taken going to school, as the same thing as been educated. Most parents send their children to school to get only good in their report cards. Whenever the child doesn’t get 10 over 10 they scold the child.

“The child will grow and believe that going to school is synonymous with coming back with good, which means the child is wasting time.

Soon, the child begins to think of how to change his result to please his parents.

“Students don’t fail in schools anymore, because these schools keep deceiving parents that their children are doing well. I went to a particular school and discovered it was a poultry.

“They divided it into two, one side was serving as a school with children, while the other side is filled with birds. You can imagine this kind of scenario.

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News EFCC nabs currency counterfeiters, confiscates N45m fake notes

Insecurity delaying Taraba Council elections - TSIEC Chairman

... As court jails fraudster seven years without option of fine in Ibadan

he Chairman, Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission (TSIEC), Philip Duwe has said that insecurity in some parts of the state was responsible for the delay in the conduct of the Local Government Council Elections in the State.

Duwe, who disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Jalingo said the commission and the government were willing to conduct Local Council elections, but the lingering security in the state was hampering the exercise.

He explained that the commission had already done its budget which has been approved by the State House of Assembly, but was waiting for signal from security agencies as to when it will be convenient to hold elections.

“As a commission, we are well prepared. Our budget and activity profile are all ready. The only thing we are waiting for is the instruction from the Governor who is the Chief Security Officer of

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Innocent Odoh, Abuja

peratives of t h e Ab u j a Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC have arrested Badamasi Sule and Muhammad Muhammad, suspected money-doublers, for being in possession of counterfeit Naira notes totaling about N45million.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Head of Media & Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, the suspects were arrested in December 2019, following actionable intelligence report which exposed a syndicate of fraudsters who specialize in printing fake N1, 000 notes. They were also found to be in possession of fake $100 bills.

Investigations further revealed that two “Ghana-

must-go bags” in their possession containing the N1, 000 notes were shortly to be put into circulation. Their primary targets are bureaux de change operators, and unsuspecting members of the public.

The syndicate is believed to be operating from Gashua, Yobe State, with its dispatch lodge being a hotel located in Abacha Estate, close to the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja. They will soon be arraigned in court, the state-

ment said.

Meanwhile Justice Mohammed Owolabi of the Oyo State High Court on Friday, January 10, 2020 sentenced one Joseph Adebayo to seven years in prison without option of fine for defrauding Ikemefune Sunny of N700,000 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).

The convict was prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a one-count

Nigerian youths advised to embrace meaningful career UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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igerian youths, who currently have no means of livelihood, have been advised to pursue meaningful careers and craftsmanship instead of idling away this year, 2020.

James Nnadozie Uchegbuo, a community leader in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State and also a public analyst, in his New Year message made available to newsmen in Umuahia, called on the youth to always think of the time when they would be weak in strength to embark on meaningful ventures.

Uchegbuo said: “Our youths should think about

their future and pursue career and craftsmanship that will make them self-reliance economically and independent-minded; so that they can prepare for their old age, which may be disastrous, if they fail to plan for it”.

He further admonished youths to be very close to God this year, 2020, to help them bring out the best of their lives, so that they could be good leaders of their communities.

Uchegbuo, who wished his kinsmen in Ahuwa Oboro Autonomous community, Ikwuano L.G.A, of Abia State a prosperous New Year, however decried the activities of some individuals who do not mean well for the community. “ Ah u w a - O b o r o Au -

tonomous community for some time now has been having some problems, provoked by those who claim to be moneybags, who instead of using their money to improve lives and making themselves relevant in a positive way that will affect our youths, women and the elderly men of the community, rather use it to sponsor disunity in the community.

“My advice to them is for a change of attitude and to allow peace and tranquility to reign in Ahuwa land, because it is only peace and tranquility that will bring about development, worthy enough to change lives and restore the dignity of the community,” he said.

R-L: Special Adviser, office of Civic Engagement, office of the deputy governor of Lagos State, Aderemi Adebowale; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat; Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the founder Touch of Love and Lifting Hands Foundation, Atinuke Wuraola Owolabi at a programme organised by the state office of Civic Engagement recently in Lagos.

charge of obtaining money by false pretence.

Adebayo started his journey to prison following a petition submitted to the Ibadan Zonal Office of the EFCC in which the petitioner alleged that sometime in October, 2017 he purchased a plot of land, which hosted an uncompleted building, located at the back of Christ High School, Odo-Ona Elewe area, Oluyole, Ibadan from the convict at the cost of N700, 000.00 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira).

He further alleged that despite paying the complete cost, he was unable to take possession of the land having been stopped by the genuine owner when he attempted to construct a perimeter fence around the land.

Following the development, all efforts by the petitioner to get his money back proved abortive as Adebayo became elusive.

Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

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the State.

“You all know that Taraba has come under serious security challenge and the Governor can only give instruction for the conduct of election based on security report from security agents.

“As we speak, a lot of people who were displaced are still in IDPs camps, especially in southern and northern parts of the state which were the worst hit in the crisis.

“Even though people are agitating for elections to be conducted in the Local Council, we cannot risk the lives of the people and disenfranchised others in the process,” he said.

Duwe thanked politicians who were already displaying posters for the council polls for their willingness to participate in the process and urged them to join hands with the government and security agencies to restore permanent peace to communities to enable the commission conduct election.

He thanked God for a reduction in the level of crisis in the state and the media for their objective reportage of the peace process.

How USAID assisted 250,000 Nigerians affected

by HIV epidemic over five years - Haykins Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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ver the past five years, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) activity operating in five states has reached nearly 250,000 of the most vulnerable Nigerians – children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic – and their caregivers.

USAID Mission Director in Nigeria Stephen Haykins made this known at the closing ceremony of the Local Partners for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project in Nigerian Region 3 (LOPIN3) in Abuja on Wednesday.

“This activity helped these populations obtain equitable access to quality health services and helped community health systems become more responsive to their needs,” Haykins said.

He added that the programme has been “providing referrals to access health care and protection services along with education and job training and strengthened resilience within vulnerable households A statement by the USAID on Wednesday said since 2014, the LOPIN 3 provided these families with discrete linkages to treatment, health care services including

psychosocial support, protection services, household economic strengthening, job skills and seed funding for small business startups, education, and nutrition counseling.

Working at the community level, the $10 million LOPIN 3 mobilized 26 indigenous civil society organizations to improve their systems, program management, and administrative capacity.

It also strengthened state ministries of Women Affairs; AIDS control agencies, and other organizations to provide a better response to the epidemic and its affected populations, the statement said.

The project operated in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ebonyi, Adamawa, and Kano states. In concert with two other sister activities with the same project goals, the LOPIN activities covered a total of nine states. Through the three LOPIN activities, USAID has supported more than half a million children orphaned or otherwise affected by HIV and AIDS. Implemented by Health Initiatives for Safety and Stability in Africa (HIFASS), LOPIN 3 reached more than 184,000 vulnerable children and their households with its bouquet of services. It also provided critical support to 48,000 of these children’s caregivers.

Under the activity, block grants helped vulnerable children access schools – assisting academic progress for thousands of youth, with equal opportunity for girls and boys. Its approach not only protected young people from the stigma of association with HIV, but also helped eliminate the perception of people living with HIV as anything less than vibrant, productive community members.

A beneficiary Rachael Bassey, 21, from Cross River State, said she lost her mother as a teenager due to complications from HIV, and had to drop out of school when her father later met with an accident and could no longer pay the fees. Struggling to find paid work, she came across the project, which provided her training in fashion design and importantly, boosted her self-confidence and determination despite some initial doubts.

“They gave me an opportunity to really focus on something. Now I am running my own shop, which has been successful,” Bassey said.

As with all USAID activities, the practices and procedures it introduced have the potential to serve as models to be replicated and scaledup by the state and local governments in the five focus states and beyond.

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Interview Selfishness of politicians has hampered Nigeria’s progress – Okunola Mutiu Kunle Okunola, a grassroots politician and business tycoon was the Lagos PDP candidate for the House of Representatives for Ikeja Federal constituency in the 2019 general election. He recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress with his supporters. In this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, he spoke about his move the APC, the 2023 presidency, electoral reforms, among other issues. Excerpts:

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Why did you defect from the PDP to the APC? ctually, the narrative has changed; politics is about inclusion and dominating your territory. The Nigeria project is based on power rotation, when you do eight years; other regions get it until it get to all. So, it is between North and South. When I was in PDP it was the right of the North to produce President. I am in support of power rotation, so now that Northern tenure is expiring and President Muhammadu Buhari would be expected to leave power, it is normal for everybody to crave for power rotation to their regions in the South.

But that can only be effective for the ruling party; other parties may not be able to accomplish that, which means that I can only be relevant in APC than elsewhere. My belief is that the unity of Nigeria cannot be compromised; some past leaders who have benefited from Nigeria, some of these people were past ministers, lawmakers and whatever, and now they are professing doom for the country based on their selfishness.

But the country was not in good state when they were in power, so it should not be them that should be telling us if this is not done Nigeria would be in war. So, it is about their personal interest, conspiracy and what have you. I don’t believe in dirty politics; I had to change my party in order to contribute to the unity of the country and that is the essence why I am in politics. I am a graduate, a businessman, I have other jobs I do, but my own input in politics is for the unity and progress of the country.

How have you been received in the APC since you joined in your ward and local government level?

You have forgotten where I am coming from. I was a candidate of that party in the last general election so I am a leader. As a leader your responsibility is to grow the people. I have been well received in APC because they know it is a benefit for people like me to be in the party. I am not coming to the party to see what I can benefit, but I am coming to see how I can contribute my quota towards 2023. I have made it clear to people; I am not coming to run for position, or to take what belong to others, so I am working for a new tomorrow.

The next level of Nigeria I believe is in 2023, so I am putting my best into it believing I would be adequately taken care of because the essence of coming into politics is what you want to be and what you want to get; so the reception has been great.

Recently, I was at a programme at my ward, you need to see the reception and hospitality given to me, because

still going to vote for their candidates during the presidential election. So, you cannot take your presidency based on sentiment when you are not relevant. Right now, there is no APC governor in the entire Southeast states; so, who are you going to give power to, who is the custodian of the presidency? We set up TNN to fight for Tinubu the same way we are going to fight for the North when the turn of the South expires.

Mutiu Okunola

I have been taking care of them; the woman leader, the youth leader, you need to see the crowd. About 2,000 people came with me on the day of my declaration for the APC. I am a known leader in the state, in my local government and my ward. So, since I have joined the APC I have started the TNN project and working, I have been going round the country inaugurating chapters.

It is a workable platform for peace and actualisation of the 2023 agenda for Tinubu, so people are happy we are able to bring this kind of structure into place.

You have contested elections twice in PDP and lost; judging from what transpired in the 2019 election where you were allegedly rigged out and physically manhandled by touts, wouldn’t some of your supporters be surprised you defected to a APC that ill-treated you and robbed you of your chance of getting victory at that election?

I want them to also have a change of mind; governance is not about party but the chance to serve your people.

I have never been able to serve, so if it is APC that would make my dream come true, so be it. I am serving Nigerians not my personal pocket. There is nothing wrong for me to join APC to add my quota to the development of Nigeria. A lot of people are pointing finger at me that APC is a failing party because they lost elections last year; but we should join hand to move the country forward.

We don’t have to say because APC is in power I would not contribute my quota. It is not politics of bitterness; so, there is nothing wrong for me to join APC and serve my

people because I tried at the other end and was unable to succeed. It is about good governance and not about party; 70 percent of the people in APC now were in PDP as well before because there was a conspiracy in allowing APC to take over due to impunity in the system then. So, some people worked towards APC taking over power in 2015. I mean some people who were tired of PDP worked for APC’s emergence, a lot of people were tired and worked towards APC, some of us were in the dark then but now we have seen the light. We have to work for the unity of the country. You cannot blame the President for appointing people he believes and convinced would deliver for him. So, the federal character may not be followed, but what cannot bend is the rotation of the presidency. Whatever you do in your turn, other people would visit you with such. So, it is important that you work for progress and unity of the country when in power.

What is the brain behind forming the TNN movement?

It is Nigeria unity forum, it is based on power rotation, I mean power must rotate from the North to the South and if it rotates to the South it is going to Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If you want him, you would queue with us; if you don’t want him you would be outside while we lobby you. Southeast can get their presidency in the PDP; I don’t want to talk about the turn of the Southeast getting the president somehow. Let us work together and fight for it, power is not served alacarte; it is fought for. So, at the same time, while we are saying power should come to the South people are

But Tinubu has not declared his intension to contest for the presidency in 2023?

Actually, it is not needed for Tinubu to declare his intension to contest for the presidency in 2023 now; those that declared their intension to contest for the presidency at an early stage did not realise their ambition. When the time comes and we have gotten there, when he sees the crowd he would come and declare. Let him come and recue us and work tirelessly for the country.

The project is not for Tinubu to tell us he is going to contest; the project is for us to call him out to come and contest. To whom much is given, much is expected.

The talk now is about amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act toward the 2023 elections; what areas do you think need attention?

Our agitation for electoral reforms is total; it is not a cosmetic reform.

What we are clamouring for is to compel INEC to go into E-voting and include electronic transmission of results. We want them to have application where everybody can vote and register even in their homes.

We don’t want any frustration to registering to vote. Rigging starts during the registration process; people should be able to register in their bedroom. If there is need, there could be centre for thumb printing, capturing, etc. There could be process, where you can easily go to the application of INEC and get serial number where you can vote and be recognised with. So, this issue of deploying NYSC members, deploying ten people in polling units, losing lives, and spending billions to conduct elections would not come in.

People would go about their business and vote at their convenience; once it is time, the portal would close. So, without losing single life and spending billions, we can conduct free and fair elections. The world is now a global village; citizens can vote from anywhere in the world. So, most of these things are being frustrated by colonial masters, who have benefited from the system. Buhari was on the road too, but today he is there and would leave just like Obasanjo. But those who have been benefiting from

the system since the1960’s, I mean the colonial masters, are holding us down. We are also saying that you cannot be allowed to contest and vote in an election if you have not resided in a place for more than two years. We are all Nigerians, we should be allowed to vote and contribute to the process. Why are they making the process cumbersome? The kind of reforms we want is for everybody to have access to information, so that you would not be able to transfer someone from a place to cause problem. Look at what is happening in the country now, nobody knows where we are going now; we are leaving in fear, You talked about reforms in your lecture at the University of Lagos some months back; what do you mean?

Yes, we talked about constitutional review which would give face value to the country. We talked about constitutional reforms. This constitution does not give us peace and power rotation in the constitution is faulty or maybe, it should be included. The constitution was given to us by colonial masters. What we are saying is that there should be a president and vice president and that there should be six vice presidents in each regions and when we have the death of the president of such region, the vice president of the region would be the one that would complete the tenure of the president in that region. It would end the current confusion and put to rest the calls for restructuring and marginalisation.

Everybody would know that there is fairness. So, the vice president would have to watch how programmes and funds are being utilised to check fraud. The vice president would see that regional programmes can go and some exclusive list can be taken away from the Federal Government.

The Federal Government too would play supervisor roles in some areas. Look at the NYSC scheme, it has failed; people are redeploying from where they are posted, anyhow. We are advocating for a two-party system funded by government where candidates would have to send their election budgetary allocation and expenses, and government would take care of such expenditures, for those candidates.

This would enable those in public positions to serve the citizens rather than borrowing money to contest elections and when they get there or lose the elections they would be selling properties to pay back. This can check corruption too. Why can’t we fund political parties so that they can be independent? This would also play a role in curtailing defection of politicians from one party to the other.

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11 Inside Lagos

Four convicted, 36 vehicles seized as Lagos sanitises Ikoyi, V/Island …exercise will go on for 6 months- Taskforce Stories by JOSHUA BASSEY

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agos State government on Friday made good its threat to dislodge illegal squatters from Ikoyi and Victoria precincts, as at least four people were arrested, arraigned and convicted by a mobile court, in an operation that lasted for hours.

Also, about 36 exotic cars and trucks from an illegal car mart and mechanic workshop located on the pedestrian walkway of Muritala Mohammed Drive formerly Bank Road, in Ikoyi, were impounded.

The enforcement team was led by the chairman of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special offenses, Yinka Egbeyemi.

One of those arraigned who converted part of the walkway on Bank Road to a beer parlour was fined N50,000 while all the cartons of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks on display were confiscated.

The three other persons who converted the walkway to a car mart were fined

Frederic Oladeinde, commissioner for transportation, cutting the tape, supported by Oluwatoyin Fayinka, special adviser to the governor on transportation; Sheyi Whenu, permanent secretary, ministry of transportation, among others, at the hand over of traffic enforcement vehicles and motorbikes in Lagos.

on each of the counts after pleading guilty and also had the 36 fairly used vehicles of different makes, seized by the raging enforcement team.

The enforcement team also pulled down a makeshift mosque which was located on the pedestrian walkway also Bank Road, Ikoyi.

The remnants of the demolition exercise were carted away by Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), while towing vehicles were provided by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to move vehicles causing obstruction.

The team also touched Adekunle Lawal formerly

In Lagos, teachers’ reward no longer in ‘heaven’

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or teachers in the Lagos State public service, the reward may no longer be in ‘heaven’, as they can look to better rewarding days ahead.

As a show of commitment to making this more real, the government has announced that heads of public primary schools would be entitled to official cars.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, pleasantly surprised the teachers when, on Thursday, he made an unscheduled appearance at CMS Schools Complex in Bariga, Lagos, where primary school teachers have been undergoing capacity building programme.

More than 2,000 teachers from the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) have been on a two-week intensive training under the Eko Excel Initiative. The programme is component of the Sanwo-Olu’s administration education blueprint seeking to deploy technology to fundamentally transform the basic education template, thereby improving the outcome of teaching and learning.

The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and its technical partner, Bridge International Academies, had trained 2,400 primary school teachers in the first tranche of the capacity building.

According to Sanwo-Olu, the training was necessary to incorporate the primary school teachers into the reforms being introduced to improve on education at the foundation level and enhance the quality of education in the State.

The governor said his administration would digitalise curriculum of basic schools, as modern techniques were being employed to maximise learning in all public-owned primary schools. He said the teachers required the training to enable them use gadgets being introduced by the government to achieve and measure academic growth in primary schools.

“We are changing the mode of instruction in our primary school and we are employing technology to achieve this. By this, we are creating a situation where school will be attractive to children, irrespective of so-

cial background. We believe the first effort to shape their future is to make them look forward to going to school every day in their formative years. When we properly prepare them at that cognitive stage, we have carved a good future for them.

“Delivering these instructions is critical. This is why we introduced this intensive training to boost the capacity of our teachers to deliver and support these children at this critical stage. We believe teachers are the first point of contact between the children and their future. The six hours spent with teachers can go a long way in shaping what the pupils will become tomorrow.”

Sanwo-Olu assured that the government would also be supporting the teachers with attractive welfare package that would boost their morale and enhance productivity. To better motivate the teachers and get them committed to their duty, the governor disclosed that his administration would be introducing a vehicle scheme for head teachers to support them in delivering their responsibilities.

Magregor Road and Olawale Daudu Road formerly Lord Rumens where a makeshift car wash opposite Abraham’s Court was dismantled and four vehicles wrongly parked towed away.

Speaking with newsmen at end of the exercise, Egbeyemi advised people who have mounted shanties and illegal structures to remove

same, adding that the enforcement was the beginning of what would be a continuous exercise to restore sanity to that parts of the state.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the enforcement committee to actualise its mandate to rid Ikoyi and Victoria Island of all illegal structures and all environmental nuisances.

He added that the special committee set up by the state government for this purpose would be carrying out the clean up exercise for the next six months and would ensure its sustenance by the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) brigade and Neighbourhood Safety Corps.

The special committee, it would be recalled, had embarked on awareness campaigns through the electronic and social media to sensitise the general public, residents and owners of illegal structures on setbacks, walkways, drainage alignments, roadside mechanics and squatters in the affected areas to comply with the law, maintaining that anyone caught would be dealt with in accordance with the environmental laws of the state.

As the exercise continues, commercial motorcycle riders plying restricted routes and commercial vehicles driving against traffic as well as those picking passengers on the main roads would also be prosecuted.

Night club owners and karaoke operators with inadequate parking spaces who encouraged their customers to park on main roads thereby making life difficult for residents to gain free access to their homes would also not go unpunished during this clean-up exercise, the state government warned.

The resuscitation of the special committee became necessary following the various complaints received from members of the public and residents on the unwholesome activities going on in Ikoyi and Victoria Island.

The state government said that the quest to have a safe, clean and healthy Lagos was not negotiable; hence the “present administration is set to find a permanent solution to all environmental infractions being witnessed in Ikoyi, and Victoria Island as well as other parts of the state.”

Court begins trial of 2 over attempted murder

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n Ogudu Magistrate Court, Lagos, has begun the trial of two suspects, Ibrahim Issa, 27 and Haruna Mohammed, 30, accused of an attempted murder.

The trial began on Friday, with a four-count charge preferred against the accused. The counts include c o n s p i r a c y, a t t e m p t e d murder, assault occasioning harm and threat to life, to which the accused with no fixed address, however, pleaded not guilty.

The police prosecutor, Donjor Perezi, had informed the court that the defendants

and others still at large, committed the offences on December 27, 2019, at the Mile 12 Market, Lagos.

Perezi said that the defendants, during a heated argument with the complainant, Abubakar Mohammed, used a broken bottle and cutlass to inflict near fatal injuries on his head.

“They also used a big rod to injure him on his head and neck. They assaulted another complainant-Aliyu Abubakar, who came to help Mohammed by beating him with the same big stick all over his body.

“The defendants threat-

ened to kill Mohammed and Abubakar if they ever messed with them again,” the prosecutor alleged.

According to him, the offences contravened sections 56, 173, 230 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.

The magistrate, Bukola Mogaji, granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of N500, 000 on the charges of conspiracy, assault and threat to life.

Mogaji, however, denied the defendants bail on the charge of attempted murder, and adjourned till January 31, 2019 for further hearing.

Accident claims one on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

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he Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed one killed and five injured in a lone accident at Ayobo, near Alapako-Ogunmakin, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Ogun sector commander of the FRSC, Clement Oladele, confirmed that the accident happened at about 10.50 a.m on Friday.

Oladele explained that a

Toyota Previa bus with registration number LND 929GL lost control due to excessive speed and rammed into the road divider.

The sector commander said that six persons, made up of three male adults, two female adults and a child, were involved in the accident that resulted in the death of the child while the five others sustained injuries.

He said the corpse of the child had been deposited at FOS morgue, Ipara,near Ogere,while the survivors were taken to Victory Hospital,Ogere and Babcock University Hospital, Ogere.

The FRSC boss admonished motorists to drive cautiously and obey extant traffic rules and regulations to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and property. NAN

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Curtailing the menace of okada riders in Lagos

Frank Aigbogun

editor Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGY, INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS Oghenevwoke Ighure ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude FINANCE MANAGER Emeka Ifeanyi MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (South East, South South) Patrick Ijegbai COPY SALES MANAGER Florence Kadiri DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

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

M

otorcycle, popularly known as okada , is now one of the primary modes of transportation commonly used in the country.

Most people opt for okada for many reasons. Some do so because it is considered convenient, fast and readily available. But then, the rise in okada usage has been accompanied by increased occurrence of avoidable loss of lives on Nigeria roads.

The excess of okada riders, especially in cities such as Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha, Kano etc has led to lots of social ills and complications.

It is, therefore, in order to sanitise the whole process that the Lagos State government came up with the Traffic Law in 2012. An aspect of the Law restricts the operations of commercial motorcycles operators (okada riders) in 495 designated strategic highways and routes out of a total number of 9,700 available routes within the metropolis.

The import of this is that the law does not eliminate the use of okada

in the state outright, but chiefly tends to regulate the activities of its operators to guide against chaos and lawlessness. Presently, there are more than 9000 routes in the state through which okada riders could effectively operate within the confine of the law.

The enactment of the law restricting okada operation in the state was primarily meant to protect the interest of the public. It was enacted to ensure that people do not ride on okada along routes that could put their lives and those of others in jeopardy.

Without a doubt, the misery and grief that okada has brought into several homes in Lagos, and indeed across the country, is not unknown to many. Available statistics from the Lagos State Management Authority (LASTMA) reveals that not less than 619 people were killed or seriously injured in okada accident between 2015 and 2016 The breakdown shows that 107 people died while 512 sustained serious injuries. Among the dead were 71 males and 36 females. In 2011 alone, 47 people were killed while 98 others sustained serious injuries from okada accidents.

And, between January 2015 and October of same year, the statistics shows that 63 people were killed while 59 sustained serious injuries.

Aside safety issue, there is also a security angle to the whole okada issue. A 2016 police report shows that out of the 30 armed robbery incidents recorded in Lagos between July and September 2016, 22 involved commercial motorcycles.

According to the report, it was obvi-

ous that out of eight robberies that occurred in July, seven involved the use of okada while it was also used in 10 out of 14 robberies in September and five out of eight robberies in August of same year. Looking at these available facts and figures, there should be no controversy about the fact that the operations of okada in the state need to be regulated for the common good of all.

Besides the agony and grief it brings upon its victims, the lawlessness of okada riders on major highways is quite nauseating thereby making commuting a harrowing experience. Therefore, to guarantee the free-flow of traffic and to ensure that the movement of residents and investors coming into the state is not hindered and put at risk, the enforcement of strict law becomes necessary.

To underscore how unpopular okada has become as a mode of transportation across the country, the Federal Capital Territory and over 15 other states have similarly promulgated laws regulating the activities of okada in their respective states .

The state government is committed to improving public transportation in the state. Ongoing intervention in rehabilitating major roads across the State has brought respite and soccour to road users.

The Lagos-Badagry Expressway has come alive as the first phase of the project from Mile 12-Voz was recently commissioned for public use.

Equally, 31 networks of roads were commissioned by Mr. Governor in Ojokoro Local Council

Development Authority (LCDA).

The reconstruction and upgrading of strategic roads such as the 6.05 kilometer Phase 1 Road from Itamaga to Ewu Elepe town, the 7.8 kilometers Owutu-Agric-Ishawo Road Phase One and Bola TinubuIgbogbo-Imota Road in Ikorodu has also begun.

Similarly, the Victoria Island, Lekki Traffic Circulation project on Oniru axis received a major attention while four major junctions in Maryland, Ikotun, Ajah and Allen Avenue are already scheduled to undergo comprehensive improvement with a view to easing traffic.

The Agege-Pen Cinema Bridge is also slated for completion by July, just as preliminary plans for the construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge has also gotten to an appreciable level.

Intermodal multimodal transport system is also being significantly strengthened with the recommencement of work on the Lagos light rail project. Also, extensive ferry services would begin in six major routes this January.

Recall that Uber Boat service, a partnership between the global ridehailing company and Lagos State Waterways Authority, LASWA, recently commenced operation.

Lagosians are enjoined to cooperate with the state government in ensuring the enforcement of the Lagos Traffic Law since it was mainly enacted to protect the people. Self preservation is the responsibility of every human being.

Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

Imo Itsueli Mohammed Hayatudeen Afolabi Oladele Vincent Maduka Opeyemi Agbaje Amina Oyagbola Bolanle Onagoruwa Fola Laoye Chuka Mordi Mezuo Nwuneli Charles Anudu Tunji Adegbesan Eyo Ekpo Wiebe Boer Paul Arinze Boye Olusanya Ayo Gbeleyi Haruna Jalo-Waziri Clement Isong

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13

Politics Ondo 2020: Akeredolu’s re-election ambition, crisis in APC and opposition’s onslaught

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Iniobong Iwok s major political parties in Ondo State are getting ready for the off-season governorship election to be held in the state this year, the big question on the lips of many Nigerians who have followed the crisis rocking the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is how the party hopes to retain the state with their “Babel” of voices and attitude.

The main opposition party in the state, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is talking tough. It has declared its intention to take back the party, saying that there is no governance in the state. Eddy Olafeso, national vice chairman of the PDP (Southwest), recently indicated his intention to contest the 2020 governorship election in the state.

Olafeso described his move as a rescue mission, describing the present administration of Rotimi Akeredolu as a disaster in the state.

“There is no government in Ondo State here,” he said.

“This is the state of Ajasin, it is the state of Adefarati, it is the state of Olusegun Agagu and Olusegun Mimiko. We are now witnessing a situation where students are paying from primary school level to secondary school. The tertiary institutions are far beyond the ordinary man.

“I’m a product of the Awolowo era. I won’t have been educated if there is no social welfare programme for the ordinary man on the street. They have abdicated their responsibilities and they have stepped on the head of history.”

Within his party, it appears Akeredolu may face some formidable resistance in his intention to return for a second term.

His major obstacle, for now, is coming from fellow party members.

The governor has been at loggerheads with leaders of the party in the state and outside the state, including Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the acclaimed national leader of the party, while the state chapter of the APC has equally been factionalised.

It is believed that the crisis in Ondo APC started when Akeredolu emerged the candidate of the APC during the last governorship primary election held on September 3, 2016.

The primary election raised a lot of dust as there was an allegation that some individuals at the APC national secretariat under the former national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun helped Akeredolu to manipulate the result of the primary election against Segun Abraham who was the anointed candidate of Tinubu and scored the second highest votes.

Among the politicians that also took part in the primary were Olusola Oke, Tayo Alasoadura, Ajayi Boroffice and Tunji Abayomi.

Abraham had approached the Federal High Court to challenge the result of the primary, while Oke left the APC to contest the gubernatorial election on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

The crisis, which followed the APC primary election worsened towards the election, culminating in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Tinubu, and the then governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode at the mega Ondo APC rally for

Rotimi Akeredolu

Akeredolu.

It was also alleged that all the members of the party loyal to Tinubu withdrew their support from Akeredolu and supported Olusola Oke for the election.

Akeredolu, however, went ahead to win the governorship election in November 2016, following massive support from the national leadership of the party.

But since his election, the crisis appears to have deepened, culminating in the dismal performance of the APC in the state in the 2019 general election.

The APC won only four out of the nine House of Representatives’ seats in the state. Even though the party bounced back to win 23 out of 26 seats in the state House of Assembly election, while in the three senatorial seats, the PDP won two seats, while the ruling party clinched only one.

The party also lost the February 23 presidential election to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Part of the reasons alleged for APC poor performance in the general election was that Akeredolu was involved in anti-party activities during the election.

He was accused of supporting candidates of other political party for the National Assembly election, while the APC candidates who struggled to win the election without the support of the governor were said to have vowed not to support his re-election bid as a way of paying him in his own coins.

Worried by the prolonged crisis in the Sunshine State, leaders of the party in the South-West and the aggrieved members of the party in Ondo State some months back held a peace meeting in Akure, the state capital.

The meeting was said to have been convened at the instance of Tinubu. In attendance at the meeting, among others, were a former Interim national chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande; a former governor of Ogun State, Olusegun Osoba and a former national vice Chairman (South-West) of the party, Pius Akinyelure.

The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu; his counterpart from Ekiti State,

Kayode Fayemi, and some aggrieved members of the Ondo State APC were also in attendance at the peace parley.

The reconciliation had become necessary because of the not impressive performance of the party in the 2019 general elections in the state and to mend its fence in preparation for the next governorship election holding in the state in 2020.

However, it appears that the peace moves have collapsed judging from the turn of events in the state and comments from some party leaders in the last few months; this may, however, pose a danger to the party’s chance of retaining the state and Akeredolu’s re-election bid.

Speaking on the crisis in the party, an APC chieftain and former deputy governor of the state under the Labour Party (LP), Ali Olanusi, blamed Governor Akeredolu for the lingering crisis rocking the party, while accusing him of anti-party activities and working to undermine the interest of the APC. According to him, “He has killed the party in the state. All state party structures and organs are dead. That is why no meeting of any of the organs holds in the state.

It is no longer secret that Akeredolu and his group romanced another party, the Action Alliance (AC). He is vigorously promoting and funding the party. That was the party he used to sponsor candidates against APC in the last general election.

“I’m a man of peace. So, we are just trying to patch things for the governor to finish his first term and leave. And this is the Unity Forum’s stand, where I am the leader.

Don’t forget that the forum, which spreads over the 19 councils in the state, controls more than 70 percent APC members in the state,” he further said.

In a recent interview, Olanusi alleged that part of the problem with the party in the state is that the governor does not recognise any structure.

“In Ondo APC, our Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu doesn’t recognise any party structure. For the first time in my political life, I am seeing something totally different.

It was when Akeredolu became governor

that the political party that brought him into power went comatose. Up till now, they have not been holding ward meetings in all the 203 party wards of Ondo State. But if you don’t meet at the ward, local government and state levels, where would issues affecting the party and state development be addressed?

He insisted that the governor has “killed the party in the state.”

According to him, “All state party structures and organs are dead. That is why no meeting of any of the organs holds in the state. It is no longer secret that Akeredolu and his group romanced another party, the Action Alliance (AC).

He is vigorously promoting and funding the party. That was the party he used to sponsor candidates against APC in the last general election.

“We made efforts to notify party leadership at the national level. We wrote more than five letters to that effect, and copied Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande and others, but no action was taken. The only action they took was the meeting they held with us at Heritage Hotel about five months ago, where they asked for reconciliation. We all agreed that the governor should finish his first term, after which he should leave.”

On the future of the APC in Ondo, the party stalwart said: “The future is, one with God is a majority. May God minister to the conscience of APC leadership at the national level, so that they can do what is right.

That is what can ensure the party’s reelection in the state in 2020 governorship election. And this can only be achieved by shutting out Akeredolu. If all the things we demanded at the Heritage meeting are done, I can assure you that APC will do well.”

A political analyst, Wale Ogunade, however, blamed the national leadership of the party for treating the crisis in Ondo with kid-glove, while alleging that it was obvious that the governor was fuelling the crisis with his actions.

“The crisis in Ondo State has been on for some time I expected the national leadership of APC to resolve the issues but they have not shown enough concern and you saw the result in the last general election, in which they lost the state. It appears the governor is bigger than the party, even at the national level, if what I have been hearing is true, then he is not helping the situation,” Ogunade said.

According to him, “The party needs to constitute a high powered reconciliation committee to the state and meet with leaders to resolve issues or else they should forget Ondo State; they may lose the gubernatorial election.”

Similarly, Emmanuel Omoleye, a political commentator, said the governor and the party leadership in the state had the capacity to resolve the crisis without involving leaders of the party in the SouthWest. According to him, it is the duty of the governor to unite the factions.

“I think they need to put their house in order before the next governorship election, else they would lose again. It is the responsibility of the governor, who is the leader of the party to bring everyone together. Whatever happened between him and any other party member should be forgotten, if he needs the second term really,” Omoleye said.

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Politics No truce yet as Makinde, sacked LG bosses remain on warpath in Oyo …But court to the rescue REMI FEYISIPO, Ibadan

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ince May 29 when they were inaugurated, some of the new governors have dissolved the local government administrations they met in their states.

The development has instigated controversies and legal disputes.

But none appears to have generated as much heat as that of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

Shortly after his inauguration, Makinde sacked chairmen of the 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) which were elected on May 12, 2018 during the immediate past administration of Abiola Ajimobi.

The chairmen sacked alongside members of boards of parastatals were directed to hand over to their Heads of Local Government Administration (HLA) or the most senior directors in their local government areas and councils.

Controversy had therefore, continued to trail the removal of the chairmen by the present administration as variegated opinions from political camps, the public, the sacked helmsmen and Oyo State government have continued to pour.

For the past seven months, the sacked local government chairmen, including their councilors, have locked horns with the present administration in the state, all in a bid for them to return to their positions.

As the crisis raged, the embattled chairmen under the auspices of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Oyo State chapter said the sack was illegal, undemocratic, violation of rule of law and contempt of a subsisting court injunction against such sack. While justifying the action, however, the state government said that the local government election that was conducted by the last dispensation was illegal as it contravened court order.

Makinde explained that the actions of his administration in dissolving the former local government chairmen and appointing caretaker chairmen was in righting the wrong of the immediate past administration.

According to Makinde, the Senator Abiola Ajimobi administration erred ab initio by violating a court order to conduct the “kangaroo” local government election, thereby rendering the constitution of ALGON Oyo null and void.

Although he acknowledged the ongoing case challenging the dissolution of the chairmen, the association said: “We stand fast on our democratic mandate freely and fairly given by the good people of our respective local government and development areas”.

The ALGON chairman in the state, Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye, said the continuous disregard of the Supreme Court judgment and High Court judgment forbidding the dissolution of democratically elected local government functionaries by the governor, indicates the slide the rule of law is witnessing in the hands of the Makinde-led administration.

“The governor again displayed his despise to the highest court of the land with the swearing-in of illegal caretaker committees, an illegal contraption and a body of power usurpers that is unknown to our law

Seyi Makinde

as proclaimed by the highest court of the land. A governor that again recently publicly and falsely accused Justices of the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, on air, of unfounded allegations, cannot respect the courts except when decisions favour him.

“The Oyo State government and their apologists have tried to excuse their recklessness by alluding to the fact that the Supreme Court judgment was on Ekiti State local councils and in their myopic view inapplicable to them in Oyo State.

Such is the level of limited understanding of our current leaders. Even if they do not know what ‘stare decisis’ means in law, the Attorney General who has stood by while illegality thrives in our state, ought to have explained the importance of a Supreme Court pronouncement to the governor,” he said.

According to him, “It is trite that the declaration of the Supreme Court on any point of law is binding on all courts and in all states where similar issues arise. This was why the case of INAKOJU V ADELEKE on the impeachment of Governor Ladoja established the principles of law governing impeachment in any state, and the decision of the Supreme Court on this case effectively put an end to the reckless spate of irregular impeachments under a former PDP leadership in our country. It is therefore, begging the question to expect the Supreme Court to pronounce on the issue of Caretaker Chairmen in all 36 states individually when it already pronounced conclusively in the Ekiti case. We are not surprised at the empty justification for even the devil justified his sin before God. The weak arguments of a controversial stay of execution did not set aside the pronouncement of the Oyo State High Court. Indeed the declarations made by the High Court judgment of Oyo State declaring caretaker leadership over local councils an illegality cannot be stayed as the law still remains sacrosanct that declaratory judgments cannot be stayed.”

The chairmen stated that they reject the

Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye

“serial illegalities,” which they claimed are “a crude assault on our democracy, and rape of our constitution, more so, when the appeal filed by the state government against the High Court judgment is still pending.”

However, despite the outcry by ALGON and petition written by Oyo State chapter of APC to President Muhammad Buhari , over their sacking, Governor Seyi Makinde inaugurated Caretaker Chairmen for the councils.

In the petition, the APC in Oyo State called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly, under Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, to prevail on Makinde to desist from further actions capable of impeding smooth operation of democracy and general administration of the third tier of government in the state.

Oyo APC’s call came on the heel of Makinde’s announcement then that he would appoint his party members as Caretaker Chairmen and Sole Administrators into the 33 local government councils and 35 local council development areas across the state respectively following a lull occasioned by the prevention of the elected officials to perform their responsibilities by the new PDP administration.

The Assistant Publicity Secretary, Ayobami Adejumo, Oyo APC said by foisting Makinde’s loyalists and PDP members on the people at the local government level was not only an affront against the Judiciary but also a shameful decision aimed at positioning some lackeys for a possible hatchet job in view of his imminent sack from office.

“In the history of our dear country, there has never been anywhere in all the 36 States and the FCT where the executive offices in all the local government councils were locked for more than six months simply because a governor would order the sack of elected officials. But this happened in our own Oyo State when the PDP Governor began to manifest flagrant disregard to the Oath of Office he swore to right from the

day of his inauguration. Gov. Makinde ordered a prospective appointee to announce the withdrawal of the mandate of hundreds of validly elected council officials and this was without any reasonable justification.

“Without mincing words, the whole word is aware of a subsisting judgment of the Supreme Court which frowns at the actions being taken by Makinde as it declared as illegal, null and void, any dissolution of elected local government councils by any state governor and/or state House of Assembly. “The governor is fully aware of this and the specific judgement of the Oyo State High Court, which called attention to the Apex Court’s incontrovertible verdict and thus restrained the Oyo State governor and House of Assembly from dissolving local governments.

“Gov. Makinde did not only deliberately flout these subsisting court orders/judgments; he also took other dangerous steps by illegally dissolving OYSIEC, a constitutional body with a specified tenure provided by our constitution.”

However, Oyo State chapter of Socialist Party of Nigeria, (SPN), declared the appointment of Caretaker Chairmen for the 33 Local governments and 35 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) by Governor Makinde as unlawful and undemocratic.

The party stated this in a statement by its State Secretary, Ayodeji Adigun.

In the statement, SPN emphasised that the appointment was in violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Our major concern is that the appointment of the caretaker’s chairmen is a flagrant violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Asides the fact that the Nigeria constitution does not recognize the appointment of caretaker chairmen as the legitimate heads of administration of the local government authority, the 35 LCDA which the appointed caretakers chairmen are also expected to preside over is illegal and unlawful as they are not individually and collectively known to the

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15

Politics Who really is in charge of the Power Ministry?

Olusola Bello

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he power sector has been enmeshed in confusion over the removal of two key principal actors in the sector by Sale Mamman, minister of power.

The minister has however, been overruled by the Federal Government on these issues because of what some stakeholders described as lack of proper consultation before taking such decisions.

With the reversal of the actions of the minister of power, it means that he probably does not understand the limitation of his power and so has to be thought a lesson that he must consult with the power that be at the presidency before taking any action against appointees that the president has offered jobs.

First, the minister was ordered to reinstate Damilola Ogunbiyi, managing director of Rural Electrification Agency REA. The minister had suspended Ogunbiyi because of what he described as infractions done by her while in office. What those infractions are, the public has not been told.

Before her suspension, Ogunbiyi, first female managing director of REA, had tendered her resignation to take up a job as the UN special representative for sustainable energy and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll).

constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria as well,” it said.

The party quickly added, “Our rejection of the illegality perpetrated by Makinde government is not an endorsement of the APC/Ajimobi anointed sacked LGA and LCDA chairmen who emerged through an illegal and fraudulent process.”

SPN stressed further, “Even if there was no court order or injunction that restrained the conduct of the May 12, 2018 LGA election, as claimed by the Aleshinloye-led ALGON, the fact remains that the conduct of the so-called LGA election was a violation of the Constitution of federal Republic of Nigeria”, saying, “for instance, none of the electoral wards and Local government areas used by the OYSIEC to conduct the election was recognised by the constitution”.

“It is in the light of this that we of the SPN concludes that both the appointed caretaker chairmen and the purportedly elected Aleshinloye-led ALGON chairmen are illegal and undemocratic. Therefore, we demand, as the way forward out of this ridiculous political imbroglio, that the Seyi Makinde-led government concretely and democratically commence the process to organise a democratic election that will be free from all forms of manipulation and malpractices.”

SPN further said: “We strongly hold that one of the ways to commence the process to organise a credible election is to reconstitute OYSIEC such that it will comprise representatives of political parties and elected representatives of trade unions and professional bodies like NBA, etc,” adding, “we call on trade unions, civil society organisations, NBA, youth and working masses of Oyo state to support and echo this demand.”

Before the inauguration of caretakers

by Governor Makinde ,there was tension in the state as the embattled chairmen threatened to resume in their various local governments but the police was readily put on red alert in order not to allow breakdown of law and order.

The sacked local government chairmen and councilors, as part of moves to reclaim their mandate, vowed to resume at their duty posts as Aleshinloye, said: “In line with

The Federal Government in ordering her reinstatement also said that her letter of resignation has been accepted.

A few days after Damilola was asked to be reinstated, the second person the minister also kicked out of her office, Marilyn Amobi, managing director and chief executive officer of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Limited (NBET), was similarly asked to be reinstated because of the argument by some people that he did not have the power to sack her The argument that the agency, though one of the successor companies of NEPA/ PHCN but with board members cutting across BPE, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Power, played out in this case.

The back and forth arguments have been subjected to different rules of interpretation. This however, has serious implications for the power sector as it sends wrong signal to investors.

During his tenure as minister of Finance, Segun Aganga was said to have insisted that the only thing that can guaranty the continuous support of the Ministry of Finance to power sector reforms and activities of NBET in terms of collaterisation and securitisation of investments and provisions of Mitigation to Investment Risks and related Markets stability is for Ministry of Power to concede the board chairmanship of NBET to the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Before her appointment as MD/CEO

our resolution to defend democracy and the mandate freely and fairly given to us by the electorate, all chairmen and councillors are hereby directed to resume tomorrow, Wednesday, 17th December, 2019 , we shall resume and defend democracy and rule of law peacefully”.

According to him, “We advise the local government employees, including HLAs, DAGs, DFAs, and other council employees not to allow the illegal caretaker appointees or the state government to implicate them in the illegal administration and operations plotted for our local councils.”

The ALGON Chairman however, said that the governor’s attempt to appoint people to invade the council secretariats in the state and occupy positions that are not vacant by law iwas crisis-ridden and a hidden agenda to cause violence in the state and disrupt the existing peace he inherited.

“This Invasion by Makinde’s unelected invaders and pretenders to office will be stopped and must be resisted by all democratic and peaceful means necessary,” he added.

NBET, Marilyn Amobi, was a Senior Special Adviser to the President (Office of the Vice President).

She is said to be in the good books of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari and still enjoys a firm cordial relationship with him.

So, aside from the fact that the minister failed to have wider consultations with the members of board of directors of NBET, he also must have under rated the influence the woman is wielding in the corridors of power Presently, the NBET boss was not only reinstated, the agency has also been moved from the ministry of power to the ministry of finance.

All these scenarios really get other stakeholders in the power sector worried about who actually is in charge of the power sector.

In December 2019, Sale Mamman, minister of power, asked Amobi to step down with immediate effect in order to “restore sanity” in the management of the agency.

The minister also directed the constitution of a 5-man investigative committee to look into the allegations against her.

Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, a general manager of the agency, immediately assumed office as the acting managing director of NBET. Ewelukwa has been asked to step aside for Amobi to resume her former position.

Analysts have said that the actions of both the Federal Government and the min-

ister in relation to sacking and reinstating could be counter-productive, as such actions may have a far-reaching effect on the Power Sector and the accompanying wrong signals.

It may not also be a good omen for the Minister of Power as he may no longer be able to take some critical decisions because of fear of being asked to reverse them.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Business Leaders Forum has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to relive the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, of his position, accusing him of incompetence, nepotism and gross disregard to due process.

The group, which had earlier warned that the Nigeria power sector is heading for a total collapse under the minister, said the nation’s power sector has worsened in the last five months.

The group, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Austin Iwe Igwe noted that it warned of the looming danger three weeks before the whole nation was thrown into darkness for more than 48 hours in December.

According to him, the Minister since assuming office has been fighting imaginary cabal in the sector but could not point to one thing it has achieved in the last six months.

He added that Mamman, with his conduct, believes he is not answerable to Nigerians, particularly the business community that are the worst hit by the epileptic state of the power sector.

Governor Seyi Makinde responded by asking the sacked chairmen to take their agitations over the appointment of Caretaker Chairmen to court.

In a statement released by Taiwo Adisa, his chief press secretary, Makinde had said that there was no court order violated in appointing the caretaker chairmen as there was no such order restraining the state government from running the local government system.

“The government has looked at every aspect of that ongoing case. There is no order from the court restraining the government of Oyo State from running the local government system, despite the fact that there is a case pending in court. The case pending will be determined by the court one day. When that case is determined, the government will look at whatever the court says, and follow the dictates of the court.

“But, we cannot say that life will come to an end because the matter is in court.

We cannot allow the life of the local government to come to an end because some people took the matter to court,” he said.

Although the caretaker committees have since been inaugurated and running, ALGON, in a warning issued through a letter jointly signed by Abass-Aleshinloye, chairman and Jesutoye Oluyinka, secretary, Oyo State, reminded the governor that “As you are aware, the office of chairmen of our local government councils and LCDAs are neither vacant nor available under our constitution for any caretaker to justifiably occupy either in law or fact. Therefore, any individual who passes himself or herself off as Caretaker Chairman or seeks to issue directives to Local Government/LCDAs staff or civil servants or our bankers will along with such banker or civil servant, be acting fraudulently and in breach of clear legal pronouncements for which such persons and their stooges shall be prosecuted . Make no mistake about it, an armchair pronouncement of a Governor in a constitutional democracy, and a showmanship swearing in, are unknown to our law as currently constituted. It does not, and cannot by any stretch of political spin or imagination legalise what has been pronounced an illegality by the Supreme Court and the High Court of Oyo State.”

The group also reminded the Accountant-General of Oyo State, the Ministry of Local Government and Council officials across Local Government Councils, that the Joint State/Local government accounts are under the legal regime established by law and the Court judgments, only operatable by the elected local government chairmen whose elections have neither been voided by any court nor by any law.

“You may wish to refer to the NFIU Guidelines on this. Similarly, we remain approving signatories with the Finance and General Purpose Committees of our Councils over Council funds due to each Council. We equally remain on record with our bankers the confirming signatories for payments out of local government accounts which cannot be changed without recourse to law. It was our valid return as elected chairmen after contested elections that effectively qualified us in this role,” it said.

All eyes are on the court for expected solution.

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Politics Desperate moment for Obaseki, Oshiomhole and APC in Edo

As the gubernatorial election slated for this year, 2020, approaches in Edo State, IDRIS UMAR MOMOH and CHURCHILL OKORO examine the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and the possible consequence on the party.

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“

n your marks, get set, go!” This is the directive members of registered political parties in Edo State are expecting to hear from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in few months’ time for the commencement of the 2020 off-season gubernatorial election in the state.

The electoral umpire’s directives will entail the commencement of party primary elections to nominate candidates that will fly parties’ flags.

Following the November 11, 2008 election appeal court judgment that upheld the invalidationof the declaration of Governor Oserhiemen Osunbor of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the winner of 2007 governorship election by the lower tribunal in a petition filed by Adams Oshiomhole of the then Action Congress (AC), Edo, like some states in the federation, has had its governorship election different from the normal INEC general election’s timetable.

Other states that fell into the same category are Anambra, Bayelsa, Kogi, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun. With the conduct of elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states in November 2019, the next state to fall in line is Edo. Like political intrigues and gimmicks that characterise every election in Nigeria, pundits say that the forthcoming election in the state may not to be different.

The crisis, which is very pronounced in APC, is now building up in PDP ahead of its state congress to elect new executives to pilot its affairs at the ward, local and state levels, following the expiration of the present executives.

The APC crisis, which started as a rumour towards the end of 2018, when the state governor, Godwin Obaseki was quoted to have said that the Edo State Government House was not a bank, while addressing group of market women on a courtesy visit to his office, however, came to the foreduring the struggle for the principal leadership positions in the State House of Assembly.

The choice of Victor Edoror as the speaker of the House by Adams Oshiomhole group was rebuffed by Governor Obaseki’s group whichp refered the choice of the incumbent speaker, Frank Okiye. The unresolved struggle snowballed into the proclamation and inauguration of the now controversial 7th Edo State House of Assembly.

While the governor and his supporters argue that the inauguration of the house was done at about 3-4 pm in July 17, 2019, the Oshiomhole camp insists that it was done at about 10pm, few hours after about 20 members-elect held a press conference to protest the alleged continuous delay in issuing a proclamation letter to the clerk of the house for its inauguration by the state governor.

The internal wrangling within the APC was further aggravated when majority

shopping for the governor’s replacement.

They have never hidden their disdain for the governor’s alleged mismanagement of the party’s goodwill.

Constitution of Boards One of the political freebies whichhas now become conventional to placate and empower party loyalists after electoral victory at all levels of government are board membership and committees. This is one of the areas APC leaders and elders have picked hole on the governor’s style of political leadership in the state. They felt that one of the immediate ways to appreciate and compensate them for a work well done at the governorship election was the appointment into various boards and committees. But, surprisingly, three years after being sworn-in, the governor late last year constituted and inaugurated about 10 board members out of over 30 boards existed in different state parastatals. The governor’s camp has argued that the current administration in the state was averse to the unconstitutional ways things were done in the immediate past administration.

Obaseki and Oshiomhole

of the party leaders and elders felt being alienated from benefitting from the party’s spoilshaving worked so hard to ensure its victory during the 2016 governorship election in the state.

Although it was initially dismissed as rumour, orchestrated by the media and fifth columnists by the two main actors, Adams Oshiomhole and Godwin Obaseki, it has defied all known reconciliatory efforts by the party leadership at the state and federal levels, religious bodies as well as traditional institutions in the state.

The crisis has also factionalised into Oshiomhole and Obaseki camps. It has also resulted in the formation of Obaseki/ Shaibu Movement (OSM), Edo People’s Movement (EPM), slogans like 4 +4, 4 +4 Torgba, 4+1, the resurrection of “No Man is God”, Edo is not Lagos, Edo is Lagos, among others.

The questions on the lips of many political watchers and indigenes of the state, when and how the crisis will end; who will be the ultimate losers and winners?

What effect will it have on the fortunes of the APC, especially on the party at the election?

Obaseki’s camp The governor, who has not hidden his ambition to re-contest for the election, remains the man to beat.

As part of the strategies put in place to actualise his dream, he had last year sacked over 250 grassroots aides to flush out those allegedly loyal to the Oshiom-

hole camp and reappointed his trusted loyalists. Also, some members of the state executive council were relieved of their post while some council elected chairmen were removed over trumped-up financial allegations while a good number of executive members of the state chapter of the party allegedly not loyal to the governor have been suspended and replaced by those who believe in the 4 +4 Torgba agenda of the governor.

Suspension of 14- EDHA members-elect and declaration of seats vacant This was another strategy by the state governor to solidify, consolidate and assert his leadership of the party in the state as well as to weaken his opponents.

The battle was taken to the House of Assembly because of the fear of losing control of the leadership of the House.

This was also responsible for the controversial inauguration, which has since become a subject of litigations at various courts in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State; Benin and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Disbandment of Edo People’s Movement Worried by the growing political popularity and the perceived threats of the group, the governor deployed his sledge hammer by banning it from carrying out any of its activities in the state. The pressure group, under the APC, was founded by loyalists of Adams Oshiomhole for the purpose of

Approval of constituency project fund for state house of assembly members As against what transpired in the 6th Assembly, when the lawmakers complained of non-approval and release of constituency project funds which frustrated provision of necessary dividends of democracy to their various constituents, the state government as contained in the approved 2020 budget estimate now graciously approved the sum of N6billion for constituency development programme to be implemented by the State House of Assembly and the ward development committee during the fiscal year.

Constitution of 39-man mobilization committee This committee chaired by Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, a former two-time member of the state House of Assembly, and Abdul Kadir Giwa as the secretary, has as its key mandate to woo genuine and committed members to the party ahead of the governorship primary elections.

Members of the committee were drawn across the three senatorial districts in the state. 15 from Edo South, 13 Edo North and 11 Edo Central.

Anselm Ojezua, the factional chairman of the party who inaugurated the committee at the party secretariat located at Airport, Benin City, on January 3, 2020, said the committee was to mobilise members to swell its membership ahead of the 2020 governorship election in the state.

He listed the terms of reference of the committee to include- embarking on serious membership drive, identifying and interfacing with notable persons of substance across the state who have shown genuine interest to join the party, developing a programme of action to receive them at all levels of engagement

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Politics from the ward and state levels, and doing all that is necessary to achieve the objectives for which the Committee was set up.

Alleged plan to defect to PDP The governor’s romance with the main opposition in the state has allegedly been interpreted to mean planned defection to the party.The governor’s association with Gabriel Igbinedion, the multi-billionaire, Esama of Benin, and Tom Ikimi in the Government House last year generated a lot of insinuations, not only within APC but also in the PDP fold. The governor’s recent meeting with a PDP senator, Ordia Clifford, representing Edo Central in the National Assembly as well as alleged romance with the Delta State and Rivers State governors in the south-south have been said to be a pointer to his planned defection to the party, should his party fail to give him the return ticket.

It was further alleged that the governor has been given conditions to fulfil before he could be guaranteed the party’s ticket.

Among the alleged conditions is payment of non-refundable N5billion, scarification of some key positions like deputy governor, SSG, among others to the party.

Although the state chapter of the PDP has refuted the allegations, the state government has failed to react to it.

Consensus The Oredo Local Government chapter of the party had last December endorsed the governor as its consensus candidate for the party’s primary election. This was said to been brokered by the governor himself.

Other factors the governor is banking on to give him the party’s ticket, according to his loyalists, are the ongoing road construction across the state, massive reforms and investment in education sector, which has so far resulted in the training of over 11,300 primary school teachers, rebuilding of about 240 schools and deploymentof bespoke technology in the classrooms.

Recall that his sterling performance in education got various recognitions.

He was given the best governor award by the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT). He was said to have attracted over 300,000 children in the state’s public schools, through his reforms.

He was also said to have constructed 401 roads across the state, which stretch for 626 kilometers,through the ministry of infrastructure and Edo State Employment and Expenditure for Result (SEEFOR). He has also created over 170,000 jobs out of the 200,000 promised in the first tenure during his electioneering campaign.

They opined that if re-elected for another four years, Obaseki would turn the state into an (economic) Eldorado. They also contended that if his predecessors since the present political dispensation in 1999 can rule for eight years, the current governor must also be allowed to do the same.

The governor’s complaints In the course of the protracted crisis, the governor decried his inability to nominate members into the Federal Government boards, agencies and parastatals. He alleged that all the members were unilaterally nominated by his predecessor, Oshiomhole, who is now the national chairman of the party. He said he has not been given free hand to nominate his commissioners and other aides by Adams Oshiomhole and that his predecessor has continued to attempt to hijackthe party from him, even though as governor, he was the recognised leader of the party in the state.

the frontiers of his political popularity beyond the state.

He and his supporters are banking on his status in the party to dislodge the reelection ambition of the governor.

His supporters who founded the EPM are of the view that the incumbent governor has abandoned the political philosophy of the party which is anchored on continuity and obedience to partystructures and compensations for hard work. This, they said, was lacking in the Obaseki’s administration.

Some of the complaints against the governor are the abandonment of the N30billion Benin water storm projects, abandonment of party leaders and elders, deviation from the continuation programme of the party as demonstrated in all facets of governance by the former governor.

Strategies to forestall Obaseki’s reelection Part of the strategies was the suspension of Anselm Ojezua, the chairman of the party in the state and some loyalists of the state government.

To ensure that the governor has a match during the party primary election, the Oshiomhole’s camp has wooed to the party, the former PDP governorship candidate in the 2016 election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

The formal defection of OsagieIzeIyamu to the party generated another round of crisis in the party. The group believed that Ize-Iyamu’s goodwill and political popularity cut across the political and ethnic divides in the state.

The defection of Ize-Iyamu also witnessed defection of several old friends and members of PDP to the party.

Anselm Ojezua

Ize-Iyamu

Some factors that could work against the governor’s chances Attacks on perceived opposition One of the undoing of the governor, according to analysts, is his inability to tolerate criticism from perceived opposition or enemies. The analysts pointed to the attackon EPM members during their meeting in Ivbiaro community in Owan East Local Government Area after obtaining a valid permit from the authorities of the Nigeria Police in the locality.

They also said that the planned demolition of a hotel owned by Tony Adun (aka Kabaka) over his (Adun) alleged verbal attacks on his government, was also in bad taste. The planned demolition was however, stopped by court who restrained the government from carrying out the action pending the determination of the substantive case.

He was also alleged to have joined other governors to protest the nomination of Pius Odubu, the immediate past deputy governor of the state as a chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by President Muhammadu Buhari. His critics are of the view that he would have protected the nomination irrespective of who influenced it in the interest of the state and that of his Edo South Senatorial district.

They also alleged that apart from being among the protesting governors, he also allegedly masterminded the protest by some

groups in Ovia North-East Local Government Area against the nomination of one Peter Ekhator as the executive director of the commission.

Frustration of the Oba of Benin’s peace move Observerssaid that as the Oba was pleading with President Muhammadu Buhari when he led Edo traditional rulers and Council of Chiefs on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, the governor was at the same time sacking political aides who were allegedly loyal to Adams Oshiomhole.

Their contention was that the sacking of aides at that material time the Oba and other traditional rulers in the state were with the President was an affront to the authority of the monarch.

They also point to the arrest of the state commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora, Osewengie Ero by INTERPOL over alleged laundering of $2 million in France last month.They averred that whatever defence or excuses adduced by the state government to exonerate itself or clear its name from the commissioner’s ordeal are untenable and add to nothing.

Oshiomhole’s camp The strength, popularity and hold of the former governor and national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole across the state, nay the party, is undisputable.

Oshiomhole’s emergence as the national chairman of the party further expanded

Is Edo on Zamfara, Rivers’ route?

The fear of the electorate is that if the crisis is not resolved on time, the forthcoming governorship primary election of the party will be a repeat of what befell the party in the two states where the supremacy struggle between the former governor, Abdul Aziz Yari and Senator Marafa shattered the party’s dream in Zamfara; as well as in Rivers, whereRotimiAmaechi, minister of Transportation and Senator Magnus Abe “buccaneered” the party’s chances.

The mishandling of the situation in the two states by the Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, and the grandstanding of the national chairman, proved very costly for the party when the chips were down. Pundit said that what becomes of APC in Edo in the coming election depends so much on the wisdom to handle the delicate situation on ground.

Analysts are of the view that if the party fails to conduct a credible primary election, it will be an easy ride for other opposition parties.

“I foresee the Zamfara and Rivers episodes repeating in Edo, unless the principal actors in the crisis rein in their pompous nature. The likes of Oshiomhole may want the crisis to escalate so that the governor could be so frustrated to jump ship. Once he is pushed to the wall to the point that he joins another party, they have got him. Then, the election is as good as won. Of course, you know that there is no more election in Nigeria under the APC. On the election day, they will send thugs to kill and hijack the ballot boxes and every other thing will be history. So, the governor will be shooting himself in the foot if he makes the mistake of defecting to any opposition party. Let him stay there and struggle it out,” an analyst said, craving anonymity.

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Politics INEC shrugs off criticism over recent polls, pledges better outing this year ...As Commission holds 28 reruns, Edo, Ondo guber polls, NASS bye-elections James Kwen, Abuja

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espite the wide criticisms that greeted both the conduct and outcomes of the 2019 general election and the November 16 governorship, a Senatorial and a state House of Assembly elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians of improvement in future elections, particularly those holding this year.

The conduct and outcomes of the February/March general election last year was criticised by both local/international observers as worst polls since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

The elections were reported to have been characterised by widespread violence, manipulations, rigging, ballot box snatching, disruption at collation centres, vote buying and inconclusive polls with the INEC, as well as security agencies indicted by observers, commentators and analysts as prime culprits in the electoral malfeasance.

There were reports of widespread violence in many states of the federation resulting in killings and maiming of voters, political actors, security agents, INEC staff, observers and journalists with high incidence of electoral frauds.

Reports from local and international observer groups including the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI), Civil Society Situation Room and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) expressed serious reservations over the conduct of the 2019 general election with regards to non-credibility and violence, blamed mostly on INEC and security agencies.

The EU EOM final report on the 2019 elections for instance, observed that lack of transparency and inconsistent numbers during the collation of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cast a long shadow over the integrity of the 2019 exercise.

EU EOM report among others alleged that there were, “numerical discrepancies and anomalies on polling unit results forms were identified and were mostly corrected by collation officers on the spot, but without a clear system of record -keeping. Leading parties were at fault in not reining in acts of violence and intimidation by their supporters, and abuse of incumbency at federal and state levels.

“Inconsistent numbers during collation, lack of clear checks and explanations, and insufficient public information undermined the integrity of the elections. Similarly, there is a lack of disaggregated results by local government, ward or polling unit, which would allow for thorough checking of results”.

Also, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in its report lamented that an estimated 626 persons were killed across Nigeria in the six months between the start of the election campaign and the commencement of the general and supplementary elections, adding that the 2019 general election did not meet the threshold for free, fair and credible elections.

The report indicated that, “there were differences between the number of accredited

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman

voters and the total number of votes cast in many Polling Units. The INEC operations fell short of its identified role. Military involvement in the 2019 general election was outside of the limits allowed by law”.

Similarly, a postmortem report of the 2019 general election by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) indicted INEC and security agencies for the shortcomings experienced, particularly at ward collation centres during the FebruaryMarch polls.

The report showed that misconduct and mistakes by INEC staff undermined wardlevel collation in many locations, especially in cases where the Commission’s wardlevel officers or ad hoc staff lacked sufficient knowledge of the rules and procedures designed to ensure successful and credible result collation.

“Some staff lacked the basic arithmetic skills needed for timely and accurate collation of results, thereby leading to errors in the result sheets, inconsistencies in collated figures, and delays in the time-sensitive process — the longer it takes to conclude the collation process beyond the stipulated time for concluding the process, the more doubts are created in the minds of voters that something untoward is happening to compromise the integrity of the collation process and, therefore, of the elections,” the report read in parts.

Furthermore, the report stated that in many wards across Nigeria, security personnel were observed intimidating election workers or were alleged to have done so, in other locations, security agencies failed to deploy an adequate number of personnel to safeguard election officials and sensitive materials, despite receiving dedicated government funding to do so, and in some areas, members of the security forces played an active role in disrupting collation activities.

In the Bayelsa and Kogi polls, like the general election, there were serious logistics problems such as late arrival of election materials and personnel, widespread violence in both states leading to killings and maiming of voters and political actors, like the cousin to one of the contestants, Dino Melaye and

a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Woman Leader in Kogi, Salome Abuh killed in post election violence.

There were also electoral frauds such as vote buying, ballot stuffing, ballot box snatching, discrepancies in results entries, over voting, alleged intentional cancellation of votes which resulted in the declaration of the Kogi West re-run election inconclusive.

The Bayelsa and Kogi elections received a lot of bashing from critical stakeholders who expressed disappointment in both the electoral body, security agencies, state actors and even the electorate.

Recall that the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in its report criticised the conduct of elections in Kogi and Bayelsa and warned against the consequences of allowing such to persist in the nation’s electoral system as it was an assault on the 20-year-old democratic order in the country.

According to report, the elections claimed the lives of not less than 10 citizens who “died as a result of various shooting incidents and attacks across the state (s)”.

“In clear terms, these incidents combined to damage the credibility of the polls. The incidents ranged from hijack of electoral materials by thugs, kidnap of INEC ad hoc staff, vote-buying, attacks on observers, intimidation of voters and under-aged voting.

“Other reported incidents, which call to question the credibility of these polls include widespread stuffing of ballot boxes, ballot snatching and multiple voting”, the report said.

In the face of this barrage of criticisms, INEC, which has neither wholly taken nor completely refuted the indictments, said it is taking stock of the criticisms, especially the constructive ones with the aim of improving on the electoral processes to ensure future polls are credible.

Speaking exclusively to BDSUNDAY, Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to INEC Chairman, assured that the Commission was doing its best to improve on future polls as it is carefully evaluating the criticisms that came with the general elections and the recent Bayelsa as well as Kogi polls.

The evaluation, Oyekanmi said, is to en-

able INEC address genuine concerns raised by constructive critics even as he blamed politicians for demanding for the Commission’s head only when they lose elections but turn around to praise it when they secure victory by whatever means that contribute to marring the exercise.

“Many of those criticising the Commission do so for the wrong and unrealistic reasons. You watch - when politicians win an election, they praise INEC, but when they lose, they criticise the Commission. Would you describe that as constructive criticism?

Of course, not!

“However, many Nigerians have no idea just how much efforts INEC puts into preparing for every election it conducts. It is a very serious affair and it is unthinkable that INEC will turn around to sabotage itself.

Problems only arise when external factors beyond our control deliberately interfere with our processes and even those who take pleasure in criticising us know in their hearts that INEC is not to blame for the problem that arises from such unwarranted disruptions,” he said.

“While we are not claiming to be perfect, all right-thinking Nigerians will appreciate the enormous challenges INEC faces in the discharge of its duties in this country. We are unapologetically committed to free, fair and credible elections and we will continue to do our best in this regard”, he maintained.

While reiterating the willingness of the Commission to give Nigerians a better outing in the furure, Oyekanmi said: “INEC wishes to assure Nigerians that it is committed to free, fair and credible elections and we will continue to do our best to carry out our mandate as prescribed by the law.

“We are aware of the enormous responsibilities on our shoulders and the trust reposed in us. On our part, we will not betray this trust and we will ensure that only those that Nigerians vote for occupy political offices”.

This assurance is coming ahead of the January 28 conduct of 28 outstanding courtordered rerun elections across the country, as well as bye-elections into Imo State North Senatorial District, Rijau/Magama Federal Constituency of Niger State and Garki Babura Federal Constituency of Jigawa State.

INEC had disclosed that the 28 courtordered elections, still outstanding are distributed across 12 states of the federation, comprising one Senatorial District out of 109, 12 Federal Constituencies out of 360 and 15 State Assembly Constituencies out of 991.

The Commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye had explained that “in many of the cases, elections are to be rerun in only a few polling units. The Commission will make available further details of the affected areas, including the polling units on its website in due course.

Also, INEC would be conducting byeelections into Imo West Senatorial District, following the death of Benjamin Uwajumogu who represented the District, Rijau/ Magama Federal Constituency of Niger State where the Member, Ja’afaru Iliyasu died and Garki/ Babura Federal Constituency of Jigawa State due to death of Adamu Gawo.

Sometimes this year too, the Commission would be conducting off-season governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

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Politics More funds should be allocated to capital projects to address infrastructure upgrade – Chidoka Obinna Chidoka is a member of the House of Representatives, representing Idemili North and South Federal Constituency of Anambra State. In this interview with IFEOMA OKEKE, he speaks on national issues, including the need for allocation of funds to capital projects in a bid to address infrastructure upgrade. Excerpts: How does it feel being re-elected as a lawmaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after a long-twisted journey at the court; are you up to speed with your colleagues or you have missed a lot? ell, I want to believe my experience will serve me well. The legislature is where I have worked before. I’ve worked with a senator before coming to the House of Reps as a member. So, I would want to rely on my previous experiences. But as I keep telling people, the legislature is like a clockwork the engine room of which is the committees. So, you go to the plenary and you come to the committee stage. Now, what happens at the plenary is to take on those national issues which are issues that affect everyone in the country which are in turn sent the engine room of the house which are the committees.

So, where I can say that I may not immediately come up to speed is in terms of the sharing of the committees, because right now I’m a ranking member and I want to believe that if I was here at the inauguration of the 9th Assembly, I would have been at least a committee chairman of what we refer to as a grade A committee, where my experience will come to bear.

These are some of the things we come to understand in terms of budgetary proposal, in terms of laws, of course, issues that pertain to our constituents and running the house.

there, the amount of rigging and over-voting that took place there. I am sure the issues are in court and I’m certain the court will look at them dispassionately and give the right verdict just like they returned me and that is why we look up to and have respect for the judiciary and these are the same judiciary they are trying to usurp their powers by invading the courts.

So, if you look at what has happened in Kogi and Bayelsa State, the future of democracy in this country is threatened by this dangerous trend. This dangerous template of trying to win elections at all cost, whether by violence or over voting, by everything that is out of the norm, out of the books and that is what has happened in Kogi and Bayelsa state.

W

Something unprecedented happened recently. The 9th Assembly passed a budget within two months bringing Nigeria back to January to December budget cycle.

How would you appreciate that?

I will commend the National Assembly for the quick action in passing the 2020 appropriation bill. Now, there are other issues that pertain to the 2020 appropriation bill that are not within the purview of the House.

Take for example, these budget estimates are prepared by the executive. If the Executive in brings in the proposals on time, starting from the medium-term expenditure framework to give us an outlook of what the budget would look like, then there will be no need for time wastage. Once we’ve passed that and if they can bring the main budget on time, say by August or September, then the National Assembly will have enough time to look at it.

The budget is such that we need to look at it item-by-item, you know we are talking about looking at thousands upon thousands of figures you have to deal with and we need to understand what these MDAs are proposing and what their needs are and that is why one of our cardinal responsibilities is oversight. When we carry out our oversight, we would have seen where the issues are and we can juxtapose that with what they put in the budget and so we can streamline that and work on it.

I must say that the House in collaboration with the Executive have done well to pass the budget. The budget needs to return to January to December cycle and I know that the leadership of the House headed

by Femi Gbajabiamila is bent on seeing that the budget cycle returns to January to December budget cycle.

Obinna Chidoka

Are you satisfied with the appropriation for Capital project?

Well, we need to reverse the trend and we need to do something very drastic. A budget that is having a capital expenditure of about 24 percent of aggregate projected expenditure is nothing to write home about, it cannot work because the infrastructure in the country needs to be upgraded and immediately. So, we need to allocate more funds to the capital projects and if that would mean that we need to look at the overhead to make sure that we ensure that those areas that are not necessary we can also reverse that. Nigerians should know that the poor economic outlook is not only peculiar to Nigeria. Countries are moving away from a mono-income economy to a diversified economy. We need to move a lot of people out of the Civil Service to perhaps, Agriculture, so that the wage bill can reduce drastically and we can spend less money on running government and spend it on the people and on infrastructure that will in turn generate more jobs. So, this is a thinking that they should adopt and that is why we need more proactive people in the executive and I keep saying it.

I want Nigerians to know that before we put people in government, we need to look up their manifestos, we need to look at their background, to look at or what they stand for to know if they have a good understanding of the economy, and not someone who does not know how to run a government. Nigeria is back to the same vicious circle that promotes poverty, inactivity and of course, the same thing going round and round and our infrastructure is in a very bad state.

Many people believe that the 9th House is one-way traffic; that you donot have the vibrancy it used to have. The opposition is afraid of talking despite the fact that there is a maxim of this administration,

‘nation building: a joint task’. How would you react to that?

I want to believe in that maxim that nation building is a joint task for everybody but that does not mean we have to subsume our rights to opposition on the floor of the House or anywhere at all in Nigeria to the main party.

I believe that the PDP has the wherewithal and in the House, we are bringing out our very strong opposition to some of their policies. What I keep saying is that the National Assembly is like a Clockwork, the main party are in majority and sometimes it seems like they’re drowning our voices from being heard but for some of us in the opposition, of course, we are here sitting tight and we are fighting those anomalies, raising some issues that affect everyone that the majority party is not talking about.

So, the PDP is still a very strong voice. We are here to make sure that we act like a watchdog to the main party and I think we are getting that job done.

Is the PDP losing out completely in national politics? What happened in Bayelsa and Kogi States surprised many persons?

I think the APC has crafted and developed a very dangerous template in running elections. I think that is what they have done.

How do you mean?

It uses external forces to manipulate the elections, even when we have hopes that on ground our party and its candidate are very popular and that we can win. In most parts of BayelsaState, there were no elections and like I said, it was a template that happened in Kogi and Bayelsa State which also happened in the last election in Osun State where of course, they also developed this dangerous trend. And in KogiState it was a different matter altogether because you saw the number of deaths that took place there, you saw the violence that took place

Talking about the invasion of the court, the House has passed a resolution to investigate what really happened. How would you lend your voice to that?

Yes, I support that we need to investigate this. This certain thing shouldn’t happen.

You could remember there was an invasion of the National Assembly and what happened subsequently after that. If they invade the courts, we expect actions to be taken and if no action is taken, then where are we safe? Where do you run to when you have issues? This is a court where they say is the last hope of the common man. If these men could have the guts and have the mind to invade the courts, I think it is something that is unacceptable and I lend my voice and I think the House is right, let’s investigate what happened so that we can prevent it from happening again and if possible bring the perpetrators to book.

Let me quickly have your thoughts on the hate speech and social media bills by the Senate. How would you react to those?

I want to believe that the social media should not be a sanctuary for those that want to peddle falsehood, malign people’s character and disseminate information that can bring about disunity, disharmony and of course, cause embarrassment to people’s life. I have been a victim of social media attack and they will tell you we are in the cyberspace and there is nothing you can do about it because they feel it as a safe haven where they can hide under a pseudo name to cause havoc to your person and to your integrity too. However, if there are provisions of the bill that are repugnant, they should be expunged completely. There is no point for us regulating the social media space, even the media space, that will take out our fundamental right of free speech but free speech should be able to come under a confine, that when you say something that is not right then I can adjudicate that in the court of law. So, I think Nigerians, sometimes, in analysing the bill, have sensationalised it and the sensationalisation has become hate speech in itself because if you make a right up, an average Nigerian does not investigate what is written, he circulates it as it is and forwards the message without verifying it. I think the bill should be able to say hey! Let us act as civilised people but if there are provisions of the bill that infringe on the rights of normal Nigerians, then it should be expunged from the Bill completely.

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Feature

ayatollah-khomeini-medium

Trump

US-Iran faceoff: Will Nigeria be a battleground as Shiites threaten Trump?

Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he Federal Government has been warned that Nigeria may be a battleground if the lingering face-off between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran degenerates into major conflict following US assassination of Qassem Suleimani.

A US drone strike penultimate Friday killed Suleimani, a major general, who commanded the al-Qud forces of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in Iraq on the orders of President Donald Trump, who claimed the Iranian commander was planning to coordinate terrorist attacks against US interests and its allies in the Middle East.

Iran however, condemned the killing as an act of war and threatened revenge. The Islamic Republic last Tuesday fired ballistic missiles at US army bases in Iraq in retaliation but President Donald Trump has reportedly pulled back from the brink of war with Iran last Wednesday, saying that Tehran appeared to be standing down after firing missiles without causing casualties at the US troops based in Iraq.

The US President in his address to the nation described Suleimani, as a national hero at home, but the “world’s top terrorist” who should have been terminated long ago.

The general, whose killing sparked reactions across the

globe, has elicited apprehension in Nigeria as experts advised the Nigerian government to take immediate steps to ensure that the country does not plunge into crisis even as the Shiites in Nigeria in solidarity with Shia-dominated Iran have threatened that the US President will pay for killing the Iranian commander.

Speaking to BDSUNDAY on Thursday, security expert and columnist Majeed Dahiru, said that Iran may not have capability to directly retaliate the killing, but it could revert to asymmetric tactic against US and its allies across the Middle East and Africa, which will affect Nigeria.

“Iran may not have the capability to directly retaliate this painful US action against their top military commander; they cannot engage the US in an open conventional warfare.

My thinking is that Iran would most likely revert to what they know how to do best which is asymmetric warfare against the US and its allies across the Middle East and probably Africa,” Dahiru said.

“This is where Nigeria comes into the equation as asymmetrical action by Iran will make Nigeria very vulnerable to external infiltration by Iran, which might want to hurt the interest of Nigeria perceived as a Western ally,” he further said.

To avoid the impact of such asymmetric warfare, Dahiru advised the Nigerian government to reconcile with the Shia

population to such an extent that they are no longer ostracised or seem to be persecuted and hence pushed towards solidarity with Iran, which might be tempted to militarise and arm the Shiites just to destabilise Nigeria.

He said that the Nigerian government can achieve this by releasing the Shiite leader, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky from detention.

He also admonished the government to have a national reconciliation of all Nigerian citizens irrespective of creed or sectarian inclinations and make the people of Nigeria more united in order to forestall such ugly developments.

On the demonstration of the Shiites last Tuesday in Nigeria over the killing, Dahiru said the killing of Suleimani by the US Government is not a religious affair.

“It is purely contestations of geopolitical dominance between the United States and Iran and their respective allies in the Middle East and so the demonstration of the Shiites in Nigeria is for me a misplacement of priority because Shiism is not synonymous to being an Iranian and a Nigerian citizen was not killed. Yes we can condemn the killing of Suleimani within the context of suing for world peace and stability but not because of religious consideration,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Shiites under the banner of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, on Thursday

threatened the US President Donald Trump, saying the President must pay for the “crime” he committed against Iran by killing Suleimani.

Spokesman of the Movement, Ibrahim Musa, debunked insinuations that the Iranian commander was a terrorist.

He told BDSUNDAY in an interview that the general had instead played key roles in destroying terrorist groups such as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

“Suleiman is a freedom fighter; he is a liberator, so for anybody to kill him extra- judicially and against international laws is not acceptable,” Musa said.

Reacting to the call by the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs for Nigerian Muslims not demonstrate against the killing of the general in order not to be misinterpreted as taking sides over what is considered as geopolitical affairs, Musa said the group cannot be deterred from exercising their legitimate right to protest against injustice.

“The bedrock of Islam is that a Muslim is a brother to a Muslim whether he is or from the east or from the west. Muslims in Iran and Iraq are being demonised by America and so we have to feel concern. More over we share the same belief, we share the same jurispuridical religious laws, so why should what affect them not be of concern to us?

“There has to be solidarity

in whatever form. If you are attached to a particular ideology or belief such as ours, there is no reason we should not condemn America. In fact America was condemned in America itself and in London and in various cities across the globe. So why should Nigeria be an exception? We have the constitutional right to demonstrate peacefully and that is what we did,” he added.

When asked about the possible backlash of the action of the Shiites in Nigeria, especially now that they are having a frosty relationship with the President Muhammadu Buhari Government, he said “we are not afraid of any backlash because we are siding with the truth. Whatever we are doing is correct we are on the side of the truth in professing our beliefs and taking actions that are constitutionally right. So the question of whether the time was not right for the demonstrations does not arise.

“A crime was committed

by Trump; he killed somebody who was a guest of a s ove re ig n c ou nt r y s o w hy should we not come out and condemn him.

“It is not a question of Shia versus Sunni, it is a question of right versus wrong, justice versus injustice, oppression versus the oppressed. So it is not a religious conflict as such even if it escalated. For whatever happened Trump is the cause and he will pay for his actions,” Musa said.

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Feature

‘Let’s Talk’: First Bank sets youths on path of progress OBINNA EMELIKE

I

n 2017, First Bank began a campaign to change the mindset of the average Nigerian youth. That year, the bank, which is the foremost commercial bank in Nigeria, launched a programme it aptly tagged ‘Youth Empowerment Series’.

The series is a strategic initiative to reposition the bank brand in the minds of the youths, as well as, to drive lifetime value relationship. It was also designed to sensitize the youths on the importance of financial discipline, savings and investment.

Three years down the line, the empowerment initiative has grown to become a mustattend event for youths desirous of secured future as participants of the two successful past editions are already sharing testimonies of financial discipline and investments.

As expected, ‘Youth Empowerment Series 3.0’, the third edition of the programme truly built on the success of the previous two editions. It was a full day of activities towards charting the course of the young audience to a better future of financial literacy, mental and emotional wellness and independence.

Themed ‘Let’s Talk’, the third edition, which held at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos on December 27, 2019, was more robust in participation, speakers, activities and issues tackled.

It focused on entrepreneurship and target areas of interest, which resonates with the youths such as music, fashion, media and photography.

As well, speakers including; Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi, Derin Fabikun, Tubobereni Sandrah, Alexander Chidiebere Ashimole, VJ Adams, Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Vector and Reminisce addressed everything from financial decisions and literacy as pertains to their business, how they got started, their shortcomings and challenging situations, among others.

While the participants gained a lot from the sharing of life experiences, challenges and success stories by the speakers, they also looked out for the main success nugget from the bank.

When Ibukun Awosika, chairman, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, came on stage to share her success story, the hall was dead silent as all the participants and even some staff of the bank

Gbenga Shobo, deputy managing director, First Bank, flanked by some speakers at the youth empowerment series

present wanted to hear and tap from her wealth of knowledge and success story.

Before sharing her story, Awosika, commended the participants for leaving music shows, parties, beach outings and even their families during the festive period to be at the programme. For her, they were desirous of better future and are putting action to their desire by attending.

She also noted that the programme was important to the bank because First Bank of Nigeria Limited is committed to building the nation through youth empowerment programmes aimed at deepening the knowledge of the next generation of Nigerians on financial independence and wealth creation.

“Essentially, what we are doing is equipping the next generation as a seed of nation building. “First Bank does this not because it wants to spend money but because it believes in the next generation that will change the country with financial knowledge,” Awosika said.

For the First Bank chairman, the youth empowerment series was necessary because Nigeria needed to build a generation of entrepreneurs that would address unemployment in the country.

To create jobs, she insisted that there is need to create an entrepreneurial mindset in the youths so that they can be solution providers and business builders. She further stated that it is when you build businesses that you can create jobs, hence the need to empower the youths with the right mindset and skill sets.

For youths looking up to government for jobs, she warned

that government cannot create jobs, but can employ some people into the civil service.

The reality, according to her, is that the bulk of the population that needs employment will still remain in the private sector and you can only lift them by creating enterprises.

While creating enterprise is the way to go, the most successful way to do that, according to her, is to educate, empower and to reset the minds of the youths.

“The youth need to take charge of their lives by making the right decision at any given time and avoid being vulnerable. Early enough you must have a sense of ownership of your life, when you fail it is not your parents that failed. Everything you do is essentially for you and the sense of ownership is very important, you must fight and protect it. If you do not do well your parents will be sad, but it is your future. Youths should pay attention to the decisions they make for a better future”, she admonished.

The First Bank chairman also offered some of the participants opportunity to ask questions. In response to question on how to secure the future, she urged the youths present to start now to set their priorities right in order to be ahead of their peers by making sacrifice today towards their future.

She pointed out that arrogance is a killer of future, hence urging the youths to treat anybody they come across with respect and treasure them because they would likely meet them again in life.

She also stressed the importance of network, noting that, “your network determines your networth”.

Another boost to success

guideline Awosika offered was the very impactful one given earlier by Adesola Adeduntan, managing director/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, in his welcome remarks.

The group managing director, who was represented at the event by Gbenga Shobo, deputy managing director, First Bank, noted that youth empowerment summit was intended to grow the future of youths on the path of financial freedom and secured future.

The passion for the youths, according to the MD/CEO, is because the bank recognized that the future of the nation depends on youths, moreover, about 35 percent of the bank’s customer base is actually the youth.

“The youth empowerment summit is one of the remarkable investment we have made at First Bank to prepare the Nigerian youths and to enable you become enterprise minded, he explained. “We are promoting the advancement of the nation by taking conscious steps to prepare the future generation for meaningful growth and development.

“People think First Bank is an old people’s bank, but the biggest segment we have is the youth”, he said. Explaining further on the rationale for the youth empowerment series, the bank’s MD/CEO said, “We decided that in a country where the collar jobs are getting scarce, it is important to prepare the youth in entrepreneurship”.

At the end of the end of the Youth Empowerment Series 3.0, the youthful participants truly talked with the speakers, among themselves and with First Bank on why, how and when to secure their future.

Taraba Speaker, residents hail Ishaku’s victory at Supreme Court Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

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esidents of Taraba State have continued to hail the ruling of the Supreme Court which affirmed the electoral victory of Governor Darius Ishaku.

Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Joseph Kunini while congratulating Governor Ishaku and his Deputy, Haruna Manu said the victory was a reaffirmation of the mandate of the people.

According to him, the victory was a proof that democracy was gradually taking deeper roots in the country with the judiciary enjoying relative independence.

Kunini said with the distractions caused by the case now over, the governor would focus on delivering on his Rescue Mission blueprint.

On his part, Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Ibrahim Imam described the victory as victory for democracy and the entire people of Taraba.

Imam said the era of politicking was over and it is important for the people to come together to develop the state.

He urged the people to give the governor the needed support to achieve the much needed development.

Some cross section of the people in the state including market women, civil society groups and the academia all congratulated the Governor and called on him to prioritise security of lives and property and ensure that he delivers on his campaign promises.

Governor Ishaku

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Feature How inclusive education is making the future accessible for people living with disabilities For many of the persons living with disabilities in Nigeria, the question of inclusive living and education in particular is a huge task. This is because many of public places were not purpose-built to support such class of people. SEYI JOHN SALAU writes on the benefits of inclusive education for People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) and corporate action that align to help alleviate their plight.

T

imothy Osemwegie is an On Air Personality (OAP) with the Edo Broadcasting Service (radio). Osemwegie, who is visually impaired, is known as “The Prince of the air waves” and is also a very popular face at the NTA Network Centre in Benin, where he did his National Youth Service.

Like many others with such disability, Timothy’s saving grace was access to education. Timothy graduated from the Department of Theater Art and Music, University of Benin.

Though studying in Benin was challenging for him as a visually impaired person, it however, paid off in the long run, hence, the call for accessible and inclusive education for persons with disability in Nigeria.

The other twist to the story is the rather depressing view of a number of people living with disabilities begging for alms in cities across Nigeria.

Unfortunately, its pervasiveness has influenced the perception of many other Nigerians about this set of people.

These persons are often viewed as destitute, poor, feeble and dependent individuals who rely on handouts from the rest of the society for survival. However, in actual sense, disability should not pose as an impediment to any human in attaining great feats in life, when equality is regarded as a fundamental right in access to opportunities.

Some economists are of the view that disability is both a cause and a consequence of poverty due to limited access to education, employment, medical care, nutritious food, and accessible environment. However, there is something significantly interesting about this population as captured by the former World Bank president, Paul Wolfwitz, which can remain untapped when they are treated less.

Persons with disabilities can contribute significantly to the socioeconomic development of the nation when they are supported and accorded fair treatment in society. For a nation like Nigeria with a high population of persons living with disabilities, plans must be made on how perfectly to accommodate and empower them to be all that they can be.

The population of Nigerians living with some sort of disability is estimated to be around 19 million with 4.7 million of them having significant difficulties functioning according to The World Report on Disability 2018.

So, the question is, how doesNigeria ensure that these people live a fair life, and are not at a disadvantage in society? What needs to be done for them to have a future accessible to

A cross section of persons living with disabilities (PWDs)

basic rights?

In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, following 9 years of relentless advocacy by many human rights groups, institutions, and activists.

The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilityand imposes sanctions (fines and prison sentences) on those who contravene the law. It also stipulates a five-year transitional period for modifying public buildings, structures, and automobiles to make them accessible to persons with disabilities.

The law also provides for the establishment of a National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, who would be responsible for ensuring that people with disabilities have access to basic amenities; housing, education, and healthcare. The Commission will be empowered to receive complaints of rights violations and support victims to seek legal redress amongst other duties.

The enactment of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Act is just a first step and makes a case for why the nation and every well-meaning Nigerian – individual and corporate – should collaborate to ensure that PwDs in Nigeria are equipped to break the barriers placed by the society through negative stereotypes. It is encouraging to note that some organisations are already doing well in this regard.

MTN Nigeria, through its social investment vehicle, MTN Foundation, since 2009 has been a strategic partner to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development in providing support

to persons living with disabilities through various programmes that seek to make life better for this huge population.

Offering over 20,000 persons with disabilities aid from the MTN Foundation Disability Support Project, and awarding 1300 undergraduate scholarships to students in public tertiary institutions under the MTNF Scholarship Scheme for Blind Students in the last five years.

The company also begun a Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YEDP) aimed at the recipient graduands of MTNF Scholarships, including the MTNF Scholarship Scheme for Blind Students.

The Programme aims to assist and equip these graduands who aspire to venture into entrepreneurship, with the necessary skills, knowledge, and finance to be successful at what they do.

At the commemoration of the 2019 International Day of Persons with Disabilities held in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, the company also donated relief and mobility items, which included Braille machines, crutches, hearing aids, elbow pads, and others in support of PwDs. MTN Nigeria continues to make headway in showing its support and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities; it also provides a blueprint for other institutions to follow and collectively collaborate to create a fair, inclusive and barrier-free future for persons living with disabilities.

Similarly, the Joint National Association of People Living With Disabilities, led by its chairman, Adebukola Adebayo, during a sensitisation

walk in commemoration of the 2019 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, urged the Lagos State Assembly to make policy on inclusive education in Lagos State a bill to enable it become a law. Adebayo was optimistic that if the policy becomes a law, better budgetary allocation would be made available for inclusive education in Lagos.

Adebayo also urged the executive to ensure that a department was created in the Ministry of Education for inclusive education. According to him, the creation of the department will ensure that issues around inclusive education would be given better attention in the state.

FunshoOwasanoye, executive director, human development initiative (HDI), said the sensitisation walk was meant to celebrate the international day of persons with disabilities and also to draw the attention of the society to the plight of persons with disabilities and that with deliberate efforts all child can be educated.

HDI, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has been in the forefront of ensuring that Lagos State Government keep to certain standards in project implementation and inclusive education in the state, especially as it relates to People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs).

According to HDI, there is an urgent need to adopt an inclusive education for people with special needs/People Living with Disabilities; thereby the purpose of collaborating with other NGOs with the walk was aimed at urging the government to invest more in areas of infrastructure and commodities for the benefits of people living with disabilities.

Oyo will rebuild Akesan Market, provide support to victims, Makinde pledges REMI FEYISIPO, Ibadan

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overnor Seyi Makinde has said that the State Government would rebuild the Akesan Market, Oyo and also provide support to all victims of the recent fire incident, which razed the popular 400 year old market.

The governor, who stated this at the site of the inferno and at the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, said that rather than engage in buck-passing over the failure of the past administration to provide necessary fire-fighting tools, he would take responsibility for the failure of the system.

A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Taiwo Adisa, indicated that Governor Makinde, who expressed deep regret over the unfortunate fire incident, noted that an investigative panel had already been set up to look into both the remote and immediate causes of the inferno.

“I must, at this point, express my deep sadness over the loss of lives and property because of the various fire outbreaks in Oyo State. This is deeply regretted. Of course, things happen that signal the failure in our system. I swore to an oath to protect the lives and property of everyone living within the borders of this State, so I take full responsibility for this failure and promise that I will make things right,” the governor said.

According to him, victims who lost their properties and businesses to the inferno would be provided with financial support in order to enable them have a swift bounce back into business, so that the economy of the zone would not suffer a downturn.

The governor said the government has commenced the process of acquiring additional 10 fire-fighting trucks to boost fire-fighting services in the State, while also urging residents to be safety-conscious with regards to prevention of fire outbreaks considering the current weather condition.

While speaking during the governor’s visit, Oba Adeyemi said he believed Governor Makinde would fulfill his promise to rebuild the market, noting that he was rest assured that the governor meant well for Oyo State.

The monarch, who went into a brief history of the market, called on the Government to consider returning the market to the Palace for control and management as it was in the past, for effective management.

“Whoever thinks he won’t cooperate with the Government will have himself to blame. We understand that and nobody can deceive us, it is whatever the Governor discusses with us that we will accept. And by God’s grace, he will fulfill his promise,” the Alaafin said.

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BDSUNDAY 23

PhotoSplash

L-R: Zahra Abdulkareem, programme director’ Abdul-Lateef & Sanni Foundation; Keinde Modupe, education secretary, Abeokuta North LGEA; female pupil; Alegbeleye, head mistress, Muslim Model Nursery & Primary School, Ago-Oko; male pupil; Soliu Moridiat, former head mistress, Muslim Model Nursery & Primary School, Ago-oko; Modupe Kusimo, Ogun State Girls Guide Commissioner, and Shamsideen Olalekan, officer of Abdul-Lateef & Sanni Foundation, at the presentation of sc

President Muhammadu Buhari (m); Adams Oshiomhole (5th l), APC National chairman; Boss Mustapha (2nd r), secretary to the Government of the Federation; Abba Kyari (3rd r), chief of staff; Lai Mohammed (r), minister of information and culture; Sadiq Abubakar (3rd l), APC National youth leader, and others after a meeting of the President with APC National and Zonal Youth Leaders and representatives from six Goe-Political Zones at the Presidential Villa in Abuja

L-R: Joe Okei-Odumakin, president, Women Arise; Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti State; Ayo Opadokun, general secretary, National Democratic Coalition; and Indubuisi Kanu, former military governor of Lagos State, at the service of songs for the late Folashade Ransome-Kuti, the wife of late Beko Ransome-Kuti, in Lagos

Mallam Ibrahim Mammaga (3rd, r), acting MD, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), presenting a gift to Dada Ahmed, assistant editor-in-chief of NAN, at a retiring ceremony for Ahmed at the NAN headquarters in Abuja. With them are some heads of the Editorial Department at NAN.

L-R: Qasim Akinreti, chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council; Lanre Ogundipe, former NUJ president; Funke Egbemode, commissioner for information and civic orientation in Osun; Cosmas Oni, vice president, NUJ Zone B, and Kehinde Ayantunji, chairman of NUJ, Osun Council, at the presentation of outstanding professional award to Egbemode at the NUJ Zone B’s Annual Lecture and Award Day, in Ibadan

L-R: Ibrahim Adediran, acting director, Shafaudeen in Islam Worldwide (SIW); Sabit Olagoke, founder of SIW, and Demola Babalola, chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, at a news conference addressed by Olagoke on the 37th Annual International Convention of the Group, in Ibadan

Mallam Ibrahim Manmaga (4th r), acting MD, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN); Olusegun Alabi (m), chairman of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Abuja Chapter; Khaliel Abdulhadi (4th l), director of administration, NAN; Ayodeji Abitogun (2nd l), immediate past chairman of the Chapter; Hawa Yahaya-Abubakar (3rd l), treasurer; Rukayat Adeyemi, a fellow of NCS, and NAN staff who are members of Society, at the NCS delegation’s visit to NAN headquarters in Abuja. NAN

Bolanle Austen-Peters, Founder, Terra Kulture and Director of ‘Fela’s Republic & the Kalakuta Queens’ with Sade Morgan, Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc. during the stage play in Lagos.

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Arts ‘I wanted Hertitude to be a mirror for the society’ Kesiena C. Obue is a young female Nigerian playwright, Director and filmmaker. In 2009, she founded Kesservier Vanille Productions, an arts production company, which became the platform for her early artistic expressions and success. She has published a book “Move A Brain Muscle and Make History”, and written commissioned works for Cable Television. Kesiena has also written, directed and produced three short films and other works for independent feature and documentary film projects, with two full length plays –Ivie and Hey Brother under review for publication. She has also written successful musicals such as Wakaa the Musical and Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, while The Bling Lagosians is her most recent film credit. In this interview with Obinna Emelike, she unveils Hertitude, her latest play, which staged the National Theatre Iganmu Lagos during the festive season, amid other related issues.

In Hertitude, your new stage play, why did you focus on three siblings with similar stories? he three women do not define anything for me.

I choose three sisters because I wanted to touch three different classes of people. The elites, the ones that look down on others, then we have the celebrities, those who feel untouchable, the stars and people who want to condemn.

I wanted to use those three people to represent different classes of people in the society.

know and what you can identify with. You cannot write anything that is alien. My definition of the Nigerian woman story might be different from yours based on upbringing, beliefs and everything.

But we are getting there.

T

Do you relate with any of the characters in anyway?

I would say I relate with all the characters because we all face social media pressure; how to live, how to be glamour on social media and all of that. When I posted something about myself and I was not smiling, people would ask, are you ok? Why are you not smiling? And I felt like, must I smile? I am ok, I just do not feel like posting a smiling picture.

You know this society pressure, we must be this, at this age you must be married, working and all that, so I relate with all of them.

What emotional depths did you explore when writing their character?

There is nothing we do not touch; parental abuse. So many people faced parental abuse from their immediate family and that shapes who they are, what they do and the way they think. Fortunately for me, I did not go through that. I have supportive parents. But I was very observant during my childhood and it helps my work. I watched the way my friends behave and the things around me. A lot of people face parental abuse and the parents do not even know they are abusing their children. It is a lot of emotional deprivation for the victims. Most Nigerian parents do not know how to help their children grow emotionally. To them, being a parent is providing a roof and food. But you have to know it is more than that.

You need to help them grow. So, these girls in the play are kids who were emotionally deprived and verbally abused by their parents.

When it comes to depth, I needed to go deep, I touched a lot.

What exactly did you have in mind when you set out to make your stage play?

I wanted it to be a mirror for the society. We are always free to judge

Why are you not a feminist?

I am not a feminist because I believe we all have our special ways God created us. I have my role as a woman and a man has his role as a man. There are things I would do that a man would never be able to do, and there are things a man would do that I will not be able to do. So, I do not deceive myself. It is not a superiority war or a witch hunt. For me, it is about equity and fairness. Treat me right and I will treat you right.

Kesiena Obue

or to condemn. What people are judging is not the same as what they do. I wanted my people to come and see that since you do not have the morals you claim to have, so do not judge me because I am doing something you do not do or you are doing something I am not doing. So, we all see it differently.

What is it about you and Bolanle Austen-Peters?

I worked for her. When I started working for Terra Culture, I did not start as her executive assistant. I started as a writer before I became her executive assistant. I think she trusted me a lot, that is why we have a very good relationship.

You were a microbiologist before you went to theatre, who opened the door for you?

Yes, I was a microbiologist, but I went back to school to do film and theatre. After I finished from the University of Ibadan, I was already producing film in Ibadan. Bolanle Austen-Peters saw me as a director and writer.

How would you evaluate the audience and reception of theatre in Ibadan compared to Lagos?

I would say it like this, they want to see films, but they do not want to pay.

Would you say the theatre culture is striving there more than here?

It is not thriving there more than here, people here are willing to pay premium for good productions. In Ibadan, if you do a production for N15,000, nobody will see it. We had a theatre day where the highest I sold a ticket for was N5000 and that was even for VIP, regular was N500 for students and N1000 for others. That is for a production titled ‘Ivie’. The theatre culture is more in Lagos.

Is that not an illusion, can we really achieve equity in a world like this?

That is why I said equity is equity.

Can we really achieve equity like you said? I have friends who are feminist but they always play the feminine card when they need help. They say they want equity and when they need help, they will say Oh! I am a woman. No, you stick to it. So for me, equity is equity.

If you are to talk about female representation in theatre in Nigeria, what would be your opinion?

We are well represented. We have fantastic directors like Ikimi Douglas, Ifeoma Fafunwa, Bolanle Austen-Peters, and there is myself.

There are lots of producers, writers and directors. But it can get better.

What is the difference between writing for theatre and for film?

There is a clear difference. With screen, you have the creative liberty to play around. You can play around with scenarios. But with theatre, you have to think of the space you are working with, time and dialogue. Everything has to be in the dialogue. You can do flash back if you want, but it is not like film where you can easily take it back, you have to think of the technicalities involve in doing that.

When you are writing for stage, you are writing with few products in mind. For you to write a play, you have to test the play first on stage. It is not like screen where you can go and record, cut and paste. Theatre is immediate; you have to see the finished picture in your head first.

When you say it can get better, what changes would you like to see?

I would love to see more women because the ratio of male to female is like 4:1.

So, which is more demanding for you?

They are both demanding. I do not prefer theatre, I see film like science, and theatre like art.

Do you think script writers have done well enough to reflect the real Nigerian story in our place?

What I would ask is; what is the real Nigerian woman story? It is your reality. You have to write what you

When you say you see film like science, can you expatiate?

To me, film is like physics because of the whole camera thing. Although they are both art. I love both of them because I get feels from them.

Which is more profitable?

In Nigeria right now, film is more profitable, that is because the theatre industry is still growing. It is difficult to break even in theatre.

It is easier if you have sponsors. But if you are financing it yourself, it is difficult to break even.

You originally studied Microbiology in school, what inspired you to study Theatre Arts?

I think I was born with this. I remember when I was growing up, I have always been writing. I would use my school notes to write stories and my mother would scream. I used to have stories in my head that I used to tell my sister. I am always scared of the toilet, if I am going to use the rest room, someone must be there with me and I used to tell my younger sister that I will tell her stories and the catch is that I must not repeat my stories. Every time she follows me, I tell her a fresh story. I was already a storyteller, I have a thing for stories. But it was in the university that I knew I had to do that. I was not feeling myself in science anymore. I knew during my NYSC, that I was going back to school. Thankfully, my parents understood, they did not understand at first but later they did. My dad right now is my major sponsor for Hertitude. He brought the bulk of the money. We did not leave any stone unturned. The quality, the costumes, I am a perfectionist sort of. So, when I do a production, I touch everything. I collaborated with the National Theatre, Z-mirage and Moto media.

If you are to dissect Kesiana, who will you see; the screen writer, the playwright, the director, or who?

I am a mother, what you are not seeing well is that I have a son at home, a 12-year old. I am a single mother.

If I am not writing, producing or directing, I will be a mother to my son and a daughter to my parents and a sister to my siblings. But someone asked me, if you are not writing, what else can you do, I said nothing.

Beyond Hertitude what is your next project and when are you unveiling it?

I am working on a film this year. I am working on a feature film. The first feature film, produce and directed by me. We are looking at March/ April to release it. We are also looking at bringing back Hertitude once again on stage just in time for the Easter celebrations.

Sunday 12 January 2020

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Arts Stage plays that delighted theatre lovers in 2019

W

OBINNA EMELIKE hile there seems to be renaissance of cinema culture in recent time, theatre is beginning to thrive again, especially with new outlets such as Terra Kulture, Mike Adenuga Centre, new festivals like the Lagos Theatre Festival among others. Also, new theatre companies are springing, while existing venues like MUSON, National Theatre among others are still hosting enthralling plays.

However, theatre lovers were hosted to an exciting year in 2019 marked with enthralling stage plays. Top among the plays that featured sold-out halls, as well as, lived up to the audience expectations are: Fela’s Republic and the Kalakuta Queens. The musical with the most intriguing storyline, is a sequel to Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, which got people talking when it debuted.

Fela’s Republic and the Kalakuta Queens WAS produced by Bolanle AustenPeters Productions (BAP) and it staged at Terra Kulture in Victoria Island, Lagos for 10 days between December 14, 2019 and January 5, 2020.

The musical was the high-

Lagos Theatre Festival

light event for many theatre lovers during the festive season.

Fela’s Republic and the Kalakuta Queens infused the celebration of the unapologetic and prophetic messages enshrined in Fela’s music into the original storyline.

According to Bolanle Austen-Peters, “The play which first opened in Lagos in 2017 has now been shown in different countries across the continent. However, we’ve brought it back to Lagos because there has been a lot of clamor for that to be done.

The sequel is just as exciting

and the major twist to it is that the new play is a fusion of the Kalakuta Queens and Fela’s social messages.”

At MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, Bintu - The Musical brought the crisis in the northeast region of Nigeria to the stage.

Premiered by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Bintu - The Musical, was enthralling for the audience that saw it.

The theatre production is a bold and thoughtful dramatization of the humanitarian impact of the decade-long crisis that has plagued Nige-

ria’s north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

WFP taps into Nigeria’s vibrant performing arts and entertainment industry to tell a story of conflict-driven hunger, resilience and humanity.

The play follows a young girl called Bintu, whose dreams of going to university are dramatically cut short when insurgents strike. Bintu and her friends find refuge in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), where they receive humanitarian assistance. While in the camp, Bintu slowly begins to rebuild her life.

The play uses powerful song, dance and poetic performances to depict people’s struggles, their will to survive and the vital humanitarian assistance they receive. Bintu - The Musical will be showing in Abuja in the first quarter of 2020.

Of course, Hertitude heightened relaxation for the audience that saw the play at the National Theatre Iganmu Lagos from December 14, 2019 to January 5, 2020. Earlier in 2019 (in March and April), the play also enthralled the audiences at Wole Soyinka Hall, Freedom Park, Lagos.

The stage play was worth the time, money and stress of visiting the National Theatre because of the great storyline and the person behind the play.

Hertitude, the bold new play by Kessavier Vanille Productions, was written and directed by Kesiena C. Obue, one of the most engaging voices in contemporary Nigerian theater and film industry.

“Hertitude is a bold move with a punch, a thumb up for legacy, theatrical beauty and professional pride” says Obue, the writer/director.

It is a smooth simmering homage around three young Nigerian female professionals and sisters forced into an uncomfortable reunion by the death of their moth-

er. They come to play and ever so gingerly navigate the contours of their maturing lives under the glare of social media, Lagos fakery and glitz with a nasty underbelly. While juggling scheming socialites, name‐ dropping wannabes, fickle celebrities, and egomaniac obsessions, can these sisters still manage to get it together? It is a rib-busting, sensuous and delicious piece of dramatic adventurousness. Unlike the parade of recent sugary misadventures of the stage, Hertitude is fun but serious.

It promises a five-course meal of beauty, music, dance, technical pizzazz and real drama, while examining the past, challenging our view of the future, as well as, surprise and inspire the audience.

As well, the Lagos Theatre Festival thrilled the audiences across different parts of the country with superlative stage performances from April 8-14, 2019.

In its sixth edition last year, the festival, which is West Africa’s biggest performing arts festival, the excitement a notch higher with over 140 shows in seven days across different venues in Lagos including; Freedom Park – (the main hub of the festival), British Council, MUSON Centre, Terra Kulture Arena, Bariga Market among others.

FCMB founder hosts Ijebus, royal fathers, clerics at new year thanksgiving service, as Aragbaye thrills crowd

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uesday, January 7, 2020 marked another epochal moment for Otunba Olasubomi Balogun, the founder of FCMB Group Plc, head of Ijebu Christians and Olori Omooba of Ijebuland, his family, friends and the entire Ijebuland who congregated to celebrate another New Year. Indeed, the turnout at the Tunwase Court, country home of Otunba Balogun for the yearly congregation, was a demonstration of oneness, unity and peaceful coexistence the New Year thanksgiving service he organised has brought to the people of Ijebuland. The celebration gets bigger, better and merrier every year.This year’s celebration attracted people from all walks of life from within and outside Nigeria.

The inter-denominational event, which has turned the Tunwase Court to a yearly congregational point, also boosted the economy of the town for two days as visitors arrived for the event a day or two before the final day in order to be part of it, especially the prayer sessions that started at 7.30am. What

else will tourism bring if not economic opportunity to get more at a short time?The event keeps on getting better by the year because it has become not only the gathering of the family of Otunba Balogun, but also the Ijebu reunion and thanksgiving point of unity. For the first time in the history of the event, this

year’s thanksgiving service experienced a boost with the invitation of Evangelist Funmi Aragbaye, a popular Yoruba gospel artiste, whose music has become an inspirational rendition and anthem in many homes.

Evangelist Aragbaye’s performance was enthralling and spirit-moving as it attracted

all and sundry to the floor to offer a dance offering to God for making them see another wonderful year. Okorie Uguru, one of the participants, who is also a travel writer and an ardent fan of Funmi Aragbaye, said, “This is one of the best Yoruba gospel artistes I cherish for her composition.

She is my best for all times

L-R: Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, Oba Rasaq Adenugba; Akija of Ikija,Oba Kayode Alakija; Dagburewe of Idowa, Oba Yinusa Adekoya; Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun State, and Otunba Olasubomi Balogun, founder, FCMB Group/Asiwaju Onigbagbo of Ijebuland, during the New Year prayer programme organised by Otunba Balogun in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State on January 7, 2020.

and the only Yoruba gospel musician I have collections of her album in my archive”.

In his usual inspiring speech, the organiser of the thanksgiving and prayer event, Otunba Balogun, said his praises were not enough for what God had done for him and promised that he will continue to touch lives and do his best to serve God in all ramifications. He thanked the clerics, royal fathers and people of Ijebuland for rallying round to celebrate with his family, praying that God would continue to strengthen and promote unity among them to keep on living as a family. Acknowledging the fact that the event in the last one decade had continued to witness increased number of participants, the FCMB founder revealed that for the 2020 edition of the programme there were visitors from Ibadan, Lagos, Ondo and America and expressed the hope that next year’s event, with the support of the Ijebus, will be more memorable.

He also expressed gratitude to Gbenga Daniel, a former governor of Ogun

State, who has been a regular face at the event, as well as, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Dr. Sunny Kuku, royalties and clergymen across different denominations.

While admonishing the congregation at the New Year thanksgiving service the Methodist Bishop, Diocese of Ijebu, Rt. Reverend Isaac Bola Osunjuyigbe, called on all to join in the repositioning of Nigeria. Reverend Osunjuyigbe said, “There is need for those in positions in Nigeria to start making statements that will make the country better.There is no one God cannot use to make a nation greater. In the Bible, He used many people we least expected to do great things.

Today, I tell you God can still use us all in one way or the other to make Nigeria great again.In every position you find yourself, do something meaningful to make people feel your impact. We also have to pray for and support those in position for them to be role models and leave a lasting legacy likened to some of our nationalists that contributed immensely to Nigeria’s growth.”

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Sunday 12 November 2019

ExecutiveBookshelf With Chido Nwakanma • Reviews • News • Interview • List

My book world

Ikem Okuhu

I

kem Okuhu (2019), Pitch: Debunking Marketing ’s Strongest Myths. Lagos: Brandish Media. ISBN: 978978-975-704-6 Pitch: Debunking Marketing’s Strongest Myths entered the market in the best traditions of marketing communications. The decibel has been loud and intense, as has been the effort to reach consumers and make them at least buyers and probably readers of the book. The author of Pitch demonstrates that you can achieve high levels of awareness and reach for books in Nigeria bypassing the traditional book distribution channels. Or almost.

Those building brands deploying public relations with modern platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter are following the paths of old masters such as Anita Roddick and her The Bodyshop line that predated the Internet. The idea was to tell stories around the brand through various activations including events. The media then reported it.

Since its formal presentation in Lagos, Pitch has grabbed the Facebook platform and gets a mention every week. It does this deploying Walter Fischer’s Narrative Paradigm Theory. Narrative Paradigm states that all meaningful communication is in the form

At the formal presentation of Pitch

Conversation starter on IMC in Nigeria of storytelling. Communication happens between the narrator and the listener in the form of a story. Ikem Okuhu has consistently shared a series of stories around Pitch, from Lagos to Enugu with promises of adding Abuja and other towns. Friends have shared similar stories of donating the books to university libraries, mass communication and marketing departments.

Consequently, engaged professionals in integrated marketing communications in Nigeria have heard of the book. They should, as it addresses issues within their purview and professional competence.

Pitch is a journalist’s look at various issues in marketing communications that he feels do not serve the best interests of stakeholders, from consumers to brand owners and media platforms. He calls them “marketing’s strongest myths”. Okuhu makes bold assertions and strong claims.

A central assertion and thesis of the book comes early in the preface. Okuhu states, “There are far too many things that have been taken for granted in marketing. Perhaps out of respect for the ‘icons’ of the industry that laid the foundation for the cultivation of the ideas or merely because many people find it hard to interrogate certain issues, we have carried on with a lot that don’t just work.

The consequence has been direwasteful marketing spend”.

In 12 chapters across 178 pages, Pitch discusses the marketing role of the CEO; the “death of advertising”; the significance of mindshare versus market share; line extensions; and the growing role of technology and artificial intelligence in marketing. It also treats the role or non-contribution of innovation, pricing, globalisation and corporate social responsibility. It examines the matter of nation branding and what it takes to brand successful nation brands.

An icon of advertising, Mr Lolu

Akinwunmi, offers a strong endorsement. Akinwunmi in the Foreword pats the author on the back with a “well done”. He observes, “Dwelling mainly on some of the things marketers hold very dearly and consider sacrosanct, the author offers some new and potentially controversial perspectives into some of marketing communication industry’s strongly held views.”

There is much learning in Pitch, particularly for persons coming to marketing communications anew and students of the discipline.

The material on CEO Types and their impact on the business is very informative. It draws on the western templates against which Okuhu rails but offers deep insights into character traits and metrics. He ends it with a useful guide to CEO positioning and branding.

Chapter 11 on “Every nation is not a brand” illuminates the challenges of branding Nigeria and some of the reasons why previous efforts failed. It contains material on the indices for national competitiveness and comparison of branding efforts by countries such as India. Usually there is a congruence of the internal and the external with communications being the culmination of various other efforts.

Pitch offers many mini-cases and narratives of successes and failures in the marketplace. Narratives include Hero lager beer, Star and its many line extensions, Guinness Stout, Origin beer, Thermocool, Access Bank etc. The account of the fate of Heineken Magnum is particularly instructive as it makes the case for the place of culture in communication and marketing. The stories however come across as the impressions and opinions of the author.

They would read better, as both journalism and marketing literature, if there is a balance featuring interactions and interviews with the brand custodians to explain

why and how they took the decisions they made with actual data on market share and competition.

A revised edition should take care of this.

The controversies will centre around his assertions in chapter three on mind share versus market share. He mentions the battle of Coca Cola versus Big Cola, Gala versus Rite Bite and the war of the beer and detergent brands. In this segment, the author falls into the trap of the use of unverifiable data of which he accused the industry. He allots market share of Coca Cola 51%, Pepsi, 41%, Big Cola 4% and Bigi, 1%. The author credits this data to “Market Intelligence”. The book could do with better statistics from identifiable and reliable sources.

Line extensions remain controversial in marketing since Ries and Trout (1972). The chapter on line extensions is hard-hitting. It is a surprise that since the book hit the market, none of the brands skewered has offered a rebuttal or an explanation of what happened, why and the learnings. The chapter raises a significant issue in marketing. Marketing professionals distinguish between brand extensions, line extensions and licensed merchandise. According to Mathew Healy (2010), in What is Branding? brand extensions function vertically; custodians use the same brand in a new category where the brand’s meaning still makes sense to customers. Line extensions tend to be horizontal and geared to higher or lower segments within the same category. Licensed merchandise applies the brand to an item that may be unrelated to the original brand.

The author of Pitch assumes

that the reader is familiar with the pillars of marketing and its myths and does not bother to explain them for context before busting them. Marketing revolves around these pillars: attracting new clients; retaining and growing relationships for the brand and company; increasing name recognition and awareness; and creating targeted effective communications using all the tools including advertising, public relations, trade promotion, sponsorships and social media as well as community involvement.

What are the myths that Pitch then busts? The reader must infer that they include the primacy of advertising using traditional media; the role of line extensions; the link between pricing, brand value and customer acceptance; the role of innovation; the role and limitations of branding, the place and importance of globalisation and the routes to market.

The assertion that “advertising is dead” should generate a lively debate. Much advertising features online and social media platforms.

So how is it dead? Is it advertising that died or there is a change in the platforms for delivering it so much so as to leave the traditional ones lost?

Pitch is a must-have for professionals as well as students in the related fields of marketing, mass communication and cognate disciplines such as sociology, economics and psychology. It has started a conversation that invites the active engagement of the IMC field. How well the industry responds to the issues the book raises would also be an index of its health and capacity for intellectual engagement. The nation awaits and watches.

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Life&Living From reality to stage: How Ada the Country tells stories of women struggles

A

Ifeoma Okeke

fter the December Buzz, dancing and concerts around town, there can’t be a better way to unwind than going out with the family to watch a stage play that not just entertains but relates urgent realities of our times in a beautiful theatre space.

Part of such realities that everyone can relate with are the everyday struggles of women. As generations of women heal and break, though imperfect, strive for perfection amidst the societal realities they have to face.

‘Ada the Country’ a musical written by Titilope Sonuga and directed

by Kemi Lala Akindoju offers kaleidoscope of reflections and explorations of the Nigerian female experience, themes of their struggles and views of the world they live in.

The 4-day series stage play which showed from 2nd to 5th of January, 2020 presented myriads of events all aimed at immersing the audience in an incomparable theatrical experience.

Theatre is such a beautiful space and it is a space that Lala Akindoju has been and has existed and has been dominating for many years and people still love theatres as much as they still love going to movies, they must be many different ways to enjoy the art.

‘Ada the Country’ produced by Doyenne Circle is the first all-women cast and crew musical in Nigeria in a while, and portrays what women can do when they come together.

The story which has Kate Henshaw as lead character echoes a message of hope amid loss, friendship amid loneliness and strength amid despair.

The cast comprises Patience Ozokwor, Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola, Chigul, Lala Akindoju, Ade Laoye, Oludara Egerton-Shyngle, Oluchi Odii among others.

Titilope Sonuga, the writer of the play told BDSunday that a time for listening to the stories of women is always now and urgent but the idea of the stage play came forward from Doyenne Circle, and Lala Akindoju, the director of the play a friend of hers who reached out to her and told her she

wanted her to write it.

“At the time we knew the name and we knew that we wanted it to centre on the narratives of women but we then had to think of what kind of stories we wanted to tell and how we wanted to tell those stories. Lala started to think about the cast and who we could have these women be and across how many generations.

“We started thinking of the stories urgent to older and younger generations of women. From that place I started to write these stories and write them in a way that they were connected to each other,” she said.

Sonuga explained that this was

such a beautiful production because it allowed actors use their different skills in this production and allowed the audience see the casts brand new, adding that the beauty of doing a musical is that it gives people different tools to work with.

Speaking on the choice of making this a stage play, she said, “Theatre is such a beautiful space and it is a space that Lala Akindoju has been, has existed and has been dominating for many years and people still love theatres as much as they still love going to movies.

There must be many different ways to enjoy the art. So, theatre is just one of those places, so why not invest in that

and in that experience as well so that people have options.”

Sonuga disclosed that everything on the stage were things that either happened to her, or someone that she know or a story that she heard because she drew this from real life.

“I am drawing from conversations with women, with friends and people that I meet and trying to bring all of those things to the table. You put moments of humour and laughter; you are really trying to get into everyone. No matter who you are, you will find one story in this play that connects to you at some level.

“The most challenging part is in the writing because in that part, it is just you are your paper. The work of writing is just put it on the page and then, you will get there. It takes time and sometimes it feels like this thing is not working but you just keep trying and when you see it and you realise that that thing actually worked. You are writing individual stories but they have to make sense, so that you are telling a full story.

“We have been on this for a couple of months and it took three full weeks of non-stop writing and between rehearsals I am editing and adding some things. The writing process has gone on for a couple of months,” she said.

Doyenne circle seeks to mentor and motivate women, challenging them to be better than their best in everything from career to relationship and lifestyle using drama, seminars, workshops and mentorship programs

Why shea butter is perfect for the harmattan season Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

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he weather is dry and cold and your skin is looking ashy, scally and really unattractive. worry no more, because there is a perfect old remedy to get you looking and feeling great no matter the weather and that is shea butter.

As common as this product may appear to be, it has been acknowledged by medical practitioners as very useful and possesses various benefits.

Shea butter is extracted from the nuts of the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa) that is native to Africa, shea butter is a fatty oil that exists as solid at room temperature.

The Karite tree bears the fruits, and the nuts inside the fruits are of prime importance. These nuts are crushed, boiled, and manipulated to extract a light-colored fat, which is commonly referred to as shea butter.

The main components of shea butter include oleic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, etc. It gets absorbed quickly into the skin as it melts at body temperature. Its moisturizing and healing properties prove beneficial for many skin issues. It also has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties (to a certain extent) that can be utilized to treat many ailments.

Shea butter is an excellent moisturizer for the face and the body. Its fat content is responsible for its emollient

and humectant properties. It locks in the moisture in the skin and keeps it hydrated for long. Dehydrated and dry skin becomes rough and scaly. Shea butter is used to heal cracked heels, dry cuticles, and rough patches on your skin. You can also use it to simply moisturize your skin during the colder months.

Shea butter is known for its healing properties, which can be attributed to the presence of several fatty acids and plant sterols such as oleic, palmitic, stearic, and linolenic acids. These oilsoluble components do not undergo saponification or convert into soap on coming in contact with alkalis. Shea butter is more non-saponifiable than other nut oils and fats, thus imparting it great healing potential.

Shea butter has several derivatives of cinnamic acid that exhibit anti-inflammatory properties. These properties make it beneficial for the improvement of skin conditions that result from an increase in inflammatory compounds.

The product is also considered as one of the best anti-aging agents for the skin. It stimulates the production of collagen, the youthful scaffolding protein in the skin. The vitamins A and E found in this butter keep the skin supple, nourished, and radiant. If used regularly, it reduces wrinkles and also prevents premature wrinkles and facial lines. Its anti-aging properties can also be attributed to its ability to

increase circulation to the skin and promote cell renewal.

These vitamins, along with catechins, also exert an antioxidant effect against free radicals that damage the skin. These free radicals are often found in our environment in pollutants and irritants. The sun’s rays can also increase the free radicals in our skin, which can easily damage the skin cells. The cinnamic acid esters in the shea fat prevent damage from these compounds by giving your skin an antioxidant boost.

For itching skin, both the moisturizing and the anti-inflammatory properties of shea butter prove to be beneficial. Dryness can cause your

skin to start peeling and/or become flaky. It can cause the skin to itch. The moisturizing fatty acids of shea butter can provide relief by supplying the skin with the oils it needs. If the itching is due to a skin condition like psoriasis, the anti-inflammatory activity of shea butter works really well to alleviate it.

The non-saponifiable matter and vitamin F in this butter are vital ingredients for maintaining the skin’s elasticity. Shea butter also improves the production of collagen in the skin. Thus, its application restores the natural elasticity of the skin besides hydrating, softening, and beautifying it. Restored elasticity also ensures reduced wrinkles and blemishes.

Shaving hair using razors can often leave your skin irritated and itchy. At times, it might even develop bumps post shaving as a result of the irritation.

Shea butter can help reduce this as it moisturizes and soothes the irritated skin. You can also apply the butter a day prior to shaving to smoothen the skin and hair. This will make the shaving process easier and faster and doesn’t leave any irritated spots behind.

Shea butter is often used as a base in ointments or creams prepared commercially for stretch mark treatment.

The application of shea butter will restore the natural elasticity of the skin and also improve collagen production.

It is a natural emollient. Daily massage of the affected area with this skin healing butter can lighten stretch marks.

Unrefined shea butter is an excellent natural moisturizer that is devoid of chemicals. Thus, it is ideal for baby care as besides being gentle and soft on the skin, it is specially adapted for the delicate and sensitive skin of babies. It can be applied after a bath and also used for healing eczema or diaper rash on the skin of babies and toddlers.

Shea butter is easily absorbable and provides extra moisture and nutrients that the lips need during the cold season and dry weather conditions.

Thus, it acts as a perfect lip balm and is also effective for treating dry and chapped lips. When applied, it forms a barrier on the lips and retains moisture in the skin.

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Travel

Floating hotel, Gambia

It’s time to seek new thrills, destinations OBINNA EMELIKE

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he year 2020, which was happily ushered in by the people of the world few days ago, is already running. However, it is a year to seek quality relaxation and save oneself from unnecessary stress. As The Dalai Lama, one of the wisest men on earth suggested, “Once a year, go to someplace you have never been before”, it is time to fulfill some travel dreams. So, step out this year to a new destination.

Again, the doctors say relaxation is good for our health. Sadly, we often remind others the popular saying: “All work, no play makes Jack a dull boy,” without taking time-off ourselves. How wrong it is to preach what we do not practice. This year, you need to be a little sincere with yourself and step up your work-leisure balance because life work without leisure is life without a balance.

You need to take your health and happiness into account when you work. You do not need to work so hard that you become ill or depressed.

This year, you need to have leisure in your life to keep

life fun and energetic. But if all you do is to worry about work or business, then what type of life is that? You need nobody to tell you that it is a life in prison.

Of course, you are the one that will push for a rest because you are in a capitalist economy, where your boss is more interested in work, work and work. Your boss cannot stop you from taking time off because of the benefits to the company.

Companies that allow staff to take time off for leaves and holidays have always reaped higher productivity afterwards, as the staff return refreshed and better prepared for the work challenges.

In case you work with a real ‘Boss,’ summon courage and tell him/her you need leisure time. You only need to be polite about it because you will be the worst hit when you break down.

Remember, your boss can always replace you.

If he insists on you staying back to work, then you can probably take some leisure time without being a jerk about it. It is as simple as taking 15 minutes here and two minutes there in quality things.

However, while leisure

might conjure up images of foamy drinks with umbrella straws, visits to beaches and day spas or taking on an adventure, the true essence of leisure is beyond that.

You will get the most out of your leisure time when you understand the essence of leisure. Leisure is a state of mind or of being. It is when we feel most free, fulfilled and integrated.

A rewarding leisure life is the biggest predictor of one’s overall quality of life.

It provides the balance you need to better handle nonleisure activities and enhances resilience and life satisfaction. Over a lifetime,

....This year, you need to be a little sincere with yourself and step up your work-leisure balance because life work without leisure is life without a balance

one will spend more time at leisure than sleeping or working.

Even when you have a leisure-friendly boss or when corporate policy favours corporate time off and leaves, a few people really think about or plan for leisure. It is supposed to “just happen” - but too often we end up feeling stressed, overwhelmed and unfulfilled.

Here people do not plan for holidays. The many public holidays, even Christmas and New Year holidays, have never been used to really relax. Summer is out of it and the few that do summers start planning for it at the peak summer. This year, you need to plan ahead as the year that is already on the move beckons for more quality time off from business and work.

You can go for some of these leisure breaks: go to see a museum, for leisure fishing, go see movies in cinemas, a weekend at a remote destination will always make a difference, the beaches are open all day for a swim and beach fun, or climb a local mountain/hill.

You can visit destination with one-stop-shop leisure facilities like resorts, go see

waterfalls, explore caves and a communion with nature around you. You must not travel far this year to see all these, most of them are within. Search for them!

It is up to you to schedule in a little leisure time for yourself, so you will work happier and be more productive. Truly, your family will thank you for distressing throughout the day instead of letting it all come out when you get home.

This year, step out of your usual destination to a place you have never been before.

Peradventure you cannot step out to a new place because of the huge cost, then try to see old destinations with new eyes, and you may find your thrill again.

You can start now to plan and save for your dream destination this summer or even for Christmas. When booking hotel accommodation, flight tickets, and other reservations far ahead of the travel date, the rates are usually cheaper. So, try one or two tricks of saving on travel cost and you will enjoy quality relaxations this year. It is time to step out to discover new destinations.

Cheers!

Sunday 12 January 2020

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BDSUNDAY 29

Travel

Startling no-fly holidays destinations to try in 2020 IFEOMA OKEKE

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o you have phobia for flying? Do you want to travel greener? Or just try something different in 2020? No-fly holidays are one of the top ways to travel this year and if you’ve always wondered what it’s like to travel to Europe by train or coach, you’re in for a treat.

Very best no-fly holidays have been selected to escape abroad without the hassle of flying. With no airport stress, no chance of flight delays and no waiting around for your luggage at the other end, flight-free trips can be a dream.

Whether you fancy visiting somewhere hot and sunny in the Mediterranean or discovering the beauty of the Alps, there’s a whole host of no-fly holidays to try in 2020.

From a delightful cruise to Amsterdam in spring to discovering Spain’s authentic Costa Brava, these are the best no-fly holidays this year.

Magical glacier express in Switzerland Hop on the Eurostar before taking the high-speed train to Interlaken in Switzerland for the winter no-fly holiday of dreams. Staying in a hotel with character close to the emerald waters of Lake Thun, you’ll be in a great position to get to know the Swiss Alps.

The iconic Glacier Express is the perfect way to do this and will take you to wintry scenes through beautiful forests and over amazing bridges. You’ll also visit the walkable cities of Bern and Lucerne.

Gorgeous gardens of the Cotswolds From Hidcote Manor to Highgrove House, the Cotswolds are home to an abundance of places that gardeners will fall

KavalenkavaVolha

in love with and summer is the ideal time to visit. Joining The One Show’s gardening expert Christine Walkden, you’ll not only have a celebrity guide to take you around Hidcote, but the TV star will give you gardening tips for your own outdoor space along the way.

You’ll also visit Sezincote, Rodmarton Manor and Batsford Arborotum, plus enjoy a stylish stay at a hotel in Witney, the historic market town just a few miles away from Oxford.

Amsterdam’s tulips in spring For a cheap no-fly holiday that takes in beautiful Holland at its most wonderful time of year, try a no-fly cruise to Amsterdam. Not only will you take in the bright tulips that make an appearance over the country in spring, you’ll do it from the world-famous Keukenhof Gardens, which is only open for a few weeks each year for you to visit its stunning blooms - and in the company of Gardeners’ World star Adam Frost.

The Netherlands isn’t all about its tulips and Amsterdam – you’ll visit cool city Rotterdam,

delightful town Hoorn and pretty Harlingen along the way.

Seaside in North Wales Wales might not be the first place you think of for a fun weekend away but in the seaside town of Llandudno, you can enjoy just that with fantastic live entertainment at your hotel. With its lovely scenery, beach views and the Great Orme overlooking the town, Llandudno offers a brilliant staycation on the coast.

It’s affordable too and close enough for a day trip to picturesque Snowdonia, where you can also visit the pretty village of Betws-y-Coed. When you return to your hotel, there’s evening music in the form of tribute acts including Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Dolly Parton and Tom Jones.

Costa Brava One of Spain’s underrated beach regions, the Costa Brava makes for an idyllic no-fly beach holiday, where you can enjoy authentic Catalan culture, feast on delicious seafood and visit the loveliest seaside towns. Travelling by coach from the UK on an overnight journey, you can relax

as you make your way to the sun-kissed coastline in comfort.

On a cheap no-fly holiday that’s all-inclusive too, there’s plenty of time to make the most of the golden sands, explore hidden coves and even take day trips to Barcelona and Tossa de Mar. Bath on a staycation with a TV star Are you a fan of the Great British Sewing Bee? This spring you can take the ultimate craft course in an attractive location as you travel to Bath for a sewing

take in the gorgeous valley of Zillertal and visit lovely Innsbruck to check out its Baroque cathedral and Renaissance Ambras Castle.

Kent’s gardens Lucky for us Brits, no-fly holidays don’t have to mean hours of travelling to other countries by land as we have many beauty spots of our own. In Kent, for instance, you can get to know quintessential English gardens with visits to marvellous Sissinghurst Castle Garden and Great Comp Garden.

On a fabulous garden-themed staycation this summer, you’ll be joined by top garden designer Sarah Raven, who will invite you into her garden at Perch Hill in nearby East Sussex. There’ll be afternoon tea, flower arranging and even an after-hours dinner at Sissinghurst on this fantastic escape.

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way Ireland’s a spectacular country which attracts visitors from all around the world to discover its wild coastlines, friendly people and lively cities. For us, it’s just a coach and ferry ride away, making it a must-see and the Wild Atlantic Way, aka the world’s longest defined coastal touring route, is a terrific place to start.

With its soaring cliffs, buzzing towns and hidden beaches,

Silanes

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break with the BBC show’s judge Esme Young.

You’ll take part in two 90-minute textile workshops with needlework expert Jo Hill as you pick up new skills and techniques.

Esme will be on hand at one workshop and will deliver an exclusive talk about her career and reveal her secrets of her top design career.

Austrian Tyrol If you’d like your no-fly holiday with a good dose of fresh mountain air, Austrian Tyrol is the place to visit and can be reached comfortably by coach for a spring or summer escape without the airport hassle.

Loved by walkers and anyone who appreciates the great outdoors, you can ride nostalgic trains, hike to beautiful views,

the Wild Atlantic Way is a joy to explore. On a six-day trip, you can also take in Galway, Dublin and the unique Burren National Park.

Scottish Highlands One of the top film locations for 2020 (it’s in the latest Bond movie), the Scottish Highlands is as breathtaking as Britain gets.

Its wild, untamed beauty has made it a hotspot for adventure and you can take your very own by riding the Jacobite steam train across the epic Glenfinnan Viaduct, just like Harry Potter in the movies.

During a no-fly holiday (you’ll save £100 if you travel by land on this trip), you’ll also visit Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich, see Baxters Highland Village and ride

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Sunday 12 January 2020

SundayBusiness Can informal sector pull the spring for mortgage sector growth?

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uddenly, the informal sector of the Nigerian economy has become a growth factor for many sectors of the economy. Both the housing sector and the mortgage system have discovered that this sector could be leveraged for growth.

The pension fund is also in this league, though in relation to both mortgage and housing.

The question frequently asked is whether this sector could pull the spring for the growth of this sector which has been in negative growth territory for a long time.

It’s a bit difficult to say yes or no.

But there is an on-going debate on the possibility of including the informal sector with its estimated N81.048 trillion annual income in a new housing fund that could be created and added to the existing Pension Commission’s (PenCom) multi-fund structure with the aim of narrowing down housing affordability gap.

This, however, should happen alongside lowering of mortgage interest rate to single digit of 8- 9 percent, down from the current 22 - 25 percent commercial rate which operators charge on mortgage loans. The argument flows on the assumption that the inclusion of the informal sector

operators who constitute 67.54 million of Nigeria’s 81.15 million work force in the contributory pension scheme will lead to increased housing affordability.

In the same vein, as economic activities continue to shrink leading to loss of jobs, salary cuts and significant drop in personal income, most of the primary mortgage banks (PMBs), which are struggling with hash operating environment and rising nonperforming loans (NPL), are looking to the informal sector to sustain their operations and also stimulate growth in that sector.

Low capital base coupled with the prevailing economic conditions have so impacted the operations of these banks that a good number of them are unable to meet their contractual and statutory obligations to their clients and regulators respectively.

But the operators are not resting on their oars. They are building blocks and putting measures in place to engender growth of this fledgling sector in order to increase access and affordability, and by extension, enlarge the clan of homeowners in the country.

Unbundling of mortgage origination process, further reduction in loan origination period, introduction of computerised land

titling registration, land title insurance, introduction of uniform underwriting standards (UUS) for informal sector, enactment of foreclosure law, and wider public awareness for the sector are part of the push by the operators for the growth of the sector.

Mortgage is a sub-sector of the economy and the operators are saying that since the larger economy is not doing well and the mortgage sector is not insulated from what is happening in the larger economy, what is happening to them is not unexpected.

“We know what happened to oil price and the foreign exchange market. These affected everything in the economy. In the case of oil, both the volume and the price went down. All these affected consumer purchasing power.

Don’t forget that the balance sheet of the mortgage banks were not strong abnitio”, said, Ayodele Olowookere, CEO, Omoluabi Mortgage Bank Plc. He stressed that the problems of the mortgage banks revolved around their small capital base and so there isn’t much they can do. “For all the money that I have, unless I raise additional capital, I don’t think I can do 1,000 mortgages. To do mortgages, you need long term funds and that is the

Cassava expert urges collaboration in dissemination of agricultural research outcomes Ngozi Okpalakunne

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he Director of the Development and Delivery Office of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Alfred Dixon, has called for multiple linkages and collaborations for the dissemination of agricultural research outcomes.

He made the call recently while presenting his contract review seminar titled ‘Scaling up and scaling out of agricultural innovations at IITA – Duo for systemic change’.

Dixon, who is known as the “Father of Cassava” by his peers, stressed that the churning out of innovations to boost agricultural productivity must be supported by strategic partnerships and collaborations in order for the farmers and the target population to feel the impact.

He explained that while “scaling out” entails linking with the private sector, the farmers and the markets, “scaling up” involves working with the governments and policy makers. He maintained that government would help create the right policy environment for the adoption of the new technologies by farmers and other stakeholders.

According to Dixon who is the project leader of the Cassava Weed

Management Project (CWMP), which now operates under the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI), IITA cassava projects have been able to reach millions of farmers because of the linkages made with several stakeholders including government agencies.

He gave an example of the role former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo is playing in the cassava advocacy. He also cited how ACAI is disseminating its research outcomes using strategic partnerships in addition to technologies like the Akilimo application, the Six Steps to Cassava Management Videos, radio programs, Viamo’s 321-service, Cassava Matters website and many more.

He pointed out: “Just having agricultural productivity or increase in agricultural production will not necessarily lead to increase in income for farmers unless it is linked to the markets. When you have all that, you still need the policy environment. You need the private sector that is, the processors, the agro-dealers, the famers. And you also need the government to give you the right policies and the powerful backing.

He went on to point out that, Africa’s increasing population growth rate poses a huge challenge as agricultural productivity remains far behind. He stressed that with

Nigeria’s population expected to hit 400 million by the year 2050, there is need to double up on agricultural productivity figures.

“We are making progress, but our productivity is still low,” he worried. “Our population growth keeps increasing. Therefore, no matter what, food and nutrition security is a gap. So there must be an agricultural transformation. We must increase productivity far more than the rate we are doing now.”

He stressed on the need for Research for Development (R4D) and Partnerships for Development (P4D) increase working relationships, “because both contribute to sustaining agricultural transformation for scaling up and scaling out of agricultural innovations” “We need R4D to do the science, P4D to do the scaling. We have the multidisciplinary teams. All of them have to work together to link to the policy makers, that is the government for the scaling up. We have to link to the NARS also for the scaling up. We need to link to the private sector for the scaling out and also to the development investors for scaling up because we need the resources to work.”

He then went on to advise that future projects must consider sustainability and exit strategies before project design and implementation activities.

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com)

only way you can do long term mortgages”, he said.

Udo Okonjo, vice chair/CEO, Fine and Country West Africa, agrees, emphasizing that the real core factor responsible for the slow growth in this sector is that the banks and the mortgage institutions don’t have long term funds; all they have are short term deposits.

“The underlying fundamental for mortgage growth is that we have to have saving culture and large financial base because mortgages are long term funds. In an ideal world, you will be talking about 20-25 years mortgages at very low interest rate”, Okonjo added.

Technically speaking, Nigeria has no mortgage system and Okonjo reasons that the country doesn’t really have a real estate

sector. “What we are doing is just scratching the surface. If we really want to create wealth through real estate which is one of the major ways the developed world creates wealth, then we have to develop and grow the mortgage sector”, she emphasised.

But the operators are not deterred. “We are here to stay and grow this sector”, Olowookere assured, revealing, “at Moluabi, we are looking at the best way to do things, especially in credit management and evaluation. We are looking at the informal sector.

“People in this sector are not collecting salaries, but earn huge and regular income. So, we are finding creative ways of bringing them into the net. We are also looking at new ways to raise capital by bringing in more shareholders,” he said.

Winners emerge at Genesis Fashion Show Ngozi Okpalakunne

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tanley Gospel of Mekey Art Casual has emerged the overall winner of the fifth edition of ‘Genesis Fashion Show’ organised by the teens’ ministry of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David Parish Lagos. Stanley went home with the sum of N250, 000. The second position went to Thelma Elendu and she won a cash prize of N150, 000. While Santane Studios clinched the third position, winning N100.000; the fourth winner received N50.000.

The annual event which came under the theme, ‘Dominate’, was specifically organised to address indecent dressing among teenagers in society while showcasing trendy, decent, and classy designs from teenage designers in the country.

Also, the fashion aimed at building the youth for the future through decent dressing.

Recall that 10 teenagers participated in the fashion show. They include 19 year old Stanley Gospel of MekeyArt Casual; 14 year-old Oluwatamilore Edun of Tamz By Tote Fashion, 18 year-old Irene

Jidemma Moemeka whose fashion line is called Irenestars Couture, Thelma Elendu, of Thelma Elendu Fashions, who is15 years, 17 year old Kamil Sanni of Santane Studios, and Oyintare Kantu of Kantu fashion, who is 19 years.

These young designers showcased different styles in ankara, and English fabrics. Trendy styles such as cold shoulder, palazzo pants, jump suit, ankara and lace combo in different styles, were on the runway by beautiful teenage models.

It was a keenly contested event with some prominent Nigerian designers as judges. They include president of Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria, Funmi Ajila, Ejiro Amos Tafari, Kiki Okewale, and Princess Kelechi Ogene and Frank Osodi.

Speaking in an interview, the overall winner, Stanley Gospel, expressed his gratitude to God for the opportunity given to him to participate in the show.

According to him, he was motivated to go into fashion by his elder brother whose designs he usually admires. He hopes to fully go into fashion business and become one of the notable designers in the world.

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BDSUNDAY 31

SundayBusiness Oil palm rejuvenation in Edo Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

T

he sad story of the utter neglect of the natural resources Nigeria has in abundance but prefers its foreign, processed derivative is often told. For instance, back in the 1950s and 1960sthe country was a leader in the world palm oil market.

In fact, in the early 1960s, Nigeria’s palm oil production accounted for 43percent of the world production but nowadays it only accounts for 7percent of total global output.

Worse still, it has become a net importer of the same product! No thanks to the discovery of crude oil and our former political leaders’ lack of foresight,in jettisoning our vast agriculture potentials for the ‘black gold’.

Interestingly, Malaysia that obtained its oil palm seedlings from Nigeria in the ‘60s boasted of 19.5 million tonnes output as at 2018.

That is according to its Palm Oil Board, while that of Indonesia, the world’s largest producer stood at 43 million tonnes for the same year.

Against this backdrop, it is inspiring that the Edo State

government has taken determined steps to strengthen its partnerships towardsa sustainable oil palm sector rejuvenation. This was made known by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Investment Promotion and Head of Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), Kelvin Uwaibi in September, 2019. He disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting on the African Palm Oil Initiative (APOI) platform at the Government House, Benin City.

Uwaibi also stated the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was ready to support the state in expanding oil palm production. In addition, Governor Godwin Obaseki sponsored six persons from government and non-government organizations (NGOs) to the RSPO-Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil Technical Meeting in Ghana, where he was the only governor who was physically present at that meeting. Soon after that the governor came up with a decision to allocate 118,000 hectares for oil palm production, including the smallholder farmers.

Giving a brief background of the Africa Palm Oil Initiative (APOI) forum in Edo state, the facilitator, Churchill Oboh, said part of the agendawastoidentifysmallholders through their representatives on the platform since smallholders contribute about 60 per cent of oil palm production. This is instructive because self-sufficiency in domestic palm oil supply has remained unattainable in Nigeria, despite the various efforts of government to revive the subsector. Yet, the contribution of oil palm to employment and income in Nigeria is enormous.

However, there is dominance of smallholders, low yield and inadequate documentation

on productivity of the Oil Palm Production systems in the country.

Th e s e w a s r e v e a l e d b y researchers, Abdul-Qadir M. I. as well as Victor Okoruwa and Oluwafunmiso Adeola Olajide both of the University of Ibadan in a work titled: ‘Productivity of Oil Palm Production Systems in Edo and Kogi States, Nigeria: A Total Factor Productivity Approach’(December 2016).

The results of their study also showed that the oil palm production in the area is structured into small (≤ 10 hectares (ha), medium (11 – 50 ha) and large (≥ 51 ha). The Total Factor Production (TFP) of the large, medium and small scale OPPS were 1.04, 0.99 and 0.82, respectively, while the overall TFP was 0.92. The large scale system had the highest productivity, followed by medium scale system in palm oil production. Therefore, promotion incentives should be directed to large and medium scale systems with upgrading of small scale farmers to medium scale farmers, according to the researchers.

Th e q u e s t i o n s r e q u i r i n g answers have to do with the reasons behind the sudden interest in oil palm production and processing?What more should the Edo state government in partnership with the private sector be doing towards making the subsector economically viable? What lessons can Nigeria learn from countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia to reclaim its position as one of the top-three producers and processors of oil palm?

It should be noted that the major world producers of oil palm are Indonesia and Malaysia with small amount from Thailand, Nigeria, Columbia and others. Oil palm is currently the vegetable oil produced in largest quantity having

pushed soybean oil into second position. It is also the cheapest vegetable oil and dominates other vegetable oils in terms of yield-perunit area, trade and consumption at the international scene.

Experts in the field reiterate the fact that the demand for palm oil has increased rapidly in recent years due to a combination of factors. These include increasing demand sparked off by higher consumption of edible oils, particularly in emerging countries such as China and India. This is caused by population growth, improving living standards and changing diet habits.

Another important factor is the development of the biofuels industry around the world, particularly in the European Union (EU), United States of America (USA), Brazil, Argentina, China and India. Also significant is the changing weather pattern. These can have major geographical impacts and can be potentially quite large. On the nutrition front, many developed economies are shifting away from the use of trans-fats to healthier alternatives.

Palm oil is often used as a substitute for trans-fat.

Given these vital information, the demand for oil palm globally will continue to increase.And so arethe potentials for job creation and food security. Edo state government has therefore, made a wise decision in going back to oil palm production.

But it has to identify and register the oil palm farmers, provide them fertile land, assist them with access to high-yielding, early-maturing and disease-resistant seedlings.

Partnership with IITA, Ibadan would be fruitful in this regard.

In a similar vein, the farmers need human capacity development through well-motivated farm

extension workers, who should be graduates in food technology, agriculture and agric engineering.

They should assist them with the knowledge of when to plant, how to tend to the seedlings, handle proper harvesting and processing.

The private sector should key in by establishing oil palm processing plants with modern high-tech equipment and the processes align with international best practices.

The government should see to the promotion of large and medium scale systems with upgrading of small scale system to either medium or large scale system.This will enhance the pace of growth and development of the industry.

This recommendation emanates from the results of Total Factor Productivity (TFP), which showed that the large and medium scale production systems were more productive than the small scale system.

To achieve this, planned growth such as provision of necessary incentives like land availability, land preparation, planting and supervision of maintenance of immature palms till fruiting, should be carried out by government. These should be followed by careful allocation of the farms to small scale farmers.

These will ensure the growth and development of the small scale oil palm farmers to medium scale farmers. There will be poverty alleviation among the small scale farmers. More income will get to the government through income tax. Eventually, there will be selfsufficiency in palm oil production in Nigeria in the near future.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

Who really is in charge of the Power Ministry?

Olusola Bello

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he power sector has been enmeshed in confusion over the removal of two key principal actors in the sector by Sale Mamman, minister of power.

The minister has however, been overruled by the Federal Government on these issues because of what some stakeholders described as lack of proper consultation before taking such decisions.

With the reversal of the actions of the minister of power, it means that he probably does not understand the limitation of his power and so has to be thought a lesson that he must consult with the power that be at the presidency before taking any action against appointees that the president has offered jobs.

First, the minister was ordered to reinstate Damilola Ogunbiyi, managing director of Rural Electrification Agency REA. The minister had suspended Ogunbiyi because of what he described as infractions done by her while in office. What those infractions are, the public has not been

told.

Before her suspension, Ogunbiyi, first female managing director of REA, had tendered her resignation to take up a job as the UN special representative for sustainable energy and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll).

The Federal Government in ordering her reinstatement also said that her letter of resignation has been accepted.

A few days after Damilola was asked to be reinstated, the second person the minister also kicked out of her office, Marilyn Amobi, managing director and chief executive officer of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company Limited (NBET), was similarly asked to be reinstated because of the argument by some people that he did not have the power to sack her The argument that the agency, though one of the successor companies of NEPA/PHCN but with board members cutting across BPE, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Power, played out in this case.

The back and forth arguments have been subjected to different rules of interpretation. This however, has serious implications for the power sector as it sends wrong

signal to investors.

During his tenure as minister of Finance, Segun Aganga was said to have insisted that the only thing that can guaranty the continuous support of the Ministry of Finance to power sector reforms and activities of NBET in terms of collaterisation and securitisation of investments and provisions of Mitigation to Investment Risks and related Markets stability is for Ministry of Power to concede the board chairmanship of NBET to the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Before her appointment as MD/ CEO NBET, Marilyn Amobi, was a Senior Special Adviser to the President (Office of the Vice President).

She is said to be in the good books of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari and still enjoys a firm cordial relationship with him.

So, aside from the fact that the minister failed to have wider consultations with the members of board of directors of NBET, he also must have under rated the influence the woman is wielding in the corridors of power Presently, the NBET boss was not only reinstated, the agency has also been moved from the ministry of power to the ministry of finance.

All these scenarios really get other stakeholders in the power sector worried about who actually is in charge of the power sector.

In December 2019, Sale Mamman, minister of power, asked Amobi to step down with immediate effect in order to “restore sanity” in the management of the agency.

The minister also directed the constitution of a 5-man investigative committee to look into the allegations against her.

Nnaemeka Ewelukwa, a general manager of the agency, immediately assumed office as the acting managing director of NBET. Ewelukwa has been asked to

step aside for Amobi to resume her former position.

Analysts have said that the actions of both the Federal Government and the minister in relation to sacking and reinstating could be counter-productive, as such actions may have a far-reaching effect on the Power Sector and the accompanying wrong signals. It may not also be a good omen for the Minister of Power as he may no longer be able to take some critical decisions because of fear of being asked to reverse them.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Business Leaders Forum has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to relive the Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, of his position, accusing him of incompetence, nepotism and gross disregard to due process.

The group, which had earlier warned that the Nigeria power sector is heading for a total collapse under the minister, said the nation’s power sector has worsened in the last five months. The group, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Austin Iwe Igwe noted that it warned of the looming danger three weeks before the whole nation was thrown into darkness for more than 48 hours in December.

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Sunday 12 January 2020

SundayBusiness Understanding and managing emergency care in Nigerian hospitals Continued from Back Page Challenges of Emergency Care are universal Access to emergency care has become increasingly challenging as widely reported even in the Western world. Two recent stories in the UK underscore this: the story of the boy who was managed on the floor of a hospital in Leeds and the long queue of 39 ambulances waiting for a bed space with consequent sad outcome of the death of one of the patients while waiting.

These stories, as with several others, have been the major source of concern for policy makers and end users globally. The order of attending to emergency room patients is not based on the time of arrival alone but more on severity at presentation. This is the basis of triaging internationally in order to avoid abuse of scarce emergency resources. Even at DC General Hospital in Washington DC, a patient may wait up to three hours if considered low on the priority index while attention is focused on more critical patients.

Remedies Coordination of referral system is being planned among the three Federal tertiary centres, State General Hospitals and a number of big private health facilities in the state. This will definitely streamline the referral process and

ensure reduction in the unnecessary burden borne by patients waiting to access care. Revamping of the Primary Health Centres started by the Federal Government is ongoing and the government has backed it up with adequate, direct funding. The buy-in by state governments has been encouraging in various geo-political zones.

Uncomplicated cases are sorted out by primary care or GP in western systems.

These cases therefore do not queue up in tertiary centres. With adequate confidence-building measures, these new PHCs and State General Hospitals should soon become the bedrock of healthcare in Nigeria, as they once were.

Health care financing must be swiftly addressed as done in all countries where short turnover times are achieved in the ER. Citizens of such countries have universal health insurance coverage and patients do not pay out-ofpocket before accessing care.

There is need to increase the number of tertiary-level care centres in Lagos State. To expect a patient to travel 88km from Epe to LUTH to access tertiary care is great disservice to our people.

If Abidjan, with a population of 8 million has three large teaching hospitals (Yopougon, Treichville and Macory), Lagos, with 20 million will comfortably require six or more.

Increasing the bed capacity of LUTH alone will not solve the problem; the ease of access to tertiary care must increase in the state and country.

Active private sector participation in healthcare financing is required in the pursuit of patient-friendly, efficient hospitals. The government alone cannot finance healthcare.

StanbicIBTC Bank helped in renovating the triage section of the LUTH ER. This renovation has helped in no small way to ease the burden experienced by critically ill patients.

Globally, individuals and corporate bodies endow funds into research and health care to complement the efforts of government. Nigeria cannot be different. Indeed, a vibrant universal insurance coverage will rapidly promote investment by the private sector in healthcare.

Presently, most investors shy away from investing in emergency care and trauma facilities because they are perceived as unviable. While orthodox healthcare came to Nigeria as a ‘welfare package’ by colonial authorities, it has since transformed into a viable business which, if properly harnessed, will greatly contribute both directly and indirectly to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Prof. Adeyemo is CMAC, LUTH and Dr. Osinaike is head, Accident and Emergency Services at LUTH.

LASCOPA parleys powdered milk manufacturers, market executives on consumers’ safety Ngozi Okpalakunne

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s part of efforts to guarantee the safety and protection of consumers from hazardous products, the Lagos State C o n s u m e r Pr o t e c t i o n Agency (LASCOPA) has organised a follow-up meeting with powdered milk manufacturers and Market Executives in the State.

The follow-up meeting, which took place at the LASCOPA Office, had in attendance representatives of various powdered milk manufacturing companies such as Promasidor Nigeria L i m i t e d , A r l a Fo o d s , Fa r e a s t Me r c a n t i l e a s well as Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria Limited and the representatives of the Executive members of some

markets in the State including Cynthia Aguize of the Ile-Epo Market.

Addressing the participants during the parley, the General Manager of LASCOPA, Kemi Olugbode affirmed that the followup meeting was necessary to proffer better ways to address the handling and sales of powdered milk which is currently sold in sacks in the open market like other commodities. “Powdered milk cannot be exposed, it can only be sold in packaged form, particularly because milk cannot be exposed to air”, Olugbode said.

The General Manager said that there had been a consensus that the present method of display, handling and sales of powdered milk in the open market makes it unwholesome and unsafe for consumption and therefore

should be stopped.

She promised that LASCOPA would organise a series of seminars to educate traders on the best ways to handle and sell the product to ensure that it is not contaminated.

The manufacturers were alsoadvisedtoprovidesmaller packages of their products instead of the usual 25kg size, particularly because of small entrepreneurs, emphasising that the package should have an inscription stating that the milk is only for industrial use.

Olugbode further disclosed that LASCOPA, in conjunction with the market executives of the various markets in the state and powdered milk manufacturers, would establish a task force to commence enforcement on defaulters after the training programme.

A cross section of the participants at the meeting

9mobile gifts customers bonus airtime, data, freebies in celebration of 11th anniversary Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

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t was all fun and excitement for 9mobile customers, as the telco reached out to loyal subscribers during the week to appreciate them for staying with the network over the last 11 years since its launch in Nigeria.

In its peculiar innovative way, 9mobile once more demonstrated how much a caring network it is when it delighted its customers with gifts including bonus airtime and data as well as special ‘9nniversary’ cakes.

Sharing their happiness after receiving the gift of special 9nniversary cakes in Lagos, two of the lucky customers – Teslim Gbajabiamila and Destiny James – expressed gratitude to 9mobile for the thoughtful gesture and pledged their continued loyalty to the brand.

Destiny James, a female customer said, “Thanks so very much 9mobile for this kind gesture. I didn’t expect it, I really appreciate the cakes; most ladies love cakes.” She commended 9mobile for its quality of service.

“It’s all been good since I became a 9mobile customer. I don’t have any complaints; I’m happy with the quality of service,” she said.

Gbajabiamila was also full of appreciation for the telco for the special cake gift and said that he had only positive things to say about the telco. “All my children use 9mobile lines, and it’s been good experiences all the way, both for voice and data,” he said.

Commenting on the 11th 9nniversary commemoration Layi Onafowokan, acting director, marketing, 9mobile said the giveaways were 9mobile’s way of saying thank you to its custom-

ers for keeping faith with the network.

“The 9nniversary freebies are our way of thanking our loyal customers. It’s a token of our appreciation and reaffirmation of our acknowledgement that we have come this far largely due to the support of our valued customers,” he said.

“For the past eleven years, we have made your dreams our dreams, your goals our goals and your satisfaction our number one priority, and together, we have built a quality network that grows with every aspiration. Our promise of quality is one we are honored to keep,” he added.

9mobile launched as Nigeria’s fourth mobile network operator (MNO) in 2008 and has since then made indelible success marks in the industry especially in the areas of quality of service, innovation and customer experience.

Sunday 12 January 2020

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BDSUNDAY 33

TheWorshippers If God has a hand in something, He will bless it – Benenoch The founding pastor of The Communion Church (TCC), David Benenoch, in this interview with SEYI JOHN SALAU, speaks on the peculiarity of his calling, the church’s humble beginning, the present administration’s economic action, among other issues. Excerpts: Taking from your personal experience, is it necessary for a Christian to change his/her ancestral name after conversion? saw an issue in my name and I did not want to be associated with the name. The name was not consistent with my calling as a minister of the gospel, it was a contradiction and an aberration and I had to change it. There is precedent for that in the Bible. God changed the name of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob; I can go on and on with the people God changed. A man’s name should be a prophecy about the future.

You should not have a name that has no semblance with where you are going. Name is not a label but prophecy. As Abraham (father of many nations) was called by his name, he kept answering and today he is the father of many nations. A man’s name is critical to where he is and where he is going. When people hear your name they should be able to imagine the assignment you have been given to carry out.

That name change will take me to the question; who is David Benenoch?

Pastor David Benenoch means the son of Enoch. It is my coinage, my late father’s surname used to be something else but for spiritual reasons I changed my name many years to what it is today. My father’s name is Enoch. So, I took after his first name rather than his surname or ancestral name. I was born February 19, 1964. I’m currently 55 years and next February I am going to be 56 years old. I am divorced with three adult children. They are doing well and everybody is happy where they are.

I pastor The Communion Church.

I have had various exposures, trainings, seasons and times in my life. My original passion was always to be a lawyer but somehow I found myself in journalism at a time. I was an editorial staff of the Guardian newspaper. While I was still in journalism, I went back to school to study Law and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1990.

I practised for sometime before I had an encounter that led me to start the Communion Church.

What was the spiritual encounter you had that led to the birth of ministry?

It is for public consumption.

Those who know already know, my close associates and spiritual children. There are some information that are sacred to be shared because some people don’t know how to process information and I do not want to encourage that.

However, the fact remains that I had a spiritual encounter that changed my paradigm and everything. So, I heeded the call to start the ministry. For over a year,

I

David Benenoch

there was no member. I was just preaching from place to place, it took about 15 months before members started coming and the church and David Benenoch ministry which I’m privileged to lead took off with 17 people. This is my 30th year as a pastor. It looks like yesterday but here we are.

What differentiates the church from the David Benenoch ministry?

David Benenoch ministry is the parent ministry, it was what gave birth to the Communion Church and other extensions of my calling. For instance, there is a Communion School, which is a product of David Benenoch Ministry. Communion Church is not the only interest that I have. I believe at the fulness of time, the interests will be given expressions too. There is the outreach and missionary arm. The Communion Church is the outreach arm of the ministry. Today, we

It is more of a binary illusion that it is only from a particular denomination that you will find people that will make heaven.

There are people whose hearts are in tune with God

have Communion Church in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Asaba, other locations including outside Nigeria.

How do you describe the experience you had when the ministry started?

When we started, it was struggle, we had to start from the scratch. I was discouraged, I wanted to go back to law practice but God assured me that He was with me and God’s words came through and we started blossoming. Then we began to experience phenomenal growth in terms of the way God was changing lives.

My concern was not the numeric strength but the transformation of characters. The changes that you will attest that to as being only from God. It was quite remarkable that people used to alcohol gave up the habit. People who were robbers giving up their weapons and surrendering to Christ. I was preaching in the church one evening and assassins had traced a couple to church.

Some were in the car they came in and one followed the couple to the auditorium. After hearing the sermon, the assassin came at the end of the service to tell of how he was touched by the sermon.

He said he had chosen to give up assassination. So, I had to bring in the couple he came for. We took the gun from him. You know this is not about the cripple walking but transformation of character. This was part of what got me excited.

We continue to see such changes which stand as evidences to the call to impact humanity.

Was there any special thing you did to aid the growth of the church?

We prayed, we fasted and God gave the increase. But it was not because we prayed or fasted. If

God has a hand in something, He will bless it.

Back to your personal life: can you talk more about your marital state?

My relationship with God comes before anything else including my marriage and life.

My relationship with God is very critical and anything that comes between me and my God I cannot accommodate it. So, that in a nutshell is the conflict. I have to make it clear that my relationship with God is my interpretation of the Bible. If it was not marital but a friend I will still have ended the relationship. If it was maternal or paternal I will still have ended the relationship. There are certain things that are inconsistent with my calling as a Christian not even as a pastor. The hope when I got married was that we were going the same direction but when I noticed we were on a different direction, it’s either I go with her or she goes with me. I cannot go in that direction so I had to go in my direction.

We understand your wife was also a pastor?

I cannot speak about her, I do not want to speak about her.

She is the mother of my children and I respect her tremendously. I don’t want to speak about her but myself. What I can tell you is that I could not move in the direction not in line with my convictions and the direction of God for my life. My ex-wife and I did not fight or she committed adultery; but it was something that I could not live with. I felt it was a test of my faith if I will go with my marriage or with God. I chose to go with God and the marriage as it is became a causality of life. The differences are irreconcilable otherwise we would have reconciled; we tried, it’s just that we became two different persons. You cannot be going on different routes and be on the same boat, it is not possible.

But, divorce according to the scripture and Bible scholars is hated by God; are you saying your marriage is irreconcilable?

If God hates divorce, does God likes couples killing themselves?

We have been separated for over 15 years. Before then, cohabitation has ceased. I announced it in the church. Before then, we did in church as if everything was fine but we both knew that all was not fine.

Did your divorce in any way affect your church?

Of course, it did. It affected the church tremendously. Until this happened to me, I did not believe in divorce and in my teaching I reflected it. When I hear someone is divorced I felt the person had fallen, done for or something was

wrong with the person. There was a time someone around us got separated and I held hands with my ex-wife that such won’t happen to us. It is like having an accident; nobody plans to have an accident. Everybody gets tested, that is why up till now I have not remarried, though I look forward to remarrying when I find the right person. Some people have perfectly lived together, for others the story is different. It has been miserable staying without a wife and leading the church.

Away from your marital life, some Christians see those from other denominations as nominal Christians. What is your view on this?

It is more of a binary illusion that it is only from a particular denomination that you will find people that will make heaven.

There are people whose hearts are in tune with God. I preached in a white garment church and I told them I won’t remove my shoes and the shepherd accepted. You can’t judge a book by the cover.

When you go to white garment you can see godly people, when you go to the Catholic Church you can see godly people and when you come to the Pentecostal church you can see some wicked people. There are even people who are part of the living church who are not identified with any denomination and have sincere hearts. We cannot all be in a denomination, it is not possible.

Finally, what is your view on the current administration in the country and the border closure?

Without any sentiment attached, we all have eyes to see what is there to see. I think some efforts being made by the President and his teams are not good enough. A lot more can be done, whether in Lagos or the federation, Nigerians deserve more than they are getting. Having said that, I must hasten to also say that I do not hold the President or those in government totally accountable or culpable. The problem is collective whether as followers or those in authority. May God have mercy on us; we have to pray for our country. There is this penchant where as Nigerians we tend to blame people in authority whereas we are part of the problem. When you vote in leadership that is not sound, when you allow a rigged system and you don’t protest about it but protest about the outcome of the vote, it does not make sense. Some of us saw that the system was rigged even in the way political parties bring out their candidates; it is what the godfather says that holds sway.

Some people sit in their bedroom and determine who the next governor or president is.

34

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Perspective Appraising Lagos State ‘2020 Budget of Reawakening’ Ayo OyozeBaje

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everal factors come into play that eventually affect budget predictions and their attendant performance.

These include the institution’s current financial situation, available funds and revenue streams or income. Others are the business goals and the outlook for the environment one is operating in.As it is with companies that undertake the budgeting process to commit to a financial action plan, so it is with the federal and state governments in Nigeria and elsewhere.

Essentially, budgets assist them to organise their finances; identify and focus on potentially feasible ventures for investment purpose and avoid committing funds to drain pipes.

Budgets are also designed to increase revenue generation.

The scenario for Lagos state of Nigeria is therefore, not much different when one narrows it down to the 2020 budget pitched against the prevailing, unpredictable economic situation across the country.

It is in light of this that one considers the N1.168 trillion budget recently signed into law

by Governor Babajide SanwoOlu. According to the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Sam Egube, its salutary aim is to promote investments in all sectors of the state’s economy. That is in addition to making “meaningful impacts in the lives of the people”.

He also added that the Year 2020 Budget tagged: “Budget of Awakening” is aimed at making “Lagos the envy of the world through deliberate efforts to promote investments in all sectors across the state”.

The budget is meant to generate an internal revenue of N886.041billion while other revenue projections include capital receipts of N232.29billion and Federal transfers of N184.988billion.

To facilitate this, the budget will hopefully attract private sector investments by creating an enabling environment and investment in human capital development. It would also improve the capacity to collect revenues as efficiently as possible and build impactful partnerships with the federal government, other state governments and local governments.

He said: “This budget has taken into consideration the present economic realities in the World, Nation and Lagos State in particular, as well as the optimism for improvement in our revenue collections. The Y2020 budget will most importantly promote massive investments in Traffic management

Sanwo-Olu and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, making Lagos a 21st century economy, entertainment, tourism, security and governance.”

The sectoral breakdown of the budget stands as foll ow s : Tra f f i c M a n a g e m e n t and Transportation will take the sum of ₦44.510bn, while ₦136.100billion was budgeted for the Education sector, Science and Technology got the sum of ₦10.629bn, a total sum of N111.775bn was provided for Health, Environment got sum of ₦66.586bn while ₦7.481bn was provided for Tourism.

For Sport Development, a total of ₦7.740bn was allocated for the Ministry, Housing and Community Amenities was provided with ₦48.559bn, ₦4.840bn was approved for Agriculture and Food Security; and to boost Commerce and Industry in the State, a total of ₦3.926bn was earmarked for it, Wealth Creation and Employment got ₦8.403bn, ₦2.920bn was set aside for Women Affairs, Youth and Social Development got ₦3.716bn while ₦39.265bn was allocated for Security and Governance.

Good enough that the state earmarked ₦711.031bn for Capital Expenditure and ₦457.529bn for Recurrent Expenditure, making it 61:39 per cent ratio in favour of Capital Expenditure. It is instructive to note that the budget came out after the widely held consultations across the three senatorial districts. That was in addition to taking memoranda and feedback from stakeholders hosted

by Honorable Members of the House of Assembly within their respective constituencies. For objective observers of Lagos state affairs, such moves make democracy more meaningful, one must admit.

In all honesty, one is excited about the remarkable ratio of the capital –to- recurrent

expenditure framework. This is a far departure from what has been the norm, rather than the exception across not a few states in the country.

The increasing infrastructural challenges brought about by the huge influx of all manner of people-Nigerians and other nationals, especially from the West African Sub-Region would inform the wise decision. So are those of the devastating effects of the seasonal floods and of course, the increasing impact of climate change.

Also, the budgetary allocation to Traffic Management and Transportation which is in sync with the Governor Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES Agenda speaks volumes about a leader getting his priorities right. The sheer challenge of the aforementioned population explosion cannot be under-emphasised. Indeed, this brings to the fore, the imperative of the registration of residents with the related certificate.

Similarly, the fact that Wealth Creation and Employment got ₦8.403bn and ₦2.920bn was set aside for Women Affairs while Youth and Social Development got ₦3.716bn are all deserving of commendation.

Same goes forCommerce and Industry in the State that got a total of ₦3.926bn.And so is the sum of N66.586bn budgeted for environment.In fact, the Gov. Sanwo-Olu-led administration’s achievement in that sector should be sustained and upgraded according to the peculiar challenges of the different parts of Lagos.

The drawback however, is the budgetary allocation for education, put at ₦136.100billion whichfalls short of the UNESCO recommendation of 26 %. But making up for this is the additional vote of N10.629 billion for science and technology. This comes as a piece of good news.For a state that has begun driving its operations

through information and communication technology, this is commendable.

But more would still have to be done that said,irrespective of the noble intentions inherent in the budget presentation.

For instance, there is the critical issueof inaccurate data to work with, especially with regards to the mass of residents engaged in the informal sector.While some of them are outside the tax bracket and others victims of multipletaxation there are the top-notch business ventures that do not remit taxes according to their productive capacities. These factors are significant to the revenue generation of the state.

With the promise that the Year 2020 Budget is to act as a catalyst for investment, no effort should be spared towards providing security, stable electric power and good access roads. Alternative sources of power such as solar, waste recycling and even hydro-power using the Atlantic waves should be encouraged. Private sector participation has therefore, become more significant.

Times have changed indeed, over the past decade, with regards to Lagos state budgets.

While the Y2011 budget of N450.775bn was focused on the key sectors of Law and Order; Road and Transportation; Environment; Health; Education; Water; Rural Development; Agriculture and; e-Governance in that order it was a different story in 2015.

Under the then state governor, Mr. BabatundeFashola, out of the budget of N489, 689 bn, the recurrent expenditure got N241, 976 bn and capital expenditure of N247,713 bn. Sectoral allocations showed that Works got the largest chunk of the budget put at followed by Education which stood at N52.209 billion.

For the 2018 budgetof N1.046trillion under Mr. AkinwunmiAmbode, christened, “Budget of Progress and Development”, it earmarked 67% to Capital Expenditure and 33% for Recurrent. It targeted N720bn Internally Generated Revenue.

What is evident in all of these is the dynamics of the time as it evolves. It is important for each leader to identify the most pressing needs of the people, prioritise them and act decisively on meeting their aspirations.

As the current Commissioner of Budget, Sam Egube has rightly noted, all the citizens should try to fulfill their civic responsibilities to the state.Only that will make it possible for the state to generate N73.8bn monthly as the IGR. And we take him by his assurance that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring the complete implementation of the Y2020 budget.

That is what matters most, in this regard

Sunday 12 January 2020

We have repaired almost all Ibadan metropolis roads - Oyo Govt REMI FEYISIPO, Ibadan

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yo State government has said that almost all roads within the Ibadan metropolis have been repaired as work continued to rehabilitate and repair roads outside the state capital in need of attention.

The Chairman, Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA), Kamil Akinlabi made the claim while monitoring ongoing repair works on the Dugbe-Ekotedo road in Ibadan.

Akinlabi said it was imperative that Ibadan, the state capital, needed to have its roads fixed so as to send a strong message to local and foreign investors that the state was ready to accommodate them and for easy movement of people and goods within the metropolis.

He added that OYSROMA has begun looking at repair works needed at various communities outside the state capital to also make the roads motorable and for the people to reap from the benefits of democracy under the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde.

“We have done almost all the roads that needed attention at the beginning of this administration within the Ibadan metropolis and we are still working on those that need urgent attention in the areas of damaged bridges and culverts as well as roads.

“Move round the metropolis and see for yourself the work that the state government has done through OYSROMA to make our people proud that they now have a government that has put their welfare first; the essence of government is to cater for the needs of the common people, not the wealthy few and that is why maintenance of roads is germane.

“The roads that need the intervention of our agency outside Ibadan will be visited for repairs soon; we have visited and marked some and we are going to start work on those as well, we started with the Ibadan metropolis because it is the poster city for the state, we are inviting investors from other parts of the country and abroad, they need to see a good road network as prerequisite for relocation of their businesses.”

Meanwhile, commuters, road users and traders around Dugbe - Ekotedo axis of Ibadan have expressed their happiness on the quality of work being done by the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) in the area.

The commendation was made in Ibadan during the inspection visit of the Chairman of the agency, Kamil Akinlabi to the rehabilitation site in order to assess the quality and level of work done.

In her remarks, Iyabo Fashanu, a trader in the area, commended the Makinde for coming to the assistance of traders in the area through the repair of the road, noting that the road repair would help to reduce motor accidents occasioned by bad road.

Adeshina Opeyemi, a private car owner was very surprised to see that the state government could swing into action very early in the New Year.

Sunday 12 January 2020

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BDSUNDAY 35

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

‘Amotekun’, first step in restructuring?

Daniel Obi

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n January 9, 2020, governors in the six South western states of Nigeria – Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun Oyo and Lagos came together to establish a joint regional security outfit, Operation ‘Amotekun’, a commendable move to assist federal force in tackling insecurity in the geo-political zone. The PPP idea is a worthy shift from the seemingly philosophy of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government. The administration of Muhammadu Buhari has over the years, rarely talked about publicprivate partnership (PPP). Most of the South West governors are of APC. It appears the Buhari government is averse to working with or through the private sector, says an economist recently.

“Amotekun”, understandably a bold PPP arrangement, is appreciated especially at a time the Centre is weakened by many challenges and meagre resources to tackle them. There is no doubt the modus operandi of the security outfit must have been clearly defined which allays the fears of its Constitutional breaches and spells out order of reporting.

In the last 15 years, insecurity has

remained a major concern in Nigeria which has scared away major investments with its implications on production and employment. We hear some foreigners expressing fear to visit Nigeria over insecurity.

Unjustified activities of insurgents in various parts of the country including bombing, shootings, killings, burning of police stations, churches, mosques, kidnappings and gruesome murder, destruction of oil installations and outright robbery have continued to defy solutions.

Amotekun is seen as the South West solution to these monstrous crimes.

International Terrorism Index, one of which is Australia-based Institute for Economic and Peace, in 2018 scored Nigeria third on a list of 138 terrorised countries.

Nigeria-based terrorist group, Boko Haram is listed among the top four deadliest groups,” the report said.

The thinking and the eventual establishment of the security outfit for South West is not only laudable but to assist the manpower-starved Federal force to deal with rising insecurity and forestall its economic implications.

“It is when the country is safe and secured that we can think of other necessities. That is why as a group, we have made concerted effort to form this alliance in order to make the region safe for us”, the convener of the Southwest Stakeholders Security Group (SSSG), Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, said in a report published by Daily Post.

With the establishment of the

outfit in South West, it is believed that other regions which are cohesive are likely to adopt similar security initiative to police their domains towards creating conducive environments for retaining and attracting investments. When this policing is successful across regions, it is likely and gradually going to be extended to other governance issues such as management of roads by states, resource control, reduction of Federal Government allocation from Federation account, control of Federal assets such as stadium by states and subsequent self-sufficiency of states or regions.

At the end, strong regional economic blocs will be created to the advantage of Nigerian people. This is the aspiration of restructuring advocates.

When peace is achieved in a particular region, investors, especially from global players and Nigerians in the Diaspora will likely come home to establish which will create jobs and open up such economies. Regional stakeholders and leaders can utilise their networks to convince their people outside the region and in Diaspora to invest in the region and create strong business hubs that are hard to be ignored by the international business community.

Many individuals both in South West and others, no matter their political affiliations, believe in new economic paradigm to liberate Ni-

geria from economic strangulation that has bedevilled it for years. Nigeria needs to diversify its economy and free it from central control that has not enabled innovation and development of key sectors such as railway system and other infrastructures.

World Bank’s former management specialist, Ladipo Adamolegun, in a lecture re-echoed the challenge of Nigeria’s over-centralisation of federal system. He noted that it was a major explanatory factor for poor development performance of the country.

Further giving credence to restructuring, former president of Institute of Directors (IoD), Chike Nwanze in his 2016 lecture at the Nigerian Institute of Management believed any efforts towards economic development cannot be achieved without restructuring of the country.

It is important to note that states now hold the key to regional and national development as Federal Government is constraint with many challenges but low revenue especially as Abuja feeding bottle is not only drying up but has many mouths to feed.

“Amotekun” is a good move by the South West. Other regions can emulate this model. It is expected that the thinking behind ‘Amotekun’ should not be restricted to security alone.

Financial Sector: Stanbic IBTC gets recognitions for outstanding performance

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inning an award is a symbol of recognition for excellence and outstanding performance. Some institutions in Nigeria’s financial sector, a major driver of the nation’s economy, have played significant roles and this has earned them recognitions.

For instance, in 2019, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, member of Standard Bank Group was recognized by various reputable organizations for its sterling performance. The company bagged a total of 21 laurels. Two subsidiaries of the Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC won two awards at The Global Wealth and Society Awards West Africa 2019. Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited won ‘The Best Private Bank in Wealth and Society’ while Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited won ‘The Best Asset/Fund Management Company in Wealth and Society’.

At the BusinessDay Top 25 CEOs Award, Yinka Sanni, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC was recognised for his stellar performance on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited bagged the ‘Most Innovative Brokerage Firm’ and ‘Best Stock Broker’ while Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited won the ‘Most Innovative Fund Management Company in Nigeria’. The awards were received at the International Finance Awards 2019.

Three subsidiaries of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC won five laurels at the FMDQ 2019 GOLD Awards.

Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc won the ‘FMDQ Dealing Member of the Year

(Secondary Market Champion)’ and ‘FMDQ FX Market Liquidity Provider of the year’. Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited got the ‘FMDQ Capital Markets Securities Origination (Primary Market Champion)’ Award, as well as ‘FMDQ Registration Member (Quotations)’ Award.

Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited also emerged winner of the ‘Most Active Buy-side Participant in the Fixed Income Market’ Award.

Similarly, the Group won three awards at the 2019 edition of the Pearl Awards for its contribution to the capital market.

Olufunke Amobi, Country Head, Human Capital, Stanbic IBTC Holding PLC, was recognized as the ‘2019 All Africa Employee Engagement

Professional of the Year’ at the All Africa Employee Engagement Awards.

At the same event, Stanbic IBTC Holdings won the ‘2019 All Africa Customer and Employee Experience’ Award, as well as the ‘2019 All Africa Major Corporate Engagement Company of the Year’ Award.

The Stanbic IBTC Group was adjudged best for outstanding employee engagement strategy at the HR People Magazine Awards 2019. The company won the ‘2019 Best Learning and Development Strategy’ Award and ‘2019 Most Outstanding Employee Engagement Strategy’ Award.

Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) Annual HR Optimisation Awards also honoured

L-R: Tosin Leye-Odeyemi, head, Reward, Analytics & Reporting, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc; Olufunke Amobi, country head, Human Capital, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC; Titilope Ihemetu, acting head, strategy advocacy and Stakeholder Relations, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria; Ibrahim, Member of Governance Committee, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, during the CIPM Awards in Lagos recently.

the company with ‘2019 CIPM Strategic HR Award’ and ‘2019 CIPM Diversity and Inclusion Award’.

Yinka Sanni, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, said that winning awards for the company’s performance in Human Resources underlines Stanbic IBTC’s strategy of growing a responsible, disciplined, motivated and highly productive workforce. It also reinforces the company’s strong management and its leadership in the country’s financial services industry.

According to Sanni, being selected for recognition is a call to continually strive to epitomize one of the company’s core values, which is to constantly raise the bar. For its landmark achievement in providing exciting products and services in the real estate market during the past 12 months, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC won four awards at the Euromoney Real Estate Survey 2019.

Stanbic IBTC identifies with the innovation, achievement, strategy, progressive and inspirational changes taking place within the Global Financial Community. For this, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC and Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited won ‘Best Corporate Governance Company’ and ‘Best Non-Pension Asset Management Company’ respectively at the 2019 Global Banking & Finance Awards.

In addition, the bank got four awards at the EMEA Finance Achievement Awards. The awards are ‘Best Equity House in Africa’, ‘Best Syndicated Loan in Africa Dangote Oil Refinery’s USD3.35bn Loan’, ‘Best M & A Deal in Africa

– Merger of Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc’ (“CCNN”) and Kalambaina Cement Company Limited (“Kalambaina Cement”) and ‘Best follow-on Funding in Africa (mid-cap) – Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC N40bn Rights Issue’.

The DealMakers Africa Awards also saw the Group win ‘The Top Financial Adviser in West Africa by Deal Value’, ‘Top Financial Adviser in West Africa by Deal Volume’ and ‘Deal of the Year (West Africa) – Merger of CCNN and Kalambaina Cement’.

Other meritorious awards received include ‘Brand Strength Measurement Index’ at the 2019 Top 50 Brands Nigeria, ‘Leadership Award’ at the Dale Carnegie, ‘Agro Bank of the Year’ at the 2019 Nigeria Agriculture Awards and Wealth & Investment Award (Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited) at The Private Wealth Manager, Banker Global Private Banking Award (for the fourth consecutive year).

‘Best Foreign Investment Bank in Nigeria’, ‘Best Debt House in Nigeria’, ‘Best Equity House in Nigeria’, ‘Best Loan House in Nigeria’ and ‘Best Broker in Nigeria – Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited’, were laurels received at the EMEA Finance African Banking Awards.

As Calvin Coolidge said, “no person is ever honoured for what he receives. True honor is the reward for what he gives.” These numerous recognition and awards are certainly borne out of Stanbic IBTC’s commitment to continued growth and contribution to Nigeria’s socioeconomic development.

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StateOfTheNation

Politicians, groups jumping the gun, overheating polity with 2023 talks … Amid economic chaos, worsening insecurity

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James Kwen and Solomon Ayado, Abuja

mid abject poverty, economic instability, corruption that has resulted in underdevelopment in key sectors in Nigeria, the country’s leaders seem to have shifted attention from good governance and national development to jostle for 2023 presidency.

It is less than a year since the 2019 general election was conducted, and the country is yet to resolve or recover from the irregularities that marred the election. Moreover, there seems to be no plan by government to immediately fine-tune the electoral process for better results in future elections.

Also, the Buhari-led administration is yet to deliver on its campaign promises of 2019. National development is yet to find its stable footing. Insecurity has taken over the land with government grappling with ineptitude to secure lives and property of the citizenry.

It is a matter of concern that Nigeria is rated among top countries with high poverty rate in the world, as well as, one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

In the year 2019, the World Poverty Clock, a project of the World Data Lab, which tracks income levels for individuals around the world, revealed that 91,885,874 people in Nigeria now live in extreme poverty.

This is not the first poverty rating the World Poverty Clock revealed for the country. In May 2018, it said the country overtook India with the most people living in poverty, and it was attested by world leaders. According to World Poverty Clock, poverty is living on less than $1.90 per day as it is peculiar with majority of the Nigerian populace.

When the rating was made public, the President Buhari administration had swiftly rejected the statistics. But many Nigerians are still groaning in pain as poverty is biting hard and because the economy is not stable yet amid the snail-pace strides by government to normalise things.

According to National Bureau of Statistics, the Nigerian economy advanced 2.28 percent year-

Buhari

on-year in the third quarter of 2019 compared to an upwardly revised 2.12 percent rise in the previous period.

It was the fastest expansion since the fourth quarter of 2018, as oil output grew the most in over three years. GDP Annual Growth Rate in Nigeria averaged 3.81 percent from 1982 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 19.17 percent in the fourth quarter of 2004 and a record low of -7.81 percent in the fourth quarter of 1983.

Available resources, which could have been used to pay for public goods or directed towards investment to create employment and other opportunities for citizens, are being misappropriated.

Again, in terms of human development, Nigeria is at the bottom of the scale as corruption scores highest and has grossly affected poverty reduction programmes, which suffer due to lack of funding.

In the midst of these challenges that need urgent attention by the government in power, political parties and socio-cultural organisations have started mounting pressure to ascertain the geo-political zone or individuals that will produce the next president. The big question is, should 2023 agenda be the issue now, or to take Nigerians out of poverty?

Chris Ngige, Minister of La-

Jonathan

bour and Employment, recently enjoined the Igbo extraction to show mass presence in the All Progressives Congress. He said the APC was the easiest political platform the South-East geopolitical zone could use to ascend to the presidency of the country.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), instead of maintaining stands on how best it will deliver its promises, third term agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari has since dominated it ranks. This obviously implies that Buhari would be distracted. It is not sure whether proponents of the third term agenda hold the country at heart.

But Buhari has since denied he has intention to contest the 2023 presidential elections. Rather, he said he was determined to help strengthen the electoral process both in Nigeria and across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

While recently making his feelings known in a letter to Nigerians issued by Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, for the New Year, he insisted that his decision to help strengthen the electoral process, particularly in Nigeria, was informed by the frustrations the nation’s electoral system had triggered.

“Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy. I salute

the commitment of the millions who voted in peace last February and of those leaders who contested for office vigorously but fairly, submitting to the authority of the electorate, the Independent National Electoral Commission and judicial process.

“I understand very well the frustrations our system has in the past triggered. I will be standing down in 2023 and will not be available in any future elections.

But I am determined to help strengthen the electoral process both in Nigeria and across the region, where several ECOWAS members go to the polls this year,’’ he said.

Pundits say that it is very difficult to believe Buhari, and other Nigerian politicians because they speak from both sides of the mouth. In 2014, while campaigning to become Nigerian President, Buhari had promised to do just one term in office if elected. After he won, and in 2019, he took the re-election battle as do-or-die affair, against his earlier promise. He became a second term President. Who knows whether he is planning a third term?

One stumbling block is that Buhari will have to amend the constitution before achieving any third term agenda. It failed during former President Olusegun Obasanjo era. Analysts are however, of the opinion that any-

thing can happen since Buhari succeeded in planting his core loyalists at strategic positions such as at the National Assembly and as heads of all relevant security agencies.

Regardless of the third term agenda, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has counseled Adams Oshiomhole, the embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to stop pushing the third term discourse in the public space.

The party further advised Oshiomhole to desist from going to the Presidential Villa to push the impossible as such will not save him from the axe of suspension dangling over his political head or his inescapable prosecution over allegations of corruption and mismanagement of Edo state resources while he was governor.

The PDP in a statement by Kola Ologbodiyan, its national publicity secretary, issued in Abuja on Thursday, further noted that such mission to the villa, like the one Oshiomhole made, would also not save the APC from fizzling before 2023, as even alluded to by President Muhammadu Buhari in his apprehensions about the gloomy future of the APC. There are also strong indications that the early commencement of campaign by politicians ahead of the 2023 general election is frustrating governance as people holding elective and appointed positions are already getting distracted.

Campaigns, particularly for the Presidential election has begun in earnest with posters of party chieftains, sitting governors and political appointees flying on social media platform while declarations have been made by some politicians in sections of the media.

These campaigns which are almost becoming open, have made many political office holders to jettisoned the mandate given to them by Nigerians less than a year ago to seek either for reelection in the present position they are holding or another position.

Consequently, in the face of serious national issues like insecurity and payment of minimum wage, most second term gover-

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StateOfTheNation nors who are the Chief Security Officers of their states appeared to be more concerned with subtle campaigns via consultations by those who want to become president and those planning to retire to the Senate in 2023.

The situation is the same with first term governors who are already scheming for their re-election for a second term while lawmakers at both the state and national levels are also working for their future political ambitions to the detriment of their core responsibilities of lawmaking and oversight functions.

President Muhammadu Buhari, though has declared that he has no intention to seek third term may be distracted by those who want to succeed him as he is already under pressure from his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other politicians to put in place a succession plan.

The President, governors of the APC, particularly second term ones are already distracted as there is an uneasy calm in the party with alleged plans to stop the presidential ambition of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu by these governors who want one of their own to succeed Buhari.

Speaking on this development, Idayat Hassan, director, Centre for Democracy and Development, cautioned that for now the focus of politicians should be on delivering development and also working on electoral reforms so that 2023 elections can be free fair and credible and not early campaigns.

“That is politics in Nigeria.

The jostle for who succeeds President Buhari commenced immediately after the Presidential elections. In Nigeria, politics is everything, with no emphasis on development.

“The establishment of groups to support or beg candidates to contest is not a new phenomenon in the country. Unfortunately, politics is not conceived to deliver development to the people in Nigeria but mostly for self-aggrandisement of a few.

It was learnt that aspirants who contested the ticket prior to the 2019 elections are warming up to re-contest. They include Atiku Abubakar (North East), Governor Aminu Tambuwal (North West), Senator Bukola Saraki (North Central), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (North West), former governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (North East), former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido (North West), Others are; Senator Ahmed Makarfi (North West), former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (North West), former governor of Sokoto state, Attahiru Bafarawa (North West), former

Tinubu

Ngige

Oshiomhole

Ologbodiyan

Senate President, David Mark (North Central), former governor of Plateau state, Jonah Jang (North Central), and Datti Ahmed (North West) respectively.

To heighten the agitations, immediate past Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan who is from South-South, revealed few days ago, that he is under immense pressure to run for the 2023 presidency. It is left to be seen how the PDP would resolve the issue of zoning.

Experts, as well as, heavy weight politicians have questioned the desperate quest of some Nigerian leaders to acquire power come 2023. They say it is untimely and that leaders should concentrate on good governance now instead of jostling for political positions for an election that is still far to come.

According to them, the country is poverty stricken and the economy is yet to stabilise, just as there is high level of insecurity, which the government has not properly addressed. They say

dwelling on clamour for 2023 is anti developmental.

Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said the agitation for presidency in 2023 in this early hour of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term is simply wrong and untimely.

Tinubu posited that anyone who had the interest of the country at heart would not be discussing issues bordering on the 2023 presidential election now. Rather, he said what every well-meaning Nigerian should be pre-occupied with now is the delivery of democracy dividends to citizens.

“That time is not now. We have just finished one election and Mr. President is busy sorting out the budget, working for the people of this country. Of course, restlessness of politics is going to be there, but any lover of this country will not talk about the succession plan yet. That’s the truth. Concentrate on working for the country; help the presi-

dent to help the country. There’s nothing more than that,” Tinubu stated.

Meanwhile, Tertsea Nomor, an Abuja-based economist, has advised politicians to hold down the clamour for 2023 presidency and focus on implementing viable economic policies that can improve the lives of the people, and make the country to compete favourably with other developed nations.

“Bringing 2023 agenda to national discourse now is very untimely. It is counter development.

It is a pity that politicians in Nigeria do not have the interest of the country at heart. They do not even copy what other countries are doing. At the moment, what should dominate our minds is good governance, viable economic policies to create wealth, reduce poverty and unemployment, and provide the basic amenities to the citizenry,” he opined.

However, Christian Okeke, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe

University does not believe that the political activities have capacity to frustrate governance, especially at this stage.

He however, reasoned that, while other persons and groups interested in the 2023 elections struggle to put their acts together well ahead of the polls, President Buhari and his party should instead do more for Nigerians in providing good governance and not allow mere expression of political rights by opponents to serve as a distraction.

“Engaging in diverse forms of political alignment and realignment much ahead of next elections, oftentimes with their phantomatic shenanigans, is a feature of our body polity. Opinions differ as per their appropriateness and otherwise. And as was the case with previous polls, politicking ahead of 2023 general elections have commenced and they get intensified by the day.

“First and foremost, we must not lose sight of the fact that citizens have their rights to form political associations, attend political meetings and make political statements. These rights are fully provided for and enforced by law. Nobody can take them away except when they cross the red lines or legally permissible limits.

“When it comes to open campaigns, Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, states that such campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day. Apart from this limitation, other individual or group political activities are more or less permitted.

“The second point worth consideration is that the incumbent President has no constitutional permission to seek another term of office. Good enough, the President has even reaffirmed that he would relinquish power in 2023.

The import therefore is that he won’t recontest, and to that extent has no major factor to distract his focus on governance, that he will have interest in who succeeds him notwithstanding,” he said.

“Therefore, to the extent that he personally won’t be seeking another term in office, I see nothing to distract him or frustrate governance. Choosing a candidate to compete for succession with candidates of other political party is a function of his party, and not a part of the president’s official job requirements.

“So, in every strict sense of it, we should rather expect the APC to be much preoccupied with that task rather than President Buhari.

In fact, sterling performance of the current administration should be an advantage. That explains the more reason to fully concentrate on governance ahead of the election”, Okeke maintained.

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Health&Science

Mental health: What you need to know about workplace burnout

Mental health as it relates to work is one of the most neglected aspects of the labour market in Nigeria. To address this, shared experiences are helpful because they help us learn from others. Individuals, Businesses need to understand this and establish preventive measures, ANTHONIA OBOKOH writes.

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fter listening to a radio health talk on mental health, 29-year old Isioma realised that it coincidentally related to her experience in the workplace. “I was able to realise that I was having symptoms of workplace burnout despite the fact that I had been helping others to deal with similar challenges at my workplace” she said.

She had worked at her current workplace for three years and two months. Early in January, she lost her father who was sick for a long time.

Isioma did not cry much because the family knew he was going to die. When she came back from the burial, she faced her work.

She quickly told herself that she can put every trauma she might have experienced behind by channelling all attention and determination to work.

But slowly and without notice she stopped communicating with siblings and felt everyone needed to deal with their lives since daddy was no more. She felt it was not important to go to Church and stopped associating much with people.

Isioma ate junks, slept less and spent all her energy on improving at her work.

Despite all the attention she gave to work, her boss wore her down by constantly saying she needed to improve and complained about her performance.

“I think deep down I felt I was a failure, without emotional support, I felt I was not getting something right but could not pinpoint what it really was. I felt that the workplace wasn’t working for me,” Isioma said.

Resuming this year 2020 after the festive season she thought she will feel better with determination to improve on my performance. But after she listened to this 30 minute health talk anchored by Pamela Ajayi on classic FM on Wednesdays, she understood better. The programmed was titled “Mental Health in Workplace.”

Isioma now understands it is a case of “burnout,” because, unlike previously depressive episodes, this time she was physically unable to work. It felt like her parts had no motivation, energy, and lacked the ability to arrange ideas; she was

mentally exhausted, emotionally drained.

Similarly, the threat of depression and burnout in Nigeria is mounting due to low levels of awareness by various medical workers in the country, meaning it affects all form of careers.

Medical professionals say that the rates at which doctors are complaining shows many of them are suffering from burnout or depression over the course of their careers due to – among other reasons – overwork or administrative pressures.

The problem is not unique to Nigeria. Studies in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Australia have shown that many medical professionals are at higher risk of burnout, depression and suicide, and they are also less likely to seek help.

Experts are pointing out why the rates are so high and say awareness needs to start at the medical school and called for medical education to put more emphasis on doctors realising their limitations and recognising their humanity and fallibility “Burnout and depression amongst health workers is a real thing. Firstly we health workers are also human and so in addition to our personal challenges; we get to share in those of others too. You have to be rock hard not to let in some of these emotions,” said Chioma Nwakanma a public health advocate and digital media strategist.

Nwakanma said that denial and a false sense of immunity is why most break down and burnout at some point.

“The work of a doctor is stressful and somehow unpredictable.

You can be called at any time, and this is worse off in a nation like ours where workers are overused and underpaid. The country is struggling with shortage of staff and even lack of proper health insurance coverage for the doctors,” she said.

Burnout is now categorised as a “syndrome” that results from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” according to the World Health Organization’s International Disease Classification (ICD-11)—the official compendium of diseases.

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.

As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.

Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful.

Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.

The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of life—in-

cluding your home, work, and social life. Burnout can also cause long-term changes to your body that make you vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu. Because of its many consequences, it’s important to deal with burnout right away.

On the basis of livelihood in Nigeria, it is found that millions of people experienced more burnout, possibly due to different demands and responsibilities.

“Navigating workplace challenges is becoming tougher among individuals, both the young and the old these days, especially in the work setting in Nigeria, with long working hours and daily traffic that challenge our mental health,” says Rotimi Coker, consultant psychologist and psychiatrists with Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), while discussing on Doctors on-Air focusing on mental health in the workplace on Classic FM 97.3.

According to Coker, mental health can be treated, but mental health at the workplace manifests with emotional exhaustion, and can affect productivity at the workplace.

Mental health at the workplace could be associated with some feelings of under achievement, Coker noted, stating that this eventually leads to burnout at the workplace.

“These days, we have to be present at work but become unproductive, because employees are suffering from stress and if they do not know how to cope with stressrelated disorders they start to have issues with their mental health such as anxiety, symptoms of depression, phobia, and even suicide attempts begin to manifest,” he said.

The signs of burnout could be manifested through emotional exhaustion—harder to bounce back from challenges, trouble sleeping, not taking much pleasure in life, lacking empathy or disconnection from others, reduced concentration span—skimming articles, flicking through channels and diminished work performance Meanwhile, sharing experiences from other guests in the programme they said work was good for mental health but a negative work environment could lead to physical and mental health problems, stating that there were many risk factors associ-

ated with mental health that might be present in the work environment.

The guests emphasised on women especially facing burnout and said that they do 80 percent of household work and contribute 50 percent to the family upkeep and still had to go to work to contribute optimally.

However, they believe when employees are not fulfilled and are not actualising their goal, they then start having some mental feelings of not been fulfilled daily at the workplace.

They say individuals that are stressed out with personal issues and work stress keep the energy but are dying of work burnout, which can lead to demotion, and is common among younger people at the workplace.

Akolade Habib from Synlab Nigeria said the main issue that fuels mental health in the workplace is lack of support system.

“Nigerians see it as a shame and there are no supports. We realise people are not comfortable to discuss these issues because they feel they are not the only person going through it, but this increases the burden,” Habib said.

Confidentiality really needs to be maintained and management acceptance will allow people to speak up, Habib said, noting that there is actually a law that prevents people from discrimination.

“Nigeria can begin not to stigmatise people, and management must invest in the workforce when the turnover is high in mental health, especially for those who have dropped in productivity,” Habib said.

However, a human resource guest at the programme harped on the need to prioritise mental health at the workplace, as it was an important issue employers needed to look at in this time and age, noting that as a country we were not really dealing with mental health issues and addressing and recognising it in the workplace the way we ought to.

The resource personnel said there were still challenges of trust in relation to mental health matters in the workplace.

But Coker however advised that annual physical check-up should be carried out in most organisations, noting that every individual needs to understand the importance of sleep and exercise to their mental health.

Unilorin MPH students renovate reptile- infested health centres in Kwara SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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he Master of Public Health (MPH) students, University of Ilorin have renovated health centres in some communities in Kwara State, including dilapidated structures infested with snakes and reptiles.

The MPH students, Department of Epidemiology and Community Health disclosed this during their Field report Presentations to communities in six Local Government Areas of the state.

Some of the communities for the Field Postings include; Asa, Ifelodun, Irepodun, Ilorin West,

Moro and Ilorin South LGAs. Their presentations indicated that some of the health challenges faced by the people are malaria, skin infections, tetanus, poor personal hygiene, and practising home delivery for pregnant women.

However, it was also shown that wide use of open defecation, dilapidated health centres and lack of toilets among others are parts of the challenges.

Speaking at the sidelines of the presentation, Musa Ibrahim, a professor and Head of Department (HOD) Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin, explained that the re-

port presentation is in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the Master of Public Health Degrees.

Ibrahim says the programme would afford rural experience for the 32 students of MPH of the University who were engaged in the Field Postings.

He notes that the students were sent out to rural communities to interact, identify and prioritised the needs of the communities and then come up with appropriate intervention to meet their needs.

Ibrahim, who observed that the MPH students come out with appropriate interventions, and

also ensure they put in place sustainability of such interventions when they are leaving, appealed to the Federal Government to assist the University in such outreach programs to rural communities by students, admonishing all tiers of government to aid such communities.

Speaking also, Halima Arikewuyo, a medical doctor who is one of the MPH students said most of the health centres in these rural communities were in deplorable conditions with no facilities and drugs.

She says they were able to renovate the health centres,

provide drugs and health interventions to members of the communities.

In his remark, Oba Aliyu Abdulkadri, the Oba of Agbonda, Irepodun LGA commended the MPH students for the community outreach.

He points out that the students integrated themselves with members of the community and exhibited humanitarian gestures by renovating the health care centres; provide water for community use and introduction of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to some communities.

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39

CapitalMarket What insights do we gain from the first week of trading in January 2020?

is 9.59 percent, and based on the observed trend, we are projecting a 16.69 percent market returns for January 2020. This gives us the impression that the nation’s capital market has the tendency to close higher in January 2020.

This projection is not without a caution. In its 2020 Economic Outlook, United Capital opined that the continuous sale of high yield OMO bills would keep for-

eign interest in Nigerian equity tepid amid fear of devaluation.

“For equities, the continued auction of high yield OMO bills to FPIs may keep foreign interest in local equity market tepid amid fears of a naira devaluation and confidence deficit in the economy. Again, FPIs are likely to continue their flight to safety by swapping/selling equities for low-risk OMO bills.

“Yet, our outlook for stocks in 2020 is anchored on developments in the domestic and global economy with monetary policy as the biggest factor to watch. From all indications, the only justification for an uptick in the equities market is the lower yield environment, supported by increased local currency liquidity. However, this will not be enough to trigger a major rally in the absence of the demand from FPIs. Overall, our base case scenario sees equities market return at +5.3% in 2020, driven by local demand for highquality dividend-paying stocks and increased system liquidity”, United Capital said.

Year to date, 52 stocks have appreciated in prices which price appreciation ranging from 0.5 percent to 28.9 percent. However only 24 stocks managed to outperformed the market.

Cornerstone Insurance sustained its momentum of last year as it topped the gainers’ table with 28.9 percent year to date price appreciation. It is followed by FBN Holdings which has gained 24.4 percent. Dangote Cement, gained 21.1percent; ETI, 20 percent, while Presco, appreciated by 19.8 percent, year to date.

Others top ten outperformers are UACN, 19.2 percent; Okomu, 18.7 percent; Livestock Feeds, 18 percent; UBA, 17.5 percent, and Zenith Bank, 17.5 percent.

The decliners year to date are Seplat, -10.4 percent; Fidson, -12.9 percent; GSK, -13.1 percent; Unilever, -13.6 percent and Thomas Wyatt, -91.8 percent.

Stock Exchange”, according to the notice released by the bank to the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Investors traded 22.13 million units of UBA shares last week Friday worth N186.39 million to close at N8.35 per share which represents a year to date appreciation of 17.5 percent.

For 2018 financial year, the bank paid 65 kobo as final dividend on April 23, 2019. For 2017 financial year, the bank equally paid 65 kobo

on April 23, 2018.

By third quarter ended September 2019, UBA announced N158.9 billion net interest income compared with N150.7 billion made in similar period in 2018.

Profit after tax was N81.62 billion as against N61.7 billion the bank made in same period in 2018. If the tradition is sustained, the bank’s board might recommend N0.65 per share as the final dividend.

TELIAT SULE

M

arket sentiments suggest that the Nigerian capital market has got its tempo back. In 2019, the Nigerian capital market closed at -14.60 percent, and thus emerged as one of the worst performing equity markets in the world. With the developments in the few days of trading, the story has changed, albeit, temporarily, following the optimism that some leading listed companies such as banks, oil companies, cement manufacturers, and food and beverages might release impressive full year results, out of which significant dividends will be paid to shareholders.

After the ten days of trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 2020, the All Share Index (ASI) has returned to the positive territory, with year-todate returns of 9.59 percent. The NSE Industrial index gained 19.50 percent; NSE Meri Value Index, 17.24 percent; NSE AFR Div Yield Index, 14.81 percent; NSE Premium Index, 14 percent; Lotus Index, 12.51 percent; NSE AFR Bank Value Index, 11.43 percent; NSE Banking Index, 10.83 percent and NSE 30 Index, 10.95 percent, all have outperformed the market year to date.

The first 10 days trading of 2020 appeared to be the inverse of the first 10 trading days of 2019, with the graphs of the market returns appearing like pincers curve, implying a tradeoff between two periods. In 2019, returns of the first ten days of that year oscillated in the negative territory, but the negative trend of that period’s first ten days changed on the tenth day of the period which ended in the positive territory.

Analysing the same trading period in 2018 shows a complete course for the market activities. In

Source: NSE, BRIU

Source: NSE, BRIU

that period, the market followed an upward trajectory with the highest daily returns of 3.54 percent on the 10th of January 2018.

What can we gained from the analysis above? In January 2017, the first ten days of the New Year at ended at -1.97 percent, just as the equity market closed at -3.12 percent in January 2017. In the first ten days of 2018, the equity market closed at 9.34 percent,

and market sentiment became stronger explaining why the Nigerian equity market ended January 2018 at 15.93 percent.

In the first ten days of January 2019, the Nigerian equity market closed at -6.09 percent, following that trend, the nation’s equity market closed in the red by the end of January 2019 at -2.78 percent. In the first ten days in January 2020, the market return

UBA Board set to recommend final dividend

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he board of directors of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) is scheduled to meet in Lagos on January 27, 2020 to consider the audited financial statement for the period ended December 31, 2019, a notice released by Bili Odum, group company secretary indicated. The meeting is in compliance with post listing requirements.

Among other matters, the bank indicated that at the meeting pro-

posal would be made regarding the final dividend for shareholders.

“In compliance with the post listing requirements of the Nigerian Stock Exchange for quoted companies, United Bank for Africa Plc hereby declares the commencement of the closed period for trading in the Bank’s shares from January 12, 2020, in respect of the Reports and Financial Statements for the period ended December 31, 2019, as well as the

Final Dividend.

“Accordingly, no Director, person discharging managerial responsibility, employee with sensitive information, adviser, and consultant of the Bank and their connected persons may directly or indirectly deal in the Securities (Shares and Bonds) of the Bank until 24 hours after the release of the Audited Reports and Financial Statements of the Group for the period ended December 31, 2019 to the Nigerian

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Sports

We are more interested in protecting late Promise’s family – NFF Anthony Nlebem

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Nigeria declare interest in hosting Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Stories by ANTHONY NLEBEM

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h e Ni g e r i a Fo o t b a l l Federation (NFF) has confirmed its interest in hosting the 2020 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, BBC reports.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad told the French radio station RFI that Equatorial Guinea are also interested in hosting the event.

CAF is in a race to find a host for the finals after CongoBrazaville pulled out of the hosting of the 12-team event last year.

Ahmad explained that a final decision will be made at its next executive committee meeting on 15 January. ”We have formally written to CAF about the interest to host the event,” Ademola Olajire, NFF director of communications told BBC Sport.

”We are working on the bidding documents and we should get it over to CAF soon.”

The last major tournament played in the West African nation was the 2009 U17 World Cup; 10 years after the country hosted the U-20 version.

Defending champions, Nigeria have previously hosted and won the Women’s Nations Cup in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Officials believe it is the right time to host the women’s showpiece event one more time, with games potentially staged in Lagos, Benin City, Asaba and Uyo. “This is the home of women’s football and the leading football nation in the continent,” Olajire added.

“I believe it’s the right time to do it again. We have done it before and we believe it will be like bringing it home again.”

No dates have been set for the 2020 tournament, but it is usually held in the second half of

the year. The last finals were in Ghana.

Six nations have hosted the event since it switched to a tournament format in 1998, Nigeria and South Africa have both staged it thrice, Equatorial Guinea (twice), while Namibia, Cameroon and Ghana have all staged it once.

Nigeria’s women are the most successful national team in African football history with nine titles - two more than Egypt’s men’s team.

The Super Falcons are the only African team to have played in all eight of the Women’s World Cup tournaments since 1991 but they have failed to translate their continental dominance on the world stage.

Their best performance came when reaching the quarterfinals in 1999 and 20 years later when they exited in the second round of the 2019 tournament in France.

Spurs host Liverpool, Roma tackle Juve as football action resume

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he 2019/20 Premier League season continues this weekend with Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur hosting red hot Liverpool in London.

Tottenham, after an initial bounce when manager Jose Mourinho arrived, has stuttered of late, winning just one of their last four league clashes and coming into this game on the back of an insipid 1-0 loss away to Southampton early in the New Year.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have been imperious in the Premier League and defeated Sheffield United 2-0 at home last midweek to ensure they enjoy a massive 13-point lead over sec-

ond-placed Leicester City.

With Tottenham yet to find their rhythm, Jurgen Klopp will be confident that the Reds can repeat the 2-1 victory they claimed over Spurs back in October and bring their winning streak over the London side to five matches across all competitions.

Another exciting fixture in the Premier League this weekend is the London derby between Arsenal and Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are currently enjoying a strong campaign and are one place above their opponents who occupy 10th position. However, the Gunners showed in their last Premier League outing against Manchester United that they have

found new energy under Mikel Arteta.

This is a clash which will also be peppered with major African stars, including Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Nicolas Pepe and PierreEmerick Aubameyang.

Elsewhere, Manchester United host bottom-of-the-log Norwich City, Chelsea will hope their home form returns with a clash against Burnley, and Everton will chase another win under new manager Carlo Ancelotti when Brighton & Hove Albion head to Goodison Park.

In the Seria A, Roma and Juventus will clash at the Stadio Olimpico in the ‘Eternal City’ on Sunday night.

he Nigeria Football Federation says it has refrained from responding to the cacophony of falsehood and misrepresentation over its absence or otherwise from the final funeral rites of former Nigerian international Isaac Promise because it was most concerned with the safety and well –being of his immediate family.

NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire reiterated on Friday that the Federation has always, is presently and will always show concern on issues that affect Nigerian players (active, retired or departed), and has without recourse to noise and grandstanding, done its part for the immediate family of late Isaac Promise.

“The NFF has been in regular contact with, and has offered support to late Isaac Promise’s wife and children. When the player died in the United States of America, the NFF immediately contacted the club and we were assured of the responsibilities of the club, which included flying his remains to Nigeria.

“However, some of his siblings outrightly expected the NFF to foot the entire bill of his burial, which we told them was not possible. The NFF offered to foot part of the bill for the burial but from that moment, they were not happy with the Federation.”

Olajire disclosed that the NFF President, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, was also in contact with the Executive Chairman of the Imo State Sports Commission, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke and the Chairman of the Imo State Football Association, Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam to help make

peace in the late player’s family as the siblings were at daggers drawn with his wife and children.

“We know what we have done and still ready to do for the immediate family without joining in the debate going on in sections of the media.

“The NFF President has approved a sum of money to be paid to the immediate family and that money will be sent to his wife in the next few days.”

On her part, the wife of late Isaac Promise has commended the Nigeria Football Federation for its efforts since the passing on of her husnand, who captained the Nigeria U20 team to runner-up position at the FIFA U20 World Cup in The Netherlands in 2005, and was also a key member of the U23 team that won silver medal in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 2008 Olympics in China.

Mrs Kate Promise expressed surprise at the negative stories in sections of the media, while confirming that the NFF President indeed mandated Mr. Ndubuoke and Mazi Uchegbulam to broker between her in-laws and herself.

Atlético face Real Madrid in Spanish Super Cup final Anthony Nlebem

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ollowing a narrow 3-2 victory over Barcelona on Thursday night in the semi-final, Atletico Madrid have set up a derby clash with Real Madrid in the 2020 Spanish Super Cup on Sunday.

Real Madrid defeated Valencia 3-1 to book the final ticket.

The two teams from Spain’s capital will face off at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.

It will be a tough test for a Real side missing key players Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard against a strong Atletico side.

Real Madrid will once again rely on the technique of their maestros in midfield after Isco, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos all found the net against Valencia.

Real Madrid seems to have the edge as Zinedean Zidane, has never lost a final during his managerial career.

The Frenchman won the three

Champions League finals he oversaw on the Madrid bench (2016, 2017, 2018), as well as two European Super Cup finals (2017, 2018), two Club World Cup finals (2016 and 2017) and one Spanish Super Cup (2017).

The former World Cup winner will aiming to win his second Super Cup and 10th trophy with Real Madrid (including the 2016/17 LaLiga title) which would put him just four trophies behind equaling Miguel Muñoz’s record of 14 as the most successful coach in club history at Madrid.

Overall, Zidane has won 66% of the matches played (124 wins, 40 draws and 22 defeats in 185 games) during his two spells at the club from January 2016 until June 2018 and from March 2019 to the present.

Atletico have the strength in depth in forward areas to make Real chase the game. Zinedine Zidane will count on his midfield playmakers to keep the ball away from Morata and Co.

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BDSUNDAY 41

Unbundling of Mass Communication degree to impact jobs, graduate quality Obinna Emelike

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hen the n e w s broke on Thursday that the National Universities Commission (NUC) has unbundled Mass Communication as a course in Nigerian tertiary institutions, it was received with mixed reactions by the public, especially media practitioners.

The concern for many is the fact that the quality of Mass Communication graduates that are churned out every year from tertiary institutions across the country has not been commendable in recent times.

On the other hand, employers of labour, particularly media business owners, are forced to retrain fresh Mass Communication graduates before assigning roles to them because of the lack passion, poor quality output

and lackadaisical attitude they exhibit, which often ridicule their alma mater and the quality of lecturers that trained the ‘halfbaked’ graduates.

In some cases, graduates from other disciplines who are considered sharp or show passion for media job are hired and they often do better than Mass Communication graduates on the job.

Probably, the poor quality has been a big concern for the NUC, hence Abubakar Rasheed, executive secretary of the commission, noted that the unbundling was necessary to meet current demand maybe placed by employers of labour and parents.

But Martin Agbaelu, a guidance and counselor in Lagos-based private school, noted that the upgrading of Mass Communication into a faculty and further splitting into seven courses will not improve quality of the graduates as NUC envisaged because the problem is the quality

We are not part of plans to disrupt council polls in Cross River - APC Chairman MIKE ABANG, Calabar

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he Etim John-led state working committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State said at the weekend that they were not part of a plot to disrupt Local Government Elections slated for March this year by Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC).

In a press statement signed by Francis Epeyong, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, the APC secretary said: “We are aware that a dissident group in our party had taken CROSIEC to court over the conduct of Local Government Elections in Cross River State.

“The Etim John-led state working committee, which is legal and authentic, wishes to dissociate ourselves completely from this illegal matters parading in court in the name of our party. “ We h e r e b y u r g e

CROSIEC and relevant stakeholders to continue to keep faith in our desire to conduct free, fair credible polls which is the accepted norm in our electoral system nationwide.”

Recall that the State Independent Electoral Commission had fixed March 2020 as the date for local government election in Cross River State after about three years of non-conduct of council polls in the state.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this same dissident group had taken CROSIEC to court for non-conduct of local polls and when attempt is made to conduct elections at that tier of government, they will go to truncate the exercise through frivolous petitions.

“We appeal to our supporters to cooperate with the electoral umpire to enthrone democratically elected chairmen at that tier of government which is the wish of our people,” the statement added.

of the lecturers.

“If the lecturer cannot improve his research work and come up with practical books, he will end up republishing the same handout he bought when he was an undergraduate. Then, the students are shortchanged because there is no quality in reading from a scanty handout”, he said.

However, many think that the splitting comes with many benefits.

For Victor Obayagbona, a veteran journalist and PhD student, the new development will lead to specialisation as undergraduates now focus attention on a particular course and gain expertise as well. But he fears that it will limit the knowledge and exposures of the graduates who are now mandated to specialise in a course instead of the once seven-in-one Mass Communication degree.

Ebun Oni-Makinde, a university lecturer, noted that the development will

open job opportunities in the Faculty of Mass Communication across the nation’s tertiary institutions, as well as, for people jostling to become head of departments. “ An a v e r a g e Ma s s Communication department has from 10 lecturers. But with the splitting, we are looking at having at least 10 lecturers per new department. It also means more admission opportunities for potential undergraduates who can now apply for any of the seven course under Mass Communication,” OniMakinde said.

She is concerned with the quality of the lecturers because Mass Communication has always been seen as an easy course and most people think they can lecture the course.

“I think the NUC should be concerned with the quality of the lecturers who will handle the new departments to ensure that quality is enhanced.

Now you are specialising,

employers of labour hope it will reflect in the quality of the graduates, else it will be counterproductive. If so, the splitting will then just a smart move to employ relations and friends as lecturers by the people behind it”, she said.

To ensure improved

quality of the lecturers and graduates, she suggested that universities should source them from among professionals who have impacted the media practice and have practical experience to spur the students to academic excellence and later job fulfillment.

Segun Runsewe, director-general, National Council for Art and Culture (NCAC), during a press briefing in Abuja, on his current travails linked to his desire to protect N9.8 billion government property. He said that ‘The Craft Village’ is the reason “some people” want him jailed.

Picture by TUNDE ADENIYI.

MTN: Malami refers case to FIRS, customs Felix Omohomhion, Abuja

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he Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) said on Friday that he has transferred the resolution of MTN dispute with the federal government to the Federal Inland Revenue Service and Nigeria Custom Service.

This is contained in a statement issued by Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday 10th January, 2020.

According to the state-

ment, the Minister made the development known in a letter dated 8th January, 2020 addressed to MTN’s Counsel; Messrs Wole Olanipekun & Co. The letter reads in part: “Having carefully and painstakingly reviewed the correspondence reference and following due consultation with relevant statutory agencies, the Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has decided to refer the matter under reference to Federal Inland Revenue Services and Nigeria Custom Services with a view to resolving contentious issues”.

The letter further adds that “you may wish to be informed and be guided for time being, pending the outcome of the interrogation of the relevant statutory agencies”.

The Federal Inland Revenue and Nigerian Custom Services are the regulatory authorities vested with the powers of monitoring foreign exchange utilisation and assessment of taxes among others as canvassed and contended by the parties in their respective submissions.

The development is in line with oversight functions of Customs and Excise Management Act and Federal Inland Revenue Service relating to monitoring foreign

exchange utilisation and prevention of illegal trade, in case of customs, and assessment, collection and accounting for tax and other revenues accruing to the Federal Government, as it relates to Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Malami said that with this the Justice Ministry has demonstrates unflinching commitment to the rule of law where all statutory agencies will be allowed to independently work with a view to fulfilling their mandates and recourse to them in contentious cases, as regulatory agencies of government on issues that border on their statutory mandate.

OCP, Moroccan institution, Nigerian universities seek collaboration on agric development Obinna Emelike

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CP Africa Nigeria Fertilizer Limited, a leading fertilizer manufacturer, University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and some Nigerian universities have entered into a new partnership to boost the performance of the country’s agriculture.

As part of the collaboration, OCP Africa and UM6P visited the authorities of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi recently to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Ear-

lier, an interactive session was organised by OCP Africa and UM6P for representatives of Nigerian universities in Abuja to discuss areas of collaboration.

Speaking on the partnership, Caleb Usoh, country manager, OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria Limited, said the intention was to foster networking and collaboration between UM6P and some Nigerian universities. He listed agriculture, technology, environment and new vision as areas of focus and noted that these would enhance productivity in agriculture in Nigeria.

“I think beyond agriculture

and many other courses, we need to focus on the reality of industry needs, the reality of how the economy should be structured. The idea of going to school is to learn what would be relevant to times in the society. Times are changing, so we need to change the curriculum a bit, to match basically with what the society needs,” he said.

The MoU signed is aimed at strengthening cooperation between the parties in training, development, research, technology transfer in areas such as agriculture and fertilization, architecture and urbanisation, chemical engi-

neering and humanities/social sciences. Other areas covered are industrial management, mining, renewable energies and sustainable development.

Professor Ibrahim Muhammad Danjuma, deputy vice chancellor (Academics), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, said the university is committed to the terms and conditions of the MoU and that it would deliver on them.

This partnership is part of OCP Africa Nigerian collaborative effort to explore partnerships with Nigerian universities and contribute to the development of the agric sector.

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Sunday 12 January 2020

Man In The News

What does Tunde Bakare want?

H Innocent Odoh, Abuja

e is known as a fiery priest and sometimes his sermons are filled with very blistering comments on issues of national politics. But his recent utterances have probably exposed his long-standing ambition of becoming Nigeria’s President as the ‘anointed one’ in 2023.

Tunde Bakare, the head pastor of the Lagos-based Latter Rain Assembly, is not a stranger to controversies on Nigeria’s political landscape. However, his call on President Muhammadu Buhari to influence who will emerge as the President’s successor in 2023, has stirred the hornet’s nest.

In a nationwide live broadcast in his church on Sunday, January 5, Bakare, who just visited President Buhari, said it was important for Buhari to influence who will emerge his successor in 2023 so that his legacies will not be rubbished.

He insisted it has become incumbent on the President to do so to avoid the risk of a looter taking over the reins of power.

Bakare said: “God is into succession. Anyone in government that does not concern himself about succession is destroying his own legacy because the person coming after you can just mess up everything.

“Let us ask God for grace of accurate succession; that he (Buhari) will not hand over the baton of government and governance to thieves and perverts, to corrupt and powerdrunk individuals, but those who are true patriots, who will serve like our founding fathers served; though not perfect, they did their best.”

Bakare, who was the running mate to President Buhari in the 2011 Presidential election said by institutionalising a system of succession, Buhari would join the league of strong leaders like the late Deng Xiaoping of China; the late Nelson Mandela of South Africa; and Goh Chok Tong of Singapore.

“As the government of President Muhammadu Buhari ushers us into the second decade of the 21st Century, the third pivotal objective of governance should be to build a strong post-Buhari legacy facilitated by accurate succession,” Bakare said.

However, Buhari through his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said the President though interested in who would succeed him, “will not pick a successor.”

Bakare may have meant well to so advise President Buhari

but critics have said it is rather a way to announce his intention to succeed Buhari probably trying to take advantage of his alleged rapport with the President.

The lawyer-turned preacher had once predicted that he would be Nigeria’s next president, an ambition he claimed was by divine inspiration.

But for whatever that motivates the preacher to urge President Buhari to appoint his successor, experts have denounced the 2023 posturing of the “Man of God” as insensitive in the face of the multiple crises buffeting the nation.

Bakare may have been motivated by the fact that other formidable aspirants to the seat of power from the south west have allegedly been crippled. The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who many had thought would succeed Buhari is almost out of the equation as his powers appear to have been curtailed by the cabal that surround Buhari in Also Rock.

The National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is also said to be eyeing the top position. However, the hurdles before the former Lagos State governor are enormous. A source within the party, who does not want his name on print, told BDSUNDAY that the cabal had already perfected plans to destroy the ambition of Tinubu before 2023.

These might be the motivation of Bakare to clamour for a successor, being hopeful that Buhari might choose him when the time comes. He however, may

be mistaken as the members of the cabal are said to be shopping for a successor to Buhari from the north.

Speaking to BDSUNDAY on Friday, the Executive Director, The Integrity Friends for Truth and Peace Initiative (TIFPI), a civil society organisation, Livingstone Wechie, said although Bakare has a right to his ambitions if he wants to be Buhari’s successor, his ambition cannot override the overall interest of Nigeria.

He said that Nigeria just emerged from a general election, adding that the talk of a successor will heat up the polity.

He noted that the move was a huge distraction which will derail governance.

“Anyone who is interested in the good of Nigeria and the good of the common man will not be talking about 2023 now.

That person should be discussing issues of governance. There are too many challenges; economic challenges, the citizenry is grappling with economic pain and woes, insecurity across the country, there is investment crisis along the business lines where businesses are folding up, where people are finding it difficult to make their ends meet and somebody is talking about 2023.

“The citizens are interested more in results at this time and their welfare and that is what we should be working on to help the President achieve his objectives,” he said.

Wechie advised Bakare and his ilk to make contributions for good governance to the teething problems that confront the ad-

ministration, saying that failure to do that will send the signal that they are not interested in governance but are only interested in power.

He also frowned at the idea of succession by the President, stressing that the President cannot solely on his own choose a successor. “We have a process beginning with aspiration to vie for an office subject to party primaries and then election proper.

The idea of the President nurturing a successor at this time may generate so many controversies and may be subject of multiple interpretations,” Wechie said.

He advised Buhari to work to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process and make it more transparent to allow Nigerians on their own to decide and determine who governs them.

Yinka Odumakin, publicity secretary of the Pan-Yoruba Cultural Organisation, Afenifere, said it was wrong to discuss 2023, when the nation is still grappling with the harsh realities of the current time.

He emphasised that the clamour for a successor by Bakare is a mere conjecture, adding that there are processes to produce the President of Nigeria.

“I cannot discus 2023 now.

In fact, we need all the prayers for Nigeria to survive through 2023 judging by the way we are going. All the signs are bad for the country; the country is much more divided today than at any other time in our history.

“We have a situation of impunity of the highest order, the exclusive governance that is going on in terms of lopsided ap-

pointments and almost on daily basis we now have the removal of southern officials and their replacement with northerners.

“The economy is in a bad shape, everything is looking down for Nigeria and what I think we should concentrate on now as a country is how to put the country back on track and not who will succeed Buhari,” he said.

He compared the current situation in Nigeria to that of Rwanda prior to the 1994 genocide that almost destroyed that country.

“If we look at what is on ground now, the temperature of Nigeria today would be like the temperature of Rwanda before the genocide and we have to avert this. It is only when you have a country that we can talk about election,” he said.

Odumakin admonished Nigerians to rise and stop President Muhammadu Buhari from running the country as if it belongs to only a section of the country, with his lopsided appointments, saying it is not healthy.

The Afenifere spokesman advised that for the nation to move forward, Nigeria must be restructured along true federalism.

“We must address the issues of the structures of Nigeria at the moment, we need an inclusive country, and we have to address the question of federalism, instead of the unitary arrangement we have now. We must put this country on a proper structure that is conducive for productivity, for peace, harmony and development,” he added.

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NewsExtra JAMB suspends use of NIN for 2020 UTME INIOBONG IWOK

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he Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has suspended the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) for registration for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Ishaq Oloyede, registrar of JAMB, stated this while briefing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, saying that

the move was to provide more time for candidates to get their national identification numbers.

He said the suspension was also to address the technical challenges experienced at some centres.

He asked candidates to disregard the use of NIN for the 2020 registration and strictly comply with other procedures for the registration. He however, said that JAMB would consider the use of NIMC for

2021 exams.

The board had last year said from 2020, candidates would register for its examinations with their national ID number to solve the challenges of multiple registrations. In an attempt to comply with the directive, many prospective candidates and their parents had been put through serious difficulty while seeking registration at designated centres across the country.

L-R: Babagana Munguno, national security adviser to the President; Mahmood Yakubu, chairman INEC and Muhammed Abubakar Adamu, inspector general of police (IGP), during an expanded ICCES meeting in Abuja.

Picture by TUNDE ADENIYI

Urban regeneration: Sanwo-Olu visits Lagos Island sites

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n line with the administration’s plan to embark on urban regeneration of identified communities in Lagos, Governor Babajide SanwoOlu Saturday visited some locations in Lagos Island.

The governor, who was accompanied by the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Sanni Eshinlokun and some members of the State Executive Council including the State’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Idris Salako, went round the Onala playing ground; the demolished Jankara market; the Isale gangan regeneration site; Adeniji Adele; Ebute Elefun and some areas around Idumagbo designated for redevelopment.

Sanwo-Olu restated his administration’s commitment to urban regeneration, saying that Lagos truly needs regeneration especially Lagos Island.

The Governor assured residents of the affected areas that his administration will ensure a complete renewal of the entire community, emphasising on building of drainage channels, road upgrade and construction to ease vehicular movements of people and goods.

Recall that Sanwo-Olu, during electioneering campaign spoke on the need for urban renewal especially in

some communities in Lagos Island. The Governor also said sincerity is the major issue militating against urban redevelopment in the State.

He said: “When you want to take people’s properties and you want to regenerate, they must first see sincerity of purpose – what are the additional plans that you have for them before you could regenerate?”

He assured Lagosians that his administration will provide a stop gap for at least two to three years, adding that “you need to do what we call proper enumeration.”

“Once you can enumerate properly and determine who the original owners of properties are, and you sit and have an agreement, then the regeneration will start.”

He also assured that his administration will work out a proper model before embarking on the project to ensure strong confidence.

“I have said, the major thing is sincerity of purpose knowing full well that you are not out to circumvent them or to short-change them.’’

“Once that is put on the table very clearly and transparently, we will get a success of it.”

Speakingonthegovernor’s visit, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Salako, said Lagos Island regeneration plan is an important focal point for

urban renewal of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, noting that it is the heart of Lagos; Isale Eko, which is a historical centre.

Salako said the government has also considered its potentials for socio-economic and cultural revival, noting that the regeneration of Isale Eko will bring up its thriving arts and cultural vibes with local markets and commercial activities. ‘’Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu in line with the THEMES agenda of making Lagos a 21st Century Economy will tap into this dynamism and turn the potential into real investment opportunities and growth, in order to reverse the decay, slums and lack of effective services through the revitalisation programme for Lagos Island,’’ he said.

He stated further that as part of the regeneration programme, the Government will commence immediate replanning of Jankara by preparing an action plan for the area. ‘’Work will also include infrastructure upgrade and resurfacing of the failed portion of the roads and de-silting of all drainage channels around the area and those around Adeniji Adele. The Onola playing field is also to be transformed to a befitting sporting centre that will help take the youths off the street and develop their potentials,’’ Salako stated.

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BDSUNDAY 43

Theatre, arts & culture come alive in Nigeria with Amstel Malta

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or many years, critics and experts have believed that the Nigerian entertainment sector represents a goldmine for both the economy and international diplomacy.

Within the past decade, contemporary African stars have made a massive impact on global music and culture, achieving far-reaching recognition through mainstream awakening and radio plays of Afro-pop (a wide variety of contemporary urban and electric dance music), Oldies, Hiphop/Rap, and other popular genres.

Expectedly, with Nigeria’s vast wealth of history, culture, and stories, Nigeria’s entertainment and media sector is expected to be the fastest-growing globally in 2020, even with persistent challenges attributable to its informal structure and piracy. Though drastically limited by policies, a resurgence largely spurred by private investment and change in consumer taste has created a massive opportunity to leverage potentials and profits in the industry thoroughly, while also securing the buy-in of policy-makers, consumers, and other stakeholders.

Amstel Malta, produced by the country’s largest brewing company Nigerian Breweries has always been a partner of the Nigerian entertainment sector – either through its support for the Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO), Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA), including the Bolanle Austen-Peters’ reloaded stage play, Fela’s Republic and the Kalakuta Queens, Ajibayo Akinkugbe Foundation’s Mamma Mia and the Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju-led musical, Ada the Country.

Fela’s Republic and the Kalakuta Queens is a compelling musical narrative of the honest and incomparable love and connection the icon had with his dancers (queens), who left their homes to follow him, believing in his vision of building a better community through arts and music. Naturally, one would expect jaw-dropping choreography and musical performances, but this goes far beyond that. What the stage performance offered was a celebration of Africa’s cultural transformation and success, and Fela’s legacy and position in Nigeria’s contemporary music landscape.

Interestingly, Fela Ani-

kulapo-Kuti’s fusion of traditional Nigerian and Ghanaian music, jazz, funk, and Caribbean musical styles, referred to as ‘Afrobeat,’ has become a global focus.

It has started a new conversation about the continent’s position in leading the culture and expanding into entertainment through the theatre arts. While nostalgia and the consistent change in audience taste have been essential for the success of the industry, the current resurgence of the music and even the theatre culture in the country can be traced to the public-private partnerships and investments, talents of the creatives, and the unrelenting attitude of various stakeholders.

From December last year till 3 January, theatregoers gathered in droves to watch the musical drama, Mamma Mia, an adaptation of the ninth longestrunning Broadway show in the United States. With a cast of amazing singers, dancers, and actors, Ajibayo Akinkugbe Foundation, with support from Amstel Malta, delivered a story of epic proportions and memory.

Produced by Soji Akinkugbe and Ireti BakareYusuf, and directed by Najite Dede, Mamma Mia – which has been performed in 6 Continents, 50 Countries, 300 Cities, and translated into 26 languages – was brought into Nigeria for the first time ever, and with an all-Nigerian cast and crew.

lope Shonuga, and produced and directed by Kemi Lala Akindoju.

Gradually, the theatre has also become an option for many lovers of the arts, with stage plays sponsored

by Amstel Malta providing the audience with an opportunity to catch a glimpse of critical moments in the nation’s history or celebrate Nigerian literary giants. Fela’s impact on both music and socio-political consciousness has consistently captured many hearts and interests, and tales of his fearless and colorful life serves as an opportunity to reflect on the ideals of an individual who truly embodies Africa’s excellence. While Amstel Malta continues to leverage exciting ways to reward consumer loyalty with initiatives that drive home its message of celebrating life to the fullest, its storytelling also celebrates the Nigerian Theatre Arts culture and remains at the core of its partnerships with platforms in the entertainment industry.

The Nigerian story has often been one characterized by less than flattering headlines, even if its international reputation often does not reflect reality. While there is so much focus on the African culture – music, film, theatre, lifestyle, and its high concentration of unique artistic talent – there are new influential voices that have grown to become prominent in opening the continent,especiallyNigeria, to the world.

Bolanle Austen-Peters, Founder, Terra Kulture and Director of ‘Fela’s Republic & the Kalakuta Queens’ with Sade Morgan, Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc. during the stage play in Lagos.

Ada The Country, the country’s first all-women cast and crew musical, also came alive this January, which was a celebration of hope and friendship amid loneliness, loss, tragedy, and despair. Featuring Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola, Patience Ozokwor, Chigul, Oludara Egerton-Shyngle, Oluchi Odii, among others, the play is written by award-winning writer and performer, Titi-

If the entertainment industry is to truly achieve its potential of becoming a major contributor to the nation’s economy, industry-focused investments and initiatives supported by brands such as Amstel Malta must be encouraged and amplified as it will go a long way to consolidate and preserve the industry while also championing the rebirth of theatre arts in Nigeria.

BDSUNDAY

NEW YOU CAN TRUST

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SUNDAY 12 JANUARY 2020

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Understanding and managing emergency care in Nigerian hospitals

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successful accident and emergency system rests on adequate capacity at the reference centre, an organised referral system within the community, an efficient ambulance system and rapid transfer to next-level follow-up as its four major pillars.

Tertiary hospital such as Lagos University Teaching Hospital and its counterpart, the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, both exist to provide the highest qualitative top healthcare for patients referred to them.

As such, the health institutions’ mandate must include service, training and research as enablers to meet these obligations.

In practice however, these establishments function as ‘welfare centres’, giving succour to thousands of Nigerians even as they labour under outdated systems in a society rapidly transforming into a capitalist enclave.

Using a hospital-based practice of one emergency room bed to 5,000 persons, Lagos, with a population of 20 million should ideally have more than 4,000 emergency beds.

Although there are two teaching hospitals, 26 registered General Hospitals, 256 public healthcare centers, 2,886 private hospitals or specialist clinics and laboratories in Lagos, unfortunately, there are fewer than 300 emergency beds at the tertiary level in the megacity. For instance, LUTH as the mostpatronised referral facility in the state can only boast of just 80 emergency beds.

Referral System There are codes and ethics guiding patients’ referral. A patient is mostly referred for enhanced care only after due consultation with another doctor or hospital believed to be capable of rendering specific care unavailable from the referring centre. Sometimes, lack of facility, manpower, skills or bed space may necessitate such a transfer and in that instance, the receiving hospital needed prior information, earlier preparation and must have indicated readiness to receive such patient(s). Only accident victims and rarely, a few walk-ins patients are exempt from this procedure.

Sadly, there is no effective referral system for emergencies among the almost 3,000 healthcare facilities in Lagos. In its place is a “dumping system” where helpless patients at the several private facilities are asked to seek relief at the two state’s apex health institutions. Consequently, many of such patients

usually exhaust their financial resources before referral while some others are abandoned by relations in hospitals.

Sometimes, in September last year, five pregnant women accessed LUTH emergency services with complicated labour, each requiring a Caesarian Section, blood transfusion and admission into the Intensive Care Unit. None of them was able to pay for these high-end treatments costing about N450,000. The women who were expected to plan for the delivery of their babies waited till the last moment believing that LUTH would bear the burden.

In another instance, a diabetic patient was brought in unconscious with a foot-rot spreading up the leg by the day. He needed aggressive resuscitation, surgery and months of hospitalisation, even in the face of penury.

His medical state forbade him to seek financial assistance as condition for continued treatment; doing so would translate into condemning him to death regardless of the fact that his bill runs into millions. Such shortfall should be borne by government because no Nigerian should be turned back from the hospitals for inability to pay. It is therefore, now more urgent to evolve an integrated referral system among all hospitals in Lagos State.

Ambulance system Same way, a robust ambulance system is a precondition in managing emergency.

Lagos State blazed the trail 18 years ago when LASAMBUS, a state-wide ambulance service which largely responded to many accidents and emergencies within and outside the metropolis was established. Sadly, this noble effort has suffered a regression in the last four years and is only minimally active now. The new administration in the state must therefore, accord priority to the resuscitation of LASAMBUS and expand it to operate within all government hospitals patronised by Lagosians. A close observation reveals that critically ill patients are conveyed to emergency clinics in taxis, tricycles and all manner of dilapidated vehicles. In fact, reports indicate that less than 25 percent of all patients arriving at LUTH are brought in with proper ambulances.

What transpires at the Emergency Room?

Every patient arriving LUTH is triaged and assessed to determine the severity of his condition. This is not a random process but

an obligatory, immediate step for every patient. It is a global best practice in every emergency room setting. LUTH prides itself as one tertiary centre with a defined triage process based on the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) system. Experts say this is an objective set of scoring standards for doctors to operate. Doctors are trained to identify critically ill patients and act in an organised manner. Through the triage system, hospitals can reduce unnecessary waiting time for critically ill patients at the emergency room.

The ESI categorises each patient as follows: ESI 1 - Patients requiring immediate life-saving interventions; ESI 2 -those that may die within hours if unattended; ESI 3& 4 are patients that may be seen later or in Outpatient Department while ESI5 are those patients that should have gone to a Primary or Secondary Healthcare facility.

At LUTH, for instance, only 20 percent of patients in emergency fall into the ESI 1-2 categories, 40 percent belong to ESI 3&4 and another 40 percent classified as ESI 5. The last category comprises simple ailments as skin rash, common cold, fevers, cuts and bruises that can be treated at primary and secondary care facilities. Statistics also reveal that about 80 percent of patients seeking care at LUTH could be conveniently treated in other hospitals to allow the hospital cope effectively with its role as a centre for referral and complex cases.

The ER is run by a team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other heathcare workers under the supervision of a consultant. There is a consultant in charge at Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Surgery and Paediatrics. There is always a consultant covering each of the three shifts everyday of the week. They in turn can request on any and many specialists who are on call each day to take over the management of patients after resuscitation and stabilisation.

After triage, a patient is provided a bed based on availability and resuscitative care continued in the ER. This tackles conditions as breathing airway obstruction, maintaining the airway, breathing, bleeding, inadequate heart functions and any other immediate threat(s) to life.

The patient is then stabilised and made ready for the next stage on the treatment

WASIU ADEYEMO …Prof. Adeyemo is CMAC, LUTH

“conveyor belt”. The patient is either sent for laboratory tests, x-ray or other imaging tests, transferredtotheoperationtheatreoradmitted ontotheward.Hemayalsobesenttocollectprescribeddrugsatthepharmacyandthen,hometo come back for out-patient appointment.

Although disposal from the ER should not take more than 6-8 hours, a patient can spend 24 hours. During this period, emergency treatments for resuscitation and stabilisation are given to all notwithstanding their ability or not to pay.

However, the average ER stay in LUTH is between 3-5 days. Patients sometimes stay a week or more. In a few cases, family members disappear one after the other once the need arises to pay for services. At LUTH, many of these next-step requirements are either provided through revolving funds or

by PPP facilities which require payment for services. Unfortunately, most patients, having exhausted their resources, are unable or unwilling to pay. No thanks also to the misconception that LUTH is a government establishment where no fees should be charged. This is a great impediment to bed availability in the tertiary centres.

Who pays for healthcare?

Healthcare financing is the biggest elephant in the room and until this issue is adequately addressed, no number of bed-spaces will be enough to cater to the flood of those who need healthcare. The National Health Insurance Scheme is designed to act as a buffer for the rich and the indigent in accessing healthcare. Sadly, less than 10 percent of Nigerians are covered till date. This is time to review the operation of the NHIS to enable Nigerians get universal coverage.

Continues on page 32

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff

The height of political intolerance in Kwara T

homas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States, said: “Politics is such a torment that I would advise everyone I love not to mix with it.”

By the same token, John Webster, English dramatist (c.1580-c.1632), said: “A politician imitates the devil, as the devil imitates a cannon; wheresover he comes to do mischief, he comes with his backside towards you.”

The signs of acute political hatred in Kwara came to the fore shortly before the 2019 general election. It came to a head when Bukola Saraki, a former Senate president, was said to have been rejected wholesale in his own state.

The hatred culminated in the formation of ‘Otoge Movement’ which aimed at ending his powerful influence in the political affairs of the state.

His blood sister, Gbemi, who also was engaged in war of attrition against him, politically, had also provided some stones for the catapult that left her brother’s forehead shattered in a manner reminiscent of the battle between David and Goliath.

Since the overthrow of Saraki, as it were, he has faced a lot of buffetings from political enemies.

On Thursday, January 2, 2020, a day after the world welcomed a brand new year, the state government rolled out some caterpillars to mow down a building (Ile-Arugbo) said to have been erected by Bukola’s father, Olusola Saraki,

BABAYEMI OSINAIKE Dr. Osinaike is head, Accident and Emergency Services at LUTH.

who himself was a political juggernaut of his time.

Expectedly, the former Senate president was so shocked at the level of audacity that he said that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had crossed the line of decency. Many people also concurred.

Unexpectedly also, Gbemi reacted sharply against the unfortunate development, justifying the saying that blood is thicker than water.

In her condemnation of the demolition, Gbemi, who was compensated with the post of minister of state for transportation for allegedly providing the secret that ousted her brother from political relevance, said: “The level of force and violence that the governor chose to adopt was totally unwarranted. What resistance to protest justifies firing live ammunition and tear-gassing old women?”

In her fury over the development, she added: “I condemn in totality the actions taken on Thursday 2nd January 2020 by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, especially unleashing terror and mayhem on innocent defenseless aged women simply exercising their right to peaceful protest.”

The minister was not only disappointed in the attitude of the governor, she called out the entire All Progressives Congress (APC) family, complaining that she had been unfairly treated, despite all that she stands for in the party.

Kola Shittu, state chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said the demolition was

shocking and unfortunate.

“The issue of the land was being treated as if it was a stolen land and it was not. It was allocated and there is a letter of allocation written by the government which allocated it,” Shittu said.

What the governor has done will continue to reverberate even after his current tenure.

Pundits say it may signal his nemesis on his political trajectory.

Since the development, sentiment has continued to swing in favour of the Sarakis. The thinking in some quarters is that the ordeal may once again unite the Saraki family, a possibility which observers said would again make them formidable in the politics of the state.

Some observers have challenged Gbemi to go beyond belly-aching and resign his ministerial appointment as a proof of her disappointment over the insult hurled at her father and the house of her father.

It is condemnable for elected political office holders to hide under politics to pursue personal vendetta.

It was Tom (Thomas Jennerly) Wolfe, 1931- American journalist and novelist that said: “It is very comforting to believe that leaders who do terrible things are, in fact, mad.

That way, all we have to do is make sure we don’t put psychotics in high places and we’ve got the problem solved.”

N1.341trn This is the amount of money the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it generated as revenue in 2019, according to a statement by Joseph Attah, the service’s Public Relations Officer.

On Point!

“I believe the National Assembly should ensure that any increase in electricity tariff, if at all, should be cost-reflective, and not just a whimsical increase with no empirical basis”.

-Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker, House of Representatives, on the planned increase in electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

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