BusinessDay 17 Feb 2019

Real reasons INEC postponed election, by Buba Galadima Innocent Odoh, Abuja

F

ollowing the outcry that greeted the postponement of Saturday’s election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by one week, the Na-

Ga l a d i m a , w h o i s a l s o a spokesman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), told BDSUNDAY on Saturday that the Federal government and the APC have shot themselves in the foot by this disingenuous action. He noted that in all his political life, he has never seen where Nigerians from all walks of

tional Chairman of the Reformed All Progressives Congress (RAPC), has said that President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had planned to force INEC to stagger elections in about ten states, in order to use the security forces to rig the elections.

life have agreed that the Buhari government must go and that is why Buhari is desperate to cling to power at all cost.

He also alleged that the President and his party have planned to compromise the election using configured Card Readers

p. 3

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Vol 1, No. 252 N300

inside

Election postponement:

Nigeria bleeds

Six months after, ABAT Truck Terminal gets nowhere

Economy records $10bn losses – Rewane Parents, school owners, pupils stranded Social hiccups as planned weddings in danger Transport coys lament

p. 10

Hope Moses-Ashike, LOLADE AKINMURELE, KELECHI EWUZIE and Ifeoma Okeke

E

very Nigerian general election since 2011 has been postponed, but never has it happened under such short notice and with so much at stake.

Leading economist, Bismarck Rewane, roughly estimates that the last minute postponement of Saturday’s elections could cost Africa’s biggest economy around $10 billion (N3.6 trillion at N360/$ exchange rate), 2 percent of 2018 Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Rewane, who is the CEO of Financial Derivatives Ltd, a risk and financial advisory company based in the commercial capital of Lagos, arrived at his estimate after factoring in what he called postponement cost, consequential cost, opportunity cost and reputation cost.

The postponement cost of the Saturday elections is derived from dividing the country’s $427

p. 21

‘Govt should order DISCOs to provide pre-paid meters to consumers p. 31

Buhari

Yakubu

billion GDP in 2018 by 365 days and that gives $1.16 billion.

Although the level of productivity in Nigeria is perhaps lower on a Saturday compared to a week-day, businesses priced in the elections as early as Friday, with most firms from banks to manufacturing companies work-

ing half-day to afford time to some members of staff who had to travel long distances to vote.

The consequential cost, according to Rewane, encompasses the cost to the electoral commission, INEC and other related costs. INEC’s budget for the 4-week election period was

Atiku calls for calm; says ‘Be ready to vote’ p. 3

Atiku

N189 billion. With the one-week delay, Rewane said, the electoral body must now factor in an extra week and additional N47 billion (N0.130 billion or N130 million).

“That said, broader nominal consequential costs to parties other

Transcorp Hotels, Newrest ASL to pay N1.3bn dividend

P. 7

??Postponement: Buhari blames INEC, absent at stakeholders’ meeting

See reactions on postponement p. 44-46

p. 40

p. 4

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Sunday 17 February 2019

IssueoftheWeek ‘We were robbed, ill-treated’

…The lamentation of stranded corps members, foreign journalists after postponed polls ISAAC ANYAOGU, Lagos, OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Cynthia Egboboh, Abuja & Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

L

ike several hundred others, Taiye’s was excited to get a job helping the independent National Electoral Commission conduct the elections in Lagos state. Much of this excitement stems from a promised pay of N35,000 an accommodation and provision for feeding. If you’re earning a paltry N19,000, this looks like a significant step up.

Along with hundreds of other corps members posted to Lagos state, Taiye, who begged not to use her real name because of confidential agreement signed with INEC, said the experience of Friday February 15, ranks as one of her most harrowing experiences of her 25 years on earth.

In the many tales of disappointment that will follow Nigeria’s postponed presidential elections, it is possible the plight of over 400,000 members of the National Youth Service Corps, who constituted 40 per cent of the adhoc staff may be lost in the shuffle, but their disappointment and sense of loss over the postponed election is as valid.

“I assure you it’s going to be difficult for many of us to agree to return,” Taiye said.

By 9:00pm many corps members were milling about the local offices of INEC in Lagos without any sort of coordination. At INEC office on 19 Bawahala Street, Pedro Gbagada, monitored by our correspondent, it was a bedlam.

Security officials fought a losing battle to keep corps members, touts and party officials who seek to gain access to the venue. Traffic on the road was on standstill and commuters had to trek to their homes.

“They did not tell us anything, there was no one to speak to us, they just left us,” said Taiye, who was sent to Ajeromi Ifelodun local government and by 10pm had heard nary a word from any official. “That’s when I first suspected that something will go wrong.”

Corp members continued in the state of flux until midnight when rumours started trickling in that the elections would not hold.

Our correspondent who kept vigil at the commission’s office in Jalingo said corps members and other election observers were seen discoursing in groups about the postponement of the elections.

Their fears where confirmed around 2am when the Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman announced in a terse statement that the elections would not hold.

“Following a careful review of the implementation of its logistics and operational plan, and the determination to conduct free, fair, and credible elections, the commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the elections as scheduled is no longer feasible,” said Yakubu postponing the elections by seven days.

A corper said that immediately it was clear there was going to be a postponement, policemen who kept guard over them around Lagos announced that there had been a postponement, “go to your homes,” and they drove off leaving everyone to their fates.

“I could not go to my house that night, I had to sleep on the bare floor, the first time I slept on the floor in my life,” said a corps member from Abuja.

While many corps members report sleeping on bare floors, others slept in open spaces around polling units, others inside abandoned busses and others who were fortunate inside abandoned office spaces because it was unsafe to travel that evening. Many businesses and transport workers fearing chaos shut down their businesses early on Friday evening.

“They told us that they would provide us accommodation but they abandoned us, we slept outside, our phones were stolen and many of us were harassed by touts,” Taiye said.

In Lagos, corps members around Ikeja were reportedly dispossessed of their valuables. In Anambra there was outbreak of commotion in one polling unit according to the account of a corps member based in the state and everyone simply ran away.

“Please help us, corpers are being harassed by touts and policemen in INEC office Rumuokoro Eligbolu Port Harcourt, Rivers State, please retweet,” tweeted Olatunji a corper posted to Rivers state.

In October 2018, lawmakers approved N234.5billion for the INEC to conduct the 2019 general elections. Initially the sum of N189billion had been approved by the Senate Committee on INEC based on the organisation’s request. An extra N45.5billion was added to avoid the very situation that INEC is giving as excuse for the postponement of elections.

“INEC’s budget has a high level of urgency. Let’s approve it and wait for security agencies to come and we will hear from them and then approve theirs,” said Barau Jibril (APC, Kano) contributing to debate on the urgency of approving INEC’s budget.

This budget was not even enough to ensure a coordinated effort to convey the corpers back to their locations. At Ajeromi Ifelodu, local government INEC officials had to quickly disburse N4500 to corpers to avoid a protest. In Osun, corpers who mostly travelled from out of the state, received over N5000 but many others in different parts of Nigeria were not that fortunate.

One corper in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, who did not give his name, said immediately the election postponement was announced, “we were asked to go home, that we shall be communicated on the next line of action. Trekking home this midnight is the major challenge we will face, honestly

we are stranded,” she said.

INEC created 119,809 polling units in Nigeria and said it could create an additional 30,000 voting points if it became necessary. Each polling unit and voting point will have not less than four ad hoc staff. It has a total of 8,809 registration areas and each of them has collation officers.

Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee told journalists that this is important because all the local governments and area councils must have collation officers. INEC will conduct elections in 1,558 constituencies and it requires between 750,000 and one million ad hoc workers and the Commission would require around 40 per cent of its ad hoc staff need from the corps members.

Each polling unit would be manned by a presiding officer and three assistant presiding officers. In many polling units, corpers perform the functions.

For Rodney Muhumuza, a foreign correspondent with Associated Press (AP), Promise Alexandria, a Youth Corps Member serving in Akwa Ibom State and Seun Adams, February 16, 2019 will be a day they will never forget in a hurry.

Muhumuza’s excrutuating experience represents what other foreign journalists and observers who arrived the country are currently facing, following the postponement of the polls.

They are caught beween going back to their country without fulfilling their mission or extending their stay at extra cost in terms of feeding, accommodation, local travels and other expenses not originally captured in their budget.

Muhumuza is a Ugandan journalist who flew into Nigeria for the first time to cover the country’s General Elections. “This is my first visit to Nigeria and second to West Africa. I was in Ghana to cover their last General Elections,” he tells BDSUNDAY. Although he stayed in the nation’s capital since Tuesday, February 12, 2019 and boarded a flight to Yola, Adamawa State - the home of PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar - to cover the elections, he would later learn of the shift in the polls a day after lodging at a hotel in Yola, preparatory to the exercise.

Speaking with BDSUNDAY on his next line of action, he says: “Not sure (if I will

remain in Yola). I will try to report some features maybe until Tuesday and then head back to Abuja mid-week. Alternately I might be asked to stay here until Saturday”.

Also narrating her ordeal to BDSUNDAY, a journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who had arrived Abuja since Wednesday from London for the elections said: “I am shocked at what has happened.”

She added: “I leave on Monday but the rest of the news teams will stay”.

As for Alexandria, she was one of the corps members serving in Akwa Ibom State and called up as an adhoc staff for the just cancelled elections.

According to her, they only got to know of the postponement through the Internet, lamenting that they slept in the open field, even as their allowances are yet to be paid as of the time of filing this report.

“Nobody addressed us. They gave us empty promises that we would be credited yesterday (Friday) before 4pm. We didn’t see anything. They said N4,500 (bank) for the training. And N9,000 for sleeping out (in cash). But we received nothing”.

Other corps members who were to act as INEC ad-hoc staff also decried government’s insensivity, INEC’s inadequacies, as they decry lack of concern displayed by the officials.

Findings by BDSUNDAY showed that the Corp members who were engaged as INEC ad-hoc staff for the postponed general election were exposed to environmental risks and abandoned by the assigned INEC officials without any form of security.

Seun Adams, a Corp member (INEC ad-hoc staff) assigned to Garki 02, Garki Model Primary School in Abuja Municipal Area Council, explaining her ordeal, said that they were stranded at the venue of the election as the INEC officials as well as the policemen left the venue at 2am of the supposed day of election.

She said: “I was surprised when they said we should be here by 3pm a day before the election. This venue has no light, no water, nor security. Later at around 10 pm the INEC staff came with policemen and by 11 pm, they brought few mats that could not go round everyone, we had to struggle to get mats. We were instructed to sleep outside this school compound, at about 2am we started hearing vehicles moving out so we woke up, the policemen told us that they want to get fuel for their vehicles and that how they left and never came back”.

“Few minutes later we started getting information that the election has been postponed, we rushed to where the INEC officials were, no one was there anymore not even a security man, so we had to sleep outside the classrooms as the doors were locked, this is not meant to be, we are human beings also”.

Meanwhile, our correspondent who kept vigil at the commission’s office in Jalingo said corps members and observers were seen discoursing in groups about the postponement of the elections.

A corps member who spoke to BDSUNDAY on ground of anonymity said: “We were asked to go home. That we shall be communicated on the next line of action.

Trekking home this midnight is the major challenge we will face, honestly we are stranded,” she said.

The Taraba state Head of Information department of the commission Fabian Yame, said they were still sorting out materials waiting for further directives from the headquarters.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

IssueoftheWeek ‘We were robbed, ill-treated’

…The lamentation of stranded corps members, foreign journalists after postponed polls ISAAC ANYAOGU, Lagos, OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Cynthia Egboboh, Abuja & Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

L

ike several hundred others, Taiye’s was excited to get a job helping the independent National Electoral Commission conduct the elections in Lagos state. Much of this excitement stems from a promised pay of N35,000 an accommodation and provision for feeding. If you’re earning a paltry N19,000, this looks like a significant step up.

Along with hundreds of other corps members posted to Lagos state, Taiye, who begged not to use her real name because of confidential agreement signed with INEC, said the experience of Friday February 15, ranks as one of her most harrowing experiences of her 25 years on earth.

In the many tales of disappointment that will follow Nigeria’s postponed presidential elections, it is possible the plight of over 400,000 members of the National Youth Service Corps, who constituted 40 per cent of the adhoc staff may be lost in the shuffle, but their disappointment and sense of loss over the postponed election is as valid.

“I assure you it’s going to be difficult for many of us to agree to return,” Taiye said.

By 9:00pm many corps members were milling about the local offices of INEC in Lagos without any sort of coordination. At INEC office on 19 Bawahala Street, Pedro Gbagada, monitored by our correspondent, it was a bedlam.

Security officials fought a losing battle to keep corps members, touts and party officials who seek to gain access to the venue. Traffic on the road was on standstill and commuters had to trek to their homes.

“They did not tell us anything, there was no one to speak to us, they just left us,” said Taiye, who was sent to Ajeromi Ifelodun local government and by 10pm had heard nary a word from any official. “That’s when I first suspected that something will go wrong.”

Corp members continued in the state of flux until midnight when rumours started trickling in that the elections would not hold.

Our correspondent who kept vigil at the commission’s office in Jalingo said corps members and other election observers were seen discoursing in groups about the postponement of the elections.

Their fears where confirmed around 2am when the Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman announced in a terse statement that the elections would not hold.

“Following a careful review of the implementation of its logistics and operational plan, and the determination to conduct free, fair, and credible elections, the commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the elections as scheduled is no longer feasible,” said Yakubu postponing the elections by seven days.

A corper said that immediately it was clear there was going to be a postponement, policemen who kept guard over them around Lagos announced that there had been a postponement, “go to your homes,” and they drove off leaving everyone to their fates.

“I could not go to my house that night, I had to sleep on the bare floor, the first time I slept on the floor in my life,” said a corps member from Abuja.

While many corps members report sleeping on bare floors, others slept in open spaces around polling units, others inside abandoned busses and others who were fortunate inside abandoned office spaces because it was unsafe to travel that evening. Many businesses and transport workers fearing chaos shut down their businesses early on Friday evening.

“They told us that they would provide us accommodation but they abandoned us, we slept outside, our phones were stolen and many of us were harassed by touts,” Taiye said.

In Lagos, corps members around Ikeja were reportedly dispossessed of their valuables. In Anambra there was outbreak of commotion in one polling unit according to the account of a corps member based in the state and everyone simply ran away.

“Please help us, corpers are being harassed by touts and policemen in INEC office Rumuokoro Eligbolu Port Harcourt, Rivers State, please retweet,” tweeted Olatunji a corper posted to Rivers state.

In October 2018, lawmakers approved N234.5billion for the INEC to conduct the 2019 general elections. Initially the sum of N189billion had been approved by the Senate Committee on INEC based on the organisation’s request. An extra N45.5billion was added to avoid the very situation that INEC is giving as excuse for the postponement of elections.

“INEC’s budget has a high level of urgency. Let’s approve it and wait for security agencies to come and we will hear from them and then approve theirs,” said Barau Jibril (APC, Kano) contributing to debate on the urgency of approving INEC’s budget.

This budget was not even enough to ensure a coordinated effort to convey the corpers back to their locations. At Ajeromi Ifelodu, local government INEC officials had to quickly disburse N4500 to corpers to avoid a protest. In Osun, corpers who mostly travelled from out of the state, received over N5000 but many others in different parts of Nigeria were not that fortunate.

One corper in Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, who did not give his name, said immediately the election postponement was announced, “we were asked to go home, that we shall be communicated on the next line of action. Trekking home this midnight is the major challenge we will face, honestly

we are stranded,” she said.

INEC created 119,809 polling units in Nigeria and said it could create an additional 30,000 voting points if it became necessary. Each polling unit and voting point will have not less than four ad hoc staff. It has a total of 8,809 registration areas and each of them has collation officers.

Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee told journalists that this is important because all the local governments and area councils must have collation officers. INEC will conduct elections in 1,558 constituencies and it requires between 750,000 and one million ad hoc workers and the Commission would require around 40 per cent of its ad hoc staff need from the corps members.

Each polling unit would be manned by a presiding officer and three assistant presiding officers. In many polling units, corpers perform the functions.

For Rodney Muhumuza, a foreign correspondent with Associated Press (AP), Promise Alexandria, a Youth Corps Member serving in Akwa Ibom State and Seun Adams, February 16, 2019 will be a day they will never forget in a hurry.

Muhumuza’s excrutuating experience represents what other foreign journalists and observers who arrived the country are currently facing, following the postponement of the polls.

They are caught beween going back to their country without fulfilling their mission or extending their stay at extra cost in terms of feeding, accommodation, local travels and other expenses not originally captured in their budget.

Muhumuza is a Ugandan journalist who flew into Nigeria for the first time to cover the country’s General Elections. “This is my first visit to Nigeria and second to West Africa. I was in Ghana to cover their last General Elections,” he tells BDSUNDAY. Although he stayed in the nation’s capital since Tuesday, February 12, 2019 and boarded a flight to Yola, Adamawa State - the home of PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar - to cover the elections, he would later learn of the shift in the polls a day after lodging at a hotel in Yola, preparatory to the exercise.

Speaking with BDSUNDAY on his next line of action, he says: “Not sure (if I will

remain in Yola). I will try to report some features maybe until Tuesday and then head back to Abuja mid-week. Alternately I might be asked to stay here until Saturday”.

Also narrating her ordeal to BDSUNDAY, a journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who had arrived Abuja since Wednesday from London for the elections said: “I am shocked at what has happened.”

She added: “I leave on Monday but the rest of the news teams will stay”.

As for Alexandria, she was one of the corps members serving in Akwa Ibom State and called up as an adhoc staff for the just cancelled elections.

According to her, they only got to know of the postponement through the Internet, lamenting that they slept in the open field, even as their allowances are yet to be paid as of the time of filing this report.

“Nobody addressed us. They gave us empty promises that we would be credited yesterday (Friday) before 4pm. We didn’t see anything. They said N4,500 (bank) for the training. And N9,000 for sleeping out (in cash). But we received nothing”.

Other corps members who were to act as INEC ad-hoc staff also decried government’s insensivity, INEC’s inadequacies, as they decry lack of concern displayed by the officials.

Findings by BDSUNDAY showed that the Corp members who were engaged as INEC ad-hoc staff for the postponed general election were exposed to environmental risks and abandoned by the assigned INEC officials without any form of security.

Seun Adams, a Corp member (INEC ad-hoc staff) assigned to Garki 02, Garki Model Primary School in Abuja Municipal Area Council, explaining her ordeal, said that they were stranded at the venue of the election as the INEC officials as well as the policemen left the venue at 2am of the supposed day of election.

She said: “I was surprised when they said we should be here by 3pm a day before the election. This venue has no light, no water, nor security. Later at around 10 pm the INEC staff came with policemen and by 11 pm, they brought few mats that could not go round everyone, we had to struggle to get mats. We were instructed to sleep outside this school compound, at about 2am we started hearing vehicles moving out so we woke up, the policemen told us that they want to get fuel for their vehicles and that how they left and never came back”.

“Few minutes later we started getting information that the election has been postponed, we rushed to where the INEC officials were, no one was there anymore not even a security man, so we had to sleep outside the classrooms as the doors were locked, this is not meant to be, we are human beings also”.

Meanwhile, our correspondent who kept vigil at the commission’s office in Jalingo said corps members and observers were seen discoursing in groups about the postponement of the elections.

A corps member who spoke to BDSUNDAY on ground of anonymity said: “We were asked to go home. That we shall be communicated on the next line of action.

Trekking home this midnight is the major challenge we will face, honestly we are stranded,” she said.

The Taraba state Head of Information department of the commission Fabian Yame, said they were still sorting out materials waiting for further directives from the headquarters.

Sunday 17 February 2019

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News

Delta records assassination, attempted murder on eve of postponed presidential/NASS elections …Okowa’s aide killed; Governor mourns Mercy Enoch, Asaba and Francis Sadhere, Warri

T

hough the presidential and national assembly elections slated f o r S a t u r d a y, February 16, 2019, was later postponed, gunmen in Delta State had already gone to work to carry out their own dastardly duty – assassination.

By Saturday morning, people gathered not just to brood over the pain and huge losses brought upon them by the postponement of the election by the electoral umpire, the Independent National El ec to r a l Com m iss i o n (INEC), but to mourn the assassination that took place on the eve of the postponed elections.

The state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa’s camp seemed to have been devastated by assassination of one of his aides, the special assistant on Youth Development, Ngozi Lawrence Ijei on Friday night.

This was as protest on Saturday, rocked Ika, the home base of the governor as communities in Ika Federal Constituency protested the alleged failed assassination attempt on Sebastian Okoh, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Ika Federal Constituency in the postponed NASS election, Okowa’s aide was reportedly ambushed and killed in Ekpan near Warri, the commercial nerve centre of the state.

Ekpan is in Uvwie Local Government Area of the state and has been crisis-

ridden over political and cult-related issues.

It was learnt that Ijei was killed and dispossessed of the amount of money he had on him.

Contacted, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chuks Orisezie, an assistant superintendent of police (ASP), said the command was already investigating the incident to ascertain whether it was a politically-motivated killing or cult-related.

Condemning the assassination, Governor Okowa in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu in Asaba said the governor was deeply saddened by the untimely death of his aide.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I mourn the death of Mr. Lawrence Ngozi Ijei,

who was my aide until his untimely demise. I condole with his wife and family and urge security agencies to investigate the unfortunate incidence with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

“We have alerted the security agencies of some disturbing security situation in parts of the state and wonder what they are doing because these information have been available to them,” Okowa said.

According to him, “We urge Deltans to remain peaceful and maintain the existing peace we have built in the last three-and-half years.”

Governor Okowa called on the security agencies to dig deep into the unfortunate incident with a view to apprehending those behind the action.

Real reasons INEC postponed...

Continued from Page 1 and ballot papers including the Permanent Voters Card (PVCs), which they contracted to the APC Senatorial candidate for Niger East.

“The Senatorial candidate of Niger East is Muhammadu Sani Musa; he is the owner of Active technologies and Art technologies. He was the one that brought the Card Readers as a contractor and he was the one that configured the Card Reader as a member of the APC. It is also he that was given the contract at the instance of government to print the ballot papers as well as the PVC, which means he must have compromised the system. Is that free and fair election? These are the kinds of things they are doing, it is just God that is exposing them.

“And they thought that by postponing the election they will overstretch the opposition because yesterday they called all bank MDs and gave them instructions to block certain accounts. They thought that when it is postponed we will have no resources to mobilise again to defeat them while they will use the Central Bank to channel money to the states like the one they did in Niger where they wired about

N550 million to a coded account that has no owner.

So, if they think that they are taking any advantage of the situation, they will infuriate Nigerians the more and Nigerians will vote them out.

“We know the undercurrents of what is happening.

We learnt of secret memos written by the NSA by the Attorney-General and even by the Minister of aviation, telling INEC that they should not take materials to certain states because the weather is not good. Is that his responsibility to communicate with the INEC?

Galadima

“INEC should also know that by law one week to elections, all elections sensitive materials must be in the custody of the central bank branches in all the states of the federation. Why did they not do that even after the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, came on air to say they are ready for the elections?” he asked.

Galadima however, praised the INEC chair for standing his ground and stopping government from forcing staggered election on Nigeria, saying “Their thinking is that they will

hold elections in 26 states and know the figures and if they are defeated by Atiku by so, so margin they will deploy soldiers, police and other para-military people to the remaining 10 states and write figures override him. “ Th i s i s w h a t t h e y planned but it has boomeranged. This should show them that we have seen through them and that God is not with them and I also thanked the International community for standing firm to reject staggered election that is why it took INEC all these hours to decide up to 2am,” he said.

He stressed that the opposition has already taken advantage of the situation as many Nigerians especially those who traveled for the election are already disenchanted with the APC government and will vote them out next week.

“We have already taken advantage of the situation.

Take somebody who has travelled to Calabar or Uyo or Maiduguri to vote and you suddenly said that the election is postponed; will he vote for you again? They thought that when thy overstretch us we will have no money to pay our agents.

I am sure that agents and other people will volunteer to do their job even without money,” he said.

Election postponement: Lagos Govt says schools resume Monday Kelechi Ewuzie

F

ollowing the postponement of the presidential election scheduled for Saturday 16th, February, 2019 by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Lagos State Government has issued a directive to public and private schools to resume on Monday 18th February, 2019.

A statement issued on behalf of Oluranti Adebule, deputy governor of Lagos State, by Ronke Soyombo, director-general, Education Quality Assurance, said the state government is compelled by the change in election dates to further review

the 2018/19 school academic calendar.

According to the statement, “All schools resume Monday 18th February, 2019.”

The statement also said that all schools in Lagos state are expected to close on the following dates: Friday 22nd of February and to resume on Monday 25th, and Friday 8th March 2019 and to resume on Monday 11th March.

Soyombo further urged public and private schools, school leaders and school associations to take note and adhere strictly.

It will be recalled that the initial arrangements was for schools to resume on Tuesday 19th February.

Atiku calls for calm; says ‘Be ready to vote’ Nedo Habila, Yola

A

tiku Abubakar, a former vice president of and PDP’s presidential candidate, has asked Nigerians to be patient and be ready to vote on the 23rd of February.

The PDP candidate said he was shocked and surprised that the elections were postponed few hours to the exercise.

Atiku, who made the remarks at his residence in Yola, Adamawa State, added that he was not too worried that sensitive materials have been deployed already, “As long as they are in safe hands there should be no problem.

I am heading to Abuja for an emergency meeting of our party stakeholders then we will respond.”

Adamawa State chairman of the PDP, Tahir Shehu also slammed the INEC for shifting the elections, saying they were not surprised that INEC could cite logistics reasons because they had raised objections over INEC’s partnership with Nigerian Union of Road Transport workers (NURTW.) Tahir said: “What they have done has cast a dark

shadow on the country. We are calling on security agencies and the regulatory body not to ignite crisis in the country.

“Nigerians everywhere in the country will not take any kind of manipulation.

“We call on Nigerians to come out and defend their votes, one thousand people can organise rigging but two people can foil it.”

Speaking on the logistics arrangement in the state he said, “INEC gave us only 200 tags for our party’s agents when we needed about 4000 because we have about 4000 voting points in Adamawa and more than 2609 polling units.

“The APC in the state submitted names of only agents of seven local governments while we submitted for all the local governments yet we are the ones without the tags.

“We had earlier warned about INEC’s partnership with NURTW who openly endorsed the sitting president.

“We are calling on the security agencies to desist from meddling in elections.

APC has already seen the handwriting on the wall and Atiku is what Nigerians want right now.”

Buhari’s desperation responsible for shift of election dates - CUPP OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

T

he Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has blamed the last minute postponement of the General Election to the desperation of President Muhammadu Buhari to win the presidential poll at all cost.

Specifically, the CUPP accused President Buhari and security forces of sabotaging distribution and safety of election materials. A statement on Saturday by CUPP

Spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, also accused them of deliberately sabotaging the electoral umpire in a bid to rig election using staggered poll.

Unlike the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, who called for the resignation of the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, the CUPP spokesperson commended the INEC boss for showing courage by shifting the exercise.

“We make bold to say that with the postponement, President Buhari’s judgement day with the people has just been shifted.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

News

Postponement: Buhari blames INEC, absent at stakeholders’ meeting Tony Ailemen, Abuja & OWEDE AGBAJILEKE

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r e s i d e n t Mu hamamdu Buhari has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for postponing the 2019 general election which was billed to have commenced today, Saturday.

The President who arrived Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital at about 2pm Saturday, from Daura, in Katsina State where he had gone to vote, said the postponement of the election has exposed INEC’s inefficiency Speaking with State House Correspondents on his arrival in Abuja, the President who had espalier expressed his disappointments over the postponement, said “Yes I am disap-

Buhari

pointed because INEC has got all the time and resources needed and therefore,

supposed to work according to their programme.

“They were given all the

resources, they had all the time and they kept on telling us up to the last minute that they were ready.

“The fact that they are not ready means there is some inefficiency along the line,” he said.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient, adding “Let them come out a week from today and vote, I apologise for this inefficiency because they have to use their own resources to go back to their various polling units at their own expense if they are all that committed.”

The President drove straight to his official residence at the Presidential Villa, and is expected to attend other engagements by 4pm.

Former Head of state, Yakubu Gowon led some of the stakeholders, including local and International

election observers to meet with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

At the time if filing this report, feelers from the Presidency however, indicate that the President may not attend the meeting despite his earlier indication that he would be at the meeting.

President Muhammadu Buahri has shunned the stakeholders meeting following the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for today, convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. President Buahri, who was seriously expected at the all-important meeting, decided not to show up.

Nigerians align on Twitter in disappointment over INEC, Buhari Temitayo Ayetoto

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t is unusual for the majority of Nigerians to stand on a common front on any issue on Twitter, but the perceived ineptitude of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in its late postponement of the 2019 Presidential election billed for February 16 seems to have irked the majority of Nigerians.

Many Nigerians, including the main opposition party and the incumbent government leadership and followership echoed utter disappointment that the general elections were postponed only a few hours to voting, after enormous preparations and expenditure countrywide.

To the chagrin of most, President Muhammadu Buhari also says he feels let down by INEC’s performance, but his expression of shock is seen by some as acting out a script, as the postponement is perceived to be tied to a broader plan to swing the election results in his favour.

The president who acknowledged the inconvenience on Nigerians, some whom have traveled to various locations to vote, and international observers on ground said: “I am deeply disappointed that despite the long notice given and our preparations both locally and internationally, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) post-

poned the Presidential and National Assembly elections within hours of its commencement.”

He charged INEC to ensure materials were not only distributed but also do everything to avoid the lapses that resulted in this unfortunate postponement, and ensure a free and fair election on the rescheduled dates.

While some are furious about the cost of wastages arising from the postponement on both national and individual purses, others say trusting INEC to deliver credible election has become a hard task.

Some of the tweets read thus: “Hmmm. The human cost of our not getting things right is what gets to me the most.

Families with so little income incurring costs either to go vote or for safety. Pictures of our Youth Corps members in undignified state of being.

Visitors from abroad shaking their heads @ us,” Obi Ezekwesili former presidential candidate tweeted on @ Obyezeks.

under the APC and PDP, But…”

your own conclusions. #NigeriaDecides2019”

“INEC you had 4 good years to prepare for this election. You subjected Corpers to this harsh cold weather.

They slept on the bare floor.

No proper arrangements were made. But you still postponed election after all these stress by corps members,#ThisIsNigeria #NigeriaDecides2019” @ Iam_future said in his tweet.

@Pius_adesanmi “Haughty arrogance. It was a difficult decision. And patati. And patata. You’ve just bungled d only job u had after burning billions in public funds. No apologies to anybody. Nigerians are so used to this kind of treatment by irresponsible public officials it almost feels normal.

@GovAyoFayose said: “Two days ago, I told Nigerians that the Presidency cabal were considering postponement of the elections because they knew that they can’t win. Now I’m vindicated. With this, they have only succeeded in making their situation worse. Nigerians will defeat this tyranny ultimately.”

“Looks like whenever incumbency faces imminent defeat, elections are postponed. The fact that people tried a particular strategy yesterday and failed is never deterrence. Today’s players will try the same strategy, believing that yesterday’s men just didn’t try hard enough.”

@DrJoeAbah said: “When our uncaring airlines postpone our flights & just tell us it’s for “operational reasons”, they at least pretend to “regret any inconveniences this may cause.” INEC couldn’t even be bothered to pretend that it regrets any inconveniences caused to us. Poor!”

@Chydee “If the system works, everything will work. As much as INEC is independent, their inefficience is a consequence of the inefficience of the system. If we get our leadership right, the system will become efficient. Draw

@Moghalu Kingsley tweeted “INEC’s postponement of the elections signposts the recycling of failure

@akinalabi “I’m absolutely disgusted that the elections were postponed. Shocking decision.

Inec has disappointed ALL Nigerians with this.”

@Ayourb “Mahmood Yakubu is a disgrace to everything nobility stands for, sadly he won’t resign, he would stay put to muddle things up more.” @AGOmeiza “Dear @MBuhari, you are very much free to postpone the election by one month. But you must handover to the people’s president @atiku on the 29th of May, 2019! No amount of rigging plots will save you! Nigerians have decided to elect Atiku already. Deal with it! #AtikuOurPresident” Offline, at newspaper stands on the streets, the division was clear and loud and heated arguments, sup-

porting and dismissing possible reasons for the abrupt postponement held here and there.

Paul Okike, a businessman believes the postponement is a reflection of the incumbent fear of defeat which has been seen coming.

“I tag this thing that just happened as first victory for PDP before the mega one will now come up February 23. I’m very disappointed in the INEC chairman that had N190 billion at his disposal and failed. Notwithstanding, they are just postponing the evil day which must come.”

Another elderly reader, who simply gave his name as Bright said INEC displayed no level of proactiveness in its arrangements.

“Why the announcement early in the morning when election was supposed to take place today? We should have got the notice before now,” he said.

“The credibility of INEC is at stake. Is it certain it would hold next week because if they have been working for more than a year and they cannot articulate it to this point, how can they make it up in one week?”

But Idris Adegbola says since nobody is perfect, the excuse of logistics problem was passable.

“It is normal because the INEC materials have not got to some states. Nobody is perfect. It is only due to some logistic problems. It is not their fault. This is not the first time it will happen.

It happened in 2011. While we were voting in 2015, they cancelled the election.”

Elections: Israeli firm debunks alleged contract to jam networks

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LSI Security Firms and Technologies, an Israeli firm, has denied media reports that the company was paid to jam networks on election day.

The company, in a statement issued on Saturday and made available to Newsmen in Abuja, described the allegation as malicious, stressing that the company was a reputable one.

Some media reports had suggested that the All Progressives Congress (APC), through the minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, paid the firm to jam networks on election day, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

In the statement, the organisation said it had operated in Nigeria for over 12 years within which time it had not been involved in, or accused of any action that lacked integrity.

It said that the report and its timing clearly showed malice and the firm therefore urged the public to disregard the allegation.

“The timing of this recycled fiction clearly exposes the intention of those behind it. Undoubtedly, they are those who think that the best way to divert attention from the issues of the day is to fabricate misleading stories a few hours to the election.

“Their aims are malicious as they are agents of distortion. We will not be distracted. We know who they are, and they know themselves.

“As professionals, we try our best not to interfere with domestic political issues in countries where we operate. We have been working in this country for more than twelve years and at no time have we been accused of any form of integrity deficit.

“The status of our firm has been verified over and again and we were never found wanting. Our records in this regard speak for themselves.

“It must be noted that while elections come and go, we will not allow these merchants of mischief to create imaginary baggage on our hard-earned global reputation.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and we will not hesitate to use necessary legal means to defend ourselves.”

The company added that the contract which purpose was maliciously twisted was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

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News Udom ends campaign at high tempo ANIEFIOK UDONQUAk, Uyo

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overnor Udom Emmanuel of Ak w a Ib o m State has rounded off his re-election campaign across the 31 local government areas at a high note and with renewed optimism about his victory at the polls.

Governor Emmanuel who took the last leg of his campaign to the Onna township stadium, expressed appreciation to his campaign organisation, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), women, youths, national and state lawmakers, State Executive Council members, students and everyone who contributed to the success of the campaigns.

He noted that the PDP has gone round all the political units, wards, chapters and the senatorial districts to campaign for votes based on performance and said that the party is unstoppable in the general election.

He enjoined the one thousand PDP defenders per unit to defend their votes at the polling units, even as he advised party faithful not to succumb to fake arrests, telling the people that certain

Udom

party stalwarts were penciled down for fake arrest by the opposition to frustrate the PDP during the elections.

Governor Emmanuel told the people that the party does not want war but was only interested in creation of employment and empowerment for the youth.

Emmanuel said it was the first time the oil producing area of Akwa Ibom was at the helm of affairs, since the creation of the state, and advised that for the sake of peace, the axis should be al-

lowed to complete the two terms of eight years as done by others.

Governor Emmanuel challenged the Federal Government to expose the corrupt politicians who are now taking refuge in APC if they are truly fighting corruption.

Earlier, the Local Government Chairman, Imo Attat, the PDP Chapter Chairman, Ubong Adiakpan, Elder Maurice Ukpong and the Woman Leader, Akwa Obongawan Patience Ukpa, spoke in support of the governor’s

re-election, based on performance, justice and equity.

They noted that Governor Emmanuel has made his local government to be very proud and promised to stand by him.

The Director-General, Divine Mandate Campaign Organisation, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga had thanked the people of Onna Local Government Area for offering the governor to lead the state and explained that Akwa Ibom has derived returns on investment on him.

Otuekong Nkanga, who described the governor as a pride to Akwa Ibom, Nigeria and Africa, stated that having laid the foundation for a super structure, the State’s Chief Executive should be allowed to complete the building in the next four years.

He said that the peace Governor Emmanuel has brought is what guarantees prosperity and asked rhetorically if the area had any industry before his coming as Governor.

Otuekong Nkanga reminded the people that the Ibibios collectively agreed at Assan Ibibio that the Governor should go for a second term, seconded by Eket Senatorial District and others.

Total Nigeria announces winners of ‘StartUpper of the Year by Total Challenge’

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fter the jury of local experts selected the winners of the 2018-2019 StartUpper of the Year by Total Challenge in Nigeria, they were presented with their awards at an official ceremony held on February 13 at Oriental Hotel, Lagos.

The three winners of the Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge in Nigeria are: Ogunbanjo Olumide, AgroData Network: AgroData Network promotes organic farming via communitybased beekeeping providing farmers with free beehives.

The company deploys natural techniques to keep the bees within the ecosystem.

Obaoye Justus, Carido Automobiles Service Technology: Carido is an on-demand automobile service technology which aggregates automobile maintenance demands through mobile devices and thereafter facilitates their fulfilment through select offline services performed by competent and vetted mechanics.

Ijir Aondosoo, My Waste My Energy: My Waste, My Energy converts rice husk waste to energy source and provides a sustainable form of domestic energy, reduces

environmental degradation and deaths associated with respiratory diseases as Nigeria records 93000 deaths annually due to smoke from firewood.

These young entrepreneurs will receive financial support of up to N6million for the first prize to develop their project. They will also receive personalised support and coaching from Passion Incubator and a communica-

tions campaign to publicise their project. The winner of the Top Female Entrepreneur award, a new addition to the 2018-2019 Challenge to support women in business, is: Omotosho Oghenekevwe, Isabiwork: Isabiwork is an app which helps customers easily locate the nearest artisan or service provider in their location thereby bridging the digital divide between artisans and their potential

customers.

The jury also awarded the Young Entrepreneur prize to: Emmanuel Ezenwere, Arone Aerial Services: Arone is bridging the gap between rural and urban health care services in sub-Saharan Africa by transporting medical supplies from medical storage and distribution centres to primary healthcare centres using autonomous delivery drones.

L-R: Imrane Barry, MD, Total Nigeria Plc; Bunmi Popoola–Mordi, executive general manager, Total Country Services; Olumide Ogunbanjo, winner, Total StartUpper Challenge; Bruno Dormoy, executive director (Secretary General) Total Nigeria Plc; and Abiodun Afolabi, executive director, Corporate Affairs Services, Total E&P Nigeria Limited at the Total StartUpper of Year Challenge Award ceremony in Lagos.

2019: Taraba former acting governor denies dumping APC for PDP Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

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ormer Acting Governor of Taraba State, Garba Umar, has debunked the rumour making the rounds in the state that he has defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Umar, who made this known while briefing journalists in Jalingo, described the rumour as false and baseless while stressing that he was still a card carrying member of the APC. Umar vowed to continue to throw his weight behind the party’s presidential candidate and the party at large and called on the people to set aside party, religion and ethnic differences and come out in their numbers to vote

for the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in all the elections.

“Let me tell you without mincing words that I am still a card carrying member of the APC and I have no plans of leaving the party for any reason whatsoever. I am solidly behind the party’s candidates fully. Let me enjoin you all to vote wisely and eschew acts capable of igniting crisis during and after the election.

“We cannot undermine the need for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide a level playing ground for all the political parties to participate in the election.”

He urged security operatives to avoid the temptation to make themselves tools in the hands of the PDP to disrupt the conduct of the exercise.

Anambra plans alternative power generation source Emmanuel Ndukuba, Awka

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nambra State government has resolved to establish alternative source of power generation to boost productivity across the state.

Governor Willie Obiano said this when he visited Aguleri Otu Bridge to inspect the ongoing construction work at the facility.

He said that approval had been given to the contractor to produce a design on how to harness the speed of the water in the river to generate electricity.

The governor observed that when properly harnessed it would generate electricity for Umueje and surrounding communities.

“We are building for the future. We want to open up all agrarian communities to enable them to be in position to evacuate their agricultural produce to cities and towns where they could be exchanged for cash.

“I have told the contractor to go ahead with the design work that will generate power supply from the river. All these will add to what we are doing to promote wealth creation,” Obiano stressed.

He expressed satisfac-

tion at the standard of work done by the contractor, adding that he would continue to mobilise to ensure adequate service delivery.

Obiano, then, called on the people to support all APGA candidates vying for elective positions, to enable him consolidate on his achievements.

Commissioner for Works, Marcel Ifejiofor said the road to the oil well was 11km with 100 metres to the bridge.

Ifejiofor noted that the road when completed would offer speedy access to the rig within 10 minutes.

He noted that it was regrettable that before the intervention of the governor on the road, the access to the rig was through Enugu State, noting that this slowed economic development in the state.

The Contractor handling the project, Chami Estrada assured that the design for the power generation would guarantee steady power supply due to the wave generated in the river.

Estrada said they had challenges in diverting the river during construction of the bridge, but expressed happiness it was eventually achieved.

He re-assured that the bridge would be totally completed by March.

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News

Human Development Initiative charges stakeholders on UBE projects Ngozi Okpalakunne

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takeholders in the education sector in Lagos State have been urged to ensure that all school age children enroll, attend and complete schooling so as to reduce the number of school dropout and out-of-school children in the state.

Executive director Human Development Initiative (HDI), Olufunso Owasanoye who made the call at a one day community stakeholders sensitisation programme on Basic Education projects held in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos, also stressed the need for the stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) project in the state.

Describing education as a gateway to human development, she frowned at parents and guardians who engage their wards in hawking instead of sending them to schools.

“I know that there is an agency saddled with the responsibility of arresting school age children found hawking on the streets during school hours in Lagos,

Standing in the middle, Executive Director of Human Development Initiative (HDI), Olufunso Owasanoye, and others during a one day community stakeholders sensitisation programme held recently in Lagos, recently.

but l do not know how effective they are now. The fact is that stakeholders can encourage parents and guardians to send their children to school and by so doing the number of out-of– school children will reduce and there will be education for all school age children,’’ she noted.

In addition she said, when stakeholders get in-

volved in monitoring the UBE projects in across beneficiary schools in the communities, LGAs and the state, it will lead to the timely completion of school projects.

Also she admonished stakeholders to report deficiencies, failure and abnormalities in schools to appropriate authorities such as school principals,

Make security paramount, Ikpeazu tasks newly appointed commissioner, TC bosses UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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overnor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state has charged the newly appointed commissioner for Youth Development, Danny Ubani and the 17 transition committee chairmen and their deputies to make the security of lives and property paramount in their local government areas by liaising with security agencies in their domains.

Ikpeazu, who gave the charge at Government House, Umuahia, during the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Commissioner and 17 Transition Committee chairmen and their deputies, noted that their presence has closed the vacuum that had existed in the LGAs, adding that their coming on board at this time is very auspicious as it is election period.

The governor informed them that he expected them to switch into action

immediately and ensure that they deliver the PDP in the coming elections.

He urged them to carry the stakeholders along and avoid rancour within the ranks of the political class and also challenged the deputies to support and complement the efforts of their bosses.

Ikpeazu equally enjoined

Ikpeazu

the new commissioner of Youths to bring his ingenuity and wealth of experience to bear in ensuring robust policies that would better the lots of Abia youths.

He charged him to liaise properly with the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to bring a ray of light to youths in the state.

LGAs and a host of others and added that such step will foster stakeholders in taking ownership of UBE programme.

Enumerating other benefits of stakeholders participation in the implementation of UBE projects, she said it include; promotion of civic engagement and increase the level of feedback such as progress and

challenges confronting schools; fostering utilisation of funds set aside for development of schools ; ensuring judicious utilisation of funds set aside for development of schools.

Others are ; access to vital information such as action plans, procurement and contract awards, technical and financial reports, bill of quantity of projects ; awareness of projects to be implemented to ensure compliance and avoid diversion of project to other locations.

Speaking on “The compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act, 2004”, Johnson Ibidabo of HDI, affirmed that 30 percent of pupils drop out of primary school and only 54 percent transit to Junior Secondary Schools.

Ibidabo attributed the low completion rate to factors such child labour, economic hardship and early marriage for girls, among others.

However, he called on parents and guardians to ensure that their children or wards attend and complete primary and Junior Secondary education “Every parent should ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his

primary school education; junior secondary school and senior secondary schools education,’’ he advised.

Some of the stakeholders who spoke at the event commended the organisers of the programme describing as thought provoking meeting.

The assured that they will put in practice all that they were taught so as to contribute their quota to the development of education in the state.

It could be recalled that the UBE programme is an intervention programme of the Federal government, established to rescue the basic education system in the country.

After being launched in September 1999 in Sokoto State, the UBE Act, which is the legal framework for the UBE was signed in to law in May 2004.

Some of the objectives of the intervention include; achieving Education for All (EFA), reducing the number of school dropout and out-of-school children; improving quality and efficiency of basic education; promoting acquisition of literacy, numeracy, life skills and values for lifelong education and useful living, among others.

OCCIMA Business forum: Industrialisation, agric, tourism, technical education dominate discourse SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

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lans to make Imo State the hub of industrialisation and manufacturing through the creation of enabling environments for industries to thrive and attract foreign direct investment (FDI) as well as deepen the farmers’ interests in agriculture to produce enough for local consumption and for export, were issues that dominated the 2019 interactive session between the Imo Business Community and the political class, an event held at the Imo Hotel Plaza anchored

by Owerri Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA).

Also tourism, technical education, the rule of law and security followed as major or priority areas each of the governorship candidates said they would tackle if elected and sworn-in as the next governor of the state, the election comes in a few weeks time.

The interactive session was apt “so that OCCIMA the apex leader of the organised private sector (OPS) in the state, its members, and the business community will

prepare their mind, to know who to vote for and to what extent the next governor would be held responsible by the people if he deviates from what he said’’, Everest Ndudi Ezihe, a council member of OCCIMA said in an exclusive interview.

Okpara Everest, the First Deputy President of OCCIMA in his opening remarks said the interactive session was to produce a platform for governorship and senatorial candidates in the forth coming general election to unveil their plans for economic advancement of Imo state.

The economic problems bedeviling the State include poor standard of living, high cost of living, increasing rate of unemployment, inflation, inadequate electricity, inequitable distribution of economic power, he said In the past, the State had Standard Shoes Company, Clay Products, Nsu Tile Factory, Imo Health Foods Limited, Adapalm Nigeria limited, Imo Modern Poultry limited, Modern Produce Inspection Laboratory, Oguta Motels limited etc were major economic sources of revenue for the state and employers of labour but these companies have remained not only

moribund but dead. And the sites have been overgrown by bushes in addition to the Onitsha Road Industrial Layout, Irete Owerri West Local Government Area.

OCCIMA president stated that for repid economic development to take place, the state needs to have a plan, a programme of action which would take care of the changes, saying that “a good economic planning should be aimed at improving the standard of living, create jobs, reduce all sorts of social, economic and zonal inequalities, efficient realisation of the state resources for the good of all, emaciation of poverty within short time through reform, provision of quality education and modern facilities attainment of self-reliance and encourage entrepreneurship”.

In addition, the state needs private sector-driven economy with active participation of the governments because the state is blessed with crude oil, natural gas, lead, timber, rubber plantation, zinc, limestone, fine sand and has a comparative advantage in agricultural produce-palm oil products, rubber, sesame seed, cassava, rice etc.

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BDSUNDAY 7

Cover Nigeria bleeds ...

Continued from page 1

than INEC could be closer to $3 billion,” he added.

Then there is the opportunity cost which is shouldered by businesses and individuals who would have put the Saturday election date to a more productive use, but have had to hold-off any activity.

Some businesses seemed to have returned to work at around noon in Lagos after an initial frustration, but for many who travelled a good distance to vote, it won’t be that easy to reopen shop under such short notice.

Johnson Chukwu, CEO of Lagos-based asset management firm, Cowry Assets, who spoke to BusinessDay from south-eastern Nigeria where he had travelled to for the Saturday polls, was disappointed by the postponement at the eleventh-hour and decried the loss to economic activity.

“Today (Saturday) is an economic paralysing day and a major loss to businesses and the economy,” Chukwu told Business Day. Rewane estimates the opportunity cost to aggrieved businesses to be anywhere between $4 to $5 billion, “to start with.”

Then there is a reputation cost which affects the financial markets from stocks to foreign exchange.

The exact cost would be difficult to predict but it is always a multiple of aggregated costs, Rewane said. “In the end, the economy may well lose as much as $10 billion to this poorly timed postponement,” he added.

It is not the first time Nigerian elections are being postponed.

A week before the 2015 vote that saw President Muhammadu Buhari defeat then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, it was moved back by more than a month. In 2011, it was a similar story, as elections were postponed mid way into the national assembly vote.

However what makes the 2019 delay different from previous ones is the timing. While the 2011 and 2015 votes were postponed nearly a week before, the electoral body announced a postponement for Saturday’s election at 2am, barely five hours before the vote. By then provisions had been made for an election but it would later be cancelled under such short notice.

The financial markets did not suffer a severe sell-off in any of the postponements in 2011 and 2015, but this time, it is inevitable, as investors sense political machinations at play with the last minute delay.

The delay also brings with it some degree of uncertainty postelection.

That is because, whatever the outcome of the re-arranged election, the losing party is likely to contest it and make allegations of rigging by the winning party. That

could carry on for days, perhaps even month, as the courts try to find a truce.

“The markets did not suffer in 2015 because Jonathan conceded defeat and there was no need for a tribunal,” Rewane said. “This time, the losing party could put up a fight to contest the result.”

The financial market is not the only one to feel the pain of the botched election, young Nigerian youth corpers who were co-opted to help in the vote were stranded and international observers with return tickets carrying a specific date of departure face an unforeseen set back that will cost them time and money.

“We are utterly gutted,” one international observer who craved anonymity told BusinessDay as he was not authorised to speak publicly. “The INEC has lost some credibility and at this point, no one is a 100 percent sure that the elections will even happen on the re-scheduled day next week,” the person said.

“Elections happen in emerging markets that are much bigger then Nigeria routinely, it is quite demeaning that this election has been postponed for logistic challenges at the eleventh hour,” the person added.

Kyari Bukar, former chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), a private sector think-tank, says the delay is an indication that the INEC chairman is inept as a project manager. “The market will react negatively to this for sure, as investors and fund managers have little tolerance for uncertainty.”

Wale Okunrinboye, head of research at Lagos-based Pension fund manager, Sigma Pensions, expects a market sell-off and an end to a short-lived rally.

“The market enjoyed a mini rally last week and closed in the green Friday as investors priced in a smooth election; We expected the rally to continue post Saturday’s election as some investors had pencilled next week to take on more Nigeria exposure, but with this they are sure to hold off any investments and the market will surrender any gains from last week,” Okunrinboye said Saturday morning.

Yields on the benchmark government bond, a ten-year paper, closed lower at 14.68 percent Friday. That put the risk premium on Nigerian bonds at a yearlow of 12.01 percent given that the US ten-year bond returned 2.67 percent as at market close Friday.

At 12.01 percent, Nigeria’s risk premium is down from 13.03 percent as at the beginning of 2019. At that time the yields on the Nigerian bond was 15.57 percent while the US bond yielded 2.54 percent. Although Nigerian bonds have a broader emerging market rally to thank for the narrowing risk premium.

The stock market has also had a mini-rally in February, fol-

L-R: Yakubu Gowon, former Head of State Boubakar Adamou, ambassador of Organization of Islamic Corporation and Maood Yakubu, chairman INEC during the world press briefing at the National Coalition center Abuja Pic by TUNDE ADENIYI.

lowing a tepid January. The rally boosted the 2019 year to date performance of the NSE ASI to 3.1 percent as at Friday, Feb. 15.

Ahead of the elections, it was expected that investors will take positions in order to benefit from a post-election rally, with the level of momentum dependent on who the eventual winner might be.

The naira also strengthened at the Investors and Exporters window, Friday, after closing lower at N361.65 per dollar, the lowest this year, according to FMDQ data.

“The rally is likely to come to an end next week as investors react negatively to the election postponement which has thrown up unforeseen confusion,” Chukwu of Cowry Assets said.

Uche Uwaleke, professor of economics and head, banking and finance department at Nasarawa State University said, “The postponement of the general elections by the INEC has monumental adverse economic impact not only on the government but also on firms and individuals.

This cost is escalated by the fact that the announcement came on the very day the elections were to be held after a number of irreversible steps had been taken by various economic agents and actors. Many people had traveled far distances just to exercise their franchise before the INEC decision while many organisations especially educational institutions had to shut down temporarily for the period of the elections. The associated costs of doing so cannot be quantified.

Just how do you measure the huge losses on the part of individuals from cancelled wedding, burial and other ceremonies already scheduled for Feb 23 and March 9, the new dates picked for the elections? How about production plans by business firms already made with

the original elections dates in mind that will now be shattered?

What about the disruptions in domestic and international flight arrangements? One could go on and on. Because the announcement wasn’t made early enough, business activities will be very low on Feb 16. A number of markets and businesses will be shut for most part of the day.

The reopening of land borders eventually will be after the closure announced earlier had taken its toll on the economic activities of border communities.

The cost to the political parties and election observers can better be imagined. Some of the parties may not have the resources to foot the extra bill given that their agents had already been mobilized.

Ditto for election observers especially international observers, some of whom may have to return before March 9 due to unanticipated hotel and other bills.

This unfortunate development further confirms what is public knowledge that the huge cost of conducting elections in Nigeria is about the highest in the world even surpassing that of India, the world’s largest democracy with a population six times bigger than Nigeria. Recall that the sum of N189 billion was approved for INEC for the 2019 election.

This amount is more than the capital components of education and health budgets put together.

If you consider the total sum of N242 billion approved for INEC and five other agencies for the conduct of the 2019 general polls, it is money that could have gone a long way in fixing critical infrastructure in this country.

With elections now rescheduled, you can be sure that this cost will spike. Where will this extra sum be sourced if not from money already earmarked for capital projects?

So the opportunity cost is quite high. This development could widen the fiscal deficit and I hope it doesn’t amount to addi-

tional borrowing by the government. It also raises country risk for Nigeria. Any attempt to borrow externally will be at a higher cost. The information-sensitive stock market will be at the receiving end as I expect a bearish trend in the days ahead following this development. There is no doubt that this will have the effect of weakening investors’ sentiments and may even trigger further capital flight. I won’t be surprised if this first quarter of the year is characterized by lower capital importation and slower GDP growth. In the same vein, the Purchasing Managers Index reading for the month of February 2019 is bound to come in lower when compared to previous months.

Overall, the postponement of the elections due to ‘logistic reasons’ was avoidable and does not bode well for the nation’s economy. Going forward, in view of the huge cost of conducting elections in Nigeria and considering that elections were postponed in 2011 and again in 2015 and then now, isn’t it time we reconsidered the frequency of elections in Nigeria by amending the constitution to provide for a single term of say 5 or 6 years as opposed to the two terms of 4 years? This is my take.

Transport coys lament At Okota Road in Isolo, Lagos, which parades many transport companies, the empty bus terminals tell the story. Chinye Obidi, a staff of Libra Motors, said the company, which plies the eastern and Abuja routes on its 18-seater Toyota Hiace buses, lost huge revenue as the company could not could load and convey passengers to different destinations on Saturday due to the general election and restriction on movement.

“We load over 10 buses everyday with the least fare going for N5,000. We also have over 15 bus terminals in Lagos alone, Continues on page 8

8 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Cover

Nigeria bleeds ...

Continued from page 7 meaning that we load over 150 buses everyday from our Lagos terminal and that is huge revenue loss”, Obidi said.

God is Good Motors, also on Okota Road is also ruing its loss. The bus company, which is among the most patronized because of its modern approach to transportation, lost huge revenue from the many passengers who would have travelled but postpone because of the February 16 presidential election.

Parents, school owners react Parents and school owners said they have been shortchanged and left stranded by the development. They stated that they are not happy with the decision of INEC to shift the date of the election, saying that it will have a huge impact on the school calendar earlier planned based on the February 16 date.

According to them, “It is alarming to think of the magnitude of disruption that this one week shift could have on the plans of parents and school owners”.

Franca Duke, an educationist

with St Savoir School, Ikoyi Lagos said she saw this postponement coming adding that as an elite school, they get security briefing from Shell and British High Commission with a Briton sponsored Head teacher every Mondays and Wednesdays.

Duke however, observed that there are too many school running without yearly calendar.

According to him, “This set of schools will be in a box now.

Confused and not knowing what else to do”.

Commenting further on the impact, she opines that the impact is huge if no adequate planning put in place as back up.

It means Common. Entrance, WAEC and Jamb classes will be disturbed and if care is not taken, Mass failure may occur.

She further said that parents may likely feel shortchanged but, again, fear of unknown gripped everyone including parents.

“Again, takes me to every child getting adequate education to be able to form an opinion of good decision”, she said.

Sunday Attah, proprietor,

Mandate Group of Schools, Igando Lagos said he is not happy with INEC’s decision to shift the election knowing that this will have a disruptive consequences on school calendar especially private school owners who plan their programmes ahead.

According to him, “It is quite sad that a lot of the times disruption in academic programmes does not speak well of managers of the economy”.

Attah observed that while public school have assistant from the government, private schools don’t have subvention so any disruption of their academic programme has serious consequences on the operation of the private schools.

Mark Adegoke a parent said told BusinessDay that it is a pity what INEC is doing our children who have been hurried back home from their school because of the election only for them to just postponed it at the 11th hour.

Adegoke pointed out that many parents are struggling to pay school fees of their wards to keep them in school and out of

the streets, yet these children are forced to come home and some now engage in various vices.

According to him, “The shifting is not good for students when you consider that studies are disrupted, it affects them; imagine those who were in the middle of writing examinations having that flow disrupted.’’

Another parent, Anyanwu Ogochukwu said the INEC decision to postpone the election is worrisome adding that it would affect the productivity of the students. As a parent, the capacity of our children for productive interaction with their studies is being jeopardised.

According to him, “I do not trust this INEC. This abrupt shifting will impact the learning process of children and impact negatively on students. “This sudden announcement by INEC is affecting the students and even we the parents because unexpectedly these children are coming home which they did not plan for.”

Some Nigerians have also recounted their sadness over the disruption in their social and

family lives occasioned by the postponement.

Kingsley Mbah, a Lagos-resident, fumed: “People have had to travel to participate in the elections, children returned home from their respective schools, wedding ceremonies and engagements were moved to next week and all foreign observers were accredited only to wake up to the news that the elections will no longer hold.

“The wedding of my sister we supposed to hold today, February 16th but we had to shift the wedding to 23rd of February because of the elections. The wedding cards have been printed, the hall has been booked and paid for, flights have also been booked for people to travel down and gifts have been inscribed in them the supposed date for the wedding.

“It will cost us so much to fix this and as I speak to you, my sister has been crying. She doesn’t know what to do or where to start from. Sadly, it is only in Nigeria people are taken for granted,” Juliana Dike, told BDSUNDAY.

Photo Splash Lagos after election postponement

Disillusion all over!

Homeless Nigerians continuing the morning snap under the light train bridge in Orile, Lagos, on hearing the postponement of the February 16, 2019 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Pic by Pius Okeosisi

Where are the trucks?

The traffic-prone Ijora-Apapa Bridge looks ridiculously empty and beckons on motorists to return after the postponement of the February 16, 2019 presidential election. Pic by Pius Okeosisi

Nothing to worry about!

A man with probably no PVC, no money, and no home, sleeps under a bridge in Lagos and hopes nobody wakes him up until after the election, which unfortunately was postponed.

Pic by Pius Okeosisi

King of the road In the absence of the trucks , the Trycle ( Keke Marua) becomes the king on the Apapa-Ijora Express Road dreaded for its notorious traffic . Pic by Pius Okeosisi

38

BUSINESS DAY

Monday 18 February 2019

10 Inside Lagos

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Six months after, ABAT Truck Terminal gets nowhere ...as stakeholders task Ambode

H

Stories by JOSHUA BASSEY

ope was raised to the excitement of wouldbe beneficiaries, including truck drivers, businesses and residents of Apapa and its environs.

But more than six months after its construction was flagged off, the proposed Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu (ABAT) Truck Terminal near OrileIgunmu is getting nowhere.

Checks by Inside Lagos show that the indigenous firm to which the contract for the construction of the truck terminal was purportedly awarded, is not on site anymore.

In fact, the contractor reportedly left the construction site less than three months after the flag off in August 2018.

Akinwunmi Ambode, who led some cabinet members to flag off the construction work, now has less than four months in office as governor of Lagos State, a situation that puts a doubt to the completion of the truck terminal under his watch.

Indeed, enquiries from relevant agencies of the state government, including the ministries of transportation, as well as, works and infrastructure, revealed that the ABAT truck terminal is not realisable in the nearest future, as officials showed reluctance to comment on the project.

The implication is that several hundreds of trucks still lying on major roads in the state, including Funsho Williams Avenue (former Western Avenue), Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Eric Moore, Eko and Ijora-Apapa bridges would continue to block the roads with attendant hardships inflicted on motorists and

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, during the flag off of the expansion of the ABAT Truck Terminal at Orile Iganmu in August 2018.

commuters.

Ambode flagged off the reconstruction of the truck terminal on August 5, 2018 with a promise to complete it within seven months.

The project is believed to have suffered a setback after Ambode failed to secure the ticket of his party- All Progressives Congress (APC) a second term which would have seen him stay in power till 2023.

With six months gone since flagging off the project without any appreciable progress made, stakeholders say it is time the state government revisited the project by impressing it upon the contractor to return to site.

The contract was awarded to

Agency intercepts 407.2kg of illicit drugs ….charges 9 suspects in Lagos

N

ational Drug Law Enf o r c e m e n t Ag e n c y (NDLEA) said on Friday it intercepted 407.205kg of restricted narcotics after general a raid conducted in Lagos.

Ojo Ogbechema, an assistant commander, operations and intelligence unit, Lagos command, said the NDLEA “bursted” two warehouses at Alaba Rago and Akerele, based on intelligence gathering, and seized volumes of cannabis sativa.

According to the Ogbechema, the seized narcotics in Alaba Rago weighed 108.9kg while 270.2kg was seizure in Akerele.

He said apart from the two places, the agency also raid some other areas believed to be notorious for drug peddling in the state.

The areas include Idimu-Araba, Ijora, Mile II, Ajegunle, AmuwoOdofin, Ipodo, Abule-Egba, Ajah, Ajao Estate, Shita in Surulere,

among others. He added that some other seizures were made from these areas.

According to Ogbechema, nine drug dealers as well as 25 drug users have been arrested from January 1 to date.

He said that the drug users have been counseled and reunited with their families, while the alleged drug dealers, have been charged to court for onward prosecution by its legal department.

“By this, we are creating a drug free and violent free environment for a smooth conduct of the general elections.

Due to the importance of the elections to the sustenance of our democracy, and survival of our great nation, all hands must be on deck to ensure that it is peaceful and credible.

“For us at the NDLEA, especially Lagos Command, we shall do all that is required to ensure the success of this election,” he said.

Planet Projects Limited, to which the state government had also awarded several other projects such as the Oshodi Transport Interchange, Ikeja Bus Terminal and other public transportation- related projects including ongoing construction of new bus stations in some parts of the state metropolis.

Biodun Otunola, managing director of Planet Projects Limited could not be reached to speak on the work so far done, as SMS and calls placed to his cell phone were not responded to.

The trailer park was first built in 2007 through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) involving the Lagos State government and stakehold-

ers in the downstream petroleum sector with the capacity for about 800 trucks. It eventually went out of use around 2010 in the aftermath of the expansion of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway which took a chunk of the site.

Remi Ogungbemi, president, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO, who spoke with Inside Lagos said there was the need to fast-track the reconstruction of the trailer park to allow several trucks lying on the roads and bridges around Apapa to move in.

Ogungbemi, who was recently at the site, expressed disappointment that the contractor was no longer on ground. He restated the need to

build many of such facilities across Lagos and adoption of an effective call-up system as the solution to the traffic gridlock being experienced around Apapa.

The AMATO boss also urged the state government to consider building another trailer park at the Mile 2 axis where, according to him, there is available land near the Army Signals Barracks. This, he said, would add to accommodate several hundreds of trucksblockingtheOshodi-ApapaExpressway. “The soldiers have handed over the land to the owner, who is ready to release it,” said Ogungbemi.

Salimon Oladiti, president, Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), also advised the state government to adopt a PPP approach towards completing the project.

“When the Lagos State government promised to expand the ABAT truck terminal, we were happy and we encouraged our members to patronise them. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the project delivered.

Today we have our members stay on the roads for weeks.”

Ambode while flagging off the work, said the expansion of the truck terminal was one of the resolutions reached at one of the meetings with stakeholders as part of the lasting solutions to gridlock caused by containerised trucks and petroleum tankers around Apapa.

“We would do this in collaboration with the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) so that the call-up system can work efficiently. We are expanding the terminal for which we have decided to acquire the adjoining land, primarily for non-petroleum trucks so that we can sectionalised these trucks and allow the call-up system to work.”

There’re 31,157 unclaimed PVCs in Badagry, says INEC

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Thursday that there were 31,157 unclaimed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) out of 200,538 voters that registered in Badagry.

Emmanuel Oluwole, the electoral officer of INEC in Badagry, disclosed this during a sensitisation programme organised by the commission for party members and residents of the coastal town.

Oluwole said: “INEC registered 200,538 eligible voters out of which it received a 192, 373 PVCs from its Lagos office. “Of this, 144,625 PVCs have been

collected by respective voters.”

Justifying the difference in the figures received by INEC and the one collected by electorate, he said it was due to double registrations and abnormal mistakes by the printers.

“As you all known, printing of the cards was given to different contractors and there were a lot of abnormalities.

“They jumped some voters and printed some twice or more; so, we have to return some PVCs,” he explained.

Oluwole said that people in some parts of Badagry town would be disenfranchised be-

cause their PVCs have yet to come from the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

He said that the affected areas included Agunmo and Isamole in Olorunda Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).

Tunde Hunpatin, a representative of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), appealed to INEC to make an alternative voting method for people that have yet to get their PVCs. Hunpatin, who is also a former chairman of the party in the local government, said that non arrival of the PVCs from INEC Headquarters was not their faults.

Police arraign 2 for stealing Volkswagen bus

T

hepoliceonFridayarraigned two accused persons; Yemi Moses, 32, and Oluwaseun Famiyiwa, 29, for allegedly stealing a commercial Volkswagen bus valued N1.2 million.

The accused, whose addresses were not provided, are facing a two-count charge of stealing and

conspiracy.

The prosecutor, Abdulkareem Mustapha, told the court that the accused and others still at large, committed the offences on January 29 at about 10 a. m. at Sango-Ota. Mustapha alleged that the accused conspired among themselves to steal a commercial Volkswagen

bus with Lagos registration number EKY 288 XX, valued N1.2 million.

The bus was said to belong to one Ameh Chinedu, who is also the complainant.

“The accused were caught in the process of committing the crime by the security guards and they were handed over to the police,” he said.

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Comment

comment is free

Lagos’ new boost for the physically challenged

Frank Aigbogun editor Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja

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

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SERVICES Oghenevwoke Ighure GENERAL MANAGER, ADVERT Adeola Ajewole ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude FINANCE MANAGER Emeka Ifeanyi MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Patrick Ijegbai CIRCULATION MANAGER John Okpaire DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha

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I

n Nigeria, condition of the physically challenged attracts little or no attention. As a result of this, their rights are often violated, excluded and relegated in planning and national development. Without a doubt, physically challenged folks need care, love, protection and special infrastructural provisions to survive in a challenging environment like ours. Unfortunately, in Nigeria they are largely unprotected and exposed to abuse, discrimination, ignored, stigmatized and exploited by families and society. In most cases, family members see them as shameful creatures. Consequently, most of them often resign to a life of despondency.

It is, however, quite pleasant to note that that the Lagos State government is constantly stepping up on its care and support for the physically challenged in the state. Recently, the state government doled out Entrepreneur Empowerment Fund and assorted assistive devices to people living with disability. At the event, which took place at the LTV Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja, no fewer than one thousand physically challenged

benefitted from the exercise while numerous others were provided with assistive devices.

Additionally, various bodies such as Joint Association of Persons Living with Disabilities, National Association of Persons with Physical Disability (Lagos Chapter), Lagos State Association of the Deaf, National Association of the Blind, Association of Parents of Children Living with Intellectual Disability, Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria (NSCIAN), Lagos Chapter, The Dwarf Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter and Lagos State Albinism Society received financial grants ranging from two million naira (N2,000,000) to five hundred thousand (N500,000).

The latest effort of the state government is an integral part of its strategic plans to provide the much needed support and enabling environment for the physically challenged in the state. It will be recalled that, in order to passionately and holistically address the plight of the physically challenged in the society, the Lagos StateSpecial People’s Law was passed in June 2011. The law seeks to uphold the rights of all persons living with any form of disability in Lagos State by safeguarding them against all forms of discrimination and giving them equal rights and opportunities. Equally, the passage of the law gave birth to the establishment of The Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA). The first governing board was inaugurated on 9th July, 2012 and charged with implementing the law.

Since the inception of LASODA, the agency has been protecting the

rights and privileges of persons with disabilities which include implementing the State’s Special People’s Law which compels employers of up to 100 personnel to reserve at least one percent of the workforce for persons with disabilities. Also, it has become a crime in the state to discriminate against any person with disability because of his physical challenge. The state also provides rights of children with disability; right to education; right to healthcare services; right to freedom of communication; right to public transport; right to drive and reservation at parking lots.

Other rights include provision of facilities at public buildings; right to legal aid; rights of tenants with disability; public functions; rights under emergency situations; right to first consideration in queues; right to 5% of accommodation reservation consideration and rights to social security among others.

In order to effectively scale down the scope of its activities to the grassroots, the state government has decentralized LASODA and absolved 200 physically challenged persons to manage their affairs in all the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in the state.

To further reinforce its commitment towards the physically challenged, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and LAGBUS operators have been mandated by the state government to offer them free ride across all routes in the state. This is to ensure that they don’t have to pass through several complicated hassles before boarding a bus to their respective routes. As part of the

deal, most of the newly introduced BRT buses have essential facilities for the physically challenged.

In order to further strengthen the new resolve of the state government to make life more pleasant to the physically challenged in the state, on 29th May, 2016; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode launched the N500 millionDisability Trust Fund. A major goal of the Fund is to aid people living with disabilities in the state realise their dreams and maximize their potentials in order to live a more meaningful life.

This is in realization of the fact that lots of them possess requisite qualification, experience and character but are just being marginalised outright in the scheme of things. The creation of the Fund reflects the State Government’s interpretation of social environment and devotion to social responsibility as well as a major shift from charity as the mode of addressing disability. It should be stressedthat the Fund is strictly meant for the provision of requisite infrastructure that would enhance welfare of the physically challenged.

To further boost this renewed effort towards making life more meaningful for People Living with Disability, the state government has urged corporate organizations and well meaning individuals to come up with fresh strategies that could reasonably enhance the standard of living of the physically challenged.

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

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Perspective High costs of conducting elections in Nigeria Ayo Oyoze Baje

T

he ever spiraling costs of conducting free, fair, peaceful and credible elections here in Nigeria, that would be acceptable to all the stakeholders, should be a source of deep concern to well meaning citizens. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it spent N112.9 billion for the exercise back in 2011(for 73.5 million voters), N108.8 billion in 2015(for 68.8 million voters) but has risen to N242 billion (for 84 million voters), as approved in the budget for the 2019 elections.

We s h o u l d b e w o r r i e d because these humongous amounts stated exclude the costs that the candidates of various political parties spend (or is it waste?) on obtaining Nomination Forms, bribing party bigwigs, printing and displaying colourful posters, media adverts, renting crowds, foot soldiers and hiring thugs! By the time we add that of sundry logistics on transportation, paying for venues and feeding their supporters, the costs must have tripled.

In fact, the revelation at a two-day Learning Conference on the Regional Cost of Politics that estimated N1 trillion as what was actually spent by INEC, political parties and candidates for the 2015 elections immediately ignited outrage and disapprovals from concerned stakeholders. Some are of the opinion that the high cost remains the faulty foundation of the corruption that pervades the political space in Nigeria of today. Amongst those who flayed the high cost of elections were legislators, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, President of the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG and Mr. Ibrahim Musa, Executive Director of the Civil Society Advocacy and Legislative Centre, CISLAC. Furthermore, some lawmakers in the House of Representatives described the high figure as provided by INEC as unrealistic. They however, put the blame on civil servants, who they claimed, inflate the cost of elections to their benefit. It was revealed at the conference that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, expended N8.74 billion in traceable media and other related expenses in the 2015 elections while all the other opposition parties put together expended N2.91 billion for similar activities.

On his part, the Chief Tech-

nical Adviser to the INEC Prof.

Bolade Eyinla disclosed at the opening of the conference organised by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy that : “In the last general elections in Benin Republic, the core cost was $15 million, and then you had a candidate who, alone, spent about $32 million.

In Nigeria, our core cost was $547 million. It is perhaps the most expensive elections that we have ever seen. I have seen figures somewhere of between $1.5 billion to $2 billion and believe me; it is true if we knew what happened”.

Still analysing the huge cost of the conduct of the 2015 elections, Adebowale Olorunmola the Country Representative of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy stated that it was higher than 2011 polls. According to him, these are traceable expenses which were spent on media advertisements, campaign materials among others, to the exclusion of money spent in underhand dealings and the use of state-owned facilities including stadia for campaigns and other political activities.

While agreeing with Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who doubles as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions, ECONEC, that the increasing cost of elections in the country is partly due to security and logistical reasons,

its deleterious effects on the economy and ultimately, the Human Development Index (HDI) of the average Nigerian is telling.

According to Yakubu, for the four-year cycle of elections, the cost of voter registration and the compilation of credible voters’ register, recruitment and training of electoral officials keep escalating. So is that of the provision of electoral logistics, election security, civic and voter education, procurement of sensitive

In the last general elections in Benin Republic, the core cost was $15 million, and then you had a candidate who, alone, spent about $32 million.

In Nigeria, our core cost was $547 million. It is perhaps the most expensive elections that we have ever seen. I have seen figures somewhere of between $1.5 billion to $2 billion and believe me; it is true if we knew what happened

and non-sensitive materials.

Not left out are other expenditures related to deployment of electoral technology, undertaking regular engagement with stakeholders and handling of pre-election and post-election litigations are enormous.

One must be realistic to agree also, that the task of meeting such extensive expenditure has increasingly challenged the national resources of many countries in the ECOWAS Sub- region.

In fact, some countries are finding it tasking to fund the elections.

It is against this background that the Governing Board of ECONEC inaugurated the study to explore what can be done as election managers, working together with national stakeholders and development partners, to find ways to reduce the cost of elections.

The truth of the matter is that Nigeria cannot go on this way by expending stupendous sums of our national patrimony to get politicians elected to public offices. No! As an INEC National Commissioner, Prof. Anthonia Simbine said, the level of money in politics “is responsible for the kinds of governance we have at any given time. If you make an investment, you would want to reap from that.” Well said.

As yours truly has reiterated over the years, we cannot have and sustain good gover-

nance with the high costs of accessing political power, the obscene costs of conducting elections and the high pay packages of politicians in power. There is of course, the high dependency syndrome of the poor electorates on their so called elected representatives. That is especially, those who they erroneously believe as doing them some favour when they dole out raw cash, instead of strengthening the institutions that would drastically reduce the twin evils of poverty and ignorance. A change of mindset is therefore, imperative.

The ideas of deploying policemen and soldiers all over the country and closing down institutions of learning during elections, as if we are preparing for war, must be done away with. Elections in the neighbouring Republic of Benin and Ghana are devoid of such political shenanigans.

Let us borrow a fresh leaf from them.

Other factors to eradicate are the huge costs of nomination forms, campaigns and pay package of politicians as well as the winner takes all attitude. Proper digital registration of children at birth and alerting them when they are of voting age as it applies in India should be adopted here.

Above all, politics should be for public service instead that of the self. The time to sacrifice the self for the Nigerian state is now!

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Perspective

IMO Council: As Nigeria looks to return to Category C Vincent Obia

E

arly this month, Mr. Rotmi Fashakin gave a lecture to an in-house audience of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). It was not about CAPITEL-D, an acronym for the new core values taking root at the agency where he serves as Executive Director (Operations). Rather, it was about the attempts by the federal government, through NIMASA, to regain Nigeria’s “lost glory in the comity of maritime nations”, as the agency’s Director-General, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, put it three years ago when an audit raised a question mark over the sector’s performance.

It was about efforts to get Nigeria back to Category C of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council, from where the country fell about seven years ago.

“A Finding is a major non-conformity; while an Observation is lesser non-conformity, and Areas for Further Development is also a non-conformity of a lesser degree than an Observation,” Fashakin explained, portraying palpable emotion as he described how Nigeria came to lose its prized status in the maritime world and the determination of NIMASA’s management to reclaim it. The same emotion has driven the Dakuku-led management of NIMASA to spearhead various actions to return Nigeria to the 20-state IMO Category C. Category C comprises countries, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the IMO Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.

Nigeria lost election into the council in November 2011.

Then, in 2016, a report of the IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS) raised queries about Nigeria’s maritime sector. IMSAS is the mandatory audit of all IMO member states, “commenced from January 1, 2016, ​with the aim of determining the extent to which they give full and complete effect to their obligations and responsibilities contained in a number of IMO treaty instruments.

“The mandatory IMO instruments included in the scope of the scheme cover safety of life at sea (SOLAS 1974 and its 1988 Protocol); prevention of pollution from ships (MARPOL); standards of training, certification and watch-keeping for seafarers (STCW 1978); load lines (LL 66 and its 1988 Protocol); tonnage measurement of ships (Tonnage 1969); and regulations for preventing collisions at sea (COLREG 1972).”

IMO, a specialised agency of the United Nations, was established to develop and adopt regulatory and enforcement legislations for international shipping, while governments are responsible for implementing them. The audit scheme is part of the efforts to standardise shipping as a global business.

When a government ratifies an IMO convention, it agrees to make it part of its national law and to enforce all of its provisions. Apart from governments, other actors in the enforcement of international safety, security and pollution prevention standards

Peterside Dakuku as they relate to ships and shipping activities are Recognised Organisations (ROs), shipping companies, and shipboard personnel or seafarers.

But, ultimately, the buck stops with the governments.

The IMO instruments implementation code for member states’ audit covers the following areas: strategy for compliance with the international obligations as well as its monitoring, assessment, and improvement; ratification and domestication of IMO conventions; and scope, which covers conventions on safety of life at sea, prevention of pollution from ships, standards of training, certification and watch-keeping for seafarers, load lines, tonnage measurement of ships, and regulations for preventing collisions at sea.

Member states are, thus, required to fully implement the following nine mandatory instruments: the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974 as amended; the Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS PROTOCOL 1988); the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 as amended (MARPOL 73/78); the Protocol of 1997 to amend the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL PROTOCOL 1997); and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for seafarers, 1978

as amended (STCW 1978. Others are the International Load Lines 1966 (LL 1966); the Protocol of 1988 relating the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966 (LL PROTOCOL 1988); the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships 1969 (TONNAGE 1969); and the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea, 1972 as amended (COLREG 1972).

The IMSAS audit follows a procedure that includes Planning, Preparation, Conducting the Audit, Reporting, Member State Corrective Action Plan, Audit follow-up, and Records.

Nigeria was found wanting in some aspects of the IMO instruments implementation code for member states during the 2016 IMSAS audit.

But it has tried to close up the gaps by doing the necessary things.

The Final Report of the IMSAS audit of Nigeria had a Finding on strategy, which has been closed out in the country’s Corrective Action Plan.

There was also a Finding on Nigeria in the area of assignment of responsibilities and obligations to ROs. This, too, has been closed out in the Correction Action Plan, with the Ros Agreement.

On the role of flag states as regards surveyors, the audit scheme requires a flag state to define and document the responsibilities, authority and interrelation of all personnel who manage, perform and verify work relating to safety and pollution prevention. A flag state should also ensure that personnel are qualified

and have the requisite experience and technical knowhow to do the work.

In the 2016 audit report, there was a Finding that Nigeria did not comply with the criteria for selection, qualification and training of surveyors. In the Corrective Action Plan, however, a consultant was engaged to do a draft policy on recruitment, selection, qualification and training of flag state surveyors. It is hoped that the policy would resolve the issues of employment and placement of surveyors.

On the responsibility of flag states with respect to marine safety investigation, the IMSAS audit report on Nigeria contained a Finding that casualty investigations were not conducted in compliance with the mandatory rules of impartiality, objectivity and independence of investigators. The non-conformity has been amended in the proposed review of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2007.

Under the audit scheme, the obligations and responsibilities of coastal states include provision of radio communication services, meteorological services and warnings, search and rescue services, hydrographic services, and aids to navigation. The IMSAS audit of Nigeria identified all the above as Areas for Further Development. But in the Corrective Action Plan recently submitted to IMO, there were adequate steps to provide the services.

There were Findings as regards the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of port states, which include provision of port reception facilities, Port State Control, and keeping a register of fuel oil supplies. Nigeria had findings on all these, but they have been closed out in the Corrective Action Plan.

On the whole, the final report of the IMSAS Audit of Nigeria in 2016 contained 11 Findings, one Observation, and seven Areas for Further Development. Nigeria has taken necessary steps to fill the gaps.

But of particular importance are the attempts by NIMASA to bridge the shortfalls in the ratification and domestication of relevant IMO conventions.

States have the responsibility to ratify relevant IMO conventions, domesticate them, and promulgate regulations to give full and complete effect to them to ensure safety of life at sea and protection of the environment. The IMSAS audit of Nigeria had many findings in this area. But the Legal Unit of NIMASA, with the support of the agency’s management, has moved extensively to try to erase the deficits. There are ongoing processes by the unit to amend the Merchant Shipping Act, 2007 and NIMASA Act, 2007, and it has engaged a consultant to work on the two Acts.

Dakuku disclosed last month in Lagos that Nigeria had so far ratified 40 IMO and International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, covering maritime safety, labour and marine environment. The directorgeneral who spoke during the 8th Strategic Admiralty Law Seminar for Judges organised by NIMASA in conjunction with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), also explained that 19 of the conventions had been domesticated by way of regulation, adoption or incorporation under the Merchant Shipping Act, 2007.

He stated that the agency was working with the Federal Ministry of

Transportation, under the auspices of an inter-ministerial committee, to ratify additional six IMO conventions before the end of 2019. The conventions are the Hong Kong International Convention for safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, 2009; Protocol Relating to Intervention on the high seas in cases of oil pollution casualties (Intervention Protocol), 1973; and 1996 Protocol on limitation of liability for maritime claims (LLMC).

Others are 2002 Protocol relating to the carriage of passengers and their luggage by sea (PAL) 1976; International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F) 1995; and the Protocol of 2005 to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Act against the Safety of Maritime Navigation.

Dakuku assured that NIMASA was working with relevant stakeholders under the IMSAS Corrective Action Plan Committee to ensure that all queries raised in the 2016 audit report on Nigeria’s maritime sector were addressed to facilitate the country’s re-election into Category C of the IMO Council.

Implementation of the International Ships and Ports facility Security (ISPS) Code is one area the current management of NIMASA has done very much to eliminate non-compliances. When Nigeria lost its IMO Council seat in 2011, the country’s implementation status was less than 13 per cent. But the compliance level has since risen to over 80 per cent.

Dakuku had in 2016, shortly after his appointment, said the IMSAS audit was in line with NIMASA’s vision for the maritime industry, stressing, “With the active support of the Honourable Minister of Transportation and the leadership of the agency, which is forward looking, focused, and determined, Nigeria will certainly regain its lost glory in the comity of maritime nations. NIMASA will immediately settle down to work to address these findings.”

By reforming, domesticating international conventions and protocols, and embracing global best practices, Nigeria is hoping to restore its maritime credentials.

The country has submitted its Corrective Action Plan, which contains details of the remedial actions and timelines, to IMO. While late preparation was widely alleged as reason for Nigeria’s failure to make the Category C election at the last IMO Council voting in November 2017, there is no doubt that the country is prioritising early preparation ahead of the November 2019 assembly. And indications are that Nigeria would be a favoured candidate for Category C at the next IMO council poll.

But as Fashakin has cautioned, the IMO Secretary General may send the IMSAS audit team leader to follow-up Nigeria’s Corrective Action Plan with an on-site visit.

“Hence, there is a compelling need to complete all pending actions, such as the ratification of treaties, the amendment of Merchant Shipping Act, review and promulgation of regulations, getting necessary approval of the draft Guidelines and Policies, and due execution of all the agreements,” he stated.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Politics I am shocked by the reactions of Nigerians over Onnoghen - Ogunleye Abiodun Ogunleye, a former deputy governor of Lagos State and a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, assesses the state of the nation, the Buhari administration, among other issues. Excerpts:

B

efore the election yesterday, there were allegations by the opposition parties that the APC planned to rig the general elections?

I am party a leader in Lagos and my constituency; there have not been any time we sit down to strategies on how to rig the general elections. What the opposition parties were saying was not true; maybe they were saying this out of the fear that they would lose the general election.

The President said even in Abeokuta recently that the people are to vote any candidate they liked in this general election, its shows a fair mind. I have not sat down where we planned to rig; why should we rig? It was all speculation.

But recent actions of the president and utterances of some leaders of the APC have shown desperation, look at the manner the CJN was hurriedly suspended?

In other countries, the CJN would have resigned from his position voluntarily, but we accepted that he forgot to declare his asset.

I studied in Britain, and lived there for so many years; a mere allegation would push you off your seat; then if after investigation if you are found not guilty you may not go back to the position, but you would be given a post.

The CJN should be treated like that.

I am surprised by the reactions from Nigerians; we can never get anywhere like this in this country; how can he sit on his own judgment, it is wrong. If they are going to probe him, he should not remain in office. The president’s action is justified; it is justified.

Let me give you my story; When Bola Tinubu won a second term in office, I was the state chairman of the party I served as Commissioner for health and finance in Lagos State. But Tinubu asked if I was ready to come into government again? Already, Tinubu had a deputy which was Femi Pedro, if I have to go into government again I would be serving as commissioner, and I had served in the same position before, but I replied and said to him that I was ok, and he said ‘thank you and forget it’.

It is simple; if I was in his position I would leave and asked them to do their investigation and whatever the report says.

But there have been criticism over the appointment of Amina Zakari as the head of the collation centre; she was alleged to be a relative of the President?

It was the former president, Goodluck Jonathan who appointed her into office, it is not Buhari as people are saying; she has been in INEC for some time before Buhari assumed office.

And if they posted her to head the collation centre I don’t see anything wrong; they can’t bribe her, even the INEC chairman has said he is the head of the collation centre.

If you have information that Buhari put her there fine, for me I don’t know, she was there before, I don’t see the fault of Buhari, we have to move beyond this to develop, countries that are developed often agree on what is good and bad, no matter the political

Abiodun Ogunleye

divide, that is what we have not agreed on in this country.

Let me tell you another story of mine; my son was the sole administrator of my local government area; some people went to destroy the Sabo market here and they said it was the former head of the council that stole a lot of money from the council and gave part of it to my son to go and destroy the market, and my son now gave me part of it.

I don’t read social media because it is full of lies; the governor set up a committee; my son was queried and he was left there because he was not guilty; people in Lagos know my pedigree.

Unless we change our character things may not change. The opposition parties are just crying wolf, where there is none, let them station their people and let them watch the polling unit and stand there and watch it.

I have not sat anywhere to plan rigging the general election with anybody.

How do you react to the division in the Afenifere over the endorsement of Buhari, you were in Ibadan when they had that Yoruba leaders’ summit?

Yes, I was in Ibadan for that summit, the Fasoranti-led group, where is their constituencies? We have all the Governors, National Assembly members with us. How many of them have contested elections in the region before? They just want to take us to Atiku which we didn’t agree. Obasanjo who is their leaders said he spent billions on power, where is the light?

You don’t accept that late Bola Ige handed over the leadership of the group to Ruben Fasoranti?

Bola Ige contested elections and was a former governor, but these Afenifere leaders are not accredited leaders of

the Yoruba people, with due respect to them, which of them has contested elections and win? So they cannot speak for the Yorubas, for you to speak for the people, you have to have their representation.

They said we did not talk before; that was because we taught it was not necessary; Awolowo legacies have been rubbished. The moment they said we are going to Atiku because of restructuring we knew.

APC want restructuring, the committee set up by this administration has submitted its report, I would show you the document that was submitted to the nation.

But the reports have not been implemented?

The report has been submitted to the government; they would sit down and look at it; the National Assembly is there, if the party wanted to implement the report, it would be done through National Assembly members, but we have seen that those people there are not doing what they were elected to do.

That report everything has to be modified, but with the present lawmakers it would not be easy. The Senate president and the rest leadership in the National Assembly are there for their personal interest.

You seem not to have confidence in the National Assembly members?

Yes, I don’t have confidence in them; their action has shown who they are.

Buhari said there was no law that bars them from defecting but you have to start from the bottom. The people were from the PDP; they took control of the National Assembly, how do you want the President to operate with them when the leaders of both chambers have their personal agenda?

But the APC failed to curb the crisis even when there was a petition to the President and to your party chairman?

The President was not too fast when the leadership of the National Assembly was to be elected.

If I were the President, I would make sure the leadership of the two chambers was my people, because without them you cannot make some of your decisions. I believe he made that mistake. He should have made sure the leadership of the National Assembly is his people.

Those people were not really APC members or how can your party say sit down and you would not sit.

What are the chances of your governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the gubernatorial election?

Sanwo-Olu would win Lagos governorship election come March 2, you can see in recent debates that he is sound and have policies. The people are going to vote the APC, in spite of all that have been said you can see that the current governor is with him, we are united ahead of the elections.

Of course, what happened to Ambode was party decision; he did not fight because he agreed with the party, that is why a lot of us are still in the party. When I was much younger we used to say minority have their say majority have their way.

But the PDP candidate, Jimi Agabje says he is sure of wining?

The people are the ones that are going to vote, it will not be ghosts; let wait till then. If I am going to war I would be going to win or what do you want him to say?

How do you feel when they say they want to free Lagos Sate from the grip of Bola Tinubu?

If they have their evident let them take it to the right place and present it. They are an opposition party, sometime ago Tinubu was taken to court in Abuja somewhat came out of it? What they are saying is immaterial. March 2nd the people would decide who will rule Lagos and I believe it is APC. But there is the popular belief among Nigerians that APC has failed at all levels?

I have not seen a head of government in Nigeria that has a head like Buhari; the people talking are illiterate people. There is no day I don’t have light but during Jonathan administration four days we don’t have light.

What had been damaged for sixteen years could not be corrected for threeand-half years.

But the opposition says the administration’s anti-graft war is targeted at them?

It is not true, the anti-corruption agencies have been working; there should not be a situation where somebody who is just coming out of poverty, but because he is in public office becomes billionaire overnight.

The administration has tried in terms of fighting corruption; look at Dariye, Babachar Lawal and Oke they have been taken to court. Lai Mohammed said some time ago, if you have allegation against any one take it to the appropriate quarters.

Sunday 17 February 2019

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15

Politics New skills for legislative accountability excite Rivers citizens

R

Ignatius Chukwu & Innocent Eteng

evelations came last year through Shehu Sani, a senator representing Kaduna Central at the Senate, that each of the 103 senators earns about N13.5m in allowances monthly. This immediately shot up the abhorrence of 43-yearold Nwigbara Kingsley for prevailing poor legislative representation in Nigeria.

He wondered why members of Parliament - despite the obvious failure of many of them to initial bills that would better the lot of local people, show accountability and inclusive representation - should earn that much in a country with the highest number of extremely poor people - 87 million.

Yet, Kingsley, a master’s level political science student, felt helpless with no idea on how to engage those representing him at the Senate and the House of Representatives to show accountability.

But on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, Kingsley received what he calls “an eye opener” for advocating for better legislative representation and accountability.

“It has always been my dream to have a type of concept like this,” he says.

Kingsley’s new found way came through a training organized by a nonprofit advocating for for better social conditions, Citizens Trust Advocacy and Development Centre (CITADEC), at Khana Local Government Council of Rivers State in Ogoni, where he and 46 other locals were trained on advocacy and lobbying skills to engage elected representatives for accountability.

“The essence of lobbying is that the person you are lobbying has the platform which you do not have. They (representatives) have access to government,” Emmanuel Biira, CITADEC’s Senior Programme Officer, Communication and Strategy, explained to the raptly-listening participants.

The training, which was part of a three day-dialogue on how quality representation can be achieved, saw participants split into groups. Each group discussed one of the basic social problems confronting Ogoni and how to solve them by communicating and engaging their elected representatives who will in turn initiate bills and lobby for such problems to be solved.

The groups included; security, environment, education, health and gender equality.

“The topics here today are more informative, and educative. It would help us to shape the political system in the country.

My aim is to henceforth work with others and engage our representatives.”

Kingsley is not the only one feeling new vibes for a change, especially with a new set of leaders and representatives expected to be sworn in on May 29.

“I am really excited because we are being exposed to how to get involved in the making of laws and that would only mean that we would have a better society,” says 26-year-old Erabanabari Theophilus.

She acknowledges that before now, there have always been advocacy groups fighting different problems, but added that none mirrored in on correcting legislative malaise.

An African affair While no legislative representation in the world could be said to be absolutely perfect without a fault, the situation in Africa is particularly worrisome. And while a few African countries like South Africa have showed significant improvements over the decades, a greater percentage still lags behind.

According to a 2013 study by Robert Rotberg and Jennifer Salahub titled

“African Legislative Effectiveness” and published by Canada-base North-South Institute, the reason for lack of legislative accountability stems from the fact that members of Parliament almost always exist as “secondary actors in the national political dramas”, supporting autocratic tendencies in loyalty to the executives or their political parties or both, rather than serving the interest of their constituents and the entire citizens.

As is the case in Nigeria, most legislative representatives end up as “well-paid spongers rather than as functioning members” of the Parliament, the study says.

But CITADEC hopes to change that, a reason it started the dialogue that first took place last year in Gokana Local Government before taking the training to Khana.

Both local governments are the biggest in Ogoni, which have faced protracted hard-hitting social problems ranging from environmental pollution to health hazards, insecurity and educational backwardness.

However, Lawrence Dube, CITADEC’s director, says the aim is not to cast blames, but for everyone to see themselves as vital in the corrective process.

“Training shapes the way people think; training also disciplines people’s expectations. It also corrects opinions and refines mindset. There is is natural feeling among people that things are wrong and all politicians are wrong. But nobody is saying, ‘how well do we correct the system?’”

“The essence of this advocacy training is to engage the system and to contribute to possibly change the system. While we are not expecting overnight result, we are expecting an informed, exposed and wellchallenged group of people that would come up and say ‘we are the cause of our problems and not the people who manipulated and put themselves into power.

But either ways, we are going to begin to initiate, talking to our leaders, demanding accountability and testimonial.”

Macky Sall leads the way for African leaders Ifedayo Adeleye

W

hen President Macky Sall won his presidency in 2012, Senegal was in a much different place that it is now- the once struggling economy is one of Africa’s most prominent rising stars today, well on its way to being a regional powerhouse.

As President, President Sall has spent his first term focusing on whom he has termed the “forgotten”: the rural and poor communities that had fallen further down the ladder due to long-term neglect of the previous administration. Sall’s government invested heavily in social welfare programmes to begin to lift millions of Senegalese out of poverty including in healthcare in general, and especially for women and children; in grassroots entrepreneurism programs in agriculture and fishery to return the country to food self-sufficiency after a devastating drought; education at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels and more. There’s been a simultaneous outlay on roads, ports, transport, and (albeit slow) efforts made to reform government and administration.

His $21 billion Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE) in hand, Sall has managed to turn Senegal’s economy from a sliding to 4.5

percent growth in 2011 to 6.6 percent; the longest period of sustained growth ever experienced by the country.

For many in Africa, it is often enough that there have been improved road networks, increased access to primary healthcare and job creation over the course of any administration but not so in the case of Macky Sall whose Couverture Maladie Universelle has provided free health services to Senegalese children under five.

He has taken bold steps towards ensuring all of Senegal has access to clean drinking water and that rural areas have reliable electricity as well. But these haven’t been the defining factors of Sall’s success as Senegal’s president. It is not the 217 kilometres of highways including Ila Touba highway that connects Touba to the rest of Senegal; nor is it the 1,000 kilometres of rural tracks and or the Blaise Diagne Airport that’s become a point of reference all over Africa.

It is Sall’s forward-thinking approach and rigorous implementation of PSE that has been lauded by many as simply brilliant.

Not many African countries can boast of a President that by himself, champions the cause of women’s rights. Macky Sall’s code of nationality reforms have given women the same rights as men to transfer nationality to spouses and children. And for young people, the PRODAC initiative is

well under way to create over 300,000 jobs in aquaculture, poultry and agriculture over the next five years.

The Sénégal Minergy Port (SMP) is a key part for Sall’s ambitious plan for the country’s future, a special purpose vehicle that undertakes the design, building and operation of a multi-commodity dry and liquid bulk port in Bargny-Sendou.

In 2018, through the launch of the Institut National du Petrole et du Gaz (INPG), Sall once again showed his commitment to human capital development. The INPG’s bold goal is produce a new set of competitive indigenous leaders in the petroleum industry. Senegal is set to become a leading oil and gas producer and an energy hub by 2021.

In the same year, he launched the first cyber-security (ENVR) school in Senegal to train people who will service the whole West African region’s defences against hackers and internet fraudsters.

Perhaps, the most innovative idea executed by the Macky Sall and upon which his 2019 ambitions are predicated is the new $2 billion city, Diamniadio, which aims to decentralise Dakar by setting up a new urban city in Senegal. The city will afford some 350,000 low income, middle class and rich citizens housing within in close proximity to government offices (the Ministerial City),

learning facilities (City of Knowledge), and an industrial park. It will not only ensure the stress of population growth on Dakar is eased, Diamniadio will ensure wealth and job creation alongside Sall’s grand plans for a fully developed Senegal by 2035. The Train Express Rapide (TER) is almost complete, a high-speed rail corridor that will shuttle workers between the two cities.

Six years on, President Sall has accepted the nomination of the Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition to run for a second term in the upcoming February 2019 elections.

He is facing a vastly different atmosphere than his predecessor did in the run up to these elections, which bode well in his favour. Whereas between 2011and 2012 the streets of Dakar were aflame as the police and protestors engaged in running battles throughout the city. This time around, Dakar is the picture of a thriving African city, bustling with economic prosperity and stability.

Senegal is a beacon on what African leadership should be; tough and democratic, stable and forward-looking, pragmatic and building big. With its much bigger Englishspeaking neighbours faltering, an emerging Senegal is just what the doctor ordered Africa’s resurgent narrative—and young Africans in other countries better take notice.

Ifedayo Adeleye is a journalist and political analyst.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Politics Realigning political fundamentals for democratic dividends

In July 2017, the 8th Senate, led by Bukola Saraki voted against a proposal in a bid to alter the constitution to provide 35 percent affirmative action for women at the federal level and 20 percent at the state level.

However, as we get into the peak of the 2019 general election, SEYI JOHN SALAU writes on the plight of women participation in politics that has been a struggle by women organisations in Nigeria.

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e have heard of the phrase and cliché, ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’. However, Nigeria is broken and urgently needs a quick fix to get it on the path of progress and development again. However, the balancing of the maladjustment of that lopsided political equation is what a woman brings to the table.

How can we as a nation achieve this quick fix, if we do not balance the wheels of governance in addressing the gender ratio and socio-political imbalance in the polity?

In addressing the socio-political imbalance and apathy among women in Nigeria, Women in Management, Business and public service (WIMBIZ), a non-profit organization whose aim is to elevate the status and influence of women and their contribution to nation building, recently held a one-day town hall meeting for Women in Politics (WIMPOL).

The town hall meeting tagged ‘Run, Vote, Get Involved’ is an effort to pull down the barricade against women’s political participation, thus getting more women involved in politics and policy making in Nigeria.

In a recent interview published a week ago on BDSUNDAY, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya of the Fountain of Life Church, Lagos, sums up the role of women in nation building thus: “…in nation building, when your homes are stable, your nation will be stable: …the man goes fighting, the woman stays stabilizing; a man needs a woman.”

The woman is a stabiliser by nature, hence in balancing the wheels of governance there is a need to get more women involved in the day-to-day policy making in government.

The 2019 WIMBIZ WIMPOL town hall meeting created an avenue for women from diverse backgrounds and with different ideologies, to interact with a cross section of women vying for political office, providing a platform for female candidates to be seen, heard and give insight into why women run for office despite the myriad of challenges and negative insinuations.

Oluwayemisi Busari, the deputy governor candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), in her statement said women have moral justification to support one another because the society needs someone to solve the mirage of problems of Lagos women.

According to Busari, more women must stand for what they believe, since women are the backbone of the society.

“Women of substance are traditional women,” said Busari stating that irrespective of women attainment in the corporate world, one thing that is certain

among women vying for political office is that they seek for consent and carry their husbands along in their political pursuit.

Busari opined that governance is based on several things, however, to achieve a balance in governance, herself and her principal, Jimi Agbaje, the Lagos governor candidate for PDP will base governance in Lagos on a tripod: Livability, Economy and the Future.

According to Busari, a PDP led government in Lagos will give “35 percent of everything we do … to women,” stating that “A vote for JK and I, is a vote for better Nigeria”.

Another candidate, Khadijah Abdullahi-Iya, the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) vice presidential candidate said, women political participation results into tangible national development.

Nigeria needs fresh minds in politics. “…We are not always ready: we owe it to ourselves to take the punch,” said Khadijah stating that Nigeria has no reason being poor.

However, Khadijah is of the view that passion for education and women will enable ANN to deliver on its campaign promise to Nigerians, as she opined that good governance is not all about the party manifesto.

For Arinola Oloko, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Lagos House of Assembly candidate for Eti-Osa constituency II, “Structure is the most important thing in politics,” in her response to a question on how prepared is the Nigerian woman for politics and service.

According to Arinola, her campaign is based on a need to change the mindset of the electorate away from thestatus quo. “…WIMBIZ, through this town hall meeting, aim to fast track the rate of

success of female politicians through mentoring and sponsorship initiative.

We do know that you can’t just wake up a day and decide that, based on your good ideas, you can then turn that aspiration in to reality. There is a process of mentoring and understanding what it takes. So we are hoping that this will also help women to understand what it takes and how they can go about getting the sponsorship that is required,” said Awuneba Ajumogobia, the co-founder/director Multistream Energy Limited.

According to Awuneba, the initiative is a medium through which women can be mentored and sponsored to understand

…WIMBIZ, through this town hall meeting, aim to fast track the rate of success of female politicians through mentoring and sponsorship initiative.

We do know that you can’t just wake up a day and decide that, based on your good ideas, you can then turn that aspiration in to reality

how their dreams can be birthed into reality.

However, in getting the women involved in politics and governance, there is a need to ensure that key elements and components of democracy capable of delivering democratic dividends are rooted in our political structure.

Hence, political parties must preach and ensure internal democracy at the party level starting from the ward, that there is level playing ground for all candidates and aspirants.

If internal democracy is practiced at the political parties level, other components like rule of law; transparency; tolerance; human rights; will naturally fall in line at the national stage because the political parties that provide platforms for political offices are deeply rooted in the democratic tenets.

On the other hand, we cannot talk about grassroots mobilisation; collaboration; and stakeholders’ engagement, which are critical elements of getting more women involved in politics when the level of impunity on the national level finds its root at the ward level across party line.

Women in politics need a level playing ground to actively participate in the electioneering process, especially in vying for elective offices in Nigeria. According to Tolu Sadipe, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Federal House of Representatives, Oluyole Federal Constituency of Oyo State, “We don’t have the spending power of the men,” stating that Nigerian women are tired of seating on the fence and are battle ready to nurture the nation the same way they have nurtured the home front for years.

Sunday 17 February 2019

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17

Politics Parochial interest still a major factor in Nigeria’s politics Daniel Obi

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xciting thing around the general elections that began yesterday is the interest it has generated both in the social and traditional media.

These platforms have become market place of ideas as individuals have the opportunity to air their views.

In these platforms, some comments are hot and mind-boggling as some people disagree to agree on ways forward for the Nigerian economy.

In democracy, all views are accepted, so far as they donot amount to insult or libel but from the views expressed in these platforms, it is apparent that many Nigerians are either stuck to the past or wedded to parochial interest against national interest.

Some tweets indicate protection for bloc interests based on religion, ethnicity or other forms of affiliation rather than collective national interest as one tweet doubts “united Nigeria”.

It is clear from discussions that some Nigerians simply support a particular political party or politicians on sentiments or emotions. Others key behind some politicians on account of immediate gains due to poverty of the brain and of the purse.

Ordinarily, support for politicians, as it is obtainable in developed climes, should be based on ideology and belief towards collective socio-economic development.

It is expected that every politician should have a goal and adopt an approach towards achieving that goal. It is this goal and the accepted approach that will attract supporters, because the followers believe that such approach will create result and

benefit all.

But in Nigeria, supporting politicians and political parties is largely based on vague reasons or no reasons at all. Some Nigerians donot know the manifesto of their candidates or the political parties they are supporting.

Some of these politicians understand the poor psyche of some common Nigerians and hardly or tersely make their intentions known. What Nigerians normally see on the billboards and posters does not actually give a full and clearer picture of the politicians

and their chosen approach to economic development.

To some analysts, only a few politicians have articulated programmes on ways forward to get the economy out of woods while other politicians’ interest is to win election in order to continue to be politically relevant.

Surprisingly, these later politicians still enjoy support of some Nigerians. Is national interest dying?

It is therefore, evident that national interest, cohesion and unity that Nigeria’s forefathers including Tafawa Balewa, Nnam-

diAzikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Edwin Clark, among others fought for is daily being relegated in place of personal and sectional interest.

The way it is going, Nigerian politics is becoming the next industry, obviously for personal gains as checks and balances in polity have waned. Money voted for social projects ends up in individuals’ pockets.

On the other hand, some politicians make some reckless statements that will jeopardise the interest of Nigeria from creditors because of power. How does one justify the statement recently credited to Governor of Kaduna State warning that foreigners who intervene in the general elections will “go back in body bags”.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governor was said to have issued the threat when he featured on an NTA’s Tuesday Live programme anchored by Cyril Stober.

“Those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the person that would come and intervene, they would go back in body bags,” the governor was quoted to have said.

Many Nigerians, including Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, and the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), have reacted to the El-Rufai’s threat.

Omokri, in a statement, urged El-Rufai to use unrepentant Boko Haram members as “body bags”instead of foreigners.

In any election, national interest should be above self-interest and citizens are expected to understand this and queue behind candidates whose goals, objectives and approaches are considered best for economic recovery rather than the present blind support by many of the electorates.

PDP supporters in Akwa Ibom urged to defend their votes

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ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

overnor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has urged his supporters from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to defend their votes and ensure victory in the coming polls.

The governor said the state chapter of the party has concluded plans to deploy 1000 youths at each polling unit to further frustrate plans by the opposition to truncate a free, credible and peaceful poll in the state.

Udom, who disclosed this during the PDP grand rally at Onna Sports Stadium to mark the end of the campaigns round the 31 local government areas of the state.

He said the opposition All People’s Congress in the state has adopted all sort of sinister plots to weaken members of the PDP, but to no avail.

He commended the PDP youths who have embraced the peaceful disposition of his administration and have worked so hard to maintain peace throughout the electioneering, even in the face of intense provocation.

According to him, it will further frustrate the opposition’s initial plan to arrest and detain some key members of the party till after the elections.

The governor thanked all the other 30 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State earlier visited for remaining steadfast on the side of his party throughout the campaigns.

He also commended the National Working committee of the party represented by the National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem and expressed optimism that the PDP will produce the next president of Nigeria.

“PDP is unstoppable. There is no way we would not win, we have gone round the whole Akwa Ibom. PDP is like a religion in Akwa Ibom.

“They planned evil, God did not allow it to happen, God has disappointed and will continue to disappoint them. We started in peace and ended in peace and success. Akwa Ibom is 100 percent PDP and 100percent we shall win.

“They wanted to arrest and intimidate some key members of our party but God has disappointed them. People came up and talk like Pharoah and Nebuchadnezzar, but God has disappointed them. Akwa Ibom Youths have rejected thuggery, they have embraced peace,” he said He commended the people of Akwa Ibom State for extending an opportunity for someone from the core oil producing part of the state to serve the people, and

reported that such opportunity has not only promoted peaceful co-existence in the state but has to a very great extent extended infrastructural development to the core oil producing areas of the state.

Addressing the rally, the Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, from the standpoint of the legislature declared that governor Emmanuel has performed creditably well as he has conscientiously and prudently managed the resources of the state.

He recalled that the recently induced defections of some members of the house and the crisis thereafter were sponsored by enemies of the state against Governor Udom Emmanuel.

“As a legislature, having looked at the budget and performance, we have come to the conclusion that Udom has performed creditably well. When there were some induced defections, 21 state constituencies advised their members to stand with Udom Emmanuel. The battle was against the governor and realising that he has done well, we had to stand up to defend both the governor and the future of the state.

“We are committed to a violence free election, to a peaceful poll, but that peaceful disposition must not be taken

for granted. I want to advise the electorates to move to the voting units earlier and stand to protect and defend your votes thereafter.

The National Legal Adviser of the PDP, Emmanuel Enoidem applauded the peace that Governor Udom Emmanuel has restored to the state. He noted, “No accident throughout the campaigns, it can only be God”.

Enoidem who expressed satisfaction that PDP is making waves in the country, advised Nigerians to avoid any form of mistake that would further drag the country backward.

“Make no mistake in this country.

The man on the throne has neither the physical nor mental capacity to govern Nigeria,” he said The Director-General of the Divine Mandate, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga while presenting his candidate to the people earlier described Governor Udom Emmanuel as a pride to Africa.

He thanked the people of Onna for giving to the state a man who has ended kidnapping in churches and politically motivated killing in the state. The former governor therefore advised Akwa Ibom people that with 15 industries in just three years, the governor needed another chance to build on the foundation already.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Feature

Providing cleaner, better world for communities services in the country and are usually the first point of contact for the people at the grassroots.

Research also shows that access to primary health services is linked to better health outcomes, including improvements in selfrated health and a reduction in all-cause mortality. In 1978, Nigeria, along with other World Health Organisation’s member countries adopted the declaration institutionalising primary health centres as the basic structural and functional units of public healthcare delivery systems.

Unfortunately, most primary health centres in the country today lack the capacity to provide essential healthcare services, particularly due to poor infrastructure, lack of adequate equipment, insufficient of essential drugs, poor distribution of health workers and inadequate electricity to power the available equipment.

Under its BetterWorld initiatives, International Breweries renovated the Esa-Odo primary health centre and donated hospital equipment to aid caregivers in providing better care for pregnant women. It also donated a generator to power the centre.

“At International Breweries, we strive to impact every community where we operate and make it better than we met it. As a result, our projects are

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OBINNA EMELIKE he sleepy town of Ilase-Ijesha , Osun State, a community that is about 20 minutes drive from Oshogbo, the state capital, came to life as the people, led by the traditional ruler, trouped out in their numbers to witness the formal handing over of a solar-powered borehole system, donated by International Breweries Plc. The relief is coming to the community after many years of coping with challenges of unavailability of potable water, especially water-related problems. Of course, occasional outbreaks of cholera, diarrhea, river-blindness, guinea-worm, typhoid fever, dysentery and other water-borne diseases in some communities across Nigeria that lack access to potable water remain major contributing factor to high infant and maternal mortality.

A report by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) showed that over 57 million Nigerians lack access to clean water. Many rural communities and urban ones access water from polluted sources.

Only about 26.5 percent of the population use improved drinking water sources and sanitation facilities. Instructively, Nigeria is among the five countries in the world contributing to about one-third of the global under-five mortality rate traceable to the consumption of unsafe water.

Provision of clean water would radically change this narrative.

In Logbara, a district of the Orile-Imo community in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Sagamu, Ogun State, access to safe water was a major issue, causing untold hardship to the community, which typically relied on harvesting rainwater. In the dry season, water problem escalates. Worse hit by the predicament is the primary health centre, located within the Owode area. Funmilayo Sunmonu, the matron of the centre, recalled the nightmare patients and staffers of the centre, hitherto encountered just in order to get water, particularly when a woman fell into labour.

With the donation of a solarpowered borehole, the people in these communities can now heave a sigh of relief as the water nightmare is finally over.

Speaking with excitement at the commissioning of the borehole, Akintoye Olufemi, a resident of Logbara, Orile-Imo, said the people are very excited and are grateful for the facility, which has been servicing them

even before it was formally handed over to the people by International Breweries. According to Olufemi, their problem began after they were resettled by the Ogun State government from their original hometown during the dualisation of the Abeokuta-Sagamu inter-change expressway. Once they were resettled, they discovered water was lacking in the community, which has caused a lot of health challenges.

So bad was the water situation that they relied on nature during the rainy season to harvest and store rain water. At other times, they trekked long distances to streams or wells to get water during the dry season.

Being a peace-loving people, they continued to hope that one day the situation would change for the better. It was against this backdrop that International Breweries Plc, a member of the largest brewer in the world, ABInbev, through its CleanerWorld initiative, undertook to provide a solar-powered borehole in Logbara and a number of communities in some south western

states in the country.

Michael Daramola, spokesperson of International Breweries Plc, reiterated that water is critical not only to the survival but also the health and wellbeing of every community. As a socially responsible organization, International Breweries plc, he said had undertaken to help provide succor in the core area of water to these communities. He added that the key focus of his organisation was indeed in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, which emphasize on ensuring a sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

While inadequacy or unavailability of potable water is a problem in some communities, there are others for whom dysfunctional or unavailable health care facilities are a pressing problem.

Functional primary healthcare centres are critical to the health and well-being of every community because of the important role they play in facilitating accessibility to affordable healthcare. Such facilities are meant to be the bedrock of public health

”

While inadequacy or unavailability of potable water is a problem in some communities, there are others for whom dysfunctional or unavailable health care facilities are a pressing problem

”

designed to be beneficial to the whole community and this is the essence of our give-back policy as encapsulated in our CleanerWorld and BetterWorld programmes, comprising water, health, culture and economic empowerment,” Daramola said during the handover ceremony.

At the commemoration of the 2018 World Toilet Day, the federal government made a declaration and unveiled plans to stop open defecation, which has caused numerous health challenges due to water contamination. According to findings by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, statistics show that more than 120 million Nigerians do not have access to decent toilet facilities while about 40 million others practice open defecation and this has contributed to the death of children under five years old, who have been infected by water-borne diseases.

In support of the federal government’s declaration, International Breweries adopted the Omi-Asoro Community Elementary School, Omi-Asoro community in Osun State. Before now, toilet facilities were inexistent in the school. The organisation built a new toilet facility for the school. On hand to receive executives of International Breweries were staff and pupils of the school, led by the school headmistress, Abosede Asaolu, and officers of the Community Based School Management Committee, CBSMB, SUBEB and Parents Teachers Association, led by its chairman, Solomon Arowolo.

After giving a brief history of how the school was established, Arowolo highlighted how open defecation has been one of its major concerns. According to him, “This new facility donated

by International Breweries is indeed well appreciated and we are now happy that our children will no longer need to do their business in the open.”

International Breweries, through its CleanerWorld and BetterWorld programmes, has been touching lives in communities across the country and these newly commissioned projects mark the beginning of its 2019 corporate social investment drive. Projects commissioned so far are solar-powered boreholes in Ilase-Ijesa, in Osun State, Logbara, Orile-Imo and Obafemi-Owode in Ogun State and Onireke in Oyo state, sanitary facilities in Omi-Asoro, Ilesa in Osun state and a renovated primary health centre, with equipment, in Esa-Odo community in Osun State.

“Solving the water and sanitation problem should be a collective effort and at International Breweries, we are also glad to support the efforts of the government, which is why our corporate social investment is geared towards providing a cleaner and better world for our communities,” Daramola added.

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Feature Stanbic IBTC YLS: highlighting nexus between digitisation and the youth

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TOLA ADERINGBE t is clear to us that sustainability of our brand is very important. However, we do appreciate that our future is closely woven with that of the energetic, innovative and hard working Nigerian youth.”

Those were the words of Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC at this year’s Youth Leadership Series (YLS) organised by the financial services giant.

Indeed, it could be argued that very few organisations understand the critical role the youth could play in business sustainability and future growth than Stanbic IBTC does. What today is known as Stanbic IBTC was established in 1989 by, according to Sanni, “an innovative and audacious 33-year-old Nigerian, Atedo Peterside.” In recent years, Stanbic IBTC has shown greater passion to institute deeper engagements with the youth, who make up a sizeable portion of the Nigerian population. This passion ties in with the brand’s ambition to achieve end-to-end digitisation of its processes across board to enhance process integration.

This is expected to help deliver great customer experiences, improve operational efficiency and ensure cost optimisation for the entire organisation.

The nexus between digitization and the youth is undeniable; so it is only natural that a business approach that is youthcentric must of necessity be digital in nature. Stanbic IBTC understands this connection and its sustainability strategy is underscored by its continued investments in the youth and digitization. Stanbic IBTC’s youth-centric and digitization focus is evident in its support for a number of youth-oriented initiatives alongside its aggressive innovative drive. The unveiling, last year, of the Stanbic IBTC Blue (Innovation) Lab in Yaba, Lagos, the emerging innovation hub in Nigeria, highlighted the group’s commitment to leverage on evolving digital technologies in enhancing her products and service delivery. The lab was also a way to support “techpreneurs and financial technology firms as well as collaborate, empower and partner with startups in promoting technological development.”

A similar thinking underscored the Group’s yearly sponsorship of the social media week, and the Higher Institution Football League, which started last year. The Stanbic IBTC Business Leadership Series (SBLS), after which the Youth Leadership

Series is patterned, consistently featured young people, such as South African rocket scientist, motivational speaker and innovator Siyabulela Xusa, who was 25 years in 2015 when he headlined the SBLS, and Vusi Thembekwayo, an entrepreneur and business speaker, at 28 when he featured on SBLS. Stanbic IBTC was a sponsor of TechCabal Battlefield in 2014, a showcase of technology startups promoted by young budding entrepreneurs, among many other youth-centric initiatives.

As one enters the premises where the event held, it was unmistakable that the YLS is targeted at the youth. There was a photo booth, styled in the popular Lagos danfo commuter bus, at a corner outside the event hall. In the hall to the left, a rotating dance platform fitted with a video was mounted, where those interested could dance to a song as the platform goes round in circles. According to Stanbic IBTC, the youth empowerment motivational series was conceived as a way to energize, through deeper engagement, the

entrepreneurial spirit in young Nigerians while helping to build the next generation of leaders.

Sanni said the YLS is a platform to engage the youth, a critical and vibrant segment of the population that will not only help to drive the company’s sustainability but also help shape the future of the nation.

The YLS was instituted to ultimately motivate the youth to remain focused and hard working to ensure success. The programme naturally selected young successful people, who attained successes by surmounting great odds, to headline the event.

Expectedly, such young guests are able to elicit the right kind of reaction from the audience.

Kemi Adetiba, award winning filmmaker, Onyeka Akumah, innovator, agriculturist, and entrepreneur, and Abisoye AjayiAkinfolarin, programmer and a CNN Heroes award winner, all below 40 years, were chosen to motivate the YLS audience over the weekend. What pedigrees did these individuals draw on to motivate the youth?

Kemi Adetiba’s latest movie

King of Boys, released late last year, reportedly grossed a tidy N200 million in the first seven weeks of release. That is quite outstanding for someone who released her first feature film, The Wedding Party, a short three years ago. Kemi is well versed in the entertainment industry, having journeyed across several segments of the industry from that early exposure when she featured, as a little girl, in the detergent brand Superblue OMO television commercials. Professionally, she cut her teeth as an on air personality with Rhythm 93.7 FM, presenting shows like Soul’d Out and Sunday at the Seaside.

From radio, she switched to television where she produced and presented such shows as Temptation Nigeria and Studio 53 on Mnet. From that she then trained to direct films and has produced two blockbusters already. She has won several awards and commendations for her efforts.

Onyeka Akumah, founder of FarmCrowdy, a digital agriculture platform which is “connecting farm sponsors with real

farmers in order to increase food production while promoting youth participation in agriculture,” was named one of Africa’s 30 Innovators 2018 in the latest Quartz list. The African Youth Forum in Egypt mentioned him as one of the Top 20 Young Entrepreneurs to Watch in Africa.

Indeed, Onyeka has a very rich CV for someone so young. He was the E-Marketing Coordinator for Deloitte for West, East and Central Africa, Webmaster for British Council in Nigeria, Vice President, Marketing, Konga, and Director of Marketing & Partnerships, Jumia, among many other executive roles in well known organizations.

Through FarmCrowdy, and by fusing technology with agriculture, he continues to empower thousands of farmers.

The first thing you notice about Abisoye is her disarming toothy smile. This brilliant lady, who has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos, last year was named a ‘CNN Hero of the Year’, an initiative by CNN to honour 10 deserving individuals across the world who have done something unusual but worthwhile in their societies to impact lives. Abisoye certainly deserves the award. In 2012, she founded an NGO, the Pearls Africa Youth Foundation, to help bridge the technology and educational needs of girls in disadvantaged areas. The foundation trains girls on coding, among other trainings.

The three speakers, Akumah, Ajayi-Akinfolarin and Adetiba, agreed that the most important ingredient for success is knowledge acquisition through education. Ajayi-Akinfolarin narrated how she defied her parents and risked her life in her quest to be educated. The need to hone one’s skill(s) is also critical. Their ability to identify their passion early on and work on them propelled the trio to success. For Kemi, she had a flair for entertainment, despite her training as a lawyer. It was coding/programming for Abisoye and farming for Onyeka. According to the trio, success is not instantaneous but with hard work, focus, resilience and a positive attitude, success is guaranteed. Then they also talked about the discipline required to remain grounded when success is attained.

As Stanbic IBTC celebrates 30 years of sterling financial services mediation this year, it has assured that it will continue to seek quality platforms such as the YLS to engage the Nigerian youth while helping to create opportunities for them to exploit and hone their talents as well as energise their entrepreneurial spirit.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

BookReview Why Not: Citizenship, State Capture, Creeping Fascism, and Criminal Hijack of Politics in Nigeria, Pat Utomi (2019),Lagos: CVL Press Limited ISBN: 978-1-907925-53-5 Reviewed by: Chido B. Nwakanma, School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University

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A return to pamphleteering atrick Okedinachi Utomi has played many roles in the public space in Nigeria. Professor, entrepreneur, youth influencer, one of the poster boys of Lagos at 50, public relations icon and politician.

In consequence of his latest role as a politician and gubernatorial candidate, Utomi has now taken on the role of pamphleteer.

Pamphleteers were the foremost opinion leaders who rose up historically in times of crisis to broadcast the writer’s opinion, articulate a political ideology and mobilise citizens. Pamphleteers arose in times of political unrest, such as the French Revolution. Notable pamphleteers include Thomas Paine, John Milton and our Nnamdi Azikiwe, starting with Renascent Africa.

Why Not: Citizenship, State Capture, Creeping Fascism, and Criminal Hijack of Politics in Nigeria, provides the reader with a vivid picture of the crisis of values at the heart of the Nigerian political and leadership experience, its causes and why Nigeria is worse off for it.

The trigger for the book is the recent involvement of Prof Pat Utomi in the effort to clinch the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the seat of Governor of Delta State. It went very badly. We learn in this book that the problem is not losing the ticket but seeing the rot that is the process of political choice in our political parties.

Utomi was a founding member of the APC and one of its key human resources for delivering its impressive manifesto in 2015. What happened to that manifesto is one of the indicators of the crisis of trust in our politics.

The central thesis of Why Not is that the pursuit of private gain rather than common good dominates Nigerian politics and makes it incapable of delivering positive returns to citizens across our 36 states.

Utomi asserts, “Across the country, governors are raping their States and then deciding who will continue the rape, often on their behalf, when term limits stop their direct romp. What we must not shy away from admitting is that most Nigerian political parties are in the firm grip of criminal elements who see access to public office either as a business from which to reap big returns, a path to totally dominate others (the new fascism), or as an arena of transactions for fully personal trading objectives. The ‘common good’ features very little in their thinking except as rationalisation of purpose even when goal displacement is so palpable.

“That Nigerian civil society and media are yet to comprehend the depths to which their politics have fallen fully and to fashion a fight back to rescue the Nigerian people is probably the big question for

now in Nigeria.”

Why Not runs through nine chapters.

Chapter titles speak to the issues the book covers. They include A haunting metaphor, Back to the beginning, Greed and fetish ways versus issues and fixing problems, The Complicit Middle and A few good men. Others are The Gideon Project: Finding grass and its roots, A path from serfdom, Reclaiming a lost but blessed land and Why and Why Not. In “Back to the beginning”, the author assays to establish his credentials and long interest in public affairs. It includes roles in students’ unionism culminating in bringing a minister to speak to students at the University of Nigeria, years as a prolific thought leader, essayist and newspaper columnist, producer and presenter of Patito’s Gang and President of the militaryera Concerned Professionals.

Utomi asserts that there is “a need to wake Nigerians up.” Concerned Professionals and other pro-democracy groups hastened the return of the military to their barracks and the reclamation of democracy for Nigeria. Utomi recounts one recurring lamentation. “The democracy we fought for has set life up to imitate art as it mirrors Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s mockery of the experience as “Dem-all-crazy”.”

Unfortunately, the Concerned Professionals and their ilk across the country failed to transmute into political parties, leaving the space for persons who played no role in the struggle and lacked the values to propel the country forward with policies

and programmes based on vision.

Chapter 4, The Complicit Middle, is recommended reading. It is provocative.

It laments the apathy and dysfunction of Middle-Class Nigeria. Study after study shows that the middle class is pivotal to growth in most societies. Natalie Chun, Rana Hasan, and Mehmet Ulubasoglu (2011) analysed data from 72 countries in a study for the Asian Development Bank, “The Role of the Middle Class in Economic Development: What Do Cross-Country Data Show?” and the evidence is that the middle class propels economic growth.

Other studies show that the middle class does this by promoting better governance and right policy choices.

Utomi says the Nigerian middle class is passive rather than active on the issues that propel societal growth and economic development. He groups under the Nigerian middle class the tropical gangster in politics, intellectuals, students, religious leaders, and the business community. The business community, the author charges, “take cover in feigned neutrality to collaborate with whoever is in power and quietly fund them against the people’s will”. The AGIP approach of the business community would no longer do, he says.

Utomi calls for a reform in the middleclass attitude which is “the attitude which sees politics as the arena for only people pursuing their narrow self-interest. This same attitude believes that politicians should be mocked, poked fun at and generally dismissed as having no redemp-

tive value. The result is that the typical Nigerian youth of today feels hopeless and wants out.”

Why Not paints on a broad canvass.

The book is a major contribution to studies in Nigerian and African political science, sociology, political economy and mass communication.

Why Not exemplifies Walter Fischer’s Narrative Paradigm Theory in using storytelling to good effect. Narrative Paradigm states that all meaningful communication is in the form of storytelling. Experiences and other factors from the past influence the process.Why Not is a coherent account with a high degree of fidelity and deploys the tools of narrative to present an account using split screen rather than linear storytelling.

The book adds to the impressive corpus of works featuring the author’s engagement with the Nigerian condition. Works by this renowned professor of political economy include Managing Uncertainty: Competition and Strategy in Emerging Economies, The Art of LeadingOpen Secrets of Leadership Effectiveness, and Values and Leadership for Sustainable Development- A compendium on Leadership. Others are Golden thoughts- A collection of Prof Pat Utomi’s views on the Economy politics and social system and Keeping Faith- The Making of an Icon.There are also Business Angel as a Missionary- Reflections of an Economic Growth Activist, Nigeria’s Political Economy and the Courtship with Poverty and Critical Perspectives on Nigerian Political Economy and Management.

Why Not adds to the literature on political participation in Africa and the Third World. Ayisha Osori (2017), Love does not win elections, and Mahathir Ibn Mohammed’s (1970)The Malay Dilemma.Osori’s run for a seat in the House of Representatives under the PDP in the FCT recounts the same sad story of compromise, loss of values and complicity of citizens in the charade of choice.

Why Not is a courageous stab at the problems of Nigeria. It names and shames with candour. Why Not was published on February 6, 2019, the anniversary of the author’s 63rd birthday.

Why Not should provoke “debates and a market place of ideas” the presence of which Utomi says would serve as an antidote to the present decline in Nigeria.

To escape “onrushing anarchy”, the book recommends Nigeria should “leapfrog initiatives in education and healthcare; government focused on the people and the common good; a strategy based on dominating the value chains of factor endowments where Nigeria has an obvious latent comparative advantage and creating citizenship culture that breeds patriots”.

Happy birthday, Prof Utomi.

Editor’s note: We welcome intelligent review of Nigerian/ international authors by interested writers. send your reviews to bdsundayletter@businessdayonline.com

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Lander Stool;

the age-long historic wood carving

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Arts Lander Stool; the age-long historic wood carving

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OBINNA EMELIKE f you take a critical look at the Lander Stool, you will appreciate the sheer beautify of the wood carving.

From the precise and distinctive cuttings, drawings and finishing, the creative ingenuity of the artist is obvious. You do not need a second look to feel and recognize the authenticity and origin of the artwork. Its deep African theme, a reflection of the heritage of the artist who made it, says it all.

Also, the stool is a material representation of the earliest contacts between Britain and the Yoruba race, going by the heritage the artist promoted with work.

The stool is a rare carving considering that it was made almost 200 years ago and still durable and appealing to visitors who pay to see it at the British Museum in the United Kingdom. With available records, the Lander stool is one of the very first works taken from Nigeria.

Ironically, the artwork bears a questionable, as well as, a wrong name. While it is called Lander Stool, that name is not the original name given to the work by the local artist who made it centuries ago. The artist was never known or given credit for his creativity.

Going by history, the art-

ist was probably killed or his work forcefully taken during the frequent raids by the colonial masters who left the comfort of Europe to scramble for slaves in Africa.

One of such colonialists was Richard Lander, one of the earliest known explorers of the interior who was instrumental in pioneering colonisation of Nigeria.

In 1830, the sculpture was among the many artifacts plundered and taken away to Europe

by Lander. Lander was a celebrated figure in the UK and was even given the Royal Geographical Society Founder’s Medal in 1832 for stealing the heritage of Africa.

On his return from the UK later in 1832, he died of a musket ball wound, shot by inhabitants defending their territory during his final trip through the South-West region of Nigeria.

Today, precisely 187 years, Lander Stool is still at the British Museum where it joins other artworks plundered from Africa to spin money for the museum.

But there is a need to return the work to the original owner, which is Lagos State, where it was stolen from if the original artist cannot be traced.

The return is necessary because the work represents the very beginning of the colonial story that led to the formation of the Royal Niger Company and ultimately the colonial state

of Nigeria.

Again, it is needful to return the work now that the British Museum is contemplating returning some works in its possession from Benin Kingdom on loan.

So, the Nigerian art community was happy when the Lagos State Government formally made a request to the British Museum in London for the return of the extremely important sculptural woodcarving.

For many, the formal request by the Lagos government delivered to the British Museum recently by Steve Ayotinde, Lagos State commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, at a two-day symposium on emerging museum projects in Africa at the British Museum, was long overdue.

While the plan by British Museum to return some artifacts to the Benin kingdom was induced by the Royal Benin Museum project undertaken by the state, the request by Lagos State was because of the John K. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, a new cultural facility in Onikan, Lagos, that will house the artifact and many others when completed later this year.

Well, there seems to be a change and revolution for repatriating African artifacts in foreign museums, but African countries and states should also prepare to receive the works by building befitting museums to press further their demand.

tural reawakening in our youth”, he asserted.

The Face of Okija pageant was designed as a platform to redefine the concept of beauty and pageantry in a way that’s completely different from the conventional definition where beauty is largely defined by vain physical appearance and cosmetic enhancements and was not only the answer to youth apathy to the Igbo language and culture, but was the natural response to an obsession for cosmetic physical beauty while true inner beauty based on virtue is largely overlooked.

Only indigenes of Okija were eligible to contest at the maiden edition of the competition with the idea being to identify and crown an Okija lady who would serve as a cultural ambassador for the entire Igbo land – promoting the Igbo values, language, fashion and dance while engaging in charitable works for public good, and after four editions, with the

male segment included in 2016, the 2018 edition was opened to all indigenes of Anambra state so that the message of inclusiveness will be rapt.

The 2018 theme ‘Reengineering Our Moral Standard’ focused on the spate of illegal migration of the youths to Europe and the Middle East at great risks to their lives and how the belief that abroad is paved with gold is a ruse hence the need for all to work hard and believe in their country to develop in all ramifications.

To promote the message of cultural rebirth, the foundation brought in from Kenya, Patrick Lumumba, renowned pan-Africanist, activist, social crusader and a former anti-corruption czar to engage the youth on how to make the country lead the African race into development and sufficiency, and also Chimamanda Adichie, award-winning writer of international acclaim to mentor the youths.

Okija festival, a rebirth of cultural values Josephine Okojie

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or long, beauty pageants have been held to promote different causes through the exploitation of physical beauty in passing the message of the organizers. Some of them have received either flakes or praise from the society depending on their approach with nothing that the society can benefit from such pageants in the long run.

Also the quest by many Nigerian youths to seek greener pasture abroad through the dangerous Sahara desert because of the pull effects of foreign societies whose cultures have been amplified as the best over others and their way of life adopted through promotion of their practices – beauty pageants – which have made African cultural values to be abhorred by the youths is one that must be tackled by any society desirous of

having a future.

This was why the Obijackson Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the Obijackson Group, resorted to organising Face of Okija Pageant where intellect, character, language and cultural affinity through knowledge of the African, Igbo culture will make you the winner of N1 million, an official car, and an automatic employment as brand ambassadors for the foundation with a regular monthly salary for the duration of the reign.

Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, founder Obijackson Foundation, on why it has institutionalized the cultural festival said the strength of a tree and its ability to withstand the vagaries of the natural elements largely depends on the depth of its roots like a tree firmly rooted in the soil is more likely to withstand flood, wind and other hostile weather conditions than others that may have shallow roots.

Obiejesi said they are concerned that Igbo culture with its very rich values appears to mean very little to a lot of youth today and like the proverbial tree with shallow roots, they can be blown off in any direction by a strong wind. Here are times that youths resort to social media as their moral compass and the inability to speak local dialect is no longer shameful but indeed a positive status symbol; a world where the narrative about African culture is being determined by foreign media and the internet.

“For us, we could not allow this sorry state of affairs to fester. We felt a sense of duty to contribute our quota to a cultural renaissance of some sort that will ultimately inspire our youths to become worthy ambassadors and raving fans of the Igbo culture. This is the vision behind Obijackson Foundation’s Face of Okija Cultural Festival – an annual engagement to engineer social change and cul-

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23

Arts

Art across intriguing art forms

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Obinna Emelike f you are a visual art lover looking for an artist to follow or a collector with eyes on breathtaking works to buy, then you may consider Chika Idu. The reasons are obvious; the sheer uniqueness, aesthetics, topicality, and the creative ingenuity of the artist, speak volume of his depth.

Idu’s use his works to touch on socio-political issues from different viewpoints.

The works also addressed Nigeria’s need to progress and evolve into an equitable society through subtle political and environmental messages.

Truly, Idu, whose works are inspired by everyday living, plays across intriguing art forms. More also, most of his works are often characterised by a heavy texture and hazy rendition technique, which he calls ‘light against visual distortion’. Explaining the light technique, he says, “There are particles of dust all around us and each particle receives and deflects light.

Since I do not see so clearly in human concept, I will share with the world what I see and how I see it”.

Over the years, Idu has been critical of injustice and poor welfare for the citizenry, especially children through some provocative masterpieces. For the past 18 years, he has been committed to exposing the plight of the African child through his works.

Recently he began an environmental campaign on the health risks faced by children living in coastal slums.

In one of his recent exhibitions tagged Evolving Current, his strong figurative and personal style was easily recognizable, which traced his trajectory and stylistic development. As well, his technique involves the exhaustive priming of his canvas.

His broad oeuvre embraces themes such as traditional Nigerian ceremonies, musicians and landscapes. Several of his paintings are imbued with narrative content. They depict children engaging in various forms of activity; on the way to school, praying, reading or swimming. Beyond being an established painter, Idu is also an accomplished portraitist. In some of his portraits, his canvases portraying the beauty of the African woman with her pouted lips and lithe supple body are built

up thickly with palette knife and sometimes fingers.

Sometimes, more fluid figures and forms populate his canvases, while the texture and materiality of his chosen media always baffle first-time viewers and even established art enthusiasts.

The Delta State born painter was instrumental

in the creation of Defactori Studios, which today has become an art movement among Nigeria’s new generation artists and also created Nigeria’s first Water Colour Society of Artists (SABLES).

Idu has been a part of numerous group exhibitions and has had five solo exhibitions including at the Homestores

and Terra Kultur Galleries in 2015.

Besides teaching art at the Lycee Francais Louis Pasteur, a French international school in Lagos, Idu has an active studio practice in Ikorodu, which he established in 2000 after graduating with a major in painting from Auchi Polytechnic in Edo State.

Of course, his works, which are characterized by heavy texture and hazy views, can be found in many private and public collections across the globe and are often on display in galleries across Lagos, especially the Wheatbaker Hotel and Temple Muse in Ikoyi and Victoria Island respectively.

increasing per capita productivity for Lagosians by improving infrastructures such as road, rail and water transportation.

“Our major healthcare plan is to improve access and affordability through comprehensive health insurance and improve primary and secondary health facilities. And for our environment, LAWMA’s waste management system will be upgraded for better

service delivery while we implement measures to turn waste to wealth and ensure a clean and healthy environment in Lagos,” he added.

Since the flag off of his campaign, Sanwo-Olu has consistently held engagement sessions with different groups across the state with the aim of deepening understanding of his vision for the state and its residents.

Sanwo-Olu celebrates Valentine’s Day with Lagosians

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abajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, on Thursday celebrated Valentine’s Day with residents of the state during an event tagged ‘A Passion to Serve’.

Sanwo-Olu in company with his running mate, Obafemi Hamzat, used the event, which held in five

locations across the state, to affirm his commitment to birth a greater Lagos that would ensure the prosperity of the residents.

He also shared roses and other gifts with Lagosians to demonstrate his love for the people.

The campaign, which took place at Abule Egba, Festac, Ikeja, Surulere, and Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, featured music, dance competitions

and pretty ladies in red, addressed as ‘Sanwo Angels’, handing out roses to Lagosians.

Addressing the people at Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu reiterated that health, cleaner and safer environment, traffic management and transportation, security as well as improved economy would be accorded priority amongst other laudable programmes his administration would offer the

residents of the state.

“From the creative energies of our youths, the spirit of enterprise in our land, to the wisdom of our elders, I am persuaded a greater Lagos is possible. There could not have been a better day for me to tell you of my love to serve you than today,” he said.

Speaking further, Sanwo-Olu said that his administration will be committed to reducing travel time and

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Life&Living

Celebrating Valentine in style with these love-inspired looks by Trish O

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Ifeoma Okeke

alentine’s Day was amazing with not just love in the air but more importantly, fashion.

Whether you’re fully committed or just playing the field, people could embrace their inner romantic that day and all through this month of love with the most fashionable pieces and cultural moments from Trish O Couture, inspired by Valentine’s Day. Think: lingerie dressing, romantically hued dresses, classic love scenes, and more. The collection, basically made with lots of tulle, see through sheer, romantic floral aplique, with ruffles and more feminine frills are absolutely the

best date night outfits for any classy lady.

Emmy Collins London returns with a bang!

IFEOMA OKEKE

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he innovative London based brand headed by Emeka Collins popularly known as Emmy has launched its new showroom in Lagos. The exquisitely decorated showroom was officially launched on the 16th of December with a champagne fuelled party which attracted authentic fashion aficionados. The showroom is situated at 9 Alhaji Kanike Street, Off Awolow Rd Ikoyi and can also be accessed via Ademola Street,Ikoyi.

According to the Creative Director, Emmy “our clients have constantly communicated to us the fact that the void we left is still yearning to be closed but to no avail. If I could take a penny for each time I have listened to such sentiments, I will probably have retired a billionaire by

now. On a serious note, we are a very unique brand regardless of wherever we are located, be it London, Paris, Milan, Lagos etc and our clients revere that uniqueness and quality that we bring to the table.

“I deeply believe that there could never have been a better and more exciting time to launch this showroom in Lagos than now because a huge part of Nigerian men have totally and categorically repudiated the previously but erroneously accepted myth that men should/must always be decked up in grey, black ,navy, stripe garments. Men are now more than eager to explore and I find that utterly inspiring. These are indeed exciting times for men`s style”.

For the grooms and groomsmen searching for British quality tailored suits, the showroom stocks suiting and lining swatches from collections of Holland and Sherry of Savile Row.

If you are still confused about what to wear this month, take a cue

from Trish O Valentine’s Day Looks and don your best for a classy night

out and feel perfectly sexy for your partner.

Dress to suit your body shape Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

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e all know that everything comes in different shapes and sizes. And yes that includes the humanbody *surprise surprise* LOL. But on a serious note, it is very surprising that even in this day and age, with the advent of uncountable fashion awareness shows like Gok’s fashion fix, what not to wear and the likes, women still find it incredibly difficult to get clothes that suit their body shape and size. Or should I say most women do not even have a clue as to what shape they are even if they look into the mirror every day. Come on girls, it’s really not that difficult to discover what shape you are.

Well, I’m here to help ease your stress with finding your perfect fit. So let’s put a smile on your face now.

Two of Britain’s most popular fashion advisors, presenters and authors, Trinny Woodhall and Susannah Constantine have identified 12 different humanbody shapes in their new book titled ‘Thebody shape bible’. In addition to the basic apple, pear and hourglassshapes that most of us have heard about. These two fashion icons have added the skittle, vase cornet, lollipop, column, bell, goblet, cello and brickshapes.

Don’t get all confused now. I’ll take some time out to explain thebody shapes which most women fit into.

Apple: Women with thisbody shape tend to carry more weight around the mid section of their

bodies and do not have a well defined waist. However, most of you have fabulous legs and/boobs so instead of covering up all your goodies, concentrate on showing off the best bits by wearing empire line and longer length tops. These will flatter your figure and take all the attention off your waist and draw people’s attention upwards.

Avoid short, box shaped jackets and pleated skirts. They wouldn’t do you justice.

Pear: These women are bottom heavy and bigger around the hips, thighs or bottom and smaller at the top. Try balancing out your curvy bottom half with bold bright coloured tops or shirts with large collars, sleeves or lapels.

Make sure you avoid wearing pencil, tube and fishtail skirts as these will only emphasise your hips and bum, especially if they are tight fitted.

Hour glass: Curvy hour glass women posses full bust and bot-

tom and go in smaller in the middle with smaller waist. Remember not to drown your sexy shape in too baggy clothes. Wear wrap dresses, waist cinching belts and flared trousers/jeans to flatter your shape. Shapeless baggy jumpers or tops are a complete NO NO. Rectangle: these are ladies that are fairly straight up and down. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have boyish chest as some of them don’t. There is no main area you need to minimise on yourbody so you can get away with more things than most. However, you may crave more curves so try wearing a structured coat that cinches in with a belt. If you have small bust, you can get away with tricky to wear high necked tops.

Avoid low rise trousers that make your torso look longer and try not to wear sheath dresses, instead wear dresses with more shape.

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Entertainment Movie Review - SECOND ACT Linda Ochugbua

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t was nice to see Jennifer Lopez star in this brand new movie. Second Act was one of those Jennifer’s typical kind of simple storyline movie, with nothing extraordinary or exceptional. I really can’t explain if I liked the movie because it was nice, or because I have a flare for Jennifer herself. I didn’t get the excitement from most people who saw the movie; to many it was just too simple and blank.

Directed by Peter Segal and written by Justin Zackham & Elaine Goldsmith- Thomas.

Jennifer Lopez who was also known as “Maya” in the movie was a young Lady in her “40s”, who struggled with loads of issues and not having her dreams fulfilled. She had a little girl when she was very little and gave her up for adoption, one most of her friends never knew about.

She went on with her life but was never happy afterwards, she got a job in a store where she worked for years, but never got promoted due to so many stereotyping going on in the company, she was so frustrated and wanted to leave, till one day a beautiful opportunity came her way and she moved on without looking back.

The movie took a whole new twist when she got a new job which she wasn’t in any way qualified for, due to the fake personality that was created for her on social media. She had to leave up to the lies and face all that came her way. On the job she had to compete with a better team and deal with a wicked guy who decided to dive into her

past and find out who she really was. Well you’ll have to watch the rest of the movie to find out what happened when her past came unfolding.

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini, Vanessa Hudgens, Treat Williams, Milo Ventimiglia, Natasha Romanova & many others Genre: Comedy & Romance Director: Peter Segal Ratings: PG-13 (for some crude sexual references and luggage) Written by: Justin Zackham & Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas Runtime: 1o3 minutes Studio: STXFilms To my verdict I would score this movie 6/10, I liked the sim-

ple story, but the movie just left you wondering if that was all?

A few things were missing here and there but locations and costumes were great.

Well if you do love romantic comedy movies, you might want to give the movie a try and let us know what you think.

Feel free to review any movie of your choice in not more than 200 words, please send us a mail to linda@businessdayonline. com , also please do answer the question of the week on social media and stand a chance to win a free movie ticket.

Linda Ochugbua @lindaochugbua

Omoni Oboli’s Wing of Dove thrills at Los Angeles Movie Festival

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moni Oboli’s latest movie, Wing of Dove premiered at the cinemark Baldwin Hills and XD Theater, 4020 Marlton Ave Los Angeles California as part of the ongoing Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles California this February to the audience’s delight. The Award winning actress and mother of three is absolutely one of the women to reckon with in the Nollywood and is ready to take the message of her new movie to every corner of the world.

The new movie, ‘Wings of Dove’ addressed the issue of early marriage in the Nigerian society by highlighting the negative effects on its victims and even the society in general, and also emphasizing the importance of educating the girl child.

The movie is an emotion-

ally charged story of two young Northern Nigerian girls who were married off to much older men at the age of 13 and 14 years but all they want is freedom to be children. The movie takes you on an emotional roller coaster of the loss of childhood innocence,

the consequences of being in a forced, arranged marriage and the hopes and dreams of a future that is stolen from them.

The star studded movie showcases a menace in different parts of Africa and certain parts of Nigeria. Many have described bringing the movie to the discussion table through Omoni Oboli’s work of art as a welcome development. The movie screened again on February 10 and 11, 2019 at the festival.

Before now, Omoni Oboli has made other masterful works such as Being Mrs Elliot, First Lady, Wives on Strike, Mums at War and Okafor’s Law. The wife and mother has been making moves and gaining recognition in the industry.

This movie addresses what is happening in our society today and what can be done to fix them.

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‘Light in the Darkness’, telling social realties

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ight in the Darkness’ is a good film, with relevant themes, and good but flawed story/ script. I rate the move 6 over 10. This is because the story is simple, well developed and perhaps pragmatic; the performances are top notch, and the film’ sound and picture quality are testaments to the finesse of Ekene Som Mekwunye who won the Best Short Film in Africa at the African Magic Viewers Choice Awards, AMVCA, in 2015. The movie features Joke Silva, Ngozi Nwosu, Saidi Balogun, Kiki Omeili, Nonso Odogwu, Abimbola Ademoye, Big Mickey, Prince Unigwe, Angel Onyinyechi Unigwe, Doddy Abili, Richard Kanayo Mekwunye, Maxwell Ihuoma and Marie Awolaja.

The movie touched several subjects from intertribal marriage, to African culture and gender preference, conspiracy, sexual assault, trauma and healing. Kalu Ikeagwu and Rita Dominic (Emeka and Jumoke relationship was opposed by their parents –Ngozi Nwosu, and Joke Silva respectively) due to tribal sentiments and mistrusts. They eventually got married and had only a daughter after 11 years to the chagrin of Emeka’s mother who insisted on a male child. A happy and very gay family, Jumoke and Emeka attracted the jealousy of a neighbour’s wife (Kiki Omeili) a villain whose scheme led to the destabilization of a successful intertribal marriage.

where they were holding someone at gunpoint, the culprits should have at least been charged for robbery.

The police investigation aspect of the movie attempted (un)successfully to change the battered image of the Nigerian police. The script tried to bring in dramatic irony, and twist where the most sympathetic to the couple’s challenges was actually the villain even though this kind of twist is typical of Nollywod films and thus predictable.

The movie can boast of good directing as can be seen in how all aspects of the movie were in sync.

There was such a fantastic chemistry between Angel Onyinyechi Unigwe and Kalu Ikeagwu, and Rita Dominic.

The portrayal of the trio as a family was very successful and convincing. I like the boisterous and happy nature of Angel Onyinyechi Unigwe, it was so real. She has established herself as a successful child actor with the film. Of course no one should expect less from Ngozi Nwosu, she was cast in her type, her usual no nonsense action woman and she killed it. In fact my best scene was when she encountered Rita Dominic when she came to sweep the house after waking up late. She gave life to that scene with her vituperation in Igbo language. All the actors put up credible performances.

There were exceptional shots and movements of camera in the movie, for instance, after the rape

The story/script is lyrical but for its flaws. The impression is that Saidi Balogun a notorious criminal robbed and raped Emeka and his wife Jumoke. In fact, the film suggested they came to Kiki Omeili’s flat as armed debt collectors to retrieve the money Kiki Omeili’s husband was owing them before Kiki out of jealousy cajoled them to go and rob and, and defile Jumoke, her friend and neighbour. The question is how come the police claimed to lack evidence to charge Saidi Balogun to court even when the robbery victims have identified him as the culprit? One can also infer conspiracy even though it was not clearly spelt out that Kiki Omeili and her husband (Nonso Odogwu) conspired by denying having any previous relationship with the robbers which for me is a credit because a story must not be too revealing.

In this regard, the movie is not for the unfocused not for its intelligent complexity but for its deceptive flashback. A good film should be able to create a film and audience reception relationship that brings the viewer to mentally participate in creating meaning. However, the work of investigation as portrayed in the movie is faulty and erroneous.

For the victims to have identified the culprits, and for the culprits to have been caught with fire arms at a point

of Rita Dominic; the camera was showing her at a full angle from the top and her violation and trauma were really emphasised through this singular shot. However, before the rape, the rapist was only shown pulling down her trouser after which he immediately and forcefully went into Rita Dominic while she was still in her night gown. I was surprised to see Rita Dominic portrayed to be naked but covered with bed sheet after the rape. Could it be she was asked to strip during the rape? Since the rape scene was not fully developed, we can only imagine it is possible.

The film is very topical, it interrogated tribalism and ethnicism, the culture of silence by rape victims and their victimization. In a culture where rape victims are stigmatised, the film is a call for victims to speak out and take their rightful place as victims rather than live in guilt and self judgment. Rapists must not be condoned in the society by victims for fear of victimization and stigmatization; they should be reported, apprehended and punished. In all, even though the film’s title: ‘Light in the Darkness’ is unimaginative, it is worth your time, money and popcorn.

Destiny Isiguzo Follow on instagram @destinyisiguzo and on twitter @isiguzocid

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Bliss with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Email: chiwuagwu@yahoo.com Phone number (sms only) 08057511893

I’m not mature enough to get married – Mimisola Daniels

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opular Yoruba actress, Mimisola Daniel has said marriage is not on her to-do list again this year. In an interview with Bliss earlier in the week, the actress said she is not getting married this year because she is not mature enough to be married.

“Marriage is not on my list this year. Never say never though.

However, I doubt if I would get married this 2019. There is no man yet and even if there is any, I don’t think I want to get married this year. As from next year, I would consider marriage. I am not mentally ready to get married.

I don’t think I am mature enough to get married and it is not about the age. I don’t want to get married and get divorced again. I want to get married when I am so ready for it and I am not at the moment,” she said.

But as she is not getting married this year, Mimi, as she is fondly called, said she is equally busy with her career this year. “ I have a lot I am doing this 2019 and I have even started. I have movies to shoot. Before the

end of next month, I hope to start one of the movies I am producing.”

In these days of politics, while her some of her colleagues are at the forefront and following politicians in their campaign trains, Mimi said she is not among them.

“I don’t even have a Voter’s Card so I don’t even have the right to tell people who to vote for. These days, we don’t even know the true politicians; we don’t know the ones who have our interests at heart. I just hope my colleagues are not following these politicians for the sake of money. It will not be worth it to collect money to sell your future.

I am not part of them. If I should have the right candidate, I would have joined them,” she said.

Mimi, also in the interview, added that the industry has yet to be favourable to up and coming actors.

“Up and coming actors are still not given a chance in the Yoruba movie industry. It may have to do with the mentality we have in the industry. It has not changed. It has got to the stage where we do ‘help me and I help you’. It is funny how we cast actors for roles in the industry. You will see somebody, who doesn’t even know how to speak English in real life, being cast for a role of a guy that has lived in the US who just came back from Yankee. I just hope it gets better.”

250 filmmakers benefit from NFVCB grant in Ogun

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Many Nigerians have problem with my backside – Anita Joseph

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ctress, Anita Joseph, who is known for her curvy shape has said a lot of Nigerians have a problem with her voluptuous backside.

In a short video she posted in her Instagram account recently, Anita who showcased her massive backside more for her fans, foes and followers, said she wouldn’t know why people have problem with her shape.

“Nigerians, you have a problem; I enter bathtub, problem; I twerk; problem. What is really your problem? I am not really your problem, look

at what your problem is – my backside. You guys have not seen anything. You have only seen 90; I will still show you 95.”

The video elicited several comments from her colleagues and fans, most of whom commended the hilarious but daring video.

Former beauty queen, Adaeze Yobo laughed at the video and posted, “I love you” while Anita’s friend, Bobrisky, also posted, “Crazy girl.”

And responding to why she did the video in a whatsap message Bliss sent to her, Anita simply replied, “E good for them”.

n its empowerment programme across the country, the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), has extended a start-up grant to 250 young film entrepreneurs in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

The two-day event which began on Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at the Rontex Hall, Imowo Road, with a training session by seasoned industry practitioners and theatre arts lecturers offered participants insights into a successful career in filmmaking.

Anchored by Associate Professor Tunji Azeez of the Lagos State University (LASU), facilitators include, Professor Olu Obafemi of the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, University of Ilorin; Professor Shola Fosudo of the Department of Theatre and Music, Lagos State University; Professor Rasaki Ojo-Bakare of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti; and Professor Ayo Akinwale of the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, University of Ilorin.

In his opening remarks, Executive Director of NFVCB, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, said that the initiative was a deliberate effort by the NFVCB to bridge the gap between established industry players and upcoming ones across Nigeria.

He noted that all similar interventions and support efforts by either government or investors had been directed more at established names in the industry, with little or no support for new entrants.

“As the key regulator of the Nigerian motion picture industry, the board has decided to bring

practical knowledge of how to be successful in the sector to these passionate youths. We do not only train them but we are also giving grants to 250 selected ones, as part of our efforts at assisting stakeholders in the industry, especially the young ones,” he said.

The training in Ijebu-Ode was the fifth in the series, following previous outings in Amuwo-Odofin, and Oshodi in Lagos; Port Harcourt in Rivers State, and Nnewi in Anambra State.

Adedayo explained that the board, under his watch would ensure that every Nigerian filmstakeholder got motivated, irrespective of geographical divide.

“The NFVCB has operational offices in the six geo-political zones of our country, and from January we began this empowerment programme for all the zones.

We decided to come to Ijebu-Ode, a town in the South-West for inclusiveness, outside the usual focus on state capitals.”

Ojo-Bakare, while speaking on Exploring Dance and Music for a More Effective Film Industry in Nigeria, emphasise the need to use more kinetic energy to generate interest of film lovers, averring that verbal narratives, being a cultural attitude, is the problem of most Nigerian films.

He decried situations whereby dialogues override actions, just as soundtracks also break suspense, adding that dance and music, could be injected to break unnecessary dialogues, using the Bollywood example.

14 ready for Hymnodia Reality TV Show

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ourteen young ladies and gentlemen could not hide their excitement earlier in the week when they were ushered into the house of a brand new reality show on hymns called Hymnodia.

With a grand prize of N5m and a brand new car ready for grabs for the eventual winner, the ‘hymntestants’ (as they are called) are all set to bring out their best vocal chords during the show, which would last for 13 weeks.

The hymntestants were received into the Hymnstitute at an exclusive, glamorous ceremony which was well attended by stakeholders in the industry, members of the faculty and the media in Ikeja, Lagos.

The 14 hymntestants – six female and eight male – were selected through a painstaking two-day

audition held at the Lagos Television (LTV8) that pruned the thousands of entries to 200, followed by post audition evaluations by the Hymnodia faculty.

A twist was however introduced into the “Arrival Show” ceremony when a 15thcontestant, Casey Edema, a tenor singer, was given the opportunity to battle to enter the Hymnstitute at the expense of one of the 14.

The Dean of the Hymnstitute, Benneth Ogbeiwi invited all the male hymntestants to the stage as he announced that their names would be put in a ballot for Edema to pick who to challenge. Edema dipped his hand into the bag and the name of Kenneth Ekhuemelo, a baritone singer, emerged.

Urging Edema and Ekhuemelo to

demonstrate their talent as an evictee would only be part of the Hymnodia Choir if it suits him, Ogbeiwi stated: “this is a battle for success. May the best hymntestant win.”

With high spirit, both hymntestants put up classic performances. Edema sang Great is Thy Faithfulness, was evicted while Ekwemelo, who performed Old Rugged Cross, Going by the response of the audience and the verdict of the faculty, joined the other 13 hymntestants into the Hymnstitute.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of Philosoville Limited and project initiator, Kufre Ekanem charged the hymntestants to be of good conduct and to put in to practice what they would be taught by the Hymnodia Faculty, who have hands-on knowledge in writing, singing and teaching of hymns and music.

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Travel Why Obudu Resort must not die

‘We are working to see more West Africans...

Obinna Emelike

experience those challenges in traveling to the destination, they should still have positive views of the destination.

T h at b e c o me s o n e key thing I want to work on. Secondly, enhancing the relationships with our partners is important to me. Like I mentioned before, because we are a marketing organisation, we need partners that are responsible for the fulfillment of the work that we do.

Our trade partners include; the media, stakeholders, and government officials involved in the whole process.

If we manage to achieve those two things, we will grow the arrivals and also get more people repeating visits because of the positive view of the destination, and that for me becomes the key focus area.

What are the efforts at tackling travel barriers to South Africa?

The key barrier or what I will call ‘the elephant in the room’ is the visa. The reason it is ‘the elephant in the room’ is because it is now receiving a presidential attention.

I can assure that Nigeria is not the only market facing the challenge; India and China are experiencing same.

But there is team working to address the issues, which is receiving the attention it deserves. But I do not know when the issue will be resolved. What we are doing as the people on ground; the high commissioner, the consular general, and myself, is facilitating where bottlenecks happen and ensure they are addressed promptly.

We have a target to bring a certain number of Nigerians to South Africa and that is why my team and I are always making ourselves available to deal with those issues when they come. We do so because we have a strong relationship with the people that are facilitating the visa application and issuance process. It is an ongoing engagement and we need to keep talking and if we stop talking there will be an increase in the challenges people are experiencing to get visas.

I have taken it upon myself to communicate those challenges and we hope to address them when they happen until a point when we have a structured address to the problem.

What are the ongoing engagements to resolve the challenges?

The engagement is on two fronts; there is a law side of what governs the visa issuance process, which becomes quite rigid as the officials involved have to stick to that process.

A

t an altitude of 1,716 metres above sea level, Obudu plateau truly enjoys a climate typical of the temperate regions of the world - the temperature of between 20 oC – 28 oC between November and January, while the lowest temperature range of 4 oC - 10oC is recorded between June and September.

From the stylish main entrance, the fun seems unending for those prepared for Mother Nature’s pamper that abounds in the Nigeria’s foremost sprawling resort.

The 11km of winding road with its 22 bends makes driving into the resort quite exhilarating.

One of the most exciting bends is the “devil’s elbow,” which is half way through the stretch.

As you climb against the altitude from bottom hill towards the peak, you pass through tall, dense forests where the branches form a canopy that completely shuts out the sun. Driving up to the plateau, you will view rolling mountain ranges.

There is no pleasure you cannot see at this highest peak in Cross River State - from nature to man-made. The resort hosts the first-ever cable car in Nigeria and longest in Africa.

The fun at the water park is for all, the cable car with worldclass facilities will give you same thrills of Europe and the US, while the canopy walk, mountain climbing and lush game in its forest reserve will not only keep you fit but marry man and nature.

Walking through numerous waterfalls, horse riding, squash and tennis nature beckon at you.

A nine-hole golf course has been constructed alongside a club house containing a gym. The ranch also has a Health Centre and a Police Post, natural small swimming pool with a mini waterfall.

Hiking is an absolute mustto-view, while Gorillas and other

wildlife in the Rain Forest are worth exploring in the natural reserve.

The various African and contemporary styled accommodation options offered at the resort will also indulge guests with their world-class facilities.

It is however regrettable that till date, both domestic and foreign tourists are still dragging their feet to the resort. In an age of global terrorism, the tourist of today is a battle-hardened creature.

However, it is infrastructure and not safety that is holding much of them back from unravelling most African tourist potentials. But Obudu Mountain Resort has enough of world-class facilities, breathtaking nature and serenity to indulge any tourist, no matter the interest.

The sad development gives great concern for many tourism and hospitality stakeholders.

What really is wrong? The resort seems to be operating under capacity due to poor patronage among other challenges that make it to quest less for the tourist’s dollar. Efforts by government and corporate bodies to encourage events and holidays at the resort have not been sustained, and few individual visitors seem to be looking elsewhere.

While infrastructure has a part to play, the poor holiday culture of Nigerians attributes to less domestic tourist presence at the place. It is about one hour flight from Lagos and Abuja, and between four and five hours drive from Calabar, the Cross River State capital. But most leisure buffs do not know that it is closer from Abuja by road. It is about six hours by road through Nasarawa-Lafia-Makurdi-GbokoAdoka-Obudu.

Apart from the lack of knowledge of alternative routes, many people still ask where the resort is. It means the managers of the resort are not doing enough publicity and needs aggressive marketing to woo more tour-

ists to the doorstep of Mother Nature domiciled at the resort.

Probably, that may be one of the reasons the Protea Group, and African Sun, former managers of the resort, left for more profitable city and business hotels.

Some stakeholders strongly believe the managers of the resort may be relying on state subvention to survive, instead of making effort at attracting the ‘tourist dollar’. While they recommend aggressive marketing strategy for creating more awareness of the potentials that are yet unravelled at the resort, they think the state government should co-operate with other states, corporate bodies, business people and even schools to encourage policies that encourage tours, excursions, retreats and holidays at the resort.

Efforts at marketing the resort, according to some of them, should extend to international travel and tourism events like World Travel Market in London, FITUR in Spain, ITB Berlin in Germany, and even Indaba, going by the way Nigeria is topping South African tourist arrival in recent times.

However, the fate of the resort, according to one of the executives of the resort manager, lies on the hands of the 170 million Nigerians who should rather take advantage of the population strength to sustain a vibrant domestic tourism. At least, that is one patriotic act that will not only ensure healthy living but sustain employees, revenue that accrue to government and the tourism industry to contribute enormously to the economy like others of its like in developed world.

The clarion call for the sustainability of patronage at the resort is rooted in the fact that without it, the dream of the state becoming a prime destination in the country may be defeated.

Then what becomes the fate of other states that do not even make effort at developing their tourism potentials?

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There are also the realities of the travelers in terms of what the travelers seek to achieve in their travel. The role that we play in the whole process is sharing this kind of information with the visa officials involved with the view that in their day to day processing of visas, they can take into consideration some of these realities.

One of the commitments that we have received is that there is going to be quarterly engagements with them so that we can share these market realities with them and to see ways of reviewing their processes.

Are there new attractions for Nigerian travelers in South Africa?

I always tell people that ‘the you that goes to South Africa is always different from the you that comes back’. Every time you visit, you do not see the same thing. On a visit, we might give you a city nightlife experience where you get to see the buzzing city, and the beauty of the various offerings. On another visit, we take you to see the scenic beauty of Drakensberg where you get to take in the nature and absorb the greenery and the big mountains.

So, there is a million things you can do in South Africa.

There is no one experience but many experiences to explore. The beauty is that we have nine provinces and there are about six things one can do; we have cultural experience, you can enjoy nightlife and all the nine provinces provide you very different, yet authentic nightlife. You can enjoy coastal beauty whether you are in Cape Town, Durban or Port Elizabeth.

We have not exposed the West African market to Port Elizabeth, which is along the garden route and that is one key thing we will be showcasing this year and I think people are in for a beautiful experience.

One of the things we will be showcasing is lots of the scenic beauty of the country, because I think we have exposed the West African market more to Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. You will start seeing lot more of the Free State, Drakensberg and lot more.

We will start showing people the various cultural sides that are available because one of the things I have seen about Nigerians is that they love the history part of South Africa and they like to explore new things.

These are some of the new things we will be showcasing. All I can see is watch this space for the amazing things that will be showcasing in the coming months.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Travel

US Government, industry, urged to work together to grow aviation’s benefits Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

T

he International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged the United States government and industry to work together to ensure that aviation is able to accommodate an expected 62percent rise in demand for air travel to, from and within the country over the next 20 years.

Speaking at the International Aviation Club in Washington, D.C., Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO noted that aviation already supports 6.5 million jobs in the United States and contributes over $778 billion to GDP, including aviation-supported tourism. The social and economic benefits enabled by aviation will increase as the number of passenger journeys rises to 1.26 billion by 2037, from 780 million in 2017.

De Juniac highlighted key factors necessary to ensure aviation is able to meet this increase and grow aviation’s benefits. These include maintaining a competitive environment that stimulates innovation and adequate infrastructure to cope with new demand: Competition “Delivering aviation’s eco-

nomic and social benefits requires a policy framework that supports competitiveness. Competition unleashes innovation and helps drive prices down. In 1978, the US government recognized this fact and deregulated the airline industry, leading to lower fares and greater access to air travel,” de Juniac said.

“Yet some in Congress are trying to turn back the clock on deregulation’s successful legacy. For example, a measure introduced in last year’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill would have required the

US Department of Transportation to regulate airline ancillary fees. Clearly the intent was to eliminate the unbundling model that has allowed airlines to keep fares low by asking consumers only to pay for those things they value.

“While the measure was not in the final bill, it should never have been introduced in the first place. On principle, it is outrageous that airlines were singled out in this manner,“ de Juniac added.

He also urged the US to ratify the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) to address

loopholes in international agreements that make it difficult to bring the law to bear against unruly passengers. “No passenger or crew member should have to put up with verbal or physical threats, harassment, violence or assault. MP14 will close jurisdictional loopholes in the existing international treaty governing offenses on-board aircraft, ensuring that perpetrators will face justice regardless of where they are flying.”

Sixteen countries have ratified MP14 of the twentytwo needed for it to come

into force.

Infrastructure De Juniac highlighted the need for additional airport infrastructure to accommodate growth. “While the US is in a better position than most markets, no major new airport has opened here in almost 25 years. With the US market expected to add close to 500 million passengers by 2037, that just won’t do.”

De Juniac said that airlines require sufficient infrastructure capacity, alignment with airline technical, service level needs and affordability.

In the absence of adequate infrastructure, de Juniac stressed the importance of the Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG) in managing scarce resources around the world.

“While there may be local variation in how slots are managed, the system will only work if the parties at both ends of a route are using the same rules. Tinkering by any participant messes it up for everybody. Therefore, we cannot turn a blind eye to one country or one airline over another,” de Juniac said.

Partial Government Shutdown De Juniac also called on leaders in Congress and the Administration to work together to ensure that aviation connectivity is not endangered in the event of another

government shutdown. He thanked the thousands of dedicated government employees who kept the aviation system functioning without pay during the recent five-week partial shutdown.

“While aviation was fortunate to escape long-lasting economic damage during the shutdown, there were some serious impacts and airlines took a hit in terms of tickets not sold and trips not made.

The shutdown also underscored the urgent need to remove the US air traffic control system from the federal budget process and place it in a nonprofit structure that would be immune to these kinds of situations.”

Business of freedom De Juniac emphasised aviation’s transcendent role as the Business of Freedom.

“Aviation liberates us from the constraints of geography and distance. It empowers us to lead better lives and makes the world a better place. Aviation enables globalization, which has been shown to be the most successful way to lift people from poverty.

“To be sure, we must aim for a more inclusive model.

But that will not be achieved with protectionist policies or trade wars. Prosperity will come with borders that are open to the movement of people and to trade. We need to state this loudly and frequently.”

Ethiopian GCEO receives ‘Most Influential Air Peace sets new record with People of African Descent’ award Bayelsa airport, commends Dickson

E

t h i o p i a n Ai r l i n e s Group, Africa’s Largest Airline Group and SKYTRAX Certified Four Star Global Airline, has extended its congratulations to the entire Ethiopian family and the country at large, on the recognition of Tewolde GebreMariam, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, as one of the most influential people of African descent in the category of business and entrepreneurship at a colourful ceremony held in Addis Ababa on Feb. 09, 2019.

The most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) is a global civil society initiative in support of the United Nation’s International Decade for People of African Descent, recognizing high achievers in four categories namely Politics and Governance, Business and Entrepreneurship, Media

and Culture and Religious and Humanitarian.

Regarding the recognition, GebereMariam, remarked, “It is an absolute honor to have received this prestigious recognition, an accolade that highlights the contribution of high achievers to Africa. First and foremost, my recognition is a tribute to the hardworking Ethiopian employees, ardent management members , the board and the government of Ethiopia at large.

“The award attests the incredibly important role Ethiopian airlines plays in the integration of Africa through a robust business. I have always taken a great deal of pride that Ethiopian is catalyzing the much needed trade and investment, tourism, and people-to-people relations in the continent and beyond.

“We, African business

leaders, who wield an influence in Africa’s business and economic circles should promote business and entrepreneurship in collaboration with all concerned stakeholders to help ensure sustainability and development, capitalizing on one if the greatest assets of Africa, which is its young, fast-growing, and increasingly urbanized population”, Tewolde urged.

Tewolde is said to have demonstrated an outstanding strategic thinking and direction in spearheading the strikingly exceptional growth trajectory of Ethiopian and put the airline on global aviation industry ”game changers” map, under a 15-year growth roadmap, Vision 2025, a growth plan what the rest of the world referred as “over ambitious and unattainable growth plan.”

W

est Africa’s biggest carrier, Air Peace on Thursday increased its tally of firsts, setting a new record as the first commercial airline to fly into the newly-built Bayelsa International Airport.

The airline, which is credited with many recordingsetting events, including being the first to acquire and register a Boeing 777 in Nigeria as well as the first carrier in West Africa to order the Boeing 737 MAX 8, flew a 50-seater Embraer 145 jet into the Bayelsa International Airport.

The flight operated by Crosby Otobo and his crew took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at about 2.50 p.m. and landed on the 3.5-kilometre runway of the Bayelsa International Airport at about 3.35 p. m.

The flight was welcomed by a crowd of overjoyed

indigenes and residents of Bayelsa, including Henry Seriake Dickson, the state Governor, and top government officials. The flight was also honoured by men of the Fire Service Department, who positioned with their trucks on both sides of the runway and sprayed arcs of water to salute the aircraft.

In a related development, Air Peace has commended Dickson for undertaking the Bayelsa International Airport project.

Speaking at the Bayelsa Airport moments after Air Peace flew into the facility, Oluwatoyin Olajide, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer, said the airport would be a vehicle for the industrial and economic development of the state.

“Air Peace is an airline of many firsts. We are indeed honoured and delighted to make another history as the

first commercial airline to operate into the Bayelsa Airport. We commend Governor Henry Seriake Dickson for this great project aimed at opening Bayelsa State up for rapid industrial and economic development. Since we commenced commercial flight operations over four years ago, Air Peace has greatly contributed to the development of cities and states we operate into.

“We have no doubt that the Bayelsa International Airport will provide us an opportunity to support the effort of the Bayelsa State Government to develop the state. It is indeed a new dawn for the people and residents of Bayelsa State. We urge the flying public and the business community to take advantage of this wonderful facility to break new grounds and realise their business and leisure interests”, Olajide said.

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Interview

‘We are working to see more West Africans visit South Africa for business and leisure’ Barely a month on the job, Thekiso Rakolojane, regional head, South African Tourism (SAT), West Africa Hub, is marshaling out plans on how to grow tourist arrivals from West Africa into his country. In this interview, he tells Obinna Emelike that exciting offerings, trade partners, efforts at tackling visa challenges among others are key to achieving SAT’s objective in the region.

M

What Is your background? y name is Thekiso Rakolojane, regional head, South African Tourism, West Africa Hub. I am a seasoned marketer with 20 years experience. My strength is brand and marketing.

I have spent 10 years of my career with South African Tourism. So, I have been in the tourism space for good 10 years, which is half of my entire working career. I have worked in different parts of tourism.

The big chunk of my career has been working around quality visit experience. While all engagements across the several markets attract visitors to South Africa, my job then was to make sure that the products that people are coming to experience have high quality.

But most importantly, my business was to ensure that visitors have good experiences here. Of course, the experience comes the moment you land at the airport, get into a rented car, get into a hotel, the reception you get when you get to the hotel, confirmation of your booking, getting into your room, your dinner experience, when you go out into the city, having a night life and other activities.

We were responsible for that entire value chain of the experience. So, I was operating under the supply side of the visitors’ experience, which was a big chunk of the work I did.

I believe from an organisation’s perspective, South African Tourism saw an opportunity and then take me from the supply side and put me on the demand where now I have an opportunity to work in driving the demand to the destination.

As well, I have been working with the West African market in the past five years but in different roles. Initially, I was supporting them with the information around the quality visit experience and then it was as a brand manager, assisting the West African team with the matters of corporate identity and how we position ourselves, how we should communicate, the kind of images we should be using to position ourselves and that shows the variety of the experience that we have.

So, if you look at all the videos and pictures that you have

seen over the years, which we have used in the market, I was involved in the production and articulation.

So, that is what I have done in the past few years and I am now tasked with leading the office in driving tourist arrivals into South Africa for the next five years.

What are the expectations from you as the hub head?

The big thing that is expected of me is to maintain the consistency in the office, to make sure that the office is running efficiently and we are meeting our objectives.

The objectives are clear; we need to grow the arrivals from Nigeria and Ghana into South Africa and that is the primary objective. How I do that is to make sure that we maintain the relevance of our brand in the consumers’ eyes, stay in top of mind in showing that in relation to our competitors, we are still ahead, making sure that we have very strong and sustainable strategic relationships. The relationships cut across the whole value chain; media partnership, and trade partners. It is on all sides because while we have the ability to create the demand, we do not have the ability to sell the packages, the trade partners are the ones that sell packages.

So, the relationship with our various trade associations and travel partners are very critical to us and is one of the key focus areas for me.

However, I want to make sure that we not only maintain the relationship, but we grow it and start giving our partners the right tools that will enable them to sell their packages to Nigerians because it is only through them that we have been able to sell without restrictions. We are working to see more Nigerians visiting South Africa for business and leisure.

The relationship with the media is very important too.

We might have all these messages and campaigns, but if we do not have media partners that are able to share it with their target audiences, readers and viewers, then we will be unable to meet our objectives.

As well, we engage with our various stakeholders and the business sector to assist us in achieving our goals.

When the business sector and stakeholders are having their team building initiatives,

Thekiso Rakolojane,

we want to make sure that they consider us as a destination and send their staff for training, and conferences because there are incentives for their staff. So, it becomes very important to have those closer and strong relationships with strategic partners so that you become their tourism partner when they start looking at destinations to start visiting for business or leisure.

We want to grow and maintain our business and leisure events arrivals to South Africa and for us to do that we need to make sure that we are enhancing our value proposition to West Africans. So, we are strategically partnering with the key partners in the market and are of mutual value to them.

What is the Nigerian arrivals figure into South Africa now?

With the reports we have received now, which reflect November 2018, I have seen a 3.7 growth when compared

with 2017 number. So, our annual target for arrival into South Africa from Nigeria is 60,000. We are well on track to achieve that target, but we will see what December has in stock because it is the final month that will enable us to tally the arrivals. Certainly, from August up till November, we have seen a steady growth of arrivals into the country, which is quite positive.

However, we have seen double digit growth in Ghana, whilst in Nigeria, we are hovering between 6 and 8 percent growth. There is 18 and 22 percent growth in arrival from Ghana. There is less Ghanaians coming to South Africa versus the Nigerians.

So, the basis differs, you have a higher base in Nigeria but a lower arrival margin, while we have a lower base in Ghana but with a higher arrival margin. Also, we understand the reasons for the growth differences. For Ghana, the recent announcement around the visa waivers would have had

a huge impact on that, while in Nigeria, we are still experiencing the challenges of the current visa processing.

What would be your primary focus in the Nigerian markets?

The perception that Nigerians have for us is very important to me because a lot of marketing works that we have done have increased our awareness to our target audience. A lot of people have seen what we do and the variety of experiences that we have.

However, because of the barriers of traveling to South Africa, there is a considerable number of people that have negative views of the destination. So, from a brand perspective, it becomes important to increase the perception people have about South Africa. The strategic focus for me is increase in the brand positivity about South Africa, so that even though people

Continues on page 27

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Interview Commonwealth University births in Niger Delta to rescue the poor in oil region – Bishop The General Overseer and doctorate degree holder in Physics, Moses Kattey, is the Archbishop of the Commonwealth Covenant Church Inc. Alode, Nchia Eleme, Rivers State. His church is now out to float a new generation private university. Contrary to the trend that private post primary schools and private universities in Nigeria were for the rich, Kattey says the Commonwealth University is with a mission to bring out education-hungry or thirsty Niger Delta youths and offer them qualitative education without tying cut-throat fees around their necks.

T

o him, it’s an aberration for any successful member of the society to make high cost of education a barrier to indigent or poor students from poor families. This informs why the commonwealth university is billed to take off in September 2019 where the management is looking at the possibility of running the school for three years at a stretch without depending on student’s school fees to handle running cost such as salaries and infrastructures.

Also the cleric differs on making it a mandatory policy for church to give empowerment or welfare to i ts memb er s w it h a n aim to retain membership, arguing that it’s only the s c r i p t u re o r t h e g o s p e l preached to the spiritual lives of members that can bond them to the church.

These are among other issues the bishop responded to in an interview with Godwin Egba, our Correspondent in Port Harcourt.

Excerpts: Bishop, your Commonwealth Covenant Church Inc. is coming up with its own private university, how realistic is that dream now?

Commonwealth Covenant University is a sure dream that has come to stay. It is a God’s intended project for indigent eligible Niger Delta Youths who are thirsty or hungry for academic pursuit. This is the mission of the university billed to take off by September 2019.

How prepared are you for the effective takeoff?

We are at an advanced partnership discussion with some overseas and Nigeria Universities such as the Cyprus University near Israel and the Uni-

Kattey

versity of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria now waiting for their response. We are also negotiating with banks, individuals and other organiSations all geared towards our take – off next year.

What is your consideration for the university curriculum take – off with regards to the the National University Commission (NUC) as a regulatory body of University Education in Nigeria?

Our covenant university is not built on mediocrity or surrounded by mediocrities. Members of the governing board are products of sound academic qualifications, moral and spiritual integrity. We cannot go an inch without the NUC registration and so we are discussing with the authority. We are starting with pre – degree, degree and Remedial programmes respectively in different disciplines.

Running private university education in Nigeria is very expensive.

How do you intend to wither the cost effect without charging high school fees like others?

We are not unaware of the trend of charging exorbitant school fees to remain on course. However, charging exorbitant fees is not a guarantee to qualitative education, it’s not a guarantee that the rich men’s children in such schools can do better academically. Poverty is of the mind and I don’t believe poor Nigerian youths are poor in mind but they can be poor economically and that’s why we are saying that poverty should not deny or be a barrier to indigent Nigerians who are the resilient, desirous and perseverance spirit and quest for education.

Whichever way one looks at this, don’t you still need the financial

muscles to accomplish your mission?

The Lord is our strength and that’s why we are discussing with banks, individuals and other organisations for financial partnership that would guarantee us run the school f o r a t l e a s t t h re e g o o d years without burden of school fees. We are also going into some sustainable businesses to be run by the University to generate revenue to take care of overhead cost. “God will make a way where there seems to be no way”, is a wisdom to us who believe.

We are not profit oriented but we shall get there.

You are a strong advocate of education for the poor especially in the Niger Delta. What l ev e l o f e m p ow e r m e n t d o e s y o u r c h u rc h g i v e to its members who are in need of better life like the widows, students?

When we started, we

were giving scholarships to people in our church, trained some in some skills but where are they now? So far none is in the church. We were doing it to retain our membership but it didn’t work.

Suffix to say such people have ulterior motives?

I don’t advocate the use of welfare to keep members or people in the church but the power of God. The kingdom mess a g e i s a b o u t p ow e r a s contained in 1st Corinthians 4:20 - “for the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power”.

Our members with us are by power of God. Some people come to the church for financial help and once they are helped they find their comfort zones.

So where should the priority be?

First, I should be able to pay our ministers who are working for God to enable his gospel draw people to Him. It’s the power of God that keeps His people in the church. I stress here that attaching welfare to gospel or evangelism is wrong but faith in word and power of God according to 1st Corinthians 2:5 - “so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on Gods power”.

There are many retained members of their churches who need welfare amidst abundant blessings coming into the churches and their leaders; should they not be placed on welfare schemes?

Many churches do a lot of welfare to their members but those that remain are mostly old members, others go away because they have gotten what they were looking for based on their mind – set and not true salvation.

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BDSUNDAY 31

Interview ‘Govt should order DISCOs to provide pre-paid meters to consumers’ Charles Okeke Odiuko is an administrator, a business man and chairman of the Tshabron Group with its headquarters in Owerri, Imo State. In this interview SABINUS ELEMBA, Odiako says that every business operating in Nigeria is helpful to the nation’s economic growth and that for this reason; government should not allow electricity consumers to suffer unnecessarily in the hands of DISCOs. He believes that government should mandate the DISCOs to provide prepaid electric meters to every power consumer. Excerpts:

Y

ou were the elected Chairman of Orsu Local Government Council here in Imo State, now you are into active business; may we know more about your journey to business and where you are now as the Chairman Tshabron Group?

My first company before now was Charley Enterprises; the company was into contracts, supplies to government and other organisations, consultancy services, etc, and I had relationship with some professors of Universities for training. After that, I went into government as an elected.

Chairman of Orsu Local Government Area, Imo State. And after my tenure, I went into cement business with the help of banks. I was able to start bulk cement distributorship and that started on a small scale but in the way God has blessed me, after a little while, it blossomed becoming the number one distributor of BUA cement in the whole of Nigeria which surprised the owner, Abdul Samad Rabiu. He saw my turnover and invited me to his house at Aso Rock and requested me to form an organisation with him, as BUA Distributors Association and I became the Chairman of BUA Distributors Association of Nigeria.

It was from there I went into MTN Connect, a business I have always admired and wished I could be part of MTN Connect franchise. MTN gave me the first franchise shop in Awka, Anambra State in the year 2010 and that was the beginning of my relationship with MTN and that is where we are today, doing business and doing it very well.

To cut the long story short, we are now into communications business as Tshabron Group, and I am the Chairman.

How far has it been all these years?

Well, Tshabron Group has grown from one company to five different companies making up Tshabron Group. Within the communication group, we are into Customer Relations when we have the franchise owner.

Also in another department of MTN, called the Enterprise Business Unit, we were also appointed partners. We have done appreciably well within the MTN space, and I hope we can do better than what we are doing now.

When MTN saw your managerial acumen and the growth in your business, what were their reactions?

Charles Okeke Odiuko

As regards MTN Connect, we were able to work well with MTN in the first year, and they were so impressed that the next year 2011, we were given two Connect Lines, one in Onitsha and the other in Ahoada, Rivers State, because of our performance. I say this with every sense of humility because there were people in this business for ten they only have one Connect Point but to underscore the level of our performance we had, we were given one in 2010 and because of our performance in 2011 we were given another two Lines. Ever since then we have other ones in Owerri and Port Harcourt international air port and we have so massively deployed it into almost all the universities round.

We have been given the license by MTN to run what is called MTN Connect Point. A Connect Point is where you have clusters of customers of MTN and you have a shop there with all the facilities to interact and

solve all the problems of MTN customers. We have laptops which are connected to the MTN domain that we can do all the things MTN says we should do.

We have massively been developed in all the Universities especially those in the South east.

While other entrepreneurs complain that the environment has been tough on their businesses on your own side you are making progress. Is it not a confirmation that you are saying that South-east and South-south regions have conducive environments for your business to thrive?

There is no environment that can be said to be good; you see in the presence of adversity you will see people who thrive. You don’t look at adversities but try to create a space to work well.

There are so many things militating against our business, so many things the government can do to make business easier.

Can you tell us some of them?

Electricity, I tell you as early as 6.00am, our systems must have

to come up and we will start running our 45KVA generator in our shops and close at about 6pm. So we run 45KVA diesel and if you calculate the amount of money we spend in buying diesel on daily basis because our systems must be running 24/7 the money runs into millions of naira.

This is because every customer that comes in must have to be attended to. We run the five Connect Lines (shops) with the help of 10 or 12 KVA generating sets to run in all the shops we have.

There is no way we can have the light except we generate our own power, so forget having the government presence, we do not have their support, the electricity is not there even if there is electricity, it is just like the one we have in Owerri.

As media practitioners, people complain to us bitterly against the billing system of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC); what has been your own experience?

In Owerri, the kind of billing they give us is unimaginable, we have applied for electricity pre-paid meters to be used in our company here in Owerri, and we have not gotten the meter. So I want to use this opportunity to call on government to insist that all Discos should provide pre-paid metering facility for their customers, when you are given an estimated bill, it is very, very killing.

From the look of things, it appears that government has continued to pay lip-service to solving the electricity problems in this country; to what extent does this worry you?

It is not only just a worry to me but I am paying the price.

The government is not doing the needful; it leaves the consumers at the mercy of the operators of the Discos. There is this National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), I have had a cause to write a petition to them about a bill in one of my offices.

That petition I wrote was not attended to. It got to a point where NERC said to me, ‘go and pay this thing, go and pay this thing’ but those were bills that could not be traced to my shop.

And we did not consume such bill at that shop. And as matter of fact, at the shop l am running the transformer was bought by me, I organised two of my neighbours to buy the transformer but I installed it and handed it over to EEDC. Ever since I have been paying my bills to EEDC

on daily basis, but EEDC after a time came and said I did not pay my bills and gave me massive bills to pay. And business is dying because of the lack of interest of the government in providing electricity.

Can you tell us the strength of your work force?

We are talking about unemployment in this country if government wants to reduce it, they know what to do. My own business alone employs over 100 young graduates and that is one of the things that drive me in this business. When I look back, I say thank you God that you are using me to provide food on the table for the families working with me.

So, if the government were to have their own part of the problem done by providing enabling environment, resolve all the challenging issues that businesses like mine is having, there is nothing that would stop me from increasing the level of performance in this issue, that is employing more of these young graduates.

Are their plans for expansion and diversification?

Yes, now we have diversified into agriculture and that is the focus of the government of the country, we have gone into fish farming and established Tshabron Farms. But if the government could do what it is supposed to do so that business could thrive, I can expand my reach; I can get MTN to allow me expand all my reach to all the nooks and crannies of the regions where we operate and employ more of these young graduates who are looking for jobs.

Do you know that at any point I want to employ one or two persons in my office for Customer Care Relations (CCR), the number of people that would come for the interview is always intimidating and embarrassing, so I feel for them but unfortunately, I cannot do more than I should do.

What do you think government is not doing well to make ease of doing business effective in the South east region of Nigeria?

We are talking about ease of doing business, part of the problems we suffer is that MTN which you say is an international communications company from South Africa has since liberalised their activities. The people running MTN in Nigeria are Nigerians but some touts who come and disguise themselves as local government staff still look at MTN as a foreign company and give us all sorts of illegal bills to pay. You will pay for sanitation to this group, you will also pay to the other group and another group would also come for the same bill, it is quite challenging. There should not be multiple taxations, multiple bills kill business.

I want to tell you that every business that is running in Nigeria is for the purpose of improving the economy of Nigeria and government should be able to provide the enabling environment for business to grow.

32 BDSUNDAY

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Interview

‘We are in Nigeria to make a difference in fashion & clothing industry’ High Quality Global Clothing Factory has come to Owerri, Imo State, from far away Turkey to create a difference in the clothing and fashion industry. In this interview, ELIZABETH JOHN, the manager speaks to SABINUS ELEMBA on the choice of Owerri asthe African headquarters of the company and the impact they have made among the youth in the country. Excerpts:

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society, so we do notneed to announce our good gesture and kindness to the people. It is part of the company’s contributions to nation building.

Nigerians are madly in love with foreign materials and importedclothing, how much patronage do you receive?Do you work at fullcapacity to meet orders placed by your clients since there isepileptic power supply from EEDC? Fine, we work at full capacity; we produce also to meet orders placedby our customers using our generating sets.

The challenge we have in this country is that we prefer things fromoutside the country to the ones made in our country.

We came into this country to bridge the gap. The things you getoutside Nigeria , you can also get them here in this company with goodquality because we use Turkish standard and produce Turkish quality inour factory here in Nigeria, our products are Turkish products, ourmaterials are Turkish materials, you can see by yourself that ourproducts are

Elizabeth John

you have power to run your business?

It is really much, running into hundreds of thousands of nairamonthly. We have the big and small generators, which we run for hoursto provide power; it is not encouraging for business especially likeours, spending so much on diesel and still pay EEDC bills.

I can see a lot of people on jeans trousers with red Tshirts; arethey staff and can we know how many staff you have here?

We have up to 50 staff and the good thing is that we train them forfree, some of them came here without having a background in sowingclothes but my director did it as a kind of giving back to thesociety, that is his own corporate social responsibility (CSR). Instead ofasking these young people to pay, they are being trained free ofcharge. Many of them have just graduated and instead of staying athome we called them to come and learn something without asking them tobring

any money. So, many of them came, we trained them free startingfrom the time we started operation in Owerri and we also give them transport allowance to encourage them.

We do that to encourage young people because the motto of our company is‘changing lives, making a difference’ so we want to make a difference in the clothing and fashion industry here in Nigeria. In this case,what do we do? We say, come we don’t need your money and let us trainyou and at the end we employ you and place you on salary so that youwork for us to help and reduce crimes andcriminalities on thestreets of this country, Nigeria.

Does the present government of Imo State knowabout this good gesture done to the youth who could have taken todifferent kinds of criminal acts?

No, I can tell you that the state government may not be aware of it.It is just like the company giving back to the

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an we have a thorough view of High Quality Global Clothing Factory?

First of all my name is Elizabeth John; I am the manager of the HighQuality Global Clothing Factory here in Owerri.We produce school uniform of every kind and Tshirts and some of the works you can seehere, shirts, senators, jeans. I mean, clothing in general.

Has the operating environment been favourableto your business or otherwise?

Actually, that is the problem of Nigeria today because of theenvironment for do ing business; what you need for business to thriveis not in place, therefore, you have to, somehow, do something and also raise it up to the standard you want. Yes, the economy is notfavourable on business for now but what can we do? We still strive tomake sure that business goes on and you cannot say that the governmentor the economy is tough and close shop.

Almost all the businesses have some challenges they face in Nigerianow.

What is the greatest challenge that you face as a manufacturer ofclothing in the Owerri-Onitsha Road Industrial Layout here in Irete, Owerri West Local Government Area?

There are so many of them, but the chief among them is lack of electricity (power). So, we have to keep our business going by using our generatorsand that is very, very expensive. When you are on business and thereare certain things the government should make available for you butwhen those things are not available, you have to pay heavily to get analternative to ensure they are available and it is not fair.

There isno power especially in this industrial layout.

We have been here for the past four months now working with epilepticpower supply, I can tell you how much we have spent on buying diesel,is really on the high side. But you still pay for the EEDC bills eventhough they do not supply power, and you do not see their electricpower to work with; it is very challenging.

Can we know how much you spend on purchasing diesel monthly to ensurethat

We are producing for everybody, companies, corporate bodies, those whocan also sell, because we want to make sure that everybody has our products, we have patronage from companies and individuals and our clients are all over the country

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of international standard. So, that is why we say we aremaking a difference and changing lives. You do not need to go abroadto import your wears anymore, you can get them here, good jeans, goodT-shirts, good shirts, good uniforms etc, you can get them in HighQuality Global Clothing.

Who are your clients and where do they come from?

We are producing for everybody, companies, corporate bodies, those whocan also sell, because we want to make sure that everybody has our products, we have patronage from companies and individuals and our clients are all over the country.

There are many firms doing the same business you do and are also incompetition with you;how are you dealing with competition to makesure that you keep the business afloat?

That is our quality, we are called High Quality Global Clothing, thequality makes the difference, what differentiates us from othercompetitors is the quality we produce. And our quality is ofinternational standard; if you want we can work around and I will showyou so that you can feel the texture of the materials we use.

How do you procure your materials- from the textile companies inNigeria or abroad?

Right now, the materials we are using for productions came from ourhead office in Turkey.

This company is a joint venture of Turkish and Nigerian partners.

Why did you locate the African headquarters in Owerri instead of Lagosor Port Harcourt?

Every business must not be in Lagos or Port Harcourt;Owerri is abeautiful city and has so much to offer and if you look around, thereare no many of this type of industry in this industrial layout in Owerri and we felt that people here need our good products. And theenvironment here favours us apart from the power problem.

And my message to the general public is that High Quality Global Factory is here to meet their needs; there is no need to go to China.China is not the ultimate; we are capable of serving them, we have the capacity, we have the manpower, our products speak for us, we arehere to make a difference.

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BDSUNDAY 33

Kiddies US Consul General urged girls to develop interest in STEM

Short story

Ngozi Okpalakunne

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nited States Consul General, John Bray has urged female students to develop interest in career related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), describing achievement in such fields as a key building block for any country’s success.

Bray who made the call recently in Lagos at a forum organised by Silverbird Cinemas, Vision 2020 Youth Empowerment and Restoration Initiative to mark this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science Hidden Figures, affirmed that when girls study science related professions in the university they eventually do better in life.

Driving his point home Bray said: “There are three brilliant African-American women who successfully broke racial and gender barriers to contribute to America’s race to the moon.

Their story is very inspiring and I believe it will encourage you to overcome any obstacles and defy doubters that you may encounter in your pursuit of a career in STEM. “You must be confident in your intelligence and demonstrate the determination and drive to succeed in any career path that you choose.

“Challenge yourselves, learn more about successful women in STEM fields and draw inspiration from them”, he affirmed.

To him, the world is rapidly changing due to technology and innovations that were unimaginable not that long ago.

“There are now driverless vehicles, drones, lasers, artificial intelligence, robotics, and nanotechnology.

John Bray

‘’Mastering technologies such as these will be key to many of the job opportunities of the future.

“A future that may seem fantastic right now but shortly, all of the things that I just mentioned will become commonplace. For comparison, think of how fantastic a car must have seemed when most people were riding horses for transportation.

“Think of how incredible a laptop computer would seem in an era when computers were so large they took up entire rooms,” Bray added.

The Consul General also revealed that the United States had invested millions of dollars to

advance gender equality across sub-Saharan Africa, through activities that promote political and economic opportunities for women, access to health and education services, and prevent or respond to gender-based violence.

However, he encouraged everyone to think broadly about ways such an individual’s organisations can form partnerships and expand networks to grow more women STEM leaders.

High point of the event was a film show on three brilliant African-American women who successfully broke racial and gender barriers to contribute to America’s race to the moon.

10 school girls in Bauchi receive scholarship to study engineering Ngozi Okpalakunne

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en girls from different primary schools in Misau, Bauchi State, have been awarded scholarships to study engineering courses in any university of their choice.

The award was given to them by the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

President APWEN, Felicia Agubata who spoke at the award ceremony/ presentation of cheque in Bauchi explained that the awardees who were selected after performing excellently in an experiment conducted by APWEN would enjoy the scholarship from Senior Secondary School (SS1) to university level.

“A total of twenty-one pupils who participated in the experiment were all selected for the scholarship. However only

ten school girls will continue to enjoy the scholarship at SS1 up to the university level with the desire to study engineering courses,’’ she stated.

Agubata further explained that the award, which came under the theme, “Invent it, Build It’’ was part of her organisation ’s mission to promote the study of science by young girls so as to significantly increase the number of female students opting for STEM subjects which will in turn lead to an interest in engineering profession.

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru who also spoke at the event lauded the awardees, adding that the scholarship would encourage and motivate the girls in the study and pursuit of a career in the fields of STEM. Emphasising the importance of STEM related courses in the development of any nation, he said: “It is a documented fact that no nation has become powerful and devel-

oped without the development of STEM’’.

Therefore, he advised the girls to study hard, adding “The study of STEM requires you to be diligent and have an eye for details. It requires you to possess the ability to multi–task all of which the female folk are known for.’’

He assured the winners that if they take their education serious from primary school to secondary and get a degree in engineering from the university that NNPC can give them employment.

Some of the awardees who spoke at the event lauded the organisers of the programme, saying that the scholarship will not only enable them achieve their desired goal in life, but also remove the burden of school fees payment from their parents and guardians.

They also promised to study harder so as to come out with best results both in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Why Zebras have Striped Skins

ong ago, before people started taming any other animal apart from the dog, it was said that donkeys could also be tamed. This rumour was told by one man who went to the bush to hunt. After killing the animal he had hunted, he found that it was very heavy for him to carry alone. So he decided to find a way by which he could carry his prey. And as he was thinking, he saw a donkey pass nearby in the bush.

All of a sudden an idea came into his head. He thought that if he took his prey and put it on the back of the donkey, it would help him carry his load. So he went after the donkey.

He put the load on its back easily, for it did not attack him or run away.

He led the way until they reached his compound. After unloading the donkey he gave it food and it ate with appreciation. From this time on, this man kept the donkey.

This story went round that somebody had tamed a donkey.

Soon the donkey was famous for its hard work throughout the village and the surrounding area. People wanted to satisfy their curiosity, and they soon set out to hunt for donkeys and use them to carry heavy loads.

Donkeys did not know what was going on up to this time. They came to understand only after most of their friends had been taken away.

They started to hide deep in the bushes. But all was in vain! People had realised that donkeys were very useful animals. So they made special efforts to hunt them down, wherever donkeys could be found.

This problem really worried the donkeys. Many of their kind had been captured. The rumours they heard were horrifying. Rumour had it that those donkeys which had been captured were working too much and they were given only food enough to keep them going.

This was indeed frightening.

The rest of the donkeys decided to act quickly, lest they become victims of circumstance like their unfortunate friends. They therefore held an impromptu meeting.

Here they discussed what should be done about the whole problem.

One donkey suggested that they should seek help from Hare since he was known to be cunning and clever. All agreed that Hare should

be asked for advice.

The next morning the donkey representative went to see Hare, who was only too willing to help.

Hare asked him to tell all his friends to come to his compound early the next morning. This they did, and when they arrived they found Hare with whitewash in a huge can, ready to act.

As the donkeys were not fast enough in thinking, they wondered how whitewash could have anything to do with their problem. Hare tried to explain but they seemed rather stubborn. Nobody was willing to be the first one to be experimented on. Finally, one donkey volunteered and stepped forward. Immediately, Hare set to work. He started painting stripes of whitewash on the donkey’s skin.

Soon the donkey had black-andwhite stripes instead of being plain black or grey.

As the first donkey was painted over, the other donkeys admired him. They all started wishing they could look like their friend. The moment that followed was full of struggle and scrambling over who should reach the paint first.

The warning from Hare that they should be careful went unheeded.

Hence, the struggling and fighting continued.

It happened that after a number of donkeys had been painted, one donkey pushed to the front with such force that he stepped in the bucket that contained the whitewash. The whole bucket overturned pouring out all the paint.

This was the end of everything. The remaining donkeys were helpless because they were the unfortunate ones. Hare told them that he could not help them anymore because the fault had been theirs. And so, although the aggressive donkey was cursed for this bad act, nothing was done for to help them, for the spilt paint could not be recovered.

Hence, those donkeys that had been painted were safe from people’s reach. They were the lucky ones and changed their name from donkeys to zebras. This name sets them apart from the unfortunate donkeys that after this were all captured by men, and taken away to work for them. They were less fortunate and that is why they continue to be known as donkeys.

34 BDSUNDAY

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TheWorshippers God will intervene in Nigeria’s situation says Reverend Osigwe Reverend Jerry Osigwe, founder and general overseer of The Anointed Children of God (Centre for God’s Anointing) in his 2019 prophetic message to the church, urges Nigerians to keep faith in God. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU. Speaking about God’s grace for mankind; what is the believers’ perspective of this grace? his year is a year of divine grace; it is a year mankind will decide whose side they will be, either on the side of God or on the side of the devil.

You must choose one this year; God’s grace will enable you to sail through.

It is also a year that God will mark completely those on his side. The separation of sheep from goats continues this year 2019.

Verse 2 of Revelation 15 said, “And I saw as it was a sea of glass mingled with fire and them that had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image and over his marks and over the number of his name stand on the sea of the glass having the harps of God. Due to iniquity, lack of love for the things of Christ and terrible tribulations that will befall people on earth, it takes the grace of God to survive. Many will deny Christ due to pressure, hardship and persecution. But the grace of God which is unmerited favour that even though we are sinners, deserving of

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judgment, God looked upon us in love and forgives us.

This Enabling power of God (grace) is what predestined us to be adopted as his son through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will. This grace helps us to receive forgiveness and restored relationship with God even though we don’t deserve it.

The principle of grace is what will carry many Christians through this year 2019.

Nigerians are complaining about the economic hardship in the country and government actions about their plight; what is your take on this?

The grace of God upon Moses life is what led him to go to Egypt, a dreaded world power then. He overcame fear and confronted Pharaoh.

Out of fear, Moses began to ask God ‘who am I to stand before Pharaoh’ EX3:11 ‘who are you’ ‘they won’t believe me’ Ex4; I am not eloquent Ex 4:10 ‘Lord send someone else’ Ex4:11.

The same question is being asked today by believers out of fear. Who am I – how can I survive these hardships, trials, persecu-

Pastor Nomthi Odukoya, associate senior pastor, The Fountain of Life Church, pastor Foluke Adenike Adeboye wife of the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, senior pastor, during a Life Changing Experience Service at The Fountain of Life Church, yesterday in Lagos

tion and the world’s critical conditions and situations. Who are you?

Can I trust that the grace of God will see me through these periods of great tribulation?

They won’t believe – people around me will not believe I am on the line of salvation; they say we are all the same. Many Christians are not even sure of their salvation and don’t even believe in themselves to make it to the end.

Lord sends someone else; God let my cross be carried by someone else; people are not willing to face trails and persecution or hardship.

Gideon said in Judges 6: 1-24 ‘But sir, if the lord is with us, why has all these happen to us. Where are all the wonders our father told us about. Even when the lord encouraged him and promised to be with him, Gideon answered ‘how can I save Israel?’ I am the smallest member of the smallest family in our tribe.

But despite his fear and inability, with God’s grace (enabling power), Gideon saved Israel. It was grace that made the difference.

Speaking about fear of the unknown and the uncertainties in Nigeria; what solution would you envisage for Nigerians as we navigate the electioneering process?

The solution in 2019 lies on where you choose to be: the year 2019 is a year in which there will be a divine intervention for genuine God’s people. It is going to be a year in which those who overcome shall possess their possession. This year shall be a year in which new ways shall be opened to many who trusted in God with their whole heart. It is a year in which those who take stand with Jesus will succeed. It is a year of great possession.

2019 is a year in which those who are serious with God will succeed and prosper in their business and places of work, and also a year

21 countries to hold 77 hours marathon messiah’s praise this year IFEOMA OKEKE

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he much anticipated annual 77 hours marathon messiah’s praise, organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG), will be held in about 21 countries across the six habitable continents of the world this year.

Countries participating this year include Nigeria, United States of America, Canada, England, Australia, Spain, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, Cameroon, Kenya, Netherlands, Sweden, Malaysia, South Africa, Ireland, Ukraine, Brazil, Israel, Zambia, Ghana and New Zealand.

According to the church, the pursuit of bringing Marathon Messiah’s Praise to the doorstep of every human on earth can only be accomplished via this colossal step of increasing the number of participating countries.

The event themed “Jesus, the Light of the World,” will be held between 10am GMT+1 Monday, 25th February and 3pm GMT+1 Thursday, 28th February, 2019, where 77 Hours of this year will be dedicated to praising Jesus, the Light of the World whose life became our light.

Ajayi further explained that Nigeria’s stage will host a complete 77 Hours of Praise and Worship non-stop while concurrently, the 77 Hours will be shared amongst

the stages in Diaspora nations. This implies that there won’t be any stoppage on the Nigerian stage for 77 Hours.

“This year, over 210 Worship ministers and choral groups will be ministering across the 21 participating Countries.

“For a seamless execution of the 77 Hours Marathon Messiah’s Praise, over 5,000 people have registered to volunteer in various departments including Music, Sanitation, Welfare, Medical and in other various key sections of the programme across the participating countries.

Over 120,000 live participants are expected to be in attendance with over 10 million viewers expected to watch the event on TV and social media channels.

Reverend Jerry Osigwe

in which those who are serious in God’s business will prosper. But this year will spell doom for those still dating the devil.

This year will be a turning point for those still in their wilderness who has decided to repent and turn to God to worship him with all their heart. Those looking for signs and wonders will be disappointed, but if you look unto God and relate with him, the signs and wonders will follow you.

Every situation you went through last year is a stepping stone to your greatness this year 2019. Serious minded Christians will shine this year: it is their turn to shine.

This year, the only thing you will not achieve is what you have not made up your mind to possess. As long as you are a covenant child, you will never lack or want this year 2019; unless you move out of the covenant.

What is your take on the 2019 general election and what outcomes should Nigerians expect?

If God does not intervene in Nigeria’s election, there will be lot of commotion, discouragement and trouble in many places. The loser will not want to accept defeat: the election will be mired by violence in one place to another.

The eventual winner will not be

the messiah we are looking for, he has no answer to Nigeria’s problems; it is still going to be promises upon promises. The situation cannot get better: what we are experiencing are signs of the end as prophesised by Jesus Christ.

If politicians do not control themselves and their utterances in this election they will be attracting serious problem to themselves and the nation. A lot of surprises will spring up in both the senate and House of Representatives as many will not come back to their seats.

Generally this election will shock many on lookers: many states will be taken over by the opposition in their states.

Finally, what is your prophetic view for 2019?

Many corrupt world and national leaders will be disgraced out of office this year 2019; many corrupt men in Nigeria termed to be untouchable will be dealt with; God will expose more corrupt Nigerians who have looted the wealth of this country.

Two African countries will seriously boil this year, which will lead to loss of innocent lives. While many Arab nations will continue to boil for refusing to accept the Son of God. This year will still be a year of aimlessness and confusion for Nigerian leaders. There will be a stronger control of this nation from the occultist realm which will result in waste of blood for their blood bank.

There will be some false negative signs this year to draw people’s attention from God while the music and film industries will suffer four great human losses this year.

Again, a more dreaded Islamic group will emerge in 2019 and will cause a lot of damage and waste of human lives if they are not checkmated.

Cleric calls for attitudinal change among Nigerians

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ishop Gbenga Ajadi of His Praise Deliverance Ministries, Lagos has called for attitudinal change among Nigerians as he frowns at the do-ordie politics and mismanagement of resources prevalent in the Nigerian political sphere.

Ajadi, who was optimistic that the elections would be peaceful despite the prophecies that have been made, was a guest minister at the Independent Newspapers Limited (INL) Christian Fellowship Annual thanksgiving service, 2019 held recently in Lagos.

Ajadi handled prayers for the staff asking for divine protection as the company moves from glory to glory, however reiterated the need for individuals to embrace the lifestyle of thanksgiving.

Emmanuel Udah, the presiding bishop of Peace and Joy International Ministry, Lagos in his exhortation “Open Heaven”, said righteousness has to be enthroned for Nigeria to come out of the woods.

Udah however highlighted factors for enjoying open heaven asprayer, true worship, faithfulness/ loyalty and sacrificial giving.

He opined that prayer alone does not correspond to open heaven, as he stressed that holy living naturally attracts open heaven.

“We will not enjoy open heaven if we are not faithful. If you do the right thing you will be lifted. When heaven is closed over people, they have crises; if you are in prison under open heaven, you will enjoy,” Udah stated.

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BDSUNDAY 35

SundayBusiness Kemi Adetiba, others give success nuggets at Stanbic IBTC Youth Leadership Series HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE

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emi Adetiba , award winning filmmaker, Onyeka Akumah, innovator, agriculturist, and entrepreneur, and Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, programmer and a CNN Heroes award winner took turn to share some thought-provoking success tips with aspiring young entrepreneurs who gathered at the 2019 Stanbic IBTC Youth Leadership Series (YLS) in Lagos recently.

Stanbic IBTC, Nigeria’s leading end-to-end financial services provider, said the youth empowerment motivational series was conceived as a way to energize, through deeper engagement, the entrepreneurial spirit in young Nigerians while helping to build the next generation of leaders.

Yinka Sanni, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, said the YLS is a platform to engage the youth, a critical and vibrant segment of the population that will not only help to drive its sustainability but also help shape the

future of the nation.

“It is clear to us that sustainability of our brand is very important. However, we do appreciate that our future is closely woven with that of the energetic, innovative and hard working Nigerian youth. It has been from the very beginning considering that the Stanbic IBTC brand, which is 30 years this February, was set up in 1989 by an innovative and audacious 33-year old Nigerian, Atedo Peterside,” Sanni said while welcoming participants to the event. “Where others see young millennials, we see business leaders, successful entrepreneurs; we see scholars, innovators, and high profile professionals with whom we are honoured to partner,” Sanni added.

According to Sanni, Stanbic IBTC’s youth-centric focus is evident in its support for a number of initiatives directed at the youth as well as its establishment of programmes such as the YLS that help to engage the youth at a deeper level.

Some of such initiatives include the Stanbic IBTC innovation lab in Yaba, Lagos, set up to support techpreneurs,

L-R: Bridget Oyefeso-Odusami, head, marketing and communications, Stanbic IBTC; Funke Amobi, group head, human capital, Stanbic IBTC; Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, founder, Pearls African Youth Foundation and Yinka Sanni, chief executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc.

financial technology firms and startups; sponsorship of the Higher Institution Football League and being a major sponsor of the yearly Social Media Week, among other youth-oriented initiatives.

The three speakers, Akumah, Ajayi-Akinfolarin and Adetiba, agreed that the most important ingredient for success is knowledge acquisition through

Diamond, Access Bank merger buoys Valentine reward package to month-end

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ove is definitely in the air for customers of Diamond and Access bank, as the new merger has set aside delightful offers to reward its loyal customers this Valentine season.

Customers will be rewarded with loyalty points, cash-back, free websites for SMEs, giveaways and lots more by simply carrying out one or more banking transactions or using the banks’ services from February 1 to February 28, 2019.

According to Robert Giles, head, Retail Banking, Diamond Bank, “as we come together to be stronger, we are using the ‘season of love’ to show our customers that we are here for them to help achieve their goals. We don’t take our customers trust and loyalty for granted and on this Valentine, we will really show how much we care. The Bank will reward customers who subscribe to Xclusive Plus, reactivate their accounts by updating BVN, grow their balances or do more transactions on the mobile app or our USSD channel *426#. We are also demonstrating our commitment to closing the financial inclusion gap by giving cash

rewards for setting up and funding Diamond Y’ello accounts. We are giving away thousands of Gem points, so you can choose your own gift and helping small businesses set up their own website for free”.

Reiterating Giles’ statement, Victor Etuokwu, executive director, Personal Banking Access Bank, Plc, said “the rewards to our customers this season of love is simply our own way of saying thank you to our combined customers at Access and Diamond banks for banking with us and welcoming them to the new opportunities as we merge to serve them better. Customers and delivering real benefits are at the heart of our decision to create one of Nigeria’s leading banks. The products and services that Diamond Bank customers enjoy, including its commit-

ment to digital innovation, will continue unchanged and will be backed by Access Bank’s own commitment to customers, financial inclusion and sustainability, and the bank’s corporate expertise and strong balance sheet. In the spirit of the season, we will reward every customer who spend a minimum of using their Access/Diamond cards at least 3 times a week on Access Bank and Diamond Bank POS terminals.

We will also reward the first 200 customers to perform funds transfer or bill payment on *901/ *426# daily with airtime too. Access bank savings account customers will receive free airtime when they fund their accounts and 10,000 R.E.A.L points will be awarded to 1000 new customers when they subscribe to the R.E.A.L platform,” Etuokwu concluded.

education. Ajayi-Akinfolarin narrated how she defied her parents and risked her life in her quest to be educated. The need to hone one’s skill(s) is also critical.

Their ability to identify their passion early on and work on them propelled the trio to success. For Kemi, she had a flair for entertainment, despite her training as a lawyer. It was coding/ programming for Abisoye

and farming for Onyeka.

According to the trio, success is not instantaneous but with hard work, focus, resilience and a positive attitude, success is guaranteed.

Then they also talked about the discipline required to remain grounded when success is attained.

Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Demola Sogunle, who gave the closing remarks, said he believed that

vital lessons had been learnt and that he hoped the youth have been inspired and motivated through the shared experiences and achievements of the three speakers. He assured that Stanbic IBTC will continue to seek quality platforms such as the YLS to engage the Nigerian youth.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, a full service financial services group with a clear focus on three main business pillars - Corporate and Investment Banking, Personal and Business Banking and Wealth Management. Standard Bank Group, to which Stanbic IBTC Holdings belongs, is the largest African bank by assets and market capitalization. It is rooted in Africa with strategic representation in 20 countries on the African continent.

Standard Bank has been in operation for over 155 years and is focused on building first-class, on-the-ground financial services institutions in chosen countries in Africa; and connecting selected emerging markets to Africa by applying sector expertise, particularly in natural resources, power and infrastructure.

CACs, one of the measures to grow economy, food security - CBN UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia.

C

entral Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it has established Commercial Agriculture Credit schemes (CACs) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as one of the measures to increase production as well as stimulate the growth of the nation’s economy.

M.A. Olaitan, director, Development Finance Department, CBN, disclosed this in Umuahia during the flag-off ceremony of a Workshop organised by Abia State Government in collaboration with CBN on ‘SME Development Projects’.

Olaitan hinted that at the wake of the global crises of 2007 and 2008 that emanated from the United States’ sublime mortgage market collapse which triggered severe, long lasting consequences for both global and domestic financial market, CBN introduced some quantitative measures to ease liquidity squeeze

that followed.

He said the CACs which was established in 2009 was a sub-component of the Federal Government of Nigeria Commercial Agriculture Development Programme (CADP) which was financed from proceeds of N200billion seven- year bond raised CBN from Debt Management Office (DMO) adding that the scheme ended in 2015 and has now been extended to 2025.

Olaitan, whose address was delivered by Veronica Aqua, the Branch Manager of Umuahia CBN, disclosed that objective of the scheme was to fast track development of Agricultural sector by providing long term credit facilities to Commercial Agricultural Enterprises at a single digit interest rate, enhance food security by increasing food supply, reduce cost of credit in agricultural production to enable farmers exploit the vast potentials of the sector, provide input for industrial sector on sustainable basis as well as generate employment.

He commended the Abia State government for formulating policies, schemes and programmes to support the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sub-sector as a viable engine of sustainable and inclusive growth.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, in his speech said with the programme coming on board, his administration was set exploit all the opportunities therein.

He disclosed that the state has comparative advantage in SMEs in Nigeria.

“We started the campaign for made in Nigeria and also canvassed for the support of SMEs and within a short period the programme has started paying off. Every Abian and Nigerian is now proud of Made-In-Aba,” Ikpeazu said.

The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Ude Oko-Chukwu, noted that Federal Government had equally recognised Abia as the capital SMEs in Nigeria, adding that any state or nation that wants to grow its economy of poverty must encourage SMEs.

36 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 10 February 2019

SundayBusiness Equity contribution and the paradox of bring money to take money

E

xcept in the informal economy where documentation and financial technicalities are overlooked or, at least, taken for granted, giving and taking of money always is always a serious business and has to do with security or collateral from he who takes.

In some cases, however, in the informal economy, depending on the size of the money that is given and taken, an eyewitness is often required from both parties involved in the transaction and the aim of this is to have a third party who will tell the story in case of default.

But the story is different in the formal sector, especially in the mortgage market where the business is largely about lending and borrowing.

The mortgage market is structured in such a way that even when high interest rate, which is a big challenge, is removed from mortgage business, borrowers will still have some hurdles to cross and one of such hurdles is equity contribution, usually demanded by mortgage institutions before they can advance loans to borrowers.

Equity contribution is the financial commitment, always calculated in terms of the percentage

of the money to be lent out, is the money which a lending institution, a mortgage bank, that is, demands from somebody seeking loan to enable him buy, build or renovate a residential building.

To the man on the street, the idea of equity contribution does not square up. He does not understand why somebody that is looking for money to borrow is required to bring money in order to get that money. The question he frequently asks is ‘why borrow if I had money to give?’

But the lender, the person who gives out the money, thinks differently and so has an answer to give to the question.

Before now, mortgage loans were given at very high interest rate of between 20 and 25 percent and the borrower is also required to bring about 30 percent of the loan amount he wants to borrow as equity contribution.

The street man wonders why somebody who wants to borrow N10 million, for instance, is required by the lender to bring upwards of N3 million in order to access the N10 million. He argues that if he had such money, he probably would not have gone for the loan in the first place.

Mortgage banking operators, however, say there are reasons they demand equity contribution.

Procurement and Supply Chain

with Gob-Agundu Uche Branch chair (CIPS), Nigeria

I

n a performance review meeting with an internal customer, the issue was raised as to why tenders were late, the bidders’ list was not robust enough and company estimates were far too low compared to the lowest quotes. All fingers pointed at Procurement department being the cause. Other departmental heads present accused them of working in silo and not interacting enough with them. I am also aware of a survey carried out in another company on the service delivery of the Procurement department.

The respondents were the User departments (internal stakeholders). All respondents scored procurement poor in service delivery. So the question is why do the user departments always see procurement department as poor in delivering services to them? Is it strictly a matter of poor performance or poor relationships between Procurement department and its internal stakeholders? Various strategies have been developed in procurement geared towards

improving service delivery to our stakeholders.

Stakeholders of Procurement department are the people or departments who stand to benefit or lose from Procurement department’s direct actions.

CIPS has identified three types of stakeholders namely: Internal Stakeholders,Externalstakeholders and Concerned stakeholders.

We shall focus on the internal stakeholders in this paper.

Internal stakeholders of Procurement department represent the internal customers who are serviced by the Procurement department for actioning their requisitions, responding to enquiries, and approving the transactions. The internal stakeholders have different interests and contributions to the business. For example, the interests of the directors are organization’s profitability, survival, and growth while their contribution is in formal authority over planning. On the hand, the interests of the Production department are accurate fulfillment of specifications, timely,

One of these reasons is for the contribution to act as “a hedge against loan repayment default”.

Equity contribution, they say, is fundamental to mortgage lending just as regular flow of income is.

Equity contribution is fundamental because there are institutional and regulatory developments that are still being expected in the industry. There is no sound data-base of Nigerians yet; the national ID card remains largely unreliable and foreclosure laws are still not strong.

All these issues, according to mortgage operators, have compelled mortgage banks to demand for equity contribution and they argue that if they had all the above issues resolved, they would give people mortgage based on their credit rating.

Because mortgage banks do financial intermediation, it is their responsibility to protect depositors’ money and for them to protect those deposits, they have to ask for something that would act as a back-up to the money they give out to borrowers.

“If we had development funds, the kind of funds that we have in the manufacturing and agriculture sectors of the economy, where government gave out intervention funds over a period of 15 years at a single digit interest rate; if we had

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com)

that kind of fund in the mortgage banking industry, it would be very helpful in a number of ways”, says a mortgage bank CEO who does not want his name mentioned.

Anthony Owuye, a finance expert, notes that “the banker and the borrower are in the same market in which case both suffer a common problem; we should not forget that we are all trading in one commodity which is money, and the trading is done in such a way that you sell according to how you buy”.

Another argument by mortgage operators is that the credit the banks, including the mortgage institutions, have are short term in nature. So, they can’t lend long term and they do business in an environment that is very costly.

Time is now for the federal government, through the CBN, to do something about high interest

rate charged by both the commercial and mortgage banks if the housing demand-supply gap is to be bridged.

In other economies, there are special interest rates on loans to real estate. Nigeria can do the same and the relevant authorities should look critically into the whole issue of equity contribution demanded from home loan seekers, especially the low income earners who cannot afford such loans.

Equity contribution is reason for the huge housing deficit and low home ownership level in Nigeria today. It could, perhaps, be reason too for the a performance of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).The apex mortgage bank administers the National Housing Fund (NHF) and is responsible for the disbursement of mortgage loans from contributors to the NHF.

Managing the internal stakeholders of procurement department relevant expert advice on price and availability issues while the contribution of the Production department to the Procurement process will be to provide detailed specifications which the buyer will have to process into a purchase order. Some of the internal stakeholders are Production, Corporate Affairs, HR, Engineering, IT, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Internal Control, Tender Board etc.

They are main customers of the procurement department. They are often demanding and their requests many times all carry the same level of urgency. Therefore, Procurement department is usually pummeled left, right and center and often blamed for delays. Let us at this juncture discuss how procurement departments can effectively manage their respective internal stakeholders to achieve the organization’s goals.

The Procurement department staff should consider themselves a Guide and Adviser to the internal stakeholders. They ought to relate with the stakeholders like the person who accompanies and looks after another or group of people in matters of procurement. Be like their tour guide in procurement matters with the intention to look after them and help them achieve their own goals. They must teach them the procurement processes and guide them on how to apply

them correctly. As the expert and a chaperone for your stakeholders, you oversee them, guide them, and direct them where they need to go. This can be challenging but achievable. In more specific terms, I wish to suggest the following ways of dealing with internal stakeholders: Develop interpersonal relationship with your Internal Stakeholders: A good relationship often works to forget about faults and focus on what is achievable. This is as true with personal relationships as with business relationships. As a ProcurementOfficer,makeyourself accessible to these teams, and build relationships to understand their business needs and drivers and try to get ahead of their requests and learn to anticipate their needs.

When you do so, the customers will consider you a partner in progress and therefore, easily co-operate with you in the procurement process.

Establish Clear Roles and responsibilities: This has to do with segmenting the procurement department functionally and creating teams which will focus on serving respective customers. It is important that the customers are aware of the officers and teams assigned to serve them. It will do the relationship a world of good if

roles are clearly established and the status occupants are clearly communicated to the stakeholders.

The roles and responsibilities of both Procurement Officer and the Internal Customer should also be well defined to avoid ambiguity or duplication of roles. This could be done by developing a RACI chart showing who is: Responsible for the task, Accountable, to be consulted and Informed of the task.

Make the Procurement Process very Clear: Nothing hurts a relationship like ambiguities of ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’.

It is very necessary to clarify all procurement processes with the stakeholders. They need to know what is acceptable and what is not. For instance, if your approved processes have no room for ‘emergency procurement’, everybody needs to be in the know.

This will immediately guide the stakeholders never to entertain such a suggestion whenever it is made. Procurement departments should therefore regularly engage their stakeholders on the processes and update them when there are changes.

Develop A system to Prioritize requests It is true that many times, the resources available to Procurement department are insufficient to handle the myriad of requests that come at the same time.

Sunday 17 February 2019

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BDSUNDAY 37

SundayBusiness Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

O

ne momentous and gamechanging night that would remain memorable for as long as Mr. Bola Adewale lives is the 10th of February, 2019. It was at the Grand Finale of Africa’s first Industrial Reality TV Show, aptly tagged FIIROHOUSE. Through it the young, brilliant graduate of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) with a Bachelor of Technology, Mechanical Engineering degree became richer by Twenty Five Million Naira (N25m)! Yes, you read me right.

On that occasion, he made history by being the first-prize winner of the prestigious award, in an intensely competitive programme with his ingenious invention/design of a Dry Stacking Interlocking Building Block. But that is only part of an intriguing story of what creativity and the encouragement of it could do for a country caught in the web of seemingly unending economic flip-flops.

The fascinating fact that

Spiritonomics

Debo Atiba

www.spiritonomics.org

H

ave you ever wondered that everything you will ever do in this life whether good or bad starts from your thought life? If you’ve never thought about it, begin now.

That place you want to go now you realise it starts with a thought.

The step you are about to take now begins with a thought. What is it about this thought? Why is this the most important aspect of a man’s life? I believe that if it is not so important we would not have been admonished repeatedly by God that we should guard our heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life (the force that governs life) Prov.4:23.

This aspect of our lives is given to us as an advantage and a form

Takes ffrom Fiirohouse-Africa’s first Industrial Reality Tv Show it was inspired by the nation’s foremost food research institute, the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) by partnering with Lashone Links Communications Limited is truly inspiring; timely, thematically relevant and indeed a patriotic initiative to be emulated by others.

The laudable aim of FIIROHOUSE, is to “advocate for the development of meaningful entrepreneurial culture and motivate young entrepreneurs towards evolving a productive economy”.

This is being actuali ze d by providing alternative but complimentary funding opportunities for investment i n i n d i g e n o u s Re s e a r c h a n d De v e l o p m e n t ( R & D ) Technologies. The spin-off effects are for job creation and national socioeconomic development. In precise terms, it is to discover, train and empower Nigerians on industrial development, technopreneurship, entrepreneurship, skill and innovations.

Coming at a period when the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) puts the youth unemployment figure that reached an all time high of 38 percent in the second quarter of 2018 up from 11.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, this move could not have come at a better time.

It would be recalled that the goal-getting Director General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Prof. Gloria Elemo, in August, 2018 said that: “It will also engage and reward participants as they go through different levels of tasks to enhance and nuture them to world class solutions

providers.” She added that the selected housemates would be presented to the world at an unveiling ceremony on October 26 after undergoing a one-week training on core entrepreneurial competencies at FIIRO. And in September of 2018 she reiterated the commitment of the institute to the Reality TV Show as it had earmarked N50 million for technopreneurs to emerge through a new reality TV show.

According to her, the winners of the first, second and third positions would go home with N25 million, N15 million and N10 million respectively. She said that 37 participants would be chosen as FIIRO ambassadors in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Also, participants who failed to make it to the FIIRO House would go home with certificates that will enable them have further empowerment trainings at the institute.

El e m o s a i d t h e o v e r a l l objective of the reality TV show was to create a TV project to develop meaningful entrepreneurial skills and motivate entrepreneurs towards evolving a productive economy.

She said that: “It will promote indigenous technologies and local content among industrial practitioners, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, as well provide quality sales programming both online and on television”.

O n h i s p a r t , t h e Ch i e f Executive Officer, Lashone Links Group of Companies, Dr. Lanre Shonekan said: “We have been on this journey for over two years now and the whole idea is to industrialise the country through indigenous technology and also get the youth out of the streets”.

This will enable them to raise their

Thought of greatness of empowerment to chart the course of our lives. This design is in everyman that ever walked the face of this earth.

You will bear me witness that every fear we ever had, every discouragement that ever came, all came from within, from the realm of our thoughts. And every step of strength we ever took also came from the realm of our thought. It is glaring that this aspect of our lives is like the engine in a vehicle. If it is absent or malfunctioning the vehicle is going nowhere. From the beginning it was created original, untainted, clean, clear and without fault, until sin entered and corrupted it. Immediately every thought of man became wicked, evil, destructive, etc. This became the undoing of man. Since then man became a victim of discoloured and repressible thoughts.

A new thought life came as a result of the death and the resurrection of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. However, serious contention begins the moment we begin to think in line with the new life that Jesus brought.

Why should there be oppositions or attacks against the right thought?

Have you ever wondered? Life after the fall of man is a fallen life. That is why you do not need to struggle to

think evil or for bad imaginations to come to your mind. Donot forget in the fallen world, bad news is good news. In fact if it is not bad, it is not news. To conceive or do evil is effortless, and the system even encourages compromise. You are strange if you do what is right. Why would you disclose 10,000 dollar that you found when noone saw when you found it?

The world system cannot fathom such concept, and you must be out of your mind to do that. There is a common proverb that says “Everyone is a thief when nobody is around”. What a conclusion? This emanates from their thought life.

So why should we reposition our thought life? From various examples given already and also from our day to day activities, it is easy to keep failing in this life so long as you align your thoughts with that of this fallen world. For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he(Prov.23:7).

Everyone in their present state is a direct reflection of their thoughts.

You may not want to admit it but that is true. The poverty, the penury, disappointment, the discouragement, the failure and the success are all products of the thoughts in your heart. You live your life from inside out. The enemy that is responsible

own industries and be able to employ more people and reduce unemployment in the country and this is the idea behind this project.

Months later, he disclosed that only 25 entrepreneurs were able to make it to the next stage, out of 10,000 youths that applied for the competition.

Shonekan noted that the selection was tough, as they had to go to all the geopolitical zones of the country to select the best 25 entrepreneurs who made it to the next stage. He listed the centres where selections were done to include FIIRO for South West; Abuja for North Central; Kano for North West, and Anambra for South East.

Subsequently, they were kept in a house for six weeks where they were further exposed to more FIIRO’s R&D technologies.

The tasks were carried out every day in the house but the audition was beamed live on Superscreen TV where Nigerians were allowed to vote for their best choice online. Speaking at the event, the Director of Programmes, Superscreen TV, Mr. Ananaba Anuihe, said “the competition provided an opportunity for unemployed youths to be gainfully employed”.

One of the selected participants, who spoke on behalf of others, Ajiroghene Omanudhone, from Delta State and who incidentally emerged as the Second Prize winner with N15 million is into recycling of plastic waste converted into furniture for schools. He extolled the sponsors of FIIROHOUSE as it was the first of its kind in Nigeria, where entrepreneurs would be given a start-up capital to establish their companies. He noted that this kind of initiative

for planting these thoughts would not standby and allow you get out of his grip. Thinking right thought, repositioning your thought in opposite direction delivers you from the hands of the task master. You cannot think right thought without thinking Jesus thought. Jesus’ thoughts has capacity to affect and correct other thoughts; He said “The WORD I speak unto you they are Spirit and Life” (John 6:63). His words impact your life positively.

He equally said, “I am the way the TRUTH and the life”) John 14:6).

Jesus is the embodiment of truth.

Deliberate effortswould have to be made to do this if we truly want a change in our situation. Time has to be made out to settle down to the word of Jesus. The ingestion of his word is the start of repositioningour thought, which consequently affect our lives. Our success in life and business emanates from thinking right thought.

So what are the few steps we must take to reposition our thoughts?

1.Recognition: Recognise that your thought in its present state requires a change. If you are not happy with your present state it is prove-positive that your thoughts

should be encouraged by the government and the private sector as this is the only way to provide employment for the nation’s teeming youths.

As one of the guests at the epoch-making occasion there are many lessons to learn from the FIIROHOUSE. A significant step is the increasing need to bridge the gap between the vast natural endowments; God has given us in the areas of agriculture, solid mineral, oil and gas by employing technological knowhow. For instance, Bola Adewale, who happens to be the First Prize Winner, is the cofounder at Blayton Company.

He has played various roles as a Project Manager, Operations He a d a n d De s i g n Le a d i n companies ranging from oil and gas servicing firms, engineering and construction industries.

With operational management certification from the University of Pennsylvania, his entrepreneurial attribute has seen him become alumni of Fate Foundation as well as Tony Elumelu Foundation. His grant of N25m will therefore, come handy to give life to his dream and passion for providing affordable housing project blocks.

He will become self-employed, get other youth gainfully employed as well and take many out of the streets currently soaked with the waves of violence. What better platform do we need if not FIIROHOUSE to encourage our young ones with ideas to come forward and be empowered to do so.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

are due for a change.

2.Be Intentional: By reason of years of thinking stinking andnegative thoughts, we have gotten accustom to such thoughts. So we must be intentional on the type of thoughts that we permit. Fearful thoughts, discouraging thoughts, depressing thoughts, suicidal thoughts are thoughts that come to us naturally , they must be vetted at all times and pushed aside.

3.Be violent; Getting rid of old rotten thoughts is not easy, the more you try to push them off, the more they seem to return back.

Such reaction is expected because you have aided them for so long that it becomes their natural habitat.

However your insistence and violent attitude will give them no room to remain.

4. Be expectant: Like the saying is, the only incidence that is constant in life is CHANGE. Your present situation brought about by your present thought is subject to change. Be optimistic that a change has begun in your life as your thought changes by thinking Jesus thoughts.

Remain blessed as you accommodate thoughts of greatness. @spiritonomics

Sunday 17 February 2019

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@Businessdayng

BDSUNDAY 37

SundayBusiness Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

O

ne momentous and gamechanging night that would remain memorable for as long as Mr. Bola Adewale lives is the 10th of February, 2019. It was at the Grand Finale of Africa’s first Industrial Reality TV Show, aptly tagged FIIROHOUSE. Through it the young, brilliant graduate of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) with a Bachelor of Technology, Mechanical Engineering degree became richer by Twenty Five Million Naira (N25m)! Yes, you read me right.

On that occasion, he made history by being the first-prize winner of the prestigious award, in an intensely competitive programme with his ingenious invention/design of a Dry Stacking Interlocking Building Block. But that is only part of an intriguing story of what creativity and the encouragement of it could do for a country caught in the web of seemingly unending economic flip-flops.

The fascinating fact that

Spiritonomics

Debo Atiba

www.spiritonomics.org

H

ave you ever wondered that everything you will ever do in this life whether good or bad starts from your thought life? If you’ve never thought about it, begin now.

That place you want to go now you realise it starts with a thought.

The step you are about to take now begins with a thought. What is it about this thought? Why is this the most important aspect of a man’s life? I believe that if it is not so important we would not have been admonished repeatedly by God that we should guard our heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life (the force that governs life) Prov.4:23.

This aspect of our lives is given to us as an advantage and a form

Takes ffrom Fiirohouse-Africa’s first Industrial Reality Tv Show it was inspired by the nation’s foremost food research institute, the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) by partnering with Lashone Links Communications Limited is truly inspiring; timely, thematically relevant and indeed a patriotic initiative to be emulated by others.

The laudable aim of FIIROHOUSE, is to “advocate for the development of meaningful entrepreneurial culture and motivate young entrepreneurs towards evolving a productive economy”.

This is being actuali ze d by providing alternative but complimentary funding opportunities for investment i n i n d i g e n o u s Re s e a r c h a n d De v e l o p m e n t ( R & D ) Technologies. The spin-off effects are for job creation and national socioeconomic development. In precise terms, it is to discover, train and empower Nigerians on industrial development, technopreneurship, entrepreneurship, skill and innovations.

Coming at a period when the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) puts the youth unemployment figure that reached an all time high of 38 percent in the second quarter of 2018 up from 11.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, this move could not have come at a better time.

It would be recalled that the goal-getting Director General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Prof. Gloria Elemo, in August, 2018 said that: “It will also engage and reward participants as they go through different levels of tasks to enhance and nuture them to world class solutions

providers.” She added that the selected housemates would be presented to the world at an unveiling ceremony on October 26 after undergoing a one-week training on core entrepreneurial competencies at FIIRO. And in September of 2018 she reiterated the commitment of the institute to the Reality TV Show as it had earmarked N50 million for technopreneurs to emerge through a new reality TV show.

According to her, the winners of the first, second and third positions would go home with N25 million, N15 million and N10 million respectively. She said that 37 participants would be chosen as FIIRO ambassadors in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Also, participants who failed to make it to the FIIRO House would go home with certificates that will enable them have further empowerment trainings at the institute.

El e m o s a i d t h e o v e r a l l objective of the reality TV show was to create a TV project to develop meaningful entrepreneurial skills and motivate entrepreneurs towards evolving a productive economy.

She said that: “It will promote indigenous technologies and local content among industrial practitioners, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, as well provide quality sales programming both online and on television”.

O n h i s p a r t , t h e Ch i e f Executive Officer, Lashone Links Group of Companies, Dr. Lanre Shonekan said: “We have been on this journey for over two years now and the whole idea is to industrialise the country through indigenous technology and also get the youth out of the streets”.

This will enable them to raise their

Thought of greatness of empowerment to chart the course of our lives. This design is in everyman that ever walked the face of this earth.

You will bear me witness that every fear we ever had, every discouragement that ever came, all came from within, from the realm of our thoughts. And every step of strength we ever took also came from the realm of our thought. It is glaring that this aspect of our lives is like the engine in a vehicle. If it is absent or malfunctioning the vehicle is going nowhere. From the beginning it was created original, untainted, clean, clear and without fault, until sin entered and corrupted it. Immediately every thought of man became wicked, evil, destructive, etc. This became the undoing of man. Since then man became a victim of discoloured and repressible thoughts.

A new thought life came as a result of the death and the resurrection of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. However, serious contention begins the moment we begin to think in line with the new life that Jesus brought.

Why should there be oppositions or attacks against the right thought?

Have you ever wondered? Life after the fall of man is a fallen life. That is why you do not need to struggle to

think evil or for bad imaginations to come to your mind. Donot forget in the fallen world, bad news is good news. In fact if it is not bad, it is not news. To conceive or do evil is effortless, and the system even encourages compromise. You are strange if you do what is right. Why would you disclose 10,000 dollar that you found when noone saw when you found it?

The world system cannot fathom such concept, and you must be out of your mind to do that. There is a common proverb that says “Everyone is a thief when nobody is around”. What a conclusion? This emanates from their thought life.

So why should we reposition our thought life? From various examples given already and also from our day to day activities, it is easy to keep failing in this life so long as you align your thoughts with that of this fallen world. For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he(Prov.23:7).

Everyone in their present state is a direct reflection of their thoughts.

You may not want to admit it but that is true. The poverty, the penury, disappointment, the discouragement, the failure and the success are all products of the thoughts in your heart. You live your life from inside out. The enemy that is responsible

own industries and be able to employ more people and reduce unemployment in the country and this is the idea behind this project.

Months later, he disclosed that only 25 entrepreneurs were able to make it to the next stage, out of 10,000 youths that applied for the competition.

Shonekan noted that the selection was tough, as they had to go to all the geopolitical zones of the country to select the best 25 entrepreneurs who made it to the next stage. He listed the centres where selections were done to include FIIRO for South West; Abuja for North Central; Kano for North West, and Anambra for South East.

Subsequently, they were kept in a house for six weeks where they were further exposed to more FIIRO’s R&D technologies.

The tasks were carried out every day in the house but the audition was beamed live on Superscreen TV where Nigerians were allowed to vote for their best choice online. Speaking at the event, the Director of Programmes, Superscreen TV, Mr. Ananaba Anuihe, said “the competition provided an opportunity for unemployed youths to be gainfully employed”.

One of the selected participants, who spoke on behalf of others, Ajiroghene Omanudhone, from Delta State and who incidentally emerged as the Second Prize winner with N15 million is into recycling of plastic waste converted into furniture for schools. He extolled the sponsors of FIIROHOUSE as it was the first of its kind in Nigeria, where entrepreneurs would be given a start-up capital to establish their companies. He noted that this kind of initiative

for planting these thoughts would not standby and allow you get out of his grip. Thinking right thought, repositioning your thought in opposite direction delivers you from the hands of the task master. You cannot think right thought without thinking Jesus thought. Jesus’ thoughts has capacity to affect and correct other thoughts; He said “The WORD I speak unto you they are Spirit and Life” (John 6:63). His words impact your life positively.

He equally said, “I am the way the TRUTH and the life”) John 14:6).

Jesus is the embodiment of truth.

Deliberate effortswould have to be made to do this if we truly want a change in our situation. Time has to be made out to settle down to the word of Jesus. The ingestion of his word is the start of repositioningour thought, which consequently affect our lives. Our success in life and business emanates from thinking right thought.

So what are the few steps we must take to reposition our thoughts?

1.Recognition: Recognise that your thought in its present state requires a change. If you are not happy with your present state it is prove-positive that your thoughts

should be encouraged by the government and the private sector as this is the only way to provide employment for the nation’s teeming youths.

As one of the guests at the epoch-making occasion there are many lessons to learn from the FIIROHOUSE. A significant step is the increasing need to bridge the gap between the vast natural endowments; God has given us in the areas of agriculture, solid mineral, oil and gas by employing technological knowhow. For instance, Bola Adewale, who happens to be the First Prize Winner, is the cofounder at Blayton Company.

He has played various roles as a Project Manager, Operations He a d a n d De s i g n Le a d i n companies ranging from oil and gas servicing firms, engineering and construction industries.

With operational management certification from the University of Pennsylvania, his entrepreneurial attribute has seen him become alumni of Fate Foundation as well as Tony Elumelu Foundation. His grant of N25m will therefore, come handy to give life to his dream and passion for providing affordable housing project blocks.

He will become self-employed, get other youth gainfully employed as well and take many out of the streets currently soaked with the waves of violence. What better platform do we need if not FIIROHOUSE to encourage our young ones with ideas to come forward and be empowered to do so.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

are due for a change.

2.Be Intentional: By reason of years of thinking stinking andnegative thoughts, we have gotten accustom to such thoughts. So we must be intentional on the type of thoughts that we permit. Fearful thoughts, discouraging thoughts, depressing thoughts, suicidal thoughts are thoughts that come to us naturally , they must be vetted at all times and pushed aside.

3.Be violent; Getting rid of old rotten thoughts is not easy, the more you try to push them off, the more they seem to return back.

Such reaction is expected because you have aided them for so long that it becomes their natural habitat.

However your insistence and violent attitude will give them no room to remain.

4. Be expectant: Like the saying is, the only incidence that is constant in life is CHANGE. Your present situation brought about by your present thought is subject to change. Be optimistic that a change has begun in your life as your thought changes by thinking Jesus thoughts.

Remain blessed as you accommodate thoughts of greatness. @spiritonomics

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Sunday 17 February 2019

SundayBusiness Obbeahon Ohiwerei, the turn-around strategist Going Ezra Adeniyi

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he story of corporate revolutions in Nigeria will not be complete without direct reference to Keystone Bank Limited and its Group Managing Director/CEO, Obeahon Ohiwerei. This is a man who has used his Midas touch to turn things around for the financial institution within a significantly short space of time.

Ohiwerei is a rare breed.

We are familiar with individuals who take over bourgeoning establishments and further increase their worth on face value along the line.

But it sounds like a fairy tale to have a professional who takes over a near-comatose organisation and almost makes a corporate giant out of it. This has been the lot of Keystone Bank.

In just a little over one year after the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON’s divestment which saw the emergence of Ohiwerei as its managing director cum chief executive officer, Keystone Bank’s narrative changed to a financial institution to reckon with.

On March 24, 2017, Sigma Golf-Riverbank Consortium took over Keystone Bank in its distressed state, which led to the appointment of Dr. Ohiwerei. On assumption of office in August 2017, Ohiwerei drew up a holistic and integrated approach to business modernization which elevated the bank to deliver a superior customercentric experience. The impact of this change reflected positive results in its 2018 report card, which restored customers’ trust and confidence in the system.

Ohiwerei’s magic wand at Keystone Bank has taken industry watchers by surprise, and the industry itself by storm. Since becoming the Managing Director of the lender, the game-changer has spearheaded several growth initiatives which have placed the bank on upward trajectory.

The bank has invested significantly in technology with copiously integrated service models enabling customers enjoy banking services through a wide range of channels.

From evolving technolo-

gies to changing customer expectations to new regulatory demands – it has never been more important for banks to come up with the right strategies for digital transformation and innovation; the bolstered Ohiwereiled team nonetheless, made this a reality at Keystone Bank. This entailed initiating partnership processes with foremost technologyenabled concerns to drive its digital revolution.

Keystone Bank’s ‘Cheque Deposit’ feature in its state of the art mobile banking application, ‘Keystone Mobile App’, further describes Ohiwerei’s vision to position Keystone Bank as a technology and service-driven commercial bank offering convenient and reliable solutions to its customers. The feature which is again the first in the Nigerian banking sector, enables customers to deposit cheques into accounts from anywhere and at any time on their mobile phones.

Undoubtedly, Ohiwerei’s achievements at Keystone Bank have not gone unnoticed. Accolades have streamed in from all spheres in praise of a man who has done what many people only dream of.

He clinched the Best Banking CEO Award 2018 at the prestigious European Global Banking & Finance Awards in London in July 2018 for his exceptional achievements over the last year. This is an inspiration for business and government leaders working to raise Africa’s investment profile. The judging panel of the award considered excellent leadership skills, enhanced organisational image and innovation. Keystone Bank also emerged ‘Africa’s Most Innovative Bank of the Year, 2018’ at the awards event.

The bank also shone brightly at the International Banker Awards, 2018 as it emerged winner in two categories beating other nominees and carting away the prize for “Africa’s Best Customer Service Provider” and “Nigeria’s Most Innovative Retail Bank of the year, 2018”. The International Banker Awards is an annual event organised by the renownedInternationalBanker financial magazine, one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative analysis on finance, international bank-

ing, and world affairs.

Obeahon Ohiwerei began his professional banking career with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in 1991, and his exceptional performance saw him rise to the position of manager within six years. He later joined Standard Trust Bank (now UBA Plc) where he was appointed the Pioneer Group Head, Consumer Banking in 1998. He resigned in 2002 as General Manager in charge of Lagos and West to join Pacific Bank Limited (then on Central Bank of Nigeria’s holding action) as Managing Director. He repositioned the bank with his new team within 15 months and moved on to take up a new appointment as the pioneer Managing Director of Standard Trust Bank Ghana (now UBA Ghana).

He was Group Executive Director with Access Bank Plc for seven years, and a director in three of Access Bank’s offshore subsidiaries as well as FITC, Lagos.

Not resting on his oars, the seasoned banker in a recent interview said he would love to leave with a sense of satisfaction that he delivered on the mandate of the investors by making Keystone a Tier-1 bank.

Ohiwerei who describes himself as being audacious to a fault says I challenge my colleagues to pursue audacious goals believing they can achieve them. There is no limit to what you can achieve as long as you believe in yourself and drive your vision strategically. Personally, I set goals for myself every five years and often achieve them within three years.

“While I do not micromanage people, I am by nature excited by the challenge of execution and that makes it easy for me to engage hands-on with them in working through any challenges that may arise along the way,” “I want to leave behind a tested and proven team of passionate and highly motivated people that refuse to see any barriers to what they can achieve; people that are able to compete shoulderto-shoulder/head to head with any leading bank in the industry.

“At the end of my tenure, the recurrent customer feedback should be ‘my bankers are highly professional solution providers, responsive and always within reach.’” He concluded.

As Dale Carnegie puts it, “You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing,” Ohiwerei’s bold innovations at Keystone Bank are borne out of his passion to succeed in his every endeavor.

- Adeniyi, a financial analyst, wrote from Lagos, Nigeria.

Digital With

Wison Moore

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oday, many incredibly savvy individual marketers or marketing teams in Nigeria and other parts of the world are laserfocused on finding creative, effective and inexpensive digital marketing strategies to skyrocket their brand awareness and boost the sale of their goods or services.

One of those amazing but often ignored marketing strategies is SMS bulk marketing.SMS is text-based and does not depend on the internet for the recipient to access the message.

So we raise the question ‘Are benefiting from bulk SMS marketing?

In this article, we will learn the five benefits of using bulk

Short Messaging Service (SMS) for your marketing campaigns.

Let’s dive in. #1. It is the most effective way to reach users It commands a 90 percent read rate in minutes.

And when you consider the timeliness of delivery, SMS maintains the highest engagement rate when you compare it to emails and OTT apps.

SMS messages are sent quickly, read almost instantly (within 5 seconds on average) and responded to almost immediately. #2. Anybody with a mobile number can be reached The technology used for sending and receiving SMS does not depend on your internet. That means that you can reach most people in our modern society.

High-end messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Viber and WeChat function only if your smartphone is connected to the internet.

On the other hand, a user does not need an internet connection or use the same app as the one you’re communicating with in order to

Are you benefiting from bulk SMSbulk marketing?

receive an SMS. #3. Bulk SMS can be highly targeted Bulk SMS can be delivered to a target audience. Since many companies are keeping a close eye on costs, you can appreciate why your bulk message should be sent to only a targeted audience.

Interestingly, bulk SMS marketing is permission based. That means anybody that receives your text will: • Already have a relationship with you.

• And have agreed to receive marketing messages from you.

What these two facts tell us is that these targets are already hot leads for new sales.

And of the best ways to stay in touch with your existing customers is through bulk SMS. #3. Popularity of two factor authentication and security via SMS With the growth of mobile devices, more and more people are transferring their personal data over the internet than ever known.

Therefore, in order to add another layer of security in addition to your password, two-factor authentication has become the route companies

sage Personalizing your message means that you’re sending each SMS text messages with a unique information for each person that receives your text.

The big deal about this is that you can craft a personalized compelling marketing text to all of your contacts and customize the relevant information.

This means that you can add the recipient’s first name, last name, account number, meeting time, to the same message.

And when your customer gets it, only the information relevant to her will show in the message.

You can also personalize bulk SMS texts based on the customer’s previous buying behavior and demographics.

They can even be personalized based on store location, city, state, and zip code.

This form of customizations would be very expensive in any other form of marketing.

Now that you understand and appreciate the benefits of SMS bulk marketing, how do you get started?

How to get started withbulk SMS marketing campaign

use to protect its users.

The reason why SMS as an authentication method has been rising in its usage is that a user almost always has a mobile device on them at any given time.

And the cost of sending an SMS is also very low, while its ease of voice two-factor authentication makes SMS more ideal for today’s fastpaced society.

Major companies are using SMS as a step in twofactor authentication when activated.

They include Google, Dropbox, PayPal, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. #4. Low cost and high ROI Traditional marketing methods like TV commercials, outdoor advertising and radio are too expensive for most small to medium-sized businesses and organizations.

On the other hand, bulk SMS marketing has negligible setup and running costs.

That makes it easy for you to launch a campaign, reach thousands of customers in a matter of seconds at a fraction of the costs of a traditional marketing strategy. #5. With bulk SMS you can personalize your mes-

The first step in getting your SMS campaign started is to set your goals and have a thorough understanding of what you want to achieve from the campaign. It is also important to have realistic expectations.

After you know what your campaign goals are, register with a bulk SMS provider.

Possibly, the hardest part of the campaign is building up a subscriber list. To be effective you have to know your target audience.You want to make sure that those actually on your list are actually likely to embrace your campaign.

Once you have your contacts ready, craft your custom text message and schedule your campaign.

In this article, we have learned the benefits of bulk SMS marketing. In the next article, we will learn about email marketing.

Moore is Director of Marketing Anaconda Marketing Ltd, a Lagos-based Digital Marketing Agency +234 080 579 37786 wilson.moore@anacondamarketing.com.ng http://anacondamarketing. com.ng

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BDSUNDAY 39

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

When brands use creative methods to inspire happiness in consumers DANIEL OBI

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igeria is a happy place.

The news might not tell you this or always reflect it, but things happen here that make you happy, surprised-happy, amazed-happy; even angry-happy.

The legend Fela sang about his people and said we suffer and smile, an odd combination, but it is who we are.

They say you’re never fully dressed without a smile, a statement with a strong fashion connotation, however, when you live in a country where a vast population can barely afford clothing, a basic human need, but can give wide grins, you begin to rethink such an adage.

As indicated by the 2018 World Happiness Report, Nigerians seems to be happier now, as the country moved up to 91 from its previous position of 95 at the global level, fifth in Africa in 2018 and sixth in Africa in 2017. In 2016, Nigeria stood at 103 position in the World and sixth in Africa respectively in the annual global happiness index.

Nigeria’s position showed that despite its economic and security challenges, its citizens remained happy.

The complexities of life in Nigeria are hilarious. There’s a joke about the good, the bad, the ugly, everything, all in a bid to escape the real effects of these events and stay happy, and the science of smiles makes this easier to understand.

Scientists explain a smile as the brain’s happy reaction, which in turn makes it happier, hence the formation of wide grins. At least, that’s the simple part that ignores the muscle contraction, the happy hormones and the emotion people see on display. But the larger question remains, are smiling people really happy?

So, 2018 was an interesting year plagued by social economic unrest which left many Nigerians displeased. At various points in the

year, we had reports and stories which gave us little to be optimistic about. At some point many felt like for every one positive step the country took, we were set back with two negative steps. Such was the merrygo-round of our country’s growth (or lack thereof). Yet, in the midst of all these, there were seemingly happy faces. Where the happiness stems from, many do not know, but they are smiling anyway.

A team at the University of California, Berkley have carried out extensive research about happiness and positive psychology, and even created a MOOC about it - The Science of Happiness. Their biggest finding remains that happiness is inextricably linked to having strong social connections and contributing to something bigger than yourself—the greater good. They teach about other things like empathy, mindfulness and gratitude, all geared towards explaining where smiles come from.

This quest to understand happiness and how to inspire this emotion in others have seen some brands use creative ways to promote this ideal. In February of 2018, popular potato chips company lays, set out to answer one key question - Can a positive message, including a tie-in with a nonprofit, as well as personalized packaging and a pop-up

funhouse, put smiles on the faces of millennial consumers?

What followed was the “Smile with Lays” campaign which featured a series TV ads, some personalized packaging, a partnership with the nonprofit Operation Smile and brand ambassador Jordin Sparks for a three-day pop-up experience in the heart of Times Square.

Back home in Nigeria, notable brands such as Maltina have leveraged the Happiness concept for communication and consumer engagement. This is evident in the brand’s more recent project called 1000 Smiles where a team of audiovisual content creators led by stylist Noble Igwe traveled across Nigeria to capture smiles.

The brand Maltina has also over the years been associated with activities driven by the idea of Happiness, such as family-friendly events - Laffmattaz and Nickfest which featured over 4000 children in 2018 yielding over 44 million impressions.

The 1000 smiles campaign has received wide acclaim, particularly for how it debunked the common perception that wealth equates joy. This is highlighted when looking through the captured smiles which include a very diverse and varied group of people, however,

the happiest people seem to be the ones you would least expect to have reasons to smile.

Considering the current wealth gap between the wealthy and the poor in Nigeria, one would expect the elites to be the ones with bigger smiles, however, the happiest moments seem to occur in the market, in the bus park and on the streets of Lagos, where street hawkers, bus drivers and market women were seen beaming with joy, despite their circumstances.

Paul Piff, PhD, of the University of California, Irvine believes that “the rich are more likely to find happiness in “me,” while “we” equals happiness for the poor”. So the question becomes, does having less and needing others lead to more happiness?

For many years, Nigerians have often been considered happy-golucky people. Despite our travails, we are regarded as people who can persevere and find reasons to smile, even in the face of adversities. However, in the wake of the recent economic downturn, it was uncertain if Nigerians could still maintain such optimism. Afterall, we’ve been optimistic for so long maybe it might be time to try pessimism for a change. The 1000 smiles initiative put this to the test, seeking to find out if we as a people still shared that collective optimism.

The World’s Happiness Report ranks countries based on seven factors that support happiness caring, freedom, generosity, good governance, honesty, health and income. While Nigeria may score low on a number of those factors, she often makes up hugely in other areas. When people spoke before their “smile photo”, some of their happiness stemmed from stories of grief and depression to the stories of facing some insurmountable odds, and fighting for their joy.

Onyeka Omani is one of such people, who had lost and stayed optimistic. His brother’s departure has set him on a new path of optimism, where he believes his happiness to be an intentional choice and a battle for freedom from grief.

Like many, his take on happiness is a timely reminder that true joy is in spite of negativity, but not without negativity. With a generation that prides itself in celebrating the good times and ignoring the bad, there is a key lesson to be learned here.

The concept of happiness has even seen Hollywood create movies which play on this premise.

Back in 2006, The Pursuit of Happyness was released. An American biographical drama film based on entrepreneur Chris Gardner’s nearly one-year struggle being homeless. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, the film features Will Smith as Gardner, a homeless salesman. The screenplay by Steven Conrad is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name written

by Gardner with Quincy Troupe.

The movie resonated so much with fans and critics that Will Smith was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance.

Dramatic and very emotional, Pursuit of Happyness is a movie that takes you on a ride of a person’s quest for joy and fulfilment. It is a reminder that at the end of the day, the quest for true happiness is a personal journey.

Sometimes, people need a reminder of the things they are truly grateful for, and the need to go after them. While a good mood might not be directly linked to a longer life, a 2011 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that older people who reported being the least happy died at nearly twice the rate in the next five years as people who reported being the happiest. The soap brand - Dove, just like Maltina has been a strong advocate of happiness. These brands have through their messaging helped people unlock a better life, just by breaking down the concept of joy, and sharing happiness through their products.

We may never be able to fully understand happiness or how it works, but what we do know is everyone, regardless of your race, age or societal status deserves to be happy. That includes you

Fruit juice helps to lower blood pressure – Health expert

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famous health and fitness consultant, Bisi Abiola has said that fruit juice could reduce the risk of high blood pressure (BP) if taken regularly.

Abiola stated this during the January edition of the monthly healthy living dialogue, an event sponsored

by Chi Limited. The platform gives experts an opportunity to x-ray the benefits of 100% fruit juice.

The fitness coach said that drinking a glass of fruit juice gives an individual the opportunity to get

at least eight per cent of daily potassium, which neutralises sodium and helps to lower BP. She explained: “The overall amount of sodium and potassium in your diet affects your BP. Sodium makes it go up while potassium offsets sodium and helps to lower BP. Researches have shown that consuming more potassium reduces BP in people with hypertension; and this has huge benefit for consumers as long as they do not suffer from kidney disease”.

“Most of us only get about half

of the recommended dietary allowance for potassium. What many people do not know is that taking a glass of orange juice allows you to get at least eight per cent of your daily potassium,” she stressed.

While many hypertensive individuals resort to medication, Abiola stated that “medication is not the only way to control high BP, otherwise known as hypertension. Lifestyle and diet also play an important role in managing such a health challenge”.

According to her, fruit juices

from trustworthy brand like Chivita produces bioflavonoids such as hesperidin – functions as an antioxidant and can help to lower cholesterol.

She continued: “When healthy, reasonably overweight men drink orange juice daily for four weeks, and their diastolic BP goes down, the researchers who were searching for hesperidin’s role concluded that the bioflavonoid was probably linked to the beneficial effects. Another study confirmed that regular consumption of hesperidin helps to

prevent hypertension.”

Abiola also reiterated that B vitamin folate from fruit juice also helps to prevent hypertension. In her view, individuals who consumed folate from their early adult age are at a lower risk of high BP later in life.

“A number of reputable authors have concluded that 100% fruit juice or whole fruit is not significantly associated with increased risk of hypertension or diabetes.

Evidence indicates a modest but consistent reduction in BP with 100% fruit juice,” she said.

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EquityMarket Transcorp Hotels, Newrest ASL to pay N1.3bn dividend

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Stories by TELIAT SULE r a n s c o r p Ho t e l s a n d Newrest ASL have become the early filers to announce their audited financial statements for the period ended December 31,2018, statements sent to all the stakeholders through the management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange have shown.

According to a release signed by Helen Iwuchukwu, group company secretary, Transcorp Hotels is to pay a final dividend of 15 kobo per share for shareholders whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on February 27, 2019.

Based on the company’s ownership structure, Transcorp Corporation of Nigeria Plc, with 83.47 percent stake in the Transcorp Hotels, is entitled to N951.61 million from the total dividend announced, while the Ministry of Finance Incorporation, which controls 11.02 percent stake will rake in N125.63 million from the final dividend.

“On 19 March 2019, dividends will be paid electronically to shareholders whose names appear on the Register of Members as at 27 February 2019 and who have completed the edividend registration and mandated the Registrar to pay their dividends directly into their bank accounts”, the statements read. Based on 7.6 million ordinary shares of the company, the 15 kobo dividend per share amounted to N1.14 billion. The company’s Annual General Meeting will hold at the Trancorp Hotel Abuja on March 15,2019.

In the same manner, Newrest ASL has announced 20 kobo dividend per share, for the financial ended 31 December 2018. Meanwhile, only shareholders whose names appear in the register of members as at the close of business on April 26, 2019 will benefit from this corporate ac-

tion.

Based on the number of its outstanding shares, shareholders of

AXA Mansard board approves audited financial statement 2018 TELIAT SULE

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he board of directors of Axa Mansard Insurance Company has approved its audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, a notice signed Omowunmi Mabel Adewusi, the company’s secretary stated. The board has equally instructed the management to forward the report to the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

“The Board of Directors of AXA Mansard Insurance Plc at the 77th Board meeting of the company held on the 13th February 2019, unanimously resolved that the audited financial statements and accounts of the company together with the directors and auditor’s reports for the financial year ended December 31, 2018 is approved and that the management of the company is hereby authorised to submit the audited financial statements and accounts of the company for the year ended December 31, 2018 to the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for its approval.

In addition, the management was also instructed that once the approval of NAICOM was obtained, the audited financial statement should be filled with the authority of the Nigerian Stock Exchange in line with the post listing rules.

Newrest ASL will smile to the bank to the tune of N126.8 million. The company has five major sharehold-

ers, each of which has its shareholding above 5 percent. Newrest Group controls 22.98 percent of the compa-

ny’s shareholding structure. Rifkind Limited and Roswello Limited control 17.18 percent each. Harrowditch Limited has 14.31 percent stake in Newrest ASL while Rical Enterprises Limited controls 9.99 percent stake in the company. Altogether, these institutional shareholders control 81.64 percent of the company’s shareholding structure.

In spite of the sluggish growth in the economy, as demonstrated by the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) which hovered around 2 percent, Transcorp Hotels realised N17.42 billion as gross revenue in the financial year ended December 31, 2018. That was 25.8 percent higher than N13.84 billion it made in corresponding period in 2017.

Cost of sales rose by 21 percent from N3.76 billion in full year 2017 to N4.54 billion in 2018. Nevertheless, cost of sales to revenue fell to 26 percent compared with 27 percent in similar period in 2017, implying that it was cheaper for the firm to make a naira revenue in 2018 compared with 2017.

Transcorp Hotels’ operating profit was increased by 45 percent to N5.04 billion up from N3.48 billion in corresponding period in 2017. Profit for the year was at N3.71 billion, an increase of 38 percent when compared with N2.68 billion the company realised in 2017.

Newrest ASL increased its gross revenue for the period ended December 31, 2018 by 38 percent from N3.92 billion in 2017 to N5.43 billion in 2018. Total comprehensive income for the period stood at N1.49 billion, an increase of 258 percent over N415.9 million made in similar period in 2017.

As at the close of business last Friday, the share price of Transcorp Hotels closed at N6.10 per share, the same level it was as at the beginning of this year while Newrest ASL ended the week at N6.45 per share, representing -18.4 percent year to date returns.

Equity component of FPI, FDI rises to $1.19bn in 2018 KELVIN UMWENI

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igeria saw a slight improvement in total capital importation into the country as the equity component of Nigeria’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) trended upward by 21.4 per cent to $1.19 billion in full year 2018 compared to $0.98 billion recorded in the preceding year, a recent capital importation report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows.

The equity value of 2018 is the biggest ever posted since the economy slipped into recession for the first time in 25 years in 2016. The quarterly performance breakdown was a mixed bag. While the quarterly equity value for first, second and third quarter of 2018 far surpassed the equity inflow across all the quarters of 2017, the fourth quarter 2018 figure however recorded a sharp drop: the third lowest since 2014.

Equity component of FPI rose steadily from $0.25 billion in Q1 2018 to $0.53 billion in Q3 2018 before declining by 70.6 per cent to $0.16

billion in Q4 2018. Consequently, on a quarter-on-quarter basis, the equity component sank 70.6 per cent from $0.16 billion in Q3 2018 to $0.53 billion in Q4 2018.The share of the equity component of FDI was 99.5 per cent as at year end 2018, a trend it has always maintained.

Conversely, the total value of the equity component of the foreign portfolio investment as at end of 2018 was twice that of the equity component of the FDI. Equity FPI decreased by 35 per cent to$2.36 billion relative to $3.64 billion recorded in 2017.

The drop in the equity component of FPI inflow has been predicated on the political uncertainties surrounding the forthcoming elections in the country which had made many investors to withdraw their funds from the stock market. The impact of investors view on the riskiness of investing on the economy is more pronounced when the equity value is assessed on a quarterly basis.

Since second quarter of 2018, equity value of FPI has retreated. Despite rising by 49 per cent from $0.7 billion in Q1 2018 to $1.05 billion in Q2 2018,

equity component of FPI dropped sharply by 62 per cent to $0.39 billion in Q3 2018 and settled at $0.22 billion as at Q4 2018, the lowest value ever recorded since Q1 2017.

Equity component of FPI decreased by 44.7 per cent to $0.22 billion in Q4 2018 relative to $0.39 billion in the corresponding quarter of the same year Aside the uncertainties around the election, analysts have fingered the monetary policy tightening in the United States as the reason for the capital flow reversal.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) equity market started the year on a high, with the All Share Index (ASI) reaching a ten-year peak of 45,092.83 in January, driven primarily by the positive performance of the All Share Index (ASI) in 2017.

The NSE ASI however closed the year by 31,430.50, a decrease of 17.81 per cent – underscored bybearish sentiments arising from political risks, oil price volatility and rising global yields. Equity’s share in the total FPI in 2018 stood at 20 per cent relative to 47.4 per cent and 49.6 per cent in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

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BDSUNDAY 41

Reactions Feb 16: The D-Day that never was

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CHUKA UROKO xcept for the masterminds of this mindless rape on Nigeria’s fragile democracy, no Nigerian with his pure heart and patriotic mind already prepared to perform his civic duty would have believed any joker that told him or her on Friday night that he wouldn’t be going to the polls just the next day, Saturday.

Such a joke would have been regarded or treated as one taken too far. But, according to Adewale Adegboyiga, in his book, ‘Why We Struck’ which is an account of the three-year civil war in Nigeria, “events mock at human foresight and nothing is certain but the unforeseen”.

That statement amply captures the unfortunate postponement of the Saturday, February 16, 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the wee-hours of that day.

Saturday, February 16, was a special day for Nigeria and Nigerians, except for the witches and wizards who, like the devil in the Biblical story of the Weeds and Tares, who came secretly when the owner of the farm had done his good job and gone, and planted weeds among the tares.

That day was one that Nigerian citizens, bemused by unbridled and bare-faced shenanigans of a rudderless voyaging government, made up their minds to end the deceit, the emptiness and ineptitude that defined governance by a party that came into power through a deceitful change mantra but failed to change anything.

February 16, was really a day the hapless, traumatised, frustrated, hungry and angry Nigerians booked a date with history. But that day never was! Just a tiny clique of desperadoes, of self-seeking and self-serving elements sat and decided to take the collective aspirations

of Nigerians to the gutters.

This is how the country, inexonerably, have been plunged into the abyss of losses, frustration and shame. And the only explanation from the electoral body for this inglorious act was that it was having logistics challenges.

It was indeed easy for INEC to make this pronouncement without considering the impact and huge losses associated with it.

Increasingly, logistics is becoming a nebulous concept in Nigeria. Every time a national incident of this magnitude happens, it is blamed on logistics and one wonders what exactly makes up logistics as a concept in the context Nigeria as democratic entity?

Easily, whenever February 16 will be men-

Analysis tioned or it comes to mind, several months and years to come, people would readily remember it as a day Nigeria was to hold its presidential and national assembly elections never happened. But it goes beyond the elections.

Because of those elections, a lot of other things happened with far-reaching implications that were economic, social or political.

Whether at individual, household, institutional or national level, the economic loss was incalculable.

A lot of people have had to travel for several hours to be close to their polling station.

There were even those that had to travel in from abroad. Journalists, international correspondents, and election observers have spent thousands of dollars travelling to and around Nigeria to cover the elections and observe polling activities.

BDSUNDAY findings reveal that a return flight for a UK journalist to cover Nigeria election will cost them about N400,000 (more than

£800) while hotel accommodation for up to a week in a Lagos hotel could cost up to N35,000 (£75) per night. These added to an average per diem of $500 for 3-4 days gives a sense of just how much could have been expended on covering the elections that never was.

Kanayo Ezeani is a petty trader who sells food items. During elections, she sells to voters who gather at the Muslim College in Egbe, Alimosho Local Government of Lagos, where there are two large polling stations. Ezeani had already prepared for her delicacies, only waiting for the hour to come. But, for her, the day never was and she is busy now counting her losses.

National youth corps members were the worst hit. These patriotic Nigerians are always engaged a INEC adhoc staff. Many of them already at their collection centres waiting on Friday night waiting for the election materials.

When they were busy answering nature’s call, sleeping, the D-Day was killed.

Individual spending has increased in the last three days. Many have gone to filling stations and supermarkets to stock up for the election weekend, while some have travelled out of their places of residence to their constituencies where they are registered to vote.

It is unimaginable what the Nigerian economy lost because of this election, considering that the preparation was almost completed— materials distributed to some states. The country as a whole was shut down and all economic activities put on hold.

Every Saturday, hundreds, maybe thousands, of people get married across the country.

Those who might have scheduled their weddings for the week after the elections will now have to reschedule them, bearing unforeseen costs that might greatly affect their finances in the process.

A good number of them had shifted their wedding dates from February 16 to 23 and now, even that 23 is no longer feasible. All preparations and expenses already made have come to nought. The same thing with funeral or burial

arrangements that had to be adjusted.

Some companies have tied their spending and 2019 strategies around the Saturday, February 16 and March 2, 2019, initial election dates, spending millions of naira to realize that.

Adjusting to the new dates will not only affect company finances, but it will have some effects on employee morale going into the new week, further harming the companies’ productivity levels.

For politicians and political parties, this shift means additional expenses. Many of them have taken credit facilities on which interest is already running. They have to take more because they cannot afford to remain silent till next week because no serious politician underrates the power of the opposition.

Even INEC which did the whole deed is affected. Its budget for the election year is roughly N189 billion A large chunk of that budget that has already been expended on logistics in preparation for February 16 elections has gone to waste, never to be recouped.

It needs to be pointed out that INEC had the whole of the last four years to prepare for this election only to discover a few hours to the election that it was not prepared. People’s minds and money have been already committed to this election. Now, the election is shifted. How will people begin to adjust to this?

Besides the poor perception and rating from the international community which will see the country as incapable of organizing itself properly, this action also means increased economic uncertainty. The postponement of the elections will further keep investors away from the Nigerian market as fear and uncertainty about the country’s economic and political direction linger.

This will also discourage investment and bring adverse effect to the nation’s stock market.

From tomorrow, Monday, the adverse effects of this ungodly act on the stock market will begin to crystalise. How deep the market is going to sink as a result of this action remains a matter of conjecture.

INEC blames election postponement on weather, technical hitches ...Moves sensitive materials to CBN, bans campaign James Kwen, Abuja

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n what appeared like defence against its decision to postpone the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC says bad weather experienced in the last few days could not allow flights to deliver sensitive materials to most states of the Federation.

INEC said that if the polls were not postponed, accreditation and voting would not have commenced simultaneously across the nation due to late arrival of materials, leading to staggered elections which the Commission resolved not conduct.

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, while addressing stakeholders including foreign observers in Abuja said, the Commission wanted to shift the election to at most 48 hours but was advised by its technical team that it will take four to five days to reconfigure Smart Card Readers earlier deployed.

Yakubu told stakeholders that one of the residual challenge that culminated into the shift in the election is legal constraints as INEC as at today has 40 different court orders to add or drop candidates.

“The net effect of these is that there is usually roughly a one-month window for the Commission to print ballot papers and result sheets and either fly or transport them to several destinations until they finally get to each polling unit.

“Unfortunately, in the last one week flights within the country have been adversely affected by bad weather. For

instance, three days ago, we were unable to deliver materials to some locations due to bad weather.

“We therefore, had to rely on slowmoving long haulage vehicles to locations that can be serviced by air in spite of the fact that we created five zonal airport hubs Abuja (North Central), Port Harcourt (South South and South East), Kano (North West), Maiduguri and Yale (North East) and Lagos (South West) to facilitate the delivery of electoral logistics.

“Apart from these logistical challenges, we also faced what may well be attempts to sabotage our preparations. In a space of two weeks, we had to deal with serious fire incidents in three of our offices in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, Qu‘an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State and our Anambra State Office at Awka. In all three cases, serious disruptions were occasioned by the fire, further diverting our attention from regular preparations to recovery from the impact of the incidents.

“In lsiala Ngwa South, hundreds of PVCs were burnt, necessitating the recompiling of the affected cards and reprinting in time to ensure that the affected voters are not disenfranchised. I am glad that all the cards were quickly reprinted and made available for collection by their owners. “ln Qu’an Pan Local Govemment Area. our entire office was razed, destroying all the materials prepared for the elections printed register of voters, ballot boxes, voting cubicles and several electricity generating sets. ll Registration Areas and over IOO polling units were affected by the fire. We recovered quickly and have since replaced everything destroyed. In

addition, we secured a suitable building from which to conduct the elections.

“Perhaps the most serious was the fire incident in our Anambra State Office at Awka, which destroyed over 4,600 Smart Card Readers being prepared for the elections. These Card Readers take at least six months to procure. Despite this setback, we have practically recovered from this by mopping up every available spare SCR across the country and within 24 hours delivered them for elections to hold in Anambra State.

“All these challenges mean that then: have been differences in preparations from one State to another. Our overall assessment is that if the elections went on as planned, polls will not open at 8am in all polling units nationwide. Yet, we are determined that polls must hold at the same time everywhere in the country. In this way, elections will not be staggered.

This is very important to public perception of elections as free, fair and credible. We promised Nigerians that we shall be open, transparent and responsive.

“Faced with these challenges, we initially thought that we only required a maximum of 24 hours to resolve the logistics issues involved and complete our deployment for the election. This would mean shifting the elections to commence on Sunday 17th February 20l9.

“However, given the restriction of movement during elections, that could affect many voters who worship on Sundays. While the Commission was considering the following Monday, 18th February 2019 as an option, our lCT Department advised us that it would require 5-6 days to reconfigure about 180,000

Smart Card Readers earlier programmed to work only on election day Saturday 16th February 20l9.

“It is for this reason that the Commission decided to adjust the election dates to Saturday 23rdFebruary 2019 for Presidential and National Assembly elections and a consequential adjustment of Governorship, State Assembly and FCT Area Council elections to Saturday 9th March 2019”, he narrated.

Yakubu assured that, “Some sensitive materials have been distributed. However, all such materials have been retrieved and will be taken back to custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria. I want to assure you that there will be proper audit to account for all materials”.

He said the Commission which is now very ready for the next Saturday exercise would on Monday conclude completion/ confirmation of deployment of materials, configuration of the Smart Card Readers takes place between Sunday and Thursday while receipt and deployment of sensitive materials would be on Wednesday.

According to new schedule of activities, sensitive materials will be deployed to Local Government Areas on Thursday, refresher training for ad hoc staff is also on Thursday and deployment of personnel to Registration Area Centres is Friday with Election Day Saturday.

The INEC Chairman while responding to concerns raised by stakeholders particularly political parties said the extension in the date of the election does not implies lifting of ban on campaign and asks them to play the game according to the rules and regretted the inconvenience have caused Nigerians.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

BookReview Why I cut my father out of my life Family estrangement is like a gradual death – but sometimes it’s the only option

Hannah Beckerman

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last saw my father 14 years ago at a family birthday party. As he sat in one corner, refilling his glass of red wine as if at a Dionysian feast rather than an afternoon garden party, I slunk at the opposite end of the garden, trying to avoid him.

It wasn’t until the party was almost over that he drunkenly approached me and asked why I never contacted him.

It was a question I didn’t feel equipped to answer. Part of me thought he should have known without needing to ask.

A greater part of me knew there was no point discussing anything important with my father when he was drunk. I mumbled something about how it should have been obvious, and he left.

It was the last time I ever saw him.

When my father died last October, on his 78th birthday, I’d been estranged from him for 25 years. People have asked me many times about the cause of the estrangement, and about when it really began.

They are questions to which there are no straightforward answers, no neatly packaged responses. Family estrangement, I’ve learnt over the years, rarely comes in an easily digestible form: there is seldom a single provocation or a seismic moment that proves to be the catalyst for an irreversible schism.

If I think back now to when my estrangement from my father began, I wonder whether it’s entirely truthful to say that it was 25 years ago, when I went to university and decided I wanted nothing more to do with him.

I wonder if it had, in fact, begun four years previously, when my parents separated and subsequently divorced, and my overriding feeling was not of sadness or despair but of relief.

Or perhaps it had begun earlier than that, when I was 10, and he arrived late to a school concert I was performing in, falling over the chairs as he failed to navigate his way seamlessly from the pub to the school hall.

Maybe it began even earlier, as soon as I was perceptive enough to pick up on the tension that accompanied the sound of his key in the lock each evening, wondering whether he was returning home manageably or unmanageably drunk.

Or perhaps the truth is that the seeds of our future estrangement were sown every day throughout a childhood punctuated by conflict, constant belittling and outbursts of aggression.

What is certain is that, as any child of an alcoholic parent will tell you, alcoholics are not easy to love. I was very aware from a young age that I did not like my father, much less love him.

In my early childhood, my predominant feeling towards him was one of fear. As I got older, I became more aware of his belligerence, his contrariness, his ability to twist a conversation so that he became the victim and I the guilty party.

I don’t honestly know what caused him to behave this way. He was never one for self-analysis, critical introspection or open discussion of his feelings. When I was about eight, a psychologist recommended family therapy but my father refused.

Over the years, I have speculated as to the possible reasons for his drinking and aggression.

I had a sense that he had an unhappy childhood and that, being a war baby, his formative years were characterised by an absent father and economic deprivation.

Looking back now, I wonder whether he simply never had a template of good parenting to draw from in later life. But equally, I’m not sure I accept this as an excuse: we are all, ultimately, responsible for mending ourselves, for resolving our issues so as to avoid inflicting our difficulties on the next generation. By the time I was 18 and heading off to university, I understood that my relationship with my father was toxic, and that maintaining contact with him would only lead to greater disappointment, heartache and emotional damage.

The process of becoming estranged from a family member is like a slow, gradual death. You mourn a relationship you want but know you cannot have.

You mourn the father — or mother, sister or brother — you wish could be the kind, thoughtful, loving relative you crave but who, in reality, is not.

You mourn the painful relinquishing of a fantasy: the difficult acknowledgment that whatever form of relationship you wish you could have with this person, they are incapable of it.

And, as with grieving, there is eventually a level of reluctant acceptance, an understanding that you cannot change what has happened.

There may be sadness, regret, anger, disappointment — but there comes a point when your awareness that things cannot be different overtakes the wish that they could.

You understand that it is not within your power to change the other person, or to change your relationship with them.

I have often been asked whether there is a fine line between everyday difficulties in a relationship and cutting someone out of your life.

The implication is that all relationships have their challenges, that they all need to be worked on: that to give up on a relationship denotes a certain laziness, selfishness or intransigence.

To my mind, the line is not fine at all.

There is a world of difference between mild irritations or minor disappointments — those aspects we all need to tolerate if we’re to have productive relationships

with people — and toxicity or dysfunction.

What estranged family members often describe when talking about their experiences is a gradual chipping away at self-esteem, personal values, successes or relationships.

A gradual slipping away from one another rather than a decisive moment neatly demarcating an ending. In my case, a childhood dominated by unpredictable mood swings, erratic behaviour and aggression meant that I had no desire to carry those interactions into adulthood.

What has surprised me over the years is others’ reactions to the disclosure that I have been estranged from my father throughout my adult life.

Sometimes there is pity. Often there follows a reciprocal disclosure about an estrangement within their own family. Occasionally, there is confusion and disbelief, a cry of, “I love my family so much, I could never let this happen to us!” — as though anyone would choose to be estranged from their relatives were any reasonable alternative available.

Often there is judgment, a speculation that you must be callous or intolerant to be able to cut someone close out of your life. I suspect that family estrangement is rarely born of intolerance. It is too painful — too unpleasant a process — for anyone to go through purely out of inflexibility or oversensitivity.

There is too much grief involved, a grief that is all the more confusing because it relates to the loss of someone who has not yet died, who has simply disappeared from your life but exists elsewhere, as if in a parallel universe.

And given the number of British adults who are thought to be estranged from family members, it is unlikely that intolerance is the cause of all of them.

When I started writing a novel about family estrangement — a story of a 30year rift between two adult sisters, with their mother caught in the middle — I began to research statistics around family rifts. A 2015 survey by the charity Stand Alone found that 19 per cent of adults in Britain — about 12 million people — are in families where at least two relatives are estranged.

The online message board DWIL — “Dealing with the In-Laws” (though the community tackles all permutations of family conflict and estrangement) — has almost 75,000 members, 94,000 posts and close to four million comments.

The ongoing estrangement between Meghan Markle and her father has provoked many column inches of empathetic outpourings and proclamations of solidarity with the Duchess of Sussex’s position.

What’s strange — knowing these statistics — is how little family estrangement is openly discussed. Since writing my novel, close friends have confided in me about schisms in their own families: between parents and children, in-laws, siblings and cousins.

And yet, despite its prevalence, there seems to be a social taboo around longterm family rifts. Perhaps we are too wedded to the image of the perfect extended family, and there is shame in admitting that our own doesn’t live up to the ideal.

Perhaps each family imagines theirs to be the only one with a rift. Or perhaps, in an age of social media, we are so deluded by others’ portrayals of their Insta-perfect families that there is humiliation in acknowledging our own is damaged.

Rather than a simple explanation of intolerance or personality clashes, there are multiple triggers for family estrangement.

Common causes range from money, divorce and death (wills are a particular provocation) to more nebulous reasons: conflicting expectations of relationships or prolonged and deep-seated disappointments.

Generational conflict is a common catalyst: different values and priorities, or assumptions about involvement in one another’s lives, particularly once grandchildren arrive.

Jealousy, rivalry and competition — which often segue seamlessly from childhood to adulthood — are key drivers. In my case, estrangement from my father was about self-preservation.

His interactions with me, however innocuously begun, would swiftly descend into abuse and recrimination. I learnt from a young age that it was not possible to win an argument with him.

You cannot reason with someone who refuses to engage, or have a dialogue with someone who is incapable of hearing another’s point of view. You cannot be heard by someone who won’t listen. It took many years for me to be at peace with the decision to cut my father out of my life.

It was a decision made easier by the fact that he never tried to contact me.

Nonetheless, it was a decision fraught with pain, ambivalence and sorrow. I doubt it is an easy decision for anyone.

For most people it is, I suspect, a last resort.

When my father died last year, I decided against attending his funeral. I felt I had mourned his loss many years earlier, and that his physical passing didn’t alter the fact that I had already grieved his absence from my life.

Many people around me advised that I would regret it if I didn’t go. Four months later, I know it was the right decision for me. There are, I’ve little doubt, as many different permutations of family conflict as there are family relationships.

For me, estrangement was a positive move. It was a way to set clear boundaries, to protect myself from an unhealthy relationship. It helped me distance myself from a situation I knew to be psychologically harmful. But it takes strength and emotional resilience to go against the grain of social expectations, to divorce a member of your family.

Perhaps, instead of viewing family estrangement as a failure and judging or criticising the individuals involved, it is time to see it instead as a considered, thoughtful — albeit incredibly sad — decision, one born of necessity rather than choice. For which of us, after all, really has the perfect family?

‘If Only I Could Tell You’ by Hannah Beckerman is published on February 21 by Orion Books

Sunday 17 February 2019

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BDSUNDAY 43

News Extra PDP rejects shift in election date, asks INEC Chairman to resign OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

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he National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus has rejected the postponement of the general election, even as he asked the Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu to immediately resign.

Reacting to the postponement of election by the electoral body, the PDP National Chairman, insisted that its shoddy arrangement for the election is a deliberate pre-determined agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari to cling on to power even when it is obvious to him that Nigerians want him out.

Prince Secondus alleged that the shift which is part of a grand design by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to thwart the will of Nigerians at all cost, clearly exposes INEC as a failure.

In a statement on Saturday by the Special Adviser (Media) to Secondus, the PDP leader warned that the party will not accept anything short of a well organized electoral process devoid of manipulation, harassment and intimidation of voters and the opposition particularly members of the PDP. Secondus said that the party is privy to all the pressures from the APC and the

Secondus

Federal Government to armtwist the INEC to dance to their new strategy after their earlier ones failed.

He said: “With several of their rigging options failing, they have to force INEC to agree to a shift in the election or a staggered election with flimsy excuses pre manufactured for the purpose.

“For the avoidance of doubt the PDP sees this action as wicked and we are also aware of other dubious designs like the deployment of hooded security operatives who would be ruthless on the people ostensibly to scare them away.

“Having failed in all their nefarious options to enable

them cling on to power, the APC and the INEC came up with the idea of shifting election an action that is dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable”.

He said that by the action of the President he has further demonstrated his insensitivity costing the huge cost after Nigerians including those who came home from abroad have all mobilized to their various constituencies.

The National Chairman recalls that the PDP had earlier alerted Nigerians that the APC was coming up with lined up rigging strategies including burning down of INEC offices and engineering crisis in PDP strong

hold areas to scare away the people.

Prince Secondus said that the killing of over 60 persons mostly women and children in Southern Kaduna on the eve of election is a copious ploy by the APC to frighten the people away from voting knowing too well that they were not going to record any vote from the area.

“Recall that the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el rufai had earlier threatened international election observers of going to their country in body bags and with the fatal violence in the state on the eve of election, it’s clear what the motives are, to frighten the observers from the state so that he can carry out his nefarious acts,” he added.

The National Chairman also drew the attention of all lovers of democracy to the statement of President Buhari on the international media that nobody can unseat him from office as an indication of what he wants to do.

He regretted that President Buhari who made a promise at the signing of peace accord that the election will be conducted in a fair and transparent atmosphere, has gone ahead in breach of the peace agreements to send soldiers and other security agencies to arrest, harass and intimidate opponents in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Kano, Kaduna states.

Election postponement has no political undertone- INEC YOMI AYELESO, Akure

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that the postponement of the 2019 general

Yakubu

elections has no political undertone.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, Rufus Akeju who spoke with journalists in Akure on Saturday said the commission was determined for a credible, free

and fair poll.

Akeju maintained that the postponement was necessary for the electoral body to work round the clock and deliver elections that would be satisfactory to all stakeholders.

The REC, however, advised residents of the state to remain calm and keep their trust on the commission as they prepare to exercise their franchise next Saturday.

Meanwhile, many voters in the state have berated the Independent National Electoral Commission for postponing the 2019 elections six hours to the commencement.

A voter, Ade Olayemi who spoke with our correspondent while lamenting the postponement, called for the resignation of Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman.

He disclosed that he traveled home from Abuja

to participate in the exercise, saying so much of his resources had been expended.

He said: “To say the truth, INEC has failed Nigerians and I am highly disappointed. The INEC boss must resign with immediate effect.

“I have spent so much to come home from Abuja for this poll, only to be told it has been postponed this morning. I doubt if I will be able to come back for this election next week. My morale has been dampened.”

Also speaking, a student, Jacob Olatunde who came home purposely for the poll, regretted the inconveniences the postponement has caused.

He said that the postponement would cause voter apathy ahead of next Saturday’s poll, adding that INEC had 48 months to prepare for the poll, yet could not deliver.

The distributed materials should be cancelled -Ladoja Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan.

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ormer governor of Oyo and chieftain of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) says “I don’t see hope in this INEC when they cannot organise the elections”.

While reacting to postponement of the Saturday’s election, said: “The blame is with the INEC. They should have told us Wednesday, Thursday that we are not ready and now at the last minute that they are not ready.

“The reasonable thing is to also cancelled the distributed ballot papers because they would have leaked by now and that would cost billions to do again. It is sad.

Mr. President should sack them. They have destroyed the credibility of Nigeria and Nigerians in the international community”.

“This is criminal negli-

gence. Schools have closed down. Now are they going to say the children should stay at home again till next week.

It is sad.

The police and army have mobilised. Everybody has been mobilised for the election. The electoral officers too and we are now saying the elections is cancelled....cancelled, four hours to the election? Elections are supposed to be on at 8am and you cancelled it at 4am.

“It is a sad thing. Didn’t they know on Thursday that they were not ready? All along they have been telling people that the materials are ready and that the materials are deposited at CBN. Who are they deceiving?

Themselves... I will wait and see what General Buhari will do. Because win or lose, I will sack all of them particularly all of them at INEC headquarters because they are incompetent”.

Postponement of polls saves Nigeria of possible disaster - Ogun REC RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta

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rof. Abdulganiyu Raji, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ogun State has declared that scheduling of Presidential and National Assembly elections saves Nigeria a possible disaster which could have befallen on the country.

Raji noted the challenges posed by the late arrival of sensitive and non sensitive elections materials to various polling centres and booths could give room for suspicion of electoral malpractices that could cause civil disorder and security breach if INEC had gone ahead with the polls.

Speaking in Abeokuta on Election Studio of Rockcity 101.9 FM - “Nigeria Decides”,

Raji blamed the problem on logistics and disclosed that election materials meant for Ogun state were delivered to the Commission’s office in AbeokutabytheCentralBank of Nigeria (CBN) at exactly 8:00a.m on Saturday.

He said there was no way the elections could hold in virtually all the parts of the state, considering remote communities in Ipokia and Imeko-Afon (in Ogun West), and Ogun Waterside communities (in Ogun East), without causing suspicion, disaffections and confusions among the electorate.

The REC noted that some of the electoral materials already distributed to some local governments would remain where they are; in safe custody and under tight security, and would be used for the rescheduled elections next Saturday.

Daniel suspects foul play on postponement of elections, differs on sacking of INEC chair RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta

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b e n g a Da n i e l , deputy chairman, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council (South) has expressed displeasure over sudden postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections slated for Saturday.

The former governor of Ogun state also expressed possible suspicion of foul

play which necessitated the sudden changes in elections dates which include Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and 36 State Assembly polls, saying invisible hand is somewhere that caused postponement.

Daniel, who addressed journalist at his private residence in Sagamu, Ogun state on Saturday, said, “the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had a long time to prepare for the elections.

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Sunday 17 February 2019

Reactions Widespread condemnation trails election shift Adeola Ajakaiye, in Kano

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cross section of electorate in the commercial city of Kano has continued to decry the sudden postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly, earlier slated for today.

Although most of the electorate appreciated the issues of challenges in logistics and operational plans cited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as reasons for the postponement, they are however, not happy with the sudden development.

Also, President Muhammadu Buhari, who spoke at his country home in Daura, in the neighbouring Katsina State, has also expressed disappointment with the postponement, saying the cost of the postponement is high on the sides of the electorate, as well as other local and international stakeholders in the election.

“I am deeply disappointed that despite the long notice given and our preparations both locally and internationally, the Inde-

pendent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed the Presidential and National Assembly within hours of its commencement.

“Many Nigerians have traveled to various locations to exercise their right to vote, and international observers are gathered INEC themselves have given assurances, day after day and almost hour after hour that they are in complete readiness for the election” President Buhari noted.

Also, reacting to the postponement,

some of the electorate who spoke to BDSUNDAY, in Kano want INEC to ensure that next Saturday does not end in the same way.

INEC`s Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu had after a meeting on Friday night announced a review of the election and the decision of the Commission to postpone the Presidential and Legislative election to 23rd February, while, the Governorship and State Assembly, as well as FCT council election is reviewed to 9th March, 2019.

Commenting on the postponement, Sabo Ibrahim, one of the hundreds of voters, who are disappointed with the happening in the Polling Centre situated at Ginginyu Special Primary School, in the metropolis, said the postponement does not speak well for our democracy.

“I learnt of the postponement in the early hours of Friday, initially I taught it is fake news, but later I found out that it was true. To me this is not a good development for our democracy, but the consolation was that this is not the first time that election is been postponed in the country.

“There is nothing we can do about the

situation. INEC talked about logistics challenge; so based on this, I accept their decision, but they must make sure they are better prepared next Saturday,” he pleaded.

In the same vein, Victor M. Akure, Lead Pastor, Turning Point Faith Arena (Halleluyah Assembly), who came to Kano from Abuja for the purpose of casting his vote, said the postponement is an indication that Nigeria`s democracy is still a work in progress.

Akure charged Nigerians to bear with INEC, and be prepared to come out next Saturday to participate in the election because of the importance of the exercise to the nation.

“As a Christian, I believe whatever happens is for good, and the situation we have at hand is not different. We must have faith in God and a positive outcome of the election, believing that it is for the good of the country.

“Although the economic loses of the postponement is huge, I am calling on Nigerians not to be afraid in participating in the election, we are sure that all this would end well for us as a people,” he said.

ActionAid urges police to secure election materials

Election postponement: CISLAC flays INEC, demands urgent investigation

...says unhappy about postponed election

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Victoria Nnakaike, Lokoja

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ctionAid Nigeria (AAN) has expressed displeasure at the postponement of the 2019 General Elections, a decision made public a few hours to the kick-off of the event.

Acknowledging the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in taking necessary steps to deliver a democratic election, ActionAid expressed concerns on how INEC has managed the situation.

Ene Obi, Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, speaking on the postponement said, “Postponing elections is becoming a recurring decimal in Nigeria. Looking at the trend from 2011, 2015 and now 2019, we expect that INEC would have used their learning from those experiences and not have it occur again.

“Election is about trust and we fear that the mismanagement or miscommunication on the part of INEC can degenerate to a trust issue between the commission and the citizens”.

The implication of the late postponement of the election on the economics of citizens, security, education and the reputation of the country is monumental.

“The many questions INEC needs to answer quickly to restore the confidence in the citizenry include; steps the commission is taking to secure the integrity of the ballot? What happens to those ballot papers that were already sent to different polling stations? how can we guarantee the quality of the process going forward and ensure that this does not happen again?

“The 2019 General election is a fouryear project which started since 2015 and what has transpired within the last few hours is a clear indication that it is time to rethink our electoral process and adopt procedures that are cost effective, efficient and decentralised. This also reinforces the need for us to strengthen our institutions, especially INEC.” ActionAid Nigeria called on stakeholders to be proactive with the electoral process and desist from taking citizens for granted, while demanding that INEC provide a detailed reason for the postponement of the elections and proactively deploy all the necessary electoral material to the various destinations before Friday February 22.

It added that the Inspector-General of Police should deploy security personnel to protect the INEC facilities across the country because security of both lives and ballot materials are vital for credible polls.

Innocent Odoh

he Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has condemned the sudden postponement of general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) few hours to the Presidential elections and National Assembly elections.

The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani expressed his disappointment in a statement on Saturday stressing that CISLAC is disturbed by the reported poor preparatory processes by the Electoral Body that disproportionately hampered adequate deployment of electoral materials to many parts of the country with resultant postponement.

“We condemn such abrupt decision informed by deliberate abuse of independent power that may discredit subsequent position by the Commission as an “Independent Body” before national and international observers.

“We are not unaware of systemic conflict of interests and questionable procurement process imbibed by the various positions in the Commission creating tendency for mutual sabotage among the three (3) levels of appointees—National Commissioners, RECs and appointed relatives to the Directors in various Departments.

“We are concerned by the wastages and losses the postponement would have caused the country, civil society and international community that have committed whopping financial and human resources to the deployment and observation missions to ensure free, fair and credible elections that will be acceptable to all,” the statement said.

The CISLAC boss also bemoaned that given large presence of youth deployment for anchoring electoral processes and international electoral observation missions across the country, such abrupt postpone-

ment was a huge setback to the nation’s democracy which may breed electoral apathy and distrust at all levels.

“With the new electoral dates, giving the space of a week extension, we are as well worried for the safety and integrity and security of elections materials which have been disseminated across the country,” the statement said.

CISLAC also called on the National Assembly to as a matter of urgency constitute an ad hoc Committee to investigate the sudden postponement to clear the Commission of public doubt that her decision was not informed by desperate desires of unjust individuals or groups who want to assume or sustain power by all illegitimate means.

The civil society organisation also demanded adequate security for both materials and human resources deployed by the Commission so far to the field to avert susceptibility to violations and attacks by unpatriotic individuals or groups across the country.

“We call on the Commission to tender unreserved apologies to Nigerian and international observers, who are committed their time, presence and financial resources to monitor the electoral process with assurance that elections would hold as earlier scheduled. These apologies must also be rendered to Nigerian voters who have invested time and resources to sacrifice the day for them to discharge their civic responsibility.

“We demand immediate assurances by the Commission that the new electoral date—February 23rd is certain, and the distributed sensitive materials will be kept under appropriate supervision and security till the new date.

“We further encourage civil society groups, media, national and international observation missions to sustain surveillance on the electoral process to promote free, fair and credible elections that will be acceptable to all,” the statement said.

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Reactions It is postponement of evil day for APC; celebration day for PDP – Melaye

Election postponement casts doubts on INEC’s credibility, says Situation Room OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

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Victoria Nnakaike, Lokoja

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enator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West senatorial district of Kogi State, has said that the postponement of the elections was the postponement of evil day for All Progressives Congress (APC) and postponement of celebration for the PDP. According to Melaye who is equally seeking for another tenure on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said if the election is postponed 100 times, it was certain that Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP, will win the presidency and he will also win the Senate. He also appealed to his supporters not to be wary of the development.

Speaking with newsmen on Friday after a stakeholders’ meeting at the former Governor Ibrahim Idris’ house where it was said that masked policemen surrounded the house of Ibrahim Idris, Melaye claimed that the attackers were actually police men who came from the Government House Lokoja that allegedly wanted to kill him (Melaye).

Melaye

He said although there were other PDP stalwarts namely Tunde Ogbeha, Senator Saliu Ogembe, AVM Saliu Atawodi, among others that passed through the gate of Government House at that time, he was actually the target of the attack.

He said the tyre of his G-wagon car and two other vehicles were seriously hit by the bullets but thanked God that there was no casualty.

“By now I would have been dead if I was not in a bullet proof vehicle, but I thank God Almighty because their evil plan has failed again,” Melaye said.

Kaduna residents unhappy about postponement Waheed Adubi, Kaduna

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esidents of Kaduna State have expressed displeasure over the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections earlier scheduled for February 16, 2019.

Our reporter who monitored the situation in Kaduna reports that majority of the shops in the metropolis were under lock and key, as Kaduna became a shadow of itself, making business activities to suffer losses.

As at the time of filling this report, residents were seeing sitting in groups lamenting the negative effects of the postponement on their economic activities.

A business centre operator, Charity Paul who spoke to our correspondent in Kaduna said business activities had been at low key, noting that her losses are enormous.

Speaking on her readiness to vote, she says: “Despite the postponement, I am not demoralised to cast my vote for the candidates of my choice come February 23, and March 9, 2019”.

Roads were deserted as vehicular movements were minimal, forcing the few residents who came out to trek long distance, especially those who had earlier travelled to cast vote in their respective polling centres.

A stranded commuter, who those not want her name appears on print said the decision was wicked.

“I left my house for my polling unit as early as 5:45 this morning in order to exercise my constitutional right but getting to the pooling unit I was told by somebody during our engagement on how the election may look like. The decision to shift the election could be best described as wickedness”, he said.

Frowning at the development, the National Secretary of Action Party of Nigeria (APN), Shuibu Salisu Dawaki, said the postponement was a national embarrassment and a technical way of rigging the elections.

In his opinion, a legal practitioner, Wahab Page, noted that the postponement is a manifestation of incompetence on the part of the INEC. “This is the same INEC that assured Nigerians couple of days ago that the commission was ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections. The Commission owes Nigerians an apology”, he emphasised.

On a contrary view, a veteran Journalist, Tajude en Tijanni Aj ibade said the postponement could be in the interest of Nigerians, saying that the commission has the constitutional right to shift elections to ensure that the exercise is free, fair and credible.

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he Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has said the postponement of the General Elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cast a doubt on the credibility and competence of the electoral body in conducting free, fair and credible exercise.

Equally, it said the postponement has imposed unforeseen financial and logistics burden on political parties, candidates, businesses and Nigerians in general.

Clement Nwankwo, Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday while reacting to the postponement of the general election by the electoral body.

Nwankwo also condemned the plight of corps members who were supposed to serve as adhoc staff but were left sleeping in open fields without security.

He also wondered why the commission gave false hope to Nigerians that it was ready to conduct the exercise.

The development, according to him, has created needless tension and confusion in the country.

He said: “INEC has a duty to be honest and

transparent with Nigerians in the conduct of elections. That duty of honesty has been fundamentally breached.

“The Situation Room calls on INEC to immediately provide clear explanation to Nigerians and stakeholders on what went wrong and steps to be taken to ensure that this does not happen again. INEC must inform Nigerians what steps it is taking to hold persons responsible for this fiasco to account. INEC has an onerous task of reassuring Nigerians in the light of these unfortunate events especially with respect to transparency of polls, collation and enforcement of rules.

“The Commission needs to explain to Nigerians how they are able to address the extra financial and logistics burden that this has occasioned. Also the management and integrity of already distributed materials is key. INEC will need to explain how it will do this”. He also called on stakeholders to refrain from unguarded statements so as not to heat up the polity, even as he urged eligible voters not to be deterred but to come out and cast their votes on the rescheduled dates.

In the early hours of Saturday, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, announced the shift in the date of the Presidential and National Assembly elections from February 16 to 23 as well as the governorship and state assembly elections from March 2 to 9 due to logistics reasons.

APC only delaying the evil day against them – Ortom

overnor Samuel Ortom has stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC), is only delaying the evil day against them by using the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The governor, who spoke in Makurdi while reacting to the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections by the umpire said whether they shift it to any date, Benue people and Nigerians would still reject them at the polls.

He stated that the postponement was planned as evidenced in the statement credited to the leader of the APC in the state, Senator George Akume that they would cause the election to be postponed and write results.

Ortom described the development as unfortunate, saying for the INEC to postpone the election it took more than three years to

plan, few hours to the commencement of voting when people had travelled from far places to exercise their franchise was a rape of democracy.

He stated that the action was a grand plan by the APC-led Federal Government to rig the election, noting however, that Benue State and North Central in general was vigilant and would not allow any form of rigging during the polls.

Governor Ortom stated that the people of North Central Zone are prepared for a free, fair, credible and transparent election that would usher in leaders who will anchor the Nigerian democracy based on the rule of law compared to the APC where there is no regard for the rule of law.

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to remember the words of the late elder statesman, Maitama Sule who told him when he went to congratulate him on his victory in 2015 that he should ensure his leadership was anchored on the rule of law, truthfulness and integrity where the interest of Nigerians would be protected far and above personal interest.

noted that the postponement was enough testimony for Nigerians that the APC-led Federal Government has failed the people in all ramifications.

Abolagba, who said, he was not surprised with the postponement urged the right thinking Nigeria electorate to use the next week elections to vote out APC out of power.

This is a government that will never fulfill its promise. They promised you one thing but do the opposite. I will also not be surprised that in the next Saturday, INEC will still not be able to conduct the election.

“Nigerians are hungry, angry and dying.

They should in the next Saturday and March 9, use their PVCs to vote APC out of government”, he stated.

Dan Orbih, the state chairman of PDP, who accused INEC of conniving with the Federal Government to postpone the elections, however, urged Mahmood Yakubu, the national chairman of INEC to immediately tender his resignation letter for disappointing over 84 million eligible voters and over 100 million Nigerian population.

Orbih opined that the action of the commission was wastage of billions of naira approved for it for the conduct of the elections.

The PDP, chairman, who however, added that the federal government and INEC only postponed the evil days by the postponement of the elections expressed optimism that the party’s presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku will come out victorious in the election.

BENJAMIN AGESAN, Makurdi

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Esele, Orbih, Abolagba react IDRIS UMAR MOMOH /CHURCHILL OKORO, BENIN

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n Edo State, members of the political class such as Peter Esele, former, national president of Trade Union Congress, Dan Orbih, Edo state chairman of PDP and Johnson Abolagba , PDP candidate for Owan federal constituency in their reactions described the postponement as unfortunate and unhealthy for democracy.

The respondents who spoke in a telephone interviews with BDSUNDAY, however, appealed to the electorate to remain focus and determine to entrench a new vistas of political change with their permanent voters’ card.

In his reaction, Peter Esele described the action of INEC as sad development. He however urged Nigerians not to sacrifice the institution for the action of an individual.

According to him, it is a sad development.

We must learn to separate the institution from an individual. The staff of INEC may have let us down but let us not sacrifice the institution (INEC) for it.

He urged the people not to be demoralised by the postponement, and should go and cast their votes for their preferred candidates in the next schedule dates.

“If the one week postponement will guarantee us free, fair and credible elections let us endeavour to sacrifice the day,” he said.

On his part, Johnson Abolagba, PDP candidate for Owan federal constituency,

46 BDSUNDAY

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Reactions

Agbaje, Dania, Olafeso, Sani, others cry foul Iniobong Iwok, Lagos and YOMI AYELESO, Akure

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he Governorship Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje, has expressed disappointment and shock over the postponement of Nigeria’s general elections.

Agbaje said in a statement to journalists and signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Felix Oboagwina, that the postponement was capable of eroding confidence in the entire electoral process, and damaging the credibility of the IndependentNationalElectoralCommission (INEC).

Agabje, who is contesting the governorship election in Lagos State for the third time, stressed that the commission gave no hint it would take such decision even when it had continually assured Nigerians that the election would still hold as scheduled.

According to him, “We are disappointed as well as shocked that right on the eve of the polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can so summarily postpone elections that have taken so long for everyone to prepare for. This is not good for our democracy,” “The postponement was capable of eroding confidence in the entire electoral process, apart from damaging the credibility of INEC. This can put a question mark on even the results of the elections, especially if, God forbid, it now favours the ruling party.

“To voters and politicians, this comes as a rude anti-climax, especially as the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had always given assurances and expressed confidence that the process was tight, right and ready. International observers and the world Press are on ground.

The whole world has its sight glued to Nigeria; and then you come up with this type of narrative about shoddy logistics. It is a shock. This came completely from the blue,” Agbaje said.

Speaking on the postponement of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly election,NationalChairman ofAlliance for New Nigeria (ANN), Emmanuel Dania, queried the competence of the INEC boss, and questioned the process the commission had employed to deliver and conduct the elections.

The national chairman, charged Nigerians not to engage in violence or any act that can cause public unrest, but remain steadfast to seeing that this delay won’t be a denial of the birthing of a new Nigeria.

Dania further expressed disappointment that a commission saddled with such could give flimsy excuses for the rescheduling an election that took four years to plan hours to its commencement, stressing that the decision had serious implication for the country.

“Needless to say that the obvious reality of incompetence in Nigeria’s institutions has grave consequences on the generality of Ni-

gerians. To imagine how much the economy would lose today and how inconvenient it would be for many who had left their homes and families in order to sleep over in hotels and other accommodations so that they can cast their votes today because the same institution of government had found it difficult to relocate them to their new place of residence and closer to their polling units,” he said.

Eddy Olafeso, National Vice chairman (South-West) of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said that postponement was part of a plot by INEC and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the election.

“The postponement is unfortunate and disappointing; INEC in its serial failure has led us to this shameful point, it is a disgrace because we are disappointed.

“There is a conspiracy between INEC and the APC to subvert the will of the people, it did not come to us a as a surprise but the agenda have been defeated”, Olafeso said.

Also speaking the chairman of the Coalition of United Political Parties in Lagos State (CUPP), Tunde Daramola, Described the postponement as premeditated and a disgrace to the nation, adding that it was a further indication of the incompetent of the INEC chairman.

According to him, “It is a disgrace to the nation, its shows the level of incompetent of the officials of INEC. How can you come to the field of play of a football match and you cancel the match because of logistics.

“The decision was obviously premeditated whether they like it or not Nigerians would decide. Nigerians were ready and you just shocked us like this; obviously its shows the level of incompetent of the INEC Boss.

This is a commission that claim to be ready, even on the day of the election, it shows that they are desperate, jittery, let us see what they come up with.

“The blame should be on the administration, if the electoral law, but he refused to sign claiming that it is too close to the general elections.

Also speaking in similar vein, Publicity Secretary of pan-Yoruba social cultural group, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said that the postponement could be a plot to sabotage the election.

“It is unfortunate, the whole world was already on Nigeria; people traveled to their states but INEC postponed the elections at the last minute due to logistics, a lot of us think it is a sabotage of the electoral system,” Odumakin said.

Odumakin further advocated for the unbundling of INEC so that the commission could focus on conducting elections, while another body would be in charge of logistics.

“That is why a lot of us are calling for a reform of the electoral system; another body should be in charge of conducting election and another body in charge of logistic.

“It is an attempt to subvert the will of the nation. I urge Nigerians to go out next Saturday and in their millions and choose who led them”, Odumakin added.

Moshood Salvador, the Lagos State Director-General Presidential Support Committee, for President Muhammadu Buhari’s and Yemi Osinbajo’s re-election bid, expressed disappointment with the postponement of the presidential election, but noted that the commission had its reasons for the decision.

According to him, “the postponement is disappointing to me too, I had worked throughout the day and went to bed, only to wake up and hear this news. It can affect the credibility of the election, I agree with you, but it does not mean that they don’t have good reason for this decision.

“We have to take it in good faith and, Nigerians should not allow this weight them down they should move go out and vote for the candidate of their choice next Saturday”, Salvador added.

The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has said that the sudden postponement of the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for this Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission

(INEC) has exposed a plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the elections.

INEC cited challenges of logistics as excuse for shifting the elections to February 23 as well as the governorship and States houses of assembly elections, which were also shifted by one week to March 9.

The ADP in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Chairman and Presidential candidate, Yusuf Yabagi Sani, said the party has long suspected the move by the APC to rig the elections, following intelligence within its disposal that the APC led by President Muhammadu Buhari, had planned to stagger the elections in some opposition dominated states to enable them deploy the security forces to intimidate voters just the way they did in the Osun state governorship election held in September last year.

“This form of desperation presents potent threat to our democracy and all peace loving people of Nigeria must rise in defense of our cherished values of democracy before unrepentant tyrants in high places led by a very corrupt cabal truncates it.

“This latest development and the widespread reactions that greeted it should serve as warning to the ruling authorities to desist from any unscrupulous act as their devious machination has been exposed and will be vehemently resisted,” he warned.

The ADP lamented economic losses incurred by the sudden postponement, which run into billions of naira adding that this has also greatly affected the plans of foreign and domestic observers’ who will now have to reschedule their assignments.

“It also causes so much inconvenience to the ADP and other parties which have deployed enormous resources across the federation for the elections. This does not portray Nigeria in good light before the international community and we must use the coming elections to redeem the image of Nigeria before the world,” he said.

Sani noted that his party and other opposition parties are ever ready for the elections and demanded an open process that is free, fair and credible.

The party expressed confidence that if the free choice of the people is allowed to prevail, the ADP Presidential candidate, Yabagi Yusuf Sani, will win the Presidential election especially now that the Nigerian public has seen through the last sixteen wasteful years of leadership of the People’ s Democratic Party (PDP) and the failed leadership of the current APC government which have brought severe hardship, hunger and backwardness to the potentially great country.

The ADP also urged INEC not to succumb to the dictates of undemocratic forces but strive hard to improve Nigeria’s democratic process.

It also urged the foreign election observers not to be discouraged by this setback but support the country build a credible democratic culture.

KATSINA

Ex-Katsina governor, Shema, says Awwal Ibrahim

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former Governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shehu Shema has described the postponement of the February 16th elections as a sad and disappointing event.

According to Shehu, what is even more disheartening was that the postponement started as a rumour fews day ago and now it has become a reality.

Ibrahim Shema urges Nigerians of good will and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stand

up in the interest of Nigeria and it’s people and do what is right by respecting the rule of law, the Constitution and the young democracy.

In an Interview at his resident in Dutsinma town, the former Katsina state governor expressed fears of experiencing another rumour coming into reality that the elections may be staggered in some states to achieve some rigging plans.

He urged INEC to do whatever it can do in the national interest and in the interest of Nigerians to avoid being seen

to perpetrate or to protect the selfish interest of any particular group.

He stressed that the postponement would not serve as a setback to his party the PDP in Katsina State.

In another development, Commercial activities across Katsina State were still crippled till late afternoon despite the postponement.

Many shops especially in the state’s capital were under lock and key while the few ones that were open were lacking patronage because there were no customers.

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BDSUNDAY 47

Sports Is Mourinho’s sack a good business decision for Manchester United?

...As United spend £33.2m dismissing three managers since 2013 ...Forecast £630m annual revenue

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Stories By Anthony Nlebem

ollowing a poor run of results and a scandalous 3-1 defeat t o Li v e r p o o l that left Manchester Un i t e d 1 1 p o i n t s o f f fourth place in the Premier League, the board of Manchester United decided to part ways with Portuguese tactician, Jose Mourinho in December 2018.

But the sack comes at a very big price as United coughed out a whooping £19.6m in compensation to Jose Mourinho and his staff as revealed in their second quarter financial results.

Within the financial results, which were released to the New York Stock Exchange, it said: “Exceptional items for the quarter were £19.6m, relating to compensation to the former manager and certain members of the coaching staff for loss of office.”

Highlighting the diffi-

culty of replacing Alex Ferguson, United have now spent £33.2m dismissing the three managers hired since he retired in 2013 after 26 trophy-laden years in charge.

When Mourinho was fired in December 2018, United were sixth in the Premier League. Former

striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was brought back to Old Trafford as a temporary manager and he has lifted the team back into fourth — a Champions League qualification spot.

The appointment of Solskjaer and assistant manager Mike Phelan, who worked under Alex

Ferguson at United, “has had a positive impact throughout the club,” vice chairman Ed Woodward said.

David Moyes lasted 10 months as Ferguson’s immediate successor before being fired along with his coaches at a cost of £5.2m in 2014.

Despite Louis van Gaal winning the first major trophy of the post-Ferguson era — the 2016 FA Cup — he was fired after two years primarily for failing to qualify for the lucrative Champions League. The payoffs to Van Gaal and his coaches reached £8.4m.

Mourinho, who replaced Van Gaal, had a contract through next season, but the risk of missing out on the top four led to his dismissal.

For the second quarter of the financial year — the three months to December 31 — United reported revenue rising 18 percent to a record £208.6m. The club is forecasting annual revenue to be between £615m and £630m.

“Our continued financial strength underpins our long-term success on the field, which is the focus of everyone at the club,” Woodward said.

Mourinho, 55, took over in May 2016 and led United to League Cup and Europa League titles. In January 2018 he signed a

contract extension until 2020 with the option of an extra year.

Woodward refused to offer any update on Solskjaer’s future, insisting the club will stick to its plan of offering an update at the end of the season.

When asked about recruiting for a director of football role, he said: “Looking at our structures and how we should strengthen all areas at the club is something we do on a continual basis. We have invested on the player care side. The evolution is continuing but it is not necessarily visual. We are looking at ways we can make the structures stronger.”

Mourinho left United having won a Europa League and EFL Cup double in 2016/17, winning 84 of his 144 matches in charge.

United reported record revenue for the second quarter of the financial year of £208.6m. The club is forecasting annual revenue to be between £615m and £630m.

Messi joins Pique in $3billion Davis Cup venture It’s exciting to coach Barcelona- Valverde

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arcelona defender Gerard Pique says teammate Lionel Messi is one of the investors in the Davis Cup Finals in Madrid.

Pique’s Kosmos Company has been instrumental in a revamp for the historic tennis competition.

Pique’s investment firm Kosmos has backed the new format to the tune of $3 billion over 25 years and will jointly run the competition alongside the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

The inaugural 18-nation finals, which have replaced the 16-nation World Group played throughout the year, will take place at Madrid’s La Caja Magica (Magic Box) stadium on Nov. 18-24.

Speaking before the draw ceremony, Pique confirmed Argentina forward and fellow tennis fan Messi, who already has a stake in Kosmos, was involved.

“Leo knows more than anyone about this because he is involved in Kosmos,” Pique was quoted as saying

by British media.

“He is a partner, he is part of the Kosmos family, and he likes tennis. We have a relationship of 18 years since he arrived at the club and I always try to share with

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him things I’m thinking, he loves to be part of it and he wanted to be part of it.”

Pique’s involvement in the ITF’s 119-year-old team competition has drawn scorn in some quarters, with former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, who will captain Australia at the event, questioning his credentials.

Swiss great Roger Federer even suggested the competition was in danger of becoming the “Pique Cup”.

“I hate it, because it’s not about me and I don’t want my name on the competition,” Pique said.

“Davis Cup history is so big. I hope we can change this opinion. After a few years, I hope they go back and say ‘We were wrong, Davis Cup is more alive than ever’.

“I respect the opinion of Lleyton, he was a great player. I can understand that when a footballer comes in the tennis world it can seem a little bit awkward or strange, but at the end of the day I’m not going to be changing the rules of tennis.”

Pique, 32, also said he was too busy trying to help Barcelona win LaLiga and the Champions League than meddling too much in the ITF’s flagship tournament.

“I don’t want to be distracted because I have another job, which is to play football. It helps me be focused, more concentrated and not to make mistakes on the pitch because otherwise I know there will be criticism,” he said in the Daily Mail.

arcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde renewed his contract with the club on Friday and has stated the reason behind him doing so is the challenge that comes with leading the Blaugrana and their players.

There had been a lot of speculation surrounding the 55-year-old’s future, but he and his players can now focus on the final stretch of the season, without being asked about Valverde’s future.

“I find myself very comfortable working here, with the support of the club and also very comfortable with the players,” he said.

“We know the size of our club, and it is an exciting challenge to lead this club and these players.

“All this makes it more of an incentive to continue.

“I am grateful because the club appreciates what I am doing; I am delighted with the situation.”

The deal will see him stay at the Camp Nou till 2020 season, with an option for a further year. Barcelona vice president Jordi Mestre believes that Valverde is the right man to lead the club to more titles.

“We believe that Valverde is a coach who brings

a lot to us,” said Mestre.

“With the titles he has achieved and the ones we hope he gets.

“We believe that the renewal is a necessary step as it very useful for the stability that it gives us [in the present] and in the future, we hope.”

Valverde succeeded Luis Enrique as coach in 2017, earning the job after sustained success with Athletic Bilbao.

He guided Barcelona to a LaLiga and Copa del Rey double in his debut campaign and almost led them to an unbeaten season in the

league, losing only their penultimate game to Levante.

He, however, faced strong criticism for the team’s failure in the UEFA Champions League.

They dropped out of the tournament on away goals to AS Roma, throwing away a 4-1 lead from the first leg by losing 3-0 in the away leg.

The collapse in Europe’s elite competition, which Barcelona have not won since 2015 while Real Madrid have lifted the trophy for the last three years, seriously damaged the coach’s reputation.

BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 17 February 2019

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Emerging Nigeria!

INEC & postponement of 2019 elections: Prepared or unprepared?

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s it possible that an effective organisation will realise only on the very day of executing a project that it will be unable to complete it?

Especially given that the planning for the Presidential election was launched four years ago. While one may sympathise with the leadership of the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) given the enormity of the task, security challenges and difficult terrain they have to deal with, Nigerians cannot totally excuse the apparent mismanagement and embarrassment. Blame games have been going on across party platforms, since 2.am Saturday 16th February 16, 2019, when the INEC chairman, Yakubu Mahmood announced the postponement of yesterday’s Presidential election by seven days.

While everyone including INEC, political parties and voters are entitled to their own opinion, there are a number of common denominators in the development.

If well-known and expected logistics and operational problems (which is the reason given by the

INEC Chairman) could not be solved at this point, (on the very morning of the election), counting from the last four years when INEC began to prepare for this election; there is very limited evidence to support the thinking that Saturday 23 February, 2019 - the new date for the election will have INEC prepared. Without losing confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct a free and fair election, it must be said that the postponement by seven days will add a lot of new dimensions to the conduct of the elections and could therefore, jeopardise its ability to proceed in a free and fair manner.

Let’s begin with the role of local and international election observers, a critical estate of the election realm, given their duty, in providing unbiased accounts regarding the conduct of the election and who – at this point in time – must have already utilised some resources in positioning themselves throughout Nigeria for election observance. It cannot be denied that the scope, quality and robustness of the all-important observation mission/campaign

for the 2019 elections in Nigeria, have already been withered if not totally jeopardised. Those who have come in from outside Nigeria would never have imagined that a postponement will be made on the very day of the election.

Did INEC even do any systematic preparedness assessment in the days and weeks preceding 16th February? Do we now have a strong case for considering a third party independent committee or organisation to externally evaluate INEC’s plans and pre-election management efforts?

Will the foreign observers who provide a civic and important perspective to the election stay back in Nigeria for 7 days? Will they fly back and return in seven days?

Was this part of their contingency? Has any other nation in the world even cancelled election on the very day it was slated to take place?

Beyond the impacts on the observer community, this will certainly have a meaningful impact on voter participation. Incidences like this help to nurture voter apathy - where the electorate, some of whom might

have migrated to far and near places to exercise their franchise - may become disenchanted. A good number of migrated voters, (if not all) will never return to their registered polling units, a second time, to vote. This is also true for voters who have not migrated but were already mentally prepared to vote.

We cannot measure the influence of the postponement on voter turnout but it will not be small by any measure.

It is actually not my opinion that this postponement was carried out to enable any favoured political party to rig the election, while it remains to be substantiated by those who hold that view; I believe this is a clear case of project mismanagement and which will surely come with dire consequences.

As bedrock of the modern democratic system of governance, elections are very sensitive issues, given that it is one of few legitimate channels through which a legitimate administration may be installed. Its conduct must therefore, be transparent enough and properly managed to inspire citizens’ unbiased acceptance of its outcome. Elections have tra-

Chijioke Mama MAMA is the founder of Meiracopp Nigerian Limited (MNL) and a Doctoral Researcher in Business Management.

ditionally been dicey issues in Nigeria, a country with a rich (abi poor?) history of electoral malpractices and where for a major part of the life of its near-nascent democracy, executive influence over a supposedly independent electoral umpire – INEC – has been rife.

By all measure, the postponement of the 2019 election which was for the sake of fairness (according to the official statement from INEC), has made it even more difficult for the elections to be totally free and fair, when they eventually hold. To give the commission the benefit of the doubt, a good outcome and conduct might still be possible but Saturday’s incident has simply made it 500percent harder to achieve. Goodluck to INEC, Goodluck to Nigeria and the Nigerian voters.

We have very unreliable political leaders – Onuoha, UNILAG don

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hat is your reaction to the postponement of the election today by INEC? I was not surprised. In spite of the assurances, about a week ago, one of the major parties was shouting that ‘This election must not be postponed oo.’ Those of them inside know why it was done. If one wants to be fair to INEC (now, fair is in parenthesis), I think they just couldn’t cope. Is it incompetence or lack of capacity?

There is one mistake we are making in this country: Nigeria is too large. I am sorry to say it.

We do not have the capacity for the degree of centralisation we force on ourselves. Nigeria is too large and we are so incapable of handling so many things.

Nigeria is too large to have this degree of centralisation.

And to worsen it, we don’t have the capacity. I am taking it at that level; the other one is the human aspect: the corruption, the intrigue. If a party feels that it’s going to have advantage by

the postponement, whether it is the party in power or the opposition, it will want to exploit it. So right now I will not stay here and tell you that it is the APC or PDP that is benefiting, but among Nigerian politicians, whoever knows that is going to benefit from the postponement, he will welcome postponement.

We have very unreliable political leaders, so how do you expect a reliable electoral system?

There is nothing I hear about this that will be a surprise to me.

I do not want to go to the fact that it was done 2011 and 2015, and so on. That it was done so then does not mean it must happen now.

The former INEC chairman, Jega, was able to get the confidence of Nigerians. He appeared more independent, maybe because of the history behind him.

His radicalism?

Yes. Somehow (maybe someone will ask me how do you

measure it) but somehow he garnered more confidence with Nigerians, they gave him benefit of doubt than the present man.

Because many people knew Jega’s background. I don’t think the person there now is enjoying such confidence from people and politicians.

So, the issue there is that Nigeria is so big that it does not have the capacity of the degree of centralisation in all aspects of governance, not INEC. There is too much centralisation and we are not coping. These things are not going well and people are insisting that we centralise things.

You know a flight from Abuja to Sokoto is further away than a flight from Lagos to Ghana, which is a different country.

Yes. So our country is large, you know.

So what has happened is not a surprise to me at all, in spite of assurances by INEC. And what has come out clearly is that INEC is not coping. It is not coping with the size and the complexity in arranging

these elections. I do not want to agree that it is simple because of the complexity of Nigeria, the lack of sincerity, the fraud and intrigues among politicians.

People want to take advantage at every step.

All of them are now crying out, blaming everybody. But those that are enjoying are smiling inside that they have done it and they will be congratulating themselves thinking it’s an advantage. They know what advantage they will get from it. For instance those who have travelled today, do you expect them to show the same level of enthusiasm next week to travel again? Certainly, this is going to affect the turnout negatively.

Therefore, we have not got the group of people who will make this thing right. My suggestion is that we should come into a confrontation on how to decentralise most of these activities because at the present size we do not have the capacity.

If have the capacity it has not been confronted.

Does the issue of restructuring come in here?

It goes to that also. For instance, you don’t have confidence in yourself; you don’t have the confidence in your capacity to decentralise it. Why do you have to wait 48 hours before you move materials from Abuja to Sokoto; from Abuja to Calabar; from Abuja to Port Harcourt, or from Abuja to Maiduguri when you don’t have the capacity?

You don’t trust anybody to keep this thing safe. With our size we have to decentralise for efficiency.

We are paying the price of what we are generally. Whom are you going to trust? Even if you keep it (electoral material) with the banks or the Police, whoever is involved will like to favour his own person. That’s the price we are paying.

Browne Onuoha, professor and head, Department of Political Science, University of Lagos, spoke with Vincent Nwanma

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