BusinessDay 16 Mar 2019

Masari to Katsina monarchs: Use your structures to improve security in your area Muhammad Awwal Ibrahim

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overnor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has called on traditional institutions in the state to make good use of their respective

structures to assist in resolving the current security challenges in the state.

The governor was speaking when he received a delegation of traditional rulers under the leadership of the Emirs of Katsina and Daura on a solidarity visit

Gbenga Daniel dumps PDP, quits partisan politics OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja and Iniobong Iwok, Lagos

in Government House Katsina after winning the 2019 gubernatorial election.

Masari stressed that involving the traditional institutions in security-related issues would

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benga Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State and Director-General, Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, officially resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying he was pulling out from partisan

politics.

These were contained in a letter dated March 14, 2019, which he personally authored and addressed to Uche Secondus, national chairman of the PDP. Recall that a few days before the gubernatorial election; Daniel had openly endorsed Dapo Abiodun, then governorship candidate of the All Progres-

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Vol 1, No. 256 N300

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inside Women in the Nigerian workplace - Advocating for better balance

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Big losers in 2019 polls and their shortcomings

L-R: Ahmed Lawan Kuru, managing director/CEO, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), (left) with Francis Chuka Agbu, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and principal partner, Lexavir Partners, at the AMCON/AMP Interactive Session at Rockview Hotels, Abuja.

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INEC makes U-turn

Says, ‘No more election in Bauchi’ To conclude collation in one LGA Replaces Collation/Returning Officer Decides new date for River’s poll Wednesday

James Kwen, Abuja

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he Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has announced the cancellation of the Saturday, March 23 governorship

rerun election in Bauchi State.

INEC had declared the governorship election in Bauchi State inconclusive, alongside five other states (Sokoto, Kano, Benue, Plateau, and Adamawa) following the cancellation of votes from Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, saying that the number of cancelled votes

were more than the margin of lead between the two leading political parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Commission has also approved the appointment of a new Collation/Returning Officer for Tafawa Balewa Local

Government Area to continue and conclude the collation process.

Dominion Anosike, the Returning Officer for the council area in the governorship election, had written to Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, re-

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INEC makes U-turn Continued from page 1

questing to appear before the Committee set up to investigate what led to the cancellation of the results of the election.

Anosike, who is the Head of Department of Estate Management at Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, alleged threat to her life.

According to INEC, a report on the electoral process in the state was considered on March 12, 2019, which detailed the disruption of the process at the Tafawa Balewa collation centre, which led to the cancellation of results for the entire LGA. Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner and chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, in a statement weekend said the collation for Tafawa Balewa would resume Tuesday, March 19 as recommended by a Committee of inquiry.

According to Okoye, “On the 12th day of March 2019, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) considered a report submitted by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Bauchi State on the disruption of the Collation process at the Tafawa Balewa Collation Centre which led to the cancellation of results for the entire Local Government.

“The Commission found that there are issues that need further investigation and set up a Committee for that purpose. The findings of the Committee are as follows: “The Governorship and State Assembly Elections were held on the 9th March 2019 in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area and the votes scored by candidates were announced at the Polling Units and collated at the 11 Registration Areas of the Local Government.

“Halfway into the Local Government collation, armed gangs

Mahmoud

attacked the collation centres and destroyed the Local Government Result Sheet (EC8C) and some collated results from the Registration Areas. The results of 7 out of 11 Registration Areas for Governorship and 6 out of 11 for State Assembly elections were affected.”

He further noted that “INEC guidelines provide that where violent disruption affects collation in this manner, results should be regenerated from duplicate copies on a replacement result sheet.”

The statement further explained that “The Collation Officer, under pressure from Party Agents who could not wait for the arrival of a replacement result sheet, decided to collate the result on an available RA result sheet instead of the replacement LGA result sheet.

“When the result was presented at the State Governorship Collation Centre, the Returning Officer rejected the regenerated result because it was on a wrong result sheet.

“The Investigation Committee established that the result in Polling Units and Registration Areas are available and in safe custody.

“The Investigation Committee

also establish that the number of cancelled votes for the 4 Polling Units in Ningi Local Government Area which was recorded as 25,330 in form E0106 (1) was incorrect. The actual figure is 2,533.”

Okoye announced that “Consequently, the Commission has taken the following decisions: Approved the resumption and conclusion of the collation of results of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area in relation to the Governorship election as the duplicate and original Registration Area results are available.

“Approved the resumption, conclusion and announcement of me result of the Tafawa Balewa State Constituency.

“The appointment of a new Collation/Returning Officer for Tafawa Balewa Local Government to continue and conclude the collation process in place of the original Collation Officer who withdrew from the exercise citing threats to her life and those of her family members.

“The Collation process for Tafawa Balewa Local Government will resume on Tuesday, 19th March 2019.”

“The Commission directed that the error in the total number of cancelled votes in four polling units in Ningi Local Government Area should be corrected from 25,330 to 2,533. The Commission appeals to all stakeholders for continuous support and understanding”, the statement read.

Decision on Rivers Tuesday INEC also said it would announce new date for the suspended Rivers State elections on Wednesday, March 20.

In another statement, Okoye said: “On the 10th of March 2019, the Commission suspended all electoral processes in Rivers State having determined that there was widespread disruption of collation of results of the elections conducted on the 9th day of March 2019.

Subsequently, the Commission set up a Fact-Finding Committee to assess the situation and report back within 48 hours.”

According to him, “The Commission met on the 15th day of March 2019 and considered the report of the Committee and established the following: “That the Governorship and State Assembly elections took place in most of the polling units and results were announced.

“That the results from 17 Local Governments out of 23 are available and are in the Commission’s custody.

“That the Declaration and Returns for 21 State Constituencies out of 32 were made prior to the suspension.

“That collation centres were invaded by some soldiers and armed gangs resulting in the intimidation and unlawful arrest of election officials thereby disrupting the collation process.”

“Consequent upon the foregoing, the Commission: Expresses its displeasure with the role played by some soldiers and armed gangs in Rivers State disrupting the collation process and attempting to subvert the will of the people.

“Is committed to expeditious completion of the collation process where results of the elections have been announced.

“Will engage the security agencies at national level and the InterAgency Consultative Committee at the State level to demand neutrality and professionalism of security personnel in order to secure a peaceful environment for the completion of the elections.

“Will also engage with key stakeholders in Rivers State with a view to ensuring a smooth and peaceful completion of the process.

“Will issue detailed timeline and activities for the completion of the election on Wednesday, March 20th, 2019”.

Masari to Katsina monarchs: Use your structures to improve ...

Continued from page 1 cost the state less in terms of finance in comparison with what the state is presently spending to maintain peace across the state especially in areas with high cases of banditry and kidnapping.

He informed the delegation that the state government was considering giving monthly allowances to Ward Heads across the state as a motivation for them to intensify vigilance in their respective Towns or Villages.

Earlier, Chairman Katsina State Council of Traditional Leaders, the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Kabir Usman

stated that they were at the Government House to felicitate with the governor over his re-election.

The Emirs of Katsina and Daura also expressed appreciation over what they called prompt and warm reception accorded to them by the governor whenever the need arises.

They appealed to people in Katsina State to give their maximum cooperation to the Masariled administration for the development of the state.

Also the Emir of Daura Faruq Umar Faruq, applauds Governor Aminu Bello Masari for completing some of the Projects he inherited from the previous administration.

A group photography of Governor Aminu Masari and the Katsina traditional rulers.

Buhari appoints Ahmed, new Chief Security Officer …As Abubakar proceeds on course in Argentina Tony Ailemen, Abuja

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here are strong indications that President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Idris Kazeem Ahmed as his new Chief Security Officer (CSO).

Ahmed’s appointment followed the removal of Bashir Abubakar, who is expected to proceed on course.

The move is said to be part of the President’s plans to rejig his security architecture, ahead of his second tenure which commences on the 29th of May, 2019, although there was no reasons given for the change The new CSO it was gathered was the Director of Enforcement at the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) until his new appointment BDSUNDAY gathered that the former CSO was last week ordered to proceed on an immediate “strategic course” at a University in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Department of State Security Services (DSS), shortly after the President resumed from his home State, Katsina, after the gubernatorial and State Assembly elections This is the second time the President will be replacing his CSO, having replaced the former CSO Abdulrahman Mani, in July 2015, just two months into his administration.

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News

AMCON may disengage nonperforming AMPs – Kuru

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Abdulwaheed Adubi, Kaduna

anaging Director/ CEO, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Ahmed Lawan Kuru, has hinted that AMCON may disengage Asset Management Partners (AMPs) that cannot cope with the speed and enormous challenges of debt recovery expected by the corporation.

He also promised that the corporation may assign more accounts to AMPs that have shown aggression and zeal based on the

review of the AMP scheme so far. He made the declaration at the 2019 edition of the AMCON/AMPs Interactive/Feedback Session in Abuja.

AMPs are consortiums appointed by AMCON after a rigorous selection process with specialist skills required to ensure recovery and debt resolution; banking, legal, valuation and accounting. Kuru said that collaborating with AMPs became necessary because AMCON has a total loan portfolio of over 12,000 loans of various sizes and sectors that are still lingering many years after the corporation was

established. He stated that when this is compared to AMCON’s staff strength, it became obvious that the corporation surely needed a strategic approach to improve coverage, recovery and results.

Kuru also disclosed that the AMPs are currently handling over 6,000 accounts within AMCON portfolio. Although in terms of weight, the accounts, which have been o u t s o u r c e d t o A M Ps constitute only 20percent or N740billion of the total EBA portfolio of N3.7trillion. AMCON he insisted places equal importance on the recov-

Gbenga Daniel dumps PDP...

ery efforts as they count towards the achievement of the corporation’s core mandate.

To achieve the mandate as part of the corporation’s renewed strategy to resolve these loans, he said, AMCON in 2016 introduced the AMP scheme to assist the corporation’s recovery activities especially in tracing, identification and location of obligors with the intent to resolve their outstanding indebtedness; tracing, identification and location of assets of obligors (both pledged and unpledged) to enhance the EBA value, and achieve set recovery objectives.

Continued from page 1 sives Candidate (APC) in his home state, an action that set tongues wagging.

It was also gathered that he was conspicuously absent when the former Vice President and PDP Presidential Candidate in the February 23 Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, visited ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo a few days ago in Abeokuta.

Observers had said that if the goings were still good, Daniel would have been on the Atiku entourage to Obasanjo’s residence.

“He (Gbenga Daniel) was like Atiku’s hand bag in the buildup to the Presidential election. He was always following Atiku everywhere.

So, his decision to support

“My decision to quit partisan politics notwithstanding, I have decided to rejuvenate my charity-based organisation, the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF), which will literally continue to dispense succor to our people in need, address and assist in the areas of some of their health challenges; I also plan on resuscitation of the nonpartisan Political Leadership Academy (POLA) which I established some years ago as a platform of political education to our citizens,” he said.

The former governor also noted that he had no regrets pitching his tent with the APC, describing the outgoing administration of Ibikunle Amosun as being “against

Speaker ECOWAS Parliament decries youth unemployment, vows to tackle it Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mustapha Cisse Lo, has lamented the increasing level of youth unemployment in West Africa, describing it as a “disease” and vowed to cure it.

The Speaker made the remark at the end of the Extraordinary Session of the

ECOWAS Parliament held in Dakar, Senegal, at the weekend, and called on governments in the region to face the challenge of youth unemployment to curb the dangerous adventure of undocumented migration from the region.

“Our parliament expects to hold a forum on this subject in the second semester so as to define the outline and recommend avenues for putting an end to this disease,” he said.

Cisse Lo also called for the mobilisation of financial re-

Why the Chinese suspended IjuAbeokuta free train rides - Amaechi

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otimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, at the weekend said that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), in charge of the construction of the train station in Iju-Abeokuta suspended the free ride during elections for security reasons.

Amaechi, who spoke at the inspection of the LagosIbadan modernisation project in Ibadan, apologised to Nigerians over the suspension of the Iju-Abeokuta free train ride.

“It was suspended by the Chinese and the excuse they gave me was that they cannot allow it run because of safety, since they have not completed the second line, but they are almost through with it,” the minister said.

According to him, “It is almost completed from Iju to Abeokuta. I want to apolo-

gise to Nigerians that they suspended it when they left the country, which I didn’t envisage, they will go back soon.”

An Online medium had also quoted Amaechi as saying that he had been tasked

by President Muhammadu Buhari to create jobs through the project.

“I know you will say I’m stressed up but as a minister, I have a responsibility passed to me by Mr. President and I must deliver on it. “ Al s o, t h e e c o n o m y of Nigeria can be driven most importantly, if we can link the seaport to the hinterland because when cargoes come, they must go.

“The more you are able to move goods and services to the hinterland, the more you will create jobs and the more you create jobs, the more growth that you will have and that is my drive.”

sources to tackle the menace, stressing the need for governments in the sub-region to promote good economic policies, ensure healthy management of public assets and tackle corruption.

He emphasized that as far as the next delocalise meetings of the parliament are concerned, “The subject that will be dealt with is “Employment of Youths Within West Africa through Entrepreneurship.”

“Let me convey once again our concern for the most im-

portant sector of our population indeed not only that the youth represents the majority of the population in West Africa, but also they continue to be a very fragile sector “ he said.

“Should we sleep, in times of violence and proliferation of violent extremism? I will like to talk about terrorism, drug trafficking, arms trafficking-these plaques which breed in ignorance and extreme poverty hits the youths very hard.”

Post election violence: CAN sues for peace in Taraba Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

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he Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Taraba State Chapter on Saturday sued for peaceful co-existence among the people of the state, following violence that trailed the announcement of the governorship election result in the state.

Speaking to journalists after the tour of the affected areas in Jalingo and a sympathy visit to the victims at the State Specialist Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre in Jalingo, CAN Chairman, Rev. Innocent Solomon called for calm, assuring that the state government was working closely with CAN and the Muslim Council to restore peace in the state.

“We condemn the violence that broke out at the declaration of the governorship election result in the state and in Jalingo in particular.

“Crisis has never done any

good to anybody or society.

Our politicians must call their supporters to order and join hands with us in preaching peace.

“Like the former president Goodluck Jonathan once said, the ambition of any politician does not worth the blood of anybody.

“We want to call on our political leaders to eschew violence and work for the peace of Taraba. Those who feel aggrieved should use legal means to seek redress,” the cleric said.

While commending the role of security agencies in ensuring the return of peace in the state, Solomon called for the release of those arrested in the wake of the crisis and are being kept in military facility in Jalingo as a measure towards ensuring peace.

“The continuous detention of those arrested in the military facility in Jalingo without being charged to court is raising concern among the people.

Gbenga

Dapo Abiodun came as a rude shock to party leaders.

Nobody saw it coming, considering the role he played in Atiku’s emergence as PDP Presidential candidate,” the source who pleaded anonymity, said.

Another source also described the reason given by the former governor for his resignation from partisan politics as a smokescreen.

According to him, Daniel will play a significant role in the Abiodun-led government, adding that the resignation was meant to prove to APC stalwarts that he is not “double dealing”.

“He will soon defect to the APC. You can take it to the bank”, the source said.

In his letter to the PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, dated March 14, 2019, Daniel said his decision to quit partisan politics was personal to him.

He pointed out that the PDP found itself in a dilemma after the courts and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to recognise its governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu.

“My decision in this regard is entirely personal to me and having served in various capacities, including as Governor of Ogun State, I have resolved to immerse myself in some other vocations and take on some new challenges.

the collective and general welfare of our people”.

Some sources said that Daniel’s decision to dump PDP was because of the loss of Atiku Abubakar at the Presidency.

When contacted, the Southwest chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Eddy Olafeso, expressed surprise, but refused further comment on the issue.

“We are surprised, but I would not comment on the issue for now”, Olafeso said.

Also a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party and a former minister of transportation, Ebenezer Babatope, denied knowledge of the news. He however said: “Well, I have not heard the news of his resignation from the party or quitting partisan politics, you are just telling me now, but I must say Gbenga Daniel is a close friend of mind, who was a purposeful governor of Ogun State; He did very well as the governor of the state. But I will comment when I read the full text of his resignation from the party”, Babatope said.

Efforts to get the reaction of the national leadership of the PDP proved abortive, as the Spokesperson of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, did not pick his calls put through his cell phone, neither did he respond to text messages sent to him by our correspondent on Saturday.

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News NEC restates commitment to conducting free, fair supplementary election in Kano Jacob Ajakaiye, Kano

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ndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC`s office in Kano has affirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair and credible Governorship supplementary election come next Saturday

(March 23rd) in the state .

The commission said the supplementary elections would determine the winner of Kano state governorship election, explaining that , cases of violence and over voting invoked the decision to cancel the ballots cast in some polling units.

According to a state-

ment signed and issued by the state Resident Electoral Commission(REC), Professor Riskuwa Shehu Arabu, and made available to BusinessDay in Kano, restated that the gubernatorial election held in the state was inconclusive, stressing that the election did not produce a winner.

“The Commission wish to reiterate its commitment to the conduct of free, fair and credible election in the State.

It also wishes to inform the general public that the Supplementary Election would be conducted on Saturday 23rd March, 2019.� Riskuwa stated.

He explained that the can-

cellation of results in some units located within some local Government Areas was due to violence and over voting, which lead to cancellations of results in 210 Polling Units which constitutes 88 Registration Areas, adding that the affected Polling Units has a total number of 128, 572

registered voters.

The Kano REC, disclosed that the contenders with the highest votes are the candidates of the All Progressive Congress (APC) with 987, 819, while the candidate of the People` s Democratic Party (PDP) had pouch 1, 014, 474 votes.

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News Ethopian air crash: Boeing to deploy 737 MAX software ‘enhancement’ across fleet Ifeoma Okeke

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oeing says it will d e p l oy a 7 3 7 MAX software “enhancement” across the fleet in the coming weeks incorporating feedback “received from our customers.”

According to the company, FAA will also mandate the change in an airworthiness directive (AD) “no later than April.”

The statement comes in the aftermath of two 737 MAX 8 crashes in less than five months involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines aircraft. Since the March 10 crash of Ethiopian’s flight 302, a growing number of civil aviation authorities and airlines have grounded their MAX fleets.

United Kingdom and seventeen countries across the world have suspended Boeing’s 737 Max 8 planes

from operating.

The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority said on Tuesday it banned all Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft planes from its airspace after the fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people this weekend.

Britain’s aviation regulator has already taken action. In the absence of sufficient information from the Ethiopian Airlines plane’s flight-data recorder, the Civil Aviation Authority has issued instructions “to stop any commercial passenger flights from any operator arriving, departing or overflying U.K. airspace,” it said in a statement Tuesday.

Other countries that have grounded the aircraft include China, Germany, France, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey, Ireland, Australia, Ethiopia , South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Oman, Morocco and Mongolia.

The Oct. 29 crash of Lion Air flight 610 appears to be linked to maintenance practices, erroneous speed data input to and pilot confusion about the handling of the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), a new flight control law introduced on the MAX. But that investigation is ongoing and there is no indication so far that MCAS played a role in the March 10 Ethiopian accident. Both the flight data and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered from the Ethiopian aircraft wreckage, but data analysis has yet to take place.

FAA stated March 11 that “this investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions.”

The authority issued a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CA-

NIC).

According to Boeing, the enhancements include updates to “the MCAS flight control law, pilot displays, operation manuals and crew training. The enhanced flight control law incorporates angle of attack inputs, limits stabiliser trim commands in response to an erroneous angle of attack reading and provides a limit to the stabiliser command in order to retain elevator authority.”

Boeing said MCAS was initially introduced to improve handling characteristics and decrease pitchup tendency “at elevated angles of attack” but not “in normal flight.” The company stressed in its statement that “the pilot will always be able to override the flight control law using electric trim or manual. In addition, it can be controlled through the use of the existing runaway stabiliser.

Youth empowerment will reduce unemployment, poverty in Nigeria - VC Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan

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he Vice Chancellor of First Technical University (TechU), Ayobami Salami, has said that empowering young people would not only deal a huge blow on poverty and unemployment in the country, but also bridge the yawning skills gap that consistently makes it impossible for Nigeria to join the league of truly productive economies globally.

While reiterating the commitment of the institution to provide sustainable alternatives to the crisis of unemployment in the country through training in various marketable skills for the nation’s youth, Salami emphasised that empowering the youth will drastically reduce unemployment and poverty levels in the country.

Speaking during the certificate presentation ceremony to 100 youths who participated in the Oyo State Youth Empowerment and Contract Recruitment Programme in collaboration with Tech- U held at

the institution in Ibadan, Salami, a professor, said the university was adequately equipped to offer evidencebased solutions to the problem of joblessness in the country.

The youth, drawn from Ona Ara Local Government of the state, were trained in vocations such as Film Production and Photography, Fashion Designing, AgroAllied, Paint-making, Cosmetology as well as System Security, On Board Diagnosing (OBD2), Global System Positioning ( GPS), Close Circuit Television (CCTV) installation and

Salami

Private Branch Exchange.

However, Salami said the programme represented one way by which the First Technical University hopes to contribute to the socio-economic development process of the country, by building an entrepreneurially literate society and strengthening the industrial base of Nigeria and Oyo State in particular. It was designed to develop the capacity of participants in industry relevant technical, vocational and entrepreneurial skills, necessary to start and effectively manage needbased micro and small size enterprises.

This, according to him, is with a view to reducing the scourge of youth unemployment in the state and its associated socioeconomic consequences. ‘’For us at Tech- U, this ceremony demonstrates our commitment to providing sustainable alternatives to the crisis of unemployment in our country.

In many ways, the rising rate of unemployment in our country today, which is currently put at 23.1 percent, should task genu-

inely concerned observers to get to work and think of innovative ways out of the very worrisome situation. Our university is adequately equipped to offer evidence-based solutions in this regard’’, Salami said.

While disclosing that the programme was the university’s first series, the vice chancellor said the university would undertake similar training for other youths in the state and country at large.

Salami said the partnership with Oyo State was an invaluable one born out of shared values for the sustainable empowerment of the people.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Finance and Budget, Abimbola Adekanmbi in his address said the training was to equip the youth with marketable skills, saying that tools would be provided for them. He added that their services would be needed by the state government. The commissioner, who donated a sum of N500,000 as seed money for the empowerment, urged political leaders to emulate the gesture.

Enugu State Governor and Governor-elect, Ifeanyi Ugwuany (right) in a handshake with the chairman, South East Council of Emeka Achebe (Obi of Onitsha), when members of the executive committee of the council paid him a congratulatory visit at the Government House, Enugu.

‘Ayade committed to elimination of tetanus scourge in Cross River’ MIKE ABANG, Calabar

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etta Edu, the director-general Cross River State Primary Healthcare, has said that Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River state is committed to eliminating the tetanus scourge afflicting residents of the state in recent times.

Betta Edu stated this during an advocacy visit to the state Commissioner for Education, Godwin Ettah at the Naternal Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Week which took place recently.

Edu said that Governor Ayade was committed to the ending the problem in the state as the state gears up towards another round of Maternal Neonatal Tetanus Elimination.

The DG hinted that Ayade is one governor in the country who committed to ensuring that there was improved quality of life for the people of his state where he took pains to deliver almost his campaign promises.

“By the grace of God,

the governor has delivered almost all the promises which he made to the people and also determined to do more. We need you to grant us access to persons within the age limit that are still in school as well as advocate to the Obolopon of Ugep, since Yakurr is amongst the 12 LGAs where the activities will take place,” she said.

“This administration will continue to support maternal neonatal tetanus elimination and elimination of other diseases that have increased neonatal mortality. We strive to make tremendous impacts on women and children; we implore the people to take full advantage of this intervention package,” Edu said.

The DG maintained that the Agency’s visitation to the Ministry of Education is to seek support and collaboration to intimate principals and students on the 2nd Round of MNTE Exercise for students from 15 to 49 years old, stressing that the exercise is to help in the elimination of neonatal tetanus.

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News SMEDAN holds open fair to boost business activities in Osun JOHN OLANIYI, Osogbo

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ocal manufacturers as well as small business owners have been charged to improve on their quality delivery as a means of encouraging consumers to patronise them.

Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola stated this while delivering a keynote address shortly after declaring open the 2019 edition of the Osun Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise opportunities open fair.

Speaking at the event which has as its theme: “Expanding Market Frontiers for MSMEs” the governor expressed the readiness of his administration to continue to support the growth of medium and small scale businesses in the state in a bid to boost the economy of the state.

The governor, who was represented at the event by the Osun Supervisor for Finance, Commerce and Cooperatives Bola Oyebamiji

Oye

described Osun economy as one dominated by the informal sector, noting that he is delighted on the organising of the programme which is aimed at touching the lives of the greater percentage of Osun people.

He commended SMEDAN as an agency that has

performed tremendously well since it was created through the various programmes that has touched millions of lives across Nigeria stressing that it is a testament of their performance on the stimulation and development of MSMEs across the country.

He explained that his administration in the next few weeks will roll out series of empowerment programmes for women and other small scale enterprises in the state.

According to the governor, “I appreciate the efforts of SMEDAN in organising this programme which is aimed at boosting the economy, there is no government that can efficiently add value to the society without considering the micro, small and medium scale enterprises.”

In an address, the Director-General, SMEDAN, Umar Dikko commended the state government of Osun for creating the enabling environment which has allowed SMEs to grow rapidly in the state, noting that this has made their job easy in Osun.

He explained that the major priority of the agency is to promote “made in Nigeria products and services” as well as enhancing the competitiveness SMEs which he said the state government of Osun has done tremendously well on.

Building collapse: Adewole commends Lagos for prompt response to survivors ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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inister of Health, Isaac Adewole has commended Lagos State for its prompt and effective response as well as efficient health care management of survivors of the collapsed building at Lagos island.

Speaking when he paid a visit to the victims at the Lagos Island general hospital, Adewole said: ‘I’m greatly impressed by the promptness of the emergency response of the state and the efficient health care deployed to ensure that the survivors of the sad incident are stabilised and kept alive.”

He also appreciated the State Government for granting free medical care to the victims in order to remove any barriers to prompt qualitative and comprehensive care needful for the rehabilitation of victims.

Responding, Jide Idris, Lagos State commissioner for Health, thanked the

Minister and seized the opportunity to address the issue of the rumour that some of the survivors were being charged for health care.

He said he earlier refuted this allegation based on the clear directive of the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode which was passed on to all government-owned facilities. He however, warned that any government official caught extorting any survivor or demanding for gratification will be made to face strict disciplinary actions.

He said: “Demanding that survivors who are already traumatised should pay for medical bills is not only unethical but also criminal”.

He called on family members who have evidence of such extortion to contact Titilayo Goncalves, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, on O8023049478 with authentic evidence.

Idris also expressed appreciation to corporate organisations, particularly MTN Foundation and other well meaning individuals

who have been donating items and other forms of support to the survivors.

Nonetheless, Idris appealed that the donations be well coordinated and properly channelled for reason of transparency and accountability.

Earlier, the Commissioner Idris revealed that 20 victims were brought in dead to Lagos Island General hospital, 45 survivors were managed by the Lagos State Health facilities, notably Lagos Island general hospital, Massey street Children hospital, Onikan Health Centre., Gbagada General hospital, LASUTH , National Orthopedic hospital, Igbobi and LUTH. Out of the 45 survivors known to the State Government, as at this morning (Friday), 14(10children and 4 adults) are still receiving medical attention at Lagos Island General Hospital. According to Ismail Gani-Kale, the medical director of Lagos Island General Hospital, more survivors will still be discharged to their families before the close of work today (Friday).

Varsity don accuses FG of lacking economic focus MIKE ABANG, Calabar

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avid Irene, a renowned Professor of Economics with Kogi State University, has said that Nigeria is plunging deeper into economic crises because the Federal Government does not have economic focus.

He said as a result of this, international investors are scared of coming into the country to establish their businesses.

Irene, who is also the head of department of Economics, Kogi State University, said this while speaking to our correspondent in Calabar. He said that the country is now in a state of quagmire because there are fewer core experts who are engaged in their core professional areas of competence to proffer their expertise or advise government.

He was also worried that instead of reduction of taxes to attract investors to establish in the country and employ more people who will pay tax to government, the Federal Government was rather slamming heavy taxes on firms and investors thereby scaring them away.

He cautioned against constraining investments and maintaining that any government that wants to

bring the country from economic problems must invest heavily in public services, which he insisted that the present government was not.

“Government supposed to spend more for public services. That way, more people will be brought back to work which will necessitate aggregate demands where firms will need more lands for more produce.

That way, too, more taxes would be paid to government,” he said.

Irene, a former head of the Economics Department at University of Maiduguri, expressed dismay that Nigeria’s budget for 2019 was lower than that of previous year which ought not to be so.

“Is there any country in the world that its current year’s budget will be less than the previous year’s? A country is supposed to have more responsibilities as the years go by,” he said.

Oyebode, LSETF’s executive sec, exits LASG to take up senior role in EKSG

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he Lagos State Emp l o y m e n t Tr u s t Fund (LSETF) has announced the exit of Akintunde Oyebode, executive secretary.

Oyebode leaves the Fund on March 31, 2019, to take up a senior role with the Ekiti State Government.

Announcing the exit, the Chairman of the LSETF, Ifueko Omoigui Okauru, said: “We thank Akintunde Oyebode for his work as pioneer Executive Secretary of the Fund. His leadership and commitment to job creation contributed to the Fund’s success and impact. Akintunde has demonstrated that young people have the capacity to succeed in leadership roles. We are glad that the Fund has positioned him for higher responsibilities. We will miss his leadership and wish him the best in his future endeavours. Our strong leadership team and succession plan will ensure the Fund continues to operate seamlessly.”

In his remarks, Akintunde Oyebode said: “I am grateful to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for finding me worthy to serve the people

of Lagos State, especially in supporting job creation, and as a result, lifting our most vulnerable people out of poverty. I am also very grateful to the Lagos State House of Assembly, especially the House Committee on Wealth Creation and Employment, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and Ministry of Finance for their support. Finally, I would like to thank the Board of Trustees whose support and guidance shaped our work; and my brilliant colleagues, whose invaluable contribution delivered the impressive results we achieved so far.”

LSETF’s MSME Loan Programme has disbursed over N6.5 billion to almost 10,000 beneficiaries; while over 3,500 unemployed Lagos residents have been provided with vocational training, with over 1,500 of the trainees placed in jobs; The Fund’s Lagos Innovates programme has supported over 80 start-ups. In total, LSETF’s interventions have helped create almost 90,000 jobs in Lagos State since it started operations on March 1, 2016.

8 BDSUNDAY

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Taraba Governor accuses main opposition of post-election crisis Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

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ollowing the post election crisis that have rocked parts of Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, Governor Darius Ishaku and residents of Jalingo on Friday sued for peace as the curfew imposed on the town due to post-election violence entered the fifth day.

At a press conference addressed by the state Commissioner for Information, Simon Dogari, Ishaku alleged that the main opposition party in the state was responsible for the crisis that erupted in parts of the state capital and urged the opposition to emulate the candidate of the United Development Party (UDP), Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan, who has admitted defeat and adjudged the election free, fair and credible.

He commended the people of the state for not giving in to the unprovoked attacks that would have led to the escalation of the crisis and returned to embrace peace as it is the basic prerequisite for any meaningful development.

“There have been several at-

Ishaku

tacks on innocent and defenceless people in Jalingo by miscreants hired and armed by those who lost the elections, with the intention of creating tension and anarchy to give a wrong impression about the election. We thank God that the larger

section of the populace refuse to yield to this temptation.

“Peace is the bedrock on which every positive human endeavor can thrive. We must therefore embrace peace so that the government can play it’s role of de-

Obangame Express 2019 Opens in Lagos, as U.S. Equips Maritime Training School Iniobong Iwok

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enior leaders from the U.S. Africa Command and the Nigerian Navy, representatives of maritime forces from the Gulf of Guinea, Europe, North and South America, as well as regional and international organisations, gathered in Lagos for the opening ceremony of the 2019 Obangame Express.

Now in its ninth year, Obangame Express is an annual multinational maritime exercise designed to improve cooperation among the participating nations in order to increase maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea.

Delivering welcoming remarks at the ceremony hosted by Nigeria’s Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, United States Consul General John Bray, noted that Obangame Exercise has grown in leaps and bounds, both in complexity and in accomplishment.

“We note the efforts by regional navies to work together in the spirit of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct which is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, informationsharing practices, and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of Gulf of Guinea and West African nations to counter sea-based illicit activity,” Consul General Bray remarked.

As part of the events to open the 2019 Obangame Express, Consul

General Bray and Vice Admiral Ibas commissioned the Nigerian Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Training School in Apapa.

The training school was built by the Nigerian Navy and equipped by the United States Navy. “ Th e M a r i t i m e D o m a i n Awareness Training School in Apapa is one of the most evident examples of our enduring partnership. This school will be a regional center of excellence in the area of maritime domain awareness where neighbouring countries will be trained,” Consul General Bray added.

In her remarks, Director, Directorate of Intelligence, U.S. Africa Command, Rear Admiral Heidi Berg, lauded the commitment of the 33 nations scheduled to participate in this year’s exercise.

According to her, illicit maritime activities such as illegal fishing,

trafficking of weapons, narcotics and people, as well as the ongoing threat of piracy, undermine the rule of law, food security, and economic development in the region.

“This exercise is a clear demonstration of the United States’ dedication to combat these illicit activities and help our partners in the Gulf of Guinea to provide security for their resources, their economy, and their people. Obangame Express 2019 will make the region a safe place for maritime commerce and ultimately help increase prosperity of the region,” Rear Admiral Berg said.

Obangame Express is part of a comprehensive strategy by U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa to provide collaborative opportunities among African forces and international partners that address maritime security concerns.

On Thursday, senior leaders from the U.S. Africa Command and the Nigerian Navy, representatives of maritime forces from the Gulf of Guinea, Europe, North and South America, as well as regional and international organizations, gathered in Lagos for the opening ceremony of the 2019 Obangame Express.

Association of NGOs appeals to losers to embrace spirit of sportsmanship veloping the state for the greater glory of the people. I urge the youths not to yield to the temptation by today’s elders to use you to destroy the future that belongs to you with immense possibilities.

We thank God for the return of normalcy in the state right now.

Let us work hard to maintain and sustain this pace of peace”.

Our correspondent. who went round some of the flashpoints such as Sabon geri, Angwan Kassa, Nya Bukaka, Water Board and Jalingo Main Market areas, discovered that many people vacated the areas while others were still living in fear despite the curfew.

The residents commended the state government over the curfew which currently runs from 6am to 4pm daily.

Ibrahim Jalingo, a resident of water board area, one of the troubled spots in the city, said, though the curfew had caused a lot of inconveniences to the people, it was necessary to prevent further destruction in the town.

Yusuf called on the people of the state to eschew violence and live harmoniously with one another for development to strive.

UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia.

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bia State Association of Non Governmental Organisation (ASANGO) has appealed to all the governorship candidates who lost to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu at the March, 9 poll to join hands with him towards the progress of the state, instead of engaging him with series of litigations.

The association reminded politicians on the need to embrace of the spirit of sportsmanship, pointing out that a society where such exists has the tendency to grow faster.

Leonard Romanus, State Chairman ASANGO, in a press release made available to newsmen in Umuahia, congratulated Ikpeazu on his victory at the poll.

The release reads in part, “Rev. Amb. Leonard Romanus, the state chairman of Abia State Association of Non Governmental Organisations (ASANGO) and the entire members congratulate Dr. Okezie Victor Ikpeazu on his re-election.

“We call on other candidates who contested with him for the governorship seat to shun going to tribunal and rally round the governor to move Abia forward, for the good of Abians.”

International Day of Achievers: Firm to honour 8 Nigerian under-40 professionals KELECHI EWUZIE

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n recognition of their exceptional performance and accomplishments, Lord’s Dry Gin will be honouring eight under-40 achievers in different professional landscapes in Nigeria.

The award, which is an initiative of Grand Oak Limited is part of activities lined up to commemorate the International Day of Achievers on 24th of March, 2019.

A statement signed by Tobi Fasuyi, Brand manager, Grand Oak Limited, said that the honourees are men and women who have shown outstanding passion, consistency, tenacity, and social impact in the fields of Health, Professional, Tech, Creative, Arts, Business, and Innovation.

According to a statement, “Lord’s Achievers Award is all about celebrating success. Being the inaugural edition, we hope to spotlight a few remarkable Nigerians who have had a positive impact locally and globally”.

“It is with great pleasure we

honour their efforts with the belief they will continue to be a source of inspiration to us all, reminding us that with determination nothing is difficult to achieve.”

The release stated that the criteria for selection have been based strictly on key leadership attributes which display a high level of excellence. These eight honorees have shown immerse qualities and through their aspirations, they inspire and mobilise communities, organisations, governments, investors and the public at large.

“On Sunday, the 24th of March at Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, we will be celebrating: Seun and Seyi Abolaji, founder, Wilsons Lemonade; Funfere Koroye, founder, Fusion Kelvar; Chioma Nwakanma , founder, Smile With Me Foundation, and Tosin Oshinowo, founder CmDesign Atelier, Ile-ila.

“Others are: Abiola Adekoya, managing director, RMD Stockbrokers Nigeria Limited; Dotun Popoola, artist and Nkemdilim Begho, founder, Future Software Resources Limited,” he said.

Sunday 17 March 2019

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PhotoSplash

L-R, Gado Shehu, director business names, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC); Godfrey Ike, head public affairs, CAC, and Fred Brains Idehai, chairman, Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association L-R: Micheal Umogun, head business development, Kantar; Ugo Geri-Robert, CEO; Princewell Ekwujuru, president, Brand of Nigeria (CICAN), during a retreat on “Role of Media in the Ease of Journalists’ Association of Nigeria (BJAN), and Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, communications and public affairs manager, West Africa, Google, at the 2019 BJAN World Consumer Rights Day celebration in Lagos. Pic by Olawale Amoo doing Business” in Abuja. Pic by Tunde Adeniyi

L-R: Chinyere Okechukwu, corporate communications officer, Sterling Bank; Emmanuel Ruth, slum artist; Ajibola Basitwho, slum artist, and Adetunwase Adenle, founder, Slum Art Foundation, at the Slum Art Foundation official unveiling of the CNN mural showcasing 196 portraits of world leader in driving awareness for Modern Slavery in Lagos.

L-R: Michael Halbig, director, middle east and africa, Temenos Services; Simon Tiemtore, chairman, Vista Bank Group Gambia, and Kingsley Oseghala, GM, sales & strategy, Inlaks, during the signing ceremony of Temenos T24 Core Banking Implementation at The Vista Bank Group Headquarters in Serrekunda, Gambia.

L-R: Amina Zakari; Mohammed Haruna; May Agbamuche-Mbu, National Commissioners, INEC; Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, INEC, during the presentation of Certificates of Return to elected members of the National Assembly in Abuja. NAN

L-R: Sani Aliyu, DG, National Agency for the Control of Aids (NACA); Isaac Adewole, minister of health; Michel Sidibe, United Nations Under-secretary general/executive director, UNAIDS, and Abdullahi Mashi, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, during a news conference on the Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Assessment Survey (NAIIS) Reveals, Progress and Critical gaps in Ending the HIV Epidemic in Abuja /NAN

Muhammadu Buhari (6TH r), president; Boss Mustapha (4TH r), secretary to the government of the federation; Mohammed Sani Haliru, Dantoro Kitoro IV (6TH l), leader of the delegation / emirs of borgu, and members of the delegation of borgu kingdom, during their congratulatory visit to the presidential villa in Abuja. NAN

Aminu Masari (4th r), governor, Katsina State; Abdulmumini Kabir Usman (3rd l), emir of Katsina, and Traditional Leaders of the State, during their congratulatory visit to the Governor.

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Collapsed building: How society failed pupils, killed their dreams, aspirations JOSHUA BASSEY

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hey had dreams, hopes, aspirations and life ambitions. Some, perhaps, to become great writers, medical doctors, lawyers, computer and information technology experts, economic analysts, motivational speakers, preachers or even politicians who would harness the resources of the state for common good of all.

But whatever those dreams and aspirations were, they wouldn’t be realised anymore.

They have gone, perished and buried forever; not for any fault of the victims, but because the society, indeed, persons and institutions vested with the responsibilities of protecting and ensuring their maximum welfare and safety, turned blind eyes and deaf ears, leaving the innocent school children in avoidable danger that eventually claimed their little souls.

In May, 2011, Sarah Adebisi Sosan, former deputy governor of Lagos State, who doubled as commissioner for education for four years (2007-2011), while highlighting her achievements at an annual ministerial press briefing, her last of such briefings, was asked by correspondents what she would consider her biggest regret, as she was leaving government. The media centre situated a few a metres from the deputy governor’s office; state secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, was filled to capacity. The over 35 journalists in attendance at the ministerial briefing had hoped to hear Sosan talk about politics and the refusal of her party to allow her be a part of her boss’ (Fashola) second term in office.

But Sosan disappointed the journalists who were already

A child being rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building at Itafaji on Lagos Island.

thinking of possible catchy headlines. Rather, in response to the question, the soft-spoken deputy governor said that her regret was inability to successfully push her reform agenda for the educational sector in Nigeria’s most populous state.

The reform agenda by the former deputy governor had seen a number of illegal and mushrooms that still dot the nooks and crannies of Lagos State, shutdown.

The exercise which was to continue until all such schools were systematically uprooted and the sector sanitised, had barely gone halfway when vested interests began to mount pressure on Sosan to halt it.

According to the former deputy governor cum commissioner for education, the shocker amidst the criticisms that trailed her ef-

forts to sanitise the system was that, those she naturally expected to lend their support, turned against her.

Since Sosan pulled back, successive admonitions have played to the gallery, as the number of illegal and unapproved schools in the state has increased while government and officials watch.

As at May 2018, official figures from the Lagos State ministry of education showed that about over 11,000 private schools were operating illegally, meaning that they were not registered or given approval by the government to operate in Lagos.

According to Idiat Oluranti Adebule, the current deputy governor, during a ministerial briefing in 2018, out of about 17,000 private schools that were identified in the state, only 5,105

LASCOPA restates commitment to consumers’ rights SEYI JOHN SALAU

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agos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) has reiterated commitment to ensuring that the rights of consumers in Lagos are not infringed upon, as it marked the international consumer rights’ day.

The 2019 consumer rights’ day themed, ‘trusted smart products’ was held in conjunction with Computer Allied Products Association with a sensitisation walk/stakeholders meeting that started at the LASCOPA office, off Allen Avenue and terminated at the computer village, Lagos.

Fu n m i Fa l a n a , c h a i r m a n LASCOPA, said the sensitisation walk was to intimate Lagosians of their rights and how to seek redress whenever infringed.

“We know that with collaboration with the computer allied products association, the fight against substandard and inferior

products in Nigeria will be countered head-long,” she stated.

According to her, the world consumer rights day is a day set aside by the United Nations to look at the rights of consumers and how they can be improved upon.

“It is also a time to remind ourselves of the importance of selling good products. We are looking at the need to improve and see how we can control the standards of products imported into the country, especially computers, electronics, and other goods that has to do with the social media,” said Falana. The sensitisation walk was used by LASCOPA to educate unsuspecting consumers about steps taken by the agency to protect the rights, and obligations of the consumers in seeking redress through the various channels provided by LASCOPA clearly stating the obligation of business owners and liability for failure to meet up with provisions.

Ahmed Ojikutu, the president, Computer Allied Products Association, said LASCOPA activities were humanitarian service rendered to ensure equity, fairness and peace in business relationship in Lagos.

“The issue of lack of trust in business transaction is a huge challenge in the business environment especially at the informal level; hence there is a need for LASCOPA to ensure that businessmen conduct business transactions ethically,” said Ojikutu.

Speaking further, he said: “At this point, we as business people understand that while we need to make profits; we also need to transact business rightfully. On behalf of the executive members of the computer allied products association and all other stakeholders in computer village; we want to say that we will be working in close relationship with LASCOPA so that people can get value for their money,” Ojikutu assured.

were approved.

The admittance by the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, Wednesday, at the scene of the collapsed building at Massey Street, Ita…..that the school which occupied the ….pent house floor, was illegal says it all.

That thousands of illegal private schools with each of them having student population in hundreds are allowed to continue to operate shows that the government cares little about the future of the children. And, to think that the deputy governor, Adebule is the commissioner for education in the state with this prevailing anomaly, speaks to the level of negligence on the part of government.

As pointed out by Ambode, the Ohen Nursery/ Primary School on Massey Street, Ita-Faji, Lagos

Island, was one of the schools operating illegally in the state. If the government and its relevant agencies had been alive to their responsibilities, the illegal school would have been closed down before ill-fated Wednesday, March 13, 2019. The dead, especially the school children, would have been alive.

Taofi Adisa , who lost two loved ones in the collapsed building, says the incident is still like a dream to him. According to Adisa, his friend’s wife, Miriam Orekoya, accompanied by her son visited her mother who lived in the building when it collapsed. “I cannot believe they’re gone forever, says Adisa, looking sad and morose, as he explains his pains.

John Gbadamosi, an indigene of Ikorodu, who lost two of his children in the incident, remains disconsolate, as he threatened to take his own life, forcing family members to keep him under close watch.

Maria Adeyemo, trader who owned a shop on the ground floor of the building, is still full of regrets. Adeyemo lost her seven-year daughter, Taiwo, in the collapsed building. She could not hold back tears as the lifeless body of Taiwo was dug out from the rubble by rescue operators on Wednesday.

“I regret renting an apartment in the building. It’s sad that out of the four children I brought to the house two years ago, I have lost one.”

Adeyemo says the deceased daughter’s dream was to become a medical doctor, regretting that little Taiwo’s aspirations and dreams are now gone with her even as she asks rhetorically: “If the school was illegal as the government claimed, operating in a residential building, how come it was allowed to continue to operate?

CBD office extends operations to Ikeja axis

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s part of efforts to ensure that the Ikeja business axis is managed in accordance with its original master plan, the Central Business Districts (CBD) office of the Lagos State government has extended its operations to the Ikeja CBD. Prior to now, the CBD office restricted its operations to the Lagos Island CBD. The extension of operations to the Ikeja CBD will to see to the deployment of personnel to major areas within Alausa and Agidingbi axis to control traffic and discourage illegal parking on the roads.

The operations will also ensure that government policies and laid down rules guiding the establishments of CBD are adhered to.

The special adviser to the state governoronCBD,OlarewajuElegushi said the extension to the Ikeja axis has been long overdue, as the state would no longer fold its hands and allow flagrant disobedience and distortion to the Ikeja CBD master plan.

Elegushi while seeking the cooperation of business owners, visitors and residents of the Ikeja CBD

in the management of the business district by operatives of the agency, said the mission of the agency was to provide a stress-free and conducive business environment for the benefit of shoppers, visitors and business owners through efficient and effective traffic and environmental management.

The special adviser said: “You will recall that the Lagos Central Business Districts management office was established to address the challenges of the maintenance of infrastructure and create conducive business environment for the citizenry in five major areas designated as central business districts in the state. Since its creation, the office has concentrated its operations in the Lagos Island CBD. We are therefore flagging off extension of operation to the Ikeja CBD. We will ensure that the much cherished international standard that characterised the existence of CBDs in developed cities of the world operate in Ikeja CBD, as we are ready to push our operatives beyond limit to ensure fulfilment of set objectives”.

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Fresh boost for Lagos’ informal sector

Publisher/CEO

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, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha 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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conomists and experts have defined the informal sector as, “the part of an economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government, the activities of the informal sector are not included in the Gross National Product (GNP) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country. They are the workers who are self employed, people who earn a living through self employment, in most cases they are not on payrolls, and thus are not taxed. This sector may be invisible, irregular, parallel, non-structured, backyard, under ground, subterranean, unobserved or residual”.

According to statistics, the informal economy accounts for about 15% of employment in developed countries such as the United States.

In sub-Saharan Africa, it is 72%, if agricultural employment is included it is beyond 90%. In other words the informal sector accounts for a higher percentage of employment in developing countries which means that the informal sector is a crucial tool in employment generation. It contributes to the general economy, in many developing

world, the informal economy is an important source of livelihood for individual, families and communities. It is also a powerful tool in the fight against poverty.

In Nigeria, informal economic activities encompass a wide range of small scale, largely self employed activities. Most of which are traditional occupations and methods of production. They include the hair maker, barbers, shoe makers, artisans, domestic workers, traditional birth attendant, vulcanizer, thrift collectors, market women and so forth.

The informal sector constitutes over 40% of the Nigeria Economy and is estimated to grow more.

Research shows that, the growth of the informal sector may be attributed to changing social or economic environment. In Nigeria, for instance the high rate of unemployment and economic recession account for the increased growth of the informal sector as a lot of white collar workers were relieved of their jobs, in the bid to survive many are becoming self employed. It is no doubt that the informal sector is a veritable tool for wealth creation, employment, grass root mobilization, growth and development.

Determined to build an inclusive, progressive government and vibrant economy the Lagos state Government is engaging the informal sector productively as it informs, enlighten and educate thus challenge the sector to be relevant and effective stakeholders in the state. The government was able to do this through the state Ministry of Information and Strategy which organized public enlightenment

programmes for artisans, market women, traders, and the likes. The Ministry engages them through their various association on a daily bases in order to key them into the state government policies and programmes. As such, they become aware of government policies and activities and are not left behind in the scheme of things. It is important to note that these policies cannot be effective without the co-operation of the informal sector which is the major target of these policies.

Many informal workers do their business in unprotected and unsecured places, without formal contract, formal protection, workers benefit or social protection but that is fast changing, as Governments continues to invest in the sector for growth, productivity and regulation. For instance the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment hosted the Stakeholders forum for Tradesmen and Artisans in the state. The target of the interactive forum was to stimulate greater interaction with the leadership and operators in the sector at various levels and also afford the state Government the opportunity to identify problems bedeviling the sector, problems such as obsolesce of equipment and skills of artisans, lack of access institutional finance and lack of institutionalized welfare/ Pensions scheme.

Identification and registration of Artisans was done by the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and about 250 trade associations have been identified in the State till date, in addition over 80 Trades Associations have also

been registered by the Ministry.

The Ministry also provided means of identification for registered Artisans in Lagos State.

Through the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, the Government has also been able to render social services to artisans through their associations. This has exposed them to formal and informal trainings that have helped in upgrading their service. Artisans and tradesmen are also regularly trained to enhance their operations and provide competitive advantage.

As the center of commerce and business hob of Africa, Lagos State has taken critical steps to encourage growth in the informal sector.

It also has policies that promote growth of small and medium scale enterprises. The state government is equally creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive while also making registration of businesses less cumbersome though the ease of doing business initiative. The objective of all this is to attract more investment and encourage businesses that are not registered to come forward and improve Government regulation of the sector for optimal growth and economic sustenance.

At a time when the Federal Government is making efforts to reduce over reliance on oil, rejuvenating the informal sector and, indeed, other sectors of the economy remains an enthralling option. This is the path that Lagos is toeing.

Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

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Perspective

Rebuilding Nigeria’s electoral processes and institutions using the Justice Uwais Report Continued from back page overdue and would greatly assist the growth and performance of genuine political parties In Nigeria.

Addressing INEC’s inefficiency The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by virtue of Paragraph 15 Part 1 of the Third Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is saddled with the task of: conducting elections, carrying out voter’s registration, preparing logistics for the elections, registration of political parties, among other functions. INEC, as presently constituted is overburdened, illequipped and lacks the required manpower to effectively deliver on its mandate without hiccups.

In the 2019 presidential elections, INEC did not efficiently deliver election materials across the country. This resulted in the postponement of the Presidential Election from February 16th, 2019 to February 23, 2019. Even after the postponement, reports of international and local observers indicate, INEC did not deliver election materials to some polling booths across the country until midday into the elections.

This is not the first time INEC has had to postpone elections for logistics reasons. In 2011, INEC cited logistics reasons for the shift in the general elections date. The commission had said that vital election materials had not been supplied days to the general elections. The Uwais Report addressed this challenge by recommending the creation of the following special commissions: the Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission, the Electoral Offenses Commission, a Constituency Delineation Commission and Centre for Democratic studies.

This was primarily to unbundle INEC and refocus it strictly on conducting general elections while the new bodies would be saddled with pre and post elections matters. Sadly, the recommendation was not incorporated into the Electoral Act of 2010. In view of INEC’s continued dismal performance, it is imperative to reconsider the Uwais Report Recommendation to unbundle INEC. Modernising Nigeria’s voting and collation process Nigeria operates a semi-electronic voting system. Registration of voters is done electronically but voting and collation of results are done manually. The use of card reader machines for authentication of voters has not significantly improved the credibility of the election process.

The present method of voting in

Nigeria is the Open Secret Ballot System (OSBS) in which the prospective voter goes through a process of accreditation, receives a ballot paper from the appropriate poll official and thereafter makes the confidential thumb impression in favour of the political party of choice in a secret voting compartment before dropping the ballot in the box positioned in the open, in the full glare of officials, security and party agents. The collation

‘‘

It is our hope that the government will reconsider some of the recommendations of the Uwais Report with a view to making the outcome of elections in Nigeria transparent, credible and acceptable

of election results is also done manually. It is incrementally done at polling booths, electoral wards, local governments, states and federal for the presidential election. This process is ridiculously slow and cumbersome. In the 2019 presidential elections, it took INEC a total of 4 days to conclude the process of voting and collation of results. This created tension and a lot of anxiety.

There is an urgent need to modernise the voting and collation process by introducing electronic voting. Electronic voting will drastically reduce the time it takes to vote, collate and release election results. It will, to a certain level limit the involvement of persons from accreditation to result release and increase voter participation. A voter can register in one part of the country and vote in another. The Uwais Report recommended a gradual introduction of electronic voting. The report was submitted in 2008. 11 years after, Nigeria is ready for electronic voting. The Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) does not make express provision for electronic voting. Rather, Section 52 (2) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) gives INEC the discretion to determine the procedure for voting. It was on the basis of Section 52(2) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) that INEC introduced card reader machines. What is unclear however is whether INECs discretion in s 52 (2) extends to introducing electronic voting.

The Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 has amended s 52 (2) to now include electronic voting and any other methods of voting INEC determine from time to time. Regrettably, the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 was not signed into law by President Buhari before the 2019 Elections.

The President claimed the 2018 amendment was too close to the 2019 elections but promised to give effect to the law after the elections. It is important President Buhari gives effect to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 as promised.

Restoring confidence in the Election Petition Tribunals The process of dealing with complaints and resolving election disputes is critical to the survival of any democracy, particularly a fragile one like Nigeria. In addition to monitoring the voting and collation process, attention must also be paid to the process of dealing with election complaints.

Over the years, this has not been the case. The result is that the election petition process has become unfairly skewed against the petitioner. Take for instance, the issue of burden of proof otherwise known as the doctrine of substantial compliance, which is to the effect that an election shall not be invalidated by reason of irregularities or non-compliance to the electoral law as long as it is conducted substantially in accordance with the electoral laws and the irregularities and

non-compliance did not affect the result of the election. The substantial compliance doctrine places two evidential burdens on a petitioner. The first burden is that the petitioner has to prove irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral law. The second evidential burden is that the petitioner has to prove that the irregularities and non-compliance with the electoral law affected the results of the election. The substantial compliance doctrine was first applied by the Supreme Court in Awolowo V. Shagari (1979) NSCC 87. It was applied in several other cases such: Buhari V. Obasanjo (2005) 13 NWLR (PT. 941), Obasanjo V. Yusuf (2004) 9 NWLR (Part 877) 144, Buhari V. INEC & 4 ORS (SC 51/2008) 12 DEC 2008, Abubakar, GCON & 2 ORS V. Yar Adua & 5 ORS (SC72/2008) 12 DEC 2008, CPC V. INEC & 40 ORS SC 426/2011) 28 DEC 2011. It is on record that no presidential election has been upturned in Nigeria on account of the doctrine of substantial compliance.

The Uwais Report relieved this onerous burden placed on the petitioner by recommending that the burden of proof for election petitions be placed on INEC and the Respondent. The thinking is that since INEC conducted the election and the Respondent is the beneficiary, it will be easy for INEC and the Respondent to prove that the election was conducted substantially in accordance with the electoral law.

Unfortunately, this Uwais Report recommendation was not incorporated into the Electoral Act 2010. Shifting the burden of proof in election petitions from the Petitioner to INEC and the Respondent will substantially restore confidence in the election tribunals.

Conclusion The recently concluded 2019 general elections have revealed that there are major issues with Nigeria’s electoral processes and institutions. There is an urgent need to rebuild the electoral processes and institutions.

The Uwais Report contains viable recommendations that can transform Nigeria’s elections.

It is our hope that the government will reconsider some of the recommendations of the Uwais Report with a view to making the outcome of elections in Nigeria transparent, credible and acceptable.

Collins Okeke is the Senior Legal/ Programme officer Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS) Lagos

Sunday 17 March 2019

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Perspective Women in the Nigerian workplace - Advocating for better balance AMINA OYAGBOLA

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he Global Gender Gap report 2017 released by the World Economic Forum, places Nigeria in 122ndposition out of 144 countries in closing the gender gap. While there is a gradual closing of the gender gap in terms of labour force participation this has yet to translate as expected to gender parity in the workplace.

Although more women are now engaging in full-time formal work becauseofincreasedaccesstoeducation, women still face a range of obstacles in the workplace which prevent them from realizing their full career potential. These include wage parity, inadequate maternity leave, sexual harassment, and slow promotion to top managerial positions (Adejugbe and Adejugbe, 2018). The effect of this is that women do not reach those executive level positions where they are able to actively participate in decision making that enhances the process of inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) advocates that to achieve a more diverse and inclusive workplace we need to ensure thatmorewomenreachtoppositions where they can navigate, negotiate and influence real change. Furthermore, WISCAR advocates that the tools for enabling the attainment of a gender-friendly workplace are effective and far-reaching workplace policies, structured mentorship programmesandarevampofourexisting legal framework.

This article thus explores the current situation of women in the Nigerian workplace. It examines the obstacles preventing women from getting ahead in the workplace and provides recommendations on what can be done by companies and the Nigerian government to ensure women progress and thrive in their careers for the ultimate benefit of our nation.

Current situation of women in Nigerian workplace Traditionally, given the nature of Nigeria’s patriarchal society men have always been assigned the role of breadwinner in the family, while women have played the role of home keepers and child carers (Adejumoke and Olowookere, 2012). The large entry of Nigerian women into the workplace is due to economic necessity and increased opportunities which enable women to exercise independence of choice. A study conducted by Y. A. Aluko on family stability and the working woman indicates that women work for largely financial reasons. She concludes that the decision to work does not preclude women from still performing their primary role as carers for the family, making the idea of the ‘male breadwinner’ increasingly obsolete.

The economic necessity of having more women engage in commerce inacorporateworkplacebuiltformen also has the downside of subjecting women to countless obstacles within that environment. These include rigid hours of work, competitive growth opportunities, and corporate culture (i.e. the way we do things here syndrome) that fail to consider work-life integration. A woman in the corporate work-place today battles with navigating an unfriendly work terrain with inadequate policies regarding maternity leave, re-entry following time-off and sexual harassment.

Women unlike men thus constantly face this dilemma of choosing between a successful career or building a family as the two are often pitched as mutually exclusive or at the very leastonetakingpriorityovertheother.

Researchers Duxbury and Higgins (1991) have found that unless adequate policies exist to create this integration there will be negative resultssuchasdissatisfaction,depression, anxiety, and perception of lower quality life. This is the story of a lot of women since we are not adequately protected by company policies and the law.

Obstacles facing women in the Nigerian workplace The first major obstacle for women in the workplace is our legislation. The prevailing laws of the country do not givewidecoverageandrecognitionto the rights of women in the workplace.

Where provisions are made, they fail to provide wide enough protection to address the wide range of needs. For example, in the manufacturing sector, the law impedes the appointment of female executives in core manufacturing roles which makes it hard for women to succeed in this field. Section 55 of the Labour Act 2004, for instance, stipulates that women cannot undertake manual labour overnight, andtherewasacaseofamultinational manufacturing company that was penalized for allowing women to work on its production line at night. This law like a myriad of others seeks to offer women protection but in fact, denies women the right to choose.

The implications of these types of legislative provisions are perhaps far more reaching than are otherwise obvious. Forinstance,whilemanagers in some manufacturing companies are pressured to meet the company’s diversity targets they are often faced with the dilemma of justifying a woman’s promotion to managerial level, particularlywhereshehasnotbeenon the shop floor for a night shift. The solution is not to legislate blindly which may inadvertently lead to infringing on the very rights which the law seeks to protect, but through advocacy and consultation provide adequate protectionthroughchangesinpolicies and laws to make the workplace safer forallhumanaspirationstobefulfilled.

A second obstacle is the lack of women’s participation in decision making. While more women in Nigeria are being included in top positions this is being done at a slow rate. A recent Jobberman report, suggests that the proportion of females hired over a decade in Nigeria across different industries witnessed significant growth between 2007 and 2017. This led them to conclude that women will be well represented in the future workforce. The article also suggests that there are more females in entrylevel positions today than 10 years ago, leading them to further conclude that these women will go on to grow through the ranks to senior positions.

While we recognize the growth in the numbers of women entering the workforce, experience from running mentorship programmes shows that beyond statistics, ensuring that womenmoveupthecorporateladder requires the deployment oftools such as mentorship, role-modelling, and leadership training, to in fact realize the desired growth.

If women constituted 50percent of top board positions there would be more empowered professional

women, an enriched talent workforce, companies would become more profitable and the nation would develop and grow economically. Our families, value system and society wouldalsobethebetterforitasyoung children would have a balanced of view of the role of men and women in moving society forward. We emphasisethelastpointbecauseofthedirect correlation of empowered women and a healthy thriving household and community.

Recommendations Severalrecommendationshavebeen made towards creating a gender diverseandfriendlyworkplace,thisarticle, however, has chosen to focus on legislation,policy,andempowerment.

The Gender and Equal Opportunities bill- We have seen that Nigeria’s working women deserve better legal protection than that currently afforded by the Labour Act 2004.

A starting point towards achieving greater protection for women in the workplace is the ratification of the Gender and Equal Opportunities bill which gives effect to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the International Covenants on Human Rights,certainaspectsoftheConvention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Although the proposed bill is not far-reaching in terms of elimination of all forms of workplace inequity it presents a good start for utilizing in corporate activism.

Maternity leave – The poor provisions regarding maternity protection are in desperate need of reform. For example, the punitive damages stipulated in sections 56 – 58 (2) of the Labour Act 2004 for organisations who fail to comply with the general maternity provisions should be reformed to at least reflect present-day realities (Adejugbe and Adejugbe, 2018; Labour Act 2004). We advocate that all companies at a minimum should provide child care services either with anon-siteoroff-siteday-careorbreast feeding room or consider flexible working which is no longer a strange practice in 2019.

Target gender ratio – Companies especially in sectors where women are under-represented should have a clear hiring target aimed at the percentage of female employees within the workforce and in top management positions (IndiaToday). This couldbeachievedbyactivelyinitiating and enforcing diversity recruitment policies. Actively recruiting women strengthens the number of women represented in the company. If womenconstituted50percentanditwould be harder to ignore their needs. Once women are in the workplace introducing workplace programmes that create a level playing field ensuring that women have fair opportunities for promotion becomes the next initiative to tackle.

Structured Mentorship and Sponsorship programs – Structured mentorship is a forward-looking workplace gender programme that supports women in workplaces and enables them to become promot-

able and break the glass ceiling. What mentorship provides is a network and supportsystemthatworkstobuildcapacityandempowerwomentothrive and succeed. Mentorship is not new and it a system that the old corporate guard has used formally and informally to get-ahead in the workplace.

From after- work hours socialising in gentlemen clubs, to grooming a selected successor within the workplace, these are tools which men have used to climb the corporate ladder.

Formal mentoring programmes for women thus seek to address the unique needs of women through role modelling and training. At WISCAR we advocate and demonstrate the importance of mentorship and we promote the importance of access to both male and female mentors.

In addition to workplace mentoring, women can individually join professionalmentorshipprogramsprovided byotherorganizations.TheWin–with WISCAR mentoring programme is one such programme that empowers young professional women through its structured and unique one-year mentoring programme. Through this flagship programme, WISCAR has empowered over 300 young women who have testified to the programme as a contributor to their progression and current success. Sponsorship, on the other hand, is a more active role which requires sponsors to promote the individual within the workplace.

Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) Written by Amina Oyagbola, supported by Fabia Ogunmekan & Abisola Peters

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Politics Voter apathy dents legitimacy of 2019 general election

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SEYI JOHN SALAU

he 2019 general election in all fronts appeared a child’s play compared to previous elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Democracy is a game of numbers. As such, the government draws its power and legitimacy from the number of votes cast in an election.

Democracy is said to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Needless to say; in a democracy the wish of the people carries the day, just like the Latin expression ‘Vox Populi, Vox Dei’, meaning: “The voice of the people is the voice of God”.

However, it is becoming hard, if not impossible to say that the expression makes any meaning any more in Nigeria’s democracy, considering how less and less people participate in the electioneering process. A case study is the level of voter apathy witnessed in the justconcluded elections.

The voter apathy, clearly calls to question the legitimacy of the 2019 general election vis-à-vis the militarisation of the process, ballot box snatching, thuggery, and the way and manner politicians conducted themselves in the entire electioneering process, in addition to the wide spread vote buying by the political class that seems to glorify poverty if not empower it.

But, if the numbers are anything to go by, the 2019 registered voters as presented by INEC is a far cry compared to actual vote cast on Election Day. For instance, voter registration by gender according to INEC data shows that female registered voters are 39, 598,654 that is, 47.14percent, while male registered voters are 44,405,439 representing 52.86percent.

According to INEC, registration by zone shows that the Northwest had 20,158,100 (24.00percent); while Northeast had 11,289,293 (13.44percent); and North central had 13,366,070 (15.91percent).

H o w e v e r, t h e S o u t h w e s t had 16,292,212 (19.39percent); while Southeast had 10,057,279 (11.97percent); and the South-south region 12,841,279 (15.29percent).

A look further into INEC register for the occupational distribution of registered voters for 2019 general election shows thus: traders 7,568.012 (9.01percent); arti-

sans 4,478,202 (5.33percent); business persons 10,810,006 (12.87percent); civil servants 5,038,671 (6percent); farmer s / fi s h er men 13,630,216 (16.23percent); housewives 11,844,079 (14.10percent); students 22,320,990 (26.57percent); public servants 2,292,167 (2.73percent); others 6,021,741 (7.17percent).

The total number of registered voters for 2019 is 84 million. The numbers when distributed by age group shows that youths between ages 18-35 years old represent 51.11percent; while middle aged people between 36-50 years are 29.97percent; the elderly people between 51-70 years represent 15.22percent; and the old people from 70 and above represent 3.69percent.

But, when compared to previous elections in Nigeria, the number of registered voters for 2019 is the largest at 84 million.

In 2015, 68 million Nigerians registered to vote; 73 million in 2011; 61 million in 2007; and 60 million in 2003; while the number of registered voters for 1999, was 57 million.

The next question to ask is: where are the voters? Does it mean that Nigerians are only interested in registering as voters and are not interested in the actual process of selection?

Or, does it correlate with the popular saying that, votes don’t

count?

For instance, of the 6,570,291 registered voters in Lagos 5,531,398 collected their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC).

However, only about one million of these collected PVCs were used on the Election Day. Also in Kano, of the total 5,457,747 registered voters, 4,696,747 collected their PVC while less than two million of the voters participated in actual voting on the Election Day. If all of these are considered based on the number of actual votes cast in 2019, then INEC, political parties, National Orientation Agency (NOA), and even the government must start to educate the electorate about the implication of not participat-

INEC of today is analogue, slow, confused, not certain, and not transparent. It does not reflect the society of today; this INEC needs a total change

ing in the electioneering process as citizens ahead of 2023 general election.

It also could mean that a drastic action must be taken by government towards reducing the level of voter apathy witnessed. Maybe, it is high time government considered attaching penalties to curb voter apathy, as such making the people understand that voting in an election is a civic duty that cannot be complied with.

However, for this to work perfectly, government and INEC would have to assure Nigerians that their vote will count. It also means that the current electoral law is outdated and should be updated to meet current challenges and the need of the hour.

Professor Anthony Kila, the director, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies, in a post-mortem of the 2019 Presidential Election event held recently in Lagos by the Association of Political Consultants Africa, called for a radical overhaul of INEC following the controversies that ensued after the one-week postponement of the February 16 presidential election over logistics challenges.

According to Kila, “…there is no reason why we should be sitting counting votes for 48/72 hours before we get results.

There are ways to handle the whole election of Nigeria like

one big master sheet of Excel Sheet, in which wherever you vote from, we can get the results live in real time and it will go to a visible website for example, and more media stations can transmit it just as they are coming in right away.

“We need to outsource a lot of things that INEC is doing; I have proposed and will continue to stand by the proposer that INEC should work with banks – people should be able to collect their PVC in their banks,” said Kila stating that the process of registering for vote and collecting PVC is out-dated.

In Kila’s word, “INEC of today is analogue, slow, confused, not certain, and not transparent. It does not reflect the society of today; this INEC needs a total change,” however, we can only get a desired INEC if and only when the current electoral law is amended and signed by the president. Until then, Nigerians would have to look and continue in the struggle towards building a virile nation, just like Bernie Sanders said in one of his popular quotes.

According to Bernie Sanders, an American politician/Senator from Vermont since 2007 said: “Election days come and go.

But the struggle of the people to create a government which represents all of us and not just the one percent - a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice - that struggle continues”.

This quote by Sanders clearly mirrors the Nigerian situation.

Election may have come and gone. Winners and losers have also emerged from the whole process. But, the legitimacy of the government and how it rally round to win the trust of the people, is an herculean task for President Muhammadu Buhari administration as it commences its second term in office come May 29.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, former American President said: “Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country”.

Hence, the people have spoken with their vote, the type of government they want and should never be victimised for casting their vote either they voted for or against the current government at the federal or state levels. Just like Frenchman, Joseph de Maistre said, “Every country has the government it deserves”.

Sunday 17 March 2019

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Politics Wike smells victory, says his triumph will be sweet Ignatius Chukwu

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hree forms exist that may decide who won an election. Many election hijackers go after the higher ones but the closest to what happened in an election is called Form EC8A. It records things at the polling units. This is the secret Governor Nyesom Wike thinks will soon speak and sway victory his way.

Now, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has called on Rivers people to remain calm as the success of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) in the March 9 Governorship Election would be a sweet victory in the end.

Wike said that the will of Rivers people would surely prevail at the end of the day despite the conspiracy against the people of the state.

He spoke on Friday when members of the National Assembly elected on the platform of the PDP presented their INEC Certificates of Return to him at a ceremony in the Government House, Port Harcourt.

“I know that PDP won the elections squarely. We believe in peace, therefore, Rivers people should remain calm. We believe in due process. I believe that INEC is doing their best to follow the due process.

“In the end, it will be a sweet victory. The will of Rivers people will prevail “, he said.

Governor Wike described the

Nyesom Wike (4th r), Rivers State Governor; Bari Mpigi (l), senator-elect; Solomon Bob (2nd l), member-elect, Abua/Odual/Ahoada East Federal Constituency; Ephraim Nwuzi (3rd l), member-elect, Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency; Dum Dekor (4th l), memberelect Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency; Owaji Abiante (5th l), member-elect Andoni/Opobo-Nkoro Federal Constituency; Ken Chikere ( 6th L), member-elect Port Harcourt 1 Federal Constituency; Chinyere Igwe (3rd r), member-elect Port Harcourt 2 Federal Constituency; Chisom Dike (2nd r), member-elect Tai, Eleme/Oyigbo Federal Constituency, and Felix Obuah (r) Rivers State PDP Chairman, during the presentation of Certificates of return by elected National Assembly members to Governor Wike at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Friday.

entire political standoff as a drama which will end. He said the people of Rivers people voted overwhelmingly for the PDP in all elections, while the anti-democratic forces attempted to snatch results at the Collation Centres.

“Let me thank the people of Rivers State for the love they have shown for our great party. It is not in doubt that Rivers people have shown our party love. What is happening is sad. It is a drama.

“We have 13 House of Representatives seats and the PDP

clinched all of them. We have three Senate seats, one has been declared and PDP won. When the remaining two seats are declared, PDP will win them. Eighty percent of the seats declared, PDP took all.

“You begin to wonder why any right-thinking person would say that PDP lost the governorship election. Not that they say PDP lost to a party with a known logo, or even if you have seen the candidate one day in your life or seen his posters to make people vote for the candidate. For us, it

is a drama. PDP won the election squarely,” he said.

He said that across the 4,442 polling units of Rivers State, the people voted for the PDP in all the elections. He said: “Across 4,442 Polling Units the results are there.

The PDP won in all these areas.

“Not when you hijack results at the Collation Centre. When you hijack Form EC 8C, you forget that there is Form EC 8A. Any other party can win in any other state, but not in Rivers States.

“I dedicate this victory to God

and the good people of Rivers State who stood firm and said that nobody can manipulate their mandate,” he said.

Governor Wike urged the elected National Assembly members to always place the interest of Rivers State above other considerations as they represent the state.

The Governor said all those who plotted the killings of Rivers people because of their desperation to clinch power will face the consequences of their actions.

Speaking on behalf of the elected National Assembly members, Senator-elect Barry Mpigi said there is no need for anyone to panic as Governor Wike will be declared winner in line with the votes cast on March 9.

He said Rivers people are with Governor Wike as shown by their votes in all the polling units.

He said that Rivers people have shown that they love PDP and that the PDP has shown that it is the party on ground in Rivers State.

“We have looked round the 23 Local Government Areas and we have seen that the people of Rivers State voted for you. Don’t panic, the vindication will come at the appropriate time”, Mpigi said.

Rivers State PDP Chairman, Felix Obuah said that elected members of the National Assembly were at the Government House, Port Harcourt as a mark of respect for Governor Wike and in recognition of his support all through the electioneering process.

Lagos PDP and the aftermath of Jimi Agbaje’s loss Iniobong Iwok

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mong the allegations chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) levelled against Jimi Agbaje, the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State during campaigns for the just concluded gubernatorial election was that he reneged on his promise not to contest the governorship election in the state after losing the 2015 gubernatorial election.

The APC chieftain apparently did not see Agbaje as a “serious” candidate who could pose a threat to its candidate in the state and mocked his decision to contest the 2019 gubernatorial election.

However, on the street of Lagos, a large percentage of the residents of the state yearned for change and viable opposition candidate who could challenge the APC candidate, and also put an end to the Bola Ahmed Tinubu dynasty in the state.

Agbaje, who is a trained pharmacist, had previously contested gubernatorial election in the state in 2007 and 2015, but lost the election to Babatunde Fashola and incumbent Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, respectively.

But just after an impressive performance in the 2015 general elections, in which the PDP gained much inroad into the political space in the state, winning seven seats in the state As-

sembly and five Federal House of Representatives positions which were unprecedented in the history of the party in the state.

The PDP just like its national body went into disarray and was hit by protracted leadership crisis; initially between Moshood Olagoke Salvador and Segun Adewale, which saw both party stalwarts claiming to be the authentic state chairman and later there was also crisis over sharing of state executive positions between Salvador and the estranged political god-father and leader of the party in the state, Olabode George; this eventually culminated in Salvador’s defection to the APC. However, the emergence of Agbaje as the PDP governorship candidate offered a ray of hope, in a governorship contest which was turning out to be like a work-over for the APC; because of what seemed like a lack of viable opposition candidate.

Agabje, a grassroots politician, had anchored his campaign on ‘freedom’, promising to free the state from the grip of godfather and prioritise education and social infrastructures.

Fondly called Jay-Kay by his followers, he campaigned across the state and was popular and had wide support among South-easterners and Southsoutherners resident in the state.

However, after the result of the election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer for the state and Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Eyitope

Ogunbodede, said the APC candidate, Sanwo-Olu, polled majority of the votes of 739,445 votes to defeat Agbaje who scored 206,141 votes.

Though Agbaje conceded defeat and called Sanwo-Olu to congratulate him for his victory shortly after the election result was announced

by INEC, some chieftains of the PDP in the state alleged that the party’s dismal performance in the election could be attributed to the activities of hoodlums loyal to the APC which intimidated its members in its strongholds and colluded with officials of INEC to manipulate the gubernatorial election result in several parts of the state to favour the APC. While it is generally agreed that unlike 2015, the party performed abysmally in the just concluded general elections in the state, there is the general belief among party members that after Agbaje’s three-time failed attempt at the governorship position in the state, that it is time for the party to move away from the Agbaje’s candidacy, and take necessary actions to put its house in order if the party wants to remain a viable opposition to the APC in the state in future elections.

Ayo Kusamotu, a legal practitioner, said that the PDP in Lagos State needs a new strategy and direction, noting that any candidate from other political parties that would want to defeat the APC candidate in Lagos would need vigorous campaign which must start now.

“Well, did PDP lose the governor-

ship election because of the candidate? I would not say it is about the candidate; we have seen people contest election more than three times and lost. But Jimi Agbaje I think is in his 60s now by Nigeria’s standard, he may still be a young man even to contest after Sanwo-Olu finishes his two terms.

“The PDP members just have to sit down and talk, and adopt another strategy; unfortunately, this time it seems they did not really campaign that much, I think they would have done more,” he said.

“I don’t think it is about the people who they present for election; we saw candidates from other parties.

Look at the popular musician that ran here in Lagos, he came second, whoever want to defeat APC in Lagos has to start the campaign now, but unfortunately, these guys never start until two months to elections,” Kusamotu said.

Some chieftains of the party in the state who spoke with BDSUNDAY have accused Agbaje of sell-out to the opposition; they said that several party agents were not paid which affected the party’s performance in the election, urging the party to move away from him.

“We have learned our lesson; generally I do not think we performed well, but I think the party have realised that the Agbaje candidacy is a fraud; he is not a member of the party.

We need to move away from him.

“You can imagine our agents here in Ikorodu, I paid them; Agbaje

refused to pay them and he wanted to win”, Kunle Koye, a chieftain of the party in Ikorodu said.

Chairman of the party in the state, Agboola Dominic, however, agreed that some candidates in the just concluded general elections failed the party, noting that such candidates would be relegated to the background in the rebuilding process.

“We would rebuild our structure and put the candidates who failed us in the elections to the back ground; we would sit down and assess the state of things. We may have done better but politics is a team work.

“But you know, we have been cheated in some states and in the presidential election, we have gone to court and we would fight these cases to their logical conclusion and reclaim our mandate” he said.

“But in Lagos State we would refocus to make sure that we have a solid structure ahead of the 2023 general election in the country”.

But The Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Taofeek Gani, disagreed that the party lost elections in Lagos State, noting that the party was rigged out by the APC and INEC. Gani stressed that INEC had taken the nation forty years back with the manner it conducted the just concluded general elections.

“We know we had issues before the election and some of our candidates failed us, but that does not mean we would have lost even in areas that traditionally are our strongholds.

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Politics The endless waiting game in Rivers guber election … Everybody now claims to have won … INEC’s 48 hours now unending days of anxiety … To announce polling units, collation centre results, or cancel some or repeat all?

Ignatius Chukwu

T

he March 9, 2019 governorship election in Rivers State has entered what many now call ‘voice-mail’, meaning that nobody knows who won. Other states have had their violence or rigging allegations but that of Rivers State has lived to its billing, disaster. Since 2015, no election has gone conclusive in the state.

Even the governorship election of 2015 was expected to be cancelled and repeated until the Supreme Court which admitted that it was full of bloodshed and incidents awarded it to a winner; an action that ended the bloody circus called elections.

The other ones that were cancelled took several reruns to get persons somehow accepted as winners, yet, one could not be concluded till the tenure ended.

It could be a miracle to expect the 2019 governorship election in such a politically troubled state to go well. For 2015, a political party said it lost 100 members to violence. This year, many have died too, and the numbers would be released in due time.

What is important at the moment is that the exercise has been suspended by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chaired by Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, while the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) in Rivers State, Obo Effanga, has been under bombardment and pressure. The REC of Rivers State could pass as handling the most delicate job on earth.

This is one election where every party says it won. The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) says it won the election, going by polling unit results. Their opponents counter that since the party said soldiers vandalised materials at polling units, from where did they get the victory?

The All Progressives Congress (APC) which is not even on the ballot says the party they are supporting, African Action Congress (AAC), represented by an engineer, Awara Biokpomabo, won the election. They hinge their claim on results from collation centres in the local governments.

Now, different results are flying about on social media. The PDP counters that results written by soldiers who allegedly invaded

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman

collation centres could not be legitimate.

The investigation team that the national INEC sent has come and gone but citizens remain in the dark. It is possible to visit all polling units but duplicate of results have been difficult to produce. Many say no man can piece together documents that can make sense.

So, many have asked: what sense is the panel making out of a senseless situation?

The state is pregnant. INEC can announce anything any time from now. Some think the delay may play into the APC which still has cases at the Supreme Court and the verdicts may bring them back on the ballot.

Industries As the delay continues, the economy of the state keeps shutting down. Many multinational corporations quietly shut down hours before the Friday eve of the election out of fear that the Abuja High Court case involving the governor over forged birth

Obo Effanga, Rivers REC

certificate could rule Governor Nyesom Wike out of the elections and that there could be uprising.

After the elections, the suspense seems to continue with the companies still asking workers to stay home. They wonder what would happen if the governor was said to have lost in an election he said he was winning overwhelmingly. They also have to worry over what would happen if the APC/AAC lost. Already, Kula community where the AAC candidate hails from has given a war signal, saying oil economy would shut down in the oceanic town if their son was stopped. The community is on record to have shut down operations of an oil company for over one year in the area, demanding it be handed over to an indigenous oil company.

PDP: why it should be Wike The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State has stated that there is no ambiguity from results so far released in the March 9, 2019 Governorship and State Assembly elections, as Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has been duly re-elected for a second term.

The party, at a press conference addressed by State Chairman, Felix Obuah at the PDP Secretariat in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Governor Wike winner of the election, adding that the results from all polling units and constituencies where elections were concluded have confirmed and reaffirmed that Rivers people voted no other party but the PDP. Obuah, at the meeting that was attended by all stakeholders of the party in the state including all the elected State Assembly members, House of Representatives-elect as well as Senators-elect said with 26 State Constituencies already declared in favour of the PDP, there is no iota of doubt that

Governor Wike has been re-elected by the good people of Rivers State.

He expressed confidence that from the results so far declared at the units across the state, the remaining PDP candidates, including Governor Wike, Senator George Thompson Sekibo and Hon. Betty Apiafi will also be elected on the strength of the peoples’ votes.

Giving a summary of the results so far released by INEC, the State PDP Chairman said that while PDP garnered a total of 26 seats in the State House of Assembly election, AAC/APC got none. Again, at the National Assembly election, while PDP won a total of 14 seats, AAC/APC recorded zero.

“As we await the official declaration by INEC that our Governorship Candidate, His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has been duly re-elected in line with the peoples’ votes and overwhelming wishes, I urge the people of Rivers State to remain vigilant and continue to support our party”, Obuah said, amid ovation from the audience.

He went on: “The victories of February 23rd and March 9, 2019 are victories for all Rivers people. By voting massively for PDP, Rivers people chose freedom, performance and merit over political gangsterism, impudence and impunity.

“You courageously stood your ground despite the arrests, harassment, violence and horrific onslaught on our democratic rights by the combined gang of renegade soldiers and F-SARS personnel. I want to assure the people of Rivers State that PDP will not take your support for granted”.

He urged the people of the state to remain vigilant and continue to support the PDP, as the official declaration by INEC that Wike has been duly re-elected in line with the peoples’ votes, is being awaited.

While applauding the people of the state for overwhelmingly voting for all PDP candidates, Obuah assured that the second

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Politics term of Governor Wike will generate more pro-people projects and programmes for the good and development of Rivers people.

APC: Give it to AAC From all indications, it clear that the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is resolute on causing breach of the peace in Rivers State. We need not remind the Chairman and all those working to cause breakdown of Law and Order in Rivers State that under the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), once an election result has been collated and announced at the Collation Centre, not even the National Chairman of INEC can cancel such results except an Election Tribunal.

This was reemphasized by the Supreme Court in the case of IKPEAZU v. OTTI (2016) LPELR-40055(SC) pp.31-32, para D-B; DOMA v. INEC (2012) All NWLR (Pt.628), 814 at 833.

The question is: if the National Chairman is not aware of this settled position of the law, does his Legal Department which also has the presence of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria not also aware? The answer and the truth is that the National Chairman of INEC is fully aware of this position of the law, as members of the Legal Department has formally advised him on this, but he is adamant. He wants to subvert the law at all cost, just to please his friend and former boss Nyesom Wike.

We are using this medium to call on Mr. President, the National Security Adviser and all relevant security agencies and stakeholders to prevail on the National Chairman of INEC to declare Biokpomabo Awara of the African Action Congress who has won the Saturday Gubernatorial Election in Rivers State, except the National Chairman of INEC is resolute on causing unrest in Rivers State.

Governor Nyesom Wike is not without a remedy, if he strongly feels the results are wrong. He can approach the Electoral Tribunal to set aside the results.

Nigeria and the Security Agencies should hold the National Chairman of INEC and the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State responsible should there be a breakdown of Law and Order in the state.

Incitements, condemnations Some commentators seem to be condemning the INEC chairman for not doing things in favour of the APC and now AAC. They alleged that it is because Yakubu worked as contractor on almajiri schools with Wike then minister of education. They also accused the REC, Effanga, of being a Buhari hater and Wike admirer. They have gone back to extract his social media quotes to try to prove he hates Buhari. The REC has marched on to deliver his mandate without accepting to respond.

A Port Harcourt-based commentator and media consultant, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, who actually is an APC chieftain, has called on the youth of the state not to sit and watch. His calls have been described as

Awara Biokpomabo, AAC candidate

inciting. He has said that the plot by INEC to truncate and deny the state and her people their choice of a new leader to govern them is a big challenge to both the youth of the state and the Riverine section of the state.

Eze said that what the leadership of the APC in Rivers State has done, by adopting the AAC candidate was to kick-start the Not-Too-Young-to-Rule Act, as signed by President Muhammadu Buhari recently.

Awara, who is currently 38 years, will be the second youngest governor ever to have governed Rivers State, should he be sworn in come May 29, 2019, after the founding military Administrator of the old Rivers State, Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff, who currently is the Amayanabo (King) of Twon-Brass in Bayelsa, who was merely 25 years old when he was appointed to oversee the leadership of the old Rivers State, then comprising the present Rivers and Bayelsa States.

In this regard, Eze urged the youth of the state to come together and assist one of their own to develop the state as 40 percent of those that will form Awara’s cabinet will be picked from the youth bracket. He added: “Let us support this new leader and forget Wike who has no plans for the future of Rivers State youths apart from arming and recruiting them as militants and disrupting the education of our youths through destruction of the education sector.”

Eze postulated that, “The politics of Rivers State is based on the Upland/Riverine dichotomy and the upland section of the state, through Peter Odili, Amaechi and Wike, had governed the state in the last 20 years to the detriment of the Riverine section of the state. Sadly Wike, through propaganda, wants to prolong the woes of this section by ensuring, with the help of the Judiciary and INEC, this section of the state comprising great Rivers’ sons and daughters. God will not allow these machinations to frustrate the dream of the Riverine section of the state to govern the state through Awara this time around to succeed”.

Eze stated that it is the drive by Amaechi for a candidate from this area to become the next governor of Rivers State that is the cause of all the alleged attacks and falsehoods against him by Wike and his devious cohorts.

Military, militants and militias Many have talked about the roles of the military who said they came to confront the militants, and the militants who dress in military uniforms and move against the militias and the citizens. The militias are mostly the cult boys and local thugs who control proceedings at the local areas. When the militants come, the militias run, and when the military comes, the militants run. Each group is loyal to certain top leaders. Whichever one loses force, the top leaders it reports to cries out. Each leader has either the military, the militants or the militias. Nobody is safe from any of the above.

Conclusion: INEC will speak soon INEC cannot keep quiet much longer. The Commission would either declare the results from the words/polling units that went fairly smoothly before invasions started or announce results from the troubled collation centres. Else, it may cancel some areas most affected and order a completion election or do outright cancellation and order a rerun of the elections. Whatever INEC does will not resolve the fact that elections cannot hold in Rivers State the way things stand at the moment. This must be attended to before any other election takes place in the state.

Whatever is the case, the world is watching and waiting, and the waiting will not be long.

Politicians still trade accusations over election results in A/Ibom ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

T

hough the 2019 general elections have been won and lost, the echoes are still reverberating across the country and politicians are trading accusations.

There are also claims and counter claims from the losers and winners alike and it seems obvious that the last may not have been heard about the just concluded polls.

This has without doubt has stirred mixed reactions across the length and breadth of the country.

In Akwa Ibom State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which secured victory by winning all the three senatorial seats and the 10 federal constituency seats in addition to winning the governorship, while it is sweet victory for the party, the opposition party seems to be crying foul.

According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the incumbent governor Udom Emmanuel polled 519,712 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nsima Ekere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who got 171,978 votes.

However, since the result of the election was announced by the returning officer, vice chancellor of the University of Benin, Faraday Osasere Onumwense, there have been counter accusations by the two main political parties in the state of who did what during the elections.

For instance, while the APC which lost the elections claims that it was robbed maintaining that “it won in 26 out of the 31 local government areas” vowing to claim its ‘stolen mandate,’ the PDP on the other has accused the APC of turning the state into a theatre of war, alleging that the party imported political thugs from Edo state in its desperate bid to rig the elections.

According Ini Emembong, publicity secretary of the party in the state, some politicians belonging to the APC in the state did everything possible to rig the elections, alleging that a top politician in one of the local government areas engaged in physically assaulting an electoral officer for failing to do his biddings.

“In Essien Udim, materials in Ekpeyong ward were hijacked by party agents at the voting units in Independence high school; thugs and policemen mounted the gates and prevented our supporters from gaining access to the venue.

According to him, thugs believed to be backed by a top politician and a serving member of the National Assembly unleashed “unmitigated physical attack on journalists and observers adding that a correspondent of a television station who was there to cover the elections was severely beaten up and chased away.

“As if that was not enough, the INEC office in the local government area was kept under siege by a member of the National Assembly’’ he stated.

The party which also gave a graphic description of the alleged electoral malpractice perpetrated by politicians added that in Ikot Abasi local government area where Nsima Ekere, the governorship candidate of the APC comes from, thugs were said to be on rampage carting away electoral materials and personnel and taking them to the residence of a top politician, where thumb printing was done.

“Pictorial evidence abounds to show armed soldiers arranging the voting queue to ensure that our supporters did not vote.

In units 2, 6 and other units in ward 7 thugs

Nsima Ekere

led hijacked ballot boxes and electoral personnel, delivering them at the residence of a politician in the area.

“In Ikono Local Government Area, politicians belonging to the opposition party in the state went in company of armed policemen and thugs to shoot and hijack ballot boxes and result sheets. A politician in the area who had been a member of the National Assembly took some thugs to his hometown to harass voters, but met a stiff resistance from the villagers.

“In Uruan Local Government Area, mayhem was unleashed on anybody opposing their possession of electoral materials adding that one Raymond Umoiyak is currently hospitalised because of wounds sustained from shooting done by thugs.

“In Etim Ekpo local government area, evidence abounds that politicians in the area were in a competition for the best material hijacker and rigger.’’

Alleging that the opposition party in the state was not prepared for the elections but instead “was preparing for the use of the federal might,’’ he claimed that a governorship candidate in the state promised to pay all ward collation officers one million naira each, while local government collation and returning officers were to collect three million naira each adding that the elections were completely monetised.

“The result of this election is a reply by Akwa Ibom people to the senseless boastings of Godswill Akpabio, the former Senate minority leader and Ekere who claimed that God had no business in politics.

“We reiterate the call for the arrest of all the politicians involved in the numerous electoral malpractices committed by them in the course of these elections. The rule of law makes all men equal before the law,’’ he said.

In the same vein, Ini Okopido, chairman of the APC in the state who addressed a press conference after the election results were announced said the party would have nothing with the outcome of the elections.

He alleged that there was an unholy alliance between INEC and the PDP in the state adding that the party had earlier expressed lack of confidence in the electoral umpire.

“The commission, in collusion with the PDP, committed an electoral coup against the people by publishing results that that have no bearing with the results as counted,’’ he said.

According to him “our party rejects the results as announced but praised its supporters for their resilience during the polls expressing the hope that things would be better.

Some observers believe that the claims and counter claims by politicians and political parties are a sad commentary on election outcomes. They said it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good when politicians do not willingly accept the verdict of the people expressed through the ballot box.

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Politics

INEC: Yakubu’s unenviable record of 46 inconclusive and 22 suspended elections in 4yrs

T

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

he Mahmood Yakubuled Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the last three-and-half years in the saddle suspended and declared 68 elections inconclusive, BDSUNDAY investigations show.

This development has not just raised concerns among political watchers but citizens who see this as unprecedented in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Appointed in October 2015, Yakubu has so far superintended about 195 elections with an enormous 68 of those not tidied up.

Forty-six (46) of those polls were declared inconclusive while 22 were suspended according figures which BDSUNDAY has analysed.

The contentious elections range from governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives, State Assembly to Area Council seats.

Commenting on the matter, a serving Senator, Rose Oko, regretted that the current INEC leadership has conducted the highest number of inconclusive elections in the nation’s history.

The lawmaker, who was recently re-elected, however, attributed the problem to a number of factors.

“We had a mix of too many things. It was a mix of vote-buying, vandalism and hooliganism, ballot box snatching, militarisation of the elections. You had a mix of everything that you thought would be wrong in an election and all of them came to play. We need to be able to sanitise our electoral process if we are going to make progress in this country,” the PDP lawmaker said.

For her, the conduct of the 2019 General Elections fell below acceptable democratic standards.

Yakubu was appointed the INEC chair by President Buhari in 2015 after being elected earlier in the year through an electoral process many described as reasonably credible.

He had promised to even surpass Attahiru Jega, his predecessor, especially coming from an academic background as a professor and having assembled his university colleagues for the polls which were mainly marred by outright rigging, vote buying, violence, militarisation, killings and widely criticised as least fair and credible.

Breakdown of the figures show that while the Yakubu-led electoral body declared two inconclusive elections in 2015, 21 polls were suspended in 2016. Also, the Commission declared two polls inconclusive in 2018. Those of 2019 witnessed a record-breaking 42 inconclusive polls and one suspension.

Details of the 2019 exercise also showed that the Commission declared governorship elections in six states of Benue, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Plateau, Kano; nine

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman

Samuel Ortom, Benue

Aminu Tambuwal, Sokoto

Mohammed Bindow, Adamawa

Simon Lalong, Plateau

Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano

Muhammed Abubakar, Bauchi

Nyesom Wike, Rivers

Senatorial districts, 25 House of Representatives and two Area Councils (Kuje and Bwari) seats inconclusive. In like manner, the Commission suspended the March 9 governorship election in Rivers State for widespread violence.

Some of the previous elections which could not be completed on the first ballot include: Kogi and Bayelsa gubernatorial polls in 2015, Osun governorship election as well as the Port Harcourt III state assembly by-election in 2018.

The 21 constituencies where by-elections were suspended in 2016 in Rivers State include: Rivers East Senatorial District, Rivers West Senatorial District and Rivers South East Senatorial District.

Others are Akuku-Toru/Asari Toru Federal Constituency, Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency, Okrika/Ogu-Bolo Federal Constituency, Etche/Omuma Federal Constituency, Ikwere/Emohua Federal Constituency, Khana Gokana Federal Constituency, Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo Federal

Constituency and Opobo/Nkoro/ Andoni Federal Constituency.

Others state assembly seats affected in the oil-rich state include Eleme State Constituency, Gokana State Constituency, Asari-Toru I State Constituency, Asari-Toru II State Constituency, Andoni State Constituency, Khana II State Constituency, Etche II State Constituency, Ikwere State Constituency, Bonny State Constituency and Degema State Constituency.

Following this, Nigerians on social media continue to make a mockery of the Commission and have even recently changed the name to ‘Inconclusive National Electoral Commission (INEC)’.

Investigations also show that this is not the only time that INEC would declare elections inconclusive. Former INEC chairmen, Maurice Iwu and Jega had declared governorship elections in Ekiti and Imo States in 2007 and 2015 respectively, inconclusive.

Jude Ohanele, Executive Director, Development Dynamics,

blamed the situation on do-or-die posture of the politicians.

Ohanele, who called for severe punishment to be meted out to politicians, who disrupt elections, argued that this will serve as a deterrent to others.

His words: “When election is inconclusive, it means that there are some places that elections didn’t hold. And from what you are seeing so far, elections didn’t hold in those places not because INEC didn’t deploy men and materials but because other stakeholders made it impossible for elections to hold in those locations. If it where the fault of INEC, we will definitely blame INEC. But where it is the fault of violent actors in the system who made it impossible for citizens to vote, it is important that we put the blame on those involved.

“We have seen a pattern where politicians are disrupting elections in areas where they think they are not popular, thinking that they can then win in areas they are popular and returned elected. Because if a politician disrupts election, we should be able to understand that that can lead to inconclusive election.

“For me, an extension of it is to call out those who are causing this inconclusive elections. Because if a politician hire thugs to disrupt election and it becomes inconclusive, there should be a way we should punish that person by making him pay for the conduct of the supplementary election. Because a situation where a politician disrupts election and the entire country will now pay for a supplementary election, it is something we need to examine going forward”.

Ralph Agama, a constitutional lawyer, however, absolved the Commission of any wrongdoing.

He pointed out that the Electoral Act and INEC Regulations and Guidelines empower the Commission to suspend or declare an election inconclusive if it is characterised by violence and other irregularities.

The legal practitioner, however, laid the blame on the doorstep of ‘desperate politicians’.

Agama also justified the Commission’s suspension of the March 9 Rivers State governorship election, stressing that the exercise was marred by widespread violence and other irregularities.

“We are a democratic society that is just evolving. The question is: if election is marred with irregularities of one sort or the other - take instance ballot box snatching, insecurity - do we blame INEC or the desperate politicians who want to make sure that they win by all means? And I believe that most politicians are still practising the Machiavellian theory: the end justifies the means.

“So, we cannot holistically blame the INEC for the inconclusiveness of some of those elections or where elections are suspended for reasons contemplated by law because framers of the law envisaged that instances like that could happen. And if there is no provision on how they would be handled, that is where vacuum would be created”.

In a statement, the Commission explained that it would conduct supplementary elections in the six states where governorship elections were declared inconclusive on March 23, even as supplementary polls for the contentious National Assembly seats were conducted alongside the rescheduled March 9 governorship elections.

Although the Commission said it would publish the list of State Assembly seats where elections were inconclusive on Wednesday, March 13, as of the time of filing this report, the Commission was yet to do so.

“The elections were declared inconclusive for a combination of reasons mainly the discontinuation of use of the Smart Card Readers midway into the elections or the failure to deploy them, over-voting and widespread disruption in many Polling Units,” Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said in a press statement.

Declaration of the polls inconclusive, he explained, was in line with the Commission’s Margin of Lead Principle, derived from Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and Paragraph 41 (e) and 43 (b) of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections.

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Politics Akwa Ibom after ‘the war’

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ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

t is now in the public domain that the battle for the control of Akwa Ibom State has been lost and won. The results of the National Assembly and governorship elections have confirmed who the winners and losers are. So, the intrigues, defections and bitterness that were the hallmarks of the campaigns have now been put to rest at least for the time being. But why was there so much interest in the control of Akwa Ibom State?

Akwa Ibom: Rich state, poor people With a population of a little over 5 million people, Akwa Ibom State is compact and has in recent times attracted the attention of many interest groups and investors within and outside the country. It is one of the major oil producing states a cash cow of the Federal Government. Thanks to the derivation principle which allows oil producing states to enjoy 13 percent additional revenue based on the volume of oil production. Though there has been controversy about the actual payment of the 13 percent derivation fund. While the state government has repeatedly maintained that it has not been paid in full, the Federal Government has yet to deny or make any statement on whether it has fully complied with 13 derivation principle. In spite of being a rich state in terms of what it collects from the centre as a result of its crude oil deposits, the state has not a single petrochemical project. No refinery, no oil depot. A rich state with poor people.

With such a rich endowment and the potential to become hub for oil and gas development in the Gulf of Guinea from petrodollars, it was no surprise that Akwa Ibom was the state marked for “capturing” by the federal forces as it were during the elections.

Akwa Ibom is PDP Since 1999, when the country returned to democracy, Akwa Ibom has always voted overwhelmingly for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and for many people, it is often said that PDP is like a religion for the people, it is their way of life and they have not known any other party since then.

But all that changed when Godswill Akpabio, a former two-term governor and former Senate Minority Leader defected from PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in August last year. Though speculations had been rife about his defection, it was not until his picture with President Muhammadu Buhari in London surfaced that it dawned on all that the deed had been done.

Godswill Akpabio

Before then, Nsima Ekere, the erstwhile managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State who served when Akpabio was at the helms of affairs, had also thrown his hat into the ring.

After the primaries of the APC, he became the flag bearer of his party and the stage was set for an epic battle between Ekere and incumbent Governor, Udom Emmanuel on who will be the next governor from May 29.

The campaigns When the electioneering campaigns started, both parties drew large crowd in many of the rallies held across the state. Though many had expressly said that crowds do not win elections, noting that some of them may have been rented crowd, it nevertheless did not overshadow the fanfare, the songs and dances that greeted the rallies. Both parties would mount the soap box to present their manifesto, made promises and would go after each other in saying why the voters should cast their ballots for them.

In the course of the campaigns, President Buhari visited Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital and this was met with controversy over the venue of the event. Though this was finally resolved and the presidential campaign held at the Akwa Ibom International Stadium, APC had threatened to use the “federal might” in making use of the stadium.

Similarly, in the course of the campaigns, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had visited Akwa Ibom State twice. First, it was when

Emmanuel Udom

the party held its rally in Nsit Atai Local Government Area. The Vice President used the opportunity of the visit to launch the TraderMoni scheme and distributed money to traders in selected markets in the state. This was seen as a way of buying votes, coming few weeks to the general elections. After the first round of the elections, the Vice President also came back to Akwa Ibom Stae; that was after the Presidential and National Assembly elections. Initially, APC had informed its supporters that Buhari was coming to the state to put paid to fears that APC would not be able to win in Akwa Ibom State following the dismal performance of the party in the National Assembly polls.

Signs that things were not looking good for the APC started to emerge when the party announced that Buhari would be represented by the Vice President and even

The electoral officer at about 10.00pm on the election day together with the collation officers in the collation room was seriously beaten up

then, Osinbajo did not show up in Uyo until after 7 p.m.

It was during the visit that the Vice President reportedly promised to make sure that APC wins the governorship election in the state, saying that it was not possible for Akpabio to have lost his seat as a senator representing Akwa Ibom North West.

“It is not possible that Senator Godswill Akpabio lost. We are in no doubt that Senator Akpabio is the elected senator of Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district.

“What happened on February 23 was robbery. The votes of the people were stolen but we are not deterred. We are going to make sure that everything that was stolen on February 23 would be restored,’’ he said.

This statement according to observers seemed to have fired up supporters of the PDP to vote massively vote for their candidates in governorship and the state assembly elections in which Udom Emmanuel polled 519,712 votes as against Nsima Ekere of the APC, his closest rival, who scored 171,978 votes. The PDP also won all the state assembly seats.

After the results of the elections were announced, there were claims and counter claims as to what transpired and who won rightly or did not win. Not surprisingly, the focus appears to be on the governorship polls and that of Akwa Ibom North Senatorial District.

Akpabio and Ekere have maintained that they were not only robbed, but that the electoral umpire was biased against them.

This, however, has been denied by the electoral agency.

The war of words In all this, the media war has intensified between the two camps despite the conclusion of the electoral process in the state.

Interestingly, some of the groups so vocal in repudiating the former Senate minority leader are from his local government and these include his kinsmen.

Addressing a press conference in Uyo, the state capital, Akpabio’s kinsmen consisting of stakeholders, leadership of PDP in the local government area accused him of being behind the many electoral offences and the alleged abduction of election materials.

According to Imo-owo Okpokpo who spoke at the conference, “The electoral officer at about 10.00pm on the election day together with the collation officers in the collation room was seriously beaten up.”

But Governor Emmanuel who has offered an olive branch to his opponents has urged them to be man enough to accept the reality that they have been soundly defeated.

“Believe me, Akwa Ibom people have spoken and that is the end, the losers should go and bear their shame.

“Akwa Ibom people have left them; I am happy about it,’’ the governor said.

For now, the battle for the control of the state seems to be over, what is however, yet to be resolved is the willingness of the opposition groups to be bold enough to accept the fact that the elections are over and that they should move on and should put the elections behind them.

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Politics Big losers in 2019 polls and their shortcomings Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he 2019 general election have posed yet another episode in the history of elections in Nigeria with myriad of upsets.

However, it is intriguing that some of the big political heavyweights that were humbled in the elections would have a rethink as to the variables that led to their defeat. Some analysts posit that there are multiple reasons the voters exercise their choices the way they did in this democratic dispensation. Others differ on the grounds that some of the losers were not necessarily rejected by the masses but are victims of multiple conspiracies.

Leading the pack of heavy losers in the polls was President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki. The maverick politician had served as a two-term governor of Kwara State and later secured a seat in the Senate. He became President of the Senate in June 2015 after outsmarting bigwigs in his party who had plotted to stop him.

He later defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to avoid what many called the ‘hammer’ of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the primaries. But his defeat in the February 23, National Assembly elections, by a relatively known Ibrahim Oloriegbe of the APC for the Kwara Central Senatorial zone, left pundits wondering how the mighty had fallen.

His quest to install one of his acolytes, Rasak Atunwa, as governor in Kwara also failed as Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq of the APC clinched the governorship title. Most of his allies in the PDP, who contested the elections in both the federal and state assembly elections, were beaten as the APC swept the entire seats.

Saraki was instrumental to the birth and formation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), an amalgam of about five political parties. His contributions were immense, which helped catapult the APC to Presidential power in 2015, having dislodged the then ruling PDP. He however, had to battle multiple forces after he emerged President of the Senate. He was fought all the way both at the courts and by the Executive and the APC leadership but he triumphed.

But he has failed to triumph over the will of the Kwara people, who were allegedly manipulated to unseat him in the ‘O to ge’(Enough is enough) movement.

Joesph Eva, a Niger Delta activist, blamed Saraki for his own misfortune. Eva appeared on a recent programme of one of the TV stations, saying that Saraki was “distracted by the presidential campaign of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar” and forgot to do his own battle at the grassroots in Kwara.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who was elated by Saraki’s defeat described February 23 as “freedom day” for Kwara State, following the ‘collapse’ of the once thriving Saraki ‘political dynasty’.

In Oyo State, the Governor and candidate of the APC for Oyo South Senatorial District, Abiola Ajimobi, also failed to secure the Senate seat during the Presidential and National Assembly elections. The political tsunami that hit Ajimobi allegedly dazed him, that he described the outcome as “unfortunate.” His political fortunes fur-

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Goodwill Akpabio

Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo

Abiola Ajimobi

George Akume

ther deteriorated when the people of Oyo rejected his anointed candidate, Adebayo Adelabu to succeed him as governor. The Oyo people instead chose Seyi Makinde of the PDP. The fall of Ajimobi was attributed to what some pundits described as alleged ‘poor performance”.

In Gombe State, the quest of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of the PDP to secure Senate seat of Gombe North also failed as he was defeated by Alhaji Sa’idu Alkali of the APC in the February 23 National Assembly elections. Dankwambo struggled yet again to ensure that his party, the PDP clinched the governorship seat but failed as the PDP candidate, Usman Nafada, lost the seat to the APC candidate, Inuwa Yahaya.

It is difficult to point at the main reason Dankwambo failed in Gombe even when he was said to have done well in the state as a two-term governor. However, a close ally of the governor suggested that the Buhari and the APC effect had penetrated Gombe such that there was no resistance against the broom party.

Perhaps, the most intriguing defeat of the entire elections was that of former Minority Leader of the Senate, Goodwill Akpabio of the APC, who after his boastful outbursts with a ting of threat to his people, lost Ikwa Ibom North-West senatorial seat to former Deputy Governor of the state, Chris Ekpenyong of the PDP. It was a double jeopardy for the one-time PDP senator as his quest to reclaim his

‘mandate’ in court, was quashed as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting at the Apo, Abuja Judicial Division struck out a post-election matter instituted by Senator Akpabio, following his defeat by Ekpenyong.

Akpabio’s defeat was made total as the APC candidate in the governorship election in Akwa Ibom State, Isima Ekere was beaten by the incumbent Governor Emmanuel Udom, of the PDP. Isima in the process lost his lucrative job at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Akpabio, former Senate Minority leader, defected last August from the ruling

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate to the All Progressives Congress (APC) under which he sought reelection ticket.

From Benue State comes another upset. A ranking Senator representing, Benue North West Senatorial District, George Akume, was shown the way out by the people. Akume, who was a former Governor of Benue state, contested under the APC but he was defeated by Orke Jev of the PDP. BDSUNDAY gathered that Akume lost the Senate seat because the people had wanted to respect a zonal arrangement that favoured his opponent.

A source however, told BDSUNDAY that the APC had become a dreaded party in the state, which is associated with President Muhammadu Buhari, who the people feared had allegedly allowed the Fulani herdsmen to kill and ravage Benue communities.

“The people became disillusioned by the APC lack of will to protect them against the rampaging herdsmen. So the people were led by Governor Samuel Ortom, and they sought refuge in the PDP. So any politician in Benue associated with the APC runs the risk of being abandoned by the people. That was why Akume failed,” the source said.

Second Republic lawmaker, Junaid Mohammed, told BDSUNDAY on Friday that Akume was a victim of conspiracy. He said: “ Akume is a fine and civil senator and very well educated too”, adding that the voters were ‘ induced’ to vote against him.

...APC had become a dreaded party in the state, which is associated with President Muhammadu Buhari, who the people feared had allegedly allowed the Fulani herdsmen to kill and ravage Benue communities

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BDSUNDAY 21

Ayo Akinwande;

the artist isn’t present

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Arts Ayo Akinwande; ‘the artist isn’t present’

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OBINNA EMELIKE f you are looking for a visual artist on a different realm, Ayò Akínwándé truly fits into such sphere.

Born and raised in Lagos, Akínwándé is a contemporary Nigerian artist whose practice is multi-disciplinary; experimenting with lens based media, installation, sculpture, performance and sound to explore concepts of identity, duality and the multi-faceted layers of the human reality.

On a closer look, his artistic process involves constant monologues and dialogues on sociopolitical realities in his environment while the subsequent presentations incorporate architectural processes in a spatial detailing and sectioning of these ideas and thoughts to evoke both intimacy and the monumentality.

Akínwándé co-curated the 2017 Lagos Biennial and was also a participating artist at the exhibition held at the Nigerian Railway Museum. He was selected for the 2nd Changjiang International Photography and Video Biennial and was part of the “Chinafrika-under construction” exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Leipzig.

He is a contributor to the book “ASIKO: On the Future of Artistic and Curatorial Pedagogies in Africa” by the Centre for Contemporary Arts Lagos. His works and writings have been featured in Art Africa, Dienacht Magazine, PoetsArtists, Contemporary&, The Sole Adventurer, SomethingWeA-

Ayò Akínwándé

fricansGot and other journals and publications around the world.

Akínwándé is a 2018 ArtX Prize finalist and a Top10 finalist at the 2018 ABSA L’Atelier Art competition with his work forming part of the exhibition at the ABSA Gallery.

In 2019, Akínwándé will undertake three prestigious residencies: Place Publique (Darling Foundation) in Montreal, Canada; Hangar in Lisbon, Portugal; Factoria Habana for the 2019 Havana Biennial in Cuba.

He has participated in over 10 selected projects, 12 group exhibitions, three solo exhibitions and two artist residences including; 2016 International Institute for Creative Development (IICD Centre), Abuja, Nigeria, and 2016

CCALagos ASIKO International Arts School, Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.

Last year, the artist staged ‘Power Show’, an exhibition that featured an installation, photography and performance art. It was curated

by Erin Rice and opens from February 3 till 21st at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi Crescent, Lagos.

This year, Akinwande is out with another enthralling exhibition in far away UK. From March 23 to May 5, 2019, the Many Studios in the United Kingdom will present Ayò Akínwándé’s first solo exhibition titled, ‘The Artist isn’t Present’. The artist will borrow elements of building construction to explore his own process of making new work. For

the purpose of the exhibition, Akínwándé has interrupted the notion of completion, situating the viewer in his working environment. The exhibition is under construction.

The work stems from Akínwándé’s background in architecture, incorporating design processes in the spatial sectioning of these ideas to evoke both intimacy and the monumental. Using materials found on construction site such as corrugated zinc sheets, wood, and stone, the artist mimics the restriction areas on construction sites to signify the invisibility of the artists’ process to their audience.

As part of the exhibition, the artist will present new video work

based on his ongoing research into markets. The video explores ways of marking time across cultures, using the market system of the Igbos – in present day South-East Nigeria – as a starting point. The Gallow Gate is located in an original Barras Market building, and the geography and relationship to the largest outdoor market in Glasgow became a point of interest to the artist. As part of the research, Akínwándé travelled to various markets in the city of Enugu and Abakaliki, places where he had spend significant time a decade earlier as a graduate.

In the body of work, the artist moves away from his extensive study into the power structures and vexed relationship between leadership and citizenship in Nigeria, while still closely considering the experiences of people in the built environment. Akínwándé’s work encompasses installation, sculpture, sound, video, photography and digital archives, to debate the Nigerian socio-political reality and the propagation of citizenship.

The Artist isn’t Present applies the same satirical approach to exhibition making whilst disrupting the conventional relationship between artists and audiences. Curated by Natalia Palombo, the exhibition holds at The Gallow Gate at Many Studios, 3 Ross Street, Glasgow, G1 5AR, United Kingdom and is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and Diversity Art Forum.

The artist lives and works in Lagos. His work is in the collection of the National Museum, Lagos and other private collections.

CNN meets Tokini Peterside on Africa Avant-Garde

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n a new series on CNN International, Africa Avant-Garde explores contemporary African art and culture while meeting a range of influential living artists to celebrate the best of modern African art.

This month, the programme meets Nigerian business woman Tokini Peterside, founder and director of ART X Lagos, the first international art fair in West Africa.

Peterside explains the historical importance of African art and how its production has often been linked to the culture, heritage and identity of Africans. On her hopes for African art, Peterside hopes that the rise of African art is not just a “niche” but rather the start of opportunities for contemporary art in Africa.

On the history of African art, she says that: “Art is intrinsically connected with African culture, heritage and identity. That history led to phenomenal production into the 14th, 15th century that was later uncovered by Europeans.

And contemporary artists today are drawing on that legacy, they are drawing on that very profound and very real connection with artistic

Tokini Peterside on CNN show

production.”

On her hopes for the future of African art, she says: “I would say that these are interesting times

for art from Africa, but they are also very critical. It’s a very critical time, I would say, because curators [and] artists of African origin have

been writing about art from Africa, they’ve been organising exhibitions for decades, in Europe as well as on the continent. But in recent years there has been a lot more interest, both, locally, on the continent, and also internationally……My hope is that decades from now, we won’t still be talking about the rise of African art as this “niche” concern, but we will definitely look back on this era as one that contributed to the increase in appreciation, and the increase in the opportunities in contemporary art from Africa.”

On African artists, she says: “For those of us Africans working in the art world, we are very passionate about the art that comes from where we’re from. We’re very passionate about the fact that the African narrative can be reshaped through contemporary art. And I think it’s that desire to connect contemporary art with a local audience, but also an international audience, that drives us.”

Courtesy of CNN/Africa AvantGarde

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Arts Alexis Galleries presents TRUTH, a joint exhibition of paintings Obinna Emelike

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lexis Galleries is pleased to present ‘Truth’, a joint exhibition of paintings by two rising and selling Nigerian artists, YemiUthman and Joseph Bidemi, who will exhibit their new works on Saturday, March16, 2019, at Alexis Galleries, 282 Akin Olugbade Street, Off Idowu Martins, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Yemi Uthman’s monochrome paintings are breathtaking and no doubt about it. Recently he has started adding colours to his paintings and what you get are fascinating master pieces.

Women and children are his key influences.

With Truth he reintroduces himself and provides a rich indigenous platform for his life and work, transiting from figurativismto landscape art.

Yemi Uthman is an impressionist and realist painter. The artworks that are featured in the exhibition are from Uthman’s new body of work consisting of series such as the Essential Scarcity, Reflection and Entertainers.

Uthman is a full time studio artist, practicing at Dutchman Art Studio located in Ikeja, Lagos. He has participated in various art ex-

hibitions both at home and outside the country.

Facial expressions, emotions, and body language are familiar features of Joseph Bidemi’s works. Featuringhis new series: Insecure, Unveiled (xiv) and The Royal Guard.

Bidemi art is known for its dynamism in colour with a special emphasis on the portrayal of women in outlying their faces. Women play a central role in his compositions, which allows him to connect with everyone and everything.

The artist is greatly mused by the anthropology of emotion, he enjoys the distinct movement of the palette knife, which he uses to achieve tactile realism juxtaposed with subtle lines and bold strokes of vibrant colours.

He was born and bred in Jos, Plateau State where his mother is from. He comes from the Yoruba tribe of Oyo State, Nigeria and now resides in Lagos where he is currently practising as a full time studio artist. He graduated in 2012 from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, where he obtained his Bachelors degree in Fine Arts, specializing in drawing and painting.

Bidemi is privately collected in Nigeria and internationally. Also a noteworthy

mention is a couple of his works are in the collection owned by King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

For this exhibition Alexis Galleries is partnering with Down Syndrome Foundation Nigeria (DSFN), a nongovernmental, non-political, not-for-profit association of children with Down Syndrome, as well as, their parents, guardians, care –givers and other interested stake-

holders. Most of these children are neglected, relegated, or abandoned by their parents and society on the basis of culture and myths that tend to stigmatize them and their family. They are equally abused physically and sexually with impunity. In extreme cases even their rights to life itself is denied them.

It is under this harrowing and ugly backdrop that Down Syndrome Foundation

Nigeria (formerly an Association) evolved on December 4, 2001, with the avowed commitment to bridge the gap between children/adults with Down Syndrome (DS) with the rest of the society, through a support system that seeks ultimately to integrate them into the mainstream of the society, which they belong. This commitment is rooted in the firm belief that if given the necessary encouragement and enabling environment to grow like others, people with DS can, and do actualize their potentials and live fulfilled lives.

Part of the proceeds will be donated to the DS Foundation.

Speaking at a media parley to announce the exhibition at Alexis Galleries in Victoria Island recently, Patty Chidiac-Mastrogiannis, founder/ director, Alexis Galleries, expressed her confidence on the quality of works that would be on display at the exhibition, noting further that the two artists have been groomed at the gallery over the years.

On the decision to donate part of the proceeds to the DS Foundation, Chidiac-Mastrogiannis, who narrated her early contact with Down Syndrome through a friend and while in school in England, noted that children

with Down Syndrome are human beings and should be accepted as such by the society, while the parents and family members should be proud of them. The donation, according to her, was to support efforts at giving Down Syndrome children the best of care, education, love and acceptance in the society.

Also speaking at the media parley, Chukwuma Emechata from the Down Syndrome Foundation, said the children are special, happier and more confident than normal people, hence the foundation needs support for its advocacy that the society should accept rather than to be cruel to children and adults with Down Syndrome.

He also displayed some of the works done by the children and noting that a lot of them are gifted in creative works.

Speaking on behalf of the participating artists, Joseph Bidemi, who celebrates women in his painting, promised to enthral viewers with 15 breathtaking works.

The exhibition is supported by Tiger, Pepsi, Mikano, Amarula, Delta Airline, Nederburg, Cobranet Internet Service Provider, Cool FM, Wazobia TV, Art Café and The Homestores Limited. Exhibition runs till Friday,March 22, 2019.

Slum kids celebrate #MyFreedomDay, unveil portraits of 196 world leaders

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hildren in IjoraBadia, an underserved high-density settlement in Lagos, joined their counterparts from around the world to campaign against the scourge of modern slavery. They sent a strong message on the need to curtail modern slavery by unveiling water colour portraits of 196 World Leaders which creates the logo of Cable News Network (CNN) when grouped together in exhibition.

The global campaign against modern slavery spread across six continents and 100 countries themed #MyFreedomDay is part of the CNN Freedom Project aimed harnessing the determination of young people around the world to put an end to slavery once and for all.

Powered by Sterling Bank Plc, the Lagos campaign in the heart of Ijora-Badia was put together to draw the attention of everyday people, government agencies, nonstate actors and well-meaning organisation to need to protect the rights of every child. This is the only way to put an end to the new trend of

slavery devouring the dignity of children.

Speaking at the unveiling event, Adetunwase Adenle, director, Slum Art Foundation and four-time Guinness World Record holder, expressed delight in the ability of hitherto unexposed children to create a unique work of art, which showcases their creativity and zeal to be productive members of their community.

He stated that “the project is one driven by a global scourge which has become prevalent in present day societies where children are being saddled with the responsibility of supporting their homes from a young age rather than living their lives and experiencing the joys of childhood with their peers”.

Adetunwase used the medium to appeal to parents and foster parents in underserviced communities and shanties to brace up and act more responsibly in protecting the rights of their children and liberate them from the heavy hands of compulsion, verbal threats, coercion and other actions or inactions that could rob their children

of their childhood unlike their counterparts around the world.

Concluding, Adenle appreciated the support received from Sterling Bank, Flour Mills and Project Volunteers, which made the project a reality thereby ensuring the children of Ijora-Badia had an exciting experience. He pledged to promote the rights of young

people in slums by equipping them with creative skills and education in order to make them more productive, giving them a platform to be better and have promising future.

Speaking at the event, Adeola Adejokun, head, public relations, Sterling Bank, said the bank is proud to be associated with the bid to enrich the lives of children in

underserviced communities such as Ijora-Badia through purposeful creativity and exposure to art.

“We are excited by what the children have been able to achieve in just two weeks, and these include drawing, painting, self-expression and creative problem-solving skills. The lives of many among the 196 participants

A young artist dislaying portrait of President Mohamadu Buhari, one of the of 196 World Leaders , at the #MyFreedomDay contest at Ijora-Badia, Lagos

will not remain the same.

More invaluable was the opportunity to take the campaign against child labour, forced marriage and domestic servitude, which are all forms of modern slavery, to a community where a large number of vulnerable of children live. We are certain that awareness against modern day slavery has been heightened in Ijora-Badia”, Adejokun disclosed.

Speaking on the event, Samuel Iboroma, corporate communications manager, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, said, “We are truly excited to be part of the CNN My Freedom Day Project. While this is a very small step towards raising awareness for the realities surrounding human trafficking, child labour and how it affects children, we believe that it is a step in the right direction. Children like the ones that are taking part in the painting and art exercises today deserve the opportunity to grow to their full potentials.

For more information and to support slum Art Foundation, please visit: www. slumart.org

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Life&Living

Protecting your children from sexual abuse

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IFEOMA OKEKE

very time we flip through the pages of the newspapers, you can hardly finish flipping through all pages without seeing sad headline like ‘12 year old child raped by father,’ ‘5 year old sexually molested by cousin,’ ‘How man rapes infant to death’… and the list goes on and on.

It is instrumental to know that these sad tales could have been avoided if right steps were taken early enough to protect the child from sexual predators and pedophiles.

The menace of child sexual abuse in our society has become so alarming that we can only imagine what is happening under the roof and we can’t just get it accurately. Statistics about child sexual abuse keeps increasing every day for the worse.

While parents remain worried over this trend and seek means to protect their children, it is important not to be over protective of the children at the expense family unity and love which are also essential.

However, solace is here for parents with the launch of a life-chang-

ing book titled ‘Protecting Your Children from Sexual Abuse.’

Written by Bisi Adewale, the book was borne out of an urgent need to mitigate the problem of sexual abuse on children in Nigeria.

The book has been written to help in dealing with the menace of pedophilia in our society.

A study revealed that one in every 10 children would be sexu-

ally abused before age 18. The book seeks to open the eyes of parents to the need to protect the lives of their children from pedophiles in our society.

The book opens with 51 heart breaking and real-life stories of past sexual abuse victims. Many of these victims, now adults, shared stories of what happened to them when they were younger. Some were as young

as four years old.

The book reveals what sexual abuse is and how a child can be abused. It also gives the differences between sex education and sexualisation, shares recent statistics on child sexual abuses and shows reasons why parents should be careful about people they trust with their children’s upkeep.

A study revealed that about 80 percent of sexually abused children have been abused by people known closely to them (Uncles, Cousins, Aunties, Teachers, spiritual leaders, Neighbours, Nannies, baby sitters etc.)

Indicators or signs that a child is being sexually abused are also revealed in the book while factors that predispose a child to sexual abuse are also mentioned.

In the book, readers will be exposed to mistakes parents make that exposes their children to sexual abuse; what to do when a child is sexually abused; how to prevent abuse and how to protect children from abusers.

The latter chapters of the book expose how to give an age-grade sexual education by giving a practical guide on how to educate toddlers, pre-scholars, grade-scholars, pre-teens and teenagers.

Bisi Adewale, the author of the book during a press conference to unveil the book said “We need to work together to make sure we put this book in the hands of every parent, teacher and guardian. They need to learn how to identify predators and pedophiles. They need to know when their children are been sexually abused and what to do. Let us work together to preserve the next generation.”

The 163-pages book published

by Living Home Ventures is available on jumia.com, konga.com, familabooks.com and several books outlets.

Bisi Adewale is a family coach and marriage counselor. He is also an international speaker on marriage, parenting and family life. He is the host of Family Life-Line on radio and television and the Host of popular Lagos Singles and Married Conference being held annually at the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos.

A prolific writer who has written 92 bestselling books on family life sold in many countries around the globe, Bisi Adewale has impacted many lives with his works. He is also the founder and president of Family Booster Ministries and the College of Marital Success (CMS).

Among his books are: Secrets of an Irresistible Wife, Secrets of an Irresistible Husband, Parenting Boys, Parenting Girls, Parenting Teenagers, Parenting Adult Children, Preparing For Marriage, 20 Highways to a Successful Marriage, 4 Pillars of Life, Transgenerational Parenting among others.

Five destinations to explore in Nigeria for less than $50 Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

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here is no gainsaying that Nigeria is endowed with lush green vegetation, faux and fauna, awesome tourist attractions, historical monuments and much more. Each Nigerian state has something to offer tourists.

The interesting thing here is that Nigerians have recognized this fact and are beginning to tour Nigeria.

Efforts by Jumia’s hotel and flight marketplace through Jumia Travel is beginning to yield results. The online travel agency has been promoting Nigeria as an exciting tourist hub that you do not need to break the bank to visit. It has listed on its website packages to different local destinations.

As an incentive to encourage local travel and support tour operators, the OTA opened up its platform

to tour operators to list their tour packages.

Nevertheless, some Nigerians still think you cannot travel Nigeria on a budget. This is far from the truth.

For $50 (N18,000) or less, you can explore some states. So, if you have been searching for a state (s) you can explore for less than the referenced amount, here are some of them.

Ogun (Olumo Rock, Adire Market & the Presidential Library) For Ogun state, $50 is too much especially if you reside in Lagos. It is very affordable to visit this southwestern state and of course, there is so much to do in the state’s capital - the ancient city of Abeokuta. One of Lagos next door neighbour’s most valuable possession is the Olumo Rock. The rock served as a source of refuge during the war era. There is also the Itoku Market where you

can have a firsthand experience of how the indigenous traditional Adire is made. You can also explore the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

Osun (Osun/Osogbo groove, Erin Ijesha Waterfall, and the Osun/ Osogbo festival) Osun is the cradle of the Yorubas’.

As such it is revered by persons of Yoruba extraction. It is the bedrock of Yoruba culture and you can visit to see cultural sites and festivals to celebrate Osun state‘s very cultural background. On your itinerary, add a visit to the Unesco World Heritage site, Osun Osogbo groove, the popular Osun/Osogbo festival and experience nature at Erin-Ijesha Waterfall.

Calabar (The Calabar Carnival) Calabar has so much to offer in terms

of tourism. The state, over the years, has positioned itself as a must-visit for local and international tourists.

Calabar, located in south-south Nigeria, has the Slave Museum, Statue of Mary Slessor, Calabar Drill Monkey Ranch, Agbokim Waterfall, the Obudu Cattle Ranch, Tinapa Resort, Waterfall and host Africa’s biggest street party, the Calabar Carnival.

You cannot visit all these destinations for less than $50. You have to increase your budget. But with this said amount, you will comfortably visit any one of these destinations.

Lagos (Nigeria’s Commercial City) Lagos is never a dull city. There are so many things to do in Lagos. There are destinations to explore, monuments to see, museums to visit, clubs to unwind, and beaches to pass time.

Just ask for what you want to do and there is a spot or hub for it as far as it

is legal. You will really have a swell time in Lagos.

Abia (Nigeria War Museum, New Yam & Mmanwu festival, Ariaria International Market) Abia state in South East Nigeria is also a destination you can visit for $50. Dominated by the Igbos, and they hold their culture in high esteem. They have a handful of festivals to celebrate their cultural heritage: Mmanwu (masquerade festival), Museum of Colonial History, New Yam festival and others.

You can also experience the industriousness of an ‘Abian’ by visiting one of the biggest markets in West Africa - The Ariaria International Market. And to round off your visit, go learn about the Biafran War at Nigeria War Museum. Due to the distance, it is advisable to go with a group of travelers to reduce costs.

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Entertainment

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What you may not know about ‘Baby Mamas’ around you

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Hermanes Media premieres She Is, its debut movie project

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t was an evening of glitz and glamour at Filmhouse Lekki, on March 10, 2019, as celebrities and players in the Nigerian film industry came out for the premiere of ’She Is’.

‘She Is’, produced by Waje and Omawumi, co-founders of recently established Hermanes Media, is the maiden project from the media firm. The film tackles a number of personal and societal issues women have to deal with in today’s world, and stars seasoned actors such as Somekele Ilyamah-Idhalamah, Desmond Elliot, Segun Arinze, among others.

Inspired by the movie’s plot, the theme of the evening was

’modern-day fairy tale’. Guests showed up dressed to the nines in designer ball gowns, whimsical dresses, and flamboyant suits, dazzling the red carpet in an array of colors. Some celebrities who came out to support Waje and Omawumi are Bovi, Ebuka, Seyi law, Frank Donga, Chigurl, Toke Makinwa, Banky W, Tobi Bakare, Alex Unusual, Ifuenada, Osas, Mochedah, Aduni Ade, and Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, to name a few. Before the movie started, guests enjoyed a special debut performance of the movie’s title soundtrack single “She Is” by Waje and Omawumi. The song, which was being heard for the first time was brilliantly received

with shouts of appreciation and rousing applause by the guests.

During the screening, the audience was very expressive, reacting visibly as the story unfolded. They were especially excited at different romantic scenes during the movie, breaking into spontaneous applause several times. Afterward, many shared that the experience was quite immersive and even whimsical as they felt part of a fairytale.

The premiere was sponsored and supported by Grand Malt (AB in-Bev), The Africa Movie Channel (AMC), Auroe, and Zaron Cosmetics. ’She Is’ will be released for public viewing on March 22, 2019.

riter-director Stephina Zwane’s ‘Baby Mamas’ is a revelation of the experiences of single-moms who had their children out of wedlock. Stephina Zwane approached this issue from a perspective that is different from the stereotype and negative views most people have on Baby-mamas.

From a fresh angle, she offered a more positive perspective in the comedy drama.

Set in Cape Town, the film was very successful in all ramifications. It was a perfect script and a sterling performance. Good picture and sound. ‘Baby Mama’ is a story about the daily lives and challenges of four career women/ major characters Toli (Salamina Mosese), Joy (Dineo Ranaka), Sandy (Thembisa Mdoda), and Chantel (Kay Smith) struggling with the reality of being baby mamas. Chantel at the beginning of the film is shattered because of her discovery that she’s pregnant and a soon-to-be-mom. This is compounded by a boyfriend who is not ready to take up the responsibility of being a father. Sandy, a single Mother of a girl meanwhile in need of a love-life kept seeing a married man to fill this void.

However, she still loves her ex, the father of her daughter. Joy is the last of the crew to become a baby mama. She had an unsuccessful on-and-off relationship with a violent playboy. Toli appeared to be the most experienced of them all having been a Baby Mama who had

we find true love. May we appreciate it when it comes. May we never settle for less’. The most intriguing response that really resonated with the subject matter of the film was when Chantel, a baby mama said in reference to the fear that comes with pregnancy out of wedlock: ‘we are scared as they are, just that we can’t run away’.

They film is ridden with relatable characters and scenes. We saw the playboy, the daring single girl and that crazy one that is usually outstanding in a click of girls, the confrontations between parents and their pregnant daughter, and so many other things you will have a fictive identification with. The most relatable aspect of the film is the bond that existed between the four friends. How they are advisers, jury and judges of each other’s actions, mistake, relationships, and decisions. There’s this solidarity that most female circles will relate with.

The set design is equally perfect.

A real office place was recreated in the film. The movie was filmed in real places, and the locations were well-chosen: the outdoor place where the girls had their lunch and rendezvous; particularly, I love the location were the baby-shower was set in.

However, I think the film may have taken the position of a demagogue. The negative attitude towards baby mamas particularly in Africa is as a result of our value system and conservative sexual orientation that prefers sex within the enclave of marriage. However,

been through almost all the stages of being a baby mama.

‘Baby Mamas’ had everything working for it. From a good script written and directed by the same creative director, to a good cast interpreting the script very well in both motions and dialogues. For me the most successful aspect of the film is hinged on the memorable dialogues and credible words.

For instance, I laughed so hard when Chantel’s boyfriend told her after she broke the news of her pregnancy that he is not ready to be a father because he has a car to buy and there is a new sneakers coming out. In the same vein, you can feel the finality in the sms Sandy sent her married boyfriend when he requested that they should see: ‘won’t be able to make it, Ever’. The toast during Chantel’s baby shower was both emotional and intellectually engaging: ‘May

Stephina Zwane may have jettisoned these values by projecting sex before marriage and unsafe sex in a positive light. She focused on rehabilitating the image of baby mamas but did very little to mention that such un-wanted pregnancies are as a result of unsafe sexual intercourse not to mention the sexual transmitted diseases that may accompany such practices. In this regard, the film solved a problem but created another one. The film seems to be an endorsement of unsafe sex.

Even with the pragmatic failure of the film towards solving the problems of unsafe sex, ‘Baby Mamas’ is a remarkable masterpiece and is worth your time, money and popcorn.

Tiwa Savage to perform at Wireless Festival London Jonathan Aderoju

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iwa Savage has been added to the list of performers at this year’s Wireless Festival holding in London.

The organizers of the Wireless Festival have announced that Tiwa Savage will be joining a powerful line up of artists that include the likes of Cardi B, Migos, Travis Scott, Future and ASAP Rocky.

This was made known during the unveiling of a new set of artists that had been included to join the previously announced names.

With this feat, Tiwa Savage will become the first female African artist to take to the Wireless stage.

Others added to the line-up include Lil Yachty, One Acen, THEY. And Lotto Boyzz.

This year’s edition of the festival will be returning to London’s Finsbury Park from July 5-7,

Wireless will also welcome the likes of Torey Lanez, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, Rae Sremmurd, Ella Mai, Juice WRLD, Stefflon Don, Tyga, AJ Tracey and many more.

The Wireless festival first took place in June 2005 and is owned by Live Nation.

Tiwa has expressed so much joy of being announced, this was made known on her official twitter page @TiwaSavage “Might be wrong but I think I’m the first afrobeats female to do this, no pressure but we GON kill it by HIS grace”.

However Tiwatope SavageBalogun better known by her stage name Tiwa Savage, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, performer and actress. She currently has a song writing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

Savage signed a recording contract with Mavin Records in 2012. Savage also signed a management and publishing deal with Roc Nation in June 2016, which she later confirmed via

Instagram.

She co-wrote the track “Collard Greens & Cornbread” off Fantasia Barrino’s Grammynominated album, Back to Me. Savage was featured on Solar Plexus, a compilation album released by Mavin Records.

Her debut studio album, Once Upon a Time, was released on 3 July 2013. It was supported by the singles “Kele Kele Love”, “Love Me (3x)”, “Without My Heart”, “Ife Wa Gbona”, “Folarin”, “Olorun Mi” and “Eminado”. Savage’s second studio album, R.E.D, was released on 19 December 2015. It produced the singles “My Darlin’”, “African Waist” and “If I Start to Talk”. Savage sings in English and Yoruba.

As a singer, her achievements include an MTV Europe Music Award, MTV Africa Music Award, two The Headies Awards, one Channel O Music Video Award, one Nigeria Music Video Award, and two City People Entertainment Awards.

Destiny Isiguzo Follow on instagram @destinyisiguzo and on twitter @isiguzocid

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Travel Ethiopian Airlines still flies to your destinations

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Stories by OBINNA EMELIKE

oday marks a week since the crash of Ethiopian Airlines’ B-737-800MAX with registration number ET- AVJ, barley six minutes after take-off from the Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

It is sad that the 147 passengers and 8 crew members all died in the crash. Of course, families are grieving their losses across the world including the family of Professor Pius Adesanmi, a Nigerian literary icon who was en route Nairobi as a participant at the ECOSOCC Meeting organised by the African Union.

But while we all still mourn, Ethiopian Airlines has been absolved of the cause of the crash with the banning of the Boeing B-737-800MAX series by the UK and 17 countries, as well as, suspension until May in the United States of America, the base of Boeing.

Although the black box has been taken to France for further investigations, it is clear that the track of the Ethiopian Airlines flight was very close and behaved very similarly to the Lion Air flight operated with Boeing 737 MAX 8, which crashed into the Java Sea 12 minutes after take-off on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 passengers and crew.

Despite the air mishap, Ethiopian Airlines is still very strong and reliable as the cause of the crash is traceable to fault from Boeing, the manufacturer of the B 737 MAX 8.

On April 8, 2016, the airline celebrated its 70th years anniversary, amid track record of safety.

Though, over 70 years in the aviation business, Ethiopian Airlines still has a young and modern fleet family with an average age of less

than 5 years.

Its fast, profitable and sustainable growth in the last 10 years has made it the largest, most profitable and fastest growing airline on the African continent. At present, the airline operates Africa’s largest cargo service, largest and most advanced Aviation Academy and best MRO services.

It would be recalled that when the airline acquired the B737 MAX 8 and reached the 100 fleet milestone, Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines, said, “It is an immense honor for all of us at Ethiopian to reach this milestone a few days after we colorfully marked our 100 fleet milestone and the latest acquisition is an affirmation of our continuing pioneering

role in African aviation and the successful implementation of our fast, profitable and sustainable growth plan, Vision 2025. Today, We are glad to include the B737 MAX 8, the latest in Boeing’s single-aisle series, in our young and modern fleet family with an average age of less than 5 years.

“As a customer-centric airline with a high adaptability to emerging technologies, we have been pioneering Africa’s aviation with latest-technology fleet throughout our 72 years history. In line with our growth targets under Vision 2025, we will keep on investing in further expansion of our fleet an in acquiring the latest aircraft the industry has to offer.”

Beyond the ill-fated B737 MAX

8 series, Ethiopian Airlines operates over 73 Boeing aircraft in its fleet including the 787 Dreamliner, 777, the 757 and 767, which are flying across more than 90 international destinations in five continents of the world today.

So, safety of the African foremost airline is not in question as the March 10, 2019 crash was a Boeing factory fault and not the pilot or maintenance error as the aircraft was barley four months old.

As well, its membership of Star Alliance, since 2011 with a great deal of networking, access to more routes and sharing agreements with partner airlines, speaks volume of its credibility.

No doubt, it is the most profitably run airline in Africa, generating

$2.7bn revenue in the 2016/17 financial year, representing over 11 percent growth from the previous year.

With many hubs in Africa, especially the successful one in Lome, Togo, operated under Asky Airline in which its hold a 40 percent share, the airline has crossed the 9 million passengers mark and is targeting more.

In January, it inaugurated a new passenger terminal in Addis Ababa with the hope to triple capacity accommodating up to 22 million passengers a year, making it the largest aviation hub in Africa.

Beyond the aviation feats, Ethiopian Airlines is diversifying its income sources through hospitality with the recent opening of the Skylight Five Hotel, its first airport hotel built on 42,000 square metres land that cost $USD65 million.

Again, the airline is hoping to plough back the expected profit from the 373-room hotel into another hospitality business in the nearest future as it prepares to launch the construction of a second 5-star hotel. The entry into service is scheduled for 2021 and will be built on an area of 22410 metres and the hotel will have 637 rooms on completion.

So, this is not the time to abandon Ethiopian Airlines for others as the airline is still the giant in Africa’s aviation industry by all standards.

Again, safety is not in question as the crash is seriously under investigation by the aviation world to curb future crashes.

Even if the crash opens business for other African carriers, their combined capacity still cannot match Ethiopian Airlines, which is everywhere in Africa and in the world.

Dubai records 15.92 million international visitors in 2018 …Nigeria returns to top 20, with 185,000 visiting Dubai in 2018

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ubai welcomed 15.92 million international overnight visitors in 2018, marking a new high, according to the latest data released by Dubai’s Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism).

Continuing to expand its appeal as a global destination of choice for another year running, Dubai’s top source markets delivered bankable performances with several strategic feeders witnessing standout double-digit growth yet again to continue momentum towards growing the number of international visitors annually in line with Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2022-2025, in addition to driving even greater economic impact on the emirate’s GDP. India once again crossed the two million mark to maintain its number one position at the end of 2018, with Saudi Arabia coming in a strong second, remaining the highest traffic volume generator for the GCC, with 1.6 million visi-

tors, representing a steady 3 per cent year-on-year growth.

The UK, meanwhile, also retained its third place slot with an impressive 1.2 million British travellers visiting the city in 2018 – testament to Dubai’s enduring popularity in the market, despite Brexit conversations impacting overall outbound travel and consumption sentiment from the country.

Experiencing impressive encore performances with doubledigit growth to maintain their strength within the top ten feeder markets, China, Russia and Germany continued their upward trajectory in 2018. China rose to the number four position, with tourism volumes rising 12 per cent in year-on-year growth to bring in 857,000 Chinese tourists in 2018.

Russia experienced a significant 28 per cent growth to move up two places landing at sixth position with 678,000 visitors in 2018, as both China and Russia continued

to benefit from the introduction of UAE visa-on-arrival visitor regulations and increased air capacity into the emirate. German tourists continued to grow in strength as 2018 welcomed an impressive 567,000 tourists, exhibiting a 12 per cent increase over 506,000 visitors in 2017.

The USA came in as the seventh

top source market with 656,000 visitors in 2018, representing an increase off our per cent while the Philippines entered the top 10 for the very first time with 387,000 tourists to Dubai.

Owing to successful ongoing destination marketing strategies, Dubai also welcomed 348,000 overnight guests from France, with

the country rising two ranks and seeing a 17 per cent year-on-year increase while Italy witnessed a nine per cent growth. A stellar 36 per cent spike from Nigeria brought the market back into the top 20, with 185,000 Nigerians visiting Dubai in 2018. These strong performances helped balance the decline in visitation from strong-hold markets like Oman and Pakistan.

From a regional perspective, Western Europe emerged as the largest contributor of overnight visitor volumes for 2018, commanding a 21 per cent share, to maintain its pole position from 2017. This was closely followed by the GCC and South Asia, contributing 18 and 17 per cent of all international visitation to the city respectively. North Asia and South-East Asia regions accounted for 11 per cent to reflect sustainable growth aided by Dubai Tourism’s international diversification strategy.

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Travel

Fresh flavours, smooth sips: See what Delta is serving this spring in Lagos and beyond Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

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pring means a fresh start and a new selection of inflight food and beverage offerings for Delta customers to enjoy. As part of Delta’s continued investment in the customer experience, the airline has committed to seasonal refreshes for its on-board menus.

This means that even the most frequent of travellers has something new to look forward to in-flight, in addition to familiar favourites that customers have come to know and love.

In the latest seasonal menu refresh, Delta One customers can look forward to reinvigorating flavours that help usher in springtime.

Starting March 1, customers travelling between Lagos and the U.S. can enjoy selections including, spring-inspired dishes like Bourbon Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon with warm lemon scented potato salad and haricots verts and Roasted Chicken Breast with herb butter, okra, tomatoes, plantains and rice.

As part of the airline’s popular pre-select meal programme, customers confirmed in the Delta One cabin will receive an email from Delta three days prior to their flight, asking them to pick their first choice meal.

Delta’s new spring meals will be complemented by a selection of wines curated by Delta’s Master Sommelier, Andrea Robinson.

Andrea’s spring lineup includes regionally sourced wines chosen to perfectly pair with the latest menus on all Delta One flights between Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the U.S. To view Andrea’s full spring wine selection, click here.

New snacks and menu cards in the main cabin Main cabin between Lagos

and the U.S. will have upgraded meals featuring new appetizers and salads and including entrées of African Chicken with spicy red sauce and Roasted Beef with bredie sauce. Menu cards will also be provided to every Main Cabin and Delta Comfort+ guest, which include details on the in-flight food and beverage offerings plus timings for each meal.

Customers connecting onto U.S. domestic flights can enjoy complimentary snacks. Delta will introduce two new snack options this spring – Squirrel Brand almonds and Cheez-It crackers.

These options will be served in addition to the airline’s beloved signature Biscoff cookies and gluten-free KIND Dark Chocolate Chunk Bars.

Fresh brews at 30,000 feet Starting this month, Delta will begin boarding new premium

tea selections from Pure Leaf for Delta One customers to sip and savour in-flight. Flavours will include English Breakfast, Green Tea with Jasmine, Peppermint Herbal Tea and Earl Grey.

Pure Leaf teas will also be available on the ground in Delta Sky Clubs starting May 1, where customers can find even more flavours to love – like Chamomile, Chai Tea, Ginger with Orange Blossom and Black Tea with Berries, as well as the four in-flight flavours.

In addition to providing a great taste for customers, Pure Leaf teas align with Delta’s industry-leading sustainability strategy. Every Pure Leaf product uses tea from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ tea estates from around the world.

Delta will also introduce Lipton, one of the world’s best-selling tea brands, starting this month for customers seated in Delta Premium

Dana Air increases frequency to Abuja

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ana Air has introduced more flights options from Lagos to Abuja and Abuja to Lagos with low fares.

According to a statement

by Kingsley Ezenwa , the airline’s Media and Communications Manager, starting 18th March 2019, the airline will operate additional flights from Lago s t o Abu ja a t 6 .4 8am, 10.08am, 12.15pm, 13.44pm, and 5.10pm while flights from Abuja to Lagos will be at 8.28am, 10.35am, 12.06pm, 15.30pm and 18.50pm.

“We are pleased to announce that we have introduced additional flights on our Lagos- Abuja –Lagos routes to provide more options, comfort and affordable fares for our teeming guests.

“With effect from 18th of March 2019, we will operate

flights from Lagos to Abuja at 6.48am, 10.08, 12.15pm, 13.44pm, and 5.10pm, while flights from Abuja to Lagos will be at 8.28am, 10.35am, 12.06pm, 15.30pm and 18.50pm Having yielded to the demands of our guests for more flights to be introduced at specific time and the increasing loads on the sector, we advise our guests to also plan their trip, book early by visiting our website to get best fares.

“At the moment, we have 2

ongoing promos: the 100% bonus miles promo, and the reward promo in partnership with MMA2, which entails passengers to buy 4 tickets and get the 5th at N5000.

Our guests are also advised to take advantage of these promos, use more of their miles and save more on tickets.’’

Dana Air is one of Nigeria’s leading airlines reputed for its world-class in-flight and customer service, innovative online product and services and unrivalled on-time performance.

Select, First Class, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin.

These culinary enchantments are part of Delta’s multi-billion dollar investment in the overall customer experience.

In the past several years, the airline has made significant enhancements to the Main Cabin experience including free Main Cabin meals on select coast-tocoast routes, free mobile messaging, free in-flight entertainment, upgraded Main Cabin snacks, the addition of sparkling wine, access to Wi-Fi on nearly all flights and refreshed Flight Fuel food-forpurchase options.

Recent upgrades to the Delta One in-flight experience include new chef-designed Delta One menus, refreshed TUMI amenity kits with Kiehl’s products, and an Alessi-designed collection of service ware.

IATA launches CEIV Fresh to improve perishable products handling

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he International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched a new industry certification—the Center for Excellence for Perishable Logistics (CEIV Fresh)—to improve the handling and the transport by air of perishable products.

“Perishable goods is a growing market for air cargo. Ensuring that these delicate and short shelf-life products reach the customer unspoiled with minimal waste and loss is essential. Shippers will have assurance that CEIV Fresh certified companies are operating to the highest quality and standards in the transport of perishable products,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO said.

The specific time and temperature requirements for food and plant products make the handling and transporting of perishable products challenging. The CEIV Fresh program meets these exacting requirements primarily based on the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR) which combines professional regulatory and operational input from industry and government experts.

The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), Cathay Pacific, Cathay Pacific Services Limited (CPSL) and Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL) were the first organizations to pilot the CEIV Fresh program taking a community approach to certification. This unique community approach helps align the needs and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in the handling of perishable goods.

“We took a community approach to developing CEIV Fresh recognizing that the successful shipment requires the alignment of many stakeholders. Shippers can have peace of mind knowing that every entity handling their goods is operating to the same standards.

SAA Voyager launches new mobile application

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outhAfricanAirways(SAA) Voyager has launched its own SAA Voyager Mobile Application. This means that the transactional experience for Voyager members is now in the palm of members’ hand with easy navigation whilst on the go.

The current SAA Mobile App only displays a customer’s status and balance of miles, whereas the first release of the SAA Voyager App includes additional transactional functions beneficial to the customers namely; update of personal details, PIN reset, award requests, claiming of missing miles, converting miles and, being able to donate miles.

The SAA Voyager App is an interventionaimedatenhancingVoyager members’ transactional experience with Voyager in the short term. It is envisagedthatonceSAArelaunches its Mobile App in the latter part of this year, there will be integration between the SAA and SAA Voyager Mobile Apps, whereby customers

will be able to transact seamlessly with SAA, be it for check-in, printing of boarding passes, making and/or changing reservations or transacting on their Voyager accounts.

Suretha Cruse, SAA executive for customer loyalty, explains that one of SAA’s key strategies is to enhance the customer experience.

“Customer insights were a key driver in the design and development of the SAA Voyager App with our Africa-based members in mind, where 80% access the internet via their mobile phones,” she says.

SAA Voyager was Africa’s first value-based airline loyalty programme, offering members miles based on the ticket price purchased, rather than the distance travelled. The earning velocity of miles in the SAA Voyager programme remains the best in class on the African continent whereby members receive one SAA Voyager Mile per ZAR 1.60 spent, which counts towards the status of members.

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H

BoI topshot, Waheed Balogun bows out at 60

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of them his former staff; and not only is the story behind FCMB founding a lesson in perseverance and vision, its cutting-edge service delivery in the sea of other equally-determined competitors, is still a subject of corporate study. Little wonder, when headed another year on March 9 last Saturday, the bells couldn’t but toll, and the citations couldn’t but roll, for the impact he has made over the years and still continues to make in life at such a ripe age.

Balogun established an entrepreneurial culture at FCMB, unique as an ownermanaged bank, in contrast to the government owned banks at the time. His business philosophy is unique and has accounted for the soaring success that FCMB has recorded since inception. Those who know too well say this is anchored on his human-faced profit mentality, in the sense that he is a serial investor in individuals, groups, institutions and the society.

This is exemplified in his massive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) engagements as both an individual and as a top corporate player. It was unheard of at the time, but for

a man that understands both vision and capability of the sovereign God, there was no deterring. His elite position amongst banking moguls in the country is not without a reason, but comes from the missionary journeys he has led, and the pioneering roles he has played.

He is reputed to have been the leading advocate for the establishment of investment banking in Nigeria, using the auspices of the NIDB. Any Nigerian banker of note would always regale the story of the then ICON securities, a merchant banking outfit which was established in 1973 as a subsidiary of NIDB. He made great things happen, even in anonymous ways while holding the forte as the Director of operations in the institution.

His was not devoid of intrigues, for while it was expected that he would naturally move up to head the institution where he had invested tremendous passion and diligence, the opposite was happening.

Like it is said, you cannot bottle a man of vision, and this was what precipitated Subomi Balogun’s move to leave, a move that cul-

minated in the founding of a Broking and Issuing house that was shortly to become a household name, City Securities, the cuttingedge of which saw to the netting of sounds business relationships with equally blue chip oil service firms and institutions of the time.

Then came 1979 when he took the bold step of applying for a merchant banking license to establish First City Merchant Bank.

The dream came to fruition four years later in 1983, a new dawn in Nigeria’s banking culture had begun, that Balogun’s new baby came with an infectious culture and tradition, such that it has variously impacted lives and businesses and set new vistas of service delivery in the banking firmament. Today, at 85, Otunba Subomi Balogun still bestrides the banking sector like a colossus with commanding heights, even when he is believed to have actively retired. But do gems retire? The answer is a capital NO, because many in the industry still flock to him to drink from his rich fountain of wisdom and experience, whenever they are faced with knotty banking issues.

Capital Oil Boss, Ifeanyi Ubah’s dream finally comes true… e has a never-say-die attitude in anything he lays his hands on.

When he lost his bid to become the governor of his home state, Anambra, years back, many thought he was done with politics which is not particularly his terrain, as he is better known for business, philanthropy and charitable ventures. The CEO of Capital Oil and Gas, Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, has just proved pundits wrong that he is an unflinching and dogged politician in the making. Quite against

Sunday 17 March 2019

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Colossal Otunba Subomi Balogun, a corporate gem @ 85 he enthralling story of corporate colossus, Otunba Subomi Balogun will forever be a must-read for many in the corporate world, especially those still trying to hone their skills in the seemingly volatile banking sector. At 85, not only has the Ijebu Ode prince treaded on daunting paths, in some cases as pioneer, but he has set records of accomplishments in those paths.

Having contemplated and dared, having succeeded where others have failed, and even for that courage to go and succeed anywhere whims had taken him, the first Nigerian to single-handedly set-up a Bank, now fits the bill of the proverbial saying: ‘whatever he does, clap.’ One only needs to take a cursory look at the life and antecedents of this banker-entrepreneur par excellence and man of the moment, a great colossus of the month of March, when he normally marks his birthday, to really know of how well he traversed the banking sector for over five decades now.

Otunba Subomi Balogun, CON, is one man whose epithets could fill a basin. Variously described as the billionaire with taste and charisma, an icon of a rare kind, a pathfinder, Nigeria’s grandmaster of banking, the man with a heart of gold and a pillar of the Christian faith and more, Otunba Balogun has become more than an inspiration, a man whose quietness also speaks volumes.

In the corporate world, he is the torch-bearer of the financial power house with numerous outlets, the FCMB Group.

Through that alone, he has become a beacon of hope for Nigeria in the financial services sector of the economy. Here is a man who has produced over 10 Managing Directors of different Banks in Nigeria, all

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bookmakers’ prediction, enterprising Ifeanyi Ubah won the Anambra South senatorial district election at the last National Assembly election, strangely on the ticket of a less-fancied new party, Young Peoples’ Party, YPP, beating Chris Uba of the PDP beyond reasonable doubt.

By this Ubah has registered in his name in the annals of political achievers of the nation, and has pledged that his ascendancy to the senate as a Distinguished Senator of the Federal Re-

public of Nigeria, will witness a positive change in his senatorial district through responsive and responsible representation. Senator-elect Ifeanyi Ubah has contributed a lot to the betterment of the Nigerian economy and the masses at large, thus it was very encouraging and heartwarming to see persons like him take part in politics and become victorious.

Ifeanyi Ubah has joined the league of political office holders with solid business background.

ne name you cannot simply ignore in the government banking sector is Dr. Waheed Olagunju. At the Nigeria’s Bank of Industry, BoI, Waheed Olagunju’s name is a recurring decimal, and this is not a propaganda, as he has been there done that in the institution for over three decades, leaving his marks in virtually all the duty posts he was privileged to have served, the last of which was as Executive Director, Small and Medium Enterprises section of the bank.

At a time he even served as acting Managing Director and CEO of the bank. Penultimate week, bespectacled, Offa, Kwara state-born Waheed Olagunju graciously bowed out of the corporate world after over three decades of uninterrupted and diligent service that saw him through thick and thin, without any blemish.

Remarkably, his retirement came in a double form as it coincided with his 60th birthday, which was expectedly celebrated with glee with a special reception held in his honour by the bank he served meritoriously for good 32 years. The

ball/dinner was attended by top industry players who severally and jointly gave glowing testimonies of the retiree-cum-birthday boy, who looked very resplendent in his flowing native Agbada attire in company of his charming wife, both of whom savoured every moment of the event with relish. Present at the dinner were captains of industry and top officials of BoI too numerous to mention.

He started his cognate life in the media world as a youth corps member in NTA, Lagos where he worked as a sports reporter for some years before moving to the corporate affairs office of the BoI.

Dangote, AIG move to unify Africans

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his is about the latest biggest news coming from these two Nigerian unrepentant philanthropists, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Aig Imoukhuede, this unfolding year, as they just launched a unique forum, tagged Africa Business Coalition for Health, that will ultimately seek to unify Africans in its entirety.

The forum which has already received the endorsement of many African Heads of State is expected to unify Africa’s key decision makers in exploring opportunities for catalysing growth in the continent’s economy, through business partnerships to invest in the health sector.

It is an ambitious platform designed to bring to-

gether business leaders in Africa to collaborate with heads of government and other stakeholders to tackle basic health challenges in Africa and has already been launched in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with assurances from the government to collaborate for a healthier Africans. The platform, African Business Coalition for Health (ABC Health) was launched with commitments by all partners and stakeholders to put efforts together to improve basic health care services in the continent during the inaugural Africa Business: Health Forum 2019, which witnessed the launch of the official logo of the ABC Health.

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True friends love you anyway

K

L-R: Mrs. Baiyewu, David Lawal, Eniola Oloyede and Anthony Baiyewu, proprietor of King Emmanuel Progressive College, Ayobo, Lagos, at the event.

King Emmanuel School produces ‘One Day Proprietor’

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NGOZI OKPALAKUNNE

Senior Secondary School (SS3) student, David Lawal has emerged the “One Day Proprietor” of King Emmanuel Progressive College Ayobo, Lagos.

While Eniola Oloyede, same class, became the deputy.

The winners emerged after a keenly contested Mathematics and English tests involving all SS2 and SS3 students of the school.

The proprietor of the school, Anthony Baiyewu said the annual event, which was the sixth in its series, hoped to impact leadership qualities in the students as future leaders.

Quoting Macbeth, he said: “New honour comes upon him like a new garment which cleave not to their mode, but with the aid of use”.

Explaining further, he said: “The significance of the above

quotation is to intimate you with the need to be consistent in the leadership development, remember leadership is a process not an event. A process encourages development, matures people and changes them. The positive virtues that are being inculcated in you and others should be role-modeled in your future endeavours’’.

To him, this year’s edition was unique because for the first time, a male and a female emerged winner and first runner-up, adding that formerly it had been either all males or females affair.

Speaking earlier, the winner of competition, who interesting is the outgoing head boy encouraged other students to be more focused on their studies in order to come out with good grades.

Expressing his joy over his victory, he said: “When I heard about the competition, I saw it as a great opportunity to

prove myself. I took up the challenge, studied very hard.

I thank God, He crowned my efforts with success”.

It is interesting to note that David Lawal wants to become a mechanical engineer in the future.

In his words: “In the future l want to become a mechanical engineer so that I will invent mechanical equipment that will make life easier for people.’’

Also expressing her gratitude to God for her success, the deputy, Oloyede who is also the outgoing head girl of the school, said: “I’m so excited to be the deputy, although I worked very hard in order to be the one day proprietress.

An adage says, ‘shoot for the moon, even if you fall, you will land among the stars.’ So, I am glad’’.

Oloyede aimed to be a lawyer of great repute as well as a writer. She also wants to be a proprietress in future.

Poem

Always love your pet, no matter how old they get Pets are people, too, just like me and you.

They need food in their tummies and lots of beefy yummies.

A furry friend that’s always happy to see you, from life’s ups and downs and all that people do.

It’s quite a sight for sore eyes to behold, because that bond is as special as gold.

They are little, but their hearts are BIG. They like to go outside, get fresh air, and dig.

Always show them love and good measure, and reap each day a true friend to treasure.

From big to small, they give their all, And you can play with them with a toy or with a ball.

Children, remember to be good to your pet Be loving to them, no matter how old they get.

To the special bond between human and pet, always by your side, forever, I’ll bet.

Never abandon them or leave them out in the cold or heat, and you’ll have a pet that’s super neat!

Your faithful pet depends on you and all the special things for them that you do.

Always treat them with kindness and love, for they are truly a gift from above!

Pets help teach us nature’s true compassion.

They do not withhold love, nor with it do they ration.

Be understanding and patient with them, because they will be for you.

And never, ever forget this, my friend, for pets are people, too.

And with our pets, I have no doubt, that we are lucky not to have to live without.

By Lesley M. Patterson

rishna and Sudama were childhood friends.

While Krishna thrived and prospered, Sudama didn’t.

He lived the life of a poor Brahmin man, living in a small hut with his wife and kids. Most days, the kids wouldn’t even get enough to eat from what Sudama got as alms. One day, his wife suggested that he go and ask his friend Krishna for help.

Sudama was reluctant to seek favours, but he also didn’t want his kids to suffer. So his wife borrowed some rice from the neighbors to make rice snacks that Krishna liked, and gave it to Sudama to take it to his friend. Sudama took it and set out to Dwaraka. He was amazed at the gold that was used to build the city. He reached the palace gates and was obstructed by the guards, who judged him by his torn dhoti and poor appearance.

Sudama requested the guards to at least inform Krishna that his friend Sudama has come to meet him. The guard, although reluctant, but later went to inform the lord. On hearing that Sudama was here,

Krishna stopped whatever he was doing and ran barefoot to meet his childhood friend.

Krishna huggged Sudama welcomed him to his abode and treated him with utmost love and respect. Sudama, ashamed of the poor man’s rice snacks he got for Krishna, tried to hide it.

But the all-knowing Krishna asked Sudama for his gift and ate his favorite rice snacks that his friend brought for him.

Krishna and his friend spend time laughing and talking about their childhood but Sudama, overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion showed by his friend, is unable to ask Krishna for help. When he returned home, Sudama found that his hut had been replaced by a huge mansion and his wife and kids were dressed in fine clothes.

Sudama realized how lucky he was to have a true friend like Krishna. He didn’t even ask, but Krishna knew what Sudama wanted and gave it to him.

Moral True friends do not distinguish between rich and poor.

They are always there for you when you need them.

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Interview In Enugu, the door is open for any business to succeed, opportunities abound - Agu The Special Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) Anayo Agu, in this interview with REGIS ANUKWUORJI in Enugu, explains why the Ugwuanyi administration puts SMEs on the top of its priority area of focus. He also speaks on other issues. Excerpts:

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s the Special Adv i s e r t o En u g u St a t e g o v e r n o r on Micro, Small and Medium Ent e r p r i s e s ( M S M Es) , h o w can one differentiate these class of business operators and why is the office big and respected here in state?

The micro is the smallest unit; if your total revenue without removing anything is within the threshold of 35 million and that you employ less than about 10 persons, you are classified as micro,smallest unit. Then if your revenue is up to 50 million per annum and you employ less than or about 50 persons you are classified as small. You are a medium when your total revenue is within the threshold of 500 million and you employ about 199 persons to 200persons, now if your revenue is about 500 million your employees are more than 200 you are a large company.

These include Coca Cola or Guinness or Aqua Rapha or all other companies we identify as large companies.The interesting thing is this,because I need to underscore this fact, 99percent of businesses in Enugu, in fact, in Nigeria, actually belong to this micro, small and medium classification. So, you have less than about one percent of the total population of businesses in Nigeria you can actually call large; they are less than about one percent. So if our economy is doing well, it is doing well because of the strength, productivity, the efficiency, the effectiveness, the innovation and creativity of enterprises and entrepreneurs within this small and medium enterprise classification. That is why it is important to us in Enugu State.

So, if you say we are occupying a big office, we are occupying a big office because of the importance the state government led by our governor,Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, attached to these categories of enterprises.

Ho w d o you a s s ess th e business environment in Enugu State with regards to the development of SMEs? Let me answer it by just calling your attention to the recent review of a world bank ease of doing business. Enugu State is identified as number one in the south east,when you put all the indices togeth-

will tell you that they are not organised,others will say that the risk is very high, others will also say, which I believe is the real issue, why do I bother running after an entrepreneur who makes 500,000 to one million naira, while I can use the same time to run after a trader in Ogbete market who probably needs 10 million and can pay back the money in less than 90 days? So when they look at this quick wins, most commercial banks will go to the Ogbete person, but when you look at the growth of our economy and self-sufficiency, common sense will advise you that you go to micro-enterprise because they are the people that actually produce what we eat and make life easy here.

The trader will depend on what comes from outside here not what we are producing, so in long terms the small micro enterprise that are doing small, small things, doing your garri processing, making soap, Palm kernel crushing are actually the engine of this economy if we can reorganise

Anayo Agu

er; we are classified number one. In registering business, we are classified as number three in the country. So, that is the best way to answer that question. In other words, what I am saying is that we still have our demons to deal with, power is still major issue here and other factors, environmental facts, but when you take them apart and deal with them one a fter th e oth er, especially when we consider where we are coming from, we can say actually that we have done well. In the last three-and-half years, you can also safely say that we are easily the most peaceful place to do business in the south east, safest to do business in the south east and in terms of environmental friendly, we are number one, everybody knows that.

Ok, and if you compare us with other states inthe country, you can only compare us with states like Lagos, Kaduna and Kano in terms of all these

f a c t o r s , w h e n yo u l o o k a t what level of attention we are paying to SMEs, what level of support,honestly you can only compare us with Lagos or Kaduna, Kano is because of population and it is receiving a lot of attention but not necessarily in terms of the ease of doing business.

For the past 3½ years, how many persons so far have benefited from Enugu SMEs Centre?

Under the life of this administration we are actually should be looking at about ten (10) thousand. I don’t have the correct number right now.

If you look at the smallest people that just needed 50,000 to do business, we have supported actually 7000 through the government enterprise empowerment programme and we did that all from here; talked to them, held different outreach programmes and we are still doing that through registered cooperatives; then

if you step up again and you are looking at those who required 500,000 to up to 10 million and more than that you will be looking at again about 2000 enterprises in that category.

So, that is why I said plus or minus you are just looking at about 9 to 10 thousand people that we have assisted in that sector. Currently, we just concluded the assessment and submitted to CBN over 500 enterprises. In fact, we just did that two weeks back, those are potential beneficiaries of our programmes, that is where we are.

A lot of people believe that poor access to fund is a very big challenge to business establishment; how true is that?

Yes, I believe that access to fund is a challenge and why do I say so, most commercial banks do not give loans to SMEs and there are various reasons to justify that; some

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In long terms the small micro enterprise that are doing small, small things, doing your garri processing, making soap, Palm kernel crushing are actually the engine of this economy if we can reorganise them

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Interview them. The other thing is when you look at the economies that are actually doing well, looking at the Americans or Europeans or the Asian Tigers it all still comes down to micro, small and medium enterprise.

So, access to fund remains a challenge if you look at it from that end.

Then another way to look at it is that even government intervention programmes if you look at it holistically across Nigeria , they are accurately not working well again because most states do not have the special purpose vehicle like our centre to do these things. In fact, I spent two hours yesterday (before t h i s i n t e r v i e w) d i s c u s s i n g with some guys from some of our local banks here who came and were surprised to ask about new programme the CBN is running with bankers’ committee. I was shocked by the level of ignorance, you know regarding a programme that was their own initiative; do you understand? And they were here to talk about it, so it is a challenge because if this intervention is working well, access to fund should not be an issue. You hear Central Bank say that over 20 billion was set aside in 2014, yet people do not have access to money and banks have access to this fund.

Then the new initiative which is called is Agriculture,small and medium enterprise investment scheme, is just a rework of the programme which was launched in 2003 but again failed woefully despite the fact that over 50 billion was accumulated, yet the scheme failed;so, it was a rework of that. Now, what has happened is that the bankers’ committee has demonstrated it with the Central Bank and Central Bank is now doing the oversight function rather than the bankers’ committee.

When you now bring access to fund to the state level like our own state, it is not an issue if you look at it in one way, but on the other hand it is an issue.

Why is it an issue?Somebody just left here before you came, who came to discuss with us about partnership and she said that the taxi driver that broughther did not know about her programme and that she went to her banks to talk about something else they raised the issue of what she was trying to do and she was asked to come and see us, then she now asked the person who was encouraging her to come and see us a few questions to see if she can have information about us and the guy said honestly that he did not know anything about us; then she asked simple question, in your opinion is this programme working here, and the guy said honesty I don’t know.

Interestingly, the bank in question is one of the very first banks that we approached in 2014, when I first came and

Anayo Agu

also the same bank that we approached again when this a dmi n i s tr a ti on started, so to the extent that ignorance remains a major problem, yet access to fund is a major problem; but like I always like to summarise- anywhere there is difficulty there is ignorance because difficulty arises in ignorance.Where it is difficult to feed yourself, how to get money for your business,it does not matter what it is.

Difficulty arises in ignorance, that is just the truth, so to overcome it is to seek knowledge and wisdom.When you come to us you can simply discover that access to fund is not your biggest problem, yes; just like blood is important to your body but must first have your body before the blood.

So, when you walk in, don’t worry so much about how much money you need.Y ou need first to understand exactly what you want to do; if you want to create value, what value would you want to create? This is because it is that value that money will exchange with. If that value is not clear you don’t need m o n e y, yo u h a v e t o k n o w first where you want to go to; before you can say that money is stopping you from going there.

So, that is just why I said I acknowledge the fact that access to fund is an issue

but it is not the most important. In entrepreneurship, the most important thing is your mission,what purpose exactly do you want to serve, because in the final analysis every business, regardless of the size is a human enterprise with a value proposition;so, until we deal with this, money is not the issue. Money is important but we need first to understand your purpose, do you have the basic skill to do that purpose before you can say that money is stopping you, that is why we place a lot of emphasis on training, and training itself will be irrelevant until first you say this is what I am training in.For example, I want to do poultry, I don’t know anything about poultry you can be trained, give you basic skill on that,but until you zero in to poultry training. I can train you on generally who is an entrepreneur, give basic principles and all that but that is about it, it will not quicken you, your passion will come, you will be inflamed the moment you are in your environment, when we begin to talk about the thing that speaks to your heart.

That is the only time, otherwise we can spend all the time talking about the wonderful words of entrepreneurship, but it would not move you an inch; that is the truth so we spend a lot of time to understand people first,their mis-

sion before we worry about money and before we worry about the market. These are the three things we do here, the mission, money and market.

What are your advice to SMEs, the people residing in Enugu and those intending to come and open business in Enugu?

My simple advice is that Enugu State is open for business, we don’t say it for the sake of saying it, we say it because our state government has done wonderfully well in the last 3½ years. What do I mean by that?Access to market is usually an issue in most rural markets. One of the principal achievements of this administration is road construction, opening up access to rural communities is a major one. Peace and security are usually key if you are going to invest in any place,whether it is long term or short term, Enugu is regarded not because I am saying it, police and different sources have actually acknowledged Enugu State as one of the safest places to live and do business in Nigeria, and secondly the best in the south east.

Thirdly, we have this programme which is open to anybody and everybody who lives here or intends to live here, we do not worry or care or even bother about whether you are from Enugu State, which political party you belong to, which faith you confess as far as your business is here, you can access our training, our fund, you can access our support

‘

Enugu State is open for business, we don’t say it for the sake of saying it, we say it because our state government has done wonderfully well in the last 3½ years

for market; you have equal opportunity with anybody and everybody that resides here. Now, if you remember May 29th 2015, the governor made a very profound statement which I normally call his social contract.

He said that he should devote government resources and services to create equal opportunity to anybody, he did not say people from Enugu State, anyone who wants to make a living here, create wealth, send your children to school, help us to create a safe and secure environment where people live and that is what he has pursued through his 4-point agenda and he has kept up to it and that is why people like me,sometimes, they say we are praise-singers, but I normally say that facts don’t lie; if it is praise-singing that a man in one month commissioned 17 roads in 17 local governments, if that is praisesinging, I will sing that again, if it is praise singing that, there is peace here and we are running an inclusive government, I will praise-sing that; if it is praise singing that great reforms are going on in our schools, I will praise sing that because at the end of the day the purpose of government is the welfare and security of the citizens and if a government is paying attention not lip service to these fundamentals, if it is praise singing, I will do it.

If I bring it back home to where I am managing, if we say we have assisted close to about 9,000 persons cut across the state involving also people who are not from this state and many have come here to say you resurrected me. I never knew that something like this could be possible especially through a government agency, if that is praise singing, yes, if it is praise singing, singing to say that since I was sworn in as special adviser to the governor on Small and Medium Enterprises not one single time have I ever suffered any kind of interference in what I do, we are doing well.

We are doing well because we have the freedom, we have the encouragement, we have the support of the leadership of the state, this does not usually happen. My name is not Ugwuanyi, my name is Agu, you understand; so, it would not be because he is his brother and therefore, that is why he is not…, what I am basically saying is that we are serving someone who truly believes that you have his support; when he delegates, he does not interfere and when you look at what has happened in other states that have issues with government intervention programmes, 99percent of it arise from interference, political manipulations, inefficiencies in the civil service but this place runs just like any private enterprise.

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Feature

Lamentation in Anambra:

Banned Okada riders in endless wait for Obiano’s shuttle buses 10 months after promises

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EMMANUEL NDUKUBA, Awka

he proscription of commercial motor cycle (Okada) riding in some parts of Anambra State, no doubt, became very necessary at some point because of the havoc the business was causing in the state. But 10 months after the ban, many who used to eke out a living from that venture have continued to pine away in penury; they lament their ordeals, appealing to Governor Willie Obiano to urgently fulfil his promise of providing them new shuttle buses.

How time flies! He who wears the shoes knows where it pinches. Anyone who has suffered as a result of some proclamations by governments or constituted authorities will readily understand the usual pangs of such policies.

This is what several commercial motorcycle operators, popularly called Okada riders, who were banned from their means of livelihood in Anambra State have been passing through since July 1, 2018.

Some of them have left such business for homesteads to look for other ways of ameliorating the harsh effects of the policy; while those who have stayed back in the areas of ban are still seeking other means of keeping life going. This is March 2019, and Governor Obiano’s assurances that state government has set aside N765million for commercial motorcyclists in the state to enable them purchase 1000 shuttle buses is still in the pipeline, even as he says the ban stands and that there is no going back on the directive.

Some of theaffected cyclists, in separate interviews with BDSUNDAY, seriously lamented their ordeals, saying that that life is becoming very hard as the state government has yet to procure the shuttle buses to cushion the effect of the ban after ten months, to help them get back to normal life.

John Nwaokoli from Ekwulobia community in Aguata Local Government Area of the state said the ban had taken him back to square one.

“I am worried, this single pronouncement by the state government has taken some of us back home finally for either farming or other rural business ventures to eke out a living,” Nwaokoli said.

“I have crashed-landed, as I can no longer meet my responsibilities as bread winner of my family. I didn’t even know when last year’s Christmas was cel-

ebrated because of many things on my mind, including adjustment to village life and politics, school fees for my children after the New Year and others,’’ he further said.

Ugochukwu Okekenwa, who has spent his youthful age in Awka and now over 57 years old with five children from Onneh community in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state lamented that his bike was destroyed.

“I am the only child of my late parents and nobody to turn to for help. I was doing well in electronics business when my shop was destroyed in the commercial city of Onitsha alongside others for urban development by the state government.

“This is how I started life anew as Okada rider; see where this has taken me to in life; but all hope is not lost. I am fully back home and still struggling to adjust,’’ he said.

Christopher Abbas from Akwa-Ibom State said he has since relocated back home and has started other business ventures which is sustaining him.

“I am planning and saving money to buy a shuttle bus that will be giving good amount of money daily if one is serious in the business,’’ he said.

Governor Obiano has said then that the July 1, 2018 deadline for the ban on commercial motorcycle operators in Onitsha and Awka and neighbouring towns, was not negotiable.

He assured them that the

state government had ordered about 1000 shuttle buses for commercial motorcycle operators in Awka and Onitsha, who would be displaced when the ban on commercial motorcycle in the two cities would come into effect.

He announced that the buses were ordered from Japan and would soon arrive in the state at a cost of about N700,000 each because there were no local manufacturers of such buses.

The governor said that the dis-

‘

I am the only child of my late parents and nobody to turn to for help.

I was doing well in electronics business when my shop was destroyed in the commercial city of Onitsha alongside others for urban development by the state government

bursement of the buses would be handled by the Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA), while calling on transporters to take advantage of the opportunity and invest in deploying shuttles and tricycles to complement government’s efforts.

“The state government has designed a hire purchase arrangement where the motorcycle operators will be provided tricycles and shuttles and they pay in installments over a period of time in consideration to the plight of the citizens who may be affected by the ban,” he assured.

The state commissioner for information and public enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba, explained that the money to be disbursed to the Okada operators would not attract any interest, adding that the only requirement for obtaining the loan was a guarantor to be provided by the beneficiary.

According to him, areas to be affected by the ban are Onitsha and its environs, including Nkpor and Okpoko, while areas in the state capital include Awka, Amawbia, Nibo, Nise and Okpuno.

The commercial motorcyclists will take delivery of the buses once they deposit N100,000 with ASBA, undertaking to make payments every two weeks, according to the commissioner.

According to him, the deal will be interest-free loan that can be repaid within a year-and-a-half.

The shuttle buses will cost between N700,000 and N800,000

each. At that time, the state government said that the first set of 200 units of the 1000 buses in the scheme would arrive in the state anytime from now, from Japan.

“A situation where some members of the public have been made to believe that they cannot rise beyond the level of Okada riders is unfair and offends good conscience,” the commissioner noted.

“Governor Obiano wants commercial motorcyclists to get to the next level by becoming bus owners.Bus ownership will generate far more revenues for the present motorcycle riders because whereas a motorcyclist is not allowed to have more than one passenger at a time, a shuttle bus can carry as many as seven passengers,’ the commissioner said.

Adinuba said that another reason for the decision to phase out `Okada operations’ in the state’s two leading cities is the plan to make Anambra State the “Dubai of Africa within the next few decades; a status which no place can attain by making Okada dominate the entire landscape’’.

He also stated that the high rate of fatal road accidents involving Okada riders and their passengers is another reason for the restriction.

He declared: “Up to 70 percent of accident cases in orthopedic and other hospitals in Anambra State and beyond involve commercial motorcycle Continues on page 33

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Feature Iberiberism: Beyond Nigeria’s political theatrics VINCENT NWANMA

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he word iberiberism may well be on its way to being adopted into the English language lexicon, courtesy of the current political melodrama taking place all over Nigeria, and in this particular case, Imo State.

Beyond Imo where ‘iberiberism’ was diagnosed as someone’s ailment, Nigeria as a nation, I dare say, is also a victim of this malaise, a rather debilitating sickness that makes a giant live among minnows.

Besides being an example of an ism word, one of the types that Nigerians love to hear speakers spew at public events, its onomatopoeic resonance makes it particularly interesting to the ears.

This resurgence of ‘iberiberism’ as a factor in our national life has its roots in the political fight of the outgoing governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha. He was declared as a Senator-elect by the returning of officer in charge of the election on February 23. He cheered and his supporters joined in the song and dance. The cheer was short-lived, however, as the returning officer claimed that he made the declaration under duress.

The only reason that the embattled candidate then could proffer as the reason for the returning officer’s recant was simple: ‘iberiberism’. If Okorocha had spoken in Igbo language, he would have said to the man: “b onye iberibe.”

In describing what he thought was wrong with this INEC official on such an important assignment, Okorocha was indeed harping on a subtle malady that has insidiously afflicted

our collective psyche. After all, “iberiberism” or its equivalent in whatever language expressed, foolery, has to do with the state of the mind and how it’s applied by an individual or group.

Words create our social reality. So what we portray things and individuals to be with our words is part of our social framing, diagnosis and, implicitly, prescription for Onye iberibe Iberibe in Igbo culture generally means foolery. But there are other variants of the word. An

Owerri person would have said to the returning officer, “Apari kuru gi” or “I wu onye apari” and it would mean the same thing, and in this case the man’s problem would be “aparism”.

Come to think of it, how is it that governors of Imo State are becoming known for their highsounding words for describing our social malaise, our chronic inclination to the theatrical while the nation wallows in Some years ago, a former governor of Imo, was known

for his penchant for such highsounding words in describing our social conditions, to the delight of and applause from those who heard him.

On June 30, 2009, governor Ikedi Ohakim led a team of government officials on a working visit to the Nigerian Stock Exchange in Lagos. At that time, the market was prostrate, emasculated by the global financial meltdown. The visit was an occasion for stockbrokers, journalists and other members of the financial community to drink freely from his ever-flowing river of loquaciousness.

I have captured the events of that visit in a forthcoming book, part of which is presented here.

The governor with his team was at the exchange to present their plan for a bond offer of 18.5 billion naira. Money from the bond sale would be used to finance a number of projects in Imo, including funding the state government’s equity stake in the Oguta Wonderlake Resort and Conference Centre, said to be the first of its kind in West Africa, Ohakim said. The governor had the opportunity to ring the closing bell and sound the gong as well.

But he did not leave the podium without making an impression on the audience. The market, some months earlier, had been in a state of “Hocus pocus,” he said, as the audience cheered. The market, he continued, had been in a state of something else that was not quite audible as a result of the uproar that greeted the first description. He concluded by saying that the market had been in a state of “oblivion.”

Imo, the state of the late Sam Onunaka Mbakwe, has received perhaps more than a fair share of

iberiberism. Mbakwe, governor of the Old Imo State from 1979 to 1983 epitomised the concept of governance as service.

That is virtually gone. But this malady is not peculiar to Imo. It is present everywhere and is in part responsible for our stunted progress as a nation.

What is foolery or iberiberism? It is playing to the gallery while serious issues of state craft or governance are trampled upon. It is acting with the mind of a child and expecting adult reward. That is why governors in Nigeria over time have achieved more on the pages of newspapers than what is evident on ground in their states.

Iberiberism is perhaps the only reason why a man elected to lead a state sees it as opportunity to privatise the government house and virtually the entire process of governance. When everything about a government revolves around those close to the leader, it is only so because of iberiberism because it only shows the state of that person’s mind.

This national sickness explains the gale of abandoned projects that litter Nigeria’s landscape while the potential beneficiaries continue in their penury. Why, for instance, is Nigeria today the world capital of extreme or absolute poverty despite the multitude of economic empowerment programmes and projects that virtually all state governments have executed? Today, at least six Nigerians enter into the hall of shame every minute, according to World Poverty Clock.

One thing is certain: with the end of the elections, some measure of iberiberism is on its way out – not just in Imo, but across the country.

Banned Okada riders in endless wait for Obiano’s shuttle buses ...

Continued from on page 32

crashes, and it is not right for any government which cares for the welfare and future of its citizens not to do anything about this phenomenon, considering that the safety of every individual is the primary constitutional responsibility of the state’’.

What is more, he continued, “many robberies and other violent crimes throughout Nigeria have been traced to people using commercial motorcycles.

“We do not want anything which can compromise our hardearned reputation as Nigeria’s safest state’’.

The Information Commissioner disclosed that Anambra did not follow other South Eastern states to restrict Okada operations when they did because Obiano was developing a scheme to “provide the people of the state with superior services

and make the Okada operators more productive agents of our economy.

“The delay is worth it because Gov. Obiano did not want the Okada operators to be out of employment.”

At that time, in response to the elaborate plans and promises by the state government, the chairman of the Okada Riders Association in the state, Jude Udegbe, described it “as another evidence of Obiano’s humane nature’’.

The Chairman of the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Jerry Nnubia, also called it a welcome development, “which has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of Okada operators and reduce the crime rate in our state’’.

The chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the

state, Comrade Ifeanyi Okechukwu, said it shows that “the governor’s second tenure will witness a radical improvement in all sectors’’.

However,the dealers of motorcycle spare parts in Nnewi, saw a crash in their fortune; they lamented the setback their business would suffer as a result of the ban on the activities of commercial motorcycle operators in the state.

President of Fairly Used Motorcycle Dealers Association in Nnewi, Eloka Ubajiekwu, who stated this at a press briefing, said: “There will be serious hunger, diseases and even death of many people over the ban of Okada at this time of harsh economy.

“A lot of people are fending for themselves and their families with Okada. An Okada rider is taking care of a minimum of five

to seven persons daily, feeding them and paying children school fees.

“Motorcycle traders are earning their living from the business; likewise, mechanics, vulcanizers and allied workers. By banning Okada transport, they are all in a big trouble because they have lost their jobs.”

He added: “Onitsha and Awka and other places in Anambra are quite different from Owerri, Benin and Enugu where such bans had been effected because the people of those states are not major dealers in motorcycles.

“We can comfortably say that there are no well known motorcycle dealers in those places, but here in Nnewi, we are too many to mention and even though the Okada ban was not extended to Nnewi, it will affect us badly because Onitsha and Awka are our major base.”

By the same token, the Secretary of New Auto Spare Parts Association, Uche Ezechukwu had warned that over 20,000 people would become jobless if the order was not rescinded.

Th e An g l i c a n Bi s h o p o f Amichi Diocese, Most Reverend Ephraim Ikeakor, had spoken at a function recently urging the state government to help provide the commercial motorcyclists alternative means of livelihood.

“Anambra is pure business area. Maybe, what he (the governor) should have done was to limit their scope of operations in those cities or, in some federal road axis or other similar roads.

That will be understandable,” Ikeakor said.

Today, the pang of the ban has started to be felt across the state.

And many of those directly affected by the government policy are dying by installments.

34 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 17 March 2019

SundayBusiness Experts offer insights on why businesses need to embrace digital transformation, ERP solutions CHUKA UROKO

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or various reasons, businesses need to embrace digital transformation, process optimisation and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions in a digital age that is fast paced and evolving with time, experts have said.

Every business, they insist, needs to react appropriately, in this digital age, using the right solution to help them optimise their cumbersome and rigorous internal processes to deliver greater value, more so as most consumer-demand is, increasingly, tilting towards the new normal.

It has been observed that companies that have embraced digital transformation do better than others that have not. MIT Center for Digital Business estimates digital transformation compliant companies are 26 per cent more profitable than their average industry competitors and enjoy a 12 per cent higher market valuation.

Consequently, new digital technologies like social media, mobile telephony, and data analytics are a current reality in the economic landscape.

This explains why the focus of a one-day Lunch & Learn seminar in Lagos put together by Infor and Tabor Energy Solutions (TES) was on digital transformation and

process optimization.

Infor is a multi-national enterprise software company with its headquarters in New York City, United States of America, and the largest privately held technology provider in the world. Infor focuses on business applications for organizations delivered via cloud computing as a service.

TES, on the other hand, is a leading technology and business solutions provider in strategic partnership with and currently functions as the sole channel partner for Infor in Nigeria.

The one-day event which drew participants from sectors such as oil and gas, banking, construction and information technology, had as theme, ‘Role of ERP in Digital Transformation & Process Optimisation’.

“Tabor Energy Solutions (TES) understands that there is a gap between enterprises, partners and systems. We realize that to bridge this gap and enhance project successes, there is a need to introduce to the Nigerian market, an enterprise resource planning solution that aids the automation of core processes to save time, money and reduce risk. This informed the reason for this seminar”, Raphael Adebiyi, TES CEO, explained.

“At this moment in the Nigerian business environment, ERP business solution is gratifying. The agenda of this knowledge sharing ses-

sion is centred around helping enterprises optimise their cumbersome and rigorous internal processes to deliver greater value in this information/digital age”, he added.

He noted that ERP solutions were already used widely by customers and employees alike, pointing out however that the challenge for business owners was how best to to understand and harness the business technologies out there to achieve business objective.

In Nigeria, the operation of ERP for business digital transformation and process optimisation has become a dire need and this because firms are becoming more innovative in their technical infrastructure, more competitive in their industries, and they are exploring more collaborators and business partners to exploit more business opportunities.

So, there is a need for a standardised business solution strategy like the ERP for productivity and revenue increase as well as quality reports and performance analysis to drive digital transformation”, the TES boss said, adding, “ERP solution will aid business process such as planning, purchasing, inventory management, manufacturing, sales, marketing, finance, human resources, payroll, production, customer relationship management, supply chain management just to mention a few”.

Sterling Bank launches ‘Doubble’, Nigeria’s fastest investment portal

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terling Bank Plc has launched a new online investment portal, known as Doubble. This is to cater to the investment appetite of individuals in active workforce.

Dapo Martins, chief marketing officer, Sterling Bank, speaking on the new platform in Lagos recently, said that Doubble is an automated investment platform that allows individuals to invest at their convenience and get back up to 200 percent over a period.

Martins said that Doubble

was designed to address the concerns of individuals who are looking to accumulate savings over a specific timeline to take care of future needs.

“With Doubble, a customer can choose to invest either a lump sum in one contribution or monthly contributions, which could be for the duration of 12 months to 60 months with all pay-outs remitted either monthly or once target is achieved to named beneficiaries,” he explained.

According to him, the so-

lution could function as an annuity to some customers as it guarantees monthly payment to beneficiaries at regular intervals over a specified duration. He added that the platform’s flexibility would allow the customer to select other beneficiaries such as children, spouse or parents for pay-out.

He also mentioned that the solution could be used for target savings in both Naira and Dollars to achieve a certain amount in a specific number of years, earning interest along the way.

“The online platform provides customers with a calculator that can aid planning,” Martins further said.

Doubble also empowers individuals to plan towards future consistent cash outflows such as payment for utilities, monthly upkeep and payment for mortgages while applications can be done immediately and a future convenient date selected for contract to commence.

Going Digital

With

Wison Moore

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re you using content marketing strategies? Do you know that Content marketing is one of the most effective, brilliant and costeffective ways to drive awesome traffic to your website and build an amazing buzz for your business, products and brand?

By creating massive awesome, useful, irresistible, compelling and helpful content and promoting it ruthlessly on all your relevant social media platforms, you would attract, acquire, and engage your target audience with success.

But what is content marketing and what content marketing strategies should you be using now?

Let’s dive in.

What is content marketing?

According to the Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action”.

Content marketing involves more than the use of texts and videos. It includes images, infographics, Gifs and more.

Content marketing runs from publishing status updates and photos on Facebook pages and Twitter to writing awesome and useful blog posts and posting videos on YouTube.

5 Content marketing strategies you ought to be using now Content marketing is challenging for small businesses because of the amount of time involved in producing quality content.

Feeding your audience with consistent content can’t all be leftovers (curated content). Here are some rewarding and useful content marketing strategies you ought to be using now. #1. Plan your work and work your plan (Content) Planning your work starts with a content marketing calendar. Marketers that have a documented editorial calendar and implement the contents are more successful in their content marketing

5 amazing simple content marketing strategies you ought to be using now! efforts than those that don’t use it.

With a calendar, you can visualize how your content is going to be shared and promoted throughout the year.

Planning the publication of your digital content way ahead of time is important in crafting a consistent flow of relevant, useful and compelling content. #2. Create content that rocks!

One of the key ingredients of an effective and successful content marketing is quality content - content that rocks!

Companies and brands that produce and promote useful, valuable and compelling content with solid engagements on social media networks, as part of a larger content marketing strategy, can see an improved ROI. They also see tons of highquality traffic to their website and more positive brand

ate a Google Profile and list the URLs affiliated with your company. Then, claim and build out your listing pages on sites such as MerchantCircle and Yelp to maximise backlinks to your blog. #5. Promote to increase traffic, engagementsand sales The secret of effective content marketing boils down to crafting awesome content first.

After the content is created, it is important that it is promoted massively to your followers so that it gets found and ranked high by search engines.

Every effective content marketing plan needs a complementary promotion plan that combines paid, owned, and earned media.

Optimize your content for search - In the long run, if you optimize your content properly, search engines will

awareness. #3. Create content that is optimized for search engines Optimizing your content for search engines is the process of transforming your keyword research into live text that can influence the way your site is viewed and ranked in organic search results.

Effective content optimization is a tactical process that focuses on the use of very specific keywords.

Th e s e k e y w o r d s o r phrases are inserted in very specific places so as to send the strongest possible relevance signals to search engines for that targeted keyword.

Content that is search engine optimized shows up on the first page of organic search results. #4. Create backlinks to your content The more backlinks that you have pointing to your content on your website, the more value search engines place on it.

One interesting strategy that has worked successfully in increasing the number of backlinks to content, is responding and leaving comments in relevant articles, blog posts and forums with a link back to your website or blog URL. Comments that add value to the conversation are more effective than shallow comments that may be viewed as spam.

It is important to cre-

likely be the best source of traffic for your content.

Optimize your content for socialsharing - For maximum effectiveness, offer social sharing buttons, use awesome images, and use open graph tags.

Share content with social media audience - Promote your content on multiple social media networks, and at the best times that your audience is active on those networks.

Share content with your email list - In order to keep your email subscribers engaged, share your latest pieces of content with them on a regular basis.

Reach out to other bloggers - In the field of content marketing, there are many bloggers who love to share content created by others that is relevant to their audience.

By following these five strategies now, you can draw tons of traffic to your website or blog with the ultimate objective of acquiring and retaining customers.

What other content marketing strategies are you using?

Moore is Director of Marketing Anaconda Marketing Ltd, a Lagos-based Digital Marketing Agency +234 080 579 37786 wilson.moore@anacondamarketing.com.ng http://anacondamarketing. com.ng

Sunday 17 March 2019

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SundayBusiness Slow growth of Nigeria’s mortgage sector: The untold story

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ost Nigerians outside the financial system who have interest in the country’s mortgage sector have always heard that the sector’s slow growth find explanation in the inaccessibility and unaffordability of mortgage loans due to high cost of funds reflected in high interest rate, and demand for high equity contribution from borrowers by lenders.

But there are more to the causes of the slow growth of this sector which are almost always not talked about. Essentially, little or no note is taken of these other contributors to this slow growth among which are the huge stress which mortgage lenders pile on borrowers and the often non-existent partnerships which some of the mortgage lenders deceive home seekers into believing that they have with developers, giving the borrowers baseless hope and false impression that they are just a few steps away from home ownership.

Part of the statutory functions of primary mortgage banks (PMBs) and mortgage institutions generally, is to provide housing finance or loan to those who need same to build, buy or

renovate existing houses. But, in more cases than one, those who apply for loans from these lenders hardly get them and where they do, they are often subjected to harrowing experiences through near-impossible requirements that leave the borrowers stressed out and almost frustrated.

Many have been cajoled by developers into subscribing to their houses through mortgage only to get in and find out that the invitation is a mere cover shielding the stress and pain in accessing loans for their dream houses. “My experience with one of these lenders is better imagined than expressed”, says Israel Okafor, a staff of an oil company who applied for mortgage loan from one of the PMBs. Okafor explains that he was “deceived” by the PMB into believing that it was in partnership with a developer who was building over 500 housing units of various house-types at relatively low prices for mid-low income earners. “The PMB told me that it was also financing and marketing the estate and, at the same time, providing mortgage for prospective buyers. My attraction was not as much in the financing and marketing aspect as it was in the comparatively low interest rate of 17 percent and 10-year loan

Procurement and Supply Chain

with Gob-Agundu Uche Branch chair (CIPS), Nigeria (… Culled from CIPS Positions on Practice)

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upplier development is the process of working with certain suppliers on a one-to-one basis to improve their performance as well as capabilities for the benefit of the buying organization. It can take the form of a one-off project or an ongoing activity that may take some years to come to fruition.

Joint buyer/supplier development activity to improve the integrated performance and capabilities of both the supplier and the buyer is more commonly referred to as partnering. Both supplier development and partnering are subsets of Supplier Relationship management.

Supplier development started to gain traction as a business idea after the Second World War, particularly in Japan. It was only in the 1970’s when the process started to take hold in the United States of America that it began to

be used more widely as a business tactic.

In the UK, competitive pressure was forcing companies to reduce inventory costs and, as a result, quality and delivery times were becoming important considerations alongside price. In response, purchasing departments were instrumental in improving the quality of goods and services by specifying a requirement for suppliers to achieve ISO9000 quality standards. As interest in quality migrated to the concept of ‘continuous quality improvement’ it was a logical step for buyers to expect their suppliers to also adopt this enhanced approach.

The major driving force for development of suppliers is the competitive pressures of the market place, and it is through the decisions of many individual purchasing departments that this force acts. As market places go from local to national to global, the strength of this competitive force dramatically increases. CIPS, therefore, believes that the widest

repayment period which the bank dangled to me”, he said.

According to Okafor, the bank demanded just 20 percent equity contribution from him for any of the housing units that he wanted to buy from the estate selling for between N5million and N8 million per unit, adding that as a demonstration of his readiness to take up the mortgage and buy the house, he made an equity contribution in excess of 30 percent of the cost of the house.

“Over six months down the line, the developer, the mortgage bank and I have been on a Round Robbin, occasionally stopping at the middle of nowhere only to discover that, in all of this, it has been motion without movement. It has been one story after another”, he fumes. Ayodeji Adediji, is an exbanker who worked with one of the big names in the industry, but resigned because “I want to do my own thing and see what impact I can make on the economy from this point”.

He also has a similar experience, differing only in the approach adopted by his own lender who, he said, has kept his N5 million which he paid as equity for the house he wants to buy from a developer who is also in another phantom partnership with the same mort-

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) gage bank.

“As I speak to you, my money has been with the mortgage bank since the past eight months; I am told it is in escrow account in which case it is not yielding any interest for me; the developer is very slippery and insincere with delivery date for the estate. Every day, like a fraudulent referee, he shifts the goal post. By the last count, he has shifted the delivery time three times and still counting”, he lamented.

A banker, who does not want his name mentioned also shared his experience, saying he came close to losing his money to developers over unrealistic delivery dates, lamenting that on each occasion, his money was given back to him after he had nurtured and came close to realizing a home ownership dream.

People with these experiences will hardly ever seek mortgage facility, nor will they encourage

any of their relations or friends to have same experience and this is a major factor that can slow the growth of the mortgage industry.

Not too long ago, in a move aimed to address the housing problems in Nigeria, some notable PMBs and real estate developers entered into another strategic partnership aimed to provide housing and mortgage for prospective home buyers. That partnership which, it was hoped, would in 24 months deliver a residential community comprising 554 housing units is yet to make any impact.

This is a worrisome development that may continue to stultify the growth of this all important sector. The setting up of both the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and the National Housing Fund(NHF) were well intentioned, but their operations have left them mired in mucky waters with poor capital base.

Supplier development (1) possible Professional tendering process is a tried and tested vehicle for deriving the benefits and value of this market process.

Ho w e v e r, Pr o c u r e m e n t professionals must also recognise that significant issues arise with costs, time, resource and especially risk when the decision is taken to change a current supplier for a new one selected by a tendering process. Therefore, there is a case to be made for reducing the cost and risk by taking a current supplier and helping it to develop performance and capabilities that will be of value to the buying organisation.

What does supplier development involve?

Handfield & Krause et al (2000) believe that it is best to view supplier development as a long – term business strategy that is the basis for an integrated supply chain.

Supplier development is, at its simplest level, about giving regular feed back of the supplier’s performance as experienced by the buyer’s organisation, together with any customer complaints This information can often, in and of itself, provide a strong incentive for suppliers to improve their performance, particularly in areas such as delivery reliability and lead times. This approach can be further bolstered by using the expertise in the buying organization to develop the supplier’s capabilities and hence increase the total added value in both products and services. Procurement and Supply

Management professionals should also be receptive to the possibility of embracing supplier expertise and aligning it to the buying organization’s business needs.

A further advantage of this supplier development approach is that the areas chosen for improved performance or capability are tailored to the specific needs of the buying organization, and this alignment ensures that the benefits feed directly through into the organisation’s products and services, enabling it to become even more competitive in its own market place.

There is no single approach to supplier development.

Th e r e a r e m a n y d i f f e r e n t types and approaches that are appropriate for different supply markets and Procurement professionals must select the most appropriate approach to suit the relationship they have with the supplier.

There are instances when changes in legislation, regulation, systems, or procedures occur which will affect all suppliers. In these circumstances, the buying organisation will need to adopt a suitable supplier development program that uniformly targets all key suppliers. Conference, workshop or rolling seminars can be a cost – effective way of approaching this development requirement.

While formal supplier programmes have much merit,

they should not replace an agreed and well – crafted dispute resolution procedure within the contract. This procedure should establish the root causes of the problem and a requirement for procedures to be modified, or new ones introduced, to ensure that there is no future repetition. This is because when complaints are more specific and personal; the supplier has a direct incentive of converting a disgruntled customer back into a satisfied one.

Areas for development might include some or all the following: • Cost reduction that helps to maintain the supplier’s profit margin • Quality improvement that both reduce reject costs and/or increase reliability of buyer’s goods or manufacturing processes.

• Quality improvement in service provision that meets the customer needs and is subject to continuous improvement.

• Improved lead-times and/ or delivery reliability • Improved product or service functionality or performance and possibly new products or services that are tailored to the buyer’s specific needs • Improved support from the supplier.Thismayincludeitemssuch as automated stock replenishment and reduced payment terms • Improved product training for customer end users

…to be continued next week when we shall examine Pre requisites of supplier development among others.

36 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 17 March 2019

SundayBusiness Essentials of food packaging in Nigeria Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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rom time immemorial, man had always felt the compelling need to protect his possessions from the vagaries of weather, as well as disease – causing agents. For instance, the biblical Adam and Eve had to cover their nakedness with leaves, in the Garden of Eden after committing the first sin of disobedience against God. The early man made clothing materials from leaves and animal skins. He used same, in addition to earthen pot and calabashes to store and preserve his food items.

Packaging is therefore, as old as man’s history. It can be simply defined as the use of any form of container in storing, packing, protecting, preserving, presenting, distributing and selling products to the consumer. It also refers to any material used in wrapping and protecting goods from harsh climatic conditions and

contaminants. With the coming of modern science, and advances in Technology, packaging has become a sophisticated and specialised field requiring skilled man-power.

Businesswise, it is a money-spinner but often neglected by some ignorant investors.

Qualities of packaging materials and their functional efficiencies have both witnessed remarkable improvements since the Industrial Revolution. Good packaging is therefore, essential for all types of consumer items. These include both durable items (like electronic materials) and non-durable like drugs, soap, detergents and of course agricultural products and most processed foods.

Modern man’s changing tastes, increasing preference and demand for consumer items require a variety of skills appropriately provided by modern technology. Thus, the designs and choice of stable, durable, weather-proof packaging materials have aided today’s man in different ways. Packaging is used in effective storage, as material handing tool, a convenience item, a cost-saving device, a preservative, a processing aid and of course, as an effective marketing tool.

This plays a key role in the presentation of food items to the end-user or consumer. It gives the product its unique identity and individuality. For instance, an average Nigerian consumer would always identify the world-famous coca cola soft drink, with the shapely, transparent glass bottle, the lager beer with the green bottle and the tomato puree with the lacquered tin.

Historically, the establishment of packagingindustryinNigeriastarted

way back in 1964 with Bordpak Company, the first manufacturer of corrugate cartons here. Before then goods like beverages, sugar and milk were imported in wooden crates or corrugated cases and cartons by the colonial masters.

Premier Industries like Guinness, Tate and Lyle, Lever Brothers and Nigerian Breweries were amongst the first to benefit from Bordpak Company.

Bordpak, based at Apapa later had a three-in-one integrated complex which produced corrugated cartons, folding boxes (light pack), flexible wrappers, labels, laminates and sachets.

Also, corner-glued trays, as well as cartons and boxes were also produced for agricultural products like day-old chicks, vegetables, fruits, meat, chicken and eggs.

BPP packaging company also based in Apapa and owned by UAC Nigeria Ltd followed in Bordpak’s footsteps, producing similar packaging items. Its products earned it the name “The packaging specialist” in the Nigerian market.

Today however, Nigeria can boast of well over two thousand of such companies manufacturing a variety of food packaging materials.

These include the plastic and glass industries, the well-known Bagco super sack, with durable jute bags, as well as the ubiquitous polythene, cellophane and paper-converter companies.

Inphysicaltermspackagescanbe divided broadly into two categories – the primary ones are those which come into direct contact with the product. Therefore, their chemical and physical compositions must be in health standard conformity

PIND tasks women on partnership for innovation, productivity in businesses YOMI AYELESO, Akure

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oundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) has tasked women to build robust partnership for innovative ideas so as to increase efficiency and productivity in their various business enterprises.

The PIND Capacity Building Program Manager, Mrs. Bose Eitokpah, said this in Akure, the Ondo state capital at an event to mark 2019 International Women’s Day (IWD) outreach for women across the Niger Delta states. Eitokpah noted that the organisation identified the benefits of capacity building, knowledge sharing, knowledge economy and transfer among groups for profit maximization. “PIND’s overarching strategy is built on the belief that no single organisation alone can solve complex and interconnected challenges in the Niger Delta region.

“We have therefore adopted the partnership approach based on the fact that it enables organisations to combine resources, capabilities and technical expertise with others for greater collective impact.”

She, however, disclosed that the event which had over 170 par-

ticipants, was not only organised for women but also for men so that they can maximize the 2019 IWD theme: “Think equal, build smart and innovate for change.”

According to her, PIND joined the world to commemorate IWD in 2015 and has been promoting the cause of the Niger Delta women in pursuance of the foundation’s four cardinal programs.

There were lectures on “innovate to accessing external markets, accessing resources for procuring, agric technology and demonstration and experience sharing on Chorkor oven and smoking kiln among others.

Eitokpah, who is also PIND Gender Mainstreaming Coordinator, urged the women who shared their experiences from their various communities, to develop positive mindset and unwavering commitment to change irrespective of the challenges they encounter.

“To innovate for change means understanding inconveniences, learn from successes and failures, process and act on lessons that call for improvement and work to convert such strengths.”

She recounted that “we saw this happen in the case of the intro-

duction of Chorkor oven, where centrally located models of the oven did not work for women in the riverine communities, who would rather own and operate individual fish processing ovens within the households. “We learnt out lesson, understood the challenges and converted the knowledge into promoting individually owned Chorkor oven. Now, over 150 Chorkor ovens are in use in the riverine communities of the Niger Delta.”

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant on Women Affairs, Mrs Titi Adeyemi, sought collaborative efforts by Civil Society Organisations for women empowerment.

While the Chairman of Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Mr. Gbenga Edema, alongside other state government representatives, lauded PIND for the Chorkor oven and smoking kiln.

Edema said the special interventions of PIND in the five agricultural value chains, aquaculture, cassava, cocoa, palm oil and poultry have yielded much impacts on employment, profitability and peace in the state.

and compatibility. Those in this category include cellophane, polythene and paper packages, wrappers, lacquered metal tins, plastic containers, glass jars and bottles. They are used in packaging confectioneries like biscuits, bread and sweets. Others are soft drinks, sugar fruit juices, beer, beverages and evaporated milk.

On the other hand, secondary packages are larger containers used to carry many units of primary packages, ready for transportation and marketing.

These include corrugated cartons and crates for specific number of primary packs. For instance, a board paper carton (secondary) is used for 12 bottles (primary) of beer (product). Whereas, a plastic crate (secondary) contains 24 bottles (primary) of Fanta soft drink (product). This catergorisation is however, a general one as there may be instances of both the secondary and primary merging.

In choosing which of the primary packaging material to use for a particular product, certain characteristics of the container or package are normally considered. Glass has the advantage of the balanced forces of compression and tension. It is transparent to light and impervious to contaminants.

It also has the beauty of shape.

These attributes make it the first choice for marketing soft drinks.

However, it has the disadvantage of being easily broken as one has seen several times along major highways when vehicles carrying crates of bottles are involved in road accidents. Its transparency may also be disadvantageous when certain chemicals inside it

experience photolysis due to long exposure to harsh sunlight.

Plastic containers have the desired attributes of strength combined with lightness and imperviousness. It gives adequate protection to packaged foods like sugar, evaporated milk and fruit juices. However, it has the disadvantages of low resistance to high temperature, and it reacts with certain food items. Therefore, plastics are hardly used a processing aids. While bottled beer, fruit juices and mineral drinks are subjected to heat during sterilization or blanching of canned fruits and vegetables, same cannot be done with plastics. Some are also not transparent, as with glass bottles which allow for easy identification of products.

Metal tins have the advantages of tensile strength, seal ability, printability, imperviousness and high resistance to heat. They are however, lacquered (layered with a golden chemical reaction) between the packaged food and the tin. Thus, it’s chosen in packaging beverages like Bournvita, Milo, Ovaltine, as well as for tomato puree, sardine, baked beans, canned beers and soft drinks. The high advantage of seal ability protects the packaged product from easy spoilage.

Bacteria and fungi are kept at bay especially after oxygen has been driven off before sealing. And, as stated earlier, metal cans serve as processing aids. It ensures long shelf-life for the processed food.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

Employment scam: EFCC arraigns Custom’s boss impersonator Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ilorin Zonal Office, on March 14, 2019 arraigned Azeez Yakubu Afolayan, before Justice M. Abdulgafar of a Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin, for allegedly impersonating the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd) to engage in employment scam.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Acting Spokesman of the EFCC, Tony Orilade, said Afolayan is facing a four-count charge bordering on impersonation, job scam, and obtaining money under false pretence adding that he was arrested

by EFCC operatives on March 5, 2019 following complaints from one of his victims.

Trouble started for him when a staff of the Customs Service, Hasaan Garba Muhammed petitioned the EFCC, accusing him of defrauding innocent Nigerians, seeking employment into the Service.

He had so far defrauded them of about N1, 000, 000 (One Million Naira) only.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Yakubu Azeez Afolayan, between the months of November 2018 and January 2018 in Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with the intent to defraud, obtained the gross sum of N267,000 (Two Hundred and Sixtyseven Thousand Naira) only from one Usman Janet Opeyemi through your UBA account number under the false pretence that you are capable of securing employment for her son with the Nigerian Customs Services; the representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.” He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.

Counsel for the EFCC, Andrew Akoja, urged the court to give a date for trial for prosecution to prove its case, and to order the remand of the defendant in prison.

Counsel for the defendant, A.A. Raheem, however, moved an oral application for bail, which was turned down by the Judge.

Sunday 17 March 2019

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BDSUNDAY 37

TheWorshippers Our leaders must practise what they preach - Prophet Nwachuwku Anele Nwachuwku, a prophet and general overseer of Rhema Deliverance Mission, recently celebrated his 46th birthday. On the sidelines he spoke with a select group of journalists on some key national issues relating to the 2019 general election and his passion for uplifting lives. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU, who was there:

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At 46, what are the lessons life has taught you? ife is full of ups and downs. I did not have a place to stay and someone gave me shelter at some points in my life; I had the opportunity to steal the person’s dollars and I did not. I believe life has taught me to live upright and uphold integrity. Take for instance, the members of the church that started with me since inception are still with me; if I lacked integrity, am not sure they would still be with me.

You decided to celebrate quietly among your flock; what influenced your decision?

I believe I am not a ‘show man’.

The best way I thought of celebrating is to celebrate with my flock.

I believe at 46 I have come a long way with my members; I believe God has used them to shape my life. It is my way of appreciating them.

If given the chance, are there things you would like to change or do you regret being a Pastor?

Well, the regret is that someone who is a general in the Pentecostal circle that we were supposed to be looking up to, stood out against us. The person fought us but in all God saw us through. In Romans 9 verse 15, the Bible says it is not to him that runneth or willeth, but of God that showeth mercy. God showed us mercy by raising help for us in places we did not expect.

Today, I can tell you that our today is better than our yesterday. Even those that they tried to confuse into thinking I’m a fake preacher can all testify; this is because with evidence your explanations will be

Anele Nwachuwku

made easy. As Jesus was ascending to heaven He shouted ‘open ye the gate.’ They asked who the king of glory is, Jesus said the Lord strong and mighty in battle, Psalms 24 verse 7. What was Jesus trying to show? He was trying to show that He is coming with evidence. If you have evidence in life doors will open.

Some people believe that ‘men of God’ are the problem of the society?

It is not true that men of God are the problem of the society.

The problem of the society is that people are not listening to the word of God. We tell people to abstain from evil, but has it stopped armed robbery? An armed robber

goes to church and mosque. The problem is that some people have refused to change as they are used to the evil lifestyles they are into.

The Bible says you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. If you do not know the truth you would still remain in bondage, it is the truth you know that makes you free.

There is an observation that while China, Malaysia and other countries are investing heavily in technology and industries; Nigeria has more churches springing all over the place… (cuts-in) One thing I must tell you is that majority of the people in the countries you mentioned do not serve God, they serve mammon

Group urges opposition to shun politics of bitterness

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group of pastors under the auspices of Pastors United for Change Association in Kaduna has urged opposition parties in Kaduna to shun politics of bitterness and close ranks with El-Rufai in moving the state forward.

The group stated this in congratulating Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna state governor on his re-election in the just concluded gubernatorial election.

David Adeniran, the national chairman of the association, said there is a need for the people of Kaduna to support El-Rufai in moving the state forward.

“El-Rufai’s victory is divine and we strongly believe that it will bring a lot of benefits to the good

people of Kaduna state. However, we are hoping that the emergency of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai will turn around the fortune of the state and place the state amongst the leading economy in Nigeria,” said Adeniran.

Adeniran however urged the people of Kaduna to support the governor in his quest to transform the state to an enviable height.

“With the cooperation of all and sundry, we are not in doubt in the capacity of the governor in providing good governance for the teeming population of the state going by his track records of performances.

“His re-election is a testimony to the level of confidence that he enjoy among the people of the state, attributable to his wisdom, experi-

ence in politics, sense of engagement and devotion to the service and the protection of the interests of the state,” Adeniran stated.

According to him, the church will continue to pray for the government of Kaduna State and its people. The group also stated that it will pray for sound health and divine wisdom to guide the governor in lifting the state to the desired level of growth, development and progress.

“In our part as clerics, we shall continue to encourage the government in doing the right thing at all times for the benefit of all, and also to continue in our prayers for the governor El-Rufai led administration not to derail from its promises,” he concludes.

and strange idols. In Nigeria, we are godly. If we do not have many churches we won’t have space to accommodate worshipers. We are making people that would in turn make the nation. When a person is healed in the church the country is healed. Don’t forget that to depopulate the kingdom of darkness and populate the kingdom of light we need to have more churches.

So, does having more churches instead of factories translate to economic power?

Now you are talking about factories or industries of which we are not against. Let me give you a very clear picture - you cannot operate factories without power. Many factories are closing up because they are not able to meet up with the expenses of buying diesel, as there is no supply of electricity. Imagine buying one million naira worth of diesel to produce N500, 000 worth of goods, will you continue to produce? So, the problem is that the government of Nigeria has refused to produce adequate power to sustain factories.

Again, does this mean that the prayer of the churches is not affecting the nation positively?

The thing is that some persons in government are only after their pockets and are not interested in what favours the masses. I always make it known that a good politician believes in the next generation but a bad politician thinks about the next election, taking power by force, through thuggery and rigging. We have wicked politicians in Nigeria who do not care about their people. Take for instance, constituency projects.

How many of these projects can you see in your environment? Can you question them? No. Can you access them? No. They all have armed security men around them.

What we have as politicians are selfish men and not leaders.

What is your assessment of the 2019 general election?

Some people believe that manipulation is in the highest level.

Take for example in Rivers State the card readers did not work and there was violence. I do not think this government wants to step down or hand over to anybody.

Reports had it that after casting his vote President Buhari was asked if he will congratulate the winner of the election he said he would congratulate himself while Atiku said he would congratulate the winner. My advice is that the winner should be accepted because we see Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as an impartial umpire though we know that there are some issues with INEC. But for the nation to move forward we need to accept the result.

If you are to meet one on one with our political leaders, what would you tell them?

I will tell them to have a change of heart that the evil they are doing would expose them, because righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach. I will tell them to be selfless. We can recall that President Buhari’s son had an accident; he was flown abroad and he (Buhari) travels abroad for medical checkups and treatment, whereas he is the same person that tells us to believe in made-in-Nigeria. Our leaders should practise what they preach instead of lying.

Foursquare Gospel congratulates Buhari on election victory

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he Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election victory at the recently concluded general elections held in Nigeria.

The church in a congratulatory letter addressed to the President and signed by the General Overseer, Rev Felix Meduoye on behalf of the Board of Directors, leadership and entire worshippers of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria said, “Your victory at the presidential poll held on Saturday February 23, 2019 is a testimony of

God’s divine providence over your life. We commend your administration for providing the enabling environment for a generally peaceful and successful election.

“We urge you to see your renewed presidential mandate as a call from all Nigerians to you to marshal the growth, unity and stability of our dear country. We therefore pray that God will enable you to utilize this God-given mandate to continue to forge a strong, virile and united Nigeria irrespective of race, religion or region,” the church said in a statement.

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BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

Trophy’s visibility and place of brand ambassadors As Trophy Larger beer makes further inroads into the Nigerian market, this reports looks at how cutting edge marketing strategies, especially the appointment of Brand Ambassadors have helped the brand deepen its penetration.

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elebrity endorsement and appointment of brand ambassadors are not new phenomenon in the marketing mix but they have in recent time, become strong tools in brand building in Nigeria. In the last few years, hardly there is any brand that has not, at one time or the other, associated with a celebrity for a particular period. European coca wine maker, Vin Mariani set the standard back in the 19th century with print endorsements from Pope Leo XIII and French actor Bethelier. Since then, celebrities and companies have continued to join forces when selling products, with mixed results.

From Pepsi, to Nike, Diageo to Coca-Cola, all have ride on endorsement to extend their frontiers in the market.

In recent time, top Nigeria artistes have been engaged by various brands for positioning. Perhaps the telecoms brands are more popular for this, considering how Nollywood strong personalities, actresses and music icons have been engaged in the last 10 years by various brands in the sector. The story is the same in the Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector of the economy Beer market Like in the game of football, where players are making frantic efforts to score goals, things are happening fast in the Nigerian beer market. Until recently, the duel was well pronounced between Nigerian Breweries Plc and Guinness Nigeria. But since 2011, when AbInBev Nigeria, acquired majority share in the International Breweries Ilesa, manufacturers of Trophy Larger and took control of the ownership of Hero, a popular brand in the Eastern market, the game has changed.

Within three years of the acquisition, top strikers in the nation’s beer market were not only tackled by Trophy and Hero, the two brands assumed good positions among the middle class consumers. A development, which sent handlers of the existing market leaders back

L-R: Joseph Yobo; Falz; Yomi Benson, MD, culture communications and Femi Adebayo

to drawing board to come out with strategies that could help them control their dwindling fortune and market share. To this end, industry watchers have consistently argued that the threat posed by these challengers led to recent decision by the giants in the industry to focus on brands that will appeal to middle class consumers.

The brand, the ambassadors If there is anything that has contributed to the growth of the Trophy brand in Nigeria, it is believed to be its commitment to innovation and creativity. For instance, aside the use of advertising and experiential supports, promoters of the brand, through their agency have invested hugely in sponsorship and celebrity endorsement. The height of this was when the company unveiled a credential campaign christened ‘The Honourable’. Not done, its spin doctors also played a fast game when they settled for a suave Nollywood personality –Femi Adebayo, as the face of ‘The Honourable’. The decision was applauded by industry watchers because the actor is be-

lieved to represent the best in the new generation of theatre practitioners in the South West. The two strategies didn’t only cause a stir in the market place it boosted the profile of the brand and took it to the premium position Last week in Lagos, the brand promoters took the strategy a notch higher when they signed on three ambassadors (Falz, Joseph Yobo and Femi Adebayo) for the 2019 marketing year; Femi is an existing ambassador whose contract was only renewed, while Yobo and Falz are being signed anew.

The unveil heralds a 5-a-side football competition sponsored

by Trophy, which starts in March this year. All lovers of football have been encouraged to participate in the competition, either as fans or as players.

“There are designated bars where interested teams and individuals are required to pick-up forms for registration to participate, once they meet the criteria of submitting 36 crown corks. Plenty gift items and monies will be won during the

SPAR clinches 2019 best retail and superstore brand SEYI JOHN SALAU

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PAR, chain of hypermarket retail stores, recently won the Best Retail and Superstore Brand 2019 award at the 3rd edition of the West Africa Brands Excellence Awards held in Lagos. The award presented to SPAR was in recognition of its excellent service to Nigerian consumers and value addition the brand brings to the West African sub-region retail market.

The annual award which is organized by the Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria (IBMN), aimed at identifying, recognizing, and rewarding companies that are renowned for introducing best branding management practices across West Africa.

The Registrar/Chief Executive of IBMN, Desmond Esorougwe, described the selection of SPAR as the outcome of a study which placed the brand ahead in the retail industry in Nigeria. “SPAR Nigeria is renowned for its positive impacts on the lives of consumers, its

philanthropic gestures and the provision of innovative products and services,” said Esorougwe.

John Goldsmith, the marketing head, SPAR Nigeria, said the award is an incentive to continually improve the brand by giving the utmost satisfaction to our customers across Nigeria.

According to Goldsmith, the philosophy of the brand is ‘My Nigeria, My SPAR’, a reflection of its total belief in Nigeria, aligning its business practices to the larger objective of being a premier catalyst in Nigeria’s growth story.

competition, while the icing on the cake is the fact that the overall winner will represent Nigeria at a continental 5-a-side tourney in Tanzania.

All three ambassadors will feature in communication materials that will be deployed for the competition,” the company stated in a statement.

At the unveil, BU – President West Africa, International Breweries, Annabelle DeGroot, said: “At International Breweries, we put our customers first and strive to give them all round value whether in an experiential manner or otherwise.

That is why we are happy that the Trophy 5-a-side Field of Honour tournament will resonate well with our people who are also football lovers.”

On her part, Marketing Director, International Breweries, Tolu Adedeji, remarked that the company knew that Nigeria is a football loving nation, stating that the Trophy 5-aside Field of Honour campaign is not just another soccer tournament.

With the recruitment of the ambassadors, it is believed that it will help the brand to consolidate

its foothold in the Nigeria market and serves to widen the spread of the brand’s key expression of ‘live with honour’ in three critical sectors: Music, Movie and Football.

Culture Communications is the full-service advertising agency that has successfully curated Trophy Lager’s branded communications – since 2011. Managing Director of the agency, Yomi Benson, sees the on-boarding of three ambassadors for Trophy as “a historic moment that will have far-reaching effects not only in the beer industry but also in Nigeria’s marketing landscape generally”. He added that “the agency is very proud to have played a pivotal role in this undertaking that very loudly espouses Trophy’s essential brand purpose of rewarding honourable actions”.

How it all started According to a source close to the management of the company, the first thing that was discovered after a survey was conducted on how to push the brand was that the Trophy brand was merely blinking in the dark, without any modern marketing support to showcase its uniqueness and push it in the market. This was said to have led to the engagement of Culture Communications, a company that became fully operational on January 04, 2010, barely a year before AbInBev Nigeria bought into the business.

The full-service advertising agency, headed by Yomi Benson, a marketing communication practitioner with over 25 years’ experience on both client and agency sides, quickly mapped out strategies to play up the unique selling points of the brand with relevant campaigns.

Aside working for AbInBev Nigeria, Culture Communications also handles the Advertising accounts of BAT Nigeria, KFC Nigeria and GoGamePro. The agency’s exploit on Trophy could be said to have instant impact on the brand as Trophy soon moved out of its comfort zone to challenge and conquer the presumed market leaders across the beer market in the Western part of the country.

P&G Nigeria introduces new Always Cotton Soft Sanitary Pads

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lways, world’s foremost feminine care brand of P&G, recently launched a newer and more affordable product –‘Always Cotton Soft’ into the Nigerian market.

AccordingtotheBrandManager, Always Nigeria, Funmi Adigolo, the new Always Cotton Soft is specially designed to be as soft as cotton to soothe the skin and afford users comfortable protection all day long.

She stated that the product was made particularly for people who desire a soft and soothing feel from their pads so as to make their period a happier and more comfortable experience. “It is two times softer

than our Always Classic thick pads with a very soft top sheet”, she said in a statement.

The Communications Manager, P&G, Nigeria, Tomiwa Ajewole, also added that “the new Always Cotton Soft is now available at an affordable price point of N250 at most retail stores across Nigeria.

While this is the recommended price, all pricing at the shelves is at the sole discretion of the retailers.

He also mentioned that this launch is part of company efforts to make everyday life a little better and easier for the average Nigerian female especially now when we all face pressing domestics needs but have limited financial capacity.”

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EquityMarket Access Bank’s dividends depressed by mergers as equities shed N292bn ...as UBA set to pay N22bn dividends to shareholders

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Stories by TELIAT SULE ccess Bank Plc, which is in the last stage of finalising its merger with Diamond Bank Plc, has proposed to pay shareholders N0.25 per share for the year ended December 31, 2018, and this may turn out to be the least dividend per share among the nation’s tier 1 banks payable in the 2019 dividend season. The five tier 1 banks are Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), United Bank for Africa (UBA), Zenith Bank, First Bank of Nigeria Limited and Access Bank Plc. Only First Bank of Nigeria Limited is yet to announce its audited financial statement through FBN Holdings Plc but analysts are optimistic it will outperform its earnings forecasts.

Zenith Bank had earlier proposed to pay shareholders N2.50 per share which amounted to N78.5 billion just as GTB proposed to pay N2.45 per share which translated to N72.1 billion. Last Friday, the United Bank for Africa (UBA) proposed to pay N0.65 per share and that amounted to N22.2 billion.

Meanwhile, at N0.25 per share as final dividend, Access Bank will be paying shareholders N7.23 billion as dividend, which turns out to be the least among the four tier 1 banks that have made their corporate actions known to the investing public, thus bringing the total dividend paid in 2018 to N0.50, having paid N0.25 per share at half as interim dividend.

The reduction in Access Bank’s corporate actions may not be unconnected with its merger with Diamond Bank. The bank announced last Friday it had received the final approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to consummate its merger with Diamond Bank.

“Access Bank Plc is pleased to announce that the Bank has received the final approval of both the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission to the proposed Scheme of Merger (‘the Scheme’) between the Bank and Diamond Bank Plc. The Scheme is

subject to judicial sanction of the Federal High Court. We will provide further update to the market upon receipt of the court sanction of the Scheme”, the statement read.

With the latest corporate actions coming from both Access Bank and UBA, the total proposed dividends for the 2019 dividend season have risen to N529.6 billion. From the proposed dividends, banks, including Stanbic IBTC, will be paying shareholders on due dates N195.4 billion, and this amounted to 37 percent of the total proposed dividends year to date.

“Acquisition may have played a role

in the amount of dividend Access Bank is proposing to investors. An Acquisition requires huge amount of cash expenses alongside the fact that the bank also proposed cash payment for the shares bought from Diamond Bank’s shareholders. Hence, the bank will need to work towards having good liquidity standing in order to fund the merger and post-merger requirements’, said Chinonye Nnewuihe , senior analyst with Meristem Securities.

In spite of more listed firms announcing handsome rewards for shareholders, the nation’s equity

market remained unresponsive as the All Share Index (ASI) last week retreated into the negative territory.

ASI closed at 31,142.72 points last week Friday, March 15, 2019 which translated to -0.92 percent returns year to date when compared with 31, 430.50 points on the last trading day of 2018. The market capitalisation closed at N11.6 trillion last week Friday compared with N11.91 trillion on the last on March 8 2019 translating to a loss of N291.5 billion in a week.

Analysts have attributed different factors as responsible for the neutral posture of investors to mouth-water-

ing corporate actions from listed firms.

“Whilst the political risk overhang has largely abated, I think investors are looking forward to announcement on CBN leadership and policy direction. The market is clearly undervalued, particularly the large –cap banks trading at historic low valuations. Hopefully, as the fog clears, both local investors and foreign portfolio investors will return to equities.

“More so, expectation of further moderation in yields on fixed income securities reinforces the positive outlook for equities, as fund managers should allocate more money to equities, a development which should trigger deserved upward re-rating of value stocks on the Nigerian Stock Exchange(NSE)”, said Abiola Rasak, head, investor’s relation, the United Bank for Africa.

For the financial year ended December 31, 2018, Access Bank made N528.7 billion as revenue compared with N459.1 billion made in similar period in 2017. Net interest income after impairment charges stood at N158.9 billion in 2018 well above N129 billion made in comparable period in 2017. Profit before tax for the current period was N103.2 billion as against N78.2 billion in the previous period. Profit for the year was N95 billion in contrast to N60 billion in the previous period.

Furthermore, the United Bank for Africa (UBA) realised N205.6 billion as net interest income for the period ended December 31, 2018 compared with N207.6 billion in 2017. Profit before tax stood at N106.8 billion, representing 2.44 percent increase over N104.2 billion made in similar period in 2017. UBA made N78.6 billion as profit for the period, a marginal increase over N77.5 billion made in comparable period in 2017. The bank expended N1.05 billion on different CSR projects in the course of the year. Notable among such projects were the financial inclusion and public enlightenment project which gulped N400 million; Akwa Ibom State Government Security Project, N177.3 million; Ambrose Ali University , Edo State, N93.7 million and Taraba State Government Security Project, N84 million.

NSE, GRI to host sustainability reporting workshop

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he Nigerian Stock Exchange in partnership with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), is set to host a halfday workshop on sustainability reporting where the NSE Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines will be unveiled. The event is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at the Exchange House in Lagos.

This workshop will bring together C-level executives, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability experts, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders for an interactive session to share insights on the imperative of good sustainable practices and

reporting. The conversation at this workshop will seek to address the implementation of sustainability reporting, key metrics in the new GRI reporting standards, reporting process and enhancement of corporate transparency and ultimately performance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Speakers at the event include Bola Adeeko, Head, Shared Services Division, NSE; Bekeme MasadeOlowola, GRI Board Member and Executive Director, CSR in Action; Olumide Orojimi, Head, Corporate Communication, NSE; Godstime Iwenekhai, Head, Listing Regulation Department, NSE. The panel discus-

sion will feature Temitope Oguntokun, Country Lead, Sustainability and Stakeholder Management, International Breweries Plc; Ken Egbas, Founder/CEO at TruContact CSR Nigeria; Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Head, Sustainability, Access Bank Plc on sustainability and Emilia Asim-Ita, Practice Director, AML. Commenting on the planned workshop, Olumide Orojimi, Head, Corporate Communications, NSE, stated that, “A wide range of investors and other stakeholders are increasingly demanding more disclosure of information and data from issuers on how they are addressing sustainability issues, including ESG

factors and other non-financial risks and opportunities. As a sustainable Exchange, we are committed to helping organizations within our ecosystem implement reporting structure in line with global practices and their business peculiarities.

This event will spotlight corporate social responsibilities beyond just practices and reveal how companies can create value through sustainability and reporting”.

GRI Head of Capital Markets Engagement, Eszter Vitorino, added, “Ensuring the sustainability of development in Nigeria can only be achieved through the proactive contribution of all members of the

investment chain. We, therefore, give a warm congratulations to the NSE for walking the talk and driving corporate sustainability disclosure, which is the pivotal building block of responsible investment decisions”.

Recall that The NSE recently secured approval of its Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines from the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). The Guidelines set out recommendations for good practice in thirteen thematic areas under four core principles in ESG reporting.

With the implementation of Guidelines, investors can look forward to a consistent approach to ESG reporting from Issuers listed on The NSE.

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LifestyleHomes&Suite live Crest beckons in Port Harcourt Paul Ojenagbon

pauloje2000@yahoo.com

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live Crest Estate sits on the 46.

II hectares of prime land in the ‘ Garden City’ of Port Harcourt, Rivers State and is a mixed use development comprising residential built area,

site and serviced plots for bothresidential and commercial purposes, for sale. It is a joint venture project which Afriprops Development Company Limited is undertaking in conjunction with Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority. The project spans across 8 local government areas namely Port Harcourt, Oyigbo, Okrika, Ogu-Bolo, Obio-Akpor, Ikwere, Etche and Eleme, covering a land mass of 1900 square kilometers and with an approximate population of 2m people.

It is essentially conceived to bask in the warm embrace of nature and

to offer a breath taking view of Port Harcourt.

The building types are 3-Bedroom flat, 3-bedroom Townhouse with1 service room, 4-bedrrom semi-detached house with 1 room service room, 4 bedroom detached house with 1room service room and 5-bedroom Triplex with Penthouse Floor master bedroom and swimming pool. Work has since commenced on the expansive project.

For the site and service scheme, a commercial plot of about 2500 square metresis offeredat unit rate of N30, 000.00 per square meter while astandard residen-

tial of about 1200 square metres sells at a rate of N25, 000.00 per square meter. There is an Easter Promo currently running from February 4 to June 30, 2019 for buyers who pay outright. They automatically gain access on first-come- basis to fabulous discounts on 50 units of 450 m2sized plots the company is offering at N9m each and 25 units of 900 square metres plots at N17m each respectively.

Major infrastructure of the estate include a helipad, stable electricity supply on 24/7 with Green

Independent Power Plant and dedicated transformers with underground cabling system. Borehole water is made good through treatment plant and water reticulation. Estate roads will be paved and lined with storm water drainage to get rid of flood water.

Close Circuit Television System complements the security system coordinated from a police post at the Estate Gate. Access to internet is by Broad Band mode. The estate is illuminated at night by street lights. Recreational features of the estate include exotic water parks with

Garden and clubs as well as open field where residents can hold events and socialize generally. Others are gymnasium, squash and tennis courts for the sports buffs. There is a standard sized swimming pool as well as restaurant/Bar/ Lounge. Waste disposal is centralized with sewage treatment plant. A solid arrangement has been made for the management of the property and facilities in the post- development era.

The title on offer is Global Certificate of Occupancy with sub-lease and Deed of Assignment of 75years unexpired term.

Premium Residences caress nature at Lakowe Golf Course

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n a strategic review of its operations to meet growing demand, PWAN Group, a multibrand real estate, network marketing conglomerate with corporate head office in the Ajah axis of Lagos and affiliate companies in several locations in the country and abroad, has diversified its activities by venturing into actual construction of houses.

Hitherto, since its inception in 2012, the group which has successfully produced 150 estates for the real estate market, has been providing sites and serviced plots for buyers to develop their own houses.

In its debut project, the group is currently undertaking the construction of 20 units of 5-Bedroom detached and 4-Bedroom semi-detached houses at its Estate located near the Golf Course at Lakowe, off the Lekki-Epe Expressway.

PWAN Premium Realtors & Concerns Limited, one of

the group’s several affiliate companies that dote the country’s landscape and abroad is the developer and promoter of Premium Residences, one of the several integrated units that make up the project. The managing director/CEO, Dennis Oberabor disclosed that the diversification of their operations was necessitated by the need to meet growing demand of clients who kept asking for suchall-inclusive package to stave off the stress of doing it themselves.

Premium Residences in its first phase, offers 5 units of beautiful and luxurious 4-bedroom semidetached duplex seated on a 225 square metres of land which is aimed at giving the residents and home owners good value for money.

Subsequently, PWAN Premium proposes to expand and develop Terrace Houses in the various locations it has land presently.

The building interior

welcomes you to a smart ante room that introduces one into a lavish living room/dinning space, enjoying natural cross ventilations, abundant day light and scenic views from its French windows. The presence of ensuite guest room and maids’ room readily caters for extra accommodation needs just as recourse for easy adapt-

ability can be found in the home study/office, chapel, theater room, utility room and so on.

The first floor opens into a cozy family lounge, spacious ensuite bedrooms, balconies and a super deluxe bedroom with a commanding view of the building frontage.

The U-shaped kitchen is quite large and its cen-

trally located isle, pantry and nexus to a laundry room is a big positive in a contemporary home. The staircase is strategically located, wide and features gentle gradients for safety and comfort of users with special consideration for the aged, children and family members living with disability. The title on the estate is Governor’s Con-

sent, the most superior, the project has since commenced.

There is a harmonious balance of the limited building unit with the exquisite and exotic natural environment to enable quality living.

The elegant roofing style, easily supports and aids excellent thermal insulation in all seasons and adaptable technology and solar panels. The unbuilt space is paved and provides ample parking for several cars, well-manicured gardens and elegant background space.

Each unit carries a price tag of N45million for the 4-bedroom semidetached and in line with the PWAN generous tradition of giving back, it is half the price for a second unit by the same buyer. The estate will be supported with state of the art infrastructure and facilities befitting its class and scenic location.

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BDSUNDAY 41

The Sunday Magazine

Lagos building collapse: How much is life worth in Nigeria?

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AMAKA AMAKA-EWUZIE he lives of Nigerian citizens are becoming more worthless with each passing day. Scores of lives are lost in avoidable accidents and sometimes through deliberate actions and inactions of those whose major duty is protection of lives and property.

The media is awash with stories about deaths arising from accidental discharges from security agents’ guns, road crashes, ritual killings, building collapse, terrorists’ activities and several others. Government seems to have lost the main essence of its existence. Today, people just die like chicken, and nobody cares. In Nigeria, government is on perpetual holiday in its responsibilities to the citizens!

The endless incidences of building collapse in many parts of the country, particularly, Lagos, have become worrisome.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the collapse of a building in Lagos Island today (Wednesday March 13, 2019). Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones in this unfortunate incident. Our response team is doing everything possible to rescue more people and provide medical attention to survivors,” @ Akinwunmi Ambode.

These were the exact words of prayer and sympathy on the twitter handle of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, of Lagos State, a few minutes after inspecting the scene of the unfortunate incident of building collapse that occurred at Itafaji Street, off Apatira, Lagos Island area of Lagos State.

This disaster, which threw the nationinto mourning, occurred around 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, when a three-storey building, just opposite the signpost for Apatira Street caved in and trapped over 120 school children under the ages of 10 as well as other occupants of the building. The 120 trapped school children were pupils of Ohen Nursery and Primary School, which occupied the third floor of the collapsed building.

A few hours after the unfortunate incident, many Nigerians, including those in government took to Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms to pray for the successful rescue of the trapped children and to mourn those who were found dead.

Governor Ambode was reported to have been pelted with numerous sachets of water by angry Lagosians, when he arrived the scene of the incident a couple of hours later.

Apart from the Governor of Lagos State, the Presidency also took to Twitter handle to console Nigerians and the families of the

victims.PresidentMuhammaduBuhari wrote this on his twitter handle on the evening of that fateful day: “I’m extremely saddened by the news of the collapsed building in Itafaaji area of Lagos. It touches one to lose precious lives in any kind of mishap, particularly those so young and tender. May God grant everyone affected by this sad incident fortitude and succour. I charge the Lagos State Government to do all that is needful so that such tragic developments do not recur,” @ MBuhari.

Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded election also wrote this on his Twitter handle: “My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of pupils caught up in the collapse of the three-storey building at Ita Faji, Lagos Island. No resource should be spared in rescuing the trapped and treating the injured,” @atiku.

The above mentioned condolence messages were the few selected from many of such heartfelt and mind-blowing messages that made the rounds on twitter, other social media platforms, online news platforms and on the pages of the national dailies, 24 hours after the fatal incident occurred in Lagos.

Beyond the gush of sympathetic words and of mourning, the big questions in the mouth of Lagosians and indeed Nigerians at large, are what value does government place on human life? And what role does the Lagos State Government play in ensuring that incidents of this nature are averted in the state?

Nigerians are becoming used to reports of building collapse in areas

like Idumota, Isale Eko, Lagos Island and other densely populated areas where old and dilapidated structures can no longer bear the weight placed on them.

Many Nigerians are now familiar with the messages from government quarters, usually sent to console the families of the people who die in collapsed buildings. These messages also come with ‘empty and ejaculatory promises’ of going after those responsible for such acts of manslaughter, especially the regulatory bodies, who connive with the owners of those illegal structures through bribery, to allow the buildings.

The Ita-Faaji building collapse

On Wednesday March 13, 2019, a three-storey residential building, located at No 14, Massey Street, Opposite Oja, Ita-Faaji, housing a primary school on its pent house, caved in at about 10am in the morning trapping about 120 pupils under the rubble.

The collapsed property was a residential building but part of it was converted to a school.

Official reports have it that the house in question was an old building, which was not technically fit to house a school; but was actually housing an ‘illegal school’ on the third floor. At the end of the rescue operation, it was said that about 40 persons were brought out alive with

several degrees of injuries such as broken legs, broken hands and loss of consciousness, while 18 others were reported dead.

Governor Ambode said at the scene of the mishap that a lot of integrity tests were being carried out on buildings in the Lagos Island neighborhood, which informed marking several of the buildings for demolition, a development that has met with resistance from landlords.

Expectedly, Ambode vowed to ensure that those found to have compromised integrity and official duty, leading to the building collapse and concomitant loss of human lives are punished in accordance with relevant laws of Lagos State.

BDSUNDAY understands that few months before the incident, the house was marked for demolition by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), but several months down the line, the agency never carried out the demolition.

This, observers attributed to corruption and negligence on the part of government and the owners of the property.

According to experts, bad designs, faulty construction, corruption, negligence, foundation failure, extraordinary loads, unexpected failure modes or a combination of these factors, are the major reasons buildings suddenly collapse. These factors can be summed into human error and negligence, which according to a preliminary report have been blamed for the Ita-Faaji incident.

Pundits believed that Ambode’s Continues on page 42

Survivors stable, responding to medical treatment - Idris ANTHONIA OBOKOH

S

urvivors of the collapsed building incident which occurred on the 13th of March 2019 at Ita-Faji in Lagos Island local government area of Lagos State are stable and responding to medical treatment.

This was revealed by Jide Idris Commissioner for Health in the state, early this morning while on a visiting the survivors at the General Hospital in Lagos Island, according to the press statement made available to BusinessDay. “I m delighted to note that the survivors of the unfortunate incident are calm, stable and responding to medical treatment and in no time, some of them who are certified and cleared will be discharged to join their families” He seized the opportunity to reinstate the instructions of the Governor of Lagos State; Akin-

wunmi Ambode that medical care will be at no charge to the affected families.

Idris said ‘as directed by the Governor, medical care for the surviving victims of this unfortunate incident is free. Lagos state is offering comprehensive health care to the victims at no cost. This is the least we can do at this time to ameliorate the suffering and trauma being experienced by the affected families. ‘ On the allegation that some of the patients are being requested to pay for medical treatments, Idris refuted this noting that investigations have revealed that these are false claims, probably cooked up by unscrupulous individuals for the sake of sensationalism. ‘”The allegation that affected people are paying for the comprehensive health care offered to survivors is false and baseless ‘. He responded.

He however, warned concerned

and affected families to beware of people of doubtful characters posing as health workers who may want to take advantage of their vulnerability and anxiety at this period.

He further reiterated the utmost commitment of the State Government in ensuring a zero fatality of those who were rescued alive. He assured that the state government will leave no stone unturned in giving quality health care to Lagosians regardless of age, religious, gender or ethnic affiliations.

“We are committed to the provision of affordable, quality and unfettered access to health care delivery in the State,” he said.

He also put on record his condolences to the families bereaved by the sad incident, saying “I want to commiserate with the families of those who lost their lives in this collapse building. I want to quickly let Lagosians know that this is quite an unfortunate incident.”

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The Sunday Magazine Lagos building collapse...

Continued from page 41 action of reading the riot act after visiting the scene of the incident and threatening to punish those found guilty in accordance with relevant laws of the state was expected.

But, the big question is how many of such people have been punished or brought to book in the past? Last Wednesday’s building collapse was not the first of such incident in the state in recent times.

Similar incidents of collapsed buildings in Lagos Recall that on 12 September 2014, it was reported that a guesthouse owned by a popular Nigerian church, located at Ikotun-Egbe, a Lagos suburb, collapsed and killed about 116 people. The vast majority of casualties were foreigners.

After that incident, the state government, which claimed that the church did not get approval before constructing the building, vowed to punish anybody found to have compromised integrity and quality, even as it vowed to be tougher with home builders in Lagos.

Five years down the line, Lagosians are yet to hear the end of this case with regard to who has been punished for that national tragedy which was taken to court at that time.

Similarly, two years after that incident, another of such incident occurred in the upmarket area of Lagos Island, killing at least 34 people, while 13 were rescued alive according to official reports.

In the last three years, cases of building collapse have been rampant in Lagos State with heavy casualty figures.

Government’s action Two days after the building on Ita-Faaji area of Lagos Island collapsed, the Lagos State Government directed the Lagos State Building Control Agency to demolish all the illegal structures in that area of Lagos.

“Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has given a directive to go ahead and remove over 80 structures in Lagos Island before the end of the month and we are doing them in phases and today (Friday), we are removing three and I assure you that life would be better for Lagosians,” said Omotayo Fakolujo, acting general manager of the State Building Control Agency.

According to him, there are lots of legal tussles that relating to demolition. “I can say that the owners and tenants are recalcitrant, in as much as we try to evict them, they continue to evade arrest. For this one, we just had a clearance from the court last week we are moving to Smith, Palm Church and Adeniji Adele streets where we have marked over 20 structures for demolition.”

Recommendations Much as Lagosians appreciate the efforts of Governor Ambode in securing life and property in Lagos, the Wednesday March 13, 2019 incident and several other buildings that have collapsed in Lagos in times past, could have been averted, if only the government through its regulatory bodies, puts an end to Continues on page 43

Time for Lagos to knock down the city to save it CHUKA UROKO

T

he collapse of three-storey building that happened at Ita-Faji area of Lagos Island a couple of days ago was one building collapse too many in Nigeria’s most thriving commercial city that suffers both quantitative and qualitative infrastructure deficit as well as dire housing situation.

Due largely to its small land mass and large population size estimated at 3,577 square kilometers which is about 0.4 percent of total land area of Nigeria’s 923,768 square kilometers, and 20 million respectively, Lagos is challenged on all fronts.

Of all these challenges, housing is a major issue in the state, given its estimated 3million deficit which explains why many of the residents live in sub-human squatter settlements not only in the identified slum areas of the city, but also in some parts of the city centre such as Lagos Island.

Like most African cities, the large size of Lagos, populationwise, which is supposed to be an asset seems to be a liability and the city planners and managers seem not to help matters in terms of physical expansion and planning control and regulatory enforcement, making the city both chaotic and unlivable.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) published in its 2018 Global Liveability Index, ranked Lagos as the third worst city to live in the world. Out of 140 world cities, EIU ranked Lagos 137th, citing poor living conditions, ease of doing business, security, infrastructure, transportation, economic stability, etc.

Expectation after this ranking was that the managers of the city that prides itself as a mega city by sheer numbers, a smart city by just wishing to be, and a resilient city by simple selection, would have worked on improving on its lot. But they did not, or planned actions are taking too long to materialise, hence existing infrastructure continue to get worse while housing continues to an unaffordable luxury.

Like Nairobi, the administrative and commercial capital of Kenya, time is now for Lagos planners to knock down the city to save it. The Economists of London reported recently that municipal authorities in Nairobi spent much of last year knocking things down.

“Shopping malls, petrol stations and apartment blocks were levelled; bulldozers cut through slums, leaving tens of thousands homeless. All this destruction may seem rather wanton in a poor city.

Yet the government-backed body overseeing it, the Nairobi regeneration task-force, insists that the only way to save the Kenyan capital is to wreck bits of it”, the paper disclosed.

Lagos is just due for urban regeneration and renewal and that exactly is what municipal authorities have done in Kenya. Besides Lagos Island where the state government revealed there are over 1,000 distressed buildings, over 90 percent of buildings in the identified slum areas of the state including Ajegunle, Ijora Badia, Amukoko, Okokomaiko, etc, are defective and disasters waiting to happen.

The state government revealed further that the collapsed building at Ita-Faji had been marked for demolition about three times, but the building regulatory agency did not demolish it, affirming experts’ view that the high incidence of building collapse in the state is due to political will to enforce the rules and corrupt practices by regulatory authorities.

Lagos has got a large chunk of old, dilapidated, waiting-tocollapse buildings, sometimes in prime locations of the city, yet almost nothing is being done to demolish-and-replace these buildings as a matter of government policy which has raised the status of Nairobi to a world class city.

The benefit of urban regeneration and renewal are immeasurable. The Economist quotes Hass Consult, a local real-estate agent, as saying that today, Nairobi is unrecognisable from the sleepy town it was at the turn of the century, adding that, in the past 12 years, land prices have soared more than sixfold in 24 of the city’s 32 suburbs and satellite towns.

According to the estate agent, far more money could be made in Kenyan bricks and mortar than in rich-world stock markets which is why investors don’t bother investing in the Nasdaq (returns of 210 percent since 2007) because an acre of land in Juja, one of Nairobi’s satellite towns, would have

fetched them 1,428 percent returns on their investments.

In the case of Lagos, a deliberation government policy on urban renewal and regeneration in terms of pulling old and decaying structures down and replacing same, as was attempted by former governor, Babatunde Fashola at Ijora Badia and Lagos Island, would yield a lot of benefits.

Apart from environmental beautification befitting a mega city that Lagos aspires to be, such an effort would also solve major social problems of homelessness and destitution as well as prevent the frequent and unfortunate incidents of building failures that have cause the state enormous resources, leaving families in endless lamentations for lost lives and properties.

While residents await the state authorities to initiate processes and programmes that will lead to urban renewal, the authorities have to take far-reaching measures to prevent further incidents of building collapse in the state, especially avoidable ones like the Ita-Faji incident, This has become necessary because, though influx of substandard building materials into the market, non-implementation of the National Building Code, employment of cheap and unqualified labour, use unqualified building contractors, lack of adequate supervision by the designer(architect) and engineer, etc, are often cited as causes of building failures, the government and building professionals bear more blame for their neglect.

“Many of the buildings on Lagos Island, Isale Eko particularly, have deteriorated so significantly that renovation should not be encouraged”, noted Kunle Awobudu, president, Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG), who was

at the scene of the Ita-Faji building collapse.

Awobodu stressed that it was not acceptable that buildings in that area had been mark for demolition, saying, “this particular one was one out of many that were not properly constructed. The issue of marking is immaterial. There are over 1,000 houses that were served on the Lagos Island and many of them are still standing.”

According to him, it was a political statement to say the buildings had been marked. “Marking a building might barely mean to present documents of building plans or building approval. Once you present those, they can permit you to continue your work. It is only when they seal towards demolition and verify for integrity that we can say an action has been taken. The matter is beyond marking,” he said.

The Ita-Faaji building collapse is the third to have hapened on the Lagos Island area in almost a year, and sixth collapse incidents in the state generally since February 2018. News of collapse has been heard in Alagbado and Ikeja and appears to be imminent in other areas except preventive measures are adopted.

Samuel Offiong Ukpong, former chairman, Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Lagos chapter, says building collapse will stop when experts are involved in building construction.

“If our members who are experts were involved, I am not sure this would have happened. Look at the sky liners at Marina, people who were project managers and estate surveyors and valuers worked and most of the buildings are still standing,” he noted Ukpong, however linked the failure to consult expert service Continues on page 43

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The Sunday Magazine

Another avoidable tragedy!

T

AYO OYOZE BAJE

here must have been tears in heaven-and torrents of it! That is, for the 10 year-old school boy who died on his birthday; the traumatized parents, including one Mrs. Adedayo Adedoyin who lost one of her twin daughters, other voiceless victims as well as the owner of Ohen Private Nursery Primary school, all crushed to cruel death.

The tragedy was caused by the collapse the three-storey building housing the school located at No 14, Massay Street opposite Ojo, Ita-Faaji Victoria Island, in Lagos on that fateful black Wednesday of 13th March, 2019.

It was more like a mind-bending, midnight horror film, full of sorrows, tears and blood that seemingly belonged to the realm of a thespian’s weird imagination.

But it was not. The tragedy took place at 10: 20 am and was as real as one’s accompanying shadow, hovering in the silent sun.

In fact, as at late afternoon of that day about 41 persons, including pupils and other residents of the building, were rescued from the rubble by emergency workers. Those that were reportedly injured were receiving treatment at the Lagos Island General Hospital, Massey Children Hospital, Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

As usual, groundswells of regrets take over when preventable deaths such as this take place. If only…if only, the school proprietor, (now late) had acted fast when one Bukola Salami, a former teacher in the school had counseled her to relocate it to another place. That was when he noticed the unusual shaking of the school building, as if some mysterious stones were being thrown at it! But then she complained of not having adequate money to do the needful.

That teacher resigned from the school, and saved his life.

But the proprietor remained and has unfortunately gone to the Great Beyond with some of her innocent pupils. So sad. What makes it more painful include the facts that it could have been prevented, innocent lives, especially of the younger generation were lost and the culture of impunity underlining the calamity persists.

As media reports have it, that house had been marked for demolition since 2015. But given our crass culture of worsening impunity, nothing has happened ever since. Indeed, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had this to say about the tragedy: “as you can see, some of the buildings have been marked for demolition but we get resistance from the landlords”. Yes, you read that right. Nonetheless, he has given an assurance that “we must save lives, those that fail integrity test

will be evacuated and demolished”. Hopefully, that may not be the last we will hear about this gory tale.

Yet, tears are not enough.

Actions- prompt and proactive ones at that could do the magic and save many precious lives. The concern raised by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara should be instructive.”This is one too many of these building collapses that usually claim the lives of innocent people. It is time for decisive actions to be taken against all found culpable of breach of building standards and that end up in disasters”. Well said.

It is appalling to note that no decisive actions have been taken against previous incidents of collapsed buildings across the country over the decades,. Nothing came out of the collapsed multi-storey building at Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State (1974), Barnawa Housing Estate, Kaduna, Kaduna State (1980) and the mosque building, Osogbo, Osun State(1986). There were similar ones involving the uncompleted two-storey building, Isinkan, Akure, Ondo State (1998), two-storey residential building,

”

We must be concerned about identifying the root causes and find lasting answers to building collapse in Nigeria

Funbi Fagun street, Abeokuta, Ogun State (1998 amongst several others.

Narrowing it down to Lagos, there have been those involving the Industrial Development Building (NIDB), Lagos (2006), a two-storey market plaza in Oshodi, Lagos (2010), killing at least four persons and leaving many others wounded. Others are the three-storey building at 15, Alli Street, which collapsed at about 11.00 pm and fell on a bungalow at number 13 of the same street, leading to its collapse in the same year.

Chief among the terrifying incidents of building collapse in Nigeria is the July 2006 collapse in Surulere, Lagos state where three buildings caved in causing pandemonium among residents and killing no fewer than 28 lives and left 50 others severely injured. Also in Lagos, about 37 people lost their lives in fourstorey building mishap at Ebute Meta, same month in 2006.

Another unforgettable tragic collapse occurred precisely on September 12, 2014, where over 100 worshipers were killed in a six-storey building which was under construction in the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos state. The National Emergency Management Agency (NAMA) and other emergency services were criticized for withholding information about the accident and much remained unclear about the number of deaths and their nationalities.

On 8 March 2016, a five-story building collapsed while under construction in Lekki District, Lagos, Nigeria. At least 34 people were killed. Thirteen other people were pulled from the collapsed building alive.

Going by the eye witness account on the recent school building collapse in Lagos from one Abayomi Olaniyan rescue effort was slow. None of the victims could be saved within the first thirty minutes of the tragedy. Though eventually, assistance came from the Lagos State Ambulance Service, Lagos

State Fire Service, Lagos State Building Control Service and the Red Cross, more lives could have been saved if the intervention by the rescue team had come in time.

We must be concerned about identifying the root causes and find lasting answers to building collapse in Nigeria. In a research paper entitled: “Causes and Effects of Building Collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria” Messrs Oseghale, G.E, Ikpo, I.J. and , Ajayi, O. D. the study revealed that the major causes of building failures were bad design, faulty construction, over loading, nonpossession of approved drawings, possession of approved drawings but non-compliance, and the use of quarks.

In the two case studies considered, the total direct loss to the building owners was thirty eight million three hundred and eight five thousand, seven hundred and twenty one naira (N38,385,721) at one hundred and ninety seven naira to one US dollars, central bank Nigeria of exchange rate as at 14th March, 2015.

Still on finding solutions, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, a real estate mogul and the candidate of the African Democratic Party (ADP) in the recent governorship election conducted in Lagos state, has called for a thorough and objective inquiry into the collapsed school building in Lagos, looking meticulously for practical lessons that can be applied immediately to prevent such further occurrence.

Said he:“A quick review of all buildings used as public spaces of gathering, whether as schools or malls or event centres, on more than one floor, needs to be undertaken by specialist civil engineers.”

Furthermore, he has can vassed for special equipment to be used to verify the deadweight carrying capacity of the upper decks of these buildings.

Once that is done, existing buildings can be rated for specific kinds of safe uses that will not cause collapse of this kind. A stitch in time will save nine.

Time for Lagos to knock down the city...

Continued from page 42 in construction to poor condition of the economy and the profitoriented nature of deals offered to indigent land owners by developers.

He believes the monitoring of construction activities should be a joint effort between government officials and independent professionals to ensure effective checks.

“Developers look at the turnaround time of their investment and might do a shoddy job because the interest is not human beings but how much they can make in a particular location. As a member of the BCPG, we have been asking government to partner with us but all our efforts are not honoured,” Ukpong told BusinessDay. Olayinka Omotosho, immediate past chairman of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, believes that estate surveyors and valuers have a huge role to play in preventing building collapse.

“The successful completion of any building depends on a lot of key factors, few of which are as important as the relationship of all professionals involved in the process”, he said.

Omotosho noted further that, in most cases, the estate surveyor acts as a consultant to the client (property owner), meaning that he/she act as an intermediary between other professionals on behalf of the client until the final two stages in construction which are the disposition and maintenance stage.

“Since the activities in terminal stages of a building project is a role the estate surveyor occupies, his effectiveness in this role will be dependent on the quality of work done in the preceding stages”, he said, adding that it becomes important that he is well grounded in those stages to enforce a quality that will be required in attaining the client’s end goal.

Lagos building collapse: How much is life ...

Continued from page 42

paying lip service to doing the right thing. It is sad that a school was actually approved on the third floor of such illegal structure and people are yet to be arrested in the State Ministry of Education for granting approval and sanctioning the existence of such a school.

Therefore, government should muster enough will to go after those in the ministry of education and the Lagos State Building Control Agency that refused to do the needful and allow the existence of both the building and location of school on the collapsed Ita-Faaji.

There is need for government to reduce emphasis on revenue generation but pay more attention to securing lives and property as it has been discovered over time that people go to the Ministry of Urban Planning to pay money and obtain building approval without the officials of the ministry going to the site to ensure that the buildings adhere to specification.

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Health&Science Nigeria, India build partnership to harness opportunities in pharmaceuticals

I

ANTHONIA OBOKOH

mport of drugs and pharmaceuticals present growth opportunities and Nigeria is partnering with India to improve patients’ access to medicine as Africa’s most populous nation develops manufacturing capabilities.

Experts say the pharmaceutical sector has great potential if access to high quality drugs in Nigeria it to be attained. This was highlighted at the 3rd International Exhibition for Pharma and Healthcare (iPHEX Africa) in Nigeria held on 14th- 15th of March where investment outlook for the industry took front burner.

“Import of drugs and pharmaceuticals from India play an important role in the drug distribution chain in Nigeria.

However, promotion and collaboration with high level bilateral exhibition would clear the way for Nigerian pharmaceuticals to get greater market access and penetration in India,” said Mojisola Adeyeye, director general National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Adeyeye said that the essence of the iPHEX Africa expo is to introduce different products from Indian manufacturers to Nigeria and also to interact with the

manufacturers, letting them know that they are ready to partner with Nigerians for local production.

“We want to build a strong bilateral relationship with the regulators in India and we are also working toward reducing about 70 percent of drugs that are been imported to Nigeria with finished goods to about 30 percent.”

“We cannot have a universal healthcare especially in medicine without local manufacturing, I encourage us to embrace partnership we cannot do it alone,” she urged.

Nigeria’s predominantly

informal distribution and retail networks, counterfeit and parallel medicines are often difficult to deal with. However, opportunities exist for investors to take advantage of the gap in Africa’s largest economy.

“Nigeria is one of the most important exporting destinations for India in the Africa region with $418 million worth of exports in 2014-15.

We have contributed high technology and expertise on board to the industry hence the collaboration,” said Udaya Bhaskar, director general Pharmexcil.

Bhaskar said there has

been consistency in pharmaceutical export to Nigeria and India for the past 8-9 years.

“Investment as pharma is concern is not the best type, but there is a potential that is why we are encouraging Nigeria pharmaceuticals to collaborate so as to establish the manufacturing industry,” he said.

Bhaskar also spoke on counterfeit and fake drugs stating that the issue is a global problem “fake drugs are concerned not only in phrama but in all commodities, there is a counterfeiting” hence he urged NAFDAC to address the issues of registration.

Pharmacists call for good practice in dispensing ANTHONIA OBOKOH

W

ith eyes on patients’ safety, pharmacists in Nigeria have said there is need to increase care settings in community pharmacies and hospitals because it enhances good practice in the prescription and management of medicines.

The experts added that the safe distribution of medication to patients also called dispensing remains a core function of pharmacy practice.

“Medications are powerful tools that, if used correctly, can prevent or treat disease.

If used incorrectly, there is potential to cause great harm to people who take them,” said Tobi Osinuga, a pharmacist and ChiefexecutiveofficerCypress Pharmacy.

Osinuga, speaking at the unveiling of Cypress Pharmacy in Lagos recently, explained that Pharmacists’ medication distribution and patients’care services increase patients’ understanding of medications and contribute to improving patient safety.

“Access to safer medicine could be achieved from legiti-

mate wholesalers who patronise genuine drug manufacturers and quality medicine is important in getting safe health care. Patients health will be in jeopardy when they fall sick and they have to deal with the problem of using substandard or fake drugs,” she said.

However, in domiciliary services in a number of countries, the pharmacist provides an advisory as well as a supply service to residential homes for the elderly, and other long-term patients. In some countries,

policies are being developed under which pharmacists will visit certain categories of housebound patients to provide the counselling service that the patients would have received had they been able to visit the pharmacy.

“Many people have lost lives while using un-prescribed drugs, Nigerians should desist from the habit of self-medicating for a forwarding moving healthcare system,” advised Blessing Opara pharmacist at Cypress.

Opara added that pharmacists should ensure that the right dose of the right drug reaches the right patient at the right time by the right route which is the minimum standard under which a pharmacist reviews every medication order for each patient.

She also advised that if pharmacists are unsure about interactions or other aspects of prescribing and medicines management, they should seek suggestion from experienced colleagues.

What can be done to reduce chest pain caused by

C

hest pain due to anxiety is a treatable condition. However, it is imperative to seek professional help if one has chest pain. A correct diagnosis is essential to identify the exact cause of chest pain. The physician will identify the cause of chest pain based on history and various physical examinations.

Pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic therapies may be used to treat chest pain due to anxiety.

Selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) and benzodiazepines are two classes of drugs used to treat panic attacks. These drugs are highly effective and are used for frequently occurring panic attacks. However, benzodiazepines are usually avoided in patients who are alcohol or drug abusers.

Various psychotherapy techniques like talking therapies, and especially cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), have proved beneficial in treating chest pain due to anxiety. Once a correct diagnosis is made, the following lifestyle modifications and home remedies may be used to treat chest pain:

Deep breathing can have a calming effect on body and mind. This technique can normalize the heart rate. First inhale the air for 10 seconds, hold it back for one second and then again exhale for 10 seconds, to bring down chest pain.

Mind-calming techniques - Some simple steps like diverting the attention towards pleasant things or places can relieve the anxiety. It may lead to a slow feeling of relief from the symptoms of panic disorder like chest pain. The patient should realize that chest pain due to anxiety is not life threatening; being optimistic and relaxed can help in relieving chest pain.

Maintaining general health - Performing regular exercise, managing stress with proper techniques and coping strategies, getting enough sleep and eating a well-balanced diet may also prevent the recurrence of panic attack symptoms like chest pain. Cutting out caffeine, smoking and alcohol are also important as these may aggravate anxiety.

Culled from News-Medical.Net

Ekiti residents urged to access free health

... as Permanent Secretary enjoins workers on regular medical check up

AKINREMI FEYISIPO

R

esidents of Ekiti State have been advised to consider the Free health Mission (FHM) organized by Ekiti State Government as an opportunity to access qualitative health care for whatever infirmity to prevent untimely death.

Folakemi Olomojobi the Permanent secretary, Ministry of Health and Human Services, made this plea at the commencement of the second phase of the Free Health Mission of the government in Ikole Local Government Area of the State.

She promised that the medical team that is in partnership with the Development Support Initiative (DSI) would give out their best in attending to patients.

Earlier in his welcome speech, Olatubosun Fasanmi, the Coordinating Director of Ikole Local Government, who appreciated the Governor for fulfilling his promises to give adequate care to the people of the state, encouraged the people of the area to avail themselves the opportunity brought to their doorsteps and equally reciprocate the gesture by supporting Kayode Fayemi-administration for the sustenance of the scheme.

They implored the people of the State to prioritize their health by ensuring regular medical checks-up and partaking in regular exercise to further guarantee long life.

However, James Owolabi

the permanent secretary, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, has also urged workers in the Ministry to ensure regular medical check-up to further ascertain their state of health.

Owolabi, who made the call during a Health Talk Programme organized by the Ministry for the staff of the office in AdoEkiti, noticed that workers can only be effective and efficient at his their duty posts if they are in good health.

The Permanent Secretary also urged them to always educate their children and other members of their family on the need they should get acquainted with the Status of their health.

While analyzing major barriers against sound health, Michael Afolabi, a medical doctor who was a Resource Person for the Lecture listed changing Global Megatrends and Growing prevalence of risk factor as major barriers against good health.

Afolabi itemized sensible eating, regular drinking of water, reduction in caffeine intake, maintenance of good and comfortable posture, taking frequent break in between work, keeping one’s duty post clean and right stress management as factors that can enhance sound health.

One of the beneficiaries at the programme, John Adewumi, while appreciating the Ekiti State Government for prioritizing the health care of its people urged the governor to make the programme a continuous exercise.

Sunday 17 March 2019

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BDSUNDAY 45

COURT WATCH Dasukigate: Okupe ran office without vouchers, witness tells court INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

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prosecution witness, Hassan Saidu, on Friday, March 15, 2019, told Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, of a Federal High Court, Abuja, how Doyin Okupe, a former Senior Special Assistant (SSA), to former President Goodluck Jonathan, engaged in financial transactions without vouchers.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Tony Orilade, Acting Spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Okupe is standing trial along with Value Trust Investment Ltd and Abrahams Telecoms Ltd on a 59-count charge of money laundering and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of N702 million (Seven Hundred and Two Million Naira).

Saidu, Head, EFCC’s Extractive Industries and Fraud Section, told the court that “though there were transfers to persons and companies, we could not tally it to the expenditure that Okupe incurred in the running of the office, because vouchers which were supposed to be produced for running of a government office were never produced”.

Testifying as the third prosecution witness, he further explained that the EFCC received petition,

which among other things, revealed that various sums of money running into millions of naira were transferred to Okupe, his company and one other company, Abrahams Telecoms, by the former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA. According to him, the intelligence was referred to the Special Task Force.

“The Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA was quizzed in respect of the payments made to Okupe and the two companies through a voucher tagged

‘Special Services’,” he said.

Saidu further disclosed that, “sometime in June 2016, we invited the defendant to the EFCC, where he was interrogated in respect of the payment he received from ONSA on ‘Special Services’ and payments made in the name of the two other companies”.

According to him, during interrogation, Okupe submitted the name of Value Trust, which received N50 million on August 3, 2012, while the company, Abraham Telecoms, received N35 million, on October 3, 2014.

“Okupe received cash payment of N50 million through a voucher No 1526, which he said was for the take off of his office (Office of the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs),” Saidu said, adding that Okupe claimed he first received the sum of N6 million, through a voucher tagged, ‘Special Services’.

He continued: “Okupe said he received various sums of money in N10 million, which was also tagged ‘Special Services’, which he said was later reduced to N5million, from January 2015, to May 2015”.

According to him, Okupe told investigators during the interrogation that there was a request that was approved

by Jonathan, to the National Security Adviser, which necessitated such payment; but when EFCC requested for the approval, Okupe told them he could not lay his hands on it.

Saidu told the court that when the investigative team requested for vouchers of expenditures on payment of staff, uptake of the office and payment of a programme on NTA program, ‘The Insight’, that Okupe could not provide any payment slip of the staff and could not give vouchers for the expenditure in the office. “The only receipt he was able to provide was N120, 000, payment made to Infinity Security Services,” he said.

Another N2.4bn to be forfeited by Patience Jonathan, Supreme Court rules

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he Supreme Court has dismissed an application filed

by Patience Jonathan, wife of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, seeking to upturn the interim forfeiture order by a Federal High Court, Lagos placed on the sum of N2.4 billion linked to her.

Tony Orilade, Acting spokesman of the The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said in a statement on Friday that the antigraft agency had traced the said sum to Patience and alleged that it was proceed of illegal activities. The N2.4 billion, according to the EFCC was surreptitiously kept in the bank account of La Wari Furniture and Baths Limited, domiciled with Eco Bank Plc. Justice Mojisola Olaterogun had in 2017 ordered the interim forfeiture of

the money, and held that anyone interested in it should appear before the court to show cause why it should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Patience had ap-

proached the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, seeking to upturn the ruling of the lower court.

However, ruling on the appeal on January 12, 2018, the appellate court, in a lead judgment read by Justice Mojeed Owoade,

rather upheld the interim forfeiture order.

Not satisfied with the ruling of the appellate court, Patience, through her counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, again filed an appeal challenging the ruling before the Supreme Court.

However, the five-man panel of Supreme Court justices has now again in a unanimous ruling, delivered on Friday, March 15, 2019, upheld the interim forfeiture order of the N2.4 billion, the statement said.

It will be recalled that a five-man panel of Supreme Court justices, had on Friday, March 8, 2019 in a unanimous judgment, also dismissed Patience’s appeal against the interim forfeiture order of a Federal High Court, Lagos, for another $8.4 million traced to her by the EFCC and believed to be proceeds of illegal activities.

Akingbola lied about buying shares for Intercontinental Bank- Witness INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

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he trial of Erastus Akingbola, a former Managing Director of the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc, continued on Thursday, March 14, 2019 before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, with a prosecution witness detailing how he laundered the bank’s funds on the pretext of buying shares without securities.

A statement issued on Thursday by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Tony Orilade said that Akingbola is standing trial for an amended 22-count charge bordering on abuse of office, conversion of funds belonging to Intercontinental Bank Plc and stealing to the tune ofN900,321,710,311.40, £8.5 millon and £1.3 million.

At today’s sitting, the second prosecution witness, Abdulraheem Jimoh, a former Chief Inspector with the defunct Intercontinental Bank Plc, under crossexamination by the defence counsel, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, told the court that he was aware that the bank operated a “Nostro Account”, which was the aggregate of the bank’s funds transferred to offshore correspondent banks.

The witness also stated that funds must be available in the bank for the offshore banks to be functional.

However, when asked if he knew that the bank funded its “Nostro Account” and if funds were transferred offshore, he said “no”.

Jimoh, during cross-examination, gave further evidence into his investigations, saying, “I wrote to ICSL Securities Limited, a subsidiary of Intercontinental Bank that was into share buying and sales.

“The content of my letter to the company was to

know if Intercontinental Bank bought any shares from ICSL. “Their response was that the bank did not buy shares from ICSL, but that those placements were made to the company by Intercontinental Bank on the instructions of the defendant.

“The placements were made without adequate securities under Akingbola’s watch as the Managing Director of the bank.

“Although I did not find out if the placements were re-paid to Intercontinental Bank, and generally placements do not attract interests.” When the defence counsel sought to tender the response from ICSL Securities Limited to the letter written by the witness, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, objected to its admissibility on the grounds that the document was not relevant.

“The witness has said his investigations revealed that no shares were bought by Erastus Akingbola,” Jacobs said.

The objection was sustained by the court.

While being cross-examined over his Curriculum Vitae, CV, the witness told the court that he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State in 1982.

However, the defence counsel told the court that the witness lied about obtaining a Master of Business Administration from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

“This witness does not seem to be a witness of truth because he told an Ikeja High Court that he obtained a MBA. “He, however, told this court a different story that he did not conclude the MBA programme,” Olanipekun added.

The CV of the witness was thereafter tendered and admitted in evidence by the court.

46 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 17 March 2019

Sports UCL: Man United draw Barcelona, Man City face Tottenham Don’t underestimate role of sports in driving economy -

Stories By ANTHONY NLEBEM

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ollowing the draw for the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League held in Nyon on Friday, Barcelona have been pitted against Manchester United, Liverpool to face Porto. Elsewhere, Ajax take on Juventus, and Manchester City battle Tottenham Hotspur.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will head back to the Camp Nou where he famously scored the late winner to secure the treble for his club in 1999.

Premier League champions Manchester City will tackle Tottenham Hotspur in an all-English tie, while Liverpool will play Porto who they beat 5-0 on aggregate in last year’s round of 16 during their thrilling run to the final in Kiev where they ultimately lost to Real Madrid.

Ajax, who knocked out three-time back to back defending champions Real Madrid in the last stage will host Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus side.The draw contained four English sides for the first time since 2009 when Manchester United went on to reach the final in Rome.

The draw had an unusual feel with neither Bayern Munich nor Real Madrid in the hat, the first time both European giants have failed to reach the last eight since 2005-06.

Five-times winners Bar-

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celona, who are in the last eight for the 12th successive season, will be away in the first leg after UEFA switched the order to avoid United’s home match clashing with Manchester City, who host Spurs in their second leg.

Tottenham and City will meet three times in 10 days in April with a Premier League fixture following hot on the heels of their second leg. “ We h a v e a l r e a d y proved last season against Real Madrid and Dortmund, this season against Inter or Barca away, that we are ready to compete,” Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said. “Then you need a little luck and team spirit.”

Ajax, once a major Euro-

pean power who struggle to compete financially with clubs from bigger leagues, ousted Real Madrid in the last 16 and their tie against Juventus will be a repeat of the 1996 final, which the Serie A club won on penalties.

They also met in the final of the old European Cup in 1973 with the Dutch side winning 1-0.

“I’m neither happy nor sad. Ajax eliminated Madrid so they are no joke,” Juventus director Pavel Nedved said. “I liked them a lot against Madrid so we will have to be very careful.

We will have to face Ajax with great commitment. I expect two great games.”

Juventus are unbeaten in their last 10 games against Ajax, winning five of the

last six.

Porto, who won the competition in 2004 under Jose Mourinho, are confident they can spring an upset after last year’s mauling. “ We h a v e t o k e e p dreaming and believe we can go further,” said midfielder Jesus Corona.

“What can I say?” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, whose side knocked out Bayern in the round of 16. “It’s Porto, we’ve played there already and we know how good we had to be last year. We saw the character and quality Porto have.”

Chelsea were the last English team to win the Champion League in 2012.

The two-legged quarterfinals take place on April 9-10 and 16-17.

do State governor, Godwin Obaseki, has called on State Governments not to underestimate the role of sports in driving the nation’s economy.

The governor gave the charge while addressing at the Extra-ordinary Meeting of the National Council on Sports (NCS) held in Benin.

“Edo is noted for its superlative efforts and those records are still being maintained, as shown at the just-concluded 19th National Sports Festival (NSF) in Abuja last year.

“For any state that desires to be regarded in the community of states and which understands the need to attract talent, human resources and human capacity to drive its economy, you can’t underestimate the role of sports.’’

The Governor said his administration views sports activities in the state as being important.

He said his was why the state government would soon publish a list of mem-

bers of its formidable Local Organising Committee (LOC) and sub-committees for the 2020 NSF. Obaseki commended the Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, for the revival of the National Sports Festival, which could not hold for six years.

The governor assured the Minister and participants at the meeting that the state would ensure the return of the usual standards to the festival.

Speaking also, the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, commended the Edo government and its people on the successful hosting of the extra-ordinary NCS meeting.

Dalung said the meeting was to deliberate on efforts to advance sports in Nigeria, especially by focusing on the review of the last edition of the NSF. He said the meeting was also to chart a new course that would lead to the success of the 20th edition of NSF. (NAN)

Lack of funds stalls commencement of national basketball leagues - NBBF

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he general elections and issues of finance are responsible for the delay in the commencement of the 2019 national basketball season, an official of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has said.

Afolabi Oni, the NBBF Media Officer said efforts were underway to get the basketball season underway very soon.

“The peculiarity of this year being an election year is one of the major reasons the national basketball leagues have not started.

“Another reason why we have not been able to kick-start the 2019 season is finance.

“The first event we hold annually is the stakeholders’ meeting, where we bring everybody together from the Savannah and the Atlantic Conferences to deliberate ahead of the new season.

“Hopefully, that will now happen sometime in early April,” Oni who is also an

NBBF board member, said.

Four major professional basketball leagues in Nigeria: the Men’s Premier League, Women’s Premier League and the Men’s Divisions 1 and 2 Leagues.

The NBBF media officer said the federation was working round the clock to ensure that the leagues’ for this season take off very soon.

“We are hoping that the women’s league will commence later in April.

“As for the men’s premier league, we are putting into consideration the two Nigerian clubs at the African

Basketball Championship.

“One has been eliminated though, but we are looking at how successfully the second club will perform.

By and large, the Premier League should commence around the same time,’’ he said.

Nigeria is being represented at the African Basketball Championship by league defending champions Rivers Hoopers and Civil Defenders.

While the Hoppers have been eliminated from the tournament, the Defenders are still in the race.

Afolabi assured bas-

ketball-loving Nigerians that once activities pick up; there would not be any more hitches, especially as proper structure has been put in place by the federation.

“Now that we have a proper structure, the Divisions 1 and 2 leagues too will follow. We are also planning a road show for the women’s league.

“The leagues are expected to run between April and August,” he said.

Afolabi also pointed out that the 2019 Nigerian basketball season was going to be affected by the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Before the 2019 edition, the FIBA World Cup used to clash with the FIFA World Cup. However, 2019 is the first time the FIBA World Cup would not be staged in a football World Cup year.

“The World Cup event will clash with the 2019 Africa Games, where Nigeria is also expected to compete in the basketball event.

“This will slightly affect

our plans for both tournaments.

“The FIBA World Cup in China will clash with the Africa Games in Morocco.

The World Cup will start on Aug. 31 and within that time there will be the African Games.

“But our team’s camping for the World Cup will first begin in the U.S., then continue in Nigeria, before finally ending in China, where Nigeria will participate in an annual basketball tournament before the World Cup. “We also hope that D’Tigers will play some friendly games along the line,” he said.

NAN reports that the FIBA World Cup draw will take place at the Shenzhen

Cultural Centre, Shenzhen in China on Saturday.

Nigeria is one of the 24 participating countries, and they will know their opponents at the end of the draw.

Afolabi was positive about Nigeria’s chances of getting a favourable draw, in spite of losing two of its three final qualifying games.

“We finished as number one in Africa and leaders of Group F with 22 points. So, our performance at the final qualifiers will not negatively affect the draw.

“Having said that, we should not forget it is a basketball World Cup and there is usually no easy pick. At the end, every country at the tournament has a potential to win it,” he said. (NAN)

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BDSUNDAY 47

Sports

Wilder rejects $100m deal to fight Anthony Joshua

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Stories by ANTHONY NLEBEM

he prospect of a fight bet w e e n An thony Joshua and Deontay Wilder this year is fading with the American heavyweight poised to reject a lucrative offer from streaming service DAZN. The WBC champion is edging towards turning down the $100million offer from DAZN, which was structured around a bout against his mandatory challenger Dominic Breazeale and a unification fights with Anthony Joshua , who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF titles.

DAZN offered Wilder $20m to fight mandatory challenger Breazeale, and $80m for two fights against Anthony Joshua later in the year and at the start of 2020.

Although Wilder was deliberating over the offer, Finkel confirmed to FOX Sports’ Mike Coppinger that the Breazeale fight would not take place on DAZN. Team Wilder will hold a press conference on Tuesday to officially announce the decision, with the Breazeale fight on May 18 expected to be shown on Showtime payper-view instead – who Haymon has a deal with.

It has also been claimed that DAZN proposed another fight in between facing Breazeale and Anthony Joshua against Dillian Whyte in September 2018, but Wilder was not interested. The 33-year-old has not closed the door completely to working with DAZN in the future, but talks will effectively be on hold until after he has faced Breazeale

The news is a huge setback for Anthony Joshua and his camp, with Eddie Hearn having felt that a

breakthrough had finally been made towards getting a unification fight set up for November or

FIFA backs expanded 48-team World Cup in Qatar 2022

December this year. Anthony Joshua takes on Jarrell Miller in his US debut at Madison Square

Garden in June and had hoped a unification fight against Wilder would follow later in the year.

UEFA okays Fan-IDs for 2020 UEFA Euro Cup

…. Approves 24-team Club World Cup despite European clubs boycott threat

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orld football gove r n i n g body FIFA moved a step closer on Friday to expanding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams and hopes to confirm the plans in June if a suitable cohost can be found.

The FIFA council in Miami gave an internal feasibility study supporting the expansion, which is being strongly pushed by President Gianni Infantino.

A final decision will now be taken in Paris on June 6 after FIFA and Qatar jointly submit the names of potential co-host nations to the governing body’s Congress.

Infantino, who also confirmed a new Club World Cup with 24 teams, will begin in 2021 to replace the Confederations Cup. “You have in front of you a happy FIFA president.

“I am always happy but especially today because we have taken some important decisions.

“We came to conclusion, yes it’s feasible to move from 32 to 48 teams at the World Cup provided certain conditions are met.

“Since we decided in January 2017 that we should increase teams in 2026, and following a request from the 10 South American associations whether it is feasible to do this for 2022.

“We have the duty to look into it, 90 percent are in favour of an increase but it’s not as easy as that. We have to analyse matters carefully and we are working closely with Qatar.”

The move away from the traditional 32 teams which will see 80 matches instead of 64, the notion was originally slated to come into effect for the 2026 tournament in North America -- means one or more other countries will be asked to help Qatar stage the shortened 28-day event which is scheduled to kick off in November 2022.

Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and United Arab Emirates are all potential options yet rancorous diplomatic disputes has led to the tiny Gulf state being politically isolated from many of its former allies.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will need to end their diplomatic blockade

of Qatar launched in 2017 if they want to be involved, FIFA’s feasibility study said.

“We know the situation in the Gulf region,” added Infantino. “We are in the lucky position of being in football, and that means you can only care about football. I was pleased with the reaction of the Qataris. We don’t want to regret not analysing the decision.”

For the 2026 tournament in North America, 60 games will be held in the United States with Canada and Mexico getting 10 games each.

A similar division is anticipated for 2022, with Qatar retaining the bulk of the matches while Infantino moved to allay fears the increase in teams could dilute the quality of the tournament.

“The more the merrier,” the FIFA supremo said.

A FIFA document on Thursday said an expanded 2022 tournament would use

the same format planned for 2026, with the six regional confederations receiving the same number of qualifying slots allocated for the tournament in North America.

FIFA, meanwhile, have been told that the leading European clubs will boycott a Club World Cup expanded to 24 teams in 2021 which was also given the go-ahead at the meeting in Florida.

A 17-page report distributed to the 37 members of FIFA’s ruling body calls for the new tournament to take place between June 17 and July 4 2021, replacing the Confederations Cup international tournament.

Infantino called the decision to move ahead with the plans an “important milestone for world football” and expects no problems moving forward.

“We should enjoy what is coming,” he said.

But the European Club Association (ECA) said leading European clubs would boycott the event.

An ECA spokesman told AFP: “ECA clubs will not participate in the Club World Cup in 2021 and will assess participation in the Club World Cup in 2024.”

There was also confirmation from FIFA that the video assistant referee system (VAR) will be used at the women’s World Cup this summer.

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ussia will continue using its innovative FanIDs in preparations for hosting matches of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup in St. Petersburg, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

Addressing a government’s session, Medvedev said: “We will be discussing draft laws, which will help to host matches of the 2020 Euro Cup in St. Petersburg.”

“We have a very good experience from the organization of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and we want to make the use of this experience during the preparations for the European football championship,” the Russian prime minister stated. “ Th e r e a r e s e v e r a l amendments on the table,” Medvedev continued. “For instance, we plan to employ the same mechanism we used in the past regarding the issuance and operational rules of Fan-IDs.” Russia came up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup with an innovation, which was the so-called Fan-ID and was required for all ticketholders.

This innovation was successfully tested during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia and earned high marks from the world’s governing football body of FIFA.

The Fan-ID played an important security role during the major football tournament in Russia as it granted admittance to the stadiums and also served as visa for foreign visitors to enter the country.

A Fan-ID holder was allowed to enter the country without having a Russian visa and stay for the duration of the global football tournament. Fan-IDs were obligatory, in addition to purchased tickets, in order to attend matches of the 2018 World Cup tournament in Russia.

The matches of the 2020 Euro Cup will be held at stadiums in cities of 12 different European countries, namely in London (England), Munich (Germany), Rome (Italy), Baku (Azerbaijan), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain), Bu d a p e s t ( Hu n g a r y) , Glasgow (Scotland) and Copenhagen (Denmark).

Russia’s second largest city of St. Petersburg was granted the right to host three group stage matches and one of the quarterfinals of the 2020 UEFA Euro Cup.

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SUNDAY 17 MARCH 2019

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Rebuilding Nigeria’s electoral processes and institutions using the Justice Uwais Report

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The 2019 general election he 2019 general elections were conducted on the framework of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). There were many problems with the 2019 general elections as the reports of local and international election observers reveal. In sum, there were logistical problems. INEC could not efficiently distribute election materials across the country resulting in the postponement of the elections from February 16th to February 23rd, 2019. Even after the postponement, INEC did not get election materials to some polling booths in the country until midday of the election.

The card reader machines used to authenticate registered voters failed to work in most parts of the country disenfranchising thousands of eligible voters. The voting and collation procedure for the general elections was slow and cumbersome. INEC did not collate and announce election results in real time.

This created tension and a lot of anxiety. The 91 registered political parties did not show any remarkable improvement in electoral penetration. Many of the parties behaved as annexes of the dominant political parties (that is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)). The few political parties that actively participated in the electoral process garnered about 3 percent of total

votes cast. There is a general lack of confidence in the courts and election tribunals. The courts and election tribunal rules are skewed unfairly against the petitioner. Four major issues can be said to characterize the 2019 general elections. The first is the abject performance of Nigeria’s political parties. The second issue is the apparent inability of the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver on its mandate. The third is the slow and cumbersome procedure of voting and collation of election results. The Fourth is the lack of confidence in the election conflict management processes and institutions.

Report of the Electoral Reform Committee otherwise known as the Justice Uwais Report In the aftermath of the 2007 general elections, the Federal Government established a 22-Member Electoral Reform Committee. The Committee was chaired by Hon. Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais retired. The Committee was charged with examining “…. the entire electoral process with a view to ensuring that that we raise the quality and standard of our general elections thereby deepen our democracy” This was understandable since that election was regarded as one of the worst in the nation’s electoral history. The Electoral Act 2010 is a direct response to the Uwais Report published in 2008. Even though many aspects of the Uwais Report influenced the Electoral Act 2010 there

are many aspects of the Uwais Report that were abandoned.

Certain Amendments to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 were also a reaction to the Uwais Report; it was felt in some quarters that the adopted portions of the Uwais Report provided an adequate legal framework for elections in Nigeria. Regrettably, that has not been the case. The outcome of 2011, 2015 and 2019 general elections in Nigeria has been far from acceptable. This paper examines the four major issues that characterised the 2019 general elections and proffers solutions from the Uwais Report.

Improving the performance of political parties Nigeria has 91 registered political parties. 73 out of the 91 registered political parties participated in the February 23, 2019, Presidential Elections. This is the highest number of Presidential candidates in Nigeria’s electoral history. However, the results of the elections released by INEC did not reflect the huge number of political party parties that participated. Out of a total of 27, 324, 583 valid votes cast at the election, the dominant parties (that is PDP and APC) garnered a total of 26,454,825 votes. The other 71 political parties scored 869, 758 votes which are about 3percent of total valid votes cast.

This has raised concern about the continued existence of 91 registered political parties. In the past, several efforts were made to limit the number of registered

political parties in Nigeria by imposing stringent registration requirements. In view of the constitutional right to freedom of association, the courts have adopted a liberal interpretation of S 222 of the Constitution that deals with the registration of political parties.

In Inependent National Electoral Commission V. Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa [2003] FWLR (PT. 145) 729, INEC in the exercise of its powers in the Electoral Act 2001 and the Constitution to register political parties introduced registration guidelines higher than those contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.

The Supreme Court held that INEC cannot impose registration requirements higher than those prescribed by the Constitution.

In the aftermath of the 2011 general elections, INEC tried to deregister certain political parties in accordance with the powers granted by Section 78 (7) of the Electoral Act 2010 which enable INEC to deregister a political party that breaches any of the requirements of registration or fails to win the presidential or governorship election or a seat in the National or State Assembly.

In a plethora of cases, the courts have stopped INEC from deregistering political parties.

There is no doubt that some political parties have become rent seekers extracting value for their existence. The Uwais Report tried to address this mischief by incentivising genuine political parties. The Uwais Report

COLLINS OKEKE Okeke is the Senior Legal/Programme officer Human Rights Law Service (HURILAWS) Lagos

recommended a combination of proportional representation and the majoritarian rule of representation at federal, state and local levels. The mixed system would entail creating an additional 30percent of the existing legislative seats in the national, state and local government levels for the purposes of proportional representation.

The threshold shall then be established which is the number of votes cast in the First-PastThe–Post-election divided by the number of available proportional representation seat. Political parties shall then nominate for proportional representation at 30percent female candidates and 2percent physically challenged candidates for legislative elections. Political parties that win up to 70percent of the seats in an election conducted under the First-Past-The–Post-election shall not be eligible to benefit from the propositional representation. The criterion, for the production of the party list, was to be included in an amended Electoral Act. Unfortunately, this Uwais Report recommendation was not incorporated into the Electoral Act 2010. The need for proportional representation is Continues on page 12

Colossal waste! How Yakubu imperils our democracy ODOH MICHAEL

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he 2019 presidential elections may have come and gone, but the effects will be felt in Nigeria for a very long time.

Apart from the 2007 general elections, the 2019 presidential elections is presently regarded as the worst in the nation’s history by a lot of Nigerians. The question on the mind of majority of Nigerians is, how can an electoral process that witnessed the highest amount of voter registration with over 80million registered voters, voters card collection with nearly 73 million eligible voters and an election that was predicted to be the biggest in Africa’s history witness the lowest turnout in our nation’s electoral history according to data from INEC. Turnout was just above 35 percent of eligible voters.

I am forced to ask, how can an election that recorded the highest number of first time voters now be seen as having the lowest turnout of voters in the nation’s history?

From my perspective, it is either INEC did not disclose the original

results of the election in other to favour the winner of the election or Nigerians are fed up with the country. But how true can this be when the nation saw an increase in voter awareness, more persons registered to vote and more voters’ card were collected. All available evidence is clearly pointing to the fact that the results of the elections were doctored in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari.

How can Yobe state, a state that is facing serious security challenges, a state where the governor was not even allowed to vote due to security issues experience a high voter turnout over Enugu State, a state without security issues?

Does it mean that despite the serious security challenges facing Yobe State and many other states with security challenges, the INEC voter’s education directorate did more in the face of these numerous security challenges in these states and did less in places that enjoy a more peaceful environment?

Well, I will leave these questions to Prof. Yakubu Mahmood to answer as he alone can provide credible

answers to them.

The governorship and state house of assembly election proved beyond all reasonable doubt that Nigerians have lost hope with the electoral umpire. Turnout, when officially confirmed, is likely to be the lowest in our nation’s history.

But did we expect anything different after the sham presidential election on February 23? Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after casting his vote last Saturday, noted that he is concerned, like millions that his vote may likely not count. When a people’s mandate is stolen, it is bound to have repercussions and the 9th of March, 2019 governorship election is the beginning of such for Nigeria. The fastest way to destroy a democratic process is to make the people lose faith in its electoral process and INEC under the leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has clearly done this. Nigerians no longer have faith in its electoral process, and this is bad for a country trying to build its democratic institutions. In most states, especially in the FCT, unlike the presidential election

that witnessed a huge turnout of voters, most polling units were empty with no voter in sight many hours after INEC officials arrived with voting materials. The big question begging for answer is, “Could this be the end of Nigeria’s democracy?” Only time and the judiciary will tell.

The Presidential election has only succeeded in dividing Nigeria along ethnic lines the more, the Igbos are crying persecution and just recently, a serving senator and wife of the national leader of the APC, Remi Tinubu was caught on camera telling a disabled Igbo man that those of his ethnic group cannot be trusted. What is democracy if I cannot be allowed to vote for who I want? The 2019 general elections conducted by Prof Mahmood Yakubu’s led INEC will be remembered for further dividing the country rather than uniting it.

On Forensic With the court of appeal granting the PDP’s presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar his request to be given access to the materials

used for the presidential elections, it is surprising that the court will turn down Atiku’s request to engage forensic experts to check for multiple thumb-printing claiming that the Electoral Act does not give provision for such when the Act allowed Rauf Aregbeshola to use same in 2007 and Kayode Fayemi just last year. Do we have different Electoral Acts for the state and for the federal?

Justice must not only be said to be done, it must be seen to be done and that is what the judiciary must do. Nigeria is standing on a time bomb and members of judiciary must put aside all forms of personal interests to save our nation. This is not about Buhari or Atiku; it is about the survival of our nation. If things are allowed to go the way they are, we may not have a Nigeria in 2023.

Odoh Michael, media consultant and public affairs analyst wrote from Abuja and can be reached via dohmike2000@ yahoo.com

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