BusinessDay 17 Nov 2019 by BusinessDay

Soyinka writes National Assembly over hate speech bill, blasts lawmakers social media; the senate reintroduced another bill seeking to establish a commission for the probation of hate speech in the country. The bill prescribed death by hanging for any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person. However, speaking in a Continues on page 3

INIOBONG IWOK

obel laureate, Wole Soyinka has lambasted the National Assembly over the introduction of the hate speech bill, saying that the bill was ridiculous and an attempt to silence criticism. A week after the Senate introduced a bill to regulate Soyinka

L-R: Frances Akpomuka, secretary and head of Corporate Resources, Red Star Express; Charles Ejekam, Divisional managing director, Red Star Logistics Limited; Victor Ukwat, executive director, Sales and Marketing, Red Star Express; Oscar Onyema, chief executive officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange; Sola Obabori, group managing director and chief executive officer, Red Star Express and Tonye Preghfi, divisional managing director, Red Star Support Services Limited, during the Closing Gong ceremony in commemoration of the ‘Facts Behind the Figures’ presentation of Red Star Express Plc, at the Exchange in Lagos.

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‘Demonising Oil and Gas firms is not constructive way forward on energy transition’

Governor Bello arrived with his wives to cast his vote in Okene-Eba,Agasa,Ahache ward PU 011, Okene

Musa Wada, Kogi PDP candidate, casting his vote

PDP guber candidate, Douye Diri, voting in unit 4 Ward 6, Sampou

APC candidate, David Lyon, votes in Bayelsa election

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All in the name of miracle

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African art on spotlight at Impart Art Fair

Kogi, Bayelsa prove critics right Polls marred by ballot box snatching, violence, intimidation Dickson calls for cancellation 3 feared killed in Kogi, 2 in Bayelsa, several injured

SAMUEL ESE (Yenagoa) and VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

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he gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States Saturday proved critics right. The two states have a history of violence during elec-

tions. Ahead of the exercise, analysts and stakeholders had urged the political parties, candidates and their supporters to be gentlemanly in their approach to the contest. But what transpired in the two states yesterday did not show the advice was heeded. The elections were marred by

various forms of irregularities and violence that allegedly left a number of people dead and several others injured. In Kogi, the gubernatorial poll held simultaneously with the rerun election in Kogi West Senatorial. The gubernatorial election took place across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

Three persons were reported dead while several others were injured when suspected thugs invaded Adankolo and Lokongoma Primary Schools in Lokoja. The thugs were said to have disguised themselves as policemen as they dressed in police uniform. They allegedly shot at two voters Continues on page 2

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Cover Kogi, Bayelsa prove critics... Continued from page 1 in Adankolo and one in Lokongoma when they wanted to snatch the ballot box. In the confusion that ensued, several persons were left with various degrees of injuries. The crisis triggered voter-apathy as those waiting to cast their votes ran home for safety. It was gathered that the election across the 21 LGA recorded massive vote-buying as voters were induced with cash ranging from N500, N1,000, N3,000 and N5,000. It was also gathered that there was disruption of the election process at Lokoja Club Close to A Division as some fully armed thugs dressed in Police uniform invaded the polling unit to cart away the ballot box to an unknown place. Violence was also witnessed in Crowder Memorial College, LGEA Secretariat Open Space, NEPA, LGEA Primary School Ganaja, Kabawa Area open Space, Adankolo, Open Space Miami Market all in Lokoja, forcing journalists and observers who were on ground to cover the election to scamper for safety when the armed men arrived the polling units without resistance by security agencies on ground. In other areas in Kogi West, aside Lokoja Local Government Area, there was heavy shooting at Ayetoro ward 1 unit 004 where Dino Melaye voted. Some observers escaped death by a whisker. Melaye, candidate of the PDP in the Kogi West Senatorial District election, claimed that the Police arrested five thugs allegedly working with an aide of the state governor. Melaye alleged that the thugs had made confessional statements to the Police on who sent them to disrupt election in his polling unit earlier yesterday. In a tweet on his official twitter page on Saturday afternoon, Melaye wrote: “5 of the thugs who came to

disrupt election in my unit have been arrested and have made confessional statements to the fact that Sunday Faleke aide of Yahaya Bello sent them. “One of the cars used is also in police custody. Taofik Isah was arrested and wrote a caution statement.” Natasha Akpoti, Social Democratic Party (SDP), governorship candidate in Kogi State, accused soldiers of electoral malpractice. Akpoti alleged that soldiers chased electorates away at the Kuroko 2 polling unit in Adavi Local Government Area of the state while allowing agents of the APC to rig freely. She raised the alarm in a tweet, on Saturday. Akpoti tweeted: “Happening now!!! Soldiers just arrived Kuroko 2, Adavi LGA chasing people away while allowing APC agents to rig freely.” Akpoti also decried maltreatment against the party’s agent in Kogi Central. She alleged that SDP’s agent, Bello Muhammad Sadiq was arrested, beaten and chased away from a polling unit at Kuroko 2, Kogi Central. Our correspondent said that whereas the exercise was peaceful and efficient in some parts of the state, it was not so in some areas as there were cases of violence and ballot box snatching. The election was said to have also witnessed a high number of the late arrival of electoral materials and intimidation of voters. A total of 24 candidates too took part in the election. However, the contest was essentially between the incumbent, Yahaya Bello, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Musa Wada of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In Bayelsa, the exercise was not better as same allegations of various categories of fraud marred the poll. Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the election

Former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and wife vote in Bayelsa

in Nembe and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas of the state over alleged election malpractices. Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Douye Diri also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of electoral fraud. Diri who cast his vote at Kolokuma/Opokuma Ward 6 Unit 4 at Sampou at about 10.35am said reports reaching him said PDP supporters are being denied their franchise by APC thugs in Nembe, Opolo and Eniware. Two party supporters were feared killed in Bayelsa Trouble started when, some armed thugs appeared at units 7 and 9 in Opolo, at a time the election materials were being conveyed, preventing the Adhoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from offloading the materials. “They said there was not going to be any election except we allowed them thump-print all for the APC. We insisted election must hold, but they started shooting and everyone became scared. “Go there and see blood everywhere. They shot two guys who have been taken to the hospital. We don’t want to lose our lives. Since they don’t want the election in their area, we are leaving,

because our lives are more important to us”, a female Corps member posted to the area (name withheld) told our reporter. One of the locals, who identified himself as Frank, also told our reporter that the thugs were believed to be working for an opposition party as they insisted that all votes must be done in favour of the party. He said, “The hoodlums came to Opolo near the town hall and cut the hand of one of the PDP boys and shot one in the head, they have been taken for treatment. “The boys ran back to Udeme Hotel after their action,” saying, he believed they were lodged in a hotel belonging to a former federal lawmaker. When our reporter visited the scene, operatives of the Nigeria Police and Department of State Services had taken over the environment, providing security for the election materials which were to be returned to INEC office, Yenagoa. Jonathan votes after delays, laments late arrival of materials Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed disappointment at the handling of the voting process in his ward. He expressed dissatisfac-

tion over the lateness of the arrival of voting materials at the polling unit. Jonathan spoke to journalists after he and his wife, Patience, had voted at Unit 39, Ward 13 at the Otazi Playground, Otuoke, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. News Agency of Nigeria reports that Jonathan voted at 11.30 a.m., while his wife voted at 11.35 a.m. Ward 13 is made up of five communities of Otuoke, Otuaba, Ewoi, Otuabula 1 and Otuabula 2. He said: “We must conduct ourselves if we want to bring real people to rule us, either as president or governors. “Nigerians are always blaming people in authorities and the leaders; so, here, they must blame themselves. “Look at even this voting. I was around earlier, but the materials had yet to arrive in the polling unit. “I have led election monitoring teams to other African countries, we used to go 30 minutes before the time and in our reports, we indicated the exact time the votes started. “So, for election to start after that time, it is an indictment to the electoral body that manages election. There is no reason why election

should not start by 8:00 a.m. “So, even the youth should stop blaming old people, you blame yourselves and do things properly. “I am really disappointed with what I observed today, compared to other African countries where I had monitored elections.’’ As at 10:30 am, the election materials were yet to arrive the polling unit, in ward 13, at the time of filling this report. Meanwhile, in Koluama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, thugs were said to have destroyed election materials in the coastal community. Koluama is the country home of the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Moses Cleopas and the party’s campaign director, Nimibofa Ayawei. In Brass Island where the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva voted, correspondents said the area was calm and peaceful. Olodi community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was said to have burnt election materials and seized staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Reports monitored on radio quoted an INEC staff as saying that it took a lot of pleading before they were released. He did not give any reason why the community took the action. A total of 45 political parties took part in the election to govern the oil-rich state. The contest was between David Lyon of the APC and Duoye Diri of the PDP. Although Bayelsa has 923,182 registered voters, 889,308 (96.3 per cent) collected their permanent voters cards (PVCs) and were thus eligible to vote in the eight local government areas of the state.

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Civil Society Organisations thumb down for Kogi guber poll …Say widespread violence, intimidation, massive rigging undermine integrity of exercise VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

nitially, when the election started, a lot of people thought it was going to be free, fair and credible but that imagination was short-termed because around 12.15pm the tradition in Kogi State elections set in, involv-

ing sporadic shooting and general violence.At Crowther Memorial Grammar School, six Hilux van filled with police officers drove in with high speed causing apprehension, as people stood up, watching out for the next actions; immediately, sporadic gunshots rent the air. It was like a war situation.

Recall prior to the gubernatorial election, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were preaching about peaceful election and political parties even entered into a peace accord, promising that the election would be peaceful, but the reverse was the case yesterday in Kogi. Instead of peace what the domestic, for-

eign observers and journalists witnessed was unmitigated violence as some of the observers were attacked. A vivid example was the attack on Search For Common Ground (SFCG) Coordinator, Gift Omoniwa at Ganaja where she had gone to observe the election and other people that were bullied

across the state. Reacting to the happenings and information from observers from Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Prof. Adele Jinaidu said widespread violence would mar the guber poll and called for urgent security intervention. The CDD, one of the domestic observer groups ob-

serving Kogi governorship, decried the spate of violence and ballot box snatching across the state. Jinaidu in Lokoja addressed a world news conference where CDD said reports from CDD observers indicated widespread violence, intimi-

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News

Magu to students: Imbibe culture of integrity, honesty …As internet fraudster bags six months imprisonment Innocent Odoh

he Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged students in the country to imbibe the culture of integrity, transparency and honesty in their daily lives. Magu gave the advice on Thursday, November 14, 2019, when students of Fariah Academy, Doveland

High School and New Capital School, came on excursion to EFCC Headquarters Jabi, Abuja, a statement issued on Friday by the Head of Media and Publicity of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, said. The EFCC boss, who was represented at the occasion by the Head, Creative Communications Unit, EFCC, Hajiya Aisha Musa, further cautioned the students against corruption. “Drop the bad attitudes and pick the good attitudes, be discipline and

let integrity be your watchwords,” he said. Explaining the roles and responsibilities of the EFCC to the students, Magu said, “The EFCC has been very effective. Former governors have been convicted and jailed, properties worth billions of naira have been seized, several billions of naira has been recovered and many internet fraudsters have been convicted.” The EFCC boss through the Head, Enlightenment

and Reorientation, EFCC, Amadin Samin, urged the students to always do the right thing and influence others to do the same. “You should also tell other people to do the right thing, even your parents because you are now EFCC ambassadors and foot-soldiers of the Commission.” He further informed the students of the Whistle-blowing Policy of the federal government and urged them to embrace it and expose corruption through

Ihedioha approves creation of more licensing centers to boost revenue SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

overnor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State has approved the creation of more Licensing Centres in the state to ease access to the essential services of the licensing centres as well as revenue generation. The governor also advocated for more presence of men of the Federal Road Safety Corps at strategic locations in the state for the Yuletide. The governor has also assured that his administration would continue to support the activities of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state. He stated this while receiving the Corps Marshal of the FRSC Boboye Oyeyemi and his team, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the Government House in Owerri on Thursday. Governor Ihedioha noted that Imo being, the home of hospitality in the country

with the only operational airport at the moment in the South East would witness increased vehicular and air traffic as visitors and tourists would use the Sam Mbakwe International

Cargo Airport to their various destinations this Christmas season. The governor the creation of more licensing centers, would ease access to the essential services of the

Centers and also for revenue generation, solicited the assistance of the Corps towards the management of traffic during this yuletide, to ensuring strict safety compliance.

L-R: Chris Okewulonu, chief of staff, Imo Government House, Chinedu Nebo, chairman Visitation Panel to Imo State University, Emeka Ihedioha, governor Imo State and Viola Onwuliri commissioner of Education, Imo State the inauguration of the Visitation Panels in Oweri, Imo State.

Soyinka writes National... Continued from page 1 piece Friday, Soyinka wondered such bill should be introduced in this modern era , while wondering why killing should be seen as an alternative to the problem of hate speech. “I hope you will excuse me for distracting you from your onerous duties, but I am a current sufferer and I am not alone from a persistent nightmare. That affliction has been induced by your most recent approach to addressing an acknowledged problem that affects, not only Nigerians, but the entire global community.

“However, dear legislators, consider more deeply the path on which you have chosen to embark. I invite you to reflect quite objectively on the company into which you are about to throw yourselves, and the consequences for the very nation you represent including its social psyche. “You are about to corrupt youthful impression, to join the brigade of closet psychopaths for whom the only solution to any social malaise from the trite to the profoundly affective is killing! Is this what humanity and society are all about? “You are psyching up

your ranks to pronounce yourselves affiliates of inhuman aberrations such as Boko Haram, Isis (Da’esh), al-Shabbab , nomadic cow herders etc. etc. for whom killing is the only response for real or imagined wrongs, perceptions of entitlement and/or deprivation, sense of righteousness and generally concept of a thoroughly sanitized community of mortals,”. Soyinka, however, acknowledged that hate speech was a global challenge that required concerted effort to solve, but while wondering how many people would be killed if the bill becomes

law in the country. The scholar said such law was synonymous with undemocratic society, stressing that effort to pass the bill into law should stop. “Yet others wiped out entire communities as collective punishment for the loss of members of their elite class, the military. And surely it is too soon to dismiss memory of the mass decimation of a religious group, the Shi’ites, for obstructing the passage of a motorcade of that same elite class. These are classic instances of murder, albeit under the immunity of power legitimation”.

the policy, the statement said. “Whistle-blowing Policy is exposing corruption. Do not give false information, make sure the information you are providing is true,” he said. Meanwhile the Abuja Zonal Office of the EFCC on Thursday, November 14, 2019, secured the conviction of one Osarumwense Henry Afuwa (alias Manasseh Jordan) before Justice A.O Musa of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Bwari. The Commission prose-

cuted the convict for internet fraud to the tune of $1,000. Trouble started for the convict following intelligence report on his cyber crime activities. Scam documents and messages were found in his possession upon his arrest. Further investigations showed that he posed as Manasseh Jordan, a pastor in United States in a fictitious WhatsApp Account, and at different times, defrauded foreign women through love scam.

Ajara Senior Grammar School wins WAPCo’s climate change competition Josephine Okojie

n a bid to drive academic excellence and as part of its corporate social responsibility, the West Africa Pipeline Company (WAPCo) has held its sixth annual quiz and debate competition for secondary school students in Lagos and Ogun states. Participants were drawn from ten schools in each of the states, with three representatives from each school for the quiz and two for the debate sessions. The debate was focused on climate change with the topic ‘Is climate change a threat to humanity?’ with students debating for or against the statement. The subjects covered in the quiz were Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, English Language, Current Affairs, and Government. Rhoda Robinson, executive director of HACEY Health Initiative who judged the debate competition advised the students to maximise every opportunity to learn. “The primary goal of knowledge is to use it to make the world a better place. This debate encourages students to seek out knowledge and find ways to use it to improve their society,” Robinson said. She encouraged students and guests present to take active roles in mitigating the effects of climate change and protect the environment. Similarly, Temitope Sodehinde, external relations coordinator, WAPCo, stated that these programmes were put in place in fulfilment of the organisation’s

mandate to consciously affect the society within which it operates, through investments in health and environmental preservation, education and provision of social services. Sodehinde stated that WA P C o h a s m a d e i n vestments in education through the donation of furnished modern classroom blocks with offices and stores to schools in local communities in Lagos and Ogun States respectively. Also in the health sector through donating of four fully equipped modern hospitals with staff quarters and providing access to safe water in host communities by donating boreholes, he further said. He added that the organisation has invested over $2million in various skill acquisition, education scholarships and livelihood programs. At the end of the competition, Ajara Senior Grammar School, Badagry, came first in the quiz competition for Lagos while Lagos State Model College took the trophy for the best debating team. I n Og u n , Ig a n m o d e Grammar School took both trophies as they came top for both the quiz and debate competitions. Students and teachers present shared that were happy with the event and that they looked forward to next edition to make their mark. The events were held in Lagos at the main auditorium of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Badagry, while the Ogun version was held at the Conference Hall of the Maridom Palace Hotel, Ota.

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News Wike says judiciary is the most powerful arm of govt Ignatius Chukwu

udges single-handedly stopped the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and some other political parties from contesting in the Rivers State March 2019 elections. Now, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has described the judiciary as the most powerful arm of government. He still says the judiciary has lost some of the power due to fear. Wike has won many battles in the courts since 2015 and has often attributed his being a governor to God and the judiciary. He wants them to remain fearless, regretting that the strength of the judiciary has been lost due to fear. Addressing the Governing Council of the Eastern Bar Forum during a Courtesy Visit at the Government House Port Harcourt, Governor Wike noted that it is the responsibility of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to strengthen the Judiciary. “In terms of being powerful, the Judiciary is the most powerful arm of government. But they have lost that power due to fear. “ Th e N B A n e e d s t o strengthen the Judiciary. People are saying that the NBA is now a toothless bulldog. I am not the one saying so, people are saying it. “As lawyers, we have the responsibility, as conscience of the society, to make sure that the right thing is done,”

Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (m), Rivers State governor; Long Williams (l), chairman, Governing Council of Eastern Bar Forum, and Onueze Okocha (SAN), former president of NBA, at the Government House Port Harcourt.

he said. Wike said that the Rivers State Government will partner with the Eastern Bar Forum to promote the rule of law. He said that the State Government will continue to work with associations with the right disposition. On street trading and illegal motor parks, Wike informed that with the successes recorded by the Task Force, the State Government will establish an Agency to consolidate on the gains. He urged the Eastern Bar

Forum to work together and promote a common front. He said that individual interest should supersede the group interest. Earlier, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Eastern Bar Forum, Long Williams commended Wike for his support to the bench and Bar. He said the Rivers State governor has developed the right infrastructure to promote the rule of law. Williams also praised the Rivers State governor for

the general development of Rivers State. He invited the governor to the last quarterly meeting of the Eastern Bar Forum. He said the meeting is one of the most important meetings of lawyers in the country. He commended the Rivers State Governor for the successes recorded by the Task Force on Street Trading and Illegal Motor Parks, saying that it should be transformed into an agency for sustainability.

‘Operation positive identification’ may continue on reps’ endorsement Stella Enenche, Abuja

here are indications that the Nigeria Army may continue with its nationwide exercise christened “Operation Positive Identification (OPI) following an endorsement by the House of Representatives. But the Army has kept mum on the status of the operation weeks after its scheduled commencement. It would be recalled that the army had announced that the operation will require Nigerians to go about with their identity card. According to the Army, the operation is part of efforts at combating the threats of criminal insurgency and terrorism, armed banditry, kidnapping, herdsmen-farmers clashes, cultism, and communal crises, amongst others. However, the exercise has been heavily, criticised, with

many Nigerians describing it as a usurpation of the responsibility of the police, which is the lead agency in internal security. Among the lot is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who had approached the court challenging the constitutional powers of the army to embark on ‘Operation Positive Identification’. BDSUNDAY recalls that Falana had anchored his argument against the exercise on the premise, that it will breach the fundamental rights of citizens. Efforts to get the Army’s reaction on the development were not successful, as at the time of filing this report, as its spokesperson, Colonel Sagir Musa, neither picked calls, nor replied to text messages sent to him. However, security experts have cautioned the Army on the planned operation, saying internal security remained the duty of the Police. A former Commissioner

of Police, CP, in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Lawrence Alobi, who weighed-in on the matter, maintained that the exercise offended democratic principles. According to him “Section 217 of the constitution is very clear on the role of the military. They are not supposed to be actively involved in internal security except they were asked to assist. Internal security is the job of the police. The issue of stopping, searching and asking people to present their identity card is not the function of the military at all anywhere in the world. In the United States were we borrowed the presidential system from, there is an act prohibiting the military participating in internal security. If the government is looking for illegal aliens then it’s the immigration. If you are talking of kidnapping, crimes like robbery, it is the police. “The military should concentrate on their military

function because, this are the things that brings about conflict because people will begin to think that they are militarising our law enforcing and policing in this country. Even militarising democracy itself. It is dangerous to our democracy. Every institution has its mandate and people should keep to their mandate. It should be only when an institution desire the assistance of the other, that they should come in an assist”. Alobi admonished the Army to obey the order of court as, according to him, the rule of law remained supreme. On his part, Been Okezie, described as “wrong”, the timing of the operation. “The timing is even wrong. This thing ought to have been done since when the issue of Boko Haram was just coming up so that when they are been bombarded over there, and they are coming into town, you can now identify them and then arrest them.

Akwa Ibom pledges support to SMEs, facilitates business name registration Aniefiok Udonquak, Uyo

kwa Ibom government has pledged its support to small business operators as part of efforts to grow entrepreneurship in the state. Imeh Uwah, senior special assistant to the governor on microfinance and enterprise development, stated this during the presentation of certificates of business name registration from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to small business operators in Uyo, the state capital. Speaking at the event, tagged ‘My Entrepreneurship Goals Programme’, Uwah c o m m e n d e d Go v e r n o r Udom Emmanuel for giving priority to enterprise development in the state which he said goes in line with the Dakkada philosophy that encourages enterprise and industrious spirit amongst the citizens. He said the governor was genuinely interested in bettering the lots of entrepreneurs and business owners as part of the state government completion agenda. Uwah congratulated the first batch of beneficiaries on the successful registration of their business names, stating that as part of the benefits of the programme, the centre

offers continued financial assistance for business name registrations. He pledged to continue sustaining the collaboration with other inter-governmental agencies to make doing business easy for participants in Uyo. According to him, a financial Service desk has already been set up to assist entrepreneurs go through processes of applying for loans and grants from donor agencies, ranging from preparation of business plans, marketing plans and other necessary regulatory certifications. Earlier, in her remarks, the state coordinator, small and medium enterprises development agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Lucy Ekpenyong thanked the governor for initiating the MEGP for businesses in Akwa Ibom. Ekpenyong said the gesture will help the businesses access facilities available. The SMEDAN boss, however, decried the poor response by business owners to the call for business name registration, urging them to be more responsive next time such opportunities arise. Beneficiaries of the MEGP who took turns to speak were full of praise for the Udom Emmanuel ladministration, describing it as an enterprisefriendly.

Osun CoS, Akinola, commends UI on sustenance of vibrant intellectual tradition REMI FEYISIPO, Ibadan

hief of Staff to the Governor, State of Osun, Charles Akinola, has commended the University of Ibadan for sustaining its vibrant intellectual tradition. Akinola made this known as the Chairman of the 2019 Convocation Fine Art Exhibition hosted by the University’s Institute for African Studies through the Cornelius Adepegba Museum of African Arts. “The University of Ibadan remains the benchmark of intellectual life in Nigerian society. It sets the standard for all the other universities in the country,” he said. He further said that the exhibition ceremony, now in its 11th year, among other achievements, attests to UI’s leading role as a foremost institution where the culture of rigorous and critical interrogation of society’s challenges have been sustained. “I consider it a great service to society that the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, has sustained the Convocation Exhibition as

an aspect of this University’s anniversary celebration, providing both graduating students and those celebrating with them something to excite their imaginations and provoke their thoughts. It is a fitting way to mark festivities of this magnitude,” he said. Commending UI for this year’s Founder’s Day and Convocation Ceremony, Akinola, a notable art collector who was also honoured at the exhibition ceremony for his contribution to the development of arts and culture in the country, said the event provides an opportunity for the premier university to announce and celebrate its best and brightest achievements. “Such a ceremony provides the University with an opportunity to show to the society what it has done in the lives of the students who came into it as novices. But beyond that, it is also a ceremony of culture. The University of Ibadan understands the cultural importance of this season, and we can all see this understanding demonstrated in its Annual Convocation Fine Art Exhibition, which is in its eleventh edition,” the former UI don said.

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News

Nigeria cannot achieve SDGs with foreign aids, says Adeleke Seyi John Salau

he Managing Partner at Pantote Solutions LLC (Dallas, TX) and Principal Partner, Senior Supply Chain Consultant for Epot Consulting Limited, Adebayo Adeleke, has said that the country cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if it continues to depend on foreign aids. Adeleke, who made this assertion in Lagos recently, during an interview with journalists, said although no one is perfect and that it was okay to need some assistance in the form of aid, however, countries must never solely depend on it. He stressed that for more

Adeleke

clarity, Africa needs to stop depending heavily on aids from western countries, adding that with his knowledge of nation-building, strategic

posturing, and social psychology, aids are never given for free. Adeleke noted that it is common for donor countries

to use these aids as a tool to influence the receiving countries. According to him, “We can’t keep living like that. Africa is the breadbasket of the world, we have almost everything we need to survive and we possess the key to unlock a lot of prosperity. Our bane is poor leadership. “Why should we have enough resources to support our citizens and even give to the rest of the world, yet we keep requesting aids? Instead of working out ways to keep receiving these grants, it is time for us to return to the drawing board and get things working. These aids cannot guarantee sustainable development. Why then do we keep depend-

First Bank boss tasks stakeholders on building leaders, entrepreneurs REMI FEYISIPO, Ibadan

n pursuit of building the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria, Adesola Adeduntan, has said that there was the need for critical stakeholders to increase the value of the nation’s youths, not only through the quality of their formal education but also by infusing critical thinking, problem-solving and qualitative skills that will boost their personal and professional growth. According to him, “While we continue to pursue a strong case for improving the environment within which education and employment happen, we have a critical responsibility to equip graduates with the competencies required to succeed in the world of innovation and tech-

nological disruptions.” Delivering a lecture titled, ‘A Journey Defined – Empathy, Courage, Industry (Discipline)’ at the 2019 Convocation Ceremony of the University of Ibadan, the First Bank CEO said this could be achieved by leveraging massive online open courses as an institutional response to the new ways of learning; revamping the school curriculum to include programing and coding skills, as well as the provision of broad band access across all higher institutions of learning. Urging all stakeholders to collaborate in the quest to enriching the learning experience across all higher institutions of study in Nigeria, he called on the new graduates of the University of Ibadan to take responsibility for their lives by defining their core values. He noted that this would enable them to navigate the

world both in their personal and professional lives. “Your defined journey started on your admission into this great university. It doesn’t matter how long your process will take, your final mandate, is to deliver value in as many ways as possible to your society,” he said. Adeduntan noted that the new graduates should be conscious of their decisions around their career goals and be intentional about employment or entrepreneurial offers. “As the university unleashes you to the world of great possibilities and uncertainties, I would like to entrust you with some “life hacks” that will enable you to navigate the world both in your personal and professional lives. I have adopted these “life hacks” as well in my personal and professional endeavors, and in all modesty, I can say that I am a comfortable man,” he said

L- R: Bunmi Falusi, registrar, University of Ibadan; Adesola Adeduntan, awardee, managing director/chief executive officer of First Bank; Idowu Olayinka, a professor and vice chancellor, University of Ibadan, and Kayode Adebowale, a professor and deputy vice chancellor, University of Ibadan, at the Convocation Ceremony of the University held at International Conference Centre University of Ibadan.

“Creating value for yourselves and others requires you to be intentional with life decisions- from choosing your career to building networks and nurturing relationships. “Take responsibility for your life by defining your core values which, at this point in your lives, should be hard work, integrity, discipline and living an impactful life. Even in the smallest of tasks assigned to you, exhibiting these values will get you recognised and fast-tracked to leadership positions,” he said. The First Bank boss pointed out that to climb the ladder of success and widen horizons for personal and professional growth, the new graduates need to demonstrate high level of discipline, because the foundation of every civilised and prosperous society is discipline. “Your personal discipline will show in your output. This is a critical lesson you must strive to inculcate in your personal and professional lives, being empathic in your professional capacity, you will be in a better position to effectively lead and inspire others, as well as be a more caring, compassionate companion in relationships, building empathy in yourself is then crucial if you wish to have a global career of learning and interacting with new cultures,” the banker said. He however urged all the graduates to have the “can do mindset, have core values that align with your vision, be excellent, be healthy and follow your purpose with precision and discipline, and if you fail, rise.”

ing on them?” he asked. As a retired U.S Army Major with over 20 years of military service and multiple combat tours, he added that it is even outrageous that some of these countries are not accommodating to Africans in their immigration policies; yet, they are so concerned about the African continent. “We have to see beyond these packages,” he advised. According to him, “It is quite interesting how the UN expect all these laudable SDGs from poverty elimination to fostering partnership to be achieved without leadership. This does not apply to Nigeria only.” “ Le a d e r s h i p s h o u l d be the focal point goal that should be incorporated into the SDGs.

Without it, there is no way any of these goals will be achieved at the target date. Leadership is needed to create the blueprint for achieving these nationbuilding goals,” he added. If poverty elimination, which is the first SDGs, is going to happen globally, aids will play a major role in providing stop-gap until capacity is developed to provide sustainability. “None of the SDGs will be achieved without aids, but these SDGs cannot be sustained with aids either. This is why we need solid leadership. It would be disingenuous to say that Africa doesn’t need aids at all because it has its peculiarities. What we must strive to build is an independent economy,” he said.

National livestock transformation to boost economic growth - FG Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

ndrew Kwasari, senior special assistant to the President on Agriculture, has said that the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) was to create millions of jobs and engender economic growth in Nigeria. Kwasari made this known at the flag-off training on the implementation of the pilots under the NLTP held in Jalingo. Kwasari, who is also the national coordinator of the NLTP, said that the implementation of the plan would create avenues for goods and services, providing opportunity for job creations of unimaginable proportion. He also said that the policy was a deliberate shift from the traditional method of livestock production to a modern one, adding that the plan had provided the platform where state would implement it in line with their peculiarities. He stressed that the policy, which selected seven states

as pilots was a brain-child of the Federal Government to be driven by the National Economic Council (NEC) aimed at addressing the herders/ farmers conflicts which had destroyed the hitherto mutual coexistence between both communities. The national coordinator urged the Taraba State steering committee to accommodate all stakeholders in the implementation which would be acceptable by all. In his address, Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba identified the traditional movement of animals from one place to another as a major cause of clashes between animal and crop farmers. Ishaku, who was represented by Haruna Manu, deputy governor of the state, said that the NLTP would end the clashes. He said that the adoption of the plan would improve livestock productivity by making it more profitable, decent and eradicate conflict between livestock farmers and crop farmers.

NALPGAM blames LPG terminal owners for continued hike in cooking gas price Ifeoma Okeke

he Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers (NALPGAM) on Friday blamed the continued hike in the price of cooking gas on alleged exploitative activities by Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Terminal Owners and Offtakers. Bassey Essien, its executive secretary, in a statement issued on Friday in Lagos, said the increment had seen the price of cooking gas rise from between N2,600 and 3,000 in retail outlets to about 4,500 currently.

It has become necessary to bring to the attention of users of cooking gas, stakeholders in the industry and the Federal Government in particular to the level of exploitation that currently subsists in the pricing of cooking gas by terminal owners/offtakers. “The Federal Government approved the allocation of about 350,000MT of Gas per annum for local consumption through the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) company and this has been distributed through the terminals and offtakers to Gas Marketers who eventually distribute to end users.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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Women urged to create multiple means of income Ngozi Okpalakunne

omen have been advised to create multiple streams of income so as to overcome the challenges of the present economic downturn in the country. Speaking at a one-day summit organised recently in Lagos, by PHWAY Initiative, a non-for-profit organisation, executive director of the organisation, Nneka IykeOkafor also stressed the need

for women not to live above their income. According to her when one lives above her income it results to worry and anxiety which she said are the leading cause of high blood pressure and heart disease. On the summit which came under the theme, ‘Digital marketing’ Okafor said it aimed to educate women on how to get involved in online marketing and also how women can strictly manage their finances. “To live above financial crisis, one needs to be disciplined in terms of managing

her finance. A lot of women live above their income and it ought not be so because it leads to depression and anxiety. So, strict management of finance can help one to have saving culture,’’ Okafor said. In addition, she affirmed that the event hoped to empower women with skills that will enable them contribute meaningfully to their families as well as the country in large. She frowned at women who are not gainfully employed and as a result cannot contribute to the financial needs of their families, adding that days were gone when

women only stay at home to take care of the children. “The situation in the country today does not give room for women to sit down at home. They should rise up and acquire skills that will enable them contribute to the financial needs in their homes,’’ she said. On the other hand, she stressed the need for husbands to assist their wives, especially those who are jobless, to acquire skills that will in turn enable them to assist their spouses in taking care of the home. Delving into women rep-

resentation in governance, Okafor regretted that none of the past administrations as well as the present has given women enough chance in the governance. “In the course of this democracy none of the administration has given women their due. You can talk about elective positions where we contest, those positions the women are naturally disadvantaged because of the cultural norms, the fact that political meetings tend to happen late at night, its capital intensive to run for these elective position.

“You can’t blame any administration that women are not coming out to run for any election, but you can certainly blame the executive that is appointing, you appoint 30 ministers you cannot find 15 women. We are 50 percent of the population of this country. There are many competent women and there are competent men. So, women should be given equal opportunity with men in the governance. I am not saying that men are not the head, they are and women are not dragging with them the position God has placed them”, she noted.

Euracare introduces bariatric surgery to check obesity Desmond Okon

Lagos-based multispecialist hospital, Euracare, has introduced bariatric surgery, a medical procedure that helps propel weight loss, in order to reduce obesity, and its accompanying health risks. The bariatric surgeon at Euracare, Abuchi Okaro, stated this in a statement made available to BDSUNDAY. The health risks of obesity (mainly defined as excess amount of body fat), have been captured in articles and medical journals replete on the internet. Heart diseases and stroke are known implications of excess fat within the body. According to data, obesity accounts for 80-85 percent of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Also, based on the 2010

WHO global infobase, obesity prevalence in Nigeria was 11.0 percent and 4.3percent in Nigerian females and males respectively. A research by eight Nigerian authors, showed a significant increase in the prevalence of the health condition. The study, published in 2012, found the prevalence of overweight and obese individuals to range from 20.3 to 35.1 percent and 8.1 - 22.2 percent respectively. The researchers concluded that prevalence of overweight and obese individuals in Nigeria is of epidemic proportions. “There is a need to pay closer attention to combating these health disorders,” they said. This backdrop has forced Euracare to come up with a solution described as evidence-based weight management options to solve

the prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Nigeria, said Okaro, who is also the lead consultant laparoscopic, at the hospital. “The hospital assembled an expert team of experienced and dedicated professionals that are focused primarily on delivering safe and predictable surgical weight loss or bariatric surgery outcomes central to the patient’s journey, which starts from the first consultation all the way through surgery to months and years after surgery,” Okaro said. Explaining the procedure, Okaro said bariatric (also called metabolic) surgery was a rapidly expanding branch of Upper Gastro-Intestinal surgery around the world. He said the surgery involves adjusting the upper digestive tract to cause weight loss in patients.

ASWAL partners MMM to offer free medical care to Lagosians Ngozi Okpalakunne

ver three thousand residents in Surulere Lagos, recently benefitted from a free medical care organised by Anambra State Women Association, Lagos (ASWAL) in collaboration with Mass Medical Mission (MMM).

The beneficiaries who include women, men and children were screened for colon, prostate, and cervical cancer; eye and dental check; de-worming of children, and many more. They were also counseled and provided with drugs. Speaking at the event which came under the theme, ‘Healthy Lifestyle & Prosperity’, Nkiru If-

(L-R) Health Committee Chairperson, Anambra State Women Association Lagos (ASWAL), Nonye Odunukwe, Margaret Nweke; Public Relations Officer, ASWAL, Ada Ibeneme, president, ASWAL; Nkeiru Ifekwem, second vice president of the association, Amaka Onwuoma, Stella Umeozulu and others, during the association’s health walk and free medical care organised for Lagosians in collaboration with Mass Medical Mission (MMM). It held recently in Surulere, Lagos.

ekwem, president ASWAL, said: “This is service to humanity, having discovered that government alone cannot do it. What motivated ASWAL was to assist government do want they are supposed to do, government alone cannot do it, it shows that government programmes and efforts are not getting to the grassroots”. If e k w e m t h e r e f o r e , called on the three tiers of government to partner recognised non-governmental organisations and civil societies that will touch lives positively at the grassroots. “Initially, we started with Anambra women in Lagos, but we have now extended it to Lagosians generally, almost all the 36 states of the federation are represented here today,” she said. For those that will test positive, Ifekwem revealed that will be given drugs and there will be a follow-up by MMM and added that they hope to make the programme an annual event.

R-L: Anthony Youdeowei, CEO, Ikeja Electric; Godwin Emmanuel, CEO, First Independent Power Limited; Paul Harriman, CEO, Egbin Power plc; Kola Adesina, GMD Sahara Power Group , and Ahmed Nagode, DG, NAPTIN, at the graduation ceremony of the young engineers from the Sahara Power Group graduate engineering prorgamme in Lagos. PicbyPiusOkeosis

Citiview residents protest non-provision of basic amenities by developer Seyi John Salau

esidents of Citiview Estate in Warewa, Ar e p o i n Og u n St a t e , r e c e n t l y matched to the corporate office of PropertyMart Limited, the property developer, to protest against what it called the non-provision of basic amenities in the estate. According to the residents, several meetings were held between the residents’ association and estate developer to dialogue on modalities and possible line of actions to address their grievances, especially regarding the flooding of many parts of the estate. “The flooding, which started on the 6th of October 2019, has increased steadily, damaging the major entrance into the estate, making it extremely difficult for residents to drive in and out,” Aderemi Lateef, vice chairman of Citiview residents’ association who spoke on behave of other protesting residents of Citiv-

iew Estate, said. According to Lateef, the issues that led to the protest are multi-faceted based on promises not fulfilled by the developer of Citiview estate, which led to failed infrastructure within the estate, including poor sewage design and implementation. The residents of the estate equally stated that other flooded areas in the estate had also been brought to the developer’s notice several months before the flood. However,adequatemeasures were not carried out by the developer to fix the infrastructural deficit in the estate. “But for the concerted efforts of the residents who had to raise funds to purchase granite and boulders to fill the widening pool of water which had blocked the entrance, it would have been impossible to access the estate. “Residents have also complained about other lifethreatening issues such as the flood water mixed with human waste, which has now

contaminated the water and air; the poor drainage systems, deficient building and infrastructure executions as seen in the pre-fabricated buildings executed by the developer as well as the more disheartening fact that many residents still do not have their authentic titles for the properties,” Lateef stated. However, Taiwo Adedeji, the solicitor to PropertyMart Limited, the developer of the estate, in reacting and addressing the concerns raised by the protesters assured the residents that prompt actions will be taken going forward to address their concerns. Adedeji in addressing the protesters’ concerns on title document said the developer is working to ensure all residents of the estate get their title document, but stated that it is not within the powers of PropertyMart to provide title document, since it involves the state government. “Title document is not something that starts and ends on our table.

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University don urges Nigerians to Group attributes increasing crime resist proposed hate speech bill rate in Nigeria to poverty …Accuses politicians of deliberately impoverishing the larger populace

…says, ‘it is a time bomb’

GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

dith Ugochi Ohaja, head of Department (HoD), Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has urged Nigerians to oppose the passage of the proposed bill, seeking to place death penalty on anyone convicted of hate speech. Ohaja, in a telephone interview, described the proposed bill, as a time bomb on the journalism profession in Nigeria and expressed disbelief that the National Assembly is deliberating on a bill that provides for capital punishment for the expression of opinions. She challenged journalists in Nigeria to rise up to the occasion and prove that the ever vibrant Nigerian mass media that stood firm during the Sani Abacha-led military regime, is still alive to defend justice, truth and human rights. According to her, “This is a country where rampaging herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers and terrorists seem to be treated with kid gloves. One would have called this a misplacement of priorities, if the move wasn’t so sinister and it speaks to the baseness of the current National Assembly. “By reviving this bill and seeking to set up an agency for the so-called ‘hate speech’, the government is no longer hiding its dictatorial inclina-

tions. “Besides the social media, blogs and citizen journalism websites, the traditional media remains the platform for publicising people’s expressions of opinions and helping them to gain traction. So, they will be prime targets or those whose views are publicised in them will be.” “I don’t know the full provisions of the bill, but I imagine there will be punitive fines against corporate bodies, like the media, that are seen as fora for the dissemination of ‘hate speech’. “The sad thing in Nigeria is that the media has not been robust enough in withstanding the tyranny of the present regime. Perhaps, the revival of this bill will serve as a wakeup call to them that the government is trampling on everyone’s rights and eroding freedom of the press. “In fact, this might be the time for the media to redeem their image by championing the resistance against

this kind of move and other obnoxious policies of this government. “In the time of Abacha, they did it. Hopefully, the recent years of questionable democracy have not turned them into a hopelessly complacent and conniving lot,” she lamented. According to her, “The level of ineptitude, sectionalism and other multifarious failings of the government are constantly drawing public ire and that is why the government is desperate to muzzle free expression of ideas and opinions. “And the hypocrisy is glaring, because it is the executive arm of government and the judiciary that it has kept under its thumb that will decide what hate speech is and who to prosecute.” She called on Nigerians from all walks of life and levels of society to resist the passage of the bill, because it will kill what is left of the country’s fledgling democracy.

oncerned Citizens of Nigeria (CCN), a human rights group, has attributed high rate of criminal activities in the country to poverty. They alleged that the three arms of government, though said to be functioning separately, are in collusion to mismanage the financial resources of the country and impoverish the larger population. Lucky Emeriuwa, chairman, Abia State branch of CCN, in an interaction with newsmen in Aba, said “it defiles logic and every sense of equity, why minimum wage affects only civil servants and the poor populace, whereas the constitution provided for principle of freedom, equality and justice. Emeriuwa frowned at the high rate of crime in the country and called on every Nigerian to eschew crime in its entirety. He stressed that the trivial

remuneration of the poor has brought about terrible consequences, which he said include crimes and vices, like kidnapping, armed robbery, cyber crimes, prostitution and banditry. In his words, “It’s unthinkable to say that a legislator receives more than ₦3million to legislate what is already in the constitution, whereas a civil servant, who performs his/her duties daily, would receive ₦30,000 per month. “The height of the collusion is discernible on the view that the said minimum wage of N30,000, will depend on the financial stability of the state concerned, whereas the Federal Government is financially capable to pay millions of naira to the entire members of the National Assembly. “This is pure injustice and deceit, based on the collusion of the leaders of the three arms of government. May we ask, whether there are different markets for the rich and the poor in Nigeria? The poor and the rich purchase their wares from same markets. “The reason negative

vices and crimes are on the increase is that most of the poor people do not have alternative to better livelihood”. According to him, “In Nigeria, we are experiencing fragile and deceitful scenario of all kinds. The funny part of the deceit is that the leaders of the three arms of government use the poor union leaders to perpetrate deceit against the poor masses, who they are supposed to protect. “For instance, how could the union leaders accept ₦30,000 as a living minimum wage, whereas they know such amount cannot sustain a worker over one-month? “The acceptance of such amount means that workers will remain impoverished, while those in the three arms of government have to be enriched in order to promote cosmetic peace and unity in a country, where celebration of the dead is the order of the day. “It’s now evident that the gang-up by the leaders of the three arms of government against the poor masses is the major factor sustaining the cosmetic peace being experienced in Nigeria.” “But it is unfortunate that the country cannot forge ahead in this manner, because development cannot thrive where there is rancor and disunity,” he pointed out. To justify the principle of equity and ensure proper development in Nigeria, Emeriuwa noted that the country must adopt universal minimum wage, resource control and true federalism.

Enyo reiterates commitment to creating shared value in line with SDGs

he United Nations (UN) says that over 3 billion people rely on wood, coal and charcoal for energy. Also, indoor air pollution from using combustible fuels for household energy caused 4.3 million deaths in 2012, with women and girls accounting for six out of every 10 of these. These amongst many urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world needed to be addressed globally to improve quality of life. In 2015, the international community adopted a set of 17 goals as part of a new global agenda on sustainable development. The environment underlies each of those

goals – from eliminating hunger to reducing inequalities to building sustainable communities thereby tackling challenges facing the world. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a global blueprint for dignity, peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. A few years into the agenda, we must examine how various sectors of the society, especially the private sector are translating this shared vision into national development plans and strategies. Leading companies have begun to recognise that they can only address the complex sustainability challenges by scaling up their efforts through collabora-

tion with industry and sector organisations, customers, governments and society. It is in recognition of this that a leading downstream oil & gas company, Enyo Retail and Supply has engaged in initiatives that translate the shared vision of the SDGs to create shared value for all stakeholders. One of the core principles that underpin the United Nation’s approach to achieving these goals includes Innovation as new and innovative pathways are highly required to allow countries leap forward. One of such innovations is shown in Enyo’s commitment to ensuring that children in Nigeria are better equipped and qualified to compete in the global world,

by providing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Café that caters to kids from age 5 to 12. This initiative is which aligns with SDG 4 is part of Enyo’s corporate investment and skills development initiatives targeted at building future entrepreneurs in the country. Enyo has also engaged in campaigns to sensitise the general public on the dangers of air pollution and the need to adopt clean energy for cooking purposes – SL Gas.As part of its efforts to guarantee the satisfaction and safety of its customers and community, Enyo is also investing hugely in providing internet service, clean water and security - through the use of Close Circuit TV

(CCTV) within their facilities. “Nigeria needs to be become aggressive in achieving the SDGs and adopting measures that will enable our nation leap forward. There is the need to invest in education, health – through clean water, technology and security, through Public and Private Partnership as more efforts like this are required. Thankfully, Enyo is spear-heading innovative initiatives that are gradually transforming our society for the better and attaining the SDGs,” Abayomi Awobokun, chief executive officer, Enyo Retail and Supply, said. The implementation of Sustainable Development

Goals such as quality education and clean water and sanitation, will help to achieve overall development plans, reduce future economic, environmental and social costs, strengthen economic competitiveness and reduce poverty. Focusing on a purpose that is rooted in creating value for others, improving the world we live in and inspiring the organisation at all levels, Enyo aims to increase its ability to create sustainable value. Fundamentally, the SDGs provide a historic moment for companies to take society’s challenges and leverage them as opportunities to enhance business growth and long-term competitiveness.

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PhotoSplash

L-R: Esther Evbodaghe bride’s mother; Mr and Mrs Paul Agbonifo, couple, and John Evbodaghe, bride’s father, registrar/chief executive of ICAN, at the traditional marriage ceremony, as John Evbodaghe gave out his daughter in marriage, in Lagos.

Rotimi Bankole (l), founder/CEO, SBI Media Limited, receiving the award for Media Personality of the Year, from Akin Naphtal, CEO, Instinct Waves/organiser of the 2019 9th Marketing World Awards in Accra, Ghana.

Bella Disu (5th r), CEO, Sisi Paris, and other members of staff of Cobblestone, at the opening ceremony of Sisi Paris, in Lagos. Pic by Pius Okeoisisi

( L) Past president Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Ademola Olorunfemi , presenting an award to the guest speaker Akintunde Sean Zedomi(right) Chairman, NSE, Ikeja branch, Funmi Akingbagbohun,(middle) during the 10th edition of Ralph Alabi memorial lecture and induction of new corporate members organised by NSE, Ikeja branch, Lagos.

L-R: Amaka Nwaokolo, lead research and policy, FATE Foundation; Olawale Anifowose, MD, GEN, and Monday Ewans, director, development and promotion, SMEDAN, at a press conference to announce the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Week in Lagos.

L-R: Emeka Ihedioha, governor Imo State, Boboye Oyeyemi, corps marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and Kenneth Nwegbe, deputy corp marshal FRSC, presenting the insignia of the Corps to the Governor, during an advocacy visit to the Government House in Oweri, Imo State.

L-R: Adesanya Olusanya, route to consumer manager; Rotimi Odusola, legal director/company secretary; Lola Ashafa snr brand manager, Brand Guinness; Iyke Nnaji, winner; Olayinka Bakare, head of beer and Jacquelyne Yawa, head of agribusiness, at the presentation of prize to winners of the ongoing Guinness MVP promo recently in Lagos.

L-R: Bamise Oyegbami, brand manager, Devon King’s; Joyce Coker, human resource director, PZ Cussons; Ipsit Chakrabarti, deputy managing director, PZ Wilmar; Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, marketing director, PZ Wilmar, and Femi Ogundoro, founder, Food Bay TV, at the launch of the ‘King of Street Foods’ competition, sponsored by Devon King’s, at the PZ Cussons headquarters in Ilupeju, Lagos. Pic by Pius Okeosisi

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Lagos and the menace of street trading, roadside parking

editor Zebulon Agomuo

sane society. This distasteful practice is now a common sight across the state with its attendant harsh and depressing implications on commuters and pedestrians movements. Since roads have suddenly become excessively narrow as a result of vehicles that are parked on either side of the roads, the safety of commuters and pedestrians become seriously compromised. Many have lost their lives while jogging or walking along the road. No thanks to roadside parking! Consequently, many who would have loved to engage in walking for pleasure and fitness have to think twice before engaging in such a risky venture. No matter how much energy that is put into courting foreign and local investments, the enabling environment must, first and foremost, be created before such investment could thrive. Traffic gridlock is, no doubt, bad for business. And roadside parking and street trading are partly responsible for most Lagos traffic gridlock. A study conducted by the Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, has aid credence to this. The study reveals that no fewer than 10 vehicles vied for parking spaces every 10 seconds at every street in the state. This has often left all streets clogged with motor vehicles, with many being parked at the roadside, or on the walkways, while others had to make do with double parking, blocking on-coming vehicles leading to traffic jams especially at the peak hours.

Frank Aigbogun

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

Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (South) Ignatius Chukwu HEAD, HUMAN RESOURCES Adeola Obisesan

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

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

treet trading and roadside parking have for long been major causes of gridlock in Lagos State. There is, however, a divergence of opinions on what should be the response of the state government to street trading, in particular. Some are of the view that government should not enforce ban on street trading on the account that it is an integral part of African custom and tradition. Others see it as a manifestation of both poverty and underdevelopment while some others see it as a natural trend in every major city of the world. What those who hold this view, however, forget to add is that trade regulation and issuance of trade license is a standard practice in every civilized country of the world. It is, indeed, difficult to see how a phenomenon that promotes child trafficking, misuse of public open spaces, insecurity on the highways, environmental degradation and violation of human rights could be allowed to thrive in any

The study further states that the menace of street trading, especially by street hawkers, seriously complicates the traffic situation in the state. Despite the huge resources that the state government has committed into education, street trading partly contributes to low academic performance and outright school drop-out by children in the state. In a study carry out in Epe division of the state, among child traders, 70 per cent of them admitted that street trading had a negative effect on their reading schedule, while 79.2 per cent reported that it affected their school attendance rate. No responsible person should be happy seeing children in uniform or mufti hawking goods at hours when they ought to be in schools. Many children have sustained lifelong injuries through street trading and hawking. Moreover, children who engage in hawking or other forms of hard labour may physically wear away before they actually reach the productive age in the economy. Many children had died as a resulting of hawking in traffics through accidents. With all the environmental menace and insecurity associated with street trading and roadside parking, it is quite obvious that it could birth other social and security problems. It is, therefore, essential for Lagosians to pay attention to government in its bid to rid the state of this evil duo. Our collective efforts should be geared towards ensuring a secure and safe Lagos that works

for everyone. More investors need to support government through the construction of affordable markets and accessible car parks across the state. In the United States, for instance, the parking industry generates more than $25-30 billion in gross parking revenues. Also in South Africa, the parking industry contributes more than 8%to their gross domestic product, GDP. Undoubtedly, more organized parking and market facilities within Lagos state will not only prove to be an income generator, but such could also help in reducing traffic congestion which is partly caused by indiscriminate parking along the largely congested streets. If this is properly addressed, it will not only create an enabling environment for everybody to live, it will also improve the condition of living of everyone in the areas concerned. Perhaps, more importantly, every resident of the state must be ready to work with the government in ensuring that law and order are maintained in the state. A major difference between the animal kingdom and human societies is that the latter thrive on law and order. We must all be ready to abide by the laws of the land, and if there be anyone that contravenes the law, the law must take its full toll on such. We should not allow the inaction of a few people to continue to bring untold hardship on the majority. Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

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

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Sunday 17 November 2019

NewsFeature Be more creative, innovative engineers told Ngozi Okpalakunne

ngineers have been urged to be more creative and innovative in their field so as to achieve greater technological development in the country. Speaking at the 10th edition of Raph Alabi memorial lecture and the induction of new corporate members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Ikeja branch, Lagos, the chairman of the branch, Funmi Akingbagbohun affirmed that technology globally is evolving daily and for Nigerian engineers to part of the trend that there is urgent need for them to be more creative in their career. Describing engineers as solution providers, Akingbagbohun stressed the need for them to come up with more machineries that will make life easier for the masses. According to her, research and development are some of the challenges facing engineering profession in the country. Explaining further she said: ‘’The problem we have in this profession is research and development. We cannot depend on government because the government cannot do it all alone, we as engineers need to come together and see how to overcome such challenges in order to be more effective in our career’’. Giving a brief background of NSE Ikeja branch which was established in 1993, the chairman said, it has recorded some achievements. “Take for instance, the International Engineering Conference hosted by us in 1997 has been the bench mark by which other conferences have been adjudged for its relentless effort and innovative programmes. The branch had received presidential awards every year since 1997, ’’ she added. On the theme of the lecture, ‘Management of relationship: Late Raph Adeola Alabi and others’, the guest speaker, Sean Akintunde defined management as the science or act of studying things with a view to using the result to achieve a set goal which can be cultural or social. While relationship he described as a comparative attitude between or amongst people. While describing the late Ralph Alabi as a master schemer and an articulate man, he stressed the need for mentorship among the engineers. “Alabi related with us very closely, any difference was promptly brought to the fore, discussed and decision reached promptly effected and disposed off. He is the brain behind NSE, Ikeja branch. “I am proposing that we take off this annual function of Raph Adeola Alabi lecture from the branch as he is a thorough breed of NSE man,’’ he added. On the other hand, Zedomi frowned at leaders who are intoxicated by their positions and added that such situation causes them to be dissociated from reality. ‘’Some people in power change radically, become so utterly disconnected from reality that they suddenly become completely unrecognisable to people who knew them before they got to power,’’ he added.

Osinbajo excited in Delta over robust business initiatives at MSMEs clinic Mercy Enoch, Asaba

ice President, Yemi Osinbajo could not hide his feelings towards Delta State last week, as he declared, “Delta State is booming with business initiatives and ideas”, while assuring the entrepreneurs of Federal Government support. Th e e v e n t w a s t h e 2 5 t h edition of the national Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Clinic which held on Wednesday and Thursday, November 6 and 7 at the Event Centre and Cenotaph, Asaba. The two-day event which was organised under the Office of the Vice President was hosted by the Delta State Government. The event saw over 14 Federal Government regulatory agencies and development partners, interfacing with entrepreneurs in the state, and it offered a rare opportunity for the new generation of entrepreneurs trained and established by the Ifeanyi Okowa administration to relate with the officials and representatives of the agencies. The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control NAFDAC), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Corporate Affairs Commission (ÇAC) amongst other agencies, were on ground to educate the entrepreneurs on how to cope with challenges of registering their businesses etc. Also, the Bank of Industry ( Bo I ) , Ba n k o f Ag r i c u l t u r e (BoA), and some partner banks like Access Bank offered tips on how the entrepreneurs could access the banks’ various credit facilities to support their enterprises. It was really two days of brainstorming by the participants as well as time for display of products by the entrepreneurs who were more in their youthful age. In his address, Ifeanyi Okowa , the state governor, reeled out the achievements of his administration in developing the state’s economy since 2015 when he came on board. He revealed, “As evidence of the economic impacts of our MSMEs policies and programmes, statistics derived from the economic data of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that there was accelerated growth of the services sector, which is structurally dominated by micro and small enterprises from average annual rate of 8.9 percent (2013-2015) to the current annual average rate of 13.2 percent (20152017). Similarly, the agricultural sector interventions resulted in agricultural growth from annual average of 8.6 percent (20132015) to annual average of 13.3 percent (2015-2017).”

Yemi Osinbajo (2nd l), Vice President accompanied by Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State Governor, (in red hat), and his Deputy, Kingsley Otuaru (in black hat) receiving a cake presented to him (VP) by the cake designer, Mercy Esiemakerien, during the VP’s inspection of the 25th Edition of MSME Clinic at Event Center, Asasba, Delta State.

Quoting Godwin Emefiele, g o v e r n o r o f Ce n t r a l Ba n k (CBN), Governor Okowa noted that Nigeria has over 37 million MSMEs that employ over 65 percent of workforce but unfortunately, funding gaps, energy problems and infrastructure deficit in the country have stood in the way of their anticipated growth and maturation. Okowa described the clinic as “very timely and strategic” and urged the participants to take full advantage of the rare opportunity to establish beneficial contacts and relationships with the regulatory agencies and development finance agencies. VP Osinbajo, who in his address, commended Delta State for booming with business initiatives and ideas, explained that the idea behind the national MSMEs clinic was to bring government regulatory agencies closer to the people by assembling them all in one place. “It affords MSMEs a platform where they can bring their challenges and seek the intervention of the regulatory agencies rather than go from one agency to the other,” he said. According to him, “Through the clinic, we have launched a one-stop-shop which brings all the relevant agencies together in one state so as to enable MSMEs access their services. We are trying to ensure that in some of the states ready to partner with us, we have all the representatives of the regulatory agencies.” He said that the Federal Government would be happy to partner with Delta State to have the one-stop-shop, adding that the vision of the scheme was to encourage states to create

sub-national versions of the clinic, and also to encourage legislators at the national and state levels to host their version at the various constituencies across the country. “By doing this, we expect that leaders will be able to better understand the issues surrounding small businesses and to regularly receive feedback on the regulatory bottlenecks affront MSMEs within their various areas of interest and influence,” he said. While revealing that some states have already begun to launch their own versions of the MSME clinics, he expressed hope that Delta State would launch its own very soon. He further disclosed, “We have also begun launching shared facilities across the nation, and the purpose is to provide reasonably priced assets to world class business equipments for MSMEs in cluster phases. According to him, “What that means is that MSMEs have cleared the financial burden of having to buy the equipment in order to do business. The shared facilities have been pre -certified by relevant agencies, removing the need for the MSMEs to pursue the certification. “So, by taking away the burden of acquiring and managing the equipment, the clinic intends to further catalyst the growth of MSMEs. We already have pilot editions of shared facilities in Bauchi and Oyo states, and there will be more to follow.” He noted that the inspiration for the shared facility came during last editions of the summit where the common complaints by participants were on the ease of access to production and op-

erating equipment. He disclosed that the shared facility project is in partnership between the FG, interested states, Bank of Industry (BoI), NEXIM Bank and the private sector, and that FG intends to launch one facility in each state and then encourage the states to go on statewide. He said that the FG was aware of the complaints about approvals for business and is working with all the leadership of all the agencies to see that MSMEs can get faster, more efficient and generally more satisfying services in exchange for the fees that they are charged. “In some cases, we believe that the fees have to be reduced so that more businesses can have access to the kind of regulatory support required. Nobody should have to wait endlessly for regulatory certification. I will continue to push the reform agenda to deal with this. The good news is that the regulatory agencies are attuned to the fact that they are first facilitators before being the commercial police for standard enforcers,” he explained. According to him, “The President has issued an executive order that NAFDAC should stop the planned increase in tariff on MSMEs-related programmes on account that it will be unduly burdensome for the operators. Access to low cost finance is a major problem. We are all trying to work to see how to achieve single digit interest rates for MSMEs.” Going by the words of the Vice President, observers say Deltans are looking forward to better days ahead as it is believed that the two-day event would turn things around for the better.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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NewsFeature How ‘Black Friday’ encourages savings culture among Nigerians OLUFEMI OLATUNJI

gonna lives in a remote village in Ogun State. He runs a local boutique and is a proud product of the Igbo apprenticeship trade system. Despite the absence of some of the most basic amenities in his environment, Ugonna relishes the fulfilment that comes from owning a smartphone and enjoys regular internet access. Business took a different turn for Ugonna when he started to shop online for his wares. There was no need to rely on a brick and mortar shop to buy products, sell and even reach potential customers. Ugonna is excited to shop online all year round and never runs out of stock; however the month of November is the time of the year when he is most delighted. It is the Black Friday month, when there are particularly huge incentives for shoppers. The idea of Black Friday has evolved from being held on just one day to sometimes, every Friday within the month of November. Brands are leveraging the period to reward consumers with huge discounts, while increasing sales. What began as a modest giveaway period has now grown to become a global phenomenon, which has spread to virtually every region around the world. It is not uncommon to find shoppers intentionally saving up all year to take advantage of the

mouth-watering discounts that are available in the period. Apart from encouraging a deliberate saving culture, the Black Friday season is also the period when internet usage is increased as shoppers’ endeavour to stay up online to enjoy incentives and huge discounts on every product. A large number of beneficiaries during the Black Friday season are usually smartphone users. This crop of smartphone users are progressively enjoying the gains that come from online shopping. There is no denying the fact that the birth of online shop-

ping, which came with the internet boom is redefining Nigerian purchasing patterns and helping to deepen internet penetration. Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to have 690 million smartphone users by 2025 according to the GSMA, the trade body for mobile carriers. Nevertheless, with deepening internet penetration and mobile becoming the primary tool through which people engage with the world, it is inevitable that African consumers will soon fully migrate to e-commerce. E-commerce is accountable for 20percent of

all retail transactions in China; 12percent in the US, and less than 1percent in Africa. But, it is interesting to note that in some of Africa’s biggest markets, a majority of internet users already shop online or expect to do so in the future. With the Black Friday tradition looking to continue into the future, e-commerce platforms are taking advantage of the surge of consumers not only to boost sales, but also to deepen e-commerce access. For instance, Jumia, a leading e-commerce platform, is look-

ing forward to a major surge in consumer visit for its 2019 Black Friday campaign. The company envisaged an 80percent100percent increase in shoppers during the campaign as against last year. The 2019 campaign will run between November 8 and 29. Founded in 2012, the company is operational in 14 African markets. On the African continent, Jumia has apparently carved a niche for itself, building a household name in e-commerce and logistics service delivery. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, with about 200 million people, remains Jumia’s biggest market accounting for some 25 percent of its entire transactions. The company has created a value chain in order to attract as many customers as possible in its service delivery, which include e-commerce, food, travel, and a payment system called Jumia Pay. According to the company’s head of growth, Ayobami Martins, ‘over 12,000 SMEs in the country will list over 10 million products on the platform during the 2019 Black Friday campaign.’ With increased penetration in smartphones, looking at past activities and the entire buzz around Black Friday, it may not be out of place to say Black Friday is no longer considered as a Western culture. Nigerians have adopted it and for all the right reasons, we can say the culture is here to stay. OLUFEMI OLATUNJI, a PR consultant and social commentator, writes from Lagos.

Imo First Lady applauds NB plc’s ‘Partnership for Growth’ initiative …as beverage firm empowers 105 Imo youths with skills, equipment GODFREY OFURUM in Owerri

bere Ihedioha , wife of Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State, has applauded management of Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc, for instituting the ‘Partnership for Growth’, a youth empowerment initiative, geared towards equipping youths of Awo-Omamma community, in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State with skills. A total of 105 youths selected from the seven villages that make up Awo-Omamma , benefited from the three-months training programme, first of its kind in the annals of the company. The beneficiaries (males and females) were trained in vocational skills of their choice, ranging from confectionery (baking), cosmetology-make-up, manicure and pedicure, braiding, barbing, solar panel installation, cell phone repairs, tiling and landscaping.

They were also taught basic book-keeping, business management, and customer service and life/soft skills. NB Plc also certified the beneficiaries and supported them with seed investment in tools of trade for acquired skills. Ihedioha , who was special guest at the graduation ceremony, held Friday, November 8, 2019, at the Awo-Omamma plant of NB Plc, thanked the management of the foremost brewing firm in the country, for impacting positively on its host community. In her words, “Honestly, I am highly impressed with NB Plc. I came here with a long written speech, but when I saw what you’ve done, I dropped the speech to say thank you. Thank you for making sure that my sisters were involved. Your selection process is also commendable; as it ensured that all villages in Awo-Omamma were covered in the programme”. She however, appealed to Awo-Omamma people to recip-

rocate the gesture, by ensuring that the company’s facilities are protected. For the grandaunts, the wife of Imo State Governor advised them to use the newly acquired skills to develop themselves. “This is a stepping stone for you, please take it seriously. I’m sure that all of you have smart phones; you can market

Ebere Ihedioha

yourselves through your smart phones”. She commended Samuel Obidinma, a solar panel trainee, for his wonderful presentation and appeal for government patronage and promised to send his message to the governor. “I like what Samuel did here today, he marketed himself. You have to first learn how to market yourself, because no one will do it for you. And I assure you that his appeal will get to the Governor. “For those of you trained in landscaping, reach out to real estate developers in the state and outside the state for jobs. Learn how to market yourselves, learn how to make presentations, make sure you do something that will set you apart from others and ensure that you treat your clients well to retain them”, she advised. Sade Morgan, corporate affairs director, NB Plc, explained that the company embarked on the vocational skill acquisition programme in Awo-Omamma to

provide young people in the community with opportunities to create value and support livelihood. As part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion, she stated that the company adopted a transparent selection process in collaboration with the community leaders and arrived at a total of 105 beneficiaries. “We are happy that the process offered every village in the community equal opportunity to participate in the programme and more importantly, a balanced gender representation. “With the theme, “Partnership for Growth”, we are delighted to have embarked on a journey to empower our communities with vocational skills, by involving relevant stakeholders in developing a solution to a need we identified collectively, investing resources to increase capacity in vocational skills and inspiring young people to create value and support livelihood in our communities”, Morgan stated.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Politics Is Lagos PDP seeking permanent peace through controversial election?

Iniobong Iwok

he PDP has never hidden its intention to rule Lagos State, however, despite being the ruling party at the centre and controlling most states across the country, from the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999, until 2015, when it was dislodged by an alliance of major political parties which gave birth to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the party has not been able to rule the state. The PDP, however, made significant success in the 2015 general elections in the state; wining six out of the House of Representatives seats and eight of the 40 state Assembly positions. But since after 2015 general election, the party has been hit by protracted leadership crisis. It was initially between Moshood Salvador and Segun Adewale. Both chieftains had claimed to be in charge of the state machinery. But the intervention of the national leadership of the party, however, culminated in Salvador assuming the position. Salvador, however, later fell out with his presumed godfather and leader of the party in the state, Olabode George. The crisis which was about sharing of executive positions eventually culminated in Salvador’s defection to the APC weeks to the 2019 general election with his supporters. Political observers say the defection of Salvador affected the PDP chances in the general election and played a key role in the party’s dismal performance. It heavily affected the governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje. The defection of Salvador, led to the emergence of Agboola Dominic as the chairman of the party in the state. Dominic had benefited from a power sharing formula between the Bode George-led faction and Aduke Maina faction. While Bode George faction was to take 65 percent of the executive positions including the chairmanship, the Aduke Maina faction took 35 percent of the executive positions. But agitation for a fresh congress started after the general election, with several chieftains of the party, claiming that Dominic tenure in office, which was for three months, had elapsed. Agitation for a fresh congress and new chairman was ignored by Dominic who continued to layclaim to the chairmanship position. The agitation was led by Segun Adewale who called for Dominic’s resignation, alleging that he was duly elected state chairman and had the mandate to lead the party in the 2016 state congress. The crisis led to the defection of some chieftains of the party to

Uche Secondus

Deji Doherty

Olabode George

Agboola Dominic

the APC in the last few months, notably among them being a former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe and Kunle Okunola the party’s candidate for the House of Representatives for the Ikeja federal constituency, among several others. As a way of resolving the crisis, last June the National Working Committee (NWC) set up a 3-man committee led by three chieftains of the party. Senator Ben Obi is the committee chairman. Apart from Obi, other members of the committee are Muktar Ahmed, as secretary and Senator Biodun Olujimi. The committee, after meeting with all the stakeholders of the party, held a fresh election last Thursday for few vacant state executive positions which included the position of the chairman won by Deji Doherty, a former governorship aspirant in 2007, 2015 and 2019. Speaking in an interview with BDSUNDAY, Doherty said his

mission was to save the party from total collapse, restore its lost glory, while charging all members of the party in the state to wake up from slumber, redouble their effort ahead of the 2023 election. “This is a new chapter of PDP in Lagos State with my election as chairman, it is time for work. “I would work closely with leaders to turn the fortunes of the party around; all members should be ready for work, 2023 is just here,” Doherty said. However, some chieftains of the party who spoke with BDSUNDAY on the election said that it was necessary to reposition the party ahead of future elections. Tunji Shelle a former chairman of the party in the state said he supported the election because it was obvious that urgent action had to be taken to salvage the party. “I supported the election and I voted as a delegate, Bode George is my friend, but this is about the future of PDP in Lagos State. We did poorly in the general election because of the same leadership

crisis that we had. I want to believe that Doherty is matured enough to bring all the aggrieved leaders together and resolve whatever issues that we had coming to that election,” Shelle said. Speaking in similar vein, another chieftain Segun Adewale said he supported the election because it was constitutional and needed to move the party forward. “I supported the election; you know that since after the general election we had been in crisis; it was because of this leadership crisis that we performed poorly. “We would work with Doherty to move the party forward ahead of 2023 elections, we can do better than we did in the last election,” Adewale said. However, Femi Careena , a chieftain of the party, warned the Doherty-led state executive not to repeat the mistake of the past, he said the party should begin a process of reconciliation among aggrieved party members in the state. “Doherty is someone who I have worked with closely and I know he

can do this. Our problem is deeprooted but it is normal in politics to have issues. “I would advise him to begin the process of reconciliation of aggrieved members across the state. We may have performed poor in this year election but more elections are still coming”. The election was, however, conducted despite an order by Oyekan Abdullahi of the Lagos High Court which had ordered that status quo should remain. Reacting to the emergence of Doherty, Dominic the chairman loyal to Bode George, said the election was contempt of Court, stressing that the law would take its course. “One is just surprised that some people who are expected to know better attended that show of shame,” he said. From all indications, it does not appear that the election of new executive members would lead to the permanent resolution of the internal wrangling that has negatively impacted the umbrella party.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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Perspective Igbo presidency and hazards of negative consensus CHIGACHI EKE

o tamper with the zoning arrangement, is to tease out all other arrangements including federal character, resource and revenue control…Zoning means the presidency should come south in 2023. Equity and justice mean it should go to the South-East since the other two zones have had a bite (MuyiwaAdetiba’s ‘A Game of Numbers: My Take on Igbo Presidency.’ Vanguard. 12th October 2019). Clarification of Terms/ Concepts “Big Three” was coined by Professor Lawrence Baraebibai Ekpebu in his 1968 civil war lecture titled, ‘Cohesion and Fragmentation in African Politics: The Minorities and the Nigerian Crises,’ in Etekpe, Ambily et al, “Lawrence Ekpebu: His Contributions to National Development, Integration and International Cooperation.” It refers to Nigerian three major ethnic groups of Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani that make up only 50 percent of the population. The other half constitutes 250 ethnic minorities. The Big Three were created by the 1951 Macpherson Constitution that introduced the three regions of Eastern (dominated by the Igbo and the Dr. Nnamdi (Zik) Azikiwe-led National Council of Nigerian Citizen, NCNC, political party), Western (dominated by the Yoruba and Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Action Group, AG,) and Northern (dominated by the Hausa/Fulani and the SardaunaAhmadu Bello-led Northern Peoples Congress, NPC). “Big Two” was created in 1962 when Bello colluded with Zik to jail Awolowo. “Barely two years later,” writes Professor Ekpebu, “a further crack developed this time between the remaining “big two” (the Ibo and Hausa Fulani). Through the census crisis of 1963, the Federal elections rumpus of 1964, and the Western Nigerian election controversies in 1965, the crack developed into a gulf in January 15, 1966, when the Ibo leadership, hiding under the coup by Major Nzeogwu, toppled the Northern leadership of the Sardauna and Balewa with their non-Ibo friends….” This process in elimination was then replicated in 1967 by the Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani against the Igbo; leading to the emergence of the substantive Big Two that kept the Igbo from power for fifty-two years and counting. In this presentation the Big Two refers to the Hausa/ Fulani-Yoruba duopoly. It also means, ipso facto, the negation of the Big Three. “Negative Consensus” was the understanding among the Big Three not to liberate their regional minorities through state creation. The Yoruba supported state creation for Eastern and Northern minorities but not for their Western Minorities. The Igbo supported same for Northern and Western minorities

Ndigbo...waiting for the dawn but resisted state creation for Eastern minorities. The Hausa/ Fulani resisted state creation for Northern minorities while supporting same for Eastern and Western minorities. This left the minorities in a permanent political limbo, according to Professor Ekpebu. The Tiv Riots of 1964 and Isaac Jasper Boro’s revolution of 1966 were fueled by the burning hatred of minorities against unconcerned majorities. “Weak Joints” were minorities areas in the former three regions of the First Republic that remained the Achilles’ Heel of the Big Three. Professor Ekpebu explains, “Dis-satisfied with their treatment by the major tribes, these regional “minorities” constituted the weak joints in the regional set-up…. It was these regional “minorities” which helped to weaken the regions in favour of the centre on the one hand and provided fertile ground for the predominantly regional political parties to have foot-holes in other regions and thus keep alive the idea of One Nigeria.” Introduction The Second Republic, 19791983, offered Nigeria a new beginning after a long night of military misrule by the Big Two. But this too was soon overthrown by the same protagonists who feared Igbo presidency in Vice President Alex Ekwueme, President Shehu Shagari’s deputy. But in the Third Republic, 1992-1993, a crack appeared between the Big Two when General Sani Abacha stopped the Yoruba-born MKO Abiola from becoming president. The Yoruba had cause to fear the repressed Igbo they had no problem with more than their Hausa/Fulani adversaries. Even when Abiola was poisoned, the wise Yoruba broke a cola of friendship with his killers. In this Fourth Republic, 1999 till date, things only changed in

form but not in content. The Big Two still rule to the exclusion of the Igbo. Between 1999-2007 they maneuvered the Yorubaborn Olusegun Obasanjo, who also ruled as military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, into the presidency. After him the hegemon enthroned the Fulani-born Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, 2007-2009, who died in office. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, from minority Ijaw, succeeded his boss Yar’Adua but the Big Two tolerated his presidency, 2009-2015, only with the greatest of restraints. Sweeping him out of office with the first opportunity, they installed another Fulani called Muhammadu Buhari, who also ruled as military Head of State, 1984-1985, as president. With Buhari’s second tenure ending in 2023, the Yoruba are again fronting Bola Tinubu to succeed Buhari; while the Hausa/Fulani are also campaigning for the abolition of zoning, used in justifying Jonathan’s removal, to enable them retain power. Only that the minorities who hold the aces called weak joints may be thinking differently. Déjà vu 2023 Following the claims of the Big Two on 2023, Senator Edwin Kiogbodo Clark, foremost Ijaw leader, urged Nigerians to see the merit of zoning the presidency to the Igbo. He wanted to know what Tinubu could offer Nigeria that the Igbo could not. For him, Igbo presidency was a question of equity, “They (the North) had the presidency several times throughout the military era. Today, another northerner is running for eight years. The South-West have had their turn and the South-South had their turn through President Jonathan. It is only the South-East that has not had it. It is the turn of the Igbo to have it.” Dr. Felix Tuodolo, signatory to the 1998 Kaiama Declaration,

believes “It is the right of the Igbo to occupy Nigerian presidency in 2023. Nigerians expect the Yoruba and Hausa/Fulani to willfully concede power to the Igbo. No tribe is superior to others because the Igbo are equal partner.” He cautioned against rigging out Igbo presidency through constitutional amendments. Concluding, “Another coup, however disguised, could forever change Nigeria as we know it.” Nigerians thank Senator Clark for speaking out; after all an elder does not sit at home and watch detached while evil unfolds. Also, contrast Dr. Tuodolo’s pro-justitia pronouncement with the silence of the civil war heroes who refused to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil in the hateful utterances of northern anarchists who boast the North could keep power for 100 years. But can the North really do that in a dead Nigeria? Nigeria exhibits symptoms of a dying state; including (1) Uneven development where 5 percent of the population controls 80 percent of the wealth (2) Contested legitimacy as Buhari controls only Abuja while bandits ransack the 36 states (3) Demographic pressure from multitudes of unemployed youths hooked on gambling, and (4) Debt trap as our external debt eliminated by Obasanjo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has doubled. The plain truth is that all is not well with our own dear native land. Yet in every election those who destroyed this country always divide us by making it a “Nigerians Vs the Igbo man” contest. To exclude the Igbo from the leaderships of the 9th National Assembly the Big Two trampled on Section 14 (3) of the 1999 constitution on federal character. Having achieved their sectarian agenda, the perpetrators declared that “The law is the law. Nothing is to be added to it and nothing subtracted from it.” Martin Luther King Jr.

reminded us that Adolf Hitler was a stickler for the law. Everything he did was legal. Sun Tsu believed the law is intangible yet its effects are tangible. It is all about interpretation and application. A bad law justly applied could maintain the cosmic harmony. But a revolution could be provoked if a good law is badly applied. Suppose a revolution has already taken place in the minds of Nigerians and what is left is just the opportunity to light the fuse? The law is the law. Friedrich Nietzsche warned saints fighting monsters to be careful that in the process they do not turn into monsters themselves. The patriot fighting the secessionist could turn separatist; the democrat into dictator, and the unionist into traitor. When a revolutionary starts valorising the law against social justice, he ends up perpetuating the very evil he sets out to eradicate. Adetiba, quoted in lead paragraph, must be commended for his warning. National unity is impossible when 40 million law-abiding Igbos are openly harassed as rebels never to be trusted with power. We have dissipated 52 years and unquantifiable resources trying to keep down the Igbo man. But together weYoruba, Kanuri, Fulani, Ijaw, etc, can reverse Igbo exclusion as a necessary step in engendering national rebirth. The starting point is endorsing the position of the Okechukwu Isiguzoro-led 27-man 2023 National Committee on Igbo Presidency Project: For proper integration, unity and maintenance of healthy democracy, the South East should be encouraged to adopt the Yoruba Model of 1999 and Northern Model of 1999; where major political parties in 1999 adopted all Yoruba candidates and in 2019 where PDP and APC featured all Northern Presidential candidate. Conclusion Professor Ekpebu clinically identifies negative consensus as producing the germs that killed the First Republic, “…the current Nigerian crisis (civil war) is as much the result of the dissatisfaction of this minority of 50percent with their lot as it is that of the quarrels among the ‘Big three.’ Had General Yakubu Gowon wasted time creating the twelve states, the germs would have also killed Nigeria.” It is negative consensus again in this Fourth Republic. The Big Two grossly underestimate the burning hatred of the Igbo repeatedly denied the presidency and a sixth state. Must history repeat itself? P ro f e s s o r Wo l e S oy i n k a warned that evil is cyclic: Meaning that Igbo exclusion will get round to other tribes also. But Professor Donald Nwoga clarified that every reality changes both within itself and from one form of reality to another: To plague others, Igbo exclusion will change to other evils. The bell tolls for all. Email: chigachieke@yahoo. co.uk

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Feature Ecstasy in Ibadan as cleric, policeman, students, others relish Glo’s My Own Don Beta prizes

MATTHEW ABIODUN

he axiom no good deed goes unrewarded came to play on Wednesday in Ibadan as one of the winners of tricycle (Keke) in the ongoing subscriber empowerment promo organised by telecommunications giant, Globacom, told his inspiring story to a captivated audience. Chief Abiola Egbelade, an isese-traditional religion worshipper, recalled how he bought three Globacom lines sometime in the early 2000s and gave one to his friend. “Shortly after I gave him the SIM, he called me one day to inform me that Globacom had called to inform him that he won a Kia Picanto. He wanted to give back the SIM to me so I could claim the car because I bought the SIM originally. I declined. As far as I was concerned, I had gifted the line to him and whatever benefits that accrued therefrom were entirely his own,” Egbelade said. Last Wednesday at the Bodija Market in the ancient town, the good deed brought dividends as Egbelade’s own number won him a brand new Keke tricycle in the Globacom “Recharge and Win Big” promo otherwise known as My Own Don Beta. The ancient city of Ibadan was lit with ecstasy as hundreds of winners, including Egbelade, received their prizes in the presence of an excited crowd at the popular market in the heart of the capital city. Quite expectedly, Egbelade disclosed: “I did not believe it when I got a call from 121, because most times, fake promo agents call to tell you to pay money to claim prizes in non-existing promos. However, after the number called me a couple of times, I decided to pick the call. A lady from Glo in Lagos asked for my name, but I asked her if she wanted to register me again and she said it wasn’t for registration. She then informed me that I won a tricycle in the on-going Glo promo, My Own Don Beta. It was just like a dream. I doubted it initially, but when I got to Glo office in Ibadan, it was confirmed and my details were

Kehinde Ayoola, Oyo State commissioner for environment, congratulates one of the winners of keke tricycle, Timothy Isaac Wale, while from left, Bidemi Emmanuel, Regional manager, Activations, West 1, Globacom; Yemi Solade, Nollywood actor, and Dasola Adeyemi, representative of the Iyalode of Ibadanland, Chief (Mrs.) Theresa Oyekanmi, watch with admiration at the presentation of prizes to winners in Globacom’s My Own Don Beta promo on Wednesday in Ibadan.

recorded. Asked what he would use the tricycle for, he enthused, “I will use the tricycle personally. It will serve as remembrance of the day Glo honoured me. God bless Globacom”. Aside from reciprocating good deeds, the Glo largesse will also improve the living standards of some families as some of the winners attested. For instance, Alimi James Adeniyi, a pastor with Living Faith Church, Winners Chapel, Ibadan, said he would give his industrial sewing machine to his wife who is a fashion designer. “I am sure it will help her in the business”, Pastor Alimi enthused. Though he had earlier thought it was a scam when he got a call informing him that he won an industrial sewing machine, he decided to call Glo to confirm it and they said it was true. “It is a good prize and I thank Glo for it. Glo has done well for all winners today”. For one of the tricycle winners, Adeleye Adeyemi, a Police officer serving in Ibadan, getting a call informing him that he won a tricycle was received with

mixed feelings. He said though he knew that Globacom had done such feats before, he reluctantly gave his details to the customer care staff member who called him. He said he will use the tricycle to augment his family’s income. Twenty one-year-old Babatunde Agbebaku, a youth corps member serving in a private secondary school in Oyo State, was equally elated when he got a call from Glo that he had won an Industrial Sewing Machine in ‘My Own Don Beta’ promo by Globacom. “I still can’t believe it. I will make good use of the machine, especially for business. I want Glo to keep empowering Nigerians,” he said. Another 21-year-old winner, Olusina Emmanuel, a 500-level student studying Crop Production and Soil Science at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, said he was not aware that a promo was going on. “I just recharged my line normally, and after a few days, I got a call from Glo telling me that I won a generator. The generator

tor deems it fit, no wonder you are the Giant of Africa. Shine on Nigeria, shine on the giant of Africa, I celebrate you today and always. Nigerians it is time to roll up the sleeves and work for the success of our great nation because greatness is in her DNA, and this greatness has been birthed, even before 1960. We must shake off every form of undoing and be allergic to corruption, falsehood at all levels; we must demonstrate real brotherhood, we must as a matter of resolution, as the year is winding up, work for a better Nigeria from now, always and forever. Let us make her a home for her citizens and foreigners; it must be a home for all and not a deserted place or an avoided island because

of insecurity and uncertainties that have plagued our dear country. The healing of our land must start from the head, because if the head is sick the whole body will be affected, our leaders must purge themselves of all atrocities and remain the servant they have signed and taken oath to be and let God the ultimate rewards them, as ill-gotten or man-made reward or self-compensation will develop wings and fly away. Our economy must be boosted, and our wealth must not be looted to foreign lands while our economy bleeds continuously. Together we must build this great nation since there is no place like home. Nigeria is seriously my thought, and like a treasure, there lies my heart. I hope

will be very useful to me, I intend to start a business centre soon and it will help to power the business when there’s no electricity supply from PHCN. I am very grateful to Glo”. A 300-level student of LAUTECH, Adelowo Victor Akinkunmi, was also excited about his good fortune. He said he got a call from Glo a few days ago informing him that he won a generator and it was a big surprise. “I am very happy and grateful to Glo. I will take the generator home for the use of my family. This is good news indeed!” Ojedele Solomon, a corps member serving in Oyo State, said he did not believe he won a generating set until persistent calls came from Globacom. The Education and Political Science graduate of Osun State University said he would use the power generator for his pleasure to mitigate the electricity supply situation in the country. Kehinde Ayoola, Oyo State commissioner for Environment, as well as the Iyalode of Ibadanland, Chief (Mrs) Theresa Oyekanmi, graced the prize-presentation event. Others who witnessed the ceremony were Lamidi Musedeeq, chairman, Bodija Market Traders Association, while Nollywood actors Yemi Solade and Odunlade Adekola tickled the fancy of everyone in attendance. Ayoola commended Globacom for the empowerment programme which he noted complements what government is doing. “This largesse from Globacom shows that the company appreciates the fact that people are using the network and you are giving back to the society. It is a good thing”, he said, while urging Nigerians to continuously patronise Globacom to enable the company to do more. The prize presentation also featured the draw for next set of winners. 130 prizes including generators, grinding machines, sewing machines and tricycles were won by a new set of subscribers who will receive their prizes at the next event which is scheduled for Kano. According to the company, other major cities in the country will also host the prize presentation ceremonies.

Nigeria: My thought YVONNE SANUSI

igeria, a country created and divinely located by God in West Africa, endowed with milk and honey, a country with human and material resources, a land of rare gems and celebrated intellectuals, is a land whose people wear kindness as garment. Nigeria is the home of hospitality in its entirety; a land known for her cultural diversities and varieties and a strong and kind supporter to her neighbours. The enemies have tried to snuff you out of existence and put you in the past for you to become history. Alas! Your destiny shines on as your expiration becomes expired until your crea-

you have Nigeria on your mind too? God bless you, God bless the Giant of Africa, Nigeria.

Yvonne Sanusi yvonnesanusi16@gmail.com (07051954851)

Sunday 17 November 2019

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BDSUNDAY 17

Feature

The Nigerian twitter is a dangerous place

o, a fire started at Balogun market. While waiting for our fire fighters to arrive, a security guard braved the fires, climbed a rooftop and decided to quench it with buckets of water. Now there’s bravery and there is, well, trying to stop a tanker whose driver can’t communicate with the brakes by shouting at it. Then Katie Hopkins, a British women media personality, columnist and former businesswoman went on Twitter, and dissed Nigerians over it. Then the Nigerian Twitter came for her. Three days after her tweet, they were sending tirade her way. By the time they are done, Hopkins will review her use of Twitter. You see, some Nigerians spend half their day on Twitter abusing Buhari, or abusing those who abuse Buhari. It’s all fun and games until you – who is not a Nigerian, who don’t live where the full moon is more constant than electricity, where politicians park bullion vans in their driveway and where rice is contraband - decides to get involved. There’s a saying that until the crab enters hot water, it won’t realise there are two kinds of water. Both those abusing Buhari and the people abusing those abusing him will descend on you with the fury of Californian fires. The Nigerian solidarity online should be a social science course. They will speculate about the state of your mental health, take a swipe at your spelling ability, investigate your origins, question your sexual preferences and even call out your dog over one careless tweet from you. Some take this thing very personal. It isn’t because they love the country too much though,

because if you land a plane at Ojuelegba and announce that anyone ready to flee Nigeria should come on board, even the pilots won’t get seats - that’s after the main cabin, baggage compartments and even the toilets have been spoken for. Nigerians on Twitter are the twins whom you don’t intervene in their fight, because they will join hands and beat you up. Months ago, an argument online snowballed into a continentwide tweet-war. Nigerians were squared against, the Kenyan, Ghanaian and South African Twitter, predictably, the Nigerians put them to shame. You see all the things that were wrong with Nigeria were weaponised to attack the enemy. I read a tweet where someone said that Kenya’s potholes are still learning, ‘ours can swallow a golf car,’ and this is supposed to be a jab at Kenya! So when a Jamaican started to diss a tweet from Nigeria, his compatriots warned him to cease and desist fearing wrath of the Nigerian Twitter. You may think that it is be-

cause this is a country where 23million people have no jobs until you see that bankers, doctors even Roadside Economists are leading the Twitter battle. I ha ve spe nt in o rdi nate amounts of time analysing Nigeria’s battle formation on Twitter and a pattern has since emerged. I’m not sure my employers will consider this a valuable use of

Nigerian Twitter comes for you. The attack is vicious, precise and targeted to do the greatest harm. There are no holds barred, your past accomplishments, the fact that you graduated summa cum laude, or that you’re a pastor or that even your father is the president will not affect how the Nigerian Twitter will treat your matter. Fisayo Soyombo, an investigative journalist, did a James Bond-esque investigation into the Nigerian prisons. Got himself arrested and took a camera into the prisons to provide evidence of corruption till he was caught and the prisons guys used his body to test the efficacy of their latest torture hardware. His story went viral and the Nigerian Twitter gushed. When it seemed like the authorities were after him, they took up the matter and sent a ‘shitstorm’ so heavy in the way of the Nigerian prisons, they dropped the matter. A charging herd of wild goats is a child’s play when the Nigerian Twitter comes for you. Few weeks later, Fisayo went to buy local rice and decided to tweet about the matter because

my time, but they said we are all going digital, so this is digital. Argue with your mirror! When Nigerians attack, the chosen battle formation is known in military circle as the Herringbone formation. According to Wikipedia, in this formation the person at the front of the squad faces forward, while the rest of the squad lines up behind them, facing left and right, alternating as such. The final member of the squad in the herringbone formation faces backwards. When the squad decides to relocate, the person next to the member facing backwards will tap him on the shoulder to make sure he is not left behind. This formation is performed commonly after crossing obstacles. Maybe it’s not clear to you yet – you- the unfortunate person who tweeted as if your brain was powered by phlegm, is the target of every armoured car. It’s literally what you feel when the

the water from washing the rice looked like the one from a washing machine that just finished with a dozen mechanic overalls. Someone had the idea to do a VAR (that thing they do to prove a Ronaldo’s goal should have been cancelled in Football) on Fisayo’s pictures and saw what looked like a seed of beans. Then they came for him, unleashing a fury of virulent tweets that questioned everything from his motives to his dietary choices. People who think the Nigerian Twitter is a mad place have never been to Aro. Because in a lunatic asylum, at least those who are sane set the rules. On Nigerian Twitter, the inmates run the asylum. (Pretty sure, they’ll come for me too after this). Have you taken time out to study the things that trend on Nigerian Twitter? Well, I have. Favourite themes are football, then football and then Tacha. Tacha , is shortened form of Natasha Ikide, the Big Brother

”

Against the backdrop of the hate speech bill, ISAAC ANYAOGU examines the complexion of social discourse on popular microblogging platform Twitter highlighting why many think of it as the sewer of the internet

I have spent inordinate amounts of time analysing Nigeria’s battle formation on Twitter and a pattern has since emerged. I’m not sure my employers will consider this a valuable use of my time, but they said we are all going digital, so this is digital. Argue with your mirror! Nigeria 4 contestant who got herself disqualified. The people that tweet about Tacha call themselves ‘Titans’. You may not believe it; but they are a movement. They hold WhatsApp meetings daily discussing how to make her trend. It’s amazing the kind of energy required to major in minor things. Trending topics on Twitter often last around 10 minutes and you need at least 2,000 tweets within the period to make a topic trend. Imagine the kind of effort required to make Tacha trend all day and worldwide! The Nigerian Twitter popularised the concept of ‘dragging’. For the uninitiated, it is the term used to describe communal harassment, much like when a whole village collectively decides to tell you what they really think of you. But this is not all there is to the Nigerian Twitter, sometimes it is a place to show love – and tell everyone about it. On Nigerian Twitter, celebrities give away their money to random strangers. Internet fraudsters, popular personalities even those who are famous for being famous display the sort of generosity that defies explanation. People give away phones, shoes, bags. On a random Tuesday, popular musician Don Jazzy can randomly give you a laptop and Bob risky can bless you an Ipad! This has given birth to a band of professional Twitter beggars who randomly direct message requests for money. This a real ‘hustle’ for some, believe me. They are prepared to share screengrabs of their empty bank accounts, others share pictures of those with diseased body parts asking for money – some are real, others are contrived.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Focus

‘Demonising Oil and Gas firms is not constructive way forward on energy transition’

NJ Ayuk

frican nations must and will take advantage of their hydrocarbon resources for economic development. Environmental sustainability is a part of it, not an impediment. Johannesburg, 14 November 2019: In an article written for the Guardian newspaper this week, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa argued for an Apartheid-style boycott on coal, oil and gas companies as a solution to fight climate change and help ensure global environmental sustainability goals. “We must stop climate change. And we can, if we use the tactics that worked in South Africaagainsttheworstcarbonemitters,” the subtitle of the piece reads. The sentiment expressed by Mr. Tutu is laudable and speaks to many across the world that have become rightfully concerned by the effects of climate change on our environment. However, it is also a misguided sentiment. Oil and gas companies are not autocratic regimes focused on oppressing the people and steal their resources. They are businesses, which yes, are focused on profit, but they are also focused on the sustainability of the business itself. In practical terms, it means that these companies adapt to the needs of the economies they are integrated in. Boycotting oil and gas companies will not have an impact on carbon emissions, but it might raise the price of fuel in the long run. That is not the goal intended. While there is demand for hydrocarbons, there will be production. The shift in the dynamic of supply and demand in recent years can

already be spotted in the way oil and gas companies have restructured. More and more, these companies are diversifying their portfolios to include renewable energy assets and many of them are at the forefront of research and development of new technologies to help exploit renewable resources. I cover this extensively in my recent book, Billions at Play. Oil and gas companies are shifting into becoming “energy companies”, they are even rebranding, with Equinor (former Statoil) being the most evident example, to showcase that change in corporate paradigm. And in all honesty, who else would be better prepared, better funded and better placed to drive the energy transition that we all seek. Demonizing energy companies is not a constructive way forward, and ignoring the structural role that carbon-based fuels have in today’s society distorts the public debate. Bringing energy companies, governments and civil society groups together to find functional solutions will achieve much more. This is especially the case in

Africa. While the concerted effort amongst all of the world’s nations is fundamental to curb the effects of climate change, it is paramount to have a clear understanding of what efforts will be most decisive, and which regions of the world are in a better position and have the biggest responsibility to tackle these issues. To be sure, Europe, North America and China, by and large responsible for much of the CO2 emissions that are behind the changes in our climate, have to live up to that responsibility and move towards more sustainable practices. We can not expect African nations, which put together have polluted 7 times less than China, 13 times less than the United States, and 18 times less than Europe since the beginning of the industrial revolution, according to Carbon brief, to undermine their best opportunities for economic development by simply aligning with the Western view of how to tackle CO2 emissions. Gabriel Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea, summed it up

quite decisively to the press last week during the Africa Oil Week in Cape Town. “Under no circumstances are we going to be apologising,” he said, “anybody out of the continent saying we should not develop those [oil and gas] fields, that is criminal. It is very unfair.” Minister Lima’s blunt words are an answer to a number of misconstrued views about the African continent, and about the oil and gas industry it is striving to develop. While a few nations across the continent have been producing hydrocarbons for decades, these resources have mostly been exported to fuel industrial development in Europe, the US and Asia. The reasons for this are varied and have as much to do with the European colonial legacy as with the lack of existing financial resources and expertise to develop local economies over the last century. That, however, is coming to a change. As I have argued and championed for years, African nations are finally starting to make use of these resources to develop their own national economies. We must remember that nearly half of all Africans still don’t have access to electricity and that nearly every company in the continent struggles with the lack of power reliability, which raises operational costs, reduces productivity and hurts their ability to compete in international markets. African leaders are now painfully aware of the damage an unreliable energy network causes on national economies and are moving to change that. Today, natural gas is by far the most economically sustainable way of producing power in enough quantities to fuel economic de-

velopment. Petrochemical plants represent a massive economic opportunity to produce byproducts from oil and gas with a higher value within the supply chain, an opportunity to create jobs, develop infrastructure and produce wealth. Refineries too have a dramatically positive impact in curbing the need for fuel imports. All of these are fundamental pieces of the puzzle that will foster Africa’s economic growth and promote the betterment of the lives of its people. I have been saying this for a long time and have helped with that development through the African Energy Chamber, supporting cooperation amongst African nations to promote intra-African trade on energy resources and build synergies, which is the way forward. The African Development Bank has estimated that between USD$130 and USD$170 billion a year in the run up to 2025 would be needed to close the infrastructure gap across the continent. How are African nations to fund these fundamental developments if they give up on exploring their natural resources? How can the Western world, or anyone for that matter, suggest, or demand, that African nations leave these resources underground when it was these same resources that powered economic development everywhere else? Afterdecadesofcolonialoccupation and subsequent political and military in-fighting, many African regions have now reached the level of stability that will allow them to build workingfunctioningeconomies.The fuel for that will be these countries’ natural resources, be it oil, gas, coal or diamonds. Boycotting the companies that can help these countries develop these resources would be paramount to economic suicide.

DigifyNg: Creating solution to Nigeria’s unemployment crisis through digital skills

David Ibemere t is no longer news Nigeria’s economy is bleeding and leaving little opportunities for millions of job seekers to earn a living amidst a growing youthful population of graduates. As at Q3 2018, the number of unemployed people (completely unproductive or did absolutely nothing) in Nigeria was 9.7 million. That is more than the entire population of some African countries. A detailed look at the unemployment numbers is even more daunting. Out of those 9.7 million people, 3.1 million or 32percent have been unproductive for more than 3 years. According to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics unemployment rate was reported at 23.132 percent as of September 2018 and is projected to hit 33.5 percent by 2020 a burden made clearer with the over 500,000 Nigerian graduates from various higher institutions every year. To make a dent in the unemployment numbers DigifyPRO Nigeria, a not-for-profit initiative facilitated by Digify Africa (a digital skills academy based in South Africa) and supported by Facebook, in the last one year have been training unemployed Nigerian graduates on digital skills. From the first day, in the last two years; during the eight-week

intensive digital skills training bootcamp, the five different cohorts of 20 unemployed graduates all aged 20-30, feel completely immersed into the world of the digital space getting ready to build their digital skills and ensure they play an integral role in the new wave of digital transformation. Last month another set of 20 of unemployed graduates joined the already 80 participants that have used the programme as a pathway to secure full time employment in media, marketing and communication firms. Speaking on the journey to prepare the graduates, Florence Olumodimu, Program Director of Digifypro Nigeria, said the programme has been designed in such a way that participants leave after 8 weeks with readiness skills to thrive in the workplace and offer value to their potential employers. “We give them an experiential learning experience to get them prepared for new approaches to unlock tremendous opportunities in Nigeria’s digital economy amid rising unemployment in Nigeria.” Olumodimu describe it as a worrying trend that she said Digify program is trying to tackle by exposing participants to critical employability skills needed to compete in Nigeria and internationally. “More than one-fifth of the

world’s GDP is attributed to digital skills, capital, goods, and services it makes sense for substantial effort to be put into digital skill acquisition to unlock the dividends of digital economy especially now Nigeria is seeking alternate sources in the face of dwindling oil revenue.” She further explained that one of the many challenges facing Nigeria is the lack of unskilled capital and this a problem DigifyPro is paying attention to by upskilling Nigerian graduates with relevant digital skills and giving them tools to help them flourish and contribute to the economy. Last year, Okechukwu Enelamah, the former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Nigeria’s said Nigeria digital economy is worth over $88 billion and can create 3 million jobs by 2021. Olumodimu however believe

to unlock these figure there is need to continuously equip the large talent pool with skills to evolve with emerging technology and digital transformations especially in the area of cognitive and AI (Artificial Intelligence). “Digify Nigeria initiative has produced 80 digitally skilled graduates and is still in the business of training more graduates, and these graduates have been well equipped to be solution providers to the digital community and society at large.” “Furthermore, it is no gainsaying that this initiative helps to fight the scavenger, unemployment, faced by most Nigerian graduates thereby providing a solution to negative alternatives like fraud, forgery, kidnapping, cyber-crime and other criminal activities which tend to be a resortforsomeunemployedyouths or graduates. Also, the openness

of the programme to all graduates irrespective of course of study or class of degree helps bridge the gap between digital skills acquisition and every young graduate.” “Ultimately, there is a shortage of digital skills globally - DigifyPro has identified this gap and has taken the initiative, 20 graduates at a time to tackle major problems by putting processes in place that allows innovative youths with an insatiable thirst for knowledge to proffer solutions.” Explaining how the programme works Olumodimu said, “It is an intensive bootcamp powered by Facebook, trainees learn about the full spectrum of digital marketing from SEO to content marketing. They are also given exposure to the industry with weekly live briefs set by agencies, where trainees are able to conceptualise campaigns and show off their talents to prospective employers. Most importantly, in the 8 weeks they are given job readiness skills to ensure that they are able to thrive in the workplace and offer value to their employers.” Some of the Beneficiaries who spoke to BD Sunday describe the programme as a life changing experience. Toluwalope Bello now in a full time employment said her learning experience is all she needed to have a clearer path on what she wants to really do.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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BDSUNDAY 19

State Of The Nation

All in the name of miracle M AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

any Nigerians are daily being hoodwinked in their desperation to free themselves from deluge of problems besetting their lives. Having been abandoned by government that should cater for them or that should provide acceptable level of good governance, many Nigerian citizens have resorted to seeking help where there is none. In a country, where government officials close their eyes to their responsibilities, and are not accountable to the people, citizens turn to God for succour. Little wonder most religious centres in the country are filled to the brim nowadays. This is in tandem with the theory of Karl Marx, a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary, that religion is the “opium of the people”. In the search for miracles, many innocent individuals have been initiated into various occult groups ignorantly and their conditions worsened. They move from fire to frying pan. They went to seek a solution to one problem, but seven more difficult and lifethreatening ones are pursuing them. In every nook and cranny of Nigeria, religious centres are springing up on a daily basis to hoodwink gullible miracle-seeking citizens. Although the manner and items of worship in such centres are suspect, miracle seekers are usually not bothered in their quest to get their “problems solved”. How, for instance, would a cleric place a burning candle stick on a worshipper’s head, telling him that as it is burning and melting on his body his problems are being melted away? Or why would a cleric inappropriately touch female church members, claiming he is exorcising the spirit of barrenness or even sleep with such ladies and claiming it is an instruction from heaven? In their quest to get out of poverty, get healed from one ailment or the other, break the chain of barrenness, or other mysterious circumstances that appear to have held them in bondage, they now patronise religious centres where

their problems are unfortunately compounded. This is why some people have turned church into business and healing centres are springing up all over the place, making a merchandise of the gullible. In some of these so-called centres, people are chained and subjected to inhuman treatments by those who claim to possess the divine power to heal or work all manner of miracles. But sadly, the fruit that is coming out from such centres does not show they are indeed working for the Holy God. They religiously observe whatever instruction given to them in such centres. Some of them part with huge sums of money without having their needs met. For instance, on May 2, 2015, Ayomide Tayo of Pulse Gist reported that a certain ‘prophet’ allegedly defrauded a business woman, who was seeking healing from fibroid of N70 million. According to Tayo, the woman was desperate for a cure and she went to the cleric and in the process of healing her, the prophet took three houses, two cars, a Lexus Jeep and 2014 Toyota Highlander from her. Sadly, the woman was never healed of the fibroid. Despite the fact that there are pastors genuinely called by God to heal the sick, Investigation by BDSUNDAY shows that there are others, who are false prophets. These false prophets feed on the

desperation of people and their blind faith to defraud them of their belongings. Just like the case of the woman with fibroid, many gullible but desperate Nigerians are seen on social media platforms going to these fake pastors and doing several unimagi-

nable things out of their desperation to get healing, make wealth or receive deliverance from evil forces. BDSUNDAY recalls another instance, where every church member was asked by the so-called man of God to bring a whip to church to whip the devil during the prayer session. It has also been reported that there has been scenario where a miracle seeker was given a dettol, an antiseptic, to drink for healing. Such dangerous remedies can only lead to death. Some fake pastors presently spray insecticides on members to cast out demons while some brainwash and end up sleeping with their female members especially ‘childless women’ in the name of making them to have children. Such prophets claim that it is a divine instruction. A few days ago, an unverified report had it that a cleric in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has a sprawling swimming pool, he called “Pool of Bethsaida” and that he collects N50,000 (Fifty-thousand naira) for a single dip, from anybody nursing one illness or the other. According to the story, those who may not afford that amount are given bottles of water from the pool

for a lesser fee. It is alarming the kind of things happening in Nigeria all in the name of miracle. Few years back, there was a report of how miracle workers poured petrol on miracle seekers and set them ablaze in order to deliver them from demonic attacks. Also, going down memory lane, BDSUNDAY recalls that on 26 September 2016, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo, popularly known as Reverend King, was arraigned before the Lagos High Court on six-point charge of murder and attempted murder. Ezeugo, a Christian preacher and founder of the Christian Praying Assembly, was arrested in 2006 and charged to court over the murder of one Ann Uzo, one of his members, to which he pleaded ‘not guilty’. Ann was said to have died as a result of the fire Ezeugo set on her, with eye witnesses testifying that he did it because he caught the victim in the act of fornication. He was subsequently sentenced to death in January 2007, and his conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 26 February 2016. Aside from Nigeria, unimaginable things are also happening in other past of the Africa as a video of a South African preacher named Alph Lukau purportedly raising a man from the dead at a funeral, went viral on the social media platform in February. The ‘resurrection’ was described as a hoax, and Lukau is still being mocked on social media, with some people asking him to bring Nelson Mandela back to life. Lukau is the wealthy founder of the Johannesburg-based Alleluia International

Ministries and one of many ‘miracles-makers’ circulating in Africa. Another self-proclaimed Zimbabwean prophet and doctor named Walter Magaya, head of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries, announced in October 2018 that he found a cure for HIV/AIDS. He told his congregation that his ‘scientifically proven’ cure involved two plants: one found in Zimbabwe and the other in Mozambique. Magaya said his ambition was to find a cure for HIV/AIDS and cancer, and that he had tested his potion on a number of HIV-positive people who had subsequently proved free of the virus. It has become obvious that these false prophets are turning the grace of God into a licence for immorality. In Nigeria today, the health system is non-existent. This is why in the case of a fatal ailment; people depend on God for healing. For instance, people with cancer and other serious health issues run from pillar to post, looking for a man of God who would conduct a miracle. These false prophets do not only prey on the sick. They take advantage of barren women, the unmarried, the unemployed and fortune seekers. Adelowo Felix Adetunji, a senior lecturer in Comparative Religion and Mission, Babcock University, in his article on ‘Miracles in Nigeria: An evaluation of Unusual Occurrences,’ stated that West Africa has the highest concentration of spiritual churches focusing on miraculous manifestations. According to him, “People can spend a whole day in churches seeking for miracles and visions for their insurmountable problems. However, most miracles can just be a street-side entertainment scene, drawing the unemployed, busybodies or the plain curious as well as the ignorant that are too weak to think and explain their daily problems in clear terms.” According to Adetunji, “As West Africa shows the boom in spiritual churches, the juju-marabou mediums have seen the commercialisation of miracles, making it unsacred and undermining its divine nature. “People appear in their thousands in churches and crusade grounds (both Christians and nonChristians), not seriously seeking after Christ or spiritual food, but for miracles. Healing miracles have actually become the ‘real thing’ or the most current issue in African Christianity today.”

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Interview ‘We are the first and only Nigerian firm to attain the Platinum IiP certification’ Investors in People (IiP) certification is a recognition awarded to organisations that constantly seek to improve performance and realise objectives through the management and development of employees. Recently, MTN Nigeria was awarded with the highest category of the IiP certification, making it the first and only Nigerian company to achieve this feat. Esther Akinnukawe, chief human resources officer, speaks on MTN Nigeria’s people management practices in this interview with SEYI JOHN SALAU. Excerpts:

ongratulations on your recent achievement as an IiP Platinum certified organisation. What does this mean for MTN? The full meaning of IiP is Investors in People; being awarded a Platinum certification implies that MTN has a robust ‘Employee Value Proposition’ (EVP) as an organisation. IiP is an internationally recognised people management standard accreditation program and for us to have attained Platinum standard means that our EVP is strong and healthy. It attests to the fact that we are committed to supporting our employees in every facet of their lives. It also means that we are an employer of choice, it sustains the belief and understanding that we’ve had but with awards such as this, it cements the fact that indeed we are an employer of choice. These are some of the significances for us. In 2013, MTN got the IiP Certification for the first time, achieved Gold Certification in 2015 and now Platinum. Can you speak to this growth and how many other organisations in Nigeria hold this certification? I am delighted to say that in Nigeria, we are the only organisation that holds the IiP Platinum Certification. This is also a real testament to the fact that we have effective People Management Practices that have distinguished us. It might also interest you to know that internationally only 2percent of organisations in 58 countries that IiP has assessed hold the Platinum certification. What it means is that internationally, including the United Kingdom and USA where IiP has a presence, we are in the top percentile of organisations with the best people practices. Continuous improvement is at the heart of IiP, it is the core of their philosophy so they do not just take your word for it, they interview employees; in fact there are five standards within the accreditation beginning from Standard, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. We started from Standard accreditation years ago in 2013; we got to Gold in 2015 and are now platinum. It shows we have consistently focused on improving and each time we are re-assessed, the results are clear that we have not remained on the previous level but have sustained that standard and built on it. When they speak to our employees, they are able to share their positive experiences with the organisation. There are nine dimensions for the accreditation and each dimension has various elements. Another interesting fact is that to be able to attain the

minimum Standard accreditation, an organisation has to meet all the requirements of Standard, to attain Bronze one needs to meet all the requirements of Standard and about 95percent of Bronze and continuous. For us to attain Platinum means we needed to attain all the requirements for Standard, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. We continue to meet and exceed expectations because of the doggedness and determination we have to make a difference in the lives of our employees. The next time they are here to re-validate the accreditation, seeing as we have attained the highest level being Platinum, they may have to create Platinum Plus category for us because we are not resting on our laurels. As someone who manages MTN’s Human Resources team, overseeing the company’s EVP and staff strength, what does this say about you as a person? Truthfully, my personal and leadership vision is to create an environment that inspires greatness in people while helping them unleash their own potential. However, I am not able to release the potential an individual carries, they are the only ones that can do this for themselves, but when I create an environment that enables them do so it means that we will be able to do superlative things collectively and the results will be awards such as this IiP Platinum certification. I am delighted to be leading the team but I am not completely in charge, I work with an amazing team. I also consider it a privilege to serve and to be able to lead the team, together we cascade the vision and mission required to move the organisation forward for the rest of the employees, it is really amazing and a great privilege. Talking about Talent Retention especially with I.T professionals who are known to be frequently on the move, how do you manage this? I must say that at MTN we do not find ourselves in that situation. Our experience is different from what other organisations in the telecoms sector or across the tech space generally encounter. I would like to attribute that to our EVP as well. Truth is; most employees want to work for an organisation that doesn’t just give them meaningful work but also helps to sustain a challenging environment. Thankfully, we have been able to do that in MTN through the various propositions we put in place for our employees. It is commonplace to find people spend upwards of 15 years with MTN. We have people who have been with us for 18 years, from inception and

Esther they make up a large percentage of the organisation. I joined the organisation seven years ago and it does not occur to me to look for opportunities elsewhere. There are others as well who come into the organization and do not want to leave because the environment is conducive. I’d be lying if I said that we’ve never lost employees, however we benchmark ourselves against what is known as the Saratoga Benchmark. The benchmark for our industry allows for about 5percent regrettable employee attrition, for those employees that the organisation does not want to lose. And we are currently below 1percent so that that’s an indication that we have been able to retain people. We can’t talk about talent retention and EVP without the reward system: what is the reward system like in MTN? The reward system is highly competitive, there’s a system in place for increasing employee benefits on an annual basis. However, we don’t just wake up to say we want to increase salaries; we carry out a benchmark survey. What that means is that there are comparator organisations within and outside the telecoms sector that we benchmark against. Some of the industries that we have put within our pay bracket to see what they are doing include banking and manufacturing amongst others, we check how they have moved in terms of salary and reward systems and we make sure that we are competitive. If at any point we find that we are lagging behind in the market or we are not at the level

that we ought to be, we quickly make adjustments. But the fact that we do annual increment gives us the opportunity to keep tabs on the trends in reward and then quickly cause correct if there is any need to. As the HR Head, what would you say is the most important policy in management of people? It would be difficult to pinpoint one for an organisation such as MTN and I say that with every sense of humility. Between a few years ago and now, we have implemented over 60 initiatives and these are all impactful initiatives not just ticking the box. They are initiatives that our people have found enabling. What I would say is that the guiding philosophy for us is whatever policy or process or practice we put in place has to really achieve the set objectives and we carry out what is known as a post-impact assessment. Here, we check with our people and ask questions to find out if what we deployed is working. Should we continue or discontinue? If we should continue, how frequently should it be? That way we are able to work with the information from our community to decide on the initiatives that are working and the ones to be discarded. Continuous improvement is at the centre and at the heart of the IiP programme, it is equally the norm for us. Can you speak to the standard of MTN Nigeria’s Human Resources in comparison to global standards? I am certain you are aware that MTN Nigeria is one of the OpCos

of the MTN Group. We have about 22 operating companies within the MTN Group and our focus on best practices for people development in Nigeria is also very evident and clear at the group level. In fact, our strategy for the year is called BRIGHT and when broken down, B is Best customer service experience; R is Returns and Efficiency; I is Ignite commercial performance; G is Growth in data and digital; H is heart and mind and then T is technology where our network and technology would be categorised. The H is where HR comes in under Heart. We take it very seriously, and are focused on creating an unrivalled employee experience and engagement. We want employees to wake up in the morning and look forward to coming to work. We don’t want employees to keep thinking of excuses to run away from work and that is really what drives us and makes us do all that we can do to ensure that our employees are enabled to live their best lives whilst at the same time delivering value to the organisation. It’s a symbiotic relationship and HR is at the heart of it. We have excellent, experienced and highly skilled HR personnel, who keep their pulse on trends. We are trailblazers so even if there is nothing new out there, we come up with fresh ideas and have implemented some of them in recent times. For instance, we have a talent incubation program which is our talent management program. We also hosted a Fireside Chat which is one of the bouquets of intervention under that talent incubation program. We brought industry captains such as Sola David-Borha, the Chief Executive for African Region at Standard Bank and Leke Alder, President of Alder Consulting. They had a platform to engage with our senior management staff, share from their experience and inspire our people. We are still receiving accolades till now for that event. In fact, this morning I woke up again to a lot of Kudos. Kudos are compliments on our internal MTN recognition platform called MTN Shine. If there’s anything that one has done for the organisation that is good and nice, people can go on the Kudos platform and send you some Kudos points and the beautiful thing about the platform is that it is public, allowing other MTN employees to see and recognise the individual. Under Beyond Work, we focus on health and what we refer to as Club 0803 where we give discounted products and services to employees. We also focus on work-life harmony by providing wellness and concierge services. There are a lot more that I am unable to list now such as financial literacy trainings but like I mentioned earlier, between 2015 and now we have implemented over 60 initiatives.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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BusinessInterview ‘Integrity of borrowers has been a bane of lending in Nigeria’ Akin Oladeji-Johnbrown, an international expert in banking, investment and corporate governance, in this interview spoke on the state of the nation’s banks, the negative impact of non-performing loans on banks and on the Nigerian economy generally, the need for the Central Bank of Nigeria to protect micro finance banks to achieve the policy of financial inclusion, among other issues. Excerpts:

n its recent report the CBN said 7 out of 24 banks failed stress test in adequate funding at the end of 2018. What is the implication of this test for the 7 banks? Stress test is basically heath check similar to what you hear in medical parlance as medical check-up. The test is meant to ascertain the ability of the banks to withstand changes in business or economic parameters of the environment in which they operate. CBN as the regulator of banks will ordinarily use global standard necessary to ascertain whether each of the banks is safe for the type of business they are doing. It is necessary for banks to be subjected to this test because of the systemic effects of bank failure in an economy. We must therefore, commend the CBN for making this test a regular routine. At the end of every test, the CBN will be able to come up with status of the individual banking institution. This is what has been done and is normal. However, my concern is the publicity of the stress test by CBN. I do not think the publicity of the stress test is necessary. The publicity sometimes creates unintended effects, particularly in our environment where rumours are rife. The competition in the industry makes the banks or their employees use stress test information as a demarketing tool among their peers. This wrong demarketing method is not good for the system. In other climes, stress tests are done but never publicised as we currently do or used by banks or their staff to demarket themselves. All these behaviours are also indicators of underdevelopment of our financial system. Why is the CBN hiding the identity of these banks? There is rule of confidentiality in the banking institution or any business relations. As mentioned earlier, CBN does not need to make noise on the outcome of stress test. It is their statutory role, but must obey confidential treaty required in relating with the institutions being tested For an average person, these 7 banks are about to go under? This has to do with information management. It is also a wrong perception to assume that the subject institutions are about going under. Yes, there could be dangers but not necessarily unsolvable. Also, there is nothing strange in business evolution of growth and death. In other jurisdictions, businesses grow and die. Business may not live to perpetuity for many reasons. Therefore, if a stress test should make a banking institution to go under, it should be regarded as part of evolution process and not construed as an aberration.

CBN has a bigger role to play in protecting the customers. The customers can also institute a class action against the banks if such spurious charges can be established across board. Unfortunately, the customer service desk of the banks is just a showroom to protect the banks and not their customers. In fact, some of the banks have their customer services desk outside Nigeria staffed with non-Nigerians and also in a different time zone. You then wonder how such desk in outside jurisdictions can relate well to provide services to customers based in Nigeria. Our banking is still growing and should reflect local content in service delivery, culture, phonetics and language of communication. This is where the CBN’s supervisory role comes to question. Is it a regulatory connivance to make customers not to get the best, your guess is good as mine? Our CBN needs holistic restructuring of people, systems and leadership to serve the public effectively in my opinion.

Oladeji-Johnbrown Banks emphasise deposits so much that marketers and staffers are under tremendous pressure to bring deposits? Banking business is a capitalist business. It is set up to generate profit and not losses for owners. One of the key products to generate good return on investment is deposit and deposit makes for growth. Being a capitalist business, it is normal to put staff on deposit target as a manufacturing concern will set sales target for their products. The only reason the staff are under pressure is because of defective recruiting system to get the right calibre of staff for certain banking products. Most of the staffers are wrongly recruited for jobs. The skill requirements are also lacking hence, the tremendous pressure mentioned above. Our current educational system is also not skilled-based. Most of the job applicants have qualifications without skills. Unfortunately, our system of recruitment is based on qualifications and not skills. Of recent, I am aware emphasis is now being placed on skill and experience and not necessarily on paper qualifications.

The total liabilities were not stated. However, we hear of huge non-performing loans which are throwing many banks out of balance. What is your reaction? Integrity of borrowers has been a bane of lending in Nigeria. Most of the bad loans in the books of the banks are owned by companies and individuals who are lacking in integrity. Unfortunately, our society is still developing and has not considered integrity as a factor for growth and development. Secondly, the integrity of the lenders themselves are suspect. In most of the bad loan situation, you will always see element of collusion between the bank and the borrower through their human capital connivance. Thirdly, the uncertainty of policies and coupled with infrastructural decay mostly make lenders’ repayment sources from their business loan unachievable. Fourthly, fraudulent loan documentation is a bane. Usually made possible by invisible hands in banks and borrowing companies. The four factors combined will continue to create huge loan performance issues for banks in Nigeria.

The CBN report also indicates overall cumulative position for the industry to be in excess of N4.8trillion assets over liabilities.

The insider non-performing loan is even worst. How can the CBN curb it? To avert the problems in the

future, the penalty for failed integrity test must be stringent. Until some of the loan defaulters, insider and outsider collaborators are convicted through a punitive arrangement we may not see the end to non-performing loans. I will even recommend that a Bank Special Court be established to deal with banking issues. Such court may also assist in enforcement and implementation of AMCON-related loans which are in litigation tangles in various courts. The recently amended AMCON Act is not all-encompassing to solve the problem of loan default and repayment enforcement. In fact, some of the default issues should be treated as economic crime rather than failed commercial transaction. This is where inter-agency collaboration is necessary to assist the banks. An inter-agency banking unit should be established in CBN and banking institutions to provide guidance. The unit should be made up of representatives of various agencies on secondment on 3-year basis to support the banks. Such unit is to be headed by a senior staff at Executive level to provide leadership How about the spurious bank charges; the customers are always at the receiving end?

The micro finance banks have been asked to recapitalise. The CBN has set a capital structure of between N200million and N5billion depending on category. Is capital inadequacy the major problem? Many of the MFBs have been closed down or distressed. What is your advice to the CBN and FGN? There is policy contradiction by CBN. Financial inclusion and penetrations can only be achieved through micro banks and quasi financial institutions. Also micro credit can only be given by micro finance institutions. Therefore, the sudden requirement of N5billion for MFB is outrageous. What is the capital needs to set up a micro banking in villages? Not much. However, if policy of CBN is creating distress or death of MFBs, it means the financial inclusion and penetration agenda is a failure. That is why I said there is need for holistic restructuring of CBN by government. How can Nigeria prevent constant bank failures and run a heathy banking sector that is comparable to that of developed nations? There is no constant bank failure in Nigeria. What we have is natural business life cycle of growth and death. In a business organisation, death can come via, liquidation, merger, demerger, acquisition or other combination arrangement as we have seen in Nigeria. What is needed is to strengthen our regulatory institution with capable personnel and allow them to run based on their statutory mandate. In other jurisdictions, regulatory institutions are allowed to run without undue political influence or quota system.

22 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 18 November 2019

For the Record

The beginning – An unlikely vision Being excerpts from the speech of Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, group managing director, Nestoil Limited, at the newly refreshed brand event in Lagos recently.

istinguished Ladies and gentlemen, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Napoleon Hill, author of ‘Think and Grow Rich’). I start the Nestoil story from this quote by Napoleon Hill, because ours is a story of impossibility made possible by refusing to let go of a vision even when it seemed that the reality, as at the time of birthing the Nestoil vision, did not fit the grand nature of what it is today. I recall our humble beginning from a one-room office at Idumagbo, at a time you could count the number of indigenous businesses offering services in the upstream sector of the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry. We had a vision to grow a value chain linkage across the Oil and Gas industry starting with Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning services. We started at a time when the industry was dominated by international service companies who had experience, technical know-how and access to funds which could not be matched by indigenous startups like us. Ours was indeed an audacious vision without corporate muscle, track record or financial wherewithal, yet we chose to believe in that vision, and not only believe in the vision but to fight for that vision and to bring it to pass! Celebrating a milestone Today is a historic day in the life of Nestoil, our flagship brand and the forerunner of the many other brands in what we now know as the Nestoil Group. What you are witnessing today may seem like the unveiling of a mere logo. Ladies and gentlemen, it is much deeper than that. Today carries a lot more significance for me and for the entire Nestoil family. There are a number of celebrations entwined into this singular event. First, it is the celebration of focus, determination and vision over despair. As I sat in the audience and watched video after video showcasing the sheer capacity and impact of the companies under the Nestoil umbrella, I could not help but reminisce on how it all began 28 years ago when at no. 17 Idumagbo Avenue, I took the audacious step to incorporate Nestoil Limited. In those days, local content was a mere imagination and indigenous companies who dared to play in the Oil and Gas industry were at the behest of multinational IOCs. This was the situation in 1991 when we dared to dream that one day, Nestoil would be the face of local content in the Oil and Gas industry. With all sense of humility, I am proud to stand before you and proclaim that indeed we have fulfilled that dream. Truly we are the

Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi face of local content in the Oil and Gas industry. We have footprints in Dredging, Marine Logistics, Industrial Fabrication, Engineering Design, Civil and Maintenance Engineering, Dry Docking and Exploration and Production. We are active players in the downstream, midstream and Upstream. Our services span across the entire value chain of the Oil and Gas industry. This is the true reason for today’s celebration. While we celebrate the unmistakable, ‘never say die’ Nestoil spirit, we cannot but acknowledge the role a number of you played in seeing us to this day. We must thank the almighty God, without whom we would not even be here, let alone celebrate anything. Our story is that of divine intervention, protection and grace. We remain eternally grateful to God. We specially appreciate the International Oil Companies who gave us an opportunity to work with them and prove our mettle at a time when they were not compelled to work with us as there was no Local Content Law in those days, yet they went beyond the bounds of sentiments and moral suasion to deal with this young local player whose only claim to fame was the proverbial ‘can-do’ spirit. We are glad we did not disappoint

you. Even as we today work with the best of the IOCs, hybrid players and other local players in the industry, showing a track-record of performance and raising the bar of local content in our industry, we cannot forget our humble beginning. For the bankers, I thank you for believing in us then and believing in us now. For without funding, how far could we have travelled with international service companies who had the backing of their head-offices and the financial institutions? Yet you chose to take a gamble on the then small business that chose to swim in a big ocean. I am happy that gamble paid off! That is why today’s celebration is as much yours as it is ours. Thanks for believing in us; we hasten to state that we shall not let you down. It is not yet Uhuru. We are not there yet but with your support, we have no doubt that we shall get there. We would also like to acknowledge the contribution of the Nigerian government to our success. Enabling legislation such as the Local Content Act and other related policies have fostered the emergence of a number of indigenous players, including Nestoil. Indeed, government institutions, such as the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), NNPC and the DPR,

have engendered the spirit of preferential consideration for competent local manpower, equipment and expertise. For our partners, customers and business stakeholders, we appreciate the business you give us and your continued belief in our ability to deliver exceptional value. Twenty-eight years ago, the Nestoil brand was born, not so much out of necessity but more as a grand vision that saw the need for Africans and indeed Nigerians to play a leading role in the oil and gas ecosystem. So while a lot of others saw this as a tallvision and a pipedream, we saw an Africa arising from years of dependence on Europe, America and lately Asia for Engineering and Technology solutions, to one that is able to harness and prudently manage her God-given resources using proprietary solutions made by Africans for the world. That was the vision that compelled the birth of Nestoil, that is the vision that still leads our way into the future. The search for the next frontier – The journey of a restless spirit Today, we have a respectable presence in the industry from our 59-hectare industrial park in the Niger-delta with over 3000 staff mostly made up of Nigerians. I

make bold to say that it has not been easy. No good thing ever came out of the place of comfort. You always have to fight for what you believe in. This is one example for our young ones who are daily being serenaded by the destructive ‘get rich quick’ syndrome which pushes them into all forms of shady businesses. I must say to you today that the only wealth that endures is the one that is painstakingly built. I have been variously accused of being a front to so many persons. The only difference in my case is that I am yet to meet those I am said to be fronting for. Indeed, success has many detractors, but my advice to young men and women here is to please keep your eyes on the ball. Of course, again, some say that there can be no great feat without a godfather, and that to make great wealth or business happen, you must be fronting for one big elephant in the form of a politician or even government. Again, this is another wrong notion. This is not our story. You have seen our story for yourselves today. We remain a responsible brand working in tandem with the government and our host communities. Our vision remains to continue to be a private sector value creator for Nigeria and for posterity. So, our advice is that it is time we begin to think, not just of today but of tomorrow. So, after 28 years of evolution, of successes and sometimes failures; after so many years of tentative steps and steady steps; we believe it is time to reposition for the challenges that lie ahead. The Oil and Gas industry is one with a number of dynamics. There are different catalysts that orchestrate the disruptions in the industry – some we already know; some we are yet to know. However, one thing is clear –it is only companies that are well positioned for inevitable change that will continue to survive. What you are about to witness today is the unveiling of a new and refreshing brand identity that replicates the dynamism that is inherent in our corporate persona. Today’s exercise is symbolic in many ways. As we unveil a new identity, we are making a fresh commitment to exceed the expectations of stakeholders at all times. Today’s unveil of a new corporate identity comes with new vigour to continually deliver exceptional value to you, our most revered stakeholders. Without you, there is no Nestoil. We therefore, commit to you today that even as we have delivered value in the past, we shall deliver even more value onwards. Thank you for staying the course with us. We look forward to an exciting time of mutually beneficial partnership for the good of the Oil and Gas industry and indeed for our great country, Nigeria.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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Arts

African art on spotlight at Impart Art Fair OBINNA EMELIKE

n October 3, 2019, a team from Lasmara Art Consultancy gathered some art stakeholders; particularly art editors from some national dailies at a very exclusive venue in Ikoyi, Lagos to unveil an initiative it claimed would change the art sector for good and empower artists. Hana Omilani, founder and director, Lasmara and leader of the team, told the art editors that she was coming up with an event she tagged ‘Impart Artists Fair’, assuring that the three-day event is a new initiative and veritable platform to promote African artists within and outside the continent. Based on their years of experience and robust reportage of the art sector, most of the art editors doubted the fair, especially when Hana disclosed that in attendance would be about 300 African artists who would be exhibiting over 1000 recent artworks to visitors. Well, if you were at Alpha One at Eko Atlantic in Victoria Island, Lagos (venue of the fair) from October 25-27, 2019, you would applaud the organisers for pulling off a fantastic event that was adjudged the best so far by most industry stakeholders. Despite being the maiden edition, the fair met world-class standards in organisation, exciting activities, quality works on display, diversity of the participants from across the world, break outs, innovation, infusion of technology in line with the theme, ‘Art Meets Tech’, among others. After visiting to see the fair, the art editors were also appreciative of sincerity of the organisers. Of course, Alpha One was a wonderful venue, which hosted over 5000 visitors for the three days the fair lasted. The visitors included; international and local art collectors, established members of the art community, students and art enthusiasts from different socio-economic backgrounds. The uniqueness of the venue is the huge space and its unconventional appeal. Credit goes to Hana and her team for turning Alpha One’s massive car park of almost 5,000 square metres into an exhibition space, well-decorated, themed and fitted for the fair.

Speaking on the venue, Hana said, “We were able to avoid traffic, which is a huge challenge in Lagos. We really enjoyed that venue because we were able to give many people a brand new experience. For many who have not entered Eko Atlantic before, the fair gave them opportunity to do so and to see what has happened to their Bar Beach. They drove on the sand that was once Bar Beach, that journey alone created an experience for people”. As well, the VIP Lounge on the 12th floor of the venue gave visitors a 360-degree view of Lagos. “It is a rare view and that added to the experience at the fair and it was important to us that people go with different views and experience of the fair”, she said. For Lasmara, the maiden edition of the fair met beyond their expectations. “The turnout, the audience, and the feedback were very humbling”, she said. The artists did not disappoint too. Over half of the originally scheduled artists were present at the fair. The surprise, however, is that Lasmara exceeded its expectations for sales. “We have not completed our analysis of the sales but the sales have far exceeded our expectations. If I give you that in terms of figures, we have tripled the sales of any expectations we had. I am really excited to be able to give back to the artists, thanks

to the buyers and the patrons”, she enthused. While the visitors and artists alike have their highlights, the organisers have theirs as well. “I think the highlight for me was when I saw artists interact with people, our tech partners interact with visitors, the reactions we saw from little children, artists and to everyone and to each other”. But the discovery of immersive and interactive technology was also another highlight for Lasmara because a lot of people who experienced it have never put on such goggles before; they have never seen virtual tours, Virtual Reality (VR) movies and have never seen a black animated film before. “So, to be able to do that all that was great for most visitors and artists alike”, Hana said. But while the artists were all spectacular, Hana said, “Some Sudanese

and Cameroonian artists were real breath of fresh air for many collectors and they were really sought-after. At first, I did not know how it would be received because it was very different from what our collectors here are used to. But it was very nice to see people really appreciating those works. So, we had quite a few Sudanese and Cameroonian works that were extremely popular and they were part of my highlights at the fair”. On the place of technology at the fair, which was also highlighted with the theme, ‘Art Meets Tech’, she was happy that the fair exposed the artists to technology and tools that can enhance their works. For her, you cannot talk about the creative sector in Africa and leave technology out. She explained that in the art sector there are digital creatives, digital artists and creatives in the tech sector who are using anima-

Participants at a workshop session during the fair

L-R: Femi Adebayo, 9Mobile, Hana Omilani, founder, Lasmara Art Consultancy, Stephane Beuvelet, managing director, 9Mobile, and a guest, at the fair.

tion or different illustrations. “The fair is over but the virtual tour is forever on our website for everybody to see. If you couldn’t visit the fair, you can still see it on the virtual tour; all the works, and information through the digital tags. It is not limited, technology has enabled us to carry on the impact beyond the opening dates, it now enabled us to share what we put together worldwide. We are sharing it with collectors everywhere and at the end of the day, it helps our creatives here and makes them more sustainable”, she explained further. Speaking more on the technology highlights, she said that visitors at the fair were able to see Daughters of Chibok, a virtual reality movie produced by Kachi Joel Benson, among others via Virtual Reality presentations. Visitors were also able to enjoy digital graffiti, being interactive and digital exhibition on Nigerian history, which excited the students who came on Friday morning. Taking technology higher at the fair, the organisers were able to deliver live streaming of the activities of the fair from the Alpha One Lounge; enabling visitors to see the activities from any location at the fair. There were also animation panels, workshops and panels on opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) in Africa, talks with digital artists, and immersive and animation opportunities in Africa. “We had different animation studios that came in to do workshops with children and for them to try it out. So, it was also the education aspect of it not just the fair. We were able to ask questions and get feedback from the experts”, Hana explained. Lasmara was excited that the workshop sessions were well attended. “It was very grass root level; the questions asked were reflections of our current status and lives. We had children asking questions and saying they want to do animation. Some students expressed interest in animation but asked how they can convince their parents who want them to be doctors or lawyers. We were able to address those issues that we have and let professionals give them first hand experiences, we had artists encouraging other artists, and we had women in the creative sector panel, where women expressed their challenges. I hope that some people went back and it triggered something in them and find courage to do what they want to do”, she said. With the gains in the first edition, the organisers hope that participation at the fair would give the artists new energy and that their voices to be heard at a time when they thought those opportunities are becoming less. “We have been called disruptive, yes it is a different model and it has caused people to think but that is what we are here for. We are not here to copy anybody’s model or replicate models that have been working in Europe and America. We are here to provide simple solutions for our own problems” she concluded, assuring that Impart Art Fair would not run on an annual calendar event basis, but across the year and that Lasmara is already working on the next project.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Arts Udemba’s art celebrates new Temple Muse flagship store OBINNA EMELIKE

u r i n g La g o s ’ vibrant art, design, photography and fashion season in November, Emeka Udemba’s exhibition, A Question of Being, curated by SMO Contemporary Art, marked the opening of the new Temple Muse flagship store in Victoria Island. A Question of Being presents “the vibrancy of hybrid cultures” referencing race, history, memory, gender, time, and beauty. Udemba experiments with rich colors, transparencies, words, printed paper, and textures to create multi-layered portraits, which take a critical look at the emergence of vibrant multicultural communities and a how hybrid identity affects our sense of belonging. Udemba is an artist of Nigerian descent, who has spent the past 25 years working in

Emeka Udemba

his studio in Freiburg, Germany. Through his paintings and installation, he touches on the issue of global migration and the need for people to be confident in their race, ethnic roots, and culture, and “not to let ourselves be defined by the strangers’ gaze, but to

celebrate the diverse colors of all humanity.” The new Temple Muse flagship store is purpose built to provide the perfect platform for large art installations. Its expansive walls and new gallery provide space for Udemba’s work, which

Alexis Galleries presents ‘UNBREAKABLE’ A solo exhibition of paintings and wood panel works by Afeez Adetunji

iding on the success of hosting over 20 exhibitions this year, yet again, Alexis Galleries is throwing its doors open for another exciting exhibition. The Victoria Island, Lagosbased gallery is hosting Afeez Adetunji, an enterprising young artist, in his second solo exhibition, which opened on Saturday, November 16, 2019 and will run until Friday November 29, 2019. Titled UNBREAKABLE, the exhibition features 28 recent works, which Afeez created this year. He is an exceptional artist and he is well-known for his Ibadan rooftops painting, which is his trademark, as separating Afeez from painting rooftops as a subject will be as difficult as a camel passing through the eye of a needle. In UNBREAKABLE, Afeez’s environment is the centre of his inspiration. He brings in themes, which re-

flect the beauty of his environment with four abstract pieces titled Pathway in his Slump Series and Eyeball Series. There is an interaction between line, colour and texture in the works, which is fascinating. The salt of the body of works is the message, which everybody can relate to. The works have a strong impression on the viewers, the first stunning impression of brown and black rooftops in his paintings are symbolical. The works evoke strong feelings; they question our current reality; the unbreakable spirit of Nigerians and the contemporary world. The exhibition is curated by Patty Chidiac-Mastrogiannis, CEO, Alexis Galleries and The Home Stores Limited. Also in the tradition donating part of the proceeds from the exhibition to charity, Patty, noted that, “We are partnering with Street Child

Care and Welfare Initiative (SCCWI), which has been working to help street children find a home, find hope and find a future. Part of the proceeds will be donated to them”. The SCCWI team usually embarks on series of periodical street outreach across Lagos State metropolis with the primary aim of reaching out to the homeless children of the street about what they do and to see how the team can extend care; shelter and protection services to them. “During this outreach, we give support to these children in form of individual and group psychosocial counselling until we notice one or two or more are willing and ready to be part of our centre programs and activities particularly those, who are genuinely homeless. At a given direct spot, this outreach could go on for a period of five or six weeks respectively”, a team from SCCWI explained during a media parley held recently at Alexis Galleries to herald the exhibition. Some children, according to the team, are also rescued from the streets and taken to their various homes. SCCWI was founded by Vincent Paturel and Perrine De Le Court. The UNBREAKABLE exhibition is sponsored by Frigoglass, Tiger, Indomie, Mikano, Delta Airline, Cool world, Cobranet Internet Service Provider, Cool FM, Wazobia TV, The Guardian, Art Café and The Homestores Limited.

complements the vibrant cosmopolitan spirit of all things Lagos. “Our brand new space marks over eleven years of hard work in which we have had the pleasure of showcasing the best of art, design, fashion, decorative acces-

sories and gifts from Nigeria and the globe, as well as, many other specially curated events throughout the years,” explained Avinash Wadhwani, co-founder of the store with his brother Kabir. “Udemba’s exhibition is the perfect way of marking this exciting next step, as we recognize many of the artists we have showcased over the years including Chidi Kwubiri, Gerald Chukwuma, Modupeola Fadugba, Kenny Adewuyi, Victor Ehikhamenor, Wura-Natasha Ogunji and many others” “I am honored to have been given the opportunity to curate the walls and spaces of Temple Muse since 2013,” said Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, founder and artistic director of SMO Contemporary Art. “I believe Emeka Udemba’s work provides a powerful and insightful next step in this exciting journey of presenting the best of global creativity in the beautiful and multi-functional spaces Temple Muse has to offer.

At the exclusive Collectors’ Preview held during Art X Lagos week, the world renowned artist Yinka Shonibare MBE, encouraged local artists to understand and embrace global culture, and to have the freedom to be inspired by current events, and not have a restricted view of what has been labeled “African Art”. “I work as multi-disciplinary artist because, like the Igbo adage says “You don’t stand in one place to see a masquerade, you move around it,” commented Emeka Udemba, whose installation of 12 hooded figures is referenced from 14th century Spanish history. “We live in a multi-faceted world today to which we all belong. You see how colorful and sparkly the hoods are? It is playing on the premise of how colorful the world is.” The exhibition is sponsored by Zircon Marine and Villa Antinori and is open from October 29 to December 15, 2019 at Temple Muse.

Movie Review

‘Living In Bondage: Breaking Free’

t first I was really worried and extremely skeptical at what they were going to put in the new “Living in Bondage” sequel, I kept thinking and doubting that they would be able to put out a good show, but I was very wrong because this time, I was thrilled and excited about this new movie. The movie was amazing and outstanding and I mean every word of it. They obviously surpassed my imagination and expectation exceeding the usual Nollywood benchmark. When I talk about a movie, this is definitely going to be one of them, they sure will make it to my top 10 Nigerian movies of 2019, they really did a good job with this movie and it is clear that our producers are not joking any more, they are putting in more work and paying better attention to details, Come to mention, this is Ramsey Noah’s first produced movie, and he totally killed it, we are sure to expect much more from him in the future. Sincerely this is a movie I can put at par to my famous benchmark movie of 2018 “King of the boys”. I have been thinking and still think that “King of the boys” is my favorite in terms of story, connectivity, originality, suspense, and intrigue, but “Living in Bondage” was certainly exciting. So to the elements that made this movie extremely exciting for me. Firstly the storyline and the link back to the first “Living in Bondage” which was released about 27 years ago was just so epic, I really couldn’t figure out how they were going

to link and connect this new story. I was wondering if they were going to shoot something different but with a few familiar faces, but to my greatest surprise they were able to resurrect a convincing story and we were thrilled. The production of this movie was so crisp, clear, and no poor scenes at all, that you would almost think or assume that it were a foreign movie. I feel that the producer of this movie deserves some accolades and might bags some awards, because they did a good job. The cinematography and sound track also killed it, making it one you could connect with. The chosen cast for each role absolutely killed it. I really could not find a fault with anyone of the cast, even the not so popular ones played their roles perfectly like they were born for their respective roles. Ramsey the Don himself was just so on point, the costumes and makeup was very good, the timing was just right, not so long and the scenes didn’t really drag, it was just a bit above two hours and when it was over, we all did not want to leave. The movie started slowly

and then moved on to the main scenes which were around the lead actor, Nnamdi Okeke. I must advice that you listen attentively, read the English translation pretty fast as they had some of the scenes in Igbo language which I found pretty cool. For those of you who have also forgotten the first edition, it would be nice for you to quickly see it one more time to understand this better. So Andy Okeke who used his lovely wife in the first sequel had become a pastor here, he had no clue that he had a grown up son called Nnamdi till one blogger who had being carrying out a research on the blood money group found him and informed him after he had seen his long lost son with the popular notorious bad gang, Richard Williams and Omego. Nnamdi was desperate for wealth and affluence and he was willing to go to any length to make it big in Lagos, even if it would cost him a life. He wanted power and wealth, but was not sure what it entailed to have it. The entire movie showed us how Nnamdi went from grass to grace in a span of 3 months and he was everywhere, the whole problem started for him when it was time to pay back. One thing I learnt from this movie, “ the Devil never gives you a free gift, when you accept affluence, wealth and power, will you be willing to sacrifice what comes with it” .Nnamdi learnt the hard way just like his father and understood that hard work and time is key to success not quick money scams.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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Life&Living GT Fashion weekend 2019: Beyond fashion, tapping into Nigeria’s huge creative sector IFEOMA OKEKE

eyond fashion, the GT Fashion weekend has in itself become an essential annual resource for fashion creative, executives and entrepreneurs all over the world. The finest hair stylists, arts and craft creators, fashion designers and several others from various parts of the world were on ground to teach people the art of making a living through creative arts through the master classes. Over the years, the event has brought together renowned fashion experts and personalities to interact with hundreds of thousands of young Africans passionate about fashion and entrepreneurship. This year, the GTBank Fashion Weekend, which was free to attend, featured over 30 distinguished fashion leaders, designers and industry experts, whilst providing more than 130 indigenous small businesses with free stalls to showcase and sell Africa’s finest ensemble of apparel and fashion accessories. All roads led to Water Corporation Drive Oniru Estate Victoria Island in anticipation to get a feel of Africa and international exposure provided by the GT Fashion weekend platform. Kim Kimble, Super Tresses Power Hairstyles for every occasion, who is based in Los Angeles, was on ground to share her wealth of experience. According to her, Nigeria has great potential that could be harnessed through its creative sector. “I see so many opportunities for stylist to not only do hair but become entrepreneurs. Nigeria has a great film industry and there are lot of professions here. You can go into doing photo shots or movies. “There are so many opportunities for stylists. We love hair and all the new hair trends from wigs, to extensions, to braids. We wear all of it so well. In US, it is a big business and I am sure in Nigeria it is too,”

Kimble said. The LA based hair stylist who also held a master class at the event revealed that there are a lot of hair entrepreneurs in Los Angelis and the city has people creating hair product, hair extension businesses, hair classes amongst others. “The industry is really big in America. It is like a billion dollars industry,” she said. She said having been selected for GT fashion week master class, it was a great honour for her. “This is great for me because I know my brand is becoming more global. People are starting to know about me and one of the reasons they know me is because I’m featured in a television show in LA called LA Hair. It is great that the world is seeing what I’m doing and it is means a lot to me also because I represent the industry that I love and being able to have that is great,” she explained.

She listed top five things a good hair stylist should do which includes having great consultations, listening to your clients, educate one’s self, and finding one’s niche. Lezanne Viviers, Fashion Designer based in Johannesburg who also took a master class described her brand as a concept clothing brand which is not particularly focused on men or women but mainly on an individual. She said: “We take pride in the making garments. I really like to work with best quality fabrics and finish the garment in the most beautiful way, and really spending time in the actual making of each piece that is out there in the world. “All our cloths are limited editions and numbered. So on the inside of each jacket we have the numbers. It is very important to communicate this to my clients that it is a slow process and every single person is

as important as the others to create this beautiful product. As a concept clothing brand, I love collaborating with artists and really work with artisans in the making of the garment. We collaborate with visual artists, artisans amongst others.” Describing the reception of her brand in the continent, Viviers said, “I have had wonderful feedbacks. I have had people coming to me saying it was different from what they have seen in Nigeria. At the end of the day, we work for individuals and I take time to understand women and men’s bodies. The concept is always everything.” She described a person who wears her brand as someone that doesn’t fit into any box, as they are just individuals appreciating beautiful made garments. Speaking on her latest collections, she said, “For my latest collection, I collaborated with a visual art-

ist from South Africa. She is a painter and delves into the psychology psyco-analysis of all the different versions that we as individuals have and put in ourselves and really exploring that in her painting and I think that is something in my personal capacity that I am really so interested in. “There are so many versions of me, from the morning when I wake up till in the evening when I go to bed. So, the two of us try to find an easy way to collaborate as a designer and as a painter. When you look at the collections, you will see it is inspired by sculptural foams which were translated to wearable and accessible pieces which you will also see on the runway.” Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture whose daughter was one of the exhibitors at the event was also present at the event. He described the creative industry as the next big thing for Nigeria and appreciated GT bank for putting up the event. “I attended the master class and it shows you how much is involved in this industry. When you see a lady with well-groomed hair, you don’t know the science and procedure involved. “You can make a new career just from hair. I have always held the view that one of the biggest ways to make money is to look at the fashion, perfumes and hair industry. It is a big industry and because we are human beings, we want to look good. I appreciate GT bank for providing this platform for all the young one,” Mohammed said.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Travel Radisson Blu Anchorage; Lagos’ melting pot of leisure OBINNA EMELIKE

hile on a business trip, you often do not have time to savour ‘light’ offerings in the hotel even if they are complementary because of the need to make the most out of the engaging seminars, exhaustive meetings and in-depth paper presentations. If you had stayed at Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos on such exhaustive business trips, it implied that you only had a glimpse of the Lagos Lagoon from your hotel room. Sad that there is so much fun to enjoy while in the hotel, but you did not do so because of a demanding engagement. However, Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel is out to help you redeem the lost pleasure, rekindle and go with lasting memories of its leisure offerings whenever you visit during weekends. The hotel is opening its doors to lovers of quality leisure with a fantastic weekend offer, which comes with discounted weekend rates on rooms and suites, amid dinner, bed and breakfast. So, from now onwards, you can have a fulfilled weekend experience at the hotel by just making your reservations. Of course, more excitements await you on a weekend leisure trip. The enticement starts from the well-decorated front desk manned by motivated staff with infectious smiles and warmth. Stepping in further, each category of the hotel’s 170 rooms and suites comes with unique allure and enduring coziness.

Radisson Lagoon view From the breathtaking Lagos Lagoon and to the sprawling Victoria Island, the rooms come with panoramic views. If you are a style lover or artistic, you will feel the creative ingenuity of Christian Lundwall, a Swedish designer, who styled all the rooms, while world class room amenities, especially elaborate bath facilities add to the comfort in the room. Tired of the room, the hotel features a wellness area, which lures guests to relax in the massage room, steam room and outdoor infinity pool. But the deal is in stepping

out to see beyond the regular offerings. If you dare do that, you will discover that beyond being a stylish living space for business, Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel is a leisure cove in Lagos. You will also discover rest on the banks of the beautiful Victoria Island. The beautifully designed hotel, which sits on the banks of the upscale Victoria Island, is truly dotted with scenic views of not only nature, but the upand-coming city. During a stay, you are at home with nature as fresh lagoon breeze strokes the body

with sustained mild massage. For the more adventurous, you can step further to the hotel exclusive jetty to take pictures, touch the lagoon water, have a closer view of boats cruising up and down the lagoon or for a boat cruise to see the beautiful side on Lagos on water. Such exclusive trips on water are becoming frequent now, especially with the recent launch of a cruise package to La Campagne Resort, a five-star African themed resort at Ikegun Ibeju Lekki, all the way on water. Like the code sharing among airlines, guests can decide to enhance their experience

by sharing the stay between Radisson Blu Anchorage and La Campagne Resort. But if you do not want to take advantage of the jetty to undertake a cruise experience to the nearby attractions, you can relax at view or surface bar while sipping a well-mixed drink and eyes glued on the thro and fro movements of boats on the lagoon. The bars and adjoining leisure facilities including outdoor pool, and a play area are perfect for sundowners, as well as, offering exciting activities for the children, if it is a family outing. As well, beyond the fresh lagoon breeze, choice of drinks and food menu at the open bars, guests are often entertained by live bands that serenade beautiful music genres, especially highlife and mature tunes. But leisure experience at the hotel is further enhanced by the wonderful dining experience at the world class Voyage Restaurant offering international dishes, Nigerian cuisine among other delicacies crafted by a team of culinary professionals. You can also linger over a light meal on the terrace at Surface Bar & Grill. M o re ov e r , t h e w e e ke n d package allows guests to inquire at check-in if they can upgrade to the next level category room at a minimal charge. But it is ideal to enroll as a Radisson Reward member and earn 20 points for every dollar spent during the weekend stay and redeem it at any of the Radisson Hotel Group properties across the globe. Beyond the weekend package, the hotel is keen on wooing discerning guests even with exciting Christmas offers that is coming soon.

Annang Festival of Arts and Culture 2019 holds December 20th

he organisers of the Annang Festival of Arts and Culture (AFAC) are set to host this year’s edition of the annual festival, which draws indigenes, culture lovers and tourists to Ikot-Ekpene, in Akwa Ibom State. The festival, which is slated to hold from December 20 to 22, 2019 at Ikot Ekpene Township Stadium and Ikot Ekpene Plaza aims to preserve the Annang history, language, and promotes her cultural heritage. The activities lined up to mark the cultural tourism festival, according to the organisers, are a reflection of the theme of the celebration: “Harnessing Annang Cultural Assets for Economic Gains.” The festival, which enjoys the endorsement of the National Council for Art and Culture (NACA), Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, promises to be one of the biggest show stoppers and largest fiesta in 2019. Abom Ephraim Okon , national president, Nto Annang Foundation, (NAF), said that arrangements have reached

advanced stage for the hosting of the festival, which is now in its third edition. According to him, it promises to be a colourful and exciting showpiece of the cultural wealth of the Annang people, with exhibitions spanning both the intangible and tangible heritage of the people and spiced by culinary display, arts and craft, as well as, live performances by notable Nigerian musical Icons. In line with the theme of the

festival, he said efforts are being made to ensure that every component of the festival display the vast and unique cultural assets of the people of Annang and how the people can take advantage of them to enhance their living. With endorsement from the state government and the NCAC among others, he said the three days event is also geared at developing and promoting travel business in the state.

‘‘The event will model strategy for effective travel trade business, cultural synergy and enduring unity through culture and tourism as a special purpose vehicle. This model we intend to replicate for global peace efforts and to mark our cultural product at the international stage,’’ said Okon. He stressed that the festival, which debuted in 2016, has helped greatly in developing the tourism market of the state, as it has gone in a long way in generating tourist traffic to the state and Ikot Ekpene. He disclosed that the projected tourist traffic for this year is 15, 000. According to him, the rich and enlarged content of the festival this year include: Colourful cultural display from over 5, 000 cultural revelers; 800 spectacular masquerades display; Annang warriors trek, drum ensemble of over 5, 000 extinct African drums; art exhibition and colloquium/cocktail party for VIP and foreign envoys. Others are: Night of legends; Ujai Annang beauty pageant; Annang language essay competition; Annang hall of fame induc-

tion ceremonies; inauguration of children royal troupe; and festival theme song/Annang ballad. The Night of Stars and Beauty comprised the cerebration of the Annang Hall of Fame and the awards of excellence to deserving sons, daughters and friends of Annaang; dance, poetry, arts and performances by star studded squad of renowned artists in Nigeria and this will be crowned with the Ujai Annang Beauty Pageant. Also speaking on the festival, Ubong Ekpe, executive director, Akwa Tourism Development Company Ltd (ATDC), whose company is consulting for the festival, said it is informed by the need to promote Annang and re-enacts its unique cultural heritage, stressing that it is aimed at exposing the Nigerian people to the city of raffia and its colourful and attractive heritage. According him, Annangland is host to the 500 year old Usaka virgin forest, custodian of 400 years old Iso Ekpo Nkwubia mask, the mythical blue river of Ukanafun, the Ibibid Abak traditional stool of Annangland and the oldest raffia dunes in Africa.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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BDSUNDAY 27

Travel

Exploring vibrant city and its many attractive offerings this winter break on Emirates Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

ravellers on Emirates to Dubai can enjoy a funfilled holiday this winter break. Solo travellers and families alike will be awed by the city’s many attractive offerings including shopping festivals, traditional souks, stunning beach resorts, fine dining, adventure waterparks and much more. With year-round sunshine and eclectic landmarks – the city is an ideal holiday or stopover destination with something for everyone. Visitors can take advantage and see more for less with My Emirates Pass – a seasonal pass that turns an Emirates boarding pass into an exclusive membership package – allowing customers to redeem discounts and special benefits in over 500 locations across the UAE. Travellers flying to and through Dubai between 1 January until 31 March 2020 can avail the offer and enjoy up to 30 percent off on retail outlets and up to 50 percent off on leisure activities by simply presenting their boarding pass and a valid form of identification. Fly Emirates and spend less on

luxurious spa treatments, indulge in five-star culinary experiences, and embark on an adventurous outdoor activity. Families can also take advantage and enjoy thrilling waterparks across the city. Dubai Shopping Festival 2020 Splurge on world-class shopping across the city’s many impressive malls including The Dubai Mall – one of the world’s largest shopping complexes. Visitors travelling to Dubai from 26 December 2019 until 1 February 2020 can take advantage of the Dubai Shopping Festival 2020.

The highly anticipated five week festival offers customers extraordinary discounts and rewards in various shopping outlets including unbeatable deals on fashion, jewellery, electronic items and much more. Mo h a m m a d Al Ha s h i m i , Emirates’ Vice President, Commercial Products Dubai, said: “Dubai is a fantastic city with an ever growing list of attractions and experiences our customers can enjoy year-round. The city is one of the world’s most preferred destinations for world-

class shopping, sightseeing and fine dining. Passengers flying to and through Dubai can avail unbeatable offers through My Emirates Pass and the Dubai Shopping Festival 2020. We look forward to continue working closely with our partners and to ensure we always provide our customers the best Dubai has to offer.” Travellers can fly better on Emirates to Dubai and enjoy over 4,500 channels of entertainment on ice – the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system.

Passengers across all classes will enjoy regionally inspired meals, complimentary beverages and up to 20 MB of free Wi-Fi. With the airline’s generous baggage allowance – there’s no need to pack light. Economy Class passengers can enjoy an additional piece of 23 kg baggage while Business Class and First Class passengers can enjoy an additional piece of 32 kg baggage. Emirates customers who go on a shopping extravaganza during their visit to Dubai can also enjoy additional baggage allowance on their return journey. The offer is valid on return Economy Class tickets purchased to Dubai between 05 November 2019 and 1 February 2020. Customers travelling back from Dubai to Emirates destinations within North America, Central America, South America or Africa can enjoy one extra piece of baggage. For those travelling to other destinations within the Emirates network can also take advantage of an additional 10kgs of excess baggage. The offer is applicable for travel between December 26, 2019 and February 5, 2020.

September global air freight volumes remain weak

he International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets showing that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs), decreased by 4.5 perecnt in September 2019, compared to the same period in 2018. This marks the eleventh consecutive month of year-on-year decline in freight volumes, the longest period since the global financial crisis in 2008. Freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs), rose by 2.1 percent year-on-year in September 2019. Capacity growth has now outstripped demand growth for the 17th consecutive month. Air cargo continues to suffer from the intensifying trade war between the US and China, and South Korea and Japan, the deterioration in global trade, and weakness in some of the key economic drivers. Global export orders continue to fall. The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) tracking new manufacturing export orders has pointed to falling orders since September 2018. “The US-China trade war continues to take its toll on the air cargo industry. October’s pause on tariff hikes between Washington and Beijing is good news. But trillions of dollars of trade is already affected, which helped fuel September’s 4.5 percent year-on-year fall in demand. And we can expect the tough business environment for air cargo to continue,” Alexandre

de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO said. Regional Performance Airlines in Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America and the Middle East suffered sharp declines in year-on-year growth in total air freight volumes in September 2019, while Latin America carriers experienced a more moderate decline. Africa was the only region to record growth in air freight demand compared to September last year. Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for air freight contract by 4.9 percent in September 2019, compared to the same period in 2018. The US-China and South

Korea-Japan trade wars along with the slowdown in the Chinese economy have significantly impacted this region. More recently, the disruption to operations at Hong Kong International Airport – the largest cargo hub in the world – added additional pressure. With the region accounting for more than 35 percent of total FTKs, this performance is the major contributor to the weak industry-wide outcome. Air freight capacity increased by 2.7 percent over the past year. North American airlines saw demand decrease by 4.2 percent in September 2019, compared to the same period a year earlier. Capacity

increased by 1.9 percent. The USChina trade war and falling business confidence continue to weigh on the region’s carriers. Freight demand has contracted between North America and Europe and between Asia and North America. European airlines posted a 3.3percent decrease in freight demand in September 2019 compared to the same period a year earlier. Weaker manufacturing conditions for exporters in Germany, softer regional economies, and ongoing uncertainty over Brexit, have impacted the recent performance. Capacity increased by 3.3 percent year-on-year. Middle Eastern airlines’ freight

L-R: Adesanya Olusanya, Route to consumer manager; Rotimi Odusola, legal director /company secretary; Lola Ashafa Snr Brand manager, Brand Guinness; Iyke Nnaji, winner; Olayinka Bakare, head of Beer and Jacquelyne Yawa, Head of Agribusiness

volumes decreased 8.0 percent in September 2019 compared to the year-ago period. This was the sharpest drop in freight demand of any region. Capacity decreased by 0.4 percent. Escalating trade tensions and the slowing in global trade have affected the region’s performance due to its strategic position as a global supply chain link. Most key routes to and from the region have seen weak demand in the past few months. The large Europe to Middle East and Asia to Middle East routes were down 8 percent and 5 percent respectively in August (last data available) compared to a year ago. Latin American airlines experienced a decrease in freight demand in September 2019 of 0.2 percent compared to the same period last year and a capacity decrease of 2.9 percent. Despite indications of a recovery in the Brazilian economy, deteriorating conditions elsewhere in the region along with a slowing in global trade have impacted the region’s performance. African carriers posted the fastest growth of any region in September 2019, with an increase in demand of 2.2 percent compared to the same period a year earlier. This was a significant slowdown in growth from the eight percent recorded in August. Strong trade and investment linkages with Asia and robust economic performance in some key regional economies contributed to the positive performance. Capacity grew 9.4 percent year-on-year.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Ogun Watch Ogun signs MoU with Britain on urban renewal, public transportation

Stories by Rasaq Ayinla

he Ogun State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Britain as part of effort to initiate an urban renewal and public transportation scheme with modern strategies that will accommodate the expected population explosion coming from neighbouring state like Lagos and to address its effect on public infrastructure, especially, transportation. The Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, who signed on behalf of the State Government and a Counsellor and head of Future Cities Programme of the British High Commission in Nigeria, Guy Harrison, agreed that it had become expedient to be futuristic. The partnership drive between the Ogun State and the British Government is captured under a programme called “Future Cities Nigeria”, a UKAID-funded urban renewal programme with a threeyear timeline. According to the programme outline, UK will provide support for the Ogun State transport sector. The British Government will also fast track housing and urban development in Ogun, which is currently facing the challenge of absorbing spillover of the population explosion in Lagos State. Speaking at the MOU signing ceremony held at the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, Talabi commended the initiative, saying it would complement the various efforts of the State Government in its desire to plan for a common prosperous future for the people of the state and for physical infrastructure. Talabi noted that the present administration was duly committed to providing the enabling environment for such partnership

More roads will be rehabilitated to ease traffic in Ogun Akintola

L-R: Yinka Sanni, group chief executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings; Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Demola Sogunle, chief executive of Stanbic IBTC Bank and Nike Bajomo, executive director, Stanbic IBTC Pensions when the Stanbic IBTC Group paid a courtesy call on Ogun State Governor in Abeokuta.

to thrive seamlessly. “We thank the British Government and the Future Cities Nigeria for these laudable initiatives targeted at planning towards the future in Ogun State. This level of support cannot be diminished because the Dapo Abiodun ledadministration is determined to change the narrative on how things are being done,” he said. These, he said, can be seen in the various interventions of the state government in road rehabilitation efforts, security of lives and property, as well as the ease of doing business strategies amongst many others. “Our desire is to make Ogun State, a place where you could live peacefully, and work prosperously for the future” he noted. Talabi reassured the partners that the present government would not just pay lip service to governance issues, but would continue to accelerate even de-

velopment and stimulate rapid investments within the state through workable collaborations with Lagos State. “Part of our effort in this direction is beginning to bear fruits with the setting up of the LagosOgun Joint Development Commission. It is meant to accelerate inter-state collaboration. We are already intensifying effort on road rehabilitation, provision of portable water supply, amongst many other initiatives still in the offing,” he added. The State chief scribe thereafter reassured the partners of government’s commitment towards the realisation of the project in the state for the well-being of the entire populace. On his part, Harrison, who is the leader of the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos, said that the team was in the State to support the policies of Governor Dapo Abiodun administration

in order to fully maximise all the benefits of urban renewal and transportation available. He promised that the support of the British Government for urban renewal and public transportation in the State would be total. The primary focus, he noted, would be to develop the capacity of the people and the state at large. “The British High Commission is extremely delighted with the State government on the various policies on sustainable development, job creation, poverty reduction and many others targeted at giving the people a new lease of livelihood,” he added. Also, the Team Lead for the Future Cities programme, Simon Gusah, underscored the importance of planning as a prerequisite to nation building. He said there was an urgent need for government at all lev-

s part of measures to improve the life of its citizenry, Ogun State Government has assured that every road network in the nooks and crannies of the State would be maintained by the State Public Works Agency (OGPWA). The Consultant to the Governor on Public Works, Gbenga Akintola, stated this when he featured in a weekly programme anchored by the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, noting that, ‘’any road network whether local, state or federal that are of common interest and important to the lives of residents of the State would not be abandoned’’. He added that continuous engagement with all agencies of government, saddled with the responsibility of managing road infrastructure had been energised to foster development and avoid duplication of duties. Akintola enjoined the general public to join hands with government on proper maintenance of roads across the State, so as to ensure longer lifespan, saying, siting of car wash facilities along the road without proper drains, cutting of the road and dumping of refuse in the drainages must be discouraged, as they tend to put the integrity of the road at risk. Akintola advised motorists to adhere to basic traffic rules and desist from pouring petroleum products on the asphalt surface of the road, calling on residents of the State to see road infrastructure as a collective heritage, which must be managed for posterity and development of the State.

OGSG mulls partnership with Stanbic IBTC on health insurance scheme for civil servants

overnor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has said that his administration is considering putting in place Health Insurance Scheme that would enable the people access affordable and quality healthcare services in the state. Goverrnor Abiodun stated this when he received in office at OkeMosan, Abeokuta, management of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, who paid him a courtesy call. Govrrnor Abiodun pointed out that the scheme would enable the less privileged in the society to have access to quality healthcare without paying much for it. “We want to instill the culture of health insurance so that it will help in paying for healthcare. A couple of states are doing something that is interesting that we are trying to study. But we want

to ensure that we start with civil servants, cooperatives, market associations, among others. “They will pay stipends while we give them cards that show that they can go to Primary Health Centres and do not have to pay anything and even when they are referred to the tertiary health facilities, they do not have to pay anything. That should help us fund social services better. We are investing in Primary Health Centres and tertiary health facilities as well”, he said. Abiodun said government was currently embarking on the rehabilitation of some township and border town roads through direct labour. He added that fund was the major impediment in carrying out repair of all roads in the state. The governor, who intimated his guests of his administration’s

programmes, noted that 236 primary schools across the State were being rehabilitated since the basic school is the foundation with which other levels are built upon. “Education is our pride; we must maintain our position which used to be number one in education in this country. You will recall that this is birth place of free education. This state has the highest number of Universities, secondary Schools. We probably have the highest number of pupils in primary schools as well. “It is important we maintain that number one position, not just because we are always number one, but because we are bringing in more people from Lagos who are going to live and work here. We most cater for them”, he said. He said government has put in

place machineries to provide adequate security, while it was also leveraging on the Central Bank of Nigeria intervention programmes like the Anchor’s Borrowers Programme to positively engage the youth and unemployed, as well as explore Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in repositioning the education sector and in governance. The state helmsman stressed that the involvement of the private sector would enhance rapid economic development. Governor Abiodun maintained that his administration would achieve his mission of “building our future together”, through fairness, equality, accountability and inclusiveness. He called on the Bank and other corporate bodies to partner government in achieving its

objectives. Sp e a k i n g e a r l i e r, Gr o u p Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Yinka Sanni, said his organization was already partnering government in the health sector as part of their Corporate Social Responsibilities. “We are ready to partner with government in the health sector as part of our corporate s o c i a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s . We focus on three areas of health, education and empowerment. “We are looking at the possibility of adopting some Primary Health Centres, especially those that are located near where we do business. We see to that as a way of partnering with those that accommodate us to do business. We are willing to do that and we are excited about it.

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BDSUNDAY 29

ExecutiveBookshelf With Chido Nwakanma • Reviews • News • Interview • List

Pilgrim through this tough land G.T.G Toby (2019), In The Cause of Service. Ibadan: University Press Plc. ISBN: 978 978 940 592 3. 480pp

’homme engage. A sense of deep involvement in matters from the community, state, nation through alumni, church and service is what you get on reading G.T.G. Toby’s account of his rich life to date. He has willingly served and earned recognition for it in various areas. As autobiographies come, In The Cause of Service offers a full accounting. It runs from genealogy through early years, schooling, work and the many extra-curricular involvements of this former teacher, renowned administrator and committed citizen of his beloved Rivers State. Toby offers an evidential account. He tells the story of his involvement in many issues “more with documents from the archives rather than relying on memory”. That way, the reader gets to read many documents, memos and petitions over the years. They cover a wide range. In The Cause of Service consolidates the legend of G.T.G. Toby in alumni circles, starting from the University

of Nigeria through the entire Nigerian university system. He belongs in the pioneer class of the home-grown pioneer university in Nigeria. That set has held the banner aloft from their outstanding performance in the public service examination into the Western Nigeria civil service. G.T.G. Toby continued in that tradition to date. A commitment to service underlies the life of Chief (Dr) Toby. It runs through the many narratives in his autobiography. The sense of service and responsibility started early with the loss of his father. He never looked back. Toby has lived an abundant life with variegated experiences. Take his work life as an example. He has been a teacher, marketing manager, administrator of stateowned enterprises, turnaround artist, and more. His duty tour took in Methodist College, Uzuakoli; Shell British Petroleum Development Company; Eastern Nigeria Marketing Board; Rivers State Marketing Board; Pabod Supplies Limited; Rison-

My book world

Reading is a religion - it is a culture; it is a science

IFEOMA MALO

feoma Malo is renowned and respected in the fields of energy, policy, as well as conflict management. She brings over 15 years of experience in public policy development, public sector programming, project development. Her intense focus on energy covers regulations and policies, access, sustainability, financing, rural development, governance and regulatory reforms. Her foundation is Law from the University of Ibadan, but also includes a Harvard Law LLM, MA, MSc and MBA from the University of Massachusetts, and various certifications. She speaks Igbo, English and Yoruba. 1.What are you reading currently? I have two books on my reading list currently. The first is “Burden of Service - Reminiscences of Nigeria’s Former Attorney General by Mohammed Bello Ad-

oke and the second is Bad Blood Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup -- by John Carreyrou. 2. What informs your choice of a book to read? I read anything. I could be reading fiction one minute and an autobiography the next. It boils down to interest. I often find myself also re-reading classics or books that I read many years ago. I call those my comfort books. 3. Which books would you rate as the Top Ten in your reading experience? This is a difficult choice - considering the hundreds of thousands of books I have read over time. I could maybe try and rate them, but in no particular order because they are books I go back to often. If you ask me in a few years, it might have changed. a. Chinua Achebe- Things Fall Apart b. Chukwuemeka Ike - The Potter’s Wheel c. Flora Nwapa - One is Enough d. Flora Nwapa - Efuru e. Cyprian Ekwensi - Passport of Mallam Ilia f. William Golding - Lord of the Flies g. Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers h. Christopher Buckley - Losing Mum and Pop i. Ayan Rand - Atlas Shrugged j. John Tavis - The Vatican Diaries 4. What books would you return to again and again? Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Flora Nwapa’s Efuru.

palm; the Rivers State public service; Deputy Governor of Rivers State. Add various stints as member or, more often, chairman of diverse university governing councils. There is also service to his beloved Opobo Community, to the Anglican Church and one of the most significant service organisations in the world, the Rotary Club International. Toby was District Governor, president and all manner of positions wherever and whenever the call was to serve. In the Cause of Service covers four parts of 20 chapters. Part One, Life at the Beginning offers eight sec-

These are two books that fundamentally shaped my life. 5. Which books would you consider essential or critical in your profession or line of business? a. Dr Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese is a book that taught me to think of change and adaptability in a fast-moving world in a very different way. b. Bruce Patton, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen - wrote a best seller called Difficult Conversations. This was a book I read for postgraduate school. It taught me how to frame conversations that could otherwise be best avoided. 6. Please suggest five essential books in your field and five general interest books that are must-reads for young people. It is difficult for me to be prescriptive in any way and in the case of industry-specific books - it is almost impossible to say what would be essential in future so while I would like to pass on that or suggest tips from the answers to question seven below but I will say that I have enjoyed the following books lately: a. Frugal Innovation: How to do better with less - Navi Radjou and Jaideep Prabhu b. Cultural Intelligence - Julia Middleton c. Deep Thinking - Garry Kasparov d. Deep Work - Carl Newport e. The Coming Jobs War - Jim Clifton However, for general interest books, I would recommend

tions, from birth and genealogy through education, “death of my father”, teacher training college, university, work-life, marriage and the civil war. Part Two deals with “Life After the Civil War” and the author’s experiences at the Rivers State Marketing Board, Pabod Supplies Limited, Risonpalm and family life. Part Three covers “Politics and Service”. Part Four includes Tributes from various stakeholders including a testimonial by his daughter Mrs Ibim Semenitari. Good biographies shine a light on the person and experiences of the character. The better ones teach many lessons from the vast experiences of the author. There are many lessons in various areas from the life and times of G T G Toby. First is the tone. The cadence of this narration is cultured and devoid of hysteria, anger or bitterness. Toby is diplomatic and refined in his narrative of painful encounters such as with the Governor of Rivers State Dr Peter Odili with whom he served as Deputy Governor.

that people read more about the history books that tell the stories of their countries or continents. a. This Present Darkness --by Stephen Ellis b. A swamp full of dollars -- by Micheal Peel c. Power, Politics and Death: A front-row account of Nigeria under the late President Yar’Adua --- by Segun Adeniyi d. Love does not win elections -- Ayisah Osori e. In Biafra, Africa Died -- Emefina Ezeani 7. Which three to five books would you recommend as a leader and manager? a. How to win friends and influence people --Dale Carnegie b. Getting to Yes -- William Ury and Roger Fisher c. How to Talk to Anyone -- Leil Lowndes d. Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone -- Mark Goulsten e. The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People -- Stephen Covey 8. Do you prefer hard copy or digital texts? The smell of a new book, the texture of its cover or hardbound copy, the joy of leafing through pages- it never gets old. I am more inclined to analogue when it comes to books. 9. What are the significant differences and appeal of each in your view? I think the differences are in the ease of accessibility. Depending on where in the world you

There is neither abuse nor tantrum— just a treatise on best practices in handling this relationship fraught with challenges because of the constitutional lacuna. Toby states, “The constitution does not give any specific assignments to a deputy governor. In accepting to serve in that capacity, the holder of the office must realise his/her limits and constraints. The spirit of the constitution in providing the office of the deputy governor is to underscore the fact that two heads are better than one. But what happens to the person is entirely dependent on the governor.” Integrity pays. Toby: “I realised early in life that selfservice, quest for wealth by all means can only yield shortterm benefits. Invariably, in the long run, you do not earn goodwill. One loses effectiveness, self-confidence and self-respect.” He has a dim view of the politics of Nigeria and the leading players. “Truth appears to be a strange bedfellow to many politicians”, he asserts. “Those who have no

reside - and with the ease of the Internet, digital texts are most convenient and certainly more comfortable to carry around. You could also do a lot with digital texts these days - making it easier for people with disabilities to interact with books in ways they cannot do with hard copies alone. I think these are the major differences. 10. Any preference between fiction and non-fiction? I have no preference. I would read either if they are well written. 11.Who are your all-time favourite authors? a. Christopher Buckley for political satire. b. Chinua Achebe - For African cultural renaissance. c. Flora Nwapa - For every time I need to deepen my understanding of womanity. 12. Do you do audiobooks? What are your thoughts on audiobooks? Yes, I do have quite a few audiobooks, but I always have a hard copy as a back-up. I like audiobooks for their accessibility and the fact that it is able to be more inclusive to a more diverse audience. I recently had a friend who told me about his parents, both professors, who are pushing 80yrs old and have both lost their sight and the only way they have kept up with their little pleasure of reading is through audiobooks. If there were no audiobooks, the only way they can read is either by learning braille in their twilight years or having someone read out to them. Audiobooks give them

means of sustainable livelihood, no pedigree or track record of service to their community, who have not worked to earn a living or have not been entrepreneurs, no matter the level, should not be entrusted with governance. This is a basic minimum that could help ensure that we reduce the collateral damage to the system.” Nor does the university system hold out much hope. Toby has served on the governing councils of no fewer than five higher institutions as member or chairman. “My experience in functioning in the ivory tower, the citadel of learning that prides itself with giving its certificates to those ‘found worthy in character and learning’ was not pleasant. It was a question of if gold rusts what will iron do?” The Atu Wokiki V11 of Chief Toby War Canoe House in Kiepirima Section, Opobo, Rivers State, G T G Toby is meticulous and, in the words of his daughter, “a person of tradition and processes”, a satisfied person and a committed citizen. This book bears witness.

independence to read at their own pace and enjoy these books at their leisure. Any preference be13. tween Nigerian or foreign authors in your choice of books? Which ones predominate in your library and why? I have an equal amount of both foreign and Nigerian authors. Lately, I am investing heavily in African literature — both those written by African authors, or by authors who are writing about Africa. 14. Do you share the notion that Nigerians do not read? What informs your response either way? We, unfortunately, do not have the most robust reading culture in Nigeria. And this is reflected in our academic and educational system today. The advent of technology has made it worse as people are only able to read or digest information in bite sizes these days. 15. Any thoughts on reading generally and what it contributes to readers? Reading is a religion - it is a culture; it is a science. It will teach you many things and help shape your values in many ways. It can help define your world and your understanding of your place in the world. It will take you places that gravity might never be able to. Our interactions with books help to shape our minds, feeds our souls and nourishes our bodies. I know that I am biased but readers I believe live a fuller and more fulfilled life.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

Felix King Foundation unveils ‘The Start-ups Africa’ for entrepreneurs Some Nigerian youths are realising their innovative ideas while other great ideas which could assist to leapfrog Nigeria’s economic development and reduce unemployment are wasting due to many factors including funding. Daniel Obi looks at how philanthropists and the recent being Felix King Foundation are moving to assist best ideas towards creating more entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Growing interest in entrepreneurship here is perceived growing interest among the Nigerian youth on entrepreneurship; thinking out solutions for socio-economic problems. Foluso Phillips, the Executive Chairman and Founder of Phillips Consulting Limited underscored this rising interest recently when he spoke at a forum on innovation. The present unemployment long queue especially at the time white collar jobs are shrinking in the face of growing population; being self-determined; the desire to solve social problems and to own and nurture self-businesses are factors that are perhaps giving birth to this growing interest in entrepreneurship. Challenges they face While some start-ups are frustrated by a lot factors which include, lack of capital, lack of government support through tax breaks and inconsistent policies; deficiency of skill on running a business and pitiable infrastructure, other innovative ideas cannot take off due to funding. These factors have frustrated the growth of enterprises regarded as very essential for economic growth and development. Many countries that understand the significance of entrepreneurship have laid foundations such as skill acquisition, knowledge-based institutions, free-interest or soft-loan schemes and infrastructure to grow their innovativeness which have in turn impacted their economies. No wonder economies like Malaysia, Singapore, China are leapfrogging as they have placed emphasis on development of enterprises. However, due to the changing attitude in the country towards innovation and the clamour for support for start-ups, Nigeria which has seen itself on low ladder of many economic indices and how entrepreneurship has assisted to leapfrog other economics, has started realising the importance of support to innovations and entrepreneurship. Emphases are now placed on building innovation and start up hubs while banks are encouraged to give loans to entrepreneurs. NGOs and individuals are equally assisting in the encouragement of innovative ideas. It is also commendable that the private sector has keyed in to push

Felix King (3rd from right), founder of the Felix King Foundation and some Nigerian youth at unveil of Startup Africa in Lagos recently.

the agenda of developing entrepreneurship and growing start- ups. It is therefore expected that with combined efforts of government and the private sector coupled with the growing interest by the youth in entrepreneurship, in the next few years, there will be huge contribution of start-ups to economic growth. Felix King Foundation Involvement The need therefore to inspire more innovations, create entrepreneurs in Nigeria encouraged Felix King Foundation, established in 2014 to impact lives and to make headlines in the hearts, minds and economic circumstances of people to launch Start Up Africa programme recently designed to give $10,000 grant to the best revolutionary business idea. Introducing the initiative recently in Lagos, Felix King, founder of the foundation was of the opinion that Africa does not need the world to help it; “only Africans can help develop Africa; and we need to start by empowering our women in the rural communities and our teeming talented youthful population with entrepreneurial dreams”. In embarking on the project of Start Ups Africa, he said the foundation is driven by the “belief in the importance of the intricate network of umbilical cords connecting all of us, one to another. There are far too many great talents in Nigeria and Africa to be allowed to waste”. Felix explained that StartUps Africa is therefore the foundation’s response to the need to wake the manifest entrepreneur-

ial energy of many young Nigerians whose vision to change the world around them are being challenged by paucity or total absence of capital and mentorship. “We want to prepare and empower the generation of young people that will further unlock the potentials of Africa for productivity. I strongly believe in the ability of young Africans to birth the innovative business ideas that can change the world for the better. And we are willing to provide the help and support needed to actualize this. We are not in this project because we have a surplus. On the contrary, we are driven by our conviction and belief in the saying that “we can only rise by lifting others. Africa can only be great when we

It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in an environment in which a vast majority does not have the opportunity to realize their dreams

lend the hand to lift one another”. The young foundation believes that with a strong population made up of 65 percent young and able people, Nigeria should be a bustling beehive of thriving businesses and innovations. But Foundation is surprised that the country is not, in spite of talent and skills which abound in the country. He said many people would blame government. While he agrees with this to limited extent, he asked how much individuals have supported other individuals to realise their potentials. “It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in an environment in which a vast majority does not have the opportunity to realize their dreams”, he said. According to Felix, “Nigeria is challenged in so many fronts but the most dangerous of these challenges has been the inability of a vast majority of the populace to be economically relevant. “When you have engaged young Nigerians as I have done in my businesses, you would have come across millions of people with bright ideas, revolutionary in potential but lacking the enabling financial fillip to become reality. They may be small businesses and appear insignificant when visualized against the large corporations we all know. But the reality is that it is these small businesses that have the most impact in changing the lives of the majority and altering the course of any society’s possible drift to poverty and as Richard Branson once said, “Every big business started small.” Entrepreneurs are the key driv-

ers of any sustainable economy. They are the pillars that support the long terms goals of individuals, families and nations. Those who are in various universities today should either be dreaming of starting up businesses of their own or getting jobs in businesses already started by entrepreneurs. But once we allow the pool of entrepreneurs to dry, any index showing economic growth can be noting but false, he said. Quoting British actress and fashion muse, Audrey Hepburn who t once said that “if there is anything worth holding on to, it is each other,”, Felix said he has always been an advocate of transforming Nigeria’s social capital into economic opportunities that in the natural organic progression, lifts the individuals, then the family and continuing the process of positive revival upwards until Nigerians are free and safe to have a strong and virile national economy. While charging individuals to adhere to Biblical teaching that says “blessed is the hand that gives”, Felix King urges government to remove the barriers to restrict development of innovations in Nigeria. Recently, another entrepreneur urged the government to protect innovations from copy right as a basis for allowing more innovations. Today, there is burning desire among Nigerian youth to be selfdetermined and entrepreneurial. Government and individuals can copy the model of Felix King Foundation to assist in taking start- ups to greater height for overall economic benefit and unemployment reduction.

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BDSUNDAY 31

Health&Science What you need to know about practicing the 4-7-8 breathing technique for reducing anxiety

he 4-7-8 breathing technique, also known as “relaxing breath,” involves breathing in for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds. This breathing pattern aims to reduce anxiety or help people get to sleep. Some proponents claim that the method helps people get to sleep in 1 minute. There is limited scientific research to support this method, but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that this type of deep, rhythmic breathing is relaxing and may help ease people into sleep. In this article, we look at how to perform this breathing technique, why it might work, and apps that could help. What is 4-7-8 breathing? The 4-7-8 breathing technique requires a person to focus on taking a long, deep breath in and out. Rhythmic breathing is a core part of many meditation and yoga practices as it promotes relaxation.

Dr. Andrew Weil teaches the 4-7-8 breathing technique, which he believes can help with the following: reducing anxiety, helping a person get to sleep, managing cravings, controlling or reducing anger responses Dr. Weil is a celebrity doctor and the founder and director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. How to do it Before starting the breathing pattern, adopt a comfortable sitting position and place the tip of the tongue on the tissue right behind the top front teeth. To use the 4-7-8 technique, focus on the following breathing pattern: empty the lungs of air, breathe in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for a count of 7 seconds, exhale forcefully through the mouth, pursing the lips and making a “whoosh” sound, for 8 seconds and repeat the cycle up to 4 times Dr. Weil recommends using the technique at least twice a day to start seeing the benefits

sooner. He also suggests that people avoid doing more than four breath cycles in a row until they have more practice with the technique. A person may feel lightheaded after doing this for the first few times. Therefore, it is advisable to try this technique when sitting or lying down to prevent dizziness or falls. The total number of seconds that the pattern lasts for is less important than keeping the ratio. A person who cannot hold their breath for long enough may try a shorter pattern instead, such as: breathe in through the nose for 2 seconds, hold the breath for a count of 3.5 seconds, and exhale through the mouth for 4 seconds. As long as a person maintains the correct ratio, they may notice benefits after several days or weeks of doing 4-7-8 breathing consistently one to two times a day. According to some advocates of 4-7-8 breathing, the longer and more frequently a person uses the technique, the more effective it becomes.

There is limited clinical research to support these claims about 4-7-8 breathing or other breathing techniques. The evidence is limited to anecdotal reports from satisfied users. How it works and benefits There is some evidence to suggest that deep breathing techniques have a positive impact on a person’s anxiety and stress levels. For example, a 2011 review article in Health Science Journalidentifies some of the potential health benefits of deep breathing techniques, particularly for deep breathing from the diaphragm. These possible benefits include: decreased fatigue, reduced anxiety, reduced symptoms of asthma in children and adolescents, better stress management, reduced hypertension, reduced aggressive behavior in adolescent males and improved migraine symptoms Studies suggest Trusted Source that 6 weeks of practicing pranayamic breathing, or breathing that focuses on controlling breath movement, may have a

IPAN goes tough on enforcement of analytical lab standards, practices ANTHONIA OBOKOH

anufacturers of food and drugs have been warned to desist from subverting analytical laboratory practice and regulation in the country. Aliyu Angara, registrar of Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN)who described Testing Laboratory Analysts as key in Nigeria’s quest towards economic self-sufficiency, insists that the regulating body will not compromise its statutory responsibility of ensuring the enforcement of analytical laboratory standards in the country. Speaking during a media briefing ahead of the 28th Mandatory Continuous Professional Development (MCPD) workshop scheduled to hold from November 19-20 at Ostra Hall and Hotels, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos; Angara warned stakeholders who indulge in unwholesome practices to stop as IPAN was poised to evolve solutions towards overcoming the challenges affecting the analytical laboratory practices in Nigeria. “Testing Laboratory Analysts in the country are key in Nigeria’s quest towards economic self-sufficiency. They form the critical mass of the required experts that ascertain products quality, safety and efficacy,” he said. According to him, the

positive effect on a person’s heart rate variability, which correlates with stress, and also improve cognition and anxiety. Uses There is an association between certain breathing techniques, such as 4-7-8 breathing, and other relaxation techniques. Some people couple this breathing with the following practices: guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, repetitive prayer, yoga, tai chi, and qigong and mindfulness meditation The most common uses of 4-78 breathing are for reducing stress and anxiety. With frequent use, it reportedly becomes more effective in helping a person manage their stress levels. This improvement is in contrast to anti-anxiety drugs, which tend to lose some of their effectiveness over time as the body adjusts to them.

Culled from Medical News Today (MNT)

Kwara donates anti-malaria drugs, RDT kits to Unilorin clinic SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

T L-R: Aliyu Angara, Registrar/CEO of Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria(IPAN), Femi Oyidiran, Vice President, IPAN and Francis Iruobe, Chairman, Cororate Affairs & Business Unit, IPAN during the Press briefing of the 28th IPAN Mandatory Continuous Development Workshop in Lagos recently

game changer in the modern day international trade is product quality and safety and not necessarily the quantum of production. “The challenges facing analysts need to be identified and addressed squarely once and for all, in order to assist the nation’s quest towards economic eldorado and self a sufficiency,” Angara said. Therefore, for those who see Nigeria as fertile ground for unwholesome practices, I am sorry we cannot compromise standards. It cannot continue. And that is part of what we want to canvass during the forthcoming workshop and conference in Lagos. “I wish to call on all stakeholders to accord recognition and adequately remunerate Testing Laboratory Analysts in the coun-

try,” he said. He said that the two-day workshop with the theme “Contemporary Analytical Laboratory Practice: Overcoming Sectorial Challenges, will X-ray and bring up-to-date the standards and regulatory environment in analytical laboratory practice in Nigeria with reference to international best practices. And to bring to the fore the sectoral challenges in the practice of the profession and proffer implementable solutions towards overcoming the challenges as well as to identify emerging sectoral opportunities in the practice of the profession and evolve strategies towards maximising the opportunities. Femi Oyediran, First Vice Chairman, , who also doubles as President, Society of

Testing Laboratory Analysts of Nigeria (SOTLAN) also emphasised on the need for synergy between Analytical Laboratories and Medical Laboratories towards achieving a healthy nation “Analytical Laboratories and Medical Laboratories are in the same business of laboratories. It’s only the metrics is what we analyse that is different. The medical laboratories deal more with the humans, while analytical laboratories deal more with the preventive medicine. “So we need to work together and won’t see ourselves as enemies because, even the standard applicable to analytical laboratory and the one applicable to the medical laboratories are the same. So we’re under the same body and should be working together,” he said.

he Kwara State Government, through t h e Mi n i s t r y o f Health, has donated antiMalaria Drugs, Rapid Diagnosis Test (RDT) Kits, long-lasting insecticidetreated nets and latex gloves to the University of Ilorin to help combat the menace of malaria. The state Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP) team, led by Abdullahi Nageri, project manager, made generous donations to the University’s Health Centre during their Advocacy visit to the University. In his remarks, Nageri said that the donated materials were purchased with funds released by the state government to strengthen the fight against malaria in the

state. Responding, , Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, vice-chancellor of the University of Ilorin, professor of Chemical Engineering commended the state government and the Ministry of Health on the newfound partnership between the University and the Ministry. Abdulkareem, who was represented by Rasheed Adekeye Odunola, director, Unilorin Health Services, medical Doctor, lauded the state government for the kind gesture. Receiving the materials on behalf of the ViceChancellor, Odunola assured the team and the state government, that the donated materials will be well utilised and accounted for in order to sustain and strengthen the partnership

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Sunday 17 November 2019

TheWorshippers

The only hope available to us is God, through the power of the gospel – Ilesanmi As the Ikeja province of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) launched out to bring divine liberation to the populace, especially Lagosians through its organised outdoor crusade themed, ‘Divine Liberation,’ Pastor Tope Ilesanmi, chairman of PFN, Ikeja province in this interview speaks about the collective expectation of Christian faithful in Lagos and how the crusade captures the recent move of revival in Christendom, especially in Lagos during the crusade which held at the Police College ground, GRA, Ikeja. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU The divine liberation crusade has been on since Friday 15 November; what is your message to Christian faithful, today being the final day of the crusade? he nation Nigeria is gradually sliding into a failed state as informed by the security, poverty and desperation to escape to other countries by our youth. The only hope available to us is God, through the power of the gospel. We are all aware of the state of affairs, not only in our country but all over the world. There is preponderance of evil in the land and this has given rise to untold insecurity, starvation, misery and hopelessness. But God, in his infinite love and mercy is not only able but willing to deliver those who look up to him. We are prophesying ‘liberation’ because we want to liberate people from the shackles of those to who we have been sold without money.

How do you explain the ‘Call of God’ to mankind and what is your reaction to the attendance? We trusted God to mobilise the entire Christian family in Ikeja to launch out their nets in pulling every sinner back to their creator. So, attendance may be in excess of 100,000 people. But in answering the call of God, some have gone ahead planting churches, some ministries: what is your position on this? One thing that separated mankind from God is the nature of Sin. God has extended his loving hand, through this crusade to all and sundry; that they should come and reclaim their dominion heritage without any cost. The blood of Jesus has been offered to buy back their lives from the hand of the adversary. Why I appreciate all our Pastors serving as shepherds over churches, I will like to equally acknowledge the

Tope Ilesanmi

calling of God upon other men of God that are actively engaging the market place through their non church based ministries. Their

Adefarasin to host Travis Greene, Sinach, Todd Dulaney, others at ‘The Experience’ 2019 SEYI JOHN SALAU

ith line-up of gospel artistes and a packed schedule designed to keep worshippers captivated throughout the night, ‘The Experience’ 2019, a gospel music concert themed ‘Let’s Worship Jesus’ is poised to exceed its reputation as one of the major highlights of the festive season as to Christmas approaches. As usual, the 14th edition of music concert will hold at on Friday 6 December at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan from 7pm till dawn and is expected to set Christian faithful and all participants in to a moment of endless praise and worship as they celebrate the yuletide. ‘The Experience’ began with a God-inspired vision in 2006 and has become one of the largest gospel music concerts in this side of the

globe as well as a favourite destination event for music enthusiasts from all over the nation, the continent and the world. According to Paul Adefarasin, the convener and senior pastor of the House on the Rock churches, “The Experience is a significant contributor to both our national and state economies through tourism and its associated businesses. Entrepreneurs have developed and birthed various enterprises, which substantially contribute to the economy in areas of human capital development, hospitality, commerce and industry.” According to Adefarasin, it was conceived as a platform where anyone who wants to encounter God for himself or herself. However, The Experience has since evolved into a melting pot where hundreds of thousands of people regardless of class, race, tribe, tradition, colour, religion or even the weather, gather

to worship and praise God from dusk till dawn. Regardless of its many benefits, people throng the venue for one major reason; usually to have a divine experience, and this year’s edition promises a whole new level of intimacy in worship like never before. ‘The Experience’ concert remains free for all and is a must-attend for one and all. “So get ready and brace yourself for an unforgettable night of pure exhilarating worship,” the organisers promised. The roster of award-winning Nigerian and international gospel artistes scheduled to grace the Experience 2019 stage include Travis Greene, Sinach, Nathaniel Bassey, Don Moen, Donnie McClurkin, Tope Alabi, Planetshakers, Chioma Jesus, Eben, Sammie Okposo, The Lagos Metropolitan Gospel Choir including newcomers to The Experience stage; Todd Dulaney, Mercy Chinwo and Preye Odede.

Pastor Adefarasin, convener of ‘The Experience’ and some of the gospel artists for the 2019 gospel music concert

complimentary role in the great commission is unquantifiable. Like Elisha, the mantle for leadership is on you here in PFN, Ikeja province: What is your vision for God’s urgent message to the people? I thank God for the privilege to serve as Chairman of PFN, Ikeja province. The vision given to me by God for this hour is ‘taking Ikeja territory for God.’ This vision goes beyond gathering within the confines of the church walls. It is to prepare God fearing men to dominate the nation’s economy, education, media, sports, governance, and others. This is why in this crusade, we are liberating people through spiritual power first; then free medical care, foodstuffs and free fabrics. Looking at the rate and mode of modern slave trade across the globe, especially West Africa; who is to blame: migrants or govern-

ment? From the way people are risking their lives to escape to Europe and other advanced countries, our government should wake up to its responsibilities. Lack of basic infrastructures like power, access to soft loans, and good roads make the business environment in this country to be too hostile for aspiring entrepreneurs. In line with that, what is your advice to the youth, especially those still planning to travel out of the country through illegal routes? Nevertheless, I want to appeal to our youths that it’s better to confront life positively instead of travelling through illegal routes that can cost their lives. They should think creatively and generate ideas that need little or no capital to execute. They should develop in character and integrity, so that rich men with idle funds can trust them with their money.

Divine Mercy Baptist Church celebrates God’s glory, honour SEYI JOHN SALAU

ivine Mercy Baptist Church, Ikosi, Ketu will be celebrating God’s faithfulness in its 2019 annual thanksgiving, themed ‘God’s Glory and Honour’ on Sunday 24 November at the church auditorium in Ikosi. In 2018, the church clocked 10 on 28 September, and was celebrated in November. On the annual thanksgiving celebration of the church, Femi Popoola, the pastor in charge of Divine Mercy Baptist Church, said: “Looking back, one cannot but ascribe all the glory and honour to the owner of the church, Christ Himself. So many things have happened: spiritually, God has touched many souls that would have rotten in hell, and has given them eternal life. The word of God has never ceased to be preached and the grace of God has continued to multiply,” he stated. According to him, the church has fared well in the area of ministry, having touched other churches both near and far by giving ministry and financial support. Popoola said that the gospel has been preached to the community by the church.

“Physically, the Lord has blessed the church. From a rented hall, we have received God’s grace to acquire a permanent site and build some facility that enhances conducive atmosphere for worship. An evangelism bus has also been acquired. Numerically, the Lord has continued to increase us. A sizeable number of people has come to join the church,” he stated. Emphasizing on the need for thanksgiving and why it calls for celebration, Popoola said Christ is continually building his church. According to him, Satan’s attacks against the church has been very vehement, but the Lord has caused his church to triumph. “All these caused for celebration and that was the reason for the anniversary and thanksgiving. It was indeed an occasion welldeserved. “These are nothing but God’s great mercy upon his church. In like manner, individuals have also been touched physically by God. Members have enjoyed God’s providence in their physical life through fruits of the womb, great employment opportunity, promotion, and prosperity of all kinds. God has preserved the lives of his people from death and dangers of all sorts,” said Popoola.

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TheWorshippers Inspiration With Rev. Yomi Kasali

info@yomikasali.com

ately, a lot of marital crisis cases have been brought to my table to resolve. Among all these, one problem that I have been able to discern as the major issue is giving: time, attention and money. It is either the husband

The fuss about giving

isn’t giving enough or at all, or the wife isn’t reciprocating the love of her husband by giving to him. I sit and hear two spirit-filled believers complain bitterly about their spouse asking for too much. These are people who are fantastic in other expressions of godliness but are clearly short in their understanding of the giving element of godliness. My experience with such cases has led me to the conclusion that many Christians do not see giving as part of God’s nature as they do see holiness and righteousness. In my moment of reflection during the past week, I noticed the above is the reason many relationships, including the relationship between God and His children, are having issues. The natural man is not one to give without expecting anything in return. This is in sharp contrast to the spiritual man who gives without expecting anything in

return. That is why Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:35, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” My focus today is addressing the subject of giving in the context of a believer’s relationship with God. Giving is the art of contributing finances to the things of the Kingdom in obedience to God for the edification of the Body. However, there are different kinds of biblical giving and that is what I will like to inspire you with today.

Catholic Church of Divine Mercy set to host ‘2019 unusual praise’ IFEOMA OKEKE

atholic Church of Divine Mercy, Lagos has it has concluded arrangements to hold this year’s edition of ‘Unusual Praise’ on the 29th of November 2019. Lanre DaSilva Ajayi, chairman, Unusual Praise 2019, said the Praise and Worship event, themed, ‘Declare the Glory of the Lord among the Nations,’ will have top gospel musicians ministering, some of who include Nathaniel Bassey, Jude Nnam, Big Bolaj, Gozie – Akanchawa, Tope Alabi, Bukola Bekes, BJ Sax, Chioma Jesus, Joe Praiss, Grace Ezeh, Osinachi Nwachukwu, David G, Panam Percy Paul, Mercy Chinwo and Chukwuemeka Anyaegbunam.

Ajayi disclosed that the event, which will hold at the Periwinkle Estate, Freedom Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, after Catholic Church of Divine Mercy, is an opportunity for Catholics, non-Catholics and even non-Christians to come together and worship God in the same environment. Speaking during a press conference to announce the event, Fatumata Soukouna Coker, chairman fundraising committee for the event said 2016 was her first year of participating in the Unusual Praise and it actually drew a lot of insights not only about her faith but as a Christian. “Unusual Praise is a special place to meet God and it is something special for everyone whether you are a catholic or not or a Christian or not. Everyone is free to

participate,” Coker said. Alfred Adewale Martins, the Archbishop of Lagos Archdiocese in a video interview said the Unusual Praise event is one of the evangelisation activities within the archdiocese of Lagos. Martins said it has been going on for four years and each year, it has gained greater momentum than years before and recorded greater participation. He explained that the event is an outdoor evangelisation effort within the archdiocese and an opportunity for non-Catholics to have some contact with the Catholics in a different environment, with the hope that as they encounter God in this environment and be inspired to ask more questions about the Catholic faith.

5 Kinds of biblical giving Tithes: This is giving God a tenth of one’s earnings. I have always and will always preach and write about tithing, not as a law but, as an act of love towards God because who we give without any complaint whatsoever to the ones we love. Charity: This is the act of giving to people who will not be able to ever pay you back just the way God gave us His son knowing full well that we will be unable to pay

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him back. This type of alms giving can be done personally or through NGOs or organized institutions. Prophet offering: This is giving to support those who do the work of God on full- time basis and have, at one point or the other, been a blessing to your life spiritually. Apostle Paul puts it so succinctly in 1. Cor. 9:11 “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal (natural) things?” Building or projects: This is the offering that is given towards the building of God’s house. There were scenarios in the bible where the people gave towards the building of God’s temple (1 Chro. 29: 5-7). Giving in this instance also goes beyond gold and silver; one can give their knowledge, time and expertise into ensuring that God’s temple is built and projects are successfully executed (2 Cor.

8: 1 – 5). Missions: This is the act of giving to support and propagate the gospel to places that the gospel is yet to reach with the goal of getting more men saved. This is the great commission. Every Christian should ensure their involvement so that the souls that are saved can be attributed to each of us. It is also noteworthy to let you know that giving to God is not like making deals in the world (where something goes for something). It is simply giving out of love without expecting Him to double whatever you have given. Giving is a nature of love. Giving is a nature of God. Drop me a note of acknowledgment and encouragement. Be Inspired! Rev Yomi Kasali is Senior Pastor, Foundation of Truth Assembly (FOTA), Surulere, Lagos.

Believers are innately equipped to triumph over life’s challenges – Bishop Akinola SEYI JOHN SALAU

he presiding Bishop of Rhema Christian Church and Towers, Taiwo Akinola has urged Christian faithful in Nigeria to continually put their hope and trust in Christ as the only source of total victory over life’s challenges. “Life is a battle ground and many glorious destinies that we see and applaud are birthed from the victory over contentious, opposing and dissenting forces. While those factors may be internal or external, hereditary or acquired, the good news is that the believers have been innately

equipped to triumph over them all. No doubt, victory is granted to us as an integral part of our convention heritage,” said Akinola. Akinola stated this on the final day of the Rhema Word Convention held at the church headquarters in Ota, with the theme, ‘Total Victory In Christ Jesus. According to Akinola, the theme of the convention is the chosen anchor for all that the lord will do this season, and it is to usher the congregation into a new, unique and spectacular phase of life. “This is that time of the year when the unquantifiable faithfulness of the Lord is exhibited to the glory of

His holy name. As we mark our 28th anniversary with this convention, I greatly appreciate the Lord God Almighty, the El-Shaddai; the keeper of Israel on behalf of all Champions worldwide. Definitely, He has been the one that has brought us to this milestone of another exciting encounter with divinity,” Akinola stated. On the state of the nation, the clergyman stated that inadequate power supply has caused a lot of manufacturing companies to either cut down on productions, downsize their workers or totally shut down operations; while some have chosen to relocate to neighboring countries.

Jehovah’s Witness website now world’s most translated site with 1000 languages ISAAC ANYAOGU

L-R: Lanre DaSilva Ajayi, chairman, Unusual Praise, Fatumata Soukouna Coker, chairman fundraising committee for Unusual Praise 2019 and Monsignor Paschal Nwaezeapu, the head of the host parish.

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he official website of Jehovah’s witnesses, JW.ORG, now has content including articles, videos, and audio content in 1,000 languages, including 100 sign languages amongst which is the Nigerian sign language. The website also features content in 30 indigenous Nigerian languages, even some with relatively few speakers, the organisation has said. According to a release from the organisation, this feat was accomplished through the efforts of thousands of volunteers. There are

over 8.5million members of the group and they are active in 240 countries. “Wherever possible, translators work on location, where there is a high concentration of native speakers. Being close to their audience enables translators to field-test publications, resulting in material that is accurate, natural, and clearly understood by those who use the language every day. For example, a team of 35 well-trained translators based in Umuahia, Abia State, translate Bible-based materials into the Igbo language. Eleven of such remote translations offices, most with fewer

translators, are scattered across the country,” said the release by the organisation. Content is also available for those hard-of-hearing even in Nigeria where they can now “hear” the Bible’s message in a language they can understand on the jw.org website. “This is as a result of the Nigerian sign language translation team’s efforts in producing videos for the hard-of-hearing. What is more, thousands of Jehovah’s Witness volunteers freely teach deaf ones the Nigerian sign language in the course of their Bible study educational program,” the release said.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

SundayBusiness Facts and fiction of GM Foods in Nigeria Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

ersisting concerns raised over the health implications of Genetically Modified (GM) or engineered foods to the consumers and the inadequate enlightenment of their advantages have undermined their acceptance, here in Nigeria. For instance, in recent time, there have been allegations of the importation and flooding our markets with apples, bananas and sundry fruits that are products of genetic modification. So, what are they? Ac c o r d i n g t o W i k i p e d i a ‘Genetically modified foods, also known as genetically engineered foods, or bioengineered foods are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering’. GE foods have had their DNA changed using genes from other plants or animals. It could also be done using bacteria and other very small organisms. Scientists take the gene for a desired trait( colour, flavour, texture, early maturation, greater yield) in one

plant or animal, and they insert that gene into a cell of another plant or animal. Genetic engineering therefore, allows scientists to move desired genes from one plant or animal into another. Another name for this is genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. It is important to note that the process to create GE foods is different from that of selective breeding. This involves selecting plants or animals with desired traits and breeding them. With time, this results in offspring with those desired traits.One of the problems identified with selective breeding is that it can also result in traits that are not desired. This avoids introducing other genes with undesirable traits. GE also helps speed up the process of creating new foods with desired traits. Th e r e a r e e v e n s o m e advantages traced to GMfood items. These include ones that are more nutritious, tastier, diseaseand-drought-resistant plants that require fewer environmental resources (such as water and fertilizer). Others require less use of pesticides, increased supply of food with reduced cost and longer shelf life. There are those that have produced faster growing plants and animals with more desirable traits, such as potatoes that produce less of a cancer-causing substance when fried, and medicinal foods that could be used as vaccines or other medicines. On the flip side, some people have expressed concerns about results of some scientific studies with GM foods which indicate that theymaycausesomecommontoxic effects such as hepatic, pancreatic, renal, or reproductive effects. They may alter the hematological, biochemical and immunologic

parameters of the consumers. Some GM foods are also alleged to cause an allergic reaction or harmful genetic changes as well as produce some foods that are less nutritious. But according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “these concerns have proven to be unfounded. None of the GE foods used today have caused any of these problems. The FDA assesses all GE foods to make sure they are safe before allowing them to be sold. In addition to the FDA, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulate bioengineered plants and animals. They assess the safety of GE foods to humans, animals, plants, and the environment.” It is heartening to know these but how does the issue play out when it comes to the Nigerian situation? He r e , w e h a v e i n p l a c e the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA). It came into effect in recognition of the importance of biotechnology to national development,when the Federal Executive Council on 23rd of April 2001 approved the National Biotechnology Policy,. This led to the establishment of the NABDA in November 2001. The Agency was established under the aegis of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology to implement the policy that is aimed at promoting, coordinating, and setting research and development priority, specifically in biotechnology for Nigeria. Based on this premise, the programmes of the agency are structured in line with the international standard bearing in mind the development of local technological contents. With the Vision aimed at promoting biotechnology activities

that positively respond to national aspirations on food security, affordable healthcare delivery, job/ wealth creation, and sustainable environment, it has as the acting Director General Prof. Alex Casmir Uwadiegwu Akpa. So far, the biotechnology sector in Nigeria is said to have witnessed watershed events that shaped the sector in 2018. For instance, the Nigerian government through its apex regulatory body, the National Varietal Release Committee gave the go-ahead for the commercialization of a major cash crop, the pest resistant Bacillus thuringiences (Bt) Cotton. Also, the year recorded a historic victory for biotechnology application in the country with the winning of the case against the biotech anti-crusaders in the country. Another remarkable achievement is the commercialisation of the Bt cowpea with the presentation of the dossier by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Institute of Agricultural Research(IAR),Zariatothenation’s biotech regulatory body, the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA). According to Dr. Rose Gidado, the Nigeria Chapter Country CoordinatorOpen Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa, some appreciable progress has been recorded with regards to the status of Nigeria’s genetically modified organism (GMO) crops in the country. She said cotton is currently being planted, beginning with demo trialsin selected states such asGombe, Adamawa, FCT, Ogun, Jigawa and Kano. This is to enable farmers get used to the Bt and nonBt which are being planted side by

side for them to see the difference. “After the demo trials then the 1000 farmers that will take part in the seed multiplication take off. So, at present, we’re doing demo trials. There will also be seed certification by the National Agric Seed Council (NASC). By 2020 we’ll be seeing Bt cotton in farmers’ field and anyone who is interested can buy the seeds and plant,” she said. Other efforts in the pipeline include the field confinement trials on VIRCA Plus project, - resistant cassava nutritionally enhance with iron and zinc.The crops include the Nitrogen Use Efficient, Water Use Efficient and Salt Tolerant (NEWEST) Rice; the African Biofortified Sorghum (ABS); Bt Maize; Herbicide tolerant soybeans and GM cassava improved for shelve life elongation of root starch. On the project by the National Root Crops Research Institute and Danforth Plant Science Centre based in Missouri, USA, she said the project is already ongoing in Uganda and Kenya, and Nigeria is the third country being considered for the project. By and large, GM Foods are gradually becoming part and parcel of the Nigerian food security landscape.With the wave of globalization sweeping across the continents, what we need is well coordinated activities for Nigerian-researched and approved foods that are safe, nutritious and affordable to the consumers. In the light of this, sustained enlightenment of the farmers and the general public has become an imperative.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

VIVA Cinemas to officially launch in march 2020 as outlet debut in Lagos …Uses 4K technology to revolutionalise cinematic experience AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

IVA Cinemas, a movie theater in Nigeria, is concluding arrangements to officially launch as a brand into the Nigerian market by March 2020. Situated in four cities of Ilorin, Ibadan, Ota, Enugu, VIVA is also perfecting plans to expand into Lagos market as preparations are on ground to ensure that the Ikeja outlet becomes operational before December this year. This would bring VIVA Cinemas’ locations to five in Nigeria. Speaking to newsmen in Lagos recently, Heri Ntimizi, CEO of VIVA Cinemas said the company will use January to do a preparation for the official launch of VIVA as a brand owing to the fact that it has not been officially introduced to the public. He said VIVA understands the thrill and excitement that a vibrant blend of retail, leisure and entertainment provides, and it offers an unforgettable cinema experience that everyone can enjoy. According to him, VIVA uses 4K

resolution technology, which has an incredible improvement over standard high definition (HD), and this technology has helped to revolutionalise cinematic experience for Nigerians. “On 16:9 ratios, 4K contains almost four times the pixels of HD. This means 4K has a clearer and more detailed image with a higher pixel count that also

allows for closer viewing by the audience without loss in quality of the content on the screen,” he said. With 4K technology, Ntimizi said, VIVA offers an amazing mix of experiences designed to treat viewers to great moments each time and every time, as movie goers can indulge in an immersive cinema experience choosing from a variety

of Nollywood, Hollywood and Bollywood blockbuster titles. “On a bigger screen, the 4K image is simply better, such that some people who have witnessed a long-distance shot rendered in 4K have mistaken it for glasses-free 3D! The larger the screen, the more 4K is required due to the inevitable pixel enlargement. At VIVA Cinemas,

L-R: Wisdom Idahosa, head, Technical Operations, VIVA CINEMAS; Oge Okoye, Cinema manager Lagos; Heri Ntimizi, CEO; Inuagbor Abass, head, Operations, and Adewale Azeez, business development manager, at VIVA Cinemas’ launch press conference in Lagos recently.

we like to ensure definition is maintained and at a minimal viewing cost,” he assured. He said that since 2015, VIVA Cinemas has been the first and only exhibitor in Nigeria to utilise the 4K cinema projectors, which offers the only 4K projection solution that delights audiences to incredible picture and sound clarity in 2D and silky smooth, lifelike 3D images. Inuagbor Abass, head of Operations said VIVA Cinemas have a total of 20 screens and a 3,000 seating capacity across its five locations. “VIVA currently holds between 17-25 percent market shares of screens occupancy across Nigeria, and with great expansion plans over the next few years, to several cities in Nigeria and across West Africa, it’s betting on itself to achieve even greater success,” she said. According to her, theatre-goers are now becoming more discerning and well-educated when it comes to fundamental questions of brightness and resolution on the screen, and with our innovative systems, we are unlocking the true power of visual fidelity and quality in the cinematic experience.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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BDSUNDAY 35

SundayBusiness Informal sector as new ‘joker’ for mortgage market growth

n what looks like a new consciousness, the informal sector of the Nigerian economy has become a new bride with the magic wand for the growth of other sectors of the 4economy, particularly the mortgage market where it has become a new ‘joker’ for operators. Suddenly, both the housing sector and the mortgage system have woken up from sleep and discovered that this sector could be leveraged upon for growth. The pension fund is also in this league, though in relation to both mortgage and housing. There was an open-ended debate on the possibility of including the informal sector with its estimated N81.048 trillion annual income in a new housing fund that could be created and added to the existing Pension Commission’s (PenCom) multi-fund structure with the aim of narrowing down housing affordability gap. This, however, has to go side-byside with lowering mortgage interest rate to single digit of, say, 8- 9 percent, down from the current 2225 percent commercial rate which operators charge on mortgage loans. The argument flows from the assumption that the inclusion of the informal sector operators who constitute 67.54 million of Nigeria’s 81.15 million workforce in the contributory pension scheme will lead to increased housing affordability.

In the same vein, as economic activities continue to shrink leading to loss of jobs, salary cuts and significant drop in personal income, most of the primary mortgage banks (PMBs), which are struggling with hash operating environment and rising non-performing loans (NPL), are looking to the informal sector to sustain their operations and also stimulate growth in that sector. Low capital base coupled with the prevailing economic conditions have so impacted the operations of these banks that a good number of them are unable to meet their contractual and statutory obligations to their clients and regulators respectively. It was reported some time ago that the inability of as many as 15 PMBs to pay their insurance premium as at December 2016 was an unfortunate situation that put the customers at risk. As at that time, the loans and advances extended by these PMBs declined significantly by 31.87 percent to N168.96 billion in 2015. That time too, 14 out of 42 PMBs failed to render returns to it while unpaid premium from nine PMBs amounted to N238.30 million the same year. About three years ago, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that, notwithstanding PMBs’ improved performance in the past couple of years, their loans and advances, deposit liabilities and other liabilities decreased by 6.85 percent, 5.25 per

cent and 5.89 per cent to N154.46 billion, N115.77 billion and N68.06 billion, respectively, at end-December 2016 from N165.83 billion, N122.18 billion and N72.32 billion at end-June 2016. But the operators are not resting on their oars. They are building blocks and putting measures in place to engender growth of the sector in order to increase access and affordability, and by extension, enlarge the clan of homeowners in the country. Unbundling of mortgage origination process, further reduction in loan origination period, introduction of computerised land titling registration, land title insurance, introduction of uniform underwriting standards (UUS) for informal sector, enactment of foreclosure law, and wider public awareness for the sector are part of the push by the operators for the growth of the sector. Mortgage is a sub-sector of the economy and the operators are saying that since the larger economy is not doing well and the mortgage sector is not insulated from what is happening in the larger economy, what is happening to them is not unexpected. “We know what happened to oil price and the foreign exchange market. These have affected everything in the economy. In the case of oil, both the volume and the price went down. All these affected consumer purchasing power. Don’t forget that

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com)

the balance sheet of the mortgage banks were not strong abnitio”, said, Ayodele Olowookere, CEO, Omoluabi Mortgage Bank Plc. He stressed that the problems of the mortgage banks revolved around their small capital base and so there wasn’t much they could do. “For all the money that I have, unless I raise additional capital, I don’t think I can do 1,000 mortgages. To do mortgages, you need long term funds and that is the only way you can do long term mortgages”, he said. Udo Okonjo, vice chair/CEO, Fine and Country West Africa, agrees, emphasizing that the real core factor responsible for the slow growth in this sector is that the banks and the mortgage institutions don’t have long term funds; all they have are short term deposits. “The underlying fundamental for mortgage growth is that we have to have saving culture and large financial base because mortgages are long term funds. In an ideal world, you will be talking about

20-25 years mortgages at very low interest rate”, Okonjo added. Technically speaking, Nigeria has no mortgage system and Okonjo reasons that the country doesn’t really have a real estate sector. “What we are doing is just scratching the surface. If we really want to create wealth through real estate which is one of the major ways the developed world creates wealth, then we have to develop and grow the mortgage sector”, she emphasised. But the operators are not deterred. “We are here to stay and grow this sector”, Olowookere assures, revealing, “at Moluabi, we are looking at the best way to do things, especially in credit management and evaluation. “We are looking at the informal sector. People in this sector are not collecting salaries, but earn huge and regular income. So, we are finding creative ways of bringing them into the net. We are also looking at new ways to raise capital by bringing in more shareholders”.

Platview Technologies partners LinkShadow on cyber security in Nigeria

igerian foremost cyber security company Platview Technologies unveiled its cyber security partnership agreement with multiple award-winning U.S. registered security company, LinkShadow, while it announced Platview Technologies as its brand Certified Platinum Partner in Nigeria. The global cyber defense firm announced the partnership after it signed a partnership agreement with the Nigerian cyber security and IT solutions counterpart Platview Technologies during an event at The George Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, recently. This event was attended by top members of management from both companies. In a statement by Dapo Salami, director of business development at Platview Technologies, the “strategic partnership is always a driver to delivering value to customers; our partnership with LinkShadow is a choice, commitment to our customers and the ecosystem, to experience the endless possibilities and value of machine learning, artificial intelligence and further reduce the attack/threat landscape while prioritising ROI for cyber security.” According to Salami, “Cyber security has been a major hazard

on the Internet world; so, this partnership is envisaged to further boost the safety of Nigerians’ online data, corporate organisations, banking sector and government agencies, etc.” The cyber security firm reiterated that the newly signed partnership between the Cyber Security firms will deliver the highlighted solutions to its Nigerian customers to ensure their online and corporate activities

are hazard-free and secured from various online threats. The partnership services are built on four pillars which are Behavioral Analytics, CXO Visibility, Threat Hunting and Security Synopsis. The aforementioned partnership services which the duo Cyber Security firms will render also includes; Faster Detection of Threats, Real-time response to Threats, Behavior and Predictive

Security Analytics, Automated Discovery of Users and Assets, CXO Managerial Dashboards and Reports, Machine Learningbased, Cyber Security Threat detections and Threat Intelligent Feeds. LinkShadow is a next generation cyber security analytics platform with behavior analytics and extensive machine learning capabilities to detect both cyber and internal threats.

Sitting, R-L: Dapo Salami, director of Business Development and Fadi Sharaf El-dean, sales director LinkShadow. Standing R-L: Benjamin Okwuokenye, GM sales/marketing; Osita Okoli, channel manager Starlink West Africa region and Kamal Khlefat, LinkShadow

LinkShadow cyber security tools are built to enable its users trace all the movements of an attacker, starting from the reconnaissance and all the way up to the action (Data Exfiltration). Fadi Sharaf, sales director, LinkShadow, said: “Cyber security is a corporate risk and becoming cyber resilient is key to business security that needs to be given utmost priority. With LinkShadow’s unparallel detection of the most sophisticated threats, organisations can enhance their defense against advanced cyber-attacks, zero-day malware and ransomware. “We are very excited to sign up PlatviewTechnologies as our Certified Platinum Partner in Nigeria and are confident that this strategic partnership will enable LinkShadow to strengthen its presence and accelerate growth in the region.” During the recently concluded IPEXPO Europe, London event, LinkShadow emerged as the winner of the prestigious Cyber Defense Magazine - Annual Cyber Defense Global Awards 2019 as the ‘Most Innovative Threat Hunting Solution’. And also LinkShadow was awarded the ‘User Behaviour Analytics Security Solution Provider of the Year,’ award by Cyber Security Breakthrough.

36 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 17 November 2019

SundayBusiness FBNHoldings: Setting the tone for gender inclusiveness, balance in boardroom HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE

n many parts of the world, including Nigeria, women often face the barriers of discrimination and persistent gender inequalities which deny them access to key positions in the corporate world as well as access to finance or the formal economy. Women make up almost half of the world’s workingage population of nearly 5 billion people. But only about 50 percent of those women participate in the labor force, compared with 80 percent of men, according to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF’s research highlights how the uneven playing field between women and men imposes large costs on the global economy. Early IMF studies on the economic impact of gender gaps assumed that men and women were likely to be born with the same potential, but that disparities in access to education, health care, and finance and technology; legal rights; and social and cultural factors prevented women from realizing that potential. Nearly 70 UK companies

Bashirat Odunewu, group executive, Energy and Infrastructure, FirstBank; Cecilia Akintomide (OON), independent non-executive director, FBNHoldings; Folake Ani-Mumuney, chairman, FBNInsurance Brokers/group head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, FirstBank; Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria Limited; Fiona Ahimie, managing director, FBNQuest Securities Ltd; Oluwande Muoyo, Independent non-executive director, FBNHoldings; Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, managing director, ARISE News Channel Africa; Debola Osibogun, nonexecutive director, FBNHoldings and Oyinkan Adewale, independent non-executive director, FBNQuest Merchant Bank at the Women Corporate Directors (WCD) Foundation, Nigeria Chapter, meeting hosted by FirstBank to promote female leadership in management.

have been told to employ more women in senior roles. Domino’s Pizza, JD Sports and Greene King are among those that have called out by financial trade sector body The Investment Association and the Hampton-Alexander review, a diversity study backed by the government. The number of women holding the most senior jobs in the boardrooms of Britain’s biggest companies has fallen, according to a report that criticises the lack of progress

made by businesses in getting more women to the top. Analysis from Cranfield University, as part of its 20th FTSE Women on Boards Report, shows a sharp drop in the number of women occupying chief executive (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO) or other executive roles on FTSE 250 boards, and static numbers at FTSE 100 companies. Women constitute almost half of the Nigerian’s population and its work-

Customers rewarded as sweet sensation celebrates 25th anniversary Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

igerian Quick S e r v i c e Re s taurant (QSR), Sweet Sensation rewarded its customers for loyalty over the last 25 years of operations. To mark its 25th anniversary, Sweet Sensation gave out home appliances as a form of appreciation to its teeming customers. The restaurant chain said that this anniversary is dedicated wholly to rewarding its customers in the ongoing reward program that ended on the 8th of November at its Ikeja GRA outlet. Sweet Sensation has revolutionised how Nigerians eat in the last two decades, pioneering the incorporation of local meals into the menus of Nigerian QSR. The organisation has continued to innovate over the years because it understands its place as leaders in the industry. Speaking on the anniversary, Kehinde Kamson, founder, CEO and managing director of Sweet Sensation, said: “From

our humble beginnings at Ilupeju in 1994, it’s been 25 sensational years of serving Nigeria sweetness, and we are looking forward to the next 25 knowing that they will be even more amazing. Our journey to 25 hasn’t been easy. Along the way, from making Nigeria’s best pastries we have made your favourite local and intercontinental dishes ready whenever you want them. We have also created unique brands, such as SweetHeart Bread, OMG Cakes, Boga Masta, Sweet Scoop, amongst others.” Lately, the company has brought a lot of innovation in the food service industry with the recently launched Funsation, Yardstick, and Yippee. These three outlets in Opebi, Ikeja GRA and Egbeda have since been revamped to reflect these new brand concepts which would be the new face of Sweet Sensation. The company promised the general public that in a short time every outlet will be revamped to take this new face, promising to make Nigerians have a wonderful dining experi-

ence. Sweet Sensation has been evolving in order to meet the growing demands of a more sophisticated customer today. The organisation has come to appreciate that Nigerians are getting busier and with the new online order, Sweet Sensation would be launching a mobile app which would be available in Google Playstore and Apple stores soon. “We understand that people love to easily order food from their mobile phones and have it delivered. To satisfy this need we will be launching a mobile app soon that will enable people to order their favourite meals and snacks. We will continue to innovate to serve you better, so you can also expect more innovations in the not too distant future,” Kamson added. To celebrate the 25th anniversary there were various events such as a lucky dip for Lagos region held on November 1 while Ibara Ogun State held on 6th of November and grand finale with gift presentation on November 8th at the Ikeja

force. Yet the kind of work they do, the condition under which they work, and their access to opportunities for advancement at work place differ from that of men. Women are often disadvantaged in access to employment opportunities and in conditions of work as compared to men. In addition, many women forgo or curtail employment because of family responsibilities. The removal of obstacles and inequalities faced by

women is advantageous to an economy’s development. For example, the Beijing Declaration affirms a national commitment to the inalienable rights of women and girls and their empowerment and equal participation in all spheres of life including the economic domain. Also, Goal 8, target 8.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is to achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men (including for young people and persons with disabilities), as well as equal pay for work of equal value by 2030. According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) the percentage of men employed in the State Civil Service from 2014 to 2015 was higher than the percentage of women for both senior and junior positions. The average percentage of women employed in the State Civil Service from 2010 to 2015 in each category (junior and senior) was 38.16 per cent, while it was 68.84 per cent for men. Also, men dominated employment in federal MDAs while women on grade level 01 –17 plus Special grade level was 34.67, 35.08 and 32.79 per cent for 2015, 2016

and 2017 respectively. In the financial services sector, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had in 2014 directed that 40 per cent of banks’ top management and 30 per cent of board directors should be women. Reports revealed that that women constitute only 22.3 per cent of the total board appointments in Nigerian banks, while their counterparts make up 77.7 per cent since 2014. However, FBNHoldings, Nigeria’s leading financial holding company and parent company to FirstBank is no doubt exemplary at representing the change, thus demonstratively redefined the Women in Business trajectory with women occupying various leadership positions, positioning the financial group powerhouse as a leading institution at driving Gender Balance in the Boardroom. Leading the pack of women in the board across the group structure which comprises FirstBank and its subsidiaries , FBNQuest is Ibukun Awosika whom has been Chairman of FirstBank since 2016. Prior to being the Chairman, she was a Non-Executive Director. since 2016

MindBody & Soul

with Chioma Nwosu

Finding balance

hat does it mean to find balance? To me, it means that you have a handle on the various elements in your life and don’t feel that your heart or mind is being pulled too hard in any direction. More often than not, you feel calm, grounded, clear-headed, and motivated. When we think about health, diet and exercise are typically the first things that come to mind. However, good health isn’t just about the physical body. Our mind and body are interconnected and affect each other tremendously. For example, a stressful situation causing negative thoughts can lead to physical pain or illness. It’s important to maintain a healthy balance between your mind, body, and soul by nurturing your whole self, including your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. The elements in life that require the most balancing

can be divided into two categories: internal and external. Oftentimes, people focus on one more than the other. For example, you may find that you focus on external things, like work, relationships, and activities, and that you pay very little attention to what is going on inside your heart and mind. On the other hand, you may find that you spend so much time being self-reflective that you sometimes miss out on the experience of living. If you feel pulled in any one direction and uneasy about it, these steps may help you get your life aligned: Meditate regularly, start a journal, practice yoga, read and learn often, spend time with family and friends, experience nature, practice gratitude, volunteer with a charity, be kind to others, get enough sleep at night, eat healthily, avoid negativity. There are many great reasons for ensuring you have a good life balance, some benefits for maintaining a

balanced lifestyle includes; Reduces stress, Improves general health and well being, Improves your mental state of mind, Helps to boost your energy, Improves your mood. I hope these tips help you with areas of your life where you can make some positive changes. Start by defining balance in your own terms, then work on self-discipline, consistency, and planning. That way, you’ll have more time for yourself and what’s important and finally find the balance you need. Chioma Nwosu is a mental health/positive psychology advocate, speaker and founder of Olamma Cares Foundation an NGO focused on encouraging the social acceptance of developmental disabilities and mental disorders, finding and implementing long term solutions of these conditions through training, capacity building, advocacy and intervention. Email: cnwosu@olammacares.com Instagram: _olamma_

Sunday 17 November 2019

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BDSUNDAY 37

LifestyleHomes&Suites The Plush rides on partnership crest at Magodo GRA

he Plush is a remarkable development primarily because it rides on the wings of a strategic partnership between two real estate firms notably Messrs WAVL Properties Limited and Adloyalty Business Network. The project located at Magodo GRA Phase1, Isheri, off Berger, was flagged off recently at an impressive ceremony. The location is an affluent neighborhood noted for stealth security, steady electricity, good educational institutions, specialist health facilities, social amenities among other landmarks. It also enjoys great accessibility to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Third Mainland as well as the Ikjeja

Business District. Serviced plots in The Plush are reasonably priced and offers various options, allowing subscriptions for 300,450 and 600 square metres plot sizes respectively at the rate of N50,000 per square metre. Accordingly, whilst a 300-square metres plot would cost just N1.5 million, 450 square metres plot would cost N2.25 million and 600 square metres plot N3million. With the price of standard plots of prime land in Magodo hovering between N4550 million, the realtors estimate that investment in The Plush would appreciate at over 75 percent per annum and want prospective investors to know that the offer is limited and time bound. The land is covered with government gazette that is

being processed into certificate of occupancy. The partnership allows the firms to tap on a synergy of resources and specialist skills that would further the cause of the project. The development partners have come together to “deliver a modern housing estate that will raise the bar and become a reference point for other real estate developments in Nigeria”. While WAVL Limited as developer partner of the project would bring to the table its vast experience in project development, Adloyalty Business Network as the official sales partner for Plush would bring on its impressive real estate network marketing platform. If the statements made by the partnering firms are anything to go by, the Plush is a promising project with investors and residents in for the good times. For the managing director of WAVL Properties Limited: “Today, we are breaking ground for the launch of our newest project, The Plush Magodo GRA which promises to be the true definition of quality with the very best of all modern amenities”. His counterpart at Adloyalty Business Network remarked: “We are delighted to be able to make our plans a reality today. In collaboration with WAVL Properties Limited, our aim is to make home ownership easy and affordable to all while also creating enduring values and a modern living experience to all our clients”. The Plush will accommodate units spanning across different

types of houses such as bungalows, apartment blocks and detached duplexes. The project will also incorporate amenities like perimeter fencing, gate house, interlocked roads with covered drainage system and green areas for the leisure of the

Paul Ojenagbon pauloje2000@yahoo.com

residents. There would street lights to illuminate the estate at night and aid security which is essentially boosted with CCTV surveillance. There is connection to electricity with dedicated transformer and potable water with treatment plant.

Have it on mortgage at Green Park Estate

reen Park Estate is essentially a 50-hectare joint venture between Alpha Mead Development and Ibile Holdings (the investment arm of Lagos State). It is described as a premium, Readyto-Build, site and serviced estate comprising 600 residential plots measuring between 400-1000 square metres. It is located at Abijo within one of the fastest developing neighborhoods in the Lekki axis approximately five minutes drive from the popular Novare Lekki Mall off the Lekki-Epe Expressway. Green Park offers a combination of

quality lifestyle, affordability and peace of mind. It is essentially designed for middle income Nigerians who have the National Housing Fund subscription. A mixed development of serviced plots and built houses, it offers for sale units of 3-bedroom semi detached and 3- bedroom terrace buildings. The first phase campaign comprising 115 units is currently ongoing. A unit of 3-bedroom terrace house carries a price tag of N23 million but a subscriber pays N8 million while NHF mortgage can be obtained for N15 million at 6percent.

An initial deposit of N1.5 million is required. The mortgage partners are AG Mortgage Bank Plc and Trust Bond Mortgage Bank Plc. There are two packages of land to choose from-unserviced plots and serviced plots. The former sells at the rate of N25,000 per square metre while serviced plots have varied payment plans. Outright payment for 400 square metres plot entails N13.5million, payment over 12 months is N14 million, over 24 months, it is N14.5 million and N15 million over 30 months. The title on land is Certificate of occupancy issued by the Lagos

State government. For the build option, all rooms are ensuite; it offers spacious living rooms, master bedroom, kitchen and dining as well as ample parking space. Generally, the amenities provided include 5 hectares of Green Park Area which indicates huge recourse to nature as the name implies; Estate Club & Event Place, Children Play Ground, Football pitch, shopping mall and cresche. Green Park enjoys good road network with direct and easy entry and exit from the Lekki-Epe Expressway as well as well laid

road network to connect schools, hospitals and recreational centers. The gate house and the roads have been completed comprising 12m dual carriageway arterial road (on each lane) and 7 metres access road built with high grade interlocking stones and laid on a compact 200mm stone base. To keep the roads and estate from flooding, adequately sized, encased and reinforced concrete drains would be constructed to channel water directly to the Lagoon. Electricity is guaranteed 24/7 from both regular and renewable energy sources such as solar, gas, power plant and inverter to reduce energy cost. For central sewage system, a bio-digester system that does not only help maximise plot values but also powers the street lights and provide water to the green areas at no extra cost. Aside the promising build, and peaceful living experience, the development holds immense investment potential which according to the developer, returned more than 40 percent to its subscribers over the past 18 months and 500 percent over the past few years.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

EquityMarket Top 10 brokers record 125% rise in transactions as more stocks gain on NSE TELIAT SULE

ith six more weeks to the end of the year, renewed interest in the Nigerian equities has made more listed stocks appreciate in value, leading to a gain of N261.5 billion in market capitalisation in just five trading days. The extent of the renewed interest in the Nigerian equities is measured by the number of equities that appreciated year to date, the percentage gain in each stock and the value of transactions executed by the top ten brokers on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). There are noticeable improvements in the market statistics between November 1 and November 15, 2019 as against the weeks before. In the week that ended November 1, 2019, the top ten brokers on the NSE executed N24.5 billion worth of transactions, representing 75.5 percent of the entire market value. On November 8, 2019, the top ten brokers executed N26.7 billion worth of transactions, which amounted to 72.4 percent of that weekly value. Last week Friday, that is, November 15, 2019, the top ten brokers traded N55.12 billion worth of transactions representing 81.3 percent of market value. This implies that between November 1 and 15, the value of weekly transactions of the top ten brokers rose by 125 percent. Progress was also recorded in the number of stocks that appreciated year to date. At the close of transactions on the NSE last week Friday, 25 stocks ended in the positive territory, with C & I Leasing and Cornerstone Insurance the most gained stocks at 270.8 percent and 210 percent respectively. Other

top performing stocks are ABC Transport, 55.2 percent; Access Bank, 54.4 percent; Jaiz Bank, 42.0 percent; Caverton Offshore, 40.6 percent and Chams, 35 percent. Compared with the week that ended on November 8, 2019, nineteen listed stocks appreciated in value, with C & I Leasing and Cornerstone Insurance still the best performing stocks but while

the former appreciated by 270.8 percent and the latter gained by 145.0 percent year to date. Next was ABC Transport Services which gained by 55.2 percent. MTN Nigeria at 35.6 percent; Access Bank at 35.3 percent and Trans Nationwide Express at 30.8 percent were the most appreciated stocks in the week that ended November 8,2019. Analysts have attributed the

current market sentiment to a number of factors particularly the development in the money market. The recent Central Bank of Nigeria’s decision as to the effect that certain players would not be allowed in the OMO segment has made the affected players to look for opportunities elsewhere, and the capital market is now emerging as the greatest beneficiary.

“The equities market continued to trade higher, albeit marginally, led by gains recorded in consumer goods, industrial and oil & gas sectors, offset by negative performance in the Insurance and Banking Sectors. The market is expected to remain volatile in the near term, and we advise investors to buy quality stocks with a long term investment horizon”, FSDH Research stated.

Events reported to the NSE November 11-15, 2019 TELIAT SULE

orte Oil appoints Deloitte 7 Touche as the new external auditors: The board of Forte Oil has appointed Deloitte & Touche as its new external auditors. Deloitte replaced PKF Professional Services which was the former external auditors. The decision to appoint Deloitte as the new external auditors was reached at the company’s 40th Annual General Meeting held on September 3, 2019. Airtel Africa announces interim dividend currency exchange rates: Airtel Africa has announced the currency exchange rate that will be applicable for the payment

of the first half year interim dividend. For shareholders holding their shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) without valid Nigerian certificate for capital importation (CCI) will be paid in Naira as the default currency at the exchange rate of 1USD to N306.40. For shareholders on the NSE with valid CCI, with evidence of CCI which must be provided to the company’s registrars, those will be paid in US dollars. However, such shareholders may opt to receive their dividend payment in Naira (partial receipt not permissible). In addition, shareholders holding their shares on the London Stock Exchange will be paid in US dollars as the default currency. Airtel Africa adopted

the exchange rates applicable to the US dollars on November 13, 2019 to determine the naira/US dollar exchange rate. The closing date for dividend currency election to the company’s registrars is November 22,2019. Seplat announces Q3 interim dividend currency exchange rates: Seplat Petroleum Development Company, a leading Nigerian independent oil and gas company listed on both the Nigerian Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange, has announced an amendment to the initial exchange rates for the payment of its Q3 interim dividend. According to the new notice, the correct exchange rate is 1USD equals to 0.7794GBP or 1GBP equals to 1.2831USD. In ad-

dition, 1USD equals to N306.40. The company adopted the exchange rates applicable to the US dollar on November 8 2019. November 27, 2019 remains the closing date for dividend currency election to the company’s registrars. Airtel Africa to acquire additional spectrum in Nigeria: Airtel Africa Plc has announced an agreement between Airtel networks Limited, a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, and Intercellular Nigeria Limited, to acquire additional 10 MHz spectrum in the 900MHZ band in Nigeria for consideration of $70 million, excluding NCC fees as per the NCC Spectrum Trading Guidelines. The transaction is subject to the regulatory approval by the Nigerian Com-

munications Commission (NCC). ETI appoints Laurence Do Rego as Group Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer: Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has announced the appointment of Laurence Do Rego as Group Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer with immediate effect. A seasoned banker with over 30 years of experience, she joined the pan African bank in 2002 as financial controller for Ecobank Benin. She has since held various senior positions within the group. Laurence Do Rego holds a bachelor and post graduate degrees in finance and accounting. “She is well versed to effectively manage the group’s regulatory and compliance function”, ETI says.

Sunday 17 November 2019

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BDSUNDAY 39

Analysis

Yuletide: Will NNPC, NUPENG, marketers tame fuel scarcity?

N Olusola Bello

Mele Kolo Kyari

very hitch-free Christmas full of products, well into the New Year,” Kyari assured. The NNPC helmsman explained that there is two billion litres of PMS in store for the country that is enough beyond the yuletide House of Representatives was not left out of this arrangement as it also said that it would do everything possible to give legislative support to NNPC and other stakeholders to ensure that there is robust supply of PMS during the yuletide. Abdullahi Gaya, chairman, House Committee on Downstream Petroleum who was at the depot site said, the reason he was there was to see things for himself so that necessary legislative actions can be taken to ensure uninterrupted supply of petrol in the country. The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in stating its commitment to steady fuel supply said its members are prepared to support the NNPC, and government in whatever efforts they are putting in place. Akporeha Williams, who spoke for the union, said the visitation of the NNPC boss to Ijegun-Egba depot was a good one and in the right direction, stating further that having seen what the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers have done on the road leading to the depot, NUPENG

members are assured they would be able to load products from the depot without any inhibition. Chairman of depot association in Ijegun, Olujimi Debo who is also the managing director of Embadeb Energy said the combined capacity of the tank farm is around 600million litres and that they load on the average

”

igerians may not have to go through the usual rigour associated with fuel scarcity as the yuletide nears. This is because the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it has about two billion litres of petroleum in stock that could last the country beyond December and well into the New Year 2020. Promises of this nature to Nigerians from NNPC is not new as the corporation often issues press releases to give assurance to the public during the festival period but most times it does not happen as planned. Long queues and people carrying assorted jerry cans at filling stations are the common features across the land during this period. This is due to a myriad of events that combine to make nonsense of NNPC plans. These include hoarding of petroleum products, smuggling across the Nigerian border, arbitrary strike by Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) over some very trivial issues and in some cases, slippages in respect of import to the country. Of all these factors, smuggling seems to be the most challenging to curb as around 10 million litres of PMS is said to be smuggled out of the country every day. But with the border closure, it means a substantial volume of the 10 million litres would remain in-country. It is, however, heartwarming that critical stakeholders met recently to work against fuel scarcity during the yuletide. To forestall all these, at the Ijegun-Egba depot in Lagos State, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Lagos State Government, depot owners and petroleum tanker drivers met to appraise the level of infrastructural challenges that have perennially hampered products evacuation from the area and all spoke in unison, pledging that they would ensure smooth supply of fuel during the yuletide. Mele Kyari, group managing director of the corporation, was the one to first throw the challenge to his partners on the need to ensure interrupted fuel supply in December. He said as an enabler organisation to the Nigerian economy which also guarantees national energy security, the NNPC would continue to partner stakeholders such as the Lagos State Government, to sustain the current seamless supply and distribution of products nationwide, going into the Yuletide period. “As a responsible corporate citizen, NNPC and its partners in the Downstream have made adequate preparations and our plan is robust and we foresee a

Perhaps this is the first time in recent years that such a collaboration is coming to be but how that would work out in the face of the current harsh operating environment especially as the roads network in the country are extremely bad remains to be seen

between 16 and 20 million litres PMS every day. He said he appreciates the current collaborative efforts between NNPC, Lagos State Government and the depots owners to fix the roads. He said from the way things are going there would be full robust supply of PMS during the yuletide. Perhaps this is the first time in recent years that such a collaboration is coming to be but how that would work out in the face of the current harsh operating environment especially as the roads network in the country are extremely bad remains to be seen. Most time tanker drivers complaints of bad roads network and choose to go on strike during Christmas to press home their demand Meanwhile, the Federal Government has said it would support the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company with feedstocks when the project is completed. Timipre Sylva, minister of state for Petroleum Resources, made the pledge when he visited the Refinery site at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos. The minister, who described the project as the most impressive project ever embarked upon by a Nigerian investor said it is important that Dangote Refinery gets every support it needs as this could also encourage other investors to come to the country. He said the government would be ready to support it by providing crude oil and gas as feedstocks for both the refinery and the fertiliser companies. He urged Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote group, to put his requests forward for consideration by the government. Dangote said the driving force behind the establishment of the companies is that he believes in Nigeria. “There is need to satisfy the Nigerian market. If we don’t do it nobody would do that for us”, he said. He stated further that the growing population of the country was one of the reasons for putting up the projects. “Our population grows at about 3 percent annually and there is need to meet the supply needs of this population.” Apart from this, he said Nigeria is supposed to feed the entire West and Central African markets as net exporter of petroleum product. The NNPC will complement Dangote Refinery to make Nigeria net Exporter of Petroleum products to the West African Market. But this cannot be achieved unless all the stakeholders in both the public and private sectors complement each other.

Military uniform: Abia community leader chides FG-Turkey agreement on supplies

UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia ames Uchegbuo, a community leader and president-general of Ahuwa Oboro Ancient Kingdom in Ikwuano LGA of Abia State, has criticised the recent trade agreement signed between Nigeria and Turkey, for manufacturing and supply of military uniforms. He described the agreement as economic misdirection and a further pressure on nation’s currency, the naira. Uchegbuo, who stated this in Umuahia while reacting to the development, wondered why the Federal Government which is championing madein-Nigeria mantra , would abandon the rich potentials that abound in Nigeria , nay Aba , the commercial centre o f t h e Ea s t , a n d o p t e d f o r Turkey. He noted that the move was against the spirit of the campaign for the patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods. He explained that many local industries in the country collapsed which resulted in rising unemployment situation because government at all levels refused to patronise them. “This shows that the Federal Government is not interested in the South East. Ethnicity is the biggest problem of the country. How can we go and waste scarce foreign currency through importation of things we produce here in Nigeria? Why not award the contract to Aba manufacture r s t o c r e a t e e m p l oy m e n t and activate our economy,” he said. The community leader also f a u l t e d t h e F G /Ab i a St a t e government economic rapport, noting that the Federal Government was not keeping to her own part of the said agreement. “What they are doing to us is the more you look, the less you see. The FG is not sincerely interested in the economic development of the South East despite abundant potentials in our youths and raw natural resources. Think about the jobs, shoes and garment productions and supplies would have created for the Nigerian youths if FG had awarded them to Aba garment manufacturers but the FG has given it to Turkey. How can you claim to be fighting unemployment and at the same time you give out jobs that should be for the local industries to foreigners. Let us also think of the multiplier effects the Abia and South Eastern economy would have enjoyed,” Uchegbuo said.

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Sunday 17 November 2019

Sports

Nigerian born Ukandu wins WorldRemit, Arsenal “Future Stars” coaching programme ... To attend personalised training session with Arsenal Football Development coaches

W ANTHONY NLEBEM

orldRemit, an online money transfer company and Arsenal FC, a premiership football side have announce that Nigerian born Chinasa Ukandu and Luis Alejandro Castañeda from Colombia are the winners of the 2019 Future Stars coaching programme. The two youth coaches will now prepare to travel to London for a personalised training session with Arsenal Football Development coaches, and WorldRemit will sponsor their trip. Chinasa and Luis were among eight finalists, four women and four men, who were selected by a panel of judges from WorldRemit and Arsenal for their commitment to using football to empower young people and benefit their communities. They emerged as the winners following a public vote on www.FutureStars. WorldRemit.com. Almost 40,000 votes were cast in less than three weeks – Chinasa received the highest number among the female coaches and Luis received the highest number among the male finalists. The Future Stars programme was developed by WorldRemit and Arsenal to celebrate the positive impact that grassroots youth football coaches have on their communities, helping the children they train to develop life skills both on and off the pitch. Now in its second edition, the Future Stars programme received over 1,400 applications this year from across Africa and the Americas. Chinasa coaches boys and girls aged 5 to 16. Together with her friends, she helps provide young people with an opportunity to develop football and life skills at Help The Talent Academy in Lagos State. She completed phase three of the Premier Skills Coach Educators Course (an initiative by the English Premier League and British Council) in 2015. Chinasa commented: “I’m so excited to win the training session in London and can’t wait to meet the Arsenal Football Develop-

ment coaches. I love a challenge and will use this global coaching opportunity to take new skills back to Nigeria and give back to my community.” Luis Alejandro Castañeda – Luis is a volunteer coach for a blind boys’ football team from Bogotá and the surrounding area. The team was set up by his father, who is blind, 20 years ago to help young people develop their mobility and independence. Luis said: “I’m so grateful to WorldRemit and Arsenal for this opportunity. I’ve always dreamed of travelling to London and will use the experience of training with Arsenal Football Development to help develop and raise awareness of Paralympic sport in Colombia and even globally.” Andrew Stewart, Managing Director Middle East & Africa at WorldRemit said: “At WorldRemit, we are inspired every day by our customers, who work hard to send money home to support their communities. “Through our partnership with Arsenal and the Future Stars programme, we are delighted to celebrate the stories of inspiring individuals such as Chinasa and Luis, who use sport to make a difference to the lives of the young people they train. Congratulations to the winners and our team looks forward to welcoming you to London!” Simon McManus, Head Coach at Arsenal Football Development, said: “Through our programmes in London and across the globe, our Football Development coaches are dedicated to helping set young players up for success both on and off the pitch. “The Future Stars winners’ work within their communities shows just how powerful football can be and the importance of promoting diversity within the sport. We are excited to meet Chinasa and Luis and support them in amplifying their contributions to grassroots football in Nigeria and Colombia even further.”

BT Sport retains Champions League rights in deal worth £1.2bn ANTHONY NLEBEM

ANTHONY NLEBEM

portswear retailer Nike is to stop sales through Amazon so it can focus on selling directly to customers. Nike said it would continue to invest in “distinctive” partnerships with other retailers and platforms. It marks the end of a pilot that Nike began with Amazon in 2017. According to Bloomberg, Amazon has been preparing for the move, recruiting third-party sellers with Nike products so that the merchandise is still available on the site. The split comes amid a massive overhaul of Nike’s retail strategy. It also follows the hiring of ex-EBay Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe as its next CEO -- a move that signaled the company is going even more aggressively after e-commerce sales, apparently without Amazon’s help. Analysts said it was a sign that Nike was seeking greater control of its brand. Nike said: “As part of Nike’s focus on elevating consumer experiences through more direct, personal relationships, we have made the decision to complete our current pilot with Amazon Retail. “We will continue to invest in strong, distinctive partnerships for Nike with other retailers and platforms to seamlessly serve our consumers globally. “We will continue to partner with Amazon Web Services to power a suite of services on Nike. com and within Nike’s ecosys-

They have managed to beat competition from Sky Sports, which held the rights until 2015. ITV were also looking into regaining some rights and bringing the competition back to free-toair TV after previously showing one game per round. The Champions League was won by Liverpool last season and the final included two English

sides, with Spurs the losing finalists. UEFA have also sold the rights in the United States. CBS and Univision will share coverage, paying a combined $140m (£108m) a season from 2021. Both BT Sport and UEFA declined to comment when contacted by the Associated Press.

tem of apps.” Maureen Hinton, retail research director at Global Data, said: “It’s a case of Nike wanting complete control of its brand”. She said customers using Amazon often had the impression they were getting a discounted price. However, while not many retailers could resist using Amazon, Nike was a “huge global brand and sports brands have a huge amount of power”. Amazon, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment. The company has been preparing for the move, according to two people familiar with the matter. It has been recruiting third-party sellers with Nike products so that the merchandise is still widely available on the site, they said. Amazon has also been working to stem the flow of counterfeits on the site through various initiatives, including one project that lets brands put unique codes on their products to make it easier to identify fakes. Nike shares rose as much as 1.4% in New York trading Wednesday, while Amazon was off as much as 0.6%.

Financial Fair Play: Man City lose appeal over Uefa investigation

T Sport have retained the exclusive rights to broadcast the Champions League in the United Kingdom, according to a report. The Associated Press are reporting that the BT-backed channel will continue to show every game in the competition live and also broadcast highlights for three seasons from 2021-22. The value of the deal has not fallen from the £1.2billion that BT paid for the rights for the 2018-21 period, although the details have not yet emerged. It means that the Champions League will remain on subscription television. But BT have traditionally made the final of the elite club competition available to watch for free.

Nike stops direct sales through Amazon

anchester City have failed in an initial bid to have the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) halt Uefa’s investigation into a possible breach of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. City have been referred to Uefa’s financial watchdog, the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) and if found guilty could face a Champions League ban. Cas said City’s appeal was “inadmissible” at this stage because the CFCB has not yet determined what, if any, punishment would be applied if they were found guilty. The club, who deny wrong-

doing, had argued that Uefa did not have the authority to bring an FFP case against them. Uefa launched an investigation after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents alleging City had inflated the value of a multimillion-pound sponsorship deal, misleading European football’s governing body. Reports alleged City deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet FFP rules requiring clubs to break even. The Premier League champions, FA Cup and League Cup winners were fined £49m in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations.

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BDSUNDAY 41

Kogi/Bayelsa polls Dickson calls for cancellation of election in Nembe, Southern Ijaw Samuel Ese, Yenagoa

overnor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the election in Nembe and Southern Ijaw Local Government Areas of the state over alleged election malpractices. Dickson, who voted at Oruerewari, Polling Unit 005, Toru Orua in Sagbama Local Government Area, said the exercise was characterised by alleged brigandage and hijacking of electoral materials and personnel. “I call on the chairman of INEC to issue an order canceling the process in all the wards, in all the local government areas affected, in all the wards and units, where materials have been stolen or hijacked, where officials have been kidnapped and held hostage to enable the APC cook up non-existing figures,” he said.

The governor reiterated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is an unpopular party, describing what is happening in the state as an alleged wellorchestrated plan by the APC-led Federal Government to foist a one-party system on the country. He further alleged that rogue elements in the Nigerian Army connived with the APC thugs to perpetrate electoral fraud and insecurity in some parts of Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor and Ogbia Local Government Areas and even the state capital, Yenagoa. Dickson highlighted what he described as the gruesome killings during the PDP campaign in Nembe, noting that what is going on in Bayelsa State is a charade and not a democracy. He said some of the PDP supporters who were attacked during the campaign in Nembe are still gasping for breath on their hospital beds and called on the Federal Government to live up to its primary responsibility of pro-

Governor Dickson casting his vote

tecting lives and property of Nigerians. “Materials meant for Eniwari community, Opuama ward, most locations in Southern Ijaw as we earlier predicted were hijacked.As everyone knows, the APC

has no foothold in Bayelsa to win an election but they have an armed militia, surveillance contractors who kill and maim for the APC. “They also have the Nigerian Army and rogue elements of the Police Force working

in concert with them to deny the citizens of these communities their right to vote. “So as we are speaking, in our country, in this day and age, gun wielding militia men with the aid of security forces have overrun the elec-

tion officials and most of the electoral officials in Southern Ijaw. “These officials as we speak, have been kidnapped and held hostage. This has been the lot; this has been what we’ve been managing since 2015, with APC at the centre, not caring about the lives and dignity of our people. The APC at the centre are too hungry and determined to make Nigeria a one party state. “The president has to wake up and do something. What is going on in Bayelsa in the name of election is not a democracy. I call on the president to call on the security agents particularly the army to stop desecrating democratic governance and subjecting the image of the country to ridicule. “I call on the InspectorGeneral of Police to be true to his professional calling and direct the DIG and all the security operatives to protect the people of Bayelsa. I do not want to be pushed to call on them to defend and protect themselves.”

Bayelsa guber: Journalists, others in boat mishap

ournalists on election duties in the governorship elections in Bayelsa State yesterday were involved in a boat mishap. The boat conveying the journalists across flooded parts of Sampou community on Nun River in Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa capsized and threw its four oc-

cupants into the water. The journalists were returning from the polling station when the incident happened. All the victims were left submerged in the flood. But, the timely intervention of sympathizers rescued the journalists, although their work equipment, including mobile phones, cameras and

Police flee as hoodlums break into Kogi polling unit

olicemen deployed at polling unit 006, Asuta ward, Kabba/ Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, fled during Saturday’s gubernatorial election after suspected hoodlums took over the unit. At least five of the officers escaped through a nearby bush shortly after irate youth surrounded the voting area, destroying election materials. The rate of violence has been high in Kabba/Bunu, where senatorial and governorship elections are holding. Voting ended before 11am but some persons in the community disrupted the exercise, forcing the electoral officials to leave

their duty post. When newsmen got there at 2pm, counting of votes had not commenced. At polling unit 006, Asuta ward, still in Kabba/Bunu, voting has ended but INEC ad hoc staff complained about violence. At units 001 and 006, Asuta ward, Kabba/Bunu, votes were being counted with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leading when some youths pouring water and drinks on the ballot papers started. Journalists and INEC adhoc staff were threatened and chased away. There were also reports of destruction of ballot papers across polling units in Ijumu local government areas in Kogi.

recorders were soaked in the water. The stretch of about 200 metres along the road leading to polling unit 4, Ward 6, where the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Douye Diri, voted was flooded. The flood was blamed for the long delay in the commencement of voting in the

area as the Independent National Electoral Commission officials assigned there could not set up the polling stations across the flooded community till about 10.16 a.m, two hours behind schedule. The flood submerged many parts of Amasoma, Yenagoa and parts of Sagbama, a development that displaced polling stations.

CSOs thumb down ... Continued from page 2 dation of voters, vote buying, abductions, gunshots and massive rigging that may undermine integrity of the governorship election in Kogi State. CDD described the conduct of the election as falling short of public expectation in spite of the public outcry against electoral violence in the state. In a related development, YIAGA Africa, another Civil Society Organisation decried the voter inducement and vote buying reports across the local government areas. Specifically, in Adavi PU 001 Afinorere) Ankpa(PL 010, ward 01), Ibaji (PU 007, Itale Iyanward) I’d ah (PU 001 Ugwod) Yagba East PU 01, ward 08) Kogi K. K (PU

005, Ukwu ward Ajaokuta (PU Geregu ward and Contament Centre (PU 005) voters were paid as much as N5,000 in some cases in exchange for their votes. Also at Aluaja, Iyano ward in Ibaji Local Government Area, INEC officials were allegedly given N15,000 and security agents N50,000 to compromise the process. YIAGA Africa therefore, called on INEC to cancel election in polling units with cases of snatching of ballot boxes, violence and disruption, saying in the spirit of transparency, YIAGA Africa calls on INEC to make public the list of polling units where elections are cancelled. The organisation equally promised to observe the election and provide timely information on the Kogi 2019 governorship election.

Natasha-Akpoti, SDP gubernatorial candidate, votes

SDP guber candidate loses polling unit to Bello

atasha Akpoti, governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in yesterday’s Kogi gubernatorial; election lost her polling unit to Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Bello, the incumbent Governor secured 78 votes while Akpoti secured 76 votes. However, the PDP did not record any vote as the election was keenly contested by Bello and Akpoti. Both Bello and Akpoti are from the same part of the state. Speaking on the election, Akpoti lamented

the alleged attack on her agents by political touts while security officers could only watch without intervening, adding that the election was not free and fair. “This is definitely not an election, this is almost like a war zone and the sad thing is military personnel and security agents around there are doing nothing while thugs harass the SDP agents. “There is no election happening in Kogi central, so I can imagine what is happening in other parts of the state. The level of violence is unprecedented,” she said after casting her vote.

42 BDSUNDAY

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NewsExtra ‘Nigeria must fix specialists, technology deficit to strengthen diabetes treatment’ Temitayo Ayetoto

idening access to diabetes treatment in Nigeria will require deliberate government effort to address the deficit of specialists and technological infrastructure available in hospitals, Olufemi Fasanmade, professor of Medicine at the University of Lagos has said. With about four million Nigerians stricken with diabetes and less than 100 highly trained specialists in the disease management, Fasanmade said there is an overwhelminghumancapital gap which needs to be fixed to enhance life expectancy, giving a keynote address at the second edition of ‘Diabetes Demystified’ in Lagos. If the status quo is maintained, it implies one spe-

cialist will be responsible for over 300,000 diabetics patients. Patients will not be able to see doctors’ more than three times in a year for regular check-up. And when emergency cases arise, some degree or tendency for delay might be inevitable due to the shortfall in manpower and an overwhelming number of patients. To bridge the untended gap, “we are trying to train more and more people so that even if you are not a diabetes expert, you can have sufficient knowledge to handle patients. We have brought into the fold several other doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare workers,” the professor said. On her part, Daniella Apkakwu, the convener and founder of Wellness Patron urged for increased awareness on the illnesses, considering the growing rate of detection and its role as a catalyst for other health

complications to build on. Apkakwu who veered into public education on lifestyle diseases in 2017 laid emphasis on inculcating lifestyle habits that prevent the occurrence of diabetes and tackle the disease to a standstill. ” The more diabetes cases increase, the more the need for awareness on lifestyle measures and changes. Nutrition is a cornerstone in tackling diabetes and I think Nigerians don’t really know much about Nutrition and lifestyle. That is why we came up with Wellness Patron to help educate people.” Experts analysis show that the cost of managing diabetes for Nigerians is huge. A civil servant who earns the proposed minimum wage of N30,000 for instance only needs one complication of diabetes to sink into poverty with a whole family. Some of the complications with diabetes can cost between N500,000 to N1 million. The

fear of these costs forces some to resort to charlatans, religious houses or herbalists who exploit the void. In ideal settings, every patient that suffers diabetes should have access to blood sugar machine for monitoring, which is a simple instrument but many patients can’t afford it. Hospitals should also be equipped with technological equipment that arrest diabetic conditions in their complexities. But this is still far from being the a Nigerian reality “If you are in a hospital that doesn’t have x-rays machine or facility for high tech machines, the patient has to be carried out to another facility especially if the patient has a lot of complications,’ explained Fasanmade. “And very few private centres have ultra-sound machines, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) scan among other facilities.”

Sterling Bank, Icreate to address youth unemployment at skills festival HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE

equel to the successful hosting of Icreate Africa Skills Festival in Kaduna and Enugu regions, Sterling Bank Plc and other sponsors of the project have concluded arrangement to host the grand finale of the second edition in Lagos next month. Speaking in Lagos on Thursday while announcing the details of the event, Chief Client Engagement Officer of Sterling Bank, Moronfolu Fasinro, said the bank is partnering with Icreate Africa because it is committed to solving the unemployment challenge on the African continent. He said the way to resolve the unemployment challenge going forward is through skills acquisition by youths rather than focusing on white-collar jobs, adding that “We know that youth employment is a key part of creating a society that is harmonious and productive.” Fasinro noted that vocational jobs are what move

an economy in its day-today operations and Icreate was bringing various people together to work on how to change the narrative about the labour market. “We are very happy to partner with Icreate to produce this sort of opportunity so that these people could change the face of employment on the continent in the future,” Fasinro said. Also speaking, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Icreate Africa Skills Festival, Bright Jaja, explained that it was clear to him at the beginning of the journey that the idea of the festival was different, unique and would probably not make sense to a lot of people. “But we were consistent because we understood the concept and background, having done a thorough research on the employment situation in Nigeria and we realised that the only solution to the challenge was to rebrand jobs away from the existing perception and notion that if one is not a medical doctor, lawyer or an engineer, he has failed,” he said.

Abia draws 30-year long term development plan UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

Thugs allegedly hijack and destroy electoral materials in Dino Melaye’s unit

Members of BCS from UK, Canada, Uganda arrive Nigeria Monday MIKE ABANG, Calabar

ver thirty thousand members of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star are expected to arrive Nigeria on Monday for a mega programme tagged ‘The Heavenly Father’ from United Kingdom,

Canada, United States of America, Uganda, Ghana and other parts of the globe. BCS spokesman, Edet Archibong disclosed this in Calabar during a press conference to mark the event at the church headquarters Calabar. “ As w e s p e a k , B C S members from various parts of the world have started arriving Calabar

for “The Heavenly Father’ event. It is estimated that about thirty thousand members will be in Calabar for the weeklong celebration, starting from Monday,” Archibong said. Archibong further stated that pilgrimage to Biakpan, the birthplace of Leader Olumber Plumber Obu, founder of BCS and the attendance of annual events,

register visitors to Cross River State in their thousands from various parts of the world. He revealed that the economic and social impact of Leader Olumber Plumber Obu are being felt in the immediate environment of the kingdom, are now beginning to be felt in other parts of the world.

bia State government has said that it has concluded arrangements for a long term economic development plan to facilitate rapid development of the state. Nnenna Chikezie, permanent secretary and executive secretary, Abia State Planning Commission, who disclosed this during the opening ceremony of a 3-day Approach Meeting of Abia State Long-Term Development Plan Draft Agenda for Approach held at Umuahia said the state had proposed for a 30-year long term sustainable development plan. She said that the essence of the Approach Meeting was to draw out a long-term development plan for Abia State, following the directives by the State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu that the Planning Commission should drive the entire process. “The objective is to initiate frame work, discuss the tools that would be needed to drive this process and at the end bring in every stakeholder to the table, so that a development plan that is all inclusive would be produced,” she said. Chikezie hinted that the process was expected to be concluded before the end of the year.

According to the Executive Secretary, the Governor’s directives were sequel to the impressive performance of the Abia team in a competition that took place recently in South East/South South. She hinted that the State government was collaborating with Partnership Initiative for Niger Delta (PIN) to achieve the goal, adding that realising the plan would help the State access help from donor agencies as they would be able to see and assess the economic road map of the State. Ebebe Ukpong, the lead consultant of PIN, in his presentation assured that they would bring their experiences to bear and work as a team as well as give technical guidance to Abia State government to enable the State drive her economic development plan accordingly. He said the meeting would avail its participants with understanding of the areas that were primary in building a development plan of the state as well as set agenda for the State team. Chima Asonye, partnership and engagement manager of Partnership Initiative for Niger Delta (PIN), in his contribution, said the team was interested in making State governments to be proactive in economic development plans.

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BDSUNDAY 43

Tribute

The disappointment that Tam David-West died with Zebulon Agomuo

e was a diehard supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari. He worked closely with the President in those days when he was petroleum resources minister in the former’s military regime. He was so sure about President Buhari’s integrity that he told this reporter on several occasions that if his father was to contest a presidential election with Buhari he would vote for Buhari. In October 2014, the professor told journalists at his residence at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, that “Buhari is the only one I can vouch for to lead us now,” saying that “Within 100 days of General Buhari as president, petroleum price will go down.” When the President won the presidential election in 2015, David-West was beside himself with joy. He was so sure that with Buhari in the saddle, poverty had become a thing of the past. He was among those expected to make the President’s ministerial list in 2015. In fact, an analyst had at that time said: “The President seems to trust the old hands in sensitive positions that require direct interface with funds, more than the younger generation who some say may easily be lured with financial benefits.” In February this year, Iyabo Obasanjo, in an article published on her blog, reminded David-West his expectation that never came to pass. “Tam David-West, a military era ally of General Buhari went further to promise his friend will bring the pump price of petrol down to N40 per litre. Then the price of crude came tumbling down to the ground, making the pump price of N40 per liter even more feasible but

David-West

our government of ‘victims’ doubled the pump price of petrol. They went ahead and increased the price of Diesel by 400percent without a reason, crushing the productive sector of the economy where everyone uses diesel to generate their electricity. We thank our God who in his faithfulness has given Professor Tam David-West long life to watch ‘crocodile smile, python dance’ and to eat his empty words,” Iyabo said. Femi Aribisala, a social critic, also recalled that David-West had been very optimistic about a possible reduction in pump price of petrol. “Later, in April 2015, one of Buhari’s arch-propagandists, former Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Professor Tam David-West, told Nigerians that, since a drastic decrease in the international price of oil had taken place, Buhari would reduce the fuel pump price from N87 to N40 per litre. But all this turned out to be just another tissue of lies. Rather than decrease the price, Buhari has now increased it by a massive N56.50 to N145.” The repeated mention of David-West’s name in relation to his promises that never materialised wearied the professor of Virology. Before the 2015 general election, he was a reporter’s delight as he never turned down any interview request. But when

his expectation of N40 pump price caved in, he retreated to his shell and was never heard again. From then on, any time he was contacted, most times, he would take his call but respectfully tell the caller he was not in the mood to talk. It was not unsurprising that David-West, a virulent, outspoken and controversial critic of government policy “since his purge and arrest under the military regime of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida”, eventually lost his voice in the last five years. When this reporter called him recently, he picked his call, but hung up immediately after exchange of pleasantries. In the last few years, he has carefully dodged any queries that could make him comment on political issues. It could be that when he spoke assuredly and optimistically of what President Buhari would do in office as touching petrol pricing, he did not realise that a lot of things have changed economy-wise between when he served in Buhari regime as minister of Petroleum Resources and now. He did not also fathom the percentage increase in Nigeria’s population from what it used to be in 1983-1985 and now, and the pressure such increase puts on available resources. Again, the Professor also thought that Buhari in Khaki would still be the same in agbada. He spoke about General Buhari he knew as military head of state in 1983 and not the civilian president of 2015. So, when his postulations could not fly, he took a leave off public glare, and remained so, until he peacefully joined his forefathers on November 11,2019. What is not public is the extent of advice he gave President Buhari in his metamorphosis as a democrat; whether or not he had the opportunity of seeing his alter ego often in Aso Rock Villa is not in the public domain.

Alex Akinyele, a jolly good fellow, goes home

he late Alex Akinyele was a jolly good fellow to those who encountered him. He delighted in treating fellow human beings courteously no matter their status. Like DavidWest, Akinyele was also a reporter’s delight. He was always ready to talk to journalists whenever there is a national issue that his views were needed. Each time this reporter called to get his reaction on any national issue, he would prefer to meet with the reporter in his office at Hotel Communicator, located somewhere in Ijeshatedo area of Lagos. That became his regular office whenever he was in town.Wheneverheengaged any reporter, he brought himself to the level of the person and discussed heartily. He was a lover of General Badamasi Babangida, in whose regime he served as the information minister. He was a socialite, a philanthropist in his own right. He loved fine dressing, and always arrayed himself flamboyantly. Always a light-hearted fellow, Akinyele delighted in using jokes to pass important message. On one occasion, he described a known critic as “having the diarrhoea of the mouth.” Some years ago, in an interview, he said though goats naturally do not bite, when pushed to the wall, they can bite in self-defence. According to him, such bites can be deadly. He was alluding to the oppression of the masses of Nigeria by the ruling class. While mourning the exit of the public relations guru, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of his home state, Ondo, said it was a huge loss not only to the state but the entire country. Describing Akinyele as a man of many parts, Akeredolu emphasised that

Akinyele

he “created a different perception of Public Relations which he nurtured zealously.” The governor further said: “The late Alex Akinyele was a man of many parts who made sound and meaningful impacts in his active days of service to the Nation. The urbane, quintessential personality and glamour which he blended with an alluring cultural carriage provided an enviably distinct style that was proudly Nigerian. His highly tasteful social life never diminished his love for the Yoruba culture; it rather attracted and exported admiration. “No doubt too, the former Information Minister created a different perception of Public Relations which he nurtured zealously. His was not just PR. His human relations exuded a perfectionist’s bend that took Information and Perception Management to a different pedestal in the country. “Going the way of other mortals is a debt for all. The difference is time. As our icon, Alex Akinyele pays his and moves on, ours is to pray for the repose of his soul. This is even as his legacies are there for all, especially PR practitioners to maximise.

His love for the family while alive shall clearly remain undying even in his absence.” Akinyele was an administrator and public relations, specialist. He once served as the chairman of the Nigerian Sports Commission, and also a former president of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. In 1995, Gen. Sani Abacha appointed Akinyele as head of a National Reconciliation Committee with the objective of opening a dialogue with interest groups in the country to support the democratic transition programme of the government. Speaking with this reporter some years ago on how the Islamist sect, Boko Haram could be checked, he suggested national prayer. “I don’t think it is easy for anybody to sit in a cozy chair and in an air-conditioned office to say this is the way to end the Boko Haram menace. It is a very complex and complicated issue. It goes beyond politics, religion and ethnicity. What we have to do is to go on our knees and pray to God to help us. Secondly, we need to be sincere to ourselves. For instance, how can you believe that the person who masterminded the bombing of the Catholic Church in Madalla on Christmas Day was arrested and within 24 hours he was a free man? Does that not speak volume? I am happy that government is not taking the matter lying low. The IG of police has been queried; the commissioner of police within the jurisdiction has been detained, but then let this be the beginning to a good end. We want to see what happens to indicted officers. What is mostly lacking in this country is the spirit of patriotism. How can an enemy of the state flee under police custody?” he said.

Ore Falomo, a good physician/activist, joins his ancestors

lthough he was not into partisan politics, he fraternized with politicians and campaigned vigorously for good governance in Nigeria. In the days of the Jack Boot, he worked hand-in-glove with some democrats who fought the khaki men to a standstill. He threw his weight behind the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola’s decision

to gun for the Presidency in 1983. Ore Falomo so became very prominent during the travails of Abiola to the point that he was always a the right person to contact whenever journalists needed information about the billionaire-turned politician or his family. When Abiola eventually died in Abacha’s gulag, Falomo became more or less a spokesperson to the family.

Whenever issues of annulment cropped up, especially during June 12 celebrations, his Maryland Hospital, located in Anthony-Maryland area of Lagos State became a Mecca of sorts. In his tribute the other day, Bola Tinubu, national leader, All Progressives Congress (APC), said, Falomo, the personal physician of the late MKO Abiola, was also an activ-

Falomo

ist, who identified with the agitation for a better Nigeria, though he was not a politician. “I knew Dr. Ore Falomo very well as a physician and an activist. Though, he was late Bashorun MKO’s Personal physician, he was part of the struggle for the revalidation of June 12,” Tinubu said. “He was no politician but he identified with us.

He identified with our agitation for a better and progressive Nigeria. He was one of us. He participated in Abiola’s political struggles and also felt his pains. He was one of those who saw Abiola last, some two weeks to his eventual death. “His death is a loss to the country, to the medical profession and to the progressives’ family,” Tinubu said.

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Otedola’s heart of gold and Nigeria’s preventable poverty

hen on November 7, 2003 the Daily Timesedition published my opinion essay with the title: “Appeal to the richest Nigerians” to assist the poor, it was informed by a piece of disturbing news item. Precisely, it came as a screaming headline on the front page of the Midweek Scoop tabloid of November 4, some three days before, with the long list of the rotten rich Nigerians who had allegedly stashed N241.6 trillion in foreign bank accounts!It paraded mostly those who had served our country as one political appointee or the other, including of course, well- known top military brass, some of who were still in service with others retired. One had argued back then that while it was no crime to acquire stupendous wealth in a country as richly endowed as Nigeria, it calls to moral questions the way and manner such fortune was acquired. Besides, it gets more worrisome when such wealth acquisition is at the expense of the mass of hapless, hounded and hungry Nigerians, who are swallowing their spittle at the bank of the vast Atlantic Ocean! That was some sixteen years ago. One can therefore, imagine the immense thrill and delight yours truly recently felt at the heart-warming news item of astute business guru, Femi Otedola donating a whopping sum of five billion Naira(N5bn) to the foundation of one of his daughters, the beautiful, brilliant and talented Miss Florence IfeoluwaOtedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy. The billionaire’s daughter held a gala, as part of her 27th birthday to raise funds for her Cuppy Foundation. The noble aim is to help less privileged children across the country. In a post on Instagram, DJ Cuppy noted that the gala was a success and gushed about it being the best birthday present. Interestingly, the grandiose event which drew the crème de la crème of the society such as Linda Ikeji, Dele Momodu had Africa’s richest man and iconic entrepreneur, Aliko Dangote doling out N100 million Naira. This noble gesture is both instructive and inspiring. Otedola the father has a Foundation that helps entrepreneurs

to succeed with their startup ventures by giving them the means to focus all of their energies into their new business. Take note that so far, donations have come mainly from fellow Nigerians who have made their wealth through the deployment of their business acumen and creative ingenuity, rather from the national till.

‘

Let’s create wealth through the diligent, pioneering and innovative spirit of entrepreneurs, and share this wealth through the generous, selfless and dedicated spirit of philanthropists. Let’s make philanthropy a value, a faith, a commitment and a lifestyle. A note from the Giving Pledge It reminds one too, of a similar initiative, especially in the United States. For instance, the Giving Pledge which started in 2010 by Bill and Melinda Gates, worth $88.5 billion, and Warren Buffett, worth $74.2 billion, is a commitment by wealthy individuals and families to give away more than half of their wealth to poverty-alleviating causes. These include refugee aid, disaster relief, global health, education, women and girls’ empowerment. Other aspects are focused on medical research, arts and culture, criminal justice reform and environmental sustainability.

Signatories of the Giving Pledge must be billionaires, if not for the money they are giving away. The goal of making a public pledge is to encourage others to consider philanthropy, too, even if they aren’t billionaires. As at May, 2017 fourteen billionaires announced they had signed the Giving Pledge, formally joining the 154 other billionaires who have promised to give away at least half of their vast wealth to philanthropic causes. One is therefore, urging other richly endowed Nigerians to key into the vision of giving out to the needy because the poverty situation in the country has reached a truly alarming and disturbing dimension.Nigeria, with its vast natural resources (oil, gas, solid minerals, agriculture and tourism potentials) should have no business with poverty. The scourge has been aptly described as lack of sustainable livelihood and an absence of resources, when the individual has no access to adequate income, nourishment, land and economic facilities. Poverty also means the fear or uncertainty about where the next meal will come from and is therefore easily identified with food insecurity. Unfortunately, it has become an ever looming shadow that haunts majority of us daily.According to the World Bank, a person can be said to be living in extreme poverty if they live below the poverty line of $1.90 which translates to N693.5 per day. Indeed, the startling statistical figures paint a dark picture of a nation whose poverty level stood at 54.4 percent in 2004 but escalated to 69 per cent in 2010, with those caught in the terrifying trap of extreme poverty standing at 38.7 per cent. But that is not all. “Using the relative, absolute and dollar-per-day poverty measures, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimates that poverty may have further risen slightly to 71.5 per cent,61.9 per cent and 62.8 per cent respectively in 2011”.As at February, 2012, the NBS said that relative poverty was most

Ayo Oyoze Baje Baje is Nigerian first food technologist in the media and author of ‘DRUMBEATS OF DEMOCRACY’ 07068638066

apparent in the north of the country, with Sokoto state’s poverty rate the highest at 86.4percent. The World Poverty Clock had revealed that 91,885,874 people in Nigeria now live in extreme poverty. The new numbers came on June 5, 2019, making up 46.5 percent of Nigeria’s population which is approximated at 197,686,877, sometimes rounded up to 200, 000,000.This means that more than half of Nigeria’s population live on less than a dollar (N360) a day. It would be recalled that in June 2018, the World Poverty Clock had named Nigeria the poverty capital of the world with statistics showing 87 million people live in poverty.The latest numbers indicate that since June 2018, four million Nigerians have joined the poverty club occasioned by factors such as unemployment, insecurity, among others.Yet, as at political independence in 1960 the poverty rate was a mere 15 percent of the population! Giving is a Biblical injunction, which states that the poor will always be amongst us; therefore, we should stretch our hands and give (Deut. 15 verse 7). Those who give to the needy are protected from their enemies (Psalm 41 verses 1-2). And “whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done (Proverbs19 verse 17. Kudos to DJ Cuppy and others with the heart of gold.

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff

Capital punishment for ‘Hate Speech’ laughable

hile the Federal Government is planning to clampdown on social media, which the present administration rode on to wrest power from People’s Democratic Party in 2015, the Nigerian Senate is deliberating on the ‘unthinkable’. Recently, the Senate reintroduced the ‘National Commission For the Prohibition of Hate Speeches’; a bill it abandoned under pressure last year through which it sought to impose death penalty on any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person. It would be recalled that the upper legislative chamber was forced to drop the bill at its first attempt to enact the law, following massive public outcry that ensued after the media reported that the lawmakers were desperate to pass the bill last year. However, concerned Nigerians are shocked at the bill sponsored by Abdullahi Aliu Sabi, (APC, Niger State) deputy chief whip of the Senate, and are crying out against this attempt to curb freedom of speech and expression. But there are other serious issues they expect the Senate to handle than Hate Speech.

Someone in the Senate should sponsor bills against election fraud, rigging, ballot box snatching and violence. If the Senate imposes capital punishment on all forms of electoral fraud and violence, the country will be better off; there will be sanity as politicians know the implication of arming youths to cause violence in their favour. Of course, the country will save billions of naira used in procuring arms and equipping security personnel to ensure violent-free elections, as well as reduce the number of security personnel that lose their lives during elections is Nigeria. If there is capital punishment for electoral fraud and violence, the Nigerian Police would not have deployed 26,000 personnel, three helicopters, 12 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and 20 gunboats for the November 26, 2016 governorship election in Ondo State and 26,000 police officers to provide security cover for November 2017 governorship election in Anambra State. Again, about 66,241 security personnel were deployed in Kogi and Bayelsa states for the governorship elections yesterday all for the fear of violence, as well as 87 gunboats to Bayelsa to ensure surveillance of riverine areas during yesterday’s polls in the state.

But if past administrations have taken time to review the electoral laws and firm them so much that people with questionable character are checked from the onset and offenders are prosecuted, the noise about vote buying, ballot box snatching and violence will not be there as the law would defiantly take care of them. Instead of capital punishment for hate speech, it should be reversed for looters, corrupt politicians and for perpetrators of electoral fraud and violence. Senator Abdullahi Aliu Sabi, Nigerians are waiting for you to sponsor another bill that would ensure politicians deliver on their election campaign promises. Nigerians are waiting for you to sponsor another bill that will prescribe death for politicians that impoverish their constituents by denying them qualitative representation at the National Assembly; against politicians that connive with contractors and some offices to pocket the money meant for constituency projects. The thought of sponsoring a bill against the so-called hate speech and desiring a capital punishment is hateful itself. That’s amounts to insurgency!

1.2 million

The United Nations says at least 1.2 million people are currently stranded in the north-east where Boko Haram insurgency has been on for 10 years.

Point Blank “That is why I have always advocated electronic voting. We must go into electronic voting. If people these days can transfer billions of dollars from one bank to the other, using electronic means, then I believe that we can do electronic voting perfectly and that will ensure that the use of thugs during elections would not come up again.” -

Former president, Goodluck Jonathan advocating for the introduction of electronic voting as a way out of the violence which has characterised recent elections in Nigeria.

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