BusinessDay 19 Aug 2018

BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

Ahead 2019: Verbal salvos resume in Rivers

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Insurance claims rise to N11 billion in H1 2018

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Sunday 19 August 2018 Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

5yr Bond

$71.90

0.00 1363%

Gold

10yr Bond

$1,185.90

0.14 14.86%

Cocoa

$2,141.00

20yr Bond

0.00 14.17%

You are on your own - APC senators tell Oshiomhole

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he efforts being made by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to procure the impeachment and removal of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and his deputy Ike Ekweremadu, from office, suffered a serious setback at the weekend as some senators of

Tributes flow in as Kofi Annan, ex-UN sec-gen, dies at 80

Vol 1, No. 230 N300

Plot to impeach Saraki

Innocent Odoh and Owede Agbajileke, Abuja

inside

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the ruling party have reportedly distanced themselves from any unconstitutional plot to remove the Senate leadership, BDSUNDAY has authoritatively gathered.

Katch Ononuju, a public affairs analyst, who had interacted with the senators, especially those who were former governors, told our correspondent that the lawmakers do not want to follow the path set by Oshiomhole, because of the danger his alleged

unconstitutional approach to the issues poses to the nation’s democracy.

BDSUNDAY gathered that those opposed to Oshiomhole’s proposal to sack Saraki by “all means” include former governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wammakko; former governor of Zamfara State, Ahmed Sani; former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio; former governor of Kebbi

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My fear for 2019 general election Federick Fasehun

Atiku Abubakar, former vice president and aspirant for the presidential ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), right, and Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, when Atiku paid a courtesy visit on the monarch during his continued nationwide consultation to Benin, Edo State, recently.

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Nigerian pastors and fight against corruption p.13

How ‘scavenging’ sustains 6m youths in Nigeria including one million undergraduates

Godwin Egba, Port Harcourt

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t has been revealed that the steel industry in Nigeria is being sustained by scrap scavengers who scour over heaps of rubbish around the country. Now, one

out of the major organised dealers of scrap wastes in Nigeria is a Port-Harcourt-based comrade, Christopher Anayo Ogbu, who started his foray into business of motor spare parts sale before venturing into the scrap business.

The 42-year-old scrap dealer with over 17 years of experience, from his zeal and leadership qualities, is the sitting chairman of the Rivers State Council and President of

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Cover You are on your own - APC senators tell Oshiomhole Continued from page 1 State, Adamu Aliero; former governor of Anambra State, Andy Uba; Senator Shehu Sani and Ibn Nallah.

“These people believe that they should not follow Oshiomhole to undermine the law. For instance, the votes needed to remove former Presidents of the Senate, Chuba Okadigbo and Evans Enwerem were up to 80 out of 109 senators and anything short of the required 2/3 and above will spell anarchy.

So, if Oshiomhole tries it in the National Assembly it might spark an implosion that could cause a stalemate. The Senate is like a place of work for the senators and they don’t want anything that will destroy that chance,” Ononuju said.

The lawmakers, he said, have refused to append their signatures on the list allegedly prepared by Oshiomhole to impeach Saraki. Some of the lawmakers are said to have deep relationship with Saraki, because he appointed them in juicy Senate committees, where they are not willing to allow any form of illegality or unconstitutionality to scuttle their chance.

“What Oshiomhole is looking for is not to remove Saraki but to implode the National Assembly

Saraki

since they cannot control it. We cannot allow this damage to our democracy.

“You may not like Saraki, but the only way to remove him is to go through the rule of law. And this is where there is problem for Oshiomhole because he cannot railroad the lawmakers against their will as some of them were governors before him.

“It is not a party issue; it has

Oshiomhole

to do with the country and with democracy and the availability of freedom because if the National Assembly closes due to crisis, where will the lawmakers go to work? The advantages that Saraki gave to Senators Gobir, Nallah, Wammako, and Aliero in the committee chairmanship, Oshiomhole cannot give it to them. So they are battling for their own survival,” Ononuju

said.

The senators were also said to have told Oshiomhole in plain language that they would not perpetrate illegality and that is why he is calm as he has now observed that he is alone and faces imminent defeats if he tries.

Senators Ovie Omo Agege and Adeyeye Shola were with Oshiomhole before now but have now abandoned him BDSUN-

DAY learnt.

The diehard anti-Saraki APC lawmakers, who were initially backing Oshiomhole in his hardened position, have suddenly changed their position having realised the futility of trying to perpetrate illegality.

Some of them who are in the Committee on INEC have in the last three days participated fully in the work of the committee handling the INEC election budget.

BDSUNDAY gathered that Oshiomhole is not resting on his oars to unseat Saraki but he is in serious dilemma as to the best ways to go about it without violating the laws of the land.

The former Edo State governor had vehemently demanded that Saraki should vacate his seat after he and other lawmakers in the National Assembly defected from the APC to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties. Oshiomhole had boasted severally that he would instigate the impeachment of Saraki, by whatever means.

However, many analysts have faulted his alleged threat to illegally and unconstitutionally remove Saraki outside the provisions of Section 50, sub-section 2 of the constitution which stipulates 2/3 majority to remove the Senate President.

Tributes flow in as Kofi Annan, ex-UN sec-gen, dies at 80 Bill Okonedo, with agency reports

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ributes have been flowing in following the death in Switzerland of Kofi Annan, the first black African to become United Nations secretarygeneral. Annan was aged 80.

He “passed away peacefully on Saturday after a short illness”, the foundation named after him said on Saturday, according to a BBC report.

Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006, and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for humanitarian work for his efforts.

He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

In a statement announcing his death, the Kofi Annan Foundation described him as a “global statesman and deeply committed internationalist who fought throughout his life for a fairer and more peaceful world”.

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the government and people of Ghana over the passing of Annan.

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said Buhari, who called President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana from London, said all Nigerians and ECOWAS member countries share in the deep loss, considering the strategic influence of the for-

mer scribe in global affairs and his vision for the repositioning of the West Coast and Africa.

The statement said President Buhari extolled Annan as the first elected staff of the United Nations to lead the world organisation and first African to win the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the United Nations.

The President also extolled Annan’s humility, nobility and love for humanity, adding that these qualities set him apart for global greatness, achieving recognition and commendation for the reform of the United Nations’ bureaucracy and multiple interventions to bring peace to the world.

British Prime Minister, Theresa May, said: “Sad to hear of the death

Kofi Annan

of Kofi Annan. A great leader and reformer of the UN, he made a huge contribution to making the world he has left a better place than the one he was born into. My thoughts and condolences are with his family.”

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said: “The world has lost not only a great African diplomat and humanitarian but also a conscience keeper of international peace and security”.

Meanwhile, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has ordered flags be flown at half-mast across the country and in diplomatic missions across the world for seven days, starting on Monday.

“I have directed that, in his honour, Ghana’s national flag will fly at half-mast across the country and in

all of Ghana’s diplomatic missions across the world, from Monday, 20th August, 2018, for one week.

He further added: “A consummate international diplomat and highly respected former Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan was the first from sub-Saharan Africa to occupy this exalted position.

“He brought considerable renown to our country by this position and through his conduct and comportment in the global arena.

He was an ardent believer in the capacity of the Ghanaian to chart his or her own course onto the path of progress and prosperity.

Undoubtedly, he excelled in the various undertakings of his life, leaving in his trail most pleasant memories. His was a life well-lived.

I am, however, comforted by the information, after speaking to Nane Maria, (Annan’s wife) that he died peacefully in his sleep.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said, “Saddened to hear that Kofi Annan has passed away. His warmth should never be mistaken for weakness. Annan showed that one can be a great humanitarian and a strong leader at the same time. The UN and the world have lost one of their giants.”

Current UN chief Antonio Guterres described his predecessor, Annan as “a guiding force for good. In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations. He rose through the ranks to lead the organisation into the new millennium

with matchless dignity and determination,” he said in a statement.

UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said in a tweet he was grief-stricken over Annan’s death.

The career diplomat, who was originally from Ghana, died in hospital in the Swiss city of Bern.

He had been living near Geneva for several years before his death.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for helping to revitalise the international body, during a period that coincided with the Iraq War and the HIV/Aids pandemic. Kofi Annan described his greatest achievement as the Millennium Development Goals which - for the first time - set global targets on issues such as poverty and child mortality.

However, Annan was not immune from criticism. His critics blamed him for the UN’s failure to halt the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s when he was head of the organisation’s peacekeeping operations.

Later, after the US-led invasion of Iraq, he and his son were accused of being involved in the “oil for food corruption scandal” that led some to call for his resignation, though he was later exonerated.

In an interview with the BBC’s HardTalk to mark his 80th birthday in April, Annan acknowledged the UN’s shortcomings, saying it “can be improved, it is not perfect but if it didn’t exist you would have to create

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News China will deepen investments in Nigeria - Envoy …Urges Nigeria to take advantage of 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he Chinese Government has assured Nigerians of its determination to expand its investments in critical areas of Nigeria’s economy to boost the burgeoning bilateral ties between both countries.

The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Nigeria, Zhou Pingjian, disclosed this while making his remarks at the Forum of China-Nigeria Production Capacity and Investment Cooperation in Abuja at the weekend, even as he advised Nigeria to participate in the forthcoming summit of the Forum for China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) billed for September in Beijing, China.

The Chinese government is said to be preparing to make available about $100 billion, during the Beijing summit, from which Nigeria and other African countries can draw resources to improve their

infrastructure and boost trade.

Pi n g j i a n n o t e d t h a t China has invested heavily infrastructure development in Nigeria, saying “in Nigeria, the Abuja-Kaduna railway, Africa’s modern railway with the Chinese technology and standards, was commissioned in July 2016. The Abuja rail mass transit project, the first urban railway in West Africa was commissioned in July 2018. The Lagos-Ibadan railway broke ground in March 2017.

“The construction of the Lekki Deep Water Port, the largest port in West Africa, and the Zungeru hydropower station, the largest hydropower station in Nigeria are well under way.

In the past year alone, the two sides have concluded concessionary financial arrangements to support five more major projects in Nigeria. Tens of thousands of jobs have been created for Nigerians by projects contracted by Chinese enterprises or partly financed by the Chinese side.

Zhou Pingjian

“As the largest developing country in the world, China takes deep pride in its ever stronger partnership with Nigeria, the largest developing country in Africa.

It is our firm belief that the China-Nigeria cooperation is brotherly south-south cooperation between two equals and is indeed mutually beneficial. China remains committed to stepping up

its cooperation with Nigeria in agriculture, manufacturing, industrial capacity and investment, infrastructure, energy, culture and people -to –people exchanges, and other areas,” he said.

He noted that five years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping, proposed the initiative of the building the Silk and Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century

Maritime Silk Road, which is an expanded part of the FOCAC, stressing that the Belt and Road Initiative is open to all countries.

“Though originating from China, it belongs to the whole world. Africa, being part of the historical and natural extension of the Belt and Road, has been an important participant in the initiative. The cooperation between China and Africa under the Belt and Road Initiative will generate more resources and means, expand the market and space for African development, and broaden its development prospects,” he added.

In his reaction the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Nigeria-China Relations, Yusuf Buba Yakubu, said the forty-seven years of bilateral relations between China and Nigeria have delivered tangible benefits for both countries.

“China is today Nigeria’s largest project contractor and second largest trading partner and a major source of investments. As

a direct benefit of the FOCAC outcome Nigeria’s infrastructural gaps are receiving significant attention with the overhaul of the nation’s infrastructure and agriculture modernization programme.

“As we approach the September FOCAC summit, it is my belief that outcomes will be directed at redoubling current achievements and expand Nigeria’s window for capacity building programme in China especially in the area of SMEs development.

“Our duties as policy makers are to ensure that effective laws are in place to protect foreign investments and consolidate on the existing relationship of both nations,” he said.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, represented by Umar Jibrin, said that Nigeria will continue to open its doors for more Chinese investments, adding that China has supported infrastructural development in the FCT and in Nigeria in general.

Why I want to represent Ikwuano/ My fear for 2019 general Umuahia federal constituency, by Apugo election - Federick Fasehun UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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artin Ikechukwu Apugo, an aspirant for Ikwuano Umuahia Federal Constituency, Abia State on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), has said he wants to represent the people because those who had been there failed to deliver quality representation and dividends of democracy to the constituents.

Apugo, who stated this at the weekend in Umuahia when he formally informed his people from Ikwuano/ Umuahia of his intention to

represent them at National Assembly come 2019, said that his quest is not informed by money-making but to provide empowerment and quality dividends of democracy to his constituents.

“Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency is blessed with both human and material capital to steer our people out of poverty, yet, year after year and tenure after tenure, our people are impoverished,” Apugo said.

He pointed out that Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal constituency had been unlucky to have Politicians who pocket monies meant for constituency projects.

“Issues concerning my

constituency give me sleepless night. That is why majority of my investments are within Ikwuano/Umuahia constituency as a way of providing employment for our people,” the aspirant explained.

He noted that constituency is made up of Umuahia North, Umuahia South, Umuahia Central, Umuahia East and Ikwuano State constituencies, adding that all had produced representatives except Umuahia East, his constituency.

“I am not going there for money but to provide quality representation and dividends of democracy for my people,” he pledged.

Ayade triggers industrial devt in Cross River - Ndem MIKE ABANG, Calabar

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ross River State government, through its signature projects, is set to make the state an industrial hub in the West Coast of Africa.

Some critics in the state have expressed fears that the projects would put the state in a perpetual state of indebtedness for over 100 years leaving liabilities for children unborn.

But speaking with some newsmen in Calabar, the Special Repertoire on Bakassi

MilitancytotheStateGovernment, Bassey Ndem said with the signature and quick-win projects Governor Ben Ayade has commenced an industrial revolution in the state.

“For the signature projects, there is the deep seaport and the superhighway and these are huge, visionary and long term projects that have the potential to change the economic trajectory of the state permanently.

“The superhighway we are told will cost approximately a billion dollars to build. The allocation the state receives from federal government and state internally gener-

ated revenue (IGR) simply cannot build it. It has to be financed by other peoples money and foreign direct investment. If the investors carry out their due diligence and are satisfied with the study done and believe that from traffic and other things they are going to get their one billion dollar back including interest, what is your problem?” Ndem said.

Ndem, who was a onetime commissioner for Lands in the state, said: “Ten years of our total allocation as a state cannot build it; he is using investors’ money which he calls intellectual money.

IniObong Iwok

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rederick Fasehun, f o u n de r an d n ational leader of the Green Party (GP), has said he was worried over the possibility of a credible election in 2019.

Fasehun, who also is a former national chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), expressed the pessimism in an exclusive interview with BDSUNDAY, pointing out that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is his major concern.

The octogenarian said as a matter of fact that he did not see the Commission as it is presently constituted delivering free and fair elections next year.

“I don’t think the general election next year would be credible. INEC has not been able to conduct free and fair elections in the country over the years; except Buhari would change the leadership before the elections. They have been saying they are committed to conducting credible polls; personally, I think that is far-fetched,” he said.

Fasehun, who also alluded to the barrage of criticism trailing the ongoing Continuous Voter Registra-

tion (CVR) exercise, noted that the handling of the exercise and the stress that Nigerians are going through just to get the permanent voter’s card (PVC) do not give positive indication that the Commission would do a satisfactory job in 2019. He also noted that the seemingly inability of the INEC to handle what ordinarily should be a minor and routine assignment may have put many people off as well as creating doubts in the mind of many Nigerians and the international community.

“The youths and women are worried and the international community has said they are not comfortable coming to do business with us as things are presently,” he noted.

An accomplished scien-

Fasehun

tist, Fasehun, who studied acupuncture in China under a joint World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Na tions Dev elopment Scholarship Programme in 1976, and established an Acupuncture Unit at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), mocked Nigerian politicians, describing them as people that are not to be trusted.

When asked to react to the coalition of opposition parties against the APC ahead of 2019, he dismissed such alliances with a wave of the hand, saying: “I don’t think much of them; all you need to do is to give out some millions of naira and people would change their views over-night. I think as the general election comes, people would think twice about the parties they jettison. Let’s watch, I think as the general election approaches, they would change their views, Nigerian politicians are not to be trusted.

“Nigerian politicians are not steady; it is the same politicians that have practised in our political scene for a long time that are still there. We have waited for the youth for a long time to take over power, but they have not. If things don’t change it may result to anarchy and anarchy is not good for any society.”

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News 2019: Boroffice, APC national vice chairman disagree over direct primary system Yomi Ayeleso, Akure

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he Senator representing Ondo North senatorial district, Ajayi Boroffice has said the party had adopted direct primary as the only means of electing party candidates in Ondo State and other APC-governed states for the 2019 general election.

In a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Kayode Fakuyi, the senator said the adoption of direct primary was a settled matter because the National leadership of APC, President Muhammadu Bu-

hari, Bola Tinubu and other prominent leaders of the party have declared firm support for it.

Boroffice, who is the chairman Senate Committee on Science and Technology, described the statement credited to the National Vice Chairman (South West) of the APC, Bankole Oluwajana where he was quoted to have said that the state leadership of the party would determine the method to adopt as misleading and untrue.

The two-term senator noted that the comments of the National Vice Chairman were not the position of the party and that should be treated as personal opinion.

Boroffice maintained that the direct primary system would deepend internal democracy and give more power to members to decide their leaders.

He said: “As the preparations for primary election rev up, it is necessary to reassure members of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State that the National leadership of our party ably led

by Adams Oshiomhole has adopted direct primary as the only means of electing party candidates in Ondo State.

“The position of APC on direct primary is clear. It states that direct primary will hold in APC - governed

states while indirect primary/delegate primary will hold in states where the state governments are not governed by APC. “It should also be noted that President Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and other prominent leaders of our party have thrown their weights behind the party on the adoption of direct primary. Therefore, the adoption of direct primary is a settled matter. It is unambiguous. It is uncontroversial. It is clear.”

According to him, “It is

from the purview of the aforestated facts that media bureau of Distinguished Senator Ajayi Boroffice view the statement credited to the Vice Chairman of the APC (Southwest), Pastor Bankole Oluwajana that, “The method to be adopted will depend on what the leadership of the party in the state wants”, as untrue.

It is utterly defective and misleading. The comment doesn’t reflect the position of our party on the adoption of direct primary. Thus, the comment should be treated

as a personal opinion bereft of constitutional backing.

“Instructively, it should be note that the National leadership of APC with the exclusive responsibility to conduct primary elections across all states in Nigeria has adopted the direct primary. It is neither the business of the zonal structure nor duty of state structures of our party. All party members are aware the constitution of the APC did not empower state chapters to choose or decide method of selecting party flag bearers.”

Fresh engineers encouraged to strive for self engagement Victoria Nnakaike, Lokoja

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p and coming engineers have been charged to identify their potentials and think of how they can translate them into money.

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Ajaokuta Branch Chairman, Abraham Adetubosun Alonge, made this remark during this year’s Engineering Week and annual general meeting at the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited ( ASCL ), stressing

that being a mechanical engineer does not mean an engineer should not be hands-on and up and doing.

He charged the young engineers to be versatile and ensure they believe in themselves , saying “the moment you lose confidence in yourself, you have problems.

“As an engineer, you can function anywhere, you can go to the bank and function wonderfully. But a banker who read accounting cannot come to engineering and function. You must be able to prove what you are. Identify

something in you that you can develop”.

On the sustainability of NSE Ajaokuta branch, Abraham Alonge said that despite the present financial constraints, the branch is still able to sustain its tradition of annual gathering and is becoming more recognised as a center for professional examination and interviews.

The branch is contributing immensely in enhancing the professional competence of its members through branch refresher courses, technical talks and public lectures.

Traditional chiefs in Tiv land throw their weight behind Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, yesterday.

Love Idoko leads young professionals, celebrities to empower NYSC members with start up funds

Eld-El Kabir: Ilorin Emirate marks Durban with 500 horses

Chinyere Okeke

SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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ove Idoko, TV host, motivational speaker and founder, Activate Success International Foundation, led a team of young professionals and celebrities including; Desmond Elliot, Nollywood actor/ member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Seyi Adekunle, CEO, Vodi Tailors, Samson Itodo, executive director, YIAGA AFRICA and others to empower some members of the National Youth Service Corps.

The event, which was

tagged Youth Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (YEEP), held at the Abuja and Imo orientation camps was a success as youths were not only given the opportunity to learn, but also access to start up funds.

While mentoring the youths on practical steps to successful entrepreneurship, Idoko reiterated that the programme was aimed at teaching corp members practical steps to becoming a successful entrepreneur, helping them to be innovative and employers of labour.

One of the major highlights of the empowerment pro-

gramme held at the Abuja and Imo State Orientation camps was the access to grants to corp members to enable them start up their desired businesses.

Apart from the N1 million grant given to some corp members by Activate Success International, N 1.2 million grant was also given to 12 others by one of the speakers. Also, N500,000 grant was given to 10 corpers by another speaker at the event, making the total of N2.7million.

Business minded corpers were elated to have received not just the grant, but the op-

portunity to hear and learn from young professionals in business.

Speaking at the event, Idoko said, “I have a penchant for motivating people, there are business minded youths out there that are just looking for mentorship or business ideas, as well as, funds to start up their business and that is why we are here. The purpose is not just to give grants, it is also to empower and motivate as many youths as possible”. She appreciated the NYSC for making it possible and working very hard to empower the corp members as well.

Saraki visits Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom governor, to show solidarity ANIEFIOK UDONQUK, Uyo

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he Senate President, Bukola Saraki at the weekend paid a solidarity visit to Governor Udom Emmanuel in Uyo, the state capital, urging him to continue to forge ahead and not to be distracted by the recent political development in the country.

“We are here on a solidarity visit to you, your government and the good people of Akwa

Ibom State, to let you know that we are strongly and fully with you. We are with you because we know you are serving your people well, you have shown your worth, capacity and leadership skills.

It is not easy to live and rise above and still show that you are a leader. You have done a lot of good works and I don’t want you to be distracted,” Saraki said.

“We are also here to congratulate you. When you have that kind of movement and

you look at your National Assembly; out of 10, eight are there, House of Assembly; out of 26, twenty four are there, I am happy for you. The people of Akwa Ibom have shown that they are behind you. When you see former governors, former senators working with you, it means you respect your leaders, it means you carry your people along,” he further said.

“Continue to forge ahead, my little experience has shown that once God and

your people are with you, fear nobody, because you mean well for your people.

We will work to support you and will always come back to support you.

“For the people of Akwa Ibom, I am happy for you because you have a dynamic, young, determined and focused governor. I will come back on a good time when we would come and discuss politics, we will work together to make this country better,” the Senate president said.

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head of Eld-El Kabir celebration, the Ilorin Emirate council over the weekend said it had concluded arrangements to perform the Grand Durbar of the emirate on August 22nd in which 500 horses would be on parade, while the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahin Sulu Gambari, would drive round major streets in the town.

Chairman of 15-man Durbar committee Sulyman Yahaya, Alapansanpa, stated this in an interaction with journalists in Ilorin, stating that the Grand Durbar was meant to rejuvenate the culture of the town owing to its inherent advantages, to display cultural possession of well-decorated and garrisoned horses usually mounted by royals, chiefs and other eminent citizens to celebrate an important cultural epoch.

Alapansanpa stressed that the Durbar was also aimed at discouraging the penetration of foreign culture into the psyche and consciousness of our impressionistic younger ones

who are exposed to “attractive” but destructive cultural product of the western world and their allies.

“The Durbar aims to douse the acrimonious tension and socio-cultural apathy the perennial haphazard staging rootless social carnivals by restive youths, halt appalling cultural illicitness, drug abuse among others.

“It is to send signal to all a sundry of the unbreakable umbilical cord which exist between Ilorin Emirate and the rest of the erstwhile Northern Nigeria,” he said He disclosed that people from all over the world, multinationals, entrepreneurs among others are expected to grace the occasion.

The committee chairman also revealed that there will be an exhibition of several kinds of cultural products and other goods at the palace square, revealing that MTN would had signify it interest to be part of the celebration.

“About 500 horses will be decorated on that day, where the Emir on his decorated horse will ride through Isale Oja to General Hospital along Baboko through Taiwo Oke to Taiwo Isale and to his palace”.

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News

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overnor Udom Em m a n u e l ’s achievements are being brought to the fore as groups and individuals hold rally in Akwa Ibom State for the support of the former banker-turned politician who is seeking reelection for a second term in office.

Apart from youths, women groups, leaders of various senatorial districts as well as key stakeholders have held rallies across the state in solidarity with the governor, following the recent defection of Godswill Akpabio, former Senate minority leader from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress, which many say appeared to have tilted the political configuration in the state.

In one of the rallies tagged ‘Mkpat Enim Rally for Udom 2019,’ the Managing Director of Ibom Power Company, Meyen Etukudo said Governor Udom’s contributions to the development of Mkpat Enin Local Government has been unprecedented, adding that it was the reason every-

Udom’s achievements come to the fore as support base enlarges in A/Ibom

…Different groups rally for governor ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo one has gathered to show support for second term bid of the governor.

“One of the remarkable things the Governor has done for Mkpat Enin is the 2 x 60MVA transmission substation being constructed at Ekim. Once the project is commissioned, we will have 24hours power supply in Mkpat Enin and four other communities in Akwa Ibom State including Ikot Abasi, Onna, Oruk Anam and Eastern Obolo,” he stated.

Etukudoh who listed several other projects in the community such as the coconut refinery, the shoe factory and the several power inter-

vention projects completed across the community by the governor added that the superior performance of the governor is enough to guarantee his re-election.

The Council Chairman, Mkpat Enin LGA, Ekanem Brown, who also spoke at the rally, said Udom Emmanuel aided the construction of a shoe factory in Mkpat Enin which has provided jobs for indigenes from the community.

Ekanem further said that the governor also appointed Mkpat Enin indigenes into prominent positions including the Vice Chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University, Eno Ibanga, the Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Matters, Ekong Sampson and the Managing Director

of Ibom Power, Meyen Etukudo, among several other aides.

Similarly, women in the state have re-echoed their unalloyed support for the re-election of the governor in what has been seen as the biggest rallies by women in the state in recent time with no fewer than 10,000 women drawn from the 329 political wards of the state.

After moving in a carnival like vehicles carrying banners along major streets in Uyo, the state capital, dressed in various colours, they later gathered at the government house banquet hall ground where they were received by the Governor Emmanuel and stalwarts of PDP. Udom

How ‘scavenging’ sustains 6m...

Continued from Page 1 south-south/south-east geopolitical zones.

Ogbu says scraps are the saving grace to the Nigeria recycling industry. He agrees that though the country is blessed with abundant iron ore deposits of nearly 3 billion tonnes for steel production, yet the steel sector has gone moribund due to lack of raw materials for the integrated steel plants and billets for the rolling mills.

People with faith have it that, “God will make a way where there seems to be no way”. This captions the life of over one million unemployed graduates in Nigeria who are scavengers of scraps that would have pitched their tents in cesspit of vice because of frustration caused by hunger and poverty.

To this group of self-help labour popularly called scavengers, it’s an honorable choice ofscavengingastheircomfort business Zone instead of bank or high way robbery and kidnapping among other vices.

Before the dawn of economic meltdown in Nigeria and across the globe, an unemployed graduate in Nigeria would feel degraded if asked to venture into picking (scavenging) of out use dirty looking scrap metals, plastics, and other condemned domestic and industrial appliances.

Hitherto, these less valued solid wastes are frequently disposed along the streets, gutters, drainage channels, waste dumps, abandoned

or undeveloped plots of land and production sites. Scrap characteristically consists of recyclable materials left over from product manufacturing vehicles, building supplies and surplus material with high monetary value to the discerning dealers and end users - recycling industries.

The dogged scrap business dealers are now sustaining the Nigeria steel sector through recycling of scrap steel obtained from municipal solid wastes. Ogbu listed companies like the Federated Steel Mill Sango Otta, several other mills in Ikorodu, Lagos state. Tinner Galasy steel mill in Umuaghala Obuzor in Abia State as his customers even after his premier customer Delta Steel Company folded up.

Businessday finding revealed that Nigeria has 13 rolling mills and 7 mills that

depend on billets. Unfortunately they are threatened by the shortage of raw materials from Delta State Company.

The total national long products rolling capacity is 3.18 million tonnes annually. Yet there is dearth of enough billets to satisfy this capacity.

The only inevitable alternative is, attention focused on the use of bars. This unarguably informed the wide scavenging of scrap wastes across the country by young energetic youths whom you can hardly identify as graduates.

Though Ogbu could not disclose from his fingertips the huge revenue government generates as tax from the scrap business but he disclosed with elation that, “the economic value to the dealers and the economy are as follows: employment has been created by the scrap

business for over one million unemployed graduates in the country. For those who are not graduates or who is unskilled, employment has been created for over five million most who would have been robbers or miscreants in the society”.

More interestingly, both the federal and state governments have their regulatory Environmental protection policies and enforcement protection policies and enforcement but Ogbu noted that, “scavengers in the business are unofficially keeping the states and the nation at large clean by removing scrap materials from the streets and gutters and transporting them through dealers and agents to the steel mills which makes the business environment friendly”.

The south-south/south East president of the scrap

business council, Ogbu, also noted that the over six million persons engaged in the business nationwide pay taxes and levies to local state and federalgovernmentsthereby boosting the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the country, including payments by companies owned by dealers and agents, as well as the steel mills.

“Scrap dealers and agents are currently feeding steel mills located in places such as Rivers, Abia, Delta, Ogun and Anambra, Lagos states and federalcapitalterritory(FCT) Abuja, but majority of the agents operate their companies as small/medium enterprises (SMES) but the union generally does not benefit or enjoy the federal government SME initiative,” Ogbu said.

The union is contending with numerous challenges in the business like any other business(s). In terms of security, the challenges are internal and external. Internally, the union is challenged by certain individuals who do not want their business to be regulated or checked.

Some of them are not willing to let the members of the task force at the point of loading and those located close to the steel mills to check their vehicles to ensure that they do not convey stolen property.

Some of these individuals engage illegal police and army escort who beat up task force members and assist them escape with their prohibited goods. Some of

the steel mills also collude with some of these unscrupulous dealers by using the soldiers attached to the steel mills to assault the task force members and ensure that prohibited materials like stolen vehicles, oil pipelines, railway fish plates, railway tracks and armored cables are taken unto the mills and melted.

“External, the union grapples with cases of extortion by security personnel who sometimes assault drivers of trucks and dealers to forcibility extort money from them.

We have written to the I.G of police and Chief of Staff (C.O.A.S) to deal with this issue on several occasions,”, Ogbu said.

In terms of community challenges, Ogbu laments further that, “our problems have been their unwillingness to sell bulk land to dealers to use as dump sites due principally to the misconceptions about business or the biased perception that the business is dirty”.

He also complained that challenges posed by local and state governments bother on multiple taxation as every agency on the local, state and Federal Government impose multiples taxes on dealers and set up enforcement teams along the roads to enforce these taxes to detriment of the union. The union is using dialogue to handle the issue and if need be, may resort to the courts for a prosper interpretation.

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News

Why Nigeria must address regional inequality Josephine Okojie

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espite the economic development recorded in the country, two regions are still lagging behind the other four in terms of development and investments.

Many in these two regions remain unemployed, malnourished and locked in poverty.

The lack of a holistic approach to inclusive growth by various Nigerian governments is becoming a damper on the country’s economic growth and development.

Regional inequality in the country is a huge structural problem for the entire economy which cannot continue to be ignored, according to economists.

Poverty in the country has strong regional concentrations, especially in the north, resulting in significant levels of regional disparity.

Nigeria has six geo political regions which are: SouthWest, South-South, SouthEast, North-East, North-West and the North-Central. Of these regions, the NorthEast and North –West have

remained excluded from the growth process of the entire economy.

More worrisome is the fact that the poverty index in the North-East and NorthWest region is rising and not in any way showing signs of decreasing youth restiveness and the Boko Haram insurgency.

In 2016, the United Nations said that 5.1 million people in the North-Eastern region urgently need food and livelihood assistance resulting from long term social and economic exclusion, along with violent conflict in the region.

The UN also stated that seven out of 10 people in the region were living below the extreme poverty line, as security crisis rocking the region has forced farmers to abandon their farmlands.

The region has the lowest rate of child enrolment, highest number of unemployed young people, highest poverty levels and faces the challenge of inter-religious conflicts including the Boko Haram crisis.

Boko Haram’s over sevenyear insurgency in the region has crippled economic activities and worsens the region

Why hotel room rates may not reach $300 mark soon OBINNA EMELIKE

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L-R: Eyitope Ogunbodede, vice chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Abubakar Suleiman, chief executive officer, Sterling Bank Plc; Akinsola Adejuwon, former DG of National Troupe of Nigeria; and Ademola Adeyemi, Regional Business Executive, Commercial Banking, South West 2, Sterling Bank during the courtesy visit of the OAU Vice Chancellor to the Bank Headquarters in Lagos.

inequality rate, with hundreds of people killed and over 2million people displaced.

The failure of the government to engage the youth population in productive activities in these regions is a waste of the country’s most essential human capital as well as a disservice to the economic development of Nigeria.

It is apparently due to their non-engagement in produc-

tive ventures that the present generation of Nigerian youths take to political thuggery.

Most of the states in the north east region’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) are poor, compared to other states in the country. The region depends on the Federal Government for revenue and has failed to explore natural resources.

Historically, government investments into those re-

gions have been driven by agricultural interest. Despite the North-West and North Central being landlocked, there have been huge federal investments over the years in these regions to drive agriculture growth.

This has been primarily as a result of the large landmass, favourable conditions for agriculture and the necessity of preventing droughts in these regions.

Kano, partners to expend N130m in MNCH programme, combat cholera outbreak Adeola Ajakaiye, Kano

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ollowingtheoutbreak of diarrhea and cholera in some states in Nigeria, the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in Kano, says it has mobilised a rapid medical response interventions to combat the diseases in the state.

To this end, the state government in partnership with local and international donor agencies, would be spending the sum of N130 million on the first round of 2018 Maternal, New-born and Child Health Programmes, as well as a special intervention initiative to prevent and control epidemics in the state.

Kabiru Ibrahim Getso, Kano State commissioner for

Health, revealed that out of the total amount set aside for the programmes, N98 million was provided for health care services to be given free-ofcharge to mothers and children under 5 years during the MNCH week (running from 13 to 17 of August).

In order to address the case of diarrhea and cholera, he said the sum of N32 million is to be spent by the state

A cross section of people at a rally organised by Mkpat Enin local government area of Akwa Ibom State with the Chairman, Ekanem Brown and Otobong Ndem, member representing the local government in the state assembly and Meyen Etukudoh, the managing director of Ibom power company.

government to prevent and control all forms of epidemics throughout the 44 local government areas in the state.

Speaking specifically, on the MNCH week, Kabiru disclosed that the weeklong programme would entail a range of high impact low cost interventions to be offered to pregnant women and children under the age of 5 years.

According to him, the aim of the programme was to increase the coverage levels of some important preventive and curative health indicators that allow mothers and children to thrive and develop, in addition to provide opportunity to deliver health services for mother, newborn and child through existing health system.

“The last round of MNCH week conducted in November 2017 recorded huge success, with Vitamin A coverage at more than 80percent. In the same manner, this round is expected to achieve greater coverage considering the increased support by both government and partners.

“This round of MNCH would render the following services: Antenatal services, including malaria prophylaxis for pregnant women,

Vitamin A supplementation, De-worming of children, Immunisation of the under 5 children.

“Other services to be rendered are: Nutritional status screening, Insecticide treated bed nets distribution, Birth registration, Health education and demonstration of key household practices, such as hand washing, personal hygiene, exclusive breast feeding, complimentary feeding, and use of LLINs, etc.

“Kano State Government, in collaboration with partners, is spending about N98 million to make these services available, free of charge,” he explained.

Commenting on the current situation of outbreak of cholera in the country, Kabiru confirmed that the state is among the 17 other states: Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Borno, Ebonyi, FCT, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Nassarawa, Niger, Plateau, Yobe, and Zamfara, affected by the outbreak.

“From 1st to 29th of July 2018, a total of 18,205 suspected cases have been reported in the 17 states (CFR: 1.30percent out of which more than 300 were laboratory confirmed.

ith a seeming scramble for market share by international brands, the Nigerian hotel market is truly burgeoning.

The market features over ten international brands, scores of domestic investors with 8,000 standard available rooms and leads hotel pipeline for West Africa with 61 out of 114 hotels and 10,000 out of 20,790 rooms.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, in its seventh edition of the Hotels Outlook: 2017-2021, projected that the market would grow by 14.7 percent compound annual increase in revenue in the next five years, hence offering more investment opportunity to players in the sectors, especially international brands who look to the country for expansion.

Despite the growth, the Nigerian hotel market has often been regarded as overpriced by both local and foreign guests over the years.

In the third quarter of 2014, the average rate for standard room across most international branded hotels was as high as between $300-$350 per night when exchange rate was at N160 per dollar and same room costs between $100-$200 in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi and Cairo.

At the height of it, the once celebrated Intercontinental Hotel Lagos, which left Nigeria in January, pegged its standard room at $400 per night. After months of unsustainable occupancy rate, they reduced the rate. Of course, guests who decried the high rates were often told that the high cost of operation in Nigeria was the major reason for the hike.

“We pay over ten taxes to all the three tiers of government and other agencies, yet we provide our security, electricity, water and pay franchise and management fees.

The only way to stay afloat is to pass on the charges to the guests”, Mike Osakwe, a hotelier, said in support of the high rates.

Furthermore, there was a sort of gang-up against the likes of Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel in 2013, when it crashed rates from $300 to $200 for a standard room and other hotels managed

by South African brands in Nigeria followed.

At the peak of the recession in 2016, occupancy went down to below 40 percent and room rate crashed to as low as $100. Since then, rates are struggling to increase despite the fact that the economy is said to be recovering fast after the recession.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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NewsFeature Abia communities groan under devastating effects of gully erosion UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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bout 10 houses have been submerged in gully erosion and many residents rendered homeless in three villages in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State.

Many other buildings in the villages are currently on the verge of collapse, while others are under serious threat due to heavy flooding in the area. With the rains becoming heavier, residents now live in constant fear.

The affected communities are Umuekwea, Umuokwasa and Umunwanwa villages under Ngogo autonomous community. Investigation by BDSUNDAY show that some of the affected buildings included, a storey building, ancestral homes and residential buildings. Farm lands have equally been destroyed by the gully erosion, which is also fast encroaching into other parts of the villages.

It was gathered that in past years, it had been a common phenomenon within the local government, seeing families abandoning their homes to take refuge elsewhere whenever it rained because of the fear that their homes which lay within gully erosion sites that were up to 100 feet deep, may be submerged Investigations revealed that many communities within the local government area are prone to floods which have continuously created gully erosion sites in some areas which hitherto never had such problems and sometimes resulting in pulling down some structures thereby causing fear of imminent calamity on those residing close to the sites.

Residents of the affected areas revealed to BDSUNDAY that the large number of erosion sites seen in many communities started just as small holes and gradually metamorphosed into big gullies.

According to our findings, Ngogo is one of the communities in Umuahia South located in an area known to be prone to gully erosion for time immemorial and the menace has continually threatened its very existence during rainy season.

In most communities that have similar ecological/ en-

The erosion sites within Ndogo Community in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State.

vironmental challenges, the gullies, by all indications, are far beyond the scope and capacity the community can combat.

Investigations further revealed that Ngodo community’s efforts in the past at checking the menace have not yielded any tangible result.

The community, it was gathered, had applied and continued to apply, using the crude method of checking the menace by piling of sand-filled bags and stones to channeling of water and planting Indian bamboo and trees, all to no avail.

Christian Uche Anokwuru, a pioneer Catholic cleric and a citizen of the area in a chat with BDSUNDAY, attributed the menace to the soil texture and traced the history of the gully erosion sites to the abandoned NDDC/ Umunwanwa road which was awarded over a decade ago and abandoned.

He said that the ravaging flood coming from the road each time it rained resulted in the various gullies dotting the entire Ngodo autonomous community.

According to Anokwuru, “We are farmers in Ngodo autonomous community, and today we can’t access the road to sell our produce, we have also lost our streams, we can’t drink good water again because the erosion has taken the streams away,

our sources of potable water are no longer there. We now go to far communities to fetch water; you can also see the distance from this place to the town, people die out of emergency situations because when they are sick, before they could find a vehicle to take them to the hospital in the town, they run into complications and people die on the way, we are calling on NDDC, ecological fund office to help us, so that this problem can be salvaged. People have run to their maternal homes to take refuse. Ngodo is no longer a safe place; we have no government presence here. Also, the village was very happy when the Bishop of Umuahia Diocese approved the establishment of the monastery; unfortunately, those in the monastery have left to a place known as Ugwueke in Bende Local Government Area because they can’t access their homes.

“The Bishop of Umuahia Diocese approved the building to be used as a clinic to help the people, but incidentally, there is no road to access the place, though the gully erosion did not take us by surprise. From piling of sand-filled bags and stones to channeling of flood and planting of Indian bamboos and trees, but the gullies are just beyond what the community can handle. We have been doing community fund-raising

programme to help ourselves but the situation at hand now is beyond the capacity of the community.”

Eze Stephen Ihuoma, the Traditional Ruler of Ngodo Autonomous Community, said the gully erosion sites have brought untold hardship on the community as their farmlands are being destroyed. He also noted that most of their roads have been cut off from neighbouring communities, and that the only road leading to Ngodo, especially, has been cut off.

He disclosed that though some palliative measures by Sam Onuigbo, the member representing Umuahia /Ikwuano Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, had been done on the sites but that it could not withstand the pressure from the gully erosion and that the money injected into the palliative carried out on the sites was a waste.

The monarch noted that the gullies are beyond the capacity of the community and the state government and therefore, called on the Federal Government through ecological fund office to come to their rescue.

Francis Achilefu, community leader who also serves as the works chairman, Ngodo autonomous community, said community members have fled to their maternal homes to take refuge as there

are no access roads to their farms and churches as the gully erosion sites have made rural dwellers to desert their homes.

He corroborated the earlier speakers that the community has taken proactive measures to checkmate further spread of the gullies by planting bamboo but all to no avail.

He appealed to NEWMAP, NDDC, state and federal governments to come to their rescue before their community is totally wiped away.

Nwosu Chimezie, chairman of Umuekwaa, one of the villages that make up Ngodo autonomous community, disclosed that Obuba Nwosuocha gully erosion (one of the erosion sites in the community) is as old as the community itself.

He said that even though the site has been fast in spreading, they have the fear of possible recurrence in future; hence, the community has continued to intensify efforts to stop further spread by adopting various proactive measures, until last two years when the community woke up in amazement to discover that erosion had spread further, claiming more acres of land.

Chimezie expressed fear that houses, including a church, are under serious threat, while residents of the area are now living in fear and contemplating where to relocate to take refuge.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

PhotoSplash

L-R: Uchendu Rose, president, C.W.O Ekwulobia; Omolara Banjoko, senior brand manager, Three Crowns, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc; Elizbeth Okonkwo, vice president, C.W.O Ekwulobia; Juliet Maurice, Medical detailing Manager, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, and Ezeokafor Chinelo, secretary, C.W.O Ekwulobia, at the Three Crowns August meeting engagement at St Joseph Pro Cathedral Catholic Church Ekwulobia in Anambra state.

L:R Special adviser to governor Ambode on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Aramide Giwanson, APC Woman Leader, Lagos State, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, Lagos deputy governor, Idiat Adebule and Lagos commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Olayinka Oladunjoye during a courtesy visit by the APC Woman Leader to the Lagos deputy governor at the secretariat Ikeja, Lagos.

L-R Fola Adeyemi, permanent secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Aramide Giwanson, special adviser, Arts and Culture, Steve Ayorinde, commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture and Mathias Obahiagbon, executive secretary, NollyInsured Initiative, during a courtesy call to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in Lagos.

Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki (4th left), with members of the State executive council and stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking and illegal migration, during a presentation to mark the one-year anniversary of the Edo State Task Force Against Human Trafficking at the Weekly State executive council meeting at the Government House, in Benin city, Edo State.

Ag. President Osinbajo flanked by the governor of Zamfara state, Abdula’aziz Yari Abubakar while he commissions the Gamji water project during his visits Zamfara state where he commissions some projects.

Chairman, technical committee on Copyright, BON,. Kenny Ogungbe and chairman, MCSN, Pupa Orits Wiliki, at Channels Television Towers yesterday presenting copy of the agreement for media affirmation after the epic signing ceremony.

Godwin Obaseki (2nd right) , governor, Edo State; chairman, Edo State Chapter, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Isaiah Okungbowa (2nd left); Secretary of the Union, Bayo Oladipupo (right); and chairperson of the Union, Eunice Edo, during the courtesy visit by the executive members of the Union to the governor, at Government House, Benin City, Edo State

Lamido Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa (Right) receiving salutations from the Waziri Adamawa and frontline presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, while the Chokali Adamawa, Jamilu Jubrin, looks on when Atiku led other members of the emirate council to the Yola International Airport welcome the Lamido back from a travel on Friday.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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BDSUNDAY 27

Politics

When voter registration turns nightmare

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INIOBONG IWOK he dream of millions of eligible voters in the country to be involved in electing those who would govern them in the 2019 general election may be a mirage if current hiccups being experienced in the on-going Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to acquire the permanent voter’s card (PVC) across the country is not sorted out in the next few days by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The exercise, which begun last year’s April, has been plagued by several problems, ranging from shortage of personnel, logistics and operational machines which have limited the commission’s operations across several states while discouraging several Nigerians from registering.

Several groups in the country have in recent times protested on several occasions over INEC’s alleged poor handling of the exercise.

However, despite repeated assurances by INEC that it had taken additional measures to improve the process, little progress seems to have been made.

This is just as long queues have persists at the registration centres, while several Nigerians have lost hope of being registered because they could not stand the rigor.

Findings revealed that in several centres across the country, voters to registration centres as early as rly 4am or 5am to put down their names in the register so they could be attended to for the day. The situation worsened toward the initial closing date of August 17, as more Nigerians besieged the centres to carry out their registration.

BDSUNDAY gathered that over 300 people were recorded at some centres, a situation that elicited the question why INEC decided to make the centres very few.

There have also been accusations that the commission was taking the exercise to the homes of some elite in the country.

A female school principal who spent a whole day at a centre before completing the exercise accused the INEC of nursing some sinister motives by the way it is going about the CVR. “The suffering is needless. It is not as if one is sure that our votes would count this time.

With what we are already seeing recently held elections; the rigging and all that, it is left to be seen if the INEC would allow the will of the people to prevail this time around. From the enthusiasm I saw in people, I can say

>>>> that many people are willing and ready to vote this time around, but I so much doubt the sincerity of INEC,” the woman, who refused to disclose her name, said.

A resident of Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos, Funmi Ogundepe, urged the Federal Government to harmonise the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the national identity card, by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), stressing that such decision would automatically stop the current duplication of biometric of Nigerians and could be used for the current Continuous Voters Registration exercise.

“The arrangement where you register for national ID card, bank verification and others, is duplicity; why can’t we use these data for the exercise? It is a failure of the system; a country like Nigeria should have a source

where data of its citizens could be found. I have been here since morning; you can see the crowd; what they are doing here is to register 150 people who wrote their names in the morning; some of them came here 4am; after that they stop for the day,” Ogundepe said.

Some stakeholders, who spoke to this medium in Lagos, accused INEC officials in some centres of colluding with agents, asking them to bring people who in turn pay agreed amount upon realising the desperation of members of the public to register.

An Electoral Officer (EO) of the commission in a centre in Lagos, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied instructing members of the public to be on the queue by 5am, stressing that the centre begins registration by 9am and closes by 5pm and only attends to people who are

on the queue.

“What they are telling you is not true. In this centre, we register about 300 people a day; we have not asked anybody to come in the morning by 4am or 5am to write their name, it is their decision.

“We only attend to those people we meet on the line. But you know since the exercise is closing soon, people are coming out because Nigerians like to wait for the last minute for anything.

“But we just decide to write names because the crowd is too much to control and since we discovered that it is the best way to have things go smoothly here, we decided to tell them to be on the line to make our work easy.”

A political analyst and politician, Ayo Kusamotu, berated INEC’s poor handling of the exercise, warning Nigerians that it could be a sign of what to expect

The arrangement where you register for national ID card, bank verification and others, is duplicity; why can’t we use these data for the exercise? It is a failure of the system

in next year’s general election.

“The exercise has been a nightmare for lots of Nigerians; you can go to the centres and see for yourself. I am being told that some of these INEC officials are taking the machines to the homes of some elite to register them. These elite we know some of them don’t vote.

“I thought INEC have moved beyond this; I think it is a sign of what to expect next year; it may be a sign that the election would not be credible,” he said.

A top official of INEC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that some of the people who were coming to carry out fresh registration had their data online with the commission and had previously been registered.

“It is not true that our officials are collecting money from any one; they are being monitored; how is that possible in a crowded centre?

“Some of the people you are seeing have their data online with us; they have been registered; a lot of them may have issues with their names or their banks, and other personal records.

“We have taken measures to capture all Nigerians, that is why the closing date was extended, but in some centres priority could be given to young people who just clocked 18 years after the last general election,” he said.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Feature

Joe Blankson: Hero at sea … Wike offers job, scholarships to 36-year-old who died successfully saving 13 drowning persons

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IGNATIUS CHUKWU & INNOCENT ETENG

hat Joe Blankson could not find in life he seems to easily get in death. The Rivers State government has offered a job to the wife of the late hero at sea and scholarships to his three children.

The 36-year-old Bakana Degema-born Joe Blankson from Rivers State who died saving the 14th drowning person last two weeks has also been scheduled for honour by the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN).

The story of how the public-spirited father of three died at sea during a boat accident has continued to evoke pity and attract sympathetic attention world-wide, Nigerian governments are yet to speak up.

Many think Blankson is the true copy of the Nigeria many look up to, against the selfishness and callousness that seem to rule humanity at the moment.

The promise to honour Blankson came at the service of songs on Thursday in Port Harcourt. NYCN made the promise at the Kings Chapel Church held in honour of Blankson. The boat mishap, in which only Blankson died, took place last month in Bakana, an Island in Rivers State.

Though Blankson was buried the same day he died due to customs over drowning, the church service availed acquaintances and sympathizers the opportunity to pay their last respect to the wellhailed and pro-life Blankson.

“We have lost a vibrant young Nigerian. We are delegated by the NYCN to be part of this and to give our last respect to one of us. We are here on the mandate of the Nigerian youths to sympathize and to console the family because what he did was a wonderful thing Nigerians never expected. He has become a hero.

“Even in our activism at the NYCN, we would look forward on how to honour him nationally. This is just the mourning moment,” NYCN president, Sokubo Sara-Igbe Sokubo, said after leading a delegation to the people-packed service.

Sokubo advised youths to follow Blankson’s trait of selfsacrifice in order to make Nigeria better.

“We encourage the young people that they should emulate the young man. We encourage every young person to love one another, both in politics, in business and in religion,” he said.

Thousands more mourn Blankson Thousands of Nigerians on Thursday, trooped into Kings Chapel, a church in Port Harcourt, to pay their final respect to Joseph Blankson who lost his life in a boat mishap last month. Blankson died after his strength failed him while trying to save the 14th person.

In attendance were those who knew him - family members, friends, neighbours and others - as well as those - within and beyond Port Harcourt - who didn’t know him prior to his death but heard of his heroic sacrifice.

A delegation of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) led by its new president, Sokubo Sara-Igbe Sokubo, was also in attendance.

“He (Joseph Blankson) is one of the heroes Nigerians will forever remember, particularly we the youths,” Sokubo said. “We sympathise with the family and we ask that the loss should not be lost.

At every level, God should replace that loss a million fold to his family.”

For Prince Richard Egbelekro, the President of Buguma Youth Council (BYC) who doubles as Kalabari Youths president: “We see him as more than a hero. I call him a role model to the youths, not just to the Kalabari people where he came from, not just to Rivers State youths, but to us the Nigerian people and the world at large.”

“He has always been a selfless person. Joe will always go overboard to put a smile on the faces of people around himself. He was an ideal man actually. Joe was a good man. (Calling him a) hero doesn’t cut it for me. I will call him ‘a selfless man’,” said a former classmate and legal practitioner, Eby Harry.

A life of public sympathy BusinessDay gathered at the service of songs that the 36-yearold graduate, in his lifetime, was known for helping others, a habit that must woken at sea when he swam to safety but swam back to help 13 persons who had problems swimming out. It was in his 14 attempt, according to sources, that he lost out.

It was gathered that he wore no safety gears such as life jacket during the trip. Some said he had good knowledge of sea diving, having grown up in the riverine area.

The mother, a nurse, Elizabeth, said of Joe: He was a very kind person and always ready to show kindness to others, even if it would cause him pains. He was not rich but usually driven by passion to show kindness

whenevertherewasanopportunity to do so. If you call him a humanitarian, you will not be wrong.

He was a son I loved so much.

He could not do without me and nothing could stop him from visiting me in a day. If he failed to see me in a day, he would be unhappy. Anytime I see him, it was as if I had seen my husband. He was a replica of my husband. He was like a husband to me. He was an obedient child, jovial

and friendly to many people. He also never joked with church activities.

I lost my husband last year. He was ill and died after eight weeks in the hospital.

Career; Blankson was a graduate just like all his siblings from a nurse-mother, but he had to hustle to manage his home because of lack of job. His wife is said to be a graduate who is making about N1000 per day making and selling zobo, a local beverage. Until his death, he was a contractor with some oil and gas companies in Trans-Amadi area of Port Harcourt, where he supplied diesel, a newspaper report stated.

The family’s economic capacity The mother of the hero told Punch about the wife: She is also a graduate but unemployed. She studied Microbiology in one of the private universities in the country.

She sells zobo drink. I think she completed her studies with a good grade. I am bereaved in many ways.

On Thursday (July 26), when I asked my son about the profit his wife usually made from zobo drink, he told me that sometimes she made about N1, 000 a day. She would use the money to cook soup. Sometimes, they came to my place to take foodstuff.

I have five children and Joe was my second son. I am worried about the future of my grandchildren.

Their father showed them so much love while he was alive. I will be very grateful if help can come their way. I will be so happy if government can award them scholarship. I retired as a nurse and I rely on pension.

All my children are graduates but they have no jobs. They graduated four to five years ago. One of my children studied Law and another one read Petroleum Engineering How it happened Reports said: “On that fateful day, the boat, with 25 passengers onboard, reportedly left Abonnema Wharf for Bakana. There was downpour that lasted several hours, across the state. The rainfall, sources said, increased the water level with debris floating on the sea.

One of the survivors, who did not want his name mentioned in print said, the boat driver was on high speed at a bend in Iboroma, when the accident occurred.

It was also gathered that the waterways were very dirty to a level that any object could capsize a boat, if it finds its way into the propeller.

Spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident, saying Blankson died after rescuing 13 passengers.

The boat accident which happenedatabout2.45pmonSaturday, left six persons drowned, 19 others rescued. The corpse of one of the victims had been recovered, while others were still missing, as at the time of filing the report.

The reports have remained conflicting as the police has not

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Feature

confirmed death toll, only confirming the incident. The boat owners association said only one person died and dared anyone who knew someone more who died to step forward.

Government reaction: The Rivers State government has come into the matter. The deputy governor, Ipallibo Harry Banigo, first visited the widow and saw things for herself. Next, the woman was taken to Gov Nyesom Wike. After the visit, the woman told BusinessDay that the governor promised her a job and scholarship for her children.

The state government also promised to revive the training centre for boat drivers and begin strict implementation of safety rules especially manifest to know who actually was at sea.

Also, the chairman of Degema Local Government Council, Tony Philmoore, has vowed to make water transport safer and pleasurable in the area. He said this during a meeting with stakeholders including marine transport owners and drivers associations operating in the area at Abonnema Wharf.

The council boss promised to organize quarterly health, safety, security and environment (HSES) training for marine drivers in Degema Local Government Area. He also promised to provide personal protective equipment for both

drivers and passengers plying the waterways, especially those on the Bakana, Oguruawo, Bille, Tombia and Cawthorne Channel routes, for the safety and wellbeing of the passengers, as well as the drivers.

He warned against flouting safety rules and the use of alcohol and hard drugs by boat drivers and promised to establish a health, security and safety task force to regulate and prosecute erring drivers.

Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Degema Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Farah Dagogo, has condoled with the families of those who lost loved ones in the ill-fated boat mishap in Bakana community.

Boat operators: Clear the debris Boat drivers say they are happy with the new measures on sea transportation coming in the state, they have been accused of violations. The thanked the chairman for the meeting and hearing from them.

They debunked the report that nine persons were missing in the unfortunate incident adding that the corpse of the only person who died whose body had since been recovered. They challenged anyone, who says otherwise, to present proof of missing passengers on the ill-fated boat, as all families that had loved ones on the boat, had since been reunited with them, except the unfortunate one that drowned.

On his part, chairman of the

Boat Drivers Union, Okorite Isaac, appealed to the relevant authorities to clean debris and refuse from the river, as they constitute safety hazards and endanger lives of travellers Speaking, chairman of Abonnema Wharf Community, Taribo Benson, advised boat drivers against overloading their boats for pecuniary reasons. He enjoined them to always use manifest to properly document passengers to avoid future controversies as is being experienced.

Senator reacts: calls for stiffer regulations Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Magnus Ngei Abe, has called for stiffer regulations for the marine transport sector in Rivers State in order to check incessant cases of boat mishap on the waterways.

Abe spoke against the backdrop of a recent boat accident along the Bakana waterways, Degema Local Government Area, which resulted in several fatalities.

He said the state government ought to do more by ensuring that those responsible for movement of passenger-boats on waterways in the state live up to their responsibilities.

Abe, who is also the Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the National Assembly said: “We need to find out exactly why these things continue to occur and people are not being held accountable. What are the rules and regulations that guide our waterways? Who are those responsible for enforcement of the rules? Why do we continue to throw precious lives away without taking action?”

What are we doing to ensure that whoever is responsible is held accountable and punished to ensure that it does not happen again to other people?

“More importantly, we need to realise that when we do not have regulations, or where we have regulations and we fail to enforce them, where people are charged with responsibility and they fail to discharge that responsibility and in the process lives are lost, those responsible for that thing that they did not do are responsible for those lives that are lost”.

“As we stand here today, people have died on our waterways. If these passengers had life jackets, if they obeyed the regulations that govern our waterways, all these people that are dead will today be alive”.

“We must go beyond issuing statements” “We must take practical steps to punish those that are responsible and to ensure that this does not happen again, so that tomorrow, we do not need to pay this kind of visit to another mother that is grieving”.

The Senator further said, “From what I gathered, several other lives were lost. There are several homes today where there is no joy. Strong action must be taken to forestall a repeat of this tragedy.”

Responding on behalf of the family, Nimi Bobmanuel expressed happiness over Abe’s visit and thanked him for his compassionate words.

MTN Foundation: Creating platforms for sustainable development SEYI JOHN SALAU

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igeria can only attain sustainable growth through shared and collaborative effort that put both the corporates and their immediate ‘publics’ on one goal trajectory.

Therefore, corporate organisations must align with host communities on the attainment of developmental strides with sustainable impact.

In line with the African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone: If you want to go far, go together.” The MTN Foundation in keeping faith with the African spirit of soaring high and going far initiated the “What Can We Do Together” initiative to work alongside host communities on developmental strides for sustainable goals.

Just like the sun rises every morning and lights the whole world from end to end, the MTN Foundation has the goal of spreading light and brightening lives from one Nigerian community to the next until every single person in every single village is impacted.

The MTN Foundation’s “What Can We Do Together” initiative aim at empowering Nigerians to discover their huge potential and opportunities ahead of them. Empowered people possess the capacity to empower others. MTN Foundation has created a chain reaction with its latest initiative which will resonate around the country and erupt into growth and development. Nothing great can be achieved until people decide to work hand-in-hand to make things happen.

The interventions by the MTN Foundation evidently reflect the MTN mission of transforming lives by addressing the pressing needs of the Nigerian populace for maximum impact. The MTN brand is passionate about Nigeria’s growth and is determined to help Nigerians reach the heights of their potential. This mission is executed through the three focus areas – health, education and economic empowerment: that are crucial to the socio-economic development of any society.

A recent UNICEF report ranks Nigeria as the leading country with the highest number of out-of-school children with over 10 million unenrolled children. The uncontrolled population growth has further contributed to the prevailing negative indices in these essential areas of our nationhood. This reality is essentially facilitated by the shortfall in school infrastructure leaving many schools in the country with unconducive classrooms for learning, and the ones with classrooms lack required furniture.

The same reality is visible in the health sector with ill-equipped health facilities spread across the country. The cheering news is that MTN is determined to change this narrative, brightening the lives of Nigerians, one community at a time.

The underlying philosophy is predicated on the belief that Nigerians are talented and possess enormous capacity for greatness. However, the inherent potential cannot be unlocked without an enabling en-

vironment.

The MTN Foundation realizes that sustainable change can only be achieved in Nigeria when we work together putting in place the right things in the right places. It is evident that the government cannot do it alone, but requires the collaboration ofallwell-meaningcorporatecitizens.

MTNunderstandsthisenormous responsibility and continue to create support through the MTN Foundation. Nevertheless, the foundation also understands the importance of collective ownership of social investment. Research has shown that social intervention projects are more durable when the receiving communityisextensivelyinvolvedin the conceptualization, implementation and delivery of the project.

Many organisations usually make the error of implementing projects in communities that do not reflect the immediate needs of the receiving communities. The resultant effect of such model is the rapid deterioration of the intervention projects.

It is on this premise that the “What Can We Do Together” initiative was introduced in order to ensure that social investments truly reflect the burning needs of the benefiting communities. The hand-in-hand principle on which the initiative rests was once summarized by MTN Nigeria Chairman, Pascal Dozie with the words of the 26th President of the United States of America, Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Benefiting communities under the initiative are chosen through a nomination process that allows any Nigerian resident to nominate a community for possible selection.

The nominated communities are scrutinized through a verification conducted by an expert verification team, while successful communities are subsequently enlisted to benefit from the initiative.

To date, MTN Foundation through the “What Can We Do Together” initiative has delivered 40 transformers, 40 borehole installations, and 14,200 items of school furniture to students who previously had to sit on sandy floors to receive lessons across 347 local government areas in Nigeria. A total of 66 orphanages have received essential household items and 80 primary healthcare centres have been supplied with vital medical equipment.

The Chairman of MTN Nigeria recently expressed his delight at the support received from Nigerians in helping the foundation reach its goal of touching lives in the beneficiary communities. “We could not have come this far in impacting 400 communities across the country through this initiative without the support of our customers and the nominators who demonstrated their belief in us by nominating their communities to benefit from the projects and show of loyalty in patronizing our products and services,” Dozie said at the MTN Foundation’s “What Can We Do Together” appreciation event held recently in Lagos.

12 Inside Lagos

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Lagos gridlock: Group advocates alternative port for export of cotton ...as business owners bemoan high demurrage Stories by JOSHUA BASSEY

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ational Cotton Association of Nigeria (NAC O TA N ) ha s called for an alternative seaport for the export of agricultural produce in the country.

Anibe Achimugu, the president of NACOTAN, said this in Abuja, Friday, while reacting to the delay being faced by exporters as a result of congestions at the Apapa port.

He said that the investment in providing alternative seaport had become necessary to enable exporters of agricultural produce to meet their supply targets and time at the international market.

The national president, who said that cotton production in the country was only for export, noted that the produce require facilitated export process to meet demands.

“Export is the same, the only advantage we have is that we are not doing perishable items but the situation at the Apapa port affects every

exporter.

“Until we get it right, it is going to be a problem because we export based on contract and time.

“The person buying is expecting that the cotton gets to him at a certain time to meet up with his production of textile. That affects our

export market and ability to meet time.

“Investment in creating another port for the export of agricultural commodities, will not be a bad idea and it is worth it,’’ he said.

According to him, NACOTAN has about 67,000 registered members promoting

LASG has not privatised water supply, says Badmus

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he Lagos State government says it has not privatised water supply or awarded water privatisation contract to any organisation.

The state insists that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model that it was initiating in the water sector was still at bidding stage.

Muminu Badmus, managing director of the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) stated this on Friday. According to him, the state government had only shortlisted a number of companies as partners towards ensuring adequate water supply to the millions of the populace, but stressed that “none of these companies has been given the contract.”

He explained that the water corporation had publicly advertised an Expression of Interest (EOI) which attracted seven local and international firms, out of which four firms were shortlisted following a rigorous and transparent process.

He assured Lagosians that

the Lagos State government would continue to work in their interest in the bid to promote their wellbeing, which is why the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration prioritised provision of potable water by investing in water facilities such as the 220 million gallons per day capacity plant to bridge supply gap.

Badmus stated that the exponential increase in population has continued to push the water supply need of Lagos State to 570 million gallons per day, leaving a gap of over 300 million gallons, while for the same demo-

Muminu Badmus

graphic reason; the state’s resources faced pressure from other critical areas.

“Globally, attention is being shifted to the PPP arrangement to provide infrastructure for the people as government can no longer shoulder the responsibility alone” he said.

He said that what the government was working towards was ultimately a PPP arrangement and not outright withdrawal, adding that government was mid-wifing an arrangement that would ensure the injection of both public and private funds and expertise to drive seamless provision of potable water to the teeming population of Lagosians.

He assured Lagosians that, as the ultimately beneficiaries, they would have cause to rejoice at the outcome of the ongoing process which not only promise to evolve an effective and enduring solution to the water supply needs of Lagosians, but also bring about a model for the country and the entire West Africa sub-region.

and protecting the interest of cotton farmers in Nigeria.

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) also recently raised concerns over the congestion within the Apapa ports and the continued blockage of the roads leading to the ports and described the effect on busi-

nesses as colossal.

According to Olusegun Oshinowo, the director-general of NECA, businesses are being stifled as a result of the impasse, as companies involved in importation of sensitive raw materials and finished products, including pharmaceuticals materials,

are forced to pay outrageous demurrage.

He said that the demurrage on 20 feet and 40 feet containers was as high as between N60, 000 and N90, 000 per day.

Oshinowo lamented that clearing goods from the ports has become a herculean task, and where the goods and raw materials are finally retrieved, they may have to be destroyed due to quality challenges related to temperature issues, having overstayed beyond safe period in the ports.

“To compound the already bad situation, there is the heavy demurrage that is being incurred as a result of the congestion and delays, which is neither the fault of the companies nor within their control.”

He explained that where the container stays from June and only released in midAugust, it would have accrued a demurrage of N6.84m in one 40 feet container alone.

“This is apart from the increased freight costs from transporters due to the significant down time of haulage trucks caused by the congestion,” he said.

Bus reform scheme: 300 new buses begin operations in October

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he Lagos State government has taken delivery of 300 new buses under its Bus Reform Initiative (BRI) aimed at boosting public transportation services in the state.

Ladi Lawanson, the commissioner for transportation in Lagos that the who disclosed this said the new buses were part of the 800 buses paid for by the state government. The 300 buses would be on Lagos roads from October 1, the commissioner said.

“The most important thing

is that the buses will start rolling out from October and we are not stopping at that and we won’t stop at 800.

“All 800 buses have been paid for but they are not bought off the shelf, they are produced in batches.

“The state government, being an enabler, made a financial commitment for those 800 to come in. But we have a firm agreement with the bus company that we are going to build up to 5000 buses in the next three to four years,” Lawanson said.

The commissioner said that the bus company had also expressed commitment to establish assembly plant in the country to provide jobs and for easy maintenance of the buses.

“That is part of what we knew we had to resolve from the old ways we have been acting.

“Part of the company’s agreement is to establish an assembly plant here to provide more jobs for Nigerians and solve the problems of maintenance and spare parts,’’ he said.

2 suspected cultists docked

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wo men, Oluwafemi Adelaja and Jacob Sunday, suspected to be members of an unlawful society, were on Friday docked before a Yaba Chief Magistrate Court in Lagos State.

Adelaja, 26, and Sunday, 21, are facing a two-count charge bordering on affray and belonging to an unlawful society. They, however, pleaded not guilty.

According to the prosecutor, SP Nurudeen Thomas, the two men committed the offences on August 9, at 12.30pm at Kampala Hotel in Bariga,

Lagos. Thomas said that the accused were members of an unlawful society known as `Aiye’.

“My Lord, they have been terrorising their neighborhood for years. “After much investigation, the police were able to get information of a gathering of members of their secret society, where they were arrested among many others,” he said.

The offences contravene Sections 41 and 54 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

Section 41 prescribes a threeyear jail term for belonging to an unlawful society, while Section

54 provides for six months’ imprisonment for affray.

The magistrate, K.B. Ayeye, granted each of the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

She said that one of the sureties must be a relation of the accused and gainfully employed.

Ayeye also ruled that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and should show evidence of two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State government. The case has been adjourned till September 27 for mention.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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TheWorshippers

Reverend Olufemi Popoola

Reverend Sola Idowu

Reverend Godfrey Emmanuel

BDSUNDAY 13

Reverend Charles Shedrack

Nigerian pastors and fight against corruption …Clergymen differ over Osinbajo’s comment SEYI JOHN SALAU

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n the middle to the 20th Century, group of Christians revitalized the church movement in Nigeria , breaking away from the Orthodox to Evangelical and finally into the Pentecostal doctrine of sanctification and perfection in love. It was not a theological renaissance that took place in the halls of the academia but a revival of experimental relationship that turned the heart of men towards God. From camp meetings to open air crusades that gave birth to the Pentecostal-Charismaticism of the 1970s/80s great revival movement, the church in Nigeria witnessed preachers who daily taught, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.” That was the era of church movement that promoted holiness, sanctification and righteous living.

Soon after, the American influence set in and then the doctrine of grace that tried to be silent on holiness followed. Their influence spread across the country with several denominational divides across every city, from the west to the north, east and south. Ironically, with the denominational divides, the message on holiness, sanctification and righteous living got watered down for material gains and materialism.

In their push for crowd and popularity, today’s preachers seem to promote materialism

above righteous living, which has led some people to think Nigeria is too religious but far from God. It was in light of this that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo recently berated gospel preachers for not preaching against corruption in support of the present administration’s anti-corruption war which began in 2015.

While speaking at the 30th National Biennial Conference of the Students Christian Movement of Nigeria held in Enugu recently, Osinbajo said that preachers were preoccupied with prosperity message rather than righteousness.

“Very rarely do you hear our preachers talk about corruption from their pulpits. If a nation is not righteous, nothing will help it,” said Osinbajo.

According to him, corruption has been entrenched in Nigeria to the point that those who dare to speak against it are in the minority, adding that the problem with Nigeria was neither ethnicity nor religion but systemic corruption.

B D S U N DAY s o u g h t t h e views of some Lagos-based pastors on Acting President Osinbajo’s comment and here brings you excerpts.

Reverend Femi Popoola, Pastor in charge of Divine Mercy Baptist Church, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos Yes, because many popular pastors that dominate the air and people hear regularly could be said to be guilty of this allegation.

At least you yourself can take

time to watch such pastors on air and listen to what the contents of their messages are.

If the message is not about health and wealth, it will be witches and victory over enemies. However, it is no because there are some unpopular pastors who are committed to Biblical preaching of salvation, godliness, Christian virtues and the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. These are known to God even when they are not known to the vice president and the rest of the larger society.

This is no new phenomenon anyway; there has been a longtime prophecy of the Bible concerning the situation. For instance, 2 Peter 2:1-2 said: “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.

They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them - bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute”.

From what is generally prevalent, the answer will be yes; but that does not mean that there are not Elijah and the seven thousand hidden prophets.

Reverend Charles Zechadrac, Church of God Mission, Amuwo There are some pastors who speak against corruption, but we need to start talking more and more against corruption.

I haven’t read his comment in

context, but if what he said was that ‘Pastors don’t…’, then that generalisation isn’t fair even to his own church and himself that I know preaches for people to abstain from sin and live a life that glorifies God. I know many pastors that preach against corruption. Their voices may not be heard, they may not be on social media, or television, but in their little corner they tell the people “to seek first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added”.

Reverend Sola Idowu, Ajayi Dahunsi Baptist Church, Ilashamaja, Lagos I share the opinion of the Acting President Osinbajo because of the following reasons. Many preachers today do not preach the whole Gospel. The emphasis of many preachers today is on prosperity. While many preachers are not confronting sins in the lives of their members; and many preachers do not even care to bother about the means of livelihood of their members, they only pray for them to make it.

Someone once came to me for prayers on his business. He promised to pay his tithe into our church if the business went well. I asked what the business was he said I shouldn’t bother.

I told him I can’t pray on what I wasn’t sure of. Finally, he told me it was oil theft. Then, instead of praying for him I told him about the gospel.

Many preachers are more interested in building structures than building lives. So, they instigate their members to do

anything and everything just to bring money to church. Many preachers these days think and act like businessmen.

The craving of preachers for things of the world is also affecting their preaching. It is not out place to also mention that there are preachers who are yet to embrace the true gospel and as such cannot preach it; since one cannot give what he does not have.

It should be noted that the gospel is anti-prosperity or, that prosperity/material wealth is synonymous to corruption. It’s the means of acquiring wealth that should be addressed. This is what many preachers are failing to do.

Reverend Godfrey Emmanuel, El-Shaddai Bible Church, Mercy Cathedral, Omole Estate The Acting President is right in a way. Some men of God are preaching against corruption but some are not doing it enough probably because some of the people we regard as ‘Men of God’ are also corrupt. Don’t forget that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands, and you cannot give what you don’t have. You must remember that Judas was also amongst the twelve disciples of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That presupposes that you will always have corrupt clergymen in the church because some of them do this gospel work as a chosen career and are not ecclesiastically called to advance the Kingdom of God. So, they can easily compromise kingdom values.

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Remembering Sam Okwaraji (1965-1988)

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Sunday 19 August 2018

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

O

n the 12th of August, 1990, tragedy struck the country’s soccer fraternity as the nation’s senior football team, the Super Eagles, dramatically lost a rising soccer star, Samuel Okwaraji to the cold hand of death. Okwaraji’s sad demise occurred right on the soccer pitch during a 1990 World Cup qualifying match, against Angola, at the mainbowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Though the Super Eagles eventually won the match 1-0, Okwaraji’s tragic death cast a huge shadow over the victory. The Umudioka Orlu, Imo State-born soccer star made his Super Eagles debut on the 30th of January, 1988, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, in the second leg of the final Olympic qualifier for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games against the Desert Warriors of Algeria It was that game that announced the arrival of Okwaraji on the big stage as a promising and invaluable soccer asset to the national team. He completely reinvigorated the Eagles midfield as he completely outclassed the Algerians with his

energetic runs and superb ball distribution. Thanks to his superb performance, the Super Eagles ultimately won the match 2-0 and qualified for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Without a doubt, Okwaraji brought something fresh to the Super Eagles. He was strong, quick, energetic and visionary.

He was in the Super Eagles team that represented Nigeria at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988. It was, however, at the 1988 African Nations Cup tournament tagged “Maroc ‘88” that Okwaraji effectively proclaimed himself as the continent’s new soccer star.

He shone brightly at championship with his sublime performance that helped the Super Eagles got to the final, losing narrowly by 1-0, and in a most controversial fashion, to Cameroun.

Okwaraji scored the fastest goal of the African Nations Cup till date, in the 89th second. It was a thunderous left-footer volley that saw legendary Camerounian goalkeeper, Antoine Bell, scampering helplessly across the goal post like a baby who was searching for his precious toy!

While it is true that Okwaraji was one of the nation’s finest and most imaginative footballers ever, it was, however, not only his soccer artistry that endeared the soccer prodigy with a Rasta hairdo to Nigerian soccer fans.

Unlike some of his contemporaries who had over bloated ego, Okwaraji was humble and quite unassuming. He never allowed his stardom to get into his head.

He was always among the earliest to report to camp and was not involved in any unnecessary controversy throughout his Super Eagles years.

Indeed, Okwaraji was a patriot to the core. Unlike, a few of his colleagues who often placed the interest of their respective football clubs above national considerations, Okwaraji was always ready to answer national call. He was once quoted as saying that it was a big and rare privilege to put on the nation’s national colour and as such he would never take it for granted.

To him, the nation is worth dying for. Ironically, he died serving his fatherland!

On many occasions, he had personally paid for his flight tickets while on national assignment and was never involved in any undue squabble concerning refund. At a time when the nation’s football house was cash stripped, he was alleged to have offered to bail them out by opting to pay for his colleagues air tickets. Such was the depth of his patriotism.

This superlative and immensely endowed soccer star was one of the few Nigerian footballers that effectively combined soccer brilliance with academic excellence. He was a qualified lawyer with a master’s degree in International Law from the University of Rome and was reportedly on the verge of earning a PhD in the same field by the time of his heartbreaking demise.

For obvious reason, he was his

family’s breadwinner, taking care of his aged parents, siblings and other extended family members.

He was said to be generous to a fault.

To keep the memories of late Okwaraji alive, appropriate authorities should make efforts to immortalize him and other fallen sports stars that had spent their most productive years serving their fatherland. While it is commendable that the federal government gave him a national burial as well as financial grant to his family and government scholarship to one of his younger brothers, so much could still be done by both private and public entities to keep celebrating this patriot.

Presently, many of the nation’s gifted sports stars are not too enthusiastic about representing their fatherland. There have been instances when a few of them opted to represent other countries where they believe their interests would be best taken care of. Therefore, one of the best possible ways of instilling patriotism and inculcating the art of selfless service in our youths is through immortalizing heroes such as Okwaraji. Such would go a long way to help stimulate our compatriots, young and old, to be involved in altruistic service to their fatherland.

May Okwaraji’s soul continue to rest in perfect peace!

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

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Sunday 19 August 2018

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CHUKS OLUIGBO

chuks.oluigbo@businessdayonline.com (08116759816)

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s I racked my brain last week in search of how best to begin a befitting tribute to Ras Kimono, Nigerian-born Reggae icon whose funeral rites began August 17, I stumbled on this piece by Sly Ojigbede of Classic FM 97.3 titled “Where are the prophets?”

– apparently adapted from Peterside Ottong’s song of that title.

“As the ‘Roots Reggae’ subgenre is symbolic with struggles against economic oppression, poverty and the likes, one would expect a significant number of ‘freedom fighters’ in the subgenre echoing continuous chants with reference to the state of Nigeria today, failing governments and huge public outcries as innocent lives are brutally slain day by day,” Ojigbede wrote.

That was what Ras Kimono

and his contemporaries on the Nigerian music scene stood for.

Indeed, after a recent interview with Orits Wiliki, I have busied myself digging into the musical archives to unearth those great reggae songs of the late 1980s and 1990s. Luckily for me, most of them are available on Youtube.

Every morning since then I’ve interchangeably listened to several tracks by Kimono, Orits Wiliki, Majek Fashek, Peterside Ottong, Maxwell Udoh, Evi-Edna Ogholi, Andy Shurman, The Mandators, and the rest of that generation.

I have carefully listened to the lyrics of those songs again and again and, Oh my!, there is no single track that doesn’t speak to my soul, that doesn’t draw tears to my eyes.

Over and again I have played Kimono’s “Under Pressure”, “What’s Gwan?”, “Natty Get

Ras Kimono: There goes a true comrade Jail”, “Kimono De Want”, “Slavery Days”, “Kill Apartheid”, “Gimme Likkle Sugar”, “Rumour Mongers”, “Dem Persecute Rastas”, and a host of others. Every single one of them speaks against one social injustice or the other, and each one remains as relevant today as it was when it was released decades ago. Things have gone progressively worse. Talk of the musician as a prophet.

So, when I read Kimono describe himself as “a comrade and a social advocate” in a July 2017 interview with Premium Times, I merely nodded in agreement.

“I live with the people and know what they are going through, suffering and smiling,” he told Premium Times. “So, that is why I don’t live in highbrow areas like in Lekki or Ajah and all those kinds of places. I live where the people live so I can see the tribulation they are going through; suffering and the humiliation, so we can put it into our music and expose it. Like I said, I’m an advocate of the people. If I don’t expose it, who is going to do it for them?”

Alas, how much the drive and content of Nigerian music has

changed! The lyrics of today’s songs are meaningless and profane, the videos terribly nasty.

None speaks truth to power nor sings against social injustices.

It’s all about pecuniary gains and fame. That’s why the songs have terribly short lifespan. If only today’s so-called music stars could de-emphasise instant gratification and create songs that would outlive them, just as Kimono and his contemporaries did.

Born May 9, 1958, Ras Kimono came to limelight in 1989 with the release of his album “Under Pressure”, after a long apprenticeship on the Nigerian music circuit that saw him experimenting with a number of styles. He would go ahead in subsequent years to release more hit songs.

When Benson & Hedges came with its Golden Tunes concerts in Nigeria, Ras Kimono was on board, alongside many others.

Ahead of the concert at the Kano Pillars Stadium on May 29, 1999, Kimono had had an auto crash with members of his Massive Dread band, after which he had complained of a troubled chest.

Kimono relocated to the United States in 2004, where he spent

about six years. On his return to Nigeria in 2010, he released an album in 2012 titled “Matter of Time”, which had tracks like “Veteran”, “Wicked Politicians”, “Matter of Time”, “Screw Face”, “Good Time”, and “A Tribute to Lucky Dube”.

Kimono passed away in Lagos June 10 and will be laid to rest August 25 in his hometown, Onitsha-Olona, Delta State.

As Orits Wiliki told me recently, “The reggae man is not a rich man.”

Kimono himself told Premium Times last year, “A lot of reggae musicians like us were not rich because we don’t sing what they want us to sing.” Kimono may not have died a rich man, but as Bob Marley tells us, “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”

Kimono was a positive influence on many young minds who listened to his songs. His life should remind us of what Wale Adenuga constantly tells us: we are pencils in the hands of the Creator. What we write on the walls of people’s memory as we go through life is up to each one of us.

Abia deputy governor, a dependable ally of his boss

IYKE OGBONNAYA Ogbonnaya, a public affairs analyst, wrote in from Umuahia.

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hat inspired or motivated my preference for the use of the above title stems from the truism it has succeeded in driving home. The said title was illuminated and recently celebrated during an occasion powered by the eagle-eyed women of Deputy Governor’s Ladies Association (DGOVLA). Having tickled my fancy, I embarked on a retrospective incursion of digging to know how the Deputy Governor has fared in the discharge of his duties to earn that coveted title.

Works do not lie, and my imagination has been thoroughly beaten in the elusive attempt to reconcile what sense it makes for some kinsmen to blindly wage a needless war against a Deputy Governor who has not only remained consistently loyal and humble, but has deeply touched the lives of his people. But those who are naïve will indifferently sympathize with political merchants whose unbridled desire to occupy one position or the other compels them to tactlessly promote their desires.

However, the futility of these despicable acts is anchored on the well-acknowledged life-changing

templates on which the Deputy Governor has been operating. Inherent in those path-finding platforms include but not limited to his being a distinguished statesman with a gentle demeanour powered by a dogged drive to constantly put smiles on the faces of Abians and his Nkporo clan. Some of the developmental strides which the Deputy Governor’s administrative imprimatur has aided him to deliver to the people shall be manifested in this endeavour bearing in mind the constraints of time and space.

I was amazed beyond measure on getting to know that for more than a decade, the Abia Deputy Governor undertook to faithfully defray the cost of periodically grading and compacting the Etiti-Ama Nkporo road before the ongoing and magnanimous intervention of government. On assumption of office, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu graciously replaced the contractor handling the construction of the road with a more competent one, resulting in the 80 percent completion of drainages, considered inevitable in roads construction. In the days ahead, the patience, cooperation and understanding of the good people of Nkporo will be duly rewarded as they roll out the drums to inaugurate the gateway Etiti-Ama Nkporo road attracted by their illustrious son, Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu.

I can also see that the Deputy Governor’s mudslinging household enemies feigned ignorance of his spectacular empowerment programme which held in September 2014 and during which innumerable vehicles, including jeeps, were given out to benefitting stakeholders including Ndi Ezes across the length and breadth of the 17 LGAs of Abia

State. Other items that were freely given out include garri-processing machines, tricycles, hairdressing accessories, sewing machines, grinding machines, motorcycles, buses, etc. The Deputy Governor had earlier built and lavishly equipped a comprehensive skills acquisition centre in Abriba and Nkporo, which boasts of barbing, fashion designing, ICT and aluminum-fabricating units.

Not minding that he has been taking the bills for payment of West African School Certificate Examination of all Nkporo students at the academic front, he has also at different times and seasons attracted the renovation of all the school blocks in Etiti-Ama High School and followed it up with construction of three brand new classroom blocks. Same was alsodonetoNkporoComprehensive Secondary School, where two brand new classroom blocks were recently constructed. As if that was not enough, the Deputy Governor, who knows the importance of allocating values, went further to attract the renovation of five classroom blocks and construction of three new ones at Nkporo Central School. This was later followed with the supply of 30 new study desks in each of the seven primary schools in Nkporo.

As we zero in on the health sector, available records indicate that more than five health centres built at Nkporo were achieved at the instance of the Deputy Governor. He followed it up with the construction of nursing quarters of two-bedroom flats each to spare the natives the trauma of not having nurses on duty when they seek medical attention especially at odd hours. The Nkporo people must eschew being beguiled and conscripted into accepting that a son who regularly engages first-

class health practitioners, including attracting MTN Foundation, for treatment of their varying degrees of health challenges has done nothing, given the mind-blowing financial implications of that intervention.

The team spirit and kind-hearted disposition of Governor Ikpeazu was recently put to work when he approved and personally came to flag off the construction of the ambitious Nkporo General Hospital.

There is no denying the truth that before long, the reward for believing will be the deserving portion on the whole spectrum of Nkporo clan as we earnestly hope that their implicit confidence in their go-getter son will not be truncated by very few political chameleons who, as it were, are scheming to derail their cascading huge laughter.

The people are at liberty to compare notes and recall vividly that while some of their sons who held public offices in the past maximized it for personal gains, the Deputy Governor has attracted over seven electricity transformers to ensure that Nkporo keeps glowing. Perhaps, it will be instructive to enjoin the youths to remember that at the end of every race, miles will be counted. During one of those stock-takings, if nothing else counts for their brother Deputy Governor, it will be recalled that he singlehandedly roofed the Nkporo Youths Centre situated at Etiti-Ama Nkporo. This is besides several halls he has built in Nkporo and the icing of having completed arrangements to deliver a massive hall that will shelter all Nkporo Community when they congregate in thousands. It will also be remembered that through the instrumentality of Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, throngs of Nkporo sons

and daughters secured admission to study at various universities in Nigeria and he gave scholarship to many of them in Law School. Through his invaluable intervention, many sons and daughters of Ohafia LGA have been recruited into Abia State Civil Service and many others occupy elevated positions of authority.

I featured in the roll call of an official event during which the Deputy Governor promised to provide Ohafia chapter of Nigerian Bar Association with an official vehicle.

Memories of that promise were yet to be forgotten when we were mobilized back to witness its fulfilment.

From whichever perspective we desire to look at it, the truth remains that Rt. Hon. Ude Oko has consistently remained a dependable and loyal ally to Governor Ikpeazu in the ongoing project of reconstructing Abia. Whatever value he is able to attract home is to the credit of their divine mandate and reward for constantly standing by his boss, the arbiter on who gets what, when and how.

There are a thousand and one deputy governors who are tensely enmeshed in cold war and frosty relationship with their bosses and its attendant collateral damage. Only the strategically-bereft will bother with changing their first eleven. Abia as presently constituted and captained

by Governor Ikpeazu is formidably poised to score more developmental and infrastructural goals.

My concluding note of advice, therefore, is that the Deputy Governor Ude Oko Chukwu should be allowed a space for more convivial working relationship with his peaceloving boss and governor. Let us be reminded that those who display loyalty to the king may one day become king themselves.

We cherish readers’ reactions to stories and articles published in BusinessDay. All such reactions, which must not be more than 250 words, should be sent to bdsundayletter@businessdayonline.com with names and addresses of writers. The star letter every week will be rewarded.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Politics Bayelsa people waiting for someone that can inspire them - Welson Ekiyor Konrad Welson is the chief executive officer of the Campaign for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Bayelsa, a non-governmental organisation that has been campaigning for enthronement of true democracy in Bayelsa State. Welson, a one-time chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and a one-time publicity secretary of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) is now a lecturer at the Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island. In this interview with SAMUEL ESE in Yenagoa, the former Chief Press Secretary to former President Goodluck Jonathan while he was governor of Bayelsa State, says it would be risky for any political party to ignore CDD with its over 200,000 strong membership in the forthcoming governorship election in the state. Excerpts: From what you have seen on ground; what are you thinking about the governorship race and what is your mind telling you about the next governor of Bayelsa?

Before we talk about who becomes the next governor of Bayelsa State, let’s talk about who become the next set of Assembly men in the state; who become the next set of House of Reps members representing Bayelsa; who become the next set of senators. Sammy, there is a very strong and serious malady in Bayelsa as we speak today. People are not coming up to serve. I’m concerned about it. The quality of leadership that Bayelsa people are going to have, you would have thought that by now three or four people would be jostling for positions in every constituency in Bayelsa State. You would have thought by now almost every political party would have people jostling for positions to go to the House of Reps. So, same thing for Senate before you even talk about the governorship. Unfortunately, we are not seeing people coming out to a point where the incumbents are almost taking for granted to have another term. Then you have those incumbents gunning for higher positions when they gave not served the people. And the people do not know how to key in to this atmosphere we have created for participatory democracy. And somebody will explain that it is because of the level of poverty. The level of poverty is so much that people cannot even put up themselves for service. People cannot throw their hats into the ring to contest election. They don’t even have money to buy forms. And to them, somebody deliberately impoverished people in the state so that they will not be able to participate. Then that somebody will now pick the kind of people they want. That’s one side of the argument. Therefore, for us to even sit down and ask ourselves, who are the people that would form the next set of senators is very, very difficult. All the senators representing Bayelsa today have completely failed. You’ll see the governor going about talking about restructuring, talking about 13 percent is not enough: the question you ask yourself is what are the senators saying in the Senate? The representatives, five of them in the House of Reps, what are they saying? What kind of struggle are they into? What kind of fight are they into? They are keeping quiet. That is my worry for now?

Now, for who is going to be the next governor, it’s going to be the person the people have chosen or the person the people will choose. And with the kind of mobilisation going on, Bayelsa people are

They are personal. Somebody goes to the House of Reps, they are about 308 there, so it blends into the 308. Nobody feels the importance, but there is only one governor in every state. And that one governor occupies the Government House. So, it’s very, very clear and his one decision affects all the people in the state.

Welson

beginning to see the kind of people that should lead them; and they are beginning to see the character of the kind of people they want. And I know they will pick the people that have the character they are looking for. We have done our own work; we have let Bayelsa people know where CDDB stands as far as the quality of leadership is concerned in Bayelsa State.

We believe the bar must be raised and we have raised the bar. All we are praying and working for now is for Bayelsa people to recognise the fact that there is a particular character that their governor must have; there must be a track record that their governor must have; and there must be an experience that the governor must have.

So you have the character, you have the training and you have the experience. Very peculiar, very unique, meaning that it’s not everybody that can be governor. The person must have the kind of character, the person must have a kind of record, and the person must have a kind of training.

There are other elections before the governorship; what effect do you think such elections would have on the governorship poll?

Do you know as we speak, nobody is even

talking about the House of Assembly elections? Nobody is talking about all the other positions including the Senate and House of Reps. All that the Bayelsa people are concerned with now is the one that directly affects them, and that is the governorship. Now, whether these other elections come before the governorship or not, Bayelsa people know that these other positions do not have any direct impact on them. Completely. The Assembly people, the representatives, the senators, they are aliens. They are even operating in such a way that they don’t have the kind of interaction with the people. But the people know that if they have the right governor, that right governor is almost like seeking the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness and every other thing following. That’s what we are looking at now. So, the forward movement of the state is tied to the governor. That is why in our slogan, we say something like moving Bayelsa forward together. The way Bayelsa can move forward is for us to have the kind of state leader with the right character, the right training and with the right experience. So, this is what you are seeing now going on. All other positions are such that they are very personal.

What in your opinion would it take to get Reuben Okoya into the consciousness of political leaders?

The political parties and their leaders are not living in isolation from the people.

Even some party officials also are part of the struggle. So, you have a situation where when there is war, nobody tells a blind man; when there is war, nobody tells the man that is deaf. When you see people running and you don’t hear, nobody will tell you to run. When you hear the noise of people running and you’re blind, you will know something is happening. So, what we are working on now is to create the kind of situation where we’ll have interface with the political parties. The period is still far. At the appropriate time, we’ll know what to do. The strategy is within us where the political parties will be adequately informed of the situation on ground. As we speak right now, in Bayelsa State, our membership is over 200,000.

So, as we speak right now, Sam, CDDB has a conservative membership of 200,000 and above. With that membership, it will be very, very risky for any political party in Bayelsa State to ignore us. It will be very, very risky for any political party to Only one political party will ignore us, the political party that is not ready to win the next election. And so, at the appropriate time, we will show to the political parties in this state the strength and the stuff we are made of. And the idea is when the people that are going to elect the governor on Election Day tell you this is the person we like to elect, ignore them. When you ignore them, on Election Day, you will look for them.

Vote-buying has become a serious issue; how do you think that this can be addressed?

You know this issue of vote-buying has been a matter I have personally taken interest in. Vote-buying happens in different ways all across the country. I remember Obama’s election; the Blacks in America took it personal. They were very, very personal about Obama’s election and I know the kind of things they did. I will tell you about one particular association, Association of Community Organisers (ACO).

It’s an association of black people that

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Politics extends to every community and Obama was their lawyer, who was doing things with them. So, when Obama entered the stage to contest the election, they took it as their personal project. You know what they did? These people were going from house to house to go and assist people to go and register to a point where they were giving them resources to go and register.

So, when a person is very, very poor; the person lacks the ability to even go to the voting centre to vote, what do you do?

You assist the person to pay transport and to get logistics to the venue. That is vote-buying. On Election Day, Obama’s camp made buses available, what you call coaches, made them available for people to transport themselves from one point to where they were going to vote.

Most of the students were on campuses, they didn’t have the resources to get to their polling units. Buses were provided, coaches were provided to take them to those places. Vote buying. Then while they were in queues waiting to vote, people were given lunch packs. Vote-buying.

Now, the question you’ll ask yourself: if you assist your voter to get to the venue of polling, what do you call that? Is that a crime? Or is that part of your campaign?

There is something they call GOTV on Election Day, get out the voter. It’s part of every campaign strategy including our campaign in CDDB. On Election Day, we’ll develop and design a strategy to get our voters out. This over 200,000 people that we have in our fold; how do we get them out on Election Day? The strategy is there.

Therefore, vote-buying of a thing is both positive and negative. When a man is set to vote for Mr. Peter because he believes that Mr. Peter can help him, it’s all about who can make your life better, that is the truth. And, on Election Day, Mr. Jones gives him N10 but Mr. Peter gives him nothing, and based on the N10 he collects from Mr. Jones, he votes for Mr. Jones, votebuying has become negative. On the other hand, he has made up his mind based on research to vote Mr. Jones and Mr. Jones on Election Day helps him to get to the voting centre, even though there is no movement in our context here in Nigeria, how do you get to your voting centre? You might need to get to your voting centre a day before. Mr. Jones now says, take, go to the voting place tomorrow and cast your vote for me my supporter; and as you are going, take this bread, take this plate of rice, take this lunch pack and eat. So, you see how vote buying works; voter inducement, in the real sense, it works negatively and positively. What we have resolved today is how to make sure our electors, our voters who have decided to vote for our choice are made to come out that day.

So, I tell people, if people collect money to vote for the right person, it is not a sin because you cannot eliminate collecting money. What you can do is to properly guide it and mitigate it. Now, with time, you see, our political development is still very, very low especially when it comes to democracy and election: it’s still very, very low. We are still a primitive society in Nigeria. Democracy, up till now, does not mean much to the average Nigerian.

Democracy is a culture, you understand.

So, it will get to a point where the average Bayelsa man, the average Nigerian man will not need to be induced to vote, but

we are not there yet. It will take us close to a hundred years to get to that point.

But, as it is now, what we can do now is to collectively use what is wrong to achieve what is right.

Are Jonathan and Dickson in CDDB project?

Now, I’ll tell you something very, very clear. Both are two PDP leaders in this state. We’ll have to set up some criteria to know who the senior leader is, but the two of them are leaders. We can say one is the senior leader, one is the junior leader. But it’s difficult to bring a man that is in power under a man that is not in power. If not, we can conveniently say that Goodluck Jonathan is the leader of PDP in the state while the governor is next. Between the two of them, they want a person that will make them proud. Now, in 2015, Goodluck supported Seriake Dickson. I am sure as things are going now, he must have some satisfaction that the man he supported, to an extent, is doing certifiable things well. In the same vein, what will make Dickson sleep well after his regime is a man that can do better than him. The moment a man begins to do better than Dickson, Dickson takes the glory; that’s what people don’t know. So, this idea of trying to bring in somebody that will protect your interest is analog. There are examples that I can give you that happened in Kenya and Zambia, but I won’t go into that because they’ll take our time. But, the truth is this; it is in Dickson’s interest to work and support a man that can perform, a man that has the right character, the right training and the right experience.

And, that is Reuben Okoya. The man has the right character, the right training, the right experience. I challenge anybody to a debate to convince me otherwise. I challenge anybody in Bayelsa State to a debate to say no, this person has better character, better training, better experience. I challenge anybody. Therefore, Goodluck Jonathan and Seriake Dickson, as we speak, are doing one thing. They are observing the political space and they are watching how the people are preparing for the next election. They have learnt their lesson.

Dickson said something somewhere. He said gone are the days that you impose

candidates on the party, that only those that are electable from the people, from now on, would fly the party’s flag: and that is an intelligent talk, very, very intelligent talk because he now understands that it is the people. The days of writing results in some covens and in some caves are gone with the advent of the card reader and that thing called accreditation. They have completely changed the political game in Nigeria, and Goodluck Jonathan must take that credit for life as the man who came to change the political process of Nigeria with the introduction of the card reader and accreditation.

What am I saying? The two of them will support the man Bayelsa people have chosen. Bayelsa people today, are in a conversation among themselves on who they think can better their lot. And as we speak, their conversation centers around Reuben Okoya.

Today, it’s either they have finished talking about Reuben Okoya, they are talking about Reuben Okoya or they are about to talk about Reuben Okoya. Why is it like that? There’s no other person that is coming up. There is no other person that is coming up that is interacting with the community, and interacting with the people. They are still playing the old politics of endorsement. Contrary to what people think, it is not godfathers that are the problem, it is god sons who are not ready to do anything. They just want to be endorsed. So, Goodluck Jonathan, as the leader of PDP in the state and Seriake Dickson as the leader of PDP in the state, both of them will back the man that Bayelsa people are rooting for.

Do you think Bayelsa is measuring up to states like Lagos and Rivers, or what does it take for Bayelsa to do so, if it is not there yet?

You will agree with me that a governor does not develop a state, the people do.

The governor will only provide the right and conducive atmosphere. The question you should be asking is, are Bayelsa people ready to move their state from where it is to where it ought to be? Do they have the capacity; do they have the capability to do it? Are Bayelsa people set to transform their state? The answer is yes. Where the

people are today, it will be very difficult to hold them back. I’ll tell you one thing, from 1999 till date; Bayelsa people have been alienated from their state. A classic case of the principle of alienation by Karl Max, where the worker is alienated from everything that is happening in the company.

The principle of alienation. Bayelsa people have been alienated. Bayelsa people are not put in reckoning and that is why when Bayelsa man wants to make money, he makes money from the state and he takes it out. He doesn’t see this state as a place he should put his money. There are people that do not live in Bayelsa State, but they make money in Bayelsa State. They take the money out. Things are changing. Bayelsa people today are waiting for the kind of man that will inspire them.

Now, coming to the man that we are talking about, Reuben Okoya; Reuben Okoya has the capacity to build, but he cannot force Bayelsa people to build. He has the capacity to transform the physical condition of Bayelsa State. Who is going to transform the spiritual condition of the people, the social condition of the people? It is the people themselves. The Bible says, if you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land. What we are doing today in Bayelsa is to create the kind of society that will make the people and the government work together to achieve progress and development. Let it be bottom-top approach. The people have a problem. They approach their government, their government brings resources to solve the problem, the people achieve their life goals and the government takes the credit. The whole essence is for government to help people achieve their life goals. You don’t take a road to a place where the people are not ready to buy cars. You don’t take a road to a place where the people don’t have anything to do with the road. So, you go to the people.

When they tell you we need road to carry our things from here to the market, we need road to take our business, to take our talent from where we are to where we can make money from it; you give them a road. The people tell you, look we need water so that we can produce palm wine, we need water so that we can produce iced water, we need water so that we can take care of ourselves; you give them water. That is what development is all about, and today, Bayelsa people have learnt their lesson. After these number of years in democracy, and years as a state to a point where - Reuben is only coming as a catalyst to trigger that development that will take Bayelsa beyond Lagos. I tell you one thing, Bayelsa will complete with Lagos after eight years of Reuben.

Bayelsa will compete with any state in Nigeria after eight years because I know what the man carries. I know what the man carries in him and all Bayelsa people need to do is to key into his leadership. He leads, people must follow. A leader does not push, that is the problem. He doesn’t come behind and push you. He is in front of you is showing you the way, but the discretion is yours whether to follow or not to follow. If you follow him, then he takes you to the place where you will actualise your dream. So, this is the atmosphere that I see in the state now; a collaboration between the people and the political class for development.

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Politics Cross-carpeting politicians will switch again at the sight of more money – Fasehun Frederick Fasehun, a former national chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and founder of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) and presently a national leader of the Green Party (GP), in this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, says next year’s general election in the country would not be credible with the present composition of the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He also spoke on sundry issues in the polity. Excerpts:

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What is your view on the wave of defections in the country? ell, Nigerian politicians have not been steady and concerted; right from the days of our forefathers there have been defections, change of platform and parties, what is happening now is not strange.

It is however, a sad story that is being told ones again, I hope this does not result to anarchy because if it does, anarchy would remain in our political system for a long time.

I am praying that the present government can resolve; can cure the disease of anarchy that is inherent in our political life.

Do you think these defections could lead to the demise of the APC? I don’t think so. This will not lead to the demise of the APC. The APC ones boasted that they have the national authority, but their popularity is not something to write off like that. The popularity that helped them to power is still there, those who helped them to power are still there but I think the APC will struggle to retain power after the 2019 general election.

What is your view about the defection of the Senate President and his ordeal with the APC? Saraki is not somebody you can toy with, he has history behind him and he has learnt various lessons from people around him and even in the current Senate you cannot write off Saraki in the game.

He has the know-how, can you remember how many times they have tried to deal with him and they could not? He remains firm, a lot of people were of the opinion that he would be removed anyhow, but you can see he is solid.

The opposition politicians claim they are being targeted by the current administration?

Democracy without a strong opposition is not a strong democracy; democracy should have a strong opposition.

This is what makes them strong political parties; the opposition parties will rise up in the power struggle; That is what makes people like Saraki a power you cannot wave aside, he is a solid rock. He remains a force.

Whatever you may think,

defections in the country lead to anarchy, he has the right to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.

Would that not lead to a major problem?

The problem from that action would only be temporary. It is only real anarchy that would result in loss of lives and property.

And Buhari has to look at that option, with what is currently happening in the country.

Fasehun

with the defections in the Senate, he has remained firm. Even the president you may think that with the wave of defections he would run away but he has remained strong.

Are you surprised that the APC is experiencing this signs of disintegration a few years after its formation?

I am surprised because when the party was being founded, we saw old politicians who we thought had learnt their lessons gather themselves to form the party, but look at what is happening to them. The party that should introduce true democracy is failing again.

How do you react to the coalition of opposition parties’ alliance against the APC? I don’t think much of them; all you need to do is to give out some millions of naira and people would change their views overnight.

The politicians in place have not spent enough money to sustain their positions; I think as the general election comes, people would think twice about the parties they jettison. Let’s watch, I think as the general election approaches, they would change their views, Nigerian politicians are not to be trusted.

Nigerians politicians are not steady; it is the same politicians that have practised in our political scene for a long time that are still there. We have waited for the youth for a long time to take over power, but they have not. If

things don’t change it may result to anarchy and anarchy is not good for any society.

But your party, the Green Party, is said to have joined the coalition?

It is not true, we are not part of their coalition, our party is new and we want to bring in change.

We are interested in next year’s elections and we would have candidates who would contest the election. People have defected from a ruling party in 24 hours before an election, this is our characteristic, as it is, no party can say we are in power we can hit it soon.

Do the current killings across the country bother you?

The killings bother me, politicians are human beings and humans are afraid of insecurity that would lead to loss of lives and property, that is why some us have been thinking of setting up a university of security and management technology; no nation except Poland has it. It is important because of what we are going through as a nation.

If we have this kind of institution in place in the country, people can go and learn and they would be authorities in their field. Some of these boys who go to schools, they come out after three months and they are given cutlasses to go and kill.

What about funding, how are you copying?

We don’t have the funds being thrown around by typical politicians but we would compete with the rest.

No politician wants to come without attempting the presidency. We will compete for elections, we are not saying that Buhari should stand alone as the Presidential candidates next year, we would compete.

Nobody wins an election without trying.

How do you react to the increasing incidences of votebuying in recent elections?

That is part of anarchy building up, what we are doing currently does not comply with democratic practices in terms of democracy. We have lost several lives in this country while fighting for democracy.

Expectedly, many countries are warning us against the current killings and kidnappings and so far, Nigeria has not learnt from the past. Nobody is interested in praying that Nigeria should end up in crisis.

We won the fight against anarchy but now, we have fallen back again. But what we are hoping is that God is listening.

There are churches all over the place and the scene is becoming more confusing, the parties need to sit up.

There are worries in some quarters that next year’s election may not hold?

I am one of those who think that if these pre-election issues do not break us or lead to total anarchy, Nigeria will survive.

Buhari has the right as the sitting president, to postpone the elections. If these killings and

Can INEC as presently constituted conduct credible elections?

I don’t think the general election next year would be credible. INEC has not been able to conduct free and fair elections in the country over the years; except Buhari would change the leadership before the elections.

They have been saying they are committed to conducting credible polls, personally, I think that is farfetched.

The youths and women are worried and the international community has said they are not comfortable coming to do business with us as things are presently.

If you are to advise the Presidential candidates, what are the issues they should give priority?

True democracy, unflinching democracy, we have been fighting for it for years, we have not had it but it is good we have some level of it now; the present administration can do more.

But the problem has remained with us; the politicians are spoiling the system. Must you accept bribes? Look at the kind of money our politicians are carrying around, it is damaging the system.

The president has been talking about change, but it seems the more he talks, the more we are corrupt and the system goes from bad to worse.

What is your view on the antigraft war of the present administration?

The administration has been fighting corruption but in Nigeria corruption is a systemic problem. It is bad and it seems it is getting worse and still. I want the President to do more; right now it seems the more he is talking about it, the worse it gets.

Someone should be in charge.

Personally, I think there should be more prosecution of people.

We are not seeing enough. I believe this is where the administration should focus on in the anti-graft war.

You have been one of the advocates of restructuring. How desirable is it in view of our recent challenges?

We have been copying what we call the America and British democracy. Nigeria has not been able to develop its own democratic system; maybe we can do that through restructuring.

We went to that constitutional conference several years ago and billions of naira was spent and we did not get it right.

Here we are, still talking about restructuring, several years after independence.

How long do we have to wait?

When are we going to have a structure that gives us the kind of democracy we want? The lawmakers are not keen on this.

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Politics Poverty, monetary inducement and 2019 general election

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JAMES KWEN, Abuja

merging facts are indicating that the 2019 general election would be underpinned by, among other determinants, poverty and monetary inducement.

This is as the recent Ekiti governorship election and the byelections in Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi states were reported to have been characterised by monetary inducement of poor voters who consider the selling of their fundamental human right of exercising their franchise as a money making venture.

This ugly and unfortunate phenomenon is not unconnected with the acute level of poverty in Nigeria. According to a report by Brookings Institution on June 25, 2018, Nigeria has taken over as the nation with the highest number of extremely poor people.

Brookings Institution stated that Nigeria has 200 million people living in poverty and the number of Nigerians in extreme poverty increases by six people every minute.

The report said: “According to our projections, Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extremely poor people in early 2018, and the Democratic Republic of Congo could soon take over the number 2 spot.

“At the end of May 2018, our trajectories show that Nigeria had about 87 million people in extreme poverty, compared with India’s 73 million. What is more, extreme poverty in Nigeria is growing by six people every minute, while poverty in India continues to fall”.

It has been discovered that in the recent times, Nigerian politicians, particularly the moneybags, have taken undue advantage of this despicable situation to indulge in what is commonly known as vote-buying which is against the law (the Electoral Act, 2010).

According to the Act, “A person who - (a) corruptly by himself or by any other person at any time after the date of an election has been announced, directly or indirectly gives or provides or pays money to or for any person for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or any other person to vote or refrain from voting at such election, or on account of such person or any other person having voted or refrained from voting at such election.

“Or (b) being a voter, corruptly accepts or takes money or any other inducement during any of

Yakubu

the period stated in paragraph (a) of this section, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or 12 months imprisonment or both”.

But in outright disobedience to this legal provision, monetary inducement or vote-buying has continued to characterise the nation’s elections with concrete evidence that the situation in the 2019 general election could even be worse.

Gram Matenga, senior programme officer, Africa & West Asia International IDEA, observed that “money has become a dominant, determinant factor in Nigeria’s politics. The poor are likely to be victimised by votebuying because their limited means makes them susceptible to material inducements, including offers of basic commodities or modest amounts of money.

“Vote-buying, in its literal sense, is a simple economic exchange – candidates ‘buy’ and electorates ‘sell’ votes, as they buy and sell goods and services.

In vote-buying transactions in Nigeria, voters are usually offered money, commodities such as food or clothing, and jobs.”

Matenga further said: “In the context of Nigerian ballot secrecy, political parties often develop clever ways to monitor votebuying agreements. Realising the challenge of defection by voters on Election Day and in an effort to ensure value for money, some political parties have devised countering mechanisms.

“For example, politicians in connivance with electoral officers influence the creation of congested polling centres that will allow for monitoring of how people vote. In this regard political ‘party agents’ are hired and placed at strategic locations very close to the ballot boxes to see which party a voter has voted before payment.”

That was the scenario that underpinned the most recent elections in Nigeria which signaled what to be expected in 2019 general election, beginning with the Ekiti governorship election where both local and international observers decried high level of cash-and-carry voting pattern.

At the end of the Ekiti poll for instance, the Nigerian civil society groups accused the leading political parties- the All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s

The extent and ‘brazenness’ of the practice raised concerns that elections were being ‘monetised with impunity’

Democratic Party (PDP) of buying votes.

Both the APC and the PDP were alleged to have paid voters amount of money raging between N3,000 to N5,000, respectively.

Clement Nwankwo, convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room coalition of groups said the monitors “observed widespread financial inducement and votebuying in and around several of the polling units. The major political parties were very much culpable in this breach”.

“The extent and ‘brazenness’ of the practice raised concerns that elections were being ‘monetised with impunity’. This trend portends grave danger to Nigeria’s democracy, as it undermines the responsibility of citizens to freely choose their leaders and threatens the essence of democracy”, he stated.

Moreso, International observers also said cash inducements had replaced ballot box-stuffing as a practice because of the introduction of handheld devices to read biometric voter identity cards.

Some analysts attributed the trend to a desperation on the part of the APC to stay in power and high rate of poverty among the voting population.

Joe Okei-Odumakin of the Women Arise for Change Initiative said poverty was to blame in a state where public sector workers had not been paid for several months.

She said people’s heads had been turned by “wads of naira” rather than political issues and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intervene.

“This kind of cash-for-vote practice makes a mockery of our democracy and INEC must stop the trend before the next elections,” she added.

Again, in Ekiti, some of the voters including even the educated civil servants who are impoverished due to non-payment of salaries were financially induced to vote for candidates of the leading parties.

In what appeared like a true confession, a couple who are civil servants confided in BusinessDay on the condition of anonymity that they received alert of N3000 from their bank accounts from the state government prior to the election.

The wife said: “I was shocked and confused when I received alert on Thursday evening. I was expecting at least two months’ salary out of seven months government owes us. I called a colleague in our office who told

me the money was to mobilise us to vote for the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Kolapo Olusola.

“My husband also received alert of N3000. Also my husband’s cousin who had picked employment forms from the state government also received N1500 alert”.

Also a voter who simply identified herself as Lydia and her family were in their compound when they got information that the state government was sharing N4000 to anybody with PVC and ready to vote for Olusola.

“I put off the cooking stove and rushed to the Old Governor’s office, where my ward was getting the money with our relations and collected N4000 each,” she said.

According to her, “We filled a form where they got our PVC numbers. I called my husband to inform him not to miss the largesse; he also collected. I convinced the two boys staying with us to drop that money with me to clear some debts and they gladly did so”.

But unknown to them the cash bazaar was not over as they were treated to another round of financial inducement by the APC that did not adopt the “pre-method” of the PDP .

She added that, “On Saturday, I was at Okesa polling unit as early as 6 .45 am. I met a long queue.

A neighbour pointed at an APC agent who had promised to give N5000 if we can show him our ballot that we voted for his party.

I promised him and told my relatives not to make mistake of missing the N5000.

“So if you calculate how much our PVCs fetched us between Thursday and Saturday, we got N45000. You know I got N12000 from both parties, so also my husband and our two siblings received N10, 500 each”, Lydia stated.

The Ekiti situation was not too different from the National Assembly by-elections in Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi states where APC won but PDP kicked with allegations of electoral fraud bordering on vote-buying or monetary inducement of voters.

Hamza Akuyan, Bauchi State chairman of PDP, alleged that there was widespread vote-buying during the exercise, stressing that, “APC-led government officials openly lured citizens with cash for their votes.”

“Votes were sold for anything between N1000 up to N5,000 – simply put, the ballot paper became the most sought-after commodity in the zone during the exercise”, Akuyan stated.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Politics

Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transport

Governor Nyesom Wike

Ahead 2019:

Verbal salvos resume in Rivers

…Wike has done nothing; he is sustained by the press – Dakuku Peterside … You have no chance; elections are not won in the media – Emma Okah IGNATIUS CHUKWU

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Introduction: he political atmosphere in Rivers State seemed normal or dull for weeks until the man from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dakuku Peterside, who contested against Governor Nyesom Wike (People’s Democratic Party) in 2015, passed through his home state and threw jabs and stirred the hornet’s nest.

Peterside, now the DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), threw his usual verbal salvo (from a seemingly fearless heart) at the roof of the Brick House in Port Harcourt. The man meant to deflect such explosive scud missiles, the Commissioner of Information, Emma Okah, returned the fire immediately, and the political atmosphere exploded in a staccato of verbal bombardments. Peterside wanted Rivers people to look up

for rescue just by May 2019, but Okah reminded him of 2015.

Peterside thinks his home state government has failed on all indices of assessment but the more he said Wike failed, the more popular he became in the media. The management expert now branched home to find out what formula makes a leader to shine while he failed more and more. In fact, he stated that the economy of home state has been managed into a toxic status. Okah countered, saying the present administration was rather healing the economy from the scars of Peterside’s principal. Okah also asked what Nigerians would think of the federal economy managed by Peterside’s party.

Below are the excerpts: Dakuku: Gentlemen of the press, are you people not aware that Rivers State is sliding? Why then is Governor Wike’s image blooming? Can you people in the press show us how this is so? Rivers State is the least in all indices, but

the administration is being made to look rather popular.

Transparency index shows the state is the least. No project is advertised, budgets are never

Primary education sector is dead, healthcare has collapsed, but he would say he built a College of Medicine in UST (now RSU). Rivers State economy is dead

in the public domain, from 2016 to 2018. I have challenged anybody to show me any of Wike’s budgets.

The common talk on the streets is that Governor Wike may have closed all leaking pipes but he is the pipeline that now leaks. He controls all spending; he is the awarding authority, he is the supervising authority, and he is the executing authority. All others in his cabinet are mere watchers.

In fact, some commissioners cannot pay children’s school fees. It is that bad.

Why then is the press singing his praise or silent over these deeds? Deaths in his cabinet show that he does not care for his team. This is the position of some persons in his cabinet. He is not a planner. He has no blue print.

Wike does not have any plan anywhere that states where he is taking Rivers State to. It’s brick and mortar system of administration.

Primary education sector is dead, healthcare has collapsed, but he would say he built a Col-

lege of Medicine in UST (now RSU). Rivers State economy is dead. In businesses, firms are leaving the state. A business guru I met in Lagos joked that Wike is making everybody leave, that he is also making himself to leave (in 2019).

Dakuku’s concerns: The true picture of what Wike is doing is not in the media. So, why has everybody kept quiet?

Evil thrives and press is quiet?

What is wrong? Investment climate is toxic. Nobody can bring any new investment to Rivers State due to insecurity and the state government policies; see the way he extracts taxes, see his unfriendly policies, see the lack of opportunity for youths, etc.

Check the hotels and you would discover that occupancy rate has dropped. The Hotel Presidential is now struggling, Le Meridien is struggling, Novotel, etc. all are struggling. The State Government is not looking at such key indices; there is no single investment that is

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Politics We have not agreed on who will run for APC in Rivers State, and our group is a place of consensus.

We work as a team.

So, I cannot begin to do what some other persons in some other states who have got the nod are doing in terms of executing their agenda

Dakuku Peterside

coming in. The housing sector is zero; the Gov Wike is sustained only by the press.

Every Rivers fund is pumped into the judiciary, federal judicial institutions.

The few projects being done are in state capital: Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor. Check out two key indicators: Federal allocation and debt service ratio. The ratio of funds coming in and what has been done is almost 95 to five per cent. The state is getting more than the past administration got but is doing nothing with it.

(The press tried to dispute this).

Debt servicing is done and so, debt is mounting. Rivers State has moved from one of the least indebted states to one of the highest indebted states, by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) figures.

Crime rate is highest in Rivers, always ahead of even Lagos.

(A journalist disagreed on this but the DG dug into his bag of confidential accesses). I am a member of the body where the police submit reports per month.

Until the last two months when I did not attend, Rivers was the highest. The state distorts facts.

Politics: I am totally sold out to the battle of making Wike history on May 29, 2019, not minding who would be the governorship candidate of the APC. For now, our common goal is to remove Wike. For now, it is not about self but about saving Rivers State by removing Wike; and that we must accomplish.

Challenges in NIMASA When confronted on what he has done in his place of primary

assignment to show greater capacity to deliver, he said: The Treasury Single Account (TSA) makes federal executives to operate under very stringent financial processes that the states do not face. The TSA is now in place, making it difficult to do some things fast. Note that NIMASA is the single most policed federal agency; the DSS and EFCC are permanent in NIMASA, not because of me but because of what happened in the past. It is good for the nation. People must learn to operate under caution.

For achievements, they are huge. We have totally reformed NIMASA. President Buhari came to Calabar and when he shook hand with me, he said to everybody’s hearing; I am extremely proud of what you have done in NIMASA. A lot has been put in place. It’s a total transformation that has been executed there to the evident admiration of those who monitor the place, and the Presidency. That explains why President Buhari shook hands with me vigorously in Calabar.

Responses to questions on Rivers’ politics We have not agreed on who will run for APC in Rivers State, and our group is a place of consensus. We work as a team. So, I cannot begin to do what some other persons in some other states who have got the nod are doing in terms of executing their agenda. The day that decision is taken in Rivers State, you will see the result.

Yes, we have issues in the APC in Rivers State about unity but the national body is looking into it. Soon, you will hear from them.

The division in the Rivers APC is

just five per cent in disagreement and 95 per cent in agreement. In 2015, the PDP in the state was divided into 50-50 going into elections with many of the riverine fighting against the Wike candidature, yet, Wike had his way, in a manner not satisfactory to the rules.

So, APC has a big chance: Nobody can stop the APC by going to court and the case a group, in APC, took to court is not going to stop the party. In the worst case scenario, the party can set up a caretaker committee to conduct the primaries that would

Emma Okah

produce our candidates, that is even if the case in court poses any problems in terms of legitimacy of the present state executives.

On completing projects started by his predecessor: I am not against completing old projects by new administrations but credit must be given to those who started it. That is the way it is done. Can anyone name one single project that Wike has started and completed? The Airport Link Road to Obiri Ikwerre was not started by Wike. The heaviest work was underground drainage system. Wike tarred the surface. The Peter Odili-Akpajo Road was suggested by Prince Uche Secondus to Amaechi and I was the commissioner of works then. We had to take helicopter flight to do aerial survey of where the bridge would be. Why are they now taking credit for it?

The Minister of Transportation commissioned projects last month and gave credit to the previous administration that moved it forward after Obasanjo regime failed to do much on it. I, as DG of NIMASA, I have always given credit to my predecessor because he did some good things. He made the NLNG to start paying money; he started the scheme that sent 2000 persons for training abroad, etc. The Amaechi government built five flyovers in three years, but Wike has not built one. Dr. Odili did the most in power so far. Wike has no idea where he is taking the state to. He has even admitted it often.

On frequent boat mishaps in the Niger Delta and death of Joe Blankson: Boat mishaps worry me too but it’s a matter for the NIWA, the Inland waterways authority.

NIMASA is upping our game to help NIWA in that aspect. I as a person am giving out 1000 life

jackets to Rivers State.

Destruction of parallel APC secretariat in PH: I join in condemning it. The APC boss in the state has also said the security agencies should fish out the perpetrators and punish them. This shows that the APC chairman was not party to it.

Also, the leader of the party in the region, the minister of transportation did not order any such action, and that I can assure you. That is not his style.

Erecting the parallel secretariat is wrong, but taking the law into one’s hand by destroying it is also not good. We hear there are some disagreements within them over NDDC contracts or so. We do not know who destroyed the secretariat.

Emma Okah fires back for Gov Wike The Rivers State Government has called on Dakuku Peterside to stop deluding himself that he can beat Gov Nyesom Wike in 2019 because elections are not won in the media. In 2015, even with a sitting state governor, he lost in his local government area.

What has changed for him that will make APC overtake the giant achievements of Gov Wike? With a party in perpetual crisis, the only hope is violence as the state saw last on Aba Road a few days ago ( destruction of a parallel office of the APC). He has a k-leg and should work towards rebuilding his party from the abyss that it has been in the state.

The claim that the various factions of APC will team up to win the 2019 elections in Rivers State is wishful thinking, existing only in the imagination of Peterside.

In the 2015 and the rerun elections that followed, was the APC divided when they lost to PDP? On investors leaving the State; Dakuku Peterside should have told us about the millions of jobs lost in Nigeria since his party came to power in 2015. On the contrary, Rivers State has continued to make a difference.

Economic indicators show that the IGR of the state has increased since 2015. In less than a year, Gov Wike has signed more Land certificates (C/Os) and consents than the previous government signed in eight years. Tax reforms have eliminated double taxation.

Security is being tackled head-on and the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is receiving attention.

Funding of security is a priority despite the lack of cooperation from a section of the police.

Massive infrastructure projects create jobs and have multiple effects on the economy but unfortunately Dakuku is too bitter, too unaware of developments to know that.

On priority of projects, let Dakuku be told that RSG owes him no apology as the governor is rebuilding the state from the sorry state the APC left it in 2015.

The APC cannot distract us; they must tell Rivers people what the APC government has brought to Rivers State before they can boast of winning elections.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Politics Imo 2019: Only right candidate will guarantee APGA’s victory ...loss may spell imminent death for party CHUKS OLUIGBO

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he wave of optimism that has been sweeping across the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State over the party’s chances of winning the state in 2019 is not abating. As the days go by, and as the 2019 elections draw nearer, more and more citizens of the state continue to bet on APGA to occupy Douglas House, the state’s seat of power, next year, with many political analysts tipping the party as the one to beat in the coming election.

This optimism is not misplaced. Keen observers of developments in the state are of the view that despite being the ruling party in the state in the last five-plus years, the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) retaining the governorship seat beyond May 2019 are very slim. Beyond the war of succession rocking the party, which pitched Governor Rochas Okorocha against his deputy, Eze Madumere, culminating in the latter’s impeachment recently, the APC has never been and may never be fully accepted by the people of the South-East. What the party is enjoying now is forced acceptance dictated by survival instinct. On top of that, the party’s performance, at the state and federal level, has been nothing but abysmal.

On its part, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has been in coma since Ikedi Godson Ohakim, the state governor 2007-2011, being power-drunk, misused his mandate and bungled the opportunity to re-establish the party as the dominant player in the state’s politics. Imo State was nearly 100 percent PDP during the eight-year (1999-2007) rule of Achike Udenwa, until internal crisis set in over who would fly the party’s flag in the 2007 election in the state. The ensuing battle for the soul of PDP in the state, which tore the party to shreds in the following years, is well documented and the party is still reeling from the resultant self-inflicted injury.

As for the other parties, well, not many Imo citizens would consider them as being in existence in the state.

Many pundits are, therefore, of the view that God has positioned APGA for serious assignment in Imo State – to rescue the state from its present quagmire so that it can move on again.

“Two things are involved in this 2019 election: one is integrity and the other one is governance. APC lacks integrity and true governance and that is what APGA has come to offer to Imo people,” Sam Amadi, a former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and a governorship aspirant, said in February.

Historically, APGA is said to have always been in pole position to win elections in Imo State, and some keen observers believe that the party actually won the 2007 governorship election in the state.

“It is a fact that APGA in Imo State still retains enormous support from the Imo populace. It is the party that took Rochas Okorocha to Government House in 2011. APGA nearly made Martin Agbaso governor if not that powerful forces who had denied the party of victory in the past also frustrated his victory. That tells the

Victor Oye

strength of APGA in Imo,” John Osuji, a political analyst, said in a recent article.

Rochas Okorocha, the incumbent governor of the state, won the governorship seat in 2011 on the APGA platform but, propelled by a rather nebulous ambition to run in the 2015 presidential election, defected to the then newly-formed APC in 2013.

When he came to power, Okorocha had called on Imo citizens and Ndigbo in general to join APGA, which he said was a distinct political party that the Igbo passionately believed in and followed like a religion.

“All Igbo should join APGA for us to be identified, it is our culture. Every Igbo man is APGA before any other party,” he had said.

A nubile beauty As this optimism grows, therefore, further boosted by the quality leadership APGA has provided in Anambra State in the last 13 years, the party in Imo State has become the beautiful bride, attracting high quality aspirants to its fold.

Till date, the number of aspirants vying for APGA’s governorship ticket in the state continues to swell, a development some political observers see as signalling the high level of acceptance of the party in the state which, if properly harnessed, could translate into electoral victory for the party in 2019.

Prominent among these aspirants are Frank Nneji, chief executive officer, ABC Transport; Chidi Okoro, a former managing director/CEO of UAC Foods Limited; Okey Ezeh, CEO of Savvycorp Limited; Sam Amadi, a former chairman of NERC, and so on.

But although APGA enjoys immense goodwill of the mass of Imo people, political analysts believe that victory won’t be served the party on a platter. They say unless APGA in the state gets its acts together and ensures the emergence of the right candidate as its flag-bearer in the forthcoming 2019 governorship election in the state, it risks losing a golden opportunity that destiny has placed on its laps.

Quality of candidate matters A prominent APGA chieftain in Imo State

who does not want his name mentioned told this writer that apart from being in turmoil, the other parties in the state have been tried and they failed, and right now they don’t have the right candidates.

Consequently, Imo people have turned their attention to APGA to come in and turn things around.

APGA, he said, remains the frontrunner in the 2019 Imo governorship race as it holds the hearts and minds of Imo people.

He said, however, that APGA must not be under the illusion that once it puts up any candidate, that candidate would go on to win the governorship election in the state as the people expect the party to present the right kind of candidate that they will all rally around in order to turn Imo around.

If APGA truly wants to win Imo in 2019, he said, then the party must work through its machinery to ensure that only the right candidate flies its flag. He said the electorate would vote APGA only if the party presents a candidate that is ready, prepared, understands the issues and can design solutions to those issues, adding that anything short of that would spell doom for the party.

“The candidate the party brings has to be superior in everything. He has to have a background, a track record. He has to be competent. We need to know who he is and what he has done in his life. He has to show he understands what governance

The candidate the party brings has to be superior in everything.

He has to have a background, a track record. He has to be competent. We need to know who he is and what he has done in his life

means, what building means, because Imo as it is needs rebuilding,” he said.

“It does not matter whether he is from private or public sector, but he has to show track record, show that he understands the issues, not just the symptoms. He needs to understand, for instance, that we need to train more doctors instead of building more hospitals. If we have a candidate that comes in and says the usual clichéd things that the people are used to hearing, Imo people are not going to go with APGA,” he said.

In order to ensure the emergence of the right candidate, the chieftain said, the party needs to do a lot of work in feeling the pulse of the people to understand the kind of candidate they are looking to have in 2019. It must not be business as usual, he said.

“Just like Nigeria, Imo is in dire straits and the Imo electorates are starting to understand that the problem is more intricate than they think. It is no longer about tarring more roads and building more schools. The problems are so complicated that the people know that only the right candidate with very cool head, who is prepared and dedicated to serve, can solve the problems,” he said.

The chieftain warned the party against rooting for the big-man politician with bags of money and a retinue of military and police escorts, and who can donate 1,000 vehicles, saying Imo people are smarter than that.

There have been reports that some aspirants have been throwing money about and donating vehicles to the party for the campaign in order to water the ground for their emergence as the preferred candidates to clinch the APGA ticket.

“Imo people don’t want the big-man politician because they know the big-man politician cannot solve the problems. They are not looking for the typical politician anymore because those people have failed them over and over in the past 20 years.

They are now looking for someone fresh, someone really new, but with the idea to turn the state around. They look at APGA and its aspirants and they see a few people among them that can design solutions and set Imo aright. I think that presents a big opportunity for APGA,” he said.

While not discountenancing the fact that the party needs money to prosecute elections, he frowned at a situation where the party leadership sees aspirants as meal tickets and milks them so much so that they dissipate energy vying for the primaries and end up broke and unable to prosecute the main election.

Why APGA must not miss Imo The APGA chieftain called on the national leadership of the party, headed by Victor Ike Oye, to take the Imo election very seriously, warning that the party faces imminent death if it fails to win Imo next year.

“Looking at APGA, the only governor, Willie Obiano of Anambra State, is in his last term in office. He’ll be out by 2022 and there is no guarantee that APGA will win the next governorship election in Anambra. Imo is a chance for APGA to stay in control of a state and from that state it can expand into other states in the SouthEast and South-South and even the SouthWest and the North. This is a chance that APGA cannot afford to miss,” he said.

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Politics

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here is a general view that all political parties in the country are the same, lacking in clearcut ideology, which is why politicians randomly cross from one to the other. Is this true of your party, the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party?

No. Our party, the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) is built on a solid ideology. Our party is rooted on the triple R of Renewal, Renaissance and Respect.

I shall elaborate on that later.

In what ways would you say the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party is different from the rest of the existing political parties in the country? In other words, why should I as a politician, for instance, leave my current party to join ANRP? Let me begin to answer your question from its corollary. As a politician, you can only leave your current party to join ANRP if you are genuinely dissatisfied with the decadence that is our present order. ANRP is the new order. We are different from the so-called ‘big’ political parties based on the fact that what gave birth to ANRP in the first place is a vehement disdain for the impunity and other acts of administrative recklessness exhibited by those political parties while in power at different times in our political history. ANRP stands for a paradigm shift. In our constitution the ideology of ‘respect’ is clearly enunciated. Through respect for God and the godly, citizens and the unborn generation, we believe the unbridled waste of our natural resources, the reckless abuse of power by political office holders and the total absence of patriotism in our country will end and a new order of national self-esteem restored. ANRP is here to end impunity and only politicians ready to be purged of that cankerworm can board the ship.

The 2019 general elections are almost here. How ready is your party for the elections, considering that many Nigerians may not even know about the existence of the party? Do you even have the structures to go into an election?

Permit me to quickly correct the erroneous impression that our party is not known by many Nigerians. Our party has presence in the 36 states of Nigeria and Abuja.

We held our national congress in the hallowed Eagle Square, Abuja and it was aired by all the major electronic news media in Nigeria. We have hosted some state congresses including Imo, my immediate constituency, and we have already participated impressively in the Ekiti State gubernatorial election. We are currently strategizing to win the Osun State election. We have structures and are continuously expanding them. It is not easy for any political

‘ANRP is on a mission to end the suffering of Imo people’ Chidozie Chukwubuike, poet and playwright, is the spokesman of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP) in Imo State. In this interview with CHUKS OLUIGBO, assistant editor, Chukwubuike, who is also a former chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Imo State chapter, speaks on governance in Imo State, what the ANRP has to offer, and the party’s plans to clinch victory in the 2019 governorship election in the state. rupted, hence we now have good governance and bad governance.

However, to answer your question directly, what we have seen in Imo State since 1999 is anything but governance. In fact, it is a monstrosity. How else can you describe the treatment meted out to retirees and pensioners?

The evil actually predates 1999. It only continued to get worse. Ndi Imo have suffered terribly over the years and ANRP is here to end their suffering.

Chidozie Chukwubuike

party, let alone one that was just licensed in December 2017. We are here to stay. The saying that ideas rule the world is not only true of the business world but also of the political world. ANRP is an ideas party. The 2019 election will throw up shockers for Nigerians. I shall remind you of this foreshadowing soon.

You are the spokesman of the party in Imo State. What is the state of the party in Imo? Would you say the party is on ground?

We are totally on ground in Imo State. This was demonstrated last Saturday when we held our LGA congresses and installed LGA executives. The best minds in Imo State are moving over to our party in droves.

Politicians in Imo are falling over one another to grab the governorship ticket of the other political parties in the state. Do you have a similar experience in the ANRP? Who are your gover-

norship aspirants?

I told you earlier that those that would naturally be attracted to ANRP are those that desire a shift from the status quo. Those you talk about, that is, those politicians falling over one another to grab the governorship ticket of the other political parties, are drowning people in a last struggle for survival. They are afraid of the revolution ANRP represents. We have more than 10 qualitative aspirants who have shown interest in contesting for our party ticket.

One has made his public declaration and that is Professor Alphonsus Njoku Ekwerike. Two others have approached the state EXCO to pick a date for their own declarations. From records available to me, henceforth we shall be having declarations on weekly basis. One thing I urge you to look out for is the quality of men, women and minds we are floating.

Given that APC, PDP and APGA are very strong and very much

on ground in Imo, do you think ANRP has any chances to make it to the Douglas House?

I do not think, I know we shall occupy Douglas House come May 29, 2019. We have our strategy and it is not for the public yet. Ndi Imo are intelligent people and we intend to exploit that intelligence to our advantage in the coming elections. We have our strategies.

We are an ideas party.

How would you describe governance in Imo State since the return to civil rule in 1999? Do you think Imo citizens have enjoyed good governance in the last 19 years?

Governance in itself is not supposed to be qualified. It is originally positive. The idea of governance ab initio evolved to make good, to organize well for common good. So, by qualifying it with the adjective ‘good’, you even partly answered your own question because it implies that the idea of governance has been cor-

Assuming Imo State citizens decide to rally around the candidate of the ANRP in 2019 and the party wins the governorship of the state, what difference is the party going to make in the governance of the state?

First, our government shall end the harassment and gross intimidation of citizens with the paraphernalia of power. We shall force the police in Imo State to stop the criminal extortion of commercial transporters together with its attendant chain effect on the economy of the common people.

Again, together with the police we shall design a security network previously unknown in this part of the world to reduce crime to a manageable proportion and set in motion the machinery that will totally eradicate it. Our party understands the psychology and temperament of Ndi Imo. Those who have failed in the past did so due to lack of proper knowledge of who we are. We shall exploit that knowledge in governance to harness maximally the potentials of Ndi Imo. It is an absurdity that a state with the highest number of professors by current National Universities Commission (NUC) rating is among the worst governed in Nigeria. This is unacceptable. ANRP is here to break that jinx.

If you had an opportunity to address the generality of Imo citizens from a pulpit, what would be your message to them as we go into next year’s elections?

Vote Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party. Do not eat your tomorrow today. Imbibe the spirit of Renewal, Renaissance and Respect in order to harvest Nigeria’s abundance in human and material resources. Our slogan ends with “This is our own”. Vote ANRP. Vote ANRP. Vote ANRP.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

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Politics

Benue guber 2019: The contenders and their quest

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BENJAMIN AGESAN, Makurdi

s political clouds begin to gather towards 2019 general election, different politicians are aspiring for different political positions all over the country. So far, Benue State has 20 governorship candidates from different political parties ranging from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), among many others.

Under PDP, there are 12 aspirants, namely, Samuel Ortom, John Tondo, Terhemen Tarzoor, Felix Atume, Dave Iorhemba, Steven Hwandle, Tivlumun Nyitse, Joe Tor Iorapuu, Paul Orhii, David Ker, Richard Gbanwuan, and Simeon Anchaver. While we have, Titus Zam, Emmanuel Jime, Benjamin Adanyi, Akanger Audu, and Aseman Achado jostling for the APC ticket. There is Hinga Biem under SDP as well as Angya in Labour Party.

Although they appear to have the same ambition of emerging as the governor of the state, they however, have different plans and agendas for the people.

For Samuel Ortom, since he announced his second-term ambition to the state executive committee (SEC) of his party, he has been busy activating all the machinery that would see him grab the PDP governorship ticket and go on to win the governorship election next year.

Pundits say as an incumbent, Ortom’s re-election campaign should be hinged on his scorecard during his first term.

But apart from pockets of success in the fight against insurgency, which in any case has been clouded by the Killings in Benue State, some critics are of the opinion that Ortom’s government has not met their expectations. They rate the administration low on the economy, non-payment of salaries and the fight against corruption.

But Ortom’s supporters argue that the new initiatives introduced by the administration would take a while to manifest.

Aligning themselves with the saying that “With life all things are possible”, the supporters said that the 2017 AntiOpen Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law has granted hope for all Benue people which is the best legacy that every governor can leave for his people.

They also clearly stated that if it is by scorecard, Ortom will clinch his second term bid based on the fact that 11 roads have been completed and commissioned, the declaration of amnesty programme was successful and the rehabilitation/construction of 740 primary schools in the 23 LGA has been completed, among many others.

Ortom supporters explained that the only challenge facing the administration is non-payment of salaries but will soon be looked into. They urged Benue people to support Ortom’s second term bid so that many more good things will come their way.

Pundits insists that Ortom will not be

able to clinch the second term bid because of his misunderstanding with his political godfather who single-handedly introduced him to the APC and made him the governor of the state. They added that non-payment of staff salaries and sack of many state civil servants may count against him.

According to them, Senator George Akume is the only political leader in Benue State since the return of Democracy in the country and he has always been on the same page with the Federal Government and that for that reason, for Governor Ortom to disagree with him shows how uncertain it is for him to return in 2019.

Former Speaker of Benue state House of Assembly Prince Terhemen Tarzor’s ambition is not new at all. This ambition has seen in him since 2015 when he was made the PDP flag bearer in the last governorship election. He is again staging a comeback should the party give him the go-ahead; but pundits are of the opinion that having zoned the governorship ticket to Masev, Ihyarev, Nongov Development Association (MINDA) and Guma Local Government Area in particular, where the incumbent Governor Samuel Ortom comes from, the former speaker’s chances at clinching the ticket are very slim.

Although, Ortom supporters are of the opinion that the former PDP flag bearer will not be able to get the chance of being a standard bearer based on the fact that the 6th Benue Assembly speaker, unlike in the last governorship election where he allegedly maneuvered his way to pick the party’s ticket against the wish of party stakeholders and indeed state leadership of the party, perhaps because of the connection he had with the then powers that be, Tarzor may not enjoy such privilege this time around owing to the fact that he has lost touch with his benefactor and godfather, the former president Goodluck Jonathan, who does not have that enormous influence in determining what happens in the party in the current dispensation.

Tarzor, in addition to losing presidential support and favour which he enjoyed in the last political outing, ostensibly lacks the financial capacity to muscle his way out of the highly contentious ticket coupled with his soured relationship with the masses, especially political stakeholders, since he lost out in the last governorship election.

Pundits say since the last governorship election was won and lost in the state, the PDP flag bearer has never for once deemed it fit to visit any part of the state to thank the PDP family in such an area for supporting his aspiration in the last governorship election and as such, the people may not want to be associated with somebody “full of ingratitude”.

Another former aspirant in the 2015 governorship polls, who was also vice chancellor of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Professor David Iornongo Ker, who also contested on the platform of the PDP, is also set for a fight to finish come 2019. But age appears to be the issue with him. Observers say that

Samuel Ortom

Terhemen Tarzoor

Paul Orhii

Felix Atume

Dave Iorhemba

Tivlumun Nyitse

governors of the state are known to be young men.

Some of the reasons advanced by some opinion leaders and analysts are that giving leadership of the state to somebody that is already above his life expectancy may not be in the best interest of the state.

Moreover, they argue that to entrust leadership of the state to somebody who has too many children that are already awash with modern global trends with tendencies to own choice properties in high brow cities of the world and drive latest cars, development of the state will suffer a great set back.

To place the state on the global map of industrialised and developed states, some chieftains of the former ruling party have suggested that instead of seeking leadership of the state at an age considered to be for statesmen and women, the former commissioner for education should rather use the vast academic knowledge and experience he has acquired over time as two-time Vice Chancellor with financial resources at his disposal to set up a higher institution of learning, perhaps a college of education or polytechnic to further develop manpower in the state.

Tivlumun Nyitse, another former governorship aspirant and former chief scribe in charge of Government House administration under Governor Gabriel Suswam, has also made the list of PDP aspirants seeking leadership of the state in next year’s election.

However, Nyitse, just as uncertainty looms over the former BSU and Verita’s vice chancellor’s candidature on account of age, the seasoned bureaucrat and don at the Bingham University, Abuja, may not grab the party’s ticket based on the fact that already he is far above 50 years of age, an age believed to be “above productive age”.

But the man is seriously qualified for any post given his very robust profile, both in the academic and civil service.

As a permanent secretary in the Government House administration, there was a robust cordial relationship with his boss and then governor of the state, Gabriel Suswam but the immediate past governor may not want to cede power to somebody who by birth is older than him and “whom he may be bowing down to”.

Another factor that pundits argue may deny the Don of his party’s governorship ticket is premised on the fact that just as early disagreement between successors and their predecessors is a common feature in Nigerian politics, there is palpable apprehension that the retired permanent secretary will soon on assumption of office wash off his benefactor and boss, the former governor and leader of the party in the state, Gabriel Suswam in apparent show of his independent-mindedness given his high tech background.

Nyitse, though many argued possesses the credentials to steer the ship of the state, critical stakeholders as well as chieftains in the party will leave no stone unturned to avoid a recurrence of what happened between former governor George Akume and his predecessor Gabriel Suswam where the

latter soon, on assumption of office, the duo became fierce rivals thus, throwing the state into a prolonged bickering.

For engineer Felix Atume, another former PDP governorship hopeful in the last governorship election and former executive secretary, Council for the Regulation of Engineering practice in Nigeria (COREN), there are concerns that the civil engineer may not be development-inclined given the roles he played when he was commissioner for works during the military administration of Col.

Following an advice by former governor Gabriel Suswam to all governorship aspirants under PDP that no aspirant should sell his properties to prosecute his political ambition or expect him to shoulder his governorship campaign financial burden

Titus Zam

Emmanuel Jime

Aminu Isa Kontagor.

Engineer Atume, many within the PDP fold have argued, possesses the requisite credentials to move the state forward if he downplays personal interest, but another grave concern is that he is not known to be a champion of any project that makes for human development, a fact they further buttressed in his inability to meaningfully engage indigenes of the state during his days at the COREN, an opportunity they regretted was wasted at the expense of the state.

In the case of Paul Orhii, the immediate past Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug administration and Control (NAFDAC), his coming into the race is seen as a child’s play and miscalculated priority based on the premise that the governorship seat of the state has been zoned to other part of the state. He has been advised to wait till 2023; an arrangement former governors Orshio Adasu, George Akume and Gabriel Suswam also benefited from.

To others, his coming into the race at this time is more-or-less a glorious home-coming to launch and acquaint himself with his people after a long sojourn abroad for over three decades.

For a feasible, genuine and realisable governorship ambition, analysts advise that the Russian-trained medic should back down his ambition and wait till 2023 when the pendulum will swing to Jechira axis in zone ‘A’ senatorial district of the state.

Although, some are of the view that

Orhii is playing according to the sayings of an elder and a political gladiator, Paul Iorpuu Unongo who in 2011 said, zoning is not a trap set to catch-up on someone, but meant to show love for each other as such, it can be reversed to any bloc so as to get a credible candidate.

The immediate commissioner for Lands and Survey, John Timbee Tondo, is also seeking to clinch the PDP ticket.

Apart from being the youngest on the list of PDP governorship aspirants, maybe except Stephen Hwande, the consultant gynecologist and medical director of First Fertility Hospital Makurdi, whom analysts say is a novice in politics, is among the five new entrants in the governorship race with vast knowledge that observers say may be very interested in modernisation and development.

As commissioner for lands and survey, the land administration policies were adjudged as best with little administrative lapses in areas considered to be infarctions in the past.

Again, following an advice by former governor Gabriel Suswam to all governorship aspirants under PDP that no aspirant should sell his properties to prosecute his political ambition or expect him to shoulder his governorship campaign financial burden, the former commissioner must look well before he leaps. He must count the cost very well before throwing his hat into the ring.

From the foregoing, the Professor of Theatre Arts at the Federal University of Jos, Plateau State, Joe Tor Iorapuu;

Zonal secretary, National Association of Health Workers Union of Nigeria (NAHWUN), Richard Gbawuam and former Benue Assembly speaker now PDP national assistant secretary, Dave Iorhemba, will have to watch the scene carefully to ensure that the coast is clear to avoid wide goose chase.

Following the defection of Governor Samuel Ortom from APC to PDP labeling APC an opposition party in the state, APC is doing its possible best to return to power come 2019. The party parades four (4) governorship aspirants include Emmanuel Jime, Benjamin Adanyi, Titus Zam and Akanger Audu.

Emmanuel Jime’s ambition is not new at all. This ambition has seen him in 2015 which he was almost made the APC flag bearer in the last governorship election. He is again staging a comeback should the party give him the go-ahead but pundits are of the opinion that having zoned the governorship ticket to Masev, Ihyarev, Nongov Development Association (MINDA) and Guma Local Government Area in particular where the incumbent governor Samuel Ortom comes from, he may be likely to clinch.

Another aspirant under APC is Titus Zam who served the state as the Senior Adviser to the Governor on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the current administration.

Pundits argue that Zam may not win the governorship ticket because it has been alleged that he was responsible for the sack and non-payment of state civil servants, especially local government staff while serving as the Adviser for Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

His supporters are of the opinion that, Zam will do well if given the mandate since he has already served the state in a big capacity. They also debunked the insinuation that Zam was responsible for the sack and non-payment of salaries, saying, he was only advising and not taking decision; that the decision to sack was taken by the state executive.

The immediate past majority leader of the 8th Benue Assembly, Benjamin Adanyi and Audu Akanger have to watch the scene very carefully before involving in the race.

Pundits have it that, Both Adanyi and Audu are only canvassing votes for the sake of it, as a bargaining chip for appointments in future.

The Benue state chapter of the Social Democratic party SDP so far has a sole candidate, Hinga Biem whose ambition is not new. Hinga Biem who aspired for the same position in 2015 under the PDP has staged a comeback on different platform.

Pundits argue that the candidate lacks the financial capacity to sponsor himself.

Just like the SDP, the state chapter of Labour Party has Angya as its sole candidate who is likely to fly the flag of the party for governorship election come 2019.

Angya, who is not from the political axis where the governorship ticket is being zoned to, is being looked at as a joker by many.

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Politics

Abia poised to become leader in food production - Amanze ISRAEL AMANZE is the Special Adviser to Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, on agriculture. He was a one-time commissioner for Agriculture; founder, All Farmers Association, Abia; Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Maize Farmers Association, among other positions. In this interview with UDOKA AGWU, in Umuahia, Amanze x-rays the various steps the government of Okezie Ikpeazu has taken to boost agriculture in the state. He also makes some inputs on other national issues. Excerpts:

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s the Special Adviser on Agriculture to the governor, what are the achievements the sector has so far recorded regarding the five pillars of development agenda of the administration?

As an adviser on agriculture, my role is more or less advisory. But I have been participating and working with the Ministry of Agriculture in the state to achieve the dream of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. I have used my experience with the Ministry of Agriculture to achieve some of the objectives by belonging to some of the technical committees to develop policies and order within the last three years.

We have embarked upon some programmes such as: National Egg Production. Anchor Borrowers Scheme, Abattoir Technical Committee and Ogwe Golden Poultry rehabilitation, among others.

Some of them have been fully realised while others are in the pipeline for realisation.

Can you name some of the programmes of the state that have been realised?

We h a v e b e e n a b l e through the state Ministry of Agriculture to nurse two million hybrid oil palm seedlings (Tenera) and distributed to Abians to plant.

Through the Ministry, poultry clusters have been

established in the three senatorial zones of the state and currently the one of Abia Central, located at Umuosu, Nsulu, in Isiala Ngwa North has gone so far.

That of Abia North sited at AlayiinBendeLocalGovernment Area is presently being provided with infrastructure and this has reachedanadvancedstage.

We have keyed into many programmes both locally and internationally, such as the Accelerated Agricultural Programme, Cassava Direction among others, in collaboration with other organisations. The government has been able to procure thousands of bags of fertilizer and distributed to farmers at subsidised prices.

We have been able to wage war against army worms which have been attacking maize farms in the state. I started war first when the worms started attacking my farms and I invited the Federal Government to assist in waging the war against the fall worms. One hundred members of the Maize Association in the state have been trained to handle the issue.

Fifty extension workers have likewise been trained by the state government to enlightentheruralfarmersonhow to fight the fall army worms.

Government has acquired some machines and trained farmers on the techniques of

Israel Amanze

modern mushroom farming.

We are collaborating with Ebonyi State Government who is alsoinvolvedinmushroomfarm.

What is your take on this year’s maize production?

Last year production did not witness a bumper harvest for farmers as a result of army worm attack. This year however, the production is higher asaresultofstepstakenbygovernmenttocombattheworms.

What is the latest development on the state government’s involvement in rice production?

Government does not involve itself in direct rice production but only creates an enabling environment for farmers to thrive.Thestategovernmenthas been able to pay its counterpart funding which got FADAMA to comeandassistfarmers.

We have been able to

make serious move for Abia Rice farmers to key into Rice production with FADAMA. Last year we could not actualise our Anchor Borrowers Programme because of inability of some farmers here and other places in the country to pay back money borrowed. But this year, we are having good collaboration with NISER and CBN for rice production.

We also have collaboration with IFAD and USAID, all targeted at improving agriculture in the state.

As a professional farmer, what is your take on herdsmen/farmers clashes all over the country?

It is very pertinent that president Muhammadu Buhari, as the father of all should do more to stop further killings, particularly in the NorthEast and North-Central.

If this ugly situation continues unchecked, the tendency that the food security his administration in striving to achieve may be a nightmare because people from these troubled areas—Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa are farmers and majority of the roots, tubers, vegetables among others, come from the areas.

A situation where farmers arekilledandtheirfarmsareburnt by suspected herdsmen spells doom in the near future. Nigeria maywitnessfamineandwemay

be forced to start importing all manneroffoodsintothecountry.

Theearliergovernmentmovesto save the situation, the better for theentirecountry.

On August, 7, masked secret police (DSS) blocked the National Assembly complex, preventing lawmakers and staff from entering their offices. May we know what you think about the action of the security agents?

The news did not come to Nigeriansasasurprisebecause that has been the style of the APC-led administration. What happened was long expected.

The administration is doing everything to provoke the anger of Nigerians. The intervention of Vice President Osinbajo has restored a lot hope for democracy and Nigerians. If Buhari was around, he could not have acted like Osinbajo.

Daura has been doing everything with impunity. So many security agencies have been taking laws into their hands and nothing is done to check their excesses.

In fact, what happened at the National Assembly was an aberration. The International community should watch political developments in Nigeria.

The war against corruption which the APC-led administration is waging should be holistic. It should not be targeted to the opposition parties alone while those in APC will be untouchables.

Governor Ikpeazu’s MSME narrative GODWIN ADINDU

T

hough he died unsung, Pa Ichiogu Ikpeazu, the great Umuobiakwa goldsmith, still lives on. Exceptional genes do not die. He produced ateacher,Nwaon­o(nono)and the teacher produced another teacher, Okezie. If we could rewind the hand of the clock and call the dead back to life, Pa Ichiogu, today, would certainly take his trade beyond our borders and beyond our shores to the New Land, for the ship of the campaign for Aba-Made-Goods has sailed far and wide and landed to the New Land, America.

Perhaps, Pa Ichiogu would have been among the first batch of 60 Abia craftsmen mobilized to Turkey, in the first year of Ikpeazu’s administration or among the 30 second batch that went to China, to understudy the techniques of automation for their craft. But, there are times and seasons. Regrettably, many Pa Ichiogu’s have come and gone before now, great minds with their great products; Aba

men and women who built empires of ideas but - “ambition mocked their useful toil”.

May their souls rest in peace!

Call it a coincidence but I call it providence! There is, indeed, a spiral link between the story of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s grandfather, the unsung goldsmith and the Governor’s inspirational obsession for encouraging Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in Abia State.

He comes from a lineage of craftsmen. Today, aside infrastructural renewal captured in the caterpillar revolution, Ikpeazu’s second unique selling point is the government intervention in support of SMEs. Abia under Ikpeazu has taken the front seat as the leader in the promotion of SMEs in Nigeria and the accolades are coming in succession.

From inception, the challenge of harnessing the Aba talent has remained a major preoccupation of his administration. Thus, the Ikpeazu narrative is the effort to develop a latent ingenuity and creativity for which Aba is known. It is a mystique of the city and her people. This rare ingenuity

manifests in the phenomenon of the large spectrum of men and women of skill, trade and craft that populate Aba. From the Aba tailor, the Aba shoemaker, bag-maker and all leather workers to the fabricators, there is a generic talent that grows in the ancient city, a talent that Governor Ikpeazu has very well flaunted and for which his government has received the right applause and endorsement.

Indeed, the government intervention in support of SMEs in Abia is a narrative that has seen the Governor dealing with four main challenges, namely; Power, Market Share/Sales, Finance and Automation. He deployed the first strategy of aggressive marketing and creation of awareness. The goal was to motivate our people and rebuild their confidence. “This was necessary because our people were branding other nations and denying our ingenuity and identity. So we started by awareness and marketing,” declared the Governor.

Looking back, the efforts in promotion and marketing

have yielded great results. The Governor has taken Made in Aba (MIA) to Aso Rock, Otta Farm, Senate, NYSC, America and to many other agencies.

“Today, our people have taken pride in our own dear Made in Aba and our labels have returned,” he affirmed.

To tackle the challenge of power, the government deployed the power of marketing to atract the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo, to Abia State six times and this has culminated in uninterrupted power for six months in Ariaria International Market where nine clusters exist. Through marketing also, Abia have sent 30 out of the 100 artisans to China to learn automation in shoe manufacturing. With this intervention, the challenge of automation is resolved as Abia is set to launch the first Made in Abia shoe factory in December 2018.

In the area of Sales, the Governor has also attracted over N1.3 billion to the shoe and Garment sector. About 50,000 pairs of military booths have been delivered to the military through this process.

The government has also attractedfundingthroughBOI and other agencies because the attention is now on the World Bank data of 250,000 SMEs in Aba Governor Ikpeazu has remained the number one brand ambassador of the Made in Aba Goods and he has personally led the campaign. The results have exceeded his expectations and this is affirmed by the torrent of recognitions.

In 2016, Ford Foundation, an American based institutional donor partnered with Abia State to launch the First Aba Development Summit. The goal was to develop a strategy for the development of the MSME in Abia and the organization followed up by sponsoring a 50 million Naira international brand campaign for the promotional of Made in Aba Goods.

More endorsement later came in 2017 with the leading business newspaper in Nigeria, BUSINESSDAY, giving Ikpeazu the award of the “Best Governor in the Promotion of Made in Nigeria Goods.” In that same year, the Nigerian Army ordered 50,000 military

booths from Aba. The Federal Government also came to debut its National Programme for MSME in Aba with over 3000 operators having a direct engagement with industry leaders in the sector.

Recently, the Bank of Industry (BOI) in collaboration with the Ford Foundation worked with the Abia State Government to launch the state’s first ever “Aba Finished Leather Cluster”, a project targeted at providing incentive to the Aba leather and garment workers. Through this programme, the craftsmen in this sector will be able to access funding from BOI. Indeed, the highpoint of the Ikpeazu narrative is that the Federal Government of Nigeria have crowned Ikpeazu’s effort with the award of ‘Best MSME Friendly State in Nigeria”. His forefather, Ichionu, the great Umuobiakwa goldsmith, could not take his goods beyond Abia. But, today, his grandson, Okezie, has taken his ideas far beyond our boundaries.

Adindu is Special Adviser on Media & Documentation.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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Politics

When voter registration turns nightmare

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INIOBONG IWOK he dream of millions of eligible voters in the country to be involved in electing those who would govern them in the 2019 general election may be a mirage if current hiccups being experienced in the on-going Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to acquire the permanent voter’s card (PVC) across the country is not sorted out in the next few days by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The exercise, which begun last year’s April, has been plagued by several problems, ranging from shortage of personnel, logistics and operational machines which have limited the commission’s operations across several states while discouraging several Nigerians from registering.

Several groups in the country have in recent times protested on several occasions over INEC’s alleged poor handling of the exercise.

However, despite repeated assurances by INEC that it had taken additional measures to improve the process, little progress seems to have been made.

This is just as long queues have persists at the registration centres, while several Nigerians have lost hope of being registered because they could not stand the rigor.

Findings revealed that in several centres across the country, voters to registration centres as early as rly 4am or 5am to put down their names in the register so they could be attended to for the day. The situation worsened toward the initial closing date of August 17, as more Nigerians besieged the centres to carry out their registration.

BDSUNDAY gathered that over 300 people were recorded at some centres, a situation that elicited the question why INEC decided to make the centres very few.

There have also been accusations that the commission was taking the exercise to the homes of some elite in the country.

A female school principal who spent a whole day at a centre before completing the exercise accused the INEC of nursing some sinister motives by the way it is going about the CVR. “The suffering is needless. It is not as if one is sure that our votes would count this time.

With what we are already seeing recently held elections; the rigging and all that, it is left to be seen if the INEC would allow the will of the people to prevail this time around. From the enthusiasm I saw in people, I can say

>>>> that many people are willing and ready to vote this time around, but I so much doubt the sincerity of INEC,” the woman, who refused to disclose her name, said.

A resident of Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos, Funmi Ogundepe, urged the Federal Government to harmonise the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the national identity card, by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), stressing that such decision would automatically stop the current duplication of biometric of Nigerians and could be used for the current Continuous Voters Registration exercise.

“The arrangement where you register for national ID card, bank verification and others, is duplicity; why can’t we use these data for the exercise? It is a failure of the system; a country like Nigeria should have a source

where data of its citizens could be found. I have been here since morning; you can see the crowd; what they are doing here is to register 150 people who wrote their names in the morning; some of them came here 4am; after that they stop for the day,” Ogundepe said.

Some stakeholders, who spoke to this medium in Lagos, accused INEC officials in some centres of colluding with agents, asking them to bring people who in turn pay agreed amount upon realising the desperation of members of the public to register.

An Electoral Officer (EO) of the commission in a centre in Lagos, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied instructing members of the public to be on the queue by 5am, stressing that the centre begins registration by 9am and closes by 5pm and only attends to people who are

on the queue.

“What they are telling you is not true. In this centre, we register about 300 people a day; we have not asked anybody to come in the morning by 4am or 5am to write their name, it is their decision.

“We only attend to those people we meet on the line. But you know since the exercise is closing soon, people are coming out because Nigerians like to wait for the last minute for anything.

“But we just decide to write names because the crowd is too much to control and since we discovered that it is the best way to have things go smoothly here, we decided to tell them to be on the line to make our work easy.”

A political analyst and politician, Ayo Kusamotu, berated INEC’s poor handling of the exercise, warning Nigerians that it could be a sign of what to expect

The arrangement where you register for national ID card, bank verification and others, is duplicity; why can’t we use these data for the exercise? It is a failure of the system

in next year’s general election.

“The exercise has been a nightmare for lots of Nigerians; you can go to the centres and see for yourself. I am being told that some of these INEC officials are taking the machines to the homes of some elite to register them. These elite we know some of them don’t vote.

“I thought INEC have moved beyond this; I think it is a sign of what to expect next year; it may be a sign that the election would not be credible,” he said.

A top official of INEC, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that some of the people who were coming to carry out fresh registration had their data online with the commission and had previously been registered.

“It is not true that our officials are collecting money from any one; they are being monitored; how is that possible in a crowded centre?

“Some of the people you are seeing have their data online with us; they have been registered; a lot of them may have issues with their names or their banks, and other personal records.

“We have taken measures to capture all Nigerians, that is why the closing date was extended, but in some centres priority could be given to young people who just clocked 18 years after the last general election,” he said.

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AssemblyWatch From the Red Chamber

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE

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he shelving of the muchanticipated emergency sitting of the National Assembly over consideration of the N242 billion 2019 election budget turned out to be an anticlimax after all.

It came at a time the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole threatened fire and brimstone and gave Senante President Bukola Saraki one week ultimatum to either resign or be ‘impeached’.

His reason? The position of Senate Presidency is a ‘crown’ of the governing Party and that it would do everything possible to remove Saraki from office.

Ironically, the same party commended the defection of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Governor of Sokoto State Aminu Tambuwal from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 without calling for his head. Call it hypocrisy or karma

Issues as National Assembly fails to reconvene and you won’t be wrong.

Section 50 (1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that the Senate President and his Deputy ‘shall be elected among lawmakers’ regardless of their political parties.

While some national dailies were assertive that National Assembly would reconvene last Tuesday, others said Wednesday. This was despite the fact that the leadership had put the reconvening under probability.

Consequently, this put other reporters who ‘failed to do an exclusive’ on the matter under intense pressure from their editors. In fact, some who had embarked on vacation had to be recalled while others who were to commence theirs were asked to put it in abeyance.

Meanwhile, nothing on ground suggested that Order 12 of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended) had been complied with.

The Order which spells out the processes for reconvening the Senate, stipulates that: “Whenever the Senate stands adjourned either to a date fixed by the rule of the Senate or to a date determined in accordance with paragraph (1) of his Rule and it is represented by the Leaders of the political Parties in the Senate to the President of the Senate that the Public interest requires that the Senate should meet on an earlier or a later date or time than that on which it stands adjourned, the President of the Senate may

give notice accordingly, and the Senate shall meet on the date and at the time stated in the notice. Whenever the President of the Senate shall have given notice in accordance with either of the two preceeding paragraphs, the Clerk shall communicate the terms of the notice to each senator”.

Besides the inability of all Senate caucuses from PDP, APC, African Democratic Congress (ADC) and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), to reach a consensus on the date of reconvening, the Body of Principal Officers was unable to meet, even as APC senators were conspicuously absent at a meeting of the National Assembly leadership with top management of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

If we go by Oshiomhole’s repeated calls for Saraki’s removal and promise of automatic return tickets to senators, then it won’t be out of place to conclude that his agitation for reconvening of the National Assembly to consider the 2019 election budget is a smokescreen meant to forcefully remove the Nation’s Number Three Citizen from office had the apex legislative chamber cut short its annual recess.

Notwithstanding, the mood of senators at a meeting with the APC National Chairman last week strongly suggested that lawmakers may have resolved to tackle the issue without external influence.

Having realised that calling off the recess to reconvene the

National Assembly would be tantamount to presiding over his own funeral, Saraki alongside the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara tactically devised another means of allowing the President’s request for the 2019 election budget to be subjected to normal legislative procedure by relevant committees.

Consequently, the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on INEC organised budget defence sessions last week. With the upcoming Sallah holidays, no major committee activity is expected this week as the joint INEC committee - currently functioning as sub-committee to the joint panel on Appropriation - is expected to defend the proposal before the Appropriation Committee by early September.

Similarly, other federal agencies expected to appear before relevant committees to defend their election budgets include the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Defence and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) as well as Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Like the INEC Committee, the relevant committees will in turn defend their proposals before the Joint Committees on Finance and Appropriations, which would in turn summon the Ministry of Finance and other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to seek further clarification as it relates to sources of

APC grievances on NASS control not misplaced

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took time to read through the speech credited to the National Chairman of All Progressive Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, in which he accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Senate President, Bukola Saraki of giving out critical standing Committees of both chambers to members of the opposition party, specifically People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He also raised other far-reaching and contentious issues. While I do not support the lingering crisis which is almost grounding governance to a halt, as a non-partisan observer, I align totally with the APC leadership that those issues raised are germane and critical enough to determine whether APC is truly the ruling party in the Legislature or not.

Imagine APC members got 48 committees most of which are minor in nature while People’s Democratic Party, PDP got 45 strong committees through which major policies affecting the country are hinged. With the recent defection of some APC members to PDP where they belong from the onset, the Committees on

Interior as well as Basic Education and Services Committee have raised the stake of PDP as the ruling party in the Lower Chamber.

For example, the two Petroleum Committees (Upstream and Downstream), Aviation, Capital market and Other Institutions, Air Force, Foreign Affairs, Banking and Currency, Niger Delta Development commission (NDDC), Army, Works, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Diaspora, Commerce, Gas Resources, Diaspora, Health Institution, National Planning & Economic Development, Harbour & Waterways, Power and Public Procurement were allotted to the opposition lawmakers, as alluded to by the APC chairman.

On the other hand, one tends to ask whether all the ranking APC members lack the requisite experience or capacity to steer the affairs of these committees based on the understating of the Speaker?

Of course, those allies of the presiding officers played significant roles in their emergence in the battle for the seat of democracy itself, hence they deserve to be rewarded to sus-

tain the seat. Of course, ‘One good turn deserves another’.

I do not feel the committees were not given or allotted to ranking APC members in good fate or as a measure to guide against enriching themselves or pay dues to the APC leaders. I also do not think some of the APC lawmakers who were treated as subordinates lack the requisite capacity to perform the assigned roles to the brilliant opposition counterparts. The massive allotment of the critical committees was unprecedented of course in the history of Federal Parliament. If at all such will happen, it should be minimal but the same thing situation played out in both chambers, to the disadvantage of the ruling party supremacy.

For the APC chairman who seems to the most aggrieved in the entire episode by played out three years ago and wanting to undo the what he considered to be detrimental to the party’s supremacy which was perpetuated over the past three years, till the election year, what I see may be catastrophic as all hands must be on deck to paddle the canoe of the ruling party in the bid to avoid the looming capsize. Mr.

Chairman must tread gently and be more economical in words now than ever.

But on the other allegation leveled against the principal officer of both chambers that the Senate President spoke on behalf of the Speaker on the allegation that Mr. President did not give both of them any slot from the over 200 juicy appointments was laughable!

Does it sound moral for those who flagrantly spitted on the face of the same President during the inauguration of the 8th session of the National Assembly to demand for such offer? Abba Malam!!!

Another issue that drew my attention was the allegation that the Senate President wrote out names of Senators with provisions for them to sign for Senators to decamp from APC to PDP.’ Though the report did not link Speaker Dogara with the latter allegation, but I wish to inquire into how the APC chairman gets to know all of these? With the latter allegation, I perceive Saraki and Dogara have lost their privacy and need to debug their residence and Guest House as they roll out their next strategies or call it joker.

funding the poll.

This will take another two to three weeks and before you know it, we are in the September 25 resumption date.

One issue the Executive has failed to tell Nigerians is why it held on to the election budget for five months after the Commission forwarded same to it.

INEC fixed the date for the 2019 election as far back as March 2017 and released the timetable and schedule of activities in January 2018.

I recall vividly that I was still covering INEC as a beat when INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu addressed a press conference on the release of timetable and I asked him when the budget would be released. He assured us in a week’s time. I also recall that at various fora, the Senate Committee on INEC had emphasised the need for the electoral body to submit the election budget on time. Now the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) issued a press statement revealing that the Commission presented the election budget to the Presidency since February.

One week after, the Presidency has not dismissed the claim.

This shows that the late submission of the election budget by the Presidency was meant to blackmail lawmakers for expeditious approval but that has hit the rock. The weeks ahead promises to be interesting as the forthcoming primaries by political parties will throw up more political drama.

From the Green House With

KEHINDE AKINTOLA For me, the peak of all of the defection is yet to happen and may be delayed till the last lap of the 8th session of the National Assembly.

I mean, who will best be described as ‘The last PDP man standing in the Lower chamber!” Not because of lack of courage but knowing fully well that there’s no longer home support. Except something drastic happens, the quest to assure him of retaining the highest seat in the Lower Chamber is uncertain in the next dispensation. But all I can wish all the parties is best of luck as the games unfold.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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Interview Africa has phenomenal potential for intracontinental trade - UNCTAD Secretary-General Forty-nine of Africa’s 55 countries have signed the framework for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free and unfettered movement of businesspeople and investments. When at least 22 countries ratify it, the AfCFTA will officially come into force, potentially making the continent the largest trading bloc in the world.

Africa Renewal’s Zipporah Musau spoke with Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, the secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), on what countries stand to gain and what challenges to expect. Excerpts: What do you say about Africa’s push for a free trade area at a time when some countries in the West are becoming increasingly protectionist? or Africa, a clear determination to expand trade among ourselves is an important step.

Uncertainties in international trade increase the premium on regional intra-African trade. Secondly, what we have learned from the rest of the world is that even if there is populist protectionism, it is a short-term phase that we’ll ride out. But for Africa to learn from the experience of East Asia and Latin America even as we wait for protectionism to end, we must build productive trading capacities through regional value chains. Africa trading among its component states strengthens its ability to trade. The experiences gained from that will deliver a greater market share internationally. Africa needs to build the capacity and structural transformation necessary to be a competitive international player.

The creation of a continent with a free trade area is therefore an important step towards building, collectively, the competitiveness of African labour and African products internally and internationally.

What are the three most immediate gains for an African country in a free trade area?

All studies show that what Africa sells within Africa has more value added than what Africa sells to the rest of the world, which is mostly raw materials.

That means intra-African trade creates more employment in the source country than Africa trading with the rest of the world.

We look to gain more industrial and value-added jobs in Africa because of intra-African trade.

Secondly, it will build competitiveness, which you can then unleash onto the rest of the world.

Thirdly, we will be removing domestic market distortions, which have been adding a burden to domestic consumers because of too much protectionism.

One of the main challenges to intra-African trade is the nontariff barriers. When there is a deficit of political goodwill, excuses are made to slow down trade.

Will the AfCFTA influence UNCTAD’s approach in its

F

Mukhisa Kituyi

operations in Africa? Will you, for example, deal with the continent as a single entity as opposed to individual countries?

At a personal level, I was involved in designing the architecture for AfCFTA, so I’ve been working with this from day one.

As an organization, UNCTAD has not only encouraged the AU to create a free trade area, but we have also been training negotiators for the regions and the countries. For example, we have been training the regional technical officers from ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and SADC [Southern African Development Community] on service negotiations. What are the offers? What are the implications? What can you do?

What should you not do? What are the remedial actions in case of a flood on certain services?

This technical support to national negotiators has been a role we played before the AfCFTA, and we are intensifying it now as we prepare for the next phase, which is more attention to trade in services beyond goods, for building a continental common marketplace for electronic commerce. So we are working with AU member states and organs to build capacity and translate the promise of the AfCFTA into actual economic gains.

Tariffs alone are not the biggest impediment to intra-Africa trade. Poor infrastructure and the low level of manufacturing in some countries mean they don’t produce a significant amount of finished goods to export. What is your take?

Tariffs are not the only problem, that’s a mainstream truth.

There is a lot standing in the way of realizing the potential of intra-African trade. But the claim that we are producing similar goods is not true. Even neighbouring villages trade with each other. I come from a place near the border between Kenya and Uganda and I know from my early days that we traded with our neighbours. Africa trades quite a lot across borders. For example, there’s a large market in West Africa for East African tea and coffee. There’s a large market in East Africa for plantains and specialized nostalgia products out of West Africa.

There’s a large market for the creative industry, for example, Nigerian movies and music, in the rest of Africa. Africans have a phenomenal potential for intra-continental trade. Similarly, trade is not static. There is no law that says that a country like Tanzania, for example, must only trade in a certain set of products. Countries will always build

capacities and opportunities, and innovators will bring in new products that you add into the marketplace. So diversification is taken in stride as trade deepens economic interaction.

What about infrastructure challenges?

True, we have a colonial extractive infrastructure, where you find a railway line is from Kasese in Uganda to the Indian Ocean port to transport copper for export. Integrative infrastructure is a critical consideration for intra-African trade, and I’m glad something is being done about that. Currently we have the Cape Town to Cairo road, which has been tarmacked up to Addis Ababa.

There are other initiatives, like the Northern Corridor, and the Chinese are encouraging investments to build the road from Kampala to the Atlantic Ocean. I see the importance of the railway line from Dar es Salaam to Rwanda, and others.

So the integrative infrastructure already being built today is going to be ready for the test of infrastructure challenges tomorrow.

What then are the main challenges to intra-Africa trade?

One of the main challenges to intra-African trade is the nontariff barriers. When there is a deficit of political goodwill, excuses are made to slow down trade. Many times, traders will reach the border and be told, “This product looks too old to be sold to us” or “The quality doesn’t seem to be right,” or “We cannot ascertain that this was made in your country.” The absence of goodwill leads to the use of too many nontariff measures as excuses to slow down trade. Cultivating goodwill requires that nontariff barriers are rolled back and trade is increased between African countries.

Doesn’t this affect women traders more?

Last month I released a justcompleted study in Nairobi on gender and trade in East Africa.

It is true women have more than the usual challenges of crossborder trade. Sometimes they are victims of sexual abuse and harassment. Sometimes they are victims of the typical problems of small traders, because the architecture of East Africa integration defines a 40-foot container being

transported from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi as regional trade, but a 20-kilo sack of maize is seen as “smuggled goods.” Because the framers were catering to the interests of big business in the cities, they did not pay attention to the right of border communities and small-scale traders to cross the border. The inordinate trouble that women traders go through is basically because they are not a politically strong constituency that gets responses from the policymakers about regional trade. One of the things we have been pushing for is facilitating simplified procedures for cross-border trade and destigmatizing small-scale trade.

These represent a major inhibition to the potential of regional trade and integration in Africa.

What should be done?

Agreements have always been there, but there has not been sufficient mobilization of political goodwill to protect the interests of small-scale traders, specifically artisanal traders and women traders, in cross-border trade. It is not that they are breaking any law, but they are frustrated by officials behaving arbitrarily and acting with impunity.

Trade agreements can take years for the impact to be felt.

When, realistically, can all countries be expected to be on board and begin to implement the AfCFTA? If there is sufficient political goodwill, it can be done overnight. There is no reason why we would repeat the mistakes that have been done in other countries. We have to learn these processes within existing regional integration mechanisms and then scale them up. Scale up best practices.

Are there any benchmarks to assess progress?

We must ask, what are the areas of improvement? What are the issues being talked about on policy and operations? For example, I hope there will be more gender studies on integration and trade which can unlock the potential of women traders.

Most small-scale traders in Africa are women, yet the structure of regional trade caters more to men than women. So we are holding back one of our most important facilitators.

Culled from Africa Renewal

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SundayBusiness Nigerian passengers pay higher to African countries than within Europe, UAE …experts say African countries not ready for Open Skies Policy IFEOMA OKEKE

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assengers traveling from Nigeria to other African countries are paying over double what they would have paid going to countries within Europe, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other continents, BusinessDay’s findings show.

Experts say the reason airfares within Africa are ridiculously higher than for other continent is that there is lack of competition, connectivity and an enabling environment to make air fares affordable for the average African.

In addition to these, African countries have refused to sign on to the Yamoussoukro Decision, also known as the Open Skies Agreement, which allows for the liberalisation of rules for international aviation markets and minimises government intervention.

BusinessDay compared ticket prices across Africa and Europe’s largest economies.

The average price for a

return ticket from Lagos to Kenya on Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and RwandAir , ranges from N350,000 to N400,000 and N320,000 to N350,000 from Lagos to Egypt, using Kenya Airways, Etihad, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airline.

Furthermore, the average price of a return ticket from Lagos to SouthAfrica, using South African Airways, Kenyan Airways and Rwand Air, costs between N450,000

and N500,000 and costs between N300,000 and N350,000 from Lagos to Morocco on Royal Air Maroc and Egypt Air. On the other hand, an Easy Airline return ticket from Milan to France costs about 50 pounds, which is equivalent to N25,400, using black market exchange rate of N508 to a pound.

Also, an Emirates Airline return ticket from Dubai to Bahrain, costs 925dih-

Star Lager millionaires’ promo gets 30 days extension to reach more consumers SEYI JOHN SALAU

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tar Lager Beer has extended the Star United We Shine Millionaires Promo by another 30 days to allow for more consumers in more regions of the country to partake in the promo and win. The promo which was launched on the 15th of June will now till Saturday, 15 September, a month after the original end date.

Olayinka Bakare, portfolio manager national premium, Nigerian Breweries Plc, in a statement said the extension of the Millionaires Promo is to accommodate more consumers.

“We have decided to give more consumers across Nigeria the opportunity to win in the Star United We Shine Millionaires Promo. We appreciate every one of our consumers who has been loyal to the brand over the years, and we are glad that we can continue to reward

Nigerians across the country with this promo,” Bakare stated.

According to Bakare, consumers will continue to win prizes and millions of Naira from the crown corks of limited edition bottles of Star Lager where a winning code that is redeemable via a USSD dial of *566*20# doable on any network from all mobile phones.

The Star Lager promo has on offer cash prizes of N1 million, N2 million, N5 million and the mega dream cash of N10 million for Star consumers across Nigeria. These are in addition to millions of free drinks and other items available for win.

Designed to reward loyal consumers, Star Lager with this move is reinforcing its commitment as a consumer focused brand.

“We want our consumers to know anyone can win. We are all about giving equal opportunity and ensuring everyone who wins is celebrated,” said Bakare, adding that the prize presentations are ways

adopted by the brand to reward and celebrate winners in the ongoing promo.

Abayomi Abidakun, senior brand manager, Star Lager Beer, said, “We wanted to reward our consumers in a way that is unique and in a way only Star Lager can.

rams, which is equivalent to N90,660.

Average price of a return ticket from Germany to Poland, costs between N85,000 and N110,000 while the average price of a return ticket on from New York to Miami, using United Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit Airline, is between N40,000 and N55,000.

For developing countries like Latin America and South Asia, the prices of tickets although high, are relatively

cheaper than prices of tickets within Africa.

BusinessDay checks show that the average prices of tickets from Brazil to Mexico are between N250,000 and N280,000. From India to Afghanistan on Sprice Jet and Air India, prices of tickets are between N170,000 to N180,000.

In addition to these, prices of tickets from Bangladesh to Sri Lanka on Bimen Bangladesh and Jet Airways are N147,000 and N160,000, while from New Delhi IGI (DEL) to Mumbai (BOM) in India, tickets cost between N35,000 to N50,000.

“Without the enabling environment for airlines to function and implementation of the Open Skies Agreement, air fares will continue to be high among African countries,” Ikechi Uko, a Nigerian travel business consultant and tourism expert told BusinessDay. Uko said in spite of the fact that African countries have protected their skies, all their airlines are dying. “Countries with Open Skies are doing better in aviation, so where is the wisdom against Open Skies?” he asked.

Ayodeji Ebo, managing director, Afri Invest told BusinessDay that some of the causes for the high airfares include the cost of operations, as this varies from one country to another.

“Annual charges for licences in various countries may vary. The impact on the average Nigerian is that it increases your cost of living and that increases your purchasing power and that limits the average Nigerian from travelling for recreational, business or education purposes.

“If there are major business opportunities there, the cost of flights alone will discourage such investment and make it not viable by the time you factor in the costs,” Ebo added.

Tayo Ojuri, an industry expert and Chief Executive Officer, Aglo Limited, an aviation support service, told BusinessDay that prior to this time, what has been the big challenge has been the fact that there have been restrictive bilateral agreements between intra-African markets and this has restricted the growth and development of air services in Africa.

Abia Line introduces online cash transactions UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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etermined to block revenue leakages in Abia Line Network Limited (the Abia State transport outfit) the management has said that on-line transactions of business to capture

all revenues accruing to the company has been introduced.

John Nwagwu, the General Manager who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with BDSUNDAY in Umuahia said the company has prioritised staff welfare so as to motivate them to work harder.

He said that workers in the company have been receiv-

L-R: Love Idoko, founder, Activate Success Int’l foundation, Desmond Elliot, member, Lagos State House of Assembly, and Sanson Itodo, executive director, YIAGA, at the event.

ing their salaries as and when due since he assumed office in 2016 unlike what obtained in the past.

“In order to enhance our system, we train and retrain our staff. The revenue we are expecting is from the field.

We want to open up our site so that our transactions will be captured online. There will be no cash transactions again,” Nwagwu said.

The GM hinted that the company has not been scheduled by the state government and as such workers who retire from the organisation are not pensionable.

“Our organisation has not been scheduled and we are not pensionable. We have made arrangement that those who retired are given cheque of N50,000.00 each in every three months to assist them.

“We have equally opened a pool for dropping deductions from salaries every month with Legacy Pension Firm so that when you retire, you will be paid by Legacy Pensions,” said the Abia Line boss.

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SundayBusiness Award-winning biotech startup using shrimp shells Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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he piece of heartwarming news that a Biotech Startup, named Coating + which is a product of the creative ingenuity of some Masters Degree students of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria has won the $10,000 Grand Prize at the 2018 Thought For Food Summit held recently in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil is both momentous and a food-for-thought. This is especially so for a nation focusing on agriculture with the diversification from crude oil. It clinched the prestigious award over other youth-led startups from Kenya, UK and Malaysia.

The TFF Summit brings together change makers across sectors to build powerful connections and co-create bold new solutions for the future of food security This is also a milestone given the fact that over 800 teams from 160 countries participated

Property Logic With Akhigbe Dominic

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“

o be successful in real estate, you must always and consistently put the interest of your clients first. When you do, your personal needs will be realized beyond your greatest expectations” --Anthony Hitt, Real Estate Professional Mortgage deed of release The Mortgage Deed of Re-

in the 2018, TFF Summit where the selected 10 Finalist Teams delivered their pitches live on stage and competed for up to 25,000 in grant funding.

It is important to note that Coating +produces a transparent gelatinous coating sprayed on fresh fruits and vegetables, to prolong their shelf life. It is made from a combination of a type of sugar called chitosam obtained from shrimp shells, added to soy protein, micronutrients and some preservatives. The main fruits it is used to preserve are those which are not peeled before eating such as tomatoes and grapes.

Interestingly, these nutritional benefits are made available to the consumers.

The significance is predicated on the three critical issues that Coating+ tries to solve. The first is the inadequate food preservation techniques.

Globally, 32 per cent of the food produced in the world goes to waste every blessed year.

Specifically, here in Nigeria , the country loses about 1.3 billion tonnes of food annually.

That volume accounts for 33 percent of the food produced in the world! The loss of tomatoes is put at 28.4 billion annually.

Also, Nigeria reportedly wastes 40% of the food it produces while millions of the citizens are dying of hunger. This much was ascertained in January this year by none other than the Minister of Agriculture a n d Ru r a l De v e l o p m e n t , Chief Audu Ogbe. He stunned

millions of starving Nigerians in a public presentation, when he said that 30% to 40% of the many foods produced in Nigeria are ultimately wasted.

Coating+ will surely reduce that challenge.

Th e s e c o n d i s s u e i t h a s come to solve is that of micronutrient deficiency. In Nigeria , it is estimated that malnutrition contributes to over 50% to mortality among children aged under-five years.

Micronutrients such as iron, iodine, vitamin A, are necessary for the healthy development of children. Their absence in the diet cause serious disorders.

Available statistics show that 35 per cent of under-5 children in Africa are stunted. 24per cent are underweight due to micronutrient deficiency. Back in 2015, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, said that micronutrient deficiency remains a huge problem in Nigeria despite its enormous consequences for economic growth and human development. To this end, the agency resumed its routine post market surveillance for Vitamin A fortified foods nationwide.

According to Mrs. Benedicta Obaseki, the Chief Regulating Officer, Food Safety Nutrition Directorate, there is “correlation between suffering, death and malnutrition is real. A child dying as a result of a common childhood illness is a casualty of vitamin A deficiency. “A child that is away from school as a

result of poor learning ability is suffering because he lacks iodine. With these facts, it is unimaginable to question or doubt the importance of vitamin A to achieving socio-economic stability of any country.”

The third aspect of Coating+ impact is that of conversion of wasted shrimp shells to a nutritious product that also acts as a preservative. According to Forbes Magazine’s Gemma Milne the aquaculture industry makes up a significant portion of the nation’s industry. With over 100,000 metric tons of fish being produced annually, the industry creates both wealth for the economy and a sizeable amount of shrimp shell waste.

Though the idea of harnessing biotech to preserve fruit and vegetables is not unique to Coating+, the company has current plans to take their product to Africa – and the Nigerian market is already yearning for a solution. Apeel, using a plantbased material, and Cambridge Crops, basing their material on silk, are two U.S.-based startups looking to solve a similar problem.

But as Albert Kure, one of the five brains behind the innovation pointed out, it is not just the money that will propel their business. The award puts them in front of the international food and agriculture community. It will open up the opportunity for corporate partnerships and other such inbound interests entrepreneurs in startup-heavy localities are more used to.

Indeed, it will do them a world of good to use part of their newly won wealth to register with NAFDAC and begin the process of massive local production, assisted by a sustained media blitz.

With this prize coming to the country a week after five Nigerian students from Anambra state clinched the best prize for Technovation in Silicon Valley, United States over 195,000 competitors, it is a wake-up call to our policy makers to do the needful in the education sector.

The first is to fund it well, with at least 26 per cent of the annual budget at both the federal and state levels as recommended

by UNESCO. Chief Obafemi Awolowo (of blessed memory) -led Western Region did to maximum effect to fund Free Education policy, the products of which have stood Nigerian in good stead in virtually all sectors of the national economy.

S e c o n d l y, o u r r e s e a r c h institutes should also be well funded and equipped with top scientists and researchers to covert our waste to wealth.

And it has become expedient for the Ministry of Science and Technology to list, digitalize, as well as monitor the progress of our local inventions and partner with the private sector for mass production that will benefit us all.

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

The intrigues about land titles (5) lease is more of a performance deed than a Title Deed.

This document is created when a Mortgagee discharges on his obligation to the Mortgagor.

Simply put; a Deed of Mortgage Release is created when the borrower completes his payment terms or makes full and final payment of the Mortgage Loan.

In Mortgage loans, the Lender holds on to the Title to the Real Estate property and becomes the formal owner till full payment is made by the borrower.

Gazette The Gazette is government’s official record book. This is where very important and salient government matters are documented for the records and reference. The Land Gazette basically deals with the specific information of Lands records with respect to the position of the state governor who is vested by the land use decree of 1078 as the custodian within the state. This law also empowers the governor

to compulsorily acquire urban lands for the common use of the state. Such information of Acquisition, Excision, Release and related Matters are contained in the official gazette of the state government.

Any Area the governor designates as urban area is an acquired land while the part not so acquired may be given back to the community with an Excision document and all these are documented in the Gazette for reference.

Excision The Excision is the alienation of a vast portion of land by the state governor to a traditional family of a community.

The Family or Community can therefore exercise right of ownership on the portion so Excised to them. Unlike the Certificate of Occupancy that lapses after every Ninety-Nine years, the Excision is indefinite except such a portion of land is re-acquired by the state governor in exercise of his power as

contained in the 1978 Land Use Act. Unlike the Certificate of occupancy and other valuable Title Deeds that can be held as collateral for loans, the Excision cannot confer such value. Anyone who benefits from an excised portion of lands Excised land is subsequently expected to obtain the governor’s consent for such portion before it can be of specific value as other title deeds.

Deed of rectfication No matter how insignificant or how minute or insignificant an error is in a Title Deed, such error has the propensity to invalidate such Title when confronted. For instance, a Survey plans that state that a parcel of land is 100 Acres as against 100 square meters gets to the root of the title.

Such an irregularity can only be cured by a “Deed of Rectification”.

When dealing with a land or property that has a Deed of Rectification, both the original document and the Deed that

rectifies the irregularities are jointly treated. The Deed of Rectification is not a standalone just like the Consent. It is therefore not an absolute title for a landed property.

Once an error is noticed in the title of a document, no effort must be wasted at rushing to the Department of Lands or Lands Bureau to rectify this irregularity. Failure to do so could be very catastrophic as such a document is a voyage to nowhere!

Akhigbe Dominic.M. Esq., /Property Law Expert/CEO, PROPERTYLogic Homes Ltd Visit: www.propertylogichomeslimited.com for listed properties & Property information.

Call us on: +234-8034846294 & +234-1-2166914 SENIOR STRATEGIC PARTNER, PropertyLogic Incorporated/ Seasoned Business Coach/Columnist of The BusinessDay/Contributing Editor,govandbusinessjournal.com. ng <http://govandbusinessjournal. com.ng>

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Sunday 19 August 2018

SundayBusiness Driving growth and sustainability in mortgage market

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he slow growth in the Nigerian mortgage system has become, increasingly, worrisome which is why experts in the housing sector, at any given opportunity, discuss and seek possible solution to this problem which is a major barrier to the growth of the housing sector.

The experts are of the opinion that, besides finance, housing sector growth is held down by the Land Use Act which has been oppressing the housing sector since it was enacted.

The place of these two factors in the housing sector is quite critical and it has been observed that no housing market can be said to be mature as those of UK and the US without a well developed and functional mortgage system while there can be no functional mortgage system without a good and flexible land administration system.

In Nigeria, both of these are lacking. The growth of the mortgage system in the country has been greatly hampered by very rigid, non-flexible and primitive land laws encapsulated as the Land Use Act. Passed by a decree in 1978 and inserted into the 1979 national constitution, the provisions of the Act can only be changed through a constitutional amendment, requiring a two-thirds majority of

Spiritonomics

Debo Atiba

www.spiritonomics.org

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here are myriads of reasons for offence in the workplace or while carrying out business transactions. These could come from competitors, employees, colleagues, customers and various other stakeholders.

You as a business man are expected to be on your guard as with an eagle’s eye to ensure you outwit every competitor. You are also on the look out to take up new opportunities which may mean pushout existing players in that area. There is an unconscious belief in you that every business in your line belongs to you, and anyone who takes them has trespassed your territory. Your emotions usually unconsciously allude to this truth. These and many other reasons make for offence in the marketplace.

No doubt doing business requires great amount of focus and

both the Federal and State legislatures. This is not going to happen any time soon.

But developers have to produce houses and mortgage operators have to continue in business. So, “it has become clear that we must create an enabling environment in which a sustainable mortgage market can thrive, and one of the most important drivers of this is a well established land administration process”, says Adedeji Adesemoye, head, Project Administration Team, Nigeria Housing Finance Program.

Adesemoye who is also deputy director, Other Financial Institutions Services Department (OFISD) at Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , highlighted the unintended consequences of the 1978 Land Use Act’ at a forum in Abuja, pointing out that various efforts, including the setting up of the Nigeria Housing Finance Programme (NHFP) and the Model, Mortgage & Foreclosure Law (MMFL) were being put in place to grow the housing and mortgage markets.

NHFP is being implemented by the Federal Government through its relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and this is supported by the World Bank International Development Association (IDA). The objective of the programme, Adesemoye explained, was to increase access

to housing finance by deepening primary and secondary mortgage markets.

The MMFL is a draft bill designed to make delinquency in mortgage repayment unattractive to mortgagors and reduce losses from mortgage loans. It is expected to create a more attractive and vibrant environment, thereby attracting investors providing long term, low cost and more available capital to the market. Its main strategy is to encourage the use of administrative procedures to address some of the most negative provisions of the Act. This is a good development for both property developers and investors. But in addition to these, developers also owe it as a duty to themselves to be creative in managing the limited impact of the Land Use Act. Developers should de-emphasize the traditional way of raising development finance, explaining that they should go to the capital market to raise funds at much cheaper rates and longer tenor.

To also address the problem of mortgage market growth, the CBN has come up with the idea of a guarantee mortgage programme. This is a mortgage given to a borrower by a lender where an identified third party will take responsibility for the loan if the borrower defaults.

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) Expectation here is that this will push up housing affordability because, with the new programme, once a borrower defaults, the third party receives a claim from the lender, pays the lender off, and assumes responsibility for the mortgage.

A quality mortgage guarantee programme is used to provide credit loss protection to lenders in case of borrower default. The products incentivize lenders to accept loans with lower downpayments, thus increasing affordability. The implication of this is that borrowers who, ordinarily, would not have qualified for mortgage loan by reason of their low income, can now obtain loans which enhances their affordability.

Babatunde Fashola, the minister for power, work and housing, believes that one of the surest ways of making housing affordable and growing the housing sector is by industrializing housing development through emphasis on locally produced building materials.

Industrializing the sector in the

opinion of the minister would not only drag down the cost of construction, material wise, but would also create jobs for those involved in the housing value chain, including input manufacturers, professionals and artisans.

But the experts insist that government should provide infrastructure and coming up with a policy framework in the financial sector that will make mortgage accessible and affordable through a significant reduction in interest rate.

Normally, the housing market behaves in a particular way. It gravitates where there is effective demand. Government should recognise that the weakest demand comes from the low end market and so should direct regulatory systems towards that end with a policy to address that problem Government should also adopt the zoning system through which it would discover areas where housing need is highest and the type of housing that they need just as it should impose heavy tax on houses that are unoccupied to discourage further development there.

Conquering offence in the marketplace forthrightness to make it a success.

The TRUTH is that in the bid to ensure that we succeed at what we do, we forget the most important principle Jesus taught that can make doing business easy and having result effortless. We forget so soon that as children of God “our modus operandi” of doing business is different from that of the world system. Our reactions are like theirs, what they are saying and doing is so loud and impacting that it affects our actions. They may have results, but how did they get that result? Result could be gotten by killing, it could be gotten by fraud, by stealing and many other ways without recourse to God. And in the eyes of the people of the world it is still result nonetheless. But as a child of God there is an easier way carved out by God to have untold result effortlessly if we tread the path of instruction as laid down

by God. My ways are not your ways, neither are my thoughts your thoughts says the Lord (Is. 55:8-9). It doesn’t matter how anything is being done on earth be it business or otherwise, God has His own WAY! The scripture tells us that the just shall live by FAITH, and that without faith it is impossible to please God. But there is no way our lifeline which is faith can work when we are not working in

LOVE! I can boldly tell you as a business man that the scarcest resource in the world of business is LOVE. How do you love when only one project is available to many bidders and contractors? How do you love when your counterpart was given the same contract you had hoped to get? O boy, it isn’t easy to walk in love at that moment. It is like you are set against one another, so it is a continual fight to keep your identity.

There must be a paradigm shift in us that let us know or remind us that our world view should be that of abundance made available through the death and the resurrection of Jesus. And that all things are ours not some. This mindset liberates and creates room in our hearts to see others and their businesses differently. There is no competition or contention on anything, there is that understanding that if one business opportunity is taken or lost there are numerous ones that will follow. When we fail to walk in the light of this truth the feeling of loss, bitterness and hatred engulf us, which would naturally come without you calling for them. What that means is that deep down in our hearts (revealing the content of our heart to us), the understanding that we have about God being our Jehovah Jireh (our provider) is shallow. Our hope and expectation

is centered on the fact that God has only one way of doing things for us or make things happen for us.

If we knew God as the God that created the whole universe, the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills and with Him all things are possible. Our reaction to every loss would not be that of hatred, anger or animosity, rather we would rejoice as commanded knowing full well that there is more where that came from. We would not need to struggle to pray for other businesses that outwitted us or took what we thought belonged to us. We would go out shake their hands and wish them well.

Now for us to move our businesses forward and experience the supernatural hand of God in what we are doing, this understanding must be in place and very clear. Once it is in place whatever blocks LOVE in our hearts towards other businesses vanishes away, we are only left with pure, unadulterated LOVE that aids faith in its working. And the moment we begin to function in this, heavens come down, and the glory of God fills yours space. The enemy knows this that is why perpetually we are kept from ever coming to terms with this truth. The TRUTH is that nobody needs to come down for your business to succeed or go up. This is one of the ways that our arch enemy

(satan) succeeds in hindering our prayers because our hearts are full of offence, and your faith can only work by LOVE. So beloved what must we do as soon as we encounter challenges like this?

1. When you are threatened, you should lift up your voice in thanksgiving to God appreciating the abundance that He has made available.

Then begin to lift that business in your space up to God. Pray that they will not fail and that their project will succeed in Jesus name. Once you do this according to scripture in the book of Matt. 5: 23, heaven steps into your situation and you become the next in line with greater, better miracle than you thought you lost.

2. Position yourself for the power of God. Please never take this for granted, it looks too simple to be true, but the power of God is in the doing of His word. The whole resources of heaven back up the word of God. The design of God for us is to never struggle through life at anything we embark on. However this can only be through the application of His wisdom in every situation. As you give hear to this truth and lift other businesses up in prayer you will be dazzled with the supernatural power of God in your own business.

Remain Blessed.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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EquityMarket Insurance claims rise to N11 billion in H1 2018 ...fire, motor, energy insurance account for 82 percent ...as shareholders rake in N38 billion interim dividend TELIAT SULE

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ine listed insurance companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) paid N11.28 billion claims to non-life insurance policy holders at half year 2018, an increase of 35 percent over N8.33 billion claims paid in similar period in 2017. The companies are AXA Mansard, Consolidated Hallmark, Cornerstone Insurance, Great Nigeria Insurance and Lawn Union and Rock.

Others are NEM, Sovereign Trust, Universal Insurance and Wapic Insurance, the analysis of their half year results for the period ended June 30, 2018 has shown.

The remaining insurance firms have not released their second quarter unaudited financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2018.

An insurance claim is a formal request to an insurance company for coverage or compensation for a covered loss or policy event, according to Investopedia. A paid insurance claim serves to indemnify a policyholder against financial loss.

AXA Mansard accounted for 27 percent, or N3.03 billion of the total claims paid by the insurance companies and it was followed by Sovereign Trust Insurance which paid N1.94 billion claims representing 17 percent of the cumulative claims paid by the insurance firms under consideration.

Consolidated Hallmark, Cor-

nerstone Insurance and NEM Insurance, each accounted for 13 percent of claims as they paid out N1.51 billion, N1.52 billion and N1.50 billion respectively as claims in the first six months of 2018.

Law Union and Rock paid out N849.12 million claims to account for 8 percent of the claims paid out by the nine insurance firms while Wapic Insurance, Universal Insurance and Great Nigeria Insurance

paid out N570.64 million; N223.26 million and N134 million to account for 5 percent, 2 percent and 1 percent respectively of the claims paid by the nine firms under the consideration.

At H1 2018, AXA Mansard topped the list as it accounted for 23 percent of the claims paid out by half year 2017, while NEM Insurance accounted for 17 percent of the total claims paid by half year 2017.

Seplat signs shareholder agreement with NGPTC

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eplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, a leading Nigerian indigenous oil and gas company listed on both the Nigeria Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange, has announced the signing of the shareholder agreement and share subscription agreement with the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company (NGPTC) , a wholly owned subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

NGPTC will subscribe for fifty per cent of the shares in ANOH Gas Processing Company Limited, a company that was incorporated in 2017, for the purpose of processing future wet gas production from the upstream unitised gas fields at OML 53 & OML 21, which is operated by Shell.

The signed shareholder agreement will govern Seplat’s and NGPTC’s respective interests in the AGPC incorporated joint venture.

Other commercial agreements with NNPC and the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company were also executed during the signing ceremony held at NNPC headquarters in Abuja today. The agreements

are an important precursor to the final investment decision for the ANOH project which is expected in Q4 2018.

“We are delighted to have entered into an Incorporated Joint Venture with our government partner NGPTC. The execution of the agreements today is an important step as we head towards taking FID on the ANOH project later this year. ANOH is one of the largest greenfield gas

Austin Avuru

and condensate developments in Nigeria which will supply critical and much needed gas volumes to be internally consumed in the country into a growing domestic market”, Austin Avuru, Seplat’s Chief Executive Officer, said while commenting on the Shareholder Agreement.

Seplat is pursuing a Nigeria focused growth strategy and is well-positioned to participate in future divestment programmes by the international oil companies, farm-in opportunities and future licensing rounds.

Revenue realised from contracts with customer rose by 160 percent at half year 2018 to N105 billion from N40 billion in similar period in 2018. Gross profit was up by 225 percent from N16.4 billion at half year 2017 to N53.3 billion at half year 2018.

Operating profit jumped by over 2,000 percent to N48.43 billion at H1 2018 from N2.2 billion at corresponding period in 2017.

Profit after tax (PAT) for the first six months of 2018 rose to N14.8 billion as against a loss after tax of N8.4 billion made in similar period in 2017.

Further analysis shows that the claims paid were to clients who operated three insurance policies particularly motor, oil & gas policies, and fire, whose policy holders were paid N9.21 billion representing 82 percent of the half year claims. General accident claims accounted for 10 percent of the claims paid in H1 2018.

Claims paid to holders of marine, engineering, aviation insurance

policies accounted for 5 percent, 2 percent and 7 percent respectively.

On why Nigerian insurance firms are not having significant presence in the underwriting of marine and aviation businesses, Ahmed Jinad, an insurance and economic analyst with Meristem Securities attributed the development to the low capital base of the nation’s insurance firms and the fact that marine and aviation businesses are denominated in US dollars.

“Owners of vehicles in Nigeria are mandated to have insurance policy as without this, you will not be allowed to drive on Nigerian roads.

The same goes for fire insurance as most owners of houses are highly encouraged to have fire insurance.

These have been the drivers of insurance businesses in Nigeria and that explains why most claims went to holders of those policies”, Jinad said.

“For oil and gas, the local content policy ensures that the local insurance firms have a say in that sector.

That is not the case in marine and aviation which are highly capital intensive because everything there is denominated in United States dollars”, Jinad added.

Meanwhile, shareholders of Seplat, Zenith, GTB, Stanbic and Custodian Plc have made N37.93 billion in the first six months of this year as interim dividend. Seplat declared N15.2675 per share while Zenith and GTB each announced 30k per share. Custodian Plc paid 10 kobo per share just as Stanbic IBTC paid 100 kobo per share.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

HiFL, an opportunity for discerning brands to connect with their youthful consumers Higher Institutions Football League, HIFL is an annual football competition designed for higher institutions in Nigeria especially universities that allows their students to showcase talents. The competition also stimulates healthy rivalry and engage them in the unifying spirit of sportsmanship. With high interest of consumers, particularly the youth in football, this report assesses how brands can leverage the opportunity to connect with their consumers.

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he euphoria around the commencement of the Higher Institutions Football league (HiFL) has been described by stakeholders as the big thing in the Nigeria sporting arena. But, to the delight of many is the opportunity that has been provided for discerning brands who want to connect with their consumers particularly the youths. Across the world, this market segments provide a huge opportunity for brands to sell and market their products.

According to a communication expert, Ajibike Adekunle, the youth market has become very vibrant over the years. “The youth market anywhere in the world cannot be jettisoned. Interestingly, the market creates a chain of reaction which at some point taps into the adult market. Even for products that are strictly for adults, the youths can be advocate for such products when they speak about such products to their parents or guardian having seen them advertised at some point. Same scenario may also play out in the case of adults” Adekunle said.

At the launch of the HiFL in Lagos recently, the Director, PACE Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Sola Fijabi said the league is part of attempts to engender youth development in Nigeria. “HIFL is part of the collective effort at youth development in Nigeria. We are prepared for this maiden edition and we are very hopeful that it will have positive impact on sports and education in Nigeria. We hope to place collegiate sports in Nigeria on the same pedestals obtainable in other countries that have recorded successes and build a strong network of young, home-grown football talents” Fijabi said.

He further stated that “football is a complete game full of fun. Athletes and fans are sure of such excitement as they listen and sing along the theme song which will be played before and at intervals during the games to the delight of every one at the stadium. Fans are encouraged to download the theme of the HIFL website, make their own cover for the song and stand a chance of winning fantastic prizes” Fijabi informed.

It was no surprise that organisations like the StanbicIBTC group recently got on the train of the HiFL, apparently envisaging the enormous opportunity the platform provides in connecting with the existing and prospective customers.

While announcing their partnership as a major sponsor of the competition, the company stated that the objectives of the HiFL aligns with their desire to contribute

to development in Africa.

According to the Chief Executive, StanbicIBTC Holdings PLC, Yinka Sanni, the company is “enthusiastic about our sponsorship of the university league. The sponsorship is in line with our objective to engage the youth in talent-molding and character-building initiatives and our determination to contribute to the development of sports and by extension the economy.”

Sport marketing over the years has grown and contributed to economic growth. For instance brands like Globacom Nigeria, MTN Nigeria and Guinness Nigeria Plc have all enjoyed and leverage the opportunities offered their brands.

The sponsorship of what was hitherto known as the Nigeria Glo League could be regarded as a major success in Nigeria.

The MTN Nigeria half marathon over time proved to be a major connector as MTN Nigeria was able to effectively and extensively leverage the property amongst its various subscribers.

Guinness Nigeria through the fly with the eagle’s campaign provided Nigerians opportunities of live broadcast of matches

involving the Nigerian team and at some point sponsored selected customers to watch the Super Eagles outside Nigeria.

Internationally, non-professional baseball leagues like the Alaska Baseball league enjoy sponsorships from many companies. Information available on the official website of the league shows that they are sponsored by companies like BP, Alaska Club, StateFarm, AT&T Alascom, Alaska Airlines among others.

“We cannot continue to play the ostrich regarding what opportunities a league like the HiFL in Nigeria provides in terms of opportunities for marketers and brands.

Interestingly, sports is one unifying factor in Nigeria because the passion for it permeates the fabrics of religious and ethnic biases. Having witnessed some of the matches, I noticed that the youths were willing to volunteer for major brands that were sponsoring the league and that is very encouraging. Such youths automatically become ambassadors of the brands and no matter what, such brands will gain more ground on the long run” stated Abraham Ajekigbe, a marketing expert.

As a new initiative, it is only natural that

brands may be skeptical in investing in the league particularly due to the perceived lack of structure in executing such project in the past. However, the organizers of the league have assured brands of appreciable return on investment.

Speaking in this regard, the Chief Strategy Officer, PACE Sports and Entertainment Marketing, Olamide Adeyemo stated that “as a company, we have thought through these processes and can assure our sponsors of good return on investment. We sincerely thank StanbicIBTC for putting its foot forward as what we may refer to as the pioneer sponsorship of the HiFL. We are extremely glad and hope other sponsors tap in on the opportunities. HiFL is trending of the various social media platforms because that is where the youths and part of our promise to existing and prospective sponsors is that they can benefit from this millage that HiFL provides. We are in partnership with the Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) while our technical consultants Green White Green Sports Company is providing the needed support on the project”.

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Arts Bold artists unearth a new becoming with photography exhibition Stories by OBINNA EMELIKE

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n an effort at questioning and re-imagining perfection, six avant-garde fashion photographers are exploring who we are, and who we aspire to become in a photography exhibition titled: ‘Gbam!Unearthing and Reclaiming a New Becoming’.

The exhibition consists of 25 evocative photographs by six bold artists including; Daniel Obasi, Kadara Enyeansi, Kola Oshalusi, Lex Ash, Noma Osula and Ola Ebiti who through the works question our continual unearthing, uncovering, discovering and re-imagining perfection by drawing on our history and identity as Africans.

These bold, new-gen-

eration photographers sift through our rich fashion, culture, traditions, narratives and symbols to challenge our aesthetic identity as we project a renewed understanding of perfection from a millennial standpoint.

For example, Noma Osula’s powerful portraits of perfectly chiseled tribal marks across his subject’s striking Bantu features are juxtaposed against fine pink fabric, whimsically wound around a stout physical presence. Osula’ explores traditional scarification and our concept of beauty and traditional symbolism against the interplay of striking whimsical adornment.

On the other hand, Kola Oshalusi’s documentary depiction of youth in Northern Nigeria presents an emotional naiveté, a cluster-

ing of untainted stillness and repose within an arid, harsh landscape. His power-

ful black and white images present a lyrical expose of young adults, always in clus-

Art, craft to take centre stage at Nigeria-South Africa bi-national commission

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he development of Nigeria’s art and craft sector will now take centre stage among other issues at the next edition of the NigeriaSouth Africa bi-national commission slated later this year.

This was revealed during a courtesy call on the South African High Commission in Abuja by Segun Runsewe, director-general, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and his management team.

Addressing the delegation from NCAC, Bobby Moroe, South African Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, expressed his delight at the

visit saying it was auspicious as both countries had already signed several MOU to boost bilateral cooperation, adding that art and crafts development will now be prioritised in the next Nigeria-South Africa bi-national commission where both countries will also seek areas of mutual interest in energy and agriculture.

Moroe reaffirmed that the visit of Runsewe and his team would signal a new era for the culture and arts industry for both nations stressing that the Nigeria-South Africa bi-national commission is a veritable platform where issues of development are

deliberated upon followed by strategic implementation plans, recalling that in 2001, the two countries signed an MOU to improve bilateral relations.

The Envoy revealed that at least 34 agreements will be reached in the forthcoming Nigeria-South Africa binational commission where President Muhammadu Buhari will be in attendance noting that the art and crafts sector will be a major beneficiary in this year’s outing.

Moroe commended the INAC initiative, promising to interface with the authorities back home with a view to ensuring South Africa’s full

R-L: Segun Runsewe, director general, National Council of Art and Culture (NCAC), presenting gift to Bobby Moroe, South African deputy high commissioner to Nigeria, during courtesy call on the diplomat in Abuja recently.

participation.

He thanked Runsewe for the locally made gifts of laptop and ipad pouches, which the DG presented to him. The director general also decorated the S.A envoy and his staff with the official NCAC pinup, thereby conferring on him the dual status of South Africa and NCAC Ambassador.

Reacting to the Envoy’s remarks, Runsewe thanked his host for receiving him and his management team observing that South Africa was a country with great organizational capabilities and vast resources. He noted that his visit was informed by the need to gain support as the NCAC plans to take commissioners of culture in Nigeria to a farm trip in South Africa as a way of exposing them to the high standards that his country has attained, which according to the DG, would translate to major gains in the arts and culture industry in Nigeria.

Runsewe also used the opportunity to intimate the Ambassador on the forthcoming International Arts and Crafts Expo (INAC) which will be held in Abuja in November this year, requesting that South Africa should maximize the platform to showcase her rich cultural heritage just like other countries around the globe that have indicated interest to participate in the exhibition.

ters, facing forward with resilience despite their stark surroundings.

“GBAM! showcases the exciting diversity of images currently being created by a new generation of Nigerian visual artists,” explained Papa Omotayo, exhibition co-curator and founder, A White Space Creative Agency. “The works are fluid, referential, charged with self-reflection and steeped in the narrative and contradictions of modern contemporary African identity and style. “ “Gbam! broadens the common perception of fashion photography as an art form, and spreads its tentacles wide to provide socio-economic critique as it questions perfection vis-à-vis identity, equality and traditional norms and expectations,” said San-

dra Mbanefo Obiago, the Wheatbaker’s long standing art curator and founder of SMO Contemporary Art. “The simultaneously presenting a balanced sometimes ambiguous whole, one that belongs entirely in the present six photographers draw on cultural historical roots and attempt to divine their essence whilst, and may, possibly point to a new, bolder, more beautiful future” commented Mazzi Odu, Nigerian fashion editor and writer.

The photography exhibition, which started since June 9, 2018, is hosted by the Wheatbaker Hotel, and cocurated by A White Space Creative Agency and SMO Contemporary Art. It runs until September 15, 2018 and is supported

by Louis Guntrum Wines and the Wheatbaker.

Trace embarks on seven cities tour …partners NTA to give university students global platform

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race has decided to bring the channel to her most dedicated fans, youth and the Uber cool crowd in a whirlwind campus tour called Trace In The City, that would take the channel to seven cities across Nigeria.

The events feature a fusion of music, games and movies, bringing the best of life’s experiences to campuses and cinemas. Trace is also giving young creatives a chance to connect with Trace, meet the faces behind channel and submit videos or skits in a “Content Festival” in conjunction with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The tour, which will last for four weeks and visit seven cities, will feature a concert, games such as an eating competition, Indomie and Pepsi product giveaways, The NTA Content Festival and take over a Movie theatre in each city. The locations include: Zaria, Abuja, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Benin, Lagos and Ibadan.

“We decided to embark on this campus tour because the country’s entertainment scene is dominated and consumed by young people and they are eager for opportunities to have their creativity recognized. To respond to their aspirations, we partnered with NTA so they can drop their videos and submit

Sam Onyemelukwe

content to air on TV,” said Sam Onyemelukwe, managing director for Trace in Anglophone Africa.

Artistes to rock the stage include; Ice Prince, Mayorkun, Reekado Banks, Harrysong, Falz, Dj Neptune, CDQ, MC Galaxy, Classiq, LAX, Teni Entertainer, Dremo, Peruzzi, Idowest, Yonda, Odunsi The Engine, Ceeza Milli, Tjan and many others.

It will also feature each university’s popular acts.

The city tour, which started on August 17, 2018 will run until September 15, 2018.

It is sponsored by Indomie Nigeria, refreshed by Pepsi, supported by Infinix Mobile and Clorets.

Interested students and adults alike are urged to follow the conversation on all Trace’s social media platforms using @tracenaija on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or by using the Tag #TraceInTheCity.

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Arts Osun Osogbo: Creating economic, cultural renaissance for locals

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SEYI JOHN SALAU he Osun Osogbo festival entails both economic and cultural renaissance for the people of Osogbo as it portrays the people, their value system, cultural beliefs and the city to the world. However, for decades there has been a downward trajectory in the acceptance of arts and culture, especially the likes of Osun Osogbo festival.

Nigerians are always conscious of their cultural heritage and beliefs, but seems divided along the two major religious practices in the country. Islam and Christianity both strongly oppose the cultural beliefs of most locals, as they remain the two major religions in Nigeria.

However, as part of efforts to promote and develop arts and culture in Nigeria, MTN Nigeria has reiterated its support for the ongoing Osun Osogbo Festival. The annual festival, which started on August 9, 2018 and expected to end on August 25, 2018, will

see both local and foreign tourists, as well as, Osun goddess devotees make their way to Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The festival is a major socio-cultural event of the Osogbo people. Named after the Osun grove; the festival is built around the relationship

between the river goddess, Osun and the first monarch of Osogbo kingdom, Oba Gbadewolu Laroye and has been celebrated for over a century.

Adekunle Adebiyi, sales and distribution executive, MTN Nigeria, while speaking on MTN’s support of the

festival said, “It is always an exciting experience when we get to support festivals every year. We enrich and make them better. Osun Osogbo is one of such festivals and we are proud to be a part of the regal event again this year,” said Adebiyi.

According to Adebiyi,

MTN’s support for the festival is part of its larger initiative, KultureFest, to make a positive and enduring impact on the nation’s socio-cultural landscape through support for festivals, arts and culture across the country.

The initiative is borne out of the desire to preserve and

project the country’s rich cultural heritage. It puts various cultural festivals in the country on the international pedestal and also stimulates their potential to generate revenue for the communities and engender communal bonding.

Adebiyi opined that KultureFest is MTN’s major investment at developing the art in Nigeria. “KultureFest is a major investment for us.

We have been supporting festivals for over a decade now as we seek to promote culture and create affinity between the people of Nigeria and the MTN brand. We are picking 37 festivals across the country this year and I believe that by next year the number will increase,” he stated.

MTN has facilitated the renaissance of arts and culture in Nigeria, and through its KultureFest initiative, the company has established itself as a strong pillar behind major festivals such as Osun Osogbo, Ofala Nnewi, Argungun and Anioma, among other festivals across the country.

AU, AFRIMA releases 5th Awards Nominees List …Public voting commences August 27th

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he globally-anticipated Nominees List for the 5th All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA), has been unveiled by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the International Jury of AFRIMA, during a World Media announcement held on August 14, 2018, at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The released nominees list covers the five regional categories divided into female and male categories.

They include: Best Female Artiste in Central Africa; Best Male Artiste in Central Africa; Best Female Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Eastern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Northern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Male Artiste in Southern Africa; Best Female Artiste in Western Africa and Best Male Artiste in Western Africa.

A total of 79 songs made it to the regional nominees list. Cameroon takes up four of the eight spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Central Africa, followed by DRC (2), and Angola (2). In the category for Best Male Artiste in Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) takes the lead with five spots followed by Cameroon 2 and Chad 1.

From Eastern Africa, the female category Kenya holds three spots while Uganda

takes 2 with Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania occupying one nomination slot respectively. In the male category, Kenya and Tanzania maintain three nominations each, Tanzania ties with Ethiopia and Tanzania registering one nomination apiece.

The Algerian female artistes have a lead ahead of their male counterparts as they took four out of the six spots in the category for Best Female Artiste in Northern Africa, with Tunisia and Egypt holding one spot each. The Male category has Moroccan artistes occupying four of the eight spots, Algeria 2, Egypt and Tunisia earning one nomination each.

Southern African region is dominated by South African artistes in both categories, with a total of nine spots, followed by Zimbabwe- 3, while Swaziland, Namibia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe take 1 spot each.

The Western region Male category is having great contenders between Nigeria and Ghana. Holding up 4 spots is Nigeria, closely followed by Ghana (3), while Guinea and Cape Verde hold 1 spot each.

The Best Female Artiste in the Western region has Nigeria and Ghana in a tie of 2 spots respectively, with Benin (1), Mali (1), Senegal (1), and Cote d’Ivoire (1).

Speaking on grading and reviewing process of the entries, Robert Ekukole (rep-

resenting Eastern Africa), spokesperson for the International Jury of AFRIMA, and programme director, Cameroon TV and Radio, explained that tasked with the responsibility of sieving 8,009 entries submitted by African music professionals within the awards validity period of August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2018, “The jury members are thorough about their work because we will be doing artistes and creators of these works a great injustice if we do not accord them the review their works deserves.

“The nominees list represents the top-notch creative expressions of music talents and professionals within the regions and validity period.

However, we also have a challenge where some artistes failed to enter for the awards and as such missed the opportunity to be evaluated or possibly nominated”.

The adjudication is done electronically via the AFRIMA Adjudication Software, which was designed by AFRIMA in 2014, and has been deployed for use since the 2015 annual adjudication process.

When public voting opens on the AFRIMA website on August 27, continental and regional nominees in the 38 award categories will compete against one another for the coveted 23.9 carat gold-plated AFRIMA Trophy.

Nominees will depend on votes from their fans across

the globe in an open voting process via the AFRIMA website, www.afrima.org.

From August 7, when the annual adjudication process began, the 13-man jury worked painstakingly in assessing and grading the submitted entries, which increased by 63% against the 2017 entries received by AFRIMA. Speaking on the parameters considered by the Jury during the adjudication process, Hadja Kobélé Keita, jury member representing Diaspora (North America) and a music executive, reiterated that AFRIMA’s objective is about rewarding, promoting talents and creativity in Africa.

L-R: Joett, representative of Eastern Africa, Mike Dada, president/executiveproducer, AFRIMA, Angela Martins- African Union representative, and Rita Ray, representative of the Diaspora (Europe)at the event in Lagos recently.

“AFRIMA has specific guidelines they follow in considering musical works that are nominated yearly, besides these guidelines, we also look out for the quality of works submitted. An artiste’s popularity will not influence the Jury’s verdict, just because an artiste has 100 million views on Youtube does not guarantee making the list, unless such works are produced with high quality and represent the continent properly. Other guidelines the Jury considers are the current trends and market position”, she further explains.

The AFRIMA’s open voting process will occur via the AFRIMA website, www.afrima.org. Music lovers will be empowered to decide which artiste or song emerges winner of the 23.9 carat goldplated AFRIMA trophy.

The 5th AFRIMA is scheduled to hold in November 2018, other activities scheduled for the main awards events is the Africa Music Business Roundtable, a combination of musical conference and trade expo where stakeholders in the creative and arts industry come together to discuss the business of music in Africa, also the AFRIMA Music Village, a music concert and cultural festival that accommodates over 40,000 music lovers across the continent who witness live performances from their favourite African artistes.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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BDSUNDAY 37

Book Review TITLE: Brand Building By Direct Contact AUTHOR: Joe Dada (Ph.D.) PAGES: 220 CHAPTERS: 8 PRICE: N5,000 COPYRIGHT: © Joe Dada 2018 Published and Printed by DanObish Creative Prints BOOK REVIEWER: Mr. Ayo Oyoze Baje (Media Consultant)

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he factors that mark out a book with the potential to becoming a bestseller, especially in the highly competitive Nigerian, nay global market include its uniqueness and the value it has come to add to the lives of the readers. And by extension the larger society, especially if it possesses the pragmatic features to fulfill the consumer’s ever increasing socio-economic needs at a time it becomes accessible to the target audience.

With Acknowledgements, a Preface, Introduction and extensive Index, the well-laid out book with a captivating red and brown cover and bold caption in white letters commands instant appeal.

All these and more are applicable to the new book that goes with the title: ‘BRAND BUILDING BY DIRECT CONTACT’ written

by Joe Dada(Ph.D.) a thoroughbred management professional with over three decades proven track record. He has traversed a wide spectrum from the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sub sector to agro-allied industries. He recently retired from Nigeria’s foremost conglomerate, UAC. There, he served on the Board in the executive capacity from 2010-2017.

Expectations are therefore, high that any record of his remarkable experience, as an astute manager of men and materials would be worth the while of the reader. Would that reader be satisfied? One has to go through the product of his creative ingenuity to provide answers to that important question.

Written with simplicity of language, thought-provoking and engaging format what it brings to the table is the crying need for business-minded individuals, industries and corporate organizations to understand the nitty-gritty of his brain-child, aptly captioned Direct Consumer Contact (DCC) concept in the marketing mix of products and services. Then, the questions arise.

How did the sellable idea come into being? What is it all about? What is its essence in today’s globalized knowledge economy?

What positive impact would its application bring to bear on products and services? The answers are there for those willing to read and imbibe its model.

As reflected in the Preface, much of the literature available from Europe, America

and Asia in the Nigerian market as well as most developing markets is still skewed in favour of developed markets. This invariably creates limitations that impede applicability for the marketing environment in Nigeria. This apparent gap resulted in the quest to develop an alternative model for brand building via Direct Consumer Contact (DCC) framework.

To shed more light on this, Chapter 1 provides the needed insight with the title:‘ Society, Business Organization and Marketing’.

Looking at specific areas such as The Nexus, Evolution of Marketing and Periods in the Development of Marketing, the book explains that the ‘increasing emergence of corporate business organizations presupposes that there are millions of human needs that must be satisfied all over the world on a daily basis.’

This simply means that they will always produce goods and services to meet the gaps that exist. The aim of course, is to satisfy the human, animal, plant and organizational needs. Since no organization can serve the needs of the entire society, to be more efficient, it must select a target market in a way that would engender customer-satisfaction and long-term social benefits that are mutually beneficial.

The uniqueness of the products is what has eventually evolved to what is referred to as product identity or branding. This has necessitated that brands have to rise above the crest and hypes of traditional marketing mix elements to remain visible, relevant and rewarding to their respective organizations.

Hence, bonding and cultivation of relationship with the consumer even in developed markets remain the sine qua non.

Nonetheless, there are inherent challenges for marketing and sales representatives to confront and resolve. These include volatility of the market, how to achieve set objectives and targets and the most cost-effective and result-oriented models to adopt. Others are; the use of marketing gimmicks that are the most appealing to the customer as well as the ones that will bring him/her value for the money and resources spent.

As clearly spelt out on page 31 of the eyeopening and enthralling book: ‘Managers are aware of competition and the ease with which consumers shift allegiance to other products, especially where there are different alternatives’. There is no gainsaying that organizations have to retool their strategies for consumer’s interest, transparency, ethics and discharge of social responsibility accordingly.

The book’s emphasis therefore, is that DCC takes the concept of integrated marketing beyond components of the marketing mix to the realm of experimental marketing and sustainable touch points. The salutary aim of course, is to engender strong brand recognition, association and eventually increased patronage.

It would do marketing practitioners a world of good if they not only adopt standard marketing mix elements but endeavour to take on new techniques relevant to their own environment. The import of this is for marketers in Nigeria and developing countries to understand and key into the principles and

practice of DCC. Good enough, it is a cost-effective option for product demonstration, promotional materials, price discount offers, media hyping, merchandising and personal selling. In addition, the concept also simplifies the tracking and the measurement of the money spent on promotional schemes. It also helps to tackle the challenge of how to effectively deploy promotional campaigns.

Furthermore, DCC addresses the other challenge faced by marketers and brand managers in their work which has to do with the ambition to achieve rapid brand awareness, increased sales and brand penetration amongst the target audience. The book, which first focuses on business and society, explains the DCC conceptual model that was reinforced by the eight-year case study for a fast moving consumer good(FMCG) for select markets in Nigeria.

Other chapters run through contemporary digital marketing issues hinged on customer information management, customer relationship management (CRM) and the environment of marketing. The concluding chapter probes into the future of marketing and DCC. Given the dynamics of marketing it is expected that the new technology and tools would still be developed with time to meet consumer changes, preferences, buying behavior shifts and socio-cultural orientations.

The kernel of where DCC ‘s relevance comes to play when one realizes that brand building is central to the profitability and long term survival of organizations. It has therefore, become imperative to ensure that these brands are regularly refreshed and rekindled.

The piece of good news on this newly discovered DCC concept is that it is easily adaptable and replicable across a broad spectrum of products and services.

With specific reference to Nigeria, with a continually growing population estimated at 198 million in 2018, this book will continue to be of growing significance. This is because the country remains a huge ‘market for organized firms which have a strong marketing vision’.

Given our limitations and peculiarities of infrastructural deficit, inadequate deployment of information and communication (ICT) technology and of course, socio-cultural diversity, the DCC model, with its cutting edge features remains the most feasible tool to reach prospective consumers in a developing economy.

The focus of Chapter 2 is the DCC Model .Since consumers are more likely to be endeared to a product when communication is open by a company or its marketers, DCC comes in as the shortest link between the manufacturer and the consumer. It keeps the middle men away, and saves valuable time and efforts spent in search of a product. It is a target approach with the innovative feature of a tinge of hospitality.

Emphasis on brand penetration is predicated on the Four cardinal principles of Brand Awareness, Brand Association, Brand Trial Purchase and Brand Repeat Purchase.

As Professor Smith, an American Marketing expert who spent years of research in Nigeria rightly noted, involving the customer in the brand is a significant factor that helps to build brand penetration. DCC ‘s application should ultimately follow Keller’s three step approach of (a) conducting brand audits,(b) designing brand tracking audits and (c) establishing a brand equity system.

Selected industry cases that emphasize the importance of persistent promotions and involvement in Social Responsibility Projects are MTN(Telecoms market), Coca Cola(beverages and non-alcoholic drinks), Toyota (automobile market), detergents and toothpaste(consumer product market) and Shell( Oil and Gas market.

Nonetheless, DCC’s concept is built around the six pillars of product demonstration, deployment of promotional materials, price discount offers at the point of purchase, media hyping, merchandising and personal selling.

Other important areas the book looks at include traditional model of brand building, theme and scheme advertising, consumer contact theories as well as direct marketing.

Though proponents of direct marketing hail it as being cost effective with maximum consumer reach and measurement accuracy, its critics warn against a narrow approach to its adoption and application.

The Case Study conducted right on the field to drive home the enduring message of DCC is encapsulated in Chapter 3. African Modest Mills(AMM), an agro-allied company with focus on the production of rich organic foods and the processing of highquality grains into cereal meal and oil seeds into cooking oil , the latter which became the first Nigerian brand to be endorsed as heartfriendly was tested with the DCC model and it came out excellently! The scheme provided more opportunities for AMM to communicate and interact with consumers in open markets, shops and high density neighbourhoods.

On the other hand, the proportion of consumers who have not previously experienced the scheme, but are willing to purchase the products in future is comparatively less.

Chapters 4 and 5 periscope issues such as ‘Branding: The Heart Of Marketing’ and ‘Customer Information Management (CIM) respectively. While Chapter Six touches on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Chapter 7 has an in-depth analysis of Environment of Marketing. Here, the emphasis is that organizations must monitor key macroeconomic forces as well as significant microeconomic factors. These are likely to affect their ability to earn profits.

Highlighted therein are the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion) and 4C s( customer solution, customer cost, convenience and communication) of Marketing. Chapter 8 rounds off with the Emotions and Ethics of Marketing. This is important because, understanding the consumer and what motivates him or her buying decisions enables a brand to capture and sustain a greater market share.

In all of this, the questions of how to reach, convince and sustain the patronage of customers will continue to dominate debates amongst academics, brand managers, marketing professionals and several organizations.

The rich and robust presentation stands it out for its high content information, easy-toread format, without highfalutin expressions or hyperbole. It also comes with bold letterings that breathe. Others include the use of illustrations including graphs, the significance of instances given that are apt, uniqueness and relevance to current needs and the wide spectrum of reference materials provided.

For subsequent editions, the author should consider the use of relevant photos, inclusion of interviews with some stakeholders and provide specific application to select areas of the economy.

There is no doubt that the DCC concept has come at the right time as a child of socioeconomic necessity. I heartily recommend its full application to all sectors of the national economy-both public and private, industry players, universities, marketers and public relations practitioners. One should not rule out its relevance to patriotic politicians, who should use the DCC model to sell their peoplefriendly manifesto to the citizens, based on their most pressing needs.

It is a job well done and deserves both our patronage and commendation.

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

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Sunday 19 August 2018

THING TO DO IN LAGOS It is another Sunday Funday and as always, I have somewhere for you to be at! Here are a few events happening today that will thrill you:

Why your next corporate team retreat should be at Upbeat Centre Lehlé Balde

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hey say the strength of the team lies in each member.

Team bonding is said to be an essential part of organizational success and creates a direct correlation to increased collaborations between team members at the corporate level. As the name suggests, team building involves helping employees and management alike to learn how to work together as a team.

Companies all over the world use a variety of techniques to help company workers get to know each other and learn how to solve problems, boost personal and collective creativity and work efficiently towards achieving a common goal. It is no surprise that global corporate organizations like Apple, Virgin, Amazon, and Facebook, have taken their corporate teams on training retreats to show appreciation for their employees and create environments where they can be creative, and think outside the box.

Apple is one of the companies that celebrated team building within their organization and unsurprisingly became the world’s most profitable company hitting the world record of 1 trillion dollars in profits. Similarly, billionaire Richard Branson has attributed his 5 billion dollar empire and hugely successful businesses to his staff. He is known to invest heavily in his workforce, which involves carefully curated team bonding exercises and work retreats.

Effective team-building creates a culture of trust by giving employees an opportunity to strengthen their interpersonal relationships, learn, make mistakes and try out new ideas in a low-stakes environment. With growing public awareness centered on the importance of exercise and relaxation for overall health, Nigerians have been paying special attention to exercise regimes and keeping fit. This has been made evident with the rise in gym and exercise subscriptions in Nigeria and health-focused restaurants opening more frequently to serve the healthconscious segment of the population.

Some of these benefits of team bonding include: The benefits of team bonding include: • Morale boost and improved leadership skills • Identifies and limits barriers that thwart creativity • Improves processes and procedures • Improves organizational productivity • Identifies a team’s strengths and weaknesses

• Improves problem-solving ability While the benefits are clear, many SME’s refrain from team bonding exercises because they often require elaborate planning, a hefty budget and some sort of travel to a nearby resort out of town or event out of the country.

This requires a lot of time, planning and logistics. As Business Day’s digital team were planning our annual team retreat, we discovered UpBeat, a world-class fun sports and fitness recreation center in the heart of Lekki Phase 1, Lagos the Upbeat centre is West Africa’s 1st Trampoline Park & foremost recreation centre.

The corporate team package included team sports like volleyball, soccer, tug of war and dodgeball to name a few. While there the team also enjoyed jump sessions at the famous trampoline park, played a game of

trampoline dodgeball where some team members conquered their fear of heights. The most significant part of the team bonding exercises was the corporate bonding exercises where team members were tasked with filling questionnaires about themselves and then see how many things they may or may not have in common with team members they do not usually interact with.

This exercise helped team members reveal their similarities, differences, strengths, and weaknesses, which allowed team leads to identify ways in which they can support team members in areas where they expressed a need for support. The calming surrounding of the Upbeat centre was conducive to a stress-free environment away from the workplace. There is no reminder of your role or duty because that individual is placed in situations that do

not require that they pull rank or enforce authority. The day ended with a delicious meal provided by the Upbeat catering services.

The entire team thoroughly enjoyed their time at Upbeat and 100 % recommend Upbeat’s corporate team bonding sessions for all corporations in Nigeria. Upbeat Centre has achieved monumental success while using a surprisingly fun and creative method, deploying physical activities, trust exercises, and problem-solving exercises to unite corporate teams Nigeria wide. While this may not be common to quintessential Nigerian organizations, it is an organizational tradition that has worked for many successful companies worldwide and will continue to spread throughout Nigeria and Africa. Upbeat Centre’s corporate team bonding exercises have started a corporate revolution in Africa, and the hope is that more corporate organizations will plan this for their team.

Sunday 19 August 2018

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BDSUNDAY 39

MarketPlace with CEO Kukkyglam Hairs Boma Cookey

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hat’s the Kukkyglam Hairs Story?

Kukkyglam Hairs has been in existence for roughly 2years but due to debts from loads of customers back then, I stopped selling the business, Until 1year ago, I got into Lagos started re-rocking all my old hairs I didn’t sell off from two years ago and one day I came across someone who admired my hair so much and even wanted to even buy the hair off my head. I said to myself, “this was not the regular admiration I got on my hair, this one the lady actually followed me up claiming she wanted to use the hair for her wedding and she would pay any amount for it.

Basically, I went back home and told my fiancé about the incident and he said to me “get back into your business but this time I will support you full force and you must win’. He made me see the bigger picture as I already had a flare for good hairs it would be easy to dive right back into the business. I came back with a special target, to meet the needs of the average people.

After that day, I contacted a friend who helped me set up my page on Instagram and I did my first hair shipment into Nigeria which was about 10kg and to my greatest surprise I sold out in 1week. Now we have even branched into wigging of hairs, offering spa treatment to old hairs and bring them back to life, we dye hairs and we also do braided wigs.

We celebrated 1year in active business on the 25th of July 2018 and I am really grateful how far kukkyglamhairs has come.

Do you presently make a lot of profit?

Yes I make profits, a lot is relative because some days are extremely good and other days hmmmm!

But all in all business is good Have your profits ever run higher than your costs?

Several times but I eventually

it. But I would advise you have the two to double your profits.

How do you deal with competition?

I don’t see competition it’s weird I know, but honestly I don’t. I offer not just selling of quality hair like I said earlier, I wig for as little as 5k, I treat old hairs and bring them back to life, I dye hairs , I do braided wigs, hence I made my business in a way that if you are not buying hair from me, you would certainly need one or more of the other services listed.

What is your biggest drive to success?

The fear of being poor is the beginning of wisdom. Plus I hate seeing tacky weaves on ladies. So I’m on a mission to wipe out fake hairs from the market.

How has it been for you doing a hair business in Nigeria?

What challenges have you faced?

It’s very hard to convince Nigerian women buying hairs, that curly hair is not for everyone if you don’t know how to maintain it. Really the hardwork in hair is maintaining it not saving hard to purchase it.

Tell us something about hairs that most ladies don’t know.

If you like buy a hair of 1million naira if you don’t maintain it, it won’t last. Brush it when necessary, use specific brushes for human hair, specific serums, if the hair is not water friendly don’t expose it to water etc.

Kukkyglam

make up when demand runs very high.

How has social media helped your business?

Very very very well. Without social media I won’t have the wide reach I am enjoying now.

Do you think it’s wiser to

have an E-shop or a physical store?

It is wise to have the both if you can afford, because humans are unique some like to see what they are buying first before they purchase , while others are already convinced via pictures and they purchase

Where do you see Kukkyglam Hairs in 5 years?

I see Kukkyglam Hairs going nationwide. We won’t just be an online store, we’ll have physical stores across the country.

Interview by Akumah Uzochikwa

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Life&Living

Africans inspired to ‘Never stop, never settle’ with Hennesy breakthrough campaign

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Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

ennessy Very Special recently launched the second installment of its distinctive brand campaign - Never Stop. Never Settle - by focusing on pioneers who are making the creativity of Africa shine. The impact of African culture on global trends has grown exponentially in recent years, influencing everything from runways to restaurants to radio waves.

Never Stop. Never Settle tells the story of individuals who are driving this change, by transforming their creative passions into thriving business ventures, and in so doing, boldly challenge us to see the world through fresh eyes – a world where the old rules no longer apply.

“For over 250 years, Hennessy has celebrated individuals who possess a pioneering spirit,” says Oluwole Awoleke, Brand Manager Hennessy & Spirits Nigeria.

“This new generation of entrepreneurs in Africa, their energy, audacious vision of the future and boundless inner confidence, is the essence of the Hennessy message of Never Stop. Never Settle.”

Capturing the pioneering spirit of a new generation of Africans requires a high level of cultural respect and understanding – one which only a brand with 150 years of history in Africa could tap into.

Therefore, our cast to bring this new campaign to life is young, vibrant

and Pan African.

Nigeria: Kaffy Shafa (Dance), Onye Ubanatu (Photography), Aniete “Aje Filmworks” James (Film), Kenya: Mutua Matheka (Photography), South Africa: RIOT (Street Art), Slikour (Music), Bobo Ndima (Fashion) and Ivory Coast: Serge Beynaud (Music).

The campaign delves deep into

each of their unique stories to discover how inner drive, confidence, passion and talent can create chain reactions, and unite millions.

From digital music start-ups, photography, choreography and film production, these individuals exemplify a generation of innovation and leadership, who break through convention to create a different

kind of world.

“It was very important that the cast should not be actors, but of real people who are out there every day, making things happen,” notes Patrick MADENDJIAN, Regional Commercial & Marketing Director, Moët Hennessy Africa and Middle East.

“These individuals are not satisfied simply to be the best at what they

do, they are constantly seeking new challenges, pushing themselves to newer and higher goals. They want to have a meaningful impact on the continent whilst also being passionate about what they do. They are perfect ambassadors for the Hennessy brand. They truly Never Stop. Never Settle.”

Hennessy’s Never Stop. Never Settle. Campaign will roll out across Nigeria on television and out-ofhome from August, with digital stories and content releasing throughout the campaign for consumers to discover more about the creative entrepreneurs featured, and about the world of Hennessy.

Hennessy is the leader in Cognac, the Maison Hennessy has shined around the world with its exceptional blends for more than 250 years. Built on founder Richard Hennessy’s spirit of conquest, the brand is present in more than 130 countries.

Based in the heart of the Charente region, Hennessy is also a steadfast pillar of the regional economy, the standard-bearer for a sector rich in expertise. The House’s success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born of a unique process of transmission from generation to generation.

The first wine and spirits house to be certified ISO 14001; Hennessy unites its capacity for innovation and the support of all of its partners to protect this exceptional area.

Moet Hennessy, Wells Carlton Hotel, Montaigne Place, others join the Luxury Network

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he Luxury Network has had a flying start to its second year in Nigeria. Until now, focus was on building strategic alliances with key luxury brands inside Nigeria, and a number of exclusive collaborations were initiated and rolled out, such as a special Harrods shopping concierge service launched last Christmas at The Wheatbaker Hotel in Lagos.

In this second year, the focus of The Luxury Network Nigeria is on expanding their membership base.

In the past seven weeks, big players such as leading luxury wine and spirits company, Moet Hennessy; luxury real estate developers’ company, The Belmonte; leading luxury fragrance, skincare, cosmetics and lifestyle company, Montaigne Place; International luxury wedding and events company, Privè Luxury Events and the much-anticipated Wells Carlton Hotel in Abuja are some of the latest luxury brands to join the Network.

In anticipation of a surge in membership over the coming months, The Luxury Network Nigeria, an invitation-only business club recently

announced its first B2B meeting; a Business Development Roundtable, to be held on Thursday,13th September 2018, at the prestigious Wheatbaker Hotel - an event designed to inspire and support new strategic alliances and partnership opportunities between brands in the luxury industry.

The core objective of the Net-

work is to ‘create unique partnerships’ by finding synergies and identifying cross-sector business opportunities between member brands. And the upcoming event is to serve as a unique forum for brands and service providers inside the luxury space in Nigeria, to connect and engage with one another, identify affinity marketing

opportunities and form new business alliances.

Bukky Karibi-Whyte, the Director of Strategic Partnerships and PR guru for The Luxury Network Nigeria , confirms “The Luxury Network is poised and ready to initiate conversations and create truly unique collaborations, that will drive a new luxury narrative and put

our member brands at the forefront of the new conversation on luxury in Nigeria.”

The Luxury Network is the world’s leading luxury affinity marketing group and private Business Club for luxury brands and high-end service providers. The company has offices in 28 locations across Europe, Australia, Asia, the Middle East, America and Africa, working with the most prestigious brands including Bulgari, Rolls Royce, Cartier, Gucci, Bang & Olufsen, Ferrari, Porsche, Ralph Lauren, Sunseeker Yachts, Bombardier Jets, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Tiffany & Co., Land Rover, Barclays Wealth and Kempinski Hotels to name just a few.

Their B2B events provide a unique platform to share and learn about the latest success stories from the various offices and provide a platform to discuss practical partnerships and collaborations specific to each region. The momentum is building and it appears the Luxury Network is ready to make an impact in the Nigerian luxury industry, as it has done in various countries around the world.

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Entertainment NickFest 2018 promises fun-filled experience for families ...Nickelodeon, Maltina partner for second time

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CHUKS OLUIGBO

ollowing the great success for both brands in 2017, Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) is continuing its partnership with Maltina to present Nigeria’s biggest family festival, NickFest 2018.

Set to take place in Lagos September 29 and 30, NickFest 2018 will deliver a fun-filled experience for families, promising to be a captivating experience for various age groups with unique family-friendly events.

“NickFest delivers an amazing experience for families to enjoy the best of Nickelodeon. We are thrilled to bring the festival back to Nigeria in partnership with Maltina for a second consecutive year,” said Alex Okosi, executive vice president and managing director, VIMN Africa and BET International.

Nickelodeon is owned by Viacom through its Viacom Media Networks division’s Nickelodeon Group unit.

The NickFest weekend will feature Nickelodeon’s superstar characters in brand new shows: the world’s most popular, irreverent sea sponge, SpongeBob

Square Pants; Adventure Bay’s intrepid pups, Skye, Rubble Marshall and Chase from Paw Patrol; the feisty and fun Dora the Explorer with her animal rescuer cousin, Diego, and Dora’s best pal, Boots. Shimmer and Shine, the two genies who can solve any problem, will join in the fun as part of the amazing character lineup.

6th AMVCA holds in Lagos Sept. 1

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he Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award (AMVCA) has become one of the most highly anticipated nights of the year – from the glamorous red carpet looks, exciting performances, to emotion-laden acceptance speeches. And now, the sixth edition of the AMVCA is just around the corner, and African television and movie fans are expectantly awaiting the roll call of the best of the best in the Africa movie industry.

Set to be hosted in Lagos September 1, this year’s AMVCA promises a lot of actions and attractions and will be broadcast live on all Africa Magic channels on DStv and GOtv. The AMVCA is the biggest celebration of outstanding achieve-

ments in the African film and TV industry viewed in 50 African countries and in the diaspora. The pan-African event celebrates the best Eastern, Southern and West African movies.

The awards give viewers a chance to vote their best films and filmmakers on the continent, while recognizing established industry talents with the acclaimed Industry Merit Award.

The first edition of the AMVCA was held in March 2013. Over 10,000 entries have been received and 151 awards handed out since the inception of the awards.

Through the AMVCAs, MultiChoice is igniting Africa’s creative industries, encouraging up and coming talents with the coveted Trailblazer Award.

Kids and parents can look forward to lots of singing, dancing and pure laugh aloud fun as they are whisked away to the worlds of their favourite Nickelodeon characters. They can also look forward to seeing the fun and friendly face of Maltina’s Happy character.

This year, Happy will be centrestage at the popular Maltina

Happy Land at NickFest. For the first time, Happy will be performing his very own show which will surprise and delight attendees at Maltina Happy Land.

The popular Slime Zone will have more gooey green slime and a number of slime activities for the Nickelodeon Slime fans.

A major highlight of NickFest is

The Celebrity Slime Challenge where popular personalities are slimed green in an effort to raise both awareness and funds for children support through NGO projects in Nigeria.

Ngozi Nkwoji, portfolio manager, non-alcoholic drinks, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said this is indeed an exciting partnership for Maltina.

“We recognize that we are all busy and more often than not, life just gets in the way, making family time that much more important,” Nkwoji said.

“As a brand that is all about nourishing family moments, we are proud to partner with Nickelodeon again to bring all the excitement of NickFest to the whole family. NickFest is one of those events that the whole family can enjoy. It is an event that nourishes those precious family moments,” she said.

This year’s NickFest will welcome more than 4,000 children and families to the Federal Palace Hotel grounds in Lagos, transforming the venue into a bright orange Nickelodeon and Maltina wonderland. Two shows will be held on both days and, according to the organizers, details about the performers and hosts will be announced soon.

Slim Case, Mr Real to headline the Real Deal Experience in Lagos

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t is not the first time this train is stopping in Lagos, but this time around the experience will be mind-blowing. Early indications suggest it just might be the very best in music and entertainment when Legend Real Deal Experience storms the City of Excellence on August 25, 2018 at Abesan mini stadium, Abesan Estate, Ipaja.

The Real Deal Experience is an all-round entertainment fiesta which includes topnotch musical performances as well as games and comedy sessions. The show is one of the ways Legend Extra Stout gives back to loyal consumers, appreciating them for their love and support.

The duo, Slim Case and Mr. Real, who have enjoyed a meteoric rise in the Nigerian music scene due to their debut tracks which were huge hits, will headline the event.

Slim Case is the brain behind viral Shaku Shaku dance steps and the hits Oshozondi and Omo Shepeteri. Oluwafemi Oke-Eko, alias Slim Case, an indigene of Lagos State, has been in the music industry for about seven years. However, his Shaku Shaku dance steps have exposed him to the world and made him one of the most featured artistes of 2018. Slim Case is a fast-rising musician and his dream is to take the Shaku Shaku dance all over the world and teach stars like Beyonce, Usher and Nicki Minaj.

Mr. Real has thrilled fans country-wide with the street anthem, “Legbegbe”. He was born Uchenna Okafor and raised in Abule Egba, Lagos State. His first song “Kakaraka” was released in 2006. According to

him, he got the inspiration for “Legbegbe” from an Uhuru song while eating lunch.

Speaking ahead of their performances, both Slim Case and Mr Real expressed their delight at being part of the Legend Real Deal Experience.

“I can’t wait to show my fans love and dance shaku shaku with them at the Legend Real Deal Experience. I am very happy to be performing at this edition,” said Slim Case.

“Music is what I do, so I’m excited about the show and the chance to give my fans a real music experience at Legend Real Deal Experience. Mr. Real and Legend Extra Stout are the real deal!” Mr. Real said.

Along with great music, the event will also include amazing segments of comedy, role play, brand education, eulogy and exciting games like the taste, tell and win competition.

The taste, tell and win competition is a unique fun game where consumers are made to take a blind taste test of different stout drinks in order to identify Legend Extra Stout as the Real Stout. Consumers who participate in this competition and other games stand the chance of winning exciting prizes.

The show will be hosted by On Air Personality and popular comedian, Iruvwe Okeremute, aka DeDon, and co-hosted by Big Brother Naija 2018 housemate, Ifu Ennada.

Ifu Ennada has co-hosted previous editions of Legend Real Deal Experience Show and thrilled fans with her stage presence and entertaining shaku shaku dance moves.

She has identified herself as a lover of Legend Extra Stout and has great

things to say about the Real Deal Experience.

“People who watched me on BBNaija show watched how my love for Legend Extra Stout grew.

The stout is just so smooth. I am excited to be given this opportunity

by Legend to co-host the Real Deal Experience,” she said.

Speaking about the show and the motivation behind it, Emmanuel Agu, portfolio manager, Mainstream Lager & Stout Brands, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said the Real Deal Experience is unique because it allows “us as a brand to get closer to our local market and better understand the needs of our market while at the same time rewarding our loyal customers”.

“We know how passionate Nigerians are about entertainment, we share this passion and we revel in bringing Nigeria’s top entertainers to our local market to reward the loyalty of fans especially for choosing Legend Extra Stout. Nothing beats the thrill of seeing your favourite artistes on stage. This is what the Real Deal Experience is about. Bringing the best of music, comedy and fun games to fans of the Brand,” Agu said.

Since its inception, the Legend Extra Stout Real Deal Experience Show has delighted fans in many Nigerian cities including Aba, Ibadan, Onitsha, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Abakaliki, Owerri, Umuahia, Enugu and Lagos. The show has, over the years, featured some of Nigeria’s top artistes including Harrysong, MI, Timaya, Kcee, 9ice, Oritsefemi, Small Doctor, Mr. Raw and The Obiligbo Brothers.

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Bliss with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

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Sunday 19 August 2018

Email: chiwuagwu@yahoo.com Phone number (sms only) 08057511893

I once hawked ‘ice water’ – Abiodun Adebanjo

Why I act real in movies – Belinda Effah

ctor Abiodun Adebanjo is one of the screen hunks who have endeared many fans to their hearts with their acting skills.

But even as he has become a household name, the actor said he cannot forget his days of humble beginning.

In a recent chat with Bliss, Abiodun would readily remember the days he used to hawk on the streets.

“I grew up with my grandmother. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. I used to hawk ice water (the sachet water we have today). It wasn’t only because my parents didn’t have money but when you grow up with your grandmother, she would want to instill entrepreneurial skills in you. That was what happened in my own case,” he said.

Regarding why he didn’t grow up with his parents, Abiodun revealed he comes from a broken home.

“My parents weren’t together. I didn’t grow up with either of them. I am used to making my own decisions since I was little,” he said.

The actor also said that fame hasn’t changed his personality.

“I am still who I am and I do what I want to do. I was brought up in a tough me. I learnt that no matter where I am and where I am going, I will still be that same Abiodun. I still buy boli on the road.”

However, the actor agreed that he has been getting numerous attention from the opposite sex.

“If I tell you say e easy, na set up.

When it comes to that, nobody is a saint. But then, I always pray that God will order my steps. Some ladies think that role you played is the real you. But I like the fact that people appreciate what I do.”

Also perceived to be a play boy, Abiodun explained why people think of him as such.

“Some people say I am a player, some call me gigolo and some say I

frica Movies Academy Awards most promising actress 2013, Belinda Effa, came into the industry few years ago and is seen as one of the actresses who interpret roles very well.

Known to be daring and even French kiss in movies, Belinda said she goes to such extreme in order to make her character believable.

“Each character has a life.

Each character is not Belinda.

Once I get a script, I try to get a grasp of who that character is.

I allow the character to carry me where I want to go. I do not try to second guess a character. At times I tell people I don’t know how I am going to play a particular character until the director says ‘action’. I allow the character to embody me and flow in me.”

And in just the little while she came into Nollywood, Belinda became prominent in the industry. She told Bliss how she was able to achieve this.

“It is grace. That is the only thing I can attribute it to. But on my own part, I have the hunger to do well. I do every job as if it is my last job. I strive to ensure I depict ever role in a believable manner. If I don’t believe it, I don’t think others will believe it. I don’t joke with my career at all.”

Howbeit, Belinda said she never knew she would get to this height when she set out to become an actress.

“I didn’t have it at the back of my mind that I would be this famous. I just wanted somebody to give me the opportunity. It wasn’t about

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Fan gifts Ubi Franklin 50K

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ven as his marriage with actress Lilian Esoro has reportedly crashed, so many people still seem to love record label owner, Ubi Franklin.

In his social media handle recently, the Triple MG boss recounted how a fan of his gifted him with N50, 000.

He said, “I met a young lady today at the airport, she gave me 50k and said, “I love your hustle; add this to it”. I was really surprised. I have decided to give this out to 10 people; 5k each to those who will write something nice to this lady.”

Of course, so many of his fans keyed into it and dropped ‘something nice’ for the lady alongside their account numbers while waiting for Ubi to fulfill his part of the bargain.

am a heart breaker. When they get close to me, they end up knowing who I am. I used to let what they say about me get to me. If you think I am a player and you are happy thinking so, then it is fine. But truly, I am not a player, I am a man and I have a heart. I have people that I love and cherish.”

When asked if marriage is on his to-do list, Abiodun said, “Let the will of God be done. I clocked 30 few years ago and my family members were all telling me it was time I got married. I don’t want to have a broken home. I grew up in one and I know what I passed through and I wouldn’t want my children to pass through that.”

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the fame then and it is still not about the fame. I just want people to see my movie and appreciate it. I want people to relate to the story that I am telling.”

Belinda usually causes a stir in real life with her style especially on red carpet.

“I go with the flow and go with my mood when I am dressing up. I always have a theme at the back of my mind. In 2014 AMVCA where I pulled the stunt with the African hairstyle, I was trying to set a reminder to our African sisters and tell them that we are still Africans. I think we are losing our looks. We are losing our identity by always wearing Brazilian hair and such like.

“God knows why He created us as Africans. We need to make the best of who we are and make other women from other parts of the world to try to be like us. Because of the nature of my job, I still wear wigs. If a character requires me to dress in a certain manner then I would have to,” she said.

Slim Case, Mr Real ready for Legend Real Deal Experience

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he city of Lagos will soon explode as the Legend Real Deal experience storms the mega city next weekend at Abesan mini stadium, Abesan Estate, Ipaja.

The show is one of the ways Legend Extra Stout gives back to loyal consumers and appreciates them for their love and support.

The upcoming event will be headlined by music stars Slim Case and Mr. Real.

Speaking ahead of their performances, both Slim Case and Mr Real have expressed their delight at being part of Legend Real Deal Experience.

“I can’t wait to show my fans love and dance shaku shaku with them at the Legend Real Deal Experience. I am very happy to be performing at this edition,” Slim Case said.

According to Mr. Real, “Mu-

sic is what I do, so I’m excited about the show and the chance to give my fans a real music experience.”

The show will be hosted by On Air Personality, De-Don and Big Brother Naija 2018 housemate, Ifu Ennada.

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Travel An eye on ‘Destination Ethiopia’ …as ET rolls out stopover packages to lure tourists OBINNA EMELIKE

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t the mention of Ethiopia, what comes to the mind of most people in Africa is the African Union, which the country headquarters in Addis Ababa, its capital city. But for the globetrotter, Ethiopia is foremost for the Ethiopian Airlines, which offers large connectivity network and breathtaking hub in Addis Ababa. Of course, the East African carrier has achieved many aviation feats that set it apart from other African airlines and ranks among top global carriers.

However, Ethiopia, which is often called the ‘Horn of Africa’ because of its location, offers beyond aviation. The country is a tourism delight and an adventure that awaits many global tourists, hence lives up to the billings of ‘Land of Origins’.

Every aspect of the rugged and landlocked country, which is split by the Great Rift Valley, is tourism.

The country hosts nine World Heritage Sites that are adventure on their own; including archaeological finds that date back to over three million years. It is also a place of ancient culture. A visit to the country without going to Lalibela is not complete. The ancient city hosts rare rock-cut Christian churches that date back to the 12th–13th centuries, while Aksum exposes visitors to the ruins of an ancient city with obelisks, tombs, and castles. While in Aksum, a visit to Our Lady Mary of Zion Church makes one’s day.

Considering its breathtaking landscape; from Lake Tana, the Blue Nile, the red-rock Gheralta Mountains, the arid Danakil Desert to the lush Omo Valley, Ethiopia is now seen by many global destination manage-

Lalibela ment companies as Africa’s next big tourist draw.

Like its East African neighbours, Ethiopia has rich wildlife population and even games most of which are domiciled at its national parks. Simiens, its highest mountain range, hosts an array of rare plants and wildlife including; the gelada baboon, Ethiopian wolf and walia ibex.

As well, the Ethiopian hotel market is improving everyday on tourism infrastructure with the hosting of African leaders, meetings and shows. In recent time, global hotel chains have besieged the country in a somewhat scramble for market share in its hotel market. On the more leisure front, exclusive resorts are springing up to meet the demands of high profile tourists who visit to see the natural wonders and culture of the people.

From Adulala Resort and Spa,

which is set along the bank of Babo Gaya Lake in Debre Zeyit, Gheralta Lodge, Gondar Hills Resort, which overlooks the historic Gondar, among others, the country is rising to the demands of leisure seekers.

The ease of obtaining the Ethiopian visa has also helped in drawing tourist traffic to the country.

But the biggest enabler of tourism inflow from the outbound to Ethiopia and even within the country going by the rugged terrain is the Ethiopian Airlines.

ET, which is the largest aviation group in Africa and SKYTRAX certified Four Star Global Airline, is going beyond carrying passengers and connecting flights to connecting tourists to the country’s tourism. The airline is furthering tourism inflow in the country through the Ethiopian Holidays, the tour

operator wing of the airline. In one of such concerted efforts at increasing tourist traffic, the airline recently rolled out stopover packages. The packages, which started from August 1, 2018, come with no additional airfare and most importantly, cater for all leisure needs with a view to promote tourism into Ethiopia.

With the development, passengers traveling through Addis Ababa and continuing their journey to one of the destinations on Ethiopian network can now take advantage of stopover offerings from Ethiopian Holidays to discover and experience the many historical, cultural, religious and natural treasures of Ethiopia, the ‘Land of Origins’. To facilitate the packages, an online e-visa service for processing stopover visa is now available for all in-

ternational visitors to Ethiopia at https://www.evisa.gov.et/.

The packages range from sightseeing in Addis Ababa, the diplomatic capital of Africa, to visits to the pre-Christian era obelisks of Axum, the stunning medieval rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the amazing 9th century mosques of Harar, the majestic castles of Gondar, the stunning source of the Blue Nile, and the jaw-dropping Simien Mountains.

Also on offer are opportunities to explore the splendor of the lake side resorts of Hawassa and Arba Minch, visit to the unique coffee farms of Kaffa, birth place of coffee, among others.

According to Tewolde Gebremariam, group CEO, Ethiopian Airlines, “Ethiopian is working with all stakeholders in the tourism chain to make Ethiopia a tourism destination of choice. With its many riches, the world has yet to truly discover Ethiopia and tourism has the potential to become the main foreign currency generator for the country and a mass job creator for the youth. With the stopover packages, we aim to attract a significant portion of our transit customers in Addis as tourists and to considerably enhance the flow of tourism into the country.”

The stopover packages are easily accessible on the airline’s website, www.ethiopianairlines. com, and will pop-up as an option when passengers book flights transiting through Addis Ababa, or can directly be accessed at Ethiopian Holidays website: www.ethiopianholidays.com.

Ethiopia is truly open for tourism and the airline is committed to flying tourists to the ‘Land of Origins’ to explore undiluted history, encounter breathtaking nature, experience diverse culture and also indulge in world class leisure facilities.

A taste of Gambia at Akwaaba African Travel Market …as 15 Dubai companies set to showcase at West African travel expo

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s part of efforts at increasing awareness for The Gambia as an all-year-round tourism destination for discerning Nigerian visitors and prospective investors, the Gambia Tourism Board has announced its participation at the 14th Akwaaba – African Travel Market holding in Lagos from September 9-14, 2018.

The Gambia is participating at this year’s edition with a 20-man delegation, which includes; top stakeholders in the industry to be led by the director general of Gambia Tourism Board.

Earlier this year, the Akwaaba Travel Market team had organised the ‘Banjul Bantaba’ event with a familiarization trip to the Gambia and a high powered B2b session, which exposed Nigerians to the amazing tourism potential for of the country and also introduced some of the new tour operators to the destination. The fall out was amazing with increasing requests for packages to

The Gambia. The organisers of Akwaaba Travel Market, west Africa’s largest meetings and exhibition event, is excited to announce that Gambia will be participating this year after three years of absence from the annual trade show in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by Adama Njie, marketing director, Gambia

Floating hotel in Gambia

Tourism Board, the country is hosting Gambia Day at the travel expo and is promising visitors to The Gambia stand an unforgettable Gambian experience as top hotels, tour operators and stakeholders will be attending from The Gambia.

“Visitors will have a taste of some of our national cuisine and music.

There will be multimedia presentations of the range of our trendy and exquisite resort facilities, cultural patrimony, ecotourism, exotic fauna and flora throughout our beautiful country, which have earned The Gambia the acronym –the Smiling Coast of Africa”, Njie said in the statement.

The Gambia Day event is set to flow from Sunday with a Jollof Rice contest and climaxes on Monday for the main event. The Gambia is keeping no secrets as they will be deploying the best of the team to meet Nigerians and to see the beautiful loving tourist destination. Gambia Tourism Board wants Nigerians to know that they are welcomed at any time and the event is open to everybody. With increased access to the Gambia courtesy of flights by Asky and Airpeace, Banjul, the capital, with its beautiful beaches and rich culture, is accessible to all travellers in Africa.

As well, Dubai, the leading tourism destination in the Middle East, will be attending Akwaaba this year with over 15 companies. Dubai has become the biggest destination for Nigerian travellers with over 20 flights a day terminating in Dubai from Lagos and Abuja. It is believed that over 300,000 Nigerians pass through Dubai every year.

The companies are coming under the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and they include; Jumeirah, Red Apple, Khimji, Sun and Sand, Apha Tours, Swissotel, Copthorne Hotel, and Rayna Tourism.

Others are; Mgallery, Arabian Adventures, Dubai Health Authority, Wings Tours, Pullman City Centre Hotel, JA Resorts & Hotels, Ritz Carlton, and Dubai Tourism.

However, The Gambia will be raffling a week stay in Banjul for trade partners at The Gambia Day at the Akwaaba travel expo in Lagos for lucky winners.

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Travel

Overland keys into regional air travel market Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

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espite the controversies surrounding the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) by African countries, various airlines are already keying into the initiative to connect flights, facilitate trade and aid movement of passengers.

Nigeria is not left behind in this progression, as Overland, one of the country’s domestic carriers has taken the bull by its horn, as it recently launched flight services from Lagos to Cotonou, Republic of Benin and Lome, Togo Republic.

An immediate benefit of this is that passengers will enjoy connectivity between Nigeria, Lome and Cotonuo, enjoy reduced flight ticket prices and arrive early into these countries.

Thebiggerpicturehowever, is littered with the promise of job creation, improved intra-African trade and freer movement of people. As shown by a 2014 study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), liberalizing routes for 12 key African countries will boost economies on the continent with more than 150,000 additional jobs and an extra $1.3 billion to the continent’s annual GDP. Overland’s foray into these cities adds to the number of Nigerian carriers into the cities. Overland Airways

L-R: Aduke Atiba, executive director, Overland Airways; HE. Olusola Iji, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Togo; Col. Dokisime Gnama-Latta, DG Togo CAA; Capt. Edward Boyo, MD, Overland Airways; Marie FollyKossi; and Christian Folly-Kossi, former SG, AFRAA at the inaugural cutting the cake in Lome, Togo to mark the launch of Overland Airways’ Lagos-Cotonou-Lome flights, recently

comes with a lot of experience coupled with the use of the right equipment.

The airline operates ATR 42/72 airplanes which are ideal for a short haul service.

The ATR 42/72 area twinturboprop short-haul regional airliner developed and manufactured in France and Italy

by ATR. Speaking to journalists after the aircraft touched down Lome, Togo Republic, Edward Boyo, the founder and managing director of Overland Airways said history was being made with flight operations into Lome.

Boyo assured that overland Airways has come to

provide economic integration between Nigeria, Benin Republic and Togo.

“We have come to promote trade. Trade happens when people move from one point to the other. Every evening, Overland will leave Lome at 8.30pm. Passengers will go to Lagos and do business for the whole day in Lagos and when they are ready to come back, they go to the airport by 6.30pm to join Overland.

“It is possible for prosperity and economic development to come to our lands.

We have come to Lome and Togo to stay. We are here to provide service,” he added.

Fifteen Dubai companies to showcase at Akwaaba African Travel Market

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his year, leading tourism destination in Middle East and Africa, Dubai will be attending Akwaaba in Lagos with over 15 companies.

Dubai has become the biggest Destination for Nigerian Travellers with over 20 flights a day terminating in Dubai from Lagos and Abuja. It is believed that over 300,000 Nigerians pass through Dubai every year.

Th e s e C o m p a n i e s coming under DTCM include; Jumeirah, Red Apple, Khimji, Sun and Sand, Apha Tours, Swissotel, Copthorne Hotel, Rayna Tourism, Mgallery, Arabian Adventures, Dubai Health Authority, Wings Tours, Pullman City Centre Hotel, JA Resorts & Hotels, Ritz Carlton and Dubai Tourism.

This comes as Gambia To u r i s m Bo a r d s e e k s

to renew their presence i n Ni ge ri a . As p art o f latest efforts to increase awareness for the Gambia as an all year tourism destination for discerning Ni g e r i a n v i s i t o r s a n d prospective investors, the Gambia Tourism Board has announced its participation at the 14th Akwaaba – African Travel Market holding in Lagos between Sunday 9th to Tuesday 11th September 2018.

The Gambia has confirmed participation with a 20 man delegate for the event to include Top stakeholders in the industry to be led by the DG Gambia Tourism Board.

Earlier this year, the Akwaaba travel market team had organised the ‘Banjul Bantaba’ event with a Familiarization trip to the Gambia and a high powered B2b session

which showed Nigerians the amazing potentials for Touristic splendor and introduced some of the new tour operators to the destination.

The fall out was amazing with increasing requests for packages to The Gambia.

The organisers of Akwaaba Travel Market, west Africa’s largest meetings and exhibition event is excited to announce that Gambia will be participating this year after 3 years of absence from the Annual trade show in Nigeria.

In a statement signed b y Ad a m a Nj i e , t h e marketing director, Gambia Tourism Board, promised visitors to The Gambia stand on Gambia Day an unforgettable Gambian experience. Top hotels, Tour Operators and stakeholders will be attending from The Gambia.

The airline’s managing director said Overland is adding more value in terms of economic integration. He assured that Overland will intensify the relationship between Nigeria, a very large economy in West Africa.

“There are four hundred million people in West Africa, yet the trade is not sufficient.

Our people must trade with each other. This is what the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is all about. So, the dream of the foundering fathers of ECOWAS is the dream that is being actualised today. I didn’t need a visa to come here. The Togolese don’t

need a visa to come to Nigeria. All we need is Overland,” he said.

Speaking earlier to journalists at the airport shortly after the aircraft landed at about 8pm, Oguntuase Kayode, ambassador, Embassy of Nigeria, Cotonou stated that this is a beginning of exploring the regional markets in West Africa and the development will facilitate trade between the countries.

“You are coming at a very good time because there is a gap in this kind of transportation. The road is so bad that people avoid going by road.

With this development, we can make 25minutes journey from Nigeria to Cotonou and vice-versa.

“We are encouraged that you are here and we assure you that this land will profit you and it will be a rewarding one. The embassy will continue to corporate with you to ensure that the decision that you have made to be here will be a profitable one.

“Many people dream but only few people make things happen. So, you have made this happen. History is being made and we are part of history. You have shown courage, determination and commitment. These are key things that will make businesses grow,” Kayode said.

He disclosed that there are about five million Nigerians in Cotonou and most of them are either students or business men, adding that this category of passengers will patronise air transport.

He noted that the economy of Republic of Benin is tied to Nigeria. “There is a common saying that Republic of Benin is the 37th state of Nigeria. This is to tell you how we are tied together and the economy of this country cannot exist outside that of Nigeria.

“For most of the things they need, they always come to Nigeria to look for them.

There is a frequent and regular movement between the two countries. Time is also saved using Air transport,” the ambassador stated.

Dokisime Gnama, director-general, Togo Civil Aviation Authority, Latta, Olusola Iji, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Togo, Folly Kosi, former Secretary-General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), and others were on ground to welcome the airline.

Gnama, who also spoke to journalists, said the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is a great idea, which Overland is leveraging to facilitate trade.

He assured that his inspectors had inspected Boyo’s aircraft and there was no problem. He said he was inviting the Togolese to fly with Overland.

“I studied the documents of Overland. Overland is the 14th airline coming into Togo.

Boyo can connect with Asky, so that passengers can be carried to Lome and from Lome, they take Asky to New York. I believe that together, we will be strong. I am very happy that Nigeria signed to SAATM.”

Dana Air, MMA2 partner to reward travelers

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a n a Ai r a n d Mma2 have entered into a partnership to reward passengers with low-cost tickets when they fly Dana Air from the terminal four times consecutively.

The promo which entails passengers to fly four times with Dana Air and get the 5th one at the rate of N5000 will run for one year.

Speaking on the reward program, Jari Williams, the CEO of Bi-courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of MMA2, said, MMA2 has proven to be more than a terminal since inception and our aim is to continue providing not just an end-to-end passenger experience that is seamless and efficient, but

providing the best facilities and a reward system for passengers who travel from our terminal.’’

He noted that the partnership to reward customers is part o f M M A 2 ’s w a y o f incentivizing flying from the terminal and appreciating users of the terminal for their loyalty, stating that the partnership with Dana Air and other airlines operating at the terminal is as a result of the airline’s obvious commitment to rewarding loyalty.’’

Also speaking on t h e p a r t n e r s h i p, Ob i Mbanuzuo, accountable manager of Dana Air said, “Dana Air and MMA2 have always been partners in progress and both brands have built a reputation for their constant desire to

not just offer the best of services, but to cap their services with rewards for customers.’’

Commenting further, Obi said ‘this reward program is a good one such that, if you fly four times, you will get the 5th one for just N5000 to fly to any of Dana Air’s destinations.

This is definitely a good time for travelers as there is always something to look forward to when you fly.”

Dana Air is one of Nigeria’s leading airlines with daily flights from La g o s t o Ab u j a , Po r t Harcourt, Uyo and Owerri.

The airline is reputed for its innovative online products and services, unrivaled on-time departures and arrivals and world-class inflight service

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Health&Science How primary healthcare can change Nigeria’s health sector narrative ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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rimary health care is the first point of contact for most Nigerians. It is mainly provided by general practitioners, but community pharmacists, opticians and dentists are also primary healthcare providers.

Data show that 70 per cent of health burden and deaths in Nigeria are as a result of primary health care issues.

A recent survey shows that compared to peer countries in Africa (Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, and Senegal), Nigeria ranks the lowest or second lowest in all Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) indicators but has high levels of health facility density and health worker density, which are often thought to be the major cause of underperformance of PHC systems.

This is despite that in the country today, there are many PHCs spread across the states, and 744 local governments of the federation.

In February this year, Nigeria was ranked 187 out of 191 countries in the world’s health systems, showing the country has a lot to do in improving its health system and making healthcare affordable and accessible to the millions of its citizens.

Findings reveal that with more than half of Nigerians leaning on hospital facilities for the most minor of ailments, there is a clear need for improved access to primary care practitioners, local health facilities, tracking health indicators and a wider availability of information about health, nutrition and fitness.

“This approach is further reinforced by the fact that majority (65 per cent) of Nigerians believe improved access to health facilities would make them more effective in managing their health, thus alleviating pressure on the healthcare system,” a recent survey by Royal Philips said.

Doyin Odubanjo, chairman, Association of Public Health

KWASACA collaborates with Shao community on HIV Aids prevention SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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Physicians of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, said there was a need to make the primary healthcare centre functional so as to make them available to provide some level of delivery services when needed.

“The current backdrop and next steps for improving the quality of health care in Nigeria is through collaboration and addressing the gaps in the primary healthcare,” said Odubanjo.

The federal government, on January 10, 2017, through the Saving One Million Lives Initiative, desirous of reversing the poor health indices and ensuring universal health coverage initiated the revitalisation of 10, 000 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) nationwide by inaugurating Kuchigoro Clinic, Abuja.

This model was supposed to be financed by NHIS since attaining universal health coverage was one of the core mandates of the the scheme.

In addition to this, the Senate in May this year approved that one percent of the consolidated Revenue fund be set aside for the Basic Health Care.

The fund will ensure that every primary centre will have some money coming directly to the health centre and not going to the local government before they can get it.

Fifty percent of the fund would be dedicated for disease control. This will help the country achieve some of the Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG 3, which talks about Good

Health and well-being by 2030.

Hence, there will be no reason for that primary health centre not to have basic drugs and not to have salaries to pay its workers.

Francis Faduyile, president Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), said that the recently approved one per consolidated revenue will strengthen the system.

“The key of the problem of the health sector is at the level of the primary healthcare centres where the majority of 70 per cent of Nigerians live.

“There is a need for the government to hasten their plans for the primary healthcare centre in area of prevention of many of the diseases that will cause more complications at the secondary lrvrl. So if we can meet it at the board, at the primary healthcare centre, it will improve it,” said Faduyile.

According to Isaac Adewole, minister of health, over 3128 Primary Healthcare Centres have been upgraded across the country.

“We are working hard to achieve universal health coverage. To accomplish this we are committed to the revitalisation of 10,000 PHCs. Presently over 3128 PHCs have been upgraded with support from government and partners” Adewole said.

Analysts say there is a need to devote more funds to the primary healthcare while also training and re-training medical personnel who will take preeminence in this task.

wara State Aids Control Agency has solicited adequate and elaborate collaboration with the community on HIV and AIDs related programs through various means and approach to further educate the community.

Alabi Seleem, the project manager and secretary of the agency spoke on Wednesday at the official visit of KWASACA team to a Traditional ruler, Oba Bamidele Adegbite in his palace.

According to him, anyone can get HIV, “but you can take steps to protect yourself from

HIV infection. Get tested and know your partner’s HIV status.”

He added that people can protect “their own health” and prevent the spread by “having less risky sex, use condoms, limit your number of sexual partners, get tested and treated for STDs and as welk talk to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).”

In his resonse, Oba Bamidele Adegbite promised a sustainable and effective collaborative participation by the community pledging further encouraging good health

care delivery services which is essential to human existence.

The traditional ruler noted that he is very interested in health matters which HIV Aids is one of the very important key health matters.

HIV and Aids counselling and Testing was conducted for all participants at the Obas Palace by the Local Government Managers. The Counseling Session was taken up by Pharmacist Binta Adeyemo.

HIV testing conducted for all adults are negative but only one person was detected positive and was advised by the health team to visit the health center the next day for a recheck.

However, the Press Secretary to the Agency Adesikeola Ajiboye educated the younger adults, emphasizing on the need for them to prevent HIV and Aids Transmission by avoiding sharp objects such as razor blades, used needles and syringes and another persons shaving equipment.

The turn out was encouraging and the community people were given education all instructional and information materials such as stickers, handbills were also distributed to further educate them on HIV Aids.

WHO reaffirms commitment to support Nigeria’s fight against Yellow fever

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he World Health Organisation has reaffirmed its commitment to combat Yellow fever in Nigeria with the support of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

Wondi Alemu, WHO Nigeria Country Representative, disclosed that 12 million doses of Yellow fever vaccines would be donated to Nigeria in 2018 and 19 million in 2019, through the intervention, to support the fight against the disease.

Alemu said that the assistance would ensure that all persons aged nine months to 45 years were vaccinated in the ongoing reactive yellow fever campaign launched in Danja Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The News Agency of Nigeria

reports that the vaccines are being procured by GAVI. Alemu said that the campaign, being carried out by the Federal Government with the support of WHO, was in response to a recently identified outbreak of the disease in the state.

The country representative said that the campaign, which commenced on Aug. 9, would end on Aug. 18 in the state, adding that about 154,131 persons were expected to be vaccinated during the exercise.

According to Alemu, WHO’s support to Nigeria aims to complement government’s plan to eliminate the disease by 2026 as guided by the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy launched by the or-

ganisation in April 2018.

He said that since September 2017, Nigeria has been experiencing ongoing outbreak of yellow fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic disease, with confirmed cases reported in 22 local government areas across 11 states.

Alemu said that from the onset of the outbreak, 2,400 suspected cases including 47 deaths have been reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

“With one single injection, we can provide life-long immunity against this disease at a cost of approximately one U.S. dollar; however, ensuring availability of adequate vaccine supply to reach all those at risk is a constant challenge.

With the support of GAVI, WHO earlier pledged to donate 12 million doses of yellow fever vaccines in 2018 and 19 million in 2019 to Nigeria.

“WHO is committed in continuing this effort and supporting Nigeria to better protect its population against this disease and ensure better health and well-being.

“The assistance from WHO, will ensure that all persons aged nine months to 45 years will be vaccinated during the ongoing campaign in Danja Local Government Area of Katsina.

“This will bring the overall number of states where the vaccination drive has been implemented to 10,” the official said.

Dorothy Nwodo, director, Disease Control and Immunisation, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said that supervisors, technical management support teams and partners from the national level were deployed to supervise and ensure quality campaigns.

Nwodo said that preventive mass vaccination campaign was underway for November 8 to 17 in Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Plateau and Borno states as well as FCT under Phase 2b of Nigeria’s EYE strategic plan.

She said that Nigeria aims to vaccinate 25 million citizens by the end of 2018, adding that the polio infrastructure in states have continued to provide the required support to other non-polio vaccination campaigns

46 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 19 August 2018

commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting.

Among the four members of Pinnick-led executive sighted at the State House, were the NFF Vice President and the NFF Secretary General.

The Acting President and the Sports Minister later met behind closeddoorsafterthemeetingofFEC. FIFA have also turned down a proposed visit by a Nigerian delegation, led by the Minister for Sports, Solomon Dalung in a bid to discuss the ongoing leadership tussle rocking the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Online portal www.aclsports. com exclusively reported that Dalung wrote to FIFA on Wednesday, August 15, through the office of the Nigerian Ambassador to Switzerland, seeking to meet with the FIFA President Gianni Infantino alongside members of his reconciliatory committee

and Chris Giwa, head of the other faction. However, FIFA, in a swift reply to Dalung’s request, signed by its Secretary General Fatma Samoura and made available to www.aclsports.com rejected the idea while reiterating the stance of the Bureau Council of FIFA to ban Nigeria on Monday if they fail to do as requested.

“While we are aware of the seriousness and urgency of the matter, we regret to inform you that we are not in a position to respond favourably to your request for an appointment with the FIFA Ieadership. In fact, the FIFA President is indisposed during the proposed period,” stated FIFA in their response.

“Moreover, we would Iike to recall that one member of the proposed delegation, Chris Giwa, is currently under a worldwide ban, in accordance with the decision of the FIFA DiscipIinary Committee dated 10 January 2017 to extend the five—year ban from taking part in any kind of footbaIIrelated activity imposed by the Nigeria FootbaIl Federation’s (NFF) Disciplinary Committee on 12 May 2016,” FIFA added.

FIFA responded to the Minister that the only channel with which it relates to its member bodies is through the legitimate Football Federation and advised him not to use other means in the future.

“We would Iike to emphasise that we normally communicate with and through our member associations, in this case the NFF under its Iegitimate President Amaju Melvin Pinnick. “Consequently, we would be grateful to have any future correspondence be routed through the NFF directly,” FIFA said.

FIFA had given Nigeria up to Monday, Aug. 20, 2018 to resolve the NFF leadership crisis between Chris Giwa and Amaju Pinnick or face ban on all football affairs.

Sports NFF Crisis: Nigeria face imminent FIFA ban … as court fails to vacate Giwa’s ex-parte order … FIFA rejects Sports minister’s delegation visit Stories by Anthony Nlebem

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Federal High Court sitting in Jos on Friday, August 17th, 2018 failed to vacate the ex-parte granted Chris Giwa, one of the parties in the leadership crisis that has engulfed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

The court had granted the order on June 5, 2018, which gave Giwa the impetus to pose as the President of the NFF. Following that order, Giwa moved into the NFF headquarters last month, a development that did not go down well with Giwa’s rival, Amaju Pinnick, who rushed to the court with three motions on notice asking the court to vacate the order.

When the case came up for hearing on Friday, counsel to Pinnick, Festus Ukpe, told the court that he had filed three motions on notice and was seeking the leave of court to move them.

He said that the motions sought to ask the court to vacate the ex-parte order earlier granted Giwa on June 5, 2018 so that Nigeria could escape a ban from football activities as threatened

by FIFA. But Giwa’s counsel, Habila Ardzard, raised an objection to Pinnick’s motions, and notified the court of a pending appeal he filed before the Jos Court of Appeal in respect of the case.

He explained that the appeal was challenging the ruling of Justice Musa Kurya which allowed Pinnick to serve Giwa a photocopy of the said motions on notice, instead of original copies.

Ardzard argued that any attempt by the judge to hear any of Pinnick’s motions would amount to “abuse of court processes’’ and “judicial rascality.’’

“My Lord, this Honourable court has been informed of the

said appeal before the Jos Court of Appeal, and by that, this court lacks the jurisdiction to continue with this matter pending the determination of the appeal.

“This is the position of the Supreme Court and that of the Appellate court; if the lower court will do otherwise, it will only be setting itself on collision course with the Appex and Appellate Courts.

“We hereby urge your lordship to adjourn the case pending the determination of the appeal by the appellate court,” he argued.

Kurya, in his ruling, said that there were two posers – whether there was an appeal, and whether he could continue with the matter.

In answering the two posers, the judge declared that he had resolved the two in favour of Giwa, and therefore decided to adjourn the case indefinitely.

“Since there is an appeal before the appellate court, I don’t

want to be involved in any judicial rascally, therefore I hereby adjourn the case indefinitely,’’ he declared.

The latest attempt is the third

by Pinnick to convince the court to vacate the Ex-parte order it granted Giwa.

The court’s position had created anxiety in soccer circles following the threat by FIFA to ban Nigeria if the NFF leadership crisis is not resolved.

In bid to stave off impending FIFA ban, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo Wednesday summon Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung and the President of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Amaju Pinnick and met with them at the Presidential Villa.

BusinessDay had sighted the Amaju Pinnick led executive members to brief the Acting President and the Cabinet at the Council Chamber before the

FIFA sanctions clubs over non-payment of players’ wages

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IFA has fined two Qater clubs, one from United Arab Emirates and one in Iran for failure to pay players outstanding salaries.

The world football governing body said in a statement that the clubs were being sanctioned for ignoring orders to pay “overdue’’ amounts to players The clubs are Qatar Sports Club and Al-Shamal Sports Club, both based in Qatar, Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE) and Saba Qom (Iran).

They have been given deadlines of between 30 and 90 days to pay up.

“Any club which did not meet its deadline will have six points deducted from it in its domestic league and banned from signing players for the next one or two transfer periods,’’ FIFA added.

The four clubs had failed to comply with previous orders, either from FIFA or following appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), FIFA said.

The fines ranged from 15,000 (£11,843.3 pounds) to 30,000 Swiss francs.

FIFA said the decisions marked a “new framework” for debtor clubs.

In a separate decision, FIFA

announced that La Liga side Atletico Madrid had been fined

52,000 euros ($59,192) for a deal with a player which in-

volved “third-party influence”.

FIFA said the Spanish club entered into a contract which “enabled a third party to influence the club’s independence in employment and transferrelated matters”.

It said this this breached transfer and players’ status rules.

FIFA policy on third-party ownership bans either clubs or players from entering into economic rights agreements with third-party investors.

Frequently such deals involve outside investors retaining or gaining a share in ownership of a player.

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BDSUNDAY 47

Sports

Can Ronaldo’s arrival restore Serie A to its old glory?

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he Italian Serie A can never be reduced to a one-man show and it simply cannot be all about Cristiano Ronaldo. Nevertheless, it is hard to understate the impact his arrival at Juventus has had on the league before a ball has even been kicked.

The 33-year-old five-time Ballon d’Or winner is not only one of the two best players of the last decade, he is also one of the most popular people on the planet. Ronaldo has 313m followers across all social media platforms and it feels like he has turned their attention to Serie A. “Finally the world is talking about the Italian league again,” Fabio Capello marvelled in La Gazzetta dello Sport. “In the 80s and 90s we represented the top. Then we lost our way and weren’t capable of investing in infrastructure.

“With Ronaldo we can attempt to lift our head up. But it’s not enough on its own. We need to have the strength and intelligence to exploit the Ronaldo stimulus and give our game an impulse again.”

The consensus in the media viewed the £99.2m deal, which will earn Ronaldo £27.7m a year, as the most significant step yet in restoring Serie A to its former

glory.

“The peak was in 2003 when we had two teams in the Champions League final,” recalled Claudio Ranieri, a former Juve manager, in La Stampa. “We’re not back to those days yet. But I feel like saying the days of skinny cows are over.”

Debate has raged over the past month about whether the Portuguese benefits the league as a whole or just Juventus.

Financially speaking, the Old Lady’s opponents are bumping up ticket prices for her visit, which has led Juve’s ultras to hold a protest at the amount that away days will leave them out of pocket.

But can you blame the rest of Serie A? One of the best players of all time is coming to Ferrara, Frosinone and Sassuolo.

As the fixture list for the first fortnight of the new season was being printed, the owner of newly-promoted Frosinone, Maurizio Stirpe, held his breath.

Unfortunately for his team, they must play their opening two home games behind closed doors as punishment for the club’s ball boys unsportingly throwing balls onto the pitch to stop a Palermo attack late in the play-off final.

The idea of missing out on the Ronaldo effect on the gate

Madrid report Inter to FIFA over illegal approach for Modric

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eal Madrid have reported Inter Milan to world governing football body, FIFA over an alleged illegal approach for midfielder Luka Modric.

The 32-year-old Croatian midfielder who captained his country to the World Cup final and was named player of the tournament, has been linked with a move to Serie A. Real president Florentino Perez said this month the only way Modric would leave thee club was if his 750 million euro (£671m) release clause was met.

Inter told BBC Sport the complaint is “based on circumstantial evidence”.

The Italian club said they have never had direct contact with the player and Fifa’s investigation is at a preliminary stage.

The transfer window in Italy closed at 19:00 BST on Friday.

Modric, who joined Real

from Tottenham in 2012, has won La Liga once and the Champions League four times.

Inter have qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2011-12.

receipts was an understandable cause of anxiety when you consider that last season the highest attendance at 11 Serie A clubs coincided with when Juventus came to town.

Chievo, for instance, who only sell out the Bentegodi for the Derby della Scala, pulled the shutters down at the ticket office weeks ago for Ronaldo’s first league game on Saturday.

The 30,000 allocation might as well have been gold dust.

Still, it’s a shame for the league that the new TV rights package

was agreed before Juventus president Andrea Agnelli dramatically boarded a helicopter for Greece to shake hands with Ronaldo on what Tuttosport are calling “Il Colpo del Secolo” - the deal of the century.

The rights are now probably worth 20 to 30% more, which means the Ronaldo tide will not lift all boats. The uplift in revenue is forecast to take Juventus to the next level in the rich list, such are Ronaldo’s commercial powers of attraction. But what does it say about Serie A?

While Gazzetta think Agnelli and the Juventus board deserve the Nobel Prize for Economics, La Repubblica compared the Ronaldo transfer to the plot of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.

The league still has its issues - chaos and controversy remain a feature of Italian football. But all that adds to the drama and whets the appetite ahead of the most eagerly-anticipated Serie A season in a long time.

“There is life beyond Cristiano Ronaldo,” as Il Corriere dello Sport put it.

LaLiga resumes on DStv, GOtv

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he 2018/19 La Liga season kicks off this weekend, with 10 first round matches spread from Friday to Monday and set to feature some of the finest football players on the planet.

The action gets underway with two matches on Friday, August 17. First up, Girona will play host to promoted side Real Valladolid. The former

will look to Uruguay attacker Christian Stuani for inspiration, while Valladolid can call on up-and-coming Moroccan midfielder Anuar Tuhami.

The other Friday night game will see Ryad Boudebouz looking to pull the strings for Real Betis at home to a Levante side which can call on several African stars, including new signings Moses

Simon and Raphael Dwamena, as well as Emmanuel Boateng and Cheick Doukoure.

Saturday features Celta de Vigo at home to Espanyol and Villarreal hosting Real Sociedad, before the late kick-off sees champions Barcelona begin the defence of their title at the Camp Nou against Deportivo Alves.

BDSUNDAY

NEW YOU CAN TRUST

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Sunday 19 august 2018

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Multiple parties, mega problems

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he announcement, last Tuesday, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of registration of additional twenty three (23) political parties, came to many Nigerians as a rude shock.

Mohammed Haruna, the commission’s national commissioner and member Voter Education and Publicity Committee, who announced the development, said: “After a rigorous process of evaluation in accordance with the Constitution and Electoral Act which included assessment of the constitutions and manifestos of the intending parties and verification of membership of their executive committees and offices, the 23 associations met all the requirements and so have been registered as political parties.”

INEC said it was to give opportunity for many more Nigerians to exercise their constitutional rights to free association.

Before this time, many Nigerians were of the opinion that the already exiting 68 political parties, most of which are not vibrant, were unwieldy.

As usual, those behind the new groups justify their crave with instances of what obtains in some other climes, but they dodge the fact that Nigeria’s case is always different.

Whereas multiple parties in many other places may mean opportunity for vibrant politicking and meaningful association all in the interest of the people, here, it is to satisfy some clandestine crave and fan the over-bloated ego of those behind them.

A day after the announcement of the new parties, Mahmood Yakubu, the Commission’s chairman, explained the implications of the huge number.

While presenting the budget for the 2019 general election, Yakubu listed increase in number of political parties as part of the reasons for the upward review in the budget.

INEC had in 2015 requested for N120 billion for the general election and is now requesting for N189.2 billion to conduct the 2019 polls. He said, unlike in 2015 when there were only 44 parties, it is now 91.

He also noted that the increase in number will affect the size and cost of ballot papers which will be printed with multiple columns.

“Also associated with political parties, is monitoring of party primaries, congresses and conventions. There is also the processing of nominations. We have 12,558 constituencies which means INEC has to process about 141,778 nominations,” he said.

Many people have not ceased to ask “why more parties?” Many Nigerians do not even know the names of the existing parties beyond the prominent two- People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), even though there are few other parties that have been around for some time.

It appears that we are just creating a false impression of what we are not, by claiming to practise multiparty system which is only evident in party registration that does not reflect in the real governance of the country. It would have made a lot of sense if these parties were recognised and made part of government by whichever party that wins election.

Those who are behind these new parties may be hailing INEC for “opening the democratic space” in line with our law and our guidelines as claimed by certain people, but they have played the ostrich in not willing to appropriate the real challenges that come with that multiple party in a distressed polity.

They humour themselves with South African example where there are over 90 political parties even though with a population of less than 60 million people. Even at that, over 10 parties have representations in government unlike here where we do not have up to five having representations in government- both at the federal and state levels.

We can also not claim to be imitating the United States where there are other parties apart from the dominant two- Democratic and the Republican Parties.

The difference is that the parties know where they belong. Some of them are only vibrant in states and some are independents; they do not enter for all elections for the sake of it; they choose their battle, so to say.

I do not think that Nigeria is in need of more parties. What is needed is ideology to drive the existing political associations. It is sad that all the parties appear to be the same; nothing marks any one of them from the other. The only thing that yokes the members together is what to get out of the system. It is for this reason that people jump from one party to the other, even to parties that have manifestos that are at variance with what they had espoused.

This is why we have today, key owners of parties, those who masterminded the registration of some parties, dumping such parties for other platforms; reason being that they were not able to realise their main objective of sponsoring the registration of those parties.

The question is; does Nigeria actually need more parties at the moment? At a time when the smaller parties are seeking ways and considering an alliance in order to make impact in the coming election?

Is it desirable for these parties, whose future can easily be determined by looking at the fate of many of the existing ones, to be springing up? To do what? It is true that many Nigerians have lost confidence in the two major parties in the country, but the fact remains that they still offer the best platforms to contest and win elections in the country at the moment.

Zebulon Agomuo 08023283822

The question is; does Nigeria actually need more parties at the moment? At a time when the smaller parties are seeking ways and considering an alliance in order to make impact in the coming election?

It may not be totally wrong to say that some of the newly registered parties want to play the spoiler’s role in the coming election.

They may be looking at how to profiteer from the system, leveraging the desperation of some exiting parties and aspirants. What may likely play out is a situation where these mushroom parties would begin to seek alliance, all in a bid to line their pockets in the immediate, and then negotiate for positions in the emerging government, depending on the outcome of the elections.

The question is, couldn’t the masterminds of the new parties have worked with the existing parties and politicians without floating theirs? Someone gave an insight.

They know that they would not be taken seriously if they had gone to negotiate on individual basis, with any party. You know today, banks would advise that people go into cooperatives in order to attract loans and grants. That is why you see all manner of groups even those who would not ordinarily associate. They attract assistance by belonging to a group. It is the same thing we are seeing in the politics of Nigeria. They form these parties as a bargaining chip and once they achieve their aim, anything can happen to the party; they don’t care.

It is purely business. The concern is that such tactics are not in the interest of the country. The interest of the masses is not served in all of this.

Someone said: “For me, what I would have loved to see is a situation where these parties come together and form a formidable force. If they say they want to change the existing government, is it by forming new parties.

What would the new parties do? Would they contest the election on their new platforms that are largely unknown? It all shows that people are not thinking about the future of this country, but about what comes into their pocket.”

So, my conclusion is that these parties are not better than portfolio investments, where the investor picks his bag and “lekeleke” when he senses danger. Someone must remind the INEC that “too many cooks spoil the broth” and that the popular saying “the more the merrier” does not apply here.

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff

Daura’s sack, SAARs’ reform,…in one week!

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ctions and inactions of government matter a lot in the business of governance. When the late Obafemi Awolowo pleaded to rule Nigeria even for one day, he knew what he could achieve with the instrument of power within that short space of time.

In the last few days, major decisions have been taken in government that were felt and applauded by many Nigerians. First, following the invasion of the National Assembly by the operatives of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) as ordered by the erstwhile Director-General, Lawal Daura, the presidency responded by sacking with immediate effect the DG for embarrassing the country before the international community. The Acting President, Osinbajo, was commended for taking such a prompt action.

In a matter of days, the presidency again moved to reform the police, beginning with

the SAARs, whose activities in the recent times had attracted a welter of criticism and condemnation. Osinbajo ordered the immediate reorganisation of that arm of police in order to bring sanity. With what the government has done, observers say it is preparatory for the enthronement of state policing which many people have been clamouring for.

The good aspect of these swift actions is that they did not require the approval of the National Assembly to carry out. It means that there are basic decisions that government can take to improve the lots of people without waiting on other arms of government. What, for instance, would it take the Federal Government to sack the ministers and service chiefs that have constituted themselves huge liabilities in the system?

What would it take a government to insist that herdsmen’s onslaught across the country must stop? What does it cost a Federal Government to take steps, genuine steps, not political steps,

that would ensure meaningful life for citizens? Why must government read political meaning in everything that people say or suggest? Now that the Federal Government took good decisions on Daura and SAARs, didn’t Nigerians, irrespective of political, religious and ethnic leaning, hail the development?

For the greater part of the life of this administration, government has only played politics rather than governance; that is why poverty index of the country has worsened; unemployment rate worsened, insecurity worsened; name it; every indices of governance is pointing negative.

This administration must endeavour to redeem the time. A second lost in the life of a nation matters a lot. If within ten days we could see a semblance of governance, one wonders what would have happened had the last three years been properly utilised.

$35billion

This is the amount of money said to be spent by Nigeria and other African countries on food importation according to African Development Bank (AfDB).

Dangerous development!

Increasingly, Nigeria is losing many police offers to bandits across the country. It is worrisome that criminals have turned their guns on the police and are succeeding in ending lives of many officers, tragically. In the last one week, about five policemen were reportedly killed (four in Kaduna and one in Delta). Not long ago, seven policemen were killed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Authorities must do everything possible to halt this ugly trend that tends to erode the confidence of the masses in security agents.

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