BusinessDay 20 Sep 2020

At last! Schools set to resume in Lagos as proprietors map out resumption plans

Ikpeazu and the resurrection of a dead man (1)

Nigeria is not ripe for parttime legislature - Akande

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Delta counts gains of 7 years of successful partnership with World Bank, European Union

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Vol 1, No. 329

As Edo awaits new governor Knocks, kudos trail INEC’s conduct of exercise Obaseki decries Commission’s shabby preparation, alleges vote-buying Ize-Iyamu commends agency Shaibu, Audu see victory for PDP, APC respectively

See page 2

Chidi Koldsweat, working with social impact leaders to break poverty cycle

Godwin Obaseki casting his vote

Osagie Ize-Iyamu sasting his vote

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Cross River investment climate: What investors seek, what CRS government offers

Philip Shaibu, Edo State deputy governor and PDP running mate, exercise his franchise at ward 11, unit 5, at Azama Primary School, Jattu in Etsako West LGA

Gani Audu, APC deputy governorship candidate, casting his vote at ward 7, unit 13, Ughiole Primary School, Aviele, Etsako West LGA.

Pix by Idris Umar Momoh.

Unbundling EFCC 21 Peju Alatise: The interdisciplinary artist

Is crime-fighting agency losing bite?

Malami announces new outfit in charge of recovered looted assets Sagay’s committee against corruption screams foul

Obinna Emelike, Iniobong Iwok (Lagos) Innocent Odoh, Godsgift Onyedinefu (Abuja)

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ast week, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the

establishment of a new anti-corruption agency to be saddled with proper coordination of all recovered looted assets.

The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, was said to have told the State

House correspondents after the FEC meeting in Abuja that assets recovered have been in the hands of several agencies and that better coordination would encourage international/ overall coordination in

Agbakoba hails development

recovering more looted assets.

Malami said the new anti-corruption agency n a m e d , ‘ Pr o c e e d s o f Cr i m e Re c o v e r y a n d Management Agency’ would be saddled with the

responsibility of managing the assets that constitute the proceeds of crime in Nigeria.

Malami said that the FEC had approved transmission

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Sunday 20 September 2020

News 2019 general election: INEC to arraign varsity dons in Akwa Ibom ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is set to arraign some University lecturers over electoral malfeasance reported during last year’s general election.

The lecturers, who were engaged as Collation and Returning Officers during the 2019 general election were reported to have manipulated and falsified election results aimed at producing outcomes contrary to the will of the people as expressed through the ballot.

Following a formal request by the Commission, the authorities of the affected institutions released the lecturers to appear before an Investigative Panel set up by INEC Headquarters on the 12th and 26th August, 2020.

A statement by the commission and signed by Odaro Aisien, head of voter education said the panel has subsequently established a prima facie documentary evidence of deliberate criminal manipulation of election results against the Collation/Returning Officers.

They will be arraigned in court accordingly, he said.

“While the unethical conduct of these lecturers

does not represent that of the overall majority who worked diligently and with dignity as Collation Officers in the 2019 general election in the state, the Commission believes that every wrongful act that violates and threatens the sanctity of the ballot must be punished,” the statement said.

According to him, this should be a lesson and a clear message to all ad-hoc staff, particularly those that would be engaged as Supervising Presiding Officers (SPOs) and Collation/Returning Officers in future elections in this State as well as other places where the Commission would be conducting elections in the days and months ahead.

NIWA urges maritime agencies to harmonise operations VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

He stated that Poll Officials must observe the highest principles of ethical standards required of them.

“Similarly, the Commission in the exercise of its statutory powers to appoint, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over its staff, has dismissed three (3) members of staff of the Commission in Akwa Ibom State office who were involved in misconduct during the elections.

“They had appeared before the Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee (APDC) of the Commission that found them culpable of acts of gross misconduct and accordingly dismissed them in line with extant rules,” Aisien said.

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eorge Moghalu, m a n a g i n g director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), has called on maritime agencies in the country to look for ways to harmonize their operations.

Moghalu made the call while briefing the media at the end of the monthly meeting of heads of maritime agencies in the country hosted by NIWA at its headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State recently.

The meeting deliberated on maritime security and safety issues, with briefings by both Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and NIWAontheireffortsintrade, manpowerdevelopmentand

enforcing safety protocols to reduce the carnage on waterways.

Moghalu also stated that a committee on multimodel approach to cargo delivery has been set up, while soliciting the support of the Nigeria Railway Corporation for cargo movement from seaports to dry ports, especially Kaduna Dry Port.

Also speaking at the meeting, Bashir Jamoh, managing director, NIMASA, updated the participants on the deployment of a modular floating dock.

Th e m e e t i n g a l s o deliberated on how to put the waterways to active use, starting with the movement of cargoes from Lagos Port to Onitsha River Port and other ports within the country.

Foreign scholarship crisis:

NDDC says London protesters failed to show up for screening last week Ignatius Chukwu

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ome 28 protesters at the Nigerian office in London early in the week were said to have failed to show up during a recent screening in some London universities to show proof of being foreign scholars under the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) sponsorship.

The embattled interim management committee (IMC) of the Commission said it did not even send any batch (2020) to London and could not be pressed into paying out over additional $3million after it had paid almost $6million.

The Commission wondered why it would be verifying the lists but some persons who ought to be keen to get screened would rather choose to go for protests on the streets of London while screening was going on in the universities.

In a statement signed by Charles Odili, the director, public affairs, the NDDC said there was huge need to verify the additional claims because the yearly amounts have shot up astronomically from a mere $900,000 few years back.

“The IMC finds it necessary to make clarifications on the recent protest of some students, who claimed to be beneficiaries of the Commission’s 2018 scholarship programme, at the Nigerian Embassy in London.

“We observe that the students were driven by mischief, otherwise they had the opportunity to present their case to the NDDC Acting Executive Director Projects (EDP), Cairo Ojougboh, who was in London on Thursday, September 17, 2020, with relevant officers of the Commission, to carry out physical verification of legitimate students on the scholarship programme,” he said.

According to him, “The NDDC team was scheduled to verify the unexplained discrepancies in the Commission’s foreign postgraduate scholarship programme and ascertain the true beneficiaries. Their brief included visiting the universities where the students are enrolled for various post-graduate degree programmes.

“Recall that recently, the NDDC IMC released $5,910,000 million through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to offset all the verified outstanding foreign scholarship obligations, despite the non-passage of NDDC 2020 budget by the National Assembly.”

“Curiously, after this payment, a demand for an additional payment of $3million (Three Million Dollars) surfaced, with the claim that some students were not captured. This inexplicable increase made it imperative to verify and authenticate the real beneficiaries of the scholarship programme which started in 2010,” the statement added.

Abu Ejoor (m), executive director, Commercial, BEDC Electricity Plc, flanked by Abel Enechaziam (r), chief state head, Edo State, and Manish Kumar (l), head, PPM, during the media engagement session for On-Air-Personalities, Online and newspaper journalists across BEDC franchise states on the new Service-based Tariff (SBT) for electricity supply industry held in Benin.

L-R: Hamsaraj Kamarwadi, Unit head, Orbit Wood and Allied Industries Limited; Omolola Adetona, chairman, Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) Lagos Chapter; Javed Ahmed, marketing manager African Foundries Limited, and Emeka Ibeh, vice chairman (NICE), during an industrial visit to African Foundries Limited, a leading steel manufacturing company in Nigeria, by NICE Lagos Chapter, in Ikorodu-Shagamu Expressway, Ogijo Ogun State, recently.

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Sunday 20 September 2020

News

2019 general election: INEC to arraign varsity dons in Akwa Ibom

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ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

L-R: Ituah Olajide Ighodalo, senior pastor, Trinity House Church; Ireti Sholola, LP 35, Zonal Pastor, RCCG, Christ Cornerstone; Peter Ebere Nwosu; managing director, Greenlife Pharmaceutical, his wife, Ifeoma Nwosu at the ground braking of Clinix healthcare collection centre, Gbagada, in Lagos.

Rivers redeems N30m bounty on capture of suspected gangster, killer …Tension as LGA boss arrested too …After N200m on killing of Don Wanni Ignatius Chukwu

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ash for fight crime known as bounty on top crime suspects seems to work big in Rivers State where the state government has paid out N30m for the capture of a most wanted suspect in killings and kidnap, Honest Diigbara alias Bobosky who was killed by the police on Saturday, September 10, 2020.

This is as the capture and extraction of information before killing the suspect may have yielded sensitive information leading to the arrest of the local council chairman of Khana where the suspect hailed from.

The payout comes after payment of N200million for the capture and killing of Don Wanni by the army after a hunt and shootouts in various locations from Imo forests Egbema bounding with Rivers State and later in Enugu.

The state had announced

a N30million bounty on Bobosky to any one or group with information leading to the suspect’s capture. Groups seemed to go to work until Friday night when the man and his driver appeared at a funeral in Tai Local Council Area also in a part of Ogoni. At about morning, information network had connected through the local vigilante now called community policing.

Th e p o l i c e i n Bo r i showed up and there was an alleged shootout. The police authorities said later Saturday that the operatives killed the driver and it was easy to capture the prize.

Boboski who was rumoured to have killed about 400 persons including a divisional police officer (DPO) and many top others, was killed soon after being paraded before newsmen.

Groups subsequently paid solidarity visits to the police commissioner in the state, Joseph Mukan, calling for the promotion of the

DPO that led the operations.

N o w, t h e s t a t e government moved to redeem the bounty of N 3 0 m il l i o n . Go v e r n o r Nyesom Wike who made the payout was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo at the presentation of a cheque for the amount to the Commissioner of Police.

The governor said the gesture was in fulfillment of the pledge he made to facilitate the capture of the notorious criminal. He said he was forced to make the pledge because Bobosky was terrorising Rivers State.

He went on: “We were elated last week when your Command reported that the elusive Bobosky has been arrested after a serious gun battle. I want to thank the police officers under your Command for the gallantry displayed in arresting that deadly criminal. Let me also thank the informant who had confidence in you and also trusted Government.

KFC expands footprint in Nigeria with new outlet in Ikoyi BUNMI BAILEY

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FC Nigeria has opened a new outlet in Ikoyi, Lagos. The new store located at the NNPC Mega Station, Alfred Rewane Road,Ikoyi,willprovidefinger lickin’ goodness to residents of Ikoyi and environs.

In his speech at the launch, Manish Mehra, the company’s business head, remarked that opening a new outlet in the middle of a global pandemic is a clear testament that KFC brand

is here to stay and it signifies their strong belief in the Nigerian economy.

“We are excited about this new store opening and partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), as it marks the beginning of our relationship with the apex body to further drive retail expansion. This also showcases our unflinching support for the Nigerian government’s job creation drive as we engage numerous Nigerians in our daily operations,” Mehra said.

“Since its entry into

Nigeria in 2009, KFC has been well received by Nigerians of all categories and this outlet forms part of our efforts to make the brand more easily accessible to our Nigerian consumers,” he said.

Damilola Owolabi, lead, sales and marketing, said KFC Nigeria is an innovative brand with varieties of meals and had just recently launched its yam fries called ‘Yamilicious’ to add to a bouquet of products that include 5-in-1 meal box, Popcorn Chicken and several others.

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is set to arraign some University lecturers over electoral malfeasance reported during last year’s general election.

The lecturers, who were engaged as Collation and Returning Officers during the 2019 general election were reportedtohavemanipulated and falsified election results aimedatproducingoutcomes contrary to the will of the people as expressed through the ballot.

Following a formal request by the Commission, theauthoritiesoftheaffected institutions released the lecturers to appear before an Investigative Panel set up by INEC Headquarters on the 12th and 26th August, 2020.

A statement by the commission and signed by Odaro Aisien, head of voter education said the panel has subsequently established a prima facie documentary

evidence of deliberate criminal manipulation of election results against the Collation/ReturningOfficers.

They will be arraigned in court accordingly, he said.

“While the unethical conduct of these lecturers does not represent that of the overall majority who worked diligently and with dignity as Collation Officers in the 2019 general election in the state, the Commission believes that every wrongful act that violates and threatens the sanctity of the ballot must be punished,” the statement said.

According to him, this should be a lesson and a clear message to all ad-hoc staff, particularly those that would be engaged as Supervising Presiding Officers (SPOs) and Collation/Returning Officers in future elections in this State as well as other places where the Commission would be conducting elections in the days and months ahead.

He stated that Poll Officials must observe the highest principles of ethical

standards required of them.

“Similarly, the Commission in the exercise of its statutory powers to appoint, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over its staff, has dismissed three (3) members of staff of the Commission in Akwa Ibom State office who were involved in misconduct during the elections.

“They had appeared before the Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee (APDC) of the Commission that found them culpable of acts of gross misconduct and accordingly dismissed them in line with extant rules,” Aisien said.

Recall that prior to the 2019 general election, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini had repeatedly warned all electoral personnel, both permanent and adhoc, to shun acts likely to compromise the electoral process and undermine the efforts of the Commission and the confidence of the electorate.

Reject violent politicians with your votes, Jegede tells Ondo people

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eople’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede has appealed to his teeming supporters across the state not to allow unprovoked attacks from the ruling party to deter them from coming out to vote on October 10.

He made the appeal in Oba-Akoko in Akoko South-West Local Government area, two days after his campaign tour of the community was allegedly disrupted by gun-shooting hoodlums in the convoy of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

In a statement signed by

Kayode Fasua, head of Media Research, Eyitayo Jegede Campaign Organisation, Jegede was quoted to have said, “My people of ObaAkoko, and our people in Ondo state generally; don’t allow these violent people in power to frighten you from coming out to vote on October 10.

21st Century Technologies partners Centili to bring digital transformation to Africa Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

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opular information and communications (ICT) service p r o v i d e r, 2 1 s t Century Technologies has formed a beneficial partnership with Centili, a mobile payments platform, borne out of the desire to rewrite the history of digital services in Africa.

21st Century Technologies is a regional powerhouse with huge infrastructure and a mission to provide world-class solutions to our valued customers through highly motivated talent and strategic alliances.

“Our partnership with Centili will bring digital transformation to Africa which many economic sectors deserve. More importantly, it helps create a sense of focus and determination to succeed,” Wale Ajisebutu, the founder and CEO of 21st Century

Technologies, said.

“There is an African adage, ‘If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together’” he said. 21st Century Technologies has chosen Centili to go far enough to transform business in Africa.

Ac c o r d i n g t o h i m , “Working with Centili has allowed 21st Century Technologies to build the most compelling aggregator platform in Nigeria.”

Th e n e w s o l u t i o n will propel 21st Century Technologies to become the number-one aggregator VAS business operator on the continent.

Fuelled by a passion for technology and guided by the firm belief that Africa can be better connected to the digital world, Ajisebutu established the company to use state-of-the-art infrastructure to provide world-class solutions.

According to him, the vision is to become the

foremost integrated ICT solutions provider in Africa.

“Our combined experiences and knowledge of technology is legendary,” says Ajisebutu. “I have always believed that one of the key elements of success is partnering with esteemed organisations such as Centili, principally to leverage on both companies’ core competencies to build the most advanced digital services in Africa.”

Ajisebutu believes 21st Century Technologies and Centili are similar in many ways. He says they both started out from humble beginnings,haveexperienced rapid growth, and are now having significant impact on the region and beyond.

The partnership sees both companies creating digital services that will revolutionise everything from online retail to gaming, logistics to financial services, e-commerce to entertainment.

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News NIMASA, Airforce to deploy assets for Deep Blue Project, enhance maritime security

Ngozi Okpalakunne

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AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

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irassetsacquired under the Deep Blue Project, also called the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, domiciled with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) are set for deployment by the Nigerian Air Force in support of the Federal Government’s maritime security effort.

Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, chief of Air Staff, disclosed this when Bashir Jamoh, director-general of NIMASA paid a working visit to the Nigerian Air Force headquarters in Abuja, according to statement

by Philip Kyanet, head, Corporate Communications of NIMASA. Jamoh requested for adequate arrangement to receive and deploy the two special mission aircraft expected in the country in the next few months.

While commending the leadership of the Nigerian Air Force for its commitment to capacity development, Jamoh noted that NIMASA was committed to ensuring the success of the Deep Blue Project with adequate

Lagos commissioner urges women, girls to protect selves from abuse

Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, making a presentation to Bashir Jamoh, director-general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), during a working visit by the NIMASA DG to the Nigerian Air Force headquarters in Abuja recently.

cooperation from all stakeholders.

“We have received two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and two special mission aircraft expected to arrive Nigeria before the end of the year. The challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the special training for the personnel to man these air assets, but we have found a way around it. We will continue to seek your partnership to secure the Nigerian maritime domain,” Jamoh said.

Jamoh disclosed that 17

fast interceptor boats, 15 armoured vehicles, and two special mission vessels were some of the land and marine assets already on the ground.

He said all hands must be on deck to secure the country’s maritime environment and changeallnegativenarratives.

Responding, Air Marshal Abubakar said the NAF had maintained a longstanding relationship with NIMASA, with an MOU on Maritime Ai r S u r v e i l l a n c e a n d Intelligence signed in 2013.

He said, though, the MOU had elapsed, NAF had continued to play a crucial

role in maritime security, working closely with the Nigerian Navy, and NIMASA. Abubakar disclosed that NAFhadrecentlyestablished a Combat Reconnaissance Group (203 CRG) in Gombe State, primarily, to deal with the security challenges in the North-East and other parts of the North. He said the drones that would be deployed with the 203 CRG could be moved to any part of the country, including coastal locations, especially given the crucial place of the maritime environment to the survival of the country.

agos State Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo has called on women and girls in society to protect themselves from Gender Based Violence by reporting abuse meted to them.

Speaking recently at a public enlightenment programme on Covid-19 and Gender Based Violence (GVB) organised by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) in collaboration with Kosofe School Based Management Committee (SBMC), Adefisayo, who was represented

by Toyin Ajayi, director, Policy, Planning Ministry of Education, observed that the girl child who invariably becomes the woman of tomorrow is faced with diverse challenges especially when it relates to genderbased violence, issue of rape, domestic violence, among others.

Such vices, the commissioner explained, were evidently prevalent in society, adding, “It is a trend that must be rid off from our society and if we must protect our women, girls, children and wards as well as entrench-

ing a peaceful society, there must be a change in direction to salvage the trend to enable our women and girls achieve their full potentials and positioning them for social relevance and financial emancipation to enable them contribute their quota towards the development of our nation”.

Commending the organisers of the programme which came under the theme, ‘Enhancing participation of women in peace and human security in Nigeria’, she said, “It is quite interesting that you have beamed your focus on women and girls in Agboyi Ketu, Kosofe community. The grassroots are the core areas that need prompt attention especially with the urban areas moving at a fast pace with modern interventions in technology.

Our communities must not be left behind. You will agree with me that girls grow up to women, hence the girl child in our communities need a more significant attention so as not to be left behind in the modern scheme of things.”

The commissioner also commended the effort of the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu in creating an enabling environment for women empowerment.

NCAM establishes centre in Abia to boost food production

Service reflective tariff: EKEDC moves to improve customer experience …Trains farmers on agric equipment handling IFEOMA OKEKE

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ko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has said that the newly introduced Service Reflective Tariff (SRT) which took effect from September 1 was to the benefit of the customers as it would bring about the desired growth in the sector.

This was disclosed to journalists by the General M a n a g e r, C o r p o r a t e Communications of the Company, Godwin

Idemudia who reiterated the importance of the Service Reflective Tariff to the growth of the Electricity ecosystem.

Idemudia said: “We understand the economic impact of the pandemic, but there will never be a good time for the implementation of the new tariff.”

He assured that the tariff review was aimed at bringing improvements to the quality of service EKEDC provides.

Idemudia further explained that with the new service reflective tariff regime, customers have been

grouped into five service bands depicting the quantity and quality of supply they receive. Customers on Band A will receive an average 20 hours per day, Band B customers will receive a minimum of 16 hours per day, Band C customers will receive a minimum of 12 hours per day while Bands D and E will receive a minimum 8 and 4 hours a day”.

The Disco also allays the fears of customers within the D and E service bands that the implementation of the service reflective tariff regime is temporarily frozen and the

existing tariff will continue until the company improves their supply hours as investments are being made to ensure that is achieved.

Idemudia also thanked customers for their continued understanding and cooperation over the course of the journey for the desired growth in the sector and implored them to take advantageoftheMeterAsset Provider (MAP) scheme for meter purchase to further help in accurate billing of their power consumption and stem the tide of estimated billing.

AXA Mansard focuses on mental health at human capital development webinar IFEOMA OKEKE

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XA Mansard Insurance PLC, a member of the AXA Group and global leader in insurance and asset management, recently took its commitment to brokers to a new level by hosting a webinar themed ‘Transformational leadership in the Evolving Business Environment.’

The focus was on salient topics like transformational l e a d e r s h i p, e m o t i o n a l intelligence, mental health awareness and its impact in

the industry currently.

Speaking at the webinar, Akinlolu Akinyele, head of Energy and Emerging Corporates, explained that the event was geared towards improving collaboration with partners in the broking community and thus creating an avenue for the deepening of technical excellence and overall growth of the industry.

Speaking on mental wellness at the webinar, Edeigbini Omokhudu, head Preventives and Wellness unit, AXA Mansard Health, said: “It is a state of being

that appreciates his or her own abilities and can cope with the normal stresses of life; thus, making him or her productive to themselves and to the society.” He also explained that with every state in life, there can also be a state of disequilibrium or imbalance. This, according to him, is referred to as Mental Illness.

V i c t o r Ta m u n o k u r o Briggs, principal consultant and CEO, VTB Consulting Limited, also spoke at the event.

AXA Mansard is registered as a composite company with the National

Insurance Commission of Nigeria (NAICOM).

The company offers life and non-life insurance products and services to individuals and institutions across Nigeria whilst also offering asset/investment management services, health insurance solutions and pension fund administration through its three subsidiaries - AXA Mansard Investments Limited, AXA Mansard Health Limited and AXA Mansard Pensions Limited respectively.

The parent company was listed on the Nigeria Stock ExchangeinNovember2009.

UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

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n its resolve to boost food security and make farmers to produce enough for consumption and commercialisation, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture through the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation has established its branch in National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike, Abia State to serve as Centre for the entire South-East zone.

M.Y. Kasali, executive director of NCAM, during the ceremony tagged ‘The Agricultural Mechanisation Field Day and Interactive Session with Relevant Stakeholders in the SouthEast Region’, disclosed that the choice of Abia was because NCAM had given approval to establish her field office at NRCRI, Umudike that would provide services to stakeholders in the entire south-east.

He said that the occasion was also meant to sensitise all stakeholders of the presence of NCAM in the zone and also create awareness of the availability of agricultural mechanisation technologies developed by the centre at Ilorin, Kwara State through practical demonstrations,

adding that the choice of Abia ADP for the exercise was because it was the closest government agency to farmers.

The NCAM boss noted that the introduction of agricultural mechanisation technologies was the best to increase productivity, adding that it would reduce drudgery, improve timeliness of operation, increase productivity per hectare and thus improve the socio-economic wellbeing of farmers.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in his address said he was delighted over the partnership in using the machineries and other farming equipment to improve productivity.

Ikpeazu, who was represented by his Deputy, Ude Oko-Chukwu disclosed that his administration placed priority in Agriculture which is one of the five pillars his government.

He promised to support AFAN, ADP and other groups to procure the equipment to increase yields.

Israel Amanze, the programme manager of the State Agricultural Development Programme, in his speech disclosed that Abia was the hub of metal fabrication, hence the need for Federal Government to assist them in this direction.

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Apapa gridlock: Another dimension of insecurity in Nigeria

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major socio-economic problem that seems to have defied solution in Nigeria today is insecurity.

Though the country has other serious problems such as hunger and poverty which are fallouts of unemployment, insecurity remains its biggest burden because it is no respecter of persons or position.

Insurgency and banditry which have become the defining features of the Northern part of the country are as bad as the loss of lives and destruction of properties which they leave in their trail.

Kidnapping is yet another variant of insecurity in the country that has not only impoverished, but also caused family dislocations.

Another dimension of the insecurity situation in Nigeria today is the perennial, intractable and seemingly insurmountable gridlock in Apapa, Lagos. Apapa is Nigeria’s first port city. It is home to the country’s two busiest seaports - Apapa and Tin Can Island - which account for over 70 percent of export and import activities in the country.

Many see Apapa as an aberration and a contradiction. It is a metaphor for suffering, stress and pain. Apapa is an unsafe, loathsome destination and driving to the port city is a huge risk for which many—individuals, institutions and sundry businesses have cho-

sen to avoid it as much as they can.

Ironically, this is a city that is estimated to be N20 billion a day economy. It is a city from where the Federal Government rakes in billions of naira monthly revenue, but finds it difficult to make it safe even for its agencies. Many believe that the government is only dancing on the graves of businesses here.

The gridlock in Apapa has, apparently defied solution. One taskforce after another has tried to bring sanity on its roads and bridges, to no avail. This is because the gridlock which has brought ruins, impoverished many homes, and closed down businesses, has become a goldmine for many, especially security agencies and other dare-devils that have made the roads their shops and offices.

No organised attempt to solve the gridlock problem here works, because there are people that ensure it never works. They feast and grow in the disorder, the risk and the threat to life. And that is not all.

Against wise and professional advice, Apapa has continued to harbour tank farms scattered all over the place in close proximity to residential quarters. In many of the Customs area offices and police stations in this port city are packed seized trucks containing substances that could be poisonous and explosive.

We see danger in all of this and

fear that in the case of fire incident, what happened in Beirut, Lebanon recently will be considered a child’s play. This is why we join calls to the government to come up with a legislation that will compel owners of the tank farms to relocate them to safe environments.

Over time, engineers have warned that it is not healthy and safe for trucks to be packed on bridges for days and weeks, explaining that such actions affect the stability of the bridges. But, in Apapa, trucks will leave transit parks and pack on the bridges which, incidentally, are the major routes to the port city.

We recall with pain the early morning tragedy that struck in Italy, the largest city in Rome a few years ago. That was the collapse of a highway bridge, the Morandi Bridge, over Genoa, causing people, cars and huge slabs of concrete to fall hundreds of feet onto the city below.

Government officials estimated that 20 people were found dead in the rubble, while other accounts put the death count even higher at above 30 in what Italy’s deputy transportation minister then called Europe’s worst major bridge disaster in decades.

For us, that unfortunate incident in far away Italy holds a grave lesson for Nigeria as it calls to mind quickly the disaster that may be waiting to happen in Apapa where thousands of trailers and tankers surging towards the

ports are parked almost permanently on the Ijora-Apapa Bridge, exerting enormous pressure on the bridge and weakening its structural stability.

It is easy to see a similarity between the Morandi Bridge and Ijora-Apapa Bridge in terms of age, stress and decay. The IjoraApapa Bridge, according to Babatunde Fashola, the country’s minister for works and housing, was built 40 years ago and is being subjected to wear and tear on daily basis.

We share the view of many that a stitch in time saves nine, just as prevention is a lot better than cure. It is not safe that trucks that are supposed to be in Lilypond Transit Park, Tincan Truck Park and other private parks are unleashed on roads and bridges that do not have the carrying capacity for them.

It is painful that at the receiving end of these abnormalities are residents and businesses for whom life has become a misery with loss of income (rents), reduced productivity, and decline in bottom-line.

Driving through the snaking, interminable rows of trailers and tankers is risky. But getting trapped and being attacked and dispossessed of precious, valuable personal effects is riskier.

And these are frequent occurrences that align poignantly, in both savagery and cruelty, to the insecurity elsewhere in the land.

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

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Perspective Nigeria’s next President: A riposte SEGUN DIPE Dipe writes as a political analyst from Ado-Ekiti.

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umours about some people’s presidential ambition towards 2023 have been doing the rounds. The credit should go to the hecklers who help in spreading them. They, the hecklers, have been prickling innocent Nigerians with the noise of who wears the presidential cap of the country next. They have been egging them towards a particular direction, warts and all. Ordinarily, such rumours should be too early to make meaning, especially when the last election is still unfurling.

But trust Nigerians, the end of one election is the beginning of jostle for another.

And the reason is simple: Nigeria is an election-obsessed country.

This, perhaps, explains why the country appears hexed in its choice of who rules over its affairs with the general parameter for assessing who a potential presidential material is revolving around three qualities, viz: a deep pocket, having been around for too long and being politically sagacious. Other qualities are pushed to the back-burner.

According to Joseph de Maistre, every nation gets the government it deserves. This lawyer, diplomat, writer, and philosopher may be right to the extent that the people, particularly those who

should know better, are always passive and nonchalant towards the selection process. They allow those who know next to nothing to fanatically and frenetically foist their benefactors’ desire on them.

And so, whatever they see is what they get.

While the situation may still not be totally different today in terms of dominance and prestige, the terms of political success needs to be reset. Even if unuttered in clear words, every president Nigeria has produced to date would acknowledge that they underestimated the difficulty of the job. The country now deserves more than a consensus president; it needs a president who is wired to fix the office itself.

As the nation approaches 2023, the pattern must not be such that the president feels a sense of entitlement from the country and from the people for favours, real or imagined, that he may have done them in the past. Rather, such person must have a sense of indebtedness towards the country and the people. He must see himself as coming to serve and pay his dues; somebody thrown up by circumstances.

The reason for the above truism is not farfetched: The office of a president has grown beyond what it used to be, in power, scope, complexity and degree of difficulty. Now, more than ever before, it requires someone who is futuristic and highly dynamic. The emotional burden of the responsibilities is even something else. The president must be ready to operate like a computer, which is the only way he can endure the relentless scrutiny of the digital age.

The next Nigerian president must have a clairvoyant brain. That is, he must have the faculty capa-

ble of perceiving things or events in future or beyond sensory contact.

In other words, Nigeria towards 2023 should look beyond a president whose only claim to power is being a political heavyweight. Unlike in the past, oration or political sagacity would not just be good enough. Even the foisted role of Commander-in-Chief is becoming weightier than ever before. Natural security is today being threatened by stateless terror groups. Rare is the day when in Nigeria, one or more of those enemies don’t present an imminent danger, requiring the president’s utmost attention.

Throughout history, crises have been the breeding ground for individuals we later describe as great leaders, and in many instances when time makes the leader, such leader would emerge from unlikely places.

With the Covid-19 pandemic ravaging the world and no one can say with specifics when it will abate, Nigeria, like elsewhere, seriously deserves a leader that can model the behaviours of its people clearly now and in the postpandemic era. We can have the best strategy in the world, but without the kind of leader that can execute the strategies now and in the future, the culture of getting the leader we deserve would certainly eat up the strategy for breakfast.

We must also not forget to take cognisance of the body language of our would-be president. I took the time to study a recent research by a team of Canadian psychologists published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. It is a good reference material when talking about the two qualities of dominance and prestige, which our politicians love to flaunt. The research was built on a simple

observation: There are two ways to get ahead. You can dominate people by making them fear you or you can win their loyalty with your intelligence and kindness.

Whether such commonsense model of leadership holds up under scientific scrutiny is another point of argument entirely. But anyone who is educated enough or has voted in a presidential election before must have probably observed that the first type of leader tended to adopt a stereotypical power pose, intimidating people into following them, while the second doesn’t look down with a scowl, but would rather look up with a smile of humility. The non-dominant leaders don’t flaunt what they know. They take up less space, yet they attract people to their care and competence rather than dominating. They gain followers through prestige, which they developed by demonstrating their expertise and helping people to solve knotty problems.

So, when scouting for a president towards post-pandemic 2023, Nigerians should think of what the new normal holds in stock for them. Rather than looking for those who flaunt the credential of having risen through dominating others; who physically take up a lot of space and often wear a fierce facial expression, they should consider those who rely on prestige of what they are capable of doing, not fear. They can be easily spotted by their less-expansive-yet-resilient posture.

Talking about resilience as a leadership virtue, Nigerians should look for those who have showed that they are resilient enough to lead them without excuses. This is the antithesis of hunkering down and operating conservatively.

Resilience is about pushing out boldly, knowing that something somewhere is going to kick you in the teeth, and you need to be ready before it happens: The three traits that characterise the mind of resilient leaders are: Challenge, personal control and commitment.

Resilient people have a habit of looking at stress as a challenge to overcome, and this motivates them to address the causes of their stress in positive ways. This active approach can be contrasted with a more common approach, where stress is viewed as an unfortunate or even paralysing force that overwhelms rather than motivates.

In general, resilient people tend to accept challenges and work to overcome and even master them.

Even when a situation is not possible to control, resilient people work to find what possibilities do exist and pursue these.

Part of the reason resilient people persist in their coping efforts is because they are committed to an active, engaged outlook toward challenges, which motivates them to actively attempt to influence their surroundings and to persevere even when their attempts don’t seem to be working out.

Resilient people are dedicated to finding that meaning — toward taking an active, problem-solving approach to situations.

Armed with all of these, Nigerians should then relax and be ready to pick a desirable leader without being hexed to doing so. They should not give in to just anyone in the name of political heavyweight and who gets sold in subterranean way. Rather they should be ready to counterpoint virtually every message spewed at them. That is the revolution Nigerians need to take up now!

Unravelling the ‘ember months’ myth TAYO OGUNBIYI Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

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illiam Bascom in his article ‘The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives’ defines myth as “tales believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past or other worlds or parts of the world, and with extra-human, inhuman, or heroic characters”.

Mary Magoulick also sees myths as “symbolic tales of the distant past that concern cosmogony and cosmology, may be connected to belief systems or rituals, and may serve to direct social action and values”.

Myth is derived from the Greek word mythos, which means story or word. For many people, myths remain value-laden discourse that explains much about human nature.

In most cases, however, myth is always a far-cry from reality.

For instance, both myths and science put forward explanations to justify the existence of the universe.

A major differentiation, nonetheless,

is that explanations concerning the universe as offered in myths are not empirical, whereas that of science could be analysed and subjected to continual empirical assessment.

In our clime, a myth has for long been woven around the so-called ‘ember’ months (September to December) as naturally tragic periods.

This belief has been so entrenched in the peoples’ consciousness that various religious groups and other institutions regularly organise special prayer sessions to ward-off ‘dangers’ associated with the months.

The reality, however, is that the so-called ‘ember’ months are not really spiritually jinxed. Tragedies occur during the period, just as it does in every other month of the year. Ascribing mythical undertones to the ‘ember’ months could just be our usual way of explaining things we do not understand.

Rather than clothing the ‘ember’ months in a garb of gratuitous mystery, the pragmatic way of explaining dreadful events during the months is more methodical than mythological.

The truth is that there is usually an increase in the tempo of public, private and corporate activities during this period. Many organisations are involved in the frenzy of the season, as they organise various end-of-the-year events during the period. Therefore, for obvious reasons, the roads become busier and

the tumultuous air of festivity usually compounds matter.

People are in so much haste to make things happen. Commercial drivers, who usually embark on five trips per day, capitalise on the aura of festivity to go for ten or more.

This, naturally, comes with its fatal consequences. It is only logical that when there is a mass exodus of people from one place to the other, at a particular time, there is bound to be a measure of uncertainty and disorder.

The bottom line, therefore, is that tragic occurrences are likely to happen during the ‘ember’ season because of the intensity of human activities. In a bid to be part of the various end-of-year activities slated for the period, a lot of people throw caution into the wind by disregarding critical safety issues.

Vehicles are driven irresponsibly. Alcoholic drinks are consumed with reckless abandon, while social outings are organised as if tomorrow will not come. The atmosphere, during the season, is often filled with unusual allure and jollity. It is in the midst of this hilarity that avoidable human blunders which often result in diverse kinds of misfortunes usually occur.

It is, thus, essential for everyone to, first and foremost, have a more pragmatic perception of the ‘ember’ months. Hence, conscious

efforts must be made to disrobe the months of every garb of unfounded mysticism. It is only when we are convinced that the dangers associated with the period are human, rather than mythical, that we could really make considerable progress in averting disasters during the months.

Therefore, enforcement of existing laws and attitudinal change is central to making any progress.

Sadly, law enforcement agents are also usually involved in the mad ‘ember’ months’ rat- race, as some of them sometimes engage in treacherous compromise that enables law breakers go un-punish.

The result, of course, is the continuation of avoidable circle of pandemonium and sorrow.

Consequently, as the curtain draws on the year, we need to modify our views on the ‘ember’ months. We must not get involved in any pointless extra-ordinary last minute ‘rush’ that could endanger our lives and, indeed, those of others.

Those who have to organise social events to correspond with this period should do so bearing all safety precautions in mind. Commercial drivers and other road users must respect the sanctity of the human life by observing required road safety measures.

Perhaps, more importantly, relevant government agencies must step up enlightenment campaigns

as well as enforcement strategies to guarantee that ‘ember’ months’ related tragedies are reduced to the barest minimum. In this respect, the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, the Lagos State Ministry of Information and strategy, the Lagos Traffic Radio and other such stakeholders should be commended for their various ‘ember’ month’s safety advocacy and strategies in Lagos and adjoining States.

However, there is a need to intensify more efforts in this direction while other appropriate government agencies and private concerns should also come on board the reorientation and re-awareness train.

As usual, the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy is embarking on an ‘ember’ months’ responsiveness campaign across the state.

The objective is to change the attitude of the people towards these months and offer key safety tips.

As it has been previously affirmed, it is critical to re- affirm that tragic happenings during months are promoted by reckless human actions. It is only in living modestly and responsibly that we could avoid the dangers and hiccups that are generally associated with ember months.

If only we could rid ourselves of our usual ‘ember months’ excesses, we would discover that nothing is actually wrong with the months.

10

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Sunday 20 September 2020

News Feature At last! Schools set to resume in Lagos as proprietors map out resumption plans

…Why some won’t resume September 21 …Parents fret over school fees, others

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KELECHI EWUZIE ollowing the announcement by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, that schools in the state are expected to resume on Monday, September 21, 2020, different schools have begun to adopt different methods of getting their pupils back to school starting from Monday.

A cross section of school owners, parents who spoke with BDSUNDAY expressed divergent views about their next line of action as pertain to school resumption.

While majority of the school owners expressed readiness and desire to see their children back to school after so many months of closure occasioned by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, others are of the view that they would extend their resumption date to ensure all safety protocols are completed.

Lai Koiki, chief executive officer, Greensprings School, said although the Lagos State government has announced September 21 as resumption date for schools, her students will first resume online by September 28, while the school will run a blended system of both virtual and on-site learning when schools finally reopen.

When asked what the school has put in place to ensure a safe physical resumption, Koiki said that Greensprings School will strictly follow the government’s reopening guidelines, adding that the school has also developed some internal policies to complement the government’s proposition.

“We have started working on ensuring our facilities, staff, and students adhere to the government’s guidelines on school reopening. Our classrooms have been remapped to allow social distancing of 2 meters from one seat to another. We have disinfected the classrooms and other areas in our school, and this will continue regularly,” she said.

According to her, “More handwashing areas and sanitiser dispenser stations have been installed, and these have been done in all four campuses including Anthos House (our special needs school). As recommended in the guidelines, break time will be staggered, restrooms will be cleaned hourly, and our staff and students will wear a facemask at all times, except during the required outdoor mask-break period.”

On the hybrid learning system, Koiki stated that the school plans

to have not more than half of its students’ population in physical attendance on school days. By this, some students will come to school twice a week, while some will come three times.

Students staying at home on a particular day will learn the same thing as those in school through the school’s online learning platforms, and this will ensure there are no learning gaps across all learning categories.

The school’s plan will also ensure that students who are members of the same family will be scheduled to be in school (onsite) on the same day, as well as have virtual classes on the same day. Provisions will also be made to continue virtual learning via the school’s online channels, for parents who do not want their children to resume physically for now.

A proprietress, who spoke to BDSUNDAY on condition of anonymity, said in preparation for school resumption, she has already put in place electronic sanitising machine, washing bucket with tap, soaps, temperature reading machine and have equally advised parents on their own part to be safety cautious prior to resumption.

“We have already fumigated the school premises. As long as we keep personal hygiene as we should, feed pupils with healthy food. I am 100 percent sure all will go well. We will stagger their play time,” she said.

The school administrator, however, observed that the elite parents are not comfortable sending their kids back to school now. Their kids are not affected by this pandemic like the average low income parents. Their online learning is 100 percent going, because they can afford whatever it takes.

“It’s tough though, but it’s

worth it. Now that the Lagos State government has finally given the all clear for school resumption, we might as well move on with precautionary measures until maybe vaccine will show up hopefully,” she said.

Franka Osagie, another private school owner in Lagos told BDSUNDAY that beyond preparations for physical learning, the school has also invested heavily on virtual classes. She said the Covid-19-induced school closure has given her and the school management team the impetus to strengthen the push for blended learning to ensure that when pupils resume, they are well equipped to be engaged virtually.

Osagie further said that the school would adopt a phased reopening, so that not all students would come in at once in order to maintain social distancing.

“

These processes take time and cost money but as far as preparation for school resumption is concerned, I am quite confident that now that government has officially asked schools to reopen, we are ready

“These processes take time and cost money but as far as preparation for school resumption is concerned, I am quite confident that now that government has officially asked schools to reopen, we are ready,” she said.

The educationist further observed that adopting new style of teaching and learning as part of the new normal as requested

by Covid-19 clinical protocols has surely altered the old way of education as online teaching and learning has come to stay, not just in private, but also in public schools.

She noted that her school is fairly spacious in terms of students-intake and seating arrangements as the existing structures are enough to accommodate whatever safety protocol directive as prescribed by government.

Segun Ayo, principal, New Covenant School, Lagos said that the school was ready for resumption, expressing the fears about prompt payment of school fees.

Ayo envisaged delay in payment of school fees, which he said could pose huge challenges to the smooth operation of the school post Covid-19, considering that the schools are private enterprise without any form of funding from government.

“After spending huge sums money and making the huge investment, ensuring that we meet all the Covid-19 safety measures put up by government in Lagos and payment of teachers, without school fees, there is no way we can function optimally,” Ayo said.

He said up to 50 percent of parents have resorted to partpayment as a result of the biting economic situation in the country.

According to him, “Before resumption, there are lots of things we have to do which we borrow money for; and the money is due for repayment immediately we

resume.

“When parents delay in payment or fail to pay the fees of their children early enough, it affects the repayment of those loans.

This action affects school owners because when salary is due and we don’t have money, we have to go and borrow and the interest rates are so exorbitant,” he said.

On their part, parents whose children attend private schools are not only worried about the safety of their children as school resumes, they are also losing sleep over how to pay the fees for their children to continue their academic activity in school.

Chijioke Amadi, a concerned parent, told BDSUNDAY that reopening of school after six months is one thing; another is the increased pressure on family budgets owing to the economic situation caused by Covid-19.

He said that his children schools have already forwarded their bills and that he had also worked out an arrangement with the managements for instalment payment plans.

Amadi however, wondered what would be the fate of many parents that may not have listening school managements to work out some arrangements.

He noted that aside from the fear of safety for his children, the worsening economic situation has made it difficult for him and a lot of parents to keep to pace with school fees payment given that there are other needs contending with a meagre funds at every given time.

Rosemary Ubong, a mother, said: “The major concern I have, which I think is the same fear many parents nurse, is how to get the children to observe what has become a sort of stereotype- don’t touch your face, your nose; don’t touch another person, maintain a distance and wash your hands regularly. Even if schools provide all the necessary things expected of them, enforcing compliance may be a little bit difficult.”

Ubong, who noted that children are highly asymptomatic and could contract Covid-19 from even teachers that use public transport, expressed the fear that parents at home may be in danger through the children.

“The children that get infected in school may then expose their parents and other children that are highly vulnerable,” she said.

She expressed the opinion that it was still very unsafe to expose children either in public or private school, adding that both government and school owners need to be deliberate in the process of reopening school.

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11

News Feature Incessant building collapse in Nigeria worries experts, as Abia records 4th cases in 2020

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GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

he Nigerian Institute of Builders (NIOB) has appealed to Nigerians to use professional builders in building construction to avert incessant building collapse in the country.

John Ugwoeri, chairman, Nigerian Institute of Builders (NIOB), Abia State Chapter, gave the advice Wednesday, at the site of a building collapse at Azikiwe Road, Aba, the fourth collapsed building in Abia State in 2020.

He urged the state government to heed the call of the institute, to use professional builders to super- Survivors of the accident vise building constructions in the state to avert further occurrences.

The remains of one of the About five persons were feared yet-to-be-identified victims, dead when a three-storey building who tried to escape before getunder construction collapsed in ting trapped at the edge of the Aba, the commercial hub of Abia building, was seen hanging with State, on Wednesday, September stretched out legs, as the rubbles 16, 2020.

According to a witness, one of divided the victim into two, from the five persons inside the struc- the head.

It was also gathered from Kalu ture at the time of the incident was that the collapsed building, which killed while fate of the four others has been under construction for who were trapped in the rubbles about a year now, serves as shelwas yet to be determined. ter for some homeless youths.

The building, which is located at He however, told our reporter No 85 Azikiwe Road, in Aba South Local Government Area of the that he and some of the other State, collapsed at about 5:15am victims were taking refuge in on Wednesday, September 16 fol- the building when the incident occurred. lowing a heavy downpour.

Kalu, who said he is a brickUche Kalu, the only survivor, said that five other young persons layer, explained that he was discussing a contract with one of were still trapped in the rubbles. the trapped victims, when the

building collapsed and buried him under the rubbles.

The survivor, who had head injuries, was later rushed to a nearby hospital, by sympathisers for treatment. Rescue team from Abia State Government was sighted at the scene, 10 hours after the incident occurred.

However, members of the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), who arrived the scene at about 8:00am moved into the building, but came out helpless, as there was no excavator to help clear the rubbles.

Wisdom Okoro, member, Practice Committee, representing Abia State at the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, observed that the collapsed building had no builder attached to it. He observed

further that lives of citizens would be saved and costs of buildings reduced, if government insisted on having professional builders supervise buildings under construction.

He called on Abia State Government to discontinue the construction of the building and set up a panel to investigate its construction, to forestall future occurrences.

Leonard Eze, a building engineer and resident, who visited the scene, described the building as a death trap and a disaster waiting to happen. He faulted the Aba South Local Government Area (LGA) Town Planning Authority and other relevant government agencies, for allowing the continuation of the building, which he observed was structurally faulty.

“Any day I pass here, I weep for what we’re doing to ourselves. It’s unfortunate that the small rain of yesterday proved that this disaster is even worse than I thought. How can one use substandard materials and expect a miracle? Someone ought to be supervising the job from government’s angle, but what do you see, shoddy oversight riddled with corruption, led to the loss of these lives that could have been avoided.

“Is there any year we don’t have one to three building collapses in Aba? What has government done about them? People attribute things like this to rituals, but there is nothing like that; as this is a clear engineering error.

“Some building contractors

in Aba will use poor methods/ techniques, combined with substandard rods, poorly molded blocks, improper cement grades, disjointed support pillars and when relevant government agencies come calling, they will bribe them and they will go, thinking that they can eat their cake and still have it,” Eze said.

Meanwhile, Abia State government has directed Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) and the Aba South Local Government Town Planning Authority to clear the debris of the collapsed building.

John Okiyi Kalu, the state’s commissioner for Information, disclosed this during a radio programme monitored in Aba. He explained that preliminary information indicated that the plan for the building was yet to be approved with on site evaluation indicating that the materials used to construct the collapsed part of the structure was sub-standard.

Okiyi further said that security agents were currently on the hunt for the building engineer and developer of the property, noting that most parts of the building were hurriedly put up during the Covid-19 lockdown period with a view to possibly evade the town planning authority.

He warned that government would no longer tolerate a repeat of the situation, where buildings are indiscriminately erected without proper approval and supervision.

Delta counts gains of 7 years of successful partnership with World Bank, European Union MERCY ENOCH, Asaba

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he State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) project, which is a seven-year partnership deal between the Delta State Government, the World Bank and European Union (EU) is a huge success, according to Frank Apaokwu, the state project coordinator.

Unfortunately, the scheme is about to wind up in the next few weeks in Delta State.

But Apaokwu says that more than 700,000 residents in the three senatorial districts of Delta State benefitted from the community-driven development subcomponents of the project.

“Within the seven years’ operation of the project, no fewer than 9,515 direct employments were created through its labour intensive Small Public Works components of the scheme,” Apaokwu told a news conference in Asaba on Monday, September 14, 2020.

Apaokwu noted that the figure was more than the initial target of 8,736 earlier set by the World Bank.

‘’During the period under review, SEEFOR successfully trained in excess of 14,900 beneficiaries in technical, vocational and agricultural skills as against the initial target of 7,900 set by the World Bank. ‘’The partnership deal had, within the period carried out more than 106 road construction and rehabilitation as well as drainage projects,’’ he said.

He disclosed that more than 160 waste management contracts were implemented through its Public Sector Participants (PSPs) model and that “work is ongoing on the 13 labour intensive small public works road construction and maintenance sites across the state which are expected to be completed this September.”

Apart from the scorecard presented by Apaokwu, the testimonies from the beneficiaries of the various projects executed by the scheme also confirmed the huge success of the seven-year development scheme.

For instance, the students of the technical colleges and vocational centres in Delta State lauded the impact of the SEEFOR

project in the state during the tour of some of the projects by journalists and officials of the scheme.

The students noted that the intervention of the donor agencies did not only transform the technical and vocational colleges, but also created jobs for them.

Okiroro Johnson, a student of Mechanical Department from Ofagbe Technical College, in Isoko North Local government area of the State, noted that the intervention of SEEFOR by providing adequate learning facilities and conducive environment has made learning of various skills at the institution very easy. ‘’The provision of these equipment by SEEFOR has helped to improve my level of assimilation as well as gave me the opportunity to execute jobs outside school hours,’’ he said.

For Okeoghene Goodluck of the same Mechanical Department, “with the intervention of SEEFOR, we have learnt so much within the shortest possible time. ‘’We can now conveniently dismantle cars, change engine oil, brake pads and fuel without any assistance.’’

On his part, Innocent Etugbo, a beneficiary of SEEFOR, who resides in Ofagbe, said he graduated from the same Ofagbe Technical College and that ‘’it is by God’s grace that SEEFOR empowered me with starter packs, which enabled me to set this Welding and fabrication shop.

“I was able to get married through the proceeds from this business and I am also now an employer of labour. And as I speak, I have 15 boys working under me.

I must say I am grateful to God for using SEEFOR to establish me,’’ he said.

Similarly, the Administrator of Ozoro Vocational Centre in Isoko North Local Government Area of the state, Augustine Isawhe, noted that SEEFOR did a lot in the centre, that was established in 2010, but benefitted from the face-lift in 2014 by SEEFOR. ‘’Through SEEFOR intervention, our students’ enrolment rose from about 60 students to 180 students because they made the centre viable.

“SEEFOR projects have not only impacted on the students of this institution, but also impacted

on the lives of the people of this community.

“In 2017, we trained a total number 17 persons from this community and in 2018, we trained 36 of them and most of them have been established in their various businesses,’’ he said.

Asiawhe, while commending the World Bank, EU and the state government for the intervention programme, appealed for more support, especially in the area of access road to enable the institution grow.

The completed project sites visited were science laboratory and examination hall at Unenurhie Secondary School; multi-purpose hall and open market stalls at Oviri-Olomu; multi-purpose hall and renovated staff quarters/ corpers’ lodge at Aragba-Orogun; and renovated multi-purpose hall and borehole at Igbuku.

Okoro of Oviri-Olomu, said their respective communities chose the projects, which were executed with the donor agencies contributing 90 percent of the cost, while the benefiting communities raised the balance 10 percent.

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Sunday Magazine Unbundling EFCC

Is crime-fighting agency losing bite?

Continued from Page 1 of a bill, titled, “Proceeds of Crime Recovery and Management Agency Bill,” to the National Assembly.

He explained that once the bill becomes law and the agency is established, it would see to proper documentation and management of such recovered assets and thereby guarantee transparency and accountability.

Malami said that an agency of this nature had become necessary in a bid to consolidate the gains achieved so far in the government’s war against corruption.

“It is in essence a bill that is targeted and intended to have in place a legal and institutional framework. The legal component of it is having a law and the institutional component of it is to have an agency that will be saddled with the responsibility of managing the assets that constitute the proceeds of crime in Nigeria,” he said.

“What happens before now is the proceeds of crime are scattered all over, and mostly in the hands of different and multiple agencies of government inclusive of the police, the DSS (Department of State Service), EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), and ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission).

“So, with that kind of arrangement which is ad-hoc, there is no agency of government that is saddled with the responsibility of data generation, an agency that can give you off-hand the number of landed assets, number of immovable assets, the amount in cash that are recovered by the federal government by way of interim forfeiture overweigh of a final forfeiture,” he further said.

Agbakoba hails FEC move Welcoming the development, Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Maritime lawyer, said it was a positive development.

In a statement he personally signed, Agbakoba had said “I congratulate the Federal Government and especially the Attorney-General of the Federation on the establishment of the proceeds of crime assets recovery Agency. My reason is simple; the EFCC is saddled with far too many responsibilities beyond its best capabilities.”

According to him, “The EFCC performs three functions albeit related but unnecessary to concentrate in one Agency- Investigations, prosecution, and Assets recovery.The standard recommended and indeed prescribed by the Financial Action Task Force, the international agency mandated with proceeds of crime matters, is that these functions vested in EFCC, must be carried out by distinct agencies for competence efficiency and transparency. I fully support divesting EFCC from managing assets recovered from proceeds of crime and further divestment of their power to prosecute is necessary.”

It is his considered opinion that “This will make the anti-corruption strategy more effective.”

Presidential Committee pick holes, screams foul In an apparent response to the FEC move, the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption (PACAC) Thursday raised the alarm over what it described as a sinister and dangerous attempt at the National Assembly to scrap the EFCC. The presidential committee said a draft Bill intended to repeal the EFCC Establishment Act 2004, is being circulated by enemies of Nigeria, who are presently “too ashamed to put their names to the draft Bill.”

EFCC operative According to a statement signed by PACAC Chairman, Itse Sagay and made available by the Communications Officer, PACAC, Aghogho Agbahor, the Committee said the draft bill seeks; “repeal of the Current EFCC Establishment Act; Scrap the Commission and replacing it with a weak Agency; Replace the Executive Chairman of the EFCC with a Director General who is effectively to be appointed by the Attorney-General.”

It noted that “This eliminates the EFCC’s freedom and autonomy and replaces it with an entity under the complete control of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General.”

It also frowned at “The elimination of the position of the Secretary of the EFCC, a critical officer who serves as the institutional memory and the Administrative Head of the Agency”, the statement further read.

“Under the proposed Act the Annual Report of the EFCC is not to be submitted to the National Assembly until it has been passed through the Attorney-General for onward transmission to the National Assembly; thus making the Attorney-General the reporting officer of the Agency rather than the Chairman or the Director-General, as the new Bill is proposing”, it added.

The Committee alleged that those behind the move are “the representatives of the corrupt establishment that brought this country to its knees and subjected us to humiliation as a result of an extremely negative reputation internationally.”

The PACAC, in an attempt to justify the relevance of the EFCC, argued that the commission has successfully prosecuted about 3000 persons, including high profile political office holders in the last 5 years whilst the whole of the Ministry of Justice has been underperforming during this period.

The Committee also informed that Assets worth about One Trillion Naira have been recovered by the EFCC during the period, while the recovery of Funds looted and taken abroad to different countries also amounting to about one Billion Dollars, has been due largely to the EFCC. “All the evidence used in establishing fraud and corruption against P&ID in the recent London case which led to Nigeria being given the opportunity of challenging the 10 Billion Dollars award made against Nigeria in favour of P&ID was exclusively provided by the EFCC to Nigeria’s London Solicitors.

“This is fulsomely acknowledged by the London Court in its Judgment. With all the above established facts, the gravity of the proposed change becomes overwhelming. When in addition to all this, we recall the well-known proclivity of the Attorney-General for entering nolle procequi in favour of major political and

governmental figures, this move to effectively scrap the EFCC becomes more alarming.

“We therefore, call on the National Assembly and all Nigerians to vigorously reject this attempt to perpetrate fraud on the Nation by effectively scuttling the EFCC and shutting down Nigeria’s anti-corruption war,” the statement read.

EFCC and the journey so far When Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria, founded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003, many Nigerians were happy that the country would soon be free from the deadly grip of corruption, which has threatened the progress and prosperity of Nigeria for decades.

Then, the commission was making commendable efforts in the fight against corruption until some politicians saw it as a tool to fight detractors. There were also interferences by the former president and founder, which made the international community that once hailed the establishment of the commission to start doubting the sincerity of the fight.

Today, and 17 years down the line, Nigeria still ranks very high in global corruption index.

Moreover, the doubt in the competence of the EFCC and in the efficacy of its prosecutions has increased with many calling the commission toothless bulldog because of the little success achieved in the fight so far.

Aside the recoveries of looted funds, the seemingly biggest feat of the commission has been the sentencing to prison of some former governors such as Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State, and Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba State; Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia State, who is now a senator, who regained his freedom after a few months behind bars against the wish the EFCC, and he did not even lose his seat at the Senate while in prison. So, also Peter Odili, former governor of River State, obtained a perpetual injunction, which barred the EFCC from arresting, detaining or arraigning him.

When Olabode George, former PDP chieftain, emerged from prison in 2011 after serving a two-and-a-half year sentence following a landmark EFCC prosecution, he was treated to a rapturous welcome by some members of the Nigerian political elite.

Also, it would be recalled that in January 2013, an assistant director of the Nigerian Pension Commission was charged for stealing 32 billion, but he ended up with a 250,000 fine.

Although the Commission is said to have secured a number of other convictions against corrupt individuals in the country, many Nigerians believe it has more shortfalls than feats, hence the recent agitations to scrap the commission.

Maxwell Onochie, a Lagos-based forensic

lawyer, thinks that the fight against corruption has not been sincerely fought since the establishment of the commission, and especially now considering the increasing cases.

Decrying the situation further, Onochie disclosed that though the anti-graft agency has made significant success in tackling private sector corruption, it has made less progress in tackling public sector corruption, which is key because endemic government corruption in the country has undermined the basic rights of millions of Nigerians.

“In the first place, there is no need for the EFCC if the Police is equipped and strengthened to curb corruption like their folks in the western world.The EFCC has often been used by the politicians against their detractors and the opposition and that has made mockery of the sincerity in the fight against corruption”, Onochie said.

The lawyer observed that corruption still thrives in Nigeria and even more now that the fight against it has been reinforced by the present administration. The ugly development, according to the lawyer, queries the competence of the commission and calls for the need to strengthen it to work efficiently or scrap it if it is irredeemable.

Terwase Hundu, a lawyer and former consultant to the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC) Abuja, decried that many Nigerians were disappointed with the alleged corruption charges leveled against Ibrahim Magu, the former acting chairman of the anti-graft body and some of its staff, noting that it is an anomaly for corruption to reign supreme in the anti-graft chamber.

“Those who called the EFCC toothless bulldog are justified now with the ongoing investigation of Magu and corruption in the commission because there is no justification for recovering looted funds and re-looting them afterwards”, Hundu said.

Martins Okopi, a public affairs analyst, noted that if the Federal Government subjects the proposed scraping of the EFCC to public vote, 80 percent of Nigerians would vote for its scraping because corruption is assuming new and deadlier heights now than in the past administrations.

“It is sad that some people are saying that corruption is fighting back now, but should that be the case in an administration that promised to wipe corruption out of Nigeria. I think the EFCC has not only lost its bite, but also the confidence the helpless masses reposed on its competence and sincerity”, the public analyst lamented.

According to Okopi, what is the need for the EFCC when corruption is increasing, those who looted public funds still walk freely on the streets, and the judiciary impedes the prosecution of some ‘high and mighty’ because of their closeness to the corridors of power or ability to pay their way out?

As well, in its report a few years ago, Human Rights Watch, a United States of America-based group, noted that Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has failed to tackle corrupt politicians effectively.

Then, the group observed that while the EFCC had prosecuted 30 politicians, only four were convicted and none were in prison.While a few are in prison now, prosecution is becoming more difficult now with the many judicial impediments.

Recalling how Nuhu Ribadu, the former chairman of the EFCC was removed in the middle of his term in 2007, Okopi said the removal was two weeks after the body arrested a wealthy former governor who was close to

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Sunday Magazine

Magu

Malami

Sagay

then-President Umaru Yar’Adua.

“Then, it was a clear message that some people are ‘untouchable’ no matter the crime they committed or amount they stole from public purse. That is still happening today like in the case of Orji Kalu, and others who are enjoying favourable court rulings and immunity due to their closeness to Aso Rock”, Okopi said, decrying that selective prosecution amounts to injustice to Nigerians and sabotage of the economy.

Looking at the calls for the scraping of the agency, Onochie explained that they are coming from the ‘powerful and mighty’, especially corrupt politicians, who see the activities of the agency as impediment to their political ambitions.

“The poor masses are supporting the scraping of the EFCC not in alliance with the corrupt politicians, but because the agency has turned blind eyes to the looting of the economy by politicians and public office holders, which has also denied the poor access to social amenities, good roads, quality hospitals and schools”, he disclosed.

In the same vein, Hundu noted that it is the corrupt politicians, public office holders and their private sector collaborators that are calling for the scrapping because of the fear of being witch-hunted when they fall out of favour or far from the corridors of power.

“I earnestly desire that the EFCC will carry out its statutory obligations with all sincerity and impartiality that it requires to save us from the cancerous corruption that keeps draining blood from our lives and the economy. But if corruption is increasing despite the fight, then the agency has to be strengthened or scrapped to save money being wasted in staff remuneration and further mockery of the Nigerian state,” Hundu suggested.

However, most Nigerians think that establishing another anti-graft agency will amount to duplication of same role and will also not impact the fight against corruption because of the constitutional lapses, government interference, judicial impediments and other challenges that have kept others down.

“Even if you create 10 more anti-graft agencies, they will still be answerable to the government of the day, the staff will still be Nigerians and the judiciary will also upturn some of their victories in favour of the moneybags”, Okopi said.

The hunter, now the hunted The EFCC recently came under public searchlight as its now suspended former Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, was arrested and detained over allegations of fraud levelled against him by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice,Abubakar Malami.

Magu has been dragged to the Ayo Salamiled Presidential Panel probing his activities and this has raised suspicion about the propriety of individuals running the agency. The current allegations against Magu has also elicited some calls for the agency to be scrapped with some

arguing that it may have become a cesspool of corruption, as observers are wondering if the agency has not lost the raison d’etre.

While some believe that the commission has been tainted by corruption, such that it cannot be reformed and therefore, needed to be scrapped, others said the EFCC should be kept because it has done a great job of fighting corruption irrespective of manifest encumbrances.

Speaking with BDSUNDAY on Friday,Abujabased legal practitioner, Joy Nkiru Okpalla, noted that the investigation of Magu shows that Nigeria is paying lip service to corruption, stressing that the EFCC has lost its value in the eyes of the public.

“EFCC has lost value in the sight of the common man, because when you talk about corrupt practices, how can somebody who is at the helm of affairs of fighting corruption be involved in all these corruption allegations?

It means he is there working for himself and not for the nation. I don’t think the EFCC has done its work and the essence of keeping it is not there.There should be no need having the EFCC. Let’s go back to the drawing board, if it has to do with going back to the ICPC and other agencies, let’s determine their terms of reference and see how to strengthen their capacity,” Okpalla said.

“There are allegations that the EFCC was established for particular persons and all the recovered funds where are they? The people who have been accused of corrupt practices, what has become of them, how many have been prosecuted? By the time we check it across the board you will realise that the EFCC has achieved less than 1percent of what it was set for. So the EFCC should be scrapped.

“So, it is better we come out straight and determine how we want to move ahead. If we want to eliminate those corrupt practices then we must put up a strategy which will be something we want to work across the board. Nobody should be above threshold,” she further said.

However, the Spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, BDSUNDAY that the call to scrap the commission was not helpful as the Commission has played a remarkable role in sanitising the Nigerian economic and financial space in less than 20 years.

He said:“It will be helpful if we take a mental excursion into the past to look at what was the situation with Nigeria before the EFCC came on board and what is the situation with Nigeria now.

“Before the commission came on board, there was a terrible culture of impunity, a terrible culture of little or no accountability, a terrible culture of brazen economic and financial criminality. But you will agree with me that in less than 20 years, there has been a dramatic improvement in our economic and financial space. There is sanity whether we agree with it or not.The fear of EFCC is still the beginning of wisdom.

“So, it will not be helpful if we scrap the

EFCC because it has a very remarkable role to play in sanitising our economic and financial space and building resistance to all forms of criminality.”

Contributing, Ezenwa Nwagu, chairman, Partners for Electoral Reforms, a civil society organisation, argued that the EFCC is so important and must not be scrapped irrespective of its shortcomings, adding that there is a huge gang against the EFCC because it is effective in fighting some big people who have put their hands in the common till.

He said the EFCC was established to tackle financial crime because of the effectiveness of financial crimes, which made it impossible for the Special Fraud unit of the police to deal with that kind of challenge.

“You must understand that the basis for forming the ICPC and the EFCC was because Nigeria became rated internationally as the headquarters of Advanced Fee Fraud (419) and the police were incapable of dealing with those issues. So, it was a hydra-headed challenge that needed a hydra-headed solution.

“The truth of the matter is that the EFCC has constantly been under attack and the reason is that it has been effective. The impunity that characterised the attitude of people to public funds and resources needs the kind of ruggedness that we have seen from the EFCC and that has elicited a lot of bile, a lot of hatred, a lot of attack,” Nwagu said.

He lamented that those who directly undermine the EFCC are even those who ordinarily should support the work of the EFCC and in this particular case the different Attorneys-General that had since the creation of the EFCC have found the activities of the commission very uncomfortable.

“Whether it’s the time of Michael Aondoaka as Attorney-General to the time of Mohammed Adoke and even to this current AttorneyGeneral, Abubakar Malami, it beats me why they are uncomfortable with an organisation that has become the poster boy of different administrations in terms of its capacity to rein in people who have put their hand in the common till.

“So, for me, I see everything that is happening as a well-organised and orchestrated campaign of calumny against an institution that has actually done and discharged its responsibilities according to the statute that has set it up,” he said.

According to him,“The court has not found Magu guilty of any of those accusations and Magu’s response to all the accusations do not point to the facts that he was culpable. The big issue is that Magu may have been the leader of that institution but he does not personify the institution.

“I do not want to run with the accusations Malami levelled against Magu and remember that Malami himself has been facing accusations; why is he still in office? Do we then dissolve the Ministry of Justice or the Office of the Attorney-General because Malami has been

fingered in corrupt practices?”

Ibuchukwu Ezike, CEO of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), condemned those calling for the EFCC to be scrapped, stressing that the nation cannot throw away the baby with the bath water.

He said:“The fact that people who operate institutions are bad, visionless and lawless, it does not mean that the institutions are bad.

There is a good intention to establish the agencies and it is all over the world and not only in Nigeria. If anybody who says there is no need for the EFCC then, there is no need for Nigeria; there is no need for our system because everything is bad.

“We have failed as a nation and we need to come together to begin to think of how to reestablish, to rebuild the nation. No system is wrong. If you go to the local government there were things they used to do when we were in primary school with little funds. But today they have more funds but nothing is happening. Do we say we should scrap the local government?

So, everything has gone wrong in Nigeria and for anybody to single out one institution I think is not acceptable.

“It is the same people this institution is hunting that are asking that it should be scrapped. If there is anything wrong with the EFCC, it is the president who appoints people there, who does supervisory role over the institutions that should be blamed. If the president, who appoints the people in EFCC is transparent and honest, the handlers of the agency will not be corrupt, will not abuse the process and the rule of law. If the man at the helm of affairs wants the institutions to work well, it will work well.”

Powerful elements after EFCC – Legal practitioners Fagbemi Awamaridi, governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2019, said the problem was not the institution, but the operators.

“Even the presidency and Nigeria itself have become moribund. So, in that light we may say presidency and, in fact, Nigeria should be scrapped,” he said, annoyingly.

Mark Adebayo, an anti-corruption and Human Rights activist, told BDSUNDAY that scrapping the EFCC would be tantamount to cutting off the head because of a headache.

“It’s absolutely unnecessary and counterproductive to the efforts being made to curb corruption in the country no matter how defective it is.

What needs to be done is reorganising the agency in such a way to make it effective, proactive, professional, transparent, unbiased and totally insulated from political influence especially by the presidency.

There is no doubt at all that the agency needs to be reformed urgently. One of the reforms is to ensure that there is security of tenure for the EFCC chairman while the power of hire and fire be constitutionally removed from the president. Since inception, EFCC has been a victim of political control and manipulation as an instrument of political victimisation of the opponent of the Party in power. EFCC is not the problem, political office holders, especially successive presidencies, have been the problem.

“Scrapping the EFCC and handing over its responsibilities to the police as being suggested is the dumbest thing anyone can think of considering the extremely poor perception of the Nigerian Police as among the most corrupt government agencies in the country. Some critics have even suggested that the EFCC became infected with corruption simply because of the preponderance of police officers in the agency.”

According to him,“That’s absolutely a no-go area if we are sincere about fighting corruption in the land. Once the EFCC is removed from the possibility of political influence and its independence is guaranteed with security of tenure for the head, its operations would significantly improve and become satisfactory.

This country needs an anti-corruption agency like the EFCC considering the alarming rate of corruption we suffer here on a daily basis.”

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Politics Nigeria is not ripe for part time legislature - Akande Victor Akande is a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ojo constituency1 and head of the House committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public petition and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission. In this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, he speaks on legislative, judiciary relationship in the state, 2023 presidency, among other issues. Excerpts: You are a member of the House committee on education and alumnus of LASU. What is your take on the recent ranking attained by the state-owned university? t is good development and in the right direction. It shows that over time, LASU has gotten it right and overcome its short coming. There is stability in administration; stability when it comes to academic programme, students’ unrest. There is also financial stability, which was fostered by the law the House of Assembly passed.

Over time, we have to give credit to the VC who has brought his administrative expertise to bear, making sure that the school is stable in academic calendar and engage in qualitative teaching, which also informed their ability to carry out research.

That is what the ranking people would look at. Over the years, you know, before, LASU was not reckoned with, but to have this ranking you have to give them kudos.

Over the years, the VC has been able to remove unscrupulous activities that would affect him, trying to do some programmes that would uplift the school. He has ensured that the institution is accredited in all programmes and they do not entertain anything that would derail him. You can see the students have not had unrest, because the school has been stable, which is good for them. When you see the academic performance of the students outside, you would know that the students have done well; wining laurels which have showcased the school to the outside world.

I

There is the perception that the Lagos Assembly is a rubber stamp of the executive and some individuals in the state. How do you react?

Such people must be suffering from psychological trauma. As you can see, in the whole country, Lagos Assembly ranks first before others. You have to juxtapose this with the quality of work we do. Look at our work when Covid-19 pandemic broke out; we made relevant laws; it is there for all to see. When the media wanted to create disharmony between the House and the executive, we came back to say no; it is our work we are doing; we never for once acted against the state interest.

I don’t know what you mean by rubber stamp; it is our duty we are doing. It is our duty to oversight for the people and make sure dividends of democracy are felt by the people. Our job is check and balances as we make laws. When we make law, we have to make sure it is followed. When we appropriate we have to make sure it is done the way we passed it.

I don’t see how rubber stamp comes in; do you want us to be fighting our executive when we have the same objectives- to make the state progress?

We have to work together and fulfil the aim of developing the state, as put forward by the party for four years. We must not be seen to be fighting the governor who is from the same party with us, even if he was not from the same party. We have to form alliance and work together, so that

Victor Akande

cordial relationship can exist to take the state forward.

What has your committee been doing of late?

The committee is working at taking the judiciary in the state to the desired level.

We have been doing the needful; we look at the budget and look at the law that should be passed. We make laws and ask for input from stakeholders. The recent computerisation of the court process is heightening delivery of justice in the state.

The committee has made sure that the process is looked into and it would pass through some people and judges.

What is your take on agitations that Nigeria should adopt part time legislature, considering the huge cost of maintaining lawmakers in the country?

Are we ripe to that level? Have you gone to part time school before? When you attend part time school, what are your strengths and shortcomings? We have not got it right and you are talking of part time, when we start now, how is it going to look like? How many years did it take America, Great Britain to get to the level they are now.

We are just developing; if it takes those years for many to get there we have to wait. But I am optimistic that we would get there very soon, we have to be patient.

What is your take on the killings, insecurity in Nigeria; has Buhari done enough?

The government has tried its best; we should commend them. You can see the difference between five years and now.

Each administration would come with its own peculiar problem. The North has a problem that has been there before

Jonathan, Boko Haram has been reduced to some level. Banditry would come when there is no place for the Fulani herdsmen to move their cattle for rearing. You know they are always on the move; they just want their cow to eat. But I think we have to proffer solutions to the problems. When a research was made it was discovered that the rich people are the ones giving them the cattle to keep and are also buying weapons for them to secure themselves and the cow.

What is your take on rotational presidency?

If that would make us have peace, yes; if that would make us stay together yes, so that every region would have a sense of belonging. For me, if that is what the people that sat down at the constitutional conference and we want to enjoy peace, we want everybody to be represented. If that is the only way development would go round the country and for every region to be given a chance to rule.

Tinubu has consistently denied that he is not interested in the presidency in 2023.

He may deny it, but we have looked right and left and said let this man go. He has built leaders, he really build leaders. Tell me one person from the South that enjoys support and popularity that he enjoys?

You think he would win the APC ticket, with opposition by some people in the North?

Everybody would fall in line when the time comes, even Governor El-Rufai, when the time comes, would be at the forefront of campaigning for Asiwaju Tinubu in the North. Definitely there is no rival.

Why Obasanjo’s failed third term haunts him, hurts ...

Continued from back page irredeemably aground, the government rates its performance as sterling. We have been at these for over five years. The excuses have run thin.

Garba Shehu, Buhari’s media adviser, was unsparing on burnishing of the administration. “It is a pro-business administration that has used diplomacy to unlock bilateral trade and investment. He (Buhari) leads a government that has liberalised the investment climate and market access by achieving reforms that have placed the country in the list of the world’s top reforming economies. Nigeria, which other nations had mocked and ridiculed for so many things that were wrong is today progressing at a pace reflecting its size and potential,” Shehu’s official statement read.

“With so much to show and many more coming, it is little surprise that President Buhari would be the object of envy and harsh unfair challenges by politicians who failed to deliver, but continue to nurse ambitions of delighting the audience long after their curtain has been drawn,” Shehu concluded in obvious reference to Obasanjo.

How these, and the unforgettable 46 percent completion of the 2nd Niger Bridge, address the fragile state of Nigeria have been swept away by the polarisation of pressing issues like insecurity, food shortages, increasing poverty, and the vacuous meanings of the rule of law.

Critics are not the issue Buhari is doubtlessly operating in more challenging circumstances than his predecessors. Flowery paintings of situations would not deceive anyone. His closest aides and associates are more interested in the 2023 succession plan than how the country runs. They are more distractions than his critics.

Obasanjo has been consistently short of apologising to Nigerians for being among the leaders of movements that paved the way for Buhari in 2015. His criticisms could help Buhari re-evaluate his ineffectual strategies for attaining heights he proposed for Nigeria in 2015 and again in 2019.

The President should shun sentiments like the ones in the official statement of the All Progressives Congress (APC), signed

by Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena. “Instead of the ‘do or die’ lingo Obasanjo and the PDP introduced to our electioneering, votes are beginning to count as our elections improve steadily. The brazen culture of impunity and corruption which they institutionalised is being replaced by strong and accountable systems,” Nabena stated.

“Our defence capacity to respond and contain emerging security challenges is now tested and proven. How did Nigeria achieve this? A strong, people-centred and focused leadership which the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration provides.” Is Nabena discussing another country? He needs to be woken from 2015 dreams!

Buhari can do better in his remaining days in office by keeping away from suggestions that he has done well – he has not, and he should know it.

If his doubt persists, he should ask ordinary folks back in Katsina State if they were safer, healthier, more assured of a future, today, than they were in 2015.

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BDSUNDAY 15

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

Leading a good life amidst the pandemic

T

he ‘good life’ could mean different things for different people.

For Adeola, a salary increase at the beginning of the year was the definition of a good life. By January 2020, 18 months after joining the travel agency she works for, Adeola’s salary was increased by 50%. When the increment hit her account at the end of the month, Adeola couldn’t be happier, the good life couldn’t be better. This continued till April when the pandemic hit Nigeria fully and the Federal Government had to shut down the city, economic activities and travels.

The ban on travels meant little or no business for travel agencies, including Adeola’s. By end of April, her salary was slashed by 63%.

With a small family of three, the new salary cut threatened the family’s acquired standards and continued survival. To survive, she had to think of something very fast!

After much research and consultations, she decided to venture into foodstuffs delivery. With just her phone and her contacts across work, school, relatives and friends, she was able to generate orders for raw foodstuffs for delivery. She was able to get store owners with whom she bargained consignment. With the consignment arrangement, she would take the products without payment and pay back after delivery. Quickly, the business picked up, but with growth came a new challenge, she needed more money to accommodate more orders. And she naturally looked forward to May salary to solve that. However, five days to the last day of May, she received a mail from her boss - there would be no May salary, or any other, till business picked up!

All she needed was a fresh injection of another 50,000.00 into her business to keep it going. She had negotiated as many consignment deals as she could get. All her loan requests fell through. She had to ploy back every extra money into the business, while being selective with the orders she was taking. It was a big struggle and it took a bad

toll on the business growth.

If Adeola had received that N50,000.00 she could have injected it into her business, taken more orders and made more profit.

For her, N50,000.00 would have made a difference for her business and her family. N50,000.00 would have given her and her family the good life.

There are several others like Adeola out there who need just as little as N50,000.00, or even less, to grow, or start, a business.

Some need just airtime to share the word that they are open for business. Yes, there are those who need hundreds of thousands and even millions to take off. Whether a few thousands or hundreds of thousands, many businesses and families across Nigeria could do with some funds to alleviate the hardship induced by the pandemic.

Against this realisation, Verve has introduced the Verve GoodLife Consumer Promo to alleviate the hardship on its cardholders and Nigerians in general. Beyond providing convenient, reliable and secure payment solutions for its cardholders, the promo seeks to bring succor to Nigerians and Verve cardholders in particular.

The good life could be getting that perfect dress for the little girl on her birthday. The good life could be getting the extra funds to scale up your business; the good life could mean getting the money to settle that pending bill. Whatever the good life means to you, the Verve GoodLife promo brings

it closer home.

Breaking down the mechanics of the Verve GoodLife Consumer Promo, Mike Ogbalu III, Divisional CEO Verve International, reiterated that the Verve GoodLife Promo is the latest initiative, among recent interventions, conceptualized by Verve to reward its cardholders’ loyalty. He explained that the promo is divided into four categories as follows: Weekly Prize category 1 – 100 winners to win N10,000 cash every week for 12 weeks Weekly Prize category 2 - 100 winners to win N5,000 airtime every week for 12 weeks Monthly Prize category - 50 winners to win N50,000 cash every month during the 3 months of the promo Grand Prize category - 2 winners to win N1,000,000 cash each at the end of the 3 months period of the promo To qualify for the weekly categories, new and existing cardholders will have to transact with their Verve cards for as many as three times in a week. For the monthly wins, cardholders will have to use their cards 12 times to do any of these: transfer funds, pay bills, recharge airtime, withdraw cash, checkout at stores etc. For the Grand prize of N1 million, cardholders will have to use their cards 36 times for the next 12 weeks across PoS terminals, ATMs, Web and agent banking centres.

Considering the COVID-19 prevention protocols, analysts cannot but agree that the Verve

GoodLife promo couldn’t have come at a better time. These are times when we are trying to avoid crowded places. These are times when we are going contactless: reducing contact with persons, surfaces and objects. These are times when most things are better done electronically whether business operations, socializing or payments.

Research has shown that consumers’ payment behavior is changing as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. According to the report, nearly 50% of global shoppers were using digital payments more than before the pandemic, and the majority plans to continue doing so after the virus is contained. With Verve’s bouquet of products, Nigerians are spoilt for choice.

Verve offers an array of products, including the Verve Classic card, which ensures secure payment in 22 Africa countries. The Verve Global card empowers its holders to make seamless payments in over 185 countries including the US, UK, UAE and South Africa, across 20 million platforms, wherever the Discover, Diners Club International, Pulse and Verve logos are displayed.

There are contactless products that include the Verve virtual cards used for online transactions. The Verve Paycode is a 14-digit code generated using bank’s Paycode USSD code to make payments across PoS, at Paypoint agents and ATMs. There is the Verve eCash with which cardholders can make payment online. The Verve eWallet creates flexibility for Verve cardholders to manage all their cards from a single platform.

According to analysts, with all these products and a mouthwatering promo as this, the good life couldn’t be more real. With a Verve card in your hands you have the chance of making your dream of a good life a reality, all you have to do is use the card frequently for the next 12 weeks and you could be living your good life, even amidst this pandemic.

And if you don’t have a Verve card already, this is the time to ask for one. The good life beckons!

Co-creators of ‘Nigeria at 60 logo’ refute plagiarism reports

T

heNigerianagencies-Chain Reactions Nigeria, TBWA Africa and The Temple Management Company that jointly created the Nigeria @ 60 logo have refuted rumors making the rounds that the logo, which has been appreciated and loved by both highly placed government officials and industry practitioners was plagiarised.

The rebuttal came on the back of the rumors ring through the social media that the logo was lifted from a Russian Diamond company.

According to a joint statement, the co-creators said, “The attention of Chain Reactions Nigeria , The Temple Management and

TBWA Africa has been drawn to an unfortunate conversation in some sections of the online media regarding the recently unveiled logo for the Nigerian Diamond Jubilee Celebration (Nigeria at 60)

by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Few hours after the unveiling of the Nigeria at 60th anniversary logo, myriads of reviews poured in from different stakeholders across the country as expected. As envisaged, the views expressed are symbolic of our diversity as a nation. In fact, it captures what we are celebrating.

The theme of the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary, TOGETHER, is all about how we have stayed together as a people despite our diversity.

Th e s t a t e m e n t f u r t h e r said, “This isn’t surprising as major brands and government initiatives have undergone barrage of condemnations and commendations in times past. Are we surprised? No,” Israel Opayemi, chief executive officer of Chain Reactions Nigeria stated Opayemi reiterated that it is commendable that the Nigerian government has done the right thing by engaging the services of Nigerian professionals to develop the thematic direction, campaign strategy and the logo for the Diamond Jubilee celebration pro bono. “In the past, you would have heard that the Nigerian government

engaged the services of some foreign agencies for some nervecracking and ridiculous sum of money.” Opayemi emphasised.

On the plagiarism, the statement read, “The primary allegation of plagiarism on the unveiled logo deserves a quick dissection. To Plagiarise, according to Oxford Language Dictionary, is to take someone else’s work or ideas and pass them off as one’s own.”

Interestingly, the emptiness of this narrative lies in the fact that peddlers perhaps do not understand the meaning or they feigned ignorance so as to drive their usual hatred for the Nigerian government.

Why production of BBN 2020 cost MultiChoice N3.5bn Daniel Obi

T

he Managing Director of MultiChoice, John Ugbe, recently revealed that the cost of production of this year’s Big Brother Naija was N3.5 billion. Ugbe revealed this during the MultiChoice Showcase 2020 which held virtually via Zoom.

The high cost of production, according to a source was associated with construction of the house, cameras, and refurbishments of other equipment, logistics and marketing.

According to sources, the N3.5 billion figure does not include the

grand prize of N85 million.

The Big Brother Naija show which generates heightened interest among African young viewers is a reality show where 20 contestants (10 men and 10 women respectively) live together in an undisclosed place, under 24-hour surveillance for three months. Every week, housemates with the lowest votes from viewers are evicted. This year’s edition will come to an end next Sunday.

The MultiChoice Media Showcase was organized to further amplify the company’s promise to continue telling stories that resonate with their viewers, while unveiling some of their new offerings as well as plans for the year.

John Ugbe said: “Putting our valued customers in the forefront has always been our goal at MultiChoice Nigeria. We have continued to invest in the Nigerian economy by creating quality and entertaining content for Africa by Africans, and the Media Showcase provides an opportunity to celebrate these investments.”

During the Media Showcase, updates were provided on new programming such as two new Africa Magic shows ‘Enakhe’ and Riona ‘Fighting Fate’, as well as a new reality show, ‘Shoot Your Shot’.

“We’ve been at the forefront of creating and exporting Nigeria’s entertainment, providing a platform for the country’s talent to be showcased across the continent.

16 BDSUNDAY

Sunday 20 September 2020 www.businessday.ng

www.facebook.com/businessdayng

@businessDayNG

@Businessdayng

Sunday 20 September 2020

Chidi Koldsweat, working with social impact leaders to break the cycle of poverty from different parts of Nigeria to share, learn, and link, forging new partnerships and collaborations.

The Donors for Africa digital Social Innovators Bootcamp is an annual leadership accelerator program targeted at equipping and developing third sector leaders’ technical expertise in Africa. Our focus is on this overlooked group that is solving some of the world’s biggest challenges in Africa with minimal resources and capacity.

My points...

MY POINTS...

EXACTLY! Exactly!

Here today, gone tomorrow…what

The Impact The impact of this program has been unr ivaled. Dur ing the 3-month intensive and immersive learning, selected participants received training and support from local and international sector experts, peers, and leading development pioneers. Thirty finalists emerged who pitched their projects for the grand prize, and we recorded outstanding results. The winner of the pitch competition - Aisha Dirisu, founder Peniel Foundation, designed the first digital career platform for person’s living with disabilities, where she connects them to jobs and internship opportunities across Africa. Bukola Bamiduro, founder, Karis & Eleos Foundation who received over $300,000 from the CocaCola Foundation during the program - ‘’I came in as a novice and won a grant before the 12 weeks was over’’.

will you be remembered for?

KEMI AJUMOBI

T

his life is truly fickle.

You are here today and gone tomorrow. Losing someone dear is one of the most difficult things to bear. While watching a young man eulogizing his mother at her burial in his native language, I could connect with his emotions. It was deep and heart brooding.

I said I could connect because I have lost my mum too. Oh by the way, please, when you are trying to console someone who has lost someone dear, their mum for instance, please do not say “I understand how you feel” if you have not lost your mother, because the honest reality is that you do not know what the person is going through since you haven’t lost same. Words like “God will give you the fortitude to bear this great loss” “Praying for you” “I am so sorry about the exit of your mum” “God will be with you and yours” (you can add yours) and so on, are appropriate words that will suffice.

Back to what I was saying, as I stared at the young man, my heart went out to him. I do not understand his mother-tongue but I could connect.

His demeanor, his movements, his teary eyes…line after line, he read out what he had written and when the camera turned to those in the church, the expression on their faces told the story of the woman who had passed on, and you did not even

Kemi Ajumobi Associate Editor, BusinessDay kemi@businessdayonline.com TEAM: Desmond Okon Osaromena Ogbeide Designed by Aderemi Ayeni

need to meet the woman to know who and what she represented and how she obviously had impacted lives. Their expressions told the tale.

Looking at the faces of the guests said it all. When it was time for others to say a few words about the diseased, everyone had something positive to say. The impact she had made in the lives of many, even strangers. Her compassionate heart and tireless desire to be a helping hand.

Watching from my phone, I kept saying to myself “What a life… what a life…What a woman…what a blessing!

She epitomizes all it means when people say someone ‘died empty’.

She surely did, because she emptied her all and gave of herself and all she had to bless humanity.

She certainly lived her life fully and died at the age of 80. Once again, the question “How have you impacted humanity?” always comes to mind and I am asking you that same question. When all is said and done, when it is time to bid this world goodbye after your journey on planet earth is done completely, what will you be remembered for?

What are you doing now to impact the world positively?

The skills, the talents, the potentials, what have you done with it? How long are you going to give those excuses for not starting what you are equipped to start? Trust me, there will never be a perfect time to start.

The longer you wait for the perfect time, the more you procrastinate the birth of something great you have since been inspired to do.

This is a message for you and I. Time waits for no one. Do what you can when you can because a time comes when there will be no time.

Live purposely, you are here today, gone tomorrow…what will you be remembered for?

What Next? What is the future of the Social Innovators Bootcamp 2021?

KEMI AJUMOBI

C

hidi Koldsweat is the Founder, Lead Strategist, Donors for Africa Foundation (a grant management organisation) working actively with G overnments, Funding Institutions, the Private Sector, Philanthropy Organisations, NGOs and Social Impact Leaders to break cycles of poverty.

This is achieved by strengthening the capacity of African social innovators, nonprofits, impact led businesses and social enterprises to access funds, achieve their vision towards the SDG’s and build sustainable organisations.

In this role, she has trained over 500+ nonprofits, raised over $750,000 in funding, reaches over 22,000 unique accounts weekly on her learning platform where she provides knowledge to her nonprofit community.

Donors for Africa Foundation Donors for Africa Foundation is a

grant management organisation working actively with governments, NGOs, social impact leaders, t h e p r i v a t e / p u b l i c s e c t o r, philanthropy organisations, and investors to break poverty cycles.

Our vision is to provide long-lasting systematic solutions to the global development challenges facing Africa. Every week, we reach over 22,000 unique global development accounts, providing them with learning trending industry news, grant opportunities, and useful information to improve their competence to scale up their impact ‘glocally’ Digital Social Innovators Bootcamp in Africa The digital Social Innovators is the first of its kind. In other programs, distance has been a barrier, age, and sometimes several years in operation. We saw these limitations and decided to change the narrative with a digital program. We utilised the power of the internet and several innovative platforms to connect participants

In (2020-2021), we are scaling up to other parts of Africa, and we are incredibly excited. Our vision is to expand to all countries in Africa, finding and reaching more visionary African leaders who are transforming their communities with passion. Distance is not a barrier, and we will get as many people as possible.

We will coach, guide, and support these leaders, enabling them to accelerate their impact and collaborate with development advocates in other parts of Africa.

We increase their visibility through our platforms so that together, we can secure the future we all want for Africa. We are grateful to our sponsors such as BusinessDay, Sterling Bank, MARITEAM, The Nest Hub, and several stakeholders, partners and this year; we hope to partner with more indigenous organisations to scale up our impact. We say thank you to our sponsors, facilitators, partners, and everyone who contributed to making our first cohort an immense success.

Sunday 20 September 2020 Sunday 20 September 2020

www.businessday.ng

www.facebook.com/businessdayng

@businessDayNG

@Businessdayng

BDSUNDAY 17

Piillz&&POIZN Poizn Atelier PIILLZ ATELIER The brand is couture deluxe, with bespoke and ready to wear gorgeous outfits for the woman of style!

Still at Travelstart, Bukky soars higher

B

ukky Akomolafe was recently made the Country Manager of Travelstart, Africa’s largest online travel agency. Prior to joining Travelstart, she was the Head of Marketing for Rhythm Unplugged, a Flytime produced popular Nigerian concert with headline sponsor Pepsi. Here, she created online & offline marketing campaigns for the 2015 concert featuring Trey Songz and the 2016 concert featuring Nigeria’s best performing artist. She was also responsible for sponsor client relationship management, press relations and branding.

In her position as former Commercial Manager, she led the marketing team and her responsibilities included online and offline marketing, affiliates, sales and business development with strategic partners, and she worked with the airlines to further promote their brand.

Bukky has over eight years of experience in marketing. Her training began when she moved to the United States in 2005 to attend the George Washington University in DC. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Business Administration, concentration in Marketing and Finance.

She then moved to New York to join Ogilvy & Mather, one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world, as an Associate in their prestigious Associates Training Program. There, she helped to launch a $2million growth, strategy and innovation consulting business by converting new business pitches into client assignments.

Her client roster included BP, UBS, Blackrock, Catholic Charities and more. She later attended the Yale School of Management for her MBA where she graduated in 2014.

Bukky joined Travelstart because of the company’s aim to make travel simple for customers and help to fix the travel challenges in Africa.

16 BDSUNDAY

Sunday 20 September 2020 www.businessday.ng

www.facebook.com/businessdayng

@businessDayNG

@Businessdayng

Sunday 20 September 2020

Sunday 20 September 2020 Sunday 20 September 2020

www.businessday.ng

www.facebook.com/businessdayng

@businessDayNG

@Businessdayng

BDSUNDAY 17

Piillz&&POIZN Poizn Atelier PIILLZ ATELIER Chidi Koldsweat, working with social impact leaders to break the cycle of poverty from different parts of Nigeria to share, learn, and link, forging new partnerships and collaborations.

The Donors for Africa digital Social Innovators Bootcamp is an annual leadership accelerator program targeted at equipping and developing third sector leaders’ technical expertise in Africa. Our focus is on this overlooked group that is solving some of the world’s biggest challenges in Africa with minimal resources and capacity.

My points...

MY POINTS...

EXACTLY! Exactly!

Here today, gone tomorrow…what

The Impact The impact of this program has been unr ivaled. Dur ing the 3-month intensive and immersive learning, selected participants received training and support from local and international sector experts, peers, and leading development pioneers. Thirty finalists emerged who pitched their projects for the grand prize, and we recorded outstanding results. The winner of the pitch competition - Aisha Dirisu, founder Peniel Foundation, designed the first digital career platform for person’s living with disabilities, where she connects them to jobs and internship opportunities across Africa. Bukola Bamiduro, founder, Karis & Eleos Foundation who received over $300,000 from the CocaCola Foundation during the program - ‘’I came in as a novice and won a grant before the 12 weeks was over’’.

will you be remembered for?

KEMI AJUMOBI

T

his life is truly fickle.

You are here today and gone tomorrow. Losing someone dear is one of the most difficult things to bear. While watching a young man eulogizing his mother at her burial in his native language, I could connect with his emotions. It was deep and heart brooding.

I said I could connect because I have lost my mum too. Oh by the way, please, when you are trying to console someone who has lost someone dear, their mum for instance, please do not say “I understand how you feel” if you have not lost your mother, because the honest reality is that you do not know what the person is going through since you haven’t lost same. Words like “God will give you the fortitude to bear this great loss” “Praying for you” “I am so sorry about the exit of your mum” “God will be with you and yours” (you can add yours) and so on, are appropriate words that will suffice.

Back to what I was saying, as I stared at the young man, my heart went out to him. I do not understand his mother-tongue but I could connect.

His demeanor, his movements, his teary eyes…line after line, he read out what he had written and when the camera turned to those in the church, the expression on their faces told the story of the woman who had passed on, and you did not even

Kemi Ajumobi Associate Editor, BusinessDay kemi@businessdayonline.com TEAM: Desmond Okon Osaromena Ogbeide Designed by Aderemi Ayeni

need to meet the woman to know who and what she represented and how she obviously had impacted lives. Their expressions told the tale.

Looking at the faces of the guests said it all. When it was time for others to say a few words about the diseased, everyone had something positive to say. The impact she had made in the lives of many, even strangers. Her compassionate heart and tireless desire to be a helping hand.

Watching from my phone, I kept saying to myself “What a life… what a life…What a woman…what a blessing!

She epitomizes all it means when people say someone ‘died empty’.

She surely did, because she emptied her all and gave of herself and all she had to bless humanity.

She certainly lived her life fully and died at the age of 80. Once again, the question “How have you impacted humanity?” always comes to mind and I am asking you that same question. When all is said and done, when it is time to bid this world goodbye after your journey on planet earth is done completely, what will you be remembered for?

What are you doing now to impact the world positively?

The skills, the talents, the potentials, what have you done with it? How long are you going to give those excuses for not starting what you are equipped to start? Trust me, there will never be a perfect time to start.

The longer you wait for the perfect time, the more you procrastinate the birth of something great you have since been inspired to do.

This is a message for you and I. Time waits for no one. Do what you can when you can because a time comes when there will be no time.

Live purposely, you are here today, gone tomorrow…what will you be remembered for?

The brand is couture deluxe, with bespoke and ready to wear gorgeous outfits for the woman of style!

What Next? What is the future of the Social Innovators Bootcamp 2021?

KEMI AJUMOBI

C

hidi Koldsweat is the Founder, Lead Strategist, Donors for Africa Foundation (a grant management organisation) working actively with G overnments, Funding Institutions, the Private Sector, Philanthropy Organisations, NGOs and Social Impact Leaders to break cycles of poverty.

This is achieved by strengthening the capacity of African social innovators, nonprofits, impact led businesses and social enterprises to access funds, achieve their vision towards the SDG’s and build sustainable organisations.

In this role, she has trained over 500+ nonprofits, raised over $750,000 in funding, reaches over 22,000 unique accounts weekly on her learning platform where she provides knowledge to her nonprofit community.

Donors for Africa Foundation Donors for Africa Foundation is a

grant management organisation working actively with governments, NGOs, social impact leaders, t h e p r i v a t e / p u b l i c s e c t o r, philanthropy organisations, and investors to break poverty cycles.

Our vision is to provide long-lasting systematic solutions to the global development challenges facing Africa. Every week, we reach over 22,000 unique global development accounts, providing them with learning trending industry news, grant opportunities, and useful information to improve their competence to scale up their impact ‘glocally’ Digital Social Innovators Bootcamp in Africa The digital Social Innovators is the first of its kind. In other programs, distance has been a barrier, age, and sometimes several years in operation. We saw these limitations and decided to change the narrative with a digital program. We utilised the power of the internet and several innovative platforms to connect participants

In (2020-2021), we are scaling up to other parts of Africa, and we are incredibly excited. Our vision is to expand to all countries in Africa, finding and reaching more visionary African leaders who are transforming their communities with passion. Distance is not a barrier, and we will get as many people as possible.

We will coach, guide, and support these leaders, enabling them to accelerate their impact and collaborate with development advocates in other parts of Africa.

We increase their visibility through our platforms so that together, we can secure the future we all want for Africa. We are grateful to our sponsors such as BusinessDay, Sterling Bank, MARITEAM, The Nest Hub, and several stakeholders, partners and this year; we hope to partner with more indigenous organisations to scale up our impact. We say thank you to our sponsors, facilitators, partners, and everyone who contributed to making our first cohort an immense success.

Still at Travelstart, Bukky soars higher

B

ukky Akomolafe was recently made the Country Manager of Travelstart, Africa’s largest online travel agency. Prior to joining Travelstart, she was the Head of Marketing for Rhythm Unplugged, a Flytime produced popular Nigerian concert with headline sponsor Pepsi. Here, she created online & offline marketing campaigns for the 2015 concert featuring Trey Songz and the 2016 concert featuring Nigeria’s best performing artist. She was also responsible for sponsor client relationship management, press relations and branding.

In her position as former Commercial Manager, she led the marketing team and her responsibilities included online and offline marketing, affiliates, sales and business development with strategic partners, and she worked with the airlines to further promote their brand.

Bukky has over eight years of experience in marketing. Her training began when she moved to the United States in 2005 to attend the George Washington University in DC. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Business Administration, concentration in Marketing and Finance.

She then moved to New York to join Ogilvy & Mather, one of the largest marketing communications companies in the world, as an Associate in their prestigious Associates Training Program. There, she helped to launch a $2million growth, strategy and innovation consulting business by converting new business pitches into client assignments.

Her client roster included BP, UBS, Blackrock, Catholic Charities and more. She later attended the Yale School of Management for her MBA where she graduated in 2014.

Bukky joined Travelstart because of the company’s aim to make travel simple for customers and help to fix the travel challenges in Africa.

18 BDSUNDAY

www.businessday.ng

www.facebook.com/businessdayng

@businessDayNG

@Businessdayng

Sunday20 September 2020

TheWorshipper Why I support calls for restructuring, by Primate Udofia Emmanuel Udofia, primate of the African Church, speaks with SEYI JOHN SALAU on the call for resource control and urges government to go back to the drawing board on subsidy removal. Excerpts: It is the belief of many Nigerians that the country is more divided now than ever; do you share that sentiment? irst and foremost I want to say emphatically, that leadership matters a lot in any organisation, family; leadership matters anywhere at all. And if anything happens anywhere, leadership must be held responsible. So, for me I want to say that the leadership of this country should go back to the drawing board and see where they have gone wrong, and see what they can do in order to remedy the situation. Because God has blessed this nation to the extent that if not for leaders there would not have been any division at all. Maybe, for our leadership style or thereabouts; I think our leadership should go back to the drawing board, see where they have gone wrong and start from there - so God will restore the nation again.

Is there a role for the church to play in bringing the political leadership in the country back on track?

Yes; the church has been playing her role and at the same time the church must be ready to play her own role. Because the church that must play a role must also lead by example because wherever there is no love, no justice; wherever people can just wake up to do or say whatever they want without any recourse to justice, there is bound to be crisis.

Let’s look at the African Church and the leadership crisis. How far have you gone with the resolution?

As I said before if the church must offer any advice to government or play any role in leadership,

F

the church must lead by example.

What is happening in our church, by the grace of God I believe everything is in God’s hand. So, we are still trusting God to help us to know the truth. The bible says we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free and not until we know the truth and accept the truth; there is no how we can get the freedom. So, I believe by the grace of God, God is leading us and we will continue to lead us and help us to know the truth, and also to do justice because we are worshiping a just God. So, I believe by the grace of God when we meet and see how we can tell each other the truth and accept it - it is a family problem anyways; so, I believe one day God will help us by his grace.

Has both parties considered out of court settlement?

Yes, that is the first thing we will do anytime we meet by the grace of God...

And when are you likely to meet?

By the grace of God we have been called and I believe that when we see the sincerity because it is one thing to meet, it’s another thing to get the desired results at the meeting. By the grace of God anytime we see sincerity in our gathering - we cannot fix a date but I know it can be any day or any time.

The new Water Resource Bill has given more voice to those calling for resource control and restructuring: Where do you stand on this?

I stand with those who are asking for restructuring because the more we have the power vested at the centre, the more we will continue to have problems. For instance, using most of the federal parastatals as

Emmanuel Udofia

example; there is no way someone will stay in Abuja and know what is happening in all the states. And if you send somebody to come monitor or do a particular thing in the states, the way he will do it will not be as if that person were to be from that state. People who own the state are supposed to know what to do at any given time and if a person goes from the Federal Government to particular state to go and do something, he has his own mindset and might not go there to execute whatever he has been asked to do in a way he should

Catholic Church shuts down parish in Makurdi over desecration

F

ollowing the desecration of the Holy Eucharist and the looting of sacred vessels at St. Peter’s Parish, Low-Level, in Makurdi, the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, The Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, has suspended all pastoral activities.

The diocesan deputy director, communication, Rev. Fr. James Utav, said the Parish would henceforth be closed from the celebration of Holy Mass and all other activities in line with Canon 1211.

According to Utav, the suspension of pastoral activities followed two sacrilegious attacks on the Parish on 12 August and 13 September by yet-to-be-identified persons.

“The decree sanctioning the suspension states that the Parish will be closed from the celebration of the Holy Mass and all other pastoral activities in line with Canon 1211 with

effect from 15 September 2020 until further notice,” Utav said.

It was disclosed that the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the main Church building was broken into,

Rev. Wilfred Anagbe

during the attacks. “The sacred species of the Most Holy Eucharist was desecrated and sacred vessels looted, thereby defiling the Church.

“The closure is to enable us to adequately prepare for penance required by law in order to repair the injury this profanation has done to the sacred body of Christ,” he said.

Accordingly, pastoral activities shall resume only after a proportional satisfaction is made with regards to the sacrilege and are fully guaranteed a better security outfit and structure for the parish in accordance with canonical requirements.

“When that is done, the entire worshiping community of this Parish, among other things, must perform a novena of reparation to be concluded with a rite of atonement in line with diocesan liturgical norms,” he explained.

do it. So, I believe that everybody should go back to restructuring and see how we can reduce the power at the federal. I am not saying there will not be a Federal Government, but let the states also be vested with some powers so they can begin to do things meaningfully.

Before any state can do anything now, they have to get clearance from the Federal Government and whenever the Federal Government decides not to do a particular thing, that’s the end.

But states are also not allowing the local government to function?

That is what I am trying to say because if power is evenly shared, there is no way it will not get to the local governments. If anybody tells you in this country that the 774 local government created by the constitution are working, I think that person must be lying because everybody should go his/ her respective local government headquarters and see what and what is happening there. You will see that the primary purpose for which that institution was created, let me not say it’s defeated, but has been slowed down.

Can there be any right time for removal of fuel subsidy in Nigeria?

That is why I said the Federal Government should go back to the drawing board and see where they have gone wrong. In Nigeria today, there is nobody that was not affected by the Covid-19; institutions were locked down, even up till now churches, mosques are still on lockdown. There was no movement, no business activities - we are in September now, when did they ease the lockdown? And again they knew what every citizen of this country was passing through and instead of looking at how to manage the situation till December: I don’t think that would be too much from a father to the children. Now, for them to increase the fuel prices and electricity tariff, I don’t think its proper for now. Nigerians are just trying to recover from the effect of the pandemic and then we have to face this situation. Look at the fuel hike; everything has increased, what about those who are not government workers? What about those not doing one business or the other, how would they survive? So, I don’t think it is a proper thing for them to do now.

NEWS JCI Eko trains 100 youths on social enterprise masterclass SEYI JOHN SALAU

I

n a bid to provide sustainable solutions to some of the social, economic and environmental challenges in Lagos State, the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Eko has launched Social Enterprises Masterclass (SEM) targeted at training 100 youth across the state.

JCI said that SEM was a fully funded training opportunity aimed at building and empowering the youth who would become the catalysts for sustainable change and solution to social problems within the state.

David Tobi, the 2020 SEM team lead, said social enterprise was the application of commercial strategies to maximise improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being with the sole aim of promoting, encouraging, and making

social change.

Tobi stated that the SEM was an initiative of JCI Eko, aimed at raising young social entrepreneurs who would not be dependent on government, but take action in making the society a saner place of abode.

Ibraheem Tiamiyu, the JCI Eko 2020 president, said social enterprises exist in nearly every sector from consumer goods to healthcare, community, energy and creative agencies.

Tiamiyu further said that the goal of the year’s SEM was to help young entrepreneurs design their business operations for both social impact and survival of the organisation.

The training he said would focus on business and capacity development on social entrepreneurs, perfecting social enterprising ideas, profit maximisation, brand appreciation and fund raising, among others.

Sunday 20 September 2020

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BDSUNDAY 19

Health&Science Is Nigeria winning war against Covid-19 misinformation?

ANTHONIA OBOKOH

E

ven as the Federal Government has not relapsed completely the coronavirus lockdown, Nigerians doubt the government’s sincerity in the pandemic fight and issues around it. The mistrust is fueled by misinformation, which seems the order of the day.

While fighting against COVID-19 misinformation, a key factor of managing any crisis is effective communication, which can be difficult during an infodemic.

The rumor mill spreading misinformation about COVID-19 has resulted in the loss of confidence in the media by many Nigerians, and regrettably, government bodies are increasingly glancing through a similar lens.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has termed infodemic as, “an overabundance of information — some accurate and some not — that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it”.

There has been a shift in terms of the places where people get their news from.

Social media has amplified the claims and helped believers find each other. The flood of misinformation has posed a challenge for Facebook, Twitter and other platforms, which have been accused of fueling misinformation.

In Nigeria, coronavirus is a reality. This comes with the mountain of related challenges with over 56, 735 reported confirmed cases as at September 17, 2020.

In scrambling to contain the pandemic, one seemingly effective response has focused on the vital importance of behaviour change.

It involves approaches that ensure people adhere to protocols or pay attention to basic principles of hygiene and social distancing.

However, strategic planning is tough during a pandemic.

Nigeria government is trying to take necessary steps

in order to accurately fight misinformation.

Misinformation, as well as, social distrust towards overnment’s response to COVID-19 has made many Nigerians to continue to doubt, amid the impression that the government and health authorities are engaging in antics designed to deceive the public on the true situation of the pandemic.

Rotimi Jaiyesimi, consultant obstetrics and gynecology, said the country is currently facing a war against COVID-19 and misinformation shrouded in myths can hinder the progress in containing the pandemic.

“There is no vaccine; there is no definitive treatment. Covid-19 is real and Nigeria has not reached the peak of the disease and far from flattening the curve, there is a need to dispel the myths and misinformation.

Countering disinformation is a public service and the role of the media is critical.”

The expert said that the warfront is essential for people to know where the enemy is, the strike force, and the backup they have. “These are vital strategies in defeating the enemy and the same can be said of the fight against COVID-19. This is a new disease; the fear factor will not dispel the myths. Nigeria should be led by the evidence, collaborative work, learning from others, and educating the public, including school children. A time like this, we need good political leadership and report accurately,” he said.

To convince Nigerians on the true state of the pandemic, the government needs to keep repeating and presenting the facts — probably many more times than the untruths are repeated — and support them

with all available evidence.

Trusted sources of information, such as WHO and public health institutes, must remain visible across multiple communication channels, remaining vigilant for rumors and inoculating the public against misinformation.

More concerted effort is needed on the part of the Nigerian government to contain COVID-19 related misinformation.

Good leadership can further strengthen trust, prioritize the virus and make the required funds available to accelerate response.

While misinformation has become one of the biggest enemies of the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria, approaching the health system response is based on the health system building blocks in terms of health financing, service delivery, governance, leadership and accountability, health management information system, infrastructures and supply of critical supplies and technology, among others.

“COVID-19 actually affects all the building blocks of the health system. “The main issue with this block is what accountability mechanisms we have for the funding in Nigeria; I mean it is not clear on what the procurement systems and actual expenditure are.

So, I think, resource mobilization should be accompanied accountability because if you don’t have such accountability mechanisms we will not know exactly how the money has been used across any system,” Obinna Onwujekwe, professor of Health Economics, Systems, and Policy, observed recently in his presentation entitled: ‘Expenses and Health System Responses of COVID-19: What pointers for the future’ at a vir-

tual media roundtable discussion organised by the Nigerian Academy of Science.

However, producing and disseminating facts and accurate information, the WHO, which is at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic, is transmitting authoritative information based on science while also seeking to counter myths.

The Federal Government and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are now putting efforts to dispel rumors, urging Nigerians to observe precautions and also setting up risk communications strategy to update the public about the pandemic and combating misinformation.

Organizations like Nigeria Health Watch and Meedan have partnered to counter misinformation around COVID-19 and other public health challenges. Through the partnership, information related to COVID-19 in Nigeria will be monitored to identify false claims, which can lead to significant consequences for individual and public health.

Nigeria Health Watch will leverage Meedan’s team of experts to produce multimedia messages that debunk misinformation around COVID-19.

The messages will include context and background information that is key to debunking misinformation.

Vivianne Ihekweazu, managing director at Nigeria Health Watch, in a statement, said Nigeria Health Watch uses informed advocacy and communication to influence health policy and seeks better health and access to healthcare in Nigeria. “We seek to amplify some of the great work happening in the health sector, challenge the bad, and create a space for positive ideas and action”, she said.

“The project will apply insights from collated data to create evidence-based media campaigns to counter COVID-19 misinformation.

“Through its various platforms, Nigeria Health Watch is a trusted source that provides informed commentary and in-depth analysis of health issues in Nigeria, always in good conscience,” Ihekweazu said further.

Empower women to break cycle of malnutrition in Nigeria, say experts ANTHONIA OBOKOH

E

xperts say that the nutritional status of mothers had not received adequate attention in the equation and that what is most important to preventing and breaking the cycle of malnutrition is putting women’s empowerment and gender equity at the center of strategy.

In spite of the fact that the f irst 1,000 days of a child’s life offers a unique window of opportunity for preventing under-nutrition and its consequences, many Nigerian mothers are not

empowered to break the vicious cycle of malnutrition.

According to UNICEF, an estimated two million children in Nigeria suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition and it’s the underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of under-five children.

More also, 7 percent of women of childbearing age in the country suffer from acute malnutrition even as studies show that 10-20 percent of Nigerian women are undernourished.

The cycle doesn’t stop with mothers giving birth to smaller babies.

The impact of malnutri-

tion is more profound. Nutrition experts speaking during the 3rd series Protein Challenge webinar tagged: “Empowering Women to Break the Cycle of Malnutrition in Nigeria: Reduce malnutrition, Underweight and Hunger.” outlined some of the lifelong consequences of undernutrition and overnutrition.

Ibiyemi Olayiwola, professor of Human Nutrition at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, said malnutrition has become a pandemic in Nigeria and anyone can be affected at any time irrespective of age or gender.

According to her, without appropriate care, malnutrition could lead to different illnesses.“You may have immunity for many conditions but not for malnutrition. If your nutrition is bad, there will be a problem of undernutrition and overnutrition.”

Olayiwola said malnutrition starts even before a woman conceives if she is not empowered to take in adequate nutritious foods.

Note: The rest of this article continues in the online edition of Business Day @https://businessday.ng

In the world of conception, nothing gets better with age fective in circumventing the biological clock. It is all about the egg!

There are several causes for fertility problems, but sometimes an exact cause can’t be found. This is called unexplained infertility. It is the more common cause of infertility in when who are over 35 years of age.

ABAYOMI AJAYI, It is true that if you postpone childbearing to MD/CEO Nordica Fertility after 35years there are CENTREINFO@ABAYOMIAJAYI. chances that you might face COM.NG, some special risks, including miscarriage, premature our age is not something delivery and stillbirth. Others you can control but it include gestational diabeaffects your fertility sig- tes, chromosomal abnormalinificantly and with a gradual ties, and growth retardadecline in the ability to get tion of the fetus. pregnant from around age 35.

But that doesn’t mean you If you decide to have a are destined to have a probbaby later in life you may be lematic pregnancy. Such lucky to do so without hav- a label is not strictly a diing problems, however, you agnosis even though as an are likely to take longer to get older woman chances are pregnant and you might even high that you may need a few need assisted conception. extra prenatal exams.

When you are trying to If you’re 35 and above, it get pregnant at any age but is worthwhile to try to boost you are having difficulty, it your odds of having a is normal to worry and be healthy pregnancy by makonthe lookout for solutions. ing do with smarter lifestyle Yo u m a y b e h a v - choices. ing your babies later in life for In you are in your 40s, reasons beyond your control your odds of getting pregbut the fact remains that as nant are less than 5 percent you get older, it becomes more each month. From age 45 difficult to become pregnant to 49, the odds drop even and the risk of miscarriage lower. When you are in your increases. A man’s fertility also 40s and still hoping for childecreases with age, though to dren, you tend to feel prea lesser extent. pared for motherhood, even However, no matter your though your fertility odds age, pregnancy risks and are lower. challenges are bound to crop In your 40s you are more up. Although it’s no secret prepared to handle potential that pregnancy risks do in- obstacles when it comes to crease as you age, there is al- conceiving. You are dealing ways good news for couples with the same stressors of and particularly women that younger women, but more are looking to conceive. at ease and confident menAs a woman, no matter tally and financially, and more how old you are, you are willing to follow a plan to optibound to know just what mize your health and fertility. it’s like to hear your bioRisks such as gestational logical clock ticking away. diabetes, hypertension, misIt can be stressful knowing carriage, delivery complicathere’s a time limit to fertility, tions, the need for a Cesarean, but just as it is with all health prolonged labour, etc., inissues, knowledge is power. crease with age. The quan You many have wondered tity and quality of your eggs why a pregnant woman that rapidly decline, and there are is having a baby at over risks to the baby. For instance, 35 years of age is considered the risk of Down syndrome is of advanced maternal age. It 1/90 at age 40 and 1/30 at is essentially a way of estab- age 45. In fact the risk of any lishing that her pregnancy chromosomal abnormality is is considered high risk for 1/66 and 1/21, respectivecomplications. ly at both ages.

You fertility decreases Age shouldn’t always with age, particularly after be taken as a guarantee of the age of 35 because both fertility, but when you optithe number and quality of mize your health, mentally, eggs gets lower. As you get physically, and nutritionalolder your eggs get older too. ly, then your fertility may How long it takes you to get optimize as well. pregnant varies with other When you are trying to factors too. conceive, have faith in your While it’s true that fertility body, treat it well and do what declines with age, it’s more you can to achieve emotional precise that it declines with the peace. Get plenty of sleep age of your eggs. That’s why as each night and limit stress. an older woman, it is prudent In your 40s, time is preto consider egg donation as cious and it’s perfectly okay a means of getting pregnant. to go in for basic testing even If you are in your 40s and prior to trying. a recipient of eggs donated by a younger woman, you are likely to get pregnant at the Note: The rest of this article same rate as the woman who continues in the online edition donated those eggs. That is of Business Day @https://busiwhy egg donation is so ef- nessday.ng

Y

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Sunday 20 September 2020

Reminiscence

Ikpeazu and the resurrection of a dead man (1) GODWIN ADINDU

F

rom the entrance to his office, through the staircase to the main offices, there is no air of chivalry, no mark of ostentation. He is loudly ordinary, with no swanky mien. All around him is a bewitching air of simplicity and humility. But, High Chief Tony Ururuka, the Aba-based Surveyor and Estate Valuer, is indisputably a silver-spoon-born and could have carried himself in the manner of royalty and pomp. After all, he is the son of a former Minister of yore, bred in the atmosphere of power and aristocracy. “No, papa did not train us like that. Papa was a disciplinarian and made us to understand we needed to achieve success by ourselves,’ he quipped and swung his neck in disapproval.

Tony speaks deliberately but in measured words. He cannot pass as a man with the gift of the gab. He can hardly hold an audience spell-bound with a moving oratory. His gift, and this is stating the obvious, is on the drawing board, in maintaining precision and accuracy. But, last week, when he spoke about his legendary father, for whom Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State built a statute, his voice came alive in a flowing narrative that captured exact reminiscences of a father that was larger-than-life.

It was a nostalgic moment as he recalled his childhood and a bit of his teenage years with Papa. “I was less than fifteen when Papa died. He was a big name and he left for us a big shoe that we are struggling to wear,” he said and stamped his feet on the floor to create emphasis. “Papa was such a disciplinarian and a Christian to the core. He never went to clubs or bars. His spare time was spent in the church,” he added.

“How do you feel about the statute the Governor built in honour of your father?” my question seemed to have rattled him. He paused for a while as if he was trying to remember a forgotten idea. “Governor Ikpeazu resurrected our father on the day he commissioned the statute. He

Godwin Adindu, DG, Abia State Orientation Agency and Hon. Justice Stellamaris Onyensoh, judge of Abia Customary Court of Appeal

L-R: Gowin Adindu and Tony Ururuka

did not only immortalise him, he brought him back to life,” he affirmed.

If High Chief Tony Ururuka could suddenly jump into a frenzy of fluency, it was for his elder sister, Hon. Justice Stellamaris Chinedum Onyensoh nee Ururuka, judge of Abia State Customary Court of Appeal, a moment of theatrical oratory and performance. She told her father’s story with passion and

band?’ My question came again. It was a question she was waiting for.

She went back into memory lane and began to roll: “He liked Ukazi soup a lot. That was his favorite soup and he ate it with pounded yam mixed with small eba. He also liked porridge yam. He was a very good dancer. He played long tennis for exercise and does early morning walk around the vicinity of the GRA, Independent Layout,

inces and anytime he was back, we will be struggling to serve him.

He was a very religious man and a knight of St. Mulumba. He would always go for morning mass with my mother and, in the midnight, after the family evening prayers, he would still wake up and stepped to the parlour to pray with his rosary,” declared Stellamaris.

Chief Paul Omerenyia Ururuka, from Umunkpeyi Nvosi, Isiala

drama. “What was your father’s favourite music?” I threw a question to her. “He loved old church hymns and listened to a lot of old classical music,” she retorted, and sprang up from her seat to demonstrate how his father used to dance Waltz and Quick Steps, with his wife. She held her two hands up, as if she was holding someone, and moved one step, then a second step, another step and then turned round and round. “It was the music and dance steps of the elite of the time,” she said and collapsed back to her seat, her face glowing in the light makeup that reflected with the laughter on her face.

“We know so much about your father’s political exploits in the Old Eastern Region, but who was he in the house, as a father and a hus-

Enugu. We lived at No. 22 Abakalika Road when he was Minister for Commerce and Industry. Papa was a light sleeper and he never joked with his siesta. He loved his children so much but not to the point of spoiling us. He never went to ask for any favour on behalf of his children. He believed that we must work out our success.”

The Ururukas were nine siblings but only three are alive today – Tony, Stellamaris and Chief (Mrs) Theresa Okonkwo nee Ururuka, former Super Principal of Schools in the old Imo State. “My Elder Sister, Theresa, and Papa were very close and inseparable. There was nothing my father did without telling my elder sister. She was the apple of his eyes. Papa traveled a lot to the many regions and prov-

Ngwa South Local Government Area, is a renowned name in the Old Eastern Region, a name that is associated with the infrastructural revolution of the era. For the people of the Ngwa extraction, the name is synonymous with the first public pipe-born water and the Ururuka Road. An outstanding politician of the First Republic, Chief Ururuka was at various times, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Minister of Transport and Minister of Works in the Old Eastern Region. He is by right the most famous politician of the Ukwa Ngwa extraction before Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

Recently, the governor immortalised the late statesman by building a statute after him at the exit point of the road he built in

the 60s. The gesture by the governor elicited widespread applause and commendation “We will forever be grateful to the governor for immortalising our father, for others had come before him that didn’t remember the legacies of our father. By that statute, the governor stamped the road as Ururuka Road. He has immortalised his name across generations. Governor Ikpeazu brought our father back to life,” declared Justice Stellamaris Onyensoh.

Chief Paul Ururuka’s moderate four-room bungalow built in 1957 is an antique. Justice Stellamaris says the house speaks of her father’s humility and his values. She disclosed that the then Premier of Eastern Nigeria, Dr. M I Okpara never allowed his cabinet members to buy property while in service in the GRA area of Independent Layout Enugu.

Okpara encouraged his team to be selfless. “Even though my father’s best friend, Mouka, was the Minister of Lands, My father never acquired property in the GRA. You could acquire property anywhere but not in the GRA. That was the instruction of the time and only one Minister flouted that instruction,” she disclosed.

Chief Ururuka lived only for 60 years. His political career ended with the civil war. He died in 1970, immediately after the war. The statute therefore is a memorial of a legendary Statesman; a statute of honor and history. It captures an important interjection in the anthropological journey of the Ngwa man, serving as flashback to a glorious time and epoch lost in the labyrinth of strange political complexities. It is a monument of inspiration, both of cultural and political reawakening.

Governor Ikpeazu, by the statute, gives an epic narration of the odyssey of a people. He resurrected history for posterity and resurrected a man.

Adindu is the Director-General of the Abia State Orientation Agency (ABSOA)

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Focus Cross River investment climate:

What investors seek, what CRS government offers

C

IGNATIUS CHUKWU & MIKE ABANG

ross Rivers State with Calabar as capital holds a lot of attraction for businesses and investors, chief of it all being safety and security with a welcoming atmosphere to visitors.

At a point, Calabar was toasted as neat with good roads, coupled with an airport, seaport and later the Tinapa mini-city.

The state is regarded as agrarian with 1.8 million hectares of arable land available for cultivation which has attracted or should attract investment in the agric and agro-allied value chain into the state. Many talk of good climate and soil that can support many cash crops such as palm oil, cocoa, rice, cassava, rubber, etc. Some insiders say Cross River State is the largest producer of cocoa and oil palm in Nigeria today.

In addition, the state is relatively peacefulcompared with mostother states troubled by upheavals. Yes, disagreements occur but they are not what the courts can handle. This is believed to have created stability.

Besides, the state has been ruled by same political party since 1999.

Ups and downs in economic development Within the political era (1999 to date), the state is said to have witnessed ups and downs in economic development. According to the Executive Secretary of the 76-year-old Calabar Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (CACCIMA), Kenneth Asomi Itah, investment in the state has been witnessing some ups and downs since the return of democracy in 1999.

As he puts it, “The state witnessed influx some years back because of government actions. For now, the state governor has carried out some trips to attract investors but no serious results have been witnessed.”

Discouragements Crash in Ease of Doing Business from 4 to 35 Perhaps the strongest discouragement in the state is what insiders call inconsistency in government policies in terms of signals going to the private sector. Experts told BDSUNDAY during weeklong investigations in the state that during Donald Duke, the state had developed an investment framework on investments.

According to Itah, this led to the creation of the CRS Investment Bureau and One-Stop-Centre in the state capital, the complex where the CACCIMA is located along with other business-related offices. “Of

Governor Ben Ayade’s rice priject

late, policy summersault in that direction has whittled down interest in the state. A number of people who made inquiries say so.

In the World Bank Ease of Doing Business rating, CRS moved from number four in 2013 to 35 in 2018. Specific indices such as registering property show that the state is nowhere anymore.

There is no procedure for it anymore. For the past five years, government is not known to issue land papers that help investors access finance. It alone discourages investors.”

State tax policy: Itah said there has been an upsurge in fees and levies now charged in the state.

“As a chamber, we decried this and asked government to look at these taxes again so as to eliminate some of them.

“Talking with tax authorities will

“

We expect intervention agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to intervene in these areas such as roads, industrial park, etc. This would drive investment into the state

show that some of the taxes are illegal. Government has been lackadaisical in trying to eliminate them.

Every person comes to ask for one levy or the other. This discourages investment flow into the state. The private sector however remains the key driver of the state economy.

Major risks include access to land which is regarded in CRS as one big factor. The Organised Private Sector (OPS) said they have been trying to speak to government to ensure there is land process and acquisition. They believe the procedure needs to be clearly spelt out instead of being shrouded in mystery.

Actions expected from state govt Let’s move backward: The OPS wants the state government to look into some of the policies of old that were no more in existence but which had attracted key investments into CRS. They believe it was because of such policies that investments such as Wilmar (the biggest palm plantation owner in Nigeria today), GE (now setting up in CRS), Lafarge Africa, etc chose Cross River State.

Itah stated thus: “We have multinationals such as Flour Mills and Dangote with strong presence in the state. Most of them came in on the basis of the investment framework that the state government developed and pursued. This seems to have been abandoned. We ask the present administration to go back to that policy and seriously pursue investment. Show investors what they stand to benefit, tax holidays they can get and what support they can get from the government and the private sector. These are some of the things we look for.”

He went on: “We expect the government to look into infrastructure

such as roads, shared facilities such as expanding the available industrial estates and ensure land processes, facilities, etc available for investors.

Calabar port “One of the things we have been able to do is attract the attention of the FG to the Calabar Port. It has been neglected for decades; no dredging, drought is low, battling with 5.6 meter level when others record 7 and 8 meters. This does not allow big vessels to come in. A 60,000 metric tonne ships cannot come into Calabar. They have to stop somewhere and do trips of 20,000 each, making it three times.

This increases cost and makes your cost not competitive in the country.

We need help in this area.

“We expect intervention agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to intervene in these areas such as roads, industrial park, etc. This would drive investment into the state.

“We have an EPZ (export processing zone) here but if three corporations set up there, it will not be enough. So, creating more is better.

The CRS govt had attempted to set up one but it is limited in size, it can hardly take more than four. Proper industrial park is needed urgently to boost industrialization in CRS. “It is good for the state government to look at the regulatory laws, infrastructure, tax policies, and incentives especially for SMEs. The approach for now inhibits SMEs in the state. Some have shut down, some left.

“We plead with the FG to dredge the port. The chamber with some others has attracted a shipping line to call Calabar but they cannot come with a big vessel. Deep sea

port could take over 36 months to build, with funds on ground. The state does not have it. The first four years is gone. While waiting for deep sea port, let’s dredge the existing one and make it functional,” he said.

Farmers are weeping with loud lamentation, Itah said. “Most agric producers have to go to Onne or Lagos. I produce cocoa in Ikom, but I have to pay N1.5m to move a 40ft container to Lagos in two days plus two weeks between Apapa – Oshodi expressway into the port. That delays my cargo and delivery time plus additional huge cost. Bottom line is lower compared with others.

If Calabar port were functioning, it won’t cost more than N120,000 and at the port, it would not last more than one day. It would make business more competitive. This is why we cry. Our businesses are not competitive.”

Budget: “We have asked for the CRS budget to be made public.

Finally, 2018 budget was put online.

We had running battle for this, but the preparatory procedure should be made more participatory. The state government hardly takes input from the OPS and non-state actors in the process. I believe that with the department of Budget and Planning, we should be able to have access to the expenditure of government for past five years.

We leave that to the promise of the state to be more open.”

Regulatory framework: “We need soft infrastructures in terms of regulation. This state has not done too well in terms of regulatory environment especially for SMEs about taxes, levies and fees. It is a huge challenge.

“Prior to 2015, we had done a number of interventions in terms of tax with support from international agencies especially the ‘James 3’, a UK-funded project. They worked with the CACCIMA and others to come up with regulations and harmonized fees for businesses in the state about 2014/15. It took us up to September 2016 to get it passed.

Even with the passing, it takes hell to get some of the MDAs to implement them. They sat down with groups and associations and SMEs to agree on these things but just to implement it is hell. The previous administration had agreed on most of them especially LGA taxes. A new LGA tax law was passed in 2015 but the present administration with the present LGA people have found it to hard to work on a law that has been passed. It is a running battle in the Chambers to get government to operate from the framework that has been created. That is a big challenge.”

The technocrat said the number of taxes and fees that were unnecessary had been introduced outside the agreed ones. It was an uphill task to get them to look at this. We have been able to work with the Cross River State Internal Revenue Service to get 30 levies off but the work is still continuing.”

Security: Cults on rampage CRS has its own share of security challenges especially cult clashes and kidnapping. We expect the government to do more. It is important Continue on page 22

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Sunday 20 September 2020

Focus Digital transformation and importance of STEM education: Educating for employment, educating for the future

M

has been a decline in the quality of our educational system due to outdated curricula, a lack of investment in education and inadequate educational planning and as such, we have a largely underdeveloped workforce and economy.

With 70 percent of our population under the age of 30, Nigeria finds itself with a young, educated but largely “unskilled” labour market with “employment ready” skills such as creativity, critical thinking and problem solving largely absent.

These 21st century skills set rank high with employers seeking innovative minds in this knowledge based, technology driven economy and majority of our graduates have fallen behind the rest of the world.

One cannot ignore the fall out of the Fourth Industrial Revolution which is upon us with digitalisation and tech advancement changing traditional jobs and skills set demand for high level skills. This certainly creates a problem in the talent pool as less than 6percent of our workforce are employed in high skilled jobs and only 15percent of our working age population have tertiary education, 42percent have secondary education and 18percent have primary school education and 25percent with no formal qualifications- this means majority of our population only have access to low skill, low paying jobs ensuring a lifetime in the poverty cycle.

Learning Skills: Critical thinking, Creative thinking, Communication, Collaboration (4Cs) Literacy Skills: Information Literacy, Media Literacy, Technology Literacy (IMT) Life Skills: Flexibility, Leadership, Initiative, Productivity , Social skills (FLIPS) STEM Education provides problem based, hands on learning for students utilising science, technology, engineering and maths principles and brings real life implication and application to the classroom. It allows for the development of 21st century skills in the education system-skills required for the current and future workplace. Development of these skills set from early childhood lays the foundation for the creativity, innovation and future economic benefits for a nation and its citizens.

The problem The mismatch between the output of our educational system in Nigeria i.e. the quality of our graduates, and the skills required for the current and future workplace is more glaring than ever. There

A solution There are a number of levers for creating stronger education systems of which ensuring the “future-readiness” of curricula especially through a focus on STEM fields is one.

STEM Education brings a handson, minds-on project based interactive approach both into the classroom and through out of class enrichment programs. Benefits of STEM based programs include: Actively engages students in practical application of knowledge; reinforces the concept of ‘learning by dong’; develops multidisciplinary skills; brings real life environment into the classroom, encouraging practical application of theory being learned, and skills learned are transferable to non-STEM related careers.

Schools and teachers do not have to carry the whole burden of STEM Education- parents must also encourage their children to pursue STEM activities, increase awareness and interest at home and in extracurricular activities. Many parents became teachers as home schooling and remote learning took

JADESOLA ADEDEJI

What investors seek, what CRS government...

Continue on page 21

to get the security situation better.

There should be more effort in intelligence gathering to nip these things in the bud before they start. CRS was known as the most peaceful state. We must return to that.

“Government said they set up Urban Sheriff: It is more of an environmental monitoring police or vigilante to make people abide with sanitation rules. Yes, there is neighbourhood team which helps out in Calabar metropolis, but when you leave the state capital, you do not find them. So, outside Calabar, you are vulnerable. Kidnappings and flashpoints for incidents are outside such as Odukpani, Bakassi, etc. The city problem is cult clash and skirmishes.”

Ease of Doing Business (EoDB): The emergency of the CRS Investment Promotion Bill gave rice to the belief that the agency was a business support and attraction scheme. “It attracted the big companies including the Songhai, Obasanjo Farms, etc. CRS was one of the states to set up a one-stopshop even before the FG did that.

There was that forward thinking approach by government to attract investments in the state.

“Those things were meant to be housed in this building so that all agencies public or private that have to do for business have to be located in this building. Ministry of Commerce, Investment Promotion Council, Micro Finance Agency, Training Centre, Chamber of Commerce, are all in one building but the soft facilities are the issue. The idea is that from here you do all the things you ought to do. This helped to attract many investors into CRS. We hope Government can upgrade this and help make this concept better.”

Why investors can’t ignore CRS – Patrick Umu Etete The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Patrick Umu Etete, who spoke with BusinessDay team, named major attractions to investors in the state.

Attractions to investors or positives to CRS: The vision of the governor is to turn the state to an industrialised state. That is his heartbeat.

Thus, our focus is to make it happen through the Ministry.

An investor would be taken to the Industrial Park where we have most of the industries being located. We have industrial ventures

spanned all over the state. It depends on what the investor wants to go into. We have cocoa industry, palm oil, and others coming up. It’s the choice of the investor to delve into any area.

Power: Our power plants have just been linked to the national grid and for some time now, we have had steady power.

Land: We have a window for investors in land matters at reduced rate. There is two-year tax-rebate for new investors.

Tax collection practice: The Cross River Internal Revenue Service (CRIRS) is always on air warning tax payers what to pay and what not to pay. Tax collectors are fully identified with ID cards and other things. Cash is not allowed. We have e-Direct payment platform.

When demand notice is served, after assessment, you go to the bank to pay according to the type of tax.

At the end of the month, it will be consolidated into one account. For purpose of subheading, we have different accounts.

Conflict resolution: Arbitration mechanism. Use of MoU helps to create business harmony. It is when you deviate that you can have issues. The Ministry of Justice has arbitration units too.

SMEs: Government gives soft loans to SMEs. We have an agency for SME loans and we have state wing of SMEDAN with a Director General. We have Investment Promotion Agency to serve as first call to any investor. They guide you all through. Our ministry oversees them.

Power supply is a nationwide problem. Security is good in CRS and this is a very peaceful state. We do not have much security issues apart from some clashes in the villages because of land.

Politics: From the onset of this administration, emphasis has been on industrialisation, to move it from civil service status to industrialisation. We have industries and four are functioning in full capacity. In few years to come, civil service job would not be a priority.

These industries would be in full capacity: Rice milling plant, people come from all over the nation to buy.

It is fully mechanized. Cross Rivers State Garment Factory is in full operation. Focus is on the possibility of having a contract for outsourcing to major fashion brands in the world such as Gucci.

arch 2020 signalled the end of many things as we know it, not least, the way we work and the way we learn! According to a recent post by Microsoft, digital transformation which was already progressing rapidly but fast tracked in the blink of an eye in the last 2 months with digitisation that would ordinarily take 2 years, happening at lightning speed as we were all thrust into the reality of a tech-enabled 21st century. As a social enterprise in the education sector, our vision “of equipping Nigerian students with 21st century skills required for the future workplaceusing Science, Technology, Engineering and maths (S.T.E.M) based program and preparing them for the future workplace” suddenlybecame clearer in real and practical terms. Digital skills as well as soft skills showcased rapidinnovation, adaptability, resilience, creativity, problem solving skills that had to be acquired almost instantaneously in order to be able to suddenly navigate life in a Covid-19 digital economy!

What are 21st century skills?

These are skills required to succeed in the 21st century and goes beyond occupation-specific skills.

They include:

over as traditional schools were no longer feasible due to lock down and for many, this was truly the longest and most involved we have been to navigating our children’s educational learning paths and seeing first-hand the importance of a collaborative learning approach inevitably, tech enabled and reliant.

Our children need to be encouraged to not to be passive consumers of technology but creators and innovators of products and services STEM in practical terms: Virtual STEM talks series So, how can these STEM skills be applied in real work environment?

And what are the workplace options available apart of the obvious truly science based career paths?

How can employers begin to invest in the ensuring the skills they are seeking in the workplace are aligned with education systems? How can the bridge between future employees and employers be bridged?

Over the last two months, as part of our SummerTech Camp, we introduced The STEM Talk series- an alternative platform for providing skills development and career guidance information in an engaging and interactive format. Our aim was to relate STEM education to a variety of career options, sectors and perhaps, highlight the seemingly limitless pathways STEM education can present. Open to students, parents, young adults and educators, STEM+ topics included: + Digital Media with Tomiwa Aladekomo, Techcabal; + Biotechnolgy with Dr Abasi EneObong, 54gene; + Health with Fola Laoye, Health Markets Africa; + Professional Service with Ada Irikefe, PwC; + Finance with Femi Oladehin, Argentil Capital Partners; + Design with Remi Dada, SpaceFinish Key takeaways from the talks included: Be resilient and bounce back from failures. Learn from your failures; prepare to have at least three different careers in your lifetime; the path may not always be straight forward; attitude overrides aptitude; grow into opportunities. Optimise your life; get work experience and acquire new skills in your spare time; lifelong learning is key, and your degree may take you along different paths you haven’t considered- keep an open mind There needs to be a continuous dialogue between educational service providers, government and industry to align the demand and supply of skills. Additionally, our employers and educators need better tools to enable them to better understand labour markets; new and emerging skills requirementsafter all, the children of today are the employees, entrepreneurs and innovators of tomorrow.

Jadesola Adedeji is the CEO of STEM METS Resources Ltd, a company that provides 21st skills training to children andyouthsinNigeriausingasuiteofworld class, award winning STEM enrichment programs.Shecanbereachedatjadedeji@ stem-mets.com | www.stem-mets.com Reference:WorldEconomicForumReport: The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa

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Arts Peju Alatise: The interdisciplinary artist OBINNA EMELIKE

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f you are an avid art collector or enthusiast in Nigeria , the name Peju Alatise will ring a bell in your ear. It is a household name in contemporary African art. The foremost Nigerian female artist, who holds a degree in Architecture, is a mixed-medium artist, poet and published writer, whose interdisciplinary work has garnered attention on the global art stage.

She is known for her largescale, sculptural works tackling contemporary themes most recurring of which is gender and its associated politics. With her works, Alatise transcends barriers and questions the status quo in her country and Africa at large. Her guts is commendable and obvious with the passion she addresses social, political and gender-related issues as her primary subject matter, through artistic work that also captures the joys and pain of womanhood in modern-life-African traditions.

Alatise, a 2016 fellow at the Smithsonian Institute of African Art, believes that art should tell us more about

Peju Alatise

ourselves, and also initiate social dialogue that enables us to reflect.

She has participated in several international solo exhibitions and her works are in private and institutional collections around the world.

At 2014 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair, her work was generally adjudged to be the standout piece created in response to the kidnapping of 234 Chibok girls. It featured a series of panels of anonymous Nigerian girls using the Ankara fabric. It

was titled, ‘Missing’.

Again, she was among the three Nigerian artists, who helped the country to rewrite her story at the Venice Biennale’s 57th edition in Venice, Italy, which Nigeria participated for the first time since the 122 years history of the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, also known as the Olympics of the art world.

At the exhibition, Alatise mirrored the future with her installation tagged, ’Flying Girls. The installation was

Ayanbrin holds MODHAFEST 2020

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yanbirin, a popular female drummer, also known as Olakanye Olayemi Oluwatosin, will hold the maiden edition of MotherDrum Healing Arts Festival (MODHAFEST 2020) from December 4-6, 2020. The festival on the theme, ‘Healing, Hope and Recovery Through Arts’, will be virtual this year.

Ho s t i n g t h e f e s t i v a l through her Mother-Drum Healing Arts Foundation, Ayanbirin said the festival would be held in collaboration with Ara Entertainment Productions.

MODHAFEST 2020 will

be a three-day most exciting virtual gathering of arts enthusiasts, healthcare professionals, counselors, artists, caregivers, musicians, choreographers, poets, drummers, arts promoters, culture activists, the arts writers and journalist, photographers, media personnel, story tellers, actors, crafts makers, art collectors and the public to transform health and the healthcare experience, as well as, to enjoy the arts.

“We would also be having a monthly round-table discussion tagged, “Break The Silence, Break The Stigma” via Zoom. Every last Sunday

of the month at 12 noon EST (11am Central), prominent personnel in the arts and healthcare system around the globe would be invited to have discussions about the societal benefits of early prevention of mental and substance use disorders, the available treatments, the integration of arts to support healing, and also to spread the message of hope that recovery in all its forms is possible,” she explained.

The festival, which will be held on Zoom, will feature exhibitions, training, roundtable discussions, researches, pageantry, lectures, symposia, workshops, conferences among other activities.

Mother-Drum Healing Arts Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to utilizing the therapeutic, innovative and recreational process of arts to raise awareness and educate the general public about addiction and mental health challenges (both which feed off each other), which will in turn reduce/eliminate the stigma associated with the conditions, as well as, to enhance healing, offer and inspire hope to individuals struggling with and/ or families affected by these conditions (mostly women and the girl child).

eight life-sized sculptures of girls with wings and birds in mid-flight.

As well, the Nigerian female artist was announced as the 2017 recipient of the highly coveted FNB Art Prize at the 10th installment of the FNB JoburgArtFair.

“The quality of each of the shortlisted candidates’ proposals this year was high. But we were ultimately unanimous in our decision around Alatise’s proposal – it stood out. The innovative, universal social relevance and

poignancy in the themes underpinning her work were some of the deciding factors in tipping the scales in her favour. The overall body of her work over the years is varied and compositionally strong, palpably reflecting the intense vibrancy of the African continent. We have no doubt that the integrity of the overall body of her work will propel her career meaningfully”, Pulane Kingston, member, the 2017 judging panel for the coveted FNB Art Prize, said.

Also commending the creative ingenuity of the artist, Bola Asiru, founder, Red Door, the gallery that nominated Alatise for the FBN Art Prize, said, “Peju’s work is filled with strong societal narratives on the realities of life in Africa; her message has been heard in West Africa, at the Smithsonian in the United States and the Venice Biennale in Europe. We feel that it is time for this message to be taken to the rest of Africa and there is no better platform for this than the FNB JoburgArtFair.”

However, Alatise always remembers her days of little beginning. Though her architecture allows her to design,

sketch and draw, her visit to an exhibition of works by David Dale, a living art legend, when she was 15 years ignited her passion for visual art.

Inspired by the exhibition, she later paid several visits to the studio of the legendary artist in Lagos mainland to learn from the master. As well, she furthered her interest by several visits to a craft market in Lagos where she mingled and learnt from the creative community.

The formal and informal apprenticeships have equipped her with tremendous skills that are evident in her breathtaking works that are sought-after by museums, galleries, corporate and individual collectors across the world today.

Moreover, Giles Peppiatt, director of Contemporary African Art at Bonhams, an art auction house in London, is awaiting Alatise’s works because of their growing demands and values at the auctions.

If she is not in her studio in Lagos, she is partaking in one residence within or outside the country. But Alatise is always around with her works at museums and galleries.

Visit to see her.

Hissbox streaming service, launches with $25,000 grant for young filmmakers IFEOMA OKEKE

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issbox, a new streaming service, has launched.

With a focus on ‘telling untold stories,’ the streaming service, which launched on September 11, 2020, offers over 400 pieces of content, including world-class originals, blockbuster films, series, documentaries and more.

Speaking on the new offering, Chinecherem Eze, the Nigerian-born, Los Angeles-based, CEO of Hissbox, noted that, “The concern with streaming services today is that despite an extensive volume of offerings, there is still a lack of diversity in available content. We are very excited to say that Hissbox is here to fill this gap.”

“Our focus from inception has been a platform where everyone can find content that reflects their uniqueness. We are telling, sharing and searching for exceptional stories from every corner of the world; there is a waiting audience for those stories and Hissbox will reflect that reality”, she added.

To kick off their search for ‘unique stories’ across the world, Hissbox has also announced ‘The Hissbox Grant’, funded by the Hissbox Diversity Film Fund (HDFF), which

Chinecherem Eze, CEO of Hissbox

gives producers up to $25,000 in funding for the production of TV series, feature films and documentaries.

The HDFF looks out for filmmakers from diverse backgrounds with emphasis that stories are expected to be exceptional: stories with creative risks, which inspire dialogue, and are rarely seen in public media.

Starting with free one month access on the platform, Hissbox provides a tiered offering that gives subscribers broad access to Hissbox across web, mobile and connected-TV devices. Hissbox is also very pocket-friendly with monthly

subscriptions from $3.99 only.

Founded by Chinecherem Eze, Nigeria- born serial entrepreneur, Hissbox is a streaming platform, film production and distribution company primarily focused on projecting untold, neglected and less told stories.

The platform aims to change the narrative of how stories are told by funding original content, collaborating and networking with industry leaders, filmmakers and relevant organisations.

It is supported on all devices including connected television screens, desktop, laptops, tablets and on mobile devices.

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Travel ‘We have chosen to concentrate on value creation than money with virtual hosting of Akwaaba this year’ For the past 15 years, Akwaaba African Travel Market, the first and largest travel fair in West Africa, has successfully been held in Lagos, Nigeria. Over the years, it has connected businesses, investors, government decision-makers and travel buyers to enormous opportunities in Africa and around the world. However, the 16th edition of the travel fair is holding virtually this year. Ikechi Uko, CEO, Akwaaba Travel Market Limited, the organisers of the travel fair, speaks to Obinna Emelike on why it is holding virtually, the expectations and other related issues.

Congratulations on the successful hosting of Akwaaba in the last 15 years.

This year marks the 16th edition of the travel fair, what mileage is this for the organisers? hank you for the encouragement. This was supposed to be a great outing based on the success of last year’s edition.

We planned to build on the results of better participation for this year, which is the 16th edition of the travel fair, but Covid­­­-19 came along.

The travel fair is still being held for three days, do you think participants will stay through the three days?

We have asked people to pre-register to enable us to have a good idea of who is coming and who is not. But most people have registered for the 2 day virtual conference.

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What are the excitements and unique offerings to expect in the virtual fair?

Outside the heavy caliber of our panelists, the excitement will come from the audience. The panelists are extremely high caliber.

Considering that the fair is holding virtually for the first time, will that disrupt the flow of the event and expected impact?

Virtual is not as powerful as a face to face encounter. You cannot build trust virtually like you do when you feel the person. But change is life and we have to adapt.

The impact of the virtual is two dimensional and so cannot have the same impact. The advantage here is that people can join the conference from everywhere.

What is the participation like, are countries and exhibitors also joining virtually?

We are not going the full hog of virtual exhibition. We are only having the conferences virtual. You cannot create the Akwaaba experience virtually. The noise, the faces, the feel and touch of Akwaaba cannot be replaced. For instance, how do you recreate the Jollofrice Tasting online?

Of course, that is not possible. The reality is that life happens, and we have to adapt.

What impact is the virtual version going to have on revenue and participation, are you going to lose for not holding it physically?

There is zero income for us here. We are

With most international fairs being cancelled or held virtually, do you think face to face meeting will hold again and what impact will virtual conference make if the current health crisis persists?

Face to face meetings will come back with a bang because people are tired of not meeting again. If we announce a physical meeting for Akwaaba today, the hall will be full. People will still congregate because we are humans, and we shall meet soon.

Ikechi Uko

actually spending money not expecting anything. We owe our audience a keepsake and that is why we are hosting the event despite the impact of the pandemic. There are models and platforms for revenue, but we have chosen to concentrate on value creation rather

than money.

By now we would have hosted our three major events, which are; Bantaba, Accra Weizo and now Akwaaba. Moreover, we have not earned any money from our events this year because they did not hold due to the pandemic.

Do you think MICE can leverage on virtual conference to bounce back?

Of course, MICE needs face to face meetings to bounce back. Online meetings require a different model. Considering what is on the ground, one wonders how massive convention centres, hotels among other enabling facilities will fit into the virtual landscape. Definitely, MICE will rebound because humans are hardwired.

Do you see recovery soon?

Yes. From December this year, things will definitely change.

Lagos to host hybrid World Tourism Day event

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he Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has said that the celebration of this year’s World Tourism Day would be in conformity with Covid-19 safety protocols as plans have been concluded to restrict physical participation by its stakeholders during the celebration.

Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State, disclosed the information at a Technical Meeting held in preparation for the event billed for Sunday, September, 27, 2020.

At the meeting, it was agreed that tourism stakeholders participating in the event would join the celebration through Zoom platform, Facebook Livestream on Lagos State Government and from four divisions of the state, while a smaller number would join some high profile guests at the physical event taking place in Ikeja. The commissioner, who emphasized the importance of social distancing and adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols during the meeting, agreed that the numbers of participants for the

physical event should be reduced to meet the maximum numbers of persons allowed for physical gathering for now while others can join via Zoom.

She added that the celebration would give room for various stakeholders in the tourism industry to discuss and explore the United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) theme for this year’s World Tourism Day, which is ‘Global Community United to Celebrate ‘Tourism and Rural Development’. The discussion, according to her, would be led by a panel of discussants, who are expected to come up with strategies to revive tourism in Lagos after the Covid-19 experience as a way of bringing about rapid recovery for the Industry.

The panel of discussants, Akinbile-Yussuf revealed, would include some of the past permanent secretaries and commissioners of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, just as she added that Oba Gbolahan Lawal, Oniru of Iruland, would deliver goodwill message during the event. She emphasised

Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State

the need to target grassroots participation during the celebration, assuring that tourism stakeholders would also be carried along in the planned activities for the event.

Babatunde Olaide-Mesewaku, permanent secretary of the Ministry, told the technical team that just as events all over the world are going virtual, it was expedient for Lagos State, being the model city state, to tap into available technologies and make the event an example for event planners in the state. He promised that with the partnership with a competent private sector event organiser, Lagos would deliver a world-class World Tourism Day event.

It would be recalled that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture had earlier announced that Lagos State Government would be joining tourism stakeholders across the globe to celebrate this year’s edition of World Tourism Day on September 27th when the Ministry hosted the Ambassador Ikechi Uko-led team from Akwaaba African Travel Market and Atqnews in Alausa, Ikeja.

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Bliss with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

Email: chiwuagwu@yahoo.com

Phone number (SMS only) 08057511893

I’d want a relationship with Tolanibaj – Prince

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ormer Big Brother Naija housemate, Prince, has said he might likely have a relationship with Tolanibaj, who was also a housemate in the ongoing reality show.

Prince, who was evicted from the show, last Sunday, at some point whilst in the house, was quite close to Tolanibaj. However, at the time Tolanibaj left the house, the status of their “relationship” was unclear.

Now that both are out of the house, Prince said it was likely he would pursue the relationship.

“I have not spoken to her yet and I don’t know how she feels. But I definitely would like to continue a relationship with her, whether just as friends or something more serious.”

Prince was quite the multi-talented housemate, showing off his various skills in the Betway Arena Games, tasks and particularly in hairstyling.

As part of the lockdown rules this season, housemates were responsible for making their own hair. Prince stood out for his expertise in hair grooming, helping out the other housemates. His skills were particularly put into use during a Darling hair task, earning him and his team an easy win.

During his “After the House” media rounds courtesy of BBNaija headline sponsor, Betway, Prince explained how he learnt hairdressing.

“I learnt hair making in 2012. I was home doing nothing, I had not obtained

admission, I didn’t want to be jobless, I took up hairdressing.”

Generally known for his level headedness, Prince was asked at about his altercation with Lucy which developed into a shouting match. Earlier in the season, Lucy had chosen him as her deputy

I am not a playboy – Kiddwaya

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obody saw it coming when Kiddwaya was evicted from the Big Brother Naija house last Sunday. In fact, not just a few felt that the guy would be among the last men/ women standing in the reality show.

However, he was booted out of the show and the Benue born guy said he was glad being out.

Kiddwaya, in and out of the show, was seen as a play boy, however, the ex housemate has said he is not at all.

“I’ve always had the tag and I feel like when people get to know me, they get comfortable with me, they know I’m not like that.”

Kiddwaya explained his relationship with former housemate, Erica, saying, “It’s very real. I have a lot of respect for her.”

“I never thought that was how she was going to leave. She’s a smart girl, a very strong girl, but there was a lot of alcohol that night, and I was already on two strikes with a strong warning, so I didn’t know

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Head of House, so there definitely was a bond there.

Viewers were surprised to see Prince suddenly turn on Lucy. He however, clarified that the relationship he had with Lucy was brotherly and he was only trying to help Lucy. He said, it felt like the same things were always being said about and to Lucy but she didn’t listen, and at that point, it became frustrating for him, leading to him lashing out.

Talking about his relationship with Nengi, he said, “I admire Nengi, the way I admire every girl in the house, she’s an amazing person. But you move towards who you are most drawn to.”

Prince who comes from an actual royal family was asked at Lagos Talks how his family felt about him applying to be on the Big Brother Naija show. He says his parents are big fans of the show and have been following the Big Brother franchise, since 2011. He says, “Nine years ago when I watched Big Brother Africa, I told myself one day, I would be on this show.”

When asked what his plans are now that he is out of the house, Prince says that there’s a lot he can do that he didn’t even get to express on the show, but his fans should expect amazing things from him.

Boomerang’s ‘Magic Makers’ marks Nigeria’s Independence Day

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s Nigeria marks her Independence Day anniversary next month, Boomerang has prepared something special for its young viewers with fun activities, engagements, testimonials, and everything in-between to help commemorate this important day in Nigeria’s history.

Speaking on behalf of Warner Media via a zoom press conference, Adrien Fallu said, The Magic Makers initiative, proudly brought

by Boomerang to audiences all over Africa, is all about inspiring creativity to make those magical moments shine just a little brighter.

Fallu said the series, which kicked off on Mother’s Day, followed by Father’s Day, allows little ones to show off their wildest, craziest, and imaginative ideas to the Boomerang community.

He said, “For the third edition of Magic Makers, Nigerian children can now join in the Independence Day celebrations - customarily observed by spending the day with family or visiting friends and having a traditional meal together – by sharing the fruits of their creative imaginations with their peers across Africa, showcasing their cultural diversity.”

Launched last Thursday, Boomerang’s Magic Makers website will give children 60 reasons to celebrate Nigeria’s Independence Day

through a video series providing children with a voice, showcasing their stories, and giving them a platform to share cool, creative ideas to mark the day. From specially designed crafts, to yummy recipes, DIY stopmotion tutorials, quizzes to interactive activities and games to encourage creative thinking, the website will keep kids entertained with refreshed, fun, new stuff to discover until the end of October.

Magic Makers will be aired across the whole continent, offering video testimonials from local Nigerian kids on how they celebrate Independence Day with their family, and how their friends, across Africa, can make their celebrations a little more special too.

Darey out with Jojo

S what I would do that might earn me another strike. At that time, I was looking out for myself,” he said about his involvement in the incident leading up to Erica getting disqualified from the show.

When asked what attracted him to Erica in the first place, he said, “Her sexiness. She was so comfortable in her skin, and was by far, the most confident girl in the house.”

Following Erica’s exit from the house, Kiddwaya and Laycon got very close.

Explaining their relationship he said, “I really respect his craft and I feel like he showed me love and respect and that was mutual.

If I don’t have an issue with someone, I’m not going to fabricate one from thin air.”

He said he was reluctant to reveal a lot about his background because people might start to feel like he didn’t deserve to be in the house, but first and foremost, he went to the house, to “meet new people, try a different experience, have fun and make connections”. The money was never his primary goal.

Kidd’s prowess in the kitchen was also a well known fact. He said watching his mom and sisters cook, whom he described as “strong and beautiful”, influenced him, and he just picked up the skills.

e r i a l awa r d w i n ning singer, Dare Art-Alade, popularly known as Darey, is not done with music. The talented artiste is still out there, making music and endearing so many people to his hearts with his great vocal cords.

And now, following the release of his single, “Jah Guide Me” in August, Darey has dropped a new track off his upcoming body of work, titled “Jojo”. The multiple award-winning and multi-platinum singer will be releasing a new EP, “Way Home’’ which also features Teni. It marks Darey’s second single release following last month’s ‘Jah Guide Me’, which shot to #1 in the Nigerian Singles Charts and the top 20 UK iTunes charts.

Darey’s newly released s i n g l e , “J o j o ” , w h i c h dropped on September 18, 2020, is a collaborative track with dancehall act Patoranking. Darey is one of the leading artists in Nigeria who dares to produce music across

popular genres. Though known for his hits such as “Escalade”, “Not the Girl” and “Pray For Me”, the silky-baritone is redefining his taste through a groundbreaking genre that he terms Afro&B. “Jojo” promises to relive the party spirit with its high-energy percussion, compelling vocals and pulsating beats.

Shot entirely in Lagos, Nigeria, the Jojo music video is pristine and tells a story of a world postlockdown, a reality which humanity longs for. Apart from the iconic city shots, electrifying dance moves, sweet vibes and colourful outfits, the video features

an all-female biker crew which is a first in Nigeria as Darey and his team are quite passionate about women empowerment and support the call for women to take up more prominent roles in society.

Born of a jazz musician father, Art Alade, Darey is a singer, songwriter, music producer, radio & TV personality, showstopper extraordinaire and creative entrepreneur. Since gaining exposure across Africa on the music talent search reality TV show, Project Fame, Darey has made an indelible mark on the Nigerian and African music scene.

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SundayBusiness Economic benefits of cassava starch Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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a s s a v a (Manihotesculenta) is widely grown in Nigeria, the country considered as the world’s largest producer. According to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) extrapolating from estimates for cassava production in Africa (Scott, Rosegrant, and Ringler, 2000) and (FAO, 2004b), Nigeria’s production was targeted at 60 million tonnes by 2020 from 40 million tonnes in 2005 (IITA, 2002).

Notably, cassava has industrial uses as the basis of a multitude of products, including food, flour, animal feed, alcohol, starches for sizing paper and textiles, sweeteners, prepared foods and bio-degradable products. The products are derived from a number of forms of cassava, ranging from fresh leaves and roots to modified cassava starch.

On the nutrition front, tapioca flour is useful for making glutenfree bread. Cassava is a calorie-rich vegetable that contains plenty of carbohydrate and key vitamins and minerals. Cassava is a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin.

Going by the ironic fact that Nigeria is one of the top- ten of crude oil in the world but refines not a drop, yet imports massively from other countries while subjecting the citizens to pay through their noses for what God has endowed us with, the interest here is not the amount of cassava we produce .

Of greater significance is the value that could be added through modern processing, preservation and marketing to utilize their industrial uses. For instance, cassava is used as a raw material in the manufacture of processed food, animal feed and industrial products. According to experts wider utilization of cassava products can be a catalyst for rural industrial development and raise the incomes for producers, processors and traders.

However, although global demand for cassava starch has increased over the past 25 years, it is only in Thailand that cassava has completed the conversion of staple foods to industrial processing products and raw materials. Nigeria shouldtherefore, learn from Thailandwhichshowstheeconomic importance of cassava starch production.”Thailand has proven its goal through the use of cheap labor, low-cost transportation and efficient sales of products,” said FAO’s NebbiRutaradio. “If more countries see cassava as a strategy and a basic product of industry, it

will benefit the development of their food, agriculture and industrial sectors and promote employment in rural and urban areas.”

Thailand now uses about 50percent of its annual output of cassava roots, about 18 million tons to extract about 2 million tons of starch. Half of them are supplied to the domestic food and non-food industries, and the rest are exported, mainly in Japan and Taiwan, and more and more are exported in the form of high-value starch, modified starch for specific uses.

FAO believes that in the global and domestic starch markets, the key to the future of cassava is the improvement in efficiency and quality and the reduction in production costs. African and Latin American countries need to look at Thailand, the world’s largest producer, to find a successful model for the development of the cassava starch industry. The industry in Thailand began more than 50 years ago and developed rapidly in the 1990s, when trade restrictions drastically reduced the market for Thai dried cassava chips used as livestock feed in Europe.

In the opinion of Industry News publication cassava production countries should increasingly convert this relatively low-cost raw material into high-value starch for domestic and international markets.

In fact, it is estimated that 60 million tons of starch is extracted annually from various cereal, root and tuber crops. With the current annual production of cassava roots in the world reaching about 200 million tons, FAO confirms the economic importance of cassava

starch production, believing that by converting relatively inexpensive raw materials into high-value starches, many developing countries can strengthen their economies and increase the income of cassava growers.

Acording to DaniloMejía, an agricultural engineer in the FAO: “The cassava can make very good starch. Compared with the starch from most other plants, cassava starch has better transparency and viscosity, it is very stable in acidic food products. It also has good properties of non-food products such as pharmaceuticals and thermoplastic biodegradable plastics.”

It is important to note that cassava starch production is very competitive. As a crop, cassava has advantages in production, such as high yield per unit area, drought tolerance and adaptation to poor land, and great flexibility in planting and harvesting. Its roots contain more starch than almost any other food crop on a dry weight basis, and starch is easily extracted using simple techniques. Export prices are always lower than those of potato, corn and wheat starch produced in the EU and the US. For example, the premium tapioca starch produced in Thailand currently sells for about US$225 per ton.

As a program promoted by IFAD and FAO, the Global Cassava Development Strategy recognizes the importance of processing fresh roots within a market-driven commodity chain to produce byproducts such as starch.

In Africa, with an annual output of more than 100 million tons of roots, there is almost no starch extraction industry except Nigeria

La Casera launches ‘This is not a full stop’ campaign to uplift Nigerians

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he La Casera Company (TLCC) Plc., recently launched ‘This is not a full stop’ (TINAFS) digital campaign to spread a message of hope and optimism to uplift the spirits of Nigerians amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

As the economy continues its gradual recovery from months of lockdown, leveraging TINAFS campaign, La Casera emphasises that the current situation is not a ‘full stop’ rather a pause to restrategise and relaunch into endless opportunities that lie ahead.

The campaign is supported with a pan Nigerian radio campaign with adaptations in local languages;

while part of the TINAFS campaign is a Spoken Word contest.

The Spoken Word contest is to inspire and reward creativity amongst Nigerian youth. The competition which runs with the tag line: ‘This Is Not A Full Stop’ is open to poets, rappers, and other spoken

art creative Nigerians.

Emmanuel Agu, the marketing director of the La Casera Company, said that the contest was launched to reward consumers and members of the public by creating a 60-second performance video showing their creativity in any language of their choice.

According to Agu, the 60-second video which must be the entrant’s original work must start with “This Is Not A Full Stop” and end with “We Move” and must avoid being offensive or hateful.

Agu stated that top ten entries from the contest will be selected based on their creativity, skill, punch lines, word play, video format and

an overall flair, which will be announced on the brand’s social media pages.

He also highlighted that ten winners will emerge, out of which the top three winners get N300,000 as first prize, and the second prize winner gets N150,000 while the third place gets N100,000. Seven other shortlisted candidates from forth to tenth position will get N20,000 gift cards each.

It would be recalled that The La Casera Company recently partnered with over 50 Online Food Vendors to give free La Casera Apple Drink to complement every order of food placed with these vendors.

Sterling Bank pioneers work-study programme for secondary school leavers, offers a 65% scholarship

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s a financial institution committed to enriching lives and positively impacting the society, the Sterling Bank Plc continues to set the pace by creating valuable opportunities for different categories of citizens.

In a continued effort to secure a knowledge-based future that is diverse, Sterling Bank has recently launched the ‘Grow with Sterling’ initiative. The initiative, which finds its roots in one aspect of the Sterling HEART Sectors- Education, seeks to contribute to the educational

development of young Secondary School Leavers.

Understanding that an investment in knowledge pays the best interests, the bank recently signed an agreement with Washington DC-based Nexford University by sponsoring secondary school leavers in Nigeria to earn international undergraduate degrees under a maximum duration of three years.

To also gain hands-on expertise, they will be concurrently engaged

by Sterling Bank to serve in specific capacities in a work-study arrangement.

According to a statement made available by Temi Dalley, chief human resources officer of Sterling Bank Plc, the programme is part of the bank’s new-to-the-world opportunities for young Nigerians to get access to quality and affordable education while gaining cognate work experience.

The statement further said that the financial institution will pay not less than 65 percent tuition fee of the learners admitted into the programme, marking a significant investment in the education of young Nigerians.

In the statement, Dalley was quoted as saying that the ‘Grow with Sterling’ initiative was a cobranded social impact programme that would enable Nigerian secondary school leavers to further their education under a unique partnership arrangement with the bank as the financier and Nexford University as the learning provider.

Listing other benefits, Dalley added that learners would get complimentary access to 20 percent tuition discount, free enrolment on online learning platforms, amongst other things.

and South Africa. “In most countries in tropical Africa, cassava root is a basic staple food, an important reserve for other crop failures and an increasingly economic crop for the urban market,” Nebambi Lutaladio, an expert on root and tuber crops at FAO’s crop and pastures, said.

“Although the starch imported by s o m e c o u n t r i e s c a n b e produced locally using cassava, its government has not been able to adjust its policies to encourage the cassava starch production. “There is no tradition of public research and development of tapioca starch value-added production “In addition, there is no tradition of public research and development in value-added cassava starch production, and the private sector is reluctant to invest in research to improve cassava starch processing technology due to lack of patent protection,” Lutaladio further said.

Experts in cassava production claim that building a modern cassava starch processing plant typically requires $8-10 million in capital and a large amount of additional funds to cover operating expenses for the first few years.

At present, private investors lose interest in investment because of the fact that many African farmers use unmodified cassava varieties, the quality of the starch produced is low, and the supply is unstable farmers prefer to sell fresh produce as food when the market price is higher.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 07068638066

Tin Can Island port Customs hits N117.8bn revenue target EMMANUEL UDOM

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igeria Customs Service, Tin Island Port Command, Apapa, Lagos, in four months raked in N117.8billion revenue into the Federal Government coffers. This performance was said to have occurred between January and April, this year, Uche Ejesieme, public relations officer for the command, in a press statement said: “The target was realised through the deployment of Time Release Study (TRS), a tool that facilitated revenue and trades across Customs formations nationwide”.

In the statement, the Tin Island Customs Area Controller, Musa Abdullahi was quoted by Ejesieme as saying that “TRS is used basically for strategic planning in order to determine the actual time required for the clearance and release of goods, after the arrival of the goods”. BDSUNDAY however notes that N117.billion revenue is up by N11.194billion generated by the command same period last year, which stood at N106billion.

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SundayBusiness Mortgage: More govt interventions needed to change industry story

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o far, the mortgage industry story in Nigeria has remained the same, several years after, despite government’s interventions in that industry and also in the housing sector, all aimed to make housing in the country affordable.

The present state of the mortgage industry and the housing sector worries stakeholders who had expected that after setting up of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the National Housing Fund (NHF) and the NigerianMortgageRefinanceCompany (NMRC), there would be a new beginning.

NMRC’s mission ‘to break down barriers to home ownership by providing liquidity, affordability, accessibility and stability to the housing market’ is yet to be realized appreciably due to unfriendly business environment.

In addition to these, there have been other initiatives such as the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) which created the Family Homes Fund (FHF) and voted N1 trillion for affordable housing for Nigerians with potential capacity to generate up to1.5 percent increase in GDP by 2023.

This was followed by the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) programme of the federal civil service to enhance affordable mass housing delivery just as the Mort-

gage Warehouse Funding Limited (MWFL) also came on board as a special purpose vehicle to provide short term funding for financing primary mortgage originations.

It is sad to note that, in spite of these interventions, both mortgage and housing are still struggling.

Nigeria is expected to produce 1million housing units annually to bridge its housing deficit, but the annual production is estimated at 100,000 units.

NMRC, a couple of years ago, announced that it has refinanced mortgage loans totaling N18billion as at December 2018 which, it explained, was in line with its mandate to promote affordable home ownership in the country by leveraging funding from the capital market to deepen liquidity in the primary and secondary mortgage markets.

“The deployment of the N18billion to refinance mortgage loan portfolios of member-lending institutions has helped to boost liquidity in the Nigerian housing market, thus enabling mortgage lenders to provide more housing loans and encouraging long-term mortgage loan creation”, the company said in a statement in Lagos.

But it remains to be seen where and how this deployment has impacted on either housing delivery or homeownership. It may not be safe to say that people have not bought or built homes as a result of this “deployment”, but the number

may not be something to tell a tale, considering the need and the gap.

Experts are, therefore, saying that there are problems with the country’s mortgage industry which, in their view, are fundamental. One of such problems is accessibility and the second is clarity. Accessibility is a big issue because when a borrower approaches a mortgage bank for loan, the bank will begin to ask for things that he cannot provide.

And these are things he cannot really provide in his life, meaning that, for such a person, mortgage is not accessible.

In terms of clarity, there is no unified system. Paul Onwuanibe, CEO, Landmark Group, says there is no where government has published a mortgage rate which the mortgage banks have to buy into or a mortgage standard or process which the banks have to fit into.

“I don’t really know. It is obvious that there is no clarity in the mortgage system here and if there is any such thing, it is not yet published and so people don’t know and if people don’t know, it means such a process does not exist”, he posited.

Besides accessibility and clarity, there is also the problem of interest rate which is hard to take because a borrower with low income cannot take a long term mortgage loan with double interest rate. It is simply not viable. This is because if the loan seeker borrows at 20 percent rate, it means that every year, he owes

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) twice as much, and that is how bad it is.

The implication of this is that if someone who has taken a mortgage loan is using it to build a house and he is building at a slow pace because his salary remains the same over the period, he will be in trouble because the rate will be rising whereas his income is static.

His salary needs to rise at the same geometric progression with the rate for him to be able to cope. This is why experts advocate a legislation towards this process which, of course, depends on how the legislation is applied.

“In other societies, what happens is that you have a body set up that subsidises mortgage. It delivers this either through banks or by itself.

In England they call this building society and they do a whole range of syndicating. So, the legislation around mortgage has to be finetuned, implemented and advertised so that people can access it”, Onwuanibe advised.

The structure of the Nigerian economy is another major factor militating against the growth of the industry. According to Onwuanibe,

“the basic principles of mortgage is that you must have steady income and in gainful employment. You must be able to provide income in multiples for the property that will be built for your use.

“If your income is N1 million, for instance, and the cost of the property is N1 million, unless you want to steal, you cannot afford that property because there is no mortgage for you at that rate given your income.”

Given Nigeria’s wide housing demand-supply gap, the country needs to do something quickly to grow its mortgage industry. According to MKO Balogun, CEO, Global Property and Facilities International, “for us to get out of here, the mortgage industry has to improve and developers have to be encouraged to build mortgageviable and ready properties; interest rate has to be reduced to single digit and made available; the whole process of securing mortgage has to be made clearer and more transparent, and mortgage has to be available on the high street such that every time you go out looking for it, you see it”

How we closed fantastic deals despite pandemic, by Popoola Olawale Popoola is the managing director and chief executive officer of HighBridge Homes Limited, one of the players in Nigeria’s real estate industry. He explains how good track record helped his firm blossom despite pandemic pains and more, in this interview with. Excerpt: Could you introduce yourself and your organisation? y name is O l a w a l e Popoola; I am the MD/ CEO of High BridgeHomes Li m i t e d . I a m a l s o a n executive member of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN). Our corporate headquarters is located at Royal Plaza, Bogije on the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos.

We are into real estate; our operations cover the major spectrum in real estate.

HighBridge has carved a niche for itself as a big player in booming real estate sector. We are actually reputed for having one of the largest land bank all over the country. We sell affordable lands to all categories of Nigerians; the low, middle and high income strata of society.

Primarily, we are in the business of helping people own their own houses, and we do that by acquiring large expanse of lands that is free from all encumbrances, and sell plots to prospective

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property owners with approved title documents from relevant government department. We also assist people buy both luxurious, middle level and low cost houses.

How did you get into property business?

I studied Civil Engineering at Kwara State Polytechnic, then read Economics and acquired my BSc in Economics from the University of Ilorin. I have other professional certifications. Armed with my engineering, economics background and all of that, I decided to explore the burgeoning real estate sector; and I am so glad I did.

Business has been exciting.

Are you saying that Covid-19 has not taken toll on the operations of HighBridge Homes particularly when all sectors reeling under the negative impacts of the pandemic?

Covid-19 pandemic affected real estate players in different measures. Players, who have good track record of performance and the capacity to dangle enticing

and innovative schemes to consumers of real estate products still closed fantastic deals despite the economic limitations that the pandemic had on people. For us at HighBridge Homes, Covid-19 pandemic was a blessing because we made so much sales than we did before the pandemic. At the moment, we have sold out two schemes already namely HighBridge Cottage which

Olawale Popoola

is located in Sangotedo area of Lekki; and HighBridge Oakland, Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos. Currently, HighBridge Park Estates is the fastest estate within the Lagos Free Trade Zone, with a high appreciable value. A prospective property buyer can get a patch of land in Ibeju-Lekki at an affordable rate. I can assure you that in two weeks, all the plots in the estate will be sold out because we give our customers prime properties at affordable rates. They love us because our properties are safe. That’s our hallmark.

What would you say has endeared HighBridge Homes to property buyers?

Our selling point is; we deliver intact and promptly too. HighBridge is known for adding value to our estate even before we start selling out the plots. We construct gate houses, paved roads within the estate; provide power generating plants, perimeter fencing and general amenities for the benefit of our esteemed residents. We don’t wait until we sell a large volume before

we start development.

But as soon as we have taken possession we commence development; and that gives our clients confidence because they can interact with us; they see our presence on site and they believe us which helps our business. Yes; we deliver and give back value to our clients. And they are left with no choice than to patronise us. Our clients don’t need to deal with the natives (omo onile) we shield them from every omo-onile challenge. They are safe and comfortable w i t h u s . We b a s i c a l l y bring investors closer to affordable lands and houses without stress.

Could you tell us a little bit about future prospects of High BridgeHomes?

High BridgeHomes is spreading across the nation; currently we are running a pre-launch offer on our Benin City Estate; we are also working on the launch of three new estates; two in Lagos and one in Abuja very soon. We are coming up with a unique build and sell Estate in one of the

prime property zones of Lekki Peninsular, Lagos. The estate is very unique in the sense that a prospective buyer can acquire a plot and be able to express his creativity by building to his or her taste. We also have a section that will feature Hi g h Br i d g e p r o t o t y p e kind of apartments to cater for all categories of income earners. For instance, there will be selfcontained or studio and one bedroom apartments for beginners and young families, two bedrooms and three bedroom terrace apartments for the middle income class and semidetached four and more luxury flat for the upper class.

Th e B e n i n p r o j e c t is currently going for N1.6million for a full plot and N850,000 for half plot.

A plot in Benin is 900 square meters which is bigger than that of Lagos by 100 ft. The pre-lunch offer is about to close, by the time we lunch it fully the price will go over two million; this is the right time to get a pre-lunch offer at a cheap rate.

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Sunday 20 September 2020

SundayBusiness Encomiums as DG Canada-Africa Affairs bows out

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Ngozi Okpalakunne

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n c o m i u m s poured in torrents as the former Director-General o f Pa n Af r i c a relationship at Global Affairs, Ambassador Paula Caldwell St Onge, took a bow out of office after two-and-a-half years of meritorious service to the continent.

At a retirement dinner recently held in her honour by the Nigerian and Canadian Business Network (NCBN) at the home of Wale Adesanya, under the auspices of the Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Solomon AzohNbi, eminent personalities from all walks of life took turns to pay their tributes to the outgoing DG for her supportive role to Africa in global affairs.

Azoh-Nbi, in his keynote address, gave Paula a pat on the back for her deep understanding of the problems and potentials of Africa. “We have worked with Paula for many years of meritorious service to Africa and the world in general. We have known her for long and worked very closely with her in Canada-African relations.

She has visited many of our countries and knows many of our people, problems and the potentials of the continent,” he said.

On his own part, the Minister for Trade and Investment at Nigeria High Commission Canada, Joseph Atodo, who spoke on behalf of Ambassador Adeyinka Asekun, commended Paula for her resourcefulness in

Ogun grants investors 50% discount on land use charge

L-R: King Wale Adesanya (NCBN), Joseph Atodo (NHC Ottawa), Amb. Paula Cadwell St Onge, Samson Arega (Ethiopian Airlines) at the retirement dinner organised for the former DirectorGeneral, Canada-Africa Affairs.

promoting Canada-Africa relationship.

“Paula is so very important to us in her resourcefulness in driving Canada-Africa relation. We are here to honourher.Sheisawonderful and fantastic lady. And on behalf of his Excellency, High Commissioner, we at the High Commission of Nigeria in Canada wish Paula the very best in her future endeavour,” he said.

Similarly, his South Africa counterpart, Sibongiseni Dlamini-Mntambo, while narrating her experience of working with Paula, said: “This is where we really have to thank you for always being there for Africa. I have been fortunate enough to work with you at professional and none professional levels. You are always ready to listen, always ready to give advice.

For instance, you have been able to give your advice in terms of repatriations; you

have been able to give advice on issues of visa application for African people. You have always been there to give advice on almost everything.

We thank you.

“At personal level, I thank you for being my body guard to make sure I was safe. I thank you for always being there for me. I wish you well as you retire. I wish you well in life, I wish you more blessings.”

In the same v e i n , Ug a n d a ’s Hi g h Commissioner to Canada, Joy Ruth Acheng, joined her voice and expressed strong commendation for the great service the outgoing DG had rendered to Africa at global level. She described her as a friendly and approachable colleague.

“I want to thank Paula for the great service she has done to the government of Canada and how she has served us as African

diplomats and other African of different categories. She has been so great to us; she has been so friendly and approachable,” she said.

Director-General for West and Central Africa and global affairs Canada, Tarik Khan, declared that Paula would be greatly missed for the passion with which she had served Africa in global affairs. “As one of Paual colleagues, I can certainly say how much she is going to be missed by those of us in global affairs Canada. And I know she would be missed by so many of you as well who had the chance to experience Paula’s dynamism, energy and passion she has for Africa.

Paula leaves a very great legacy in our department in terms of connection and connectedness and of supporting trade relation and creating opportunities for Canadian and Africa businesses.

gun State government has granted 50 percent to investors on all land use and amenities charges.

This grace will be enjoyed by all investors who make their payment on or before end of September.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Kunle Somorin statedthattheDapoAbiodun administration has put mechanism in place to make it convenient for investors to pay their land use and amenity charges, considering the harsh economy affecting many countries, as a result of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

It added that with the overall economic development of the state in mind and the need to further strengthen the existing relationship with various industries domiciled in the state, the reduction was in good faith to ensure that the public–private partnership (PPP) agenda was built upon, as government alone cannot do the business of making the state a better place.

The statement further noted that tax payers who pay their Land Use and Amenities Charge between October 1st and October 31th, would be eligible to enjoy 25 percent discount, while payment made between November 1st to 30th, 2020, would attract 10 percent discount, assuring that those who had already paid before the government made the decision would get their

credit.

Pa y m e n t a c c o r d i n g to the statement has been simplified for the convenience of business owners through the use of payment codes via the online platform, which could either be done through the use of card, USSD and internet banking.

To pay using the online platform, Business owners are to visit http://pay luac. ogunstate.gov.ng, enter their bills payment code and the payers contact details, click on make payment button, select card, USSD or internet banking options to complete the payment.

The statement while stating that a payment receipt would be sent automatically by the REMITA platform, with a payment notification sent to the payer by the OGSG LUAC platform, added that on entering of the payer’s payment code, the discounted amount payable would on such bill be calculated automatically and displayed.

Ac c o r d i n g t o t h e release, business owners were advised to visit any bank branch of their choice nationwide to make their payment.

Recall that government had inaugurated the State Business Environment Council, to focus on sustainable reforms that would address challenges militating against Ease of Doing Business and limiting effective private sector participation in the state economy.

Featured in most of LG 2020 OLED and 8K NanoCell TVs is the new α (Alpha) 9 Gen 3 AI Processor. The company’s third-generation processor builds on the capabilities of its predecessors, leveraging additional processing power and advanced deep learning algorithms to further boost picture and sound quality on the new TVs. The α9 Gen 3 heightens viewers’ sense of immersion via several new features designed to enhance movies, sports, games and other types of content.

LG’s 2020 TVs support the latest HDMI specifications including eARC and ALLM for higher-quality audio and a smooth, lag-free performance. LG’s 8K models can play native 8K content from HDMI and USB digital inputs and support a wide range of codecs including HEVC, VP9 and AV1, the codec preferred

by YouTube and other major streaming platforms.* LG’s 8K TVs support 8K content

streaming at 60FPS and are certified to provide 8K 60P over HDMI. Acclaimed for its ability to accurately reproduce colors and filmmakers’ creative visions, LG OLED TV sets the standard for a true cinematic experience in the living room.

The company’s latest OLED models have won the Hollywood Professional Association’s Excellence in Engineering Award and are the first TVs to deliver integrated calibration software that performs to a hardware level. And with support for the new Dolby Vision IQ and the UHD Alliance’s Filmmaker Mode™, LG OLED displays movies exactly as their creators intended. And with great visual and sound performance, the new OLED and NanoCell TVs provide easy access to high-quality content from the world’s top providers through popular apps and services such as Apple TV, Disney+ and Netflix.

LG OLED TVs spearhead new TV lineup

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G Electronics (LG) has rolled out new lineup of TVs, led by 14 new OLED models including the art-inspired GX Gallery series, real 8K ZX models and 4K Ultra HD TVs. The undisputed world leader in OLED TVs, LG is taking the viewing and gaming experience into exciting, new territories in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

A statement by the company said that consumers would appreciate the sophisticated designs of LG’s 2020 premium TVs and their ability to seamlessly integrate with, and elevate, any space.

“OLED continues to offer the best viewing experience around, the self-emissive display technology able to precisely control light at the pixel level for the deepest blacks, most realistic colours and an infinite contrast.

“The stunningly sleek form factors of the new TVs are as breathtaking as the picture

quality they deliver, beneficiaries of LG’s unrivalled OLED technology,” it said.

Exemplifying LG’s commitment to outstanding design, the three new GX Gallery series models (55-, 65- and 77-inches) offer a uniquely minimalist aesthetic, made possible by OLED’s revolutionary panel technology which does not require a backlight. This enables the television to integrate stateof-the-art picture quality in an ultra-thin form factor – the 65-inch model only 20mm thin without the need of a separate control box. The TV mounts flush to the wall akin to a piece of art in a gallery.

Producing images of unprecedented detail and clarity, the much anticipated LG OLED ZX Real 8K models (models 88 OLED ZX and 77 OLED ZX) deliver four times the screen resolution of 4K and 16 times that of Full HD. To guarantee a real 8K experience, LG’s TVs meet

and exceed the industry definition for 8K Ultra HD TVs as defined by the Consumer Technology Association, making them among the first 8K models qualified to use the CTA 8K Ultra HD logo.

LG is also rolling out allnew 4K OLED TVs for 2020 (models CX and BX in 77-, 65- and 55-inches), each delivering the outstanding picture quality that LG OLED is

known for. Consumers will also have a new size to choose from when the 48-inch CX OLED TV becomes available later this year. What’s more, NanoCell TV, LG’s premium LCD TV lineup, welcomes seven Real 8K units (75and 65-inches in Nano99, Nano97, Nano95 series, 55inch Nano95) all carrying the CTA 8K UHD logo like their OLED counterparts.

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SportS

Fierce battle at stamford bridge as chelsea host liverpool ...Osimhen set for Napoli debut

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Stories by ANTHONY NLEBEM

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ootball fans will enjoy another great weekend of football action as the new football season in Europe continues this weekend.

The pick of Premier League matches this weekend is the make or mar clash between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Reds completed a league ‘double’ over the Blues last season, with the teams’ most recent meeting a 5-3 win for the Merseyside club in July.

Liverpool supporters have been concerned at their club’s relative lack of action in the transfer market (certainly compared to Chelsea, who have recruited heavily and brought in world-class talent such as Moroccan attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech), but manager Jurgen Klopp insists he prefers working with a smaller group of players.

Speaking ahead of the cracker, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard insists he has “huge respect” for Jurgen Klopp despite his stormy relationship with the Liverpool boss.

Lampard launched an expletive-laced touchline tirade at Klopp and his assistant Pep Lijnders as tempers rose during Chelsea’s 5-3 loss at Liverpool last season.

He followed that blast by warning Klopp not to get “too arrogant” and the feud has continued into the new campaign, with Liverpool’s Premier League visit to Chelsea on Sunday serving as another potential flashpoint in the growing rivalry.

Klopp took a swipe at Lam-

pard’s £200 million ($259 million) close-season spending spree which included Chelsea beating Liverpool to the signature of Germany forward Timo Werner.

He said his club could not act in the same way as those owned by oligarchs, in a reference to Blues supremo Roman Abramovich.

Lampard responded by saying it was “slightly amusing” to see Klopp complain about Chelsea’s transfer investments when Liverpool had spent heavily in the past.

Klopp was diplomatic about their relationship, insisting he admired Lampard as a player and was impressed with his managerial work.

“What he has done in his time at Liverpool has been incredible and that is on him as the focal point of the club and the individual talent they have brought in,” the Chelsea boss said.

“The nature of the world we live in is there’s a lot of airtime for you to fill with rivalries. They can be scrutinised in every way.

“There is nothing in it for me. The competitive nature of the 90 minutes can always slightly boil over in different directions. The respect I have for Jurgen Klopp will never change.”

Chelsea lost narrowly three times to Liverpool last season, but they did knock Klopp’s men out of the FA Cup. After finishing 33 points behind Liverpool, Lampard’s spending has raised expectations that Chelsea will mount a serious title challenge this term.

Despite Lampard’s protestations, beating Liverpool in their second game of the season would clearly lay down a title marker for Chelsea , who opened the campaign with a 3-1 win at Brighton on Monday.

“I don’t feel it’s a game to make a statement, it’s the second game of the season,” Lampard said. “On Monday we were in the pre-season zone in terms of fitness. Now we take on the best team in the country last season.

Pinnick restates NFF’s support for Nigeria Pitch Awards

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resident of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick has restated the Federation’s support for the Nigeria Pitch Awards as the seventh edition of the glamorous awards has now been scheduled for the month of November in Asaba, Delta State.

Speaking in, Pinnick extolled the assiduity, creativity and ingenuity that the organizers of the awards, Matchmakers Consult International Limited bring into the entire packaging of the event each year, and advised that the same laudable qualities should be retained and even improved upon for subsequent processes and ceremonies.

“I am impressed by the hard work and transparency that the organisers of the Nigeria Pitch Awards bring into the process and organisation of the ceremony each year. Despite a number of challenges and hurdles to cross over the years, they have

never faltered in putting up an impressive show and more importantly, the integrity of the selections have been obvious to followers of the game.

“It is rather difficult to keep up standards and maintain certain parameters especially with the hailstorm of the COVID-19, but I want to charge the organisers to do their utmost to maintain the integrity of the awards and strive to keep to the standards they have set over the years.”

Thiago offers fresh dimension to Liverpool

Nigeria’s football supremo further assured the organizers that the NFF’s moral support for the awards remains intact and that the Federation’s top hierarchy would be ready to grace this year’s ceremony taking place in the Delta State capital in the second week of November.

On his own part, president of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, Shina Phillips, assured that the integrity of the awards is its major asset and that nothing would be done to compromise the high standards that have been second nature to the event over the years.

“Matchmakers Consult International Limited will continue to guard jealously the unique qualities and attributes that have sustained the Nigeria Pitch Awards. Our thinking is in the long-term, not short-term.

We are fully committed to making this a project that Nigerians, and indeed all Africans, will be proud of.”

iverpool have signalled their intent to build on a first league title for 30 years with the signing of a serial winner in Bayern Munich playmaker devo At 29, the Spanish international fits a very different profile from the young and hungry transfer targets of recent years that have helped transform the Reds’ fortunes under the watchful eye of Jurgen Klopp.

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Andy Robertson are among the smart signings to have blossomed at Anfield, helping Liverpool to become European champions and then English champions.

But Thiago has been brought in to bring another dimension and prevent a hugely successful

Rooney went even further, claiming the title race was already over and labelling his arrival at Anfield as a “better signing than (Lionel) Messi”.

Liverpool have collected 196 points in the past two Premier League seasons and reached the Champions League final in 2018 before winning it a year later.

Yet if there is one ingredient Klopp’s side have lacked, it is a creative passer in midfield.

The dynamism offered by captain Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Alex OxladeChamberlain and Naby Keita suit their manager’s demand to press relentlessly and allow the front three of Salah, Mane and Roberto Firmino to shine.

Added to those formidable resources, they now have one of

side going stale after two years without a major signing.

Before the start of the Premier League season, Klopp pointed to the fact that, unlike rivals Manchester City or Chelsea, Liverpool do not have the backing of an oil-rich state or a Russian oligarch to be able to spend freely while the cloud of the coronavirus pandemic hangs over football.

But at an initial cost of just £20 million, the former Barcelona midfielder represents another good deal negotiated by the Liverpool hierarchy for a hugely regarded player.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola made signing the Spain international his first priority when taking over at Bayern Munich in 2013, telling the board: “Thiago is the only player I want.”

When rumours of Liverpool’s interest in his former pupil emerged, Guardiola said he had no doubts that Thiago’s “exceptional” skill-set would convert easily to the more physical style of English football.

Former Manchester United and England captain Wayne

world football’s most technically adept midfielders, with the vision to open up defences and the positional sense to sit deep to deny space in behind.

The son of Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho, his father’s playing career meant Thiago and brother Rafinha, who plays for Barcelona, grew up in Spain.

A product of Barca’s famous La Masia academy, he broke into the first team during Guardiola’s glorious four-year spell as manager despite fierce competition from Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas for a place in midfield.

After winning two LaLiga titles and the Champions League in 2011, Thiago grew frustrated at having to wait to be Xavi’s successor and joined forces with Guardiola once more in Munich.

Bayern won the Bundesliga in all seven of his seasons in Germany and he leaves after winning the Champions League in his final game for the club following a series of semi-final disappointments. “’Kloppo’ is getting a top player and a great person,” said Bayern boss Hansi Flick.

30 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 20 September 2020

Cover

As Edo awaits new governor Idris Umar Momoh & Churchill Okoro, Benin

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espite the combined warning by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police that those who would attempt to engage in any form of malfeasance would meet their waterloo, allegations of open money-sharing and vote-buying trailed the election yesterday.

Ahead of the gubernatorial election, the INEC and security agencies had held several stakeholder meetings, where some threat words were issued against those who may be tempted to run afoul of the law before, during and after the exercise, but there were indications yesterday that the election, which was largely violence-free, witnessed other forms of manipulations.

The INEC, which had promised to deliver free and fair election apparently, looked the other way as certain elements did everything to compromise voters.

While decrying seeming shabby preparations of the INEC as reflected in faulty card readers and late commencement of voting in his strongholds, Governor Godwin Obaseki, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said: “You can see cars parked with a lot of cash being disbursed to people buying votes, and it seems to be normal practice, but we are not perturbed as people know what to do. Cash can’t buy their future.”

Our correspondent, however, reported that the Edo election did not wear the violent colour of the November 16,2019 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, where armed thugs operated freely and visited terror on opposition supporters.

Obaseki, decries INEC’s shabby preparations …Alleges deliberate election manipulation in own stronghold Edo State Governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Godwin Obaseki has expressed displeasure over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s inadequate preparations for the state governorship election of Saturday, September 19.

Obaseki said this after casting his vote at Ward 04, Unit 19 in Oredo Local Government Area, Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Obaseki, accompanied by his wife, Betsy, arrived at his polling unit located at Emokpae Primary School in Oredo Local Government Area of the state, alongside his wife at 10:30am but refused to jump the queue. He finally voted at about 11:50am, after over one hour of waiting on the queue.

“I expected better preparation on the part of those saddled with the responsibility to conduct this election. To wait for one and a half hours on the queue before exercising my franchise is a bit disappointing,” Obaseki said.

“Given that this is a sole day’s election, I expected better planning and preparation and resources should have been put into this election.

“At the last presidential election, in my polling unit, there were two polling points which eased the burden on voters. You all are witnesses to how long it has taken.

“The card reader here is working slowly, and this is the situation in all the major voting centres in Oredo Local Government Area of the state as I speak.

“At Garrick Memorial School, I understand that over 500 voters are already stranded because they can’t vote due to slow processing of the card reader.

“One would have expected that INEC will have deployed more card readers and more voting points in high density polling centres,” he said.

Responding to allegation of vote-buying at polling units, the governor said that the security agencies are not doing what they assured Edo people and Nigerians before the election.

“The security agencies assured us that they won’t allow anybody who doesn’t have business of voting into a particular place to be there, but they are working contrary to what they promised us,” Obaseki said.

Obaseki lamented the recurrence of issues that had marred several elections in the country, saying there were people sharing monies to voters.

Recall that hours into the election yesterday, Obaseki, had raised the alarm over an alleged manipulation of election in his strongholds.

His media aide, Crusoe Osagie in a statement made available to newsmen, had

A voter washing his hands and collecting facemask at the entrance of a polling unit, as part of COVID-19 precautionary measures ahead of the Edo State governorship election, Benin City, Saturday .

Pic by Churchill Okoro

Registered voters on queue to exercise their franchise at ward 11, unit 5, at Azama Primary School, Jattu in Etsako West LGA.

alleged that “there is deliberate election manipulation in areas where the candidate of the PDP and governor of Edo State is popular. Suddenly, card readers are not working in areas where Governor Godwin Obaseki is very popular.”

He further alleged that “Voters are being disenfranchised and we are constrained to say that this is sabotage.”

“Specifically, in Oredo Ward 1, Unit 20 and other places where the Governor is clearly popular, the card readers are not working. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should prove to Edo voters that it can conduct a credible election in Edo State,” he said.

Our correspondent gathered that while the exercise commenced early as scheduled in some places, it was very late in some others. Obaseki waited for over one hour before casting his vote, a situation his party alleged was a deliberate attempt to manipulate the election in his stronghold.

There were manifest faulty card readers, among others.

Ize-Iyamu commends INEC, confident of victory Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All

Progressives Congress (APC) in the election, commended the INEC for peaceful conduct of the electoral process.

Ize-Iyamu, who spoke with journalists, expressed the hope that he would win the election.

“I am confident of victory across the 18 LGAs of the State,” he said.

Ize-Iyamu added that he would win the election ‘’if the peaceful situation in his unit was the same everywhere’’.

He expressed the hope after casting his vote at about 9:30 a.m. at polling unit 26, ward 5 in Iguododo community, Orionhwon Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, “The accreditation is very easy; I have done that and they gave me the ballot paper. Where the ballot box is placed is covered and that means you can vote with some level of privacy. ”I cannot say that what is happening here is happening all over the state because the communication is not very good. I am happy I have been able to vote. I am very confident of winning and I just hope what is happening here is replicated all over the state.”

Fourteen (14) political parties presented candidates for the election, including the two front-runners, Ize-Iyamu and the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki, contesting on the

Voters on queue at Atebheda Primary School, Agbede, Etsako West LGA. By Idris N Momoh

Sunday 20 September 2020

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PDP platform.

He also commended INEC for adhering to the Covid-19 protocol.

“The process is good and going on smoothly; there is no thuggery and violence, the place is peaceful and calm.

“I am happy that INEC has a thermometer to check the temperature and they also give out face masks to our people.

“We encourage our people to come out in batches so they can strictly adhere to the Covid-19 protocols of social distances.”

Shaibu sees victory for PDP Philip Shaibu, Edo State deputy governor and running mate of the governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed the hope that the party would win the election.

Shaibu made the remarks shortly after casting his vote at ward 11, unit 5, at about 10:30am at Azama Primary School, Jattu in Etsako West Local Government Area.

“I am optimistic that we will win the election.

You know, I am a man of the people and we have a technocrat as a governor; people who ordinarily would not have come are out to vote; so, I am expecting victory for the party.

“I have never lost election; I am a grassroots politician and a man of the people. The crowd would have been more than this but I think as times goes on, people will turn up for the election “Don’t forget this is my community and whether there is gun shot or not they must stand by me,” he said.

He also expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters, adding however that “it would have been more if not for initial tension that followed the electioneering”.

While commending the electorate for conducting themselves peacefully, he however, noted that he cannot say what will transpire later in the day.

“But you know at this time of election, things are usually peaceful, thing get worse during collation of result.

“I heard that in some strongholds of the governor, card readers are not working well, but I am yet to confirm that,” he added.

Audu, APC deputy governorship candidate, hopeful of victory Gani Audu, deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed the optimism that the election was for his party to lose. He expressed the optimism after casting his vote at 11:10am at unit 13, ward 7 located at Ughiole Primary School, Aviele, Etsako

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West Local Government.

Audu commended the process and the way and manner the electorate conducted themselves.

He said there was no doubt in his mind that the APC would win the election because the state was an APC state.

“You can see, Edo is an APC state. I don’t have any doubts at all that we will win this election; APC will win this election at the end of the day. No doubt about. You will see the result after 5pm today.

“The process is okay; I just came, used the Card Reader, accreditation was done and I voted, very simple.

The turnout is massive. In fact, I am seeing the turn out in this for the first time in the history of elections in this village. The turnout is massive and it is fine,” he said.

Bad state of card readers hampered process - Oshiomhole Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State has criticised the conduct of the ongoing gubernatorial election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Oshiomhole, the immediate past national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressed disaffection in an interview with journalists after voting at about 10:55 a.m, in his Ward 10 (Uzairue North East), polling unit 1 of Etsako West local government area in Iyamho area of Uzairue.

He complained about the bad state of card readers in several polling units in his constituency, saying that it slowed down voting process.

“The only bad eggs are most card readers, they are not functioning properly, thereby slowing down the process,” he said.

The former governor, however, commended the efforts of security operatives and praised the electorate for maintaining calm and order in the course of the voting processes.

He further charged the security officials not to lose guard and watch out for any act of thuggery, “There are speculations that criminals will arrive to cause intimidation towards the collation time,” he added.

Oshiomhole is backing the APC candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, against the incumbent governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Godwin Obaseki.

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Edo guber: Officials, voters shun Covid-19 protocols Iniobong Iwok with agency report

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midst threat by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that voters who failed to adhere to the Covid-19 precautionary measures would not be allowed to vote, reports across Edo State indicate that voters and officials in the ongoing gubernatorial election have largely ignored the warning.

Most voters observed in Igueben, Esan, Ovia, and Ikopba/Okha Local Government did not adhere to the prescribed two metres physical distancing rule by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). Recall that INEC had said infrared thermometers will be supplied and used at the registration area, collation cen-

tres, the Local Government Area and the state collation centres.

INEC also added that the use of face masks has also been made mandatory for all involved in the election process.

While alcohol-based hand sanitisers are expected to be provided for election officials at the polling units.

Rules of physical distancing, the commission said, will be enforced at all election activities including political engagements, training, and queuing at polling units.

However, voters monitored at polling unit 26, ward 5, in Iguododo community, Orionhwon Local Government, Eguare Primary School, Ebelle, Ward 06, PU 08 Igueben, LGA did not obey the rules.

Several Covid-19 compliance officers were seen in some polling units shaking hands with people, while others simply watch on.

Huge voter-turnout, peaceful voting

D

espite the fear of possible voter apathy, the electorate turned out en masse in many parts of the state.

There was massive turnout in some local government areas visited, such as Etsako West, Etsako East and Etsako Central.

At ward 7, units 2, 3, located at Atebheda primary school, Agbede, units 13, 14 and 15 at Ughiole Primary School, Aviele, the turnout of voters was massive.

At Auchi, ward 4, units 1-10, the administrative headquarters of Etsako West local government, the turnout was also impressive.

There was also large turnout of voters at Azama primary school, Jattu, the deputy governor of Edo State and PDP running mate, Phillip Shaibu’s ward (ward 11, polling unit 05).

The same was observed at Iyamho Prima-

ry School, in ward 10, where Adams Oshiomhole, former, national chairman of APC, voted and Sule Primary School, Apana, unit 13 at the same ward, the turnout was also large.

It was the same story at Obe Primary School, ward 2, units 1-6, Fugar in Etsako Central Local Government Area.

Some of the voters, who spoke to newsmen in the wards and locality, described the voting exercise as peaceful. They also commended the security operatives for maintaining law and order.

At Imiegba, in Etsako East Local Government Area, Igiode and Igiele Primary School, Uzanu, the turnout was large and the election peaceful.

Abubakar Momoh, a former House of Representatives member, who commended the exercise, however, decried the non- functioning of card readers in some voting centres in the locality.

Pockets of violence, ballot box snatching in Ikpoba-Okha, Egor LGAs ...As commissioner assures of victory

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here were reported incidences of ballot box snatching and gunshots in some polling units in Ologbo, a border community in Ikpoba-Okha LGA, and ward 9 in Egor Local Government Area during the election.

A source, who pleaded anonymity alleged there were voter inducement in Ward 9, Unit 11,12,13 and 14 in Egor LGA. He further alleged that the All Progressives Congress connived with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Following the development, angry youths threatened to burn INEC’s vehicle.

Speaking with journalists, Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Efe Stewart said at the beginning of the election it was characterised by irregularities which

was subsequently brought under control.

“When the INEC official came; they wanted to move the centre to a card-carrying member’s hotel of the APC but the voters resisted.

“I put a call to the Electoral Officer; he came and instructed them to move to the accredited centre. The electorates were agitated.

“The people have resolved that there is no vacancy in Osadebey Avenue. He has done very well and should be returned to continue the good work he has started,” he said.

Another incidence of violence occurred in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, where one person was reportedly shot dead following attempt by the deceased to disrupt the exercise in the area.

Thug allegedly smashes lawmaker’s car with pebbles

T Some voters. checking for their names on INEC’s register at Ughiele primary school, Aviele

here was pandemonium at UnemeNekhua at ward 1, unit 9 in AkokoEdo Local Government Area of Edo State as suspected armed men shot repeatedly to scare voters out of the polling unit.

The unit is where the Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason cast his vote.

It was also gathered that a suspected

thug hauled pebbles at the voters with the intension of discouraging them from voting.

The pebbles, however, shattered the windscreen of the federal lawmaker’s car.

Addressing journalists, Akpatason blamed security personnel for not showing up on time when they needed them most.

Akpatason said the security personnel’s delay almost led the people to resort to selfhelp but he was able to calm them down.

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SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2020

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As OBJ speaks truth to power

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ove or hate him, there is no denying the fascinating fact that former President Olusegun Okikiola Obasanjo has within his DNA an uncommon passion, character and commitment to the unity of this country, called Nigeria. As fate would have it, he remains amongst those erstwhile military men who risked their lives in the battlefield of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war to keep the country together, till this day. And good enough, he has had the rare opportunity to be at the helm of this nation’s political affairs twice; first as a military Head of State, after the gruesome assassination of Gen. Murtala Mohammed and later as the civilian president, with the return of civil rule in 1999.

Given this intriguing scenario, a citizen, so tremendously enriched in the variegated affairs of the country should therefore, know his onions when it comes to making comments on the state of the nation, at any point in time.The method he deploys in conveying his opinions and thoughts-through personal visits to some politicians in power, public lectures and the usually labelled controversial letter-writing- may be different but the motive is the same. That of course, is to see that the ship of the nation is piloted with strict professionalism on the safe and steady course, against political, economic and social storms, guided by the compass of patriotism, prudence, probity with the aim to seek the common good for the good majority of Nigerians.

Against this backdrop therefore, it is most disheartening and disappointing that the presidency would react to his recent clarion call that urgent steps be taken, against the ever rising tides besotting our fragile unity, to refer to him as the ‘’Divider-in-Chief’’! Really? One would ask himself, if the issues of overtly nepotistic appointments, skewed in favour of a particular section of the country, the searing silence, or long-delayed responses from the presidency while innocent lives are wasted daily are not enough to sever whatever string remains of our much-touted but obviously bedevilled unity. How do we explain the horrifying situation that has fully

“Our country is our life; only when she sails safely have we friends at all. That is our common weal.’’

-Sophocles armed Fulani herdsmen turning the fertile farmlands of Benue through Taraba, Nassarawa, down to Enugu and across the South West States of Ondo, Oyo, into the killing fields of the country? What about the brazen bravado of the beastly bandits that have turned our major highways to fear-fuelling routes for kidnappings and killings?

Little wonder that Nobel laureate, Prof.

Wole Soyinka, who has never hidden the fact that he is not amongst OBJ’s teeming admirers, threw his weight behind the current critical concerns of Nigeria’s crumbling unity raised in the latter’s recent letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.

With the title ‘Between ‘Dividers-in-Chief’ and Dividers-in-law’, Soyinka reinforced OBJ’s claim that Nigeria was gradually sliding into more divided state. “Though, I am notoriously no fan of Olusegun Obasanjo… nonetheless, I embrace the responsibility of calling attention to any accurate reading of this nation from whatever source, as a contraption teetering on the very edge of total collapse. We are close to extinction as a viable comity of peoples, supposedly bound together under an equitable set of protocols of co-habitation, capable of producing its own means of existence, and devoid of sectarian privilege and will to dominate’’.

In hindsight, yours truly had in an opinion essay titled: ‘2019 and OBJ’s Bombshell’, early last year drawn the attention of the presidency to take the salient issues raised in that earlier letter seriously. The grains of the grouse highlighted then included weakness in handling the economy, nepotism, condoning corruption, worsening insecurity, poor understanding as well as handling of the dynamics of internal politics and having a na-

tion clearly divided along ethno-religious lines. But the question remains- are we any better as at the tail end of 2020? The answer is a resounding, No! What has remained constant however, is the stoic and unbending stance on the part of the presidency that Nigeria has flowered and flourished better in all ramifications under the Buhari administration. That the economy has not nose-dived while explaining the rash of borrowings of humongous sums of money as meant to build infrastructure and attract foreign direct investment. That the Boko Haram has been technically defeated, even as Nigeria is currently ranked as the third most terrorised country in the world. This of course, continues to corroborate the reports of terrorist camps springing up in places such as Niger, Kaduna, Kogi and Oyo states. This has become common knowledge. And on the question of national unity, the presidency has gone further to wave Obasanjo’s fears aside, insisting that Nigeria has always been divided long before now. There is little or no need therefore, to remind them that the calls of IPOB for Biafra nation and that from the proponents of Oduduwa Republic has never been so vociferous.

Such persistent insistence that the presidency never does any wrong rankles the psyche of patriots. And some of us concerned Nigerians make bold to say that our president is not an infallible god. No! He is human and vulnerable to making mistakes. It is a glowing tribute and testament to good leadership for decision makers to admit their mistakes and make amends, when they are pointed out to them. The lofty position he occupies today as well as the reins of power he controls are held in trust on behalf of the people of Nigeria, or should be. He should therefore, listen to the increasing cries of the pauperised populace and not the raucous drumbeats of the unpatriotic sycophants.

AYO OYOZE BAJE Baje is Nigerian first food technologist in the media and author of ‘Drumbeats of Democracy’

The bitter truth staring us all in the face this day is that there is poverty in the land.

It reigns supreme as Nigeria continues to wallow in the economic quagmire as the world capital of extreme penury; home to the highest number of preventable deaths of under-5 children and the number of school-aged youths that are out of school!

There are daily job losses, worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. Insecurity has reached a nerve-shredding crescendo as only the favoured few could go to bed with their two eyes closed. Increasing VAT, electricity tariff and pump price of fuel at this critical moment is insensitive on the part of our political leaders.

It drags the people deeper into the well-woven web of preventable poverty.

Indeed, we should be worried that all these are happening while we have sunk into an ignoble debt trap. And for a country richly blessed by God with vast oil, gas, solid mineral deposits, rich agricultural and tourism potentials with abundant human capital all question our leaders’ capacity to manage men and materials.

Methinks therefore, that contrary to the claim of supporters of this administration that both Obasanjo and Soyinka are rabblerousers and crying wolf where there is none, Mister President should be humble enough to admit his failings and make prompt amends. For, “only your true friend would tell you the truth at the risk of losing the cherished friendship”.

Why Obasanjo’s failed third term haunts him, hurts Buhari’s fragile Nigeria IKEDDY ISIGUZO .Isiguzo, a major commentator on minor national issues, writes from Abuja

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hief Olusegun Obasanjo never imagined that Nigeria would get to this point. His rating of Nigeria as a failing state is a patriotic version of the Fragile States Index statistics which rate Nigeria as 14th among the world’s failed states. Another ranking on terrorism placed Nigeria third after Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to the 2019 Fragile States Index of 178 countries, Nigeria was the 14th most fragile state in the world.

Africa claimed 10 spots of the 15 most failed countries in the world in this order, Somalia (second), South Sudan (third), Democratic Republic of Congo (fifth), Central Africa Republic (sixth), Chad (seventh), Sudan (eighth), Zimbabwe (10th), Guinea (11th), Nigeria (14th), and Burundi (15th).

The Global Terrorism Index 2020 was more distressing. Nigeria ranked third behind Afghanistan and Iraq. It is unimaginable that Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen both ravaged by

war were rated safer than Nigeria.

As Obasanjo casts blames for the state of Nigeria, he reckons that things would have been better if he was allowed to continue as President.

Obasanjo’s strident denial of a third term ambition fails to address the months his foot soldiers spent crisscrossing Nigeria in search of support for the unconstitutional idea.

Obasanjo was unprepared to leave office. His choice of an ailing Umaru Musa Yar’Adua put Nigeria in the spin from which it has not extricated itself.

What people see when Obasanjo discusses Nigeria is conflict of interests. They think Obasanjo is essentially self-serving, an attribute that was obvious when he supported President Muhammadu Buhari to office in the 2015 election. He concluded the series of criticisms of President Goodluck Jonathan over two years with membership withdrawal from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the party that made Obasanjo President straight from prison.

Obasanjo supported Buhari both at home and abroad. Speaking at the launch of his book ‘My Watch’ in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday, February 10, 2015, Obasanjo, said of Buhari, “The circumstances [Buhari] will be working

under if he wins the election are different from the one he worked under before, where he was both the executive and the legislature – he knows that,” he said. “It’s a question of leadership – political and military. He’s smart enough.

He’s educated enough. He’s experienced enough. Why shouldn’t I support him?”

Do Obasanjo’s concerns about Nigeria address his duplicitous rating of Buhari’s abilities and the administration? Sometimes, he is quiet; at others he remembers his role in Buhari’s presidency and justifies the withdrawal of support for Jonathan. Was his assessment of Buhari poor or he was bent on getting Jonathan out of power?

His important message that Nigeria was in the midst of challenges never seen expectedly is lost in the messenger. The Presidency said Obasanjo had become the Dividerin-Chief from his former position of Commander-in-Chief.

President Buhari administration is satisfied with its performance.

Whatever anyone else says is irrelevant. We have been told that when Buhari leaves office by 2023 we would appreciate his patriotic

leadership. What about the present?

Would we limp all the way to 2023? In what shape would we arrive?

Nigeria is an embarrassment to those who hold the country dearly.

Obasanjo’s cherished international contacts must be asking him questions he cannot dismiss about Nigeria.

Mistakes have been made. The worst of the mistakes was thinking - even for a fleeting moment - that Buhari was the solution to whatever disagreement there was among power mongers in 2015. He was not. He has consistently proven he is not about to be.

Choices Buhari has made since 2015 hammer at his determination to create the divisiveness Obasanjo complains about. Obasanjo is not the only one who believes that Nigeria can be better run.

Suggestions on improving Nigeria are thrown away as the wailing of those who lost power. They are also corrupt.

The combination of these accusations, lethargic efforts at tackling insecurity, and indiscernible economic directions have left Nigeria stuck in a quagmire.

When Jonathan is not being blamed for running Nigeria irredeemably Continues on page 14

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