BusinessDay 21 Oct 2018

BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

2019: Understanding Igbo leaders’ ‘rage’ over Atiku’s choice of Obi

UBA, Zenith, 2 others post N344 bn PAT in 9 months

p.26

??

p. 35

Sunday 21 October 2018 Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

5yr Bond

$84.31

-0.09 15.07%

Gold

10yr Bond

$1,205.60

-0.03 15.10%

Cocoa

$2,024.00

20yr Bond

-0.07 15.07%

inside Nigerian writers converge on Lagos this week as 37th ANA convention begins Oct.25 p. 13

p. 40-41

Vol 1, No. 237 N300

Zamfara: A test case for APC, INEC Opadokun: Implement Uwais committee recommendation now!

T

ZEBULON AGOMUO & INIOBONG IWOK he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) appears to be on its way to weaning itself from the meddlesomeness of the Federal Government, which has in the past hampered its activities and portrayed it as a biased umpire.

If it successfully pulls through its stance

against the ruling party, it would then mean that the long-awaited and much-trumpeted independence of the electoral umpire would be said to have eventually become a reality.

The INEC had banned the All Progressives Congress (APC) from fielding candidates in Zamfara State after the expiration of the stipulated time for party primary elections.

It had insisted that the APC did not conduct its primaries within the timeframe.

But Adams Oshiomhole, chairman of the APC, had equally insisted that his party would field candidates in all the elective positions in the state.

In order to meet the October 18 deadline for the submission of the list for the presidential candidate and that of the National Assembly candidates, the INEC had gone to submit, but a deputy director of information in

P. 2

APGA: Of dashed hopes and shattered dreams

p. 22-23

‘With Atiku’s candidacy, 2019 presidential election is half won’

p. 24-25

Oseloka Osadebe: The last ‘Zaria Rebel’ returns with Inner Light

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo meeting with some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at a camp in Bayelsa State during his visit to flood-affected areas of the state, weekend.

When militants, cultists laid down their arms to embrace peace in A/Ibom ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

p. 36

F

or more than three years, cultists and militants unleashed a reign of terror in two local government areas of Akwa Ibom State, wreaking immeasurable havoc

on human lives and property.

The siege on Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun LGAs of the state began like a child’s play soon after the 2015 general elections. It was thought that thugs who were allegedly used during the elections and later

abandoned were behind the attacks which had become a recurring decimal in the two local government areas.

In the two affected LGAs, nobody was spared as everyone was a target of the

p. 14

2 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Cover Zamfara: A test case for APC...

Continued from page 1 the commission, Aliyu Bello, had said, “As far as we are concerned, the issue of Zamfara is foreclosed.

We are not collecting any list from them, as they failed to meet up with the required standard.”

Bello added that INEC could not be held liable for the failure of the party to comply with constitutional provisions.

If Bello’s words are anything to go by, it then means that the APC may have lost its chances of fielding candidates for various elections in Zamfara State for failure to abide by the Electoral Act, and that would be history.

How the trouble began Prior to the recent primaries of the APC, the Zamfara State chapter of the party had been in disarray and polarised along factions.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had also dissolved the executives amid protest by party leaders which further aggravated the situation.

The party leaders in the state, which included the deputy national vice chairman of the party, Lawal Shaibu, had disagreed about the manner the suspension was carried out.

The crisis, however, continued, while the party failed to agree on mode of primaries in the state.

The leadership of the APC had tried to resolve the Zamfara logjam by inaugurating a new committee which attempted to conduct the governorship and legislative primaries in the state between October 6 and October 7 but the panel failed to conduct the elections because of the alleged threats by Abdulaziz Yari, governor of the state, to call out supporters in protest.

But in a letter to Oshiomhole, national chairman of the ruling party, INEC said the APC was not eligible to partake in the 2019 elections in Zamfara.

“Please, refer to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general election released by the commission on January 9th, 2018. You would note that from the timetable, the conduct of primaries is scheduled to take place between August 18 and October 7th, 2018,” the letter signed by Okechukwu Ndeche, the commission’s acting secretary, read.

“However, report received from our office in Zamfara State shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in Zamfara, notwithstanding that our

L-R: Rev. Ego Daniel, Abia State coordinator, Christian Pentecostal Mission (CPM); Rev. Mercy Ezekiel, national/international coordinator; Rev. Felix Omobude, president, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN); Rev. John Eze, Imo State coordinator; and Rev. Isaac Itobiye, Edo State coordinator, during Back to Bible Conference on ‘Divine Gracious Nature’ organized by CPM at the church headquarters in Lagos, recently.

officials were fully mobilised and deployed. Consequently, based on the provision of Section 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, the commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidate from Zamfara State,” said the letter captioned ‘Failure to Conduct Primaries in Zamfara State within the Stipulated Time-frame’.

The APC, meanwhile, is consulting its lawyers over the directive from the INEC that it should not field candidates for the 2019 elections.

Ibrahim Dosara, SA Media to Governor of Zamfara State, reacts Reacting to the INEC decision, Ibrahim Dosara, special assistant to the governor of Zamfara State, said, “As far as we are concerned, we have our candidates. I don’t see any controversy in this regard. Everybody that should sign the document has done so. It is a gang-up against the governor and we know those behind it; we are going to name them one by one.

“Our National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, issued a statement affirming the credibility of the election. The election was credibly conducted and within the October 18 deadline for the submission of candidates.”

Dosara said that INEC officials and security personnel witnessed the primaries. According to him, the primaries held in all the 14 local government areas and 147

wards in the state between October 3rd and 4th.

The National Chairman of the APC was reported to have said that the primaries were conducted in a hotel and INEC said there was no report to that effect. Oshiomhole was also said to have written to INEC saying that the primaries were marred by violence and that no candidate emerged.

Imposition of candidate alleged Kabiru Garba Marafa, a senator representing Zamfara Central, and some other governorship aspirants were quoted as saying that the governor wanted to impose Mukhtar Idris, commissioner for Finance, on them and that they petitioned the NWC which went ahead to disband the earlier committee set up.

It was gathered that despite the disbandment, the committee went ahead to conduct the primaries, the outcome of which was not recognised by national office of the party.

Aminu Sani-Jaji, a member of the House of Representatives and governorship aspirant in Zamfara State, alleged that the governor wanted to impose his own candidate, saying that the governor did not allow the primaries to hold.

Independence of INEC still in question - Opadokun Speaking with BDSUNDAY

yesterday on the face-off between the APC and INEC over Zamfara, a former chieftain of the defunct National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Ayo Opadokun, berated the Federal Government for refusing to implement the recommendations of the late Justice Muhammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee, which had recommended that incumbent president should not appoint the head of the INEC. Opadokun added that since the head of the Commission was appointed by the incumbent president, their action would always be suspect, stressing that the constitution provides avenues for any aggrieved individual or parties to seek redress.

He advocated for an urgent reform of the nation’s electoral system.

“I strongly believe Nigeria is not ready to conduct a free and fair election in the country that meets international standard.

This controversy is unnecessary, because the role of INEC and the parties has been clearly defined in the constitution and the electoral law. If any of the parties feels aggrieved, they can go to court and take necessary action suitable for their interest,” Opadokun said.

“Personally, since Nigeria refused to implement the recommendation of the Justice Muhammed Uwais committee that a sitting president should not appoint the head of INEC, things

would continue to be the way they have always been.

“I am happy they are thinking now about establishing a tribunal to try election offenders and others, but this was suggested by the Muhammed Uwais Committee that there should be a commission to look into election offenders. Personally, I think that is the way forward for the country,” he said.

By the same token, John Baiyeshea, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said INEC should not be blamed because it was carrying out its constitutional role, urging the APC to wait for the judgment of the court on the issue. He said that he was optimistic that there would be a judicial interpretation which would end the controversy soon.

“INEC was following strict rules when they made this pronouncement, but it is their constitutional duty and their function to set deadline when parties are to submit names of candidate. APC has gone to court to challenge the action of INEC and there is an interim order that INEC should not carry out that threat and the case has been adjourned to the end of the month, so let’s wait and see,” Baiyeshea said.

“At the end of the day, it would come down to the interpretation of the law and the court would decide and I believe INEC would stand by it. Look at what happened in the Senate. When Saraki suspended Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the senator went to court and the court said no.

I believe the Senate President obeyed and paid Omo-Agege his full entitlement during this period that he was suspended, and he was also recalled back to the Senate,” he said.

An APC chieftain who spoke with BDSUNDAY on condition of anonymity accused the INEC of being unnecessarily “heady” and “disobedient”.

“I am inclined to believe that the INEC is acting out a script written somewhere. Come to think of it, is the tail now wagging the dog? How possibly can INEC take such a sweeping decision and stand by it? It is unprecedented in the history of this country,” said the chieftain.

“I am not saying that they should be a rubber stamp of the incumbent government, but there is an acceptable level of respect for a sitting government.

We have been in this country and have been following how things have been done in the past. Let’s wait and see,” he said.

I spoke with Nnamdi Kanu; he has agreed to work against Buhari’s reelection – Fani-Kayode

A

mid reports making the rounds that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) whose whereabouts has been a subject of speculation since September last year, was sighted recently praying in Jerusalem, Femi FaniKayode, a former minister of

aviation, has claimed that he spoke with the IPOB leader over the telephone.

Fani Kayode, who said he was delighted that Kanu was alive and well, also claimed that the IPOB leader had agreed to join forces to against the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I just received a call from my brother Nnamdi Kanu. I am delighted that he is alive and well. I commend his strength and courage even as I marvel at the loyalty, resilience and commitment of his lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor and IPOB. We have agreed to work together to VOTE Buhari out,” Fani-Kayode tweeted, yester-

day, via his verified handle @ realFFK. Fani-Kayode, who always identified with Kanu when he was in detention, was the first public figure the IPOB leader visited when he regained freedom.

Kanu was last seen in public during the Operation Python Dance in the South-East in Sep-

tember 2017 when security forces invaded his residence in Umuahia, Abia State.

His whereabouts has been a subject of speculation since then, with many even claiming he was dead, until a video where he was seen observing spiritual rites in Israel was posted on social media on Friday.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY

3

4 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

News

Shehu Sani dumps APC, citing lack of internal party democracy

S

hehu Sani, who represents Kaduna Central in the Nigerian Senate, has resigned his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmaker, who sent his resignation letter to the chairman of the APC in Ward 6, Tudun Wada North, Kaduna State, cited lack of internal democracy as his reason for quitting the ruling party.

S a n i ’s r e s i g n a t i o n comes on the heels of the controversies that trailed the APC party primaries for the 2019 elections.

The outspoken senator, who has been in deepseated animosity with Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, tendered his resignation few days after the party submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the name of Uba Sani, Governor El-Rufai’s political adviser and preferred candidate, as its candidate for

the Kaduna Central senatorial district.

APC’s National Working Committee had earlier cleared Shehu Sani as the sole candidate for the senatorial district, but Governor El-Rufai had kicked against it. Consequently, a primary election was conducted in the district and Uba Sani was declared winner.

Shehu Sani had boycotted the primary and filed an appeal and the party had upheld his appeal, reaffirming Senator Sani as the party’s candidate for Kaduna Central senatorial district in the 2019 general elections.

The committee, which was headed by Oserheimen Osunbor, had given Senator Sani a clean bill of health, insisting that he was the only senatorial candidate from the zone that was duly recognised by the party.

But then, the name of El-Rufai’s candidate was sent to INEC as the rightful

Sani

candidate.

“I had joined the APC and remained with it against all odds in the belief that it will constitute a veritable platform for the realization of those democratic ideals which I hold very dear, that honour and integrity will be the ultimate ethos of the party and, most importantly, that

El-Rufai

internal party democracy will always be the norm.

However, only posterity can affirm the extent to which the APC has committed to and reflected these values,” Sani said in the resignation letter made available to the media.

“As I exit the APC at this point in time, I wish to formally thank the party

Buhari urges electorate to resist money politics …as Benin kingdom launches anthology of history IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, Benin

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari, weekend, urged the Nigerian electorate to resist money politics in the forthcoming general elections, saying that it in the long run contributes to underdevelopment.

Buhari made the appeal in his speech during the second anniversary coronation of the Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II, and the launch of the ‘Benin Monarchy: An Anthology of Benin History’ at the Oba’s Palace, Benin.

The president, who was represented by the Secre-

tary to the Federal Government, Boss Mustapha, also urged traditional rulers in the country to sensitize their subjects on the need to eschew violence and hate speech and preach the message of peace, harmony, development, elimination of the use of drugs and substances, security and economic prosperity.

He also charged traditional rulers to continue to build bridges as exemplified by the good and outstanding relationship that exists between the Sultanate and the Kingdom of Benin.

“Nigeria has started a process for another general election and our traditional institutions or rulers have

vital roles to play. Our view is to sensitize our people on the need to eschew violence and hate speeches, preach the message of peace and harmony, development, elimination of the use of drugs and substances, security and economic prosperity. “ Tr a d i t i o n a l r u l e r s should continue to build bridges of love, mutual, respect across the country.

They must continue to stay above some changes in the digital world while jealously guarding and protecting the core good values, customs and transitions that distinguished our respective people,” he said.

While assuring that his

administration will continue to deliver on the change mantra to provide security, fight corruption and improve the economy for the betterment of all Nigerians, he appealed to traditional rulers to downplay or completely remove the negative messages of violence, ethnicity and religious intolerance and difference.

The president, who noted that traditional rulers have Herculean task to continue to promote the cultural heritage of the people as custodian of culture and tradition, commended the Benin monarch and council of chiefs for preserving the culture, values and traditions of the kingdom.

Duke has political exposure to lead Nigeria, says Eyo Ekpo MIKE ABANG, CALABAR

E

yo Ekpo, a former attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Cross River State, has expressed the view that Donald Duke, a former governor of the state, has the political exposure to lead Nigeria out of the woods in 2019.

Eyo, who is also the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), told BDSUNDAY in an interview that Duke’s emergence at the primaries was a testament to the won-

derful work he did while he served as governor of Cross River State.

He said Duke was the only presidential candidate whose blueprint for governance was already out in the open for engagement

as a trustworthy alternative to the misrule represented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“Donald, when he held sway in our state, raised it from backwaters of economicnegligencetobecome the envy of observers both within and outside Nigeria.

Anyone who had been in Nigeria but did not visit Cross River State was said to have missed out on a very uplifting experience as he developed Cross River into a true paradise,” Ekpo said.

“His efforts to emancipate the state from dependence on central government’s oil economy were evident in his pro-tourism agenda through the introduction of Calabar Carnival, the restoration of the Obudu Mountain Race, and the facelift given to all tourist sites, including the creation of access roads to all these facilities,” he said.

Ekpo said Duke also started a developmental revolution in agriculture, housing,environment,urban development, civil service, among others.

for availing me the platform upon which I am currently serving this country in the honoured capacity of Senator of the Federal Republic.

I wish the party well in all her future endeavors and ask sir, that you please accept the assurance of my highest considerations,” he said.

In August, the senator,

alongside Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, was accused of working against the progress of the party and the state. The two senators were consequently suspended by the Kaduna State chapter of APC. While Hunkuyi dumped the party for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Sani remained in APC.

Media urged to embrace professional ethics, safety in line of duty VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

A

s Nigeria is faced with a lot of conflicts cropping up from different zones, journalists covering the zones have been urged to be aware of the dynamics of reporting conflicts.

This is coming on the heels of a communiqué released at the end of a twoday media training on ‘Conflict Sensitive Reporting’ for journalists in Kogi State facilitated by ActionAid Nigeria.

Ac t i o n Ai d N i g e r i a (AAN),anon-governmental organisation working to eradicate poverty and all forms of injustice in Nigeria, disclosed that communication strategy is important in building capacity of the media to understand relevant development issues in order to improve the quality of reportage and engagement on such issues.

At the end of the training, the participants numbering over 30 from across different media establishments unanimously resolved that media personalities reporting on conflict issues should ensure fairness, balance, objective reportage, as well

as, expand their scope of reportage to properly frame the issues for balanced coverage.

Part of the resolutions reached at the training also include that stories should be sensitive to peace building process, consideration of women and children, place emphasis on facts over values, discourage hate speeches and recount bitter experiences of traumatised survivors.

As well, newsmen should ensure safety while covering conflict zones, dispassionate while interviewing survivors, seek professional assistance if traumatised in the process of reporting and also adhere to ethical standards and NUJ code of practice.

Thereisalsoneedfornewsmen to stand against manipulations by actors in conflict situations, and also to ensure thelanguage,toneandpictures used in their reportage do not to aggravate conflict.

The participants also emphasised the need for media owners and managers to adequately equip their organisations with necessary tools and incentives to enhance the productivity of newsmen.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY

5

6

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

News Vodacom commits to providing businesses with problem-solving solutions … Wins four major industry awards AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

SEYI JOHN SALAU

A

V

odacom Business Nigeria, a leading pan-African corporate connectivity and telecommunications provider, has assured small and large businesses of its commitment to providing problem solving solutions that will enhance their operations.

The company, which recently received four awards at the prestigious 2018 Nigeria Technology Innovation and Telecoms Awards, held in Lagos recently, said that its managed services provide the same high level of comfort for global businesses with reach across different territories as it does for startup businesses with partners in different continents.

The award, organised by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria, aimed to recognise organisations and individuals at the fore front of technological advancement and innovation in the telecoms industry.

Vodacom Business Nigeria was recognised as Enterprise Solution Provider of the year; IoT Solutions Provider of the year for the second consecutive year; Managed Service Provider of the year and was also given the Telecom Business of the Year award for providing optimum services to its customers both locally and internationally.

These accolades follow a long standing track record that Vod-

L-R: Nnamdi Nwobike, public affairs director, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Lanre Kolade, managing director, Vodacom Business Nigeria; Olusola Teniola, president, Association of Telecommunications Companies (ATCON), and Solomon Ogufere, commercial director, Vodacom Business Nigeria, at the recently concluded Nigeria Tech Innovation and Telecoms Awards 2018.

acom Business Nigeria has developed in the market over time, delivering superior enterprise-grade Connectivity Solutions, Cloud and Hosted Services, Enterprise Voice Solution and Internet of Things to business in Nigeria Speaking at the event, Lanre Kolade, managing director of Vodacom Business Nigeria said that the company is honored to accept the awards.

“Opportunities such as these remind us of the importance to go

Abia abolishes extension of service for retired officers UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

T

he Abia State government says it has abolished the extension of service in state civil service and has directed those on such appointment to serve out their periods and vacate with immediate effect.

Onyii Wamah, the state Head of Service (HoS) in a statement in Umuahia noted that the extension of service for those who had retired has been affecting the performance and morale of serving officers with prospects of attaining enviable career heights in the service.

The HoS pointed out that the state government has critically reexamined the extension of service and the overall negative impact it had caused, disclosing that the provision of Public Service Rule No. 02809 which states that “no officer shall be allowed to remain in the service after attaining the retirement age of 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service whichever that is earlier” is still being enforced.

He expressed his disappointment on the regular practice of retiring officers besieging the

SMEs in Delta get N4.5m grant from Life Progress Booster

office of HOS soliciting for extortion of service rather turn in their documents for processing and proceed on retirement.

Wamah also observed that such extension encourages wastages of the lean resources of the state as officer who ought to have retired still stay on and continue to receive salaries.

The number one Abia worker made known that government, according to the public service rule would consider only appointment in technical areas where there are no immediate replacements.

In another development, civil/ public servants in the state on political appointments have been directed to apply to the office of Head of Service for leave absence within 14 days as defaulters would be deemed to have left the service.

In a circular HAS/S.001/ SUB.1/16, Wamah wondered why public servants given political appointments would not apply for leave of absence before accepting such appointments and declared such attitude as unacceptable where such officers receive monthly salaries as public servants and political office holders.

beyond just providing a service to our clients. We aim to collaborate and provide large and small businesses with specific problem solving solutions that make the lives and businesses more efficient and ultimately more profitable. Our gratitude goes to these customers whose businesses are at the epicenter of the development of the Nigerian economy and look forward to exploring opportunities in the future,” he assured.

He said that Vodacom Business

Nigeria is taking the lead in the telecoms industry by providing tailor-made solutions that maximises productivity regardless of location.

According to Kolade: “As the world progresses into the digital age and people and services expand across borders, the need for a reliable end to end managed network service becomes invaluable. And we ensure businesses are confidently connected.”

BMO hails ex-Niger Delta militants’ pro-Buhari stance

T

he Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has hailed former Niger Delta militants for its decision to work for the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 election.

The ex-militants, under the aegis of the Coalition of Progressive Niger Delta Ex-militants (CPNDE) had said in a statement that their decision to support Buhari’s second term bid was based on his efforts at deepening peace and stability in the Niger Delta; by initiating meaningful projects and enhancement of human capital development through the presidential amnesty programme.

“We are resolute in our decision to ensure victory for Buhari in the Niger Delta, in the 2019 presidential election. Towards this end, we have commenced consultative meetings to forge a common front.

The CPNDE, comprising several, genuine camp leaders, and their foot soldiers, affirm our unwavering support for President Buhari,” the ex-militants added.

While hailing the ex-militants’ stance, BMO, in a statement by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke said it is a confirmation of Buhari’s disposition to meaningful, life-changing projects in the country’s oil producing

region.

It noted that the ex-agitators cited deepening peace in the Niger Delta as a major reason they were backing the President’s re-election bid.

“We are elated that a critical segment of the population of the Niger Delta region is keen on ensuring continuity of the new lease on life that President Buhari is introducing into the area.

“Members of the coalition of Progressive Niger Delta ex-militants are indeed patriots who have seen the sincerity of the administration in making life meaningful in the region”, BMO said.

The group also assured the ex- agitators that the improved infrastructure in the area would be nothing compared to what they would see on ground during President Buhari’s second term.

“From regular seamless payment of amnesty dues, to improving infrastructure even in Otuoke, the region is in for a wonderful time”.

It consequently urged CPNDE not to waiver in its determination to work for the President’s victory in a region that the Peoples Democratic Party considers its stronghold in spite of not doing much for it in 16 years.

total of N4.5 million was given as grant to 15 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Delta State as part of the Life Progress Booster campaign of Life Continental Lager Beer to help scale up entreprenuers in the Southeast region of Nigeria.

Life Progress Booster, an initiative of Life Continental Lager Beer, is an entrepreneurship campaign focused on rewarding enterprising minds looking to grow their businesses.

The recent grants bring the total cash reward received in the 2018 edition of the show to N19.5 million. This initiative, now in its 4th year, is one of the ways the brand has adopted to deepen the impacts of businesses in the Southeast by Life Continental Lager Beer, which has been at the forefront of supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of the Igbos.

Life Continental beer has never shied away from being firmly rooted in culture and its emphasis on giving back to the people of Igbo descent is nothing short of remarkable. From time past, the Igbo man has always been revered for his industrious nature and the beer brand has brilliantly tapped into this cultural trope and endeared itself to the Igbo audience.

The 15 winners in the Asaba edition were rewarded with financial grants in the sum of N300, 000, to help them implement the ideas that will scale their business operations.

Life Progress Booster kicked off in Enugu before heading to Anambra, making Delta its third stop this year.

As witnessed in the other cities visited, the online applicants who made it to the final round of the live interview, were eager to explain their ideas to the judges which included - chief technologist, Enugu State University, Ferdinand Ozoani, a member of Customary Court Enugu, Michael Ndubuisi, and CEO, Four Seasons Bar and Restaurants, Onitsha, Martins Ezigbo. Tech and agriculture were the most talked about sector during the five minutes pitch.

With Delta State concluded, the next stop is Rivers State where Life Continental Lager Beer from the stables of Nigerian Breweries will once again thrill the audience to a show of sheer entrepreneurial intelligence. Life Progress Booster initiative will reward another set of entrepreneurs with N4.5 million and other prizes in a ceremony which will hold on 21 October, in Port Harcourt.

Life continental beer continues to remain distinct from its competition and this is largely due to its unrelenting efforts at celebrating the Igbo culture, whether it’s with the celebration of traditional music through its highlife fest, or with the remarkable Life progress booster initiative, Life continental beer has managed to become one with its customers, connecting with them in a way very few brands can.

Sunday 21 October 2018

7

C002D5556

News APC submits Buhari, NASS candidates’ names to INEC amid tension, protest ...November 1 deadline for Governors, States Assembly - INEC JAMES KWEN, Abuja

T

he ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Thursday evening submitted President Muhammadu Buhari’s name as its Presidential candidate and the list of Candidates vying for the Senatorial and House of Representatives seats for the 2019 general election to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).

Abubakar Kairi, APC director of Organisation led other senior staff of the party to the International Conference Centre, Abuja, venue for the collection of list of candidates by INEC. According to INEC time table, the list of Presidential and National Assembly Candidates for the 2019 general election by all political parties were to be submitted not later than midnight of that day, Thursday, October 18 in line with the Electoral Act 2010, as amended.

The Electoral Act 2010

stipulates that list of candidates must be submitted 60 days before election and Presidential as well as National Assembly elections are scheduled for February 18.

APC could not submit the names of it Presidential and National Assembly candidates earlier as other 89 political parties filed in list of the candidates Wednesday.

Meanwhile, there was tension at the National Secretariat of APC before and after the list of Candidates was taken to INEC as many aspirants and their supporters aggrieved by the conduct of the primaries besieged the ruling party headquarters to find out their positions.

Also, a group known as Benue South APC Justice and Equality Movement staged a peaceful protest to the headquarters of the party, asking the NWC to call the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh to order for allegedly substituting the names of elected candidates with those who did not par-

ticipate at the primary.

The coordinator of the group, Akor Ikwuocha told journalists that they were surprised that after winners have emerged and names were submitted to the appropriate authority by the electoral committee, “the Minister allegedly from overseas, called a meeting of few persons and announced to them that he is substituting names of most of the candidates because they were not his choice.

“Today, there is no single campaign bill board of President Muhammadu Buhari in the whole of Benue South Senatorial district despite the fact that the Benue South has a cabinet member in person of Chief Audu Ogbe”, he stated.

The protesters said the attempt to change the names of elected candidates across Benue South may further engender disenchantment among the APC members, and appealed to the NWC to call the Minister to order and ensure that all those candidates that won the primary elections are allowed to go

for the general election as the party’s candidates.

On the other hand, Mahmoud Yakubu, INEC Chairman announced that the submission of list of governorship and State Houses of Assembly begins October 22(Monday) and ends November 1.

Yakubu stated this in Abuja while delivering a key note address a workshop on; Electoral Integrity in Nigeria organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development.

He declared that, “89 out the 90 registered parties in Nigeria as we speak nominated candidates and are filing their submissions after the primaries to National elections; Presidential and National Assembly - Senate and House of Representatives.

“And then from the 22nd of October to the 2nd of November, the Commission will receive nomination from parties to State elections - the 29 governorship elections and the 991 State Constituencies” the INEC Chairman said.

ACETA provost bags Agricultural Society of Nigeria’s fellowship

I

n recognition of his immense contribution towards professionalism in the agricultural sector in Nigeria, Phillip Nto, provost, College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu (ACETA), has been nominated by the national executive council of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria for its highest honour of Fellow of the Society.

Prior to his appointment as provost, Nto served as Abia State commissioner for finance and economic planning under the Theodore Orji administration. He was also a World Bank consultant and at various times senior lecturer, Agricultural Economics department of various institutions of higher learning, including Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

The award will be conferred on him, alongside other prominent members of the society, at a colourful ceremony during the 52nd Annual Conference of the Society scheduled to hold October 23, 2018 at the University of Abuja main campus, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

A letter addressed to the provost and signed by Chris

Onwuka, chairman, Agricultural Society of Nigeria Awards Committee, which was obtained by the media, congratulated Dr. Nto on the well-deserved award while also noting that the recipient has raised the flag of the society higher in various capacities as an academic, former commissioner and administrator of repute.

“It is on the recognition of your immense contributions in various capacities to human development in society at various levels that the society found you fit among recipients of the prestigious award; accept our congratulations,” the statement said.

Akwa Ibom raises alarm over alleged plans by APC to foment crisis ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

T

he Akwa Ibom government has raised the alarm over alleged plans by the ruling to stir up crisis in the state with the use of the “federal might.”

It alleged that the APC supported by the Federal Government was planning to stir up violence and create an atmosphere of inse curity in the state and scare away investors the administration has succeeded in attracting.

Speaking in Uyo, the state capital, at the state police headquarters where the state commissioner for environment, Iniobong Essien was being questioned over the location of a campaign billboard, Charles Udoh the commissioner for information and strategy described the move as test running what is likely to come next year.

Giving a background into the situation which led to Essien’s arrest and further detention, Udoh said: “We all woke up one day and found out that an official of the state, the Commissioner for Environment

has been invited for a discussion with the police on instruction from Abuja, over a dispute on a billboard location”.

“The billboard is located in a densely populated area. The approval before locating the billboard was not followed to the later because it was not located where it should have been located. Secondly, structural standard was compromised, so the Commissioner for Environment whose duty is to supervise issues relating to environment in Akwa Ibom State took necessary steps to ensure that the properties around the vicinity were secured, especially as the design and structural integrity of the billboard were compromised,” he said.

“So on that account he was invited by the police and that was two days ago, government stepped in, and it required the SSG to sign an undertaking to bail him, today the instruction was given that he and the Chairman of Uyo Local Government Council, Imoh Okon should be brought to Abuja for further questioning, and the question I ask is; these are

officers of government, appointed and elected, carrying out their legitimate duties and here they are intimidated by the officers of the law,” Udoh explained.

A c c o rd i n g t o h i m , “Government is therefore, worried because we were all witnesses to the famous Warsaw statement; recall that

Akwa Ibom in the last three years has been one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria, that is why investors are coming in. The threat is clearly a script being perpetrated, being rehearsed and being played out, but it is worrisome because this invitation of violence and insecurity may throw

our young men back on the streets if it succeeds in scaring off investors.’’

The Information Commissioner therefore, called on Akwa Ibom people and Nigerians in general to rise against any attempt to use intimidation and federal might as political weapons against opponents or members of

other political parties.

The Secretary to the State government (SGF), Emmanuel Ekuwem and other top government functionaries were present at the state police headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia while the two government officials were being questioned as part of the preparations for their Abuja movement.

8 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

CRIME WATCH Togolese in custody for allegedly molesting young girls

T

Stories by CHINWE AGBEZE

he Ejigbo Police Division has taken a Togolese accused of multiple sex crimes into custody. 31-year-old Dominic Samson, a father of two, who resides at No 28 Olusesi Street in Ejigbo, is facing charges of aggravated child molestation, sodomy, indecent assault and defilement.

The suspect, who deals in Plaster of Paris (PoP), was allegedly arrested for molesting six girls within the ages of 13 to 15 in Ejigbo area of Lagos State.

According to Lagos State police spokesman, Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), who confirmed the arrest, the case was reported by the father of one of the molested girls.

“On October 8, 2018 at about 8.50am, a report came to the CSP Olabisi Okufowobi, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ejigbo Police Station, by the father of one of the children defiled, that while he was busy fending for his family, Dominic Samson, a neighbour, was at home having his way with his 15-year-olddaughter,”CSPOtisaid.

Based on the father’s complaint, CSP Oti said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who is a female officer with extensive training in children and women rights, interrogated the victim and she confirmed the report to be true.

CSP Oti said, “She confirmed that the suspect did not only defile her but also sodomised her by having anal sexual intercourse with her.

“She further revealed that she was not the only victim of

Dominic Samson

the suspect’s indecent sexual behaviour. She named five other victims who are within 13 to 15 years age bracket.”

The Lagos spokesperson disclosed that five out of the six victims had been identified, interrogated and their statements recorded.

“The girls revealed that the suspect brings all of them together in one room sometimes for an orgy and thereafter give

them a cash reward of fifty Naira each,” Oti said.

“The five victims had been taken to the Mirabel Centre where the doctor’s report confirmed that the victims were indeed defiled as alleged.”

Imohimi Edgal, Lagos Commissioner of Police, advises parents to be mindful of their children as that is the only panacea to the rising cases of sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

Businessman arrested for alleged auto parts theft

T

he Lagos State Command has arrested one Pius Kingsley Ebere, a big-time auto parts dealer in Ladipo market, for allegedly stealing auto parts.

The suspect, was driving a Honda Accord saloon car with registration number FST 616 DV when ACP Akinbayo Olasoji, the Area Commander in charge of Area D Command, Mushin and his police patrol team, flagged the vehicle down for a routine check on October 12, 2018, according to CSP Chike Oti, Lagos state police spokesman.

Rather than let the police do their job, the suspect was said to have abandoned the vehicle and fled. “The vehicle was towed to the station and the runaway suspect was eventually arrested,’’ CSP Oti said.

Upon searching the vehicle, items engraved with the registration number AAA 472 CP, were said to be recovered.

The items allegedly recovered include: two headlamps, car stereo, four side door automatic control panels, brain box, side mirrors and four rear seats.

Investigation revealed that the items were stolen from a Lexus GX 472 SUV aka Jeep, belonging to one Suleiman Waheed Adebola, the Lagos State police spokesman disclosed.

CSP Oti said the owner had been contacted and he affirmed that the recovered items were parts of his car which was vandalised in Ekoro area of the state.

“Other items recovered from the suspect’s car includes: five brain boxes of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, four car stereo sets, a pair of Toyota Corolla 2011 rear lights, a pair of Toyota Corolla 2011 headlamps, three pairs of side mirrors and one front grill cover of Infinity Jeep,” the Lagos state police spokesman said.

Pius Kingsley Ebere “All recovered items are engraved with licence registration numbers by their various owners who had been contacted by the police to report with proof of ownership,” he further said.

Further revelation by the suspect, led to the arrest of one Peter Attah, aka Dangote, who was an accomplice, and also an auto parts dealer at Ladipo market where the search warrant was executed and various types of suspected stolen car parts were recovered.

Imohimi Edgal, Lagos Commissioner of Police, advised vehicle owners to engrave their registration numbers on their vehicle parts to discourage vandals and predispose them to arrest by the police.

The State Commissioner of Police recalled that on August 12, 2018, one Daniel Ekwerekwu, an auto parts dealer also at Ladipo market, was confronted, by a police patrol team from Anthony Police Division in wee hours of the morning as he was vandalizing cars parked on the streets of Mende, Maryland.

Unfortunately, Ekwerekwu’s attempt to evade police arrest, ended sadly as his effort to scale a high wall led to his death.

21 arrested over death of two alleged cultists

T

he Lagos State police command said it has arrested 21 people in connection with the death of two alleged cultists at a political gathering in Obanikoro, Ikorodu area of the State.

CSP Chike Oti, Lagos State police spokesman, said the suspected cultists were on the police wanted list for leading several cult fights in Shomolu, Bariga, Fadeyi, and Ojuelegba areas of the state.

According to him, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Pedro Police Station received a call on Thursday, October 17, 2018, at about 5.15pm that two persons were killed at a political gathering.

“The persons were later identified as Ibrahim a.k.a Small Japron and one Solo. They were killed at a political gathering organised by Hon. Ademorin Kuye

at a place called Home Touch, which is situated at No. 228, Ikorodu Road by Obanikoro Way,” CSP Oti said.

“They were trailed to the

gathering by a rival cult group who invaded the arena and began to attack people. The fight was brought to a halt by the police who arrived quickly at the

scene and made some arrests.”

Unfortunately, the alleged notorious cultists, Ibrahim (a.k.a Japron) and Solo, died as a result of injuries sustained during the fight, CSP Oti said.

The Lagos Police spokesman recalled that the Command had on September 10, 2018, issued a press statement warning politicians not to gather in public places without notifying the Command to enable them make adequate provision for security and prevent hoodlums from hijacking such events.

“Regrettably, the host of the political meeting, Hon. Ademorin Kuye, did not inform the police of his intention to host his supporters,” he said.

CSP Oti disclosed that the 21 arrested persons were on Thursday questioned by the homicide detectives of the arrested in connected with the case were

State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti in Yaba area of Lagos state.

“Honourable Ademorin Kuye, the politician was also invited to SCIID, Panti,” he added.

Imohimi Edgal, the state commissioner of police, has ordered a manhunt for the perpetrators of this dastardly act, vowing that the Command will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the authors of the crime are prosecuted.

Once again, Edgal requests that politicians inform the police before gathering people in public places noting that until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), gives the approval, political campaigns at this time are illegal and those in breach of the electoral law will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY 9

CRIME WATCH NJC clears Justice Abba-Aji of corruption allegations FELIX OMOHOMHION, Abuja

T

Benue police command warns against political thuggery ...assures enforcement of anti-open grazing law

A

BENJAMIN AGESAN, Makurdi

s the 2019 general election draws nearer, the Commissioner of Police Benue State command, Ene Okon, has warned politicians in the state against political thuggery and assured them of enforcing laws including The Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law 2017.

The police commissioner made the warning in his office at the police headquarters in Makurdi, the state capital, while playing host to the National Socio-Cultural Organisations; Mzough U Tiv, Idoma National Forum and Omi Ny’ Igede.

Okon, who appealed to the organisations to help advise politicians against politics of violence, assassination and thuggery, said: “I am not appealing to Benue politicians or youths who are used in causing mayhem during elections but I am rather warning them to desist from the act.

“Intelligence reports have it that Benue politicians have armed youths to kill, destroy and intimidate their political opponents but I will never allow that to happen; I will go after the principals of thugs.”

The Commissioner stressed that, it is the responsibility of the command to enforce all laws including the Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law

2017 which passed through the State Assembly and was finally passed into Law by the State Government.

“We enforce Laws that pass through State Assemblies and Local Government bye Laws,” he said.

Speaking earlier, the Benue Socio-cultural Organisations commended Benue Police Command for their efforts to ensure peace and harmony in the state during and after the just concluded political parties’ primaries.

Explaining that the organisation is non-political, they urged Benue politicians to play the game according to rules so as to avoid causing more harm to the state.

he National Judicial Council (NJC) Wednesday cleared Justice Uwani Abba-Aji of any bribery allegations.

The council said it was committed to zero tolerance for corruption, just as it said that no security agency found Justice Abba-Aji of the allegation made against him by a senior lawyer who is currently facing trial at the law court.

The Director of Information of the NJC, Soji Oye, stated this, while reacting to a publication by the Civic Society Network Against Corruption, urging President Muhammadu Buhari not to forward the name of Justice Uwani Abba-Aji recommended to him by the council for appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court to the Senate for confirmation otherwise it would challenge the action in court.

The group premised its objection to the appointment of Justice Abba-Aji to the Apex Court on the report of an online newspaper of 16th October, 2016, which featured his name as one of the Judicial Officers under investigation for corruption by Security Agencies for accepting bribe from a Senior Lawyer.

Oye said the Civil Society group urged President Buhari to withhold submission of Justice Abba- Aji’s name to the National Assembly until he is purged of the allegation of corruption.

The statement said: “In as much as the National Judicial Council

would not join issues with anyone on this matter, it is necessary to put the records straight.

“Members of the public would recall that sequel to the request of the Attorney-General of the Federation, in 2016, Justice Abba-Aji and seven other Judicial Officers were directed by the Council to excuse themselves from performing their judicial functions pending their investigation by Security Agency.

“However, Justice Abba-Aji and five others were recalled as only three out of the Judicial Officers then under investigations were arraigned in court.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Justice Abba-Aji has since been sitting in court and no Investigation Agency has filed any new allegation against His Lordship, in fact, his international passport had been returned to him and he had been travelling outside the country without any hindrance, signalling that the investigation agencies have nothing new against His Lordship.

“The law of the land remains that no one is to be punished except for an offence established by due process of law”, the NJC spokesman said in the statement made available to newsmen.

‘How oil thieves, military connive to steal oil in Niger Delta - Aziboala FELIX OMOHOMHION, Abuja

F

ormer president Goodluck Jonathan’s cousin, Robert Aziboala, who is standing trial for allegedly collecting $40million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), narrated before a Federal High Court, Abuja , how military officers, chief executives of oil firms and thieves connive to steal oil from the Niger Delta region of the country.

Giving evidence in the twocount charge filed against him and company, One Plus Holdings by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Aziboala said that military men sent to fight oil thieves end up colluding with them to deprive the nation of large quantity of oil.

“When military men are posted to the Niger Delta region to fight oil thieves and illegal refinery, in three months time you see them buying cars.

“Even when chief executives of oil companies come before the President, they speak in hush tones, they pretend they don’t know anything

because if they talk they would have it hot when they go back.

Generals are even aware of this connivance,” he explained before the trial judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba.

Aziboala said in continua-

tion of his defence that he was being unnecessarily punished by the present administration for serving his country.

Led in evidence-in-chief by his counsel, Goddy Uche, Aziboala said it was against

this background that the exNational Security Adviser, the late Lt. Gen. Andrew Azazi, called him to help stop or reduce illegal refinery and oil stealing in the region.

Aziboala further explained that it was based on the good work he did for the nation, he believed, Azazi recommended him to the detained former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, when (Azazi) was sacked as NSA to President Jonathan He said Dasuki specifically called him, when he took over to undertake an assignment in the interest of national security based on his experience as Niger Delta activist, environmentalist and the work he did for the nation when he worked with Azazi.

He said the $40million he allegedly collected from the ONSA by Dasuki was meant for specific assignment that had to do with national security.

He refused to disclose the nature of work he did for ONSA, but however said, at a point, oil bunkering and stealing, coupled with illegal refinery of crude oil in the region reached all time high that he

was called in to mobilise to halt the trend.

The court adjourned till November 4,5,6 and 7 for continuation of trial Mr. and Mrs. Robert Aziboala were initially charged with seven-count charge including their company, One Plus Holding, over an allegation that they received $40million contract from the embattled former National Security Adviser.

While Mrs. Aziboala was discharged and acquitted of the charges, her husband was however, not as lucky as the court ordered that he opens his defence in 2 of the 9 count charge.

Justice Dimgba, in discharging Stella, in respect of counts 2 and 3, held that just because Aziboala is a spouse of the 2nd defendant, is not enough to charge her. Criminal liability is personal; it is not vicarious, the Judge said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged the couple in 2016.

The prosecution closed its case, after calling 10 witnesses who testified against the defendants.

10 Inside Lagos

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

House may invite Ambode over Visionscape, waste

T

JOSHUA BASSEY

he end is yet to be seen in what is turning out a frosty relationship between the outgoing governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, and the state House of Assembly, over a disagreement on waste management in Nigeria’s commercial city, as there are indications the lawmakers may invite Ambode to offer some explanations.

Already, Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house alongside his colleagues have queried the continued payment of Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Limited by the executive in defiance to the legislators’ earlier directive to the state commissioner for finance, to halt payment to Visionscape.

BD Sunday gathered that the days ahead might be tough for Ambode, who was only recently denied a second term ticket by his party- All Progressives Congress (APC) over sundry allegations, one of which borders on the introduction of Visionscape as the new waste managers in Nigeria’s richest state.

Lagos, arguably Nigeria’s most populous state with an estimated 21 million residents, generates waste in excess of 13,000 tons daily with a huge investment opportunity in recycling.

In 2017, Ambode, through a new legislation seeking to reform the environmental sector and the waste management system, introduced Visionscape Sanitation Solutions with which the government sealed a deal to collect waste from homes and streets to the exclusion Private Sector Partnership (PSP) operators. The decision had drawn flaks from the PSP operators, who accused the government of snatching their jobs and rendering thousands of workers engaged by the PSP jobless.

Since the introduction of Vi-

Officials of Visionscape clearing refuse from the road in Lagos.

sionscape into the state’s waste management system, the residents have seen increased heaps of refuse in the streets of Lagos, with some persons alleging sabotage against the company.

Early this year, officials of government at a news conference addressed by Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, paraded some youths allegedly caught dumping refuse on unauthorised places. Weeks after the press conference, the state ministry of information and strategy also issued a statement in which the government accused certain PSP operators of deliberately dumping refuse on major roads in the night with the aim to frustrate the environmental reform and create the impression that the new waste managers was ineffective and incapable of tidying up the commercial city.

Since October 2, 2018 APC primary election in which Ambode lost to his major challenger, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, there have been debates on whether Visionscape would outlive Ambode who exits power on May 29, 2019. Recently, the company itself raised an alarm over alleged incessant attacks on its equip-

ment and staff on line of duty.

A two-term principal member of the state House of Assembly told BD Sunday on Friday that the governor may be invited to offer explanations on the operations of Visionscape “should that become necessary.”

“As you’re aware, we have invited the commissioner for the environment to the house next week to tell us why we’re still having refuse all over Lagos.

We would also be inviting the commissioner for finance to give an insight into the financial transactions with Visionscape, and if the need arises, the governor too could be invited,” said the lawmaker.

Recall that the House of Assembly on Thursday directed the chairmen of 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state to immediately mobilise PSP operators in their areas to take up the task of waste collection in what signaled trouble might be in the offing for Ambode.

Obasa, the speaker who gave the directive during a plenary, also ordered Azeez Sanni, the clerk of the House, to invite Babatunde

LASTMA deploys special squad to tackle Apapa gridlock

T

he Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) says ii is deploying a special squad to tackle the unending gridlock that has locked down Apapa and other areas of Lagos.

The persistent lockdown has made observers to question the ability of the federal and Lagos State governments to handle the log-jam, which has lingered for years.

Both governments have made declarations from time to time on handling the situation without confronting it headlong.

However, Hassan Mahmoud, the public relations offficer of LASTMA, said on Friday that the management of LASTMA was deploying the special squad to work with a taskforce already handling the traffic.

Mahmoud said that more officers from other zonal operations

of LASTMA have been deployed to team up with others managing traffic in the Apapa axis.

“We have dedicated more patrol vehicles and also deployed men from other zones to team up with our men working in that axis.

“We have been monitoring the situation. The special squad will join and assist them over the weekend to see how they can create a corridor for motorists and other road users so that they can have access to their destinations.

“We are also holding strategic meeting today to deliberate on how best to solve the situation around Apapa and other parts of the metropolis so that motorists can have it easy on the roads.”

The spokesman assured that LASTMA was doing its best to handle the situation, advising motorists to know that road construction was ongoing in the state.

He pleaded with the general public and motorists to cooperate with traffic managers, deployed to areas experiencing gridlocks.

“With the deployment of the special squad over the weekend and with the cooperation of motorists and the general public, we strongly hope that the gridlock will be reduced significantly across the state.

“We will not shy away from our responsibility and duty. We will continue to do our by working round the clock to tackle the gridlock,” he added.

He, however, blamed indiscriminate parking of trucks on highways for the persistent log-jam.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Ambode had visited Apapa in August and thereafter constituted a taskforce, comprising LASTMA, Federal Road Safety Corps, the police and other security agencies but the problem has persisted.

Durosinmi-Etti, the commissioner for the environment, to appear before the House next week.

The action followed an urgent matter of public importance raised

by Gbolahan Yishawu, a member representing Eti-Osa constituency II bordering on mounting heaps of refuse in the state.

Obasa emphasised that the Lagos State government does not know about Visionscape, insisting that there are three arms of government including legislative, executive and judiciary, noting that the executive ought to have consulted the house on Visionscape before they started operation.

He said: “We once wrote the commissioner for finance, Akinyemi Ashade not to pay Visionscape again and that he would return any money he paid to them after our instruction to the coffers of the state government. We will go to that, when the time comes, but we have to do the needful now.

“We are calling on the 20 local governments and 37 LCDAs in the state to have meetings with the PSP operators to go back to work and they should start paying them and make the residents to start

paying the operators. We have to avoid epidemics and be proactive.’’

The speaker also warned those stopping people from dumping refuse at the dump sites to desist from doing so, adding that “I saw a lot of refuse trucks in a bad state and that some of them have been abandoned.”

He insisted that the house ought to have approved the new refuse disposal policy of the state government before Visionscape started work.

Gb o l a h a n Y i s h a w u s a i d : “Some refuse are taken to Epe and Ikorodu but it is a bit far now as 300 instead of 800 trucks now dispose refuse.

“The sanitary land fill in Epe is not being utilised and the transfer loading stations too are not working effectively and the turnaround time of packing the refuse is not being utilised.”

The majority leader of the house, Sanai Agunbiade from Ikorodu constituency 1 lamented that heaps of refuse litter his area, adding that for the state to have good sanitation, a law on environmental sanitation was passed in Lagos State, but that it seemed it was not properly implemented.

“I will suggest that we should challenge those in the ministry of health and the environment. The commissioner of environment should be invited to know the challenges facing the ministry of environment so as to verify their challenges.

In his contribution, Abiodun Tobun from Epe constituency 1 stated that Lagos State was dirty and that only God would help the state. He stated that Epe was not benefiting from the system and that their water has been contaminated and all their roads in deplorable condition.

“There is no industrial estate in Epe, but they have in other places, “They cannot bring refuse dump to Epe, they can relocate it if that is what we are benefiting. We want better things in Epe such as industries and other things,” he said.

Epe to rehabilitate historic fish market

T

he authorities of Epe local government area says its historic fish market will be rehabilitated.

Adedoyin Adesanya, chairman of the local government, who disclosed this during facility inspection/visit to the market on Friday, said the rehabilitation would commence on November 10.

The market popularly called “Chief Market,” is one of the oldest markets in Epe and Lagos metropolis. It was established nearly 40 years ago.

According to him, the market is famous for its variety of fish, wildlife and game meat, which usually attracts both local and international tourists/visitors.

“The market which holds commercial potentials and capable of promoting tourism and revenue for the community and government, is currently in a poor state due to years of neglect and poor

maintenance.

“I will bring government attention to the market by rehabilitating it and equipping it with facilities that will make the market habitable for commercial activities’’, he said.

The chairman urged the traders to cooperate with government by paying their levies and taxes as and at when due.

Adesanya expressed concern over the menace of street trading and illegal construction of structures in and around the market area, saying that it was unacceptable.

“I will continue to embark on meaningful community projects that will have direct impact in the life of people.

As long as the traders cooperate with government by paying their taxes; they will continue to enjoy the dividend of democracy, “he said.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

Off Duty With

Bolatito Adebola Mobile: 08053859391, email - iambolatito@gmail.com twitter - @iambolatito

When Tony Elumelu, Ken Uzoka removed their toga to unwind at TheMen’s Club

T

hey are both captains in their work sphere and they both play like pirates when they are both off their official duties; this is about the famous economist, entrepreneur par excellence, and philanthropist, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp, and his UBA’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Kennedy Uzoka, who were recently at an event in Lagos, when they both removed all their usual business and corporate garbs to share the jollification of the event.

They featured prominently at an event penultimate Sunday at the prestigious Twin Water Towers, Lekki, Lagos, to the extent that people began to wonder how businessmen could be that much outside the corporate world and still

be more at home at a social function. The ambience of the event spoke definite volumes as it was expressly stated in the invite that guests were not to appear in jeans or sneakers, giving the event a unique touch of excellence and creativity.

At the second edition of RedTV’s anticipated new series titled, ‘The Men’s

Club,’ was premiered on REDTV on Monday, October 8th, 2018. The series is set to keep people coming back for more, with twists, turns, betrayal, love and friendship taking the prime place. It was directed by Tola Odunsi and written

by Dami Elebe, and further promises to be an intriguing watch, especially as it

stars some of your favourite stars. The drama series takes you on a journey of four friends surrounded by women, their businesses and the hassles of the city. You will finally get to know more about how men think, as these young men share their joint and several experiences in the flick.

Billionaire businesswoman, Bola Shagaya ages gracefully

M

any can never feign ignorance of the quintessential virtue of this Amazon of business and social circuit, Hajia Bola Shagaya. In the days of yore, Hajia Bola used to be a recurring decimal in virtually all areas of her interests, nay business, commerce, real estate, oil and gas, politics and philanthropy. The woman of substance, who for one reason or the other, has subtly played down her stout appearance in public, clocked 59 years upper week. Though it was gathered that the Kwara Stateborn businesswoman revealed that she had vowed not to throw any elaborate party until she clocks 60. The very indus-

trious woman with rare business acumen in the female gender, and above all a big time stakeholder in the local politics of Ilorin, her homestead, is not known to allow such milestones to go without giving a tinge of mark to it, may as well have surprised many with an unusual celebration of sort, as she is always wont to do. But one thing is certainly clear about the amiable and immensely wealthy woman that she is no doubt ageing gracefully at 59, with beauty and candour at her behest all the time. If you must know, Hajia Bola Shagaya is an in-law to two big and influential families in Nigeria, the Bamanga Tukurs and the Osinbajos, and she is not giving any sign of retiring from the glare of social scene, given her antecedents and wherewithal.

GTBank’s Segun Agbaje garners another award

A

s a foremost corporate citizen, this financial institution will continue to excel in leaps and bounds. As a new generation bank Guaranty Trust Bank has been on the upswing, and this could not have been possible without the honcho input of its MD/CEO, Mr. Segun Agbaje, who has been driving the bank to salient heights. The silent achiever and very officious banking guru recently bagged for his bank, the Most Innovative Bank and CEO of the Year Awards from Africa investor. In retrospect, Segun Agbaje has been guaranteeing the bank with his muscular trust to

BDSUNDAY 11

make the bank the best of all in the industry. GTBank can readily boast of many services that are not reflected in other banks and this is where Segun Agbaje comes in. Segun is one man who strives for excellence in his private life and business; though his dedication and committed leadership have helped him to achieve greatness in life, and have also helped to position GTBank as a major player in the financial services industry, since he assumed the helms of the bank few years ago, as the bank has witnessed a mounting rise in fortune. The bank’s boss, unknown to many, is one individual who can be referred as one of the

eggheads of the banking industry in Nigeria, but aside from work ethics, his simplicity speaks volumes. Segun Agbaje is surely taking GTBank on a mission of resounding success. The staffs of the bank were even enthusi-

astic about Segun Agbaje’s novel achievement for the bank, when they enthused in unison thus, ‘we couldn’t have achieved these without you. Thank you for making us the bank of your choice, and we thank you so much for making GTBank your choice.’’

Elizabeth R’s boss, Ibidunni Ighodalo in another joyful mood

A

fter successfully realizing motherhood of a baby girl over a year back, former beauty queen, Ibidunni Ighodalo, the Elizabeth R boss is rekindling another joyful moment of motherhood as she just adopted another baby, now a male. With her upscale events planning company,

any couple without kids has failed. Sharing a family portrait, many were surprised that there is indeed an addition to the Ighodalo’s home after the little girl, called Keke. Unlike when she showed Keke during her husband’s birthday in 2017, the cute-looking baby boy also had his announcement

the ravishingly beautiful revealed how she and her husband, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, of wave-making Trinity House Church, Lagos, adopted two kids, a girl and a boy in less than two years just to savour parenthood.

The ex-Miss Lux queen, Ibidunni Ighodalo, who announced the first birthday of her son, Ezizenam recently on Instagram, also revealed the reason for the move, that adoption doesn’t mean

on his own birthday. It was obvious the birthday celebration served as an avenue for Ibidunni Ighodalo to announce she has adopted another child. She wrapped her joy thus, ‘adoption does not mean you have failed them, but it is a way of showing what blessings you have in store for them, if only they will yield to you. I thank you for my two adorable kids I could never trade them for anything in the world.’

Marketing guru, Pastor Kola Oyeyemi, a man of many parts

I

t is no longer big news that the effervescent Sales and Marketing top shot at foremost telcoms company, MTN, Kola Oyeyemi is a Pastor. He has for some time now been pastoring an upwardlymobile Pentecostal church, called Chapel of Uncommon Grace. The over 50 year-old Kolawole Olatunde Oyeyemi, is the strategically robust and creative marketing and sales management professional, with almost 25 years wealth of management, marketing, sales and marketing communication experience and a track record of successful marketing management practice across industries from a leading multinational FMCG company, Cadbury Nigeria Plc now Kraft Foods to telecommunications. Until recently, the General Manager, Consumer Marketing at MTN, Kola is trained in some of the best schools locally and internationally, Kola is an alumnus of the following great institutions; Obafemi Awolowo University, Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University, Columbia Business School, New York and Cranfield, UK. Deeply strategic and highly creative, Kola has been behind several highly-successful and awardwinning marketing initiatives and marketing communica-

tion campaigns like the Saka I Don Port that generated over N3billion in free media. Kola is an author of five books, the latest of which is Kill or Get Killed; The Marketing Killer Instinct. This first known Marketing management book of its kind by an African which was approved by the US Library of Congress and today is proudly on the shelf of the US Library of Congress shoulder to shoulder with revered global authors. Versatile and very instructive Kola has won various awards in marketing creativity, professionalism and knowledge. He is happily married to Adenike and they are blessed with worthwhile children. He is today one of Africa’s favorite motivational and inspirational authors, and is best known for his LifeChanging messages for creating mind-expanding works.

12

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

PhotoSplash

L-R: Femi Taiwo, executive director, LEAP Africa; Uche Pedro, board member, LEAP Africa; Ayeni-Babajide Olamide, recipient of the outstanding fellows award; Udeme Ufot, board chair, LEAP Africa, and Ogochukwu Ekaidem-Ekezie, head, corporate affairs and corporate communication, Union Bank Nigeria PLc, at LEAP Africa’s Social Innovators Programme and Awards 2018 (SIPA) in Lagos. Pic by Olawale Amoo

Head of membership department, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Williams Odah; teacher, Mind Builders High School, Akintelure director of research and advocacy, LCCI, Vincent Nwani; business development manager, business education services & training unit (BEST), LCCI, Adedoyin Ekundayo; Human Resource Intern, LCCI, Igbokwe Kaitochi; teacher, Mind Builders High School, Oshinyemi Oluwa; head, human resource, LCCI, Alaba Ojurayo; Corper, LCCI, Oseremen Okpamen and Students of Mind Builders High School, during a courtesy visit of the school to LCCI recently in Lagos.

L-R: Lanre Odupe, Brand Manager, Lifebuoy, UNILEVER Nigeria plc; Her Excellency Mrs Toyin Saraki wife of the Senate president, Founder of the Well being foundation Africa; Osato Evbuomwan, Category Manager Skin Cleansing, UNILEVER Nigeria plc; Omawumi Megbele , Brand Ambassador Lifebuoy.;Mrs Anugwelem UR, Head Teacher Command Children school Ikeja Lagos; and students at the Lifebuoy Global Handwashing Day celebration.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Renowned Novelist, (m); Chuks Adichie (l), and Tinuke Adichie, at the Cheltenham 2018 Festival.

L-R Maria Shadeko, brand manager Legend Extra Stout NBPlc ; Stephen Olamide, Kalakuta Museum Tour Guide, and Clementina Otabor , channel execution manager NBPlc. at a tour of the Kalakuta Republic Museum courtesy of Legend Extra Stout in Lagos.

L-R : Kayode Adegboye, area business manager, Fatgbems Petroleum Company Limited; Adewuyi Tobi, winner customer service excellence award; Hassan Gbemisola, managing director , Fatgbems Group, and Adebayo Gbemisola , executive director, during the flag-off of 2018 customer service week activities and presentation of awards in Lagos.

L-R, Alex Aghedo, executive general manager, operations support services, Total E&P Nigeria Limited; Akin Osuntoki, chief executive officer, Richardson Oil & Gas Limited; Tony Attah, managing director, Nigeria LNG Limited, and Austin Avuru, chief executive officer, Seplat Petroleum Development Company, during the 10th PSRG- RICHARDSON Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Forum, in Lagos.

L-R : David Brown , principal financial analyst, DBrown Consulting Ltd; Akin Olawore, president and chairman of council Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce; Oyinye Ikenna-Emeka, general manager, enterprise marketing MTN Nigeria; Deji Oguntonnade , division head, FINTECH and Innovation GTBank, and Uyi Akpata, country senior partner PWC Nigeria, recently at the October breakfast session of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) in Lagos.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY 13

News Feature Nigerian writers converge on Lagos this week ...as 37th ANA convention gets underway Oct. 25

M CHUKS OLUIGBO

embers of the Nigerian literary community under the auspices of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) will converge on Lagos on October 25 for the 37th annual international convention of the association.

This year’s convention, which is being hosted by the Lagos State chapter of ANA, will last through October 28 and, according to Akin Adeoya, chairman of the Local Organising Committee appointed by the association’s national executive to supervise the preparations, Lagos is set to host a resounding convention that would be counted among the best ever.

“Of course, you know Lagos is Centre of Excellence. Therefore, writers should expect the best convention from Lagos.

We are fully prepared and we encourage all delegates to attend this memorable event. It is going to be a great opportunity to meet the great heroes in the media, business and politics. Mega city, Lagos is welcoming the delegates,” Yemi Adebiyi, ANA Lagos chairman, said at the inauguration of the LOC earlier in the year.

Denja Abdullahi, ANA national president, concurred, saying there was no cause to doubt Lagos.

“It is an opportunity to prove their mettle. The state chapter is making good effort. Recently, Steve Ayorinde, Lagos State commissioner for tourism, art and culture, announced that Lagos is waiting to witness several art-bound events this year. He mentioned LABAF, ANA convention and others. This shows that the state government has been carried along. It is definitely going to be a great experience,” said.

Themed ‘Literature, Megacities and Mega-narratives’, the convention keynote address at the opening ceremony will be delivered by Karen King-Aribisala, a professor in the Department of English, University of Lagos.

Similarly, Hardground, the awardwinning play by Ahmed Yerima, celebrated playwright and former general manager of the National Arts Theatre, has been chosen as the official play for the convention.

Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, is billed to declare the convention open at opening ceremony on October 25.

During a courtesy visit to his palace in Lagos by the LOC, Oba Akiolu, who accepted the offer to be the royal patron of the association, prayed for the success of the convention.

“I pray for a successful entry and exit of all participants at your convention. I wish you success and pray that no evil shall distort or destroy the success of the entire programme. And out of my tight schedule, I will find time to not only attend, but to support you beyond the period of the event,” he said.

Not long ago, Abdullahi, the association’s president, led a three-man team to a meeting with the Lagos chapter at Eagles’ Park Hotel, Ikeja. Others in the

team were Maik Ortserga, assistant general secretary, and Wole Adedoyin, PRO South.

The two-day meeting, which had in attendance Adeoya, the LOC chairman, Adebiyi, ANA Lagos chairman, and other members of the state chapter and the LOC, was to review the level of preparations for the convention whose activities would hold mainly in the Ikeja area of the state.

It looked at the chapter’s level of preparedness, especially in the areas of welcome cocktail, grand opening ceremony, the convention drama, AGM, accommodation for delegates and special guests, publicity, security, books and photos exhibition, excursion and breakfast at the Lagos beachside, transport and logistics and grand awards dinner.

Getting the hosting rights for the convention, of course, was a dream come true for ANA Lagos. This would be the first time in 25 years that the Lagos chapter would host the convention. The last one it hosted was somehow dissipated because of the death of the then president of the association, the late Ken SaroWiwa, who was executed by the Sani Abacha military junta. Previous requests from the chapter for the hosting rights had been rebuffed on grounds that it had failed to put its house in order, no thanks to a leadership crisis that grounded its activities for a long while. And so, Lagos is leaving no stone unturned to ensure everything goes as planned.

“So many things happened in ANA Lagos between the 1980s and 1990s, but we survived them all. We have put the past behind us. Now virtually all the members of the association are willing to

do their best to push it forward,” Adeoya, the LOC chairman, reportedly said in a recent interview.

“With what we have done so far and what is on the ground, I believe that this is going to be one of the best, if not the best, annual conventions that ANA has ever organised in the country,” Adeoya said.

“In terms of accommodation for the expected guests, which has always been a big issue, I can tell you that we have already done more, as of one month to the event, than any other state chapter of the association had ever done. Most of our venues are already booked down, for example, and most of our events have been resolved,” he said.

And so, to ensure a memorable convention, ANA Lagos kicked off with a number of pre-event activities that, it hoped, would deliver the magic of the state to delegates from across the country.

These include the Patrons’ Night held at the Freedom Parks, Lagos on September 9. Tagged ‘An Evening with ANA Patrons’, the patrons’ night, according to Adebiyi, ANA Lagos chairman, was held to honour distinguished persons who had made contributions to the growth of the association as well as was to appreciate individuals and corporate organisations for their support towards a successful convention.

ANA Lagos also plans to hold a Colloquium on Digital Publishing scheduled for October 24-25.

Feyi-Abiodun Oyeniyi, public relations officer II, ANA Lagos, and spokesman for the local organising committee, said the colloquium is in honour of the late Tayo Aderinokun, former managing director

of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), who was a patron of ANA Lagos, a philanthropist and a passionate lover of creative arts.

Oyeniyi said the colloquium would, among other things, see the critical review of creative writing and the publishing industry in Nigeria. It would feature many high-flying scholars and representatives of corporations and in turn explore the benefits and profitability of digital publishing to writers, rather than the usual hard copy which makes the industry and practitioners prone to all sorts of abuses and exploitation, particularly by pirates.

He said both the colloquium, with the theme ‘Monetizing & Globalizing the Writing Craft’, and the 37th ANA International Convention being hosted by the Lagos chapter have been endorsed by the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the NigerianAmerican Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NACCI).

He said Felicia Otolorin of Google Nigeria, Patrick Enaholo of Pan African University (PAU), and Okechukwu Ofili, chief executive officer, OkadaBooks, were some of the speakers lined up to examine and proffer solutions to problems and prospects of the writing profession in Nigeria.

“Other speakers at the event are Messrs Seun Williams, a Lagos-based legal practitioner, Dr. Sola Olorunyomi from the University of Ibadan, Chukwuemeka Godswill of Boldscholar Research Limited, and Ugo Okoye of iC Concept, a digital book marketing firm,” Oyeniyi said.

As the D-Day draws closer, and as writers from across the country get set to ‘invade’ Lagos, all eyes are on ANA Lagos to live up to its promises.

14 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Feature

When militants, cultists laid down their arms to embrace peace in A/Ibom ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

F

or more than three years, cultists and militants unleashed a reign of terror in two local government areas of Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun in Akwa Ibom State causing considerable havoc to human lives and destroying property worth millions of naira.

It all began like a child’s play soon after the 2015 general election. It was thought that thugs who were allegedly used during the election but were later abandoned were behind the attacks which had become a recurring decimal in the two communities.

In the two communities, nobody was spared, teachers, students, politicians, farmers and churchmen members were targets of the attacks and the deadly that the militants visited the community with.

The killings took place in broad day light almost on a daily basis which was the case when the secretary of Ukanafun Local Government Area, Ime Willie Atakpa was gunned down when he visited his farm in the morning.

The killing of the local government secretary and that of a school principal who was dragged from the classroom and shot in front of his students typified the wanton killings and violence that bedeviled the two communities when the militants held sway in the area.

While of the kidnapped victims were released after huge ransom had been paid by their by distraught relatives, it became a vicious cycle as thousands deserted the community to seek refuge in neighbouring areas.

Despite the concerted efforts of security operatives involving the joint operations of soldiers, police and air force personnel, there was little improvement in the situation in the two local government areas.

As the death toll continued to rise with members of the security forces not spared, a particular disturbing trend was the killing of people when ransom had been paid by the victim’s family members.

For instance, a retired employee of Mobil Producing Nigeria, Idongesit Udom who was kidnapped in the area was only released after he had paid the ransom demanded and his right wrist amputated.

It was widely held that the killings and atrocities by the cultists were politically motivated, a view shared by Governor Udom Emmanuel who cleared stated this while answering questions at a press conference in Uyo, the state capital.

“The whole security challenge in the two local government areas is politically motivated,” he said. Even the leaders of the cult groups have been degraded, beginning with the killing of Akaninyene Jumbo Uko alias Iso Akpafid and later Stainless, the security situation in the two local government areas did not see any improvement.

According to the governor, “It is not easy for me as a father to sleep or be happy when I hear that people in my community are not living in peace. I call on youths of Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun to embrace peace, if all of us seated here agree that this should stop, it will stop, let the youths talk to themselves.

“If you know your brother or your son who is involved, please tell him to sheath his sword, without peace no development, I have asked you severally to give me peace and development will come here,’’ the governor said.

“Government is ready to rehabilitate those youths who carry out this criminality, whoever is sponsoring these people, their pocket will dry. Enough is enough,” he said.

For the commissioner of police in Akwa Ibom State, Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, it is nothing more than a clash between the two cult groups maintaining that it is a question of misguided who find themselves in cult groups who believe they could make money without work.

“The reality is that we don’t know what they are fighting for.

All they said is that they need money,’’ the police commissioner said.

But things have gradually taken a new turn for the better with the militants and cultists willingly laying down their arms in the open and pledging to embrace the amnesty programme of the state government.

With no 420 militants, kidnappers and cultists from the two local government areas embracing the amnesty programme of the state government after they surrendered their weapons under the amnesty committee made up of heads of security agencies in the state, it shows that things are really looking good for now.

It is not really clear what might have triggered the decision of the militants and cultists to embrace the amnesty programme.

In fact, opinions are divided over the matter. While others say it was the magnanimity of the state government under the amnesty programme, others think it was a result of the actions of the security forces, yet others think it is the work of the community which might have gone the extra mile to ensure the return of peace and security in the area.

Whatever might have transpired, it may not be necessary what had moved the militants to willingly surrender their arms but it is a thing of joy that peace would returning to the community sooner than later.

A breakdown showed 264 are from Ukanafun while 156 were from Etim Ekpo Local Government Areas who for over three years had been terrorising the areas, forcing many to desert their homes for safety in neighbouring local government areas.

The amnesty programme was the latest strategy by the state government to end three years of mayhem in the area by the criminals. The crisis has claimed many innocent lives with property worth millions of naira destroyed in the two war torn neigbouring places.

According to Moses Ekpo, deputy governor of Akwa Ibom who applauded them for denouncing their erstwhile unholy acts stated that the state government has signed an undertaking on their behalf to protect them from harassment by security agencies and has also drawn a rehabilitation programme that would reform their lives.

“Government is proud that most of you have said you want to live a meaningful life. I am glad that some of you say you want to work in the security agencies and want to rise to the level of even a police commissioner.

“You want to become a governor or professionals in any profitable venture. Government

is happy with you and will give all of you start up skills and education to enable you to realise your dreams in life. “Again, I want to assure you that the federal government after seeing the steps that the state government has taken would be glad to come in and assist you to be a better citizen, Ekpo stated.

The deputy governor noted that crisis-ridden and deserted communities would begin to experience a new lease of life as work would restart on government projects abandoned by contractors in those communities due to insecurity.

Ogunjemilusi who commended them for their commitment to restoration of peace in their communities however urged them to surrender remaining weapons still in their custody in order not to be tempted back into crime.

Ogunjemilusi pledged the commitment of all security agencies in the state towards the success of the amnesty programme and restoration of lasting peace in the area but warned that the amnesty would only cover their past and not those after the amnesty programme.

Community leaders in the area and the legal adviser to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Enoidem were full of joy and they thanked the state government for the amnesty programme extended to the militants, describing it as a clear demonstration of love to the people.

According to Enoidem, it

could have been easy for government to declare “an eye for an eye” judgment to them in view of the wanton destruction and pains they have caused the victims and government but for the sake of love that government had decided to grant then ample opportunity to live again.

Urging them to first of all forgive themselves and seek true repentant, he stressed “One thing you must know is that nobody can change you to become somebody if you are not determined to be somebody by yourself. Opportunity sometimes is said, knocks but once.

This is an opportunity for you to catch up and become a better person to yourself, your community and society at large” Unyime Ibanga alias “Overcomer” , one of the repentant militants commended the state government and security agencies for the opportunity offered them to live normal lives again and pledged the commitment of his members to the restoration of lasting peace in the area.

“Today is one of the happiest days in my life and I wish to pray that God should bless the Governor,’’ the militant stated.

Ibanga who identified unfulfilled promises from government as one of the reasons they decided to take up arms against the people however called on government to ensure that they abide by their promise of rehabilitating them so that they would not be tempted to go back to their former way of life.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

15

Feature Why FMBN’s new affordable housing programme comes with a difference

If there is anything that inspires hope in the new national affordable housing delivery programme which was launched recently by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) in collaboration with leading labour unions in the country, it is because the programme differs significantly from other housing programmes undertaken in the past by government or its agencies which almost always ended up as white elephant projects with grave implications to the national economy, writes CHUKA UROKO

N

igerians have, in the past, seen so many housing programmes initiated by state and federal governments or/and their agencies which ended at conception level, mid-way into construction and, in some cases, at nearcompletion level, leaving behind a pile of wasted efforts and resources.

Among several others including the Shagari Low Cost Housing, Nigeria has had social housing projects which failed, in part, because they were executed without taking into cognizance the concerns and economic realities of the Nigerian worker and other potential buyers.

However, the recent launch of the National Affordable Housing Delivery Programme for Nigerian workers in six locations across the country by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) in partnership with leading labour unions in the country is coning with a difference.

There are many reasons to believe that this affordable social housing project will succeed and not go the way of abandoned national projects. Finance is a major drawback in housing delivery but the availability of funds for the new programme guarantees that the delivery is sure.

FMBN is leveraging its pool of funds from the National Housing Fund (NHF) to finance the construction work and delivery of the project.

Selection and mobilization of competent developers is also another guarantee and the apex mortgage bank has already mobilized reputable indigenous developers with the capacity to deliver to start construction work on the project.

Another basis for hope in this programme is the strategic involvement of state governments as critical stakeholders in its implementation. The selection of the pilot sites was done based on the responsiveness of state governors to the conditions of the FMBN for siting the project. This helped in the speedy acquisition of expansive pieces of land for the housing estates.

It is expected that the sup-

port from state governors whose workers will benefit directly from the scheme will indeed help to ensure timely project completion and delivery to deserving workers.

The active involvement of the labour unions in the design of the program is a major plus for the project and equally gives hope that it will succeed. The participation of leaders of NLC, TUC and NECA in the development of the framework for delivering the project made it possible for them to make constructive inputs into the housing designs, selling prices and conditions for delivering the project. This has given them a strong sense of ownership of the project which is considered a critical factor for its success.

The housing programme, which is designed in collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) is a good addition to the efforts of FMBN as a strategic policy tool of the federal government to increase access to affordable housing by low- and medium-income earners in the country.

Under the pilot phase of the project, about 1,400 housing units comprising onebedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units are planned for construction and delivery at 14 sites nationwide. 200 housing units are to be built in each of the six

geopolitical zones with 100 units in two selected states while Abuja and Lagos are to be treated as special sites.

A defining feature of the programme is the fixing of the selling prices of the housing units within a range that workers can afford with their salaries. The prices are to range from N3.1 million to N8 million which marks a departure from the worrying trend of building houses that are far beyond the financial capacity of low- and mediumincome earners.

The rapid and simultaneous commencement of construction activities at various

FMBN is leveraging its pool of funds from the National Housing Fund (NHF) to finance the construction work and delivery of the project.

Selection and mobilization of competent developers is also another guarantee and the apex mortgage bank has already mobilized reputable indigenous developers with the capacity to deliver to start construction work on the project.

sites in five states including Nasarawa, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom inspires hope for the speedy delivery of the projects within the 6-months timeframe as planned.

In Nassarawa State, for example, the state governor, Tanko Al Makura, provided 5 hectares of land for the project and at the groundbreaking event recently, the governor promised to commit an additional 10 hectares for the project. In Kogi State, the governor, Yahayah Bello, provided 37 hectares of land for the project on the outskirts of Lokoja. In addition to the land, most of the governors have also indicated strong willingness to provide access roads, electricity, and other associated amenities.

“The launch of the National Housing Delivery Programme is a momentous development because it marks the first time that FMBN and the labour unions have worked closely with experts and industry stakeholders to develop a realistic and acceptable framework for delivering affordable housing to Nigerian workers”, noted Ahmed Dangiwa, FMBN’s CEO, at the groundbreaking event in Nasarawa.

Dangiwa reasoned that the collaborative spirit which this programme has fostered gave room for labour leaders, who understand the realities and financial challenges that Nigerian workers face, to make constructive inputs to the housing designs, pricing

range and other relevant conditions for delivering this project.

The stakeholder involvement and contributions to the project design makes the programm a fit-for-purpose tool that will deliver houses that workers can afford as part of the overall national efforts at redressing the huge housing deficit that experts now estimate to be over 22million housing units.

Dangiwa assured of a plan already in place to ensure that once the houses are built and delivered, the FMBN will provide mortgage loans through selected Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) to Nigerian workers that contribute to the NHF to enable them to purchase the houses and repay over a maximum period of 30 years.

Eligible workers whose loan requirements fall below N5 million will not be expected to make any equity contribution to access the facility while those requiring N5 million – N15 million will have to provide only 10 percent equity contribution instead of the old requirement regime of 20 percent and 30 percent.

The housing delivery programme is especially significant because of its conceptual focus on delivering costeffective, safe, decent, quality and affordable housing. The direct commissioning of the bill of quantities by the FMBN to suppress the profit motive and the strategic engagement of state governors for the provision of land at nearzero cost has helped greatly to substantially reduce the cost of the building and keep the selling prices within the reach of Nigerian workers.

This combination of quality and affordability makes the program a fit-for-purpose model for social housing in Nigeria.

The programme demonstrates yet another important and impactful initiative that the FMBN is driving to add zest to Nigeria’s quest for social housing. This is which it has become necessary for the government and stakeholders continue to support the bank’s initiatives such as this and upscale it to reach even greater numbers.

16

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Feature

How Nigeria can improve its life expectancy rate – Study IFEOMA OKEKE

I

t is no news that the life expectancy rate in Nigeria has continued to drop as a result of several factors which could be narrowed down to lack of access to healthcare, rise in disease prevalence, stress and most importantly, lifestyle.

According to the latest World Health Organisation data published in Nigeria, life expectancy for male is 54.7, female 55.7 and average life expectancy is 55.2 which gives Nigeria a World Life Expectancy ranking of 178.

However, all hope seems not totally lost as a new scientific study of forecasts carried out by Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent global health research organisation at the University of Washington that provides rigorous and comparable measurement of the world’s most important health problems and evaluates the strategies used to address them reveals Nigerians are likely to experience at least a slight increase in life spans. In contrast, one scenario finds the country could.

For example, Nigeria, with an average life expectancy of 65.0 years in 2016, ranked 156th among 195 nations.

However, if recent health trends continue it could rise to a rank of 123rd in 2040 with an average life expectancy of 74.8 years, an increase of 9.8 years. Nigeria’s life expectancy could increase by as much as 14.2 years in a better health scenario or as little as 5.1 years in a worse health scenario.

In contrast, the United States in 2016 ranked 43rd with an average lifespan of 78.7 years. In 2040, life expectancy is forecast to increase only 1.1 years to 79.8, but dropping in rank to 64th. China, on the other hand, had a lifespan of 76.3 years in 2016 and is expected to increase to 81.9, raising its rank from 68th to 39th in 2040.

In addition, the study, published on Wednesday in the international medical journal The Lancet, projects a significant increase in deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease, and lung cancer, as well as worsening health outcomes linked to obesity.

In 2016, the top 10 causes of premature death in Nigeria were malaria, diarrheal diseases, HIV/AIDS, neonatal encephalopathy due to birth asphyxia and trauma, lower respiratory infections, neonatal preterm birth complications, congenital birth defects, neonatal sepsis, meningitis, and protein-energy malnutrition.

In 2040, however, the leading causes are expected to be malaria, lower respiratory infections, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal diseases, neonatal encephalopathy due to birth asphyxia and trauma, neonatal preterm birth complications, neonatal sepsis, congenital birth defects, meningitis, and ischemic heart disease.

However, there is “great potential to alter the downward trajectory of health” by addressing key risk factors, levels of education, and per capita income, authors say.

“The future of the world’s health is not pre-ordained, and there is a wide range of plausible trajectories,” Kyle Foreman, director of Data Science at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, and lead author on the study said. “But whether we see significant progress or stagnation depends on how well or poorly health systems address key health drivers.”

“Providing health services without guaranteeing a minimum level of quality is ineffective, wasteful and unethical,” Muhammad Pate, co-chair of the commission and chief executive of Big Win Philanthropy and former minister of State for Health in Nigeria said.

Oge Ilegbune, a general practitioner, head of strategy, development and outreach at Lakeshore Cancer Centre said “What I always tell people is that the lifestyle modification can prevent a lot of health diseases and extends life expectancy,” said According to her, most of the risk factors cut cross across the pathology and it still boils down to a healthy lifestyle.

“There is a need for people to engage in regular exercises, balanced diet, avoiding smoking, reduction of alcohol intake, reduce stress, and get a good sleep.”

“It is important to be cautious of the environment in terms of pollution, including exhaust fumes from vehicles and other machines,” Ilegbune said.

“The level of stress people face is huge in the country and stress reduces our immunity, when you do not get enough sleep as well, the body cannot replenish its self the way it’s meant to.

Similarly, Adesimbo Ukiri, chief executive officer, Avon HMO said when the economy suffers, people’s health gets worst because there is almost no aliment that stress and thinking does not contribute.

“When the body is under stress and people are not sleeping well, their immunity does not work as well and they fall ill more frequently and much more easily.”

The top five health drivers that explain most of the future trajectory for premature mortality are high blood pressure, high body mass index, high blood sugar, tobacco use, and alcohol use, Foreman said. Air pollution ranked sixth.

According to the IHME’s forecast, in addition to China, several other nations are expected in 2040 to increase substantially in their rankings in terms of life expectancy.

In contrast, Palestine is expected to drop the most in its life expectancy ranking – from 114th in 2016 to 152nd in 2040. Moreover, several high-income nations are forecast to drop substantially in their rankings, including: United States, dropping the most for highincome countries, from 43rd in 2016 to 64th in 2040; Canada from 17th to 27th ; Norway

from 12th to 20th; Taiwan (Province of China) from 35th to 42nd ; Belgium from 21st to 28th ; and Netherlands from 15th to 21st.

The rankings also find that Spain is expected to place first in the world in 2040 (average lifespan of 85.8 years), a rise from fourth in 2016 (average lifespan of 82.9 years).

Japan, ranked first in 2016 (average lifespan 83.7 years), will drop to second place in 2040 (average lifespan 85.7 years).

Rounding out the top 10 for 2040 are: Singapore (average lifespan 85.4 years) ranked third, as compared to 83.3 years in 2016 and ranking also of third; Switzerland (average lifespan 85.2 years), as compared to 83.3 years in 2016 and ranking of second; Portugal (average lifespan 84.5 years), as compared to 81.0 years in 2016 and ranking of 23rd; Italy (average lifespan 84.5 years), as compared to 82.3 years in 2016 and ranking of seventh and Israel (average lifespan 84.4 years), as compared to 82.1 years in 2016 and ranking of 13th Others include France (average lifespan 84.3 years), as compared to 82.3 years in 2016 and ranking also of eighth, Luxembourg (average lifespan 84.1 years) as compared to 82.2 years in 2016 and ranking of and Australia (average lifespan 84.1 years), as compared to 82.5 years in 2016 and ranking of fifth.

Among those top 10 nations, even their ‘worse’ scenarios in 2040 remain above 80 years. In stark contrast, the bottom-ranked nations, which include Lesotho, Swaziland, Central African Republic, and South Africa, the “better” and “worse scenarios” in 2040 range from a high of 75.3 years in South Africa (“better” scenario) to a low of 45.3 years in Lesotho (“worse scenario”), a 30-year difference.

“Inequalities will continue to be large,” Christopher Murray, IHME Director said.

“The gap between the ‘better’ and ‘worse’ scenarios will narrow but will still be significant. In a substantial number of countries, too many people will continue earning relatively low incomes, remain poorly educated, and die prematurely. But nations could

make faster progress by helping people tackle the major risks, especially smoking and poor diet.”

In a “worse” scenario, life expectancy decreases in nearly half of all countries over the next generation. Specifically, 87 countries will experience a decline, and 57 will see an increase of one year or more. In contrast, in the “better” scenario, 158 countries will see life expectancy gains of at least five years, while 46 nations may see gains of 10 years or more.

The future shift toward increased premature mortality from NCDs and injuries and away from communicable diseases is apparent by the changing proportions of the top 10 causes of premature death.

In 2016, four of the top 10 causes of premature mortality were NCDs or injuries; in contrast, in 2040, that number increases to eight. The eight NCD or injury causes in the top ten in 2040 are expected to be ischemic heart disease, stroke, COPD, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, road injuries, and lung cancer.

The study is unprecedented in scope, Foreman said, and provides more robust statistical modeling and more comprehensive and detailed estimates of risk factors and diseases than previous forecasts from the United Nations and other population studies institutes.

IHME researchers leveraged data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to produce forecasts and alternative “better” and “worse” scenarios for life expectancy and mortality due to 250 causes of death for 195 countries and territories.

Researchers produced forecasts of independent drivers of health, including socio demographic measurements of fertility, per capita income, and years of education, along with 79 independent drivers of health such as smoking, high body mass index, and lack of clean water and sanitation. They then used information on how each of these independent drivers affects specific causes of death to develop forecasts of mortality.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

Comment

comment is free

Send 800word comments to comment@businessdayonline.com

Momentous evolution of Lagos officials’ wives committee

PUBLISHER/CEO

Frank Aigbogun EDITOR Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja ASSISTANT EDITOR Chuks Oluigbo NEWS EDITOR Patrick Atuanya EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SERVICES Oghenevwoke Ighure GENERAL MANAGER, ADVERT Adeola Ajewole ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude FINANCE MANAGER Emeka Ifeanyi MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Patrick Ijegbai CIRCULATION MANAGER John Okpaire DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

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

17

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

T

he Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) was founded by the Late Mrs. Olufunmilayo Johnson, wife of the first military administrator of Lagos State, General Mobolaji Johnson. The objective was to bring wives of Lagos State government officials such as governor, deputy governor, National and State Assembly members, commissioners, special advisers, permanent secretaries, GMs, DGs, heads of MDAs, local government administrators, etc together under one umbrella to discuss issues of mutual interests.

Having been waning for some time, the body was rejuvenated by Senator Oluremi Tinubu while she was the First Lady of Lagos State.

Imbued with a good knowledge of the vision and mission of the organization, Senator Tinubu put in place various strategies that led to the resurgence of the body in Year 2000. Under her distinguished leadership, all wives of the State officials were mobilized to complement efforts of the State government in the provision of essential infrastructure for Lagos residents. Focus was mainly set on construction of recreation cen-

ters and gardens across the state to promote the culture of good family life among family through embracing a culture of relaxation in serene centers.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s passion for the aged, especially retirees who have spent their productive years serving the country, greatly influenced her vision of setting up a Retirement Villa in the State. When one considers the gross neglect that retirees usually suffer in Africa, the ideal behind the illustrious senator’s vision will be better appreciated.

Though the vision of constructing the Retirement Villa was fully realized during the tenure of Senator’s Tinubu’s predecessor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, it is to the credit of the leadership and members of COWSLO that the Committee has taught our political leaders an invaluable lesson about what continuity in governance is all about.

Under the leadership of Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, the focus of the body shifted to include regular sponsorship of free medical screening and treatment for Cervical and Breast Cancer. This was done across the State, thereby giving vulnerable members of the society access to quality health care. Consequently, many residents of the State were saved the stress and burden usually associated with certain sicknesses and diseases. It could, thus, be rightly affirmed that COWLSO’s medical intervention in this direction was a life saving enterprise.

Presently, COWLSO have initiated a number of carefully

selected health projects to complement the State government’s efforts at reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality. The body is concerned about the good health and wellbeing of mothers and children, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals on the health of citizens. A few of the projects that have been commissioned include upgraded Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, Lagos; and neonatal hearing screening equipment. The hearing project focused mainly on the distribution of hearing aids to children and adults with hearing impairment as well as provision of free surgical intervention for patients with enlarged thyroid.

The necessity to source for funds to implement its projects devoid of public funds brought about the introduction of the annual National Women’s Conference (NWC) which was an initiative of Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

Money received as conference registration fees for participants including money from sponsors formed the totality of funds used for COWLSO projects. The first edition of the COWLSO NWC was held in 2001 with the theme: The Virtuous Woman.

Ever since, the conference has grown in leaps and bounds.

In 2015, COWLSO chose “Relevance in Economic Turbulence” as the theme of that year’s NWC. In 2016, COWLSO held its 16th Conference, which ran from October 24 to October 26, under the theme: “Strong Family, Strong

Nation”. The 17th edition of the Conference with the theme: ‘She Creates, She Transforms’, was a befitting celebration of the perseverance, deftness and resourcefulness of women and their outstanding contributions towards nation building. The 18th edition of the Conference is scheduled to hold between Tuesday 23rd and Thursday 25th October, at the Eko Hotel and Suites under the theme: “Strengthening our Collective Impact”. It is, no doubt, going to be another significant moment in the annals of the organization.

The success of COWLSO in the modern era should not be surprising to keen followers of events at the ‘Center of Excellence’, especially in the last 18 years. This is because recent history of COWLSO is not really different from that of Lagos since 1999. It is a story of transformation and progression.

The singular lesson from this is that we must renew our values. We must act now to rebuild our nation by choosing morality, high ethics and a value system that inspires.

These are the inherent lessons that we must carefully draw from COWLSO’s momentous progression. Another instructive lesson from COWSLO is that real and enduring change requires collective involvement and hard work.

Meanwhile, here is wishing organizers and participants of the 18th COWLSO’s NWC a successful and highly rewarding convention.

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

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Dick Kramer - Chairman Imo Itsueli Mohammed Hayatudeen Afolabi Oladele Vincent Maduka Keith Richards Opeyemi Agbaje Amina Oyagbola Bolanle Onagoruwa Fola Laoye Chuka Mordi Mezuo Nwuneli Charles Anudu Tunji Adegbesan Eyo Ekpo

ENQUIRIES NEWS ROOM 08023283822 07031029998 Lagos 08033160837 Abuja

}

ADVERTISING 01-2799108 08034743892 08033225506 SUBSCRIPTIONS 01-2799108 07032496069 07054563299 DIGITAL SERVICES 08026011296 www.businessdayonline.com The Brook, 6 Point Road, GRA, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria.

01-2799100 LEGAL ADVISERS The Law Union

MISSION STATEMENT To be a diversified provider of superior business, financial and management intelligence across platforms accessible to our customers anywhere in the world.

OUR CORE VALUES

BusinessDay avidly thrives on the mainstay of our core values of being The Fourth Estate, Credible, Independent, Entrepreneurial and Purpose-Driven.

• The Fourth Estate: We take pride in being guarantors of liberal economic thought • Credible: We believe in the principle of being objective, fair and fact-based • Independent: Our quest for liberal economic thought means that we are independent of private and public interests.

• Entrepreneurial: We constantly search for new opportunities, maintaining the highest ethical standards in all we do • Purpose-Driven: We are committed to assembling a team of highly talented and motivated people that share our vision, while treating them with respect and fairness. www.businessdayonline.com

18

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

TheWorshippers

Time is ripe for church leaders to get involved in governance of Nigeria - Rev. Adebola Joseph

R

ev e re n d A d e b o l a J o s e p h , a s t ro n g advocate of positive, creative and innovative thinking with greater focus on the youth ministry, is a pastor at the Victoria Island zonal headquarters of Church of God Mission International in Lagos. In this interview with SEYI JOHN SALAU, Reverend Joseph, who recently went on a missionary trip to Kenya, speaks on his experience in Kenya and how the field is ready for harvest. Excerpts: You recently went on a missionary trip to Kenya.

Could you let us into it?

First, we want to give God all the glory for using us to affect lives. My wife and I decided that nations must hear our voice of impact; that we are made to be apostles to nations and the power of God in our life must not be wasted. Nations are waiting for us to be a blessing and to do exploit for the kingdom.

As Christians on the field, we

must understand and learn to ‘Pray Until Something Happens’ (P-U-S-H). Prayer equips us to stand in position to prevail against all odds. Men who prayed are men who prevailed. Jacob prayed and God gave him a new beginning. Jabez prayed and his life was turned around. I join my voice with the hosts of heaven to pray for you, God will give you divine breakthrough in Jesus mighty name, Amen. So, on that premise we embarked on the journey to Kenya for gospel impartation.

What is your view of the Pentecostal fellowship in Kenya?

Wow! The body of Christ in Kenya loves God and they are in need of great partnership with other churches outside their country to make impact in Christendom. A particular ministry invited me, and I have been going out for other programmes.

How long did you spend on the mission field?

The missionary work and

journey lasted for 30 days.

You belong to Church of God Mission International; how is the church’s ministry in Kenya?

Well, as I speak now there is no CGMi church in Kenya, but we are planning to set up one very soon.

There must have been lessons learnt from the mission field; could you share some of them with our readers?

In the book of Eph 1v 18-19, the scriptures says, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” I have learnt to trust God in any assignment he gives to me, because he will make the provisions. Every man is created to express the glory of God, and we are all important to God in making impact. The word of God is global, it goes everywhere in the world. And, God is looking for men he will send to effectively create impact in

the world as a minister of God. God created us to make impact to nations and men’s destiny (Mat 19:26). It is only God that can add favour to man’s labour. By the special grace of God, you will find favour in all your endeavours.

Today is your day of blessings, favour, success, positive news and positive turnaround in all areas of your life, as long as you submit first to doing God’s bidding to ‘Go ye into the world and make disciples of God’. God’s mighty hand will scatter every power blocking the way of your complete joy and breakthrough and will add favour to all your labour.

Therefore, I have leant to be faithful to His calling and his word.

What is your view on the state of the church and its response to the recurring violence in the country?

I think Pentecostal leaders should take more interest in peace resolution in national issues; it is not all about taking the Bible to preach, but

having skills for peace resolution. Unfortunately, the Nigerian church does not seem to have a good image anymore and that is the credibility of our Christian leaders being put to test. I feel as Christians, there is an urgent need to pray for our churches to shine the light of the gospel to the world and its dying sinners.

Again, not all of the church leaders have the problem of integrity. For some churches they feel they live in their own world and are not bothered by national issues. They feel that somehow God would take care of things. When you see conflicts happening in the north you wonder what the religious leaders are doing and when you see apathy in the south you imagine what the church leaders are doing. It is high time the church leadership got involved in governance of the nation, else Nigeria might get worse than it is at the moment. It is not enough to pray because prayer without action cannot do much.

‘Gospel music is about the message of Christ, not the singer’ SEYI JOHN SALAU

C

hristians have been called upon to focus less on gospel singers and pay more attention to the music, especially the lyrics and wordings of the songs, as a message of Jesus Christ capable of turning men’s hearts to God for a transformed life.

The call was made at a recent extended play launch and hymns concert, tagged ‘Great Confidence’ by Ekene Dilichukwu, in Lagos.

‘Great Confidence’ is a body of work produced

by TBabz that contains three hit tracks, ‘Great Confidence’, which is the cover, ‘Eledumare’, and ‘Ikaria’, portraying the inspirational nature of the songs in reaching out to Christian youths.

Speaking at the launch, Ekene Dilichukwu said she believes the gospel music genre and the music industry at large is open to every artiste who understands the industry and the target audience.

“God is raising up young people as He promised in His word, teaching and giving them

inspiration to use it in solving all the challenges they have,” she said.

Her type of music, she said, is targeted at young people who find it difficult to connect with slow tempo songs.

“The youth most times find it difficult flowing with the old generational songs because they want something that inspires them. Most times when you discuss with them they don’t really want some of these old songs.

They say, ‘It’s sluggish, it’s this, it’s the other way’,” she said.

Ekene Dilichukwu believes the gospel can be preached to the youths better through music with singers who understand youth and their aspirations.

“The important thing,” she said, “is the message of Jesus Christ. He knows the best way and I believe some of the songs He has inspired me to sing, the youths like it and have gotten the message which God wants to pass across.”

Born to a family of teachers, Ekene Dilichukwu, who started her music career as a church chorister in Enugu, is a linguist

L-R: Zebulon Agomuo, Editor, BDSUNDAY; Pastor Christopher Megwara, MD/CEO Prich Link Ltd; the Celebrant, Ekene Agomuo; Pastor Stephen Torty, MD, Hectos International Limited (chairman of the occasion), and his wife, Helen, at the launch of Extended Play (EP) titled ‘Great Confidence’ by Agomuo, in Lagos.

and principal tutor at the International School, University of Lagos.

“When I lead choruses in the church I find that people connect in the spirit. Of course, with the songs that come out of inspirations from God, I joined them together and I got a marvelous song. Since God wants to use me through songs, I decided to make it something big,” she said.

Stephen Torty, managing director, Hectos

International Limited and chairman of the occasion, urged Christians to always sing to praise God no matter the challenge and situation around them.

“Today, with this piece, as you engage it as a soulinspiring album, chains will be loosed, yokes broken, satanic and evil judgment will be averted, pronouncement against you will be reversed, there will be a miraculous intervention with signs and wonders in your life,” he said.

He said the songs would be very valuable for the dispensation of the good news, stressing that the place of songs, praise and worship in personal victory, corporate victory and evangelism could not be over-emphasized.

The music launch featured performances from Fortune, The Levite Crew, Philip Etim and many more, thrilling the audience to soul-lifting rendition of several hymns and gospel songs.

Sunday 21 Octo ber 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY 19

Inspirations The Power of your imagination (2)

PASTOR I.S JAMES PHILIPPIANS 4:8

F

inally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The Wright Brothers simply saw a bird flying, and they thought of creating dreams and mental pictures of the possibility that man could fly like birds. I hear the fellow who provoked the creation of the first Helicopter prototype must have seen the dragon fly and he must have wondered mentally on the possibility of creating a flying machine like that for man.

Ideas are the root of creation.

The idea for how your family is presently structured started in your thoughts. Today you are called father, mother etc. Be careful what you think and what you dwell on. A heart that “deviseth evil things is an abomination to God”, Prov. 6:18.

Wicked actions arise from a wicked heart. From a wicked heart (one whose thought life has been messed up) will proceed acts of foolishness in the by and by.

Romans 12:2 says that renewing your mind through the Word helps you know the things that are pleasing to God. Reading and studying the Word helps in the mind renewing process tremendously.

The responsibility of purifying your heart is laid on you squarely. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded,” James 4:8.

This of course must be with the acknowledged assistance of the Holy Spirit. You must cooperate with him. “Let the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, Oh Lord…” Ps.19:14. Purifying your heart is a continuous process which is why the admonition that you be careful what you expose yourself to through the 5 senses because a clean heart can be defiled. Consider

2Samuel 11. David was a man after God’s heart. He loved God but he SAW a woman bathing. One of the five gates opens to your heart is your set of eyes. He “saw”; and then he dwelt upon the thought and see where it led him. His assessment that the woman was beautiful to look upon was a product of his imagination. The next thing was to send for the woman, and the whole process of humiliation started. But then 2Corinthians 10:4-5 provides the answer; the circuit breaker, so to say. You have the power to cast down every imagination.

“4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.“ The account in Matthew 9:20-22 is a positive example of the product of the mind. The lady understood the power of imagination. ‘She said to herself…’. She had heard of Jesus. She had seen him do miracles.

These thought processes must have occupied her thinking and she came to the conclusion that, “If I can but touch the helm of his garment…” It

doesn’t matter how many people think you are crazy, you can achieve positive results as long as you do not think you are crazy.

Sometimes Satan tries to blackmail you into thinking that your thought is evil when in fact God it is who has given such thoughts to you. Many people are where they are today because they bought such lies. Another example of positive use of the imagination is the account that concerns the Roman Centurion, Matthew 8:5-13. There was no ‘precedence,’ which shows that his faith declaration was a product of his imagination.

Let your own imagination expand the limits of your faith.I know that you have truly been blessed reading this and I am convinced in my spirit that your thought life and indeed you experience of God and His Word will never remain the same again.

From now on you will dwell and revel in the assured potency of his Word in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Dr. Iruofagha James is the Founding Pastor, Glory Christian Ministries, Odo-Olowo Street, Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, Ijeshatedo, Lagos. www.isjames.org Tel: 08060599144

Beware: Frenemies in your life

REV. YOMI KASALI

@rev.yomikasali

T

he Word ‘Frenemy’ is a newly formed word in this generation and it is defined as ‘a person or group that is friendly toward another because the relationship brings benefits, but harbors feelings of resentment or rivalry.’ This is very worrying and very practical in today’s world of politics, business, sports and entertainment.

I am simply fascinated with the word ‘Frenemies’, and wonder if I could find biblical reference for the same, and yes, I found out while searching scriptures that the Devil was the first ‘Frenemy’ Mentioned in The Bible and his tactics are still very much the same today as it was yesterday in the garden of Eden.

The Devil comes as a ‘Friend’ but really is an ‘Enemy’ of our faith but many unsuspecting believers gullibly absorb him into their gardens unknowingly.

Let me Inspire you today with what

happened in the beginning with respect to this deadly diabolical friend of the first woman that was really her enemy, which makes him a ‘frenemy’.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree…

Gen. 3: 1-3 This is the same thing the devil does till today, he comes into our garden (lives) and shows some concerns for our welfare but really does not care about us at all. I will love to warn you of the Frenemy at home or work that you have considered as a friend, this person or group of people really do not like you and want to separate you from God’s Love.

4 WAYS TO KNOW A FRENEMY IN YOUR GARDEN Anyone who questions your obedience to God: The Devil started out by questioning God’s Word and their obedience to God. Beware of people that act like they know too many Scriptures but really are just dotting about many questions without giving answers themselves, they question tithing, Authority, pastoring, church Attendance, everything about the word in general. Paul warned us about them “…in godliness;

able with us when we are with other ‘strong’ people of substance, but they would have us ‘isolated’ from loved ones like family members. This occurs more in marriages, where one husband complains about his wife’s closeness to some loved ones and would want her isolated completely from them so that he may strike her and no one will be around to help out.

He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strife of words, whereof† cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmising, Perverse disputing...” - 1 Tim 6 v 4.

2. Anyone who takes you away from God: Another set of people you should be wary of are those who draw you away from God with their words, comments and suggestions. The Devil’s primary aim was to take Eve far away from God as much as possible, he did not mind the Prosperity in the garden but did not want the first family to walk with God. The devil is not against our ‘prosperity’, so Prosperity preachers should kindly note but only against us loving God and prosperous at the same time. (Job 1 v 9) 3. Anyone who isolates us from our loved one: I do not know if you noticed that the devil came to Eve when Adam was not with her. I have noticed the same tactics with some people that we call Friends but are really Enemies, they are always insecure and uncomfort-

4. Anyone who wants you out of your garden: There Are People we call friends that are really enemies because they leave us worse off than they met us. The devil left Eve worse off than he met her simply because she was cast out of her lovely ‘garden’ which is symbolic of Peace, Prosperity and Protection. There are people we should run from and they are those who want us out of our present positions above, they pretend to love us but really are envy us and just want us out of our gardens, they give us bad counsels and tell us it is greener out there.

My friend, be careful of those you call friends, remember Judas was a Friendly Enemy, Delilah was a Friendly Enemy and there are so many Friendly Enemies around us today.

Shalom.

Rev. Yomi Kasali is Senior Pastor, Foundation of Truth Assembly (FOTA), Surulere, Lagos

20 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Interview

‘Doing good is good business and Sterling Bank has chosen that path’

Sterling Bank Plc, a commercial bank, recently partnered with iCreate Skill Fest 2018 to host premier youth empowerment festival in Abuja in a bid to transform skills acquisition across the African continent. iCreate is Africa’s biggest vocational skills event with the objective to create an environment that encourages phenomenal display of talents and skills.Besides Sterling Bank, other co-partners and sponsors were Abuja Chambers of Commerce and Industry, NECA, Bosch,Cachez, Trace TV, NTA, Bon Hotel,Sound City and Federal Government of Nigeria Industrial Training Fund (ITF). The event attracted talented technicians, artisans and innovators from more than 50 universities, polytechnics and vocational training centres in the country, showcasing skill excellence and competing for tremendous funding opportunities as well as exclusive internship programmes. It also brought together top manufacturers, employers, sponsors and clients, face to face with the very best; vocational experts, innovators and a pool of young creative peopledoing phenomenal things on the continent. In this interview, Bright Jaja, the promoter of iCreate Festival speaks on what motivated him to host the exhibition. Excerpts:

B

y way of introduction, may we know better who Bright Jaja is?

I am a young Nigerian who is eager to touch the lives of other young people around me. I am also keen to see how touching the lives of these young people can translate into a valuable tool for the transformation of society and the economy as well. I live every day to solve a problem and add value to everything I come across. I also see myself as a problem solver.

How was your growing up like as well as academic background?

Although I grew up around old people, I give all the credit to my mother – a trader - who is responsible for making me the person I am today. She made me work harder than everybody around me. Even though I was the second of four children, I was the one who had to do most of the work and this forced me to grow up faster than my peers as my youngest friend today is 54. She made me a man when I was still a boy. I was always working for my mum.

As for my educational background, I had my primary and secondary school education in Abuja and Gwarimpa, respectively before proceeding to the university.

I have been doing a bunch of online courses and reading a lot while also learning from some of the best people around, especially on how to think.

What inspired you to conceptualise the iCreate festival?

The festival has been on my mind for a long time. It was almost like a puzzle.iCreate has become a tool for connecting all the dots to be one thing. iCreate came into being to address the problems that Nigeria and Africa as a whole are facing. I wanted to do something that will change the narrative and add value. Also, the urge to do something about the level of unemployment in the country and the need to give Nigerians the opportunity to become the best at whatever they do led to the founding of iCreate. The idea is to nudge Nigerians towards doing things that will disrupt the entire system and create a new norm. We want

Bright Jaja

to be the solution that will affect the growth of the economy.

Will it be a yearly event or a one-off?

It is not going to be a one-off event. It will be a yearly event.

It will be a sort of Olympics for vocational skills, that no African country currently participates in, through partnerships with international organisations like the world skills organisation while giving power and celebrating the actual makers of things. It will also create a skill park where people can go to acquire vocational skills they want as well as an online platform Do you have any plan to engage with the participants post-

event?

We do not just have a plan of keeping in touch with participants as every single participant selected from over 750 applicants is going to serve as our brand ambassador.

Also, negotiations are ongoing with our partners to train participants, give them opportunities and work on giving them endorsement by connecting skilled labour with opportunities.

What is responsible for the lack of skills among Africans and what can be done to bridge the gap?

I think the problem of skills gap is not peculiar to Nigeria or

Africa but to every part of the world. We have failed to take advantage of the abundance of natural resources. The structure that places priority on white collar jobs in education is also one of the foundations of the problem. We have found ourselves in a situation where more attention is paid to the theoretical aspect of the training of skilled labour and this is why such trainings are overlooked by the people.

What is your take on the campaign for a change of curriculum of tertiary institutions in favour of entrepreneurship and skills acquisition?

If a child learns to talk before he walks, he will never walk. Think about it. Let me tell you why. The moment a child understands what you are saying and can speak back, whenever he tries to walk, you will be the one telling him don’t do that and this will make him to be afraid.

In relation to the question, it is why educational institutions in Nigeria turn the people into dullards.

This is because the schools teach people what to think and not how to think, they are thought what to learn not how to learn. And if you know how to learn, you will learn from everything. Education should be about bringing out what is in you and becoming better instead of having a curriculum that teaches what to think. The current system should be trashed and replaced by a curriculum that teaches people how to learn in order to bring out the best in them.

What is your opinion on mentorship?

Mentorship is key. I use myself as an example. I got to where I am today by learning from the best people in the world. I open myself to virtual mentorship. I do not have to know you but understand your thought pattern. I am mentored every day, first of all, by God. I learn from every conversation daily and I still have a lot more to learn.

How has Sterling Bank supported you to organise the festival?

Abubakar Suleiman, the MD, is one of the first people I sat with and had a conversation about the fest, he gave me the belief that it

is possible and also that it will not be easy. On a personal level, he mentored me through the process and Sterling Bank was the only organisation that was interested in the idea and not bothering about track record. The bank embraced the idea as it resonated with its HEARTS broad strategy What word do you have for Sterling Bank?

Sterling Bank is full of amazing ideas that will change the world.

Doing good is good business and Sterling Bank is focused on doing good instead of just making money. The bank is looking to solve issues than making money from them.

What do you think are the challenges of budding innovators and entrepreneurs in Africa?

I think one of the biggest challenges is that Nigerians as a people do not believe in start-ups.

Many people see failure as evil and sometimes we do not have the right intention. Having the right intention helps with the patience needed with the process of seeing ideas actualised instead of just reaching for immediate gratification.

What do you think the government should do to create an enabling environment for them to thrive?

I am going to say like everybody that the government should concentrate on creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. And I am going to also say that we should not wait for the government; everyone has a role to play in the development of Nigeria; do your part while you wait.

What is your advice for your budding entrepreneurs and innovators?

They should stay focused on doing one thing because when you put all your efforts on one thing, it is easier to achieve results than dissipating energy on many projects at a time. They should also be patient and be willing to fail because failure is not a bad thing but an opportunity to grow. They should also learn better ways of doing things. Finally, they should always have the right intention when going into business.

Sunday 21 October 2018

S

C002D5556

ketches

21

With Zebulon

Fayose: So, why all the ‘garagara’?

Leah’s life and the haplessness of Nigeria

W

ith the reality starring us in the face, the life of Leah Sharibu is now more at danger than at no other time since her abduction in February. The fact that the blood-thirsty Islamist sect, Boko Haram, has come out to openly declare that she would be a “slave for life” means that anything can happen.

At the wake of the brutal murder last Monday of 24-year-old midwife, Hauwa Liman, apprehension grew over the safety of Leah, a prisoner of Faith, who has been languishing in the Boko Haram den since her abduction from a Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State. When the news of Hauwa’s murder broke, one thing that came to my mind was the manner of her death. Was her throat slashed; was she gunned down or how?

These questions arose from the fact that I know what these vampires are capable of doing.

Those who have watched the video “Anatomy of killing”, how some Cameroonian soldiers mercilessly killed some hapless women as unraveled by the BBC would attest to the fact that some humans have lost their humanity. Those who followed the killings in Benue, Plateau and Kaduna states in recent times saw how the Fulani herdsmen made a mince meat of their victims. Some of the victims had their heads ripped opened in several places; some had their eye balls gouged out and so many other dehumanising ways such massacres were carried out.

A statement by the International Community of Red Cross (ICRC) said that the young lady was killed by her captors “in a despicable act of cruelty.” Nothing less could be expected of the nature of death of hapless young women in the hands of ravening wolves! But my major trouble in all of this is that it appears that the Nigerian government is living a lie. Several months back, government said that Boko Haram had been “technically defeated”, but since that pronouncement, the country has continued to go through psychological trauma.

Although the attacks are no longer widespread, they have been deadly and more painful. A relation of mine who is a soldier, currently fighting the needless war in Borno,

h e n l a s t Tu e s d a y , A y o d e l e Fayose, immediate past governor of Ekiti State, staged a d ra m a i n A b u j a , a t t h e g a t e o f the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), office, sporting a T-shirt with an inscription, ‘EFCC, here I am’, he created an impression of a man who was under persecution and whose image was being unnecessarily impugned by the Commission. Before that day, the EFCC had issued a threat that it would come for Fayose as soon as the immunity expired, over sundry corruption allegation against him.

The then governor had replied to the EFCC that they would not need to come but to wait for him as he would voluntarily turn himself in to them. That was exactly what he did.

He went with a retinue of supporters and personal lawyers including Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

H e h a d d ra m a t i s e d t h e v i s i t , a scene that could win an award in Nollywood cycles. But beyond the drama, the EFCC insists that Fayose indeed has some queries to answer how he came about his choice houses in choice cities in the country. The Commission has come out with a list of some of such houses.

Now, if Fayose knew his hands are not all that clean as alleged, why the drama? Did he want to intimidate the Commission and demonise the Buhari administration?

One would have expected that his cupboard would be clean enough without any skeleton, to justify the

grandstanding. Or is there anything he knows that the public is not aware of? Some observers alleged that he put up the drama in Abuja to steal the show going on in Ado-Ekiti at the same time.

Fayose, as the out-going governor (as at that Tuesday) was supposed to be part of the event in his state, handing over power legitimately to KayodeFayemi his successor, and urging the Ekiti people to cooperate with the new government. But he chose to stage another programme in Abuja that even received more attention than the new beginning that was dawning in his home state.

If at the end of the day, the EFCC is able to genuinely nail Fayose, it would then mean that people in power must be watched very closely, but if the contrary is the case, it is not just a victory for Fayose, it is a huge minus for the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and an everlasting scar on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

As it was in the days of Jonathan...

T

he ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to be on heat. Since the emergence of a former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the broom party has become paranoid.

Utterances from the principal actors in the party and their body language appear to indicate that it is trying to clutch at anything to obtain the favour of Nigerians “whom it had pierced” in more ways than one in the last threeand-half years.

Those who were here in 2015, particularly a few months to the presidential election, could attest to loss of composure by President Goodluck Jonathan.

He was seen running from pillar to post, virtually relocating to Lagos to enable him meet with the elders and traditional rulers. He did meet with many, in many ways, but because what had been written had been written, all those efforts amounted to nothing at the end of the day.

This seems to be the point we are now. The APC appears to be doing everything to win back the favour of Nigerians that was lavished on the party in 2015, but it appears that whatever it does now irritates the people.

One of the ways the party is worsening its chances is by its continuous attack on opponents. Nigerians know all the candidates, it is vain to continue to attack the personality of the opponents rather than dwell on issues.

Every passing day, the APC reels

W

tells of some harrowing experiences of our young soldiers in the Boko Haram war.

Nigeria is daily losing many youths to this unfortunate war. With what the Federal Government has said, it appears there is no hope for successful rescue of Leah or any of the numerous other girls still in the Islamist sect’s captivity. As it is now, it appears that no one is remembering the over 100 Chibok girls still being held, among the over 200 young women abducted in April 2014.

Last Monday, following the news of Hauwa’s murder, President Muhammadu Buhari openly confessed that government’s efforts to save her life proved abortive. But the President wanted a standing ovation, or so it seemed, from the Nigerian citizens that he spoke to Mr. Liman, Hauwa’s father, to commiserate with him. What a great achievement! These are the statements that have killed the faith and confidence of many Nigerians in their government.

If a government could publicly admit that it can no longer guarantee the safety of citizens it means that everyone is on his own.

Little wonder then many Nigerian citizens prefer to take dangerous risks to cross to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea, by boat to staying back in their own country.

That’s why they prefer to be treated like slaves and preyed upon in Libya and other places just to escape the hellish condition at home where government stands akimbo while enemy-hawks steal away citizens. How did we get to this sorry state?

Okotie, what seest thou?

Y out list of sins of opponents, this can hardly win any sympathy, what I think can work is by tendering unreserved apology to the Nigerian people for the injuries inflicted on them in the name of change, and then tell them how you intend to be of good behaviour if you have another opportunity to come to power in 2019.

If the power that be thinks that the use of coercion, intimidation and brute force can bring them back to power, it is left to be seen. Some of us who feel the pulse of the ordinary fellow Nigerians in public buses, markets, by-ways, worship places, motor parks, etc, can testify that there is bitterness out there. But whether this bitterness will reflect in voting pattern in 2019 can only be categorically said by those with Nostradamus gift of seeing tomorrow from today.

ou know it has become necessary to ask some quest i o n s ov e r C h r i s O ko t i e ’ s insistence that he was the anointed person to bring the country out of the woods.

There could have been no controversy if he said he was destined to do this through the pulpit, but the worries are that he insists it must be through political engagement.

In the last few months, the cleric has been trumpeting his desire to

seize power through a consensus arrangement; he claimed that he had received a divine endorsement to that effect but wondered why leaders of the two biggest political parties in the country have not seen divine leading to do just that.

The General Overseer of the Household of God Church, Okotie, may have forgotten that there is no country where power is given on a platter. It is not served ala carte; it is struggled for.

But why must Okotie be using the name of God each time he claims he wants power? He has done this repeatedly yet nothing has happened and we know that God does not lie. It is either that he is not seeing these things clearly or he needs a second touch. You know, when Christ was in his healing ministry, he had touched the eyes of a blind man and asked him if he “saw ought”.

The man responded that he saw men as trees walking. So, it took a second touch by Christ to make him see very clearly. May be, Pastor Okotie may need a second touch in this wise to know if he “seest ought”.

22 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Politics

APGA: Of dashed hopes and shattered W CHUKS OLUIGBO

ith its very poor showing during its primary elections in Imo State recently, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and its national leadership not only dashed the hopes of an entire citizenry for an alternative platform and better governance in 2019, but also showed themselves as unworthy of anyone’s trust.

Before APGA came to make a mess of itself in Imo State during the recent primaries, its prospects in the 2019 governorship election in the state kept looking brighter as many credible aspirants joined in the race for the party’s governorship ticket and as more and more citizens looked unto the party as to rescue Imo from its present derelict state.

This optimism was further bolstered by the quality leadership APGA has provided in Anambra State in the last 13 years, first through Peter Obi, and now continuing through Willie Obiano, the current governor.

At the time, it was clear that the People’s Democratic (PDP) in the state was still gasping for breath, unable to fully recover from its selfinflicted injuries over the years, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state was boiling over Governor Rochas Okorocha’s determined bid to impose his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as the party’s flag-bearer in the 2019 governorship election. All eyes were, therefore, on APGA to take the lead.

But that was not to be. After the APGA governorship primaries, originally scheduled for October 5, ran into a hitch several times, dragging on for several days, Ifeanyi Araraume, a two-time senator and a recent entrant into the party, was on the night of October 7 announced as the party’s flag-bearer for the 2019 governorship election in Imo State. Eberechukwu Ejikeme, the returning officer who announced the result, said Araraume polled 583 votes to defeat his co-contestants Okey Ezeh (61 votes), Frank Nneji (48 votes), Daniel Kanu (90 votes), Ike C. Ibe (15 votes), Ikedi Ohakim (27 votes), Humphrey Anumudu (13 votes), Stanley Amuchie (14 votes), Uche Onyeagocha (43 votes), Stephen Nwoga (27 votes), Sam Amadi (11 votes), Nick Opara-Ndudu (14 votes), and Ziggy Azike (14 votes).

Since then, like Macbeth after he “murdered peace” by killing Banquo, APGA has known no peace, not only in Imo State but elsewhere as well.

In Imo State, it has been protest after protest by other governorship aspirants in the party, who categorically rejected the announcement of Araraume as the governorship candidate of the party in the state. The aspirants passed a vote of no confidence on the Victor Oye-led National Working Committee of the party and also recommended the sack of Peter Ezeobi, the state chairman of APGA.

The latest development is the formation of new APGA (n-APGA) by the aggrieved aspirants, in the manner of n-PDP of 2014 and r-APC of 2018.

“We all can recall that on many occasions, the national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Oye, the chairman of Board of Trustees and national leader of the party, Governor Willie Obiano, the various state chairmen and members of the National Working Committee, and State Working Committee, assured us that the leadership of the party was prepared to conduct transparent and credible primaries,” said Sam Amadi, who spoke on behalf of the other aspirants during one of the protests.

“APGA leadership has committed theft and betrayal of historic proportion. The leadership pretended that it was prepared to become an alternative platform for our people who are seeking refuge in a sanitized platform built on integrity and excellence,” Amadi said.

“We have resolved and expressed lack of confidence on APGA executive. We have resolved and expressed lack of confidence on Willie Obiano who is the national leader of the party and NWC. We have resolved that the state party chairman must go and the national chairman must go. As a result of this ugly development, we hereby establish a new platform, now to be known as n-APGA. And all the monies that they have collected from us must be refunded or they will be handed over to the EFCC,” he said.

This was the same party leadership that some chieftains of APGA, including some of the governorship aspirants, had laboured over time to defend. In the peak of the crisis that rocked the APC in Imo State, for instance, it was rumoured that Governor Okorocha was working on using money to bulldoze his way back into APGA, a party he rode on its back to power in 2011 but dumped two years after to join APC. This was at a time it seemed that Okorocha had lost control of the APC structure in the state after the party congresses were hijacked by his challengers.

When the rumour filled the air, some APGA governorship aspirants put up a strong defence for the party leadership.

“I haven’t heard that, but you

Victor Ike Oye

know, our great party APGA is not a trading place. I don’t think that is possible. Our party is very principled,” Chidi Okoro, a former managing director/chief executive officer of UAC Foods and a strong contender for the APGA ticket at the time, told this writer in an interview.

Now, with the new verdict passed on APGA and its leadership by about 14 governorship aspirants in the state under n-APGA, it would seem that the wind has blown and exposed the fowl’s rump.

But it was not only in Imo State that the party paved the way for its

In the end, all the fears about hijack have proved not to be unfounded.

With this development, it is clear that APGA may have lost the golden opportunity that destiny placed in its hands to produce an occupant for the Douglas House, the state seat of power, next year

self-destruction. In Anambra State, where APGA controls the apparatus of government, things were equally as bad.

Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, wife of the late Biafra wartime leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who sought APGA’s ticket to represent Anambra South in the Senate, could not hold back her feelings at the ugly turn of events. She described the recent primary elections as “a monumental embarrassment” for APGA “for its failure to organise and superintend over a credible process, an indictment which has inflicted on it heavy injuries, the nature of which many keen observers are beginning to doubt are survivable”. She said the party was imperilled and “the centre can no longer hold”, “judging by the alarming turn of events in Imo State”, adding, “This is without doubt APGA’s darkest hour.” She said the primary elections witnessed “despicable levels of violence, vote rigging and other unwholesome practices, not to mention the wholesale importation of terror by political desperadoes intent on hijacking the electoral process at all costs”.

Mrs Odumegwu-Ojukwu said she was “both a witness to, and a victim of the gross irregularities, intimidation of delegates, excess voting and the state of siege and violence which held

sway at many voting arenas”.

“The venue of my zonal primary election, Ekwulobia Stadium, was literally turned into a theatre of war with several busloads of armed hoodlums invading the venue, firing sporadic gunshots, terrorising delegates with police firing teargas canisters in order to repel their assault.

As might be expected, there were several casualties,” she wrote in a recent article ‘APGA’s darkest hour’.

“I experienced through each stage of this process the living hell that the ordinary members of this party go through in a quest to fulfil their political aspirations.

This process turned out to be, for most of us, nothing other than a series of transactional arrangements with the prize going to the highest bidder. At every stage there was a concerted subversion of the democratic process with the active connivance of party officials. In many instances, most especially in Imo and Anambra States, no primaries actually took place, but candidates were simply handpicked and issued certificates of return,” she said.

Not even her petition to APGA’s National Assembly Electoral Appeal Panel to highlight the irregularities in the primary election and demand a cancellation of the exercise came to any effect as, according to her, she received no response.

“There is a huge public outcry about the impunity taking place in the party today with serious threats of an imminent mass exodus of outraged members to other

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY 23

Politics

dreams

political parties if these issues are not addressed. As a foundation member of this great party and wife of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu who gave his all to ensure that this party remains a credible and ideologically focused platform for our people to achieve their political aspirations, I am dismayed at this turn of events. This is NOT the APGA we used to know. As a member of this party’s Board of Trustees, I am deeply concerned that mercenaries would appear to have hijacked the operations of our party machinery. APGA is today facing an existential threat and the overall image of our party is in tatters. This will certainly have serious repercussions going into the main elections,” she said.

In Imo State, where many citizens of the state who had lost hope in the ruling APC and PDP were banking on APGA to come to the rescue in 2019, the overwhelming feeling is one of despondency as they have watched the skyscrapers of their dream come crumbling like a pack of cards.

For many of the citizens, APGA’s failure to hold a free, fair and credible primary election and at its announcement of Araraume as its governorship candidate leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

Araraume, a federal commissioner in the National Communications Commission (NCC), and a well-known serial defector, is a perennial contestant for the Imo State governorship seat.

Araraume was a PDP senator for eight years. Before then, he was the pioneer chairman of the then All People’s Party (APP) in the state, but abandoned APP a few weeks to the primary election to grab the PDP ticket for the Imo North senatorial seat.

His aspiration to the state governorship seat in 2007 was, however, truncated by powerful forces within the ranks of PDP. In the end, rather than have Araraume, the PDP leadership in the state went into an alliance with Ohakim, who had crossed

Sam Amadi

over to Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) after he failed to actualise his ambition in PDP. Ohakim was eventually elected governor of Imo State in 2007, with active support of PDP heavyweights.

In 2009, aggrieved Araraume left the PDP for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and in 2011 ran for the governorship under the ACN platform but lost. In 2014, he rejoined the PDP and contested in the primary election but came second behind Emeka Ihedioha, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives.

With APC’s victory both at the state and federal levels in 2015, Araraume joined the APC, where he had hoped to fly the party’s flag in the 2019 governorship election.

However, following disagreement between his camp and that of Governor Rochas Okorocha, who swore to have his son-in-law Uche Nwosu as his successor, Araraume in September left the APC for APGA, where he went ahead to obtain the governorship nomination form.

The influx of all manner of rejected politicians into Imo APGA few months ago was always a cause for concern for some political analysts, but even more worrisome was the fact that almost all these new entrants wanted the party’s governorship ticket. At the point the number of governorship aspirants in the party reached a record 30, close watchers of events predicted rancorous primary elections and possible implosion, but some party faithful, including some of the aspirants themselves, dismissed such fears as unfounded.

But the entry into APGA, early in September, of Ifeanyi Araraume heightened whatever tension that

Ifeanyi Araraume

had existed in the party and among aspirants. His entry sent justifiable fears down the spine of many party faithful as well as governorship aspirants who raised the alarm that the party had been hijacked, especially when Araraume, believed to have the financial strength to push his way through, donated N10 million to the party for the printing of more party membership cards following complaints of insufficient cards after he and his Destiny Organisation members moved into APGA. He was also said to have donated additional N12.6 million to the party for sundry expenses towards organising the primary election.

“The moneybags are all in APGA right now. Araraume and group are taking over the space. It’s a very hard climb for us,” a top governorship aspirant in the party had told this writer in a WhatsApp chat.

“APGA has ceded the governorship ticket to Araraume, a moneybag from Okigwe zone. This individual, who has just dumped APC for APGA, has always contested for Imo governorship since 2007. The story around Imo State right now is that APGA is the same as APC/PDP and will bring nothing new,” the aspirant, who pleaded anonymity, had said.

Some political analysts also began to weigh the pros and cons of Araraume’s entry into APGA. While some said Araraume’s entry was a good omen because it would give APGA the needed formidable force to battle Okorocha and his anointed son-in-law in 2019, others said it had the capacity to plunge the party into crisis, but all agreed that it was a bad idea to hand the party’s governorship to him.

“Imo people have rejected him several times before and may still

reject him in 2019,” said an analyst who craved anonymity.

Cliff Njoku, an Owerri, Imo Statebased professor, said handing Araraume the ticket would undoubtedly cause a reversal of fortunes for the party in the forthcoming elections.

He also predicted that Araraume might plunge the party into crisis in the event that he failed to grab the APGA ticket.

But Okey Ezeh, CEO, Savvycorp Limited, and a top aspirant for the APGA governorship ticket, had dismissed the fear of hijack as “completely unfounded and without substance”, vouching for the integrity of the party leadership.

In the end, all the fears about hijack have proved not to be unfounded. With this development, it is clear that APGA may have lost the golden opportunity that destiny placed in its hands to produce an occupant for the Douglas House, the state seat of power, next year.

As a chieftain of the party warned in July, APGA, despite the goodwill of the Imo citizenry towards it, must not be under the illusion that once it put up any candidate, that candidate would go on to win the governorship election in the state.

“The candidate the party brings has to be superior in everything. He has to have a background, a track record. He has to be competent. We need to know who he is and what he has done in his life. He has to show he understands what governance means, what building means, because Imo as it is needs rebuilding,” the chieftain had said on condition of anonymity.

“It does not matter whether he is from private or public sector, but he has to show track record, show that he understands the issues, not just the symptoms. He needs to

understand, for instance, that we need to train more doctors instead of building more hospitals. If we have a candidate that comes in and says the usual clichéd things that the people are used to hearing, Imo people are not going to go with APGA,” he had said.

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

“Imo people don’t want the bigman politician because they know the big-man politician cannot solve the problems. They are not looking for the typical politician anymore because those people have failed them over and over in the past 20 years. They are now looking for someone fresh, someone really new, but with the idea to turn the state around. They look at APGA and its aspirants and they see a few people among them that can design solutions and set Imo aright. I think that presents a big opportunity for APGA,” he had said.

Now the chips are down and APGA does not seem to have landed the right candidate in Imo State.

Meanwhile, the coast is clear for the governorship candidate of the PDP, Emeka Ihedioha, and perhaps that of the APC, Uche Nwosu. With the general apprehension among the citizens that a vote for Nwosu would mean a vote for the continuation of Okorocha’s eight years of misrule, it will be interesting to see how Imo people will vote in 2019. As for APGA, there are serious doubts that it would ever get a foothold in Imo State again.

24

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Sunday 21 October 2018

25

C002D5556

Politics

‘With Atiku’s candidacy, 2019 presidential election is half won’ National Chairman of the National Unity Party (NUP) Perry Opara, says former Vice President and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has all it takes to defeat President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election. In this interview with INNOCENT ODOH, Opara, who is also the chairman of Political Parties Board (PPB) and a member of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), says Atiku represents hope for a united Nigeria sharply divided along religious and regional lines, adding that Atiku’s business acumen presents him as a good manager of men and resources, which he could deploy to revive Nigeria’s dwindling economy. Opara also predicts that Atiku will emerge consensus candidate of the CUPP. He also predicts that more defections will hit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Excerpts: The political landscape is now intense as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) elected Atiku Abubakar as its presidential flag bearer for the 2019 election, and observers say that Atiku appears to be a formidable force against incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari; how do you see this development? he election of Atiku Abubakar in the PDP Primary is a welcome development; it is a step in the right direction, I must not also fail to congratulate the leadership of the PDP in the way and manner they handled their national convention that elected a presidential candidate. It was unprecedented in Nigeria’s history, we have not seen a thing like that, where more than ten people will run for one office and at the end of the day there was cohesion, everybody accepted the result, no one has complained about the conduct, it shows that PDP has been reinvigorated and reformed.

On the candidature of Atiku Abubakar, let me say that Atiku Abubalkar is a united Nigeria, he is the future of Nigeria, he is not tribalistic, he is not a religious bigot, if you go to Atiku’s house you will see men and women from all tribes, you will see the Igbo, Hausa, Idoma, Yoruba, Muslims, Christians all manner of people. No matter where you come from you will see your brother or sister in Atiku’s empire or at home. That is the kind of Nigeria we want.

And in a situation where Nigeria is more divided than ever, we need a man that will be a uniting force for Nigeria, a man who will not trade based on religious or tribal lines, a man who will see the whole of Nigeria as his constituency and Atiku is that kind of person. By second week of February 2019, Nigerians will see what they have not seen before because of the fact that the election is going to come with a lot of intrigues, is going to come with a lot of fanfare too because Nigerians will decide between Buhari and Atiku. It is going to be a very interesting fight and we are looking forward to that.

T

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo that many people thought never had Atiku in his good books, surprisingly endorsed Atiku for the 2019 Presidential election. What do you think motivated this endorsement?

It is a wonderful development, it is a prayer answered. Some of us who are close to former president Olusegun Obasanjo have been asking him to adopt whoever that emerges from the PDP. The PDP has come to be the second strongest political party in Nigeria for now and perhaps the only political party that has the capacity to take on government at the end of the day.

So when Obasanjo watched how

events unfolded in Port Harcourt and how the election was free and fair and Atiku beyond all odds emerged clean and clear, there was nothing Obasanjo could do than to support him. Don’t forget that Atiku is a smart politician, in his acceptance speech in Port Harcourt, he showered encomiums on former President Obasanjo and said he will correct his mistakes and that he has learnt a lot from Obasanjo.

So the issues were very clear, and when Atiku emerged, Obasanjo accepted and endorsed him. Now in politics there is no permanent enemy, no permanent friend but permanent interest. What is important is permanent interest. In 2019, Obasanjo’s interest is a united Nigeria, his interest is to end hardship and suffering in the country, and he has found a man who can do that work in Atiku, that is why he has supported him and urged other Nigerians to support Atiku. And many well-meaning Nigerians both at home and in the international community are willing and ready to support Atiku.

But Obasanjo will not fail to warn Atiku if he derails after being President, if Atiku moves off track, he will call him to order and I do hope that Atiku will listen when the times comes.

You have often predicted that whoever Obasanjo endorses or chooses will definitely become the President of Nigeria, because he, according to you is the political oracle in Nigeria. Will your prediction still come true?

The election is almost concluded, we are just waiting for the preliminaries so as long as former President Obasanjo has said ‘Atiku is my son in whom I am well pleased,’ so be it, we are waiting for election day. There is nothing you can do about it. At a time, God chooses a man or a woman in every generation to be his oracle, and in our current generation, Obasanjo is the current political oracle of Nigeria. He is not speaking as Obasanjo, he is speaking as the oracle of God and that is what is going to happen. Wellmeaning clergymen both on the Muslim and Christian sides are also toeing the same line.

We know that the issues at hand are hardship, suffering and divineness in Nigeria and I am sure Atiku will address these.

Atiku is married to a Yoruba, a northern, and Igbo women, he has plenty children from different blood, Yoruba blood, Igbo blood, Hausa blood, so who else can unite Nigeria other than Atiku?

Nigerian economy is currently going down the drain, who else can do it than a successful businessman? It happened in the US when the Americans felt that their economy was dwindling, they had to look for a man that has economic ability, a man who is a deal maker, who came

Perry Opara

from the business empire and clinched the presidency of America. Today we don’t need a man with military background, we need a man who can fix our economy, we need a man who is detribalised , we don’t need a religious bigot, we don’t need a man who will give up to forty appointments to people of Adamawa while people from Imo state and people from Ekiti State languish. No, we need a man who will distribute the spoils of office two various parts of Nigeria. Nigerians are not interested in where the man who governs them comes from, Nigerians are more interested in the goodies of government to reach them where ever they are.

When you build a good road, it is not for APC members alone to ply the road or PDP members to ply the road or even the NUP members ply the road. The road is for everybody. When you build a good hotel, it is not restricted to one particular party every Nigerian including members of the international community come there, so I have no doubts that Atiku is going to unit Nigeria, I don t have any doubts that Atiku is going to bring prosperity, I have no doubt that suffering will disappear in the next twelve months of his administration.

You sound too optimistic of an Atiku victory in 2019, but don’t forget that President Buhari has his supporters and they are not resting on their oars to ensure that the President also wins the election in 2019. So are you saying that Atiku will beat Buhari hands down in the election?

Buhari is a man of integrity but the APC and its leadership have failed woefully. They failed in the conduct of their primaries across the nation, they failed in the way and manner they have managed the economy of Nigeria I don’t know the economic blueprint of the APC for Nigeria in the last three years, and these are failures. But if you are talking about the person and character of Buhari, he has a character and impeccable personality but Nigeria is in the theatre, Nigeria has entered a coma, we need a doctor to revive it and that doctor will be Atiku Abubakar and his team.

Atiku, a couple of days ago, picked former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi as his running mate but some leaders in the South East said they were not consulted. So, if Atiku starts by not consulting people, is this how he is going to run his government without consultation if he becomes President?

Peter Obi is the best man for the job today. No other Nigerian alive today is more qualified to

be Atiku’s running mate for 2019 election. And for the Ndigbo, I want to say unequivocally that Peter Obi is the ladder for Igbo Presidency in the future. Peter Obi is a simple man, a very erudite scholar, a manager of men and resources, one of the best governors in this country, who, left humungous amount of money in the treasury of Anambra state. He developed all nooks and crannies of Anambra state during his tenure and he was never self-centred. Peter Obi is a billionaire in real terms, yet he does not fly private jets, he flies the economy class in the airplanes, he does not fly business class, he is the man Atiku has picked to fix the economy. Don’t forget that in Nigeria, the Vice President is the chairman of the Economic Council so you need a man who knows how to handle the economy and that person is Peter Obi. Coming to consultation, Atiku consulted widely. Peter Obi was not the only one in the list, there are other erudite scholars from Igbo land that Atiku had discussions with before he settled for Peter Obi. The circumstance that we find ourselves in now is bad economy and Atiku alone cannot repair the economy. Atiku is a core businessman and a politician but he needs a technocrat, who can lead the Economic Council. Don’t forget that for eight years when Obasanjo was the President, Atiku was the chairman of the Economic Council as Vice President, he knows the job and Peter Obi is the answer. For Ndigbo, Peter Obi a shining star, he is a rising star; he is the ladder towards Igbo presidency in the future. So, all Nigerians should rally round Peter Obi. Secondly, choosing a man from the South East as the Vice Presidential candidate is a way of winning the election even before the elections start because in every part of Nigeria, the Igbo are the second largest ethnic community apart from the indigenes. If you go to Lagos and count the Yoruba, the next biggest community is the Igbo, if you go to Kano and count the Kano indigenes, the next biggest community is the Igbo, and anywhere you go to you will find the Igbo.

So choosing a man from South East is an indirect way of winning the election before the election.

Don’t forget that the APC chose their own Vice President from the South West leaving Igbo land for the past three-and-half years with no major appointment, no juicy appointment, not even the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), which was promised to Ndigbo was given to them, even the Chief of Army staff that Jonathan gave the Igbo was not given them. So the Igbo are angry, they feel marginalised now they have seen their son as the Vice Presidential candidate. I am sure they will vote en masse for Atiku irrespective of where they are.

In any government any time the economy is bad it hits the Igbo more because 80percent of Igbo are businessmen, their businesses suffer, so they need a man like Peter Obi. So I thinks the business community, especially in Igbo land is going to be happy with Peter Obi. When Obi was governor of Anambra state, he allowed businesses to flourish, 75percent of private jets in Nigeria belongs to people of Igbo extraction.

Most of the manufacturing businesses in Nige-

ria, the bulk of them belong to the Igbo, 60percent of trading business in Nigeria belongs to Ndigbo, and the mainstay of Igbo is business and commerce. So for you to choose a guru in business to be the Vice President you find out that Igbo and Nigerians are coming back to prosperity, they are going to come back to what it used to be when the likes of IBB is the president of Nigeria, that is what we are expecting and I can assure you they are going to vote en masse. Very soon the campaigns will start, and they will support Atiku/Obi ticket.

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has parties that have also produced Presidential candidates, now that the PDP candidate, Atiku, appears to be the one leading, how will the CUPP cope with the selection of a consensus candidate devoid of rancour?

In a couple of days from now we are going to do election to choose our consensus presidential candidate and I am one of those talking with other CUPP members, I am campaigning vigorously for Atiku, I want other CUPP members to vote for Atiku when we converge to do the nomination. Atiku is the best candidate for consensus presidential candidate irrespective of the fact that other political parties also have their own presidential candidate but we are urging everybody to queue behind Atiku, he will deliver, he is going to beat APC and all of us are going to smile at the end of the day. So I urge the CUPP members to rally round Atiku.

You can only urge them, what if there is disagreement among the CUPP members?

There won’t be disagreement. The same way the PDP primaries came out hitchfree, the CUPP nomination is going to be hitch-free. So I urge them to vote for Atiku because he is the man that has the capacity to unite Nigeria, he also has the capacity to carry CUPP along. If they

The election is almost concluded, we are just waiting for the preliminaries so as long as former President Obasanjo has said ‘Atiku is my son in whom I am well pleased,’ so be it, we are waiting for election day

vote any other person other than Atiku, we may not be sure that the smaller political parties in the CUPP will be carried along and that is part of the reason we as insiders, have had cause to meet all the presidential candidates, they are all highly qualified but Atiku has what it takes to win the election. In politics there is what is called ‘winnability’ and Atiku has it. So we have to support him to win. Don’t forget that Buhari has core followership in the far north, so to defeat Buhari is not going to be an easy thing. You need a man that can unite Nigerians to give him a fight that is why Atiku is the best candidate for now so the CUPP will eventually give it to Atiku.

now. What we need now is for food to be on the table of Nigerians, what need now is for Nigerians to sleep with their two eyes closed. People no longer have enough funds to pay for their house rent, people no longer have enough to pay for their children’s school fees that is the problem with Nigeria. The problem with Nigeria is not to restrict some people from travelling out of Nigeria less than five months to election. I was thinking that the federal government will bring out strategies to revive the economy, strategy to correct some of the mistakes they have made in the past three and half years, not travel ban, I feel it is not proper.

So, if Atiku of the PDP takes the consensus candidacy of the CUPP and he has already nominated Obi as his running mate, what is left for the other parties in the CUPP coalition?

Government is a large enterprise, there are more than 5,000 board appointments, there are more than 50 ministerial appointments, there are so many ambassadorial appointments and there are too many things to be benefited from government. There is political patronage, there is economic patronage, and Government is large enough for all of us. Besides the parties in CUPP are less than forty, but we wish to increase it to 50 once Atiku is adopted. So everybody will get something to do. It is not just President and Vice president, there are ministerial slots and ambassadorial slots there are Board appointments and so many other things and Atiku I know is not a greedy man, he shares resources among Nigerians I am sure that he will share resources equitably to all CUPP members.

But the government said it was in line with the war against corruption…

You cannot fight corruption five months to election when you had four years, you should have started it long ago and you don’t have to fight selective war on corruption, you have to fight corruption whole heartedly. You start in house and give people impression that you mean well and not select some people and people now move into your party because they see it as a place where they can hide without being tried.

What is your take on the Executive Order 6 that the President has used to slam travel ban on supposedly 50 Nigerians?

It is ill-time and that is not what we need

You have predicted an implosion and another wave defection that will hit the ruling APC soon. Why do you have that impression?

Yes, in APC, it has already started, people are angry, there are parallel congresses and people are complaining, even serving governors are complaining bitterly, senators are complaining, so the implosion will soon come, watch out and see, before we start the campaigns there will be more and more defections from the APC. Nigerians are people you don’t push to the wall and expect them not to react, they are going to react because things have gone wrong in the country and we need to fix it.

26

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Politics 2019: Understanding Igbo leaders’ ‘rage’ over Atiku’s choice of Obi

A

ZEBULON AGOMUO

few days ago, the media was awash with the news about the selection of Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (APC), as his running mate.

The development sparked a row as some political leaders from the SouthEast geo-political zone felt slighted over their being left in the dark and having to read of it from the social media.

They contended that as critical stakeholders, they deserved the honour to be carried along, particularly having supported the presidential candidate to emerge at the just concluded party convention in Port Harcourt. They said that the development amounted to shaving a man’s head in his absence.

Osita Chidoka, a former minister of Aviation and now, special adviser to the PDP Chairman on Strategy and External Engagements, speaking on Channels Television Sunrise Daily Wednesday, explained that the position of the South East leaders was not against the suitability or otherwise of Peter Obi, but that they should have been consulted.

“The reaction had nothing to do with the person of Peter Obi. The issue is not about Peter Obi. The Presidential candidate has the right to choose whoever he wants to work with. We can make as many nominations as possible, but the choice of who to choose is his. The fact that he is even carrying people along is only about politics of inclusion,” Chidoka said.

The real point of agitation of the political leaders was initially misconstrued, as pundits took to the social media, condemning their stand on the development.

But it has since emerged that the contention by the governors and other political actors that raised issues was not that Obi was not the right person contrary to what it was made to appear when the news broke.

A lot of interpretations had been given to the opinion of the South-East leaders. Whereas some people said that it could be that some of the governors had wanted to field their own candidates, some others believe that some other political office holders may have thought they would be considered.

A pundit had put it this way: “If you look at the politics in South East, it is about self and nothing more. I know that politics generally is about selfish interest, to control the wealth that belongs to all, but it is much more pronounced in the South East than in other zones. Everybody is looking at how it will favour him. Something tells me that if Atiku had carried them along, up till this moment, they would not have come up with a consensus person, and that would have jeopardised meeting the INEC deadline for the submission

Atiku Abubakar

Peter Obi

of candidates’ names. When you know how a people behave, you fashion out a better way to deal with them.”

“The PDP presidential candidate has a lot of respect for the South East; that is a fact that everyone must appreciate.

He is very much aware that he needs their bloc vote as they have always done for PDP; and he would not deliberately take any step that would create an impression that he is taking them for granted. Look, without the South East massive votes, Atiku would not have emerged in the first place in Port Harcourt. I assure you that whatever that remains would be amicably resolved,” the analyst further said.

Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi

Dave Umahi

I am talking about the southeast people and if six people can come from other regions and take decisions, there must be somebody from the southeast zone

State, who also is chairman of the South-East Governors Forum, has since explained that there was no time South East was against Obi, but that they should have been given the honour to be participate when decisions “concerning us are being taken.”

According to Umahi, “Nobody is against Peter Obi because he is my friend, competent and you must have seen our pictures together on the social media. We must take decisions against the marginalisation of Ebonyi people because if we have to vote, we must be treated with equity.”

“Two names of the nominees came from Anambra, two from Abia and one from Enugu but none came from Ebonyi and Imo. What is wrong with somebody from Ebonyi and Imo and you must know that one of the reasons an Ebonyi man is against regions in the country, is the fear of further marginalization,” the governor further explained.

He maintained that the southeast leaders must sit with the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and if all must have to work together, the leaders must be part of the decision making.

“I am talking about the southeast people and if six people can come from other regions and take decisions, there must be somebody from the southeast zone,” he said.

“There is nothing like the southeast governor’s stand on the matter but we are only saying that when decisions are taken and people from other regions are invited, those from the southeast must be invited,” he further said, adding that “The southeast leaders never issued any statement on the matter and anybody from the zone who says that our stand is not good, is not a human being.’’

He was just saying that people must be sensitive to the diversity of the South East whenever any slot is coming to the zone. He was emphasising that people should understand that South East does not begin and end in one state.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State re-echoed Umahi’s explanation, when Obi paid him (Ikpeazu) a condolence visit at the instance of Atiku over the pipeline explosion at Osisioma Ngwa, that “There was no time that leaders of Ndi-Igbo and South-East Governors said we are not happy. His choice was apt and you can see the wide spread reception it is getting. If we are banking on the eleven million Igbos in the Diaspora to vote, it is only Peter Obi that can get them to do so.”

A source from the national office of the PDP told BusinessDay that the fact that there were no considerations from Imo and Ebonyi on the issue of where the running mate would come from does not in any way amount to marginalisation.

“It is important for people to understand that there was no division intended when the issue of choosing Peter Obi came up. PDP and our presidential candidate know the cost of provoking the area that would likely give him 100 percent bloc votes. You see, whether

Sunday 21 October 2018

27

C002D5556

Politics Imo came into the picture or Ebonyi did not come into the picture is immaterial at this time. What is important is that we want to take APC away in 2019 and it is a collective effort that will do it. We cannot do so divided,” the source said.

According to him, “Come to think of it, those that should be expected to be aggrieved for any reason, are now part of the campaign arrangements and are going to take active part in ensuring that we win the election. Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, are all part of the presidential campaign committee, driving the train in their various zones all in a bid to achieve victory for themselves and the party in general.

Or what would you say of the Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is now the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council, or Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, who, I am sure some mischief makers would be expecting to distance himself from the campaign as a result of the misunderstanding over Peter Obi’s emergence; no; they are all on the project in a full throttle. It is our political foes that are trying to magnify the issue, but we understand their antics.

I want to say here and again that the 2019 elections would be a referendum against the APC government.”

Describing the issue arising over Atiku’s choice of Obi as a “storm in a tea cup”, Kenneth Nnodi, a university lecturer, said: “The noise about Peter Obi’s emergence, to me, was uncalled for. I quite understand the grouse of the political leaders in the zone, but what I have seen now is that people are blowing it out of proportion. The questions to ask are: ‘is Obi qualified to run with Alhaji Atiku?’ does he possess the competences to do the job when he gets there?’ Only yesterday, someone sent to my WhatsApp the video of Obi’s presentation at ‘The Platform’ in 2016.

He shared his personal experience how he performed as governor of Anambra State, and I said to myself, if all the governors that had presided over the states in Nigeria had acted like Obi, we would have been somewhere by now. And the fact that he came out openly to say it and no one has been able to counter him or disprove what he said he did and how he ran the state, it then means there is hope for Nigeria if they win in 2019.”

Nnodi also is of the belief that for Atiku to have settled for a man, who has proven his integrity, knowing full well that a Peter Obi would resign the moment he spots that things are not going the way they should go; it is also a vote of confidence in the former vice president.

“Atiku’s choice of Peter Obi has made me to start questioning the corruption allegations against his person.

I am not here to prove or disprove that, I am only saying based on what I have seen in the country that corrupt people go for their kind. Atiku knows Obi too well and how he presided over Anambra State as ‘Mr. Integrity’, and he decided to work with him, what that means is that the former Vice President is really out to turn Nigeria around for good, and this is where I want every well-meaning Nigerian to focus attention on. The issue of, we were consulted or were not consulted before selecting Obi should not arise,” he said.

Stakeholders canvass more leadership roles for women in politics

A

IFEOMA OKEKE

s Nigeria clocked 58 recently even with an obviously low-key and gloomy Independence Day celebration due to the downtrend of the nation’s economic and social life, there have been increasing calls for women to be given opportunities to play more leadership roles in the governance of the country.

The recent view was canvassed by Appolus Chu, the Egbere Emere Okori Eleme, Rivers State, who chaired a women’s summit in Abuja.

The summit was to deliberate on how to ensure a greater representation and participation of women at all levels of governance.

The summit tagged, ‘Increasing Women Participation in Nigeria’s Democratic Process’, was jointly organised by the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), National Council for Women Societies and Women in Politics Forum in Collaboration with the Office of the Wife of the President.

Chu, who applauded the role and contributions of women to the development of the society, described them as effective managers who need to be encouraged, and also charged the women to be confident in themselves and learn to support one another.

“You would agree with me that women are leading and are doing extremely well in various organisations and in whatever portfolio they are given. Nigerian women are not known for sabotaging government efforts, they are diligent managers and we have seen that mostly from those occupying ministerial positions and other top offices across the federation. One advice I will give to you is to learn to support each other knowing that the men are your major competitors. The energy you would have used to campaign for a man, use it to support your fellow women”, the royal father noted.

The summit had in attendance President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari.

L-R: Mary Ekpere-Eta, director general, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD); Appolus Chu, the Egbere Emere Okori Eleme, Rivers State; President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari and Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the vice president at the event

Chu was quick to applaud President Buhari and his wife for their contribution and support to women generally while also commending the President’s anti-corruption crusade.

Chu also commended the organisers for coordinating women from across the federation to discuss the way forward and also to ensure that women were encouraged and accommodated in the scheme of things in the country, especially in the political terrain.

“I must specially thank His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife for their support to the women irrespective of political party affiliations. Bringing them together in this gathering truly depicts the beauty of true leadership. I strongly commend His Excellency for his anti-corruption crusade as this has gone a long way rebranding our image in the international community”.

He advised that the men not to use their strength to dominate the women while also tasking various political parties to accommodate women in their planning, so as to give space for the women to rule.

“One advice I would give to the women is that so much is in you and so there is so much

you can offer, so you have to have confidence in yourself and also be a partners to one another because if you do not support your fellow women, you should know that men, who are your competitors in this race are watching and will take advantage of any weakness you exhibit. So you must support one another and the strength that you have been using to mobilise for men, use it for yourselves so that you can set a difference.”

Also present at the event were wives of governors, political party leaders, female political aspirants from the 36 states and other concern citizens.

One of the participants, Janet Febisola Adeyemi, a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and a fellow of the Geological Society of Nigeria, who has shown interest in running for Senate having notably served in House of Representatives, said, “One of the critical points is that Nigeria cannot continue to slide down the rope. The National Assembly is supposed to be a place for making good laws. We need to revise our laws in Nigeria and make them adaptable to the development of our country.”

2019: APC yet to recover from acrimonious ...

Continued from page 28 party, INEC said the APC was not eligible to partake in the 2019 elections in Zamfara.

The letter signed by Okechukwu Ndeche, the commission’s acting secretary, read: “Failure to Conduct Primaries in Zamfara State within the Stipulated Time-frame. Please, refer to the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general election released by the commission on January 9th, 2018.

“You would note that from the timetable, the conduct of primaries is scheduled to take place between August 18 and October 7th, 2018.

“However, report received from our office in Zamfara State shows that no primaries were conducted by your party in Zamfara, notwithstanding that our officials were fully mobilised and deployed.

“Consequently, based on the provision of Section 87 and 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, the commission does not expect that your party will submit names of any candidate from Zamfara State.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) meanwhile is consulting its lawyers over the directive from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it should not field candidates for the 2019 elections.

Amosun

Amaechi

Ogun Days to the commencement of the primaries, the APC in Ogun State decided that it would select its candidates for various positions in the state through consensus method.

However, there has been serious disagreement between leaders of the party in the state over the choice of the candidates.

The Governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun, recently threatened to dump the party, if his anointed candidate for the governorship position of the state, Abdul-Kabir Adekunle Akinlade is not adopted by the party for next year’s elections. Amosun is said to be planning to defect to the Accord Party with his followers, after the party’s national leadership ordered him to share elective positions

Abe

in the state with other leaders. The governor is said to be uncomfortable working with Dapo Abiodun who seems to be the favoured governorship candidate of the national leadership of the party and the presidency.

The modality to adopt in conducting the party’s governorship primaries in the state also pitched the state governor against some other interest blocs in the party, particularly those from the Ogun East Senatorial district who differed with the governor over zoning of the party’s governorship ticket.

Amosun maintained that APC had zoned its governorship ticket to the Yewa-Awori people of Ogun West Senatorial district, but APC politicians from Ogun East Senatorial district argued that there was no time the party took such decision.

28

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Politics

2019: APC yet to recover from acrimonious primaries as INEC closes its book in which two candidates, Tonye Cole and Magnus Abe, emerged winners.

Cole came out victorious in the indirect governorship primary held in Port Harcourt by the Rotimi Amaechi faction, polling 3,329 votes while his closest rival, Dawari George, got 491 votes.

The Rotimi Amaechi-led APC conducted the indirect primary on the Igboukwu field in D-Line, Port Harcourt.

However, the national leadership of the party was in favour of the Amaechi-led faction, the party subsequently recognised the result of the Amaechi camp and declared him the Governorship candidate of the party.

However, the drama took a different twist last week as a High Court in Port Harcourt nullified the nomination of Tonye Cole as the Governorship Candidate of the party, declaring that his nomination was a function of illegality and unconstitutional acts.

The Court also nullified the Rivers State APC Senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly Primaries conducted on the premise of the alleged illegal ward congresses.

The High Court further nullified all the elections of Rivers APC Ward Executives, Local Government Executives by the Amaechi’s led faction. The days ahead will determine what happens next.

INIOBONG IWOK

T

he recently concluded primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to choose its candidates for different elective positions for next year’s general election, have continued to generate controversy in different states across the country, even as the submission of candidates’ names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is either outright late in some cases or getting late. It then means that the chances of many candidates of the party are hanging in the balance.

The APC had adopted direct and indirect primary methods in several state chapters, and consensus in some case. The controversy arising from the exercise is threatening the unity of the party and raising fears of possible defection of some aggrieved members to other parties.

Below are some states massively hit by the rancorous primaries.

Imo The political climate in Imo State has been tense in recent times, following the decision by the incumbent Governor Rochas Okorocha to impose his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as his successor.

The move did not go down well with many party leaders and stakeholders in the state; who accused him of trying to turn governance in the state into a family affair. Okorocha fell out with many people, including his deputy, Eze Madumere, who was equally eyeing the governorship position.

The initial primary, which was conducted by the Ahmed Gulakled electoral committee on 2nd October, produced Senator Hope Uzodinma as winner.

But upon the complaint by the governor, the APC chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, subsequently cancelled the result of the election, disbanded the committee and ordered a fresh primary which was boycotted by all the aspirants including another brother-in-law of his, Chuks Ololo. Okorocha’s preferred aspirant, Uche Nwosu, was declared winner at the end of the day.

The aggrieved aspirants have since dragged Oshiomohole to court, praying the court to uphold the October 2nd primaries conducted by Gulak and also declare Uzodinma the winner of the exercise.

The implication of this crisis is that; the APC faces the risk of losing Imo State to the opposition in the next year’s general election.

Oshiomhole

Okorocha

Ambode

Yari

Lagos The APC primaries in Lagos State ended in chaos and further polarised the party in the state.

The state was thrown into confusion, while there were reports of shooting and fighting among rival gang groups loyal to rival aspirants.

Perhaps, this year’s governorship primaries would go down in history as one of the most controversial in the state.

The weeks leading up to the primaries was full of intrigues; the media was inundated with reports of disagreement between the State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and his political godfather and the national leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Ambode’s second term bid had come under jeopardy over alleged disagreement between him and Tinubu; the governor was also said to have fallen out of favour with several leaders of the party in the state and close political associates of Tinubu. They all accused him of working against their interest, and they vowed never to support his re-election bid. They were said to have threatened a revolt against Tinubu if he supported the governor’s second term bid.

Ambode and two other aspirants, Jide Sanwo-Olu and Obafemi Hamzat, picked the governorship nomination forms of the party.

But Sanwo-Olu had the backing of Tinubu and the party leaders in the state to replace the incumbent Governor who had been left in the cold.

However, the governorship primaries ended in controversy. Party leaders obviously with the backing of Tinubu and the national leadership had gone ahead to conduct primaries without the directive of the committee.

The exercise was held amidst complaints by supporters of the governor that they were being beaten up and not allowed to vote, by touts.

However, hours later after the primaries, the Chairman of the state governorship primary Election Committee, Clement Ebri, cancelled the exercise, telling journalists that there were no primaries and that the exercise was going to hold that same evening. He declared the earlier primaries as null and void, stressing that the committee did not authorise the primaries, but was ready to conduct a fresh one.

Ebri claimed that the materials

for the conduct of the governorship primaries election were still intact and would be distributed to the 245 wards of the state that evening for the election.

Ebri was to recant upon receiving directives from the national chairman of the party, upholding the primary which he had said never held.

According to him, “After resolving some of the hiccups,” arising from the election, the electoral panel collated the results from all the 245 wards in the state. While the incumbent Governor Ambode got 72,901 votes, Sanwo-Olu scored 970, 851 votes.

Rivers Before the primaries, the Rivers APC had been torn into camps between former governor of the state, Rotimi Amaechi and his political associate and loyalist, Magnus Abe. Whereas Amaechi’s camp adopted indirect method of primary, Abe’s favoured direct method, which they claimed would afford members an opportunity to participate in the election.

So, two parallel governorship primaries were conducted by both factions of the party in the state;

Zamfara Prior to the recent primaries of the APC, the Zamfara State chapter of the party had been in disarray and polarised along factions.

However, the National Working Committee of the party recently dissolved the entire party executives, amid protest by party leaders which further aggravated the situation.

The party leaders in the state, which included the Deputy National Vice chairman of the party, Lawal Shaibu, had disagreed about the manner the suspension was carried out.

However, the crisis continued, while the party failed to agree on mode of primaries in the state.

The leadership of the APC had tried to resolve the Zamfara logjam by inaugurating a new committee which attempted to conduct the governorship and legislative primaries in the state between October 6 and October 7 but the panel failed to conduct the elections because of the alleged threats by Abdulaziz Yari, governor of the state, to call out supporters in protest.

But in a letter to Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the ruling Continues on Page 27

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

AssemblyWatch From the Red Chamber

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE

A

fter over two months annual recess, both legislative chambers of the Eighth National Assembly resumed plenary a fortnight ago.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since lawmakers proceeded on recess on July 24, 2018. These include defection of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP); President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to decline assets to the much-awaited Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), the Electoral Act

Anti-climax of Saraki’s ‘impeachment’ (Amendment) Bill and 13 other bills passed by the National Assembly; resignation of former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun after admitting that her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate was forged and immediately jetted out of the country.

Others are: failure of four serving senators to emerge as PDP presidential candidate; suspension of Nigeria Air by the Federal Government; revocation of the operating licence of Skye Bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and renaming it Polaris Bank; emergence of candidates for political parties for the 2019 General Elections among others.

Contrary to expectations, the National Assembly resumed without the hoopla about anticipated drama of leadership change. The development was an anti-climax to the threats of impeachments following the defection of Saraki and Dogara from the ruling APC to the main opposition PDP. During the recess, APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole; Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan; Abdullahi Adamu, Chairman, Parlia-

mentary Support Group for Buhari; Chairman Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim and a member of the group, Ovie OmoAgege had threatened fire and brimstone should Saraki fail to throw in the towel.

On the other hand, proSaraki legislators dismissed such threats, insisting that APC lawmakers lacked the required two-thirds majority to effect leadership change.

The tension was further exacerbated by the inability of National Assembly correspondents, legislative aides and visitors from accessing the Senate gallery, even as the audio system at the Senate Press Corps which serve as an alternative was not functional. Most journalists later resorted to watching proceedings through live streaming on their smart phones. With the already charged atmosphere, reporters and bloggers who had already cast their headlines, in anticipation of Saraki’s ‘impeachment’ became disappointed upon realising that there was no negative story to feast on.

I recall receiving phone calls from colleagues in other beats, asking if Saraki was

eventually impeached and whether lawmakers ended up throwing punches in the hallowed chamber.

The decision by APC’s lawmakers to shelve the ‘impeachment’ plan may not be unconnected with the fallout of the just concluded National Assembly primaries across the country, where the party dealt a devastating blow to senators who wanted return tickets. As if they had a premonition of what would happen, they had demanded automatic tickets from the party leadership as a condition for doing the party’s bidding but met a brick wall from Oshiomhole.

The tsunami affected senators with political differences with either their governors, ministers or outgoing governors who have shown interests in the positions. They include: Adesoji Akanbi (Oyo South), Babajide Omoworare (Osun East), Sola Adeyeye (Osun Central), Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central), Abdullahi Gumel (Jigawa North West), Hope Uzodinma (Imo West), Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun Central), Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central), Sani Yerima (Zamfara South), Tijjani Kaura (Zamfara North),

National Assembly and the need for patriotism

A

notice was sent out by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Omolori, to announce the postponement in date for the resumption of the lawmakers. The shift, as claimed by the announcer, was to enable the lawmakers participate in the party primaries in their various constituencies. My humble submission was that the decision of the lawmakers was unjustifiable and unpatriotic, self-serving and uncalled for considering the urgent national issues requiring the intervention of the Legislature such as the consideration of the Electoral Act (amendment) bill which the Joint Senate Committee on Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) and House of Representatives’ Committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters recommended.

During the two month vacation, another matter of urgent national importance which happened while the members of the House of Representatives were busy seeking to return to the National Assembly where they draw over N130 million yearly from was the seven day warning strike declared by the organised labour over the abrupt adjournment of the negotiation employers of labour in both public and private sectors of the economy on the

29

new national minimum wage, which would have been averted by any Parliament. I cannot forget how the Seventh Assembly under the leadership of Speaker Aminu Tambuwal marshaled its colleagues to hold a special session on the petrol price hike of 2012.

The federal government had unilaterally announced a hike in price of the commodity to N145 per litre. Organised labour challenged the hike and announced a massive strike to begin on the 1st January, 2013 if government stayed with its decision on the hike. In his usual characteristics, Tambuwal who is now a serving Governor of Sokoto State, rose to the challenge, summoning members of the House from their Christmas and New Year holidays, to hold the first ever special session on a Sunday, with 224 out of 360 members in attendance and sat throughout the session which lasted from 10 am to 9.00pm.

The effort eventually paid-off and saved the country from another monumental crisis and eventual led to the reversal of a dictatorial government decision!

How much more to score political point by the present crop of federal lawmakers who benefit so much from the sweat of the millions of Nigerian workers whose taxes pay for the luxury

they enjoy for a four year term while some have enjoyed up to 16 years or more since Nigeria returned got relieved from the military regime in 1999.

Going by the time-table released by the time table released

by INEC general elections is just 124 days away from today. My concern is actually about how the electoral body will wriggle through the procurement bureaucracy for some of the items captured in the election budget.

As at the last count, two issues of national importance namely: the N189.2 billion budget presented

by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as the Electoral Act, 2010 (amendment) bill which was adopted by the joint Senate Committee on INEC and House of Representatives’ Committee on Electoral and Political Matters are pending before the National Assembly.

As contained in the letter transmitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the national Assembly, the Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will gulp as much as N134,427,868,157.50 as operational cost; N27,503,970,680 is for election technological cost; N22,660,887,887.50 is for election administrative cost while

N4,614,818,168.13 is for miscellaneous expenses.

I was vindicated however by the speech delivered by Mr. Speaker while welcoming his colleagues back from the 10 weeks recess, affirming my position.

Mr. Speaker statement read in part: “We must remind ourselves at all times that our loyalty in tandem with our oath of office is to the nation and not to any individual or sectional cause or interest. The goal of some people who are working to enthrone tyranny and despotism is to harass, intimidate and ridicule this great institution of the people to the point that we are forced to abdicate our responsibilities and fidelity to our oath of office. It’s a pity that these elements know nothing about the character of this great Institution and the fact that our devotion to the rule of law far surpasses our love and admiration for any individual or group of persons. If this was not the case, third term would have succeeded and the motion on the doctrine of necessity would have failed. We cannot drift, in our own time, from the path of honour and courage that has been the hallmark of this hallowed Chambers.

As patriots, we owe it a duty to patriotically support the patriotic even if they are our foes and to

Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe East), Magnus Abe (Rivers State), Andy Uba (Anambra South), among others.

Even staunch members of the Parliamentary Support Group in the forefront of Saraki’s removal were not spared. The case of Abu Ibrahim (APC, Katsina South) who failed to secure return ticket readily comes to mind.

The most unfortunate lawmaker among the lot is human rights activist, Shehu Sani who like a lamb, was led to the slaughter by APC leadership.

Although some PDP lawmakers also lost their tickets, there are more aggrieved lawmakers in APC than in PDP because the former is the ruling party.

The resumption was not without its usual side attractions, as controversial senator and Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Dino Melaye, caused a stir when he used a white handkerchief to clean Saraki’s seat, apparently to remove any ‘juju’ planted by the ‘enemy’. The development served as comic relief, as ‘loyal Dino’ seemed to have protected his Oga’s chair with ‘Odeshi’.

From the Green House With

KEHINDE AKINTOLA patriotically oppose or defeat the unpatriotic even if they are our best friends.” I wish to finally submit that it would have been more understandable and glorifying if the lawmakers resume and they were harassed. To the best of my knowledge nobody forces anybody to the opposition! As it stands, you can’t be the judge in your own case!!! On a final note, the admonition of Mr. Speaker – “we will be on the wrong side of history if we fail to finish as strongly as we started. It is said that the end of a matter is better than the beginning thereof,” should be a guiding compass for the members of the Eighth session of the National Assembly.

30 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Controversy 2019: Economy at stake Last Monday, Festus Keyamo, director of Media of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, “clashed” with Segun Sowunmi, spokesperson for the Atiku Campaign Organisation, on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily. Each tried to outdo the other in selling their principals and why the Nigerian electorate should or should not vote for the other.

Promises are not enough - Keyamo Atiku can fix the nation’s economy - Sowunmi We believe that Atiku can get Nigeria working again, he can put food on the people’s table

It is so because Atiku Abubakar cannot run on promises and that is the picture my friend has tried to create.

A

Festus Keyamo

tiku cannot run based on his achievements as a private businessman, but on his records as a government official.

How did Atiku Abubakar create jobs when he was Vice President?

What we saw was a colossal failure in terms of management of public institutions.

Under the privatisation programme, NITEL became a disaster.

I will give you an example of one of the things he did while he was in power. That is the record we are running on.

Beyond mere promises The PDP’s presidential candidate cannot run on mere “promises”.

One of the best things that has happened to us as a party and to President Buhari is the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP and why is this so?

It is so because Atiku Abubakar cannot run on promises and that is the picture my friend has tried to create. That he is coming with loads of promises, he has been a businessman, created jobs and all of that and they want to ride on the emotions of

the people because of the unfortunate slump in the economy due to the slump in oil prices from which we are pulling out of now and they want to ride on these emotions to ride to power but then they have reached a dead end because Atiku Abubakar has a record in public office and in the creation of jobs.

I want everybody to get it clear (this morning) that Atiku Abubakar cannot run on promises of this whole thing about running a private business.

He is not Donald Trump that came all the way from private business straight into the presidency of America. He has been Vice President, he claimed those records because he keeps saying ‘when we were in power…’, so if he wants to take the credit of that period, he also has to take the liability of that period.

So, everybody should steer Atiku Abubakar and his team away from all those nebulous private jobs. He cannot run on those records. The books are not open to Nigerians.

Nigerians don’t know what is happening in those companies, some of them are folded up. We want to run on his public records.

S

Segun Sowunmi

owunmi said with the nation’s increase in population and decrease in availability of jobs, Nigeria desperately needs someone Like Atiku who can create more jobs.

We are of the opinion that right now, Nigeria has lost more jobs for a population that is young and growing (at the last count, 12 million or thereabout, sometimes 13) and therefore, you need someone that can really create jobs because we have a young population.

The implication of having a young population is that you could really double your population in a very short time and if you’re not taking job creation very seriously, you could implode your country just on the weight of the number of people. So, we need someone who can create jobs. Atiku can create job”.

He believes that going

by Atiku’s achievements as a businessman, he has the capacity to improve the economy through private sector partnerships and prevent it from sliding

back into a recession.

“The indicators from the CBN and the world bank are that we could slide back into a recession if we are not careful. “We need to bring someone into government who understands how to run government and open it up, so that private sector dictates can then push government and you can then create good opportunities for private sector people to come and help you develop the company like you see all over the world.

“Atiku is a businessman. He’s run a business well. He knows what it takes to partner with the private sector, he knows what it takes to bring foreign direct investments into the country. He has done it before and he can do it again.

He can get the economy working again. We cannot be the most miserably poor people in the world and be happy with that.

We need someone who is going to bring businesslike discipline into the running of government, that’s why we are saying let’s get Nigeria working again, let’s put Nigeria in charge.

Peace and unity Nigeria is very divided now. We fought a civil war sometimes ago and for some reason or the other, we found ourselves in a situation where the country is just divided. We are no longer dealing with just terrorism.

We are dealing with animalsandfarmersandherdsmen. We are dealing with kidnapping and a whole lot of issues that seem to have divided us around ethnic lines, religious lines and all of the lines that you can possibly imagine.

We need someone who has significant buy-in from all the sections of the country, who can pull us back again. A democrat who listens and takes a consensus opinion. Someone who considers restructuring or conversations around restructuring, important enough to hold.

Security Nigeria has major security challenges. A lot of people have tried to solve the security challenges but somehow we’ve not been able to. We are of the opinion that one of the reasons whywearenotabletosolve the security problem in the country is to find someone tomanageourcross-border issues.

We believe that Atiku can get Nigeria working again,hecanputfoodonthe people’s table.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

31

VOX POP Eligible voters choose their preferred presidential candidate for 2019 Stories by GBEMI FAMINU

I

n line with the directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the primary election of many political parties has been concluded and as a result, every party in Nigeria should have by now gotten their flag bearers for elective positions. Over 15 parties are said to be field presidential candidates.

Although it seems that attention is being concentrated on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, some other parties also enjoy huge support from their staunch supporters.

So, people are free to make their choices depending on their ideal candidates.

We bring to you the views of some eligible voters on who their preferred candidates are, and what informed their choices.

Lasisi Peter Painter To make Nigeria great again and to be sure of a competitive economy and more productive Nigeria where business will thrive.

Atiku has proven to be the man for the job, this is someone who is educated and has business and leadership experiences.

Buhari

Clara Adewole Teacher For me, Atiku seems to be a better candidate, especially when talking about experience, resources and capability. Although he is also old, he is still fit to carry on and better manage the stress arising from the position of the president.

I believe he is loaded with the right policies to move Nigeria forward.

Ajayi Elizabeth Trader I would like Donald Duke to become the next president; a quick assessment of his work and impact as governor of Cross River State between 1999 and 2007, show that he will and is willing to

Atiku

Duke

work and that he is able to make the necessary impact urgently needed.

people and who is going to be functional; I believe Atiku is the best candidate.

Odulana Gbenga Store manager At this point, I am not sure yet because the campaigns have not started and we are yet to see their manifestos, aside from that, each candidate’s articulation during the debate will help in making a better choice for Nigeria.

Matthew Adekunle Real Estate manager Buhari has been working and is still working, but Nigerians have refused to acknowledge all that he is doing, I feel Buhari should be allowed to continue his work, he is not a magician and the adage says little drops of water makes a mighty ocean; he is ready to take Nigeria to greater heights, but it has to be done step by step.

Fola Modupe Entrepreneur It takes an educated person who has done things that eyes can see to lead Nigeria; someone who will not be controlled by other

John Akpan Teacher We need to change of everything

about leadership in Nigeria; we also need to widen our horizon.

Over the years, elections have been between two major parties and they have done enough now; we need people who will work without having their hands tied; I support Donald Duke, he has been in a similar position and he delivered well. I am sure he is ready to do the same if he becomes Nigeria’s president.

Nduka Austin Engineer I will preferably vote for Buhari in 2019, because so far, he has done more than what his predecessors could not do, and I believe that if he is given the opportunity he will definitely do more.

Mixed reactions trail travel ban directive

T

he Federal Government recently banned 50 important personalities from traveling abroad over corruption allegations until their cases have been investigated and settled by the necessary authorities. Alongside the ban was a tight surveillance on the finances of these people. The ban came as a directive by President Muhammad Buhari for the full implementation of Executive Order 6 which allows the Federal Government to take steps, in cooperation with investigative agencies, to temporarily seize property linked with corruption, pending investigation and conclusion of trial to prevent the profligacy of such assets.

This action has been trailed by divergent reactions from various quarters.

Some public figures like Femi Falana and Mike Ozekhome, who are human rights lawyers, have publicly challenged the directive as they regard it as undemocratic and cruel.

Speaking to some citizens about their views on the directive, here is what they had to say:

ModupeOpeyemi Accountant Normally, it is wrong to accuse a suspect regardless of the conditions and circumstances involved and it is also wrong to give out punishments to them. Those affected by the travel ban have just been alleged to be involved in corrupt practices, it is not that they were caught; they still have a right to be investigated, before restricting their movement.

The ban was placed on them forgetting that they have a life of their own and they also have their human rights.This directive is a clear case of human rights infringement, and if it is not questioned, it will continue.

Stella Richard Entrepreneur The President needs to be aware that his every move is being watched closely and will always be trailed by mixed reactions; he used the ban to restrict the movement of those accused to be involved in corrupt practices so they do not abscond, but evidently it has been termed violation of human rights. From what I understand, the ban was for them not to travel outside the country,

he could have as well placed them in detention or even house arrest.

With the reactions trailing the travel ban, if he had chosen to place them on house arrest, I am sure that would have seemed like a death sentence.

One thing is that you cannot satisfy everybody. The travel ban will help with the investigation and if they are cooperative, the investigation will be done and forgotten in no time and life will be back to normal, but instead noise is being made about it.

And it is being tagged draconian, and seen as an infringement on human rights. But I can tell you for free that nothing is wrong with the travel ban; only those with skeletons in their cupboards will be worried.

James Agbebi Principal The travel ban is the worst option to have chosen; infringing on people’s rights and making them look like criminals, why not go for a less coercive option; what if they have businesses or contracts that demand their urgent attention or emergencies?It would be more lenient to have placed them on surveillance; we understand that he

is trying to fight corruption, but the travel ban according to majority of the public opinion is a wrong move and the adage says that two wrongs do not make a right; besides they are alleged to have been involved in corrupt practices they have not been proven guilty.

justify the means”, it’s not necessarily about the modus operandi, its more about the end result, and what you are able to achieve. If the government is trying to combat corruption, I see nothing wrong in whatever method they use as long as it achieves the desired purpose.

Saka Mariam Teacher There are many reasons to doubt that list especially, considering the fact that there is a dead person on the list; what is with this government and dead people?The other time when assigning people into board of government agencies we had dead people there too. Everything about the travel ban is wrongthe list, the reason for the ban, the way the directive was carried out and even the ban itself, it’s all wrong.

Olutayo Emmanuel Teacher I find faults in the travel ban as it is a contradiction of human rights and also a negation from the principles of a democratic government, but I understand that it is for a good cause, it is all in a bid to move the country towards a progressive ground.

Soyode Damilola Employee Since the beginning of this administration, there have been promises to curtail corruption many of which we have seen, even though the end result is quite funny.According to Niccolò Machiavelli, “The ends

OmoloyeJamiu Social Analyst Whatever the disagreement is about on the Federal Government directive, anyone who hasn’t dealt in corrupt practices and also has an honest source of income should have no problem with it, and for those that believe that it is an infringement on human rights, it is not against the law and finally it is all in a bid to hasten investigations and trials.

32

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

SundayBusiness Mortgage for first time home buyers: Lessons from the United Kingdom

I

n almost every field of activity, Nigeria has one or two lessons to learn from its peers and, in housing or real estate generally, the country has a lot of gaps to bridge in mortgages, property regi s t ra t i o n a n d a l t e r n a t i v e building techniques for mass housing.

Unlike Nigeria where first time home buyers who are predominantly low income earners do not have any kind of support from government to enable them to own homes, first time home buyers in the UK and others with small deposits draw attention from government which was why, in September, they took a greater share of the housing market than in the previous month, with overall approval levels also up compared to August.

While there were 66,704 mortgages approved during the month of September, the market may have been affected by contin ued impact of the Bank of E n g l a n d ’ s b a s e ra t e r i s e i n A u g u s t a s t h e re w e re fewer borrowers with large deposits.

According to the mortgage market monitor from residential chartered surveyors e.surv, large deposit borrowers, defined as hav-

ing a deposit of 60 percent or more, accounted for 30 percent of the market, lower than the 32.5 percent recorded in August and the 33.8 percent seen in July.

In Nigeria, none of the built environment professionals, not even the estate surveyors and valuers, keep record of mortgage transactions in the country and, again, because mortgage transactions are in fits and starts, nobody cares to know who takes mortgage loans and from who.

The primary mortgage banks (PMBs) are challenged in so many fronts, especially with low capital base, low clientele base, non-performing loans and low housing stock on which mortgages could be provided. They hardly lend to home seekers and the few t ha t do m a ke imp ossib le demands from borrowers.

Propertywire, an online residential property platform, quotes Richard Sexton, director at e.surv, as saying that September was the first month many home owners would have received their new, higher mortgage bills if they are on a standard variable rate (SVR).

“But first time buyers were not affected by such matters, and there was a strong increase in the pro-

portion of the market occupied by these borrowers.

Yo u n g b u y e r s m a y h a v e been helped onto the ladder by the fact that house p r i c e g row t h h a s s l ow e d across many areas of the country. Lower prices mean that would-be buyers can achieve their dream of home ow n e r s h i p m u c h s o o n e r , and this appears to have been borne out by these figures,” Sexton said.

“With existing home owners trapped on expensive standard variable rates (SVRs) now feeling the cost of higher mortgage rates, the remortgage market cannot be under-estimated and activity was up compared to last month and September 2017,” he explained, adding, “despite the rate rise, new mortgage borrowing is still very competitive and home owners will continue to be tempted by cheap fixed rates. This will protect them against future base rate rises”.

When broken down on a regional basis, the figures show that every part of the UK saw a smaller proportion of loans given to large deposit borrowers than a month ago. London continued to be the market most dominated by these borrow-

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

ers with 40.5 percent of all loans going to this segment of the market.

Close behind was the South East on 37 percent and then the South and South Wales on 32.7 percent. In contrast, some 20.3 p ercen t in York sh ire h ad a large deposit. This was ahead of the North West and the Midlands, which both saw 24 percent in the month.

F o u r re g i o n s , N o r t h e r n Ireland, the North West, the Midlands and Yorkshire, saw a greater number of loans go to small deposit borrowers than their large deposit counterparts. In Yorkshire, some 33.5 percent of loans were to first time buyers and others with small deposits.

Elsewhere, in the North West some 30.4 percent of all loans went to this part of the market while in Northern Ireland this ratio was 28.9 percent. The final

region to have more small deposit borrowers than those with large deposits was the Midlands, with 28 percent of loans going to the former category.

London, once again, was the market with the fewest small deposit buyers. Just 1 3 . 8 p e rc e n t o f a l l l o a n s went to this part of the market during September, ahead of the South East at 19.4 percent.

“Every single region reflected the national trend and saw a greater number of smaller deposit borrowers, while those with larger amounts of equity were squeezed. Those with small deposits in London and the South East still face a much harder time than those in the north and Northern Ireland. However, the slowdown in the capital will help more get onto the ladder in future months,” Sexton hoped.

Focus labs: Pragmatic approach to achieving objectives of ERGP? HASSAN MOHAMMED

I

s the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari ready to walk its talk in the promise to give the Nigerian economy a new direction? This question will be answered if (or when) the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) the president launched last year begins to bear fruits.

What may, perhaps, prove to a traditionally skeptical and cynical public that this government is truly committed to making the new economic plan work are the focus labs that were held in Abuja between March and April this year.

Very little is known of the event that is a novelty in this part of the world.

But from what one has been able to glean from newspaper reports, the focus labs, which were copied from Malaysia, were held to enable key stakeholders in the nation’s economy, including investors, financiers and government leaders, to sit across the table to discuss and agree on how to make ERGP work.

Reports say the focus labs, which brought together about 300 participants representing 180 organisations, involved 67, 200 man-hours of 20 syndication meetings that had in attendance key government officials including ministers of the relevant ministries that are directly connected to the areas the discussions covered.

These were agriculture, transportation, power, gas, manufacturing and

processing.

At the end of the exercise, there was a consensus among participants that there couldn’t be a better indicator of the fact that the country is ready for the long journey out of the woods.

The ministers that participated in the exercise were selected because of the connectivity of their ministries to the main drivers of economic growth. For instance, the poor state and, perhaps, absence of rail transportation in Nigeria has continually hindered movement of agricultural produce that are sourced from the northern part of the country to the southern part where markets exist. This impacts negatively on the prices of such produce as yam, maize, onions, tomato, and livestock, etc. ChibuikeAmaechi, transport minister, was on hand to enlighten farmers from the northern part of the country on government’s plan for rail transportation.

The labs afforded BabatundeFashola, power, works and housing minister, opportunity to have firsthand knowledge of the power challenges manufacturers and farmers face in running factories and transporting produce from the hinterland to urban centres, respectively. Farmers were able to sit down with AuduOgbeh, minister of agriculture and his team to discuss their challenges and jointly proffer solutions to them.

This is something that could have been considered far-fetched, since

President Buhari

it is not possible for the ministers to visit the participants in their locations around the country to know their problems. Nor would it be convenient for the participants to travel to Abuja individually to meet them.

The event eliminated official protocols that are usually encountered in meeting top government functionaries at the level of a minister.

A major feature of the labs, which served to convince private sector participants of the government’s preparedness to assist in whatever way it can to make the sector, the main driver of the envisaged economic growth, play its role, was the introduction of ratings for projects that were presented by investors.

Projects were rated in the manner hotels are rated – from zero-star to five-star – according to their feasibil-

ity and stages of readiness.

For instance, a project that was rated zero-star meant there was nothing to show that it was ready for implementation, while the rating progressed according to the state at which the project was, at the time the labs were held. A five-star rating for a project meant that it was good to go, and merely required, perhaps, moral or financial support to take off.

The good thing about the ratings was that nobody was dismissed because of the low ratings their projects attracted. In other words, whether or not an investor received any form of assistance had nothing to do with the rating of his project.

If a project was given a zero-star rating, for instance, the owner was made to sit down in a one-on-one discussion with experts and bureaucrats from the relevant ministries who took him through every step that is required to make his dream project become a reality. He was given access to key officials in the ministries for follow-up meetings and discussions that would result in the project becoming attractive to would-be partners and potential investors.

Nobody left the event unsatisfied.

There was something for everybody to take home. At the end of the day, the skepticism and doubts that may have existed in the minds of investors that were invited to participate in the labs gave way to belief, hope and optimism.

On paper, ERGP looks like what Ni-

geria needs to completely exit recession and begin the journey towards economic growth and sustainable development. The programme is designed to stimulate the economy, open up the non-oil sector that has remained largely untapped for diversification, invest in human resources and build an economy that is competitive, internationally. The long term objective of the economic programme is to build a Nigeria where every citizen would have a sense of belonging, live a more prosperous life and enjoy fundamental human liberties that include equal rights and justice. From the first outing, focus labs appear to constitute a major step in the process of making ERGP realise its objectives. But can the Buhari administration demonstrate the political will to follow through its implementation?

A 1.5 per cent GDP growth as at second quarter of 2018, and foreign reserves at a five-year high of $45.83 billion, as at August 31, 2018, should give hope of a renewed determination to chart a new course for the economy, as well as reason to believe that the federal government’s target of creating 15 million jobs by 2020 could be achieved.

If anything, the economy has demonstrated remarkable health as to enable the federal government to disburse over N1.91 trillion as bailout funds to states to pay salaries, pensions and other liabilities. All hope may not be lost, after all. .Mohammed is an economist and lives in Abuja

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

33

SundayBusiness Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

T

he increasing need to take a closer look and indeed grow the Small and Medium Scale (SME) farming in Nigeria, to make it a profitable enterprise is engaging the interest of stakeholders. For instance, Mr. Donatus Okonkwo, the brain behind the Tetrazzini brand in Nigeria touched tellingly on this important issue at the recently held Farmers Conference in Lagos.

Nigerians should go beyond talking about the huge potentials in agriculture and focus more on unleashing them for food security and employment generation. We need to create 3 million jobs per year for sustainable development!

Emphasis should therefore, shift to more pragmatic human capital development, especially in the agric sector. Small and Medium scale farmers should be assisted with mechanised farming and application of modern technology in virtually all aspects of the

SPIRITONOMICS

Debo Atiba

www.spiritonomics.org

A

ll our lives, through our growing up years, we were adequately prepared for the future.

Nothing was supposed to be left to chance because in most cases the future does not belong to us alone. It also belonged to our parent who sponsored us, we are their Investment. We were never meant to take our education lightly because in it was our future. In fact Education was supposed to be your El Doradosaving grace in life according to their understanding.

You hear words like, “read your book, pass your exams, finish and get a good job”. The consequences of illiteracy was drummed so deep in us that we automatically knew who was going to succeed and who was not. The point was proven when you see your mates drop out of school and become

Maximising the potentials of agric SMEs value chain. If done, they would be empowered to sell what they produce in line with international standards. This view is similar to that of Thomas Jayne and Milu Muyanga, University Foundation Professor and Assistant Professor respectively at Michigan State University. Both have carried out researches with collaborators such as Adebayo Aromolaran, Saweda Liverpool-Tasie, and Titus Awokuse.

The theme is on the impacts of changing farm size distributions on smallholder welfare and agricultural commercialization in Nigeria as carried out under the Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA) project.

To succeed, there is the urgent need to restructure the sector into the areas that are meant for local consumption and that for export. A coordinated effort of Public Private Partnership (PPP) is required in this regard. With hindsight from the experience gathered at the United States Chamber for Commerce and Export Development, it is necessary to identify areas of weak point and devolve more investment, especially in the manufacturing industry. That way, more farm produce would be channeled into processed products some of which we import. But then, small scale farmers are currently facing some challenges.

For instance, the implications of shrinking farm sizes for millions of rural African households have been on for years. This is due to population growth (Nigeria’s population is expected to rise from 182 million in 2018 to 200million by 20150) and growing land scarcity.

As rightly warned by Kofi Anan (of blessed memory), former Secretary of The United Nations, UN most African farm households are witnessing the gradual subdivision of their farms over time. As highlighted by Jane and Muyanga, “The prolonged surge in global food prices that began in 2007 ushered in major investment in African farmland by foreign investors.

Why wouldn’t African investors have done the same? While the foreign ‘land grab’ was well covered by the international media, the farmland investments by African professionals, entrepreneurs, and civil service employees went largely unnoticed. In fact, the amount of land acquired by middle-sized African farmers (5100 hectares) far exceeds that of foreign investors”. Perhaps most importantly, medium-scale farms in sub-Saharan Africa have contributed to a 4.6% annual rate of agricultural production growth between 2000 and 2015 – the highest of any region in the world over this period. Through these multiplier effects of agricultural growth, most Africans have benefited from unprecedented growth in job opportunities in the non-farm economy.

In countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia, the value share of national agricultural output accounted for by mediumscale farms has reportedly risen rapidly between 2000 and 2016.

In some countries, medium-sized farms now account for roughly 50percent of the value of national marketed agricultural production.

In the more land-constrained areas of Kenya and Rwanda, by contrast, small-scale farms still account for the majority of national marketed agricultural output, though even in these countries their share is slipping.

Something has to done to moderate the activities of the relatively wealthy and influential medium scale farmers who are professionals, entrepreneurs, or retired civil service employees to positively impact on the poor smallscale farmers. Instead, there should be collaborative efforts such that medium-scale farmers could provide access to markets and services for nearby smallholder farms. For example, many medium-scale farms own a tractor and rent it out to smallholders, which allows them to farm their land with much less labor input, freeing up opportunities to work in off-farm pursuits.

Large-scale trading firms should set up buying depots in areas of high concentration of mediumscale farms. That is in response to the large surplus production that they generate. Their investments in the value chains can improve market access conditions for nearly smallholders too. They require the sustained services of farm extension workers, with the requisite academic background in increased farm production, processing, preservation and even marketing to open new doors of opportunities for them.

Also, medium-scale farms should constitute a major source of new capital being invested in farming. This is important in

the areas of providing fertilizers, irrigation equipment, tractors, farm animal and fish production operations. The rapidly rising marketed output coming off these farms is moderating sub-Saharan Africa’s raising reliance on food imports.

As Okonkwo has rightly reiterated, we need a change of mindset. Kebbi state alone has the capacity to generate N500 billion annually through agricultural practices. It does not make economic sense for us to keep exporting unprocessed cocoa beans at low returns and import chocolate, its product at exorbitant prices.

Ogbomosho cocoa is of premium value in the global market but we are not capitalizing on that. We need partnerships to drive the process.

Indeed, we cannot continue to do the same thing our fathers did in the farming of rubber, yam, cassava, maize, groundnut, cashew, fruits, vegetables and rice and expect better results. Access to arable land is required to stimulate MSMEs in farming. But government has not done the right thing with the Land Use Act. Why should the government dictate to farmers what to plant in Osun River Basin, instead of allowing them to use their initiative? We have to stop exporting jobs through the export of unprocessed farm produce and importing poverty.

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

Your faith and your possession recalcitrant. To some of us that excel or managed to finish, we were considered to be the luckiest amongst our peers. However, looking back in hindsight now is it really through what we were taught that actually helped us to become successful in life?

Perhaps some benefited while others didn’t.

There is nothing mentioned above that has any semblance of God ever being a part of the success equation. This is still a mystery to most people, they are yet to come to term with the reason why with all their qualifications they aren’t successful according to God’s standard. God’s definition of success is not materialistic or monetary. They are still baffled at what else they are supposed to do that would make the difference. Some are gainfully employed and dissatisfied while some are dissatisfied with both their employment and the employer, and these are Christians.

If money or material things were to be the definition of success, the rich would not be committing suicide or be depressed, and the gainfully employed will not be unhappy.

In all of these scenarios playing out, does God really have anything to do with this? Does He

have a say both in the choice of our profession and its outcome?

Are there things we can do at this stage that can change our stories or our case is hopeless?

These and many questions are begging for answers. Does our Christian life have anything to do with our CAREER, PROFESSION or BUSINESS? Most Christians in the workplace have their hope and faith set on their salaries or emolument. It never occurs to them that in as much as work is important, work is never meant to take the place of God in their lives. Their salaries become the thermometer that regulates the temperature of their lives not God. Their help does not come from God but from their salaries or their employer. They are never awakened to the place of the blessing prepared for them by God. We have had generations of believers short change themselves in the workplace. Believers have been sacked unjustly, lied against and liars got away with it. Intimidated and bamboozled by others with lesser spirit inhabiting them.

Where and when are we going to prove that we are the head and not the tail? What about the scripture that says “no weapon formed against us shall prosper”?

Is there anywhere in that bible where God said “the just shall live by their salaries”? Beloved, we do not exist in this world as though we are marching through our father’s farm with no consciousness of harm. There is no way we can enjoy the best that God has for us with a docile attitude based on ignorance of the world we live in. The results are glaring already; we do not need to look too far, untold hardship, failures, depression, oppression, losses.

From time immemorial, the original design of God for His children irrespective of their profession or job description is to live by faith not by career or PROFESSION. Does that mean we should carry faith on our head and not work? Of course not! We are to go about with understanding of our oneness with God and the GRACE that has made the journey easy which can only be found in the face of Jesus. We came to be saved by Grace through FAITH (Ephes. 2:10), not of works, not of feelings, not of physical senses.

Heb. 11:3 says “we the just shall live by faith”. Paul admonished the brethren in Galatians that the miraculous that God designed for them and it’s working in them did not come to them by human wisdom, but by the preaching

of faith.

Every child of God that intends to enjoy the blessing of God must put to work their faith. Your FAITH represents your FATE in the world we live in. That you are in your workplace does not mean you cannot enjoy or experience the miraculous power of God. The practice of your faith never allow you to put your trust in the mundane things of this world because God has your back covered. When it is time for termination of appointment or the noise about downsizing in the year you laugh in their face because your faith is working.

When your business looks as though it was dead, your faith is at work giving life to it.

So what must you do as a Christian in the marketplace? Wake up your spiritual life in the place of worship. Recognise that without Him you can do but nothing.

This would enable you go down on your knees and involve God in your work. Recognition of the person of God and His power activates the power of God in your affairs and causes you to mount up with wings as Eagle.

As you walk in the light of this truth you, your “work-life” affairs will never remain the same again.

Remain blessed.

34

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

APCON collaborates with ‘IAMBRANDNIGERIA’ to celebrate Nigeria, reward others DANIEL OBI

I

n furtherance to strengthen the brand Nigeria values and essence, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), a government agency with full responsibility to regulate and sanitize the advertising industry in the country has thrown its weight behind IAMBRANDNIGERIA project, a statement has said.

The initiative is designed towards enhancing the value of the Nigeria brand.

According to the organizers, the initiative in association with APCON have finalized arrangement to celebrate the brand Nigeria and to specially recognize certain individuals and corporate brands who have become value addition to the

Nigerian brand in an award.

The award is scheduled to hold in Lagos on November 25th 2018.

The statement quoted a letter signed by the Ag Registrar/Chief Executive, APCON, Ijedi Iyoha, which stated that, “We are supporting the #IAMBRANDNIGERIA project, we are willing to provide every necessary assistance as circumstances may permit.”

According to the Project Coordinator, Taiwo Oluboyede, “This is a drive towards enhancing the value of the brand Nigeria through positive narratives, open endorsement and enhanced association for the brand; where we use the stories of tenacity, resilience and the enterprising spirit of many individuals and corporate brands that have been able to beat the odds to achieve

success as better narrative for the brand Nigeria.”

He said, “We believe that there is something we have, in which no one can possibly take away from us and that is our tenacity, our entrepreneurial can-do spirit and optimism, even when the going seems tough. We call it the Nigerian spirit.”

To commence this year’s programme, the initiative commenced a creative contest which is a mass market engagement platform where Nigerians from all works of life express their passion for the Nigeria brand in arts - paintings, sketches, graphic designs, sculptures, poems, and photographs.

These according to Oluboyede are posted on Twitter or Instagram with the hash tag #IAMBRANDNIGERIA and the top 3 entries with the highest number of

quality engagements will be adjudged by an independent to win prize money of N.5million, N.2million and N.1million respectively.

Explaining this private sector driven initiative, Oluboyede stated that brand is a key element in international trade and marketing.

Every nation of the world is trading on the same market and the same ‘commodity’; their reputation, which is their brand. And everyone is there to show the reason why they should be your preferred place for tourism, investment etc he said.

Some of the nominees are Tony Elumelu Foundation, Ahmed Musa, Globacom, The Bobsledge team, Nurudeen M. Amdala, Payporte, GoKada, SegunAwosanya, Senator ShehuSani, HadeezaBala Usman, Konga, Bigi among others.

Luminous keys into Ikoyi Club 80th anniversary milestone celebration

W

andel International Nigeria Limited, part of the Simba Group and sole distributors of Luminous Inverters recently partnered Ikoyi Club 1938, one of Nigeria’s foremost social clubs in the celebration of its 80th anniversary, to spread its message of how inverters lead to more comfortable lives at home, whilst saving costs at the same time.

The celebration which included a series of activities was witnessed by the Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, captains of industry, top government officials, corporate players and board members of companies amongst other high net-worth individuals.

Speaking on the essence of its campaign, the Chief Operation Coordinator, Simba Group, Rajneesh Gupta said that the decision to work in partnership with Ikoyi Club 1938 as it celebrates anniversary was

borne out of the need to encourage high-net worth individuals who otherwise already use generators are home, to invest in inverters which not only provide truly uninterrupted power but can help them save millions on diesel bills.

Rajneesh noted that with products such as Luminous inverters, organizations as well as residential home owners stand the chance of saving huge energy costs which could consequently lead to increase productivity and guarantee huge returns in the running of its business operations.

In appreciation of the corporate partnership between Simba Group and Ikoyi Club 1938 on the celebration of its 80th anniversary, the Vice Chairman, Ikoyi Club 1938, Adekunle Wright, commended the organization for itd support noting that the enlightenment campaign would go a long way in ensuring members are more energy efficient and can now enjoy energy cost savings.

Firm links health, safety to workers’ productivity

F

LG Electronics drives audio strategy, invests in research initiatives

A

s it marks its 60th anniversary, LG, S o u t h Ko r e a n home electronics entertainment company said it is aggressively driving its audio strategy by focusing first and foremost on sound quality, investing heavily in a wide range of R&D initiatives.

One of these efforts, according to the company is the partnership with Meridian Audio, whose technology is implemented in LG XBOOM products.

“As the company behind the world’s first digital active loudspeaker and industry’s first audiophile-quality compact disc player, Meridian has played a fundamental role in the development and implementation of revolutionary audio technologies such as Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) and also served as the exclusive audio brand for premium carmakers such as Land Rover, McLaren and Jaguar”.

It further said that the XBOOM mini component

(model CK99) and all-in-one (model OK99) are crowd favorites with thundering output starting at 1,800 watts and topping off at 5,000 watts for a lively party atmosphere. “The Pro DJ Wheel allows anyone to become a DJ with creative mixing and scratching functions and fun lighting effects. Karaoke fans can eliminate the vocal track from almost any song adjust the pitch with Voice Canceller and Key Changer while the Grab & Move handle and casters of the LG OK99 takes the definition of “portable audio system” to a whole new level”.

The addition of XBOOM Go (models PK3/PK5/PK7) allows even more music lovers to enjoy the benefits of LG’s audio expertise.

XBOOM Go embraces the brand’s heritage of powerful sound and party fun and it is designed to captivate listeners with both unmatched quality and user convenience. With Meridian’s advanced audio technology, XBOOM Go speak-

ers deliver clear treble and enhanced bass as well as exceptionally powerful, accurate sound despite their compact size, the company said in a statement LG XBOOM AI ThinQ speakers consist of model WK7 and model WK9 and feature the Google Assistant to help get things done with just a voice. Unlike other AI speakers, the quality of the sound from LG XBOOM AI ThinQ isn’t just an afterthought. LG’s partnership with Meridian brings the full potential of the two companies’ audio expertise, delivering high-fidelity sound, precise vocal definition and accurate bass,. And the lossless High Resolution Audio in the LG XBOOM AI ThinQ can faithfully reproduce sounds recorded in the studio. LG collaborated with Google to integrate the Google Assistant directly into the product as a home hub, allowing the WK7 and WK9 to control Google Assistant-compatible smart

home devices along with LG home appliances compatible with LG ThinQ. The XBOOM AI ThinQ WK7 speaker, currently launching in key markets, will soon be joined later this year by the WK9 with its 8-inch Smart Display for a richer interactive experience. “ By e x p a n d i n g o u r XBOOM brand to include wireless and smart speakers, LG is opening up new possibilities with XBOOM leading our entire home audio business,” said Seo Young-jae, head of the convergence audio and video business division at LG’s Home Entertainment Company. “With Meridian as our audio technology partner, we are confident XBOOM will success in Europe as it has in other regions around the world.”

The company said visitors to LG’s booth at IFA 2018 in Hall 18 last month had the chance to see the LG XBOOM products and other home entertainment innovations for themselves.

or a business to be successful, greater attention must be accorded the safety and health of the workforce as this is a prerequisite for increased productivity, Chief Executive Officer, Richardson Oil & Gas Limited, Akin Osuntoki has said.

Osuntoki, who stated this at the 10th Edition of the PSRG-Richardson Health, Safety, Security and Environmental (HSSE) Forum in Lagos, according to a statement noted that making health and safety a priority in an organization effectively communicates that employees are a valuable resource in the organization.

“A systematic approach to HSSE management not only makes managing a business easier, it also makes it more effective.

Enhanced health and safety standards help organizations effectively manage time during execution of projects and improve their business profile with customers and clients”, he said.

He noted that part of efforts by the company to ensure adherence to safety at work is the annual PSRGRichardson HSSE Forum which started in 2009 and has been adding value to its diverse participants.

This year’s forum titled

“Effective HSSE Management: The Key to Sustainability”, was attended by industry experts from diverse fields including Tony Attah, Managing Director Nigeria NLNG Limited, who chaired this year’s event. He delivered the opening remarks and commended the PSRG-Richardson alliance for sustaining the Forum for 10 years.

The lead papers were presented by Amadi Amadi, Manager HSEQ, Nigeria LNG Limited and Olayinka Omigbodun, Head of Psychiatry, University of Ibadan. There were also technical presentations by key members of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) amongst others.

A major highlight of the Forum was the presentation of Special Achievement Awards to Ahmadu Kida-Musa, Deputy Managing Director (Deepwater District), Total E&P Nigeria Limited; Segun Ogunsanya, Managing Director of Airtel Networks Limited, and Austin Avuru, Managing Director, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, in recognition of their support to HSSE Management and Local Content Development in Nigeria.

Sunday 21 October 2018

35

C002D5556

EquityMarket

UBA, Zenith, 2 others post N344 bn PAT in 9 months ... As equity market recovers with a week gain of N140bn TELIAT SULE

T

he Nigerian capital market recovered in the week that ended October 19, 2018 as renewed interests in listed stocks ensured that the prices of quoted securities rose leading to N140.44 billion gains in market capitalisation.

The renewed sentiment in the market followed a week of influx of the third quarter unaudited results of companies which gave hope to investors that handsome reward awaits them by year end.

Banking giants, the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Zenith, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) as well as Wema released their third quarter results for the period ended September 30, 2018.

The four deposit money banks made N565.68 billion as net interest income representing 1.8 percent increase over N555.58 billion realised in similar period in 2017.

While 1.8 percent is the industry growth in net interest income, Wema Bank recorded the highest growth in net interest income during the period. From N12.23 billion in 2017, its net interest income rose by 29.4 percent to N15.83 billion in September 2018. Zenith Bank’s net interest income witnessed 13.4 percent growth from N201.49 billion in 2017 to N228.52 billion in 2018. On the contrary, UBA and GTB recorded 1 percent and 10 percent decline in net interest income during the period.

Net fee and commission income witnessed 5.8 percent growth across the industry. UBA

and GTB beat the industry average as the former recorded 9.4 percent growth while the latter witnessed 18 percent growth.

On the contrary, Wema Bank’s net fee and commission income slide by 2.3 percent while that of Zenith fell by 1.5 percent during

Seplat clarifies position on UK High Court judgement

S

eplat, a leading Nigerian indigenous oil and gas company listed on both the Nigerian Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange, has been made aware of some media publications on

the enforcement by the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria of a $114 million judgment made by a UK High Court against Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd, Allene Ltd and Ambrosie Orjiako (who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Seplat).

Seplat is not a party to the litigation. The Company will monitor the progress of this suit and issue further communication on the matter as appropriate. This announcement is being made by the Company in accordance with Rule 17.10, Rulebook of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, 2015 (Issuers Rule).

the period. The combined net fee and commission income of the four deposit money banks stood at N164.28 billion in 2018 as against N155.32 billion in 2017.

Furthermore, all the banks recorded improvement in profit after tax (PAT). While the indus-

try average growth rate was 10.6 percent, Wema Bank witnessed 72.9 percent increase in PAT from N1.53 billion in September last year to N2.64 billion same period this year. GTB’s rose by 13.3 percent from N125.58 billion in 2017 to N142.22 billion in 2018. With

an increase of 11.6 percent Zenith Bank’s PAT rose from N129.24 billion to N144.18 billion during the period. and UBA’s rose marginally by 1.3 percent from N60.92 billion last year September to N61.70 billion same period this year.

The total comprehensive income made by the four banks stood at N344.41 billion as at September 2018, representing 3.8 percent increase over N331.90 billion made same period in 2017. Wema Bank recorded the highest increase in total comprehensive income for the period as it rose by 74.1 percent from N1.53 billion to N2.66 billion.

GTB’s rose by 9.3 percent, while that of Zenith Bank increased by 19.4 percent. UBA recorded 33.33 percent decline in the total comprehensive income following a loss of N15.44 billion arising from the exchange differences on translation of foreign operations.

“The third quarter results are a small sample to base decision on.

We still have heavyweights such as Nigerian Breweries, Nestle, Guinness, Dangote Cement, Access Bank yet to release their results. The numbers have been mixed and I don’t think they are the cause of the market gain”, Kemi Akinde, a senior analyst with Meristem Securities, said.

At the close of business last week, the All Share Index(ASI) appreciated by 1.19 percent week to date and also ended at -14.12 percent year to date. The market capitalisation of equities closed at N11.989 trillion, which amounted to a gain of N140.45 billion week to date and a loss of N1.619 trillion year to date.

Lasaco Assurance to raise authorised share capital by 10 billion units

F

ollowing the resolutions passed at the extraordinary general meeting of the company duly convened and held on Wednesday 10th of October 2018, the item listed as Special Business was amended as follows: 1. That the authorised share capital of the company be and is hereby increased from 10 billion to 20 billion by the creation and addition thereto of 10 billion ordinary shares of 50k each, such new shares to rank pari-passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares in the capital of the company; 2. That clause 6 of the Memorandum of Association and article 40 of the Articles of Association respectively be and are hereby amended to reflect the new authorised share

capital of N10 billion dividend into 20 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each; 3. That 10 million preference shares of 1,000 each at N500 per share and multiples of 1,000 shares thereafter be created; 4. That the board of directors be and are hereby authorised , subject to the approval of the relevant regulatory authorities, to raise additional capital through the issuance of up to 10 billion ordinary shares of 50k at 50k per share either by way of public offer, special placement or rights issue and/or up to 10 million preference shares of 1,000 each at N500 per share; 5. That the board of directors be and are hereby authorised to exercise all the powers of the

company to modify and/or conclude the terms of the public offer, special placement or right issues, seek approval from the relevant regulatory authorities, appoint professional parties and advisers, finalise and execute all agreements or documents and to do all such acts and deeds which the board of directors in its absolute discretion may deem necessary and expedient for the purpose of the public offer, special placement or rights issue or preference shares without being required to seek further consent or approval of members of the company or otherwise to the end and intent that they shall be deemed to have given approval thereto expressly by the authority of the resolution.

36

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Arts

Oseloka Osadebe; the last ‘Zaria Rebel’ returns with Inner Light Stories by OBINNA EMELIKE

W

hile the Nigerian contemporary art is making waves especially outside the shores of the country, credit goes to the pioneer artists whose creative ingenuity paved the way for greater creativity that is being unleashed today by artists across different media, platforms and genres.

No doubt, some students of the famous Zaria Art Society who were popularly called Zaria Rebels were top among the pioneers.

The rebels include; Uche Okeke, Demas Nwoko, Simon Okeke, Bruce Onobrakpeya , Oseloka Osadebe, among others.

They were called ‘rebels’ for devising an academic programme outside of the official university curriculum and consequently expressed themselves fully and explored art with the African perspectives and themes.

But while the others have been around the Nigerian art scene, Oseloka Osadebe chose to ply his craft in the diaspora.

Th e p r o f e s s o r, p l a y wright, theatre director and artist is returning to Nigeria for the first time after 50 years to present a retrospective exhibition of rare works he created from 1960 to 2014.

Inner Light by Oseloka Osadebe, Conte crayon on board, 2013, 123 x 80.5cm

Oseloka Osadebe

Titled Inner Light, the exhibition is being presented to the public by SMO Contemporary Art at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos from October 22 – December 7, 2018.

Inner Light is Oseloka Osadebe’s first retrospective exhibition of 85 paintings, sketches, drawings, and one sculpture, a remarkable collection of works spanning over 50 years of artistic practice. Osadebe left Nigeria in the early 1960’s and is the last rebel to come home, sharing works created over

a lifetime of experimental practice.

The exhibition traces his artistic journey from growing up in the bustling city of Onitsha, Eastern Nigeria, in the 1930s and 1940s, to studying in Zaria, northern Nigeria from 1958 to 1962 alongside other greats like Uche Okeke, Demas Nwoko, Yusuf Grillo, and Bruce Onobrakpeya, to eventually leaving Nigeria on a scholarship to pursue graduate studies in the United States of America followed by years teaching in America as a professor of

theatre.

Osadebe’s electric body of work ranges from abstraction to realism, exploring broad themes of culture, self-actualization, spirituality and identity. His years of teaching theatre lend a unique perspective to his works.

“The occasion of Oseloka Osadebe’s first one-person exhibition in Nigeria in more than 50 years is a remarkable event that will no doubt fill in one more of the many gaps in the modern Nigerian art historical scholarship,”

Chika Okeke-Agulu, a leading international scholar of African Art and Professor at Princeton University, said.

“Osadebe’s artistic journey has indeed been a lone one. From the young artist who with his art society peers at the dawn of political independence in 1958 announced their commitment to a formal language informed by indigenous traditions, to an early career in the United States, during which he explored modes of abstraction first developed by the historical avant-garde,

and finally to the mature artist who found renewed interest in realism, his evolution is quite remarkable”, Okeke-Agulu further said.

“We are delighted to be part of the homecoming of Oseloka Osadebe, and present this important body of work at the National Museum because of its historic importance for Nigeria and the world,” said Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, the exhibition curator and founder, SMO Contemporary Art. SMO Contemporary Art is proud to present Inner Light, a retrospective exhibition of rare works by Prof Oseoloka Osadebe, a member of the famous Zaria Art Society, popularly called the Zaria Rebels, who are the founding fathers of contemporary art in Nigeria.

There are reasons to visit the National Museum Onikan to see the exhibition. First, it offers opportunity to meet Osadebe who doubles as a member of the famous Zaria Art Society, popularly called the Zaria Rebels, and one of the founding fathers of contemporary art in Nigeria.

Secondly, on display at the exhibition are historically significant works spanning over 50 years.

The exhibition is spons o r e d b y Ac c e s s Ba n k , Deutsche Bank, The Wheatbaker, Louis Gunrtum wines and the Lagos State Government, and opens to the public on Monday October 22nd and runs until December 7, 2018.

NAFEST 2018: Nigeria set for art, culture fiesta …NCAC, Rivers State promise good outing

A

rrangements are in top gear to ensure a historic hosting of the 2018 edition of National Festival of Arts and Culture (NAFEST) in Rivers State, South-South, Nigeria.

According to a statement made via telephone conversation with Olusegun Runsewe, director general, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the Council is fully prepared to showcase the glamour of Nigeria’s diverse cultures to the world during the festival, which is billed to hold from October 21-27, 2018 in Port Harcourt.

Runsewe was upbeat that 2018 NAFEST will be the best ever following the massive mobilization of equipments and facilities including the mass exodus

of stakeholders from all parts of Nigeria to Rivers State for the one-week fanfare.

“A lot of visitors both from within and outside Nigeria are on their way to Rivers State and I can confirm to you that reports reaching us from the local organising committee indicate that hotels are in for good business,” he stated.

The excited director general said further that, “This is a major boost and it is good for the economy of Rivers State and by extension, Nigeria because the massive participation and influx of people from all walks of life will ensure very high commercial activities in the state.”

In the statement, Runsewe expressed particularly his excitement

about the level of involvement of youths in the state

Rivers State boat regatta

who are set to take full advantage of NAFEST 2018

in not only showcasing the state’s culture, but by also

benefiting from the numerous youth empowerment components of NAFEST initiated by the NCAC. He enjoined all stakeholders and indeed Nigerians to support NAFEST 2018 as a unifying force for cultural integration and harmony just as he affirmed the NCAC’s total commitment in projecting Nigeria’s rich culture throughout the fiesta.

Runsewe concluded the statement by thanking Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, governor of Rivers State and the good people of the state for aligning with NCAC in its drive towards a successful hosting of NAFEST, which according to the NCAC chief, is a reaffirmation of the governor’s commitment towards hosting the best NAFEST ever.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

37

Arts ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, a must-watch on stage

T

OBINNA EMELIKE he year 1976 was very spectacular for students and readers of Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate and foremost Nigeria literary icon. That year witnessed the release of ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’, an enthralling literary and drama masterpiece from the stable of the Nobel Laureate.

However, while the drama book is a good read any day, it is more interesting watching the characters unleash their creative ingenuity on stage in attempt to relay to live audience Soyinka’s thoughts in the drama masterpiece.

The intrigue is that after over 40 years of its release, ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ still mirrors the society, reflects on topical issues and most importantly, entertains the audience wherever it is staged.

At a stage performance of the drama by National Troupe of Nigeria at Cinema Hall 2, Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, sometime ago, it was excitement all through the performance amid lessons to take home.

From the onset, the troupe made up of stellar cast ensured that there was no dull moment for the audi-

ence; credit to Mike Anyanwu who directed the stage performance.

From the thoroughbred thespians such as Toyin Oshinaike, Yemi Oyewo and Lara Akinsola Tom Godwin, Segun Dada and Muyiwa Odukale, Inna Erezia, Michael Okorie to Aliu Lilian, the cast lived up to the audience and director’s expectations.

Of course, regulars at National Troupe stage performances also spotted out new artistes who took advantage of the stage play to

showcase their talents.

Set in the old Oyo Kingdom, ‘Death and the King’s Horseman’ emphasizes the cultural heritage, which entails a chief to voluntarily die when a king passes on.

As the drama flows, it also showcases the rich cultural heritage of the people, especially dance and language.

The drama is a historical piece set during the peak of British Colonial Administration in Nigeria and the Second World War of the early 1940s.

As the tradition demands,

the King’s horseman known as ‘Elesin Oba’ must commit suicide before the burial of the late Alafin in order for the Elesin’s spirit to precede and clear the way for the transition of the Alafin’s spirit.

A cultural dialogue ensues when information gets to Mr. Pilking, the then British Colonial Administrator who sees the age-long tradition as quaint and repugnant. His intervention and subsequent arrest of the Elesin Oba at the climax of the rites of passage set of

multi-facet tragic trajectories and dislocations within the Oyo Kingdom. Olunde, the first son of the Elesin, a medical student in England who returns to bury his father as tradition demands, commits suicide to fill the void left by his father’s arrest. But the intrigue is that Elesin still takes his own life in his captivity when the natives present the corpse of his son to him.

The play seeks to explore the tragic consequences associated with diminished sensibility and understand-

ing of the intercultural behavior, communication and tolerance, especially during the British Colonial era in Nigeria.

The thematic relevance of the play in the present day Nigeria where youths are adrift in the social media could be found in Olunde’s choice of honour, self-sacrifice and patriotism in contradiction to the Elesin and the Pilkings’ arrogance, selfpreservation and sacrilege.

After reading the book or watching the stage performance, you will, no doubt, give credit to the cast and director. But you will also appreciate the creative ingenuity of Professor Wole Soyinka, the playwright.

Of course, the drama was among the many literary masterpieces that gave Soyinka the enviable recognition of Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, and the first African to be honored in that category.

You can look forward to stage performances of the drama at Terra Kulture, National Theatre, Muson Centre among other theatres in Lagos and across the country.

You can also follow National Troupe of Nigeria, Crown Troupe of Africa, Segun Adefila among other theatre practitioners for updates on the drama.

Traditional rulers brainstorm on national unity

S

ecuring the Peace and Security of Nigeria is a task that must be done, so the custodians of customs and tradition of the people and members of the National Council of the Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), South-South and South East Chapter, recently converged at the prestigious Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, to deliberate on matters of national interest with the agenda on Peace and Security of the nation.

So after three solid hours of deliberations at the Peace and Security Consultation Meeting of South-South and South East Chapter of the National Council of the Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), their verdict was to work together as dependable allies to secure the peace and security of the nation once and for all.

Eze Eberechi Dick, chair-

man, South East Council of Traditional Rulers, said, “Some time ago, we seem to be weak but today we have revived ourselves. We have consulted the people that matter from South-South and South East”, while noting that the deliberation was all about each and every one traditional ruler from different parts of country seeing one another as one.

“At this meeting, we have strengthen our ourselves.

Any moment from now, there would be a larger meeting of traditional rulers from the South South and South East to deliberate more on the need for Nigerians, irrespective of their tribes, to see one another as one”, Dick added.

King Edmund Daukoru, chairman, South-South Council of Traditional Rulers, said, the meeting was an attempt to resuscitate the Council as one that is in

a position to deal with issues affecting the zonal bodies of the National Council.

The event Convener, Appolus Chu, the king of Okori-

Eleme community in Rivers State, said networking among traditional leaders is paramount to peaceful and harmonious nation.

The Egbere-Emere Okori Eleme, said, “Crimes are committed in communities which are being headed by traditional rulers. So if we

Appolus Chu, 2nd left, convener of the conference, along with his counterparts from the South- South and South East at the event

don’t come together and try to look at how we can be of help to government, we would continue to have situations that are nearly out of control. So in order not for things to get out of control, we as traditional rulers can police what is going wrong in the communities, and then handle it quickly before they get out of hand. That is the essence of today’s meeting.”

He noted further that the meeting has rekindled the traditional institution’s hope of building bridges to link every part of the country and promote national cohesion It is worth noting that Appolus Chu has been on the forefront of a peace crusade, his message remains the same - networking among traditional rulers, peaceful coexistence, religious tolerance and national cohesion, driving this home at every opportunity that comes his way.

38 BDSUNDAY

Bliss with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Email: chiwuagwu@yahoo.com Phone number (SMS only) 08057511893

My man must love my career – Folashade Olona

P

opular Nollywood actress in the Yoruba genre, Folashade Olona, has said nothing would stop her from being an actress as she loves her profession so much.

In a recent chat with Bliss, the pretty actress said though she is satisfied with her job, she has experienced several ups and downs in her career.

“I am satisfied being an actor but it has not been easy. For you to make it in this industry, you have to be strong. At times, you have a good project but if you don’t have the finance, you might not be able to execute that project. Anyway, I still thank God for pushing me hard. He has seen me through. I know it will get better though.

I don’t regret being an actor. I have passed through some stuff in this industry and I even have had to ask myself why I am here. You have to have a good relationship with everybody, be focused and nothing will stop your shine,” she said.

Relieving some of the stuff she said she has been through in the industry, Shade (as she is fondly called) said she would not forget in a hurry the attitude her older colleague meted on her years ago.

“Some of my colleagues do have attitude problem.

There was a time few years ago that I wanted to do a project. I invited some actresses to the set but one of them who had an issue with one of the actresses I had invited on the set, refused to show up.”

Recounting the story, Shade said, “This particular actress was supposed to be the lead actress in that project. But immediately I told her that the other actress was going to be on that set as a sub lead, she quickly hiked up her fees. This was somebody who wasn’t charging up to N100, 000 as at then. She now said she was going to collect N300, 000 from me for that project. I actually begged her but she refused. I even called her friend who was so surprised when I told her how much that actress charged me. I was so frustrated. Even if she had issues with an actress, she shouldn’t transfer that aggression to me. Anyway, I ended up using another budding actress for that role and the actress did the project well.”

But in all the challenges Shade said she experienced, she still remained focused and steadfast in her career. “ I love my job. I will always be an actor. We are like pastors; we use our movies to preach about the ills in the society. I will still choose acting no matter what.”

In her 30s and still single, Bliss asked the actress if her career could have been the reason for her single status.

She said, “Marriage comes from God. It is just by His grace that people get married. I don’t think I am not married because I am an actress. There are so many

F

ladies out there who are not actresses and they are not married. In the world today, there are so many ladies more than the men. And even so, men these days are not even ready to get married. People get to know about us because we are public figures. Oh yes, some people believe actresses are wayward and they live above their means.

But that is not true.”

Shade however, said she is in a “serious” relationship but wouldn’t know if it would end in marriage.

“I have a boyfriend. I am taking my time though. I am in a serious relationship. At times, he supports my career and at times, he doesn’t like it. I am ready for marriage but this is a life time thing, I shouldn’t be in a hurry. I have to marry a man who loves my job.”

Talking about her recent productions, Shade said, “I am working on a project, Tani. I have released two movies already. My vision in life is to be great in this industry. I know I will achieve that greatness soon.”

Dapo releases Sisi Shade video

X

3M Music new kid on the block, Dapo, apparently, wasn’t joking when he said he was going to set the music industry on fire with his talent.

Now, the young lad has just released the visuals of his hit song, Sisi Shade and it is smoking hot!

Dapo has just dropped the visuals to his latest single ‘Sisi Shade’.

The video centers around the love story between him and his love interest who dumps him by following a rich man with car thinking all that glitters is gold.

The video was shot and directed by Adasa Cookey.

Born Oladapo Arogundade, Dapo is a native of Abeokuta in Ogun State and a 400 level student of System Engineering at the University of Lagos.

His romance with music

Felabration 2018; Legend Extra Stout Honours Fela at 80

or 21 years, the world has tried in different ways to celebrate iconic Fela, and teach people what the man stood for but in all ramifications, Felabration has become the most widely accepted of these platforms for celebrating all the great things that Fela stood for in the music industry.

Felabration was initiated by Yeni Kuti, Fela’s first child, in 1998, a year after his death, to get the world closer to the Fela spirit. This annual music festival runs for a week with different events from the concert to the dance and symposium. As the years go by, the festival features a different theme and continues to grow with more licenses signed across the world by fans of Afrobeats and those who truly believe in who and what Fela was.

This year, Legend Extra Stout will be bringing the New Afrika Shrine and every other location in Lagos where people will gather not only to celebrate another edition of Felabration but Fela’s 80th birthday, alive with excitement and its unique bitter tasting stout.

From October 15th until the 21st, fans will have the privilege to enjoy the richer taste of Legend Extra Stout as they celebrate afrobeat and reminisce the stories Fela told in his days and how they are still relevant in today’s world.

Over the years, Legend Extra Stout has brought fanfare to music lovers with previous editions of Felabration and the Real Deal Experience.

Fans are expected in Lagos from around the world to honour the mark Fela made in the world music scene, as well as the inspiration he has given to younger talents coming out from Africa. In July, French President paid a visit to the Shrine to honour Fela, and there will be no surprise if he and other prominent persons like him join in the October celebrations, which will feature a symposium, debates, art exhibition, dance competition and a music concert.

Some of the acts who have performed at the music concert include Femi Kuti, Asa, King Sunny Ade, 2Baba Lucky Dube, Nneka, Awilo Longomba, Lagbaja, Wizkid, Burna Boy and many more. A lot of fans will be looking out for moments like Wizkid’s electric performance with Femi Kuti in 2017.

I am a ‘second wife’ – Bobrisky

L

started when he was so much younger when he joined the church choir, he eventually moved up to performing at campus gigs and later joined Adekunle Gold’s band as a backup singer. But then, getting the chance to be a part of 9th edition of the MTN Project Fame West Africa Reality TV show was all it took for the young talent to hit limelight.

ike him or hate him, Nigeria’s cross dresser, Bobrisky, knows how to cause quiet a stir on internet.

In a series of chat via his instagram handle, Bobrisky posted that he is a ‘second wife’ and his “bae” is coming to visit him soon.

Bobrisky, whose sexuality has remainedcontroversial, claimed he’s dating a billionaire and he was coming to visit him in his “Lekki home”.

“Second wife like us, na house for Lekki dey rush us because the man doesn’t want trouble, he has to buy you your own house.

Are you a second wife

like me? You better use slay to kill the man,” he posted.

In other series of videos he posted on his handle, Bobrisky said, “I want to collect my bae from my senior wife. I am killing this man tonight”.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

39

Entertainment Unlimited entertainment beckons at 2018 Nigeria Beer Festival ...opens in Lagos Oct. 25

O CHUKS OLUIGBO

rganisers of the 2018 Nigeria Beer Festival holding October 25th-31st in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, have promised unlimited entertainment to fun-loving Lagosians who would attend the week-long the event.

The 2018 festival, which will be held in a carnival atmosphere at the Eko Atlantic City, Bar Beach Waterfront, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, will build on the success of the debut event last year.

Since it debuted in 2017, the festival has proved a major international tourist event in Nigeria with a potential to compete with other international beer festivals around the world.

Akinola Oluwaleimu, general manager, On and One Events Limited, organisers of the festival, said at a press conference in Lagos that the festival, which comes bigger and better this year, would promote responsible drinking among drinking-age (18 +) consumers at all its touch-points.

“It will be a gathering of the largest community of beer consumers from across the country and beyond. This year’s edition will be bigger, better and ‘beertiful’,”

L-R: Dele Balogun, executive secretary, Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board; Fola Adeyemi, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Akinola Oluwaleimu, chief coordinator, Nigeria Beer Festival Group, at the media interactive session to announced the festival in Lagos, recently.

Oluwaleimu said.

He said the 2017 edition attracted over 10,000 beer enthusiasts and has seen Nigeria join the league of beer festivals around the world.

This year’s festival, he said, would be a carnival week of entertainment, sales and marketing and a gathering of the largest community of beer consumers from across the country to bond

and ‘beer’. It would also provide a fitting ambience to showcase culture and lifestyle in a carnival atmosphere with various beer brands and other alcoholic drinks in Nigeria connecting with their existing and potential consumers, he said.

Oluwaleimu added that the festival would be a big opportunity for major breweries to exhibit and deliver various offerings of beer

brands to the teeming consumers to strengthen brand relationship with them.

The festival is scheduled to start at 4pm daily and Oluwaleimu said “the timing promises an afterwork relaxation environment to bond with friends and associates”.

He acknowledged the support of the Lagos State government under Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who found the private

sector-driven initiative worthy enough of endorsement and providing necessary logistics support in security, health, safety and publicity to ensure a hitch-free event.

Fola Adeyemi, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said the festival was in line with government’s agenda to grow the state’s economy through tourism.

Adeyemi said that Lagos State was collaborating with beer brewers in the country and their counterparts across the globe to stimulate the economic and tourism potentials of the state.

He enjoined Lagosians to come out in large numbers to enjoy the ambience of the festival, assuring that the city was safe for funlovers because of the various infrastructure development initiatives by the state government, such as Light-up Lagos, among others.

“Lagos is a city-state and in league with great cities all over the world. We are actually moving the state to a 24-hour economy and this festival will be part of the beneficiaries,” Adeyemi said at the press conference to announce the festival.

“Lagos is safe for fun and business. We are joining the global tourism world to create impact on the economy of Lagos and Nigeria,” he said.

Female #BBNaija housemates celebrate women heroes HLFW 2018: Heineken to influence s thousands of Nigeri- strive to empower one another in to some important female figures global style with 4th edition ans took to social media all that we do,” said Ugboro. of all times in Nigeria. Millions are

A

to celebrate successful and iconic women of Nigerian origin these past weeks, at least five former #BBNaija housemates joined the trend, pouring encomiums on their female heroes and encouraging their followers to do same.

They perhaps took a cue from people like Efe Ugboro, chief executive officer of African startup, 618Bees.

“It is important to celebrate women heroes and their legacies as they have paved the way for a better life for many of us, and it is important that we as women

It was Bisola Aiyeola, who was a housemate in #BBNaija 2017, that first kicked it off with a post that has now garnered over 1,500 likes and comments.

“Just tell us who your Naija woman hero is, by posting a picture of her using the #naijawomanhero tag and stand a chance of having your business registered FREE!!!” she said in her post.

Other former Big Brother Nigeria housemates, including Ifu Ennada, Bam Bam, Princess and Alex, have since followed her lead, using their influence and several platforms to call attention

Ifu Ennada

Bisola Aiyeola

now voicing out deserving heroes, including Stella Adadevoh, Dora Akunyili, Funmilayo Kuti, and Margaret Ekpo, many of who gave their all to make Nigerian lives better. Adadevoh, in fact, gave her life during the Ebola crisis, in a remarkable act of courage that remains unprecedented.

Akunyili, a pharmacist and former director-general of NAFDAC, fought drugs counterfeiting to a standstill, risking her life and that of her family as she uprooted cabals and mafia that had profited at the expense of vulnerable Nigerians for decades.

Meanwhile, the UN 2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Nigeria estimates that 10.2 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance; 52 percent of these are women and girls. Another report also stated that the majority of the estimated 1,600 to 2,000 casualties in Nigeria’s insurgency-ravaged northeast are women and children.

“More women will be lifted out of poverty, abuse, and other disadvantages, if successful women dedicate themselves to empowering vulnerable young women,” said Ugboro of 618Bees.

H

eineken is the headline sponsor for the 2018 edition of the Lagos Fashion Week. The Heineken Lagos Fashion Week, regarded as the most prestigious fashion event in this part of the world, was founded by Style House Files. The platform provides initiatives that support, strengthen and develop the fashion industry.

“Heineken is the most international premium beer in the world, with its presence in 192 countries around the world. This internationality is reflected in all we do, from sponsoring the most prestigious club football competition in the world – The UEFA Champions League, to Formula 1, music, rugby and of course here in Nigeria, fashion,” said Obabiyi Fagade, senior brand manager, Heineken, who represented Emmanuel Oriakhi, marketing director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, at the press cocktail ahead of this year’s event, “For three years now, Heineken has thrown its weight behind the Lagos Fashion Week as title sponsor.

This is because as a brand, Heineken is keenly interested in the development of the Nigerian Fashion Industry – first because the brand em-

braces and celebrates the world’s diversity and second because the fashion industry is a typical example of an industry that constantly innovates in order to rise to the changing consumer demands,”Fagade said.

Following this year’s theme of ‘AFRICA: Shaping Fashion’s Future’, Heineken hopes to inspire African fashion excellence by supporting a new generation of trendsetters and give the needed spotlight to the key players shaping the future of the industry, he said. The four-day Fashion Week is a platform that drives the Nigerian fashion industry by bringing together makers, buyers and the media to view and experience the best collection from designers in Lagos, the fashion capital of Africa.

As part of this year’s Lagos Fashion Week activities, Heineken is providing unique entertainment experiences for attendees, including remarkable performances by a classical pianist, a ballerina and more to entertain guests.

The event features runway shows, fashion business series, fashion focus talks, and the highlight of the week; Heineken Live Your Music (HLYM) after party.

40 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

THINGS TO DO IN LAGOS It is another Sunday Funday and as always, I have somewhere for you to be at! Here are a few events happening today that will thrill you:

Let’s Go Camping! for swimming, building sand castles and picnics; it also an ideal spot to set up your tents and camp.

There’s a group called “”Backpackers Lagos’’; they are known to organise backpacking, hiking and camping trips around and outside Lagos.

(You can look them up in Instagram) Some simple gear you need for camping include: Sleeping Bags and pads, camping stoves, outfitter tents, collapsible buckets, edibles etc.

If you are wondering, why camping? Just remember it is fun and far from the typical activities you’ll indulge in on a normal day in Lagos

VIOLET JOHNSON

W

hoever said there’s nothing interesting to do in Lagos has either been looking in the wrong direction or just hasn’t met me. Asides the typical wedding parties that spice up one’s weekend, there are other recreational activities one can indulge in, like camping.

The good thing about camping is that your environment doesn’t necessarily have to be situated near the woods or mountain, you can camp anywhere. This brings us to the fact that beaches aren’t just

Photo by Backerpackers Lagos

Movie Review: PREDATOR LINDA OCHUGBUA

T

he Predator is an exciting, suspense filled and thrilling movie.

The movie kept everyone on the edge of their seat, screaming from start to finish.

The Predators were very aggressive and brutal creatures; once it found any human who looked like a threat, it moved straight for elimination. This special effect was top notch, it made the aliens (Predators) look so real.

It looked like a mixed breed - half human, half alien.

It had a typical alien storyline of strange animals or predators coming to earth to destroy man and take over the earth. They had some strange powers to read minds, see far and strike men before they reacted.

The production and editing of the movie was really nice, which made it as realistic as possible. Just when most people thought it was over a fiercer creature appears on earth to destroy the former one and take on the fight.

A glimpse into the movie: it

started with what looked like a simple mission. Some special agents went on a mission to take out some bad guys, when suddenly a space ship lands very close by and more than half of the team. The captain was able to escape and sought refuge in a nearby village. At this point was when the movie went on to the next level.

The captain was eventually arrested and taken to a secret location where some other agents who had seen strange animals were kept for fear of spreading

fear to other humans.

The movie moved on so fast as the predator who was experimented upon woke up from the deep sleep and started killing all in the room. The movie became so bloody as they moved out into the city to find other parts of the ship that went missing.

You will need to see it to know how the story ended.

My Verdict: The movie was a simple combination of action, thriller and adventure. Science-fiction movie

lovers will most likely love this one; let us know your verdict when or if you do.

This movie gets a 6/10, in my opinion.

Movie credit: Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K.Brown etc Genre: Action, Adventure, Horror, Science-Fiction & Fantasy Director: Shane Black Ratings: R (for strong bloody violence, language through, and crude sexual references) Written by: Shane Black, Fred Dekker Runtime: 110 minutes Studio: 20th Century Fox Feel free to review any movie of your choice in not more than 200 words, please send us a mail to linda@businessdayonline. com and also please answer the question of the week on social media to stand a chance to win a free movie ticket.

Twitter and Instagram - @lindaochugbua Facebook – Linda Ochugbua

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY 41

BusinessDay MarketPlace With CEO/ Founder FarmCrowdy, Onyeka Akumah

W

hat is the FarmCrwody story?

Fa r m Cr o w d y came out of a personal problem. In 2015 as many people as were excited about investing in Agriculture, I was one of those people. I was looking at how I could find the right farmer to invest in and while doing that research, I found out that farmers had 3 main problems; access to funds, technical know-how and a promising market to sell their farm harvests. On the other hand, you had millions of people that were excited about investing in agriculture but didn’t know the farmers they could trust or get updates from.

So that whole idea, ushered me and some co-founders to birth FarmCrowdy.

We set up the platform, a crowd of people farming and investors could be sure they’ll get their returns in no time.

We created a website across rice, maize, cassava, soya and chicken farms. So whatever you want to invest in was available. Now when your investor comes through our platform, what that meant for us was that we take the money and buy in the right input (seed, fertilizer, labour and all the farmer needs to do the work he is required to do). We are also able to provide insurance covers should anything go wrong with the farm. The farmers in return get technical know-how from us or our partners. He can now go step by step through the farming process and meet with the required quality of farm produce at harvest.

What happens at the end of each harvest is that we would have arranged pre contracts with buyers and then once it’s time to harvest, we sell off immediately. This helps up sell at the right amount and pay his sponsor back his money + return after harvest, we pay the farmers also and we keep the remaining for the work we’ve done.

We’ve had a lot of people say they have their farms

bers of farms you can sponsor or follow. The lowest farm we have a t the moment that an individual can sponsor is N90,000.

and the leaves are turning yellow, what do they do? So we set up a community where people can go to and ask those questions, with experts available on the other side.

FarmCrowdy has moved from doing core production to providing information for our users to make better farming decisions.

Would You Consider FarmCrwody Profitable now?

We are barely 22months old and honestly we don’t. Not because we can find ourselves profits, there are opportunities where we see profits coming to play, but not at a full blown scale. So we won’t say we are profitable today but we are working towards that.

We can either stay at the level we have found ourselves today (with the numbers of farmers we have) and work we’ve been able to successfully do and just optimize that model. But we are reinvesting our funds, to scale our operations and attract more people.

There are over 38million small scale farmers in Nigeria today, and with us working with only 7000 in the first 22 months, it tells us there

is a huge opportunity for us to continue to increase our impact.

So for us right now, it’s not about the profits, we are excited about optimizing our model and ofcourse keeping our eyes on our profits margin.

What do you think is responsible for putting FarmCrowdy on the map?

I think it’s because of the opportunity people now have in doing good while doing well, where you are not just making money for making money sake any longer, but you’re now making money while partnering with a farmer that you are changing his life.

We are also improving food security in the country (by creating more farm produce for Nigerians to buy). This is getting people excited about what we do.

Need I mention that integrity is a core value to us at FarmCrowdy, and from day 1 we have kept to our words.

This has built a lot of trust and brand entity for us.

Being a start-up still, how do you drive traffic to the company?

It’s been pretty much Digi-

tal Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We have a functional website, a mobile app and social media handles across all social sites.

This has helped us grow our story telling, as well as testimonies that sponsors and people can see.

We also get a lot of media mentions and word of mouth mentions too. So that has helped.

How can one sign on to FarmCrowdy and is there a limit?

There are two was of signing up to the platform. You can either come to FarmCrowdy and sponsor a farm (and so you put your money in) or be a farm follower. A farm follower is someone who hasn’t sponsored a farm but has decided to follow a farm and just get updates. What we have noticed over time with this is that, it has become a sales point, because when you keep getting the videos and texts, you then make a decision eventually about investing.

So you can become a farmer without a farm but you have a farm in your pocket (thanks to our mobile app).

There is no limit to the num-

What challenges do you think FarmCrowdy is facing today?

Agriculture in itself is a very challenging business to operate in. There are a lot of unstructured models and this is a major challenge for us. We are doing great at the moment because we’ve sensitized the public about the benefits of investing in agriculture but we still have logistics as an issue (farmers can’t move their produce from the farm to the market without serious wastage). We have infrastructure challenges too. They are still very expensive. The literacy of the farmers too stands in our way. Limited access to data and communication. Lastly, producing the right quality, consistently, has been an issue. But eventually what I see are only opportunities for female and male entrepreneurs to take advantage of these problems, find a solution and make money. You don’t have to be a farmer with the hoe and cutlass before you can think up a solution in agriculture.

Where do you see FarmCrowdy in 5 years?

Over time what we want to see is policies set in place, so that businesses like ours are amplified and enabled to continue doing the work we do and even better.

For us, we want to place the company at a position where we are one of the top 5 food producing companies in Africa. We want to work with farmers who won’t just boost food security in Nigeria but across the continent. We see a lot of opportunities in small scale farmers and this is where we get revenues for now, so why not do more?

We hope to touch the lives of more than a million farmers in 5 years and help them make a decent value from farming as a business. It’s not about having the largest farms, but the largest pool of farmers producing the food for us to eat.

42

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Travel

Nature beckons within EMELIKE OBINNA

I

f you are looking for a holiday escape with enchanting natural beauty, stunning attractions, and yet within reach, then take a trip to Ikogosi Warm Spring in Ekiti State.

The spring, a geological wonder that fires human curiosity, will worth your time, money and surpass your expectations.

It is a wonder of nature where two springs, one of warm water and the other of cold water flow simultaneously. Besides, the landscape features rolling hills and deep valleys that offer an irresistible charm to the adventurous mind. On a visit to this nature’s sanctuary, you will be intrigued by the presence of warm and cold springs flowing side by side.

Truly, the Ikogosi Warm Spring is a sanctuary of two faces of nature.

The springs sprout out and flow with a constant temperature and volume up to 150 litres per second all year round. Its tranquil environment has never been tampered with for ages, hence enhancing the resort’s ecotourism appeal. As well, the source of the warm spring has been provided with a viewing platform decorated with artistic images, which gives an impression of a treasured heritage and for easy spotting by tourists.

The warm and cold springs of the Ikogosi flow parallel and meet somewhere down to form a confluence, with each maintaining its thermal quality. They both exude from separate spring points in the quartzite rocks and cruising down naturally-terraced foot slopes of the ridge to form a picturesque confluence beneath a concrete causeway.

The quartzite boulders that are scattered everywhere are often washed by the gentle flow of the springs. It is intriguing sighting fallen tree trunks that bridge the spring channels and offer the forest rodents free passage to all streams.

The warm springs has temperature of 70 °C at the source and 37 °C after meeting a cold spring. The meeting point of the warm and cold springs is

a unique attraction to tourists.

But the naturally enhanced and lush environment at the spring is truly one of the best eco-tourism appeals one can ever imagine, while the undulating vegetation at the source of the warm spring provides canopy for tourists and visitors.

A visit and a dip into the spring with it refreshing and, of course, healing effect will convince one that Ikogosi is, no doubt , one of eight of such warm springs discovered in the world.

Then, it is one wonder tourists must see while on a trip in Nigeria.

Most indigenes and some visitors who believe in the curative power of a spring have better stories to tell.

“This is not fable,” warns Ademola Okinola, an indigene and tour guide at the spring.

Besides a refreshing dip, there are more for sightseeing. It is intriguing to see a tree and a palm growing from the same source at the meeting point area of the warm and cold springs.

At the warm spring resort, a large

swimming pool fed by natural spring waters welcomes visitors. The cool and serene ambiance preserved by thick forest canopies gives one a perfect experience. A dip of one’s leg leaves him/her with nature’s romantic pamper occasioned by the mild fingerings of the warm spring. But you will also feel tickles as the cold spring flows through your feet.

However, there are many mysterious tales about the flowing and the origin of the springs. One being that the springs were wives of the same husband, whom after rivalries and fighting were turned into water

subsurface and not deep-seated mantle plume beneath the area.

The resort offers accommodation options comprising; 4 VIP chalets, 32 Federal Chalets, 8 VIP Quarters chalets, 4 Western chalets, and 18 Macgee Camp chalets. It also offers four restaurants, two revolving cocktail bars, non static warm swimming pool, airport pick up service, 24 hours parking and security services among others.

Besides the spring, visitors are encouraged to stroll to the quiet Ikogosi town, which is meters away to experience the best of communal living, rich

springs; the fiery-ill tempered wife as the warm spring, and the cool tempered wife as the cold spring, whereas the surrounding hilly areas became the husband. Another myth says a powerful hunter, who was hunting for animals in the bush, discovered the warm spring.

But geologists have proved the source of the warm spring to be a deep fracture in the basement, and that its source of heat is due to the normal geothermal gradient of the

local customs, cultural displays, food and folklore about the spring from the local custodians.

For any visit, nature is always more alive at the spring as the warm and cold water springs mesmerise visitors with their uniqueness, tranquility and aesthetic beauty.

Truly, the spring is so peaceful that you cannot wait to enjoy a cool dip in the naturally heated swimming pool.

You have reasons to try out this wonder destination on your next holiday.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

ThisLife

43

Born poor, but dying rich CHINWE AGBEZE

G

rowing up, I watched people blame others for their predicaments or inability to be successful in life. Initially, I believed all that and played the blame game for a while until I stumbled on a quote that altered my thinking.

The quote which is credited to Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates says, ‘‘if you are born poor, it’s not your mistake. But if you die poor, it’s your mistake.” This quote inspired me to take the boldest steps I have ever taken in my life. It also made me realise that my ability to succeed lies in my hands, and in no man’s.

My name is Nnamdi Ezeego. I am the second child and first son in a family of eight children. Contrary to my surname which literally means “King of money”, we lived from hand to mouth. Although my parents were both farmers, we had to worry about feeding sometimes.

My siblings and I attended the public primary and secondary schools. We all had big dreams, but mine was the biggest. It was so big that it scared me sometimes.

Upon completing secondary school, I got a teaching job in my school where I taught JSS1 pupils mathematics. In my secondary school days, I was so good in mathematics that both the teachers and students nicknamed me, ‘Chike Obi’.

But, teaching wasn’t my dream.

I wanted to be more than a mere village mathematics teacher.

I knew of some people who became rich by serving wealthy men for an agreed number of years after which they were rewarded handsomely for the service. So, I told my parents I wanted to follow that route so as to save money for school. ‘‘You secured a job almost immediately after school. Many of your friends were not that fortunate,’’ my father said, trying to persuade me to perish the thought of going to serve a stranger in a faraway city. ‘‘Papa, I know but this is not the life I want,’’ I said pleadingly. ‘‘Why settle for less when I can get more?’’ I queried.

When he saw my persistence, he let me have my way. With the help of Aunty Chioma, my mother’s elder sister, I went to serve Mr. Maduabuchukwu, a business tycoon in Aba area of Abia State.

Mr. Madu, as he was called by many, deals in expensive UK, US, Italian and Turkey apparels. The agreement was to serve him for five years, after which he would open a store stocked with expensive clothing and rent a bedroom apartment for me for a year.

I was 21-years-old then and I quickly did the maths. I would be 26-years-old after completing my service. I had planned to put my younger and only brother, Emeka in charge of the business while I go back to school to fulfill my dreams.

Mr. Madu had two adorable daughters and a wife, Madam Jenny. He never allowed his wife does any job besides housekeeping.

Five months to the end of my

service, Mr. Madu was involved in a ghastly accident that claimed both his life and that of his driver.

I prayed quietly that Madam Jenny would let me complete my service and give me what was due me. But, my prayers weren’t answered or so it seemed.

Two days after the demise of my boss, his relatives visited but not to console the bereaved. Rather, they came to inflict more pain on the poor widow.

They accused her of closing out my boss’ lineage by refusing to produce a male child and ordered her to vacate the house. They also warned her to stay away from the boutiques and warehouse.

At that point, I knew there was no point staying. So, I travelled back to the village.

Back in the village, I met one of my teachers who linked me up with someone who needed a houseboy in Lagos. But, this time, I bargained to be paid monthly in case of any unforeseen contingencies.

I worked for 18-months and quit my job. I rented a room in a public compound and began retailing drinks mostly in traffic because of the quick returns. While I was at it, I enrolled for JAMB. So, I sold in the day and studied at night.

While hawking in traffic, I met three friends-- James, Tayo and David who were about my age.

James sold sausages, Tayo retailed biscuits, while David’s hustle was handkerchief and small towel sales. With time, we got acquainted and one of them decided to let me in on their dirty secrets. ‘‘We snatch bags, phones or any valuables we can sell at…,’’ James said, but stopped in the middle of the sentence as my eyes widened. ‘‘You mean, three of you are thieves?’’ I said scared stiff.

David interjected almost immediately. ‘‘We are not thieves; we only make use of opportunities when it avails itself,’’ he said curtly.

Tayo was furious but not at me. ‘‘James, I warned you not to reveal our secret to him but you wouldn’t listen. Hope you are satisfied now?’’ he queried.

James did not respond. He was bent on convincing me. ‘‘All those people in their cars that you run after to sell your drinks, have you ever wondered how they made their money? This is Lagos oh! You have to shine your eyes else you will hawk drinks for the rest of your life. Do you know how much we have saved from this?’’ James asked not expecting an answer.

As he spoke, I noticed a lady in the company of three policemen.

She was pointing our direction.

Before I could utter another word, two of the policemen aimed their guns at us and warned us not to move. James dared them and was shot in the leg. We were moved into a police van and taken to the station.

At the police station, I learnt why we were arrested. The lady, who we were told, was the DPO’s girlfriend lost her phone to us one of the days before. ‘‘The painful part is that the DPO bought the phone with his money. You better produce the

phone, the person who stole it or you all will die here,’’ the police officer threatened.

At the mention of death, tears welled up in my eyes. I thought of my family in the village who were oblivious of what I was going through. ‘‘Officer, I only sell in the traffic.

I have never stolen anything in my life. You can ask them,’’ I said with tears rolling down my cheeks. The police officer looked at my friends but they kept mute. ‘‘These crocodile tears will not help you. Better start talking for your own good,” the police officer said furiously.

No one said a word even after we were tortured. We were thrown inside a cell and I stayed there for six days. Those days, I spent crying and pleading with my so-called friends to tell the police I was innocent. ‘‘When we told you to join us, you called us thieves. Saint Nnamdi, we are in this together,’’

Tayo said mockingly with so much hatred in his eyes.

As luck would have it, one of the police officers was eavesdropping.

He notified his colleagues and they decided to let me go. ‘‘I hope you’ve learnt your lesson. If you are in Lagos and you are not wise, you can never be wise in your life,’’ the police officer said as I made to leave.

I ran out of the police station without looking back until I got home. I don’t know what became of those bad boys and I never care.

I was glad to be free.

I quit trading and began looking for a job that would give me time for school. Before long, I got a job as a cleaner in a hotel. I wrote JAMB and got admission to study Accounting in one of the Universities in Lagos State.

Apart from my salary, I made extra money from tips. Customers who got to know that I was an undergraduate supported me financially and otherwise. Two years into

the job, I got promoted to head the cleaners’ department, and that meant extra salary. Whenever I was on leave and school was not in session, I made out time to visit my family in the village and they were pleased with my success story.

Four years ago, I graduated with a first class honours and was offered a lecturing job in the University. I also got a mouth-watering job offer from one of the leading banks in the country. So, I opted for the latter. I enrolled for my master’s degree and made a distinction which earned me a promotion.

Indeed, life has been beautiful.

I got married last year and we are blessed with a son. I have not gotten to the place I want to be yet, but I am far from where I started.

Believe what you may, but I can say without mincing words that your ability to succeed lies in your hands. Leave your comfort zones and take that bold step. I was born poor quite alright, but I’m definitely not dying poor.

44

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Life&Living

JUMOKE AKIYODE-LAWANSON

Abaya Lagos to showcase luxury collection at Runway Dubai

ost women see the kitchen as their personal sanctuary in a home. The place where the health of the family is dependent on, and where they can make delicious dishes to satisfy the man of the house, because as they say, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Some people even describe the kitchen as the most important space in any house, as much more thought is being giving to the kitchen design and functionality of a modern kitchen. In recent years, the kitchen as been transformed from just being the mother’s workspace space, solely for preparation of meals, to the new living room, filled with energy, aroma and texture.

According freshhomes.com, in the last 20 years, kitchens started to become living spaces with more time spent in these spaces and where more was done than just cooking. Newer homes were designed with kitchens as living spaces in mind and so these rooms became larger to better accommodate family and friends as an additional space for entertaining”.

Many kitchens began to open up to other rooms, yet some remained separate spaces. These newer, larger, more accommodating kitchens now had space for large tables and islands were planned in to create a natural flow for those coming and going. Much more thought was being given to kitchen design and

he city of Dubai is about to open its doors to fashion buyers, influencers, designers, retailers and the media as its highly anticipated fashion show, Runway Dubai kicks off with another edition from 8th - 10th November at the luxurious Marriott Al Jaddaf.

The annual fashion event created in 2013 as an initiative to enhance the fashion industry in the Middle East has quickly developed into the leading international fashion show platform in the region. It has also continued to earn international recognition following the inclusion of diversity and social awareness campaigns over the years.

Marking its 6th season, Runway Dubai 2018 will feature the ‘Autism Wins Campaign with Natalie Oden’.

The model with autism whose story has inspired many will be opening the show this year.

Established designers across the globe will showcase various collections on the runway including creative director of Abaya Lagos, Salihat Rahaman.

Abaya Lagos will be unveiling its SEPIA GLAM collection for the first time in the Middle East at the upcoming event on 9th November 2018. The SEPIA GLAM collection is inspired by the vibrant confluence of modernity, accentuated with glitter and sequins in sepia tones. The RTW luxury collection depicts a “structured flow” of lines and shapes, a bold but seamless mix of “cosmopolitan and classic”.

The modest wear fashion brand was conceived out of the need for unique pieces that could be worn in virtually any kind of social environment. AbayaLagos is described as the foremost choice boutique for aspiring young ladies and women of class.

Why a good kitchen plan and design matters

T

M

functionality. The idea of the kitchen as a living space was becoming more and more popular and those with smaller kitchens in older homes started to take notice. As a result, homeowners started to alter and enlarge their own kitchen spaces to follow the “trend,” both for lifestyle and resale purposes.

Today the importance of a good sized, productive kitchen cannot be over emphasised. Realtors all over the world consider it to be the most important room in a house, as its location and functionality are key.

“Many buyers, when considering an older home with a smaller kitchen, immediately look into renovation possibilities that may include a remodel or expansion, to

create a more open feel. As our lives become more casual, our homes are as well,” says Kate Omoyele, an interior designer.

Because every home requires a kitchen, its plan, organization and layout are essential. Consider what type of kitchen layout you want (Lshaped, U-shaped, island, etc).

Specialists refer to the sink, stove and refrigerator as the kitchen triangle, the area of greatest activity that requires careful planning and unobstructed access. Of the three, the sink typically sees the most action; it should have easy access to the stove and refrigerator, as well as your countertop workstations.

Obviously, your sink needs to

be near the plumbing. Sometimes, however, because of the placement of the pipes, kitchens are designed with the sinks in a poor location. If this is the case in your kitchen, consider hiring a plumber to relocate the plumbing to accommodate the best placement for the sink.

You also need to make sure you have enough storage space and counter top space in a kitchen.

Good lighting is also essential, as well as good ventilation, especially because there will be a lot of smoke and smells coming from the kitchen.

Finally, make sure that the floor materials are slip proof as there will definitely be a lot of spills in the kitchen and we don’t want people falling over all the time.

How to get the perfect skin with the seven wonders of nature

Y

IFEOMA OKEKE

ou would be doing your skin much good especially in the long run by using skin care products which have natural ingredients.

Some skin care products contain toxic ingredients which potentially cause damage to the skin.

Harnessing the goodness of nature is one way to keep the skin from these harsh chemicals.

The number 1 skincare brand in France, Yves Rocher combines science with the extraordinary power of exceptional botanical raw materials to create formulations that can transform the skin forever!

Here are 7 natural wonders you can incorporate to your skincare regimen which are exclusively at Yves Rocher Stores: Pur Bleuet Gentle Make-up Remover Ever used a make-up remover that leaves your skin looking extra refreshed even after double cleansing?

Specially formulated for the eyes, the Pur Bleuet Gentle Make-up remover perfectly eliminates make-up from lashes and lids with no residues. It is made up of organic cornflower water ideal for the delicate eye contour area

while leaving the skin around it bright and firm. It is so gentle, even contact lens wearers can use it.

White Botanical Exceptional Cleansing Mousse This cleanser eliminates impurities that cause blemishes and dullness of the skin with its extraordinary skin brightening properties of Licorice combined with the powerful anti-aging efficacy of White Lupin.

Day after day, your complexion appears brighter and smoother resulting in an even skin tone.

Pure System Daily Exfoliating Cleanser This cleanser contains aloe vera, popular for its reparative properties. Combined mixed with salicylic acid, one of the most powerful skin renewal ingredients, acne and its residual scars are visibly improved with the skin appearing clearer by the day.

Its soap-free formula is guaranteed to hydrate the skin, leaving your pores feeling dirt-free and refreshed.

Sebo Vegetal Zero Blemish Gel Cream

If you have combination to oily skin, you need to try this. Highly praised as the secret to flawless and smooth skin, the Zero Blemish Gel Cream is fortified with baikal powder which makes it perfect for absorbing excess sebum and minimizing pores.

Popular for its rebalancing properties, baikal powder reduces imperfections and hydrates combination or oily skin for a full 24 hours! Its fresh gel texture also allows for a daily use.

Energizing Bath & Shower Gel Lemon Basil

A glorious combination of Aloe Vera gel from organic farming, lemon and basil essential oils, this shower gel gently cleanses and delicately perfumes the skin. After a bath, it leaves you feeling relaxed and energized, ready to conquer the world!

Elixir Jeunesse Restructuring Day Care To protect our skin against free radicals, nature gifted us with alphoia extract, a botanical agent used to reduce the harmful effects of pollution.

Elixir Jeunesse rich in alphoia ensures your skin is detoxified, energized while leaving complexion radiant.

It’s easily absorbed into the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and helps formation of collagen.

Serum Vegetal Wrinkles & Firmness Plumping - Night Care As we age, the skin begins to lose its firmness but fear not, combined with the powerful anti-wrinkle action of the Ice Plant and Acacia gum which works on the appearance of wrinkles and on the skin’s density, the Plumping Night Care Wrinkles & Firmness works while you sleep to smooth even deep wrinkles and firm the skin. Wake up with a plump, firm and radiant skin!

Exclusively at Yves Rocher Stores.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY 45

Health&Science Making quality focus of Nigeria’s universal health coverage

N

ANTHONIA OBOKOH igeria’s government report on National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), says achieving universal health coverage (UHC) to provide about 198 million population with access to a collective set of comprehensive health services of adequate quality, at the same time as financial protection is achieved when direct payments made to obtain health services do not expose people to financial hardship and do not threaten living standards.

The government report also identifies that service coverage and affordability are critically important, but not sufficient, to ensure achievement of UHC. As such, it is important to improve the quality of care at the entry point into the health care system which is the Primary Health Care system.

The National Health Act 2014 set aside 1% consolidated revenue for the health sector and consequently laid the foundation for Nigeria towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the Universal Health Coverage is a political choice for countries themselves to make. A study released recently by WHO showed that 85 percent of the funding gap to achieve universal health coverage could be met by countries themselves, although up to 32 of the poorest countries will require development assistance.

Nigeria’s primary, secondary and tertiary institutes are beset by challenges, although PHC facilities are the people’s first point of contact with the health system, insufficient service delivery, overburdened clinics with long queues, and poor quality of services has resulted in many people

avoiding PHC facilities and going straight to hospital outpatient departments where services are perceived to be better.

Industry watchers say for Nigeria to achieve universal health coverage to deliver substantial health, economic and political benefits across populations, healthcare provision should be considered as a human right and no one should be denied access to healthcare due to financial reasons, gender reasons, issues related to geographical barriers or any other issues which might create a barrier to healthcare access.

They further say Nigeria can set in quality at the core of universal health coverage, through improving the National Health Insurance coverage, implementation of national policy and having an ideal clinic with good infrastructure spaces, needed equipment, information and communication technology, adequate staff numbers, adequate medicines and supplies, good administrative processes, guidelines, and collaboration support to ensure the provision of quality health services to the public.

They added that government needs to encourage activities through non-governmental agency to promote advocacy, nationwide screening program in order to enhance early detection, control the upward trends and reduce the mortality rate of Noncommunicable diseases.

Chibuzo Opara, Co-CEO DrugStoc Nigeria, said approaching the issues of universal healthcare is about elaborating equitable and affordable healthcare at the end of the day, adding that there should be an agreement and a commitment between citizens and decision makers on where the country places universal healthcare among other important priorities.

“In order to create a catalytic process within the system, we need to focus on tackling the issue of financial access to healthcare, holding individuals and entities accountable and measuring the impact of interventions and activities in the healthcare sector.

Infrastructure challenges are still a key issue and the need to sensitise and make people aware of the inherent advantages in a healthy population, especially now that we are still a young

How does being busy affect your lifestyle choices?

I

f you are always on the go and like to keep yourself busy, there may be some unexpected benefits. Recent research suggests that busy people often make more healthful choices.

The results of this study will now be published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

This new research was conducted at the global business school INSEAD, which has campuses located in France, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi.

Prof. Amitava Chattopadhyay, of INSEAD, led the study.

Monica Wadhwa, at the Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and Jeehye Christine Kim, at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in Clear Water Bay, also worked on the study.

Together, the team conducted a series of studies designed to put participants into a busy mindset.

Busy mindsets can have positive results For the study participants to feel busy, the scientists exposed them to quiet, subtle messages that suggested that they were actually busy people.

Some participants were asked to write down what had been keeping them busy lately. There was also a control group that was not exposed

to busy lifestyle-inducing activities.

Once all the participants were in a suitably busy mindset, the researchers then asked them to make a series of decisions. These choices would tell the study authors about their self-control and how that related to their state of mind — in other words, how busy they felt.

These decisions were on topics such as food, working out, and the participants’ retirement savings.

They were not life-or-death decisions, but choices many people make on a daily basis that can definitely impact their health.

People who felt that they were busy (due to the suggestions or reminders of how busy they really were) tended to make better, more healthful choices than their counterparts who had no such mentions or reminders prior to the testing.

“Every day,” says Chattopadhyay, “we make many decisions that involve choosing between our immediate and future well-being.

When we perceive ourselves to be busy, it boosts our self- esteem, tipping the balance in favour of the more virtuous choice.”

This study also discovered, however, that feeling busy may not always be a positive thing. It can have the opposite effect in some cases.

The authors point out that busyness coupled with time constraints can lead to stress and anxiety. So, if you have a lot to do but not a lot of time to do it in, it can result in impulsive decisions that may be more unhealthful, such as eating quick but less nutritious food and doing less physical activity.

Busyness and self-esteem The authors also explain that being busy can create higher self-esteem, noting that being busy can be self-perceived as a badge of honour, and to maintain it, the participants were driven to make more healthful choices than those who were not quite so busy.

Self-esteem, in general, has an enormous impact on the human psyche, as well as overall general health. Low self-esteem can cause anxiety and stress, negatively impact relationships, school, or job performance, and lead to increased chances of drug or alcohol abuse.

It is no wonder, then, that having higher self-esteem (even because of something as seemingly simple as “feeling busy”) can help us make more healthful lifestyle choices.

As long as time constraints don’t become a factor, being active and busy can help us maintain quality self-esteem, and, by extension, a more healthful lifestyle.

aged country,” said Opara As part of efforts to achieve UHC, the country has been to set of guidelines defining the basis for Administration, Disbursement, Monitoring and Financial Management (ADMFM) through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF, “The Fund”) The guidelines address urgent interventions put in place to tackle persistent and emerging causes of population mortality in Nigeria including Maternal Mortality, Perinatal Mortality and Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) However, guidelines processes is also to be applied, the responsibilities of various stakeholders including (but not limited to) participating healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, Federal Government parastatals such National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the National Primary Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Governments, Local Governments and their participating agencies including State Primary Health Care Development Agencies (SPHCDAs)

and the accompanying accountability expectations contingent on these responsibilities.

The models at the moment both the NHIS and the HMOs have covered less than 5 per cent of the population which attaining universal health coverage is one of the core mandates of the scheme.

Doyin Odubajo a Public Health Expert, however expressed the view that as at today, Lagos, Abia, Kwara, Delta, Ekiti, Kano and Bauchi. Ogun, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and more are reported to be at advanced stages with enabling laws of State Supported Health Insurance Schemes (SSHIS) that has been passed through National Council of Health memo approved in March 2014 by the federal government.

“Making health insurance mandatory as some states have started in the country, is expected to benefit all Nigerians and will as well serve to improve the country’s economy when more people are healthy.

“Government should be responsible for the accountability of the health providers for service delivery and it must be monitored to ensure the providers deliver quality healthcare services at the end of the day,” Odubajo said.

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said Universal health coverage is ultimately a political choice. It is the responsibility of every country and national government to pursue it. I personally commit to spearheading the advocacy required to secure the political support of global, regional, and national leaders “We need to do more to enable your advocacy and activism efforts, to support of universal health coverage and to increase access to essential medicines and health commodities” said Ghebreyesus.

316,301 persons benefit from Delta State health insurance scheme IDRIS UMAR MOMKH, Benin

D

elta State government said a total of316,301personshaveenrolled in its universal health coverage programme in the state.

The State Governor, Ifeanyi OKowa gave the figures during the presentation of the 2019 budget proposal to the State House of Assembly on Wednesday in Asaba.

OKowa gave the breakdown of the enrolees in the health insurance scheme as at September 30, 2018 to include 189,349 on equity plan enrolees comprising 74,763 pregnant women and 114,586 under five children, 118,798 on formal plan enrolees made up of 47,255 primary enrolees and 71,543 dependents and 8,154 on informal plan comprising 3,646 widows, 4,508 Keke riders and 40 Royal fathers.

The government who announced the allocation of the sum of N8.6 billion for the health sector in the 2019 fiscal year, said the health insurance scheme has been nationally acclaimed as it received awards for the Outstanding State Government Healthcare Programme of the Year 2017; and the State with the most people covered under its State Social Health Insurance Scheme with a focus on the Poor and Vulnerable population in Nigeria 2018.

He said to ensure quality and efficient service delivery under the scheme; the State Executive Council recently approved the renovation of 107 primary health centres across the State.

He added that the state government has taken delivery of the Doctors and Nurses Quarters at the Government Hospital, Ofagbe while medical equipment for the Dialysis Centre at the Central Hospital, Warri has been procured.

He also added that government has undertaken the renovation and rehabilitation of the General Hospital, Bomadi and rehabilitation of facilities at the Cottage Hospital, Ogriagbene also in Bomadi, among others.

The state governor, who assured that the health sector will continue to receive priority attention in the 2019 fiscal year, disclosed that the State ambulance scheme is being reactivated.

He explained that when the ambulance scheme becomes operational, it would cover Asaba, Warri, Eku, Abraka, Ughelli and Agbor, among others.

He said the scheme is designed to ensure immediate response to convey accident victims to the nearest health facility, boat ambulances would be used to cover the riverine communities while also intend to revive the use of mobile doctors to deliver healthcare to the people.

46 BDSUNDAY

C002D5556

Sunday 21 October 2018

Sports 2018 FIFA World Cup boost Russia’s HifL 2018 reaches exciting final ….As UNICAL battle UAM for the trophy GDP by $2.3b to 3.2b per year U

Stories By ANTHONY NLEBEM

T

he effects of hosting a succ e s s f u l F I FA Wo r l d Cu p event is beginning to impact positively on Russia economy The long-term effect of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Russia’s GDP after the tournament over the next five years will reach 150 billion to 210 billion rubles, approximately $2.3 billion to 3.2 billion per year, according to the report of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Russia Local Organizing Committee.

The 2018 World Cup matches were held from June 14 to July 15 in 11 Russian cities. The French national team won the tournament, the Russian team reached the quarterfinals for the first time in history.

“The cumulative impact of the World Cup on Russia’s GDP for 2013-2018 is 952 billion rubles ($14.5 billion), which is around 1% of the annual GDP,” the report said.

“The total contribution of the 2018 World Cup

to the economy of each of the organizing regions was between 2% to 20% of the annual GDP value.

The long-term annual effect of the 2018 World Cup on Russia’s GDP after the championship over the next 5 years will reach $2.3 billion -3.2 billion,” according to the report.

It is expected that around a third of the future effect of the 2018 World Cup will come from the development of tourism, while the bulk of the long-term impact will be achieved due to the catalyst effect on investment.

NICAL Malabites and UAM Tillers are set to slug it out at the finals of the 2018 Higher Institution Football League (HiFL) scheduled to hold at the Agege Stadium, Lagos on November 3rd, 2018.

In an exciting encounter at the University of Agriculture Makurdi Stadium, the UAM Tillers turned over a two-goal deficit to defeat the OAU Giants by 3-0 wining on a 6-5 aggregate score line. The UNICAL Malabites also canceled the 1-0 deficit from their first leg match played in Ilorin with a 2-0 home win against the UNILORIN Warriors in Calabar.

The Stanbic IBTC Man of the match in the UAM Tillers versus OAU Giants game, Ebuka David showed why he is presently the highest scorer in the tournament, with eight (8) goals under his belt, as he scored again in the 42nd minute. Two more goals from Abata Terkuma in the 3rd minute and Anthony Elaigwu in the 48th minute completed the rout on the OAU Giants.

Similarly, goals from Prince Umoh in the 9th minute and Osas Paul in the 18th minute were enough to give the UNICAL Malabites a com-

Kwesé partners Kalakoda to bring Salam vs. Gondarenda bout to Lagos

K

wesé in partnership with Kalakoda Boxing Promotions is bringing the Friday Fight Nights series dubbed, Chaos in Lagos, to Nigeria on 26 October.

The bout is scheduled to take place at the Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island, Chaos in Lagos, will feature the much-anticipated rematch between Chomunorwa ‘Sting’ Gondarenda and Tony ‘Sugar’ Salam for Gondarenda’s WBF Africa Cruiserweight title.

Nigerian sports fans wanting to tune-in for all the live action will be spoilt for viewing options, thanks to Kwesé’s multiplatform broadcasting approach. Kwesé will provide full broadcast coverage of the event through satellite TV on channel 285 on the Kwesé TV bouquet, the Kwesé TV app linked to an active pay TV subscription, or Kwesé Free Sports UHF channel 32,as well as the Kwesé iflix mobile app. For viewers outside Nigeria, Kwesé has signed sublicense agreements with

various free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters across the continent, to ensuremillions of viewers across the continent can enjoy free access to the fight wherever they are. The event will also be streamed on YouTube Live.

Salam and Gondarenda fought in August to a disputed decision in Harare where Gondarenda retained his belt on a split decision.

Immediately after the fight Gondarenda said that he would fight Salam again, “any time any place,” this time it will be in Salam’s backyard with neutral judges agreed

by both camps.

The fight is a contrast of styles with Gondarenda the come forward fighter, and Salam the slick counter puncher, fighting often on the back foot. Salam will need to be more definitive in his approach, he clearly landed the cleaner blows, but it was the Zimbabwean champion’s relentless aggression and ring control that perhaps swayed the judges during their first match up.

“The Friday Fight Night series has been successfully staged across the

continent, it is now Nigeria’s turn to roll out the red carpet and put on an exceptional sporting display.

As a premium sports destination, Kwesé is proud to once again provide full broadcast coverage of yet another first-class sporting event. This is one event sports fans do not want to miss, thanks to our multiscreen broadcasting options, they won’t have to,” expressed General Manager for Kwesé TV in Nigeria Elizabeth Amkpa.

The remainder of the bill features some of Nigeria’s and West Africa’s top boxers who frequently fight in the USA and Europe, and provides the opportunity to show off their skills in front of home fans. Kalakoda Promotions partnership with LPMG Management and Don King Productions have made such fighters available for the occasion, with a long-term view of unleashing the untapped potential of Nigeria and Lagos as a fight destination.

L-R: Prof L.N Nnamonu, Member of Senate, Federal University of Agriculture; Ebuka David of UAM Tillers, StanbicIBTC Man of the Match and Tersoo Tor, Branch Manager, Stanbic IBTC, after the Higher Institutions Football League semifinal match between UAM Tillers and OAU Giants in Makurdi.

fortable 2-0 win over the UNILORIN Warriors despite a spirited effort from the Ilorin boys.

Commenting on the matches, Sola Fijabi, Director, PACE Sports and Entertainment Marketing Limited, said; “we now have our four finalists who will play the finals to determine the first, second and third place winners. We appreciate all the schools that participated in the 2018 HIFL because they are all winners. They have all demonstrated good sportsmanship as they displayed fantastic football artistry. We also thank our sponsors for their support, looking forward to the next season”.

It would be recalled

that the 2018 HIFL commenced on August 1 with teams from the Sahel and Atlantic conferences.

The top 16 universities from 79 NUGA-member institutions played in 30 games over a period of 14 weeks in a return leg elimination format. Selected players from the 2018 HiFL® will represent Nigeria at the upcoming International University Sports Federation (FISU) games, the world’s largest collegiate sports competition.

The HIFL is organised by Pace Sports and Entertainment Marketing in partnership with the Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA).

Moscow to host 2020 European Weightlifting Championships

A

fter successfully staging the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the capital of Russia, Moscow has won the right to host the 2020 European Weightlifting Championships, President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF) Maxim Agapitov told TASS. The decision was made at the Congress of the European Weightlifting Federation on Friday.

The 2019 European Championships will be held in Batumi, Georgia.

Russia last hosted the tournament in 2011, at thattimethecompetitions were held in Kazan.

Moscow hosted the European Weightlifting Championships in 1983.

The RWF’s suspension imposed by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) over doping violations last year is expiring on October 19.

Sunday 21 October 2018

C002D5556

BDSUNDAY 47

Sports

FC Barcelona say not considering swoop for Neymar

S

Kenya ex-sports minister charged for embezzling Olympics fund

Stories by ANTHONY NLEBEM

panish giants FC Barcelona have debunk claims to re-sign Brazilian star Neymar from French Lique 1 side, Paris St Germain (PSG), the club’s vice-president Jordi Cardoner said.

His comments knocked down media reports La Liga champions were ready to tempt the Brazilian forward back to the Nou Camp.

Neymar won two La Liga titles and the 2015 UEFA Champions League in four years with Barca and formed a lethal partnership with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

He departed in July 2017 after the Paris giants exercised his release clause.

“No one on the Barca board has talked about the possibility of bringing back Neymar. Right now we can’t give an answer because no one has even mentioned it,” Cardoner told radio station SER Catalunya on Friday.

The 26-year-old Ney-

F mar helped lead PSG to a domestic treble this year.

His first season in France was tarnished by a public dispute with teammate Edinson Cavani over the taking of penalty kicks.

There was also the foot injury sustained in March that forced him out for the

rest of the campaign.

Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo said in a front-page story on Wednesday that the player has told Barca he wants to return after becoming disillusioned with life in Paris.

“He was the one who left. It would be different

if we hadn’t believed him and now we wanted to bring him back. But that’s not the case,” Cardoner added.

“If we did want to sign him, then the board would have to discuss it. But until now no one has talked about it.”

Shaw signs new 5-year Man Utd deal worth £190,000 a week JONATHAN ADEROJU

F

ollowing Manchester United left back struggle to make the first team spot after sustaining a career threatening leg injury.

Luke Shaw has shown a great deal in making improvements and owning that position which he left.

The left-back has been handed a new deal worth up to £60 million after beginning the final year of his existing contract with a sparkling run of form.

Luke Shaw signed a new five-year contract at Manchester United worth around £190,000 ($250,000) a week.

The club confirmed the improved terms for the England left-back on Thursday, and the new deal makes him one of the Premier League’s highestearning defenders.

Shaw’s existing contract was due to expire

at the end of the 201819 season after United had taken up their oneyear option on his initial four-year deal, but the club have moved to tie the 23-year-old down for the longer term, with the option again included to keep him for an extra 12 months.

The news of his contract completes a significant turnaround in Shaw’s fortunes at United after

a turbulent last few years with the club.

But his sparkling form at the start of the current campaign has solidified Shaw’s position in the starting XI and has now resulted in the club committing to him until the summer of 2023.

Shaw said upon the announcement: “I want to let everyone know that I will give everything I have to repay them and deliver

success over the years to come.

“I’m still very young with a lot more to learn and I can’t wait to continue my progress under Jose Mourinho.”

United manager Jose mourihno said in an interview about shaws contract “Luke fully deserves this contract. He understood his development process, he has worked really hard at every level and he always believes in himself which is a great attribute to have.

“Luke is still young and is improving all the time and he must feel very proud of himself. I am delighted that we are keeping such a talented young English player with a bright future ahead of him”.

Shaw has made 75 appearances for United since arriving from Southampton in 2014, scoring his first goal for the club in August’s 2-1 win over Leicester City.

GOtv Boxing Night 16: Masebinu eyes WABU title

N

ew national light heavyweight boxer, Adewale“Masevex” Masebinu, has declared his desire to claim the West African Boxing Union (WABU) title in the division. The Ekiti-born boxer became the national champion on Sunday at GOtv Boxing Night 16, following his victory, by knockout, over Kabiru “KB

Godson” Towolawi at the Sir Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

Masebinu, who avenged his previous defeat to the same opponent, said he is proud of his achievement so far, but he already has his eyes on the sub-regional title.

“The next step is the

WABU title. I’m sure of winning. I was sure I’d defeat Towolawi and through determination, I did. The same applies to the WABU title. I will continue to train hard and remain focused, ready and able to take on anybody once the opportunity presents itself,” he said.

Masebinu dominated

the fight against Towolawi, restricting his opponent to harmless jabs while stinging him at every opportunity.

From the third round, Towolawi started looking dazed, but stayed on till the end of the fifth round. But when the bell for the sixth round was rung, the boxer indicated his unwillingness to continue taking punishment.

ormer Kenyan sports minister Hassan Wario was charged in court on Friday with abuse of office.

The charge was related to the alleged mishandling of funds meant for athletes who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Kenya enjoyed its most successful Olympics ever in Rio, winning six gold, six silver and one bronze medals, all in track and field.

But the on-field achievements were blighted by allegations of corruption among Kenyan team leaders and senior government officials.

An investigation laid the blame on Wario, the sports minister at the time, and six other former senior officials, according to the East African country’s chief prosecutor, Noordin Haji.

Wario, who became Kenya’s ambassador to Austria earlier this year, was charged with six counts of abuse of office.

He and two of his co-accused denied the charges before a Nairobi magistrate and were then freed on bail of 1 million shillings ($9,915.72) each.

The trial will be held next month.

Prosecutors have said they also expect to charge Kipchoge Keino, a renowned gold medalist for Kenya at the Olympics in Mexico City in 1968 and Munich in 1972.

Keino was the chairman of the National Olympic Committee during the Rio Games when more than 55 million shillings were misappropriated.

He was not in court on Friday and prosecutors said they were investigating his role further.

Dozens of senior government officials and business people are facing various charges related to corruption.

This is part of a fresh attempt by President Uhuru Kenyatta since May to crack down on widespread graft.

Critics accused Kenyatta of failing to deal with corruption during his first term which ended last year, in spite of promises to do so when he was first elected in 2013.

Vettel faces penalty threat over red flag incident

S

ebastian Vettel has been summoned to the stewards for allegedly failing to slow sufficiently when the red flags were shown during practice.

The FIA confirmed Vettel is under investigation for an “alleged breach of Article 31.6 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.”

“Car five [Vettel] failing to slow sufficiently during a red flag period in practice one at 10:40.” The session was stopped to allow the marshals to clear gravel from the track which had been left there by Charles Leclerc after he went off.

Two drivers have received three-place grid penalties when they were found not

to have slowed enough for red flags on previous occasions this year. Daniel Ricciardo did when he was caught speeding during second practice for the Australian Grand Prix and Esteban Ocon was during practice for the last race in Japan.

Vettel previously received a three-place grid penalty in Austria wen he was judged to have impeded Carlos Sainz Jnr during qualifying.

Should Vettel be found guilty then a grid penalty is likely to be issued, with Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon both having received three-place demotions for a similar transgression earlier in the year.

BDSUNDAY

NEW YOU CAN TRUST

I

SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER 2018

C002D5556

Nigeria is the future

…A view of Atiku Abubakar from the United States

N

igeria is poised to be one of the most important nations in the world. It has the resources, the population, the creative and entrepreneurial power and the geopolitical presence to lead Africa and the world through some of the great global challenges of this century.

Bill Gates, along with Warren Buffet, is investing heavily in Nigeria’s future. The Gates Foundation has programmed $1.6 billion towards helping solve major social and economic problems in the country. Gates, an objective and reasoned observer of the potential of Nigeria, clearly identifies the problems that stand in the way of reaching the country’s potential. I share his view, which is why I strongly support giving Atiku Abubakar a chance to lead Nigeria into its rightful position of world leadership.

Gate’s said in a recent trip to Nigeria: “If you invest in their health, education, and opportunities — the ‘human capital’ we are talking about today — then they will lay the foundation for sustained prosperity. If you don’t, however, then it is very important to recognise that there will be a sharp limit on how much the country can grow.”

Education, particularly girls’ early education, and primary health care, with a strong emphasis on early childhood nutrition, are sadly lacking in Nigeria’s investment plan. These areas are where prior Nigerian politicians have failed. The results of this systematic neglect of the basics are that millions of poorly educated and poorly nourished Nigerians are left without the capacity or the tools to face the future.

In 2010, at the request of the then newly appointed president of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), I joined the governing board of that Institution. I continue to serve as vice chairman of the Board, dedicating my time and effort without compensation. During this time, I have had the opportunity to observe and interact with AUN’s founder and chief benefactor, Atiku Abubakar, on a personal and professional level.

I have worked and lived in Africa since 1968 and have been part of developing several institutions of higher education on the continent. In no other country have I encountered a person who has dedicated so much of his personal fortune to supporting an American-styled University. I have dedicated my professional career to that approach and to the use of education as a fulcrum to improve the world we live in. The opportunity to assist in this pioneering effort to create a University in impoverished rural North-Eastern Nigeria has been an honour and a privilege.

In 2010, at the request of the then newly appointed president of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), I joined the governing board of that Institution. I continue to serve as vice chairman of the Board, dedicating my time and effort without compensation

So why is an American style of education important to Nigeria and to Africa? First and foremost, the American approach is an applied one. America has a great tradition of land grant universities that are dedicated to applied research in service to the local areas where they are located.

As part of the University system, they support outreach workers or extension workers to take the results of this research to the local producers as quickly as possible. In a rapidly changing technology-driven world, this element of constant community education is vital.

AUN has dedicated itself to being a development University “focused on resolving Nigerian problems of social and economic development and then applying these solutions to the rest of Africa.” Mr. Abubakar strongly supports this direction, intellectually and financially. He clearly understands the need to have the most current technology applied to resolving local problems and has put his own resources to work, doing so on countless occasions.

Community outreach and community involvement are another element championed by the American style of higher education. AUN programmes, such as Feed and Read for destitute local children, taking in and educating over a hundred Chibok “girls”, and the Adamawa Peace Initiative, in response to the Boko Haram uprising, are all successful outreach programmes that have demonstrated a different, more applied, and yes, more American style of higher education.

The American style has always focused on critical thinking and individual innovation in thoughts and actions. Classes are not just exercises in memorisation but are designed to challenge and stimulate analytical

WILLIAM BERTRAND Bertrand is Wisner Professor of Public Health at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. processes. The individual and cultural change required to embrace the characteristics of modern society and rapid change do not come easy. Atiku himself was motivated to found AUN by his conviction that his life and career had been changed by two American teachers – Peace Corps volunteers. He felt, as I do, that the European elitist model of education still ruling the Nigerian academe did not best serve the needs of Nigeria with its rich potential of human capital.

His effort to build a prototype at AUN has not been without its problems, including a US Congressional investigation into the relationship with American University in Washington. When I joined the Board, along with Eamon Kelly, the former president of Tulane University, we engaged the services of one of the best law firms in New York to look into the charges. Dr. Kelly had been president of the National Science Foundation and the American Association of Universities in the United States; he could not afford any hint of wrong doing. The response from the lawyers was that there was absolutely nothing in the Congressional report that involved Atiku Abubakar. With this assurance, we both joined the Board. We have never had cause to regret that decision.

During the years that we at Tulane actively supported the AUN effort, its footprint as a University dedicated to development was firmly established. Even with the day-to-day problems of operating an American style institution in the far north of the country, surrounded by Boko Haram, the University has grown and matured. AUN has developed new programmes in entrepreneurship and law and is planning other specialised degree programmes in applied development areas. The University has created innovative outreach programmes that fought to bring peace and sustainable development to Adamawa State and by extension to all of Nigeria.

I see no other person in Africa who has so consistently given of himself and his resources to support education — from primary to University — under the most difficult of circumstances.

He understands the role and importance of technology and perhaps more importantly has the personal integrity and courage to listen to others who sometimes disagree with him, and to change his mind accordingly. Nigeria is fortunate to have the opportunity to elect such a man to lead the country to its rightful role as an African and world leader. There may not be many more such chances.

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff

Ekweremadu, Ekweremadu, Ekweremadu!

S

enator Ike Ekweremadu must resist whatever pressure that is currently being mounted on him to quit the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The Senator from Enugu State is one of the luckiest politicians in this dispensation.

Not because of his brilliance or any special endowment, but purely divine providence.

There are trying times, when it appears everything is working against a man. At such a time, what must he do, commit suicide; take irrational decisions? No. A man of honour he is should sit down, ponder on such situations and take the best of decisions that would not jeopardise his future. When he begins to sit down to listen to the ministrations from those

who think they are doing him a favour, he is bound to be downcast and make serious mistakes.

He must weigh his options; sift the pieces of advice he is receiving now and then pray for a divine guidance. Ekweremadu has been many things in politics through the PDP. If he does not remember today, he must not forget yesterday. If they have done him one wrong today, the PDP has done him well multiple times. He must not forget that those who are urging him to be aggrieved and get excessively provoked may not know the history of his trajectory in politics and how the great God has brought him thus far.

Does it hurt to be sidelined (if that is what is happening to him now)? Terribly!

But a song writer scripted, “It is always darkest before the dawn.”

Trials may come, but joy cometh in the morning. I am very sure that Senator Ekweremadu is not sidelined by anybody and he must not allow anybody to sow things into his mind that will affect him. It was the same fear that drove Senator Godswill Akpabio away from the PDP. He said that with Senator Bukola Saraki now in the PDP, the Kwara-born politician’s shadow would cover his, in a party he had labored for, for many years. Senator Ekweremadu may be ruminating in similar thought, but what “gona be, gona be”, the destiny of a man stays intact so long as he puts his trust in the Creator.

N8.6tr This is the amount of money projected by the Federal Government for 2019 Budget

Governors & new minimum “But, the problem of states is the capacity to pay what is agreed.

As we are talking today, we are struggling with N18,000. Some of the states are paying 35 percent, some 50 percent and still some states have salary arrears. So, it is not about only reviewing it but how we are going to get the resources to cater for it.” – Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman, Abdulaziz Yari.

Published by BusinessDAY Media Ltd., The Brook, 6 Point Road, GRA, Apapa, Lagos. Ghana Office: Zion House, Shiashie, OIC-Galaxy Road, East Legon, Accra.

Tel:+ 233 243226596, +233244856806: email: bdsundayletter@businessdayonline.com Advert Hotline: 08034743892. Subscriptions 01-2950687, 07045792677. Newsroom: 08054691823 Editor: Zebulon Agomuo, All correspondence to BusinessDAY Media Ltd., Box 1002, Festac Lagos. ISSN 1595 - 8590.