BusinessDay 24 Feb 2019

High profile killings, bombing, siege, thuggery mark elections in Rivers Ignatius Chukwu

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he killing of a former local council chairman in Rivers State with his elder brother and cousin tops a day of killings in the state as the presidential election got underway. This was followed by

command had to invite the Army to step in twice before the hoodlums were dispersed and free the officials trapped there.

Other incidents that marred the elections in the state include snatching of materials in many localities, late arrival of materials to polling stations leading to late voting, card reader malfunction

killings in many other parts of Rivers State from Abonnema, Ogoni, Kalabri to Ikwerre areas.

Bo m b i n g t o o k p l a c e i n Abonnema while entire Bonny Island did not have peace as thugs blocked the local council secretariat to ensure that voting materials did not get out until voting was over. The police

in some instances, etc.

The positive side was high voter turnout, especially in places such as Port Harcourt and Oyigbo where disruption was minimal.

Signs that there would be killings and arrests were in the air

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BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

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Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

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inside Buhari defeats Atiku in Yola polling unit … As Atiku wins in Aso Villa, in SanwoOlu’s Ikoyi polling

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How not to treat our youth corps members

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Peaceful, yet tragic polls massive card-reader failures security lapses hoodlums attack, hijack exercise killings in some states CHUKA UROKO, OBINNA EMELIKE, AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE, YOMI AYELESO, Akure, Emmanuel Ndukuba, Awka, OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja & IDRIS UMAR MOMOH/CHURCHILL OKORO, Benin

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ebruary 23, 2019 has gone down in history as the day Nigerians went out for the 6th time to elect a new president since after the return of democratic governance in the country in 1999.

Though the election witnessed a fair turnout of voters, it was not, like in any other immature democracy, without its imperfections and challenges that brought the whole exercise to the brink of implosion. Besides late arrival of electoral materials, there was massive card-reader

Reduce foreign borrowing, use external reserves to finance infrastructure – Ekpo p. 19

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Some of the distrupted polling units by hoodlums yesterday.

The youth, poverty, arms proliferation, electoral violence and the connecting dot p. 30

?? Enamelware posts N9m in nine months to return to profitability

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Cover

Peaceful, yet tragic polls ...

Continued from page 1

failure or malfunctioning in many polling units.

There were also serious security lapses, giving rise to attacks by hoodlums as experienced in many parts of the country.

In some places, INEC officials were chased away and all voting materials, including ballot papers and boxes, were either burnt or destroyed. The exercise also recorded loss of lives, occasioned by activities of hoodlums.

The malfunctioning of the card readers questioned what the electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), did differently on logistics.

At the time of this report, Situation Room had said that about 16 deaths across eight states were recorded: Borno – 2, Bayelsa - 2, Rivers - 6, Yobe - 2, Kogi -2, Ebonyi – 2, Lagos – 1, and Zamfara – 1.

On his assessment of the conduct of the election, Peter Obi, vice presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), decried alleged security agents’ harassment of voters in Anambra State.

He made the statement after casting his vote at his Amatutu ward 1 polling unit in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State. Obi said it was rather too early to say which way the vote would sway.

In Ondo State, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) expressed concern over the increasing incident of vote buying during elections in the country.

Speaking with BDSUNDAY while monitoring the election on Saturday, CAN chairman, John Ayo Oladapo, said he observed that people were still being given money to vote.

Oladapo, however, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the smooth commencement of the poll, saying the electoral body really prepared for the poll.

He described vote buying as a threat to the nation’s democracy, urging people to be conscientious and vote candidates of their choice. “The election has been going smoothly and I can say INEC has done well; however, the issue of money inducement is happening but not openly and it is only the keen observer that will notice”, the cleric said.

Raising concern over the massive electoral fraud that attended the elections, the YIAGA Africa Watching The Vote (WTV) Group said it had reported cases of ballot box snatching, votes buying and other irregularities across the country.

It also raised concerns over the arrest and detention of accredited observers in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.

The Chair, Watching The Vote Working Group, Hussaini Abdu, Co-Chair and Executive Director, YIAGA AFRICA, Samson Itodo, said this on Saturday in a press

statement.

The group also said it received over 100 verified critical incident reports concerning the late opening of polls across Nigeria. It stated that it deployed 3,906 election observers in the country.

“In Kafanchan, the YIAGA AFRICA supervisor was arrested and detained at the Kafanchan Area command in Kaduna state. This has, however, been resolved as the observer was later released.

“YIAGA AFRICA received reports from one polling unit in Yobe State, Machina Local Government Area, Damai Ward where observers were denied access to the polling unit to observe. YIAGA AFRICA is in contact with local authorities and continues to follow the situation closely.

“Election materials were reported to be snatched by unknown persons at the RAC centre in Okrika LGA, River state which led to no voting in ward 06, 07, 08 and 09 of Okrika LGA in Rivers State. This was also reported in PU 003 ward 10 Emohua LGA, Rivers state.

“Reports of vote buying came from PU 010/01/10/13 Omala LGA in Kogi state,” the statement reads.

While calling for transparent results collation process, the group urged party agents to conduct themselves in orderly manner.

“INEC is encouraged to remind Resident Electoral Commissioners to instruct all election officials under their supervision to allow accredited citizen observers to access polling units in accordance with the electoral law. This includes instruction to the security personnel to allow free movement of accredited observers.

“With the late commencement of polls, YIAGA AFRICA calls on INEC to ensure that polling officials strictly adhered to the electoral guidelines on accreditation and voting across board. This includes ensuring that there is no attempt to speed up the process of accreditation — proper application of the Smart Card Reader to accredit voters must continue throughout the country,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ondo State has expressed concern over the increasing incident of vote buying during elections in the country.

CAN chairman, John Ayo Oladapo, who spoke with our correspondent, said he observed that people were still being given money to vote.

“The election has been going smoothly and I can say INEC has done well; however, the issue of money inducement is happening but not openly and it is only the keen observer that will notice,” the cleric said.

Voting was disrupted at Ward 2, unit 12 and 13, St-James Grammar School, Afuze in Owan East

Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Babatunde Fashola (left) casts his vote during the Presidential and National Assembly Polls at the Ward G3, Unit E002, State Junior Grammar School, Itolo Street, Surulere, Lagos.

local government when suspected political thugs invaded the polling units and poured engine oil on ballot boxes.

Eyewitness account had it that the election was ongoing peacefully when suddenly the thugs invaded the voting centres and poured substance suspected to be an engine oil to disfigure the already used ballot boxes.

Lagos boils There was serious crisis at polling unit 023B located very close to the Ago-Okota Police Headquarters along Ago Palace Way, Lagos after some thugs snatched and burnt ballot papers as voting was on going.

BDSUNDAY understands that as at the time this incident occurred, there were no Foreign Election Observers or security officials at the polling unit 023 along Ago Palace Way, but Police arrived 10 minutes after the incident and started shooting and releasing tear gas.

When BDSUNDAY visited the polling booth at around 1:07pm, some ‘bad boys’ and political thugs were sighted on Okada and Keke Maruwa taking off in a hurry after causing confusion by throwing stones, pure water and plank that made voters and INEC officials take to their heels.

On disserting the polling unit due to the confusion, the thugs were able to snatch the ballot boxes and papers, threw them on the floor, poured fuel and set some of the ballot papers ablaze.

Narrating the ordeal, a voter who gave his name as Chukwuma told our correspondent that the action was a calculated attempt to rob non-indigenes of their civic right of deciding who the next Nigerian President will be.

“I blame the police for not keeping watch since it had been made known to the residents of Ago that they would not allow them to vote as the bad boys threatened the residents on Thursday that the exercise

would be interrupted. We were supposed to have restricted movement but it surprised me that these people came with okada and keke maruwa without being noticed,” another resident, who gave her name as Joy, lamented.

Opposition strongholds targeted While the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), has kept to its promise of pulling off the rescheduled 2019 election yesterday Saturday February 23, 2019 across the country, the elections witnessed interesting twists, repeat of old tricks, and some level of violence in a number of polling booths nationwide.

The election, which was relatively peaceful when compared with the tension that built during the campaign and the one-week extension, also witnessed huge turnout of voters who seemed to be more prepared at safeguarding and making their votes count.

The safeguarding of votes was prominent at some polling units regarded as strongholds of the opposition, especially in Lagos. At the Festac 11 voting area, in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, comprising two polling units (002 and 003), the voters who came out in mass from 8am voted and waited for the votes to be counted.

But the intrigue is that after voting, most of them openly announced that they were ready to deal with ballot box snatchers.

True to their words, two young men who went closer to the ballot boxes when the card reader was rebooting were beaten.

Also, a police woman attached to the boot was asked to walk an unruly party agent out or would be accused of working for the party. Speaking on the incident, Amajor Ekine, a voter at the boot, said they are proactive now because some hoodlums snatched the unit’s ballot boxes during the last election, hence

they are on the lookout.

“Of course, we know who paid them to snatch the boxes because Amuwo Odofin is not their stronghold. Our votes must count in this election and I ask voters to resist intimidations and guide their votes because they will count”, Ekine said.

As well, an elderly man nearing 70 years, who was the first to vote at the unit, asked younger voters not to fall to the intimidation or trick of vote buying because their future would be determined greatly by the choices they make with their votes.

Elsewhere in Jakande Estate, Mile 2, voters had to stop voting until perceived fake party agents, unaccredited voters and unauthorized security officers left after attempts by some of the voters to call police authorities to confirm the eligibility of their presence at the polling units.

But the story took another twist in Okota, a perceived stronghold of the opposition.

At a major pulling unit along the Ago Palace Way, some hoodlums who could not snatch the ballot boxes set them on fire.

Unfortunately, the election in that area recorded the first causality as angry voters set one of the box snatchers on fire.

Ogochi Okorie, a voter at the polling unit, said they hoodlums were able to beat the voters, police and officials of the poll because they camouflaged as INEC staff, but their true identity was unveiled when they went after the ballot boxes.

“I am not happy that life was lost because no matter the amount of money they were given to snatch or burn the ballot boxes, their lives are more than the money. Now, the sponsors of the violence are free, while the unfortunate young man just died for nothing. Where are the children of these people that sponsored them, if one may ask”, Okorie lamented.

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BDSUNDAY 3

News

INEC adhoc staff’s inefficiency raises concern about training by Commission

Massive Card Reader failure recorded at the Presidential Villa ....As Kyari, Yusuf Buhari, Gwadabe lead voters to the polls ....Kyari commends peaceful exercise

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

Tony Ailemen, Abuja.

he Presidential and National Assembly elections have called to question the quality of training Corps Members who acted as INEC adhoc staff, went through in the build up to Saturday’s exercise.

At Unit 008 Ward 3, King of Kings Academy, Kabusa , Lugbe-Abuja which comprises four Voting Points and Unit 008A at Lugbe Across, BusinessDay observed that Corps Members could not properly identify the ballot boxes and the positions.

While addressing voters at Unit 008 after INEC officials arrived the venue late, one of the Corps Member erroneously announced that the red ballot box is for Senatorial seat, black for Presidential and green for House of Representatives.

This got the voters confused.

It took the intervention of security agents who immediately corrected the INEC official that black ballot box is for Senatorial, red for Presidential and

hief of Staff to President Muhammad u Bu h a r i , Abba Kyari was among the early persons to cast their votes at the Presidential Villa, ward 021 and 022 yesterday.

The election, which was marred by massive failure of the card readers deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was however, adjudged to be peaceful and orderly by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.

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green for House of Representatives.

The Corps Members were also confused as to what to do with the unused ballot box until voters prevailed on them to cancel them with ink to render tgem invalid before taking them to the ward collation centre.

BusinessDay also observed that the adhoc staff did not enlighten voters on how to fold the ballot paper into tge ballot box.

“I was one of the first people that voted but mistakenly folded the ballot box

outwardly. It was midway into the voting that an INEC official announced that we should not only fold our ballot papers inwardly but should wait for a while to allow the ink to dry to avoid invalid votes,” a voter who identified himself as Kingsley, told our correspondent.

As of the time of filing this report at 7:50am, sorting is still ongoing at Unit 008, Ward 3, as they are no generating sets to provide illumination.

However, some voters used the torchlights in their phones to salvage the situa-

tion before some car owners put on the headlamps in their cars to help.

“It is a national embarrassment that INEC boasted to the whole world that voting would end by 2pm without an alternative plan of what happens if voting ends at night. As it stands, the INEC officials here don’t even have rechargeable lamps,” another voter, Ahmed Galadima said.

However, attempts to get the reaction of the adhoc staff proved abortive, as none of them refused to speak with this reporter.

The card reader failure almost disrupted the election which witnessed massive voter turnout and which did not start until 9.05 am, even as some of the voters had arrived the venue as early as 6.30am.

As at 10.30am, a total of 282 persons had voted at the Presidential Villa, as the INEC officials had to resort to the use of incident forms to avoid disenfranchising the voters.

BusinessDay gathered that out of the 282 voters recorded, INEC card readers failed to identify the finger prints of 156 of the voters.

Elections: Tiwa Savage, AY Makun, Falz, Kate Henshaw, other celebrities vote

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e v e r a l Ni g e r i a n celebrities including Kate Henshaw, AY Makun, Folarin ‘Falz’s Falana, Tiwa Savage, Toke Makinwa, Alexx Ekubo, Omoni Oboli and Bolanle Olukanni voted on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the celebrities, who have been influencing their

followers to participate actively in the elections, shared photographs from their polling units after they voted.

Actress Kate Henshaw was photographed observing the elections with former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon which she shared on her Instagram page @Katehenshaw.

tion, the APC spokesman, Chris Fineface said in a statement that “Gunshots were everywhere and nobody can come out to vote. PDP thugs are chasing people away with guns. In Ward 10 of Emuohua, materials were hijacked by a notorious cult group.”

On their own, the PDP confirmed massive killing and disruption. Emma Okah, the commissioner of Information as well as Director of Communications of the PDP Campaign Council in the state, said: “It is a black day in Rivers State as the Presidential and National Assembly elections turned bloody with many PDP members shot dead by the military in Akuku Toru Local Government Area.

“In addition, reports from other parts of the state show a pattern of organised violence and shootings in some cases with the military, police and APC as the main actors.”

His statement described the situation as

barbaric and appalling, saying that the people of Rivers State had complained aloud about the threats of rigging, intimidation and violence hanging over their heads. He said reports getting to them show that in Bonny LGA, the Army and police stopped distribution of materials to the units.

“In Ahoada West LGA, materials for ward four were hijacked by a party stalwart to his house. In Andoni LGA, only three wards received materials.

In Degema LGA, materials meant for a section of the LGA were hijacked. In Asari Toru LGA, materials meant for a section of the LGA were not distributed while soldiers and officers of F-SARS were going about disrupting voting. In Okrika LGA, voting materials for four wards were hijacked.

“In Gokana LGA, thugs came in military trucks and carted away voting materials in units 5, 16 and 17. We will give you situation report as we receive them.”

High profile killings, bombing, siege...

Continued from Page 1 days before the Election Day as groups accused each other. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state said there would be no election without their party on the ballot while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said they uncovered plots to kill their chieftains.

On the afternoon of the election day, news of the killing of Omowan Etete, former two-time local council area of Andoni Local Council and his elder brother, Ignatius, and a cousin, in their hometown Akajaka. Etete, an APC chieftain in the area, was a strong PDP member and special adviser to Nyesom Wike at one point before decamping to the APC. Sources said he had escaped attack a week ago when the election was to hold. This time, he did not make it, and had to go down with relations who were probably keeping vigil and shield around him. The Rivers police spokesman,

Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the killings but could not give further details.

Former governor and now transportation minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, voted early in his Ubima town but soon after, shooting took over especially at Unit 3, 11, 6, & 7 as voters were chased away. In Obio/

Akpor, where Governor Wike hails from, reports said the governor voted easily but lamented card reader failures and attacks by uniformed men everywhere.

Eyewitnesses said hijacking of materials was rampant especially at Ogbogoro Units 3,5,6; Ward 6 – Ozuoba, some party

agents were stopped from observing elections because their tags were not signed.

Ward 8 – Rumuekpe where some party thugs were said to be brandishing arms until help came from security agencies. In Ward 16, materials for units 4,5 and 6 were missing.

Confirming the situa-

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Sunday 24 February 2019

News

INEC to postpone elections in Rivers, Anambara, Lagos ...Shifts polls in PUs not opened at 2pm to Sunday, 24 February Presidential and National Assembly elections across the country.

“The Commission has also received reports of violence and ballot box snatching in some areas leading to the disruption of the process. We have asked the Resident Electoral Commissioners and Officials of the Commission on ground to submit their firsthand reports in relation to some of these incidence.

“We are still receiving reports relating to incidents in some states of the Federation but we have received reports relating to the incidence in Akoko Tulo and Boni Local government areas of Rivers state.

“So long as the Commission could not deploy in these areas, the implication is that polls did not open in those areas and the Commission will hold consulta-

James Kwen, Abuja

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he Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC would postpone elections in some parts of Rivers, Anambara and Lagos States where polls could not hold due to the burning of election materials and other acts of violence.

INEC has mandated Resident Electoral Commissioners in the affected States to immediately submit comprehensive reports to enable the Commission takes further decisions including new dates for election in those areas.

Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education and Publicity Community gave this indication while briefing journalists on the update of the ongoing

Mahmood

Election in Kwara: Massive turnout, peaceful conducts SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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s Nigerians decides who will pilot the affairs of the country in the next four years, Kwarans on Saturday came out in their numbers to vote for the candidates of their choice.

BDSUNDAY, who visited polling units in Ilorin metropolis, observed the turnover were highly impressive and elections also conducted in peaceful and orderly manner.

Major hiccups on the process of the election were the problems of card readers and some election materials mix up, thereby, leading to late commencement of election proper.

Areas visited include Baboko, Ita Alamu. Gambari, Okekere, Itaamodu, Unity road, Serikin Kaun, Adangba and Idigba polling centres.

The state REC, Attaitu Madami, in an interview with journalists promised to ad-

dress the problems as soon as possible and later did the needful.

In their different reactions, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, a PDP chieftain in Kwara, expressed delight over the turnout.

He said: “the turnout is very impressive. The only area I want to raise alarm is the issue of card readers malfunction. I want urge INEC to do something about this urgently so that such problems don’t repeat itself on the next election.”

In his submission, AbdulRahmsn AbdulRazaq, the APC candidate in the state stated that, “so far so good, we have had some incidence of card readers not working and missing ballot papers all over the state. But everything is calm and security is also good.

“APC campaigned throughout the federation.

President (Muhammadu Buhari) campaigned vigorously,

Senate President, Bukola Saraki casting his vote.

our senatorial and all National Assembly candidates campaigned vigorously. They were very confident that APC would win the presidential and National Assembly elections.

“My advice to them is to be calm, wait in lines especially where the card readers did not work. We have had about the manual voting. So long you are on the queue before 2pm, you are entitled to vote.

People should be vigilant and not allow people they don’t know in their polling booths to vote.

“You have seen the O’ to Ge movement is now a mass mobilisation thing. They cannot win, so they have resorted to violence and rigging.”

Peter Kisira, the Deputy Governor of the state, described the election as peaceful and commended the electorate for their orderliness and smooth conduct of the exercise.

He called on the people to be peaceful and stressed the need to uphold the rule of law to strengthen the Nation’s democracy.

Kisira, who explained that the exercise is meant to prepare ground for the younger generations, advised the Youth to be orderly and be prepared for future challenges.

He however, charged the electoral umpire to be neutral and unbiased to build people’s confidence in the electoral system.

tions with the relevant authorities and with the Resident Electoral Commissioners in relation to these areas and will announce the date when polls will take place in these areas.

“In relation to the issue of burning of electoral materials and disruption of the electoral process, we have reports of some of these incidence from Anambara and we have reports of burning of electoral materials in Lagos”, Okoye said.

He also announced that in line with the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of the 2019 general elections released by INEC, elections have been shifted to the next day( Sunday) in polling units where polls could not open as at 2pm Saturday.

The INEC Spokesman noted that the Commis-

sion was generally satisfied with the process and procedure of the conduct of the elections despite the challenges relating to the late commencement of polls in some polling units.

“When I briefed you earlier in the day I did said some polling units opened on time and some polling units did not open on time.

Between 8am and 10am in the morning, the summary of polling units that opened stood at 67.91%. The polling units that opened after 10am stood at 16. 96%. So at this moment, we recoded a total of 92.76% of the polling units opened.

“With regard to the challenges associated with the use of the Smart Card Reader in some polling units, most of these challenges were resolved and resolved on time”, he stated.

JTF allegedly kill Government House photographer Samuel Ese, Yenagoa

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peratives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) have allegedly killed a Government House photographer, Reginald Dei and another young man at Oweikorogha in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The cause of the killing is not known yet, but it has

highlighted the continued use of excessive force during elections in the state as evidenced by the violence in several parts of the state and the alleged role of the military.

It is not also clear if he was on election duty at the time of the incident. > Operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) have allegedly killed a Government House photographer, Reginald Dei and one other young

man at Oweikorogha in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The cause of the killing is not known yet, but it has highlighted the continued use of excessive force during elections in the state as evidenced by the violence in several parts of the state and the alleged role of the military.

It is not also clear if he was on election duty at the time of the incident.

Buhari defeats Atiku in Yola polling unit … As Atiku wins in Aso Villa, in Sanwo-Olu’s Ikoyi polling unit RAZAQ AYINLA & TELIAT SULE, Abeokuta, TONY AILEMEN, Abuja, & JOSHUA BASSEY

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uhari yesterday won his polling unit, PU003 at Sarkin Yara ward A, in Daura, Katsina.

The president scored 523 votes while the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar got only three votes.

The President also defeated Abubakar at his polling unit in Adamawa State. Buhari scored 186 votes, while Abubakar got 167 votes.

Abubakar, however, defeated incumbent Buhari at the Presidential Villa,

Abuja, with 1,030 against 1,013 President Buhari also won the presidential election in former President Ol u s e g u n Ob a s a n j o ’s polling unit in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Buhari polled 87 votes as against that of Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 18 votes.

The former president had earlier cast his vote at Polling Unit 22, Ward 11, Olusomi Compound, Owu-Totoro, Abeokuta North Local Government Area where he lauded INEC for the conduct of an orderly poll, but he however, requested all politicians and contestants to be magnanimous in victory

and show some spirit of sportsmanship in event of any eventualities.

“In any competition, there will always be winners and losers, what anybody in any competition must be prepared for, as a good sportsman, is that if I win, I will show magnanimity, if I lose, I will also bow down graciously that is what any competition is all about,” Obasanjo said.

Meanwhile, The PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, defeated the APC candidate at the Femi Okunnu polling unit, Lateef Jakande, Ikoyi, where Sanwo-Olu voted yesterday.

While Atiku polled 52 votes, President Muhammadu Buhari got 48 votes.

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BDSUNDAY 5

News Large voter-turnout, but massive card-reader malfunction CHUKA UROKO

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he rescheduled presidential and National Assembly (NASS) elections in Nigeria was greeted with large voter turnout in most places but not without some hiccups which centred largely on malfunctioning of the card readers, putting to question what the electoral body, INEC, did differently on logistics.

INEC had rescheduled the presidential and NASS elections to yesterday from February 19, citing logistics and operational challenges. But from voter experiences yesterday when many could not vote because the card-reader could not identify them or refused to work altogether only spoke to the inefficiency and shoddy preparation for the electoral process by INEC. It was also noted that some of the ad-hoc staff deployed by the INEC were not competent as many of them carried out their assignment as if they never passed through the pre-election training.

In many parts of Lagos, voters came out en masse to perform their civic duties and also as a demonstration of their resolve to effect a change in the governance of their country. Nigeria and Nigerians have, in the past four years when a new political party, the All Progressive Congress (APC), took over government from the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP), been in dire straits economically.

Widespread poverty, rising unemployment and commodity prices, falling consumer purchasing power and living standard, have combined and conspired to raise the level of hunger, anger and frustration among the people, hence the strong resolve to vote out the government of the day.

This resolve was however whittled down by so many lapses that characterised the conduct of the election. Besides the massive mal-

functioning of the card-reader which was a major cause of the postponement of the election on February 19, there were also nagging issues of security lapses, leading attacks and hijacking of the voting exercise by hoodlums which were targeted mainly at opposition’s stronghold.

At the Moslem College, Egbe in Alimosho area of Lagos which served as collection centre for over 10 polling units in the area, BDSUNDAY discovered that three out of five card readers used by INEC officials were malfunctioning.

2019 polls: APC calls for removal of Abia REC, police commissioner GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

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bia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has lost faith in Joseph Iloh, the state resident electoral commission to conduct a free and fair election in the State and requested for his sack.

This is also as they called for the immediate removal of the State’s Commissioner of Police, Etim Okon for not providing adequate security in all the Local Government Areas of the State to protect voters.

The APC alleged that Abia REC was already compromised, even before the closure of voting, as he was seen with Theodore Orji, the immediate past governor of Abia State and the senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Abia central senatorial zone in Saturday’s election.

Benedict Godson, publicity secretary, Abia State chapter of APC, told journalists in Aba that the party does not want anyone to truncate the will and wishes of Abia electorates, who have made their choices.

“ We a r e c a l l i n g f o r t h e immediate cancellation of the senatorial election in Abia Central and immediate sack of INEC REC in Abia State.

“One of the major reasons, why we are calling for the cancellation is that just about 12:20, the INEC REC was visited by the immediate past governor, Theodore Orji and they discussed for 30 minutes before he left.

“How can a candidate, who is contesting against other candidates and other parties like APC and APGA be having meeting with INEC REC, who should stay neutral and non partisan on the day of a serious election like this?

“There are other reasons we want him out. In Abia South Senatorial Zone, in places like Akwaete in Ukwa East Local Government Area, ballot papers arrived without party logos. Can you imagine that?

“Tell me what you want voters in that area to do? Also in Obohia community in Ukwa East LGA, INEC sent incomplete senatorial materials there. Who caused it?

“PDP has just exhibited their stock in trade. In Osisioma LGA ,which also falls under Abia Central,

by arranging with INEC to delay accreditation up till 12:30 and 1pm, just to frustrate voters and then do what they really wanted.

“All these antics were exhibited, to frustrate our Chairman and senatorial candidate, who hail from Osisioma LGA. “They discovered that people were trooping out to vote APC and resorted to the technique of instructing their collaborators in INEC to delay and frustrate voters to leave before they will have chance to manipulate things.”

On the call for the removal of Abia CP, Godson said, “there was no presence of the police in some areas of the State, especially in Owaza in Ukwa West, were he claimed hoodlums chased away voters and intimidated them from coming out.

“There was no presence of police at all in areas we had crisis.

They colluded with INEC and disappeared when they were needed most.

“We want peace in the state and we don’t believe in intimidation. We respect the views of the electorates and we want it maintained. So, we believe most places should be cancelled,” he stated.

“They show fingerprints, but not other details of the voter”, an INEC official explained to this reporter.

This same problem was reported at Ward E 026 in the same area where a voter who identified himself simply as Nathan alleged manipulation.

“If you look very well, you will see that these officials are not serious. There should be three officials stamping the ballot papers but only one person is doing that without much interest in what she is doing”, Nathan fumed.

At Ward E 25A where there

was very low voter-turnout, Taiwo Oguntade, a voter, explained to BDSUNDAY that the low voter turnout was because people were angry with the government. “Just ask yourself; what has this government done for the people? All we hear is that they are fighting corruption and that the economy is doing well. But what concerns the common man with corruption and economy? The only thing the common man wants to hear is that prices of garri and rice have come down; he wants a government that will put food on his table, not economy”, Oguntade said.

A major failing in the conduct of the election was security lapses that led to destruction of voting materials and loss of lives. In the Aguda area of Surulere, hoodlums moving about in a tricycle (Keke Maruwa) invaded two polling units at the Enitan Junction, chased away INEC officials and destroyed all the electoral materials including ballot papers and boxes. What this means is that there were no votes and no voters at those two polling units.

In the Okota area of Lagos which is considered a major stronghold of the opposition, hoodlums set polling materials ablaze, meaning that both the voting and votes were fruitless exercises. In both Zamfara and Delta States, people lost their lives. Whereas gunmen killed an APC ward chairman in Zamfara, three people lost their lives in Delta.

Ikpeazu calls for overhaul of electoral process to make it simple for voters GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

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overnor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has called for adoption of information technology (IT) in the electoral process, to make it less cumbersome for voters and reduce the suffering voters go through in casting their votes.

Ikpeazu made the call Saturday, in his Umuabiakwa country home in Obingwa Local Government Area , while addressing journalists after casting his vote at Obingwa Ward 7, unit 002.

The Abia governor, who casted his vote at exactly 10:50, explained that he was worried on how Independent National Electoral (INEC) could accredit everybody awaiting for accreditation and make them vote before 2.00pm.

“I think we should think more on the direction of Science and Technology. I don’t know why ballot papers cannot be generated locally or even provided and then a voters can call for the ballot papers through a computer and vote rather than standing under the sun. Why shouldn’t we do it digitally?

“I don’t know how the INEC officials here Will accredit everybody here and make them vote before the dateline of 2pm.

They need to be a little bit faster.

I seem to see too many people being processed by few people.

“The process is efficient, but I just wish our people will be put into less suffering in exercising their franchise. People are standing on the sun and I don’t know how long they’ll stand.

Speaking on the late arrival of materials which led to the delay, Ikpeazu said, “I really sympathize with INEC. Providing logistics for all polling units is not an easy thing.

“We really need to reform because this process is becoming cumbersome. As long as you have human elements around it makes it problematic in terms of fidelity.”

On the outcome of the election, Ikpeazu said, “Everybody who is involved in this contest must first of all get the credentials of a democrat.

“What it means is that whatever the outcome is, they should accept it. Whatever people say through the ballot must be binding. Do or die and desperation around politics is not the way to go.”

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News

Situation Room expresses concern over card readers’ failure, logistics challenges, vote buying, others OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

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he Situation Room has expressed concern over reports of logistics challenges, failure of Smart Card Readers, incidences of votes buying as well as politically motivated killings in Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

In a statement by Clement Nwankwo, Convener of Situation Room, he expressed disappointment about INEC’s logistical lapses on the elections despite the one week postponement of the polls.

The delay in commencement of voting, according to the statement, could affect the collation process; extend into the night, with attendant security risks and further logistics concerns.

The statement reads: “Several parts of the country report late opening of

polls. According to YIAGA Africa, South East and South-South recorded the lowest number of early poll openings. About 27 percent of polling units had opened as at 10 am in the South East. In the South-South, it

was only 21 percent. The average across other parts of the country was about 45 percent as at 10 am. The late arrival of materials and ad-hoc staff account for much of the delay in polls opening across the coun-

Obasanjo advises Buhari, Atiku, others to celebrate victory or accept failure in good faith RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta

F

ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised President Mohammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress (APC); Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and all contestants in the 2019 general elections to celebrate victories and accept failures in good faith.

Obasanjo, who cast vote at Unit 22, Ward 11, Olusomi Compound, Owu-Totoro, Abeokuta on Saturday, requested all the contestants and politicians from different political parties to accept any eventualities of the elections in the spirit of sportsmanship as Nigeria is greater than any individuals, tribes or groups.

He however commended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for improvement in the voting despite some hitches encountered in different polling units and centres across the country, including himself going by the bit delay encountered before he eventually cast his vote.

He said, “I am yet to perform my civic rights and cast my vote , I believe, in my in

polling centre, there was a small delay, materials arrived late but it is a small delay by two hours which can be accommodated, other than that the process is going smoothly.

“I went through the process, they put my PVC in Card reader, then they have a bit of problem, sorting my thumb print and then when they were able to sort it out, they made me to go through the process of voting, they gave me the ballot papers for the Presidential, Senatorial and the House of Representatives and it was very orderly.

Even though, there were

Obasanjo

many people waiting, either waiting to cast their votes or waiting to welcome me.

“Because now I vote in my compound where I was born.

In any competition, there will always be winners and losers, what anybody in any competition must be prepared for, as a good sportsman, is that if I win, I will show magnanimity, if I lose, I will also bow down graciously that is what any competition is all about .

‘If your purpose of going to competition is that you must win at all cost, then that is no longer a competition. I know INEC will make amends for the shortcomings ahead of the next election.”

try. In some places, voting started around 11 am”.

Nwankwo also lamented what he called significant failure of Smart Card Readers in Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Abia, Nasarawa, Kebbi, FCT and Kaduna States.

He said the group received isolated reports of professional misconducts against security personnel in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Kogi States.

He noted that some Polling Units had inadequate security personnel, adding that while some Polling Units had just one police officer, others had up to 10.

On votes buying and politically motivated killings, he said: “The Situation Room has received reports of incidents of vote buying across Lagos, Niger, Edo, Kwara, Kano and Katsina States. The Situation Room calls on INEC and security agencies to nip this practise in the bud before it undermines the sanctity of the vote. We also wish to highlight the inadequacy of security personnel in some polling units. We note that in some polling units there was only one police officer while in others, in addition to the prescribed three per polling unit, there

were other security personnel totaling up to 10.

“The Situation Room notes with concern the rising incidences of violence and reported deaths in some states of the country.

At the time of this statement, Situation Room has received reports of about 16 deaths across eight states: Borno – 2, Bayelsa 2, Rivers - 6, Yobe - 2, Kogi -2, Ebonyi – 2, Lagos – 1, and Zamfara – 1. In Lagos State, there are reports of disruption of voting by suspected political thugs who have shot in the air in some places and set ballot boxes and paper on fire in others. In the Okota, Isolo and Oshodi suburbs of Lagos, there are reports of violence, some caused by non-arrival of INEC officials and materials. Situation Room calls on INEC and the security agencies to respond swiftly to these issues and arrest culprits as promised by the Inspector General of Police”.

Young talents battle for ultimate prize in Gloin60seconds

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s Globacom’s online talent competition, #GLOIN60SECONDS, reaches its climax, young citizens from across the nation have started battling for the grand prize of one million Naira.

Feelers from social media platforms indicate that the youths are uploading exciting videos that can earn them slots in the finals of the contest.

Sequel to the presentations of cash prizes to batches of winners in the competition, a gamut of videos from across the genres of art including drama skits, dancing, comedy, poetry, singing and other creative activities, were uploaded by thousands of youths who were excited to be part of the talent hunt and desirous of winning the N1m grand prize or the five consolation prizes of N200,000 each. #GLOIN60SECONDS competition which commenced on December 10, 2018, gives youths the opportunity to upload a 60-second video showcasing their talents on their social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram or

Twitter with the hashtag #GLOIN60SECONDS. The company, each week identified seven lucky contestants with the highest likes on the social media platforms and rewarded them with the sum of N50,000 cash each. Winners of weeks one to five were subsequently presented their cheques in Gloworld shops across the country.

Winners of weeks 6, 7 and 8 will collect their cheques on Wednesday, February 27 prior to the grand finale, during which the winner of a N1 million grand prize will emerge while five other contestants will go home with N200,000 consolation prizes Undergraduate student of Economics of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Akin-

molarin Bolarinwa, who uploaded a drama skit on his Twitter account hopes to win the grand prize.

Said he, “I have read about those who have won in the competition and have also seen photographs of those who collected their cheques and I have confidence that my drama video will qualify to win in the next draw”.

In the same vein, 23-year old professional dance artiste, Oreoluwa Oladapo, who had earlier received his cash prize enthused that the #GLOIN60SECONDS has jerked up his followership on Instagram, just as his creativity “has also gone up because you have to be creative to realise your dream. This is the best platform for youths at the moment”.

Pakama Mukta Anthony, a dancer and graduate of Botany from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, opined that “Winning in the#GLOIN60SECONDS challenge is a big boost to me and I am particularly happy to be a winner. Glo gives back to its subscribers and I will continue to preach the Glo gospel to my friends and relations”.

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News Restructuring is the only way to ensure social justice - Eyo Ekpo MIKE ABANG, Calabar

T

he former Attorney-General of Cross River, and governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Eyo Ekpo has said that restructuring was key to equity and social justice in Nigeria.

Ekpo said this in Calabar during an interview with journalists to commemorate the World Day of Social Justice.

He said Nigeria was not going anywhere unless it re-examined the basis of its togetherness by rewriting its constitution and ensuring that all powers are not domiciled at the centre.

According to Ekpo, making the Nigerian constitution more focused on wealth creation, talent promotion and creating incentives for us to use what we have to get what we need objectively was what would give us a better country.

“I can’t sit down here and be looking at the Calabar River and when I want to make use of it, I would have

Ekpo

to go to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos or Abuja, if I need a port, I should be able to work out how to build one and operate it effectively.

“The guys in Abuja have no incentives to make ships berth in Calabar in one year, as long as ships come to Lagos, they get paid and that is where they have their personal interests.

“If you look at the 69 items on the exclusive list and reduce that number, shed the weight and pass that weight to the states, where the people are, we would begin to have a solution as people would now take deeper interest in who leads them,” he said.

“It is the job of any government to ensure that its people are secure and have

factors that enable them do things they want to do like electricity, access to raw materials, educated work force and a system that enables them get credit, when you do this, you will have a reasonably equitable society.

“We can’t blame anyone as we are the architects of our own challenges, ones we start to use tribe, friendship, religion and not merit as a criteria, we get ourselves into taking decisions that destroy the fabric that holds the society together”, he said.

Ekpo noted that social justice was about removing things that were endemic to the society like poverty and human rights abuses but this was only possible by electing the right leaders not those docile and obedient to the status quo.

The World Day of Social Justice is celebrated annually on February 20; it is a day recognised by the United Nations for the need to promote efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment.

The theme for the 2019 celebration is “If you want peace and development, work for social justice”.

Reddington Hospital Group opens Lekki hospital, promises affordable healthcare Obinna Emelike

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h e Re d d i n g t o n Ho s p i t a l Gr o u p has opened its Lekki Phase 1 hospital in Lagos with a promise to provide affordable quality healthcare services, which the foremost private hospital group is known for. The new

hospital was commissioned

by Idiat Adebule, deputy governor, Lagos State, who commended the group for the huge investment in healthcare.

According to Misbah Oleolo, medical director of Reddington Lekki Hospital, said the hospital will provide “high quality care, multi-model diagnostics and secondary

care to people of Lekki and its environs all bench-marked to international standards.” According to him, the hospital is a fully integrated electronic patient management system backed up with conventional notes for eventualities. “We have similarly re-evaluated the concept of healthcare.

In the eyes of this organisation, assisting recovery from

Adeyemi Onabowale, CEO, Redidigton Hospital Group; Oluranti Adebule, deputy governor, Lagos State; Olutunde Lalude, group medical director, Reddington Hospital Group and Herbert Wigwe, MD/CEO, Access Bank Plc, at the official inauguration of Reddington Lekki Hospital in Lagos, recently.

illness must have two facets: world class clinical care and a five star hospitality experience,” Oleolo, a medical doctor, said.

Speaking at the event, Olutunde Lalude, group medical director of Reddington Hospital Group, said the hospital group is poised to reverse the negative global ranking of Nigeria (187 out of 190 countries) when it comes to quality healthcare by bringing quality, affordable health services to the people hence the establishment of the Reddington Lekki Hospital. Lalude said the Lekki branch will provide a mix of family medicine and specialist services “including certain types of surgery, together with sophisticated imaging and laboratory medicine.” He said a purpose-built emergency centre provides a highly competent emergency care 24 hours of the day.

Commissioning the facility, Idiat Adebule, deputy governor, Lagos State, said Lagos State government will continue to partner with private sector healthcare providers to increase access and affordability of quality healthcare for residents of the state.

Foundation to sensitise youths on dangers of drug abuse, other social vices

A

s part of efforts to fulfil its big goal in building leaders and initiate change with global impact, Salimo Wits Foundation has unveiled plans to collaborate with Petra Career and Management Resources to empower over five thousand youths in different locations in Delta State.

A statement released

by Roland Eyetu, founding member of the board, stated that a large number of students and youths in Delta State are immersed in myriad of anti-social vices and Salimo is geared towards changing these narratives through its various outreach programmes lined up this 2019. The (S O S 4 ) a mon g ot h e r objectives will sensitise youths on the dangers inherent in drug abuse, cultism, prostitution and other social vices.

Eyetu further added that: “A lot of young people who has participated in the Salimo’s outreach

programme in Lagos have gone out to establish something for the foundation. We received calls all over the nation from participants that they have never had it like that before, hence the need to expand its reach and bring it home in Delta State”.

Th e t h e m e t a g g e d “Save Our Souls for Secondary Schools and Tertiary Institutions (SOS4)”.

This is the first of its kind in the history of Delta State that students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions will acquire different vocational training skills and leadership orientation free of charge courtesy of Salimo- wits foundation and Petra Career and Management Resources.

The ongoing outreach commenced earlier in the month of February 2019 in Ughelli Delta State, in March the team will visit schools in Alders Town in Warri , Ifiekporo, Ozoro and climax in Alders town, Warri in October.

Policy inconsistency, harsh manufacturing environment slow economic development in Imo SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

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olicy inconsistency by successive governments coupled with unfriendly manufacturing and business environments which have been taken toll on the manufacturing sector of the Imo State economy are seen as the factors militating against the proper development of Imo State since its creation in 1976, despite its enormous human and natural endowments.

Everest Okpara, president of the apex organised private sector in Imo State, Owerri Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA) and managing director (MD), Everite Medical Laboratories Limited, said while speaking exclusively to our correspondent, in Owerri.

He also observed that inappropriate taxation laws and policies, improper educational system and corruption are contributory factors to the economic retardation of the state which occupies a strategic location as the heartland of the Eastern

states.

“The habit of discontinuing the projects of past governments and policy inconsistency is also militating against cohesive development of the state economy.

Suffice it to say that growth and development of the state’s economy will always be thwarted when every successive government has an economic plan that does not take cognisance of its predecessor,” Okpara said.

The state needs an economic system with equal opportunities for all and sundry, a system that encourages creativity, engenders entrepreneurial spirits, boosts and sustains business, and a private sector-driven economy with active participation of the government.

According to him, “The number of industries and business establishments in Imo State is estimated at over 12, 500. So, there is no gainsaying the fact that Imo State economy needs a long-term planning to harness its potentials for industrialisation. This is the way we can solve the problem of hunger, diseases and insecurity,” he said.

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News

BOSKOH partners foreign medical team to offer free surgery operation in Lagos Ngozi Okpalakunne

A

s part of its effort to provide free medical care to indigent Lagosians, BOSKOH, a team of resident doctors in Lagos State in collaboration with PROFOH, a foreign medical team recently kicked off a free surgery medical operation in different primary health centres in the state.

About 4,500 Lagosians have already benefitted from the surgery operation which include; hernia tumors, fibroids, lumps among others.

Speaking at the flag off of the programme at the General Hospital, Shomolu, APC Lagos State governorship candidate, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu described the exercise as a unique one that would enable people who have been managing their ailments for many years at home to get free medical attention.

Sanwo-Olu, who is also part of the organisers, said: “We discovered that there are people who require sur-

APC Lagos State gubernatorial candidate, Babajide Sanwo-olu, Yitzhak Lippin from Israel, Mike Le Harve from Britain and Katya Chapchay during a welcome dinner with the surgeons in Lagos recently

gical medical operation, so we decided to get health personnel on ground. It is service to humanity, beyond politics.”

Chairman, Shomolu Local Government Area, AbdulAmeen Salaudeen called on Lagosians to live in a healthy environment, eat healthy food, adding that health is wealth and that only healthy people can fulfil their civic responsibilities.

Also speaking, the wife

of Sanwo-Olu, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu assured those with medical surgery challenges present that their cases will be attended to.

Ibioke however, urged the beneficiaries to vote for the husband during the gubernatorial election.

APC deputy governorship candidate, Lagos State, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat lauded the medical mission, saying that they have restored life back to the sick.

Driving his point home, the APC deputy governorship candidate Lagos state said: “A woman came to me in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State and asked me to thank the BOSKOH medical team for taking care of her 20 years ailment”.

Head of PFOFOH, Gbimieotor Daniel Kama, affirmed that the team has been carrying out free medical treatment over the years and added that they have had

thousands of surgical procedures in Nigeria and outside the country over the years.

“The surgical operations we have carried out include; hernia, tumors, different kinds of surgeries, fibroids among others. We’ve been taking in as many people as possible until the medical team is tired and could not take in any people any longer. Sometimes we do up to 20 types of surgeries in a day.

You never know until you get inside the theater, there may be a lot of complications you’ll find there,” Kama affirmed.

Cliff Jarrell Director, the head of PROFOH in Nigeria observed that there were long list of people with different kinds of surgical operations such as cancers, malignant and non malignant types, tumors, orthopedic cases and classes of plastic surgeries and that the team with the aid of their foreign counterpart that they have been able to attend to such medical challenges..

Nike Osa, head of the medical team, said that they decided to engage in such humanitarian service so as to

contribute their own quota in reducing the number of surgeries as much as possible.

According to her, designated areas for surgeries include: Onikan General Hospital, pediatric cases in Lagos General Hospital.

In her words: “The campaign is dynamic and it is an opportunity to reach out to the grass root, to people that cannot afford the medical expense of the surgical operation. It’s an immediate intervention for them because we have emergency cases in community like this and cannot access medical care”.

Given a brief background of PROFOH, she said it has been in existence since over 22 years, but with BOSKOH, this is the first intervention programme. For PROFOH, we have professionals for humanity group of doctors, nurses microbiologists, health workers based in Houston, Texas, we also have doctors from Israel, Germany, UK Ireland we are collaborating with resident BOSKOH doctors here in Nigeria to make the programme a success,” Osa added.

BookReview Gourmet Guide: A Culinary Guide to the Cultures of the Nigerian People & Africans in General Author: Lydia Enyidiya Eke Reviewed by: Amaka Anagor-Ewuzie

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ydia Enyidiya Eke is a professional and on-the-job broadcast journalist, who combines her experience in the print media with broadcast media, as well as the thriving online media to make impact in Nigeria and beyond.

Gourmet Guide, a 40page cookbook provides readers especially women with the knowledge to make multiple recipes at a time and allows them to increase their meal preparation capabilities.

The book serves as stopgap for today’s Nigerian women, who are always on the go and working,

and find it difficult to eat healthy. But with a cookbook just like Gourmet Guide, one will be sure of preparing dishes with plenty of recipes that will help you to boost the health status of one’s family members.

The Gourmet Guide takes the reader through the various ways of preparing different kinds of Nigerian delicacies including the famous edikaikong soup, efo riro, okro soup; ogbono soup, bitter leaf soup, banga soup, groundnut soup, gbegiri soup; ofe nsala, ofe okazi, equsi soup and achara soup and among others.

Judging by the type of soups Eke mentioned in the book, it shows that

Gourmet Guide is not only a culinary guide to preparing meals for a particular tribe in Nigeria, but also a cookbook that does not only reflect the cultures of every Nigerian people but also represents African culture in general.

According to Eke, the cookbook takes one out of his or her comfort zone by allowing him or her to experiment in the kitchen. This way, the will increase his or her tastes as well as the cooking abilities.

Eke’s Gourmet Guide went further to explain how continental delicacies such as sweet potato and red beans porridge; potato pepper soup; piped potatoes; mashed

potatoes and potato salad are prepared.

It showcases how cornfull delicacies including corn and beans; hot corn on the cob; sweet fresh corn on butter; creamed corn; yaki and corn and shrimp chowder, are prepared.

With Gourmet Guide in your hand, you will not only be able to prepare decent Nigerian soups but will also be able to prepare healthy dishes. This way, you will stay full and healthy with little or no health problems.

Eke is a culinary consultant and has been a journalist since 2001, who equally manages a food blog that runs on word press as gourmetguide234.com.

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PhotoSplash

L-R: Beni Lar (r), chairman, House of Representatives committee on science and technology/member representing Langtang North and South Federal Constituency, briefing newsmen over alleged plan by some politicians to use thugs to disrupt the 2019 General Elections in Langtang North and South Federal Constituency of Plateau, with her is Ponmak Rindap, former member of Plateau House of Assembly.

NAN

L-R: Mustapha Maihaja, director-general, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); Onimode Bandele, deputy director of search and rescue, and Akugbe Iyamu, director of search and rescue department, NEMA during the donation of food and non-food items to about 9000 victims of fire incident at the Internally Displaced Persons NAN (IDPs) camp in Monguno, Borno.

L-R: Olufemi Oyinsan, member, Board of Trustees; Adebowale Tade, member, board of trustees; Samuel Olatunji, chairman, Board of Trustees; Bayo Kolade, director, Trinity Education Development Foundation, and Mbang Femi-Oyewo, member, Board of Trustees, during news Conference on the opening of the newly approved Trinity University in Lagos. NAN

L-R: Abiola Ajimobi, governor, Oyo state; Yomi Oke, commissioner for youth and sports, Oyo State, Afeez Bolaji, deputy national youth leader, All Progressive Congress (APC), and Isiaka Areokuta, youth leader, APC, during the Governor’s meeting with youths in Ibadan, Oyo State.

NAN

L-R: Ibrahim Zulu-Gambari, emir of Ilorin, receiving Yemi Osinbajo, vice president, during APC House-to-House campaign in Ilorin, Kwara State.

L-R: Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Tudun-Wada/Doguna Federal Constituency, and Salisu Abdullahi, People Democratic Party (PDP) his counterpart, brief newsmen after signing peace accord on reschedule National Assembly election, at the Police headquarters in Kano. NAN

Muhammed Wakili (r), commissioner of Police in Kano State, displaying some knifes recovered from suspects at police headquarters in Kano.

NAN

Muhammed Wakili (m), commissioner of Police in Kano State Command, displayng some fake drugs recovered from suspects at the Police headquarters in Kano.

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Ezekwesili and the limit of activism

Publisher/CEO

Frank Aigbogun editor Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja

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

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DIGITAL SERVICES Oghenevwoke Ighure GENERAL MANAGER, ADVERT Adeola Ajewole ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude FINANCE MANAGER Emeka Ifeanyi MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Patrick Ijegbai CIRCULATION MANAGER John Okpaire DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

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

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O

biageli Ezekwesili (Oby for short), former World Bank Vice-President, former Minister of Education and co-founder of the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ (BBOG) cuts the figure of one who is courageous and averse to injustice.

Her involvement in the BBOG campaign attests to her pedigree as an activist of note. Through the BBOG, Oby became a noteworthy conscience of the nation.

Without a doubt, the BBOG has been consistent in ensuring that the issue of the Chibok girls remains in public domains. But for BBOG, the matter could have died a natural death as it is usually the case here.

In September last year, Oby ventured into politics when she picked the presidential ticket of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, to contest the February 2019 election and she eventually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate at the party’s national convention held in Abuja. After she received her

party’s mandate, the two-time minister expressed sadness that instead of making progress, Nigeria was retrogressing under the current administration. Oby declared that her campaign mantra shall be “Project Rescue Nigeria”.

She promised equal opportunities for all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or gender to live to fulfil their full potential.

However, that is where it all ends for Oby; in the realm of rhetoric. A few weeks back, she announced her withdrawal from the presidential race. If her fans were shocked by this twist of event, they would be more outrageous at the fallout. Hardly had Ezekwesili announced her exit from the presidential race than her political party, ACPN, adopted President Muhammadu Buhari, same man Oby had sworn to unseat, as its presidential candidate.

Now, the drama did not just end there. Ganiyu Galadima, National Chairman of the ACPN and Ezekwesili’s then running mate, said that Oby never really wanted to be President but was only using the presidential ticket as bargaining chip for the post of Finance Minister. Galadima also alleged that Oby received millions of undeclared campaign funds in hard currency.

Though Oby has since denied all the allegations, the whole episode has, nevertheless, brought to fore the huge gulf that exists between activism and politicking. It seems here that activists

are not usually ‘successful’ politicians. Activism is more or less a narrow course. The activist has answers, both realistic and illusive, to every issue. The activist believes only in his point of view.

He believes he knows it all.

He has an embroidered estimation of his viewpoint. Others are wrong while he is always right.

He sees and cries about what he perceives as the wrongs of others, but cannot see the log in his own eyes, not to talk of removing it. To the activist, there is always one point of view on any given issue.

And when he canvasses this viewpoint, the catchphrase is always: ‘No retreats no surrender’. Activists are often unrealistic elements who are constantly in search of an ideal society. They are typically so obsessive by this quest that they often pay undue attention to the end rather than the means.

Oby has just discovered that politics is a different ball game entirely. She couldn’t manage her relationship with the top chaps in ACPN, a modest party with little or no spread across the country. And yet, she boasts on how she would manage a nation as extensive and patently diverse as Nigeria.

For all her mouthful about how she was going to take ‘Butiku’, her acronym for Buhari and Atiku, to the cleaners at the election, Oby is nothing but a lightweight political figure with little or no concrete political base.

Clearly, activism alone does not really count in politics. Politics is

mostly played at the grassroots where the real voters who don’t understand ideological talks and ‘needless’debates are. These ones don’t really care about what the papers are saying. The social media ‘warriors’ and their ‘inconsequential’ tweets and posts don’t really mean much to them.

They mainly vote based on factors which the activists and other ‘learned’ voters consider primordial. But then, the most important thing is that they are trusted and reliable voters who would defy thunderstorm and sunshine to cast their votes. Unlike the social media experts, who don’t have Permanent Voter’s Cards, PVCs, they possess their PVCs and guard it jealously as a business man protects his ATM cards.

Politicking, and by extension, governance is beyond oratory, activism and militancy. From the way Oby couldn’t cope with the implosion in her modest political party, it is left to be seen how she could be able to handle the various complications, intrigues and disquiet usually associated with governance in the country.

The lesson from the Oby’s situation is simple. Activism is good.

But the truth is that activism is not enough to develop and sustain a solid political base. If we are to move beyond the contracted option of ‘Butiku’ in the future, Oby and her likes need to really understand and work on this.

Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy.

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Perspective

Minorities’ relevance beyond 2019 CHIGACHI EKE

I

unreservedly condemn the political rivalries that made unity of purpose impossible among our sons and daughters in majority-dominated political parties. What we must know is that Rivers people and interests predate any political party. We shall also outlive these divisive parties.

“This realisation means that Rivers’ politicians must come to terms with the bitter truth that they have no real political party of their own worth spending or dying for except their poverty. If I urge cooperation between Rivers and Bayelsa governments and the centre, I even urge a stronger front among our politicians irrespective of party divides”(Brief comment by Ambassador Lawrence Baraebibai Ekpebu, JP, OFR, on the 50th anniversary of Rivers State creation, 23rd May 2017, Port Harcourt, Rivers State).

“Ijaw Bebe Tolumo” means “Speak Ijaw.” It is core to Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Henry Dickson’s Cultural Revolution (see, “Modernising Ijaw Language”). To every educated African, it asks just one question, “What would you do if the white man takes back his language?” Today, Akwa Ibom State people are asking their elite, “What would you do if the majorities take back their People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and All Progressives Congress (APC)?”

The murmurings in the streets of Uyo are too dangerous to be overlooked, prompting us to give voice to how Akwa Ibom people feel. Implicit in their disenchantment is that they are neither hither nor thither since 2015. Akwa Ibom people are saying, just like the erudite Professor Ekpebu, that their welfare and survival supersede those of ephemeral political parties that can be collapsed tomorrow by the very hegemons that concocted them.

The above is also very true of the angst running the length and breadth of the Niger Delta. As events unfold in majority-dominated APC and PDP, the minorities cannot help nurse the morbid fear that the highly circumscribed space permitted them by these parties has not made them equal partners.

Nothing best demonstrates their resentment than the blatant injustice meted out to Dr. Felix Tuodolo by his own PDP and Tonye Cole by the APC. The Tuodolo incident At the 2018 National Convention of the PDP, hundreds of associates from the South East and SouthSouth accompanied Tuodolo to Port Harcourt for the occasion. For the first time he was standing for an elective office as House of Representatives candidate for the Bomadi Federal Constituency. His crack credentials, Nigerians truly believed, would secure him the ticket as he came across as foremost Niger Delta ideologue, with reasons.

One of two signatories to the iconic Kaiama Declaration, Tuodolo saw to it that the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), he led as pioneer president was above board. It was to his credit that this body did not go underground or raise an armed wing in 1998. A disapproving Asari Dokubo, Tuodolo’s successor and direct op-

posite in temperance, later formed his own private army and declared war on the Nigerian state and International Oil Multinationals (IOM).

But a rude shock awaited Tuodolo and his supporters at the PDP convention. In the wee hours just before voting, the PDP leadership at the highest level informed Delta delegates that Tuodolo must be defeated at all cost. To cut a long story short, the convention was turned into an anti-Tuodolo witch hunt. That was how the exceptional genius who propelled the regional minorities to an unprecedented height was isolated, demonised and defeated by the PDP bigwigs with vested interests. But what was his crime?

His crime was two-fold, according to the prelates and potentates who instigated the gang-up against him. One, they claimed that a Tuodolo elected into the House would defy convention, making it impossible for anyone to control him. But what the PDP failed to understand, or at least credit him for, was that it was exactly his unorthodoxy, or ability to open a new line of thinking on every given discourse, that made the Niger Delta a by-word for resistance.

And two, that the Ijaw-born Tuodolo could upset the Delta gubernatorial apple cart in 2023, tipped in favour of another Ijaw who is a valued business partner to a particular PDP leader, if allowed to go to the House in 2019. To ensure there was no Governor Tuodolo in 2023, the bigwigs did everything to destroy him in 2019. That was antiprogress because the PDP is definitely going to be knocked out if it

Modernising Ijaw Language”). To every educated African, it asks just one question, “What would you do if the white man takes back his language?”

Today, Akwa Ibom State people are asking their elite, “What would you do if the majorities take back their People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and All Progressives Congress (APC)? fields an uninspiring gubernatorial candidate in Delta 2023. Also note, the PDP sacrifices minority struggle dating back to pre-colonial Kings Jaja of Opobo and Koko of Nembe on the altar of parochial business interests.

It was a sobering moment for many Nigerians who left the convention ground disillusioned. The minorities have a long way to go if the majority-dominated parties they aligned with could go out of their ways to bench thinkers fit for the regional First Eleven for less pragmatic candidates. Party primaries are meant to elect the best who are sound in mind and method. But in Port Harcourt, the PDP turned that upside down. Why behave as if the APC does not exist?

The Cole challenge The avoidable trials of Tonye Cole, in his quest to serve Rivers State as governor, indict the APC

as no better than the PDP. His detractors are not elements from the opposition but card-carrying members of his own party who turned themselves into willing tools against progress. Cole is bogged down by endless litigations deliberately orchestrated to frustrate him.

But his clean record as loyal son of Rivers stands him in good light before the voters.

The esteemed Cole believes that the behaviour of the ruling elite has everything to do with a weak Rivers. The underdevelopment of the state is maintained not only by the exploitative Federal Exclusive List that appropriates Rivers lands and resources but also by the collusion of the elites who said nothing when money budgeted for the Bodo-Bonny road was halved in budget-padding, for instance. The looting of Rivers patrimony is of grave concern to Cole. Saving Rivers from its predatory elites, therefore, will be his starting point.

Secondly, his industrialisation time-table will create jobs and eradicate poverty. The Rivers-owned Pan-African Bank (PAB), Waterglass Boat Yard and PABOD conglomerate, established by Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff and his glorious Rivers First Eleven, are going to be revived. Direct Foreign Investment is guaranteed but Rivers’ people must be empowered as choice investors in their own state. Unfortunately, Rivers APC is Cole’s biggest headache.

Ekere and minorities beyond 2019 Obong Nsima Ekere is the enigma who built the APC into a formidable fighting machine in littoral Akwa Ibom. What becomes of the

regional minorities in the first half of this century will depend largely on his election as governor this 2019. Godswill Akpabio and Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi remain Ekere’s inspiration in giving Akwa Ibom a positive new direction.

Central to this new order is his pledge to ensure that the commonwealth trickles down to Akwa Ibom widows and single mothers.

The youth must be empowered to excel in areas they have comparative advantage. Pro-populi Ekere will recompose a decomposed Akwa Ibom brought to its knees by crushing poverty. A leading crude producer, the state has no business with poverty as trenchantly demonstrated during his tenure as deputy to the father of Akwa Ibom State, Akpabio.

His ward-to-ward campaign took him to the most remote hamlet and hut in Akwa Ibom. Everywhere he went, Ekere kept his message simple: Akwa Ibom under my government will grow again. This for a native son who contributed his utmost best massively developing his people and state as managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. He conscientiously believes that a leader’s personality and character traits affect how Akwa Ibom people perceive legitimacy.

Ekere may assume additional responsibility while serving as governor.

There is intense foreboding among theminoritiesthatNigeriabeyond2019 would be impossible. They are asking: Assuming President Muhammadu Buhari wins a second term this 2019, the APC could be disbanded thereafter, to pave way for another party, with anotherpresidentialcandidateandinfavourofanothergeo-politicalzone.Ekere mustaddressthisgenuinefearbecause there is something called pattern of history that helps us better predict the future by understudying the past.

Ekere should consider resurrecting the Niger Delta Congress (NDC), established by the revered Harold Dappa-Biriye in 1959. The NDC will offer us the right political platform to articulate programmes unique to our environment if and when the APC and PDP go. It is true that the APC has done much for the region.

But that is because Buhari wanted to be magnanimous. What happens to the Niger Delta minorities if Buhari goes in 2019? Think again.

If for any reason Ekere fails to hearken to our call, then Tuodolo himself should do the needful. After all, he brought something of equal strength into existence when he rallied over three million youths to establish the IYC. Evah Charles, Tompolo, Dr. Peter Odili, Arc EI Etteh (who breathes Ijaw nationalism), Ann Kio Briggs, Asari, Dickson (the Adaka Boro II), etc; individually and collectively can put the NDC logo of “Triangle with a Fish in the Middle” on the ballot paper in 2023. The unthinkable is today the inevitable calling for a different response from us. What have we to lose?

For those opposed to the NDC we ask, what would you do if the majorities disband their PDP and APC after 2019? And which leader in modern history ever served his people well facing crippling internal opposition from his own party in addition to the external opposition onslaught?

Email:chigachieke@yahoo.co.uk

Sunday 24 February 2019

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13

Perspective

How not to treat our youth corps members Ayo Oyoze Baje

T

he graphic pictures of the pitiable plight of several members of the National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) sleeping on bare floor, on the eve of the postponed Presidential and National Assembly elections, drew public outrage and honestly so. They deserved a far better treatment. Placed on a rather insulting salary of N19,000 per month by a power-poaching political class, many of who are old enough to be their grand fathers, the promised package of N35,000, safe and secure accommodation in addition to feeding by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) was too compelling to ignore.

This was more so, to the 400,000 youth corps members who constituted about 40 per cent of the INEC adhoc staff. But sad to note that here is Nigeria, where not a few promises made by the political leaders hardly see the light of the day, the corpers became some of the most vicious victims, precisely on February 15, 2019.

The torrid tales of their criminal neglect were similar across the country; from Calabar to Kano, Shogunle to Sokoto. Many of them who reported for the national assignment as early as 9.00 am with the passion of patriots, were left unattended to up till the wee hours of the day of the election. What a rude shock it was, only to be told that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman decided to postpone the elections for the reasons of logistics and inclement weather, barely six hours to the commencement!

The corpers were abandoned to sleep on bare floors, in open spaces and buses, even as some were robbed and left naked to the elements of wind and cold.

These sordid acts run against the grains of setting up the NYSC, on the 22nd of May, 1973 with the support of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC), then led by now retired General Yakubu Gowon. So, how would he and the likes of Prof. Adebayo Adedeji and then Colonel Ah-

madu Ali, wherever they are now, feel as the first Chairman and first Director about this show of national shame?

It is worthy of note that the laudable scheme came after the 30-month civil war, that ended in January 1970. The NYSC programme was established under Decree No.24 of May 22, 1973, via the NYSC Act. The aim was to properly integrate the country and heal the wounds of the war. In Gowon’s words: “We were convinced that while force could keep Nigeria one, only greater understanding and interaction, particularly amongst our youth, could make us into a truly united nation”. But as usual, this dark scenario of the tragic treatment meted out to the corpers triggers the quaint questions. Decades after, are we truly united, more understanding of our differences and ready to evolve an egalitarian society for the good of all? The answers are obvious.

It is gratifying to note that hundreds of thousands of the over 2. 8 million of those who have served in the scheme have over the years positively impacted on the quality of life of members of their host communities. Some have healed the sick, built clinics, roads, bridges and culverts, offered scholarship schemes,

and given extra lessons to prepare students for examinations.

Unfortunately, others have fallen helpless preys as victims of ritual murders, extrajudicial killings, sectarian riots, kidnapping, religious extremism, causalities to road accidents and Boko Haram insurgency. The gnawing pain is that some have died as endangered species, mostly in preventable deaths.

For instance, as at August 2018 the riveting news headline that over 50 corps members got killed in 7 months is simply heart-rending! The post-election violence that erupted in some states of the north such as Bauchi, Kaduna,

We were convinced that while force could keep Nigeria one, only greater understanding and interaction, particularly amongst our youth, could make us into a truly united nation

Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kano, Adamawa and Yobe after the Presidential election left in its wake several dusty deaths. One could recall that of an Ogun State-born male youth corper, whose father died when he was a toddler and who sponsored himself through school. He had his precious life wasted in the twinkle of an eye by some vampires opposed to western education. The grief for the old mother was untold.

There was the reported mindless murder of a female corps member, Linda Angela Igwetu, then 23 years old in Abuja, that generated an outpouring of emotion. And that was because she was gunned down by a trigger-happy policeman in company of her friends, a day to her passing out parade! That is Nigeria for you, where successive governments have serially failed in protecting the lives of the citizens.

In spite of the noble gesture by the then President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration to pacify the families of the victims with a monetary compensation of N5 million, as well as approval of an automatic employment in the Federal Civil Service for one graduate from each of the immediate families of the slain NYSC members, none

could be placated.

And that is because life is precious, priceless and irreplaceable. How one wishes that our political leaders as well as the perpetrators of such pure evil act of killing innocent souls of those serving our dear nation take cognisance of the Judgment Day. How would they feel should any of their children or relatives fall victim to this crime against humanity? How would they feel?

The time has therefore, come for our political leaders to take the critical element of trust between them and the led majority, more seriously.

While it is easy for them to fulfil promises made to family members, political sycophants, associates, cronies and concubines of graft, they often find it difficult to do so for those who voted them into positions of authority.

But they should remember that when they swear to any oath of office it must fall in line with Section 14 Sub-Section2 (b) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended; to protect the lives and property of the citizens as well as provide for their welfare. So, when that is not done for our youth, including youth corps members who are the potential leaders of tomorrow what future are building for them?

14 Inside Lagos

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Sunday 24 February 2019

OTI: World-class transport facility berthing at Oshodi

checks around the OTI which is being solely financed by the Lagos State government showed that the contractor, Planet Projects Limited, is intensifying efforts towards delivering the multi-billion naira project any time soon, as site engineers and labourers are seen working even at nights.

It is Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s signature projects in the quest to transform and bridge the infrastructure gap in the megacity.

The project is coming with three major terminals which are being completed and undergoing installation of necessary facilities that will give it an international standing.

The first terminal is designed to cater for inter-city transportation, where all buses going out of the state will take off and drop passengers on return. The second terminal will be solely for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme, that will cater for passengers commuting from Oshodi to Abule Egba, Okokomaiko, Ojo, Badagry and beyond. The third terminal will cater for passengers traveling from Oshodi to Ikoyi, Lagos Island, Surulere, Victoria Island, Ikorodu,

among others, according to Biodun Otunola, Managing Director/CEO, Planet Projects.

At the moment, the skywalk designed to link each of the terminals are receiving finishing touches. The skywalk enables commuters and visitors to the site to access the terminals.

According to Otunola, the company is targeting to deliver the project any moment soon so as to give Lagosians an efficient and effective public transportation system.

“The idea is to give Lagosians access to efficient and effective transportation system, especially those in the lower and middle income brackets who cannot afford to fund their own private cars every day,” said the MD. On why the project became necessary, Otunola said: “I always feel sad when I see people queuing for buses at Oshodi for hours.

Only 21,000 Nigerians use the airport and more than 80 million use public transport daily and there’s no qualitative facility for them. If Lagos wants to be the third largest economy in Africa, something needed to be done.”

“There is no part of Nigeria that is not served from a particular spot at Oshodi, when some people say it is a mere bus stop, I laugh, they are not being realistic and not saying the truth.

“In the Western world, they call it terminals, either bus or train terminals with many facilities in place and I know that Lagos is getting there pretty soon. So, it is going to be Lagos’ gift to Nigeria when it is fully done in terms of facilities like wifi, waiting area, ticketing booth, ATM points, loading bay, offices and conveniences,” he said.

On completion, the OTI would have 18 lifts, six each for the three terminals to be equipped with CCTVs. Being considered to be incorporated into the project is a mega shopping mall to be built through a Public-Private Partnership, (PPP).

The three terminals are designed to serve 1,000 modern buses. They will also have 1,000 light effects to project the aesthetic of the ambience.

to lean on, even in churches you find them and nothing is done to help them, they are left on their own. So we feel there is a need to help them because they are important part of the society,” Adenowo said.

Bunmi Allen, the director of VocaSkill Widowhood International, said the organisation will not stop at the empowerment but follow up financially and otherwise.

“Beyond this training… we will be organising a monthly follow up on what they have been taught and see the areas of their challenges and how we can come in,” said Allen.

One of the facilitators, Mojisola Falana who anchored the

small chops training, encouraged the trainees not to give up on themselves and to utilise the social media in marketing their products.

“Be hardworking, don’t allow temptations to weigh you down, don’t look down on yourself; knowing that God is willing to bless the works of your hands.

Advertise your products on social media,” Falana said.

All 100 widows empowered by the organisation received free medical tests as well as drugs. In addition, they were trained in six different vocations, namely, hat making, cake baking, soap production, small chops, perfume making and insecticide production.

T

JOSHUA BASSEY

he Oshodi Transport Interchange (OTI) is not only an ambitious project, but also phenomenal with all the potential to change the narrative on a sprawling and bustling Lagos residential cum commercial environment hitherto notorious for pick-pockets and other anti-social vices.

Arguably, OTI is a world-class transport facility that has raised the hope of Lagosians for a much better motoring and commuting experience in Lagos—a city that has been adjudged the fastest growing commercial and economic hub in Sub-Saharan Africa.

By its sheer population, estimated at 21 million people, Lagos offers nothing to the residents on a platter of gold. Hence boarding commercial buses in a place like Oshodi can be at extra cost: the struggle, prodding, abuse, pilfering and harassment.

If you have had the misfortune of being robbed or molested by some strange street-roaming fellows known in the local parlance as “area boys” at Oshodi in the course of boarding or alighting from a bus, and as a result, you had sworn to

Ongoing construction work on Oshodi Transport Interchange

Another section of the OTI

avoid this area of Lagos, perhaps, it is time you mustered the courage to visit Oshodi again. So much has changed and still changing.

A visit to Oshodi would leave you wondering what could be hap-

Pictures by Joshua Bassey

pening. At first, you would want to ask what it is all about. Then your thoughts begin to run wild with the sites of a train station, skyscraper, hotel, bus terminal or transportation inter-change.

The OTI project has all of the above mentioned elements, except that it is not a train station. It is a transportation inter-change envisioned and designed by the out-going administration in Lagos to give some level of comfort to intra and inter-state travelers.

No longer would Nigerians traveling within and outside Lagos from Oshodi be subjected to the harrowing experience of waiting under the scorching sun to board buses to their destinations.

The OTI offers hope in checking the ugly experience of commuters; the harassment and pick-pocketing, if not totally eliminating them.

The project links up with the redesigned Murtala international airport road which is also reaching advanced stage of construction, signaling possible completion by second quarter of this year.

Although initially planned to be completed in December 2018,

Foundation lifts 100 widows in Lagos

A

SEYI JOHN SALAU

non-profit organisation, Vocaskill International, recently empowered 100 widows in Lagos in a bid to call attention to the challenges faced by women after the death of their husbands.

The empowerment held at the Women Development Centre, Agege was organised in conjunction with the Lagos State ministry of women affairs, to exposed women especially widows to vocational skills.

Worldwide, it is estimated that 115 million widows live in extreme poverty, along with their children. Many of these

women quickly find themselves living in poverty, even if they had not been before.

Matthias Kehinde Ajose, the chairman, VocaSkill International said given the opportunity, widows can be vibrant and valued members of the community, making their full contributions to their families and societies.

“Their potential as leaders in their communities also cannot be overlooked,” he stated.

According to Ajose, Vocaskill International is committed to advancing opportunities for women of all ages, to increase their access to education and employment opportunities, sustainable livelihoods and enable them to live free of gender-based vio-

lence. “By empowering women early on, we can make sure they can face and even embrace the many challenges life presents.

“Attention to the Nigerian widows is long overdue. This first gathering of widows together

by Vocaskill International, is our vital, first step contribution to the promotion, protection and respect for their rights, across all facets of life,” said Ajose.

Adenike Adebowale Adenowo, a director in Lagos State ministry of education, said there is a need to help indigent widows in the society, stating that the training would help the widows in putting food on their tables instead if depending on others.

“Some do not have anyone

Sunday 24 February 2019

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Politics There was deliberate attempt to erase Fashola’s legacy in Lagos - Olukoga Honourable Babatunde Fatai Olukoga, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, was also a Special Adviser to former governor of the state and current Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola. In this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, he spoke about the political situation in Lagos State, the incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode administration, among other issues in the polity. Excerpts:

W

Why are you not vying for any elective position in the 2019 general election? ell, in 2011 I contested against Abike Dabiri, but she won the ticket back for third term to the House of Representatives. Also in 2015, I lost the same ticket to Jimi Benson and I felt that I should give him the support.

Right now, I believe the youth are carrying the day, but I am ready to serve at any capacity; I have the experience, both as a civil servant and politician.

You were part of the Fashola administration and also close to him; how do you compare his administration and the incumbent Akinwunmi Ambode’s?

You can see the different is clear. It is good for one to come to a new class as a student.

Once you learn the environment you can become a perfect student.

Ambode came in though he was part of us as a retired permanent secretary; kudos to Tinubu who came in, laid the foundation for us in the state.

Fashola came in and followed this pattern. He used his own ingenuity and skills to make sure that he perfected things, but when Ambode came in, rather than continue the projects, he abandoned them and tried to waste our effort as if his effort is better.

You can see where his effort landed him.

When Fashola came in; we told him please don’t abandon the advice of the past administration. But when Ambode assumed office, he tried to abandon people that worked with Fashola, believing that he could handle it. He did not tap into the experience in the state; the projects that needed continuity; when he came in, he abandoned all of them.

Let me give you one example; the waste disposal in the state, you know that LAWMA is commercialised; there is no way you can scrap LAWMA without going through due process in the state Assembly. There was to be an amendment to the law.

But he just scraped LAWMA and brought in Visionscape, and rather than Visionscape to work with staff of LAWMA because they know the in and out of the state, they did not. For them to abandon those who have the knowledge is what made them to fail.

The second one is the Land Use Charge.

When he started, the law was reviewed in 2012; between then and 2016 he was supposed to give a gap for it to mature but he did not.

There was no relationship with the past administration; you can see the criticism that trailed it; from the NBA and civil society.

The railway project was going on marvelously, but it was abandoned; it was going on well in Orile-Iganmu to Ikorodu. Everything was abandoned. Now, if you want to go back to those projects, it would be more expensive now than if they were continued.

He did not believe that when someone gets into office and you rubbish your predecessor’s effort, you are bound to fail.

Are you saying there was a deliberate ef-

rigging; there are lots of good things APC has brought since 2015.

Thank God the good image the country is getting abroad now; it is more than what we have got in 16 years of the PDP. Nobody can rig elections; the campaign is even dull because money is not being given out the way it used to be freely given. But Nigerians are now wiser.

Nigerian economy would be hijacked if PDP wins the presidential election and come back to power, you can see that most of the abandoned projects are being completed by Buhari.

Several developmental projects are ongoing without worries; if this continues for another four years you would see where the country will be.

Olukoga

fort to rubbish Fashola’s legacies by this administration?

Yes; that is what I have told you; he tried to rubbish Fashola administration. You can see the attacks when he came on board- Fashola did this, did that, and at the end of the day, he had nothing to incriminate Fashola administration.

Fashola administration was the best administration after the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration; Fashola came in and consolidated on it.

Instead of the Ambode administration to be a continuity one, it did not; you can see what Fashola achieved in office and when he got the appointment as a Minister it was three portfolios in one.

Are you surprised that Ambode did not get a second term ticket?

It was not a surprise; I knew that with the way he was going that he would not get a second term ticket. I am part of the people that have been vindicated; I said it then.

There is no way he would get a second term ticket with such behaviour. Lagos is a very competitive state; we have talented, educated people who are also exposed; when we reviewed the situation, we said there is no way this man can get a second term ticket.

Don’t you think perhaps, so many factors may have contributed to that; some said he did not settle some people?

In Lagos, there is no settlement here; what are you playing ball with? You cannot play ball and spend above your approved budget; there are principles and rules to follow.

What really caused his downfall is his human relationship and governance; he thought that his own idea would be better than that of the previous administration. You can see

that during the Fashola era, we had what we called Eko Summit where we bring in experts, professionals to brain storm on issues, but this did not happen in his administration.

He tried to build roads, but abandoned other people’s opinion, no good relationship with people. You can see that the two roads per local government have been abandoned; because he does not have good relationship with the local government chairmen. They felt they were not being carried along. What he should have done was to carry people along in his administration and allow them; I mean his Exco to participate in the decision making and ideas.

When I was there, we used to resume every Monday and we had discussion on issues and debated about issues affecting the state from morning to 9pm; everybody made their input; it is not a joke. You can see often when the press asked Fashola on issues about his administration he would say; let me go back and meet with my exco.

Look at the way the decision about LASU was handled and you see how it ended well.

Today, LASU is one of the best universities in Nigeria.

Look at the way the issues of the medical workers was handled, the Ebola out-break, because it was well discussed at Exco. But you must allow people to make input on issues so that you make progress.

You are a chieftain of the APC, the opposition parties are alleging that your party is planning to rig the general elections; what’s your reaction?

It is a fallacy, I would give you instances; in America Trump said that Clinton wanted to rig the presidential election, but at the end of the day who ended up rigging the election? Is it not Trump though the help of Russia? That is what is applicable here. APC is not thinking of

Jimi Agbaje, candidate of the PDP, has vowed to win the gubernatorial election in Lagos State; how do you react?

Agbaje came in 2015 we won because we had a credible candidate. To me, Agbaje is not yet a credible candidate to contest and defeat APC in Lagos State. He is saying that he wants to free residents of the state, are you freeing them from not moving around, or from not assessing medical care? Collection of waste is now done by the government who is fooling who? PDP has no chance in Lagos.

He said the wealth of the state is concentrated in the hand of few individuals?

They can accuse Tinubu; let them come out with evidence. What happened when Tinubu was charged to EFCC? Nothing; he came out free; when they see someone working, they try to bring the person down. They know Tinubu knows politics, and want to free Lagos from the hands of shenanigans, let them provide evidence of this allegation.

The argument is that there has been little impact of the policies of this administration on Lagosians?

Rome was not built in a day; this country was mismanaged for 16 years; it is impossible for this administration to just sort it out in threeand-half years.

The government is fighting corruption; there is fear now among Nigerians, the fear of Buhari is the beginning of freedom; you see, it would take a long time for such things to materials.

The power sector was sold to friends of the president; the document and agreement will have been due for renewal next year; if the PDP wins the election you may see the same thing happening but if APC wins the election, you would see miracle in power supply across the country.

There have been improvement in road and railway; we have to give kudos to Buhari for what he is doing.

The Nigerian economy will be hijacked if PDP wins the presidential election and come back to power, you can see that most of the abandoned projects are being completed by Buhari.

Several developmental projects are ongoing if this continues for another four years you will see where the country will be.

16

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Politics

River’s mood before yesterday elections …Big threats emerge that may scuttle voting in the state …Wike, PDP raise continuous alarm over Army intervention …Non-inclusion of APC turns to bigger threat …Abe goes to Supreme Court again over non-inclusion …Calls for removal of INEC REC continues

B

Ignatius Chukwu

efore the Presidential and National Assembly election across the country yesterday, uncertainty and tension continued to rule the waves in Rivers threatening the exercise in the state.

One of the biggest threats was the flat declaration by some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that elections would not hold without their party. They refused to say how that would be achieved.

Governor Nyesom Wike and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) however, repeatedly said they knew how the APC wanted to achieve it, saying they were working with the Army and SARS to cage the PDP and make voting impossible.

Already, the PDP Campaign Council in the state has cried out, saying soldiers from 6 Army Division in Port Harcourt have occupied the home of their chairman, Ferdinand Alabraba in Abonnema.

Many Rivers’ people appeared utterly apprehensive whether the elections would hold or not. In a crowded press conference in Port Harcourt Tuesday afternoon, the Director-General of the Campaign Council, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to South Korea, Desmond Akawor, who is the Administrator of the Greater PH City Development Authority, said evidence had emerged that the Army and SARS have teamed up with the APC to stop the elections, just as he said APC had threatened through Tonye Princewill .

The DG recalled the three times he said the Kalabari prince publicly stated that elections would not hold in Rivers State as long as the APC was not allowed to contest.

He said Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, sang a war song in the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari warning that it was time for war.

He mentioned instances of movement of soldiers and clampdown on PDP leaders in some local council areas of the state.

“Indeed, in Okrika Local Government Area, indigenes and residents were physically barred by masked gun-trotting soldiers from returning home as early as 6.00 p.m. on Friday 15th February 2019 on the directives of the General Officer

Nyesom Wike

Commanding the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarham,” he said.

He particularly mentioned an incident at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) where he said the Army general prevented INEC from distributing materials to the LGAs. “We are also aware that the military has planned to cordon off collation centres across the State and prevent PDP agents’ access to these centres in order to rig the rescheduled elections on Saturday February 23 2019. Furthermore, information available to us indicates that APC has procured armed thugs, military uniforms and branded military and police vehicles for the purpose of rigging the rescheduled elections.”

The APC said meetings held at a minister’s house in Abuja that were intercepted showed sinister plans to be unleashed on Rivers State. The PDP called on Nigerians and the international community to intervene. The party however, warned that no one had monopoly of violence, saying it is capable of mobilising the people to action to vote.

The APC, reacted to the claims of the PDP, saying it was not true.

On their own, the Army (6 Division) spokesman, a colonel, Aminu Iliyasu, said it had no business with election rigging but were out against election riggers and merchants of violence.

More alarms are emanating from more quarters crying out against the Army. Governor Wike has declared that the General Officer Commanding 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, a Major-General,

Chibuike Amaechi

Jamil Sarham, has planned the arrest of 10 Local Government Council chairmen in the state in a bid to scuttle the elections in the state.

Addressing journalists on Thursday, well ahead of the elections Governor Wike alleged that the intention of the GOC 6 Division of the Nigerian Army was to generate insecurity and violence through undue provocation of the people.

The governor added that the GOC 6 Division of the Nigerian Army has also penciled down 182 persons who would be arrested across the 23 Local Government Areas. He said majority were PDP members.

Governor Wike said: “The GOC 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Jamil Sarham has stated that he will arrest the Chairman of Ikwerre, Abua/Odual, Mayor of Port Harcourt, Chairman of Bonny and Degema Local Government Area. Other Chairmen to be arrested by the GOC include Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Gokana, Khana and Eleme Local Government Areas”.

The governor noted: “What offence have these council chairmen committed to warrant this illegal intimidation? If they committed any offences, were these offences committed within the election period? Why were they noted arrested before now. These are the actions that will lead to crisis. Allow the people to vote freely and their votes must count. Rivers people must be allowed to vote”.

He expressed concern that the security agencies were misinterpreting the Presidential Directive on ballot box snatching. He said

Magnus Abe

that the Nigerian Army and the Federal Special Anti-robbery Squad have seen the directive as a leeway to kill innocent people, even when the Army and Police are the real culprits. He continued to hold the former governor and now minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, responsible for the plans.

This was also how the then governor used to accuse Wike, then a minister, responsible for several violent plans and actions until the then minister won as governor and took over power in the state. The APC has said they too would use same strategy to take back power, just that there is no candidate to face Wike.

go to the Supreme Court.

This may achieve two things; create uncertainty in the ownership of the slot between him and Tonye Cole, and make him the eventual winner even after elections, should the APC win a right for rerun. This seems to annoy the Amaechi faction of the party because they see a spoiler’s role in this. They also say it was Wike actually fighting them, not Abe.

APC’s game plan?

The APC in the state keeps hoping that they would have their space in the ballot back, but INEC says they abide by the Supreme Court judgment. The APC said those judgments were from motions and that the substantive case is at the Court of Appeal. They have won a stay of execution and hope to win their contention that the High Court had no right to entertain the case. Then, INEC would have to put them back.

Many think that due to the short period, APC may want disruption of the elections to enable the courts order them back. Wike seems to smell such rat and is raising all the alarm.

INEC REC accused The APC has often accused the INEC REC in the state, Obo Effanga, of being against the party but in support of Wike and the PDP. They point to his speed in obeying a court order asking the APC to be removed but not giving any heed to the stay of executions issued by two Appeal Courts.

Others have searched his social media handles to reproduce Effanga’s several anti-Buhari posts over the years. They have provoked the suspicion that he was pro-PDP and repeated his statements showing doubt in Buhari’s policies in many sections.

There has been no statement from him on this rash of accusation trending on social media and in private conversations. Also, Wike has not accused Rivers INEC in any of his accusations against many federal agencies.

Magnus Abe threatens to approach Supreme Court The factional leader of the party, Magnus Abe, has lost his quest to be the one to occupy the ballot space for APC but this was thrown out by the Appeal Court. He has notified to

Postulations before yesterday Elections may or may not hold in Rivers State. If they do hold, violence and arrests may scuttle it. Rivers poses the highest voting strength in the south-south and east with almost 3m votes.

Sunday 24 February 2019

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17

Politics ‘Political bias in fight against corruption United States undermines public faith in anti-graft efforts’ urges Victoria Nnakaike, Lokoja

E

xecutive Director, Idris Miliki Abdul, Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), has said that fighting corruption in Nigeria is an excuse to persecute political opponents.

Miliki Abdul made observation in Lokoja during a one-day workshop organised for Media and Civil Society Organisations

by CHRCR in partnership with Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation with the theme ‘Anti-corruption, Transparency and Accountability in Elections’, saying that government and its anti-graft agencies are often accused of abusing their power and equally being biased in choosing allegations of corruption to investigate or persecute.

He maintained that fighting corruption in Nigeria is a difficult mission, adding that the abuse of power by federal and state governments has undermined public faith in the fight.

“In Nigeria, fighting corruption can be an excuse to persecute political opponents. Government and its anti-graft agencies are often accused of abusing their power and being biased in choosing which allegations of corruption to investigate or persecute. In several cases, court rulings are disregarded. Fighting corruption is already a difficult mission.

The abuse of state power compounds Nigeria’s accountability challenges. The government must be seen to be fair in applying sanction and anti-corruption agencies must operate independently and within the scope of the law,” Abdul

Buhari

observed.

On changing the approach to anticorruption messages, Abdul said that traditional approach to anti-graft in Nigeria has been characterised by sensational reporting of corruption cases involving huge amount of money or the use of extreme language to eliminate undesirable behaviour.

He also said some massages risk inducing apathy in citizens by re-enforcing their sense of powerlessness in the face of rampant corruption.

According to him, “Anti-corruption massages must be carefully framed to effectively communicate the negative impacts of corrupt behaviour while empowering targeted audiences to take practical and effective action. Pro-accountability actors must avoid the one-size-fits all approach to anti-corruption massaging

and ensure that massages are assessed for effectiveness before dissemination”.

“In Nigeria, avoiding corruption may not be the most practical option. Governance processes are not designed to be citizen-friendly. It is to fall afoul of regulations because procedures are needlessly complicated and poorly documented.

Complying with penalties for relatively minor violations is unnecessarily difficult and creates incentives for extortion by law enforcement agencies,” he further said.

“Government must rethink and redesign routine procedures for providing public service to ensure they are citizen and business-friendly. Options for complying with penalties for minor violations should include on line platforms where citizens can lodge complaints, dispute imposed penalties and report instances of solicitation of extortion”.

He emphasised that unchecked corruption in Nigeria’s public institutions and a history of inept leadership for decades have destroyed public faith in governance and equally created a sense of fatalism, saying citizens are unlikely to be motivated to combat corruption because experience suggests nothing will change.

He also disclosed that fight against corruption can be won when new approaches are adopted to create social incentives for collection action against corruption efforts by implementing tangible reforms in public institutions, adding that Civil Society and community leaders must develop and promote a national social contract that rewards accountability and enforces social sanction for unacceptable behaviours.

candidates to accept election results

T

he United States has urged all candidates participating in the resheduled general election in Nigeria to peacefully accept the

results.

President Donald Trump’s top foreign policy advisor John Bolton, gave this advice in a series of tweets accessed throught he U.S. Embassy twitter account @USEmbassyAbuja.

The US National Security Advisor also urged Nigerians to ensure that the rescheduled election is credible and peaceful ``To all Nigerians working to ensure elections on Saturday are peaceful, free, fair, and credible, we wish you success. `` We urge every voter to participate and every candidate to peacefully accept the election results,” Bolton said.

Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), last Saturday February 16, announced the postponement of the elections only a few hours before the commencement of the polls.

The Presidential and National Assembly elections were later rescheduled for February 23 while the governorship and state Assemblies elections will come up on March 9 as against February 16 and March 2 respectively.

I’m not in Delta to rig any election - REC Mercy Enoch, Asaba

T

he National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole may have stirred dust that could hardly settle before, during and after the 2019 general election as the ruling party in Delta State, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to accuse him of perfecting plans to rig and take over the state.

Late last year, Oshiomhole had mentioned Delta State as one of the states to be taken over by the APC. PDP members in the state said that his words and actions even during campaigns also seemed to have confirmed that the Edo-born politician and former governor of Edo State was sure of what he saying, but pointedly told him that he was just day-dreaming in his quest to take over the state.

The PDP could not watch Oshiomhole and his APC perfect and succeed in the alleged plans, hence, the PDP raised the alarm over the deployment of the INEC’s REC, Cyril Omorogbe, to Delta State, alleging that he was deployed by Oshiomhole to rig election in favour of the APC.

PDP also alleged that security men were deployed from the University of Benin to Delta State to rig the botched Presidential/National Assembly election of February, 16 for the APC. Responding to the allegations during a press conference held in Asaba, Omorogbe told newsmen that he was in the state for the good of the state even as he said no security man was deployed to Delta State as ad-hoc staff.

“We did not deploy any gateman or security men or something of that nature to Delta State. The only connection with Edo is with the University of Benin. We went there to get collation officers. They were trained; we brought them here on that same night the election was postponed.

We are at it again, trying to train more able-bodied and well-respected lecturers and professors,” he said.

He explained that the process of picking collation officers was done in Abuja.

“I did not decide on that. They just sent a list to me to work with, and told me to go ahead and contact them (those on the list) and train them. That’s exactly what we did,” the REC said.

He explained reasons why he did not suspect any foul play when the list and

directives were handed down to him.

“Part of it has to do with the fact that I am not from Delta State. I am from Edo State. Part of it has to do with the fact that I don’t have any stake. It doesn’t bother me.

I just want the best for the state where I supervise,” he said.

“When you bring those lecturers from a different state, the stake or their interest is just to come in there and run a free and fair election as opposed to being one-sided, trying to support their brother or something of that nature,” he added.

BDSUNDAY, however, gathered that many Deltans had thought that rather than going to UNIBEN in Edo where Oshiomhole hails from, the INEC (Abuja) should have gone to other tertiary institutions in Delta State as there are over five of them or go to other neigbouring states.

Omorogbe opined that cost may have been one of the reasons why collation officers were chosen from UNIBEN in Edo rather than going to nearby states like Anambra.

As more events unfold, analysts foresee the ruling party in the state throwing more stones at Oshiomhole and INEC, especially, should the PDP lose the elections.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police

Command has expressed dismay over the way and manner majority of volunteer organisations were meddling in the election/security affairs.

The command made reference to the case where three suspects namely David Ukiri ‘m’, Alfred Joseph ‘m’ and Uvwiejibobor Akpevwe ‘m’ all of Udu in Udu Local Government Area, arrested with arms, by a detachment of police officers deployed to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to secure electoral materials, adding that they claimed they were members of a vigilante group detailed by their chairman to escort electoral materials.

The command therefore, warned stakeholders who have or intend to employ the services of private security agents, volunteers, guards, vigilantes for the purpose of securing/escorting electoral materials, etc to desist from doing so.

The command in a statement signed by the acting spokesman, Chuks Orisewezie, warned that anyone caught would be arrested and prosecuted.

He said security operatives aside the police, armed forces, DSS, Customs, immigration and other sister security, remain banned from election activities.

18 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Politics Abia deputy governor at home with his people Iyke Ogbonnaya

T

he clandestine indulgences of few and irrelevant political Lilliputs in Nkporo constantly battling to destabilise the country home of Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, deputy governor of Abia State, have regularly left them discomfited, arising from how the people have maximally used every opportunity to demonstrate how highly rated and affectionate they hold their son.

What started in an insignificant manner with the demeaning colouration of disdaining and ignoring the deputy governor during the controversial reception organised in honour of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and powered by few Ohafia stakeholders virally snowballed into irritating distractions of some sorts.

As distracting as it may appear to be, I am well placed to objectively observe that the larger Ohafia political bloc has collectively and continuously stood by their son, the deputy governor.

Retrospectively speaking, unfolding events later revealed that the reception was a sleight hand packaged to promote hidden agendas.

As it turned out, Arua Arunsi eventually emerged as a selfappointed spokesperson with the mandate to boldly propagate the trading of his kinsman’s deputy governor’s position in preference for his unbridled desperation of having another shot at the National Assembly.

Buoyed by the laughable illusion of believing that his strategy was going to be a masterstroke, Arua went about convening meetings and conscripting disciples to advance the cause of seeing to it that Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu is removed as the running-mate of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and pave the way for him to secure House of Representatives ticket.

With military dispatch, different bodies in Nkporo took turns to overtly condemn and decry Arua’s unwholesome self-centredness.

First to vent its salvo was Nkporo Traditional Rulers Council, which conscientiously took time to diminish and dismiss newspaper advertorials alleging that “Nkporo people have agreed to sacrifice the position of deputy governor currently being occupied by their illustrious son for the position of House of Representatives to be occupied by another of their son, Arua Arunsi”.

Among others, one of the highpoints of the celebrated rebuttal by the traditional rulers is that

Ude Oko Chukwu, deputy governor of Abia State

“no normal person can sacrifice the known for the unknown”. The Nkporo Traditional Rulers Council’s position and endorsement deflected Arua’s pipedream.

In very quick succession, multiplicity of other bodies in Nkporo Kingdom also besieged the media

‘

Nkporo has spoken. Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu is without doubts their son in whom they are well pleased

to register their displeasure over the untoward and destabilising political escapades of Prince Arua Arunsi.

Nkporo has spoken. Rt. Hon. Sir Ude Oko Chukwu is without doubts their son in whom they are well pleased, and neither will they gamble or toy with the coveted position of deputy governor which his political fortune has brought their way.

The stark reality of what played out may have dissuaded Arua and made him temporarily sheathe his sword and sue for what later turned out to be deceptive peace while still nursing his House of Representatives ambition.

Having failed to secure his much-sought-after nomination to the House of Representatives, Arua went back to his political trenches. In liaison with his handful of political lieutenants, Arua defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in what may well be described as political

summersault.

Obviously wanting to weigh the place of his acceptance among his people, Arua may have been persuaded to believe that his defection was going to be a crowd puller. Without prejudice to one’s right of association, I will want to observe that Arua’s defection to the APC was tactless and ill-conceived. As it pleasantly turned out, it drove home the biblical story of King Uzziah, who needed to pass on for the unveiling of hitherto hidden and suppressed Isaiah.

By extrapolation, as the pathfinding navigator Arua believed he was, one would have expected the entire Nkporo Kingdom to empty into the APC, but to the consternation of keen political followers in Nkporo, the defection reactionally swelled the political fortunes of Abia Deputy Governor Ude Oko Chukwu.

Yours sincerely saw that youths from Arua’s Nkporo enclave thronged into the streets

jubilating and lavishly pouring powder on themselves and declaring without mincing words that God has delivered them from political stranglehold; that the coast is now clear for them to deeply fraternise and optimally work with their deputy governor brother without let or hindrance.

Expectedly, Prince Arua whose demeanour would naturally elicit anger and frustration, however, took it overboard and resorted to problem-stoking. In its wake, scores of Nkporo youths were hounded, arrested and innocently detained for daring to celebrate their newfound political freedom. Abia State Police Command feasted on all manners of petitions bordering on allegations of different magnitudes.

I am yet to make head or tail of what pleasure there is in disturbing the tranquillity of one’s place of nativity simply because your bidding and will must prevail over that of others. This further illuminates the words of Mahatma Ghandi, that “conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it”.

To practically demonstrate for the umpteenth time their sacrosanct and non-negotiable support for their deputy governor son, Nkporo Kingdom in their deafening entirety gathered at the two rally arenas which held at Obuofia and Etiti-ama communities precisely on the 20th of December, 2018.

It provided the vista for his people to emphatically prove that he is evidently at home with them.

In my mind’s eyes, I could still see emotion-evoking elderly fathers and mothers, the middleaged, youths, and children who came in droves to be counted.

Orji Uzor Kalu thrives in controversy. The good people of Nkporo are, therefore, enjoined to steadfastly maintain their 21st century civility, especially in the face of Orji Uzor Kalu’s unwarranted incitements and vituperations uttered during his inglorious senatorial campaign of 31st January, 2019 which held at Ugwujimba Hall, Etiti-ama Nkporo.

It will be foolhardy for Orji Uzor Kalu, who is contesting for Abia North Senatorial seat, to delight in Gestapo-style politics of denigrating and dragging Ude Oko Chukwu in a campaign of calumny. The Abia deputy governor I know is too civilised to join issues with a serial political loser who could not bequeath enduring infrastructural milestones to his people.

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

Sunday 25 February 2019

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BDSUNDAY 19

Interview Reduce foreign borrowing, use external reserves to finance infrastructure – Ekpo

Concerned by Nigeria’s debt service, which is high, Akpan Ekpo, former director-general of the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management and a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Uyo, in this interview with HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE, calls on the Federal Government to drastically reduce foreign borrowing and diversify the economy. Excerpts:

W

e are in election period; there is so much concern about the economy. Irrespective of the election outcome, what do you think is required to grow the economy?

I think the economy in the past has had a lot of hiccups, there was a recession in 2016, we got out of the recession, the government gave an Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which is not really a plan, but a mediumterm framework to restore growth. I hope that any party that wins will concentrate on the economy.

What do I mean by that?

Concentrate on ensuring that 80 per cent of Nigerians can enjoy the resources of the country. To do that, they must develop infrastructure like power, quality education, quality health delivery system and so forth.

When an economy does that, then such an economy is on the right path, because you can be growing and not be developed. China grew double-digit years back and sustained it to move 700 million Chinese out of poverty. And Nigeria has the resources to do that. So, any government that comes in must begin to focus on Nigerians. In fact, the ERGP has it, but they have not done it to a satisfactory level. They call it investing in people, they must invest in Nigerians.

Because even if you build railways, people still have to man those things.

Then, any government that wins must be strategic, in moving the country forward. What do I mean by that? First it must have a comprehensive economic plan, let’s say 20 to 25 years, which will be passed into law so that no new government can come in and truncate it.

That was how the Asian countries were developed.

That happened in some years back when we had Vision 2020, but it was abandoned. So, whoever wins the election, whichever party that wins, the economy should be the main focus and that focus should be on basic needs.

Akpan Ekpo

Give Nigerians power and they will pay for it, give them water, good roads, education good health system and other things will follow. But if you are growing and the growth is showing positive signs and these basic infrastructure are not available, then you have not done anything.

You talked about aggressively driving economic growth and provision of infrastructure, as you are aware, these things require fund to put them in place. How can the government raise the required revenue?

You know, the Nigerian government’s revenue is dependent on the oil sector and I call the oil revenue exogenous revenue because you have no control over the price and you are not even in control of the output. You can’t use that to finance long-term development. You should see it as a windfall and use it as such, as they did in Norway. We have not done that over the years. So we must di-

versify the economy into other areas so that we can earn foreign exchange from other sources outside the oil sector. Another way of making money is to look at the tax structure.

I am not saying we should increase tax rate, but we need to bring more people into the tax net. A lot of Nigerians who are wealthy or rich don’t pay tax, you have to bring them into the tax net. Then you have to tax luxury goods heavily. For example, if you go to Abuja and Lagos airports, the number of private jets that you see, they should pay tax. Then also you look at some government owned enterprises, and here, I am not saying privatise them, I will prefer the word commercialise them. In other words, let those companies be managed by private sector people with government still holding substantial shares.

If you have to privatise them, let it be open, and not secretly done, so that anybody can buy shares.

Thirdly, people will not like to hear this, our Value Added Tax (VAT) rate is the lowest in the world. If you tinker with VAT to even 6.5 per cent, that will generate a lot of revenue. So, those are the areas, because right now the government needs liquidity to do a lot of things.

But, let me say that it is good to tax because like I said, Nigeria’s tax to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is one of the lowest.

But there is a limit to taxation, you have to have service delivery, I pay tax because I get service. If people are not happy about the service delivery they will not pay tax, except those who are working and they don’t have a choice.

Again you can generate more tax by looking at people who are employed, if employment increases, people will work and they will pay tax. When you have a high unemployment figure, it means that a lot of the youths are unemployed.

That is a serious problem because you are losing tax

from that. The next thing will be how will the government create employment?

Nigerian cities are the least policed in the world, if you employ a lot of policemen in thousands, you are creating jobs. They will police the citizens, they will earn salaries and they will pay tax. So the government has to think of how to do it.

You mentioned power as one of the things that anybody that wins the election has to focus on.

Looking at how far we have gone with the power sector reform and we are still without regular power supply, what do you think can be done to have an improved power supply?

Well, I will like to disappoint you in two or three issues. Firstly, power in the last one year has improved marginally compared to previous years. But the problem with it is that the Nigerian elites are not interested in the power sector.

The way they unbundled the existing government plans was not transparent enough. They sold it to their own cronies. All over the world, we know companies that can give us power and we ought to have invited them during the power sales because they have the

”

We have not done that over the years. So we must diversify the economy into other areas so that we can earn foreign exchange from other sources outside the oil sector

”

expertise.

Nigeria has all the ingredients for us to have power supply, how come we don’t have? Again, state capture. How come everyday people are setting up generator companies to sell generators? They are not interested in the power because it is a struggle. If power is there 24 hours, those guys would no longer be in business. You call it power reform, but I don’t think there was any reform.

For example, if you are selling any asset, you sell both the assets and the liabilities.

Now, you bought a power plant, you did your arithmetic very well before acquiring the assets, all of a sudden the company said that they didn’t know gas would be a problem. Instead of the government saying that you have bought it, you should go and fix, they started bailing them out again. I was the chairman of Akwa Ibom State Investment Council for almost eight years, so I know what I am talking about. When you sell a government asset, you set a limit, say if after 5 years we don’t see any improvement, we will take back the asset. Rather than doing that, the central bank went again to give them additional money in form of support. (cuts in)...But in the power sector agreement, there is the clause that allows government to repossess the assets?

Have they implemented it? The power sector is already in crisis. Why not get known companies to come and fix this thing. It might not be in one year, but at least they will be honest. The unemployment we talked about earlier is tied to the power sector. Britain, Germany, US, they all run 24 hours power supply, so factories run three shifts and by doing that they create jobs. In Nigeria, here a factory that runs power for eight hours on national grid is very lucky. So, power is crucial and we said from the onset that if you increase power by just one per cent, the GDP will grow by 3.5 per cent.

So, the power assets Continues on page 20

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Interview Reduce foreign borrowing, use external reserves to finance ...

Continued from page 19 were sold to their cronies.

I thought this government would revisit that process because the people they sold these things were not experts. The only person who understood this thing was even removed from government- Barth Nnaji.

His own company understood the power sector challenges very well, but they removed him because of the issues he was raising. So, you need a government that will fix power. No country develops by being defined as a generatordriving economy. If you go to Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki, all in Lagos, they are all running generator. It doesn’t work that way.

You earlier said the government needs liquidity.

Are you advising them to keep borrowing, considering the rising debt and the huge amount of money being spent to service debts?

Let me say that generally, there is nothing wrong in borrowing if you borrow to finance capital projects that will pay its way. For Nigeria, they have been borrowing into a pool and we don’t know whether the money is for recurrent or for capital. And it didn’t start with the All Progressives Congress (APC), all the other governments were doing it. Our debt service is very high, it is rising all the time, which is not too good. But if you take debt service to GDP ratio, it is low. And why is it low?

It was because we rebased our GDP. We rebased the GDP and the denominator was very large. So, if you divide the denominator, you will have enough space to keep doing what you are doing.

Do we have the capacity to manage the debt? At the national level they have, at the state level, they don’t have because states’ debts are also increasing. For me, I always argue that with our external reserves, we should reduce our foreign borrowing drastically and use our external reserves to finance infrastructure. The government will not agree with me on this.

That is why I tell them always to compute debt to revenue ratio and not debt to GDP, because GDP does not pay debt, but revenue does. If they compute debt to revenue ratio, it will show that almost all our revenues go to paying debt. They don’t like doing that. The International Monetary Fund does it.

If revenue is the denomi-

Akpan Ekpo

nator and revenue fluctuates because of oil, if you are not so sure of your revenue source, so what they do now is that you do both now. That is, you compute debt-to-GDP and debt-torevenue.

Considering developments in the global economy, the US-China trade war, Brexit among others, what should be the structure of monetary policy in Nigeria today?

I think the global environment is important like the US-China relationship.

What they are doing now is very crucial. I always argue that no country wins a trade war. China is a world power whether we like it or not. So if both sides’ tariffs go up as they are going up, it will affect us.

But are we ready for the likely impact of what is playing out in the global environment? So, monetary policy will depend on several things - the exchange rate, the growth of the economy and what we call the macro-fundamentals. If you watch in Nigeria, monetary policy has virtually been the only policy that has been making noise, that is my view, and I might be wrong. And there is still tightening the monetary policy rate (MPR) has not changed for many years.

Is that good or bad? The

central bank might have its reasons, but for me as an outsider looking at what they are doing, the MPR is supposed to be an anchor rate to have impact on the lending rate. But today, it doesn’t have impact on lending rate.

The average lending rate today is about 25 per cent.

The MPR has impact on interbank rate somehow and then the cash reserve requirement has virtually remained the same. But I think the CBN has kept monetary policy tight so as not to temper with the exchange rate. For inflation, at 11.37 per cent, it is not bad for our economy. Any country should know its benchmark.

You can have inflation of 50 per cent and still be doing well. Some countries even induce inflation in other to stimulate growth.

So, for me, monetary policy should be loosened since the economy has recovered from recession and we are on a growth trajectory. This is now the time to loosen monetary policy to stimulate growth, by working with fiscal policy.

In other words, I wish the CBN will not continue to tighten monetary policy.

So, there should be coordination between monetary and fiscal policy. The MPC usually has represen-

tative from the Ministry of Finance, which should be the case. Right now, the central bank is even doing fiscal policy. So, there should be coordination between the fiscal and monetary authorities to enhance growth. And then the exchange rate as well.

I always ask the question, since it is stable at N360 to a dollar, what about the official rate of N305 and an investors and exporters’ window of about N362 and there are some other rates.

Now, must they converge?

Some say yes and some say no. My position is, even if we have a stable exchange rate is that good enough for the Nigerian economy? Stability means that there is a form of market equilibrium.

But is it good enough for a country like Nigeria? My argument is also based on the fact that the naira itself is not a convertible currency.

So, would we do better if the exchange rate stabilises at a lower level? Because I don’t believe in a marketdetermined exchange rate for an economy like Nigeria. So those are the issues that the CBN has to look at.

So far they have done their best because the oil price has been going up and it has shown in our external reserves. But if oil price drops tomorrow, there would be some challenges. That is why I said that we should stop being an oil economy.

Not really for us to stop entirely, but don’t take it too seriously because it is affecting everything that we do. What we are

”

Now, you bought a power plant, you did your arithmetic very well before acquiring the assets, all of a sudden the company said that they didn’t know gas would be a problem

”

saying here today, people said it 60 years ago. Also, they need to know how to manage the reserves. Now they have tried by moving some to Chinese currency.

But I feel that why should we keep much reserves outside when you have problem of infrastructure?

Why are you borrowing too much? Use some of your reserves to do some things that you have to do. You know reserves are in dollars, if I was government, you know the CBN keeps the government earnings, I will tell the CBN to pay me my money in dollars and at N360/$.

Your new book on revenue sharing formula for the three tiers of government, what is it all about and what were the recommendations?

Firstly, the book came out as an exercise that was financed by the Revenue Commission. We bided and got the job and went all over the six geo-political zones of the country, designed surveys and the zones we went to, the governors showed interest in it because they were calling for a higher revenue formula.

So we went round for months and this book is one of the results of that exercise. Because you know by law, the Fiscal Commission does the exercise and give it to government and the government takes it to the House of Assembly which has the right to tinker with the revenue sharing formula. So, we went around and interesting enough, states that have resources like oil wanted more from the allocation for derivation and states that don’t have wanted us to use derivation.

S o, w h e n w e w e n t round, based on the results we got, Nigerians are closer more to the states than the federal government. So if states have more money all things being equal, they will do more in their areas of jurisdiction and the people can now monitor what they are doing. Then we saw that some states cannot raise internally generated revenue (IGR) and cannot even pay salaries. In fact, the study I did for UNDP years ago, if federal government’s allocation stops only Lagos and Kano can survive, not even Rivers State as at the time I did that work, and it has not changed much. So, we said let us enhance the states, and somehow all the states agreed that they need to have some increase.

The issue now became how do we do it? Because

I feel that the federal government is too strong. We have on paper a federal system but in practice it is not.

The federal government is too strong. States don’t have too much powers, you won’t know until you are involved. Before you do anything in state A, you need the federal government’s approval. So, part of it is to say let give them have more money so that they can do certain things. If you watch states are getting more than federal. Now, local government, by the time we did this work, you know the local government is still under state government.

Now by the law of the country state governments are supposed to give some money to the local government but they don’t give. So we argued somewhere that if state government gives them what they are supposed to give them, added to what they are getting from the center they will be better off. But we counted only about six state governments that are doing it. A lot of people used to blame federal government, but you should blame the states and the federal government. In most of our local governments there is nothing happening.

So that is what influenced that project. People are closer more to the states, I believe in what they call league of federation. Let us have strong states and a weak centre that is how we can build the country.

The United States is a confederation of states, but all the states were already independent before they came together to form the US. In our own case we had a centre before we started forming the states, to renew tribal tension, that was all, nothing else.

The more you created the states, the more tension we had. Pray that you don’t leave in a border town in Nigeria. For example, when you are going to Akwa Ibom from Cross River, have you ever seen where they erected a sign post welcoming you to Akwa Ibom or welcome to Calabar?

Because each time you do that somebody in anger destroy it. That is because to them, they are the same people. Our leaders don’t go down to look at these things, they just sit in their comfortable environment.

So, government should try and implement the recommendations in the book and not just keep it on the shelf.

We are lucky that the book came out when states are calling for the review of the revenue sharing formula.

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BDSUNDAY 21

Lander Stool;

A day at Lesedi Cultural Village

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Arts Enthralling twists on stage

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OBINNA EMELIKE f you are a lover of live stage performance, you need to see The Mad King Of Ijudiya.

For the many times the play has staged, the cast always deliver interesting and eclectic performance.

Many say it is the adaptation of King Herod story in the Bible, but going by the storyline, it is obvious.

However, the stage performance makes the difference.

Written and produced by Ayo Jaiyesimi, Mad King of Ijudiya tells the story of King Ero ba ni se, a draconian ruler, who, for fear of rivalry with a newborn baby the gods predict will be stronger than him, becomes outrageous and seeks to eliminate the newborn baby.

The play usually opens with a king who is not as powerful as King Ero ba ni se giving his daughter’s hand in marriage to Eliase. The marriage ceremony is disrupted by the sudden invasion of King Ero ba ni se’s warriors led by the fearless warlord, Iberu. Iberu and his men are in the little village to demand for taxes. The king is adamant and refuses to subject himself to the threats of Iberu and the unlawful taxation of his people by King Ero ba ni se. Before long, the king, his subjects and entire household are taken captive by Iberu and they become slaves to King Ero ba ni se.

The stage play continues its excitement at the palace of King Ero Ba ni se where the figure of his mother, the Queen, looms large.

She questions the four wives of the king on the meals they have prepared for her son who she

proudly refers to as “the only star in the galaxies”. She aptly condemns the numerous delicacies the wives have prepared for her son. The gbegiri (bean soup) of the most senior wife has gone sour and thus is not suitable for the king. The efo riro (vegetable soup) of the senior wife does not contain dried fish, hence her son does not deserve such an unworthy meal. The ila asepo (mixed okro soup) of the junior wife contains ponmo (cow skin), and so, how can the only star in the galaxies be served cow skin?

Trouble erupts when Epo Oyinbo, one of the wives, who did not cook for the king, challenges the Queen Mother saying, “Why should I stress myself making a meal for the king? I have to reserve

my energy and take care of my delicate skin to satisfy the king.”

The theme of pride runs through the entire play. King Ero ba ni se and his mother are shrouded in pride. The Queen Mother is full of praise of his son just as the king praise-sings himself before he sits on his throne. Pride is so ingrained in the Queen Mother’s consciousness that cow skin becomes an unsuitable meal for the great King of Ijudiya.

Another thematic preoccupation of the play is tyranny, a theme that is common in most African plays. Mad King of Ijudiya is comical and reiterates an enduring propensity for social and political commitment. It reflects and refracts the socio-political events in the Nigerian society. It celebrates Nigeria’s

rich cultural heritage through its folklores and songs, a testament to the fact that the biblical story of Jesus’ birth can be adapted to suit any clime.

Through its thematic preoccupation, the play celebrates the heroic grandeur of the Nigerian struggle against tyranny. One could say it highlights the nation’s anti-colonial struggle and the postcolonial disillusionment that has plagued the Nigerian people since 1960.

The play also reveals that in Nigeria, the seeds of disharmony, mediocrity and macabre corporate distrust have been sown; corruption and rampant scarcity of personal integrity have replaced the hitherto peaceful existence. The play shows how the traditional map of African play has been altered

beyond recognition because of its undisguised depiction of postcolonial decadence. It is about existential and societal realities of the neo-colonial Nigerian nation, even though the play has a village setting.

Most Importantly, Mad King of Ijudiya, like many other comical African plays, reveals an atmosphere of fear, hate, humiliation and an aura of repression, in forms of arrest, slavery and execution. It highlights the dictatorial and oppressive tendencies of the imperialist and comprador bourgeoisie in neo-colonial African nations. It is a good play to see with its brilliant costumes, stage setting, lighting, well choreographed dance and songs.

Follow Ayo Jaiyesimi to see when next and where he is staging the play.

It’s ‘Material Insanity’ at MACAAL, Marrakech

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he Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL), Marrakech, will host a group exhibition titled Material Insanity running from February 26 to September 22, 2019.

The exhibition will feature works by over 30 artists including Hassan Hajjaj (Morocco), Ibrahim Mahama (Ghana), Frances Goodman (South Africa) and Nari Ward (Jamaica) that explore varying mediums as a theme. The resulting works include new sitespecific pieces commissioned by MACAAL. Through installations made from everyday objects, the exhibition will combine various aesthetics that result in discourse.

Material Insanity hopes to react to a growing interest in contemporary art directed towards a focus on transient or intangible artworks, often seen as a reaction against globalization and consumerism. This can be seen in works such as Clay Apenouvon’s

(Togo) stretched black plastic film, Owanto’s (Gabon) embroideries exhumed from the collective memory and Cyrus Kabiru’s (Kenya) material reinvention of electronic waste in the form of sculptural eyewear.

“Through immersive scenography created by architect and artist Zineb Andress, the exhibition questions the relationship between form and meaning across diverse countries and cultures today, confronting the spectator with the reality of social responsibility as an urgent necessity,” the museum writes.

“Reinvisioning materials often associated with trade and waste as artworks, artists including Nari Ward (Jamaica), Beya Gille Gacha (Cameroon), Fatiha Zemmouri (Morocco), M’barek Bouhchichi (Morocco), Hassan Bourkia (Morocco) and Malek Gnaoui (Tunisia), use materialism as representations of memory, migration, societal expectations and

tradition. Through their selected media they expose traces of many individual journeys and histories, illuminating the multiplicity of stories within the contemporary climate.”

Considering the trade and environmental effects of mass production and commercialism in countries across Africa and the diaspora, many of the works also consider materialism in the context of environmentalism, and the impact of materiality on the world and its future.

The exhibition invites a critical analysis of past and present society by accentuating the practice of contemporary artists as well as exploring the act of re-materialization in response to cultural devaluation in a digital era.

Material Insanity is curated by Meriem Berrada, Artistic Director at MACAAL & Head of Cultural Projects at Fondation Alliances and Janine Gaelle Dieudji, Exhibitions Director at MACAAL.

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Arts Largest museum of Black civilization opens in Dakar Obinna Emelike

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fter 52 years of waiting, Senegal finally opened what is described as the largest museum of Black civilization in the capital, Dakar in December 2018.

With close to 14,000 square metres of floor space and capacity for 18,000 exhibits, the new Museums of Black Civilisation is already capable of competing with the National Museum of African American History in Washington.

Inside the Museum of Black Civilizations, visitors will find ambitious displays spanning both centuries and continents. The exhibition Cradle of Humankind, for instance, looks back to human origins in Africa and features early stone tools. African Civilizations: Continuous

Creation of Humanity delves into the history of masks and “the traditions of Sufism and Christianity in Africa,” according to Kate Brown Artnet News. Another exhibition hall includes Africa Now, showcasing contemporary African art and The Caravan and Caravel, which explores the story of the trade in human beings – across the Atlantic and through the Sahara – that gave rise to new communities of Africans in the Americas. The diaspora communities such as in Brazil, the United States and the Caribbean are recognized as African civilizations in their own right.

Among the contemporary artworks to appear in the new museum are pieces by the Cuban artist Elio Rodriguez, South Africa’s Andries Botha, and the Haitian artist Philippe Dodard.

The collections, however, are not complete, but the

museum says its operations will be independent.

Since the museum could contain works owned by France since colonization, Senegal’s culture minister has called for the restitution

by France of all Senegalese artwork on the back of a French report urging the return of African art treasures.

Apart from suffering from the negative conse-

Dance Gathering 2019 to surpass expectations

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he 2019 edition of Dance Gathering will open to the general public from February 20, 2019 and end with street art intervention on February 23 and 24.

Themed Afrospacetime, this edition includes 79 artists, among which are dancers, choreographers, visual artists, art historians, curators, filmmakers, architects, photographers, drummers and producers, from across the world; including Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Ethiopia, Benin Republic, Senegal, Dominican Republic, Nederland, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Jamaica and the USA. According to Qudus Onikeku, artistic director/cocurator of Dance Gathering 2019, “The momentum

of our gathering as Africans scattered all over the world, is to affirm the reality of a shared networked and global presence on this planet. It is a reality that we indicate through the declaration of these premises as fact and, within the framework of Afrospacetime, Dance Gathering 2019 will offer an opportunity for us to express and interweave those fleeting emotions, imageries and imaginations borne of consciousness and allow them to enrich our lives’ choices here now”.

Onikeku further stressed that, “Dance Gathering is built on practical collaborations and mutual sharing of knowledge and privileges, those previously and historically predetermined by the warped values laid down

by racism, patriarchy, nationalism, gender and other politics of iniquity.

“This is not a denial of difference, but an acceptance of our own individual and collective privileges and interdependently bringing them on board, for diversity, for equity, inclusion and for the service of others who don’t enjoy same level of privilege.

In these endeavors, we work to make Art and thought come alive and to resonate with one another, allowing experimentation with concepts and ideas to come before ­linear meaning”.

He noted that the event is would be building unexpected bridges between abstraction and realism, between reason and emotion, between the conscious, trance and dreamscapes.

The festival is framed as a workshop for creatives from the African continent and its diaspora, but most importantly an opportunity for the Lagos populace to have direct access to international artists. The public event’s lineup includes an opening cocktail on February 20, Artists’ Salon on February 21 at Glover Memorial Hall, Marina, Dance Party on the February 22 at the same venue, while February 23 and 24 will be the international performance weekend on Broad Street.

quences of colonialism, Africans have had to negotiate for the return of valuable historical cultural artefacts that were smuggled out of their countries. These priceless monuments, which symbolize African identity are currently scattered across the world, with an impressive number in British and French Museums.

Many African countries

have called for the return of these treasures but are yet to receive any positive response from these western countries, which are making huge sums of money from these objects, with some even insisting that they were obtained legally.

French President Emmanuel Macron recently announced that his country will return 26 artefacts

taken from Benin in 1892.

The thrones and statues, currently on display at the Quai Branly museum in Paris, were taken during a colonial war against the then Kingdom of Dahomey.

Senegal’s late president Leopold Sedar Senghor was the first to propose the idea of a museum about the civilizations of Black Africa during the world festival of Black artists in Dakar in 1966.

In December 2011, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade laid the foundation stone in the capital Dakar but works were suspended during a political change until the subsequent leader, Macky Sall set the project rolling between December 2013 and December 2015. Senegal is not the only African nation to recently launch a new art museum; a major institution is also under construction in Nigeria, for instance.

Organisers unveil guest list for Berlin’s African Book Festival 2019

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he guest list for Berlin’s African Book Festival 2019 has been unveiled. The festival curated by Tsitsi Dangarembga, writer and filmmaker, runs from April 4-7, 2019.

In 2018, writers from across Africa and its diaspora converged on Berlin for the African Book Festival with Chris Abani as the headliner.

The festival organised by InterKontinental and curated

by Olumide Popoola looked at transnationalism and migration in a more literary sense of “keeping in motion”.

As preparations for the 2019 edition kicked off, organisers announced on September 25, 2018, that it would be curated by Zimbabwean author and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga.

That announcement would follow with the unveiling of the festival headliner for Ben Okri, the 2019 Booker Award winner.

The team at the festival has announced the artists who will be making their way to Berlin to attend the shindig with the theme “Transitioning from Migration.” They represent an array of countries from across Africa like Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Somaliland, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Sudan, Liberia, Malawi as well as diaspora countries like the USA and the UK.

Many of those attending are familiar to followers of African writing like award-winning South African author and scholar Zakes Mda and Nigerian author Sefi Atta. Some of the other writers who will feature are Fred Khumalo, Novuyo Rosa Tshuma, Christopher Mlalazi, Chike Frankie Edozien, Ayesha Harruna Attah, Olumide Popoola, Elma Shaw, Thando Mgqolozana, Ijangolet S Ogwang, Pumla Dineo Gqola, Shadreck Chikoti, Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, Emmanuel Sigauke, Fungai Tichawangana, Donald Molosi and Panashe Chigumadzi. Caine Prize winner Namwali Serpell and writer of highly anticipated debut

novel imagine The Old Drift will also feature.

Harriet Anena who recently won the Wole Soyinka Prize, Chirikure Chirikure and Safia Elhillo are some of the poets who will feature.

There are also those who might not be writing books but are an important part of the writing ecosystem that will feature like publishers Ellah Wakatama Allfrey (Indigo Press), Bibi BakareYusuf (Cassava Republic Press) and Yana Makuwa (Graywolf Press). There will also be Hargeysa International Book Fair founder Jama Musse Jama, as well as, literary bloggers Ainehi Edoro-Glines and James Murua.

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Life&Living

Ladies begin the race for Face of Zikel Ifeoma Okeke

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o doubt, the make-up and beauty industry in Nigeria has continued to be dominated by women and this is because they are the ones who wear make-up and adorn themselves in admirable attires.

Gradually, this narrative is changing as men are not only beginning to take active part in this competitive market but also seem to be calling the shots.

A recent admirable example is Ezike Kelvin Chinedu, the CEO, Zikel Cosmetics who believes that he came into the make-up industry to liberate women from the shackles of extortion from some of these high end brands.

Zikel Cosmetics is a Nigerian brand born from a ‘great passion for makeup, beauty and the need to provide high quality makeup products with international standard for the African makeup lovers, with a focus on providing quality and affordable makeup products that are clinically tested and designed especially for the African woman.

This is also as Chinedu is also taking this passion of his to the next level with the unveiling of the

‘Faze of Zikel’ 2019.

Face of Zikel is a competition to select the face for Zikel Cosmetics. This will also serve as an opportunity for those who want to come into the beauty industry

to do so.

Contestants are required to buy their forms for a token of N5,000 at Zikel outlets or selected banks. The audition which will last between March to April will see

lots of women from ages of 16 to 32, whether light or dark skinned, fat or slim, compete for the prize.

Speaking about ‘Face of Zikel,’ Chinedu said “This is our first edition. Before now, we have been partnering a lot of pageants, so this year, we felt that we should just stand out and do it ourselves because Zikel is a brand that is coming to take over the make-up industry in Africa. “ We t h o u g h t i t n e c e s s a r y to encourage lots of upcoming young ladies and we are trying to take a lot of people out of the streets. The winner goes home with N1.7million in salary, trip to Dubai, six months cosmetics supply worth N800,000, amongst others. We want to harness the talents of young people. There are also great prizes for the First and Second runner up.

On his passion for beauty and make-up, he disclosed, “I used to date a lady that I eventually married. She loved make-up and most times, she sends me to buy make-up and these make-ups were very expensive and it was eating so much into my pocket.

We are married now for over two years. She is the brain behind me going into the business.

“I try to satisfy her because

she is a make-up artiste. So, at a point, we decided to get our own products. I decided to give her products of the same quality with those products she loved. The last time I travelled to UK in 2016, I met a company and that was how the idea sprung up. Before now, I used to be a banker, I worked with Zenith for two years and when they couldn’t retain us, I had to fend for myself. I entered into cosmetic business in general. My wife is a make-up freak and I also love her wearing make-up. So, I had to come up with this idea.”

Chinedu who disclosed that some of his products are sourced from United Kingdom, United States and US China said he started off the business with just three products and has now expanded to over 41 products comprising of various shades of powder, foundations, lip stain, eye lashes, contact lens and eye shadows, amongst others.

Halima Abubakar, one of Nigeria’s best actresses and the brand ambassador of Zikel Cosmetics said Zikel Cosmetics is loved by everyone and the competition is an opportunity for the up comers to showcase what they have to do, to represent the brand and to reach out to a wider audience such as Nigeria and Ghana.

Wines and spirits; shop the best collection at ProWein, Germany

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IFEOMA OKEKE

s customers set out for Easter celebrations in few months time, it will be more than exciting to visit ProWein, the World leading annual international trade fair for wine and spirits to get best collections just to entertain your guests the coming season.

The fair, which is set to take place in Dusseldorf, Germany from March 17 -19, 2019 would be a convergence of industry leaders from the beverage industry including professionals from viticulture, production, trade, gastronomy as well as global media.

ProWein hosted its first iteration in 1994 under the name ProVins, picking up on a small presentation of French wine from a year earlier.

While the Francophile name was retained, the spectrum of exhibitors expanded to include other countries - Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Columbia, Austria, Portugal, Spain and Hungary - and on February 2324, 1994 in Düsseldorf, 321 vendors of still and sparkling wine and spirits presented their wares.

1,517 visitors were recorded at that first event, 250 of them traveling in from other European nations, primarily France.

25 years later, ProWein continues to take significant leaps in content and context. With an intended footfall of 6,800 exhibitors from around the world, including major winegrowing regions conveniently grouped within the halls by nation, Prowein will be the global hub of the true “Who’s Who” of the industry.

One highlight of the 2019 edition will be the continued exploration of craft drinks and its viability in today’s dynamic market. Tagged as “same but different”, the featured exhibit

which was introduced in 2018 will showcase artisanal craft spirits, beers and ciders from nearly 100 exhibitors from 22 countries.

A promising portfolio of craft drinks, such as Cachaca from France and the Netherlands, Gins from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Norway and the UK. Whiskey from Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Norway and Austria; as well as a small but fine collection of ciders will be sampled.

With an intensified commitment

of service to their West African visitors, Messe Dusseldorf – organizers of the ProWein trade fair – are set to host this year’s edition of the fair presenting even more opportunities of exposure to global trends and the future direction of the wine and spirit industries.

Speaking on ProWein 2019, Akhigbe Itua, West African Representative of Messe Dusseldorf – organizers of ProWein – said, “We have noticed that within the region, the Nigerian market has rather swiftly transitioned from

a simple high consumption one to a more complex environment with increasing levels of sophistication and greater demands for highquality products. The finer cultural elements associated with Alcohol consumption are now commonplace in Nigeria.

“This is why ProWein has intensified our visitor recruitment activities in Nigeria. The unique B2B platform that we present at our fairs ensure that every trade visitor will conduct their business in a purely businessfocused environment with no distractions from casual consumer interest. All visitors to ProWein are vetted to ensure they are active industry players. The exponential growth of fine dining, swanky bars, wine clubs and the nightlife industry also embellish the fact that there is a great thirst for beverages to complement these experiences.

“As ProWein turns 25, we are committed to partnering with Nigeria to ensure that the increasing thirst for knowledge associated with the beverage industry finds a home at our trade fairs”.

ProWein 2019 will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany from March 17 – March 19, 2019, reaffirming the Trade fair’s commitment to consistently set the pace for the global Wines and Spirits Industry.

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Entertainment

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Baby Mamas, spotlight on the joys, woes of single mothers

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f you what to know what I means to be a single mother, especially in Africa, then watch the movie, Baby Mamas. The exciting movie features four women who share all their experiences on the joys and woes of being single mothers, while still searching for true love.

“Our generation is fortunate to have the privilege of being able to tell our story ourselves, so the first thing I’m going to do is always to tell the other side of our unique African story”, Stephina Zwane, director of the movie, explained.

Baby Mamas, the first ever South African film to show in Nigeria is set to premiere in Lagos on the 1st of March, 2019 at all Filmhouse Cinemas’ locations.

Baby Mamas follows the daily lives, loves, and drama of four professional women - who are all in different stages of their own real baby mama drama. The term “Baby Mamas” is a term that has now been permanently included in pop culture and colloquial language to mean a mother who is not married to her child’s father or is not currently involved with her child’s father. As the four women explore the many dynamics of being baby mamas, they open themselves up to pain, healing, sorrow, joy, friendship and indeed, love.

The writers and director of

the movie, both South African women (Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese) are passionate about changing the narrative!

As young black women, they are able to bring to the fore topics in their films, that are relevant to society, in a fun and unique way, and in this way, they are have developed into storytellers who are bringing to the fore stories that are both entertaining, thought provoking and compelling.

With an ensemble female cast of Salamina Mosese, Thembisa Mdoda, Dineo Ranaka, and Kay Smith, with Stephina Zwane in the director’s seat, the film makes a strong case for sisterhood, female empowerment, and pure black girl magic. Many of the themes explored in the film are the journey to motherhood, the stigma, and shame that comes with pregnancy out of wedlock, the pain of dealing

with a failed relationship, the courage to leave an abusive situation and of course, dealing with the absence of a child’s father. A sisterhood develops among these four very different women, as they find in each other the strength and courage it will take to navigate the treacherous waters of the relationships, good and bad, that they have with the men in their lives.

These various themes explore

Legend continues to thrill at ‘Real Deal Experience’ shows

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egend’s flagship consumer engagement activity, Real Deal Experience, has continued its tour of major cities in the country, thrilling fans along the way. The show, which was conceived by national premium stout brand, Legend, features Nigeria’s biggest music stars performing in various cities around the country and brings the country’s music artistes closer to their grassroots fans.

This concert has held in cities including Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha, Umuahia, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Abakaliki, and Owerri, and has featured some of Nigeria’s biggest entertainers including MI, Timaya, 9ice, Kcee, Oritsefemi, Small Doctor, among others.

On Thursday, February 14, 2018, when the Coal City of Enugu came alive with the Real Deal Experience, popular dancehall and Afro-pop singer, Timaya, was on hand to delight the crowd as he delivered an electrifying performance that left the audience desiring some more.

The Port Harcourt-born entertainer was at his best, pumping up the tempo as he delivered many of his hit songs from “Ah blem blem” to “Dem Mama”. He also performed songs from his recently released album which kept the fans grooving through-

out the night.

The audience reception was lovely to watch, as they showed their love for Timaya, singing along to every song he belted out. It was an interesting sight as some members of the audience hopped onto the stage to dance with the selfacclaimed Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa.

“It’s one thing to sing and entertain your audience, but when they take you on in a sing-along, picking up the song from the first line and singing it all to the end, you feel proud,” Timaya said.

“Trust me, it’s a unique connection and such a humbling experience. I will never take this love for granted. Thank you to

my fans, the beautiful people of Enugu and Legend Extra Stout for making this possible. I can’t wait to be back here for another Real Deal Experience,” he said.

Valentine’s Day was well spent for consumers present at the event as Legend celebrated the season of love with special Valentine-themed cupcakes and decorations.

“As a consumer-focused brand, we go the extra mile to ensure our consumers are happy.

That is why we are always keen on creating multiple opportunities to ensure we delight them,” said Sarah Agha, portfolio manager, national premium brands.

Timaya performing at ‘Real Deal Experience’ concert in Enugu

“The ‘Real Deal Experience’ is unique because it allows us as a brand to get closer to our local market and better understand their needs whilst also rewarding our loyal customers,” Agha said.

One of the major highlights was the interesting and engaging couple games which saw some lucky ones go home with amazing household appliances.

The biggest winners of the night were Mba Maduabuchi and his wife who won an all-expense paid dinner for two at the Octopus Restaurant in Enugu.

“We are so excited we won.

We did not even believe we would win. Thank you so much Legend Extra Stout for making this Valentine’s Day a memorable one for my wife and me,” said Mba. Also, for the first time at the Real Deal Experience show, there was a Legend taste experience lounge which offered cocktail mixes. Consumers were able to mix their favourite stout brand with other amazing brands. From the games to the amazing performances and the lovely decorations, Enugu will not forget this edition in a hurry.

Legend Extra Stout is a unique bitter-tasting premium stout, fully brewed from the finest ingredients, and bottled under the highest quality standards.

in the film thus birth incredibly honest and vulnerable performances that are really relatable, heartwarming and quite moving.

The film comes at just the right time because of the many conversations in recent times, and the director of the film believes there is need to take control of the narrative.

The film highlights the fact that none of us are really that different; we generally go through the same things and it’s important that we remember to connect as human beings and be kind to one another for we are all struggling to make it through each day.

When asked why she wrote this story, and why it’s important for such stories coming out of Africa to be told, Stephina Zwane says “our generation is fortunate to have the privilege of being able to tell our story ourselves, so the first thing I’m going to do is always to tell the other side of our unique African story.”

She says of the film’s four female lead characters. “I’m tired of images that don’t celebrate me as an African that constantly shows me lacking and struggling.

This is not all that we are”.

We urge you to join in the conversation by following @ filmoneng on Instagram . “Baby Mama’s” is out at cinemas across Nigeria on March 1, 2019 #BabyMamasFilm.

BBNaija: MultiChoice opens online audition

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ollowing conclusion of the nationwide auditions for Big Brother Naija season 4, MultiChoice Nigeria has announced a call for special online auditions from February 25-27, 2019.

Potential contestants are expected to record a two-minute video of themselves stating why they should be selected to become housemates in this year’s edition.

Following this, they are to log on to AfricaMagic website and fill out the online registration form and upload their videos. The online audition is open to interested participants who must be of Nigerian nationality and 21 years of age, with a valid international passport. They also need to be active DStv or GOtv subscribers.

“We are giving more Nigerians one more chance to be a part of the biggest reality TV show on the continent by introducing an additional online audition process.,” said John Ugbe, CEO, MultiChoice Nigeria.

“We’ve seen how much the show continues to resonate with Nigerians and it’s our desire to create more success stories from the BBNaija platform. We are excited about this new twist and ask that more Nigerians take advantage of this novel opportunity to actualise their dreams of getting into the BBNaija house,” Ugbe said.

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Travel A day at Lesedi Cultural Village Obinna Emelike

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hile on a flight from Lagos to Johannesburg sometime in September 2018, an elderly woman from Broederstroom, who was returning from Nigeria after a month visit to see her new grandchild, was disappointed that most visitors to South Africa prefer the beaches, shopping malls and hotel rooms.

She suggested that nature and, especially cultural offerings are attractions to explore more on a visit to her country. “A man without culture is like a zebra without stripes”, she warned.

However, one inquisitive mind among the passengers asked rhetorically “But where can one visit for cultural offerings in South Africa?

While the question was still on the passenger’s lips, the elderly woman started mentioning places that are offering premium cultural thrills, and Lesedi Cultural Village was foremost in her highlight.

But why Lesedi, was the woman promoting the cultural village because she hails from there, or is she genuine in her suggestions.

One of the homesteads Well, a trip to Lesedi is just what you need to discover how factual or deceptive the woman was.

Situated near Broederstroom in the northwest of Gauteng Province in South Africa, the

Lesedi Cultural Village, about 35-minute drive from Pretoria and a 50-miniute drive from Johannesburg, is an embodiment of cultural diversity amid excitement.

From the entrance of the village set amid rocky hills and bushveld, the artistically designed welcome signpost, which reads “Lesedi siyanamukela” or, “Lesedi welcomes you”, is obvious and guests are truly welcomed to become a part of the village and experience its way of life.

Once inside the cultural village, visitors have a chance to encounter people of Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Ndebele and Basotho origin, all in one place and out to excite with their different cultural offerings.

Aside the written welcome, visitors

are warmly welcomed by the village elders at the Ndebele village and then view a multimedia presentation of South Africa’s colourful history. This is followed by a guided tour of the various cultural villages, where guests are treated to an education in folklore, rituals and local phrases in different languages.

Before the multimedia presentation, Lloyd Moeng, the general manager, Lesedi Cultural Village, explained the concept of the village saying, “Lesedi is a vision of vibrant colours and interesting designs.

Members of the village collaborated on the design, ensuring accurate portrayals of their traditional way of life. These historic communities have been preserved by the people of Lesedi, who continue to live largely as their forefathers did”.

By habouring the major cultural divides of the country, Lesebi is obviously a melting pot of different cultures, as well as, offers insights into the traditions and habits of the different people who live there.

with a woman at the Zulu section of the village

The intrigue of Lesedi is that while it means “light” in Sotho cultural divide, the village features the homesteads of different South African people from Xhosa, Zulu, Nguni, Ndebele, Pedi to Basotho. At the same time, it offers guests the chance to observe and participate in cultural activities across the different culture divides present in the village.

For an authentic cultural experience, the village offers accommodation in each homestead with overnight guests staying in cosy huts and also hosted by a traditional family.

The height of lodging in the village is that guests will wake up to African melodies and music from the maskanda guitar (a Zulu guitar) – the perfect prelude to a full English breakfast.

Of course, there is no dull moment in the village. There are daily cultural shows, especially the Monati during lunch and Boma, during dinner. A must-visit is the ingoma boma dancehall where members of the village groups put on a fascinating display of rhythmic drumming and dance.

Steeping out of the traditional dancehall, Pedi women welcomes you into their world with enthralling hip-shaking rain dance, while the Zulus execute giant pirouettes across the stage, all to excite you.

Lunch or dinner is fun time for visitors who are hosted in the 200-seater Nyama Choma restaurant amid plenty of traditional singing and dancing.

Most interestingly, there is a wild menu on offer; from ostrich, impala or crocodile meat, elephant, warthog, mopani worms, among others that are leisurely washed down with local beer.

Drink lovers can top up in a shebeen, a tavern that originally served as an unlicensed drinking venue and also have opportunity of chatting with villagers.

Obviously, you will meet real people (not actors in fancy dress), enter their homes and listen to stories about their individual cultures and rituals of daily life.

Like a typical African village setting, at the close of the evening, guests gather around the campfire for fireside storytelling based on African mythology and further insight on people’s way of life.

For those who wish to stay back during a visit, Lesedi African Lodge has 38 beautifully themed guest rooms on offer to accommodate guests in first-class comfort.

However, a visit to Lesedi explains why Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus, christened South Africa the “Rainbow Nation”. The cultural diversity, the colour, the variety and the people from different background, yet one people, speak volume of the many colours of rainbow.

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BDSUNDAY 27

Travel

IATA releases 2018 global Airline Safety Performance Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

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he International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for the 2018 safety performance of the commercial airline industry showing continuing safety improvements over the long term, but an increase in accidents compared to 2017.

The all accident rate (measured in accidents per 1 million flights) was 1.35, which was the equivalent of one accident for every 740,000 flights. This was an improvement over the all accident rate of 1.79 for the previous 5-year period (2013-2017), but a decline compared to 2017’s record performance of 1.11.

The 2018 rate for major jet accidents (measured in jet hull losses per 1 million flights) was 0.19, which was the equivalent of one major accident for every 5.4 million flights. This was an improvement over the rate for the previous 5-year period (2013-2017) of 0.29 but not as good as the rate of 0.12 in 2017.

There were 11 fatal accidents with 523 fatalities among passengers and crew.

This compares with an average of 8.8 fatal accidents and approximately 234 fatalities per year in the previous 5-year period (2013-2017).

In 2017, the industry experienced 6 fatal accidents with 19 fatalities, which was a

record low. One accident in 2017 also resulted in the deaths of 35 persons on the ground.

“Last year some 4.3 billion passengers flew safely on 46.1 million flights. 2018 was not the extraordinary year that 2017 was. However, flying is safe, and the data tell us that it is getting safer. For example, if safety in 2018 had remained at the same level as 2013, there would have been 109 accidents instead of 62; and there would have been 18 fatal accidents, instead of the 11 that actually occurred,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO said.

“Flying continues to be the safest form of long distance travel the world has ever known. Based on the data, on average, a passenger could take a flight every day for 241 years before experiencing an accident with one fatality on board. We remain

committed to the goal of having every flight takeoff and land safely,” de Juniac added.

2018 Safety Performance: The world turboprop hull loss rate was 0.60 per million flights, which was an improvement over 1.23 in 2017 and also over the 5-year rate (2013-2017) of 1.83. All regions except for Middle East-North Africa saw their turboprop safety performance improve in 2018 when compared to their respective 5-year rates.

Accidents involving turboprop aircraft represented 24 percent of all accidents in 2018 and 45 percent of fatal accidents.

Progress in Africa For a third consecutive year, airlines in Sub-Saharan Africa experienced zero jet hull losses and zero fatalities in jet operations. The all accident rate was 2.71, a significant improvement over the

rate of 6.80 for the previous five years. Africa was the only region to see a decline in the all-accident rate compared to 2017. However, the region experienced 2 fatal turboprop accidents, neither of which involved a scheduled passenger flight.

“We continue to progress in the region toward worldclass levels of safety. But, despite improvement there is still a gap to cover in the safety performance of the continent’s turboprop fleet.

Global standards such as the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) are making a difference. Counting all accidents, the performance of African airlines on the IOSA registry was more than twice as good as non-IOSA airlines in the region.

“In parallel, African governments must accelerate the implementation of ICAO’s safety-related standards and recommended

practices (SARPS). As of year-end 2017, only 26 African countries had at least 60% SARPS implementation.

They also should incorporate IOSA into their safety oversight systems,” de Juniac said.

IOSA In 2018, the all accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry was more than two times lower than that of nonIOSA airlines (0.98 vs. 2.16) and it was more than twoand-a-half times better over the 2014-18 period. All IATA member airlines are required to maintain their IOSA registration.

However, 2018 IOSA calculations are impacted by the fatal accident involving a Global Air aircraft that was leased, along with crew, to Cubana. Because Global Air is not on the IOSA registry, the accident is not considered to have involved an IOSA airline, even though Cubana, as a member of IATA, is required to be on the IOSA registry.

There are currently 431 airlines on the IOSA Registry of which 131 are non-IATA Members. The IOSA program is undergoing a digital transformation that will enable IOSA airlines to compare and benchmark their performance. In the long run, the digital transformation will help to focus auditing on areas with the highest level of safety risk.

I ATA’s Gl o b a l Av i a tion Data Management (GADM) program is the world’s most diverse aviation data exchange pro-

gram. Data captured in GADM databases comprises accident and incident reports, ground damage occurrences and flight data from more than 470 different industry participants.

“Through GADM, we are using information from the more than 100,000 flights that operate safely every day to identify and address operational issues before they can become potential risks,” de Juniac said.

The Flight Data Exchange (FDX) platform contains de-identified information from 4 million flights. Additionally, with the imminent introduction of Incident Data Exchange (IDX), participants will be provided with enhanced data analytics and benchmarking capabilities with aggregated de-identified global safety data. IATA has also been working with more than 100 aviation safety professionals on the IATA Safety Incident Taxonomy (ISIT). The ISIT will provide the ability to better capture global risk at a more granular level.

One well-known hazard is inflight turbulence. As passenger and cabin crew injuries related to in-flight turbulence climb, IATA sees a need to address this increasing safety risk. In response, IATA has launched Turbulence Aware, a global platform for sharing automated turbulence reports in real time. Operational trials with a number of airlines are being conducted this year, with full launch planned for 2020.

Emirates re-inforces commitment to Nigeria services ….Introduces daily flight to Abuja services

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mirates has announced adjustments to its operational schedules in 2019 to minimise the impact of the closure of Dubai International Airport’s Southern Runway in April and May 2019, and to respond to global travel demand trends.

The airline also outlined its fleet plans for the year and will step up services to Abuja with a three additional flights, beginning from 01st June, 2019, thus increasing the frequency to the Nigerian capital to a daily service, which will be operated on Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The new service flight EK786 will depart Dubai every day at 10:40hrs and arrive Abuja at 14:55hrs. The return flight EK785 will leave Abuja same day at 18:10hrs.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said: “At

Emirates, we pride ourselves on being a customer-focused airline with a commerciallydriven business model. We invest in a modern and efficient aircraft fleet so we can offer industry-leading comforts to our customers, and we are agile in deploying our aircraft to destinations where it best serves customer demand.

“The changes we are implementing to our network schedules in 2019 are in line with this approach, taking into consideration global market dynamics and operational limitations including the maintenance work on Dubai Airport’s Southern Runway. Through the year, we will continue to keep a close watch on global markets and will maintain our flexibility to optimise the usage of our aircraft assets.”

A significant number of scheduled Emirates flights

will be impacted by the closure of Dubai International Airport’s Southern Runway for maintenance work between 16 April and 30 May 2019. Given the limitations around operating flights using a single runway at its hub, many Emirates flights will be cancelled, re-timed or have the operating aircraft changed in order to reduce impact on customers. This will result in up to 48 Emirates aircraft not being

utilised during the 45-day period.

2019 network adjustments Emirates will deploy additional flights to several markets in Africa starting in June 2019. The additional services will satisfy the increased demand that the airline has witnessed in these markets, and will offer customers even more seamless connections between these destinations and Emirates’

global network through Dubai.

Starting from June 1st 2019, Emirates will introduce a second daily flight to Casablanca, Morocco; Conakry, Guinea; and Dakar, Senegal. Similarly, starting from June 2nd 2019, second daily flight will be introduced to Accra, Ghana. Also, between March 31st and October 2019, second daily flight will be introduced to Athens, Greece; three daily flights to Rome, Italy; while daily service will begin once again to Zagreb, Croatia.

Emirates A380 will operate to Boston, USA, between June 1st and September 30th 2019, and between December 1st and January 31st 2020, in order to accommodate increased seasonal demand in travel to the US East Coast; while the Emirates flagship double-decker aircraft will be introduced

to Scotland, UK for the first time between April 16th and May 31st 2019. Starting from June 1st to September 30th 2019, Emirates will resume operating double –daily service to Glasgow, UK with one daily Boeing 777-300ER and one Airbus A380.

With these developments, Nigerians travelling ‘to’ or ‘from’ any of these cities, can benefit from it, and have their trips at their own comfort.

During the financial year 2019/20, Emirates will take delivery of six new Airbus A380 aircraft. At the same time, the airline will be renewing its fleet by retiring seven older Boeing 777 aircraft. Emirates took delivery of its last Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in November 2018 and will commence taking deliveries of the next generation Boeing 777Xs in 2020.

28 BDSUNDAY

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Men make advances at me because of my looks – Akinola Akano

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ince he is blessed with very good looks, it is not surprising when actor, Akinola Akano revealed that some men do make advances at him thinking he is a homo sexual The actor who became popular with his role as Segbowe in the popular sit com, Awon Aladun De said he has tried to ward off men who think his sexual preference is that of same sex.

“They come to me every time.

So many men make advances at me. They feel I am into guys as such, they ask me out at every opportunity. But then, I can’t fail to tell them I am straight. I am not into guys. I am not bisexual either.”

Akinola said even the women folk also think he is a player because of his good looks.

“Ladies always feel I am a player. They feel that I would have so many girlfriends and I don’t look like somebody who would stick to a particular girlfriend. But the truth is that I have a girlfriend. My woman is a very private person.

She shies away from publicity.”

The actor stated that his looks have worked against him at some point though it later turned to his favour.

“There was a time I went for an audition. I was the last person to be auditioned that day. Just as I entered, the person auditioning us said I was walking as if I had got the role. He said I looked arrogant.

I told him I wasn’t. And that was how the audition ended.”

Talking about how that episode turned to his favour, Segbowe said, “In the form we filled, I had written I was a script writer as well.

So I was surprised when I got a call from that same audition and I was asked to write a script. That gave me the first major script that I wrote. So you see, it also worked in my favour at the end of the day.”

Though his role as a comic actor in the sit com brought him to the limelight, the actor insists that he is a versatile actor who can act any role.

“It is just that comedy comes natural to me. But that doesn’t take away the fact that I am ver-

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or some couples in Uyo and Lagos, this past Valentine’s Day would be a day they would likely not forget in a hurry as “33” Export beer brought fun to these individuals with its Connect experiences.

“33” Connect is a new experiential platform that brings people together to celebrate shared interests and moments in a convivial environment.

The unique platform transforms everyday beer parlor occasions to the most exciting and unforgettable experiences for all guests.

Guests can look forward to a night of networking, games, comedy, music, fantastic prizes and of course ice cold “33” Export.

The first of these larger than life experiences was themed the Valentine Mingle and held simultaneously on Valentine’s Day in Uyo and Lagos. The two cities played host to hundreds of guests eager to participate in the thrilling games on display. In line with the theme of the event, couples were treated to exciting games that tested how

satile. I can act any role given to me. I have featured in some other productions where my role wasn’t comedy. At the moment, we are about to have a production titled ‘The Witness’ which was written and produced by me. It is a mixed language movie and it is not about comedy.”

Talking about how he got his role in Awon Aladun De, the actor said it was providence.

“Initially when the sitcom was shot, my role was just that of a passerby. It wasn’t an important scene. But later on, the producers decided to audition for another episode and I was auditioned. That was how I passed it and I got the role as Segbowe.”

But even as he is an actor, Akani who studied English and Literary Studies (Education) at the Tai Solarin University said he had wanted to be a model at some point.

“Probably because of the way I look a lot of people suggested to me that I would make a very good model, I had also wanted to be an

actor. I had wanted to be so many things. But somehow, I ended up becoming an actor. Back then when I was in school, I could act very well. I was in drama groups and I played my roles well.”

“I was very good in the arts.

My nick them when I was in the secondary school and even in the university was Wizkid. In fact, it wasn’t up until 2008 that I had to change my name from Wizkid to ‘D’ Gifted’ when the music artiste came on board. A friend of mine actually drew my attention to Wizkid’s ‘Holla at Your Boy’ song and he told me that someone else is answering my stage name. But my other friend consoled me that my own Wizkid is a writer and an actor so I shouldn’t worry. But I had to change the name eventually,” he said.

Talking about his future aspirations, Akani said, “I love American actor, Tyler Perry. My dream in life is to become a great actor and script writer like Tyler Perry who has become and international acclaimed success.”

My colleagues help spread rumours about me – Liz Anjorin

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opular actress, Liz Anjorin went on a ranting spree earlier in the week when a fan told her on her instagram handle, to assist ailing actor, Baba Suwe.

And while responding to the fan, Liz chose to go down memory lane, telling the story of how her colleagues abandoned her when she needed them the most.

“My mother battled stroke for good four years, I was in the court with a thief that stole my car all alone at this same time.

What did my colleagues do to help me? They helped to spread bad rumours. If you come to my page to drop any hate speech, I pray this same thing will happen to you and you will never come out of it.”

Liz in her rant said she would only be cordial with some of her colleagues but would not “mingle” with them because of

“33” Export launches Connect Experiences

how they treated her in the past.

“How many of them (colleagues) featured me in their movie/s or adopted me? Despite my generosity, when my beloved

mother died none of the artiste came except Lepa Shandy and Madam Asewo Toremecca. The headline, “COLLEAGUES SHUN LIZ ANJORIN MOTHER’S BURIAL”, written by journalists still linger in my brain. Remember I can laugh with you but I will never betray my mother to mingle with some of you.

“How many of my events do they attend to support me as a family?

Not just family, ask them all how humble and generous is Liz Anjorin? Do you all remember 2017? Owo Naira Bet premiere is a good example when some actors ganged up against me. If you come to my page to tell me who to assist, ogun will kill you and you die just like my mother.”

well they know each other.

Aso Rock International Bar, Ikotun hosted the experience in Lagos while Pyramid Bar and Grill played host to the experience in Uyo. Both events dominated social media conversations as everyone was excited to capture great moments and share their experiences online.

Speaking about the “33” Connect platform, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Brands, NB Plc, Omotunde Adenusi said “We believe in fostering bonds and nurturing relationships. We revel in using this unique platform that brings people together to showcase a very important part of what 33 Export stands for as a brand and we are thrilled to be able to connect with our consumers in a truly fun and exciting way.”

“33” Export Lager will be looking to host 33 of these experiences this year in a bid to strengthen its foothold in its key regions and increase the bond with its consumers.

Dapo features DJ Spinall in ‘Mariana’w

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3m music up and coming act, Dapo, is not playing at all this year. After recording incredible success last year with some of his singles, the young guy is all set to do the same and more this year.

Now, Dapo has just dropped his first official single for the year titled ‘Mariana’ where he teamed up with

industry heavyweight DJ Spinall for this smash hit single.

The excited artiste who said he has yet to bring out his best this year, said his fans should expect more from him.

According the artiste, Mariana was produced by fast rising producer, Rage.

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BDSUNDAY 29

Feature

Ibom Air: The making of a new airline ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

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ike the birth of a child, Ibom Air, a commercial airline jointly set up by the Akwa Ibom State Government and a group of investors, was unveiled during the week. It came with profound joy and a sense of self-fulfillment to the people of Akwa Ibom State.

It was a joyous moment because many saw it to be the celebration of a great achievement and the determination of the people to break new grounds and forge ahead into areas that many are hesitant to go into.

Akwa Ibom is an oil producing state but does not have any petrochemical project to show for it. It does not have any oil depot and has no refinery but has undertaken the construction of major physical infrastructure in the last few years to boost its industrialisation drive.

In terms of air transportation, business travelers used to go to Port Harcourt in Rivers State or Calabar in Cross River State to board a plane to Lagos or Abuja.

This was because there was no airport built by the Federal Government in Akwa Ibom State despite being a major oil producer.

In the same vein, a state with a natural draught suitable for development as a seaport is pursuing the development of its maritime resources including the construction of a deep seaport on its initiative. Despite the chronic ports congestion in Lagos, in which deliberate efforts should have been made to develop other ports outside the Lagos, Akwa Ibom State has to embark on the building of a seaport as a last resort. Though it may not come easy, according to observers, the seaport project would be realised some day.

So, when Ibom airport started operations many years ago, it came to fill the yawning gap in the industry in this part of the country and travelers having business transactions no longer had the need to go through other state capitals to board an airplane. As expected, it drew criticisms from several quarters

saying that “It would be a colossal waste of resources and a white elephant project.’’

But during the World Cup qualifiers in which the Akwa Ibom International Stadium hosted many of the matches, the airport came handy, thanks to the vision of the founding fathers of the state.

Enter Ibom Air, with a fleet of three bombardier aircraft at the moment, belonging to the CRJ 900 series acquired by the state government for the take off of the airline. Two of the aircraft touched down during the unveiling of the airline while the third was expected with the week.

It was the beginning of Akwa Ibom being transformed into a transportation hub.

Indeed, Akwa Ibom has become the first state in the country with category two airport and the first to own and operate an airline, according to Idongesit Nkanga, chairman of Ibom Air, expressing the hope that it would not be long before the dream of the seaport is realised.

To be flying passengers in the economy class with the third aircraft to be modified to fly the business class, the birth of the airline which attracted dignitaries across the country showed the audacity of courage by the initiators.

According Bukola Saraki, Senate President who unveiled the airline, there would also be a difference when a man who understands the needs of the people

takes charge of affairs both in private and public sectors.

“Nigeria will experience what Akwa Ibom is experiencing with a man who understands what it means about creating jobs, fighting poverty. He is creating the enabling environment for investment that will bring hope for our people, that is what Udom is doing,’’ he said.

Th o u g h a f e w h a v e e x pressed doubts over the viability of an airline established by a state government given that many airlines in various parts of the continent are struggling and are yet to break even, the courage to break new grounds, a bold attempt to provide critical infrastructure needed to drive economic activities must also be put into perspective, observers say.

S i m i l a r l y, i n a c o u n t r y where there is no national carrier or where the establ i s h m e n t o f a n a t i o n a l a i rline is mired in controversy even when consultants were appointed, the ability of a state government to unveil its carrier with the prospect of growing the fleet in the near future cannot be taken for granted, observers have also pointed out.

One major component of the Ibom Air project was the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility which was intended to provide all forms of checks to aircraft both within and outside Nigeria. This would have been a source of revenue both in local and foreign currency to the state government given that operators from other West African countries would

be making use of the facility.

Sadly though, the facility had yet to take off but with the inauguration of the airline, there is a renewed hope that things would begin to look good for the project.

According Governor Udom Emmanuel, the MRO will be the place to maintain fleets of aircraft across the country, adding that “Ibom Air will be run as a business venture.”

For Obong Victor Attah, the man the airport is named after and who pioneered the establishment of the airport, his joy knew no bounds with the inauguration of the airline.

“I thank God that we have Governor Udom Emmanuel who has deemed it necessary to carry on with project we started years ago. I was accused of running the government as a business but I am happy that Udom Emmanuel is running the government as a business.

Today, we have in front of us the beginning of something that will bring economic development to the state,’’ he said.

Though the cost implication of the project has not been made known, with a competent board headed by a former retired air force officer, Idongesit Nkanga, it is believed that Ibom Air would become a viable commercial airline.

Given the excitement that the project has brought to people of the state, being able to witness the gradual transformation of Uyo, the state capital from a sleepy town into a transportation hub with excellent road network and with plans to develop its maritime sector, it certainly would be a matter of time before the benefits of this huge investment begin to be realised.

Furthermore, as the project continues to ignite debate about its desirability or otherwise, the joy that the inauguration of the airline brought would be further enhanced when the airline is turned into a major commercial operator, helping to draw tourist to the state and as a major tool in expanding the frontiers of economic development in the region.

30 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Feature

The youth, poverty, arms proliferation, electoral violence and the connecting dot ZEBULON AGOMUO

B

efore the 2019 general election commenced yesterday, one major concern was how to contain election-related violence against the backdrop of dangerous arms in the hands of politicians and some youths.

Before yesterday also, allegations had been rife that individuals and some organisations deliberately stock-piled guns for the purpose of obstructing the voting process in order to achieve electoral victory through violence.

The proliferation of illegal arms in Nigeria has been condemned by many people, within and outside the country.

In the last few years, the influx of illegal firearms into the country has raised the apprehension level, causing many to think that 2019 was going to be war.

A look at some of the headlines on illegal arms seizures and concerns over the development since 2015 show how precariously Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

Some of the headlines include, ‘Saving Nigeria from influx of illegal weapons’; ‘Too many illegal arms spell danger’; 21 million guns, ammunition shipped into Nigeria in 7 years’; One arms cache too many, a need for thorough investigation’; 470 guns seized at Lagos Port’; Customs uncovers 1,100 weapons’; Arms import: Frightening details uncovered’; Illegal arms importation: Nigeria Customs chief meets Turkish ambassador’, and ‘Why there are many illegal firearms in Nigeria – Security expert’.

In recent times, involvement of youths in nefarious activities has been on the increase. The worsening youth unemployment and scandalous poverty level in the country have been blamed for the willingness of youths to enlist in violence and other mindboggling crimes.

For want of meaningful enterprise, a good number of youths are now yielding to the allure of illicit money by enlisting in all manner of clandestine activities.

Many of them are known to easily lend themselves to be used of politicians to perpetrate election violence.

Time without number, parents and guardians have been advised by government, agencies and some other institutions to restrain their children and wards from election-related violence.

A few days ago, for instance, the Commandant, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in Abia, Nnamdi Nwannukwu,

advised parents on this. In a statement issued on his behalf by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Ndukwe Ugwu, he said: “Parents are, by this medium, advised to warn their children and wards to desist from acts capable of breaching the public peace during the general elections.”

The culture of thuggery introduced by the Nigerian brand of politicians who always want to win at all cost may have also given birth to the excessive violence in society.

The political elite have been known to place at the disposal of the thugs, considerable amounts of cash and access to weapons.

With the return of the country to civil rule in 1999, the politicians began to see power as a door-die affair, and in the mad crave to win at all cost, they began to acquire dangerous weapons to out-do one another.

The advent of Boko Haram insurgency has severally been blamed on politicians in Borno State of the North East, who, after recruiting and empowering the thugs to carry out all manner of election-related fraud, decided to abandon them as soon as they achieved victory. These political thugs, who now felt being used and dumped, decided to dispense havoc in society.

A political analyst traced the genesis of gun proliferation, thus:“Nigeria was until 1999 a long-standing military dictatorship of an incoherent variety.

A rapid succession of regimes through countless coups and regimes changes led to a high attrition rate in the officer corps.

The retired officers are known to return to their ethnic home bases with sizeable arms which they put at the disposal of local war lords and ethnic champions.

‘

Parents are, by this medium, advised to warn their children and wards to desist from acts capable of breaching the public peace during the general elections

There have been cases where retired military officers have participated in the training, equipping and indoctrination of ethnic militias. A good number of these officers are retired rather prematurely. Having been spoilt by the privileges and perks of high political office, they easily become instruments of political agitation to gain some relevance.”

“Then, you talk about too many illegal guns in wrong hands; and nobody cares. From East to West, and from North to South, the story is the same. Too many arms in the hands of wrong people, and innocent citizens are bearing a huge brunt of the madness,’ he further said.

It was said that the eyes of the Niger Delta youths “got opened” after they had attended in March 1998, the Sani Abacha’s ‘2 Million Man March’ in Abuja organised by the defunct Youths Earnestly Ask for Abacha (YEAA) led by the then youthful Daniel Kanu. The youth, many of whom were militants, and most of whom had not crossed the South-South before, were mobilised by politicians at that time to go sing Abacha’s praise.

During the trip, they saw the splendor that was the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and realised that it was the Niger Delta that yielded the money used in turning a wasteland into a cynosure of eyes. Upon their return to the Niger Delta, they took their militancy to another

level- kidnapping oil workers and expatriates in the region. It was also said that by the time the civilian government returned in 1999, the already “militarised” area became more volatile as political actors enlisted the services of the militants to prosecute their political ambitions.

Since then, there’s no looking back. Many of them have become many things, hiding under the struggle for self-determination and agitation for resource control. Many of them have been accused of gun-running and of high level kidnapping.

Today, many parts of the Niger Delta are “gunarised”. Some of the “warlords”, who have their abodes in the creeks, are controlling huge cache of dangerous arms, more sophisticated than even the ones being owned by the state.

In the South East, although the struggle for the revisit of Biafra was initially a peaceful move, it appears that the latter-day agitators are not all brandishing olive branches. The Nigerian Police and military have severally accused them of bearing dangerous arms. The allegation may not necessarily be dismissed by a wave of the hand considering the level of criminality going on in that region.

In the South West, some of the “area boys” (street urchins), who were vibrant in the days when the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) only depended on charms and machetes as their only potent weapons, have graduated into arm-carrying.

Many of themare said to have since been hijacked by politicians who equipped them with dangerous weapons. Today, whenever and wherever they choose to demonstrate, residents in that area go to bed while it is still day. They carry out a reign of terror and violence in society, nowadays.

The north has since been militarised by the advent of all manner of terrorists. The large number of illiterate youths in the north has made it easier for politicians to mobilise them for election-related violence.

A serious problem at hand Many years ago, whenever robbers heard that the police were coming, they would naturally take to their heels, because they had lesser sophisticated firearms than the security agencies; not so any longer.

Lamenting the danger of the illegal arms in the hands of criminals, Chidi Amuta, a publicist and former university don, said that today, it appears that the state has lost the capacity to guaran-

Continues on page 31

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Feature

Ajegunle yesterday and today … Growing resentment by residents on neglect from superstars with Ajegunle root JONATHAN ADEROJU

U

ndoubtedly, Ajegunle is one of the most popular settlements in Nigeria and across Africa, where the residents rank among the poorest. It shares similarities with slums around the world.

While some people, from a distance, think the city resonates neglect, others say it is a place you get the good, the bad, the ugly and the outright terrible.

However, the residents and rightful owners of the city, hold a different view. They insist that AJ City is ‘a place where talent is toughened to face the world’.

Beyond the slum associated with this Lagos suburb, which is popularly called AJ City by the residents, Ajegunle is famous for breeding many stars including local and international acclaimed footballers, top musicians, actors and actresses, comedians, and even politicians.

Despite the crop of well-off individuals with root in the city, Ajegunle keeps suffering from gross neglect in terms of infrastructure, social amenities, welfare, representation, among others.

Ironically, the name Ajegunle in Yoruba, by interpretation means “wealth has landed here.”

In reality, instead of the wealth, poverty is prominent in the city, which hosts a huge concentration of people from all the ethnic groups in Nigeria.

In the past, Ajegunle was the boundary between the Western Region and the Lagos Colony.

The area called Boundary in Ajegunle marked the boundary point between the Western Region and the Lagos Colony.

Apapa Wharf and Tincan Island, where two of Nigeria’s biggest seaports are located, border the community on the west.

Ranked as one of Nigeria’s most disturbing ghettos, Ajegunle remains revere as the birthplace of football and music superstars, a town that occupies an ultimate pedestal on the Nigerian entertainment landscape.

These music and football stars have continued to mention how the community shaped and prepared them for their acclaimed new status in life. Sadly, the story seems different today.

There is a growing feeling of resentment among the residents, especially the youths that they have been neglected.

Daddy Showkey is one Ajegunle product that has been projecting Ajegunle at any forum without be intimidation.

Sadly, there are many successful people who grew up in Ajegunle but do not want to be associated with their place of birth or upbringing.

Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known as ‘Don Jazzy’ and one of the richest music producers in Africa, grew up in AJ City, but has failed to groom young musicians in Ajegunle. Galala; a funny dance style, which originated from Ajegunle is fading because of less effort to promote it and its connotation of Ajegunle.

As well, many creative people who could not hone their tal-

ents are giving up and resorting to some unimaginable things, especially Baba Ijebu, a local betting platform as alternative source of income.

Some thinks the like of Don Jazzy have the financial connection to rebrand Ajegunle music to the world, but prefer to look elsewhere.

It would be recalled that Gideon Okeke, a popular actor, grew up in Ajegunle. After hitting it big with his participation in the first Big brother Africa, he never looked back to Ojo Road where he once resided in Ajegunle with his parents.

Others include, Peter Rufai,

one of the great goalkeepers of our time, Charles Okafor, one of the first Nollywood actors that came from Ajegunle, and Linus Idahosa, renowned movie producer and media professional.

Even with Stephanie (Okereke) Idahosa, his wife and notable Nollywood actress, Idahosa is yet to create a movie out of Ajegunle or even empower youths to do so.

Looking at Bright Okpocha, popularly called ‘Basket mouth’ and one of the Nigerian leading comedians in the country, one think that he should have remembered his place of upbringing even with com-

edy show or mentorship. But none of such empowerment initiatives has happened in the city, which is natural breeding ground for comedians.

Kingsley Chinweike Okonkwo, popularly called KC Presh and one of the Ajegunle music stars, has also failed his constituency, according to the residents, by not reaching out to the aspiring musicians or even setting a platform like Star Quest, which brought him to limelight.

The pastors are also there.

Dr. Chima Okereke, General Overseer of Global Success Ministries International, started his ministry from Ajegunle and today, his church remains one of the largest in Festac Town with a Global TV Satellite viewing all his messages around the world. The residents think that the pastor has failed to acknowledge Ajegunle in his ministry, as well as, Pastor Tarribo West.

For the residents, it is rather appalling that Ajegunle produced great talents and still remains the way it is. Though now in Bayelsa, Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa State, grew up in Ajegunle. The residents regret that even while in government he never visited or impacted the city.

The residents think that resentment is growing even more among younger people living in the city as they make effort to leave a city that was once a breeding ground for stars in Nigeria.

The youth, poverty, arms proliferation, electoral violence...

Continued from page 30 tee security of lives and property.

Amuta, who made the observation during an exclusive interview with BDSUNDAY, said: “The capacity of the state to guaranteeing security of lives and property is also a function of the state of the economy. It is the duty of the state to buy guns; to maintain a police force, military and all which is superior to those of the ones challenging them.

But a situation where non-state actors are now challenging the state, in the area where the state used to have monopoly; then there is problem.”

“In those days if you hear that government is coming, you run away because government has uniform and has guns. But today, uniforms and guns are no longer a monopoly. In fact, non-state actors- the militants and all the others- have bigger guns. Theirs is even more frightening. Armies and soldiers have a protocol for deployment of forces. Now, a

militant or terrorist has no protocol, they have no rule of engagement; in fact, the bigger the gun a person wields, the more the person is a commander. And as a result of that, insecurity which breeds instability becomes the order of the day,” he further said.

Giving some words of advice, Kate Abiama, a trained psychologist, said: “It is not just enough to wish that the 2019 general election will be free from violence.

Mere wishing may not guarantee that. It is therefore, incumbent on government, relevant agents of government, the media, the religious bodies and everybody to see it as a challenge to ensure that desperate politicians do not turn the country into a war zone this time around.”

“This can be done through profuse mass sensitisation and education. People must be sufficiently reminded about the danger of electoral violence and the need for those prone to fall into that recruitment web to resist such temptation,” sheadded.

The need to rid the Nigerian society of illegal arms has become so urgent as no one is immune from being attacked. Recently, the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, somewhere in his state as the governor was returning from a campaign engagement. Although the governor escaped unhurt, some of his aides were killed in that attack believed to have come from members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram.

Last Thursday, reports had it that the convoy of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was shot at in a part of Kwara State during a house-to-house campaign for the presidential election that held yesterday.

Good leadership as an antidote Analysts have said that the solution to gun-running could be found in good leadership in the country. They argue that since the genesis of the problem has to do with bad governance, good governance could hold good hope.

“As bad leadership begets bad conduct in society, it goes without saying that good leadership will beget good conduct,” Donatus Echere, who runs a youth-based outfit, said.

According to Echere, “If you look around today, you will see hundreds of unemployed youths, able-bodied, doing nothing but roaming the streets. Some of the youth, after graduating with good grades, go back home to join their mummies in frying akara (bean cakes), instead of having meaningful jobs that would enhance, not only their wellbeing, but those of their parents who have suffered to see them through university education. It is such frustration that pushes some of them to embrace all manner of anti-social behaviour in their quest to survive.”

“Although there is no justification to commit crime, bad leadership (politically) in the country has contributed so much in inducing the youth into crime.

When there is good leadership

that addresses the youth problem, I think we will begin to see less of these youth-related crimes,” Echere said.

Collins Abe, a Systems engineer, believes that the youth of these days are being unjustly treated by a “wicked” older generation.

“If you look at almost all the sectors, they are being dominated by the older generation. In the political scene, it is only the same older people, the same names we have heard several decades ago that are still dominating.We are in an election period now, many of these so-called leaders have since sent their families abroad.

They are hoping to grab power by the votes of other children of other people. Some of them have armed some of these boys with dangerous weapons to commit all manner of electoral fraud for them to achieve their selfish ends. These youths are being paid peanuts for risking their lives. This is not fair and we insist that it must stop.”

32 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 24 February 2019

TheWorshippers Whoever wins this election must put Nigeria first – Archbishop Ojo Archbishop Joseph Ojo, founder and general overseer, Calvary Kingdom Church (CKC) International, Lagos. In this interview with SEYI JOHN SALAU, the archbishop said the role of the church in the electioneering process and nation building starts with the church fulfilling its scriptural mandate of praying for those in authority, among other things. He clarifies the call for restructuring and hopes to see a government that puts ‘Nigeria first’ in all its policies. Excerpts: Apart from being a member of the Peace Committee, what role can the church play in our electioneering process? think the role that the church and its leaders should play is; first to enlightened the electorate about the importance of their vote because if they stand aloof they may be caught unawares in the web of having a government that they never prayed for. The first role I believed the church should play is to encourage full and maximum participation by all Christians – this is not campaigning for one political party, it’s just about letting them know that if they feel comfortable with the pains they are going through or the pleasure they are going through; or otherwise, they should know which party to vote for. Second role is that of prayer: in every situation, when we pray the will of man will be put aside, God’s will shall be manifested and visibly seen. So the role of the church is to pray after enlightening and encouraging their members not to sell their votes or take money, because selling their votes is like Esau selling his birthright for a morsel of meal. These are the two critical roles that the church leaders should play – enlightening the electorate and praying; asking the will of God to be done; no member of the church should stand aloof in

I

Archbishop Joseph Ojo

times like these.

People are known to always take actions they mostly regret later in life under the influence of ‘the fear of the unknown’: what do you envisage for Nigeria at this time?

I envisage God’s will to be done because we are praying towards that line. English people’s parable says: ‘man proposes; but God disposes’. Men may have their strategy and plans, but God’s strategy is always the one to beat.

You cannot beat the strategy of God; God have a way of doing things, people may manipulate it

but if God didn’t want somebody there – the person can die without anticipation. God can just send the spirit like he did to Herod one night, worm came out of his body; when people are trying to perpetuate themselves not having the fear of God, one day their cup will be full like Belshazzar’s, and they will begin to see the handwriting on the wall. When leaders begin to see handwritings on the wall, the best thing for a leader to do is to say sorry; am not fighting again.

I believe God’s will shall be done.

Nigeria will remain irrespective of who wins the election; if you are to set an agenda for whoever wins, what would you want to see in the first 100 days?

Definitely, we may go through a lot of turbulence but there will be a balance; after the storm there will be a new day and there will be calm. Number one is reconciliation; whoever wins should reconcile people together irrespective of political divide; they should ensure ‘Nigeria first’.

Whoever comes in should preach Nigeria first because if there is no Nigeria, there will be no president; so Nigeria comes first not divisive tendencies and divide and rule. There should be an inclusive government, a new platform for people to participate in governance and bring the best out of Nigerians. Secondly, I expect

L-R: Bishop Gbenga Ajadi of His Praise Deliverance Ministry, Lagos; Don Okere, editor, Daily Independent; Bishop Saint Robinson, Abode of Christ Assembly; Ade Ogidan, managing director/Editor-in-Chief, Independent Newspapers Ltd; Bishop Emmanuel Udah of Peace & Joy International Ministry; and pastor Yemi Adebisi, acting editor, Saturday Independent/Pastor in-charge, Independent Christian Fellowship, during the Independent Newspapers’ Annual Thanksgiving Service held recently at its Corporate Headquarters in Ogba, Lagos.

people to listen to the yearnings of Nigerians; if possible to look at what they call both resource control and restructuring the country.

Restructuring the country does not mean that we are dividing the country, it means that we want to ensure that things are done in a way where states and regions are having autonomy to manage their resources, both human and natural resources – remember human resources are also part of resources, so that things will be done the way it should be done and people will be at peace; then they will have nothing to be asking for. I am looking forward to a government that will restructure Nigeria; I am looking forward to a government that will have an inclusive government not divisive one; am looking forward to a government that will see Nigeria first before tribe and any other sentiments.

The Pentecostal movement in Nigeria was characterised by speaking in tongues in the early days; but it seems all that have gone now. What is really the matter?

I don’t think it has died down; it has even multiplied. It depends on the emphasis of different ministers and churches place on it. The concern of very many minister today is not the Holy Spirit, you cannot be expecting somebody that has not heard about the Holy Spirit – you know in Acts of the Apostles Chapter 19, when Paul came to Ephesus he said ‘have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?’ and they say we don’t even know whether there be any Holy Ghost or not, and when he heard that he ministered to them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke in tongues. Nowadays, over 70percent of ministers are focused on blessings, prosperity and that’s why; but there are still few that know even with prosperity, breakthrough and others, the spiritual component of the ministry cannot be left out, and they still have time to organise it and administer the Holy Spirit to people. Somebody who is not filled with the Holy Spirit cannot speak in tongue, it will be mechanical, it will be out of place, so the problem is – ministers have given little or no attention towards it; the Holy Ghost power is still the same.

Cleric urges Nigerians to stay positive towards election process

N

igerians has been urged to stay positive about the nation’s electioneering process following the widespread reactions that greeted last week’s postponement of the 2019 general elections.

This was stated by Prophet Kayode Abiara, the former general evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), while reacting to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), change in date for the presidential and National Assembly polls.

Abiara urged Nigerians to see the postponement as a divine intervention, while pleading with the electorates to come out en masse to vote in support of the electioneering process.

“Nigerians must thank God almighty for this situation because God owns Nigeria and God is aware of the cancellation of these elections. It’s so sad many people travelled from different parts of Nigeria to cast their votes in their various states and they will be disappointed by the postponement,” said Abiara.

The cleric urged Nigerians not to put the blame on INEC however, wants the leadership of the electoral body to apologise to Nigerians for poll shift. “The chairman of INEC is not God, he needs to apologise to Nigerians. We Nigerians should also not blame him because it is God’s intervention,” he concludes.

Okogie urges Nigerian electorates to be knowledgeable on electoral process

H

is Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okojie, Archbishop Emeritus of Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, has asked Nigerian electorates to be well armed with knowledge in building the nation.

Speaking at the 2019 public lecture on good governance with the theme ‘The power of the electorate in a democracy: Nigeria as a case study’, Okogie lamented that politicians are satisfied with the political ignorance of the electorates.

“Today, we need to be properly armed with political education and to know what we really want.

Is it not queer to let those big politicians make a political comeback simply because they are from our tribe or religion?

“Must we die in political monotony and remain unseen in the global world? Can’t we try new alternatives,” he asked.

Okogie added that there was a need to reform Nigeria’s electoral law and constitution, which he regretted has maimed the electorates.

He however asked Nigerians to show love for nation by having a radical change of mind, as he noted that there is no love in the heart of Nigerians.

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SundayBusiness Minimising economic and nutritional Food & Beverages losses in fruits and vegetables With Ayo Oyoze Baje

T

he persisting challenge of post harvest losses of farm produce in Nigeria needs urgent intervention, if indeed we are serious about adding value for both economic and nutritional gains. For instance, after a twoday workshop tagged Nigeria Cold Chain Summit 2017, held in Ikeja, Lagos, the post-harvest losses in Nigeria were estimated to have increased to about 50 per cent of foods produced!

Out there in the rural communities are large amounts of harvested crops wasting away because of the decrepit infrastructure of bad roads, epileptic power supply, long distances from the cities, lack of knowledge of modern preservation methods and storage facilities.

Even by the time some truck loads are brought to markets in urban centres as visible in Ketu, Lagos, fruits such as tomatoes, oranges, banana and plantains rot away in heaps. The traders are compelled to sell off some of them cheaply. That is, even

as the consumers are unaware of the health hazards, as recent researches claim that such rotten tomatoes could lead to cancer.

It should be noted that fruits and vegetables are some of the commonest sources of nutrients such vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, water, proteins and fibre needed and consumed by man on daily basis. Because of their tender nature they are easily susceptible to spoilages.

Adequate care should therefore, be taken to minimise their postharvest economic and nutritional losses.

Perishable vegetables, for instance have poor keeping qualities even when refrigerated.

Br u i s e s s u s t a i n e d d u r i n g harvesting and transportation serve as source of contamination through which microbes could enter fruits. Further avenues for contamination come through external sources. During the harvest season tons of fruits like mangoes, tomatoes, oranges and guava are heaped together.

Spoilt ones easily contaminate the good ones. Most fruits and vegetables continue their normal growing and respiratory activities even after harvest as many enzymes are still active. These cause physiological changes, if the enzymes are not controlled.

To reduce the chances of spoilage, processing techniques are applied from the raw stage before the fruits and vegetables are consumed. Of these methods, microbial control kills all micro-organisms, retard activities of some or destroy the pathogenic types. Good physical characteristics of size, shape and

colour should be maintained.

Microbial spoilage may be as a result of fungal attack or wild yeast and bacteria which depend on the type of fruit and the sources of harvest. The number and kind of microbes also depend on the part of fruit, either the surface or the inner part. Since fruits are more acidic (PH between 3.7 to 4.5) than vegetables (pH 5–8), they are not breeding grounds for some microbes. However, microbes which can tolerate acidic conditions do cause spoilage in fruits and vegetables.

Preservative methods include the use of heat, canning, drying, hot air sterilisation, solar energy and blanching. These methods kill almost all microorganisms. It must not be done to destroy the fruits. The physical characteristics like colour, shape, should be maintained to appeal to consumers.

Blanching involves the use of wet heat to inactivate microbes and stop the activities of certain enzymes. The process drives away air bubbles retained within the structure of fruits and vegetables.

Blanching causes vegetables to shrink to facilitate their package or canning. It prevents undesirable colouration as a result of enzymatic activities. It could be done in brine or 0.125 percent sodium sulphite. Blanching could be achieved by steeping fruits and vegetables at 70 degrees Celsius for about 2-4 minutes or 50-60 degrees Celsius for 10minutes.

Steam can be used to replace hot water but the temperature – time ratio should be adhered to strictly to avoid under blanching.

Another method of preserving

fruits and vegetables is called De h y d r a t i o n . Re d u c t i o n or removal of moisture from foods suppresses the survival and growth of microbes. Low moisture content of dried fruits and vegetables make them keep longer or have appreciable shelf life. After drying, the moisture content should be below 10 percent. This ensures the enzymatic and microbial activities are drastically reduced.

Depending on the temperature of drying and nature of raw materials the flavour, colour and taste of the products may be affected slightly.

The usual preliminary stages of washing, peeling and sorting or sizing are also potential sources of contamination by microbes. The water used should be chlorinated at a concentration of 7 to 10 (mg/litre). Sorting and grading ensure that the best materials are used.

Drying can involve one or more of these techniques. These include solar drying, drum drying, vacuum drying, cabinet drying, kiln drying and tunnel drying. Solar drying is the cheapest. The quality of drying however, depends on factors like the quantity of the product obtained, the initial quality of the fruits and vegetables and the pre-drying treatments. Drying method is good for okro, pepper, and spinach. Canning involves such unit operation as cleaning and preparation, blanching, filling, exhausting, sealing, sterilising, cooling and labeling. Agitated, spiral or helical retort, aseptic canning and the use of hydrostatic pressure cooker are modern methods employed.

Filling of products into cans

at high speed with a weighed amount can be done mechanically using automatic filling machines.

On the alternative, the filled cans may be passed from the filling machine to an exhaust box. They are exposed to steam or hot water in order to create on “air-free” vacuum at the top of the can. Also, mechanised exhauster can be used to make sure there is no air present. The mechanical exhauster withdraws air by means of a high vacuum. The cans can be sealed immediately while still under vacuum. The filled and exhausted cans are sealed by an automatic sealing machine which may be capable of filling at least 250 cans per minute.

Hermatic sealing ensures that no air or contaminant can enter into the processed and preserved products.

According to Saurav Tuteja, an Indian expert on post harvest losses in fruits and vegetables, it can be minimized by proper cultural operations, harvesting, transportation, storage and pre and post- harvest treatments.

Interrupted supply of water causes cracking of carrot and tomato and splitting of outer scales of onions. Sudden and heavy irrigation at late maturity results in cracking of water- melon and tomatoes. Heavy application of nitrogenous fertilizers causes faster tissue deterioration in fruits and vegetables.

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

How Social Media Week connected ideas globally for seven years IFEOMA OKEKE

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rior to its launch in Lagos, Nigeria, Social Media Week was limited to a few countries across the world. Its novelty sparked so much interest, that when it finally launched in Lagos in 2013, the event recorded impressive participation.

Produced by AFRIKA21, the over 100 events curated for the first edition welcomed the participation of people from across the continent, as Lagos was the first African city to host the conference. With 3 venues across the city, the young and vibrant, industry leaders and entrepreneurs converged to experience the social media revolution at the newly berthed Social Media Week Lagos. Over 3,000 attendees participated in the event.

That year’s Social Media Week theme, ‘Open and Connected’ resonated with participants who had the opportunity to interact with like-minded people and leaders in different industries.

In 2014, while the global theme was, ‘The Future of Now’, SMW

Lagos focused on ‘A Connected Africa Is the Future’.

The conversation continued to tilt towards connecting Africa the following year with the theme ‘Upwardly Mobile: The Rise of a Connected Africa’.

The 2016 edition explored the various opportunities in the digital space, through the theme, ‘The Networked African: Technology’s Impact on Africa (and How We Can Harness it for Good)’.

By 2017, the conference focused on content creation and how technology is creating a new language under the local theme: ‘The [new] Language of Technology: The Future of Communication in Africa.

Last year’s event addressed the intensifying conflict between community and individualism under the theme ‘Closer’.

The significance of SMW Lagos cannot be overestimated. Usually held in February, the event pools young and innovative minds that are eager to share ideas and learn information. More importantly, the event has opened the eyes of Nigerians to the power of collaboration.

SMW Lagos has forged connection through a free network of ideas and insights with one main goal: success.

To ensure that no sector is left behind, the conference is continually expanding to accommodate different sectors. From education to governance, banking, agriculture, health and, of course, entertainment.

No doubt, Ngozi Odita, SMW Lagos co-founder, was accurate when she stated, “Nigerians are incorporating social media into their unique social, political and creative landscapes” as the event is one of the most anticipated events in the country’s calendar. As of 2016, the total number of attendees were estimated around 12,000, while,

remarkably reaching over 810 million people via social media globally.

Apart from creating a networking hub, the team pushed the envelope in 2017 when it announced its five year plan. The plan generally strives to generate tech-based solutions that will radically change the status quo and create opportunities that positively impact the continent.

The plan includes creating more job opportunities, encouraging and facilitating investments, ease access of quality education and achieve gender balance.

Two years after making that

announcement, SMW Lagos is already making strides in achieving those goals.

An example of this is the ‘Launched in Africa’ initiative which allows start-ups to pitch their ideas and get funding from interested investors. This year saw the top start-ups in the country which are mypaddi app, Crowdpol, Code Ln, Vesicash and CityBud. As part of its commitment to promote gender balance, a day is dedicated to women shattering glass ceilings and highlighting the different challenges faced by women on the continent. This year’s theme focused on how women can achieve equity in the workplace. In addition, SMW Lagos has mandated that any session with 2 or more speakers much include at least 1 female speaker. The result, since 2017 over 50percent of speakers have been women.

The introduction of masterclasses on diverse topics was part of the organisers’ plans to equip employable youths. At this year’s event, there were masterclasses in website designing, influential marketing, storytelling with a stop motion animation and the business of influence among others.

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Sunday 24 February 2019

SundayBusiness How rising unemployment impacts mortgage affordability

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igeria has one of the highest unemployment figures in the world and, according to the Q3 2018 report on unemployment rate as compiled by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), unemployment in Nigeria has risen from 18.8 percent in Q3 2017 to 23.1 percent in the third quarter of 2018.

The NBS, however, explained, “of the 20.9 million persons classified as unemployed as at Q3 2018, 11.1 million did some form of work but for too few hours a week (under 20 hours) to be officially classified as employed while 9.7 million did absolutely nothing.

“Of the 9.7 million unemployed that did absolutely nothing as at Q3 2018, 90.1 percent of them or 8.77 million were reported to be unemployed and doing nothing because they were first time job seekers and have never worked before”.

These are frightening figures that are practically incompatible with mortgage lending in Nigeria.

Adeniyi Akinlusi, CEO, Trustbond Mortgage Bank puts it straight that, though the ability of the banks to provide money for mortgage has changed on account of credit challenges in the financial system, mortgage affordability or the fundamentals for lending have not changed.

Technically speaking, there is no mortgage of any form in Nigeria.

Because of the commercial interest rate charged, mortgage lenders still anchor their loans on good jobs that attract fat monthly salary, meaning that a mortgage loan seeker is still expected to be somebody in a good job or private business with an assured, fat and regular stream of income.

It remains to be seen how impactful the uniform underwriting standard for the informal sector has been on mortgage lending and homeownership. The income of some of these informal sector operators can hardly be measured and, so, can hardly be controlled in a formal way.

As against the 6 percent interest rate and repayment tenor of between 25 and 30 years, depending on the borrower’s age, mortgage lenders in this country charge between 17 percent and 20 percent interest rate on mortgage loans with a repayment tenor as short as 12-24 months. The tenor also depends on the level of risk associated with either the loan or the borrower or both.

Because of this, the ever-widening housing demand-supply gap can easily be blamed on the commercial interest rate charged on mortgage loans which makes such loans unaffordable to home loan seekers.

Procurement and Supply Chain

with Gob-Agundu Uche Branch chair (CIPS), Nigeria ... continued from last week Develop a system to prioritise requests t is true that many times, the resources available to Procurement department are insufficient to handle the myriad of requests that come at the same time. Therefore, it is essential for some prioritisation. When requests come, the Team Leads and Managers must prioritise using their helicopter knowledge of the goals of the organisation. They must be able to identify urgent requests, not too urgent requests and routine requests. The danger in saying that ‘I can’t action your request now because I have a lot to do’ is that Procurement staff may become relaxed, considered as not supporting operations and the internal customers may become suspicious that they are not attended to like their other counterparts. This could create distrust. One of the ways to eliminate this problem is to develop a Service Level Agreement, SLA between the

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Procurement department and its internal stakeholders. The SLA will recognize the pressure of requests and generate number of days within which requests are expected to be executed as well as a mechanism for escalating delays. It is agreed between Procurement department and their customers. Another way to eliminate the problem is to develop your annual contracting plan with the User departments very early in the year and monitor its application judiciously.

Es t a b l i s h a n e f f e c t i v e communication mechanism It is important that Procurement department should establish a reliable and efficient communication mechanism for the use of the internal customers.

Some of the popular mechanism include emails, phone calls (which should be returned if missed), notifications, auto-reply (which helps the customer know that the mail was well received), using shared files, face to face meeting.

Over time, face to face meeting has proven to be the most effective means of communication when

The mortgage industry does not operate in isolation of the economy.

Certainly as an integral part of the economy, it has to be affected by the economic crisis in the country today. A good number of people who were in employment before now don’t have jobs again because of the downturn in the economy.

In spite of this, mortgage operators insist that the fundamentals for lending have not changed, which means that if somebody has a good job with a financial institution or a multinational company, and the pay package is high enough for him to afford a mortgage, the economic crisis has not changed that affordability.

The past few years have seen quite a number of mortgage products aimed at enabling subscribers own their own homes, but these products are yet to help reduce existing housing gap by increasing housing stock. The reason is simple.

The products, like the mortgage loans, are unaffordable by those who need them and, according to mortgage operators, those mortgage products are not the ones that will make any impact on housing.

“The mortgage products that we have today are commercial mortgages which the investor wants to recover his money from.

It is just like someone else who has invested in any other venture. He

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) has to recover his money because he borrows from the same place like you”, an operator who did not want to be named, noted.

Mortgage products can make impact on housing only when there is government intervention and, anywhere else in the world, there is government intervention to make mortgage affordable to everybody, no matter the income level.

As obtains in other societies, mortgage could be used to move the economy from being importdependent to a producing and exporting country and Akinlusi says mortgage institutions need long term loans for housing finance.

When there are enough funds to lend to property developers and to home seekers, the entire economy will be stimulated.

By the time there are enough funds in the hands of mortgage institutions for long term loans to property developers, there will be a lot of property construction activities and when these happen,

a lot of other activities will be generated and the economy will be better for it.

Engineers, architects, bricklayers, casual labourers and even food vendors will be automatically engaged by a single development in one corner of the city, and it is unimaginable what is possible when there are many of such developments going on at various parts of the country. The long term effect is the development of industries and factories that produce building materials such as cement, rods, roofing materials, wooden materials etc.

Ultimately, this will impact on the wider economy and your guess is as good as mine as to what follows when people have enough capital at their disposal. Definitely, investment is the next line of thought and, depending on the prevailing business environment and government policies, people will invest in many asset classes including real estate which in turn will anything including motor manufacturing.

Managing internal stakeholders of procurement department (1) resolving issues.

Benefits of effective management of stakeholders Effective stakeholder management comes with a number of benefits both to procurement department and its internal customers. Some of these benefits include: Stakeholder engagements are more valuable. When stakeholders are effectively managed, it creates a very conducive atmosphere to operate in. Engagements will be more productive and meaningful and less rancorous. All parties will then execute their tasks with the consciousness that they work for the same organization and are respectively interested in adding value to the company.

Needs are better understood.

Another benefit of an effective customer management is that the Procurement department will be able to understand the needs of their internal customers better. They will now appreciate that urgent requests are truly urgent and require immediate attention. Mutual trust will create belief in both parties that everyone is interested in delivering their services for the good of the company. In the same vein, there will also arise a better understanding of concerns. Stakeholders also have many concerns. Production department may be concerned that their Purchase requisition of certain tools if not handled with dispatch, may cause production downtime which will be costly to the company.

Therefore, one major benefit of effective stakeholder management

is that the internal customers will be rest assured that their orders are urgently handled.

Improved time management will result. Another benefit is that the internal customers will manage their time more efficiently. When they are sure that Procurement department will not dilly dally on their request, they will not invest time chasing the buyers but would instead concentrate in managing their project. Their time will be invested in the right places. Regular feedbacks in the relationship will enable both Procurement department and its customers focus appropriately on their core roles.

Sa t i s f i e d c u s t o m e r s a r e created. When the customers are properly managed, it makes them happy. This creates a good atmosphere for work. It is not possible to make all stakeholders happy. However, Procurement department must strive to involve its internal stakeholders through regular communication about the progress of their projects.

This will keep them happy and satisfied and create less stress for both parties. Essentially, improved communication helps in the identification of your stakeholders’ preferences.

Ri s k m a n a g e m e n t . Th e more you engage your internal stakeholders in your processes, the more you minimize business risks.

For instance, when the customer makes inputs into the bidders’ list, they can help the Buyer or Contract Analyst in identifying some vendors

who have who have bad reputation for providing substandard products and services in the industry. Your internal stakeholders can also help you identify new risks. The more you talk to them, the more you’ll find out about what else is going on that could potentially impact the entire value chain.

Despite the above measures, you must recognise that some internal customers can be difficult nomatterhowhardyoutrytosatisfy them. Therefore, you may apply the following strategies for dealing with such customers: Identify them and watch them closely to find out what motivates them in order to go the extra mile in satisfying them; Empathetically Listen to what they say and do not close communication channels because you don’t like what you hear; Meet them one on one because with other stakeholders in the room it makes the atmosphere more comfortable leading to clearer and calmer conversations; Determine the causes of their resistance and show them that you are committed to deal with those issues.

In conclusion, managing stakeholder relationship is an important skill for every member of the Procurement department. It is important to always realise that the internal stakeholders are critical to the existence of the Procurement department. Though, they have the tendency not to appreciate our efforts, we must necessarily find ways of managing them to achieve our procurement goals and the goals of the organisation at large.

Sunday 24 February 2019

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SundayBusiness NDE begins training of 700 women, youths in cosmetology in Abia Udoka Agwu

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he National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced the vocational skills training in cosmetology for 700 women and youths in Abia.

Steve Ogwumike, head, Department of Vocational Skills Development of NDE in Abia, while speaking at Asaga, Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia, disclosed that it was part of the empowerment of 10,000 women and youths in the state by the agency.

He said the agency decided to train them on cosmetology because it has a quick turnover.

According to him, the beneficiaries would be given a start-up fund of about N500,000 under the microcredit scheme, after the training programme.

“NDE is collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). As soon as they finish this training they will be given forms to fill. We take it to CBN for funding immediately,” he said.

Ogwumike, who expressed happiness on the impressive turn-out of participants, said they would be trained for one week on the production of liquid soap, cream and others.

Chidia Maduekwe, managing director and chief executive, Nigerian Film Corporation, whose firm is collaborating with the NDE

in the empowerment, said the programme was in line with the policy of the Federal Government that there was need to build a very robust social safety net.

“We decided to take the participants from the senatorial district perspective.

Ohafia is the capital of Abia North.

“After this, we move to Abia Central and South, then cascade to the 17 local government areas in the state. A total of 10,000 women and youths will be empowered,” he disclosed.

He said he decided to collaborate with the NDE because he was keen about building up capacity, adding, “it is the people at the base of the pyramid that drives every economy.”

Glo asks subscribers to pre-order new Samsung S10 phones

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n continuation of its avowed desire to offer its teeming subscribers the best products and services available in the nation’s telecoms industry, digital transformation leader, Globacom, has asked its subscribers to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S10 phones and be among the first set of telecom subscribers worldwide to use the next generation devices.

Announcing the unique opportunity in Lagos on Thursday, the leading telecommunications company called on any of its interested subscribers to pre-order the Samsung S10 2019 flagship phones.

In the statement issued to announce the offer, Globacom listed the phones to include S10E, S10, and S10 plus, which are were specially designed to mark the 10th anniversary of Samsung and its unique “S” series.

Globacom assured that

any phone user in the country who pre-orders the S10 series through its Gloworld outlets across the country will have the opportunity to win Galaxy Buds, the new revolutionary headset, worth N45,000 and 6-month data.

Samsung, the producer of the series, had announced that the phones are “engineered to be a conversation changer with a novel-looking infinity 6.1-inch O-screen

and triple-lens rear camera that takes ultra-wide photos with QHD+ resolutions and 8GB RAM”.

The phones also have in-screen fingerprint sensor and wireless power share that could serve family and friends. Samsung explained that the Galaxy S10E is cheaper as it was specially designed for low budget subscribers wishing to enjoy the same avant-garde features.

Going Digital With

Wison Moore

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he first email was sent out by Ray Tomlinson in 1971, but with the amazing development of social media, search engine optimization, mobile marketing and all the other online buzz, you would think that email marketing is dead. But is it?

Email marketing is arguably the most profitable means of marketing.

It presents more opportunities for your business and drives a better return on investment. With email marketing, your business can create engaging relationships with a wider audience at a fraction of the cost of traditional media.

There are plenty of data that back up the benefits or advantages of email marketing. For instance: • MarketingSherpa reports that a whopping 91% of adults in the US like to receive promotional emails.

• According to McKinsey, email marketing is more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in acquiring new customers.

However, before you can run a successful email marketing campaign, it is important that you do some prep work so that you’ll be primed for success when you finally send that first email. So, what is the right way to create an email campaign that rocks?

Let’s dive in.

Create a solid email marketing strategy You might be shocked to know that each of your customers receives 121 emails every day. The gist of that statistics is that if you don’t take the time to develop an effective strategy, your emails will get lost in crowded inboxes, or worse, sent to the spam folder. #1. Define your audience – the people receiving your email Every marketing you do starts with your buyer persona, understand their pain points and tailor your email campaign to their needs. An effective email is a relevant email. #2. What do you want your email campaign to

How to do email marketing campaign right achieve?

Before you come up with your campaign goals do some research. Such research uncovers the average email stats for your industry and then use them as benchmarks for your marketing goals. #3. Create an enticing pitch that draws people to sign up Do you need people to email? Your email list is a group of users who have signed up so that you can send them relevant content. In order to grow your list, you would need multiple ways for the audience to opt-in to receive your emails.

Be realistic. It takes time to grow an organic email list. #4. Choose an email campaign type One of the beauties of email marketing is its versatility. There are different email campaigns that can be leveraged as fundamental components of any digital marketing strategy to drive results. The key is finding the campaigns that work best for your brand and that meet your specific business goals.

down to lead magnets and opt-in forms.

Lead magnets – what are they?

A lead magnet is an incentive that marketers offer to potential buyers in exchange for their email addresses or other contact information. Examples of lead magnets are ebook, whitepaper, report or study, webinar or course, and infographic.

Email marketing tips Email marketing requires a lot of consideration. The goal of each campaign is to generate more leads. This makes crafting an email marketing campaign a more involved process than other written marketing materials.

Components of a successful email marketing campaign are: Copy: The copy in the body of your email should be consistent with your voice and stick to only one topic.

Images: Choose images that are optimized for all devices, eye-catching, and relevant.

CTA: Your call-to-action should lead to a relevant offer and stand out from the rest of the email.

Many marketers start by learning about the different types of email campaigns that exist and then decide which is best for their audience. This helps them set up different lists for different types of emails so that customers and prospects can sign up for only the emails that are relevant to them. #5. Create an email campaign schedule For a successful email campaign, decide how often you plan to email those that have signed up. Let them know ahead of time what to expect, and stick to a consistent schedule to help you gain their trust. #6. Measure the results of your campaign By being meticulous about every key email marketing metrics, you will be equipped to tweak your emails so as to yield better results.

Build your email list the right way There are many creative ways to build your email list (and, no, buying email list is not one of them). Building an effective email list comes

Timing: Based on the audience, find the best day and time to send your email.

Responsiveness: Since 55% of emails are opened on mobile, your email should, therefore, be optimized for mobile and other devices.

Personalization: Write every email like you’re sending it to a friend. Be personable and address your reader in a familiar tone.

Subject line: Use clear, actionable, enticing language that is personalized and aligned with the body of the email. Remember, 4150 characters is the average subject line that would appear on mobile phones.

Your turn: How do you think email marketing should be done?

Moore is Director of Marketing Anaconda Marketing Ltd, a Lagos-based Digital Marketing Agency +234 080 579 37786 wilson.moore@anacondamarketing.com.ng http://anacondamarketing. com.ng

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Sunday 24 February 2019

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

PR and ad agencies don’t understand their clients Chris Moerdyk

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ne of the greatest disconnects in the world of marketing is the lack of understanding by PR and advertising agencies of their clients.

The first mistake is to assume that the contact person on client side is the final arbiter of what PR and advertising decisions are made. Of course, there are some very lucky PR and ad agencies that have clients who leave everything to them. Let them do what they think is best. However, these are few and far between.

My experience from serving on boards or advising CEO’s on marketing, is that the people who are actually in charge of advertising are pretty much way down the pecking order. It’s slightly different in PR because mostly one deals with the CEO. In the old days CEO’s and boards of directors didn’t really care too much about things like advertising and PR. Well, CEO’s did care about PR but the biggest problem generally was that CEO’s were a little shy about coming out with the truth which was; “make me look good - let me see my name in lights...” And boards of directors just wanted to see their company names or brands in lights. And they certainly did not understand that smiling faces holding new products or sales charts did not amount to news.

The biggest problem in PR today is the total disconnect between what companies want from the media and what the media want from companies. With the result that the majority of PR people try very hard to do what the clients wants and when there is no result in terms of media coverage, the client either fires them or just loses interest and cuts budgets.

In the advertising industry, many of the really big brands place their advertising in the hands of staff who can be five or six management levels below the executive.

I remember sitting in a board

The biggest problem in PR today is the total disconnect between what companies want from the media and what the media want from companies

meeting of one of our biggest banks and being told that the CEO and chairman really did not have time to concern themselves with advertising or PR (unless there was a disaster and then they became interested very quickly and usually far too late.)

Nowadays, when boards meet, they want to know what sort of return on investment they are getting from all the money they are approving for advertising. They want to see results. They no longer buy in to the notion that you can’t really measure advertising.

Which is why a lot of financial services brands, particularly those in the insurance industry, have moved away completely from traditional advertising and into digital which they find accurately measurable.

When I do audits on marketing spend (mostly advertising, PR and sponsorship) I find that between 25% and 50% of bud-

gets are completely wasted.

The problem is that right from the start ad agencies don’t get together with clients to try and really understand each other at the highest level, and the same with PR. My experience of advertising and PR from sitting on various baords is that neither are top of the agenda but way down.

But, when the board gets to talk about advertising and PR then discussion immediately moves to “what are we getting for our money.”

Some years ago, I developed a checklist for scoring brand effectiveness and have introduced this successfully in a number of companies. The beauty of it is that it gives both boards and marketing staff a clear idea in percentage terms of not only how efficient their advertising or PR is, but also shows the percentage risk in campaigns right at the planning stage.

Culled from Bizcommunity

Mobile, data, consumers dominate discussions at entertainment confab April

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he Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NECLive) the marketplace for ideas, products and services in Africa’s largest creative and entertainment industry is set to hold its 7th edition in April, 2019 in Lagos.

This year, the conference will be exploring the theme; Mobile, Data, Consumers, and the Future of Entertainment. In particular as mobile tech and monetisation affect consumers as well as creators; and what it all means for the future of entertainment.

At #NECLive7, some of Nigeria’s most important media, entertainment and creative industry enthusiasts will come together to provide genuine data insight and share their best practices for the benefit of all.

Founder and convener of the conference, Ayeni Adekunle says in a statement “Over time, it has become clear that the Nigerian entertainment industry needs an event like NECLive. The platform presents attendees and industry players the opportunity to network, and stakeholders with the muchneeded insight to operate in this $8 billion industry.

“33” Export unveils series of connect experiences with Valentine Edition

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s part of its efforts to foster bonds amongst consumers, foremost beer brand, “33” Export celebrated last Valentine’s Day in a rather unique way, bringing its consumers together with its connect experiences.

“33” Connect is a new experiential platform that brings people together to celebrate shared interests and moments in a convivial environment. The unique

platform transforms everyday beer parlor occasions to the most exciting and unforgettable experiences for all guests. Guests can look forward to a night of networking, games, comedy, music, fantastic prizes and of course ice cold “33” Export.

The first of these larger than life experiences was themed the Valentine Mingle and held simultaneously on Valentine’s day in Uyo and Lagos. The two

cities played host to hundreds of guests eager to participate in the thrilling games on display. In line with the theme of the event, couples were treated to exciting games that tested how well they know each other. Imagine the look on one lady’s face when she realized her husband’s favorite color is blue and not black!

Aso Rock International Bar, Ikotun hosted the experience in Lagos while Pyramid Bar and Grill

played host to the experience in Uyo. Both events according to a statement, dominated social media conversations as everyone was excited to capture great moments and share their experiences online.

Speaking about the “33” Connect platform, Portfolio Manager, Mainstream Brands, NB Plc, Omotunde Adenusi said “We believe in fostering bonds and nurturing relationships. We revel in using

this unique platform that brings people together to showcase a very important part of what 33 Export stands for as a brand and we are thrilled to be able to connect with our consumers in a truly fun and exciting way.”

“33” Export Lager will be looking to host 33 of these experiences this year in a bid to strengthen its foothold in its key regions and increase the bond with its consumers.

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EquityMarket Enamelware posts N9 million in nine months to return to profitability ... AS gross revenue declines by 18 percent

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Stories by TELIAT SULE namelware Nigeria announced its third quarter results for the period ended January31, 2019 last week. Gross revenue was down by 18 percent from N1.13 billion in 2018 to N923.8 million in 2019. The same trend manifested in other financial metrics such as gross profit and operating profit. Gross profit fell by 19 percent to N247.5 million in 2019 down from N306 million in 2018. Operating profit declined by 43 percent to N158 million from N275.9 million in comparable period last year.

Nigeria Enamelware was incorporated in Nigeria on 21 may 1960 as a limited liability company. It became a listed company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on 28 December 1979 in line with the Indigenisation Decree of 1977.

The company adopted Nigerian Enamelware on June 6, 1991. It has since created a niche for itself in the production and marketing of enamelware, plastic products, and galvanised buckets.

A further examination of its financials shows that its current level of profitability is very fragile as to sustain it requires that its management think out of the box. For the reference period, profit before tax stood at N13.4 million which is a

marginal improvement over a loss before tax of N4 million in comparable period in 2018.

Nigeria Enamelware made N9.4

Access Bank to raise N15bn unsecured green bond TELIAT SULE

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ccess Bank Plc has notified its stakeholders of the plan to issue a 5-year fixed rate unsecured green bond.

The latest announcement followed the one made in January 18,2019 when it notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange(NSE) that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had approved the book build in respect of its green bond with climate credentials being issued by the bank.

According to the statement by the bank signed by Sunday Ekwochi, company secretary, the N15 billion bond will be its first ever Climate Bond Standard Certified Corporate Green Bond issued in Africa. The issue has been awarded a B2 rating by Moody’s, and was verified by PwC UK as well as was certified by the Climate Bond Initiative as having met the Climate Bond Standards.

The bond has a tenor of 2019 to 2024, with a coupon ban of 14.90 percent to 15.10 percent per annum; the commencement of the book build was Thursday February 21, 2019 while the conclusion of the book build will be February 28, 2019 by 5 pm.

Other important dates include Thursday, February 28, 2019 which is the day for the distribution of allocation letters while funding commitment will be on Friday , March 1, 2019.

“With our pace-setting experience in the mainstreaming of sustainability in our business operations, we are confident that this issue will further help in supporting environmentally friendly investors to meet their investment objectives whilst simultaneously supporting the bank’s customers towards realising growth opportunities in the fast-developing low carbon economy”, Herbert Wigwe, Access Bank’s group managing director, said.

It should be recalled that Access Bank in June 2018 launched the Nigerian Green Bond Market Development Programme in partnership with FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange and the Securities Exchange Commission.

The proceeds from the green bond issue will be used to finance eligible green projects that meet Climate Board Initiative (CBI) Standards. The issue will serve as a turning point for Nigeria, attracting both domestic and international investors and will set the pace for other Nigerian corporate to raise green capital.

million profit compared with a loss after tax of N4.6 million in similar period in 2018. Total assets fell to N3.7 billion compared with

BOC Gases notifies stakeholders of status of major stakeholders

N4.6 billion in similar period, while shareholders funds remained flat at N1.422 billion compared to N1.423 billion in 2018.

OC Gases Nigeria Plc wishes to notify its shareholders and The Nigerian Stock Exchange that by virtue of the merger between Linde AG (a company registered in Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange) and Praxair, Inc. (a company registered in the United States of America and formally listed on the New York Stock Exchange) which was concluded on 31st October 2018, Linde Plc (a company registered in Ireland and listed on the Frankfurt and New York Stock Exchanges) has become the parent company of Linde AG and Praxair, Inc. As a result, through its 92% interest in Linde AG, Linde Plc now holds an indirect beneficial interest in BOC UK and also, an indirect beneficial ownership in BOC Gases Nigeria PLC. We confirm that following the merger, BOC UK will continue to hold all the shares it currently holds in BOC Gases Nigeria PLC, and that none of these shares will be transferred by BOC UK to any other person as a direct consequence of the merger.

Please note that BOC Holdings Limited UK (“BOC UK”) holds 249,746,823 shares representing 60% of the issued shares of BOC Gases Nigeria PLC.

Zenith bank’s impressive full year result anchored on 25% cut in expenses KELVIN UMWENI

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t is that time of the year where many of the quoted companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) will be showcasing their performance for the prior year by way of releasing their earnings reports to shareholders and/or investors. The latest report to the bourse came from Zenith Bank, the first bank to release their full year financial statement in 2019.

In the financial statement to the bourse earlier this week, Zenith Bank posted a decrease in gross earnings by 15.4 per cent from N745.2 billion in full year (FY) 2017 to N630 billion in 2018.

Similarly, interest income stood at N440.1 billion in 2018 relative to N474.6 billion recorded in the preceding year.

The poor figures came about as a result of a sharp decline in the interest income accruable from loans and advances granted to customers and also interest income from investment in treasury bills – both fell by 13.2 per cent and 8.4 per cent to N273.2 billion and

N100.5 billion respectively.

On the contrary, the tier-one lender’s net interest income increased by 14.6 per cent bolstered by a 33.3 per cent drop in interest expenses from N216.7 billion in 2017 to N144.5 billion in 2018.

Profit before tax (PBT) spiked from N199.3 billion recorded in 2017 to N231.7 billion with a total value of N180 billion posted as net income realized from fees and commissions, trading gains in government securities and derivatives including other operating incomes in 2018 and over N225 billion being the total sum of personal expenses, depreciation of property and equipment and amortization of intangible assets.

“Gross earnings of the Group decreased by 15.4 per cent and profit before tax increased by 16.2 per cent. This is largely due to the reduction of 25 per cent in expenses,” the bank said in the report.

The total gross loans of the bank stood at N2.01 trillion in 2018 representing a decrease of 10.5 per cent from N2.25 trillion in 2017. The bank target was to grow loan by 2.5 per cent in 2018. Non-

performing loans (NPLs) sank, amounted to N100.5 billion from N105.9 billion in 2017.

A further examination of the top tier lender’s financial statement reveals that manufacturing sector was the biggest recipient of loans and advances, gulping N579.9 billion in 2018 and outpacing the oil and gas sector with total gross loans of N510.1 billion relative to N660.2 billion in 2017.

Nevertheless, the oil and gas sector, with over N38 billion nonperforming loans (NPLs), still dominates the non-performing loan industry breakdown for the bank, albeit at slow rate.

According to Reuters, Zenith Bank aimed to grow loans by 7.5 percent in 2019 after loans and advances declined last year as a result of early repayments.

Total assets of Zenith Bank as at the end of the year 2018 was N5.96 trillion compared to N5.60 trillion recorded as at the end of the prior year. Total liabilities followed same trend, rising by 7.5 per cent to N5.14 trillion. Consequently, the shareholders’ fund stood at N815.8 billion as against N812.1 billion in the previous year.

38 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 24 January 2019

Consumer Watch

Experts warn consumers on unhygienic zobo drink …Charge government on adequate clean water supply NGOZI OKPALAKUNNE

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obo drink, a locallymade drink from edible plant of hibiscus gained popularity in Nigerian market some decades of years ago. Ever since then, the bright red drink has become a delight to many consumers.

Zobo can be seen while being hawked on the streets, markets and bus stops. It is also sold by retailers of soft drinks.

Some time, one may mistake it to soft drinks like coca cola, Biggie because they have similar colour.

Research has shown that zobo drink has a lot of health benefits which include reduction of cholesterol, high blood pressure; prevention of diabetes and a host of others.

Also, in a recent report written by Dr. Ochuko Erukainure, nutritional biochemist and a senior research officer with the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Lagos, it stated that consumption of zobo drink is very effective in the management of hypertension due to its anti-hypertensive properties.

According to him the local drink contains between 15 percent and 30 percent acid, maleic acid and tartaric acid which he said are powerful enzymes that reduce the risk of high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes in the body.

Speaking in an interview with Consumer Watch, a Lagos based nutritionist, Miracle Mbagwu regretted the manner in which some women produce zobo drink describing it

as unhygienic.

Mbagwu said that most producers of zobo drink do not bother to pick dirty particles in the dried hibiscus before making use of it and added that they do not use clean and boiled water in the production of the local drink which originated from the northern part of the country.

“Some of the producers of zobo drink manufacture the drink in a dirty manner. They do not consider the health implication of their deeds. They make use of well water instead of boiled tap water. Besides, the containers used in retailing the drink are picked on the road side. These containers no doubt contain dirty particulars. In fact the quickest way of getting typhoid fever, diarrhoea is through consumption of zobo drink prepared with well water”, she said.

On the sugar contain of zobo drink, the nutritionist

observed that majority of the producers add too much sugar to it in order to make it more attractive.

She said: “Adding sugar to zobo drink is not healthy, there is an ideal flavour that does not have any health implication which can be added to it, but because sugar is cheaper than the flavour, they prefer sugar which is detrimental to the health of consumers.’’

However, she stressed the need for manufacturers of zobo drink to be more sterile by using boiled tap water and flavour instead of sugar, adding, “but whereby they want to use sugar, they should fry it, in order to reduce the sugar contain”.

Also the nutritionist said: “Since they produce the local drink for commercial purpose, they should go for new plastic containers instead of using contaminated and used plastic bottles, because some of the bottles are picked near gutters

Dufil kicks off cooking competition

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ufil Prima Foods, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles, has launched Indomie cooking competition to deepen the conversation surrounding cooking among young couples.

The competition, with hashtag #MyIndomieMyRecipe, is geared towards growing narratives about the role of couples in the kitchen and who should cook when both married mates return from work tired.

Head of Marketing, Manpreet Singh, said the competition, which will end on 14th of March, 2019, will see several participants rewarded with Indomie products, with the grand winner having a

dinner date with a hip hop recording artist, Ice Prince and actress Sharon Ooja and N100,000 cash prize. There will also be weekly and daily winners.

Manpreet said to enter the competition, participants are expected to prepare their favourite meal from #MyIndomieMyRecipe playlist on the Indomielivetv channel on YouTube. “Then participants will take a picture of the meal with their Indomie pack by the side and post the picture on social media with the hashtag #MyIndomieMyRecipe #MyIndomieMyStyle.

Finally, each participant is expected to get as many likes on the post. Selected entries will be reposted on

the Indomie page, with winners getting away with Indomie prizes,” Manpreet said.

On the rationale behind the competition, Manpreet stated the aim is to provide solution to people finding it difficult to cook meal after a hard day’s job. Manpreet said: “In busy cities in Nigeria, it is becoming harder to cook conventional meals because of lack of time due to the existence of traffics and other uncontrollable factors.

Indomie Instant Noodles through this competition is, however, offering solution to such challenge by offering consumers eight amazing convenient and easy cooking recipes to choose from on its youtube page.

and dustbins and they are not properly washed and sterilized with hot water before usage.”

On his part Jude Aluko of Imperial Hospital Ebutte – Metta Lagos, attributed increased cases of juvenile diabetes to consumption of zobo drink, juice and soft drinks targeted to children.

“Over the years there has been increase in the influx of different brands of highly chemicalised drinks for children in the market. Now, it is difficult to see children juice that contains less sugar, but if it was in the 80’s you can make a choice between sugary drinks and the ones that are not, but today there is no choice to make because all the drinks produced for children contain addictives that give the drinks high sugary taste.

Explaining further, the medical practitioner affirmed that the preservative added to such drinks could lead to liv-

er and kidney problem in the children later in life.

However, he advised mothers to be mindful of the drink they buy for their children and cancelled that they should always taste the drink before buying so as to ascertain the sugar contains of such product.

“If you taste the product and the sugar in it is high, you can buy any other thing for the child because if it is a child whose parents have diabetes in their linage, that child can easily have diabetes’’, the expert submitted.

On the other, he appealed to government to ensure there is adequate clean water supply in the country adding, “If there is clean water, people will not produce zobo drink with well water.

“They use unclean water because of the economic situation in the country, those who produce the drink may not have money to buy clean water and so, each time they want to produce zobo dink, they can lay hands on any available water whether good or bad and it should not be so because of the dangers associated with consumption of poorly produced zobo drink,’’ Aluko noted.

In all, the experts advised that consumers should be heedful of the drinks they take as consumption of unhygienic drinks such as zobo drink could lead to several health challenges.

Also, they called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) checkmate the activities of food and drink producers in the country.

Sunday 24 February 2019

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BDSUNDAY 39

Health&Science Health benefits of Papaya- fruit, seeds and leaves

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he papaya fruit or pawpaw as is commonly known in Nigeria is a very common and tasty fruit widely eating nationwide. It almost grows wildly with pawpaw trees dotting the streets and growing in front of everyone’s home. A little known fact is that the tree bears a very beneficial fruit with wonderful health benefits.

Papaya fruit is very high in antioxidants and Vitamin C. This makes the fruit good in boosting immunity and thereby preventing infections like the common cold or flu.

In addition, reduce cholesterol buildup in the blood thereby reducing the risk of developing heart disease.

The fruit is also rich in Vitamin A which is responsible for preserving vision and protecting against age related eye diseases.

Papaya can help to fight and prevent cancer. The fruit is rich in lycopene and carotene which has been demonstrated to reduce cancer risk. Special antioxidants in papaya have also been shown to have anticancer activity as well as to reduce oxidative damage which is a precursor to the formation of cancer.

Another benefit of papaya is its ability to fight inflammation. Inflammation is the root of many diseases ranging from arthritis to cancer and papain, an enzyme found in papaya has exhibited very strong anti-inflammatory qualities. Papain reduces pain, muscle soreness and aids in digestion. Papain is also used in skin preparations to improve the texture of the skin and to promote

Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan.

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wound healing.

Papaya leaves are not to be ignored; they are packed with superior medicinal qualities and have been used effectively in traditional medicine for a long time. Papaya leaves have been used to reduce fever and body pains associated with malaria. It works similar to conventional painkillers such as ibuprofen without the side effects.

The leaves also contain the enzyme papain which aid digestion and relieves menstrual pain.

The leaves are also used to fight diabetes. It works by preventing excess sugar from staying in the blood which also helps to reduce the organ damage caused by diabetes.

Papaya leaves also accelerates wound healing making for a faster recovery. For people who have problems digesting gluten and wheat, the enzymes in

papaya leaves help to break the proteins down in the body.

Papaya seeds are also very important to our health.

Many of us think the seeds are inedible and we throw them away not knowing we are discarding valuable medicine. Papaya seeds are great for detoxification.

Consuming the seeds help to detoxify the liver and kidneys. The high fiber content also helps to cleanse and detoxify the colon. This can also aid in achieving weight loss for overweight people. Just like the fruit and the leaves, papaya seeds are also very valuable in reducing in inflammation and lowering high blood pressure.

The benefits go on and on.

In conclusion, papaya is a delicious fruit with many health advantages. We should strive to incorporate it into our diets regularly and this should include the seeds and the leaves.

A simple detox regimen

is to try what we call ‘Pawpaw Therapy’. Cut a medium sized papaya into 3 equal parts, and divide the seeds in to 3 equal parts. In addition, boil the leaves in a small sized cooking pot with 6 cups of water. In the morning, eat one-third of the pawpaw, swallow one third of the seeds, and drink 2 cups of the papaya leaf tea.

Do this also in the afternoon and evening making sure to drink at least 3 litres of water throughout the day.

Resume your regular meals the following day.

This will help to cleanse your system, lose weight and hydrate your skin. I hope you try this wonderful tip soon and start reaping the health benefits!

Contributor Tobi Ayodele Keeney Managing Director Quincy Herbals Email address:tobi@ quincyherbals.com

Smoking more than 20 cigarettes daily could damage eyesight says researchers ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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new study, conducted by a Rutgers researcher, finds that smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day could damage vision and may cause overall colour vision loss.

According to the study, the team compared 71 participants who had smoked fewer than 15 cigarettes across their whole lifetimes, with 63 people who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day. The participants were all in good health, had normal or corrected vision and were aged between 25 and 45 years.

The findings indicated significant changes in the smokers’ red- green and blue- yellow colour vision which suggested

Cancer cause of common death in Oyo state

that consuming substance with neurotoxic chemicals, such as those in cigarettes, may cause over all vision loss.

The team also found that heavy smokers had a reduced ability to discriminate contrasts and colours when compared to the non- smokers.

Steven Silverstein, Lead Author says studies have pre-

viously linked cigarette smoking to brain lesions and an increased risk of conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), lens inflammation and retinal ischemia. However, few studies have linked smoking to impaired colour vision “Our results indicate that excessive use of cigarettes,

or chronic exposure to their compounds, affects visual discrimination, supporting the existence of overall deficits in visual processing with tobacco addiction,” Silverstein said.

Although the research did not give a physiological explanation for the results, Silverstein said that since nicotine and smoking harm the vascular system, the study suggests they also damage blood vessels and neurons in the retina.

Silverstein said the findings also suggest that research into visual processing impairments in other groups of people, such as those with schizophrenia who often smoke heavily, should take into account their smoking rate or independently examine smokers versus nonsmokers.

vailable data from University College Hospital (UCH) revealed that since 2015, cancer has been the leading source of death in the hospital.

Also, another source of death along with infections included HIV/AIDS, injuries and cardiovascular diseases.

Reflecting on his eight-year tenure in an interaction with journalists in Ibadan, Temitope Alonge, the outgoing Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan said cancer has become the commonest cause of death in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

He disclosed that in order to tackle the challenge, the hospital acquired two 22-channel brachi-therapy machines that are able to treat the three commonest types of cancer. He added that the machine can treat minimum of 50 patients a day.

Alonge indicated that the impression that HIV has been stamped out was erroneous because most infections were

HIV/AIDS-related.

He opined that the campaign against stigmatization may have contributed to the spread of the virus again as infected people live without stigma, get more comfortable but go round to infect unsuspecting members of the public.

The Orthopaedic surgeon said he was leaving the position fulfilled because he succeeded largely in his dream of transforming the UCH. He added that his goal was to build the people, build a system and build service and infrastructures that will enable the hospital regain its status as the leading teaching hospital in West Africa.

He pointed out that he succeeded in the goal, hence his feeling of fulfilment.

The outgoing CMD said he enjoyed the support of the staff and Board of Management in his efforts to transform the hospital, stressing that he was leaving the hospital better than he met it.

His successor, Abiodun Otegbayo, a professor will take over at the end of this month.

NAGGMDP tasks members to build friendship with governments SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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bubakar Ayinla, the President of National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) has tasked members to build friendship with governments and other health workers for improved health care delivery.

Ayinla, a medical doctor, who made the call in his acceptance speech on his emergence as the President of NAGGMDP for the 2018 to 2020 Executive year, equally stressed the need to form friendship across all states for effective implementation of the objectives of delivering effective health care at all levels in Nigeria.

“Every member must work jointly in a well coordinated manner to achieve objectives of NAGGMDP. “We shall all have to part

some more coins and naira notes and bring out ingenuity to bear as we act in consonance with our constitution to rebuild the NAGGMDP of our dream, ” he said.Ayinla promised that he will inject a renewed passion and zeal to the association, adding that the NAGGMDP is responsible for more than 85 percent of the populace who seek services at the primary and secondary systems of health care in Nigeria.The President of NAGGMDP disclosed that he had constituted a ‘Presidential Working Group’ comprised of all colleagues of recently constituted National Officers Committee (NOC) that respond their interest or were defeated.He noted that these group will take responsibility towards the strategic implementation and execution of action packs and plan for 2018 to 2020 executive year.

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Health&Science Coping with children with learning disabilities

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hen a child is diagnosed with learning disabilities, all of the attention is focused on helping the child.

However, parents also need assistance in coping with their own feelings and frustrations.

Research has shown that parents of children with learning disabilities had very elevated scores on the Parenting Stress Index, signifying that they perceived far more stress in their role as parents than did parents of children without learning problems. By increasing coping skills, parents can reduce their own stress and can become effective in reducing stress in their children.

Internal stress Expectations of parents about their child lie at the root of burnout. When expectations about parenting are not met, the first thought is “What did I do wrong?”

Therefore, parents must learn how to develop realistic expectations and how to recognize when negative self-talk defeats effective coping.

Management strategies Identify your own self-defeating assumptions and think of alternative messages. Be kind to yourself and accept yourself and child as fallible. Note and use personal strengths and talents.

External stress External stressors are those that are situational, and often involve relationships with others. For example, neighbors, friends, and relatives don’t understand why such a normal-acting child is having academic problems.

Teachers frequently don’t fully understand the ramifications of a child’s problem.

Since coping with a child with learning disabilities can be emotionally draining, parents also are encouraged to develop assertiveness skills, intimacy skills, and a support system.

Also know your limits and be realistic about what you can accomplish. Say no to unreasonable demands.

Learn about your child’s

cient rest, eat well-balanced meals, and exercise regularly. Make recreation and relaxation a priority, so that you have some time off during the week. (Studies have shown that psychologically healthy families have lessthan-perfect housekeeping!)

Parenting children with learning disabilities pres-

Parents are called upon by the school to help make decisions about the child’s academic program, but often feel helpless because of their own lack of understanding.

problems and needs, so that you can be an active participant in school and resource meetings.

ents special challenges, not only with the child’s everyday problems, but also with the associated social and emotional problems of school failure. Better coping strategies and parent groups can provide both skill training and emotional support for parents of children with learning disabilities.

Courtesy University of California San Fransico

Management strategies Problem-solving techniques, time management, and goal setting are helpful when dealing with stressors associated with raising children and running a household.

Physiological stress Parents of children with learning disabilities need to recognize that children with learning disabilities require exceptional amounts of energy. In order to replenish energy, parents need to be sure they get suffi-

UNICEF, Kaduna State move to reduce new HIV cases

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gabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State is recording a decline in new cases of HIV among Adolescent and Young Persons (AYPs) since the introduction of AYPs HIV programme in 2016.

This was disclosed by Malam Adamu Lawal, the council’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Local Action Committee on AIDS in Rigachikun Local Government Area of the state.

The AYPs programme is a UNICEF supported HIV intervention, designed to scale-up combination of HIV prevention, treatment and care services for AYPs in the state.

Lawal said that new cases of HIV have dropped from an average of five cases in a month to between one or two cases and sometimes zero.

He attributed the development to the massive HIV awareness and counselling services being offered by youths under the AYPs programme.

He said that so far, no fewer than 137,850 AYPs were provided with HIV information between 2016 and 2018, out of which 22,001 know their status and living a quality and protective lives.

One of the AYPs, Mr Husseini Bello, 23, said he never knew his HIV status until recently when he met the HIV services demand creators, counsellors and testers of the programme.

“They met me at a snooker joint where I normally hang out. I thought I knew everything about HIV until they began to educate us on risk factors and the need to be tested. After listening to them for a while I became convinced that I need to know my status. I got tested and was extremely delighted when the result turned out negative,” he said.

Bello said that the AYPs doorto-door campaign was the best thing that has happen to him, adding that he has voluntarily joined the campaign to create more awareness among the youth.

He, however, advised that souvenirs in the form of t-shirts or face caps be given to every youth that offers himself/herself to be tested, stressing that the measure will encourage others to do same.

On Prevention of Mother-toChild Transmission of HIV, Malama Balkisu Umar, a pregnant mother expressed satisfaction with HIV services provided at the Rigachikun

Primary Health Care centre.

Umar, said that the facility, a five minutes’ walk from her house, provides all HIV services, from counselling to testing and other relevant information she needs to remain negative. The quality of service is impressive because we are well cared for whenever we come for antenatal care. The officials attend to us in good time and take time to educate us on key households’ practices that will keep us and our unborn child safe and healthy,” she said.

Khadija Abubakar, a nursing mother, equally expressed satisfaction with the quality of HIV and other health services at the centre.

“I feel at home whenever I come for antenatal care and am always looking forward to coming back for more services because of the way the officials enlighten us on how to live health lives. I was tested for HIV after several minutes of counselling. I was so happy when the result shows that I am negative and will remain so because of the rich information I got on HIV,” she said.

PMB intervene unjustified withholding of our salaries-JOHESU Edokpolor Osayande

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he Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) National Orthopaedic Hospital Igbobi chapter, Yaba, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene for the unjustified withholding of salaries of JOHESU members and other unresolved issues with the Federal Government and the Ministry of Health.

Speaking during a three days peaceful protest yesterday, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association, Igbobi. Comrade Tade Oyedele has said that the protest was to abreast the public and the world at large of the tyranny, injustices perpetrated on our members by the Federal Ministry of Health, adding the protest is also a warning for the nonimplementations of their demand which includes; “ the adjustment of CONHESS salary as done for CONMESS since january 2014, abolition of scale to scale promotion, payment of outstanding promotion arrears, implementation of all court judgements, review of retirement age from 60-65 years has done for tertiary education Sector and autonomy for teaching and specialist Hospitals in the country among other issues”.

Comrade Oyedele noted that for over seven years, the government keep appealing to health workers that they will look into the matters uptill now nothing has been done. “ but we are battle ready if the government fails we will take to our last result and heads will roll, even many institution has refuse to pay promotion and skipping arrears and salaries of our members that went on strike for over two months in 2014/ 2015’’ Also speaking, Chairman of Nigerian Union Of Allied Health Professionals ( N UA H P ) C o m r a d e Akinlade Temitope maintained that President Buhari has not been giving the true state of the situation in the health sector and the case of JOHESU has not been rightly presented to him and even this demand we are posting to the FG through the Federal Ministry of Health has not been well made know. “ we have had representation through the Federal Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour, several

memorandum of understanding has been drawn, which has not been honoured up- to- date, in 2015 when there was a change of government there was another meeting that gave us another memorandum of understanding, the case were referred to Alternative Dispute Resolution(ADR) which an arm of National Industrial Court. However the court made a declaration that all parties involved should “stay action”, that no party should engage in any activity or take step that will hinder the court process. Unfortunately as if the Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewale was waiting for that pronouncement, so he placed an embargo on the release of the salaries of health workers which does not comply with the pronouncement of the ADR and which in effect jeopardise the process of ADR”.

“We know that we are in a sensitive sector, we deal with lives that is part of our ethics and we are aware of it, but unfortunately we are been provoked, manallined, suppressed, marginalised and oppressed even in this industry” Comrade Temitope noted that in this same industry we have had contemporary’s salaries has been reviewed three time and we are equal players in the same industry, we go to the same market we attend to the same patients and we know an illed motivated member of staff is an accident waiting to happen it is not enough to care for patient, it is not enough to show empathy, but it is better to do it in good spirit and in a well motivated state so that we can give out the best to our patient.

He urged Nigerians to prevail because if we take to our last result there will be lost of lives that may not be replaceable that is why we are crying out to the Minister of Health Prof Adewale and PMB. “JOHESU has called on the PMB to take out time to attend to the matters of the health sector as it is a very critical sector that is important to lives of Nigerians, our health indies keeps going down,Nigerians now seek for health care abroad but what becomes the future of the common Nigeria who cannot afford such expensive health care. If PMB fails we will take to our last result which may not be palatable for Nigerians”.

Sunday 24 February 2019

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Across the states Agbaje faults INEC on card reader …says Atiku will win Iniobong Iwok

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agos State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Jimi Agbaje who voted at his unit 004, Ward A, Hindra Road, Liverpool, GRA, Apapa , has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has not lived up to expectation on its card reader.

He said the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar will win the election.

The politician, who arrived his polling unit at 11a.m, said INEC was yet to get it right, saying that the card reader could not recognise his finger print, that of his wife, Oluyemisi and two other people ahead of him during accreditation.

He added that INEC had no excuse on why it cannot present voters with seamless election, noting that the commission prepared for the exercise in the last four years.

“We have one or two issues at some polling units. In ward 009, Eti Osa council, where 500 ballot papers are being expected only 400 ballot papers were delivered.

“In my polling unit, I am concerned that the card readers are not working. This further supports the fact that elections are being tainted. It means my voting now depends on what the INEC official wants,

Jimi Agbaje

whether to allow me to vote or not.

“Again, there is no provision for the agents to know whether the man who the card reader could not identity is the actual person that was now allowed to

Sanwo-Olu reacts to APC’s loss in his polling unit JOSHUA BASSEY

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overnorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Babajide SanwoOlu, has said that although his party lost in his polling unit, it would not alter the overall outcome of the presidential election which he believes will favour APC. Sanwo-Olu, while reacting to the news in an interview with journalists in his house in Ikoyi, said: “There are 177, 000 polling units in the country, so it’s too premature to determine who wins”.

Sanwo-Olu, who noted that he was

relatively new in his Ikoyi environment, said: “This is a new residence and it is very peaceful. You can’t be going knocking door to door because here people value their privacy. But whatever it is, you have to respect the wish of the people.”

The APC governorship candidate nevertheless, described the election as peaceful and expressed the optimism that he would win in the gubernatorial election on March 9, 2019.

The PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, defeated the APC candidate at the Femi Okunnu polling unit, Lateef Jakande, Ikoyi, where Sanwo-Olu voted yesterday.

While Atiku polled 52 votes, President Muhammadu Buhari got 48 votes.

One killed as result collation gets underway in Ibadan Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan

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fter the completion of voting in major areas of Ibadan metropolis, a school boy was allegedly shot by a member of a notorious gang called ‘One Million Boys’.

Results were being collated when the assailant struck, and allegedly fired bullets in the direction, where a former Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan, Taofeek Arapaja was said to have earlier cast his vote.

The incident occurred at polling unit 2 of Ibadan South East Local Government, where the politician escaped by the whiskers.

Sources said the victim whose full identity was yet to be ascertained, was a school boy in the area.

According to the source, the boy called Monsuru, who just finished his secondary education at St Luke’s College in Molete, Ibadan, was mauled down by the thugs.

“Votes were being collated when the assailants came into Lako Compound, Kudeti, the same ward where Arapaja voted and they started shooting sporadically. It led to the death of Monsuru,” an eye witness said.

It was gathered that trouble started manifesting when loyalists of an opposition political party started removing the banners and posters of other parties in the vicinity and replacing them with those of their candidates.

When contacted, Arapaja who is a chieftain of ADC complained that security was not tight enough in the area.

vote by the INEC officials having failed card reader’s scrutiny.”

Agbaje said he was sure of victory, noting his party would win the election and its chances brighter than it was before the

postponement last week.

“The security situation is better, the police and other agents deployed for the election are doing great job. I am more confident than before that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will win the election.

“There are more votes on our side; there are more number on our side. Everybody should stay behind after casting vote because the law allows it.

“I must say INEC cannot justify the postponement because it had four years to prepare for the election. The reason of logistics is not tenable.”

Speaking also, President of Women Arise, Joe Odumakin, who led an observer group, said the election was going on smoothly, but faulted INEC on faulty card readers.

She added that voters turned out in good number for the election. She commended security personnel for living up to expectation.

“Some of the areas we visited, we observed the malfunctioning of card readers.

The security situation is alright given the agencies are on top of the game in Lagos and other areas.

“We were worried that voter apathy would be high due to the postponement, but lots of people turned out for the election to perform their civic responsibility.”

2019 election records ballot box snatching, votes buying - YIAGA OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja

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he YIAGA Africa Watching The Vote (WTV) Group has reported cases of ballot box snatching, votes buying and other irregularities across the country in Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

It also raised concerns over the arrest and detention of accredited observers in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.

The Chair, Watching The Vote Working Group, Hussaini Abdu, Co-Chair and Executive Director, YIAGA AFRICA, Samson Itodo, said this on in a press statement.

The group also said it received over 100 verified critical incident reports concerning the late opening of polls across Nigeria.

It stated that it deployed 3,906 election observers in the country.

“In Kafanchan, the YIAGA AFRICA su-

pervisor was arrested and detained at the Kafanchan Area command in Kaduna state this was however resolved as the observer was later released.

“YIAGA AFRICA received reports from one polling unit in Yobe State, Machina Local Government Area, Damai Ward where observers were denied access to the polling unit to observe. YIAGA AFRICA is in contact with local authorities and continues to follow the situation closely.

“Election materials were reported to be snatched by unknown persons at the RAC centre in Okrika LGA, River state which led to no voting in ward 06, 07, 08 and 09 of Okrika LGA in Rivers State. This was also reported in PU 003 ward 10 Emohua LGA, Rivers state. “ Re p o r t s o f v o t e b u y i n g i n P U 010/01/10/13 Omala LGA in Kogi state,” the statement reads.

While calling for transparent results collation process, the group urged party agents to conduct themselves in orderly manner.

“INEC is encouraged to remind Resident Electoral Commissioners to instruct all election officials under their supervision to allow accredited citizen observers to access polling units in accordance with the electoral law. This includes instruction to the security personnel to allow the free movement of accredited observers.

“With the late commencement of polls, YIAGA AFRICA calls on INEC to ensure that polling officials strictly adhere to the electoral guidelines on accreditation and voting across board. This includes ensuring that there is no attempt to speed up the process of accreditation — proper application of the Smart Card Reader to accredit voters must continue throughout the country,” the statement added.

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Across the states Udom votes, accuses security personnel of intimidating voters in Akwa Ibom ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

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overnor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa State was among the voters that cast their votes at the Awa ward one unit one on Saturday in Onna Local Government Area of the state.

Udom, who commended the electoral process, noted that though there were hitches, the process went well.

The governor, who voted at 10a.m however, accused the security personnel of intimidating voters who are mostly PDP supporters.

Describing the alleged level of intimidation by security personnel as unbearable, he said many PDP supporters were currently being held in police custody.

He alleged that the Commissioner of Police was working with other junior officers to harass citizens.

“I call on security officers that Nigeria is a peaceful country and we have adequate rule of law. And if they do not obey, we will challenge it in the law court. They should stay off intimidations.

“The level of intimidation in Akwa Ibom State is unbearable. People are being intimidated, harassed and the Commissioner of Police sent to Akwa Ibom is working

Udom Emmanuel

with three or four junior officers to harass innocent people.

“If you go to their cell now, it is filled with PDP supporters, l don’t know whether they have a cell that can take the 2.1 million vot-

It’s peaceful elections, says Ambode JOSHUA BASSEY

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agos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has described the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state as peaceful.

Ambode, who voted at Ward A5, polling unit 033 in his home town, Epe, at about 10:01am, also commended the massive turnout of voters in the area.

“I have just performed my civic right; I have voted successfully in my polling unit and from the information I already have across the state, I can observe that the election is going on peacefully across the state.

“I am delighted that Lagosians have been very cooperative. We have had peaceful night and ever since the morning also, everywhere has been very peaceful,” he said.

Governor Ambode also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the way it had so far handled the voting process, saying the electoral body had shown that it was up to the task.

“We want to commend INEC. They have been up to the task and almost everywhere, election materials are in place. The places where materials have not gotten to, obviously they are up to the task and those things are already being done and this election is going to be very peaceful and I pray it’s very successful,” Ambode said.

Voting turns bloody in Delta as gunmen kill 3, injure two Francis Sadhere, Warri

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he exercise turned bloody in Delta State as gunmen allegedly opened fire on voters, leading to the death of three persons in Amukpe, near

Sapele.

The incident happened along old Eku Road Amukpe, Sapele Local Government Area of the state.

Eyewitness, who spoke to BDSUNDAY said some gunmen stormed the polling units when the voting was still on and rained bullets in the voters.

About two persons died instantly while one who got bullet wound was said to have died at an undisclosed hospital. Two others have been hospitalised.

Some residents, who were unwilling to volunteer full information about the incident,

however, said they were on queue waiting to be accredited when some armed men drove in and started shooting directly at voters.

A source disclosed that he was not sure if the electoral materials were carted away by the attackers, adding that INEC ad-hoc staff, security agents and eligible voters fled when the bullets started flying.

Some electoral materials were seen scattered on the ground with soldiers mounting barricade on the road.

When contacted, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Adeyinka Adeleke said he was yet to be briefed on the incident and promised to call back but as at the time of filing this report he was yet to call back.

Meanwhile, the corpses of the deceased have been evacuated from the scene as at 2:55 pm when our correspondent left the scene.

ers in the state because they all belong to one political party. So, if they can arrest the 2.1million that’s when the elections would be thwarted,” he said.

He commended the electoral process,

saying though there were hitches during the process, it went well.

On the alleged abduction of one of his sides, Senior Special Assistant on security, Capt. Iniobong Ekong who was picked by the army, the governor said he doubted the genuineness of his arrest.

He stated that if his aide had any question to answer, the police should have been the one to question him and not the army.

“Not that he was picked, I think he was tricked into the army barracks and just kept there. I don’t know what they think one man can do. This is just one human being and we are ready for the election.

“If he has any issue, I think it is just the police that should have questioned him, but why invite him to six division, not even the 2 brigade that is in the state. I doubt the genuineness of such detention. I just don’t want to preempt until we check with the army.”

On the hitches notices with the card readers, the governor said: “You cannot have a perfect process because the card readers are manmade, but the readers are authentic. It’s just the issue of authentication of finger print, which I hope would be promptly rectified to avoid delaying the process. The corps members are welltrained but the machines can fail because they are manmade.

Ajimobi hails election as credible, peaceful Akinremi Feyisipo, Ibadan

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yo South Senatorial District candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Abiola Ajimobi, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of yesterday’s election, describing it as credible, peaceful and relatively hitch-free.

He said this during an interview with journalists shortly after casting his vote in company of his wife, Florence, children and sons-in-law, at Ward 11, Unit 20, Oluyole Community Grammar School, Oluyole Extension, Ibadan.

With the benefit of hindsight, the governor said the election was the best he had witnessed since he joined politics.

In his general assessment of the election, the governor said that the conduct of the election was a marked improvement from the past exercises, apart from reported cases of late arrival of polling materials in few poll-

Abiola Ajimobi

ing units across the state.

The governor said he was particularly impressed by the large turnout of voters, especially youths whom he said had, by their actions on Saturday, demonstrated their resolve to assume leadership positions.

He said: “I’m impressed with the conduct of today’s election which I can confidently say passes the litmus test of freeness, fairness and credibility. I congratulate the people of Oyo State for turning out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

“The atmosphere in this polling unit is that of conviviality. We are all laughing and smiling at one another. The faces I see here are the faces of people who are happy and satisfied with this election.

“From what I have seen here and the reports I have received so far, the election is hugely successful and credible. The few cases of late arrival of electoral materials were later resolved.

“Not minding whether they are voting for our party or not, the voters here received me and my family warmly and you can see all of us throwing banters. I must tell you, this is another achievement of our administration.

I did not hear any case of brigandage or violence so far.

“You will know the type of government in power by the people’s attitudes during elections. Today, generally, the election has been conducted in an atmosphere of peace, which is a thing of joy to me. What this means is that our government has enthroned peace in this state.”

He enjoined the people of the state to maintain the orderliness, peaceful conduct and large turnout in the March 9 gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.

Sunday 24 February 2019

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Across the states 2019 Presidential election: Many voters came, saw, but lack understanding ISAAC ANYAOGU & CYNTHIA EGBOBOH

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ot even a postponement could dampen Nigeria’s spirit as massive voter turn-out was recorded in several polling units across the country for the rescheduled Presidential and National assembly elections on February 23, only many who came out lacked requisite knowledge about the voting process.

Thousands of voters were seen scrambling to understand the voting procedure and what each box with different colour cover represented.

For example, at Ward 005 in Garki, Abuja, our correspondent learnt that INEC staff were unwilling to provide education on the process which could be attributed to late arrival and quick preparation to set up.

A businessman who simply gave his name as Usman, based in Abuja, who was able to complete his vote with the help of media agents expressed disappointment as he had to stand for quite a long time with the ballot papers but did not know what to do.

“Why can’t anyone tell us what to do, they want us to make fool of ourselves first, if the INEC officials are not ready they should go to their houses, let those that are ready do the job,” he said.

Juliana Onyemma, said:

“Weshouldhavepeoplehereto tell us what to do, I didn’t know how to thumb print or which box to drop the papers if not for thesemediapeoplethathelped me, it is not good enough”.

But the ballot boxes have all been marked and ballot papers colour-coded to signify the right procedure.

However, in many polling units monitored across the country, INEC officials were seen providing voter education even after displaying boxes clearly marked for the positions being contested – President, Senate and House of Representatives.

The box with the red lid is where ballot papers for presidential election would be deposited, the black for senate and green for House of Representatives. The ballot papers that were issued also have the respective colours yet an ad-hoc staff

at a polling unit in Shomolu, Lagos said it was the second time that day, he was explaining this to voters.

Some voters also showed up at the wrong polling units and were turned away and for many others, the simple process of authenticating their Permanent Voter Cards through the card readers proved difficult for the INEC ad-hoc staff as many could not provide coherent answers.

But the risk for high volume of invalid votes heightens in an election occurring in a country where 60 million people are said to be illiterate. Adamu Adamu, Nigeria’s Minister of Education in 2017 at the opening of the 2017 Annual Education Conference in Abuja said some 60 million Nigerians, or 30 percent of the population, cannot read or write.

This low literacy level in Nigeria has traditionally im-

peded electoral process in the country creating voter apathy and making it easy for millions to be exploited by politicians who persuade them to sell their votes for pittance.

In the 2011 presidential elections, 1.2million votes out of the 39.4million total votes cast were declared invalid.

This is almost half of the votes with which the incumbent defeated former President Goodluck Jonathan.

INEC officials prior to election try to provide voter education but the efforts are merely cosmetic and never reach large swaths of people, in semi urban and rural areas where mass illiteracy thrives.

Abuonum Ufenne, the INEC’s Electoral Officer in Omu-Aran at a recent workshop described void votes as when a voter thump prints on a party’s logo instead of the box provided, thump prints in an unclear manner and casting a blank ballot paper.

Votes are also voided when voters smear ballot papers with ink or squeeze them, or even thump print in a manner that makes voters’ decision unclear as well as writing or signing on a ballot paper.

Unlike in previous elections, where voters first get accredited and return to cast their vote, in this election, voting proceeded immediately after accreditation and long delays were reported in many polling units across the nation during accreditation because of low literacy level of voters.

Voters protest disenfranchisement in Bayelsa Samuel Ese, Yenagoa

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oters in Nembe-Bassambiri in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have staged a march to protest their disenfranchisement by some political thugs allegedly sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The protest at the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erupted following the violence that occurred in the area and the hijack of election materials meant for Nembe constituencies 2 and 3.

A community source said the election materials were taken to Darius Hotel in Bassambiri were electoral fraud

is being perpetrated while members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and chiefs fled the town following shootings earlier.

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson had accused former governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Timipre Sylva and an oil contractor, Kodjo of being behind the disruption of voting process.

Caretaker chairman of Nembe Local Government Area, Sunny Ereware, in a statement, also accused the duo of being behind the violence and electoral fraud in the area.

PDP agent for the local government area and Commissioner for Education, Jonathan Obuebite called for the cancellation of the election

in the Bassambiri area, saying the process did not hold there.

In other parts of the state, the election has been generally violence-free, but marred in some areas on allegations of malfunctioning of card readers, ballot box snatching and military invasion, resulting in violence.

At Agbere in Sagbama Local Government Area, alleged ballot box snatching, military invasion and violence led to the cancellation of the election by INEC while in neighbouring Odi community, the exercise was free, fair and peaceful.

Delay in the arrival of election materials coupled with issues with card readers caused delay in accreditation and voting in several areas with fears that the extension

of voting time to 5.00pm might not address those waiting to vote.

However, unlike the previous election in 2015, voters have turned out en masse to cast their votes in several polling units across the state.

At the time of filing this report, the APC was yet to respond to allegations of violence and collusion with military men to disenfranchise voters in two constituencies in Nembe Local Government Area.

When contacted on phone, the APC state publicity secretary, Doifie Ola said he could not respond to the allegations as he was yet to get the facts of the matter since he was cut off from communication due to network issues.

Governor Abubakar expresses satisfaction with process in Bauchi Haruna Ningi, Bauchi

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overnor Mohamm e d Ab d u l l a h i Abubakar has expressed satisfaction with the high turnout for the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Bauchi State.

The governor disclosed this after voting at his Makama Sarkin Baki Ward in Bauchi metropolis.

He said that the large turnout was as a result of the confidence Nigerians have in democracy.

According to him, despite challenges being experienced in the country, people still believed that things would be better as the country’s de-

mocracy gains momentum.

He called on people to maintain peace to ensure that the country’s democracy survives.

Similarly, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund), Professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro has also expressed his satisfaction with the voting process.

Bogoro, who voted at his Gwaranga C Ward Polling Unit in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, said INEC has provided a good process which deserves commendation.

He advised the people who voted to remain calm and keep a distance from polling units as required by law as they wait for results.

Ofeimu, Osunbor, Edionwele hail conduct of election IDRIS UMAR MOMOH/ CHURCHILL OKORO, Benin

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dia Ofeimu, a literary guru, has hailed the conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Ofeimu spoke with journalists after casting his vote at Central Primary School, Iruekpen in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

“I hope the outcome of the election will reflect its conduct. In my polling unit this is the first time actual voting is taking place there.

In the past ballot boxes were snatched while person was killed here,” he said.

He added that the election

has so far been peaceful in the locality. Also speaking, Joe Edionwele, PDP candidate for the Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben federal constituency, who said there were challenges with card readers, however, described the exercise as peaceful.

According to him, “So far, so good; the election has been very peaceful apart from initial challenge of card readers malfunctioning, which was however, addressed.”

He however, expressed the optimism of being victorious in the election.

On his part, the former governor of Edo State, Oserhiemen Osunbor, lamented the slow pace of voting in his polling unit Ward 8, unit 6, Iruekpen, Esan West Local Government Area He however, called for the establishment of additional units in the voting centre.

Emerhor delivers unit to Buhari in Delta Francis Sadhere, Warri

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tiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate was defeated at the polling unit of APC leader in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor.

At Unit 5 Ward 8 in Enwreni, Ughelli North Local Government Area where Emerhor earlier voted around 11am, APC polled 276 votes to beat PDP with 13 votes.

Speaking earlier after casting his vote, Emerhor expressed confidence that Buhari would win in Ughelli North and other parts of the state.

“Everybody is excited because we have the opportunity now, to elect the President and National Assembly members of our choice.

“Based on some logistics relating to transportation, they started late, but I think they will extend the time, so that everybody can vote. I am also a bit concerned about the time allocated to each person to vote, I hope the machine will pick up so it would be faster.

“I encourage my unit, ward and local government and the state at large to be patient because this is important and will also give directions to the country.”

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2019 Presidential election in pictures

President Muhammadu Buhari/Presidential Candidate of APC, his wife Aisha, casting his vote at aard A’, Kofar Baru 003, Sakin Yara Polling Unit during the 2019 National Assembly and Presidential Elections in Daura, Katsina State.

Atiku Abubukar, PDP presidential candidate, and his wife, Titi, vote during the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, at Ajiya polling unit, Gwadabawa ward, in Yola, Adamawa.

Peter Obi, vice presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, votes at Amatutu ward 2, Agulu Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra, during the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Vice President, Yemi Osibajo casting his vote at ward 4, unit 33, Victoria Garden, during the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, in Lagos.

Bukola Saraki, Senate president voting during the rescheduled 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, about 10.10am. at Ajikobi Ward, Ode Opobiyi polling unit 005, in Ilorin.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo votes during the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, at ward 11, unit 022, Olusomi Compound, Totoro Abeokuta North, in Ogun.

Fela Duroye, African Alliance for New Nigeria’s presidential candidate, votes during the rescheduled 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, in Ogun, at Ward 4, Unit 033, Victorial Garden City, Lagos.

Jimi Agbaje, PDP governorship candidate, votes at Ward A, Unit 004, Apapa GRA,during the rescheduled 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections in Lagos.

A physically challenged voter votes during the rescheduled 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections, at polling unit 004, Kofar Ajiya Ward in Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State.

Pictures by NAN

Sunday 24 February 2019

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Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader. All Progressives Congress (APC), casting his Presidential and House of Representatives general elections vote at Ward F, Unity 049, yesterday .

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Oluremi Tinubu ,senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, casting her vote at Ward 9 Unit 023, Bourdillon Ikoyi, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos......yesterday

Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) and his wife Ibijoke, casting their votes during the general elections, at unit 019 ward D, Ikoyi Lagos.....yesterday.

Joe Odumakin and some of the domestic observers at one of the polling units in Lagos during the Presidential and House of Representatives general elections.

INEC officials counting the votes at Ward A Unit 001 Onigbongbo, Representatives general elections in Lagos yesterday.

during the Presidential and House of

A view of the Lagos Lagoon from the deserted Third Mainland Bridge which is usually busy all day except today Presidential and House of Representatives general elections in Lagos

Voters queuing to cast their votes at Ejigbo polling unit 040 during the 2019 National Assembly and Presidential Elections in Lagos.

INEC officials moving the electoral material to the centre, during the 2019 National Assembly and Presidential Elections in Lagos.

Pictures by Pius Okeosisi and Olawale Amoo

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Sunday 24 February 2019

Sports

Bolivia seek joint bid to host 2030 FIFA World Cup Stories by Anthony Nlebem

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olivia have formally expressed interest in joining a South American bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will mark the centenary of football’s showpiece tournament.

Bolivian sports minister Tito Montano presented his country’s request to be added to a candidacy involving Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

“We have submitted the motion to be part of the candidacy for the 2030 World Cup and we hope that it can be accepted,” Montano told reporters after a meeting of the bid’s organising committee in the Uruguayan city of Maldonado.

He added that Bolivian President Evo Morales had already outlined the proposal in a letter sent to the presidents of the other nations.

South American bid coordinator Fernando Marin said the organising committee held “cordial discussions” with Bolivian officials earlier on Wednesday. But he said any deci-

sion on whether to include Bolivia in the candidacy would depend on the corresponding “heads of state”.

The announcement came less than a week after Chile became the fourth country to be added to the candidacy.

Argentina and Uruguay originally

FIFA president Infantino gets new award in Russia

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ussian President Vladimir Putin has awarded FIFA President Gianni Infantino with Russia’s Order of Friendship.

Putin recently signed a decree to award FIFA President Infantino with the Order of Friendship. According to the decree, the FIFA president was awarded with the Order of Friendship for his enormous contribution in the organization of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. “We are currently in active work regarding the heritage of the World Cup and I would like to thank you once again for the provided assistance in the preparations to organize the world championship,” Putin told Infantino.

“You may know already that as a sign of gratitude I have signed a decree to award you with Russia’s Order of Friendship.”

The Russian president said that the 2018 FIFA World Cup was important not for the whole country only but for younger generations as well to join the sport.

“We are now faced with the task of making use of everything that was left from for the World Cup and we must use it effectively,” Putin told Infantino. “We count on your support on this issue as well.”

In his response, FIFA President Infantino said: ‘Thank You’ in Russian. The head of the global football organization added he was glad that the 2018 FIFA World Cup was the

best ever in the history of the world championships and it also served to disperse all prejudices and negative allegations in regard to Russia.

Infantino said that being awarded an Order of Friendship by Putin was “Big honor. “ Last summer Russia hosted its first-ever FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Moscow with a remarkable opening show at Luzhniki Stadium on the evening of June 14 and ended with a spectacular final match, played also at the Luzhniki Stadium, where France confidently defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the much-coveted World Cup Trophy.

Russia selected 11 host cities as the venues for the matches of the 2018 World Cup and they were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, Saransk, Kaliningrad, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg and Samara.

FIFA President Infantino said after the world championship that Russia staged “the best World Cup ever.” According to the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, some 2.9 million foreign visitors arrived in Russia last summer for the FIFA World Cup. In late December, FIFA announced in its statement that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia set a new record of audience in the history of world football championships as over half of the world’s population watched matches on TV at home, out of home or on digital platforms.

announced a wish to host the event two years ago before Paraguay were added to the bid in October 2017.

Chile staged the World Cup in 1962 and the last time the competition was held in South America was in Brazil five years ago.

Argentina hosted it in 1978 while

Uruguay have not held the quadrennial event since the inaugural edition in 1930. Paraguay and Bolivia are aiming to be hosts for the first time.

The South American effort faces competition from a British-Irish bid and a group comprising Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

FIFA ban cripples Hazard move to Real Madrid

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helsea transfer ban has caused Real Madrid to back out of negotiations over the signing of Eden

Hazard.

A potential transfer to take Eden Hazard to Real Madrid looks less likely than ever at present, with a number of factors completely changing the complex of the situation of late.

Now, the deal looks dead, putting the Chelsea forward on edge, given that he as starting to see himself in white come the summer.

The latest setback came in the form of Chelsea’s punishment from FIFA, forbidding Chelsea from signing for two transfer windows after breaking regulations by signing a number of players under 18 years old.

The same happened to Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, but Chelsea now face being without signings until June 30, 2020, and it seems unlikely they’d allow their best player to depart without being able to replace him.

Chelsea counted in being able to sell him next summer to make a profit, given that his contract expires in 2020, but this sanction could change that expectation completely.

Until now, Hazard has refused to negotiate a new deal and has

not been on the market, given that Chelsea were adamant they would complicate any potential expert.

The English side are working to appeal the ban and still make signings in the summer to rebuild their side, which would give them the chance to sell Hazard to Real Madrid.

Los Blancos are considering a move, but the problem for Hazard is that Real Madrid do not see his signing clearly, despite the sporting management and board all being keen.

The surge to form of Vinicius Junior and the imminent arrival of Rodrygo have put the brakes on the operation which looked almost certain only a few months ago.

The Spanish side have the benefit that Hazard wants to sign for them, but Hazard is in no hurry and has decided to wait until the end of the current season to take a decision.

Madrid feel well covered in his position with the two young Brazilians and Marco Asensio, removing the urgency from the operation.

The decision will be taken after the season ends in June, when every option will be considered, and a cheap deal given his contract expiring in 2020 could work in his favour as it did for Thibaut Courtois.

Messi scores 50th hat-trick as Barcelona crush Sevilla

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ionel Messi scored the 50th hat-trick of his career as Barcelona came from behind to beat Sevilla and go 10 points clear at the top of La Liga.

In a masterclass from the Catalans’ captain, Messi equalised with a brilliant volley from 16 yards.

He levelled for a second time with a curling shot from the edge of the box.

Messi then chipped Tomas Vaclik for his third, his 36th goal in 35 games against Sevilla, before setting up Luis Suarez for an injurytime fourth.

It really was a one-man show with Barcelona not playing particularly well as they extended their lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid, who host Villarreal on Sunday.

Sevilla - who are out of form took the lead twice in the first half from a Jesus Navas counter-attack strike and Gabriel Mercado’s eight-yard finish.

At the age of 31, Messi shows no signs of slowing down. His treble takes him up to 25 La Liga goals for the season, an average of one every 75 minutes. He is nine clear of Suarez in second place and almost twice the top scorer of any other team, Cristhian Stuani’s 13 for Girona.

In all competitions, he has 33 goals in 32 games - including six in the Champions League as Barcelona chase the treble.

His third goal was his 650th career strike - 585 for Barca and 65 for Argentina.

All his goals were excellent with his first, a left-footed volley from Ivan Rakitic’s cross, a contender for goal of the season.

His second was a fine curling effort with his right foot from Ousmane Dembele’s pass. And, with five minutes to go, he clipped the ball over the goalkeeper after Carles Alena’s shot was blocked.

Late on he played an excellent ball over the top for Suarez to end a five-game goalless run.

Sunday 24 February 2019

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BDSUNDAY 47

Sports Super Falcons depart Nigeria for Cyprus Women’s Cup Manchester United no longer underdogs - Solskjaer

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Stories By Anthony Nlebem

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he Super Falcons will depart the Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Sunday to take part in the annual Cyprus Women’s Cup tournament which begins on Wednesday, 27th February in Larnaca.

Head Coach Thomas Dennerby has selected 24 players for the tournament, which will also welcome another of Africa’s three flag-bearers at this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France – South Africa – as well as Mexico, Italy, Finland, Belgium, Slovakia, Korea DPR, Czech Republic, Thailand, Hungary and Austria.

The Super Falcons’ first match of the tournament is against Austria, on the evening of Wednesday, 27th February, before further games against Slovakia (Friday, 1st March) and Belgium (Monday, 4th March) in the group phase.

Wednesday,6thMarch has been fixed for the final match of the competition, as well as other classification matches (from 3rd - 12th).

Players and officials are scheduled to arrive in Abuja on Friday, with training sessions on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday morning, before departure by Egypt Air on Sunday evening.

The delegation will sleep in Cairo on Sunday and arrive in Larnaca on Monday.

Fo r m e r Af r i c a n Woman Player of the Year, Asisat Oshoala and fellow striker Desire Oparanozie, who both missed the China Women’s Tournament in January, have been included in the 24 –member squad this time.

There are also goal-

k e e p e r s To c h u k w u Oluehi and Chiamaka Nnadozie, defenders Onome Ebi, Osinachi Ohale, Glory Ogbonna and Faith Michael, midfielders Rita Ch i k w e l u , Am a r a c h i Okoronkwo, Ngozi Okobi and Halimatu Ayinde, and forwards Chinwendu Ihezuo, Ini-Abasi Umotong, Rasheedat Ajibade and Francisca Ordega.

Former junior international Uchenna Kanu, now a student in the United States of America, is also called.

In China , the African Champions lost 0-3 to the host nation before bouncing back to whiplash Romania 4-1 in

Meizhou.

Squad List Goalkeepers: Tochukwu Oluehi; Christy Ohiaeriaku; Chiamaka Nnadozie Defenders: Glory Ogbonna; Faith Michael; Onome Ebi; Osinachi Ohale; Josephine Chukwunonye; Ngozi Ebere Midfielders: Amarachi Okoronkwo; Ngozi Okobi; Rita Chikwelu; Halimatu Ayinde; Cecilia Nku Forwards: Anam Imo; Asisat Oshoala; Rasheedat Ajibade; Francisca Ordega; Chinaza Uchendu; Chinwendu Ihezuo; Alice Ogebe; Ini-Abasi Umotong; Alice Ogebe; Uchenna Kanu.

FIFA U20 World Cup: Flying Eagles know opponents today

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igeria’s U20 squad will know their group phase opponents at this summer’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Poland after the draw ceremony to be held inside the Gdynia Sports Arena on Sunday.

The seven –time African champions have been slotted into Pot 2 of the draw, alongside African champions Mali, as well as New Zealand, Colombia, Korea Republic and Italy.

Th e r e w i l l b e s i x groups of four teams each at the 24 –nation championship, with the top two teams at the end of the group phase, as well as the best four third –placed teams, advancing to the Round of 16.

Hosts Poland, Portugal, Uruguay, France, USA and Mexico are in Pot 1,

with Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Argentina, Ecuador, Ukraine and Honduras in Pot 3. Pot 4 has Japan, South Africa, Panama, Norway, Qatar and Tahiti.

Paul Aigbogun’s wards finished outside the medals’ zone at the Africa

U20 Cup of Nations that ended in Niger Republic on Sunday, following consecutive penalty shoot –out defeats (to Mali and then South Africa) but picked the last spot available for Africa.

Poland, which co-

hosted the 2012 European Championship with Ukraine, will host this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in the cities of Lublin, Bielsko Biala, Tychy, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia and Lodz, 23rd May – 15th June.

anchester United’s strong domestic form in recent weeks has ensured they are no longer ‘underdogs’ when they take on arch-rivals Liverpool in Sunday’s Premier League clash, caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.

Liverpool handed United a 3-1 defeat in their last meeting at Anfield in December which led to former manager Jose Mourinho’s dismissal and Solskjaer’s appointment.

Solskjaer has since turned United’s bleak season around with 11 wins in last 13 games in all competitions, losing just once to Paris St Germain in their Champions League last-16 tie.

“Suddenly we are not underdogs any more, suddenly people praise us, they think now is the time to play them,” Solskjaer told reporters.

“We have to perform better than we did against PSG. We have got to learn from that experience. It’s a big game, a big team.

“It’s not about emotions. I understand that emotion can be brought into it, but we have to stay focused

and controlled, but with some fight in us as well.”

Solskjaer said the injured pair of Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard would be assessed over the next two days before he takes a call on their participation, with the Norwegian hopeful Martial would make the squad.

“I hope Jesse will be OK, I hope and think Anthony will be OK,” Solskjaer added. “But we have two more days, they have to get through these two sessions. They have not been part of it yet but they have been doing some recovery work.

“Anthony’s was a different muscle so we think that he might be ready and hope that Jesse will.”

FIFA hits Chelsea with 2 years transfer ban

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orld football governing body, FIFA, have place a twoyear transfer ban on English club, Chelsea FC after the Premier League club was found guilty of breaching rules regarding foreign players under the age of eighteen as reported by Reuters.

FIFA also fined Chelsea with 600,000 Swiss Francs ($599,460) and gave Chelsea 90 days to “regularise the situation”. The club said it would appeal the transfer ban.

After a lengthy investigation into how Chelsea register players at academy level, they were found to have breached article 19 of the regulations in the case of 29 minor players.

FIFA added the London club had also breached article 18bis in connection with agreements it concluded concerning minors and which allowed it to influence other clubs in transfer matters.

The ban does not apply to Chelsea’s women’s team.

England’s Football Association was also fined 510,000 Swiss Francs and given six months to address the situation concerning the international transfer and first registration of minors.

Chelsea issued a statement “categorically refuting” the findings of FIFA’s Disciplinary

Committee.

The club added it respects the “important work” undertaken by FIFA in relation to the protection of minors and had fully cooperated with FIFA throughout its investigation.

Chelsea had initially been charged with breaches of article 19 in respect of 92 players but FIFA found no wrongdoing in the case of 63 of those.

“The club is extremely disappointed that FIFA has not accepted the club’s submissions in relation to the remaining 29 players,” a statement said.

The news of a ban is a serious blow to Chelsea who have slipped to sixth in the Premier League having lost five of their last 10 games in all competitions.

Manager Maurizio Sarri, who took over in July, is already under pressure and whether he survives or not Chelsea would need squad-strengthening in the close season.

BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 24 February 2019

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Electoral violence and our pass or fail model

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igerian politicians have mischievously taught Nigerian voters and ordinary citizens to use a very ineffective model for evaluating political performance. The PASS or FAILModel of assessment (as mutually exclusive) is a flawed model for evaluating performance both in manufacturing and public administration. Those who use it in politics (and most people do) often do so to callously whip up voters’ sympathy and inspire hate. In this model, President Muhammadu Buhari has either failed Nigeria (FAIL) or President Buhari is the best president (PASS). For every critical thinker, both positions are wrong. For them as well, Mr. Atiku Abubakar is either the worst person to lead this country (FAIL) or the only saint that can fix Nigeria (PASS), both positions are unintelligent. A proper assessment of anybody will involve a robust evaluation of performance over a number of elements or criteria, with each criterion receiving a discreet score.

The PASS or FAIL thought process is used by politicians to demonise opponents; creating a false fear that Nigeria will become totally bad once one candidate wins or become totally good once the other losses. In spite of the very rife

PASS OR FAIL mentality in Nigeria, citizens should see both positive and negative aspects of every leader (even if its skewed) and within that, accept that their emergence or failure at the polls could bring both positive and negative outcomes, although one form will often be greater than the other. While voters must make some choice between competing candidates in a given election, rejecting the PASS or FAIL syndrome lowers the inherent fear of confronting an unpleasant outcome and raises each citizen/politician’s tolerance and willingness to accept election outcomes. It won’t be the end of life and the worst is not about to happen. If this is not accepted by politicians and voters then election violence is unavoidable.

Election-related violence provides one of the most effortless means of destroying a nation. Politicians who instigate it- often overwhelmed by the false or legitimate feeling of a lost mandate- are usually thoughtless about its real impacts. What appears to be pockets of violence, could easily (in this election cycle ambience) cause instability for decades within a promising country. Beyond the Peace Accord signed in Abuja by the presidential aspirants, there is a call, as well, for non-presiden-

tial aspirants who are powerful politicians and who have a duty to this country to give its citizens peace, irrespective of the outcomes of the election.

Today, more than ever, the utterances and even facial expressions of those who lead us will matter. If this nation boils, the smoke will eventually reach every home and there will be no excuse for bringing Nigeria to ruins, even as the world awaits the great and unrealised potential of this country. Those who designed the democratic system of governance were prudent enough to provide legal and legitimate channels for pursuing electoral injustices and the street is not one of those.

Irrespective of any perceived overbearing and illegitimate influence of anybody on these legal channels of seeking redress; aggrieved politician have the patriotic duty to shun violence in all its form. That in itself, will be the first proof of leadership and love of country.

Those who lose elections, if they are incumbent, also own the nation, a peaceful and rancor-free transition, irrespective of their opinion as to the fairness or otherwise of the process. Thank you, GoodLuck Jonathan.

Nigerians are mostly docile politically and will rarely revolt voluntarily due to election

outcomes – this we know! No finger will be lifted in Kano, nor a single knife lifted in Mushin, if there are no orders from upper hierarchies. Even the most violent criminal in Onitsha will not come out of his hideout – of his own initiative – as a response to any unpleasant outcome of the election. This apparent docility explains the taciturn posture of Nigerians battered by decades of oppressive leadership and economic woes. What is my postulation? Post-election violence are organised, carefully orchestrated and nurtured by aggrieved politicians. Given this postulation, the utterances, postures and actions of all notable Nigerian politicians become critical as the nation awaits the outcomes of yesterday’s presidential election.

The sermon to those leaders who care is this; Yesterday’s election being the sixth Presidential election since Nigeria’s democratic journey began in 1999, could easily become the worse election in history. While the masses are the immediate victims (since people and property in unsecured neighborhoods, are often targeted) violence itself is largely fuelled by a false sense of entitlement to victory which is preceded by the ignorant use of PASS or FAIL performance measures

Chijioke Mama Mama is the founder of Meiracopp Nigerian Limited (MNL) and a Doctoral Researcher in Business Management.

and its eventual outcome can rarely be predicted.

This morning 24th February 2019, as the Nigerian nation awaits the outcome of the Presidential election concluded yesterday, a gloomy horizon stretches across the length and breadth of this nation. Ordinary citizens economically bloodied by failed promises of over 20 year, and most of who care less about who becomes President, are now burdened with the hawkish posture of powerful leaders.Therisk of losing their lives in the event of post-election violence grips strongly. People are living in the fear that decades of labour can easily go down to ashes in a matter of minutes, as an expression of dissatisfaction by a third party, who he neither knows nor care about and who is nevertheless secured in his home. To Nigerian politicians and voters alike, we all need peace!

Election violence in Bayelsa worries Dickson

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overnor Henry Ser i a k e Di c k s o n o f Bayelsa State has expressed sadness over incidents of violence and criminality in some parts of the state as the people went to the polls to elect the next president and National Assembly members yesterday.

Dickson, who voted at his hometown, Toru-Orua in Sagbama Ward II, Oweware Unit also called for improvement in the card readers which are yet to authenticate his fingerprints since their introduction in 2015.

“I hope and pray that at the end of the day it remains so, even in this area. It is a sad thing in this country that after all these years of the card readers’ introduction; you have just seen that my fingerprint could not be authenticated. Since the

introduction of the card reader, my fingerprints have not been authenticated. I don’t know who has programmed it. I don’t know why that has happened and for what purpose, but it is a sad development. There is room for improvement, let’s see how it goes all across the country.

“But, I have heard since yesterday evening reports of terrible acts of violence and brigandage perpetrated by Timipre Sylva and Kojo in Bassambiri where at least one person has been confirmed dead, where PDP leaders have been attacked and people are running haltershelter for their lives even as we speak. There are several injured in Bassambiri and the soldiers are participating in the violence.

“Those who are paid, whose duty it is to protect our people

are participating in it, or at the very best are lukewarm and they decided to look aside while terrible things happen. People’s properties are vandalised, houses destroyed, human beings attacked, shot at and you have security men there at Bassambiri in a gunboat or houseboat owned and managed by a certain criminal Kojo, supported

by Timipre Sylva, backed by the Nigerian Army. Ehm... This is very sad. I believe the military authorities, the security authorities will know what to do, would like to investigate this and know who has given the orders under which they claim to be acting to perpetrate criminality and brigandage.

“There are reports of APC leaders being arrested with weapons, with rifles and yet people make calls to release

them. At least that one happened in Odi. We are noting all of these. There are also some developments in Southern Ijaw where a certain criminal that everybody knows is an outlaw, a certain Ogunboss is terrorising everybody in the area and the law enforcement agencies whose duty it is to protect the our people - these are ordinary people, they are not politicians.

“I thought the President said the other day that those who interfere with this process would be dealt with. I don’t know if what he meant was that APC thugs, APC criminals should be supported by the Nigerian security agencies. That is very sad for this country, very, very sad. All in all, we are observing the developments.

“I want to call on the majority members of the law enforce-

ment and security community who are true to their calling, who believe in their allegiance to our country to rise up and do what is right and protect the law abiding people of this state who just want to cast their votes. There is nothing else they are asking.

Protect them from the APC criminals and thugs. Protect them any criminal at all for that matter.

“That is the standard we have set, but generally, the process is going on quite well in a number of areas, but it’s just that these ones are very serious and they are very daring. None state actors are now trying to overrun state institutions and I feel very sad about it. But I’ll pursue it to the end.”

Samuel Ese, Yenagoa

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